A09990:33
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.
First, it shows the nature of sin, how evil a thing it is, yea worse, than, for the most part, we apprehend it to be; for, if there be no sin committed, but it comes from hence, that you apprehend not God to be All-sufficient, then there is Idolatry (in a manner) committed in every sin, that is, you take from God and add another God to him, if you think him not to be All-sufficient; whatsoever you seek to, and join with him, you make it God as well as he; If it be credit, if it be honour, if it be pleasures, if it be riches, yea whatsoever it is, I say, there is a bitter root of Idolatry in the commission of every sin, that makes it out of measure sinful. This we may consider by the way, but this I purpose not to stand on; the thing that I would chiefly press, is to find out ⟨p. 16⟩the cause of sin, the cause of that hollowness, and that imperfectness, and insincerity that is in the hearts of men towards God, which, I say, ariseth from hence, that they apprehend not God to be All-sufficient; for this (for the most part) is the case of men, if they did not apprehend some sufficiency in him, they would not seek him at all; again, if they did apprehend him to be All-sufficient, they would serve him perfectly: but this middle apprehension in men, that they think there is a sufficiency in the Lord, but not an All-sufficiency; this is the cause why the hearts of men are hollow towards the Lord. Even as when a man looks towards a great man, that is a man of some power, able to do him hurt, and that hath some ability to do him good: this makes him to fear, it makes him careful to please him, and to abstain from what may offend him: yet, because he thinks he is not perfect with him, that his heart is but hollow towards him, he doth it not fully. So it is in our walking before God. Because we apprehend him not to be All-sufficient, therefore it is that our hearts are not perfect with him.1 We shall best show you this in instances; for example; What is the reason, that a man is discouraged in seeking to God, 2in praying to God, in depending upon God in any great case of difficulty, where there is more then ordinary difficulty, there is more to be suffered, there is more to be done, what is the reason of it? because we apprehend him not to be All-sufficient.