Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
father_n divine_a holy_a son_n 23,517 5 6.0454 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A01210 The forbidden fruitĀ· or A treatise of the tree of knovvledge of good & evill of which Adam at first, & as yet all mankind doe eate death. Moreover, how at this day it is forbidden to every one as well as to Adam; and how this tree, that is the wisedome of the serpent planted in Adam, is that great image, and that many headed beast, mentioned in Daniel and the Apocalyps, whom the whole world doth worship. Lastly, here is shewed what is the tree of life, contrary to the wisdome, righteousnesse, and knowledge of all mankind: with a description of the majestie and nature of Gods Word. By August: Eluthenius [sic]. Translated out of Latine into English.; De arbore scientiae boni et mali. English Franck, Sebastian, 1499-1542. 1640 (1640) STC 11324; ESTC S102619 62,776 198

There are 4 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

word of God which in it selfe is perpetuall and semperternall can neither be written in Letters nor expressed in word endureth for ever Hence it comes to passe that whatsoever is spoken or written of it as that which is not of God himselfe remaines but as a shadow a figure and testimony thereof and is not properly God and his word Now no man can speake or utter this word therefore it is necessary that it speake it selfe in an obedient and willing heart and for this cause it is required of every man that hee submitt himselfe under the potent hand of God void of his owne will free and cleare from his owne heart and subordinate to the will of God that God or his word may speake teach seeke love finde acknowledge beseech hear praise honour feare and adore it selfe This alone is the art of God which he himselfe doth teach in us without this all other arts are nothing For besides this to know all things is to be ignorant of all things All arts without this art is vanity which yet is better conceived in heart then it can be uttered in word yea it cannot be expressed or declared in worde therefore no man can teach the same to an other but it is to be taught and manifested by God to the teaching of which whosoever are sent they are not Doctors or Masters but onely witnesses of that word which by the vertue of God is before in our hearts Therefore it hath many names which oftentimes are used one for an other so that as sometimes the Father sometime the Sonne and sometimes the Holy Ghost is called the Fountaine of Life or Truth So the word of God is sometimes called the Seed of God sometimes his soule sometimes his soonn sometime his arme sometimes his hand sometime his right hand sometime his Law sometime his will sometime his image sometime his inspiration And hither may be referred all the names which the Scriptures give to the Father Sonne and Holie Ghost and the word of God which are all one and referred unto one serve to the signification of the same thing And this Word which in the New Covenant is called Christ is the essence of all things which are and all things are created by it and also are preserved nourished and sustained by it and in it So that all things have their beeing rather in the Word then in themselves And if God should withdraw this word to himselfe as was the estate of them before the beginning of the world while yet the world was not made of him so should all things necessarily in the same moment be turned to nothing againe Therefore doth God even to this day preach this word unto us and yet it is ineffable as Taulerus saith though in him all things have their essence and being in from God Wherefore to committ and consecrate a mans selfe to this living word of God is the onely life eternall and that true one art and part of Mary which cannot be taken from her all other arts are vaine and must perish with the inventors and professors only to know God obey his word which the Scriptures calls to eate Christ to beleeve in him to putt on the new man to adhere unto God to be born a new to live to the spirit to heare and receive the word of God to be baptized to be ingrafted into Christ to receive Christ and many other tearmes is not onely of it selfe immortal but preserveth all from death who are indued with the same No man can consume this bread but it preserves him the eater thereof from eternall death and hunger unto eternall life This treasure can no theefe take away no rust or moath corrupt In a word this eternall word is to a Christian all things in adversitie a Sword Weapon against all dangers meate to him that starves cloathing to the cold for want of divine grace and a sure sanctuary to every fugitive But he that knoweth all things and is ignorant of this knoweth nothing even as hee who knoweth and hath all things and wanteth God possesseth nothing and if it could be that any man could know all arts which all men at any time have knowne and understood if he were a Pandora or a Hippias knowing all things yet were he not therefore any whitt better in the sight of God yea J dare say he should be so much the worse by how much he had glutted himselfe of the tree of knowledge eaten death for the more poyson is received the speedier will the destruction be And even as this was the fall death of Adā viz. to become a god to arrogate to be something in himselfe to know J will not say to