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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	day_n	lord_n	week_n	6,148	5	10.2436	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09965	Foure godly and learned treatises Intituled, I. A remedy against covetousnesse. II. An elegant and lively description of spirituall death and life. III. The doctrine of selfe-deniall. IV. Vpon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. Delivered in sundry sermons, by that late famous preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Doctor of Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinarie to his Majestie; master of Emanuel Colledge, and sometime preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Three sermons upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. aut	1633 (1633)	STC 20222; ESTC S115040	185,075	475

come very neare within a step or two to heaven and yet misse it many there are which do much like the young man yet some thing is wanting that also must be had els there is no Salvation Why is there so little change in men but because they thinke that lesse will serve the turne This cold overly and customary performance of holy duties marres all therefore consider but this First that it doth you no good at all what good did the Laodiceans luke-warmnes doe them they had as good bin cold yea God wisheth that they were either hot or cold Rev. 3.15 What good did all that Amafiah did to him seeing that he did it not with a sincere perfect heart These dowbaked services as I may so stile them these carkases without life these slight services profit not therefore there are conditions added to them in the Word prayer prevailes If it be fervent Iam. 5.16 If thou beleevest with all thine heart Act. 8. Effectuall faith diligent hope and fruitfull love 1 Thess. 1.3 It is a good observation of Divines that God loves adverbs better than verbes well doing above doing those that came to the wedding not having wedding garments were shut out Math. 22.11.12.13 as well as those that came not those that offred strange fire as Nadab and Abihu and their company were consumed as well as they that did not offer at all Secondly consider the nature of the thing what it is to be religious Is it an easie thing to turne nature to worke a change Is it easie to get ground of a raging lust It is as hard as to get ground of the Sea Consider the difference betwixt the Law and us That is spirituall wee are carnall Rom. 7. Consider the distemper of your affections and know your selves all that we have in us is either common or corrupt nature Gods graces are beyond the one and contrary to the other must we make these duties of religion to be onely in the by Prayer keeping of the Sabboths are to most men but as things in the by the streame of their affections runs in an other channell There is another thing required of us than this we must love the Lord with all our hearts and strength Deut. 6.5 This is it which all must do they must love God with all their strength else they are not worthy of him There is a qualification required of all that are saved he is not worthy of Grace or Heaven that seekes them not with his utmost indevour The difference twixt Cains Abels sacrifice was this Gen. 4.3 4.5 The one did it negligently brought the worst of his fruits the other brought the best he had Cursed is every one that doth the worke of the Lord negligently that is contenting himselfe with the outward performance of it doing it as a taske and being glad when it is done and over to doe it diligently is to worke with an eye to that which it tends to and to obtaine the end The end of prayer is to quicken you to performe holy duties when you obtaine this end then is your prayer diligent To do things onely for shew is nothing the effect and end is all you esteeme not your servants works unlesse they obtaine their end there is nothing that you esteeme the end of it being not done What is it to pray the end being not done men not being built up by it Iude 20. We must build up our selves in our most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost A cold formall performance doth but hurt us breeds more coldnesse and deadnesse in us In habits the more imperfect the acts are the more they weaken the habits the duties of religion coldly performed weaken grace Let a man accustome himselfe to write carelesly and crookedly it marreth his hand Let us therefore do all we do to God with diligence and fervency consider that those whom you thinke least needed for to do it did so their diligence should stir you up You know that Iacob wrestled with God all night Gen. 32.24 and so should you wrestle with him with strong prayers Christ himselfe spent many nights in prayer looke upon the prayers of David the fastings of Daniel a●ove all others looke upon Paul you may see him in watching in prayers and in fastings often he had a continuall strife with his heart to bring his body that is the deeds of his body into subjection I keepe under my body saith he and bring it into subjection 1 Cor. 9.17 My body that is the sinfull lusts of my body must bee brought downe I must go thorow fighting till I have the victory else I shall be a cast-away I shall else have onely an outward shew but yet bee nothing accounted of with God Consider this if a little