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The golden sceptre held forth to the humble With the Churches dignityThe golden scepter held forth to the humble VVith the Churches dignitie
The golden sceptre held forth to the humble With the Churches dignity by her marriage. And the Churches duty in her carriage. In three treatises. The former delivered in sundry sermons in Cambridge, for the weekly fasts, 1625. The two latter in Lincolns Inn. By the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to His Majesty, Mr. of Emanuel College in Cambridge, and sometime preacher at Lincolns Inn.The golden scepter held forth to the humble VVith the Churches dignitie by her marriage. And the Churches dutie in her carriage. In three treatises. The former delivered in sundry sermons in Cambridge, for the weekely fasts, 1625. The two latter in Lincolnes Inne. By the late learned and reverend divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to His Maiesty, Mr. of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and somtime preacher at Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed by R. Badger for N. Bourne, 1638
THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE. › Doctrine 7THE GOLDEN SCEPTER. › Doctrine 7
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.
Again, there is a way of wickedness which 1Solomon often toucheth upon and speaketh against, a false balance, whereby he means any kind of unjust dealing in trading, putting off slight wares with a good gloss, any such way: such an hidden mystery of unequal gaining, it is an abomination to the LORD, saith Solomon. Is this the exercising of your callings, for the good of men? no, for the hurt of them, and the destruction of your own souls; likewise if there be any such secret way of sinning found in thee, as the Apostle speaks of, 21 Thes. 4. 4. that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence; by vessel he means soul and body, which were made wholly for the LORD to put his grace into: take heed therefore of any such lust of uncleanness. The Apostle means no particular Act; therefore if there be any such secret way of uncleanness of what kind soever, thou art yet in a miserable estate: for I tell thee, if thou hadst any work of regeneration, would it not resist every kind of sin? if any true tenderness of conscience, thou wouldest be sensible of every way ⟨p. 202⟩of wickedness; as tender flesh is of every p•icke, o• the eye of every more: but you will say, the best may fall into these sins: Answer, yes, but they 3make not a path of them: Wicked men take their walks in sin, ye shall find them there day by day; but not so wi•h a godly man, he never draws a course of sin as a thread through his whole life. When there are ten thousand ways to one place, any one is enough to lead to it; there are many ways lead to hell, and any way of sin leads to hell, though but one; and therefore thou belongest to Satan's division, and not to the Lord, unless thou canst say as Saint Paul and those Corinths, whereas I was sometimes a blasphemer and unclean, now I am sanctified and washed: Thus thou must be able to say of every evil way, or thou shalt not be saved.