GOD fiue wayes â—joâ—r mâ—in Re. cap. 1. First by naturall reason for as the Orator observeth there is no Nation so savage or barbarous which doth not acknowledge a GOD Nature dictating this unto them Secondly by consideration of the creatures for herein is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is written that which may be knowne of God is manifest in them Rom. 1.19 for God hath shewed it unto them Thirdly by working of miracles for he onely can produce an effect aboue the power of Nature as the sweet singer of Israel noteth Psal 72.18 Blessed be the Lord God even the God of Israel which onely doth wondrous things Fourthly God maketh himselfe knowne unto us by infusion of grace enlightning us with the knowledge of him by his Spirit for it is written The Spirit searcheth all things 1. Cor. 2.10 even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the deepe things of God Lastly by divinerevelation out of the canonicall Scriptures which are the mouth of God speaking unto man There he makes himselfe knowne that he is the creator of all things that he is most good and gracious that he is loving to every man and that his mercy is over all his workes There we reade those words of joy and consolation which are so pleasant to our taste yea sweeter than honey or the honey-combe St. Ambrose ravisht with the delight he found in the greene gardens of the Scriptures saith Amb. ep 31. lib. 4. ep Nunc deambulat in paradiso Deus cum divinas scripturas lego When I reade the divine Scriptures God is walking up and downe in paradise CHAP. VIII Of the Knowledge of God by affection and not bare apprehension onely BY the heavenly Oracles in GODS Booke we learne to know that GOD is one in nature and essence but three in personall subsistence The Father the Sonne the Holy Ghost And they are distinguished by personall properties called opera quoad intra the inward workes of the blessed Trinitie So the Father begetteth the Sonne is begotten the Holy Ghost proceedeth from them both We distinguish them also per opera quoad extra by their outward workes when wee say the Father createth the Sonne redeemeth the Holy Ghost sanctifieth Although to speake properly all outward workes extending to the creatures are wrought by all the three persons but after a different manner of working All this theologicall knowledge of God may be found in them who are altogether imperfect For it is not the knowledge of bare apprehension which addeth true spirituall perfection to the soule for this is to be found in evill Angells and wicked men But it is the knowledge of affection and affiance Bern. de con sid li. 5 â—a 3 or as Saint Bernard speakes the knowledge of faith whereby we beleeue in God loue him and delight in him In which sense our Saviour saith This is eternall life Iohn 17.3 that they might know thee the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent And the Evangelicall Prophet Esay prophecying of Christ Esay 53.11 By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall beare their iniquities CHAP. IX Of the knowledge of God in Christ FRom the precedent discourse we learn by the testimony of Christ and the Prophet Esay that the most excellent knowledge of God tending to perfection and salvation is to know him in Christ Iesus To wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them Here we see God not as a law-giver upon his throne of Iustice propounding unto us the covenant of works but as a Saviour sitting on the mercy-sear making with us a new covenant the covenant of grace and peace in Christ This knowledge is the very life of our soules and joy of our hearts which constrained the Trumpet of grace to say I halip 3.8 Yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Iesus my Lord. We do behold the glory of the Deitie through the vaile of Christs humanitie Col. 2.9 for in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily Therefore said Christ to Philip Iohn 14.9 He that hath seene mee hath seene the Father and he himselfe giues the reason hereof in another place saying Iohn 10.30 Aug. in Psal 138. I and the Father are one Hence is it that St. Augustine saith Lucerna sapientiae caro Christi the flesh of Christ is the lanterne of wisedome And doest thou now O sorrowfull sinner desire to know thy Saviour Iesus to finde him out and see him whom thy soule loueth and so longeth after Behold he is in the flowrie gardens of the Scriptures Ibi pascit ibi cubat in meridie there he feedes there he rests at noone day there he shewes himselfe the same yesterday and to day and for ever From thence he graciously invites thee to seeke him and calleth unto thee saying Iohn 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of me As if he should haue said O yee carelesse children O yee foolish ones why wander yee in the crooked paths of sinne and death why rather come yee not unto mee If yee would not erre loe I am the way if yee would not be deceived loe I am the truth if yee would not die behold I am the life For I am the way thâ— truth and the life Iohn 14.6 Aug. in Ioantract 22. Nonest quò eas nisi ad me non est quà eas nisi per me there is no whither for you to goe but unto me there is no way for you to goe by but by me O come unto me then Come unto me all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will giue you rest Take my yoke upon you and learne of me for I am meeke and lowly in heart and yee shall finde rest unto your soules For my yoke is easie and my burden is light CHAP. X. Christs Incarnation SEeing Christ doth so graciously invite and call us to him let us earnestly desire to know him that we may be united to him and made conformable to his image and so perfected in him For as St. Augustine saith Aug. in praefat in Psal 54. Christus perfectio nostra est in illo enim perficimur quoniam ipsius capitis membra sumus Christ is our perfection In him we are perfect because we are members of him the head Now the first thing we are to know concerning our Saviour Iesus Christ is his Incarnation or assuming of our nature in the wombe of the Virgin Which St. Ambrose calleth Sacramentum incarnationis Amb. in Symbot the Sacrament of his Incarnation the first visible foundation of our redemption A mysterie kept secret and hidden from the world from men and Angells untill it was revealed to the blessed Virgin Marie by the message of an Angell And then
