that if hee had never beene ashamed hee would never have gloried in not being ashamed In like manner I understand that none hath mortified the affection of the honour of the world and of his owne proper esteeme but hee that having beene sollicited thereunto and having combated is now no more sollicited This selfe same I understand of the affections of anger of envy of hatred and of revenge as I likewise understand it of the seusuall appetites Vnderstanding that none hath mortifi'd the carnall appetite but he that having beene sollicited by it and having combated with it is no more sollicited This selfe same I understand of that Appetite which delights to see things that please the eyes and to eate things that please the tast and to heare vaine things and matters of the world to smell delicate things understanding it that he only may say that he is mortified in these appetites who having beene sollicited and molested by them and having combated with them is is now reduced to such termes that either he feeles them not or is so much master of them that with â—…ase he overcomes them when ever they molest him And because none dyes but he that hath lived it being necessary that in them who are to be quickned all that which is according to the flesh should die as well touching affections as appetites I understand that all this being to die in the regenerated it is the worke of God that presently when a man sets himselfe to pietie he should bee molested and sollicited not only from those affections and appetites with which he was formerly sollicited but moreover with others which he never before felt being different yea and very strange ones to the intent that feeling them alive hee may kill them and killing them his regeneration should be made perfect as appertaines to them that are members of the Sonne of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID XLV Whence the feare of death proceeds in pious persons and that it is a signe of Predestination for a man to content himselfe that there should be another life VVIlling to understand whence it proceeds that many estranged from piety have voluntarily offered themselves unto Death and have willed and desired it and have themselves killed themselves And many pious are grieved and much resent the remembrance of Death not being able to reduce themselves to be content to die which according to humane reason ought to be cleane contrary In as much as they who are estranged from piety either doe not believe the other life or are doubtfull of it or doe not thinke to bee happy in it And in as much as they who are pious believe the other life and are very certaine of it and are assured that they shall be happy in it I come to thinke after this manner that amongst them who are estranged from piety some doe not feare death for some opinions whereof they are perswaded and others because they hold it for a point of valour not to feare it And others love death believing that they shall get fame by dying and others because it is troublesome and painefull unto them to live in necessity or in dishonour wherein they doe as the sick-patient that puts himselfe into hazard of running into a greater infirmity through desire of comming out of that lesse which he feeles In all these I consider their owne proper rashnesse their owne proper folly and their owne proper impatiency Moreover I thinke that amongst the pious that feare death some feare it because they are not throughly confirmed in piety nor throughly assured of that Iustice by which eternall life is obtained others feare it through naturall instinct it being Gods doing that men should feare Death and love life to the intent they may preserve themselves in life and others feare it in as much as it is given to men in punishment of their sinne it being Gods doing that a man should feel as a punishment that which is given him as a punishment by generall sentence which belongs to every man as indeede the evill of originall sinne belongs to every man In every of these I know pietie Iustice and holinesse albeit in the first I know weaknesse and infirmity as I also know in those pious persons who without feeling the inward Inspiration that God would have them to die doe desire and love Death For this desire is not free from some branch of impatiency like unto that of them who are strangers from piety Whence I take this resolution that for as much as in them who are strangers from pietie the not fearing of death and the loving it proceeds from rashnesse folly and impatiency and the fearing of death in the pious proceeds from pietie Iustice and holinesse that neither the stranger from piety hath cause to exalt himselfe when he feares not Death nor the pious hath cause to be sorrowfull when hee findes himselfe fearefull of Death knowthat the feare comes to him through weaknesse and infirmity for his small assurance and firmenesâ—…e in his confidence or it comes to him by naturall inclination or it comes to him through sence of the punishment of sinne which is effectuall in all them that appertaine to the people of God yea even when themselves thinke it not so Whereupon if a man shall say that Christ having satisfyed for originall sinne they who are his members ought not to feele the punishment or chastisement of death I shall say unto him that Christ did not revoke that sentence given against us whereby we are all obliged to Death but that he remedyed it by his resurrection in such sort as wee die by Adam and shall rise againe by Christ. I also take another resolution that is that a pious person doth then content himselfe of Death as pious when by his death the glory of God is illustrated as the Christian Martyrs did content themselves and when it is Gods will that he should die For then as I understand God gives him content in such sort as when a pious person feeles in himselfe a strong feare of Death not being able to bring himselfe to be content to die hee may hold for certaine that God will not at that time take him from this life And he ought to thinke that as long as he feares the naturall inclination and the chastizement of sinne worke their effects in him and so hee will not be grieved nor accompt himselfe Iesse in pietie for this matter They that are strangers from piety when they least feare Death and when they have most brought themselves to be contented with it if they wouid speake truth will confesse that if it were in their power they would not that their should be any other life for they are not certaine to be happy therein And they who are pious when they most feare Death speaking the truth will confesse that they would not be contented that there were no other life feeling within themselves that God hath not created
most christianly and when they would bring themselves with humane industry to have confidence to believe and love finde most difficulty in this are true Christians incorporated in Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXVIII Two griefes one according to the world and the other according to God And two weaknesses one according to the flesh and the other according to the Spirit AS Saint Paul puts two griefes one according to the world and saith that this causeth death and the other according to God and saith that this causeth life Even so I put two weaknesses one according to the Flesh and I understand that this causeth feare and another according to the spirit and I understand this causeth love And I put them because I feele them in the Griefes which S. Paul puts understanding that then a man feeles griefe according to the world when he falls into some such inconvenience as causeth shame or losse or any other discommodity in the eyes of the world in the reputation and dignity of the world And I understand that this griefe causeth death in as much as a man that grieves in this manner except he speedily remedy his griefe becomes blasphemous against God in as much as attributing unto him the cause of his griefe he laments of him and by being blasphemous against God he comes to get himselfe eternall death In the selfe same manner I understand that then a man feeles griefe according to God when he falls into any inconvenience by reason whereof he feares to be deprived of the grace of God and of the holy spirit of Christ and of God himselfe And I understand that this griefe causeth life in as much as he who is grieved in this manner doth more and better know himselfe and ◅o doth more cordially recommend and remit himselfe to God and from this recommending himselfe to God he comes to obtain resurrection and life everlasting For the two weaknesses which I put I understand that a man is then weak according to the flesh when his weaknesse growes from selfe love And I call weaknesse to resente himselfe for those things which come to passe against his will This weaknesse I understand causeth feare for where selfe-love is there is alwaies fear And I understand that this weaknesse is tolerable in Christian persons being no signe of impiety but of imperfection ◅n the selfe same manner I understand that a man is then weak according to the spirit when his weaknesse growes from the love of God resenting himselfe when he sees himselfe deprived of God or of any of the things that are of God which are meanes to him to grow in the love of God and in the confidence in God This weaknesse I understand causeth love because it proceeds from love and so is converted into love and is therefore laudable and a signe of christian perfection Weaknesse according to the Flesh but not blame-worthy I understand was that which S. Paul felt for the reprobation of the Hebrewes And weaknesse according to the spirit I understand was that which S. Paul ◅elt through the sting of the flesh and that which he felt for the sicknesse unto death of his friend And that also was weaknesse according to the spirit which they of Miletum felt for the departure of S. Paul Whence I gather that Christian persons ought not to grieve themselves much in their weaknesses that are according to the flesh since in them they be tolerable for they are not mortall And that the selfesame Christian persons ought to rejoyce much in their weaknesses which are according to the spirit in as much as they are signes of perfection and the way of vivification of resurrection and of eternall life The sons of this world feele the griefe that is according to the world but they doe not feele the griefe which is according to God And those of God feele the one and the other griefe the one in as much as Adam lives in them and the other in as much as Christ lives in them The sons of this world have indeed the weaknesse that is according to the flesh but all of them doe not know it for weaknesse neither feele it as such The weaknesse which is according to the spirit they neither have nor know nor feele And the sons of God have know and feele both the weaknesses knowing in the weaknesse that is according to the flesh the reliques of the old Adam and knowing in the weaknesse that is according to the spirit the renovation of the new Adam our Lord Iesus Christ. CONSID. LXXIX How perilous the errors be which men doe pretending piety I Hold for certaine that amongst those errors which wee who are the sons of God committing may offend God the greatest are those which are committed pretending piety That this is true I see as well by the rigorousnesse with which God hath chastized these errors according as it is read in holy Scripture as also because it appeares in the selfe same Scripture that God hath with his hand restrained them who have been his not consenting that they should fall into these kind of errors not having done the same in other errors wherein they have had intention to satisfy their appetitites and affections Of the rigorousnesse with which God hath chastized them who have erred pretending piety he might principally give testimony who willing to hold up the Arke of the Testimony which to his seeming was about to fall died instantly And Saul who was deprived of the kingdome of Israell and perpetually deprived of the grace of God for the sacrifize that he made to God for the victory that he had against certain nations of which God had given him command that he should not leave any live thing which should not passe the edge of the sword Whereupon if any shall demand saying Why then hath not God used the selfe-same rigorousnesse with others who have erred more perniciously pretending piety as a man might say with S. Paul who before he was a Christian pretending piety persecuted and slew the Christians I will make answer First that as hitherto God hath not given me the accompt thereof And then I will say that God doth not use this rigorousnesse except with them who are of the number of his And S. Paul when he was in that error was not in the number of those who were Gods the Hebrew people having then left to be the people of God and therefore his error was not chastized as that of Vzzahs nor as that of Sauls That God hath restrained with his hand his elect not suffering them to erre in piety albeit he haue suffered thē to erre in other things it serves me for a most effectuall example that which is written of David who pretending piety desired to build the Temple of Hierusalem and God did not consent thereunto because it was not his will that he should build it unto him and therefore hee should haue erred if he had builded it And the
because this is a thing most alienated from her own proper generation And besides this I understand that as in â—…ase a worme should come to understand in what manner a man is generated of another man and would make other wormes to understand it they would never be capable thereof it being a thing altogether alienated from their generation so supposing that some one man should come to understand the divine generation of the sonne of God and would make other men understand it they would never be able to understand because it is a thing most different from their generation And therefore extreme great is the rashnesse of men who with their naturall light only will understand this divine mystery and also great is that of them who will understand it being helped by the holy Scriptures in that language And hence it comes that albeit S. Iohn understood the divine generation of the sonne of God and would give it to understand to men they are not capable thereof not understanding that which according to S. Iohn the words signify with which he would declare it as it were to say what thing S. Iohn meant saying Logos oâ—… Verbum willing also to shew better the incapacity of humane intelligence in the divine generation of the sonne of God I thinke on this wise that if it be incapable of the spirituall regeneration of them who being incorporated by faith in the sonne of God come to be the sonnes of God by adoption how much more shall it be uncapable of the divine generation of the proper son of God Now the humane intelligence is uncapable of this spirituall regeneration all they who are regenerated know by experience knowing in themselves that they should never have understood this divine mystery if they had not experimented it and knowing also that although they labour to make them capable who are out of it they doe nothing at all as the worme also should doe nothing at all which having understood how the matter of humane generation goes would make other wormes capable thereof This selfe-same I understand by that discourse which S. Iohn tells that passed between Iesus Christ our Lord and the great Master of Israel called Nicodemus who came to speak with him by night And so it is that Christ speaking unto him of the spirituall regeneration whereby a man leaves to be the son of wrath and becomes the son of grace leaves to be the son of Adam and becomes the son of God Nicodemus with all his naturall light withall his humane Sciences and with all his intelligence of sacred Scriptures was so incapable of this spirituall regeneration that Christ marveiling at it said unto him Art thou a Master in Israell and knowest not these things And addes If I have told you earthly things and you believe not how will you believe if I tell you Heavenly things Willing to say If thou beest incapable of this spirituall regeneration which although it be spirituall is neverthelesse such as is wrought here on earth and in the men of earth how much more incapable wilt thou be of the divine generation to believe it of which I would speak unto thee for as much as it is not done on earth but in Heaven and is not done in an earthly thing but in an heavenly Let this then be the conclusion that it being true that whilest a man is without the spirit with all his naturall light with all his sciences and human learnings and writings he is not only uncapable to understand the divine generation of the only begotten son of God but he is also uncapable to understand the spirituall regeneration of the adopted sons of God Let none be so bold without having obtained the spirituall regeneration to presume to understand it nor to speak of it Nor let none be so rash that without having obtained the spirituall regeneration and having been admitted to those sacraries of God unto which S. Iohn was admitted when he said In the begining was the word he should dare to will to understand it penetrate nor compasse it with his wit and humane discourse holding for certain that of this divine mystery they only are capable unto whom by the will