satisfied with seeing nor the eare filled with hearing as saith the Preacher whatsoever is offered to man cannot satisfie his desire why because he is capable of infinite good and all created things are circumscribed within certaine limits But he whch beginneth to drinke this heavenly water in which all things are contained covets nor desires any thing more But of this hath beene formely spoken in the rest of the mind in God alone as its proper Center Fourthly Water joynes together and reduceth into one those things which one could not imagine would have beene so united As many graynes of wheate by the mixture of water make one loafe of bread and of many parts of the earth by the same mixture bricks and tiles are made But much easilier and with a stronger tye or band doth the water of the Holy Spirit bring to passe that many men become one heart and one soule as it was with the Primitive Christians in the Acts of the Apostles upon whom the holy Ghost descended This unity Christ himselfe going to his Father commended and foretold when he said I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve in me by their word that they may be all one as thou O Father art in me and I in thee that they may be also one in us and a little after that they may be one as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one To which unity the Apostle also exhorts endeavoring to keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your vocation O happy Vnion which makes many men to be one Body of Christ which is governed by one Head and to eate of one meate and drinke of one drinke and to live with one spirit and being joyned to God to be made one spirit with him What more can be desired by a servant then not onely to be partaker of all the goods of his Lord but also by an indissoluble bond of love to be made one with him And all this the grace of the Holy Spirit brings to passe as a living and quickning water when it is devoutly received into the heart and there kept with diligence and care Lastly Water asâ—â—nds and riseth as high as it falls low And because the Holy Spirit descends into earth from the highest heaven therefore in that man into whose heart it is received is made a well of water springing to eternall life as our Saviour said to the Samaritane woman Wherefore being thus instructed in the properties of this uncreate water let us thirst after it and say with groanes and sighs unutterable Lord give us of this water which may wash off all our staines coole the heat of our concupiscences appease and qualifie the thirst of our desires may make us one spirit with thee and raise us to the height of thy eternall mansion It was not without cause that the Sonne of God said If ye then being evill know to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that aske it He saith not he will give you bread or apparell or wisdome or love or the Kingdome of heaven or eternall life but he saith He will give the Holy Spirit because in it are conteinâ—d all things Cease not then to put God daily in mind of his Sons promise and say to him with earnest affection and assured hope of obteining Holy Father I powre out my prayers unto thee not trusting in mine owne righteousnes but in the promise of thine onely begotten Sonne Make good therefore this promise of thy Sonne who glorified thee upon earth and was obedient to thee unto death even the death of the Crosse give to me that aske thy good Spirit give me the spirit of thy feare and love that I thy servant may feare nothing but offending thee and may love nothing but thee and my neighbour for thee Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me Restore to me the joy of thy salvation and stablish me with thy free Spirit We come now to the resemblance which rivers or fountaines of water have with God and by it the mind may be lift up to contemplate the wonderfull and excellent work of the Creator For it is not without cause that the Scripture saith that God is a Well of life a Fountaine of Wisedome the Fountaine of living waters And that he is the very Fountaine of being may be gathered out of his owne words to Moses I am that I am and I am hath sent me unto you All which the Apostle seemes to comprehend in this speech In him we live and move and have our being In him we live as in a Fountaine of life in him wee move as in a Founteine of wisedome and in him wee have our being as in the Founteine of being A Founteine of water here with us hath this propertie that from it the flouds arise and whensoever they leave to flow immediately they dry up but the Founteine it selfe depends not upon the flouds because it receives no water from them but not onely hath water in it selfe but communicates with others This is a true resemblance of God and an Embleme of the Godhead for God is the very Founteine of being he receives no being from any thing but from him all things take their being because the essence of God is to be and his existence is his essence so that it cannot come to passe and it were blasphemie to think that God was not or will not be for ever Other things may be not be for a time because a being is not properly to their essence For example it is of the essence of man that he be a reasonable creature and therefore he cannot be a man not be a reasonable creature if it were of the essence of man to be it could not be otherwise but that he must be alwayes but because it is not of his essence to be therefore he may be not be God therefore â—s the onely Founteine of being because in his essence the act to be is alwayes included And these words signifie so much I am that I am that is I am the thing to be and receive not being from any but have it in my selfe to me onely it is proper that essence to me should be to be and hence also it comes that eternity immortality is proper to him onely as the Apostle speakes To the King everlasting immortall c and Who onely hath immortality All other things receive their being from God so that unlesse they alwayes depend on him and be preserved by a certaine influence
If a Man had seene not onely with the eyes of his body but of his heart enlightned by GOD the rich Glutton clothed in silke and purple sitting at a Table furnished with all kinds of delicates many wayters attending him and withall had seene poore Lazarus halfe naked full of sores lying at the rich mans gate desiring to be fitted with the crummes that fell from his Table â—ee had seene the rich man whom the World accounted most happy to seeme most abominable in the sight of GOD and his Angels and as vile as the mud and dung of the earth and poore Lazarus to seeme noble and honourable For the first as hated by GOD was hurried by the Devills into hell and the last as beloved of GOD was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome But what doe we speake of Lazarus None was ever in higher account with GOD then our Lord Jesus Christ even according to his humanity and yet none ever so humble as he truely reported of himselfe Learne of me that am meeke and lowly in heart For by how much the clearer his most holy soule knew above all others the infinite height of the divinity by so much the more he knew the basenesse of the creature made of nothing and therefore while he was a creature above all others he became subject to GOD and exalted him and therefore also is he exalted above all creatures by GOD. The like we might say of the blessed Angels and holy Saints for there are none more humble then they which are high in the heavens because the neerer they are to GOD the more clearely they see and perceive by how much the greatnesse of the Creator is in distance from the exiguity of the creature Wherefore love humility if thou desire to be exalted Imitate the Lambe without spot and imitate the holy Saints and Angels who as they excell in height excell in humility And not onely doth GOD possesse the highest seat because he judgeth all men but because he excells all in quiet and makes those to be quiet in whom he rests and fits Gods highest seat is his supreme rest for although he governeth the universe wherein are continuall warres and conflicts of elements men and beasts yet he governeth peaceably and quietly nor is there any thing that can disturb his quiet or his contemplation of himselfe wherein consists his everlasting delight Gods proper seat is the blessed spirits upon which it is said by the Psalmist He sitteth betweene the Cherubims and in Samuel the LORD of hosts who dwelleth betweene the Cherubims and GOD is said rather to dwell or sit betweene the Cherubims then the Seraphims because the Cherubims signifie multitude of knowledge and Seraphim the heate of charity now rest followes wisedome and care and anxiety accompany love and charity unlesse it be joyned with wisedome Lastly where Esay saith Heaven is my seat and David The Lords throne is in heaven and all the heaven of heavens are the Lords by the heaven of heavens are understood the spirituall heavens the blessed spirits which dwell in the corporall heavens as S. Augustine expounds that place These heavens saith he GOD causeth to be quiet so admirably that this is the peace which passeth all understanding St. Bernard compares it to a King who being tyred as it were with hearing of causes retyres himselfe and takes his ease and quiet with his familiar servants And therefore by this we may perceive that GOD sheweth himselfe not a Iudge or a Lord to the spirits of the blessed but a familiar friend And certainly it is no small familiarity which GOD shewes to pure minds in this life so that this saying is verified My delight is to be with the children of men Hence it is that the Saints though they sufferd pressures in the World yet in their hearts where GOD is they had peace and therefore ever seemed joyfull and serene and so were For the Truth had told them Your hearts shall rejoyce and your joy shall no man take from you The fourth and last part of the greatnes of Gods Essence is the depth and this is manifold 1. First the divinity it selfe is most deep in him because it is not superficiall or sleight but most full most solid The Deity is not a gilded masse which hath onely gold upon the superficiâ—s or outward part and brasse or wood within but as a whole masse of gold great and immense or rather as a mine of gold so deep that by digging it can never be exhausted nor the bottome be discovered so God of whose greatnesse there is no end is altogether so incomprehensible that by a created mind it can never be so well knowne but that it may be ever more and more understood