why did he leaue his accustomed progres Or how could he be a guide vnto the wyse men betwene Bethleem and Hierusalem being placed with the other starres in the firmament of heauen We read that the sunne stode vnder Iosue and went backward vnder Esechias but neuer of no star that left his ordeined circuite and wandred as one that loseth his way Peraduenture an aungell appered vnto the wyse men in the lykenes of a star for they appere in diuers likenesses and shapes At mouÌ„t Oreb an aungell spake vnto Moises out of a bush in the lykenes of fyre and at Galgall to Iosue the sonne of Nun like a man of armes Helias is caried vp to heauen in a charet of fyre and with horses of fyre The charet and the horse be the aungels of God whiche be ministring spirits accomplishing all his commaundementes The aungels appere vnto Abraham and Lot like thre wayfaring men Manne his wyfe sawe an angel talking with them as he had ben a Prophet So it may wel be that an aungel in the similitude of a star was a guide to the wise men For aungeles are called starres in the scriptures as in the reuelation of Iohn Stelle sep tem ecclesiarum angeli The seuen starres are the aungels of the seuen congregations Other thinke that this star was nether aungell nor a materiall star but the holy spirite whiche opened the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ both vnto the Iewes and to the Gentils but vnto the Iewes in the likenes of a Doue to the Gentils in the shape and similitude of a star of whiche Balaam an Astronomer prophecied long before Orietur stella ex Iacob there shall come a starre of Iacob that is a shining light of the holy ghost the which shal leade the HeatheÌ„ to the knowledge of Christ in the likenes of a star as he fell vpon the Apostles in the shape of fyre Thus muche I haue spoken of the starre that appered at the natiuitie of Christ bicause many by it wold proue fate and destinie But what say they is fate and destinie A stedfast and immutable order of causes wherby all thynges are done of necessitie called in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 True it is nothing is done w tout a cause but yet many thiÌ„gs may seme to be done without any necessary cause for some causes be perfit some in our iudgement again may seme to be vnperfit Fire causeth heat perfectly and water cold but surfiting causeth sicknes a wound causeth death study causeth learning vnperfectly for a man may surfet be wounded and applie his study and yet nether be sick nedy ne learned If all causes were necessary but presuppose they were yet I wold deny all things to be ruled by their necessitie of fate and destinie for almighty God worketh what he will in them of his good pleasure He appered vnto Moises out of a bushe in a flame of fire and yet the bush consumed not He coÌ„maunded the fire not to hurt Ananias Azarias and Misael and saued them harmeles from the hote burning ouen Did necessitie of fate and destinie make Sara Elizabeth which were barren and past chyldren fruitfull Did destinie make Aarons rod bud the sunne to go bakward a maid to conceiue the blynd to see the deaf to heare the dead to aryse If almighty God then did al those thinges he leaueth not his creatures to be gouerned of causes which depeÌ„d one on another but ruleth them at his pleasure Salomon witnesseth of GOD that he doeth lengthen the lyfe of hys and shorten the life of the wicked saying The fear of the Lorde maketh a long life but the yeares of y e vngodly shalbe shortened There be many examples of this in the Bible The Prophet Esay commaundeth kyng Esechias to put his houshold in an order because he shoulde die out of hand and not liue and yet at his earnest request God lengthned his life .xv. yeares Thus we denie that the creatures are gouerned by stoicall destinie ether in their byrth death or any of their actions but only by the prouidence of God as the examples of the Scriptures concerning the birth of Iacob and Esau Phares and zara do witnes for the notable birth of Iacob Esau doth confute destinie and destroy the influence of the starres for they were borne both at one tyme in one place of one woman by one maÌ„ and yet they were as vnlyke as fier and water as lyght and darkenes as blacke white So were Phares and zara two twinnes also the chyldren of Iudas by his daugter Thamar These examples declare destinie influence of the starres to be but a fable yea they fortifie Gods prouidence teachyng him to be a gyuer of dyuers graces vnlyke fortunes and seuerall blessynges I graunt that an Astronomer may tell by the obseruation of the starres to what occupation to what estate of lyfe euery man is most feat most apâ— by nature but that he can tell mans fortune by any of his arte or cunning I deny vtterly For our lyfe is not ruled by the mouynge of the starres but by Gods prouidence who worketh all thynges in heauen and earth How then is that true whiche is wrytten in the boke of generation Compleuit Deus die septimo opus suum requieuit ab vni uerso opere c. He finished and he rested the seuenth day from all hys workes God rested the seuenth day from the workes of creation from formyng of newe creatures but