A09376:223
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 for the true sense of them, it is likely the holy Ghost here hath relation to the story whence it is taken; where,1 upon Cains murder, God saith to him, The voice of thy brothers blood crieth to me from the earth: and why crieth it? Namely for vengeance against so monstrous a murder; and crieth to all men to behold it, and to abhor the like: and so after a sort he continueth to speak, to this day. So that the words, in the true & full sense of them, do import these two points; 1. That Abel spake when he was dead. 2. That in a sort Abel still speaketh.
Now for the true sense of them, it is likely the holy Ghost here hath relation to the story whence it is taken; where,1 vpō Cains murder, God saith to him, The voice of thy brothers bloud crieth to me from the earth: and why crieth it? Namely for vengeance against so monstrous a murder; and crieth to all men to behold it, and to abhor the like: and so after a sort he continueth to speak, to this day. So that the words, in the true & full sense of them, do import these two points; 1. That Abell spake when he was dead. 2. That in a sort Abell still speaketh.
For the first: Abel spake and cried when he was dead: but how? not with a vocal speech: but the phrase is figurative, and imports thus much, as if the Lord had said to Cain: thou hast killed thy brother closely, and it may be hast hid him in the sand, or buried him, and thinkest no man knoweth of it: ⟨p. 56⟩but thou must know, Cain, this thy fact is as evident to me, as if Abel had told me: I know thou killed him: and if thou wonder how I know, I tell thee his blood told me; for it cried in my ears, & yet it crieth out against thee: for though Abel be dead, his blood yet speaketh. As this is true of Abel's, so of all mens blood: and as of blood, so of all other oppressions, though done by never so great men. Murders, oppressions, and all wrongs done to Gods children, they cry to God against the oppressors, though the poor oppressed men dare scarce name them: they need not, for their blood doth, yea even their very tears cannot be shed, but God takes them up,