To pneuma ksopyrén, or Sparkes of the spirit, being, motives to sacred theorems, and divine meditations. / By a reverend father of the Church of England.

SECT. I. Of the holy Scripture.

LORD,* 1.1 as thou art full of Majesty and might, of com∣mand and Authority; so dost thou shew thy self no where to be

of greater credit and Autho∣rity than in thy Word: For all other Books and wri∣tings to induce the Reader to give credit unto the Au∣thors thereof, are full of reasons, and arguments, and of naturall probations: But thy Word (good Lord) is most plain and absolute, de∣claring simply and abso∣lutely thy will, without any further Naturall or Philo∣sophical arguments, shew∣ing thereby, that it is the Word of such an Author, who is to be believed upon his bare word, simply and absolutely, without any fur∣ther reasoning: For we know (dear Lord) that thy holy Scriptures differ from all mens writings, because they command and controll

all Princes & Potentates of the world absolutely enjoyning & forbidding vice, threatning everlasting misery to the wicked, and assuring eternal felicity to the godly. There∣fore (Lord) we know and believe, that the holy Scrip∣tures are thy holy and Sa∣cred Words, and thy un∣doubted books. For it be∣longeth to no creature to be able to inflict eternall punishments, or to bestow endless blessedness; There∣fore those Books that con∣tain threatnings of the one, and assurance of the other, must needs have none other but thy Majesty for their Author. For what creature can or dare say, I will judge all men in the day of judgement, and, I will give unto every man

according to his works? Who's of that Authority & power as to threaten eternal pains to all men past, present, & to come, resisting his will, but only thou most mighty God? What is he that could say, or write, That there lights not a Sparrow on the ground without his knowledge and pro∣vidence; That he knoweth all the words, deeds, and thoughts of all men, but onely thou most wise & gracious Lord? Who could say, I will bring a generall deluge upon the earth, I will melt the Elements with heat, I will rayse up all the dead at the sound of a Trumpet, and judge the world, but thy Infi∣nite power? For if any crea∣ture had been the Author of the Scripture, he must be ei∣ther good or evill: It was

not an evil creature: for the words be simply, and abso∣lutely good, dehorting from all evill, and exhorting un∣to all godlinesse, and to the chief good; and therefore these words which are con∣tained in the Scripture, could not proceed from the nature and inclination of any evill creature. Neither could these words properly proceed from the motion and disposition of any good creature, because they are spoken in precepts and in commanding manner, with great Authority, in much power, threatening punish∣ment to such as obey it not, as eternall happinesse to such as follow it. For no good creature would pre∣sume to take upon him such

power and Authority of himself, as to threaten eter∣nall damnation to some, and assure eternal salvation unto others, which onely is proper to a Divine and Infi∣nite Power, and therefore it were intolerable pride, and presumption in any creature, to take so much Authority upon him, being a thing so flat and contrary against the nature and will of an Almighty power. Therefore (good Lord) we are compell'd to believe and confesse, that the holy Bible is thy Book, and not the work of any creature.

[unspec 1] First, Because those things which are written in many places of the holy Bible are written in such a lofty stile, with such an extraordinary

phrase, and with such super∣natural matters, as are a∣bove the capacity and nature of men wholly; yea, beyond all humane knowledge, un∣derstanding, or imaginati∣on: So that it is impossible for men to conceive or ima∣gine such words, much lesse to know or to write them of themselves, without the di∣rection of an all-wise God. For such words, as are writ∣ten in the Bible, could never be understood, thought up∣on, or so much as once ima∣gined by the wit of man, much lesse laid down in writing. For what man was able to write, conceive, or imagine of that inscrutable mystery in the Sacred Trini∣ty; namely, that there be three Persons in one God-head,

really distinguished in∣to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and yet these three to be coequal in dignity, con∣substantiall in nature, co∣eternall in being; yea, all three Persons to be one and the same simple and indivi∣sible God, without body, parts or passion.

[unspec 2] Secondly, Who could i∣magine that power to be three distinct persons which is the same in substance, in essence, in number, in pow∣er, and Deity? surely flesh and blood could never re∣veal these things to Moses, to Daniel, to Peter, to Paul, nor to any other man. A man might conceive perhaps as some Philosophers have done, That God is One, Simple, and Indivisible, but

that this one God should be three distinct persons, equal in all things, is above mans reach: Therefore he that caused this to be revealed and written, was no lesse than a God that knoweth all things.

