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
to satisfie themselves I come to declare my selfe in this manner I say in this that I understanding by experience that suddenly whe◅ a man is called by God to the grace of the Gospell and enters into it and is incorporated in Christ and is therefore dead with Christ and risen with Christ he feels finds himselfe inwardly much changed in his designes and purposes in such manner that he hates that which he loved before loues that which he hated before I am of this opinion that Mortification and the hatred of the world of himselfe is the proper counter signe whereby a Christian knows himselfe to be the Son of God and therefore the heire of eternall life But I doe not understand that this mortification nor this hatred are at one throw ◅rfect and entire in the mind and in the body of a man who becomes the Son of God by acceptation of the Gospell and by incorporation in Christ. Nor doe I understand that they are perfect and entire no not in the minde only But I understand that the incorporation in Christ works this effect in a man who accepts the grace of the Gospell For as before he accepted it he delighted himselfe and reioyced with his minde and with his body in the honours in the dignities of the world seeking them and procuring them and keeping his intent principally on them neither tasting nor rejoycing of the principall and divine things nor having any intent unto them and therefore neither seeking nor procuring them so after that hee hath accepted them he hates in his minde that which he formerly procured and sought and loues that which before he despised and fled changing altogether his intent And albeit his body repugne and contradict being not as yet altogether mortified it sufficeth that his minde stands changed as much as concernes the intent conformable to his knowledge That which I say of men of the dignities of the world I say also of the delights and pleasures of the world understanding that as the man that accepts the grace of the Gospell before hee doe accept it is intent to seek and procure his pleasures and his contents delighting his sensuality and would if it were possible haue as many other corporall senses for to content and satisfie himselfe sensually in the use of the creatures and is grieved and resents himselfe when any of his corporall senses fayl him or are in any kinde marred so after he hath accepted the grace he doth not onely not attend to that which he formerly attended but on the cōtrary he is altogether intent to deprive himselfe of all that which may giue content and satisfaction to his sensuality and is grieved that he is necessitated to satisfie it in any thing for the sustentation of of his life therefore would be deprived of his five senses and rejoyceth when he finds himselfe deprived of any of them or findes himselfe with any defect in any of them All this I say a man begins to feel in himselfe suddenly as he accepts the grace of the Gospell becomming the Son of God And I say farther that as a man goes on growing in the incorporation in Christ so he goes growing in his Mortification in his hatred in quality and in quantity in quality hating every day more that which hee hath begun to hate because he knew it estranged from Christ and unworthy of a Christian person incorporated in Christ hating it likewise with his body as well as with his minde outwardly and inwardly as are the things which in themselves are foule and unclean which things also men will hate who with naturall light pretend to be iust and holy and in quantity hating much more those those things which he hath begun to hate For he begins the spirituall light being more cleare in him he going on more distinctly knowing the things which appertain to a Christian man and those things which doe not appertain to him he goes on hating more things first hating them with his minde and reducing himselfe by litle and litle to hate them also with his body and labouring that his hatred as well of the minde as of the body may goe on increasing in him And this is properly the exercise of a Christian man for the whole time of his life From all this discourse this is well gathered that the countersigne whereby I know that I am the son of God that I am dead on the Crosse with Christ is not the totall mortification the totall hatred of the world and of my selfe with my minde and with my body in all things but the ◅eginning of mortification and of the hatings and in some principall things when it is come without being procured or sought with humane industry and when it continues in the mind albeit the flesh the sensuality will seek and procure the contrary and albeit in that which is offered to it it rejoyceth and delighteth it selfe the minde standing free from that rejoycing and from that delight feeling displeasure and trouble in those things of which it is ◅orced through the frailty of the flesh to take more then is sufficient to supply to its corporall necessities in such manner as the body receives those things and not the minde a man feeling together with the satisfaction of his body affliction of the minde And in this that is for a man not to take more of the creatures then that which sufficeth to serue to his corporall necessities I understand cōsisteth that hatred which Christ wil that they who would be his members should beare to their proper life And I understand that S. Paul standing in this combate of his minde would not that his body should take more of the created things then that which sufficeth to maintain him aliue and his body would take more of them to satisfie and delight its sensuality Hee felt that which he wrote to the Romans Ch. 7. And since that went so with S. Paul which hee himselfe in that place saith and confesseth no Christian person is to esteem him selfe an alien from Christ nor from the Christian Sonneship because he feeles a livelinesse in his flesh and because he feels not in every thing and altogether the hatred of the world and of himselfe which it behoves him to have that he may be perfect but feeling part of this Mortification and of these hatreds as hath been said hee hath good cause to hold himselfe for the Son of God incorporated in Christ dead on the Crosse with Christ and to attend in such manner to mortification that it may so much grow that hee may become like to Iesus Christ our Lord who as S Paul saith Pleased not himself To him be glory for ever Amen CONSID. XCIII That that suffering is most Christian and most acceptable to God in which he that suffers finds least of his own will ALL that we suffer in this present life who attend unto Christian perfection whether in the body
being beloved of God for the great things which God hath done and doth for him that he also doing great things for God shall come to loue God greatly Furthermore I understand that the consideration of the great sinnes which God hath â—…doned us makes us to grow in the loue of God as the confideration of the great offences which we haue done when wee doe not feel the pardon makes us to grow in hatred Furthermore I understand that the services which those persons who are governed by the spirit of God doe to God are not done to satisfie the Obligation with which they were born neither are they done as humane wisdome instructs and as humane Philosophy teacheth pretending piety thereby to oblige God either to the intent that he should pardon their offences or that hee should loue them but properly to binde themselues to loue God more and every day more to encrease in the loue of God Furthermore I understand that the services unto which the holy Spirit applies these persons are to disenamour them of themselues and of the world and to enamour them of God and of those persons that loue God And I understand that then a man disenamours himselfe of himselfe when he depriues himselfe of all those things which may giue or cause unto him outward satisfaction in any kinde whatsoever And then as I understand he disenamours himselfe of the world when he takes away apparts from his minde all thought to satisfie please the world in things of the world and when any occasion offers it selfe he puts this deliberation in effect And then I understand it a man affectionates himselfe to God and to the persons that loue God when hee applies himselfe with his minde unto them when by service and benefits he doth oblige himselfe to loue them doing unto them that which he would doe unto God himselfe if he saw him to haue need of his service accordingly as David saith he himselfe did Ps. 16. And furthermore that to suffer for Christ and for the confession and manifestation of the Gospell of Iesus Christ doth aboue all things enamour them of God and Christ that so suffer â—…nd I understand that in their own suffering loue doth in great part deprive them of the sense of that which they suffer And withall this I understand that without comparison the love which God beares a pious and just man however sorry a one and imperfect hebe is much greater then that loue which a pious and just person however much perfect he be beares to God even as a good Father more loues a son