Doctor Faustus (again, of the A-text of Marlowe's play) is undoubtedly preoccupied with the physical. He is spoken of as "glutted," a word with very obvious physical notions; he contemplates being a physician in order to "heap up gold" (1.14); he dreams of using his magic to make spirits fetch him whatever he wants, such as gold from India, a pearl from the ocean, fruits and delicacies from around the world, etc.; he dismisses the good angel as soon as the evil angel tells him that he can have honor and wealth if he gives his soul to Lucifer instead of God (and even then he focuses exclusively on the wealth instead of the honor); and more. It seems plausible this preoccupation with the physical that leads Faustus not only to believe in his black magic and in devils but also to not believe in heaven or salvation. Like the skeptical knight in scene 9 who does not believe that Faustus can summon the spirit of Alexander the Great until he does so (and until he has horns placed on his head, as well), Faustus seems to only believe in what he can see: not God, not heaven, not hell, but rather his black magic and the devil Mephistopheles. Even in scene 5, as he speaks to Mephistopheles, a servant of Lucifer's in hell, Faustus still says, "Come, I think hell's a fable" (5.126) and, "Think'st thou [Mephistopheles] that Faustus is so fond to imagine / That after this life there is any pain? / Tush, these are trifles and mere old wives' tales" (5.132-134), thus expressing his disbelief in the hell that he is damned to. Yet, after summoning Mephistopheles for the first time, Faustus certainly has a belief in both his black magic and in Mephistopheles. Perhaps, then, Faustus's decision to turn to black magic and ultimately to Lucifer is tied up in Faustus's preoccupation with the physical. Faustus is able to see Mephistopheles and witness his power, and he even encounters Lucifer himself later in scene 5. Yet when it comes to God and God's power, neither make an obvious appearance to Faustus (it is arguable that God and his power manifest themselves in different aspects of the play), and so Faustus, with his preoccupation with the physical, naturally turns to Lucifer rather than God.
Another somewhat related notion that I had after finishing Doctor Faustus is that it is only because of Faustus being doomed to hell that causes him to desire God in the final scene of the play. Throughout the entirety of the play, excluding the final scene, Faustus portrays no desire for anything other than that which will bring him immediate, physical pleasure (again, his preoccupation with the physical, as discussed previously). Will God's salvation have an immediate effect on Faustus? No. It would only be upon his death that he would go to heaven instead of hell, and, further, Faustus would see no guarantee, while he was alive, that he would go to heaven. Not only would salvation not bring Faustus immediate gratification, then, but it would also fail to appeal to his preoccupation with the physical. Now, I realize that I have somewhat reiterated my notions from the previous paragraph, but my point is this: Faustus's desire for God in the final scene of the play is not a genuine desire for salvation or for God. Instead, it is simply in response to the realization that he is going to hell. Faustus is not wanting to be saved because he is guilty of sin, but rather hoping for immediate pleasure by being saved from his predicament. It is only when the realization that he will be eternally doomed to hell sinks in that Faustus decides to ask God for forgiveness. He does not turn to God any other time during the course of the play, which seems to make it evident that Faustus's decision to turn to him in his final moments is not a genuine gesture but is instead just Faustus up to his old tricks.
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And here's a fitting signature:
"Terminat hora diem, terminat author opus."
--From Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus
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