before we may discouer their extreme folly with another demaunde For we may aske whether God be good and mercifull of hys owne wil or agaīst his will For if he be good and mercifull of his own will and wil goeth before all thinges that are chosen by wil thā there was a time or space whan God was not yet good and mercifull but consulted toke deliberatiō aboute those thynges Item we may demaunde of them whether the father be God of his will or against his will If of his will than after these mens high wittes his wil went before his essence and beeing If agaynste his will who constrayned him ▪ who seeth not nowe the outragious madnes and extrēe fransie of these wilde spirits For in dede in naturall thynges no will goeth beefore whiche will hath place only in those thinges that bee withoute the substaunce of him that taketh deliberaciō But here we wil make an end of this lecture Let these words of the Euangelist my brethren which we now haue treated sinke depelye into your heartes which weighe downe so greate heresies and teache vs so excellent and so diuine thinges as the angels can not attaine vnto Let vs consider how great goodnesse of God this is that he hath vouchsafed to open vnto vs the moste reuerende temple of his diuine maiestie and lette vs prayse hys holy name therfore and bee thankefull ¶ The second readyng ANd the word was wyth God Before the worlde was made there was nether time nor place And therfore the worde beeing a thyng subsistinge in the beginninge beefore any thing was made could be no where but with god and in god For than ther was nothing but God And so he must nedes be of the same substance that god is of For if he were not of the same substance and yet was in the beginning that is to say euer a thing subsistinge with God than the proprietes of God shoulde be takē away The proprietes of God ar to be infinite and to be omnipotent But if they were two sondrie diuided substances neyther of them shoulde be infinite nor omnipotent For where the one wer the other shold not be nor where the power of the one the power of the other Their substance than of necessite muste be one and the same and yet these words shewe manifestly a difference in the godhead For it were a great absurdite to sal the worde was with god if there wer no maner of difference betwene god and the word For who can say of one thing hauing no maner of difference that that thing hath a thyng wyth it Who canne saye without absurdite in suche a ringe there is a diamonde and in the diamōde or with the diamonde there is a diamōd speaking of one only diamond Thus we may say in such a ring there is a diamōd and in the diamonde a point a rase or a vertue to take awaye the power of the adamāt stone for there is some differēce betwene the point the rase the vertue the diamonde it selfe So thā whā we say a thing is with a thing there is a differēce betwene the thing with which it is and the thing that is with it These words therfore forceably ouerthrowe another heresie namely of Sabellius who affirmed that there was no distinction of persons in the Godhead And that these woordes the father the sonne and the holy gost were only sondrie titles and names geuen to one persō as one and the selfe same man may some times be called tall some times fayre and some times valiant c. So he mingled and consounded altogether teachynge that god the father was sometimes called the father sometimes the sonne and sōe times the holy gost But we holde leaning to the euidente trueth of Gods worde these three distīctions these three sondrie persons vnmingled and vnconfounded so that the father is not the sonne nor the sonne the holy gost or the father As in the sunne that shineth ouer vs we see three things vnconfounded and vnmingled For we consider the sunne by it selfe the lighte by it selfe and the heate by it selfe The light is not the sonne nor the heate the light but they be three distinct thinges I say nor this as though the material sūn could sufficiently expresse the thinges of the godhead For no creature can expres that mystery Yea no corporal thyng can expresse a spirituall and mindly thynge But I speake it to shewe you some waye for the stayeng of vnquiet heades that sondrie thynges maye be in one vnconfounded and vnmingled that is euerye one abiding still in his propre nature Now that these three distinctions be in the godhead I wyll brieflye shewe you out of gods worde And firste I wyll beginne wyth the holy goste In the .14 of thys gospell the Lorde himselfe sayeth I wyll entreate the father and he shall geue you another comforter