A09376:53
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.
If any man ask how could their faith apprehend that, that then was not. I answer by giving them interest & title to it: and so the Fathers are said by faith to have received Christ, because their faith gave them right and title in Christ, and in their hearts they felt the efficacy of his death & resurrection, whereby they died to sin, and were renewed in holiness, as well as we are now by the same efficacy.
If any man aske how could their faith apprehend that, that then was not. I answer by giuing them interest & title to it: and so the Fathers are said by faith to haue receiued Christ, because their faith gaue them right and title in Christ, and in their hearts they felt the efficacie of his death & resurrection, whereby they died to sin, and were renewed in holinesse, as well as we are now by the same efficacie.
Secondly, whereas faith makes things absent, present;
Here they are confuted that teach that the Lords supper is no Sacrament, unless the body & blood of Christ be either truly turned into the bread & wine, or at least be in or about the bread; & that so he is locally present, & must locally and substantially be received: and this (say they) is the most comfortable ⟨p. 6⟩[…] ⟨p. 7⟩[…] ⟨p. 8⟩receiving of Christ: for what comfort is it to receive one absent? but these men know not this notable prerogative of true faith, Faith gives being to things which are not, and makes things present which are absent: they therefore that will have Christ locally present, they take this noble prerogative from faith: for here is nothing absent, which faith should make present: we need not go in this Sacrament, to require a corporal presence: it is sufficient if we have true faith; for that makes him present much more comfortably, then it might be his bodily presence would be unto us.