A80611:363
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.
Oh, if God would but restore me to health, you should see I would become a new man; why when he was in health he said, If sickness or danger came, that should be the time wherein he would be made clean, but when sickness comes, then we put God off till health again. As if a Debtor should put off his Creditor from Summer to Winter, and from thence to Summer again, the answer will never be given; why now it shall be this day say you in sickness, it shall be when God shall bring me to health; but why not to day? you put off God from health to sickness, and from sickness to health again, and when they do not so, and come and tell them of it, they will say, Why it is true, God forgive them, they thought to have done such a thing, and they hoped to have done it; But when shall it once be? Why not to day before to morrow? what if you dye of this sickness, will you go to Hell immediately? will you take no course for turning the wrath of God from you; Are not you now sick, why do you defer it any longer? and though he be not able to turn himself in his bed, yet he may turn to God. It is a vain thing to put off God to health, for in our sickness God will sooner visit us, and doth expect that in the day of our affliction we should seek him diligently and early, Hos 5. last. When will it once be? So that take notice of this desperate deadness of a mans heart out of Christ, he is dead in sin, so as that he neither doth any good, nor is able to do any good, nor is willing to do any good.
Oh, if God would but restore me to health, you should see I would become a new man; why when he was in health he said, If sicknesse or danger came, that should be the time wherein he would be made cleane, but when sicknesse comes, then we put God off till health againe. As if a Debtor should put off his Creditor from Summer to Winter, and from thence to Summer againe, the answer will never be given; why now it shall be this day say you in sicknesse, it shall be when God shall bring me to health; but why not to day? you put off God from health to sicknesse, and from sicknesse to health againe, and when they doe not so, and come and tell them of it, they will say, Why it is true, God forgive them, they thought to have done such a thing, and they hoped to have done it; But when shall it once be? Why not to day before to morrow? what if you dye of this sicknesse, will you goe to Hell immediately? will you take no course for turning the wrath of God from you; Are not you now sick, why doe you deferre it any longer? and though he be not able to turne himselfe in his bed, yet he may turne to God. It is a vaine thing to put off God to health, for in our sicknesse God will sooner visit us, and doth expect that in the day of our affliction we should seeke him diligently and early, Hos 5. last. When will it once be? So that take notice of this desperate deadnesse of a mans heart out of Christ, he is dead in sinne, so as that he neither doth any good, nor is able to doe any good, nor is willing to doe any good.