goodnesse leads us to repentance It s Cruelty not Iustice to love punishment except to defend righteousnesse to reclaim the corrigible and to make examples of the impoenitent God is so far from taking pleasure in our miseries that as he said {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e he is careful of us as his kindred when we fall Destruction is in the world but it came not from above it is of our selves as the Prophet sayes It is no plant of Gods setting and hath its roots onely in sin when God strikes though the blowes are just yet he counts the act strange Goodness is naturall to him he doth most willingly help when he hurts he is forced to it So Tertullian Vsque ad delictum hominis Deus à primordio tantum bonus exinde judex severus Ita prior bonitas Dei secundum Naturam severitas posterior secundum Causam Illa ingenita haec accidens c. God was good from the beginning till sin came after that he became a severe Iudge so that the goodnesse of God was first being his Nature severity later by reason of sin That inbred this accidental Yet this severity is good too Illum enim bonum judicares Deum c. For would you count him a good God who should make men worse for want of punishment As he doth not strike till he be highly provoked so then he is loath to do it My people are bent to back-sliding from me though they called them to the most High none at all would exalt him For all this God is loath to destroy them How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah c. We will not think that these were Rhetorical flourishes or Court-like expressions but that a reall truth of affection was declared by them So in other places he sayes he did not punish till there was no remedy It is so necessary that Righteousnesse should not be forgotten or thrust out of the world by impudent sinners that we must needs acknowledge the root of punishment to be goodnesse as he said for he strikes because we have transgressed the law of indispensible right and grieved the indwelling God Is it not goodnesse to hinder us though with afflictions from grieving and quenching the spirit which hath planted it self in us as a root of holy light and joy If God should indulge us in sin we might cry out ô Deum veritatis praevaricatorem Hoc erit bonitas imaginaria disciplina phantasma Since we see by these things how far God is exalted above all unworthinesse let us take heed lest by carelesnesse impotency of mind and lowness of soule we reproach God when we think to magnify him Let us take heed lest we bring down the hight of the divine glory by making it conform to our Idiopathies Clem. Alexand. reports out of Posidippus how Praxiteles when he was to make the Image of Venus expressed in the picture the form of one Cratina whom he loved by which means the miserable Idolaters worshiped the painters Mistresse for a Goddesse It is a rule in Divinity that we are to remove all imperfections from God We misrepresent God if we report any thing of him that makes him not the most noble object of Love Trust and Admiration to his creatures but rather makes him to be hardly thought of by them Let us beware of harbouring any conceit that there is the least of Craft Cruelty or Injustice in his disposition designs or providences In so doing we shall both blaspheme him and indispose our selves to love trust or obey him It were a mad impertinency in a child to praise his Father by reporting that he was a man of such parts that he could easily out-wit poor people and that he did use to do it Shall that go for the praise of wisdom which was only an accusation for vile craft It is not only Ambition but cruelty to seek to rise by the fall and ruine of others It was a heathen that said God makes a play of humane affaires and sports with men as balls It is a disgrace to the merciful Creator and just Governour of all things to despise the concernments of his creatures If we represent God as unjust in his praescriptions cruel in his designs or unequal in his providences we do as much as say that the Fountain of light sends forth darknesse that the spring of sweetnesse is bitter and endeavour to make Heaven and Hell meet We talk of Cannibals with abhorrence for greedy eating of mens flesh and shall we think that God takes pleasure in the destrustion of souls There were three pieces of Atheisme which men by the light of Nature condemned of old The first was a direct denial of the Deity which very few ever stooped unto The second a denial of Providence which was laid to the charge of Epicurus The third that God governs but without goodnesse and justice and of this many have been guilty who could find no other cause of their afflictions but Gods carelesness to save good men as they supposed themselves to be from suffering Those which make God the Authour of sin overthrow the righteousnesse of his nature and providence and if we at any time quarrel with his dispensations towards us and think God deals hardly with us do we not accuse him of injustice and the want of benignity when the guilt of our sins begins to encompass us the iniquity of our doings treads upon our heels if we attempt an evasion by laying our sins upon God for not giving us garce or suffering us to be tempted or I know not what do we not accuse his administration that he is rigorous or hath outwitted us It is the greatest disgrace of a Governour as the Philosopher observed long agone {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to lay snares for those whom he