who is the resurrection and the life And therefore as by the will of the Father Rom. 4.25 He was delivered to death for our sinnes so he was also raised againe for our justification Here you see that our most gracious and mightie Redeemer was as Gorran saith Pugil in morte victor in resurrectione Gorran in Ro. cap. 1. a Champion in his death a conquerour in his resurrection For now He triumphed over the graue and death declaring to the world to men and Angells that he was perfectly just otherwise he could never haue risen unto Glory had he beene uncleane had he beene any way polluted and defiled with sinne for into the heavenly Ierusfalem such shall in no wise enter Yea He rose againe for our justification to shew himselfe a justifier of all that beleeue in him to shew that he had taken away their sinnes the wages wherof is death that so they might at the last day rise againe unto eternall life The resurrection and glorification of our Lord Iesus Christ August desurrect dom Cant. Allelujah according to St. Austine doe shew what life we are to receiue when he shall come to render digna dignis evill to the evill and good to the good then all the members of his mysticall body shall rise up in Him their head and so liue ever with him Fulgent serm de dupl nativ Christi for as Fulgentius saith Resurgens è sepulcro fecit nos participes vitae suae by rising out of the sepulchre He made us partakers of his life And we know as the Scripture teacheth us 2 Cor. 4.14 that He who raised the Lord Iesus shall raise up us also by Iesus And when Christ Coloss 3.4 who is our life shall appeare then shall we appeare also with Him in glorie CHAP. XIII Christs Intercession WHen the sonne of God had suffered his most dolorous and bitter agony on the Altar of the Crosse when he had victoriously triumphed over the graue in his most glorious resurrection He ascended upon high and led captivity captiue and is set on the right hand of God continually making intercession for us there he ever presents unto the Father his humane nature wherein He died and rose againe and performed so great things for us there we sinners haue an Advocate with the Father 1 Iohn 2.1 even Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes whereupon St. Augustine saith Aug. in Psal 94. Sacerdotem si requiras supra caelos est interpellat prote qui in terra mortuus est prote if thou require a Priest He is aboue the Heavens He maketh intercession for thee who on earth died for thee Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth Rom. 8. v. 33.34 it is Christ that died yea that is risen agaìne who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us What greater comfort and consolation haue we in our pilgrimage than to know and beleeue that the Lord Iesus is our most faithfull Advocate who intercedeth for us day and night who as St. Ambrose speakes Amh. in ca. 8. ad Rom. Semper causas agit nostras apud patrem perpetnally pleades our causes before the Father Who as the Apostle saith maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God He onely intercedeth for all Saints and none of all the Saints intercede for him So he is our onely true perfect Mediatour He intercedes with the Father for us merito suo by vertue of his owne merit The Saints on earth intercede for others but merito Christi through Christs merit for all their holy requests for others all their pious intercessions are offered upon the Golden Altar and doe sweetly ascend up unto the throne of grace Apoc. 8.3 per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum through Iesus Christ our Lord. CHAP. XIIII Our union with Christ WHat will it availe us to know the merit of Christs death the power of his resurrection the benefit of his intercession unlesse we participate of so great blessings But participate of them wee cannot unlesse we haue communion with Christ unlesse we be of him and in him as the branches are in the Vine unlesse we be members of his bodie flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones And this is a great mysterie concerning Christ and the Church Eph. 5.32 which to understand in some measure is most necessary but to haue a spirituall sense and feeling of it is even an unspeakeable fountaine of joy and consolation As we are of and in Adam by nature so are we of and in Christ by grace And Christ who cannot be had by portions is whole in the whole Church and whole in every faithfull member of the Church And thus he communicates himselfe unto us by his Spirit for the same Spirit which giveth life unto the Head quickeneth and enliveneth the members also for if any haue not the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8.9 he is none of his and therefore in Iohn 14.19 he saith to his Apostle Because I liue yee shall line also And all this proceeds from our union with him which he insinuateth in the twentieth verse following At that day shall yee