same spirit even as all the hearbs in the same medow doe all participate of the selfe same vertue of the earth And as the hearbs if they had sense would affirme that what hath been said of them is true so also they that appertain to the kingdome of God because they haue the spirit doe affirme that which is said of them to be true acknowledging it altogether from the favour of God by Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. VI. Two depravations of Man the one Naturall the other Acquisite IN every man not quickned by the holy spirit I consider Two Depravations one Naturall the other Acquisite The Naturall I understand to be in that Not the child of a Day and in that I was conceived in iniquities and in that of S. Paul We were by nature the children of wrath and likewise in all those places of holy Scripture in which this humane nature of ours is condemned The acquisite I understand in that All flesh had corrupted his waies and in that of S. Pauls I was aliue once without the Law and generally in all those places of Scripture where the malignity of our flesh is spoken of From the Naturall proceeds the acquisite and by the acquisite the naturall is inflamed O◅ these two Depravations I understand that the natural cannot be repaired but by grace and I understand that they only are free from it who enter into the kingdome of God by faith and come to be the sonnes of God by the holy spirit which abideth in them In such sort that in them who knowing Christ by Revelation accepting the covenant which he made between God man belieue and because they belieue are baptized The naturall depravation is repaired and they remain onely with that which is acquisite from which they goe on freeing themselues by litle and litle the spirit of God helping them therein And whilst they goe freeing thēselues of it that which they offend is not put to their accompt of sin because they be incorporated in Christ Iesus and therefore S. Paul saith Nothing comes to them to condemnation The Depravation acquisite with the inflāmation of the Naturall I understand that as it was got by habit so it may be lost by habit and to this serue as I understand the Laws and Precepts which humane wisdome hath found out in such manner that a man may of himselfe free him selfe from the acquisite depravation and from the inflāmation of the Naturall as wee read that many did free themselues but he shall never be able to free himselfe by himself from the naturall depravation For from this as I haue said The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ doth free us CONSID. VII That God will that we should remit unto him the execution of all our desires IN effect it is true that we understand many things by experience which wee should not understand by knowledge I having oftentimes determined to doe many things the one more pious more holy and more Christian then another and having seen that as it were alwaies my determinations sorted out contrary to that which I determined and there having some pious holy and Christian things come from me without thinking thereon and without any deliberation of mine preceding I stood as it were confounded in my selfe not understanding in what this secret did consist I did not wonder that in things which I deliberated as a man the contrary should come to passe of that which I would but I did wonder that in the things which I deliberated as a Christian the same should befall me And finding my selfe in this confusion it came to passe that I read that deliberation of S. Peter Though I should dye with thee And considering that although the deliberation was pious holy and Christian the contrary of that which he deliberated befell himselfe I understand that the reason why my Deliberations came out contrary to me was because I did deliberate without consideration of the impossibility that is in mee to put in effect that which I did deliberate And over and aboue I understood that although God chastised my inconsideratnes not suffering that to come to passe which I intended yet on the other side he satisfied my affections suffering that to come to passe which I did not procure nor hope nor pretend unto whence I haue gathered That the will of God is that I should depend on him in such manner that I should deliberate or propound nothing without holding him before mine eyes shewing unto him my good will and remitting the execution of the same to him And that as well in things which appertaine to the outward and corporall living as in those things that apper tain to the inward and spirituall living This will of God doth so much restrain that although I know that this which I haue said is that which he would have from me I dare not determine saying I will do it accordingly for I know that impossibility of mine and not daring to deliberate I dare desire to conform my selfe alwaies with this will of God and to remit to God the Execution of the same and I assure my self that God for his mercy shall favour mee in this good designe of mine And I understand that in this manner I ought to govern my selfe in all things There will come to mee a new desire to haue confidence in God in all things I will remit my selfe to him that he should put this designe of mine in execution in this manner I desire to govern my selfe in Charity in Hope in Mortifications simplicity in all other things which may make me like unto Christ like unto God and in all those things that may redound to the corporall and spirituall profit of my neighbours in such manner as the desire stand aliue and entire in me and the execution of it remaines remitted unto the goodnesse of God In this selfe same manner I pray every Christian person to govern himselfe or to speak better to suffer himselfe to be governed of God certifying him that God will not only fulfill his desires but content him with many other things which though he neither thinks on them hopes for them nor desires them shall be effected by him to the glory of God to his own edificatiō his neighbours This God shall doe through Iesus Christ our Lord. For confirmation of these things which haue beene said I consider that a man naturally determines onely of those things which he supposeth to be in his own power to doe or not to doe In as much as no man determines to cause that it should raine or be faire weather Whence I gather that our Determinations shall never want of arrogancy and presumption if we shall think that to be in our power which is no more in our power then to cause Rain or to make faire weather Wherfore we ought not to determine but to desire and to remit to God the execution of that which we desire Together
