our Prophet saith in the next words If thou deale thy bread to the hungrie then shall thy light breake forth as the morning and thy health shall grovve speedily For his Ciuill estate that is reputation and honour Learning and Valour are the vertues for which a man is most admired but humblenesse and bountifulnesse are the vertues for which a man is best beloued The loynes of the naked blesse him and the tongues of the poore praise him and the hearts of all men honour him his memoriall is blessed and had in an euerlasting remembrance sweet as hony in all mouthes and pleasant in all eares as musicke at a banquet of wine For this Spirituall estate the dealing of bread to hungry soules is acceptable to God for his almes ascend and come vp in remembrance before God Act. 10. 4. Where that he hath done faithfully to the least of Christes little ones shall be Construed as done to Christ himselfe and it is very comfortable to himselfe also which occasioned the blessed Martyr Tyndall to terme monday and Saturday which he vsually spent in visiting the sicke and relieuing the poore his owne dayes of pastime an happy recreation as Ambrose speakes in alieno remedio Vulnera sua curare To benefit our selues by helping other For his eternall estate the poore man is the Mercurit saith our Church set by God in the way to Hierusalem aboue whosoeuer will go thither must goe by his doore pointing at the path of Paradise directly Hee that Couers the naked shall put on Christ and bee Clothed with the long white robes of righteousnes couering all his sin hee that bringes the poore Cast-out into his house shall be receiued into euerlasting habitation he that hides not himselfe from his owne flesh shall enioy the presence of Christ and see God face to face He that deales bread to the hungry shal be satisfied with the plenteousnes of Gods house drinking of heauenly delights as out of the riuer he shal haue for a cup of Cold water which is the least almes a Crowne of glory which is the greatest of rewardes euen fulnesse of Ioyes and pleasures at Gods right hand for euermore GEN. 1. 26. And God sayd let vs make man in our Image after our owne likenesse THe Scripture considers man in a fourefold estate the first of his confection as being in his originall integrity created according to Gods owne likenesse The 2. of his infection as hauing by sinne defaced this imprinted Image The 3. of his refection as being renewed againe by Christ which is the brightnesse of Gods glory and expresse Character of his person The 4. of his perfection in the Kingdome of glory when he shall enioy Gods presence seeing him as the blessed Apostle speakes euen face to face Our present text is a briefe Chronicle reporting his first estate namely the creation of man wherein two poyntes are to be discussed especially 1. The mystery of the most high and sacred Trinity creating 2. The dignity of man Created The first is closely couched vnder these two words faciamus and Imago let vs make in the plural number noting the Trinity but in the singular Image not Images noting the vnitie the word our imports moe then one the word likenesse one and no moe this then in the Iudgement of all orthodoxe Diuines is meant of the three in heauen the Father the Word the Holy Spirit which three are one 1. Iohn 5. 7. Hereupon elswhere termed according to the Hebrew phrase God our makers Iob. 35. 10. psal 149. 2. Esay 54 5. and Eccle. 12. 1. Remember thy Creators in the dayes of thy youth If this note seeme to be forced and vnkind beside the streame of all antiquitie there be manifest and manifold reasons euidently demonstrating the same 1. Man is the workemanship of the whole Trinity Ergo these wordes of God let vs make concern the whole Trinity the antecedent is indeniable because opera Trinitatis quoad extra sunt cōmunicabilia that is all the works of the Trinity without it selfe are communicable the workes of the Trinity within it selfe are incommunicable So God the father is sayd only to beget God the sonne to bee begotten and God the holy Ghost to proceed but all the workes of the Trinitie without it selfe are common vnto three persons and therefore Moses saith in the beginning of this chapter according to the wordes originall in principio dij creauit intimating the creation of the world to bee the worke of the whole Trinitie Creauit dij three persons but one God It is bad latine yet good diuinitie for God the sonne did create so well as God the father Iohn 1. 3. by him al things were made and God the holy Ghost also aswell as God the sonne for the spirit moued vpon the waters Gen. 1. 