-- CHAPTER VI: That act of repentance
we justified; and therefore the same grace that must exert itself to pardon other sins, mast be freely extended and put forth by God for the forgiveness of this also.
But of this part I shall have occasion again to speak in the conclusion of this part of this discourse.
CHAPTER VI:
That act of repentance That act of repentance, which it a turning from sin unto God, is to be exercised about this our original sin, and in what manner
There is a second, and the main part of repentance, which looketh forward unto time to come, and is a turning to God from sin, being thereto provoked by sorrow for sin past or present. Thus, 2 Cor. 7:10,
11, 'For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For, behold, this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.' Godly sorrow maketh repentance, which respects time to come.
It is then next to be considered, what conviction of this act, with sorrow, may be provocative to a soul apprehensive of it unto a turning unto God, as well as sorrow for any other sin.
To this I give a general assertion or two.
1. That the main of repentance lies in a turning to God out of a state of sin. This the Scriptures do most insist on. Acts 26:18, 'To turn men from the power of Satan' (who in their state of sinning is said to have
power over them all their life long; that is, whilst they continue in that estate, Heb. 2:15) 'unto God,' as the terminus ad quem. And it is certain, that initial repentance is not merely from an act, but from a state of sinning. Now, if it be duly considered, it is that guilt of the sinful act of our first parents that brought as into, and had conjunct with it a state of sin. And as by faith we enter, or have our first 'access into the grace wherein we stand,' Rom. 5:2; that is, the state of grace; so oppositely, ver. 12 and 18, it is said, 'sin entered,' which entrance was by that first sin, and the guilt of it, and together with that its entrance it was that we entered into a state of sin, and we were first made sinners by it, ver. 18, and so made sinners, as to be under a state or dominion of sin and death: 'Sin reigns unto death,' ver 21.
Yea, and it was this sin that shot that first bolt upon you, whereby you were and are irrecoverably shut up under sin, without any possibility of recovery. Other actual sins, yea, inherent corruption, do but keep you in that estate; but it was this sin first brought you into it. If therefore the great conversion of a soul at first be from out of a state of sin unto God, then surely it is a turning from this sin, not only as conjunct with this state, but as the original hereof.
2. In general. That a man may be provoked, by the conviction, &c., of his guilt of this sin, to turn unto God, as well as by any act of his own committing. To this purpose let it be considered, that this sin is our own as well as any other. And if so, then if a man's soul be once possessed of it, that this sin of Adam's is also his own sin, and withal of the heinousness of it; then why should not this man, out of the sense of his guilt hereof, turn unto God, and against all sin whatever, as well [as] upon the sense of any sin or sins of his own committing? for both are sins, and both are his own sins, though upon a different account.
To illustrate this yet the more, I will but make this supposition (which for illustration's sake I may), that any son of Adam come to understanding, could be supposed guilty of no other act of sinning, but this imputed one from Adam; or, if this should not be admitted, I will make another, which will be as serviceable to my purpose:
suppose that any such convert's mind was wholly taken up with the conviction of, and poring upon his guilt of that one sin, so as at that present he had not in his actual thoughts and meditations any other actual sin of his own (and this is really supposable, and may be a convert's case) and so he were at that present wholly upon such penitential acts for that sin alone as have been set out, viz. of judging himself, sorrowing according to God, &c. I would in this case but demand, whether this conviction and sorrow, detestation of himself for this sin, as sin, and as his own sin, and a most heinous, horrid sin, joined with seeking after, or a sense of the pardon of it, might not, ought not, would not work and stir up in him a spiritual turning unto God against all sin whatsoever? Certainly, yes; yea, and I shall shew, it may naturally work all those effects of repentance which the apostle says that godly sorrow had wrought in those Corinthians, 2
Cor. 7:11 (of which by and by); for still where these is the same ground of like repentance, there may follow and arise from thence the same effects.
You will say, There is this difference in the case (over and besides that consideration, that a man committed it not himself), that in case of other sins, a man is provoked to repentance, because he is capable to commit that sort of sin again, and so says with himself, and specially resolves against that particular sin, to commit that no more of all his abominations, as the prophet's words are. But thus no man can say of this sin of Adam's eating the forbidden fruit; it was done but once, and put to the trial but once, yea, the command forbidding it ceased, and was upon the fact at an end. For answer,
1. Adam himself, or Eve, if they were alive, were not capable of such a special repentance for that sin, who yet were the persons themselves who had committed it (whom yet all will acknowledge to have repented in the consideration thereof, and perhaps more than of any other sin else committed by them, because turned godly, and made penitents by God himself). For why? The commandment was instantly void; yea, and if this reason which is objected hold, we must say, that whilst they were alive, they in this sort never did repent of it
as to time to come (which is that part of repentance we were now aspeaking of), nor never could. What, then, was their repentance for it as for the time to come? Even to say and resolve with themselves, We will through grace sin no more against any command of God whatever, that either God hath or shall give us, especially not against any such command that is made a trial and symbol of obedience in so signal a manner as this was. And unto such a repentance for time to come may the soul of every son of Adam, bowed down under his guilt of this sin, and deep sense of God's displeasure, taken at it, and manifested against it, find all sorts and provocations. Thus in general.
But, further, 2, suppose there, be some particular sin which bears the appearance or likeness to that first act, which a man's soul hath formerly fallen into, and that this be his case (and like sins unto that, for the substance of the act, there are many), by occasion of which his soul hath been forewarned in a signal manner to take heed above all other of sinning with such a person or in such a thing, which are as the forbidden fruit unto that man; and the commands of God against it have been in a singular manner set home upon his soul, and so have become as symbolical commands to him as that was to them (and some such singular commands and special acts of sinning, every penitent hath or may have before him in his eye), may not I say such a soul, upon the intuition of his guilt in that act of Adam's eating that so forbidden fruit, is positively and really moved and provoked to turn unto God, in resolving with a true and efficacious repentance, both in general against breaking any of God's laws for the future, but above all against any such like transgressions, or breaking any such trying commands of special obedience set him, even because in Adam he did offend in the like? May not such a soul, in the depth of his depressments, and lying in the dust, efficaciously reason himself (as the apostle's word upon another occasion is, Rom.
6) unto such a repentance as hath been specified? and he more, by how much the may consider how heinously God took that sin, cursed the earth for it, whereby also himself and every man is polluted and accursed that comes into the world, by considering with himself, I