governs But this cannot be said of God for his Nature being goodnesse that must needs be the measure of his providence This is the first way to honour God in all things to preserve worthy thoughts of him We do honour to God if we carefully take heed lest we worship him in such a manner or with such oblations as make our service rather complement and flattery then true love and solid Adoration Throughout the Holy writ God hath declared a deep detestation of such worship and worshipers and seeks only such as worship him in spirit and truth that is which present no outward instance of worship but they put also their heart and soule in it When it is otherwise what saith God These people worship me with their mouths and honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me If such worshipers had nothing else base in them it is bad enough to make them odious to God that they think he doth not know or hate such spirits He being a spirit full of truth and goodness
will be worshiped only in Spirit Truth Hypocrites are not only impotent in their thoughts but sordid extremly if they should think that God is of such a Make that he is pleased with flatteâ—ies or that he doth not see and contemn the wickednesse of such as feignedly court him The Heathen world looked sometimes upon their gods as implacable Tyrants and reviled them at their pleasure which was a strange foolery to daigne to worship what they durst reproach At other times they looked upon them though as angry things yet easily to be pleased again and then they would kill a swine or a sheep and all was well In which they shewed themselves wicked ignorant of God and base flatterers This absurd Religion was by some wise men of their own condemned and rejected for vain superstition Maximus Tyrius in the Chapter which he wrote of the difference of friendship and flattery hath these words in reference to Religion {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. i. e. if there be any fellowship between God and men we may say that a truly good man is the friend of God but the superstitious a flatterer only The true lover of God is blessed but the superstitious is miserable For the first knowing his true love to God cometh boldly to him him the other dejected with the conscience of his Hypocrisy comes with servile fear devoid of trust and dreads God no otherwise then as a Tyrant When such worshipers come to God will he accept them no neither will any wise man receive a Gift which he knowes to be given with a wicked mind Those which with feigned submission in outward ordinances pretend to acknowledge God but do not love and obey him in their soules are superstitious flatterers no true lovers or worshipers of God And as they have small comfort in their soules for what is the Hope of an Hypocrite so with God they have no estimation for he accounts their applications as they are a disingâ—nuous flattery and a meer superstitious addresse The Emperour was not out when he said we should not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that we should not flatter God but worship him discreetly and in another place he gives a very good reason {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. for God regards not fine words but truth It is very observable that when David became sensible of the abuse which he had put upon the Divine Majesty by his scandalous disobedience he attempted not to make reparation of Gods honour by slaying a beast more worthy to live then himself yet a very poor compensation but saith expressely for he knew Gods mind Thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt offering An hypocrite would have made his cattel bleed and thought he had made good sarisfaction for his own with the lives of others and have pleaded the commands given in this point to Moses But David understood his duty better and was loath after so grievous sins to make such an unacceptable repentance and therefore he offered his own broken heart crushed with ingenuous shame and sorrow If any demand why David wav'd external oblations and made so light of outward applications since the Ceremonies of the Iewish Religion were instituted by God and as yet the Lawes which enjoyned them were in force I answer his meaning was that they were never appointed or accepted for the principal instances of Gods worship or so to be looked upon by religious persons They were not from the beginning Enock was not circumcised neither was Noah yet one of them was translated to glory without seeing of death which was an eminent Testimony that he was acceptable to God and the other was saved in an Ark of wood when all the world besides his family perished by water Abraham himself was declared blessed before he was circumcised Upon which consideration the Father told Tripho the Iew who thought himself some-body because he was under the discipline of Abraham {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. If one be a Scythian or Persian and have the knowledge of God and Christ and observe the indispensable rules of everlasting righteousnesse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} He is circumcised with a good and profitable circumcision so that whâ—n Christ pulled down the Iewish hedges he brought things to the first state and made external ceremonies of no lesse value then they were at the first We may adde to this that when they were in use God made no very great reckoning of them neither did he esteem any justified for the bare observance