therefore Charity take place of all the rest yet let it not be set above these Let Faith and Hope goe hand in hand with Charity at least Nay faith the Apostle The greatest of these is charity That is Faith and Hope must give place to Charity though all vertues else give place to them It is true they be all necessary and perpetuall in this life all three of them No Christian can be without every one of them it is granted All our labour tends to these three and these are the samme of whatsoever perfection can be named 〈…〉 now therefore they abide abid as it were at the foot of the 〈◊〉 having cast up all other miraculous gifts and graces here is the 〈◊〉 take all in a little it is but Faith Hope and Charity which all among to But even in this totall consisting as it were of three Figures mistake not the quantity Charity is the greatest of the three As all other things tend to the building up of these so two of these that is Faith and Hope it selfe tend to the building up of Charity and Charity is the top of the building Charity is the Crowne of all the â—est not only surmounting other Graces but these too Surmounting them and outlasting them for though Faith and Hope last and abide throughout all the course of this life as needfull as Charity yet in the next life onely Charity shall abide Faith and Hope shall then have no more place And therefore let not faith and hope how fundamentall soever dildaine to yeeld to Charity Charity is greater then Faith and Hope Charity is the highest of the three and if it bee so follow after charity what ever perfection else yee attaine let all serve to this and let love be the end and scope and measure of all This is the summe of the Apostles Doctrin and it is sure no impertinent one of ours for these times Wherein as if Charity were not the greatest vertue but the least of all every mans gifts and endowments tend to Charity in the last place each striving to reare up his owne glory or advance his owne profit every one looking on his owne things and not the things that are Jesus Christs Wherein above all other heavenly fires Charity is nearest to cinders zeale it may be burning and desire and courage and confidence all of a flame but the love of too many waxing cold Never more needfull sure for Charity to bee preached of the World being so full of rents and divisions the Church so distracted with factions and Schisme while few regard the publike so their private may be safe Faith and Hope much boasted of but little good Workes seene Knowledge and Revelation of the Spirit mightily talked of but little peace and amity one towards another If ever therefore it were seasonable to have Charity commended and pressed upon us I thinke never more then in these last and worst daies Heare therefore the judgement of St. Paul St. Paul as ful of miraculous gifts as ever any as zealous for the honour of faith as none more as paineful in his labours for the Gospell and as patient in hope as all the Apostles beside and yet preferring Charity above all Now abide these three faith hope and charity but the greatest of these is charity Two parts we find in the words one declarative touching the eminence of these three vertues Now abide faith hope and charity these three Another Comparative touching the preheminence of Charity or rather if you will both of them Comparative First these three preferred there all other vertues Now abide these three faith hope and charity And Secondly Charity preferred highest amongst them the greaâ—â—st of these is charity In the former of these yee may observe 〈◊〉 the vertues themselves and then what is affâ—d of them The vertues themselves are these Faith Hope and Charity Then it is affirmed of them that they are three and that they abide so Now abide these three c. We shall first God willing survey the vertues themselves what they are Secondly how they are three eminent above others and connected between themselves And Thirdly how Charity is preferred above the other two the greatest of these â—charity Web gin with the vertues themselves what they are Faith Hope and Charity For the first of them viz. Faith what that is Saint Paul himselfe saves us the labour and seemes to define that to our hands Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seene To understand which yee are to note the proper act of Faith and that is to beleeve Beleeving is as the Schoole-men define it an assent of the mind unto somewhat the truth of which is not clearely perceived but taken upon credit As that such and such Cities are in the World Rome Venice which perhaps we have had never seene such and such men have lived before our times Tully and Cato which wee have never knowne A great difference there is betwixt this and perfect science as betweene this and weake conjecture For perfect science is of things we either perceive by the sence as that Snow is white and Fire is hot and the like or else see clearely by the light of the understanding as that every part is lesse then the whole every whole double to its halfe Such things as these are more then beleeved they are perfectly knowne those onely are beleeved which are fully assented to and yet not perfectly known So in Christs healing the sick of the Palsic the Apostles