A77593:893
The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
Ton anexichniaston plouton [sic] tou Christou. The unsearchable riches of Christ. Or, Meat for strong men. Milk [for] babes. Held for th in twenty-two sermons from Ephesians 3.8. By Thomas Brooks, preacher of the Word at Margarets New-Fishstreet.Ton anexichniaston plouton [sic] tou Christou. The unsearchable riches of Christ. Or, Meat for strong men. Milke [for] babes. Held for th in twenty-two sermons from Ephesians 3.8. By Thomas Brookes, preacher of the Word at Margarets New-Fishstreet.
London: printed by Mary Simmons for John Hancock, 1655
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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, They that have highly improved their graces, will comply with those commands of God that cross nature, that are contrary to nature: And doubtless that man ha's improved his graces to a very high rate, whose heart complies with those Commands of God, that are cross and contrary to nature: As for a man to love them that loath him, 1to bless them that curse him, to pray for them that persecute him, &c. 'Tis nothing to love them that love us, and to speak well of them that speak well of us; and to do well, and carry it well towards them, that carry it well towards us: Oh! but for a man to love those that hate him; to be courteous to them that are currish to him; to be sweet to them that are bitter to him, &c. this strongly demonstrates a high improvement of grace. Certainly that man is very very good, who ha's learned that holy Lesson of overcoming evil with good. Such a one was Stephen, Acts 7. 55—ult. 2He was a man full of the holy Ghost: That is, of the Gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost; he was much in the exercise of Grace, he can pray, and sigh for them, yea, even weep tears of blood for them, who rejoiced to shed his blood: So did Christ weep over Jerusalem, so did Titus, so did Marcellus over Syracuse, so did Scipio over Carthage, but they shed tears for them, whose blood they were to shed; ⟨p. 203⟩but Christ shed tears for them, who were to shed his blood. So Abraham being strong in faith gave glory to God. How? 3why, by complying with those commands of God, that were very contrary to flesh and blood; as the offering up of his Son, his only Son, his beloved Son, his Son of the Promise, and by leaving his own Country, and his near and dear relations, upon a word of Command. The Commands of God so change the whole man, and make him new, that you can hardly know him to be the same man, saith one. Well Sirs, 4remember this, 'tis a dangerous thing to neglect one of his Commands (though it be never so cross to flesh and blood) who by another is able to command you into nothing, or into hell. Let Luther hate me, and in his wrath call me a thousand times Devil, yet I will love him, and acknowledge him to be a most precious servant of God, saith Calvin, &c.