of them When they pleased themselves highly in their external rights they were so far wide of the divine intention that he tells them that it were all one if they had let them alone I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices c. I am so far from demanding a scrupulous account concerning these performances that I am rather cloid with them So he told them by the Prophet Isaiah To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices I am full of burnt offerings of Rams Bring no more vain oblations c. And because they urged the Divine command by Ieremiah he tells them that he spake not to their Fathers nor commanded them in the day that he brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices One would think that these words should strangely amuse the people and that they thought the Prophet mad to speak against the known precepts wherein God had commanded these things Unto this two things may be said God accepted them by way of condescention and in regard of the hardnesse of their hearts they were a stiffe-necked people and therefore God put a hard yoke upon their necks which as the Apostle saith they were not able to beare {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. neither doth God receive sacrifices from you neither did he command you from the bebeginning to offer them as if he needed them but for your sinnes What he meant by sinnes he expresseth {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} by reason of their idolatries Since they had such a mind to offer sacrifices that they would offer them to God or Idols he commanded them to offer them to him This Chrysostom takes notice of and sayes it is no wonder that he abolished them quite by Christ Iesus for he did not care for them from the beginning {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} How then did he require them by way of condescension to their weaknesse The Authour of the Constitutions affirms that till the provocation of the golden Calfe and their other idolatries sacrifices were not imposed and then it was only {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that being clog'd with these troublesom yokes they might be forced from Idolatry He never did allow of them as commutations or dispensations
defenders of christian Religion reproved the folly of the Heathen world for attempting to introduce vertue into men and yet acknowledged vices and enormities in the Gods whom they adored For when they had said all they could to shame a sinner which was guilty of the worst crimes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that is He will make a fair evasion of punishment by alledging that it is no sin to imitate the Gods Clemens Alexandrinus quoting against the Greeks that ugly passage in Homer concerning Mars and Venus sayes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Away with your song Homer it is not good it teacheth Adultery So the wicked Hypocrites in Davids time utterly unwilling to raise their low soules up unto God would needs call him down to themselves And that they might continue more securely what they were they would needs perswade themselves that God was such as themselves So the Dirty Ranters of our times that they might wallow more quietly in filthinesse thought they had Apologized sufficiently for their villanies by saying That every thing is God It is not impertinent to this matter also that we take notice that there are many things in God which are not imitable by us because they sute not our Nature or else transcend our State Which is no wonder at all for there are divers things in the created world which though they are in themselves Excellencies yet do not fit our constitutions A man cannot shine as the Sunne doth nor is he strong as an Oake How shall we guide our selves then Easily Such as will be at leisure to think will soon perceive many imitable Perfections in God And that we may misse none God manifest in the flesh both by word and deed hath shewed us what is good and what the Lord requires us to follow And having commanded us to do nothing but what he hath done before us He hath both given us encouragement by shewing us the practicablenesse of God-like vertues in our Nature and hath excellently taught us the performance of our Duty By his Gospel that commands us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect it is plainly revealed wherein that perfection consists as in Love Charity Mercifulnesse Forgivenesse Righteousnesse Purity and indeed the compleat beauty of all Holinesse I need not transcribe the Scriptures which have pointed out this truth to the life you have them before you I shall only write an excellent passage out of Justin Martyrs Epistle which he wrote to Diognetus in which they are very well summed up His words are these {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. It is not blessednesse to have dominion over others nor to seek the advantages of a worldly condition nor to oppresse those which are below us neither can any man by such things imitate God For they belong not to his Greatnesse But to bear your neighbours burdens and by how much you are above others so much the more to do good to those which are below you and to relieve those which want with such things as you have received from God makes you a God to those who receive them from you This is to be a true follower of God To conclude since by the premises we see laid before us the divine pattern of necessary Duties God grant that none