of God the proper son of God Iesus Christ our Lord will reveale it CONSID. XCVI That as then a man knowes himselfe a pilgrim in this world when because God loves him the world persecutes him COmmonly all men esteem themselves cittizens of those places where they were borne esteeming themselves pilgrims and strangers in all other places They who pretend that every place is a mans country esteem themselves strangers no where They who being regenerated and renewed by the holy spirit are more then Man esteeming themselves Cittizens of the Kingdome of God and of eternall life esteeming themselves pilgrims in all countries of the world The first following sence goe after the judgement of sensuality The second following the naturall light goe after prudence and human reason And the third following the spirituall light goe after Faith Hope and Charity The first delight themselves of that which pleaseth sensuality The second despising that which pleaseth sensuality seek their proper glory and their proper satisfaction of their mindes The third despising both the one and the other thing love the honour of God and the glory of Christ. The first the world loves The second the world despiseth albeit on the other side it prize and esteeme them And the third the world despizeth hates and persecutes The first God knowes not The seconn God abhorres The third God prizeth loves and favours Where I doe not understand that God prizeth loves and favours this third sort because the world despiseth them abhorres them and persecutes them but that the world despiseth abhorres and persecutes them because God prizeth them loves them and favours them Farther I understand that from their thus feeling themselves on one part prized loved and favoured of God and on the other part despised persecuted and hated of the world it redounds that they following where the holy spirit leads them running after Faith Hope and Charity esteem themselves Pilgrims in this present life esteeming themselves Cittizens of eternall life Esteeming themselves Pilgrims in this present life they live like Pilgrims having no intent to inherit in this present life nor to rejoyce of that which they rejoyce who are Cittizens thereof and so they passe lightly through all these things setting affection to none of them And holding themselves Cittizens of eternall life they begin to live as they live there and they have intent to inherit in it and to rejoyce in that which they rejoyce in who are cittizens thereof and herein they set their affections They I understand that albeit the remembrance of death frightens them in regard of the sence in regard of the livelinesse that is in them in their affections and appetites in regard of esteeming themselves Pilgrims in this present life and cittizens of eternall life it comforts them and gives them content considering that death is the end of their Pilgrimage They who albeit they be indeed prized loved and favoured of God are not yet despised hated and persecuted of the world doe not as yet esteem themselves Pilgrims in this present life not being handled as Pilgrims albeit they esteem themselves Citizens of eternall life in as much as they know that
they are prized favoured and loved of God It is true indeed that this estimation is not entire nor perfect in them untill that the world knowing them prized loved and favoured of God begins to handle them as Pilgrims despising them hateing them and persecuting them For as then they feeling themselves handled by the world as Pilgrims have recourse to Christ and recourse to God and being as they are more prized more loved more favoured of God and more illustrated in the knowledge of eternall life they esteem themselves Pilgrims and strangers in this present life in such manner that however afterwards the world returne to prize love and use them well they doe not leave to esteem themselves Pilgrims and to hold it good to goe out of this pilgrimage Here I understand two things The first that it is Gods will that they whom he loves should live as Pilgrims And the second that between them who hate the world because they are persecuted of the world for piety and them who hate the world for other respects there is this difference that these second although they bear hatred to the world whilest they are despised of the world and would be contented to goe out of the world when the world returnes to prize them loving the world they would by no meanes goe out of the world And the other after that they once hate the world seeing themselves despised hated and persecuted of the world they never more returne to love the world how much soever it love and esteem them This difference proceeds from hence that following the light of the holy spirit and being illustrated in the knowledge of eternall life they doe alwaies hold themselves for pilgrims in this present life and alwaies hold themselves for Cittizens of the Kingdome of God and in eternall life and therefore hate this life and rejoyce to goe out of it On the contrary the other following the naturall light have no certainty of eternall life and if they have any they doe not stand sure to be well in it therefore they doe not altogether hate this life nor rejoyce to goe out of it In this discourse christian persons shall understand that they are to esteem themselves pilgrims and strangers in the world in this present life and that they are to esteem themselves Cittizens of the Kingdome of God and of life eternall And that if so be the feeling themselves very fearefull of death shall make them know that they are not come to this to esteem themselves pilgrims they ought with continuall prayer to pretend it being certain that by how much more perfectly they shall stand therein then they shall be most like to Christ and most like to God who have been and are in this present life strangers and pilgrims and like such have been and are used And to every Christian person it appertaines to procure to be like to God and to the sonne of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XCVII Whether Iustification be a fruit of piety and whether piety be a fruit of Justification WIlling to examine between these two gifts of God Piety and Justification which of them may be said to be the fruit of the other that is whether piety be the fruit of justification a man being first just before pious or whether justification be the fruit of Piety a man being pious before just and willing in this matter to proceed with order as it were I first say that by Piety I understand the true divine worship which consisteth in worshipping God in spirit and in truth Iohn 4. approving with the minde whatever God doth holding it for just holy and good In this signification I understand S. Paul useth this word Piety 1. Tim. 3. And I say that by justification I understand the purity of conscience which dares appear in judgement such as was S. Pauls when he said there is laid up for mee a Crowne of righteousnesse c. Passing on farther I understand that calling into counsell for the making of this examination the naturall light prudence and humane wisdome shee will alwaies say and affirme that justification is a fruit of piety understanding that one cannot have justification and purity in his conscience if he doe not first adore God in spirit and in truth giving unto him that which it ought to doe as his creature and that suddenly when he gives to God that which he ought to give hee is iust having cleannesse in his conscience And so it is resolved that Iustification is a fruit of piety since from a mans being pious it redounds that he is iust Farther I understand that calling into counsell for the making of this triall the holy spirit and the Christian spirit he will say and affirme that Piety is the fruit of Iustification understanding that a man cannot haue Piety worship God in spirit and truth if he be not first iust accepting the Gospell of Christ making Christs iustice his and understanding that instantly when a man believing is iust he begins to haue Piety adoring God in spirit and truth And so it is resolved that Piety is a fruit of Iustification for a man is first iust then pious If that were true which naturall light saith prudence and humane wisdome for the selfesame cause it would follow that there hath not been nor is nor shall bee a pious man I would say who should giue entirely compleatly unto God that which he ought to give And it being true that which the holy spirit and the Christian spirit saith it well follows that there hath been is and shall be a great number of iust men for there haue been are and shall be many men that haue been are and shall bee iustistified by Christ accepting and making Christiustice theirs Men that Iudge that Iustfication is a fruit of piety by the selfe same case give testimony of themselves that they iudge by naturall light by prudence humane wisdome as Plato and Aristotle would have iudged who had no notice at all of Christ. And in very truth I knowe not what they think of Christ of the Christian businesse nor of the Gospell The men that iudge that Piety is a fruit of Iustification by the selfesame case give testimony of themselves that they iudge by the holy spirit by the Christian spirit as S. Peter and S. Paul iudged who largely knew Christ and had the spirit of Christ. They haue this opinion of Christ that in him God chastised all our sinnes that is all that wherein we faile unto that which as the creatures of God we are
serving God and Christ in those things which are not required of them nor are acceptable unto him and by which they doe peradventure more procure the wrath of God against themselues In this errour I understand it all men come who govern themselues in Gods affaires with humane wisdome not knowing God nor knowing Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXXIX That Quickning answereth to Mortification and the glory of the Resurrection answereth to Quickning THis is certain that as soon as a man being inspired of God accepts the covenant of justification by Iesus Christ our Lord he begins to dye unto the world and to liue unto God to dye unto Adam and to liue unto Christ to come out of the kingdome of the world and to enter into the kingdome of God And that at that time which a man dyes the soule being separated from the body hee doth accomplish his dying to the world his dying to Adam and his comming out of the kingdome of the world and that when he shall arise again his soule returning to unite it selfe with the body he shall liue perfectly and entirely unto God he shall liue unto Christ and shall abide in the kingdome of God Whereupon considering the difference that is betwixt the state of a man however much mortified he be to Adam and to the world whilst his soul remaines with his body and the estate of another man already dead his soul being severed from his body I understand the difference that shall be between the estate of a man how much soever mortified he be to God to Christ whilst he continues in this present life from that estate in which he shall stand being raised to God to Christ in eternall life understanding that there shall be without all compare greater difference between the state of the Resurrection and that of Vivification then is between the state of Death and that of Mortification although this should be never so great I would say that much greater is the difference between a man raised up and him that is quickned then that which is between a man that is dead aâ—…d him that is mortified understanding that the mortified stands as it were dead standing â—…rucified unto the world and unto himselfe rather in the other life then in this and that he who is quickned stands as it were not raised up standing subject to passions and to death from all which he is free in the Resurrection And understanding all this I use so to call Mortification an imperfect death and vivification an imperfect resurrection And I understand that such shall the resurrection â—…e in eternall life as the Vivification is in the present I would say that the glory of the resurrection shall answer to the perfection of the Vivification Whence I gather that since Vivification answereth to mortification in this present life and that the glory of the resurrection in eternall life shall answer unto vivification it belongs to the pious Christian who desires to liue eternall life to attend to mortify himselfe much to become much like to Christ in his death that he may be likewise much like to Christ in his surrection in which a man shall perpetually abide in the kingdome of God together with the son of God himself Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XL. Two Wills in God one Mediate and another Immediate IN God I consider two Wills one Mediate and Generall and another Immediate Particular With one I understand it he governs the universe And with the other I understand he governs those who are redeemed by Christ. Of the one I understand all the creatures are the executioners every one in his degree and office and of the other I understand the holy Spirit is the executioner and the persons which are partakers of the selfe same spirit Furthermore I understand that men doe oftimes grieue themselves for those effects which result from the Mediate Will of God because it seems to them to redound unto their dammage And I understand that of those effects which result from the Immediate Will of God those persons to whom they appertain doe alwaies rejoyce because they alwaies redound to their good The effects of the Mediate Will I understand to be those which result from the heavenly influences and other naturall causes which following the order that God hath set doe sometimes hurt and sometimes help This order and this course I understand is sometimes altered by the Immediate Will of God and I understand it is sometimes restrained by the selfe same Will And in this alteration and restraint I understand that one part of that Will of God which we call Immediate doth conâ—…ist because it followeth not the common and generall order The other part of the Immediate Will of God I understand consists in those things which he himselfe doth by his word and by the holy Spirit such as are the Creation of the world and particularly that of Man the Reparation of mankinde by Iesus Christ the Vocation of the participation of this good the Iustification with all the other spirituall knowledges and feelings To this Immediate Will of God I understand a man was subject in his first creation And I understand that in sinning hee made himselfe subject to the Mediate Will of God under which subjection I understand all evills doe consist and all troubles to which our humane nature is subject amongst which death is a most principall one In this discourse that hath been said I understand two things the one that Adam disobeying God made us subject to that Will of God which is Mediate and theâ—…eupon to evils and to death And that Christ obeying God returnes his to the subjection and to the Will of God which is Immediate and therefore he frees them from evils and from death From death he frees them habilitating them unto the Resurrection in which they shall liue an eternall life And from evills he doth sometimes free them causing that those should not touch them which should touch them according to ordinary course At other times depriving them of the feeling of them and othertimes mortifying them therewith In such sort that the evill is converted into good in such sort that like as he doth not in such manner free them from death that they should not dye but he doth abilitate them to a most happy everlasting life so neither doth he free them from evills in such sort as they should not touch them but hee doth abilitate them to draw good out of these evills The other thing which I understand is that the continuall sighing of a man that feels or begins to feel in himselfe the benefit of Christ ought to be desiring and demanding to be freed from the subjection of Gods Mediate Will and return under that Will which is Immediate For God being soveraignly good or rather good it selfe in that Immediate Will of his there can be nothing but that which is such as he himselfe And I think assuredly
