A09950:817
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, you know, there is flesh as well as spirit,§2 and the spiritual part desires, as Paul did, to be at home, and to be with the Lord, and to enjoy his presence, but that flesh that is in us is always backward to it. Therefore in Revel. 14.13.1 Blessed are those that die in the Lord, so saith the Spirit, but so saith not the flesh; the voice of the flesh is contrary to it, but it is the voice of the spirit and the regenerate part that is in us. So that this I may boldly say to you, that every man that hath this faith and love wrought in him by the Spirit of God, he hath that in him which doth earnestly desire communion with Christ to live with him for ever, to be in his presence continually, although there may be some reluctancy by reason of the flesh that is there.2 Take a man that hath sore eyes, you enow, to the eye the light is exceeding pleasant, but look how much soreness and defect there is in the eye, so much the light is burdensome to it; but so far as the eye is right, ⟨p. 72⟩so far as it is perfect, so far is the light pleasing and delightful to it; so it is with the heart of the regenerate man, look how much faith, look how much spirit there is, so much desire there is of the presence of Christ, and it is most pleasing and acceptable to him, as the light of the Sun is to the eye; but look how much soreness, that is, look how much flesh there is in him, so much reluctancy, so much unwillingness there is in him: and that he must strive against: But still the rule holdeth good, that wheresoever the heart is right, there is always an earnest desire and longing to be with Christ. And indeed this is only found in the Saints; for evil men, if they knew what heaven were, they would never desire it: for they desire heaven in another notion, they would be well, they would be freed from misery and discontent which they met with in the world, they would have whatsoever the flesh desireth, and that is it they look after; but to desire heaven as it is, that is, to desire an excellency in grace, to be alway praising God, to be continually in his presence, to be freed from the practise of sin, this is a thing that if men ask their own hearts, they do not desire in this manner; for they desire it not here upon earth, when they are in the communion of Saints.