of us be like the man of whom Saint James speaks Who looking into the Law of Liberty the Royall Law of our King that frees us from the slavery of sin and death takes notice of his face and peradventure of many spots there but having beheld himselfe goes away and forgets what manner of man he was nor remembers to wash them off But rather that we may look carefully upon our selves as we are represented by this holy mirrour and continue till we understand perfectly what we ought to be and then not forget to reform our selves wholly according to the prescriptions that are there and so attain the blessednesse of the Gospel of which none but obedient Christians are capable You have great abilities and constant opportunities Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus who in the fulness of time put on the form of a srevant to save the world By being in the world as he was that is in the same temper and practise {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} you shall know That you are of the truth and secure your confidence in God for the present and afterwards through his unspeakable mercies you shall be counted worthy to stand before the son of Man in the great day of his most glorious appearance Which Grace that you may obtain is the prayer of Eaton Coll. Iuly 26. 1659. Your affectionate Servant in Christ Jesus NATH. INGELO 1 Corâ— 10. 31. Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the Glory of God SAint Paul having received a Question in a Letter from the Corinthians viz. Whether it was lawfull to be present at an Idol Feast or to eat any thing that was sold in the Shambles if it had been offered to an Idol before either by the Owner who having offered a part devoted the whole or the Priest peradventure having brought his portion to the market gave an answer to it Chap. 8. and in this Chapter explains himself a little further As to the first branch of the Question he answers expressely That they might not be present at an Idol Feast it being a part of the worship or at least such an Appurtenance as none could partake of without sin the Heathens offering part to the Devils and feasting upon the rest Those which pretend fellowship with Christ as all Christians do in the Feast of the Holy Eucharist must take heed of this Idolatrous Communion lest they put Devils in Competition with Christ who came to destroy their works As to the other part of the Question concerning things offered to Idols and afterward sold in the Shambles he sayes they might eat without scruple because they knew an Idol to be nothing and that the Earth with the meats and fruits thereof as also the Sea Psal. 95. 5. belong to God and are held of us in his right not of Ceres or any other heathenish God or Goddesse Therefore a good man need make no question but if any guest at the Table say This or that portion was offered to an Idoll then he must forbear to eat of it Why he accounts an Idoll nothing what is it the worse It 's true it is not yet forbear for his sake for he esteems an Idol something and worships it as a God with the oblation of meat and will by thy eating after he told thee what it was be confirmed in his sinne and so through thy true knowledge uncharitably managed thy brother perisheth whom Christ in love died to save Thy Master preferred the salvation of a sinner before his own life and thou wilt
not forbear the tasting of a little meat it may be but once to prevent thy brothers damnation Besides thou dost indiscreetly adminiâ—ter an occasion to confirm his foolish estimation of an Idol above the true God to whose Honour we are to refer the actions of our whole life and whose Gloâ—y can scarce by any thing be so advanced by us as by a prudent charity so much may serve for the explication of the Coherence of the Text The verse contains one of those two comprehensive principles which divide the substance of Religion between them and are of such important use to a good man in all his wayes that he can never neglect either of them but he must needs miscarry The first is Dependance upon God that is a constant clasping about Almighty Goodnesse which hath given us a Being but not without an absolute necessity of cleaving still to it without which we cannot support our selves as we perceive by that Impotency and feeblenesse which we often feel in our selves Alas we should sink down into nothing and so would the whole Creation were it not for that omnipotent life which penetrates through all things to comfort and sustein them Whosoever ceaseth this duty to God the first Cause of all things tears himself off from his root withers and becomes unprofitable to God and himself and growes as stupidly as the Trunks of senselesse Trees upon roots that afford them sap and juice though they know it not The second is a sincere ordination of our selves and our works to the honour of God which is a consequent of the former for it is as absurd morally not to live to God as it is impossible naturally to live of our selves This Latter is the exhortation of Saint Paul in the Text and I have the rather chosen it for the subject of this discourse because though it is by many much talked of yet few things are more mistaken and none more neglected In the explication of this great point I shall endevour to 1. State the true notion of Gods glory 2. Shew how we may glorify God in all we do 3. Demonstrate that we ought to do so 4. Give notice of some things by which God and Christian Religion have been much