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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.
But there is another kind of humiliation, which hath a further ingredient in it, and that is the sight of the foulness of sin, when God openeth a crevice of light to look upon sin, not only as that which brings bitterness with it, but as that, which in it self is most filthy and abominable, and by ⟨p. 135⟩that light it is made such in his account: for it is one thing to flee from the sting of the Serpent, an other thing to hate the Serpent it self; and so to take heed of the Wolfe, because of his cruelty, and to hate the Wolfe it self, are differing things. Other creatures may hate the properties and conditions of a Wolfe; but a Lamb only hates the Wolfe it self. Now with this latter kind of humiliation there goes and is conjunct with it an enlightening, whereby God shows to a man his own glorious face, the lustre whereof helps him further to see the foulness 1of sin. God by the same light of the Spirit, whereby he shows a men the ugliness of sin, discovers withal his own excellencies, which makes the sinner thus humbled to seek his face, to seek grace, as well as mercy. But other men either see not Gods face at all, or only see his angry countenance; only those whom the Lord calleth effectually, see his gracious face. Now he to whom it is hid and sees it not, seeks not Gods face; for none can seek it, unless they have seen it, and he who sees it only as angry, flies from God; but he discovers himself to the truly humble, the secrets of the Lord are with such, Psal. 25. and so Joh. 15. 15. 2I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends, for all things I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. He reveals himself to those who are already his friends, or to those he is about to make his friends; one of the first things he doth, is to reveal his face to them: With men indeed, men are first made friends, and then secrets are revealed; but contrarily ⟨p. 136⟩with God, he reveals his secrets to us and his face, that we may be made friends with him, and then