And wee see that in these things where a bare faith without knowledge might seeme to be most required because as a man would thinke there were no reason to be giuen of them namely concerning the maintenance of this life and the resurrection to the life to come both Christ and his Apostles vse no other reasons but such as euery reasonable man may easily be perswaded by though authorities of Scripture were not wanting to both purposes as it is manifest Mat. 6. and 1. Cor 15. yea Paul at Athens or wheresoeuer he perswaded the worship of the true God among the Gentiles hee perswaded not by authority of Scripture which amongst thē had bene very weake but by such argumēts as they knew to be sufficient euē in thēselues If these things were not so how thē could the Gentiles which knew not the Scriptures he without excuse for their ignorance of God Therefore I conclude that there is nothing which is beleeued but it may also be knowen Now knowledge we know is ingendred by such principles as haue truth in thē the which is euident of it selfe So that by plaine and reasonable vnderstanding a man may knowe whatsoeuer he beleeueth You wil say To what purpose then serue the Scriptures I answere That God infinite in goodnesse hath together with this vnderstanding light of Nature giuen vs withall his word as a greater light whereby our lesser lights might become more shining That he hath giuen vnto vs not only an inward word to wit our natural vnderstanding but also an outward worde as a most illustrious Commētary both of declaration and amplification of that text whereby we may the better vnderstand whatsoeuer wee ought to vnderstand without it But how thē commeth it to passe that all men haue not Faith And how is Faith sayd to bee the gift of God The first is answered Rom. 1 21. and Ephe. 4. 18 For hardnes of their heart who when they knew God did not glorifie him as they ought therefore their imaginations became vaine their foolish heart was ful of darkenes And for this cause is Faith also sayd to bee the gift of God First in respect of that knowledge whence it doeth proceede which knowledge is his gift Secondly because it is the onely worke of God to make that knowledge to become fruitful by laying it so vnto mans heart that the hardnesse thereof may bee remoued that when wee know God to bee good and iust we also beleeue and worship him as we ought Thirdly and most especially because that God oftentimes pardoning the ignorance which men haue of himselfe and the creature doth so illumine the heart with 〈◊〉 holy Spirit that it is suddenly 〈◊〉 without any previant knowledge to faith and obedience The trueth whereof neuertheles doth not any whit impugne that which I say That God hath giuen vnto euery man so much vnderstanding as to know what he ought to beleeue and to bee satisfied for the reasons of his Fayth if he could open his eyes to see in the middest of what wonderous light hee were placed This point is manifest both by many scripture-Scripture-authorities and by many reasons which I omit But taking this as either granted or sufficiently prooued that God hath giuen vs light of vnderstanding whereby to yeeld a reason of the Hope that is in vs a reason I say euen of euery article of our Faith let vs with holy reuerence come vnto the thing in question and see what reason wee haue for our defence I will therefore a while forbeare to vse the authoritie of holy Scripture not that I esteeme the waight or euidence of any reason comparable thereto but onely perceiuing by that talke I had with you that you had read the Scripture as one of those whom Peter noteth 2. Epist 3. 16. Not intending to wrangle about your wrested interpretations I wil first propone the euidence of reasonable proofe and afterwards bring in the assent of holy Scripture that you may perceiue in what wondrous cleare light you striue to be blinde And because I know not what your opinion is concerning God for he that denieth the Godhead of Christ may as well denie the Godhead absolutely that beeing one steppe toward the question I will proceed orderly and giue you also a reason of our faith concerning that matter taking this onely as granted which is rife in euery mans knowledge that both the termes of Contradiction cannot bee affirmed of the same Subiect that is that one and the same thing cannot be both affirmed and denied of the same Subiect at one time and in the same respect But first by the Name of God know that I meane an Eternall Being infinite in goodnesse in power in wisedome in glory in vertue and onely worthie of endlesse loue and honour My reason is thus If there be not a Being which had no beginning then of necessitie that which was first existent or begunne must be a beginning vnto it selfe by causing of it selfe to be when it was not But this is impossible that any thing should bee a cause and not bee for so should it both bee and not be therefore there is an eternall Being which is the beginning middle and ende of all things and himselfe