370 / 772
34s
'Mt
the
ho
y
Scriptures
were
indited
by
Gods
f
jiirit.
humilitie they
{hall
difcerne
more tnaiefly,vnder
this fimplí.
city more deepe
wifedome,vnder
this vnpolifhed
plainneffe
more powerfull
perfwafions
to
worke
vpon
and incline the
affeecions,than in
all
humane
writings whatfoeuer.Thirdlie,
humane eloquence and wittie fharpe conceits,
are
not
onely
unfitting
thegraue
maieflie
of
our
heauenly
King,
but
alto
needles
in
refpeet
ofthe
Scriptures
themfelues; for what
are
they
butGods
truth,and what
is
more agreeable and befee-
ming
truth,than
plainneffe
and
f
mplicity
?
For
what
needes
beautie
the helpe
ofpainting,
or
a
precious
Diamond
much,
art
to polifh it,feeing
they
are
gloriousin
their
ovine nature?
And what
needs
the
truth
of
God,
which
in
it
felfe
fhineth
cleerely
like the Sun
in his
chiefefl
brightnes,
the goodly or-
naments ofhumane eloquence which would
but
darken
the
beames thereof?
Or
what
needs
that
which
is
heauenly and
diuine,any
helpe from
that
which
is
earthly
and
carnali
t®
commend it
to
mans
iudgement?
No,no,the
flowers
ofRhe-
toricke
and helpe
of
wittie
So.phif}rie,
is
more
fit for
Tallies
orations,wherby
oft times
a
good
caufe
is
made
bad,&
a
bad
one
good,right
wrong,
and
wrong
right,
than
for
Gods
di-
uine
truth,which
like the
Sun
fhineth
mofi
glorioufly when
it
is
b
are &
naked.Laflly,it
is
to
be obferued
that
the Lord in
his wifdom
doth
manifefl
his
power
in
weaknes,his maieflie
in
bafcnes,and
his
wifdom
in
foolifhnes,to the
end
weak
-
nes,bafenes,and
folly,may
ferue
as
foiles
to
make
his
power,
maiefly,andwifdom
appeare
toys
more
glorious,though
in
truth in
themfelues
they
are
infinit,and
nothing
can
be
added
to their
excellécy.
But
becaufe we
lie
groueling
on
the
earth,
and
are
ready
to
alcribe
alto
the inferiour meanes,&
nothing
vnto God:therfore
the.
Lord
chufeth-weak and
Pimple
means,
that
his
own power and wifdom
may
be
in them
more
mani-
feíl.
For
example,ifthe Lord had penned ÿ
fcriptures in fuch
an
eloquent
flile
as
would
haue
rauifhed the readers with de-
light,we
would
like fooleshaue flood admiring
at ÿ
curious
work
of
the
casket,and neuer opened
it
to
look
vpon the
pre-
cious
iewel
therein contained;and
haue
bin
fo
much
affeàled
with
the words.
that
in
the
mcane
time wewould
haue
neg-
ihedthe
matter; but
when this treafure
is
brought
unto
vs
bus