Johannes Marck’s Marrow of Christian Theology, Didactic-Elenctic XXII
James Dodson
Chapter XXII
Of the Duties of the Covenant of Grace, namely Faith and Repentance
I. To the Covenant of Grace further belong the duties of the covenanters, which are elsewhere called conditions; not because they are to be performed by our own strength, or are doubtful and uncertain, or plainly remove the condition of full obedience prescribed in the Covenant of Works, or are the foundation of the right to life; but because God requires certain works of men in covenant, “that they may obtain gratuitously the communion of all glory and certainty.”
II. Such conditions of the covenant clearly appear both from commands and from conditional promises, Mark 1:15, μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ [repent ye, and believe the gospel]. Acts 16:31, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
[Page 303]
be saved, thou and thy house,” etc.; and also from the general nature of a covenant.
Objection 1. The Covenant of Grace is a testament.
Reply The agreement with a testament does not remove the complete notion of covenant.
Objection 2. The Gospel consists of mere promises.
Reply Commonly the word is taken more broadly, so that the duties necessary to salvation are included with it.
Objection 3. The covenant of grace has no commands joined to it, Jer. 31:33.
Reply Not always, and not with the law inscribed on the heart; yet commands and duties of man are clearly implied there.
III. These duties are two: faith and repentance; in their own acts most closely joined, and hence, by synecdoche, often mutually comprehending one another, Mark 1:15, “repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Acts 16:31, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Matt. 11:28, “come unto me,” etc.
IV. Faith is derived from πείθω [to persuade], in Greek πίστις [faith], in Hebrew אמונה [faithfulness, faith]; and it is taken either objectively, for that which is believed, doctrine, Gal. 1:23, “he now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.” Gal. 3:23, “before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterward be revealed,” etc.; or subjectively, for that by which one believes. And thus it is a persuasion concerning the truth of a thing, resting on another’s testimony; and it is commonly divided into divine and human.
V. Again, divine faith is called fourfold: of miracles, historical, temporary, and saving. If the general meaning of the word is considered, this is a division of genus into species; if the principal meaning is considered, it is a distinction of ambiguous meanings of the word.
VI. The faith of miracles, which is attributed in active and passive forms, is the persuasion concerning a miracle
[Page 304]
to be performed by us or in us. Concerning the active, see places such as Matt. 17:20, “if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” 1 Cor. 13:2, “if I had all faith, so that I could remove mountains,” etc.; concerning the passive, Matt. 9:2, “Jesus seeing their faith.” John 11:40, “said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” etc. Nor is it certainly connected with salvation, Matt. 7:22, “many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.” Luke 17:17, “were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?”
VII. Faith is called historical, by which the truth of God is historically held for true, either whole or in part, coll. Acts 26:27, “believest thou the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that thou believest.” James 2:19, “thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble,” etc. Without this, saving faith cannot subsist; but because of the frequent disagreement of the will from the theoretical judgment, this alone does not suffice for salvation.
VIII. Faith is temporary, by which one acknowledges the truth of the Gospel, even with some joy, and the outward man is gladdened. Compare Matt. 13:20, 21, “he that heareth the word and straightway with joy receiveth it, yet hath not root in himself, but is temporary,” ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστι [but is temporary]. John 5:35, “ye were willing to rejoice for a season in his light.” Heb. 6:4, 5, 6, “for it is impossible for those once enlightened, who have tasted of the heavenly gift,” etc., καὶ παραπεσόντας [and having fallen away],
[Page 305]
etc. Now this, although it has a great external likeness to saving faith, nevertheless truly differs much from it; not by mere duration, as the Pelagians would have it, but altogether by principle, by individual acts, and by effects.
IX. Finally, faith is saving, which is elsewhere called justifying, living, true, of the elect, effectual by charity, etc. It is defined as “a habit of mind, begun in the elect by the Holy Ghost through the Word and sacraments; by which they, recognizing the Word of God and the Gospel revealed in it, acknowledge, embrace, and apply to themselves with confidence its promises, unto salvation, righteousness, true holiness, and tranquil hope of soul.”
