A09376:749
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.
First, here we learn, that though Gods Commandments seem foolish, and unreasonable, yet we must obey them. Christ saith; If a man will ever come in the Kingdom of heaven, he must be borne again, John 3.3. S. Paul saith; If any man among you seem to be wise, let him be a fool that he may be wise: 1. Corinth. 3.18. Christ saith, If any man will be my Disciple, he must deny himself and follow me, Luk, 9.23.
First, here we learne, that though Gods Commaundements seeme foolish, and vnreasonable, yet wee must obay them. Christ saith; If a man will euer come in the Kingdome of heauen, he must be borne againe, Iohn 3.3. S. Paul saith; If any man among you seeme to be wise, let him be a foole that he may be wise: 1. Corinth. 3.18. Christ saith, If any man will be my Disciple, he must denie himselfe and follow me, Luk, 9.23.
But how can these commandments be believed or done? how can reason believe them? how can nature do them? So disputed the woman of Samaria with Christ, John 4.11. When Christ told her he would give her of the water of life; she replied, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with▪ and the Well is deep: whence then hast thou that water of life? Thus we object and reason against God with carnal objections, and weigh Gods Commandments in the balance of reason: thus God and his commandments, are much abused by us. And this is the cause we hear and read Gods word, and profit not by it, because we ponder it in our reason, and allow ⟨p. 194⟩nor follow it no further, then it agreeth with our natural affections. As, a man that will needs stand under a Pent-house, hath no water falling on him, though it should rain never so precious water from heaven: So, when the water of life, out of the word of GOD, should drop upon our souls, to comfort our consciences, and to wash away our sins: we have our devices out of wit, and distinctions out of reason, as pent-houses to keep it from us, that it slides away, and never hath any work in us. But contrariwise, we must remember Abraham the Father of our faith; and when we hear Gods word, we must with him captivate our reason, and subdue our affections to it: measure them by Gods word, and not it by them; and what we cannot yield to in the obedience of reason, we must obey with the obedience of faith: and so shall Gods word have a gracious and powerful work in us.