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…

Seeing that this is the Devils craftiness, first to ¹cover sins before they be committed, let us then when we are assaulted with any tentation, take heed; let us not believe that that sin is little, but rather let us demur and consider a little the matter; If thou hast any good motions in thee, execute them speedily; but if thou art tempted to wickedness stay a while, and consider a while. Its the note of a fool to go on he regardeth not whether; but its the sign of a wise man, to see a danger a far off, and escape it. Consider what will follow thy sin. At the first Judas thought that thirty pieces of silver would have made amends for all, but after he was condemned, he repented for his former folly. ⟨p. 12⟩If before we sin we could but feel the sequences, we would never commit it; if we could but see the blindness of mind, the horror of conscience, the hardness of heart that will inseparably follow them, we would certainly shun them; for is any man so mad as to think that if a man felt the surfeit first, before he eat the sweet meat, that he would then eat it? no surely: so could we but see the punishment now that will follow a little pleasure, surely we would reject all the pleasure.

Seeing that this is the Divels craftinesse, first to ¹cover sinnes before they be committed, let us then when we are assaulted with any tentation, take heed; let us not beleeve that that sinne is little, but rather let us demurre and consider a little the matter; If thou hast any good motions in thee, execute them speedily; but if thou art tempted to wickednesse stay a while, and consider a while. Its the note of a foole to goe on he regardeth not whether; but its the signe of a wise man, to see a danger a farre off, and escape it. Consider what will follow thy sin. At the first Iudas thought that thirty peeces of silver would have made amends for all, but after he was condemned, he repented for his former folly. ⟨p. 12⟩If before we sinne we could but feele the sequences, we would never commit it; if we could but see the blindnesse of minde, the horrour of conscience, the hardnesse of heart that will inseparably follow them, we would certainly shun them; for is any man so mad as to thinke that if a man felt the surfeit first, before he eat the sweet meat, that he would then eat it? no surely: so could we but see the punishment now that will follow a little pleasure, surely we would reject all the pleasure.