A09376:1477
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.
Here we may learn, that true faith in Gods children, is mingled with unbelief. The Israelites faith was true faith, but yet it was very imperfect and weak: for, if it had been perfect & sound faith, they would never have murmured, nor have been impatient and fearful. But look as it is in nature, so it is in grace. In nature we cannot pass from one contrary to another, but by the mixture of the contraries: As, in light and darkness, the one doth not follow the other immediately; but first, there is a mixture of them both in the dawning of the day, and closing of the night: and so it is in other contraries, even in those which concern the soul: Unbelief is a sin; faith is a virtue and grace contrary to it. Now unbelief cannot ⟨p. 451⟩be expelled by faith, before there be a mixture of them both, and so when faith prevaileth, unbelief decayeth; neither can faith be ever perfect, because it is ever mingled more or less with unbelief.
Heere we may learne, that true faith in Gods children, is mingled with vnbeliefe. The Israelites faith was true faith, but yet it was very imperfect and weake: for, if it had beene perfect & sound faith, they would neuer haue murmured, nor haue beene impatient and fearefull. But looke as it is in nature, so it is in grace. In nature we cannot passe from one contrary to another, but by the mixture of the contraries: As, in light and darknesse, the one doth not followe the other immediatly; but first, there is a mixture of them both in the dawning of the day, and closing of the night: and so it is in other contraries, euen in those which concerne the soule: Vnbeliefe is a sinne; faith is a vertue and grace contrary to it. Now vnbeliefe cannot ⟨p. 451⟩be expelled by faith, before there be a mixture of them both, and so when faith preuaileth, vnbeliefe decayeth; neither can faith be euer perfect, because it is euer mingled more or lesse with vnbeliefe.
This plainly overthrows the opinion of the Church of Rome, who say, that after a man is regenerate, and believes, there is nothing in him that God can hate. For they imagine that he is so throughly sanctified, that there is nothing in him which may properly be called a sin: but here we see their doctrine is false, seeing faith & unbelief are always mingled together.