A09376:1665
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
Believers under the Maccabees.Beleeuers vnder the Maccabees.
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.
Question. How doth faith work this indissoluble power in cleaving unto Christ? Answer. After this ⟨p. 538⟩manner: It is the property of faith, to persuade the conscience, of Gods love and favour in Christ; and upon this persuasion, the heart begins to love God again. Now, by this love doth faith work, and make a man able to bear all torments that can be inflicted for religions sake: for, Love suffereth all things, 1. Cor. 13.7. even that love wherewith one man loveth another: how much more then shall this love wherewith we love God in Christ, make us to suffer any thing for his names sake? Hence it is, that love is said to be strong as death: and the coals thereof are fiery coals, and a vehement flame: 1yea, much water cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; that is, grievous persecutions and torments cannot extinguish the same. Nay, such is the power of love to GOD when it is fervent, that it makes a man so zealous of Gods glory, that if there were no other way to glorify God, than by sufferings; the child of God would rather yield himself to endure the torments of the damned, than suffer God to lose his glory. This we may see in Paul, Rom. 9.3: I would wish my self (saith he) to be separate from Christ for my brethren that are my kinsmen, according to the flesh: that is, the Israelites; meaning for the advancement of Gods glory in their calling and salvation. Such zeal likewise we may see in Moses: for, thinking that God should lose his glory, if the Israelites were destroyed, he prays the Lord to pardon their sin: But if thou wilt not, then (saith he) raze me out of the book which thou hast written.2
Question. How doth faith worke this indissoluble power in cleauing vnto Christ? Answere. After this ⟨p. 538⟩manner: It is the property of faith, to perswade the conscience, of Gods loue and fauour in Christ; and vpon this perswasion, the heart begins to loue God againe. Now, by this loue doth faith worke, and make a man able to beare all torments that can be inflicted for religions sake: for, Loue suffereth all things,