and say to GOD with the Prophet Thou hast beene my helper forsake me not and speake to him not out of custome but heartily againe and againe Thou art my helper and redeemer O LORD make no long tarrying Mans soule hath also a rationall will which not onely can desire good things present particular and corporall such as are proper to beasts to covet but also good things absent generall and spirituall which are demonstrated by faith or reason and indeed GOD himselfe which is the chiefe and infinite good And this is it which makes a Man capable of great vertues especially of love the chiefe of all other and the fâ—â—â—taine from whence all good guists are derived and which joyneth Man to GOD in so strong a tye that GOD shall remaine in him and he in GOD For GOD is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him But if this be so great a happines of the created will how great will that happinesse be with which the uncreated will is replenished The will of God is onely capable of infinite love where with the infinite goodnes of God is worthy to be beloved Neither doth this will want vertues nor hath it need to bee directed by the understanding for Gods will and understanding are both but one as his wisedome and love are one and the same thing in him Besides Mans soule is in a humane body but farre otherwise then the soules of bruire beasts are in their bodies for the soules of bruits are materiall and extended through all parts of their bodies so that part of it is in part and all in the whole body But Mans soule which is an indivisible spirit is after an admirable manner all in the whole and all in every part of the body and whereas it fills the whole body yet it occupies no speciall place in it neither increaseth it as the body encreaseth but only begins to be where formerly it was not and if a member of the body bee cut off or wither the soule is not lessened or made dry by it but leaves to be in that member without any may me or impayring This is a true mirrour of Gods existencie in things created for God is an indivisible spirit yet fills the whole world and all the parts of it nor occupies it any one place alone but is all in the whole world and all in every part of it and when a new Creature is made God begins to bee in it and yet is not moved and when any Creature perisheth or dyeth God dyes not but onely leaves to bee there and yet changeth not his place And therefore in these things God and the soule of man agree but God is much more excellent then the soule for the soule to be in a body to rule and stirre it must of necessity have a forme of a body made for it and to be so joyned to it that of the soule and body a man may bee made God needes not the forme or soule of a world nor that of him and the world one compounded substance should bee made but of his owne immensitie he hath this preheminence to bee every where of his indivisible unitie to bee all every where of his omnipotence to governe move and sustaine all things Againe the soule of man though it bee said to be in the whole body yet properly it is not but in the living or animate parts of it and therfore is not in the humors in the hayre nailes dry or dead members God absolutely is in all things not onely corporall but spirituall nor can it be that there should be any thing in which God is not Lastly it is not a soule but in it's owne body and that a streight and small one wherein all the parts are tyed together for if any part as is said be severed from the other in that part the soule cannot be But God is all in this universe of things though it be great and the parts thereof not tyed or joyned together though they be neere one another and if there were more worlds God would be in them all to which purpose it is said Heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot conteine thee for if there were other heavens and another earth created or more heavens and earths without number God would fill them all and where he were not nothing would be at all Againe mans soule hath in it though obscure the Image of the most holy Trinitie aswell in that it hath a fruitfull memorie power to understand and power to love as also because the mind thereof by understanding formes a certaine word and from the mind and word proceeds love because that which is knowne by the mind and represented by the word is presently as it is good loved and desired by the will But after a much higher and diviner manner God the Father begets God the Word the Father and the Word breath God the Holy Spirit who is the living love and the living fountaine of all chast love And in this respect the mystery of the Trinitâ—e transcends the naturall meanes of knowing nor can a learned Philosopher come to the knowledge of this without a supernaturall light for the soule of man produceth a word and a love which are not substances but accidents and in that regard are not Persons but GOD the Father begets to himselfe the Consubstantiall Word and the Father and the Word breath the Holy Spirit consubstantiall likewise to them both whereby it is that the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost are rightly and worthily called three Persons The soule of Man also produceth a Word which is of no long continuance and the will bringeth forth a love which lasteth not long but GOD the Father begets the eternall Word and the Father and Word breath the eternall Holy Spirit nor can GOD be without his Word and Spirit Againe Mans soule by one word represents but one thing and therefore multiplyeth words not onely of the mind but of the mouth and mans will must produce many acts of love if it will love many things But GOD by one Word speaketh all true things and with one act of love loves all good things 10 Lastly the soule of Man while it is in the body hath this property that though it be not seene heard nor moved and is hardly conceived to be in it and that leaving it the body seemes to want nothing it had before yet it is that which causeth all good to the body sense motion speech subsistence beauty and strength for what is the cause that while a man liveth hee seeth heareth talketh walketh and is strong and beautifull nothing but because he hath a soule in him and why cannot a man see nor heare nor speake but lies deformed unprofitable and unserviceable after hee is dead but that his soule is departed from him from whence all these benefits and good things were derived to him So thy GOD whilst
of malice doe so blind the mind that they suffer it not to perceive the truth but are like coloured glasse which maketh white to shew like red and the contrary or like optique glasses which make great things seeme small and small great or those things are a farre off to be neere and they which are neere a farre off Whatsoever thing a man loves fervently he ever judgeth it to be most faire and amiable most beneficiall and profitable most excellent and necessary for himselfe and despiseth all other things in comparison of it Againe whatsoever he hates vehemently hee reputes it the most deformed unprofitable evill and pernicious But if once this black and foule iron be put into the fire that is if a sinner begin to be turned from his sinne and be converted to God according to that of the Psalmist Then the Lord shall make his darknesse light then he begins by little and little by degrees to bee enlightned and by that light to perceive the truth according to that in the Psalme in thy light shall wee see light then the false glasse of his passions being broken and a true one look'd upon which is pure love hee esteemeth eternall things great and temporall small and almost nothing as indeed they are and perfectly perceives that all beauty and forms of things created are not to bee compared at all with the light of truth and wisedome which is in God and is God and therfore cryeth out with St. Augustine I have loved thee too late O thou beauty I have loved thee too late And because Christ saith You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free hee that is so enlightened and freed from the bonds and shackles of concupiscence covetousnes ambition and all other passions by the light of truth shall rejoyce with the Prophet and say Thou hast broken my bonds in sunder I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thankesgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord. Secondly fire as it makes iron cleare which formerly was blacke so of cold it maketh it hot yea so scorching and burning as that it seemeth to bee fire it selfe Great is the Lord and great is his power that a man by nature cold fearefull and timorous not daring of himselfe to speake much lesse to attempt any hard or difficult designe yet being once heated with the fire of Love he can make him as bold as a Lyon who terrifies all others with his roaring and overcomes by his power and that nothing shall seeme difficult or hard to him insomuch as being kindled with this fire hee shall say with the Apostle I can do allthings through Christ which strengthneth me But let us speake of the two parts of the efficacie of this fire severally namely of the power of it in words and in deeds 1 There are many now adayes and ever were in the Church of God Preachers and teachers of great note yet what is the reason that with so many of their Sermons so few are converted that so little alteration of manners and conversation appeareth for still the same vices the same sinnes the same coldnes and dissolute behaviour continueth I can ascribe it to no other cause but that in these Sermons though they be learned fluent and elegant there wants the life the fire and love which onely is of power and efficacie to quicken heat and inflame the hearts of the Auditors I deny not but there are many Preachers who can thunder as it were and beat the Pulpit but