know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you This holy Spirit whereby wee are united to Christ is the seede whereby we are borne of God and the sonnes of God Because yee are sonnes saith the Apostle God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father Obscuro For our spirituall subsisting in Christ is correspondent to his personalitie and subsistence whereby he is the Sonne of God So in him we also are the sonnes of God He is such by nature we onely through him by adoption and grace Hence is it that St. Peter saith We are partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 which is communicated to all the three subsistences in the blessed Trinitie and consequently to the Sonne and in him to us This Christ prayed for and was heard in that he requested and desired for the faithfull in those words That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us Iohn 17.21 And St. Iohn intimateth as much saying Truely our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ 1 Iohn 2.3 Entreating here of the union of the Church with Christ I was drawne to speake of our adoption through Christ For by one and the same Spirit we are adopted in Christ and united unto him He unites himselfe to us by grace we are united to him by faith And so the whole person of the faithfull is united to the whole person of Christ first to his flesh then through his flesh to the Word which was made flesh And this union is wrought after
we that dath righteousnesse is borne of him and in the same Eplistle He that doth righteousnesse is righteous as He is righteous In this fense the Trumpet of grace teâ—â—eth the Law the Law of righteousnesse saying of the Iewes Rom. 9.31 〈◊〉 Israel which followed after the Law of righteousnesse hath not attained unto the Law of righteousnesse So God by Ezechiel Ezech. 18.20 The righteousnesse of the righteous shall be upon him and after speaking of the reformed penitent vers 22. In his rightenousnesse that he hath done he shall liue Where he implies all duties of obedience injoyned in the Law to be the way unto life according to that of Moses Levit. 18. â—â— He that doth them shall line in them CHAP. XXIII Of the nature of inherent righteousnesse AS the will of man was depraved and became imperfect through the losse of originall righteousnesse in the state of innocency so it must be in some measure perfected by inherent righteousnesse beforeman be fitted and prepared to passe from the stare of grace unto the state of glorie Inherent righteousnesse called sometimes by Divines regeneration or renovation or inchoation of a new life in us is a supernaturall gift and singular endowment powred into our hearts by God through the operation of his Spirit And by meanes of this habituall endowment wee are inclined and disposed to doe well to obey Gods will to doe those things that are just to be fruitfull in good workes and to worke all righteousnesse And so by degrees we haue Gods image renewed in us and put on the coate which Adam put off for by this meanes wee put on that new man which after God is created in right cousnesse and true Holinesse Ephes 4.24 Now by this righteousnesse we are truely and really just though imperfectly and it is called our owne righteousnesse to distinguish it from the imputed righteousnes of Christ Iesus which is every way most perfect and absolute The chosen vessell of mercie calls it our owne righteousnesse Zanch. in cap. 3. ad Philop. And this he doth as Zanchic observeth for two causes First because it is really and truely infused into our hearts of God by his Spirit and so is made ours Secondly because the actions of pietie equitie temperance and all righteousnesse flowing from it are performed by us For God by his grace giues us a will and desire to serue him and feare him and to doe righteously but it is we that will and desire it is we that serue God and feare him and doe the workes of righteousnesse CHAP. XXIIII Of the fruit of inherent Iustice IF we would goe on still unto perfection we must bring forth the fruit of inherent justice we must walke in the way of actuall righteousnesse and be ever found in the practise of vertue and exercise of good workes we must not suffer the heavenly fire enkindled in our hearts to goe out and die but blow it up daily by vertuous operations and actions Habituall righteousnesse is that roote of grace the branches whereof are holy desires and endeavours and the fruits growing on them are good workes wherein wee must labour to abound that so as St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 1 1â— An abundant entrance may be ministred unto us into the everlasting kingdome of our Lord and Savlour Iesus Christ Now as we see the Rose growing on the branches and crop it for the fragrant smell and other uses but the roote in the ground is hid and wee see it not So the roote of righteousnesse is hid in the heart and seene onely of God who onely is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the understander of the heart before whom all things are naked and bare even the thoughts of men and Angells but the fruit of good workes is seene of men and is profitable to the doers and to them that see them Yea by them we are declaratorily justified before men and reputed just in the judgement of the Church as Zacharie and Elizabeth were in the Synagogue Act. 1.6 For this cause our blessed Saviour stirreth up and exhorteth his Disciples to the practise and exercise of good workes Math. 5.16 saying unto them Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heaven If wee be living branches abiding in thetrue Vine let us giue eare unto the Vine saying unto us Joh. 15.7.5.8 I am the