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
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
that Christ counselling his to say Thy will be done does counâ—…ell them to haue this desire of which I haue spoken and that they should alwaies sigh â—…n this mâ—…nner as if he should haue said Craue of God that he would make you exempt from that ordinary Regiment and government and make you free from the government of his Mediate Will that he set you in that of his Immediate Will in such sort that like as the heavenly armies are immediatly governed of God so you also that are on earth may bee immediatly governed of God! Whence I gather that when a pious person shall feele himselfe troubled and molested in his body or in his minde it shall be well that attributing that trouble and molestation to the subjection of that will of God which is mediate he should feele in himselfe the evill of Adam and that desiring and sighing to feele the good of Christ he should say to God Thy will be done Free me Lord from this thy mediate and generall will set me in thy immediate and particular will deprive me of the feeling of evill of the disobedience of Adam and set me in the feeling of good of the obedience of Christ They who say these words Thy will be done and understand it not in this manner if they shall well examine their mindes I am assured they shall find they say because they cannot choose for if so be they could cause that God should doe that which they would they would not easily remit themselves to the Will of God but when they cannot put in execution their own wills they say unto God Thy will be done making a vertue of necessity They who say unto God Thy will be done pretending as is said to bee subject to the Will of God that is Immediate they say it with all their minde they say it with the holy Spirit and they say it in that sense which Iesus Christ our Saviour intended it should be said I doe not understand that in that Will of God which I call Mediate there is not a particular providence of God but I understand that that providence is generall to many persons such as is to raine the sun shine c. of which things many enjoy their parts And the Immediate Will I understand it is a more particular and more favourable providence with them who are elected such as it was in giving us Christ and such as are other favours which are done more to one then to another of which sometimes some wicked like wise haue their part although that bee not Gods principâ—…l intent so as when he staid the Sun through Ioshuah's prayers of that favour many wicked had their part as man may say by chance the people of God enjoying it much otherwise because they felt the favour of God In this selfesame manner a man may discourse through all outward favours which God doth unto his of which others likewise that are not his doe alwaies enjoy some part but they doe not know that more particular and more favourable providence and Will of God and so as much as concernes them they are things that come by chance I resolue therefore my selfe in this that saying the Mediate Will of God I understand that particular providence of God which is with naturall order in which alwaies God doth concurre and that saying the Immediate Will of God I understand the more particular and favourable providence of God by which the naturall order is altred And to this I attribute all that which God works in his and for his And I call them his who are incorporated with Iesus Christ our Lord CONSID. XLI That God will that Pious Persons should know that all things are to come from him and that they should pretend to haue them all of him COnsidering that Iesus Christ our Lord certifies every pious person that hee shall obtain from his eternall Father all that which with confidence he shall demand in Prayer and experimenting in my selfe and finding the selfesame experience in other persons addicted unto piety that sometimes I doe lesse fully obtain that which I demand when to my seeming I haue most confidence in prayer And that sometimes I doe obtain that which I demand when to my seeming I haue lesse confidence in prayer I suppose that God so demands of a man confidence in his prayers as he demands of him all his loue God well knows that a man cannot Loue him with all his heart and he well knows that he cannot haue confidence in prayer for both the one and the other is contrary to his naturall inclination and it is necessary that both the one and the other should come from him And hee requires it of man because man should know himselfe and knowing himselfe should humble himselfe and remit himselfe to the mercy of God and should not pretend to be able to doe any thing of himselfe And because hee knowes that a mans minde is most arrogant he is sometimes the more deafe to a mans petition when it seems to a man himselfe to haue greatest confidence in his praier This God doth to the intent that a man should not attribute that to his own confidence which hee obtaines by prayer and to the intent that hee should understand the difference between that confidence which is properly his own and that which comes from God And to the intenâ—…â—…e migâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…hat 〈◊〉 â—…akes â—…nd not of him and that hee loves him sometimes hee gives him that which he demands when to his owne seeming hee hath least confidence other times he gives it him without demanding only upon desiring and sometimes he gives him that which he would it may be desire without any desiring at all Whereupon I understand that God would have from