had temperamentum absolutè temperatissimum a temperament absolutely most temperate such as none but he and the Second Adam are supposed to haue yet that was not sufficient to immortalitie And therefore by Gods gracious indulgence he might freely feede on the tree of life by meanes whereof he might be preserved from decaying by age or any other cause and that through some naturall vertue in the tree or rather Gods blessing or both And thus Adam was mortall Aug. ubi suprd conditione corporis animalis by the condition of a naturall body but immortall beneficie conditoris by the benefit of his creator as St. Augustine excellently explaineth it If so be that Adam had not sinned yet fuisset mortalis he should haue beene mortall neverthelesse if he had not sinned Valles sacra Philos c. 6. fuisset nunquam moriturus he should never haue died as Vallesius aptly noteth So then no sinne Rom. 5.12 no death By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne Contrary to the heresie of Pelagius and Augustinus Steuchus a Pontifician of later times Whitak de not eccl ca. 7. If Adam then had not sinned he had not died but should haue beene immortall Immortalitateminori in qua posset mori Aug. Ench. cap. 105. with a lesser immortalitie wherein he had a power to die saith St Augustine-Quamvis major futura sit in qua non possit mori although a greater immortalitie be to come wherein he cannot die And this must be in Heaven in the state of glory where is no disobedience or sinne and consequently no death Rom. 6.23 for as the Apostle saith the wages of sinne is death Christ Iesus is our life Col. 3.4 both here in the kingdome of grace and there in the kingdome of glorie For He as head and fountaine of life communicateth life to all the members of his mysticall body He being the last Adam who was made a quickening Spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 enlivening us not onely with naturall sensitiue and rationall life as our Creator but also with spirituall life as our Redeemer and eternall life as our Glorifier Augustus the Emperour in Romani nominis aeternitatem natus borne to eternize the Roman name Onuph de imperat Com. cap. 4. according to Onnphrius was wont many times as Suetonius writes in his life to pray for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sueton. in vita Augusti cap. 99. for his friends and himselfe not immortalitie but aneasie death without paine But our blessed Saviour did not onely pray for but doth also giue unto his friends his my sticall members 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 immortalitie for speaking of them his Sheepe Iohn 10.28 he saith I giue unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hands Our life consists in the knowledge and loue of Christ saith Aquinas we know Him Aquin. in Colost cap. 3. lect 1. and loue Him in this world in part and it is our spirituall life we shall know him and loue him in the other world perfectly and that will be eternall life As the first Adam brought death into the world so the second Adam abolishing death 2 Tim. 1.10 hath brought life and immortalitie to light Aug. in Ioan. tract 22. Who according to St. Augustine speaketh on this wise to thee Wouldst thou not erre I am the way Wouldst thou not be deceived I am the truth Wouldst thou not die I am the life Iohn 14.6 I am the way the truth and the life So may I say unto thee Wouldst thou not haue thy body perpetually detained under the power of darknesse and dominion of the graue Iohn 11.25 Loe He saith I am the resurrection and the life Beleeue on me let me be thy spirituall foode feede on me by faith for He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud bath eternall life and I will raise him up at the last day If Christ dwell in us now by faith spiritually Ephel 3.17 he will surely dwell in us hereafter by glory eternally and that after an admirable manner which now we know not 1 Iohn 3.2 For now we are sonnes of God saith St. Iohn but it doth not yet appeare what we shall be It is not here revealed unto us we are unworthy to know it we are unable to comprehend it Onely thus much we are taught out of the divine Oracles that in the stole of glorie we shall see God clearely face to face wee shall with unspeakeable joy and delight ever behold Him who is the blessed life of man saith St. Augustine Aug de civit Dei lib. 19. cap. 26. whom to behold is life and the life is eternall CHAP. XXXV Of different perfection in glorie SPirituall gifts and graces are diversly dispensed by Christ and given to the Saints on earth after a different manner For to every one is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Ephes 4.7 Thus much the Apostle instancing in some particular graces insinuateth touching faith the prime cardinall vertue he saith Rom. 12.3 6. God dealeth