it It is very true that as they who believe the evill of Adam and the good of Christ passe through the evill of Adam the good of Christ is in part suspended in thē so they who doe not believe neither the evill of Adam nor the good of Christ passe through the good of Christ and the evill of Adam is suspended in them In as much as they who believe passe through the miseries of this present life and through death which are things of the evill of Adam and whilst they stand in this present life and whilst their bodies abide in the sepulchres the good of Christ is in part suspended in them And in as much as they who doe not believe passe in this present life through the good of Christ enjoying many things together with them that believe the good of Christ and in eternall life because they shall be raised up the evill of Adam shall be suspended in them So I understand that as the evill of Adam was efficacious to make us all dye from which death notwithstanding they who believe are free so the good of Christ is efficacious to raise us all up of which Resurrection notwithstanding they shall have no joy who doe not believe because they shall not be in good estate therein In Adam we all dye in Christ we all arise And in the evill of Adam shall they all remaine who shall not accept the good of Christ But in the good of Christ none shall remaine but only they who have believed him and shall have accepted and felt it For in effect the Resurrection of Christ shall not be glorious but only for them who believing to be dead in Adam and raised up in Christ shall give themselves to live in this present life as dead and raised up beginning even now to live a life much like unto that which they have to live in life everlasting in such manner that as the Vivification is an imperfect Resurrection so the Christian living in the state of this Vivification is imperfect albeit in respect of the living in the state of Depravation it is most perfect And the draught of living in the state of the Resurrection in as much as it is imitable in the state of Vivification we see in Iesus Christ our Lord in his purity bounty sidelity obedience and charity And here I learne two things The one that sinee a man believing the evill of Adam frees himselfe from it and believing the good of Christ enioyes it It belongs to every one to believe this evill and this good not expecting for all that to feele it that he may believe it for this were to pervert the order which God hath set who will that we shall believe before we feel but believing that he may feele it For believing together both the evill and the good the efficacy of the good will deprive us of the feeling of the evill in this present life in part and altogether in life eternall in as much as we shall be then altogether free from the evill of Adam and altogether intent to enioy the good of Christ. The other thing which I here learne is that they who in this present life doe not give themselves to live as dead and raised vp imitating the life of Christ doe not believe that they dyed in Adam and that they rose again in Christ how much soever they say and affirme to believe both the one and the other thing For if they did believe them there is no doubt but they would apply themselves to live as dead and raised up this being properly the efficacy of Faith to reduce by litle and litle them that believe in truth to be dead in Adam and raised up in Christ to live as dead and as raised up not because they intend to become just but because they doe now know and feele themselves just in Christ and because they hope for the crowne of justice that is immortality and life eternall And here I will adde this that as the acceptation of the indulgence which a King makes unto them that being fled for some excesse out of his Kingdome remain in the service of another King is efficatious to make them that leaving the stranger Kingdome and the service of the strange King they should returne to their own Kingdome and to serve their own King so the acceptation of the Gospell is efficacious to make that all men who accept it leaving the Kingdome of the world and the service of the world should come unto the Kingdome of God and to the service of God And that leaving to live according to the flesh they should live according to the spirit so that they who leave not the Kingdome of the world and the service of the world and the living according to the flesh give testimony of themselves that they have not well accepted the Gospell however much they say to believe it no otherwise then they who doe not leave the strange Kingdome and the service of the strange King returning into their own Kingdome to serve their own King give testimony of themselves that they doe not accept the indulgence of their King how much soever they say to acceptit and to believe it since they doe not the will of the same King which would the selfe same from them which God would from us that is that we should leave the Kingdome of the world and the service of the world and that we should come unto the Kingdome of God to serve God in holinesse and justice and in the Gospell of his only begotten sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID CIX The Conceit which as a christian I have at present of Christ and of them who are the Members of Christ. DEsiring to resolve my selfe in my selfe in the conceit which as a Christian I ought to have of Christ I goe on considering in him two generations the one divine and the other humane And two times the one of approbry and the other of glory According to the divine generation I know that Christ is the word of God the son of God of the same substance with the Father and one selfe same thing with him so like unto him that he might wel say to Philip Philip he that seeth me sees my Father also Iohn 14. This as I understand is that Word with which God created all things according as Moses saith God said let there be light And according to that which David saith by the word of the Lord were the Heavens made Psal. 33. With this selfe same word I understand that God maintaines all things conformable to that In him was life Iohn 1. And to that upholding all things by the word of his Power Heb. 1. This selfe same word I understand that by the work of the holy spirit in the wombe of the most holy Virgin God cloathed with flesh with intent to repaire all things by him as he made all things by him and maintaines all things with him And I
