blisse and consequently there is no last end of the life of man Since therefore it would follow the end being the measure or rule of the means by which the end is gained that man would be the most miserable of all living creatures and void of all order would be subject to all casualty and destitute of all providence which is the greatest of all absurdities I conclude therefore that which I intended that a Christian life by true Religion is a most safe and certain way to eternall blisse CHAP. VII The truth of Christian Faith is proved by being the cause of a virtuous life HAving proved the Verity of Christian Religion by Arguments grounded in the virtuous life of Christians now I intend to confirm the same out of the causes of the same life The principall causes of this life is the Faith of our Saviour Christ Jesus crucified informed with Charity that is which works by love the Scripture teaching us Justitia Dei per fidem Jesu Christi in omnes super omnes qui credunt in eum that is The Justice of God is by the Faith of Jesus Christ for all and over all which believe in him and without Faith it is impossible to please God This Faith of Christ informed is that by which we beleeve that Christ crucified is true God and true man the Son of God identified in nature with the Father and the holy Ghost but distinguished in person whom we love above all things Faith therefore altogether with the love of Christ is the cause of the forementioned life That it is so daily experience teaches us for that which is manifest cannot be denied and of this we have a most palpable experience because we see Christians make so much progresse in the righteousnesse of life as they profit in the Faith of Christ and on the contrary for between these two sorts is such a strict connexion as they inferre a mutuall consequence and on the contrary the defect of one inferres the losse of the other for no sooner grows a Christian vitious of life but the form of his Faith which is Churity towards God vanishes and on the contrary If therefore we perceive in the life of man such an effect which men have learned by their own and others experience to have constantly endured from the coming of our Saviour even unto these present times and that all Christians do averre and teach the same why should we not out of admiration of so important a matter play the Philosophers enquiring and searching into the causes of it even as the Philosophers having perceived the effects of naturall things and being ignorant of their causes began first to admire and then by discourse to search into the causes of them First therefore there is no effect perfecter then its principall or totall cause of whom its perfection hath its dependance if therefore the righteousnesse and verity of a Christian life which of all sorts of life is the most excellent hath its dependance of the Faith of Christ it is not possible but that Faith must be true but if it be true it follows that Christ is true God and that his Religion is true which the Christians professe It is no lesse impossible that that which is good and true hath its substantial dependance of that which is evill and false for evill as it is evill false as it is false is a certain nothing or a negation of the positive perfections of goodnesse and verity now if the Faith of Christ should be false and the love of him vitious certainly the perfection of a Christian life which is known to be so good could not substantially depend on that Faith and love which are evill as it is clear Further if the Faith of Christ were false it would be the greatest of all errours for to affirm a man crucified to be true God if it were not true were an extreme madnesse and folly how could the life of Christians therefore it being most perfect as I have proved proceed from so great an errour Seeing that the institution of a well-ordered life is derived from and grounded in the framing a right conceit and understanding of it and all errour in affection and morall actions proceed from its in justice and difformity with the rule of equity Moreover the better any nature or subject is disposed the more is it facilitated for the receiving a more perfect form but the form and perfection of our understanding is verity and the disposition for the receiving of verity is a purity and sincerity of heart and therefore the more a man hath his mind undrossed from the affection of creatures the more it is prepared for the embracing verity and rejecting that which is false but I have proved that there is no disposition more undrossed and purified then that of a Christian life and therefore if the Christian Faith were erroneous none would more easily discern the deceit then Christians But we behold the clean contrary for as they daily arrive to a more elevated degree of sanctity the more constantly and undoubtedly they assever its integrity and as they grow more grounded in their Faith their lives also increase in perfection whence it undoubtedly follows that their Faith is true Almighty God as he is the first mover and first cause of all things doth no lesse produce and cause motions in spirituall things then he doth in materiall and corporall and consequently causes motions in our understanding and will and no man must doubt but he affords the light of verity at least of things necessary to the salvation of reasonable creatures more clearly to them who by their concurrence and sanctimony of life become better disposed for it Now if virtuous and sincere Christians were erroneous in their Faith they should have no prerogative before the vitious and sinfull but as misled and blinded with many enormious deceits and errours would be given over to a reprobate sense which is quite contrary to the goodnesse and present Providence of Almighty God The end is the cause of the means which are ordained for the gaining it wherefore those that erre in the end must needs go astray in the election of the means to attain it for if the end in practicall things is as the principle and cause in things which are speculative seeing therefore that Christians do not erre in the means which serve for the gaining the end to wit in the virtue of their lives but do farre excell all others it follows they erre not in the end But all assuredly confesse Christ to be their end for they onely strive to become most like unto him and with all their endeavours aim to enjoy him therefore we must conclude that which they most constantly professe that Christ crucified is true God The proceedings of Almighty God are alwayes ordinate ordering things by his divine Wisdome so as that he governs the inferiour things by the superiour and hence he subordinates
cruel Emperour of the Gothes after he had destroyed so many thousands by innumerable massacres wasted and consumed whole Nations not being able to suffer the countenance of S. Bennet a poor Monk fell down prostrate on his face and could scarce raise himself when the servant of God commanded and assisted him to rise In like manner Theodosius the Emperour returning to Millain after his cruel slaughter of the Thessalonians was by the authority of S. Ambrose chiding him and reviling his cruelty denied the entrance into the Church untill he had by a publick penance enjoyn'd him by the Bishop expiated his cruelty and injustice I should want time if I should recount the examples in this kind but it is not for my present purpose to prove that which by daily examples is known to all for I have often seen arrogant and wicked men in the presence of the holy and virtuous both to have changed their words and with great sorrow and compunction of heart to have reformed their lives For the divine Spirit doth adorn the exteriour both of men and women the younger with a wonderfull sweetnesse and grace the elder men with the veneration of their white hairs and makes them as the present matter requires to become now amiable to some and now again to some others formidable This effect in the exteriour proceeds out of the supernaturall bounty of the mind that is out of the grace of God adorning the understanding will and other powers of the soul which we gather hence that our soul vehemently altering our bodies by force of the imagination doth exceedingly change the countenance and visage as by lascivious thoughts the body is stirred up to lust and by the instigation of hatred it is inflamed with desire of revenge whnnce we experience that the body is much altered by force of the imagination and by the alteration of the sensible appetite and the commotion of the spirits the face and visage is straightway changed so that by fear men are wont to become pale and wan by anger and bashfulnesse red and blushing and joy and sorrow make their severall impressions in the countenance The reason is because our understanding using corporall instruments and organs what ever passes in the interiour especially any vehement conceits hath its influence into the corporall and exteriour parts especially into the face and eyes for we plainly discern in proud men an arrogance of look in the cruel a stern and fierce cast of their eyes in the light ones a subtil and unconstant deportment and in the lascivious a wanton aspect nay some malevolous old women with the very contagion of their looks are said to infect and fascinate little infants to conclude the good and evill habits of the mind especially if they have taken deep root can scarce by any dissimulation be so hidden that they appear not in the exteriour Every cause therefore likening its effect and every effect making an expression of its cause this exteriour beauty and comlinesse of Christians and this honest and venerable manner of deportment cannot proceed from any other cause then the beauty of the mind and integrity of their life Which effect we daily see to be of such virtue that as we daily experionce there is nothing to be found more energeticall and efficacious for the conversion of sinners for we experience that the examples of simple Christians living uprightly have profited men more then the perswasions of learned and eloquent Philosophers nay even the relations or beholding of miracles For we often see eloquent and learned men whilst they are preaching high and elevated subtilties of knowledge to be hearkned unto with great attention but their lives not corresponding to their words they have profited the Church very little but onely born away the reports and praises of their eloquence and wisdome In past and present Ages there have been many miracles which little conduced to the amendment of life for though we see multitudes of men flock together to see them yet if we look more diligently into it we shall find that very few have reaped the profit of bettering their lives by them but by the perfection of a virtuous Christian we both have known and seen innumerable sorry and contrite for their sins and converted unto Almighty God and those not onely of the vulgar and simple sort of people but most eminent in prudence and learning of the which very many having felt the odour of a good fame and sanctity contemning the pleasures and delights of the world have betaken themselves to these happy and religious Societies and Monasteries where loathing their former courses they passe their lives with exceeding content pleasure and sincerity Hence it is manifest that there is some virtue in Christians by which these admirable effects are produced for a body hath no substantiall influence into a spirit which we see manifestly expressed in the most formall body of all to wit the celestiall which suffer nothing from any corporall virtue for the heavens suffer not from the neighbouring fire much lesse therefore shall a spirit suffer by any corporall influence Those things therefore that are exteriour and visible in a Christian life being corporall they cannot have any proper and substantiall influence into the soul by which it may receive benefit unlesse thereby some virtue be together infused into it but in a Catholique and virtuous man the most eminent and chief virtue from which an upright institution of life exteriour beauty and holy conversation doth proceed is the immaculate Faith and Love of Christ crucified for this Faith and Love being augmented their exteriour ornaments and veneration are increased and of greater efficacy for the conversion of men Faith therefore which operates with love cannot be a deceit seeing that falsity is void of all virtue and cannot penetrate the heart of man Verity is more powerfull then falsity but there was never any virtue or remedy found more efficacious for the living well and virtuously then a Christian life as we are taught by the comparison of Philosophers and other men by whose learning and examples very few have been converted to a good life and by the life of Christians innumerable do daily rise and leade most unspotted lives and therefore a vain and erroneous falsity cannot be the ground or root of this life otherwise men would more easily be reclaim'd to the amendment of their lives by the learning and morality of Philosophers then by Christian examples which we find most false by experience Moreover Almighty God being the first mover without whom there is not the least motion and doing all things by his wisdome he subordinates the nobler effects to the nobler causes but the most excellent of all effects is a Christian life Almighty God therefore by exhortations and chiefly by internall inspirations stirring up men to this life by most conspicuous examples of the faithfull to the end that the cause may produce an effect like it self as the