and others that saw it done they had perfect knowledge Wee that have the story in the Gospell have onely the beleefe of it Infidels not so much as the beleefe I have insisted on this the rather to shew the meaning of the Apostle how faith is of things not seene For if wee have porfect knowledge that is full sight of what we beleeve our beleefe is at an end That is not faith but vision Faith then is a beleefe relying upon the credit of others concerning things we doe not perfectly know But all this comes not home to Divinity The faith the Apostle speaks of is concerning some speciall things and some speciall kind of credit and that is a religious beleefe of what God hath revealed and particularly of such things as concerne our salvation So that Divine faith is properly an assent to divine Revelation When we beleeve such and such things because God hath declared them and thus before any Scripture Abraham beleeved the promise of God concerning his Posterity and it was impated unto him for righteousnesse And Noah beleeved God fore-telling the Floud and prepared the Arke for safety of himselfe and his Houshold Thus faith is more antient then Scripture But since the Scriptures were written and the Canon finished and Revelation ceased in the mouthes of the Prophets and Apostles Now all Divine Revelation is confined within the Scriptures and the written Booke of the
like But it is not any of Gods effects nay it is not all of them put together will make up a perfect demonstration of Gods essence to shew us what hee is but that he is That he hath a being that any of his effects will suffice to shew Thus therefore in the first place to be beleeved quia est Deus that God is And let us not make light of this saith Calvin because the matter seemes small a poore degree of faith to apprehend but this that God hath a being The smaller it is the more shame for their insidelitie that can stick at this for their impudence that dare call this in question saith he And let us learne thus much at least by it That even this fundamentall point touching Gods being it is a point of faith and comes from grace it is Gods gift and Gods mercie to us that wee beleeve thus much and did not his hand support us we should be quickly roady to douâ—t of this maine principle to overthrow the foundation of faith and to say in our hearts with the foole in the Psalme There is no God But it is not so small a matter neither saith Tena as one would think at first to beleeve that God is for wee must beleeve him rightly beleeve him a God at least that hee is before and beyond and above all other things and indeed the originall of all For to have a grosse conceit of God as the foolish Heathen to make an Idoll of him in our fancies to beleeve him any corporall mutable or passible thing is indeed to destroy his being anâ— to imply contradiction to make him bee and not to bee for that is not God which is not the perfectest of all things else yea which is not perfection it selfe saith hee So that in this point of Gods being there is included in a manner Gods eternitie and Oâ—nnipâ—tence so Aquinas That God is and most truly is is before all things olse and all other things are because he is Briefly foure differences as Tena notes there are betwixt Gods being and the creatures which unlesse we apprehend rightly concerning God we doe not beleeve that he is First where is the creature had first non esse and then esse first was not and then at Gods pleasure began to be God is from all eternitie never can wee imagine time wheâ—in God was not Secondly whereas the creature depends in his being upon such and such causes that produce it upon such and such helps that suâ—â—aine it God is altogether independent and absolute beholding to no other cause sustained by no other help Himselfe the cause of all causes Thirdly whereas all creatures are variable either in whole or in parâ— the very Heavens themselves subject comâ—tion and not in the same posture to day that they were yesterday God is yesterday today and the same for ever subject to no motion lyâ—le to no alteration in whom iâ— neither variablenes nor shadow of change saith St. Iames. Fourthly whereas eveâ—ie creature hath more in it of non Entitie than of Entitie It is in it selfe this or that but it is no other thing God is the fulnesse of all Entitie hath the being of all other hings united and comprehended in himselfe but in a more excellent manner so that what ever being or goodnesse is in the creature the same is transcendently in God and better in God than in the creature Adde to this that though some creatures remaine for ever yet it is possible they should not be at least suppose them taken away yet the rest of the creation might stand without them but God yee cannot take him away but yee must take all things with him All things in him live and have their being all things depend on his goodnesse so that remove that and remove all the world Nay let the world and all be removed yet the being of God remaines still God can be well enough without his creatures as he is before them So truly he is that he is what he is Exod. 3.11 is was and shall be for evermore Nay is at all times in the Present Tense neither was nor shall bâ— properly but only