2. where by spirit we neither vnderstand an Angel which is Caietans idle phansie nor yet the winde as Tertullian and Dauid Kimchi conceited nor the piercing aire as Theodorete imagined but it was Gods owne spirit whereby the creatures were fostered and formed Iob. 26. 13. His spirit hath garnished the heauens and so diuines ascribe the work of creation in the masse of the matter vnto God the father In the disposition of the forme vnto God the sonne in the continuance and conseruation of both vnto God the holy spirit the consultation or rather agreement in saying let vs make man is of the whole trinitie wherein God the father as the first in order speaketh vnto the sonne and holy Ghost and the sonne and the holy Ghost speake it and order it with the father the which because it is written for mans instruction is also spoken after the manner of men 2. To whom I pray sayd God let vs make man If not to God the son and holy Ghost vnto some Demi-gods as Philo Iudaus a scholler of Plato most absurdly coniectured or because the workes and actions of men are partly good and partly bad that God he spake to some Cacodamon as the Manichees impiously dreamed refering the making of that which is good vnto God but the making of that which is bad vnto some badspirit Ista referre est refellere the very repetition of these fantasies is a sufficient confutation of them vnto you who know that all which God made was good yea very good and that God in the beginning made man righteous but they haue sought many inuentions Eccl. 7. 31. Or did God speake this in the plurall after the maner of great Princes only for his honour Nos Radulphus Romanus Imperator mandamus As some Iewes haue fondly construed it nb vcb vbi Answere is made that the stately stile Nos is not ancient at the least not so gray headed and Christian interpreters obserue from Aben Ezra who was himselfe a Iew That the Scripture doth not afford such an example of any King
of the axe saith Gregorie the great to fly from the helme and so they kill vnaduisedly their bretheren And these ghostly Fathers vse Christians as the Iewes did Christ hanging on the Crosse when his thirstie soule called for some comfortable potion they gaue him gall and vineger to drinke The word of God must dwell in vs plenteously but in all wisdome Col. 3. 16. We must heare it in all wisdome read it in all wisdome meditate on it in all wisdome speake of it in all wisdome especially preach of it in all wisdome not only in some but in all wisdom For all is litle enough considering the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine By Iacob yee which are verst in the Bible know well is ment the seed of Iacob all Gods people descended from his loynes heere called a worme And as Tremellius and our old English translations a little worme in respect of their abiect estate first in Egypt and afterward in Babylon a silly worme In quo saith one nihil est quod quis aut amet aut metuat So the next clause doth expound this in the iudgment of Caluine yee dead men of Israel in such a wretched and base slauerie that ye resemble men which are dead euen past all hope to be restored and raised againe to your former glory Gods people were not dead indeed but as it were dead to many purposes vnder their Captiuity They did not lead vitam vitalem a liuely life being as Socrates and u Plato sayd of marriners neither among the dead nor yet among the liuing And as Saint Paul of a Widdow spending her dayes in pleasure dead while they liue For so the Scripture speaking Hyperbolically calls those dead who liue in extreame perils and deepe dangers as Psalm 116. 3. The snares of death compassed me round about and the paines of hell gat hold vpon me and Psalm 86. 13. Thou Lord hast deliuered my Soule that is my person and life from the nethermost hell euen the pit of the dead or the graue So the Prophet Ezechiel entreating of this argument in his 37. Chapter compares the men of Israel vnder bondage to drie bones in the mids of a field These bones are of the house of Israel behold they say our bones are dryed and our hope is gone and wee are cut off a◅ branches from the tree Therefore Prophecie vnto them and say Thus saith the Lord God behold my people I will open your graues and cause you to come vp out of your Sepulchres and bring you into the Land of Israel againe As there is a spirituall resurrection from sin and an eternall resurrection a◅ the last day from the graue So likewise a temporall resurrection from affliction in this world So the Lawyers terme those ciuilly dead which are banished out of their Country There is between Exilium and Exitium so little difference that it sounds well enouge in a Latine eare to call such as are