only true things and oâ—… falsities they admit none in such sort that the difficulty of believing is rather a signe of Vocation then the easinesse He that believes by Revelation believes as much as he feels and because in those things which he doth not feel he findes contradiction he believes that which is inspired and revealed unto him and yet not that alwaies but when the Revelation and Inspiration and the inward sense is liuely and intire They who obtain this Faith Christ calls them Blessed and these selfesame are the sonnes of God And this is the faith that alwaies leads Charity and Hope in its company and without which it is impossible to please God That which purifies the hearts makes them clean quickens them Of which our omnipotent God make us rich by Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXX That God in communicating spirituall things untâ—…â—…s dealeth as in giving the fruits of the earth SEtting my selfe sometimes to accompt with God I say unto him in this sort Wherefore Lord when you call a person to your kingdome doe you not make him presently feel his justification Doe you not presently giue him thâ—… holy Spirit which should rule and govern him And why doe you not show unto him your presence To this it seems to me that he makes answer to me saying For the selfe same cause that I doe not make the graine as soone as it is sowne to spring so that it may be reaped This say I is the curse of sin And this other matter saith he is also through the curse of sinne Againe say I Since you haue done it with S. Paul and with some others why doe you it not generally with all For the selfe same cause replies he that I haue sometimes given men bread to eat without causing it to grow by the ordinary way willing to shew my omnipotency both in the one and the other As those persons say I Lord to whom thou hast given bread by extraordinary waies doe more acknowledge that bread from thy liberality then those other who haue it by ordinary waies even so also all thine elect would more acknowledge all their inward gifts from thy liberality if so be thou wouldst doe with them that which thou didst with S. Paul rather then guîding them as thou guidest them by an ordinary way I will saith God that both the one and the other should acknowledge from me that which they obtain by the ordinary way that so much the more as it seemes to themselves that they get it by industry and labour For in this thing I will that they should mortifie the judgement of theîr humane wisdome which mortification should not be necessary if they had these things by extraordinary way I will haue the labourer to labour the ground and to sow his seed and I will that hee shall attribute to me the fruit of all his labours I will likewise that the spirituall persons labouring and travelling themselves should submit themselves to believe and to loue and that they should so get iustification and the holy Spirit and I will that they attribute all unto me And hold thou it for certain that as the labourer should proue himselfe very rash that should think to gather much grain having the water at his command when he pleased and the Sun when hee pleased so likewise should that spirituall person be very rash who would hope to encrease much in piety having the inspirations in his own power when he would Whereupon hold for certain that he doth take the better who freely in all things and every where leaues it for me to doe without opposing himselfe in any thing and without supposing to governe by himselfe that which ought to be governed by mee With these Considerations I put my minde in quiet when I finde it impatient and not well enduring to expect God remitting my selfe in all things and every where to my God being assured that he doth govern will govern me in this Christian businesse according to my necessity through his only begotten Son Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXXI That the liuelinesse of Affections is more dammageable then that of the Appetites and that it is necessary that both the one and the other should be Mortified EXamining in what properly the Liuelinesse of Affections and of the Appetites doth consist and when this Liuelinesse doth offend and when it doth not offend and verifyâ—…g that the Liuelinesse of Affections consisteth in the inward satisfaction that is according to the flesh that is when a man abides aliue and vigorous in rellishing with the senses of his minde the things that belong to the world such as are honours done to him selfe-boastings and that which is principall his reputatlon fame And I understand that the Liuelinesse of Appetites consisteth in the outward satisfactions that is when a man abides aliue and vigorous to rellish with his fiue bodily senses the thingâ—… that delight and content the sensuality And resolving my selfe that this Liuelinesse of Affections and Appetites is then hurtfull when he who hath it knowes it not nor understands it or doth not hold it for a fault nor defect and that then it doth not hurt when he that hath it knowes it and understands it and holding it for a defect and vice goes by litle and litle refrayning and mortifying it I come to consider which of the twois most dammageable and most contrary to the holy Spirit either the Liuelinesse of Affections or of that of the Appetites In this resolution I come first considering that the Liuelinesse of Affections holds the inward man aliue in the things of the world and that the Liuelinesse of Appetites holds the outward man in things of the Flesh. And I understand that by how much the soule is more worthy then the Body by so much is the Liuelinesse of Affections more contrary to the spirit then that of the Flesh. Furthermore I consider in this matter A certain person goes to a feast for his own satisfaction I would say to satisfie his Appetites in seeing hearing smelling tasting touching and another person goes to comply with the world for the satisfaction of him that makes the Feast And it will seeme that in him that goes for his owne satisfaction there is greater Liuelinesse then in him that goes for others satisfaction and it is not true for if in him that goes for others satisfaction the Affections of his own proper estimation of the honour of the world were not aliue he would not goe in such sort that albeit he doth not goe being drawn by his Appetites yet hee goes being drawn by his own affections and by theirs whom he desires to please It being very true that that person that goes for his own satisfactioÌ„ satisfies his own Appetites and he that goes for others satisfaction satisfies his own Affections and others It is cleare that the satisfaction of the Affections is more dammageable and more contrary to the
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
Christ Iesus take this Treasure and thinke withall that the benefit lies not in having and possessing it but in the use and fruit that is thence to be gathered He hath made Consideration of these good things not to give nourishment to the imagination only but likewise to put in execution that which hath been considered and resolved on It is necessary indeed that wee should have the knowledge but it is necessary like wise to accompany the practice therewith in as much as the commendacommendation of every vâ—…rtue and art consisteth in the practice and in the performance of action agreeable to that vertue and Art And you that wast all your time idly in reading of Boccace his hundred Novelties and the like lay them a while aside and read these Considerations of Valdesso which are indeed truâ—… Novelties For in them is treated of that great Divine and ioyfull new and gladsome tydings of the Gospell of Iesus Christ of the great Pardon for sins of the Reconciliation made with God by the death of the Sonne of God Here you shall finde the true and holy Enamourments of God and of Christ with mankind Here you shall understand the true Embraces and the true Kisses given by meanes of the holy Spirit And last of all you shall here finde where the true delights and pleasures of those soules are which are enamoured of God and of Christ and disenamoured of the world And if happily the language seâ—…me not so spruce and dainty as that of Boccace call to minde that which great Paul the Apostle of Christ Iesus hath said that the Kingdome of God stands in the power of the Spirit and not in excellency of speech Howbeit to say truth neither is this manner of speech to be slighted For I verily find it exceeding proper and good to expresse that which is intended and that is the chiefe vertue of every Writer But I will here put an end to my discourse that I may no longer deprive you of the sacred reading of these divine Considerations which you also reading and that with diligence and praiers to God for me and all others shall take into due Consideration To the end that we may came all to be enamoured of Christ and incorporated in him as hee is incorporated in us To whom be Honour and Glory everlasting From Basill the 1 of MAY 1550. A TABLE OF THE HVNDRED AND TEN CONSIDERATIONS HOw it is to be understood That man was created after the Image and Likenesse of God 2 That mans happinesse consisteth in knowing God and that wee cannot know God except we first know Christ. 3 In what the Sonnes of God differ from the Sonnes of Adam 4 From whence the revengefull affection proceedes in men And what effects the long sufferance causeth wherewith God goes deferring the revenge of those iniuries which men doe unto him 5 The difficulty that is to enter into the Kingdome of God how it is to be entred and in what it consists 6 Two Depravations of man the one naturall the â—…ther acquisite 7 That God will that wee should remit unto him the execution of all our desires 8 The Covenant whiâ—…h Iesus Christ our Lord made between God and man 9 An excellent Priviledge of Piety 10 In what manner the estate of the Christian person that believes with difficulty is better then of that person â—…hat believes with ease 11 In what manner Gods being Iust doth râ—…dound to the profit of them that by Revelation believe in Christ. 12 In what manner the reason of our inward man serves us to that which the eyes of our outward man 13 A Comparison which sheweth in what the benefit which the Regeneration of mankind hath received from God by Christ Iesus doth consist 14 Amongst the things which Christian piety obligeth us to believe what that is which is believed with greatest difficulty 15 How Christian persons ought to governe themselve in their tribulations afflictions and troubles 16 That the promises of God belong to them who believe them 17 In what manner a man ought to resolve himselfe touching the world and touching himselfe that he may become a true Christian. 18 In what things that person ought to be exercised who pretends and desires to enter and to persevere in the Kingdome of God and what a man puts of his owne thereunto 19 That the Christian life consisteth in this that a man esteeme himselfe dead to the world and pretend to live to God 20 That in the infirmity amendment and health of the mind men ought to governe themselves as in those of the body 21 The difference of sinnes and sinners The obligatioâ—…s of piety The signes of piety and impiety 22 For what reason God gives a child unto a pious person and suddenly takes him away 23 That in him whom God disenamours of the world and enamours of himselfe the selfe same things be fall as doe to him that disenamours himselfe of one woman and emours himselfe of another 24 That those persons who are governed by the holy Spirit in their serving of God pretend to encrease in the love of God 25 In what sort pious persons are moved to put in execution the Justice of God 26 That the flesh whilst it is unregenerated flesh is the enemy of God and that Regeneration is properly the worke of the holy Spirit 27 That by Mortification a Christian man maintaines himselfe in his resolution and by reduoing of his mind to God he maintaines himselfe in the certainty of Gods Providence 28 For a man to assure himselfe of his Vocation 29 That to believe with difficulty is a signe of Uocation 30 That God in communicating spirituall things unto us dealeth as in giving us the fruits of the earth 31 That the livelinesse of affections is more dammageable then that of the Appetites and that it is necessary that both the one and the other should be mortified 32 In what consisteth the abuse and in what coâ—…sisteth the use of Images and of the holy Scriptures 33 In what manner through the patience and through the consolation of the Scriptures wee maintaine our selves in hope 34 In what doth consist the benefit which men have obtatned from God by Christ. 35 Whence it is that that difficulty comes which pious persons have to continue in that which appertaines to piety and justification 36 In what the Christian liberty doth consist hoâ—… it is knowne and how it is exercised 37 That they that know God by mens relation have a false opinion of him and they that know him by the holy spirit have a good 38 By a comparison is shewed in what the errour of false Christians doth consist and what thing that is which true Christians doe 39 That quickening answereth to mortification and the glory of the resurrection answereth to quickening 40 Two wills in God one mediate and another immediate 41 That God will that pious persons should know that all things are to come from him and that they
as was that of some heathen Philosophers For in Christian reason the holy Spirit only hath part nay it is so much Regeneration and Renovaâ—…ion in as much as it is wrought by the holy Spirit that is in as much as the holy Spirit works it in a man when he feeling his election and his vocation and permitting the holy Spirit to work in him without pretending to work of himselfe nor to follow his proper judgement nor his proper opinion in any thing when hee thinks himselfe to stand farthest off from his Regeneration and Renovation findes himselfe more neer and more intire and more perfect therein And this is that Regeneration and Renovation which S. Paul saith the holy Spirit works in them which are true Christians And this is that selfe same which the sonne of God himselfe our Lord Saviour Iesus Christ spake of to Nicodemus CONSID. XXVII That by Mortification a Christian man maintaines himselfe in his resolution and by reducing of his minde to God he maintaines himselfe in the certainty of Gods providence THE man that being called of God feeling his vocation and answering unto it applies himselfe with his minde to piety as I understand it is first moved to resolue himselfe touching the world not willing to haue from it any greater part then that which it shall please God that he should haue in the dignities thereof and in the estimation thereof and he is moved to resolve with himselfe not desiring touching his body neither more commodities nor any better condition in outward matters then it shall please God to put him into Furthermore I understand that a man cannot maintaine himselfe in his resolution with the world if so be he doe not mortifie the affections that live in him of Ambition and Avarice and of selfe-estimation neither can he sustaine himselfe in his Resolution with himselfe if he doe not mortifie his sensuall appetites that liue in his body And therefore after that the feeling of his vocation hath moved him to these two Resolutions the feeling of that faith whereunto he is called together with the holy Spirit which together with Faith is communicated unto him dorh mortify in him the affections which might hinder and disturb the Resolution with the world and the appetites that might hinder and disturb the Resolution with himselfe in such sort as Faith and the holy Spirit doth mortifie the affections and appetites of a man to conserue and maintain him in those Resolutions which through his vocation he hath made with the world and with himselfe Whereupon I understand it that for a pious person to feel himselfe sollicited by ambition and his own proper estimation is not a â—…igne that he stands not resolute with the world but that he hath not mortified his affections Likewise I understand that for a pious person to feel himselfe sollicited by the pleasures of the body is not a signe that he stands not resolved with himselfe but that he hath not mortified his Appetites And so I take this Resolution that a pious person who answering to his Vocation is resolved with the world and with himselfe desiring to maintain himselfe in his Resolutions ought to attend unto Mortification which as hath been said maintaines a person in his Resolutions I likewise understand that the selfe same calling of God doth moue a man being called to accept the particular Providence of God in all things holding for certain that all are his works wherein his will doth particularly concurre And I understand that the Faith whereunto a man is called and the holy Spirit which by Faith is communicated unto him doe bring a man to content himselfe of every thing that befals him either good or evill holding it all for good to the intent that hee should sustaine himselfe in his certainty in which he could not maintain himselfe but by being brought to this passe And hence also I understand that for a pious person to resent himselfe of those things which happen amisse to him touching his body is not a signe that he hath not certification of Gods providence but that hee hath not reduced his minde to content himselfe of that which God doth And so I resolve my selfe in this matter that together with a mans attending unto the mortification of his Affections and of his appetites he ought to attend to reduce his minde to this conformity to the will of God For in this manner maintaining his own Resolutions in himselfe he shall also maintain the Certainty of Gods providence and shall likewise maintain himselfe in piety justice and holinesse which is got by believing on Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXVIII For a man to assure himselfe of his Vocation FOrasmuch as I understand it doth greatly import that a man should be certain that he is called of God to the grace of the Gospell of Christ that is to the intent that believing in Christ he should obtain immortality and eternall life for this certainty works in him the resolution with the world and with himselfe and mortification by which he is maintained in his resolutions I come now to say that a person that shall not haue had a Vocation so evident so cleare and exterior as was that of S. Paul after the comming of the holy Spirit or as was that of the Apostles whilst Christ conversed with men nor so effectuall and powerfull as in some persons in whom although it be inward the effects are so evident as may serve for outward but shall have had a quiet and remisse Uocation as it is in those persons in whom it being inward and notable to shew it selfe by outward signes because they are of themselves outwardly moderate in their affections and appetites I say that such a person may certifie himselfe of his Uocation by the sense that he hath of his justification through Faith I would say that when a Pious person being moved unto Christian piety or having understood the motion shall doubt whether he were moved because he was called of God or that he was sollicited of his own selfe-loue finding in himselfe some sense of his justification by Faith that is of peace of conscience which they obtain who believing make Gods justice their own hee may well assure himselfe that his motion to piety was the Uocation of God and no designe of humane wisdome this being certaine that only they who are called of God doe feel in themselves the benefit of Gods justice executed on Christ Iesus CONSID. XXIX That to believe with difficulty is a signe of Vocation THE Easinesse with which they believe the matters of Christian Faith who believe by Opinion by Relation and by perswasion and the Difficulty with which they believe them who believe them by Inspiration Revelation hath led me to this Consideration that they who believe by Relation amongst some true things believe many false and are likewise more easie to belieue false things then true and they who belieue by Revelation belieue
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
in their Prayers feele a most excessive content mingled with humility and with Mortification And I hold that these feelings are sufficient to give a person intire knowledge whether hee pray with his owne Spirit or with the holy Spirit It is very true that in case a man have never prayed with the holy Spirit he cannot make this difference Cornelius prayed with the holy Spirit before S. Peter went to his house yet he did not understand that hee prayed with the holy Spirit But hee understood it afterward when by S. Peter's meanes hee had obtained of God even more then he pretended I meane not more then the Spirit of God which prayed by him and in him but more then Cornelius himselfe pretended unto in his owne minde in such sort that oftentimes the Spirit of God prayes in us and by us without our knowledge that it is the holy Spirit that prayeth and what that thing is which in Prayer is demanded The selfe same I understand in working as in Prayer For S. Paul likewise puts them for gifts of the holy Spirit to minister that is to doe service to our Neighbour and the exercise of Charity And I understand that because wee doe not know not how nor when to worke God gives us his Spirit that should worke in us Humane wisdome that alwaies opposeth it selfe to the Spirit of God pretends to know how to worke and when it doth worke it workes for its owne proper benefit it workes for its owne proper glory and for its owne proper satisfaction and not purely for the benefits of his Neighbour not for Gods glory not for the satisfaction of them that love God and therefore it knoweth not nor how nor when it ought to worke On the contrary the Spirit of God workes for the profit of the Neighbour for the satisfaction of them that love God and it workes for the glory of God When he that workes by humane Spirit imitateth the workes of holy men followes the doctrine of the Saints I doe not understand that he workes with the holy Spirit but with his owne proper Spirit because hee doth not worke being inspired but taught And S. Paul saith that it is a gift of the holy Spirit to worke by the holy Spirit They who worke with humane wisdome finde content in their owne workes but mingled with arrogancy and with presumption And they who worke with the holy Spirit finde likewise content in their owne workes but most different and mingled with humility and Mortification In such sort as a person examining his minde after hee hath wrought may by his consideration understand whether it bee humane wisdome that hath wrought in them or the Spirit of God It is very true that he who hath never wrought with the Spirit of God cannot make this difference In Cornelius I consider the selfe same in his working as I have done in his Prayer He did worke with the holy Spirit but he did not understand that it was the holy Spirit and he understood it when he saw and felt in himselfe that which arose from his working And betweene that which Cornelius wrought and prayed with the holy Spirit before hee knew Christ and received the holy Spirit and that which he prayed and wrought with the holy Spirit after that he had knowne Christ and received the holy Spirit I make this difference that at the first praying and working he did not understand that hee prayed and wrought by the holy Spirit That which I understand in praying and working I understand likewise in the acknowledgments of God and in the understanding of holy Scripture considering that S. Paul sets also these understandings for gifts of the holy Ghost understanding that humane wisdome not knowing how to understand the things of the Spirit of God God gives his spirit unto them who are his to the intent he may teach them those things Mans minde is proud and haughty in this point as in all others whereupon putting it selfe before the holy spirit it goes helping it selfe as much as it may to gaine by its owne proper understanding and judgment the knowledge of God and the understanding of Scriptures And it is a marveilous thing that how much it labours theâ—…ein so much more it dis-enables it selfe taking and understanding the things of God and of the spirit of God in a contrary sense and by the contrary They who understand and know the holy Spirit by how much more they apply themselves to understand and know by so much doe they know and understand the more When as he who knowes and understands the things of God goes about with his owne proper wit and his proper judgment albeit hee doe understand that which the Saints have understood yet I doe not understand that hee knowes and understands with the holy spirit but with humane wisdome understanding and knowing as being taught and not inspired And S. Paul makes it to be a gift of the holy spirit to know the holy spirit He who knowes and understands the things of God with his owne proper wit and judgment findes the same satisfaction that he findes in other knowledges and in other understandings of humane things and of the writings of men and with this satisfaction looking upon it he feeles pride and selfe-esteeme in his owne minde And he that understands and knowes with the holy spirit findes in that which hee knowes and understands most different satisfaction from that which hee findes in those other things which hee knowes and understands and findes in his minde Humility and Mortification in such sort that by the feeling which a person findes in his owne minde when hee shall have got a knowledge of God and when hee shall have understood a place of holy Scripture hee may Iudge if hee have gained that knowledge and that understanding with his proper wit and Iudgment or with the spirit of God If so be the feeling shall be of pride and of selfe esteeme judging that what he hath knowne and understood is with his owne wit and Iudgment he shall not firme himselfe therein And if the feeling shall be of Humility Mortification judging that what he hath knowne and understood is with the holy spirit he shall firme himselfe and fortify himselfe in it It is very true that he who hath never known nor understood with the holy spirit cannot make this difference From these three considerations I come to take this resolution that as well to pray as is meete as to worke and to know and understand and as for all other things also in which we exercise our selves with our minds or with our bodies in this present life we have need of the government of the spirit of God without which although it be grievous to us we ought to confesse that we know not to pray as we ought and that we know not to know and understand as we ought With this confession wee shall alwaies demande of God his holy Spirit and
