A09965:327
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.
1But I am indisposed and unfit for such actions.
- 1Object. 3.Obiect. 3.
1I answer, that if ye are indisposed, the more need you have to be doing, else you are more unexcusable; the way to get heat is to be acting: as motion doth bring life to a benumbed member, so doth it to the soul: be awaked, be stirring, this will revive you again, Christians hearts are awaked when as they themselves sleep;2 if they stir them up, there will be more life in them, Rom. 2.13. when Christians begin to languish, their medicine is to rise up and be doing, whence Saint Paul admonisheth the Galatians, Gal. 5.16, To walk in the Spirit, those who have the Spirit stand not still, as one that cannot stir, but they are still acting and walking: this acting helps this spiritual life; first by enlarging and intending this life. Secondly, by preventing that which increaseth death: the more we walk in the ways of life, the more we prevent the way that leads to the Chambers of death: Be doing therefore, if not one duty yet another. In the steppings out of your callings, be doing; be reading and praying; Conferring and talking of good things; the neglect of this is the cause why there are so many dwarfs in grace. Men content themselves with morning and evening duties, and it is well if they do them▪ but do you the actions of life more constantly and abundantly. It is the corruption of our nature that we are not doing: life is maintained by the actions of life▪ habits are maintained by actions