A10659:522
Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…
Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life of Christ. Being the substance of several sermons preached at Lincolns Inn: by Edward Reynolds, preacher to that honourable society, and late fellow of Merton College in Oxford.Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life of Christ. Being the substance of severall sermons preached at Lincolns Inne: by Edward Reynoldes, preacher to that honourable society, and late fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford.
London: printed by Felix Kyngston for Robert Bostocke, 1631
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.
Fifthly and lastly, the Promises are causes of our purification, as Exemplars, patterns, and seeds of purity unto us. For the Promises are in themselves Exceeding great 1and precious, Every Word of God is pure and tried like 2gold seven times in the fire, it is right, and clean, and true, and altogether righteous, and therefore very lovely and attractive, apt to sanctify and cleanse the soul. Sanctify them by thy truth (saith Christ) thy Word is truth, 3and again, Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. For the Word is Seed, and seed a similates earth and dirt into its own pure and clean nature. So by the Word there is a trans-elementation, as it were, and conforming of our foul and earthy nature4 to the spiritualness of it self. Therefore the Apostle useth this for an argument, why the regenerate cannot si• (namely in that universal and complete manner as others do) because they have the seed of God abiding in them, that is, his Word, Spirit, and Promises abating the strength of lust, and swaying them to a contrary point. For thus the Word of promise makes a mans heart to argue. Hath God of mere Grace made assurance of so precious things to me who by nature am a filthy and unclean Creature, obnoxious to all the curses and vengeance in his book? Hath he wrought so great deliverance,5 and laid up such unsearchable riches for my soul? and should I again break his Commandments, and join in the abominations of other men? Would he not be angry till he had consumed me; so that there should be no escaping? Should I not rather labour to feel the comforts and power of these Promises, encouraging me to walk worthy of so great mercy, and so high a calling? to walk meet for the participation of the Inheritance of the Saints in light? Shall I that am reserved to such honour, live in the mean time after the lusts of the Gentiles, ⟨p. 347⟩who have no hope?