without beginning and this eternall Beeing wee call God My reason is plaine to bee vnderstood and remember what I haue said that I may goe on Whatsoeuer is without beginning is also without ending because it hath no Superiour which might bring it to nothing therefore God is eternall Againe whatsoeuer comes to nothing is corrupted by his contrary but nothing can be opposite to God therefore hee is Eternall Or else I might thus reason Being and Not Being are such contraries as one of them cannot spring out of another for euery thing for the preseruations sake of it selfe doth represse and corrupt the contrary Seing then that there is Beeing which could not possibly raise it selfe out of Not Being it followes that Being had a primacy or prioritie before Not Beeing and therefore of necessitie must be eternall for otherwise there was a time wherein it might be said that Being is Not Being so Not Being should haue been first and contradictories might haue stood together but both these are impossible therefore there is an eternall Being and this eternall Being wee call God Furthermore wee know that the greatest excellencie or perfection of euery thing is in the proximitie or approch thereof vnto the first cause But euery thing is more excellent in the Being thereof then in the Not Being therefore Beeing was before Not Being and for that cause Eternall Now Eternitie is an Infinite Continuance therefore whatsoeuer is Eternall must of necessitie be Infinite and this Infinite Being we call God Moreouer whatsoeuer hath Infinite continuance hath Infinite Power to continue infinitely and this omnipotent or endlesse Power we call God I might reason likewise of his Goodnes of his Wisedome Trueth Glory c. but one
to cast pearles before swine But yet I hope that God will not suffer you to bee ledde any longer by that Spirit of Antichrist against which S. Iohn doth so often warne vs. For I doe you to witte that this your heresie is no new thing but euen as ancient as the Apostles time For the reason of Iohns writing of his Gospell was to proue the Godhead of Christ against the Heretikes that denied it in his owne time And truely I maruell that you who haue receyued this Heresie from the rotten bones of Arrius should not prouide for your safetie as he did He denied the authoritie of S. Iohns writings to be authenticall And why because this earth-bred Gyant which would pul Christ out of the throne of his Deitie should with his lightening be suddenly burnt Beleeue you the Scripture Is Iohns authoritie sufficient then the case is plaine We are in him that is true in his Sonne Iesus Christ who is very God and eternall life 1. Ioh. 5. 20. Can you now confer this Scripture with that place I haue said ye are Gods and not be ashamed I and the Father are one The Iewes vnderstood that hee herein professed himselfe to be very GOD and are you his enemie more then they Read Ioh. 10. vers 30. and 33. and 34. and you may vnderstand the meaning of both places The diuels acknowledged him to be GOD of Infinite power I know thee who thou art euen that Holy one of God And wil not you cōfesse as much as the diuels But this is more then I thought to say only you may see hereby that we speake no other thing then Christ himselfe euen in his enemies vnderstanding said Now if you could see a little the folly of your owne opinion that were inough to cause you to put on a better mind I wil touch it as lightning doth touch the ground for if you be willing to be reformed there is no doubt but you may propound it to the learned Diuines and be fully satisfied You say Christ is onely man but yet indued with the infinite Power of GOD. Here first you doe iniurie to the Highest to make the Power of God to bee accidentall vnto him whereas hee is purus actus absolute perfection and without shadow of change his Beeing is most simple and pure not capable of accidents Then his Being is such as no addition can be made thereto to make it more thē it is therfore it is necessary that he be euer actually whatsoeuer he may be Besides His Being is infinitely distant from Not Being therfore his Power is inseparable Again if there come any thing to God as an accident it must come vnto him frō himselfe or els frō another not frō another for he is impassible or such as cānot suffer violence not frō himselfe for all such accidents do proceed a potentia that is frō the imbecillity or imperfection of the subiect but his Being is most simple infinitely perfect Again all accidents do rise frō the matter forme or composition of the subiect In him is neither matter forme nor composition Now all things we see in this world do consist ex actu potentiâ of Perfection from God imperfection frō thēselues for of thēselues they are non entia absolutely nothing Yea euen the very Angels and the soule it selfe are partakers of this compositiō for nothing is purus actus but God alone therefore are they subiect to accidents yet they which come neerest to perfection are most free from