they are like Gunnes charged with powder onely and can give a crack as great as a peece of Ordinance but fruitlesse because they preferre not the glory of God and the salvation of soules before the applause of men Saint Peter was no Rhetorician but knew only how to steere a Ship and mend a net and to cast it abroad but as soone as the Holy Ghost came upon him in the shape of fiery tongues and filled him with most ardent love he began presently even in the midst of Ierusalem to preach with such power and efficacie that at one Sermon of his many thousands were converted And yet wee read not that he used much clamor or laying about with his body or banging the Pulpit from whence then proceeded such moving of the Auditors from whence such gaining of soules certainly by this that the holy Preacher was as a fire and his Word burnt like a Lamp as it is said in Ecclesiasticus of Elias his words came from him as from a heart burning and sparkling with Lâ—ve 2. Againe this divine fire hath as much efficacie in deeds as in words God had decreed to subject to himselfe the Citie of Rome the head of the Empire by the preaching of the Apostle St. Peter and to send abroad other of his Apostles some for the conversion of the Ethiopians others of the Indians others to the Sâ—ythians and some to the Brittaines and by them not onely to destroy the Idols of the World but to erect â—nd advance the Trophee of the Crosse to alter the rites of the Gentiles and to subvert the â—yrannicall Kingdome of the Devill If any man should have foreâ—old these things to the Apoâ—tles when they were fishing in the Lake of Genesareth or when during the time of our Saviours Passion they lurked in corners they would have been beleeved no more then dreames or old wives fables yet after a while all these things came to passe and that by no other meanes then the power of most ardent love which the holy Ghost kindled in their hearts for as St. Iohn speaketh Perfect Love casteth out seare and againe Love suffereth all things hopeth all things endureth all things thinks nothing impossible but cryes with the Apostle I am able to doe all things in him which strengtheneth me So that wee see that by the endeavour of these men armed with Love onely Idolatry was expelled the whole world with little labour and Churches of Christianity established every where in alâ— Kingdomes without the force of Armies or warlike provision Thirdly fire hath this property that it softens hard Iron that it may be lengthned out into plates and being made thinue fitted to any forme at the Artificers pleasure It is true that this is a great efficacie of fire in iron yet farre greater is the power of GOD over the obstinate and obdurate hearts of men St. Bernard describes a hard heart thus That is not onely a hard heart saith he which is not terribly afraid of it selfe because it is insensible What then is a hard heart That which is not cut with compunction nor mollified with devotion nor moved with prayers yeelds not to threats is hardened with scourges is unthankfull for benefits unfaithfull in counsailes that neither feares GOD nor reverenceth men All these things were verified in Pharaâ—h who the more he was plagued the more he was hardned and the
thereby a knowing and consequently a love and service of him is necessarily required of us That it is commanded as a speciall duty appeares by many places in holy writ of which I will select a few Seek the LORD and his strength seeke his face continually and Set your hearts and your soules to seeke the LORD your GOD. And GOD himselfe by the Prophet Amos Seeke ye me and live Secondly it was ever the counsaile of GODS Prophets and servants as of King David to his Sonne Know thou the GOD of thy Fathers c. If thou seek him he will be found of thee He adviseth him to know him by seeking him The same King gives the same counsaile to his Princes as also to his Quire and Church-men in the two places before mentioned to shew that neither Prince Nobility nor Clergy are exempt from this duty Againe it hath alwaies bin the practise of Godly Princes and others King Iehosaphat set himselfe to seek the LORD King Hezekiah prayed for those that prepared their whole heart to seeke the LORD King Iosiah when he was yet a child began to seeke after the GOD of David his Father It was also the fame King Davids practise For when GOD said Seeke my race he answers presently Thy face LORD will I seeke And in another place I have set GOD alwaies before me And surely not without reason was this duty either câ—mmanded counsailed or practised for there is a promise of reward annexed we shall not lose our labour but receive much good in seeking to know him In the Booke of Deuteronomie GOD promiseth not onely to be found of them that seeke him but to deliver them from misery and heape blessings upon them King David found by experience that GOD never failed them that seeke him And seeke ye after GOD saith he and your soule shall live And GOD himselfe by the Prophet Esay I said not in vaine to the seed of Jacob Seeke ye me And lastly not to trouble you with many The LORD is good to the soule that seeketh him saith the Prophet Ieremie Lastly it is the end for which Man was created St. Paul after he had beaten much upon the point that a GOD was to be sought out whom men should worship and had made it plaine by the creation of all things who that GOD was came to the end of Mans creation which was to seeke him Man being created for that purpose and end adding that it would be no great labour to find him as being not farre from every one of us He then which shal be negligent in this duty is not worthy of his creation and deserves not to live it being a most absurd and undecent thing for a Manto be ignorant of his Creator having recerved from him the guift of understanding and made capable to know him We see that Rivers naturally returne to the Sea whence they come and all things elso to their first being Wherefore then should not Man returne in his thoughts and desires to GOD who-gave him his being and why should his heart be as rest till be returne to him considering as I said that he made the understanding whereby he might know him the memory that he might ever be mindfull of him and the will ever to love him And now since we have in some sort seene that it is a duty enjoyned by GOD to seeke him that it hath beene the counsaile and practise of many holy Kings and Prophets that we shall not lose our labour but receive benefit by our seeking and lastly that it is the onely end for which we were created let us take a further view how we may so seeke that we may find and know him To the due performance of which act we must observe these cautions 1 That we prepare our hearts carefully and diligently to seeke 2 That we seeke him in sincerity and simplicity without hypocrisie 3 That we be humble and not curious seekers 4 That we seek him in Faith without wavering 5 That wee be earnest and zealous and not cold or luke-warme seekers This carefull preparation of the heart hath ever been commended as most necessary before the undertaking of any pious act and indeed is the foundation and first degree to this seeking Iehosaphat prepared his heart to seeke the LORD as you have seene Iothan became mighty because he prepared his waies And S. Ieâ—ome saith that purgandus est animus ut perspicere illam lucem valeat a man shall never be able to see the clearenesse and beauty of that light if he first prepare not nor fit himselfe before-hand if hee seeke him not in due order It was the Wisemans advice to seeke GOD in simplicity of heart and it is the Pure in heart that shall see GOD. as our Saviâ—â—r speakes The Sun beames shâ—ne brightest upon a cleare glasse and in a cleane heart the beames of Divine grace shine most The uncleane shall not see GOD saith the Apostle Saint Ierome calls the humble Man DEI Templum the Temple or habitation of GOD. He shall not onely see GOD but GOD will abide with him GOD giveth grace to the humble And CHRIST himselfe while he was conversant upon Earth delighted not in great or proud company but chose fishermen to converse with and the Centurions non sum dignus with the Publicans humble confession pleased him more then all the proud vaunts of the Scribes and Pharises He desires not but abhorres to be looked on with curious and prying eyes and therefore St. Augustine writing against the Manichees saith and his counsaile is Compescat se humana temeritas id quod non est non quaerat ne illud quod est inveniat after the fearfull example of Vzza Faith is the beginning of cleaving to GOD saith the Sonne of Syrach And Fides humanae salutis initium saith St. Augustine For by it we understand what soever is necessary for us to know concerning GOD. Now that there is a GOD some Deity all people even the Heathen that had their intellectualls held as a maxime Hee in the Psalme that said there was no GOD said it but in his heart was not so impudent as to speake it out and yet for his thought onely had the brand of a foole This Faith St. Augustine saith Valet ad cognitionem DEI non tanquam omnino incogniti sed quò cognoscatur manifestius And Si quis hic non ambulaverit per Fidem non perveniet ad speciem beatae visionis By it the children of light are distinguished from those of darknesse and per ipsam discitur veritatis scientia et percipitur cognitio Divinitatis By it the knowledge of the truth is learned and of the Divinity perceived Lastly zeale love and hearty affection is of all vertues the clearest sighted and will see GOD soonest For it is the affection to a
