as in inflicting the deserued punishment vpon offenders so is the iustice of God whereby he administâ—eth the Kingdome or Common-wealth of the world of two sortes the one in Paenâ the other in Praemio the one in due punishment the other in meete rewards For the first kind the lawes which concerne the punishing of sin are not many for they are but one giuen to all mankind in the person of Adam Gen. 2. 17. In the day that thou shalt eate thou shalt die And Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sin is death The which is the onely punishment yet diuersly inflicted according to the diuersitie of sins appointed for al sins and offences committed against God as well for the least as for the greatest This death beginneth with our life during y â— which God layeth vpon the sinner many euilles and miseries all which are forerunners of that eternall death and miserie which abideth in the world to come And that meÌ„ shuld know and acknowledge that these temporal euilles come from God as punishments of their sinnes hee doth vsually punish them in the same kind wherein they haue sinned that so the likenesse which the punishment hath vnto the sinne may shew it to bee the sonne of that father and the frute of that tree Gen. 2 17. Because thou hast eaten of the forbidden frute thou shalt all the dayes of thy life eate in toile and in the sweat of thy browes And Gen. 20. 8. The Lord had shut vp all the wombes in the house of Abimelec because of Sarah Abrahams wife And Iud. 1. 7. And Adombezek said seuentie Kings hauing the thumbes of their hands and of their feete cut off gathered vnder my table as I haue done so God hath rewarded me And 1. Cor. 1. 21. After that the world wold not by the wisedome of God knowe God it pleased God as a iust punishment by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue the beleeuers All which actions of God as wel in his temporal as in eternal punishmeÌ„ts we are not to doubt but that they are squared according to y t rules of iustice from the which it is impossible that God would swarue Gent. It were impietie to thinke and blasphemie to speake the contrarie and yet to tel you plainly I haue been more troubled with doubts about this point of Gods iustice then in any other and but for troubling and hindering you in your course I would declare them vnto you in hope to bee more fully resolued in this Sch. You shall not hinder but further mee I will willingly doo my best to satisfie you Gent. I haue often thought vpon occasion of heating this doctrine that the punishment due vnto the least sinne is by the iustice of god eternal death that some Atheists might say of Gods lawes as it was saide of Dracos laws giueÌ„ to the Athenians y t they were written with blood wold accuse God of crueltie for infflicting so great or rather so endles and infinite a punishmen vpon small sinnes yea vpon those which may be doubted whither they be sins or no as namely to let passe the inward thoughts and desires the which although they bee actuall yet they are in the lowest degree of act that can bee originall sinne in infants the which is eyther alienum another mans and therefore not iustly imputed to theÌ„ or if you take it as it is inherent in themselues it is but an inclination to sinne not sinne indeed and in act Besides how should wee thinke that so greeuous a punishment as is eternall death can without extreame rigor bee inflicted vpon many thousands of men that did neuer heare tell of god or of his word eyther in the lawe or in the gospell as are those poore Indians which haue in this last age beene discouered whom in all reason ineuitable ignorance should excuse howsoeuer wilfull ignorance bee made damnable These doubts and diuers other wherewith I will not trouble you haue often runne in my minde yet I doubt not but that God is iust in all actions or rather I doubt whither God can bee said to be vuiust whatsoeuer hee doth to his creatures yea though he should inflict extreame punishment vpon the most righteous man in the world for hee hath absolute power ouer theÌ„ all as the potter hath of his claye to dispose of it as hee list himselfe and wee know that it is lawfull for a man to do to his owne what he will Sch. I am not of your opinion or rather that opinion which you name that it were not iniustice in God to punish a righteous man altogither voy de of sin for not to alleadge the promise and couenant of life which god hath made to man beeing righteous but to suppose that God had not bound himselfe by any such promise the absolute power of God ouer his creatures will indeed bee a warrant vnto him not onely to dispose of them according to his own pleasure but euen to consume theÌ„ al to naught as in the beginning he made them all of naught but yet not to inflict extream punishments where there is no sinne for so God should doo that which is contrarie to his owne nature the which doth necessarely incline it selfe towards the goodnesse of the creature by doing to it not euill but good and therefore hee should doo euill and that which is vniust or rather hee should do that which it is impossible for him to do But as touching your obiectioÌ„s against the iustice of God I answere that wee must not thinke sinnes committed against God to be so small as they seeme in themselues and when they are committed against men for the greatnesse of the maiestie of god makeâ—h the least sinne to bee most hainous euen as wee knowe that the least indecent behauiour towards a Prince is thought woorthie to bee punished with