A55754:389
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.
Thirdly, because it is enough to serve a mans turn for his unregenerate ends: for men having a natural conscience, whereof they must stop the mouth, and it being injudicious, and not able to judge of the power of godliness, they are satisfied with the form: as when Children are wayward and wrangling, because we know they are not judicious, we give them Nuts, not gold or silver to still them, and it serves their turns as well; so is it here in the natural conscience, it doth judge the form to be enough to carry a man to heaven; and who would do more than he needs must?
Thirdly, because it is enough to serve a mans turne for his unregenerate ends: for men having a naturall conscience, whereof they must stop the mouth, and it being injudicious, and not able to judge of the power of godliness, they are satisfied with the forme: as when Children are wayward and wrangling, because wee know they are not judicious, we give them Nutts, not gold or silver to still them, and it serves their turnes as well; so is it here in the naturall conscience, it doth judge the forme to be enough to carry a man to heaven; and who would doe more than he needs must?
Fourthly, because if men have but the form of godliness, Satan troubles them not, nor the flesh: but when men labour for the power of godliness, and go on any further than the form, then Satan (knowing this will bring them to heaven) hath the power of hell against them, and he keeps a great bustling with them to hinder them what he can: and so doth the flesh too; but it will not resist the form, for that will stand with a mans lusts; but if he be divided against himself, he cannot endure it; as to deny a friend or a stranger, if he be importunate, is a hard matter; but to deny a mans wife that lies in his bosom, if she be earnest, is more difficult; but to deny a mans self when he is importunate with himself, is most difficult; and yet this you must do, if you have the power of it. Now to deny the ⟨p. 9⟩power of it, is when it is laid open to men and offered, and they with stubbornness of will resist and deny it.