thing that drawes a mans desire to see it And yet this vertue naturally depends upon the former of Faith For if Faith be wavering love and affection is soone cool'd Fall from the one and fall from the other quickly For no Man can affect or love that which he beleeves not to be But yet this vertue is so necessary as that without it none can ever attaine to the sight of GOD. St. Augustine saith Quantò flagrantius DEUM diligimus tantó certius sereniusque videamus We shall see GOD the surer and more perspicuously by how much the greater our zeale affâ—ction and love is to him And being thus prepared and fitted with these qualities we must seeke him as the Prophet counsaileth while he may be found Wee must doe it in due time that is while we are in this vale of misery we must seeke and apply our selves to see and know him as much and as soon as we may here that we may see him face to face to our comfort as he is hereafter Time is first either past and that is not we cannot make use of that Secondly or to come and that we know not whether we shall have it to use or no it is onely in GODS power Thirdly or it is present and that we must lay hold of and make use of it Therefore in what condition of what age soever thou art seek the LORD and that instantly And if thou shalt take hold of this time with this preparation no doubt but GOD will be favourable to thee and thou shalt see his face with joy Thou shalt finde him if thou seeke him and the rather if thou doe it early with David or with King Iosias while thou art yet a child and finding him thou shalt know him and being come to the knowledge of greatnesse and goodnesse thou shalt certainly love him which is the chiefe duty he requires of thee And now give me leave to offer to your view a generation that have neither eyes nor hearts aright and with Esay Let me bring forth the blind that have eyes that is to say such as have their sight yet wander like Jeremies blind men and grope at noone day with those in Deuteronomie That have eyes and see not have understanding but make not true use of it for which GOD gave it but it is darkned as St. Paul saith because of the hardnesse of their heart Among which I will set before you the chiefe Woâ—ldlings Ambitious Selfe-lovers Rebellious Covetous and Idle All which sorts of people as I said before have filmes before their eyes that hinder their sight and seeking The love of this World in generall doth so blind the eyes of men that worldlings cannot distinguish betweene good and evill they are not able have neither power nor time to see the true GOD. For the World being once fixed in their hearts they cannot find out the things which GOD made from the beginning that is they cannot think of their Creator And as St. Paul speaketh The God of the World hath blinded their eyes least the light of the glorious Gospell should shine to â—hem and therefore in another place he calls it the darknesse of the World It was this love of the World that caused Demas to for sake St. Paul And St. Iohn affirmes plainely that he which loveth the World hath not the love of GOD in him and therefore neither can nor desires to see him Againe the World as a false glasse deceives the sight it 's a very hypocrite promiseth faire but beleeve it not rather feare the reward of its service for breve est quod delectat aeternum quod cruciat It is impossible to looke to Heaven with one eye and to the Earth with the other It was the dung of a Sparrow or Swallow that deprived Tobias of his sight and the Apostle calls the things of the world Terrena stercora and therefore while we dote on this world and the dung there of falls upon our sight we may be justly reputed blind we grope for the wall like the blind and grope as if we had no eyes we may apply that to our selves which David did unto himselfe The light of our eyes is gone from us while we are in this estate we shall never see God The filme of preferment much darkens the sight and the smoke of honour is so prejudicious to the eyes that it hinders men from the sight of their Creator For though they carrie their eyes loftily yet look they not so high as they should the myst of ambition is so thick before their eyes and the Sun-beames of honour so dazles them that in comparison of a true and cleare sight these may also bee justly reckoned among the blinde Not much unlike to the Ambitious is the Selfe-lover proud and vaine-glorious he is also blind for his eves his sight is wholly reversed and turned inward The Pharisee lost his sight by this vanity and so did Nabuchadonozor and the Angels their blessed vision The proud have not so much as a thought of GOD much lesse a desire to see him but all their desire is to see themselves and that so long in the burning glasse of selfe conceit that in the end they lose their sight And this disease of the eyes begets another worse then the former namely Rebellion For the proud thinks none better then himselfe presently with pharaoh saies Who is the LORD The vice of pride makes the heart rebellious as Ieremy speakes and while a man is in rebellion he never desires to see his Prince It so hardens the heart that it can receive no impression of goodnesse but their eyes are as it were set in their heads as it is said of Ahia in another case They have eyes but see not as Ieremy saith in the same Chapter and as our Saviour seeing they shall see and not perceive because they have closed their eyes And this is that blindnesse of heart which the Apostle St Paul meanes For indeed the cause of this blindnesse is as of all other evills the heart it being to the soule as the eye to the body For the eye is but as a conduit or channell through whose optiques all good or bad desires passe to the heart Riches are as great an eye-sore as any of the former for the eye of the covetous is ever fixed upon a wrong object Avarus est caecus The covetous Man is blind saith St. Augustine and therefore not without cause did our Saviour bid men to be ware of covetousnesse For these terrena stercora of riches the mucke of the World blind the eyes even of the wise they divert the eyes of the mind from seeing GOD. The Prodigall having his porâ—ion went from his Father Place â—â— looking-glasse upward and you shall see Heaven but downward â—nd the Earth is in your sight â—t is not wealth but poverty
himself without intermission from all eternitie with a most cleare sight and ardent love Which inestimable good he would have thee partaker of also with the holy Angels and hath created thee to this most sublime and transcendent end which these words signifie Enter into the joy of thy Lord that is be partaker of the joy which God himself enjoyes and these of our Saviour I appoint unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto me that you may eate and drinke at my table in my Kingdome that is I will make you partakers of my Kingdome and of my royall Table that you may enjoy that honour that power and that pleasure that I enjoy and that God my Father enjoyes And who can conceive how great that honour power pleasure and happinesse may be Certainly he that shall ascend in his thoughts and hope to this height of his end wil be ashamed to contend for the earths possession or to be tormented for the losse of temporall things or to rejoyce for the gaine of them The externall or outward end of a thing is that or he for whose sake the thing is made as the end of a Palace or house for the dweller the end of a Tree for the owner and the end of Man onely for the Lord his God For he made him he made him of his owne he made him for himself he preserves feeds and payes him his wages Therfore most justly he commands and saith Thou shalt worship the LORD onely and him onely shalt thouserve But marke and observe diligently Other things which are created for Man are prâ—fitable for him and not for Beastsâ—abour â—abour for Man not for themâ—elves the fields vines and orchards fill the barnes cellars and granaries of Men â—ot of their owne Lastly servants labour sweat and are wearie and the gaine pleasure and advantage redound to the Master not to themselves But the LORD thy GOD who wanteth nothing will have Man to serve him and wills that the profit and reward be Mans and not his owne O LORD good and gracious and of much mercy who would not serve thee with his whole heart if he but once tasted the sweetnesse of thy service What dost thou command ô LORD to thy servants Thou bidst us to take thy yoke on us and what is thy yoke is it heavie no easie and the burden light Who would not most willingly beare a yoke which presseth not but cherisheth and a burden which is not grievous but refresheth and therefore thou hast added not without cause and ye shall finde rest unto your soules And what is that yoke of thine that brings not wearinesse but rest even only that first and chiefest Commandement Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD with all thine heart What easier sweeter pleasanter injunction can there be then to love goodnesse beautie and love which wholly thou art Ô LORD my GOD Thy servant David judged aright when he conceived that thy Commandements were more to be desired then gold yea then much fine gold and sweeter then the honey and the honey comb adding that in keeping them there was great reward What is this Ô LORD Dost thou promise reward to those which keepe Commandements of this nature yet so it is and a most ample reward according to that of St. James a Crowne of life And what may that be certainly a greater blessing then we can either imagine or desire for so saith St. Paul quoting a place in Esay The eye hath not seen the eare hath not heard nor hath come into Mans heart the things which GOD hath prepared for them that love him Truely therefore may it be said that in keeping thy Commandements there is great reward And not onely that great Commandement but the rest doe make him good and happy that keepes them If thou be wise then understand that thou wert created to the glory of GOD and thine owne eternall salvation that this is thine end this the centre