A09965:331
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.
Secondly, faith draws you on to action: and this life is but the acting of the duties of new obedience. Faith and persuasion further other things: as if one be persuaded that ⟨p. 138⟩such a thing will hurt him, it produceth an action of the will, abstinence: if a man be persuaded that he shall dye without the Physician, he sends for him. So in all other actions, persuasion is that which sets a man on work. So in spiritual actions, if we are persuaded that such a sin committed will not make our bodies sick but our souls, we will not do it; if we are persuaded our souls shall fare the better if we do such a thing, this make us to do it: being persuaded we shall have a recompense of reward, it produceth action, and the more action the more life.
Secondly, faith drawes you on to action: and this life is but the acting of the duties of new obedience. Faith and perswasion further other things: as if one be perswaded that ⟨p. 138⟩such a thing will hurt him, it produceth an action of the will, abstinence: if a man be perswaded that he shall dye without the Physition, he sends for him. So in all other actions, perswasion is that which sets a man on worke. So in spirituall actions, if we are perswaded that such a sinne committed wil not make our bodies sicke but our soules, we will not doe it; if we are perswaded our soules shall fare the better if wee doe such a thing, this make us to doe it: being perswaded wee shall have a recompence of reward, it produceth action, and the more action the more life.
Thirdly, faith doth it by fitting us for Christ, from whom our life comes: 1 Joh. 5.12. he that hath the Son hath life. First, the Son of God infuseth life into him, to whom he is conjoined; the conjunction betwixt Christ and us is but relative: as between the King and the subject; when the subjects resolve to take such an one for their king, they are conjoined to him; so when a woman resolves to take such a man for her husband, she is conjoined to him. The action of taking Christ, is to take him as a Lord, to serve him, as a Saviour, to have all comfort by him: he that hath the Son in the relative union, shall have him in the real union: the Son will quicken you, as the soul doth the body. A Christian hath the life of the Son of God.