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A07626
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Quadrivium Sionis or the foure ways to Sion By John Monlas Mr of arts
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Monlas, John.
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1633
(1633)
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STC 18020; ESTC S102304
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90,305
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189
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miserable hearts where they lodge and therefore the ancient Fathers of the Church openly pronounce that the greatest felicity wherein Adam the first modell of mankinde was created was peace of the heart that rest of conscience which hee possessed absolutely within Paradise having no other care or thought but to love his Creator to honour his Conseruator and to adore his God But after that hee was fallen from that state of innocencie by the greatnesse of his fault after that sinne by disobedience had driven away peâ—ce from his heart then you see him in trouble he flieth he hideth himselfe he is afraid of himselfe he covereth his nakednesse with figge leaves he trembleth and dareth not answere to that terrible and fearefull voyce which hee heard walking in the Garden behold the first effects which his sinne brought forth The Royall Prophet David Psalm 85.10 saith Righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other vpon which Saint Augustine discourseth thus Duae sunt amicae justitia pax tu forte unam vis alteram nonfacis nemo enim est qui non velit pacem sed non omnes volunt operari justitiam si amicam pacis non amaveris neque te amabit pax ipsa Righteousnesse and Peace bee two friends thou it may bee desirest the one and wilt not practise the other there bee none but wish for peace but all will not doe righteousnesse if thou love not the friend of peace peace also will not loue thee Iustice with reason is called the mother of peace because it goeth alwayes before and is immediatly followed by it Peace is the worke of justice saith the Prophet Isaiah chap. 32.17 And the Psalmist in the 72. Psalm ver 7. In those dayes righteousnesse shall flourish and abundance of peace And Psalm 119. ver 165. Great peacâ— have they which love thy law From which propositions wee draw this conclusion that to have this peace of conscience it is needfull for us to be just to feare God and to walke exactly in the obseruation of his sacred commandements So contrarily the wicked can have no peace because of the worme of sinne that gnaweth continually their soules as we read Psalm 28.3 Ill lucke and unhappinesse is in their wayes and the way of peace have they not knowne There is no peace for the wicked saith the Lord they thinke neverthelesse that they have this peace when they enjoy their pleasures but this peace lasteth but a moment and like their pleasure is presently followed by an extreame griefe it is lethargick sleepe very dangerous it is a security but it is carnall it is a sleepe but that representeth unto them a thousand apparitions and a thousand strange visions The wicked mans peace is like those fires which by night appeare burning in hills and medowes the which if a man follow they will insensibly leade him into terrible downefalls but the true peace of a good conscience as saith an ancient Author is the title of Religion â—he Temple of Salomon the field of blessing the garden of delights the Angels joy the Arke of the covenant the treasure of the great King the Court of God the Tabernacle of his Sonne the tent of his Spirit the tower of Sion the booke with seaven seales which is to be opened upon that great and fearefull day of judgement Saint Augustine in his Citie of God speaketh thus of it Pax nostra propria hic est cum Deo per fidem in aeternum erit cum illo per speciem talis est paxut solatium miseriae sit potius quam beatitudinis gaudium Our owne peace that is the peace of our hearts is here with God by faith and in eternall life shall it be with him by vision that peace which now we enjoy is but a sparke in respect of that great fire here it suâ—sisteth but by faith then it shall be effected In a word let us say that the peace of conscience is a particular feeling and knowledge that God is pacified with us that he hath blotted out our misdeedes that hee hath cast away our iniquities from before his face like a clowd that wee are no longer under the Kingdome of Satan nor of the flesh but are received in our heavenly Fathers favour like the prodigall child that wee shall dwell in his house all the dayes of our life and there receive those goods joyes and delights which he hath reseruâ—d for his children Hitherto wee have spoken of peace in generall and in particular of politique peace and of the care must bee used to bring it to passe of peace of conscience or with God of the worlds or wicked mans peace that troubleth all them that live not like him now let us speake of that peace which is in our selues and of the vertue of it Among all the perfections wherewith our first Father Adam was adorned during the state of his innocencie mildnesse was one at the sent whereof all living creatures ranne to him to doe him homage and yeeld him obedience Moses in the booke of Numbers is called the debonnaire or gracious for which quality God loved him dearely and for a testimoniall of his love called him to that honourable charge of deliverer Prince and law giver of his people The King and Pâ—ophet David had this vertue in great measure in him for which cause God changing his Sheepheards crooke into a Royall Scepter gave him victory over a world of enemies that rose up continually against him which maketh him to cry out in one of his Psalmes Lord remember David and his mansuetude or clemencie Iâ— the booke of Leviticus God commandeth the Priests to offer him a Lamâ—e without blemish for a peace offering a Lambe is the symbole of mildnesse then according to that command hee that will receive the peace-makers recompence from God must offer him his soule full of gentlenesse and mildnesse The Lambe in the Revelation of all living creatures was onely found worthy to open the booke sealed with seaven seales so among all men the faithfull onely and among the faithfull the meeke shall bee able to open the booke of life there to behold his name written before the foundation of the world The Bridegroome in the Canticles calleth thuâ— his beloved Come my Dove that aâ—t in the clefâ—s of the rocke thy eyes are like Doves eyes and thy cheekes like Turâ—les my Dove is alone and perâ—ect Now it is familiar and common enough that of all creatures Doves arâ— the symbols of mildnesse and meekenesse for it is noted that they have no gall And here to apply these places to our designâ— let us know that the Bridegroome in this epithalamium or marriage song is Iesus Christ himselfe speaking to his Church setting her forth by her lively colours by the pensill of his love shewing us in this comparison of the Dove the perfections wherewith shee is adorned where if wee waigh and consider diligently the force of every word wee shall finde them