accidents as that which is meere perfection hath no accidents at al. Know then that all the dignities of God are in him essentially one God For the Goodnes of God his Power his Wisedome his glory c. beeing all infinite do of necessity concur in the nature of Infinity Whence it followeth that whatsoeuer is in him is essentially himselfe therefore the power of God is not accidentall or such as may be imparted to a man The learned Hebrues according to this do hold that Eusoph or Infinitie is not to bee numbred among the other attributes of God because it is that abstract Vnity wherinto they all essentially concurre from which they al essentially proceed And hēce by the way take another strong argument to the former question for if GOD bee essentially a Father then the terme correlatiue a Sonne must bee in the Godhead also and that essentially But now againe see another folly in your supposition The worke of our redemption is a worke of infinite goodnesse mercie power wisedome and glory therefore it followeth that Christ the worker had infinite mercie power wisedome c. Now I demaund had Christ this infinite goodnesse and power so giuen to him of God that the Father himselfe had in the meane time none This you dare not say for that were to say that GOD did cease to bee GOD which cannot stand with his Eternitie Now if GOD the Father had notwithstanding this absolute infinite Power of Christ of which he spake All power is giuen vnto me both in heauen and in earth then it followeth that either there were two infinities of Power or else that these two which had this infinite Power were all one Infinite The first is against the nature of Infinitie or that is absolutely infinite which so comprehendeth all things as that it leaueth nothing without it selfe and yet is not comprehended of any other Besides if you would say that the Father and the Sonne had each of them seuerall indiuisible infinite Powers it must follow that neither of their Powers were absolutely infinite because each of them had not the infinite Power of the other And besides that both these infinite Powers must bee conioyned with infinite weakenesse because they must be mutually subiected to the infinite Power one of the other but both these things are impossible So you see that two Infinities can by no meanes stand together therefore it followeth that these two to wit the Father and the Sonne are in Being one and that of infinite Power and this is that which I striue for which as you see I haue concluded by your owne assertion The time would faile mee to lay before your eyes the manifold vntrueths which would insue of your position which sauoureth neyther of witte iudgement nor learning And therefore I see how they which haue once departed from the trueth must of necessitie runne into infinite absurdities Therefore looke backe and be ashamed of such new-fangled toyes as you do dayly imagine which in trueth doe argue the great inconstancie and vanitie of your minde and withall such palpable blindnesse of vnderstanding as the darknesse of Egypt For tell mee without selfe-liking what sound iudgement doth this argue to be driuen about with euery wind of doctrine a Protestant a Brownist an Anabaptist an Antichrist What bringing vp what gift of learning and knowledge haue you that you should presume to oppose your sentence against the faith and doctrine of all the Christian Churches in the world Blush and learne with meekenesse the trueth of that Word which is able to saue your soule You may see by your owne miserable experience what it is to forsake the Vnitie of Faith and the Communion of the Saints who imbrace the trueth of Gods word and haue manifest tokens that they are the true Church to wit The word of God truely taught and the Sacraments duely administered What if there want perfection The Church militant must euer confesse I am louely yet blacke For it is impossible that any Church should be without imperfectiō so long as the world standeth but at the end it shall bee presented without spotte or wrinkle Therfore remēber from whence you are fallen repēt do the works of righteousnes lest Christ whō you so despite come against you shortly The worke of Christianitie is not in foolish questions and disputing about needlesse subtilties but in doing the workes of trueth and righteousnesse Pray and endeuour your selfe thereto And till such time as GOD for his Christs sake vouchsafe to haue mercie on you the enemie of his SONNE and giue you grace to repent of this great wickednesse I am neither your friend nor yet your foe Alecsander Gil. FINIS
