The Other Eight Sermons of the Fourth Decade, Written by Henry Bullinger. Of God; of the True Knowledge of God, and of the Diverse Ways How to Know Him; That God Is One in Substance, and Three in Persons. The Third Sermon
I rave hitherto in thirty-two sermons discoursed upon the word of God, and the lawful exposition of the same; upon christian faith, the love of God and our neighbour. I have also spoken of the law of nature, of man’s law, and God’s law, and of the parts of God’s law, namely, the moral, the ceremonial, and the judicial laws; of the use of the law, and of the fulfilling and abrogation of the same; of the likeness and difference betwixt the two testaments and people, the old and the new; of christian liberty; of offences; of the effect? and merits of good works; of sin, and the sundry sorts thereof: and also of the grace of God, or the gospel of Jesu Christ, in whom our heavenly Father hath given us all things belonging to life and eternal salvation: finally, I have treated of repentance, and of the things that do especially seem to belong thereunto. And for because our purpose is ἕο dispute discreetly upon the principal points of christian religion, and that in the premises we have heard often mention made of God, of the knowledge and worship of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Holy Ghost, of good and evil spirits, of the church, of prayer, of the sacraments, and such like holy things; since we are now come to an end of those former points, necessity itself doth here require, that we should speak somewhat now of all and every one of these latter [8 ratione, Lat.] [4 religionis nostre, Lat.]
[5 preeterea, Lat.; and more especially. ]
principles according to the holy scripture, so far forth as the Lord shall give me grace and ability to do the same. on. Concerning God there were of old many erroneous opinions, God. not among the ruder sort of people only, but even in the whole pack of philosophers, and conventicles of false Christians. As touching the philosophers, that ancient and learned writer, Tertullian, was wont to say, that ‘ philosophers are the patriarchs of heretics!:” and touching false Christians the ii. 19. apostle John said, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us.” Neither do I see what gain you should get by it, if I should proceed to reckon up unto you all their opinions. It is good perhaps to know wherein they? erred, lest we also do strike upon the same rock that they did. Therefore if any that have a desire unto it do wish to see the opinions of the heathen sort and of heretics? concerning God, let them search Plutarch in his Placitis Philoso. lib. 1. cap. 7. or in other heathen writers; ort in Cyril’s first book Contra Julianum; and in the 4. cap. Dogmatum vel definitionum Feelesiast.S 1 will” at this time trouble the attentive €ars and minds of the godly hearers with that burden. That diversity of opinions is derived from none other fountain than from the boldness and unskilfulness of men, which are not the ashamed of their own device and brain to add and apply to God the things from which he is most far and free. And now, that here I may not stick long in declaring the narrow straitness and misty darkness of man’s wit; who, I pray you, is able with his understanding to conceive the being of God, when as indeed no man did ever fully understand of what fashion the soul of man is, of what sort many other things are that be in man’s body, and of what manner substance! the sun and moon are made? There are given many reasons of natural philosophy; but the work of God doth still abide more great and wonderful than that the wit or speech of man
[1 See Vol. 11. p. 407, note 5.] [2 alii, Lat.; others.] [9 exercitationes exterorum, et heereticorum sententias, Lat.] [ aut etiam, Lat.; or even.] [5 denique, Lat.; lastly.] [6 A treatise among the works of Augustine. ] [7 nolo, Lat.; I will not.] [8 aflingere, Bullinger’s one word. ] [9 essentiam, Lat.] £10 So ed. 1577; what manner of substance, 1587.]]
is able to comprehend or express it. Let no man therefore, that goeth about to know any certainty of God, descend into himself to search him out with thoughts of his own!!; neither let him ground his opinion upon men’s determinations and weak definitions!?: for otherwise he shall always worship the invention of his own heart, mere folly, trifles and foolish phantasies. But on the other side again, the man cannot choose but think rightly, judge truly, and speak well of God, that attributeth nothing to himself, deviseth nothing of his own brain, nor followeth the toys of other men’s inventing; but in all things giveth ear to the word of God, and followeth always his holy revelation’. Therefore let this stand as it were for a continual rule, that God cannot be rightly known but by his word; and that God is to be received and believed to be such an one as he revealeth himself unto us in his holy word. For no creature verily can better tell what, and what kind of one God is, than God himself.