who haue the spirit of Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID LXVIII That the desire of knowledge is Imperfection in a Man contrary to the judgement of Humane Wisdome HVmane wisdome judgeth that the desire to know is a great perfection in man And the holy spirit iudgeth that it is a great imperfection in a man Humane wisdom confirmes her opinion saying that it hath been seen by experience that in the world those men haue lived most virtuously who having the greatest desire to know haue most given themselves to indeavour to know and haue known most And here is alleaged a troup of Philosophers And the holy spirit on the contrary affirmes his sentence saying that through the desire of knowing sinne came into the world and through sin death and with it all the miseries and all the troubles whereunto wee stand subiect in this present life That this is true is proved by the perswasion of the Divell who said unto E◅e You shall be like Gods knowing good and evill Passing on farther the holy spirit faith that the desire of knowledge destroyed the Hebrews in as much as desiring to understand the prophecies that spake of the Messias and procuring to understand them by the way of wit and humane discourse they imagined to themselves and figured a M◅ssias so cōtrary to him whom God sent them as when they had him they knew him not and not knowing him they did not receaue him and from their not receauing him redownded not onely that they did not enioy him but it caused their ruine and perdition Passing on farther the holy Spirit saith that the Gentiles desiring to know the originall and the beginning of naturall things did procure to know them with their own wits and discourses whence comes to passe that which Saint Paul said They became vain in their imaginations and they worshipped the creatures and ran headlong into other absurd and bruitish inconveniences In the selfe same manner the holy spirit saith that many men desiring to know the things which appertain to Christian Religion and procuring it with naturall light haue made such strange conceits of God of Christ and of the Christian state and of the Christian living that a man may say with truth that of Christ they haue nothing but the name participating on one side of the inconvenience of the Hebrewes in as much as they read holy Scripture and desiring to understand it procuring this not with that spirituall light with which it was written but with naturall light they doe not understand it And participating on the other side of the inconvenience of the Gentiles in as much as desiring to know that which the Gentiles knew they read that which the Gentiles writ and they think as the Gentiles thought frame Gentiles mindes The holy spirit having proved his sentence against that desire of knowing which men haue saith further that that vertue which is got by desiring to know and knowing that which may be known with naturall light is rather a vice then a vertue in as much as it makes men presumptuous insolent and consequently impious incredulous That this is true appeares by this that the men that follow their proper naturall light by how much they are more vertuous according to the world by so much they haue lesse confidence in God and doe so much lesse belieue in Christ and therefore are so much more impious and more incredulous in such manner that it stands well to say that the desire to know is a great imperfection in a man In this discourse I learne two things The one that humane wisdome hath no iurisdiction in judging of the perfection and imperfection of a man The other that it appertaines to every man who being called of God to the grace of the Gospell makes answer thereunto to mortifie and kill in himselfe the desire to know of what sort soever it be that he may not fall into the inconvenience of false Christians and of the Gentiles and of the Hebrews nor into that wherein our first Fathers fell and that they may come to the perfection whereunto S. Paul came not desiring nor procuring to know other then Christ and him crucified Which wisdome wee ought to desire and procure but with prayer to God we who having accepted the grace of the Gospell are true Christians incorporated in Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXIX That a man ought alwaies to acknowledge himselfe incredulous and defectiue in faith and that there is so much faith in a man as much as there is knowledge of God and Christ. VVHen I consider the great efficacy which Iesus Christ our Lord attributes unto Faith saying that with it how little soever it be we may remoue mountaines from one place to another returning upon my self and not finding my selfe with such an efficacious faith I know how weak and feeble my faith is and then I turne my minde to God saying with the Apostles Lord increase my faith and saying with the father of the Lunatique Lord help mine unbelief And understanding that my faith is to come through the guift of God and holding for certain that I shall haue so much of faith as I shall haue of the knowledge of God and of Christ for as much as men how ever good relation they haue of other men doe so much trust them as they know them I turn my selfe to pray God that he would let me know him and would let mee see him and that he would let me know and see Christ as much as may be in this present life to the intent that I may haue confidence and so my faith may be strong and efficacious Wherein I consider the craft of the enemy of mankinde and most full of enmity against Christ in as much as he understanding that the intent with which Christ did so much exaggerate the efficacy of Faith makes that men how much soever they believe and how much confidence soever they haue should alwaies judge themselves incredulous and defectiue in the Faith hath made that amongst men who doe approue the Gospell of Christ it should be an honourable thing to belieue and a shamefull thing not to belieue or to doubt to the intent that perswading themselves for their own honour sake that they doe believe they should not come to knowe themselues incredulous and defectiue in the faith and so they never come to get that which Christ pretends they should get that is the knowledge of God and of Christ by the knowledge Faith and by Faith iustification by justification glorification and eternall life And in very truth great is the blindnesse ignorance of men in every thing that see only with the eyes of humane wisdome very excessiue great in this that not admitting in humane matters one testimony that testifies only of heare-say except he speak of certain knowledge or proper experience it perswades it selfe by it selfe and by others that in divine matters it sufficeth to testifie
all us every man taking that part which belonged to him for his offences and sinnes wee should all have gone into destruction there being none none of us sufficient to be able to endure on himselfe that part of chastizement which belonged to him for his part in case Christ had not satisfied the justice of God for us all And the going into destruction I understand should have consisted in this that none of us should have been able to stand solid and firme in the suffering without fainting and so to sever our selves from the obedience of God And therefore Caiaphas said well if hee had meant well whed he said it it is expedient that one man should dye for the people that the whole nation perish not The other thing which I understand here is that it was more then necessary that he should be more then a man nay that he should be the Sonne of God who was to reconcile men with God For being to be chastized for the sinnes of us all knowing them and feeling them all in himselfe as if he had committed them all he might make resistance to the agony feare and sorrowfulnesse to the shame and confusion without comming to nothing and without in any manner departing no not in any part from the obedience of God persevering and standing therein solid and constant as our Lord Iesus Christ stood who was likened to a lambe that is lead to the slaughter as well for the innocency with which he lived as for the obedience wherewith he was content to be sacrifized for us being the son of God and one selfe same thing with God which obedience is and shall be unto him glory and honour for evermore Amen CONSID. LXXXIII Five Considerations in the resurrection of Christ. IN the glorious Resurrection of Iesus Christ our Lord I consider five things which doe in a great manner excite me to live in this present life a life very like unto that which I am to live in life everlasting The First is that as the torment which Christ felt in suffering was in great manner increased because he had took upon him our sinnes and because he knew them on himselfe as well as if he had himselfe committed them all so the glory which Christ felt in his Resurrection was increased in great manner to see that we all of us arose with him The Second that as God slaying on the crosse the flesh of Christ slew ours in such manner that to himward we are held and judged as if we had been really and indeed dead so God raising up Christ raised us all up in such manner that as much as belongs to him we are held and judged as if we had been really raised up The third That as the effect whereby our incorporation in the death of Christ in this present life is known in our mortification not that which we make with our own industries but that which we obtain by the incorporation in Christ which the holy spirit works which is by faith communicated unto us making us to abhor the world with all that which is world and also our selves with all that which is ours So likewise the effect by which our incorporation into the Resurrection of Christ is known in this present life is our vivification which selfesame incorporation in Christ the selfesame spirit works in us regenerating and renuing us all and altogether and making us to loue God and all that which is Gods and to loue Christ and all that which is Christs The fourth thing which I consider is that as with my sinnes I augmented the agony and the torment of Christ in his passion so with my Resurrection I augment the joy and pleasure of Christ in his Resurrection And as I am grieved at that so I glory in this Nay the glory of this makes me to forget the sorrow of the other The fift thing which I consider is that only they who stand incorporated in Christ are certain of their Resurrection founding it in the Resurrection of Christ. And therefore S. Paul willing to perswade the Corinthians the resurrection of the Iust founds his perswasions on the Resurrection of Christ. With these Considerations we Christians shall come to feele in our hearts the profit which comes from the glorious Resurrection of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXXIV That only the Incorporation in Christ is that which mortifies REturning to consider that which I haue at other times considered about the two depravations that are in a man whereof the one is naturall and hereditary and the other is acquisite and is learned I come to understand that both these depravations are in the minde and are in the body I would say that from our first parents all men inherit this that they are borne in their mindes impious and enemies of God and infidels to God and full of selfe loue and in their bodies they are born vicious evill inclined And I say further that with evill exercises with evill companies and with false doctrines we go on augmenting as well the depravation of the soule through which we are born the sonnes of wrath as that of the body through which we are manifoldly worse then Beasts Humane wisdome not knowing the naturall depravation of the minde nor that of the body nay onely knowing the acquisite depravation of the body hath never had intent to mortifie in men but only that which it hath known for evill And hence it comes that all the Lawes Doctrines and Religions which men haue found haue had intent only to mortify the depravation of the body of this only the acquisite But God knowing principally the naturall depravation and of this holding that of the minde for the worse had in the law of Moses an intent to mortify both the one and the other depravation principally that of the minde which is more naturall more pernicious unto men being as it is more contrary unto God And therefore commanded the loue of God the worship of God and the confidence in God and forbade all inward concupiscence This which the Law of God pretended to doe it never did not through the imperfection thereof but through the imperfection of men But the incorporation in Christ doth it for as much as assoon as a man is incorporated by faith in Christ the naturall acquisite depravations begin to dye in him and they goe on dying according as he goes incorporating himselfe in Christ. And a man goes incorporating himselfe in Christ accordingly as he goes on being like unto the death of Christ and as long as he goes on through this way the things wherein he erres are not imputed unto him either through naturall or acquisite depravation and the naturall depravation dying first in him and of this rather that of the minde then that of the body the Mortification of the acquisite Depravation which remaines is facilitated to the end that he should as it were by way of exercise attend to
might practise and converse with all sorts of people If Christ had taken S. Iohn Baptists forme of life the Publicans sinners and harlots would have been ashamed to speak unto him nay verily if he would observe decorum he was bound not to speak nor converse with them if he had taken Moses his forme of life base and vulgar persons could not have practised and conversed with him by reason of his greatnesse And therefore it was necessary he should take that forme of life which he took wherein he might practise and converse as he did practise and converse with all sorts of people in so much as he was for this calumniated by them who made profession of holinesse The fourth cause is this Christ coming to Preach the Kingdome of God and to put himselfe in the possession thereof and the Kingdome of God consisting as S. Paul saith in justice peace and joy in the Holy Ghost it was necessary that by his example he should shew unto us a forme of life much to this purpose to maintaine us in the justice and in the peace and in the joy of the Kingdome of God If Christ had taken S. Iohn Baptist his forme of life which was by the world approved for holy for the world is so discreet that it esteemes them who esteeme not it he should have put his imitators in competency with the Saints of the world and if Christ had taken Moses his forme of living which is procured by the men of the world he should have put his imitators in competency with the men of the world and therefore it was necessary that forme of life which he took which is of such quality as they who imitate him conserve themselves in their justice in their peace and in their joy For coming not in competency with the Saints of the world nor with the men of the world they are not deprived of the possession which they have of the Kingdome of God The Fift cause is this that Christ having to suffer for our sinnes a cruell death shamefull and publique and uniust not voluntary it was necessary he should take a forme of life that was fit to come to this effect If Christ had taken S. Iohn Baptist his forme of life although the fame of holinesse would not have freed him from a cruell death as it did not free Saint John Baptist it would have freed him from a shamefull and publique death as it did free S. Iohn Baptist. And if Christ had taken Moses his forme of life albeit the greatnesse of the estate would not have freed him from violent death as it hath not freed many great men of the world it would have freed him from a shamefull and publique death and therefore it was necessary that he should take that forme of life wherein dying shamefully he did ennoble shame and dying publiquely he certifies all of us that we might know it may believe our iustification of which thing we ought to be most assured The Sixt is this that Christ coming to preach and to give inward regeneration and renovation which things presuppose mortification it was necessary hee should take a forme of life very accommodate to mortification to shew with it and by it the proper way of mortification If Christ had taken S. Iohn Baptist his forme of life he should have well shewen the way of the mortification of the body by the asperity of life but not that of the mortification of the mind for the reputation which this forme of life hath in the world And if Christ had taken Moses his forme of living he should not have shewed either the one or the other mortification and therefore it was necessary that he should take that forme of life which he took in which much better then in any other a man gets the mortification of the mind and by that of the mind that of the body in as much as the world holds for vile them who without making profession of outward holinesse live holily and despiseth these as a most base thing and in as much as after this despising comes the mortification of the body And so in them that imitate the forme of Christs living is certain and perfect mortification In these six causes I learn six things The first that he who by consideration of Christs life would know him to be the sonne of God must of necessity mortify the judgement of his human wisdome The Second that no man can excuse himselfe saying that he cannot imitate the forme of Christs living The third that then a Christian is most like to Christs living when he hath a forme of life more apt to make that all sorts of people may practise and converse with him The fourth that that forme of living is most apt to make that a man in it should conserve himself in the possession of the kingdome of God that comes not in competency with no sort of men neither of the Saints of the world nor of the men of the world The fift that that form of life is most like to that of the sonne of God that is most exposed to martyrdome And the Sixt that that forme of life is most proper and able to obtain the Christian mortification which is most despised in the eyes of the world in which without making profession of outward holinesse a man lives holy And of the things which have been spoken I take this resolutiō that they who live holily without making profession of outward holmesse are very much habilitated and exposed to martyrdome doe conserve nthemselves very well in the kingdome of God are fit to converse with all sorts of people imitating the forme of life which Christ held and deceive humane wisdome and therefore it properly appertaines to them that which S. Paul saith Colos. 3. Ye are dead your life is hid with Christ in God to whom be glory for ever Amen I will adde this that Christ conserving himselfe in that forme of life in which he was borne being borne the son of God untill that he dyed by the will of God teacheth us that we shall doe well conserving our selves in that forme of life in which we found our selves when we are called to be the sons of God So be it that in that we attend to reduce our forme of life as much as may be possible for us answerable to that forme of life which Christ held in this world in such manner as in us may shine out intirely the image and similitude of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XC In what the Christian perfection the Duty and Decorum doe consist I Have oftimes said that Christian perfection consists in this that a man incorporated in Christ in his death and in his resurrection should live according to the Christian Duty keeping the Christian decorum understanding that so much shall a man get Christian perfection in as much as he shall live according to Christian duty keeping christian decorum Now I
