that there be three seueral persons saying In the begynninge God created Heauen and earth Where euideÌ„tlye by y e name of God the father and by the beginning his sonne by whome he made all thinges are to be vnderstand For who is the beginning but Christ who answereth the Iewes asking what he was I am y e beginning which spake vnto you and in whose behalfe Dauid speaketh in y e beginning of y e boke it is writeÌ„ of me After these words of the father the sonne it foloweth immediatly The spirit of God was borne vpon the waters the which is the thirde persoÌ„ in y e gloriouse trinitie Some take the spirite here for the wynd blowing vpon the waters If they examine the text diligently they shall fynd y e wynd was yet vnmade and that y e waters there do not signifie that which we call water coÌ„monly but the confused heape of which God formed all thinges If God were not a trinitie he wold not haue saide let vs make man to our similitude after our likenes â–ª For these words let vs our similitude our likenes cannot be spoken of one person Neither they which are spoken after the miserable captiuitie and faule of Adam The Lord God saide lo Adam is become as one of vs in knowledge of good and euill But here thou wilt say these Phrases proue not many personnes for doth not the king say we wil that this or that be done and yet he is but one Kinges and Emperours vse to say so because they haue couÌ„selloures commonly whose prudent aduises they folowe but of God it is wrytten Quis cognouit mentem Domini aut quis illi fuit a consiliis Who hath knowen the mind of the Lord or who is his counselloure And therfore he doth not say so for lyke coÌ„sideratioÌ„ but because y t as Pithagoras saith He is Ternarius numerus The third numbre which coÌ„nteineth al other numbres both vnitie euens oddes Esayas teacheth vs the same where he saith that he saw the seraphins flacker from aboue and cry each one to other Holy Holy Holy is y e Lord of Hostes. By this word holy thrise repeted we are taught that there be thre persons and â—y the wordes folowing the Lord of hostes not iterate that there is but one Lord. I will proue the same by the propertyes of the thre personnes The Congregation confesseth the father to be vnbegotten and no heretyke can deny it and the scripture telleth vs that the son is begotten to whome y e father saith Thou art my son this day I begat the not that the father is elder then Christ for as he was alwayes a father so he was neuer without a son but begat him without time also of my wombe before the mornyng star begat I the. God y e father hath no wombe or corporal form but by his wombe we must vnderstand his substauÌ„ce as if he said of my substauÌ„ce of my owne nature I begat thee If God the father begat Christ of his owne substaunce which is immutable howe could of the same substauÌ„ce his mutable flesh be made as our late Anabapt defend God begat God and light begat light as a man getteth a man and a dog gettech a dog for a man cannot get a dog The holy ghost is neyther called vnbegotten nor gotten For if we cal him vnbegotten we bring in .ii. fathers If we name him begotten we make .ii. Christs He is said to prosede equally from the father from the son as he is equally God equally almightye to be honored equally and euery wheare equally PeradueÌ„ture some wil requyre profe out of the scripture of y e proseeding of the holy coÌ„forter because we say that nothing is to be beleued vpon payne of dampdatioÌ„ which is not in y e scriptures For many do allege this processioÌ„ of the holy spirite for vnwritten verities therfore I say I wil proue it by certaine testimonies albeit I will not deny but that many thinges be true verities which be not in the scriptures as it is true that I wrote this boke not written it is true that king Edw. the .vi. God saue his noble grace is King of EnglaÌ„d vnwritteÌ„ But marke good christen people when we disalow vnwritteÌ„ verities we except such and do speake only of such thinges as be nedefull necessary for the sauing of our soules All such things we say be written in Gods boke For Ihon sayth these are written y t ye myght beleue and haue eternal life if we obserue these thiÌ„gs we shal haue eternal life what caÌ„ we desire more Al such necessari points be writeÌ„ Away therfore w t vnwritteÌ„ verities But how proue ye y e processioÌ„ of y e holy spirite bi scripture That he procedeth froÌ„ y e father christ techeth his disciples saing wheÌ„ y e coÌ„forter is come whom I wil send vnto you from the father he shall beare witnes of me That he procedeth also of Christ these S. Paules wordes be a sufficient record If there be any man that hath not the spirite of Christ the same is none of his For he can not be Christes spirit not proceding of him He is y e vertue which went out of him and healed y e people of Ierusalem of Tyre and of Sidon Further our Sauiour Christ after his victorious and gloriouse resurrectioÌ„ to teach vs that the holy ghost proceadeth from him equally as he doth from the father breathed on his disciples and said receiue the holy ghost and lo I send the promis of my father vpon you If therfore the father be vnbegotten y e son begotten not made the holy comforter proceding there be thre personâ—s not coÌ„founded together The father is a spirit and the sonne likewyse and the father is holy and the sonne likewise but nother of both is the holy spirit the holy ghost He is an vnspeakeable communioÌ„ of the father and sonne also therfore these two wordes be truly verified seuerally of theÌ„ both but not together If the holy ghost be the father he sendeth him self that is he proceadeth from himself If he be the sonne he is the son of the father and of Christ also for euery son is the son of twaine of the father of the mother But God forbid that we shuld imagin any such kind of thing in the father and Christ. If he be nether of both he is a seueral person No earthly man is able to discusse this natiuitie of Christ and procession of the holy ghost after what maner both be done for both be vnspeakeable as it is writteÌ„ Who can declare his generatioÌ„ Of the holy coÌ„forter it may be said also who can declare his proceding wherfor we must eschue curious talking of these misteries stedfastly beleue because of y e scriptures Christ saith the father is greater then I. If he be greater ether they be
two seueral persons or els the father is greater thē himself Dauid witnesseth y t the father setteth Christ on his right hād The Lord sayd vnto my Lorde syt thou on my ryght hand vntyll I make thyne ennemies thy fotestole And that he sytteth there we learne of saint Paul who exhorteth vs to seeke those thynges whiche are aboue where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Then ether they be two persons or els the Father speaketh to hym selfe and sytteth on his owne ryght hand The father heareth and Christ prayeth he blesseth Christ geueth thankes he commaundeth and Christ obeyed he teacheth and Christ learneth For Christ recordeth thys of hymself as my father taught me so I speake These properties learne vs that they be two persones vnconfounded for so much as we can not apply or refer thē to one person The visiō which appered to Abraham in the oke groue of Mambre declareth vnto vs a manifest distintion of the godhead yet not a Trinitie of Gods For he sawe thre men and yet he called them Lord not Lordes If that vision be pondred depely it is a glasse wherin we may behold the face of the glorious trinitie The maiestie nature of God himselfe for as those thre men were thre seuerall persons and yet were named but one Lord so the father the son and the holy ghost be thre persons one God Som wil replie that Abraham spake to one of the thre when he sayd Lord whom he acknowledged to be the chief taking the other for his ministers and seruauntes This is proued to be false of that which foloweth and the Lord went his way as sone as he had left talkyng with Abraham and Abrahā returned to his place and there went two aungels to Sodom at euen and Lot sat at y e gate of the city Lot calleth these two men after they had brought him without the citie cōmaunding him not to loke backward Lorde not Lordes Wherfore he whiche departed was not chief their Lord. If he had bene chief the scripture wold not name the twain remaining Lord which in calling the twain Lord also signifieth vnto vs that there was no superiorite no preheminence no prerogatiue among thē but equalitie as in the trinitie whiche is figured by these thre men Some wyll say that Lot speaketh not to both but to one of them Why then doth the scripture say Loth sayde vnto them oh nay my Lord behold for as much as thy seruaunt hath found grace in thy syght c. These two men signifie Christ and the holy Ghost not the father for so much as they saye that the Lorde sent them to destroy that place For Christ and the holy comforter are sent but the father is neuer sent but sendeth Notwithstāding he whiche departed before they came to Sodome sending them twaine thyther representeth the father of heauē of whō Christ and the holy ghost both be sent Now let vs se good christen people how this vision doth portrey or paint the Trinitie As thre men appeared so there be three persones As these three persones are named one Lorde so the Trinitie is one Lorde one GOD As the Father is vnsent so one of these is not sent and as the father sēdeth Christ and the holy ghost into this world so here twayne be sent of one vnto Sodome and Gomor as the twain which were sent are called one Lorde so Christ and the holy ghost are but one god Protogenes neuer painted Ialisus at Rodes so excellently nor Appelles Venus nor Policletus y e image of Doriphorus as this vision doth liuely declare y e properties of the glorious Trinitie of which thorow whiche for which al thinges are But let vs serche how the scripture vseth to speake of the Trinitie Iohn saith Ther ar thre which beare recorde on earth the spirite water and bloud and these thre are one The trinitie is signified by these thre The spirit is y e father for Christ calleth him so speaking of the true worshipping God is a spirit And by y e name of bloud we may vnderstand Christ who for our sakes is become flesh and bloud By the name of water the holy ghost is ment whome our sauiour Christ calleth water saying If any man thirst let him come vnto me ◠drink He y t beleueth on me saith y e scripture out of his belly shal flow streames of water of life This spake he saith Ihō the Euāgelist of y e spirit which they that beleued on him should receiue Wherfore as a spirit is not bloud ne water no more is the father the sonne or the holy ghost but a distinct person Christ is named also a dore a rocke a vine bread a bridegrome a kyng a Phisicion and his father a husbandman If the father be Christ he is the dore the rock the vyne yea rather as a husbandman and a vine be diuerse thinges so Christ is not the father The holy comforter is called fyer which all be diuers thynges from those often times and the finger of God and the oyle of gladnes and anoynting that figuratly be spoken of the father But my thinke I hear some suttell searching and craftie witted man replie that as Christ and the vine the dore the rock be diuers names of one thynge and the holy ghost and oyl ▪ and fier and annointing that so y e father the son and the holy ghost be thre names and one thyng and that the father is called by these names as he is called afore by the name of a husbandman This were somwhat if we had euident Scripture◠that the Father is Christ or the holy Ghost as we haue that he is a husbandman And so we haue say they For Christ sayeth I and my father are one and whosoeuer seeth me seeth my father These textes plucke vp thys opinion by the rootes For in that he sayth we are he teacheth vs that he and his father be not one persone For as muche as are can not be spoken of one persone And in that he sayth one he declareth that he is of the selfsame substaūce O the depenesse and exceading power of Gods word which with two sillables are and one confoūdeth two heretikes the Arrian and Patripassion The other text declaring the father to be sene in Christ doth not proue theim one persone but rather twayn teaching vs that whiche S. Paul wryteth to his countreimen that he is the brightnesse of the fathers glory and expresse image of his substaunce When men loke in a glasse behold their own faces they vse to say that they see them selues and they and that which they see be not al one When they se the picture of Christ in a painted cloth they say thei se Christ. If we se Christ in his picture if we se our selues in a glasse much more the father is sene in Christ who is
displesur where he is not a bene factor he is a punisher wher he is not a dweller he is an auenger Who can deny him to be a substauÌ„ce who filleth y e world not y e world only but Christ also the only sauiour of y e world of whoÌ„ it was written Iesus full of the holy ghost returned from IordaÌ„ If he fil the world he is God for this belongeth only God as I haue proued before If he be God theÌ„ is he a substaunce not an inspiracioÌ„ coÌ„ming from God as our english Saduces outlandish Libertins do teach The Prophet Esay recordeth y t he gouerned the coÌ„gregatioÌ„ of the Israelits y t he was their deliuerer out of Egipt their guid in y e wildernes y e worker of wonders saying where is he who brought theÌ„ froÌ„ y e water of y e sea as a shepherd doth his flock where is he which â—ed Moises by the right hand w t his glorious arme Where is he that led them in the depe as an horse is led in the plain and he answereth The spirit of the Lord led theÌ„ as a tame beast goeth in the field He gouerneth also the present congregation for Christ promiseth that he would pray the father to send vs another comforter to abide w t vs for euer And Paul testifieth that the spirit geueth to one vtteraunce of wisdome to an other fayth to an other giftes of healyng to another power to doe miracles to another prophecy to another iudgement of spirites to another diuerse toÌ„gues to another interpretacion which be necessary offices in the congregation so that the holy spirit may say also The father worketh hytherto so do I for he workth inseperably with the father and the son Wherof it must neades folow that he is a substaunce and that he is God for the gouernaunce of the world belongeth to the maiestie of the Godhead as I haue proued before If he were nothing but a Godly motion a good affection and inspiration he would not ne coulde haue shewed himselfe in the likenes of a doue and in the similitude of fyrie tongues He is the fynger of God he is fyre oyle anoynting water an aduocate a cole for all these the scripture geueth hym Wherfore he is a substaunce forasmuch as al these be substaunces not inspirations For the scripture doth not lyken substaunces to thinges that be no substaunces He is also to be prayed vnto to be called vpon for what is baptisme but an inuocation of the father the sonne the holy spirit and therfore a substauÌ„ce No man prayeth vnto an inspiration no man crieth to an affection Our praying vnto hym proueth hym to heare vs to be almighty God to be euery where to know the thoughtes of all men but nothing heareth nothing searcheth thoughtes but a substaunce then he can not be a thought a motion comming from God yea rather these properties proue hym to be the third persone in the ouer gloriouse deite That comforter sayeth Christ the holy ghost whom my father wyl send in my name he shall teach you all If he be a teacher he must nedes be a substaunce If he be an inspiration he is the doctrine which is taught not the teacher therof He gaue Symon an aunswer that he shuld not se death before he had sene the lord Christ. He through the mouth of Dauid spake before of Iudas He at Antioche coÌ„maundeth to seperate Barnabas Paul to the worck wherunto he had called them He forbiddeth theÌ„ to preach Gods word in Asia S. Luke of the actes telleth that he monished Philip to ioyne himself to the chariot of the gelded man Do not these textes proue him to gouerne the congregation Doe they not witnes him to be mindfull of both good and euil Doe they not deny hym to be an inspiration coming from God Do they not fortifie him to be a substaÌ„ce to be y e third persone to be God S. Peter when he saith holy meÌ„ of God spake by the inspiration of the holy ghost putteth a plain difference betwene him an inspiration for he is not the inspiration but the worker therof the sender of it Wherfore as the worckman is not hys worck as Protogenes is not Ialysus Appelles is not Venus the carpenter is not the house no more is the holy spirite an inspiration He also forgeueth synne maketh vs the sonnes of God for we ar christened in his name that we should beleue that y e holy spirit worketh in baptisme it pleased the almighty Trinitie y t he shuld notably appere at Christes baptising For this coÌ„sideration the holy coÌ„forter at that time shewed himself in the likenes of a doue Doth any aungel forgeue sinne or Archaungel No truly this belongeth to the father only the sonne only the holy ghost only But me thinketh one replieth Seraphin speketh vnto the Prophet Esay Behold this hath touched thy mouth and thine vnrightuousnes is taken away thy sinne forgiuen He saith not I haue taken it away but this speaking of a hote cole taken from the alter with the toÌ„gues not châ—rcoale not seacoale but the cole of the holy ghost who may be wel called a coale for he is fire The pacient man Iob telleth vs that almighty God garnished y e heauens with his spirit with his hand wounded the rebellious serpent w t whoÌ„ Dauid agreeth saying By the word of the Lord were the heauens made and all the hostes of them by the spirite of his mouth Wherfore in y e worke of creatioÌ„ Moises maketh relation of him telling vs that the spirit of God was born vpoÌ„ the waters Basyl who for his great learning was surnamed Magnus expoundeth this place of the holy ghost saith that his predecessours toke it so for the word spirit can not signifie wynd there which was then not made Was borne vpon the waters is no blowyng but as much to say as he sat on the waters for as the Hen sytting on her egs hatcheth her yoÌ„g ones so the holy ghost hatched al creatures whiche there are called waters as it is wrytten when thou lettest thy spirit go fourth they are made so y u renuest the face of the earth Is the garnisher of the heauens maker of y e world forgeuer of synnes myndfull of the congregation no substaunce but a phantasie an imagination And here I suppose it be agreable vnto my matter to speake somwhat of al good aungels in general and euyl spirites for if I can proue them to be no motioÌ„s but substaunces much more the holy comforter is a substauÌ„ce But if it be beside our purpose yet it shal be a profitable necessary digression for there be many late Libertines and late English Saduces which wold teach out of scripture that there is nether place of rest ne paine after this life that hel is nothing els but a
is immortal Christ his sonne also must nedes be immortall forasmuch as the father is lykened to the sunne and Christ to the clear and bright beames for he is the bryghtnes of the euerlasting light I would know of the Paulians Arrians whether the father in tyme begon to be a father or was a father euermore without tyme. If they graunt that he was a father euer the which thei can not denie then it must nedest folow that the sonne was euermore For he was not a father before he had a sonne but he was called a father of the sonne and he that is alwaies a father hath euermore alwaies a son If Christ was not euermore then time was before him the Apostle lieth calling him Primogenitum omnis creature first begotten of al creatures for time is a creatur was before him But time was made by Christ for all thinges wer made by him as y e beloued disciple witnesseth If he wer the maker of time thē he was before all time and that whiche was before al time is not moued in time but is without time without beginning immortal Wherfore Christ is immortal and then he is God for only God is immortal after this sort Likewise the alknowyng cōforter was euermore who is cōpared to the heat for an euerlasting heat must nedes procede out an euerlasting sunne and euerlasting beames He is digitus dei the finger of god If I cast out deuils in the fynger of God c. For where Luke sayth in the finger of God it is in Matthew I cast out deuils in the spirit of God Then ether we must confesse him to be without beginning and of the substaunce of God or els graunt that God once lacked a fynger and denie the same to be of the substaūce of the body Like reason may be made of christ who is the hand and the arme of God for God was neuer without his fynger hand ne arme and then al thre be of the same nature with the body And for so much as Gods finger is almyghty and his hand and arme likewise both Christ is almighty and the blessed cōforter also and Christ is God by nature and the holy comforter also For nothing is almighty and of the nature of God but God only But the Arians reply that y e father is elder thē the sonne and that he which begetteth is before him that is begotten Ego hodie genui te This day begat I thee This is true in fathers vpon earth but not in an euerlasting father who must nedes haue an euerlastynge sonne Nether doth this reason holde in al earthly thinges for fire gendreth light and heate procedeth from it and yet the fire gendring and light gendred heat proceding be Coena not one before the oother Therfor it is against reason that y e father begetting and Christ begotten the holy ghost proceding should be coeterne coimmortal not one before the other in time but eche one of them before al time And wel may the trinitie be likened to fyre and his heat light for God in the scripture is called fyre Dominus deus tuus ignis consumens est The Lorde thy God saith Moises is a consumyng fire And Ihon calleth him also light saiyng Deus lux est God is light in him is no darkenes at al. And Christ witnesseth of him self that he is light saying I am the light of the world who is Lumen de lumine light of light For as the fyre ministreth light to a multitude yet is not minished or cōsumed therbi so God bestoweth innumerable benefites vpon vs and yet his liberalitie is not hindred therw t. Likewise also in a cādel of which many other candels be light the light is not therby in any wise diminished or hurt at al. One supper doth not refreshe or suffise many as wel as few but y e voice of one preacher teacheth as wel a hūdred as one The sound of one bell is neuerthelesse when it is heard of many Euen so he who preserued the smal porcion of meal oyl for the wydowe and her son that was not diminished who with a very few loaues a certein fishes refresshed a great multitude so y t those things were not diminished but increased knoweth how to employ his benefites with out any losse or detriment to his liberalitie Moreouer as fire sēdeth forth both heat light but nether heat ne light sendeth fire so y e father sendeth both Christ and the alknowing comforter he is vnsent And as both the light the heat are of y e fire so Christ y e holy ghost both ar of the father the one begotten the other proceding and the father only is of him self of no other And as fire is not before heat light no more is the father before the sonne and the holy Ghost But in that place which I rehearsed out of Deuter. God is called fyre because he melteth the synnes of those that wyll amend as the fyre melteth war and punisheth the sinnes of disobediēt persones with vnquencheable fire and Iohn calleth him light for the same cause For light putteth away darknes and is contrary to it For these properties and diuers other the scriptures cal God the sun of rightousnes fier and light If we ponder thē diligently we shal fynde also the Image of the blessed Trinitie in our selues in our owne natures For it is written God made man after his Image after y e Image of god formed he him This Image is in our soules not in our bodies as I haue proued in my cōfutatiō of the Anthropomorphites or humaniformiās Mānes soul is a liuely Image of God The soul is a spirit almightie God is a spirite the soule quikneth ruleth the body the Trinitie gouerneth the maruelouse frame of this world Reason will and memory are thre but one and the same soule So y e father the son and y e holy ghost are thre distinct in propertie and one God Whatsoeuer thing the soule doth these thre be the workers therof Reason cannot discern good and euill truth falshed plainnes and craft profe sophisticatiō without either will or memory Neither will chuseth what him lyketh without the other nor memory remēbreth not things gone without reason and wil. These actions workes which are sayd properly to belonge only to memory and only to reason and will in very dede ar done by the workemanship of all thre So the father y e son and the holy ghost worke all things vnseparablie not that each of them is vnable to worke by him selfe but that they all thre are one God one spirite one nature as reason wil memory ar one soul. The sonne worketh alwayes wyth the father for whatsoeuer the father doth y ◠doth the sōne also and Christ recordeth that as his father worketh hytherto so he worketh ▪ The
