A29687:249
The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…
The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered in LVIII sermons from Heb. 12. 14, where you have the necessity, excellency, rarity, beauty and glory of holiness set forth, with the resolution of many weighty questions and cases, also motives and means to perfect holiness : with many other things of very high and great importance to all the sons and daughters of men, that had rather be blessed then cursed, saved then damned / by Thomas Brooks ...The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered in LVIII sermons from Heb. 12. 14, where you have the necessity, excellency, rarity, beauty and glory of holiness set forth, with the resolution of many weighty questions and cases, also motives and means to perfect holiness : with many other things of very high and great importance to all the sons and daughters of men, that had rather be blessed then cursed, saved then damned / by Thomas Brooks ...
London: printed for H. Crips, 1662
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.
The knowledge of the goodness and holiness of thy estate; will be a sword to defend thee, a staff to support thee, a cordial to strengthen thee, a plaster to heal thee, and a star to lead thee. And O who then will not take some pains with his own heart, to know the goodness and holiness of his own estate! Well, remember this, next to a mans being holy, it is the greatest mercy in this world to know that he is holy. But if upon trial a man shall find that his estate is bad, and that his holiness is not of the right stamp, yet this will be many ways a mercy, and an advantage to him. For the way to be found, is to see your selves lost; the way to infinite mercy, is to see your own misery: the way to Canaan, is through the wilderness: the way to heaven, is by the gates of hell: upon the knowledge of the badness and sadness of thy estate, thou wilt be awakened out of thy security, and thou wilt be alarmed to loath thy self, to judge thy self, ro condemn thy self, to be sick of sin,1 to break with Satan, and to close with Christ. Now the daily language of thy soul will be, Men and Brethren, what shall I do to be saved? O what shall I do to get my sinful nature changed, my hard heart softened, my blind mind enlightened, my polluted conscience purged, and my poor naked soul with grace and holiness adorned! Now the daily language of thy soul will be that of the Martyr, O none but Christ, none but Christ. O none but Christ to pardon me; none but Christ to justify me; none but Christ to command me; none but Christ to save me: and none ⟨p. 99⟩but Christ to reign over me. Now the language of thy soul will be this,2 O though I have formerly thought my self to be wise, yet now I see my self to be a fool! O that Christ would be wisdom to me! O now I see my self to be red with guilt, and black with filth, O that Christ would be righteousness to me! O now I see my self to be unclean, unclean, O that Christ would be sanctification to me!3 O now I see my self to be in a damnable condition, Oh that Christ would be redemption to me! O now I see my self naked, O that Christ would clothe me; now I see my self poor and miserable, O that Christ would enrich me! now I feel my self to be hungry, O that Christ would (be bread of life to) feed me! now I perceive my self to be lost, O that Christ would seek me! Now I fear that I am perishing, O that Christ would save me!