A73612:120
The spiritual touchstoneThe spiritval tovchstone
The spiritual touchstone: or, The signs of a godly man drawn in so plain and profitable a manner, as all sorts of Christians may try themselves thereby. Together with directions, how the weak Christian, by the use of these signs may establish his assurance. By. N. Bifield preacher of Gods word at Isteworth in Middlesex.The spiritval tovchstone: or, The signes of a godly man drawne in so plaine and profitable a maner, as all sorts of Christians may trie themselues thereby. Together with directions, how the weake Christian, by the vse of these signes may establish his assurance. By. N. Bifield preacher of Gods word at Isteworth in Middlesex.
London: printed by R. Field for Jonah Man, 1619London: printed by R. Field for Ionas Man, 1619
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.
2. By his Appetite to the word. For there is in a godly man as true an hunger after the word, as the food of his soul, as there is in his stomach after the food of his body; which shows it self to be the more sincere, because it is constant, ⟨p. 74⟩he desires the word at all times, and as his appointed food daily; as it is in the bodily appetite, though after feeding the stomach may seem to be full and satisfied, yet the hunger revives again every day, so it is with the heart of a child of God: whereas wicked men regard the word but by fits, and in a passion, and then at length fall clean away from the affection to it, Psal. 119. 20. Job. 23. 12.
2. By his Appetite to the word. For there is in a godly man as true an hunger after the word, as the food of his soule, as there is in his stomach after the foode of his body; which shewes it selfe to be the more sincere, because it is constant, ⟨p. 74⟩he desires the word at all times, and as his appointed foode daily; as it is in the bodily appetite, though after feeding the stomach may seeme to be full and satisfied, yet the hunger reuiues againe euery day, so it is with the heart of a child of God: whereas wicked men regard the word but by fits, and in a passion, and then at length fall cleane away from the affection to it, Psal. 119. 20. Iob. 23. 12.
3. By his love to them that love the word.
3. By his loue to them that loue the word.