[1 Cor. xi. 16.] The conclusion and sum of all. The fifth cause is, the value or estimation of the sin. For that seemeth to be no great fault, which may by men's works be blotted out before God. But the holy scripture teacheth, that sins could be by none other means cleansed, but by the death and innocent blood of the Son of God. Now by that every man that hath any understanding may easily gather, that sin in the sight of God is a most abominable and detestable thing: whereupon there doth arise in the faithful saints a careful and diligent watching against sin, and a continual bewailing of our miserable condition, with a passing humility and exquisite modesty. I could yet add to these some causes more, why all men ought to strive and endeavour to keep this doctrine (that the catholic church is justified by the grace of God in his only-begotten Son, through faith, and not through works) sincere and uncorrupt in the church of Christ: but these I hope are sufficient for them that are not of purpose set to quarrel against us. And yet, notwithstanding, there is no peril why by this doctrine good works should be neglected: of which I have spoken in place convenient 2. But if there be any that cease not of purpose to cavil against the manifest truth of the gospel, I object against them that saying of Paul that neither we, nor the churches of God, do stand to wrangle in so manifest a light. : To conclude; the sum of all that which hitherto I have said touching the gospel is this: That all men that be in the world are of their own nature the servants of sin, the devil, and eternal death, and cannot be loosed or set at liberty by any other means but by the free grace of God, and the redemption which is in the only-begotten Son of God our Lord Christ Jesus; of which redemption they only are made partakers that do believe and trust in him. For whosoever do by true faith receive Christ Jesus through the preaching of the gospel, they are therewithal justified; that is, acquitted from their sins, sanctified, and made heirs of eternal life: but they that by their unbelief and hardness of heart do not receive Christ, are given over to the eternal [John iii. 36.] pains and bonds of hell; for "the wrath of God abideth upon them." Let us therefore give hearty thanks to God our Re[1 ipsius, Lat. ; of the very.] [2 Vol. 1. p. 118.] deemer, and humbly beseech him to keep and increase us in the true faith, and lastly to bring us to life everlasting. Amen. OF REPENTANCE, AND THE CAUSES THEREOF; OF CON- THE SECOND SERMON. I PROMISED in my last sermon, that I made of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to add a discourse of repentance; which by the help of God and your good prayers I purpose in this sermon for to perform. They among the Latins are said to repent, which are To repent. aggrieved at or ashamed of the thing that they have done. Thou hast done a good turn, and thinkest him unworthy of it for whom thou hast done it, and for that cause art sorry to thyself: that sorrow of thine is repentance. We Germans call it Den reuen. The Greeks do name it Metanæam. Now they which are skilful of that tongue say, that ueraVoetv signifieth to bethink afterward: so that Metanca is there properly used, where a man, having once slipped by doing something foolishly, doth notwithstanding at length come to himself again, and verily purpose to correct his own error3. It is therefore referred, not to the thought of the mind only, but also to the deed done. For he that per ceiveth that he hath offended, doth devise with himself how to amend it. So now the thing beginneth to displease thee, which before did please thee: so now thou eschewest the thing that before thou ensuedst1. Moreover the Hebrews call repentance Theschubah3, that is, a conversion, or returning to the right way or mind again. The metaphor seemeth to [3 Bullinger here refers to Erasmus' annotation on Matth. iii. 2: μerávola dicta est a μeravoeîv, hoc est, a posterius intelligendo, ubi quis lapsus, re peracta, tum demum animadvertit erratum suum.] [4 cupidissime, Lat. omitted; most eagerly.] The diverse use of this tance. [Jer. xviii. 8.] [Rom. xi. 29.] in God, how is. be taken of them which once did stray from the right path, but do again at length return into the way: which word is translated to the mind, to the manners, and deeds of men. But now this word is diversely used; for repentance word repen- signifieth the changing of the purpose once conceived, or of any other thing. For by Jeremy the Lord saith: "If they turn from evil, I will also repent me of the evil which I meant to lay upon them." Therefore God doth then repent, when he changeth his purpose: he repenteth not, when he doth not alter it. Paul saith: "The gifts and calling of God [Psal. cx. 4.] are without repentance." And David said: "The Lord hath Repentance sworn, and will not repent." Elsewhere repentance is figuand what it ratively attributed to God, like to the affection of mortal [Gen. vi. 7.] men: as when he saith, I repent' me that I have made man.' For God of his own nature doth not repent as men do, so that he should be touched with grief, and that the thing should now mislike him which he before did like of; but he doth barely alter that which he hath done. Among ecclesiastical writers they are said to repent, which after a prescribed manner of punishment do penance for their sins which they have committed. The scripture in another place doth use it for the whole effect and matter of the gospel : [Acts xi. 18.] for in the Acts we read, that God gave to the Gentiles repentance unto life. But we, in this disputation