II. What the meet fruits of this repentance are. III. The necessity of bringing forth such fruits. I. What this repentance is of which the Baptist here exhorts them to bring forth the meet fruits. To which I answer briefly, that by repentance we are to understand a sincere and thorough change of mind, which, as it hath been often observed, is the proper signification of μeтávoia, which is the word which the New Testament most commonly uses for repentance. And then the mind is changed, when the prevailing purpose and resolution of it is altered. When upon a due consideration of the mischief, indecency, or inconvenience of his present resolution, a man is effectually persuaded into a contrary purpose, his mind, we say, is changed; because he hath now a contrary judgment of things, which forms his will into a contrary resolution: and when once our mind is thus changed, as to any design or course of action, we are then said to repent of it. So that to repent of our sins is to be effectually changed and altered in our minds concerning them; so as that, whereas before we did in our practical judgment prefer them at least, pro hic et nunc, before our duty, and in our will embrace and resolutely adhere to them; we do now, upon cool deliberation, pronounce them to be the worst of evils, and as such do heartily purpose and resolve to forsake them. And in this consists the nature and essence of repentance, viz. in a firm resolution to forsake our sins upon cool and deliberate judgment. Where by resolution I do not mean a mere logical conclusion, by way of inference from premises, that such or such a thing is best and fittest to be done for in this there is no choice, the proceedings of our reason being as necessary as those

of our sense; and where there is no choice, there can be no virtue. But the resolution of repentance is an act of the will, viz. its decretory and definitive sentence for the actual prosecution of such a course as upon calm deliberation is proposed as that which is most fit and necessary. For suppose our reason and sense, as two parties, pleading their respective causes and interests, the one for virtue and the other for vice; and suppose that, in the conclusion, either the matter be left in equilibrio between them, or that reason hath baffled sense, and obtained a clear conviction that the cause of virtue is infinitely best and most preferable, but that still the will is in suspense, and hath not peremptorily decreed either one way or the other; why hitherto all that hath been done is but mere speculation; there is nothing of choice in it, nothing of virtue, nor consequently of repentance. But when upon a thorough hearing of both parties the will interposes its sovereignty, and pronounces sentence on reason and virtue's side, This is my final resolution; and this, by the grace of God, I will stand to; I will from henceforth submit to my duty, how difficult soever it be, and discharge those base mischievous lusts of mine, what temptations soever may assault me: when, I say, our will, with good advice and with a full consent, hath pronounced this peremptory decree and resolution, our mind is changed, and our repentance actually commenced. Thus the prodigal son for instance, while he was considering with himself the happy state he was fallen from, How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and the miserable condition he was fallen into, and I perish with hunger! was only in the porch and entry of repentance; and

had he stayed there, and gone no farther, all this had been nothing but a dead speculation, notwithstanding which he would have perished in his sin. But when from hence he proceeded to that peremptory resolution, I will arise and go to my father, in that very moment he became a sincere penitent: and if in that instant he had been struck dead, before ever he had taken one step towards his father, he had died in a state of repentance. For it is plain his mind was changed; he had put off the old man, and put on the new; he had formed a new judgment and a new resolution: and if he had immediately died, he had died in subjection to God, and would have arose and gone to his Father, as he did while he lived. So that the precise notion of repentance, you see, consists in the change of our mind; that is, of our judgment and resolution; and hence it is called, being renewed in the spirit of our mind, Ephes. iv. 23. and being transformed by the renewing of our mind, Rom. xii. 2. Consonantly to which, Hierocles, though an heathen, thus defines repentance; 'H dè μetávola avtǹ PIλ0σopías aρxù vívεTai, &c. that is, "Repentance is the beginning of philosophy;" it is a renunciation of evil courses, and a preparation to a life not to be repented of. So that when a man hath repented, saith he, he neither quits real for imaginary goods, nor chooses evil for fear of unfortunate accidents; but conforms his judgment and submits his will to the divine canons. And thus you see what that repentance is, of which we are here bid to bring forth meet fruits.

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II. I proceed, in the next place, to shew what those fruits are which are meet for this repentance: in general, they are such fruits, or works, as are natural

and agreeable to such an inward change of mind and resolution as repentance imports; or such as may give a plain demonstration that you are effectually convinced in your judgment of the baseness and malignity of your past sinful courses, and sincerely resolved to discard and renounce them for the future. For the fruits of repentance are nothing but the proper acts and operations of it; and it is then, and then only, that we bring forth these fruits, when the effects of a real repentance do appear in our life and conversation, and our actions do signify that our judgment condemns our faults, and our will renounces them. And according to this account, the fruits of repentance may be reduced to these following particulars.

1. An actual and thorough reformation.

2. A profound humility and self-abasement.

3. A great and tender modesty in our expectation.

4. Candour and gentleness towards others.

5. Simplicity and integrity of manners towards the offended party.

6. Caution and wariness for the future, not to of fend again in the same or the like instances.

1. One necessary fruit and effect of our repentance is an actual and thorough reformation. If those invisible springs of action, the judgment and the will, be changed and rectified, the wheels of affection and the hand of practice must necessarily move more regularly and orderly: for all our inferior powers being subject to the authority of the will, and carried about with the swing of this primum mobile, this first great orb of the soul, do naturally apply themselves to the execution of whatsoever that decrees

and resolves on: and to suppose a man's judgment and will to be reformed, when his life is not, is to suppose that he is not a voluntary agent, but a piece of clockwork; that he is not determined in his motions by choice and deliberation, but by weights and plummets, by necessary pressures and impulses: which supposal not only strips him out of all capacity of repentance, but also contradicts all experience. For this we are as sensible of as we are of our hunger and thirst, that while we are ourselves, and can deliberate and choose, we do nothing but what we will, nothing but what we judge to be good, pro hic et nunc, and nothing but what we choose upon so judging. So that for a man to pretend to be a penitent in heart, whilst he is unreformed in his life, is to lie against his own experience. He knows and feels, that what he doth, he doth voluntarily, with approbation of judgment and consent of will; and therefore if his actions are bad, his judgment and will must be so too. You say you do heartily repent of your sins; by which, if you understand what you say, you mean, you do absolutely condemn them in your judgment, and peremptorily disclaim them in your will; but still you must confess, you lead a bad life, and persist in many of those sinful courses of which you hope you have heartily repented: which is as much as if you should say, I am fully resolved I will play the knave no more; but yet I must confess, I do lie and cheat as much as ever: I am peremptorily determined to be very temperate and chaste; but I must acknowledge, I am very often drunk, and do very often whore: that is to say, you do what you will not do, you will not do what you do, your will hath no influence on your actions, your