A09376:480
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.
God now threateneth the ruin of Babylon, and the full revelation of Antichrist, and the overthrow of the new found Hierarchy of the Jesuits, which glitter so in worldly glory, and in outward strength: this seems hard to bring to pass; but let faith believe it, for it is Gods word, and shall be fulfilled in his season. God hath said, that our bodies shall rise again, even these bodies which are burned to ashes, or eaten of beasts, or fishes, or turned to dust in the earth. This is a wonder to nature, an amazement to reason: but faith will believe it, and shall find it true, for God hath said it.
God now threatneth the ruine of Babylon, and the full reuelation of Antichrist, and the ouerthrow of the new found Hierarchie of the Iesuites, which glitter so in worldly glorie, and in outward strength: this seemes hard to bring to passe; but let faith beleeue it, for it is Gods word, and shall be fulfilled in his season. God hath said, that our bodies shall rise againe, euen these bodies which are burned to ashes, or eaten of beasts, or fishes, or turned to dust in the earth. This is a wonder to nature, an amazement to reason: but faith will beleeue it, and shall finde it true, for God hath saide it.
God saith, Christ is in the Sacrament truly and really present to the soul of a Christian. Carnal senses deny this, and natural reason knoweth not how, but ask with the Capernaites, How can he give us his flesh to eat? But faith believeth it, and knoweth how; though to outward sense it cannot be expressed. And it was a holy and divine speech used by holy Martyrs, who being asked how Christ could be eaten in the Sacrament, and not with the teeth, answered; My faith ⟨p. 125⟩knoweth how. God saith, Wicked men though they flourish never so, are miserable; and good men are blessed above all other. Reason and worldly experience say this is false: but true faith believes it, and finds it true; for never did any child of God desire to change his estate with the mightiest or wealthiest wicked man in the world. God saith, He that will follow Christ, must deny himself, and his own desires, and follow Christ, in bitterness and affliction. Nature saith, This is a hard lesson: who can bear it? But faith believes it, yields to it, and endeavours the practice of it, because God hath so commanded. Such is the power and excellency of true faith.