death and not onely outward actuall rebellioÌ„s but also the very thoghts and purposes of the mind tending to treason are accounted most hainous crimes yea so hainous as for them not onely the offendant himselfe but also all his posteritie for euer are thought worthie to be depriued of all those dignities and commodities whatsoeuer they did enioy by the liberalitie of the Prince or yet within his dominions Yet wee need not say that God doth punish infants for Adams sinne for they haue in themselues sufficient matter of damnation their whole nature being actually corrupted in respect of y â— image of God for the which cause it is woorthely loathed and abhorred of God As for the infidels which haue not the word of God whereby to learne and know God you may remember how the Apostle Rom. 1. in the latter part or half of the chapter doth plainly prooue that they do wilfully sinne against the light of nature shining in the creatures yea that they do obstinately contemne god whom they might learn out of the creatutes to be most maiesticall woorthie to whom all obedience honor and
thankfulnes should be performed And lastly I say that as none in this world can charge God with crueltie so in the world to come the wicked themselues shal coÌ„fesse al their punishments to be most iust Gent. What say you theÌ„ to theÌ„ that accuse god of iniustice in respect of his partial dealing with men in that he reiecteth and condemneth some to eternall death and yet electeth and spareth others who are euery way as sinfull and as vnworthie of fauour Sch. I am sure you will not call that Prince partiall or vniust that sheweth fauor and giueth life to some malefactors for a testimonie of his goodnesse and clemencie although hee suffer others to bee put to death for the same offence no more is God vniust in sauing some from eternall death the which the rest are to suffer and which all of vs do most iustly deserue Yea if we do consider the maner and the meanes by the which God doth saue these his elect from the death which they deserue we shall bee farre ynough off from imagining any partiall dealing in him For howsoeuer hee did fully determine and most earnestly desire to saue some from eternall death yet his iustice would not in any case suffer that to be done vnlesse and vntill the death and punishment due vnto their sinnes were fully suffered by some other in their behalfe Wherof it came that no creature beeing able to sustaine it God himselfe was faine to do it and so did debase himself to a shamefull death the which what was it else but the confusion of all things that God should lay aside his glorie maiestie to suffer shame ignon inie and yet al this hee did because his infinit iustice would admit no partiall dealing Yea so great is the iustice of God that it cannot bee peruerted by that most tender loue which he beareth to his elect beeing now both redeemed by the death of Christ also sanctified by his own spirit but that hee doth still lay vpon them grecuous punishments for those sins whereby they do displease and dishonour him 1. Pet. 4. 17. The time is come that iudgement shall beginne at the house of God and if it do beginne with vs where shall the wicked appeare that is he will be farre lesse partiall and more seuere with them For sin is as seed cast into the ground which multiplyeth it selfe and commeth foorth with aduantage to the sower yea although hee bee otherwise a godly and iust man Thus God dealt with Dauid a man according to his owne heart repaying him the iniuries done to Vriah from whom hee tooke both his wife and also his life in full yea in ouerrunning measure making his owne son to take from him his wiues crown kingdome children and well nigh his life also Yea this aduantage or ouerplus which Dauid receiued at the hands of Godbesides the principal is noted 2. Sam. 12. 12. Thou diddest sinne secretly but I will pay the before all Israell euen in the face of the sunne Gent. Doo you call this iustice or is it not rather iniustice to make the faithfull beare in their own persons the punishment of their sinnes which Christ hath already borne to the full Sch. It is without question that God bringeth euen vpon the godly for those sinnes whereby they dishonour him most bitter and fearefull euils yea as I haue heard that a godly man vseth to say that God neuer suffereth any great sinne committed by any of them to scape vnpunished and that not only for their chastisement and amendement which is the vsuall end of their afflictions but also euen for this end to make them testimonies and examples of his seueritie iustice and vnpartiall dealing for hee doth often punish them in their posteritie after their death as he did Eli his negligence in not correcting the misdemeanor of his sonnes the idolatrie of Salomon by taking away ten of the twelue tribes from his successours Yet there is a difference betwixt their suffering and the suffering of Christ who did suffer for this end to satisfie Gods iustice for the sins of the elect the which they cannot do either in whole or in part for if they were put to satisfie Gods iustice but for the least of their sinnes they should suffer not onely temporally but also eternally and so should perish but Christ onely suffereth for the satisfaction and they for the declaration of Gods iustice Sect. 3. BVt wee may not stay any longer in this part of his iustice wee must now briefly consider the other to wit the remuner atiue iustice by the which hee rewardeth the goodnesse of his reasonable creatures Gent. You