however sorry a one he be then a son however good he be loue his Father and because this is so it is no marviel if they who be such live with much security that neither in this present life any thing shall be fall them that shall be evill for them nor that that felicity which is promised to them that are pious just shall be wanting unto them in the life everlasting knowing the particular Providence of God and they are just accepting the justice of God executed on Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXV In what sort pious persons are moved to put in execution the justice of God AVery great part of Christian piety as I understand consisteth in this that a man should never dispose of himselfe neither in effect putting his own will in execution nor saying in his thought This would bee well for me if so bâ—…he haue not some evident signe of the will of God in such sort that when the state wherein he findes himselfe the place or the manner of living shall become wearisome to him and there shall come thoughts into his minde saying This or that thing would fit me well he should presently say But what know I if this would bee good for me God is he who knows what is good and since he knows it to him I remit my selfe that he should set me in it and in the mean space I will belieue that that which is best for me is to continue in the state wherein I am With this resolution a man condemnes the judgement of humane wisdome and reason and renounceth his naturall light and enters into the kingdome of God remitting himself to the regiment and goverment of God Furthermore I understand that albeit to some Saints of the old Testament and to others of the new God hath manifested his will as it were by words the common language with which God speakes to the pious is to put it into their hearts that which they should doe and afterwards to necessitate them to doe it or to facilitate the execution thereof in such sort that when a pious person shall feel himselfe moved to change his state place or manner of living or whatsoever other thing in which he shall be doubtfull whether it be a motion of the spirit or of the flesh if on the other part he shall see himselfe necessitated to put it in execution or shall find much facility in executing it he shall take it that God declares his will unto him by this meanes and holding that demonstration for a sufficient token of Gods will he shall not doubt to put it in execution If he shall haue the will but neither the necessity nor the facility he shall keep himselfe quiet and if so be he shall haue the necessity or the facility and not the will he shall likewise abide quiet saying If this be the will of God he will put it into my will that I should put it in execution In this hee shall so much more assure himselfe in as much as I understand it and hold for certain and firm God is so jealous of them that attend to this piety that even then when they are so much sollicited by sensuall appetites and by humane affections that they come to desire the execution God himselfe hinders them to the intent they should not come to deprave themselves except when he meanes to punish them letting them fall into that which they desire because they hold it a good thing for them as he chastised David in the case of Bersabe this chastisement is very terrible which as I understand it doth not consist in the Execution of that thing which a man desires but in the knowledge of the inconvenience wherein he findes himselfe to bee fallen after the Execution In these like cases also pious persons know the will of God but it is that will of his which is with wrath and with fury and so they doe confirme themselves in the deliberation to think that nothing befits them but that in which they finde themselves to stand attentive to heare the language of God when he moves the will and facilitateth and necessitateth the Execution thereof With which language I understand that God also speaks unto the impious as hee spake to Nebuchadnezzar and as he spake to Darius and Cyrus and as he spake to Titus and Vespasian But there is
considered foure countersignes whereby spirituall persons may discover whether he that comes unto them comes called of God or comes on his own designes being called by his own proper loue I would say whether he that despising that false religion which the men of the world follow would apply himselfe unto that true religion which the sonnes of God follow comes freed from the deceipt by his own wisdome and by his own humane reason or purely by the participation of the holy spirit For as I understand they who come to bee freed from the deceit of false religions by humane wisdome are alwaies impious and are pernitious to spirituall persons The first countersigne is The great affection to spirituall things being delighted in them and running after them with anxiety And I call spirituall things all those things which are properly of the holy spirit and are inward divine things such as are the reading of holy Scripture disâ—…urses of holy things continuall prayer and continuall adoration in the spirit that is for a man to bee contented with what ever God doth holding it for holy and for just and for good as much as the frailty of the flesh permits The second Countersigne is The totall abhorring of all those conversations and of all those readings of men and of books in which there is no part of the holy spirit to be seen For I understand that a man that hath truly tasted the conversation and the reading of those persons and of those books in which the holy spirit is cannot tast other men and other books and if hee doe rellish them it is a signe he hath not tasted those other The third Countersigne is To approue the things of the holy Spirit the conceits and the knowledges and the apprehensions that are obtained by the holy spirit and that with the minde and not with the wit Humane wisdome doth sometimes approue spirituall things not with the minde but with the wit and by opinion not by inward sense And I understand it that a man that hath the inward feeling doth easily know when one approves it with his minde or with his wit The fourth Countersigne is The Mortification of the minde and of the body of the minde in all the affections that are according to the world amongst which I put especially Curiosity in what way soever it come palliated and adorned and of the body in all the appetites that are according to the flesh Humane wisdome approues and teacheth mortification but however much it approue and teach it there never was yet nor never shall be man that without the Christian spirit I would say without remaining incorporated in Christ can obtaine it in such sort that it may not be easily discerned by him that shall in part haue got it by Iesus Christ our Lord. And therefore I resolve my selfe in this that pious and Christian persons may securely admit unto their conversation and acquaintance those men whom they shall see affectioned unto spirituall things drawn away and disenamoured from those things in which the holy spirit hath no part and those of whom they shall see the things of the holy spirit to be approved and in whom they shall see true mortification holding for certain that humane wisdome and humane craft sufficeth not to feigne nor to dissemble in all these things although it suffice for some of them even in this not altogether but in part And this part is easily discovered by pious persons and Christian to whom it appertaines to use the Serpentine wisdome in such sort that making use of these foure Countersignes they shall know those who come unto them making shew of sheep being indeed wolves and so doing they shall make use of that help which Iesus Christ our Lord gives CONSID. XLVIII That hee who prayes and workes and understands doth then pray worke and understand as hee ought when hee is inspired to pray to worke and to understand S. Paul in the 8 to the Romans understands that Prayer is one amongst those other things wherein in our weaknesses and infirmities wee are favoured of God and helped by the Spirit of God And so hee saith that we not knowing how to pray as wee ought the Spirit of God prayeth for us Whereby I understand that then holy Spirit prayes for us when it moves us and when it moves us to pray for then it prayes in us And I understand that he who prayes with the Spirit of God demands that which is the will of God and so hee doth obtaine what he will And he who praies with his owne Spirit demands that which is his owne will wherein consisteth the not knowing neither what nor how we ought to pray Mans minde is presumptuous and arrogant and not willing to yield that it knowes not what nor how it ought to pray saith I will crave of God that hee should doe his owne will and so I cannot erre and doth not consider that to pray in this manner comes because a man cannot choose and that peradventure it would not goe well with him nor is convenient that God should doe his will as it was not convenient for Ezekias when death was intimated unto him and that he doth not know how he shall content himselfe and conforme with the will of God But man not willing to give