A09376:353
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.
For the first: A man truly seeketh God, by doing four actions.
For the first: A man truly seeketh God, by doing foure actions.
First, a man must forsake himself, go out of himself, and as it were loose himself in his own judgement, when he intends to seek God. If any ask how that may be? I answer; Thus: A man must labour to see his sins fully and distinctly, and in sight thereof be cast down in himself, as a man is, when he seeth his debts: then let him look into himself, and see if he can find in himself any ability to pay those debts, or any means in the world to satisfy Gods justice, and purchase pardon. And if upon due examination he find none at all, no not the least, nor any thing in himself, but an accusing, and raging conscience: Let him then fall out of all love with himself, nay hate and abhor himself ⟨p. 86⟩and his own baseness: and lastly, let him despair of his own salvation in or from himself: and thus doing, he forsakes himself, denieth himself, and even looseth himself. And thus necessarily must he do to himself, that will set his heart to seek the Lord. For, God will be found of none that hope to find help at any hand but his: they therefore that seek God, but will seek themselves too, do justly loose both God and themselves.
First, a man must forsake himselfe, goe out of himselfe, and as it were loose himselfe in his owne iudgement, when he intends to seeke God. If any aske how that may be? I answer; Thus: A man must labour to see his sinnes fully and distinctly, and in sight thereof be cast downe in himselfe, as a man is, when hee seeth his debts: then let him looke into himselfe, and see if hee can finde in himselfe any ability to pay those debts, or any meanes in the world to satisfie Gods •ustice, and purchase pardon. And if vpon due examination he finde none at all, no not the least, nor any thing in himselfe, but an accusing, and raging conscience: Let him then fall out of all loue with himselfe, nay hate and abhorre himselfe