and it is onely God himselfe which can comprehend this infinite depth because he onely hath the infinite power of understanding 2. Againe God is deep in respect of place for as he is most high because he presides and governs all things and is above all so is he most deep because he is under all things to uphold them Bearing up all things by his mighty word saith the Apostle And therefore he is as it were the foundation and roofe of a building In whom we live and move have our being In that regard most truly said Solomon The heavens and the heavens of heavens are not able to containe thee because God doth rather contain the heavens and the things under heaven as being above the heavens and beneath the earth 3. Lastly the profundity of God is his invisibility For God is light but inaccessible he is truth but most inward He made darknes his secret place saith David and verily thou ô God hidest thy selfe saith Esay St. Augustine sometime inquiring after GOD sent his messengers his eyes from earth to heaven and all things answered them that they were not that he sought for but it is he that hath made us and not finding him by outward things he tooke his search by inward and soon understood truly that by them he might sooner approach to God for he knew the soule to be better then the body and the inward sense to be farre better then the outward and the understanding which is more inward to be better then the inward sense and thence gathered that God who was more inward then the understanding was better then it and that by all this that we understand or thinke it was not God but something lesse then God because God is better then we can understand or conceive Well then if the soule be better then the body to which the soule gives life because that is a body and the soule a spirit and if the eye of the body cannot see the soule because that is without and this within think also that thy God is better then thy soule because he gives it understanding and is as it were thy soule and
which are stronger in many beasts then in Man but by the mind indued with reason and will that is not by that which he hath common and alike with them but by that by which he is distinguished from them and made like unto GOD. Rowse thy selfe then and frame thy selfe after thy patterne and consider that all the good thou receivest by this Image consists in the likenesse and resemblance thou hast to it Thy patterne is GOD whose beauty is infinite Light in whom there is no darknes whose beauty the Sun and Moone admire And that thou mayst the more easilie imitate thy patterne on which thy whole perfection profit honour joy rest and indeed thy whole good depends conceive the beauty of GOD thy patterne to consist in wisdome and holinesse For as the beauty of the body ariseth from the just proportion of the members and sweetnesse of the colour so in the spirituall substance the pleasantnesse of the colour is the light of wisedome the proportion of the members is sanctitie and righteousnesse not any particular justice but universall which conteyneth all other vertues and therfore that may be said to be the most beautifull spirit whose mind shineth with the light of wisedome and whose will hath the greatest measure of perfect righteousnesse GOD then thy patterne is that Wisdome and that Righteousnes and in respect thereof is beauty it selfe And because both these Attributes of GOD are specified in Scripture under the name of sanctity it is that the Angels in Esay cry unto him Holy Holy Holy is the LORD GOD of Hosts and GOD himselfe cryeth to his Images Be holy for I am holy and our Saviour in the Gospell Bee perfect as your Father which in Heaven is perfect Wherefore if thou desirest to be like thy patterne thou must love Wisedome and Righteousnesse above all things True Wisedome which is one part of spirituall beauty is to judge of all things according to the supreme cause and the most high cause is the divine will of GOD or his Law which manifests his will to Man If therefore thou love Wisedome thou must not lend thine eare to what the Law of the flesh shall dictate what thy sences shall judge to be good what the World shall approve of what any Man shall insinuate to thee but stop thine eares to them and marke onely what the will of GOD thy LORD is and account that most profitable and above all things to be desired which shal be most conformable to his will and Law This is the wisedome of the Saints of which the wiseman wrote I loved her above health and beauty and purposed to take her for my light for her light cannot be quenched All good things therefore came to me with her The other part of this spirituall beauty is Righteousnesse and this containes all vertues which adorne and beauâ—ifie the will the chiefe whereof is love the mother of all graces which not onely comprehends all the rest as St. Augustine speaketh but indeed as St. Paul affirmeth is the fulfilling of the Law and on the other side He which keepeth his word that is his Law in him is the love of GOD perfect indeed as St. John They therefore which would be made like to the Divine patterne must hearken to and obey this counsaile Be ye followers of GOD as deare children and walke in love The Son is the image of his Father and all the good which ariseth from this image as is before said is to become like to the patterne Oh if thou wouldst fully understand these things and that being made like unto GOD by the beauty of true Wisedome and Righteousnesse thou much pleasest him what peace wouldst thou enjoy how joyfull wouldst thou be how easily wouldst thou despise all the blandishments of this deceitfull world Againe if thou wouldst consider how highly GOD wil be displeased when he shall see his image wanting the light of wisedome and the robe of Righteousnesse to be polluted defiled and darkned and that Man being placed in such honour as to be like to GOD to be now compared to the beasts that perish certainely thou wouldst be amazed and tremble neither wouldst thou be at rest untill by floods of teares springing from bitter contrition thou shouldst wash away all thy spots and steynes and returne to the likenes of thy most beautifull patterne But because in the meane time while thou walkest away and wandrest from GOD and that thou walkest by Faith and not by sight thou continually wantest his aid and assistance aswell that thou mayst abide in that likenes which thou hast as that daily thou mayst become more like that is more beautifull and clearer mourne heartily and pray to him and say O holy Lord and most mercifull whom it hath pleased to make this my soule thine Image make perfect I beseech thee thy worke increase my Wisedome increase my Righteousnesse hide my soule in the secret place of thy Tabernacle that it be not defiled with the mud of carnall concupiscence nor with the smoke of secular honour nor the dust of earthly thoughts The last quaere remaines to be resolv'd which is Whereto or for what Man was brought into the World The end of his Creation This end was no other then GOD himselfe But because there is a double end Internall or Inward and Externall or Outward We will consider them apart briefly The Internall or Inward end is the perfect state or condition of any thing to which the same may attaine as for example a Palace or any other structure is then and not till then accounted perfect and finished when nothing is wanting which is requisite to the building of it So the inward end of a tree is the perfect state thereof and then it is said to have attayned his end when after the full growth it beareth fruit A Man therefore who is created to a most high end may then be said to have obtayned his end when his mind shall see God as he is and by seeing him shall know all things his will shall most ardently love and enjoy that chief good and happinesse and his body being becom immortall and impassible shall live in perpetuall peace and joy And because the essence of this finall beatitude is the vision of GOD by which we the Images of GOD shall come to a perfect state and perfect similitude with our divine patterne therefore it is that St John saith Now are we the Sons of GOD but yet it is not made manifest what we shall be and we know that when he shall be made manifest we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Oh! if thou couldst imagine what this is that we shal be like him for we shall see him as he is how quickly would all the clouds of earthly desires be dispersed GOD is most blessed and therefore most blessed because he alwaies sees himselfe as he is and enjoyes
Father who causeth the Sunne to arise upon the good and evill and rayneth upon the just and unjust Imitate the Son who having taking our humane nature for our good upon him spared not his owne life to deliver us from the power of darkenesse and everlasting perdition Imitate the holy Ghost who plentifully powreth out and scattereth his most plenteous guifts that he may of carnall make us spirituall DEGREE VI. By the Consideration of FIRE THis Element is of so pure and noble a nature as that GOD himselfe would bee called Fire as both Moses and St. Paul testifie The LORD thy GOD is a consuming Fire And when GOD first appeared to Moses he would be seen in a bush burning but not consuming with Fire when also GOD came to give the Law to his people he appeared in the shape of fire as Moses relateth it Mount Sinai was all on smoke because the LORD came downe upon it in fire To resemble which mystery when the new law was to be published the holy Ghost appeared to the Apostles in the shape of fiery tongues Lastly they which in heaven are neerest to GOD are called Seraphim because they receive fervor and heate from that most ardent and divine fire more then the other Angels It will not therefore be hard or difficult for us out of this element and the nature and properties of it to erect one greece whereby wee may ascend to GOD by prayer and meditation and lesse difficult will it be with Elias to ascend in a fiery Charriot then to make a Ladder to rise up by out of either earth water or ayre Let us therefore examine and consider the properties and qualities of this element Fire is of that nature and quality that it worketh diversly and oft times contrarily in many things 1. It quickly burneth and consumeth Wood Straw and Stubble 2. It purifieth and maketh more beautifull gold and silver 3. It changeth Iron into contrary qualities as of blacke cold hard and heavie the naturall properties of it it maketh it cleare hote soft and light insomuch as it will shine like a starre