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A16740 Diuine considerations of the soule concerning the excellencie of God, and the vilenesse of man. Verie necessarie and profitable for euerie true Christian seriously looke into. By N.B. G. Breton, Nicholas, 1545?-1626? 1608 (1608) STC 3647; ESTC S116485 38,586 191

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I cannot but with admiration speake of that grace that through his loue made him haue such a fauour vnto man as to elect him to his loue to frame him to his image to inspire him with his spirit to instruct him in his word to defend him with his power to preserue him in his mercie to dye for him in his loue and to receiue him to glorie all these and what euer other good wee receiue either through the loue or mercye of God are free guifts of his grace and not for any merrit in man How can this beame of glorious brightnes bee beheld with the cies of humilitie but that the soule wold be rauished with the contemplation therof and say with the Psalmist Psalme 103. verse 8. Gratious is the Lord and mercifull long suffering and of great goodnesse Furthermore of so great effect in the working of comfort in the hearts of the faithfull is this vertue of grace in God that wee finde the writings of the Apostles in their Epistles commonlye to begin with this word Grace Grace mercie and peace from our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ As if from grace came mercie and from mercie peace Oh consider the works of grace our election out of a speciall fauour our creation out of a gratious wisdome our vocation out of a gratious kindenes our sanctification out of a gratious holines our iustification out of a gratious merit our redemptiō out of a gratious loue our glorification out of a gratious mercy So that still we see that grace worketh in all thinges to the onelye glorie of God in whome it worketh to the good of man Oh how sweet a salutation was deliuered to the blessed Virgin Mary by the Angell Gabriell Haile Mary full of grace God is with thee So that if God be with any soule it is full of grace where the fulnes of grace is there is surely God but as it is written of Christ Iesus Psalme 45. vers 7. That hee was annointed with the Oyle of Grace aboue his fellowes So may wee well say of the Grace of God it is so excellent in working to the Glorie of God that as it is infinite in goodnes so must it haue the same measure in glorie I say to be glorified aboue all things Note a little the varieties of the guiftes of this grace of God vnto his seruants Moyses hee made a leader of his people and gaue him the tables of the law to Abraham he gaue the blessing that should follow in his seede in Isaack shall the seede be called at the prayer of Eliah hee sent raine after a long drought to Dauid hee gaue a kingdome and a treasure more worth then many kingdomes the enlightning knowledge of his holy loue the spirit of prophesie the confession of sinne the repentance of offence the passion of true patiēce the constancie of faith and the humility of loue To Salomon he gaue especiall wisdome to sit in the Throane of iudgement with the greatest maiestie and wealth of any earthlye creature in the world To the blessed Virgin Marie hee gaue the fulnesse of grace in the conception of his only Sonne but to him he gaue that grace that filled heauen and earth with his glorie Let vs then consider not only the vertue goodnesse and glory of grace but with all the height and glorie therof which being only in Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Sauiour let vs in him onely beholde the summe and substance the beautie brightnesse the goodnesse and glorie thereof forsaking our selues in the shame of our sinnes only flie to his mercie for the comforte of those blessings that receiuing onelye from him may make vs giue all honour and glorie to him And so much for consideration vpon the grace of God The seauenth consideration of the glorie of God HAuing thus considered of the greatnes the goodnes the wisdom the loue the mercy grace of God towards man I cannot but finde in this good God an admirable glory who containing all these excellencies in himselfe and beeing indeede the verie essence of the same doth in the vertue of his bountie appeare so gratious vnto this people But since to speake or thinke of the glory of God or the least part thereof is ●o farre aboue the reach of the power of reason as in all confession must be onely left to admiration Let me onely say with the Apostle Glory only belongeth vnto the Lord in his presence so glorious is his brightnesse as nothing can see him and liue and therefore in a bush of fire hee spake but not apeared vnto Moyses vpon the mount in a cloud and a piller went before his people in the wildernesse was as it were inclosed in the Arke in an Angell did appeare vnto his Prophets and in his Sonne Iesus Christ so farre as he would and might be seene to his Apostles and Disciples but for his glory his diuine essence cannot be seene of any but himselfe verified by his own word Iohn 1. chap. verse 18. No man hath seene the Father but hee that came from the Father euen the Sonne of man that hath reuealed him and againe verse 28 I came from the Father and I goe to the Father for the Father I am one with his glory he filleth both heauen earth as it is written Heauen and earth are ful of the Maiestie of thy glory and againe in the Psalme 19. verse 1. The heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke his workes speake of his glorie his Saintes write of his glorye his Angelles sing of his glorie and all powers doe acknowledge his glorie It is higher then the Heauens larger then the Earth deeper then the Sea purer then the fire cleerer then the skye brighter then the Sunne The power of strength the life of Loue the vertue of mercie the beautie of grace the honour of Wisdome and the Essence of Maiestie The Angelles tremble before it the Saintes fall at the feete of it the Prophets beholde it a farre off and the soules of the elected doe adore it and being then so farre aboue the power of man to come neerer the thought of it How can the heart of man but in admiration speake of it it liues in the wisdome of the wise in the vertue of the valyant in the liberalitie of the Charitable in the patience of the Temperate in the virginitie of the chaste in the constancye of the faithfull in the humilitye of the louing in the truth of the Religious it dyrects the will of the Trinitie in the vnitie of the Deitie it commaundes the seruice of the Angells it blesseth the prayers of the Saints it pardoneth the sinnes of the repentant it prospereth the labours of the vertuous and loueth the soules of the righteous in summe it is the Maiestie of Maiesties the power of powers the vertue of vertues the grace of graces the honour of honors the Treasure of treasures the Blessing