X. Holding this, it is not a bare act, but a permanent habit, Col. 1:23, “if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled,” etc. 2 Tim. 1:5, “the unfeigned faith in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice,” etc. Hence they are called believers, πιστοί [believers, faithful], even when they do not believe actually, 2 Cor. 6:15, “what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” These habits do not reside properly in the body, but in the mind, both as to the intellect knowing and assenting, and as to the will embracing, according to Rom. 10:9, 10, “with the heart one believeth unto righteousness,” etc. Eph. 3:17, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith,” etc.
XI. It belongs to the elect alone, Acts 13:48, “as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Tit. 1:1, “according to the faith of God’s elect.” 2 Thess. 3:2, “for all men have not faith,” etc.; to all, even the fathers of the Old Testament, Acts 15:11, “we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved
[Page 306]
even as they.” 1 Cor. 10:3, 4, “they all ate the same spiritual meat, and all drank the same spiritual drink.” John 8:56, “Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.” Heb. 11:9, 13, “by faith they all died, not having received the promises,” ἀλλὰ πόῤῥωθεν αὐτὰς ἰδόντες καὶ πεισθέντες καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι [but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them], etc. Job 19:25, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” etc. Nor must it be denied that the same Gospel, although formerly more obscure, was preached; or that, for the authority of God, they were then bound to receive it in the same way; or that faith in the divine Word then present was not equally joined with the hope of good things promised, as now under the New Testament.
XII. There is no further difference between the elect, except that in infants, before every use of reason, faith, both actual and habitual, must commonly be denied. For they know nothing, Deut. 1:39, “your children, which today know neither good nor evil.” Isa. 7:16, “before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good,” etc.; nor do they act anything, Rom. 9:11, μηδέπω πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν [not yet having done any good or evil], etc.; nor do they hear the Word with understanding, from which faith is, Rom. 10:17, “therefore faith is by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” etc.; nor do any indications of faith show themselves in them, even while they grow up, except from the instilled Word.
Objection 1. Infants are called believers, Matt. 18:6.
Reply Either he understands children a little older, or humble little children.
Objection 2. Manifest examples occur in Jeremiah and John the Baptist, Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:44.
[Page 307]
Reply The former is something alien, since it concerns only separation to an office; the latter truly is extraordinary.
Objection 3. Without faith no one attains salvation.
Reply This is true of adults, while to infants the merit of Christ is applied in a manner not perceptible to us.
Objection 4. The soul always thinks.
Reply Let that be supposed throughout; yet in early infancy it does not therefore think of Christ. Yet we altogether agree that to infants should be attributed objective and seminal faith, or the merit of Christ and the grace of the Holy Ghost.
XIII. God works faith in the elect, Eph. 2:8, “by grace ye are saved through faith,” καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, Θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον [and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God]. Phil. 1:29, ὅτι ὑμῖν ἐχαρίσθη τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, οὐ μόνον τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύειν [for unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him], etc.; the Father, John 6:44, “no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him”; the Son, Cant. 1:4, “draw me, we will run after thee”; and the Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:3, “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Cor. 4:13, “having the same Spirit of faith,” etc. And he uses here the Word, Rom. 10:8, “this is the word of faith which we preach,” etc.; coll. verse 17, “faith is by hearing,” etc.; and the sacraments; also benefits and evils; yet inwardly he most powerfully enlightens the intellect, Ps. 19:8, “the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes.” 2 Cor. 4:6, “who hath shined in our hearts, to give the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”; and moreover he persuades the obedience of faith, and affects the will toward it.