to every man the measure of faith and a proportion of faith and entreating of chastitie and continency he said Every man hath his proper gift of God 1 Cor. 7.7 one after this manner and another after that When as the Apostles said to our Saviour if the case was such it was not good to marry He answered them all men cannot receiue this saying Math. 19.11 Ambr. de voc gent. li. 2. c. 3. saue they to whom it is given Hereupon St. Ambrose saith Multis modis innumer abilibus differentijs gratia opera dona variantur inque ipsis singulis generibus muneruns dissimiles sunt gradus impares quantitates The gifts and workes of grace are varied after many manners and innumerable differences and in the severall kindes of gifts there be unlike degrees and unequall quantities Now as there are many different degrees of grace in the militant Church so there be also many different degrees of glorie in the triumphant Church Ambr. de bon mort cap. 11. according to that of St. Ambrose Erit or do diversus claritatis gloria sicut erit meritorum There shall be a different order of excellency and glory as there shall be of merits Hence it was that St. Augustine upon those words of Christ Aug. in Ioan. cap. 14. v. 2. in my Fathers house are many mansions saith they are diversae meritorum in una vita aterna dignitates diverse dignities of merits in one eternall life And St. Hierome saith Multae sunt mansiones apud patrem Hieren advers Pelag. li. 1. quia merita diversa there are many mansions with the Father because there are diverse merits Here note by the way that St. Ambrose St. Augustine St. Hierome and other of the ancient Fathers by merits so frequētly
who is the resurrection and the life And therefore as by the will of the Father Rom. 4.25 He was delivered to death for our sinnes so he was also raised againe for our justification Here you see that our most gracious and mightie Redeemer was as Gorran saith Pugil in morte victor in resurrectione Gorran in Ro. cap. 1. a Champion in his death a conquerour in his resurrection For now He triumphed over the graue and death declaring to the world to men and Angells that he was perfectly just otherwise he could never haue risen unto Glory had he beene uncleane had he beene any way polluted and defiled with sinne for into the heavenly Ierusfalem such shall in no wise enter Yea He rose againe for our justification to shew himselfe a justifier of all that beleeue in him to shew that he had taken away their sinnes the wages wherof is death that so they might at the last day rise againe unto eternall life The resurrection and glorification of our Lord Iesus Christ August desurrect dom Cant. Allelujah according to St. Austine doe shew what life we are to receiue when he shall come to render digna dignis evill to the evill and good to the good then all the members of his mysticall body shall rise up in Him their head and so liue ever with him Fulgent serm de dupl nativ Christi for as Fulgentius saith Resurgens è sepulcro fecit nos participes vitae suae by rising out of the sepulchre He made us partakers of his life And we know as the Scripture teacheth us 2 Cor. 4.14 that He who raised the Lord Iesus shall raise up us also by Iesus And when Christ Coloss 3.4 who is our life shall appeare then shall we appeare also with Him in glorie CHAP. XIII Christs Intercession WHen the sonne of God had suffered his most dolorous and bitter agony on the Altar of the Crosse when he had victoriously triumphed over the graue in his most glorious resurrection He ascended upon high and led captivity captiue and is set on the right hand of God continually making intercession for us there he ever presents unto the Father his humane nature wherein He died and rose againe and performed so great things for us there we sinners haue an Advocate with the Father 1 Iohn 2.1 even Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes whereupon St. Augustine saith Aug. in Psal 94. Sacerdotem si requiras supra caelos est interpellat prote qui in terra mortuus est prote if thou require a Priest He is aboue the Heavens He maketh intercession for thee who on earth died for thee Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth Rom. 8. v. 33.34 it is Christ that died yea that is risen agaìne who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us What greater comfort and consolation haue we in our pilgrimage than to know and beleeue that the Lord Iesus is our most faithfull Advocate who intercedeth for us day and night who as St. Ambrose speakes Amh. in ca. 8. ad Rom. Semper causas agit nostras apud patrem perpetnally pleades our causes before the Father Who as the Apostle saith maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God He onely intercedeth for all Saints and none of all the Saints intercede for him So he is our onely true