This word another noteth a difference betwene the sonne and the holy gost For it can not be sayd of one and the same hauige no difference that he is another besydes hym selfe Agayne speakyng of the holy gost in the .16 cha he shall receaue sayeth the Lorde Iesus of myne and shal shew forth vnto you These wordes also declare a plain difference betwene the sonne and the holye gost For he coulde not haue sayed he shall take of myne if there had not been a difference betwene hym that taketh and him from whom he taketh Nowe a difference both betwene the sonne and the holy gost also betwene the father the holy gost may be easely and plaīly gathered out of these words whan the comforter shall come whom I wil sende vnto you from the father the spirite of trueth which procedeth from the father he shal witnes of me For ther is a difference betwene him that sendeth and him that is sent there is a differēce betwene him that procedeth him frō whom he procedeth And that there is a differēce betwene the father and the sōne these wordes of the Lorde Iesus teach vs sufficiently I the father HEN ESMEN are one For the plural nōbre noteth two If there had been no distinctiō betwene the father the sōne he sholde haue said I the fatheram one not ar one These wordes also that we haue in hande the worde was with God proue the same ineuitably as I haue said Here I must warne you of another error that whā you heare that the worde is with god springeth out of god the father ye imagine not that he departeth and is diuided frō the father is a substance a part For our former example of the sunne maye teache you that that is not of necessite For lighte is with the sunne issueth out of the sunne yet departeth not ne is diuided frō the sūne And though no example could shadow the matter vnto vs yet the trueth is that goddes sonne is so with god and so begotten of God and
In his daies Iehuda shal be saued and Israel shal dwel safely this is his name which thei shal cal him Iehoua our righteousnes And this confirmeth the prophete Hosea where god speaketh thus But I will haue pitie on the house of Iuda and wil saue thē in Iehoua their God In the new testamēt this matter is taught most clearely For these be S. Paules wordes in the .9 to the Ro. whose be the fathers and of whom is Christ after the flesch who is ouer al god blessed for euer And in the .2 to the Philip Let the same minde be in you which was also in Christ Iesu who beinge in the forme of god thought it not robberie to be equal with god and yet emptied him selfe takinge the forme of a seruant c. Thus S Paule teacheth that he is not god by vsurpation but by nature and that he was and euer is shal be in the forme and state of god verie god as whan he saieth that he toke the forme of a seruant he meaneth that he entred in to the state of a seruant and became a verie seruant Some wranglīge spirites wrest this place verie boldly vngodly For thei saie that S. Paule reacheth no more but that the lorde Iesus was humble and contente with his state and aspired not farther ne went aboute to climme vp vniustly to an aequalitee with god But if that were the meaninge whan S. Paule saieth that beinge in the forme of God he thought not to make himselfe equal to god by robberie he shuld signifie that beinge in that state that he was in he might haue so dō haue preuailed Or els what great matter had it bē that he abstained frō that which ōce to haue gō aboute or to haue thought vpon had ben more than mere madnes Wherefore it is euidēt that this theire deuise is the verie rauinge of sicke braines beside that they shamelesly wringe these wordes out of their natural sense he thought it no robberie to be aequal with God make them signifie whether thei wil or no he mēt no robberie or he wēt aboute no robberie thinkinge to make him selfe aequal to god in such a sense as thei neuer knew before nether wil abide ōles they be haled cleane out of iointe S. Paules meaninge is this that the lorde Iesus beīge verie god yet couered his glorious maiestie with the shape state of a seruāt hūbled him selfe vnto the death of the crosse to do vs good which exēple he setteth before vs to folow not to be ashamed to abase our selues to the welth of other For we cā neuer cast doūne our selues so much as he did if we cōsidre his glorie diuine estate what a thīge it is for him that is verie god to becōme not only a mā but also a seruāt and not that only but more ouer to be appointed to a most vile shameful death Now the higher he was the more liuelier his exēple is to moue vs to make vs ashamed of our