VERBA DIERVM OR THE DAYES REPORT OF GODS GLORY As it hath beene delivered some yeeres since at Foure Sermons or Lectures vpon one Text in the Famous Vniversity of OXFORD And since that time somewhat Augmented And is now commended vnto All Times to be Augmented and Amended By EDWARD EVANS Priest and Minister of The Lord Our God PSAL 8. ver 2. Out of the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings c. HAS 2. 24. The Earth shall be or is filled with the Knowledge of the Glory of God as the Waters cover the Sea BERNARD Siquis torpet de Dei Laude certissimum vabetin se experimentum quòd non habeat in se Spiritum Sanctum AT OXFORD Printed by Ioseph Barnes 1615. TO THE HONOVR AND GLORY OF THE HOLIEST OF ALL THE ALMIGHTIE AND MOST HIGH KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS SVPREAME HEAD OVER ALL EMPEROVR OF HEAVEN LIGHTS FATHER DAYES PROGENITOR AND THE INVISIBLE FOVNTAINE OF ALL GLORY In Endevoured Return◠of Thankfulnes For All His Glory Conferred Revealed Exhibited Declared Proffered Promised Expected by to or vpon Any of his reatures Particularly for the Knowledge of Salvation by through the Day-Springs Visitation from on High The Divine VVords Mediation conveighed from Divine to Humane Enunciation and by the Instruments of All kinde of VVords and of any Speech or Language derived vnto people of All Tongues and Languages Especially to the Gentiles and to the Poore People of the Yles and of the North among the rest to vs Britaines English-Saxons Scots and Irish HIS MOST VNWORTHY AND VNPROFITABLE SERVANT POORE WORME OF HIS CREATION SLAVE OF HIS REDEMPTION BABE OF HIS INSTRVCTION EARTH OF HIS EXALTATION AND DVST AND ASHES OF HIS GLORI FICATION BY HIS ASSISTANCE MOST HVMBLY CRAVING MERCIFVLL ACCESSE AND ACCEPTATION DOETH DEDICATE AND CONSECRATE THIS DAYES REPORT AND DECLARATION Faults of Omission and Commission Pag. 31. lin 1. For tations which may not c Read tations which are brought vpon these few words Because I see none of them which may not c. p. 32. l. vlt. p. 33. l. 1. blot out these wordes Et quod visum est in vna aestate principiū est ad sciendum in alia p. 33. l. 25. For their read the. p. 71. l. 15. 20 for That which we falsly call c read That which foolish Io in Plato soone confuted by wise Socrates would haue to be the Subiect of his Rapsodian Art that which we falsly call c. p. 82. l. 9. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some copies read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 84. l 6. for Nomanclator read Nomenclator p. 87. l. 26. for who as read who as p. 89. l. 1. for thee read the. p. 92. l. 26. for persectiō read perfection p. 126. l. 1. for And read As. p. 129. l. 24. for Christ Crucified read Christ was Crucified p. 135. l. 9. blot out such ib. l. 10. for Light-Angels read Light Angels p. 162. l. 3. for acquinted read acquainted p. 169. l. 23. for then read even p. 30. l. 11. for Night Issue read Night-Issue THE DAYES REPORT OF GODS GLORY PSALM 19. VERSH 2. One Day Telleth another c. IT is GOD saith the Prophet David that teacheth mā knowledge knowledge of GOD and of himselfe This lesson of Knowledge did man then first begin to take whē he was first taken out of the dust of the earth and began to be a Living Soule Siquidem à primordio reram conditor earum cum ipsis pariter compertus est ipsis ad hoc prolatis vt Deus cognosceretur saith Tertullian For that which was forbidden man in the beginning was not knowledge simply but Knowledge of Good and Evill that which was a privation rather of his knowledge in causing a deprivation of his happie estate This lesson of Knowledge begun to bee taught man in the beginning and yet not as yet ended when the end of all things is at hand hath beene by GOD divers sundry waies delivered vnto man as he that knoweth all things and knoweth all things best knewe it to be most convenient for that Scholler whom hee had made by his word and his commandment yet hath much adoe to make him a Scholler for all his worde and all his commandements First GOD dealt with man as with a child of small capacitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as S. Chrysostome speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First GOD spake vnto vs by the world by The Booke of the world or The Booke of Nature by all the workes which he had made This maner of GODS teaching of vs and speaking vnto vs the Prophet David here declareth in the six first verses of this Psalme So then these words of my Text are some part of The Booke of the World where Nights are as it were the Blacke Inkie Lines of learning Dayes the White Lightsome Spaces betweene the Lines where GOD hath Imprinted a very legible Delineation of his Glory And whereby GOD teacheth mā knowledge evē now too after that Knowledge Cognitio Sancta the Knowledge the Holy Knowledge of the Lord is encreased according to the prophecy of Daniel Dan. 12. 