condemned to perpetuall Exile Capite damnatos men appoynted to dye Other instead of dead men of Israel read few men of Israel as our new Bibles in the margine so the Septuagints and their translator Israel parvulus little Israel and Procopius in his commentarie Perpaucus Israel as being in this aduersitie litle for number and lesse in account despised Israel as the translation Hen. 8. Thus I haue deliuered vnto you the plaine story but for as much as all the faithfull are the Sonnes of Abraham and true Iacobins as Augustine sayd more Israel then Israel it selfe the most and best expositors aswell ancient as moderne extend this not onely to the sonnes of Iacob according to the flesh but also to the seed of Iacob according to the spirit that is to the Church of Christ afflicted and persecuted vnder Antichrist in in spirituall Babylon And so these times haue made a large Commentarie vpon this text For Iacob is a worme troden vnder foot in Italie troden vnder foot in Spaine troden vnder foot in France troden vnder foot in Austria troden vnder foot in Poland troden vnder foot in Germanie Persecuted by the red Dragons might and malice throughout the Wildernesse of the whole world and the friends of Iacob are but louing wormes a few men and they by the designes of Antichrist his bloody ministers the Iesuits appoynted to dye for Christs sake killed all the day long This Scripture then is a parallell vnto that Cant. 2. 2. Like a Lillie among the thornes so is my loue among the Daughters and to that Ecclesiastes 9. 14. There was a little City and few men in it a great King came against and compassed it about and built forts against it And to that of our blessed Sauiour in the Gospell affirming that his Church is a little flocke in the mids of Wolues Now that which is sayd in generall of Christs whole body mysticall is verified in particular of euery member as euery sliuer of a bone is bone So euery sonne of Iacob euery true beleeuer baptized into Christ is a worme and as a man that is dead A worme not in respect of his humane condition onely Iohn 23. 6. Man is a worme euen the Sonne of man but a worme saying to corruption thou art my Father and to the worme thou art my Mother and my Sister But in respect of his Christian estate much more being vilified and accounted in the worlds esteeme a worme and no man a scorne of men and outcast of the people yea the filth of the world and off-scouring of all things 1. Cor. 4. 13. His soule quoth Dauid is filled with the contemptuous reproofe of the rich To good Men and Angels an obiect of pittie To bad Men and Angels an obiect of enuie To both a gazing stocke Bernard Ser. ◅1 Inter paruos sermones And with the despightfullnesse of the proud a gazing stocke to Men and Angels infaelicitatis tabula Calamitatis fabula the Map of miserie the table talke yea tabret as Iob speakes vnto the wicked Yee beleeue this I know because ye daily see this not in the tents of Kedar onely but in the high streets of Hierusalem also the greater doubt is how the Christian is sayd here to bee Dead For the better vnderstanding whereof obserue that spirituall death in Iacob is threefold to witt A Death of Sinne For how shall we that are dead to sin liue therein Rom. 6. 2. The Law Through the Law I am dead to the law Gal. 2. 19. That is saith Luther against that accusing condemning Law I haue an other law which is Grace Libertie which accuseth the accusing and condemneth the condemning Law The world Actiue Whereby the world is dead vnto Iacob renoūcing the pompes thereof and accounting all things losse to winne Christ. Passiue Whereby Iacob is dead to the world which hateth and persecuteth him for Christs sake The summe of all is that a
quoth he would chuse rather to throw my selfe into hell then commit one foule fact onely But St. Paul affirmes plainly Heb. 10. 31. That it is a fearefull thing to fall into the handes of the liuing God g Answere is made by distinction almighty God hath marring or destroying handes Of which hands St. Paul there speakes againe making handes Psal. 119. 73. Thine handes haue made me protecting handes Iohn 10. 28. no man saith the Shepheard of our soules shall plucke my sheepe out of my handes and sauing handes Luke 23. 46. Father into thy hands I commend my spirit Of which Dauid here speakes Or as other in this world while there remaines hope for pardon it is better to fall into the handes of God But in that blacke day when once the sentence of condemnation is past it is an horrible thing to fall into his handes for with the froward hee will bee froward Psalm 18. 