of thy soule and this ought to be the treasure of thine heart If thou shalt attaine to this end thou shalt be blessed if thou shalt fall from thence then miserable and therefore thinke that truely good which brings thee to thine end and that truely evill which causeth thee to fall from thine end prosperity and adversity wealth and poverty health and sicknesse honour and disgrace life and death with a wise man are neither to be desired or avoyded of themselves but if they conduce to the glory of GOD and thine owne happinesse they are good and to be sought after if they hinder either Gods honour or thy salvation they are evill and to be shunned DEGREE II. By the Consideration of the Greater WORLD THe first Degree of our ascent towards GOD was raysed out of the considâ—ration of Man who is called the lesser World now our intent is to erect the second out of the consideration of the great heap which is called the Greater World Indeed St Gregory Nazianzen saith that GOD placed Man as a Great World in a little which is true if we sever the Angels from the World for Man is greater then it in vertue though not in greatnesse capacity or masse but if we comprehend the Angels within the World as in this tract we doe then Man is but the little in the great World Therefore in this great World which comprehends the universality of things though many things be wonderfull and very considerable and remarkable yet these I conceive most worthy our admiration in it 1 The Magnitude or Greatnesse of it 2 The Multitude or Number of things created in it 3 The Variety of those things 4 The force vertue and efficacie of them 5 The Beauty and Comlines of them It is without doubt that the compasse of the earth is very spacious yea so great that the Sonne of Syrach said of it Who can measure the bredth of the Earth or the depth This may be the better understood if we consider how many thousand yeares have passed since the Creation and as yet the whole superficies of it which he calls the breadth is not knowne notwithstanding the many dangerous and costly voyages to discover it Yet what is this heape or masse of the Earth if it be compared to the circuit and compasse of the highest Heaven Astrologers say like a point or pricke to it and true enough and that every Starre in the firmament is greater then the Earth though for the infinite distance they seeme little to us who can conceive the spaciousnesse of Heaven where so many thousands of Starres doe shine and therfore if he asked with such admiration concerning the superfioies and depth of the Earth what would he have said of the outward superficieâ— of Heaven and of the depth of the whole World from the highest Heaven to the botome of Hell And indeed the corporeall heape or masse of this World is so great as the
too fearefull a thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD. It remaines that we speake of the last consideration which is the Beauty of things created of which King David said Thou hast made me glad by thy workes and I will rejoyce in the workes of thine hands And certainely as GOD made all things good so are they all beautifull if they be rightly considered But to omit some consider we those which by the judgement and approbation of all men are beautifull Without doubt great is the beauty of a greene meadow of an orchard well trimmed of pleasant groves of the sea in a calme of the ayre when it is cleare of fountaines rivers cities of the bright Heaven bedeckt with innumerable starres like so many gemmes or jewells How are we taken with the beauty of flowers and fruit-bearing trees with the various shapes of foure-footed beasts with the flying and melody of birds and the playing of fishes what shall we say of the beauty of the Starres of the Moone and especially of the beames of the most cleare and resplendent Sun which by his rising glads the universe and lastly of Men and Women whose shape and beauty doth breed the greatest delight Many have perished by the beauty of Women It hath often hapned that Men otherwise most prudent have been taken with their beauty and on the other side many grave matrons and honourable to have been brought to that madnesse with the love of Mens beauty that they have neglected their estates goods children and parents their lives nay I feare their everlasting happinesse for the fond love of Men. The stories of David Solomon and Sampson are notorious in holy Scripture with others If then such beauty be infused in the Creatures by GOD how wonderfull beauty may we imagine to be in the Creator himselfe no Man can give to another what hee hath not to give and if Men beeing delighted with the forme of the Sunne and Starres thought those lights of Heaven to be Gods yet they should have knowne how much more beautifull Hee is that made them for the first Author of beauty hath made these things saith the Wiseman How much this beauty of GOD may be is not onely knowne certainely by this that the beautie of all the creatures after a more eminent manner is found to bee as it were gathered and compact together in him but also hereby that whereas hee is invisible to us while wee are in this Pilgrimage and may bee knowne onely by us through Faith in the Scriptures and in the glasse of the Creatures yet many holy Men have been so enflamed with His love that some of them have withdrawne themselves into desert and solitarie places wholly to spend their time in contemplating on this beautie and others have willingly opposed their lives to many dangers to come to the sight of this excellent beauty If then this heavenly beautie which as yet cannot perfectly bee seene but onely beleeved and hoped for kindles such a zeale of desire what will it doe when the veyle shall bee removed and that hee shall be seene as Hee is No mervaile then if the Angels and blessed soules ever see the face of the Father without yrkesomenesse or satietie when GOD himselfe beholding his owne beautie from eternity rests and takes delight onely in it Seeke then after this beautie desiring and longing earnestly after it night and day saying with the Kingly Prophet My soul is athirst for God yea even for the living God when shall I come to appeare before the presence of God and with the Apostle We are bold and love rather to remove out of the body and to dwell with the LORD Neither need wee to feare that wee shall be defiled with the ardent love of this beautie for it perfects not infects sanctifies but pollutes not the heart But if thou affectest and desirest the sight of this increate beauty of thy Creator thou must doe that which the same Apostle addes in the same place strive to be acceptable to him If the beauty of GOD please thee thy workes must please him and if thou wilt walke before GOD in the land of the living thou must strive to walke before him uprightly in this pilgrimage and thou must keepe his Image undefiled from staines and spots DEGREE III. By the Consideration of the Earth WE have considered the corporall World in the Vniverse now we will take a view of the particular principall parts of it that we may thereby come as neere as we can to the sight and contemplation of the Creator and first we will begin with the Earth This though it holds the meanest and lowest part and seemes to be lesse then the other elements yet in truth is not lesse but excelleth all the other in dignity and value We read in diverse places of Scripture that GOD made Heaven and Earth as the principall parts of the World the Heaven as a Palace for himselfe and the Angels the Earth as a Palace for Men as it is in the Psalmes All the whole Heavens are the LORDS the Earth hath He given to the children of men And for this cause it is that the Heaven abounds with glittering Stars and the Earth with immense riches of mettalls pretious stones herbes trees living creatures of many kinds whereas the water onely is stored with fish and the ayre and fire are poore and almost empty elements But to let these passe The Earth hath three qualities by the consideration of which the mind if it be not asleepe may with ease ascend to GOD. First the Earth is the surest foundation of the whole World which it we wanted we could neither walke rest worke nor live He hath made the round World so sure saith the Psalmist that it cannot be moved and againe He hath laid the foundations of the Earth that it should never be moved at any time Secondly the Earth is as a good Nurse to Man and other creatures it daily produceth herbs corne fruit grasse and other things of that kinde innumerable for so GOD speaketh Behold I have given â—nto you every herb bearing seed which is upon all the Earth and every tree wherein is the fruit of a tree bearing seed that shal be to you for meate Thirdly it bringeth forth stones and tymber to build and mines of brasse and iron for many uses and gold and silver for money and traffique The first property of the Earth in that it is a place in which our bodies may rest whereas neither in ayre fire or water they cannot is an Embleme of the Creator in whom onely the soule of Man may finde a place of rest Thou ô Lord saith Saint Augustine hast made us for thy selfe and our hearts are not quiet untill they rest in thee If ever any it was King Salomon that found rest in riches Kingdome command and pleasures he was possessed of a most large and peaceable
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
