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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09981	A liveles life: or, Mans spirituall death in sinne Wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. The doctrine of humiliation. Mercy to be found in Christ. Continuance in sinne, dangerous. Being the substance of severall sermons upon Ephes. 2. 1,2,3. And you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins, &c. Whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at Lincolnes Inne, on Gen. XXII. XIV. Delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1633 (1633)	STC 20235; ESTC S122552	73,904	134

as great things as ever he was yea and doth so too when there is the like occasion In like manner when our Saviour Christ was brought to the very brow of the hill by the people to bee cast downe from it why then he went a way thorow the midst of them so is the Lord able to doe with us and will also if there be the like need and therefore let us learne to trust in the Lord and in all things to depend upon him One would have thought it impossible when fortie men had secretly vowed neither to eat nor drinke till they had killed Paul for that to bee revealed and Paul to be delivered when so many that were able enough to destroy a poore prisoner had conspired against him yet we see the Lord delivered him from that great streight and therefore let us wait still upon the Lord for it is but the staying till the time be out and then he that can save will save and will not tarry And so much for the second thing The last point observable from these 〈◊〉 That godly mens extremities are but tryals sent for their good and not punishments sent for their hurt and ruine The Lord did this but to prove Abraham hee meant him to hurt at all in it And so the Lord doth by afflicting others of his owne people he doth not meane to hurt them by it And therefore when you see an affliction to bee so great as if it would undoe those on whom it is yet you shall see in the issue it was but like an evill for when Abraham was bid to take his onely Sonne Isaack whom he loved and offer him in a Sacrifice to the Lord and was suffered to bee the three dayes in the tryall yet the Lord meant him no hurt here was indeed a great apprehension of evill yet it was no evill but it might as much worke upon him as the evill it selfe Even so is it with us in our afflictions they are not evils but meere tryals and therefore we are not much to be dismayed for the greatest afflictions that can befall us in the world because they are but trials that doe befall thee from God I but will some say what shall I get by it Why so much that there is so little cause to be sorry for it that thou hast cause to rejoyce if thou woudest beleeve as it is said in the first of Iames 2. My Brethren count it great joy when you fall into divers trials It is a very fit Text for the purpose for the Lord said hee would prove Abraham and all is no more but to try us and not to doe us any hurt and this is a good reason why it is so in that wee are bid to rejoyce in it now we have no cause to rejoyce in that which wil hurt us neither will the Lord lay any unreasonable command upon us I but what if the tryals bee many Yet hee bids us rejoyce though they be of divers kindes when wee are not onely afflicted in the losse of goods and our friends forsake us in which wee might have some comfort if our healths and liberty might bee enjoyed or if all the outward man were afflicted yet if the spirit were whole it would beare out infirmitie I but what if that bee wounded too Why if there bee tryals of all sorts and you fall into them all and that of a sudden too as a fall of waves one comming upon the necke of another as they did upon Iob yet wee are bid to rejoyce Why one would thinke it were enough for a man to bee patient in that case yet saith the Apostle you must rejoyce in it yea count it exceeding joy that is as your trials are greater so let your joy be greater Why that is a strange command you will say I but though you see not the reason of Gods Commandements yet there is a great reason in them which if you saw you would keepe them most willingly And the reason of this Command is the greater the tryall is the more will bee the good and therefore the more cause of joy for if the most painefull bee the most gainefull then they that have them have the greatest cause to rejoyce in them It was a tryall for Abraham to goe from his owne land and to cast out his sonne Ismael I but this was the greatest and this brought him the greatest fruit that ever hee had I but what is that good Why this first it shall increase grace in your hearts for as the gold when it is tryed loseth nothing but drosse and so is made the better thereby so it is with our afflictions for the triall of our faith saith the Apostle bringeth forth patience so the greater thy tryall is the more it strengthens thy faith and so increaseth comfort for when the afflictions of the Apostle abounded his Consolation abounded also And hence it is that our Saviour Christ saith You shall receive an hundred fold with persecutions that is when the tryall doth abound the comfort shall abound Againe you shall have the greater wages for when a