disdainfulnes And therefore S. Paule speaketh of his godhead which he had hath naturally that we maie know that his hūblinge camme not by force but of his awne good wil. Where I haue turned this worde alla which signifieth but in to these wordes yet I haue marcked that S. Paule so vseth the word alla in manie places One shal suffice for this time in the .6 to the Cor. he speaketh thus For though you haue innumerable leaders in christ alla but not manie fathers that is to saie yet not manie fathers To returne to our purpose S. Paule in the .14 to the Ro. applieth this sentēce of Esaie Euerie knee shal bow vnto me c. to the lorde Iesus with these wordes we must al be presēted before the iudgemēt seate of Christ For it is writtē as truly as I liue saieth the lorde euerie knee shal bow vnto me c. But it is euidēt that those wordes ar spoken of Iehoua in the prophete so must the lorde Iesus be Iehoua For thes be the wordes of that prophetie in the 45. cha Am not I Iehoua there is no god besides me a iust God one that saueth there is none besides me Loke vnto me and be saued al ye endes of the erth for I am god and there is no more I haue sworne by my selfe the word is gon out of my mouth in righteousnes that euerie knee shal bow doune vnto me c. Againe S. Paule in the ninth to the Ro. teacheth that the lord Iesus is the stomblinge blocke and the stone where at the lues shulde fal which thinge the prophete Esaie speaketh of Iehouah For thus he writeth you shal sanctifie Iehoua the lorde of hostes And he shal be a sanctuarie and a stone to stomble at a rocke to sal at to bothe the houses of Israel a snare and a trappe to the in dweller of Ierusalem And manie shal stomble in them or amonge thē shall sal and be brused snared and takē Now cōpare Esaie and Paule together and you shal see that the lorde Iesus is Iehoua as S. Paule colde vndrestande the scriptures who was sure that he had goddes spirite The Angel also in S. Luke saieth that Iohan Baptiste shuld turne manie of the childrē of Israel to the lorde their god and that he shulde goe before him in the spirite power of Elias But the lord Iesus him selfe teacheth that Iohans office was to goe before his face alleginge the texte of the prophete Malaki after this sorte in the .11 of Matheu beholde I sende myne Angel before thy face which shal prepare thy waie before the. So must the lorde Iesus be the Lorde god of the Israelites But this matter is no where taught with greater clearnes light grace thā in this gospel of S. Io. For in the first parte of his first cha speakīge of the true Messias namely of the lord Iesus our vndoubted saueor that our faith might safely rest in him and that we might know it to be cōsonant to the truth of goddes word that we make not flesh our arme whā we putte our trust in hī he saieth that he was euer goddes worde vtue wisedō that he was with god that he was verie god that al thinges were made bi hī c. here indede our wittes ar dafeld amased here arise manie thoughtes For here two be spokē of god I saie goddes worde the worde is said to be god to be with god It semeth thā to mānes hastie reasō that there be two goddes But the truth is that there is but one god Wherefore some haue bē so boide or rather so mad as to denie the godhead of the lorde Iesus to bringe him in to the ordre of creatures to faine him a made God lest there shuld be two natural goddes For they cā abide no more of god thā they cā
be made It is playne than that he was neuer made And if he wer neuer made but did make all thynges than is he certaynlye God But let the Arrians goe a whyle and lette vs consider another thinge in these wordes If al thinges were made by hym than all thinges are in hys power Wherof than shoulde we be afraide while we maītaine his cause and labor to serue hī For no tiranne no creature in the world can hurte vs nor once moue agaynst vs otherwyse than pleaseth hym For they are all his he made thē and therfore they are al vnder hys power Let vs than cast awaye al feare and be of good courage rage the worlde neuer so muche For all thynges muste stoupe to hym and fall downe flatte before hym that made them who hath loued vs and made vs hys brethren and bought vs to be gods peculiar people wyth the price of his most holy blood To hym therfore geue all honor glory and prayse Amen ⧠The thirde readynge SAinct Iohn as it were with Aegels winges mounting farre aboue the earth and farre aboue the heauēs to admitted into the most secrete closette of the diuine maiestie sēdeth forth from thence such lightninges and thonderinges as beate downe