A09990:108
The new covenantThe nevv covenant
The new covenant, or the saints portion A treatise unfolding the all-sufficiency of God, and mans uprightness, and the covenant of grace. delivered in fourteen sermons upon Gen. 17. 1. 2. Whereunto are adjoined four sermons upon Eccles. 9.1. 2. 11. 12. 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 nevv covenant, or the saints portion A treatise vnfolding the all-sufficiencie of God, and mans uprightnes, and the covenant of grace. delivered in fourteene sermons vpon Gen. 17. 1. 2. Wherevnto are adioyned foure sermons vpon Eccles. 9.1. 2. 11. 12. By the late faithfull and worthie minister of Iesus Christ Iohn Preston. Dr. in Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiestie, maister of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed by I. Dawson for Nicolas Bourne, 1629
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.
The next Use we are to make of this,1 that God is All-sufficient, 2is, to learn to be content with him alone for our portion. That is a Use both to those that are strangers to the life of God, and likewise to those that are within the Covenant; §1To those that are strangers,3 to bring them in, for the Lord propounds that but upon reasonable conditions. It is true, he requires of you absolute and perfect obedience, that you serve him altogether, But then withal he propounds to you an absolute and full reward, I am All-sufficient, you shall need nothing out of me. As he requires you to Jeave all for his sake, so he promiseth that he will ⟨p. 68⟩be to you in stead of all things; and therefore let men consider that in Heb. 11. 6.4 Whosoever comes to God, must believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that serve him. That is; a man will never change, except it be for the better, except a man think his condition will be better with the Lord, than it was out of him, he will never come in, but, when he is once persuaded of that, he cannot keep out; you know, that argument is used by the Prodigal son, 5saith he, if I stay here, I shall perish, if I go to my fathers house his servants have bread enough; that double argument brought him home. So when a man considers, out of God there is no sufficiency at all, there is not any thing in the creature, as we showed to you before at large: then if you come home to the Lord, there is All-sufficiency in him. That is; All your desires shall be satisfied, there is nothing that you need, nothing that you want, but it shall be supplied. This, I say, is that that brings a man in to consider of Gods All-sufficiency; but this we do not mean to enlarge now, but rather proceed to the other.