by being the cause of a virtuous life Page 32 CHAP. VIII That Christian Doctrine containing the Grounds of Faith is from God Page 44 CHAP. IX Christian Faith proved true out of their use of Prayer and Contemplation Page 58 CHAP. X. The same Verity proved out of the exteriour Worship of Christians Page 67 CHAP. XI The same Verity proved out of the intrinsecall effects of Christian life Page 77 CHAP. XII The same truth proved out of the extrinsecall effects of Christian life Page 90 CHAP. XIII The same confirmed by the wonderfull works of Christ and first by his Power Page 101 CHAP. XIIII The same concluded out of the Wisdome of Christ Page 125 CHAP. XV. The same Verity confirmed out of the Goodnesse of Christ Page 144 CHAP. XVI The same proved out of the Power Wisdome and Goodnesse of Christ all together Page 161 THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSSE OR Of the Verity OF FAITH By Hierome Savanocola of Ferrara LONDON Printed by R. Daniel 1651. The Preface HAving as farre forth as I judged sufficient for my present purpose treated in the precedent Book those things which are of themselves obvious to naturall reason it remains now that I discusse those also which are above the sphere of our Nature that I may thereby plainly shew the Christian Faith to be most true not onely by natural motives but out of the very actions of our blessed Saviour Christ Jesus and because things before our eyes do more enforce our under standing to assent then things which are past for it is harder to deny what we plainly see before our eyes then that which we receive at trust by Traditions I shall lay the first grounds of my proofs in those things which are unquestionable unto all as being daily seen practised in the Church of Christ and are most apparant to sense it self I do not speak of the vices of evill Christians who as such are sequestred rather and cut off from the communication and mysticall Vnion of the Church but of those good members of it which not onely bear and professe the name of Christians but also prove themselves to be such by their virtuous lives and actions This done I shall produce reasons grounded in those actions of Christ which are most generally received and allowed of by all so that the latter shall manifestly confirm the former the things present those which are past But because the chief effect at which the institution of the Church aims is Justice and an irreprehensible and unspotted life our Saviour saying speaking of the members of his Church Ego veni ut vitam habeant abundantiùs habeant To this end I came that they may live and that they live more abundantly First therefore I shall in due order prove the truth of the Christian Faith by reasons truly grounded in the virtuous lives of good Christians Secondly in the causes of such a life and lastly in the effects of the same life wherein I shall comprise all those things which are daily exercised in the Church Militant of Christ The triumph of the Crosse or of the verity of Faith CHAP. I. That there is a true Religion IT is altogether necessary that every one acknowledge that in the world there is a true Religion By Religion we understand a due Worship exhibited unto Almighty God as he is the universall fountain source and moderatour of all things For every effect doth exhibite a certain worship to its cause whilst converting its self unto it and as it were invocating it with a kind of subjection it strives to imitate and make it self like unto it which expresses nothing else but a certain return of honour from the effect to its cause that it may be more and more perfected by it Wherefore Almighty God being the universall Cause of all things of whom heaven and earth and all that hath goodnesse in it have their whole being and dependance most clear it is that in man there ought to be an ingrafted and naturall instinct to convert it self to God and to invoke and subject himself unto him to do his uttermost to become like unto him and to be perfected by him which is nothing else then to exhibite worship unto him Now if there be such a naturall inclination in the rationall nature of man to worship his Creatour and that this inclination cannot be superfluous or in vain we must of force conclude that there is a true Religion to be found amongst men Moreover seeing that man is naturally inclined to the divine Worship as every effect is to its cause and that he is rationall as not being necessitated to any thing as other brute and irrationall things are which are naturally carried away by their appetites but having a true dominion over his actions he freely disposes of them as he list Now if all men as naturall reason is oftentimes very defective should fall into so generall and gross an errour that there should be no true and divine Worship found amongst them it would follow that they would be so deprived of the divine Providence that there would appear no Divine care exercised towards them in the thing which is of all others most necessary and naturall unto them seeing that this true divine Worship is that by which man is to arrive to the fruition of his last end But this I have elsewhere plainly refuted I adde that every countrey and nation in every age both past and present having been though in divers wayes addicted unto the divine Worship it must necessarily follow that this truth is wholly ingrafted and naturall unto man for that is naturall as I have elsewhere showen which agrees unto all and at all times wherefore if there should be no true divine Worship found this natural inclination would be wholly frustrate seeing it were not able to arrive unto the end which it was ordained for whence it would follow that Almighty God executed his Providence more towards unreasonable creatures then towards man Lastly seeing that every cause infuses its perfection and goodnesse as much as possible it may into its effect intending by all means to attract it and make it as farre as it hath capacity like unto it self Almighty God being superlatively good and the first origin of all things hath questionlesse a speciall care of the perfection of man for whose sake and use he made all other inferiour creatures wherefore the true perfection of man principally consisting in the subjecting himself unto God and in the Divine veneration in the which Religion doth chiefly consist it follows that there is a true Religion to be found in the world CHAP. II. There are two sorts of Divine Worship MAn having a capacity to exhibite veneration unto Almighty God two wayes corporally and spiritually we ought to distinguish two sorts of Divine Worship in him to wit interiour and exteriour interiour is that which we perform by the acts of our understanding and will exteriour is that which we
champion is it brought to light because our understanding having Verity for its object is naturally inclined unto it as to its proper perfection and where the more it shines with greater delight it is embraced but then Verity appears most when it is most sharply impugned because in the very discussion and conflict of disputation it manifests it self Seeing therefore that Christian Doctrine having been so vehemently impugned by so many Philosophers and Tyrants hath alwayes remained invincible and victorious which the infinite volumns of Christians testifie it is consequent that its truth proceeded from Almighty God otherwise in so many conflicts it had not so long remain'd unconquer'd CHAP. IX Christian Faith proved true out of their use of Prayer and Contemplation AS Faith and the reading holy Scriptures Auscultation and Meditation is the principall cause of a Christian life so Prayer is its principall nourishment where it hath its growth and perfection for by long experience we have found in our Religion that all those who profit in our Religion and have arrived to the highest degrees of sanctity have attained it by frequent and continuall Prayer and we have observed that they have taken such gust and complacence in it that they have despised all other humane delights as vile abject and unworthy of them Nor doth this happen onely to the most eminent and learned sort of those which flourish in sanctity but it is commonly found in the simple and ignorant as well men as women and even in all those who have learned to leade a Christian life By this effect therefore we may prove the Verity of out Faith Almighty God being a pure Act the first Verity and an infinite Light the nearer a man makes his approach unto him the more abundartly doth he partake this Purity Verity and Light But man doth not make his approach unto Almighty God by corporall paces but by the purity of life elevation of mind and contemplation of Verity Seeing therefore that there can be no life more candid and more sincere then that of Christians and that then the mind of man is most pure when it is wrapt up in a soaring and extaticall contemplation of the Divine perfections it follows that man is most possessed of this Verity and Light as he is in the very act of prayer and contemplation and seeing that we find by experience that Christians as they encrease in the fervour of Devotion and frequency of Prayer are more and more confirmed in their Faith and inflamed with the love of Christ and profit in virtue we must confesse that the Faith Verity and Light of Christian Religion is Divine Our understanding affecting Verity as its proper perfection and abhorring Falsity as its greatest enemy man is in nothing so disposed for the entertaining of Verity and rejecting of contraries as in the very act of Prayer and Contemplation by which he doth most stedfastly and ardently embrace the documents of Faith which therefore cannot be erroneous Moreover all Christians in their Prayers to Almighty God do beseech him to grant that for the which they pray by the merits of Christ for in the end of every prayer they most commonly adde some such form Through Jesus Christ our Lord or Through Christ our Lord and yet they obtain admirable and incredible graces from him which if any should not believe yet certainly they must grant that which by daily experience is manifest that they obtain that which they principally seek after the righteousnesse of a virtuous life the quiet and joyfulnesse of mind so as they preferre the pious tears of Devotion farre before any delights and pleasures of the world Now certainly if Christ were not he whom our Faith proclaims him to be they could not in so great a serenity of mind and at so near a distance of so great a light be environed and buried in so great a darknesse nor would Almighty God permit them to be so grosly deceived or at least if they were obstinate in an errour he would not grant their petitions Again every cause disposing its matter for the producing its effect after it hath introduced its last disposition immediately produces it nor would it dispose the matter unlesse it meant to Introduce the form nor any cause of motion would produce it if it intended not some end of the motion produced but a just man unlesse he were invited and drawn on by Almighty God who is the first cause of all things could not elevate his mind unto him by prayer Blisse therefore being the end of prayer and a virtuous life Almighty God would not induce man unto those means of prayer and virtue unlesse he intended to make him finally blessed If therefore Christians makig progresse in virtue and prayers become more grounded and settled in their Faith and Contemplation of Christ their Faith cannot be but from Almighty God by which he leades men unto blisse Every cause grants as I may say unto its effect what it asks the effect asks of its cause it s due and proper perfections which then it is said to exact when it is rightly disposed for then the cause if not otherwise hindred delaies not the execution of the effect infusing that quantity of perfection into it which the degree of disposition doth exact which immediate execution proceeds out of its facility and goodnesse which of its nature is desirous to communicate it self Almighty God therefore being the most sovereign good questionlesse will more then other causes which have not so great goodnesse grant the petitions to this effect especially unto those which are best disposed for the receiving his favours as are Christians chiefly when they are in the act of Prayer and Contemplation but Christians ask nothing more then the light of truth according to that of the Psalmist Ill umina oculos meos nè unquam obdormiam in morte Enlighten my eyes that I never sleep in death And therefore Almighty God never denies them their request but Christians the more they pray the more they are confirmed in their Faith therefore this our discourse is of greater force Further if Christ were not God to professe himself so would be the most supreme degree of blasphemy and detestation that could be Now if Christians do pray to God the Father through Christ whom they believe to be of the same nature with the Father and the holy Ghost how doth Almighty God permit them in so great an errour arising out of ignorance and simplicity and doth not draw them out of it knowing that they serve him with their whole affection and humbly beg of him the knowledge of truth or if their obstinacy be in fault why doth he leave so great a wickednesse and treason against his Divine Majesty unrevenged or why doth he as we see him favour this errour and impiety whilst bestowing so many and great gifts on them he questionlesse grants them that which they ask at his hands Our soul as I have said doth