confounde consume and vtterly wast away all the forces imaginations and deuises of mās carnal witte and yet lightē make cleare and comfort the vnderstandynge of the Godly being reformed by Gods sprite For first he soundeth from heauē that God hath a worde signifyinge the diuine nature of the lord Iesus And here forthwith Arrius setteth vp his hornes and because he cannot frame his witte according to the worde he goeth about to frame the worde according to his witte as the men of Lesbos had squires rules of leade and whan they coulde not make their hard stones agree to their squiers they woulde stretche oute their squiers and make them agree to the stones I graunt saieth Arrius that God hath a worde that is of moste excellente nature but this worde God made and there was a time whan the worde was not Agaīst this deuise of mans peuishe head S. Iohn thondreth and lightneth declaring that the worde was in the beginning Now of a beginning ther is no beginning for that were not a beginning indede that had a beginning But lest any shold say that a beginninge sōetimes signifieth order and not excluding of time as whā Moses saith in the beginning God made heauen and earth c. there lieth another thonderbolte in the worde was for thereby is signified that the worde had his being in the beginning and was neuer made Sabellius than and the patripassians steppe foorth and they sai that the word was in the beginning in dede and had euer his being For there is no maner of difference or distinction betwene God the father and the worde But. S. Iohn cōsumeth these heretikes with the lightnīg of this sentence and the worde was with God Paulus Samosatenus thinketh to perce the heauens and is lifted vp aboue the cloudes with the winges of pride saieth that the worde signifieth goddes purpose only to doe thinges without ani subsistīg abidīg nature But. S Iohn with this shotte driueth him down vnto hel whan he saieth the worde was god For a bare purpose hauing no substance cānot be god ne said to be god Thā our most diuine euangelist that al the world may lerne the diuinite of the word by his works saith that al things wer made by the word Here the Arriās swete vexe torment thē selues wrigling in and out and at the last they breake forth into open blasphemye and saye that God made the worlde by the worde as by an instrument But. S. Iohn vttering the same sentēce againe with other wordes namely with these and without it was made nothing stoppeth their breath For if God made the worlde by an instrument and wythout the worde nothing was made than the instrument was not made without it if the instrument wer any thing And so he was not made without himselfe But he could not helpe to make himselfe before he was And he that is already hath no nede to be made But S. Iohn leaueth them not so but still hurleth fierie flashes against their faces For with greate grace and power he saieth in it was lyfe From whom procedeth life but frō the true God onely of whom it is notablye and sīgularly saied with the is the veine of life And againe in him we liue moue and haue our beeing We may than well make these reasōs if Gods sonne being naturallye life geueth life to all thinges by participacyon of him selfe he is another thā the thīges that liue by his presence And he that is another thing naturally than a creature how is not he God Againe if the sonne be a creature how quickneth he al thīgs and how doeth S. Paule assigne that to God as properly peculiarly pertainīg vnto him whan he saieth to Timothe I charge the in the sight of God who quikneth all thinges If the sōne be a creature and geueth life to all thinges then a creature geueth life to it selfe And so there shall no principall and peculiar thing be in God aboue a creature A creature also shall haue no nede of God for life sith it geueth it selfe life But a creature euer hath nede of the creator so the sonne is not a creature sith he is life by himselfe Nothing is partaker of it selfe all thīges be partakers of the sonne as of their life so is the sonne no creature Now let vs returne to our texte In it was life saieth S. Ihon. For not onely all thinges were made by Goddes woorde of nothing but also all thinges are preserued in their state by Goddes woorde that thei turne not to nothinge againe For vndoubtedly al thinges shuld decaie turne againe to their first nothinge if goddes sonne did not inspire in to thē life vigor force of cōtinuance And this parte of goddes worcke where by al thinges cōtinue in their state is no lesse to be wōdred at than the makinge of thinges For where as