A55754:470
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.
If a man would sit down and call his thoughts together but for one half hour, and consider this seriously, I have but a little time to live here, it is another place where I must live for all eternity, and it shall be with me for all this eternity, as I spend this short time. I say if this were thoroughly considered, I wonder that any thing else should take up the intentions and thoughts of a mans heart, but only how to make sure his salvation. But alas we are robbed of our selves through worldly delights, and do magno conaru, magnas nugas agere, and so we spend our lives. But if we would not have with the Merchant, Fortunam rudentibus ap•am, that is, an estate hanging upon ropes, and depending upon uncertainties, especially seeing grace whence repentance proceedeth, is as you see received, and not in our power. But we mistake repentance, and that is the cause we defer it, it is not as it is commonly thought, a sorrow for our sins only, nor a n••ere leaving of sins out of fear of hell, and desire to be said, which ⟨p. 14⟩a man may do out of the strength of natural wisdom, providing for his own safety, but it is a much different thing, viz. putting life into a dead man: Ephesians 2. 1. Making a man a new Creature, 2 Corinthians 5. 17. A change of the whole frame of the heart. As if another soul dwelt in the same body, as he saith; Ego non ego. In a word, when a man is clean another man, then he was serving of God out of an inward propenseness and having the whole bent of his disposition turned to delight in the Law of God without these by-respects. And that this may yet be made clearer, and put out of all doubt, I would ask but this question; That repentance which men take up in age, or in times of extremity, whence proceedeth it, if from self love, as it usually doth in such cases, because the soul is then strongly possessed with an apprehension of death and hell, and another life, then there is no more then nature in it, for the stream riseth not higher then the fountain. A beast would do as much, which sinking into danger, would struggle to save it self. But if it proceed from love to God, why was it not done sooner, why not in the flower of our youth, yea when it is done soonest, would we not be heartily sorry that it was not done sooner, if it proceeded out of love to him.