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A26064
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A discourse concerning a death-bed repentance by William Assheton ...
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Assheton, William, 1641-1711.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing A4032; ESTC R4704
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23,063
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76
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urged in favour of a Death-bed Repentance is The Thief upon the Cross YOU read his Story Luke 23. from Verse 39. Our Blessed Saviour being crucified between two Thieves One of them railed on him saying If thou be Christ save thy self and us As if he had said If thou art what thou pretendest to be a Christ a Saviour if thou art not a Cheat and Impostor save thy self and us But the other answering rebuked him saying Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same Condemnation And we indeed justly that is we were justly condemned and we justly now suffer the Sentence of our Condemnation For we receive the due reward of our Deeds but this Man hath done nothing amiss that is he is an Innocent Person whom the Jews and Romans do thus barbarously Murther And he said unto Jesus Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom As if he had said Tho' these contemn and revile thee as mean and despicable yet I acknowledge thee to be a Great Lord and that thou hast a Kingdom to dispose on And Jesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee To day shalt thou be with me in paradise that is immediately after thy Death thou shalt go to a place of Happiness and there abide with me as a Member of that my Kingdom which thou ow askest for This is the Story of the Thief upon the Cross From whose Example Carnal Licentious Persons do thus encourage themselves in their extravagant Practices We are fully convinced of the necessity of Repentance And we do as fully resolve some time or other to Repent But why should we be so forward to disturb our Pleasures and neglect our Business as to do it now since we may Repent hereafter at better leisure And tho' we should be so far diverted as not to Repent till our Death yet we have here an encouraging Example we shall then be accepted This Thief had been very notorious and extravagant an Offender of the first Rate and yet when he calls for Mercy tho' it was with his last Breath his Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom was comfortably answered with a This day thou shalt be with me in paradise And therefore tho' the greatest part of our Lives like this Thief 's may have been spent in Sin and Vanity yet if we can but say Lord have mercy upon us with our last Breath we shall likewise be accepted To this I Answer 'T IS a dangerous thing to presume on God's Mercy And so provoking is such Presumption that if the bare saying of these words Lord have mercy upon me would save thy Soul it may so happen through the just Judgment of God thou mayst not be able to do it Thou mayst dye suddenly or thou mayst dye Stupid or raving-mad But suppose thou hast both Breath and the use of thy Reason to say these words here is very slender encouragement from the Example of this Thief that a dying Sinner who never repented till his Death shall then find Mercy For to prove the Validity of a Death-bed Repentance from the Example of this Thief Two things are supposed 1. That this Thief was a very wicked Man 2. That he continued in his Sin and did not repent till the time of his Death Now if neither of these Two can be proved then the Case of this Thief is not parallel nor a firm foundation for the Validity of a Death-bed Repentance 1. It doth not appear That this Thief was a very wicked Man He is called indeed a Thief and dies as a Malefactor But now a good Man and who is so in the general Course of his Life may by surprise and the violence of a Temptation be guilty of a very bad Action of which he afterwards doth sincerely Repent The very Case of David and Peter But further he is called indeed a Thief in our Translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greek Latro in the Latin But what these words do properly signify we must further examine It was the Character of Barabbas that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Robber So we Translate it John 18.40 But what kind of Person he was may be infer'd from other places of Scripture It is said of this Barabbas That for a certain sedition made in the city and for murther he was cast into prison Luke 23.19 And St. Mark tells us Chap. 15. Ver. ◠There was one named Barabbas which lay bound with them who had made insurrection with him that is at his Instigation and Procurement He was it 's probable the Ringleader and Captain of the Rebels The which conjecture is further confirm'd by the story of this Barabbas in St. Matth. 27.16 They that is the Jews had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sigfies an Eminent Person a Man of Note and Quality This Barabbas then was the Head of the Party Who as Zealots for their Nation and Religion had made a rising against the Romans in which attempt being unsuccessful they were punished as Malefactors And yet this Barabbas tho' the Captain-General of a Party is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latro a Thief And in Confirmation of this I must further observe to you That the word Latro which is now a term of Ignominy and Reproach and is usually translated a Thief or a Robber did anciently signify no more as the best Authors inform us than a hired Souldier And Latrocinari pro Militare is noted Language in Plautus So that this penitent Thief as great a Malefactor as he is usually supposed was no worse for ought we know to the contrary than a Souldier who hapning to be on the wrong side was punished as a Malefactor But now supposing 2. That this Thief had been a very wicked Man which is more than was ever yet proved against him yet How do we know that he did not Repent even long before he died And if so if he had formerly repented then his Case is nothing to the purpose nor can his Example with any shew of reason be urged in favour of a Death-bed Repentance But supposing 3. That this Thief was 1. A very wicked Man not a Souldier as the word may be render'd but a Thief and a Robber in the strictest Sense And supposing 2. That he did not Repent till his Death Yet I shall shew ex abundanti that his Example ought not to be urged in favour of a Death-bed Repentance As will more fully appear by examining the Circumstances of this Thief 's Conversion 1. 'T is possible he never heard of Christ till his Crucifixion If he was a Gentile and not a Jew 't is highly probable he never did For Christ at first was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel And the Commission Go teach all Nations was not enlarged till the day of his Ascention If this was his Case How could he believe on him of