The Christians Freedom, Section 1 – Section 2
2 Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God, standeth sure, hauing this seale, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let eueryevery one that nameth the Name of Christ, depart from euill.
FOr the*S…luian I… de … laying the first foundation of Religion (without which all other grounds are of no effect:)aC…el Rho…. …. …5. That there is a God omnipo…ent, mercifull, and iust, Gods workes doe sufficiently demonstrate.bGen. 1. 1. If he build, it is a world: if hee bee angry for the sinnes of the world,cGen. 7. 17. he sends a deluge,dV…ncont. … Ly. inen…is. Mat. 2. 1. If hee will shew the louelove hee beares to the world, hee sends his Sonne,eMat. 27 5…. and suffers him to die vponupon the Crosse to saue the world: if hee will reward the godly, it isfL…ke 23. 43. with Paradise; when hee armes the Angels*2 King. 6. 17. march vponupon the heads of his Troupeg… the …lements are the Marshalls of his Campe, the rocks remoue from their Center, and follow to giuegive it water,hExod. 13. 21. the Cloudes guide by day and the Pillers of fire by night,iExod. 14. 9. the Sea opens to giuegive them passage, and the SunnekIosh. 10. 12. stayes to end their victories. To inlarge the wonderfulnes of his works lNum. 22.Balaams Asse shall speake & reprooue his MastermIoh. 2. 9., waters turne into wine, thenMat. 9. 22. dead are raised,oMat. 20. 24. the blind seepMat. 9. 20. the d…afe heareqMark. 2. 12. the Lame goerMat. 14. 19. and thousands of people are fed with a few loaues and fishes.
If hee will shew mercy,tMat. 14. 19. Peter after that hee had denyed Christ shall weepe bitterly,uIo. 21. 15. and bee made Pastor of his sheepe.wAct. 19. 15. Paul of a persecutor become an elect vessell and faithfull preacher of the Gospell; when hee will exalt the humblexSam. 16. 11. little Dauid shall bee taken from the sheepe and bee made both KingySam. 16. 13. and Prophet: humblezGen 41. 24. Ioseph from the prison and preferred to bee Pharaohs high steward:aDan. 5. 26. Daniel from the Lions den and cloathed with purple. When he will execu…e iustice,bGen. 19. 24. Sodome is deuoured with fire and brimstone:cMat. 27. 45. Iudas hanging himselfe, confessed that hee had betrayed the innocent:dEuseb. H…st. Iulian the Apostate tearing out his bowels (in the horrour of his conscience) cries out …icisti tandem Galilaee. When hee will humble the proud, Idolatrous,eDan. 4. 45. Nabuchadne…ar shall eate Grasse among the Beasts of the field; the basest of Gods creatures shall make hard heartedfExod. 9. 27. Pharaoh send for Moses and confesse the true God. Finally in all his works of power, mercy and iustice, (out of the fiery fornace)gDan. 3. 35 Shadrach Messech and Abednego shall proclaime his glory.
Thus you see that Gods works declare that hee is God, powerfull, mercifull and iust, and that the meanest of these works are of force either (by the least dramme of grace) to conuert the most obstinate Atheists, to the true knowledge of God, or in iustice to confo… him.
SECT. II.
Of the knowledge of …od.
ALthough I doe not allow theh… curious searching of diuine misteries not reuealed, for admitting that in natures Schoole, wee are taught to boult out the truth by logicalli… reason yet in Gods Schoole, it is quite contrary; he is the best Scholler that reasons least, and assents most, conceiues so farre as humane frailties will permit, belieues and admires the rest, God louing better a credulous heart then a curious head: Yet because your duty towards God consisteth chiefely in the ardent desire to know God (which is the surest testimony of your louelove toward God, and of Gods louelove towards you) there is a more speciall knowledge required of you, which is, that you endeauour your selues to know him, so farre as he hath reuealed himselfe in the Scriptures called his Word, as proceeding from his Spirit, to bring you to this knowledge: hee hath manifested himselfe in the Scriptures by three sort of names.
The first are these that signifie his essence.k… nominibus.
The second, the persons in the Essence.
The third, his essentiall works.
The names that denote Gods essence, are 5. Ichouah, Eheiech, Iach, Kurios, Theos.
Iehouah lCyprian. Mart. Arnob. lib. 1. aduersgent. Tertul. lib. 2. de Car. Christ.signifieth eternall, being of himselfe without beginning, and end almighty, both in promising and performing. The second name ismExod. 3. 14. Eheiech, of that same roote of Iehouah signifying, that I am that I am, or I will bee, that I will, Eheiech, Asher, Eheiech, The third namenPsal. 21. 12. 15. 16. 17. Iach which is Lord is ascribed to God, when any notable deliuerance or benefit comes to passe according to his promise. The fourth name is oIohn, 21. 7. 12. 15. 16. 17.Kurios vsed oft in the new Testament: when it is absolutely giuen to God, it answereth the Hebrew name Ieho…ah; for God is so Lord, that hee is of himselfe Lord, and of all others.
The fifth name is Theos, God, it is deriued, foreign, becausepAug. hee runnes through and compasseth all things: when it is properly taken, it signifieth the eternall essence of God, being aboue all things, giuing life,qLips. lib. … de constant. and light to all creatures, preseruing and gouerning them in their wonderfull frame and order, God seeing all, and in all places.
The names that signifie the persons in the Es…ence are chiefely one.rBer. Elohim, signifieth the mighty iudges. It is a name of the plurall number, to expresse the Trinity of persons in the vnity of the Essence. To this purpose, the Holy Ghost begins the Bible with this plurall Name of God, ioyned with a verbe of the singular number, as Elohim baradi… creauit, the mighty Gods, or all three persons in the God-head created. When you heare of this name Elohim, consider that in one diuine Essence there are three distinct persons, and that God Iehouah Eloh…m. The names that signifie Gods essentiall works are fiue.
El Shaddai, Ado…ai, Helion, Abba.
El, is as much to say,Exod. 24. 6. as the strong God, sheweth that God is not onelyonly strong and strength it selfe, but that it is hee that giueth all strength to his creatures.
By this name Shaddai which is omnipotent, God stileth himselfe vsually to the Patriarches, calling himselfe El Shaddai the strong God, Almighty: this name belongs only to God, and to none other Creature.
Adonai, my Lord; is found one hundred thirty foure times in the old Testament: by this name wee challenge God, to bee our God, and with Thomas say, thou art my Lord and my God.
tLuk. 1. 32.Helion which signifieth most high, was giuen vntounto God by Gabriell, telling the Virgin Mary that the child that should bee borne of her, should be the Sonne of the most high.
Abba, a Syriacke name,Mar. 14. v. 36. signifying Father,Rom. 8. 15. by it remember what you receiue from God, proceedeth from a Fatherly louelove and that you owe him againe Filiall obedience.
All these sacred names of God,Aug. de De…mis…r…cord. cap. 7. are as pledges and remembrances of Gods omnipotency and louelove towards you, and of your dutie towards him.
As the true knowledge of God, is the onelyonly inducement to the exercise of your dutie towards him, so the religious practise of that dutie is the onelyonly rule whereby you may liue reposedly, and die cheerefully.
In this exercise, I doe commend foure things vntounto you, Heare, pray, meditate, and doe.