gold and silver is cankered and the rust of them shal be a witnesse against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire as if he should say Because you were rich you accounted your selves happy but indeed you are miserable yea more wretched then all poore men and have great cause to weepe and howle for the great calamities which surely shall befall you for the overplus of your riches which you suffered to corrupt rather then to bestow them on the poore and your supersluous garments which you suffered the mothes to eate rather then to clothe the naked shall rise up and beare witnesse in the day of judgement against you And therefore we will conclude with the Kingly Prophet Happy are the people say the unwâ—se that are in such a case that is abounding with all manner of wealth when as indeed blessed are the people and they onely blessed who have the LORD for their GOD. DEGREE IV. By the Consideration of Water especially of Rivers and Fountaines AMongst the Elements of the World Water challengeth the second place by which also we may raise our thoughts a step higher to Godward First we will consider Water in generall and afterward â—raw one speciall ascent O GOD out of Fountaines and Rivers Water is moist and cold and in these respects hath five properties First to wash and clense from spots Secondly to extinguish fire Thirdly to coole and temper the heat of thirst-Fourthly to joyne many and diverse things into one Fifthly and lastly it ascends or riseth as high as it falls lowe All these are apparent resemblances or Emblems of GOD the Creator of an things Water washeth and taketh away corporall steines and spots so doth GOD spirituall Wash me and I shal be whiter then snow saith King David for though contrition the Sacraments the Priest almes and other workes of piety wash out the spots or steines of the heart sinne yet all these are but instruments or dispositions and the onely author of this clensing is GOD I even I saith GOD by Esay am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for myne owne sake And therefore the murmuring Pharisees though they beleeved not in CHRIST but blasphemed him yet were in the right when they said Who can for give sinnes but GOD onely Besides God doth not onely wash our sinnes as water doth spots but will be called water also for so writes St. John He that beleeveth on me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters But this he spake of the spirit which they that beleeved in him should receive for the holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified therefore the Holy Ghost which also is God is living water and of this Water Ezechiel speaketh I will powre cleane water upon you you shall be cleane from all your filthines Now because this heavenly and uncreate water far surpasseth the power of created water you may observe 3. differences between them 1 Created water washeth away the spots or staines of corporall things yet not of it selfe without the help of sope or other meanes but uncreate water washeth out all staines fully as you see in the place last before quoted 2 Water created doth seldome so cleanse as to leave no signes or markes of a spot uncreate doth so wash as that the thing washed becomes much whiter and fairer then before Wash me and I shall be whiter then the snow saith David and God himselfe by Esay If your sinnes be as crimson they shall be made white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shall be as white as wooll 3 Lastly Created water cleanseth naturall spots that resist not but yeeld to the Washer Uncreate not onely washeth away voluntary spots which cannot be cleansed without the soules consent but withall such is the admirable force and vertue of it it sweetly entreth into stony hearts and therefore is rejected of no hard hearts because it worketh so in them that they have no power to oppose as St. Augustin rightly saith Who can conceive in what admirable manner thou O Lord inspirest faith into the hearts of unbeleevers humility into the hearts of the proud and charity or love into the hearts of thine enemies c. It is much that I should search into these thy secrets and I would rather have experience of the efficacy of thy grace then search into it And because I know that this water is avotuntary gracious raine sent by thee upon thine inheritance as the Prophet David speaketh I humbly dâ—sire that I may be found to be of thine inheritance and that it would please thee to descend into the earth of my heart least it continue as a land without water barren and drie as of it selfe it is so that it is not able of it selfe to thinke a good thought The second property of created water is to extinguish or put out fire and this heavenly water that is the grace of the Holy Spirit quencheth the fire of carnall concupiscence after a wonderfull manner And to this quenching afflicting of the body by fasting and the like doe much avayle as they are instruments of grace onely and not otherwise for of themselves they are nothing avaylable For love is the prince or principall of all affections and perturbations of the mind it rules over them all and they all obey it onely Love will not be forced and if the way or passage be stopped to it one way it will breake through another It feares nothing it overcomes all things it accounts nothing hard or impossible lastly love yeeldeth to nothing but to a love greater and more powerfull then it selfe and in this last case carnall love whether it follow either the riches or pleasures of the world if once the water of the holy Spirit begin to distill into the heart of a man it presently waâ—eth cold and gives place to the love of God Saint Augustin testifieth this in his owne case who having accustomed himselfe to follow too much his owne lusts yet when he began to tast of the grace of the Holy Spirit he cryed out How suddenly became it pleasant to me to want the sweetnes of toyes and that which before I was afraid to lose now it was pleasure to me to let goe Thou O Lord the onely true joy didst cast these from me and entredst into me in their stead being sweeter then all other pleasure although not to flesh and blood c. Againe this created water qualifieth and asswageth thirst and the uncreate heavenly water can onely give an end to the manifold grievous and almost infinite desires of mans heart This Christ the Truth plainly teacheth us by that speech of his to the Samaritane woman Whosoever saith he drinketh of this water shall thirst againe but whosoever shall drinke of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst Thus stands the case The eye is not
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
which conduce to our eternall happinesse and salvation yet His will is to bestow them by the instrument of prayer wee must pray for them because it is more honourable for him and profitable for us to give them to us as labourers and petitioners for them then as to sleepy and idle persons Therefore our most bountifull GOD exhorts and urges us to this dutie saying Aske and it shal be given to you seeke and you shall finde knocke and it shal be opened unto you for every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shal be opened And what that is that is chiefly to be asked and that shal be given without doubt he declareth a little after If ye then which are evill can give good guifts unto your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that desire him Therefore that which is in the first place to be required is the holy Spirit by which we breath in GOD and by this breathing preserve our spirituall life which holy David did as appeares by that in the Psalmes I opened my mouth and drew in my breath that is I opened my mouth by prayers sighs and grones unutterable and I drew in the most comfortable breath of Gods spirit which cooled the heat of concupiscence and confirmed me in every good worke This being so who can say that they live to GOD who spend dayes moneths and yeares and neither breath to nor receive breath from him It is an evident signe of death not to breath and if to breath be to pray then it is a signe of death not to pray Now the spirituall life by which the Children of GOD are reputed to live chiefly consists in love Behold saith St. Iohn what love the Father hath given unto us that we should be called and be the sonnes of God Now who is there that loves and desires not to see that which he loveth and who desires any thing and asketh not for it of him who he knoweth will give it him if he make suit for it Therefore he which prayeth not continually to see the face of GOD desires not to see him he which desires not to see him loves him not hee which loves him not lives not whereupon it necessarily followes that they are dead to GOD though they live to the world who seriously devote not themselves to prayer Nor is it enough onely to pray with the lippes to make us reputed amongst the living for prayer is rightly defined to be a lifting up of the mind to GOD and not an elevating of the voyce into the ayre Therefore deceive not thy selfe thinke not that thou livest to GOD if thou earnestly breath not to him with all thine heart night and day and say not to thy selfe that thine other affaires will not give thee leave to spend thy time in prayer and divine meditations for the holy Apostles were much imployed aswell in their own affaires as in the worke of the LORD and salvation of soules in so much as one of them said of himself Besides the things which are outward I am combred daily and have the care of all Churches c. yet he besides other recitall of his often prayers writes to the Philippians that his conversation was in Heaven and that because in the heate of his other imployments he was conversant in Heaven in his desire nor ever was unmindfull of his beloved otherwise he would never have said I am crucified with Christ but I live yet not I any more but Christ liveth in me The second property of the ayre is that it is the medium or meanes by which the species or formes of colours are conveighed to our eyes and of sounds to our eares and without which we could neither see heare nor speake For which first we are to give thankes to Almighty GOD for giving such an ornament and benefit to