burne like fire melt and be liquid like water and by the Artificer be moved and lifted easily All these things apparently agree and meete in GOD. And first Wood Hay and Stubble are by the Apostle compared with evill workes which cannot endure the triall of Gods fire for it is almost incredible how hatefull and displeasing all sinnes are to GOD who is a most pure fire with what zeale hee consumes and destroyes them first by repentance if the sinner be in that state that he can repent for by repentance all sinnes are purged and if the sinner be uncapable of repentance as Devils and men after this life are his wrath is kindled against them For the ungodly and his ungodlinesse are both hated alike of GOD saith the wiseman and the Kingly Prophet David confirmes this saying Thou hatest all them that worke vanity How much and great this hatred is the Devill can witnesse who sinning once and being as St. Gregory saith an Angel most noble and glorious and the Prince of the first order of Angels and the most excellent creature of GOD yet was forthwith cast out of Heaven and deprived of all honour and grace turned into a most deformed monster and bound to eternall perdition Christ himselfe is a witnesse who came from Heaven to dissolve the workes of the Devill sinne and therefore is stiled the Lamb of GOD which taketh away the sinnes of the World Yet who is able to declare nay to conceive what and how great things he suffered to destroy the workes of the Devill and fully to satisfie Gods justice Who being in the forme of GOD tooke on him the forme of a servant and being rich was made poore for our sakes not having whereon to lay his head was reviled suffered bare our sinnes in his body on a tree humbled himselfe and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Crosse was derided spit upon scourged crowned with thorns crucified with all ignominie and grievous torments shedding his life and blood and all these things to destroy the Devills worke sinne Witnesse the Law of GOD which forbids and punisheth all sinne leaving not unpunished so much as an idle word And how doe we thinke he detesteth heynous sinnes that cannot endure an idle word For the Law of the LORD is an undefiled Law without all spots and what communion hath light with darknesse or what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse Lastly let Hell it selfe be witnesse which GOD hath prepared for the wicked and sinners which refused to be washed with the blood of the undefiled Lamb For it is but just that in whom sinne alwaies remaines punishment should bee perpetuall now what the punishment of hell shal be is horrible and fearefull to thinke of which we shall have occasion to speake more at large in the last Degree Therefore seeing that Gods hate to sinne is so extreme if thou love GOD above all things thou must also above all things detest sinne take heed thou be not deceived by those who either extenuate or excuse it take heed that thou deceive not thy selfe with false and ungrounded reasons for if sinne either committed by thy selfe or others displease thee not thou lovest not GOD and if thou lovest not GOD thou shalt perish everlastingly Againe if thou be not unthankfull to Christ how much dost thou conceive thou owest to his love to his labours his blood his death who washed thee from thy sinne and reconciled thee to his Father and shall it sâ—eme grievous to thee hereafter to suffer any thing for him either in his grace and favour and with his grace to resist sinne even to the losse of thy blood and life Lastly if thou canst not endure the fire everlasting in hell patiently neither oughtest thou patiently to endure sinne but flee from it as from a Serpent and let it be thy resolution to joyne thy greatest hate to sinne with thy greatest love to GOD. But fire destroyes not but makes Gold Silver and Iewels more perfect and shining because as S. Paul in the place before cited declares that those mettalls signifie good works and perfect which are allow'd and aprov'd by the fire of Gods judgment and shall receive their reward Those workes GOD ratifies for good because they are his guifts and St. Augustine saith he crowns his own guifts whensoever he crowns our deserts for they are perform'd by his command and by his aid he bestowing power upon us and enabling us to doe them and himselfe directing us by the Law and rules which he hath made and appointed And indeed gold denotes unto us the workes of love and charity and how is it possible but the workes of love should exceedingly please GOD who is love it selfe Silver signifies the workes of wisedome namely of those which
in making or changing ' dissolving or preserving them I will consider the heavens saith the Psasmist even the worke of thy fingers the Moone and the Starres which thou hast ordayned For those transcendent workes hath the moâ—â— highest reserved to himselfe he began to lay the foundation and he hath brought the fabrique to perfection As also spirituall things Angels and the soules of men which are the most noble and sublime workes of all other the most high GOD by his power onely hath crâ—ated prâ—serveth and so will for ever neither hath any creature hand or part in making of them nor though all the creatures should joyne together could they â—ither make or destroy one Angell or one soule 2. Secondly the altitude of the divine power is most perspicuously seene in Gods miracles which as St. Augustine saith are workes beyond the ordinary course and order of nature and doe amaze men and Angels to behold as when at the command of Josue the Sun and Moone which are carried by most swift motion stood still And least we should conceive that this hapned by any chance or that so unusuall a thing should be done by any mortall the holy Ghost saith That the LORD heard the voyce of a man Neither indeed did Iosue properly speake to the Sun and Moone who he knew could not heare his command but he spake to the LORD as if he should say by the commandement of the LORD Sun stay thou in Gibeon and thou Moone in the valley of Ajalon And the LORD heard the voyce of a man that is he brought to passe that these great lights obeyed the voyce of a man for GOD oftimes in Scripture is said to doe those things for whose sake they are done as in Genesis GOD said to Abraham Now I know that thou fearest the Lord the meaning of these words being Now I have brought it to passe that it may be knowne that thou truly fearest the Lord. Such another worke declaring the height of the divine power was at the passion of our Saviour when the Moone being in a great distance from the Sun with a most swift course came to be in conjunction with it and for three houres space made darknesse on the earth and after those three houres returned as swiftly to the place from whence it came all which St. Dionysius the Areopagite testified that he observed in an Epistle to St. Polycarpus This though it were a miracle contrary to the former yet no lâ—sse wonderfull seeing it is alike new and unusuall for the Moon to stand still as to exceed its bounds beyond custome To omit the restoring sight to the blind and life to the dead and many other acts and miracles of the like nature which GOD doth and hath done by his Prophets Apostles and faithfull servants all which cry Who is like unto thee ô LORD among the Gods But I cannot let passe the most supreme and highest miracle which GOD will shew in the last day when all the dead shall rise againe together of which many of their bodies have been reduced to ashes and scattered or consumed and devoured by beasts and changed into other bodies 〈◊〉 buried in fields and gardens and transformed into diverse herbs Which of the Angels will not be amazed when in the twinkling of an eye at the command of the Almighty so many myriads of men shall resume their bodies although they have bin buried scattered or devoured many ages before This is therefore the altitude or height of Gods omnipotence in regard of which we may likewise say Quis similis tibi in fortibus Domine Who is like unto thee ô Lord among the Gods It remaines that we speake of the depth of Gods power which as I conceive consists in the meanes or manner he useth in making things for who can dive or wade into the meanes of making something of nothing they could never pierce into the depth of it who resolved it for a certaine and true principle that of nothing comes nothing And we our selveâ— beleeve what we see not in this point but we securely beleeve GOD who caennot lye We beleeve I say that the heaven and earth and all things in them were created by GOD himselfe when there was nothing before to make them of neither could it be truely said that GOD made all things if there had bin any thing before of which they had bin made but how they could be so made there being nothing before to make them of is a most deepe abysse which we can neither search into nor finde out 2. Againe as GOD made all things of nothing so he made them also in nothing that is without a space preceding or a place where to bestow what he made which especially in corporall things can hardly be understood Take away distances spaces of places saith St. Augustine from bodies and they wil be no where and if they will be no where they will not be at all Well then if there were nothing no place before GOD created heaven and earth where did GOD place heaven and earth certainly in nothing they could not be placed and yet they were created and were themselves a place to themselves because he so would and could which can doe all things although we cannot understand how they could bee done And to this GOD had an eye when holy Job desirous to declare his omnipotence said in the person of GOD Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth declare if thou hast understanding Who hath layd out the measures thereof if thou knowest or who hath stretched the line over it Whereupon are the foundations thereof set or who layd the corner stone thereof And that we might understand that these workes of the Lord were most worthy of all praise he addeth in the next verse When the Starres of the morning praised me together and all the children of GOD rejoyced that is the holy Angels who were created at the same time with heaven and earth and are as it were spirituâ—ll Starres and most bright and may be called the children of GOD as soone as they perceived the heavens and earth to proceed from nothing and placed in nothing yet most surely founded upon their owne stability they I say with wonderfull astonishment and joy magnified the omnipotence of the Creator 3. Nor is it lesse deep to be understood that GOD by the onely command of His will should erect such immense heapeâ— or piles for we know by expâ—rience that in buildings without all comparison farre lesse what instruments what engines what laborâ—rs workemen need who can then apprehend how it came to passe that by his onely internall will which went not out of the willer so many immense and severall workes were performed GOD said that is with himselfe for the word of GOD is in GOD and is GOD himselfe by commanding and expressing the command of his will Let the
