A09977:748
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.
Thirdly,1 the further any thing is off from being, the more power it requires to bring it to Being. As take base materials, and there is greater power required, to make a fair building of them; to make a goodly statue of a crooked piece of wood, is harder, than that which comes nearer in propinquity to it. Now no being at all is in a thousand times greater distance, than the basest materials are from such or such a being, and therefore the power must be infinitely greater that brings it to being. Now the Lord hath done this, therefore his power must be infinite great. To make this more plain to you; Consider what it is that restrains mans power, so that he can go no further: it is because the matter will not permit him. If you give him clay, and straw, he can ⟨p. 180⟩make brick; but if you give him nothing, he can do nothing: so if you give him timber, he can make an house; but if you give him none of these, he can do nothing. But suppose now, there was such an architectour, such a builder, that if he did but imagine the model or frame of an house in his mind, he could set it up of nothing, or make materials at his pleasure, he could make it as big as he could conceive it, then also he could make as many houses as he could think of, and in as great and large a manner, as he could conceive, if there were such a one, there would be no restraint to him. Now the Lord is such a builder, whatsoever he conceives, he can make it without any thing, as he did the heavens and the earth: and therefore there is no restraint in his power, as there is in the creature.
Thirdly,1 the further any thing is off from being, the more power it requires to bring it to Being. As take base materialls, and there is greater power required, to make a faire building of them; to make a goodly statue of a crooked piece of wood, is harder, than that which comes neerer in propinquity to it. Now no being at all is in a thousand times greater distance, than the basest materialls are from such or such a being, and therefore the power must bee infinitely greater that brings it to being. Now the Lord hath done this, therefore his power must bee infinite great. To make this more plaine to you; Consider what it is that restraines mans power, so that he can goe no further: it is because the matter will not permit him. If you give him clay, and straw, hee can