ANSW. Repentance unto life, is a saving grace, wrought in the heart
of a sinner, by the Spirit and word of God; whereby, out of the
sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filth and
odiousness of his sins, and upon the apprehension of God’s mercy in
Christ, to such as are penitent, he so grieves for, and hates his
sins, as that he turns from them all to God, purposing and
endeavouring, constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new
obedience.
In speaking to this answer we shall consider the subject of repentance,
_viz._ a sinful fallen creature; and that, though this be his condition,
yet he is naturally averse to the exercise thereof, till God is pleased
to bring him to it; which will lead us to consider, how the Spirit of
God does this; and what are the various acts and effects thereof.[222]
1. Concerning the subjects of repentance. No one can be said to repent
but a sinner; and therefore, whatever other graces might be exercised by
man in a state of innocency, or shall be exercised by him, when brought
to a state of perfection; yet there cannot, properly speaking, be any
room for repentance: some, indeed, have queried whether there shall be
repentance in heaven; but it may easily be determined, that though that
hatred of sin in general, and opposition to it, which is contained in
true repentance, be not inconsistent with a state of perfect
blessedness, as it is inseparably connected with perfection of holiness;
yet a sense of sin, which is afflictive, and is attended with grief and
sorrow of heart, for the guilt and consequences thereof, is altogether
inconsistent with a state of perfection; and these are some ingredients
in that repentance which comes under our present consideration.
Therefore we must conclude, that the subject of repentance is a sinner:
but,
II. Though all sinners contract guilt, expose themselves to misery, and
will sooner or later be filled with distress and sorrow for what they
have done against God; yet many have no sense thereof at present, nor
repentance, or remorse for it. These are described as _past feeling_,
Eph. iv. 19. and _hardened through the deceitfulness of sin_, Heb. iii.
13. as obstinate, and having _their neck as an iron sinew, and their
brow as brass_, Isa. xlviii. 4. And there are several methods which they
take to ward off the force of convictions. Sometimes they are stupid,
and hardly give themselves the liberty to consider the difference that
there is between moral good and evil, or the natural obligation we are
under to pursue the one, and avoid the other. They consider not the
all-seeing eye of God, that observes all their actions, nor the power of
his anger, who will take vengeance on impenitent sinners; regard not the
various aggravations of sin, nor consider that God will, for those
things, bring them to judgment. So that impenitency is generally
attended with presumption; whereby the person concludes, though without
ground, that it shall go well with him in the end; such an one is
represented, as blessing himself in his heart, saying, _I shall have
peace, though I walk in the imagination_; or, as it is in the margin, in
the stubbornness _of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst_, Deut.
xxix. 19. Or if, on the other hand, he cannot but conclude, that with
God is terrible majesty, that he is a consuming fire, and that none ever
hardened themselves against him, and prospered, and if he does not fall
down before him with humble confession of sin, and repentance for it, he
will certainly be broken with his rod of iron, and dashed in pieces,
like the potter’s vessel, broken with a tempest, and utterly destroyed,
when his wrath is kindled; then he resolves, that some time or other he
will repent, but still delays and puts it off for a more convenient
season, and though God gives him space to do it, repenteth not, Rev. ii.
21. Thus he goes on in the greatness of his way, till God prevents him
with the blessings of his goodness, and brings him to repentance. And
this leads us to consider,
III. That repentance is God’s work; or, as it is observed in this
answer, wrought by the Spirit of God: whether we consider it as a common
or saving grace, it is the Spirit that convinces or reproves the world
of sin. If it be of the same kind with that which Pharaoh, Ahab, or
Judas had; it is a dread of God’s judgments, and his wrath breaking in
upon conscience, when he reproves for sin, and sets it in order before
their eyes, that excites it. If they are touched with a sense of guilt,
and hereby, for the present, stopped, or obliged to make a retreat, and
desist from pursuing their former methods, it is God, in the course of
his providence, that gives a check to them. But this comes short of that
repentance which is said to be unto life; or which is styled a saving
grace, which is wrought by the Spirit of God, as the beginning of that
saving work, which is a branch of sanctification, and shall end in
compleat salvation.
