A09965:548
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.
Fourthly, those that follow Christ but in s•ew, and only wear his Livery, they often ⟨p. 260⟩fall off, they can do nothing: many unclean persons and Drunkards often resolve to leave their courses; but because their hearts are not changed, it is but a purpose, they fall back again. Because purposes arising from the flesh are mutable, they are as the flowers of grass, they quickly perish: so are all the thoughts of civill men; they are flowers indeed, and the best flowers that the flesh can afford; yet they quickly perish, because they are from the flesh, because they are far from grace, and come not from an inward change: but the purposes of Gods children, they come from a change within, which makes them able to perform them. If you find your selves unconstant that you cannot command your selves, you are not right. Christ finds this fault in you, and so doth James, Jam. 1.8. You are double minded men and unstable in all your ways; that is, you partly look on God, partly on sin, and know not which way to go▪ you are in an aequilibrio, nothing preponderates you one way or other; you are in the ways of God, and in the ways of sin, and this makes you unstable. Opposite to this, is a single minded man, who looks only to God; other things being put in, yet he still looks to God: such may be subject to ebbings and flowings in and out; yet this is the difference, though they are shaken, yet they are like to Trees that have a good root, that holds them up that they do not ⟨p. 261⟩fall: they are like a ship that is tied to an Anchor, they wag up and down, but yet they remove not: other men, and wicked men are blown away like chaff, they continue not,1 they are driven with the wind like waves, because they have no root.
Fourthly, those that follow Christ but in s•ew, and onely weare his Livery, they often ⟨p. 260⟩