A09990:163
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
Part › Sermon 4: THE FOURTH SERMON.Part › Sermon 4: THE FOVRTH SERMON.
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.
First, I say, He is All-sufficient, to take away all §1our sins.1 My Beloved, it may be, when you hear this point, you will say, it is an easy thing to believe it, there is no difficulty in this, the Lord is All-sufficient to forgive sins. Surely, whatsoever we say, or pretend, we find in experience it is exceeding hard. Who is able so fully to believe the forgiveness of his sins, as he ought? Who is able to do it when he is put to it? At the day of death, at the time of extremity, at that time when the conscience stirs up all his strength, and, opposeth it self against him, when all his sins are presented unto him in their colours, who is able then to believe it? therefore we had need to find out the All-sufficiency of God in this: for the greatness and exceeding largeness of his power is showed in it, in nothing more then in forgiving of sins.2 Hosea 11. 9. See there how the Lord expresseth it; Saith he, I will not execute the fierceness of my wrath, I will not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man. Mark, my Beloved, when we have committed sin against God, we commonly think thus with our selves, if my sins were but as other mens, if my sins wanted these and these circumstances, I would believe the forgiveness of them; but something, or other, a man ⟨p. 108⟩[…] ⟨p. 109⟩[…] ⟨p. 110⟩hath still to object. Now, saith the Lord, it is very true: If I were as man is, it could not be, but I should execute the fierceness of my wrath upon Ephraim, who hath provoked me so exceedingly (for Ephraim was a part of Israel, and is put for all Israel; and the Prophet wrote this in the time of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, when Israel abounded in sins, and in Idolatry) but, saith the Lord, though their sins be exceeding great, yet I am able to forgive them: for I am God, and not man. As if he should say; Look upon weak man, and compare God and man together, and see how far God exceeds man: see how much he is stronger then man, being infinite and almighty; so, saith he, his mercy exceeds the mercy of man. As if he should say; If I were not God, it were impossible I should forgive the sins of Ephraim, which they have multiplied against me from time to time. So,