man hath a friend that hath be one employed about any great thing for him why the greater the trouble was which he did undergoe for him the more will hee bee beholding to him and the greater reward will hee bestow upon him even so the greater the tryals are from the Lord the greater benefit will come to us by them and therefore when you see the greatest tryals befall the Church and people of God bee assured by this which hath beene said that some great benefit is comming to them for doe you not thinke this is a usefull doctrine it may bee it concernes some of you now at this present if not it may doe and therefore lay it up before-hand and let us not thinke of our afflictions as of things that will undoe us but as tryals that will bring us profit For as the Spyes that went to Canaan were of two sorts and looked upon the Gyants that were in it with a double eye and so some of them said O the land is a very good land and incouraged the people to goe up into it and others that were afraid they said nay but the land eats up the Inhabitants thereof and discouraged the people to goe up into it Even so it is with many amongst us when they see afflictions befall the Church and people of God O they presently are afraid and therefore they say Who would be as these men let me be of such as be in prosperity and have friends and some that will provide for mee but what is the reason of this Why they send forth wrong spies and therefore they bring backe a false report but if thou wouldest send forth thy faith and spirituall wisdome which ought to be in thy heart then thou shouldest see it were no such matter And therefore let this be our practice

giving them leaves instead of silver and gold so doth hee deale with thee here for except there be a supernaturall frame of thy hear● there is not cause of comfort notwithstanding all thy civility and therefore thou must bee sure to have something in thee more than nature for civility will not bring to heaven 2 Formall performance of holy duties as praying reading c. that puffes men up and keeps them from humiliation If you either omitted them altogether then your conscience would checke you or performed them well then your heart would be bettered and you would be humbled but this formall doing of them keepes the heart dead and senslesse Remember therefore that no sacrifice is acceptable to God but that that comes from a Broken heart Psal. 51. 3 The badnesse of your nature you would doe better but your nature is so bad that you cannot But remember first That that aggravates your sinne and God likes you the worse for that and will the hardlier pardon you even as wee our selves are readiest to pardon an offence in a good nature Secondly your selfe is the cause of the badnesse of your nature God gave you in Adam a good nature but you have lost it and since by many sinnes have made it worse by farre 4 Gods mercy he is mercifull therefore you will not feare but what if hee be mercifull hee calls not thee thou art not burdened with thy sinnes he cals onely such Come unto mee all ye that are heavy laden and I will ease you What hast thou to doe with mercy which seest not thy misery thou hast no part in it as Iehu said to Iezabell 5 The making conscience of many things so Herod did many things after Iohns preaching so the Gentiles did by nature the things contained in the Law yet were without God Rom 2. but there is no example like unto that of Amazia 2 Chron. 25. 2. he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord for a long time but not with a perfect heart One may make conscience of praying in private and of doing many good duties and yet have no true grace but doe all out of a naturall conscience for feare of punishment 6. Because Judgements come not swiftly and are not speedily executed Ministers threaten but they feele nothing But wee must know that the lesse afflictions we have had the more are behind and I know not a more miserable condition than this is it is a most dangerous signe thou art ordained to death when thou art thus let alone vnpunisht As we use to say when men are frequently sicke there is no danger of death but when they never have beene sicke and at length fall into it it is very dangerous so it is to be feared that when once God beginnes with thee hee will make an end as hee threatned to Hophnie and Phincas hee will so strike that he will not strike twice so that nothing can be worse than for a sinner to goe on without trouble 7. Men judge their estates and sinnes in a false ballance of opinion none say they thinke ill of them but a few that are more precise than wise But consider 1 That Ministers are onely the men by whom ye beleeve not whom ye should beleeve take our words but so farre forth as they are proved unto you by Scripture and if they be true then although few be of that minde yet you ought to beleeve them 2 Consider whether that latitude of Religion which thou stickest unto and hopest to bee saved by will serve thee on thy death-bed and at the day of Judgement 3. Consider that it is the part of holy men and of none else to discerne which are the wayes of God every one is to be beleeved in his owne art therefore beleeve them Men thinke that it concernes onely some to bee holy as Ministers c. and not all I will answer such with the saying of Wisedome The way of godlinesse is too high for a foole If thou wert wise thou wouldest thinke it concerned thee also Now I beseech you brethren humble your selves and so much the rather because now the time and necessity of the Church requires it now while shee is thus in her mourning gowne seeke not after your profits and pleasures drinke not Wine in bowles use not now the liberties that otherwise lawfully you might Remember that saying of Vriah 2 Sam. 11. 