166 TheBacheparts of Ieuouab. uate thoughtstouching God, arenot fo holy, fo reverent, fodiuine,fo full of re. fpe t as they oughtto bee. So that it fdiall be good forvsto confiderwell of this portion ofScripture, which is Gods owne teftimony touchinghimfelfe. Before I come tofpeakdire&ly of that defcriptionwhich is heremadeofGod, one thing maynot vnprofirably beobferuedout ofthat which is fidePaid, fo the Lordpalledbefore Molesfaceand cried a and it is this : Mares his defire was(asail peareth) tohaue feene Ionic outward andvifibly teflimonyof the gloryand Ma- ielkyofGod, whicheuen withhiseyes he might haue looked vpon.Nowhowfoe. ucrGod did not lease Mefe, hereinaltogether vnfarisfied , for nodoubt, at this time, God ganefomefuch fenlible appearancewhich aftked theeye o ej7fefet, h Vale 5. for whichcede it is faidh,the Larddeftendedin thedome!, yet the maine thingvied to informeMufti in that, which it principallybehooued him tovnderftand, wasa voice : All other circumfiancesferuedbut as preparatiuesto [bike an awfulneffe into Mofes heart, and to fit him to that which thepurpofeof God was to reueale vntohim:It was avoice which was the chicle inilrument,to conuey into the mind andvnderflandingof Mafs,thenecelfary knowledgeof /ehouah,whichcourf(as Tishri t, tome feemeth) feruedeuen then to infrnuare, that Teachingby avoice,Ihould e. tier bethe choice &principall means, bywhich theLordwould bringhis people ìr King.rg. vnto the true& Caningknowledgeofhimfelfe. When God appeared toEliah,; we ra &e. read that before him went a migheyffrengWind,Which rent themountaiues;but(faith the Text) the Lordwas not in thewinde e Afterthe windecanse,rame an earthquake, andfter ita fire, but theLordwas in neither : But then laitofall came aPIandfoft voice,& in thatthe Lordwas:and that was itwhich moll;ffetted Dishhisheart; For (as theRory faith) WhenEliah heardit, hecovered hisface withhitmantle, and went avt,&c.I remember,thatwhereas there isa flrait chargegiuen inDeuterone- my,touching imagesand reprefentations towot (hipGodby, this is theprincipali k Deut.4,an. reafonof theprohibitionk, Teelaw no multitude; face a voice. Out of which the Lordwouldhaue them to learne,that as in the fin i deliveryof the law,the inflru. anent whichGodtaught them lsy,was avoice,(hepurpofely forbearing topredent himfelfe totheir eyesinavifible (hape, left they Ihould Rieke toomuch vonout- wardEhewes)fo they likewile in thefollowing times,lhould muff efpeciallyto the famemeaveswhich.God(as it were)by his own mouthhath fan&ified veto them at thebeginning, namely,.e voice. The natureof man isvery inclinable toaffe& rather that whichwith Tomeoutward thew offereth it felfeunto the eye, then to content it Celle with the bareand naked infiru&ionoftheBare: And thereforewe fee, bothhow full all fallereligionsdeuifed by men, haueeuer beanof outward beauty,of images,and fignes, andbodily reprefentments,andhow apt thepeo- plehaue beene in all times toentertaine thatfoonefi, which to their eyes feemed gayell. It wasthe baite ofPeperie, and the thingby which the world generally was bewitched,euenrh odlyimages, andthegloriousfurniturewherewiththe facrificingPriefts weei arrayed, and the Churches bedecked. The people were made beleeue,that therewan a myltery in everydumbe firew,and that the varietie of imagery was lay-mens bookes, in which they might with theireyes fee euen the very body and fubftance of religion. In themeane time, the maine inftru- ment ofteaching,I meanea voice,waseitherbanilhed,orelfe fo uttered ina firange tongue,and confided tune, thattheCowles of thepeoplecouldnotreceiue any e- difying thereby. Well might they feede their hungry eyes, with gazing vpon painted idols, orhaue their cares tided with fount pleatingnoife, but that their hearing Ihould beea meffenger to their inward partsof any found do&tine , by which their conlciencesmight becomforted, it was impofsible, nay it was the ve- ry thing whichwaspurpofely auoided. Now although the Lord bath had force refile& untoour nature, and bath therefore appointed twoSacraments, by which to reprefentto oureyes,that which the word reporteth to ourcares, yet the voice ofGod (whichishisword) is Dill theprincipal!, and unto itthofevifible feruices are
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