selfsame pretending to satisfie his appetites with Barsabe◅ caused her husband to be s◅aine and did with the wife what pleased him to which matter God set no impediment at all In like manner S. Peter not pretending piety denyed Christ and God consented it to him and pretending piety he would not converse with the Gentils and God did not consent to it As likewise he did not consent to it that S. Paul should goe where he pretending piety would haue gone untill that pretence of his became not his but of the holy spirit which abode in him And I hold it certain that the most continuall and ordinary temptation with which pious persons are tempted is this of pretending piety in which the Angell of Satan transfigures himselfe into an Angell of light making that to seem piety which is no piety But pious persons may comfort themselves with two things The one is that against the temptations of the Angels of Satan they haue the illustrations of the holy spirit who discovers the deceit of the malignant spirit And the other is that God useth to restrain with his hand pious persons that they should not fall into this kinde of errour it being so much contrary unto true piety And together herewith pious persons ought alwaies to stand watchfull in such manner as the Angell of Satan comming transfigured into an Angell of light they may know him guard themselves from him Three things here offer themselves to me The first seeing the errour is so great which is committed pretending piety every man ought to goe with more regard to doe those things with which he pretends piety then to doe things with which hee pretends his proper satisfaction The second that those persons which are elected of God doe not erre pretending piety through the illustration which they haue of the holy spirit and because God restraines them with his hand It is a great signe of piety and of the election of God not to erre pretending piety And the third that then a man erres pretending piety when he doth a thing wherewith by himselfe alone he thinks to satisfie God to oblige God As if I should chastise my body not with that intent with which Saint Paul saith he chastised his that is to hold it in servitude and subjection to his spirit but with intent to merit by that chastisement which I doe on myselfe Amplifying this cōparison throughout all the outward things which men doe it is understood when they erre pretending piety And I return to say that he who shall feel himselfe directed by that way through which hee doth not erre pretending piety he may certifie himselfe that he is the sonne of God and consequently Brother of the onely begotten sonne of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXX What Gods intent is demanding of men that which of themselves alone they cannot giue him And why he giues them not at once all that which he will giue them VNderstanding that it is true in effect that men who see with the eyes of humane wisdome hold it for injustice and cruelty in God that hee demands of men things which they of themselves alone cannot giue him such as are The loue with all the heart even in the time of the law and the Faith of the heart in the time of the Gospell which are two things which a man is of himselfe as able to giue unto God as he is able to touch heaven with his hand And understanding likewise as it is in effect true that the men who see with the eyes of the holy spirit doe in the selfe same demand and through the selfesame demand know mercy and piety in God And they should haue known altogether the contrary in him if so be hee should demand things that men could giue unto him with ease And setting my self to consider whence these two so contrary judgements proceed which humane wisdome and Gods holy spirit make conce◅ing this demand of God I haue understood that the judgement which humane wisdome makes proceeds from the not knowing the being of God and the not knowing the being of man and that the judgement which the holy spirit makes proceeds from the knowledge of Gods being and the being of man And it is certain that because humane wisdome knows not the being of God it proceeds that seeing he demands of men that which they cannot giue it judgeth that he doth this to condemne them as it would of one of the Princes of this world who sould require of his subject◅ that they should not sleep for a whole yeare setting a penalty if so be they did sleep And because humane wisdome knows not the being of a man it proceeds that it would hold it for a better and more profitable thing for a man that God should rather require of him that which he can give rather then that which he cannot giue even as it judgeth and holds for better that a Prince of the world should demand of his vassalls rather that which they can giue him with ease then that which they cannot give him though with difficulty And it is also true that from the knowledge which the spirit of God hath of Gods being it proceeds that not judging of him that which of the Princes of the world it knowes that he demanding of men that which they cannot give him he doth it not to condemne them but to save them and that from the knowledge which the holy Spirit hath of the being of man it proceeds that knowing that he in himselfe is so arrogant that if God should demand of him for his salvation things that he could with facility giue of himselfe he would enter into such pride when he had given them that by the selfe-same way whereby he thought to obtain salvation hee would get condemnation he comes to know that the intent with which God demands of men that which of themselves they cannot giue him is not to condemn thē as humane wisdome judgeth neither is it to difficult their salvation as the selfesame humane wisdome judgeth which hereupon holds God for unjust and for cruell but it is to saue them and to facilitate their salvation God doing this to the intent that men proving to loue God with all their heart he knowing their impossibility in the one and in the other matter should haue recourse to God demanding of him both the one thing and the other to the intent God may giue them both the one thing and the other and they giving to God the one thing and the other may obtain that felicity which they desire not for that which they are of themselves but for that which they are through God In such manner that with much reason not humane but divine men that see with the holy spirit know mercy and piety in God considering that he demands from men that which they cannot giue him of themselves and they would know cruelty in God when he should demand of them that
neglect the Consideration of Gods Worke in his heart through the Word doth amisse both are to be done the Scriptures still used and Gods worke within us still observed who workes by his Word and ever in the reading of it As for the Text They shall be all tâ—…ught of God it being Scripture cannot be spoken to the disparagement of Scripture but the meaning is this That God in the dayes of the Gospell will not give an outward Law of Ceremonies as of old buâ—… such a one as shall still have the assistance of the holy spirit applying it to our hearts and ever outrunning the Teacher as it did when Peter taught Cornelius there the case iâ—… plaine Cornelius had revelation yet Peter was to be sent for and those that have inspirations must still use Peter Gods Word if we make another senâ—…e of that Text wee shall overthrow all means save catechizing and set up Enthusiasmes In the Scripture are Doctrines these ever teach more and more Promises these ever comfort more and more Ro. 15. 4. To the 33 CONSID. The Doctrine of this Consideration cleareth that of the precedent For as the servant leaves not the letter when he hath read it but keepes it by him and reads it againe and againe and the more the promise is delayed the more he reads it and â—…ortifies himselfe with it so are wee to doe with the Scriptures and this is the use of the promises of the Scriptures But the use of the Doctrinall part iâ—… more in regard it presents us not with the same thing only when it is read as the promises doe but enlightens us with new Considerations the more we read iâ—… Much more might be said but this sufficeth he himselfe allowes it for a holy conversation and refreshment To the 36 CONSID. On these words Neither fearing chastisement for transgressiion nor hoping for reward for observation c. All the discourse from this line till the end of this Chapter may seeme strange but it is sutable to what the Author holds elsewhere for he maintaines that it is Faiith and Infidelity that shall judge us now since the Gospell and that no other sin or vertue hath any thing to doe with us if we believe no sinne shall hurt us if we believe not no vertue shall helpe us Therefore he saith here we shall not be punished which word I like here better then chastizement because even the godly are chastized but not punished for evill doing nor rewarded for weldoing or living for all the point lies in believing or not believing And with this exposition the Chapter is cleare enough but the truth of the Doctrine would be examined however it may passe for his opinion in the Church of God there is one fundamentall but else variety To the XXXVII CONSID. On these words That God is so delicate and sensitive c. The Apostle saith that the wages of Sinne is death and therefore there is no sinne so small that merits not death and that doth not provoke God who is a jealous God To the 46 CONSID. On these words Exercise not thy selfe in anything pretending Iustification He meaneth I suppose that a man presume not to merit that is to oblige God or justify himselfe before God by any acts or exercises of Religion but that he ought to pray God affectionâ—…tely and fervently to send him the light of his spirit which may be unto him as the sunne to a Travellour in his journey hee in the meane while applying himselfe to the duties of true Piety and syncere Religion such as are Prayer Fasting Almeâ—…-deedes c. after the example of devout Cornelius To the 49 CONSID. On these words Remaining quiet when they perceive no motion c. In indifferent things there is roome for motions and expecting of them but in things good as to relieve my Neighbour God hath already revealed his Will about it Therefore wee ought to proceed except there be a restraining motion as S. Paul had when hee would have preached in Asia and I conceive the restraining motions are much more frequent to the godly then inviting motions because the Scripture invites enough for it invites us to all good according to that singular place Phil. 4. 8. A man is to embrace all good but because he cannot doe all God often chuseth which he shall doe and that by restraining him from what he would not have him doe To the same CONSID. Vpon these words A man's free-will doth consist c. He meanes a mans fre-will is only in outward not in spirituall things To the same CONSID. On these words Neithor Pharaoh nor Iudas c. could cease to be such This doctrine however true in substance yet needeth discreâ—…t and wary explaining To the LVIII CONSID. Vpon the seventh difference By occasions I suppose hee meaneth the ordinary or necessary duties and occasions of our calling and condition of life and not those which are in themselves occasions of sinne such as are all vain conversations For as for these pious persons ought alwaies to avoid them but in those other occasions Gods Spirit will mortify and try them as gold in the fire To the LIX CONSID. Upon these words And with doubtfulnesse I see he prayed in the Garden To say our Saviour prayed with doubtfulnesse is more then I can or dare say But with condition or conditionally he prayed as man though as God he knew the event Feare is given to Christ but not doubt and upon good ground To the LXII CONSID. This Chapter is considerable the intent of it that the world pierceth not godly mens actions no more then Gods is in some sort true because they are spiritually discerned 1. Cor. 2. 14. So likewise are the godly in some sort exempt from Lawes for Lex iusto non est pofita But when he enlargeth them hegoes too farre For first concerning Abraham and Sara I ever tooke that for a weaknesse in the great Patâ—…k And that the best of Gods Seâ—…vants should have weaknesses is no way repugnant to the way of Gods Spirit in them or to the Scriptures or to themselves being still men though godly men Nay they are purposely accorded in holy Writ Wherefore as David's Adultery cannot be excused so need not Abraham's Equivocation nor Paul's neither when he professed himselfe a Pharisee which strictly he was not though in the point of Resurrection he agreed with them and they with him The reviling also of Aâ—…anias seemes by his owne recalling an oversight yet I remember the Fathers forbid us to judge of the doubtfull actions of Saints in the Scriptures which is a modest admonition But it is one thing not to judge another to defend them Secondly when he useth the Word Iurisdiction allowing no Iurisdiction over the godly this cannot stand and it is ill Doctrine in a common-wealth The godly are punishable as others when they doe amisse and they are to be judged according to the outward fact unlesse it be
should pretend to have them all of him 42 In what sort a pious person ought to governe himselfe in the state of prosperity and in inward adversities 43 How a pious person may assure himselfe to have obtained piety and justification by the spirit and not by humane wisdome 44 In what manner a man shall know what frâ—…it heâ—… hath made in mortification and what is the cause that they who apply themselves to piety are sollicited by affections and appetites with which they were never before sollicited 45 Whenâ—…e the feare of death proceeds in pious persons and that it is a signe of Predestination for a man to content himselfe that there should be another life 46 That they who walke through the Christian path without the inward light of the holy spirit are like unto them that walke in the night without the light of the Sun 47 Foure Countersignes to know them by who pretend piety and the spirit not having either tâ—…e one or the other 48 That he who prayes and workes and understands doth then pray worke and understand as he ought when he is inspired to pray to worke and to understand 49 Whence it proceeds that humane wisdome will not attribute all things to God and in what manner they ought to be attributed to him 50 In what the depravation of man doth consist and in what his reparation doth consist In what Christian perfection doth consist 51 In what manner God makes himselfe to be felt and in what manner God makes himselfe to be seene 52 That a Christian ought to put an end to the affection of ambition which doth consist in growing and also to that which doth consist in conserving 53 In what matter the men of the world attending unto honour are lesse viâ—…ious then attending unto conscience 54 That prayer and consideration are two bookes or interpreters very sure ones to understand holy Scripture and how a man ought to serve himselfe of them 55 Against curiosity and how the holy Scriptures ought to be read without curiosity 56 Which is the most certaine and most secure way to obtaine perfect mortification 56 Whence it comes to passe that by the knowledge and sence of the things of God the flesh is mortified 58 Eight differences between them who pretend and procure to mortify themselves with their proper industry and them who are mortified by the holy spirit 59 That in the motives to pray the spirit doth certify a man that he shall obtaine that which he demands 60 Whence it proceeds that the superstitious are severe and the true Christians are mercifull and pitifull 61 In what manner a pious person governes himselfe in those things that befall him 62 That humane wisdome hath no more Jurisdiction in the judgement of their works who are Sonnes of God then in the judgement of the proper works of God 63 That the holy Scripture is like a candle in a darke place and that the holy spirit is like the Sunne this shewed by seven conformities 64 In what manner Jesus Christ our Lord will bee followed and imitated 65 How that is to be understood which S. Paul saith that Christ reigneth and shall reigne untill the resurrection of the just be made when he doth consigne his kingdome to his Eternall Father 66 In what manner the malignant spirit is more Impetuous then the holy spirit 67 That in the regenerate onely by the holy spirit there being experience of the things of God there is also certification of them 68 That the desire of knowledge is an imperfection in a man contrary to the judgement of humane wisdome 69 That a man ought alwaies to acknowledge himselfe incredulous and defective in faith and that there is so much faith in a man as there is knowledge of God and Christ. 70 In what those three guifts of God faith hope and charity doe consist and in what their eminency amongst othâ—…r guifts doth consist and the eminency of charity amongst the thee guifts 71 Upon the most holy prayer of Our Father 72 That man pretending that part of the image of God which did not appertaine unto him lost that part which did appertaine to him 73 That the Vnion betweene God and man is made by love that love growes from knowledge what a kinde of thing knowledge love and Vnion is 74 That it betides to pious persons in spirituall things as it befalls in outward things â—…o him who having beene blinde begins to see 75 How it is understood that God coummunicates unto us his divine treasures by Christ how God reignes by Christ and how Christ is the head of the Church 76 What thing scandall is and in what manner Christian persons ought to governe themselves in the scandall 77 Two contrarities betweene them that live according to the flesh and them that live according to the spirit 78 Two griefes one according to the world and the other according to God and two weakenesses one according to the flesh and the other according to the spirit 79 How perilous the errours be which men doe pretending piety 80 What Gods intent is demanding of mâ—…n that which of themselves alone they cannot give him and why he gives them not at once all that which he will give them 81 Two weaknesses in Christ and his members and Two Powers in him and them 82 In what properly consisteth that Agony which Iesus Christ our Lord felt in his Passion and in his death 83 Five considerations in the resurrection of Christ. 84 That only the incoporation in Christ is that which mortifies 85 Foure manners by which a christian knowes God by meanes of Christ. 86 To know the inward motions when thâ—…y are of the holy when they are of the malignant spirit and when of a mans proper spirit 87 That all the creatures were spoyled in mans depravation and that they shall be restored in mans reparation 88 What the cause may be that God commanded man that he should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill 89 Six causes for which it seemes necessary that the Sonne of God should live in tâ—…at manner and that forme of life wherein he did live 90 In what the christian perfection the duty and dâ—…corum doe consist 91 That onely the Sonnes of God have certaine satisfaction in every thing 92 In what manner mortification is the proper countersigne by which we know our selves the Sonnes of God 93 That that suffering is most christian and most acceptable to God in which he that suffers findes least of his owne will 94 Three sorts of conscience one by the law naturall the other by the written lawes and the other by the Gospell 95 That men are incapable of the divine generation of the Sonne of God and of the spirituall regeneration of the â—…onnes of God 96 That then a man knowes himselfe a Pilgrim in this world when because God loves him the world persecutes him 97 Whether justification be a fruit of piety and
