A Meditation Upon Natural Heat and Radical Moisture by William Spurstowe (1666) There is a regiment of health in the soul, as well as in the body; in the inward man as well as in the outward man; they being both subjects incident to distempers, and that from a defect, or excess in those qualities, which when duly regulated are the principle, and basis of life and strength. What preserves and maintains the natural life, but the just temperament of the radical moisture, and the innate heat? And what again endangers and destroys it, but the heat devouring the moisture, or the moisture impairing the heat? When either of these prevail against each other, diseases do suddenly follow. And is it not thus in the soul, and inward man? In it those two signal graces of faith and repentance, do keep up and cherish the spiritual life of a Christian; faith being like the natural heat, and repentance like the radical moisture. If then any by believing should exercise repentance less, or in repenting should lessen their believing, they would soon fall into one of those most dangerous extremes, either to be swallowed up of sorrow and despair, or else to be puffed up with security and presumption. Is it not then a matter of complaint that these two evangelical duties (as some divines have called them) which in the practice of Christians should never be separated, should be looked upon by many to oppose, rather than to promote each other in their operations: Some, out of weakness, cannot apprehend what consistency there can be between faith and repentance, whose effects seem to be contrary, the one working peace and joy, the other trouble and sorrow; the one confidence, the other fear; the one shame, the other boldness. Now, such as these, when touched with the sense of their sin, judge it their duty rather to mourn, than to believe, and to feel the bitterness of sin, than to taste the sweetness of a promise, and put away comfort from them, lest it should check and abate the over- flowings of their sorrow. Others again, whether out of heedlessness, or willfulness, I will not determine, when they behold the fulness of grace in the blotting out of sin, the freeness of grace in the blotting out of sin, the freeness of grace in the healing of backslidings, they see so little necessity of repentance, as they think it below (as they so speak) a Gospel Spirit to be troubled for that which Christ has satisfied for. It is not repentance that they should now exercise, but faith; sorrow seems interpretatively to be a jealous of the truth of God’s promise in forgiving, and of the sufficiency of Christ’s discharge, who was the surety, who has not left one single mite of the debt for believers to pay. Sorrow therefore seems to them as unseasonable, as it would be for a prisoner to mourn, when the prison door is opened, and himself set free from debt and bondage. Thus, this pair of graces and duties, concerning which I may say as God did of Adam, it is not good that either of them should be alone: are yet divided often time in the practice, though indissolubly linked together in the precept. Fain would I therefore evidence to the weak the concord of these two graces, in respect of comfort: and to the willful the necessity of them both, in order unto pardon. Unto the weak, therefore, I say, that the agreement between faith and repentance, does not lie in the immediate impressions, which they make upon the soul, which are in some respects opposite to each other; but in the principle from which they arise, which is the same, the grace of Christ; and in the end which is the same, the salvation of man, and in habitude and subordination that they have one to another; for repentance is never more kindly than when it disposes us to the exercise and actings of faith; whose comforts of joy, peace and serenity of heart, are as gold which is best laid upon sad and dark colors; or as the polished diamond, that receives an addition of luster from the watering of it. God’s promise is, that the believing Jews, who look upon Christ by an eye of faith, shall be also great mourners, “They shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born” (Zech. 12:10). Unto the careless, or willful, I also say, that God never forgives sin, but where also he gives a penitent and relenting heart. So that, though faith has a peculiar nature in the receiving of pardon, applying it by way of instrument which no other grace does; yet repentance is the express formal qualification that fits for pardon, not by way of causality or merit, but by way of means, as well as of command, which arises from a condecency both to God himself, who is a holy God, and to the nature of the mercy, which is the taking and removing of sin away. Never dream then of such free grace, or Gospel mercy, as does supersede a broken and a contrite heart, or take off the necessity of sorrowing for sin. For Christ did never undertake to satisfy God’s wrath in an absolute and unlimited manner, but in a well ordered and meet way, viz., the way of faith and repentance. How else should we ever come to taste the bitterness of sin, or the sweetness of grace? How to prize and esteem the physician if not sensible of our disease? How to adore the love of Christ, who redeemed us from the curse of the Law, by being made a curse for us, if not burdened with the weight of our iniquities? Yea, how should we ever give God the glory of his justice in acknowledging ourselves worthy of death, if we do not in a way of repentance judge ourselves, as the Apostle bids us? Was not this what David did in that solemn confession of his? In which he cries out, “Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest” (Ps. 51:4). Can I therefore wish a better wish to such who are insensible of their sins, than Bernard did, to him whom he thought not heedful enough about the judgments of God, who writing to him, instead of the common salutation, wishing him much health said, much fear; that so their confidence may have an allay of trembling? Sure I am that it is a mercy that I had need to pray for on my own behalf, and I do, Lord, make it my request, that my faith for the pardon of sin may be accompanied with my sorrow for sin, and that I may have a weeping eye, as well as a believing heart, that I may mourn for the evils that I have done against my Savior, as well as rejoice in the fullness of mercy that he has showed to me in a glorious salvation. This article is taken from:  Spurstowe, William.  The Spiritual Chymist: or, Six Decads of Divine Meditations on Several Subjects. London: Philip Chetwind, 1666.  A PDF file of this book can be downloaded, free of charge, at http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com