it It is very true that as they who believe the evill of Adam and the good of Christ passe through the evill of Adam the good of Christ is in part suspended in thē so they who doe not believe neither the evill of Adam nor the good of Christ passe through the good of Christ and the evill of Adam is suspended in them In as much as they who believe passe through the miseries of this present life and through death which are things of the evill of Adam and whilst they stand in this present life and whilst their bodies abide in the sepulchres the good of Christ is in part suspended in them And in as much as they who doe not believe passe in this present life through the good of Christ enjoying many things together with them that believe the good of Christ and in eternall life because they shall be raised up the evill of Adam shall be suspended in them So I understand that as the evill of Adam was efficacious to make us all dye from which death notwithstanding they who believe are free so the good of Christ is efficacious to raise us all up of which Resurrection notwithstanding they shall have no joy who doe not believe because they shall not be in good estate therein In Adam we all dye in Christ we all arise And in the evill of Adam shall they all remaine who shall not accept the good of Christ But in the good of Christ none shall remaine but only they who have believed him and shall have accepted and felt it For in effect the Resurrection of Christ shall not be glorious but only for them who believing to be dead in Adam and raised up in Christ shall give themselves to live in this present life as dead and raised up beginning even now to live a life much like unto that which they have to live in life everlasting in such manner that as the Vivification is an imperfect Resurrection so the Christian living in the state of this Vivification is imperfect albeit in respect of the living in the state of Depravation it is most perfect And the draught of living in the state of the Resurrection in as much as it is imitable in the state of Vivification we see in Iesus Christ our Lord in his purity bounty sidelity obedience and charity And here I learne two things The one that sinee a man believing the evill of Adam frees himselfe from it and believing the good of Christ enioyes it It belongs to every one to believe this evill and this good not expecting for all that to feele it that he may believe it for this were to pervert the order which God hath set who will that we shall believe before we feel but believing that he may feele it For believing together both the evill and the good the efficacy of the good will deprive us of the feeling of the evill in this present life in part and altogether in life eternall in as much as we shall be then altogether free from the evill of Adam and altogether intent to enioy the good of Christ. The other thing which I here learne is that they who in this present life doe not give themselves to live as dead and raised vp imitating the life of Christ doe not believe that they dyed in Adam and that they rose again in Christ how much soever they say and affirme to believe both the one and the other thing For if they did believe them there is no doubt but they would apply themselves to live as dead and raised up this being properly the efficacy of Faith to reduce by litle and litle them that believe in truth to be dead in Adam and raised up in Christ to live as dead and as raised up not because they intend to become just but because they doe now know and feele themselves just in Christ and because they hope for the crowne of justice that is immortality and life eternall And here I will adde this that as the acceptation of the indulgence which a King makes unto them that being fled for some excesse out of his Kingdome remain in the service of another King is efficatious to make them that leaving the stranger Kingdome and the service of the strange King they should returne to their own Kingdome and to serve their own King so the acceptation of the Gospell is efficacious to make that all men who accept it leaving the Kingdome of the world and the service of the world should come unto the Kingdome of God and to the service of God And that leaving to live according to the flesh they should live according to the spirit so that they who leave not the Kingdome of the world and the service of the world and the living according to the flesh give testimony of themselves that they have not well accepted the Gospell however much they say to believe it no otherwise then they who doe not leave the strange Kingdome and the service of the strange King returning into their own Kingdome to serve their own King give testimony of themselves that they doe not accept the indulgence of their King how much soever they say to acceptit and to believe it since they doe not the will of the same King which would the selfe same from them which God would from us that is that we should leave the Kingdome of the world and the service of the world and that we should come unto the Kingdome of God to serve God in holinesse and justice and in the Gospell of his only begotten sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID CIX The Conceit which as a christian I have at present of Christ and of them who are the Members of Christ. DEsiring to resolve my selfe in my selfe in the conceit which as a Christian I ought to have of Christ I goe on considering in him two generations the one divine and the other humane And two times the one of approbry and the other of glory According to the divine generation I know that Christ is the word of God the son of God of the same substance with the Father and one selfe same thing with him so like unto him that he might wel say to Philip Philip he that seeth me sees my Father also Iohn 14. This as I understand is that Word with which God created all things according as Moses saith God said let there be light And according to that which David saith by the word of the Lord were the Heavens made Psal. 33. With this selfe same word I understand that God maintaines all things conformable to that In him was life Iohn 1. And to that upholding all things by the word of his Power Heb. 1. This selfe same word I understand that by the work of the holy spirit in the wombe of the most holy Virgin God cloathed with flesh with intent to repaire all things by him as he made all things by him and maintaines all things with him And I
should pretend to have them all of him 42 In what sort a pious person ought to governe himselfe in the state of prosperity and in inward adversities 43 How a pious person may assure himselfe to have obtained piety and justification by the spirit and not by humane wisdome 44 In what manner a man shall know what frâ—…it heâ—… hath made in mortification and what is the cause that they who apply themselves to piety are sollicited by affections and appetites with which they were never before sollicited 45 Whenâ—…e the feare of death proceeds in pious persons and that it is a signe of Predestination for a man to content himselfe that there should be another life 46 That they who walke through the Christian path without the inward light of the holy spirit are like unto them that walke in the night without the light of the Sun 47 Foure Countersignes to know them by who pretend piety and the spirit not having either tâ—…e one or the other 48 That he who prayes and workes and understands doth then pray worke and understand as he ought when he is inspired to pray to worke and to understand 49 Whence it proceeds that humane wisdome will not attribute all things to God and in what manner they ought to be attributed to him 50 In what the depravation of man doth consist and in what his reparation doth consist In what Christian perfection doth consist 51 In what manner God makes himselfe to be felt and in what manner God makes himselfe to be seene 52 That a Christian ought to put an end to the affection of ambition which doth consist in growing and also to that which doth consist in conserving 53 In what matter the men of the world attending unto honour are lesse viâ—…ious then attending unto conscience 54 That prayer and consideration are two bookes or interpreters very sure ones to understand holy Scripture and how a man ought to serve himselfe of them 55 Against curiosity and how the holy Scriptures ought to be read without curiosity 56 Which is the most certaine and most secure way to obtaine perfect mortification 56 Whence it comes to passe that by the knowledge and sence of the things of God the flesh is mortified 58 Eight differences between them who pretend and procure to mortify themselves with their proper industry and them who are mortified by the holy spirit 59 That in the motives to pray the spirit doth certify a man that he shall obtaine that which he demands 60 Whence it proceeds that the superstitious are severe and the true Christians are mercifull and pitifull 61 In what manner a pious person governes himselfe in those things that befall him 62 That humane wisdome hath no more Jurisdiction in the judgement of their works who are Sonnes of God then in the judgement of the proper works of God 63 That the holy Scripture is like a candle in a darke place and that the holy spirit is like the Sunne this shewed by seven conformities 64 In what manner Jesus Christ our Lord will bee followed and imitated 65 How that is to be understood which S. Paul saith that Christ reigneth and shall reigne untill the resurrection of the just be made when he doth consigne his kingdome to his Eternall Father 66 In what manner the malignant spirit is more Impetuous then the holy spirit 67 That in the regenerate onely by the holy spirit there being experience of the things of God there is also certification of them 68 That the desire of knowledge is an imperfection in a man contrary to the judgement of humane wisdome 69 That a man ought alwaies to acknowledge himselfe incredulous and defective in faith and that there is so much faith in a man as there is knowledge of God and Christ. 70 In what those three guifts of God faith hope and charity doe consist and in what their eminency amongst othâ—…r guifts doth consist and the eminency of charity amongst the thee guifts 71 Upon the most holy prayer of Our Father 72 That man pretending that part of the image of God which did not appertaine unto him lost that part which did appertaine to him 73 That the Vnion betweene God and man is made by love that love growes from knowledge what a kinde of thing knowledge love and Vnion is 74 That it betides to pious persons in spirituall things as it befalls in outward things â—…o him who having beene blinde begins to see 75 How it is understood that God coummunicates unto us his divine treasures by Christ how God reignes by Christ and how Christ is the head of the Church 76 What thing scandall is and in what manner Christian persons ought to governe themselves in the scandall 77 Two contrarities betweene them that live according to the flesh and them that live according to the spirit 78 Two griefes one according to the world and the other according to God and two weakenesses one according to the flesh and the other according to the spirit 79 How perilous the errours be which men doe pretending piety 80 What Gods intent is demanding of mâ—…n that which of themselves alone they cannot give him and why he gives them not at once all that which he will give them 81 Two weaknesses in Christ and his members and Two Powers in him and them 82 In what properly consisteth that Agony which Iesus Christ our Lord felt in his Passion and in his death 83 Five considerations in the resurrection of Christ. 84 That only the incoporation in Christ is that which mortifies 85 Foure manners by which a christian knowes God by meanes of Christ. 86 To know the inward motions when thâ—…y are of the holy when they are of the malignant spirit and when of a mans proper spirit 87 That all the creatures were spoyled in mans depravation and that they shall be restored in mans reparation 88 What the cause may be that God commanded man that he should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill 89 Six causes for which it seemes necessary that the Sonne of God should live in tâ—…at manner and that forme of life wherein he did live 90 In what the christian perfection the duty and dâ—…corum doe consist 91 That onely the Sonnes of God have certaine satisfaction in every thing 92 In what manner mortification is the proper countersigne by which we know our selves the Sonnes of God 93 That that suffering is most christian and most acceptable to God in which he that suffers findes least of his owne will 94 Three sorts of conscience one by the law naturall the other by the written lawes and the other by the Gospell 95 That men are incapable of the divine generation of the Sonne of God and of the spirituall regeneration of the â—…onnes of God 96 That then a man knowes himselfe a Pilgrim in this world when because God loves him the world persecutes him 97 Whether justification be a fruit of piety and
with this I consider to the selfe same purpose that in our Christian Determinations we ought alwaies to consider whether that which we determine be acceptable to God or no For it is a signe of great ignorance to determine to doe a thing for the honour of God which thing we are not certain is acceptable to God And so I resolue in my selfe in this matter that our Deliberations shall then be good and discreet when they shall be conformable to that which God would haue from us and conformable to our possibility for as much as it is a foolish thing to promise another that which is not in the power of him that promiseth to put in execution And this being true it is well said that the Deliberation consisteth in desiring and remitting to God the execution of our desires holding for certain that he will favour as in them for Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. VIII The Covenants which Iesus Christ our Lord made between God and Man ALL men in acknowledgement of that being which we have from God are borne with obligation to love God to depend upon him and to suffer our selves to be ruled and governed by him This obligation being hindred by our depravation and evill inclination draws to that which is altogether contrary This obligation we may call the law of nature and we may say that to discover this obligation of ours and this depravation the law came which God by meanes of Moses gave unto the people of the Hebrews This evill inclination is so powerfull in the mindes of men that however much they labour they never come to satisfy entirely to their obligation God knowing this sent his only begotten Sonne into the world being made man and was pleased that in him should bee executed his justice for that which all men had failed and were to â—…aile touching the obligation with which we are borne In such manner that this is the covenant between God and man That they should believe and hold that that justice which was executed upon Christ the Sonne of God doth free and make them exempt from the chastisement which they should deserve for that wherein they faile in regard of the obligation with which they are borne and that God makes tâ—…em just holds them for adopted Sonnes and as such ruleth and governeth them in this present life and afterwards raiseth them up and shall give them eternall life Humane wisdome is not capable to admit this covenant First because seeing Christ a man as others are it cannot be brought to understand that he is the Sonne of God Afterward because it sees not in what to found the truth of this covenant to believe it and hold it for certaine and to rely upon it For hereunto is necessary a proper and particular Revelation from God which must throw down to the ground all the discourses of humane wisdom in such manner that holding it for certain firm that Christ is the Son of God and that the justice which was executed in him doth make us exempt from that wherein we faile touching our obligation we doe oblige God to justify us according to the covenant which hee hath made with us And being justified wee are incorporated in Christ and planted in him in such manner that as an hearbe is