A09950:594
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.
But some will say,1 it is true, if I had a Prophet sent to me, to tell me in such a case that I should be safe, I should trust on him.
- 1Object.Obiect.
Certainly,1 if thou hast not, yet if the cause be good, if it be a thing that GOD sets thee awork on, if thou go by a right rule, know, that in this case thou hast as true a promise of safety, that God will deal well with thee, as if thou haddest a Prophet sent immediately from God. Therefore I say to thee in such a case as Luther said to Melancton, which was a good reason when Melancton began to faint: Luther being afar off, wrote a Letter unto him, and tells him, saith he, if the Cause be not GODS, why do not we give over? why do we not shrink? why do we do any thing? And If it be Gods Cause, why do we shrink? why go we not through? He needed no more but to know that it was Gods Cause: and after that, see how he exposed himself from time to time: and as no man was bolder then he, so ⟨p. 164⟩no man had more comfort. It is with us in this case as it was with Jeremiah, 2Jer. 26. GOD bids him go and speak his Word to the people, all his words, and tells him that the people would be ready to put him to death; and so they were, they said he should die, but yet he obeyed God, because the Lord sent him; and see what was the issue of it, GOD turned the matter, and saved him. This is faith, when a man comes in that case to set his faith awork, that it may set him the right way that he is to go in, which way he is to turn.