A09977:454
Life eternalLife eternall
Life eternal or, A treatise of the knowledge of the divine essence and attributes Delivered in XVIII. sermons. By the late faithful and worthy minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston, D. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inn.Life eternall or, A treatise of the knowledge of the divine essence and attributes Delivered in XVIII. sermons. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, D. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inne.
London: printed by Richard, 1631
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.
When thou hast done this, thou must not stay here: but thou must labour to loathe and hate that pollution of spirit. There are two things to be hated by us; the sin, that we look upon as a pleasant thing; but there is besides, thy inclination to that thing, and that is the pollution of thy spirit, and that thou must hate and loathe; thou must not only hate the object that is offered to thee, but thy self also, and the uncleanness of thy spirit. Thus it is with every one, whose heart is right, Ezek. 36.21. that is,1 when a man begins to look upon his sin, and see the pollution of the spirit in it, he begins to grow to an indignation against it, (as that is the fruit of godly sorrow, 2 Cor. ⟨p. 13⟩27.) he finds his heart so disposed, that he begins to quarrel with his heart, and to fall out with it; and to say; What? have I such a heart that will carry me to sin? that will not only carry me to sin, but to hell? He begins to loathe himself, he would not own his own self, if he could; he would go out of himself, he is weary of his own heart: such a hatred and loathing thou must have of this pollution of spirit that is in thee. And this thou shalt do, if thou wilt but consider, what evil this pollution doth bring thee, and what hurt filthiness hath done to thee: a man can hate the disease of the body, and cry out of it; and why should not men do so of the soul? It is our sin that is the cause of all evil; it is not poverty, or disgrace, or sickness, but it is sin in thy poverty, sin in thy disgrace, sin in thy sickness: so that if a man could look upon sin as the greatest evil, and that doth him the greatest mischief, he would hate that above all things. And here remember not only to do it in general, but to pitch thy hatred chiefly upon thy beloved sin. Be ready to say in this case, as Haman of Mordecai; what availeth it me, if Mordecai yet live? If we could do so with our beloved lusts, and come to such a hatred of them as Haman had of Mordecai, to hate that beloved pollution, which cleaves so fast to thy spirit, this were a blessed thing.