should pretend to have them all of him 42 In what sort a pious person ought to governe himselfe in the state of prosperity and in inward adversities 43 How a pious person may assure himselfe to have obtained piety and justification by the spirit and not by humane wisdome 44 In what manner a man shall know what frâ—…it heâ—… hath made in mortification and what is the cause that they who apply themselves to piety are sollicited by affections and appetites with which they were never before sollicited 45 Whenâ—…e the feare of death proceeds in pious persons and that it is a signe of Predestination for a man to content himselfe that there should be another life 46 That they who walke through the Christian path without the inward light of the holy spirit are like unto them that walke in the night without the light of the Sun 47 Foure Countersignes to know them by who pretend piety and the spirit not having either tâ—…e one or the other 48 That he who prayes and workes and understands doth then pray worke and understand as he ought when he is inspired to pray to worke and to understand 49 Whence it proceeds that humane wisdome will not attribute all things to God and in what manner they ought to be attributed to him 50 In what the depravation of man doth consist and in what his reparation doth consist In what Christian perfection doth consist 51 In what manner God makes himselfe to be felt and in what manner God makes himselfe to be seene 52 That a Christian ought to put an end to the affection of ambition which doth consist in growing and also to that which doth consist in conserving 53 In what matter the men of the world attending unto honour are lesse viâ—…ious then attending unto conscience 54 That prayer and consideration are two bookes or interpreters very sure ones to understand holy Scripture and how a man ought to serve himselfe of them 55 Against curiosity and how the holy Scriptures ought to be read without curiosity 56 Which is the most certaine and most secure way to obtaine perfect mortification 56 Whence it comes to passe that by the knowledge and sence of the things of God the flesh is mortified 58 Eight differences between them who pretend and procure to mortify themselves with their proper industry and them who are mortified by the holy spirit 59 That in the motives to pray the spirit doth certify a man that he shall obtaine that which he demands 60 Whence it proceeds that the superstitious are severe and the true Christians are mercifull and pitifull 61 In what manner a pious person governes himselfe in those things that befall him 62 That humane wisdome hath no more Jurisdiction in the judgement of their works who are Sonnes of God then in the judgement of the proper works of God 63 That the holy Scripture is like a candle in a darke place and that the holy spirit is like the Sunne this shewed by seven conformities 64 In what manner Jesus Christ our Lord will bee followed and imitated 65 How that is to be understood which S. Paul saith that Christ reigneth and shall reigne untill the resurrection of the just be made when he doth consigne his kingdome to his Eternall Father 66 In what manner the malignant spirit is more Impetuous then the holy spirit 67 That in the regenerate onely by the holy spirit there being experience of the things of God there is also certification of them 68 That the desire of knowledge is an imperfection in a man contrary to the judgement of humane wisdome 69 That a man ought alwaies to acknowledge himselfe incredulous and defective in faith and that there is so much faith in a man as there is knowledge of God and Christ. 70 In what those three guifts of God faith hope and charity doe consist and in what their eminency amongst othâ—…r guifts doth consist and the eminency of charity amongst the thee guifts 71 Upon the most holy prayer of Our Father 72 That man pretending that part of the image of God which did not appertaine unto him lost that part which did appertaine to him 73 That the Vnion betweene God and man is made by love that love growes from knowledge what a kinde of thing knowledge love and Vnion is 74 That it betides to pious persons in spirituall things as it befalls in outward things â—…o him who having beene blinde begins to see 75 How it is understood that God coummunicates unto us his divine treasures by Christ how God reignes by Christ and how Christ is the head of the Church 76 What thing scandall is and in what manner Christian persons ought to governe themselves in the scandall 77 Two contrarities betweene them that live according to the flesh and them that live according to the spirit 78 Two griefes one according to the world and the other according to God and two weakenesses one according to the flesh and the other according to the spirit 79 How perilous the errours be which men doe pretending piety 80 What Gods intent is demanding of mâ—…n that which of themselves alone they cannot give him and why he gives them not at once all that which he will give them 81 Two weaknesses in Christ and his members and Two Powers in him and them 82 In what properly consisteth that Agony which Iesus Christ our Lord felt in his Passion and in his death 83 Five considerations in the resurrection of Christ. 84 That only the incoporation in Christ is that which mortifies 85 Foure manners by which a christian knowes God by meanes of Christ. 86 To know the inward motions when thâ—…y are of the holy when they are of the malignant spirit and when of a mans proper spirit 87 That all the creatures were spoyled in mans depravation and that they shall be restored in mans reparation 88 What the cause may be that God commanded man that he should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill 89 Six causes for which it seemes necessary that the Sonne of God should live in tâ—…at manner and that forme of life wherein he did live 90 In what the christian perfection the duty and dâ—…corum doe consist 91 That onely the Sonnes of God have certaine satisfaction in every thing 92 In what manner mortification is the proper countersigne by which we know our selves the Sonnes of God 93 That that suffering is most christian and most acceptable to God in which he that suffers findes least of his owne will 94 Three sorts of conscience one by the law naturall the other by the written lawes and the other by the Gospell 95 That men are incapable of the divine generation of the Sonne of God and of the spirituall regeneration of the â—…onnes of God 96 That then a man knowes himselfe a Pilgrim in this world when because God loves him the world persecutes him 97 Whether justification be a fruit of piety and
