A09977:581
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
Sermon 14: THE FOURTEENTH SERMON.Sermon 14: THE FOVRTEENTH SERMON.
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.
Object. WHEN men hear that GOD is thus unchangeable, that when he hath rejected any, he never retracts his decree; this objection may be made. For what end is it then to pray, to endeavour a change of life, or to repent, for if there be such ⟨p. 92⟩an unresistable decree past against me, what hope is there?
Object. WHEN men heare that GOD is thus unchangeable, that when he hath rejected any, he never retracts his decree; this objectiō may be made. For what end is it then to pray, to endeavour a change of life, or to repent, for if there be such ⟨p. 92⟩an unresistable decree past against mee, what hope is there?
Before I come to a particular answer to this, I will premise these two things in general.
Before I come to a particular answere to this, I will premise these two things in generall.
First, you know, that in other things there is an unchangeable Decree,1 as there is an unalterable Decree concerning the time of mens death, and yet no man for this doth cease to eat, or to take Physic: so there is an unchangeable Decree concerning the success of every business under the Sun, yet we do not forbear to take counsel, and to use the best means to bring our enterprises to pass: And so there is an unchangeable Decree concerning the salvation of men, concerning giving grace, or denying grace to them; and you can no more take an argument from hence, to give over endeavours, than you can in the former.