A09950:711
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.
1All affections, as you know, are nothing else but the diverse motions and turnings of the will, as the will turns it self this way or that way, so a man is said to be affected to love or to hate, to grieve or to rejoice. Now love is that act of the will, whereby it turns it self to a thing, as hatred is that whereby it turns it self from a thing: And that which is the object of this affection of love is something that is good; for that which is true, and that which is beautiful is not the proper object of love, that is the object of the intuitive understanding: but it is no further the object of love than it is good. For this take for a general rule, We love nothing but as it is good; And a thing is said to be good, when it is suitable, proportionable and agreeable to us, for that is the definition of a good thing. There may be many things that are excellent, that are not good to us, we say not that any thing is good, but that which suits and is agreeable to us, and convenient for us. So that if you take the definition of this affection in general of love, Love is nothing else but a disposition of the will, whereby it cleaves or makes forward to some good that is agreeable to it self: I say, it is a disposition of the will whereby it cleaves to, and makes forward to some good thing agreeable to it self, which you must mark, for we shall have use of all this in the sequel of this tract.
1All affections, as you know, are nothing else but the diverse motions and turnings of the will, as the will turnes it selfe this way or that way, so a man is said to be affected to love or to hate, to grieve or to rejoyce. Now love is that act of the will, whereby it turnes it selfe to a thing, as hatred is that wherby it turnes it selfe from a thing: And that which is the object of this affection of love is something that is good; for that which is true, and that which is beautifull is not the proper object of love, that is the object of the intuitive understanding: but it is no further the object of love than it is good. For this take for a generall rule, We love nothing but as it is good; And a thing is said to be good, when it is sutable, proportionable and agreeable to us, for that is the definition of a good thing. There may be many things that are excellent, that are not good to us, we say not that any thing is good, but that which sutes and is agreeable to us, and convenient for us. So that if you take the definition of this affection in generall of love, Love is nothing else but a disposition of the will, whereby it cleaves or makes forward to some good that is agreeable to it selfe: I say, it is a disposition of the will whereby it cleaves to, and makes forward to some good thing agreeable to it selfe, which you must marke, for we shall have use of all this in the sequel of this tract.