himselfe as overcome no not by this neither saith I will demand of God that he would cause that I should content my selfe with that which shall be his will and so I shall be sure to hit the marke and doth not consider that oftentimes it is better for a man not to content himselfe nor to conforme himselfe with Gods will as it was better for Hezekias and as it is better for those persons who grieving and resenting themselves for that which God doth come to re-acknowledge themselves and to know God and to humble themselves and to exalt God in such sort as will they nill they mans mind is forced to confesse that which S. Paul saith that we know not what nor how wee ought to pray And he who confesseth this understanding from the selfe same S. Paul that the Spirit of God praies for us and in us will apply himselfe to pray God that he would give him his Spirit to pray for him and in him When he that prayes by humane Spirit saith those words of the Pater noster Thy will be done albeit they be words spoken with the Spirit of God he doth not pray with the Spirit of God because hee doth not pray being inspired but taught And S. Paul doth not say That the holy Spirit teacheth us to pray but that he prayes by us and that hee prayes in us I will adde this That they who pray with their owne proper Spirit when they obtaine that which they demand in Prayer they feele in their minds a contentednesse mixed with pride and with selfe estimation and they who pray with the holy Spirit obtaining that which they demand
he shall giue it us through Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XLIX Whence it proceeds that humane wisdome will not attribute all things to God And in what manner they ought to bee attributed to him FOR three Causes I understand it men being deceived by the judgement of humane wisdome will not confesse that every thing comes from God The first is that they might not deprive themselues of the merits of their own good works understanding that they should depriue themselues of them when every thing should be attributed to God in as much as in their good works the goodnesse of God would be that which was to bee considered and not that of men The second Cause I understand is because men judging of Gods works with the selfesame judgement with which they judge their own proper works they hold that for evill in God which they would hold for evill in evill men And it seeming to them an evill and absurd thing to attribute any evill thing to God who is soveraignly good and is goodnesse it selfe they resolue that they will not attribute every thing to God The third Cause as I understand is because they think that if men believed that God did all things they would become dissolute in their lives licentious vitious and insolent and remisse in succouring helping and favouring their neighbours every man saying of himselfe if I liue ill it is because it pleaseth God that I should liue so and he himselfe when it so seems good to him will make me to liue well and saying of their neighbour if such a one be needy tribulated and afflicted it is because it so pleaseth God and when it shall please God that he should not be so he will draw him out of necessity and out of tribulation and out of affliction and therefore it is not necessary that I should meddle therâ—…with To these three Causes or reasons of humane wisdome I understand that a man may fully answer in this manner To the first that if men knew themselues they would know in themselues rebellion iniquity and sin and in their works self-selfe-loue and selfe-interest and so they would not pretend to obtain merit through their own works and not pretending it the first cause of impiety would be taken away in which they doe easily fall that are in the eyes of the world just and holy for they properly are those that seek Meritin their works From this inconveniency they are free who knowing the being and the nature of man renounce their own merits cleaving only to the justice of God executed in Christ. To the second Cause and reason it may bee answered that if so be it seem to men an absurd evill thing that God should harden the heart of Pharaoh making him to sin in not suffering the people of God to depart that God should command Shimei that he should sin by cursing David and that God should make them to sin to whom the Scripture saith he gaue the spirit of errour and that he should ordain that Judas should sin by selling Christ and that God should blinde them of whom S. Paul Rom. 1 speaks that they should fall into silthy and abominable sins And if like wise it seem an absurd evill thing to men that which God doth to many men in the world it is not because the things are in themselues absurd and evill but because they are works of the holy spirit and men judging with humane wisdome with which they cannot understand the divine secret that is in them come to judge falsely of them being herein towards God as rash men are towards their Princes judging evill of them when for the good goverment for the common profit they doe something which turnes to the dammage of some particular not considering nor peircing the intent which the Prince hath in such like things For if they did consider and understand they would judge well of those things and of the Princes that doe them I would say in the selfesame manner rash men because they understand not the intent which God hath in his works they judge them evill and then pretending piety they will not attribute them to God and if they did know and understand the intent that God hath in those things which they judge evill they would hold and judge them for good and so they would not come to deprive God of his particular providence in every thing And certainly if these men did consider that God hardning the heart of Pharaoh that he should sin not letting Gods people goe did pretend to illustrate his glory and to make manifest his power in favouring his people they would accompt the hardnesse of Pharaohs heart amongst the works of Gods mercy for as much as that which the people of God desired was thereby effected and this selfesame judgement they would make of the curses of Shimei and of Iudas his sâ—…lling Christ and of the sins of them of whom Saint Paul speaks in the first of the Romans and they would make the selfesame judgement in all the works of men not doubting to attribute them all unto God searching out the secret judgement that is in them even as pious persons search them out to whom it oft-times happens that they hold something of their own or others for an errour because they know not the intent that God hath in it And afterwards by time knowing the intent that God had in it they hold it for a very certain thing And to the selfe same persons it oftentimes befals that they hold a thing for well done which afterwards by tract of time they knew was ill done This sometimes happens to them when they stand not very attent to consider the judgements of God and sometimes because it doth not alwaies please God that they should understand that which he pretends in his works as peradventure it did not please him that Moses and Aaron should understand that which he pretended in the hardnesse of Pharaohs heart to the intent they should not cease to be very instant that he would let the people of God to goe out Whereupon it seems that mans piety consisteth in applying his minde to understand that which God pretends in his workes especially in those which seem absurd and evill and to venerate and approue those which hee doth not understand holding them all for holy just and good To the third cause and reason which men finde not to confesse that God doth all things it may be effectually by our own proper experience answered that those men who belieue hold for certain that God doth all things for this selfe same cause that they abide in this certainty are pious and iust and being pious and iust are in themselues most temperate and most modest and are towards their neighbours most mercifull most diligent and most liberall in as much as piety and iustice doe as well mortifie in them the appetites of sensuality that might make them vitious and insolent as
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