need not be long in this point for I thinke there is small vse of it not but that God is most bountifull in rewarding those that do deserue but for that none except the Angels doo or can deserue any reward at the hands of god for their obedience and good being imperfect and polluted with sinne are so farre from deseruing rewardes that they cannot possibly stand before the seate of Gods iustice and iudgement but are reiected as silthie menstruous clouâ—es as the scripture speaketh Sch. You say true that according to the strickt rigor of Gods law and iustice our best works are so far from deseruing reward that they deserue eternall death But there is a time and vse as for the rigor so also â—or the mitigation of Gods iustice in the which it pleaseth God of his mercie and goodnesse to passe ouer ouer see the imperfections and sinfulnesse of mans obedience and workes and both to promise in word to performe in deed competent rewards as he seeth most meete and that not onely to the godly but euen to the wicked For the first the retribution of good to the godly hath place both in this life and also in the life to come Not that God doth alwaies reward the godly with teÌ„porall benefits for that is not alwaies good for them for their eternall saluation in respect whereof god seeth it often to be needfull that they should liue yea and end their daies also vnder the crosse in greeuous afflictions yet this temporall retribution is neuer wholly wanting but is found if not at one time yet at another if not in their life time and in their owne persons yet in their graues and in their childers children euen to the thousant generation if not so fully as flesh and blood desire yet so that they may plainly acknowledge the goodnesse rewarding hand of God Thus God promiseth at large Deut. 29. that they which feare and obey him shall euen be compassed about with all maner of blessings that euery thing y â— belongeth vnto them and that they take in hand shall prosper and haue good successe as the Apostle witnesseth 1. Tim. 4. 1. That godlinesse is profitable in all respects hauing the promise both of this life and of the life to come and Christ himselfe Math. 19. 29.
lowe estate from the which one cannot fall then in the highest toppe of flattering Fortunes wheele in the which there is no liklihood that I should continue And this I may be bold to say beeing so well backt with the authoritie of wise Salomon himselfe saying That a dinner of hearbs with quietnesse is better then a stal-fat oxe with feare and trouble Sch. I am of your minde for that that he is vnwise that will aduenture where hee is like to miscarrie or that will accept an offer of all the pleasure and happinesse that can be imagined with a forfaiture of extreame paines and miserie if hee breake such and such conâ—itions which hee knoweth himselfe vnlike to keepe But I pray you were the conditions of mans felicitie so many to bee remembred or so hard to be performed that in respect of the great danger of falling into eternall miserie which was the forfaiture if hee failed you would refuse the fruition of Gods presence in it of eternall happinesse and chuse to be a dead and sencelesse stone which hath neyther the possession of pleasure nor the possibilitie of paine rather then an happy man in so tickle an estate who is so weake or intemperate that would not for a small commoditie aduenture the suffering of a thousand deaths and paines vpon the abstaining from any one kinde of fruite hee hauing plenty besides both for necessitie and also for pleasure Gent. Indeed I must needes confesse that the condition of mans happinesse in the beginning was so easie to be kept that his conditionall estate of happinesse may be accounted as good sure as if it had been absolute without any condition and therefore I will yeeld vnto you that the impossibilitie of happinesse in the vnreasonable creatures was a farre woorse estate then the possibilite of miserie in man the which but that wee see feeâ—e it to be alreadie come to passe might well haue beene accountâ—d impossible Buâ— now to bring you backe againe to the matter in hand from the which I haue made you by my doubting or rather by obiecting those doubtes which came into my minde somewhat to digresse I do easily graunt that no sencelesse thing can bee the subiect of Gods hatred for that they wanting the power of moouing or changing themselues do persist for they could not leaue it in their naturall estate of goodnesse and of the loue of God yet mee thinkes that the brute beastes the which as I noted before you graunt to haue freewill in their kindes are as deep in naughtinesse and peruersenesse of nature and so in the hatred of God as man himselfe For I cannot thinke that they were created so violent rauenous and bloodthirstie as wee see feel them being more like hellish feends then earthly creatures Yea wee read Gen. 9. 5. that God will require the bloud of man at the hands of the beasts which shedde it as we know that in many cases beasts were by the Iudiciall lawe of Moses condemned and put to death Sch. Sometimes you obiect in good earnest as I easily perceiue by you but now I see you sport and dally for I am sure you do not thinke that brute beasts do sinne against God whom they cannot know I doo not think but that rauenous beastes were created with the same weapons both for offence and defence the which now they vse in pursuing their pray and also in the same complexions and conditions which now they haue but man in his innocencie was protected from them not by the tamenesse of their natures but by a maiestie inherent in his person the which was of sufficient force to amaze and controle the vnruliest of them But wee will leaue the brute beasts to their praies come to meÌ„ whoÌ„ this doctrine of gods hatred doth concerne in respect of the sinfulnesse of their natures into the which they haue transformed themselues from that image of Gods holinesse wherein they were created Yet not any measure of euill is sufficient to procure this personall hatred for then God should hate the godly in whom there are reliques of euill as there are in the wicked of good but onely raigning and preuailing euill It is true indeed that God hateth the least sinne that can be coÌ„mitted or imagined yea almost the shew of it and euen the garment spotted with the flesh yet hee hateth not the person in regard of it it beeing suppressed and kept vnder for godlinesse is stronger in them that are sanctified thogh imperfectly hauing ouercome sinne hath wonne the full interest of God and his loue The other thing which you desired to know before you would come to the question it selfe was the manner of Gods hatred the which is two folde inward and outward The sirst is the true maner of it the other is the sencible declaration of the inward is indeed the effect of it as amoÌ„gst men outward harme is asigne and also an effect of inward hatred Now for this inward maner of fauâ—r in God we are not to imagine any boyling affections of anger or any inueâ—erate ill will towards any creature but must know it to be the generall and eternall antipathie and contrarietie of his nature which is absolute puritie goodnesse and holinesse to the pollution and naughtinesse of sinne preuailing in man for as God doth approoue loue and embrace his owne nature as the absolute perfection of goodnesse yea and the very image or likenes of the said goodnesse eyther created or restored in man so he cannot but mislike and abhorre whatsoeuer is contrarie vnto it Then followeth the outward manner which is the effect and declaration of the inward hatred by bringing or doing euill to the person thus polluted with sinne from whom God hauing once turned away his face and fauour it cannot bee but that all maner of euils as it were whole legions of diuels should inuade him as finding him not onely out of Gods protection as a traitor rebell but also by gods iust iudgement appointed to many kinds of most fearfull iudgements Gent. Now I pray you let me aske you a question are we according to Gods example to hate wicked persons or rather if it be vnmeete to make our selues presidents for god to follow is it not most true y e he doth not hate y e wicked but doth rather as he willeth vs to do loue their persons and hate onely the sinnes of men For although our duties do not belong to God yet by that which he commaundeth wee may gather what his nature is for that all his commandements are iust pure and agreeable to his nature Yea to vrge this reason a little further wee haue the expresse commaundement of Christ Math. 5. 44. 45 To loue and to do good to our enemies euen as God doth both to the iust and to the vniust Sch. Wee are not yet come to speake of humane affections yet this I say that by this question you do plainly shewe what
and of maintaining his iust honour against al vniust vsurpers whatsoeuer Thus the scripture teacheth vs that God is not onely carefull but euen curious as wee may say and as it selfe saith iealous of his honour the which he cannot abide that it shuld bee any touched or impared as hee doth openly professe of himselfe Es 48. 11. My glory I will not giue to any other Neither indeed will he suffer any to take it or any portion of it but doth straightway confound them all with all their deuices whosoeuer do any way obscure it much more such as haue most impiously yet more foolishly sought to vsurpe or participate it Thus were the aspyring spiriâ—s throwne from heauen into the place and pit of darkenesse to the which man also treading in the same steps of sacrilegious pride was sent out of paradise to beare them coÌ„pany Thus were the vaineglorious builders of the Tower of Babel confounded in al their deuises and thus the Lord slewe 50000. of the presumptuous Bethsemites who by looking into the Aâ—ke brought the name and presence of God into contempt Thus he made proude Nabuchadnesar who thought that hee might with the maiestie of his person and Pallace outface the sunne in heauen yea God himself whose glory filleth both heauen earth to become as a silly and miserable beast and thus he confounded Herode by a filthy disease that tooke to himselfe the glorious tytle of God which the flattering people ascribed vnto him Neither need we maruell that God is so carefull in maintaining his honour and glory it being the last and chiefe end of the creation of all things all which tend to this one end and euen bend their whole forces to maintaine vphold the glory of God as of the highest and greatest good euen as we see loyall subiects to endeauor nothing so much as to maintaine the maiestie and honor of their Prince as we read Rom. 11. 36. Of him by him and for him are all things to him be praise for euer For if God should suffer any false or fained God any man or Angell to vsurpe any royall prerogatiue belonging to the godhead and so himselfe to be disgraced and his maiestie diminished the confusion of all things as of the streames the fountaine being troubled must of necessitie follow And yet god is not so desirous of aduancing his name and glory but that he can on the other side debase himselfe when hee thinketh meete as beeing endued with humilitie in as great or rather in greater measure Gent. me thinks that humilitie doth not well agree with the nature of God and that there is small vse of humiliation in his doings Sch. As God doth aduance others beeing humble so he doth by his humilitie not debase but honour and magnifie himselfe for as wee see it to come to passe in Princes and other great personages that nothing doth make them to bee loued honoured and extolled so much as doth their gentle and familiar behauiour with their subiects and inferiours so God is exalted in his humilitie and made most glorious in it Psal 113. The Lord is aboue all Nations and his glory aboue the heauens who is like vnto our God that hauing his habitation in the highest heauen doth debase himselfe to behold things on earth Yea not onely to behold them a farre off but also to haue a hand and a part in them Princes do not vse to conuerse much with their subiects but that any of them should so farre debase himselfe as to take vpon him the condition of a subiect and to suffer his owne subiects to rule and insult ouer him yea to vse him despightefully and contumeliously that is a thing neuer heard of neither supposed to be possible to be brought to passe but that they wold rather loose both their kingdomes and their liues then suffer such a disgrace especially at the hands of their subiects But God the King of Kings did leaue his Throne of maiestie in heauen and made one litle Caue or hole of the earth all which before was but his footestoole his chayre of estate yea he tooke to himselfe the forme of weake and fraile man not of a Lord or King but of a base seruant yea of a vile and loathsome sinner hee suffered himselfe to be taunted and reuiled yea which is the greatest disgrace in the world to bee spit on as a most vile and filthy thing who can imagine must lesse alleadge an example of so great humilitie yet herein God is most glorious This one instance of his extreame humiliation maketh it needlesse to alleadge his familiar conuersing with men heere one earth his familiar conferring with Moses face to face as one friend doth with another his answering them to all their demaunds as it were comming at their call whereof wee haue many examples in the scripture as namely in Abraham pleading so hard for Sodome and in the story of Dauid 1. Sam. 29. 8 who there asketh one question after an other of God about his worldly affaires as if he had bene aduising with some familiar friend but that one example of his vnspeakeable humilitie shewed in his incarnation and in suffering all the miseries of our life and in the ende that most shamefull death is so notable that it can neuer bee sufficiently admired Sect. 2. THese two onely which haue bene declared of all those vertues which concerne our selues are attributed to god but of those which tend and reach to others many may very fitly and truly be ascribed vnto him to shew the manner of his dealing with men as namely iustice in recompeÌ„cing indulgence in forbearing faithfulnesse in performing promises and goodnesse in dooing good to men For the first namely iustice it doth belong vnto God in respect of that soueraigne authoritie which he hath ouer al the creatures in the world as well Princes as subiects as well men as Angels hee beeing by vertue of the creation wherein hee made them all of nought their most naturall King and the onely absolute Monarch of the world all other Kings and Rulers whatsoeuer being but his substitutes and vicegerents holding their Crownes and Kingdomes of him as uassalles of their liege Lord and maister and ruling by him from him and in his name and steed yea and by his lawes For howsoeuer God haue permitted the ordering of their subiects in great part to their will and discretion yet he hath giuen and published to the whole world his owne supreme and vniuersall lawes to the obseruing whereof all without any exception are bound by his commaundement and the violating whereof he doth most seuerely punish But as no state or Common-wealth can stand by penal lawes onely which restraine vice by threatnings and punish offences committed by due paines because it is needefull that there should also be rewards appointed whereby the vertuous endeauours of good subiects may be recompenced and encouraged in the right disposing and distributing whereof iustice hath place as well
and that in respect both of himselfe as also of the creature for first God as he is in all respects most pure and innocent yea most holy and good so before himselfe and in his owne presence hee both knoweth and acknowledgeth himselfe so to be and for that cause not onely to be free fiō all desert of blame but also to deserue most worthely al praise and glory But more plainly this facultie hath vse in respect of men who do often charge God with euill iniurie iniustice crueltie and many other grecuous crimes in the which plea this facultie of conscience doth cleare and absolue God from all those blasphemous reproches which wretched men spew out against him Rom. 3. 4. Let God be true and euery man a lyer that thou mayest be iustified in thy sayings and ouercome when thou art iudged Thus much of the faculties of the minde which you thought omitted in the former discourse as for the affections and vertues as ioy greefe and diuers other which in scripture ate often attributed to God their nature may be knowne by those which haue bene handled CHAP. VI. Of the externall attributes of God THus I haue declared vnto you those things which for the present I could call to my remembrance as touching the nature of God his existence essence and attributes eyther truly taken or typically borrowed from the faculties of a reasonable soule To the which if you adde the externall attributes which are borrowed from the body or outward person of man as is the eternitie of GOD from the age or continuance of man his vbiquitie from the greatnesse or stature of man his omnipotencie from the strength of man with others of the same kinde you haue a perfect picture of the nature of God shadowed out though rudely and imperfectly vnder the shape of man This last kinde of attributes hath beene touched already in speaking of the infinitnesse of God the generall and essentiall difference of his nature from the which they doo necessarely flowe and therefore wee are here to make an ende of this conference and so wee may of our iourney also if you thinke good to light and leade along this long causey it will be a great ease both to our selues and to our horses and wee may now that wee are in sight of the Towne talke of our lodging for it is meete that wee haue some care of our bodyes that so wee may be able afterward to serue God by meditation conference and such other Christian exercises Gent. Nay by your fauour sir I must needes desire you to make an ende of the taske which vpon agreement though vnwillingly you tooke in hand It would bee a great greefe I will not say a shame for a man that hadde toyled all the day long many a long mile through thicke and thin to giue ouer at the last cast in the sight of the place whither hee goeth if you haue perhappes touched these attributes by the way vpon some occasion it followes not that they shoulde bee denied their proper and due place in this worke the which without them would bee maimed and imperfect I like well that we light and leade for so we shal haue the more time for conference but for our lodging wee will not trouble our selues as yet but rather take it as we finde it and therfore I pray you let mee heare and knowe somewhat of these also in particular and first why you call them externall attributes Sch. I hope your meaning is not that we shall go reasoning into the towne for so we should haue moderatours inow to cut vs off but to shut vp these things breefely They are called externall not as if there were any such difference of externall internal in god as in man consisting of an outward body and an inward soule for in God there is neither without nor within but all alike but they are so called in GOD because they are so in truth in man from whose nature the resemblance is taken Yea further they may bee so called howsoeuer they bee as essentiall as the other for that they doo not come so immediately from the roote of Gods essence which is an infinit vnderstanding neither so properly belong to the nature of it but are as it were begotten by the coniunction of the difference which is infinitenesse to the essentiall vnderstanding of GOD the which bringeth forth knowledge wisedome will and the rest of the aforesaid attributes more naturally and properly then it doth eternitie and vbiquitie the which are found onely in this one vnderstanding whereas the other are common to al vnderstandings both finite and infinit And therefore we may truly say that the infinit knowledge of God is more inward and neare the vnderstanding which is the root of Gods essence then is his infinit continuance although not more essentiall euen as we see that those parts of a tree which are nearer the roote may be said to be the inner parts and the smal twigs the vtter parts altho the one bee no more essentiall to the tree then the other Now for the particulars and to begin with the eternitie of God which is his euerlasting age or continuance represented to vs Dan. 7. 9. by an old aged man whose head and haire are as white as snow or y e whitest wolle the which testifieth that hee is no babe of yesterdaies birth but that he hath liued and continued in the world many yeares euen so it is with god or rather so it is not with god for the oldest man that is had a time of birth and beginning tho long since and shall haue a time of end euen hard at hand but god is without father or mother and hath neither beginning of dayes nor end of life but is the same this day yesterday for euer He is not by the gray or white hayres of olde age summoned to the court of death for he is alwaies in his fresh and flourishing youth his substance doth not weare and waste away for it is not as are the bodyes of men as a Kingdome deuided in it selfe which therefore cannot stand but is simple without mixture or diuersitie and therefore without iarring yea all perill and peraduenture of ruine So then this eternitie of God is to bee defined the euerlasting existence of his essence without eyther beginning or end For if it had beginning then it did not alwaies exist for it could not exist before it hadde a beginning And if it did not alwayes exist then sometime there was nothing but that cannot bee for if there were time there was distinction of motion which made that time but where there is nothing there is no motion for nothing cannot mooue Besides if the time euer were wherein there was no thing nor nature existing for if God were not existing there was nothing for whatsoeuer did then exist was god because it did primarely exist nothing should euer haue existed for if the Philosopher could