Vine and yee are the branches He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit And after Herein is my Father glorified that yee beare much fruit so shall you be my Disciples Here Christ insinuateth that if wee be in him we must bring forth fruit yea much fruit many good workes laying up in store for our selues a good foundation against the time to come 1 Tim. 6.18 that we may lay hold on eternall life We must not verbally only but really professe Christ we must not say Lord Lord but doe what he bids us Marcus Aurelius observeth that the old Greekes were wont to speake much Mar. Auret cap. 8. and doe little but the ancient Romanes were wont to speake little and doe much Let not us Christians be like the talkatiue Grecians but the actiue Romanes let not us be good speakers and ill doers like unto the Philosopher in Gellius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. Gell. li. 17. cap. 19. factis procul verbis tenus all words and no deeds least we be no better than the figge treegrowing betweene Hierusalem and Bethany which bare leaues and no fruit and therefore was accursed of Christ It is not suitable to be called Christians and in our liues to imitate pagans Non sufficit nobis nomen Christianum Amb. in serm de ascen Dom. quod accepimus si non opera bona Christiani fecerimus saith St. Ambrose the name of Christian which we haue taken on us is not sufficient for us unlesse wee doe the good workes of a Christian What shall the name availe us without workes correspondent Nomenhabes factum non habes saith St. Augustine Aug. in 1. ep Ioan. c. 3. v. 17 thou hast the name but not the deede thou sayest well and doest ill thou wearest Christs liverie and vauntest of the cognisance of his name but indeede thou servest Satan and doest the workes of the Devill and doest the workes of the Devill and art unlesse thou repent to be ranked amongst those miserable for lorne hypocrites of whom St. Paul writes to the Bishop of Crete saying They professe they know God Tit. 2.16 but in workes they denie Him being abhominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate CHAP. XXV Of the nature and qualitie of good workes MAnuall Artists doe by a certaine rule trie and examine their worke whether it be right or wrong even so in Religion wee trie and examine our morall actions by the Law of GOD as an infallible rule
If they erre from this rule they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transgressions evill workes if they accord with the rule and are conformable to the morall Law they are so farre forth to be judged good workes Now in a good worke two things are remarkeable first as it is a worke secondly as it is good for as it is a worke it is from nature as it is good it is from grace and as it is a good worke both from nature and grace and all from God who is the onely author of nature and doner of grace God doth not onely giue us our being and preserue us in it but supports and sustaineth us by his concurrence in all our actions For he as universall and supreme agent hath his influence into all the actions and operations of inferiour agents so that in him we both liue and moue and haue our being and without him wee neither mooue nor worke wee can doe nothing yet in that by his concurrence wee immediatly doe this or that worke it is said to be from us but if it betruely good the goodnesse of it is immediatly from Gods grace working in us both to will it and to doe it of his good pleasure We must alwayes lay this for a ground that good workes must flow from the fountaine of faith without which it is impossible to please GOD Omne etenim pietatis opus Prosp in Epigram nisi semine recto exoritur fidei peccatum est Everie pious worke is sinne if it grow not out of the right seede of faith In the next place wee are to consider that the goodnesse of a morall act depends of two things First the object secondly the circumstances Pet. Soto de instit sac part 2◠lect 4◠The object is some dutie of obedience commanded in the Law the circumstances are the end time place c. but the chiefest is the end intended for this according to Aquinas doth qualifie and specifie the act for actus exterior saith he informatur ex voluntate Aqui. in Rom. ca. 14. lect 2◠Rom. 2.14 the outward act is formed by the will that is intending such an end Now when the Gentiles which haue not the Law doe by nature the things conteined in the Law their works are morally good in respect of the object But because they intend not Gods glorie but their owne they faile in the circumstance their intention is evill and consequently their workes Whereupon St. Augustine considering that they neither proceeded of faith nor aimed at the right end remoues all goodnesse from them saying Aug. praesas in Psal 31. Vbi fides non erat bonum opus non erat bonum enim opus intentio facit intentionem fides dirigit where there was no faith there was no good worke for intention makes the worke good and faith directs the intention And after Non valde aspicias quid facit homo sed quid cum facit aspiciat Doe not greatly obserue what a man doth but what he aimeth at when he doth it And indeed heathens and hypocrites doe good works quoad genus operis but not quoad intentionem mandantis they doe the worke conteined in the Law but not according to the intention of the Commander who intendeth his owne glorie And so their workes although they seeme glorious and specious to men yet are they but like an earthen pot guilded over which seemes gold and is not or like grapes curiously painted on the wall which the birds flie to but cannot feede on them Sunt opera saith St. Augustine Aug. in Ioan. tract 25. quae