A09376:17
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.
Now, in this chapter he continues the same exhortation: and the whole chapter (as I take it) is nothing else in substance, but one reason to urge the former exhortation to perseverance in faith; and the reason is drawn from the excellency of faith: for this chapter doth divers ways set down what an excellent gift of God faith is: his whole scope therefore is manifest to be nothing else, but to urge them to persevere & continue in that faith, proved at large to be so excellent a thing: & indeed he could not bring a better argument to move them to love and hold fast their faith, then by persuading them of the excellency of it. For common reason bids us not only choose, but hold fast that that is excellent.
Now, in this chapter hee continues the same exhortation: and the whole chapter (as I take it) is nothing else in substance, but one reason to vrge the former exhortation to perseuerance in faith; and the reason is drawne from the excellencie of faith: for this chapter doth diuers waies set down what an excellent gift of God faith is: his whole scope therfore is manifest to be nothing else, but to vrge thē to perseuer & continue in that faith, proued at large to be so excellent a thing: & indeed he could not bring a better argument to moue them to loue and hold fast their faith, then by perswading them of the excellencie of it. For common reason bids vs not onely chuse, but hold fast that that is excellent.
Out of this coherence we may learn in a word, that perseverance in faith is a matter not of ordinary necessity nor of mean excellency, to the urging whereof the author of this epistle useth so large & so forcible an exhortation; in so much as, whereas ordinary exhortations occupy the room of one or some few verses, this is continued through divers chapters.
Out of this coherence we may learn in a word, that perseuerance in faith is a matter not of ordinarie necessitie nor of mean excellēcy, to the vrging wherof the author of this epistle vseth so large & so forcible an exhortation; in so much as, whereas ordinary exhortations occupy the roome of one or some few verses, this is continued through diuers chapters.