A09950:966
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.
And again the knowledge of your selves, and your own misery, without the knowledge of him and his mercy, is a miserable vexation. The knowledge of God, without knowledge of your selves, is, as if a man should know a medicine, but should not know what defect it were fit to supply: And to know your selves and your own case, without him, is to have the disease discovered, and not to know how to help it. And therefore learn to know both God and your selves: If you will love him, then you must learn to study those two. We say scholars study books, and Politicians study men; but a Christian should study God and himself, to learn to know God and himself better, by this means he comes to know the Lord: as wheresoever you find any love to the Lord expressed, you shall find these two going together, as David oft, Psal. 18. and Psal. 116. I love the Lord, &c. Why? For I was in distress, I was in grief, the grave overtook me, and I was compassed about with death, and I cried to the Lord, and he healed me, and set me at liberty, he is my fortress, &c. That is, when David saw himself to ⟨p. 143⟩stand in need, he saw his weakness, and looked on God again, as one that would help him, and heal him, as one that could set him at liberty; this caused him to say, I love the Lord dearly. So Paul, when he saw these two, I was a blasphemer, I was a persecutor, and looked on Christ, who had been merciful to him, with faith, this was that which caused Paul so to abound in love towards Christ. And so Mary, Luke 1. My soul doth magnify the Lord: And why? For he had respect to the low estate of his handmaid: I was poor and mean, and lo he hath raised me to a high degree. This suitableness, this knowledge of God and of our selves is that which breeds in us a love of him. But is this enough now to know God and our selves? This is a fair step to beget in you this love of him; for as you heard before, love is an inclination of the heart to some good thing agreeable to us:
And againe the knowledge of your selves, and your owne miserie, without the knowledge of him and his mercy, is a miserable vexation. The knowledge of God, without knowledge of your selves, is, as if a man should know a medicine, but should not know what defect it were fit to supply: And to know your selves and your owne case, without him, is to have the disease discovered, and not to know how to helpe it. And therefore learne to know both God and your selves: If you will love him, then you must learne to studie those two. We say schollers studie bookes, and Politicians studie men; but a Christian should studie God and himselfe, to learne to know God and himselfe better, by this meanes he comes to know the Lord: as wheresoever you finde any love to the Lord expressed, you shall finde these two going together, as David oft,