videntur bona sine fide Christi non sunt bona quia non referuntur ad eum finem ex quo sunt bona there be workes which seeme good without faith in Christ and are not good because they are not referred to that end whereby they are good Hence is it that according to that trite and usuall distinction both the works of pagans and hypocrites are deemed good sesundùm substantiam actus non secundùm modum requisitum in regard of the substance of the act but not in regard of the manner requisite to such an act For to honour their parents to relieue the poore and such like may be good in the substance of the act and yet come short in the circumstance and faile in the manner Whereas we know that God lookes not so much to our doing as to our well-doing and as it hath beene observed by Divines Flor. Granat parte 6. ca. 4. Deus non tam remunerat verba quà m adverbia God doth not so much reward verbs as adverbs not so much doing as well-doing Rom. 2.7 for as the Apostle saith He will render to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seeke for honour and glorie and immortalitie eternall life Moses said unto the house of Israell Deut. 6.25 it shall be our righteousnesse if we obserue to doe all these Commandements before the Lord our God as he hath commanded Not onely that which he hath commanded us but in such manner as he hath commanded For that which is good loseth the beautie and glory of the goodnesse of it when it is not done after a good manner Men spend a part of their life idely doing nothing another part carelesly in doing that which concernes them not and another part wickedly in doing ill But wee that are Christians must endeavour to spend all our dayes in doing well and striue to imitate our gracious Saviour of whom it is said Mark 7.37 He hath done all things well The sonne of Amos exhorteth us to learne this lesson saying Cease to doe evill learne to doe well Esa 1.16 17. And the Lord God himselfe in the beginning of times said unto Cain the second man in the world If thou doest well shalt not thou be accepted Gen. 4.7 if thou doest not well sinne lieth at the doore O let us then be diligent in well-doing painfull labourers in Christs Vineyard let us be fruitfull in good workes committing the keeping of our soules unto God in well-doing as unto a faithfull creatour CHAP. XXVI That no man by his owne righteousnesse keepeth the Law and is without sinne THe morall Law is a rule of obedience telling us what we ought to doe not teaching us what we are able to doe As long as wee are in this bodie of death the remainder of the old Adam the part unregenerate Galat. 5.17 the flesh fighteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh So that wee cannot doe what we would and consequently wee cannot keepe the Law as we would Upon this unavoidable Supposition I may conclude that it is a vaine and needlesse speculation to dispute of mans possibilitie to keepe the Law and so to be without sinne if he will And thus much St. Hierome intimates Hieron li. 1o. adv Pelag. Posse hominem esse sine peccato si velit aut verum est aut
Iesus Christ to him be glorie both now and for ever Amen CHAP. XXX What perfection of inherent righteousnesse is attainable in this life MOst absolute and infinite perfection of righteousnesse is onely in God who is that light in whom there is no darknesse at all of whom the sweet singer of Israel could say Psal 145.17 The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his workes But that righteousnesse which is in man is finite and limited and such is all the perfection he can attaine in it and both accrew unto him by participation from him who is the fountaine of righteousnesse and perfection Now that perfection compatible to man Aquin. in Phil. cap. 3. lect 2. is two-fold first Viae secondly Patriae the first incident to man in the state of grace whilst he is as yet a way-faring pilgrim and stranger on earth the second belonging to man when he comes into his heavenly Country and is a member of the triumphant Church in the state of glorie What perfection of righteousnesse wee may attaine in the way of this life wee are now to enquire of and in searching it out wee shall finde all our perfection attended with much imperfection Haec hominibus sola perfectio si imperfectos esse se noverint Heron. adv Peti li. 1o. This is the onely perfection in men if they acknowledge themselues imperfect But how shall we know and acknowledge our selues imperfect but by finding out in our selues the defect and want of those things whereby we should be perfected and by what other meanes can wee possibly be perfected than by knowing God and beleeving in God and loving God and obeying God For by such knowledge faith charitie and obedience Christian perfection is attained But alas as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13.9 wee know in part and so wee beleeue in part and loue God in part and obey him in part St. Gregorie therefore knits the foure linkes of this chaine by the first and the last with a tantò quantò saying tantò quis operatur quantò Deum noverit Greg. in Ezek. hom 22. so much as wee know God so much wee obey him in our workes such as our knowledge is of him such is our obedience to him such is our righteousnesse and hereupon St. Iohn saith Hereby wee know 1 Iohn 2.3 that wee know him if wee keepe his Commandements Now wee cannot keepe his Commandements unlesse wee loue him for this is the loue of God 1 Ioh. 5. v. 3. that wee keepe his Commandements and wee cannot loue him unlesse we beleeue in Him Gal. 5.6 for faith worketh by loue and we cannot beleeue in Him unlesse wee know him and can say with the Apostle