as was that of some heathen Philosophers For in Christian reason the holy Spirit only hath part nay it is so much Regeneration and Renovaâ—…ion in as much as it is wrought by the holy Spirit that is in as much as the holy Spirit works it in a man when he feeling his election and his vocation and permitting the holy Spirit to work in him without pretending to work of himselfe nor to follow his proper judgement nor his proper opinion in any thing when hee thinks himselfe to stand farthest off from his Regeneration and Renovation findes himselfe more neer and more intire and more perfect therein And this is that Regeneration and Renovation which S. Paul saith the holy Spirit works in them which are true Christians And this is that selfe same which the sonne of God himselfe our Lord Saviour Iesus Christ spake of to Nicodemus CONSID. XXVII That by Mortification a Christian man maintaines himselfe in his resolution and by reducing of his minde to God he maintaines himselfe in the certainty of Gods providence THE man that being called of God feeling his vocation and answering unto it applies himselfe with his minde to piety as I understand it is first moved to resolue himselfe touching the world not willing to haue from it any greater part then that which it shall please God that he should haue in the dignities thereof and in the estimation thereof and he is moved to resolve with himselfe not desiring touching his body neither more commodities nor any better condition in outward matters then it shall please God to put him into Furthermore I understand that a man cannot maintaine himselfe in his resolution with the world if so be he doe not mortifie the affections that live in him of Ambition and Avarice and of selfe-estimation neither can he sustaine himselfe in his Resolution with himselfe if he doe not mortifie his sensuall appetites that liue in his body And therefore after that the feeling of his vocation hath moved him to these two Resolutions the feeling of that faith whereunto he is called together with the holy Spirit which together with Faith is communicated unto him dorh mortify in him the affections which might hinder and disturb the Resolution with the world and the appetites that might hinder and disturb the Resolution with himselfe in such sort as Faith and the holy Spirit doth mortifie the affections and appetites of a man to conserue and maintain him in those Resolutions which through his vocation he hath made with the world and with himselfe Whereupon I understand it that for a pious person to feel himselfe sollicited by ambition and his own proper estimation is not a â—…igne that he stands not resolute with the world but that he hath not mortified his affections Likewise I understand that for a pious person to feel himselfe sollicited by the pleasures of the body is not a signe that he stands not resolved with himselfe but that he hath not mortified his Appetites And so I take this Resolution that a pious person who answering to his Vocation is resolved with the world and with himselfe desiring to maintain himselfe in his Resolutions ought to attend unto Mortification which as hath been said maintaines a person in his Resolutions I likewise understand that the selfe same calling of God doth moue a man being called to accept the particular Providence of God in all things holding for certain that all are his works wherein his will doth particularly concurre And I understand that the Faith whereunto a man is called and the holy Spirit which by Faith is communicated unto him doe bring a man to content himselfe of every thing that befals him either good or evill holding it all for good to the intent that hee should sustaine himselfe in his certainty in which he could not maintain himselfe but by being brought to this passe And hence also I understand that for a pious person to resent himselfe of those things which happen amisse to him touching his body is not a signe that he hath not certification of Gods providence but that hee hath not reduced his minde to content himselfe of that which God doth And so I resolve my selfe in this matter that together with a mans attending unto the mortification of his Affections and of his appetites he ought to attend to reduce his minde to this conformity to the will of God For in this manner maintaining his own Resolutions in himselfe he shall also maintain the Certainty of Gods providence and shall likewise maintain himselfe in piety justice and holinesse which is got by believing on Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXVIII For a man to assure himselfe of his Vocation FOrasmuch as I understand it doth greatly import that a man should be certain that he is called of God to the grace of the Gospell of Christ that is to the intent that believing in Christ he should obtain immortality and eternall life for this certainty works in him the resolution with the world and with himselfe and mortification by which he is maintained in his resolutions I come now to say that a person that shall not haue had a Vocation so evident so cleare and exterior as was that of S. Paul after the comming of the holy Spirit or as was that of the Apostles whilst Christ conversed with men nor so effectuall and powerfull as in some persons in whom although it be inward the effects are so evident as may serve for outward but shall have had a quiet and remisse Uocation as it is in those persons in whom it being inward and notable to shew it selfe by outward signes because they are of themselves outwardly moderate in their affections and appetites I say that such a person may certifie himselfe of his Uocation by the sense that