Seuen goulden candlestickes houlding the seauen greatest lights of Christian religion shewing vnto all men what they should beleeue, & how they ought to walke in this life, that they may attayne vnto eternall life. By Gr: Williams Doctor of Divinity

CHAP I. Of the description of God, how he maybe knowne; what he is:* 1.1 and of this speciall Name, IEHOVA.

TOuching the first Part; Danda imprimis opera est, vt Deum noscamus, quotquot faelices esse volu∣mus: It must be the chiefest care of all that would bee happy, to know God, which is the chiefest happinesse of all: for to feare God and to keepe his Commandments; Hoc est omnis ho∣mo: This is the dutie, and this is the felicity of euery man.* 1.2 At non potes aut amare quem non noueris, aut habere quem non amaueris;

But thou canst not either loue him, whom thou dost not know, or imoy him whom thou dost not loue; Quia ignoti nulla cupido, Because Knowledge is the ground of loue; and whom we loue not, we can neither seeke any helpe from him, nor yet render any seruice to him:* 1.3 and therefore our Sauiour saith, that this is eternall life to know him to be the onely true God, and whom he hath sent Iesus Christ. And this is the reason why so many thou∣sands shall be destroyed;* 1.4 because they know not God: And this the very Heathens perceiued, though they could not attaine it, when among all their Precepts, this was their chiefest lesson: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; Know God.

* 1.5Now we must vnderstand that there are three wayes of know∣ing God, (I speake not of that knowledge which the Booke of Nature teacheth; for that is too small to make vs happy, but of that which we doe collect out of the Booke of God) and those according to the Schooles, are these:

* 1.6The first is according to that, which he is in himselfe, where∣by he is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, vnspeakeable, infinite, and incomprehensi∣ble; and thus, none knoweth God, but God himselfe; and the reason hereof is, that although, Nihil magis intelligibile quam Deus, No∣thing of his owne nature is more intelligible, then God; be∣cause he is the first,* 1.7 the perfectest, and the truest being, most pure and simple, and free from any matter; yet is our vnderstanding towards God, but as the eyes of the Owles, or Reremouse, which are not able to behold the brightnesse of the Sunne: and therefore, thus if we seeke to know him,* 1.8 wee shall be but like Symonides, that being commanded by the Emperour, to tell him, what God was, demanded three dayes respite for to resolue so great a quaere: and when hee came, hee required sixe dayes more: and being therefore asked why he prolonged so the time, and thereby so deluded him, he ingeniously answered; because the more I search into him, the further I finde my selfe from attaining to him; And therefore in this respect we should, Sapere ad sobrietatem, Bee wise vnto sobriety, and not curiously search into his ineffable Maiestie, but rather with the Cherubims, to couer our faces with two of our Wings;* 1.9 because we are not able to know him as he is.

The second is according to that, which may be knowne of vs,

and may be any wayes comprehended in our mindes and best vnderstandings. And thus we conceiue him to be most admi∣rable; but yet by infinite degrees inferior to that which he is in himselfe; and therefore we should striue and labour what we can, to vnderstand and know him more and more; for the more fully that we shall know him, the more perfectly we shall loue him, and the more perfectly wee loue him, the more happinesse wee shall adde vnto our owne felicity.

The third is, according to that which may be spoken or written by the best of men: And this is the narrowest way to expresse him: and yet we can reach no further; for as he is in himselfe, he is (as I said before) a light of an infinite brightnesse,* 1.10 in whom is no darkenesse at all; and as the Apostle saith, Hee dwelleth in the light that none can attaine vnto:* 1.11 no Eagles eye can fully look vpon the brightnesse of his light, no vnderstanding can compre∣hend the incomprehensible excellency of his Maiestie; and therfore we must rest our selues contented, to know him so, as we are able to conceiue of him; and to expresse him so, as our slender speech will giue vs leaue.* 1.12

And thus we finde three speciall wayes of expressing what he is. First, by way of negation, by remouing from him what we finde in the creatures, or what euer is said of any of them;* 1.13 as when with the ancient Philosophers, wee say God is not the Sunne, not the Moone, not a Man, not mooueable, not finite, &c. & this is the best part of our Knowledge of him, (as Saint Au∣gustine saith,) when we know rather what he is not,* 1.14 then what he is: For, as a curious Statue is composed and perfected, by hewing and cutting something still from it, and not by adding any thing vnto it: So is our God knowne of vs, by denying him to be such and such things, as are common to the crea∣tures, and by paring away humane conceits from him, when we goe about to conceiue what he is.