perfect Mediatour He intercedes with the Father for us merito suo by vertue of his owne merit The Saints on earth intercede for others but merito Christi through Christs merit for all their holy requests for others all their pious intercessions are offered upon the Golden Altar and doe sweetly ascend up unto the throne of grace Apoc. 8.3 per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum through Iesus Christ our Lord. CHAP. XIIII Our union with Christ WHat will it availe us to know the merit of Christs death the power of his resurrection the benefit of his intercession unlesse we participate of so great blessings But participate of them wee cannot unlesse we haue communion with Christ unlesse we be of him and in him as the branches are in the Vine unlesse we be members of his bodie flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones And this is a great mysterie concerning Christ and the Church Eph. 5.32 which to understand in some measure is most necessary but to haue a spirituall sense and feeling of it is even an unspeakeable fountaine of joy and consolation As we are of and in Adam by nature so are we of and in Christ by grace And Christ who cannot be had by portions is whole in the whole Church and whole in every faithfull member of the Church And thus he communicates himselfe unto us by his Spirit for the same Spirit which giveth life unto the Head quickeneth and enliveneth the members also for if any haue not the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8.9 he is none of his and therefore in Iohn 14.19 he saith to his Apostle Because I liue yee shall line also And all this proceeds from our union with him which he insinuateth in the twentieth verse following At that day shall yee know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you This holy Spirit whereby wee are united to Christ is the seede whereby we are borne of God and the sonnes of God Because yee are sonnes saith the Apostle God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father Obscuro For our spirituall subsisting in Christ is correspondent to his personalitie and subsistence whereby he is the Sonne of God So in him we also are the sonnes of God He is such by nature we onely through him by adoption and grace Hence is it that St. Peter saith We are partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 which is communicated to all the three subsistences in the blessed Trinitie and consequently to the Sonne and in him to us This Christ prayed for and was heard in that he requested and desired for the faithfull in those words That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us Iohn 17.21 And St. Iohn intimateth as much saying Truely our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ 1 Iohn 2.3 Entreating here of the union of the Church with Christ I was drawne to speake of our adoption through Christ For by one and the same Spirit we are adopted in Christ and united unto him He unites himselfe to us by grace we are united to him by faith And so the whole person of the faithfull is united to the whole person of Christ first to his flesh then through his flesh to the Word which was made flesh And this union is wrought after
crowne meete for your labour Perseverance immediately beginneth to attend on grace the mother of all vertues when it is first infused but is not compleate untill death untill the infusion of finall grace which perfectly extinguisheth all evill concupiscence and is the utter deletion or taking away of all sinne and sinfulnesse As the Crowne on the Kings head giveth an eminent splend our and luster to his royall robes and other 〈◊〉 ornaments so the grace of perseverance is the glorious complement crowne of all other vertues and is an infallible guide to leade us into the kingdome of glorie Therefore our Saviour saith not he that shall begin Math. 24.13 but he that shall endure unto the end shall be saved And to the Angell in the Church of Smyrna he saith Be thou faithfull unto death and I will giue thee a crowne of life Apoc. 2. â—0 We are now in our spirituall course and race we must so runne that we may obtaine wee are now in the combat we must so fight that we may over come Which that we may doe we are to implore and desire by fervent and incessant prayer that God would prevent and follow us with grace all the dayes of our life that so at the end of our dayes we may confidently and comfortably say with the chosen vessell of mercy I have fought a good fight 2 Tim. 4. v. 7 8. I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day and not unto me onely but unto them also which loue his appearing CHAP. XXXIII Of perfection in glorie SAint Paul the chosen vessell of mercy and trumpet of grace Rom. 8.30 uniteth and maketh up the golden chaine of our salvation with foure linkes First