4. and that Act. 2. the seaventeenth and the eighteenth verses alleaged out of the Prophet Ioel. Yea even very now doth GOD teach man knowledge by the Booke of the World when as the Booke of his Word lyeth before vs. This booke directing vs vnto that booke and that booke leading vs vnto to this and all to make Good Schollers of vs if such rare and excellent Bookes may beget any learning in vs. It is written then in the booke of GOD wrought by GOD in the booke of the world One Day Telleth another So that whether we wil learne it by wrote or else by the Booke the booke of GOD or the booke of the world we haue our choice Thinke not then my deere Brethren either this or the knowledge of GOD to bee any hard lesson for you to learne and take it not for any Eleophuge or Bricke wall For as yee haue heard it is written not onely in the Bible but in the booke of the world too where are no Turkish Characters no Hebrew points no Greeke manuscript Abbreviations to trouble you much lesse any multitude of Lines or Angles to disharten you Only One Day Telleth another Of which that we may the better bee informed our liues thereby if it please GOD to dispense vnto vs so large a measure of his grace amended and reformed May it please you to obserue with me but two or three things First what is The meaning of these words One Day Telleth another where yee shal perceaue what is meant by The Daies and what by their Telling one another Or if yee list to divide this First Generall Part into two The First shall be of the Meaning of the words The Second of The Maner of the Daies Telling one another The Maner of their Speech
were not so yet the Cause of retaining it being so ordained is not none at all We know not all the Divels craft his purpose may be againe to induce and then to maintaine old heresies As at this day we see Arrianisme about to creepe into the Christiā world againe and now and then to peepe vp his head And t' is not good for vs to bee vnprovided of our former furniture and because we haue no warre to fling away our weapons Againe another reason of not relinquishing or disvsing this most excellent Epiphoneme is that which now we haue in hand even the oftner repetition and more frequent commemoration of the Glory of God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Gbost A reason sufficient if it had beene even of the first ordeining of it And so drawing neerer to my Text to you too Beloued Beloued I beseech you that you would bee very frequent in giuing Glory vnto God by your words and communication and to bee so farre from thinking it tedious and tiresome vnto you to bee alwaies cōversant in this one Subiect as that you would esteeme it the chiefe Glory of your Speech to haue it seasoned with the often mention of Gods Glory thinking your lippes so much the happier the oftner his Praise the praise of his Glory passeth through them Haec placuit semel haec decies repetita placebit For how else may you be thought loath to bee alwaies conversant in setting forth Gods Glory by your good Conversation to which also wee are all bounden and of which wee spake before to whom it shall be so tedious to be tyed but in words only to so Glorious a Subiect About which we should bee alwaies turning and returning tanquam rota versa reversa sempèr circa idem centrum like a wheele about the same point or centre continually yea and which ought to bee vnto vs as a charmed circle where all our spirits for ever should be enchanted So should wee bee reputed worthy instruments of Gods Glory plectratum semper instrumentum c and like an instrument alwaies ready strung obediently to sound forth and to resound what song our master requireth the song of his own Praise and Glory though he demand it never so often One Day telleth a word vnto another The word of God and so the Glory of GOD too The Word of GOD is either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mentall or Enuntiatiue This word of God is The revealed will of God That the Inmost word the Minde or Essentiall will of God This Verbum Christi That verbum Christus as S. Austin speaketh Either of these words is by One Day told vnto another 1 For the first it is manifest first out of that Ps 119. Lamed v. 1. O Lord thy Word endureth for ever in heaven Then Revelatio fit non solùm per doctrinam sedetiam per opera The wil of God is revealed not only by Doctrine but by the workes of God too According to that in the 19 th and 20 th Verses of the first to the Romanes And that in the 17 th and 18 th Verses of the tenth to the Romanes where the Apostle saith Hearing is by the Word of God But I demand haue they not heard No doubt their sound went out through all the Earth their words into the endes of the World alleaging the 4 th Verse of this Psalme Where wee may note how the Apostle proueth The Hearing of the Word of God by The Hearing of their