A09965:245
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.
We come now to the second, which is this.
That all in Christ, are in a state of life. Our scope is, to show you what you are out of Christ, and what benefits ye receive by being in Christ; we cannot go throughout all particulars, but we will take the greatest, life and death; the one the greatest good, the other the greatest evil. All in Christ are living men; this is the greatest benefit, because death is the greatest evil: therefore by the rule of contraries, life must be the greatest good. Farther, men prize nothing so much as life; this experience showeth, and Satan himself could tell, that skin for skin, and all that a man hath, he will give for his life, Job 2.4. Beyond experience, God himself threatens death to Adam, as the greatest evil; The day that thou eatest of it, thou shalt die the death. Gen. 3.3. Now all that live this life are living men, and have all things pertaining to life, 2 Pet. 1.2. they have all that pertains to life and godliness, that is, all things necessary for the nourishing and cherishing of them, life were else unhappy; take beasts and plants, they having all belonging to their life, are happy, and they are said to live: take any natural life, when as a man hath food, and raiment, and recreation, he is said to live. A man lives when he hath life, and all that appertains unto it. I will divide this Doctrine into two parts, and I will show you two things.
That all in Christ, are in a state of life. Our scope is, to shew you what you are out of Christ, and what benefits ye receive by being in Christ; we cannot goe throughout all particulars, but we will take the greatest, life and death; the one the greatest good, the other the greatest evill. All in Christ are living men; this is the greatest benefit, because death is the greatest evill: therefore by the rule of contraries, life must be the greatest good. Farther, men prize nothing so much as life; this experience sheweth, and Sathan himselfe could tell, that skinne for skinne, and all that a man hath, he will give for his life,