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A01980 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. Gouge, William, 1578-1653. 1639 (1639) STC 12124; ESTC S103306 53,252 98

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Saviour extremely under-valued the glorious Gospell vilified the profession thereof disgraced weake brethren offended and adversaries occasioned to triumph and insult Yet are not the fore-mentioned Apostates no nor others though worse then they except onely before excepted such as sinne unto death to be excluded from all hope of recovery mercy and pardon And that for these reasons 1. The freenesse of Gods grace For God justifieth freely by his grace Rom. 3.24 and his free gift is of many offences Rom. 5.16 Wherefore that the freenesse of Gods grace may more clearely be manifested it pleaseth him to extend it to such as of all others are most unworthy as Apostates who denie him are Mans unworthinesse gives evident proofe of the freenesse of Gods grace And the more unworthy any may be thought to be the more free will that grace which is extended to him be knowne to be So as pardon of sin may in faith be expected from him who wil not the death of a sinner but that repenting he may be freed from destruction and saved by the mercy of God If any thinke otherwise he is not a Christian but a Novatian 2. The riches of Gods grace God is said to be rich in mercy Ephes 2.4 Now the greatnesse and heighnousnesse of sinne commends the riches of mercy and shewes that to be true which is said Rom. 5.20 Where sinne abounded grace did abound much more But by Apostacy sin aboundeth and may be reckoned in the number of great crimes yet in the Church such as repent ought not to despaire of Gods mercy 3. The infinite value and worth of Christs sacrifice It is a sufficient price for any sinne yea and for all sins in which respect it is said that the blood of Iesus Christ clea●seth us from all sinne 1 Ioh. 1.7 If from all sin then from Apostacy Object On these grounds the sinne against the Holy Ghost might be pardoned Answ Not so and that for these Reasons 1. They wilfully and utterly reject the onely meanes of pardon the Lord Jesus Christ In this respect they are said to tread under foot the Sonne of God Heb. 10.29 2. They neither will nor can repent It is impossible to renue them againe unto repentance As other sinners who doe not repent are not pardoned so these Apostates because they cannot repent cannot be recovered 3. An irreversible doome of the Judge is absolutely without any limitation gone out against these but it is not so against any other sinners The doome is this Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him Mat. 12.32 4. The meanes to be used by others for recovering sinners is absolutely forbidden in these mens case The meanes is prayer The prayer of faith shall save the sick and if hee have committed sinnes they shall be forgiven him Iames 5.15 But the Apostle even where he prescribeth this meanes for obtaining pardon excepteth the sin unto death thus If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall aske and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death There is a sin unto death I doe not say that he shall pray for it 1 Ioh. 5.16 4. A fourth ground of an Apostates recovery is the extent of Gods promises which extent is so large as except before excepted it excludeth none All manner of sin shall be forgiven unto men saith the Judge himselfe Mat. 12.31 5. A fift is Gods faithfullnesse in ratifying the just censure of his Church For Christ gave to his Church in the person of Saint Peter power of binding and loosing when he said Mat. 16.19 I will give unto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven whatsoever thou shalt loos● on earth shall be loosed in heaven When therfore the Church upon due observation of an Apostates true repentance absolves him and receives him into her communion that Apostate may justly be accounted to be recovered and to be brought into the state of salvation 6. The last ground which now I intend to note is example For we reade that in all ages Apostates and that of all sorts and kindes except before excepted have beene recovered and received into the favour of God and his Church Adam the first man was a most notorious Apostate Yet the Church in all ages hath taken it for grant that he repented and was saved It is therefore reckoned among the heresies of the Tacians that they opposed the salvation of the first man The promise of redemption was first made to our first Parents Gen. 3.15 and that they beleeved it may be inferred from their teaching their children to offer sacrifice Gen. 4.3 4. The children of Israel in Egypt played the parts of Apostates by the Idolatry which they committed Ezek. ●0 7 8. so in the Wildernesse Exod. 32.1 2 c. and in the land of Canaan under their Judges Iudges 2.17 and under their Kings 2 King 29.6 Yet upon their humiliation and repentance God received them to grace and favour But to give instance of particulars Salomon in his old age proved an Apostate 1 King 11.4 yet he repented as is evident by his booke stiled Ecclesiastes which the Hebrews say as we heard before is the book of Salomons repentance That God was mercifull in pardoning his Apostacy appeares by this promise which God made to David concerning him 2 Sam. 7.14 15. If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the strip●s of the children of men But my mercy shall not depart from him as I tooke it from Saul Manasseh in his younger yeares did himselfe and caused Iudah to doe worse then the Heathen yet he repented and found mercy 2 Chron. 33.2 9 12 13. The Levites that went away farre from God though they were excluded from the more excellent functions in the Temple yet upon their repentance were admitted into the Temple to do the inferiour works thereof Ezek. 44.10 11 c. Peter thrice together not without swearing and cursing denied his Master yet his teares declare that he repented and both the other Disciples and also Christs manner of entertaining him afterwards shew that he was received to mercy Many forsooke Paul which was a kinde of Apostacy but Pauls prayer for mercy to be shewed to them 2 Tim. 4.16 gives evidence of a possibility yea and a probability too of their finding mercy In the ten fierce and fiery persecutions of Christians under the Romane Emperours many renounced the Christian faith and in the tumults raised by Arrians others renounced the Orthodox faith yet the Catholike Church with a motherly affection received them againe upon evidence of their repentance as Peter was received after his weeping being put in mind of his sin by the crowing of a Cock. We have before shewed how the Church of old had daies and places and rites and