A09977:365
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.
Use 1 If the Lord be without all cause, this we may gather then, that he doth not will any thing, because it is just,1 or desire it, because it is good, or love any thing, because it is pleasant; for there is no cause without him, all perfection is in him originally.
Vse 1 If the Lord be without all cause, this we may gather then, that he doth not will any thing, because it is just,1 or desire it, because it is good, or love any thing, because it is pleasant; for there is no cause without him, all perfection is in him originally.
- 1God therefore wills not things because they are just; but they are just because he wills them.God therefore wils not things because they are just; but they are just because he wils them.
The creatures indeed desire things, because they are good; and love them, because they are pleasant; because they seek for perfection out of themselves, because they are caused by that which is out of themselves: but this is not so in God, who is the first cause, because, of the first cause there is no cause; and of the first reason there is no reason to be given. Look whatsoever is in the creature, what justice or excellency, it comes from God; and if he should will any thing for this cause; because it is good, there should be a reciprocation, which is impossible. I speak this for this end; that in our judging of the ways of God, we should take heed of framing a model of our own, as to think, because such a thing is just; therefore the Lord wills it: the reason of this conceit is, because we think that God must go by our rule; we forget this, that every thing is just because he wills it; it is not that God wills it, because it is good or just. But we should proceed after another manner, we should find out what the will of God is; for in that is the rule of justice and equity; for otherwise it was possible that the Lord could err, though he did never