A12186:849
Light from heaven discovering the fountain opened. Angels acclamations. Churches riches. Rich poverty. In…Light from heaven discovering the fountaine opened. Angels acclamations. Churches riches. Rich povertie. In…
Light from heaven discovering the fountain opened. Angels acclamations. Churches riches. Rich poverty. In four treatises. By the late learned and reverend divine, Rich. Sibs, Doctor in Divinity, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Gray's-Inn. Published according to the authors own appointment, subscribed with his hand; to prevent imperfect copies.Light from heaven discovering the fountaine opened. Angels acclamations. Churches riches. Rich povertie. In foure treatises. By the late learned and reverend divine, Rich. Sibs, Doctor in Divinitie, Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Grayes-Inne. Published according to the authors owne appointment, subscribed with his hand; to prevent imperfect copies.
London: printed by E. Purslow and Richard Badger for N. Bourne, 1638
THE RICH POVERTY: OR, The Poor-mans Riches.THE RICH POVERTY: OR, The Poore-mans Riches.
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.
4Where this poverty of spirit is, there will be a wondrous earnestness after pardon and mercy, and after grace, to be in an other condition: a man will labour, even as for life. If you come to a poor man that labours for his living, and ask him, why do you labour so? (he will wonder at your idle question) I may starve else (he will say.) A man that is spiritually poor, and sees what a state he is in, he labours in the use of means to have an inward sense of Gods love, to find some beginnings of the new creature, to find a change, to be otherwise then he is, he sees he must perish else; there is a prizing and estimation in him of mercy, and pardon above all things in the world, and a making after it.
4Where this poverty of spirit is, there will be a wondrous earnestnesse after pardon and mercy, and after grace, to be in an other condition: a man will labour, even as for life. If you come to a poore man that labours for his living, and aske him, why doe you labour so? (he will wonder at your idle question) I may starve else (he will say.) A man that is spiritually poore, and sees what a state he is in, he labours in the use of meanes to have an inward sense of Gods love, to finde some beginnings of the new creature, to finde a change, to be otherwise then he is, he sees he must perish else; there is a prizing and estimation in him of mercy, and pardon above all things in the world, and a making after it.
- 4Earnestness.Earnestnesse.
5It is alway joined likewise with a wondrous abasing of himself: he thinks himself not worth the ground he goes on, till God hath mercy on him in Jesus Christ. This is not so sensible in those ⟨p. 111⟩that are brought up in the Church, or that have religious thoughts put into them continually in both kinds both concerning their own estate by nature, and withal concerning grace and mercy in Christ. Therefore grace is instilled into them by little and little, and the change is not so sensible. But where the conversion is anything sudden, from an ill course of life to a better: God works such a poverty of spirit before he bring a man to Christ. In