he hath of his justification through Faith I would say that when a Pious person being moved unto Christian piety or having understood the motion shall doubt whether he were moved because he was called of God or that he was sollicited of his own selfe-loue finding in himselfe some sense of his justification by Faith that is of peace of conscience which they obtain who believing make Gods justice their own hee may well assure himselfe that his motion to piety was the Uocation of God and no designe of humane wisdome this being certaine that only they who are called of God doe feel in themselves the benefit of Gods justice executed on Christ Iesus CONSID. XXIX That to believe with difficulty is a signe of Vocation THE Easinesse with which they believe the matters of Christian Faith who believe by Opinion by Relation and by perswasion and the Difficulty with which they believe them who believe them by Inspiration Revelation hath led me to this Consideration that they who believe by Relation amongst some true things believe many false and are likewise more easie to belieue false things then true and they who belieue by Revelation belieue
on getting that which they see in their new good and heavenly Father leaving both to appeare and to be like their mother And as before they came unto the kingdome of God◅ they had and represented in them the image the likenesse of depraved nature so likewise being entered into the kingdome of God they haue and represent in themselves the image and similitude of God recovering that which the first man lost By this I understand in what sort a man was created unto the likenesse and similitude o God and in what doth consist the benefit that men haue received by Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XXXV Whence it is that that difficulty comes which pious persons haue to continue in that whith appertaines to Piety and Justification Considering that the duty of Piety is for a man to content himselfe of every thing which God doth perswading himselfe and holding for certain that all that so comes to him is Good and Holy and Iust And believing that all that which comes to passe in this present life comes to passe by divine providence without admitting that anything should come to passe by chance And considering that the duty of Christian Faith is to accept with his minde and to confesse with his mouth the Gospell of Iesus Christ our Lord. And seeing on one side in many men that haue not the spirit much conformity to the will of God in such manner that they neither grieve themselves nor resent out of measure the death of those persons whom they greatly loue nor for the losse of goods nor for the losse of Honour and that they themselves are content to dye And seeing likewise in many other men that haue not the spirit much acceptation and much confession of the Gospell without any scruple of doubt at all And seeing on the other side that some spirituall persons grieve themselves resent themselves and are very sorrowfull for the death of those persons whom they loved for other inconveniences that befall them and they cannot bring themselves to be willing to dye and that they feel the losse of estate and the losse of Honour And seeing also in other persons who haue the spirit much wavering in the acceptation and confession of the Gospell that they cannot certifie nor confirm themselves of all that is therein I haue many times set my self to consider the causes whence these contrary effects should proceed forasmuch as it seems that in him who hath not the spirit there should not be conformity with the will of God nor should he giue credit to the Gospel and in him that hath the spirit there ought to be both the one and the other And after I haue considered the matter I understand that however flesh doth sometimes a litle contradict flesh yet in the end flesh suffers her selfe to be overcome and subdued by the flesh whereupon there being a man that hath not the spirit as well an aff◅ction of the flesh willing to conform it selfe with God as to grieve to be sorrowfull and to resent it selfe for the inconveniences that offer themselves in this present life it comes to passe that one affection overcomming the other it seems that such a man doth conform himself with the will of God and it is not true For hee doth not conform himselfe but with his own proper will by which for his own satisfaction and for his own designes he doth determine to content himselfe of every thing and to cōform himselfe in all things with the will of God That this is true wee read in many Books of the Gentiles and we heare and see it in many other Nations altogether Infidels and others that counterfeit faith Likewise I understand that there being a man that hath not the spirit as well an affection of the flesh to accept and confesse the Gospell as not accept nor confesse it it comes to passe that one affection overcomming the other it seems that such an one believes the Gospell and it is not true for he doth not belieue but only his own opinion and imagination as the Iew that stands stubborn in his Law and as the Moore that believes his Alcoran On the other side I understand that the flesh alwaies repugnes against the spirit alwaies contradicts it and alwaies struggles with it by reason of the great enmity that is between them two Whereupon it comes to passe that there being in a man that hath the spirit an affection of the spirit that makes him willing to conform himselfe with the will of God contenting himself of every thing that God doth and repugning and contrasting with the flesh which suffers not it selfe to be overcome but after a long space it comes to passe that the man who hath the spirit laments resents and is grieved for the corporall incommodities and for all those other things in which the flesh suffers and aboue all things for death even as we see that the saints of the Law did grieue themselues and as S. Paul a Saint of the Gospell would haue resented it as himselfe saith if that friend of his had died and as the proper son of God our Lord God Iesus Christ did resent himselfe In like manner I understand that there being in the man which hath the spirit an affection of the spirit to be willing to accept and confesse the Gospell and the Flesh repugning and contradicting because it hath no part in such desire nor in such will