Predestination secondly Vocation thirdly Iustification fourthly Glorification Where hee expresseth not our sanctification as being included in our glorification according to the exposition of Aquinas Aquin. in cp ad Rom. cap. 8. saying Glorificamur in hac vita per prefectune virturis gratia in futura per exaltationem gloria We are glorified in this life by proficiency of vertue and grace in the life to come by exaltation of glory And indeed grace is glorie inchoate or begun glorie is grace consummate and perfected and our imperfect perfection by grace here is a previous preparing and disposing of us unto that absolute perfection which wee shall haue being cloathed and adorned with the stole of glorie For even in this life wee are freed in part from those foure evills which are maine impediments to our absolute perfection and this freedome is meerely from grace in Christ Iesus The first evill hindering our perfection is error in the understanding from which we are freed in part by the Spirit of grace leading of us into all truth and teaching us all things necessary unto salvation The second evill a let to perfection is sinne in the will from which wee are also partly freed by grace in Christ and that two wayes First Rom. 6.14 from the dominion of it For sinne shall not haue dominion over you because yee are not under the Law but under grace saith the Apostle secondly from the condemnation of sinne seeing Rom. 8.1 there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit The third evill hindrance of our perfection is misery and afflictions from which by faith and spirituall fortitude we are freed in part that they may not swallow us up that the flouds of great waters the over-flowings of feare and despaire may never prevaile against us never over whelme us In the world you shall haue tribulation but be of good cheare saith Christ I haue overcome the world The last evill letting our perfection is death And from this also we are freed in part by grace not onely from spirituall and eternall death but even from corporall in two respects First from the sting thereof 1 Iohn 1. v. 7. which is sinne 1 Cor. 15.56 for by the bloud of Christ wee are cleansed from all sinne Secondly in regard of dominion for death shall not tyrannize over us for ever for in the resurrection at the sound of the Trumpet 1 Cor. 15.52 wee shall be raised incorruptible and never die any more Whereas the bodies of the unjust shall rise but from corporall to eternall death wherein they shall be ever dying but never dead which moved holy Bernard to cry out Bern. de consid li. 5. ca. 12. Alas saith he quis det illis semel mori ut non moriantur in aternum who might grant them once to die that so they might not die for ever Thus are we freed in part by grace from these foure evill impediments of perfection But in the stare of glorie we shall be wholy and entirely exempted from the in for then shall we be free from all darknesse of error obliquitie of sinne from all of stictive misery and destroying death Yea we shall be free from them after a more excellent mother than Adam was in Paradise in the state of innocency For it pleased the omnipotent goodnesse and wisedome who bringeth light out of darknesse life out of death and good out of evill even by the fall of man to raise him up in Christ to a more eminent and high state of perfection It is true that Adam in his integritie had power not to erre not to sinne not to suffer misery not to die but it is also true that he had power to erre to sinne to suffer misery to die which by wofull experiment he brought into act by disobeying the command of his creator Ever since the poison and contagion of disobedience hath tainted and corrupted all the veines of his rebellious children and miserable posteritie Now in the state of glory in that heavenly Paradise we shall obtaine such a transcendent degree of perfection as that we shall haue no power in our understanding to erre in our will to sinne no power to suffer misery and devouring death In that ineffable glorie wee being perfectly changed into the image of the Lord the knowledge of all things shall be seene of us not by parts but wholly and at once as St. Prosper saith Prosp de vita contemplat li. 1. cap. 6. We shall see all things clearely without error by beholding him who is all truth Now wee see through a glasse darkly that incomprehensible light we behold him now through a three-fold glasse First of the creatures secondly of his workes of justice and mercie thirdly of the holy Scriptures But then we shall see him perfectly clearely face to face with unspeakeable joy and delight and herein confists our essentiall alsufficient blessednesse therefore Philip said unto Christ Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth Iohn 14.8 Now we know God but imperfectly