26. Dauid here speakes of a punishment which is temporall on earth at the most enduring but three dayes But S. Paul there speakes of a payne which is eternall in hell inflicted by such an aduersary which is euerliuing and so consequently his Iudgements in that dungeon of torture can neuer dye Or as other it is better for one who sinnes against God and contemnes the riches of his mercies esteeming the blood of his Couenant where-wherewith he was sanctified an vnholy thing despiting the spirit of grace crucifying Christ againe and trampling him vnder his feet I say for such a reprobate who dyeth in his sinnes It is better to fall into the handes of man who can onely kill the body but hath not power to destroy the soule But for one that sinnes and as Dauid here repents of his sinne from the bottom of his heart It is better for to fall into the handes of God Or in playner termes if it be possible God hath two handes one of Iustice another of Mercy To fall into his hand of Iustice an horrible thing Of that hand Iob sayd Chap. 13. 21. Withdraw thine hand farre from mee The fingers of that hand wrote terrible thinges vpon the wall of Belshazers pallace Dan. 5. But to fall into his hand of mercy full of comfort bâ—…cause his mercies are great Now S. Paul in that place meaneth punishments inflicted by the Lord as an angry Iudge But Dauid in this place meaneth chastisements imposed by the Lord as an indulgent father in loue for the amendments of his children This rubbe being remooued and the passage made cleare let vs proceed in the wayes of our text And that as the blessed Apostle speakes with a right foote In the resolution of Dauid chusing the pestilence rather then famine or the sword Interpreters obserue many notable vertues as first his Iustice For had he chosen famine that would haue pinched onely the poorest himselfe would haue fared well And if hee had chosen warre that would haue destroyed onely the weakest Or if the fury thereof had ouerrunne most of the other yet he might haue set a safeguard to defend his owne person and so preserue his owne skin from the dint of the sword and print of the speare But hauing beene partaker with his subiects in their sinne hee would not exempt himselfe from the punishment He chose therefore the plague which is common Et regt et gregi to Prince to people to Peere to poore The hand must bee equall that handles the scale Princes are sometimes partiall in distributing Iustice betweene subiect and subiect But in a cause concerning their owne particular so well as the generall of their people not to shew more of the party then of the King as Dauid in this answere to Gad is admirable Iustice. Well fare his heart who sayd Diuines are to blame who write Cases of conscience for priuat persons and teach exactly what account shopkeepers are to make for false wares and idle words and in the meane time neglect exorbitant errours of higher powers and potentates And it is a good quaere whether it bee not grosser Idolatry to preferre reason of states before the principles of piety then to worship the golden calfe or Nabuchodonosors Image Dauid vnderstood that hee was obliged to God doubly first that he made him a man Secondly in that he made him a little God to rule ouer other men a finger as it were of that great hand that gouerns al the world as then he stood in Gods place so did he follow Gods paterne as God is righteous in all his wayes so hee desires to deale iustly with all men in all things Hee respects the ship of the common weale more then the cock-boat of his owne fortune and therefore would not haue the whole burden of the punishment to be layd vpon his people but with bowed knee stoupes to beare his part saying Let vs fall into the hand of God shewing himselfe so forward to suffer as he was to sinne Secondly Diuines obserue Dauids humility laying no fault vpon his subiects their sinnes he knew not his owne he knew for which he had iustly deserued this plague The text telleth vs at the 10. verse That after hee numbred the people for which all this tempest arose His heart smote him and hee sayd vnto the Lord I haue greatly sinned in that I haue done And now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy seruant for I haue done very foolishly and at the 17. verse Loe I haue sinned and done wickedly but these sheepe what haue they done That is the people being innocent as Sheepe what haue they done that they should thus suffer I pray thee let thine hand be vpon mee and against my fathers house Hugo de Sancto victore Tostatus and other auow that the people did offend in numbring the souldiers as much if not more then Dauid First because they did not entreat Dauid to forbeare this muster at this time being needlesse saying as Ioab the generall of the host in the 3. verse Why doth my Lord the King delight in this thing Secondly because being numbred they did not offer vnto the Lord his due for the law saith Exod. 30. 