our nature and secondly we are to admire his wisedome in a worke of such finenesse subtiltie and thinnesse 1. In respect that the ayre of it selfe is a true body and so great that it almost filles the universe yet it can neither be seene nor felt for the incredible subtilty of it Antiquity admired the skill and subtilty of one line which Apelles drew with his pencill and yet it was seene and touched and in that regard was by no meanes to be compared with the tenuity and subtilty of this veyle which compasseth and toucheth all men and yet is seene of none 2. But it increaseth our admiration that being a most subtile and thinne body yet when it is divided it closeth againe with so great facility as if it had never been divided when as but a Spiders web being once broken can never be so cunningly amended that the first breach may not bee seene 3. Lastly that which is most worthy our admiration and done or caused onely by the wisedome of GOD that through one and the same part of the ayre should be mingled together innumerable severall species of colours as those in the rainebow He that shall place himselfe in a cleare Moone-shine night in some open field where hee may behold at one time starres in the heaven fields in the earth bedeckt with severall sorts of flowers together with houses trees and many other beautifull â—ights shall not be able to deny but that the severall species of them are contained in that part of the ayre which is neere unto him But who well can understand this who can conceive it for how can it be that so thinne and subtile a thing as the ayre should comprehend together so great varietie of shapes and formes And what if it happen that at the same time and in the same place he shall heare the melodious musique of birds on one side from another diverse musicall instruments in another the silent murmuring of falling waters will it not follow and that of necessitie that all these sounds or species of sounds must be received together with those of the colours before-named and who brings these things to passe are they not wrought by the wisedome of thy Creator who onely doth wonderfull things alone 3. Againe there is yet another benefit which ariseth by this admirable tenuity and thinnesse in the ayre that it hinders not but helpes the motion of all things which passe from one place to another We all know with what labour Shippes or Boats are drawne through water though it be of a liquid quality or substance and is easily divided and parted For many times neither the winds nor Oares serve to make them passe but they are many times forced by the strength of Horses And if at any time upon some occasion a way be to be made through a hill or mountaine what labour sweat and time it costs before a short cut be made But through the ayre horses runne swiftly birds and arrowes flie speedily and men in exercising
live among most cruel enemies and the danger is that they may be circumvented and taken by them and be deprived thereby of their possession Hence are these complaints Heu mihi quia incolatus meus prolongatus est as St. Jeromes translation and as others Heu mihi quia exulo in Mesech they are both to one purpose Woe is me that my dwelling here is prolonged or Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech the Mesâ—kites were Arabian Pagans descâ—ndâ—d from Japhet that is alas that I am forced to live so long among prophane and wicked men But though in this regard men are lesse then the Angels yet GOD of his goodnesse hath wonderfully comforted us in that out of our kind he hath preferred one to be above all Angels and Principalities even CHRIST IESUS blessed for ever And men need not so much complaine of their long living here seeing that while they are here they may many times amend and repaire their lapses and faults and by repentance obtaine remission of them It remaines now that we speake of the offices of the Angels which are five in number 1. The first is that they alwaies sing praises and Hymnes unto their Creator And that we may understand how great account GOD maketh of this service we must consider that the chiefest of the Angels are appointed to this office and these are the Seraphims with whom as chiefe chanters or Rectores chori as we may call them the other Angels doe beare their parts of whom you may heare the Prophet Esay I saw the LORD sitting upon a high throne and lifted up and the lower part thereof filled the Temple The Seraphims stood upon it every one had sixe wings with twaine he covered his face and with twaine he covered his feet and with twaine he did flie And one cryed to another and said Holy Holy Holy is the LORD of hosts the whole world is full of his glory In which place you heare the name Seraphim who are the chiefe of that high order and you see that they cover their face and feet in token of reverence as though they durst not behold his face and you see that they continually flye while they sing to signifie their affection and desire more and more to approach neere to GOD which two qualities are necessary for those which desire to please GOD while they sing and chant his praises to joyne love with reverence and reverence with love which also the Prophet David expresseth in saying Serve the LORD with feare and rejoyce in him with trembling Hence we may learne what honour GOD is worthy to receive from us when the Princes of heaven who are alwaies in his presence and see his face continually dare not neglect their feare and reverence while they praise him neither for their high degree nor for their long familiarity with him And what shall many of us dust aâ—dashes answer when at the day of judgement we shal be reprooved for our drowsines wandring thoughts carelessenesse and irreverence in his service Learne therefore at the least henceforth by so great a patterne to performe thy due prayses and to sing hymnes unto thy GOD with feare and trembling with attention and vigilance and with love and desire 2. Another office of the Angels as some are of opinion is to offer the praiers of mortalls to GOD for so speaketh the Angell Raphael to old Tobias when thou didst pray I did bring to memory your prayer before the holy one and afterwards saith that he was one of the Angels which present the prayers of the Saints and St. John as he testifies in his Revelation saw an Angel standing before the Altar with a golden censer and much odors was given unto him that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which is before the throne of GOD. And in this the almost incredible goodnesse and mercy of GOD is seene for being not contented first by his Prophets and afterwards by his Son and his Apostles to exhort us to pray and aske but addeth a promise of giving whatsoever we shall require Aske saith he and it shal be given unto you and againe Whatsoever ye shall aske the Father in my name he will give it you And not contented with this promise he addeth that he will give a reward to petitioners When thou prayest saith he enter into thy chamber and when thou hast shut the doore pray unto the Father in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly a reward besides those things which thou hast prayed for But neither contented with this argument of Fatherly goodnesse he hath appointed Angels as it were of his privy chamber that should take care of the prayers of poore men and offer them in his sight What earthly Prince was ever heard to promise reward to those which petitioned him for favour or justice and yet they are made of the same mould as other men are and subject to the same Prince of Princes GOD. 3. A third office of the Angels is to be Gods Ambassadors or Messengers to signifie his pleasure but especially concerning the worke of our redemption for so St. Paul speakes Are they not all the Angels ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shal be heyres of salvation And we see in diverse places of the old Testament Angels appearing to the Patriarchs and Prophets declaring to them what GOD gave them in charge to reveale as also in the new we reade that the Angell Gabriel was sent as a messenger to Zacharie and to the blessed Virgin Mary to the Shepheards to Ioseph and after the resurrection of our Saviour to the women at the Sepulchre and after his ascension to all the Disciples And the reason why GOD who is every where and can easily speake by himselfe to the hearts of men yet would send Angels is that men might understand that he hath a spirituall care of humane things and that all things are directed and governed by him for men are prone enough to perswade themselves that revelations are their reasons and counsailes but when they see or heare that Angels are sent by him and that those things come to passe which are foretold by them they cannot doubt but GOD hath a providence over humane affaires and that those things which pertaine to the eternall salvation of the elect are especially directed and disposed by him 4. Their fourth office is the protection of men either of a particular or of the multitude of men For it pleased the divine goodnesse of GOD to commend the infirmities of mortalls to his most powerfull servants and to set them over men as Schoolemasters or Tutors to children as patrons to clients shepheards to sheep physicians to the sicke defenders of orphans and protectors of those who are not able to defend themselves Of this protection and
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
