By John Bradford
A Meditation of God's Power, Beauty, Goodness, &c.
Because thou, Lord, would have us to love thee, not only dost thou will, entice, allure, and provoke us, but also commands us so to do, promising thyself unto such as love thee, and threatening us with damnation if we do otherwise; whereby we may see both our great corruption and naughtiness, and also thine exceeding great mercy towards us.
First, concerning our corruption and naughtiness, what a thing it is that power, riches, authority, beauty, goodness, liberality, truth, justice, all which thou art, good Lord, cannot move us to love thee! Whatsoever things we see fair, good, wise, mighty, are but sparks of that power, beauty, goodness, wisdom, which thou art. For that thou might declare thy riches, beauty, power, wisdom, goodness, &c. thou hast not only made, but still dost preserve, all creatures to be declarers and setters forth of thy glory, and as a book to teach us to know thee, as David says of the heavens. Ps. xix.
How fair thou art, the beauty of the sun, moon, stars, light, flowers, rivers, fields, hills, birds, beasts, men, and all creatures, yea, the goodly shape and form of the whole world, declare!
How mighty thou art, we are taught by the creation of this world out of nothing, by thy governing the same, by thy punishing the wicked mighty giants thereof, by their overthrowing their devices, by thy repressing the rage of the sea within her bounds, by storms, by tempests, by fires; these and such like declare unto us thine invisible almighty, and terrible power, whereby thou subdues all things unto thee! How rich thou art, this world, thy great and infinite treasure-house, well declares! What plenty is there, not only of things, but also of every kind of things! Yea, how dost thou yearly and daily multiply these kinds! How many seeds dost thou make of one seed, yea, what great increase dost thou bring it unto! These cannot but put us in remembrance of the exceeding riches that thou hast; for if to thine enemies, who love thee not, (as the most part in this world are such,) if to them thou gives so plentifully thy riches here; what shall we think that, with thyself, thou hast laid up for thy friends? How good thou art, all creatures both generally and particularly do teach. What creature is there in the world which thou hast not made for our advantage? I will not say how thou might have made us creatures without sense or reason, if thou would have done so. But, amongst all things, none so teaches us thy great love towards us, as does the death of thy most dearly beloved Son, who suffered the pains and terrors thereof, yea, and of hell itself, for our sakes.
If this thy love had been but a small love, it would never have lasted so long, and Christ should never have died.
