thrust from communion with the church. Insomuch that if we cannot proceed against them by any orderly course of judgment, they rather are to be suffered for the time than molested. Many there are reclaimed as Peter; many as Judas, known well enough, and yet tolerated; many which must remain undescried till the day of appearance, by whom the secret corners of darkness shall be brought into open light,

Leaving therefore unto his judgment them whom we cannot stay from casting their own souls into so great hazard, we have, in the other part of penitential jurisdiction in our power and authority to release sin, joy on all sides, without trouble or molestation unto any. And if to give be a thing more blessed than to receive, are we not infinitely happier in being authorized to bestow the treasure of God, than when necessity doth constrain to withdraw the same?

They which, during life and health, are never destitute of ways to delude repentance, do notwithstanding oftentimes, when their last hour draweth on, both feel that sting which before lay dead in them, and also thirst after such helps as have been always, till then, unsavoury. St. Ambrose's words Lib. 3. touching late repentance are somewhat hard, "If a man be de poen. penitent and receive absolution (which cannot in that case

be denied him), even at the very point of death, and so depart, I dare not affirm he goeth out of the world well; I will counsel man to trust to this, because I am loath to deceive any man, seeing I know not what now to think of it. Shall I judge such a one a castaway? Neither will I avouch him safe: all I am able to say, is, let his estate be left to the will and pleasure of Almighty God. Wilt thou be therefore delivered of all doubt? Repent while yet thou art healthy and strong. If thou defer it till time give no longer possibility of sinning, thou canst not be thought to have left sin, but rather sin to have forsaken thee." Such admonitions may in their time and place be necessary, but in no wise prejudicial to the generality of God's heavenly promise, “Whensoever a sinner doth repent from the bottom of his heart, I will put out all his iniquity." And of this, although it hath pleased God not to leave to the world any multitude of examples, lest the careless should too far presume, yet one he hath given and that most memorable, to withhold from despair in the mercies of God, at what instant soever man's unfeigned conversion be wrought. Yea, because to countervail the fault

of delay, there are in the latest repentance oftentimes the surest tokens of sincere dealing; therefore upon special confession made to the minister of God, he presently absolveth in this case the sick party from all sins by that authority which Jesus Christ hath committed unto him, knowing that God respecteth not so much what time is spent, as what truth is shewed in repentance.

a In some, when the offence doth stand only between God and man's conscience, the counsel is good, which St. Chrysostom giveth, "I wish thee not to bewray thyself publicly, nor to accuse thyself before others. I wish thee to obey the prophet, who saith, Disclose thy way unto the Lord, confess thy sins before him; tell thy sins to him that he may blot them out. If thou be abashed to tell unto any other, wherein thou hast offended, rehearse them every day between thee and thy soul. I wish thee not to confess them to thy fellowservant, who may upbraid thee with them; tell them to God, who will cure them; there is no need for thee in the presence of witnesses to acknowledge them; let God alone see thee at thy confession. I pray and beseech you, that you would more often than you do, confess to God eternal, and reckoning up your trespasses, desire his pardon. I carry you not into a theatre or open court of many of your fellow-servants, I seek not to detect your crimes before men; disclose your conscience before God, unfold yourselves to him, lay forth your wounds before him the best physician that is, and desire of him salve for them." If hereupon it follow, as it did with David, "I thought, I will confess against myself my wickedness unto thee, O Lord, and thou forgavest me the plague of my sin," we have our desire, and there remaineth only thankfulness accompanied with perpetuity of care to avoid that, which, being not avoided, we know we cannot remedy without new perplexity and grief. Contrariwise, if peace with God do not follow the pains we have taken in seeking after

a Non dico tibi, ut te prodas in publicum, neque ut te apud alios accuses, sed obedire te volo prophetæ dicenti, 'revela Domino viam tuam.' Ante Deum confitere peccata tua; peccata tua dicito, ut ea deleat; si confunderis alicui dicere quæ peccasti, dicito ea quotidie in anima. Non dico ut confitearis conservo qui exprobret ; Deo dicito qui ea curat ; non necesse est præsentibus testibus confiteri ; solus te Deus confitentem videat. Rogo et oro ut crebrius Deo immortali confiteamini, et enumeratis vestris delictis veniam petatis. Non te in theatrum conservorum duco, non hominibus peccata tua conor detegere. Repete coram Deo conscientiam tuam, te explica, ostende medico præstantissimo vulnera tua, et pete ab eo medicamentum. Chrysost. hom. 31. ad Hebr. et in Psal. 59. hom. de pæn. et confess. et hom. 5. de incarn. Dei natura, homil. itemque de Lazaro.

Tert.

it, if we continue disquieted and not delivered from anguish, mistrusting whether that we do be sufficient; it argueth that our sore doth exceed the power of our own skill, and that the wisdom of the pastor must bind up those parts, which being bruised are not able to be recured of themselves.

Of Satisfaction.

