A09950:338
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.
1The third cause is, when men take Christ, not out of love to his person, but out of love to those commodities and advantages they shall have by him, when they look not upon him, when they fix not their eyes upon his person, and the beauty that is in him: but they look upon the Kingdom, they look upon the wealth they shall have, they look to what they shall get by him. This faith proves uneffectuall;2 because when other commodities are presented, that are present, and sensible, and in their apprehension greater then these, then they let Christ go again. Men do in this case,3 as those that marry for wealth; if that be their end, when they have gotten the wealth that they would have, when they have that which they desire, they care for their Wives no longer: so in this case; when men look at nothing but simply at heaven, disjoined from Christ; or, when they look at some other advantages, when they look at an earthly Kingdom, (as many of the Disciples did) when they look for great matters by Christ in this world, when they find it quite otherwise, when they lose in the world, and all that they have is in hope, it is in things spiritual, that are not seen with the eye, things that are not sensible, then they are ready to slip from Christ again. So it is usually among us, many take Christ for advantages, as Christ tells them plainly, Joh. 6.4 (saith he) you seek me, not for the Miracles which ⟨p. 13⟩I did, but for the loaves: That is to say, not out of love to the work, not because you judge aright of the things of the spirit, not because you love grace, but because you love some advantage that you have by religion, some profit that it brings you for the present, and because you would be freed from Hell for the future; such things as carnal men may see, and be affected with: but this will not hold out.
1The third cause is, when men take Christ, not out of loue to his person, but out of loue to those commodities and aduantages they shall haue by him, when they looke not vpon him, when they fix not their eyes vpon his person, and the beauty that is in him: but they looke vpon the Kingdome, they looke vpon the wealth they shall haue, they looke to what they shall get by him. This faith proues vneffectuall;