same spirit even as all the hearbs in the same medow doe all participate of the selfe same vertue of the earth And as the hearbs if they had sense would affirme that what hath been said of them is true so also they that appertain to the kingdome of God because they haue the spirit doe affirme that which is said of them to be true acknowledging it altogether from the favour of God by Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. VI. Two depravations of Man the one Naturall the other Acquisite IN every man not quickned by the holy spirit I consider Two Depravations one Naturall the other Acquisite The Naturall I understand to be in that Not the child of a Day and in that I was conceived in iniquities and in that of S. Paul We were by nature the children of wrath and likewise in all those places of holy Scripture in which this humane nature of ours is condemned The acquisite I understand in that All flesh had corrupted his waies and in that of S. Pauls I was aliue once without the Law and generally in all those places of Scripture where the malignity of our flesh is spoken of From the Naturall proceeds the acquisite and by the acquisite the naturall is inflamed O◅ these two Depravations I understand that the natural cannot be repaired but by grace and I understand that they only are free from it who enter into the kingdome of God by faith and come to be the sonnes of God by the holy spirit which abideth in them In such sort that in them who knowing Christ by Revelation accepting the covenant which he made between God man belieue and because they belieue are baptized The naturall depravation is repaired and they remain onely with that which is acquisite from which they goe on freeing themselues by litle and litle the spirit of God helping them therein And whilst they goe freeing thēselues of it that which they offend is not put to their accompt of sin because they be incorporated in Christ Iesus and therefore S. Paul saith Nothing comes to them to condemnation The Depravation acquisite with the inflāmation of the Naturall I understand that as it was got by habit so it may be lost by habit and to this serue as I understand the Laws and Precepts which humane wisdome hath found out in such manner that a man may of himselfe free him selfe from the acquisite depravation and from the inflāmation of the Naturall as wee read that many did free themselues but he shall never be able to free himselfe by himself from the naturall depravation For from this as I haue said The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ doth free us CONSID. VII That God will that we should remit unto him the execution of all our desires IN effect it is true that we understand many things by experience which wee should not understand by knowledge I having oftentimes determined to doe many things the one more pious more holy and more Christian then another and having seen that as it were alwaies my determinations sorted out contrary to that which I determined and there having some pious holy and Christian things come from me without thinking thereon and without any deliberation of mine preceding I stood as it were confounded in my selfe not understanding in what this secret did consist I did not wonder that in things which I deliberated as a man the contrary should come to passe of that which I would but I did wonder that in the things which I deliberated as a Christian the same should befall me And finding my selfe in this confusion it came to passe that I read that deliberation of S. Peter Though I should dye with thee And considering that although the deliberation was pious holy and Christian the contrary of that which he deliberated befell himselfe I understand that the reason why my Deliberations came out contrary to me was because I did deliberate without consideration of the impossibility that is in mee to put in effect that which I did deliberate And over and aboue I understood that although God chastised my inconsideratnes not suffering that to come to passe which I intended yet on the other side he satisfied my affections suffering that to come to passe which I did not procure nor hope nor pretend unto whence I haue gathered That the will of God is that I should depend on him in such manner that I should deliberate or propound nothing without holding him before mine eyes shewing unto him my good will and remitting the execution of the same to him And that as well in things which appertaine to the outward and corporall living as in those things that apper tain to the inward and spirituall living This will of God doth so much restrain that although I know that this which I haue said is that which he would have from me I dare not determine saying I will do it accordingly for I know that impossibility of mine and not daring to deliberate I dare desire to conform my selfe alwaies with this will of God and to remit to God the Execution of the same and I assure my self that God for his mercy shall favour mee in this good designe of mine And I understand that in this manner I ought to govern my selfe in all things There will come to mee a new desire to haue confidence in God in all things I will remit my selfe to him that he should put this designe of mine in execution in this manner I desire to govern my selfe in Charity in Hope in Mortifications simplicity in all other things which may make me like unto Christ like unto God and in all those things that may redound to the corporall and spirituall profit of my neighbours in such manner as the desire stand aliue and entire in me and the execution of it remaines remitted unto the goodnesse of God In this selfe same manner I pray every Christian person to govern himselfe or to speak better to suffer himselfe to be governed of God certifying him that God will not only fulfill his desires but content him with many other things which though he neither thinks on them hopes for them nor desires them shall be effected by him to the glory of God to his own edificatiō his neighbours This God shall doe through Iesus Christ our Lord. For confirmation of these things which haue beene said I consider that a man naturally determines onely of those things which he supposeth to be in his own power to doe or not to doe In as much as no man determines to cause that it should raine or be faire weather Whence I gather that our Determinations shall never want of arrogancy and presumption if we shall think that to be in our power which is no more in our power then to cause Rain or to make faire weather Wherfore we ought not to determine but to desire and to remit to God the execution of that which we desire Together
in those things which are proper to that being of a man which he hath applying himselfe unto them when they offer themselues unto him And as the stranger to piety exercising himselfe in those things which are properly of piety doth not exercise himselfe in piety but in the being of a man which he hath for his principall intent is his own proper interest which is proper to the being of a man so on the other side the person that is altogether pious exercising himselfe in those things which are proper to that being of a man which hee hath exerciseth himselfe in piety because his principall intent is the glory of God which is proper to piety And it will come to passe that one estranged from piety shall preach Christ and shall not exercise himselfe in piety because his principall intent will be his proper glory and his proper interest and on the contrary it will come to passe that a pious person will doe good to one that is without piety and he shall be exercised in piety because his principall intent is the glory of God And although he was not moved to that thing with Christian charity but with humane mercifulnesse neverthelesse he exercised himselfe in piety Whereupon I gather that the greatest of all others are those priviledges which they enjoy which haue piety which is obtained by the holy spirit which is communicated to the faithfull by Iesus Christ or Lord. I will adde this that as he who is estranged from piety is as it were deprived of the knowledge of the difference of works which is here set down so also is he deprived of the knowledge that he doth never exercise himselfe in piety And that he who is pious doth excellently well understand when hee exerciseth himselfe in those things which are proper to a man and when he exerciseth himselfe in those things which are properly of piety and this only bethinking himselfe a litle or to say better not suffering at any time his mind to wander carelesly In effect it is true that these priviledges of piety are Books which Esay saith God hath prepared for them that loue him that is for them that should come to know and to love him being justified by faith in Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. X. In what regard the estate of the Christian person that belieues with difficulty is better then of that Person which belieues with ease AMongst them which haue the name of Christians I doe consider two sorts of men the one extremely facile to believe in matters of Religion all that is told them and the other extremely hard And as I understand it the facility of the one growes from superstition and from litle consideration and the difficulty of the other in believing growes from two much consideration The first on no cause call humane wisdome into counsell and the second call it in all things and so with difficulty they are brought to belieue that which humane wisdome doth not approue The first amongst some true things which they believe believe many false and it comes to passe that they giue much more credit to the many false then to the few true The second doe not believe the false doubt of the true Considering farther I finde that the first by the spirit of God when it is communicated unto them are certified of those true things which they belieue by which certification they goe by litle and litle freeing themselues from deceipt in false things and so they goe leaving there Moreover I finde that the second by the selfesame spirit of God when it is communicated unto them are certified in the true things by which certification they fortify themselues in believing the true things and in not believing the false things in such manner that the holy spirit entring into two persons one very easie to believe and the other very difficult it puts them in that estate that the one combates with his own selfe labouring to driue out of his minde those falsities which with much facility he had been perswaded and the other combates with himselfe labouring to certifie himself in those true things which he hath not been able to believe by the relation of men Both these persons labour but I hold for better the estate of the person that is hard to belieue then of him that is easie and that for three causes principally The first because it is more easie to belieue the truth whereunto the hol spirit helps and many other things help then to belieue a lye which superstition many other things hinder from The second because the person who is easie to belieue may with ease be deceaved and he that is hard suffers himselfe hardly to be deceived And the third because the person that is easie to belieue resteth many daies in errour as they rested in the Primitive Church that were converted from Iudaisme to Christian Religion And he that is hard remaines free from all false opinion in as much as he only belieues that which the holy spirit teacheth him Whereupon I resolue my self that without any comparison that estate is better in which the spirit of God sets the person hard to belieue when it begins to instruct him then that in which it sets that person who is easie to belieue Together with this I resolve my selfe in this that that which is believed without the instruction of the spirit of God alwaies consisteth more in opinion then in faith and is alwaies mingled with false and faigned things Whereupon it may be understood that when a person equally giues credit to all things that are said unto him he is without the spirit of God he belieues by relation humane perswasion and by opinion and not by revelation nor inspiration And it being true that the blessednesse of a Christian man doth not consift in believing but in believing by revelation and not by relation it is concluded that it is not Christian faith that which is by relation but onely that which is by revelation is the Christian and that which makes us blessed and that which brings with it Charity and Hope and that which purifies the heart and is that which in every thing is pleasing unto God Of this selfe same God make us rich by Iesus Christ our Lord CONSID. XI In what maâ—…er Gods being just doth redound to the profit of them that by Revelation believe in Christ. ALL the perfections which the holy Scripture attributeth to God seem even according to humane wisdome to redound to the benefit of man except it bee one which seemes to redound to his dammage for as much as it is beneficiall to a man that God should be omnipotent liberall wise faithâ—…ull benigne mercifull and pittifull but it seemes not that it is beneficiall to him that he should be Iust. For God being Iust and man unjust he findes not how to be able to saue himselfe in Gods judgement The goodnesse of God is so great that being willing
if it should not be true that God would provide things necessary for my sustentation without mine own sollicitousnesse what shall become of me And if it be not true that God hath executed upon Christ the rigour of his justice and that by his order the Proclamation of Pardon generall be published through the world I shall remain miserably abused And it is certain that so much more any person makes these discourses by how much it seemes to him that he might of himself provide both for the one and other thing Passing on further and willing to examine whether with greater difficulty a man brings himselfe to hope from God either the sustentation of his body or that of his minde I suppose it is the sustentation of the body This I suppose to be so in regard that a man brings himselfe with lesse difficulty to expect from God that which he certainly knowes he cannot be able to obtain of himselfe It being therefore true that a man doth more distrust of himselfe touching his justification then his sustentation it is concluded that there is greater difficulty to bring a mans selfe to hope for his corporall then his spirituall sustentation Having gone thus far with my consideration I well understand what the cause is that the rich man enter◅ with difficulty into the kingdome of God And willing to perswade my minde that it should bring it selfe to depend on God as well in corporall as in spirituall things I bring to remembrance how Christ doth promise them for vantage to the◅ who seek the kingdome of God And I suppose that finding all that which Christ promiseth in things pertaining to the soule to be true I haue no cause to doubt that I should not finde him true likewise in those things which appertain to the body When this doth not suffice me I think in this manner Since that I am justified in having accepted and believed the Proclamation of the Pardon generall and since that I am entered into the kingdome of God from which the first man was driven by rebellion and that I goe on recovering the priviledges which the first man lost by his rebellion ought I to doubt that God without my sollicitousnesse will not provide for me in outward things since it is true that the first man as long as he remained in the kingdome of God was provided of them without his own sollicitousnesse And that this is true I know from hence that amongst those other punishmets with which God chastned his rebellion this was once In the sweat of thy browes shalt thou eat thy bread From all these Considerations I gather that it becomes me to attend with my minde to depend on God as well in the sustentation of the body as in that of the mind And so much more in the sustentation of the body now I haue accepted and believed the Proclamation of the Pardon generall and am entred into the kingdome of God as I know that it is true that with greater difficultie a man brings himselfe to trust in this matter then in that other Together with this I gather that I shall then bee entirely a citisen of the kingdome of God when I shall depend altogether on God being a lively and true member of the son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XV. How Christian persons ought to governe themselves in their tribulations afflictions and troubles BEcause humane wisdome as we haue otherwhere said thinks that it is humility not to haue confidence in God and that it is pride to haue confidence in him it is necessary that a Christian person should alwaies stand upon his guard touching this point in such manner that he come not to be couze◅ed with the white for the black nor the black for the white When a pious person findes himselfe in some great trouble distresse he is sollicited by the Divell through the meanes of humane wisdome perswading him that it is amisse to believe that God shall deliver him from that distresse and trouble in which he finds himselfe and that that which appertaines to him is only to bring his minde to content himselfe of that which God will doe concerning him This perswasion seemes pious and holy but being examined with a Christian spirit a man may know in it a certain spice of desperation and diffidence which consisteth in that first part where it is said that it is a misse to haue confidence in God And although the second part with the desire of reducing the minde to submit it selfe to God by good yet it is marred by the first Now to the intent that the second may be good the Christian spirit makes the first good perswading every pious person when it sees him in distresse and trouble that God hath promised that hee will make account of them that make account of him and that he will not suffer them to be evill entreated of worldly persons nay rather he will haue great care of them and will help thē and will defend them Thou makest account of God hold then for certain firme that God makes accompt of thee and that by and by he will draw thee from this distresse and trouble in which thou findest thy selfe in such sort as the wicked who seek thy harm shall haue no cause to rejoyce of thy harme Speaking to him these words it redu◅eth to his memory all the promises that God in holy Scripture makes pertaining hereunto And when the pious person that is in tribulation is made capable of this truth and stands firme and constant in this hope it perswades him to reduce his minde to content himselfe of that which God will doe with him in that tribulation And in such case this conformity with the will of God is pious and holy because it is founded upon confidence which is a pious and holy foundation To this humane wisdome opposeth it selfe and saies Thou having seen that God permits that his should be persecuted afflicted and evill entreated in what canst thou found thy confidence that he will free thee from this affliction and trouble In what I say O Christian canst thou found this confidence To this the Christian spirit replies It is true that God permits all that you say to befall them which are his but when it is for the cause of the Gospell for the manifestation of his own glory for the illustration of his own name and not for the malignity and appetite of the men of this world God well consents that his Saints shall be evill entreated when they are evill entreated because they be Saints For from hence redound all that which we haue spoken of But he doth not now consent when they are evill entreated as men for the things of the world For he hath promi◅ed altogether the contrary David glories not to haue seen in all his life any ◅ust man forsaken of God And in this very selfe same may all just men boast themselves for albeit God permits that
which a man should make with the world and with his own selfe and to the martyrdome whereunto hee ought to be ready Christ added And let him follow mee I conceive a man doth not obtain piety justice and holinesse through the resolution nor through the martyrdome but through the imitation of Christ in as much as imitating Christ he goes recovering in his minde the image and similitude of God with which the first man was created pretending to recover it also in his body in the resurrection of the just where having obtained impassibility and immortality the Christian shall perpetually rejoyce with Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XVIII In what things that person who pretends and desires to enter and to persevere in the kingdome of God ought to be exercised and what a man brings of his own thereunto VNderstanding that which our Lord Iesus Christ saith that none can come unto him except his eternall Father conduct him And understanding what S. Peter saith that Faith is not for all men and that Faith is the gift of God I understand likewise that it is not in any mans power to believe to loue and to haue confidence Neither is it in a mans power to know God nor to know himselfe nor to hate the world and himselfe For as much as all this must come unto him by particular and especiall favour of God in such sort that as it seems hereby it is not in mans power to form himselfe touching the inward so that he should become pious just and holy for all this must come unto him from God On the other side I perceive many Exhortations and Admonitions of which the holy scripture is full by which generally men are exhorted and instructed unto piety iustice and holinesse I conceive that it appertaines to every man to pretend to desire and procure Piety Iustice and Holinesse but seeking it of God pretending to haue it altogether from him and by him And as I understand it appertaines to that Christian man that exercises himselfe in desiring and demanding this to exercise himself with all study and diligence in those things which belong to him and which seem to be in his own power to do that is in refrayning the affections and the appetites at least in outward things in which they may be restrained that is to say not to see that which would give satisfaction to thine eyes and not to heare that which delights thy eares and so in all the other outward senses in which a Christian may overcome himselfe separating his body when he cannot separate his minde But aboue all things a Christian man ought to attend principally not to content the men of this world neither to walk nor to speak after the rellish of their words ever more remembring himselfe of that saying of S. Paul If I seek to please men c. In which matter hee ought to obserue this rule If so be he be sollicited to please men in things contrary unto piety he shall in no wise please them if in things conformable to piety alwaies And if in indifferent things he shall please them in those things in which he displeaseth himselfe and he shall not please them in those things wherein he findes his own proper satisfaction In such manner that then he shall bring himselfe not to please men when they desire of him things contrary to piety and when he shall haue in those things his own proper satisfaction And in this manner he shall not forbeare to satisfie them because he would not satisfie them but because he would not offend piety and because he would not giue nourishment to his minde touching its own satisfaction To this passe a man shall easily bring himselfe recommending himselfe to God and alwaies living with watch over himselfe imagining that hee liues amongst more then mortall enemies amongst which it becomes to stand alwaies on his guard that nothing may happen unto him unawares And exercising and occupying himselfe in this he must not pretend hereby to get piety justice and holinesse but he shall pretend only to keep his minde very wakefull and his manners well moderated to the intent that when it shall please God to give unto him piety justice and holinesse they may fall into his soul so happily and prosperously as water falls on good ground when it is plowed and purged from thornes and stones Holding this for certain that as the Tiller when he cleares his ground from thornes and stones doth no way oblige God that he should send his raine his Sun upon it so neither doth a man by purging and cleansing the appetites of his body and the affections of his minde oblige God that he should send his holy spirit to him And as the Sun and the rain doth more good to the earth which it findes plowed and purged from thornes and stones so in like manner the holy Spirit doth more good to the minde which he findeth free and purged from affections and appetites And after this manner the Christian man understanding that which belongs to him and exercising himselfe therein and understanding what hee is to expect from God and desiring it in short time shall finde himselfe much comfortable to the image of God unto that of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XIX That the Christian life consisteth in this that a man esteem himselfe dead to the world and pretend to liue to God THe Christian name in the first beginning was in the eyes of the world so vile so despised dishonoured and abject that none accepted it but only they who being called of God and having set an end to Ambition to Glory and all worldly reputation did esteem and judge themselues altogether dead unto the world And properly this name of a Christian was taken by them when they came unto Baptisme in such sort that it was first that they were called of God and that they did esteem and judge themselves as it were dead unto the world and after that they came to Baptisme in which they took the Christian name For those which were baptized although they were formerly called Saints were afterward called Christians in as much as being chosen of God they did accept the justice of God executed on Christ and being baptized they became dead and buried as much as belongs to the world and they were raysed up and did line towards God making profession to imitate Christ who died with ignominy to the world liveth gloriously to God This S. Paul meant where hee saith that the Christians are dead and buried in Babtisme with Christ în his death to the intent that as Christ was dead and buried and liveth so we also being dead and buried may liue We Christians are dead and buried as well in respect of our being dead on the Crosse with Christ as also in respect of the opinion which the world hath of vs and of that which we have of the world and we are raysed up and Liue as
