as Hee is louelie and as great puritie is there in His loue as in the perfection of His essence Hee loveth the creature indeede but for Himselfe and therefore most holie in the loue of all in the which He doeth not stay or rest but in the infinite excellencie of His owne goodnesse 2. Extensiuelieâ— that extendeth it selfe to infinite thinges for all that Hee seeth in His essence Hee loveth all these please Him for Himselfe and for His glorie So His Holinesse is a perfection infinitelie lifted vp aboue ours superessentiall and the infinite fulnesse of Holinesse In regard of it all holinesse in the creature howe sublime soever is as it were nothing yea and as it were impuritie even as all power wisdome beautie and excellencie compared to His Power Wisdome c. is as nothing Hence His solemne Style is THE HOLIE ONE Esai 1.4.10.20.17.7.29.19.30.11.12.31.1 c. Hence the Seraphims cry Isai. 6. HOLIE HOLIE HOLIE and the foure Beasts Revel 4.8 rest not day and night saying Holie holie holie LORD GOD All-mightie which was and 〈◊〉 and is to come Which Song the Church from most ancient tymes most devoutlie hath vsed in her Service So sweete and so desirable a voyce is this that it could not breede loathing though it were vttered both day and night say the Fathers in an ancient Councell Hence appeareth howe wonderfull is His Goodnesse that anie wayes accepteth vs dwelling in tabernacles of clay and defiled not onlie with the dust of earthlie thinges but also with the filth of sinne The Heavens are not cleane in His sight and His Angels Hee chargeth with follie Iob 15.15 and 4.18 The Seraphims cover bothâ— their faces and feete before Him Isai. 6. If those heavenlie spirites free from all bodilie tainture attaine not to the puritie which His service might require howe can wee so farre inferiour to them whose foundation is in the dust whose flesh is as it were a mothie garment who dwell continuallie as it were and are trayned vp in sinne as Gregor Nyssen speaketh be pleasant in His sight When all is sayde of the perfection of our holinesse that can bee truelie sayde when wee are propter excellentiam vitae Greg. lib. 12. moral cap. 17. called the Heavens yeâ— are wee not cleane in His sight infinitelie yet are wee distant from that most sublime Light whereof the most pure light heere is but a small ray beame It is much for anie created nature howe pure soever to drawe neare anie way to Him that is onlie bright and shyning and in puritie exceedeth all bodilie and spirituall nature whose Goodnesse is His verie Being as August speaketh Notwithstanding so marvelous is His goodnesse that Hee calleth vs vndefiled and fayre holie and without blame before Him in loue and maketh vs accepted in the Beloved Ephes. 1.4.6 And thus much of Holinesse belonging to GOD as considered in Himselfe I come nowe to the second Branch which is Holinesse belonging to Him considered in His workes and wayes If wee consider GOD in His wayes Holinesse belongeth most perfectlie to Him PSAL. 145.17 The LORD is righteous in all His wayes and holie in all His workes We shall lay this open to you in some measure in these foure degrees The first whether wee consider His workes done by Himselfe alone or with vs there is no blot to be found therin Psal. 5.4 Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickednesse neyther shall evill dwell with thee Saynct Basil in a Homilie of this subject sayeth that it is as great an impietie to affirme GOD to bee the cause of evill as to say with the foole There is no GOD PSAL. 14.1 They both deny GOD to bee good For if Hee bee the cause of evill sayeth hee Hee is not good and if not good then not GOD. GOD and Good are not so neare in name as in nature Therefore sayeth hee in both these there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a denyall of GOD. Hee is not the author of those thinges whereof Hee is the revenger To affirme the contrarie is feralis opionio a detestable tenet sayeth Ambrose It is a most horrible injurie agaynst GOD sayeth Eusebius Therefore Plato commanded that none should bee permitted in the Common-wealth young or olde in sport or earnest to say that GOD is the cause of evill All that Hee made was good GEN. 1.31 And all that Hee maketh is so Hee neyther doeth evill nor desireth it to bee done neyther giveth Hee strength and concurrence for that ende neyther anie way approveth Hee it when done Habak 1.12.13 Art not Thou from