The Breastplate of Faith and Love

Again, by moulding it anew, which is done by faith and by the Gospel: For when we come and propound Christ to men to be taken, and to be received and loved by them, what is the answer we have from them? Most men, either mind him not, or regard not at all this invitation to come to Christ, but they deal with us as those that were invited to the marriage, saith the Text, they made light of it, they cared not for the invitation, it was a thing they looked not after: or again, if they do, yet they mind them uot enough, because they do not prize Christ enough. Therefore the first thing the Lord doth to prepare mens hearts to love him, is to send the law to humble them, to discover to men what need they are in, to make an impression on their hearts of that bond of damnation that they are subject unto when the law is broken, that mens eyes may be opened to see their sins; then a man begins to look toward Christ, to look on him as the captive looks on his Redeemer, as a condemned man looks on him that brings him a ⟨p. 13⟩pardon, as a widow that is miserable and poor, indebted and undone, looks upon her husband that will make her rich and honourable, that will pay all her debts, I say, when a mans heart is thus humbled and broken by the law, by sound humiliation, then he begins to look towards Jesus Christ. But I say men do fail, partly that they have no sense of their sins, or else they have a sense of their sins, but not enough to bring them home to Christ, for that was the fault of the second and third ground; there was impression made in them, that they prized Christ, but there was not so deep a preparation as to love Christ indeed, so as to prefer him above all things, so as to cleave to him, so as they will let him go for nothing. And therefore this is required that our natures be broken all in pieces, that is, that the humiliation be deep enough, not a little light impression, a little hanging down of the head, a little sense of sin, but so far as it may be to purpose, that he looks to Christ as to the greatest good in the world, that he will rather undergo any thing than miss of him, that he will rather part with all his pleasure than he will go without him. That is the first thing that must be done to prepare our hearts, for this love our hearts must be humbled by the law.

Againe, by moulding it anew, which is done by faith and by the Gospell: For when we come and propound Christ to men to be taken, and to be received and loved by them, what is the answer wee have from them? Most men, either minde him not, or regard not at all this invitation to come to Christ, but they deale with us as those that were invited to the marriage, saith the Text, they made light of it, they cared not for the invitation, it was a thing they looked not after: or againe, if they doe, yet they minde them uot enough, because they doe not prize Christ enough. Therefore the first thing the Lord doth to prepare mens hearts to loue him, is to send the law to humble them, to discover to men what neede they are in, to make an impression on their hearts of that bond of damnation that they are subject unto when the law is broken, that mens eyes may be opened to see their sins; then a man begins to looke toward Christ, to looke on him as the captiue lookes on his Redeemer, as a condemned man lookes on him that brings him a