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The golden sceptre held forth to the humble With the Churches dignityThe golden scepter held forth to the humble VVith the Churches dignitie
The golden sceptre held forth to the humble With the Churches dignity by her marriage. And the Churches duty in her carriage. In three treatises. The former delivered in sundry sermons in Cambridge, for the weekly fasts, 1625. The two latter in Lincolns Inn. By the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to His Majesty, Mr. of Emanuel College in Cambridge, and sometime preacher at Lincolns Inn.The golden scepter held forth to the humble VVith the Churches dignitie by her marriage. And the Churches dutie in her carriage. In three treatises. The former delivered in sundry sermons in Cambridge, for the weekely fasts, 1625. The two latter in Lincolnes Inne. By the late learned and reverend divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to His Maiesty, Mr. of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and somtime preacher at Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed by R. Badger for N. Bourne, 1638
THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE. › DoctrineTHE GOLDEN SCEPTER. › Doctrine
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 the Lord hath said he will be merciful to the humble, then let us humble our selves more and 1more and get our hearts lower and lower, seeing there are such mighty and large promises belonging to the humble, and know that as the Lord suspends his promises upon this here, so they shall be fulfilled upon the performance of this, and as we do this more or less, so shall the promises be fulfilled to us more or less, therefore let us do this more and more, for if we humble our selves, the Lord will fill our hearts with good things; when he sees a man taking a low place, he will say sit up higher, all the world cannot hold down an humble man, because the Lord setteth to his hand to raise him up, neither keep up a proud man because the Lord setteth himself to depress and debase them, when the wall swells, it is not like to stand long, when a joint is luxated and swelled, till the swelling abate, it cannot ⟨p. 125⟩be saved and set, he hath respect to the low estate of his handmaiden, so saith Mary the blessed Virgin, Luke 1. 48. So he dealt with Naomi, he was long 2in humbling her, and then raised her up; so with Job, when he was humbled, then God doubled his estate: thus God deals with the humble and that constantly, he never does any great things for any men, till he hath first humbled him; how much was Joseph humbled, ere he made that promise to him that the Sun, Moon, and Stars should bow to him, that is, his father, and mother and brethren, should obey him, and yet again before God made good these promises to him, what a doe there was to humble him further? which doubtless made him more to prize these mercies, and so more thankful to God for them. So also in his glorious appearance to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he would still before hand humble them, and make them low by some affliction or other still before he would make any gracious promises to them. When Jacob was flying from the face of his brother and was in great straits and so made low in his own eyes, then did God first appear to him: when a man is humbled, it is the next door to preferment one way or other. Therefore it should be our wisdom to humble our selves more and more, since there is so much benefit to be gotten by it.