words as if their Words were the Word of God Their words that is The Dayes Words too among the rest which necessarily and most naturally must be meant by that place in this Psalme How they had any Word of God which they might be said to heare who happily were not within hearing of the Prophets or Apostles S. Chrysostome teacheth vs as in the already alleaged places out of him in my second Sermō so also at large on the first chapter to the Romanes where hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c Did God send downe a voice from heaven vnto them No. saith he But that which might prevaile more with them then such a voice that did he hee set forth his Creatures and displaied them openly to the view of all that they by their sight vnderstanding the sightlinesse of things visible might so mount vp to the invisible God And againe in that which next shall bee alleaged out of S. Chrysostome As also Athanasius in the Fragments of him saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haue those workes creatures of God which are mute dumb yet no voice or speech at all Yes saith he their admirable feature is a kind of talking of theirs and their beautie and Eutaxie or goodly Order is as it were a sound or voice of theirs Hence arise two Observations One touching our selues the other concerning the Heathen For our selues by this Word of God reported by the Dayes wee may note how negligent wee are or else how ignorant of the Whole Word the whole Revealed word of God The things revealed belonging to vs and to our children for ever Deut. 29. 29. for as if there were no Word of God but only writtē in paper so passe we over lightly what ever of Gods word is written imprinted stamped and engraven in his workes Whereas this also ought highly to be esteemed and regarded by vs. Especially whereas the Booke of the Scripture is the renewing repairing and restoring of the Booke of the World like vnto the renewing of the two Tables of the Testimony Exod. 34 after that the first were broken And t' is no good part in a Scholer as soone as he hath a new Booke straight waies to fling away the Old especially hee hauing not yet throughly learned the old For GOD hath indeed set the World in their hart yet cannot man findout the works that GOD hath wrought frō the beginning even to the end Which one of late though no Divine yet divinely hath interpreted of the Supreame and Summary law of Nature And when wee haue done all that we can to finde out Gods Glory by his Workes we may still say with Iob Lo these are part of his waies but how little a portion heare we of him And as t' is in Ecclesiasticus cap. 43. v. 30 31 32 There are hid yet greater things then these be and we haue seene but a few of his workes The other Observation concerneth the Heathen How inexcusable this Word of God reported by the Dayes maketh them An Observation drawne by S. Chrysostome out of my Text and the Texts about it as appeareth by his exposition on the twentith verse of the first to the Romanes where hauing alleaged the first part of the first verse of this Psalme he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
end in the same manner that I begun with the Manner of the Dayes telling one another with their Harmony together I beseech you let it not bee verified of the Day in respect of vs which Clemens Alexandrinus hath of the grashoppers in respect of Eunomus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They sang vnto the All wise God a better song and made him better melody by wrought then did Eunomus withall his skill and modulation So let not the Dayes Harmony being but in such a Manner being but by wrought exceede ours who learne by the Book too the word of God yea and who haue the Law of God to teach vs too The vndefiled Law of God converting the soule The Testimony yea the Testament of the Lord which is sure giueth wisdome vnto the simple The Statutes of the Lord which are right and reioice the hart The Commandement of the Lord which is pure and giueth light vnto the eies The Iudgements of the Lord which are true and righteous altogether More to be desired are they then gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also then hony the hony combe Moreover 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etiam over aboue that he is taught by the Booke of Nature or the Booke of the World by them is thy servant taught in keeping of them there is great Reward Teach vs them and teach vs by them and by the other O Lord God which teachest man knowledge Teach vs O Lord how to keepe them keepe thou that great Reward for vs which by They keeping of them thou hast purchased for vs O Lord our Strength our Redeemer THE DAYES REPORT OF GODS GLORY PSALM 19. VERSH 2. One Day Telleth another or One Day telleth a word vnto another c. AT the first handling of these words Right Worshipfull and all alike welbeloved