A86531:70
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.
Thus you have seen the Doctrine opened to you, what the things are to which the Lord Christ freely disposeth and bequeatheth himself for believers: To Incarnation, he that was God became man: To the obedience of the Law, he that was the Law-giver, became the Law-keeper: To suffering, both in body and in soul, both the wrath of man, and the wrath of God. This is the meaning of these words, He gave himself for us.
Thus you have seen the Doctrine opened to you, what the things are to which the Lord Christ freely disposeth and bequeatheth himself for beleevers: To Incarnation, he that was God became man: To the obedience of the Law, he that was the Law-giver, became the Law-keeper: To suffering, both in body and in soul, both the wrath of man, and the wrath of God. This is the meaning of these words, Hee gave himself for us.
Now as briefly as I can to make some Use of the Point, and so to pass on to somewhat else.
Now as briefly as I can to make some Use of the Point, and so to passe on to somewhat else.
First of all, this Doctrine serveth to show us the wonderful love of Christ to believers. Can there be greater love then for a man to give himself to one? We count it the greatest love that can be between creatures, that of the man to the wife, and the wife to the man, and why so? because there is a giving themselves one to another, which no creature else doth: This Christ hath done, he hath given himself to believers, and he cannot show greater love, because he cannot do a greater thing, and yet behold a greater than this, he hath not only given himself to them, but for them, and that is a little more. You may conceive it by a similitude: If a man give himself to a woman to become her husband, there is a great-matter in that; but if the man shall give himself for the woman, when she is to die, to die for her, that is more; he that giveth himself to her doth yet enjoy himself, but he that giveth himself for her doth lose himself; he that giveth himself to men hath himself, but he