A09950:660
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.
Take a Plaster that is sharp,1 if you lay it to a sore place, it will smart and grieve it, but lay it to the whole flesh, it is nothing: So it is with afflictions, when thy soul is whole, it is like a whole shoulder; lay a heavy burden upon a whole shoulder, and it goes away with it well enough: But if the soul and spirit be broken, it is not fit to bear a cross. If GOD enable a man, it is another thing; then, disease is nothing, imprisonment is nothing, and disgrace is nothing; when GOD enables a man to bear it, it is nothing: ⟨p. 192⟩therefore it is not so heavy but it may be borne.
Take a Plaster that is sharpe,1 if you lay it to a sore place, it will smart and grieue it, but lay it to the whole flesh, it is nothing: So it is with afflictions, when thy soule is whole, it is like a whole shoulder; lay a heauie burthen vpon a whole shoulder, and it goes away with it well enough: But if the soule and spirit be broken, it is not fit to beare a crosse. If GOD enable a man, it is another thing; then, disease is nothing, imprisonment is nothing, and disgrace is nothing; when GOD enables a man to beare it, it is nothing: ⟨p. 192⟩therefore it is not so heauy but it may be borne.
- 1Simile.
Again, it is not so miserable, but thou mayest be happy in it. Why? The reason is in Rom. 8.1 Because, whatsoever it be, it shall not separate us from the love of God in CHRIST: neither principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, neither men, nor devils: In such a case, the Devil, with all his forces set against thee, shall not be able to make thee miserable, thou art a happy man notwithstanding, he shall not be able to hurt thee, GOD loves thee still, and loves thee tenderly, thou art dear to him at all times. Therefore whatsoever it is, it shall not separate thee from the love of God in Christ: and when he could name no more, he names in general; saith he, neither men, nor Devils, nor any thing shall do it.