sustained by vertue of the earth where it growes or is planted so we are sustained by the vertue of Christ in whom we are planted because we persevere in the covenant From this covenant two other covenants depend the onâ—…s that we believe that Christ rose glorious and that this faith doth incorporate us in the resurrection of Christ to the intent that we should rise as he arose and that God should doe unto us that which he did unto Christ. Humane wisdome findes not wherein to found the resurrection it believes it not but the man that hath accepted the first covenant doth easily accept this second The other covenant is that we believe that Christ liveth an everlasting life in a soveraigne degree with God and that this faith is to give to us eternall life and that by this faith God should doe with us that which he did and doth with Christ. Humane wisdome findes not wherein to founde the hope of this eternall life but the man who hath by revelation accepted the first covenant and by the first hath accepted the second doth easily accept this third in such manner that we being certified that Christ is the sonne of God we doe by faith accept the covenant of justification which doth incorporate us into the death of Christ and we doe accept the couenant of the resurrection of Christ which doth incorporate us into the resurrection and we doe accept the covenant of eternall life which doth ncorporate us into that eternall life which Christ liveth Wee believe foure things and God doth foure things with us We believe that Christ is the sonne of God That he dyed That he rose And that he lives And God makesus his sonnes he justifieth us he raiseth us up and he gives us eternall life Of the two first we have enjoyment in this present life and these make us that we love God that wee depend upon him according to the obligation where with we were borne having overcome great part of our evill inclination Of the other two wee shall have enjoyment in that otheâ—… life and experimenting in this life In these two fiâ—…st things the truth that is in the covenant which Christ made between God and us we certifie our selves of the â—…uth which is in the two second which we shall experiment when it shall please the divine Majesty In the mâ—…â—…ace let us attend to stand and persevere in the covenant and covenants which Iesus Christ our Lord hath made with us CONSID. IX An excellent priviledge of piety ALL good the works whereunto we apply our selves in this present life doe appertaine either to the being a man or to the being godly The being of a man which we have draweth us to have compassion one towards the other to helpe one another and that in all those things that appertain to the commodities of this life Piety drawes us to have confidence in God to love him to depend upon him it drawes us to have confidence in Christ to love him and to preach him it drawes us to mortification of the affections and appetites that are after the flesh and it drawes us to the despising of all that which the world doth prize as honours states riches There will be a person altogether estranged from piety who will not onely exercise himselfe in all those things to which the being of a man which he hath doth draw him but also in those things that are proper to piety enforcing himselfe also to doe those things and hee shall doe some of them And there will be another altogether pious who shall not only exercise himselfe iâ—… those things which are properly belonging to piety but also
had proved the evill of rebellion of banishment they did deprive and dispose themselues of all friendship and of all intelligences with men and of all their own proper designes which according to their opinions might make them another time Rebels In this they emploied in this they exercised themselues whereupon by litle and litle they gained so much credit with the King that not only he restored unto them all that which they had lost by their rebellion but he made them many great gifts and he used them in that manner as if so be they had neverbeen Rebels This is the Comparison and although it bee of it selfe cleare I will not cease to declare a litle better and say that the first man being in the kingdome of God being created to the Imag◅ lik◅nesse of God rebelled against God for which rebellion he was deprived of this Image and likenesse of God he was driven out of the kingdome of God and he was condemned unto death and in this banishment all mankinde as it were abode serving the Divell a long while God willing of his infinite mercy to remedy this evill first of all executed the rigour of his justice upon his own proper Son Iesus Christ our Lord and afterward sent to preach throughout all the world how that now his justice was satisfied and how that he had now pardoned all them that were rebels and that they might at their pleasures return unto the kingdome out of which they were driven and that he would restore unto them his own Image and likenesse which they had lost This Proclamation hath been heard throughout the whole world And of mankinde some holding themselues Saints and just haue imagined that the pardon belongs not to them it seeming to them that where there is no errour there needs no pardon and so they haue let it passe Others although they hold themselves for rebels yet trust not to the pardon it seeming to them a thing too too strange that God should pardon them and receiue them into his kingdome and restore unto them that which they had lost by rebellion for anothers justice and obedience There are others who albeit they know themselues Rebels and although they hold the pardon for certain imbrace the Gospell and read it and preach it yet for all this they cannot bring themselues to enter into the kingdome of God because they haue more confidence in thēselues then in God and so they will rather stay under the goverment of their humane prudence then come unto the kingdome of God These think they ought to gaine the pardon of their rebellion with their industry and diligence and with their merits And because as well they as those others come not to the kingdome of God they feel not the benefit thereof nor enjoy the liberality of God nor the obedience of Christ. And unto this estate they are brought through their own arrogancy and presumption and so by this meanes continue alwaies in their rebellion There are others who know themselves rebels to God and doe giue entire faith and credit unto the pardon generall which is preached unto them on Gods behalfe in the Gospell and so instantly without farther bethinking accepting the pardon they come unto the kingdome of God renouncing the kingdome of the world and the goverment of humane prudence And albeit these at first may feem to make some kind of doubt doubt of the pardon doubt of the goverment and regiment of God yet in as much as they depart not from the kingdome they goe on certifying themselues both in the one and the other of these matters so much the more as they feel that God proceeds in restoring unto them that image and likenesse of God which the first man lost by his rebellion with all those other priviledges which were lost by the ◅ame rebellion And because the principall punishment of the rebellion was death albeit he doe not deliver them from temporall death for they die as wel as others yet he delivers them from eternall death promising them the resurrection and giving them a signall thereof by the inward vivification and by the resurrection of Christ. And these men liue in the height of cheerfulnesse attending only to mortifie their wisdom◅ and their humane reason and all those other things that led them to their fore passed rebellion and which might lead them on to the like In this they abide in this they persevere and so they goe getting so much favour of God that hee doth not only cause them to feel the pardon and that happinesse which is to be in his kingdome and to possesse the image of God in it but he doth many other graces and favours unto them accepting them for his Sons This kingdome begins in this present life and is continued in that which is to come And all this feli◅ity those persons doe acknowledge from the liberality of God from the obedience of his only begotten Son Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XIIII Amongst the things which Christian Piety obligeth us to believe what that is which is believed with greatest difficulty HAving set my selfe sometimes to consider with how great difficulty mans minde is brought to belieue as it ought the things of Christian piety when it sets it selfe to view and review them I am come to examine amongst all these what that is in which there is greatest difficulty found And I am resolved that it is the Pardon Generall by the justice of God which was executed on Christ. I am come to this resolution by co◅ering that all men being friends to their own interesses doe easily believe those things in which they loose nothing by believing them and with difficulty doe they believe those things which being believed might redound any way to their dammage In as much therefore as it being true that amongst all those things which are believed in Christian piety onely this Generall pa◅don as it is said might redound unto the dammage of him that believeth it in case it should not be true it seemeth to me that my resolution is good Holding that amongst the things which are believed this is that which is believed with greatest difficulty I might fortifie this my resolution with many reasons But this seems to be so sufficient that I will content my selfe therewith fortifying it with that which is seen by experience that even he also who gives credence to the Proclamation which is published through the world concerning the Pardon generall shews that he doth believe that dispoyling himselfe of all outward justification and boldly entring into the kingdome of God in which God equally provides for his both of things that appertain to the body and the soule neverthelesse hee findes much repugnancy in his minde when he will reduce it to those termes that he should totally hope from God the sustentation of the body and that of the soule in as much as he alwaies goes thinking and saying in himselfe And
well in respect that wee are raysed up with Christ as also in respect of that opinion which God hath of us giving unto us his holy spirit and of that which we haue of him endeavouring to make our selves very like to the Image of his onely begotten Son Iesus Christ our Lord. After that the Christian name began to hee honoured and glorious in the eyes of the world Kings and Emperours themselues being honoured thereby And after that Baptisme is given and communicated to them which doe not persevere in that first deliberation to iudge them selves dead unto the world albeit in baptisme the Christian name is taken and that in Baptisme a man doth promise and make profession to imitate Christ in as much as he died unto the world and liues to God For although in the eyes of the world it be an honourable thing to take the Christian name and to make the Christian profession it is a dishonour to accomplish that which is promised to keep the profession Men commonly contenting themselues with taking that part with Christ which is now honourable that is the name and the profession care not to take that which is ignominious that is to dye unto the world nor that which the world neither sees nor understands that is to liue unto God And therefore that which S. Paul saith belongeth not unto them for they are neither dead with Christ nor are raised with Christ for none riseth but he who is dead I consider that it belongs to a Christian to the intent he may satisfie the name which he holds and obserue the profession which he hath made in his Baptisme to reduce himselfe to that deliberation to which men in the beginning of the manifestation of the Gospell did reduce themselves resolving themselves in this manner I am dead and buried as much as belongs to the world for when they baptized me they slew me and buried me I am raised up and liue towards God for when Christ died I was buried in Baptisme with Christ in his death I began to rise and to liue with Christ in his resurrection and in his life God killing the flesh of Christ on the Crosse killed mine and raising up Christ raised up me Now it being true that I am dead and buried it is necessary that in me there be no greater livelinesse of affections and appetites then in a man who truly and effectually is dead and buried And it being likewise true that I am raised and aliue it is needfull that all those affections and conceits should be aliue in me which are in a man who is truly and effectually raysed up He that liues with this deliberation and resolution will liue on his guard and watchfulnesse in such sort that when he shall know in himselfe any affection or any appetite which belongs to a man that liues to the world straight way he will labour to kill it saying this belongs not nor appertaines to me who am dead to the world And when he shall finde himselfe sollicited by any thing that is matter of honour and of worldly esteem or when he shall resent himselfe because the one or the other is taken from him hee will quickly provide remedy for the evill saying I know I liue not unto the world why then I ought not to pretend unto or to esteem that which the world esteems and if I liue unto God I ought not to pretend unto nor to esteem but only that which God pretends unto and esteems that is that I should esteem my selfe dead buried in respect of the world and that I should esteem my selfe raised up and liue unto God in such sort that I being dead and buried unto the world ought not to pretend unto the things of the world nor I ought not to resent myselfe when I am deprived of them and being raised up by God and living unto God I ought to pretend unto the things of God and to be grieved and to resent my selfe when I shall be deprived of them And the things of God which a Christian ought to pretend unto are the holy Spirit that may rule and govern him and which may maintain him in the possession of the kingdome of God in this present life as much as may be and in eternall life as it ought to be and this by Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XX. That in the Infirmity Amendment and Health of the mind Men ought to govern themselues as in those of the body IN the Infirmity in the Amendment and in the Health of the minde I conceiue that those men which remaine in the kingdome of God ought to govern themselues as discreet men govern themselues in the Infirmities Amendment and Health of the body That which I would say is that as the discreet person that is sick in his body seekes discreet and experienced Physitians who by applying unto him his convenient medicines and giving him a right regiment doe cure him Even so he that finds himselfe sick in his minde ought to seek a spirituall and experimented Physitian or Physitians that may set him in the way of the knowledge of Christ that so becomming the member of Christ he may be healed of the Infirmity of his soule of which I understand all those are healed who being called of God doe belieue in Christ all others whosoever remain in their infirmity Furthermore I would say that the discreet person that is upon recovery of his bodily infirmity liues alwaies very attentiue and very wary of himselfe in all things being carefull not to eat any thing that may cause him to relapse nor to commit any excesse that may make him fall into the same inconveniency so hee who findes himselfe to haue any health of minde whilst he remaines upon his recovery ought to liue very attentiue to himselfe and very wary over himselfe in all things being carefull not to engage himselfe in any of those things which may cause him to relapse or loose any part of that health which he hath gotten being alwaies when ever he comes into conversation and in other affaires of the world attentiue and watchfull not to take any of those things that may doe him hurt even as he carries himself that is upon recovery in banquets and other occasions where he is afraid to erre in any thing that may spoyl his bodily health feigning that he eats and doth not eat and entertaining himselfe in such sort that hee hurts not his bodily health nor offends those that behold him Furthermore I would say that as he who having been sick and upon recovery although he finde himselfe well if he be a discreet man yet doth not suffer himselfe to be transported to eat things contrary to his body nor do any dammageable exercises although hee doâ—… not liue with that attention with which he lived when he was upon recovery being afraid to return unto the sicknesse from which he was cured so in like manner he that finds himselfe healed
