THE PREFACE to the ensuing TREATISE.

WE are oft times admonished in holy Scripture, carefully to seek GOD: for though *he be not farre from every one of us, seeing we live, move, and have our being in him, as the Apostle speakes, yet are wee farre from him: and unlesse we daily frame a∣scents in our hearts, and raise steps and greeces towards Hea∣ven, and seeke him with much Page  [unnumbered] labour; we doe but take our journey with the Prodigall, into a Countrey farre from our owne, and from our Fa∣ther, where wee but feede swine.

Now, briefly to unfold and resolve how these agree, that GOD i• not farre from us, and yet wee very farre from him: We say, that GOD is not farre from us, because he daily seeth us, all things being in his sight. He also thinkes daily of us, because he careth*for us: and he also daily touch∣eth us, as bearing all things by his mighty Word. And againe, we are farre from GOD, be∣cause we neither doe, nor can *see him, dwelling in inaccessible light, and we are not able to thinke any thing (of GOD) * of our selves, as of our selves, much lesse to touch him, by any pious affection, or to cleave to him; unlesse he take us up, Page  [unnumbered] and draw us after him, by his * power. Therefore when Da∣vid had said, I have set GOD alwaies before mee, or in my sight; he presently addes, for*he is on my right hand; or (as St. Jer•me) me suscepit dextra¦tua. Neither are we onely in these three respects farre from GOD, that we can neither see him, nor easily thinke of him, nor joyne to him in affe∣ction: but wee easily forget him, scarce sounding forth his name, by praise or prayer: the reason is, because wee are entangled and taken up with temporall affaires, which compasse us round, and even overwhelme us.

This then is the cause, why the Holy Ghost in sacred writ, (as wee said even now) so often perswades and coun∣sailes us; to seeke GOD. As, Seeke yee after GOD, and*your soule shall live. And, SeekePage  [unnumbered]the LORD and his strength:*seeke his face evermore. And, The LORD is good to the*soule that seeketh him. And, Seeke the LORD while hee may be found, and Seeke the LORD in simplicity of heart. And, If thou shalt seeke the*LORD thy GOD, thou shalt finde him, if thou seeke him with all thy heart, and with all thy soule.

No man, of what condi∣tion soever, is tyed so to give himselfe up to the affaires of the World, as not to refresh himselfe, with meate, drinke and sleepe. And if the bodie require such refreshing, and repast; how much rather should the soule desire food and sleepe, (Prayer and con∣templation) one being the meate, and the other the sleepe of the soule? and by these two, are ascents framed in the heart, by which wee are Page  [unnumbered] to see the GOD of GODS*in Sion, even asmuch as hee may be seene, in this vale of teares.

Now there can bee no plainer, or more easie way for us mortalls to ascend to GOD, then by the conside∣ration of his workes. For wee cannot properly say, that they ascended, which by the sin∣gular guift of GOD, were admitted by another way into Paradise; and there to heare the secrets of GOD,*which are not lawfull to bee spoken or uttered: but onely, that they were rapt, as Saint Paul plainely confesseth, in his owne case.

But that it is possible for a man to ascend to the know∣ledge of GOD, and love of his Creator, by his workes, (that is by his creatures) the Booke of Wisedome, the A∣postle Saint Paul, and reason *Page  [unnumbered] it selfe, sufficiently prove: seeing the efficient cause may bee knowne by its effects, as a Man by his picture or I∣mage. And there is no doubt but that all Created things be the workes of GOD; and holy Scrip•ure teacheth us, that Man and Angels be not onely the workes, but the images of GOD.

Being therefore provo∣ked and stirred up, with these reasons; and having a little ease and rest from other affaires, I have attempted to make a LADDER, out of the Consideration of the Creatures; by which after a sort, GOD may bee ascen∣ded unto: And I have distin∣guished it into fifteene Staves or Steppes, after the simili∣tude of the fifteene Degrees, by which men went up to SOLOMONS Temple;*Page  [unnumbered] and of the fifteene Psalmes of DAVID his Father, * usually called the Gradualls, or Psalmes of Degrees.