A09977:68
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.
For look upon all the creatures, and we shall see that they have an end;1 the end of the Sun, Moon and Stars is, to serve the Earth; and the end of the Earth is, to bring forth Plants; and the end of Plants is, to feed the beasts: and so if you look to all particular things else, you shall see that they have an end, and if they have an end, it is certain, there is one did aim at it, and did give those creatures, those several fashions, which ⟨p. 10⟩those several ends did require: As for example, What is the reason, why a horse hath one fashion, a dog another, sheep another, and oxen another? The reason is plain, a horse was made to run, and to carry men; the oxen to plough; a dog to hunt, and so of the rest. Now this cannot be without an author, without a maker, from whom they have their beginning. So likewise this is plain by the effects: for this is a sure rule: Whatsoever it is, that hath no other end, but it self, that seeks to provide for its own happiness in looking no further than it self; and this is only in God, blessed for ever; he hath no end but himself, no cause above himself, therefore he looks only to himself, and therein doth his happiness consist. Take any thing that will not go out of its own sphere, but dwells within its own compass, stands upon its own bottom to seek its happiness, that thing destroys it self; look to any of the creatures, and let them not stir out of their own shell, they perish there. So, take a man that hath no further end than himself,2 let him seek himself, make himself his end in all things he doth, look only to his own profit and commodity, such a man destroys himself: for he is made to serve God, and men, and therein doth his happiness consist, because that he is made for such an end: take those that have been serviceable to God, and men, that have spent themselves in serving God, with a perfect heart, we see that such men are happy men; and do we not find it by experience, that those ⟨p. 11⟩that have gone a contrary way, have destroyed themselves? And this is the third particular.
For looke upon all the creatures, and we shall see that they have an end;