everlasting O LORD my GOD my Holie One Thou art of purer eyes than to beholde evill and 〈◊〉 not looke on iniquitie And this is verie true not onelie of actuall but also of habituall evill False and absurd is it which some of the Schoolemen say that GOD may immediatelie and withouâ— concurrence of the second cause infound a vitious habitâ— into the mynde of man For such an habite should be an habituall impelling and inclyning to an evill act in respect whereof GOD might bee sayde to impeâ—â— and vrge vs to sinne which is 〈◊〉 contrarie to His HOLINESSE The second degree is GOD willeth no Vnholinesse in anie condition or for anie ende Evill actions if proceeding from GOD could not bee allowed for anie ende howe good soever For a good ende is not sufficient to make thinges lawfull which are of themselus evill and vnhonest Roâ— 3.8 Evill may not bee done that good may come And this is so true that the good which praesupponeth sinne is not desired by GOD of it selfe It is not the finall cause of permitting of sinne but causa sine quâ— non If sinne bee necessarie to the execution thereof it can not be desired nor intended before sinne Such a good is the remedie of sinne repentance the chastisementes of sinne whether medicinall in this lyfe or of meere revenge in the lyfe to come the exercyse and patience and humiliation of the Sayncts the manifesting of mercie in pardoning or of justice in punishing All these and the lyke which cannot be had without the interveaning of sinne GOD desireth not of themselues neyther seeketh Hee occasion of doing them before sinne Yea of Himselfe Hee desireth that there were never occasion of anie such good though sinne beeing supponed Hee desire and intende them for then they haue rationem boni and are desirable and the execution of them may bee without sinne Hence Hee is sayd to will them not voluntate antecedente but consequente which taketh occasion of vs. Bee it farre therefore from vs to say with some that Hee made our first Parentes hoc consilio vt laberentur of purpose that they might fall because otherwayes say they Hee could not attayne to those principall endes the manifesting of his mercie in saving some and justice in punishing others since Hee could not haue mercie but on the miserable nor justlie condemne
despyse not the Poore when ye look vpon their base and contemptible worldlie estate but rather be readie to helpe them remembering this which the Spirit of God here telleth you That if they die in the Lord they shall one day bee participant of that same Kingdome that same Robe of immortalitie that same Banquet of Angels which yee looke for And therefore holie Augustine checking the disdaynfull and vncharitable carriage of the Rich towardes the Poore wittilie pithilie sayth vnto them Wherfore shall not the Poore eate with thee who shall one day reygne with thee Wherefore wilt thou not giue so much as thy olde Coat to him who shall one day receaue the Robe of immortalitie with thee How is he not worthie of thy Bread who hath obtayned one and the selfe-same Baptisme with thee or of the reliques of thy dishes who is with thee invited to the Banquet of Angels Be not prowde then of your worldlie prerogatiues neyther apprehend such distance or difference betwixt you and the Poore as yee doe The difference which these few worldlie thinges maketh betwixt you and them is but for a short tyme and in things of small moment the matters of greatest consequence God hath made coÌ„mon to rich and poore even the two best thinges that can befall men to wit grace glorie the two worst things to wit sinne and damnation and the two most dangerous things to wit death and judgement The Poore are not excluded from the first two more than the Rich neyther are the Rich exempted from the other two more than the Poore And as for the last two neyther Rich nor Poore can eschew them For it is appoynted vnto men once to die but after this the judgement Such like ye that are poore in this world and rich in faith possesse your soules in patience and bee not grieved because the Rich ye meet vnequall vpon the streets for ye shal meet equall with them aâ— the right Hand of the Iudge Yea if they be not rich towards God and as they are charged 1. TIM 6. rich in good works they shall meet verie vnequall with you in judgement for yee shall haue dominion over them in maâ—utinâ— illo in that morning of Resurrection when by the bright appearance of the