and troubles that after this life we may be made partakers of the resurrection of the just to glory and not to everlasting punishment with the wicked The depth or profunditie of the practicall wisedome of GOD consisteth in his providence predestination and judgements Thy judgements are like the great deep saith the Psalmist 1. First that the providence of GOD is admirable is gathered out of this that he ruleth all things immediately and leads them to their ends He careth for all alike saith the wiseman that is his care is over all nothing excepted so that a sparrow falls not to the ground without his providence as our Saviour speakes He that could number the multitude of things in the whole universe might in some measure see the profundity of his wisedome governing and directing all and every thing A King may governe many Provinces by a generall but not a particular providence as having many and severall subjects and therefore hath as is fit many subordinate Ministers under him But GOD so taketh care for singular as all and for all as singular The haires of our heads are numbred by him and his porvidence watcheth over us so that none of them perish The young ravens also forsaken by the dammes are not forsaken by GOD. How securely then may we rest in the bosome of such a Father even in the midst of darkenesse among the monthes of Lions and Dragons among innumerable legions of spirits if we adhere to him in sincere love holy feare a hope not wavering and faith not doubting Neither doth his providence onely reach to every thing and things present but stretcheth from one end to another mightily and disposeth of all things sweetly and he is therefore stiled King everlasting because he hath appointed the order of all ages together with the succession of Kingdomes for ever from eternity and nothing can happen to him either new or not foreseene by him and indeed the thoughts of mortall men are fearefull and our forecasts are uncertaine as the wiseman speaketh because we can give none but uncertaine conjectures of things to come but GOD knows all future things with no lesse certainty then if they were past or present and disposed in his minde before the beginning of the world both the orders and successions of things and therefore in our liturgy wee truly say GOD whose providence is never deceived But because the reason of Gods providence is most secret and his judgements deepe it comes to passe that many seeing much mischife committed among men and unpunished they runne headlong into this opinion that humane things are either not governed by Gods providence or at least that all evills are committed by the will of GOD both which opinions are impious but the later the worse as St. Augustine writeth But they runne headlong into these errors who see onely part of Gods providence and see not the other part and whereas they ought to expect the issue and end of things which shal be manifested to all in the day of judgement they are so bold as rashly to judge and by that meanes fall into most grievous errors And therefore the Apostle cryes out Judge not before the time untill the LORD come that will enlighten things that are hid in darknesse and will make the counsailes of the heart manifest S. Augustine illustrates this point by a similitude If saith he a man in a checkred pavement shall see onely one piece of it wrought and not knowing what the forme of it shall be will dispraise the workeman because he onely sees a piece of it and not the greatest part whereas if he saw it finished he would commend the worke and the artificer it would seeme prepostrous so many seeing the wicked to flourish and the just depressed and afflicted and consider nor know not what GOD reserves for the iniquity of the ungodly or the patience of the good and thereupon breake out into blasphemous speeches either with those in Job He walketh in the circle of heaven and considereth not our matters or with them in Malachie Every one that doth evill is good in the sight of the LORD and he delighteth in them Another similitude in this case St. Augustine also useth If a man either in the beginning or the middle of a verse shall say that it is not good he wil be accounted a foole for he should tarry till all the fillables and feet of it be pronounced before he dispraise it so they are very fooles who dare to finde fault with the orderly providence of GOD before the whole order of it be runne out Wherefore if thou be wise endeavour as much as thou canst that evill be not committed for this GOD commands thee but leave to his judgement why he permits evill his judgement may be secret it cannot be unjust 2. But although the reason of the providence of GOD in governing humane things be a deepe abysse yet the reason of eternall predestination and reprobation is deeper by farre For why GOD should loade many wicked men with temporall goods and suffer their sinnes to goe unpunished in this life and on the other side why he should suffer many innocents to be in want and be unjustly vexed scourged and slaine we cannot finde the cause in particulars or singulars yet in the generall or universall we may probably assigne some cause For GOD oftentimes makes the wicked abound with temporall goods to reward some of their morall workes not intended to give them life eternall or to allure them to repâ—ntance and to bring them to desire and hope for eternall benefits and sometimes punisheth not their sinnes in this life because he will sufficiently punish them in hell and suffers godly men to live in poverty ignominy and diverse afflictions aswell to purge their lighter sins in this world as to crowne their goodworkes the more gloriously hereafter But why GOD loved Jacob. and hated Esau before they had done either good or evill who will search after the reason And this it was at which the Apostle wondred that being twinnes the sons of one Father and Mother GOD should love the one by predestination and hate the other by reprobation And least any man should object that GOD foresaw the goodworkes of the one and the evill of the other the Apostle by way of prevention saith that this was done that the purpose of GOD might remaine according to election and alledgeth or quoteth the words of GOD by Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy c. 3. Who also would not be astonished to consider that Iudas the traytor should persevere so long in good workes and in the end of his life to fall and perish and that the thiefe who all the time of his life should continue in evill workes and in the end of his life to be converted and flee from the Crosse into Paradise But thou wilt say Iudas betrayed
Prophet Esay and not have compassion on the Sonne of her wombe though she should forget yet will I not forget thee And the Psalmist Like as a Father pittieth his owne children even so is the LORD mercifull to them that feare him And least any should say that there may be parents found whose love is sometime changed into hatred The mercifull goodnesse of the LORD endureth for ever and ever upon them that feare him and for the continuance of this his mercy the Apostle maketh us secure when he calls GOD The Father of mercies and GOD of all consolation and therefore hee is not onely a Father of them that feare him but a most mercifull Father and most ready to comfort his children for hee taketh away and easeth them of the miseries of their afflictions and tribulations which hee judgeth fit to deliver them from and in that respect shewes himselfe a Father of mercies and in those miseries which he thinketh not expedient for them to be taken away hee endueth them with unspeakeable comfort whereby they may beare them with ease and in that regard hee declares himselfe to bee a GOD of all consolation Now the Apostle calleth him the GOD of all consolation for two causes 1. Because GOD knoweth how to comfort his in every kind of tribulation which certainely the world cannot doe because it oftimes understands not the cause of the affliction and therefore it was that Job called his friends miserable comforters because they knew not the cause of his disease and misapplyed the cure Or else sometimes the tribulation is so great that no humane comfort can asswage it but GOD is a most wise and omnipotent Physician hee can cure any disease and therefore the Apostle saith that he comforteth us in all our tribulation 2. Secondly GOD is called GOD of all Consolation because hee knoweth how to comfort us so plentifully that it is better to suffer tribulation with such comfort then to want both as in the case of Martyrdome Therefore no mervaile if the Apostle said I am filled with comfort and am exceeding joyous in all our tribulation and againe Which comforteth us in all our tribulations that we may be able to comfort them which are in affliction And what thinkest thou of this so large deepe daily pure and immense mercy of GOD who needs none of our goods and yet out of the abundance of his love is so sollicitous of his poore servants as if all his good depended on them What thankes therefore wilt thou returne to him what canst thou ever doe to avoyd the staine of ingratitude for such mercy at the least endeavour asmuch as thou canst to please him And because it is written Bee mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull and Love thine owne soule begin first carefully to finde out the miseries of thine owne soule for the miseries of the body are obvious enough and there is no need to admonish a man to pittie his body for if it want meate or drinke but one day or sleepe but one night or by chance receive a wound presently we bewaile the case of it and seeke remedy for it But the soule may fast whole weeks without food or lye languishing with infirmities or peradventure lye dead and no body lookes after it no body hath compassion of it Therefore visite thy soule often examine the severall powers of it whether they be well or not whether they profit in the knowledge and love of the true good or on the other side whether it be ill affected with ignorance or languish with concupiscences of diverse kinds whether the mind be blinded with malice or the will corrupted with the disease