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 first means to get this humiliation, is to get the Judgement rectified, because men cannot see sin, nor know it till then; and men will not be humble, so long as they remain ignorant, but when the judgement is rectified, then he knows sin to be the greatest evil; Again, a man will not sorrow, till he have a fit object for sorrow, as a blind man cannot see any object, so a natural man is a blind man, and he must have new eye sight, before he can see sin to sorrow for it, as sin; and this is the rectifying of the judgement; but when the judgement is rectified, then it will sorrow for sin, and that in these respects.

The first meanes to get this humiliation, is to get the Iudgement rectified, because men cannot see sinne, nor know it till then; and men will not be humble, so long as they remaine ignorant, but when the judgement is rectified, then hee knowes sinne to be the greatest evill; Againe, a man will not sorrow, till he have a fit object for sorrow, as a blind man cannot see any object, so a naturall man is a blind man, and hee must have new eye sight, before hee can see sinne to sorrow for it, as sinne; and this is the rectifying of the judgement; but when the judgement is rectified, then it will sorrow for sinne, and that in these respects.

First, because sin is of its own nature evil, because it is contrary unto the nature of good; and ¹of its own nature, is an enemy unto God. The Philosopher saith, if God be the chiefest good, then sin is the chiefest evil; from whence we may thus argue, that which is most contrary to God, is the greatest evil, but sin is most contrary unto God; therefore it is the greatest evil: and the reason is because sin is that which makes the creature most odious unto God. No creature, or thing, so contrary unto the nature of men, as sin is unto God, nothing makes God to loath the creature but sin, all the imperfections, and blemishes, and diseases, and infirmities of the creature, makes not God to loath it, if there be not a mixture of sin with it, because they are not contrary unto God: they fight not against God, but sin fights against the purity and holiness of God; and therefore Gods hatred of the creature, is only a hatred for sin.