A09977:435
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.
Now we will come to apply this.
Use 1 If God be a Spirit, first then this we may gather from it:
Vse 1 If God be a Spirit, first then this we may gather from it:
1 That his eye is chiefly upon the spirits of men.1 There are many things in the world, which his hand hath made: but that which he chiefly looks to, is the mind, and spirit of man. Whereas a man consists of two parts, a ⟨p. 5⟩body and a spirit, it is the spirit that is like to God: and in regard of the spiritual substance of the soul, it is said to be made after his Image, and therefore in Heb: 12, God is called, the Father of Spirits: Why? He is the Father of the body also, he made that, but the meaning is, that he is [Greek or Hebrew], Father over them, because he guides and nurtures them, being most like to himself: as the son is like the father, so they are like to him, and therefore he most regards the spirits of men. As you may see when Samuel went to anoint David King, and all the sons of Jesse came before him, those that were much more proper than David, God tells him, that he did not look upon the persons of men, nor upon their outward appearance, he heeds them not; what doth he then? he sees the soul and spirit of man; the Lord looketh upon the heart, and according to that he judgeth of them, 1 Sam. 16.7.2