diligence which a man useth with intent to increase his estate his honour and his reputation and to conserve himselfe in that which he hath got In such sort as there are two parts of the Ambitious Affection the first to encrease the second to maintain Humane wisdome judgeth them free from the affection of Ambition who set an end to growing and in very truth they are free from a good part thereof Yet the other remains which is so much harder to leave by how much humane wisdome doth not know it nay rather judgeth them vile and of no worth that haue it not But the holy Spitit which knows it judgeth them ambitious which haue it will that they whom he governs should utterly leaue it renounce it and free themselves in such manner that they haue no intent to grow in the eyes of the world nor haue intent to conserve themselves although it require not of them that they should studiously and for their own phantasies doe things by which they should come to bee abased and diminished from that state of honour and reputation wherein they finde themselves contenting it selfe that they should reduce their mindes to increase decrease according as it shall be Gods will And it will also that together herewith they should employ themselues altogether in all things to augment themselves in the eyes of God and to conserve themselves in that wherein they shall be augmented And therefore to the pious Christian who ought to learne humility of Christ to reduce himselfe to be like unto Christ in his humility it appertaines to set an end to all ambition dispoyling himselfe of all affection and thoughts touching his advancement in the things of this world or touching his conserving himselfe in them thinking only to augment himselfe in the things of God Trusting Hoping Loving and procuring to conserve himselfe in that which he shall haue obtained touching Confidence Hope and Loue resolving himselfe that that which appertaines to him is to please God and them who are partakers of the Spirit of God and not the world nor those who follow the opinions and counsels of humane wisdome and doing so they shall become like our Lord Iesus Christ. CONSID. LIII In what manner the men of the world attending unto Honour are lesse vitious then attending unto conscience ALL men are generally maligne and perverse in so much as to walke amongst them is the same as to walk amongst Tygres and Lions and amongst Vipers and Serpents except only in as much as their furies and their outrages are tied by some chaines amongst which the chiefest and most strong are Honour in as much as pertaines to this present life and Conscience for the life to come I would say that the intent of the Honour of the world doth bridle some men that they are not so vitious nor so licentious in their living as they would be following their naturall inclination And some other men the feare of eternall punishment bridleth for they think if I doe this I shall offend God and he will chastise me with eternall punishment And this is the conscience in such manner that a man may say that all men who are not governed by the holy spirit are like many Lions that sta◅d chained that they should not doe harme but in such manner◅ as breaking the chaines with their fury they doe evill according to their naturall inclination in as much as the men that stand bound with these chaynes doe not evill nor are licentious but the chaines being broken with their fury and rage they doe evill according to their naturall inclination Whereupon considering that of these chaines with which men stand bound the strongest is the honour of the world in as much as a man doth more easily cast his conscience behind then his honor I come to understād that the men who attend unto the honor of the world because they are tyed with the stronger chayne are amongst the other men of the world the least vitious and least licentious partly by their own proper inclinations for being subject to the goverment of humane wisdome they doe much esteem Honour partly for respect of those persons with whom they take counsell who being partly themselves applyed to Honour and understanding it doe alwaies counsell rightly according to that which belongs to Honour which doth not so happen in conscience in as much as a man is not of himselfe inclined unto it either because he doth not believe more then he sees or because he doubts or because he puts himselfe upon the hazard and in as much as willing to be counselled in those things whereof he doubts he takes counsell with other men who neither are applied to conscience nor understand it and so cannot counsell rightly accorping to that which is due to conscience That this is true he shall clearly know whosoever shall come to examine himselfe finding it true that they doe more esteem Honour then Conscience and that they are more resolutely and more virtuously counselled in a businesse when they put it in a case of Honour then when they put it in a case of conscience And it may bee that the cause wherefore according as it is reported they liue lesse vitiously amongst the Infidels then amongst those who are called Christians is because they in most things attend unto Honour and these in many things attend unto Conscience Out of this generality I except regenerated men renewed by the holy spirit who without being bound with chaines liue modestly and temperately In this they are governed by the holy Spirit which is communicated unto them that belieue In whom this goverment is so powerfull that without being bound with any chayne for they feare not dishonour nor are of scrupulous conscience and yet they passe the men of the world in not being vitious and licentious having slaine all their affections on the Crosse of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LIIII That Prayer and Consideration are two books or Interpreters very sure ones to understand holy Scripture and how a man ought to serve himselfe of them I Hold it for a very certain and very true thing that for the understanding of holy Scripture the best the most certain and the highest interpreters of all that a man can finde are these two Prayer and Consideration Prayer as I understand discovers the way and opens and manifesteth it And Consideration I understand puts a man into it and makes him walke therein Furthermore I understand that it is necessary that these two interpreters or books should bee helped on Gods part he inspiring him who prayes to pray For I understand that he who prayes not being inspired to pray praies out of his own proper phantasie out of his owne proper affection and out of his own proper will and not knowing to pray as he ought is not heard in his prayer and he who prayes being inspired to pray prayes for the glory of God and prayes for the will of
Loue be great the Union is great And if the Loue be litle the Vnion is litle Some men there are who loue God by relation but they remain not united with God because they first loved themselves before God loving God for themselves There are other men who loue God because God himselfe willing to be loved of them hath let himselfe be known and seen by them they stand united with God because they first loue God before themselves loving themselves for God In them as I understand so great is the union which they haue with God as is the loue which they haue to God And so much is the Loue which they haue to God as is the knowledge which they haue of God If the knowledge be perfect and entire the loue is perfect and entire and the union is perfect and entire and on the contrary in such manner that there is as much perfection or imperfection in the union as there is perfection or imperfection in the Loue and knowledge The selfe same is between loue and knowledge Whereby I understand that because the knowledge which men haue of God in this life is imperfect through the power of our flesh the loue also which they haue to God is imperfect and the union is imperfect which we haue with God And I understand also that because our flesh in life everlasting shall not be base but glorious our knowledge shall be perfect our loue shall be perfect and our union shall be perfect In the mean while I understand that a pious person who by the liberality of God begins to know God to loue God and to stand united with God ought to pretend to grow in the knowledge in the loue and in the union not iudging himselfe deprived of the knowledge nor of the loue nor of the union with God whilst hee findes in himselfe any part of true knowledge any part of loue any part of union The true and efficacious knowledge of God as I haue otherwhere said as I understand consists in certain sentiments and in certain knowledges of the proper being of God which pious persons doe obtain some more some lesse some with greater evidence some with lesse according to the will of God which causeth the sentiments and the knowledges of which they can only give testimony who have tasted them nay they only understand this Language it being to all others altogether unintelligible It being most true which Saint Paul saith that a man without the spirit of God doth not understand the things that are of the spirit of God The true and efficacious Love of God I understand consists in an affection from the very bowels which a man beares to God and to all those things that are Gods desiring that he should be known loued and prized in the world in such manner as is iust To the intent that hee should be known lou'd and priz'd with this bowelly affection I understand Christ pretended that his Christians should say that first part of Our Father which all appertaines to the glory of God From this bowelly affection I understand it proceeds that a man loues God aboue all things loving every thing for God the creatures in generall in as much as they are the creatures of God all all men in as much as they be the creatures of God and in as much as God will that our neighbour should be loved and our neighbour is every man of what bloud soever state or condition and men regenerated by the holy spirit as the creatures of God as neighbours and principally in as