A09376:1142
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.
For the first. The fact of Abraham's faith here commē dead, is this; That he offered up Isaac his son. It may first of all be demanded, How Abraham could offer up his son by faith, considering it is against the law of nature, & the law of God, for a man to kill his own son; which Abraham must do, if he did offer him up in sacrifice unto God. For answer hereunto, we need go no further than the Story, Gen. 22. where we may see, he had a ground for his faith: for, though the general commandment be, Thou shalt not kill, yet he had a special commandment, Abraham kill thy son: & by virtue of that, he did it; & did it in & by faith. But if that be so, then thereupon riseth another & a greater doubt: namely, How can these 2. commandments stand together, one being contrary to the other? Ans. Here a special point is to be observed; namely, that whensoever two commandments are so joined, that a man cannot practice both, but doing the one, the other is broken; then one of them, must give place to the other: For, howsoever all Gods commandments bind the conscience; yet some bind it more, some less; because some are greater, and some lesser than others. Whence, this rule may be set down, that when 2. Come. of God cross one another, so as a man obeying one, breaks another; then a man must prefer the greater. As for example, this is Gods Come. Honour God, commanded in the first table. Again, the 5. Come. saith, Honour Parents & Magistrates. Now, if parents or magistrates command any thing, the doing whereof would dishonour God, being contrary to the first table; then the 5. Come. giveth place unto the first: and a man must rather disobey magistrates and parents, than dishonour God: for, the main duties of the first table, take place before the main duties of the second. And therefore Christ saith, If any man come ⟨p. 313⟩to me, and hate not his father and mother, wife and children, brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple; meaning, that if father or mother, wife or children would draw us from God, we must hate them rather then disobey God. Again, a commandment ceremonial, and a commandment of love and mercy concur together, and it so falleth out, that they should be both kept, and cannot: in this case therefore the ceremonial Law of the first table, must give place to the Law of Charity and Love in the second table;
For the first. The fact of Abrahams faith here commē ded, is this; That he offered vp Isaac his sonne. It may first of all be demanded, How Abraham could offer vp his son by faith, considering it is against the law of nature, & the law of God, for a man to kill his own sonne; which Abraham must doe, if he did offer him vp in sacrifice vnto God. For answer hereunto, we need goe no further than the Story,