it comes to passe that a man that hath the spirit feels a weaknesse in his faith goes wavering and doubting in it as wee haue read in some Saints and as we our selues see it in others in such sort that as from the small contradiction which the affections of the flesh haue amongst themselues there comes forth an appearance of Piety and appearance of Faithin them that haue not the spirit so from the great contradiction that is between the Flesh and the Spirit there proceeds in them that haue the spirit a weaknesse in faith that befalling in a man which befalls in the world in a Province or in a common-wealth I would say that as it comes to passe that when any person speaketh or publisheth any thing with an affectiō of the spirit he presently findes a contrast a contradiction and outward persecution although it be a thing which is ordinarily spoken practised but without the spirit and out of humane affections so likewise when a man goes about through the motion of the spirit to perswade himselfe and confirme himselfe in any thing pertaining to piety or iustification he suddenly findes an inward contrast and contradiction for his own affections his own appetites which are mortall enemies to the spirit rise up against him And this comes to passe not withstāding that the selfe same things haue been formerly accepted and believed of him by his own proper affection and opinion Whereupon I gather this conclusion That it is a signe that it is the holy Spirit which
and miserable and being subiect feeble and infirme to bee able to hold in it selfe the knowledges and senses of divine things it comes to passe that by the efficacy of them it is affrighted and becomes vile in such manner that it is easily overcome and mastered by the spirit and so it remaines mortified together with all those things which are corrupt in a man by the depravation of the flesh And because the remembrance of the calling by God is very efficacious in men with the knowledge and sense of heavenly things and they are subject frayle and infirme I understand that which God saith That a man who shall see him shall not be able to sustain himselfe with his minde nor with his body And therefore the perfect vision of God is reserved to the just in eternall life when the flesh being raised up shall bee a subject able to endure the vision of God In this mean space on the one side by the benefit of God the Flesh is mortified in the just not onely with the memory of their vocation but also with every other vocation and sense which appertaines to the things of God And on the other side God goes moderating in them these knowledges and these senses to the intent they should not come to nothing accommodating them to the frailty of the flesh as we temper the hot liquour which we would keep in a glasse vessell in such manner as the liquor is conserved in the vessell without breaking the glasse And I understand that corporall and outward exercises together with those other things which are of mans industry doe serve unto those persons which are called of God for a certain entertaining of themselves in that estate in which a knowledge or sense of some of Gods things hath left them which is past and that through their labour there should bee given or communicated unto them another which may make them to make progresse in Mortification in such manner that I haue reason to say that the Christian businesse is not knowledge but experience If it were knowledge it would work the effect that other knowledges doe that is to swell up and make proud those who have them And because it is experience it doth the effect which other experiences doe that is to humble and cast on the ground all that which is humane wisdome and to exalt and lift up to heaven all that which is in the spirit I understand this effect is in them who being called of God are members of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LVIII Eight differences between them who pretend and procure to mortifie themselves with their proper industry and them who who are mortified by the holy Spirit THis is alwaies a truth that all men in applying themselves to religion as well unto the false which consisteth in superstitious observations as unto the true which consisteth in accepting the grace of the Gospell of Christ doe apply themselves likewise to Mortification But amongst them who procure to mortifie themselves with the holy spirit I haue considered eight notable differences by which a person may know whether he mortifie himselfe by his own industry or whether he be mortified by the holy spirit The first Difference is that they who mortifie themselves with their own proper industry are presumptuous ambitious knowing their own proper vertue in their mortification and they who are mortified by the holy spirit are humble and modest not knowing any proper virtue of their own in their mortifications for the holy spirit works in them that which a very great Feaver doth in a man I would say that as by the presence of a great Feaver a man becomes as it were deprived of all carnall desires keeping aliue only the desire of health so by the presence of the holy spirit a man becomes as it were deprived of all that which is flesh keeping aliue only spirituall desires The second Difference is that they who pretend to mortifie themselves goe alwaies seeking new manners and new inventions to obtain mortification they who are mortified by the spirit embrace those occasions of mortification which are offered unto them by what way soever they come perswading themselves that with thē and in them God will mortifie them The third Difference is that they who mortify themselves alwaies liue sad and discontent because they deprive themselves of their pleasures and corporall contents and are not cherished with the spirituall and they who are mortified liue as it were alwaies cheerefull and contented because they abhor or begin to abhor corporall pleasures and begin to tast spirituall pleasures The fourth Difference is that they who mortify themselues are much like unto a man whose head were cut with a rough and rusty saw in as much as all things are unsweet and sowre unto him And they who are mortified are like unto a man whose head were cut with a sharp sword and an arme skilfull in cutting In as much as the holy spirit mortifies him without that himself