can conceive is infinite: but God is fo, for if any He is beyond thing could be imagined more perfect than hee all that wee is,that should be Go D, and not hee: and there- can conceive. fore what foever wee can conceive of him,hee is in Scripture faid to be beyond it: for Rom. 11. His Rom. 11. wayes are past finding out; and elsewhere it is faid, that he dwells in light inacceffible.

From his

workes.

Fourthly, Confider it from his workes: you fee Reafon 4. that hee hath made the World of nothing: whence I reafon; If you would heat the aire,it is more easily heated than water,because the paffive power is neerer the active; and if you would heat water, you may more eafily heat it than the earth: Now according to the refiftance, according to the paffive power,fuch is the active: if the paffive power lye open, the active power is leffe, that workes upon it: but when the paffive power is infinitely low, then the active power must be infinitely high, and answerable to it. Therefore, when GoD comes to make fomething of nothing, the active power must be exceeding high, because the paffive power is infinitely low; and therefore requires an infinite active power, to make fomething of nothing: and confequently, hee must be infinite, in whom this power is feated.

If hee be so great a GOD, hee that is our GOD; the GOD, who is our Father, if hee be thus great and incomprehenfible, learne you to know what you are then: that you have an infinite Gop to maintaine, defend, and uphold you, in all that you have to doe, or fuffer for his will.

I i

This

ve 1. To know our

to

intereft in this great God, and take up a greatneffe of rable.

minde anfwe

What makes the minde great.

Why men are led afide by outward greatneffe.

This will caufe you to affume great mindes to your felves, to have an holy magnanimitie in you. And the confideration of this Attribute is of great ufe,to make Chriftians come to have great mindes.

For what is it that makes the minde great? It is the greatnesse of the object: whence it is, that Kings have great mindes, because of their great Kingdomes; and great men have great thoughts, because of the great objects that they have to looke upon. Now therefore, if thou wouldest looke upon the great Gop, if thou wouldest confider that hee is thy Father, and that all that hee hath is thine, this would likewife make thy minde exceeding great: it would take from us that pufillanimitie and narrowneffe of minde, which wee are fubje&to; and it is of great moment it should doe fo. A little minde,though it be good, yet because it is a little veffell,it can receive but a little good; whereas, when the minde is great, it is capable of great grace, great actions, and great endeavours: therefore wee should get our mindes to be enlarged, by confidering the greatneffe of GOD, and our interest in it.

For want of this it is,that Chriftians are foapt to be led afide into by wayes, by the great men; because they thinke that they are power of greatly graced,when they are look't after by great men: when as if they did know theirowne greatneße, that they are Sonnes of GoD, and Heires of Heaven; this goes beyond all, and would rayfe their thoughts.

Hence

Hence likewife it is, that men are fo cafily By pleafsures. wrought upon by pleasure, profit, and the like, that they are ready to tranfgreffe for a little:why is it? It is because they doe not know what they are borne to; that the great GoD of Heaven is theirs, and all the treafures there are theirs.

mea.

So what is the reafon,that the praife and credit By praife of of men doth fo much affect you? but because we have fo little mindes: whereas if God were knowne in his greatneffe, what would the praife of great men be to the praife of the great God? This would give us much ftrength against thefe temptations.

And hence it is, that young ftudents that are provided for,have their mindes lift up to vanities; whereas,if their mindes were great,they would defpife them,and labour to serve the great God,with their ftrength and parts in their callings.

And fo men that are growne up, if they have eftate enough,they leave the high and honourable calling of the Minifterie; the reafon is, because they over-value thefe outward things: whereas, if a man had a great minde, nothing would be great to him, but GOD.

Hence alfo it is, that men are fo ftirred with varietie of conditions; when profperitie comes, it puffes them up one way; when croffes and adverfitie comes, it troubles and shakes them on the other fide: and what is the reafon, but becaufe they feeme great to them? which appeares from hence, becaufe they ftirre up great affections. Therefore, the way to walke even in both conditions, is to get this greatneße of minde: for it

li 2

is

Why men are irred with

varietie of conditions.

Simile.

Why men are fo bufie in

is the weakeneffe of the minde, which causeth a man to be over-affected with these things, to rejoyce too much in the one, and to be too much affected with the other. Even as, we fee, a weake eye,as the eyes of Owles and Bats, cannot endure a great Light, and a weake braine cannot beare ftrong Drinke; but a ftrong eye, as the eye of an Eagle,can endure the greateft Light: foa ftrong minde,it will endure great grace & difgrace,with the fame temper,it will beare all well enough; it knowes how to want, and how to abound: whereas others have their eyes dazeled, and their brainės made giddy as it were, with the favour or difcountenance of great men.

Hence also it is, that wee are so busie about worldly things,dignity,and riches,&c. It is true worldly things wee hould feeke after thefe things, but why doe wee doe it tanto conatu? It was Pauls greatneffe of minde,that made him ambitious to preach the Gospel, to ferve Tables,and fuch like,were fmall matters, he would not looke after them: So if wee had great mindes, wee should feeke for grace, and how to encrease in it,how to live an ufefull,and painefull and profitable life. Worldly things are too little for the minde to beftow it felfe upon; which would be foto us, if wee would fee God in his greatneffe, and our intereft in it. Men of little mindes, and pufillanimous, with the Bramble, reckon it a great matter to reigne over the Trees; whereas the Vine and the Fig-tree esteemed it not fo, but chofe rather to ferve GOD and man with their Sweetneffe and fatneffe.

Hence it is that men are fo much affected why men are with the injuries of men on the one fide, and the afteaed with favours of men on the other fide: all this arifeth injuries of from the littleneffe of their minds. Saint Paul

тел.

Gal. 5. 12. when the Galathians had done him Gal.5.12. great injury, yet, faith hee, Brethren, be as I am, for I am as you are: you have done me great injury, but I eftceme it not, you have not hurt mee at all. For, a man inlarged to a holy greatneße of minde, all the injuries put upon him by men, feeme fmall to him: when men are full of complaints, and fay, they cannot beare fuch difgrace, and flander, and reproach; this doth not proceede from the greatneffe, but from the weakeneffe of their minder. Men thinke it indeed greatneße of minde, not to paffe over these things, not to put up an injury but furely it is a note of a great minde, to overlooke them all. So it is true on the other fide, not to regard the praise of men: The Philofopher could fay, that the magnani-Weakneffe to mous man did not regard the praife of common regard the men, because he was above them; as, is not hee praife of men. a weake man, that would regard the praife of children feeing they are not able to judge? So hee hath but a weake minde, that regards the praife of worldly men; for they are too little for him to regard, if hee did fee GoD in his greatneße. This made Paul to fay, that hee did not care for mans day, let them fay what they will by mee, better or worfe, 1 regard it not. (There is indeede a meete regard to be had of them, but if they come into competition

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