almightie coÌ„forter can not be absent from their works for he is the spirite of them both and fylleth the round compasse of the world If I wold gather all the workes of â—ch person into an induction I could manifestlye proue this to the capacitie of all men but it is to long to speake of their workes I will speake of the creation of the worlde of Christes incarnatioÌ„ of his miracles and resurrectioÌ„ prouing al these to haue ben done by the workmanshippe of the thre persons For if the Trinitie did worke inseperablye in these no doubte it hath don likewise in all other First touching the creatioÌ„ of the world no man distrusteth the fathers workimg of whom that is supposed to be spoken In the beginning God created heauen and earth If thou doubt of Christ the holy comforter herken what y e prophet Dauid saith by the word of the Lord were the heaueÌ„s made and bi the word of his mouth the glorious fairenes of them Wherfore heauen earth be the workmanship of the thre persons Was Christ conceaued in the wombe of Mary by the workemanship of the holy comforter and is he not maker of the world If the thre persons work euermore without seperatioÌ„ why doth the scripture graunt certein works to one person certein to another Truly to teach vs that ther be thre persons that ther be thre distincte thre vncoÌ„founded Onely the person of the father soundeth the voice in Christes baptisme only the holy ghost appeareth lyke a doue only Christ is incarnate Notwihstanding both the flesh of Christ and y e voice of the fatheâ— and the apparitioÌ„ of the al-knowing coÌ„forter be the workemaÌ„ship of the whole Trinitie I meane not that Christ the holy ghost souÌ„ded the voice but that thei were workers of the voice â–ª the father only souÌ„ded it not Christ not the holy ghost For they be distinct and vnconfounded they be thre not all one thre persons not thre names So the holy ghost only shewed himselfe in y e shape of a doue not the father not Chriâ—â— Neuerthelesse the doue in which he apeared was the workemanshippe of al thre So neither the father ne yet the blessed comforter were incarnate but Christ only Neuertheles the flesh nature of Christ was the workemaÌ„ship of the whole Trinitie whose workes be â—nseperable This may be gathered of the wordes of the Angell to Mary Spiritus sanctus superueniet in te virtus altistimi abuÌ„brabit tibi The holy ghost saith Gabriell shall come vppon the and the power of the highest shall ouershadowe thee By the highest the father is to be vnderstaÌ„d by these wordes Virtus altistimi the ver â—ue or power of the highest the sonne For so S. Paule calleth him to the Corrinthians saying we pâ—each Christ crucified vnto the Iewes an occasion of fallinge to the Greekes folishnesse but vnto them which are called both of the Iewes and Grekes we preach Christe the power and wisdome of God The word virtus is transâ—ated in english vertue or power the greke word is Dunamis both in Paul and in the aunswer of the aungel PeradueÌ„ture some man wil denie that the father is ment by y e word Altissimus Therfore I wil fortifie his operation with an other reason Christes incarnatioÌ„ is his sending as I haue proued befor For who is sent thither wher he is already But he is euery wher touching his diuinitie Wherfore he is sent thither where he was not â—y appearing in his humanitie And it is plain that the father sent him wherfore the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ is the workmanship of the holy glorious Trinitie The scripture telleth that our sauiour Christ also by his word and commaundement did cast out many deuils but the same witnesseth y t the father and the holy ghost did worke with him lest thou shouldst thinke the works of the trinitie to be separable For of his fatheâ— he himself sayth The father that dwelleth in me is he which doth the workes And of the aldoing comforter also I cast out deuils in the scripture of God Lyke profe may be brought of all his other miracles So only Christ arose from death to life and yet the holy Trinitie raysed him For of the father it is wrytten who raysed Christ from death And of himself he testifieth saying to the Iewes asking a token Destroy this teÌ„ple and in thre dayes I shall rayse it vp again And that y e holy ghost raised him Paul is recorde and wytnes saying Wherfore if the spirit of him which raysed vp Iesu froÌ„ death dwel in you And Iohn also y e spirit quikneth For it is not to be takeÌ„ only of the quickening of our soules but of our bodies also nether is it vnlike that the holy comforter did rayse hym whome he formed in the virgins wombe Like proue might be made of all the peculier workes of the alworking comforter and of the father Wherfore their workes be no more separable then the workes of reason wil and memorie namely seing they be one God as the other thre be one soule The .xxviij. Chapter ¶ How there is but one God only the diuinitie of Christ and the aldoing comforter notwithstanding this vnitie NOw I haue almost declared al the contentes of this treatise that is what God is what persone signifieth and that there be thre persons in the glorious Trinitie For the profe of my last matter and content I wil first teache with euident scriptures that there is but one only God and theÌ„ with reasons not of phylosophy but gathered out of them for the scripture is profitable to teache to controll and to instruct Then I will proue that the same scripture graunteth al and eueri one of y e partes of the definition made of God to our sauiour Christ and that done I wyl fortifie also that al the partes of thesame definition are grauÌ„ted to the alknowing and almighty comforter The Christian congregation beleueth the father y e son and the holy gost to be one God not by nuncupation only but by vnitie of nature For if the multitude of theÌ„ that beleued were Cor vnum anima vna one heart and one soul if he which is ioyned vnto the Lord is one spirit if man wife be one flesh one body as y e Apostle witnesseth if al men be one substaunce touching ther nature if the scriptures testify that in humaine thinges many be one â–ª how much more are the father the sonne and y e holy ghost one God which differ not in nature substaunce for it is written there are thre which beare record in heauen the father the word the holy ghost these thre are one The vnitie of their nature proueth them not to be thre Gods but one God The damnable seâ—t of y e Arrians expouÌ„deth this text Hij tres vnum sunt these thre are one that thei be one in
his letters professeth him self to be y e seauaunt of Iesu Christ wherfore he is to be honored theÌ„ he is one God with the father for it is writteÌ„ Thou shalt worship the Lorde thy God and hym only shalt thou serue You cal me saith Christ Lord and maister and ye say well for so am I. And he warneth vs that we call not one another maister for one is our maister The Apostle also witnesseth y t ther is but one diuinitie one power and maiestie of Christ the father saying although ther be y t are called Gods whether in heaueÌ„ or in earth as ther be gods many Lordes many yet vnto vs is ther but vnus deus one God which is y e father of whom are all thinges we in him and vnus dominus one Lorde Iesus Chriâ—st by whom are al thinges we by him For as in that he saith that ther is but one Lord Iesus Christ the father is not denied to be Lord so these wordes vnto vs ther is but one God which is y e father denie not Christ to be God He numbreth not him emong those whiche are Gods by nuncupation but ioyneth coupleth him with the father froÌ„ whoÌ„ he is vnseperable The Prophet Baruch saith of him he is our God and there is none other able to be coÌ„pared vnto him Wherfore ether we must graunt him to be one God with the father or els make the father vnderlyng to hys sonne for none is to be compared to him That the Prophet speaketh these words of Christ the same text folowing sheweth it is he that hath found out al wisdom and hath geuen her vnto Iacob his seruaunt and to Israell his beloued Afterward did he shewe himselfe vpon earth and dwelt among men This text declareth also that Christ gouerned the congregatioÌ„ of the Israelits in that it sayth he fouÌ„d out all wisdome and gaue her vnto Iacob and Israell Read that Chapter thou shalt fynd y t he prepared y e earth at the beginning filled it with all maner of foules and beastes and that he gouerneth the same and that he wotteth al things that he is great and hath no end high vnmeasurable which things all proue him one God with the father as he testifieth of himselfe saying to his father Hec est vita eterna c. This is life euerlasting that they might know thonly tru God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ that is that they might knowe the and Iesus Christ to be thonly true God Neither doth only here deny the holy ghoste to be one God with them forasmuch as he is of the same esseÌ„ce that they be for he procedeth of them both nomore then y e father is excluded by the same word and the sonne where it is written The thinges of God knoweth none but the spirit of God The father and Christ are not excluded from that knowledge which is said here to apperteine only to the holy ghost So wheÌ„ soeuer they two are said to be the only true God the almightie coÌ„forter is not denied to be god also with them We read in the reuelation of S. Ihon of a name which none knewe but he only who had it written that is Christ yet both y e father knewe it who knoweth al scieÌ„ce the almightie coÌ„forter also for he searcheth al thinges yea the botome of Gods secretes Wherfore wheÌ„ Moises crieth Harken Israell the Lorde thy God is one God when all the Prophets preach that there be no more Goddes but one the diuine nature and esseÌ„ce is not denied to Christ and to the almightie comforter nomore then dominion and Lordshippe is denied to the father because Paule saith to vs is but one Lord Iesus Christ. So God is said onli to haue immortalitie and yet nether Christ is immortal who saith vnto the rebelliouse Iewes Verely verely I say vnto you if a man kepe my word he shall neuer se death For if the keping of Christes worde lead vs to immortalitie howe much more is he himselfe immortal without beginning or end Neither y e holy comforter for of him Paule writeth If the bloud of oxen and of goates and the ashes of an heyfer when it was spryncled purified the vncleane as touching the purifieng of y e fleshe how much more shal y e bloud of Christ which through the eternal spirit offered himself withoute spotte vnto God pourge your consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God So God is said only to forgeue sinne only to be wise only to be mightie only to be good which textes and sayinges are spokeÌ„ of the gloriouse Trinitie If they were spoken of the father only as the Arrians teach then the euangelist wold haue said who can forgeue sinnes but the father only none is God saâ—e the father only Paule also sayth â–ª not vnto the father wyse only but vnto God king euerlasting immortal inuisible and wyse oniy that is to the blessed Trinitie be honoure and prayse for euer and euer For if we take him otherwise we make him a lier who grauÌ„teth power immortalitie and wisdome in diuerse and sundry places both to Christ our sauiour and to the spirite the comforter And these thinges do onlye apperteyne and belong to them thre neither are they attribute to any other Wherupon it muste nedes folowe that they be one God Nothing proueth this more plainly then the hebrue text whersoeuer the scripture cryeth vnto vs that ther is but one god Moses saith vnto y e Israelits Iehoua Elohenou Iehoua Ecadh that is the Lord our God is one God or one Lord â–ª This text can not be spoken of the father onlye for the hebrue word for God is Elohim of the plurell nuÌ„ber not of the singuler to teach vs that there be thre vnconfounded which neuerthelesse are declared to be one God and of one essence maiestie and power for so much as they are Iehoua Ecadh For Iehoua is the peculier special honorabâ—â— and most blessed name of God for which the Iewes dyd vse to reade Adonai not that it could not be expressed in their language but for a more reuerence to Gods name Moises also saith in another place vnto the it was shewed that y u mightst know that the Lord is God that ther is none but he wheras for god the english he vseth Elohim so for the Lord he vseth Iehoua Esay the Prophet doth likewise speking of one God and reiecting al other Wherfore the Trinitie is one euerlasting the only immutable inuisible and almighty God I will proue this to be true in these foure wordes power name light vertue for the father is almighty as it is written I am the Lord almighty And the sonne also is almighty for the wyseman calleth him y e almighty hand and the almighty word of God The holy comforter also is almighty forasmuch as he is
the finger of God wherfore thei are one God They haue also one name for the Apostles are commaunde to christen al nations in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost Note here that the scripture sayeth in y e name not in the names and to teache vs that there is one diuinitie one maiestie and one name of the thre persones the scripture telleth that Christ the holy ghost come not in diuers and sondry names but in one name Christ saith I come in my fathers name and ye receiue me not This name of y e father is Christes name also for the Lord sayth in the boke of departure to him Ego anticedo in nomine meo vocabo te nomine meo domini in coÌ„spectu tuo That is I wyl go before thee in my name and I wyll call thee by my name Lord in thi presence Thou learnest here that Christ and his father haue one name learne also that the almighty and alknowing comforter hath the selfsame name in that he cometh in the name of Christ as it is writteÌ„ that comforter the holy ghost whom the father wyl send in my name He is sent in Christes name wherfore he hath one name with hym the father This is the name of y e blessed trinitie of which it is wrytten ther is no other name vnder heauen in whiche we must be saued wherfore they haue but one diuinite I wil proue y e same of those thinges which the scripture saith of god God is light sayth Iohn in him is no darkenes Christ also is light for of IhoÌ„ the baptist it is writeÌ„ he was not y e light but to bear witnes of y e light which lighteth al men coming into the world God is light 1 Iohn 1. Christ is the true lyght Iohn 1. Ergo Christ is the true God Of the almightie comforter also it is written Signatum est super nos lumen the lyght of thy countenaunce O Lorde is sealed vpon vs but who is the light sealed who is the seale that is y e holy ghost of whom Paul writeth ye are sealed w t the holy spirit of promes whiche is the earnest of our inheritaunce Note also y t he is not another light but thesame light that the father is for he is the light of his countenaunce wherfore he is the same God and one God with the father and the sonne But some felowe wil aske me where I find the father to be lyght truly in Paul who calleth Christ the brightnes of euerlasting lyght where by euerlasting lyght the father is ment Christ also is vertue for Paul calleth hym Dei virtutem atque sapienciam the vertue wisdome oâ— God We read also that the father is vertue where it is written Videbitis filium hominis ad dexteram virtutis ye shall see Christ ye shal se the sonne of man on the right hand of the vertue or power And that the holy ghost is vertue Christ witnesseth saying Accipietis virtutem adueâ—ientem in vos spiritus sancti you shal receiue vertue or power of the holy ghost Luke also speaketh this of the holy gost Virtus exibat de eo vertue gushed out of him wherfore thei be one God The son is life who saith I am the way truth life So the father also is life as IhoÌ„ witnesseth saying that which was from the beginning which we haue heard which we haue sene with our eies whiche we haue loked vpon and our handes haue handled of the word of lyfe for the lyfe appeared and we haue sene beare witnes and shew vnto you that eternal life which was with the father Here he named our sauiour Christ the word of life and eternal life But what meaneth he bi calling him the word of life then that he is the word of the father wherfore the father also is lyfe And if so be the Apostle call Christ lyfe why is not the alknowyng comforter lyfe who is the spyrite of lyfe as it is wrytten The spirite of lyfe was in the wheles Note here reader that Christ is not another lyfe but thesame life that the father is in asmuch as he is that eternal lyfe whiche was with the father For if he be one life with the father theÌ„ must he nedes be one god with him The father also is a flud as he recordeth of himself I will flowe vpon you like a water flud of peace and like a flowyng streame And Christ caleth y e almigtie comforter a fludde saying out of his belly shal flowe riuers of water of life This spake he of the spirit Wherfor the holy ghost is a flud or streame and that a mighty and great flud washyng and clensing the heauenly citie of Hierusalem from al filth and vnclennes as Dauid winesseth there is a flud which with his riuers reioyseth the citie of God the holy dwelling of the hyghest no other stream can wash purifie clense vs but this God graunt that this flud may ouerflow the bankes of Englande God send it into the court into the kinges chamber into his heart into his counsels chamber and into the middest of the parliameÌ„t house to wash banish away all couetousnes in spiritual thinges as ferming of benefices pluralities of prebendes personages absence froÌ„ cures from colledges improperations first fruites c. and parcialitie and the gredy wolfe of ambicion pride vnmercifulnes and oppression out of the hearts of nobilitie God send it into the hearts of Byshops that they may once againe yet be preaching prelates and al priestes that they may power forth clean pure doctrine as diligently as they haue powred holy water many a day The holy spirite is the true holy water the true flud wasshing away our sinnes not the vnprofitable ceremonies of the syre of Rome Wherfor our sauiour Christ must nedes be a flud also for out of him gushe these streames of eternal life They haue also one operation thei do worke al things vnseperabli as I haue proued in y e chap. before wher I declared mans soull to be the image of God wherfore they haue one diuitie Moreouer it is writteÌ„ grace with you and peace froÌ„ God the father and our Lord Iesus Christ. Behold thou seest here that one grace commeth from the father and the sonne one peace lykewise thesame also come from the holy ghost for of peace it is writteÌ„ the fruit of the spirit is loue ioy peace long suffring Zachary calleth him y e spirit of grace God hath promised to poure vpon Hierusalem the spirit of grace and mercy Peter saith to those that were pricked in their hearts through his preaching Accipietis graciaÌ„ spiritus sancti you shall receiue the grace of the holy ghost They haue also one charitie one loue for of y e father the son it is written
THE JMAGE of God or laie mans boke in which the right knowledge of God is disclosed and diuerse doubtes besides the principal matter made by Roger Hutchinson 1550. ¶ Newly imprinted at London by Iohn Day dwelling ouer Aldersgate Anno do 1560. Cum gratia priuilegio Reginae maiestatis per septennium ¶ The contentes and Chapters What God is We must learne what God is of gods word and not of mans wisdom Chap. 1 God is of himself Chap. 2. fol. 6 God is a spirit and how the scriptures do graunt vnto him a head eies haÌ„ds fete and al other parts of mans body he is a bird a shoter a husbandman Christ is his Image and man also Chap. iii. Fol. 7 God is immutable and how he is other whiles angry otherwhiles pleased somtime a slepe somtime awake somtime forgetfull standing sitting walking c. Chap. iiii Fol. 14 God is vnsearcheable chap. v. 17 God is inuisible and how the faithful of the old testament sawe him diuers times chap. vi 18 God is euery where and how Christ is in the Sacrament chap. vii 19 God is ful of vnderstanding cha viii 31 God is truth and whether it be lefull to lie for any consideration chap. ix 73 God is full of compassion chap. x. 42 God is full of rightuousnes and of the prosperitie of euil and the affliction of good men chap. xi 43 God is ful of al goodnes chap. xii 46 God only is immortall and of the immortalitie of soules and aungels chap. xiii fol. 47 God is the maker of all thinges wherof he made them by whome and who made the deuill and of the beginning of syn and euyl Chap. xiiii 48 God ruleth the world after his prouideÌ„ce and how he rested the seuenth day Chapter xv Fol. 53 God only knoweth al things ch xvi 73 God only forgeueth synne our pardoning what it is of losing and binding Chapter xvii fol. 76 God only is almighty and whether he can synne die or lye with other properties Chap. xviii fol. 92 God is defined by y e scripture ch xix 99 xx 100 What a persone is In what order he wyl write of a person A person is not a difference of vocatioÌ„ and office and that the fathers of the old testament worshipped a Trinitie Chapter xxi fol. 101 A persone is no outward thing why the churche hath vsed thys worde Chapter xxii fol. 107 That there be thre persons Christ is a substaunce Chap. xxiii 109 The holy spirit is not a Godly inspiracion is gouernour of the world to be prayed vnto a forgeuer of synne Chapter xxiiii fol. 112 Christ is vnconfounded why he became man and why he came so longe after Adams fall Chap. xxv fol. 120 The holy comforter is vnconfounded why he descended in the lykenes of a doue Chapter xxvi fol. 130 Corporal similitudes of God cha xxvii folio 134 That all thre are but one God The deitie of Christ and the spirite deny not a vnitie Chap. xxviii fol. 142 All the partes of the definition made of God are proued to agre vnto Christ. Chap. xxix fol. 161 All the partes of the same definition are proued to agree to the almighty comforter and spirit Chap. xxx fol. 166 Heresies confuted in this boke AGainst the heresy of transâ—stantiatioÌ„ and corporal or locall presence cha vii fol. 21. Against the Anthropomorphites otherwise named humaniformiaÌ„s which suppose God to be of corporal forme and shape chap. iii. fol. 7.8.9 Agaist popish and outward priesthod the sacrifice of the masse Chap. viii folio 33.34.35 c. Against the Priscillianistes which think that for some consideration sometime lying is not forbiddeÌ„ cha ix 13.37.38 Against the Origeniftes which say that all men women and deuels also at length shalbe saued chap. x. fol. 42 Against the late Epicures which thinke that God so rested the seueÌ„th day froÌ„ all his workes that now he worketh no more Chap. xv fol. 53 Against Astrologers that thynke all thinges are gouerned by fate destinie by the influence and mouing of the starres Chap. xv fol. 61 Against such as thinke that we through loue or forgeuing other deserue remission of our misdedes Chap. xvii Folio 76.78 Against our late Anabaptistes and Donatistes whiche teache that euill ministers can not christen lose and bind Chap. xvii Fol. 80.81 Against Peters primacie cha xii 81.82 Against the late Anabaptistes and Nouacianes whiche denie those that fall after Baptisme to be recouerable Chapter xviii fol. 91.92 Against the Patripassians and Sabelanes whiche confounde the Father Christ and the holy spirit saying that they be thre names and one thyng Chap. xxi fol. 101.102 Against our late englysh Saducees and Libertines which deny the almyghty comforter to be a substaunce holde that he is a godly inspiration Chap. xxiiii fol. 112 Against the same Libertines and Saduces whiche make the vnlearned people beleue that good aungels are nothing els then good mocioÌ„s and that hel is nothing but a tormenting conscience and that a ioyfull quiet and mery conscience is heauen Chap. xxiiii Fol. 112 Against the damnable opinion that the deuill is nothing but a filthy affection coming of the flesh and that all euyll spirites are carnall mocions and sensual lustes Fol. 116.117 Against the assercion of the Arriannes that Christ toke vpon hym our flesh but not a soule also fol. 121 Against the damnable opinioÌ„ of the late Anbaptist whiche denied that Christ toke his humanitie of the blessed virgin Chap xxv fol. 121.122.123 Against the Arians that deny the father Christ and the holy spirit to be of one substaunce and essence fol. 142.143 Against the multitude of Gods 145 Against the Manicheis whiche make two Gods calling them two contrary principles fol. 144.145 Against the heresie of praying to saintes Folio 145.146 Against vnwritten verities 104 TO THE MOST REVErend father L. Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Cantorbury Primat of al England and Metropolitane his most humble Roger Hutchinson wisheth peace welfare and eternal felicitie PVblius Scipio he that was first surnamed African ryght honorable Father was wont to say that he was neuer les idle then when he was Idle meaning therby forsomuch as he was a magistrate that he most earnestly thought mused of coÌ„mon wealth matters when he semed to others least occupied A worthy saying for so noble a man and to be embraced of all rulers namely in these troubelous dayes in whiche so manye thinges be disordred and nede reformacion So albeit I am no Magistrate as noble Scipio was buâ— a priuate persone yet I haue thought it my boundeÌ„ dutie to see suche houres in whiche I myght haue ben vnoccupied which some spend in banketting rioting and gamning bestowed neither vnthriftely ne idelly but to the profite of the common wealth to teache the laye people vnderstanding science to the vttermost extente of my small power Vnderstanding is a seede that God soweth in mans soule and among al his gyftes knowledge is