very great difference in that which they that are pious doe and in that which they doe that are impious forasmuch as they neither knew nor doe know the will of God and therefore albeit they did it yet for all this they did not serve nor doe serve God therein But the pious because they know the will of God and knowing it put it in execution they serve God therein And in as much as they who are such doe set themselves to all their works with this knowledge they doe as I understand in all things serve God Those are they who believe and doe Gods justice executed on Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXVI That the Flesh whilst it is unregenerated Flesh is the enemy of God and that Regeneration is properly the work of the holy Spirit SAint Paul the Apostle speaking by eyperience of the holy Spirit condemnes the Flesh for the enemy of God I understand by Flesh all men in as much as they are not regenerated by the holy Spirit Humane prudence that alwaies opposeth it selfe against the holy Spirit holding this condemnation for an hard and terrible thing and not willing to endure it will haue it that S. Paul meanes by Flesh that which Socrates or Plato would haue meant that is the Iudgement of the Flesh. In this opinion all they who follow humane wisdome doe concurre holding it for an absurd and evill thing to condemne as sinnes al the works of unregenerated Flesh. For according to their opinion there are some with which unregenerated men doe not only not offend God but in effect doe him service such as are those wherein they agree with beasts both the one and the other being moved by naturall instinct as for a Father to beget Children and for a Son to nourish his Father which things humane wisdome saith since they be not vices nay rather being vertues in brute beasts it is no waies just to say that the selfe same should be sinnes in unregenerated men for in such case the condition of man-kinde would come to be worse then that of brute beasts Here I understand humane wisdome deceives itselfe in as much as it doth not consider that the brute beast having neither wisdome nor reason doth not alter the order of God nor the institution of nature and a man not regenerated by the holy Spirit by his prudence and reason doth continually pervert and alter it nay he cannot leaue to pervert and alter it in as much as being proud he goes mending the workes of God by his own reason and by his own prudence and in as much as loving himselfe in every thing that he doth he pretends his own interest and his own proper glory and so hee doth not follow the naturall order nor pretends the glory of God In such sort as the Father bringing up the son and the son nourishing the Father every one of them pretends his own glory his own interest and his own satisfaction That being properly in men through the vice of their corrupted flesh which leaves to loue and to esteem God and esteems and loves it selfe ayming in every thing at its own proper glory and its own proper â—…nterest Whereupon I consider in this present life that which is in the house of a great Lord who hath thirty slaues for whom he doth sufficiently provide all necessary things and ordaining them the things in which he will be served of them Of these thirty slaves I imagine that ten of them are fooles without understanding and without any manner of discourse altogether as Beasts These as I understand it without perverting and without altering the order which their Lord hath given them doe that which is commanded them not pretending any thing else but only to obey their Lord The other ten I suppose are well experienced and haue judgement and discretion who pretending to know and understand as much as their Lord and sometimes more pervert the order that is given unto them supposing to finde the point better and having the eye to their own interresses haue alwaies an eye to gaine their liberty and to be better intreated and more cherished of their Lord not contenting themselves with their servitude nor contenting themselues with that ordinary entertainment which they receaue from their Lord The other Ten I imagine to my selfe are likewise experienced and understanding and such as haue judgement wit and understanding but perswading themselves that their Lord knowes more then they and no waies serving themselves of what they know to understand their Lords meaning in that which is commanded them without perverting or altering the order that is given unto them obey their Lord and contenting themselues of their servitude and of their entertainment obey their Lord pretending only to doe that which is ordained them for the profit for the satisfaction and for the glory of their Lord. The first Ten serue but like Beasts with their bodies and these in the world are the brute Beasts The second Ten in serving pretend to serue but offend and then offend most when they serue most and best for then they doe most alter and pervert the will and order of their Lord And these are all men in as much as they are not regenerated by the holy Spirit The third Ten serve as obedient Sons not perverting nor altering the order and will of their Lord and they serue both with their bodies and with their mindes and these are the men that are regenerated by the holy Spirit without which regeneration it is impossible that men should reduce themselues to this degree And therefore S. Paul well saith that the flesh is the enemy of God and is not subject to the Law and will of God neither though it would could it in as much as a man doting upon his own wisdome and his own reason pretends to mend the works of God and in as much as being enamoured of himselfe in every thing which he doth hee hath an eye unto himselfe To the intent this may be the better understood I say that by regeneration I understand that change and outward and inward Renovation which the holy Spirit doth in those persons who believing in Iesus Christ and accepting as their own Gods justice that hee executed upon Christ are changed and renewed in all their affections in such sort that no waies pretending in the execution of their own appetites nor in the sway of their own affections that which they did pretend before their regeneration having lost that understanding to goe about mending of Gods works and having lost their own loue whereby they loved themselues as if one of the Tenne slaues of the second order should passe to the number of the Ten of the third order Those men who by wit and humane artifice pretend to change themselues and to renew themselues as I understand it doe not obtain this Christian regeneration but that which is humane that which is of the flesh and of humane wisdome reason such
on getting that which they see in their new good and heavenly Father leaving both to appeare and to be like their mother And as before they came unto the kingdome of God◅ they had and represented in them the image the likenesse of depraved nature so likewise being entered into the kingdome of God they haue and represent in themselves the image and similitude of God recovering that which the first man lost By this I understand in what sort a man was created unto the likenesse and similitude o God and in what doth consist the benefit that men haue received by Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXXV Whence it is that that difficulty comes which pious persons haue to continue in that whith appertaines to Piety and Justification Considering that the duty of Piety is for a man to content himselfe of every thing which God doth perswading himselfe and holding for certain that all that so comes to him is Good and Holy and Iust And believing that all that which comes to passe in this present life comes to passe by divine providence without admitting that anything should come to passe by chance And considering that the duty of Christian Faith is to accept with his minde and to confesse with his mouth the Gospell of Iesus Christ our Lord. And seeing on one side in many men that haue not the spirit much conformity to the will of God in such manner that they neither grieve themselves nor resent out of measure the death of those persons whom they greatly loue nor for the losse of goods nor for the losse of Honour and that they themselves are content to dye And seeing likewise in many other men that haue not the spirit much acceptation and much confession of the Gospell without any scruple of doubt at all And seeing on the other side that some spirituall persons grieve themselves resent themselves and are very sorrowfull for the death of those persons whom they loved for other inconveniences that befall them and they cannot bring themselves to be willing to dye and that they feel the losse of estate and the losse of Honour And seeing also in other persons who haue the spirit much wavering in the acceptation and confession of the Gospell that they cannot certifie nor confirm themselves of all that is therein I haue many times set my self to consider the causes whence these contrary effects should proceed forasmuch as it seems that in him who hath not the spirit there should not be conformity with the will of God nor should he giue credit to the Gospel and in him that hath the spirit there ought to be both the one and the other And after I haue considered the matter I understand that however flesh doth sometimes a litle contradict flesh yet in the end flesh suffers her selfe to be overcome and subdued by the flesh whereupon there being a man that hath not the spirit as well an aff◅ction of the flesh willing to conform it selfe with God as to grieve to be sorrowfull and to resent it selfe for the inconveniences that offer themselves in this present life it comes to passe that one affection overcomming the other it seems that such a man doth conform himself with the will of God and it is not true For hee doth not conform himselfe but with his own proper will by which for his own satisfaction and for his own designes he doth determine to content himselfe of every thing and to cōform himselfe in all things with the will of God That this is true wee read in many Books of the Gentiles and we heare and see it in many other Nations altogether Infidels and others that counterfeit faith Likewise I understand that there being a man that hath not the spirit as well an affection of the flesh to accept and confesse the Gospell as not accept nor confesse it it comes to passe that one affection overcomming the other it seems that such an one believes the Gospell and it is not true for he doth not belieue but only his own opinion and imagination as the Iew that stands stubborn in his Law and as the Moore that believes his Alcoran On the other side I understand that the flesh alwaies repugnes against the spirit alwaies contradicts it and alwaies struggles with it by reason of the great enmity that is between them two Whereupon it comes to passe that there being in a man that hath the spirit an affection of the spirit that makes him willing to conform himselfe with the will of God contenting himself of every thing that God doth and repugning and contrasting with the flesh which suffers not it selfe to be overcome but after a long space it comes to passe that the man who hath the spirit laments resents and is grieved for the corporall incommodities and for all those other things in which the flesh suffers and aboue all things for death even as we see that the saints of the Law did grieue themselues and as S. Paul a Saint of the Gospell would haue resented it as himselfe saith if that friend of his had died and as the proper son of God our Lord God Iesus Christ did resent himselfe In like manner I understand that there being in the man which hath the spirit an affection of the spirit to be willing to accept and confesse the Gospell and the Flesh repugning and contradicting because it hath no part in such desire nor in such will it comes to passe that a man that hath the spirit feels a weaknesse in his faith goes wavering and doubting in it as wee haue read in some Saints and as we our selues see it in others in such sort that as from the small contradiction which the affections of the flesh haue amongst themselues there comes forth an appearance of Piety and appearance of Faithin them that haue not the spirit so from the great contradiction that is between the Flesh and the Spirit there proceeds in them that haue the spirit a weaknesse in faith that befalling in a man which befalls in the world in a Province or in a common-wealth I would say that as it comes to passe that when any person speaketh or publisheth any thing with an affectiō of the spirit he presently findes a contrast a contradiction and outward persecution although it be a thing which is ordinarily spoken practised but without the spirit and out of humane affections so likewise when a man goes about through the motion of the spirit to perswade himselfe and confirme himselfe in any thing pertaining to piety or iustification he suddenly findes an inward contrast and contradiction for his own affections his own appetites which are mortall enemies to the spirit rise up against him And this comes to passe not withstāding that the selfe same things haue been formerly accepted and believed of him by his own proper affection and opinion Whereupon I gather this conclusion That it is a signe that it is the holy Spirit which
make themselves vicious and impious and not understanding it make themselves superstitious and miserable and understanding it knowing it feeling it and exercising it by the holy spirit become holy pious and just becoming very like unto Christ our Lord it is good that a man should apply himselfe to understand the Christian liberty craving of God his holy spirit which may cause him to know and feele it and likewise make him to exercise it And in this manner neither will the not knowing it make him to live with superstition and in misery nor the knowing it by humane spirit make him to live licentious in his manners and impious in his minde And to understand it know it and exercise it will make him to live without feare before God with holinesse and Iustice all the time of his life and will afterward set him glorious in life everlasting with Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXXVII That they who know God by mens relation have a false opinion of him and they who know him by the holy spirit have a good THis is alwaies true that men frame their opinions and their conceits of those things which they know not according to the relations and informations that men give them of those things And it comes to passe that understanding that a man takes an affection to every thing which he seeth we hold him for vaine And understanding that hee doth delight to take money and gifts we hold him for covetous and understanding that he doth not pardon when hee is offended wee hold him for cruell inhumane and vindicative In like manner this is alwayes true that if it come to passe wee have need of such a man wee doe endeavour to gaine his good will with those things which are according to the opinion and conceit which we have of him by relation in which we continue and persevere untill such time as holding strait familiarity with that man by litle and litle wee goe framing other opinions and other conceits according to that which we our selves know of him Whereupon it comes to passe that now we doe not goe about to gaine his good will by those things with which we did at first following the Relation But by those things which according to our owne knowledge seeme to us to bee to purpose This selfe same betides us with God Men being deceived by humane Philosophy and by their owne wisdome and reason which doth reach unto the knowledge of God and being deceived principally by superstition and false religion they make relation that God is so delicate and sensitive that hee is offended for every thing that he is so vindicative that he doth chastize all offences that he is so cruell that hee chastizeth them with eternall punishment that he is so inhumane that hee de lights that we should evill intreat our persons in so much as to shed our owne blood which he hath given unto us and that we should deprive our selues of that substance which he hath given unto us to the end that wee should therewith maintaine our selves in this present life that he doth delight that we should goe naked and barefoot alwaies suffering That he is vaine and that presents doe please him and that he delights to have gold and goodly furniture and in summe that he delights himselfe of all those things in which a Tyrant doth delight and reioyceth to have from them that are subject to him According to this Relation which men make us of God we frame our opinions and our conceits of God and so much the more in as much as what men tell us by word of mouth we finde written in the writings of men And in as much as both they and we when we begin to read holy Scripture have already conceived this opinion of God and formed these conceits of him it comes to passe that not gathering the true fruit of holy Scripture which consisteth in the knowledge of God but rather stretching it out and understanding it according to that opinion and to those conceits which we bring with us by the Relation of men it befals us that the holy Scripture being the Relation of the holy spirit by meanes where of we might conceive a true opinion and right conceits of God we make it that it become the Relation of men and that it speakes not that which the holy spirit intends but that which humane ignorance imagines From whence it comes that men knowing that they have neede of God because they hold him for sensitive for vindicative for cruell live in continuall scruples in continuall feare and terror which are things that ordinarily beget hatred Because we hold him for inhumane wee evill intereat our own persons with fastings with watchings with disciplines and with all those other things which the flesh abhorres And in this we think much to please God Because wee hold him for covetous we offer unto him our goods and wee adorne him with ornaments of gold and of silver and of jewels And in summe because wee hold him for a Tyrant we demeane our selves with him in all things and every where as we demeane our selves with them that are Tyrants In this we abide and in this we persevere with God all the time that we frame our opinions and our conceits of God by the Relation that we have of men Whence I understand that whilst a man procures to gaine Gods good will by these things he shewes that the opinion and conceit that he hath of God is by mans Relation And if any man shall say unto me I doe these things to conforme my selfe with others but I have no confidence in them nor I esteeme them at all I shall answer him that it is a most difficult thing to understand whether he trust in them or no And I shall say unto him Wilt thou Brother understand whether thou trust in thē or no Examine thy selfe well whether thou finde satisfaction in doing of them or no whether thou hast a good opinion of them who doe them or no and whether thou hast an evill opinion of them that doe them not or no And so shalt thou understand whether thou hast confidence in them or no. And finding that thou hast confidence in them hold for certaine that the opinion and the conceit which thou hast of God is by Relation of men They who accepting the Gospell and through the Covenant of Iustification which is by Iesus Christ our Lord being made the sonnes of God and having familiarity with God know God and get a new opinion of God and frame new conceits of God not now by relation but by knowledge and experience and going unto the holy Scriptures with their new opinion and with their new conceits finde written in it the selfe same which they know and experiment They understand that God is patient mercifull slow to wrath estranged from revenge except it bee in them that are the vessels of wrath whom also God for sometime
tolerates and cōports Vnderstanding this they drive out of their mindes the scruples the fears the terrors they understand that God is full of such loving kindnesse that to give eternall life to men he sent into the world his own sonne made a man on whom he executed the rigor of his Iustice wherby they know that he doth not delight that men should euill intreat their owne persons but that they should in such sort be dispoiled of self-loue that being euill intreated upon whatsoever occasion they should not be grieved nor resent themselves And that he would not that they should deprive themselves of their goods but that they should possesse them in such manner that being by what ever occasion deprived of them they should not esteeme it for evill nor be sorrowfull and that it being necessary to leave them God calling them to the preaching and manifestation of the Gospell they should immediately leave them and deprive themselves of them Finally these persons holding this new opinion and these new conce◅ts of God knowing God first in Christ are Iust and holy and knowing that God delights himselfe of holinesse and Iustice they serve him in holinesse and Iustice. And also acknowledging God in these naturall things they content themselves of all thing after whatsoever manner they come to passe they follow willingly that order which God hath set without being grieved or resenting themselves for any of those things which befall them holding them all for good and just and holy although sometimes according to the Iudgment of humane wisedome they be judged the contrary And because they understand that God is delighted with this obedience and this mortification of humane wisedome in serving with obedience and with mortification they serve with piety In this they abide whilst they remaine in the opinion and in the conceits which are had of God by the familiarity and by the knowledge and by the experience that they have of God who accept ◅he covenant of Iustification which is by Iesus Christour Lord. They as I understand not only finde no satisfaction in those things which they doe who stand in that opinion of God and in those conceits of God which are had by Relation of men but if they be necessitated to doe them they feele displeasure and discontent And this displeasure and this discontent in these things I understand to be a good countersigne for to know that a man hath now lost the opinion and those conceits of God which are by Relation of men and hath obtained that opinion those conceits of God which are by familiarity and by the knowledge of God and by the experience of those things which are by the spirit of God By this Consideration I understand the cause why a person beginning to haue familiarity with God and to haue experience of the things of the spirit of God it seems every day to him that the knowledge of God is renewed in him that is that hee comes anew to know God and that by reason that holding a long time imprinted in his minde that opinion of God and those conceits which are by Relation of Men and not being able at once to dispoyle himselfe of them and going leaving them by litle and litle he goes on by litle and litle receiving that opinion and those conceits of God which are by the spirit of God Whereupon it comes to passe that it seems to him to make so many changes in the knowledge of God as those are which he makes in leaving his old opinion and his old conceits of God and in cloathing of himselfe of a new opinion and new conceits of God And because it is also more proportionable to the depraved nature of man to abide in the first then in the second in the old then in the new in that of Adam then in that of Christ in that of the Law then in that of the Gospell I understand that with difficulty doth a man spoyle himselfe of the old and cloath himselfe with the new And I understand that to a regenerate man and renued by the holy Spirit it appertaines to keep his mind all his life long attent to dispoyle himselfe of that opinion and of those conceits of God which are by Relation of men and to cloath himselfe of that opinion and of those conceits of God which are by Revelation of the spirit of God which is obtained by Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXXVIII By a comparison is shewed in what the errour of false Christians doth consist and what thing that is which true Christians doe THis is certain that all of vs would judge and hold them for very sots very fools who finding themselues banished from a kingdome by their demerits and there being presented unto them on their Kings behalfe a Patent subscribed with his name and sealed with his seal by which he pardons them and enables them to returne unto the Kingdome and they taking the Patent acknowledging the ◅ngs hand in it and the Kings seale should not care at all to co◅◅to the kingdome setting themselves to examine whether the seale with which that Pattent was sealed were of gold or of brasse and occupying themselues in adoring adorning it themselues alwaies abiding in exile and deprived of the kingdome and deprived of the Kings Grace procuring by other means and by other waies to haue that selfe-same which the King had freely and liberally given unto them by that Patent of his which they had read and acknowledged which they adore and obserue with reverence doing in it and with it that which is of no importance to them to that purpose for which the King sent it unto them For that which belonged to them to doe if so be they were wise were in receiving and acknowledging the Patent to come unto the kingdome and to accept the Kings Grace and afterwards to conserue and well keep that his Patent in testimony of their pardon and thereby should they know from the Kings hand and from his seale what ever concerned them to know By this comparison or similitude I understand what a man ought to doe presently after he comes to the knowledge of the Evangelicall preaching which is like unto a Patent by which God freely and liberally pardons all those misdoings by reason whereof we remain in exile and out of his kingdome and he doth enable us to return and to enter into it and to recover his favour and together with it his Image and similitude And I understand also how great and wherein the errour the sottishnesse and the folly of men doth consist who reading the Gospell approving it and holding it for true and yet not relying upon that which it promiseth nor entring into the kingdome of God nor making peace with God doe occupy themselues in examining verifying curious matters of God and of Christ such as appertain not to them and are not profitable unto them and doe occupy themselues in
