Life eternalLife eternall

you may see him in his Word, in his effects: and therefore let us be content to be ignorant of these things. Who should ask, why deals GOD thus with his Church? why are so many damned? Remember that in Isai. 45.9.¹ Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker; let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth: Shall the clay say to him that maketh it; What makest thou? The meaning of it is this; we should be content to let God alone, not to inquire into all his actions, into the ground and reason of all his works; let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth: if thou hadst to do with man, one like thy self, then ⟨p. 102⟩thou mightst murmur with him, and ask him, why doest thou so? but what hast thou to-do with the Lord? Shall the clay say to him that maketh it, why doest thou so? This similitude of clay doth not, by a thousand parts, express that distance that is between God and us; and therefore we should do thus, stand upon the shore, as it were, and behold his infinite Essence: I am that I am; and go no further; as a man that stands upon the sea-shore, and sees the vastness of the sea, and dares go no further, if he goes into the deep, he is drowned: You may look into Gods Essence, and see and admire it; but to think that thou couldest comprehend God, is, as if a man should think to hold the whole sea in the hollow of his hand; yea, there is a greater disproportion between them: therefore you shall see, that the Apostle doth thus express it, Ro. 11.² Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom, and knowledge of GOD; how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! Only remember this, and make thus much use of it:

you may see him in his Word, in his effects: and therefore let us be content to bee ignorant of these things. Who should aske, why deales GOD thus with his Church? why are so many damned? Remember that in Isai. 45.9.¹