A TREATISE concerning the Trinitie of Persons in Vnitie of the Deitie Written to Thomas Mannering an Anabaptist who denyed that Iesus is very God of very God but man onely yet endued with the infinite power of God ⸪ Imprinted at London by Simon Stafford dwelling on Adling hill neere Carter-lane 160â— TO MY VERY LOuing and deare friend Master Thomas White a Citizen of Bristow WHile I was at Norwich in the yeere 1597. I writ this Treatise vpon such occasioÌ„ as appears therein and deliuered it vnto that Heretike that by himselfe if God would he might consider and be perswaded Since which time I haue kept it by me and though some of my priuate friends desired copies yet allowing that wisdome of Solon who would make no law against Patricide least the mention of the fact might giue occasion to commit it and withall considering that it is too sâ—mple and poore for the publike view I haue hitherto refused to make it common Yet now perceiuing a present necessitie because that s â—me of late haue wandered in this labyrinth withall remembring that of any weakling shall hereafter entertaine this opinion he may before he be wholy possessed therewith find the absurditie of it and be reformed that many a nouice in Christianitie who therefore doubts of the truenesse of his Religion because he findes no familiar reason to perswade but onely the racke of authorities to 〈◊〉 him to acknowledge it may perhaps be hereby satisfied and find comfort and that they who are already strong may by this ouerplus triumph in the goodnesse of God who requires them to beleeue no more then they may by that vnderstanding which he hath giuen them be perswaded of I haue for their sakes who may reape benefite thereby set at nought all other Censurers not guilty vnto my selfe of any offence which I can commit in making it publike Such as it is accept good master White as a parcell of that assertion which may hereafter follow of euery article of our Christian faith if God shall vouchsafe me vnderstanding leasure and maintenance thereto I therefore offer it vnto you both because I know you are diligent in reading bookes of good argument and because I haue none other meanes whereby to shew my selfe thankefull for your manifold kindnesses and your loue At London this 20. of April 1601. Your louing and assured friend A. G. THE TREATISE THough many things discouraged mee to write vnto you of this Argument in such sort as I intend considering that neither your daily reading of the Scripture neither the perswasion of learned Diuines can moue you to accord vnto the trueth though by manifest testimonie of Scripture they conuince your heresie and most of all that God hath left you to beleeue that lying spirit of Antichrist who denyeth that Iesus is that Christ Yet neuerthelesse hauing some hope that God of his goodnes will at last pull you as a brand out of the fire and quench you with the dew of his grace that you may grow in the knowledge of his Sonne I wil as briefly as I can lay down some few reasons of that faith which euery one that will be saued must hold Whereby if I perswade you nothing yet shall I obtayne thus much that you who neither beleeued his word nor yet opened your eyes to see the light of reasonable vnderstanding shall at last confesse that his word and iudgements are holy and true But before I come to the point let mee first perswade you that although the knowledge of the holy Trinity be one of the most high mysteries which can be knowne or beleeued and that it is the onely work of the holy Ghost to work this faith and knowledge in the heart of man yet neuertheles God hath not left vs destitute of meanes whereby to come to this faith and knowledge but hath also with his word giueÌ„ vs a reasonable soule vnderstanding whereby to grow in the knowledge of himself his will For wheÌ„ Adam was created he had giuen vnto him all perfite knowledge meete for him Now God who created the world for no other purpose theÌ„ the manifestation of his owne glory might not leaue that creature without vnderstanding of the Godhead who being by nature creatioÌ„ the most excellent in this world was made for that purpose especially aboue al other to set forth his prayse and to call on him Now how could he do this if he knew him not But I think that seeing it is said that maÌ„ was created in the Image of God you wil not deny that man before his fal had much more perfit vnderstanding of the Godhead theÌ„ it is possible for him to haue till he come to know euen as he is knowen but that by him you may say this knowledge was lost not lost but corrupted onely euen as mans will For then it should follow that wee were inferiour to bruit beasts who haue in theÌ„ a sensible knowledge meete for that ende whereto they were created Furthermore it is not possible that mans sin should frustrate the ende which God intended in his creation but it is manifest that man was created to know and honour the creator Againe seeing in Christ al things consist hee being ordained of the Father before all worldes in whom the world should be both created and restored it is plaine that this light of our vnderstanding both proceedeth from him and is restored in him as it is said Ioh. 1. He is that light which lightneth euery man that commeth into the world not onely his chosen with knowledge of his sauing trueth but euen generally euery man with reasonable vnderstanding whereby wee may know whatsoeuer is to be known of God how euen by the works of God as it is plainely concluded Rom. 1. 