in Christ Iesus I proposed to your godly considerations 3. generall parts The first was the Meaning of the words The second the MaÌ„ner of the Dayes speech The third the Matter or the Subiect of their speech About the two first were spent the two first Sermons Now remaineth that by GODS gracious assistance and your great good patience the rest be taken vp by the Matter or the Subiect of their speech The Subiect then if we take it more properly is that which we falsely call the Subiect of Logick even Res Omnes All Things Which Logitians like Sophisters mainetaine to bee the End of Logique For then Res Omnes All Things beareth with them no other meaning then Res Aliquae Some Things For so they expound their Res Omnes to be Rerum omnium conceptus qui primi conceptus siue primae notiones appellari solent And hee should be a mad fellow that should take the conceipts or names of things to be All things and so impiously collect that more liuing things haue beene of mans making then of GODS because in the second of Genesis man gaue the other living things their names although GOD gaue them their formes whence they had both to be and to be named And so it will proue in the end that Res Omnes All things are not Logicks Subiect no not any Thing at all is the Subiect thereof vnlesse Logicke will bee content to take things in conceipt or Names insteed of things as wont it is to be fed with Demonstrations when as some other carieth away the Effects They must then leaue Res Omnes All things to be the Subiect of One Dayes speech vnto another the Subiect of his Glory who made All things out of Nothing and by working on so barren a Subiect gaue each Day as plentiful a Subiect to declare on as all Things are And yet if we take the Subiect more improperly for the End t' is but one thing that is here the Subiect even The Glory of GOD that endlesse Ende wherefore all things are and doe continue This therefore is no Adequate Subiect with which neither All things nor All Reports can match in Exequation much lesse can make any true ExaggeratioÌ„ thereof but only by a true Antiphrasis This Subiect also if we goe no farther theÌ„ The Booke of the World or The Dayes Grammar is the Only Part or Parts of Speech that the Day hath As it were to teach vs That all the parts of our Speech should bee so declined and vndeclined in respect of Good and Evill That they should at no time swerue or Decline from Gods Glory This the Grammar of the Scripture Telleth vs too That whatsoever we doe wee should doe all to the Glory of GOD And That Our Speech should be so seasoned as that it may Minister Grace vnto the Hearers And here first I admonish all who vndertake any Matter or Subiect to speake or to write of especially the Poets and Criticks of these dayes to learne here of the Dayes what Matter to treat to write of Especially wheras they are not ignoraÌ„t that God hath created every man for his Glory Isa 43. 7. And therefore not to imploy his wit or weare out his time otherwise What a shame then is it for ChristiaÌ„ Poets to choose vnto themselues no better Subiects then they doe the most of them in so much that t' is a shame even to name those things whereof they write A great scandall Beloued to Christianitie and a fowle eie-sore to those that are without Happily to make the best of it Quicquid agunt homines votum timor ira voluptas Gaudia discursus nostri farrago libelli est But as for GOD and their Creatour hee is as farre off from their Matter as they are farre off from him who notwithstanding as Theognis saith is to bee proposed to vs in our poetrie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First and Last and betweene both And here I cannot but commend vnto you and to your imitation Saluste Du Bartus a Poet aboue the ordinary levell of the world for the choice of his subiect most rare and excellent and such as is the Dayes Subiect here in my Text. Or else shall I rather commend vnto you our Prophet David here who throughout this whole Booke of Psalmes maketh the praise and glory of GOD to be stil the sugar-burden of his song the inscription of the whole booke being The Deciphering of Gods Praises But where shall I find a Criticke whom I may coÌ„mend vnto you for the like so like are they all vnto those of whom t' is said in the Psalm 78. 33. Their daies did he consume in vanity They wast their wits spend out their whole life time many of theÌ„ in vaine toyes and trifles A worthy Subiect surely to treate of whether it ought to be Vergil or Virgil Carthaginâ—enses or Carthaginenses Preimus or Primus Intellego or Intelligo And in that verse of Invenall Qui Laccdaemonium pitysmate lubricat orbem whether it be to be read pitysmate or pygismate or pitylismate or pedemate or poppismate or pyreismate
