A09977:455
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.
Thou must yet go a step further, that is, to get it mortified, to get it utterly cast out, slain and killed, not to suffer it to live with thee: thou ⟨p. 14⟩must do with such a pollution of thy spirit, as thou doest with thine utter enemy, whom thou followest to death, and wilt have the law upon him, and wilt be content with nothing but his life: So when thou hast found out thy sin, then go this step further, to have it out before the Lord, and cry against it, and say, that it is his enemy, & thy enemy, & an enemy to his grace; it hath sought thy life, and thou wilt have the life of it before thou hast done: this thou shouldest do, to get it utterly cast out, to get an utter separation betwixt thy soul and it; so that if there should come a temptation to he again, if there should be pleasure on the one hand, and threatenings on the other, then thou shouldest say, rather any thing than this sin, than this lust, it is my greatest enemy, that hath done me thus much mischief; so that thy soul doth not only loath it, but thou wilt not suffer it to live in thee; this is that which we ought to do, if we would cleanse our spirits.
Thou must yet goe a step further, that is, to get it mortified, to get it utterly cast out, slaine and killed, not to suffer it to live with thee: thou ⟨p. 14⟩must doe with such a pollution of thy spirit, as thou doest with thine utter enemy, whom thou followest to death, and wilt have the law upon him, and wilt be content with nothing but his life: So when thou hast found out thy sinne, then goe this step further, to have it out before the Lord, and cry against it, and say, that it is his enemy, & thy enemy, & an enemy to his grace; it hath sought thy life, and thou wilt have the life of it before thou hast done: this thou shouldest doe, to get it utterly cast out, to get an utter separation betwixt thy soule and it; so that if there should come a temptation to hee againe, if there should be pleasure on the one hand, and threatnings on the other, then thou shouldest say, rather any thing than this sinne, than this lust, it is my greatest enemy, that hath done me thus much mischiefe; so that thy soule doth not onely loath it, but thou wilt not suffer it to live in thee; this is that which wee ought to doe, if wee would cleanse our spirits.