A55752:204
Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…
Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity and duty of Gods children by the late Reverend and Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston ...Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity and duty of Gods children by the late Reverend and Faithfull Minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston ...
London: printed by J.T., 1658
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.
for then and not till then is a spiritual man strong, when he will let life, riches, honour, & pleasure, liberty and all go for Christ, which he cannot do without faith: The natural man will never do this; this is the only property of faith, which is a supernatural work in the soul, and therefore the Holy Ghost saith, they suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods, that is they let them willingly go, life and liberty, and all shall go, before Christ shall go. A noble Roman may do some thing for his country, and for himself, but there is a by end in it, that is he doth it not in a right manner, to a right end; but the spiritual strong man doth all things in a spiritual manner, to a saving end, the one doth it for vain ⟨p. 54⟩glory but the other in uprightness of heart. For in faith there is a double work.
for then and not till then is a spiritual man strong, when he will let life, riches, honor, & pleasure, liberty and all go for Christ, which he cannot do without faith: The natural man will never do this; this is the only property of faith, which is a supernatural work in the soul, and therefore the Holy Ghost saith, they suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods, that is they let them willingly go, life and liberty, and all shall go, before Christ shall go. A noble Romane may do some thing for his country, and for himself, but there is a by end in it, that is he doth it not in a right manner, to a right end; but the spiritual strong man doth all things in a spiritual manner, to a saving end, the one doth it for vain ⟨p. 54⟩glory but the other in uprightness of heart. For in faith there is a double work.
First it empties a man, that is, as a man that hath his 1hands full cannot take another thing, till he hath let his handful fall, so when faith enters into the heart of a man it empties the heart of self-love, self-will, that is it purgeth out the rubbish that is naturally in every mans heart, and lets all go to get hold on Christ: all shall go then, life, and honour, profit, and pleasure, and he is the truly spiritual man, that can thus lose the world to cleave to Christ, and miserable are they that cannot, and by emptying himself of himself, he is filled with the power of Christ.