This is expressly styled in scripture, _repentance unto life_, Acts xi.
18. inasmuch as every one, who is favoured with it, shall obtain eternal
life; and it is connected with conversion and remission of sins, which
will certainly end in eternal salvation. Thus it is said, _Repent and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord_, chap. iii. 9. and
for this reason it is called a saving grace, or a grace that accompanies
salvation, whereby it is distinguished from that repentance which some
have, who yet remain in a state of unregeneracy. And it is called,
_Repentance to salvation, not to be repented of_, 2 Cor. vii. 10. that
is, it shall issue well; and he shall, in the end, have reason to bless
God, and rejoice in his grace, that has made him partaker of it, who
thus repents.
IV. We shall now consider the instrument or means whereby the Spirit
works this grace.[77] Thus it is said to be wrought in the heart of a
sinner, by the word of God, as all other graces are, except
regeneration, as has been before observed: we must first suppose the
principle of grace implanted, and the word presenting motives, and
arguments leading to repentance; and then the understanding is
enlightened and disposed to receive what is therein imparted. The word
_calls sinners to repentance_, Matt. ix. 13. and therefore, when this
grace is wrought, we are not only turned by the power of God, but
_instructed_, Jer. xxxi. 19. by the Spirit’s setting home what is
contained therein whereby we are led into the knowledge of those things
which are necessary to repentance. As,
1. We have in the word a display of the holiness of the divine nature
and law, and our obligation in conformity thereunto, to the exercise of
holiness in heart and life, as God says, _Be ye holy, for I am holy_,
Lev. xi. 44. And to this we may add, that it contains a display of the
holiness of God in his threatenings, which he has denounced against
every transgression and disobedience, which shall receive a just
recompence of reward; and in all the instances of his punishing sin in
those who have exposed themselves thereunto, that hereby he might deter
men from it, and lead them to repentance: thus the apostle speaks of
_the law_ of God as _holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good_,
Rom. vii. 12, 13. and of its leading him into the knowledge of sin, by
which means it appeared to be sin, that is, opposite to an holy God,
and, as he expresses it, _became exceeding sinful_.
2. Hereby persons are led into themselves; and by comparing their hearts
and lives with the word of God, are enabled to see their own vileness
and want of conformity to the rule which he has given them, the
deceitfulness and desperate wickedness thereof, and what occasion there
is to abhor themselves, and repent in dust and ashes; thus the apostle,
in the place but now mentioned, speaks of himself as _once alive without
the law; but when the commandment came, sin revived and he died_, and
concludes himself to be _carnal, sold under sin_, Rom. vii. 9, 14. This
is a necessary means leading to repentance.
And we may farther add, that God not only makes use of the word, but of
his providences to answer this end; therefore he speaks of a sinning
people, _when carried away captive into the land of the enemy_, as
_bethinking_ themselves, and afterwards _repenting and making
supplication to him_ therein, 1 Kings viii. 46, 47. And we read of
sickness and bodily diseases as ordained by God, to bring persons to
repentance; thus Elihu speaks of a person’s being _chastened with pain
upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain; his soul
drawing nigh to the grave, and his life to the destroyers_, Job xxxiii.
19, 27. and then represents the person thus chastened, and afterwards
recovered from his sickness, as acknowledging himself to _have sinned,
and perverted that which is right, and_ that _it profited him not_. And
the apostle speaks of _the goodness of God_ in the various dispensations
of his providence, as _leading to repentance_, Rom. ii. 4. But these
dispensations are always to be considered in conjunction with the word,
and as impressed on the conscience of men by the Spirit, in order to
their attaining this desirable end.