a man that hee should apply his minde to give all his love unto him to have confidence only in him to hope from him all whatever appertaines to this present life or to the future With this application and with this propension I understand that a man obtaines two principall things the one that God winkes at his coldnesse in love his weakenesse in confidence and his impatience in hope and the other that God himselfe by litle and litle goes inflaming him in loue fortifying him in confidence animating him in hope and so he comes to fulfill that which Iesus Christ our Lord promised CONSID. XLII In what sort a pious person ought to governe himselfe in the state of prosperity and in inward adversity IT comes to passe that a pious person finding himselfe in a dry and discontented estate findes himselfe likewise without confidence and as it were an Infidell And it comes to passe that the selfe same finding himselfe in another estate with satisfaction and with joy and content findes himselfe together therewith full of confidence and full of faith whereupon the enemy of mankinde willing to disturbe his felicity comes to perswade him that he trusteth and believeth for
bound to give unto God They think of the Christian businesse that it is a living under the goverment of the holy spirit in holinesse and iustice And they think of the Gospell that it is a Proclamation that compriseth these two things Remission of sinnes and Iustification by Christ And the regiment and goverment of the holy spirit Of which two things they enioy who believing in Christ accept the Gospell From all this discourse I gather that they who understand Justification to be a fruit of Piety follow Plato and Aristotle And that they who understand Piety to be a fruit of iustification Iustification being a fruit of Faith follow S. Paul and S. Peter It is also gathered that this name Piety understood in the manner in which it is here understood it cannot be attributed to God because he owes no man any thing Nay on the contrary every one owes to him And that which he doth with us is not for piety is not for debt nor for obligation but for compassion for mercy and for liberality being in every thing towards us compassionate mercifull and liberall Which ought principally to be known in this that he put all our sinnes on his pretious son Iesus Christ our Lord to put on us the iustice of the selfesame Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XCVIII How that is to be understood that the holy Scripture saith attributing condemnation sometimes to infidelity and sometimes to evill works and salvation sometimes to Faith sometimes to good works AMongst those things in holy Scripture which give molestation to Christian persons who having faith feel within themselves the fruit of Faith that is Iustification and the fruit of justification that is the peace of conscience when they will examine with them their conceptions their spirituall feelings I hold for very principall this that feeling themselves justifi'd by Faith consequently with peace of conscience cannot understand for what cause Christ speaking of the day of Iudement saith that he will condemne some because they have not done well and will save others because they haue done well Nor for what cause S. Paul saith That God will render to every man according to his works Rom. 2. And S. Peter That God will iudge every one according to his works At which they so much the more marvell in as much as the same Christ saith that he that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned And the selfesame S. Paul saith that the Faith of the heart iustifieth and the confession of the mouth saveth And the selfesame S. Peter attributes the salvation of the soule to Faith And from their not understanding of this matter it comes to passe that every one of them thinks in this manner If God be to judge me according to my works there is no doubt but he will condemne me for there is not in them any goodnesse nay in those which seem best there is more contamination of selfe-loue interest and proper glory in such sort as if I be to be judged by my work it will goe ill with me Whereupon being desirous to take away this molestation and this scruple of Christian persons and spirituall and to salve the intelligence of the holy Scriptures in such sort as they should not contradict themselves I think thus That in good or evill works God cōsiders not the quantity but the quality which consisteth in the minde of him that doth the works in the thing wherein he implies it That this is true in evill workes needs no proofe and that it is true in good works is evident by that which Christ saith of them that cast their monies into the Treasury of the Temple praysing the minde of him that did the works And it is evident likewise by that which the selfesame Christ saith speaking of the day of judgement where he doth not say that hee will saue them who haue bin charitable simply but they that have been charitable with himselfe that is they who believing shall stand incorporated in him Whence it seems that Christ saith that he will saue them who haue used charity with him and condemne them that haue not used it Now it being cleer that they cannot work with a pious minde but only who are pious and holy nor can know Christ in his members to use charity towards him but they onely who appertain to the selfesame body of Christ it is clearely approved that none can work well work Christianly but those who are the members of Christ those who haue the spirit of Christ and are pious and holy and just and believe in