James Pilkington

The Works of James Pilkington, B.D., Lord Bishop of Durham - Parker Society

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1842 edition. Excerpt: ...comfortable, and the law fearful. Fear maketh a. man many times to fly from ill, but love maketh him willingly to do good. Salomon saith, "Love is as strong as death:" for as all things yield unto death, so nothing is too hard or painful for him that loveth, but he will adventure at all perils, until he get the thing that he loveth. St Paul saith, " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Jesus? Shall trouble, anguish, persecution, hunger, nakedness, jeopardy, or the sword?" If thou wouldst have a man earnest in any thing, rather draw him to it by love, than drive him to it by fear: bring him once to love it earnestly, and nothing shall make him afraid to stand to it manfully. Fear maketh men cold, discourageth them, and many times turneth them to hatred. That preacher therefore, which will win most unto God, shall rather do it by gentleness than by sharpness, by promise than by threatenings, by the gospel than by the law, by love than by fear: though the law must be interlaced to throw down the malice of man's heart; the flesh must be bridled by fear, and the spirit comforted with loving kindness promised. Nehemiah useth both the law and the gospel to persuade them withal. The seventeenth verse layeth afore them the misery they were in, to live under heathen and strange princes, the pitiful sight of their broken wall, their gates burned, whereby they lived in continual danger of the enemy round about them to be spoiled and murdered: the shame was no less than the loss, that they could not repair and recover by their well-doing that their fathers lost; and they had dwelled so many years in it since king Cyrus gave them licence to go home again: all which were the heavy burdens and curse of the law. But...