A81131:56
The arraignment of unbelief, as the grand cause of our nationall non-establishment
The arraignment of unbelief, as the grand cause of our nationall non-establishment: cleared in a sermon to the Honourable House of Commons in Parliament, at Margarets Westminster, upon the 28th. of May, 1645. being the day of their public fast. / By Joseph Caryl, late preacher to the Honourable Society of Lincolns-Inn, now pastor at Magnus near the bridge, London.The arraignment of unbelief, as the grand cause of our nationall non-establishment: cleared in a sermon to the Honourable House of Commons in Parliament, at Margarets Westminster, upon the 28th. of May, 1645. being the day of their publike fast. / By Joseph Caryl, late preacher to the Honourable Society of Lincolnes-Inne, now pastor at Magnus neer the bridge, London.
London: printed by G. Miller for Giles Calvert, 1645
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.
Thirdly, The stability of a people is founded upon promises, but unbelief attempts to shake the promises, and more, to make them of none effect. Though we have precious promises, laden and enriched with blessings, yet we can do nothing with them, nor make any earnings out of them, except we set faith to work upon them: Nothing can fetch out the sweetness of a promise, but faith; nothing can suck those breasts, or draw water out of those wells of salvation, but faith; faith makes a living out of a word of promise; but unbelief will let us die and starve in the midst and throng of all the promises; yea, unbelief (as to us) destroyeth the promises, and cuts the sinews of them, so that they cannot stir hand or foot to help us. Yet further, unbelief (as much as in it lies) turns all the promises into fallacies, and the truth of God into a lie: Faith feeds upon the goodness of the promises, and unbelief ⟨p. 19⟩devours the truth of them: Surely they shall never receive the good of a promise, who deny and destroy the truth of a promise.
Thirdly, The stability of a people is founded upon promises, but unbelief attempts to shake the promises, and more, to make them of none effect. Though we have precious promises, laden and enricht with blessings, yet we can do nothing with them, nor make any earnings out of them, except we set faith to work upon them: Nothing can fetch out the sweetnesse of a promise, but faith; nothing can suck those brests, or draw water out of those wels of salvation, but faith; faith makes a living out of a word of promise; but unbelief will let us die and starve in the midst and throng of all the promises; yea, unbelief (as to us) destroyeth the promises, and cuts the sinews of them, so that they cannot stirre hand or foot to help us. Yet further, unbelief (as much as in it lies) turnes all the promises into fallacies, and the truth of God into a lie: Faith feeds upon the goodnesse of the promises, and unbelief ⟨p. 19⟩devours the truth of them: Surely they shall never receive the good of a promise, who deny and destroy the truth of a promise.