much as in them is seen and known the image likenesse of God in such sort as wee haue otherwise declared Amongst the creatures the man that loues God loues them most who doe most illustrate the glory of God And amongst men whom he louâ—… as neighbours hee loveth them most whom he sees least depraved and least impious And I say lesse understanding that in all men who are not regenerated by the holy spirit there is found depravation and impiety Amongst regenerated men hee who loues God for the loue of God loues them most whom he sees and knowes to bee most conformable to the image and similitude of God and in whom hee sees this image more proper and more naturall And a man who loues God loues himselfe as the creature of God as a neighbour and in as much as he sees the similitude and image of God reformed in himselfe not procuring nor willing in any other manner to be loved for himselfe but rather despising and abhorring the loue that men beare him when they doe not loue him for the loue of God In this manner I understand that a man who loues god loues himselfe for the loue of God and loues all things for the loue of God And farther I understand that a man who loues himselfe aboue all things loues god for respect of himselfe and this man pretends his own utility in the loue of god he loues in respect of himselfe the creatures loving them more from whom he expects more profit He loues all men in respect of himselfe loving them most which are most profitable and most necessary And hee loues in respect of himselfe the men whom he thinks to haue obtained the Christian regeneration loving them most by meanes of whom he pretends to bee able to get piety iustice and sanctity And resolutely he pretends procures to be loved for himselfe and to be loved about all things which as I haue at other times said is naturall to a man in as much as hee pretends to get the image which belongs not to him And here I understand that a man who reduceth himselfe to a desire of not being beloved but for the loue of god finding molestation in the loue which is borne towards him for himselfe may iudge to haue made great profit in the knowledge of god in the loue of god and in the union of god Of this sort quality as I understand is the loue which men haue who are united with god which as I understand is in part in a man in this present life and shall be entire in life everlasting And he who shall feel any thing of this part hath great reason to liue ioyfull and content holding that part as an earnest of his increase and of his perfection in life everlasting The true and efficacious Vnion between God and man consists in this that S. Iohn saith that hee who loues God dwells in God and God dwels in him Gods inhabitancy in a man may well be felt as it is in truth felt but to them who feel it not it cannot be made to be understood The selfe same may as it were be said of mans inhabitancy in God And I say as it were because it seems that it may be made to be understood saying that hee who loving God stands united with God abides in God alwaies remembring God even like as he who loving a Creature stand
the Christian faith and the Evangelicall truth stand firme and constant Here I will adde this that when a Christian person scandalizeth a Christian who knowes the Evangelicall truth because he would not scandalize another Christian who as yet doth not well understand it if his error proceed from covetousnesse or from ambition because the one is richer or more powerfull then the other his error is intolerable And if his error proceed from indiscretion or from weaknesse and infirmity it is tolerable In all the things that have been said I learne these thirteen things First what a Scandall is The Second that to the intent I be not scandalized at the works of God it is needfull to renounce my wisdome and my human reason and to pray to God that he give me spirituall light with which I may understand his works The third that I doe then scandalize God when I distrust my selfe of the promised works and of his omnipotency and providence The Fourth that I ought to keep my selfe as much as is possible not to use my Christian Liberty in presence of weak Christians and that are infirme in the faith The Fift that I ought lightly ro esteeme the scandall that the Saints of the world take at the truth of the Gospell The Sixt that the scandall that is pernitious to him who scandalizeth is that which the Saints of the world doe pretending to doe service unto God And here I learne that I ought to keepe my selfe as from the fire to persecute any man of what manner soever pretending to â—…oe God service therein The Seventh that I ought to hold it for a good countersigne of Piety when the works of the impiety and of the infidelity of the men of the world doe Scandalize mee The Eight that it is a good countersigne to know the Saints of the world by the felicity wherewith they are scandalized from every manner of person and their publishing and shewing of their Scandall The Ninth that it is a signe of impiety for a man not to be offended nor scandalized in any thing The Tenth that it becomes me to be like god and Christ in the inward to the end I be not Scandalized but of that wherewith god and Christ are scandalized The Eleventh that it becomes me to live like Christ that I may not scandalize but as Christ. The Twelfth that for no cause I ought to scandalize any in preiudice of the Christian faith although I doe know that I scandalize the weaknesse and infirmity of imperfect christians The Thirteenth thing that I here learne that when I shall have scandalized in preiudice of the Christian Faith through indiscretion or through weaknesse my error will be tollerable and when I shall scandalize in preiudice of the same christian faith through covetousnesse or ambition my error will be intolerable And from this error I am certaine my god shall preserve me and hee shall also preserve all those persons whom he hath called to the acceptation of the grace of the gospell to be heires with Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXVII Two contrarieties between them that live according to the flesh and them that live according to the Spirit COnsidering that men who live according to the flesh while they think not of it doe believe litle have lesse confidence and love yet much lesse as they themselves well know and feele and accordingly as they shew it in their words albeit they would not shew it And considering that the selfe same persons when they take themselves into consideration doe perswade themselves that they believe much and have much confidence and doe yet love much more And considering on the other side that those persons who Live according to the spirit although they seeme regardlesse believe have confidence and love more or lesse according to that part of the spirit which they have according as they themselves know it and feele it in themselves and as they shew in their words speaking with more piety with more faith with more confidence and with more affection of the things of God when they speak coldly and when the force of the spirit moves them to speak of the things of piety and of faith and of confidence and of love then all the men of the world together when they set themselves with diligence and attention to speak thereof And considering also that it comes oft-times to passe that those selfesame persons grounding upon themselves cannot bring themselues to believe nor lesse to have confidence and much lesse to love I have set my selfe to be willing to understand whence these so contrary effects proceed And I find that one part proceeds from that which Christ saith that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Whence it comes to passe that he who lives according to the flesh having not in his heart neither faith nor confidence nor love cannot give of that which he hath not and consequently cannot except he set himselfe purposely thereto make shew offaith confidence or love And because he who lives according to the spirit hath in his heart piety faith confidence and love and having to give of that which he hath it is necessary how carelesse soever he seeme to be that he should yeeld forth piety faith confidence and love And therefore the holy Scripture calls the just mans mouth a veine or mine of life And I finde likewise that the other part of these contrarieties proceeds from this that the man who lives after the flesh because he keepes no accompt with his heart then perswades himselfe that he believes that he hath confidence and that he loves when he hath the faith the confidence and the love in his understanding He knowes that it is necessary for a Christian that he should believe have confidence and love and then he perswades himselfe that he believes hath confidence and loves And the persons who live according to the spirit because they keep accompt with their hearts not contenting themselves to hold the faith the confidence and the love in their understandings cannot perswade themselves that they believe have confidence or love but when they feele in their hearts the effects of confidence and love And because this sentiment is through the favour of God who gives it not when men would but when it pleaseth his Divine Maiesty hence it comes that those persons who live after the spirit doe then find most difficulty in believing loving and having confidence when they doe most instantly procure it Whence it is well gathered that the signe of what a man hath within him is to be taken from that which he shewes outwardly when he stands regardlesse And farther that through the facility or difficulty with which a man perswades himselfe to believe have confidence and love it may be known whether his faith confidence and love stand in the Vnderstanding or in the Heart And so this conclusion is made that they who while they think not of it speak