haue in the shining face of Moses as also in the surface of the brightest bodies But in his goodnesse hee would not That so hee might the more communicate his goodnesse vnto man by imparting so much the more and more ready knowledge of the innumerable parts of that glory which surpasseth knowledge Hence hath our good GOD provided vs of that Booke I told you of in the beginning then tearmed The Booke of the World but now is it become The Booke of GODS glory too A Booke of golden Similitudes of GODS glory yea and a Book gloriously garnished with the Images therof According as every thing approacheth more or lesse to the highest perfection Some bearing the very Image thereof but every thing some way or other resembling it and bearing likenesse if not liking therevnto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Damascen And here we may obserue that which Moller hath well noted on my Text and the verse aforegoing Athanasius also saying that David in this Psalme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reprehendeth those that worship the creature aboue or besides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 besides the Creatour we may I say obserue how vaine foolish their superstition is who must needs forsooth haue Images to put them in mind of GOD for that is their Achilles for the defense of them when as GOD hath for the same purpose set before vs and exhibited to our view and due consideration the Heavens and the Firmament the Day and the Night yea and the whole state of things created that by the ensignements of them and by such goodly monuments we should bee admonished of the Creatours most excellent glory and most glorious Excellencie Where neither is there a NomaÌ„clator waÌ„ting vnto vs. The names the natures the offices of all things their hid properties their proper vertues their vertuous endowments are all discovered vnto vs by the continuall Report that One Day vnto another and every Day vnto vs maketh of them Every Day and Night like so many Bedils still atteÌ„ding vs for the same purpose and to tell vs Such and such are the badges Such and such the traces of his glory There 's his Aeternitie There 's his Power There 's his wisdome There 's his Goodnes There 's his Truth There 's his Iustice There 's his Prouidence There 's his Mercy to be seene And so alike of all the Glorious attributes of GOD according as Calvin and Zanchius doe well agree That Speculum creaturarum patefacit singulas Dei virtutes The Booke or Mirrour of the world or of GODS Creatures discloseth vnto vs all the proper Attributes of GODS Glory So that what ever of these it be that they shall pretend to be put in minde of by their Images they are more and better put in minde of theÌ„ by all the works creatures of God Yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1. That which may be knowne or That which is lawfull and expedient to be knowne concerning God is manifest in them For the invisible things of him are seene by the Creation of the World they being considered or vnderstood by his Workes By his workes And so by Similitudes Images of Gods owne making Gods own warranting Gods owne appointing for that purpose for which they would haue pictures and Images of mans making to serue yea and of mans maintaining too against the expresse prohibition of God himselfe Vnlesse they will fly to that miserable shift base tricke of begging the question in Logique to haue the felling downe of the Second Commandement hand-smooth to be granted them A thing as much as any thing else to be stood on by vs till such time as they shall haue proved their Church to be of that nature of freehold For otherwise they fall vpon the dint of that Commandement so much the more by their Images because they say they haue them to put them in minde of God For the having of other things enough besides to doe that is a reason why we should not make Images for that purpose For to transgresse Gods Commandement lightly and needlesly is not a lighter sinne then to doe it vpon some kinde of Necessitie And that we haue other things enough besides to put vs in minde of God this 19. Psalme is sufficient to proue vnto vs. In the last verse whereof wee haue The Redemption of the world chiefly to remember vs of God of his Glory In the verses going before that vnto the sixt verse we haue the Statutes and Commandements of God doing the same also in that they convert the soule giue wisedome vnto the simple reioice the heart giue light vnto the eies and by them is Gods servant taught And that Commandement it selfe which forbiddeth Images as also foure other of the first together with the Preface make such often mention of God and of the Lord as if God had thereby purposely anticipated that Reason of the Papists heretofore of the heathen by telling them that that so often mentioning of his name and those his Commandements so pure so sure and so sweet as here the Prophet David calleth them must needes put them still in minde of God if they