A09950:1040
The Breastplate of Faith and Love
The breast-plate of faith and love. A treatise, wherein the ground and exercise of faith and love, as they are set upon Christ their object, and as they are expressed in good works, is explained. / Delivered in 18 sermons upon three several texts, by the late faithful and worthy minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty, Master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inn.The breast-plate of faith and love. A treatise, wherein the ground and exercise of faith and love, as they are set upon Christ their object, and as they are expressed in good workes, is explained. / Delivered in 18 sermons upon three severall texts, by the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed by W. Jones for Nicolas Bourne, 1630London: printed by W. Iones for Nicolas Bourne, 1630
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 it consists in this,1 he shall be separated from grace and goodness, from holiness; and this is the curse upon his soul in this respect, in regard of exclusion from grace, which is to the soul as an obstruction in the liver is to the body, as a thief in the candle is to the candle, which ⟨p. 178⟩causeth it to waste and consume, and wear away; so it is in this curse, when God shall lay it upon the soul of any man, he shall not thrive in grace, his inward man shall not prosper at all, he shall be still in the wearing hand, & the Lord shall take away from him that which he seems to have; when the Lord shall say to thee as to the figtree, Never fruit grow more on thee, that is a fearful curse, when the Lord shall curse, and say to a man, though thou hast some leaves upon thee, there are some things that seem to be good in thee, yet because thou hast not love, never fruit shall grow upon thee more. What a curse is it think you that shall make the soul of a man to wither, as the figtree withered after the speech of Christ, that is, when every thing shall drive a man off from that which is good, and carry him on to destruction; whatsoever befalleth him in poverty, in prosperity, riches, and friends or enemies, every thing shall breed his hurt: he shall have riches when he is most ready to abuse them, he shall have adversity then when it is worst for him to be in adversity, that shall be to him as the lopping of trees out of season; he shall be as an unthrifty son, set him to a trade in the City, there he goes down the wind, put him to husbandry in the Country, that thrives not with him; such is the case of every one that loves not Christ. So my brethren, when Christ is preached to you, when you will not receive the doctrine, but refuse it, you see the doom here, saith the Apostle, let him be accursed; this causeth ⟨p. 179⟩men to go away from the Lord, Because they receive not the love of the truth, therefore he gives them up to believe lies, because that men receive not Christ in the love of the Gospel, he gives them up to a reprobate sense, from one degree to another, till there be no remedy. We see by experience, are there not many that are given up to the sin of drinking and idleness, and company-keeping, and others, to other sins;