A55754:460
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
Christ's Fullness, and Man's Emptiness, &c.Christ's Fulnesse, and Man's Emptinesse, &c.
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, bowing of the will is an effect of grace, and grace is an effect of the spirit. Now the spirit breaths, when, where, & in what measure it listeth. Again, if grace should spring out of our so•le, it should be but a flower of grass, for all flesh is grass, but the grace of the mediator is of a more durable nature, a flower that fades not, and a spring which is not dried up.
Secondly, bowing of the will is an effect of grace, and grace is an effect of the spirit. Now the spirit breaths, when, where, & in what measure it listeth. Againe, if grace should spring out of our so•le, it should be but a flower of grasse, for all flesh is grasse, but the grace of the mediator is of a more durable nature, a flower that fades not, and a spring which is not dryed up.
Hence 2. Corollaries. One to rectify our judgment. The other to direct our practise.
Hence 2. Corrolaries. One to rectifie our judgment. The other to direct our praectise.
The first shows us the errors of Arminius, who hath but refined the old Pelagianism, a dangerous error: for Arianism was like a land flood that overflowed the whole world, but was soon dried up again, because it had not a spring to maintain it, but the best ages of the Church had in them as he called. Multas fibras virulentiae Pelagianae, because it is an error agreeable to nature & reason, so that we have a spring within our own breast to nourish and maintain it. But now to keep close to the point in hand, this point showeth the error of Arminius and Pelagius, who ascribe the beginning, preparations, and ability of accepting grace to our own free will, although the complement to God. Whereas you see by what hath been said, that not only the fuller streams, but every drop of grace, is received from his fullness. This error proceeds from their not distinguishing aright betwixt acquisite habits and infused, indeed in the acquisite, the acts go before the habits, and prepare for them, but with infused habits it is clean contrary; It is with them as it is with the natural powers of the soul, we have first the faculty of seeing before we do see, and the faculty of hearing before we do hear, so it is in infused habits, we have first the habits before we exercise the operations of them, for even as the wheel doth not run that it may be made round, but it is first made round that it may run, so the heart doth not first do the actions, whereby it is put into a right frame, but it is first fashioned and made a new Creature by grace, and then it doth actions, and brings forth fruits worthy amendment of life, for what is said of the soul, is as truly said of Grace, it doth, Fabricari Sibi Domicilium, prepareth a room for it self, useth no Harbinger, for nothing can prepare for grace, but grace.