Scio cui credidi 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I haue beleeved That wee may be perfect wee must haue perfection two wayes Aquin. in Heb cap. 5. lect 2. saith Aquinas First secundùm intellectum in our understanding by being able to discerne and judge aright of things secondly secundùm affectum in our affection by charitie cleaving wholy to God For charitie is in a sort of as large extent as inherent righteousnesse being the fulfilling of the Law the mother of obedience and every good worke We are perfect in that wee haue faith hope and other vertues truely in some measure but in that we haue them not in full measure we are imperfect and so our perfection though true is still imperfect St. Paul said of himselfe he was not perfected Phil. 3.12 after in the fifteenth verse he calles himselfe perfect Fulg. de praedestin ad Monimum li. 10. Whereupon Fulgentius saith of him He was perfect by expectation of reward imperfect through wearisomenesse of the combat Hee was perfect in that with his minde he served the Law of God he was imperfect in that with his flesh he served the Law of sinne Thus it was in the chosen vessell of mercy much more in us in whom all our perfection is ever attended with many imperfections CHAP. XXXI Of perfect righteousnesse in this life more punctually and plainly AS all the lines in a Circle passing from the Circumference through the mediate meete in the Center So all the righteous workes of the Saints proceeding from grace through faith are terminated and meeâ—e in the Center of Gods glorie 1 Cor. 10.31 according to that precept of the Apostle Doe all to theglorie of God and surely to doe so is true perfection Now every thing is perfect saith Aquinas Aquin. in Philip cap. 3. lect 2. in such sort as it doth adhere to the perfection thereof but our ultimate perfection is God and his glory now to referre all our actions totally and actually to God and his glorie is perfectio patriae the perfection of our heavenly Countrie and not to be found in any man on earth saue in Christ onely who in the dayes of his flesh was both Viator and Comprehensor both in the state of grace and state of glory But Aquin. â—bâ— supra as Aquinas saith againe to apply our hearts in nothing unto that which is against God and referre our whole life habitually unto God is perfectio viae that perfection of us way-faring pilgrims ☞ ad quam omnes tenentur ex necessitate salutis whereunto all are bound upon necessitie of salvation No man doth actually referre his whole life unto God and his glorie Eccles 7.20 James 3.2 for there is noman just an earth which doth good and sinneth not and in many things wee all offend David and St. Peter and other holy men of God had their faults and errors and yet were habitually righteous therefore remarkeable is that excellent observation of St. Ambrose Divina justicia Denitune justi ☞ Ambr. in Luc. cap. 1. ex mantir habitu non aliquo factor 〈…〉 God 〈…〉 measare the 〈◊〉 of the righteous by 〈…〉 minde not by some event of workes 〈…〉 none could be righteous none would 〈…〉 none could expect the reward of glory it is the triumphant Church which is all faire and there is no â—â—â—â—â—ish in hen There fore howsoever the perfectists conâ—â—â—iue of it it is most true which St. Augustine writeth Aug. de eccl dogm cap. 85. Nullus sanctus justus caret peceato thee tamen hoc desinit esse sanctus justus 〈…〉 no just and holy man is 〈…〉 sildae never the lesse he doth nick cease to be holy and just seting in affection he retaines sanctitis So that still a man may be habitually righteous who is not without all error and actuall prevarication To loue and affect holinesse is a degree of holinesse as to desire and endeavour to be perfect is a degree of perfection according to that in St. Bernard Bern. ad Garin Abb. ep 254. Studere perfectioni perfectio est to study to be perfect is perfection Luther writes of one Staupitius a godly learned man that he vowed a
enigmatically but then we shall know him with a perfect cleare Meridian knowledge we shall know him as we are knowne of him and as he is known of the Angels in Heaven The man which was called by the Lord Iesus in a Vision the man which was taken up into the third heaven and saw things not to be uttered hath revealed this unto us in those words 1 Cor. 13.12 Now we see through a glasse darkly but then face to face now I know in part but then shall I know even as I and knowne Aquin. in 2 Cor. 3.18 What is knowledge but assimilatio cognoseentis ad cognitum a making of the subject knowing like to the object which is knowne So by knowing God perfectly we are made perfectly like unto him and being made perfectly like unto him we know him perfectly So the Virgin-Apostle and Prophet of the New Testament divinely argueth saying but wee know that when He shall appeare 1 Iohn 3.2 wee shall be like him for wee shall see him as he is As touching perfection in the will the estate of the Saints in heaven shall farre excell that of Adam in Paradise for he in his innocency there as St. Bernard notes Bern. de gra lib. arb had but an inferiour freedome Posse non peceare a power not to sinne whereas the glorified ones in heaven shall haue a superiour freedome Non posse peccare no power to sinne For they shall alwayes behold God the chiefe good the fountaine of good who maketh all them blessed who so behold him and that blessednes is such as includes all sufficient good and excludes all deficient evill from them that haue it Seeing they are now free Denizens and glorious Citizens of that holy Ierusalem whereof St. Gregorie saith Greg. in sept Psal paen in fine In eam nullus ingreditur