hogs filthy couetous men to roote and treade down thy vineyard any lenger but hold vp the staffe of thyne enheritaunce Let not the preaching of thy smete son encrease the damnacion of thy people but doe thou drawe and turne them worke their ameÌ„dement who holdest in thy handes the hartes of rulers and al meÌ„ Al these enormities be the fruites of euil hartes make them O God cleane hearted that they may powre forth good fruites by the operation of thy holy spirit who preserue your grace in good health and make your gouernment prosperous to you to this Realme and to the churche of God So be it At London the .xxvi. of Iune ¶ Maister doctor Byll Images are made to put vs in mynde Of that which is dead or farre absent But God is neither as we do fynde But aye liuing and eche where present Images are cursed grauen by mans wyt In place that are set for any religion But an Image made out of holy wryt Is not forbidden in myne opinion An Image is painted here in this boke Neither with false 〈◊〉 nor maÌ„s inueÌ„tioÌ„s But out of Gods boke set out to all folke Fruitfull necessary to al true christiaÌ„s Hutchinson shope it for good men to regard With thankes his costes with prayse his paynes rewarde AN EXACT TABLE OF AL the principall matters conteined in this boke A ABsolutioÌ„ of the the minister 90 Abraham lyed not to Abymeleck Fol. 38 Abrahams vision 103 135 A clene sacrifice 33 Accidens remaine in in the sacrament 117 Against fate and destinie or the influence of the starres 61 Against Peters premacy â—â— A glasse 104 A glasse to se God in Fol. 138 Against prayinge to sainctes 145 An exhortatioÌ„ to swerers 1â— Angels are Gods repers Fol. 13 Against the corporall presence 21 All lying is forbidden 37 All thinges were made of nothing 52 A new sacrifice 34 An exhortation to kinges 55 Angels apere in diuers shapes 66 Angels ar ministring spirites 74 Anabaptistes doctrine euill 80 Anabaptistes aledge two seedes in Mary Fol. 123 Anabaptistes would be calde to geue a reconing of their faith Folio 173 Arme of God 9 Armour to fight against the deueil 118 Aâ—rius interpretation coÌ„futed 155.142.178 Aristotle 150.145 As there is a God so is there a deuil â–ª 117 A single nature not mixâ— 161 B Baptisme commaunded Fol. 1 Baptisme purifieth vs. fol. 1 Baren ground resembled to men â—â— â–ª Byshop Firmius answer to the king 40 Bishops must haue an eye to their vocatioÌ„ Folio 87 By the euerlastinge word al things wer made 110 Borne vpon the waters what it is 49 C Cause of sicknes 50 Christ became man why 120 Christ toke both soule and body 121 Christ brought not his flesh from heaueÌ„ 1â—â— Christ toke not the fede of angels 12â— Christs flesh holy 124 Christes flesh is to be worshiped 177 Christ borne of a pure virgin 124 Christ not the holy ghostes sonne 128 Christ did decke him self with our nature Folio 126 Christ why he was teÌ„ted 1â—7 Christ suffered for vs. Folio 106 Christ â–ª the begotteÌ„ son of God 103 Christ confuted his enemies with scriptures 4 Christ not in the sacrameÌ„t touching his humanitie 21 Christes body receiued from heaueÌ„ by faith Folio 23 Christes fleshe geueth life 23 Christ is the vyne touching his flesh 24 Christs priesthod hath ended the Leuites 32 Câ—â—ist loked vpon Peter â—â— Christes praier preserued Peter 87 Christes comming or sending what it is Folio 125 Christ is a substaÌ„ce 161 Christ is a spirit 161 CleaÌ„â—hes .iiii. reasons Fol. 60 CorrinthiaÌ„s punished for abusing the sacrament 29 Creatures are not punished by desteny 67 Corporally 108 D Dauid obtained vnderstanding how 31 Deuill no fleshly mocion 119 Deuils confesse Christ to be the sonne of God 119 Dial declarth y e dai 56 Diues Lazarus 58 Diagoras 59 E Eyes of God what they signifie 8 Earth cursed of God why â—â— Epiphanius 95 Euil meÌ„ receiueth not Christes body 28 F Fantasticall heads 2 Fancies what cause 3 Face of God what it signifieth 8 Fate what it is 67 Father vnbegotteÌ„ â–ª â—3 Fete of God what 10 Fear god aboue al. 21 First point of our profession 1 Finger of God 92 Figure of Christ. 110 Filleth heuen earth Folio 162 G God a pure substance Fol. 99 God a pure natur 14 Gods nature hid from our eies 12 Gods maiestie shewed Folio 3 Gods power vpholdeth y e heauens 62 Gods remission goeth before our loue 78 Gods word the keye of knowledge 52 gods sho what it is 11 Gods remission goeth before our pardo 74 God is a father 152 God is life 158 God only of hiÌ„self 62 God is a spirit 27 God is full of vnderstanding 31 God ia full of truth mercy 41 God is full of rightuousnes 43 God is ful of compassion 45 God is a floud or streme 158 God worketh al thiÌ„gs to purposes 56 God honored by swearing how 10 God is saide to be an husbandman 12 God is said to be a shoter how 12 God is saide to be angry how 15 God is said to slepe 15 God loketh vpon the earnest repentant 89 God was seene of the fathers how 18 God seeth the wicked euery where 21 God geueth vnderstanding to his 31 god is ful of mercy 41 God loueth whome he scourgeth 44 God saueth no man against his will 45 God maker of al thiÌ„gs Fol. 47 God made not the deuyll 51 Gods iudgement vnchercheable 17 Gods head 8 Gods repers 13 God robed of his 2 Good angels 115 Gospel is the spiritual sword 4 Gospel a sermon of gods mercy 5 Gospell maketh true christians idem H Hears of god 8 Hand of god 9 How god doth laugh Fol. 15 How god is said to awake to forget to remember to sit to staÌ„d to go to walke 16 How god is in all places 20 How god dwelleth w t vs. idem How god is vnto all men idem How Paule was a citezen of Rome 40 Hell hath thre significations 43 How god is said only to be immortal 46 How God is said to reste the seuenth day 71 How God is saide to repent 73 Howe we doe forgeue one another 77 How the Pope loseth and bindeth 83 How y e father is sene in Christ. 105 Holy ghost to be praid vnto 113 Holy ghost appeared like a doue 130 How Christ is a flour or a rose 132 How God is named y e somme of vnderstaÌ„ding 135 How God is fyre 〈◊〉 lyght 137 Heathen opinion confuted 144 How the father Christ and the holy spirite be one God 152 I Image of God 1 Image of the father is an Idol 13 Image of God lost 14 I am the vine this my body are diuers phrases 24 Iacobs saying to his father is no lie but a mistery 39 In hel no redeÌ„tion 42 Immortall properly Folio 47 Impossible for herd Fol. 94 K Kingdomes why they are translated 55 Kingdomes scourged why 58 L Leauen of the Phariseis 3 Letter kylleth what
are one 106 Ioh. 14. If a man loue me he wyll keepe my worde and my father also wyl loue hym and we wil come vnto him and dwell with him Folio 20 Iohn 14. Whosoeuer seeth me seeth my father 105 Ioh. 15. I am the vine and ye are the braunches 23 Iohn 15. My father is an husbandman 23 Ioh. 16. He shal iudge the world of sin 167 Iohn 17. This is life euerlastinge that they might knowe thee the only true God whoÌ„ thou haste sent Iesus Christ. 154 Ioh. 17. I pray not for them alone but for theÌ„ also which shall beleue on me thorowe their preaching that they al may be one as thou fatherr art in me c. 143 Iohn 20. Whosoeuer synnes ye remit they are remitted vnto theÌ„ and whosoeuer sinnes ye retaine they are reteyned 79 Iohn 20. Receiue the holy spirite 171 Iohn 20. And many other thinges did Iesê° which are not written these are written that ye might beleue c. and haue lyfe eternall 104 Iohn 21. SimoÌ„ Ioanna louest thou me more then these and he saide yea lord thou knowest I loue thee He sayde vnto him feade my laÌ„bes He said to hym again louest thou me Peter aunswered yea Lord thou knowest I loue thee He said vnto him feade my sheape And he asked hym the third tyme. 85.86 Actes 10. And there came a voyce to hym aryse Peter kyll and eate but Peter sayde God forbyd Lorde for I haue neuer eaten athyng that is vncleane or comen 175 Act. 10. Whyle Peter thought on his vision the spirite sayde vnto him beholde men seke thee aryse therfore get the down and go with them for I haue sent them 176 Actes 19. Paul passed thorow the vpper coastes and came to Ephesus and found certeyne disciples and sayd vnto them haue ye receyued the holy ghost and they sayde no. And he sayde wherwith were ye then baptised And they sayd with Iohns baptisme And it foloweth when they heard that they were baptised in the name of the Lord Iesu agayn and Paul layd his handes on them and â–ª thei spake with tongues and prophecied 91 Act. 22. Then the captain came vnto Paulâ— and sayd to him Tell me art y u a Romaine he saide yea And the Captaine aunswered with a great summe obteined I this fredom And Paul sayd I was free borne 40 Rom. 3. By the dedes of the law no flesh shall be iustified 121 Rom. 5. The lawe entred that syn should encrease 126 Rom. 8. We know not what to desire but the spirit maketh intercession myghtely for vs with gronyng whiche can not bee expressed with tonge 131 Rom. 8. God sent hys sonne in the likenes of sinful flesh 125 Ro. 8. Euery creatur is subdued to vanite 166 Ro. 9. Who can resist his wyl 44 1 Cori. 2. The eie hath not seene and the eare hath not heard neither haue entred in to the heart of men the thinges whiche God hath prepared for them that loue hym 170 1 Corin. 2. The spirite searcheth all thynges yea the bottom of gods secretes For what maÌ„ knoweth the things of a man saue the spirite of maÌ„ which is in him Euen so the thinges of god none knoweth but the spirit of God 170 1 Cor. 6. Ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are iustifieth by the name of the Lord Iesu and the spirite at our God Fol. 171 1 Cor. 6. Your bodies are the temple of the holy ghost which is in you whom ye haue of God ye are not your own for you are dearly bought Therfore glorifie God in your bodies 176 1 Corint 8. Althomgh there be that are called gods in heauen earth as ther be many gods and Lordes many yet vnto vs is there but one God which is the father of all thinges we in him and one lord Iesus Christ by whoÌ„ are all thinges and we by him 154 1 Corin. 10. One loafe one body we that bee many 52 1 Cor. 14. The secrets of his hart are opened and he falleth down on his face and worshyppeth God saiyng that God is in you in dede Fol. 177 1 Cor. 15. By a man came death and by a maÌ„ cometh the resurrectioÌ„ of the dead for as by AdaÌ„ al die so by christ al be made aliue 120 2 Cor. 3. The letter killeth the spirit geueth lyfe 4 2 Cor. 10. The weapoÌ„s of our war are not carnall thynges but the power of God to cast down strung holdes 3 Galat. 3. There is no Iew nether Gentil nether bonde ne free ne man ne woman 107 Gala. 4. In the fulnes of tyme God sent his sonne 125 Galath 4. God sent Christ. 125 Gal. 4 Borne of a woman idem Philip. 2. Beware of dogges beware of euil workers beware of discention for we are circumcision seruing the the spirite whiche is God 35 Philip. 2. He became obedient to the death of the Crosse. 128 Colo. 2. Beware lest any man come spoile you through Philosophie and deceitful vanitie 17 Col. 2. In Christ dwelleth all the fulnes of y e godhead corporally or bodely 108 2 Tessa 2. He shall syt in the temple of God and shew him selfe as God 88 1 Timo. 1. Unto God king euerlasting immortall inuisible and wise only by praise 155 1 Timo. 2. God would haue all men saued come to the knowledge of the truth 45 1 Timo. 6. He that is blessed and mighty only which only hath immortalitie 155.156 Hebr. 1. Which being the bryghtnes of his glory expresse image of his substaunce 106 Hebr. 6. It is impossible that they whiche were once lightned haue tasted of the heauenly gifte and were become partakers of y e holy ghost c. if they fall should ryse again by repentaunce crucifiyng vnto themselues again the son of God and making a mock of hym 91.92 Hebr. 13. Be not caried about with diuerse straunge learning 3 Iaco. 1. Cometh doun froÌ„ the father of light Fol. 45 1 Iohn 1. God is light and in hym is no darkenes 137 1 Iohn The seede of God remaineth in him Fol. 123 1 Iohn 5. There are thre which bear record on earth the spirit water and bloud and these thre are one 104 1 Iohn 5. There are iiâ— which beare recorde in heauen the father the worde the holy gost and these thre are one Folio 142 Apoc. 19. He had a name written that none knew but he him selfe Folio 78 FINIS The first Chapter ¶ We must learne what God is of Gods word and not of mans wisdome THe first point and chief profession of a true christen man is most stedfastly to beleue that ther be thre persones and one God as we are taught in Baptisme whiche is commaunded to be ministred in the name of the father of the sonne of the holy spirit For in y e bath of holy baptisme we are regenerate washed purified and made the children of God by the workmanship of the thre persons which formed also heaueÌ„ and
gathered them together as the hen gathereth hyr chickens vnder hir wynges and they would not suche be not saued for God saueth no maÌ„ against his wil. Ther is theÌ„ no parcialitie no vnrightuousnes with God whose iudgemeÌ„ts be vnsearchable but neuer against iustice aboue our capacitie but neuer against equitie Who is able to discusse why some die old some yong some in midle age why some be poore some rych some gentlemen some Lordes some kinges some of a base ston and other infinite diuersities If these thinges were necessary to be knowen God wold haue opened theÌ„ in his scriptures but in that he speaketh not of theÌ„ iudgeth theÌ„ vnprofitable for vs to know Let vs beleue that God worketh al these thinges and that therfore they must nedes be right iust bicause he is y e workmaÌ„ not searching things aboue our vnderstandings but say with S. Paul O the depenes of the riches and wisdom knowledge of God how vnsearcheable are his iudgements and his waies vntraceable for who hath knowen y e mind of the Lord or who was his counceller The .xii. Chapter ¶ God is ful of compassion HE is full of all goodnes S. Iames witnessing of him y t euery good gifte is from aboue cometh down from the father of light that is father of good meÌ„ for thei are called light Vos estis lux mundi you are the light of y e world What haue we that we haue not receiued He is liberal pacient merciful wise strong constant equall faithfull magnifical aâ—â—able liberal geuing to all meÌ„ indifferently casting no man in the teeth Pacient calling vs thorowe his long suffring vnto repentaunce Merciful not dealing with vs after our sinnes nor rewardyng vs according to our wickednes Wyse for of his wysdome Dauid saith there is no number Strong for he is our buckeler our shield our strength and defence the rock of our might and castel of our health ConstaÌ„t with whom no man can proue any variablenes Equall for there is no parcialitie with God there is no Iewe nether gentile nether bound nor free nether man ne woman but all be one in Christ Iesu. Faithfull for he is a strong God and a faithfull stable in all his wordes Magnificall for the work of the Lord is great and worthy to be praysed the heauens the Sunne and the Starres the waters and great fyshes therin are the worck of thy fyngers Affable exhorting vs continually to aske knock and pray vnto hym and talkyng with vs moste familiarly first by holy Fathers hys Prophets and Patriarkes afterwarde by his only begotteÌ„ sonne Iesus Christ walking hear vppon earth to whome belongeth all power maiestie rule and honor We read of a certen ruler which called Christ good maister askynge him what he should do to obtain euerlasting lyfe whome Christ rebuked saying why callest thou me good none is good saue God only If God only be good then all goodnes is in him The xiii Chapeer ¶ God only is immortall and yet neuertheles the myndes of menne and Aungels be immortall HE is without beginning without ending How caÌ„ he haue any beginnyng of whome al things take their originall Howe can he haue anye end who is of himselfe by no other thing Heauen and earth perisheth and all y t is in them shall fade awaye as grasse and as the floure of the field but oure God lyueth eternallye who speaketh of himselfe I am Alpha Omega the beginning and y e ending which is which was and which is to come Paul affirmeth the same vnto his disciplâ— Timothe geuing al honor and rule vnto God who only hath immortalitie If only God haue immortalitie why doth Christ forbyd vs to feare men which slea the body and caÌ„not slea the soule howe is man formed after the Image similtude of God Howe can the immortalitie of the mynd be defeÌ„ded and of Angels truly mans soule is immortall and yet only God is immortal for this word onely doth not deny this priuilege to other things as to mannes soul to the Angels but God is said only to be immortall as he is said onely to be good only to forgeue sin Mans soule is immortal but clean after an other sort then God who only hath immoralitie For the scripture testifieth of mans soul that it dieth saying suffer y e dead to buay their dead that is to say let the dead in soule bury y e dead in body It is troubled with affections with passions and subiect to mutabilitie But it so dieth thorow vice that it ceaseth not to liue in his owne nature It is so mortal that it is also immortall Wherfor God is only euerlasting immortal euermore who is only immutable And if this interpretation do not content the heare an other That is immortall properlâ— which is w tout beginning without ending Al creatures haue a begynnynge of the which some neuerthelsse are called immortall because they haue no endynge as the angels mans soul but only God is properly immortall who speaketh of himselfe I am which is which was which is to come This beloÌ„geth only to God and to none of his creatures to none of the works of his fingers of which som may truly say that thei be ar to come but not that thei were because once they were not The .xiiij. Chapter ¶ God is the maker of all things wherof he made them by whome and who made the Deuil and of the begynning of sin euil IN the beginnig GOD made al things wherfore he hath no beginning that which neuer had beginning can not haue ending When I say God made all things I mean that the father the son and the holy spirite formed heauen earth angels men and all other creatures of nothing For of the son it is writteÌ„ al things were made by him and of the holy comforter by y e word of the Lord were the heauens made and al the hostes of them by y e breath of his mouth wher the latin is Spiritus Yea in the beginnyng of the boke it is writteÌ„ of them both that they be no creatures of y e son in y e beginning God created heaueÌ„ and earth that is in Christ. For he answereth y e Iewes askyng what he was I am the beginnyng which speake vnto you and in whose behalf Dauid speaketh In the beginning of the boke it is writteÌ„ of me Paule to the Hebrues repeteth the latter text and expoundeth it of Christ. And Dixit Deus fiat lux c. God said be ther light be there a firmameÌ„t God said the waters be gathered together God said be there lights in the firmament This phrase and maner of speaking is ioyned with the creation of euery thing What did God say what language did he speake Did he speake grek latin Italian freÌ„ch spanish english or hebrue Mark
worthines of the minister If their morthines or vnworthines make the sacraments effectual or not theÌ„ of two good the more worthy maketh theÌ„ more effectual and it wer better to be christened of Iohn than of Thomas of Inde better to be sent of Cephas than of Timothe better to receaue the coÌ„munioÌ„ at Pauls hand than of Apollo but their ministration differeth not we are forbidden to reioyce in men for nether he that planteth is any thing nether he that watreth wherfore al haÌ„geth of God who giueth the increase who only forgeueth sinne not of the worthines or vnworthines of the minister The key which Christ promised vnto Peter saying Tibi dabo claues regni caelorum To the I will giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen who answered in that behalf of al as all were asked is Gods holy word wherwith y e minister bindeth and vnbindeth vs as the keye doth shut open the dore The Papistes expound the keies to signifie a general authoritie supremitie grauÌ„ted vnto Peter aboue the other Apostles al kinges the whiche nowe they giue tâ— their great sire of â—ome as to y e only successer of Peter To these I aunswer that Christ gaue non of his Apostles further authoritie then he had himself for when he sendeth them he saith As my father sent me so I send you Wherfore was he sent Not to be ministred vnto but to minister vnto other The people wold haue made him their king head but he refused it he paid tribute to Cesar at Capernaum he was a minister of circumcision many yeares he saith vnto him whiche desired part of his brothers inheritauÌ„ce Who made me a iudge or deuider euer you Wherfore y e keies be no teÌ„poral authoritie Hath y e disciple a further authoritie then his maister Or is the seruaunt aboue his Lord Christ coÌ„maundeth Peter to pay tribute vnto Cesar to put vp his swerd who in the actes sendeth not other but he himself is sent of the Apostles to lay hands vpon them in Samaria which beleued through the preaching of Philip he is asked a count afterward why he went and eat with the vncircumcised he appointeth no maÌ„ in the roume of Iudas but al the Apostles chose two indifferently and cast lottes beseching God to temper them that the lot might fal on y e most ablest Wherfor he was not head of Apostles kings Emperours but a felowe minister as he witnesseth of himself saying I exhort y e ministers among you which am their felow minister Albertus Pighius the Byshop of Romes chief Knyght in his controuersy of the Congregation peruerteth the scripturs to proue that Christ at his departing made him head of the church and general shepherd of his flock First touching the keyes he saith that the ciuil lawyers with y e keyes giue possessioÌ„ of house burrow town and citie As for an example Kyng Henry the eight of most famous memory was made Lord of Bulloin when they deliuered the keyes therof to his maiestie Moreouer Christ commenly calleth hys churche Regnum a kingdom or Monarchie If it be a kingdom saith Pigghius one must be head therof not many for that is a kingdom where one gouerneth If one must be head who is that but he and his successours that had y e keies of the kingdom geueÌ„ him These be reasons of deceitful vanitie and after the ordinaunces of the world not after Christ of which S. Paul warneth the CollossiaÌ„s to take hede Among lawyers possessioÌ„ and dominions is â—eueÌ„ by the key but we must learne what the key is of him that gaue it and not of Lawyers who telleth vs what the key is saying Wo be to you lawyers For ye haue taken away that key of knowledge Where no man can denie but that by the key of knowledge Gods word is ment signified whiche is the only key geuen to the Apostles This is the key wherwith the ministers are commaunded to lose and to bynd to forgeue and to retaine to blesse and to curse The byshop of Rome losing and iustifying men thorow traditioÌ„s and ceremonies and not with the key of gods word hath not Peters key but a pick-lock of whiche he bosteth himself to be head of the churche This key is the .ii. Testaments which Christ commaunded his Apostels to preach to al nacioÌ„s and because there be two testaments he calleth them keyes For euery Scribe of this kingdom bringeth forth of his treasure thinges both newe and olde newe thinges that is the swete tidinges of the gospel to vnbynd vs and olde thinges that is the olde Testament and Moises lawe to bind vs and euery minister hath this key as wel as Peter If Peter be head of the church bicause it is a kyngdom and scriptures ar to be expounded after the law and ordinauÌ„ces of y e world then Peters sonne shuld haue bene head after his father or if he had no sonne the next of his kinred not the Pope For in al kingdomes the sonne or the next of y e kinred is heire to the crown But nether Peter nor the pope be heads therof nor no other vpon the earth but the euerlasting Iesus Christ who nedeth no heir who hath promysed to be present with his congregation vnto the worldes end who nameth his congregation a kingdom not that he made Peter Lord auer vs or the Pope but because he is Lorde and we haue promised obedience vnto him Peter calleth hym our chief shepheard and forbiddeth priestes to be lordes ouer the parishes The Pope sayth that Peter is the rock vpon which the congregacion is founded and than he wil be Peters heire because Peter was once at Rome But the scriptures which are the true touchstone to examine al interpretations by teach vs that Christ is the rock not Peter when he saith vnto Christ thou art the sonne of the liuing God and is â—unswered Thou art Peter and vpon this rock I will build my congregation These wordes vpon this rock are not to be vnderstand of Peter who was so vnconstaunt that he denied his maister thrise but of Christ who is y e sonne of the liuing God as S. Paul teacheth vs saying Petra auteÌ„ erat Christus That is Christ was the rock whom in another place he calleth our foundacion and saith No man can lay another foundation If no man can lay another foundation then Peter is not the foundatioÌ„ The scriptures vse to liken Christ and y e congregation to a bridgrome and hys wyfe for he is called the bridgrome and the church is called his spouse Wherfor S. Paul maketh matrimony a high mistery The husband appointeth no other to be head ouer his wyfe but he only is her head for els she should be vnder two heades no more doth Christ ouer the coÌ„gregation to which he is only husband a gelouse husband If Peter be
