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In what

it is in

heaven,

yet this the words of God feem naturally to import. 1 Kings 2. 4, if thy children take beed to their way, ta walk before me in truth, with all their heart and with all their foul. And that the commendation given Jofiah cannot be taken in its full import, appears from comparing it with 2 Kings. 18.5, where it is faid of Hezekiah, after him was none like him, among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. If thefe words be taken in both places, in their full import, and are not reconciled by a favourable interpretation, they involve a manifeft contradiction. Wherefore it is evident, that in both places, there is a kind of hyperbole, or the commendation of both kings is not to be understood abfolutely, but conditionally, in the order taken for the reformation of the publick worship; in which the one may be faid, in a different refpect, to have done fomething more than the other,

CXXVII We beg, indeed, in the Lord's prayer, refpect we that God's will may be done in earth, as it is in heapray, that the will of Ven, in which confifts the utmost perfection of piety: God may nor did the Lord Jefus prefcribe to us that part of be done the prayer in vain and John fays, 1 John 5. 14, on earth as whatever we ask according to his swill, be beareth us? but yet we cannot infer from hence the abfolute perfection of holiness in this life. For, the particle dos, does not, in this petition, denote an abfolute equality. in degrees, but a fimilitude in the thing, and the manner of it, in the fincerity, readiness and alacrity of fubmiffion to the will of God, as well his commanding as his decreeing will: for it is ufed, both in, the fourth petition, and Mat. 5. 48, in the fame fignification. The godly are indeed allowed, nay are commanded, to afpire to perfection, and to endeavour, to come the nearest to it poffibles it is alfo acceptable to God, to exprefs that love of perfection in their prayers: however, feeing God has exprefsly, declared, that he does not give his people abfolute perfection in this life, it is the duty of all to acquiefce

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need no

repent

in this difpofition of the divine will, nor are they allowed to beg of God, to grant them that perfection here, which they know, he has not appointed for this, but for the other life. <19CXXVIII. We very well know, that our Lord, Luke Who the 2105.7, fpeaks of one finner, that repenteth, and of just, that ninety and nine juft perfons, which need no repentance. But neither does this favour the pretended perfection ance. of this life: for, there is a two fold repentance. The firft univerfal, whereby the human finner, who is eftranged from the knowledge and worship of God, and all true religion, betakes himself, or turns to God, and to the practice of virtue: the fecond renewed and particular, to which, as to a facred anchor, the regenerate themfelves are often obliged to have recourfe. And of this again there is a three "fold difference. For, 1ft, It is poffible, that tliey, who are fanctified, may fall into fome grievous fin, which lays them under the neceffity of the greatest forrow, and a very extraordinary degree of repentance. 2dly. It is alfo poffible, that fuch may, for a time fall into a kind of fpiritual faintnefs and liftleffness, and, for fome space, continue in that ftate, which may expofe them to very many fins: from which they are to rife by a renewal of repentance. 3dly. Should this not be the cafe, yet, in the very best, there are fins of daily infirmity, cleaving to their sactions, words and thoughts, from which no one, who accurately examines himself, will dare to declare he is free. Now let us apply thefe diftinctions to our prefent purpofe. When our Lord fpeaks of a finner caufing joy in heaven by his repentance, it is evident, he treats either of that firft and univerfal, or of the renewed repentance from fome more grievous fall, and a state not so commendable. This, he fays, the juft need not, because they have already performed the first; and are folicitoufly careful, that they be under no neceffity of the latter; yet he does not fay, that they are free from all neceffity of repenS 4

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tance;

Why the

finner

tance: for, tho' perhaps there may be fome juft
perfons, who, for a confiderable time, are careful
to be kept from more grofs fins, or from falling into
that fluggish state we have juft defcribed, and fo not
to ftand in need of thofe ways of repentance: yet
there is none upon earth, who, on account of his
daily failings, is not bound daily to renew his repent-
ance. In a word, what our Lord fays comes to this,
that there is greater joy in heaven, on account of
great finners, when they are first converted; or for
the regenerate, when returning after a fhameful.
backfliding; than for thofe, in whom, on account
of their conftant practice of a more ftrict piety,
there is no fuch remarkable, and confpicuous change
to be observed...

CXXIX. It might here not improperly be asked, repenting why a greater joy is faid to be in heaven for the concaufes joy verfion of one repenting finner, than for the conftancy in heaven of ninety and nine perfons in holiness; feeing a greater more than good may justly caufe a greater joy; as it is certainly ninety and better, to have kept a fteady courfe of piety, than nine just perfons.