12. When thou takest the summe of the children of Israel after they be numbred euery man shall giue a ransome for his soule to the Lord when thou numbrest them that there be no plague among them when thou numbrest them It was according to the law for the magistrate to number Israel as we read Num. 1. 2. But it was against the Law for the people being numbred to neglect their offerings For the better vnderstanding of this hystory let vs if you please renew that text againe When thou takest the summe The word in Hebrew signifieth Head because the summe totall howsoeuer it bee placed at the foot of our account yet indeed it is the head of the number or Head That is the summe of the heades of
the first Achan for his euill couetousnesse was by Gods commandement stoned to death and his wealth consumed with fire Geezi for his euill couetousnesse was striken with a leprosie that cleaued to him and his seed for euer Ananias and Saphira for their euill couetousnesse dyed disastrously Iudas for his euill couetousnesse first despaired and afterward hanged himselfe Nabuchodonosor whom our text poynts at chiefly for his euill couetousnesse was filled with shame for glory Concerning the second which is the woe spirituall of the soule If they who will be rich by common and commendable meanes fall into tentation and snares and into many foolish and noysome lustes that fight against the soule then how much moâ—…e doe they sinne that couet an euill couetousnesse that build a towne with blood and erect a city with the wages of iniquity The spirituall life consists in faith and repentance now the couetous being drowned in his mucke makes shipwracke of his faith and a good conscience For faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom. 10. 17. Buâ—… the deceitfulnesse of riches as our Lord shewes Maâ—… 13 choakes the word and hinders the passage thereof hee that coueteth an euill couetonsnesse is like the deafe adder mentioned in the 58. Psalme that stoppeth her eares and refuseth to heare the charmers voice though hee charme neuer so sweetely S. Augustine expounding that place writes that this venemous serpent delighteth in darkenesse clappeth one of her eares very hard to the ground and with her tayle stoppeth the other least hearing the Marso shee should be brought to light and so the serpentine worldling which hath his mind in his chest while his body is at Church stops one eare with earth that is with insatiable desires of riches and the other with his tayle that is with his heires and posterity building his nest on high that they may escape the euill to come and so little regard the Gospels harmony though the preacher should speake with the tongues of men and Angels As for repentance the couetous is scarce brought to confesse his fault seldome to be sory neuer to restore So that hauing neither true faith in God nor due loue toward men hee cannot be but spiritually dead and as the scripture speakes without God in this world As for eternall woe torturing both body and soule you haue Diues an example Luke 16. who for euill coueting and for building his nest on high suffers in hell fire woes of losse and woes of sense woes in respect of his paynes variety woes in respect of his paines inseparability woes in respect of his paynes vniuersality for the righteous Lord reigneth vpon the vngodly snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest against their euill auarice catching and spoyling other snares against their hot lust and luxury fire and brimstone against their putting vp ambition and pride storme and tempest PROV 22. 28. Remoue not the ancient boundes which thy fathers haue made THe word of God is termed by St. Paul a two edged sword as being sharpe say the Doctors in a litteral exposition and sharpe in a sense which is mysticall also This our text is litterally construed of markestones and bounders of inheritance betweene man and man but allegorically Diuines expound it of the limits of reason and religion and so by consequent of things appertaining to pollicy and piety According to the litterall and plaine sense this Scripture teacheth vs especially 3. lessons 1. That we may possesse lands 2. That we may possesse them in priuat bounded and inclosed 3. That wee may maintaine lawfully these seuerals and inclosures For the first the earth is the Lords and all that therein is and the earth hee hath giuen vnto the sonnes of men Psal 115. 