the Sonne sunt relata say the Philosophers are relatives that is are referred the one to the other for there is no Father but there must likewise be a Sonne whence I draw this conclusion That God the Father being such that is having that title and quality before the Creation of the world consequently Iesus Christ was before it also his generation then is immediatly from the Father as being begotten of him from all eternity by a way incomprehensible to us for In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word â—as God thâ— same was in the beginning with God Iohn 1.1 And in the 1. Chap. to the Heb. ver 5. unto which of the Angels saith he at any time Thou art my Sonne tâ—is day have I begotten thee And againe I will be to him a Father and hee shall be to me a Sonne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee is not then called Sonne by adoption or for respects of love or for any consideration but onely because hee is begotten of â—he Father before the Creation of all things as wee reade Coloss. 1.15 He is the Image of the inuisible God the first borne of every creature which is prooved againe out of the 1. Chap. of Saint Iohn ver 18. No man â—ath seene God at any time the onely begâ—tten Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father hee hath declared him Vpon this place Hilarius li. 6. saith that Hoc nomine vnigeâ—iti adoptio de trinitate excluditur natura magis asseritur By this word onely begâ—tten adoption is excluded from the Trinitie and nature the more confirmed And Saint Chrysostome very subtilly Christâ—m non eodem modo quo caeteri homines unigenitum dici nam caeteros quidem quod soli ex parentibus nati sint unigenitos dici Christum non solum quod solus ex patre sed etiam quod singulari ineffabili modo natus est unigenitum appellari Christ is not called the onely Sonne after the sort of other men who are called such because they are borne alone to their Parents now Christ is noâ— called the onely Sonne in that respect alone that he is the onely naturall Sonne of his Father but also beâ—ause he hath beene begotten by a speciall and ineffable way But whither doth the winde of our discourse carrie us why doe we touch this divine subject more worthy of admiration then capable of description wee shall more lively describe it by our silence then by our obscure representations Neverthelesse for satisfaction to our curiosity which is never contented with reason and that will not be contained within the limits of civility and modesty let us bring one onely comparison to give us some sparke of knowledge of this ineffable generation of the Sonne of God When a man seeth himselfe in a well polished glasse he presently seeth his image and the figure of himselfe having the same markes and motions with his which is caused by the reflection of the species within the eye and there is so great a relation betweene the species and the image that one cannot be taken away without annihilating the other and although both the sight and reason make us â—ee that they are severâ—ll things truth also and experience makes us know that those two things subsist by one onely Essence and that both have but one and the same subsistance to wit that of the species opposite to the glasse So God from all Eternity contemplating his divine Essence made such a reflection upon his person that of this reflection hee produced and begot that eternall Wisedome which is the Saviour and Redeemer of our soules the sooner we can goe from this matter is our best for wee should be like them that will paint and represent the Sunne with a coale And indeede how should it be possible that we that are poore Owles and Batts should bâ—hold so great a light how should wee that are poore Pismires stirre so great mountaines We shall sooner put the whole sea in the palme of our hands then wee can any way comprehend this large and spatious ocean of the divine generation within the little compasse of our understanding Since then that we cannot ascend so high let us stop and stay our contemplation upon our selues where we shall have a more free accesse and continuing our first discourse let us remember that we may be called the children of God three wayes 1. First the Scripture maketh mention of the naturall generation of Christ individuall and incommunicable to any other but to him onely There is a filiation or not to speake barbarously with the Sâ—hoolemeâ— the Scripture giveth this title of Sonne of God to the Angels and Princes of the earth which is a title of honour and affection as wee read Iob 1.6 Now there was a day when the sonnes of God that is the Angels came to present themselues before the Lord and Satan came also among them And Genes 6.4 When the sonnes of God came in unto the daughâ—ers of men The seaventy Interpreters by the sonnes of God here understand the Angels but Saints Augustine in the Citie of God by the sonnes of God understandeth the children of Seth which was a blessed family which came in unto the daughters of Cain Among the children of God in affection and honour are first placed the Princes and Potentates of the earth as we read Psalm 82.6 I have said ye are Gods and all of you are children of the most high And Ierem. 31.9 I will cause them to walke by the rivers of waters in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble for I am a Father to Israel and Ephraim is my first borne The third sort of the children of God is of them that are such by adoption and by grace as we reade Ephes. 1.5 God hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Iesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will And Galath 4.5 God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman that wee might receive the adoption of sonnes And Iames 1.18 Of his owne will begate hee us with the word of trueth that we should be a kinde of first fruits of his creatures And 1. Epist. of Saint Iohn Chap. 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sonnes of God beloved now are we the sonnes of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be Athanasius â—rat 2. that which is naturally begotten of another must bee esteemed his true progeniture but those that receive the title of Sonne onely by grace and by vertue receive not the right of Sonnes by nature but onely by grace Quod secundum naturam ex aliquo gignitur id vera ejus progenies censendum esâ— qui vero ex virtute gratia nomen filiorum solum modo obtinent non natura sed gratia jus filiorum obtinent Ambros. lib. 1. de fide cap. 9. Wee are called Sonnes by