not from gouerning of them The Carpenter after he hath finyshed the the house medleth no more therwith if God should doe so all creatures would peryshe If mans body can lyue without quickenyng of the soule the world may continue without his prouidence For he is to the worlde that the soule is to the body and more necessary to y e gouernauÌ„ce of it then y e soul to y e gouernaunce of the body forasmuch as he is y e maker both of soul body Thou must not imagin that God was wery with syxe dayes labour because he is sayd to haue rested the seuenth day who made all thynges and gouerneth them without labour and rested without werynes For resting signifieth endyng In the seuenth day God rested from al his workes that is he ended he finished the creation of the world Why then doeth not the scripture say he ended all his workes but that he rested from them Truly not without an vrgent cause for God is sayd to haue rested from all his workes whiche he made exceadyng good for because he wyll geue vs rest and quietnes from our trauayl if we wyll doe all good workes as he made all thynges exceading good This phrase of speakyng is vsed muche in the scripture as of the Apostle we knowe not what to desyre as we ought Spiritus intercedit pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilihus buâ—â—he spirit maketh intercession mightely for vs
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word continued in vse many yeares But nowe also this word is not vsed for asmuch as some heritiks wold proue by it that God is thre substaunces For which considerations the Grecians of more latter time vse for it the word persone saying there be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the same meaning and vnderstanding in which thei of more auncient time confessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is y e doctrine of the Apstles y e coÌ„fessioÌ„ of Martirs y e catholike churh and generall faith of the congregation The .xxiii. Chapter ¶ That Christ is a substaunce NOwe I wil proue that the scripture graunteth vnto Christ to the holy ghoste y e meaning of these words substaunce persone that is that Christ is an vncoÌ„fouÌ„ded substaÌ„ce and the holy ghost likewyse and fyrste I will proue that Christ is a substaunce and afterward that they be vnconfounded and so it shalbe sufficiently declared that God is thre For a persones an vncoÌ„fouÌ„ded substauÌ„ce y e worde or thought of man is no substauÌ„ce but a transitory thing But Ihon recordeth that Christe is the word of the father howe then can he be a substauÌ„ce Tharch heretike Samosaten made this argument who also denieth the thre persons saying that the father is Christ and the holi ghost both To him I make this answere S. Ihon in the same place telleth vs that Christe who is the word is God and that God is a substaunce I haue proued before in my treatise what God is wherfor we must nedes graunt that Christ is a substaunce or els deny him to be God Tell me Samosaten what thou beleuest of the Father Is the Father a substauÌ„ce or not Both Photine and Seruete thy adhereÌ„ts grauÌ„t this Thou sayst also that Christ is the father Doest thou not confesse him to be a substaunce in y t thou saiest he is the father Againe in denieng him to be a substauÌ„ce doest thou not deny him to be the father for the father is a substaunce Thy owne sayinges proue Christ to be a substaunce and not to be y e father If he be the father as thou grauntest then is he a substaunce I graunt the somuch but I deny that of which thi assertion proueth him a substauÌ„ce For no man is his word no maÌ„ is his owne thought but Christ is the word thought of the father wherfore he is not y e father nomore then the words of Ioseph to his brethren are Ioseph himselfe S. Ihon witnesseth that y e word which is Christ is not a transitory word a souÌ„ding word comming from the lightes but by a metaphor But an euerlasting word by which all things were creat things that are in heauen and thinges y t are in earth thinges visible inuisible whether they be maiestie or lordship either rule or power saying all were made by it and nothing without it He sayth also that this word is God It vpholdeth things disposeth all things gouerneth all wherfore it is a substauÌ„ce for these things can not be aplied to ani thiÌ„g which is no substauÌ„â—â— if so be it be substaÌ„ce theÌ„ christ is a substauÌ„ce for christ is y e word Christ is figured in the scripture by diuers thinges Abraham and Isaac were figures of him and the wether which was slaine for Isaac y e stone which Iacob anointed the ladder Ioseph sold into Egipt Moises rod Iosue Sampson the brasen serpeÌ„t a cluster of grapes be figures of him which al be substauÌ„ces is he himself no substauÌ„ce We read not in holy writ that substauÌ„ces and no substaunces be likened and compared together The scripture beareth record of him y t he is no dead image of the father for he is life and resurrecioÌ„ nether a dum image for he is the fathers word Nor insensible for he is wisdome nor counterfait for he is truth but a lyuely and expresse image therfore a substaunce forsomuch as all liuing thinges be substauÌ„ces He