A09977:457
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.
To fit thy spirit for the Lord, that is a spirit, and the father of spirits, thou must go yet one step further; thou must labour to beautify it, to seek to adorn it by a spiritual excellency. Now if thou wouldest beautify it by any thing, seek not for outward excellencies, as clothes, or fine apparel, or adorning in the sight of ⟨p. 16⟩men, but seek such an excellency as is suitable to the spirit: seek not other things; for they are such things that God regards not. So that, as every man seeks some excellency or other, that which thou art to seek is, to get spiritual excellency, such as may beautify thy heart, for that which is outward, God regardeth not. You shall see an excellent place for this, Isay 66.2.1 All these things hath my hand made, saith the Lord, but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. When the Lord looks upon all things here below, they are all at his command, (my hand hath made them, saith he, and I can dispose of them as I will) but what is it, of all them, that I do esteem? a spirit that is fashioned, and beautified with inward ornaments, so that it trembles at my word, that is the thing which I regard. So 1 Pet. 3.3. you have a comparison there of outward excellencies,2 and of the spiritual decking of the inward man, which the Apostle preferreth, because that is a thing that is esteemed of by God. Whose adorning, saith the Apostle, let it not be that outward adorning, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on of apparel: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. So it is said of wisdom, Prov. 3.22.3 It shall be life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck: that is, wisdom adorns the soul in the sight of God, therefore that is the ⟨p. 17⟩