A09965:165
Four godly and learned treatises Entitled, I. A remedy against covetousness. II. An elegant…Foure godly and learned treatises Intituled, I. A remedy against covetousnesse. II. An elegant…
Four godly and learned treatises Entitled, I. A remedy against covetousness. II. An elegant and lively description of spiritual death and life. III. The doctrine of self-denial. IV. Upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. Delivered in sundry sermons, by that late famous preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, John Preston, Doctor of Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty; master of Emanuel College, and sometime preacher of Lincolns Inn.Foure godly and learned treatises Intituled, I. A remedy against covetousnesse. II. An elegant and lively description of spirituall death and life. III. The doctrine of selfe-deniall. IV. Vpon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. Delivered in sundry sermons, by that late famous preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Doctor of Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinarie to his Majestie; master of Emanuel Colledge, and sometime preacher of Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed by Thomas for Michael Sparke, 1633
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.
Consider farther whence this death proceeds, the original of it, is the understanding & mind of man, which is primū vivens, & ultimum ⟨p. 56⟩moriens. That which lives first and dies last. The cause of life is the understanding enlightened to see the truth; when the affections are right, and the understanding straight, then we live; when it is darkened, all goes out of order. Joh. 1.4. speaking of Christ, it is said, that in him there was life, and the life was the light of men: he was life because he was light, he did enliven men, because he did enlighten them. therefore Ephe. 5.4. the Apostle speaks thus to men; Awake thou that sleepest, stand up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light: because light is the beginning of spiritual life. Therefore it is said, James 1.18. Of his own will begot he them, by the word of truth: that is, the word rectifies the understanding and opinion, which is the first thing in this spiritual birth: and Ephe 4.22.24. Put off the old man which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts thereof; and put on the new man, which after God is created in holiness, and perfect righteousness. The old man is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts: that which is here called deceitful lusts, &c. in the Original, signifies, lusts proceeding from error, and holiness proceeding from truth; Lust proceeds from error, in mistaking things; for lust is nothing else but affection misplaced, proceeding from error: and that holiness in which God delighteth, in which his Image consists, comes from truth. When Adam was alive, he judged aright, because ⟨p. 57⟩then the wheels and affections of his soul were right: Being dead by reason of his fall, he lost his sight, he saw no beauty in the ways of God; and this is the case of all unregenerate men: but when the Spirit rectifies the judgement and convinceth men of sinn• and righteousness, then they begin to revive. To be dead is to have the understanding darkened, the judgement erroneous: to be alive is to have the understanding enlightened, and the judgement rectified; And thus much for the first, what this death is.