them for this but for another And for a man to be thus not contented of this life only as I understand it is a great countersigne for a man to bee assured of his piety and of his Predestination For I hold for certaine that to them to whom God meanes to give eternall life hee doth also put a great love and great affection of it in such sort that hee who shall finde in his minde a desire that there were no other life let him hold himselfe impious although hee would choose to die and let him not despaire For albeit he be out of piety hee ought to thinke that God is able to draw him out of it as he hath drawn and doth draw all them that have beene and are in it And hee who shall finde in his minde a love of eternall life not contenting himselfe with ◅his present may hold himselfe for pious and for predestinated unto life everlasting although he feare death considering all this which hath beene said and above all that even the only Begotten Sonne of God feared Death Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XLVI That they who walke through the Christian path without the inward light of the holy Spirit are like unto them that walke in the night without the light of the Sunne ALL they who being guided only by their naturall light and by humane wisdome presume to understand the things that are of the Spirit of God to walk in the Christian way that is to live Christianly I liken them to a man that goes by night with the light only of his own eyes through a way that is full of dangers and inconveniencies And it seemes to me that as to such a one sometimes a piece of wood will seeme a thiefe and a stone an armed man and thereupon he will fly and be afraid and another time the water will seeme a stone and he will wet himselfe and the shadow will seeme to him a tree and thinking to leane to it he will fall on the ground Even so neither more nor lesse hee that walkes Gods way being guided by his naturall light is sometimes affrighted by those things which ought not to affright him and is sometimes secured and reposeth himselfe on those things on which he ought not to secure nor repose And so going hee goes on groping like a man amazed and without knowing what he doth Hee that walkes by the light of the holy Scripture and by the examples of Saints but without the Spirit I liken him unto one that walkes by night carying a candle in his hand and goes not altogether in the darke but yet notwitstanding he goes not without feare nor hee goes not secure in his minde nor certaine not to fall into many inconveniences Whereupon I understand that as to the traveller of whome I have spoken that travels by night by the light of his owne eyes only the best and most wholesome counsell that could be given him were that hee should stay in his journey whilst the night lasteth untill such time as the ◅unne were risen and would shew him the way and the things that are in it and he might travell being helped by the light of his own eyes Even so to him that walkes Gods way only with his naturall light with the testimony of Scriptures and with the example of Saints the best and most wholesome counsell that could be given him is that he should firme himselfe in his journey whilst the night of his owne proper blindnesse continueth untill such time that God send him his spirit by meanes whereof with his naturall light◅ and with his wisedome hee may be able well to understand the journee and to see all that is therein And if any person shall demand me saying How shall I doe to firme my selfe in this journey I will answer him Exercise not thy selfe in any thing pretending Iustification thereby nor Religion of any sort nor of any quality and pray God affectionately that hee would send thee his Spirit which may be unto thee as a Sunne in this journey wherein by thine owne wisedome thou neither knowest nor canst travell and stand attentive all the time that God shall deferre to send unto thee his Spirit applying thy selfe to all those things which offer themselves to thee in which thou knowest true piety without any mixture of superstition and content thy selfe of whatsoever God doth and be discontented of all whatever thou dost thy selfe This is that which I should say unto him And I understand that as if the sunne should breake forth altogether with all his splendor it would in such sort blind the eyes of the Traveller of whom I have spoken that he would not be able to make any more use of them then as if it were night Even so in like manner if the Spirit of God should at once give unto a person all that knowledge which he gives in lengh of time it would blind him and put him in greater inconvenience then at first And because this is true I understand that our God rich in liberality and in mercy gives unto us his spirit and he gives it unto us in such manner as it may helpe and not harme us not according to our appetites but according to his eternall wisedome by which as a good Father he governeth them who are his sonnes remaining incorporated in his only Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XLVII Foure Counter-signes to know them by who pretend piety and the spirit not having either the one or the other VNderstanding that the false Prophets of whom our Lord Iesus Christ counselleth us to beware because they shew themselves as Sheep and are Wolves are properly those who having entred themselves into Christian piety pretending by their own exercises and by their own industry to obtain the spirit of God and to become spirituall and not being able to compasse their intent remain alwaies impious in their minds although they dissemble and feigne piety as much as it may bee feigned with strange superstitiōns and other ceremonies which haue an appearance of piety understanding likewise that the cause why Iesus Christ our Lord ◅aith unto us That we should beware of them is because they are the most pernitious pestilence that can be for them who attend unto piety in as much as having ◅ost the shame of the world and having renounced honour and outward reputation and having lost the respect unto God and to all religion they doe only attend to doe all the dammage that they can to piety and to those persons that attend unto it finding the dore open thereunto by the communication and conversation that they haue with such persons Now desiring that pious and spirituall persons should know these kinds of Wolves that make themselus Sheep and knowing them should beware to converse and deale with them with that dove-like simplicity which they haue obtained through the holy Spirit using that serpentine wisdome which is naturall unto them I haue
also the affections of the minde that might make them interressed and lovers of themselues and consequently remisse with their neighbours This mortification in them proceeding partly from that union which they hold in their hearts with God never forgetting themselues of God and principally from that incorporation with which they stand incorporated in the death of Christ who killing his own flesh on the Crosse did likewise kill the flesh of all them who believing in him are made his Members And they who remain in this never come to excuse their licentious liues in the liuelinesse of their mindes saying it pleaseth God they should be so nay rather finding in themselues any vice and finding in their minds any liuelinesse they know the reliques of their own iniquity rebellion and sin and demand of God that he should mortify them in them as he hath mortified the rest nor doe they ever become remisse in helping and favouring their neighbours except in as much as the affections that are according to the flesh and humane wisdome dying in them and those which are according to the spirit reviving they doe not move with an anxious affection of the flesh but are moved with a moderate desire of the spirit And in as much as they doe not feel in themselves any motion to help succour their neighbours they know that God will haue it so This I say because those persons that stand in this piety keeping good account with their inward motions hold those to be wills of the flesh which are not according to that which they knew to be the will of God And they hold those to be the will of the spirit which they know to be conformed to the will of God making this judgement by that which is the due of piety and that which is the due of justification and by that which the holy Scriptures New and Old teach and standing attent hereunto they overcome the motions which are according to the flesh and execute those which are according to the spirit And albeit they haue their imperfections by Gods will their desire is to become perfect And although they hold the sufferings of their neighbour to bee the will of God they hold likewise their motions to help and favour them to be the will of God And knowing in their own imperfections and in the sufferings of their neighbours the will of God which is with wrath and knowing in their own desires of perfection and in their motions to succour their neighbours the will of God which is with mercy loving the will which is with mercy and flying from that which is with wrath they doe attend unto perfection and doe attend to succour their neighbours remaining quiet when they doe not perceive any motion understanding it that God would haue them to remain quiet Having said that which moveth men not to attribute all things to God and that which may be answered unto it now I will say that which I think thereabout remitting my selfe to more perfect and spirituall iudgement In God I consider two wills as at other times I haue considered it one Mediate in as much as it workes by these which we call second Causes And the other Immediate in as much as it works by it selfe Vnto the Mediate I understand men stand subiect through original sin and from the Mediate I understand that men are exempted and freed by regeneration but in a certain manner I suppose that in a mans flying those things which by this Mediate will might doe him harme and in applying himselfe to those things which by the selfe same might doe him good a mans freewill doth consist all those things appertaining to good or ill being exteriour corporall to vertuous or vitious living in the outward To the Immediate will of God I understand generally all men are subiect God working in them in some with loue in others with hatred in some with wrath in others with mercy in some with favours and in others with disfavour And this will of God I understand is that unto which S. Paul saith men cannot make resistance and this I understand that God useth illustrating his glory and shewing his omnipotency in them that are his in such sort that in this Will of God there are two parts or two wills one of Hatred of Wrath and disfavour and the other of Loue of Mercy and Favour The first as I understand fell upon Pharaoh upon Shimei and upon them to whom God gaue the spirit of errour and upon Iudas and vpon those whom God delivered over to a reprobate sense And this selfe same I understand fell upon all those which are vessels of wrath as was Nero and as all they haue been and are and shall be who with malignity persecute the Christian spirit in those who are the Members of Christ. All these as I understand doe the will of God without understanding themselues that this is the will of God For if they did understand it they would cease to be impious and they would be pious That will of God which is of loue of mercy and favour I understand it in Moses and Aaron and David in the Saints of the Law and I understand it in S. John Baptist and in the Apostles and in the Martyres and likewise in all those who are called of God to the participation of the Gospell all which I understand doe fulfill the will of God for herein consisteth piety And I understand that neither Pharaoh nor Iudas nor those who are vessels of wrath could cease to be such nor Moses nor Aaron nor Paul nor those who are vessels of mercy in such manner that Iudas could not forbeare to sell Christ nor S. Paul could not forbeare to preach Chrîst Finally I understand that in those things which are done in the world by Gods Mediate will they who are vessels of wrath know the naturall order and know the goodnesse or malignity of men And I understand that in the selfesame things they who are the vessels of mercy know in the naturall order the wil of God who set this order and in that which is or seems to be goodnes or malice of men they know with the will of God the goodnes malice of men In the self same manner I understand that in those things which are done by the Immediate will of God they who are impious doe not know but only their own proper wills and those which are of them that doe them and I understand that in the selfe same things they who are pious know the will of God attributing all things to God considering in those who are the vessels of wrath as were Pharaoh Shimei Iudas and Nero the will of God with wrath with hatred and with disfavour and knowing in them who are vessels of mercy as those of the Hebrew people and those of the Christian people the will of God with loue with mercy and with favour And in this manner without doing iniury to
God without depraving themselves and without loosing charity nay rather illustrating the glory of God mortifying themselves and growing in charity they come to belieue that God doth all things some with his mediate will and others with his immediate will some as in vessels of hatred of wrath and disfavour and others as in vessels of loue of mercy and favour And those are they who amongst all men are pious knowing God and are iust knowing the Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. L. In what the Depravation of man doth consist and in what his Reparation doth consist In what Christian Perfection doth consist COnsidering that which I understand and know of Gods being in as much as he is impassible and immortall and in as much as he is wise just and mercifull faithfull and true and considering that which I understand and know of the being of a man in as much as he is passible and Mortall and in as much as he is ignorant impious vindicative false and a lier And understanding by the testimony of holy Scripture that man in his first creation was created after the Image and similitude of God I come to understand that there is as much difference from the kinde of being in which God created man to that kinde of being wherein hee now is and abides as from that being which I know of God to that being which I know of man And knowing by testimony of holy Scripture that for the sinne of the first man from that first perfect being and that being like unto God man is come to this imperfect being and like unto the being of other animals in as much as pertaines to his body and to the being of evill spirits as touching his soule I come to understand that the evill which is to come to mankind by the sinne of the first man consists in this that of impassible he is become passible subject to cold and to heate to hunger and to thrist with all other corporall incommodities and of immortall hee is become mortall subject unto death and of wise he is become ignorant of just impious of mercifull vindicative of faithfull false and of true a lier Whereby I understand that because the evill into which mankinde fell through sin toucheth men in their bodies and in their mindes the grace which God hath pleased to doe unto mankinde by meanes of Iesus Christ our Lord appertaines likewise both to bodies and to mindes and so it is that assoone as a man is called of God he doth accept for his the Iustice of God executed on Christ being made a member of Christ hee begins to be partaker of that first Reparation which is of the minde and is by the death of Christ And it is also true that that man who shall depart from this life a member of Christ shall be partaker of the last Reparation which shall be of the body and shall be by the resurrection of Christ and shall be in the generall resurrection of all men in such sort as they who are members of Christ by the death of Christ doe repaire the evill of their mindes in this present life if not altogether yet in part and they doe repaire by the resurrection of Iesus Christ the evill of their body in life everlasting and then shall they have recovered intirely that Image and that similitude of God with which they were created being in their bodies impassible and immortall and being in their mindes just wise mercifull faithfull and true in which I understand our whole felicity doth consist After that I have understood all this I resolve my selfe that the proper exercise of a Christian in this present life is to attend unto the reparation of his minde to recover the image and similitude of God with which he was created And albeit as I haue said so much of this is recovered as there is as a man may say of the incorporation in the death of Christ in a man neverthelesse I understand it appertaines to a Christian to exercise him selfe to recover it in this manner When he shall be sollicited by the depravation of his minde unto impiety remembring himselfe that God is just he shall say no to me it belongs to be just and not impious When he shall be sollicited unto revenge remembring himselfe that God is mercifull he shall say no to me it appertaines to be mercifull and not vindicatiue When he shall be sollicited unto wrath remembring himselfe that God is patient he shall say no to me it appertaines to be patient and not wrathfull When he shall be sollicited to falsity and lyes remembring himselfe that God is faithfull and true he shall say no to me it appertaines to be faithfull and true When he shall be sollicited to desire to bee esteemed and prized of the men of this world remembring himselfe that God is a Pilgrim and stranger in this present life he shall say no for to me it appertaines to be a pilgrim and stranger with God that I may be altogether like unto God And finally when he shall be sollicited to any thing which may redound to the hurt of his neighbour in any sort whatsoever remembring himselfe that God loues men so much that to repaire their evill and dammage in which they were thrown down headlong he gaue his own Son unto death hee shall say no to me it appertaines to haue loue and charity And so running through all those things with which a man may be sollicited by his own affections through the depravation of the minde he shall finde perfections in God with which he may represse them and so by litle and litle hee shall goe augmenting in himselfe the reparation of his minde which is the first thing and hee shall goe every houre more abilitating the reparation of his body which is the last And in this exercise I understand the Christian perfection consisteth I would say that 〈◊〉 is a Christian more or lesse perfect in this life 〈◊〉 â—…ch as occupying himselfe more or lesse in this exercise he doth obtain more or lesse of that part which is to be gotten in this present life of the image and likenesse of God with which he was created And for this cause I understand that our Lord Iesus Christ concludeth his discourses of Christian perfection saying Be you perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect As if he should haue said Finally I say unto you that you attend to be like unto God in perfection He is perfect and you also attend to bee perfect as he is And this is properly a Christian admonition in as much as it is of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LI. In what manner God makes himselfe to be felt and in what manner God makes himselfe to bee seene HAving oftentimes said that to those persons who are entered into the kingdome of God accepting the grace of the Gospell God makes them to Feele his presence and to the selfe same he lets his presence
