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 third Sign, whereby a man may know, ¹whether he be truly humbled or no, is this, examine how you stand affected to the Word, when it comes in the evidence of the Spirit, for as you are affected to the Word, so you are more or less humbled, if you feel a sweetness in the Word, a saving power in it, it is a sign, that you are truly humbled; and on the contrary, if the word be an unsavoury thing unto you, if you cannot love it alone for it self, it is a sign that you are not humbled: now in the word, there are two things; Meat, and Medicine.

The third Signe, whereby a man may know, ¹whether he be truly humbled or no, is this, examine how you stand affected to the Word, when it comes in the evidence of the Spirit, for as you are affected to the Word, so you are more or lesse humbled, if you feele a sweetnesse in the Word, a saving power in it, it is a signe, that you are truly humbled; and on the contrary, if the word be an unsavoury thing unto you, if you cannot love it alone for it selfe, it is a signe that you are not humbled: now in the word, there are two things; Meate, and Medicine.

1. 13. Sign.3. Signe.

First, I say, there is meat, a man that is not ¹humble, never loves and affects Christ nor the ⟨p. 252⟩Word; because he is full, and we know that a man that hath a full stomach will set light by the daintiest dish, when as he that is hungry will feed upon courser fare. So it is with a man that is humble, he hungers and thirsts after Christ, prizeth the Word at a high rate, because it reveals Christ unto him, he esteems the Word not with eloquence, but alone, the best; when it comes in the demonstration and evidence of the Spirit, when it is purely Preached, when it comes as pure milk without mixture, then it is sweet unto him: but a man that is not humble, he will not prize Christ, neither relish the Word when it comes in the evidence of the Spirit, when it is purely preached, but he must have something joined with it: as a man that is full, who cares not for eating Grapes, and therefore stands looking and gazing on them; or as a man that is not a thirst, he will gaze more on the graving of the cup, then he will desire to drink that which is in the cup; when as the hungry, or thirsty man, he will not so much gaze on the Grape, or respect the outside of the cup, as to eat and to drink: so a truly humbled man, he will not regard eloquence and wit in the Word, this is unto him but as a graven cup, that will not satisfy him, but the pure word alone, is that which will satisfy him, and nourish him up in grace: A man that is not humble, is like a sieve that looseth through it all that is good, but keeps nothing but motes and dirt: when he comes unto the word, if there be any thing that may fit his