them for this but for another And for a man to be thus not contented of this life only as I understand it is a great countersigne for a man to bee assured of his piety and of his Predestination For I hold for certaine that to them to whom God meanes to give eternall life hee doth also put a great love and great affection of it in such sort that hee who shall finde in his minde a desire that there were no other life let him hold himselfe impious although hee would choose to die and let him not despaire For albeit he be out of piety hee ought to thinke that God is able to draw him out of it as he hath drawn and doth draw all them that have beene and are in it And hee who shall finde in his minde a love of eternall life not contenting himselfe with ◅his present may hold himselfe for pious and for predestinated unto life everlasting although he feare death considering all this which hath beene said and above all that even the only Begotten Sonne of God feared Death Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XLVI That they who walke through the Christian path without the inward light of the holy Spirit are like unto them that walke in the night without the light of the Sunne ALL they who being guided only by their naturall light and by humane wisdome presume to understand the things that are of the Spirit of God to walk in the Christian way that is to live Christianly I liken them to a man that goes by night with the light only of his own eyes through a way that is full of dangers and inconveniencies And it seemes to me that as to such a one sometimes a piece of wood will seeme a thiefe and a stone an armed man and thereupon he will fly and be afraid and another time the water will seeme a stone and he will wet himselfe and the shadow will seeme to him a tree and thinking to leane to it he will fall on the ground Even so neither more nor lesse hee that walkes Gods way being guided by his naturall light is sometimes affrighted by those things which ought not to affright him and is sometimes secured and reposeth himselfe on those things on which he ought not to secure nor repose And so going hee goes on groping like a man amazed and without knowing what he doth Hee that walkes by the light of the holy Scripture and by the examples of Saints but without the Spirit I liken him unto one that walkes by night carying a candle in his hand and goes not altogether in the darke but yet notwitstanding he goes not without feare nor hee goes not secure in his minde nor certaine not to fall into many inconveniences Whereupon I understand that as to the traveller of whome I have spoken that travels by night by the light of his owne eyes only the best and most wholesome counsell that could be given him were that hee should stay in his journey whilst the night lasteth untill such time as the ◅unne were risen and would shew him the way and the things that are in it and he might travell being helped by the light of his own eyes Even so to him that walkes Gods way only with his naturall light with the testimony of Scriptures and with the example of Saints the best and most wholesome counsell that could be given him is that he should firme himselfe in his journey whilst the night of his owne proper blindnesse continueth untill such time that God send him his spirit by meanes whereof with his naturall light◅ and with his wisedome hee may be able well to understand the journee and to see all that is therein And if any person shall demand me saying How shall I doe to firme my selfe in this journey I will answer him Exercise not thy selfe in any thing pretending Iustification thereby nor Religion of any sort nor of any quality and pray God affectionately that hee would send thee his Spirit which may be unto thee as a Sunne in this journey wherein by thine owne wisedome thou neither knowest nor canst travell and stand attentive all the time that God shall deferre to send unto thee his Spirit applying thy selfe to all those things which offer themselves to thee in which thou knowest true piety without any mixture of superstition and content thy selfe of whatsoever God doth and be discontented of all whatever thou dost thy selfe This is that which I should say unto him And I understand that as if the sunne should breake forth altogether with all his splendor it would in such sort blind the eyes of the Traveller of whom I have spoken that he would not be able to make any more use of them then as if it were night Even so in like manner if the Spirit of God should at once give unto a person all that knowledge which he gives in lengh of time it would blind him and put him in greater inconvenience then at first And because this is true I understand that our God rich in liberality and in mercy gives unto us his spirit and he gives it unto us in such manner as it may helpe and not harme us not according to our appetites but according to his eternall wisedome by which as a good Father he governeth them who are his sonnes remaining incorporated in his only Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XLVII Foure Counter-signes to know them by who pretend piety and the spirit not having either the one or the other VNderstanding that the false Prophets of whom our Lord Iesus Christ counselleth us to beware because they shew themselves as Sheep and are Wolves are properly those who having entred themselves into Christian piety pretending by their own exercises and by their own industry to obtain the spirit of God and to become spirituall and not being able to compasse their intent remain alwaies impious in their minds although they dissemble and feigne piety as much as it may bee feigned with strange superstitiōns and other ceremonies which haue an appearance of piety understanding likewise that the cause why Iesus Christ our Lord ◅aith unto us That we should beware of them is because they are the most pernitious pestilence that can be for them who attend unto piety in as much as having ◅ost the shame of the world and having renounced honour and outward reputation and having lost the respect unto God and to all religion they doe only attend to doe all the dammage that they can to piety and to those persons that attend unto it finding the dore open thereunto by the communication and conversation that they haue with such persons Now desiring that pious and spirituall persons should know these kinds of Wolves that make themselus Sheep and knowing them should beware to converse and deale with them with that dove-like simplicity which they haue obtained through the holy Spirit using that serpentine wisdome which is naturall unto them I haue
and miserable and being subiect feeble and infirme to bee able to hold in it selfe the knowledges and senses of divine things it comes to passe that by the efficacy of them it is affrighted and becomes vile in such manner that it is easily overcome and mastered by the spirit and so it remaines mortified together with all those things which are corrupt in a man by the depravation of the flesh And because the remembrance of the calling by God is very efficacious in men with the knowledge and sense of heavenly things and they are subject frayle and infirme I understand that which God saith That a man who shall see him shall not be able to sustain himselfe with his minde nor with his body And therefore the perfect vision of God is reserved to the just in eternall life when the flesh being raised up shall bee a subject able to endure the vision of God In this mean space on the one side by the benefit of God the Flesh is mortified in the just not onely with the memory of their vocation but also with every other vocation and sense which appertaines to the things of God And on the other side God goes moderating in them these knowledges and these senses to the intent they should not come to nothing accommodating them to the frailty of the flesh as we temper the hot liquour which we would keep in a glasse vessell in such manner as the liquor is conserved in the vessell without breaking the glasse And I understand that corporall and outward exercises together with those other things which are of mans industry doe serve unto those persons which are called of God for a certain entertaining of themselves in that estate in which a knowledge or sense of some of Gods things hath left them which is past and that through their labour there should bee given or communicated unto them another which may make them to make progresse in Mortification in such manner that I haue reason to say that the Christian businesse is not knowledge but experience If it were knowledge it would work the effect that other knowledges doe that is to swell up and make proud those who have them And because it is experience it doth the effect which other experiences doe that is to humble and cast on the ground all that which is humane wisdome and to exalt and lift up to heaven all that which is in the spirit I understand this effect is in them who being called of God are members of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LVIII Eight differences between them who pretend and procure to mortifie themselves with their proper industry and them who who are mortified by the holy Spirit THis is alwaies a truth that all men in applying themselves to religion as well unto the false which consisteth in superstitious observations as unto the true which consisteth in accepting the grace of the Gospell of Christ doe apply themselves likewise to Mortification But amongst them who procure to mortifie themselves with the holy spirit I haue considered eight notable differences by which a person may know whether he mortifie himselfe by his own industry or whether he be mortified by the holy spirit The first Difference is that they who mortifie themselves with their own proper industry are presumptuous ambitious knowing their own proper vertue in their mortification and they who are mortified by the holy spirit are humble and modest not knowing any proper virtue of their own in their mortifications for the holy spirit works in them that which a very great Feaver doth in a man I would say that as by the presence of a great Feaver a man becomes as it were deprived of all carnall desires keeping aliue only the desire of health so by the presence of the holy spirit a man becomes as it were deprived of all that which is flesh keeping aliue only spirituall desires The second Difference is that they who pretend to mortifie themselves goe alwaies seeking new manners and new inventions to obtain mortification they who are mortified by the spirit embrace those occasions of mortification which are offered unto them by what way soever they come perswading themselves that with thē and in them God will mortifie them The third Difference is that they who mortify themselves alwaies liue sad and discontent because they deprive themselves of their pleasures and corporall contents and are not cherished with the spirituall and they who are mortified liue as it were alwaies cheerefull and contented because they abhor or begin to abhor corporall pleasures and begin to tast spirituall pleasures The fourth Difference is that they who mortify themselues are much like unto a man whose head were cut with a rough and rusty saw in as much as all things are unsweet and sowre unto him And they who are mortified are like unto a man whose head were cut with a sharp sword and an arme skilfull in cutting In as much as the holy spirit mortifies him without that himself feels the mortification That this is true those persons who are mortified by the holy spirit know by experience The fift Difference is that they who mortify themselues living alwaies in continuall trouble and in continuall labour are like unto a man that learnes with exceding paines a most difficult and unpleasant science who finding in the principles thereof much unsweetnesse and much molestation comforts himselfe only with an opinion that he shall proue excellent in that science And they that are mortifyed neither travelling nor labouring themselves in their mortifications are like unto a man that goes delighting and recreating himselfe in the study of that science which he hath already learned wherein finding few things which he understands not hee findes few things that trouble him The sixt Difference is that in them who mortify themselves by themselves there is never true mortification nay rather they are like unto quick lime in as much as the quick lime smoakes not whilst there is no water cast thereon which is no sooner cast upon it then it shewes the fire that it hath within so they whilst they haue no occasion to erre doe not erre and when occasion comes they presently shew the liuelinesse that they haue within them either erring or being straightly sollicited to erre And they who are mortified by the holy spirit haue true mortification and are like unto dead lime in as much that like as the dead lime doth not smoake how much water soever be cast upon it so neither doe they erre nor are much sollicited to erre although many occasions offer themselves unto them And so shall this be The seaventh Difference is that they who mortifie themselves in the occasions of erring doe miserably loose themselves For being deceived by humane wisdome they doe alwaies goe avoiding the occasions which incite them to erre And they who are mortified in the occasions of erring that offer themselues unto them are refined as gold in the fire for
being helped by the holy spirit in the proper occasions they are mortified not avoiding any of them and therefore they are the same in the occasions as out of the occasions The eight Difference is That they who mortifie themselves by their proper industry doe principally attend unto the mortification of the flesh they that be such having no intent to mortifie the minde not knowing that from thence ariseth all the evill And they who are mortified by the holy Spirit attend principally unto the mortification of the minde knowing that from thence comes all the evill And knowing that the minde being mortified the flesh remaines mortified By the examination of these Differences may a person know whether he mortifies himselfe or whether hee be mortified by the holy Spirit Being advertised of this that there are three estates in those persons who are mortified by the holy Spirit The one is when the holy spirit mortifies them without that they know or feel the vertue of the holy Spirit in them And in this estate that belongs to them which is said in the fourth difference The other is when the holy spirit mortifies them and they feel and know in themselves the virtue of the holy spirit And in this estate there appertaines unto them that which is said in the first Difference The third is when through the absence of the holy Spirit or because they doe not feel and know his presence they goe mortifying themselves with their own industry And in this estate they feel a good part of that which is said in the First the Third the Fourth and the Fift Difference to be felt by them who mortifie themselves by their own proper industry It is very true that to them who are mortified by the holy spirit their owne industries in mortification are profitable unto them It being indeed true what S. Paul saith That to them that loue God all things work for good to the glory of God and of the Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LIX That in the motions to pray the Spirit doth certifie a man that he shall obtaine that which he demands REeading in Isaia that death being intimated unto Hezekiah a pious King on Gods behalfe hee resented himselfe was grieved and lamented praying God with teares that he would not take away his life And reading a litle after that the destruction of Hierusalem being intimated on Gods behalfe unto the selfesame King with the Babylonian captivity without resenting himselfe nor being grieved nor lamenting without praying God that he would revoke the sentence he was contented that the will of God should be executed accepting it as a benefit of God that those evills should not come in his time And considering that God prolonged the time of Hezekia's life and that he did execute his sentence upon Hierusalem I come to certifie my selfe that pious persons being governed by the spirit of God and chiefly in their prayers in as much as S. Paul saith The spirit of God prayes by them and in them they doe never as it were pray to God but for that which it is Gods will to grant them of which the holy spirit which inspires them to pray is certain According to the judgement of humane reason it had been more just and more convenient that Hezechiah should haue resented himselfe and lamented and been moved to pray God for the revocation of the sentence given against Hierusalem then for the revocation of that sentence which was given against his own proper life And Hezechias a pious King moved by the holy spirit prayed for his own life for that which touched Hierusalem he conformed himselfe with Gods will whereby I understand that it behoues pious persons to keep good accompt with their motions I would say they ought to bee well advertised being moved to pray to God for any thing whether that motion be of humane spirit or of the holy spirit And I understand likewise that the proper countersigne whereby they may be able to judge between these motions is the Inward certainty or uncertainty with which they shall finde themselves in prayer Finding themselves uncertain that they should obtain of God that which they demand they shall judge that the motion is of humane spirit And finding themselves certain to obtain it they shall judge that the motion is of the holy spirit For as much as the motion of the holy spirit drawes alwaies with it the certification a man judging in this manner if the spirit of God which hath moved me to pray did not know that it is the will of God to grant me that which I demand it would not haue moved me This certification I certainly hold was in Hezekiah at that time when he demanded his life to bee prolonged And because he did not feel in himselfe this certification I doe certainly hold that the selfe same Hezekiah did not demand that the sentence against Hierusalem should be revoked With this assurance I see that Christ prayed raising up Lazarus and praying for the conservation of his Disciples And with doubtfulnesse I see he prayed in the Garden and because he felt whence this motion did arise in praying he remitted himselfe unto the will of God And if the son of God himselfe felt these two motions and in one of them he found himself certain and in the other doubtfull every one may think whether it be not necessary to be watchful over himselfe in them albeit they only shall know them that shall bee true members of the same Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID LX. Whence it proceeds that the superstitious are severe and the true Christians are Mercifull Pittifull THE severity and rigour that I see and know for the most part in those persons which the common people holds for devout and spirituall they being in very truth superstitious and ceremonious in as much as appertaines to the chastising or desiring to chastise the vices defects of men I understand proceeds from two causes The one is the proper nature of a man who is inclined to prize and esteem his own things and to condemne and despise others And the other is the proper nature of superstitions and ceremonies to which is annexed severity and rigorousnesse And so it is that these such like superstitious and ceremonious persons desiring that their superstious and ceremonious living should be esteemed and prised are forced to be severe rigorous with workes and words against them who being not as they are haue outward defects and vices that so their manner of life which they hold for vertuous may be the more prised and esteemed And it is likewise true that superstitions and ceremonies having their originall and beginning from some kinde of law which men haue imagined and severity and rigour being annexed to the nature of a law for by these it is maintained and sustained it comes to passe that as well those who attend to the observation of the law or