al thinges made hauinge a beginnīge tēde to an ende by arte conninge he hath giuē thē a certaine immortalitee perpetual continuāce For he hath putte in to thinges such life vigor force of engēdringe that by successiō thinges that seme to be of a verie shorte cōtinuāce haue cōtinued manie thousande yeres and shal cōtinue to the ende that he hath appointed In the contemplation of this power of goddes sonne it is more cōuenient and more profitable for vs to tarie longe to be fixed than in the contēplation of his diuine substance essence beinge which thorough the excedinge brightnes of it daseleth our weake eyes is indede vnto our measured wittes incōprehēsible and therefore rather to be hūbly worshipped thā curiously sought out And the life was the light of mē This sentēce is sōdrie wife expoūned For some
his awne giftes in vs. And so he calleth faith whereby we ar iustified one grace euerlastinge life another grace verie truly godly to the cōfusion of the commune idols souldiars Other expouninge grace for grace grace vpō grace reach that out of this fulnes of his sonne god gaue to our fathers vndre the old testamēt the spirite of feare whereby as childrē vndre a scolemaster thei were kepte in restrained that thei shuld not straie abrode after fleshlie lustes but be led forth framed to some godlines And in the new testamēt he giueth the spirite of fredō whereby with more frācke free hertes with more ioiful courage by the motiō of the spirite we do the thīges that please god Not that our fathers were al together voide of this free spirite but bicause of their childlie age thei were more kepte vndre by feare the spirite was not so richely largely giuē to thē as to vs I meane vniuersally touchinge goddes ordinarie dispēsation For to some special persons the spirite was as largely giuē and more largely thā it is now The exposition of other is that God loueth fauoreth vs bicause of the loue fauor that he beareth to his sonne as S. Paule writeth that he hath made vs acceptable in the biloued For by nature we ar the childrē of wrath the loue fauor that we finde ī goddes sight is for that that of his awne goodnes he hath made vs the membres of his most derely biloued sonne so loueth vs as a parte of his sonnes bodie Other thincke that the meaninge of these wordes is that God powreth al his graces in to the lord Iesus by him cōueieth the same vnto vs as by a conducte pipe I leaue to your choise which of these expostions you wil folow The law The nature of mē is cōmunely ether to giue to litle or to much reuerēce to Goddes ministers And to despice them while thei liue and whan thei be ded to make them more thā saintes In the time of the lordes cōuersation vpō erth the Iues had Moses in such reuerēce and estimation that thei made him verie litle lesse than a God In Moseis person thei gloried Moseis person thei bosted and extolled aboue the starres Thei had this also that thei so pust vp them selues in their knowlege of Goddes wil and in their holie perfecte worckes wrought accordinge to the rule of the law as that thei excelled al other mē were halfe goddes vpō erth and more mete to be placed in paradise amonge the heauēlie spirites thē to walke in this vale of miserie amonge sinful men Wherefore Io. Baptist to plante Christ Iesus in the hertes of thē to whō he was sent to be a teacher and the better to aduance his glorie laboureth to pulle those two great hindraūces out of their hertes namely their preposterous gloryinge in the persone of Goddes minister and their vaine confidēce in their awne holines and righteousnes And first he setteth vp the lord Iesus far aboue Moses makinge a comparison betwene the office of Moses and the lordes office For he assigneth to Moses that he ministred and gaue the law to the people he assigneth to the lord Iesus that he hath brought grace truth Now there is ā excedīge greate differēce betwene these two offices For th one is the ministration of death and condemnation thother of life iustificatiō The law in dede prescribeth vnto vs true holines certainly sheweth vs what we ought to do and to leaue vndon in euerie pointe but while thereby ether it represseth restraineth mēnes raginge lustes or cōuinceth al men proueth that thei do not the thinges thei ought to do nor eschue the thinges thei ought to eschue as S. Paule lernedly and truly writeth it encreaseth sinne worcketh wrath killeth and condēneth vs. It encreaseth sinne bicause the more our lustes ar restrained the more ragingly thei burst out It worcketh wrath bicause that whan our lustes ar bridled we ar angrie with