of hate or pride and if thou findest thy soule in this evillstate call unto GOD and say Have mercy upon me ô LORD for I am weake Seeke spirituall Physicians and use remedies in time Then pitty other poore soules where of a number perish and yet CHRIST died for them O if thou didst but know and well weigh the price of soules that is the pretious blood of the Son of GOD and withall the exceeding great slaughter of them by the infernall wolves and roaring Lyons the Devils certainely thou couldst not choose but with all thy heart take compassion on them and labour aswell by prayer to GOD as by all other meanes to obtaine their deliverance Lastly have compassion also upon the corporall necessities of thy neighbour and that not in word onely but in workes and truth remembring alwaies that Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy DEGREE XV. By the Consideration of GODS Justice compared with a Corporall magnitude THe Iustice of GOD in holy Scriptures is taken foure wayes 1. For Vniversall Iustice or Righteousnes which containes all vertues and is the same with sanctity or goodnesse The Lord iâ— righteous iâ— all his waies and holy in all his workes 2. Secondly it is taken for Truth or faithfullnes as in another Psalme That thou mayest be justified in all thy sayings 3. Thirdly for dâ—stributive Iustice Iustice in rewards according to that of St. Paul A Crowne of righteousnesse is layd up for me which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day 4. For revenging Iustice Iustice punishing offences as it is in another Psalme Vpon the ungodly he shall raine snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest this shal be their portion to drinke The greatnesse therefore of this divine Iustice will appeare the better if we consider the latitude of universall Iustice the length of it that is his truth and faithfulnes the height of it in Gods distributing rewards in heaven the depth of it in scourging the wicked with eternaâ—l punishments in hell To begin with the latitude That is said to be universall Iustice or Righteousnesse in men which disposeth a man to carry himselfe in all his dealings according to all Lawes and by that hath in him all vertues aswell theologicall as morall But there is one vertue above the rest which containeth all other vertues and commands and rules the acts of them directing them to the last end and this is called love which vertue although in it selfe it be but particular and but one of the Theologicall vertues yet it may be truly called universall for it disposeth a man to behave himselfe well both to God and towards his neighbour and thereby fulfilleth the whole Lawe for so speaketh the Apostle Love doth not evill to his neighbour therefore is Love the fullfilling of the Lawe and he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law And therefore St. Angustine saith Love begun is Righteousnes begun Love increased is Righteousnesse increased Great Love is great Righteousnes perfect Love is perfect Righteousnes Now in GOD are all vertues which presuppose no imperfection and instead of those which presuppose imperfection there is some what far better and more excellent where by it is
that no goodnesse is wanting to him but rather â—o great and infinite goodnes and holines as that he may be justly stiled onely good onely holy And therefore it cannot be â—aid that there is faith in GOD a â—heologicall vertue because 〈◊〉 is the evidence of things which are not seene but GOD seeth all things neither may Hope be said to be in GOD for hope is an expectation of things to come and that which is seen is not hope but GOD expecteth nothing because he enjoyeth all things from eternity Repentance for sinne is not in God because God cannot sinne Humility is not in God because this vertue keepeth a man backe least he vainely ascend above himselfe and causeth him to keepe his own station but God hath nothing above himselfe to ascend unto being the most high But most ample love and almost infinite and immense is in God for he loveth himselfe with infinite love because hee onely perfectly knoweth infinite goodnes which is his owne essence he also loveth all his creatures Thou lovest all things which are and hatest nothing that thou hast made saith the Wiseman for God knoweth by his wisedome to sever evill from good that is defect from nature even in Devils and the worst of men and nature hee loves because he made it defect he hateth because he made it not Lastly love is so true in God as that he would be called by that name God is love saith St. Iohn But our love compared with his is most streight and little There are very many things which we love not because we know them not many of those things also which we know we love not because we easily discerne not good from evill in them and we love not many good things well and in that regard with true love because we are evil our selves and rather leane to concupiscence then to love And we love God but with an unperfect love not onely because we love him not so much as his goodnes deservs to which measure or perfection of love the Angels themselves attaine not but also because we love him lesse then we should and lesse also then we might if we would give our selves more carefully and diligently to prayer and meditation This verture of love is accompanied in GOD with many other vertues as with singular magnificence liberality overflowing goodnes humanity patience long suffering more then fatherly gentlenes truth faithfulnes never failing mercy filling heaven and earth most upright justice and impartiall lastly most pure holines and so cleare that the Starres are not cleane in his sight and the Cherubims astonished at it cry Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabaoth Oh that thou wouldst consider this seriously with what feare and trembling wouldst thou performe thy prayers and praises to him But to proceed to the rest The longitude of the divine Justice consists in truth and faithfulnes Of his faithfulnes wee read in diverse places of Scriptures Thy faithfulnes reacheth to the clouds saith the Psalmist and Faithfulnes is the girdle of his reynes saith the Prophet Esay Great is thy faithfulnes saith Jeremy God is faithfull saith the Apostle in diverse places He abide the faithfull and He is faithfull that promised He is faithfull and just saith St. Iohn and King David God is righteous or faithfull in all his waies that is the promises of God pronounced by the mouthes of his Prophets many ages since never shall never were voyd or of no effect but are more sure and stable then heaven and earth for so saith our Saviour Heaven and Earth shall passe but my words shall not passe and It is more easie that Heaven and Earth should passe away then thaâ— one title of the Law should fall away where our Saviour understands by the Law the truth not onely of his commandements but of his promises for whatsoever God hath commanded are either to be kept or those to be punished that breake them and what he hath promised are established with everlasting stability The word of our God shall stand for ever saith the Prophet Esay and the Apostle God is true and every man a lyar and againe It is impossible for God to lye the reason of which speech is because he can neither be deceived being wisedome nor deceive being goodnesse nor faile being omnipotence But Men although wise good and mighty may be deceived and deceive because they neither know all things nor can performe all things which they can for though they be good when they promise a while after they may become evill and not willing to performe their promises Wherefore if thou be wise put thy confidence in God alone cleave onely to him and cast all thy care on him alone Walke humbly and carefully with God and he wil be carefull of thee take heed that thou offend not his justice and his mercy will ever protect thee neither shalt thou need to feare what the Devill or man can do against thee The altitude or height of Gods Iustice is seene in the retribution of the heavenly reward which hee as supreme Iudge hath prepared for those which live well and godly and we shall soone know what the height of this Iustice is 1 If we compare the Iudge God with men Iudges 2 If we compare reward with reward that is the reward which God gives with that which men usually give 1. Men Iudges and Princes too have many lets or hinderaÌ„ces from fully rewarding those which serve them For first either they cannot for want of sufficient meanes to reward every ones deserts 2. Or either they know not the merits of their followers or cannot justly value them 3. Or out of the wickednesse and covetousnesse of mind or some other perverse affection they will not duely reward them which deserve 4. or lastly either they which should give or they which should receive their rewards are prevented by death from giving or taking But God gives to all good men not onely according to their desers but above them for what more meane desert can be imagined then to give a cup of cold water to a thirsty soule yet GOD hath promised that this small worke of mercy shall not loose its reward and the largenesse of the reward S. Luke describeth Good measure pressed downe shaken together 1 Nor is there any danger that GOD will not be of ability to performe with us being Lord of all things and can by a word speaking increase and multiply all things infinitely 2 Neither is it to be feared that GOD should be deceived in the number or value of our deserts being the most wise and all things lying open to his eyes and he searching the reynes and hearâ—s of his well doing servants and understands with what minde intent fervor and diligence they have done any thing 3 Neither may any suspect that GOD hath any evill meaning to defraude his poore servants and children of