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…

The second ground went yet further; it not only received the seed, but it sprung up with much hope of a fruitful harvest; yet it continues not, it will not suffer for Christ: so many men will receive the Gospel, and joy in the profession of it, but they will not suffer for Christ: because they are not humble, that is, the plough went not deep enough to humble them.

The second ground went yet further; it not onely received the seed, but it sprung up with much hope of a fruitfull harvest; yet it continues not, it will not suffer for Christ: so many men will receive the Gospell, and joy in the profession of it, but they will not suffer for Christ: because they are not humble, that is, the plough went not deepe enough to humble them.

The third ground went yet further, it did not only what the other did, but it did that which the other would not do, that is, it would be contented to suffer for Christ, but yet it would not do all things; he would retain some pleasure, and some profit: when any earthly thing, which his affections were glued to, stood in competition with Christ, he had rather loose Christ, then he would loose all his pleasure in these earthly things, because he is not thoroughly humbled: humiliation comes and takes all impediments away, ploughs up the hardness of the heart, sets the affections on another object to delight in, checks the will, opens the mind, awakeneth the conscience, that Christ is all to him in all things: and therefore it is compared unto the good ground, that received the Word with an honest and good heart, the heart will not be fit to receive that good, that will make it good till it be ploughed deep and humbled, then the Word will grow, the heart ⟨p. 191⟩must be humbled before grace will grow: and therefore, this is the effect, that humiliation works when the heart is humbled: he will not part with Christ for any thing in the world. Therefore you see upon what ground humiliation is necessary, because men will not receive Christ till they be humbled.

The third ground went yet further, it did not onely what the other did, but it did that which the other would not doe, that is, it would be contented to suffer for Christ, but yet it would not doe all things; hee would retaine some pleasure, and some profit: when any earthly thing, which his affections were glewed to, stood in competition with Christ, he had rather loose Christ, then hee would loose all his pleasure in these earthly things, because he is not thorowly humbled: humiliation comes and takes all impedimouts away, plowes up the hardnesse of the heart, sets the affections on another object to delight in, checkes the will, opens the mind, awakeneth the conscience, that Christ is all to him in all things: and therefore it is compared unto the good ground, that received the Word with an honest and good heart, the heart will not bee fit to receive that good, that will make it good till it bee plowed deepe and humbled, then the Word will grow, the heart