with y e holsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ nor with the doctrine of Godlinesse go out of theyr way walke in darknes ouerwhelm theÌ„ selues with reasons of mans wisdome â–ª learn always neuer can get the knowledge of hym wast their braynes about vnprofitable questions strife of words wheâ—of spring enuy railinges euill surmisings vaine disputacioÌ„s of men with corrupt myndes destitute of the truth Wherfore as the child before he is born into the worlde abideth in his mothers wombe and taketh all nourishment of her so we must learn what God is with in the boundes of his worde not at rouers vntil he mercifully deliuer vs from this bondage and out of the dungion of the body and graunt vs to behold hym face to face Now gathering a summe of my sayinges I wyll define what God is not that any perfect definition can be made of him for he is vnsercheable but for the capacities of the laytie for whose sakes I write this that they may behold him in a glas and a shadow who caÌ„ not be sene in this life perfectly God is a spirituall and pure substaunce or nature immutable inuisible vnsearcheable fyllyng heauen and earth ful of vnderstanding of truthe and rightuousnesse of mercy of wysdom of al maner of goodnes without beginning without ending not create not made and maker of al thinges subiect to nothing and gouerning al thinges knowing al things yea euen the inward thoughtes ententes and heartes of men forgeuing sinne only to be honoured called vpon only hearing iustifying and sauing vs of an almighty arme and maiestie the father vnbegotten the sonne bâ—gotten the holy spirit proceading from them both I haue declared before all these thinges to be attributed vnto God in hys holy worde and the scripture doeth not only not deny but eftsones graunt the same al and euery one vnto Iesus Christ our sauiour and to the holy ghost our comforter as it shall appeare more euidently hereafter Whervpon it must nedes folow that both Christ is God and the almighty conforter also by nature not by name only as thei of whoÌ„ it is writteÌ„ Ego dixi dii estis I haue spoken you are Gods The .xx. Chapter ¶ In what order he wil write of a persone NOw seyng that I haue shewed what God is accordynge to the talent of my knowledge I thinke it conuenient vnto my matter to declare what this word persoÌ„ signifieth in this place forasmuch as the signification therof is referred to diuerse things And because many heretikes do mistake and wrongly expouÌ„d this word in the glorious blessed trinitie as they know which haue read auncient chronicles of times past I wil first shew what a person is not the which is easier and with thesame that there be thre persons in y e supergloriouse deitie For we must learne weightie hard matters by foreknowledge of easy thinges This done I wil shew what the word persone doth signifie in the godhed then I wil applie the definitioÌ„ therof to Christ and then I wyl referre the same to the holy comforter I wil proue Christ to be a substauÌ„ce and I wil fortifie the holy spirit to be a substaunce and Christ to be vnconfounded and the holy spirit to be vnconfounded Finally I will portray paint the thre persons â—hat is the trinitie by corporal similitudes whose nature in it self is ineffable and vnsearcheable And albeit these thinges be profound and high misteries and as hard as they be necessary and vnknowen and neuer yet disclosed in our mothers tonge yet I wil so shape and order my oration and speache after such a homely perceiuable fashion as shalbe most mete agreing to the capacitie of those that be simple The .xxi. Chapter ¶ A persone is not a difference of vocation and office and that the fathers of the old testament worshipped a Trinitie THe PatripassiaÌ„s SabelliaÌ„s after them Phoâ—inus of late Seruetus define a person to be a certain coÌ„dition differeÌ„ce of office as wheÌ„ we say Rosâ—ius somtime susteined the persone of Achilles somtime of Blisses or y t a king a prophet be diuers persons For as one man may represent y e person of Achilles Vlisses nothing letteth but one maÌ„ may be a king a prophet as Dauid was so thei say that y e father is the son y e holy spirit also that they be not thre seueral persons The story of Christes christening banisheth this opinioÌ„ wher we se a notable difference of the thre persons The father soundeth these wordes this is my beloued son The son is sene staÌ„ding in Iordan y e holy ghost lighteth vpoÌ„ him in y e likenes of a doue If the father the son the holy ghost be thre names one thing as of this heretical definition of a person it must nedes folow then the father both souÌ„deth the forsayd words was baptised of IhoÌ„ in y e famous riuer of Iordan appeared also in y e likenes of a doue But this doctrine is contrary to the truth of the gospel Wherfor a persone is not a differeÌ„ce of office Furthermore the Apostles are coÌ„maunded to christen in the name of the father the son the holy ghost If the father be all thre he is named thrife so it is Tautologia ociosa a folish and vain repeticioÌ„ And this of S. Paul likewise Grace be with you peace from God our father froÌ„ the Lorde Iesus Christ who vseth this maner of salutatioÌ„ in al his Epistles the which is vain superfluous if we credit this dampnable opinion Hearken what he saith in an other place Vnto vs there is but one God whiche is the father of whom are al things and we in him and one Lord Iesus Christ. By whom are al thinges we by him Doth not he teach vs here that there be two persons one of the father the other of the son not confouÌ„ded together and that these two persons be but one God Christ saith My doctrine is not myne but my fathers which sent me Wherfore he and his father be seueral persons not one thing Isaac was a figure of Christ For as Abraham at the coÌ„maundement of God led him vnto his death So Christ was sent of God to be slayn for our sinnes And Sampson likewise many others but Abraham Isaac Manoad Sampson were seueral persones wherfore the father and Christ be not all one thing But I wil speake of al the thre persons of the glorious Trinitie And forsomuch as many hold opinion that they of the old Testament nether worshipped ne knew any Trinitie but honoured only an vnitie and sought no further I will fyrst begyn with the testimonies of the olde Testament â–ª that it may appeare that this doctrine was preached from the creation of the worlde The begynning of the boke of generation teacheth vs
no couÌ„terfet but the bryghtnes of the euerlasting lyght the vndefiled mirrour of Gods maiestie the liuely image of the fathers substauÌ„ce And for asmuch as he is the image of the father he is not one personne with hym no more then the Image of your personne is your selfe or the image of my father William Hutchynson is my father or the Image of our noble kyng Edward the .vi. is the kyng God graunt that vertue knowledge may mete in his roial heart to the coÌ„fusion of euil doers heretikes They be .ii. persons not .ii. gods For y e kinges Image is called the kyng and yet they be not two kings S. Iohn speaketh after the same maner of all thre together there are thre which bear record in heauen the father the worde and the holy ghost these thre are one Doth he not teache vs plainly that God is a trinitie Thus to conclude this chapter if the father be both the sonne the holy ghost he toke our nature vpon hym he was tempted of the deuil he suffred hunger thirst he was buffeted and scourged of the Iewes and put to death cruelly and he also came downe in the lykenes of a doue and in the similitude of fyrie tongues he begat himself he sent himself he graunted himself a seate of the right haÌ„d of himself he is an Image he is greater then himself he is God to himself If he can not be these thinges we may easely perceiue that he and his sonne and the spirit be distinct and vnconfounded persons and that this worde persone in the glorious trinitie doth not signifie a difference of vocation The .xxij. Chapter ¶ A persone is no outward thing what a persone is in the Godhed why the churche hath vsed this word concerning God THis word also is vsed for all suche thynges as doe cause fauour parcialitie regard and frendship or anger hatred displeasur enmitie both in the old new TestameÌ„t as for riches authoritie office countrey beautie and pouertie bondage scarcitie deformitie After this signification and acception king Iosaphat a worthy prince an earnest promoter of godlines and learning witnesseth that with God ther is no vnrightuousnes no regarding of persones S. Paul also telleth the Gallathians that he loketh on no mans persone and that w t out parcialitie he regardeth both Iewe and gentil bond and fre man woman And Iames biddeth vs to auoid such coÌ„sideration and regard But in the gloriouse trinitie a persone is nether any outward thing nether any condition or difference of vocation but as we may gather of the scriptures as meÌ„ learned in theÌ„ teach a persone in the Trinitie is an vnconfounded substauÌ„ce or as other define with many wordes A persone is a singuler substaunce indiuisible not confouÌ„ded declaring vnto vs a distinctioÌ„ of the godhead not a trinitie of Gods I suppose it necessary for y e vnderstanding of this definitioÌ„ to declare for what coÌ„sideration skil the faithful congregation hath euermore vsed this word For as much as y e scripture teacheth vs our belief telleth vs y t god is thre thei thought it necessary to declare what thre God is who is not thre fathers for nether Christ is the father nor y e holy coÌ„forter nor thre sonnes for y e father is not the son nor the holy ghoste nor thre holy comforters Then what thre is God Hear an example wheÌ„ we sai Sydrack is not Mysak nor Misack Abdenago we graunt they be .iii. but if we wil know what .iii. they be we must find out a more general word that is .iii. men Likewise Mary our sauiour Christs mother Mary Magdalene Mary of Iames be .iii. if we be further demauÌ„ded what thre they be we answer with general word that they be .iii. women Euen so y e congregatioÌ„ answereth this questioÌ„ what thre is God with this general word person to declare y t ther is a destinctioÌ„ betwene Christ his father â— the holy spirit For a person is a general word beloÌ„ging also vnto men for as much as one man is a substauÌ„ce vnconfounded with another as Abraham is not Isaac he is not Iacob ne Iacob is AbrahaÌ„ But here we must â—ote that as AbrahaÌ„ Isaac Iacob ar one sustaunce touching mans nature y t so God albeit he be .iii. persoÌ„s yet he is not .iii. substauÌ„ces but only one substauÌ„ce If ther be .iii substauÌ„ces ther be thre Gods Som clatâ—er prate y t no such wordes as substauÌ„ce persone be found in gods boke therfore that thei be not to be vsed coÌ„cerning God What if I shew find theÌ„ in gods boke in the Bible boke wilt thou then vse theÌ„ I wil shew this first after I wyl proue that the meaning of these wordes may be gatherd of infinit textes of scripture Thirdly finally concerning this treatise of a persone I wil paint the Trinitie by corporall similitude whose nature it self is ineffable and vncomprehensible We fynd the word substaunce spoken of God in Pauls letter to the Israelites where he recordeth that our Sauiour Christ is a liuely image of y e fathers substaunce Also in his letters to the CorinthiaÌ„s he witnesseth that to God only that belongeth which the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latinistes est saying Non est in illo est non sed est in illo est We may fynd in the same Apostle the word persoÌ„ in the foresaid cception and signification for in his letter to the CollossiaÌ„s he writeth of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in him in Christ dwelleth all the fulnesse of y e godhed corporally or bodily that is Christe is a diuine person For corporally in this place is asmuch to say as that we call in the gloriouse Trinitie personally as the Greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth manifestly proue We fynd also y e word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spokeÌ„ of the godhead in the boke of the second lawe otherwise named Deuteronomie Moyses exhorting the people vnto obedience and fulfilling the lawe saith The Lord spake vnto you out of fier and you heard his voice but you saw no Image Where the latin texte of these words ye sawe no Image is Corpus non vidistis For the Grecians in whose language S. Paule did wryte this letter at y t time vsed this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that which we call nowe a persone and as we say there be thre personnes so they acknowleged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thre bodies Therfore as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a person so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must nedes signifie personally But because many heretiks racked this word to proue y e thre persons to be of corporall form and shape the successors of the Apostles were constrayned to vse another worde for the same meaninge and so they vsed for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word continued in vse many yeares But nowe also this word is not vsed for asmuch as some heritiks wold proue by it that God is thre substaunces For which considerations the Grecians of more latter time vse for it the word persone saying there be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the same meaning and vnderstanding in which thei of more auncient time confessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is y e doctrine of the Apstles y e coÌ„fessioÌ„ of Martirs y e catholike churh and generall faith of the congregation The .xxiii. Chapter ¶ That Christ is a substaunce NOwe I wil proue that the scripture graunteth vnto Christ to the holy ghoste y e meaning of these words substaunce persone that is that Christ is an vncoÌ„fouÌ„ded substaÌ„ce and the holy ghost likewyse and fyrste I will proue that Christ is a substaunce and afterward that they be vnconfounded and so it shalbe sufficiently declared that God is thre For a persones an vncoÌ„fouÌ„ded substauÌ„ce y e worde or thought of man is no substauÌ„ce but a transitory thing But Ihon recordeth that Christe is the word of the father howe then can he be a substauÌ„ce Tharch heretike Samosaten made this argument who also denieth the thre persons saying that the father is Christ and the holi ghost both To him I make this answere S. Ihon in the same place telleth vs that Christe who is the word is God and that God is a substaunce I haue proued before in my treatise what God is wherfor we must nedes graunt that Christ is a substaunce or els deny him to be God Tell me Samosaten what thou beleuest of the Father Is the Father a substauÌ„ce or not Both Photine and Seruete thy adhereÌ„ts grauÌ„t this Thou sayst also that Christ is the father Doest thou not confesse him to be a substaunce in y t thou saiest he is the father Againe in denieng him to be a substauÌ„ce doest thou not deny him to be the father for the father is a substaunce Thy owne sayinges proue Christ to be a substaunce and not to be y e father If he be the father as thou grauntest then is he a substaunce I graunt the somuch but I deny that of which thi assertion proueth him a substauÌ„ce For no man is his word no maÌ„ is his owne thought but Christ is the word thought of the father wherfore he is not y e father nomore then the words of Ioseph to his brethren are Ioseph himselfe S. Ihon witnesseth that y e word which is Christ is not a transitory word a souÌ„ding word comming from the lightes but by a metaphor But an euerlasting word by which all things were creat things that are in heauen and thinges y t are in earth thinges visible inuisible whether they be maiestie or lordship either rule or power saying all were made by it and nothing without it He sayth also that this word is God It vpholdeth things disposeth all things gouerneth all wherfore it is a substauÌ„ce for these things can not be aplied to ani thiÌ„g which is no substauÌ„â—â— if so be it be substaÌ„ce theÌ„ christ is a substauÌ„ce for christ is y e word Christ is figured in the scripture by diuers thinges Abraham and Isaac were figures of him and the wether which was slaine for Isaac y e stone which Iacob anointed the ladder Ioseph sold into Egipt Moises rod Iosue Sampson the brasen serpeÌ„t a cluster of grapes be figures of him which al be substauÌ„ces is he himself no substauÌ„ce We read not in holy writ that substauÌ„ces and no substaunces be likened and compared together The scripture beareth record of him y t he is no dead image of the father for he is life and resurrecioÌ„ nether a dum image for he is the fathers word Nor insensible for he is wisdome nor counterfait for he is truth but a lyuely and expresse image therfore a substaunce forsomuch as all liuing thinges be substauÌ„ces He answereth the Iewes reuiling him that he said Abraham had sene his daies Verely verely I say vnto you er Abraham was borne I am by which wordes we learne not only that he is a substauÌ„ce but also that he is both God and man God because nothing is saue only God and man forasmuch as in mans flesh he spake Moises saith of him he that is did send me vnto you for the son sent him The son did shewe him self in the likenes of fier the son went before the Israelites by day in a pyller of a cloude and by nyght in a pyller of fyre He caried them to the land of promis he appeared vnto them in many likenesses and similitudes his workmanship gouerned the world from the beginning as his answer teacheth vs vnto the Iewes accusing hym for healing a certain man on the sabboth day my father worketh hitherto and I worke As if he should say why blame you me for working on y e saboth day who neuer ceased to worke If ye blame me blame also mi father who worketh hitherto If ye can not iustly accuse hym ye can not iustly blame me for I and my father are one Whatsoeuer he doth that doth the son also he ruleth al thinges from the beginning and so do I. He worketh hitherto I worke hitherto Our sauiour Christ teacheth vs here that he is licensed to worke on the sabboth day by the example of his father who worketh continually and that the commaundementes of the sabbatticall rest belonge nothing vnto him working inseperably with his father And also that he gouerneth all thinges with the father and is not idle condempning and coÌ„troulling the damnable opinion of the Arrians and Paullians It is nedeles to speake any further of this thyng The .xxiiij. Chapter ¶ That the holy spirite is a substaunce not a Godly inspiration he is euery where gouernour of the world to be praied vnto a forgiuer of synne BVt touching the holy conforter many doubt whether he be a substaunce or not The Saduces and Libertines say that all the spirites and aungels are no substaunces but inspirations affections and qualities That good angels are good affections Godly motions which God worketh in vs and that dyuels and euil aungels are beastly affections euil thoughts coming of the flesh Therfore I thynke it agreable vnto my matter to proue y e holy spirit to be a substaunce for vnlesse he be so he can not be the third person in the ouerglorious Trinitie The boke of wisdom witnesseth y t the spirit of the Lord filleth the round coÌ„pas of the world We can go no whither froÌ„ this spirit we can not auoyd his presence we can not flie from him but by flying vnto him we can not escape his rightuousnes but by appealing to his mercy for ther as he is not by his fauor and grace he is by his wrath
image of God not in sinful flesh through any sinne of man But his posteritie and of spring ar born babes forasmuche as they are borne in sinful flesh as Dauid witnesseth saying Ecce enim in iniquitatibus c. Beholde saith Dauid I was born in wickednes and my mother conceaued me in synne Vnreasonable beastes as the calf the little lambe the whelpe as sone as they ar borne can go runne fynde out their mothers teates and sucke them without any helpe of other only man when he is borne can nether ocupy his tongue in speaking nor fete in going nor his haÌ„ds to fynd and except his mother or nourse thrust her breast vnto his lyps he knoweth not where they are nor what to do and would crie for hunger yea famyshe before he â—ould suck of his own accord This infirmitie is in our bodies when we be young because Adam and Eue sinned when thei were old forasmuch as then our mindes also be weake blynd through thesame sinne that the feblenes of the body might be agreable to the ignoraunce of the minde For as both body and soul sinned in eating the apple y e mynd in lusting the body in taking so both are punished the body with infirmitie the mind with ignoraunce Nowe our Sauiour Christ albeit he were not borne in sinful flesh yet because he was not borne in the likenes of this synfull flesh he was borne a babe not of perfect bygnes like Adam his flesh was not sin ful in dede but holy and vndefiled yet it semeth sinful in that he toke both this al other humane infirmities as hunger thirst cold heate pouertie death vpon hym which ouerflowed the world thorow sin Misit deus filium suum God sent his sonne His comming is his incarnation and his sending lykewise The father is not sayd to come or to be sent because he was not incarnate That the comyng and sending of Christ is to be taken of his incarnation we may perceiue by this For who cometh there wher he is alredy Or who is sent thether But Christ is euery wher touching his diuinitie for he is the wisdome of the father which reacheth from one end to another mightily and ordreth all thinges louingly Seing therfore he is euery where how cometh he where he was not by appearing in his humanitie But it is a great question why God sent his sonne Cum venit plenitudo temporis in the fulnes of time why he came no soner but in the endes of the world If he had com long before many had ben saued which haue perished For sith his incarnation many mo haue beleued him then did in tyme past â–ª for he is the light â–ª shining in darknes Truly he came when he sawe his coming should be moste profitable not being moued therunto through the consideration of our merites but of his own voluntary goodnes for our deseruinges did not constraine him to come Wherfore we can not blame him for the losse before his in carnation for it was not vndeserued it was a iust losse Cain y e thief blame the iudge for condeÌ„pninge him according to the law Or is the Phisition to be blamed coming of his own accord to heale the pacieÌ„t if he tary loÌ„g He came therfore when it pleased hym wheÌ„ he knew he shuld be most welcom If thou help one before his nede he doth not take it so thankefully as when thou succourest him in great nede The hungry maÌ„ who hath nede of meat wil thaÌ„k the more for it then he which hath plenty The poore wil giue the more habundaunt thankes for thy money then the rych Before y e time of Christes coming men were not nedy they were not hungry but thought themselues rightuous rich in al good workes true kepers of y e lawe Wherfore it was necessary that y e preching of the law should go before his coming by whiche men should learne that they had nede of a Phisicion For by the law cometh knowledge of sinne The lawe is Sicuris ad arborem posita The axe which shal hewe down al those that bring not forth good fruites The lawe is a glasse wherin we may beholde our nakednesse our vnclean thoughtes our filthy liuing Lex subintrauit The lawe sayth Paul entred in that synne should encrese where aboundaunce of sin is there as he recordeth also is more plentuousnes of grace of the part of the giuer and more thanke of the part of the pacient for asmuch as the sicke thaÌ„keth the Phisicion not the hole man Wherfore Christ the Phisition of our soules wouâ—â— not come but to helpe the wounded man to cal sinners vnto repeÌ„taunce to seke the shepe which was lost For this cause God the sonne of God equall with his father in the ende of the world humbled himself to our nature to deliuer vs from the bondage of the spitual Pharao the deuil who held vs prisoners perforce vntil Christ entred into his house which is the world and bouÌ„d him 〈◊〉 him of his goodes This is the fulnesse of tyme of which Paul speaketh saying When the fulnesse of time was come God sent his son borne of a woman The warriour which wyll deceiue his ennemies putteth away his own apparell and clotheth him selfe in their apparel that he may safely go into their region and behold all their prouision and afterward easely ouercom theÌ„ so our sauiour Iesus Christ in the later end of the world did deck and cloth him self with our nature to deceaue and conquere the deuyll who had seduced and conquered mankinde in the likenes of a serpent which policie is figured long before in Iacob who stealeth away the blessing froÌ„ his brother Esau in his brothers raiment Did the father and the holy ghost take our nature vppon them were they borne of a woman were they conceaued of the holy ghost were they borne litle babes Did they vse this policy to deceaue the deuil If not then is Christ vnconfounded with them Christ also was baptised not the father nor the holy ghost For the father sounded these wordes at his baptisme This is my beloued sonne in whom is my delite and y e holy ghost descendeth like a doue sitteth vpoÌ„ him Wherfore is he christened not for any spot of sinne any crom of vnclennes in him but for our eruditioÌ„ and ensamble For if he came to be baptised of Iohn his seruaunt how necessary is baptisme for vs which be his seruaunts and defiled with original actual trespaces If he required baptisme of him disdaine not thou to be christened of thi inferior dispise not baptisme be thou neuer so holy neuer so perfit haue no light opinion of it If it were a light thinge Christ wold not haue required it for our exaÌ„ple Christ also fasted after baptisme and was tempted of the deuill he fasted for our example and was teÌ„pted for our victory He was tempted
