A09376:80
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 yet doubt whether this be the way or no: the spirit of God puts it out of doubt, Isaiah, 30.21; First, affirming peremptorily This is the way: Secondly, bidding us therefore walk in the same: This is the way, walk in it. Our Elders obeyed this commandment of the spirit: and, walking in this way, found the end of it, everlasting life. If we would attain the same end of the journey, we must walk the same way.
If any yet doubt whether this be the way or no: the spirit of God puts it out of doubt, Esay, 30.21; First, affirming peremptorily This is the way: Secondly, bidding vs therefore walke in the same: This is the way, walke in it. Our Elders obayed this commaundement of the spirit: and, walking in this way, found the end of it, euerlasting life. If we would attaine the same end of the iourney, we must walke the same way.
But the world will say, this is a needless exhortation; for we walk this way, we deny our selves, and look to be approved of God only by Christ: but it is strange to see how men deceive themselves. Can a man walk in a way, and not leave marks & steps behind him? even so he that walks in this way, follow him, & you shall see steps of his continual dying unto sin, & living unto holiness; insomuch that a man that followeth him, & marketh the course of his life in this way, may evidently say: See where he hath cast off, & left behind him this & that sin: see where he hath taken up, & carried with him these & those virtues & graces of God: Mark, here is a print of his faith, here is a print of his hope, here are prints of his love. And thus may a child of God be followed & traced all the way to heaven, even until he come to his death, which is the gate of heaven. How mightily then are they deceived, ⟨p. 15⟩which think they have walked all their lives in this way, and yet there is not one step to be seen: for assuredly this way is so beaten and trodden, that no man ever trod in it since the world began; but he left behind him manifest & visible steps, that all men that would look at him, might see he had gone that way. As therefore we all desire to come to heaven, & as we profess we walk in the way thither: so let us be as careful to leave behind us our steps; namely, tokens & prints of our faith, our hope, and love: which if we do, then mark the excellent use of those steps. 1. They testify unto all that see them, that we walked the right way to heaven: and secondly, they will serve for marks & directions for them that shall walk in the same way after us. By the 1. we shall leave an honourable testimony of our selves behind us: by the 2. we shall move other to magnify gods name, to whom our steps have bin marks & directions, helps, & furtherances in the way to heaven.