God for puttinge that snaffel in to our mouthes so to our other vices we adde disobediēce stubburnnes murmuringe against God It killeth and condēneth bicause it pronounceth al mē accursed that kepe not the thinges prescribed taught in it to the vttermost title where as we perfirme not one iote perfetly as we shuld But here we must know that the law of hir selfe of hir awne nature hath not these effectes but by accidēt that is by the meanes of our vicious nawghtie corrupte nature For the law is good holie iust worcketh not cōdēnation of hir awne nature but bicause our sinful nature can abide no good thinge therefore of necessitee it must be condēned by that that is good whā the same is laied vnto it The propre cause is not in the summe beames that they make a carion to stincke the more but in the nature of the carion For thei shine upon other bodies without such effecte If our nature were good the law shuld be most liuelie and cōfortable vnto it Now bicause it is corrupte poisoned the law worcketh not the thinges that it wold and shuld but the thinges that such a nature wil only suffre to be wrought Grace and truth We haue now the office of Moses letre vs on thother side cōsidre the office of the lord Iesus But first lett vs vndrestande the wordes By grace some vndrestande that that maketh vs amiable and acceptable and getteth vs fauor before God mē By truth thei vndrestande true sincere perfecte sounde and sure righteousnes Other by grace in this place vndrestande forgiuenes of sinnes and by truth the fulfillinge of al the figures and shadowes of Moseis law In which so euer signification you shal take the wordes the sense shal be good and godlie For the lorde Iesus maketh vs amiable and acceptable in Goddes sight apparellinge vs with his awne swete smellinge garmētes that is with his awne holines and he renueth our mindes vnto true sound and fast abidinge righteousnes he also hath optained for vs remissiō of our sinnes hath perfirmed al that was shadowed in Moseis law For he hath washed sanctified and purged vs with his awne blood He hath suffred death in our stede and offred him selfe a slaine sacrifice vpon the crosse to be a perpetual satisfaction for the sinnes of al Goddes chosen to appease for euer Goddes wrath kinled against sinne And here we ar clearely taught that the law cold not bringe these thinges to passe Wherefore al thei that haue assigned righteousnes and acceptation in Goddes sight to the dedes of the law or haue sought anie holines anie forgiuenes of sinnes anie sparcke of grace life other waies than by the lord Iesus only alone haue miserably begiled them selues to their perpetual confusion and perdition Let vs my brethern be no more deluded but resorte to the true foūtaine of al heauēlie graces draw from
thens thorough faith sincere holines and true righteousnes and what so euer maie make vs amiable and acceptable in Goddes sight that we maie glorie in no maner of thinge saue in the lord Iesus alone our only sanctifier iustifier saueor redemptor and what so euer our nede requireth that he shulde be vnto vs. For what was impossible for the law to do in that it was weake thorow the flesh God hath perfirmed hauinge sent his sōne in the likenes of sinful flesh by sinne that is to saie by a sacrifice for sinne hath condemned sinne in the flesh This sonne of God is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redēption This sonne of God hath raunsomed vs from the curse of the law This sonne of god is the ende of the law to iustifie al that beleue This sonne of God had giuen vs the spirite of adoption the spirite of Goddes childrē the spirite of fredom the spirite of alacritee good courage These thinges Io. Baptiste teacheth and so quaileth the Iueis vaine gloriynge in Moses their vaine gloriynge in their awne holines and righteousnes to the high aduancemēt of him to whom al glorie is due euen Iesus Christ our only lorde saueor No man hath seen God c. Now to confirme the thinge that he had signified touchinge Moses namely that he must sitte far beneth the lorde Iesus in this sentēce he giueth vs to vndrestāde that the verie knowlege of Goddes wil of the law that Moses had he receaued it from Goddes sonne For nether Moses nor anie other mā cold attaine to anie certaine knowlege of Goddes wil or shal euer attaine hereafter but by the reuelation of him that is in Goddes bosome So Moses whose passinge great knowlege they bosted so much was but the lord Iesus his scolar and therefore of dutie must giue place to his master The Iues Indede had euer in their mouthes that Moses