Secondly, by way of affirmation and perfection, as when wee do analogically, and in respect of certaine similitudes, ascribe vnto God the best and most excellent things that can be found in any creatures, and so we say, he is great, strong, faire, mercifull, iust, &c.

Thirdly, By way of supereminency, and transcendent excel∣lency; as when we ascribe to God, whatsoeuer excellencies that

are spoken, or may be spoken of him; farre aboue all the excel∣lencies of all other creatures whatsoeuer: and so we doe referre and reduce all excellencies vnto him, as vnto the common cause of them all; or as vnto the fountaine from whence all these little channels of excellencies doe flow: And therefore we say not onely in the concrete, that God is iust, mercifull, wise strong, good,* 1.15 and such like, but also in the abstract, that he is iustice, mer∣cy, wisedome, strength, and goodnesse it selfe, which cannot be said of any creatures: for that all the best excellencies of the chie∣fest creatures, are but as little sparkes in respect of a huge infinite fire: or as a few drops of raine in comparison of the whole Oce∣an Sea, if we should compare them to the excellency of God: Nay, we should find their wisedomes follie, their strength weake∣nesse, their beauty baldnesse, and all their goodnesse to be no∣thing in respect of the goodnesse of God: for, he chargeth his Angels with folly, and the Heauens are not cleare in his sight, saith holy Iob.

* 1.16Now according to these three wayes, God is described to be an immortall, inuisible, incomprehensible, spirituall, infinite, eternall Essence, the cause of all causes, and the Author of all excellencies.

Here is a boundlesse Ocean, and a very large description of God; and I may sooner loose my selfe, in the prosecuting of the same, then to finde him fully as he is, in any place, which is fully and truely in euery place.

* 1.17But I remember that excellent rule of Saint Augustine, Ca∣uendum est, ne dum de deo cogitamus, & non possumus inuenire quid sit, aliquid de eosentiamus quod non sit: We must take great heed least in seeking to know what God is, we thinke him to bee what he is not: and therefore that I may not erre in this point, I will say no more, but with himselfe, which knowes himselfe best; that he is Iehoua, this he is, and this is his Name for euer, and as the old saying is, Conueniunt rebus nomina saepe suis, & of all his Names, this is the onely Name that doth expresse the Essence and the Nature of God; for all other Names are but adiuncts, expressing, Qualis est essentiae, Of what manner of being hee is, as Eternall, Omniscient, Omnipotent; or else qualis non est, what he is not, as Immortall, Inuisible, incomprehensible, or deriued from the roote of this, as Eheich, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (as some

would haue it) but Iehoua, Nomen tetra grammaton, This Name of foure letters, the most Venerable, and Ineffable Name amongst the Iewes, (as Galatinus saith,) deriued of Haiah,* 1.18 (as the Hebritians note) which signifieth Esse, an euerlasting being; Est solummodo proprium & essentiale nomen Dei; is the onely pro∣per and Essentiall Name of God: Because all the other names of God (whereof Saint Hierome collecteth nine) besides Ie∣houa, and such as are deriued from the roote thereof, are names attributed vnto him in respect of his workes: either internall, as Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, and such like, which are names attributed vnto him,* 1.19 in respect of the inward operations of God: or else externall, as El, Shadai, Lord, Creator, and such like, which are names attributed vnto him in respect of his out∣ward workes; as Galatinus sheweth.

And therefore when Moses desired to know the Name of God, God nameth himselfe Eheich Ascher Eheich,* 1.20 which the Sept. translated, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. I am that I am, (putting the present Tense for the future Tense;) is my Name; and it is all one, as if hee had said more plainely, Hee that was, hee that is, and hee that euer shall be: For if you looke neuer so farre backe, you shal neuer finde where his being began; or if you inquire neuer so curiously into the time to come, you shall neuer finde like∣lihood of his ending; for, Thou art God from euerlasting, and world without end, saith the Psalmist: and so Yesterday, to day,* 1.21 and the same for euermore, saith the Apostle: and in this respect, he is called, the King of Ages, which hath made the times,* 1.22 and doth in∣habit eternity.