feels the mortification That this is true those persons who are mortified by the holy spirit know by experience The fift Difference is that they who mortify themselues living alwaies in continuall trouble and in continuall labour are like unto a man that learnes with exceding paines a most difficult and unpleasant science who finding in the principles thereof much unsweetnesse and much molestation comforts himselfe only with an opinion that he shall proue excellent in that science And they that are mortifyed neither travelling nor labouring themselves in their mortifications are like unto a man that goes delighting and recreating himselfe in the study of that science which he hath already learned wherein finding few things which he understands not hee findes few things that trouble him The sixt Difference is that in them who mortify themselves by themselves there is never true mortification nay rather they are like unto quick lime in as much as the quick lime smoakes not whilst there is no water cast thereon which is no sooner cast upon it then it shewes the fire that it hath within so they whilst they haue no occasion to erre doe not erre and when occasion comes they presently shew the liuelinesse that they haue within them either erring or being straightly sollicited to erre And they who are mortified by the holy spirit haue true mortification and are like unto dead lime in as much that like as the dead lime doth not smoake how much water soever be cast upon it so neither doe they erre nor are much sollicited to erre although many occasions offer themselves unto them And so shall this be The seaventh Difference is that they who mortifie themselves in the occasions of erring doe miserably loose themselves For being deceived by humane wisdome they doe alwaies goe avoiding the occasions which incite them to erre And they who are mortified in the occasions of erring that offer themselues unto them are refined as gold in the fire for
being helped by the holy spirit in the proper occasions they are mortified not avoiding any of them and therefore they are the same in the occasions as out of the occasions The eight Difference is That they who mortifie themselves by their proper industry doe principally attend unto the mortification of the flesh they that be such having no intent to mortifie the minde not knowing that from thence ariseth all the evill And they who are mortified by the holy Spirit attend principally unto the mortification of the minde knowing that from thence comes all the evill And knowing that the minde being mortified the flesh remaines mortified By the examination of these Differences may a person know whether he mortifies himselfe or whether hee be mortified by the holy Spirit Being advertised of this that there are three estates in those persons who are mortified by the holy Spirit The one is when the holy spirit mortifies them without that they know or feel the vertue of the holy Spirit in them And in this estate that belongs to them which is said in the fourth difference The other is when the holy spirit mortifies them and they feel and know in themselves the virtue of the holy spirit And in this estate there appertaines unto them that which is said in the first Difference The third is when through the absence of the holy Spirit or because they doe not feel and know his presence they goe mortifying themselves with their own industry And in this estate they feel a good part of that which is said in the First the Third the Fourth and the Fift Difference to be felt by them who mortifie themselves by their own proper industry It is very true that to them who are mortified by the holy spirit their owne industries in mortification are profitable unto them It being indeed true what S. Paul saith That to them that loue God all things work for good to the glory of God and of the Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. LIX That in the motions to pray the Spirit doth certifie a man that he shall obtaine that which he demands REeading in Isaia that death being intimated unto Hezekiah a pious King on Gods behalfe hee resented himselfe was grieved and lamented praying God with teares that he would not take away his life And reading a litle after that the destruction of Hierusalem being intimated on Gods behalfe unto the selfesame King with the Babylonian captivity without resenting himselfe nor being grieved nor lamenting without praying God that he would revoke the sentence he was contented that the will of God should be executed accepting it as a benefit of God that those evills should not come in his time And considering that God prolonged the time of Hezekia's life and that he did execute his sentence upon Hierusalem I come to certifie my selfe that pious persons being governed by the spirit of God and chiefly in their prayers in as much as S. Paul saith The spirit of God prayes by them and in them they doe never as it were pray to God but for that which it is Gods will to grant them of which the holy spirit which inspires them to pray is certain According to the judgement of humane reason it had been more just and more convenient that Hezechiah should haue resented himselfe and lamented and been moved to pray God for the revocation of the sentence given against Hierusalem then for the revocation of that sentence which was given against his own proper life And Hezechias a pious King moved by the holy spirit prayed for his own life for that which touched Hierusalem he conformed himselfe with Gods will whereby I understand that it behoues pious persons to keep good accompt with their motions I would say they ought to bee well advertised being moved to pray to God for any thing whether that motion be of humane spirit or of the holy spirit And I understand likewise that the proper countersigne whereby they may be able to judge between these motions is the Inward certainty or uncertainty with which they shall finde themselves in prayer Finding themselves uncertain that they should obtain of God that which they demand they shall judge that the motion is of humane spirit And finding themselves certain to obtain it they shall judge that the motion is of the holy spirit For as much as the motion of the holy spirit drawes alwaies with it the certification a man judging in this manner if the spirit of God which hath moved