THERE resteth now satisfaction only to be considered; a point which the fathers do often touch, albeit they never aspire to such mysteries as the papacy hath found enwrapped within the folds and plaits thereof. And it is happy for the church of God, that we have the writings of the fathers to shew what their meaning was. The name of satisfaction, as the ancient fathers mean it, containeth whatsoever a penitent should do in the humbling himself unto God, and testifying by deeds of contrition the same which confession in words pretendeth; "He which by repentance for sins (saith Terde pœn. tullian, speaking of fickle-minded men) had a purpose to satisfy the Lord, will now, by repenting his repentance, make Satan satisfaction; and be so much the more hateful to God, as he is unto God's enemy more acceptable." Is it not plain, that satisfaction doth here include the whole work of penitency, and that God is satisfied when we are restored through sin into favour by repentance? "How canst thou (saith Chrysostoma) move God to pity thee, when thou wilt not seem as much as to know that thou hast offended?" By appeasing, pacifying, and moving God to pity, St. Chrysostom meaneth the very same with the Latin fathers, when they speak of satisfying God. "We feel (saith Cyprian) the bitter smart Cypr. Ep. of his rod and scourge, because there is in us neither care to 8. et Ep. 26. Sent. please him without good deeds, nor to satisfy him for our 1. iv. dis. evil." Again, “Let the eyes which have looked on idols, spunge out their unlawful acts with those sorrowful tears, which have power to satisfy God." The master of sentences allegeth out of St. Augustine, that which is plain enough to this purpose: "Three things there are in perfect penitency, compunction, confession, and satisfaction; that as we three ways offend God, namely in heart, word, and deed; so by three duties we may satisfy God." Satisfaction, as a part, comprehended only that which the

16.

a Chrysost. in 1 Cor. hom. 8. Tòv ☺eòv işiλewσaσbai.

papists meant by worthy of repentance; and if we speak of the whole work of repentance itself, we may in the phrase of antiquity, term it very well satisfaction.

eye

of

Satisfaction is a work which justice requireth to be done for contentment of persons injured: neither is it in the justice a sufficient satisfaction, unless it fully equal the injury for which we satisfy. Seeing then that sin against God eternal and infinite, must needs be an infinite wrong; justice, in regard thereof, doth necessarily exact an infinite recompence, or else inflict upon the offender infinite punishment. Now, because God was thus to be satisfied, and man not able. to make satisfaction; in such sort his unspeakable love and inclination to save mankind from eternal death, ordained in our behalf a mediator, to do that which had been for any other impossible. Wherefore all sin is remitted in the only faith of Christ's passion, and no man without belief thereof justified; Bonavent. in sentent. 4. dist. 15.9.9. Faith alone maketh Christ's satisfaction ours, howbeit that faith alone which after sin maketh us by conversion his.

For inasmuch as God will have the benefit of Christ's satisfaction both thankfully acknowledged, and duly esteemed of all such as enjoy the same, he therefore imparteth so high a treasure unto no man, whose faith hath not made him willing by repentance to do even that which of itself, how unavailable soever, yet being required and accepted with God, we are in Christ thereby made capable and fit vessels to receive the fruits of his satisfaction: yea, we so far please and content God, that because when we have offended he looked but for repentance at our hands; our repentance and the works thereof are therefore termed satisfactory, not for that so much is thereby done as the justice of God can exact, but because such actions of grief and humility in man after sin, are illices divinæ misericordia (as Tertullian speaketh of them); they draw that pity of God towards us, wherein he is for Christ's sake contented, upon our submission, to pardon our rebellion against him; and when that little which his law appointeth is faithfully executed, it pleaseth him in tender compassion and mercy to require no more.

Repentance is a name which noteth the habit and operation of a certain grace or virtue in us: satisfaction, the effect which it hath, either with God or man. And it is not in this respect said amiss, the satisfaction importeth acceptation,

reconciliation, and amity; because that, through satisfaction on the one part made, and allowed on the other, they which before did reject are now content to receive; they to be won again which were lost; and they to love unto whom just cause of hatred was given. We satisfy therefore in doing that which is sufficient to this effect; and they towards whom we do it are satisfied, if they accept it as sufficient, and require no more otherwise we satisfy not, although we do satisfy. For so between man and man it oftentimes falleth out, but between man and God never. It is therefore true, that our Lord Jesus Christ by one most precious and propitiatory sacrifice, which was his body, a gift of infinite worth, offered for the sins of the whole world, hath thereby once reconciled us to God, purchased his general free pardon, and turned Divine indignation from mankind. But we are not for that cause to think any office of penitence either needless or fruitless, on our own behalf. For then would not God require any such duties at our hands; Christ doth remain everlastingly a gracious intercessor, even for every penitent. Let this assure us, that God, how highly soever displeased and incensed with our sins, is notwithstanding, for his sake, by our tears, pacified, taking that for satisfaction which is done by us, because Christ hath by his satisfaction made it Apoc. i. acceptable. For, as he is the high-priest of our salvation, so he hath made us priests likewise under him, to the end we might offer unto God praise and thankfulness while we continue in the way of life; and when we sin, the satisfactory or propitiatory sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart. There is not any thing that we do, that could pacify God and clear us in his sight from sin, if the goodness and mercy of our Cassia. Lord Jesus Christ were not; whereas now beholding the

6.

col. 20.

c. 8.

poor offer of our religious endeavours, meekly to submit ourselves as often as we have offended, he regardeth with infinite mercy those services which are as nothing, and with words. of comfort reviveth our afflicted minds, saying, "It is I, even I, that taketh away thine iniquities for mine own sake.” Thus doth repentance satisfy God, changing his wrath and indignation unto mercy.

Anger and mercy are in us passions; but in him not so. "God (saith St. Bazila) is no ways passionate, but because the punishments which his judgment doth inflict are like ef• Basil, hom. in Psalm. 37. Πάντος γὰρ παθοῦς ἀλλότριον τὸ Θεῖον.