dishonoured First I will endevour to state a true Notion of the Divine Glory But being about to write of such a subject I may well begin with the words of an excellent Philosopher who going to describe Gods nature sayes thus {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. Now what manner of thing should I be whilst I speak of God what beauty of speech what light of apprehension revealing it self in clear expressions what harmony of well chosen words is needfull to describe to my self and others so great a matter This he might well say considring that by reason of the excellency of Gods Nature the darknesse of our minds and the poverty of speech it is difficult to think or speak any thing worthy of him Some by reason of the unworthinesse of their soules are apt extremely to debase the glory of God and it is possible so far to mistake that in stead of praising him we may blaspheme And it is an acknowledged truth that our Religion depends not upon a slight extramission of ill grounded expressions or shallow affections but upon a deep intramission of Gods reall excellencies That we might not mistake the Divine Glory he who only could hath told us what it is When a worthy man and one very familiar with God made this prayer to him I beseech thee shew me thy glory he received a grant of his prayer in these words I will make my goodnesse passe before thee which is called the Glory of God Verse 22. Thou shalt see my back parts for my face cannot be seen thou shalt see as much as can be shown or is fit for thee to see my Name shall be told thee by which I glory to be known In the next Chapter when the Divine Glory passed by this proclamation was made The Lord the Lord God Mercifull and Gracious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth c. This was a glorious Name indeed and worthy of God Moses saw God appearing after this manner more then once for God shewed himself to him decked with the Glory of his goodnesse when he came forth in the Creation of all things and rejoyced to see every thing made good And God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good as if he had said God having in rich benignity made all things in a decent correspondency to his own goodnesse pleased himself as an artificer doth when his work answers the beautiful Idea's of his own mind The Psalmist hath express'd this in plain words After he had taken an exact view of God as he appeared decked with the Glory of his works for so he begins My God thou art great clothed with Honour and Majesty thou coverest thy self with light as with a Chrystal robe c. He addes ver. 31. The Glory of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall rejoyce in his works From the forementioned Scriptures we perceive that Gods Glory is the Divine Goodnesse which shines forth in his works and those merciful condescensions by which he seeks to make his creatures partakers of his own blessednesse according to their capacities Whilst this goodnesse passeth before our eyes we see God as a bright Sun incircled with his own out-spread rayes of Light and Love being capable indeed of no other Glory but what accrues to him from the displaying of his own goodnesse no more than the Sun can be seen but by his own Beams He which can receive nothing if he will have Glory must give That which may be known of God shining in Nature taught the Philosophers the same truth Hierocles speaks very well to this purpose {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. i. e. There can be no reasonable cause given for the Creation of all things but the essential goodnesse of God for he is good by Nature and perfectly free from envie Other causes besides this may be assigned but they savour more of humane imperfections then correspond with Gods blessednesse and perfection So Simplicius {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. i. e. God having an omnipotent power and infinite good will made nothing evil but all things good as much as could be that is as much as every thing is capable of his goodnesse So that if we take notice of the world {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the free efflux of the Divine goodnesse we may easily perceive the design of God in the Creation to have been like that of an excellent Limner who having filled a large Room with divers Tables some bigger some lesse beautifies them all according to their proportions with his skilful hand Here also we may receive an account of the difference
that is in the degrees of goodnesse and perfection among the Creatures The variety is a great piece of the beauty of this lovely frame There is one glory of the Sun another of the Moon another of the Starres A suit of Arras Hangings cannot be made without severall colours and those laid differently upon worsted silk silver and Gold formed into divers Images Musick would be a pitifull thing if there were but one note or tone without higher and lower sounds we should want the delectablenesse of Harmony which is more grateful as the notes of which it consists are not the same but tunably different Those things which seem but little in comparison of others have much as to their own capacity and are often more admirable then greater for in instances where it was not expected as he said {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i.e. They show an Almighty skill in little In the highest things God ascends far above the reach of our eyes and in the lowest he stoops to the remotest proportions of