answereth the Iewes reuiling him that he said Abraham had sene his daies Verely verely I say vnto you er Abraham was borne I am by which wordes we learne not only that he is a substauÌ„ce but also that he is both God and man God because nothing is saue only God and man forasmuch as in mans flesh he spake Moises saith of him he that is did send me vnto you for the son sent him The son did shewe him self in the likenes of fier the son went before the Israelites by day in a pyller of a cloude and by nyght in a pyller of fyre He caried them to the land of promis he appeared vnto them in many likenesses and similitudes his workmanship gouerned the world from the beginning as his answer teacheth vs vnto the Iewes accusing hym for healing a certain man on the sabboth day my father worketh hitherto and I worke As if he should say why blame you me for working on y e saboth day who neuer ceased to worke If ye blame me blame also mi father who worketh hitherto If ye can not iustly accuse hym ye can not iustly blame me for I and my father are one Whatsoeuer he doth that doth the son also he ruleth al thinges from the beginning and so do I. He worketh hitherto I worke hitherto Our sauiour Christ teacheth vs here that he is licensed to worke on the sabboth day by the example of his father who worketh continually and that the commaundementes of the sabbatticall rest belonge nothing vnto him working inseperably with his father And also that he gouerneth all thinges with the father and is not idle condempning and coÌ„troulling the damnable opinion of the Arrians and Paullians It is nedeles to speake any further of this thyng The .xxiiij. Chapter ¶ That the holy spirite is a substaunce not a Godly inspiration he is euery where gouernour of the world to be praied vnto a forgiuer of synne BVt touching the holy conforter many doubt whether he be a substaunce or not The Saduces and Libertines say that all the spirites and aungels are no substaunces but inspirations affections and qualities That good angels are good affections Godly motions which God worketh in vs and that dyuels and euil aungels are beastly affections euil thoughts coming of the flesh Therfore I thynke it agreable vnto my matter to proue y e holy spirit to be a substaunce for vnlesse he be so he can not be the third person in the ouerglorious Trinitie The boke of wisdom witnesseth y t the spirit of the Lord filleth the round coÌ„pas of the world We can go no whither froÌ„ this spirit we can not auoyd his presence we can not flie from him but by flying vnto him we can not escape his rightuousnes but by appealing to his mercy for ther as he is not by his fauor and grace he is by his wrath
ignoraunce doth not argue Gods worcks to be vnprofitable yea Gods glory and wonderful power is more maruelous in making the litle flie to hear to tast and to fele with a mouth with legges with wynges a body the stomaâ—k the otheâ— inward partes then in an Elephant and more maruelous in a frog then in a great Whale and in a mouse then in a mightie horse If thou come into a riche mans house and seest much stuffe thou thinkest al to be to some purpose and darest thou iudge y t God in his house hath made any thing to no purpose Al Gods creatures ether be profitable or hurtful or not necessary thanck him for the profitable take hede of the hurtful and question not reason not of thinges not necessary For although thy capacitie can not perceiue it yet God hath made all thinges in measure and number and weight he made not y e deuil for he made him an aungel and he made himself a deuil by sinning when he fell from heauen as lightening For the deuill is as much to say as an accuser and a seducer of the Greke word Diaballi whiche signifieth to accuse to infame to disceiue God made man but he made not man euil so he made him an angel but not a deuil he made many angels but they made them selues euill for no euil commeth of him as it is written he beheld many thinges yea al that he had made and â—o they wer exceading good But why did he make him an angel knowing he wold become a deuil why did he make other aungels innumerable why many thousands of men women and children which he forseeth shalbe dampned Verely that he might declare himself to be rightuous in punishing the vngodly as he is merciful in rewarding the godly no man can blame him therfore but rather magnifie his rightuousnes He compelleth them not to sinne for which thei ar dampned Should God because he forsawe they would be euill absteine from creatinge them which is good Is it not lauful for him to do what him listeth with his own are their eies euyll bycause he is good should he not do well in making them because they would doe ill in offendyng him Of this thing seke a further aunswer in the .xii. of the boke of wysdom but let vs returne from whence we are straied al beit these questions are annexed vnto our purpose The smyth is not able to make any thing without Iron nor the Carpenter without wood nor the Tayler without cloth nor the Shomaker without leather nor the Potter without clay but God who is almightie made al thyngs of nothyng Before any thyng was what could there be to make