Christ. And this being approved it is likewise approved that it is the selfesame in holy Scripture to say That men shall be saved by their good works and condemned by their evill works and to say That they shall be saved by their Faith and condemned by their Infidelity Whereupon Christian persons are to two things The one That they only work well for holding themselves justified by Christ they doe not pretend to justifie themselves by their own good works and so working they work purely for the loue of God and not for their own proper loue as those men work who not holding themselves justified by Christ pretend to justifie themselves by their own good works and so working for their own proper loue proper interest and not for the love of God they noe not work well for their works doe not please God cannot be called good works The other that God judging them according to their works will not put to their accompt the contamination that he shall know in them having pardoned them originall sin together with all that which they haue from this evill root And because he will put to their accompt the Faith which he shall haue given them and the purity that shall be in their works whether few or many in as much as they shall be the fruit of Faith And so God shall saue them shewing in the outward judgement that he saves them for their good works saving them indeed by the Faith which he shall have given them God shall iustifie the sentence with which he condemnes the impious superstitious and shall save the pious and holy alleaging the outward works of the one and the other the living with holinesse and iustice on the one part and the living with iniustice and impiety on the other part But this shall not be but for men who know not nor see not but in the outward And in the self same sentence they who know and see the inward the root whence this living working on the one part and this living and working on the other grow they being more then men by the Christian regeneration shall know that Faith hath saved them that shall be saved and that infidelity shall haue condemned them that shall be condemned Here may an impious person say to me willing to calumniate holy Scripture and a superstitious willing to canonize his own
because they haue not the knowledge of good or evill shall be saved in the day of judgement by the faith with which their Fathers have put them into Baptisme In effect exceeding great is the force efficacy of Faith I say of that which giving credit to the promises of God stands certain of the fulfilling of them shewing its certification by putting in execution that outward thing which on Gods behalfe is commanded This Faith saved Noah in the Floud by meanes of the Ark and this Faith shall save all us in the day of judgement by the meanes of Baptisme us who believing the Gospell shall be Baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost to whom be glory for ever Amen CONSID. CV Three principles whence the ignorances arise with which men erre against God COnsidering that which S. Paul saith of the sin which he had committed against God in persecuting the Christian Church But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief And considering the prayer wherewith Christ being put on the Crosse prayed his eternall Father for the sin of them that crucified him saying Father forgive them for they know not what they doe And considering that which S. Paul saith of the wisemen of the world For if they had known it they would never haue crucified the Lord of glory I haue gathered three Principles from which I understand and all the errours which men doe against God through ignorance doe proceed The first is Malice The second is Inconsideratenesse The third is Incredulity In this manner from S. Pauls standing in unbeliefe from his not believing that Christ was the Sonne of God that he was the promised Messias in the Law that he died for the sinnes of every one that he was raised up for the resurrection of every one and that he was glorified for the glorification of every one it proceeded that he persecuted and slew them that did believe and preach this thinking therein to doe service to God as from step to step others haue done with the selfesame intentions which S. Paul did who as S. Paul haue erred and doe erre against God not by Inconsideratenesse for he and they go with attention to that which they doe nor through Malice for they doe not hate for their own interest those whom they persecute but through Infidelity because they doe not believe in Christ. Whence I understand it proceeded that God using mercy which S. Paul gaue him to know Christ and so of a famous persecuter he became a most famous Preacher as I understand hath befallen them who haue erred as S. Paul erred From the Gentiles who were Ministers and executers of Christs death not considering what they did proceeded that they erred inconsiderately killing the innocent as many Gentiles haue erred who have been the death of many Christians not cōfidering what they doe For if they did ◅onsider it as they ought there is no doubt they would not doe it And therefore because they erre as Beasts their errour is not put to their accompt This I believe holding for certain that God did heare Christ when he said Father f◅rgiue them for they know not what they doe And S. Steven whē he said Lord lay not this sin to their charge From that the Scribes and Pharisees minds stood full of indignation against Christ as haue been and are from time to time full of indignation against them that imitate Christ the minds of those who being like