to bee seen through a glasse darkly as S. Paul speaks I come now to say that it is without all comparison a greater favour which God doth to them to whom God lets his presence be seen then that which he doth to them to whom hee doth make his presence to be felt in as much as he that sees it it is necessary that he should feel it but it is not necessary that he that feels it should see it I would say in as much as sight cannot stand without feeling but feeling may be without seeing That this may be well understood I say that as I understand it then a man feeles the presence of God when loving and believing being confident and hoping and when praying and working understanding he doth really and indeed feel that he is moved a◅◅ted by the holy Spirit to loue to belieue to haue ◅nce and to hope and also to pray to work and to understand feeling that the holy Spirit is that which doth inspire him to loue to belieue to haue confidence and to hope And it is he himselfe that prayes works and understands in him for so it is that in all these exercises feeling the favour of the holy Spirit he feeles the prefence of God Furthermore I say that then a man sees the presence of God when by the gratious favour of God it is shewed unto him in what manner God sustaines all the things which hee hath created in their proper being in which he created them in what manner God fayling them or withdrawing himself from them never so litle they would fayle in their beings To penetrate well into this Consideration I goe imagining that which is ordinarily seene in the house of a Pope where all they that abide in his house doe depend of him and are sustain'd by him in that degree and in that dignity in which he hath placed them and the Pope dying all the whole house breaks up and ceaseth to be in such sort as he that was Secretary is now so no longer The selfe same I say of all the other officers of the house who all of them in the Popes death loose that being which the Popes life gaue unto them Passing on forwards I consider that which by experience is understood in a man who is so far a man in as much as his soule staies in his body that being altogether sustain'd by the benefit thereof I would say that the members of the body exercise their own offices so long as the soule abides within the body the soule departed the body dissolves and returnes to earth in such manner as they now are no more eyes which were formerly eyes The selfesame I say of all the members of the body all which the soule being departed from the body loose that being which they had by the presence of the soule in the Body In the Popes house because I am able with my wit with my judgement to consider and see that which I haue said it is sufficient to see and consider the presence of the Pope his providence his bounty liberality and iustice in as much as hee maintaines his house with good order and with good government And in as much as I am able with my wit and discourse to understand by experience that the soule being parted from the body a man ceaseth to be that which he was every one of his members ceasing to execute the office which it exercised I am able also to understand by experience that the being which the body hath comes by the soule and that the soule is shee that governes every one of the members of the body as is meet making them to serue to that for which they were created And so I understand that there are in the soule providence and discretion and all the other good qualities annexed thereunto But in God in as much as I am not able neither with my wit nor by experience to understand in what manner all things depend of him in such sort as he fayling them they fayle I cānot by my self see that which is in the Popes house nor understand that which I understand in a man albeit by that which I heare spoken and by that which I read I may imagine it But wanting the seeing and wanting the understanding by experience I cannot certifie my selfe in it untill God himselfe let me see and understand how this is shewing me his presence which I understād consisteth in this demenstration and in this vnion Furthermore I understand that it would be great satisfaction to the Popes Favorite servant when the Pope were unalterable and immortall to see that his being and his sustentation in that degree comes to him from the Pope and depends upon the life of the Pope And I understand also that it would be very great satisfaction to see really and indeed in what manner the being and sustentation of his body depends upon his soule And I understand that it is without any comparison much higher and more excellent then any of these that satisfaction that glory and that content which those persons feele in themselves who in any sort whatsoever see in what manner God sustaines and maintaines all things giving unto them a being and giving unto them life in such manner as without him they would cease to be and to liue For in this vision they know and feel themselves favoured of God and in the selfe same they quiet themselues and assure themselves in their own mindes understanding that they are sustain'd and governed by him who hath all things in his own power And in the selfesame vision in a new manner they know in God omnipotency wisdome justice mercy truth and fidelity and knowing this they grow in the loue of God in faith and in the confidence of God and in patience with which they hope for eternall life And so that comes to passe which I said in the beginning that a man seeing the presence of God begins to tast in part in this present life that which he shall tast intirely with Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LII That a Christian ought to put an end to the Affection of Ambition which doth consist in Growing and also to that which doth consist in Conserving VNderstanding that Iesus Christ our Lord saith to all us that are Christians that we should Learne humility of heart from him And understanding also that S. Paul doth admonish us that we should reduce our mindes to that which we know of Iesus Christ our Lord who being the Son of God humbled himselfe to take the shape of a man making himselfe a man I come to know that as humility of minde is the most profitable thing to a Christian so also the affection of Ambition which is the contrary is the most pernitious thing and that which most deprives him of Christ and most makes him the member of Satan And I call affection of Ambition all that desire all that thought and all that
being helped by the holy spirit in the proper occasions they are mortified not avoiding any of them and therefore they are the same in the occasions as out of the occasions The eight Difference is That they who mortifie themselves by their proper industry doe principally attend unto the mortification of the flesh they that be such having no intent to mortifie the minde not knowing that from thence ariseth all the evill And they who are mortified by the holy Spirit attend principally unto the mortification of the minde knowing that from thence comes all the evill And knowing that the minde being mortified the flesh remaines mortified By the examination of these Differences may a person know whether he mortifies himselfe or whether hee be mortified by the holy Spirit Being advertised of this that there are three estates in those persons who are mortified by the holy Spirit The one is when the holy spirit mortifies them without that they know or feel the vertue of the holy Spirit in them And in this estate that belongs to them which is said in the fourth difference The other is when the holy spirit mortifies them and they feel and know in themselves the virtue of the holy spirit And in this estate there appertaines unto them that which is said in the first Difference The third is when through the absence of the holy Spirit or because they doe not feel and know his presence they goe mortifying themselves with their own industry And in this estate they feel a good part of that which is said in the First the Third the Fourth and the Fift Difference to be felt by them who mortifie themselves by their own proper industry It is very true that to them who are mortified by the holy spirit their owne industries in mortification are profitable unto them It being indeed true what S. Paul saith That to them that loue God all things work for good to the glory of God and of the Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LIX That in the motions to pray the Spirit doth certifie a man that he shall obtaine that which he demands REeading in Isaia that death being intimated unto Hezekiah a pious King on Gods behalfe hee resented himselfe was grieved and lamented praying God with teares that he would not take away his life And reading a litle after that the destruction of Hierusalem being intimated on Gods behalfe unto the selfesame King with the Babylonian captivity without resenting himselfe nor being grieved nor lamenting without praying God that he would revoke the sentence he was contented that the will of God should be executed accepting it as a benefit of God that those evills should not come in his time And considering that God prolonged the time of Hezekia's life and that he did execute his sentence upon Hierusalem I come to certifie my selfe that pious persons being governed by the spirit of God and chiefly in their prayers in as much as S. Paul saith The spirit of God prayes by them and in them they doe never as it were pray to God but for that which it is Gods will to grant them of which the holy spirit which inspires them to pray is certain According to the judgement of humane reason it had been more just and more convenient that Hezechiah should haue resented himselfe and lamented and been moved to pray God for the revocation of the sentence given against Hierusalem then for the revocation of that sentence which was given against his own proper life And Hezechias a pious King moved by the holy spirit prayed for his own life for that which touched Hierusalem he conformed himselfe with Gods will whereby I understand that it behoues pious persons to keep good accompt with their motions I would say they ought to bee well advertised being moved to pray to God for any thing whether that motion be of humane spirit or of the holy spirit And I understand likewise that the proper countersigne whereby they may be able to judge between these motions is the Inward certainty or uncertainty with which they shall finde themselves in prayer Finding themselves uncertain that they should obtain of God that which they demand they shall judge that the motion is of humane spirit And finding themselves certain to obtain it they shall judge that the motion is of the holy spirit For as much as the motion of the holy spirit drawes alwaies with it the certification a man judging in this manner if the spirit of God which hath moved me to pray did not know that it is the will of God to grant me that which I demand it would not haue moved me This certification I certainly hold was in Hezekiah at that time when he demanded his life to bee prolonged And because he did not feel in himselfe this certification I doe certainly hold that the selfe same Hezekiah did not demand that the sentence against Hierusalem should be revoked With this assurance I see that Christ prayed raising up Lazarus and praying for the conservation of his Disciples And with doubtfulnesse I see he prayed in the Garden and because he felt whence this motion did arise in praying he remitted himselfe unto the will of God And if the son of God himselfe felt these two motions and in one of them he found himself certain and in the other doubtfull every one may think whether it be not necessary to be watchful over himselfe in them albeit they only shall know them that shall bee true members of the same Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID LX. Whence it proceeds that the superstitious are severe and the true Christians are Mercifull Pittifull THE severity and rigour that I see and know for the most part in those persons which the common people holds for devout and spirituall they being in very truth superstitious and ceremonious in as much as appertaines to the chastising or desiring to chastise the vices defects of men I understand proceeds from two causes The one is the proper nature of a man who is inclined to prize and esteem his own things and to condemne and despise others And the other is the proper nature of superstitions and ceremonies to which is annexed severity and rigorousnesse And so it is that these such like superstitious and ceremonious persons desiring that their superstious and ceremonious living should be esteemed and prised are forced to be severe rigorous with workes and words against them who being not as they are haue outward defects and vices that so their manner of life which they hold for vertuous may be the more prised and esteemed And it is likewise true that superstitions and ceremonies having their originall and beginning from some kinde of law which men haue imagined and severity and rigour being annexed to the nature of a law for by these it is maintained and sustained it comes to passe that as well those who attend to the observation of the law or