them of except he would haue made them of hymself Iesus the sonne of Sirach saith Qui viuit in eternum creauit omnia simul He that liueth for euer more made al thinges simul together that is God made first a confused heap called in Greke Chaos of nothing and of that heap he formed all thinges as it is written Qui fecisti mundum ex materia informi who hast formed the world of a confused heape He made this heap altogether where he saith in the beginning God treated all thynges heauen and earth for the heap is called there heaueÌ„ and earth as afterward also it is called the water the spirit of y e Lord was born vpon the waters So far no time no order of daies is mencioned afterward God of this heap in six daies shapeth al thinges so that both be true that God made the world in syx daies and that he made all thinges together This article of creation is necessary to be knowen for as muche as some deny God to be the maker of the world and geueth the glory therof to aungels as the Menandrians Saturnians Cerinthians al so the Nicolitanes it is y e first article of our Crede The .xv. Chapter ¶ God ruleth the world after his prouideÌ„ce and how he rested the .vii. day OTher graunt God to be maker of al thinges but they suppose that as the shypwright wheÌ„ he hath made the ship leaueth it to y e mariners medleth no more therwith as the carpenter leaueth the house that he hath made euen so God after he had formed all thinges left al his creatures to their own gouernauÌ„ce or to the gouernauÌ„ce of y e starres not ruling the world after his prouideÌ„ce but liuiÌ„g in ease quietnes as y e Stoiks Epicures diuers astrologers because it is writteÌ„ y t on the .vii. day God rested from al his workes To these I aunswer with the prophet Dauid God couereth the heauen with cloudes prepareth rain for the earth maketh the grasse to grow vpon the mouÌ„tains geueth foder vnto the cattel maketh fast y e bars of y e gates of Sion blesseth y e children within maketh peace in our borders filleth vs with the flour of wheat geueth vs snow lyke wol seatreth the hore frâ—â—t like ashes casteth forth his ise like morsels helpeth them to right that sustein wrong loseth men out of pryson geueth sight to the blind raiseth vp them that are fallen careth for straungers defendeth the fatherles socoureth the widowe wherfore he is not an idle God For as the body lyueth thorow the lyfe of the soul euen so the world continueth by Gods gouernaunce who ruleth it as y e maister doth his seruaunt without whom it perâ—sheth in the twinkling of an eie All thynges wayte vpon him to receiue fode in due season when he geueth it them they gather it when he openeth his hand they are filled with good things when he hideth his face thei are sorowful if he take away his breath they die and are turned again to dust The common wealth of y e Israelites teacheth vs how woÌ„derfully God prouideth for theÌ„ that he hath chosen He preserued Iacob froÌ„ his brother Esau he seÌ„t Ioseph into Egipt to make prouision against the .vii. dear yeares he sent darknes amongs the Egiptians he turned their waters into bloud and slue their fishe their landes brought forth frogges flies lyse grashoppers caterpillers yea euen in their kinges chambers he brought them forth of the house of bondage and slauery with siluer gold he rebuked the sea and dried ti vp he led them thorow the depe as in the wildernes he spred out a cloud to be a couering and fire to geue light in the nyght season at their desires came quailes and he filled them with the bread of heauen he opened the rock of stone and the waters flowed out so that riuers came into the wildernes he dried vp the waters of Iordan that y e people might passe ouer he ouerthrew the walles of Iericho and made the sunne to stand stil and the day was lengthened he sâ—ew mightie kings Sehon king of the Amorites and Og king of â—asan and gaue away their laÌ„d for an heritage
Of which scriptures it doth consequently folow that he gouerneth the world by his prouidence not by the whale of fortune or by force of destinie For if he gouerneâ— theÌ„ he gouerneth vs seing the earth is the Lordes al that is therin the coÌ„passe of y e world al that dwel therin But some do say that he gouerned the Israelites the sede of Abraham the chosen generatioÌ„ but not the refydne of the earth which he gaue vp to their own gouernaunce Verely God ruled all as he is Lord of al. For Paule preacheth to the Athenians that we liue moue and be in him He gaue them also rain light corn grasse as he hymself teacheth Iob out of a storme saying Who deuideth the abouÌ„dauÌ„ce of waters into riuers or who maketh a way for y t stormy wether that it watereth and moystureth the dry and barren grounde to make grasse grow wher no body dwelleth Who is the father of rayne Or who hath begotteÌ„ the drops of our dewe out of whose wombe came the yse Who hath gendred y e coldnes of the ayer y t the waters are as hard as stones and ly coÌ„geled aboue the depe Did he not styr vp Pharao among y e Egiptians Benhadad among y e Sirians Salmanasar amoÌ„g the Assirians Nabuchodonozer among y â— Babilonians Darius among the Medes Artaxarces among