A09977:398
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.
He is the dispenser of all time to others; he is Lord of all time, all times do but issue out of him, as rivers from the sea; he dispenseth them as it pleaseth him, Psal. 90. compare verse 2. and 3. together,1 Before the Mountains were brought forth, &c. even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art GOD. Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest; return ye children of men. He sets time to the sons of men; where we shall see that this is the property of him, that is eternal, to set times and seasons to men, &c.
He is the dispenser of all time to others; he is Lord of all time, al times do but issue out of him, as rivers from the sea; he dispenseth them as it pleaseth him, Psal. 90. compare verse 2. and 3. together,1 Before the Mountaines were brought forth, &c. even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art GOD. Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest; returne yee children of men. He sets time to the sonnes of men; where we shall see that this is the property of him, that is eternall, to set times and seasons to men, &c.
The reason why God must be eternal,1 is this, because he is what he is of himself, he is without all cause, and therefore can have no beginning or ending; and therefore he must of necessity be without all motion, and without all succession, for all succession presupposeth motion, and all motion presupposeth a cause and effect; for whatsoever is moved, is either moved from no being to a being, or from an imperfect, to a more perfect being; that is, to be moved to an higher degree: now God that hath nothing in him to be perfected, is not capable of a further and higher degree.