Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	certain_a	deserve_v	great_a	50	3	2.1268	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20943	A treatise of the knovvledge of God, as excellently as compendiously handled by the famous and learned divine, Peter Du Moulin, late minister of the Reformed Church in Paris, and professor of theologie in the Vniversitie of Sedan. Faithfully translated out of the originall by Robert Codrington, Master of Arts; De cognitione Dei. English	Du Moulin, Pierre, 1568-1658.; Codrington, Robert, 1601-1665.	1634 (1634)	STC 7321; ESTC S118646	41,950	94

Earth the Beasts of the Forrest come out of their Dens and the young Lyons reare after their prey but as soone as the Sunne ariseth they hide themselues in their Dennes and dare not come forth but Man then goeth forth unto his worke and to his labour untill the Evening Indeed when the darke mist of Ignorance overspreads the Earth Satan and his Ministers triumph securely like unruly Beasts but as soone as the Sunne of the word of God hath begunne to shine they fly away that hate the truth then doe the godly goe forth unto their labour untill the Evening that is they labour in the service of God and the exercise of good workes untill by a happy Death they arriue to the evening of their life To come therefore to the true and saving knowledge of God wee haue need of another master and more bright instructions then those which are learned out of the workes of the Creation or borrowed from humane reason It was not enough for those Wise men to haue sought the Cradle of the Redeemer to haue had the conduct of a Star but they must further be instructed by the testimony of the Prophets did we exactly understand the greatnesse of the Stars their motions their vertues and their distance wee should never come by these directions unto God unlesse the voyce of God should withall informe us in the instructions of the Prophets and the Apostles therefore the Psalmist in the 19. Psalme after hee had said That the Heavens declare the glory of God attributing so great an eloquence to the heavenly bodies although but speechlesse that not a nation under heaven but heares them he presently passeth to the Law of God leading us by the hand to a better master to more cleare and certaine instructions the Law of God saith hee is entire converting the soule the testimony of the Lord is true giving wisedome to the Simple Neither doe these things appertaine to excuse those who being taught by the onely workes of God haue not attained to the knowledge of him for although without the instructions and the conduct of the Word of God they could not attaine to such a knowledge of him as is sufficient to salvation yet they are justly condemned because they fought against the generall notions of Nature and endeavoured to put out her light neither vsed the instructions of the creatures to that advantage which they might wherefore they are convinced by Saint Paul in the first of the Romanes For suppressing the Truth and detayning it in vnrighteousnesse and because that when they knew God they did not glorifie him as God Neither sinned they onely by their ignorance but also by their perversenesse and their pride as the same Apostle in the second of the Coloss who saith That hee who fals off from the service of God to the worshipping of Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth intrude into those things which hee hath not seene vainely putt up by his fleshly mind and in the 1. of the Rom. hee saith When they profest themselues wise they became fooles and were therefore delivered over to vile affections By this I thinke it is evidently shewed wherefore besides the instructions which wee learne out of the workes of Creation and Providence wee haue need of another doctrine to wit the word of God But wherefore God who could without the preaching of the Word convert our hearts and immediately infuse into them the knowledge of himselfe had rather leade us to the knowledge of himselfe and by this knowledge to Salvation by his Word it is not curiously to bee sought into For God who reserues the reason of his Counsailes to himselfe and is not subject unto any is not to bee called to an account neither is it for man to argue with God neverthelesse the reason of this divine Counsell is evident and it is easie enough to assigne the Cause for be cause Death entered into the World by the eare it pleased God that the doctrine of Salvation should enter in by the same way too And because that Man fell by beleeving the words of the Devill it was fitting that man should bee raised from his fall by beleeving the Word of God for it was requisite that contrary evils should be cured by contrary Remedies wherefore God sends us by Esay the Prophet to the Law and to the Prophets pronouncing that it cannot be that without these the morning Light should shine on any and in Luk. 16 Abraham teacheth us That it is in vaine to haue recourse unto the dead and to expect Revelations from thence when we haue at hand the Law and the Prophets Neither is it to be doubted but that Christ restoring sight unto the blind by annoynting his eyes with spittle did secretly therby intimate that only that which proceedeth from his mouth illuminates the understanding and scatters the darkenesse of naturall ignorance Hence it is that in the history of the old new Testament there are found examples of some holy men whom God chastised with blindnesse as Ahia the Prophet or with dumbnes as Zachary the father of Iohn Baptist but of a religious