A09950:800
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.
1This is one property of love set down in 1 Cor. 13. Love is bountiful, and seeketh not its own things: that is, it is the nature of love to bestow readily and freely any thing a man hath to the party whom he loveth. We see, Joseph that loved Benjamin, as his love was more to him than to all the rest of his brethren, so he gave him a greater portion than the rest. It is the nature of love to be bountiful, what a man loveth, he cares not what he parts with to obtain it. Herod cared not to have parted with half his kingdom, to please that inordinate affection of his. The Converts in the Apostles time, how bountiful were they, laying all their goods at the Apostles feet? Zaccheus, when he was converted, and his heart was inflamed with love to Christ, he would give half his goods to the poor. But in general, it is a thing that you all know, that love is of a bountiful disposition. If you would know then whether ⟨p. 61⟩you have this love to the Lord Jesus or no, consider whether you be ready to bestow any thing upon him, whether you be ready to part with any thing for his sake. David, when he abounded with love to the Lord, you see how he expressed it in his provision for the Temple, you see how he exceeded in it, An hundred thousand shekels of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver: this, saith he, I have done according to my poverty: As if he had said, if I had been able to do more I would have done more, but this was as much as I could reach unto: herein he showed the greatness of his love to God in the greatness of his bounty. Take it in the love which we have one to another: where a man loveth, he denieth nothing. Sampson, when he loved the harlot, he denied her nothing that she asked of him. If you love the Lord Jesus, examine your selves by this, are you ready to bestow any thing for his advantage? are you ready to take all opportunities to do somewhat for his glory? consider how many opportunities you have had, and might have had, wherein you might have expressed and manifested this love to the Lord Jesus. Might you not have done much to the setting of a powerful Minister here and there? have you not had ability to do it? would it not much advantage the glory of Jesus Christ to make bridges (as it were) for men to go to heaven by, and to make the high way that leadeth thither?