11. The Arke and Israel and Iudah abide in tents and my Lord Ioab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields shall I then goe into my house to eat and to drinke and to lye with my wife c. And doe as Daniel did chap. 9. Now practise all the parts of Humiliation now Gods Church needeth it although you your selves were free yet humble your selves for the sinnes of others continually pray to God for them Remember what God threatneth to those Esa. 22. 12. that when he called to mourning they followed their pleasure hee saith He will not forget it to the death so Esa. 66. 4. God is angry with all that neglect this duty and will not bee stirred up to performe it but those that doe call on him he will heare The unrighteous Iudge Luk. 18. was overcome by importunity and then much more will God if we humble our selves as Mordecay Ester 4. 14. concluded excellently Their deliverance shall arise from another place so may we then certainly the Church shall stand and Antichrist shal fall as a mill-stone into the sea never to rise up againe I grant hee may rage very farre he hath raged farre already and how farre more he shall rage God onely knowes yet in the end certaine it is he shall fall the Church shall stand Let us all therefore be humbled you which have not yet begunne this humiliation now beginne and yee which have begunne bee stedfast therein knowing that your labour shall not bee in vaine in the Lord. Mercy to be found in Christ. The next thing to be shewed after this doctrine that wee are dead in sinne is the meanes of recovering our life and that is by Christ as it is in the Text you hath hee quickened that were dead c. Hee that is Chist hath done it Hence learne this doctrine of comfort as a refreshing cordiall next after the bitter potion of humiliation That Whosoever will come to Christ may come and finde mercy Rev. 22. 17. Whosever will let him taste of the waters of life freely Here I will shew 1 What is meant by will whosoever will that is he that will receive Christ with all his conditions to be his Lord and his Ruler c. Whosoever will thus take Christ hee may if wee would take Christ before wee were humbled we might but till we be humbled we will not take him It is Christ that gives life but till we be hungry we wil

will the Lord be seene in distresse will the Lord shew himselfe and therefore you are to take heed of discouragements that you leave not your hope for then you take away indevour and so Gods causes fall to the ground and thereby the Lord is forsaken of us for it is our hope that sets all aworke and the want of hope makes us turne our backes yea foyle and give over the Lords Battels and therefore we should still maintaine our hope in all extremities whatsoever for when the Lord sends any afflictions on the Church or our selves wee ought not to despise or make light of them because they are the messengers of the Lord to humble us so we must not on the other side have the sinewes of our soules loosened by them for as we are not to despise the Chastening of the Lord so are wee not to faint when wee are rebuked of him for in the Mount will the Lord be seene that is it is a thing that the Lord will usually doe not at this time when thou wouldest have him but even when Abraham was fetching the blow then to stay his hand And it is his usuall course so to doe and therefore it is turned into a proverbe because it is ordinary Secondly we have ordinary use of it and therefore likewise it is put into a proverbe for the Lord usually brings us into extremities and that it might be the better remembred of us it is put into a proverbe for that is the use of short sentences to be easily carried in the memory and therefore the Lord hath thus turned it As men doe by their Silver they change it into Gold that it may with the more ease be carried Now to cometo the words out of which wee may learne That it is Gods usuall manner to bring his children to extremities The examples are so many in Scriptures and in our daily experience of this that we need not insist on the proofe of it but proceed to shew the reasons thereof And the first cause why the Lord doth so usually doe it is When hee brings afflictions on his children he lets it runne along till they may thinke there is no more helpe nor hope that so it may be an affliction to them for it would not bee an affliction except it did runne on to the uttermost point for if there were any doore for us to get out wee were not compassed about but when a man hath no gap to goe out at that is it that makes the spirit of a man to sinke If a man were in a smoky house and had a doore open it were no difficulty for him to shift himselfe out of it but when wee are shut up that is it which makes it difficult and that it might be so the Lord suffers it to come to an extremity Secondly The Lord brings us to an extremity because the Lord might be sought to for so long as the Creatures can doe us any good we will goe no further but when they faile us wee are ready to looke up to the Lord As it is with men which are on the Seas when they are in an extremity those that will not pray at any other time will pray now and bee ready to say with these in the Prophet Hosea 6. 