A09977:567
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.
Answ. Beloved, never an Angel, nor I, nor any creature can tell you; you see that he took Saul at the beginning of the kingdom, when he was young and strong; he took the Jews at the beginning of Jeremies preaching; only the use that you are to make of it is this: Take heed ⟨p. 84⟩of neglecting God, or good admonitions, take heed of contemning the word from day to day, and saying, that I will repent hereafter; for the Lord perhaps will not give thee a heart to repent, he will not hear you, as he said before, though you cry never so much to him, as in time of extremity you are likest to do.
Answ. Beloved, never an Angel, nor I, nor any creature can tell you; you see that he tooke Saul at the beginning of the kingdome, when hee was young and strong; hee tooke the Iewes at the beginning of Ieremies preaching; onely the use that you are to make of it is this: Take heede ⟨p. 84⟩of neglecting God, or good admonitions, take heede of contemning the word from day to day, and saying, that I will repent hereafter; for the Lord perhaps will not give thee a heart to repent, he will not heare you, as he said before, though you cry never so much to him, as in time of extremity you are likest to doe.
Use 2 The second use I take out of Rom. 11.28, 29. As concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the Fathers sake. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 1The meaning of it is this: saith the Lord, I have cast away the Jews, and they are now enemies for the Gospels sake, that is, that the Gospel might come sooner to you; they have rejected it, that upon their refusal, it might come to you Gentiles; they are enemies and cast off, yet they are beloved for their fathers sake; that is, in regard of the promise that I made to their father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and in regard of that covenant, I will not alter; not, saith he, to all the Jews, but those whom I have elected, so far as my covenant reacheth, with whom I have made it. Do not think that there is any change of the Lord toward them, For the gifts and calling of the Lord, that is, the calling of them by the work of the Spirit, and the gifts of saving grace, that he hath bestowed upon the elect Jews, they are without all repentance, there is no change in them. Then if ever thou art in covenant with God, and hast this seal in thy soul, that there is a change