The Soul's Conflict with Itself

The blessed Martyr Bilney was much offended when he heard an eloquent Preacher inveighing against sin, saying thus. Behold, thou hast lien rotten in thy own lusts, by the space of sixty years, even as a beast in his own dung, and wilt thou presume in one year to go forward towards heaven, and that in thine old age, as much as thou wentest backward from heaven to hell in sixty years? Is not this a goodly argument (saith Bilney?) Is this preaching of repentance in the name of Jesus? It is as if Christ had dyed in vain for such a man, and that he must make satisfaction for himself. If I had heard (saith he) such preaching of repentance in times past, I had utterly despaired of mercy: We must never think the door of hope to be ⟨p. 363⟩shut against us, if we have a purpose to •e unto God. As there is nothing more injurious to Christ, so nothing more foolish and groundless then to distrust, it being the chief scope of God in his word to draw our trust to him in Christ, in whom is always open a breast of mercy for humbled sinners to fly unto.

The blessed Martyr Bilney was much offended when he heard an eloquent Preacher enveighing against sin, saying thus. Behold, thou hast lyen rotten in thy owne lusts, by the space of sixty yeares, even as a beast in his owne dung, and wilt thou presume in one year to goe forward towards heaven, and that in thine olde age, as much as thou wentest backward from heaven to hell in sixty yeares? Is not this a goodly argument (saith Bilney?) Is this preaching of repentance in the name of Jesus? It is as if Christ had dyed in vaine for such a man, and that hee must make satisfaction for himselfe. If I had heard (saith he) such preaching of repentance in times past, I had utterly despaired of mercy: We must never thinke the doore of hope to bee ⟨p. 363⟩shut against us, if we have a purpose to •e unto God. As there is nothing more injurious to Christ, so nothing more foolish and groundlesse then to distrust, it being the chiefe scope of God in his word to draw our trust to him in Christ, in whom is alwayes open a breast of mercy for humbled sinners to flye unto.