be ignorant of nothing That fal cannot be forgiven or repaired unlesse thou vomitt up all that Diabolicall art and curious knowledge and besides eate of the Tree of Life which shall worke in thee an utter forgetfulnesse of all those arts and make thee a Childe a Foole and reduce thee to innocencie under God that at length thou mayst know that which God would know in thee so he himselfe should teach and suggest in thee by his word according as it is said otherwise all things are unprofitable yea though a man know all things they are not onely unprofitable but also a hinderance to this art of God He that is ignorant of this in vaine hath he learned knowne all things else besides In the word of God alone which proceedeth out of the mouth of god is seated the rule of all things the Scope Doctrine art life and truth teaching what is to be done what not to be done what to bee spoken what not to be spoken whether to enter from whence to depart and come out All other arts they be variable whatsoever they be to time fortune vanitie death and oblivion and not onely these arts but also the Letters bookes formes masters tongues which we use doe perish and others after them which succeed in their places so that nothing is cōstant of long continuance in the earth but all things according to their visible nature are frayle mutable and momentary How often are the tongues themselves changed how often the formes being removed doe new succeed in their place as I have said before Orthography is not ever like it selfe and the same with all people in all times yea the true pronounciation of the Latin tongue as Cornelius Agrippa in his booke called De vanitate scientiarum formerly alleadged by us is perished and no where extant Moreover the auncient Letters of the Hebrews are gone so that there is no memorie left thereof but onely those which Esdras in their place invented Adde moreover that the tongue is made verie lame by the Caldeans which also hath been incident to perish of other tongues So that no man there is who can finde out their auncient forme and dialects Besides this new words doe allwayes creepe in the
thereof the more righteous he is and wise before God For we must altogether forget and unlearne this fleshly art this curious sagacitie this Devilish righteousnesse And in steed thereof must learne the onely new contrarie and divine art wisdome and righteousnesse by the eternall word by the Seed of the woman of the Tree of Life of which whosoever eateth shall have eternall Life For this cause the Scriptures doe so vehemently urge new birth Childishnes Foolishnes hate of a mans Life deny all of himselfe which would not be if there were any thing that is good or acceptable to God in man before No man thinkes of this but all men being puffed up with their owne arts witt righteousnesse goodnesse c. beeing secure and without conscience or Religion and yet doe eate death of this forbidden tree that is of their owne will witt reason knowledge goodnesse and art by that Seed of the Serpēt implanted in them But God doth exact nothing but the knowledge of himselfe and that we would be obedient to his word and submitt our selves to be taught by him which the Scriptures doe sometimes call faith which bringeth us unto God begets us anew and regenerates us that thence doe flow the waters of Life the fruits of the spirit love peace joy a guiltlesse minde and all other good things which the Scriptures doe sometimes call faith which bringeth us unto God begets us a new and regenerates us that then doe flow the waters of Life the Fruits of the Spirit love peace joy a guiltlesse minde and all other good things which the Spirit of God effecteth and powreth into us Therfore Theologie is the true Magick the worship sciēce of God which God doth equally exact from us all And this is the same which God doth exact teach and effect by his Word in them who offer and submitt themselves to that his word and clemency to be taught Therefore doth he so frequently and oftē admonish us that he might make it knowne that in him alone is Life and all other things to be found and that hee threatneth and inflicteth great punishment on them that despise him as many places of the Scriptures doe witnesse though the word of God is not tyed or bound unto them as wee will prove anone yet they give good direction and testimony to the mind if any man can have the same use it aright and yet doe much more abuse the Scriptures then rightly use them Neverthelesse they are not to be forsaken any more then a mans wife Children meate drinke c. all which may be abused but yet wee must learne to use them rightly CHAP. XIII Of the Maiestie of the free constant and eternall Word of God how it can be bound to nothing included in nothing nor buried in the Letter and also the difference betwixt the internall and the externall Word THE word of God is as God infinite invisible ineffiable a Spirit and Life which no mortall man can speake see or heare but as farre as is Lawfull to speake of it after the manner of men and by similitude The word of God is nothing else then the glistering the essence the Image the forme and splendor as well imprinted like a Seale into all Creatures as more specially into the hearts of the faithfull which in all things is the cause of their being in all beleevers teacheth in al wicked men reproveth exhorteth and contendeth and