A01980:313
A recovery from apostasy Set out in a sermon preached in Stepney Church near…A recovery from apostacy Set out in a sermon preached in Stepny Church neere…
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. Let me in the last place leave a few directions with thee, O Penitent, upon whose occasion we are here met.
11. That which now thou dost openly with thy tongue and body before us children of men, doe it ex animo, do it heartily as to the Lord the Searcher of hearts. Thus will thy repentance be sound indeed. Thus will much inward peace be brought to thy conscience. Thus wilt thou be loosed in Heaven as well as on earth. All the grace and favour which now the Church showeth is upon this pious and charitable presumption, that in prostrating thy body thy soul is humbled, and that the confession of thy mouth proceedeth from the contrition of thy heart. If it be otherwise, thou dissemblest with the Church, thou deceivest thine own soul, and mockest God who will in no wise br•oke such mockings. Unless thou do, what thou dost, sincerely and heartily, thou art in no better case (if not in a worse) then they who have suffered themselves to be circumcised by profest enemies of Christ, and therewithal ⟨p. 84⟩renounced the faith of Christ, and yet seek not to be loosed by the Church of Christ. They cannot in Faith expect to be loosed in Heaven, because they are not first loosed on earth. Nor canst thou expect to partake in Heaven of the benefit of the Churches loosing thee on earth, because it is utterly made void by the deceitfulness of thy heart. But we are persuaded better things of thee, and things that accompany Salvation though I thus speak.
11. That which now thou dost openly with thy tongue and body before us children of men, doe it ex animo, do it heartily as to the Lord the Searcher of hearts. Thus will thy repentance be sound indeed. Thus will much inward peace be brought to thy conscience. Thus wilt thou be loosed in Heaven as well as on earth. All the grace and favour which now the Church sheweth is upon this pious and charitable presumption, that in prostrating thy body thy soule is humbled, and that the confession of thy mouth proceedeth from the contrition of thy heart. If it bee otherwise, thou dissemblest with the Church, thou deceivest thine owne soule, and mockest God who will in no wise broke such mockings. Unlesse thou do, what tou dost, sincerely and heartily, thou art in no better case (if not in a worse) then they who have suffered themselves to be circumcised by profest enemies of Christ, and therewithall