But that we may insist on this matter more particularly, we must take an
estimate of repentance, either as it is a common or special grace; in
both these respects it is from the Spirit, and wrought by the
instrumentality of the word, applied to the consciences of men; but
there is a vast difference between the one and the other in the
application of the word, as well as in the effects and consequences
thereof.
(1.) In them who are brought under convictions, but not made partakers
of the saving grace of repentance; the Holy Spirit awakens, and fills
them with the terrors of God, and the dread of his vengeance, _by the
law_, by which _is the knowledge of sin_, and _all the world becomes
guilty before God_, Rom. iii. 20. compared with 19. These are what we
call legal convictions; whereby the wound is opened, but no healing
medicine applied: the sinner apprehends himself under a sentence of
condemnation, but at the same time cannot apply any promise which may
afford hope and relief to him; groans under his burden, and knows not
where to find ease or comfort, and dreads the consequence thereof, as
that which would sink him into hell; God appears to him as a consuming
fire, his arrows stick fast in his soul, the poison whereof drinketh up
his spirits; if he endeavours to shake off his fears, and to relieve
himself against his despairing thoughts, he is notwithstanding,
described, as being like the _troubled sea_, when it _cannot rest_,
which _casts forth mire and dirt_, Isa. lvii. 20. This is a most
afflictive case; concerning which it is said, that though _the spirit of
a man will sustain his infirmity_; _yet a wounded spirit who can bear_?
Prov. xviii. 14.
Thus it is with some when convinced of sin by the law: but there are
others who endeavour to quiet their consciences by using indirect
methods, thinking to make atonement for it, and by some instances of
external reformation, to make God amends, and thereby procure his
favour, but to no purpose; for _sin taking occasion, by the commandment,
works in them all manner of concupiscence_, Rom. vii. 8. And if they
grow stupid, which is oftentimes the consequence hereof, their sense of
sin is entirely lost, and their repentance ends in presumption, and a
great degree of boldness in the commission of all manner of wickedness.
(2.) We shall now consider how the Spirit works repentance unto life,
which is principally insisted on in this answer. This is said to be done
by the word of God; not by the law without the gospel, but by them both,
in which one is made subservient to the other. The law shews the soul
its sin, and the gospel directs him where he may find a remedy; one
wounds and the other heals; _the law enters_, as the apostle expresses
it, _that the offence might abound_, Rom. v. 20. but the gospel shews
him how _grace_ does _much more abound_, and where he may obtain
forgiveness, by which means he is kept from sinking under that weight of
guilt that lies on his conscience. And it leads him to hate and abstain
from sin, from those motives that are truly excellent; for which reason
it is called evangelical repentance.
Now that we may better understand the nature thereof, we shall consider;
how it differs from that which we before described, which arises only
from that conviction of sin, which is by the law, which a person may
have, who is destitute of this grace of repentance, which we are
speaking of. Repentance, of what kind soever it be, contains in it a
sense of sin: but if it be such a sense of sin, that the unregenerate
person may have, this includes little more in it than a sense of the
danger and misery which he has exposed himself to by sins committed. The
principal motives leading hereunto, are the threatenings which the law
of God denounces against those that violate it. Destruction from God is
a terror to him; if this were not the consequence of sin, he would be so
far from repenting of it, that it would be the object of his chief
delight. And that guilt, which he charges himself with, is principally
such, as arises from the commission of the most notorious crimes, which
expose him to the greatest degree of punishment: whereas, repentance
unto life brings a soul under a sense of the guilt of sin, as it is
contrary to the holy nature and law of God, which the least, as well as
the greatest sins, are opposed to, and contain a violation of. And
therefore he charges himself, not only with open sins, which are
detestable in the eyes of men; but secret sins, which others have little
or no sense of; sins of omission, as well as sins of commission; and he
is particularly affected with the sin of unbelief, inasmuch as it
contains a contempt of Christ, and the grace of the gospel. And he is
not only sensible of those sins which break forth in his life; but that
propensity of nature, whereby he is inclined to rebel against God; so
that this sense of guilt, in some respects, differs from that which they
are brought under, who are destitute of saving repentance.