19 20. Therefore are they not to bee heard who hold any thing without the compasse of Faith which is without the compasse of Knowledge For Faith ought so to be grounded on Knowledge as Hope is grounded vpon Faith So that as Faith Heb. 11. 1. is sayd to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an euiction or proofe of things hoped for though they bee not seene so may I say that Knowledge is the proofe of things which are beleeued For Faith is nothing els but the Conclusion of a particular Syllogisme drawen from the conclusion of an vniuersall which the knowledge of God had coÌ„cluded as it is manifest Iam. 2. 19. Heb. 11. 3. By conference of which two places it appeareth that this knowledge of which I speake this Historicall Faith as to beleeue that there is one God which made all things of nought is onely such a knowledge as the deuils wicked men haue but to beleeue and haue confidence in this God is that particular conclusion that faith which causeth vs to haue hope in his promises Therefore said Christ Haue fayth in God that is striue to know God that knowing you may haue faith and beleeue in him
of a Beginning stand thus It is either Principium principians non principiatum that is a beginning which is a Beginner vnto another yet hath not his beginning from another lest there should be a processe into Infinitie a parte ante this is God the Father to whom it is peculiar to beget the Sonne yet is himselfe neyther made nor created nor begotten of any other Secondly there is Principium principiatum principians to witte a Beginning which hath his beginning of another and is also a beginning to another lest there should be any defect or imbecillitie in the Beginning and this is the Euerlasting Sonne very God of very God begotten of the substance of his Father alone before thē worlds neither made nor created Thirdly there is Principium principiatum non principians that is a Beginning which is also begun but is not a beginner vnto another lest there should be a processe into Infinitie a parte post and this is the Holy Ghost who proceedeth from the very substance and Being of the Father and the Sonne and is with them one GOD coeternall and coequall But you will say Is not the Holy Ghost a Beginner vnto any other how is he then the Authour of our consolation and how is hee said to leade vs into all trueth c Vnderstand what I meane Hee is not a Beginner vnto any other of the same Infinite Essence or Being with himselfe For the beginnings which I spake of before are in the Essence of God alone now our spiritual consolation whereof the Holy Ghost is said to be the Beginner is but an or effluence from that Being which he himselfe is as the light of the Sunne doth illuminate euery bright body exposed to his light and yet imparteth not his being thereto You will againe obiect that Eternitie hath no beginning nor ending how then can Christ be both eternall and begun and how againe can he be equall to the Father whereas hee beeing begotten of the Father the Father hath a prioritie before him I answere that this beginning is none other then that production or begetting which I before declared to haue been heretofore none other then it is now and shall be eternally as the Sunne hath brought forth light since his creation and shall still bring forth light till the worlds dissolution For this action of GOD whereby hee begetteth his Sonne is not a transeant action to cause a passion in the subiect and a repassion in the agent for in such the subiect of necessitie should haue been existent before the action but this action is immanent and therefore of necessitie of the same nature with the agent which agent because it is eternall therefore the production is also eternal and consequently the product and so of necessitie very GOD. But you must euer remember what difference I made betweene the action of God infinite in power therefore able to actuate the obiect and the immanent actions of our minde Now for the Prioritie or Posterioritie you may obiect I graunt there is Prioritie among the persons of the Godhead but of what kinde not of Being for their Essence is one and therein is none afore or after another neither is any one of the Trinitie more or lesse God then another not of time for they are all one Eternitie not of dignitie for they are all one Infinitie and the Sonne himselfe being very God thinketh it no robberie to bee equall with God But yet there is Prioritie and that of order onely for the Father is in order before the Sonne because the Sonne is begotten of the Father and the Sonne likewise is before the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost is the mutuall loue betweene the Father and the Sonne and so proceeding from them both I will make a comparison vnmeet for the matter of which I speake for to whom shall wee assimulate the Highest but yet meete to helpe your vnderstanding When a man