is what he is without beginning or enâ—ng Indeed one and the same thing with his owne essence to whom esse and existere to be and to manifest being to subsist and to continue his subsistence are the same All this whosoever beleeves that God is ought to beleeve too if not explicitely yet vertually or he knowes not what he beleeves because hee doth not beleeve God rightly distinguished from all his creatures But here arises small objection All this in a manner may be found out by naturall reason If by naturall reason what need is there of faith How saith the Apostle Hee that commeth must beleeve that God is when it is possible by argument to demonstrate him beleefe prâ—suppose want of knowledge we cannot know and beleeveâ— oth at one time that God is To this Commentators frame divers answers as namely that beleefe may stand with some kind of knowledge if it be but knowledge à pâ—sterini from the effects as the knowledge of God is so Sam â—on Others that the Apostle lives the necessitie of beleeving not so much upon this point that God is as upon the lâ—tter that God is a Rewarder of them that seeke him because that is harder to demonstrate Others that the Apostle supposes not the beleefe of this necessarie to all men but only to beginners for it is hee that commeth to God must beleeve that is in his first comming before hee be able to prove it and others that he must beleeve habitually that is have the habit of faith to beleeve Gods being though hee had gotten the knowledge too As the Disciples which saw Christ crucified before their eyes and so had perfect knowledge of his passion yet might have habituall faith of it likewise that is roady to beleeve this Article also if they did not know it â—s we at this day beleeve it To leave these devices let us hearkeâ— to Saint Augustine who in my mind gives the true answer telling us that though there be a naturall knowledge touching this point that God is yet it is far from a right knowledge Nature can never attaine to a perfect apprehension of this without faith for nature can go no further than nature to shew God the Author of naturall good things and consequently naturall blessings and no other to be expected from him but that is the least part of saving knowledge to apprehend onely that God will be sought and acknowledged by us Author of naturall blessings Nâ— wee must conceive him the fountaine of supernaturall and eternall blessings and not of temporall onely which is a thing beyond Natures skill to teach us Nature knowes no other life but this and perceives neither reward nor punishment after death But faith teacheth us this in the first place and to looke upon God as our
eternall portion in another life that is not as the giver of naturall only but supernaturall blessings It is but a vaine objection therefore God may bee knowne by Nature ergo no need of faith Nay sure to know the very being of God rightly we must be beholding to faith for naturall knowledge is full of errours our reason is dim and blind since our fall taken in Paradise and with much labour we do find out things before uâ— saith the wise man but the things that are in heaven who hath searched ouâ— If God himselfe reveale not such things to us we may grope long enough in the dark and find nothing Adde to this that admit of Natures knowledge yet what are most part of men the better for that It is so long in learning that not one of a thousand is the neerer for naturall knowledge How many yeares must be spent How many books turned before wee can attaine one poore Science And when wee have attained all wee are far enough yet from attaining the knowledge of God without a long circuit of demonstration So iâ—tricate are things divine saith one that in Natures search those principles stand last which in the Doctrine of Faith are the very first Besides what is it that Nature knowes That God is without beginning or ending the Maker of the world and the like why what is that to our faith Where is the apprehending of God as the Father of our Lord Ieâ—us Christ As our Father by adoption As our happiness and Hope in the next life As the sole object of our worship As a Rewarder of those that seek him All this is far from Natures sight And therefore blessed be God for this help that hee hath given us the light of Faith to direct us and not laid it upon every one to know but to beleeve Hoe thnt commeth to God must beleeve that God is By this meanes now all of all sorts ignorant and skilfull learned and unlearned shall be delivered from all laborious search of this great principlt and have it ready to their hands saith Cajetane by this meanes none shall need stick at it or make any controversie about it now For Faith hath this advantage above Science saith he that of things which may be demonstrated by reason wee may venture to doubt and discourse But of things established by Faith no disputing no doubting Moreover let Science be never so cleare yet few men would venture their lives upon Science for it argues some presumption upon our owne skill but upon Faith it is glorious to jeopard our lives For the truth of God it is honourable to dye no pride in that but abundance of humility and selfe-denyall And therefore to make men couragious in