diligence will not serve the turne adde more if prayer will not doe it adde fasting to it As there are some divels that will not be cast out without fasting and prayer so also are there some sinnes Make the plaister fit to the disease Complaine not with the sluggard who puts his hands in his bosome and doth nothing at all or doth not proportion his labour to the worke Lesse labour would serve the turne if our soules were as dry wood but they are as greenwood there must be much blowing ere they will bee kindled It is hard to get our soules to good duties hard to keepe them on the wing we must continue in prayer and that instantly too Men are ready to give over and to sit downe but you must continue Eph. 6. We must watch thereunto with perseverance there must every day be a new winding up of the soule there is a spring of sin in us so there must be a spring of holy duties we must doe them constantly you have daily new crosses and impediments therefore you must mend your pace in the way to heaven and bee more diligent you must be fervent in spirit serving the Lord and not slothfull Rom. 12.11 Doe your owne worke up and be doing and the Lord shall be with you 1 Chr. 22.16 God will deale with you as he did with the Eunuch hee was reading of the Scripture and God sent Phillip to him for to teach him Act. 8.26 c. So Cornelius hee was praying and God sent his Angell to him first and afterward Peter Act. 10. So the Apostles when as they rowed all night as Christ bade them he at last joynes himselfe to them and helpes them Matth. 14.24 c. The worst natures with his helpe can doe any thing the best without him can doe nothing Fiftly if the wayes of God are so full of crosses and difficultyes then learne from hence to justifie the wisedome of the Word of God and the Religion in the Scriptures It is an argument that it comes from heaven because it is not a whit agreable with our natures It is a pure and no leaden Lesbian rule it is

his heart that they may lye there in the habits that they may be in the heart as fire raked in the ashes But if a man will come to receive the Sacrament and suffer these habits these graces he hath to lie still there he comes not as a worthy receiver there are indeed degrees of unworthinesse he comes not as a worthy receiver except hee stirres them up except they be acted at that very time as for example when we come to receive the Sacrament wee ought then to have an especiall humiliation and sorrow for our sinnes we ought then to have an especiall love to Iesus Christ we ought then to have a special rejoycing in him and in all the Priviledges wee have by him we ought then to have a speciall love to our brethren the men with whom wee converse and among whom wee live now if a man come and receive and do not stirre up and act these graces he receivs unworthyly and my ground for it is this You see in the feast of Reconciliation the Tenth day of the Seventh moneth the Lord tels them there you shall come and you shall keepe it you shall not do worke c. But is this enough no He that doth not actually afflict his soule saith he that day he shall be cut off from his people Levit. 23.27 This is though they had a habitual disposition and their hearts were prepared to sorrow for their sinnes and to take them to heart and bewaile them this is not enough saith hee at this time you must afflict your soules that is there must be a stirring up of that sorrow So likewise you finde this in the feasts in more places than one that when they come to keepe the feasts at that time they shall eate and drinke and refresh themselves but in any case rejoyce Deut. 12 and Deut. 16. I will not stand to repeate the places That is it 's not enough for you to have thankfull hearts to have hearts prepared for these things in the habit but you must then rejoyce for it is the season of it for every thing is good in it's season and the Lord requires it at such a time Therefore thus thinke with thy selfe whensoever thou comest to receive the Sacrament this is the time that the graces I have the habituall graces must be new pointed as it were they must bee new whetted new scowred that they may be bright and shining upon such an occasion when the Lord cals for it you must then quicken and stir them up that they may bee all acted in your hearts And this is one thing that it 's not enough for a man to bee in Christ to take the priviledges that belong to him but there is a certaine qualification required that must be done at that time when the Covenant is renewed And this is one to have the graces thus acted Secondly there must be a new Reconciliation For the Saints those that are within the covenant those that are regenerate men you must marke it well for it 's a point of much use when they commit sinnes against God the guilt of their sinnes is retained though they are within the covenant and are not cut off from Christ but are in him yet I say when they have sinned the guilt of that sinne continues and is continued till they be reconciled and renewed by faith and repentance as you see it was with David Nathan would not have said when hee came to him Thy sinnes are forgiven thee if there had not beene a new thing if there had not beene a thing done at that time and therefore it intimates so much that before his sin was not forgiven that is the Lord was angry with him You must know therefore this that when a regenerate man sinnes there is only a particular guilt the universall guilt of sinnes returnes not for that would cut him quite off that would put him absolutely into the state of damnation but it 's a particular guilt for every particular sinne that is even as a father is pleased well with his son and knowes him to be his sonne hee is affected to him as to his sonne yet hee hath done such a particular action that hath offended him and for that particular offence hee withdrawes himselfe from him hee carries not himselfe to him as he was wont to do being offended with him for such a fault now till the sonne hath reconciled and humbled himselfe for that particular action though the father hath an hundred gifts to bestow on him yet hee shall have none of them till hee hath reconciled himselfe So thinke with thy selfe if any sinne lye in the way when thou commest to partake of this priviledge to receive the Sacrament or when thou commest to call on God for any particular mercy or to have any request granted thinke then with thy selfe such a sinne I committed I must humble my selfe for it I must labour to make reconciliation labour to have this taken away that my Father may bee reconciled to mee then come and take the priviledge for now it belongs unto me therefore there is a necessity of renewing our repentance and reconciliation most exactly and to take a very particular examination of our wayes when we come to receive the Sacrament or when wee draw neere to God upon such speciall occasions least our Father though he be a Father to us have some particular quarrell against us for even he whom we call Father 1 Pet. 1.17 iudgeth every man even his owne sonnes without respect of persons that is he did not beare any ill in them thus you see did he with Moyses with David and others and the like he doth with all the Saints This is the second qualification that is required before you can have any part in any of the priviledges before you can attaine unto this assurance to aske and have therefore it is not without use and that not in the Sacrament onely but also in that which we have to deliver Thirdly suppose there be no particular sinne suppose the grace you have be acted when you come to receive the Sacrament yet there is a third thing required a third qualification that must be found in the heart of him that will be a worthy receiver and that is to observe well what distance is growne betweene the Lord and him ever since the time that he hath in a more particular manner beene reconciled to him This is another thing than what wee named before to consider what rust hath growne upon his soule what soyle his heart hath contracted by conversing in the world and by medling with worldly and earthly things for the soule gathers soyle with medling with them even as the hands doe now thou must thinke with thy selfe when thou commest to the Lord and drawest neere to him in this or any other duty thou must recover that distance againe and bring thy heart neerer to the Lord thou must draw neerer to him

and good a man that lives a naturall life not knowing the life of grace is sensible of more good and evill than sensible beasts hee apprehends Heaven and Hell but a man that lives the life of grace is more capacious of comfort here you may suffer your facultyes to runne out to the utmost If ye desire wealth or pleasures your affections must not runne out yee must hold them in else they drowne you into perdition and pierce you thorow with many sorrowes If ye affect heavenly Treasures if yee affect praise with God yee may be as covetous of them as you will Thirdly let this move you to seeke this life of grace because it is the most excellent thing of all other All other things are subordinate to it the utmost end is still most excellent the end of warre is for peace therefore peace is better than it yee plow for harvest therefore harvest is best the end of all actions is for this life of grace Why labour yee for foode but to maintaine life Why live ye but to serve your soules Prudence is a steward to this holy life as the steward provides for the family that the master be not troubled with those meaner things so prudence is a steward that the soule may be occupied about things that are agreeable to it that it may have its conversation in heaven and with God Pervert this order it destroyes the creature Beasts living the life of sence it doth perfect them for that is their utmost end man having reason living as a beast destroyes himselfe because that is not his end he that perfects himselfe as a beast destroyes himselfe as a man perfectio mentis est perfectio hominis Let this stirre us up to live this life it is the utmost end of all To be Lawyers Physitions and other callings helpe us in the living of this life yet they are subordinate to it drowne not your selves in subordinate things if ye doe it is your destruction therefo●● pitch on the principall Fourthly that which is best in the end I take end now in another sence is to be chosen above all things else That is well which ends well In this life of grace yee have this advantage which yee have no where else Eccles. 