34 An Expofition upon dufiry, or to the fecond caufes which were ufed : for this is to rob God of his glory. With all it muff admonifhus,that fithence God delights in meanes and workes by them, (albeit hee is not eyed to them) that therefore howfoever it is our finne to let them in Gods roome,by crafting in them, or referring all the praife to them : yet it is our duty not to negle& them when we have them at hand,lelt we be found to tempt God. Now I pray you paffe forward unto the 2 o. verfe, which feemeth (as I con - ceive it) to bee joyned to the i g. by a Pre-occupation ; For it might be obje & - ed,that God being invifible,is unfenfible alto, & therefore could not be knowne, becaufe nothing commeth to the under - ftanding but by the fenfes : to which the Apofile replyeth,firft by conceflìon,that indeede God is not Crone and perceived by fenfes:and then by a fecret corre&i- on, that (notwithftanding) betide that inward manifeftation of himfelfe by na- tural! inftin &, or imprinted light, hee hath outwardly by the things created, revealed himfelfe, and what may be knowne of him. Ti M. You lay aright, for now he carri- eth no forward to another new external[ kind and way of knowing God, touching whom, tell me what things did the Gentiles know by this exterior way. S r t. His eternal! Power and God - head,that is,his Eternity,Power, Deity, under which be meant his properties, which they learned of the great booke of the creatures, out of which they might learne many things. Firft, that they had a maker. Secondly, that this maker being before the things made,is Eternal!, tvithoutbeeinning or ending, allo ofa fpiritual Effence.Thirdly,that he mull needs bee Almighty, which made all things out of nothing, and fttflained filch a maffe of creatures. Fourthly,the order, variety and diftin- ¿lion of his creatures declare his mar- vellous wifedome. Laftly, this fheweth his great goodneffe, that he made them all for our good and benefit. And final - ly,that he was a molt excellent worke- nlan,a rewarder of good and evil. Chap.' Te w. Whither ought this knowledge to lead the Gentiles, and whereunto floould it have moved them ? S s L. To praife God, and to love him, to depend upon hin, and to feeke to pleafe him, as alfo to ferve him with willingneffe. Ti M. What event had this knowledge in the Gentiles? S r L. It made them excufeleffe ( that is) it Cooke from them excufe of igno- rance, which they could not plead for themfelves.That this meal be the expofì- tion of there words (fo as they are without excufe ) appeareth not onely by the teftimony of titndry learned men; as of Peter Martyr; avouching that God revealed himfelfe to Heathens, not to this end,on Gods part to take away ex- cufe, but the fame happened through their owne default, that they had no o- ther ufe of their knowledge : So faith Paræass,this came eorum culpa: fo doth Gualter, Gentium vicio, by their owne fault: fo Chryfoliome, by a confequent and event upon abufe of their know- ledge,n ot as a proper dire &ly intended end : but alfo by lirength of reafon for the end properly, principally and by it (elfe, why God by thole two bookes of Nature and Creatures did manifeft him - felfe fo farce as he did to men, was his owne glory and mans happineffe fubor- dinate thereunto; that men acknow- ledging and glorifying him whom they knew might be bleffed, as verfe 2 i .doth not obfcurely infinuate. In that it fell out otherwife, this was accidentally through finne, blotting out & defacing Gods Image, the remainders where - of(being with all perverted) are weaker then to lead men to their ends, firong to remove excufe of ignorance. Ta M. But they might alleadge want of (frength to doe that they knew. S IL. They could not do fo, becaufe they thought vertue was in their owne power. Secondly, they had power gi- ven them in their creation, which they loft by their owne fall. Thirdly, they did not fo much to the glorifying of God, as they were able to do even in their corrupt &fate, for the which God m.1.6ht
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=