martyrdome the shame and the ignominy that he shall suffer in the eyes of the men of this world in being wanting unto himselfe and to his and to his honour And so doing he shall follow me who haue been wanting unto my selfe making my selfe a servant of a Sonne that I might not be wanting to God and I haue been wanting to mine own not esteeming them for mine but those onely that God hath called and made mine making them holy and just And I haue been wanting to mine honour contenting my selfe to dye as a malefactour and so doing he shall follow me and shall be truly a Christian. In such manner as properly the injury and the shame that redounds to a Christian through the deniall of himselfe in being wanting to himselfe and to his and to his honour is the Christian Crosse is the selfe same as to goe after Christ. I would say these words of Christ are of as much value as if I should say he that will be a Christian let him esteem himselfe dead unto the world in as much as not to seek the Glory nor the reputation of the world and let him procure that which Christ procured seek that which Christ sought and in this manner he shall be a true Christian as they are who knowing themselves and feeling themselves bought by Christ doe hold him and knew him for their Lord and for their superior and doe worship in spirit and in truth the true God who is the Father of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXV How that is to be understood which S. Paul saith that Christ reigneth and shall reigne untill the resurrection of the just being made he doe consigne his Kingdome to his eternall father THe men that reigne in the Kingdome of the world live under foure most cruell Tyrants the Divell the Flesh Honour and Death The Divell tyrannizeth them making them impious and enemies of God and oftimes bringeth them to that passe that they kill themselves by diverse waies The flesh tyrannizeth them making them vitious and licentious Honour tyrannizeth them making them light and vaine and presumptuous in such sort that they dye whilest they live Death Tyrannizeth them not suffering them to enjoy their prosperityes and happinesse cutting short their steps in them This tyranny none understand but they that feele it and they only feele it who being desirous to enter into the Kingdome of God doe procure to reduce themselves to Piety doe travell to Mortify the flesh and will resolve themselves with the world putting an end to glory and to their own honour and think to dispose themselves and to content themselves to dye For as soon as ever they would doe this they find difficulty in it they feele and experiment the tyranny and they know themselvs tyrannized These selfesame persons if so be their desire to enter into the Kingdome of God be a calling of God himselfe and not their proper fantasy accepting for their own the justice of God executed in Christ doe in this present life goe out of the tyranny of the three tyrants in going out of the Kingdome of the world and entering into the Kingdome of God wherein God reignes through Christ. I would say that Christ reignes as the Sonne of God he being in them that stand in his kingdome and with them properly the same which the head is in the Members of the body For as from the head there descends virtue and efficacy into the members of the body which are Governed by it even so from Christ there descends vertue and efficacy to them that are in the Kingdome of Christ with which they combate against the tyrants that hold other men tyrannized and so they are governed by Christ in this present life and by means of the same they shall obtain the resurrection and life everlasting and so they shall goe out of the tyranny of the fourth tyrant which is death and shall enter into the Kingdome of God where God shall reigne by himselfe In the mean space they being gone out of the Kingdome of the world having felt the tyranny of the four Tyrants doe feel the sweetnesse and pleasantnesse of the Kingdome of Christ feeling in themselves the virtue and efficacy of Christ and the government of the holy Spirit and feeling themselves Patrons and Lords of their sensuall appetites and of their affections of Honour and of the ambition of the world being resolv'd with themselves and with the world in as much as being incorporated in Christ they find their flesh dead and they finde dead in them the respect of the world and certifying themselves of their resurrection immortality and eternall life Which certification causeth in them this effect that albeit they feel death according to the body yet they feele it not as much as belongs to the soule through the certain hope of resurrection In this I understand consists the Kingdome of Christ And because the resurrection of the just being accomplished we shall not need to combate with the Divell there shall be no need to mortify the flesh nor to contrast with the world nor shall there be death to overcome I understand that S. Paul saith that then Christ shall consigne this Kingdome to the eternall Father and that God shall bee all in all ruling and governing every thing by himselfe in such manner as the Kingdome of Christ according to S. Paul shall indure untill the universall resurrection and the Kingdome of God in men shall then begin and shall be continuall men perpertually acknowledging the benefit receiv'd by Iesus Christ our Lord. Like as it betides unto a thirsty traveller to whom there is given a vessell of cold water who whilest he drinkes feeles the benefit of the vessell which gives him the water and having drunke albeit setting the vessell aside he thankes him that gave him to drinke neverthelesse he acknowledgeth that by means of the vessell he received that benefit In such manner that as the thankfull wayfairing man who is refreshed with the vessell of cold water whilst he drinkes feeles the benefit of the vessell and after he hath drunke feeling and knowing the benefit of him that gave him the vessell he knowes likewise the benefit of the vessell Even so men whilst they stand in this present life they feele the kingdome of Christ feeling the benefit of Christ and in eternall life they shall feele and know the benefit of God who hath given Christ unto them and they shall know the benefit of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXVI In what manner the malignant spirit is more impetuous then the holy spirit BEing desirous to understand which spirit is more impetuous in a man the Holy or the Malignant I resolve my selfe that the malignant spirit is much more impetuous in the impious then the good spirit in the Pious being moved to this resolution for two Considerations of which the one is founded in the proper Nature of the spirits For the malignant is by nature
impetuous and the holy is by nature mild and quiet in so much that if at any time there seeme to be violence or alteration that is none of its own but of the livelinesse of mans flesh in which and by which the Holy spirit works And the other is founded in the proper nature of men for they being more inclined unto the motions of the malignant spirit then to that of the Holy Spirit it comes to passe that unto that of the malignant spirit they are incited with their proper affection and inclination and to those others of the Holy Spirit they are benummed from the selfe same thing In such manner as the malignant spirit being impetuous of its own proper nature and the malignant spirit being incited in the impious with the proper nature of the impious and the Holy Spirit being made more slow in the pious through the proper nature of the pious in as much as he is a man it comes to passe that the malignant spirit is more impetuous in the impious then the Holy Spirit in the Pious And in the impious I understand that ordinarily the Holy spirit is nothing at all impetuous and in the Pious I understand the malignant spirit is more or lesse impetuous according to the greater or lesser livelinesse of affections that is found in him And in the same manner I understand that the motion of the Holy Spirit is more or lesse effieacious according as the mortification that is in him is greater or lesse in as much as through the livelinesse of the affections and appetites of the pious the force and violence of the malignant spirit are increased and by mortification are repressed and retarded and because it is likewise true that through the livelinesse of the affections and appetites of the Pious the forceablenesse of the Holy spirit are retarded and repressed and with mortification are increased and helped Vnderstanding that all this is true I understand likewise that the Pious who would that the motions of the malignant spirit should not have force nor be efficacious in him and that the motions of the Holy spirit should have force and efficacy in him ought to attend unto the mortification of his affections and appetites attending to Mortify in himselfe that which he hath of Adam and to make alive that which he hath of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXVII That in the regenerate only by the Holy Spirit there being experience of the things of God there is also Certification of them ALL that in this life is done known or understood is either by naturall instinct or it is by experience or by knowledge or by divine inspiration and revelation In the beast there is naturall instinct and experience as every one may by himselfe consider In men there is generally naturall instinct and experience as in Beasts although with greater excellency And there is also knowledge which as I understand consists in that which one man learnes from another man having no greater assurance thereof then the relation that is made unto him And it is as much in divine things as in hâ—…mane In men regenerated by the Holy spirit there is naturall instinct and experience and knowledge and moreover divine inspiration and revelation I would say that regenerated men wise know and understand some things by naturall instinct others by experience and others by Science and others by Divine inspiration The naturall instinct standing more chast and more pure in them then in other men And having experience not only of naturall and humane things as other men have but also of spirituall and divine things having not only science learned from other men but also inspired and revealed from God All men being without the Holy spirit are without experience of spirituall things and divine having only that science of them which is gotten by the Scripture whence it comes to passe that as in the humane and naturall things of which they have no experience having only the science they remain with opinion without any assurance even so in divine matters being without experience they remain with opinion without any assurance In as much as where there is no experience there can be no assurance And experience in the things of God is reserved to them who have the spirit of God who having experience of spirituall matters know that they know and understand naturall and humane things I would say that the difference between that which regenerated men have science of know and understand in divine matters and that which other men how wise soever they be have science of know understand in the selfe same things is as much as is between that which those Physitians which only know the Theory have the science of know and understand in Physique and that which those Physitians who together with the Theory have the practise have the science of and know Whence I gather that unregenerated men having no experience in divine matters cannot have either confidenee or diffidence that should be sollid and firme but only through opinion in such manner as they haue in humane affaires And therefore that comes forth true which I haue written in another Consideration that God ofttimes giues unto pious persons some things which they haue no confidence to obtain denying them some other which they haue confidence to obtain understanding that this comes to passe when his confidence and his diffidence consists in science and opinion and not in experience certification Furthermore I come to gather that regenerated men having experience of spirituall things haue assurance of them and that having assurance they haue also confidence and diffidence solid and firme And therefore that comes forth true which I haue written in another Consideration that through that certainty or incertainty with which pious persons finde themselves in prayer they may understand when they are inspired to pray by the holy spirit and when they are moved to pray from humane spirit and consequently when they are to be confident and when they are to be diffident Ezechias King of Iudea had experience in spirituall matters and therefore being inspired to pray in his infirmity he prayed and his life was prolonged to him according to his confidence And the selfe same King being diffident to be able to obtaine by his prayers of God that he should revoke the sentence given against Hierusalem did not care to pray If he had not had experience in divine things governing himselfe only with science hee would with so much the more confidence haue prayed demanding the revocation of the sentence given against Hierusalem in as much as he had praying obtained the revocation of the sentence given against his life But having experience he forbore to be governed by science and so he stood firme in the confidence and firme in the diffidence And if experience of divine things teacheth thus much to one of them who had the spirit of Moses how much better shall it teach it to them
who haue the spirit of Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID LXVIII That the desire of knowledge is Imperfection in a Man contrary to the judgement of Humane Wisdome HVmane wisdome judgeth that the desire to know is a great perfection in man And the holy spirit iudgeth that it is a great imperfection in a man Humane wisdom confirmes her opinion saying that it hath been seen by experience that in the world those men haue lived most virtuously who having the greatest desire to know haue most given themselves to indeavour to know and haue known most And here is alleaged a troup of Philosophers And the holy spirit on the contrary affirmes his sentence saying that through the desire of knowing sinne came into the world and through sin death and with it all the miseries and all the troubles whereunto wee stand subiect in this present life That this is true is proved by the perswasion of the Divell who said unto E◅e You shall be like Gods knowing good and evill Passing on farther the holy spirit faith that the desire of knowledge destroyed the Hebrews in as much as desiring to understand the prophecies that spake of the Messias and procuring to understand them by the way of wit and humane discourse they imagined to themselves and figured a M◅ssias so cōtrary to him whom God sent them as when they had him they knew him not and not knowing him they did not receaue him and from their not receauing him redownded not onely that they did not enioy him but it caused their ruine and perdition Passing on farther the holy Spirit saith that the Gentiles desiring to know the originall and the beginning of naturall things did procure to know them with their own wits and discourses whence comes to passe that which Saint Paul said They became vain in their imaginations and they worshipped the creatures and ran headlong into other absurd and bruitish inconveniences In the selfe same manner the holy spirit saith that many men desiring to know the things which appertain to Christian Religion and procuring it with naturall light haue made such strange conceits of God of Christ and of the Christian state and of the Christian living that a man may say with truth that of Christ they haue nothing but the name participating on one side of the inconvenience of the Hebrewes in as much as they read holy Scripture and desiring to understand it procuring this not with that spirituall light with which it was written but with naturall light they doe not understand it And participating on the other side of the inconvenience of the Gentiles in as much as desiring to know that which the Gentiles knew they read that which the Gentiles writ and they think as the Gentiles thought frame Gentiles mindes The holy spirit having proved his sentence against that desire of knowing which men haue saith further that that vertue which is got by desiring to know and knowing that which may be known with naturall light is rather a vice then a vertue in as much as it makes men presumptuous insolent and consequently impious incredulous That this is true appeares by this that the men that follow their proper naturall light by how much they are more vertuous according to the world by so much they haue lesse confidence in God and doe so much lesse belieue in Christ and therefore are so much more impious and more incredulous in such manner that it stands well to say that the desire to know is a great imperfection in a man In this discourse I learne two things The one that humane wisdome hath no iurisdiction in judging of the perfection and imperfection of a man The other that it appertaines to every man who being called of God to the grace of the Gospell makes answer thereunto to mortifie and kill in himselfe the desire to know of what sort soever it be that he may not fall into the inconvenience of false Christians and of the Gentiles and of the Hebrews nor into that wherein our first Fathers fell and that they may come to the perfection whereunto S. Paul came not desiring nor procuring to know other then Christ and him crucified Which wisdome wee ought to desire and procure but with prayer to God we who having accepted the grace of the Gospell are true Christians incorporated in Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXIX That a man ought alwaies to acknowledge himselfe incredulous and defectiue in faith and that there is so much faith in a man as much as there is knowledge of God and Christ. VVHen I consider the great efficacy which Iesus Christ our Lord attributes unto Faith saying that with it how little soever it be we may remoue mountaines from one place to another returning upon my self and not finding my selfe with such an efficacious faith I know how weak and feeble my faith is and then I turne my minde to God saying with the Apostles Lord increase my faith and saying with the father of the Lunatique Lord help mine unbelief And understanding that my faith is to come through the guift of God and holding for certain that I shall haue so much of faith as I shall haue of the knowledge of God and of Christ for as much as men how ever good relation they haue of other men doe so much trust them as they know them I turn my selfe to pray God that he would let me know him and would let mee see him and that he would let me know and see Christ as much as may be in this present life to the intent that I may haue confidence and so my faith may be strong and efficacious Wherein I consider the craft of the enemy of mankinde and most full of enmity against Christ in as much as he understanding that the intent with which Christ did so much exaggerate the efficacy of Faith makes that men how much soever they believe and how much confidence soever they haue should alwaies judge themselves incredulous and defectiue in the Faith hath made that amongst men who doe approue the Gospell of Christ it should be an honourable thing to belieue and a shamefull thing not to belieue or to doubt to the intent that perswading themselves for their own honour sake that they doe believe they should not come to knowe themselues incredulous and defectiue in the faith and so they never come to get that which Christ pretends they should get that is the knowledge of God and of Christ by the knowledge Faith and by Faith iustification by justification glorification and eternall life And in very truth great is the blindnesse ignorance of men in every thing that see only with the eyes of humane wisdome very excessiue great in this that not admitting in humane matters one testimony that testifies only of heare-say except he speak of certain knowledge or proper experience it perswades it selfe by it selfe and by others that in divine matters it sufficeth to testifie
the just being made there shall be nothing more to hope but Charity shall never faile for there shall be alwaies what to Love and there shall be alwaies what to tast For in eternall life we shall love God and Christ and we shall finde rellish and savour in the contemplation of God and of Christ wee who in this present life have lived with Faith Hope and Charity being incorporated in Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXI Vpon the most holy prayer of OUR FATHER IN the most holy prayer of Our Father I consider all this First that calling God Father it becomes me to reduce my selfe to hope from God all that which an obedient son may hope from a most good and loving Father And albeit I am a disobedient Son it matters not For God considers me not by that which I am of my selfe but by that which I am by Christ of whom I am a member and who was a most obedient Son through which Sonship I call God Father If I should call him Father for the common generations sake my being would be of importance but calling him so through particular regeneration my being imports not to make mee obedient or disobedient but as I have said the being of Christ who was most obedient And farthermore I understand that it is necessary that I should reduce my selfe to be with God such a one as a good and obedient Son is with his Father Secondly I consider that saying Our I presuppose that I hold for brethren all those who through regeneration hold God for their Father and that I ought to govern my selfe with them as with brethren Thirdly I consider that because God is where he is known holy Scripture useth to say that God is in Heaven for there God is known God is in all his creatures but it is not said that he is but only in them who know him and where he lets himselfe to be known Fourthly I consider that the proper desire of a pious Christian is that Gods Name should be sanctified I would say that God should be esteemed and judged of every one for Holy and for just in all his works as he is in truth Humane wisdome not finding holinesse nor justice in many of those things which be fall men in this life flying from the inconvenience of attributing injustice to God falls into another inconvenience depriving God of his particular Providence in all things And the holy spirit knowing in all things holinesse and justice on Gods part doth not doubt to attribute them all to God desiring that men captivating the judgement of their own humane wisdome should sanctify the name of God confessing and holding that God doth all things and that in all things is holinesse and justice There are some men who sanctify God in the things which they judge good drawing themselves back in those things which they judge to be evill And there are other men who sanctify God generally in all things but with the mouth and not with the heart And the desire of the Pious Christian is that God should be sanctified in all things and that the sanctification should come from the Heart for in this manner God will be sanctified Fiftly I consider that the proper and continuall sighing of a pious Christian consists in the desire that the Kingdome of God should suddenly come when the resurrection of the just being made Christ shall consigne the Kingdome to his eternall father For that shall be properly the Kingdome of God in as much as the just shall be governed immediatly by God seeing God himselfe face to face God reignes in this present life in the just but by Christ as he gives light but by the Sunne and God shall reigne in life eternall by himselfe as by himselfe he shall give light Sixtly I consider that the pious Christians flying from the will of God which is with wrath and that which is mediat by those things which we call second causes doe demand that that will of God should be executed here on earth which is executed in heaven understanding that which is with mercy and with love and that which is immediat by God himselfe Seventhly I consider that the Pious Christians feeling that through the curse for the first mans sinne it results that they eat their bread with sorrow and care they demand of God that freeing them from the sollicitude and the griefe he should provide them of ordinary sustentation in such manner that they may be provided and sustained according to their necessities without griefe or sollicitousnesse acknowledging their sustentation only from the liberality of God and even in this beginning to feele the remedy of the first mans sinne together there with feeling the benefit of Christ. Eightly I consider that the pious Christians not because they make any doubt of the generall pardon which they have had by the justice of God executed in Christ for of this they are most assured but because they rejoyce to remember themselves that they are debtors which remembrance breeds in them humility in the sight of God they aske alwaies of God that he would pardon them those things for which he might in justice chastize them And I understand that they alleage the pardon which they have given to them who were their debtors rather to oblige themselves to pardon then to oblige God that he should for such cause pardon them This I understand thus by that which Iesus Christ himself ads in the Gospell saying If you pardon you shall be pardoned Ninthly I consider that the pious Christians knowing their own weaknesse fear the Temptation in as much as it may sever them from Christian decorum and knowing here with the necessity which they have to be mortified with temptations they demand of God not that he should not tempt them but that the temptations may be of that quality that they should not make them to loose the Christian decorum Tenthly I consider that pious Christians having understood that many are the evills that combat the just they are afraid to be oppressed by them and knowing the frailty of their own forces to be able to make resistance they have recourse to God demanding of him that he should free them from all In these desires and in these demands I understand that pious persons stand and persevere not only through the outward doctrine of Iesus Christ our Lord which they finde written in his history but also through the inward doctrine of the holy spirit who puts these desires into their mindes and moves them to demand these things And they who with the outward Doctrine of Christ have not that inward of the holy spirit in praying â—…s taught and not inspired doe not pray as the true and lively members of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXII That man pretending that part of the image of God which did not appertaine unto him lost that part which did appertaine to him IN the creation of man I read that he was