impius nullus habitat iniquus nullus intrat immundus None that is ungodly goeth into it none that is unjust dwelleth in it none that is uncleane entreth into it There is no impietie no iniquirie no impuritie no evills no sinnes approach thither for as St. Prosper saith Nec peccata ibi ulla Prosp de vita contempl li. 1. cap. 4. nec peccatores erunt qui ibi fuerint jam peccare non poterint There shall neither be any sinnes nor sinners and they that shall be there shall now haue no power to sinne For they can will nothing but that which is good seeing they be now necessarily good not by any iron necessitie of compulsion or coaction for there is no such thing there but by a golden necessitie of immutabilitie which never altereth never changeth Such shall be the ineffable felicitie of the glorified Saints in heaven being now blessed with Angelicall perfection being made like unto the Angels in heaven God is righteous and therefore blessed wee are now unrighteous and therefore miserable but then being conformed to the image of God we shall be righteous and therefore blessed and consequently free from all miserie both in soule and bodie For whereas Adam had in this also Bern. de Gra. lib. Arb. an inferiour freedome Posse non turbari a power not to be troubled We shall then haue as St. Bernard noteth a superiour freedome a non posse turbari no power to be troubled to suffer any afflictiue misery whatsoever Our soules shall be free from any distemper passion and perturbation Aquin. in 1 Cor. cap. 15. lect 6. Our bodies shall be qualified with foure endowments like to the Sunne First claritie secondly agilitie thirdly subtilitie fourthly impassibilitie But what did I say like to the Sunne nay rather like to the sonne of God for we shall be like him in corporis gloria Ambr. in ca. 6. ad Roman non in divinitatis natura in the glory of his bodie not in the nature of his divinitie saith St. Ambrose For in the resurrection He will change us in a moment then as the Apostle teacheth us Phil. 3.21 He shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body So that we shall be free from all misery as he is free in his bodie Our senses and other faculties shall not be subject to any offence or hurt Our bodies shall no more be exposed to wounds maimes defects no distemper or paine no disease or infirmitie shall annoy them All tarditie and slownes of the mooving facultie shall be taken away for the bodie being now spirituall shall goe without any delay Prosp de vita contemp lib. 1. cap. 11. hindrance or difficultie Quecunque ire voluerit Spiritus angelicae beatitudinis aqualitate perfectus whither soever the Spirit will goe being perfect in equalitie with Angelicall blessednesse as St. Prosper saith Thus where the cause is taken away the effect must needs cease the evill of punishment shall alwayes be absent where the evill of sinne is never present For how is it possible that any miserie should be there where there is perfect charitie without dissimulation or hatred perfect peace without dissension or discord perfect health without languor or infirmitie where there is nothing but eternall happinesse and everlasting felicitie And the reason of all this is given by St. Iohn saying for the Lambe Revel 7.17 which is in the midst of the throne shall feede them and leade them unto living fountaines of waters and God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes CHAP. XXXIIII Of perfection by immortalitie in glorie THe first act of our essence is life without which wee haue no motion or sense no understanding willing or working Hereupon blessednesse which consisteth in act is properly ascribed to life and to that life which is eternall and immortall Many of the old Philosophers held immortalitie of the soule but not of the bodie that was an idle fancie grosse and absurd with them But we know by the Christian veritie and steadfastly beleeue that our bodies in the resurrection shall rise incorruptible and liue ever For although the bodies of reprobates shall me againe and liue ever Quead substantiam vivendi in respect of the substance of life yet quoad qualitatem vivendi in regard of the qualitie of life they being in perpetuall horror and torments are rightly said to perish and die eternally Aug. 〈◊〉 cap. 92. Seeing as St. Augustine saith Vera vita non est nisi ubi faliciter vivitur It is not true life but where there is an happie life Neither may it seeme strange that a body glorified should be immortall seeing the body of Adam in the state of innocency in that earthly Paradise was immortall For as St. Augustine affirmeth that the body of Adam before sinne was both mortall and immortall Aug. in Gen. ad lit lib. 6. cap. 25. mortall quia poterat mori because it had a power to die and immortall quia poter at non mori because it had a power not to die Adam no doubt
