A10024:380
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
HOW TO MORTIFY EVIL CONCUPISCENCE.HOVV TO MORTIFIE EVILL CONCVPISCENCE.
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.
Last of all to conclude, The means for mortifying of this Sin, is, you must add prayer unto all 1the rest: To pray unto God to baptize you with his holy Spirit; Let a man be left to himself, and it is impossible for him to mortify, except God will do it; Therefore we are to pray unto God to give us his holy Spirit. When the Spirit of God doth come into the heart, it is as fire, and puts another temper upon him then was before; It turns the strings of his heart to another tune, and doth make him approve of that which God doth require. This is the way to mortify lust. The more a man is carried to the love of one, he is many times the more removed from another; but the more a man is carried to God, the more he is weaned from inordinate lusts, & being mortified, he is the more inclined to God, Mal. 3. 2. Who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a Refiners fire, and like to Fullers Soap. Christ shall do that when he comes, that none else is able to do. As in refining and purifying the heart, use what means you will, except you use fire, you cannot refine dross from silver: So stains that are in a mans garment, wash them as long as you will with Soap, they will but seem the worse; but when they are brought to the Fullers hand, they are soon rubbed out: So let a man be left to his own Spirit, he will run into a thousand noy some lusts; but when Gods Spirit is clothed in a mans heart, then it doth keep him from the ways of sin, Revel. 1. 10. It is said of ⟨p. 208⟩John, That he was ravished in the Spirit, as a man locked in armour: When the Spirit of God doth possess the Soul, and compasseth it about, it keeps it from the ways of iniquity, and causeth an aptness to good, 1. Tim. 17. For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a good and sound mind. And the reason why men do neglect it, is, because they know not the way to get it. They know not the power and efficacy of the Spirit, and that is the reason there is so little effect in this business. Let a man be left to his own Spirit, and Gods Spirit removed from him, he will lust after all evils: Take example of Elijah and John Baptist; It is said of John, that he came in the spirit of Elijah, which did excel in him. Take Elijah, and extract that Spirit from him which he had from God, and he would be but as other men.