A01980:153
A recovery from apostasy Set out in a sermon preached in Stepney Church near London at the receiving of a penitent renegado into the Church, Octob. 21. 1638. By William Gouge D.D. and min. in Black-Friars London Herein is the history of the surprisal and admirable escape of the said penitent.A recovery from apostacy Set out in a sermon preached in Stepny Church neere London at the receiving of a penitent renegado into the Church, Octob. 21. 1638. By William Gouge D.D. and min. in Black-Friers London Herein is the history of the surprizall and admirable escape of the said penitent.
London: printed by George Miller for Joshua Kirton, 1639London: printed by George Miller for Ioshua Kirton, 1639
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
5. That their recompense far surpasseth their endurance.
5. That their recompence farre surpasseth their endurance.
6. That by denying Christ that recompense is lost and intolerable torments in Hell purchased.
6. That by denying Christ that recompence is lost and intolerable torments in Hell purchased.
If these be not enough to embolden Christians against all that man can do, I know not what can be enough.
But yet there remains one stumbling block to be removed, and that is about life.1 For skin for skin and all that a man hath will be give for his life.
But yet there remaines one stumbling blocke to be remooved, and that is about life.1 For skin for skinne and all that a man hath will be give for his life.
For satisfaction hereunto let it be considered that
2. I• that high prize set upon life be taken in a fair and right sense, it must be applied ad idem, to matters of like kind. For a temporal life, all the temporal things that he hath, may be given: as (Mar. 5.26.) the woman which had an issue of blood, spent all that she had on Physicians, namely all her temporal estate. But the true faith is of another kind: the good of our souls, the present consolation, and future salvation of them, depends on a constant profession of the true faith. It is not in our power to part with it.
2. I• that high prize set upon life bee taken in a faire and right sence, it must be applied ad idem, to matters of like kind. For a temporall life, all the temporall things that he hath, may be given: as (Mar. 5.26.) the woeman which had an issue of blood, spent all that shee had on Physitions, namely all her temporall estate. But the true faith is of another kinde: the good of our soules, the present consolation, and future salvation of them, depends on a constant profession of the true faith. It is not in our power to part with it.
3. Life preserved by Apostasy is but a temporary life, a shadow, a vapour, a bubble, a breath: Soon gone, even before a man can think of parting with it. How long did Judas retain his life after his Apostasy? The rich fool had his soul taken away long before his account. For while he dreamed of many years, he heard this summons, This night thy soul shall be required of thee (Luk. 12.20.)
3. Life preserved by Apostacy is but a temporary life, a shadow, a vapour, a bubble, a breath: Soone gone, even before a man can thinke of parting with it. How long did Iudas retaine his life after his Apostacy? The rich foole had his soule taken away long before his account. For while he dreamed of many yeares, he heard this summons, This night thy soule shall be required of thee (Luk. 12.20.)
4. If life be preserved some while, it may prove so troublesome, so wearisome, so irksome a life, so full of terror and horror as a man wish again and again that he had died before he denied Christ. Instance Judas Iscariot of old, and Francis Spira of late.
4. If life be preserved some while, it may proove so troublesome, so wearisome, so irksome a life, so full of terrour and horrour as a man wish again and again that he had died before he denied Christ. Instance Iudas Iscariot of old, and Francis Spira of late.
5. Eternal life is forfeited by purchasing temporal life after such a manner. In this respect whosoever will save his life shall loose it, as Christ saith, Math. 16.25. Whosoever denies Christ to save this temporal life is like to loose eternal life.
5. Eternall life is forfeited by purchasing temporall life after such a manner. In this respect whosoever will save his life shall loose it, as Christ saith, Math. 16.25. Whosoever denies Christ to save this temporall life is like to loose eternall life.
6. Temporal life is not a valuable consideration for the loss of the soul. For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Math. 16.26.
6. Temporall life is not a valuable consideration for the losse of the soule. For what shall a man give in exchange for his soule? Math. 16.26.
If it be said that life being preserved,1 an Apostate may find opportunity of escaping out of persecutors hands, and so repent, and return unto the Church, and glorify God: as a soldier by flying in time of danger, may again return into the field, and get the day: I answer that
If it be said that life being preserved,1 an Apostate may finde opportunity of escaping out of persecutors hands, and so repent, and returne unto the Church, and glorifie God: as a souldier by flying in time of danger, may againe returne into the field, and get the day: I answer that
1. It is but a may be. Not one to a thousand find such an opportunity. This Penitent here before us found such an opportunity. But many thousands surprised by Turks as he was, spend all the remainder of their life in the state of Apostasy.
1. It is but a may be. Not one to a thousand find such an opportunity. This Penitent here before us found such an opportunity. But many thousands surprized by Turks as he was, spend all the remainder of their life in the state of Apostasie.
2. If they find an opportunity of escaping, it will not necessarily follow thereupon that they will or can repent having once denied their Saviour. As it fell out with the ten Lepers, so it falleth out too too usually with Renegadoes: but one of the ten returned to give glory to God: which caused Christ to say, Where are the nine? Luke 17.17. Here is now one before us, that by a right course of penitency is admitted into the Church again. About ten years now past there was another in like manner received at Minhead in Somerset-shire. But are these two the tenth, or tenth of ten times ten of them that having played the Renegadoes are returned into their country, yet never gave any public evidence of their true repentance?
2. If they finde an opportunity of escaping, it will not necessarily follow thereupon that they will or can repent having once denied their Saviour. As it fell out with the ten Lepers, so it falleth out too too usually with Renegadoes: but one of the ten returned to give glory to God: which caused Christ to say, Where are the nine? Luke 17.17. Here is now one before us, that by a right course of penitency is admitted into the Church againe. About ten yeares now past there was another in like manner received at Minhead in Somerset-shire. But are these two the tenth, or tenth of ten times ten of them that having played the Renegadoes are returned into their countrey, yet never gave any publike evidence of their true repentance?
13. It is a most undue and impious inference from Gods grace to sinners, to take occasion of sinning: which the holy Apostle doth with much indignation detest. For where to the magnifying of the grace of God, and comfort of such sinners, as almost to despair felt the intolerable burden of sin pressing upon their souls, he had said, Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, 2some thence took occasion of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness: with whom the Apostle thus expostulates the case, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 3Having noted their impious inference, with a vehement detestation he thus rejects it, God forbid. Far be any such conceit from a Christians mind.
13. It is a most undue and impious inference from Gods grace to sinners, to take occasion of sinning: which the holy Apostle doth with much indignation detest. For where to the magnifying of the grace of God, and comfort of such sinners, as allmost to despaire felt the intolerable burden of sinne pressing upon their soules, he had said, Where sinne abounded, grace did much more abound, 2some thence tooke occasion of turning the grace of God into lasciviousnesse: with whom the Apostle thus expostulates the case, Shall wee continue in sinne that grace may abound? 3Having noted their impious inference, with a vehement detestation he thus rejects it, God forbid. Farre be any such conceipt from a Christians mind.
That the non-consequence of such an inference may be the better discerned, the gross mistakings thereof are wisely to be weighed. They are manifest in these three particulars.
That the non-consequence of such an inference may be the better discerned, the groffe mistakings thereof are wisely to be weighed. They are manifest in these three particulars.