chiefly delight in Verity and is disturbed perplexed and confounded with Falsity in which it can take no rest if therefore the Faith of Christ were false there would be no imposture so absurd and pestilent as it for how should innumerable men especially just and wise-men so imploy themselves in the contemplation of Christ crucified that for this alone they should despise all humane affairs and should not onely most willingly suffer want of sustenance labours heats and cold contumelies threats buffets pâ—isons and most cruel racks and torments nay death it self but if they be without them do wish to undergo them duly we may say the finger of God is here CHAP. X. The same Verity proved out of the exteriour worship of Christians I Have now shewed out of the principall cause of Christian life to wit the reading of holy Scriptures and exercise of Prayer by which it is conceived noâ—â—ished increased and perfected thru our Religion is true and void of all falsity and deceit which are the interiour causes of it Now I will briefly run over the externall causes which serve as instruments and props of the internall to wit the Sacraments and Ceremonies instituted in order to them all which appertain unto the exteriour worship of Christian Religion and that I may not spend time about every one in particular I will treat of them altogether as the different members of one and the same body For all sacramentall Ceremonies and even the other Sacraments having a reference unto the Sacrament of the Eucharist they may be rightly styled one thing From this externall worship if it be rightly observed we see that Christians gain great improvement in their Devotion and Sanctity for we see by daily experience even from the beginning of our Religion to these very times by the records attestation and examples both of the Primitive and Modern Fathers that those which piously and exactly practise this exteriour worship and do often administer or receive those Sacraments and divine Mysteries or do take upon them some one which before they had not do increase in perfection and become daily more divine by their admirable sanctity and those on the contrary which do in a customary way without Faith and Religion familiarly and accustomarily frequent them become the worst of all men which most plainly appears to omit the examples of antiquity in the Priests and Clergy of our times then whom if good none better but if evill none are found more wicked and pernicious For the good as void of all affection to temporall things onely insist in the worship of Almighty God for whose sake and Faith they doubt not to spend their lives those which are bad are so excessive in their impieties so puft up with pride envy avarice and so overwhelmed with all vices that as altogether lost and which is worst of all they know not how to think of amendment and then chiefly when by admonition reprehension exhortation and good examples by which others are wont to enter into themselves they become more harsh refractory and intractable These things being so and as present before our eyes being no way refragable we must seek the reason why two such contrary effects proceed from the same Ceremonies of the same Sacraments Now it is not repugnant to Philosophy that two contrary effects proceed from one and the same cause if the matters subjected have contrary dispositions for the earth by the beams and heat of the funne of soft becomes hard and ice by the same of hard is dissolved into a liquid humour A tree whilst it stands rooted in the earth by influence of the Planets bringeth forth blossomes and fruit and by the same influence when it is rooted up it withers and truly those effects being so opposite that the one is most excellent in those which perform those sacred Mysteries as I have said with due veneration the other most pernicious in those which do abuse them they cannot proceed from any vain or false cause this not appearing so in men of any other Religion there can be no other reason of it given but their different and contrary worship of Almighty God for if the exteriour worship of Christian Religion did not depend of God himself and did not contain in it self that divine Virtue and Verity in such a manner as instruments do contain the virtue of their principall cause they would no way be able to produce increase and consummate the most excellent effect of Christian sanctity This exteriour worship cannot produce this effect of its own proper force because Christian life being wholly spirituall and consisting in the intellectuall part of man cannot substantially proceed from corporall instruments for what can Baptisme the anointing with oil and balm the use of incense the oblation of Bread and Wine the Altars and other such extrinsecall things of their own virtue conduce to the perfection of the soul unlesse they were the instruments of some superiour cause For if these were introduced for a superstitious worship by any humane invention or diabolicall imposture a life so holy would never proceed from so wicked and vain illusions But some may object that this worship is not the cause of perfection but rather the exercise of virtues and credulity of men by which they believe it to be divine for the good striving daily by their virtues to root out their vices do every day more then other grow perfect by those exercises But we now seek the reason why others who are studious in the disciplines of virtue and morality who either do not make use of these Sacraments or do a long time refrain from the use of them do swerve so farre from the integrity they aim at Truly if this worship were unprofitable or false the more one should recede from it and cast it away the more he would profit in the exercise of morall virtues Priests also by deriding and contemning it would not grow more vicious but more virtuous the contrary of which daily experience teacheth Moreover Almighty God being the supreme Verity the more one is illuminated by him the nearer he approaches unto him but the more a man is involved with falsity and errours the farther he becomes distant from him Now we know that those who with Piety and Religion do frequent those mysteries are so vehemently delighted with this Divine Worship that oftentimes rapt out of themselves with the astonishment of their corporall part they remain immoveable and their faces casting forth resplendent rayes of sanctity make them no lesse amiable then venerable which though it happen'd oftner in the Primitive Ages as we reade then now-adayes it doth yet there are not wanting those whom we know which enjoy those priviledges and those not onely of the learneder sort but of the simple and vulgar people Whence therefore is this kind of extasie whence this absorpt and pleasant contemplation whence this servour of a spirit inflamed those scalding lights and sweet showers
and fruition of Almighty God not by the mediation of creatures but immediately by his divine Essence Now man by his clear intuition and fruition becoming united unto Almighty God arrives by the same unto his most consummate and supreme perfection beyond which there remains not the least object of any rationall desire Almighty God being that goodnesse which plenarily satiates all the appetites of the soul of man It remains now that I shew by most pregnant and convincing reasons that the last blisse and felicity of man consists in the clear intuition of the Divine perfections for I have now proved that it cannot be attained unto in this life and if we place it in the contemplation of Almighty God this not being had here it is to be expected in the next life where if it shall consist in the intellectuall possessing of the first verity not known by its own proper species or immediate objective influence but by the intervention of effects or other representatives there will arise many difficulties for first it will not appear how mans intellectuall appetite will be fully satiated and wholly acquiesce in such a mediate contemplation for if the soul of man in the state of separation from the body hath knowledge not onely of materiall objects but of spirituall also and immateriall substances either it hath this knowledge perfectly or imperfectly if imperfectly by their intervention man cannot arrive unto the perfect knowledge of God and all things in the state of imperfection have a capacity and appetite of their respective perfection so the matter seeks its form and that which is foul to become beautifull certainly the soul of man as unsatisfied by such an imperfect knowledge of its object cannot be at quiet which also may be seen in the endeavours of men whose understanding not content with a confused and perfect knowledge of things strives by all labour and industry to arrive unto the perfect knowledge of them If with a perfect knowledge they penetrate the effects they are presently inflamed with a desire to know their causes for man naturally desires true knowledge which consists in the knowing the causes of things That which is naturall cannot be taken from nature and as naturall motion grows more impetuous and swift in the end then it was in its biginning so mans understanding the more perfectly it hath penetrated the effects the more earnestly doth it seek to know the causes of them therefore I do not see how the natural appetite of mans understanding may be satisfied without the clear sight of Almighty God which also is confirmed by experience that the capacity of mans mind is not satisfied by any limitted object beyond which it alwayes apprehends somewhat to remain unknown whence it is that if any limitted dimension or number be presupposed there remains alwayes a faculty of our understanding to add somewhat further and further without end and this is the nature of that infinity which the Mathemacians in their lines and numbers call the infinity of encrease or augment Therefore all created substances being finite and limitted our understanding never rests satiated untill it behold the increated substance of Almighty God which alone as being a pure act admits no bounds or circumscription It is therefore unreasonable to prefix any other end of the life of man then that which our faith hath established to wit the clear vision of the divine Essence For it is manifest to all that Almighty God is the last object in which the soul of man doth finally acquiesce All naturall motion tends to some last end or centre whither being arrived it ceases Now there being no created substance in which the heart of man can fix its finall affection we may conclude that it onely rests then when he shall behold face to face Almighty God then whom there being nothing greater there can be nothing wanting in him to the full satiety of man nor shall he further affect inferiour objects because he shall make no account of them For there is no proportion between things limited and that which is infinite as also because there is no perfection in any effect which is not more perfectly