A09977:776
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.
If we did not doubt of the power of GOD, what is the reason that when you see a great probability of a thing, you can go and pray for it with great cheerfulness: but if there be no hope, how do your hands grow faint, and ⟨p. 195⟩your knees feeble in the duty? You pray because the duty must not be omitted, but you do not pray with a heart. And so for endeavours: are not your minds dejected, do you not sit still as men discouraged, with your arms folded up, if you see every door shut up, and there be no probability of help from the creature? And all this is for want of this faith, would this be, if you did believe this Almighty power of GOD? For cannot GOD do it, when things are not probable, as well as when there are the fairest blossoms of hope?
If we did not doubt of the power of GOD, what is the reason that when you see a great probability of a thing, you can goe and pray for it with great chearfulnesse: but if there be no hope, how doe your hands grow faint, and ⟨p. 195⟩your knees feeble in the duty? You pray because the duty must not bee omitted, but you doe not pray with a heart. And so for endeavours: are not your minds dejected, doe you not sit still as men discouraged, with your armes folded up, if you see every doore shut up, and there bee no probability of helpe from the creature? And all this is for want of this faith, would this bee, if you did beleive this Allmighty power of GOD? For cannot GOD doe it, when things are not probable, as well as when there are the fairest blossomes of hope?
Besides, do we not hear this speech of man? when the times are bad, do not men say; oh, we shall never see better days? And when a man is in affliction, oh, he thinks this will never be altered: 'so if he be in prosperity, they think there will be no change. Whence comes this, but because we forget the Almighty power of GOD? If we thought that he could make such a change in a night, as he doth in the weather, as he did with Job, we should not be so dejected in case of adversity, and so lift up in case of prosperity.