A09965:204
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.
1To this I answer, that there is a difference between the external binding, and the bonds wherewith a man is fettered by sin; There is an external impediment, which a man cannot remove, as when he is fettered in the well; but there is no external impediment, when as men are bound in the chains of sin. When we command you to do thus and thus, all the business is with the will, we rather say men will not, than they cannot come. There is liberty when as a man hath eligibile or non eligibile; when he hath a thing in his own choice, when there is no impediment, when he may argue both ways: If a man out of the perverseness of his nature doth it not, it is not compulsory, but free; a beasts action is not free because he cannot reason on both sides, but ⟨p. 68⟩man when he considers arguments on both sides, when he can say, do not do such a thing, but do such a thing; when he can conceive arguments on both sides, he is free; there is no such external impediment in him, as to bid one in darkness, to do a thing of the light, or one bound hand and foot in a pit, to come out; since the chief impediment here, is in the depraved wills of men, which God doth rectify and change by his grace and Spirit, through the use of means.
1To this I answer, that there is a difference betweene the externall binding, and the bonds wherewith a man is fettered by sinne; There is an externall impediment, which a man cannot remove, as when he is fettered in the well; but there is no externall impediment, when as men are bound in the chaines of sin. When wee command you to doe thus and thus, all the businesse is with the wil, we rather say men will not, than they cannot come. There is liberty when as a man hath eligibile or non eligibile; when hee hath a thing in his owne choise, when there is no impediment, when hee may argue both wayes: If a man out of the perversnesse of his nature doth it not, it is not compulsory, but free; a beasts action is not free because hee cannot reason on both sides, but ⟨p. 68⟩man when hee considers arguments on both sides, when hee can say, doe not doe such a thing, but doe such a thing; when he can conceive arguments on both sides, he is free; there is no such externall impediment in him, as to bid one in darkensse, to doe a thing of the light, or one bound hand and foote in a pit, to come out; since the chiefe impediment here, is in the depraved wils of men, which God doth rectifie and change by his grace and Spirit, through the use of meanes.