the Parthians Alexander among the Macedonians and Vaspasian amoÌ„g the Romaines In the boke of y e Kinges Elias is coÌ„maunded to anoynt Hasaell king of Siria Iehu of Israell Eliseus to be Prophete in his roume Wherby he teacheth vs y t he maketh Prophetes and Kings and taketh away their kingdomes as it is written Propter iniustitias iniurias diuersos dolos c. Because of vnrighteouse dealing wrong dyuers deceipts kingdomes shalbe traÌ„slated from one to another for y e power of the earth is in the hand of God If kings wold earnestly beleue this which is Gods owne voice behold how many kings he deposed in y e boke of kings and for what causes they wold be as earnest to set forth Gods glory that is to cause the gospell to be preached thorowe their dominioÌ„s and to relieue their pore brethren which be members of the same body that they be children of the same father and heires of the same kingdome and that which is done to them is done to Christ as thei haue ben diligent politike yea rather deceitfull in encreasinge their reuenues in filling their hutches w t gold siluer thei wolde first seke for the kingdome of God then God wold be ther castle cast al other things vpoÌ„ theÌ„ or els he is vntrue of his promes One being demauÌ„ded how a king might rule safely and assuredly answered if he dâ—uyse good lawes and se them diligently practised This is a necessary lesson for al princes that wil lyue in quietnes or that wil enioy their crounes with long continuance And a king aught to be a father to his subiects not onli to the gentlemeÌ„ but rather to his pore coÌ„mons for they haue more nede He is the head of them as wel as of the other What causeth vprores insurretioÌ„s soner then oppressioÌ„ of the pore Or what prouoketh y e wrath of God more against them If I were demaunded how a king might not only pas his time safeli but also al his posteritie ofspyrng coÌ„tinue in possessioÌ„ of the kingdome I wold answer if he seke the glory of God vnfaynedly For if kyngdomes be translated for vnrightousnes they ar preserued by rightousnes If promotion come neyther from the east nor from the west but from the king of heauen the wai to attein it and to maintein and continue iâ— â–ª is to please the king of heaueÌ„ The pacient man Iob saith that almightye God oftentimes for the wickednes and sinne of the people suffereth an hipocrite to reigne ouer them Nowe I thinke that ther was neuer more godly pretence more outward shew of holynes more dissimulation in Rulers then now is and this is Ipocrisy and all the people be lyke the rulers I warant you I wold wish that all kings wold diligeÌ„tly reade ouer and earnestly beleue y e cronicle of the kings there thei should fynd that which is written by me kyngs do raigne Cirus kyng of Persie caused a proclamatioÌ„ to be made throughout his empyre that the Lord God of heaueÌ„ had geuen him al the kingdomes of y e earth Is God of lesse abillitie now to do these things theÌ„ he was Or is he of les knowlege and vnderstaÌ„ding But to the matter againe If he do not gouerne y â— world by his prouidence it is either because he cannot and he is not able or that he will not or that he is ignoraunt what is done here But there is no ignoraunce with him to whome all thinges be naked and manifest and he lacketh no cunning for he is almighty and nothing is impossible to him and he lacketh no will for he is full of goodnes mercy compassion and promiseth plenty of all good things to the godly and scarcitie to the euill wherfore he ruleth al by his prouidence he causeth thuÌ„der lightning haile frost snow darknes life death barennes fruitfulnes raine faire wether wind hunger battel peace and pestilence as it is written prosperitie and aduersitie lyfe and death pouertie riches come of the Lord. God sendeth al these things partly to admonish vs of our frailnes partly to punish the il and partly to try the good as I haue intreated before I put case thou knewest not wherfore he ordeined many thinges as thou art ignoraunt why he formed thee a man and not a woman an English man and no Italian were that a iust cause denie hys prouidence Were it not a like thing as if thou shouldest deny that I would be at London at the beginning of Michaelmas tearme because thou knowest not my sute We must think almighty God to forme al thinges to good purposes al be it his workes surmount our capacities When y u â—okest vpon a dial which declareth how the daie passeth away thou art moued to thinke that it is made by art and not by chaunce If one wold carie a globe into Ireland whose dayly turnings would work thesame thing in sunne the Mone and the fiue mouable sterres whiche is done in heauen euery day and euery night which of theÌ„ wold thinke in y t wild countrie the globe to be made without singuler conning And do we think that God gouerneth the world the which comprehendeth both the dial and the globe and the makers of both bi luck and fortune Are the partes gouerned by reason framed by art finished by conning and not the whole Or did Archimides by art couÌ„terfet the mouinges of heauen and God not rule the same bi his prouidence If God doe not rule it there is some thing more