and eminently contained in the first cause and consequently there will be no further desire of any thing because our understanding will be most compleatly perfected as fully possessing its supreme and last object in the which it will most easily behold those other inferiour things towards which it is naturally inclined and this is one difference between the understanding and senses for the senses in the fruition of their principall object are exhausted and corrupted but the understanding is thereby exceedingly perfected But here we must observe Almighty God being infinite and above the sphere of all cleated substances that our understanding by its own proper forces virtue and energy cannot raise it self so high as to behold the divine Essence but there is necessary a supernaturall disposition or quality called by Divines the light of glory which God infuses in the next life into the souls which are free from all guilt of sinne or pain that be may thereby make them capable and fit for this beatificall vision For Almighty God alwayes supplies necessities nor can there be any thing elevated above its own proper sphere unlesse it be assisted by some superiour virtue now the vigour alone of the most intense naturall light of our understanding is no way sufficient to produce the clear vision of Almighty God because the excellence of the object precisely does not elevate naturall power to an act of another kind or of a superiour nature such as is the beatificall vision in regard of a created understanding which therefore ought to be supplied with some supernaturall disposition or quality which we call the light of Glory Whence it appears what a true and rationall judgement our Faith frames of the end of humane life and how easily it dissolves the difficulties of controversie in the which those of other opinions find themselves wholly intangled as in so many Labyrinths Where whatsoever we say either of the end cujus or the end quo there can be found none so good and rationall no nor even imagined as that which Christians professe and teach CHAP. V. There can be no better means to attain unto eternall blisse then a Christian life BEing now to treat of the means by which we are to arrive to the fore-mentioned ends I shall make it appear that there is none which may rationally be compared with those which are approved by the Christian Faith for Almighty God doing nothing in vain I suppose that no man can doubt but man is to arrive unto his last end which is eternall beatitude by some means or other for that thing questionlesse would be altogether vain and to no purpose which could not arrive unto the end for which it was ordained as for example the power of motion in man would be in vain had he no limbs
nobler effects to nobler causes for all causes must be perfecter then their effects now in humane affairs there is no nobler effect then a Christian life which consequently must proceed from the most noble cause now we see this wholly to flow from Christ whom therefore we must acknowledge to be the most perfect of all causes Secundary causes are the instruments of the primary or the First cause a Christian life therefore proceeding from Christ as from his cause we must confesse that Christ being a man crucified is the instrument of producing this excellent effect of Christian perfection now if Christ were not also God as he taught himself to be there could be no man more wicked and execrable and by this means Almighty God would use a most detestable instrument for the production of a virtuous life which is extremely absurd The cause being the measure of the effect by how much the perfection of the effect approaches nearer to the perfection of the cause and becomes more like unto it so much is it nearer its compleat and full perfection but we see the more like a man is to Christ Jesus in his life the more holy he becomes and in a manner Divine which were not possible unlesse he both were true God and his Faith most intirely true We know causes by their effects as we experience in medicines by their successe seeing therefore that Philosophers leave behinde them unto posterity the rules of a virtuous life and yet very few of them have attained unto any considerable degree of perfection notwithstanding great endeavours done to that effect nay in the great abundance of the most excellent of them none almost without the direction of Christian Faith have been able to effect any thing which yet we see in that short time and exactly to be brought to passe by Christian Discipline in the congregation of the faithfull in every sex and age and the reason is because in deed there is no comparison between Philosophicall documents and the rules of Christian life neither for Morality nor Religion For what is more admirable then that a most lewd and wicked man as we are taught by daily examples of all ages as soon as he hath truly converted himself unto Christ crucified becomes a new man of proud and envious humble and courteous of covetous and sordid liberall and bountifull of lewd and luxurious becomes continent and chaste and as it were with the principles of his Faith sucks in the respective antidotes for his particular vices and with a manifold interest recompences and repayes the debts of his former vices which never any sect of Philosophers hath attained unto whence it necessarily follows that Christ is the principall or instrumentall cause of it and a medicine which restores all morality and produces a most perfect life in his faithfull CHAP. VIII That Christian Doctrine containing the Grounds of Faith is from God THe reading hearing and contemplation of holy Scripture is the cause of Christian perfection and the substance of our Religion for the verity of Scripture is the object of Faith and therefore the arguments of Faith are those which are drawn out of holy Scriptures We know that in the understanding of man there is no determinate knowledge of future contingencies of which we can frame no acts nor science which made the most famous and learned of all Philosophers conclude that men could have no knowledge of future things subject to chance and to have it was proper onely to Almighty God who being eternall comprehends in his eternity all things the which are clearly laid open to his understanding and of the which men cannot arrive unto the knowledge unlesse they be revealed unto them by Almighty God seeing therefore that the holy Scripture almost every where but chiefly in the Old Testament doth foretell future contingencies which depend on mens free-will not onely in generall terms but most exactly intending unto particulars and that not those of one ten a hundred or a thousand years but hath foretold those of two three and four thousand years and not onely those which befell unto the Jews and those which were to be done by Christ his Spouse the Church but as it were foretold all the prosperities and adversities which should happen to almost all Nations as the Assyrians Chaldeans Persians Medes Greeks Romans and the rest and that just as it was foretold it most exactly came to passe we must necessarily confesse that the Scriptures came from God and were not written by the industry and wit of men and therefore those which as yet remain to be fulfilled are to be held most infallible as proceeding from the same Spirit who foretold those others which have so admirably beyond all imagination been accomplished And hence we clearly gather that Almighty God hath a most speciall care of men and exercises his divine Providence about humane affairs The foreseeing then of future contingencies appertaining onely to Almighty God humane industry and sagacity cannot so order and dispose such combination of affairs as the heroicall enterprizes and warlike exploits of famous men but oftentimes do beyond all expectation light on most unexpected and variable events God onely therefore can determine these actions of men so that they may be signs of what is to follow in future ages but we see how those things which are already brought to passe in the new Scripture or shall hereafter follow are deciphered and delineated under most proper types and figures in the Old Testament Nor can it rationally be said that those interpretations are vainly raised or feigned by Christians or composed without ground because in so great a variety of things and times in so manifold a composition of words and in so great a diversity of Authours and sacred Writers there could not be so exact an uniformity of the Old Law with the New unlesse some understanding and divine Providence had framed a correspondence of things which were to happen in their due times nor can it be said that it was done by chance for there cannot be found the least thing which is dissonant impertinent or discomposed but every thing with an equall tenour and most sweet harmony makes up the concord so that that which is obscurely toucht in one place in another is found manifest so as the whole Scripture may seem to explicate it self this if it be unknown to those which are ignorant of holy Scriptures it is farre otherwise with those who have enriched their understandings with the treasures gathered out of the most sincere fountain of Verity if therefore they desire to know the truth let them with piety humility and purity search into the same fountain of holy Scriptures and questionlesse they will be of our opinion Wherefore Allegoricall Exposition agrees onely to holy Scripture because this alone is that which hath descended from Almighty God as he exercised his all-seeing and celestiall Wisdome I call an Allegory not the fabulous Interpretations Poets
use and we also do expound Parables without an Allegory nor a parabolicall and literall sense which we use when in a fable or parable we do not intend to signifie that which is couched under the bare notion of the words but onely that which is raised in our conceits by those words and hath a further sense But an Allegoricall sense we call that which contains three things first that without all fiction according to the proper signification of the words the history both concerning the words actions and relations be plainly and sincerely recounted Secondly that there be some future thing signified by that thing which is done at present Thirdly that those things which are done be so fitly disposed and ordered that when they are put in execution there appear in them an insinuation of their future correlatives whence it is manisest that no created industry could ever couch such a confirmation of things in this sense but onely the divine Providence which had an infallibility of all future contingencies Also the manner of speech and context of holy Scripture is so singular that it could not have been used by any the most excellent and skilfull of all Christians although they were most exercised in all kind of knowledge for this manner of order and expression was onely granted unto them unto whom the holy Ghost vouchsafed to dictate and inspire it because although there interceded severall distances of times between those Hagiographers or holy Writers and also some of them used more elegance of writing yet the substance of the expression was alwayes the same in all which is a manifest sign that it was not Humane but Divine The same is also approved by the effects by which we gather the virtue of the cause for as I have already shewed both in this book and in another of the simplicity of a Christian life there is no nobler effect then a Christian life which cannot proceed out of any inferiour and created cause but onely from the free gift and liberall hand of Almighty God seeing therefore that that Doctrine is the chief instrument of a Christian life in which the whole form of Christian Religion doth consist it clearly appears that the same and even the manner of speech could not be Humane but Divine for experience teaches that humane learning little avails mankind to a happy and blessed life because before this light appeared to the world it was wholly drowned in a dark night of vices and confusion but after the rayes of Apostolicall Doctrine displayed themselves and the sound of Evangelicall Preachers was heard all those clouds and mists were disperst and the minds of men replenished with those beams became resplendent with a most shining serenity of truth and virtue But in case that some should deny things so long since past I will relate some domesticall examples of my own experience for I have experienced that men have been by this divine Doctrine and the manner of it more illuminated delighted and converted then by any other wherefore since the Preachers of our times neglecting this sacred Doctrine have betaken themselves