Moreouer, it is obserued, that in this name Iehoua, (besides many other Mysteries, that the more curious searchers into the same doe collect) there is not onely shewed, the being of God, but also the manner of that being; that is, the three manner of subsistings, in that one simple and eternall being: or the Trinity of persons in that Vnity of Essence. And I confess, that seeing there cannot be but one Iehoua, one infinit & eternall being; & that both the Father, the Sonne, and the Holy Spirit,* 1.23 are called each one of them Iehoua, as you may most apparently see, if you compare the 6. of Esay and the 9. where the great Iehoua saith vnto the Prophet, Goe and tell this people, heare and vnder∣stand

not; see, but perceiue not; make the heart of this people fat: with the 12 of Iohn 41. Where the Euangelist saith, that these words of the Prophet, were spoken of Christ: when hee saw his glory, and spake of him; and with the 28 of the Acts 25. Where Saint Paul saith, The Holy Ghost spake these words by Esayas the Prophet: and if you looke into the first of the Reuelations 8. where Christ assumeth the same name vnto himselfe, saying, I am Alpha, & Omega: the beginning, & the ending; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which was, which is, which is to come: And so into the 8 of Iohn, the 58. where our Sauiour alludeth vnto the same Name, saying; Before Abraham was, I am, It doth sufficiently proue each one of these persons, to be an infinite God, subsisting in that one eternall Essence;* 1.24 because it is most certaine, that the Name Iehoua, is so propper vnto God, that it can be ascribed to none else: as Zanchius saith.

But because many other places of Scripture, are more plaine and pregnant, to proue this great Mystery of godlinesse; I will not insist to wring out an apparant truth from the obscurest places:* 1.25 and because, as Saint Chrysostome saith, Nequue ad loquen∣dum digne de Deo lingua sufficit, neque ad percipiendum intellectus praeualet. Our tongues are not able to speake worthily enough of God, and our vnderstandings are not sufficient to conceiue of him as we ought to doe: yea, and that, De deo loqui etiam vera aliquando periculosissimum est; It may be dangerous some∣times to speake truths of God: for as Euclides being demaun∣ded of one, what God did; and in what things he most delighted, did most truly answere; that he knew not well what he did: but he was certaine he delighted not in vaine and curious persons:* 1.26 so I say that curiosity in this highest point of Diuinity, is very dangerous; or, as Saint Bernard saith; to inquire too farre into this point, is peruerse curiositie; to beleeue it as the Scripture tea∣cheth, is infallible security; and to see him as he is, is most abso∣lute felicity: therefore I will wade no further into this depth; but I will exhort and desire you all, Potius glorificare eum qui est, quam inuestigare quid est;* 1.27 Rather most faithfully to serue him, which is, then curiously to search what he is, Ne & in hac illicite curiosi, & in illa damnabiliter inueniamur ingrati; least in this, wee be found vnlawfully curious,* 1.28 and in the other most damnably vnthankefull; as Prosper speaketh.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Part. 1.
• * 1.2

  Bernard.
• * 1.3

  Iohn 17 3.
• * 1.4

  2 Thess. 1.8.
• * 1.5

  That there are three wayes of knowing God.
• * 1.6

  Exod. 23.19.20.23.
• * 1.7

  Zanch. de nat. Dei l 3. c. 2. p. 199.
• * 1.8

  That we are not able to know God as he is in him∣selfe.
• * 1.9

  Esay 6.2.
• * 1.10

  1 Iohn 1 5.
• * 1.11

  1 Tim. 6.16.
• * 1.12

  Casman. in thest de Deo.
• * 1.13

  Aug in l. de cognit. verae vit. & de ver∣bis dom ser. 38.
• * 1.14

  That there are three especiall wayes of ex∣pressing what God is.
• * 1.15

  That the ab∣stract names of all excel∣lencies, are onely proper vnto God.
• * 1.16

  A description of God by way of

  • 1 Negation.
  • 2 Affirmation.
  • 3 Superemi∣nencie.
• * 1.17

  Aug. de trini∣tate.
• * 1.18

  Galat. l. 2. c. 9. The name Jehoua, is the most proper Name of God.
• * 1.19

  Hieron. in epist. ad Marcell.
• * 1.20

  Exod. 3.14.
• * 1.21

  1 Tim. 1.17.
• * 1.22

  Esay 57.15.
• * 1.23

  Each person of the Trinity, is the true Iehoua.
• * 1.24

  Zanch. de na∣tura dei l. 1. c. 13. p. 35.
• * 1.25

  Chrysost. hom. 2 in Heb.
• * 1.26

  Maxim. ser. 33. That it is not safe to search too farre into the seeing of God.
• * 1.27

  Chrysost. quo supra hom. 2. in Heb.
• * 1.28

  Prosper de vo∣cat: gentium.