regarded those his CoÌ„mandements but so much as to remember them Thirdly we haue all The workes of God whatsoever Quiâ—quidagit Which Genebrard too vnderstandeth by the Iudgements of the Lord in the 9. verse but must needes be included within that which is in this second verse One Day telleth another Fourthly and lastly we haue all those Resemblances of the Creatour wherewith God that is all in all deigneth to dignifie all and every of his Creatures Which is reason sufficient why wee should not make any graven Image or the likenesse of any thing to put vs in minde of God especially those being vnto vs such bad Remembrancers of God when they so ill resemble him The Godhead being not like vnto gold or silver or stone graven by art and the invention of man as S. Paul said in the seaventeenth of the Acts. And whereas otherwise we haue even all the Workes Creatures of God better RemembraÌ„cers of God in as much as they are all better resemblers of his Glory There being not one of them all but as before was begun to be declared some way or other doth resemble him Omnis Creatura reprasentat euÌ„ qui est Trinitas saith Bonaventure every Creature resembleth yea represeÌ„teth God And Saptentia suam similitudinem diffundit vsque ad vltima rerum saith Thomas Aquinas God who is wisedome it selfe diffuseth the similitude of himselfe even to the lowest the least and last of all things And as Zanchius saith Nulla quidem res est quae non aliquam cum Deo similitudinem habeat quia omnis effectus similitudinem aliquam habeat cum sua causa necesse est Ita fit vt nihil sit in mundo in quo non aliquod Dei divinaeque bonitatis vestigium
your Old Dayes Dayes of your Greatest Infirmities after so many Successions and when your Succeeding Impotencie shall exceed your Power that was his Predecessour I say you will not thē giue over Telling one another his Power that exceeds all others You will then Tell by your Waxing Old as doth a Garment how True hee is that gaue his Word you should doe so You will Pronounce His being still the Same by your being when you shall bee so Old so Diverse His Extolling by your Falling downe His Enduring by your Perishing The Dilatation the Explication and Vnfolding of his Praise by your being Folded vp Heb. 1. 12 Rowled together What shall I say that you Will say I know not how much you doe Now Tell. How then can I foretell how much you will Thē Tell vnto Gods Glory Only this I know That you will Then Tell and More then you doe Now A Word vnto One another A Word of God that Endureth for Ever And the Elder you wax the more Talkitiue you will bee the more you decrease the more will your Glorifying Speech increase As reason is your Knowledge and Experience of Gods Glory ever more and more Increasing And here the Oldest Men of all may go to Schoole to the Oldest Times and Dayes and other of Gods Creatures much elder then themselues to Learne of them how to behaue themselues towards God in their Olde Age and when that their strength faileth them Not then to neglect and resigne to younger men the Service of Gods Glory Not then to doe that which they say Old mē may doe by Authority But what they ought to doe by the Authority of the Booke of Gods Glory Which requireth of them to cast away profane and olde Wiues Fables and to Tell as the Dayes doe true Tales of God Almighty such as may be vnto others insteede of Commentaries and Expositions of Gods Great Goodnesse Lingua cùm verum loqui caeperit id est Virtutem Maiestatemque Dei singularis interpretari tum demum officio naturae suae fungitur saith Lactantius Whē our Tongue vndertaketh to tell Truth that is to be an Interpreter of the Power and Maiesty of so Singular a God Then neuer but then doth it discharge his Naturall Functiō You therefore that be Old haue had for a long time Experience of Gods Power and Goodnesse and haue heard longer then others what One Day hath said thereof vnto another Be you Examples of Truth vnto others of setting forth Gods prayses and of Interpreting his Glory that so much the more the weaker that you grow That Gods Power may haue his Perfect Praise by making you so Strong in Praising him by your Goodnes when you are weake and haue one legge already in the graue yea and in your Sicknesse and your Death Then thinke too of your Crowne your Reward how neere you are vnto it how neere vnto the goale of Glory to the end of your race and that therefore yee ought not by any meanes to slacke your pace but to hasten it making it appeare vnto Gods Glory that it hath beene no forced Motion in you vnto Godlynesse Gloryfying Gods Name but a Naturall Swifter in the End then it was in the Beginning A fifth and necessarily the laste thing Enacted is the Laste Day and End of the world when the Power of God that Made the world shall bee Demonstrated as it were à Posteriore by the Dissolution and Destruction of the world by the