A09977:460
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.
When thou hast cleansed thy spirit, when thou hast adorned it with such spiritual beauty, so that God is delighted in thee: then thou must go yet further: thou must let it have rule, and dominion; thou must let it have the upper hand of the body in all things. Let thy spirit be still advanced, that is, let it not be drowned with the body, but be emergent still above it, kept ⟨p. 20⟩from all base affections, let it be clear from all corporeal dross, that is, from those bodily affections of meat, drink, uncleanness, sports, pastime &c. wherewith the body is delighted: for this spirit is the most excellent thing in thee, therefore it is meet that it should have dominion, that it should not be brought into subjection, no not by any spiritual lust, that ariseth from the spirit, that the body is not capable of; much more then a shame is it to be brought into subjection by any bodily lust, that wrongs the Father of spirits. 1 Cor. 6.12, 13.1 All things are lawful to me, saith the Apostle, but I will not be brought under the power of any thing. Meat is for the belly, and the belly for meat, but God shall destroy both it and them. His meaning is this, I see that it is not convenient for me to eat flesh; I do not deny but that I have a desire to eat flesh as well as others, but because it is not convenient, therefore I will bridle that appetite: for, Meat is for the belly, and the belly for meat, but God shall destroy both it and them. If that appetite should prevail, the body would rule over the soul: but that I will not suffer, that my spirit should be brought into subjection by any bodily appetite. And consider, what an unreasonable thing it is, that the spirit should be brought under the body. There are but two parts of a man, and they draw us two ways: the spirit draws us upward to the Father of spirits, (as it is a spirit:) and the body draws us downward. Now consider which should have ⟨p. 21⟩the upper hand, they will not go both together Now know this; that if the spirit be under the body, it will breed confusion. It is so in other things; look into the Common wealth, if you should see servants riding and Princes going on foot, look into nature, if the fire and air should be below, and the water and earth above, what confusion would there be? So is it in this case. The Apostle compares them to brute beasts,