A09977:408
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 Seeing eternity is a property of God; we should learn hence, to mind most the things that are eternal,1 for they are, of all other things, of the greatest moment, because they do most participate of this transcendent property of the almighty. God is eternal, the soul is eternal, heaven and hell are eternal; therefore they are more to be regarded of us. You shall see this in 1 Joh. 2.17. as a reason why we should not mind the things of the world;2 because the world vanisheth, it passeth away, and the lusts thereof (saith the Apostle;) that is, look upon all the things below, and both the things pass, and your affections and desires pass, that which you love to day, to morrow you will not love; therefore love them not, regard them not, for they are of a flitting and passing nature, but he that doth the will of the LORD abides for ever; and therefore we are to mind such things most: such as the King is, such are his subjects, and such are the rewards and punishments that he gives. Now God, he is eternal, 1 Tim. 1.17.3 To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, and only wise GOD, be honour and ⟨p. 162⟩glory for ever. And as he is an eternal King, so he hath given to us, his subjects, to be eternal, as the soul is; and he hath given punishments, and rewards eternal; hell is an everlasting prison, and heaven is an eternal Palace; therefore these are the things most to be regarded of us. And if we would but throughly consider that these things are eternal, it would effectually draw our minds to the things that are above. A man that comes to an Inn, if he can get a better room, he will; if not, he can be content with it, for he saith, it is but for a night; so your habitation here is but for a night: if you can have a better condition, use it rather, but if not, be not much moved, for it is but for a night. In worldly things the shortness of them makes us to undergo them cheerfully. An apprenticeship that is hard, a man will endure it, for he saith it is but for a time; so things that are pleasant, if they be but of short continuance, we regard them the less. Now our time that we have here, in respect of eternity, is shorter than an apprenticeship, nay, than a night, nay, shorter than an hour. Now put the case, that a man should have an hour given him; and it should be said to him;