hast thou receivest from him if what thou hopest thou hopest from him Why boastest thou not of such a Father Why dost thou not love him with all thy heart why dost thou not contemne all things in respect of him but sufferest thy selfe to be overswayed with vaine desires and delights Lift up thine eyes to him feare not what any mortall creaâ—ure can doe to thee Say with David I am thine save me Certainly if thou wouldst but seriously consider how gracious GOD is to thee in that he who needs none of thy goods neither if thou perish doth he lose any thing hath his eye of providence still and continually over thee yea so loveth directeth and cherisheth thee as if thou wert his greatest treasure thou wouldst be moved with these his extraordinary favours and put thy whole confidence in him thou wouldst feare him as thy Lord love him as thy Father and loath those things which should divert thee from his love The second quaere is Of what matter was Man created The resolution is easie even of that which is most vile and contemptible and by how much the â—aser the better occasion is ministred to every one of us to labour for that most pretious and profitable vertue of humility And doubtlesse the matter of which the prime part of Man the soule was made was nothing and what can be imagined or thought to be of lesse esteeme then nothing Now what was the first materiall to the making of the body but menstruous blood a thing so loathsome as that the eye flies the sight of it the hand the touching of it and the mind abhorres to thinke of it Thirdly the matter whereof the first Man Adam was made was but red and barren earth or dust or mud Out of the earth wast thou taken saith GOD to Adam because thou art dust and to dust thou shalt returne Which caused Abraham remembring the vile materialls he was made of to say to GOD I am but dust and ashes And yet we have not said all which may be spoken concerning the vilenes of these materialls For the earth or dust it selfe of which his body was created came not from any matter but of nothing also For in the beginning GOD createâ— heaven and earth and surely he created them not of any otheâ— heaven and earth but even oâ— nothing So that this proud thing Man whether you consider soule or body coming from nothing in the end must be reduced to nothing What then hath he to boast of but that which he hath received from GOD. Other things as the workes of artificers vessels of gold and the like if they had sense might boast and expostulate with their workemen in this manner It is true lowe to thee for my form but not for my materialls and that which I had of my selfe before thou tookest me in hand is farre more pretious then that which I received from thee But Man that hath nothing of himselfe and is altogether nothing of himselfe can glory in nor of nothing And therefore St. Paul saith What hast thou that thou hast not received If thou hast received it why boastest thou as though thou hadst not received it and If any man seeme to himselfe that he is somewhat when he is nothing he deceiveth himselfe in his imagination To which St. Cyprian agreeth when he saith we ought to boast of nothing when there is nothing that we may call ours But thou wilt say men doe many excellent things for which they are worthily commended that according to the proverb virtus laudata crescat goodnes having due praise may increase It is true Men doe many good workes for which they may deservedly be praysed and of which they may boast but with this limitation that they rejoyce in the Lord and not in themselves as it is written He that rejoyceth let him rejoyce in the Lord. For let me aske these questions When a Man doth any good worke of what matter by what power by whose aid and direction doth he it surely oâ— the matter which GOD created by that power and strength which GOD gave him and lastly by GODS direction and assistance without which hee could doe no good thing For GOD doth many good things in Man without Man but Man doth no good but that which GOD giveth him power to do And therefore he vouchsafeth to use the Ministery and service of Man in doing good which of himselfe he could do without Man that thereby he might acknowledge himselfe the greater debtor to GOD and not by growing proud to rob God of his honour Therefore if thou be wise in the good thou dost give to thy selfe the last place steale not Gods glory from him neither in little or much enter into thine heart and consider well that nothing of thine which is onely and all that thou hast and all the World shall not be able to puffe thee up And because this pretious vertue of true humility was almost clean gone out of the World and was neither to be found in the Books of Philosophers or in the lives either of the Gentiles or Jewes it pleased the Mr. of Humility himselfe to descend from Heaven Who when he was in the form of God equall to the Father made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a servant and humbled himselfe c. saying to mankind Learne of me that am meeke and lowly of heart and ye shall finde rest to your soules So that if thou perhaps art ashamed to imitate the humility of Men be not ashamed to follow the humility of CHRIST Who resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble The third question followes now to be answered that is What forme was given to Man at his creation Surely by how much the viler the matter was of which he was made by so much the forme is found to be the more excellent To omit the out ward shape of the body which yet may justly challenge eminencie above the shapes of all other creatures for this is not the substantiall but the accidentall forme The substantiall forme therefore of a MAN which makes him to be a MAN and distinguisheth him from other creatures is the immortall Soule indued with reason and will the Image of GOD for so we read that GOD said when he would make Man Let us make Man in our Image according to â—ur likenesse and let him rule over the fish of the Sea and over the foule of Heaven and over the â—easts and over all the Earth and over every thing that creepeth and moveth on the Earth Man therefore is the Image of GOD not in respect of his body but of his spirit For GOD is a Spirit not a body And there is the Image of GOD saith St. Basil where that is which commands the other creatures Now Man commands and rules over the beasts not by the members of his body
mind of Man can hardly imagine or conceive it Well then if the World be so great what is he which made it Certainely he is great and there is no end of his greatnesse The prophet Esay speaketh metaphorically of him when he saith That he measureth the waters in the hollow of his hand and meateth all the Heavens with a span But King Solomon more expressely and punctually Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens cannot containe thee which is therefore true becauâ—e if another or many more worlds were created GOD would fill them all which we are not to understand as that by his so fitting the world part of GOD would be in part of the world and wholly in all the world for GOD hath no parts but is whole in all the world and whole in every part of the world and therefore is everywhere present by his power and wisedome Wherefore if thou beest faithfull to him whosoever be against thee feare nothing for what shouldst thou be afraid of having so great a GOD to thy Father and friend but if thou by falling from him hast made him thine enemy and Judge then thou hast just cause to feare and to give no rest to thine eyes till thou hast by true repentance appeased him The next thing considerable in this Great World is the multitude of things created in it which are so many that who can tell them Who can number the sands of the Sea and the drops of raine as it is in the place before cited But to omit them as the least of things created Within the earth how many mines are there of gold and silver of lead brasse tinne and the like what number of pretious stones and pearles Above the earth how many kinds species and individualls of herbs fruits and plants and how many parts in each of them and how many kinds species and individualls of perfect and imperfect living creatures foure footed beasts creeping and flying creatures In the Sea how many kinds species and individualls of fishes who can number them What shall we say of the multitude of Mankinde of which it is written He blesseth them so that they multiply exceedingly Lastly how many starres in Heaven of which it is said by GOD Number the Starres if thou canst tell them and which he parallels in another place with the sands of the Sea And how many Angels of whom Daniel writeth Thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before GOD. This infinite number of things therefore created by one Almighty GOD plainly demonstrates that in his divine essence are perfections altogether infinite For GOD would be knowne his creatures and because not any one creature was able to represent the infinite perfection of the Creator therefore he multiplied them and gave to each kind of them some goodnesse or perfection that thereby Man might judge of the goodnesse and perfection of the Creator who comprehendeth infinite perfections under the perfection of one most simple essence not altogether unlike a piece of gold which contayneth the value of many brasse pieces of coyne When therefore any thing which seemes admirable shall come to thy mind let it be a Degree or Step to thee for the knowing of the perfection of thy Maker who without any comparison at all is much greater and more to be admired so it shall come to passe that these created things which as Wisedome teacheth are stumbling blocks to the soules of Men and snares for the feet of the unwise shall not deceive thee nor deject but instruct thee and make an ascent for thee to better things Therefore if thou meet with gold jewells or the like thou must say in thine heart My GOD is more precious who hath promised