A57982:329
The trial & triumph of faithThe tryal & triumph of faith
The trial & triumph of faith: or, An exposition of the history of Christs dispossessing of the daughter of the woman of Canaan Delivered in sermons; in which are opened, the victory of faith; the condition of those that are tempted; the excellency of Jesus Christ and free-grace; and some special grounds and principles of libertinism and antinomian errors, discovered by Samuel Rutherfurd, professor of divinity in the University of St. Andrews. Published by authority.The tryal & triumph of faith: or, An exposition of the history of Christs dispossessing of the daughter of the woman of Canaan Delivered in sermons; in which are opened, the victory of faith; the condition of those that are tempted; the excellency of Jesus Christ and free-grace; and some speciall grounds and principles of libertinisme and antinomian errors, discovered by Samuel Rutherfurd, professor of divinity in the University of St. Andrews. Published by authority.
London: printed by John Field, 1652
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.
6. Christ works in the lower kingdom, as making the higher kingdom the copy and sampler ⟨p. 221⟩of his working, now its most suitable for flowers and roses, that must be transplanted to grow up in the high garden beside the tree of life, and to blossom out glory for all eternity, that they grow for a time in the land of Grace, that they may take kindly with the soil: so the lower and higher gardens of Glory and Grace differ not in nature, what groweth in the one, can well grow in the other; they cannot suit with the happiness of that land, except they have experienced the holiness of continued Grace in this land, and Christ maketh storms of sin to blow upon his young heirs for their Winter, God keeping life at the root, that they may be fitter for an eternally green flourishing Summer of Glory; and when Christ consecrated himself through many afflictions, that he might be an heir suitable for Glory, he being brought through fire and water, hot and cold, and many changes to heaven, and so came to eternal happiness through many years continued holiness; it was not fit that Christ, who was to make heirs like his rule and sampler, should bring them to glory with a leap and a step, from a justified condition, to a glorified estate, without an intervening progress in sanctification and holiness; Christ understandeth well the fundamental Laws of the higher City, the new Jerusalem; the frame of the government of that kingdom, is that none be received as free Citizens of Glory, but such as have served Apprentices, Minors, little children, ⟨p. 222⟩under Tutors to Grace, and the way of holiness; he is of too short standing, who cometh hot and smoking out from his lusts, a justified sinner, to step immediately into Glory, and so here is a stranger welcomed to heaven from hell; a child of Satan, playing at the Devils fire side yesterday, or the last hour, now this day, this same very hour, must be enrolled amongst those who walketh with the Lamb, in white: Some Soldiers, I grant, are advanced to be high Commanders, Per saltum, by a leap; but its for some piece of rare service to the Prince and State: and its like, the repenting Thief, in few hours space, had been in three several Kingdoms, in the state of Nature, the Kingdom of Darkness, and the Kingdom of Grace, and that day with Christ in Paradise. But this is (I conceive) rare: