the LORD praise him and exalt him above all things for eveâ— Seeing then that all things after their manner praise the LORD with what affection oughtst thou to blesse and praise him for all the benefits which thou continually receivest whose hand is continually open to manifest his fatherly and most pure love to thee never ceasing to doe thee good from Heaven but continually providing in most plentifull manner for thee But all this is little in the sight of GOD thy LORD for it is hee which causeth that most noble root of love to sprout out and grow in thee For Love cometh not of the World but of GOD as Saint John speaketh And out of love as out of a Divine and Heavenly plant spring the most faire and sweet smelling flowers of holy thoughts the greene leaves of profitable words to salvation and the fruit of good workes by which GOD is glorified and our neighbours relieved Woe then to those who like foolish beasts covet to be filled with the fruits of the Earth gather them greedily and hide them never thinking of the Author of them nor praising him for them whose soules are like to the Earth which GOD cursed bringing forth onely thornes and thistles for what doe they thinke upon but onely Fornication Adultery Homicide Sacriledge Thefts Treasons and the like what doe they speake but Blasphemies Perjuries Curses Contumelies false Testimonies Lyes and the like which they have learned of their Father the Devill And lastly what fruit bring they forth but those poysonous fruits which as we said they continually thinke and speake of even the workes of the flesh as they are called by the Apostle These are the thornes which first of all pricke them that bring them forth with most sharpe and bitter pricks of feares and cares then they pricke the fame of their neighbours with most grievous and irreparable losse But if thou beest the garden of that Heavenly Husbandman take heed that thornes and briers bee not found in thee and above all things cherish the Tree of love and the Lilly of chastity and the sweet Spikenard of humility and take heed that it never creepe into thee to think that these vertues and plants of grace be of thy selfe and not of GOD neither attribute the preservation and increase of the fruits of good workes to thy selfe but commit them to him and his care placing all thy strength wholly in him The third and last property of the Earth is that in the bowels of it are Mines of gold silver and pretious stones iron brasse and lead Yet we must understand that the Earth produceth not these things of its owne power but by GODS which thing hee himselfe affirmes by the mouth of the Prophet Aggee the Silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the LORD of Hosts O thou lover of mankinde hath it thus pleased thy goodnesse not onely to furnish Man with stones tymber brasse iron lead and other the like necessaries for the building of houses and ships and all other things expedient for his use but to bestow upon him gold silver and jewels for ornament also And if thou givest such things to Pilgrims on Earth oft times thine enemies and blasphemers of thy holy name what wilt thou bestow upon thy beloved who shall blesse thee and raigne with thee in Heaven Thou wilt not give them small pieces of gold or silver nor a few jewels and precious stones but that City of which Saint John speaketh in the Revelation That the building of the wall of it was of Jasper and the Citie was pure gold the foundations of the Citie wall were garnished with all manner of pretious stones and the twelve gates were twelve pearles Yet wee must not conceive that this high Citie Jerusalem the Heavenly was built indeed of gold silver or pearles as is described by Saint Iohn onely we are to know that the holy Spirit useth these speeches for our understanding that apprehend not greater nor better things But without all doubt much more excellent shall that Citie be which is the Citie of the Elect of GOD and â—urpasse in glory all the Cities in this world much more then a golden Citie adorned and beautified with Iewels doth exceed any Countrey Towne made of mud and straw Lift up then the eyes of thy mind to Heaven and consider of what value and estimation the things of Heaven are when as gold silver and jewells which are here so much accounted of are but as dust and straw compared with them and that these things are but corruptible and they incorruptible and eternall But if thou wouldst have them layd up for thee as treasures and become incorruptible in Heaven send them by bills of exchange as it were by the hands of the poore and thou shalt finde and receive them there againe For the truth cannot lye which saith Give to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven and againe Give almes make you bagges which waxe not old a treasure that can never faile in Heaven where no thiefe cometh neither moth corrupteth O the unbeliefe of Men deceitfull and lying Man promiseth ten for a hundred besides the principall and is beleeved and trusted and GOD which cannot lye promiseth to repay one hundred for one and eternall life to boot and the covetous wretch distrusteth and chooseth rather to hide his treasure where moth consumeth and theeves breake through and steale then to lay it up in Heaven where it is subject to no such casualties But tell me ô unhappy Man if these goods which thou hast gotten with much labour and hast kept with no lesse feare be neither stollen by theeves nor corrupted with moth or rust whose shall they be not thine certainly Experience teacheth us that the wealth of the covetous come commonly to prodigall heires which consume them with farre more speed then the covetous Fathers scraped them together yet in the mean time the sin of covetousnes remaineth and shall for ever and the worme of their conscience shall not die and the fire prepared for their reward never goeth out Therefore let the folly of others be thy instruction and give eare to thy Lord and Master preaching to thee Beware of covetousnesse for though a Man have abundance yet his life standeth not in his riches A covetous Man gathers together and keepes it thinking long to possesse it but it hapneth otherwise as it did to the rich man that filled his enlarged barnes in the Gospell and his wealth covetously heaped up begate such a worme as never will dye and kindled such a fire as never wil be quenched O thou unhappy miser wert thou so sollicitous to gather that which should prepare a fire in Hell wherein thou must continually burne Hearken to St. Iames Goe to you rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come upon you Your riches are corrupt and your garments are moth eaten Your
in making or changing ' dissolving or preserving them I will consider the heavens saith the Psasmist even the worke of thy fingers the Moone and the Starres which thou hast ordayned For those transcendent workes hath the moâ—â— highest reserved to himselfe he began to lay the foundation and he hath brought the fabrique to perfection As also spirituall things Angels and the soules of men which are the most noble and sublime workes of all other the most high GOD by his power onely hath crâ—ated prâ—serveth and so will for ever neither hath any creature hand or part in making of them nor though all the creatures should joyne together could they â—ither make or destroy one Angell or one soule 2. Secondly the altitude of the divine power is most perspicuously seene in Gods miracles which as St. Augustine saith are workes beyond the ordinary course and order of nature and doe amaze men and Angels to behold as when at the command of Josue the Sun and Moone which are carried by most swift motion stood still And least we should conceive that this hapned by any chance or that so unusuall a thing should be done by any mortall the holy Ghost saith That the LORD heard the voyce of a man Neither indeed did Iosue properly speake to the Sun and Moone who he knew could not heare his command but he spake to the LORD as if he should say by the commandement of the LORD Sun stay thou in Gibeon and thou Moone in the valley of Ajalon And the LORD heard the voyce of a man that is he brought to passe that these great lights obeyed the voyce of a man for GOD oftimes in Scripture is said to doe those things for whose sake they are done as in Genesis GOD said to Abraham Now I know that thou fearest the Lord the meaning of these words being Now I have brought it to passe that it may be knowne that thou truly fearest the Lord. Such another worke declaring the height of the divine power was at the passion of our Saviour when the Moone being in a great distance from the Sun with a most swift course came to be in conjunction with it and for three houres space made darknesse on the earth and after those three houres returned as swiftly to the place from whence it came all which St. Dionysius the Areopagite testified that he observed in an Epistle to St. Polycarpus This though it were a miracle contrary to the former yet no lâ—sse wonderfull seeing it is alike new and unusuall for the Moon to stand still as to exceed its bounds beyond custome To omit the restoring sight to the blind and life to the dead and many other acts and miracles of the like nature which GOD doth and hath done by his Prophets Apostles and faithfull servants all which cry Who is like unto thee ô LORD among the Gods But I cannot let passe the most supreme and highest miracle which GOD will shew in the last day when all the dead shall rise againe together of which many of their bodies have been reduced to ashes and scattered or consumed and devoured by beasts and changed into other bodies 〈◊〉 buried in fields and gardens and transformed into diverse herbs Which of the Angels will not be amazed when in the twinkling of an eye at the command of the Almighty so many myriads of men shall resume their bodies although they have bin buried scattered or devoured many ages before This is therefore the altitude or height of Gods omnipotence in regard of which we may likewise say Quis similis tibi in fortibus Domine Who is like unto thee ô Lord among the Gods It remaines that we speake of the depth of Gods power which as I conceive consists in the meanes or manner he useth in making things for who can dive or wade into the meanes of making something of nothing they could never pierce into the depth of it who resolved it for a certaine and true principle that of nothing comes nothing And we our selveâ— beleeve what we see not in this point but we securely beleeve GOD who caennot lye We beleeve I say that the heaven and earth and all things in them were created by GOD himselfe when there was nothing before to make them of neither could it be truely said that GOD made all things if there had bin any thing before of which they had bin made but how they could be so made there being nothing before to make them of is a most deepe abysse which we can neither search into nor finde out 2. Againe as GOD made all things of nothing so he made them also in nothing that is without a space preceding or a place where to bestow what he made which especially in corporall things can hardly be understood Take away distances spaces of places saith St. Augustine from bodies and they wil be no where and if they will be no where they will not be at all Well then if there were nothing no place before GOD created heaven and earth where did GOD place heaven and earth certainly in nothing they could not be placed and yet they were created and were themselves a place to themselves because he so would and could which can doe all things although we cannot understand how they could bee done And to this GOD had an eye when holy Job desirous to declare his omnipotence said in the person of GOD Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth declare if thou hast understanding Who hath layd out the measures thereof if thou knowest or who hath stretched the line over it Whereupon are the foundations thereof set or who layd the corner stone thereof And that we might understand that these workes of the Lord were most worthy of all praise he addeth in the next verse When the Starres of the morning praised me together and all the children of GOD rejoyced that is the holy Angels who were created at the same time with heaven and earth and are as it were spirituâ—ll Starres and most bright and may be called the children of GOD as soone as they perceived the heavens and earth to proceed from nothing and placed in nothing yet most surely founded upon their owne stability they I say with wonderfull astonishment and joy magnified the omnipotence of the Creator 3. Nor is it lesse deep to be understood that GOD by the onely command of His will should erect such immense heapeâ— or piles for we know by expâ—rience that in buildings without all comparison farre lesse what instruments what engines what laborâ—rs workemen need who can then apprehend how it came to passe that by his onely internall will which went not out of the willer so many immense and severall workes were performed GOD said that is with himselfe for the word of GOD is in GOD and is GOD himselfe by commanding and expressing the command of his will Let the
Kingdome for he raigned over all Kingdomes from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistims unto the border of Aegypt and they brought presents and served Salomon all the daies of his life he had besides so great wealth that he had 40000. stalls of Horses for his Charriots and 12000. Horse-men besides his Ships trading to Ophir brought such store of gold and precious stones that silver was nothing esteemed in his daies and was given by him as stones in Jerusalem His pleasure also he tooke after such an unlimited manner that delighting in Women he tooke to him 700. Wives princesses and 300. concubines And yet heare what he saith of himselfe after he had reckoned up these pleasures and many more as you may read at large in the Booke of the Preacher after he had well look'd into them behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit and there is no profit under the Sun Therefore you see he found no true rest either in his riches honour pleasures or wisedome nor could he have found any had they beene many more because the mind of Man is immortall and these things are mortall and of no continuance nor it cannot be that the mind capable of infinite good should be satisfied with finite good For as the humane body cannot rest either in the ayre though it be large or in the water though it be deepe because the earth and not the water or ayre is its center so the minde of Man can never rest in ayrie honour or watry riches which are sordid pleasures but in GOD onely who is the true center of the minde and the onely place of rest for it and proper to it How divinely and wisely then did his Father King David cry out after he had gone into GODS Sanctuary and understood the end of the wicked in their prosperity Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none that I desire in earth in comparison of thee GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Consider this then and thou wilt confesse that GOD is the Rocke upon which thou most rest and relye other things are but vanitie and vexation of spirit which are not things in true existence but in false apparaence they comfort not but torment being gotten with labour kept with feare and lost with sorrow and griefe Despise therefore if thou beest wise all tranâ—itory things least they snatch thee away with them and set thy rest on GOD alone cleave to him with the bond of love who remaines the same for ever Lift up thy heart to GOD in Heaven least it putrifie in Earth Learne true Wisedome by the folly of many in whose persons the wiseman speaketh Therefore we have erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousnesse hath not shined unto us and the Sun of understanding rose not upon us We have wearied our selves in the way of wickednesse and destruction and we have gone through dangerous waies but we have not knowne the way of the Lord. What hath pride profited us or what profit hath the pompe of riches brought us All those things are passed away like a shadow and as a Post that passeth by Againe this foundation the Earth is an Embleme of GOD in another respect which CHRIST himselfe hath explained unto us in the Gospell by his similitude of a house built upon a Rock which though the raine fell upon it the winds beat upon the side of it and the floods attempted to undermine it yâ—t stood firme and unmovable but the house built upon the sand could resist none of them but fell So the mansion of mans soule which consists of many vertues and graces as of so many roomes and chambers if it be founded upon GOD as upon a Rocke thatis if it stedfastly beleeve him if it put its whole trust and confidence in him if it be rooted and founded in the love of him it may say with the Apostle Who shall separate us from the love of CHRIST The soule so founded may be secure because neither spirituall wickednesses which are above it nor carnall concupiscences which are beneath it nor domesticall enemies our kinsmen and acquaintance which are about it shall at any time prevaile against it Great I confesse are the forces and subtilties of spirituall powers but greater is the power greater is the wisedome of the Holy Spirit which is ruler and president over the house which is built upon GOD. Very much and earnestly doth the flesh fight against the Spirit and concupiscences have overcome many strong Men but the love of GOD easily overcometh the love of the flesh and the feare of the LORD the feare of the World Lastly Mans homebred enemies many times draw them by evill example and conversation to the perpetrating of sinne but the soule whose confidence is that it hath GOD to Father and friend easily shakes such friends off and will say with the Apostle I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor Angels nor Principalities noâ— Powers nor things present nor things to come nor any other creature shal be able to separate me from the love of GOD which is in CHRIST JEsus our LORD The second property of the Earth consists in this that it is as a good nurse to Men and other living creatures in bringing forth herbs fruits and other sustenance in plentifull manner for their preservation And this property â—eads us to the Creator who is the true Nurse For it is not properly the Earth but GOD by the Earth which produceth these good things For so the holy Spirit speaketh by the mouth of David He bringeth forth grasse for the cuttell and greene herbe for the service of men and a little after These all wayt upon thee that thou mayest give them meat in due season When thou givest it them they gather it and when thou openest thine hand they are filled with good and our Saviour in the Gospell Behold the foules of the ayre for they sowe not neither reape nor cary into the barnes yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them and the Apostle Saint Paul in the Acts Neverthelesse he left not himselfe without witnesse in that hee did good and gave us raine from Heaven and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse Yet is that true which GOD commanded at the Creation Let the Earth bud forth the bud of the herbe that seedeth seed and the fruitfull tree which beareth fruit according to his kind but it is by the power and vertue which GOD hath given it and GOD himselfe by the Earth producing increasing and preserving these things And for this cause it was that King David inviting all creatures to praise the LORD among the rest calls upon fruitfull trees to doe the same and that the three Children in Daniel sang All things that grow on the Earth blesse ye
valuation and lastly if this were able to fill the desire not onely of men but of Angels of what value wouldst thou thinke it to be Yet the goodnes of this one thing would come farre short of the goodnes of GOD which is so great that it is able to satisfie and satiate the infinite desire or rather the infinite capacity of GOD himselfe Oh the admirable latitude of the perfection of the essence of GOD which containes such immensity of good thingâ— as is sufficient for the infinite capacity which is in himselfe for GOD cannot at any time goe out of or from himselfe because he hath all good things in himselfe and was as rich and blessed before the creation and wil be after because there is nothing which GOD hath made but would not alwaies be after a more transcendent manner in himselfe Therefore consider what kind of good thou shall enjoy in thy Countrey if thou love God while thou art in the way and from what good thou shalt be excluded if thou love him not For GOD offers himselfe to those which love him and he is the onely good and will say to the good and faithfull servant Enter into the joy of thy LORD 2. Againe GOD is immense in another manner because he fills all created things altogether Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the LORD and if there were more worlds he would fill them all If I climb up to heaven saith David thou art there if I goe downe to hell thou art there also that is if I goe above heaven or beneath it or about it I shall not be alone because thou also art there for I cannot be if thou be not in me and thou sustainest me who bearest all things by thy mighty word Neither doth God fill all bodies onely with his immensitie but spirits hearts and mindes For how could he search the hearts of men if he were not in their hearts how could he heare their prayers unlesse he had his eares to our hearts and how could the Prophet say I will hearken what the LORD GOD will say in me if he moved not his mouth to the eares of our hearts It is a happy soule which loveth GOD because he hath alwaies his beloved with him and cherisheth him in his bosome For he which dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him 3. Neither doth GOD onely fill all things with his presence but with his glory also For the Seraphims cry The earth is full of his glory and the Psalmist addeth O LORD our Governour how excellent is thy name in all the world thou hast set thy glory above the heavens As if he should say not onely thy name fame and glory hath filled the whole earth with admiration but it hath ascended to heaven and above the heavens also And the Son of Syrach of the creation of the Sun saith The worke thereof is full of the glory of the LORD for there is no creature either in heaven or earth which continually praiseth not GOD. And this is the cause why David in the Psalmes and the three children in Daniel doe exhort all creatures to blesse and celebrate the praises of the Creator not that they were ignorant that most of the creatures were of that nature that they could not heare their exhortations but because they knew that all the works of GOD were good and by their species or beauties brought praiâ—e unto him and therefore congratulated and perswaded them to continue in doing that which rhey did And cortainely if we had inward eyes we might see that all the works of the Lord were as so many censers sending upward the sweet savour of his glory and if we had inward eares we should heare a harmonicall concent as it were of all kind of musicall instruments sounding out his praises and saying It is he that hath made us and not we our selves And although the wicked many times speake evill of GOD and blaspheme his name yet they are compelled against their wills in that manner that the worke commends the workeman to praise him for in them also the power of GOD shineth merveilously by which he made them and his wisedome by which he governes them and his goodnesse by which he preserves them though unthankfull and evill and his mercy and justice by which he ordaines them either justly to punishment or mercifully expects them to repentance And though many are so deafe here on earth to heare the voyces of the creatures incessantly crying to GOD yet there are a multitude of Angels and holy men who hearken unto and are delighted with those praises they themselves daily chaunting out the same with hymnes and songs Now the length of Gods divine Essence is his Eternity which as it had no beginning of continuance so neither shall it have end but shall remaine the same without change or alteration Thou art the same saith David to GOD and thy yeares shall not faile and the Apostle calls him The King everlasting because he is not subject to time but is above it and governes all ages and was before all ages Other things have their beginning and end and never continue in one state nor have beginning without end without alteration but may at the will of the Creator leave to be And therefore eternity is onely proper to GOD so as it can agree with no other creature in that measure for never was Prince so arrogant to use eternity amongst his other titles unlesse perhaps in another sense as Constantius did who was stiled Imperator aeternus because he was not Emperour for a time but during life A mans soule may be reckoned among the creatures of both kinds for it hath a body which began to be when it was conceived and borne and by degrees increased to that stature which was prefixed by GOD and then againe it began to decrease and soone after leaves to be by death but it never stands in the same state and condition in all respects every houre being subject to alteration Of this body the Prophet speaks by a similitude of grasse In the morning it is greene and groweth up but in the evening it is cut downe dryed up and withered That is in its childhood it waxeth reene as grasse soone after it passeth to youth in the nooneday whereof it flourisheth and by and by passeth to old age in the evening whereof it hangs the head and is cut downe in death it continueth in the grave it dryeth up and returnes to dust By which we may perceive how farre the body differs from eternity Now the soule was created in time being nothing before and in this regard is much unlike the Creator but being created it shall have no end of continuance which is common to it with the Creator But for asmuch as it is subject to change while it lives in the body from sinne to goodnesse from vertue to vice
satisfied with seeing nor the eare filled with hearing as saith the Preacher whatsoever is offered to man cannot satisfie his desire why because he is capable of infinite good and all created things are circumscribed within certaine limits But he whch beginneth to drinke this heavenly water in which all things are contained covets nor desires any thing more But of this hath beene formely spoken in the rest of the mind in God alone as its proper Center Fourthly Water joynes together and reduceth into one those things which one could not imagine would have beene so united As many graynes of wheate by the mixture of water make one loafe of bread and of many parts of the earth by the same mixture bricks and tiles are made But much easilier and with a stronger tye or band doth the water of the Holy Spirit bring to passe that many men become one heart and one soule as it was with the Primitive Christians in the Acts of the Apostles upon whom the holy Ghost descended This unity Christ himselfe going to his Father commended and foretold when he said I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve in me by their word that they may be all one as thou O Father art in me and I in thee that they may be also one in us and a little after that they may be one as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one To which unity the Apostle also exhorts endeavoring to keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your vocation O happy Vnion which makes many men to be one Body of Christ which is governed by one Head and to eate of one meate and drinke of one drinke and to live with one spirit and being joyned to God to be made one spirit with him What more can be desired by a servant then not onely to be partaker of all the goods of his Lord but also by an indissoluble bond of love to be made one with him And all this the grace of the Holy Spirit brings to passe as a living and quickning water when it is devoutly received into the heart and there kept with diligence and care Lastly Water asâ—â—nds and riseth as high as it falls low And because the Holy Spirit descends into earth from the highest heaven therefore in that man into whose heart it is received is made a well of water springing to eternall life as our Saviour said to the Samaritane woman Wherefore being thus instructed in the properties of this uncreate water let us thirst after it and say with groanes and sighs unutterable Lord give us of this water which may wash off all our staines coole the heat of our concupiscences appease and qualifie the thirst of our desires may make us one spirit with thee and raise us to the height of thy eternall mansion It was not without cause that the Sonne of God said If ye then being evill know to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that aske it He saith not he will give you bread or apparell or wisdome or love or the Kingdome of heaven or eternall life but he saith He will give the Holy Spirit because in it are conteinâ—d all things Cease not then to put God daily in mind of his Sons promise and say to him with earnest affection and assured hope of obteining Holy Father I powre out my prayers unto thee not trusting in mine owne righteousnes but in the promise of thine onely begotten Sonne Make good therefore this promise of thy Sonne who glorified thee upon earth and was obedient to thee unto death even the death of the Crosse give to me that aske thy good Spirit give me the spirit of thy feare and love that I thy servant may feare nothing but offending thee and may love nothing but thee and my neighbour for thee Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me Restore to me the joy of thy salvation and stablish me with thy free Spirit We come now to the resemblance which rivers or fountaines of water have with God and by it the mind may be lift up to contemplate the wonderfull and excellent work of the Creator For it is not without cause that the Scripture saith that God is a Well of life a Fountaine of Wisedome the Fountaine of living waters And that he is the very Fountaine of being may be gathered out of his owne words to Moses I am that I am and I am hath sent me unto you All which the Apostle seemes to comprehend in this speech In him we live and move and have our being In him we live as in a Fountaine of life in him wee move as in a Founteine of wisedome and in him wee have our being as in the Founteine of being A Founteine of water here with us hath this propertie that from it the flouds arise and whensoever they leave to flow immediately they dry up but the Founteine it selfe depends not upon the flouds because it receives no water from them but not onely hath water in it selfe but communicates with others This is a true resemblance of God and an Embleme of the Godhead for God is the very Founteine of being he receives no being from any thing but from him all things take their being because the essence of God is to be and his existence is his essence so that it cannot come to passe and it were blasphemie to think that God was not or will not be for ever Other things may be not be for a time because a being is not properly to their essence For example it is of the essence of man that he be a reasonable creature and therefore he cannot be a man not be a reasonable creature if it were of the essence of man to be it could not be otherwise but that he must be alwayes but because it is not of his essence to be therefore he may be not be God therefore â—s the onely Founteine of being because in his essence the act to be is alwayes included And these words signifie so much I am that I am that is I am the thing to be and receive not being from any but have it in my selfe to me onely it is proper that essence to me should be to be and hence also it comes that eternity immortality is proper to him onely as the Apostle speakes To the King everlasting immortall c and Who onely hath immortality All other things receive their being from God so that unlesse they alwayes depend on him and be preserved by a certaine influence
divers offices ascend descend walke runne move feet armes and hands upwards and downwards every way neither doth the ayre which is diffused in all places any thing at all hinder them insomuch as if it were not of a corporeall but of a spirituall substance and nature nay indeed as if it were nothing at all Laftly the ayre hath a propertie serving for the benefit of Man that is it changeth it selfe into every forme and suffereth it selfe to be divided and as it were broken asunder to comply to the service and use of Man so that it seemeth to be given to him as a Master and instructor to him in humility patience and charity But that which should chiefly stirre up and kindle in thee the love of thy Creator is that the ayre doth represent the great sweetnesse and gentlenesse of thy maker to men For doe but recollect thy selfe and seriously consider his goodnesse thou shalt finde that thy GOD is ever present with his creatures ever working with them and of such infinite gentlenesse that he accommodates his working to the severall condition and nature of them all as if he should say with the Apostle I am made all things to all men that I might by all meanes save some hee worketh together with necessary workes that they may worke necessarily with voluntary that they may worke voluntarily with those which are free in their working that they may worke freely The fire he moveth stirreth and helpeth so that it may ascend the earth that it may tend downeward the ayre that it may glide by declive and bending places the ayre that it may passe which way soever it be driven starres that they may keepe alwayes in a circular motion herbs furittrees and plants that they may bring forth fruit according to their natures creatures upon earth in the water and the ayre to doe those things which are agreeable to their nature And if the goodnesse of GOD be so eminent in cooperating with his creatures in the worke of nature what may we thinke it to be in the workes of grace He hath given man free power of his will but so as that he will governe him by his command terrifie him with destruction and allure him by his bounty He will have all men saved but so as that he will also have them to be willing and therefore he sweetly prevents excites leads and guides them in such manner as is most admirable These are the meanes which the wisedome of GOD hath found out for the good of Man of which the Prophet Esay speaketh in these words Praise the LORD call upon his Name declare his Workes adinventiones ejus say some among the people And certainely the wicked sometimes hee terrifies exceedingly sometimes perswades them lovingly sometime admonisheth them mildly and sometime correcteth them mercifully as he in his wisedome thinkes expedient and agreeable to their conditions and inclinations Observe how tenderly he dealt with the first transgressor Adam saith GOD where art thou his answer was I heard thy voyce in the Garden and was afraid because I was naked I hid my selfe the LORD replyed with the like meekenesse Who told thee that thou wast naked Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eate and by this gentle correction or insinuation Adam without doubt repented as the Scripture saith Shee that is the Wisedome of GOD preserved the first Father of the World that was formed and kept him when he was created alone and brought him out of his offence Observe againe how gently and sweetly he by his Angell in the Booke of the Iudges rebuked and provoked the people of Israel to repentance What shall I say of the Prophets who in all their sermons as we may call them teach this and beate upon this that GOD desires not the death of a sinner but rather that he should returne and live They say saith GOD by Ieremie if a man put away his Wife and she goe from him and become another mans shall he returne unto her againe shall not the land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers Yet returne againe to me saith the LORD And by Ezechiel Thus ye speake and say If our transgressions and sinnes be upon us and we are consumed because of them how should we then live Say unto them as I live saith the LORD I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live turne you turne you from your evill wayes for why will ye die ô ye house of Israel But to let passe the wicked and consider how great GODS more then Fatherly meeknesse and gentlenes is to those that feare and hope in him Holy David is desirous to expresse it Looke how high the Heaven is in comparison of the Earth so great is his mercy also toward them that feare him And Like as a Father pittyeth his owne Children so is the LORD mercifull to them that feare him And The mercifull goodnesse of the LORD endureth for ever and ever upon them that feare him And in another Psalme Taste and see how gracious the LORD is blessed is the man that trusteth in him and againe Truely GOD is loving unto Israel even to such as are of a cleane heart And againe GOD saith by Esay Can a woman forget her childe and not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe though they should forget yet will not I forget thee and Ieremy in his lamentations The LORD is good to them that trust in him and to the soule that seeketh him Now if I would adde what the Apostles testifie of his Fatherly tendernesse to the Godly I should never make an end Take one place for all the rest of St. Paul Blessed be GOD even the Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST the Father of mercies and Gâ—D of all comfort which comforteth us in all our tribulation c. he saith not that GOD is our comfort barely but of all comfort and not that hee comforteth us in some but in all our tribulation And to end this point take the words of St. Prosper Grace saith he exceeds all justification by perswading in exhortations admonishing by examples terrifying by dangers provoking by miracles giving understanding inspiring counsaile enlightning the heart and endowing it with affections of Faith c. If then thy Creator bee so loving and kind to his servants and with such incredible patience and meeknesse beares with sinners for their conversions comforting the just that they may proceede and grow in righteousnesse and holinesse oughtest not thou to beare the infirmities of thy neighbour to gaine all men to thy GOD Consider with thy selfe to what sublimitie and excellencie the Apostle exhorts thee when he saith Be yee followers of GOD as deare Children And walke in love even as CHRIST hath loved us c. Imitate the