to give himselfe to me if I contemne those things If thou admire the dignitie of earthly Empires and honours thou maist say in thine heart how much more excellent is the Kingdome of Heaven which endures for ever and which GOD who cannot lie hath promised to them that love him If pleasures and delights begin to tickle thy carnall sense thou maist say in thine heart much more delightfull is the pleasure of the spirit then of the flesh and of the minde then the belly the last whereof the mortall creature offereth but the former the GOD of all comfort gives of which whosoever tasteth may say with the Apostle I am filled with comfort and am exceeding joyous in all my tribulation Lastly if any thing faire new unusuall great or wonderfull be offered to thy view and for thy acceptance so thou wilt depart from thy GOD answer securely there are many more good and fairer things without question to be found in thy GOD and therefore it will not be safe or profitable for thee to change gold for copper coyne pretious jewels for brittle glasse great things for small certaine for doubtfull and everlasting for those which be transitory But though the multitude of things created be admirable and argues the manifold perfection of one GOD yet much more admirable is the variety of things which is seene in this multiplication and doth more easily bring us to the knowledge of GOD. For it is no hard but an easie matter with one seale to make many figures alike nor with one â—ast Letter to Print many Letters but to vary the formes in infinite manner as GOD did in the Creation this is a work meerly divine and most worthy our admiration To omit the kinds and species of things which we plainely see to be very different and of much variety In the individualls of herbs plants flowers and fruits what variety is there their shapes colours smells and tastes doe they not differ infinitely Is not the like seene in living creatures But what shall I say of men when in a numberlesse army almost not two men are to be found in all respects alike and the like may be said of the Starres One Starre differs from another in glory saith the Apostle Lift then up thy mind to GOD in whom onely are the reasons of all things and from whom as from a fountaine of infinite plenty and fertilitie springs this almost infinite variety Worthily therefore doth the same Apostle cry out O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God But thou wilt say these things seeme to be true the good things created we see with our eyes touch with our hands â—ast with our mouthes we possesse and enjoy them really GOD we see not touch tast nor possesse and searce apprehend him in our imagination as a thing farre remote from us and therefore no mervaile if these things take us sooner and with more delight then GOD But if Faith have any vigor or be vigâ—lant in thee thou canst not deny that after this life which flyes away as a shadow if thou continue in Faith Hope and Charity thou shalt see GOD himselfe truly and
the LORD praise him and exalt him above all things for eveâ— Seeing then that all things after their manner praise the LORD with what affection oughtst thou to blesse and praise him for all the benefits which thou continually receivest whose hand is continually open to manifest his fatherly and most pure love to thee never ceasing to doe thee good from Heaven but continually providing in most plentifull manner for thee But all this is little in the sight of GOD thy LORD for it is hee which causeth that most noble root of love to sprout out and grow in thee For Love cometh not of the World but of GOD as Saint John speaketh And out of love as out of a Divine and Heavenly plant spring the most faire and sweet smelling flowers of holy thoughts the greene leaves of profitable words to salvation and the fruit of good workes by which GOD is glorified and our neighbours relieved Woe then to those who like foolish beasts covet to be filled with the fruits of the Earth gather them greedily and hide them never thinking of the Author of them nor praising him for them whose soules are like to the Earth which GOD cursed bringing forth onely thornes and thistles for what doe they thinke upon but onely Fornication Adultery Homicide Sacriledge Thefts Treasons and the like what doe they speake but Blasphemies Perjuries Curses Contumelies false Testimonies Lyes and the like which they have learned of their Father the Devill And lastly what fruit bring they forth but those poysonous fruits which as we said they continually thinke and speake of even the workes of the flesh as they are called by the Apostle These are the thornes which first of all pricke them that bring them forth with most sharpe and bitter pricks of feares and cares then they pricke the fame of their neighbours with most grievous and irreparable losse But if thou beest the garden of that Heavenly Husbandman take heed that thornes and briers bee not found in thee and above all things cherish the Tree of love and the Lilly of chastity and the sweet Spikenard of humility and take heed that it never creepe into thee to think that these vertues and plants of grace be of thy selfe and not of GOD neither attribute the preservation and increase of the fruits of good workes to thy selfe but commit them to him and his care placing all thy strength wholly in him The third and last property of the Earth is that in the bowels of it are Mines of gold silver and pretious stones iron brasse and lead Yet we must understand that the Earth produceth not these things of its owne power but by GODS which thing hee himselfe affirmes by the mouth of the Prophet Aggee the Silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the LORD of Hosts O thou lover of mankinde hath it thus pleased thy goodnesse not onely to furnish Man with stones tymber brasse iron lead and other the like necessaries for the building of houses and ships and all other things expedient for his use but to bestow upon him gold silver and jewels for ornament also And if thou givest such things to Pilgrims on Earth oft times thine enemies and blasphemers of thy holy name what wilt thou bestow upon thy beloved who shall blesse thee and raigne with thee in Heaven Thou wilt not give them small pieces of gold or silver nor a few jewels and precious stones but that City of which Saint John speaketh in the Revelation That the building of the wall of it was of Jasper and the Citie was pure gold the foundations of the Citie wall were garnished with all manner of pretious stones and the twelve gates were twelve pearles Yet wee must not conceive that this high Citie Jerusalem the Heavenly was built indeed of gold silver or pearles as is described by Saint Iohn onely we are to know that the holy Spirit useth these speeches for our understanding that apprehend not greater nor better things But without all doubt much more excellent shall that Citie be which is the Citie of the Elect of GOD and â—urpasse in glory all the Cities in this world much more then a golden Citie adorned and beautified with Iewels doth exceed any Countrey Towne made of mud and straw Lift up then the eyes of thy mind to Heaven and consider of what value and estimation the things of Heaven are when as gold silver and jewells which are here so much accounted of are but as dust and straw compared with them and that these things are but corruptible and they incorruptible and eternall But if thou wouldst have them layd up for thee as treasures and become incorruptible in Heaven send them by bills of exchange as it were by the hands of the poore and thou shalt finde and receive them there againe For the truth cannot lye which saith Give to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven and againe Give almes make you bagges which waxe not old a treasure that can never faile in Heaven where no thiefe cometh neither moth corrupteth O the unbeliefe of Men deceitfull and lying Man promiseth ten for a hundred besides the principall and is beleeved and trusted and GOD which cannot lye promiseth to repay one hundred for one and eternall life to boot and the covetous wretch distrusteth and chooseth rather to hide his treasure where moth consumeth and theeves breake through and steale then to lay it up in Heaven where it is subject to no such casualties But tell me ô unhappy Man if these goods which thou hast gotten with much labour and hast kept with no lesse feare be neither stollen by theeves nor corrupted with moth or rust whose shall they be not thine certainly Experience teacheth us that the wealth of the covetous come commonly to prodigall heires which consume them with farre more speed then the covetous Fathers scraped them together yet in the mean time the sin of covetousnes remaineth and shall for ever and the worme of their conscience shall not die and the fire prepared for their reward never goeth out Therefore let the folly of others be thy instruction and give eare to thy Lord and Master preaching to thee Beware of covetousnesse for though a Man have abundance yet his life standeth not in his riches A covetous Man gathers together and keepes it thinking long to possesse it but it hapneth otherwise as it did to the rich man that filled his enlarged barnes in the Gospell and his wealth covetously heaped up begate such a worme as never will dye and kindled such a fire as never wil be quenched O thou unhappy miser wert thou so sollicitous to gather that which should prepare a fire in Hell wherein thou must continually burne Hearken to St. Iames Goe to you rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come upon you Your riches are corrupt and your garments are moth eaten Your
