May 13. At the Temple Churche.
One Moore of Baliol Colledge in Oxford; his text Amos iii. 6: "Shall there be evil in the city and the Lord hath not done it?" Malum culpe et malum pœne; of the latter onely God is the author. God may be said to be the author of synn permissive, and an actor in synn, though not the author of the synne, for ther is noe action but he is the first cause of it: and yet he is noe partner or cause of the il in the action, noe more then he which rideth vpon a lame iade, can be said to be the cause of his limpinge, though he be the cause of his paceinge, nor a cunning musician the cause of discordes when he playeth on a lute that is out of tune. There is a two-fold power in every thing, and both derived from God; the one of creacion, May 13, 1602.
fo. 20.whereby every thing worketh according to nature, as the fyre to burne, &c.; and the other of preservacion, whereby that force is continued, and if the second be withdrawne the first perisheth, for God is not a mere efficient externall, as the taylour of the garmente, or a carpenter of the house, whose effects may continue though their labour continue not, but he is an inherent continuall assistant cause, soe that yf he withdrawe his power of preseruing the power of creacion is idle, soe the fire in furnace could not burne the children, &c.