A55754:378
Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from several texts of Scripture, opened and applied. 1.…Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from severall texts of Scripture, opened and applyed. 1.…
Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from several texts of Scripture, opened and applied. 1. A heavenly [sic] treatise of the divine love of Christ. 2. The Christians freedom. 3. The deformed form of a formal profession. 4. Christs fullness, and mans emptiness. By John Preston, doctor in divinity, chaplain in ordinary to King James, Mr. of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Lincolns Inn.Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from severall texts of Scripture, opened and applyed. 1. A heavemly [sic] treatise of the devine love of Christ. 2. The Christians freedome. 3. The deformed forme of a formall profession. 4. Christs fulnesse, and mans emptinesse. By John Preston, doctor in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to King James, Mr. of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed for John Stafford, 1644
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.
Secondly, it is not the act of religion proceeding from self-love, though offered to God, in regard that men see that God is the governor of the world, that he hath the keys of heaven and earth, and men may do much to God for such respects, ⟨p. 3⟩using him as a bridge to get to heaven by, making themselves their utmost ends: and therefore this is not godliness: but what is it then, you will say?
Secondly, it is not the act of religion proceeding from selfe-love, though offered to God, in regard that men see that God is the governour of the world, that he hath the keyes of heaven and earth, and men may doe much to God for such respects, ⟨p. 3⟩using him as a bridge to get to heaven by, making themselves their utmost ends: and therefore this is not godlinesse: but what is it then, you will say?
Thirdly, it is a divine grace infused into the soul 1by God, whereby a man follows God, loves him, magnifies him, sets him up in his heart above all, and manifesteth this in his life, and the whole course of it, doing all for him and to him: and it is thus wrought; When the creature comes to see no beauty in himself, and no help in himself: and sith God is full of all beauty, and all excellency, and all power, able to answer our desires in every thing; when he comes to see and consider this, then he begins to set up God in his heart; as the Ivy having no root, cleaves faster to the tree, so likewise doth he only to God, seeing that he cannot subsist of himself; and when he comes to see that he depends on him for all things, he will do all things for him, because all are from him: whereas before, seeing something in himself, he magnified himself, and so withdrew himself and his heart from God. And so I come to the next particular, viz.
Thirdly, it is a divine grace infused into the soule