A09990:30
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 1: OF GODS ALL-SUFFICIENCY.Part › Sermon 1: OF GODS ALL-SVFFICIENCY.
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.
Fourthly. This truth will likewise appear from the nature of faith: 1that which makes a man righteous, that which sanctifies a man throughout is faith: That which is the cause of all unrighteousness in us is unbelief, for it causeth a man to depart from the Lord: 2as Heb. 3. 12. Take heed least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief to depart from the living God. In this sense faith is said to be accounted for righteousness. Abraham believed God. Gen. 15.3 God indeed made the same proposition that he doth here, for substance, he tells him what he would do for him, and, saith the Text, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted ⟨p. 13⟩to him for righteousness. Now, It was accounted to him for righteousness, chiefly, in this sense, as it is interpreted Rom. 4.4 that his very taking of the promise, and his accepting of the Covenant, in that he did receive that which God gave, that put him within the Covenant, and therefore the Lord reckoned him a righteous man, even for that very acceptation, and believing. But that is not all: but likewise he accounted faith to him for righteousness, because faith doth sanctify, and make a man righteous: and therefore Beloved (by the way) wonder not at this, that we put so much upon faith; for let a man believe, that God is All-sufficient, which is the Covenant, for justifying faith is but a believing of that part of the Covenant, and enabling a man to keep the other part, which is required; and, I say, it makes a man righteous: for when a man believes that God is All-sufficient, it will cause a man to give up himself to the Lord. Again, when he believes the Lord to be all in all things to him, it enableth him to be all in all things to the Lord again, that is, to be holy to the Lord in all manner of conversation. It knits his heart unto the Lord. It sanctifieth a man throughout, it makes him peculiar to the Lord, i makes him wholly to him. This is the nature of faith. (Now mark it) faith could not thus sanctify, if it did not believe Gods All-sufficiency. Again, unbelief could not cause out falling or departing from God, if it were not hence, that we fail in believing some promise of his, or some threatenings, we think there is not an All-sufficiency in God: