A09977:143
Life eternalLife eternall
Life eternal or, A treatise of the knowledge of the divine essence and attributes Delivered in XVIII. sermons. By the late faithful and worthy minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston, D. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inn.Life eternall or, A treatise of the knowledge of the divine essence and attributes Delivered in XVIII. sermons. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, D. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inne.
London: printed by Richard, 1631
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.
Object. If you ask me, how faith differs from reason, and how this second proof differs from the former.
Object. If you aske me, how faith differs from reason, and how this second proofe differs from the former.
Answ. 1 I answer, after this manner: There is a double assent: One is a doubtful assent, which we call Opinion, that is, when we assent to the one part, so as we fear the contrary to be true.
Answ. 1 I answer, after this manner: There is a double assent: One is a doubtfull assent, which we call Opinion, that is, when we assent to the one part, so as we feare the contrary to be true.
The other is, a firm assent, and this is two-fold: Either it is grounded upon reason, which we call Knowledge; or else is grounded upon the authority of him that reveals it; and this we call Faith. And the difference of them stands in this: The objects of the first, which we call Knowledge, are natural things, such as God did not reveal himself, but they lye before us, and reason can find them out: but Faith believeth things that are revealed by God, yet so, as that there is no reason for them, as well as for the other. For if one come and tell you any thing, and if you believe it, you can give a reason of it, and why you believe it, aswell as of any other natural conclusion; as that he is a wise man, and one that I know will tell the truth, I have had experience of him heretofore, &c. Even so, when you believe the Scriptures, you can give a reason for it; it is, because God delivered it, and he cannot lye; but now, how do ye know that God delivered it? Because the men that delivered it, in his Name, did confirm it by works, and miracles, and predictions of times; so that reason runs along together with Faith: Only there is this difference between them; Faith addeth