A09977:763
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.
Secondly, when there is a repugnancy in the nature of the thing, it is no shortening or limitation of his power. Now a creature, if it be a creature, must be finite: And the Lord can do what may be done: but to make a creature infinite, is a contradiction. And therefore if he do not do it, it is not because he cannot but because the thing it self cannot be done.
Secondly, when there is a repugnancy in the nature of the thing, it is no shortening or limitation of his power. Now a creature, if it be a creature, must be finite: And the Lord can doe what may be done: but to make a creature infinite, is a contradiction. And therefore if hee doe not doe it, it is not because hee cannot but because the thing it selfe cannot bee done.
We now come to the application of this point.
Wee now come to the application of this point.
Use 1 If GOD be Almighty, then let all those that are in covenant with God, and that have interest in him, that can say, they are the Lords, and the Lord is theirs, let them exceedingly rejoice in this, that they have an Almighty God for their God. 1To have a friend that is able to do all things, (as we told you before, he is every where present,) it is a great benefit: to have a ⟨p. 187⟩friend in Court, in Country, a friend beyond the seas, if you shall have occasion to be banished thither: but if you add this, he is able to do whatsoever he will, it will add much to our comfort. A friend many times is willing, but he is not able; if able and willing, yet not present: but seeing he is every where, if thou hast any business to do, thou needest not to send a letter, do but put up a prayer to him, to be thy factor, to do it for thee, to work thy works for thee, he is every where present, and he is Almighty also, able to do it, therefore be content to have him alone for your portion. That is the cause, that mens ways are so unlike one to another: because they would grasp GOD and the creature. And why do they do so? Because they will not be content to have GOD alone. And what is the ground of that? Because they do not think him indeed All-sufficient and Almighty: for if they did, they need not to join any other with him.