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…

so these men, they come to Church, and they hear, and they receive the Sacraments, and they read the Word, but not to learn to be edified by them, but to play with some golden letters, to hear the folly and foolishness of him that preacheth himself and not Christ, or for fashion sake, or for some other by-respect, but not to this end, that they may be builded up in grace.

so these men, they come to Church, and they heare, and they receive the Sacraments, and they reade the Word, but not to learne to be edified by them, but to play with some golden letters, to heare the folly and foolishnesse of him that preacheth himselfe and not Christ, or for fashion sake, or for some other by-respect, but not to this end, that they may bee builded up in grace.

The second part of the Word, is the Medicine part, the healing part; for as there is power in the ¹Word to fill the soul full of grace, so there is another power in the Word to heal the breaches and wounds in the soul: now he that will find this saving power in the Word, he must be humble, he must find and feel himself sick of sin unto death, then the Word hath this power to save and to heal, but if a man do not find himself spiritually sick, the Word will never ⟨p. 254⟩heal him; but it will be a quite contrary medicine, rather a destroying medicine then a healing medicine, it will be unto him, like as the Sun is to him that hath sore eyes, the more the Sun shines, the more offensive it is unto him, and the greater pain it puts him unto. So it is with a man that is not humble and sick of sin, the more the Word lights upon his sin, the more he storms and strives against it: it is with him, as it is with a man that is sick; when men are sick, then every thing troubles them, then they will be humble; so when men are spiritually sick, then sin troubles them: it is with them, as it was with Absalom and David, there was a rumour of war, before there was true war: so it is with men in this case, they have a kind of war in themselves, they see sin, and are affrighted with it, but the war is not true, it is but a counterfeit war, a feigned war, because it is between the conscience and hell, and not between the flesh and the spirit, therefore examine your selves by this, whether you be truly humbled or no.