7.4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning that is this life disposeth us to thinke of death the end of all which to doe is wisedome Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise then would they consider their latter end In other things the beginning is good the end is bitter but the actions of the life of grace are sweet yee fare the better for them the very remembrance of them is pleasant and the reward of them comes not long after All other things are called perishing meates Iohn 6.27 There is a parable in it that is they are as perishing meats that are sweete in the palate yet they passe away but this endures unto eternall life it continues The worst thing in this life yee never repent of as it is said of sorrow for sinnes that it is sorrow never to be repented of but the best things that yee doe in the other life ye repe●t of All other things that yee doe they may be sweet for the present yet as it is said of drunkennesse Prov. 23.32 so may it be said of them that they bite like a Serpent and sting like an Adder though they seeme sweet The strange woman is sweet yet Prov. 5.4 her end is bitter as wormewood sharpe as a two-edged sword Goods evill gotten are sweet for the present yet their mouthes shall be filled with gravell that got them But on the other side the end of all the actions of this life is good as it is said of Iob that his latter end was more than his beginning Iob 42.12 So may it be said of all those who live this life Psal. 37.37 Marke the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace If a man being to die and having ended his daies should put all his honours wealth and pleasures into one ballance and his good workes all his faithfull prayers all the actions of the life of grace into another he would find them to be best The bad man doth as the Silkeworme doth winding up himselfe into his ill workes he perisheth the other winding up himselfe in his gracious actions enters into salvation Fiftly choose this life before all others because God is pleased with it it being like himselfe as the creature is pleased with that which is like it God is a Spirit and will bee worshipped in Spirit and truth he is a living God and doth delight in a living man wee our selves delight not in dead men no more doth God therefore Rom. 12.1 We are exhorted to give up our soules and bodyes a living sacrifice to God God regards not dead bodyes bee yee living sacrifices which is the act of your will acting the duties of this life This is called walking with God which is to be in his presence to goe his way and to maintaine communion with him this is when as men doe audire et reddere voces when there is naturall delight when as they are in presence one with another and therefore walking with God and pleasing of God are used promiscuously for one and the same thing For Gen. 5.22 it is said of Enoch that he walked with God and Heb. 11.5 It is said that he pleased God But you will say what benefit is this I answer that is it great God disposeth of all things in the world is it not wisedome then to have him your friend Gen. 28.9 Iacob being to take his journey Isaacke said unto him God all-sufficient be with thee God is all-sufficient if yee have him yee have all In the creatures there is no such thing there is nothing but vanity in them they are but as candles or as Starres to the Sunne God is all-sufficient all the happinesse of the creature makes not men happy All men seeke happinesse yet they never finde it without having God All happinesse is in Gods favour In outward happinesse you must have other compounded things Christ rebuked them that counted her happy in the creatures saying Blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the Paps that gave thee sucke No saith Christ these will not make a man happy but blessed are they which heare the word of God and keepe it having God ye have all things God disposeth all things and giveth the comfortable fruition of them Ye may have all outward things and yet want comfort Gods curse makes all miserable though yee have all that the creature affords therefore give your selves no rest till yee have got this life without which God delights not in you Adam losing Gods Image was not happy because God was gone from him yet hee had all the creatures which he had before This life of grace

so much beforehand and prepare for it before ye enter into those waies of God take heed of Baruchs fault Ierem. 45.5 Looke not for great matters for your selves in the world ye shall have affliction Iohn 16.33 but in Christ ye shall have peace looke therefore for all in heaven Remember ye must not take Christ onely as a Saviour but you must take him as a Lord as a husband you must have a wedding garment a conjugall affection and be divorced from all other things that so you may take him thus yee must take him as your husband for better for worse with losses and crosses your will must be subject to him in all things If to be Christs Servant were onely to give him a cap and a knee he would have many that would serve him but you must obey him His servants you are to whom yee obey Rom. 6.16 There are servants which you call Retainers which doe their owne worke on the weeke dayes peradventure on the Sabbath they come to their Master and serve him thus most are Christs Servants they will serve him on the Sabboth perchance but at no time else but as on the Sabboth so at all times else you must deny