A10018:43
Sermons preached before his MajestySermons preached before his Maiestie
Sermons preached before his Majesty; and upon other special occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuel's support of sorrowful sinners. 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.Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed by Eliot's Court Press and R. Young for Leonard Greene of Cambridge, 1630
THE PILLAR AND GROUND Of TRUTH.THE PILLAR AND GROVND Of TRUTH.
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.
So Gal. 5. 1. 2. Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (that is) take heed of entertaining those rites and customs of the ceremonial law, from which now by Christ ye are set free. Well, but what if circumcision the ancient character be still retained, and joined unto Christ? is it not better to be sure of both? See what he answers in the second verse; Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. And again, vers. 4. Christ is become of none effect to you; As if he should say, Take whether you will, either Christ or circumcision; for both ye cannot have: So Isaiah. 1. vers. 21, 22. How is the faithful City become an har lot? But how proveth he that? Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water. He denies not but they had silver and wine amongst them; but as silver mixed with baser metal becometh dross, and is no longer accounted silver: so wine when it is mixed with water leaves off to be accounted wine. Jer. 23. 28. He that hath my word let him speak my word faithfully; for what is the chaff to the wheat? Whatsoever of our own we offer to annex to the word of God, in Gods account is as if we added chaff to wheat, by which addition the wheat can be no gainer They that go about to mix true and false religions, are like those that take too big a grasp, and so let what they meant to have sustained fall and break, as we see in Jeroboam who mingled ⟨p. 18⟩truth and falsehood, not changing the worship, as he thought, but the place and manner of the worship only, lest the kingdom should return unto the house of David, that was the interest, whereunto he thought to make religion stoop, 1. Kings 12. 26. &c. But what came of it? He made a nullity of religion, and of his and his posterities title to the kingdom. Saul had a strait command to destroy all the Amalekites, but because in execution of it he needs would interpose his own discretion, in sparing Agag, and some of the cattle, God takes the kingdom from him for it. Moses will not yield to the King of Egypt to leave one hoof behind him, of any thing that did belong unto the Israelites. Mordecai, because God forbade them to make peace with Amalek for ever, will rather hazard his own and others safety, than so much as bow the knee to Haman an Amalekite.