Sunne of Righteousnesse these thinges which now are invisible during this night of ignorance shall be brought to light to wit the hid things of darknesse the secret counsels of the heart the mysteries of Gods providence in governing the world and the glorie happinesse and excellencie of the sonnes of God For although we be the sonnes of God yet it doeth not appeare what we shall be that is how happie glorious wee shall bee in the world to come But in that Day it shall appeare to all and the wicked shall see it with vnspeakable grief astonishment shal say of the godlie maÌ„ whom before they despised This was he whom we had sometyms in derision a proverbe of reproach we fools accounted his lyfe madnesse and his ende to be without honour How is he numbred amoÌ„gst the children of God! and his loâ— is amongst the Sayncts Secondlie I say all these who die in the estate of grace are happie whatsoever the cause of their death be that is whether they die as Martyrs for the Lord or as ordinary professors in the Lord. For first as for the matter it selfe although the Martyrs haue an eminent degree of glorie in HeaveÌ„ aboue manie others which the School-men by a barbarous word of their own devysing call aureolam martyrum yet neyther is Blessednesse immediatelie after death appoynted onelie for them even by the confession of our Adversaries nor yet is that wherein the glorie excellencie of martyrdome chiefelie consisteth altogether proper and peculiar to them but in some sort common to other Sayncts The dignitie and excellencie of martyrdom standeth in two things which as Bonaventur sayth doe make vp a compleat martyrdom First in a pious willingnesse or desire to vndergoe whatsoever tribulation yea death it selfe for the testimony of Christ if God should require it Secondlie in the goodnesse of the cause wherfore we suffer For Martyres non facit poena sed causa sayeth holie Augustine it is not the suffering but the cause of suffering which maketh the Martyr Now the cause of suffering is two-fold to wit Causa calamitatis the cause wherfore the calamitie coÌ„meth vpon the Martyr and Causa tolerantiae seu patientiae the cause wherefore he willinglie doeth vndergoe and endure it The dignitie and glorie of Martyrdome dependeth as much from the second as from the first and perhaps more For although a man be persecuted for a good cause that is for professioÌ„ of the trueth yet if the cause or motiue which maketh him to vndergoe persecution be bad perverse as for example If hee suffer onlie or chieflie that he may be praised or admired of men he sheddeth his blood in vayne as Ierome sayth Now to apply all this to the present purpose Manie who doe not actuallie suffer death for the cause of Christ haue in some sort both these two things wherein the glorie dignitie of Martyrdome chieflie consisteth to wit First a pious willingnesse or readinesse to suffer the losse of all things yea of lyfe it selfe for Christ's sake which is a thing so acceptable and gracious in the sight of God that Hee esteemeth this a kynd of dying for His sake And therefore Chrysostome wryting vpon these words ROM 8.36 For thy sake we are killed al the day long we are couÌ„ted as sheep for the slaughter sayeth that although we actually can die but once for the Lord's sake yet God hath granted this to vs that if wee bee readie or willing to die for Him we may by vertue of this our resolution and willingnesse die everie day for Him yea everie day we may die manie tymes for Him and so obtayne not one but manie crowns of Martyrdome herafter Secondlie as for the cause of the ordinarie sufferings of true Christians although in tyme of their troubles or distresses the evill or calamitie doth not always come vpon them for the Lord's sake yet it is for the Lords sake that they patientlie suffer it And wheÌ„ they die although we cannot say that they are put to death for the Lord's cause yet wee may say that they accept of death and suffer willinglie all the pains of it for the Lords cause to wit because it is the Lords will and because they long to bee with Him and consequentlie wee may even say in some sort that they die for the Lord. Hence it is that divers of the Fathers haue exteÌ„ded this glorious title of Martyrdome to those who died not for the cause of Christ as to the blessed Virgine to the penitent Thiefe yea in generall to all Sayncts Next as to the Apostles phrase although the particle
