A09977:483
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.
The Third which hath not much, but yet some difference from the former, is this, when the spirit of a man beholds God alone; when his eye is upon him, when he comes to worship ⟨p. 37⟩him, and upon nothing besides. If a man will have an eye to men, to the praise, or dispraise that shall follow the performance of the duty, he doth so far worship men. But he serves God and worships him in spirit, when his heart is left naked, and stripped of all other respects in the world, and so filled, and overawed with the presence of God, that all other respects do vanish. This it is to worship God in singleness of heart; and this is opposed to outward performance Col. 3.22.1 for eye-service is but only a bodily and outward worship: but when a man doth it with singleness of heart, then it is not eye-service as there; that is, it is not outward only. Now, singleness of heart is this; when the mind hath but one single object to look upon; so that to look, not upon any creature, but upon God, and none besides. This is to worship God in singleness of heart, which is the same with holiness of spirit. As the holiness of the vessel in the old law was when it was set apart from all other services to God alone, so the holiness of a mans spirit is, when it is separated from all by-respects and aims, and is wholly devoted to him (whence our word, Devotion doth spring) and when a man worships God with this nakedness, with this singleness and holiness of spirit, then he worships God in spirit. But when thou comest to perform any duty, as to preach a Sermon, or to pray, and thou lookest what men will think of thee, and what praise and credit thou shalt get by it, this pollutes your spirit; so ⟨p. 38⟩far as you do this, there is not singleness, but doubleness of spirit, and here is eye-service in GODS account.
The Third which hath not much, but yet some difference from the former, is this, when the spirit of a man beholds God alone; when his eye is upon him, when hee comes to worship ⟨p. 37⟩