A09977:456
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 a man hath done all this, thou must go to God, and beseech him that he would melt that solder, as it were, that he would make a dissolution, that he would sever thy soul, and the lust that cleaves so fast to it. That which made the soul, and the object to cleave so fast together is lust, that is the solder: which like unto solder must be melted with fire: Isay 4.4.1 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood ⟨p. 15⟩of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of wisdom, and by the spirit of burning: that is, the holy Ghost, who is as fire, that melts the solder, and loosens it; & also the word, Jer. 23.24. & so also in Mal. 3.2 3Christ there is compared to fire, and to Fullers soap, and all to express the divers ways that the Lord hath to cleanse our spirits from sin. Sin cleaves to the soul as dross to the gold: now the spirit of burning cleanseth and purifies it; yea it doth it violently; and therefore it is said to be a hammer also in Jeremiah. Again, sin sinks in as a deep stain, therefore Christ is as soap to cleanse it. And therefore go, and say to God, Rather than I should not be cleansed, Lord cleanse me with the fire of affliction, as it is also called, Zach. 13.9.4 And I will bring the third part, saith the Lord, through the fire, and will refine them, as silver is refined, & will try them as gold is tried. It were best (my beloved) if you would yield to the Spirit, & the Word, that they may cleanse you before his sight: For if that will not do, he will come with the fire of affliction, and it is better that you should be dealt so with, than that your souls, being still unclean, should perish for ever.