laste Day the End of Time Determination of all Termes and Termers When the Hoste of Heaven shall be Dissolved Isai 34 When Gods Alpha shall returne to his Omega Dayes Temporall shall Cōmend his Praise to Day Eternall When his most wonderfull Power and Glory shall be seene in and by the Sonne of God himselfe Destroying the vngodly and preserving His that is the Godly in the middest of that Vniversall Conflagration and receiving them to Glory prefigured happily by the preservation of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the middest of the Extraordinarily Hcated Burning Fiery Furnace and afterwards promoting them whilest their Enemies were consumed by One like vnto the Sonne of God Dan. 3. When the Heaven the Vesture of Gods Glory shall be Folded vp Changed for a New When the Heavenly Scrole or Book out of which Gods glory is now taught vs shall be rouled together Isai 34. and the whole Army of the Leaues therof shall be looser then Sibyllas Leaues or the Leaues of This Booke yea shall fall downe as the Leaues of a Trce as a Falling Figge from the Figge tree Isai 34. Lastlie when This Booke of the world shall be Cancelled Burnt and Men shall go no more to Schoole to It the Law or else the Gospell to learne such Knowledge of Gods Glory as now they haue but shal Themselues not their Bookes be Translated those that haue beene Good Scholers Here from Discoursing and Discursiue Knowledge of Gods Glory to Angel-like Intuitiue Knowledge and Ever Blessed Beholding of Him and of his Glory to whom we are so much Beholding especially for That Knowledge and Beholding of Him and of his glory That is Blessed for Ever Amen And now Beloved in GODS best Beloved if we shal but draw the curtaine The very speach of more Inferiour and Base Speachlesse Creatures will come into the Reckoning of Recounting Gods Glory As when God opened the mouth of Balaams Asse Num. 22. and made a Dumbe Vnreasonable Creature to speake Reason to Reproue therby the Madnesse of the Prophet 2. Pet. 2. 16. yea and of Vs all who either speake not at all or else speake so out of Reason as though we had changed Differences with an Asse who speake so much and many yeeres together and yet speake so little according to Gods word and of his praise When as the Asse spake nether often nor yet much and yet all he spake was according to That Word to That praise wherof Man cannot Speake too much nor yet too often And if we would speake of Other Kind of Speach we might finde Another Asse assumed to the Totall Summing vp of Gods prayses even that Christopher or Christ-Bearing Asse that was Prophecied of that Christ should ride vpon him was farther Dignified with His Riding on him And so leaving these let vs proceede to things more Senselesse For according to the saying of our Saviour If these should hold their peace the Stones would Cry Would Cry and from their Low Estate Crie out Lowd in the Commendation of the Power of God that made them and in the Proclaiming of His Christ vnto the World He that is Able of Stones to raise vp Children vnto Abraham no marveile though he be able to raise vp Praise vnto Himselfe out of Such Childrens Mouthes I will not here speake of Stones Applauding Venerable Bede in his Preaching or such like But wil speake of Speech more warrantable
not perfectly resemble GOD as Christ representeth his Father According as Zanchius hath delivered out of S. Austin Philo followed by many others saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ or The word is indeede the Image of God but Man is but the Image of that Image or the Image of Christ. Certainely Christ is the true the first the Substantiall and most Perfect Image of GOD. And that as Zanchius at large proveth both as he is the Eternall Begotten Sonne of GOD of the same Substance with the Father whence he is called The Character of his SubstaÌ„ce And also as he was manifested in the flesh For in him when he was made visible by the flesh as S. Iohn saith That which we haue seene with our eies which we haue looked vpon of the word of life was the whole Perfection of the Father as it were The Fathers Face confpicuous For having most perfectly in himselfe the full and complete Nature and Substance of his Father That as it were to the eie-sight did hee exhibite and represent also in his flesh and by the Glorious Effects thereof revealed it For The Fulnesse of the Godhead which is in the Sonne being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodily vnited to his flesh and as it were imprinted in it did by diverse wayes and workes perfectly resemble his owne and the Fathers Nature condition And therefore in him truely was that Faire Forme and Beautifull Face as it were Quae sioculis cerneretur mirabiles amores excitaret Sapientiae which if we could see with our eies would make vs wonderfully in loue with Wisedome We shewed heretofore out of Saint