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
unto mortification with designe to mortify themselves only to live as dead in as much as they are dead and their life stands hid with Christ in God The sons of Adam doe by marveile abide without passion and without griefe in those things whereunto they-come without their will such as are diseases infirmities death and dishonour for they doe not in these kinde of things know the will of God or if they know it they hold it for rigorous and therfore judge themselves enemies of God That this is true all of us as it were know by some experience The sonnes of God then are without passion and without griefe in those things whereunto they come against their wills when knowing the will of God they reduce themselves to conforme themselves with it in which conformity they finde content and satisfaction in their mindes albeit the flesh feele griefe and affliction being in that estate wherein it would not be And it is no marveile that in them who are such the flesh would resent it selfe and be grieved since it did resent it selfe and was grieved in the only begotten son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. The sons of Adam doe seldome times come to the things of piety by the favour of God and when they doe come they doe not feel it neither know it and therefore doe not tast it and not tasting it they cannot therein finde satisfaction That this is true they know by experience who having been the sonnes of Adam are now the sons of God who doe remember themselves of some things unto which they came by the favour of God they not knowing the favour of God in them and therefore not tasting it nor finding content in them The sons of God come many times by the favour of God to the things of piety and when they feel it and know it then they tast it and tasting it they finde satisfaction therein and they remain with admiration That this is true the sonnes of God themselves know by experience comming to many things without their proper will and without design without contradiction and without passion but properly through the admirable favour of God in such sort as they find themselves with abomination of those things which they formerly loved with loue of those things which they formerly hated without knowing themselves by what way nor by what manner they are come unto it This marveilous and favourable work I understand that God works in his sons in this world opening their eyes to the knowledge of the iustice of Christ which shewing unto them that it appertaines to them makes that they abhor their own proper justices I would say all that which men doe pretending to justice themselves in the sight of God which they altogether leaue and despise and condemne Opening their eyes to the knowledge of his divinity he draws them to the knowledge of themselves and of the men of the world and so disenamours them of themselves and of the world and enamours them of himselfe and of Christ. Opening their eyes to the knowledge that God slaying on the crosse the flesh of Christ did altogether â—…slay their flesh hee draws them to the hatred of their proper flesh and makes that resolving themselves with themselves they loue mortification and procure it Opening their eyes to the most happy estate of life eternall by the consideration of Christ raised he makes them to hate the present life and all that is in it and that appertaines to it and so they loue eternall life and despise the present life and reioice to loose it Finally alwaies when God would reduce his sonnes to the hatred of an evill thing I understand hee giues them the knowledge of a good thing For he knows that being affectionated to the good they will hate the evill much the rather then if hee gaue unto them the knowledge of the evill thing it selfe as much the rather and with more ease I should bring my selfe to hate the worldly living considering the felicity of the Christian living then I should doe considering the evill of the worldly living Which I understand proceeds from the naturall condition of mans heart which cannot leaue to loue something in such manner that to reduce it to hate any thing which it loues it is necessary that there should be some other thing propounded to it which it may loue In this discourse I intend Ten principall things The first that the sonnes of Adam doe not finde in any thing neither certain nor â—…rme satisfaction and that the Sons of God finde it in all things which they doe as the sonnes of God The second that as then my designe in that which I doe by my will shall be Christian when I shall pretend to augment my selfe in that in which I haue begun to enter by the favour of God The third that in that which comes unto me contrary to my will albeit the flesh resent it selfe and be grieved the minde is to be contented and satisfied The fourth that I am come by the favour of God into those things in which I doe not know mine own design nor others violence The fift that God giving unto me the knowledge of spirituall eternall and true things he drawes mee to the hatred of corporall temporall and false things The sixt that through the knowledge of life everlasting I come to hate the present The seventh that knowing my selfe dead on the cross of Christ I facilitate my mortification The eighth that attending to the knowledge of God I come to the knowledge of my selfe and of the world into hatred of my selfe and of the world The ninth that attending to know the justice of Christ I renounce and refuse all mine own justifications The tenth that they who doe not begin to hate their own proper justifications themselves the world the present life and temporall things and false haue not as yet begun to be the Sonnes of God but are as yet the Sonnes of Adam For as much as in them who begin to be the Sonnes of God all these hatreds are begun to bee felt unto which they come by as many other affections And Sonnes of God are they who believing the Gospell stand incorporated in the only begotten Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XCII In what manner Mortification is the proper counterâ—…igne by which we know our selves the Sonnes of God HAving ofttimes said that the proper countersigne whereby a man may know himselfe to be the Sonne of God being dead on the Crosse with Christ and being risen with Christ is the Mortification by meanes whereof he hates the world and himselfe And understanding that the Divell as crafty and subtill might from hence take occasion to disquiet the Sonnes of God giving them to understand that they are not such since they doe not know in themselves so much hatred of the world and of themselves that they haue not ofttimes pleasure to content the world and
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
from evill conscience in as much as it accuseth a man as the enemy of God and therefore he with difficulty assures himselfe in that which the Gospell believes that God hath now pardoned him and holds him for his friend That this is true is approved by this that instantly when a man findes peace in his conscience he stands confirmed in the faith in such manner that he is litle sollicited to doubt It proceeds from the livelinesse of the mind and from the lasciviousnesse of the flesh in as much as mans mind being a friend to life and his flesh being a friend to reioycing doth eagerly combat against the faith understanding or divining that faith slaies in a man the livelinesse of the mind and mortifies the lasciviousnesse of the Flesh. That this is true is approved by this that according as the vivacity of the minde goes dying in a man and the Lasciviousnes of the flesh so the beleiving goes on facilitated But it is not to be understood that the death nor the mortification are those things which facilitate to believe but that faith being that which kills us and mortifies us the believing is facilitated in us the forces being taken away from our enemies I say from them which make difficult to us our believing in such manner as humane prudence an evill conscience and the vivacity of our minds with the laciviousnesse of our flesh are three Instruments whereby the evill spirits serve themselves to make difficult our believing to us who believe by Revelation and by divine Inspiration nay with these three selfe same Instruments I understand that the beliefe of the generall Pardon is hindred to the superstitious who with ease believe all other