reprehendeth the world of sinne and which in the beginning did enlightē informe the hearts of Adam Abell Noah Loth Abraham Iob Mercurie Termigestus Plotimus Cornelius and all other upright-hearted Gentils For though God giveth beeing in above below without and beyond all Creatures and is the essence of all things that bee yet in nothing is hee so clearly to be seene as in Man whom therefore he created after his owne image and perfected in Christ Therefore as brightnesse doth so proceed from the Light of the Sunne as yet it is not seperated from the Sunne but for all that remaines in the Sunne though it fill the whole world and enlighten the same So is the Sonne in like manner whole in the Father and in all the Creatures as the Light is in the Sunne and in the whole World Therefore it is called the brightnesse of his Majestie and the image or figure of his divine essence Of the same nature substance and essence with God So as nothing can bee spoken of the Father which may not also be verified of the word God is no where and every where in all places in all things and yet incomprehensible above and beyond all things Limited to nothing so farre forth that the heavens and earth are not able to containe him nor all the Creatures So is the word Even as the Light of the Sunne hath an originall from whence it proceedeth and a force action into which it tendeth which originall is the Sunne it selfe and which externall active force is the heating or enlightning of the whole world or as the word of every man hath originall force and spirit which originall is man whose expression and image the word is and of the same essence with him And thirdly it hath an active force or spirit which qualifieth this word and makes it either cheerefull or angrie or sorrowfull or displeased So the originall of this divine word is the Father or the action or active force or vertue of it is called the Holy Ghost As therefore the Sunne is light and that active force of that Light is the same and as man his word and the active force of that word is the same So the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost are one God Wherefore nothing that appertaines to their essence can be spoken of one which cannot also be verified of all that is all three and as they are of the same essence so of the same condition disposition and nature As therefore God is in nothing and yet in all things so also is his almightie word which is the same as God is so in all things yet that he can be included in nothing and so above all Creatures as the Earth Heaven or any other Creature is not able to conceive or circumscribe him And so in all Creatures as nothing is without him or rather nothing there is that is not full of him So is also his Word As God can neither be spoken or written nor any man is able to declare what God is but all things which are said of him are but Images shadows J will not say as Taulerus and Dr. Eickarius say seeing if we speake truely and properly the whole nature of God is farre otherwise then man doth or is able to speake of him Lastly as God is a thing opposite and contrary to humane cogitation and farre otherwise then he is conceived to bee in the thoughts of man So also is the divine word of God As there is nothing so little in which there is not God and
be quit contrary to what he is or hath beene He is flesh born of flesh unto death and therefore it is behovefull that he be made spirit borne of spirit unto life Which before he bee all things are uncleane unto him as he is himselfe although all things in themselves are very good yet are they perverse evill unto him as all things seem blew to him that lookes upon them through a blew perspective all things degenerats into the nature of the possessor and therefore all things by Adam are made vanity although by themselves as ever they have beene they are good For all foode is savory according to the pallet temperature that receivs it even so is every thing according as he that possesseth and hath it is cleane to the cleane uncleane to the uncleane it cannot be otherwise but that all things be unjustly done loved prayed for knowne and retained which an unjust man doth love pray for know and retaine as the very words themselvs declare For how can it be that a wicked man can doe any thing justly a foolish man speak any thing wisely an unclean man doe any thing purely a lying man speak any thing truely Fiftly the naturall man as before hath been said is Flesh borne of the flesh altogether of an uncleane nature perverse adulterous the servant of Satan sprong of the Seede of the Serpent seduced and turned away by his word and the tree of knowledge so infected with poyson that betwixt Lucifer and Adam there is no difference for as al true Christians are of Christ the sonnes of God gods God himselfe so are all the Sonnes of the Devill the Devill being of the same kinred ofspring appertaining to the same Kingdome and covenant as Princes and Subiects to the same being al in the same estate of condemnation neither is there any remedy to prevēt this jayle but that a man put of the old man so as he be no longer man but a new offspring creature born of God Hence we may easily gather what is the naturall prudence justice knowledge of man to witt foolishnes sin and enmity unto God because that all flesh is an enimy unto God freinds unto Satan and altogether of the