and yet as much as hee requireth and more then from a great many the more their shame hee receiueth But let those that feele these great effects of grace in the goodnes of the liuing God say with the holy Prophet Psalme 136. verse 1. be thankfull to the Lord and speake good of his name for his mercie endureth for euer but since so infinite is his goodnes in all things and to al things and specially to man aboue all things let me onely wish al men for their own good to acknowledge all goodnes onely to bee in the Lord the onely Author and substance thereof whatsoeuer is good in heauen or earth is onely a free guifte of his grace that must onely work to his glory the election of man to be an effect of loue in the grace of his goodnes and not to dreame of merite but to giue glory vnto mercie for the benefit of such a blessing as being freely giuen to man through our Lord Iesus Christ by his merite is onely confirmed to the eternitie of his glory and thus much touching the goodnes of God Touching the wisdome of God the third Consideration TO speake of the wisdome of God is so farre aboue the capacitie of man that it is rather with all humble reuerence to be honored and admired then either to be spoken of or considered yet for so much as the creature doth giue glorye to his Creator in praising and with admiration beholding the excellent workmanshippe in the varietie of his workes and finding it so farre aboue the reach of reason as must noedes proceede from a vertue of diuine grace hee doth in contemplation acknowledge a wisdome of that excellencie that maketh him saie with the Prophet Dauid in the 104. Psalme 24. verse Oh how wonderfull are thy workes in wisdome hast thou made them but though the wisdome of God as it is in it selfe is an other himselfe and not to be comprehended of any but himselfe yet the effectes thereof in all things doe giue him so greate a praise as make him aboue all things to receiue the highest of all glory for to enter into particulers let vs beginne to looke into his creation in the power whereof hee sheweth no small parte of wisdome as in the brightnes of the Sun Moon Stars and the cleernesse of the skie the courses of the Planets the motions of the Celestiall powers in the opperations of the elements in the perfection of proportiōs in the diuersity of creatures in the wōder of arte and quicknesse in working what excellent arte hath he taught nature in painting all the Trees fruits and flowres of the earth yea and all the haires skinnes feathers and scales of beasts fowles and fishes the eeuennes purenes of euery one of whome being truly considered wil startle the best witts in the due consideration of that onely point of wisdome Againe what a further secret cunning hath he taught nature in perfuming so many Trees hearbs and flowres all growing out of this darke and dusky earth by what wisdome he doth vnite the people and hauing deuided the languages how hee giues the meanes of vnderstanding how hee makes the fishes paths and the shippes passages through the seas the birds walkes through the ayre and the Salamanders dwelling in the fire and the wormes howses in the earth how admirable is this wisdome that so worketh all things by it selfe To speake of the excellency of Arts in the secrecie of their working what can it finally approoue but an admiration of knowledge in the maister of them But hauing with Salomon found by the light of grace and experience of labor that al things are vanity except onely the vertue of that grace that enricheth the soule with inestimable treasure what a pointe in wisdome is this not onely to instruct the soule of man in knowledge of natures with their qualities and effects but through the power of it selfe to breede a kinde of spirituall knowledge in the apprehension of Faith that in contemplation of heauenly treasure maketh trash of the whole worlde Oh superexellent exllencie in wisdome that frameth the heart vnto the soule to seeke out the waie of life and in the prison of the flesh preserues it from the perill of infection that man being created the Image of perfection can neuer be destroyed by the venome of corruption but in the daies of iniquitie being guided by grace escaping the snares of hel shall fly to the ioyes of heauen Consider that if man by the wisdome of God attaine to this excellent knowledge how to walke through the passages of nature to make vse of them for his seruice to withstand the temptation of sinne to receiue the instructions of grace to dispise the delights of the worlde to bridle the affections of the flesh and ouercomming the power of death to finde the path vnto life if this I say and more then can be said by the instruction of the diuine wisdome man hath power to attaine vnto thinke how infinite is that wisdome from whome only commeth the essence of this and all knowledge in whome it onely liueth and without onely whome all is but meere ignorance And since it is written that the beginning of wisdome is the feare of God learne onely that lesson and feare to be otherwise learned Paule thought he knew enough in Christ him crucified and enough wise shalt thou be if thou canst applie his knowledge to thy comfort But to returne breifely to speake of the wisdome of God it is in the heauens so highe in the earth so large in the water so deep in the aier so secret and in the fire so powerfull in all things so exquisite and in perfectiōs so infinite that I will onely in the admiration thereof giue glory to the same and saie with the Apostle 1. Corin. chapter 3. verse 19. The wisdome of the worlde is foolishnesse before God And againe with the Prophet Dauid Psalme 104. verse 24 Oh Lord how excellent are thy workes in wisdome hast thou made them all Psalme 139. verse 6. Such knowledge is too excellent for mee O all ye workes of the Lorde praise him and magnifie him for euer but since so many and so infinite are the praises that may worthyly bee giuen vnto it I cannot so leaue off but I must speake a little more of the consideration of it for the power of it It maketh all things for the knowledge of it it knoweth all things for the direction of it it ordereth all thinges for the goodnesse of it it is good in and to all things for the greatnesse of it it comprehendeth all things for the grace of it it is gratious in all good things and for the maiestie of it it is glorious aboue all things for in the power of it is the life of vertue in the life of it is the mercie of loue in the loue of it is the blessing of grace and in the grace of it is the eternitie of