A64833:123
Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II.…
Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II. little children, III. young men, IV. fathers : with their several characteristical differences and attainments, also the doctrines proper to be taught to each of them : being the substance of many sermons / preached by Ralph Venning and fitted by him for the press before his death.
London: printed for John Hancock senior and junior, 1675
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.
Repentance is the first Milk which they suck, take in and best of all digest; they repent not only for but from dead Works, i. e. such works as they do who are dead in sins, Ephes 2.1, 2, 3. They escape the gross pollutions which are in the world through lust. The other portion of Milk, viz. Faith, is of more hard digestion with them, and stays long in their mouth, before they let it down; For, saith the Text, 'tis but Faith towards God, it is but in motion and tendency, rather in fieri than in esse, in acting than acted: and this not so much and properly towards Christ, as towards God: not excluding Christ, but that they have less still in exercising Faith towards Christ, than towards God. But as to Repentance they are better skilled and able to act it at a better rate than Faith. In relation to this, there are three things which I shall do, 1. Show that this is the first Milk that Babes eat. And 2. That they are better at eating this, viz. Repentance, than Faith. 3. The nature of Repentance, and how Babes act it.
REpentance is the first Milk which they suck, take in and best of all digest; they repent not only for but from dead Works, i. e. such works as they do who are dead in sins, Ephes 2.1, 2, 3. They escape the gross pollutions which are in the world through lust. The other portion of Milk, viz. Faith, is of more hard digestion with them, and stays long in their mouth, before they let it down; For, saith the Text, 'tis but Faith towards God, it is but in motion and tendency, rather in fieri than in esse, in acting than acted: and this not so much and properly towards Christ, as towards God: not excluding Christ, but that they have less still in exercising Faith towards Christ, than towards God. But as to Repentance they are better skill'd and able to act it at a better rate than Faith. In relation to this, there are three things which I shall do, 1. Shew that this is the first Milk that Babes eat. And 2. That they are better at eating this, viz. Repentance, than Faith. 3. The nature of Repentance, and how Babes act it.