your selves In other marriages error personae doth nullifie the marriage so doth it when wee take Christ it is an error in our judgements not to know what he is and that is the reason why wee so quickly fall away from him wherefore every one that lookes for any interest in Christ must consider with himselfe before hand and cast his eyes on all his comforts on that which is pleasant to him and resolve to part with it for him yea hee must looke on bitter things on the sufferings of others and make account of disgraces and persecutions if hee will follow Christ If better come doe you reputare in ●ucrum count it over-plus Caesar when as hee was goeing to fight would usually tell his Souldiers that the enemies were as many more as they were that so he might make them more resolute and audacious If you meane to follow Christ looke for a rainy day It may bee it is a faire morning but yet we know not what the evening will be Nescis quid serus vesper vehat Shall a man goe to sea and not looke for stormes Shall a Souldier goe into the warres and not looke for enemies Forecast this therefore lest going with 2000. you are met with 20000. and overcome your resolutions being too weake Secondly if the wayes of God are full of crosses and difficulty then it is not the way to heaven that most men goe that common road of pleasure and jollity which most men treade in is not the way the true way is per diverticula a by a narrow way which few men follow If we finde our waies full of jollity wee have cause to suspect them Luk. 6.21 Woe unto you that laugh now for yee shall weepe hereafter ye that are full here shall hunger hereafter This loosenesse in following Christ is not the way My brethren if yee are going to any City and yee are told before hand that in the way to it there are many narrow bridges many brakes to goe thorough that there are many vagrants to devoure you many syrens to allure you if ye find no such thing ye may well suspect that yee are out of the way So if ye find no such opposition no such crosses and difficulties no such strong lusts in the way to heaven it is a signe yee are out of the way Whoever will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution Paul tels Timothy here that he hath knowne his persecutions and afflictions and then he concludes that Whoever in this present time or in succeeding generations will live a holy life must suffer for it A man may suffer and do much for Christ but Paul tels him hee must goe further and suffer persecution for Christs sake and the Gospel But you will object why should any man suffer for the Gospel seeing that the Gospell brings glad tidings of peace I answere that there are two parts of the Gospell the first is that if yee take Christ ye shall be saved the second is that if ye take him not ye are damned it is not the first part the offering of Christ but the subsequent condition that doth breed persecution Math. 21.33 When as the maister of the vineyard sent his servants to the husbandmen all his servants were abused because they called for fruite which the husbandmen were unwilling to give When holy men call for fruite and amendment of life this stirs up men against them If in the way ye goe ye finde not these crosses this opposition it is the broad way not the way that leadeth to life Thirdly if the wayes of God are full of crosses then bee not discouraged from doing good actions for the crosses that follow them that is a necessary concomitant and cannot be severed Many would be willing to doe much but it may cost them their estates then they favour themselves and will sleepe in a whole skin But if a case comes that yee must stand against Popery and for justice against indirect courses stand to it though persecution and imprisonment come turne neither to the right hand nor to the left hand that is there are many stops and lets in the way which God hath chalked out unto us yet though there be Lyons in it ye must not step out of it ye must go on yee must grapple with the crosse and not goe out of the way if yee balke those crosses or if yee sit still and do nothing yee provoke God against you as much as for your evill deeds Rev. 2.19 I know thy workes and suffrings saith Christ. Christ takes notice if yee suffer for him so he doth if ye decline the crosse Cowardlinesse may lose your soules as well as rebellion your bodies If yee have good cards yet if you play them ill you loose so when you have a prize in your hands and not use it you loose by it so when as you have opportunity to doe good and doe not stand out God will call you to an account for it yee shall receive judgement for sinfull silence as well as for corrupt speach Iudges 5.23 Meroz was cursed because they came not out to helpe the people of God as well as the enemies that fought against them Luke 13.6 The barren Trees that did beare no fruite were cut up as well as the briers so shall men that have places in which others would have done good Revel 21.8 the fearefull are put first in the catalogue of those which shall have their portion in the lake of Brimstone which burnes with fire for ever those that are afraid to doe good shall have their portion there Take heede therefore of missing opportunities through feare or cowardize deny your selves take up the crosse and follow Christ whiles you may Many are much