A09977:356
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.
1He is without all cause: for, if there were any cause of him, that cause must needs be caused, ⟨p. 141⟩either from some other, or from it self, not from any other; for then there should be something that is before the Lord, that is better than he, from whom he receives all things; but that cannot be: for, then it should be God, and not the Lord; and it is not from it self, because nothing is the cause of it self, for then it should be before it self, and it should be better than it self; for the cause, though it give the same that is in it self, to the effect, as the father to the son; yet the cause is better, because that which gives, is better than that which receives.
1He is without all cause: for, if there were any cause of him, that cause must needs be caused, ⟨p. 141⟩either from some other, or from it selfe, not from any other; for then there should be something that is before the Lord, that is better than he, from whom he receives all things; but that cannot be: for, then it should be God, and not the Lord; and it is not from it selfe, because nothing is the cause of it selfe, for then it should be before it selfe, and it should be better than it selfe; for the cause, though it give the same that is in it selfe, to the effect, as the father to the sonne; yet the cause is better, because that which gives, is better than that which receives.
- 1Reason 1.
Again, it should be different from it self, for the cause is different from the effect: therefore it must needs be, that he is without all cause, and the first, and the beginning of all the creatures of God.