to Philosophical proportions and Rhetoricall ornaments they have profited their Auditours very little or nothing at all whereas heretofore making use in their Sermons of a plain manner of speech and content onely with the instruction and textuall frequence of holy Scripture they have wonderfully inflam'd the minds of their hearers who were so mutually delighted that both in prosperity and adversity they did expresse their jubilee of mind whence they were wonderfully stirr'd up to leade most blessed and virtuous lives I call God to witnesse that I have been oftentimes preaching unto the people when I have made digressions to prove the profundity of the sacred Text unto the wits of this age to the learneder sort by Philosophicall subtilties and humane learning I have plainly perceived out of a certain impatience and aversion of my Auditory very little attention in them and this not onely of the moâ—e ignorant but even of the learned sort but as soon as I turned my self again unto the Majesty of sacred Writ either in the Interpretation of divers senses or in the relation of the histories I have seen an admirable attention in every one all fixing their eyes upon me as if they had not been living creatures but meer statues Yea I have experienced that when omitting other questions I have insisted upon the Exposition of sacred Scripture my Auditory hath been so delighted so illustrated and verity appearing so touched to the quick by Divine influence that they have immediately reform'd their lives insomuch that being delighted with no other reading or hearing any other thing renouâ—cing all terrene delights and appetites and stirring themselves up daily more and more they have lived lives more divine then humane And what I now affirm happen'd farre more frequently in those Primitive Ages when Christian Religion was but newly planted This is that Doctrine which is more piercing then the two-edged sword which imbelished the whole with virtues which defaced the worship of the devils and demolished the profane Oracles of their Idols this is that which hath dispersed a world of errours and hath been so fruitfull of all sorts of wonders as I will hereafter declare Our understanding the more purified it is the more capable it is of Verity and hence it is that so many most excellent and elevated wits have not onely extolled the praises of this Doctrine by their writings but giving testimony of it by their preaching life and manners have not doubted to spend their lives in its defence which certainly they would no way have done had they not seen almost a sensible and ocular evidence of its verity Further truth gives testimony of truth and falsity is the cause of division other disciplines arts and faculties are not contrary but as servants unto this whence most learned and skilfull Doctours who are most versed and exercised in all Sciences do most constantly maintain that there is no part of Philosophy which is repugnant or inconsistant nay which is not most fitly coherent with it and therefore it is permitted all Christians to imploy their indeavours in the gaining of all Sciences which would no way be tolerated if it were detrimentary unto the Catholique Faith there are onely some few subject to superstition which are forbidden as that of Divination being no lesse pernicious then unprofitable which by the learnedst even of the Philosophers are hissed at derided and condemned as not to be accounted amongst the Arts and Sciences And if at any time there appear any contradiction between Philosophicall and Christian Principles they are so apparantly reconciled by our Doctours that it clearly appears that all Philosophy is but the servant and hand-maid of the sacred Doctrine for the easie dissolving of objections is the certain sign of Verity It is the nature of Verity that the more it is impugned the more if it have a fit
of devout tears whence this ineffable jubilee of the Church melodiously rejoycing in her Hymns and Cantitles Truly unlesse this worship were from God and consequently true there would be no where found so many dreams and lyes it being wholly in a manner compacted of Types and mysterious Figures For what ever is contained in the Mysteries Sacraments Temples Altars Mytres Vestments in all the world of Ceremoniall Rites in the modulation of Hymns and in the rest of the spirituall appurtenances would be a meer vanity and labour lost all which neverthelesse are instituted for the worship of Christ If therefore this worship were sustained by the means of falsities men at least the wiser and more perspicacious wits would not out of the meditation of those Sacraments be so wonderfully elevated to the contemplation of Divine objects nor replenished with so great and celestiall delight for the understanding as I have said by falsities becomes more uncertain and dull and at a greater distance from Almighty God wherefore out of the contrary effect we gather that this worship is true and replenished with Divine graces and favours The order also and signification of the things which are performed in the Church shew clearly that it is no humane invention but a divine disposition for there is nothing in this worship irrational nothing vain but every thing hath its order and proper mystery of which I shall not now speak in particular although in the third book I shall touch some as the necessity of the subject will require If any one desires more fully to be satisfied of this Verity let him revolve the explanations of the Fathers where seriously weighing every one in particular he shall never be satiated with admiration to find in these Ceremonies no lesse order and harmony then in the universall work of Nature and shall receive most excellent contentment and dilatation of heart and if he be not of a perverse and obstinate condition and have a mind wholly darkned he shall be forced to confesse that all those things are from God and not invented and instituted by men CHAP. XI The same Verity proved out of the intrinsecall effects of Christian life I Have hitherto proved to the power of my mean ability the Verity of Christian Faith by Arguments drawn out of both the internall and externall causes of a Christian life now therefore I judge it fit to prove the same by descending to the effects of it one of the principall effects and immediately subsequent in that is the peace and quiet of mind the joy and liberty of the soul for besides those examples which we reade and hear of our Authours and Predecessours it is plainly seen in our age that true Christians are not moved by the brushes and storms of persecution but do persevere more immoveable in the Faith and Confession of Christ then before and even glory in their tribulations and sufferings we are to search therefore whence these effects proceed and how it happens that the more they follow Christ in the perfection of their lives they attain unto the greater liberty and serenity of mind Christians themselves affirm this to be the reason of it because say they this blisse of man consisting onely in our knowledge and contemplation of Divine objects it is manifest that the desire and appetite of man cannot be bounded or limited by any ultimate and last end which is not God himself The quiet therefore and peace of mind that Christians possesse cannot proceed from any other thing then that they have prefixt unto themselves that last end which of all others is the true one whence if you should ask all Christians what was their supreme end to which they aim at questionless all would answer that it was Almighty God and therefore esteeming all worldly things as nothing in comparison of God and hoping after their transitory life to obtain and enjoy him they contemne and set at naught whatever the world contains Hence it is that being bereft and despoil'd of their worldly goods they are not contristated when carelesse of their lives they offer themselves to death that they may obtain Almighty God their onely and supreme good and as God is every where by his Essence Presence and Power so is he in them also particularly by love and contemplation as the thing beloved is said to be in the party that loves Now when the thing beloved is present the mind of him that loves is delighted and rejoyceth and therefore Christians who live virtuously are extremely delighted with the presence of Almighty God whom they internally do perceive as present And because God is an infinite Power when they experience his savours slighting all other things they fear nothing and in this manner being armed with great liberty and confidence they are not drawn from their purposes and resolves neither by fair means nor by any terrours whatsoever But a man not being able by his naturall forces by reason of the sensuall impediments and weaknesse of his understanding to arrive unto this serenity and liberty of mind we must necessarily say they confesse that this tranquillity and peace of mind is bestowed upon us as a most supernaturall and divine gift by virtue of which Almighty God and our eternall blisse is daily before our eyes That that is the true cause of peace joy and liberty of mind in the Christians it is plain our soul being one of the same and having all its powers radicated in the essence of it as often as it is wholly imployed in the intense operation of some one power it cannot use the service of another but very remisly for example If one be in an intense contemplation he is not expedite in the use of the other powers of his soul and if one be in great pain he is not at the same time fit for contemplation if therefore Christians were deceived by their Faith as by a vain credulity no virtue of their superiour cause would affist them to confirm so great an errour and so they would be left onely to their naturall perfections nay even those would be much impair'd by so great a deprivation of Verity how therefore could they so inviolably preserve so great a peace joy and liberty of mind amongst so many calamities and oppressions especially so universally retain it as not onely a few but innumerable do For the Philosophers vaunt of one or two at most which they pretend amongst them to have had this peace quiet and joy of mind but we can produce infinite of both sexes which in all parts of the world have possessed the tranquillity and liberty of mind in most excessive tribulations and torments and this onely by invocating praising and glorifying Christ crucified Moreover we have found by the experience of our ancestours and our own that this peace joy and liberty of mind is augmented by the increase of Faith and sanctimony of a Christian life which certainly would not be so unlesse there was
sunne and men do generate a man it follows necessarily that a perfect Christian is the noblest cause and most perfect instrument of producing this effect Therefore the virtue of this instrument co-operating with Almighty God is not a falsity but a most supreme Verity but this virtue is Faith inflamed with a burning charity as I have shown our Faith therefore is most true CHAP. XIII The same confirmed by the wonderfull works of Christ and first by his Power VVE have proved now by the assistance of Almighty God the Verity of Christian Faith out of the manifest effects which daily are seen in the Orthodox Church and although there might be manifold other arguments brought to the confirmation of it yet having regard to my intended brevity I will argue onely out of those events of former Ages of the Verity of which the whole world is a sufficient witnesse Wherefore as Philosophers by the effects which they saw in naturall things were moved to search into the causes of things we in like manner setting before our eyes the triumph of Christ which we have heretofore described will most exactly as farre forth as the matter requires search into the causes of those effects And as the Philosophers contemplating the nature of things out of the greatnesse the wonderfull order and perfection of the whole world did conclude that the cause of it was Almighty God who was more powerful wise and perfect then all others whom they termed the first principle and mover of all things so we contemplating the triumph of Christ crucified will shew him to have been and to be beyond all comparison more powerfull then the feigned Gods of all other Religions and to have done greater things and produced perfecter effects then any and with an ineffable and infinite wisdome and goodnesse to have infinitely surpassed them Which done it will be clear that this God is the great Lord and King above all other Gods I will begin with the effects of his Power and placing his triumph before your eyes I argue in this manner Either this Jesus