in al sinne and ouercommeth teaching vs by his example how to ouercome The deuil teÌ„pteth him with the lustes of the flesh with lust of the eies and with the desyre of worldly promocion with lust of the flesh saying If thou be the sonne of God speake that these stones be made bread But Christ answereth teaching vs to fight in like case Man shal not liue by bread only but by euery word that coÌ„meth out of the mouth of God He teÌ„pteth him bidding him cast himself down from the pinnacle because it was written that angels had charge ouer him Christ answereth thou shalt not tempt thy Lord thy Ged He tempteth him with desire of promotion with the lustes of the eies carying him into the mountain promising him the glory of y e world But he who made al the world refused worldly honor and teacheth vs that God only is to be worshipped Al sinne is conteined in the deuils thre temptacions and al vertue in Christes aunswers The deuil with thre proposicions wold inuegle Christ in all heresies but Christ confuteth him with thre scriptures And that thou shouldest not thinke that Christ is the holy ghost touching his incarnation he is sayde to be coÌ„ceiued of the holy ghost and in his baptising the holy comforter descendeth vpon him and when he is tempted the spirit leadeth him into wildernes wherfore he is vncoÌ„founded with y e holy gost Christ also suffreth death to deliuer vs from the tiranny of death not the father nor the holy ghost for he offred his flesh an odoriferous and swete smelling sacrifice to the father The cause why he humbled him self vnto death is forasmuch as our first parentes lost Gods fauour through pride for it was said vnto them taste and ye shal be as Gods For this cause it pleaseth Christ to ouercome the deuil by humilitie who through pryde entised vs from God and we also must ouercome by humilitie recouer Gods fauour by humilitie enter into the kingdom of heaueÌ„ through humilitie Doun therfore proud stomack down peacocks fethers down hygh mountaine and become a lowe valley The Lord wil breake down the house of the proude he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted as we may learne of the Publicane and the Pharisey We must returne to paradise by humilitie which we lost by pride Humilitie is the porter of heauen gates Fâ—ctus est obediens vsque ad mortem crucis He became obedient to the death of the crosse But why is Christ crucified for our sinnes Why did he chose this kind of death before other Truly because this kind of death is accursed and al that die of it as it is written cursed is euery one that hangeth on tree For so it commeth to passe that Christ was accursed for vs to deliuer vs from Gods curse as Paul saith Christ hath deliuered vs from the curse of law in that he was made accursed for vs. Only he rose from death to lyfe only he ascended into heauen in the sight of his disciples not the father nor the holy ghost Some searching wittes demaunde whether Christ could not deliuer vs but by assumpting our nature by suffring moste cruell tormentes He could but he would not He toke our nature because he came to deliuer our nature that nether kind shulde thinke they are dispised he became man was born of a woman that the serpent which seduced both man and woman might be ouercome through both Moreouer he came not only to deliuer vs but also to be an example of good liuing We be desirous of riches he preferred pouertie we hunt for promotion he would not be a king we are careful to make heires to leaue many children after vs he dispised such fashion we disdaine to suffer wroÌ„g he suffred al wrong we can not abide to be reuiled he held his tong we hate our ennemies we ar vnpainful in doing our duties he was scourged and whipped of his own wil for vs we be sore afrayd of death he died for vs. He was sent also to heale our infirmities by well doyng which came through sinne How caÌ„ our couetousnes he healed but by his pouertie How can our furiousnes be cured but by his pacience How can our vnkindnes be recompeÌ„sed but by his loue How can our timâ—rousnes be boldened but by his resurrection Further howe could he more set forth his exceading loue toward vs theÌ„ in dieng for vs. A greater loue then this hath no man then to bestowe his life saith Christ speaking of his own death The deitie suffreth no infirmitie which is impossible wherfore it was necessary that he should take our nature vpoÌ„ him who came to heale our infirmities and to teach vs to cure them through wel doing If he had takeÌ„ them in any other nature theÌ„ we might think that he dispised our nature that he loued vs not that the example of his life belongeth nothing vnto vs. For if he had ben tempted in another nature or died how could we learn to withstand the deuil to ouercome teÌ„ptacions to dispise death of him Wherfore there was no way lyke this to redeme maÌ„ He is wisdom wherfore he toke the most wysest way The .xxvi. Chapter ¶ The holy comforter is vnconfounded how and why he descended in the likenes of a doue rather then of any other bird NOw that I haue proued Christ to be vncoÌ„founded mine order requireth to fortifie thesame thing of the most glorious and holy coÌ„forter the which is done partly already for in that we haue proued that Christ is not the holy ghost the blessed almighty comforter is vncoÌ„founded with him He is vncoÌ„founded also with the father in that he procedeth of the father in that he leadeth Christ into the wildernesse in that he is sent of the father as Christ saieth WheÌ„ the comforter shal come whoÌ„ the father shal sende in my name and in that he is sent of Christ also as it is written When the comforter shal come whoÌ„ I wyll sende in my fathers name For Christ sendeth him the father sendeth both him and the almighty comforter but he himselfe is vnsent That he sent Christ the Apostle testifieth When the time was ful come God sent his sonne borne of a woman and made bonde to the lawe the which must be vnderstand of the father because he sayth God sent his sonne Wherfore Christ himself sayeth I went out from the father and came into the worlde His sendyng and his comming is hys incarnation as I haue proued before So the almyghtie comforter is sayde to be sent bycause he appeared in visible formes as in the lykenes of a Doue and Fyre not that he became a Doue and Fyre as Christe became very man but that it pleased hym to worke his graces and benefites by a doue and fier that our harts might beleue his preseÌ„ce and know his power
through those outward and sensyble apparitioÌ„s He became not a doue as Christ became man for asmuch as he came not to deliuer doues as Chriâ—â— came to deliuer man God the father â—â—cause he neuer came to shewe him â—elfe iâ— any visiâ—le shape ne yet toke any nature â—â—on him therfore he is said to be 〈…〉 â—he Lord saith Moises sâ—ake vnto 〈◊〉 out of the fier in Horeb you heard his voice but ye sawe no Image Wherfore he is neyther the sonne nor the holy ghost which both wer sent and both appeared in many visible formes For we read I say of the holy ghost that he apeared sicut columba in the lykenesse of a doue Why doth he appeare in y e lykenesse of a doue This notable apparitioÌ„ was don for many causes One is that we should beleue y e holy ghost to be a worker in baptisme to wash vs to purify vs to regenerate vs to make vs Gods childreÌ„ and heires of saluatioÌ„ and therfore the disciples are coÌ„mauÌ„ded to christen in his name as in the name of the father and the sonne for all be notified here in Christes baptising â–ª Pater in voce Filius iu homine Spiritus sanctus in columba The father is notified in the voice which souÌ„deth the sonne in mannes nature the almightie comforter in y e doue For as al thre be present here so they 〈◊〉 worke inseperablie in euery mans châ—â—â—â—ening The next cause is forasmuch as a doue of al creatures is most innocent and noyeth no beast not y e litle worm most chast for thei neuer breake wedlocke once begun but kepe it vndefyled to the end of their lyues for if so be the male or female through vnchastloue haunt the coÌ„pany of any other then thei flock gather together rend y e aduouterer and aduoutres in pieces voyde of anger for they haue no gall louers of amitie frendshippe And this apparition was shadowed and figured by the doue which Noe sent out of the arke in y e time of the generall floude For as that doue retourned in the euentide with a leafe of an Oliue tree in her mouth signifyinge peace so y e holy ghost geueth peace causeth all frendshippe engendreth all loue And why Verely as he is an ineffable coÌ„munion of the father the soÌ„ne as he ioyneth knitteth them together with a fast sure vnlosable knot so he glueth and coupleth our harts vpon which coÌ„sideratioÌ„ he properli is called charitie or loue As the doue also mourneth in his loue so the holy ghost maketh vs to bewayle our sinnes and lament our misdedes as it is written The spirite helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to desire as we ought but the spirite maketh intercession mightelye for vs with gronings which caÌ„not be expressed The holy ghost doth not grone but is said to grone as we call a mery day which maketh vs mery and a sad day which causeth sadnesse and as cold is called pigrum because it maketh vs slowe But blessed be they that mourne lyke the doue and in the loue of God for they shall be comforted Such as grone for pouertie and ar dismaid discouraged mated throgh enprisonment or any kind of persicutioÌ„ be rauens not doues be wethercocks worldlinges For y e rauen retourned not againe to the arke which is the church The doue maketh his nest in som holow and high rocke So let vs set our minds and desires vpoÌ„ y e rocke which is Christ. The doue cherysheth the yong of other as well as her owne the which is a lessoÌ„ vnto vs to loue our neighboures The doue also wil not eat of al maner of grain but chuseth out y e most fine pure teaching such as hunger long for the truth to feed of Gods word to beware they fal not vpoÌ„ euery carion The doue with al diligeÌ„ce kindnes cherisheth his mate wheÌ„ she hath yong ones Wherfore the alknowing comforter appeareth lyke a doue who coÌ„maundeth his to be doues that is is to say chast pacieÌ„t kind mourners for their sinnes faithfull diligent to ther wiues ernest beleuers in y e rock readers of Gods word and louers of all men This is the innoceÌ„cie which Christ inspired with the doue commaundeth saying Be ye wyse as serpents innocent like doues The almightie alknowing coÌ„forter is vncoÌ„founded also with the father in that Christ was concaued of him not of the father of whome Esay prophesieth there shall come a rod forth of the rote of Iesse a blossom or floure shal rise out of y e roote The root of Iesse is y e kinred of y e Iewes y e rod is y e blessed virgin Mary y e blossom or floure of Mary is Chryst as he witnesseth of himself Ego flos campi lilium connallium c. I am the flour of the field the lilie of the valeis and the rose among thornes The rose plucked taken out of the garden loseth not his smel stilled with the fyre smelleth sweter then euer it did pouring forth an odoriferous water no lesse holsome for many thinges then pleasaunt Euen so Christ being taken out of the garden of this word florished more then all the floures therin grew in a further authoritie then all the holy Patriarâ—es and Prophets cast an odiferous sauour ouer al the world which drew al men to him and being digged in the side with a speare of the cruell Iewes which are the thornes poured forth a water healing al infirmities This blossom or floure was conceiued of the holy comforter not of the father Moreouer the almighty comforter is the gift of God for the Lorde sayth vnto Moises I wil take the spirit which is vpon thee and geue it them Christ also as it is written who spared not his own sonne but gaue him for vs al how shal he not with him geue vs all things Wherfore the fathâ—â— Christ and the holy ghost be distinct aâ—â—undry persons The comforter is vnconfounded also in that he was borne vpoÌ„ the waters in that he coÌ„maundeth Philip the EuaÌ„gelist to ioyne himself to the chariot of y e gelded man in that he coÌ„maundeth Peter to arise and go with Cornelius seruauntes in that he coÌ„maundeth to seperate Paul and Barnabas in that he is y e finger of God in that Christ breathing on his disciples gaue him saiyng receiue the holy ghost He also desceÌ„deth vpoÌ„ the disciples in likenes of fyre teachyng them to speake al languages because y e Gospel should be preached to al nacioÌ„s And Dauid recordeth there is nether speche ne language but their voices are heard among them Their sound is gon out into all landes and their wordes to the ende of the world The Romaine dominion hath reached â—arre but the preaching of the swete tidinges of the Gospel shal go further For those nacions which the sharpenes of swerd
could not ouercome shalbe vanquished by hym y t fighteth not with swerd but w t wood word Christ gaue not the father by breathing he descended not in the likenes of a doue or fire he coÌ„mauÌ„deth not Peter to go with Cornelius seruauÌ„tes he was not born vpoÌ„ the waters he is not his own finger wherfore he is not the holy ghost But albeit nether Christ nor the almighty comforter be confouÌ„ded with y e father yet they ar of one the selfsame substaunce with him For the scriptures teach Christ to be the hand of God the holy ghost to be his finger The body y e hand finger ar one substauÌ„ce yet the finger is not the hand nor the hand the body nor the finger the body If therfor the scripture do graunt to Christ to y e holy ghost to the father y e meaning of the word person that is to say that y e father is a substaunce Christ is a substaunce y e holy ghost is a substaunce and that the father is vnconfouÌ„ded Christ vnconfouÌ„ded the holy ghost vnconfounded as I haue proued it must nedes folow y t they be thre persones for a person is an vncoÌ„founded substaunce This is the catholique faith the confession of martirs the doctrine of the Prophets Apostles Euangelists The .xxvii. Chap. ¶ Corporal similitudes of God made in the scriptures why he is named light fire the sun c. the image of God in mans soule NOw gentle reader seing I haue declared what a persone is out of the boke of holy scriptures and also proued with infinite authorities that there be three persons that is thre vncoÌ„founded distinct in propertie I wil disclose the diuine blessed nature of the almighty Trinitie by corporal earthly similitudes that y u mayst behold as it were in a glasse and with a paire of spectacles those thinges which exceade surmouÌ„t the capacities of all creatures The inuisible thinges of God saith Paul that is y e eternal power Godhead are vnderstand sene learned of his workes from the creation of the world As long as we coÌ„tinue in this tabernacle and mortalitie we shal neuer haue perfit vnderstanding of the eternal God forasmuch as the heartes of al meÌ„ and women be vncleane Blessed be the clean hearted sayth Christ for they shall se God Our life is a warfar a night a purifiyng of our hearts from synne and ignoraunce through charite and faith We walke in faith saith y e Apostle and se not with this only ladder we ascende to the intelligence of the secretes of God thinges supernatural can not be perceiued with natural light Cherubin Seraphin and al the blessed company of auÌ„gels are ignorauÌ„t of the maiestie of God for they knowe not the day of Christes glorious returne yet they haue more pleÌ„tiful knowledge then we forasmuch as they be pure mindes and were neuer nether blinded through sin ne hindred through any earthly mansion and corruptible body Scrutator maiestatis opprimetur a gloria Whosoeuer is an ensearcher of Gods maiestie is oppressed of y e glory No man is able fully and perfitly to know the nature of a gnat or a litle spider Be not displeased then if I shew the the Trinitie in his visible creatures as it were in a glasse but glorifie God and be not vnthankeful to him which hath opened him self in them to thy capacitie feding the with mylke because thou art not able to disgest stroÌ„g meates And because no man shal be offended with this maner of teaching I wyl make no similitudes of the Trinitie but out of the pleÌ„tiful storehowses of the scriptures The best and most liuely glasse that euer I beheld the Trinitie in is the vision whiche appeared to Abraham in the oke groue of Mamre For as there thre waifaring men shew them selues vnto Abraham so God is three persones and as these thre men are called one Lord not Lords so the thre persones are one God one Lord one substaunce And as Christ and the almightie comforter ar sent of the father So here one seÌ„deth twain vnto Sodom and Gomorre and as the father is vnsent so he is not sent but sendeth And as the twaine whiche are sent to destroy Sodom are called one Lord of Lot so the faithful congregation confesse beleue Christ the alknowing comforter to be one God I touched this similitude before because it is so notable I thought it not vnworthy to be rehearsed again Ther be many similitudes declaring certein properties of the trinitie and some agreable in one point and some in another but none doth so paint and portray it before our eies as this vision doeth We may find an image of the trinitie in the sun for God is called by the name of the sun in the boke of wisdom Sol iusticie intelligencie non est ortus nobis The sun of rightuousnes vnderstanding arose not vpon vs. There is but one sun only not many so there is but one God The sun shineth vpon both good euill men so the liberalitie of almighty God mainteineth both The mone al the sterres haue not their light of themselues but of the sun so the congregation godly meÌ„ which are called by the name of y e mone and starres in y e scripturs haue no light no crom of vertue no goodnes of them selues but by participatioÌ„ of the deuine nature They whiche gase vpon the sun ar blinded with his clear light so al searchers of Gods glory beyond the scriptures are ouerwhelmed with the maiestie therof The presence of the sun chereth al thinges when he is absent nyght cometh and darkenes nothing would growe if he did not ryse on theÌ„ So wheÌ„ God hydeth his face they are sorowfull and die when he loketh on them they wax yong and lusty like an Egle. And as Democritus and other Philosophers holde opinion that the sun is infinite so al things be infinite in God He is of an infinite arme of infinite maiestie of infinite wisdom As the sun is the fountain out of which cometh both the light and the heat so is the father the fountain out of which issueth the sonne holy ghost And as nether the lyght nor y e heat doth send the sun but the sun send them so y e father is sent nether of Christ nor of the holy ghost but he sendeth them And as of the sunne and of the beames both together cometh the heate or warmnes so from the father and the sunne both together procedeth the alâ—nowing comforter But as the sun light by diuision is in mani places so the blessed trinitie filleth places without diuision nether conteyned in place nether moued in tyme. Now if the sunne were without begynnyng and ending eternal beames wold come out of hym and euerlasting heat wold procede out of y e sun his beames Wherfore in asmuch as God the father
and vnbegot Who is called also for the same skil ametor and apator motherles and fatherles She witnesseth also that this god made heauen and garnished it with lightes made earth and the waters saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ther is alone one chief god which did make The heauen the sun the mone and eke the stares The steady earth and sea fluds that shake With all fruit bearing trees c. And that he is only to be honored and none other thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Him only worshyp ye That ruleth the world alone Which hath from the beginning be And euer shalbe one And she bringeth a reason why for as muche as he is gouernour of the world and only without beginning ending An other Sibille also crieth that this is the voice of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am one God my self alone And beside me God is there none Appollo also whom the folysh people for his wisdom supposed to be god worshipping him as God after his death when he was demaunded what God was made this aunswer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that is of himself and of none other Whom naught can hurt who neuer had a mother Whose name can by no meanes be ful exprest Who in the syre doth lyue and take his reste Lo this is God as for thangels and we Of this great God a right smal porcion be Be not discontent genle reader that I myngle the sayinges of Philosophers and Poetes with the veritie of the scriptures For Paul citeth Poetes to fortify Gods prouideÌ„ce saying In him we liue moue and haue our beyng as certein of your owne Poetes saye for we are also his generatioÌ„ the Prophetes also make relation of Giantes and of the valley of Titans Esay telleth of the maremaides and of the doughters of sparowes and Ieremy saith of BabiloÌ„ that the doughters of Marmaydes shal dwel in it The wyseman also speaketh of theÌ„ Ezechiell mencioneth the destruction of Gog and Magod which all be spoken of much in Poetes The scriptures also vse to teach vs truth by fables as y e parable of trees in the boke of Iudges wytnesseth and many other But to turne to our matter there is but one God forasmuch as all men confesse hym to be a father both because he is the fountaine of all thinges and also geueth al necessaries to men as a father But it is against nature for any man to haue many fathers wherfore it is against natur to worship many gods He is a Lord also and a Maister for to hym belongeth to auenge and punyshe But no man can serue two Maisters Wherfor if God be to be honored he is one god not many If ther be many ther can be no God which only is to be honored But how can the father the son the holy ghost being thre be one God Truly because thei ar one mind one spirit one substance can not be seperate The father is as it were a pleÌ„tiful spring or fountain the sonne is a riuer gushing out of it The father is the sunne Christ is the beame issuing out of it The beam can not be seperat from the Sunne nor the Riuer from the spryng Christ also is the haÌ„d of God and the holy comforter is his finger the hand and finger are not seperat from the body I wil declare this with a familier example If a father haue a sonne whom he loueth so muche that he maketh him ruler of his house yet y e house is said to be gouerned by one maister and ruler not many So the worlde is the house of one God the father and the sonne because they disagre nether in nature ne in will are one God The kinges image is called the king Christes image Christ and yet they be not two kinges nor two Christes so the father Christ are one God for Christ is the fathers image no dead image for he is life and resurrection nor counterfait for he is truth nor dumme for he is the word But the Arrians reply that as I say Dauid and Salomon ar of one substaunce and yet they be thre men not one man y t so albeit the father the sonne and the holy ghost be one in substaunce yet they are not one God I aunswer that Isay Dauid and Salomon are called thre meÌ„ not one man because euery one of them although they be of one substaunce hath a diuersitie in time in knowledge in bignes in place For there can be no vnitie where there is diuersitie But the father the son and the holy ghost are one god forasmuch as ther is no diuersitie amoÌ„g them They are al thre immortal of like knowledge maiestie not conteined in place but fillers of al places Many also are called by the name of maÌ„ as the lord is my helper I care not what man may do vnto me it is better to trust in God then in man But in men there is vnitie of certein thinges only as of nature or loue or faith General vnitie belongeth only to the father the sonne the holy ghost wherfore they be one God Further that the father and Christ are one God the prophet Esay teacheth saying the lord hath said moreouer the occupiers of Egipt the marchauÌ„tes of the Morians Sabees shall come vnto thee w t tribute thei shalbe thine thei shal folow thee go with cheines vpon their fete They shal fal down before thee make supplicatioÌ„ vnto thee for god is in thee ther is no other God beside thee God the father speketh these words to Christ who is one God with the father for y e father is in him saith that ther is no god beside him If thou deny them to be one God thou deniest the diuinitie of the father who saith to Christ God is in thee ther is no God beside thee because he is in his son for it is written The father that dwelleth in me is he that doeth the workes I am in the father the father in me ther is no God beside him because thei both ar one God God is in god yet ther be not two Gods the Lord is in y e Lord yet thei be not two Lords for we are forbidden to serue two Lords Nemo potest duobus dominis seruire But both the father and Christ ar to be honored and serued For of Christ it is writteÌ„ that the thre wyse men kneled doun and worshipped hym and opened their treasures and offered vnto him giftes gold frankensence and myrre By gold confessing him to be a kyng by frankensence to be God and by myrre to be man nether ar they blamed therfore A womaÌ„ of Cane worshipped him and obteineth her reâ—uest And Paul in the beginning of al
