A09950:766
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.
Besides,1 consider who it is that hath planted this love in the heart, is it not the Lord that gives thee this very affection? And when he calls for this love again at thy hands, doth he call for more than his own? Shall he not gather the grapes of his own Vineyard? and shall he not eat the fruit of his own Orchard? Hath not he planted in us these affections? and ought they not to be returned to him, to serve him and to pitch on him?
Besides,1 consider who it is that hath planted this loue in the heart, is it not the Lord that giues thee this very affection? And when he calls for this love againe at thy hands, doth hee call for more than his owne? Shall hee not gather the grapes of his owne Vineyard? and shall he not eate the fruite of his owne Orchard? Hath not hee planted in us these affections? and ought they not to be returned to him, to serve him and to pitch on him?
- 14 Mot.
Besides consider,1 you are engaged to love the Lord, and that should be a great motive to us: in Josh. 24.12.2 You are witnesses that you have chosen the Lord this day to serve him: And they said, we are ⟨p. 46⟩witnesses: that is Joshua's speech to the people: As if he should say to them, you are not now to choose, you are now engaged, you cannot go back, you have professed you have chosen the Lord to serve him, therefore you are witnesses against your selves. So I may say to every man that hears me, you are engaged to love the Lord: Why? Because you have chosen him for your husband, you are baptized in his name, you have taken him for your Master, and for your Father, therefore he may challenge it at your hands as right, for he is your Father: and where is his honour then? He is your Master, and where is his fear then? That is, you are engaged, he may challenge it justly, you are his, he hath bought you, yea he hath overbought you, he hath paid a price more worth than we, he hath bought us with his blood: And what hath he bought us for but to be his, that is, to love him? Therefore when we love him not, we rob God of our selves, we do an unnatural thing, it is treachery and injustice in us. As you know, it is one thing in a woman that is free from an husband to neglect a man that is a friend, but when she hath engaged her self, and the match is made, now it is adultery: So every one of us that loves not the Lord, sins the more, because he is engaged to him: