A09977:687
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 16 › Part 7 › The Jnfinitenesse of his presence, Or, His Jmmensity.
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.
Only one caution must be taken in: You see that the light is in many places throughout the world, but the presence of GOD is not like to that presence, nor the presence of any creature, because he is totally present: the creatures are ⟨p. 150⟩not so, but according to the parts of them, one part here, another there: but GOD being without all parts, whereso ever he is, he must be totally there. Therefore you must not conceive, God is commensurable by the place, as if he were partly here, and partly in another place, but he is every where all present. The heavens you see have a large place, but they have one part here, another there: but the Lord is totally present, wheresoever he is present.
Onely one caution must be taken in: You see that the light is in many places throughout the world, but the presence of GOD is not like to that presence, nor the presence of any creature, because he is totally present: the creatures are ⟨p. 150⟩not so, but according to the parts of them, one part here, another there: but GOD being without all parts, whereso ever he is, he must be totally there. Therefore you must not conceive, God is commensurable by the place, as if he were partly here, and partly in another place, but he is every where all present. The heavens you see have a large place, but they have one part here, another there: but the Lord is totally present, wheresoever he is present.
Use 1 First, If God be every where present, so that he doth not do any thing by a mediate virtue or power,1 but he doth it by the presence of his essence, hence we gather: first, that he governs the world immediately. For though there be means used, yet he is present with those means. Other Kings must needs govern by Deputies and Viceroys; and inferior Magistrates of justice, because they cannot be every where: whence it comes to pass, that Kings may be good, and yet the people may be oppressed by their wicked instruments. But with the Lord it is not so: but he guides immediately, and being every where present, he needeth no Deputies, for he is not capable of information, as Kings are, but sees all with his own eyes, and hears all with his own ears. And again, he useth no Deputies: for the use of Deputies argues a defect, as the using of spectacles or crutches doth, if the eyes or legs were well and sound enough, a man would not use them; so a man would not write letters, or use