who loueth me shal be loued of my father I wil loue him of the holy coÌ„forter y e fruit of y e spirit is loue Through this loue of al the thre persons Christ suffred death y t we might liue for of the father it is written God so loued y e world y t he gaue his only begotten son of Christ I liue by the faith of the sonne of God which loued me gaue himself for me The spirit also gaue him for Paul saith of Christ which through the eternal spirit offred himself without spot vnto God They haue also one counsel for Esay calleth y e holy gost the spirit of couÌ„sel strength Christ is called Angeâ—â—s magni consilij an angel of great couÌ„sel because he is the wisdom of God they are of one wil they coÌ„maund forbid one thing their calling is not diuers but one And as the father is called Lord so is the holy coÌ„forter so is Christ. We reade that the spirit of the Lorde came vpon Sampson whom he calleth also his strength saying if my hear were cut of my strength would go from me But after that his seuen lockes were cut awai the scripture saith that the Lord departed from him calling the spirit which gouerned him Lord. If thei haue one nature one kingdom one power one counsel one operation one name one vertue one life one peace one grace one coÌ„mauÌ„dement one vocation one wyll and seyng they be one light one charitie one streame and one Lord how can they be diuers Gods There is a generall vnitie of al things in them wherfore thei must nedes be one God also I trust now it be sufficiently fortified and established that ther is but one god of heauen earth who gouerneth ordreth al thinges Natural reason proclaimeth this as it were out of some highe place vnto al creatures His almighty euerlasting power proueth y e same The Poets confesse and graunt him to be alone the Philosophers coÌ„discend to theÌ„ the Sibilles magnifie and acknowledge him y e false gods of y e Pagans theÌ„selues confesse him the Prophetes of the true God euermore taught this the EuaÌ„gelistes and Apostles fortifie the same nature preacheth one God which acknowledgeth one world faith telleth vs the same for there is but one fayth of both testaments as the Apostle witnesseth and baptisme also for there is but one bath of holy baptisme whiche is ministred in y e name of the trinitie The glorious death of many thousandes of maâ—tâ—rs both of men children women virgins which by no maner of tormentes could be plucked away from this faith haue sealed it and the constant and stedfast consent agrement and conspiration of all tymes and nacions with one minde and accord hath enacted this so that the gates of hel shal not preuaile against it The .xxix. Chapter ¶ Al the partes of the difinition made of God are proued to agre vnto Christ. AS I haue spoken of al iii. persones of the blessed trinitie together so now for a more euident profe of my last content I wyll fortifie out of the stoore house of y e scriptures y t al the parts of my definitioÌ„ made of y e only king of kinges immortal almighty God do belong appertein also both vnto Christ to the alknowing most blessed coÌ„forter The first persel of my difinitioÌ„ was God is a spiritual substance That Christ is a substance no maÌ„ wil deny for he is no accident Read my .xxiiii. chap. there y u shalt find this thing proued But how caÌ„ you proue y t he is a spiritual substaunce The prophet Ieremy saith Spiritus ante facieÌ„ nostram Christus dominus that is y e spirit before vs Christ y e lord Note y t he calleth him both a spirit lord If ther be no spirit he can not be God for god is a spirit and inasmuch as he is a spirit a substaÌ„ce he is a spiritual substaunce not touching his humanitie but touching y t nature in which he is lord as the prophet declareth very wel saying y e spirit before vs Christ the lord meaning that he is Lord in that he is a spirit for y e Lord is a spirit Pure nature foloweth in the difinitioÌ„ By the word pure is ment that God is one a singuler substaunce not myxt not compost Ether Christ is suche a substaunce or els he is a creature If he be a creatur theÌ„ is he subdued to vanitie not willingly for the Apostle witnesseth Quippe vanitati creatura subiacet non volens Euery creature is subdued to vanitie Christ is not subdued to vanitie Ergo Christ is no creature That Christ is not subdued to vanitie I proue thus The ruler of this world came and founde nothing in him Ergo he is not subdued to vanitie But some Arrians wil say y t he was subdued vnto vanitie in y t he toke our natur vpoÌ„ him to restore vs when we wer forlorn for the preacher crieth of all things vnder heauen al is but vanitie al is but plain vanitie Albeit this were truly spoken yet can not S. Pauls saying be verified of Christ who saith euery creature is subdued vnto vanitie not willingly Christ toke our nature willingly restord vs willingly by his precious death passion as he himself doth testifie no man doth take my life fro me but I put it away my self wherfore he is no creature Ergo he is a pure simple single nature without al mixture or composicion Immutable Paul telleth vs that he is immutable for in his letter to his countreymen he witnesseth that the father speaketh these wordes of the .ci. Psalm vnto Christ Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth and the heauens are the workes of thy handes they shall perishe but thou shalt endure They shal wax old as doth a garment as a vesture shalt thou chaunge them they shalbe chaunged but thou art the same that is vnchauÌ„geable thy years shal not faile Lo y e father witnesseth that Christ is immutable We read also Iesus Christus heri hodie idem est etiam in secula Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same continueth for euer This propertie belonging to no creature proueth him God For God only is immutable Iesus Christ is immutable Ergo Ieus Christ is God Inuisible This is another propertie whiche the scriptures geue vnto God Christ is a spirit touching one nature â–ª then if al spirites if our soules be vnuisible how muche more is Christ vnuisible the maker of spirites and soules Paul calleth hym touchynge this nature vertutem dei the vertue or power of God Wherfore he is vnuisible vnsearchable Paule in the same place calleth him the wisdome of God the wisdome of God is vnsearchable There foloweth in the definition Filling heaueÌ„ earth
who for his great learning was surnamed Magnus expouÌ„deth this text of y e holy ghost and saith that his predecessors toke it so and S. Austen is of thesame mind Philip Melancthon aloweth their interpretacion as I declared before For truly y e word spirit can not signifie wynd in that place the which when these woâ—ds were spoken was vncreat What is ment theÌ„ by these wordeâ— Borne vpon the waters Verely no blast of wynd but that he sate on the waters for as the hen sitting on her egs hatcheth her yoÌ„gones so the holy ghost hatcheth al creaturs which ther are called waters as it is written when thou lettest thy spirit go forth they are made so thou renuest y e face of thy earth He that made all things is God Heb. iij. The holy ghost made al thinges Ergo the holy ghost is god Iob also saith of him Spiritus diuinus qui fecit me the diuine spirit who made me confessing him both diuine and his maker And as when we read Opera manuuÌ„ tuarum sunt celi The heaueÌ„s are the workes of thi hand we acknowledge Christ the maker of the worlde who is Gods hand so when we read Videbo celos tuos opera digitorum tuorum â—unam stellas que tu fundasti That is I wil behold the heauens the workmaÌ„ship of thi fingers the mone the starres whiche thou hast made Let vs acknowledge also the holy ghost Gods finger to be our maker for as much as thesame works in other places are called the workes of God For as when the hand worketh the fingers worke also so the hole trinitie formed al thinges of a confused heap whose workes be vnseperable as I haue proued before Gouernour of al thinges The canticle of Moises recordeth that he gouerned the congregation of the Israelites For when they had passed ouer the sea they gaue herty thankes for their deliueraunce to al the thre persons to y e father and the sonne in these wordes Thi right hand O Lord is glorious in power thy right hand hath also dashed the enemies and to the holy ghost saiyng with y e spirit of thine anger the water gathered together as a rock For Christ is Gods right hand and by the word spirit the holy ghost is ment in that he saith Lord he signifieth the father Wherfore their deliueraunce is the workmanship of the whole trinitie which worketh al things in heauen and earth But the Prophet Esay protesteth the gouernaunce of the holy ghost more plainly saying Where is he who brought them from the water of the sea as a shepeheard doth his flok Where is he whiche led Moises by the right haÌ„d with his glorious arm Wher is he that led theÌ„ in the depe as an horse is led in the plain and he answereth The spirit of the Lord led theÌ„ as a tame beast goeth in the field The same spirit gouerneth the present congregation geuyng to one vtteraunce of wisdome to another fayth to another giftes of healyng to another power to do miracles to another prophecie to another iudgement of spirits to another diuerse tongues to an other interpretation as the Apostle witnesseth which be necessary offices in the church Who gaue Simeon an aunswer that he shuld not se death before he had sene our spokesman Iesus Christ The holy ghost Who leadeth the congregation in to al truth who teacheth vs al veritie y e holy ghost Who coÌ„maundeth to seperate Paul and Barnabas to the worke wherunto he had called them that is to preach the swete tidinges of the gospel to the gentyles The holy ghost Who forbyddeth them to preache in Asia who coÌ„maundeth Peter to aryse and get hym down and go with Cornelius seruauntes who sent those seruauntes vnto Simon the Tannars house for Peter The holy ghost Who monysheth Philp the Deacon to ioyne hym selfe to the chariot of the gelded man which was chamberlein to Candace Quene of the Ethiopians The holy ghost Do not these textes proue hym to gouerne the congregation to be myndfull of both good and euyl Do they not denie him to be a creature do they not fortify him to be y e third person in the gloriouse Trinitie and to be God Yes verelye All thynges are gouerned by God The Holy ghost gouerneth all thinges Ergo the Holy ghost is God Knowing al things foloweth the which belongeth to the alknowyng comforter for asmuch as he is the spirite of knowelege The Apostle witnesseth that man neither by the helpe of his outward senses nor through the gift of reason can atteine to the vnderstaÌ„ding of those things which are prepared for the chosen He denieth this knowdlege to the senses saying Oculus non videt neque auris audiuit the eye hath not seene and the eare hath not heard for these be the two principall powers and to all mannes reason and wisdom by these words folowing Neque in cor nethre hath entred into y e heart of man the thinges c. for the heart is the place of vnderstanding Angels also are ignoraunt of some thinges as of the last day and houre which the father knoweth only But of the holy comforter it is written the spirit searcheth al things yea the bottome of Gods secretes Paule is not content only to say this of the spirite but he addeth two argumentes prouing the same The one is a similitude that as the spirit of man knoweth the thinges of man so the spirite of God knoweth y e things of God al things be his Ergo he knoweth al things His other reasoÌ„ is that y e spiritual man through his inspiration discusseth all thinges He who knoweth all thinges is GOD The Holy ghost knoweth all thinges Ergo the Holy ghost is GOD. The next propertie in my definition beloÌ„ging to God only is to forgeue sin How proue you that the holy ghost can do this Harken what Chryste our mercy stocke saith Receyue the holy ghost whose sinnes ye remit thei are remitted vnto them Note that the holy ghost pardonth sinne No man can remit sin they do onli minister forgeuenes in the name of the father of the soÌ„ne and of the holy ghost they pray God pardoneth they employ their seruice remâ—ssion and mercy coÌ„meth from aboue as I haue declared and proued in my Chapt. that God onely forgeueth sinne Furthermore ye are washed saith S. Paule ye are sanctified ye are iustified by the name of the Lord Iesu and by the spirite of oure God Ergo the spirite forgeueth sinne The Prophet Esay telleth that one of the Seraphins with a hot coale taken from the aulter wyth tongues touched his mouth and his sin was molten away He meaneth neither charcole nor sea cole but the cole of the holy ghost who maye be well called a cole for he is fier wherfore the holy ghoste doth forgeue sinne No man can deny but that in baptisme sinnes be forgeuen The holy
meorum worship the fotestole of my fete the which is ioyned in vnitie of person to the diuine nature and promoted to the company and felowship of the deitie without al doubt the alknowyng conforter is to be honored of whom this flesh was conceiued For by the fotestole earth is vnderstaÌ„d as it is written Heauen is my seat the earth is the stole of my fete and by the erth Christes flesh is ment To worship any other earth is Idolatry and well may his flesh be called so for all flesh is earth The Arrians deny that the holy ghost is to be serued because Iohn writeth The hour now is when true worshippers shalâ— honour the father in spirit and truthe for suche the father seketh to worship him God is a spirit they that worship him must worship him in spirit in truth If thei deny the holy ghost to be honored because the EuaÌ„gelist doth not say the spirit is to be honored but God must be honored in spirit thei must deny likewise y t Crist is to be honored because he saith that God must be worshipped in truth for Christ saith I am truth God only is to be serued The holy ghost is to be serued Ergo the holy ghost is God Iustifying vs Paul proueth the spirite to be a iustifier saying ye are washed ye are sanctifietd ye are iustified by y e name of the Lord and by the spirit of our god Almighty this belongeth to the comâ—orter for he is the finger of God or els the finger of God is weake then is some impotencie in his hande in Christe for whatsoeuer the hand doth that doth the fynger also But Salomon â—alâ—eth the holy gost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is omnipotenteÌ„ omniscium almighty and alknowing He is the Lord of nature and therfore he can doe what hym lyâ—t as Christ and the father can God only is almighty The holy ghost is almighty Ergo the holy ghost is God These silogismusses and brief argumentes may be profitable helpers for thun-learned as it were with a 〈◊〉 dagger to dispatch and slâ—a â—he bâ—â—sphemouse heresie of the Arrians â–ª I could dilate thease thinges into a long volume if I would but my purpose is not at this present to write a defence of God but an Image I do enstruct a beginner not a diuine I do arme a yong soldiour to faith and beleif not an ould worne champion to battaile and fight Hereafter when I shalâ— sâ— occasion I will put forth a defence with a confutation and answer to contrary reasons Now I haue proued out of the storehouse of the scripture that there is but one definition of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghoste whereof it muste nedes folow that thei are but one God All thinges that agre in definition agre in essence and nature The father the son and the holy ghost haue one definition Ergo they haue one esseÌ„ce and nature This doctrine destroieth all the doctrine of the Arrians and proueth them coÌ„substanciall But me thinke I heare some Patripassian replie that if they agree in the definition they are confounded and are one person They agre in the definition of God not in the finition of paternitie or of a sonne or of a holy ghost for neyther Christe is the father nor the almightye and alknowynge comforter is Christe they be thre vnconfounded and yet one God and Lorde O God of our fathers and Lord of mercies thou that hast made all things with thy word and ordeyned man through thy wisdome that he should haue dominion and lordshippe ouer thy creatures which thou haste made and haste willed thy angels to minister vnto him that he shoulde order the worlde according to equitie righteousnesse and execute iudgement with a true heart geue to all thy people wisdom which is euer about thy seat endue them with the spirit of knowledge of councel and vnderstanding as thou didest promise by thy swete sonne that he should leade them into all truth for we are thy seruauntes and thy handmaidens the workes of thy fingers O send him out of thy holy heauens and from the throne of thy maiestie that he may gouerne vs that we may know what is acceptable in thy sight For he knoweth and vnderstandeth al thinges and can lead vs soberly in all our works and preserue and continue vs in his power so shall our workes be acceptable For what man is he that may knowe the councell of God or who can thinke what the will of God is The thoughts of mortall men are miserable and oure forecastes are but vncerteine And why our vnderstanding and spirite is depressed with the grosse lumpe and dongion of the corruptible bodie our time is but a space and shorte very hardlye can we discerne the thinges that are vpon earth and greate laboure haue we or we can fynd thinges which are before our eyes Who will then seke out the grounde of the thinges that are done in heauen Oh Lorde who can haue knowledge of thy vnderstanding and meaning except thou geue wisdome and send thy holy ghoste from aboue to reforme and redresse the waies of them which are vpon earth that men maie learne the thinges that are pleasaunt vnto the and to lyue louingly one with another euery man being content with his owne vocation and folowe y e same be preserued through wisedome Graunt this GOD for thy sonnes sake Iesus Christe oure spokesman and aduocate to whome with the and the holie spirite be all praise dominion honoure rule and thankesgeuing now in our daies and euer So be it FINIS Sap. 1â— Rom. â— 1 Iohn â— Iohn 14 Luk. 1â— Eccle. 24 Mark 10 Iohn 17 2 Tim. 3 Hebr. 1 Sap. 7 Gala. 3 Math. 7 1 Cor. â— â— Tessa 3 Abiathaâ— Sodoc The Aapâ—stles The elder fathers were preaching prelates â— Cor. 7 Eccle. 10 Ennius Eccle. 1â— 3 Reg. 1â— Deut. 28 Math. 28 Deut. 4 Eccle. 1 Esaie 45 Simonides 1 Cor. 2 Iohn â— Li. x. hist. â—ripâ—r ca. 7 Roma 1 Esaie 1 Hebr. 1â— Strauâ—ge doctrinâ— what it is 1 Petr. 2 Iohn 1â— Math. 8. The leaueÌ„ of the Pharisies psal 110. a Luke 12. a Iohn 4 Samaritans Iewes 2 Cor. 10. Scriptuâ—â— is the power of god Roma 1. A swearde Ephe. 1. 2 Thes. 2 Math. 4 Math. 12 â–ª Math. 22 A lanterne Psa. 118. 2. Peter 1. To be studied of all mâ—n Iob. 7. gods word 〈◊〉 a sword Luke 22. 2. Cor. 2 Ihon. 17 1. Peter 1. Immortal seed Ihon. 15. Roma 10. 2. Cor. 3. The 〈◊〉 letter whaâ— it is Roma 4. Roma 3. Galath 3. Math. 5. Math. 5 Luke 11 gods word the key the touch stone Esay 33. â— Cor. 1. psal 104. Exod. 3 Esay 40 2 Cor. â— Iohn 4. 2 Cor. 3 Esay 40 psalm 33 psalm 4â— what godâ— head is His hearâ— Eies Psal. 33 Psalm 10 Eieliddes Eares Sap. 1 Nose â— Reg. 22. His face Psal. 79 Exod. 34 Mouth Threno
for God himself and therfore folowed him â–ª the which throughout the Bible be neuer spoken of any creature but only of him that made all creatures The name of God also declareth thys sence to be true which is Ihuh of foure letters in all tongues in Greke Theos in Latin Deus in English Dutch God in the FreÌ„ch Dieu in spanishe Dios in the Almaines tong Gott and therfore called Tetragram maton and in Latin Quadrilitterum deriued of Essendo or rather that word that signifieth Esse in the Ebrue is deriued of it The Iewes read for that worde Adonai not that it can not be expressed in their tongue but for a reuerence to Gods name the which as they thought was not once to be named The .iii. Chapter ¶ God is a spirit and how the scriptures do graunt vnto him a head eies handes feet and all other partes of mans body God is a bird a shoter a husbandman Christ is his Image and man also WE reade also in y e scriptures that God is a spirit and no corporall thing God is a spirit and thei that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth the Lorde no doubt is a spirit But you will say if God be a spirit how is it thâ—t the Prophet affirmeth him to measure heauen with his span to hold the waters with his fist the earth in thre fingers Dauid also saieth The eies of the Lord are ouer the rightuouse and his eares are opeÌ„ vnto their praiers and the hand of the Lord hath driueÌ„ out the HeatheÌ„ Hath a spirit fingers haÌ„ds eies and eares Whersoeuer scripture doth attribute vnto God a head eares eies eieliddes nose mouth lips tonge heart wombe handes right or left fingers or a finger an arm hinder partes fete it is not to be vnderstand litterally but a spirituall sence is to be gathered of such wordes Bycause our vnderstandinges be weak not able to perceiue God if he should vse such words as become his maiestie he boroweth coÌ„mon plain words to declare a difficult matter vnto vs and euen as mothers before they can teach their yoÌ„g babes to speak are faine as it were to lispe stammar stut with them so God to teach our capacities vseth these familiar maner of speches When thou readest that God hath a head thou must vnderstand his deuine nature which was beâ—â—re all thinges vnto it al thinges be obedieÌ„t His heares signifie his Angels and the whole multitude of the chosen Dan. 7. his clothing was as whit as snow y e hear of his head lyke pure woll where the head of God is his deitie and Godhead his clothing and his heares be his Angels and elect which be like whit snow and pure woll God is said to haue eies bicause he seeth al thinges and nothing is hid from him in whose sight as the Apostle telleth no creature is vnuisible for all thinges be nakâ—d and open vnto his eies His eies also sometimes be taken for his fauour The eies of the Lord are ouer the rightuous His eie liddes be taken for his secret iudgements His eie liddes beholde the children of men He is sayd to haue eares bicause he heareth al things The eare of the gelouse heareth all thinges the noise of the grudgings shall not be hid His nose doth signifie his inspirations in the herts of the faithful Smoke went out of his nosetrelles The face of God is the knowledge of his deuine nature of the whiche is wrytten shewe vs the lyght of thy couÌ„tenaunce and we shall be hole that is graunt vs to know thee Otherwyse Gods face signifieth y e vnuisible nature of Christes deuinitie as Exo. doâ—h declare you shal se my hinder partes but my face you can not see that is thou shalt se Christes humanitie but his diuinitie can not be seen Gods mouth is takeÌ„ for the sonne of God the father We haue prouoked his mouth vnto wrath or his commaundement The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Gods tongue is the holy Ghost My tongue is the pen of a redy wryter His arme signifieth Christ of whom Ieremy writeth Thou hast brought thy people of Israel out of the land of Egipt w t an almightie hand with a stretched out arme Wher also Christ is called y e hand of God For he is both his arme his hand Moreouer Gods hand is taken some tyme for his power Beholde ye house of Israel ye are in my hand euen as the clay in the potters hand Some time for his scourge saith he I wil stretche forth my hand ouer Iuda and Hierusalem and I wil rote out the remnaunt of Baal of the which scourge Iob saith the hand of the Lord hath touched me Furthermore Christe iâ— called Gods right hand The right hand of the Lord hath done maruelles the right hand of the Lord hath gotten the victory It is vsed also for the glory of the father concerning which he saith to his sonne syt on my right haÌ„d And in some places for euerlasting ioy and life And he shal set y e shepe on his right hand and the Goats on the left hand wher as his right hand is taken for uerlasting ioye so his lefte hand signifieth the tormentes of the wicked Gods finger is the holy ghost If I cast out deuils in y e finger of God c. For where Luke saieth in the finger of God it is in Mathew If I cast out deuils in the spirit of God Gods finger therfore is his holy comforter For as the hand finger and arme are thre and yet but of one body so y e father y e sonne and the holy ghost are thre persons and one substaunce one God The heart of God y e father signifieth the secret of his wisdom of which he begate his word that is his sonne without beginning without any passion my heart is enditing a good matter His wombe is vsed in thesame signification Of my womb before the morning star I begat thee God is said also to haue shulders because he beareth vp all thinges as it were vpoÌ„ his shulders for al things stand by him The hinder parts of God is Christs humanitie the which he toke vpon him in the end of the world that we might liue without end which is called also Gods fete For as his head signifieth his deuinitie so his fete signifie Christes humanitie the which is subiect vnto Gods deitie as our fete are vnto our heads Thou hast put all thinges in subiection vnder his fete In some places preachers of Gods worde be ment by his fete They that drawe nigh hys fete shal tast of his doctrine You swearers blasphemers which vse to swear by Gods heart armes nailes guttes legges and handes learne what these thinges signifie and leaue your abhominable othes For when thou swearest by Gods heart