the crucified Nazarean whom the Christians adore is true God and first cause of all things or he is not if he be the disputation is ended because if he be God the Christians Faith and his universall Doctrine and Religion must be true if he be not it follows that Jesus the Nazarean was a most prodigious monster of a most inexcogitable pride and unheard of arrogance whilst being a pure creature and mortall man he would be esteemed as the onely supreme Deity and adored above all others whence we might justly tearm him the most lying and worst of all creatures nay even the most notorious of all fools for undertaking phane novelties set abroach then may you see straight-way the hedg cut in two the old fathers bounds removed the Catholick doctrine shaken and the Churches faith torn in pieces Such were they whom the Apostle sharply reprehendeth in the 2. Epistle to the Cor. Chap. 11 For such false Apostles quoth he are crafty workers transfiguring them selves into the Apostles of Christ What is transfiguring them selves into the Apostles of Christ but this The Apostles alleaged the examples of scripture they likewise cited thē The Apostles cited the authority of the Psalms they likewise used it The Apostles used the sayings of the Prophets and they in like manner brought them forth But when that scripture which was alike alleadged alike cited alike brought forth was not alike in one sense expounded then were discerned the simple from the craftie the sincere from the counterfeit the right and good from the froward and perverse and to conclude the true Apostles from those false Apostates And no marvel saith S. Paul For Sathan himself transfigureth himself into an Angel of light it is no great matter therefore if his ministers be transfigured as the ministers of Justice Wherefore according to Saint Paul whensoever either false Apostles or false Prophets or false Doctours do bring forth the words of holy Scripture by which they would according to their corrupt interpretation confirm their errour there is no doubt but that they follow the crafty slight of their master which surely he would never have invented but that he knoweth very well that there is no readier way to deceive the people then where the bringing in of wicked errour is intended that there the authority of the word of God should be pretended But some will say how prove you that the Devill useth to alledge the Scripture Such as doubt thereof let them reade the Gospel where it is written Then the devill took him up that is our Lord and Saviour and set him upon the pinnacle of the Temple and said unto him If thou be the Sonne of God cast thy self down for it is written that he will give his Angels charge of thee that they may keep thee in all thy wayes in their hands shall they hold thee up lest perhaps thou knock thy foot against a stone Mat. 4 How will he think you handle poor silly souls which so setteth upon the Lord of Majestie with the authority of Scripture If thou be quoth he the Son of God cast thy self down Why so For it is written quoth he we are diligently to weigh the doctrine of this place and to keep it in mind that by so notable an example of the Scripture we make no scruple or doubt when we see any alledge some place of the Apostles or Prophets against the Catholick Faith but that by his mouth the Devil himself doth speak For as at that time the head spake unto the head so now the members do talk unto the members that is the members of the Devil to the members of Christ the faithlesse to the faithfull the irreligious to the religious to conclude Hereticks to Catholicks But what I pray saith the Devil If thou be the Sonne of God quoth he cast thy self down That is to say Desirest thou to be the Son of God and to joy the inheritance of the kingdome of Heaven Cast thy self down that is Cast thy self down from this doctrine and tradition of this high and lofty Church which is reputed to be the Temple of God And if any one demand of these Hereticks perswading them such things how hath that crafty commander of the Arabians Mahomet done he never affirmed himself God true it is by his eloquence and power by his arms gifts and a luxurious licence of pleasutes he drew unto him a barbarous and unskilfull multitude and did not he give a most honourable testimony of Christ Assuming to himself nothing above humane forces and policy but such was not Jesus the Nazarean never did any mortall propose more difficult things to be believed and done then Christ did for he absolutely commanded the belief of a Trinity to wit the Father Sonne and holy Ghost the same one God three really distinguished persons which yet being identified in substance were one and the self
Almighty God in all naturall things as in so many mi rours Christ therefore was the most wise Master of all who most easily brought the whole world to the last end and highest perfection of all Sciences To conclude the delights of the understanding farre exceed the pleasures of the senses and that which chiefly appertains unto the understanding consists in the knowledge of the first Verity from which as it is most perfectly conceived arises the greatest delight The sign therefore of the sovereign Wisdome of Christ is the supreme delight which Christians enjoy in his contemplation then which there hath been none hitherto found so great for there have been innumerable as now-a-dayes there are which for the contemplation of the first Verity contained in the Christian Doctrine forsaking all the pleasures and enticements of the world have betaken themselves to desert and sequestred places and which is most of all they have made such progresse in that contemplation that a man would think they were not men but petty Gods and Angels upon earth for being as it were elevated above the terrene sphere of carnality they do not onely not affect it but do not so much as vouchsafe to look upon it having withing themselves like Gods and Angels that which satisfies and suffices them Out of all which we may easily gather that the Doctrine of Christ is the chief of all and that Jesus Christ himself is the true Wisdome of the eternall Father which onely was able to bring so many and so wonderfull things to passe CHAP. XV. The same Verity confirmed out of the Goodnesse of Christ I Have now shown that Jesus the Nazarean hath so farre surpassed all other men and all the Gods of the Gentiles in Power and Wisdome that if any believe there is a God he must questionlesse judge no other beside him to be so It remains that I make the same appear out of his Perfection and Goodnesse by proving that he is the sovereign of all Goods and the last end of humane life in which we must in the first place observe that humane actions are directed to some end or other for the actions of men as they are humane proceed questionlesse from the free will or election of man by which he differs from brutes Now the object of the will is some good or end prefixt and therefore there being no infinite or endlesse processe of those prefixed ends otherwise the motion of every appetite would cease it is necessary there be one last end of man for it is impossible there should be two substantiall last ends of any thing seeing that beyond the last end there remains nothing to be sought after That is called the last end which doth so satiate the appetite of any thing that it formally includes or at least subordinates all those things which can be desired or sought after and therefore there is but one and the same last end of all men Neverthelesse we must know that all men do not agree about their last end as it is taken materially that is where and in what it is found although all agree in the formall conceit of it that is in the nature of it and in what it consists because the nature of the last end of mankind is the supreme felicity of it Now all men agree in the desire of their chief felicity yet all do not think that that felicity consists in the same thing Having formerly proved that the last end of humane life is the first Verity and first cause that is Almighty God if I shall now shew that Jesus Christ is this last end it will manifestly appear that he is the first Verity the first Cause and true God and the supreme good in which most assuredly doth consist the nature of the last end Which that we may more clearly understand we must consider that when any nature is directed or affected towards any thing as to its last end that by the admixtion of another nature which distracts it it may be so hindred that it do not prosecute its end at all or at least but very remisly for example a weight or ponderous body naturally tends downwards and all gravity or such bodies inclin'd by the form of their weight or of their nature seek their centre but a bird flies upwards because it hath not onely the form of gravity but also that of an animall or sensible living creature and so this animall or living motion suspends and hindring the naturall inclination of its gravity or weight it mounts on high In like manner an insensible mixt body having much air and fire mixt with its earth sinks downward but slowly but if there be any weight which is meerly ponderous it is vehemently carried downwards unlesse some violent obstacle do hinder it and the more purely ponderous it is the more impetuously it is carried of its own nature to its centre wherefore man consisting of a double nature to wit spirituall and corporall or sensible although the understanding and will by their naturall motion tend towards Almighty God yet by reason of the mixture of the sensible part which for its naturall functions hath its sensible organs it is disturb'd with passions and is more frequently distracted then otherwise it would naturally be so that although the superiour and spirituall part cannot be violently forced yet either by errour the understanding being ill informed or by excesse of appetite the will becoming ill affected it is drawn to affect those things which are very inordinate Wherefore if we intend to find out that in which the nature of the last end of man doth consist it is necessary to seek it out of its motion out of the vehemence of its love and ardent affections but our nature consisting of both the rationall and sensible part we must not consider the affections of them who lead their lives like beasts but of those onely which have reason alwayes for the guide of their actions which are onely worthy indeed of the true name of men for if by the experiment of a ponderous body I intend to find out the centre of gravity I must not consider it in the flight of birds but by the motion of bodies which are meerly ponderous but I have formerly proved that there is no life more purely rationall then that of Christians therefore we shall come better to the knowledge of the last end of man by the consideration of the love and affection of Christians which truly and with all propriety are to be esteemed men rather then by the inordinate appetites of others But all Christians which live uprightly with a most vehement affection with a sweet concord and harmony do bend their whole endeavours towards Christ crucified as towards their supreme and last end for whose sake they esteem all other things as dregs and corruption and therefore he is their last end the true God and supreme good of all mankind The last end of man is his compleat and