But that in which they more especially differ is, in that saving
repentance contains in it a sense of the filth, and odious nature of
sin, and so considers it as defiling, or contrary to the holiness of
God, and rendering the soul worthy to be abhorred by him; so that as the
sense of guilt excites fear, and a dread of the wrath of God, this fills
him with shame, confusion of face, and self-abhorrence, which is
inseparably connected with the grace of repentance; accordingly these
are joined together, as Job says, _I abhor myself, and repent in dust
and ashes_, Job xlii. 6. or, as when God promises that he would bestow
this grace on his people, he says, _Then shall ye remember your own evil
ways, and your doings, that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves
in your own sight, for your iniquities, and for your abominations_,
Ezek. xxxvi. 31. As before this they set too high a value upon
themselves, and were ready to palliate and excuse their crimes, or
insist on their innocence, though their iniquity was written in legible
characters, as with a pen of iron, and the point of a diamond, and to
say with Ephraim, _In all my labour they shall find none iniquity in me
that were sin_, Hos. xii. 8. or, as the prophet Jeremiah says,
concerning a rebellious people, that _though in their skirts were found
the blood of the souls of the poor innocents_; yet they had the front to
say, _Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me_, Jer.
ii. 34, 35. Notwithstanding, when God brings them to repentance, and
heals their backslidings; they express themselves in a very different
way; _We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us; for we have
sinned against the Lord our God_, chap. iii. 25. Now this is such an
ingredient in true repentance, which is not to be found in that which
falls short of it: the sinner is afraid of punishment indeed, or, it may
be, he may be filled with shame, because of the reproach which attends
his vile and notorious crimes in the eyes of the world; yet he is not
ashamed, or confounded, as considering how vile he has rendered himself
hereby, in the eye of an holy God.
There is another thing which is farther observed in this answer, which
is an ingredient in repentance unto life, in which respect it is
connected with faith, inasmuch as he apprehends the mercy of God in
Christ to such as are penitent; and this effectually secures him from
that despair which sometimes attends a legal repentance, as was before
observed, as well as affords him relief against the sense of guilt with
which this grace is attended. The difference between legal and
evangelical repentance, does not so much consist in that one represents
sin, as more aggravated; nor does it induce him that thus repents, to
think himself a greater sinner than the other; for the true penitent is
ready to confess himself the chief of sinners. He is far from
extenuating his sin, being ready, on all occasions, to charge himself
with more guilt than others are generally sensible of: but that which he
depends upon as his only comfort and support is the mercy of God in
Christ, or the consideration that there is forgiveness with him, that he
may be feared; this is that which affords the principal motive and
encouragement to repentance, and has a tendency to excite the various
acts thereof; which leads us to consider,
V. What are the various acts of this repentance unto life; or what are
the fruits and effects produced thereby.
1. The soul is filled with hatred of sin. When he looks back on his past
life, he bewails what cannot now be avoided; charges himself with folly
and madness, and wishes (though this be to no purpose) that he had done
many things which he has omitted, and avoided those sins, together with
the occasions thereof, which he has committed, the guilt whereof lies
with great weight upon him. How glad would he be if lost seasons and
opportunities of grace might be recalled, and the talents, that were
once put into his hand, though misimproved, regained! But all these
wishes are in vain. However, these are the after-thoughts which will
arise in the minds of those who are brought under a sense of sin. Sin
wounds the soul; the Spirit of God, when convincing thereof, opens the
wound, and causes a person to feel the smart of it, and gives him to
know, that _it is an evil thing, and bitter, that he has forsaken the
Lord his God_, Jer. ii. 19. This sometimes depresses the spirits, and
causes him to walk softly, to _set alone and keep silence_, Lam. iii.
28. being filled with that uneasiness which is very afflictive to him.
