A09950:130
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.
Again,1 this must be marked, that I say, you must take or receive him: you must not only believe that he is the Messiah, and that he is offered, but there is a taking and receiving that is necessary to make you partakers of that that is offered: those words John 3.2 make it plain; God so loved the World, that he GAVE his only begotten Son, &c. Giving is but a Relative, it implies that there is a receiving or taking required: For when CHRIST is given, unless he be taken by us, he doth us no good, he is not made ours. If a man be willing to give another any thing, unless he take it, it is not his. It is true indeed, there is a sufficiency in CHRIST to save all men, and he is that great Physician that heals the souls of men, there is righteousness enough in him to justify all the World: But, my beloved, unless we take him, and apply him to our selves, we can have no part in that righteousness: this is plainly expressed in Matth. 22. where it is said, the King sent forth his servants to bid men to the Marriage of his Son: And so in Eth. 5. the same similitude and comparison is used by the Apostle, where he setteth forth the union that is between ⟨p. 52⟩Christ and the Church, by that union there is between the Husband and the Wife: put the case that a Husband should offer himself to a woman to marry her, and she shou•d believe it, yet unless there be a taking of him on her part, the match is not made; and so it is •ere, and in this thing the essence of faith consists, when CHRIST offereth himself unto you, you must believe that there is such a thing, and that God intendeth it really, but it is the taking that consummates the marriage; and when the Wife hath taken the Husband, then all that is his is hers, she hath an interest in all his goods: so also it is here, there must be a believing that Christ is offered, that he is the Messiah and that there is a righteousness in him to save us; but that is not enough, we must also take him, and when that is done, we are justified, then we are at peace with GOD.