man whom hee strooke with deafenesse and from whom hee tooke the sense by which his Word should bee conveyed unto him there is not any Example in the Scriptures but the Devill is called the deafe Spirit in the Gospell because they who are possessed with him doe deafe their eares at the Word of God This Word of God was first delivered by the Oracle of his voice afterwards God so pleasing it was commended to us in writing and engraven in publicke Tables that it might neither bee raz'd by Oblivion corrupted by Errour or prophaned by reprobate Rashnesse this is the Booke which by excellence is called THE BIBLE as if other bookes valued with this did not deserue to bee called Bookes But among many and great Authorities which confirme the credit and prerogatiue of the holy Scripture that testimony is most certaine and aboue others of greatest efficacie which the Holy Ghost doth giues it unto it to wit the secret power of the Spirit with hidden stings piercing the hearts of those that heare and reade it a power aboue all reason infinite to expresse which in fitting accents all Eloquence is dull all language barren and words doe faint and faulter under the greatnesse of the thing Let Demosthenes be read or Princeps Romani Tullius Eloquij Tully the reputed Prince Of the Roman Eloquence Onely while they are read they doe affect there being a kind of soft harmony and gentle titillation that stroakes the eare but when the hearer is departed the sense of that delight departeth also as the face is seene no more in the glasse when the person is retired from it But if there bee a faithfull and attentiue hearer or reader of the Word of God it will sit deepe within him and graven in his heart bee euer present breathing forth Diuinities governing the affections cheering the

A TREATISE OF THE KNOVVLEDGE OF GOD As excellently as compendiously handled by the famous and learned Divine PETER DV MOVLIN late Minister of the Reformed Church in Paris and Professor of Theologie in the Vniversitie of Sedan Faithfully translated out of the Originall By ROBERT CODRINGTON Master of Arts. This is life eternall to know thee to be the onely very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Iohn 17. LONDON Printed by A. M. and are to be sold by William Sheares at the signe of the Harrow in Britaines-Bursse and at his shop neere Yorke-house 1634. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND vertuous Lady Alice Countesse of Darby Strange Le Knocking Vice-Countesse of Kinton c. RIGHT HONOVRABLE THe report and splendour of your Vertues haue encouraged mee to present these Papers into your honourable hand in which what my presumption hath offended my duety may excuse it being Religion to pay most homage unto those shrines which most Vertues have erected Fame so loudly celebrating your praises it were some rebellion in mee not to attend or infidelity not to believe her Story which pronounceth you the Mirrour and Blessing of this Age to bee as great a wonder as an example to Posterity eminent in all your actions which as they are advanced by your Greatnesse so they are crowned by your Goodnesse Goodnesse it selfe being so habituall unto you that it seemes she is become even your nature and may be called as much your complexion as your practice This is that which hath invited me to the Dedication of this Treatise to your Honour for to whom more worthily could I present it then to you whose life is a commentarie on it making Religion not your affectation but your most severe imployment and the excellence of your spirit although it workes you to a nobler height then our duller faculties can attaine unto yet the height of your Honour is still the humility of your Vertue and it is the last of your praises not to affect them This I have received from the mouth of Fame which I deliuer not to your eares but to the truth of your Story which parallels your love to Learning with the noblenesse of your other Vertues and preferres your love unto Religion aboue them Vouchsafe then Right Honourable to accept this Treatise not unworthy of so Noble a Patronage and if my devotion to your Honour can winne on your Goodnesse to pardon my Presumption the excellence of the Subject shall winne on your Iudgement to entertaine the Treatise in which there is no other errour to be found but that it is presented to the World and You by this rude hand of Your Honours most humbly deuoted R. C. The Translatour to the Readers THis Treatise needs not a Preface to entertaine you or encourage you the title it self is eloquent enough yet Custome expecteth that something should be spoken of the subject the Author and it were unmannerly besides at my first comming abroad to presse into your acquaintance without saluting you As there is nothing then more excellent than this Subject so there is no man that could discourse on it more excellently then the Author the Author abounding with the Subject and directing the understanding to that knowledge by which he wrote it The Atheist may here learne as well how to worship as to believe a Deity and reading the methode of his wisedome in the Characters of Nature may as well be convinced by Reason as Religion The Epicure may acknowledge the loose impiety of his Idoll pleasures and engaged in more holy and high devotions may performe no more homage to his pursive God The Recusant may perceive that Heaven is not to be bribed by his merites or his money but may here finde his salvation more cheape and certaine The Treatise is but small but what wants in the volume is