XIV. Faith is occupied about the Word of God alone and wholly; whence there can be nothing false subject to it, Tit. 1:2, “God
[Page 308]
that cannot lie.” Heb. 6:18, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι Θεόν [in which it was impossible for God to lie], etc. Objection I. Deception is attributed to God, Jer. 4:10. Reply It is understood of the permission of God, efficacious in false prophets, coll. 1 Kings 22:20, “who shall deceive Ahab?” etc. Objection II. The examples of others, as of Abraham believing the future offering of his son, Gen. 22, coll. Heb. 11:18, 19. Reply From examples nothing else can be established than human conjectures added to faith in the divine Word; nor does this contradict, because Abraham believed that the sacrifice of his son had to be brought to effect. Now, specifically, faith has for its object the written Word of God, opposed to the traditions of the Papists and the extraordinary revelations of Enthusiasts. Most especially the object of faith is the Gospel, Mark 1:15, “believe the Gospel,” etc.; whence to believe in Christ, John 14:1, and in God through Christ, 1 Pet. 1:21, is said to be also the sum of the Gospel.
XV. Many distinguish, not badly, to believe God, because he truly exists; to believe God, or to have faith in his word; finally, to believe in God, or to rest on him with saving confidence. Yet this is not observed in the Greek and Hebrew language, where we do not read “to believe God”; and to believe God and in God are interchanged with one another according to the prepositions ל and ב [to/for and in/by], John 8:30, 31, πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν· ἔλεγεν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους [many believed on him; then said Jesus to those Jews which believed him]. John 14:1, “ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John 5:24, πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί με ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον [he that believeth him that sent me hath everlasting life]. John 2:23, 24, πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἐπίστευεν ἑαυτὸν αὐτοῖς [many believed in his name; but Jesus himself did not commit himself unto them].
XVI. The act of faith is threefold: knowledge, em-
[Page 309]
bracing, and fiducial application. That knowledge is required for constituting faith is plain from the description of faith, and especially from John 17:3, “this is life eternal, that they might know thee,” etc. Tit. 1:1, “according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledgment of the truth which is according to godliness.” Job 19:25, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” etc.; then from the generation of faith by the Word, Rom. 10:14, 17, “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” etc.; “faith is by hearing,” etc. John 5:39, “search the Scriptures,” etc.; then from the necessity of confession, Rom. 10:9, 10, “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,” etc.; “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”; then finally from the perpetual condemnation of ignorance and the commendation of knowledge, Matt. 22:29, “ye err, not knowing the Scriptures.” Col. 1:16, “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,” etc.
XVII. The Pontificians oppose, commending implicit and blind faith, by which the Church believes what one who is about to die in ignorance has vowed to believe.
Objection 1. Knowledge is distinguished from faith, Isa. 7:9; 1 Cor. 13:2.
Reply Deservedly, if faith is understood in its whole compass; nor is saving faith mentioned in the places alleged.
Objection 2. Knowledge is opposed to faith, 1 Cor. 13:9; Heb. 11:1.
Reply Knowledge is not opposed to every knowledge, but to natural and perfect knowledge, which it will obtain in glory.
Objection 3. Ignorance in many believers must be pardoned, Ps. 19:18; Acts 17:30, etc.
Reply This does not urge us to perfect knowledge of all things; and too much ignorance plainly destroys faith in many things.
Objection 4. From knowledge arises superstition,
[Page 310]
curiosity, etc. Reply Not from true and saving wisdom, nor of itself.
XVIII. Here also the Reformed rashly urge that knowledge is indeed a prerequisite, but not an essential act of faith. For what is necessarily present, and cannot be more rightly referred to another habit, is deservedly called an essential act of faith.
Objection 1. Knowledge alone does not constitute faith.
Reply One essential part never constitutes the whole.
Objection 2. Knowledge can be separated from faith.
Reply True knowledge cannot be separated on these earths; and even if it could be separated, when it is joined to embracing, nevertheless according to this it is constitutive of faith.
Objection 3. Faith is sometimes joined with knowledge, and therefore is distinguished from it, John 6:69; 1 John 4:16.
Reply Two things are often joined exegetically; and it is certain that faith, considered in its whole compass, or in the principal act of assenting, differs from knowledge alone.
