A09950:985
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.
I say, if thou find this disposition in thy heart, it is the greatest consolation that thou canst have in this world:4 for if this be thy case, thou mayest ⟨p. 151⟩boldly look that the gates of hell shall not prevail against thee; and if thou love the Lord in this manner, heaven and earth shall pass rather than thy salvation shall be hindered: it is impossible, because then thou hast a good ground of hope, and hope will make thee not ashamed, but be assured that God is thine, and all that he can do, and all that is his is thine; as Paul tells us, his power, and his wisdom, and all is thine: He is a Sun and a shield to thee, thou shalt want nothing that is good, nothing that is evil shall hurt thee, the Lord brings all with him: this is your case if that you do love him, this is your consolation, this is that which may inflame your hearts with a desire of this affection. For know this, that there is scarcely any thing else that we can instance in, but an hypocrite may go cheek by jowl with a good Christian, in that he may do all outward duties, he may abstain from sins, there may be a great change in him, (you know how far the third ground went, and those Heb. 6.) but this they cannot counterfeit, to love the Lord. Therefore, if thou find that thou love the Lord, thou hast this consolation, that thou art now sure, and indeed thou art never till then sure. And as reason differenceth a man from a beast, so love makes the great difference between a Christian and an other. Indeed we say it is faith, but you know that faith is differenced by love, that is, such a faith that breeds love, and so love is it that breeds that great consolation. And therefore this is thy comfort, if thou ⟨p. 152⟩canst once bring thy heart to love the Lord, he will bear with any thing, he will bear with many infirmities, as, you know, he did with David when he saw that he loved him. David had many great infirmities, as we see in the whole story, the whole relation of his life, yet because he loved the Lord, the Lord passed by all, and in the end he gave him this testimony, that he was a man after his own heart. So I say, love the Lord once, and he will bear with much in thee. On the other side, if thou do not love him, do what thou wilt, the Lord accepts it not.