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A60148 St. Peter's sin and true repentance amplified and improved in a discourse occasion'd by the publick profession of repentance made by T.W., who after eleven years slavery in Turkey renounc'd his baptism and Christianity there ... / by John Shower. Shower, John, 1657-1715. 1692 (1692) Wing S3684; ESTC R10197 15,206 39

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the High-Priests Hall with a Resolution of Constancy Bishop Sanderson but denied him to decline a present apprehended Danger under a violent Passion of Fear Which was not so deliberate and presumptuous a Sin as David's Adultery and Murther For he continued in his Adultery with Bathsheba for a long Time and in order to the secrecy of it gave command concerning the Death of Uriah the Husband and that not in an hasty Passion or in a sudden surprize but in cool blood with many a deliberate thought about it Now as there was a great difference in their Sin so as to the time of their Recovery St. Peter took the warning of the second Crowing of the Cock and immediately goes forth to express his Repentance but David continued almost a Twelve-Month without any solemn Repentance that we read of after such a Fault and till the Prophet Nathan comes to him and is forced to tell him Thou art the Man Again From Peter's taking the Warning of the second Crowing of the Cock when he was not awakened by the first We may observe That the same Means which men have had for a time and not profited by may yet through the Blessing of God be afterwards effectual if they be continued or vouchsafed again Let such as have long enjoyed the Means of Grace and have not profited bless God that they are yet continued and beg the Influence of the Spirit that at length they may be effectual You that for many years have sat under the Preaching of the Word that every Lords Day and frequently on the Week Days are called to Repentance and yet have been unprofitable Hearers hitherto you ought not to forbear your Attendance on the Publick Worship because the same Truths which have been heard at one Time with little Profit at another may come with Power and Efficacy to your Souls Lastly You may take notice of the Mercy and Love of Christ to his poor Disciple and of his Faithfulness to his Promise 1. His Mercy and Love to his poor Disciple He forgets not Peter when He himself was apprehended and brought to Judgment amidst the Calumnies and false Accusations the Injuries and Indignities which our Lord met with yet he remembers Peter and turns about and gives him a gracious Look that melted his Heart and recals him to Repentance Certainly he hath not less Kindness for his Followers now he is in Heaven than he had while he was upon Earth 2. Observe his Faithfulness to his Promise and the Prevalency of his Prayer for Peter Satan says our Lord has desired to have thee and to sift thee as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not Ver. 31. of this Chapter And therefore though he was permitted to Fall to humble him for his Confidence and to warn us by his Example and to teach more Watchfulness and Circumspection yet his Faith did not finally fail but he is recovered again by a speedy and deep Repentance And there is no true Christian but is interested in this Promise and shall share in the Prevalency of the Intercession of Christ His Faith shall not finally fail He that hath begun a good Work will carry it on He that is the Author of Divine Faith will be the Rewarder and Finisher of it For Direction as to Practice From what has been said we may learn 1. To take heed of the Beginnings of Sin If the Devil have once got the advantage of Peter by his first Denial of Christ he shall quickly be tempted to deny him again If he yield to one Temptation he shall soon meet with more and stronger At first only a Damsel asks the Question but afterwards the whole Company accuse him as a Follower of Christ He that will venture upon a Lye shall be tempted to tell another to conceal the first and to add Perjury and Imprecation to prevent discovery The breaking of our good Purposes and Resolutions in one Instance will make way for our doing so in many others As David from Adultery proceeded to Murther and Lot from Drunkenness to Incest and Peter here from a bare Denial to Perjury and Cursing and Imprecation The admission of one Link of a Chain will make way for more And without watching against the beginnings of Sin they will soon multiply as one curling Circle in the Water produces a second and so a third of a larger size and figure than it self When you yield to any Temptation of the Devil you know not where you shall stop you give him an advantage against you you Weaken and Harden your own Hearts stifle Conscience and lay your selves more open unto Temptation and your Resistance will still be weaker 2. Let us heartily pity those who by the surprise of a great Temptation have sinned like Peter in denying their * We have a sad Instance of one of our Country-men now before us who renounc'd his Baptism and Christianity in an hour of Temptation Lord. Let us not presently censure and condemn them of the Sin against the Holy Ghost or of sinning wilfully after the Knowledge of the Truth in such a manner as that it should be impossible for them to be renewed again to Repentance Let us rather pray for them that it be not a Sin unto Death Especially when we have any Instance of their * As we have in the present Case Repentance For the Sin unto Death and the Sin against the Holy Ghost exclude Repentance such as are guilty do never repent 3. Let us not be high-minded but fear and while we stand take heed lest we fall Did an Apostle and so great an Apostle Deny and Forswear his Lord and that so soon after he had been at the Lords Table which was but the Night before or but some few hours before And shall any of us be confident of our own Courage and Constancy How many Instances are there of those who have shamefully fallen in an hour of Temptation of such as have renounc'd their Christianity in Turky and received the Impostures of Mahomet Of many more in Popish Countries that have abjured the Reformed Religion to comply with the Superstitions and Impurities of Rome Many such there are who once thought themselves as unlikely to do so as any of us can now think that we are And shall we be Positive and Certain Confident and Presumptuous that though we had all their Temptations we should not do as they Had not Peter think you more Reason to think and hope well of himself and to believe that he should rather Dye with Christ than Deny him than any of us have Thanks be to God you do not yet meet with the Temptations that others have experienced and that there is no near prospect that you shall meet with such Temptations yea I rejoyce in the hope that many of us would be assisted and enabled by God rather to dye for Christ than deliberately to abjure and deny him But let us not be