defence of this maine truth and willing to dye in it let it be a matter of faith let it â—elve on Gods credit not on our reason let it bee not hee that comes must know but he that comes to God must beleeve that God is Yea but what shall he be the better for his beleefe yee will ask to what purpose is his comming To purpose enough it yee mark the next point and joyne that to it for that makes it a gainfull comming Then we come with hope and comfortable perswasion indeed when we come not only beleeving that God is but that he is a Rewarder of them that seeke him which is the fourth gradation and the last point of our Division We are now upon that which supports and strengthens the weight of all our labour without which our Faith would quickly hang downe her head and our knees be feeble For did we only beleeve that God is no more what are we the nearer The ninth sphere is too but so far from our reach that we cannot communicate with it Indeed supposing God the best of all things we might undertake to seeke him but finding no reward no advantage to be got by it we should quickly be weary of seeking Reward it is that animates all industry in the world that encourages all Trades nourishes all Sciences and holds up all Professions upon hope of reward all depend take which away and none will abide a fruitlesse paines long If the Husband-man plow not in hope and sow in hope if he expects to reap nothing yee need not perswade him to be still Reward it is that gives life to all endevours necessary therefore that hee that comes to God should beleeve this too as beleeve that God is without which he would never come so beleeve that God is a rewarder of them that seeke him without which he would soone be weary of comming Thiâ— part as I told you pertaines to Gods providence and it is that indeed which makes our faith truly saving For to beleeve only the being of God as some vaine Philosophers did and not to beleeve that he hath a care of humane affaires what can more tend to profanenesse and licentiousnesse Such men Iob describeth Iob 22.12 Is not God in the height of heaven And behold the stars how high they are and how then doth God know can hee judge thorow the dark clouds Thick clouds are a covering to him that hee sees not and he walks in the circuit of heaven What is the Almighty to us that wee should feare him And what profit is there if wee pray to him Iob 21.15 Whom David is faine to instruct better Take heed yee unwise among the people O yee fooles when will yee understand Psal 93.3 He that planted the care shall he not heare Or hee that made the eye shall hee not see It is heâ— that teacheth man knowledge shall he not know us seeing hee knowes all our wayes Thou art about my paâ—h and about my bed for lo there is not a word in my toâ—gue but thou O Lord knowest it altogether And as hee knowes soâ—ce tries so heâ— considerâ— and rewards His eyes behold the people and his eye-lids trieth the children of men that hee may reward the proud after their deservings that he may deliver the poor from him that is too strong for him I the Lord search the heart and trâ—e the reines that I may give to every one according to his works Jâ—râ—m 17. By this faith we learne to lay hold on God as the rock of our salvation to call on him to put our trust in him to love him to cleave to him without which no possible comming to him And therefore he thet commeth to God must beleeve this or he is never the better for beleeving that God is namely that God is also a Rewarder of them that seeke him But what kind of Rewarder yee will ask There bee those that think a Rewarder in a temporall way by secular good things will serve turne As God rewarded Abraham Isaac and Ioseph yea and Iehu and Cyrus too the reward of honour long life health posterity and the like These some think enough to entitle God a Rewarder and so they are but these
thing without which no love no approaching no comming to God possible Oportet accedentent credere He that comes must beleeve Which brings us on to the next gradation namely beleeving He that comes must beleeve saith St. Paul and it is no weake conclusion for no small necessity lyes in the connection of these two Hee must indeed whosoever intends to come to God unlesse hee will stand stock still and not put forward one foot in the way beleeve and submit his judgement to God before he can begin to come For faith is the first step of all possible motion to Godward faith Aquinas If our comming to God be a mentall comming not a corporall why beleefe is the very first act of the minds approaching the very first thing that the mind can doe about God is to beleeve For impossible the will or any other faculty should make towards God till the understanding have done his part And impossible the understanding should comprehend any thing concerning God unlesse beleeving leade the way Oportet discentem credere is the Philosophers Rule He that learnes any humane Science must take diverse things upon trust at first entrance and beleeve some principles before he sees reason for them And shall not God expect as much obedience at our hands in learning his divine Mysteries which so farre surpasse our Reason yes sure if the perfection of all our learning bee to know