whom this peaceable departure is had and what is the ground of the Godlie's assurance of the LORD' 's granting the same to wit His Word and Promise And last what is it that maketh the death of the Godlie to bee peaceable and by consequence so appetible to wit even the sight of the LORD'S Salvation For â—yne eyes sayeth hee haue seene thy Salvation First then wee see that as there is an oritur or an entrie into this lyfe by birth so there is a moritur or a departure out of this lyfe by death a Genesis wee haue by the one an Exodus by the other And this is grounded vpon that common Law by reason of Man's transgression Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne Wherevnto is agreeable tâ—at which is sayd by the Apostle It is appoynted for all men once to die and after this is judgement Therefore sayeth the Psalmist without anie exception What man liveth and shall not see death For we haue here no continuing citie sayeth S. Paul and our juorney is from the wombe to the worme carried in the swift chariot of tyme vpon the two restlesse wheeles of motion and mutation till we arriue at that innes in ende wherein wee shall say to corruption Thou art our Father and to the worme thou art our brother and our sister And as wee were made of the earth and liue on it so wee shall returne to it to rest in it till wee ryse from it age still wearing vs sicknesse preparing death arresting the graue expecting the wormes at last welcomming vs. Therefore well may it be saide of all as it was wittilie saide to a Grammarian that tho hee could decline a nowne in everie case yet death can not bee by any declined in no case WHENCE WEE LEARNE 1. Seeing our mansion place is not here but as Isai sayeth our age departeth and is removed from vs as a shepheards tent and wee must depart our selues at last and as the Apostle subjoyneth then come to judgement Therefore the rememberance of our departure should ever bee before our eyes and a daylie preparation for the same should ever be our practise praying with Moses Lord teach vs to number our dayes that wee may applye our heartes vnto wisedome acknowledging this only to be true wisedome to worke out the worke of our owne salvation in feare and in trembling therefore sayeth one Mors tibi semper sit in tua cogitatione quia ea semper est in tui expectatione Which moved Abraham to make a buriall place his first possession in the promised land and Ioseph of Arimathea to haue his tombe in his garden of pleasure Nothing being more powerfull than this daylie rememberance to kill sin quell pryd quench concupiscence convince auarice confound luxurie abate vaine-glorie and weane our hearts from all worldlie vanitie and therefore this having bene ever the godlies Arithmeticke the Saincts Geometrie and the Christians Philosophie Seeing we must depart from this world then let not our soules bee insnared and intangled with the loue of the world let vs eschew the serpents curse to bee still cleaving to the dust of the earth or with Esau to content with the fatte of the same let vs not bee so base as to be filii terrae onlie earth wormes who are borne anew to be children to God citizens of Heaven but in tyme separate our selues in affection therefra vsing the same as if wee vsed it not that our separation by dissolution therefra may bee the fruition of a better inheritance and considering that a little earth must once containe whom the whole earth can not content Seeing we must depart from hence and that wee know not how soone as the Lord sayde vnto Abraham Exi de terra tua we be in lykemanner charged to goe out of this earthlie tabarnacle let vs forecast with our selues and thinke of our after-estate which is not to bee for a short tyme but eternall for ever and therefore let vs be like that wise steward spoken of in the Gospell make friends to our selues with the mammon of iniquitie that when wee fayle wee may be receaved into everlasting habitations Prospice praemitte must bee the practise then of a prudent Christian that so he may know the reason of his cupio dissolvi to bee with the Apostle this confidence of his after-estate esse cum CHRISTO else dolefull will bee the sight of death lyke Iehues march be towards him when hee can onlie say this or worse with that heathen wretch Animula blandula vagula quae nunc abibis inloca And if it please the Lord in this lyfe to exercise vs with crosses or discontentments yet let vs not grudge with our