supplyed in the Subject it was borne in the English aire though not in the English tongue this is the Fate of Bookes to be eloquent at first and to speake in variety of tongues the diversity of languages being by them promoted into a blessing and they seeme like so many inspirations and to be Prophets of that knowledge which our understandings all shall enjoy hereafter This then being so expert in other languages it was pitty me thought it should want his own and had only the power to perswade me to this work attended with a desire which I had by the imparting of our Authors knowledge to improve your owne a desire which where they are legible in earnest can excuse absurdities and even sanctify the Errours but I write an Epistle not an Apology and am neither doubtfull of mine owne integrity or indulgent to the faults of others whom I am so farre from flattering that I must pronounce to excuse them is a sacriledge and to conceale them the lowdest slander these are they who with impure hands doe translate themselves into their Authors papers and deprived of their native glories doe present them to the world in their owne deformities they disguise their beauties in those accents they would advance them as if our language was either too dull or too stubborn to expresse them and Eloquence was onely confined unto France nay so delicate is their impudence that it attempteth only the choycest Excellencies and the rarest of Authors have the leasure to repent their miserable Eloquence but such is the vertue and the happinesse of learning that from hence shee hath receiv'd incouragements it being an addition to her glory to be admir'd by all and being prais'd by Ignorance from the mouth of her enemy she becomes more fruitfull The Sunne forbeares not to impart his beames because they draw up clouds which doe as much obscure his beauty as expresse his power and these lights of Learning continue still their illuminating influences though those guilty shaddowes doe invade them and conscious of the vertue that did attract them they doe rather forgive then suppresse their splendour But the workes of this our Author being as rich in substance as in beauty are able to carry their owne strength and light through all the defects of a rude Interpreter this piece onely of all his Labours lay almost forgotten and hid from observation which being set forth by so divine a hand and in such perfect colours I thought it some religion in me to draw the curtaine and to present it to the publike view wherein if I have satisfyed you it shall be new honour unto me that I have fulfill'd with all the desire of goodnesse which is to communicate her selfe and obeyd her inclinations as Ambitious of your best prosperity Codrington ERrours are all but privations the Translators absence and the Printers hast gave these leave to appeare which their review hath thus called in Pag. 3 lin 1. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 5 lin 12. for incensed r. insensed pag. 6 lin 9. for the great r. the so great

indued them with abilities as to set forward God and helpe him in his worke So that of necessity we must stay at some one who wanteth not the ayde of any and from whom all things are who seeing that of nothing hee hath made all things cannot but bee of an Infinite Power since from Nothing to Something there is an infinite disproportion for sottishly profane is that ridiculous insolence of the Epicure Velleius who in the first Booke of Cicero Of the Nature of the Gods deriding the Creation demandeth what was the foundation what were the tooles what were the Leavers who were the Apprentices in so great a worke Besides the Mistery of Numbers convinceth plainely that there was a beginning of the World and therevpon that it was created by God for every Number ariseth from vnity when therefore dayes are numbred it must needes bee that there was one first Day and therevpon one first Conversion of the heaven for there is no number infinite in Act neither can there bee Dayes infinite in number for if any number were infinite the number of ten would infinitely fill vp that infinite number from whence it would follow that five would arise no oftner then ten and that one halfe would bee no lesse then twice as much nay in that infinite number there would be as many tennes as vnityes which surely cannot stand together and imply a contradiction Besides the terme of life and proportions of men so much contracted in respect of the vigour and the Stature of our forefathers doe not obscurely testifie that there was one first Man and one primary perfection from which by staires Generations haue descended for the Diminution of things cannot bee infinite for should wee runne them over in the Ages past vnto Infinitie wee should at length advance Man vnto a Stature higher then heaven it selfe The Scope of all this is that by Arguments borrowed from the light of humane Reason although but clouded and dusky wee may teach that as the beames of Light shed over all the World doe flow from one beginning namely the Sunne and as Numbers proceede all from vnity and in the body of Man as all the Arteryes and Vitall facultyes proceede from one heart so every Being doth depend and is sustained by one Chiefe and Soveraigne Beeing who should hee withold or but withdraw his Vertue and his Influence All things presently would dissolue and returne into their ancient Nothing No otherwise than if the Sunne being taken from vs whatsoever there is of Light would bee turned into Darkenesse Now if any should demand what