thou swearest by Gods wisdom when thou swearest by Gods armes thou swearest by Christ when y u swearest hands legs thou swearest by his humanitie wheÌ„ thou swearest by his tong and finger thou swerest by the holy ghost and swearing by his head thou swerest by his diuine and blessed nature and swearing by his heares thou abusest his creatures by which thou art forbiddeÌ„ to swear WheÌ„ an oth is necessary we are bounde to swear by God only vnto whom al honor is due for we honor that thing wherby we swear It is naught to swear by the Masse a prophanacion of Christes supper and a patched creature of the Byshop of Rome which was longer in patching then SalomoÌ„s great teÌ„ple in building Nether is it lawfull to swear by any sainctes as Iudges and Stewardes make the simple people do at cessions and courtes for if they be to be sworne by they are to be praied vnto and to be honored Dauid saieth all they that swear by him shalbe commeÌ„ded And Paul vnto the Hebrues speaketh thus that God because he had no greater thing to swear by swore by him self wherby we must gather y t we must swear by God only Thei that swear by his creatures or by the Masse be Idolaters But some wil say if we honor y â— thing wherby we swear let vs swear by God that we may honor him Brother be not deceiued God is honored by swering but how Truly when thou swearest by him in a waighty matter of life death before an officer or in any other matters of importaunce thou dost hym honor and homage but if in euery trifle thou call him to witnes thou dishononorest him and breakest his commaundement which saith Non assumes nomen domini c. Thou shalt not take y e name of thy Lord God in vaine Swear therfore by God as God hath commauÌ„ded thee thou honorest him I trust nowe it is euident that God not withstaÌ„ding all these forsaid partes and members is a spirit and no bodely no corporall no sensible thing If ther be any that think otherwyse I would fain learn how thei set the scripturs together which can not be contrary one to another for scripture is truth and truth can by no meanes be contrary to the truth If they wil proue of the places before that God is like man I will proue also because the scripture saith who is this y t cometh froÌ„ Edom with stained red clothes of Bosra whiche is so costly that God goeth in a red coat whiche if it be true he must nedes haue a tailer or els make it himself for those wordes ar spoken of God as the place sheweth But if we weigh the place diligently we shall find that Edom is the earth the stained red clothes are Christes bloude whiche he did shed vppon earth for our sinnes And they whiche demaund who he is be his creatures which shall maruel at the wisdom of God in deliuering mankind from the bondage of the spiritual Pharao by bloud by death by the crosse I wil proue also y t he hath shoes for he saith by Dauid ouer Edom wil I strech out my shoe And then he must nedes haue a shomaker or els make shoes him selfe But Edom is the earth the Apostels fete be his shoes for it is written how bewtiful are the fete of them which bryng glad tidinges of peace He stretched his shoe ouer the earth when he sent them to preach to al creatures For their sounde went into all landes their words to the ends of the world I may proue also with lyke argumentes vnto these bycause Gods worde doth attribute wynges vnto God that he is a byrd and so if he be lyke a man and a byrd both he is a moÌ„ster and bicause it doth attribute vnto him bow shaftes quyuer that he vseth shoting bicause it graunteth to him a fan a flore wheat chaffe that he occupieth husbandry Dauid saith defend me vnder the shadowe of thy wynges likening God to a bird forasmuche as he is no lesse carefull for his chosen then the Hen is for her chickens as Christ declareth very well crying Ierusalem Ierusalem howe often wold I haue gathered thy children together as the hen gathered hir chickeÌ„s vnder hir winges and ye would not And it graunteth God bow and shaftes and a quiuer to signifie him to be a punisher of the vngodly and a rewarder of the Godly for as muche as men minister helpe or vengeaunce one to another oftentimes through bowes and shaftes and one Prince aideth an other with archers He hath bent his bow saith Dauid and made it ready he hath prepared weapons of death and ordeined arowes to destroy that is he wil aueÌ„ge euil meÌ„ he wil reward them for their oppression â–ª he wil punish them for their vngracious deuises except they amende he hathe whet his swerde And â—ell may God be compared to a shoter For as the shoter the lesse or more he draweth his shaft his stroke is therafter and if he draw it far and vp to the Iron then it payeth likenes of God Yea truly but in soule in mind in y â— inward man not touching his body Wherfore Augustin a man most expert in Gods word crieth out against the Image of the trinitie calling it Sacrilegium A staining of Gods honour and an Idoll because the glory of the immortall God is chaunged into y e similitude and Image of mortall man forbidding such an Image not only in the church but also in thought mind I suppose that the Antropomorphites erected this Image When Philip desired Christ to shew him the father he rebuked him and aunswered he that seeth me seeth the Father for he is the only Image of the Father as Paul writeth not a domme Image for he is his word not a dead Image for he is life and resurrection not couÌ„terfet for he is truth God is a spirit not fleshe a soull not a body The soull of man is sayde to be made Ad imaginem similitudinem dei after the Image of God because it is a spirituall creature vnuisible vncorruptible not of the substaunce of God as the Maniches and the Priscillianistes do falsly defend but made of nothing For then it should know all thinges as God knoweth and be ignoraunt of nothing it should be voyd of al affections mutabilitie and vnconstancie There is in mans soull reason discerning good from euil truth from falshead There is memory by the whiche he remembreth thinges past there is will by the whiche he choseth what hym lyketh Besides this our first parentes were made with out spot voyd of sinne clean righteous holy replenished with al floures of vertues and knowledge In these thinges man was formed after the lykenes of God In these we be like y e Angels our bodies we haue comen with the brute beastes it was made of the
but far different and diuerse for the vyne is no sacrament neither the dore nor the way be no sacramentes The bread of the which Christ said this is my body is a sacrament not a bare and naked metaphore the rocke was a sacrament the braseÌ„ serpent was a sacrameÌ„t not metaphores only When Christe sayd this is my body he ordeyned a sacrameÌ„t y t is he gaue y e name of the thing to the signe so y t notwythstanding the matter nature substaunce of the signe remaineth onlesse this substaunce remaine the bread is no Sacrament For sacramentes saith S. Augustine are so called of the similitude of those thinges to which they be sacramentes Take away the matter the substaunce and nature of bread and wyne and there remaineth no more similitude Now all the fathers that were before Gregory do confesse that the scriptures do wytnes that there must be thre similitudes in this sacrament a similitude of norishing a similitude of vnitie and a similitude of coÌ„uersion The similitude of norishing is this that as bread and wyne doe norish our body and comfort our outward maÌ„ so the body and bloud of Christ be the meat and fode of our soules and do coÌ„fort our inward man And the similitude of vnitie is this that as the loâ—â— of which we eate was made of many cornes of wheat by the liquor of water knoden in to dough and yet is but one loaf and as the wyne waâ— made of the iuyce of diuerse grapes and yet is but one cup of wyne so al they that eat Christes body and drinke his bloud being many are made one body one flesh by the liquor of charitie and loue the mistical body of our sauiour Christ which is his church not his natural body for the bread is a sacrament not only of Christes naturall body but also of the congregation and mistical body and therfore Paul saith that albeit we be many yet notwithstanding we ar Vnus panis vnum corpus one loaf and one body What a loaf are we Verely euen Triticeus panis a wheaten loaf by the similitude of vnitie which I haue declared The similitude of conuersion is this that as the bread and wyne is turned in to y e substauÌ„ce of our bodies so by the receiuing of Christes body and bloud we are turned into the nature of them we are chaunged and made bones of his bones and flesh of his flesh He that eateth my flesh saith Chrst drinketh my bloud he abideth in me and I in him that is to saye we be made one flesh and one bloud and thesame nature that my flesh and my bloud hath thesame getteth he that eateth me These similitudes must be in the bread and wine or els they be no sacramentes Now take away the substaunce matter and nature of them and what similitude remaineth ether of norishing or of vnitie or of conuersion These similitudes be in the very substaunce and inward nature of bread and wyne not in the outward shewe of accidentes whiche doe nether noryshe nether are they chaunged neither haue any similitude of any vnitie Here percase gentle reader thou wilt demaund of me seing I teache the substaunce of bread and wyne to remayne after the consecration what I doe aunswer to the doctours and fathers which oftentymes doe say that the nature and substaunce of bread and wine is altered is turned into the body bloud of our sauiour Christ as Ciprian in his treatise which he writeth De cena domini of the Lordes supper saith Panis non effigie sed natura mutatus this bread is chaungeâ— not in the outward shew but in the nature and substaunce and Ignatius saith the same and Cirill and Ambrose and Hierom and Augustin and Chrisostom whose doctrinâ—s we doe folowe and we do alowe and imbrace them Be not deceiued good people they ar nothing against this doctrine but the pillers and mainteiners therof if their wrytinges be truly vnderstand Marke the phrases compare their sayinges together one with an other and you shall find that many do fasly slaunder them and that they which boast prate most of the doctours and old fathers vnderstand not the old fathers So they say that Eliseus chaunged and altered the nature of Iron wheÌ„ he made it to swym aboue the water so they say that Elias chaunged the nature of fyre when thorowe his praier it fell from heauen and consumed his sacrifice of wood stones and dust The nature of fire was chaunged no man can deny it at what tyme God appeared vnto Moyses out of a bush in a flame for the bush was not coÌ„sumed He coÌ„maunded y e fier not to hurt his faithful seruaunts Sidrach Misak and Abednago preserued them harmles from the hot burning ouen There again nature was altered Elias Eliseus did not turne alter or chauÌ„ge the very substaunce inward essence or matter ether of Iron or of the fier into any other substaunce or nature but the naturall propertie of theÌ„ making the Iron which is heuy to houe aboue y e waters causing the fier which is light to descend dounward Euen so the doctours and old fathers which we alowe and folow say that the substaunce of bread wyne is chaunged that is the natural propertie of them so that where as before they were only the meat of the body now after the wordes rehearsed they are the fode of the soul also for so much as they deliuer vnto vs Christes swete flesh and comfortable bloud before it was comen bread and wine now it is holy and sanctified before it was no sacrament now it is a sacrament of the blessed body and honorable bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ. But for a more manifest profe y t the old fathers beleued the substauÌ„ce of bread to remaine after the consecration I wyll aledge some of theÌ„ Ireneus saith that euery sacrament is made of two natures of a heauenly nature and of a terrenal or earthly nature Now take away the substaunce of bread and what earthly nature or substauÌ„ce remaineth in this holy sacrament The papistes say that the earthly nature is Christes body which he toke of the earth when he was borne of the blessed virgin Mary For she was earth and all men be earth To this I aunswer that Christes body is earth in very dede yet it is not the earthly and terrenall nature of this sacrameÌ„t which must haue thre similitudes of vnitie of nutricion and of conuersion as is declared before whiche similitudes can not be in Christes body Moreouer hear what Origen saith Panis sanctificatus vadit in ventrem The sacramentall bread entreth into the belly Wherfore entreth it thither but to norish our bodies to fede them to be y e meat of the flesh Wherfore the substaunce therof is not turned not chaunged not altered but remayneth and continueth for accidentes
with the grosse lompe of the body And that we shuld firmly beleue stedfastly credit Ex quibus Christus est secundum carnem that he is of the fathers concerning the flesh S. Mathew S. Luke reken his kinred fetch his stock and generation from Adam Enok Noe Abraham Dauid Salomon Roboam Zorobabel c. Moreouer Christ came not only to dye fâ—r our synnes but also to be an ensample vnto vs and a perfect patern of good lyuing as shalbe declared afterward Forsomuch theÌ„ as we be partakers of flesh bloud he also Participauit eisdem toke part with vs. If he toke other flesh not made of his mother but of what matter it pleased him he toke no part with vs nether doeth his ensample belong vnto vs. He is our brother For S. Paul saith he is not ashamed to call theÌ„ brethreÌ„ saying I wil declare thy name vnto my brethren Now brethren be of one nature substauÌ„ce touching their flesh and body Therfor she that denieth Christ to haue taken his flesh of his mother is not the sister of Christ but the eldest first borne doughter of Antichrist Yet she pretended that she beleued that Christ was a true natural man but in dede she denieth his maÌ„hod for if he had any manhod or humanitie as no doubt he had he had it vndoubtedly of his mother or els he was no man If he had it not of his mother define shew froÌ„ wheÌ„ce he had it Yea they say it is vnknoweÌ„ and vndefined in the scripturs How theÌ„ can we warrant Christes humanitie against heretikes if we make it vncertain wherof he toke it and if it be vnknowen wherof it was shapen But albeit he toke fleshe of his mother yet it was holy flesh not synful flesh that he toke for so much as it was coÌ„ceiued and wrought by the ouer shadowing of y e holy ghost Al be it the seed and flesh of other be sinfull yet hers was not so but sanctified bi the holy spirite most cleane for to her it was said Benedicta tu inter mulieres Blessed art thou amongst women He is Lapis de monte excisus sine manibus comminuens c. The stone of which Daniell recordeth that was cut out of y e hil without hands which hath shal breake into pouder the goldeÌ„ siluer brasen and yron kingdâ—mes that is the .iiii. Monarchies and Empyres of the Caldies and Babilonians of the Medies and Persies of the Macedonians Grekes and of he Romains The hill out of the which this stone is taken is the tribe house of Iuda which dwelt was situate vpoÌ„ mouÌ„t Sion in Ierusalem and by the wordes without hands is ment that this stone without mans seed mans help nature came out of y e foresaid hil in that he toke his flesh on no earthly father but onelie of the substaunce of Marye his mother of whose breastes the said flesh was nourished afterward Christ was conceaued of the holy ghost not the father who touching his humanitie hath no father vpon earth as concerning his diuinitie he hath no mother in heauen Further he was borne of a Virgin for somuch as Virginitie is a far more honorable thing then wedlocke The blessed Virgin Credendo non concum bendo grauida facta est was made fruitful by faith not bi mans help by the spirite not by lechery For it was seeming that the vnspotted lambe Iesus Christ who shoulde blot oute our sinnes as the fyer melteth the waxe that he should be born without all originall sinne NotwithstaÌ„ding was borne Ex Virgine desponsata of a Virgin handfasted and maried partly y t the yong Virgin shuld not be destitute of a helper a keper a nourysher in her aduersitie and trauayle her progresse into Egipte partly also that none shuld recount wedlocke vnelean or matrimonie vn pure forsomuch as he vouchsafed to be borne therin Neither is it any dishonor any defacing to y e diuine nature that Christ who filleth all y e world filled the woÌ„be of y e blessed virgin no not if her flesh had bene sinful vnsanctified For his diuinitie is not defiled therbi no more then y e son shining vpoÌ„ carrein filthy â—akes is dishonoured or defyled through their stinking sents or rather much lesse for he made the sun For the diuinitie is said to be vndefilable not because it toucheth no thing vnclean but because it coÌ„tinueth cleane whatsoeuer it toucheth Wherfore he was not defyled with the Virgins womb but saÌ„ctified it halowed it with his presence made it most clean and chose himselfe a mother in earth because before he had a father in heaueÌ„ If ani man think because Christ was borne of the holy ghost that he is y e holy ghost sonne let him not be deceaued for it is no sure reason if any thing be born of an other to make it straight the son therof as for example We are borne of water and yet we are not the sonnes of water we are borne of the holy ghost yet we are not the sonnes of the holy ghost but the sonnes of our heauenly father Also lice heares lumbrykes are bred gendred of man â–ª yet no body calleth them the sonnes of man Likewise many ar called the sons of some and yet they cannot be said to be born of them as Eschinus is son to Mitio and yet not borne of him And y e scripture calleth them Filios Mortis the sonnes of death the sonnes Belliall the children of the deuill the children of sin perdition the soÌ„nes of wrath the soÌ„nes of hel which wer neuer born of it but made vnto ignominie and Filios dilectionis y e soÌ„nes of loue y e soÌ„nes of light of promise of strength of the kingdome not borne of it but such as shalbe felowe heyres with Christ are prepared for y e kingdom So our sauiour Christ is said to be conceaued of y e holy comforter and borne of him yet he is not his soÌ„ne but thonli soÌ„ne of God y e father vnto whom we be also sonnes but we be the sons of promise he is y e soÌ„ne begotteÌ„ we be sons through adoption Christ is the sonne of God by nature for asmuch as the scripture is that he was coÌ„ceaued of the holy ghost who being God became man We caÌ„not gather therof y t he is Christes father for touching his humane nature he was borne without a father as touching his other nature he lackeâ— a mother but rather we may reason that he is his mother for y e mother coÌ„ceaueth not the father and so he shall haue .ii. mothers the whiche is vnpossible wherfore he is the onlie sonne of God the father But why is he borne a babe a litell one not an able man as Adam was Adam was made an able man because he was made after the
teacheth vs this prouing that there is but vnum primum mobile one first mouer who moueth al the heauenly spheres The Manicheis make two Gods which thei cal Duo principia contraria two principles one contrary to another For they say y e one is an euill God maker of visible things the other a good God maker of inuisible thinges and they say also that both of them be vnbegotteÌ„ vncreat of them selues Then are they immortall But if they be immortal there is no god that only hath immortalitie Paul lieth who saith that God not Gods hath immortalitie And al the prophets euangelistes Apostles be liers teaching w t one assent y t God only forgeueth sin y t God only knoweth al thinges For if ther be two Gods both of theÌ„ must haue these properties If ether of theÌ„ know not all thinges then is he ignoraunt then no God If both knowe all thinges then is ther no God whiche only knoweth all thinges Both also must forgeue syn the good because he is merciful the euill because he is y e cause of al sin then is ther no God which only pardoneth synne Moreouer if both the Manicheis gods be immortal if both pardoÌ„ sinne if both know al science thei be not contrary for knowledge is not coÌ„trary to knowlege but ignorance vnmercifulnes is coÌ„trary to mercy forgeuing death to immortalitie Wherfore ther be not two coÌ„trary principles but one principle one God The christian coÌ„gregation confesseth that the father is PrincipiuÌ„ a principle or beginning for so the beloued disciple calleth him saing In principio erat verbum In the beginning was the word in the father was Christ. Thei acknoweledge Christ also to be Principium who answereth the cruel Iewes demauÌ„ding who he was saying y e beginning which spake vnto you But the father is pricipium non de principio Christ is principiuÌ„ de principio They confesse the almighty coÌ„forter also to be principium forasmuch as he with the father the sonne made all thinges and gouerneth them as I haue proued before Notwithstandinge there be noâ— thre beginnings but one beginning only as there be not thre gods but one God The papistes also bring in many gods but couertly priuely Thei teach the people to pray vnto saintes to Saint Luke for the oxe to Iob for the pox to Rocke for the pestilence to Sith for thinges lost to Christopher for coÌ„tinual health to the Quene of heauen for women with child to Clement for good beere yea they entise the people also to worship honor their images If thei be to be praied vnto for these thinges they be gods for in praying vnto theÌ„ we acknowlege them to hear vs to be almighty to be euery where to know y e thoughtes of al men to be a strong castel vnto such as slie vnto theÌ„ but these thinges belong only to God as I haue proued before Wherfore thei make them gods O crafty deuil O suttel papistes the Iewes are reproued by the voyce of the prophetes for making many gods in y t they praied vnto Baall Astaroth Moloch and the Quene of heauen for ayde soccour Why do we not aske al good thinges of him which is the author geuer of al good thinges both to his ennemies and frindes both to the heathen to the congregation Is his hand smitteÌ„ of that it can not healp Haue we perceyued at any tyme crudelitie or vnkindnes in hym Are hys eares stopped that he can not heare Or his eies so dimme that they cannot se He planted theare he made the 〈◊〉 wherfore he both heareth most easely and seeth most perfitely And because he is the â—ouÌ„taine of al mercy he grauÌ„teth our requestes most mercâ—fully He is not lyke an earthly kinge â–ª who setteth porters at his gates he is not hard to speak with for he is the gate himselfe as he telleth vs Ego sum via veritas vita I am the way the truth and life and Ego sum ostium I am the doore There is but one way onâ— doore and he that entreth in by the doore fyndeth pasture he that entreth in not by the dore he is a thiefe a robber And why For he robbeth God of the glory belonging only to him geuing it to his creatures They which sly vnto saints depart make many wayes many dores and many Gods If they are to be prayed vnto we must beleue on them For the Apostle saith Quomodo inuocabunt in queÌ„ non crediderunt How shal they cal on him pray to him on whom they beleue not If we must beleue on them then let vs be christened in their names But holy baptisme is coÌ„maunded not to be ministred in their names but In nomine in one name of the father the son â—nd the holy ghost Wherfore as they are not to be beleued vpon so are they not to be called vpon but God onli whose highnes disdeineth y e felowship of any creature Let vs therfore praye vnto him for he is the well of water of life let vs not dig vyle and broken pittes which hould no water let vs take hede of the stretes of Egipt and of the wayes of Assiria God is no wildernes to his people nor laÌ„d without light but a mercifull and a liberal God Such aâ— make flesh their arme are accursed Let vs make Christ our arme for he is the arme of God who in al things became lyke vnto his brethren that he might be a mercifull and a faithful bishoppe in thinges concerning God to pourge the peoples sinnes God only knoweth our nede scartheth aur thoughts and inteÌ„ts grauÌ„teth our desires blesseth and crowneth vs and ther be no more Gods no more hearers no more iudgers of thoughts beside him He saith by his Prophet I am the first and the last and beside me is ther no God Haue not I y e Lord done it withoute whome there is none other God the tru God and sauiour and ther is els none but I and therfore turne vnto me all ye endes of the earth so shal ye be saued For I am God and ther is els none If ther be many Gods the diuine power gouernauÌ„ce and rule is deuyded betwene them and then it is not an euerlasting power but mortall for whatsoeuer is deuyded is mortall But naturall reason denyeth God to be corruptible and his power to decaye Wherfore it protesteth y t there is but one God which ruleth all Moreouer the diuine power is a perfit power a general authoritie for God is almighty and general gouernor If ther be many Gods ech of them hath a certeine portion to rule But they which haue but portions are no Gods for the power of God is a perfit power a perfit power coÌ„preheÌ„deth all power If there be many Gods they haue seuerall dominions euery one of them lacketh so much