doth dreame and imagine things which are not there is you know the phantasie the phantasme or thing imagined or dreamed and the phansying or working of the phantasie about that obiect Now these three are all of one nature and are one after another onely in order and not in time For the particular phantasie of such an obiect is before the obiect and makes it to haue an intentionall being then the obiect being the discourse of the phantasie followeth in order which neuerthelesse was in time as soone as it obseruing euer the cautions that are to bee obserued Thus haue I very briefly showne not many reasons but rather how that many reasons may bee showen for this Christian assertion yet haue I showen ynough to perswade any reasonable man to yeelde meekely vnto the trueth of that doctrine which is so euident both in the booke of GOD and in euerie faithfull and true Christian mans confession and according to that discourse which is euident to euery mans vnderstanding Now giue me leaue to speake a little to those arguments which haue throwen the most learned of the Iewes head-long to the feet of Christ to make thē acknowledge that the Messiab must be both God and man I will not herein doe any thing contrary to that which in the beginning I protested that is not to compel you by authoritie of Scripture but to intreate you by reasonable perswasion to encline your eare to the trueth But because I may not without iniurie to the cause leaue altogether out such manifest proofe and without iniurie also to your selfe who might thinke that I went about to sophisticate a true seeming vntrueth which would not abide the touch I will onely intend my finger to some very few of many thousandes of axiomes of the Scripture for this purpose leaue you to make the conclusion by your selfe hoping that the Iewes example may prouoke you to follow them so farre forth as they haue followed the trueth Exod. 13. 21 it is said The Lord went before thē c. Chap. 14. 19. The Angel of God which went before them remoued where Christ the Angell of the Couenant is called The Lord Iehouah Againe Exod. 15. 3. The Lorde is a man of warre his name is Iehouah therefore Christ is God and man who by his conflict vpon the crosse triumphed ouer Death and Hell as it is written in the Gospell the booke of the warres of the Lord. Againe Esay 9. 6. Vnto vs a childe is borne there is his Manhood and vnto vs a Sonne is given and they shall call his name The mightie God And Esay 35. vers 4. Your God will come and saue you Ierem. 23. 5. c. I will rayse vp vnto Dauid a righteous branch and a King shal raigne and this is the Name whereby they shall call him The Lord our righteousnesse And Ierem. 33. vers 16. Iudah shall be saued and be that shall saue her is the Lorde our righteousnesse Where the name vsed is that great Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehouah
which is neuer giuen to any creature Zach. 9. 9. proues him God and man What shall I cyte vnto you that of the second Pslam Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee which place with many more is brought in the Epistle to the Hebrewes to this purpose which is your question These authorities the Thalmadists who sticke onely to the killing letter and apparant sense of the law hold sufficient to put this matter out of doubt Now if leauing this outward sense of the Scripture we should desire to know what is the quickning spirit thereof and should ransacke the treasuries of the Cabalists remembring that place of our Sauiour Matth. 5. 18. One iod or tittle of the Law shall not passe till all bee fulfilled and should examine the question by the letters and pricks of the Scripture wee should more easily find an entrance then an end thereto Yet for a taste take only the first 3. words of the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 breshith bará elohim which may not vnfitly be thus turned In the beginning they the mighty God created And of that againe take the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bresbith and see what it may signifie by that part of the Cabala which they call Notariacon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b. the first letter of ben signifieth the Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. the first of ruach signifies the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 n a. the beginning of av is the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s. the first of Sabbath importeth rest â—â—… the beginning of the ineffable name of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not there onely but euen of it selfe it imports the Deitie For we consider of things not obuious to our senses and vnderstanding as if they were not and therefore this least of all the letters neerest vnto nothing doth signifie GOD. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 th the first of Ta. or Thom. is construed a Closet or a Depth Which construction if you put together according to the rules of that excellent Grammar of Diuinitie with reference to that which followes may import thus much The Word the Spirit and the Father resting eternally in the Closet or vnconceiueable abysse or as Paul calls it the inaccessible light of the infinite Deitie manifested their almighty power in creating the heaueÌ„ and the earth Neither is it without a great mysterie that the Son is here put in the first place for In the beginning was the word because the chiefe honour both of the Creation and restauration of the world is giuen vnto Christ as the Apostle doth comment vpon this text Coloss 1. And in another place In him is all the treasure both of the wisedome and knowledge of God As Psal 104. vers 24. In wisedome hast thou made them all For in Christ were al things together one infinite wisedome till in the Creation he made them seuerall according to their distinct Ideas Therefore saith the Apostle He sustayneth euery thing by his powerfull word that is the Sonne and elsewhere In him Christ wee liue and moue after the Creation and haue our Being before the Creation And for this cause doth Iohn begin the law of mercie and grace in the very same words wherewith Moses began the law of Iustice and condemnation In the beginning For we know nothing of God neyther of iustice nor of mercie c. but onely by Christ as he saith No man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Sonne wil reueile him And in another place No man commeth to the Father but by me Now the Holy Ghost is put in the second place because hee is the mutuall loue of the Father and the Sonne and as I may say the instrument of their actions both in manent and transeunt Go forward now if you will to the next word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bará you see it affords the same argument for the Tri-Vnitie by the three letters before explained and the number which is the singular Thinke not this a fancie neither reproch the diuine Cabala as the ignorant Sophisters vse to doe not knowing how aboue all other knowledges it doth aduance a mans meditation on high And to the present purpose they which know any thing in the holy language know that this sentence can no way agree in Grammatical construction vnlesse the singular verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bará be thus made plurall that it may haue concordance with the plurall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elohim You will aske why these letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b. r. a. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a. are twice put seeing in this precisenesse no such superfluitie should haue needed I tell you that it is not done but to intimate vnto vs a most high mysterie For in the first place it imports that Eternall and Infinite Being of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost which they had before the worlds in their endlesse glorie felicitie in that silence of the Deitie in that super-supreme Entity which is vnto the Godhead perfect aboue perfection without any respect vnto the creature it imports that Infinitie that Eternitie that Power that Wisedome which is aboue all things and giues vnto it selfe to be such as it is that Nothing as the diuine Areopagite seemes to speake which is before and aboue al things that may be spoken or thought without any respect of any emanation or effluence whatsoeuer And therefore followes that letter of rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that of vnitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that of perfection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now in the second place it signifies the Deitie as exercised in the creature and therefore followes that Epithyte Elohim which shewes that emanation of Power or Strength and is sometimes giuen vnto the creatures Angels and men It were an endlesse thing to speake that of these mysteries which may be spoken neither can I For the Law of the Lord is perfect and man is full of weakenesse I haue said so much as I thinke meete concerning the Tri-Vnitie Now a word to that point that Christ is GOD which although it appeare sufficiently in the Tri-Vnity before proued by this anagogicall doctrine yet to that second person in particular is that which followeth Esay 7. 14 it is said of Christ that his name should bee called Immanuel but in the historie of the Gospell in Matthew and Luke both before his Conception and at his Circumcision he is called Iesus It is therefore meete that you know how Iesus is Immanuel or God with vs. The writing of the Name of IESVS is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ihsuh though according to the rules of the pronunciation of that tongue Iesu and according to the ancient abbreuiation following the Hebrue orthography IHTS In which Name you see are al the letters of the greatest ineffable Name of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehouah with the interposition of that letter of rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