Chrysostome and otherwise how the sight and sightlynesse of the Heavens and the Firmament the Day and the Night and such like vttered a voice of GODS Glory more shrill then any Trumpet VVhat then may we thinke of the Sight and Sightlynesse of him Whose Day Abraham savv but a farre of but by the eies of faith and yet reioyced Whose Day of being Presented in the Temple when Simeon saw with his bodyly eies he was even ravished with the sight of him and thought himselfe had lived long enough And no marveile For hee had seene a Glorious Presentation yea a Representation of the Glory of GOD. Whose Birth-Day when the Shepheards saw and saw him too they Gloryfied and praised God for all that they had seene All that they had seene They had seene An Angell yea a Multitude of Angels they had seene The Glory of the Lord shine round about themselues yet was all this but a Glorious Flourish as it were in respect of that Flourishing Glory which afterwardes they saw when they saw Christ the Lord. In respect of whome and for the greatnesse of the Glory revealed by him as if men were not able not so much as in Wordes only sufficiently to expresse and blason GODS Glory And as if none but Angels were fit to be attendants none to bee Heraulds at armes but the hoste of Heaven none but those that stand in the Presence of GODS Glory to present the Worlde with such Glorious tidings yea and to present the Worldes-maker too with Praise for making that his Great Glory so to be presented and represented to the World The Angels too themselues Praise God and say Glory in the Highest to God c. So also Hosanna in the highest Matth. 21. 9. and Mark 11. 10. In the Highest And why so at Christs Birth And why so in respect of Christ To intimate vnto men That in and by Christ Iesus is Gods Glory best set forth and therefore that from henceforth they should Glorifie GOD in and by Christ Iesus Deo enim silet saith Saint Gregorie qui Patrem laudans Vnigeniti laudem tacet He prayseth not GOD at all vvho prayseth not the Father by the Sonne or vvho prayseth not the Father and the Sonne together Fulgentius saith farther Neque enim fas est sic adorare Deum Patrem vt Deum Filium non adoret T' is no lawfull worshipping of God the Father where God the Sonne is not also worshipped Yea t' is Gospell it selfe Ioh. 5. 23. That all men should Honour the Sonne as they Honour the Father He that Honoureth not the Son Honoureth not the Father If therefore Beloued wee will Glory in GOD as He that Glorieth ought to Glory in this that he vnderstandeth and Knoweth God Ier. 9. 24. it must be by Christ Iesus according to that of S. Paul Rom. 5. 11. Glorying in GOD through our Lord Iesus Christ And if wee will Glorifie GOD it must bee by Christ Iesus too Especially as he is our Lord our Strength and our Redeemers which David here a Day-like Actuarie of the Dayes Relation maketh the sweetest and most Glorious close or Exit of this Psalme For The Dayes as yee see here in my Text doe after their maner so Glorifie GOD as that they doe it too and doe it then best when they so doe it by vttering the Word and Glory of God Christ Iesus Or if they did not so yet S. Paul would teach vs so to doe and so to conclude The Dayes Report of Gods Glory To God be Glory in the Church by Christ Iesus throughout all generations for ever Amen Ephes 3. 21. And which shall be my last words and the vpshot of our Dayly Shouting for Salvation the last wordes of the Epistle to the Romanes To God only Wise be Glory through Iesus Christ for ever Amen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not Ashamed of His Praise I will not Dye but Liue and Declare the Works of the Lord. Let my Soule Liue and it shall Praise Thee O mihi tam longae maneat pars vltima vitae Spiritus quantum sat erit Tua dicere Facta a Psal 94. 10. b Advers Mar. cion lib. 1. Chrysest on Rom 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Athanasius also on Rom 1 veriâ—as ipsa siue Dei cognitio â—uêre homiâ—ibus ab initiâ—â—indita c Ad pop Antioch homil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d Which Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad pop Antioch 1 calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Greatest Booke or Bible of as Great a Volu ne as the whole world Clem Alex. calleth the creation or creature of the world a kinde of GODS Scripture See Gualther in his preface to this Psalme there terming it LibruÌ„ Naturae Note the secoÌ„d word in the Psalm Whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Booke See also Bartas his Elegancy in the First Day of the First Weeke vetse 151. Tripartit Hist lib 8 c. e Iun Trem. ib. * Aâ— rote * So is the sift proposition of Euclids first Booke of Elements called because of the hardnesse thereof to yong beginners Part. 1. a Lyra ibid. Ioh. 10. 16. Psal 42. 9. a See Bucers Preface vpon the Psalmes a In Lexic in verbo