E

to return to the right way, after great backfliding.
I answer, ift. That when our Lord made use of
parables, and, according to his cuftom, fuited
himfelf to the capacity of his hearers, he spoke of
divine things after the manner of men. But it is
evident, that when any good comes of a fudden, it
caufes greater joy, than any other greater good one
has, for fome time, been in quiet poffeffion of; and
that the recovery of things loft more ftrongly affects
the mind, than the uninterrupted keeping of others.
The fame alfo in its meafure is the cafe here.
angels doubtless rejoice, that the juft labour after,
and press on to happiness; but they have, for a long
time, been refcued from the fnares of the devil. But
when a wicked perfon is newly delivered from the
fnares he was in; that converfion, and the falvation
of the converted, which was the confequence of it,
by how much the more it was unexpected, must also

The

1

yield so much the greater pleasure. 2dly. Here our Lord fpeaks according to the old jewish divinity. The jews affirmed, that when a Hebrew fins, the angels weep: our Lord fays, that, on the converfion of any perfon, the angels rejoice. The jews faid, the dignity of the penitent is greater than that of the perfectly just. And, in the place where penitents ftand, there the per fectly just stand not. Which teftimonies Drufus and Ludovicus Cappellus and Grotius, have long ago produced. The reafon of which is this: because it is more difficult to break off a custom or habit of vice, than, after being brought to a commendable course of life, to go on without ftumbling. It yields a greater pleasure, when virtue is fo very confpicuous. 3dly. The glory of the wisdom, power and mercy of God, and the efficacy of the merits of Chrift fhine with greater glory in the converfion of a defperate finner, than in the prefervation of thofe, who walk in the way of righteousness. As therefore the devil is more enraged, when that prey is fnatched from him, which he imagined he would have held faft for ever; fo, in like manner, the angels juftly rejoice more, when their and the enemy of their Lord is mortified to fuch a high degree. 4thly. And generally thefe are warmer in the practice of righteoufnefs, who are inftigated by the forrow of a paft life. An equable tenour of virtue is moftly more remifs; but they, who are fuddenly brought over, from a very bad to a very good courfe, by the powerful arm of God, ufually outstrip others by a quicker pace. They dread fin more, who were deeper plunged therein: have a more ardent love for religion, to whom its beauty has more unexpectedly appeared. And none prize the grace of God towards them more than thofe, who know themselves to be the most unworthy of it. And it is not poffible, but this fenfe of fo great a love must kindle, the most ardent flames of a reciprocal love. As is evident from the example of Paul, and the woman, who was a finner, Luke

2x diftin

7.40.

48. All which yield matter of greater

joy to the Angels..

μετάνοια CXXX. Seeing we have now made a frequent andula mention of repentance ilana, we will fubjoin fome guifhed thing concerning the proper fignification of this by fome, word. The very learned Beza, either was the first,

But it is

or among the firft, who obferved on Mat. 3. 2, that the term, lava is properly never put but to denote a good; and that porous is always joined with Melo: but that is expreffive of a follicitude and anxiety after the doing of a thing: for which the Latins fay pœnitere: and that it is also used to denote an evil, tho' fimply fignifying a kind of follicitude, and drapesos, a difplicency, which makes us with the thing that is done, whether good or bad, to be undone, even though it be out of our power to correct it. Hence he thinks, that data is denoted by the Hebrew word, as is rather denoted by the word aw, whence comes now converfion. Peter therefore, having faid, Acts, 319, melanhole repent immediately fubjoins, tale, and be converted, in order to explain the former. The fame thing Paul does, Acts, 26. 20. In this the venerable Beza has been followed by very many commentators, efpecially when they treat of the repentance of the traitor Judas.

CXXXI. But it may be doubted, whether there is doubted any folid ground for this diftinction. For it can whether neither be deduced from the etymology of either of folidly. thefe terms, nor confirmed by the authority of ap

proved authors, nor proved from the conftant style of Scripture, nor, in fine, concluded from the corref ponding Hebrew terms: which we are now to fhew in order.

TheiretyCXXXII. As to their etymology, as is a word mology compounded of là, after and vow, I understand, and imports as Henr, Stephanus in his Thefaurus tranflates it, postintelligo, and thus it is oppofed to the term ante intelligo. Very elegantly fays, Clemens Alexandrinus,

no fuch

thing.

Stromat

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