At other times it gives vent to itself in tears, as the Psalmist
expresses it, _I am weary with my groaning, all the night make I my bed
to swim; I water my couch with my tears_, Psal. vi. 6. In this case the
only thing that gives him relief or comfort is, that the guilt of sin is
removed by the blood of Christ, which tends to quiet his spirit, which
would otherwise be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
And to this we may add, that sin is always the object of his
detestation, even when there is an abatement of that grief, which, by
the divine supports and comforts he is fenced against: he hates sin, not
barely because of the sad consequences thereof, but as it is in itself
the object of abhorrence; and therefore his heart is set against all
sin, as the Psalmist says, _I hate every false way_, Psal. cxix. 104.
This hatred discovers itself by putting him upon flying from it,
together with all the occasions thereof, or incentives to it. He not
only abstains from those sins which they who have little more than the
remains of moral virtue are ashamed of, and afraid to commit, but hates
every thing that has in it the appearance of sin, and this hatred is
irreconcileable. As forgiveness does not make sin less odious in its own
nature, so the experience that he has of the grace of God herein, or
whatever measures of peace he enjoys, whereby his grief and sorrow is
assuaged, yet still his hatred of it not only remains, but increases:
and, as the consequence hereof,
2. He turns from sin unto God; he first hates sin, and then flies from
it, as seeing it to be the spring of all his grief and fears, that which
separates between him and his God. Thus Ephraim, when brought to
repentance, is represented as saying, _What have I to do any more with
idols_, Hos. xiv. 8. reflecting on his past conduct, when addicted to
them, with a kind of indignation; so the true penitent, who has hitherto
been walking in those paths that lead to death and destruction, now
enquires after the way of holiness, and the paths of peace; as he has
hitherto walked contrary to God, now he desires to walk with him; and
having wearied himself in the greatness of his way, and seeing no fruit
in those things whereof he is now ashamed; and being brought into the
utmost straits, he determines to return to his God and Father. And in
doing this he purposes and endeavours to walk with him in all the ways
of new obedience, as the apostle exhorts those who had received good by
his ministry, that _with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the
Lord_, Acts xi. 23. This purpose is not like those hasty resolutions
which unconverted sinners make when God is hedging up their way with
thorns, and they are under the most distressing apprehensions of his
wrath. Then they say as the people did to Joshua, _We will serve the
Lord_, Josh. xxiv. 22. though they are not sensible how difficult it is
to fulfil the engagements which they lay themselves under, nor of the
deceitfulness of their own hearts, and the need they stand in of grace
from God, to enable them so to do. This purpose to walk with God, does
not so much respect what a person will do hereafter; but it contains a
resolution which is immediately put in execution, and so is opposed to
his former obstinacy, when determining to go on in the way of his own
heart. Thus the prodigal son, in the parable, no sooner resolved that he
would _arise and go to his Father_, Luke xv. 18, compared with 20. but
he arose and went. True repentance is always attended with endeavours
after new obedience, so that a person lays aside that sloth and
indolence which was inconsistent with his setting a due value on, or
improving the means of grace; and, as the result hereof, he now exerts
himself, with all his might, in pursuing after those things, whereby he
may approve himself God’s faithful servant; and hereby he discovers the
sincerity of his repentance; which he does, or rather is enabled to do,
by that grace, which at first began, and then carries on this work in
the soul, whereby he _has his fruit unto holiness, and the end_ thereof
_everlasting life_, Rom. vi. 22.
From what has been said concerning repentance, we may infer,
(1.) That since it is a grace that accompanies salvation, and
consequently is absolutely necessary thereunto, it is an instance of
unwarrantable and bold presumption, for impenitent sinners to expect,
that they shall be made partakers of the benefits which Christ has
purchased, while they continue in a state of enmity, opposition, and
rebellion against him; or that they shall be saved by him in their sins,
without being saved from them; for _he that covereth his sins shall not
prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy_,
Prov. xxviii. 13.