XIX. Those things which must necessarily be known are called fundamentals, concerning which see the treatment in Chapter III, §§ IX, XII, XVI. Meanwhile true faith requires the progress of knowledge, 1 Pet. 2:2, ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη τὸ λογικὸν ἄδολον γάλα ἐπιποθήσατε, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ αὐξηθῆτε [as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby], etc. 2 Pet. 3:18, “but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” etc.
XX. The other act of faith is assent, or embracing. And this is first theoretical, by which all things to be believed as true, and especially the Gospel promises, are simply held for true, coll. John 3:33, ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐσφράγισεν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθής ἐστιν [he that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true], etc. Whence the certainty of faith is attributed—
[Page 311]
—to it, and doubting is opposed to it, Heb. 11:1, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” ἔστι δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. Rom. 4:20, εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ διεκρίθη τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνεδυναμώθη τῇ πίστει [with respect to the promise of God he staggered not through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith], etc.
But there is then also a practical assent; by which believers will and desire the promises of the Gospel as truly to be theirs, and with ready affection embrace Christ, with his merit and grace, as the only author of their salvation, if any is to be theirs, with denial of themselves and all others. According to such places as John 1:12, “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name.” Rom. 5:17, “much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Col. 2:6, “as ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord.” Isa. 27:5, “let him take hold of my strength.” Matt. 5:6, “blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Matt. 11:28, “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,” etc.; and according to the examples, Isa. 44:5, “one shall say, I am Jehovah’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah,” etc. John 20:28, ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου [my Lord and my God]. Phil. 3:9, “and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith,” etc. But so far as faith justifies us, it looks to Christ’s priestly righteousness acquired for us; although by the same faith we ought also to embrace Christ as King.
XXI. A more recent phrase sounds badly here, namely, that charity is the essential and formal act of faith, indeed faith itself. The contrary of this has long since been shown against the Pontificians, who distinguish unformed faith and faith formed by charity,
[Page 312]
from the distinction everywhere occurring, 1 Cor. 13:8, 13, “but now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three,” etc. Gal. 5:6, “faith working by love.” 1 Tim. 1:5, “the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned,” etc.; and from the distinct definition of charity, which is the most faithful demonstration of union with God and neighbour by all grateful offices.
Objection 1. Charity is often put for faith, Matt. 24:12; John 14:23, etc.
Reply This substitution is gratuitously supposed everywhere; and there are frequent metonymies in Scripture.
Objection 2. Charity is often joined with faith, Eph. 3:17; Gal. 5:6.
Reply From this distinction rather than identity follows.
Objection 3. Faith pertains to the precept of charity, and consists in embrace.
Reply The highest general commandment, to which some virtue can be referred, does not confound the virtues with one another; and the embrace of Christ’s righteousness differs greatly from the general love of God and neighbour.
XXII. The third act of faith is the fiducial application of the promises of the Gospel. This is proved by examples, Job 19:25, “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Gal. 2:20, “what I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God,” τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ [who loved me, and gave himself for me]. Rom. 8:16, “the same Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God,” etc.; and by the most true entire word of the Gospel, and therefore to be received with application of the promises; and by those things attributed to faith: παῤῥησία, πεποίθησις, θάρσος, καύχησις, ὑπόστασις [boldness, confidence, courage, glorying, substance], etc. Heb. 4:16, “let us come with boldness unto the throne of grace.” Eph. 3:12, “in whom we have—”
[Page 313]
—τὴν παῤῥησίαν καὶ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἐν πεποιθήσει διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ [boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him]. Rom. 5:11, οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ [and not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ]. Heb. 11:1, “now this is the subsistence of things hoped for, and the demonstration of things not seen,” etc.; finally, fear is opposed to faith, Luke 8:25, “where is your faith?” But the Papists, like some others, do not admit this application, and object:
1. Faith and its object are generally described, Heb. 11:1, 6; Rom. 10:9.
Reply A perfect description is not found everywhere; rather, the places must be compared with one another.
