A86531:443
The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…
The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. / Delivered in several sermons: by that reverend divine, Thomas Hooker, late preacher in New-England.The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. / Delivered in severall sermons: by that reverend divine, Thomas Hooker, late preacher in New-England.
London: printed by G.D. for Francis Eglesfield, 1651
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.
Mark what I say, I say again, This is to be the Son of Abraham, not because we are begotten of him by natural generation; for so the Jews are the sons of Abraham: but Abraham is our father, because he is the pattern for the proceeding of our faith. Thy father was an Amorite, saith the Scripture, Ezek. 16.3. that is, Thou followest the steps of the Amorites in thy conversation. So is Abraham called the father of the faithful, because he is the copy of their course, whom they must follow in those services that God calleth for. So the point is clear, Every faithful man may, yea, doth, and must imitate the actions of faithful Abraham. It is Christs own plea, Joh. 8.39. and he presseth it as an undeniable ⟨p. 167⟩truth upon the hearts of the Scribes and Pharisees, that bragged very highly of their privileges and prerogatives, and said, Abraham is our father: No, saith Christ; If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. To be like Abraham in constitution, to be one of his blood, is not that which makes a man a son of Abraham, but to be like him in holiness of affection, to have a heart framed, and a life disposed answerably to his. The Apostle in like manner presseth this point, Heb. 13.7. when he would provoke the Hebrews, to whom he wrote, to follow the examples of the Saints; Whose faith (saith he) follow, considering the end of their conversation. So the Apostle Peter presseth the example of Sarah upon all good women; Whose daughters ye are (saith he) as long as ye do well, 1 Pet. 36.
Mark what I say, I say again, This is to be the Son of Abraham, not because we are begotten of him by naturall generation; for so the Jews are the sons of Abraham: but Abraham is our father, because he is the pattern for the proceeding of our faith. Thy father was an Amorite, saith the Scripture, Ezek. 16.3. that is, Thou followest the steps of the Amorites in thy conversation. So is Abraham called the father of the faithfull, because he is the copie of their course, whom they must follow in those services that God calleth for. So the point is clear, Every faithfull man may, yea, doth, and must imitate the actions of faithfull Abraham. It is Christs own plea,