A80611:107
Christ the fountain of lifeChrist the fountaine of life
Christ the fountain of life: or, Sundry choice sermons on part of the fifth chapter of the first Epistle of St. John. Preached by that learned judicious divine, and faithful minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Cotton B.D. now preacher at Boston in New-England. Published according to Order.Christ the fountaine of life: or, Sundry choyce sermons on part of the fift chapter of the first Epistle of St. John. Preached by that learned judicious divine, and faithfull minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Cotton B.D. now preacher at Boston in New-England. Published according to Order.
London: printed by Robert Ibbitson, 1651
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.
And yet there is another winding in a mans heart, though in some truth the duties be done, yet there is many times an aptness in us to cover and to wind about our own sins, and to make them less then they be, and this is a wicked course, Psal. 125.4, 5. and therefore God would have us deal most plainly with him, that in the singleness of our hearts, when it may stand with the glory of God, and the confusion of our own faces, we will not be wanting to lay open our hearts before him, these be such windings as will not profit us, when we deal plainly and confess what we have done, and come to be thus open hearted to God, then is Christ ready to come suddenly into his Temple, when we have brought down our high spirits, and raised up our too low, base and dejected spirit; and laid all level before him, then there remains no more, but for Christ to come suddenly into his Temple.
And yet there is another winding in a mans heart, though in some truth the dutyes be done, yet there is many times an aptnesse in us to cover and to wind about our own sinnes, and to make them lesse then they be, and this is a wicked course, Psal. 125.4, 5. and therefore God would have us deale most plainly with him, that in the singlenesse of our hearts, when it may stand with the glory of God, and the confusion of our own faces, we will not be wanting to lay open our hearts before him, these be such windings as will not profit us, when we deal plainly and confesse what we have done, and come to be thus open hearted to God, then is Christ ready to come suddenly into his Temple, when we have brought downe our high spirits, and raised up our too low, base and dejected spirit; and laid all levell before him, then there remaines no more, but for Christ to come suddainly into his Temple.
But yet besides all this, when all this is don, yet there may be still a great measure of a rough, and harsh, and sharp, and fiery spirit in him, which Christ will have removed before he comes to dwell there, before that, he will have this harshness, ⟨p. 44⟩