2. The faith of Abraham and of the other fathers did not consist in such application, Rom. 4:21; Heb. 11:7.
Reply The positing of one object and effect does not exclude others.
3. No special revelation has been made.
Reply It is made inwardly by the illuminating grace of the Spirit; and here it is included in the general revelation of the Word just as much as in threatenings.
4. Many believers doubt from this; and impious men deceive themselves from the same.
Reply The one arises from an infirmity not to be praised; the other from defect of attention and of due embrace. Therefore neither removes the grounded confidence of others.
5. Hence there would be carnal security.
Reply Not at all, but only spiritual tranquillity.
XXIII. Meanwhile theologians disagree whether this fiducial application should be called an essential and necessary act of faith, or rather considered as something consequent upon faith. Whoever can reconcile the disagreement may observe that this is not the principal act of faith, and the one which properly justifies, but nevertheless that it follows upon it by divine—
[Page 314]
—grace, for the integrity of faith, although it is various in degree among believers, and is not present at every moment.
XXIV. In this confidence, proper to faith in believers, conscience is supposed. This is proved by examples, Ps. 116:10, “I believed.” 2 Tim. 1:12, “I know whom I have believed,” etc.; and by general declarations, 1 Cor. 2:12, “we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God,” etc.; and by commands, 1 Cor. 11:28, “let a man examine himself.” 2 Cor. 13:5, ἑαυτοὺς πειράζετε εἰ ἐστὲ ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε· ἢ οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκετε ἑαυτούς, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστιν, εἰ μήτι ἀδόκιμοί ἐστε; [examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves; know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?]; and also by the necessity of each one’s confession. The Papists again object:
1. The doubting of many.
Reply It is neither praiseworthy nor perpetual.
2. The deceitfulness of our heart, from Jer. 17:9.
Reply This must be guarded against by grace and diligence.
XXV. This faith is not to be lost totally and finally, according to Rom. 11:29, ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα καὶ ἡ κλῆσις τοῦ Θεοῦ [for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance], coll. Eph. 2:8, “the gift of God,” etc.; and according to Christ’s care for us, Luke 22:32, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not”; and the abiding grace of the Spirit, John 14:16, “he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” Eph. 4:30, “the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption,” etc. All Pelagians oppose this, and object:
1. Various contrary threatenings, John 15:2, 6; Gal. 5:4.
Reply Since they are conditional, they put nothing into actual being; or else they pertain to outward communion and profession of Christ.
2. Several contrary examples occurring, from Rom.
[Page 315]
11:20; 1 Tim. 1:19, 20, etc.
Reply In the former place, faith is not attributed to the branches cut off, but to the greater part of them; and in the latter, the matter concerns the abandoned doctrine of faith by those who had previously professed it.
3. The commands of fear and perpetual watchfulness.
Reply The Spirit certainly works obedience to these in believers for the preservation of faith.
XXVI. The fruits of this faith are, first, all the benefits of glory, Acts 16:31, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”; and of grace, Eph. 3:17, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” John 1:12, “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,” etc. Rom. 5:1, “being justified by faith, we have peace with God,” etc. Acts 15:9, τῇ πίστει καθαρίσας τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν [purifying their hearts by faith], etc. Then also the chief duties: first, of Christian hope, which is a certain, patient, and pregnant expectation of the divine promise of kindness and of salvation itself, coll. Lam. 3:26, “it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.” Rom. 5:5, “hope maketh not ashamed.” Rom. 8:24, 25, “for we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it,” etc.; then of charity, or love of God and neighbour, demonstrated in use and work, coll. Gal. 5:6, “faith working by love.” 1 Tim. 1:5, “the end of the commandment is charity,” etc. For true faith cannot be separated from charity, nor ought this to be constituted the form of that faith, which last thing is done by the Papists.