lot but possesse our Soules with patience remember that our tyme of bearing the crosse after our Saviour is but short a tyme draweth neare wherein wee shall depart from them they in lyke manner giue an eternall farewell to vs the Canaanite shal no more be in the land the rod of the wicked shall be no more vpon the backe of the righteous the godlie shall no more sowe in teares but it shal be sayd to the soule by her blessed Bryde-groome as wee haue in the Canticles Aryse my loue my faire one and come away for loe the winter is past the raine is over and gone The flowers appeare on the earth the tyme of singing of birds is come and the voyce of the turtle is heard in our Land Vespera quos flentes ducit sata sancta ferentes Fasciculis gravidos aurora reducet ovantes Secondly this Text intimateth vnto vs that death or this bodylie departure is common to Gods servants as well as to the wicked therefore sayeth old Simeon Now Lord let thy servant depart in peace and accordingly doeth the Psalmist inquire without any exception saying What man is hee that liveth and shall not see death for which cause wee see that this is ever the common clausule of that record of the lyues of all those worthies from Adam to Noah Gen. 5. and â—ee died Howsoever then that Abraham bee commended for fayth Isaac for pietie Iacob for integritie Ioseph for chastitie Moses for meeknesse Samuell for vprightnesse David for zeale Salomon for wisdome and Iob for patience c. yet deaths sythe mowed them all downe as grasse and they slept with their Fathers The reasons of which the Lords doing are 1. For the manifestation of his trueth in that threatening of Adam and all his posteritie Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne 2. For declaration of his power 1. over sinne which brought in death wherein Gods wonderfull power is seene that hee maketh death which sinne brought in vtterlie to abolish sinne which bred and brought in the same so that thereof it may bee sayde Filia devoravit matrem and that sinne which in vs grace maketh moribundum death killeth out-right and maketh it to bee
actions as a naturall and necessarie cause and not free it is false For Hee doeth nothing ad extra without Himselfe necessarilie but altogether freelie 2. If you say that GOD willeth not that which is formall in sinne this is not sufficient For by the materiall of sinne wherevnto they say GOD praedeterminateth they vnderstand the actions according to all the conditions and circumstances determining and making it individuall Nowe if GOD bee the cause of this inwardlie moving and praedeterminating our wills to consent therevnto Hee must needes also bee the cause of that which is formall Hence first God forbiddeth that in sin which is materiall as when He forbiddeth to commit adulterie or steale The sense is not Beware heereof that when thou takest another man's goods agaynst his will there bee in that action the privation of rectitude or meralitas malitiae for wee can not hinder this sequell of evill But the meaning is Take heede thou doe not this act wherevnto evill is necessarilie joyned If GOD forbid it and deterre from it can Hee effectuallie praedetermine mee therevnto before all inclination of my will and altogether independentlie from my libertie 2. Man is no other wayes the cause of thaâ— which is formall in Theft or the lyke sinne but by producing the positiue entitie and free act of taking another man's goods Hee willeth not the formall evill yea hee would that this action had beene without it yet doeth hee properlie a morall evill because evill necessarilie cleaveth vnto his action 3. Admitting that Praedetermination great and light temptations should not differ by vehemencie of the object or temptation of the Devill But all the danger should be from this Divine praemotion and impulse which beeing present wee should fall into the lightest and beeing absent should stand in the greatest assaultes All this is so absurd that even some of the Dominicans themselues though they mayntayne Praedetermination in good actions yet they denye it in evill as Franciscus Cumel Disputat ad primam partem primam secundae Thomae pag. 209. If it bee objected That the same absurdities follow vpon the immediate concourse of GOD to the act of sinne though there bee no praemotion or praedetermination I answere 1. That this praemotion is more absurd For 1. The praedeterminantes admit this immediate concurrence