But instance, be omitted in ordinary cases, and commuted for others more fit and useful: yet they chose these austerities as the best signification of their repentance towards men; such in which there is the greatest likelihood of sincerity and a hearty sorrow, such which have in them the least objection; such in which a man hath the clearest power and the most frequent opportunity; such which every man can do, which have in them the least inlet to temptation, and the least powers to abuse a man; and they are such which do not only signify, but effect and promote, repentance. yet they are acts of repentance, just as beating the breasts, or smiting the thigh, or sighing, or tears, or tearing the hair, or refusing our meat, are acts of sorrow: if God should command us to be sorrowful, this might be done (when it could be done at all), though none of these were in the expression and signification. The Jews did, in all great sorrows or trouble of mind, rend their garments. As we may be as much troubled as they, though we do not tear our clothes; so we may be as true penitents as were the holy primitives, though we do not use that okλngaywyia, that hardship,' which was then the manner of their penitential solemnities. But then the repentance must be exercised by some other acts proper to the grace. Prayers. 80. Preces undique et undecunque lucrum,' says one. Prayers are useful upon all occasions; but especially in repentances and afflictive duties or accidents. "Is any man afflicted? let him pray," saith St. James: and since nothing can deserve pardon, all the good works in the world, done by God's enemy, cannot reconcile him to God; but pardon of sins is as much a gift, as eternal life is; there is no way more proper to obtain pardon, than a devout, humble, persevering prayer. And this also is a part of repentance: pœnæque genus vidisse precantem. When we confess our sins, and when we pray for pardon, we concentre many acts of virtue together. There is the hatred of sin, and the shame for having committed it; there is the justification of God, and the humiliation of ourselves; there is confession of sins, and hope of pardon; there is fear and love, sense of our infirmity, and confidence of the divine goodness, sorrow for the past, and holy purposes and desires and vows of living better in time to come. Unless all this be in it, the prayers are not worthy fruits of a holy repentance. But such prayers are a part of amends, it is a satisfaction to God in the true and modest sense of the word: so St. Cyprian affirms, speaking of the three children in the fiery furnace "Domino satisfacere, nec inter ipsa gloriosa virtutum suarum martyria, destiterunt:" "They did not cease to satisfy the Lord, in the very midst of their glorious martyrdoms." For so saith the Scripture. "Stans Azarias precatus est," "Azarias standing in the flames did pray," and made his 'exomologesis,' or penitential confession, to God with his two partners. Thus also Tertullian describes the manner of the primitive repentance : "Animum mœroribus dejicere, illa quæ peccavit, tristi tractatione mutare, cæterum pastum et potum pura nosse, non ventris scil, sed animæ causa: plerumque verò jejuniis preces alere, ingemiscere, lacrimari, et mugire dies noctesque ad Dominum Deum suum: presbyteris advolvi et caris Dei adgeniculari; omnibus fratribus legationes deprecationis suæ injungere:" "To have our minds cast down with sorrow, to change our sins into severity, to take meat and drink without art, simple and pure, viz. bread and water, not for the belly's sake, but for the soul; to nourish our prayers most commonly with fasting, to sigh and cry, and roar to God our Lord day and night; to be prostrate before the ministers and priests, to kneel before all the servants of God, and to desire all the brethren to pray to God for them."-" Oportet orare impensiùs et rogare;" so St. Cyprian: "We must pray and beg more earnestly;" and as Pacianus adds, according to the words of Tertullian before cited, multorum precibus adjuvare;' 'we must help our prayers with the assistance of others." Pray to God," said Simon Peter to Simon Magus, "if, peradventure, the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee:""Pray for me," said Simon Magus to Simon Peter, "that the things which thou hast spoken, may not happen to me." And in this case, the prayers of the church, and of the holy men that minister to the church, as they are of great avail in themselves, so they were highly valued and earnest Serm. de Lapsis. De Pœnit. c. 9. ly desired and obtained by the penitents in the first ages of the church. Alms. 81. Alms and fasting are the wings of prayer, and make it pierce the clouds; that is, humility and charity are the best advantages and sanctification of our desires to God. This was the counsel of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar; "Eleemosynis peccata tua redime t;" "Redeem thy sin by alms," so the Vulgar Latin reads it; not that money can be the price of a soul, for 'we are not redeemed with silver and gold;' but that the charity of alms is that, which God delights in, and accepts as done to himself, and procures his pardon, according to the words of Solomon; "In veritate et misericordia expiatur iniquitas;" "In truth and mercy iniquity is pardoned ":" that is, in the confession and alms of a penitent there is pardon: "for water will quench a flaming fire; and alms maketh an atonement for sin *;" this is that love, which, as St. Peter expresses it, "hideth a multitude of sins".""Alms deliver from death, and shall purge away every sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness, shall be filled with life," said old Tobias; which truly explicates the method