chap. r. Secl:.l. ll..ooliing unto jjtfu.s. Book ii. <ternity fo it works this effed, that it underftapds and conceives it felf; it apprehends in the u~derftanding an image of t!m object wbich it looks upon, and this very image is the Son ofGod. This we.fliall lay out by fome fimi!imdes. A mans foul (we know) doth fometimes rriufe. and meditate on other things; as it thinks ofh~aven, or it thinks of earth. this we call·aright or dired, or emanant thought ; but fometimes the fo~l doth mufe,' or medicate on itfelf, ·as when it thioks of its own eiTen~e, o.r faculties; _orrhe like· and this we call a relleMhoughr,, wl1y nowthefoqlunderftands lt felf, nowuhath fom~Jdea,, or.image of ir felf; now it conceives i't,felf; this i~ ou: phra:ie, it confeiVeJ ;, fllf. Thtre is nor onely acarnal, but ,a fpiritual conception; as when ~.under{hnd_ this or that, .J fay,n l ltoncewc rh~.< or th.et, I have [qe,Jdea, or Image of tlus or that wuhm my foul. '. ,Qrl,as~in aglafs;a roan doth co~!;eive. ~t1d ger a P.~~(ed,imageof his own face by a way of rell~dion; fo God in.beholding a':(i.mil)ding .o(himfelf, ,.dotll'in}_litl!felf_beget or conceive la mofi pe'rfed, ~ndta moft hvely ·Image ofl!lm,fel£, IJihlch very u~age·Is that in the Tri.nioywhith we call the Son ofGpd. Thus you read in Scripmre th,arJ,fus rhe Son ofGod is called tbebrightnefs,•f hi& Fat~(rsglory, llnd th< _exprefs image ofhi& perfon. Heb. •·:· I. Thebrlghrnifsof hi• F~tbdo glory, herem God the Fat\Jer. IS C9!llpared UntO a lightfom body, and God :rh~..Si:!n. unto.a beam, ·9'r f.pl,endor r~n.t:uf,<?.tfH, or itfuing our from that glo.rious.body. ;~ J. cr fl'he exprefs image of his; per(o11, h~><ljl:God the Fatheris compared umo,afeal, and Qod ·the,Son .unro · ~l) in;p..rdfion ~ffultjng. frorri the feal.i Now look as wa;>.upon af~al.hath tlk engraven image of the feal ; fo the Son of God .(which the Fathe,'harbbego,n~n or QoncJeived of his own underftanding) is rhe_ve~y image,ofhis • Fathet•scunder.l\anding; ·•ben~e, nor Qnely;rhe Father, but alfo the Son is called u,nderftanding i~f~!i: ·~lrl·h~vecoli_IJfel:.illd wi{dom, (,f~irh Chrifl) I am, underjfa11ding_,; whatfo- Pcov. 8. 14 ; rver.thefatll«r)s, rheSon:.t.s; 1nd~ed ,the :un<le~!hrrdtng m,me,q, and the rhmg uaderfiood, are not ufually one and the fame, but in God it is all one: God~ conceivings and begettings are rhe moll inward of all; rhe Father conceives of himfdf, and in himfelf; and his conceiving is abegetting, and his !>~~Jting abiderh ftill in himfelf, becaufe his u"derftanding can no where meet with any thing fuitable, but that which he himfelf is; and that wnHying ofhimfelf; or begetting o(·bi!Jlfe\f is rh~ fecond fubfi!lence in the Trinity, which we call the everlafiing Sonof God. · .j.. 'For:rhe mbtual. kindnefs atid lovingnef~; ofhim that begets, •.and of him that is be~ gotten,-. we fay this t>ring9. for:th a third jle'ffonor fubfiftence in God. Now for the un– derfimding of.this matter, w~ muft confiderJw.o things; .fir!l:, that in the elfence ofGod, belides h.isund.erflanding there is a will. SecondlJ., that this will dorh work everla.fiingly upon itfelf, as his underfta,ndingdoth. .' . . Forth~ fidl;, thatin t!le,elfence ofGod,..b,e(id~i his unde)'ll:anding, rh~re is a will, is very clear; for he tha~givt5 a will to ~JJ r.?.li.PtlJlLp·earures,cannor want it himfelf. how lhould he bewirbout will,' w,h(>.fewiJJ it i~thattw~will ~ ofneceffiry it is .rhat there fuould be fome prime orchiefwill, on whofe will all other wills fllould depend. but the Scriptures are pbin, I am (jod,flnd there i; non,e elfe .; I amGod, "ndthere i1 n:ne /i~ me;--·Ifad6.9,ro. My counceljhallftand, andl~il(doa/lmypleafure.. . . ; ;~ . Fortbe fecond, ' thar;~ts ,vnll 111 God dodi ~verlafhngly , work upo~ it felf, .}sjclear: for, as dotb the underfiandmg, fo doth ,rhe wtll; but th<; underltandmg of G9~ doth ad· u~on 1r felf as the ch1ef, and mol~ p~~fe~ .truth, the~e(ore the will of 'God doth w1ll htmfdfas the ch1efandmofiperfe~ good, ...Indeed wlm other futable object can the wdl of God' have befides htmfelf? anmlimre wdl mufi needs ~ave an infinite go!Yd; and. m thiS fenfe, as our Savwurrells us, there!< none good but _one, that i& Got(; hence it is Matth, 9· 17. that the ,w11l Jlf God, doth reflect upon 1t felf, and acqUiefs in it felf as in an infinite · good. . A_nd now we come to rhe manner of ;his high, myfiical, fpii;itual pr9ceffion of the SpmtfromrheFaTherand the Son. ' AsrheWillofGoddorh ad andreflecruponitfdf from a.JJ· eternuy i fo it works this effect, .rhar it delights it fdf in the infinite good whtch lt knowet~l 111 tt fdf, for rhe adiol) of the Will is delight and liking; and chis– ver~ deltght "'htcb God or his WiJJ bath in ·his ·own infinite goodnefs, dorh bring forth. . a tlnrd perfon, or fubflftence in God, which we c,all the holy Ghoft: So that indeed, if you would know whatthe Holy Ghoftis, I woul.d anfwer, it i& the mutuall:jnd11efs, a 11 d, .fovn;~nefs" and toy, and de!tght of the Father and tbe,Son. The Father by rll!S act of Will doth JOY an<! deltght 1n _his Son, and the Son by this a a of Will doth joy and delight in htslarher;. and tbts ts tt which the Son faith ofhimfelf, and of his Father, I wadaily hi! p · delrght, re1oycmg alwd]sbeforc him, q. d. I was from ~11 eternity his delight, and he was ro1l, 8 ' 30 ' ·E f~;om ·
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=