and the moving or impelling of the agent besides 2. Praedetermination hath a necessarie and determinate connexion with the act of sinne so that it can not bee joyned with the contrarie act and GOD they say frameth the decree of it of Himselfe and without anie respect to our will But the denyers thereof say That GODS concurrence though immediate is generall indifferent and indeterminate in so farre as the concurrence of GOD in actu primo that is GOD vt paratus ad concurrendum quantum est ex se ex munere causae primae according to His place is readie to cooperate to anie action of the creature whether good or evill This they meane by GOD'S indifferent concourse and not that the action is onelie from GOD secundùm rationem genericam as some doe chyldishlie interpret them And so probablie they teach though the act of sinne in respect of that which is materiall bee from GOD and the creature both yet considered as it is free and in respect of the moralitie founded vpon Libertie it is not from GOD. Vasquez Canus Scotus Vega Raynaud So in a vitall act of vnderstanding or loue though the vitalitie bee one with the entitie of the act yet the vitalitie of the action followeth not the same cause that the entitie thereof doeth For the act of vnderstanding is vitall by reference to that onlie principle from which it inwardlie â—loweth to wit the vnderstanding and yet it receaveth not the whole entitie or beeing from the vnderstanding alone but also from the species and habite which sometymes interveaneth Praedetermination therefore is much more repugnant to Divine Holinesse and innocencie Secondlie Some and those verie learned haue affirmed That the concurrence of GOD to evill actions is not immediate and as they speake identificatus or altogether one with the act it selfe So not onlie Durand and Aureol who denye this kynde of concurrence to anie act but also diverse others albeit saith Vasqu the opinion of Durand and Aureol taking it in the full latitude thereof hath no other patron tamen quod spectat ad actum peccati non videtur ita destituta For amongst the Schoole-men saith hee Antisiod L. 2. Summae Tract 27. C. 3. and Gregorius Arriminensis thinke it probable Diverse also in the tyme of the Master of Sentences were of this mynde as hee showeth Lib. 2. Dist. 37. where hee himselfe also dare not take vpon him to define the contrarie illarum verò sententiarum judicium prudentis lectoris arbitrio relinquimus We leaue it sayeth hee to the prudent Reader to judge which of these two opinions is most true Scotus also thinketh this opinion probable Aristotle was of this mynd sayth Lessius But which is most of all holie Augustine seemeth to haue beene of this mynde concerning evill actions Saynct Hieron Dialog 1. contra Pelag. sayeth Vasquez in the place before cited seemeth to favour this opinion but farre more clearlic August for in his second Booke de Lib. Arbit cap. 20. hee sayeth that motus aversionis which is sinne is not from GOD Ad DEVM non pertinere ne dubites sayeth hee It belongeth no wayes to GOD but to our will Neyther speaketh hee onelie of the defect but also of the act it selfe So in his Booke de perfect justitiae hee sayeth sinne is not res but actus for hee granteth a distinction betwixt these two vnderstanding by res a substance as in diverse other places he doeth therevpon he admitteth that there must bee some other author even of the act of sinne than GOD esteeming it onelie absurd to admit an author alicujus rei that is of some substance beside GOD. So hee playnlie sayeth that the motion it selfe of the will whereby wee sinne is not from GOD. Thou toldest mee sayeth hee also with a strong voyce O LORD in my inner eare howe that it is thy selfe who made all these natures and substances which are not what thy selfe is and which yet haue their being and howe that onelie is not from thee which hath no beeing no nor the will that slydeth backe from thee that art eminentlie vnto that which hath an inferiour beeing because that all such back-slyding is transgression and sinne This I haue insisted so much in to show that there is no necessitie in this philosophicall argument to make vs admit anie thing contrarie to true Divinitie and praejudice of the Sanctitie of GOD. Leaving therefore more curiouslie to search in this manner of GOD'S working I conclude this poynct with holie Augustine speaking of this matter this to wit that sinne is not from GOD