it consist in the goods that is to say in the pleasures satisfactions of the sensitive part of the soul Every thing the nearer it approacheth to its proper end the perfecter it growes for its end is its perfection if therefore Blessedness consisted in those sensitive delights A man should become so much the more perfect by how much he lived more sensually and gave himself up to all kind of Luxury and voluptuousness that is he should be so much the more a man by how much he lived more like a beast which is very absurd And so againe as was touched in the precedent Conclusion Beasts also would be found capable of happiness as well as men yea rather of a more perfect happiness then man for as much as they have no fear of death no apprehension of future miseries no knowledge of God no feare of Judgement no Lawes no Shame no repugnance of flesh and spirit in brief they have nothing which can either abate the sense or restraine the use of their present pleasures if therefore the Felicity of man did consist in the pleasures of sense we should all desire to be metamorphiz'd and become Beasts why because Beasts upon this supposition are more happy then men But this was confessed to be absurd before The VII Conclusion THat the happiness of man consists in such goods as pertain unto the Intellectuall or superiour part of the soule For as the body is ordained for the soule so of the soule the vegetative or lowest part is ordained for the Sensitive and the Sensitive for the Intellectuall Seeing therefore that the Intellect or Rationall part of the Soul is as it were the end of the Body and the thing whereunto both it and also the inferiour parts of the soul be subordinate and directed it is manifest that in the Act or exercise of this Intellect and in the goods that is to say in the perfections thereto properly belonging the finall happinesse of man doth consist Besides seeing that happinesse belongs onely to a perfect man and that the perfection of man as man consisteth in such goods as belong either to his understanding or will it is hence also manifest that in such manner of goods as are Intellectuall and rationall his proper happinesse consisteth The VIII Conclusion But yet this happinesse of man doth not consist in any created good although intellectuall For as we said before Blessednesse is such a perfect good as doth totally satisfie or fulfill the appetite for otherwise it could not be the ultimate or last end supposing there remained any thing else further to be desired Now the object of the will that is of the appetite of man as man is good in its latitude or the universall good For we find that as the understanding of man comprehends an infinitie of particular verities that is to say it never comprehendeth actually so many but it is still apt and capable to comprehend more successively even in infinitum so also we find that the will of man is as able to desire and effect an infinity of particular goods that is to say that it also never actually desireth so many but it is still ready to accept and embrace more whensoever offered and this successively in infinitum and that therefore it can never be fully satisfied untill it attains to some universall or infinite good which is not to be found in any created Thing for the goodnesse of every Thing created is at best but derivative particular and finite therefore in no created good can the Felicity of man consist The IX Conclusion That the happinesse of man consisteth solely in the contemplation and fruition of God We said before that the understanding of man resteth not that is is not satisfied in the knowledge of particular verities nor his will in the fruition of particular goods The last end therefore of them both must be Truth and Goodnesse universall or in its full latitude which God onely is therefore in the Contemplation and Fruition of God alone the Beatitude of man consisteth Besides man being what he is viz. a creature naturally desirous to know and that our knowledge of every particular thing seems then to be compleat when we comprehend its proper and true cause hence it follows that whensoever we observe any thing to be that is to say any effect we instantly yea naturally desire to know its cause why what or whence it is Now all things beside God appear unto us and in truth are but effects of some other cause and therefore whatsoever a man knows beside God he knows it either perfectly or imperfectly if imperfectly his desire is never satisfied untill he attains perfect knowledge thereof for that is naturall viz. for every thing that is imperfect to desire perfection and seeing that Felicity as we have said is the perfection of man and the full satisfaction of his Intellectuall appetite it is manifest that by such imperfect knowledge of any thing he cannot become happy But if he knows the thing perfectly suppose it be some one singular or many yea perhaps all particular things that be yet he cannot but apprehend them still as effects that is as depending in their very beings upon some other cause Seeing therefore as we said that man observing the effect doth naturally desire to know the cause it is manifest that this appetite of his cannot be compleatly satisfied with the knowledge even of all particular things that be but still it will be endeavouring and desiring to see also the cause of them all and that so much the more earnestly by how much it finds the effects themselves to be more excellent or that it self apprehends them more perfectly for so it is alwayes seen that every naturall motion the nearer it draws to its period or proper term the stronger and stronger it grows In the sole knowledge therefore and fruition of God who is the universall and first cause of all Things doth mans Blessednesse consist according as S. Augustine hath excellently well observed Thou hast made us O Lord saith he for thy self and our heart is restlesse and unquiet untill it findeth its repose in Thee The X. Conclusion That this Beatitude formally and as it were in actu primo consisteth in the understanding or seeing of God as he is but exercitatively operatively and as in actu secundo in the will or in that ineffable pleasure and delight which is enjoyed by the knowledge and contemplation of him The Act of the will alwayes presupposeth the Act of the understanding because the object thereof is alwayes some known or imaginary good Seeing therefore that Beatitude formally and in its own nature is nothing else but the attaining of our last end as soon as ever a man attains that he is happy But man attaineth his last end which is God so soon as ever he sees that is perfectly knows him Therefore in the knowledge and by the knowledge of his last end man becomes essentially
men to scorn yea our Lord shall have them inderifion For indeed the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they seem foolishnesse unto him neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned But the true Christion the man that hath supernaturall light in him shall discern them and if with pure intention and an humble heart he set himself to the reading of holy Scriptures meditating or considering well what he reades and begging the grace of divine illumination with constancy and perseverance from God This man I say shall doubtlesse be wonderfully elevated by reading and fitted for divine favours and shall find those endlesse and immortall pleasures in them which do incomparably exceed the greatest of this world For this is certain every Thing is best delighted with that which is connaturall unto it as different humours do alwayes affect different recreations according to that of the Poet Trahit sua quemque voluptas Every man hath his own fancy But unto him that is indued with supernatur all light the most naturall that is most agreeable study of all is certainly the study of holy Scriptures which proceeded from that same fountain of light Therefore also in the reading and contemplation of them the true Christian finds his greatest content Besides every Thing is best pleased in such kind of Action as is most proper for it self But there is nothing more proper for a Christian then the Contemplation of Christ crucified by the study of Scripture For should he go about to conceive or meditate of him meerly according to naturall reason or the principles of Philosophy neglecting Scripture he would certainly find lesse proficiency and perhaps run himself into some hazard of dangerous errour for such contemplation were purely naturall imperfect and by which he should never attain unto the mysteries of Faith of which thing we have examples in our modern Divines who seeming to give themselves wholly to Aristotle and the study of Philosophy are become generally lesse devout lesse Contemplatiue then the meanest of the people Besides Truth which is the object of understanding the higher it is the greater delight it causeth in the acquisition now the verityes of holy Scripture are the most high and mysterious of all other because they treat principally of such things as be undiscernable by naturall light Again in regard of the inconstancy of mans nature which is neuer long delighted with the same thing but alwayes affects variety and change of pleasure the sacred Scriptures do become a most agreeable exercise to our spirit For how admirable how ravishing is that variety we meet with in them of Histories of senses of Types of Figures and yet a most exquisite harmony between them all All the parts All the Books of the Old and New Testament exactly consenting in one and pointing unto the same generall and supream verity or end which is the love of God and our neighbour of which while they treat sometime historically and plainly sometime more mystically and profoundly they do as it were present a nose-gay of celestiall and various flowers unto our soul which continually changing do yet most constantly encrease spirituall content We conclude therefore that in the reading and meditation of holy Scripture most exquisite delights be found The XVII Conclusion THat a good Christian the more simply that is to say sincerely he liveth the greater consolation he hath from God from our Lord Jesus Christ and from the study of holy Scriptures This is true whither we speak of simplicity only Interiour or that of the heart for the understanding or mind of man together with his affections the more pure and sincere they be so much the more do they render him fit and capable of divine Illustrations For this simplicity of heart doth indeed require that we be altogether purged from terrene and grosse affections to the end that a mans spirit might be intirely set upon God and by this simplicity or purity as much as may be made like unto him It is true also in regard of simplicity exteriour or that which consisteth in the Actions and conversation of men as is manifest For to contemplate well divine mysteries it is necessary that the heart of man be in great rest and very well composed in it self and therefore we see commonly that those who desire to partake of divine Illuminations do retire themselves as much as may be from the noyse and disturbances of the world as of the Spouse in the Canticles it is said I will lead her into the wildernesse saith he that is into solitude and there will I speak to her heart And in an other place He shall sit alone and keep silence because by so doing he shall be lifted up above himself And contrariwise we see the richer a man is and more incombred with worldly affairs the lesse is he affected unto contemplation but where a mans outward affairs are few or none there is alwayes lesse distraction of mind Therefore our holy Fathers and predecessours in the Contemplative life were alwayes wont to renounce their affairs of the world and retire themselves into Solitude thereby more promptly and readily to attend Divine Meditations Every man therefore in his particular degree and quality shall find the more simply and uprightly he indeavours to live the greater Consolations he shall receive from God and from Christ The XVIII Conclusion THat the Christian life is the onely Blessed life Never was there nor ever shall be found out any kind of life more happy then that because none better If therefore the life of any men may be accounted happy in this world it is certainly that of Christians For if we observe it comprehendeth all those perfections wherein the Philosophers antiently placed happinese and so hath whatsoever they judged good and desireable as for example if we place happinesse as some of them did in the Contemplation of God and things Divine there is none more excellent and perfect then those which the Christian life affordeth If we place it in morall virtue and in the life active that is in good government of our selves and others there is no better to be desired by man then that which Christian Philosophy prescribeth If we place it in riches honours powers dignities or other goods of the body though this may seem hardest yet the Christian life is not altogether uncapable of these and hath no absolute repugnance to them for we say Whatsoever perfection appears in the effect is some way or other in the cause as the Sunne which causeth heat in all inferiour bodies is it self also at least virtually hot it is not indeed necessary the cause should contain every particular perfection of the effect formally and in the same manner as the effect doth it sufficeth that it be contained eminently as we say or by some more excellent way then it is in the effect So in proportion we also say that the Christian life doth
