A09376:1391
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.
2. Hence we must all learn, especially they that have any measure of wealth more or less, to join with the use of our riches the fear of God, and the practice of true religion: for, sever these asunder▪ and riches are nothing else but sinful pleasures. It is a good conscience which rectifieth the owner in the right use of his honour & treasures: but without that, he pollutes the blessings of God which he enjoys; and they being polluted shall turn to his greater woe.1 A man would have thought that King Belshazzar had been an happy man, when he kept his royal feast, & drank wine in golden bowls before a thousand Princes that were under him, and before his Concubines: but the end of that his jollity may show us the nature of such prosperity. For so soon as he saw the fingers of a mans hand, writing upon the wall, he became quite confounded in himself: his countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him; so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other: What comfort had he now from all his riches & pleasures? So Dives, while he lived, might seem for his wealth and riches to be happy: yet all this did him little good; for, he had but his pleasure for his life time, Luke 16.25: and after this life, his soul went down to hell. A worldly man would judge the rich man in the Gospel, a most happy man, that said unto his soul, by reason of his great abundance of outward wealth, Luke 12.19, Soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, live at ease, eat, drink, and take thy fill: yet because herewith he wanted religion, a good conscience, and the ⟨p. 408⟩fear of God, this sentence was denounced against him; Oh fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul: th•n, whose shall these things be? Wherefore, unless we will wilfully cast away our own souls, let us sanctify our interest in all earthly blessings, by a sincere endeavour in all things, to show forth the fear of God, with the keeping of faith & a good conscience: and let us begin with this, as Christ saith, First, seek Gods Kingdom and his righteousness, Matthew chapter 6. verse 33. Let us hereby seek to have our hearts acceptable unto God: and then all things shall be clean unto us.