divers offices ascend descend walke runne move feet armes and hands upwards and downwards every way neither doth the ayre which is diffused in all places any thing at all hinder them insomuch as if it were not of a corporeall but of a spirituall substance and nature nay indeed as if it were nothing at all Laftly the ayre hath a propertie serving for the benefit of Man that is it changeth it selfe into every forme and suffereth it selfe to be divided and as it were broken asunder to comply to the service and use of Man so that it seemeth to be given to him as a Master and instructor to him in humility patience and charity But that which should chiefly stirre up and kindle in thee the love of thy Creator is that the ayre doth represent the great sweetnesse and gentlenesse of thy maker to men For doe but recollect thy selfe and seriously consider his goodnesse thou shalt finde that thy GOD is ever present with his creatures ever working with them and of such infinite gentlenesse that he accommodates his working to the severall condition and nature of them all as if he should say with the Apostle I am made all things to all men that I might by all meanes save some hee worketh together with necessary workes that they may worke necessarily with voluntary that they may worke voluntarily with those which are free in their working that they may worke freely The fire he moveth stirreth and helpeth so that it may ascend the earth that it may tend downeward the ayre that it may glide by declive and bending places the ayre that it may passe which way soever it be driven starres that they may keepe alwayes in a circular motion herbs furittrees and plants that they may bring forth fruit according to their natures creatures upon earth in the water and the ayre to doe those things which are agreeable to their nature And if the goodnesse of GOD be so eminent in cooperating with his creatures in the worke of nature what may we thinke it to be in the workes of grace He hath given man free power of his will but so as that he will governe him by his command terrifie him with destruction and allure him by his bounty He will have all men saved but so as that he will also have them to be willing and therefore he sweetly prevents excites leads and guides them in such manner as is most admirable These are the meanes which the wisedome of GOD hath found out for the good of Man of which the Prophet Esay speaketh in these words Praise the LORD call upon his Name declare his Workes adinventiones ejus say some among the people And certainely the wicked sometimes hee terrifies exceedingly sometimes perswades them lovingly sometime admonisheth them mildly and sometime correcteth them mercifully as he in his wisedome thinkes expedient and agreeable to their conditions and inclinations Observe how tenderly he dealt with the first transgressor Adam saith GOD where art thou his answer was I heard thy voyce in the Garden and was afraid because I was naked I hid my selfe the LORD replyed with the like meekenesse Who told thee that thou wast naked Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eate and by this gentle correction or insinuation Adam without doubt repented as the Scripture saith Shee that is the Wisedome of GOD preserved the first Father of the World that was formed and kept him when he was created alone and brought him out of his offence Observe againe how gently and sweetly he by his Angell in the Booke of the Iudges rebuked and provoked the people of Israel to repentance What shall I say of the Prophets who in all their sermons as we may call them teach this and beate upon this that GOD desires not the death of a sinner but rather that he should returne and live They say saith GOD by Ieremie if a man put away his Wife and she goe from him and become another mans shall he returne unto her againe shall not the land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers Yet returne againe to me saith the LORD And by Ezechiel Thus ye speake and say If our transgressions and sinnes be upon us and we are consumed because of them how should we then live Say unto them as I live saith the LORD I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live turne you turne you from your evill wayes for why will ye die ô ye house of Israel But to let passe the wicked and consider how great GODS more then Fatherly meeknesse and gentlenes is to those that feare and hope in him Holy David is desirous to expresse it Looke how high the Heaven is in comparison of the Earth so great is his mercy also toward them that feare him And Like as a Father pittyeth his owne Children so is the LORD mercifull to them that feare him And The mercifull goodnesse of the LORD endureth for ever and ever upon them that feare him And in another Psalme Taste and see how gracious the LORD is blessed is the man that trusteth in him and againe Truely GOD is loving unto Israel even to such as are of a cleane heart And againe GOD saith by Esay Can a woman forget her childe and not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe though they should forget yet will not I forget thee and Ieremy in his lamentations The LORD is good to them that trust in him and to the soule that seeketh him Now if I would adde what the Apostles testifie of his Fatherly tendernesse to the Godly I should never make an end Take one place for all the rest of St. Paul Blessed be GOD even the Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST the Father of mercies and Gâ—D of all comfort which comforteth us in all our tribulation c. he saith not that GOD is our comfort barely but of all comfort and not that hee comforteth us in some but in all our tribulation And to end this point take the words of St. Prosper Grace saith he exceeds all justification by perswading in exhortations admonishing by examples terrifying by dangers provoking by miracles giving understanding inspiring counsaile enlightning the heart and endowing it with affections of Faith c. If then thy Creator bee so loving and kind to his servants and with such incredible patience and meeknesse beares with sinners for their conversions comforting the just that they may proceede and grow in righteousnesse and holinesse oughtest not thou to beare the infirmities of thy neighbour to gaine all men to thy GOD Consider with thy selfe to what sublimitie and excellencie the Apostle exhorts thee when he saith Be yee followers of GOD as deare Children And walke in love even as CHRIST hath loved us c. Imitate the
a resemblance with GOD his Creator that I know not whether a Man may ascend with more facility to the knowledge of GOD any other way then by the consideration of his owne soule And therefore man is inexcusable if he have not knowledge of him seeing he may attaine to it Gods grace assisting without difficulty by knowing his owne soule First then Mans soule is a spirit for so doe the holy Fathers expound those words in Genesis And the LORD formed Man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nosthrils the breath of life and Man became a living soule and that of Tobias Command my spirit to be taken from me and that of the Preacher Then shall the dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne to GOD that gave it For although the word spirit agreeth to the wind also of which it is said in the Gospel Spiritus spirat ubi vult The wind bloweth where it listeth and in the Psalmes Spiritus procellarum as S. Ierome Wind and storme as our translation yet without doubt that spirit the wind is a most thinne body which for its great subtilty and raritie doth more imitate and resemble the spirituall nature then any other body But the soule of man is properly a spirit not a body neither is it produced or made of any matter but is immediately created by GOD. And here begins the excellencie of the soule in the resemblance to GOD for GOD is a spirit as our Saviour saith and they which worship him must worship him in spirit and truth But though GOD be a spirit and mans soule be a spirit also yet GOD is a spirit uncreated and the Creator and mans but a spirit created by which it followes that there is a great disproportion betweene the spirit which is the soule and the spirit which is GOD. And in this respect how greatly may the soule rejoyce that it is in the kind of a spirituall substance and so of a higher and more noble nature then heaven or the Starres and againe it should be the more humble and obedient to GOD because it was made of nothing and of it selfe is nothing Againe the soule of man because it is a simple spirit is also immortall for it hath nothing in it from whence it may be divided or severed And in this regard how much may it boast above the soules of bruit animals which die with their bodies and so behold and admire the great excellencie of the creator who is not onely immortall but everlasting For the soule of man sometime was not and came to a being by the onely will of GOD and by the will of the same GOD may againe be reduced to nothing although in it selfe it have no beginning of corruption therfore truly said the Apostle of GOD Who onely hath immortality for he onely cannot be dissolved neither by force chance or ought else because it is his property to be he is life it selfe and the fountaine of being and life Thirdly mans soule is endued with the light of understanding for it is not onely able to know and distinguish of colours tasts smells and sounds heate cold hard soft and other things of the like kind which are plaine to the sences of the body but is able to judge of substantialls and of things singular and universall and knoweth not onely things present but can conjecture at things to come transcends the heavens dives into the deep searches effects from causes and from effects hath recourse to causes Lastly by the eye of the mind it comes to the knowledge of GOD himselfe which dwelleth in inaccessible light and this is the light of which Saint John speakes This was the true light which enlightneth every man that cometh into the World which David calls the light of Gods countenance Of the light of the understanding the same Kingly Prophet saith Be ye not like to horse and mule who have no understanding Certainely this is a great priviledge and dignity of the soule by which man becomes like to GOD and unlike the beasts and by this a man may also conjecture of the excellent sublimity of his creâ—â—â—â— for though the soule of man be endued with this light of understanding yet GOD is the light and understanding The soâ—lâ— as is said runnes from causes to effects and againe from effects to causes and therby hunts as it were with great labour to attain this knowledge but GOD with one aspect and at the first sight knoweth all things The soule understandeth those things which are so that his knowledge depends upon things GOD by his understanding bringeth to passe that things are so that the existence or being of things depends upon his knowledge The soule doth but conjecture of things to come GOD beholds all things past and to come as perspicuously and plainely as if they were present The soule wants many things to exercise the office of its understanding as the object forme fancie and the like GOD wants nothing for essence it selfe is his all things even his owne essence is his understanding Lastly the soule whiâ—e it is in the body neither seeth GOD the Angels nor it selfe nor any substance though corporeall properly and is deceived in many