unto the Scribes and Pharisees make profession of outward holinesse being void of the inward it did proceed that is come to passe and goes on proceeding that maliciously killing them whom they haue known and doe know to be members of Christ who haue been alwaies hated of the Saints of the world because they ruine throw down that sanctity whereof they make profession With them I doe not understand that God useth mercy For albeit they stand as S. Paul did in Incredulity that is not in credulity which maketh the erre but proper Malice and Malignity Nor doe I understand that Christ prayed nor that his members pray for them for their errour ariseth not through Inconsideratenesse but from Malignant Depravation Nay this sin I understand is that which Christ calls against the holy spirit which he saith shall not ◅e pardoned neither in this nor in the other world And this selfesame sin I understand Saint Iohn calls a sin unto death The men who imitating the Scribes Pharisees erre through ignorance arising of malice I understand they haue left to be men and are in◅ernall spirits The men who imitating the Gentiles who killed Christ erre through ignorance arising from inconsideratenesse I understand they have left to be men are beasts And the men who imitating S. Paul erre through ignorance bred from incredulity are as I understand truly men to whom incredulity is so proper as Inconsideration is proper to the Beasts and as malice is proper to the infernall Spirits And therefore the errour which growes from Incredulity without mixture of malice and inconsideratnesse findes mercy with God he being drawn to the faith who errs through ignorance bred of incredulity Whereupon if any shall ask me saying whence dost thou think that the Hebrews erring through ignorance grew of which S. Paul saith Rom. 10. For being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to establish their own righteousnesse they haue not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God I will answer him that it was bred partly from Malice and partly from Incredulity through the hatred which they bore unto the Gospell That this is true is approved that some believed and others remained in their ◅beliefe The selfesame will I answer to him that shall demand of me whence it did proceed doth proceed the erring through ignorance of them of whom Christ saith Every one that shall kill you will think that ◅e doth God good service And so much the more by how much to me it is approved that S. Paul was one of these and found mercy for his erring through ignorance grew from Incredulity In this discourse I learne this That every man ought to stand on his watch not to appassionate himselfe at any time in the things that appertain to religion I would say in defending one thing and impugning another with passion to the end that the passion may not blind him in such manner as he come to erre against God through Ignorance bred of malice Further I learn that a man ought not without consideration to set himselfe to any of those things which shall offer themselves unto him and much lesse to those which belong to religion to the end that he come not to bee counted in the number of Beasts Further I learn that a man who findes himselfe free from passion and from Inconsideration that hee erre not against God ought to acknowledge himselfe to be in Incredulity and so to pray
God that he free him from it And in the mean space he ought to abstain himselfe from putting in execution those things which are in prejudice of his neighbour And then the more when they shall seem to him more holy and more just before God And I learn further that only the regenerated Christian being more then a man being gone out of Incredulity doth not erre through Malice doth not erre through Inconsideration doth not erre through Incredulity erring only through frailty in as much as he hath not yet left altogether to be a man hath not as yet altogether comprehended the Christian perfection wherein he is comprehended by the incorporation with which hee stands incorporated in the death in the resurrection and in the glorification of the son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. CVI. That that which the Scripture calls the knowledge of Good and Evill the wisemen of the world haue called and and doe call naturall light Prudence and humane reason BY that which I read of the Creation and Depravation of man I consider that a man was first created after the image and likenesse of God and was put in the garden which they call earthly Paradise and afterwards eating of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and evill lost the image and likenesse of God and was driven out of the earthly Paradise remaining with the knowledge of good and â—…vill understanding that as it is not naturall for a man according to his first creation to abide out of earthly Paradise so it is not primarily naturall to him to haue the knowledge of good and evill And that which I experiment in the reparation of man in his regeneration and renovation â—…onsidering that for the accepting of the grace of the Gospell the remission of sinnes and the reconciliation with God by the justice of God executed on Christ and so to enter into the kingdome of God and to recover the image and similitude of God and to haue the goverment of the holy spirit is necessitated to captivate his understanding and to renounce and mortifie his prudence and his humane reason and his naturall light I understand that that which holy Scripture calls the knowledge of good and evill the wise men of the world haue