work of an Intellect which erreth not And although it hath come in dispute among them whither God hath providence over humane affairs perhaps in regard of the great irregularities and deviations which seem to be in them more then in other things yet certainly it cannot be denied by any wise man but that he hath over them and over all and over the least as much as over the greatest Because Providence in every Thing is so much the more perfect and more excellent by how much it further extends it self and taketh care of more Things seeing then that the Providence of God must be acknowledged the most perfect of all it must also of necessity extend it self to all Things it must leave nothing unprovided for it must overpasse nothing We observe also in all causes a naturall and vehement inclination as it were to govern and perfect their effects as for example in bruit beasts what an admirable and great care have they of their young ones Seeing therefore that whatsoever good is in the second causes they have it from the first to which they do all naturally desire so much as may be to assimilate themselves it is manifest that the first and generall cause of all things as it were a Common Parent must have a great and exact care over all particular effects seeing he is the cause of all Beside if God hath not providence over humane affairs what is the reason is it because he cannot or because he knows not how to govern them or lastly because he will not none of these can be imagined of God For shall we think of God that he cannot or knoweth not how to execute that which man both knoweth and also is able to do and if but a good man who hath ability and skill to order affairs is also ever willing of his own part to do it shall we think of God who is most able most skilfull and wise and also insinitely good that he should be lesse willing Again if God Almighty had not care of humane affairs why hath he given man such a naturall instinct and inclination to worship him God and nature we use to say do nothing in vain We conclude therefore that it is an argument onely of madnesse or a distempered mind to say There is no God or that God is but hath not providence or care over us men and that it is the part duty of a wife man not onely to know but continually to consider that there is a Governour over the world who hath the same particular providence over men that he hath over other naturall Things that is to conduct guide them all by due means unto their proper and last ends And because it is his property to dispose All Things sweetly he guideth every one of them to their ends in such manner as is most congruous and agreeable to their severall natures and man in particular Freely according to that liberty of his will which is natrnall to him From whence it is also that among men some are good and some are evill The good are they whose life is agreeable to reason conforming themselves to such Illuminations and Inspirations as they have from God in all things studying and endeavouring to please him The evill are those who follow not reason nor observe any rectitude or regularity of life If therefore the Divine Majesty hath providence over humane affairs and be Just as he is he must certainly have determined with himself both to reward the good and to punish such as be evill But this we see not done at least not exactly not particularly in this life therefore we must confesse some other life to come wherein the rewards of the Just and punishments of the wicked shall be more eminently seen Which if it be so how much doth it concern us to please God by a good life And seeing as we have elswhere shewen that there can be no better life then the Christian life is it is to no purpose for us to seek any where else how to live or how to please God for a life so led cannot be without its due reward cannot be frustrated of that happinesse which is promised to it if it could there were no life sure of happinesse for the life of Christians in many respects sheweth that God hath peculiar providence over them and therefore if their faith were not true neither could their life so much be governed by it nor would God suffer them long in that errour whose Goodnesse it is to Illuminate those which are Good and right of heart and to harden and leave in blindnesse onely those which are evil If therefore These Things be so let us believe in Christ and let us live Christianly for so doing as is manifest by what hath been said we cannot perish but must be happy in this world and in the next After a man hath by this first consideration prepared himself and is resolved to do what he can to attain Christian life the second Precept to be given him is this viâ— That he seriously consider what that thing is wherein Christian life doth as it were essentially consist which is the grace of God I mean that grace which as we touched before doth justifie make a man good in the sight of God For we observe some men as soon as they begin to have a desire of living Christianly they presently apply themselves to the Ceremonies of religion and performing them exteriourly they imagine all on the sudden that they are become exceeding good Christians with which vanity many deceive themselves pretending to be Christians but falsly being indeed a foolish lukewarm yet very arrogant sort of people Men indeed looking onely on the outside praise what they see but God beholds the heart and sayes to these men as our Saviour said to the Pharisees ye are they who justifie your selves before men but God knows your hearts for many times that which is of high esteem with men is abomination before God He therefore that desires indeed to live Christianly let him endeavour with the utmost of his power to obtain the grace of God not resting til by some good signs arguments he can probably persuade himself that he hath obrained it And because the Grace of God is given in and by the Holy Sacraments to all those who devoutly and worthily come unto them let him prepare himself in the second place to receive the Sacraments with the best disposition and diligence he can In particular If he be a believer but yet not Baptized let him prepare himself and come to the Sacrament of Baptisme with atrue sincere Faith and good Intention If he be already a Christian but guilty of sins let him come with true Contrition pure Confession and perfect Satisfaction and submit himself to the Sacrament of Pennance and thereby also devoutly fit himself for the Sacrament of the Eucharist and in this course let him persist constantly untill by some
care their Exequies solemnly celebrated and the places of their buriall with much diligence provided yea themselves in their life time Gen. 23.47.49.50 would frequently give command concerning the burying and removing of their bodies after their death as there was cause Tob. 2.12 And Tobias is commended by no lesse Testimony then of an Angel to have merited with God for that he was diligent to bury the dead Yea our Lord himself although he were to rise again within three dayes after his Passion yet coÌ„mended the care the good woman had of his buriall and commanded that the good work she had done in providing such precious ointments to imbalm his body should be preached to her praise all the world over there is honourable mention made in the Gospel of those who took down the body of our Lord from the Crosse and gave it Buriall All which Authorities yet are not to teach us that there is any sense in dead bodies but onely seeing that such offices of piety are pleasing to God they signifie unto us that even the dead bodies do pertain unto the divine Providence and this the rather to confirm our Faith in the Resurrection And hence also we may learn not unprofitably how great reward there may be for such Alms as we give unto living people when even that which is bestowed upon the dead and livelesse members is not lost with God There are indeed some other particulars which the Holy Patriarchs who speak them would have to be understood concerning the buriall and translating of their bodies after death as spoken by a propheticall spirit but this is no place to treat of them seeing that which we have deliver'd already may suffice For if those things which are necessary to the sustenance of the living and cannot be wanted but with great difficulty as victualls apparell c. yet do never when they are wanted violate or overthrow the virtue of patience in good people nor extirpate piety quite out of the mind but rather exercise and revive it much lesse doubtless can those things which are usually expended in Funeralls Exequies upon deceased persons when they happen to be wanting make those persons miserable who are already setled and at rest in those secret Tabernacles of the just And therefore when it so fell out in the devastation of that great City and of the adjacent Towns that the bodies of good christians had not Buriall we may not presently charge either the living with any crime thereabout who could not help it nor yet the dead with any great misfortune who were as little sensible of it This is my opinion concerning the matter of Sepulture in generall which I have therefore translated into this book out of that other of the City of God in regard it was something more easie for me to repeat it in this then to deliver it in a new manner CHAP. IIII. NOw if this be so surely also the provision of place for the burial of bodies at the monuments of Saints must have something in it it must be at least an argument of some good humane affection toward our friends whose funeralls we celebrate and if it be some kind of Religion to bury them at all certainly to have care in what place we bury them cannot but be of like merit But yet when such comforts as these are procured by the living by which indeed their pious affection toward their deceased friend is sufficiently declared to survive yet I say I perceive not for my part any advantage coming thereby unto the dead unlesse it be in this onely respect namely that when men remember where the bodies of their deceased friends are placed they may in their prayers recommend them unto God more effectually by the intercession of those Saints unto whose patronage they may seem by the place of their Buriall Patronage of Saints profitable when desired to be received which yet also they might if they pleased very wel do supposing they were not interred in such places Neither are those more eminent Sepulchres of the dead called Memories or Monuments for any other reason then because they do as it were renew or preserve the remembrance of such persons as are by death withdrawn from the common conversation of men and so hinder that they perish not altogether as much in the minds of their friends as they seem lost to their eye For the very name of memory imports this clearly and a Monument is so called because it admonisheth or as it were prompteth the mind to something which is fit to be thought on For which reason also the same thing which we call a Memory or Monument the Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in their language is as much as remembrance with us Whensoever therefore the mind of a man remembers where the body of some dear friend is buryed if the place which comes to mind be also venerable and renown'd for the name of some Martyr instantly without more adoe the good affection of him that remembers this Souls recommeÌ„ed unto the Mar. tyrs in his prayers recommendeth the soul it loved unto the same Martyr which affection yet when it is exhibited by faithfull and dear friends unto people departed they themselves before their departure merited that it should be availeable to them And therefore where necessity suffers not either that bodyes be buryed at all or not in such places as these Prayer for the souls departed yet prayer for the souls departed is never pretermitted which the Church of God as it were ingageth her self to performe at least under a generall Commemoration without particular mention of names in behalf of all those who are departed in the Christian Catholick Communion to the intent that by the care of one pious Common Mother unto all supply may bee made of such good offices wherein possibly our friends kindred Children or parents may be defective towards us So that indeed in case these supplications wee speak of which are usually done in right faith and piety for the dead should bee wanting or not made at all I for my part suppose it would not much profit a mans soul to have his body buryed in a holy place CHAP. V. VVHerefore to return to our purpose when as this faithfull Mother desired to have the body of her faithfull Child put in the Church of a Martyr this desire of hers was a kind of prayer for as much as shee beleeved his soul might receive help by the merits of the Martyr Souls receiving help by the merits of the Martyrs S. Aug. assures us that prayer for the dead is very profitable though he was not certain whither the buriall in any particular place be so available yet he much enclineâ—h to that also and proveth it very strongly And this was that which profited if any thing did profit at all So when the Mother afterwards remembers the same sepulchre