things is ignorant in many of many things he hath but an opinion and of few things the true knowledge but GOD is ignorant of nothing thinks nothing is never deceived never erreth All things are naked and opened c. Therefore if Man hath such an opinion and esteemeth so much of his knowledge as that according to the Apostle his knowledge puffe him up how much ought he to admire the knowledge of his Creator to whose if mans be compared it is no knowledge but ignorance There is also another kind of knowledge in the soule of Man which consists not in speculation but in action from whence it cometh that there are so many Bookes of Philosophers which treat if vices and vertues so many Lawes of Princes Lawyers and others so many institutions to acquire the art of living well In which appeâ—â—eth mans admirable light of reason by which alone he differs farre from beasts in excellencie but all this is nothing to the eternall Law which is powerfull in the mind of the Creator from whence as from a most plentifull fountaine all other Lawes flow and are derived for there is one Law giver and Iudge which is GOD as St. Iames tells us He is Truth Justice and Wisedome By whom Kings raigne and Princes decree Iustice So that we shall never find out the Art of living well and happily till we come to the Schoole of CHRIST who is the true and onely Master by whose word and example we shall learne that righteousnesse which exceeds the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharisees yea and of Philosophers too whose end is love out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and
valuation and lastly if this were able to fill the desire not onely of men but of Angels of what value wouldst thou thinke it to be Yet the goodnes of this one thing would come farre short of the goodnes of GOD which is so great that it is able to satisfie and satiate the infinite desire or rather the infinite capacity of GOD himselfe Oh the admirable latitude of the perfection of the essence of GOD which containes such immensity of good thingâ— as is sufficient for the infinite capacity which is in himselfe for GOD cannot at any time goe out of or from himselfe because he hath all good things in himselfe and was as rich and blessed before the creation and wil be after because there is nothing which GOD hath made but would not alwaies be after a more transcendent manner in himselfe Therefore consider what kind of good thou shall enjoy in thy Countrey if thou love God while thou art in the way and from what good thou shalt be excluded if thou love him not For GOD offers himselfe to those which love him and he is the onely good and will say to the good and faithfull servant Enter into the joy of thy LORD 2. Againe GOD is immense in another manner because he fills all created things altogether Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the LORD and if there were more worlds he would fill them all If I climb up to heaven saith David thou art there if I goe downe to hell thou art there also that is if I goe above heaven or beneath it or about it I shall not be alone because thou also art there for I cannot be if thou be not in me and thou sustainest me who bearest all things by thy mighty word Neither doth God fill all bodies onely with his immensitie but spirits hearts and mindes For how could he search the hearts of men if he were not in their hearts how could he heare their prayers unlesse he had his eares to our hearts and how could the Prophet say I will hearken what the LORD GOD will say in me if he moved not his mouth to the eares of our hearts It is a happy soule which loveth GOD because he hath alwaies his beloved with him and cherisheth him in his bosome For he which dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him 3. Neither doth GOD onely fill all things with his presence but with his glory also For the Seraphims cry The earth is full of his glory and the Psalmist addeth O LORD our Governour how excellent is thy name in all the world thou hast set thy glory above the heavens As if he should say not onely thy name fame and glory hath filled the whole earth with admiration but it hath ascended to heaven and above the heavens also And the Son of Syrach of the creation of the Sun saith The worke thereof is full of the glory of the LORD for there is no creature either in heaven or earth which continually praiseth not GOD. And this is the cause why David in the Psalmes and the three children in Daniel doe exhort all creatures to blesse and celebrate the praises of the Creator not that they were ignorant that most of the creatures were of that nature that they could not heare their exhortations but because they knew that all the works of GOD were good and by their species or beauties brought praiâ—e unto him and therefore congratulated and perswaded them to continue in doing that which rhey did And cortainely if we had inward eyes we might see that all the works of the Lord were as so many censers sending upward the sweet savour of his glory and if we had inward eares we should heare a harmonicall concent as it were of all kind of musicall instruments sounding out his praises and saying It is he that hath made us and not we our selves And although the wicked many times speake evill of GOD and blaspheme his name yet they are compelled against their wills in that manner that the worke commends the workeman to praise him for in them also the power of GOD shineth merveilously by which he made them and his wisedome by which he governes them and his goodnesse by which he preserves them though unthankfull and evill and his mercy and justice by which he ordaines them either justly to punishment or mercifully expects them to repentance And though many are so deafe here on earth to heare the voyces of the creatures incessantly crying to GOD yet there are a multitude of Angels and holy men who hearken unto and are delighted with those praises they themselves daily chaunting out the same with hymnes and songs Now the length of Gods divine Essence is his Eternity which as it had no beginning of continuance so neither shall it have end but shall remaine the same without change or alteration Thou art the same saith David to GOD and thy yeares shall not faile and the Apostle calls him The King everlasting because he is not subject to time but is above it and governes all ages and was before all ages Other things have their beginning and end and never continue in one state nor have beginning without end without alteration but may at the will of the Creator leave to be And therefore eternity is onely proper to GOD so as it can agree with no other creature in that measure for never was Prince so arrogant to use eternity amongst his other titles unlesse perhaps in another sense as Constantius did who was stiled Imperator aeternus because he was not Emperour for a time but during life A mans soule may be reckoned among the creatures of both kinds for it hath a body which began to be when it was conceived and borne and by degrees increased to that stature which was prefixed by GOD and then againe it began to decrease and soone after leaves to be by death but it never stands in the same state and condition in all respects every houre being subject to alteration Of this body the Prophet speaks by a similitude of grasse In the morning it is greene and groweth up but in the evening it is cut downe dryed up and withered That is in its childhood it waxeth reene as grasse soone after it passeth to youth in the nooneday whereof it flourisheth and by and by passeth to old age in the evening whereof it hangs the head and is cut downe in death it continueth in the grave it dryeth up and returnes to dust By which we may perceive how farre the body differs from eternity Now the soule was created in time being nothing before and in this regard is much unlike the Creator but being created it shall have no end of continuance which is common to it with the Creator But for asmuch as it is subject to change while it lives in the body from sinne to goodnesse from vertue to vice
obedience nothing can be imagined greater or more meritorious or more honourable to GOD then that humble obedience of CHRIST wherefore most truely said He in the Gospell I have glorified thee upon earth for he truely glorified GOD his Father with an unspeakable glory in the sight of the Angels and spirits of the holy Prophets and others who could take notice of it and if the Angels at Christs nativity in respect of the humility of the Cratch did sing Glory to GOD on high with much greater exultation and joy did they sing the same song for the humility or the Crosse So that whereas if man had not sinned he had onely attayned to be equall with the Angels now mankind hath obtained by the redemption which is in CHRIST JEsus that one man being exalted above all the Angels sits at the right hand of GOD and is become head and Lord of Angels and men for so St. Peter writes of CHRIST Hee is gone into heaven to whom the Angels and Powers and might are subject and St. Paul Wherefore also GOD hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name That at the name of JESVS should every knee bowe both of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth So that the Son glorified the Father by the humility of his passion after an unspeakable manner and the Father glorified the Son after an unutterable manner also by exalting him to his right hand which glorification resulted upon all mankinde in such a manner that whosoever shall not acknowledge this great benefit and give GOD thankes for it may justly be called most unthankfull And as the holy Angels were much grieved at the fall of the first man as for a heavie affliction befallen their younger brother so also are they taken and affected with much joy and delight for the plentifull redemption of him by IESUS CHRIST for if there be joy in heaven with the Angels for one sinner repenting how great may wee beleeve their joy to bee when they saw that the justice of GOD was fully satisfied for mankind by CHRIST the man and that by the key of his Crosse the Kingdome of heaven was opened to all beleevers Nor is it to be thought that the holy Angels did take it grievously that the man CHRIST was exalted by GOD above them for they have neither spite or â—nvy in them but are replete with all ardent and true love and Love is not puffed up grieveth not at the good of others but sympathizeth and rejoyceth together congratulateth no lesse for it then if it were its owne for the Angels understand that this was a