had temperamentum absolutè temperatissimum a temperament absolutely most temperate such as none but he and the Second Adam are supposed to haue yet that was not sufficient to immortalitie And therefore by Gods gracious indulgence he might freely feede on the tree of life by meanes whereof he might be preserved from decaying by age or any other cause and that through some naturall vertue in the tree or rather Gods blessing or both And thus Adam was mortall Aug. ubi suprd conditione corporis animalis by the condition of a naturall body but immortall beneficie conditoris by the benefit of his creator as St. Augustine excellently explaineth it If so be that Adam had not sinned yet fuisset mortalis he should haue beene mortall neverthelesse if he had not sinned Valles sacra Philos c. 6. fuisset nunquam moriturus he should never haue died as Vallesius aptly noteth So then no sinne Rom. 5.12 no death By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne Contrary to the heresie of Pelagius and Augustinus Steuchus a Pontifician of later times Whitak de not eccl ca. 7. If Adam then had not sinned he had not died but should haue beene immortall Immortalitateminori in qua posset mori Aug. Ench. cap. 105. with a lesser immortalitie wherein he had a power to die saith St Augustine-Quamvis major futura sit in qua non possit mori although a greater immortalitie be to come wherein he cannot die And this must be in Heaven in the state of glory where is no disobedience or sinne and consequently no death Rom. 6.23 for as the Apostle saith the wages of sinne is death Christ Iesus is our life Col. 3.4 both here in the kingdome of grace and there in the kingdome of glorie For He as head and fountaine of life communicateth life to all the members of his mysticall body He being the last Adam who was made a quickening Spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 enlivening us not onely with naturall sensitiue and rationall life as our Creator but also with spirituall life as our Redeemer and eternall life as our Glorifier Augustus the Emperour in Romani nominis aeternitatem natus borne to eternize the Roman name Onuph de imperat Com. cap. 4. according to Onnphrius was wont many times as Suetonius writes in his life to pray for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sueton. in vita Augusti cap. 99. for his friends and himselfe not immortalitie but aneasie death without paine But our blessed Saviour did not onely pray for but doth also giue unto his friends his my sticall members 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immortalitie for speaking of them his Sheepe Iohn 10.28 he saith I giue unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hands Our life consists in the knowledge and loue of Christ saith Aquinas we know Him Aquin. in Colost cap. 3. lect 1. and loue Him in this world in part and it is our spirituall life we shall know him and loue him in the other world perfectly and that will be eternall life As the first Adam brought death into the world so the second Adam abolishing death 2 Tim. 1.10 hath brought life and immortalitie to light Aug. in Ioan. tract 22. Who according to St. Augustine speaketh on this wise to thee Wouldst thou not erre I am the way Wouldst thou not be deceived I am the truth Wouldst thou not die I am the life Iohn 14.6 I am the way the truth and the life So may I say unto thee Wouldst thou not haue thy body perpetually detained under the power of darknesse and dominion of the graue Iohn 11.25 Loe He saith I am the resurrection and the life Beleeue on me let me be thy spirituall foode feede on me by faith for He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud bath eternall life and I will raise him up at the last day If Christ dwell in us now by faith spiritually Ephel 3.17 he will surely dwell in us hereafter by glory eternally and that after an admirable manner which now we know not 1 Iohn 3.2 For now we are sonnes of God saith St. Iohn but it doth not yet appeare what we shall be It is not here revealed unto us we are unworthy to know it we are unable to comprehend it Onely thus much we are taught out of the divine Oracles that in the stole of glorie we shall see God clearely face to face wee shall with unspeakeable joy and delight ever behold Him who is the blessed life of man saith St. Augustine Aug de civit Dei lib. 19. cap. 26. whom to behold is life and the life is eternall CHAP. XXXV Of different perfection in glorie SPirituall gifts and graces are diversly dispensed by Christ and given to the Saints on earth after a different manner For to every one is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Ephes 4.7 Thus much the Apostle instancing in some particular graces insinuateth touching faith the prime cardinall vertue he saith Rom. 12.3 6. God dealeth to every man the measure of faith and a proportion of faith and entreating of chastitie and continency he said Every man hath his proper gift of God 1 Cor. 7.7 one after this manner and another after that When as the Apostles said to our Saviour if the case was such it was not good to marry He answered them all men cannot receiue this saying Math. 19.11 Ambr. de voc gent. li. 2. c. 3. saue they to whom it is given Hereupon St. Ambrose saith Multis modis innumer abilibus differentijs gratia opera dona variantur inque ipsis singulis generibus muneruns dissimiles sunt gradus impares quantitates The gifts and workes of grace are varied after many manners and innumerable differences and in the severall kindes of gifts there be unlike degrees and unequall quantities Now as there are many different degrees of grace in the militant Church so there be also many different degrees of glorie in the triumphant Church Ambr. de bon mort cap. 11. according to that of St. Ambrose Erit or do diversus claritatis gloria sicut erit meritorum There shall be a different order of excellency and glory as there shall be of merits Hence it was that St. Augustine upon those words of Christ Aug. in Ioan. cap. 14. v. 2. in my Fathers house are many mansions saith they are diversae meritorum in una vita aterna dignitates diverse dignities of merits in one eternall life And St. Hierome saith Multae sunt mansiones apud patrem Hieren advers Pelag. li. 1. quia merita diversa there are many mansions with the Father because there are diverse merits Here note by the way that St. Ambrose St. Augustine St. Hierome and other of the ancient Fathers by merits so frequētly