16. Hee made all things for man and man for himselfe the Creator is Lord of man and man is lord of the creatures all things are in subiection vnder his feete Psal. 8. 6. Againe Christ is heire of all things Heb. 1. 2. and in Christ all things are ours as the blessed Apostle sweetely whether they be things present or things to come all are yours and you Christs and Christ Gods and Luke 15. 31. All that I haue is thine sayd the good father to his good sonne Euery man then before men In foro ciuili may claime the things of this world by right of his birth or creation as a man but euery Christian before God In foro conscientiae hath an interest in them by right of his second birth or regeneration as a Christian as some distinguish acutely the wicked as men haue Ius ad rem but good men as Christians haue Ius in re We may possesse lands and houses and riches and yet remooue no boundes of Gods law But our care must be that they do not possesse vs. Ita tenete ne teneaminâ—… quoth Gregorie the great if we command them and honour god with them according to their name they be goods in deed wherwith we may doe good vnto all men and bee rich in good works but if once they command vs then as the poet sayd they become irritamenta malorum euen the minsters of mischiefe and as the scripture speakes the roote of all euil The Church is described Apoc. 12. to be clothed with the Sunne and to haue the Moone vnder her feete that is all earthly things which are changeable like the Moone and the churches treasure was layd downe at the Apostles feete Act. 4. 35. Hereby signifiing as Hierom told Paulinus that when riches encrease we should not set our hearts on them as Dauid doth aduise but rather that wee should trample them vnder our feet first and most seeking the kingdome of God and then vsing the world as if we vsed it not hauing nothing and yet possessing all things 2. From hence we learne that we may haue lands in priuat bounded and inclosed so that euery one may say this is mine that is thine as God in the beginning bounded the raging Sea saying hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall it stop thy proud waues So Gods law prescribes certaine limits and boundes in euery mans inheritance which he may not transgresse and remoue hitherto shalt thou goe and no further for the distinction of possessions is founded not vpon the ciuill lawes of Emperors only but vpon the Diuine lawes of God also commanding thou shalt not remoue thy neighbours marke which they of old time haue set in thine inheritance Deut. 19. 14. and Deut. 27. 17. Cursed be hee that remooueth his neighbours marke and in our text remoue not the boundes c. All which appertaine to the commandement thou shalt not steale the which in one word doth ouerthrow Platonicall and Anabaptisticall community for if all things ought to be common and nothing proper in possession how can one man steale from another and why
his merite Luke 18. For blessed is the man that feareth alway but hee that trusteth in his owne heart is a foole Prouerbs 28. 26. Seeke not to the strength of your owne purse doe not sacrifice to your owne net make not gold your hope saying to the wedge of gold thou art my confidence for riches auaile not in the day of wrath noâ—… helpe in the time of vengeance Seeke not to the blessed spirits of iust men in heauen for Abraham is ignorant of vs and Israel knoweth vs not Esay 63. 16. They doe not vnderstand our wants in particular howsoeuer vndoubtedly solicitous for our good in generall grant they did clearely see what we lacke and that they be so well able as willing to helpe yet because the Scriptures afford neither precept nor promise nor paterne for inuocation in this kind seeking to the dead saints is an open iniurie to the liuing God at the best it is wil-worship at the worst adoring of old saints is an adopting of new sauiours To summe vp all in a word with our Prophet in the 73 Psalme verse 14. Whom haue I in heauen but thee and there is none vpon earth that I desire in comparison of thee all other hopes and helpes are miserable comforters in respect of thee which art a present helpe in trouble vnder the shadow of thy wings will I reioyce my soule hangeth vpon thee mine eyes are euer looking vnto thee to the throne of grace will I goe boldly that I may find mercy thou Lord art my strength and onely refuge thy face will I seeke euermore Hugo Cardinalis vnderstandeth here by Gods face that happinesse which is euerlasting in heauen They who seeke for Gods temperall blessings onely seeke his hinder parts as it were but they who first seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof are sayd to seeke his priora because potiora the multitude who followed Christ in the 6. of S. Iohn for loaues and not for loue sought Gods hinder parts only but the blessed Apostle who sayd I forget that which is behind and endeauour my selfe vnto that which is before following hard toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesu sought Gods face euermore Temporall goods as riches and honour are the blessings of Gods left hand but length of dayes that is euerlasting life the blessings of his right hand Prouer. 