A55752:619
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.
Again, we must not think that these means will do it without him; we must not break off the conduit-pipes from the Well-head, as we must not go to the Well-head without them. Now the means whereby we receive grace, is by the Word and Sacraments: we are not born of him by carnal generation as Adam, but instead of that generation, when we have taken him, there is a spiritual relation instead of it in Gods sight, and by virtue of that we receive grace and strength from him.
Again, we must not think that these means will do it without him; we must not break off the conduit-pipes from the Well-head, as we must not go to the Well-head without them. Now the means whereby we receive grace, is by the Word and Sacraments: we are not born of him by carnal generation as Adam, but instead of that generation, when we have taken him, there is a spiritual relation instead of it in Gods sight, and by vertue of that we receive grace and strength from him.
Therefore if ye would receive more grace, increase of 1grace, labour to draw near him, and then you drawn near him when your will is brought to a greater degree of willingness to have him for your husband.
- 1How to draw near to Christ.
But yet in general we must know, that grace is received from Christ, as we receive corruption from Adam; the old man he doth not more powerfully communicate corruption and sin to us, then the new man is powerful to communicate grace and life. So that when we are once in Christ as we are in Adam, we are sure to have grace from him; and then we are in Christ when we have taken him, and are matched with him, and united to him. As a man may be matched to his wife, after the match is past in a greater degree of will; when there is a greater degree to have such a woman for his wife, or a women to have such a man for her husband. The will may be wound to a higher degree and peg of willingness. Therefore our business is, when we come to receive the Sacrament, to labour to increase that willingness, to labour to add to that resolution of taking Christ. Now