God good reason this great perfection should begin in in perfection that we should first beleeve what wee know not I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me saith David Teach me O Lord the way of thy Statutes O learne me true understanding and knowledge for I have believed thy Commandements Mark that there is the way to learn namely by beleeving Everyone therefore that hath heard and learned of my Father commeth unto me saith Christ How learned ye but by beleeving his Teacher Yea but Christ himselfe he learned without beleeving Yee will say And if beleeving were not necessary for Christ how is it for us yea but Christ was head of the body in which is the perfection of all Senses In Christ were bid all the treasures of wisâ—dome and knowledge In him dwelled the fulnesse of the God-head bodily He was the true light that lightens all men else no need therefore of his beleeving for beleeving is necessary for them that walke in darknesse but in Christ was no darknesse at all We wa'ke as in an obscure must we see through a Glasse darkely saith Saint Paul but so did not Christ He saw face to face And therefore he had more then beleefe of divine things hee had perfect knowledge and San light Nay he himselfe was the Sun light the Sonne of Righteousnesse which lightens every man that commeth into the World And when we shall come where Christ is and be united to the beames of his glory we shall then have Sun-light too But as yet wee have but Candle-light or Star-light as Saint Peter calls it The Word of Prophecy whereto you doe well to give heede saith he as to a light shining in a darke place till the day dawne and the day starre arise in your hearts Till that day dawne and the morning breake of eternity in the next life shine forth upon us well are we if we nay injoy this Candle light if we may be directed by the beames of divine Revelation and walke by faith not by sight Meane while let us not grudge that we have not so cleare a Vision of God and heavenly things as we would wish at first It is necessary wee should grow by degrees that the knowledge of divine things may grow the more pleasant with us the more wee are still inlightned Happy are we that we enjoy the least perception of God in any degree that wee have the smallest spark of his knowledge in the dimmest way For as the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men so the very darkenesse if I may so call it of Gods waâ—es is brighter then men Better is it to have an obscure beleefe of his Mysteries then the clearest knowledge the most perfect science of other matters and let us content our selves so to know our Maker as hee pleaseth to bee knowne not goe about to square his deepe Counsells to our shallow judgements sufficient to us to know that hee hath said without saith it is impossible to please God Whatsoever is not of faith is sin By saith we are justified and not by the workes of the Law Rom. 3. It is God that justifies the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith The life that I now live is by faith in the Sonne of God He that beleeveth and is Baptized shall bee saved but hee that beleeveth not shall be damned Yea but yet a reason though may be rendred one would thinke for Gods Counsell in this why he would tie all nâ—en that desire to bee saved to this one meanes of beleeving Reasons indeed may be rendred for this oportet many a one but still the best reason of all is Gods Will because he pleases to have it so oportet it is expedient that hee who comes to God should beleeve Why first for Huâ—â—lities sake such Estius because as by pride of our reason and thirst of knowledge we tooke then our fall so by submitting our knowledge to God and by denying our owne reason in the obedience of faith we night rise againe Expedient thus to make good our Saviours Doctrine Except yee become as lâ—le Children yee cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Expedient for Gods glory that we might owe all our knowledge of God to Gods own teaching by his Word revealing it to us according to that of the Prophet Every one shall be taught of God Expedient that thus the obedience of our faâ—th might be more glorious in the eyes of Infidels for what praise were it to doe any thing for Gods sake if wee were led to it by perfect knowledge There is no honour of faith saith Gregory where we have manifest reason to induce our good working And therefore that our love may be more apparant let our knowledge bee obscure Let us love what we see not Let us sustet and die for Gods Truth before wee have the perfect vision of it Herein is the miracle of faith that wee can forgoe things temporall before our eyes for the desire of things eternall as yet not knowne Thus the strength of God is perfected in weaknesse and thus the foolishnesse of our preaching goes beyond all the wiâ—edome of Philosophers that whereas they by all the shength of their reason could never perswade an unlearned man for vertues sake to part with his goods Divine faith as weake as it is will teach the simplest Christian for his beleefe â—ake to part with his life Thus also men are trained up to obedience before they know and attaine still to know more by their progresâ—e in obedience according to that