things and with the same I understand the believing is made impossible to the impious whom God hath made blind deafe dumbe there being in all that is in the impious in the superstitious and in the Pious selfe love for the Principall enemy And certainly it is true that from it proceeds the contradiction of human prudence from it the contradiction of the evill conscience and from it the repugnancy of the livelinesse of the mind and of the lasciviousâ—…esse of the flesh That this is true is approved by this that if there were no proper love a man would not be so curious in willing to assure himselfe of the Christian verity he would not be so scrupulous in his conscience nor would so much repugne against the death of the livelinesse of the mind nor to the mortification of the lasciviousnesse of the flesh and so the contradictions would cease and the contradictions ceasing the difficulty of believing would also cease From all this discourse this resolution may be taken that if the wicked would be free from the impossibility in believing they must attend to renounce their proper love if they can And that if the superstitious would know that they are not pious that they doe not believe as they ought to believe nor that which they ought to believe they must attend to dispoile themselves of their proper love as much as they can And that â—…he Pious who shall feele themselves molested with the difficulty of believing and would take away the difficulty and so facilitate the believing they must travell to disenamour themselves of themselves and of the world and to enamour themselves of God and of Christ. This they shall doe considering the evill that is in themselves in the world and the good that is in God and in Christ. I say that this consideration will be very profitable to them so that it alwaies goe acâ—…ompanied with prayer praying God that he would disenamour them of themselves and of the world and that he would enamour them of himselfe and of Christ and that he would slay and mortify in them all that which is flesh and humane prudence to the end they may be capable of so great a quantity of faith as may suffice to cause that they never come to doubt nor to stagger in it being to him alway loyall and faithfull as belongs to them being made his sons by the incorporation wherewith they stand incorporated in his only begotten son Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. CII That Christian faith hath necessity to be confirmed with experience Of what kind the experience is and how it is obtained BElieving being the foundation of the Christian businesse which consists in accepting the generall pardon by the justice of God now executed on Christ it seemes a proper thing that a Christian should exercise himselfe in those considerations which appertaine to believing And so amongst other things which I have considered about believing this is that a man never stands solid and firme and constant in the Christian faith untill he have in himselfe some experience of that which he believes And it is as certain that he holds so much firmenesse as he holds of proper experience and no more at all It befalls us that believe with the Gospell that which comes to passe to us with a very wise and spirituall man I would say that as whilest we believe the wisdome and spiritualty of this man by relation of othermen we are in such manner disposed that other men comming who make us contrary relation we shall change the opinion which we had of him or at least we shall doubt of it untill having strict familiarity with such a man we know by experience that the relation is true which was made us for as then no man is able to perswadeus the contrary even so likewise whilest we believe that which the Gospell saith that God chastized all our sinns in Christ by their relation who preach the Gospell to us we stand in hazard that other Preachers comming which should tell us the contrary we shall believe in another manner or at least we shall doubt of the first preaching untill that we having experience of that which is preached unto us in the Gospell stand firme and constant in that which we believe all the men of the world being unable either to change or alienate our faith in any manner after that it is confirmed by proper experience Whence I understand that the first and principall intent which we ought to have who accept the Gospell believing that in Christ God hath chastized all our sinnes is to get the experience of this to the end that our faith being â—…o confirmed no man may be able to sever us from it nor to make us doubt thereof nor to stumble as they are able whilest our faith is not confirmed with experience And if any man shall aske me how the experience offaith is gâ—…tten I will answer him that then a man hath experience of that which he believes when he hath peace in his conscience it seeming to him that he can appeare in the judgement of God with that selfe-same security wherewith he would appeare if he had lived with that innocency wherewith Christ lived and had by Gods will suffered that
which Christ suffered Farthermore I will answer him that mortification and vivification are most efficacious experiences by which our Faith is confirmed in as much as they only who believe know themselves just in Christ have mortification and have vivification And if another shall aske mee saying how shall I doe who believe to confirme my faith with experience I will answer him two things The one that he dispoile himselfe of all justifications that are without Christ as well of those which consist in not doing as of those which consist in doing and that embracing himselfe only with the justification which is in Christ which doth consist in believing he travell with prayer to God supplicating him that he would make him feel the peace of conscience that he would mortify him that he would make him alive and the Other that he keep very strict accompt with himselfe with his workes with his wordes and with his thoughts with intent to know in all these things how much mortification and how much vivification he hath gotten and with intent also to mortify himselfe and to make himselfe alive every day more pretending to get this Christian experience with which the Christian faith is confirmed And to him that would consider to have the scienâ—…e how he ought to doe to dispoile himselfe of his own iustification and so as well of those that confist in not doing as of those which consist in doing I should say unto him that of those which consist in not doing he shall dispoile himselfe knowing that if he doe not kill if he doe not rob if he be no fornicator if he doe no injury to his neighbour it is either because he is not inclined thereto or because he feares the shame of the world or the punishment wherewith such sinnes are punished in this life And of this he may certify himselfe considering that he forbeares not to doe other things unto which he is inclined which are not so shamefull in the world nor are not chastized in this life such as are ambition honour proper satisfaction and proper reputation And I will say unto him also that of the things which consist in doing he shall dispoile himselfe knowing on one side the superstition which he hath put in some of them and on the other side the selfe love with which he hath contaminated and defiled the other And in this manner he shall come to these termes that knowing himselfe in himselfe deprived dispoiled of all justification he shall be constrained to embrace himselfe with that which the Gospell offers unto him shewing unto him how God chastized all our sinnes in his only begotten son Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. CIII Against the Imagination with which our Christian Faith is troubled THat which I haue ofttimes said that for a man to bee sollicited to doubt is a signe of Christian profiting I now return to consider For I understand that such sollicitation growes from a mans willing to believe and from his desiring to stand firme and constant in the Christian Faith in the generall Pardon which is intimated unto men in the Gospell The impious are not sollicited to doubt because they neither will nor desire to believe Nor the superstitious neither are sollicited to doubt For believing with humane and earnall wisdome they haue none to sollicite them to doubt They who have made progresse in Christian living are litle sollicited to doubt for having with much experience confirmed their faith they haue disarmed their enemies I say those that did sollicite them to doubt And here I understand that men are uncapable of being able to haue so much Faith in the that they should be altogether freed from being sollicited to doubt and therefore God gives them the Faith according to their capacity as we doe not put so hot water into a glasse vessell as into one of earth nor into one of earth as into one of braâ—…e accommodating it unto the capacity of the vessell not willing it should be broken in such sort as the much sollicitation to doubt remaines only for them who having left impiety and being here freed from the deceit of superstition begin to accept by the holy