possibility and his Glory shines through them all whilst he fills each measure of reception with due participations of goodnesse which is his own Image and his goodnesse is over all his works By this we see That God made the world for his glory out of meer grace willing to bestow happinesse upon others He was not oppressed with the fullnesse of his blessednesse but like a voluntary spring poures forth the waters of life upon the world I will rejoyce over them to do them good He is pleased wiâ—h being a Benefactor and is delighted when he makes others happy Hence God was most justly worshiped by the Church throughout all generations as the Benigne Father of the Creation Father being a known name of Love which he expressed in his uninterrupted care of all things in the respective ages of the world but especially in the fulnesse of time when to make up the sad ruines of the lapsed Creation he put the breaches of it under the hand of his beloved Sonne who came upon the stage as the expresse image of his person and the brightnesse of his glory which hath been mentioned for in him it shined most clearly He brought salvation in his Name Good will in his Nature His Errand which we call the Gospel what was it but the Love of the Father proclaimed by his beloved Son As we have it epitomized by the Evangelist Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life This word our Saviour verified with works of transcendent charity for he went up and down doing good expressing a great pity to the bodies but much more to the souls of men and after the service of his whole life which was an Exemplary performance of charity he made his death also a great proof of his love which being stronger then sin and death he offered himself upon the Crosse by a powerful spirit of benignity and became the Redeemer of miserable sinners so that the Angels Hymne was extremely pertinent when they sung Glory to God on High for the good will which was expressed below by the appearance of Christ Jesus whom not only Angels but wise and good men saw and acknowledged his glory to be as the glory of the only begotten Son of God full of Grace and Truth The fulness of true goodnesse was the glorious Image of the Father shining in the face of the Son When he went away just upon his return he said Father I have glorified thee and verse 26â— he tells us how I have declared thy Name what name but that which was proclaimed long before as the glory of God withall he leaves this title Love as his own remembrance by which he would be acknowledged in the world and the badge of his Disciples Hereby shall all men know you to be mine if you love one another One that well knew the truth of this Glory as a genuine follower of Christ his Lord adorns himself with it Having expressed all love and good will in endeavouring the salvation of the Gentiles he pleaseth himself in the good of others which he had furthered after this manner What is our Hope or Crown of rejoycing are not even you in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his coming for you are our Glory and Ioy Divine Paul but never more then now Divine for the glory of God shined out of his mouth as Porphyrie said that Plotinus his soul did when he spake So much being premised concerning the right notion of Gods glory it remains to be spoken next how we may glorify God or do all things to his glory Divines use a distinction of glorification which is not improper to be mentioned in this place One is Perfectio objecti glorificati the perfection of the object glorified and to glorify in this sense is to produce some perfection in the object glorified and thus God doth glorifie his creatures The other is Perfectio subjecti glorificantis a perfection in the person who is said to give glory by which he is able to take a due notice of the excellencies which are in the glorified object but addes nothing to it and thus we are said to glorify God By which we see that the word glorify is of a quite different signification when it is applyed to God and to us For it is a true rule Talia sunt praedicata qualia permittuntur à subjectis What is said of God and us in the same words puts on a vast difference of sense when it is referred to his acts and ours What belongs to God I have discoursed already that small matter that we reach to I shall explain in a few particulars 1. We do honour to God if we preserve alwayes in our minds a right notion of his glory and thrust farre from us all low poor thoughts of God We cannot do a greater disparagement to the highest worth then to think meanly of it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as the Father said God may be represented to his disparagement by the unwise Therefore whensoever we think or speak of God we should be sure to use no {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} no poor groveling expressions or creeping imaginations which fall utterly below the worthinesse of so glorious a person Since he can receive no glory by addition of any thing to what he is let us not foolishly endeavour to take away from him by obscuring that which he hath revealed himself to glory in by attributing to him any Temper Disposition or Design that is unworthy of him Let us raise our thoughts of God as high as we can for by that which hath been said already it appeares how far all unworthinesse is removed from God He neither made the world at first or preserves it now for any self-interest what Iulian said of AEsculapius in his fortieth