Sect. 4.
YOu remember I doubt not, that it was said, that there are three things required to the searching out of Gods nature: first, a conceite of it in the minde, gathered by the effects of it: secondly a reall example or patterne, wherein that conceit doth exist, and may bee seene: and thirdly, the diffe∣rence betwixt the conceite & the example the one being in abstracto, the other in con∣creto: the one existing onely in the imagina∣tion of the minde, the other in some creature and reall subiect. The two first wee haue al∣readie gotten, the one out of the creatures, which haue taught vs the nature of God in generall, the other we haue found in the an∣gels, who are a liuely resemblance of the said diuine nature: the third remaineth, to wit, the difference betwixt the patterne and the thing it selfe. For although we haue alreadie ascended, and come to the highest steppe of Iacobs ladder, for that it is impossible to find any more of the diuine essence in any crea∣ture, then wee ha•e alreadie seene in the angelicall nature, yet wee are not at our iourneyes ende, nor yet halfe waye: Page 64 for although there be as great difference be∣twixt Angels and men, as there is distance betwixt the heauen and the earth, yet there is tenne times, yea ten thousand times grea∣ter oddes betwixt the Angels and God, and the space is infinitly greater from the heauen of the Angels and saints, to the heauen of heauens, where God dwelleth. And there∣fore we are now in the last place, to seeke out the difference, which exalteth the nature of God thus farre, or rather thus infinitly aboue the Angels: this is the verie true essentiall forme of God, the which if it could bee once named, the matter were at an ende, the case cleare, & much labor might be saued, which must be spent, or rather most profitably and happily bestowed, in gessing, coniecturing, & imagining that, by many properties, attri∣butes, actions, and effects, which by this meanes might be fully knowne all at once. But it is not the will of God, neither were it profitable for vs, that so inestimable a iewell should bee so easily gotten: who would e∣steeme the most precious pearles, if so be that they lay in the streetes for the vptaking? and if the nature of God were once fully known, how could it afterwardes bee so earnestly sought and desired as is m•ete? Yet we are not to thinke that this impossibilitie of fin∣ding Page 65 out the true forme of God, commeth of God, as making daintie and daungerous of the knowledge of his nature, to make vs ea∣ger & earnest in desiring to know it, although i• bee true that hath beene said, that it is bet∣ter to haue our appetite whetted and sharp∣ned, by the hardnesse and impossibilitie of attaining it, then our stomackes cloyed with the full fruition of it: neither are we to think that God doth enuie and grudge vs so great a good, and so sweete a pleasure, or that in pollicie hee keepeth himselfe close, not da∣ring to shew himselfe for feare of being cen∣sured or contemned by vs: But this commeth of the shallownesse of our braines, and the the weaknesse of out capacitie, the which making it impossible for vs to conceiue it, maketh it impossible for God to reueale it.
I was in good hope to haue heard at the next word, the very true essential forme of God declared, and indeed that had beene woorth the hearing: but now I perceiue you will reserue that for another time, or rather giue it ouer for euer: wherin you deale wise∣ly in my minde, for what follie were it for a man to beate his braines in pursuing that, which it were more then madnesse once to hope to attaine. But I pray you, how wil you Page 66 do, to make your proude Lucifer a God.
We will doo as we may sir: and if all should faile, I hope that you will helpe at a dead lift, according to your promise: but to proceed. Seeing that the true forme of gods nature cannot be had, we must take in stead of it, some essentiall propertie flowing from the forme, the which will make those things which are attributed to God, differ from the same things as they are in the Angels. For example, knowledge, wisedome, might and maiestie, haue place both in God, and also in the Angels, yet they are not alike in both: for in the Angels they are, although great and perfect, yet finit, but in god they are ab∣solute and infinit. So then, if we adde this difference of infinitnesse to the Angelicall nature, there will come forth a diuine nature, which may not vnfitly be described an ange∣lical nature euery way infinit: and so God be defined an infinit Angell, as an Angell may be said to be a spiritual man. For as surpassing excellencie doth distinguish the Angelicall nature from the humane (for although they bee both of one kinde, to wit, reasonable, in∣dued with wit, knowledge, wisedome, and will, yet they differ, in that the Angelicall nature hath all these in farre greater measur• then hath the humane) in like manner infi∣nitnesse Page 67 doth distinguish the diuine nature from the angelicall, for they both being rea∣sonable or vnderstanding natures, indued with wit and will, and with all things belong∣ing there vnto, differ in this respect, that the one is excellent in vnderstāding, knowledge, wisedome, will, power, puritie, and glorie, but the other is infinit in all these respects: the one hath all these things in an excellent measure, the other hath them without mea∣sure: the one hath much, the other hath all. And thus by gathering the nature of God out of his workes and word, by finding out a patterne of it in the Angelicall nature, and lastly, by adding vnto this angelicall nature that wherein it commeth short of God, we haue in some sort made vp the diuine na∣ture, or rather indeuoured to do that, which it is impossible to performe: for in this case, the least glimse of the truth is to be esteemed knowledge.