most just act of Gods who doth nothing but most justly and wisely and they also have their will so unseparably proportionable and agreeable to the will of GOD and tyed with such an indissoluble knot of love that whatsoever is pleasing to GOD is most acceptable to them But the Devill who for a time rejoyced for his victory over the first Man was much more sorrowfull for the conquest of CHRIST the man then he was joyfull before For by the victory of CHRIST it is come to passe that not onely men such as Adam was but also children and women shall insult and triumph over the Devill It had not beene a disgrace for him to have beene overcome by Adam in Paradise when he wanted ignorance and infirmity and was armed with originall righteousnesse which so subjected the inferiour parts to reason that hee could not have rebelled if his minde had not beene rebellious to GOD before but now to be subdued by a mortall man a pilgrime obnoxious and subject to ignorance and concupiscence is a disgrace in the highest degree and yet by the grace of Christ he is many times so overcome as that diverse erect trophees of chastity patience humility and love not withstanding his fiery darts of tâ—ntations and persecutions And here we are againe to admire the altitude of the divine wisedome even beyond admiration For GOD foresaw that the contempt of riches pleasures and honour and the like which are snares of the Devill and lead men captive to utter perdition was necessary to withstand the tentations of the Devill What course did then GOD take that these pleasures and the like might grow bitter to men and chastity poverty humility patience and contempt of the world might seeme pleasant and delightfull Why surely this he came down himselfe from heaven and having taken the shape of a servant and by his example made this bitter but wholesome medicine so pleasant and sweet that many men had rather fast then feast be poore then rich delight in virginity rather then marriage and in martyrdome then pleasure to obey rather then to command to be despised then to be magnified to be humble then to be exalted for who is there that truly considers GOD in the shape of a man full of wisedome and grace and who can neither deceive nor be deceived to be poore humble patient chaste and which is more wonderfull for the redemption of mankinde to be nayled to the Crosse and to dye voluntarily having shed his most pretious blood plentifully even out of a most ardent love but wil be incouraged to imitate his example And this was a high invention of the wisedome of GOD though to the wise of the World and to carnall men enemies to the Crosse of CHRIST it seeme to be foolishnes But let us gather honey out of the rocke and â—yle out of the hardest stâ—ne that is Wisedome out of foolishnes the wisedome of GOD from the foolishnes of the Crosse Search and examine diligently who that is that hangeth on the Crosse and why he should so hang and we shall finde it to be the same which sitteth betweene the Cherubims yea at the right hand of GOD and we shall also finde that he hung not on the Crosse for his owne faults nor his owne infirmity nor by the power of others but voluntarily out of his earnest desire to satisfie Gods justice for the sinnes of the whole world for the honour and glory of his Father and for the eternall salvation of all the elect and as the Apostle speaketh that he might make unto himselfe a most glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle Lastly for the love of us for he loved us and hath given himselfe for us to be an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to GOD. And when we shall have found all these to be true as they are most true let us lift up our selves in our greatest and most intimate love to so great a benefactor and in imitation of him begin ardently to thirst after Gods glory the salvation of the Gentiles but chiefly the Churches beauty and honour and our owne eternall salvation let us begin to have a hate to iniquity and to love purity of heart to partake of the Crosse of Christ to glory in tribulations
Christ and the thiefe confessed him This is true but could not Christ have looked upon Iudas as he did upon Peter and could he not infused that effectuall grace into Iudas which can be rejected by no hard heart and could not Christ have given faith and repentance to both the theeves as to one or have suffered both of them to have died in their sinnes as he did one of them and who can give a reason why GOD translated some least wickednesse should alter their understanding as is said of Henoch and not others but suffers them to become evill of good men and to finish their dayes in wickednes What shall we say of whole Countries whereof some are sooner some later called to that faith without which none can be saved He that hath not beleeved is already judged saith the Apostle and againe Whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shal be saved But how shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeeved c These are Gods highest secrets and most deepe which he hath placed in the abysse of his wisedome which the Apostle admires but opens not when he cryes out O the depth both of the wisedome and knowledge of GOD how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayespast finding out Who knew the minde of the LORD or who was his counsailor This onely we may knâ—w that there is no iniquity with GOD and that in the last day there will be none but must confesse and say Just art thou ô LORD and just are thy judgements and this use we may make of this secret that no wicked man despaire nor any good man presume of his salvation and that good men distrust not of any mans conversion let them pray for all and be sollicitous of their salvation and on the other side let none though good and holy grow insolent considering no man knowes what to morrow may produce but let every man workâ— his owne salvation infeare and trembling Now all these things considered strive by good workes to make thy vocation and election sure saith St. Peter and what these workes are the Apostle St. Iohn tells us Little children let us not love in word neither in tongue onely but in deed and truth It is love without which no man is saved and with which no man is condemned and love is shewed by workes when any man neither out of hope of temporall retribution or out of extraordinary and inordinate affection to the creature but in hearty and pure love to GOD and his neighbour either gives almes liberally to the poore or forgives injuries to his enemies and that not onely for a time but he which endureth to the end shal be saved Therefore the Apostle saith Give diligence that is be earnest anxious and sollicitous in the businesse or worke of eternallsalvation And truly if there be any probable argument of Gods election this is it when a man being more sollicitâ—â—s of his salvation then of any other thing ceaseth not to pray to GOD for the guifts of true repentance true humility perfect love and charity and perseverance to the end and not onely satisfied with prayer but strives to seeke the Kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and to findâ— it with all his force and strength DEGREE XIIII By the Consideration of the Mercy of GOD. THe spirit of GOD in holy Scripture doth wonderfully excell this mercy of His insomuch as he preferres it before all the rest of His workes for so saith the Psalmist The LORD is loving unto every man and his Mercy is over all his works We shall easily see the magnitude of this divine attribute if we diligently consider it according to the 4. former dimensions The latitude of Gods mercy consists in this that GOD and GOD alone can deliver us out of all our miseries and this he doth not for any benefit to himselfe but out of the love which he hath and beareth to all things created It is true that created things can take away some miseries as bread hunger drinke thirst clothes nakednes and knowledge ignorance and so of the rest but no creature can take away all miseries besides there are some miseries which are so much the more grievous by how much the more hidden and inward and none can give ease or remedy to these but GOD onely such are the snares of the Devils who are many most subtill powerfull and ill affected to us such also are the errors and blindnesse of the minde and of an erroneous conscience which we see not in our selves so that oftimes we seeme to be very well touching the inward man when as indeed we are in a miserable plight and dangerous and who can deliver us from these maladies but onely the Almighty Physician And therfore when GOD heales us of these infirmities and we have no feeling of the cure we never returne him thanks and so it may truly be said of us that GOD is good to the unthankfull and evill for we scarce know the least part of Gods benefits neither give him thankes for them with that devotion and humility we ought Againe created things not onely take not away all miseries but some few and those they take not away from all men but from a few It is GOD onely that can deliver all men from all miseries and although he doe not take all from all men yet there is no man who participates not of some mercy of God for as King David saith The earth is full of the goodnesse of the LORD and as our Church in the Liturgy saith O GOD whose nature and property is ever to have mercy because it belongs to him to take away misery who wanteth misery and to him onely it appertaines to free all men from all misery that onely is free himselfe from all misery and who is he but onely GOD who is pure act and the chiefe good and from whose essence proceeds all blessednesse O that thou couldst but attaine by thy thoughts what a life is that of GOD thy Father which is elevated above all misery and is pure and altogether happinesse it selfe how wouldst thou desire to be lodged in his brest that it might be said of thee There shall no evill happen unto thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling But thou wilt say If GOD can take away all miseries from all men why doth he not so being a Father of mercies that is a most mercifull Father whence comes it that so many miseries abound in mankinde under the goverment of a Father of mercies why is it rather said The earth is full of the mercy of the LORD then the earth is full of misery It is true that GOD can take away these and all miseries but he onely removeth those which his wisdome thinketh fit to be taken away And the wisedome of GOD thinketh it not expedient for men themselves to take them