Thirdly, What man of [unspec 3] himself durst once say, or affirm, yea, or imagine, that God was made man? That the Word was made Flesh? That the Deity assumed the humanity? And the huma∣nity unto the Deity in one person united? So that both Deity and humanity are and remain in one and the same person without confusion of natures, so that one Christ is both God and man? And this mystery done in the Se∣cond person in Trinity, and

not in the First or the Third? Could this be the invention of any man's braine? Could any deep sighted Philosopher either produce the like ex∣ample in Nature, or invent the same in reason? can any carping Atheist, of the sub∣tilest & sharpest, conceive or imagine of himself how this should be? therefore the Bible is the wisedom & writing of God and not of men. For if we should admit that men might know that it was needfull that God should be united unto our man-hood (though none of themselves could be so wise) yet who was able to say that it shold be so, when it should be, how, in what place, and by what means? surely no crea∣ture, neither good nor bad

could imagine of himselfe. An evill creature especially could neither say nor ima∣gine it of himself, because it was a matter tending un∣to the chiefest good, and to the highest exaltation and greatest dignity of mans na∣ture: For now our nature in the person of Christ is ex∣alted above all the Angells in heaven; and therefore an evill creature could never imagine or think of so good and so great a benefit: Nei∣ther could any good crea∣ture of himself or his own wisedome speak of these things;* 1.2 because no creature was able to know these things of himself.* 1.3 If there∣fore neither a good nor a bad creature could write these of themselves, then it

must be that the Creator of all wrote them; or if at least wise some good men wrote them, yet they first received them of God.

[unspec 4] Fourthly, To adde more proof to this, How could any man be ever able to write or to imagine, that a young Virgin should con∣ceive without a man? and bring forth a man, and yet remain a pure Virgin both before and after? What man durst either say or affirm such a thing for a truth, it being the contrary to na∣ture and common experi∣ence? Therefore (good Lord) as it was thy holy arm that wrought it, so was it thy wisedom that revea∣led it, and caused it to be written.

Fifthly, To seal up all, [unspec 5] What man was able of him∣self to write of the begining of the world, when it was made, in how many dayes, what were done in every se∣verall day? That man was made last? For if he was made last of all creatures, how could he have written either when himselfe was made, or what things were made when he had no be∣ing? (except thou Lord hadst taught and instructed him how & what to write) Was Adam able of himselfe to know that that was the sixt day wherein he was cre∣ated, except thou Lord hadst taught him. Who could af∣firm that the floods did o∣verflow all the tops of all the Mountains in the world,* 1.4

and how many Cubits the waters did prevail above all Mountains, seeing Noah and his family were in the Arke? Could he measure it wh t height it was by Cubits, if thou (Lord) hadst not in∣structed him? Or, who could be so bold, so fond, so fool∣ish, and so voyd of sense and reason as to write, That so huge, so firm, and so faire a building as this world is, shall be consumed with fire in a moment, and that so suddenly the Elements should be dissolved and melt with heat, and that the very same bodies of men that are now consumed to dust and ashes should rise again in the twinckling of an eye? could any man know, or imagine these things, much less write

of them, but onely the Spi∣rit and power that hath made and created them? Se∣ing therefore (my Lord and maker) the holy Scrip∣tures have such Authority, such threatnings, such eter∣nall promises, such lofty style, such extraordinary phrases, such supernaturall matters, so farre out of all creatures knowledge, so strange unto all mens con∣ceits, and so far above their imagination; Lastly, seeing all other Books of the same subject are found to be erro∣neous, & the authors there∣of disagreeing among them∣selves so many wayes; And seeing the holy Scriptures could never be branded with errours, or justly charged with enlargement in any

line or leaf thereof (though penned and translated with so many sundry instruments so farre asunder) who then so blind or so blear-eyed that cannot see or acknow∣ledge the Holy Bible to be thy Word or work alone?

Sparke 1.

O gratious God and most wise Father, seeing it is so manifest that the holy Bible is thy Book, and of thy one∣ly making,(a 1.5) inspire in∣to our hearts good motions, that our delight may be in thy Lawes, and that we may exercise our selves therein day and night,(b 1.6) grant we may ever without doubt(c 1.7) or wavering believe it with all our heart and soul, th••t it

may be sweeter unto our mouthes than the honey or the honey-comb;(d 1.8) and that it may be dearer unto us than thousands of gold & silver. Give us that firme resoluti∣on to believe thy Word with out any further reasoning and arguing. Work so in us (good Lord) that (despi∣sing(e 1.9) thy Word delivered unto us) we never seek af∣ter strange revelations. And for as much (good Lord) as there is nothing so near and so dear unto thee as thy Word, which proceeded(f 1.10) from thy mouth. Grant that we may be in love with no∣thing so much as with thee and thy Word. Grant there∣fore (O Lord) that we may keep thy sayings(g 1.11) and ponder them with blessed

Mary in our hearts. Lastly, Lord, whatsoever thy word doth sound in our ears, let not our hearts be like the thorny ground, the sto∣ny, nor the beaten high way, but like the good ground that bringeth forth some forty, some fifty, some sixty, and some an hundred fold, To the glory of thy name and our salvation, through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Atheists conviction.
• * 1.2

  Joh. 1.
• * 1.3

  Luke 1.
• * 1.4

  Gen. 7:20.
• a 1.5

  2 Pet. 1.21.
• b 1.6

  Psal. 1.2.
• c 1.7

  Act. 28.••4.
• d 1.8

  Psal. 90.
• e 1.9

  Luk. 10.16.
• f 1.10

  Mat. 5.
• g 1.11

  Luk. 2.