of ours, will use repentance for a converting or turning to the Lord, for the acknowledging of sins, for the grief conceived for sins committed, for mortification, and the beginning to lead a new life; and finally 2 for the change, correction, and amendment of the life from evil to better: that which we Germans call Bekeerung, Enderung oder Besserung3. What repentance is. And as diversely too is repentance defined of the ecclesiastical writers: howbeit all agree that it is a conversion or turning to the Lord, and an alteration of the former life and opinion. We therefore do say, that repentance is an unfeigned turning to God, whereby we, being of a sincere fear of God once humbled, do acknowledge our sins, and so, by mortifying our old man, are afresh renewed by the [1 It repenteth, ed. 1577.] [2 breviter, Lat.; shortly.] [3 bekehrung, conversion; aenderung, changing; besserung, correction.] Spirit of God. This definition doth consist upon her parts, which, being somewhat more largely opened and diligently expounded, will declare unto us and lay before our eyes the whole nature of repentance. to God. First we say, that repentance is an unfeigned turning Conversion unto God. For I will hereafter shew you, that there are two sorts of repentance; to wit, feigned and unfeigned. And the apostle Peter saith: "Repent, and turn, that your sins [Acts iii. 19.] may be blotted out;" expounding, as it were, the first by the last, to wit, repentance by returning; (he meaneth) to him from whom they had turned themselves away. For there is a certain relation betwixt turning to and turning fro. If thou hadst never turned away, then hadst thou had no need to have turned to again. But we have all turned away from the true, just, and good God, and from his holy will, unto the devil and our own corrupt affections. And therefore must we again turn us from the devil, and from our old naughty life and will, unto the living God and his most holy will and pleasure. We do here significantly say, to God, and not to creatures or any help of man. For the Lord in Jeremy doth say: "If, Israel, thou wilt return, [Jer. iv. 1.] return to me." Whosoever therefore do not turn to God, nor make themselves conformable to his holy will, howsoever they do turn to creatures and other means of man's invention, yet are they not to be esteemed or counted penitents. Now there is none so blind but seeth, that for the stirring of us up to repentance the preaching or doctrine of the truth is needful and requisite, to teach us what God is to whom we must be turned; what the goodness and holiness is, to which we must be turned: who the devil is, and what the evil and wickedness is, from which we must be turned; and lastly, what the thing is that must be amended in our mind and life, and also how it must be altered and amended. Truly the prophets and apostles of the Lord, in exhorting men unto repentance, do travail much and stick very long in describing of God's nature, goodness, righteousness, truth and mercy; in painting out the laws and offices of the life of man; and in accusing and heaping up the sins of men; [4 spiritualiter.] [5 revera, Lat. omitted; in truth.] [ exaggerandis, Lat.] [6 falsum, Lat.] The doctrine of verity is needful to repentance. 9.] 30, 31.] whereunto they add the grievous and horrible tokens' of God's just judgments: as is in every place of the prophets' writings to be found very rifely. And therefore some there are which bid us even now to preach the law to those men whom we would draw unto repentance: which thing as I do not gainsay, but very well like it, so do I withal admonish them, that the preaching of the gospel also doth object to men their sins, and grievously accuse them. For the Lord [John xvi. 8, in the gospel saith: "When the Holy Ghost cometh, it shall argue the world of sin, because they believed not in me." Whereupon St Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles, upbraiding to the Jews their sins committed, and preaching unto them Christ and faith in Christ, exhorteth them unto repentance. The places are very well known. Acts ii. and iii. St Paul, going about to draw the Athenians unto repentance, doth [Acts xvii. say: "God, who hath hitherto winked at the times of this ignorance, doth now preach to all men everywhere that they should repent; because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world with righteousness through Christ." Let them therefore, to whom charge is given to draw men2 unto repentance, learn here to use much liberty and wisdom, that all men may acknowledge their sin and the greatness of their iniquity. Moreover God doth stir up men to repentance, not by his word only, but also by divers afflictions and sundry sorts of punishments: yea, all the calamities that happen in the world are certain sermons, as it were, persuading and drawing us unto repentance. For, that I may in silence overpass that which is written in the prophets; did not our Lord himself in the gospel, when he heard tidings of the slaughter which Pontius Pilate had made upon the Galileans, and the death of the eighteen men upon whom the tower in Siloe fell, presently say, "Think ye that they were greater sinners than the rest? No, verily; but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." It is assuredly certain therefore, that war, famine, and plagues3 do always invite us unto repentance; that is, they premonish us, by laying sin aside, to be converted unto God, and wholly to give ourselves to sincere integrity. [Luke xiii. 1-5.] [1 minas graves et horrendas hypotyposes, Lat.] [3 pestes omnes, Lat. ; all plagues.] |