XXVII. The other duty of the Covenant of Grace is repentance, Hebrewתשובה or נחם, Greek μετάνοια and μεταμέλεια, which words
[Page 316]
are almost interchanged, coll. Matt. 11:21, “if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes,” πάλαι ἂν ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ μετενόησαν; and Matt. 21:29, 32, ὕστερον δὲ μεταμεληθεὶς ἀπῆλθε [afterward he repented and went], etc.; ὑμεῖς δὲ ἰδόντες οὐ μετεμελήθητε ὕστερον τοῦ πιστεῦσαι [and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe], etc., where the word μετάνοια is used of a non-saving repentance, and μεταμέλεια of saving repentance. The Latins also say poenitentia, but less suitably. But since here we understand not just any legal grief arising from regard to punishment, according to the world, 2 Cor. 7:10, but evangelical grief, and according to God, we define repentance as “a habit of mind, put into the elect by the Spirit through the ministry of the Word and sacraments, by which they acknowledge their sins with confusion, grieve over them with godly sorrow, and turn from them with the purpose of all piety, unto their remission and eternal salvation.”
XXVIII. Therefore this also is a permanent habit, distinct from acts; it pertains further to the mind, as to the intellect knowing, and the will turning away and desiring, although it is externally demonstrated by the body; it is found in the elect alone and in all the elect; and it is irresistibly infused by the Spirit, Jer. 31:18, 19, “turn thou me, and I shall be turned,” etc. Acts 11:18, ἄρα γε καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν ἔδωκεν εἰς ζωὴν [then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life], etc.; although by the word of the Gospel and many other means.
XXIX. It is occupied, on one side, about sins, as such, and indeed all sins, even particular sins, and especially our own; then, in a plainly opposite way, about virtues.
XXX. The principal acts are three:
1. The inward acknowledgment
[Page 317]
of vice and virtue, with candid profession, Ps. 51:5, 6, “for I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me; against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight.” Jer. 3:13, “only acknowledge thine iniquity,” etc.
2. Serious sorrow over the former committed and the latter neglected, with shame and tears, Jer. 31:19, “after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded.” 2 Cor. 7:10, “for godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation,” ἀμεταμέλητον [not to be repented of], etc.
3. Hatred against sin, and love of virtue, Ps. 97:10, “ye that love Jehovah, hate evil.” Rom. 7:15, ὃ γὰρ θέλω τοῦτο πράσσω, ἀλλ᾽ ὃ μισῶ τοῦτο ποιῶ [for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I].
XXXI. The Pontificians badly make a sacrament from this, and want its three acts to be contrition of heart, confession of mouth, and satisfaction of work, since these can also be found in Judas, Matt. 27:3, 4, μεταμεληθεὶς ἀπέστρεψε τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι καὶ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις, λέγων, ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῷον [repenting himself, he brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood], etc.; and because they are repugnant to true repentance: contrition appreciatively adequate to sin, auricular confession before a priest about to absolve, and finally satisfaction to God to be performed by ourselves.
XXXII. The fruit of repentance is salvation and remission, Ezek. 18:23, 27, “when he turneth himself from his ways, shall he not live?” etc.; “and when the wicked turneth away from his wickedness,” etc., “he shall save his soul alive.” Acts 11:18, “then hath God also to the Gentiles given repentance unto life.” Mark 1:4,
[Page 318]
“preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,” etc. These things happen to none without repentance, Luke 13:3, 5, “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,” etc.; and they always follow upon repentance, even if it is late, Matt. 20:9, “they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, and they received every man a penny,” καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἔλαβον ἀνὰ δηνάριον. Luke 23:42, 43, “verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise,” etc.; yet not from any intrinsic merit of it, but by divine grace. Nor can sins once remitted afterward again be imputed to a man; which indeed the Saviour by no means intended, Matt. 18:23, 35, “so likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses,” showing only the connection between divine benefit and our duty. The fruits of repentance in us are also all good works, Matt. 3:8, ποιήσατε οὖν καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας [bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance].