A09950:830
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.
If you will serve the Lord out of love, it is not the praying to him morning and evening that will content you, but it is the working upon your hearts, it is the beating upon your affections till you have brought them to a good frame of grace, till you have wrought upon your selves a sound and through renewing of your repentance, you will never give over till your hearts be quickened in prayer, till you have found that God hath answered you, till you have had experience of his mercy and loving kindness towards you.
If you will serve the Lord out of love, it is not the praying to him morning and evening that will content you, but it is the working upon your hearts, it is the beating upon your affections till you have brought them to a good frame of grace, till you have wrought upon your selves a sound and thorow renewing of your repentance, you will never give over till your hearts be quickened in prayer, till you have found that God hath answered you, till you have had experience of his mercy and loving kindnesse towards you.
So when you come to hear, is this all, (think you) that God requires of you, to sit here, and lend us your ears for a little time? No, my Beloved, unless you do it from love, unless you be moved to it from an inward ⟨p. 82⟩principle, from an entire and holy affection to God, it is nothing. You must labour to have the word wrought upon your hearts, you must observe how you practise, and how you bring forth into action that which you hear; for you do not learn a thing here, when you come to hear the word, till you practise it, till your hearts be transformed into it: Do not think that you have done the work, when you have sate here and heard us, when you have gone home and repeated the Sermon, and understand it: To hear as God would have you hear is another thing: it is like your lessons in music, you say you have never learned them, till you be able to practise them; so you never have learned the word of God aright, till you have an ability in you to practise it.