A80611:94
Christ the fountain of lifeChrist the fountaine of life
Christ the fountain of life: or, Sundry choice sermons on part of the fifth chapter of the first Epistle of St. John. Preached by that learned judicious divine, and faithful minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Cotton B.D. now preacher at Boston in New-England. Published according to Order.Christ the fountaine of life: or, Sundry choyce sermons on part of the fift chapter of the first Epistle of St. John. Preached by that learned judicious divine, and faithfull minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Cotton B.D. now preacher at Boston in New-England. Published according to Order.
London: printed by Robert Ibbitson, 1651
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.
And there is also a Covenant of Friendship between God and us, A covenant of Salt, 2 Chron. 13.5. A covenant of Salt is to be fed with the same salt, as it were, to eat many a bushel of salt together, that is a covenant of friendship; Didst not thou give the Land to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? 2 Chron. 20.7.1 therein he fitly expresseth the nature of a covenant of salt, by friendship for ever; salt eaten together expresses familiarity, and durableness, now God expresseth himself thus, to enter into a covenant with his people; he takes Abraham as a friend for ever, and Abraham takes God as his friend for ever; and this league of friendship implies not only preservation of affection, but it requires a kind of secret communication one to another, and a doing one for another. God he grants our Petitions for us as a friend, and we do his Commandments as a friend out of the integrity of our hearts; John 15.14. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you; I know that Abraham will command his household to fear me, Gen. 18.19. and therefore in vers. 17. and 18. he saith, How shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I am about to do? and it was concerning a secret counsel of God, now when God undertakes to be our friend, he undertakes to communicate sundry of his Counsels to us, his secrets are to them that fear him, Psal. 25.14. Many secret passages shall their hearts be made privy to, that others shall never be acquainted with; he will acquaint us with his secret purpose about a people, sometimes in Prayer, sometimes in Humiliation, sometimes one way, and sometimes another, so as you may see he ⟨p. 36⟩walks towards us in a covenant of friendship; and so he will play a friends part, he will counsel us for the best, he will tell us, this, and that, is the best course for us to take, Psal. 25.12. Him shall he teach: He will come and tell us what he would have us to do,