moved God to put his hand vnto this Worke the answer is ready For God made all things for himselfe and was mooued with no other consideration than with his owne Loue For God is not onely the efficient Cause of all things but the finall also as the Apostle witnesseth in the second of the Hebrewes where hee alledgeth that God is for whom and by whom all things are All things are for God as hee is the End of all things and most Good all things are by God as hee is the efficient Cause of all things and most great Deseruedly therefore doe wee title God Most Good Most Great but first most Good before most Great for hee is most Good as hee is the End for the End is alwayes the foremost in the Intention and the Efficient Cause is but mooued by it Seeing therefore there is no Reasonable or Intellectuall Agent which vndertaketh any thing without proposing to himselfe the End which ever appeareth Good the most chiefe and Soveraigne AGENT could not worke but for the last and best End And seeing there is nothing better then God nay Seeing all things whatsoever are Good come from God God could not worke for any other End but for himselfe And seeing there is nothing that should bee rather pourtrayed or represented in a picture then what doth seeme most beautifull God who is the first Beauty and the first Light was pleas'd to draw his owne Picture and as in Phidias his Minerva the Artist himselfe hath imprinted in his worke an vndefac'd resemblance of himselfe But seeing now of things created part are Bodies part are Spirits and immateriall Substances among the Spirits the Angels are most eminent next vnto which are the Soules of Men among the Bodyes the first Heaven is aboue all most honourable Wherefore when God in all his creatures hath imprinted some tracks of his power and his wisedome the Spirits by a more speciall priviledge have ingraven in them the image of himselfe and that not drawne by a pencil as Painters vse expressing onely Colours and proportions but such an image as is beheld in a Glasse which represents euen our motions and our Actions For God hath powred into Spirits the Light of vnderstanding and knowledge of the Truth which is as a certaine sparke of the Diuine Light hee hath adorned their Wills whose faculty it is to mooue and produce Actions with Holinesse and Righteousnesse hee hath conferred on them Immortality and a liberty of choyce which are the Lineaments of the Diuine Image and Resemblances of God himselfe Which image of God as it is the most glorious ornament of the Intellctuall creature so there is nothing more vgly than the deformation of it which is occasioned when the Soule the eye of the vnderstanding beeing pulled out by Ignorance and the lineaments of this Image beeing soiled by Vice is turned into a Monster and beeing hated by God hath rendred it selfe so miserable by its owne default that it is not any wayes worthy of the Mercy of God For as the Image of a King stampt on siluer with much rubbing and often fretting against the Ground becomes defaced so in our soules the image of God is deformed addicted to earthly things and as it were wallowed in the mire they are turn'd away from divine contemplation and from the Love of God Nay and in the first body too which is heaven God hath imprinted certaine tokens I had almost sayd a certaine Image of himselfe For God hath turned it into a roundnesse an imitation of his diuine infinitenesse because this figure hath neither beginning nor ending and in the same first Body hee hath engraven no obscure resemblances of his immobility and eternall Rest a rest which is yet notwithstanding in continuall motion For although the Heaven is continually mooved by Parts while one Part doth succeede another so it is that the whole Body resteth neither is it mooved from its place Hee hath also placed in the heavens an imitation of his Power disposing of his Worke in such a method that the elementary bodyes are governed by the heavenly and superiour bodyes worke into the inferiour their powerfull influences And indeed most true is that of Aristotle in his second Booke de Gen. Cap. 10. That the perpetuall durance and continuance of things ought to be imputed to the simple daily motion of the Sun from the East into

heart and finally renewing the whole Man But because this testimony is onely perceiued by those whom God hath endowed with his Spirit in whom the letter of the Word dead in it selfe is quickned and as it were sharpened by the Spirit of God in vaine with this weapon doe wee fight against the prophane who deride and reject what ever they haue not experienced and measure the power and vertue of God by their owne sottishnesse how euer besides this efficacy of the Scripture there are many things more which can stop the mouthes of Infidells and giue both authority and beliefe to the holy Scripture And first of all there is no other booke which in such a simplicity of language hath so great a Majesty speaking vnto Kings and Subjects with equall Authority for men howsoever they bee vnequall in dignity compared among themselues compared to God they bee all equall As the Mountaines and the Vallies make both one plaine in the Globe of Earth when Earth is compared vnto heaven Satan the Ape of God imitating this Simplicity whiles hee affects the roughnesse of the Stile could not attaine the Majesty if it hee fancied the Etrurian discipline and the Salian verses in a rude and rugged phrase but he forbade them to be publish'd as being ashamd of his owne doctrine nay he could not bee believed among his