A09950:474
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.
Therefore know, that as there is a lively hope, so there is a lively faith: And when it is said to be a lively faith, it intimates that ⟨p. 95⟩there is another, that is a dead faith; that is, There is a kind of believing, a kind of taking Christ, a kind of giving a mans self to him: but yet, (mark it) saith he, it is such a one as breeds no life in thee. Mark, if thy faith be such a faith as hath brought Christ to dwell in thy heart,1 so as the soul dwells in the body, if it be such a dwelling in thy heart that there be life in thee: for Christ, when he dwells in us, he acts the soul, as the soul acts the body: As the body now, when the soul is there, is able to move, is able to stir, is able to do any thing: So the soul of a man, it falls to the duties of godliness, and new obedience, to all good works; it is ready (as the Apostle saith) to every good work; it is nimble, and ready to go about them, you are alive to righteousness. Hath faith so brought Christ into thy heart, that he lives in thee, as he did in Paul, that thou canst find and say truly,2 I am dead to sin, and live to righteousness? That thou hast mortified the deeds of the body by the Spirit, that thou findest another life working in thee; except thou canst find this, it is not true faith: for true faith is such as brings Christ to dwell in thy heart, and he dwells there when he revives thy spirit; as it is, Isay 57.13.14.3 I dwell in the high Heavens, and with him also that is of a contrite spirit, to revive the Spirit of the humble; that is, he never dwells, but he gives life. And, if thou find not such a life in thy self, conclude ⟨p. 96⟩that thy faith is not good. And this you ought the more to mark, because many thousands seem to take CHRIST, and to do much, and yet for all this, they have not life all the while.
Therefore know, that as there is a liuely hope, so there is a liuely faith: And when it is said to be a liuely faith, it intimates that ⟨p. 95⟩