Thomas Shepard, The Sincere Convert

Carla Ann McGill (Independent Scholar - North America)

Ed. by Emory Elliott, University of California, Riverside
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.1: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Colonial Period, 1604-1783.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Scott Slawinski (Western Michigan University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1640

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Religion and Spirituality (any)
- Sermon

Resources

The Sincere Convert: Discovering the Small Number of True Beleevers; And the Great Difficulty of Saving Conversion, Thomas Shepard's most popular work, if judged by the fact that it was continuously in print from 1640 to 1812, is an explanation of the conversion process as it was known in New England Congregational churches. Controversial for its uncompromising standpoint regarding the authentic regeneration of the soul through the agency of Christ, the work seems to have also been questionable to Shepard himself for some of the material it contained. Shepard's contemporary, Giles Firmin, who found that the work “cuts very sharply” questioned him about some of the disputable points. Shepard responded in a 1647 letter, “I …

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927 words

Citation: McGill, Carla Ann. "The Sincere Convert". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7748, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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