called and doe call naturall light prudence and humane reason And so I come to understand that a man is necessitated to captivate his understanding to mortify his own prudence and his own naturall light which is the selfesame as to renounce the knowledge of good and evill to obtaine the Christian â—…eparation regeneration and renovation For it is a most just thing that if hee haue to recover that which he lost he should first renounce that which he gained as it were to say that if he be to recover his spirituall light he is to renounce his naturall light And if wee grant as it is necessary to grant by that which we read that which we experiment that the reparation of our humane nature by the Christian regeneration and renovation consists in this that a man accepting the Gospell and being incorporated in Christ goes recovering the being the degree and dignities in which the first man was created and goes on leaving the being the degree and the dignity in which the first man remained after that hee was depraved It is likewise necessary that wee should grant that as that which we gaine is not naturall to the being which we now hold so likewise that which we leave was not naturall to the being which we had according to our first creation Whereby we come clearely to understand that the naturall light which we now hold is not from our first creation but from our depravation And besides this that the spirituall light which we gain by Christ is from our first creation And this spirituall light I understand was so naturall to a man in his first creation as the knowledge of good and evill and naturall light is now naturall unto him And I suppose that the first man not recognizing the spirituall light for a thing properly his but communicated to him by the favour of God did desire the knowledge of Good and evill pretending that that would be to him as it is naturall And of this knowledge of good and evill I understand a man gets a greater or lesser part according as he is more or lesse purged and purified in his affections and appetites which are according to the flesh Whence I suppose the wise men of the world have taken occasion to believe that the knowledge of good and evill is a spirituall thing and is of the first creation of man not considering that this effect proceeds hence that as well the knowledge of good and evill and the naturall light is a perfection of man in the state of his depravation as the spirituall light was in the state of his first creation and is in the state of his reparation Against that which hath been spoken two things offer themselves The first that by that which S. Paul saith Rom. 1. that the Gentiles by their naturall light might have known God and by that which the selfe same saith Rom. 5. That the selfesame might have naturally known the will of God it seemes that the naturall light is not of the state of the depravation of man but of the state of his first creation The second that it being true that the old Saints as David and the new Saints as S. Paul in that which they have written have served themselves of naturall light of Prudence and Human reason it seemes that it is not evill nor that it ought to be renounced left and mortified To the first I understand it may be answered that S. Paul willing to convince the Gentiles in as much as they did excuse themselves saying that they could not know God and therefore worshipped him not nor could not know the will of God and therefore they had lived viciously he shewes them that although they had not had the knowledge of God to worship him nor that of the will of God to obey it which knowledge being by spirituall light was in the first man before his depravation and abides in the Christians in our reparation nor having had the knowledge which the Hebrews had by their holy Scriptures yet that having had the knowledge that can be gotten with the naturall light by the contemplation of the creatures and by the testimony of their consciences and not having satisfied to that knowledge of God and of the will of God they came to be in fault neither did there remain any excuse at all to them In such manner that from the words of S. Paul it cannot be gathered that a christian man is not to renounce his naturall light but that the naturall light sufficeth to know God in a certain manner and to understand the will of God To the second thing I understand it may be answered that the Saints serve themselves in
their writings of the knowledge of good and evill in that of which it is capable in which thing it is also illustrated in them by the spirituall light And that they have renounced it and mortified it in that of which it is incapable that is in the justification by Christ in the reconciliarion with God in the regiment and government of the holy Spirit and generally in all celestiall things spirituall and divine I understand it indeed that the felicity would be much greater and the perfection of a man that the knowledge of good and evill were totally extinct and dead and the spirituall light were totally kindled and alive But I understand that the flesh passible and mortall is not a subject habilitated for so great felicity And I understand that this shall be after the resurrection when it shall have obtained impassibility and immortality in the mean space it is necessary that the Saints should serve themselves of the knowledge of good and evill and of the naturall light because they converse and deale together with men who serve themselves of the selfe same science and of the selfe same light following in that the counsell of