A29687:562
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.
Fourthly, I answer, If thou doest but stir up thy self to obey §4the command as well as thou canst, thou dost not know but that a power may go forth with the command, that may enable thee to act suitable to the command. In that Mat. 9.1.—9. ⟨p. 344⟩Christ bid the Palsy man rise and walk, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house; the Palsy man might have objected, Alas, I am carried by four, I am not able to stir a limb, muchless to rise, but least of all to take up my bed and walk, &c. Oh but he puts forth himself as well as he could, and a power went forth with the command, that enabled him to do what was commanded. So in that Mat. 12.10.—14. There was a poor man that had a withered hand, & Christ commands him to stretch forth his hand; he might have objected, my hand is withered, and if I might have a thousand worlds to stretch it forth, I could not stretch it forth, yea, if my life, if my salvation did lye upon stretching forth my withered arm, I could not stretch it forth; Oh but he throws by all objections, and complies as well as he could, and a power went forth and healed his hand. God commanded Moses to go and deliver his people out of Egypt; Moses might have objected his old age, the power of Pharaoh, and his want of an Army to force their way, &c. But he turns his back upon these objections, and addresses himself to the work, and such a mighty power went along with him as did effect it;1 he commanded the Israelites to take Rams horns, and with them to go and blow down the walls of Jericho; they might have said, Lord these are weak and contemptible means, yea Lord, if we may speak after the manner of men, they are such ridiculous means as will expose us to scorn and laughter; but they pass over these things, and apply themselves to those weak and despicable means that God had appointed, and such a divine and glorious power went along with the means as made the walls of Jericho, not only to tremble, but to tumble down before them. Christ commanded Lazarus to come out of the grave, and there went a Divine power and virtue with that call of Christ, which made him to rise. The means are the Spirits triumphing Chariot, in which he pleases to ride conquering and to conquer the souls of men;