A09376:1534
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.
Further, concerning Rahabs faith, it may be demanded whether it was weak or strong? because, before she had done this fact of faith, her whole abode was among the heathen. Answ. We must know, that there is in the child of God a certain seed, or beginning, or preparation to a true and lively faith; which our Saviour Christ in the Scriptures, doth honour with the title of a true & lively faith: as, when a man knows no more but this, that Christ Jesus is the true Messiah; having withal, a care and conscience to profit and increase in the true knowledge of the Gospel, and to join practice therewith, in his life ⟨p. 479⟩and calling. Examples hereof, we have many in Gods word: A certain Ruler came to Christ, and besought him to go down & heal his son, Joh. 4.49, 50. &c. Jesus but said unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth; and the Ruler believed the word that Jesus spake unto him, and his son lived. Now, inquiring of the hour, and finding it to be the same time when Jesus said, Thy son liveth; the text saith, He believed and all his household. Now, what was this mans faith? Surely, he only acknowledged, that Christ was the true Messiah: and withal, resigned himself and his family to be instructed further therein. And though they knew nothing particularly, of the means whereby Christ should be a Saviour; yet for this willingness in embracing Christ, and readiness to be taught, the holy Ghost saith, they did believe. So in the same Chapter, vers. 29, the woman of Samaria (being convicted in her conscience, of the things that Christ told her) runs into the town, and saith; Come see a man that hath told me all things that ever I did: Is not he the Christ? Then the text saith, Many of the Samaritans believed, because of the saying of the woman. Now, what faith had these Samaritans? Surely, they did only acknowledge him to be the true Messiah, and were willing to be further instructed in his doctrine; which they testified, by going to hear him in their own persons. So likewise, Christ gives a notable testimony to the confession of the Apostles faith (Math. 16.17, 18) in the person of Peter, saying; Thou art Peter, and upon this rock (that is, upon this your faith, which thou confessest) will I build my Church; and yet the Apostles were ignorant of some main points of the Gospel.