1. Come and let us returne unto the Lord for ●● hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up and the reason is because where the Creature ends the Lord must beginne otherwise there can be no helpe at all And hence it is that at the time of death when a man once sees that and hath no deliverance it quaileth the stoutest spirits that are as Saul when he could see nothing but death before him then he sanke downe to the ground and till then the Lord is not sought to but in their afflictions they will seeke mee saith the Lord because then they can goe no where else Therefore when a man is brought to say vaine is the helpe of man then he will looke to the Lord for his helpe but till then man is subject to looke round on every side to see if there bee any that will helpe but when there is none then hee seekes unto the Lord and is delivered Thirdly The Lord doth it because that hereby it comes to passe that the Lord may bee knowne to be the helper that when wee are delivered hee may have all the praise for otherwise if there be but a little helpe in the Creature wee are ready many times to ascribe it all to it or at least to divide the prayse and therefore the Lord said to Gideon Iudg. 7. 2. The people that are with thee are too many though indeed they were but few in comparison of the multitude which they were to goe against yet they were too many for Gideon to have acknowledged the hand of the Lord in it if hee should have had the victory with them But the Lord will not divide his glory with another and therefore he will bring a man to the streight to bee without all hope that so hee may have all the praise for when other meanes concurre with his helpe then it is divided but without that his arme lyes naked as it were and therefore that it might bee knowne hee brings them to extremitie Fourthly The Lord doth it because all that we have wee might have as a new gift Therefore the Lord suffers us as it were to forfeit our Leases that he may renew them otherwise we should thinke our selves to bee Free-holders But when wee come to see all gone our health wealth and credit to faile us and in that extremity the Lord to give it us it is as a thing given on a new gift and then we take our life as given againe of the Lord and so in any other streight when there is no helpe of man left then wee take it wholly from the Lord and then wee give it to him againe Fifthly The Lord doth it because hee may teach us by Experience to know him But here some man will be ready to say Why cannot that be without these extremities To this I answer You must know when a man goes on in a course without any troubles or changes his experience is to no purpose for hee hath no great experience of the Lord But when a man is in tribulation that brings experience and experience ●●pe for it is another kinde of experience that is so learned than that which comes without it and indeed nothing is well learned till it bee learned by experience And therefore our Saviour Christ himselfe that had all knowledge that could be had without this would have this also of experience likewise for when a man is in ex●●emity then shall hee have experience of the Lord And therefore it is said of Manasses when he was in affliction and had prayed to the Lord humbling himselfe and

concerning the estate and condition of the Church at this time and needfull it is wee should so doe for doe you not see the dangers that they and we are in and the confusion that is almost throughout all Europe yet God hath not forgotten us neither will he leave us if wee can but rest upon him what though there should be a sudden change so that all things were with us as it was in Hesters time yet could the Lord bring forth some good thing out of it that should tend much to his glory and our good Put the case all were turned upside downe as it was in the confused Chaos wherein heaven and earth was mingled together and the waters overcomming all the rest yet as then when the spirit of the Lord did but move upon the waters many beautifull creatures were brought forth and the Sea divided from the rest that those waters that seemed then to spoyle all serves now to water all and without it we cannot bee Even so were the Church in never so confused a condition yet the Lord shall so order the things that seeme to undoe us that they shall bring forth something of speciall use that is something to water and make fruitfull the house and people of God and therefore be not out of hope whatsoever befalls thee onely bee humbled for there is great cause so to be and the Lord calls thee to it by his Ministers and wee are his messengers to declare his will unto you and as we must bee humbled and take to heart the cause of the