(2.) Since repentance is the work of the Spirit, and his gift, we infer,
that whatever endeavours we are obliged to use, or whatever motives or
inducements are given to lead us hereunto, we must not conclude, that it
is in our own power to repent when we please; and therefore it should be
the matter of our earnest and constant prayer to God, that he would turn
our hearts, give us a true sight and sense of sin, accompanied with
faith in Christ, as Ephraim is represented, saying, _Turn thou me, and I
shall be turned_, Jer. xxxi. 18.
(3.) Let not those that have a distressing sense of their former sins,
how great soever they have been, give way to despairing thoughts; but
lay hold on the mercy of God in Christ, extended to the chief of
sinners, and improve it to encourage them to hate sin, and forsake it
from evangelical motives, which will have a tendency to remove their
fears while they look on God, not as a sin-revenging Judge, but a
reconciled Father, ready and willing to receive those who return to him
with unfeigned repentance.
(4.) Since we daily commit sin, it follows from hence, that we stand in
need of daily repentance: and this being a branch of sanctification, as
sanctification is a progressive work, so is repentance. We are not to
expect that sin should be wholly extirpated, while we are in this
imperfect state; and therefore it is constantly to be bewailed, and, by
the grace of God working effectually in us, avoided; that, as the result
hereof, we may have a comfortable hope that that promise shall be
fulfilled, _They that sow in tears shall reap in joy_, Psal. cxxvi. 5.
Footnote 222:
It has been, perhaps correctly, asserted that repentance is neither a
duty discoverable by the law of nature, nor the written law of God;
because it is unfit, that a law, appointing death for the violation of
its precept, should also discover to the culprit a way of escape from
its own penalty incurred.
But there existed purposes of mercy before the law was made; these
have been revealed by a gracious Sovereign; the condition of men, as
prisoners of hope possessing competent evidence of the compassion of
the Lawgiver, points to repentance. Sacrifices in former ages discover
not only a consciousness of guilt, but a glimmering hope at least, of
pardon. It is possible that these were the offspring of tradition
among the Gentiles, rather than the deductions of the light of nature.
But in either way, sorrow for sin is a duty founded on the will of
God.
It is therefore a duty, perfectly reasonable, and expressly revealed
on the sacred page. The strength to perform it is from the King of
Providence and Grace.
There is necessary in its production a discovery of guilt, liability
to misery, and entire helplessness. The general belief, or profession
of these truths, does not prove in event to be a cause adequate to
produce a total change in a man’s views, pursuits, desires, aversions,
labours, joys, and sorrows. There is necessary some deep sense, or
strong conviction of guilt. This, with respect to its proximate cause,
may originate in various ways; by reflecting on the Divine Sovereignty
and Majesty; by a solemn contemplation of the excellency and
loveliness of the moral perfection of Deity; by an affecting sight of
his goodness and mercy to the individual in particular; by attending
to the awful subject of Divine Justice, seen in the sufferings of
Christ, or anticipated in the future judgment, and final sufferings of
the damned. Such convictions are produced in great mercy to the
individual, how dearly soever they cost him, whether the prostrated
idols, on which the sensual affections were fastened, were companions,
friends, relations, honour or wealth. Disease, approaching death, or
any thing which shall dissolve the unhallowed attachment to earth, may
by the Divine blessing produce this change, the glory of which will
always really belong to Divine grace, which works unseen.
The bitterness of such sorrows is sometimes extreme, when he who
wounded alone can cure. The effects of it are subsequently salutary,
both to deter from sin and to strengthen the party’s faith.
The degrees of penitential sorrow are extremely various in different
converts. He who has been convinced of gospel truths step by step, and
has been in the same manner brought to the love and fear of God, and
to a universal conscientiousness, may have grounds of peace and
comfort equally safe, as he whose convictions have been the most
sensible; for not their height but their fruits prove them to be
genuine.
Footnote 77:
Grace here is put for repentance, and not the immediate influence on
the soul.
Quest. LXXVII.