same witt nature wil birth as it were his flesh blood In so much as he is nothing but an enimy unto God can perceive nothing that is divine would be nothing but with out God or rather his own God Attributing all that is good to himselfe as Adam and Lucifer did the Father of the flesh these are the Fruits of the forbidden Tree But the Christian is borne of God is a spirit and life altogether of divine nature and nothing else but the Jmage of God or if you wil a visible and corporal God who being made one with God is of the same nature rich in love desirous of the common profitt attributing nothing to himselfe like to God free strong void of proprietie ambition and anger Breefly or in a word whatsoever can be said or may be said of God may in its kinde be said of the true Christian since now it is not he that lives but Christ lives in him Not now he is any thing but God is all things in him that is whatsoever he speakes teacheth hath wills c. and although they unwillingly carry the old man about them yet never doe they live unto him but alwayes contrary earnestly endevouring themselves against him untill they have quit put him out Therefore to conclude this chapter the true use of all things is knowne only to the sincere Christians and the abuse to the naturall man Not yet justified living in himselfe who can neither use speake teach doe love know have or not have any thing truely But with all hath a defiled both conscience minde Hence it is that he is altogether unfitt for any good work like a black Collier and in all his actions like a stage player foolish blinde dumb deafe abscene and wicked In a word whatsoever evill man hath or title can be invented it 's proper unto him untill he returne from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evill unto the Tree of Life and eating thereof and he be delivered from the Kingdome of Darknesse into the Kingdome of Light Otherwise the flesh doth alwayes retaine its proper nature and hath in all things a false and ungodly cause and end for which it doth every thing that it doth In a word he altogether aimes at himselfe yea under a pretence of God although he thinke himselfe to know love and desire God only for God without any respect had to himselfe No man hath yet truely learned to know himselfe the flesh being so cunning and craftie to excuse it selfe no man knowes whether or no hee sinnes in all his workes so unsearchable is the craftines of the heart yea no man truely understands that in all his works as in his loving doing speaking knowing praying giving willing having possessing c. he mortally sinnes untill he be redeemed and pulled out of the dregs of Adam translated into Christ he become a new Creature Of which things reade Paul Boch●us de consolalatione Philosophiae the third Booke and the tenth Proofe How we must live unto God and so be made blessed in him CHAP. IV. Hovv Man being of God could sinne and what it was that moved him to sinne ADAM was not taken out of God or made of a Spirit but of nothing of the Earth if he had been taken out of God he could never have fallen by sinne as those that are borne of God cannot sinne Jo. 3. but God created him of nothing and then left him to himselfe and his owne arbitrament whether he could returne to his owne nothing againe or according to the order of his kinde be drawen unto God Sinne in Man and in the Devill is nothing else but that they doe avert themselves from the condition of their creation and that which they are unto their vanity and nothing againe the essence of Man and Satan is very good put this is their nature acquired in their fall that they strive to be not that which they are to wit nothing but that which ●hey are not so doe turn themselv frō As if it so were that that nothing of theirs were something in it selfe This is sinne this is that devill in all our hearts which stirreth up all sinne in us For as soone as Adam by the instinct of the Serpent fell away from God and returned unto his nothing again he was indeed made nothing which thing Satā who before had fallen into his nothing did spinne and weave into the heart of Adam by the externall obiect of the tree and he made the Fruit of the Tree so pleasant to behould that no sooner they beheld it but they were inflamed with a desire to eate of that Fruit For which cause it is written Ier. 9. that death enters
where and wherefore he will Julian th' Apostate ignorant of this secret against whom Civill writes was greatly offended at this that God would have man to know neither good nor evil or rather that he would have Man to have teach be and will nothing at al c. He I say was offended at this But if the matter be brought unto the light of truth we shall finde that all this happened because of us even as a Father forbids and detaines a Sword from his Son knowing that if he had it he would hurt himselfe upon it or otherwise abuse it In the same manner God denyed unto Adam and also unto us that Tree of Knowledge for our profit and good Neither did hee envy us therein but only did it to prevent the future evill into which he foresaw we should fall For he knew that assoone as Adam like God should know Good and Evill hee would challenge the same to himselfe desire to be his owne God otherwise God had not cared though Adam had eaten of that tree for satiety For assoone as Adam had eaten of it there followed thereupon