A41355:477
The Marrow of Modern Divinity
The marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may clearly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserveth the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Jesus Christ leadeth to eternal life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the city of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of aThe marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserverh the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Iesus Christ leadeth to eternall life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of a
London: printed by R. Leybourn for Giles Calvert, 1646
THE MARROW OF Modern Divinity.THE MARROVV OF Modern Divinity.
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.
Nom. But stay, Sir, I pray you, how can it be said that mans soul doth re-aspire towards God the Creator, when as it is evident that every mans soul naturally is bent towards the creature, to seek a rest there.
Nom. But stay, Sir, I pray you, how can it be sayd that mans soule doth re-aspire towards God the Creator, when as it is evident that every mans soule naturally is bent towards the creature, to seeke a rest there.
Evan. For answer hereunto, I pray you consider, that naturally mans understanding is dark and blind, and therefore is ignorant what his own soul doth desire, and strongly aspire unto, it knoweth, indeed, that there is a want in the soul, but till it be enlightened, it knoweth not what it is which the soul wanteth: for, indeed, the case standeth with the soul, as with a child new born, which child by natural instinct, doth gape and cry for nutriment, yea, for such nutriment as may agree with it tender condition, and if the nurse through negligence, or ignorance, either give it no meat at all; or else such as it is not capable of receiving, the child refuseth it, and still crieth in strength of desire after the dug: yet doth not the child in this estate know by any intellectual power and understanding, what it self desireth: even so mans poor soul doth cry to God as for its proper nourishment, but his understanding like a blind ignorant nurse, not knowing what it crieth for; doth offer to the heart a creature instead of a Creator: thus by reason ⟨p. 224⟩of the understanding, together with the corruption of the will, and disorder of the affections, mans soul is kept by violence from its proper centre, even God himself, ô how many souls are there in the world! that are hindered, if not quite kept from rest in God, by reason that their blind understanding, doth present unto their sensual appetites, varieties of sensual objects. Is there not many a luxurious persons soul hindered, if not quite kept from true rest in God, by that beauty which nature hath placed in feminine faces; especially when Satan doth secretly suggest into such feminine harts a desire of an artificial dressing from the head to the foot: yea, and sometimes painting the face like their mother Jezebel? And is there not many a voluptuous Epicures soul hindered, if not quite kept from rest in God, by beholding the colour, and tasting the sweetness of dainty delicate dishes, his wine red in the cup, and his beer of amber colour in the glass: in the Scripture we read of a certain man that fared deliciously very day, as if there had been no more but one so ill disposed: but in our times there are certain hundreds, both of men and women, that do not only fare deliciously, but voluptuously twice every day, if no more?