owne Priests to whom he did entrust his Mysteries whereupon Cato was wont to say that hee wondred how one Southsayer looking on another could refraine from laughter because acknowledging among themselues the impostures of their profession by a secret combination they would neverthelesse counterfet themselues as serious Againe it is remarkeable that every booke bee it never so ancient Compared to the antiquitie of the Bible will bee found but of a late edition the Grecians fed on Acornes yea their Names were scarce knowen in the World when Moses wrote his five bookes intituled the Pentatenche with which all the Philosophy in the World cannot compare Homer and Hesiod the most ancient of the Greeke Poets liued at least a hundred and fifty yeares after David yet Davids inspired Poems are distant as far from Homers as heaven from Earth or the fables of man from the truth of God neither doth Plato dissemble in the beginning of his Timaeus that the Aeygptians would say that the Grecians were alwayes boyes who neuer could bee men of Age as being altogether ignorant of true Antiquitie Why should I heere rehearse the most stupendious miracles and with what a Majestie the Law was pronounced what were the wonders in Aegypt and the Wildernes and those not actedin a corner or before but a few witnesses but all Aegypt both beholding and repining at it and before the eyes of sixe hundred thousand armed Men and the most mightie Nation that was fed with Manna which followed the pillar of fire conducting them and heard the voice of the trumpet who with horror did behold the burning mountaine and flames of fire whirling high as heauen invironed with waving smokes and thicke clouds of rowling darkeenesse And that no man may conceiue that this was feigned by Moses in fauour of the Israelites with most terrible threatnings he thunders against that nation and every where convinceth them of folly and pride and Rebellion against God himselfe Now with what integritie Moses wrote this it is apparent that hee conceales not his owne offences but rehearseth the chastisement wherewith God afflicted him and that hee was commanded to die on the borders of the promised land because hee beleeued not the voice of God And how farre hee was from Ambition wee may see by this that hee would not haue his sonnes succeede him in his Governement but elected Ioshua that was of another tribe And how small the dignity of Moses sonnes was among the pirests wee may learne out of Iosephus lib. 1. Orig. cap. 11. Who recites that in the distribution of sacred things which was made by Dauid the charge which Moses posteritie had was but the keeping of the treasurie and the Gifts which were offered in the temple Neither must wee leaue out the Antiquitie and Certaintie of the prohecies for by what inspiration could Esay foretell the name of Cyrus and that hee should bee a deliuerer of the Iewes 160 yeares before Cyrus was borne Or what other but the Spirit of God could foretell to Ieroboam that a King should bee borne of the Stocke of David Iosias by name who should overthrow and demolish their profaner Alters and that three hundred fiftie and sixe moneths before it was done What shall I say of Ieremie who expresselie set downe the 70 yeares of Captivitie in Babilon What of Daniell who from the restauration of Ierusalem to the death of Christ precisely numbers seventie weeks of yeares that is 490 yeares the predictions of the same Daniell of the foure Empires and of the Kings Seluci seeme rather to bee histories then prophecies Which may bee affirmed also of the prophecies of Esai of whom Saint Hierom in his Epistle to Paulinus saith that hee seemes rather to bee an Evangelist then a Prophet these things certainely could not bee suggested into the Prophets by any other then by him onely who as hee hath a foresight of all things so hee hath an insight also and knows them well because that hee will doe them The dignity therfore of holy Scripture is above all hazard or doubt of opposition and the authority of it is so great that Christ himselfe greater then the Law and who inspired the Prophets was accustomed to defend himselfe with the testimony of the Law and Prophets against the Pharisees and therefore when many in defence of the authority of the sacred Scripture have sacrificed their lives there is no man found that in defence of Platoes or Aristotles opinion yet ever ventured to encounter death Indeed I could be content to say that Cleombrotus the Ambrocian was Platoes Martyr who as Cicero in his third Tusculan doth relate having read the Booke of Plato entituled Phaedo where Socrates neere unto death disputes of the immortality of the Soule did force himselfe into a headlong death this man I say might bee called the Martyr of Plato had he done this in any hope of salvation to be attained by Platoes meanes and not through the tediousnesse of life Now the bookes of the mysteries of the Aegyptians and the Religion of the Druids are perished the Hetrurian Discipline is extinguished and the Verses of the Sybills are abolished only the holy Writ hath remained untouched as having God its Authour neither to extinguish it could prevaile the horrible insolence of Antiochus Epiphanes or the impious cunning of Iulian Caesar or the pernicious writings of Lucian and Porphyrius nay these execrable persons were the admirable examples of the Divine Iustice It is knowne how Antiochus Epiphanes constrained to raise his Siege and abandon Elemais through griefe of mind in the flower of his age and Kingdome breath'd forth