created after the Image and similitude of God And a little after I read that pretending to get the image of God he became disobedient to God and was driven out of Earthly Paradise Whereupon understanding that the Image and similitude of God with which man was created was different from that which man in his depravation pretended I am come to consider that the Image of God with which a man was created is that which appertained to him as a man that which might stand and be received in him and that the Image of God which a man pretended unto is that which did not appertaine unto him as a Man that which is properly of God not being communicable to the creatures And albeit from the words which containe the creation of man there is only gathered that the Image of God with which he was created did consist in the superiority that he had overall other creatures neverthelesse by that which it seemes to me S. Paul felt and that which I see fulfilled in Christ and feele and see begun in them that are the members of Christ I understand that besides the superiority which the Scripture notes man was like unto God in as much as belongs to his minde in Piety Iustice and Holinesse and as much as belongs to his body in impassibility and in immortality In this I certify my selfe remembring that we recover by Christ that which we lost by Adam We lost by Adam Piety justice and Holinesse and we lost the impassibility and immortality of our bodies and by Christ we shall in this life recover piety justice and holinesse in our mindes and we shall recover in eternall life the impassibility and immortality of our bodies And because I see Christ being raifed impassible and immortall I have said that I see in him that compleat and perfect Image of God which man lost And because I feele that they who are the members of Christ being regenerated by the holy spirit have piety justice holinesse I have said that in them I see the Image of God begun to be repayred which the first man lost Of that Image of God which man pretended unto albeit from holy Scripture I cannot gather that it consisted but only in the knowledge of good and evill neverthelesse by that which I consider in every of those men who have not obtained the christian regeneration and properly by that which even they who have obtained it doe feele in themselves and know of themselves I understand that besides the knowledge of good evill which holy Scripture notes man pretended unto that Image of God which consisteth in the proper being of God who is of himselfe and gives being and life to every thing that is and lives and therefore loves himselfe and for himselfe loves all things and would be loved for himselfe and above all things and hath majesty and glory and omnipotency This I think understanding thus that since there yet liues in a man that cursed perswasion of the enemy of humane kinde there yet liues a rash pretence to obtain that image of God which only appertaines to God not being communicable with the Creatures Whence as I understand it proceeds that a man will not depend on others but on himself to which things he attends as much as is possible for him and that hee loues himselfe and loues all things for himselfe and pretends in every of his own matters his own proper glory and would put in execution every thing that comes into his appetite And from this selfe same fountain I understand proceed in a man those other things which are annexed unto these such as are proper estimation Ambition Vain-glory Anger Envy And I understand that in those men who haue obtained Christian regeneration by Christ so much doth the pretence to Gods image which belongs not to them goe abating as much as they goe recovering that which belongs to them in such manner that as Piety Iustice and Holinesse goe increasing in thē so doth selfe loue ambition and proper estimation arrogancy and their own rashnesse goe decreasing The incorporatiō wherewith they stand incorporated in Christ working this singular effect in them from which it comes that they are humble and obedient sonnes not presumptuous nor disobedient as was the first man To understand this better I set my selfe to consider between God and man the divell and Christ the selfe-same as between a Father and a presumptuous sonne an evill slaue and an obedient sonne And I understand that God did with man giving him his Image and similitude that which a father doth with his sonne giving unto him in his house an authority such as belongs to a son And that man did with God pretending unto the Image of God that which a presumptuous sonne doth with his Father that contents not himselfe with that degree which hee hath in his fathers house as a son but pretends and wills the degree which his father hath And that the Divell did that to man perswading him to become disobedient which an evill slaue doth toward his master procuring to sever his sonnes from his obedience to doe him displeasure and to ruine them And I understand that Christ did with God in contenting himselfe that on him should be executed the iustice of God that which an obedient son doth with his father contenting himselfe that his father should chastize him for that for which hee ought to chastize the other disobedient son to reduce him to his obedience to restore unto him in his house that degree and that dignity which belongs to a sonne From all that is said I take two resolutions The first that it belongs to the pious Christian to desist from the pretence of that Image and similitude of God which belongs not to him renouncing every desire to know all selfe loue all ambition all proper esteem all arrogancy and all presumptiō and to attend to recover intirely that Image and similitude of God which appertaines unto him demanding of God greater piety greater iustice and greater holinesse and demanding of him impassibility and immortality The second that to the pious Christian it belongs to know his reparation from the obedience of Christ and to know his depravation from the disobedience of Adam and so to leaue to imitate Adam and to attend to imitate Christ Who being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God but made himselfe of no reputation taking upon him the forme of a servant for which cause God hath exalted him and given him absolute power and superiority in Heaven and in Earth So much did availe before God the obedience and the humility of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXIII That the union between God and mon is made by loue that loue growes from knowledge what a kind of thing knowledge loue union is SO far forth as I understand doth a man remain united with God in as much as a man Lo◅es God that if the
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
mortifie it whilst he liues And he mortifies it rather with the consideration then with outward effects And the consideration is of that which Christ suffered of the being dead on the Crosse with Christ and the being raised with Christ and that it is his intent to liue in life eternall with Christ which considerations are of such efficacy in a man that making him to loose the tast of all things of this present life it mortifies in him all that is flesh and all that is world albeit I doe not think that it dies altogether untill that a man dye indeed From all this is gathered that humane wisdome knows not what thing mortification is and that the law of Moses commanded it but did not giue it and that it is onely gotten through the incorpororation wherewith wee who believe are incorporated in Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXXV Foure manners by which a Christian knowes God by meanes of Christ. HAving often spoken of the knowledge of God as of a most important thing and so much that in it felicity and eternall life consisteth And having said that there are three waies to know God One by the contemplation of the creatures which is proper to the Gentiles the other by reading of the holy Scriptures which was proper to the Hebrews and the other by Christ which is proper to Christians And having never remained satisfied in this third I would say in the manner of that understanding through the which we Christians know God by Christ after that I had well considered it I finde Foure manners by which we Christians know God by Christ. The first is by the Revelation of Christ The second is by the communication of the holy spirit The third is by christian Regeneration Renovation And the fourth is by a certain inward vision by revelation of Christ. I understand that a Christian knows God when Christ himselfe suffers himselfe to be known because wee then know God in him he being the expresse image of God conformable to that he saith to S. Philip He that sees mee he seeth my Father also Ioh. 14. And conformable to what S. Paul saith Colos. 1. speaking of Christ who is the Image of the invisible God And that it is true that a Christian knows God by Revelation of Christ is manifest by that No man knows the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him Mat. 11. This Revelation I understand is inward having nothing that is visible and so it appertaines to the inward eyes and not to the outward And this presupposeth the knowledge of Christ. I would say that to the knowledge of God by Revelation of Christ the knowledge of Christ proceeds which I understand consisteth in knowing his Divinity his Humanitie his being Divine and Humane his glory and his ignominy his dignity and his basenesse and so his omnipotency and his humility And it is certain that I knowing that Christ is the Image of God and seeing in him Omnipotency Iustice Truth and Fidelity I come to know not now by relation of holy Scripture but by the revelation of Christ himselfe that there is in God omnipotency justice and truth fidelity for as much as these things are in Christ and Christ is the Image of God In such manner as hee who in this manner knowes Christ not by relation of men but by inward revelation of Christ himself may say with truth that he knowes God in Christ As the man to whom S. Paul in whom was a great part of the image of Christ should haue discovered all his minde all his inward things might haue said with truth that hee knew Christ in S. Paul although this comparison serves not to ascertaine but to explain that which I would say By the communication of the holy spirit I understand the christian knowes God for I understand that the holy spirit is given to them that believe in Christ. And understanding by S. Paul that the spirit of God searcheth out the deep secrets of God I understand that we also know God himselfe and by Christ in as much as the holy spirit is given unto us by Christ Christ himselfe being he that gives it unto us by the will and ordinance of God even as by the selfe-same will and ordinance the light is given unto us by the sunne And it is certain that the holy spirit is efficacious in mee that am a christian to make mee know omnipotency in God through the great power which he shewes in mee mortifying me making mee alive to make mee know wisdome in God by the wisdome which I get through his holy spirit to make mee know justice in God because he justifies me in Christ to make me know truth in God because he keepes promise with me and to make me know goodnesse and mercy in God because he beares with my slothfulnesse and sinnes And so I come to know all these things in God not now by relation of Scriptures but by that which the holy spirit workes in me which is communicated to me through Christ. By the Christian Regeneration and Renovation I understand that a christian knowes God For I understand that he being regenerated and renewed by the holy spirit which is communicated unto us by Christ goes on leaving and renouncing the image of Adam which is proper unto us by the humane generation by which we are naturally the sons of wrath we are enemies of God impious rebells and infidels and goes on taking and recovering that image of God which is proper unto us by christian regeneration by which we are as it were naturally the sons of grace adopted sons of God we are the friends of God pious obedient and faithfull and so by litle and litle we come to know God in us knowing in us those divine perfections which the holy spirit attributes to God And getting the regeneration and the renovation through the holy spirit and the holy spirit through Christ it comes to be true that by Christ we know God in us And it is a cleare ease we should never know in God truth fidelity justice bounty were we not first true faithfull just good c. It being naturall of man to judge of others according to that which he knowes in himselfe By a certaine inward vision I understand that a christian knowes God after that he hath known him by the revelation of Christ by the communication of the holy spirit by the Christian regeneration And for as much as belongs to this knowledge I referre my selfe to that which I have said in another Consideration Wherein I have set certain comparisons by which a man that hath not attained to this knowledge of God may in some sort arrive to understand in what it doth consist And if he doe arrive I am sure that there will come upon him so great a desire of this knowledge that he will continually goe after God saying unto him these amorous words shew unto me thy
Countenance And I am also certain that God will shew it unto him when he shall please and as it shall please his divine Majesty accommodating himselfe to humane incapability which is most incapable of this inward vision And because the Christians incorporated in Christ who know God by the revelation of Christ by the communication of the holy spirit by the christian renovation and regeneration goe on making themselves capable of this inward vision going on neerer and neerer to impassibility and immortality it is truly said that we christians come to know God by Christ by a certain inward vision but in part as may be in this present life the perfect and intire vision being kept for the life eternall where perpetually seeing God face to face we shall be most blessed with Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXXVI To know the inward Motions when they are of the holy spirit when of the malignant spirit and when of a mans proper spirit I Remember to have written in an Epistle in what sort men in this present life are moved to all things with one of these three spirits with the holy and divine spirit with a mans own and evill spirit with the malignant and diabolicall spirit And because I understand how much it imports to the who attend unto Christian perfection to be wise to know with what spirit they are moved to worke or not to worke I come a new to consider that we who attend to Christian perfection doe well know that to obtain that which we seek which is immortality and eternall life it becomes us to follow the motions of the holy spirit and to fly those of the Malignant spirit and to contrast with those of our own spirit Farther I consider that it befalls many that not knowing how to make difference between these Motions thinking to follow the holy spirit they follow the malignant spirit or goe after their own proper spirit Their error proceeding not because they know not where away they ought to goe for they well know they ought to goe towards eternall life nor because they know not the way for they know well that the way is piety justice and holinesse but from their not knowing in what thing properly piety justice holines doe consist for in case they knew it they would draw nigh to know when they are moved by the holy spirit when by the malignant spirit and when by their own proper spirit For in as much as a man goes on knowing in what thing properly piety justice and holinesse doe consist his eyes goe on opening to know when he is moved by one spirit and when by another without which knowledge a man that attends to Christian perfection is much like unto a ship which stands in the midst of the sea not knowing with what wind to saile because it hath lost the needle Having afterwards considered how that all this is true of which there is none that attends unto Christian piety but can give testimony I am come likewise to consider that after that a man who attends unto Christian piety knows that he travells towards life eternall and knowes that the way is piety justice and holinesse it is necessary that he should know that holinesse consisteth in the election of God that is that they only are holy whom God chooseth and accepteth for himselfe that justice consisteth in believing in Christ that is that they only are just who believing make Christs justice theirs and that piety consists in approving for good all that which God workes and to be contented therewith that is onely they are pious who with their mindes approve that which God workes and in such manner content themselves that they would not change nor alter it though they could For I understand that this being known a man begins to approach to know the motions of the spirit when they are of the good spirit and when they are of the evill spirit and when they are of a mans own spirit For as much as he holds for motions of the good spirit all those things which goe directed to answer unto the vocation of God to say with S. Paul Lord what wilt thou that I should doe And with Ananias Behold Lord here am I And all they which goe directed to believe in Christ to say alwaies Lord increase my faith And all they which goe directed to remit themselves in all things and altogether to God to suffer themselves to be ruled and governed of God approving and holding for good all that which God doth The selfe-same holds for ◅tions of the evill spirit all those which are contrary to these Hee holds for motions of his own spirit those which although they be not contrary to these are not cōtrary to himselfe By this I suppose every person who shall keep strict accompt with himselfe shall much approach to the true knowledge of the Spirits to understand with which of them he is to walk And I suppose that he should more and better approach certifying himselfe that those are motions of the holy Spirit which shal draw him to the imitation of Christ principally In as much as he was most obedient to his eternall Father in as much as in him was perfect charity in as much as hee had profound humility and most great meeknesse For it is certain that the holy spirit in them who are the members of Christ being the selfesame which was in Christ it doth inspire and move them unto that unto which it did inspire and move Christ he as head and as the lawfull Son we as members and adopted sonnes And certifying himselfe likewise that those are motions of the malignant spirit which are contrary to these And that those are motions of a mans own spirit which doe draw a man unto his proper interest to his proper honour glory to his proper recr◅ation satisfaction And moreover I doe not say hereby that he doth ascertain himself in making this difference of spirits in knowing these motions but I say that so a man comes approaching thereunto reserving the perfect and intire knowledge to thē who haue it by particular guift of God who know Satan even when he transforms himselfe into an Angell of light when he offers and propounds unto them things of apparent piety justice and holinesse to which time these advises doe properly belong it being as it is a very great inconvenience into which men fall when they erre pretending piety Finally I resolve my selfe in this that the man who desires to travell to God with prosperous winde pretends to recover in this present life the image of Christ setting Christ before his eyes and bringing himselfe to follow those Motions which Christ would haue followed and to contrast with those motions which Christ would not haue followed And this is that perfection which is proposed to all of us that are the members of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LXXXVII That all the creatures were spoyled in mans
comforts them and gives them content considering that death is the end of their Pilgrimage They who albeit they be indeed prized loved and favoured of God are not yet despised hated and persecuted of the world doe not as yet esteem themselves Pilgrims in this present life not being handled as Pilgrims albeit they esteem themselves Citizens of eternall life in as much as they know that they are prized favoured and loved of God It is true indeed that this estimation is not entire nor perfect in them untill that the world knowing them prized loved and favoured of God begins to handle them as Pilgrims despising them hateing them and persecuting them For as then they feeling themselves handled by the world as Pilgrims have recourse to Christ and recourse to God and being as they are more prized more loved more favoured of God and more illustrated in the knowledge of eternall life they esteem themselves Pilgrims and strangers in this present life in such manner that however afterwards the world returne to prize love and use them well they doe not leave to esteem themselves Pilgrims and to hold it good to goe out of this pilgrimage Here I understand two things The first that it is Gods will that they whom he loves should live as Pilgrims And the second that between them who hate the world because they are persecuted of the world for piety and them who hate the world for other respects there is this difference that these second although they bear hatred to the world whilest they are despised of the world and would be contented to goe out of the world when the world returnes to prize them loving the world they would by no meanes goe out of the world And the other after that they once hate the world seeing themselves despised hated and persecuted of the world they never more returne to love the world how much soever it love and esteem them This difference proceeds from hence that following the light of the holy spirit and being illustrated in the knowledge of eternall life they doe alwaies hold themselves for pilgrims in this present life and alwaies hold themselves for Cittizens of the Kingdome of God and in eternall life and therefore hate this life and rejoyce to goe out of it On the contrary the other following the naturall light have no certainty of eternall life and if they have any they doe not stand sure to be well in it therefore they doe not altogether hate this life nor rejoyce to goe out of it In this discourse christian persons shall understand that they are to esteem themselves pilgrims and strangers in the world in this present life and that they are to esteem themselves Cittizens of the Kingdome of God and of life eternall And that if so be the feeling themselves very fearefull of death shall make them know that they are not come to this to esteem themselves pilgrims they ought with continuall prayer to pretend it being certain that by how much more perfectly they shall stand therein then they shall be most like to Christ and most like to God who have been and are in this present life strangers and pilgrims and like such have been and are used And to every Christian person it appertaines to procure to be like to God and to the sonne of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XCVII Whether Iustification be a fruit of piety and whether piety be a fruit of Justification WIlling to examine between these two gifts of God Piety and Justification which of them may be said to be the fruit of the other that is whether piety be the fruit of justification a man being first just before pious or whether justification be the fruit of Piety a man being pious before just and willing in this matter to proceed with order as it were I first say that by Piety I understand the true divine worship which consisteth in worshipping God in spirit and in truth Iohn 4. approving with the minde whatever God doth holding it for just holy and good In this signification I understand S. Paul useth this word Piety 1. Tim. 3. And I say that by justification I understand the purity of conscience which dares appear in judgement such as was S. Pauls when he said there is laid up for mee a Crowne of righteousnesse c. Passing on farther I understand that calling into counsell for the making of this examination the naturall light prudence and humane wisdome shee will alwaies say and affirme that justification is a fruit of piety understanding that one cannot have justification and purity in his conscience if he doe not first adore God in spirit and in truth giving unto him that which it ought to doe as his creature and that suddenly when he gives to God that which he ought to give hee is iust having cleannesse in his conscience And so it is resolved that Iustification is a fruit of piety since from a mans being pious it redounds that he is iust Farther I understand that calling into counsell for the making of this triall the holy spirit and the Christian spirit he will say and affirme that Piety is the fruit of Iustification understanding that a man cannot haue Piety worship God in spirit and truth if he be not first iust accepting the Gospell of Christ making Christs iustice his and understanding that instantly when a man believing is iust he begins to haue Piety adoring God in spirit and truth And so it is resolved that Piety is a fruit of Iustification for a man is first iust then pious If that were true which naturall light saith prudence and humane wisdome for the selfesame cause it would follow that there hath not been nor is nor shall bee a pious man I would say who should giue entirely compleatly unto God that which he ought to give And it being true that which the holy spirit and the Christian spirit saith it well follows that there hath been is and shall be a great number of iust men for there haue been are and shall be many men that haue been are and shall bee iustistified by Christ accepting and making Christiustice theirs Men that Iudge that Iustfication is a fruit of piety by the selfe same case give testimony of themselves that they iudge by naturall light by prudence humane wisdome as Plato and Aristotle would have iudged who had no notice at all of Christ. And in very truth I knowe not what they think of Christ of the Christian businesse nor of the Gospell The men that iudge that Piety is a fruit of Iustification by the selfesame case give testimony of themselves that they iudge by the holy spirit by the Christian spirit as S. Peter and S. Paul iudged who largely knew Christ and had the spirit of Christ. They haue this opinion of Christ that in him God chastised all our sinnes that is all that wherein we faile unto that which as the creatures of God we are
