A10024:148
Sins overthrow
Sins overthrow: or, A godly and learned treatise of mortification Wherein is excellently handled; first, the general doctrine of mortification: and then particularly, how to mortify fornication. Uncleanness. Evil concupiscence. Inordinate affection. and, covetousness. All being the substance of several sermons upon Colos. III. V. Mortify therefore your members, &c. Delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory John Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty, master of Emanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns-Inn.Sins overthrow: or, A godly and learned treatise of mortification Wherein is excellently handled; first, the generall doctrine of mortification: and then particularly, how to mortifie fornication. Vncleannes. Evill concupiscence. Inordinate affection. and, covetousnes. All being the substance of severall sermons upon Colos. III. V. Mortifie therefore your members, &c. Delivered by that late faithfull preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.
London: printed by I. Beale and Augustine Mathewes for Andrew Crooke, 1633
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
For the first, I say that there is nothing in the world 1more hurtful unto man than earthly mindedness, because it makes him worse than the beasts; the beasts do not sin, but these earthly members are the cause of sin in us, and sin takes away the excellency of the creature. Innocency is the excellency of the creature, simply taken as he is a creature, and this was all the excellency that we had in Adam, but sin took away that excellency: therefore what Jacob said of Reuben, Gen. 49. 4. when he had defiled his bed, Thou hast (saith he) taken away my excellency; that is, that which I outwardly respected most, may be said of every lust; 2for what a man keeps, that is his excellency; the wife is the husbands excellency, and therefore when she is defiled, he hath lost his excellency; for as a man keeps or loseth that outward thing which he most respecteth, so he keepeth or loseth his excellency: The Stars that fall, when they are in the Element they shine and give light, and then they are said 3to keep their excellency; but when they once fall then they lose their excellency, because they have lost their light and splendour; so men are said to lose their excellency when they give way unto their lusts.
For the first, I say that there is nothing in the world 1more hurtfull unto man than earthly mindednesse, because it makes him worse than the beasts; the beasts doe not sinne, but these earthly members are the cause of sinne in us, and sinne takes away the excellency of the creature. Innocency is the excellency of the creature, simply taken as he is a creature, and this was all the excellency that we had in Adam, but sinne tooke away that excellency: therefore what Iacob said of Reuben, Gen. 49. 4. when he had defiled his bed, Thou hast (saith he) taken away my excellencie; that is, that which I outwardly respected most, may be said of every lust; 2