of this repentance. To give alms for what is past, and to sin no more, but to work righteousness, is an excellent state and exercise of repentance; for he that sins and gives alms, spends his money upon sin, not upon God; and, like a man in a calenture, drinks deep of the vintage, even when he bleeds for cure. 82. But this command, and the affirmation of this effect of alms, we have best from our blessed Saviour. "Give alms, and all things are clean unto you:" repentance does κalapíSELV TO EVTÒS, 'it cleanses that which is within ;' for to that purpose did our blessed Saviour speak that parable to the Pharisees of cleansing cups and platters. The parallel to it is here in St. Luke. Alms do also cleanse the inside of a man; for it is an excellent act and exercise of repentance". Magna est misericordiæ merces, cui Deus pollicetur se omnia peccata remissurum:" "Great is the reward of mercy, to which God hath promised that he will forgive all sins"." t Dan. iv. y 1 Pet. iv. 8. u Prov. xvi. 6. b Vide Rule of Holy Dying, chap. 2. sect. 3. * Ecclus. iii. 30. e Lact. lib. 6. To this of alms is reduced all actions of piety, and a zealous kindness, Kóπos άyáπns, the labour of love,' all studious endearing of others, and obliging them by kindness, a going about seeking to do good; such which are called in Scripture, 'opera justitiæ,' the works of righteousness,' that is, such works, in which a righteous and good man loves to be exercised and employed. But there is another instance of mercy besides alms, which is exceeding proper to the exercise of repentance; and that is, Forgiving Injuries. 6 83. Ut absolvaris, ignosce;' Pardon thy brother, that God may pardon thee:' "Forgive, and thou shalt be forgiven:" so says the Gospel; and this Christ did press with many words and arguments, because there is a great mercy and a great effect consequent to it; he put a great emphasis and earnestness of commandment upon it. And there is in it a great necessity; for we all have need of pardon, and it is impudence to ask pardon, if we refuse to give pardon to them that ask it of us: and therefore the apostles, to whom Christ gave so large powers of forgiving or retaining sinners, were also qualified for such powers, by having given them a deep sense, and a lasting sorrow, and a perpetual repentance for, and detestation of, their sins; their repentance lasting even after their sin was dead. Therefore, St. Paul calls himself the chiefest or first of sinners; and in the epistle of St. Barnabas, the Apostle affirms, ὅτι ἐξελέξατο τοὺς ἰδίους ̓Αποστύλους Ἰησοῦς ὄντας ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἀνομίαν ἀνομωτέρους, “ that Jesus chose for his own apostles men more wicked than any wickedness;" and by such humility and apprehensions of their own needs of mercy, they were made sensible of the needs of others, and fitted to a merciful and prudent dispensation of pardon. Restitution. 84. This is an act of repentance indispensably necessary; an integral part of it, if it be taken for a restitution of the simple or original theft or debt: for it is an abstinence from evil, or a leaving off to commit a sin: the crime of theft being injurious by a continual efflux and emanation; and therefore not repented of, till the progression of it be stopped. But then there is a restitution also, which is to be reckoned amongst the fruits of repentance, or penances and satisfactions. Such as was that of Zaccheus; "If I have wronged any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." In the law of Moses, thieves convicted by law were tied to it; but if a thief, or an injurious person, did repent before his conviction, and made restitution of the wrong; he was tied only to the payment of one fifth part above the principal, by way of amends for the injury; and to do this, is an excellent fruit of repentance, and a part of self-judicature, ‘a judging ourselves, that we be not judged of the Lord' and if the injured person be satisfied with the simple restitution, then this fruit of repentance is to be gathered for the poor. 85. These are the fruits of repentance, which grow in Paradise, and will bring health to the nations, for these are a just deletory to the state of sin; they oppose a good against every evil; they make amends to our brother exactly; and to the church competently, and to God acceptably, through his mercy in Jesus Christ. These are all we can do in relation to what is past; some of them are parts of direct obedience, and consequently of return to God, and the others are parts, and exercises, and acts, of turning from the sin. Now although, so we turn from sin, it matters not by what instruments so excellent a conversion is effected; yet there must care be taken that in our return, there be, 1. hatred of sin; and, 2. love of God; and, 3. love of our brother. The first is served by all or any penal duty internal or external: but sin must be confessed, and it must be left. The second is served by future obedience, by prayer, and by hope of pardon; and the last by alms and forgiveness: and we have no liberty or choice but in the exercise of the penal or punitive part of repentance: but in that every man is left to himself, and hath no necessity upon him; unless where he hath first submitted to a spiritual guide; or is noted publicly by the church. But if our sorrow be so trifling, or our sins so slightly hated, or our flesh so tender, or our sensuality so unmortified, that we will endure nothing of exterior severity to mortify our sin, or to punish it, to prevent God's anger, or to allay it; we may chance to feel the load of our sins in temporal judgments, and have cause to suspect the sincerity of our repentance, and consequently to fear the |