He embraced the reformed
religion, and advocated evangelical sentiments with very great zeal.
But at legnth, terrified by the threats of the papal church, he made
a public recantation of his religious opinions. His apostasy from
the faith threw him into despair, and amid intolerable mental
agonies, refusing all sustenance and comfort, and affirming his
certain condemnation for having abjured the known truth, he
miserably expired. See Sleidan's History of the Reformation, page
475.] can tell thee what it is to stay till the gate of mercy be
quite shut; or to run so lazily that they be shut before thou get
within them. What, to be shut out--what, out of heaven! Sinner,
rather than lose it, run for it; yea, and "so run that thou mayest
obtain."
Be not daunted though thou meetest with never so many
discouragements in thy journey thither. That man that is resolved
for heaven, if Satan cannot win him by flatteries, he will endeavor
to weaken him by discouragements, saying, Thou art a sinner, thou
hast broke God's law, thou art not elected, thou comest too late,
the day of grace & past, God doth not care for thee, thy heart is
naught, thou art lazy--with a hundred other discouraging
suggestions. Then thou must encourage thyself with the freeness of
the promises, the tender-heartedness of Christ, the freeness of his
invitations to come in, the greatness of the sin of others that have
been pardoned, and that the same God through the same Christ holdeth
forth the same grace free as ever.
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