3 16. New creatures in Christ and new men are like the new Moone when the Moone decreaseth it is close aboue open below but when it increaseth it is open aboue close beneath euen so beloued if our mindes as nature framed our hearts are close downeward vsing the world as if wee vsed it not and enlarged vpward in seeking the things aboue then as S. Paul speakes our conuersation is in heauen and as Dauid here we seeke Gods face for euermore Arnobius and diuers moe by Gods face doe vnderstand Christ Iesus as being the brightnesse of Gods glorie and expresse character of his person Heb. 1. 3. And as our Prophet Psalm 67. vers 1. The light of his countenance God is manifested in his sonne as a man is knowen by his face for no man saith our Lord commeth vnto the Father but by me Iohn 14. 6. I am the way the trueth and the life non est quà eas nisi per me non est quò eas nisi ad me as Augustine sweetely Christ is the beginning of blessed and heauenly vision and therefore the way the meane and therefore the trueth the end and therefore the life No man knowes the Father saue the Sonne and to whomsoeuer the Sonne will open him It is true that we may see Gods hinder parts by the light of nature for the power of God is manifested in the creation of the world the heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke but we cannot see Gods face that is the most vnsearchable riches of his mercy but in by his Son only none know the Father that is a distinction of the Persons in the Sacred Trinity but by the reuelation of God the Sonne in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss. 2. 3. Or none know that God is their Father but by the spirit of the Sonne crying in our hearts Abba Father Galat. 4. 6. Wee speake the wisdome of God in a mysterie quoth Paul which none of the Princes of this world knew Hoc magnus Plato nesciuit eloquens Demosthenes ignorauit saith Hierome deepe Plato was altogether ignorant eloquent Demosthenes was vtterly silent in this argument they being secretaries of nature groped after God and found out also so much of him as may serue to condemne them but wee blessed are the eyes that see the things which we see seeking God in his Sonne in whom he is well pleased vnfainedly beleeue that he is our Father and that we are his children and further his heires euen heires annexed with Christ in his kingdome of glorie Rom. 8. verse 16. 17. The Turke seekes not God aright for that he seekes him in Mahumet the Iew seekes not God aright for that he seekes him in a Messias which is yet to come the Popeling seekes not aright for that he seekes him in moe Mediatours then one the Hereticke destroying either the natures of Christ or offices of Christ seekes not God aright the carnall Gospeller and worldling seekes not God aright for although he professe Christ in word yet in his workes he denieth him and the power of his Gospel as Augustine pithily the difference betweene an Hereticke and a bad Catholicke is briefly this the one is an Hereticke in his faith and the other is an Hereticke in his manners Lord shew vs the light of thy countenance that is indue vs with true knowledge of thy word and with a liâ—…ely faith in thy Sonne which is thine owne Image that so wee may seeke thy strength and see thy face euermore It is euident by the first of the Chronicles 16. Chap. That Dauid was authour of this Hymne and that it was indited for Asaph to be sung when the Lordes Arke was placed in the mids of the Tabernacle that Dauid had pitched for it and therefore most expositours interpret here Gods face to be Gods Arke by which hee declared his poweâ—… and presence fauour and goodnes toward his people So we read 2 Chron 6. 41. Psal. 63. 3. Psal. 78. 61. Psal. 132. 1. Arise O Lord into thy resting place thâ—… and the Arke of thy strength The like is sayd of Gods holy Temple that it was his house Esay 56. 7. His amiable dwelling place Psal. 84. 1 Yea the very chamber of his presence Psal. 95. 2. Let vs come before his presence with thankesgiuing And they who worshipped in the Courts of the Lord are sayd to stand and appeare before him as Deut. 16. 16. Three times in the yeere shall all