had seen God and spoken with him mouth to mouth so that god had no secrete that he had not opened vnto him But the truth is that no mortal man can attaine to a ful knowlege of Goddes infinite maiestie and see his face as it is For whan Moses desired to see Goddes glorie and maiestie aunswer was made vnto him thou cāst not see my face for man shal not see me and liue Wherefore whan the scripture sayeth that Iacob saw God face to face and that Moses talked with him mouth to mouth the meaninge is that God opened him selfe more plainly talked with them more familiarly than with other men How beyt they saw not his awne verie face that is thei attayned not to a ful knowlege of the diuinitee For as Tertullian lernedly writeth mannes minde can not comprehende the thinges that be in God For God is greater than mannes minde nether can it be thought how great he is For if God cold be comprehended by thought than he shuld be lesse than mannes minde whereby he might be conceaued He is greater also than al speech nether can he be vttered with wordes For if he cold be vttered with wordes thā he shuld be lesse then mannes speech whereby he might be compassed But what so euer shal be thought of him shal be lesse thā he what soev shal be spokē of hī shal be lesse thā that that is aboute him For if thou shalt calle hī light thou shalt name a creature of his not expresse hī If thou shalt calle hī vtue thou shalt speake of his power and not vtter him If thou shalt calle him maiestie that shalt describe his honor and not himselfe Breifely what so euer thou shalt saie of him thou shalt rather declare a thinge of his than him selfe For what canst thou worthely speake or thincke of him who is greater than al wordes al vndrestādinge sainge that one waie we maie cōprehende in minde what God is if we shal thīcke him to be that that cā not cōme in to mānes ūdrestādinge or thought what maner a thinge and how great it is For as our eye sight is dulled in be holdinge the soume nether cā abide the glisteringe brightnes of the sunne beames so our minde suffreth the like thīge in thinckinge of God and the more it is bent to considre God so much the more it is dafeld blinded with light For what can we thinke worthely of hī that is higher than al highnes deper thā al depenes lighter thā al light brighter than al brightnes stronger than al strenght fairer than al fairenes truer than al truth greater than al greatnes richer thā al riches wiser than al wisdome better than al goodnes iuster than al iustice more merciful than al mercie so that it maie be truly said that God is such a thinge as where vnto nothinge can be compared For he is aboue al that can be spoken or thought And therefore whan Moses was admitted to a singular sight of the diuine maiestie God saide vnto hī thou shalt see my hinder partes my face thou shalt not see The sight of Goddes backe was a great knowlege surely of the diuinitee but not a ful knoulege so that it might be saide that he saw Goddes verie face And yet that knowlege also which he had of God he had by the instruction reuelation of Goddes sonne For God inhabiteth light that no mā cā approche vnto Goddes sōne ōly knoweth the father he ōly giueth al the knowlege of the father that euer anie mā had or shal haue For he only is of the fathers priuie coūsel he only is admitted in to his bosome GOD The greke word theos which S. Iohan vseth is made of thee in to rūne as Plato teacheth bicause the rude old mē seinge the ouer bodies so fast to moue thought that God ranne in thē therefore called god a rūner We maie thincke that he is called a rūner bicause he is spedely presēt to helpe in al nede Other deriue the word out of deos feare bicause he is most to be feared reuerēced The latines cal God deū as it semeth of the greke word theos or deos or as some thīcke a dādo of giuīge or quod nihil illi desit bicause he wāteth nothinge But though the names that the heathē vsed whereby to signifie the supreme aeternal mīde be verie good takē out of some proprietes effectes that thei vndrestode in god yet it shal be most fruteful cōfortable for vs to know what name the godlie haue vsed goddes spirite hath vttered in the holie scripture Now the most excellēt name of god expressed by godes spirites is Iehoua which the grekes cal tetragrāmatō bicause it cōsisteth of .4 spirital lettres The hebrues haue it in such reuerēce that thei thīke it is not to be vttered with mēnes lippes therefore in stede therof thei euer read adonai And to this daie if thei heare a christiā pronoūce it thei ar astonied seare left the skie shal fal