selfelove and arrogating all things to himselfe praise and all other vices So God in all his commandements hath respect not so much to himselfe as to us and our salvation which not he but we enjoy as Iob himselfe doth manifestly confesse that God is neither hurt by our sinns nor profited by our righteousnesse but still remaineth an eternall perfect and impassible God to whom nothing can be added or any thing detracted though we try yet can we not make a Heaven neither put the Sunne out of them nor dry up a Fountaine but all these things remaine in the same estate and condition wherein God hath placed them He that assumes to throw a stone against Heaven it will fall upon his owne head Therefore we can make God neither richer nor poorer greater nor lesser no he is no way advantaged by us though we all adhere unto him only he hath a care on us to helpe us we never deserve to be what we are therefore we ought to attribute the cause of all our good to him only and give him the glory he hath an open hand more ready to give then we are to receive rich to all those that call upon him Neither doth he desire any thing at our hands but only this that we quietly receive of him that which he is willingly pleased to give for he that with quietnes doth not receive can have no h●pe that he shall receive all our witt we ought only to imploy to this end to the denying of our selves This should make us nothing children Fooles and prostrate low at the feete of God And to the effecting of this denying of our selves all our knowledge ought to be directed but that knowledge only which proceeds from God can effect it it can make a man nothing a Child a Foole and casts him downe at the feete of God But that knowledge that puffs up a Man making him great and wise in his owne conceit such being the wisdom of the World comes not from God but is rather the Serpents Seed forbidden fruit Now every one that eateth of the forbidden Tree for no other cause eateth hee thereof but only that he may obtaine a great name honour titles and glory that he may have preheminence to bee counted the light of the World And by this meanes he eateth death in stead of life This the holy Scriptures testify unto us for whereas we ought to know and learne nothing every man learnes to know and be wise in all things Now here some man might enquire why therefore did God create the Tree if he foreknew that both Adam and wee would eate death thereof and not rather hinder our sinne I answer that God at the first made us of earth and assuredly did know that we would not constantly abide in the estate of our creation and yet he suffred Adam to take his course make tryall of misery that forced through sorrow death he might hast to God again for so it was to be that God would create him againe out of sorrow and make him againe a new not as before of nothing but with grace of himselfe this God foresaw from all eternity and therefore suffred his fal and gave way that man should first tast of the bitternes of death before that he would give him the sweetenesse of eternall life by which he might know the better what he hath in God and what that life is compared with death which before he tasted Besides it was meete that God suffered the freedome of sinne rather then restrained it as well for many other causes as more speciall for this that otherwise it had beene coaction and force and not libertie and also the goodnesse of God his mercie having no other obiect could never have been manifested in his Creature Therfore it behoved that things should come thus to passe by the providence of God and yeeld without necessity or any fault in God Read Brentius lib. 4. Ambros. in Rom. 9. CHAP. VI Of the 2 kinds of knovvledge and Will and how the one allwayes resists the other THere is nothing under the Sunne but it may be said to be twofould that is Just and wicked Good and Evill Now just and also that which is evill and wicked may in like manner be said to the twofould the one according to the judgment of God and the other according to the estimation and opinion of men And now seeing God is a spirit and Men flesh contrary to the spirit it followes that all their judgements wills knowledges and actions be contrary and repugnant one to the other Whence it is what man calleth good right sweete light life knowledge wisdome justice c. God esteemes that to be evill wicked bitter darknes death foolishnes and sinne according as the Scriptures testify of God and of the World Therefore there is nothing in the world but it may be called good or evil according as the judgement of men are disposed to whom it is proposed What God is unto the world the same is the Devill unto God and so on the contrary So that nothing can be called Evill but all things are in their order right and good and evill and wicked according as the Touchstone is by which they are examined If I say that the Word of God is false foolishnes and Heresie the same is true in the judgement and opinion of the world and thus all things are twofould either good or evill good is twofould as also evill the one truely good or evill in the sight of God the other apparantly good or evill in the sight of Men or their opinion so that there is a two-fould fasting praying willing c. to witt one that is really good in the sight of God so as is God himselfe the author and teacher of all goodnesse the other in the sight