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
wytnesse let vs aske the scripture what the deuill is let vs enquire of Peter Paul let the Prophets the Euangelists testifie S. Peter saith that our aduersari the deuil walketh about like a roaring lion seking whome he mak deuour He compareth him to a Lion he walketh he seeketh And the chosen vessell Paule warneth vs to put on y e armour of God that we may stand stedfast against the crafty assaults of y e deuil forasmuch as we wrestle noe against flesh bloud but against rule against power against worldly rulere of the darkenesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse for heauenlye things He maketh a difference betwene the deuill his assaults which be beastly affectioÌ„s saieng against y e crafty assalts of the deuill and he calleth them rulers powers wherfore thei be no fleshly motions But you will say he calleth them spirituall wickednesses a wickednesse is no substauÌ„ce So Terence calleth Dauus Scelus Tully calleth Cateline Pestis so the scripture caleth God loue truth and light il men darknes We read in y e story of Iob y t wheÌ„ y e seruauÌ„ts of god came stode before the Lord Satan came also among them God talketh w t him and he aunswereth that he had walked through the land and craueth of God to suffer him to scourge Iob without whose leaue he could do nothing After he rayseth the Sabees against Iob he kylleth his seruaunts he slayeth his childreÌ„ he smiteth him with marueilous sore byles froÌ„ the sole of his fote vnto his croune so y t he scraped away the filth of them with a potsherd Did an affection worck these things or a spiritual rule and substauÌ„ce To deceiue wycked king Achab he promiseth that he wil be a liyng spirit in the mouth of .iiii. C. prophets he vexeth kiÌ„g Saul Christ seeth him as lightning falling doun from heauen he blyndeth all those that beleue not the Gospel he worketh al iniquitie he seduced Adam and Eue he is y e enemy which soweth tares to destroy the sede of euerlasting life y t is of Gods worde he is the strong harnessed man and spirituall Pharao ouercomeÌ„ of our sauiour Christ he is the gouernour that ruleth in the aier and king of this world he setteth Christ on the pinacle of the temple and on a high mountain sheweth hym the glory of y e world he buffeteth S. Paul leâ—t he should be exalted out of measure through the abuÌ„daunce of reuelations he striueth w t Mighel the Archaungell disputeth about the body of Moises he shal cast the faithful congregation into pryson for .x. days he is the dragon cast out of heaueÌ„ by the bloud of the lambe and pursuing the woman Then he is no fleshly motioÌ„ vnles our sauiour Christ had such beastly motions vnlesse also heaueÌ„ were ful of such which was ful of traiterous angels In the countrey of the Gargasites two deuils seing christ cried out what haue we to do with thee O Iesu son of God art thou come hether to torment vs before y e time And they besech him of leue to go into the herd of swine Do affections cry talke kil smite fall from heauen tempt Christ pursue the church Christ telleth vs they shalbe punished in the fyre with the wicked saying depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fyre which is prepared for the deuyll and hys aungels S. Peter sayeth that God spared not hys aungels that synned but cast them downe into hell and delyuered them in to chaynes of darkenes to be kept vnto dampnation Paull commaunded the Corinthians to deliuer him which helde his fathers wife to SataÌ„ for the destructioÌ„ of the flesh He meaneth not that thei should giue him ouer to the lustes of the flesh suffer him to abide in vaine pleasures Wherfore deuels ar no fleshly lustes carnal motions sensuall affections Deuels beleue tremble saith Iames. They confesse Christ to be the sonne of God as in the EuaÌ„gelists we may read more theÌ„ once or twise But I think our Saduces wilbe edified more by a coniurer theÌ„ by the words of godlines wherfore I send theÌ„ to coÌ„iurers sorcerers enchauÌ„ters charmers witches which wyl learn and perswade theÌ„ that there be deuils and that they be not lustes of the flesh but spirituall substaunces spirits created for vengeaunce which now in y e end of the world shall powre out theyr strength to plucke the Lambe of God out of the myndes of al men If therfore al angels both good and euil be substauÌ„ces and not Godly or beastly lustes much more God the holy ghost maker of al spirites knower of thoughtes gouernour of the church forgeuer of syns hatcher of y e creaturs filler of al places is a spiritual substaunce no inspiration The .xxv. Chapter ¶ Christ is vnconfounded why he became man why he was borne of a woman he toke both the soule and body of man why he chose a virgin to be borne of and why a virgin hand fasted and maried why he was a babe at his beginning not an able man as Adam was at his first creation why he came so long after Adams fal why he was baptised tempted crucified c. NOw albeit both Christ be a substaunce and the holy ghost also yet it doeth not folow that thei be two persons in the supergloriouse trinitie for they may be both one as the Sabellians do teache Wherfore now I wil proue that they be vnconfounded y t which being proued no man can doubâ—e hereafter but thei be two persones for a persone is an vnconfounded substaunce We may learne out of Gods boke that nether the father nor the holy comforter toke mans nature vpoÌ„ them but Christ only For as through a natural man we were banyshed out of paradise made the children of euerlasting damnation so it pleased the almightie trinitie nether by an aungel or Archaungel but by a natural man to restore vs againe make vs heires to saluation as Paul witnesseth by a man came death by a man commeth resurrection of the dead For as by Adam al die eueÌ„ so by Christ al be made aliue And the will of God was that he shuld be born of a woman God sent his son Factum ex muliere borne or made of a woman But why was Christ born of a woman Truly because syn death ouerflowed the world through y e first woman he worketh the misterie of life and rightuousnes by an other woman y t the blame of sinne should not be imputed to his creature which is good but to y e will by which Eue sinned For seing he is a sauiour both of men and women he becoÌ„meth man forsomuch as maÌ„ is the better kind yet he is borne of a womaÌ„ y t we shuld beleue him to be a sauiour of women also so that his birth of a woman his becomming maÌ„ declareth him
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
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
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