bound to give unto God They think of the Christian businesse that it is a living under the goverment of the holy spirit in holinesse and iustice And they think of the Gospell that it is a Proclamation that compriseth these two things Remission of sinnes and Iustification by Christ And the regiment and goverment of the holy spirit Of which two things they enioy who believing in Christ accept the Gospell From all this discourse I gather that they who understand Justification to be a fruit of Piety follow Plato and Aristotle And that they who understand Piety to be a fruit of iustification Iustification being a fruit of Faith follow S. Paul and S. Peter It is also gathered that this name Piety understood in the manner in which it is here understood it cannot be attributed to God because he owes no man any thing Nay on the contrary every one owes to him And that which he doth with us is not for piety is not for debt nor for obligation but for compassion for mercy and for liberality being in every thing towards us compassionate mercifull and liberall Which ought principally to be known in this that he put all our sinnes on his pretious son Iesus Christ our Lord to put on us the iustice of the selfesame Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XCVIII How that is to be understood that the holy Scripture saith attributing condemnation sometimes to infidelity and sometimes to evill works and salvation sometimes to Faith sometimes to good works AMongst those things in holy Scripture which give molestation to Christian persons who having faith feel within themselves the fruit of Faith that is Iustification and the fruit of justification that is the peace of conscience when they will examine with them their conceptions their spirituall feelings I hold for very principall this that feeling themselves justifi'd by Faith consequently with peace of conscience cannot understand for what cause Christ speaking of the day of Iudement saith that he will condemne some because they have not done well and will save others because they haue done well Nor for what cause S. Paul saith That God will render to every man according to his works Rom. 2. And S. Peter That God will iudge every one according to his works At which they so much the more marvell in as much as the same Christ saith that he that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned And the selfesame S. Paul saith that the Faith of the heart iustifieth and the confession of the mouth saveth And the selfesame S. Peter attributes the salvation of the soule to Faith And from their not understanding of this matter it comes to passe that every one of them thinks in this manner If God be to judge me according to my works there is no doubt but he will condemne me for there is not in them any goodnesse nay in those which seem best there is more contamination of selfe-loue interest and proper glory in such sort as if I be to be judged by my work it will goe ill with me Whereupon being desirous to take away this molestation and this scruple of Christian persons and spirituall and to salve the intelligence of the holy Scriptures in such sort as they should not contradict themselves I think thus That in good or evill works God cōsiders not the quantity but the quality which consisteth in the minde of him that doth the works in the thing wherein he implies it That this is true in evill workes needs no proofe and that it is true in good works is evident by that which Christ saith of them that cast their monies into the Treasury of the Temple praysing the minde of him that did the works And it is evident likewise by that which the selfesame Christ saith speaking of the day of judgement where he doth not say that hee will saue them who haue bin charitable simply but they that have been charitable with himselfe that is they who believing shall stand incorporated in him Whence it seems that Christ saith that he will saue them who haue used charity with him and condemne them that haue not used it Now it being cleer that they cannot work with a pious minde but only who are pious and holy nor can know Christ in his members to use charity towards him but they onely who appertain to the selfesame body of Christ it is clearely approved that none can work well work Christianly but those who are the members of Christ those who haue the spirit of Christ and are pious and holy and just and believe in Christ. And this being approved it is likewise approved that it is the selfesame in holy Scripture to say That men shall be saved by their good works and condemned by their evill works and to say That they shall be saved by their Faith and condemned by their Infidelity Whereupon Christian persons are to two things The one That they only work well for holding themselves justified by Christ they doe not pretend to justifie themselves by their own good works and so working they work purely for the loue of God and not for their own proper loue as those men work who not holding themselves justified by Christ pretend to justifie themselves by their own good works and so working for their own proper loue proper interest and not for the love of God they noe not work well for their works doe not please God cannot be called good works The other that God judging them according to their works will not put to their accompt the contamination that he shall know in them having pardoned them originall sin together with all that which they haue from this evill root And because he will put to their accompt the Faith which he shall haue given them and the purity that shall be in their works whether few or many in as much as they shall be the fruit of Faith And so God shall saue them shewing in the outward judgement that he saves them for their good works saving them indeed by the Faith which he shall have given them God shall iustifie the sentence with which he condemnes the impious superstitious and shall save the pious and holy alleaging the outward works of the one and the other the living with holinesse and iustice on the one part and the living with iniustice and impiety on the other part But this shall not be but for men who know not nor see not but in the outward And in the self same sentence they who know and see the inward the root whence this living working on the one part and this living and working on the other grow they being more then men by the Christian regeneration shall know that Faith hath saved them that shall be saved and that infidelity shall haue condemned them that shall be condemned Here may an impious person say to me willing to calumniate holy Scripture and a superstitious willing to canonize his own
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
satisfaction Nay rather when they look upon themselves and finde themselves without theÌ„ they grieve themselves are male-content and so much the more as it seemes to them that they are more perfect because they doe more loose the hope of being able to obtain them so likewise they who approve these three gifts of God not possessing them albeit they rejoyce to heare speak of them through the desire which they have to possesse them yet is it not so much as that gives them entire satisfaction Nay rather when they look upon themselves and finde themselves without them they grieve themselves and stand male-content so much the more as it seemes to them that the gifts are the more perfect because they so much more loose the hope of obtaining them Farther I say that as when it should happen that those 〈◊〉 who approve the three naturall virtues not possessing them should come to possesse them knowing themselves magnanimous valiant liberall they would affirm to have never well understood what thing these three virtues are and would after a much other manner rejoyce to hear speak of them knowing them to be in themselves and albeit it would grieve them when they knew themselves imperfect in them it would not grieve them that they should be as perfect as they are So likewise when it befalls that the men who approve the three gifts of God not possessing them come to possesse them because God gives them unto them knowing themselves with Faith with Hope and with Charity they affirm that they never well understood what these three gifts of God are and doe most fully reioyce and satisfie themselves to heare speak of them and so much the more in as much as hee who speaks more highly of them because they know them in themselves And albeit they are sorry and grieve themselves when looking upon themselves they know themselves imperfect in them it grieves them not that they bee so perfect as thâ—…y are nay rather they are content and if it were possible they would adde unto them much more perfection So much is the satisfaction which they finde in believing hoping and loving In this manner I understand that as none is capable of being magnanimous or valiant or liberall but only he who hath magnanimity valour liberality so none is capable of Believing Hoping and Loving but he who through the Christian spirit hath the gift of Faith Hope and Charity And so it comes to passe to be so true that a man may as it were touch it with his hand That the spirituall gifts and Christian are not understood untill they be possessed In this discourse I understand all this First that it being true that none are capablo of the gifts of God to understand them but they only who haue them it appertaines to every person that would understand them first to demand them of God and not to think that he understands them untill that hee know them and feel them in himselfe as the Magnanimous knows and feels magnanimity in himselfe Secondly that they may say that they know and feele the gifts of God in them who finde entire satisfaction when they heare speak of Christian matters and albeit they are sorrowfull and grieue themselves when they see themselves imperfect in them they reioyce content themselves that they should be so perfect as they are considering that by how much they are the more perfect by so much the more doth the glory of the Gospell of Christ and of God come to be illustrated so much doth the basenesse the vilenesse the infirmity the weaknesse of man come to be more known Thirdly that as one in being magnanimous hath magnanimity in being valiant hath valour in being liberall hath liberality so in ones accepting the grace of the Gospell he hath Faith and is Iust and in desiring the day of iudgement hath Hope and is holy and in Loving God and his neighbours hath charity and is pious Fourthly that as the magnanimous doth not loose his magnanimity for twise or thrise falling into pâ—…sillanimity except he neglect himselfe in such manner that forgetting to be magnanimous he becomes pusillanimous And what I say of the magnanimous I say of the valiant and of the liberall So the just man by the Christian faith doth not loose the iustice of Christ for committing two or three iniquities except he neglect himselfe in such sort of the Faith that forgetting himselfe of his being iust by faith he become uniust And that which I say of the Iust I say of the Holy through Hope and I say of the Pious through Charity where if one shall demand me saying whether I belieue that hee who hath by the gif of God Faith Hope and Charity can come to loose his iustice his Holinesse and his Piety which hee hath gotten with Faith with Hope and with Charîty I will say unto him that if it be possible that he should come to loose his Faith his Hope and his Charity it will be also possible for him to loose his Iustice his Holinesse and his Piety these being the effects of those And I will say unto him that I hold it for more difficult that one who hath by the gift of God Faith Hope and Charity should depraue himselfe in such manner that he should loose them and with them should loose his Iustice his Holinesse and his Piety then it is for another who is by naturall gift magnanimous valiant and liberall should come to make himselfe so pusillanimous so fearefull and so covetous that he should loose his magnanimity vallour and liberality And I will say moreover unto him that as it is a secure thing for the magnanimous valiant and liberall to liue upon his guard suspicioning of himselfe that if he should grow neâ—…ligent he might come to loose his magnanimity his valour and his liberality so likewise is it a secure thing for the Iust Holy and Pious to liue upon his guarde suspicioning of himselfe that if he should grow negligent he might come to loose Faith Hope and Charity and with them Iustice Holinesse and Wisdome It is very true that I shall hold him for much more secure who by the inward spirit shall be certified that hee can by no meanes come to loose his Iustice his Holinesse and his Piety then that other that alwaies lives upon himselfe suspicious of himselfe For I understand that the security which is divine mortifies and kills all the desires of sinning as that which is humane quickens them and kindles them And because I understand also that the susâ—…icionating which is as it were a fearing even when it is of the holy spirit being a thing proper to the Hebrews is a thing of imperfect Christians it being proper to the perfect Christians of them who haue much Faith much Hope much Charity to say with S. Paul who shall seperate us from the love of Christ Rom. 8. Here I will adde this That as
sonne would not for all that ac◅ompt themselves pardoned and so not return to the kingdome And I understand likewise that neither that Prince to whom this should thus happen should attaine his intention in as much as hee sent his sonne to no other purpose then to the end that being acknowledged for his Sonne hee might bee credited in that which hee manifested so neither doth it seem that God attaines his intention in those who knowing Christ for the sonne of God yet not giving confidence to that which hee gives them notice of on Gods behalfe doe not esteem themselves for reconciled to God He attaines his intention onely in those who knowing Christ to be the son of God and giving confidence to that which hee gives them notice of on Gods behalfe doe accompt themselves for reconciled to God and so for pious for just and for holy It is very true indeed that the knowledge which they haue of Christ as the son of God who feel not themselves reconciled to God cannot properly be tearmed knowledge being more properly opinion then knowledge for were it knowledge it would work in them the same effect that it doth in others certifying them of their reconciliation with God and giving them peace in their consciences And moreover know that by Letter S. Paul understands all that which a man doth saith thinketh without being inspired thereunto by God albeit they be such matters as other men have said done and thought being inspired thereunto Letter it was in S. Peter when in Antioch he severd himselfe from the conversation of the Gentiles because he would not scandalize the Iews and Spirit it was in S. Paul when he did reprehend him for it Know further that by Faith S. Paul understands the credit that a man gives to the pardon generall which Christ published which is now in Christs name on Christs behalfe published And that by Hope he understands the patience and sufferance wherewith a man that believes doth hope for the accomplishment of that which he believes without being wearied in his hope and without giving over the pursuit of that which he hopes for And that by Charity he understands that inward bowelly affection wherewith a man that believes and hopes doth loue that which he believes and that which hee hopes for loving God and Christ from whom and by whom he hopes to obtain that which he believes that which hee hopes and that which he loves and loving also all those things that are Gods and that are Christs Know moreover that by the Justice of God S. Paul understands the perfection of God As we when wee would signifie a man to be perfect say he is just our meaning being this that there is nothing in him that is not very good and in effect that there is nothing wanting to him By the Grace of God he understands the favour that God shews unto a man in drawing him to accept the pardon generall and in maintaining and increasing him with other inward favours which are called Grace inasmuch as God bestows them graciously without any respect of desert onely because it is his will That by the Guift of God he chiefly meanes his having given Christ unto us to the end that the rigor of his justice being executed on him we should hold for certain the pardon generall and hee understands particularly those outward guifts of the holy spirit which in S. Pauls time were in abundance cōmunicated to them that believed That by sinne he almost alwaies understands the affection and the appetite to sin which lives in a man through his naturall depravation and through his acquisite and I say almost in as much as some times he meanes by sinne the sacrifice for sinne That by the Old man he understands the man that is not regenerated nor renewed by the holy Spirit And by the New man he understands the man that is renewed and regenerated by the holy spirit And know likewise that by Flesh by the carnall man by the body of sinne and by the law of the members he understands the selfe same that he doth by the Old man that is nature without the spirit and know that by the law of God he understands that which God gave unto the Hebrew people by Mos◅s which sometimes he termes the Law of death because it was its part to condemne and other where he calls i◅ the Law of sinne because it stirred up in men the affections and appetites of sinning That by the Law of the spirit he understands faith by Circumcision he meanes Iudaisme and by Vncircumcision he understands the state of the Gentiles And finally know that by Christian liberty he understands the degree state and dignity unto which God advanceth a man that accepts the grace of the Gospell who being regenerated and renowed and made the son of God is free and exempt from those things whereunto other men are subject in as much as he maintaines himselfe in his regeneration and renovation and doth not deprive himselfe of that sonship for which he is governed and ruled by the spirit of God Of all this you may serve your selfe as it were of a guide by meanes whereof you may understand many of the things which you shall read in S. Paul And because it may perhaps cause admiration in you to see that S. Paul setting himselfe to reprehend vices in some of them to whom he writes and admonishing them of those vices from which they ought to beware names certain vices which are shamefull even in the men of the world So that it may seeme strange that there should be any necessity of admonishing Christian persons touching those vices and that withall he scarce toucheth those vices which are more inward and more pernitious You shall know that in as much as in S. Pauls time there were some who made carnall licentiousnesse of Christian liberty and gave themselves unto vices and villanies it was necessary that S. Paul should touch them in those particulars wherein they did most sinne In such sort as it was needfull even in that time to seek redresse for outward vices in christian persons in as much as they did not esteem them for evill nor were not ashamed of them through the false perwasion which they had run into of christian liberty and because they had put an end to the esteem of the world But it is now needfull to apply remedy to christian men for their inward vices in regard that they partly for God and partly for the world doe abstain from outward vices suffering themselves to be overcome by the inward partly because they doe not know them for vices and partly because the world holds the want of these vices for a vice You shall find some things in S. Paul which you shall not feel in your selfe and other things which you shall not understand and some other which will seem strange to you And all these it seemes fit to mee that you should passe over not ca◅ing much to weary your selfe for the understanding of them in as much as the intention with which you goe about to read S. Paul is not to understand all that S. Paul saith but to frame your mind as God shall give you grace to understand feel and tast in S. Paul I also advise you that when you begin to read an Epistle you leave not to read the argument which you shall find written before it for it gives much light to the whole Epistle But in truth all these advises are nothing and there is one of much more availe then all these that is that when ever you shall take S. Paul into your hands you should commend yo◅r'selfe to God beseeching him that he would send his Holy Spirit that may be your guide in the reading and you shall endeavour to obtain it by meanes of the only begotten son of God Christ Iesus our Lord to whom be glory for ever AMEN FINIS ERRATA PAge 17. line 6. for execution in this manner read in this manner I desire to c. p. 21. l. 1. f. all good the works r. all the good works p 23. l. 22. f. there r. them p. 24. l. 11. f. believe a lye r. unbelieve a lye p. 29. l. 18. f. perceiving r. persevering p. 29. l. 27. f. dispose r. dispoile p. 34. l. 23. f. once r. one p. 35. l. 22. f. by good r. be good p. 39. l. 25. f. meeter r. meet p. 45. l. penult f watchfulnesse r. watchfull p. 50. l. 28. f. peace and conscience r. peace of conscience p. 82. l. 24. f being a man r. being in a man p. 89. l. 20. f. doth reach unto r. doth not reach unto p. 98. l. 3. f. vocation of r. vocation to p. 103. marg f. omnes homo r. omnis p. 105. l. 1. f. that his piety r. that if his piety p. 109. l. 8. f. knowe r. knowing p. 116 l. 6. f. that then holy spirit r. then the holy spirit p. 172. l. 25◅ f. whilest his soul in his body r. his soul in his body p. 193. l. 24. f. Psal. 75. r. 95. p. 198. l. 12. f. felicity r. facility p. 208. l. 30. f. begins love r. begins to give love p. 220 l. 20. f. proceed r. precedes p. 222. l. 9 f. of man r. to man p. 227. l. 10. f. and it was r. it was p. 239. l. 24. f. the waies r. these waies p. 240. l. 35. f. would r. should p. 241. l. 29. f. justice r. justify p. 244. l. 12. f. purposes in such manner r. purposes and desu◅ in c. This note is the French Translators This note is the French Translators These 32 and 33 Consideratio◅s being read together may vindicate the Authors good meaning from his dubi ous and offen sive expressions in the present Consideration See the Preface This XXXVI Co◅sideration saith the translatour seemes expressed in difficult and ambiguous words which may justly breed exception if so it bee not taken altogether I confessed saith he it is one of them which I doe not fully understand See the Preface Hoc est omnes homo The Weeke before Easter Pretending ◅erit