A12166:609
Beams of divine light breaking forth from several places of holy Scripture, as they…Beames of divine light breaking forth from severall places of holy Scripture, as they…
Beams of divine light breaking forth from several places of holy Scripture, as they were learnedly opened, in XXI. sermons. The III. first being the fore-going sermons to that treatise called The bruised-reed, preached on the precedent words. By the late reverend and judicious divine, Richard Sibs, D.D. Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb: and sometimes preacher at Gray's Inn. Published according to the Doctor his own appointment subscribed with his hand; to prevent imperfect copies.Beames of divine light breaking forth from severall places of holy Scripture, as they were learnedly opened, in XXI. sermons. The III. first being the fore-going sermons to that treatise called The bruised-reed, preached on the precedent words. By the late reverend and iudicious divine, Richard Sibs, D.D. Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb: and sometimes preacher at Grayes Inne. Published according to the Doctor his owne appointment subscribed with his hand; to prevent imperfect coppies.
London: printed by George for N. Bourne, 1639
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.
There are two things wondrous necessary before the soul can be in the right frame it should be in.
There are two things wondrous necessary before the soule can be in the right frame it should be in.
First the soul must apprehend deeply what distance it hath from God, what alienates it from God before it can be wise: and it must be estranged from that before ever it can come to couple and join with God; when the soul apprehends what separates it from ⟨p. 286⟩God and conceives as it should do of that, then it will be the readier to apprehend God and then all duties will come off easily. Therefore let us first of all work upon our own souls to be humbled and by all the helps that can be.
First the soule must apprehend deepely what distance it hath from God, what alienates it from God before it can be wise: and it must be estranged from that before ever it can come to couple and joyne with God; when the soule apprehends what seperates it from ⟨p. 286⟩God and conceives as it should doe of that, then it will be the readier to apprehend God and then all duties will come off easily. Therfore let us first of all worke upon our owne soules to be humbled and by all the helps that can be.
4And to help it, consider now at this time, how uncertain our life is, we know not who may be stricken next; and consider what the dangerous issue is, if we humble not our selves here before God humble us in our graves. Let us help Humiliation by all that may be: For where this is all will follow easily: a man will go out of himself to God, when he is abased in himself, and sees no comfort in Heaven or Earth but in God; that there is nothing to be stuck to in the world, but all is vanity and he may be stripped of life and of all these comforts ere long; when a man is abased Faith and Obedience will come off easily. What is the reason that Christ is not relished more? and that many fall off? They were never deeply humbled: according to the depth of Humiliation is the growth of holiness of life and the height of Faith. All graces rise higher as the soul is more deeply humbled: The more we descend deeply in digging and rending up our hearts, the more the Word of God sinks into the good ground that suffers the plough to rend it up and to cut off the weeds. The more deeply we are humbled, the more the fruits of Gods Word appear in