A09376:1767
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.
Again, whereas the love of temporal life, & care of earthly things, &c. are sore burdens pressing down a mans heart ⟨p. 581⟩from heaven to earth, and making it heavy, and sad, and dead in regard of all spiritual exercises and contemplations. Hereby we are taught, oftentimes to give our selves to elevate and lift up our minds and hearts to God, partly by meditation in his word, partly by invocation on his name, and partly by thanksgiving. And, to do these things the better, we must remember to set apart some special time every day, for this special work; so as we may say with David, Psal. 25.1, Lord, I lift up my heart unto thee, David was well acquainted with this exercise, and so was Daniel: for, both of them used this, as we may read, Psa. 55.17. Evening and morning (saith David) and at noon will I pray, & make a noise. And Daniel used to pray unto God 3. times a day; wherein,1 he would heartily & unfeignedly call upon God, with thanksgiving. And, great reason we should do so; for, we live in this world, wherein are innumerable weighty things, which press down our hearts from looking up to heaven: & therefore, we must often practice our selves in holy meditation & prayer unto God; that so we may lift up our souls unto God, from the things of this world. To use a fit comparison, we know that those who keep clocks, if they would have the clock still going, must once or twice a day wind up the plummets which cause the wheels to go about; because they are still drawing downward: Even so, seeing our hearts have plummets of lead, which are worldly cares and desires, to press them down, from seeking up to heaven; we must do with our hearts, as the clock-keeper doth with his plummets, wind them up unto God every day: &, for this end, must set apart some particular time to do the same, in holy duties. Why doth God command the 7. day to be sanctified, and set apart, from all bodily exercises, & worldly cares? undoubtedly, it is for this end; to cause men to elevate their hearts from all worldly things, to seek the things above: else, if the mind should be always pressed down with worldly cares, it could never attain to heavens joys. He that hath not conscience on the ⟨p. 582⟩