Christ be you wise as serpents Mat. 20. and that which S. Paul saith be you wise in understanding 1. Cor. 14. Here two things offer themselves unto mee The first that because the knowledge of good and evill the Naturall light Prudence and Humane reason are in a man through his disobedience of God and are of the state of depravation it comes to passe that this science this light and this prudence never give man true felicity nay rather as Solomon affirmes As the science the light and wisdome increase the affliction the anguish and the griefe increase and therefore felicity decreaseth The second that considering that Adam before he had the knowledge of good and evill was not ashamed to stand naked and after he had the knowledge of good and evill was ashamed and cloathed himselfe I come to understand that whilest a man hath the spirituall light and serves himselfe thereof he knowes no defect in any of the workes of God nor doth pretend to correct and moderate them And whilest he hath the knowledge of good and evill and serves himselfe thereof he knowes defects in the workes of God and pretends to correct and amend them such is the arrogancy of the men who glory to have the knowledge of good and evill to have much naturall light much prudence and much human reason And such likewise is the humility of the men which have the spirituall light who stand in the Kingdome of God standing by the faith of the Gospell incorporated in the Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. CVII In what manner from a man 's not knowing himselfe nor God there is caused in him an impossibility in accepting the Grace of the Gospell BY how much I set my selfe more profoundly to consider the benefit of Christ considering that it is in all and upon all them that accept it so much the more doe I marveile that all men run not after it and embrace it and set it in their hearts there being offered unto them by way of guiâ—…t the remission of their sinnes the reconciliation with God and consequently immortality and life with Christ And having set my selfe many times to consider whence it may proceed that all they who have knowledge of this most singular grace doe not accept it I have understood that it proceeds from a man 's not knowing neither himselfe nor God And in effect it comes to passe that man not knowing in himselfe the impiety and the malignity and the rebellion which are naturall to him through originall sinne he doth not distrust himselfe to be able of himselfe to satisfy God to be just before God In the selfesame manner it comes to passe that man not knowing in God bounty mercy and fidelity doth not trust in God and so cannot perswade himselfe nor secure himselfe in his minde that the justice of Christ appertaines to him that God accepts him for just by reason of that which Christ suffered And if a man knew himselfe considering himselfe impious malignant and rebellious not onely of himselfe but for being as he is the son of Adam he would distrust himselfe to be able of himselfe to justify himselfe And if he knew God knowing in him bounty mercy and fidelity he would easily trust himselfe of him accepting the pardon which the Gospell offers him and so much the more as knowing himselfe it would not seem strange to him that God should pardon him without his proper merit the evills inconveniences wherein he knowes himselfe to have fallen partly without his own proper fault and partly with his own proper fault bred and derived from that of others with which as I understand David excused his sinne saying behold J was shapenin in wickednesse c. whence I understand that as it is impossible that a man not knowing himselfe nor knowing God should accept the grace of the Gospell and should secure himselfe with it so it is impossible that a man knowing himselfe and knowing God should pretend or thinke to justify himselfe by his own proper workes nor to avoid the evill not to apply himselfe to the good And if one shall say unto me How then did the Hebrew Saints who knew themselves and knew God pretend to Iustify themselves with the sacrifises which the law commands I will answer that the Hebrew saints did not place their iustifications in their sacrifices but in the word of God which promised to pardon them they making those sacrifices And here I understand that here it was much more difficult to the Hebrew saints because they knew themselves and knew God to reduce themselves and to hold themselves for iust sacrifising then it is for the Christian saints who know themselves and know God to reduce themselves and to hold themselves for iust believing and accepting the grace of the Gospell in as much as it is most certain that the Hebrew saints in sacrifising knew that they gave unto God that which they themselves out of their naturall inclination did delight to give him and that which they knew is not pleasing in it selfe or for it selfe nor contents God as is approved by many things which we read in the old holy Scripture and is particularly in the Psalmes and Isaia And in as much also as it most certain and true that the Christian Saints believing know that they give unto God that which by their naturall inclination they would not give and that which God delights and would should be given unto him as is approved by all the Scripture Whence I take this resolution that the men who in the time of the Gospell pretend to iustify themselves working give testimony of themselves that they know not themselves neither know God That they who pretend to be iust believing give testimony of themselves that they know themselves