martyrdome the shame and the ignominy that he shall suffer in the eyes of the men of this world in being wanting unto himselfe and to his and to his honour And so doing he shall follow me who haue been wanting unto my selfe making my selfe a servant of a Sonne that I might not be wanting to God and I haue been wanting to mine own not esteeming them for mine but those onely that God hath called and made mine making them holy and just And I haue been wanting to mine honour contenting my selfe to dye as a malefactour and so doing he shall follow me and shall be truly a Christian. In such manner as properly the injury and the shame that redounds to a Christian through the deniall of himselfe in being wanting to himselfe and to his and to his honour is the Christian Crosse is the selfe same as to goe after Christ. I would say these words of Christ are of as much value as if I should say he that will be a Christian let him esteem himselfe dead unto the world in as much as not to seek the Glory nor the reputation of the world and let him procure that which Christ procured seek that which Christ sought and in this manner he shall be a true Christian as they are who knowing themselves and feeling themselves bought by Christ doe hold him and knew him for their Lord and for their superior and doe worship in spirit and in truth the true God who is the Father of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXV How that is to be understood which S. Paul saith that Christ reigneth and shall reigne untill the resurrection of the just being made he doe consigne his Kingdome to his eternall father THe men that reigne in the Kingdome of the world live under foure most cruell Tyrants the Divell the Flesh Honour and Death The Divell tyrannizeth them making them impious and enemies of God and oftimes bringeth them to that passe that they kill themselves by diverse waies The flesh tyrannizeth them making them vitious and licentious Honour tyrannizeth them making them light and vaine and presumptuous in such sort that they dye whilest they live Death Tyrannizeth them not suffering them to enjoy their prosperityes and happinesse cutting short their steps in them This tyranny none understand but they that feele it and they only feele it who being desirous to enter into the Kingdome of God doe procure to reduce themselves to Piety doe travell to Mortify the flesh and will resolve themselves with the world putting an end to glory and to their own honour and think to dispose themselves and to content themselves to dye For as soon as ever they would doe this they find difficulty in it they feele and experiment the tyranny and they know themselvs tyrannized These selfesame persons if so be their desire to enter into the Kingdome of God be a calling of God himselfe and not their proper fantasy accepting for their own the justice of God executed in Christ doe in this present life goe out of the tyranny of the three tyrants in going out of the Kingdome of the world and entering into the Kingdome of God wherein God reignes through Christ. I would say that Christ reignes as the Sonne of God he being in them that stand in his kingdome and with them properly the same which the head is in the Members of the body For as from the head there descends virtue and efficacy into the members of the body which are Governed by it even so from Christ there descends vertue and efficacy to them that are in the Kingdome of Christ with which they combate against the tyrants that hold other men tyrannized and so they are governed by Christ in this present life and by means of the same they shall obtain the resurrection and life everlasting and so they shall goe out of the tyranny of the fourth tyrant which is death and shall enter into the Kingdome of God where God shall reigne by himselfe In the mean space they being gone out of the Kingdome of the world having felt the tyranny of the four Tyrants doe feel the sweetnesse and pleasantnesse of the Kingdome of Christ feeling in themselves the virtue and efficacy of Christ and the government of the holy Spirit and feeling themselves Patrons and Lords of their sensuall appetites and of their affections of Honour and of the ambition of the world being resolv'd with themselves and with the world in as much as being incorporated in Christ they find their flesh dead and they finde dead in them the respect of the world and certifying themselves of their resurrection immortality and eternall life Which certification causeth in them this effect that albeit they feel death according to the body yet they feele it not as much as belongs to the soule through the certain hope of resurrection In this I understand consists the Kingdome of Christ And because the resurrection of the just being accomplished we shall not need to combate with the Divell there shall be no need to mortify the flesh nor to contrast with the world nor shall there be death to overcome I understand that S. Paul saith that then Christ shall consigne this Kingdome to the eternall Father and that God shall bee all in all ruling and governing every thing by himselfe in such manner as the Kingdome of Christ according to S. Paul shall indure untill the universall resurrection and the Kingdome of God in men shall then begin and shall be continuall men perpertually acknowledging the benefit receiv'd by Iesus Christ our Lord. Like as it betides unto a thirsty traveller to whom there is given a vessell of cold water who whilest he drinkes feeles the benefit of the vessell which gives him the water and having drunke albeit setting the vessell aside he thankes him that gave him to drinke neverthelesse he acknowledgeth that by means of the vessell he received that benefit In such manner that as the thankfull wayfairing man who is refreshed with the vessell of cold water whilst he drinkes feeles the benefit of the vessell and after he hath drunke feeling and knowing the benefit of him that gave him the vessell he knowes likewise the benefit of the vessell Even so men whilst they stand in this present life they feele the kingdome of Christ feeling the benefit of Christ and in eternall life they shall feele and know the benefit of God who hath given Christ unto them and they shall know the benefit of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXVI In what manner the malignant spirit is more impetuous then the holy spirit BEing desirous to understand which spirit is more impetuous in a man the Holy or the Malignant I resolve my selfe that the malignant spirit is much more impetuous in the impious then the good spirit in the Pious being moved to this resolution for two Considerations of which the one is founded in the proper Nature of the spirits For the malignant is by nature
depravation and that they shall be restored in mans Reparation REading S. Paul I finde hee toucheth many secrets worthy of much consideration And amongst others I esteemed it for most worthy that which hee toucheth of the Restauration of the creatures in the glorious resurrection of the sonnes of God into the consideration of which secret I haue ofttimes entred and it hath befallen me that by how much the more I would haue understood it so much the lesse haue I understood it My spirit came to this understanding that as man in his dèpravation marred all the creatures so in the reparation of man all the creatures shall be repaired That the first Adam subjecting all men unto misery and unto death marred all the creatures and that the second Adam Iesus Christ our Lord conducting men unto felicity and to eternall life shall repaire all creatures But as I did not understand in what sort all the creatures were marred in mans depravation I did not neither understand in what sort they shall be repaired in mans reparation In which thing that secret which S. Paul meanes doth consist which secret it seems Isaia had formerly understood chap. 65. where God promised to create new Heavens and a new earth And the selfe same secret it seems S. Peter understood in the last chap. of his 2. Epistle And the selfesame seems to bee understood in the Revelation chap. 21. Then I understand that God having â—…reated man in a state of immortality and soveraigne happinesse he created all things with such order and with such temper that they did all of them accord to make man immortall and most happy Farther I understand that man subjecting himselfe to misery by eating the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good evill and committing himselfe to death in having been disobedient to God eating the fruit of the tree against the commandement of God and it was necessary that all the creatures should leave their being and their temper with which they were created to make man immortall and most happy and take another being and another temper whereby they should all accord to make man miserable and mortall From hence I understand proceed the evill influences of the Heavens and the poysonfull and unhealthfull things which the earth brings forth all which augment mans misery And from this that all creatures took upon them to make man miserable and mortall I understand that S. Paul saith that all of them doe anxiously desire to be free Vnderstanding this I come to understand that men being to be immortall and most happy in the Resurrection of the just all the creatures shall return to recover that being that temper and that order with which they were created to make men in their reparation immortall and most happy as in their depravation they did pervert their being their temper and their order to make them miserable and mortall In this generality of creatures I doe not understand the good Angels to be comprised for not being marred they haue no necessity of being repaired nor the evill Angels for not having been marred with man to make man miserable and mortall they shall not bee restored with man to make him immortall and most happy In this consideration more then in any other of these which I haue hitherto considered me thinks I see the most high obligation which not only all men in particular but all the creatures in generall haue to Christ. For as much as through Christs obedience men shall return to that being of immortality and felicity which they lost by Adams disobedience And by the selfesame the creatures shall return to recover their being and their most perfect temper which they lost through the disobedience of Adam And so this remaines imprinted in my minde that Adam disobeying God depraved all men and condemned them unto death and marred all the creatâ—…res and subjected them aâ—… S. Paul saith to vanity And that Christ obeying God repaired all men and gaue unto them immortality and restored all the creatures and put them into their firme and stable being I speak of this that shall be in the Resurrection of the just as though it were already for as much as to Godward it is already after Christ raised up And by how much I the more remember this so much the more doe I abhor all manner of inobedience to God and so much the more doe embrace my â—…elf with all manner of obedience to God And I feele that in as much as I goe applying my selfe to this so much the image of Adam goes abating in me the image of Christ goes on reforming and likewise that of God to whom be glory everlasting Amen CONSID. LXXXVIII What the cause may be that God commanded man that he should not eat of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evill OFâ—…times I haue deliberated to understand why God when he set man in earthly Paradise commanded him that He should not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evill not being satisfied with that which commonly is understood that God commanded this to the end man should acknowledge him for superiour which cause shall not be sufficient to me albeit I refuse it not and as oft as this desire hath come upon mee I haue as often driven it from me holding it for curious as I hold for curious all the desires which go seeking out the wherefore in Gods works And it is befallen me that having been now free from this curiosity reading with other intent the first chapters of Genesis I suppose to haue understood what I desired For the first I understand that God created man in an entire perfect estate in which he had the spirituall light which served him for that for which the naturall light now serves him which was the selfe same that the knowledge of good and evill Farther I understand that in the midst of that earthly Paradise there were two Trees of which the Scripture calls the one the Tree of life and the other the Tree of the knowledge of good and evill In which I understand God had set this naturall vertue that the one of them should make them who eat thereof immortall and that the other should giue the knowledge of good and evill to them that did eat thereof And understanding that as the immortality was supreme felicity so the knowledge of good and evill was extreme misery That which I say of the Tree of life I understand by this that God having given man the curse for his sin the Scripture saith that he said that hee droue him out of the earthly Paradise that he should not eat of the Tree of life and so liue for ever Neither was God content to have driven man out of Paradise but hee set for guardian a Cherubim whereby it seems that this Tree had that naturall vertue to giue immortality That which I say of the Tree of knowledge of good and evill I
understand by that which I read that the selfesame instant in which our first Parents being deceived by the Serpent did eat of the fruit of the Tree they had the knowledge of good and evill in such sort as suddenly their eyes were opened and suddenly finding defect in the works of God they knew themselves to be Naked Whence I come to understand that God did with the first man as the mother doth with her litle son I would say that as a mother seeing her litle son hath a knife by him fearing if he take it in his hand he would cut himselfe with it commands him that he should not come nigh unto it telling him if he come neer shee will knock him So God setting the first man in earthly Paradise and knowing the inconvenience wherein he was to fall if he did eat of the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evill commāded him that he should not eat thereof telling him that if he did eat he should dye Furthermore I understand that as the child comming nigh the knife cutting himselfe falls into the inconvenience of which his mother had given him warning and his mother beats him for his disobedience ac◅ording as she had threatned him so that the child falls into two inconveniences the one is of having cut himselfe through the propriety of the knife and the other is of blowes for the disobedience towards his mother So the first man eating of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evill fals into the inconvenience which God gaue him warning of and God chastised him with death as he had threatned him in such sort as man falls into two inconveniences the one is of having his eyes opened to know good and evill whereby he lost the spirituall light and got the naturall light he lost the divine science and got science and humane discourse and that was through the proper nature of the Tree by which he should without the commandement haue done the same effect And the other inconvenience is that of death and that was for the disobedience with which he did eat the fruit of the Tree disobeying God Whence I come to gather that God shewed most exceeding great loue to man in commanding him that hee should not eat of the fruit of that Tree I understand that he commanded him because hee should not fall into the inconvenience in which he ◅ell at the knowing of good and evill Which inconvenience I understand is much greater then that which we can imagine This is conformable to what S. Paul saith that sin entred by disobedience and death entred by sin which was executed on all the descendents of the first Adam For in his disobedience they all disobeyed and so all sinned therfore all dy As on the cōtrary by the obediēce iustice or iustification entered and by the iustification life entred unto which all the members of the second Adam Iesus Christ our Lord shall be raised up glorious For he obeying all they obeyed and so they are all justified and shall therefore all of them be raised up to glory and immortality This intelligence which I haue set of the vertue of these two Trees satisfies me in as much as thereby the benefit of Christ i◅ illustrated For the rest I remit my selfe to better intelligence In this Consideration some things offer themselues to me which I would desire to know but holding them for curious I leaue them untill it shall please God to make me to understand them And this I hold for certaine shall be when the desire of knowing shall be mortified in me in every thing and altogether For God will that as the first man desiring to know lost himselfe so wee should gain our selves mortifying and slaying every desire to know contenting our selves only to know Christ crucified who is to us the Tree of life to him be glory for ever Amen CONSID. LXXXIX Six causes for which it seemes necessary that the Son of God should liue in that manner and that forme of life wherein he did liue AT present I finde six causes in the Consideration from which it seems to mee to see the marvellous counsell with which the only begotten Son of God being made man lived amongst men in that forme of life we read that he did li◅e The first cause is this that God having determined t◅ deceive humane wisdome in saving not them that were wise but them that believed as Saint Paul understands it 1. Cor. 1. It was necessary that Christ should take upon him in the world a form of living in which hee could by no means be known by humane wisdome If Christ had taken on him S. Iohn Baptist his form of life humane wisdome would haue found in that outward austerity whereon to found it selfe to accept him for the sonne o◅ God And if hee had taken upon him Moses his forme of life humane wisdome would in the selfesame manner haue found in that outward greatnesse whereon to found it selfe to accept him for the son of God And therefore it was necessary that he should take upon him that form of life which he took wherein was no appearance at all of austerity nor of greatnesse And so it comes to be that by how much the more humane wisdome considers it so much lesse doth it finde whereon to found it self to come to accept Christ for the son of God And hereto squares fitly a letter which I remember to haue written pretending to shew the cause wherefore Christ did sometimes shew his divinity and at other times hid it The second cause is this that the life of Christ being to be as it were an example of life for them whom he came to make the sons of God it was necessary that hee should take that form of life which was most imitable of all the rest If Christ had taken the forme of S. John Baptist his life he would haue frighted many with the asperity and austerity And if he had taken that of Moses few could haue been able to imitate it And therefore it was necessary that he should take that which he did take so imitable to all sorts of people that no man can excuse himself say◅ng I cannot imitate Christ I cannot liue as Christ lived I doe not understand that Christ taking that forme of life which he took did pretend that every one who was to be the Sonne of God should imitate him in that outward living but that amongst all others it should be the most easy to imitate by them who would altogether imitate him in his outward and in his inward living as for the inward in his obedience to God in charity in meeknesse and in humility of mind and as for the outward in living without austerity and without greatnesse but with poverty basenesse and vilenesse The third cause is this that Christ coming to save all sorts of people it was necessary he should take a forme of life in which he