ghost by baptisme doth regenerate vs make vs Gods children For that we should beleue him to be a worker in baptisme with the father and the sonne the bath of holy baptisme is commaunded to be ministred in this name also And for the same skill it pleased the gloriouse Trinitie he should appeare notably at Christes baptisinge in the likensse of a Doue And as for Christ he was not baptized for any wrincle of sinne but for our example and only erudition Seing then the Holye ghoste was a worker in Christes baptisme much more he is worker at our christeninges which proueth him to forgeue sinnes God only forgeueth sinne The Holy ghoste forgeueth sinne Ergo the Holy ghoste is GOD. To be called vpon and prayed vnto The holy ghost is to be praied vnto for what is baptisme but an inuocation of the father the sonne and the holy ghost as all thre be named so they all thre heare the prayer of the minister forgeue the sinnes of him which is christned and make him of the child of dampnation the heyre of saluation That we should fastly firmly beleue this workmanship of the whole Trinitie in our christeninges that thre persons euery one wer preseÌ„t at Christes baptising who had no nede of baptisme I say but only for our erudition and ensample The father notifieth himselfe in the voyce which souÌ„ded the son in mannes nature the aldoing coÌ„forter appeared notably in y e likenes of a doue Why in the likenes of a doue rather then of any other bird ie declared before Moreouer y e holy ghost both heareth our praiers for he is euery where and he helpeth our infirmities as y e Apostle witnesseth Ergo he is to be praied vnto Again faith is his gifte prophecie is his gifte vtteraunce miracles iudgemeÌ„t tonges healing be his gifts And truth for he is the spirit of truth and wisdom counsel sanctification life by thesame reason loue ioie peace pacience gentelnes goodnes fidelitie mekenes temperauncie be his graces and fruites as is proued before which proueth that he is to be praied vnto For the scripture vseth this reason to moue vs to pray vnto God that he is y e geuer of those thinges that are asked as the Apostle Iames saying if any of you lack wisdom let him aske of God which geueth And Paul he is able to do abundantly aboue al that we aske or thinke And Christ vseth thesame reasoÌ„ saying what soeuer ye aske in my fathers name he wil geue it you If the Papistes can shew that S. Paul and the blessed virgin other now being with Christ touching their souls in the earth touching their bodies doe nowe geue giftes and graces vnto vs truly I wold pray vnto them to geue me some But who is able to proue this out of the scriptures The spirit knoweth al thinges yea the botoÌ„ of Gods secretes much more the botom of our hearts ergo he is to be praied vnto Doth not he hear our prayers which commaunded to seperate Paul and Barnabas vnto the worke wherunto he had called them Paul was called an Apostle by God The holy ghost called Paul Ergo the holy ghost is God It is no trifle to preache but an earnest worke and labour and the labourer and workman is worthy of his wages The worke and office of saluacioÌ„ is vnrewarded in England and thought not â—ecessary which musâ— nedes bryng in the vncleane spirit of ignoraunce again Therfore let vs pray to the holy spirite to amend it to seperate mo Pauls to this honorable work and office It is a comâ— saying Honos alit artes rewardes norish aâ—tes and Magistrates are ordeined of God to maintein knowledge to destroy ignoraunce and sinne I wold wysh that preachers were sent abrode into the couÌ„trey as wel as to cities and great tounes for they are the shop of Christ as well as others And that as Christ disputed in y e temple and Steuen with the Libertines and Alexandrines And Paul when he went a preaching disputed in the audieÌ„ce of the people against those that would not hear the truth at Athens with Phylosophers and at Ephesus and other places that so now euery preacher which is knowen to be groundly learned and seperat to this office wheÌ„ he cometh to any parish which hath a popish person or curat that he shuld haue authoritie to examen them in the sacramentes other principal matters that they ether acknowledge y e truth before their parishes or els be coÌ„pelled to say their conscience and knowledge in open disputatioÌ„ with the preacher so that the church wardens of euery parish be ouerseers of thesame for auoiding of tumult disturbaÌ„ce By this meanes papistes others shuld best be won and ouercome and the people shuld learne more of one disputation theÌ„ in ten sermons Further if there be any suspected to be an Anabaptist in the sayd parishes I would to God well learned preachers were authorised to compell cal such to render accompt of their faith before the whole parishe and if it were found Anabaptisticall that the preacher enter disputation with hym and openly conuict hym by the scriptures and elder fathers if he remain obstinat thesame preacher to excomunitate him and then to midle no further with hym but geue knowledge therof to the temporall magistrates which for ciuile consideratioÌ„s may punishe hym with enprisonment death or otherwise as their wisdoÌ„s shall iudge most mete for a ciuile quietnes a godly order Now both papistes Anabaptistes complain that they are put to scilence the people haue more aâ—â—â—auÌ„ce in their scilence then in the preachers do thinke that they could perswade and proue their matters if they might be suffered But if this way were takeÌ„ it wold apeare most euideÌ„t that al their doctrine wer builded on the sand not on the rock There be many discrete sober wel learned preachers both in al y e elder fathers and in the scriptures whiche if this way were taken or another like would confound al heretikes and beat down papistrie and discourage the best learned of them and perswade the people after another sort then is done yet Thus did y e Apostles thus did y e elder fathers as Ambrose Iero. Aug. others as apereth of their works which be ether sermoÌ„s to y e people lessons homelies or disputatioÌ„s agaiÌ„st heretiks Now if a preacher come and preache in a parishe in the countrey if the person vicar or curat be of a corrupt iudgement as the most deale be by reason of the dayly company and familiaritie that they haue with their parysh thei do discredit the preacher when he is gone and marre all that he hath done which they nether could ne durst iustifiâ— before his face Therfore I would it were remedied this way or some other namely if they be maried men then they wil sclaunder them rayle on theÌ„
frump them yea some noble and spiritual lords had rather receiue idle sodomites dum priests to their chapplains then maried preachers They thinke it vnmete y t such should be colligeners nay it is vnmete y t your chapplains should be prebendaries in cathedral colleges Deanes Archdeacons suffraganes and liue so idly as thei do and yoâ— which kepe them be gilty of their negligence do oppres and rob the people of the word of God find your seruauntes of their costes It is vnmete for the kinges chappleins and Amners to â—e absent from these colleges out of which they haue great liuinges to do no good in the countrey about It is not vnmete for maried priestes present in y e colleges and doing their duties to haue their liuings I wold the kâ—ngs maiestie wold geue his chapleine sufficieÌ„t wages and bind them to read 〈◊〉 of diuinitie euery day or thrise 〈◊〉 in his â—al it were a noble order for a kinges house to be a schole of diuinitie godly exaÌ„ple to al lordes spiritual and temporall then they should be as Esay calleth theÌ„ true nourses of religion If such as be maried were alowed their wages and comâ—s to their own houses bound by some statutes to preach on holy days in the countrey about it wer much better theÌ„ it hath ben or is yet neuerthelesse suche as be single might kepe a comeÌ„ table a comeÌ„ haull for al will not mary no more then thei do out of colleges They should not liue idly as they haue done and doâ— for Pauls rule is y t he which laboureth not ought not to eate saint Augustin in his boke entitled De opera monachoruÌ„ crieth out against idle coligeners Were not this a better reformatioÌ„ then to suppres and put down colleges O liuing God this is a strauÌ„g kind of surgery a strauÌ„g reformation to swepe thinges away to make that priuat which was commen Wel Dauid saith that God will make them like to Sisera and Iabin lyke vnto Ored Zeb whiche haue the houses of God in possessioÌ„ he wil rote out their generation euen to the pysser against y e wal I speake not this of y e vniuersities but of cathedrall colleges and other in which be sufficient liuings to mainteine maried men But to returne to our matter like silogismes mai be made of other matters as that God deliuered the childreÌ„ of Israell from the Egipticall bondage Deu. 5 The holy ghost was their deliuerer Esay 30. Ergo the holy ghost is God If we ponder the circumstance diligeÌ„tly we shal find that Peter praied vnto the holy ghost when he fell into a traunce sawe heauen open in SimoÌ„ the tanners house He praieth to him y t sayeth what God hath clensed make thou not comeÌ„ For it is written there came a voyce to Peter Arise kil eat he said God forbid Lord. But the holy ghost is he who clensed for he fel sodeinly vpon the gentils to clense them he is called water a â—loud for the same skil Ergo he prayd to the holy ghost It is to be supposed that Peter praid vnto him who answereth commauÌ„deth him in that traunce to go to Cornelius but it is written that y e spirit coÌ„maundeth him Ergo he praied to y e spirit Also the spirit sent Cornelius seruauÌ„ts vnto Peter for he saith vnto him go w t theÌ„ doubt not for I haue senâ— theÌ„ Wherfore it is probable y t Cor. also praied vnto y e spirit albeit he knew him not wel for his requestes were graunted of him Moreouer the holy comforter hath a temple not of stone ne of wood but far more honorable the bodies of the 〈◊〉 and chosen for whiche Christ died as it is wrytten your bodies are the temple of the holy ghost which is in you whom ye haue of God ye are not your oâ—ne for ye ar derely bought therfore glorify God in your bodies Lo he both geueth him a temple and calleth him God and is he not to be praied vnto and honorâ—â— â–ª That the holy gost is the true God vnto whom temples are erected and builded the Actes of the Apostles declare with plain wordes Ananias quod Peter how is it that Sathan hath filled thine hert to lie vnto the holy ghost and he addeth thâ—â— hast not lyed vnto men but vnto God â—o the holy ghost is God so Ihon calleth Christ the true God Hic est verus deus vita eterna He is very God and euerlasting life And seing there is but one God the thre persons are that one God which is only to be praied vnto to be worshipped to whoÌ„ we shuld dedicate both the temple of our bodies and al temples of wood stone or other stuf and to no saintes departed to no auÌ„gels or archaungels for then we honour them which is idolatry and robery God only hath a temple The holy ghost haâ—h a temple Ergo the holy ghost is God To be honored Nothing is to be honored but God only for it is writteÌ„ Seruie ruÌ„t crâ—aâ—ure potius quaÌ„ creatori qui est deus benedictuâ— in secula They worshipped serued the creature more theÌ„ the maker which is God blessed for euermore He boâ—h monysheth vs to serue God only and reproueth such as honour creaturs Now that the holy ghost is to be serued and honored y e same Apostle witnesseth saying beware of dogges beware of euil workers beware of dissencioÌ„ for we are circumciâ—ion seruing y e spirit which is God Lo Paul confesseth hym selfe to be the seruaunt of the spirite Some doe read here spiritu deum colentes seruyng God in spirit but y e greke text discusseth that interpretacion to be false whiche is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say worshipping y e spirit which spirit is god If Paul had ment Quod spiritu deum cole bant that they in spirit serued God he wold haue sayd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he sayd in the same place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reioysing in Christ and not trusting in flesh For that the holy ghost is to be worshipped he declareth also saying if all do prophecie and there come in one that beleueth not or one vnlearned he is rebuked of all men and is iudged of euery man and the secretes of his heart are opened he falleth downe on his face worshippeth God saying that God is in you in dede But he who spake in theÌ„ was the holy ghost of whoÌ„ prophecie cometh of whom it is written Non estis vos qui loquimini sed spiritus patris qui loquitur in vobis It is not you which speake but the spirit of my father which speaketh in you Wherfore wheÌ„ thei fal down worship him which is in them they worship the holy ghost If the swete fleshe of our sauiour Christ be to be honored as we are coÌ„maunded adorate scabellum pedum
This also belongeth vnto Christ for of him it is written Wisdome reacheth from one end to another mightely and ordreth all things louingly Herken also what he saith vnto his disciples Wheresoeuer two or thre be gathered together in my name ther am I in the middest of them This proueth him to be the true God for no creature can be eueri where Ful of vnderstaÌ„ding he is the wisdome of God Full of truth I am the waye truth and lyfe Full of righteousnesse Pater non iudicat quemquam sed omne iudicium dedit filio The father iudgeth no man but hath geuen al iudgement vnto Christ who in the last day shall appeare both vnto good men euel in that form in which he suffred not in his diuine nature The father is said to iudge no man because neither he nor his son in his diuinitie shall be sene in iudgemeÌ„t for their diuinitie is all one Then Christ is full of rightousnesse for asmuch as he shall iudge y e world in his humanitie vnto whome the father saith God thy feare shall be for euer and euer The scepter of thy kingdome is a right scepter Thou haste loued righteousnesse and hated wickednes Full of mercie The wisdome from aboue is full of mercie When he was equall with God he made himselfe of no reputation and toke vpon him the shape of a seruaunt for our sakes which were his ennemies Ful of wisdome in Christ are hid all treasures of wisdom knowledge Full of all maner of goodnesse for in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the God head bodely and of his fulnes haue all we receiued grace for grace Iames also witnesseth that the wisdome from aboue is pure peaceable gentle easy to be intreated ful of mercy good frutes The next propertie of God is to be eternall This belongeth to Christ for he is the beginning of all thinges he is the progresse or middle course and he is the end and pricke The beginning and ending for he saith I am Alpha Omega y e beginning the ending And he is the middle course in that he saith I am the way He promiseth lyfe without end to such as kepe his worde saying Verely verely I say vnto you if a man kepe my worde he shall neuer se death Therfore he himselfe must nedes be immortall Nothing is without end and begynnyng saue God onely Chrst is without beginning and end Ergo Christ is God There foloweth in the definitioÌ„ of God maker of all thinges that Christ made all thinges Paule recordeth saying for by him were all thinges created things that are in heauen and thinges that are in earth things visible and things inuisible whether thei be maiestie or lordship either rule or power He that made all thinges is God hebr 3. Iesus Christ made all thinges Coloss. 1. Ergo Christ is GOD. Then it foloweth in y e same discription Subiecte to nothing and gouerning all things He is subiect to nothing for we read of him he that coÌ„meth from heauen is aboue al. He gouerneth al thinges for he saith whatsoeuer y e father doth that doth the son also and my father worketh hitherto and I worke Whatsoeuer we aske the father in his name he will do it and without him we can do do nothing This declareth him to be god by nature not by nuncupatioÌ„ only as they of whome it is written Ego dixj dij estis I haue said you ar Gods It foloweth Knowing al things Nothing hath this knowledge but God as I haue proued before But we read y t Christ knew the inward thoughts and intents of men Iesus did not put himselfe in their hands because he knew al men and neded not that any shuld testifie of them for he knewe what was in man He knewe the houre of his death he knew that al his disciples shuld be offended in him that tyme he knewe that Peter wold fall and ryse agayne he knew what would become of Iudas he opened the myndes of his disciples that thei might vnderstaÌ„d the scriptures and the Disciples confesse him to knowe all thinges saying Nowe we knowe that thou knowest all things and nedest not to aske any question The nexte thing appetteyning onlye to God is forgeuing of sin for I haue proued before that no creature can do this but we read that Christ forgeueth sinne and is reuiled of the Phariseis therfore who also forgeueth many sinnes to Mary Magdalene because she loued much To be honored Ihon would haue worshipped an aungel but the aungel forbiddeth him the wyse men the Cananite Mary Magdalene Ioanna Mary of Iames and other worshipped Christ were not blamed therfore And Paul in his epistles coÌ„fesseth himself the seruauÌ„t not of any aungel or archaungel but of Iesus Christ. Wherfore he is one God with the father for one God only is to be worshipped There foloweth in the definition of God to be called vpoÌ„ and that he poÌ„dreth our desires That Christ is to be praied vnto for al maner of thiÌ„gs the Prophet Esay teacheth vs saying The rote of Iesse shal be set vp for a tokeÌ„ the Heathen shall pray vnto him Saint Steuen crieth vnto him Lord Iesu receiue my spirit Paul asketh him lord lord what shal I do and he is taught Paul also praieth vnto him the father together saying God himself our father our Lord Iesus Christ guyd our iournei vnto you And againâ— our lord Iesu christ himself and God our father which hath loued vs and hath geuen vs euerlasâ—â—ng consolation good hope through grace comfort your hertes and stablish you in all doctine and good doing The Apostle sheweth that he is one God with the father and of equal power in that he offereth one praier to them both and in that he putteth otherwhiles y e father formost and otherwhiles our sauiour Christ. Iustifiyng and sauing vs who iustifieth saueth vs but he who is our sauiour our raunsom our spokesmaÌ„ our mercy stok the end of the law to al beleuers of whoÌ„ Iere. saith This is the name that they shal cal him the Lord our iustifier Almighty foloweth and endeth the definitioÌ„ If it be true which Paul saith I can doe al thinges through the helpe of Christe which streÌ„gthneth me how much more is Christ almighty himselfe of whome Iohn writeth Dicit dominus omnipotâ—â—â— â–ª the Lord almighti saith And the wisemaÌ„ calleth him the almighty hâ—nd the almighty arme the almighty word of God Seing therfore the scripturs do continually preach one God and the same doe graunt al thinges belonging to the maiestie of the God head vnto Iesus Christ ether we must denie the father to be the almignty only inuisible god or els we must confesse his sonne by veritie vnitie of nature to be one God with hym The .xxx. Chapter ¶ All the partes of thesame
definition are proued to agree to the almightie comforter and spirit THe alknowyng comforter also is one God with them both for asmuch as it caÌ„not be denied but y t all and euery one of the same thinges doe apperteine vnto him For a plaine and euideÌ„t profe of this I will course ouer the difinition or rather descriptioÌ„ of God once again prouing the same to be the definition of the holy comforter God is a spiritual substaunce so is the holy comforter That he is a spirit no man wyl deny that he is a substaunce not a godly mocion or coÌ„citation not an accideÌ„t I haue proued in my .xxiii. Chap. He is also a pure nature vnmixed vncompost vncreate for he is no creature whiche all and euery one are bonde and seruauntes vnto their maker not fre nor at their libertie as it is written Vniuersa seruiunt tibi al thinges serue the. The holy spirit speketh this by Dauid He saith not seruimus we serue the but seruiunt thei serue Paul also saith Creatura liberabitur a seruitute corruptionis The creature shalbe deliuered from the boÌ„dage of corruptioÌ„ But of the holy ghost it is written vbi spiritus domini ibi libertas where is the spirit of the Lord there is fredome We read also of him that he deuideth to euery man seueral giftes as he wil. 1 Cor. 12 All creatures do serue Psalm 118. The holy ghost is at libertie 2 Cor. 3 Ergo the holy ghost is no creature And if he be no creature he is a singuler pure nature void of all coÌ„position and mixture Immutable what soeuer is immutable is a creatur Inuisible al spirits be inuisible but not immutable for to be both immutable inuisible apperteineth only to the maiestie of God Wherfore the holy ghost is God Filling heauen erth foloweth in y e diffinicioÌ„ which thing truly beloÌ„geth only to y e diuine blessed nature as y e Psalmograph witnesseth domini est terra plenitudo eius The earth the fulnes therof is y e Lords he sayth by Ierem. I fil heauen and earth Now that the blessed coÌ„forter doth so y e booke of wisdom telleth saying The spirite of the Lord filleth the round compas of the world and Dauid teacheth thesame saying whether shal I go theÌ„ from thy spirit whether shal I go from thy presence If I clime vp into heauen c. What angel what archaungel what rule what power what creature is sayde to fill the world the whiche the holy comforter doth Yea more then the whole world for he fylled the sauiour of the world as it is written Christ ful of the holy ghost returned from Iordan God only is euery where The holy ghost is euery where Ergo the holy ghost is God Vnsearchable no man can comprehend what maner of thing his own spirit and soul is and the mynd which almost iudgeth and discusseth al thinges is not able to discusse it self much more the spirit of the almighty God surmounteth our vnderstandinges and not only ours but also of angels and archangels for of the spirit Dauid writeth God which is thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladnes aboue thy felowes The holy ghost is this oyl and anointmeÌ„t for Peter witnesseth that Christ was anointed with the holy ghost And wel is the holy ghost named the oâ—l of gladnes lest thou shouldest suppose him to be a creature For the nature of oyl is such that it wyl not be mingled with any moist creatur but heaueth aloft kepeth aboue when other naturs descend to the botom Ful of vnderstanding for he is the spirite of vnderstanding Ful of troth for he is y e spirit of troth which the world can not receiue and which procedeth froÌ„ the father of him it is wrytten he shal teach you al truth Ful of rightuousnes for as the sonne is our iudge so iudgement belongeth to the holy coÌ„forter as it is written when I depart I wyl send the comforter vnto you when he is come he shal iudge the world of synne of rightuousnes and of iudgemeÌ„t This text thacheth him to be a punisher of sinne an aueÌ„ger of vnrightuousnes wrong iudgemeÌ„ts Noble king Salomon through his inspiration gaue rightfull iudgement of the two infantes Daniel except he had bene inspired by him could neuer haue disclosed the lie of lechery When Susanna was condempned vnto death through y e false accusation of y e elders she cried with a loude voyce vnto God and obteined remedy When she was led forth vnto death it is regestred that the Lord raised vp the spirit of a yong child whose name was daniel c. Also the spirit of Moises was deuided among .lxx. of the elders of Israel that they might iudge the people according to right Wherfore the holy ghost who both teacheth other to iudge aright and is a iudge himselfe must nedes be ful of al righteousnes Ful of mercy He is ful of mercy forasmuche as he sent Christ to restore vs when we were forlorne as the Prophet telleth vs in Christes person Misit me dominus spiritus eius the Lord sent me and his spirit His sending is his incarnatioÌ„ as I haue proued before Full of wisdom for he is the spirit of counsel and wisdom Full of al maner of goodnes He is the spirit of life the spirit of knowledge wisdom and vnderstanding counsel strength of the fear of God of truth of sanctification of iudgement of adopcion of promes of grace and loue ioye peace long sufferyng gentlenes goodnes it selfe faithfulnesse mekenesse temperauncie be the fruites and giftes of the holy spirit Eternal many things be euerlasting which had their beginning as aungels as the soule of man and other but they are not eternal for that apperteineth only to the maiestie of the deitie That the holy and almyghty comforter is eternal the Apostle witnesseth saieng How muche more shal the bloud of Christr who through the eternall spirite offered hym self without spot to God purge your coÌ„sciences He is not content to call hym eternall but telleth vs also that Christ through the spirit offered himselfe a slain sacrifice for our synnes And we reade that Christ before the foundacion of the world chose vs. Wherfore the holy comforter who was the worke maister therof was before the foundation of the worlde and for as muche as as he was before all he hath no ende For that whiche is with out all begynnyng is also without endyng God only is eternall The holy ghost is eternall Ergo the holy ghost is God Maker of al thinges Iob telleth that God with his spirite garnished the heauens vnto whoÌ„ Dauid agreeth saying the spirit of his mouth formed al the hostes of them Wherfore in the worke of creacion Moises maketh relatioÌ„ of him shewyng vs that the spirit of God was borne vpon the waters Basyl