Omnibus & singulis. Affording matter profitable for all men, necessarie for euery man; alluding to a fathers aduice or last will to his sonne. Now published for the vse of all men, and particularly of those that doe inhabit Great Brittaine and Ireland.

SECT. II.

ALthough I doe not allow theh 1.1 curious

searching of diuine Myste∣ries not reuealed, for admit∣ting that in Natures schoole, wee are taught to boult out the Truth by Logicall rea∣son;i 1.2 yet in Gods Schoole, it is quite contrarie; hee is the best Scholler that rea∣sons least, and assents most, conceiues so far as humane frailties will permit, beleeues and admires the rest, God louing better a credulous heart, then a curious head: yet because your dutie to∣wards God consisteth chiefly in the ardent desire to know God (which is the surest te∣stimonie of your loue to∣wards God, and of Gods loue towards you) there is a more speciall knowledge re∣quired of you, which is,

that you indeuour your selfe ••o know him, so farre as hee hath reuealed himselfe in ••he Scriptures called his Word, as proceeding from ••is Spirit, to bring you to his knowledge: hee hath manifested himselfe in the Scriptures by three sorts ofk 1.3 names.

The first, are these that ••ignifie his Essence.

The second, the persons ••n the Essence.

The third, his essentiall Works.

The names that denote Gods Essence, are fiue;

IEHOVACH, EHEIECH, ••ACH, KVRIOS, THEOS.

l 1.4Iehouach, signifieth eter∣••all, being of himselfe with∣••ut beginning, and end, Al∣mightie,

both in promising and performing.

The second name is Ehe∣iech, of that same Roote o•• Iehoua, signifying, that I am that I am, or I will be that I will beem 1.5 Eheiech, Asher, Eheiech.

n 1.6The third name Iach, which is Lord, is ascribed to God, when any notable de∣liuerance, or benefit comes to passe, according to his former promise.

The fourth name iso 1.7 Ku∣rios, vsed oft in the New Te∣stament: when it is absolute∣ly giuen to God, it answer¦eth the Hebrew name Ieho∣uah; for God is so Lord, tha•• he is of himselfe Lord, and of all others.

The fift name is Theos 〈◊〉〈◊〉

God; It is deriued from, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, becausep 1.8 he runnes thorow and compasseth all things: when it is properly taken, it signifieth the eter∣nall Essence of God, being aboue all things,q 1.9 giuing Life and Light to all Crea∣tures, preseruing and go∣uerning them in their won∣derful frame and order, God seeing all, and in all places.

The names that signifie the persons in the Essence, are chiefly one.

r 1.10Elohim, signifieth the mightie Iudges. It is a name of the plurall number, to expresse the Trinitie of per∣sons in the vnity of Essence. To this purpose, the Holy

Ghost begins the Bible with this plurall Name of God, ioyned with a Verbe of the singular Number, as Elohim bara dij creauit, the mightie Gods, or all the three Per∣sons in the Godhead crea∣ted. When you heare of this Name Elohim, consider that in one Diuine Essence there are three distinct Persons, & that God is Iehouach Elohim

The Names that signifie Gods Essentiall Works, are fiue:

El, Schaddai, Adonai, He∣lion, Abba.

f 1.11 El, is as much to say, a•• the strong God, sheweth that God is not onely strong and strength it selfe, but tha•• it is hee that giueth al•• strength to his Creatures.

By this Name Schaddai, which is Omnipotent, God stiled himselfe vsually to the Patriarks, calling himselfe El Schaddai, the strong God, Almightie: this Name be∣longeth onely to God, and to no other Creature.

Adonai, my Lord, is found one hundred, thirtie foure times in the old Testament: by this Name wee challenge God to be our God, & with Thomas, say, Thou art my Lord, and my God.

t 1.12 Helion, which signifieth most High, was giuen vnto God by Gabriel, telling the Virgin Mary, that the Child that should be borne of her, should bee the Sonne of the most High.

u 1.13 Abba, a Syriake name, sig∣nifying

Father: by it remem∣ber, what you receiue from God, proceedeth from a fa∣therly loue, & that you owe him againe filiall obedience.

x 1.14All these sacred Names of God, are as pledges and remembrances of Gods om∣nipotency, and loue towards you, and of your dutie to∣wards him.

As the true knowledge of God, is the onely induce∣ment to the exercise of your dutie towards him, so the Religious practice of that dutie, is the only rule where∣by you may liue reposedly, and dye cheerefully.

In this Exercise, I doe commend foure things vnto you, Heare, Pray, Meditate, and Doc.

Notes

• h 1.1

  Diuina my∣steria credenda, non curiosè scru∣tanda, Amor. de Diuinis Myst.
• i 1.2

  Neque ad lo∣quendum de Deo lingua sufficit, neque ad perci∣piendum intel∣lectus praeualet: magis ergo glori∣ficare nos con∣uenit Deum quod talis est, qui & intelle∣ctum transcendit & cognitionis initium superat, August.
• k 1.3

  Dionysius de Diuinis nominibus.
• l 1.4

  Non habet ae∣tatem aeternita•• aut aliquando finem quae nescit originem, Cy∣prian. Mart. Arnob. lib. 1. aduers. Gent. Tertul. lib. 2 de Car. Christ.
• m 1.5

  Exod. 3.14.
• n 1.6

  Psal. 21.12, 15, 16, 17.
• o 1.7

  Iohn 21.7, 12, 15, 16, 17.
• p 1.8

  Deus est in∣tellectualis Sphe∣ra, cutus centrū vbique, circum∣ferentia verò nusquam, Aug.
• q 1.9

  Prouida illa mens, quae coelum hoc quotidiè vol∣uit, reuoluit, so∣lem ducit, redu∣cit, fruges pro∣mit, recondit, causas & vicis••i∣tudines omnes rerum peperit, quas mirantur homines aut quae sunt, nec quic∣quam in hoc grandi Machina geritur, turbatur miscetur specca∣tum excipio) cu∣ius non causa a prima illa causa, Lips. lib. 1. de Constan. c. 4.
• r 1.10

  Sacramentum hoc venerādum, non scrutandum quomodo pluralitas sit in vnitate, & vni∣tas in pluralitate, scrutare hoc, temeritas est; credere, pietas, nosc•• verò, vita aeterna, Ber.
• f 1.11

  Exod. 24.6. Psal. 24.8.
• t 1.12

  Luke 1.32.
• u 1.13

  Mar. 14.36. Rom. 8.15.
• x 1.14

  Sacra Dei no∣mina quasi pig∣nora amoris, mi∣sericordiae, & omnipotentiae eius sunt, Aug. de Dei Miseri∣cord. cap. 7.