A09950:980
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.
Labour to know him more:
Labour to know your selves more, that so you may long after him as after one that you need.
Labour to know your selves more, that so you may long after him as after one that you neede.
And thirdly, labour to get this assurance, for it is this assurance that breeds the love, that seals it up; when a man shall look on God as one who may hate him for any thing he knows, who may be an enemy to him one day, he can never love him heartily: When a man hath no ground to set his foot on, he will do it tenderly and nearly; but when he looks upon God as one whom he may trust, whose love he is sure of, that he builds on that as a rock, this is that which makes his heart perfect to him, when he can say, as Paul, I know whom I have trusted. If a man have never so much excellency in him, if you conceive him to be hollow-hearted to you, your affections are not perfect towards him; so is it, if you look on God as one that may be your enemy As we say, friendship with Princes, it is like that familiarity that those men have with Lyons, that keep them. A Lyon, you know, will suffer a man to play with him as long as he lists, and when he lists, he will rise and devour him, and rend him in pieces; so I say, the love of a Prince may be, and the love of men may be: But the love of the Lord is not such, when he loves, he loves perfectly. It is true, he hath the strength of a Lyon, he is able to do it, you are weak creatures subject to him, but he hath that constancy in him, that when he loves once, ⟨p. 150⟩it is always perfect, and unchangeable. Let all these be well considered and wrought on your hearts, and it will be a means to beget this love in you: Even as fire begets fire, so this will beget love in your hearts towards him again. So much for this.