Church so wee must consider the time that wee may bee throughly affected thereby for it was Ephraims fault not to doe it and thou must see this distresse so as it may bring thee into the Mount for it is not an extremity simply that will cause the Lord to helpe thee but when thy soule is plowed up therewith and then the Lord will cast in the seed and water it so as thy soule shall spring againe and therefore let us still maintaine our hope in all conditions whatsoever And for this end did I fall upon this Text at this time That in the Mount will the Lord be seene FINIS The scope of the Chapter Three false guides among the Ephesians Doct. The Doctrine proved first by Reason Secondly by Scriptures 1 What this death is Two things a naturall and a spiritual death Dead workes why so called The seat of this death Ephes. 5. 1● 2. The kinds of this death How terrible the taking away of Gods presence is 3. The signes of this death Foure signs of bodily death 1. Privation of reason Obiect Answ. A difference betweene knowing spirituall things and knowing them in a right manner 2. Privation of sense 3. Want of motion 4. Want of beauty and vigour Obiect Answ. How wicked men may have moral vertues 4. The degrees of this death The death of guilt The death opposite to the life of grace Three degrees of this death The first The second The third The death opposite to the life of ioy Obiect Ans. 1 Ans. 2. Ans. 3. A difference betweene the spirituall and corporall death 5. The Vses of this point Vses 1. Not to defer repentance How the devil deceives men in perswading them to put off their repentance Saving repentance what it is Simile An example of Spira Vse 2. How to esteem civill men Simile Simile Vse 3. To stirre up to thankfulnesse for being quickned Vse 4. How to esteeme of the meanes of grace Vse 5. To examine ourselves whether we have life in us or no. Simile How the divell deceives civill men Two signes of our quickning 1. An application to examine our selves before we receive the Sacrament The nature of dead men Two kinds of spiritually dead men First starke deadnesse Three positive signes of dead men A careless neglect of goodnesse A lying still in any lust A living lust what it is An antipathy to God and godlinesse Five Privitive signes of dead men Privation of speech Privation of heat Obiect Answ. Stiffenesse Simile Privation of sense Obiect Answ. Matth 13. 13. opened No sympathizing in the miseries of others Two things to move us to consider the Churches misery Quest. Answ. What we must doe for the Church Pray for it Our Prayers must be fervent Spirituall Of Faith With Constancy Of righteousnesse With humility Be more ●ealous Stir up others Performe duties in due time With Continuance The Divels cunning to deferre men from doing good Duties Signes of civil men that seem to have life but have none indeed They doe not Grow They are moved by an outward Principle They doe it but in some places and company They speake from the teeth not frō the heart Iunius converted by a country-mans harty speaking Two meanes to get life Doct. No translation to life without apprehension of Gods wrath due to sinne Things considerable Three things keepe a man from Christ 1. Vnbeleefe 2. Neglect of him 3. Vnwillingnesse to part with other things for him Three things to be set against these to bring us to Christ. The necessity of a deepe humiliation Without sound humiliation we will not come to Christ. We will not stay with him Humiliation compared to the sout sorts of ground Matth. 13. We will not suffer or doe any thing for him Reas. 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reas. 4. The Doctrine of Humiliation must goe before Sanctification Vse Simile Three questions Quest. 1. Answ. True humiliation consists In seeing our lives abound in sinne In considering that there is nothing good in thee In smiting th● heart with a● apprehension of Gods curs● Quest. 2. Answ. What sorrow is required to true humiliation Quest. 3. Answ. How to know true sorrow How true Humiliation differs from other sorrow In the rise In the continuance Bousion Cons. 299. Simile By the signes and effects Contrition of heart 1. Heales our Sinnes Simile 2. It causeth love to Christ Signs to know whether we love Christ or no. 1. Obedience 2. Affection towards him 3. The light prizing of spirituall things 4. Contentednesse with the meanest condition 5. Feare of offending God 6. The finding of sweetnesse in the word of God 7. Meekenesse of spirit Obiect Answ. Humiliation changeth our nature Quest. 4. Answ. The differen● of humiliation in one well educated and a grosse sinner Quest. 5. Answ. The least degree of humiliation will make us count sin the greatest cuill Christ the greatest good A mans conversion consists in three things Quest. 6. Answ. The Law the onely meanes of humiliation Obiect Answ. The spirit of bondage what and why required to humiliation Obiect Answ. How afflictions and the Law concurre to humiliation Five meanes to humiliatiō 1. Meanes to consider our estates 1. Meanes to suffer sorrow to abide on us 3. Meanes see sinne in 〈◊〉 effects 4. Meanes to make these evilspresent by faith Two things ought to be present before vs. 5. Meanes To take heed of shifts Eight shifts whereby