Remains of that reverend and learned divine, John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in…Remaines of that reverend and learned divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in…

For you must know that some have more, some have less, according unto the measure of the sanctifying Spirit that they have, but this you must know, that you must be full of heat, full in some measure answerable unto the measure of the sanctifying Spirit; but if you find no heat at all in you, then you have not a grain of the Spirit: not to be hot is to be luke-warm, and luke-warmness, is that which God hates; it is a temper mixed, which is both loathsome to nature and odious to God. Revel. 3. 15. the Laodiceans were neither hot nor cold but luke-warm, that is, they had neither heat ¹to good, nor so cold as to forsake the truth. Sin and holiness stood in aequilibrio together, and they had as good a mind unto the one, as unto the other; now because it was thus with them, therefore saith God; I will spue them cut, and then in the next verse, he exhorts them to be zealous and amend; except you labour to be hot in the Spirit you cannot be saved. Titus 2. 14. the Apostle saith, ⟨p. 138⟩That Christ dyed, that he might purchase unto himself a people zealous of good works: this zeal must not be a constrained zeal, but a willing zeal, and if there were no other motive to move men to be zealous but this, because Christ came to redeem them, for this end that they might be zealous for his glory, if there be any spark of the fire of the Spirit in him, it will burn at Christs dishonour: and if Christ came unto this end to make men zealous, then surely Christ will not loose his end, but they that Christ will save, shall be zealous: therefore I beseech you labour to be strong in the inward man, and labour to get the Spirit that you may be zealous: but alas, men have drunk too much of this Cup of giddiness, they think they need not be so zealous as they are: but I say, if you be not, it is a sign that you have not the Spirit: especially it stands men now upon, if they have any holy zeal in them to show it: I say, it is time you should show it when you see such halting between two opinions, show your zeal by hating, and abhorring popery, and by labouring to draw men from it: especially, now when we see men so desirous to go into Egypt again, which is to be lamented in these days, for which the Lord hath stretched out his hand against us: but where is our zeal?