A09376:1012
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon…A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon…
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon the 11 chapter to the Hebrews preached in Cambridge by that godly, and judicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executors, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.
London: printed by Humphrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607London: printed by Humfrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, we must here learn of God to be true and faithful in our words and promises. God spake plainly, and deceived not Abraham: and after at the time performed it; So must we deal plainly and simply in our words and bargains, and think that to deceive and over-reach by crafty words, and double meanings, and equivocal phrases are not beseeming Christianity. And we must make conscience of a lie, else we are like the devil and not God. Also a Christian man must take heed what, how, and to whom he promiseth: but having promised, he must perform, though it be loss or harm to himself: if it be not wrong to God, or to the Church, or State. Wrong to himself must not hinder him from performance. Christian mens words must not be vain, they should be as good as bonds; though I know it is lawful, and very convenient in regard of mortality, to take such kind of assurances.
Secondly, we must here learn of God to be true and faithfull in our words and promises. God spake plainly, and deceaued not Abraham: and after at the time performed it; So must we deale plainely and simply in our words and bargaines, and thinke that to deceiue and ouer-reach by craftie words, and double meanings, and equiuocall phrases are not beseeming Christianity. And we must make conscience of a lie, else we are like the diuell and not God. Also a Christian man must take heede what, how, and to whom he promiseth: but hauing promised, he must performe, though it be losse or harme to himselfe: if it be not wrong to God, or to the Church, or State. Wrong to himselfe must not hinder him from performance. Christian mens words must not be vaine, they should be as good as bonds; though I know it is lawfull, and very conuenient in regard of mortality, to take such kind of assurances.
Lastly, Abraham had the promise his seed should be so, Gen. 15.8. And here we see it is so, but he himself saw it not: so that Abraham had the promise, and we the performance. So Adam had the promise of the Messiah, but we see it performed: The Patriarchs, and Prophets, the promise of the calling of the Gentiles, but we see it performed.