Book. II. Looking unto 1e{us. Chap. I. Secl.t muft needs have it, and be it moft eminently in himfelf: if fire be the caufe of heat in other thing5, it muft needs be, that fire- is the " rropter quod hotteft of any thing*; the axiome is common, but the Scripture uHumquodquc verifies it, with God is wifdome a7'1d jfrcngth, he hath .counfel talc,.Wud eft mld tmderftanding. Nay, that thls underfl:anding is big vc~ beJ mafs tJlc. ing, is very plaine, C ounfel is mine, a11d found wifdome I <1m 0lJ!1 ·'3· :ft d" d ft h ' l~rov.s.14, u;tdcr an mg, an I am rengt . ' . . For the fec~nd, t9at tll!S underfl:andmg m G?d everlallingly acts or works, ts very clear; for that underil:andmg (which is the natu re, effence, and being ofGod) i~ a meer ad, or the firft act; it is all one with the life of God; now as all lite is active in it felf,fo thec hieflife (fuch as in the higheft degree is robe attributed to God) mu£1: needs be active; wbat is the life <+God, but. an effentia l property, whereby the Divine narnre is in perpNua! action, living and moving ia it felf? and hcr "<'f is t!m ipc~d1 in J.er.•P. Scri ptt<le fo often ufed, the Lord r·vet;;; 1tl(~Ul. Jike·,viie is that J cq8 16. affcvera tion or oath fo often ufeti by God, r-" rhe L d lr1·Nh, Nc;m ' ·1 4· 1 1 • and As 1 liw, fairh the L r:ra'; well rhcn, tl;..: undertlandir;o of !{,om 1 P : · God being ac'ti ve, or working from all ete10i ty, it m:.:(l: ;1· 10ds have f1>me eternal object on which it acts or works.; everyaction requtres a fntable obje6t, about which it mull: ad, or h:- exercifed: fo then if Gods underfranding act eternally, it mu!l: !:ave fome eternal ob jed, and ifGods under!l:anding ac<t mofi perfect_ t~<, it rnu!l: have tome m?fi perfect ohject to act upon; and what is that but one-ly God h1mfelf? that Gods ur derltanding fhoold aCl: out uf himfelf, would argue his underftandi.ng to act upon that whic11 is finite and imperfect ; Certainly nothing is infinite, eternal and perfect but onely himfelf, and therefore if his underfianding will act upon any futable object, he mufi ad upon no- . thing but himfelf. And now we come to the manner of this high, myftical, fpiritua! generation of Jefus the Son ofGod.As the underil:anding of God duth act and reflect upon i~ felffrom all eternity ,fo it works thi s effeCt, that it underftands and conceives it felf; it apprehends in the underfia'nding an ima·ge of that object which it looks upon and this very image is'the Sonne ofGod. This we fhalllay ou~ by fome fimilitade>. A mans foal (we know) doth fome~ times mufe and mediute on other things; as it thinks o.f heaven, o.r it thinks ofearth; this. we call a right or direa, or ernanant - thought;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=