As they do by an old house that is out of repair, still mend some part or other; so do by thy soul, still reform some vice, repair it by repentance, call to him for grace and thou shalt have it; for we are freely justified by his grace, Rom. 3. 24. If thine enemy repent, as our Saviour enjoyned Peter, forgive him 77 times; and why shouldst thou think God will not forgive thee? Why should the enormity of thy sins trouble thee? God can do it, he will do it.

My conscience (saith Anselm) dictates to me, that I deserve damnation, my repentance will not suffice for satisfaction; but thy mercy, O Lord, quite overcomes all my transgressions.

The gods once (as the Poets fain) with a gold chain would pull Jupiter out of Heaven, but all they together could not stir him; and yet he could draw and turn them as he would himself: maugre all the force and fury of these infernal feinds, and crying sins, his grace is sufficient.

Confer the debt and the payment; Christ and Adam; sin and the cure of it; the disease and the medicine; confer the sick man to the Physician, and thou shalt soon perceive that his power is infinitely beyond it. God is better able, as Bernard enformeth us, to help, then sin to do us hurt; Christ is better able to save, then the Divel to destroy.

If he be a skilful Physician, as Fulgentius adds, he can cure all diseases; if merciful, he will. Non est perfecta bonitas à qua non omnis malitia vincitur, his goodness is not absolute and perfect, if it be not able to overcome all malice.

Submit thy self unto him, as Saint Austin adviseth, he knoweth best what he doth; and be not so much pleased when he sustains thee, as patient when he corrects thee; he is Omnipotent and can cure all diseases when he sees his own time.

He looks down from Heaven upon Earth, that he may hear the mourning of prisoners, and deliver the children of death, Psal. 102. 19, 20. and though our sins be as red as scarlet, he can make them as white as snow, Isay 1. 18.

Doubt not of this, or ask how it shall be done; he is all-sufficient that promiseth; qui fecit mundum de immundo, saith Chrysostom, he that made a fair world of nought, can do this and much more for his part: do thou onely believe, trust in him, rely on him, be penitent and heartily sorry for thy sins.

Repentance is a sovereign remedy for all sins, a spiritual wing to rerear us, a charm for our miseries, a protecting Amulet to expel sins venom, an attractive loadstone to draw Gods mercy and graces unto us. Peccatum vulnus, pœnitentia medicinam: sin made the breach, repentance must help it; howsoever thine offence came by error, sloath, obstinacy, ignorance, exitur per pœnitentiam, this is the sole means to be relieved.

Hence comes our hope of safety, by this alone sinners are saved, God is provoked to mercy. This unlooseth all that is bound, enlightneth darkness, mends that is broken, puts life to that which was desperately dying: Makes no respect of offences, or of persons.

This doth not repel a fornicator, reject a drunkard, resist a proud fellow, turn away an Idolater, but entertains all, communicates it self to all.

Who persecuted the Church more then Paul, offended more then Peter? and yet by repentance (saith Chrysologus) they got both Magisterium & ministerium sanctitatis, the Magistery of holiness.

The prodigall Son went far, but by repentance he came home at last. This alone will turn a wolf into a sheep, make a Publican a Preacher, turn a thorn into an olive, make a deboshed Fellow Religious, a Blasphemer sing Halleluia, make Alexander the Copper-smith truly devout, make a Divel a Saint.

And him that polluted his mouth with calumnies, lying, swearing and filthy tunes and tones, to purge his throat with divine Psalms. Repentance will effect prodigious cures, make a stupend metamorphosis.

An Hauk came into the Ark, and went out again an Hauk; a Lyon came in, went out a Lyon; a Bear, a Bear; a wolf, a wolf; but if an Hauk come into this sacred Temple of repentance, he will go forth a Dove, (saith Chrysostom) a wolf go out a sheep, a Lyon a Lamb.

This gives sight to the blind, legs to the lame, cures all diseases, confers grace, expels vice, inserts vertue, comforts and fortifies the soul. Shall I say, let thy sin be what it will, do but repent, it is sufficient.

Quem pœnitet peccasse pene est innocens.

’Tis true indeed and all sufficient this, they do confess, if they could repent, but they are obdurate, they have cauterized consciences, they are in a reprobate sense, they cannot think a good thought, they cannot hope for grace, pray, believe, repent, or be sorry for their sins, they find no grief for sin in themselves, but rather a delight, no groaning of spirit, but are carryed headlong to their own destruction, heaping wrath to themselves against the day of wrath, Rom. 2. 5.

’Tis a grievous case this I do yeeld, and yet not to be despaired; God of his bounty and mercy cals all to repentance, Rom. 2. 4. thou maist be called at length, restored, taken to his grace as the Thief upon the Cross, at the last hour; as Mary Magdalen and many other sinners have been, that were buryed in sin.

God (saith Fulgentius) is delighted in the conversion of a sinner, he sets no time; prolixitas temporis Deo non præjudicat, aut gravitas peccati, deferring of time or grievousness of sin, do not prejudicate his grace, things past and to come are all one to him, as present, ’tis never too late to repent.