spirit the generall pardon which the Gospell publisheth and begin to bring forth â—…uit in Christian living and goe profiting in it For they desiring to believe finde alive in themselves humane prudence of which the evill spirits serve themselves to sollicite them to doubt And so it is that when one of these persons renouncing and leaving his own justifications those which consist in doing and those which â—…onsist in not doing will embrace himselfe with the justice of Christ which the Gospell offers unto us when through his own imperfection hee sees it not so cleare and discovered as he sees corporall things and those which consist in humane prudence he is suddenly tempted and sollicited to doubt of the truth which the Gospell affirmes Whereupon such a person ought suddenly to remedy to the temptation in this manner First he shall hold for a certain countersigne of his profiting in Christian Faith to be sollicited to doubt and he shall say If I had not a will and desire to believe I should not be sollicited to doubt as I was not sollicited when I did not stand in this will and in this desire and so he shall come to quiet himselfe with this matter whereby the Divell procures to disquiet him And if there shall come a fancy to him to say that his doubting is of the same quality with that of them who doubt without spirit he shall say it is not true for they who doubt without spirit feele no distast in doubting nor desire not to be free and I feel distast in doubting and desire to be free of it and consequently am certain that my doubting is not of that quality with that of theirs who doubt without spirit I would say without being tempted and sollicited to doubt because they desire to believe Secondly he shall think thus if this Christian faith were not a spirituall and divine thing it would not finde in me the contradiction which it finds as those things haue not found contradiction in me which were not spirituall nor divine but superstitious and humane in which I would perswade my selfe And in this manner the contradiction with which the Divell would disquiet him shall bee an instrument to him to quiet him Thirdly he shall think this If this Christian faith were not the gift of God I should not feele in my selfe the new desires to please God to stand alwaies united with God to see him glorified and sanctified of all men which desires after that I haue in earnest applied my selfe unto it I seel And in this manner with the experience of the love of God he shall certifie himselfe of the truth of that which the Gospell affirmes Forthly he shall think thus If this Christian faith were not a spirituall and divine thing it would not haue begun
to giue me an abhorring of corporall things humane and of the world the which albeit I doe not altogether abhorre I am at least come to this that I doe not loue them I doe not procure them I doe not desire them as I was wont And in this manner by experience of mortification he shall confirme himselfe in the Christian truth Fiftly he shall think thus If I knew any other better thing then this or at least that were equall to this with which I might appeare before the iudgement of God I should indeed haue cause to doubt of the truth of this Now I knowing no other thing better nor other thing such as it is I haue no cause to doubt And in this manner he shall certifie himselfe that he is come upon the gaine and not on the losse and that in persevering in this Christian faith he cannot loose but gaine And if it shall come into his fancy to say that he might loose much in case that which the Gospell saith were not true in as much as hee should attribute that to Christ which were not due to him and it not being due to him hee should come to offend the glory and the maiestie of God he shall instantly haue recourse to experience and think thus After that I know my selfe pardoned through Christ and reconciled with God through Christ acknowledging my selfe dead with Christ and raised up with Christ and expecting my glorification with Christ I know and feel and finde in me the beginnings of mortification through the despisall of the world and of my selfe and I feele the beginnings of vivification through the loue and affection to God to the glory of God and to the will of God And these principles are good And it being true that from an evill cause never comes a good effect it is true also that the cause is good whence this effect is growne And therefore it is most certain and true that which the Gospell publisheth and affirmeth That God having put on Christ all our sins and having chastised them all in Christ he hath pardoned us all and hath reconciled us with himselfe by Christ which pardon and reconciliation all they which believe enioy Here the Christian person shall stay himselfe who willing to embrace himselfe with the iustice of Christ shall be disturbed with the perswasions which shall sollicite him to doubt and shutting the dore to them which may come shall recommend himselfe to God saying with Hezechias Lord I suffer violence answer for me Isaia 38. And let him be sure that God will help him fulfilling with him that which he promised by David where hee saith I am with him in trouble I will deliver him and bring him to Honour CONSID. CIV That Baptisme through the Faith of the Gospell is efficacious even in Children who dye before they come to the age to be able to approue their being Baptized TAking occasion from that which S. Peter saith That the Ark wherein Noah saved himselfe in the floud was a figure of our Christian Baptisme I haue considered that as Noah giving credit to the word of God did believe that the floud would come and did believe that himselfe and his should be saved in the Ark not by vertue of the Ark which could not naturally work this effect but by the will of God who used this Ark for an instrument of safety to him and his so we also giving credit to the Gospell of God believe that Christ shal come to iudge the quick and the dead and we believe that all our sinnes being chastised in Christ we and ours shall bee saved in that iudgement being Baptised not by vertue of the water which cannot naturally work this effect but by the will of God who useth the water for the meanes of our salvation God could well have saved Noah in the floud without the Ark and it seems hee took the Ark for the means to condescend unto the frailty of Noah who more easily believed that he should be saved in the Ark then he would have believed that he should haue been saved without the Ark. Albeit he did not trust in the Ark but in the word of God who promised to saue him in the Ark and so not the Ark but Faith was that which saved Noah with which he made the Ark and put himselfe in it In the selfe same manner God could well saue us in day of judgement without the water of Baptisme and it seemes he takes the water for the meanes to condescend unto our frailty which causeth that wee doe more easily believe to be saved by Baptisme then we should belieue to be saved without it albeit wee haue not confidence in the water but in the word of the Gospell of God which promiseth to saue us by Baptisme And so we shall be saved in the universall judgement not because we are Baptised but through the Faith with which we are Baptised Where I understand two things The one that to all of us who are Christians it appertaines to secure our selves in the iudgement of God with the remembrance that wee were baptised as Noah secured himselfe in the Floud with the remembrance of the Ark the Ark being to him that which Baptisme is to us The other that wee who are baptised being children are to assure our selves that we are then really and indeed baptised when the yeares of discretion being come and feeling by the will of God the voice of the Gospell we reioyce to be baptised in such sort that if so bee we were not baptised we would then be baptised That betiding tous which might haue befallen a man who had bin put into the Ark of Noah whilst he was asleep who being awaked and finding himselfe in the Ark would haue thanked Noah that had put him in the Ark affirming that if he had not been entered therein and could haue entered therein he would without all doubt haue entred therein In such sort that as that man being entered into the Ark not by his own proper faith but by the Faith of Noah should haue saved himselfe in the Ark by his own proper faith esteeming it good that hee had entered into the Ark So we who in out infancies were baptised having entred into Baptisme not through our own proper Faith but by the Faith of them who put us therein shall be saved in Baptisme by our own proper faith approving and holding it for good to be Baptised Another thing also may be said that as the Beasts which Noah put into the Ark entred in by the faith of Noah were saved in the Floud by the faith of Noah they having neither knowledge of good nor evill to enter into the Ark nor to approve their entring in but being put into it So the children of the first Christians who enter into Baptisme by the faith of their Parents and come not to the age to be able to approue or reprove that which their Fathers haue done they