me to pray did not know that it is the will of God to grant me that which I demand it would not haue moved me This certification I certainly hold was in Hezekiah at that time when he demanded his life to bee prolonged And because he did not feel in himselfe this certification I doe certainly hold that the selfe same Hezekiah did not demand that the sentence against Hierusalem should be revoked With this assurance I see that Christ prayed raising up Lazarus and praying for the conservation of his Disciples And with doubtfulnesse I see he prayed in the Garden and because he felt whence this motion did arise in praying he remitted himselfe unto the will of God And if the son of God himselfe felt these two motions and in one of them he found himself certain and in the other doubtfull every one may think whether it be not necessary to be watchful over himselfe in them albeit they only shall know them that shall bee true members of the same Son of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CGNSID LX. Whence it proceeds that the superstitious are severe and the true Christians are Mercifull Pittifull THE severity and rigour that I see and know for the most part in those persons which the common people holds for devout and spirituall they being in very truth superstitious and ceremonious in as much as appertaines to the chastising or desiring to chastise the vices defects of men I understand proceeds from two causes The one is the proper nature of a man who is inclined to prize and esteem his own things and to condemne and despise others And the other is the proper nature of superstitions and ceremonies to which is annexed severity and rigorousnesse And so it is that these such like superstitious and ceremonious persons desiring that their superstious and ceremonious living should be esteemed and prised are forced to be severe rigorous with workes and words against them who being not as they are haue outward defects and vices that so their manner of life which they hold for vertuous may be the more prised and esteemed And it is likewise true that superstitions and ceremonies having their originall and beginning from some kinde of law which men haue imagined and severity and rigour being annexed to the nature of a law for by these it is maintained and sustained it comes to passe that as well those who attend to the observation of the law or
comforts them and gives them content considering that death is the end of their Pilgrimage They who albeit they be indeed prized loved and favoured of God are not yet despised hated and persecuted of the world doe not as yet esteem themselves Pilgrims in this present life not being handled as Pilgrims albeit they esteem themselves Citizens of eternall life in as much as they know that they are prized favoured and loved of God It is true indeed that this estimation is not entire nor perfect in them untill that the world knowing them prized loved and favoured of God begins to handle them as Pilgrims despising them hateing them and persecuting them For as then they feeling themselves handled by the world as Pilgrims have recourse to Christ and recourse to God and being as they are more prized more loved more favoured of God and more illustrated in the knowledge of eternall life they esteem themselves Pilgrims and strangers in this present life in such manner that however afterwards the world returne to prize love and use them well they doe not leave to esteem themselves Pilgrims and to hold it good to goe out of this pilgrimage Here I understand two things The first that it is Gods will that they whom he loves should live as Pilgrims And the second that between them who hate the world because they are persecuted of the world for piety and them who hate the world for other respects there is this difference that these second although they bear hatred to the world whilest they are despised of the world and would be contented to goe out of the world when the world returnes to prize them loving the world they would by no meanes goe out of the world And the other after that they once hate the world seeing themselves despised hated and persecuted of the world they never more returne to love the world how much soever it love and esteem them This difference proceeds from hence that following the light of the holy spirit and being illustrated in the knowledge of eternall life they doe alwaies hold themselves for pilgrims in this present life and alwaies hold themselves for Cittizens of the Kingdome of God and in eternall life and therefore hate this life and rejoyce to goe out of it On the contrary the other following the naturall light have no certainty of eternall life and if they have any they doe not stand sure to be well in it therefore they doe not altogether hate this life nor rejoyce to goe out of it In this discourse christian persons shall understand that they are to esteem themselves pilgrims and strangers in the world in this present life and that they are to esteem themselves Cittizens of the Kingdome of God and of life eternall And that if so be the feeling themselves very fearefull of death shall make them know that they are not come to this to esteem themselves pilgrims they ought with continuall prayer to pretend it being certain that by how much more perfectly they shall stand therein then they shall be most like to Christ and most like to God who have been and are in this present life strangers and pilgrims and like such have been and are used And to every Christian person it appertaines to procure to be like to God and to the sonne of God Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. XCVII Whether Iustification be a fruit of piety and whether piety be a fruit of Justification WIlling to examine between these two gifts of God Piety and Justification which of them may be said to be the fruit of the other that is whether piety be the fruit of justification a man being first just before pious or whether justification be the fruit of Piety a man being pious before just and willing in this matter to proceed with order as it were I first say that by Piety I understand the true divine worship which consisteth in worshipping God in spirit and in truth Iohn 4. approving with the minde whatever God doth holding it for just holy and good In this signification I understand S. Paul useth this word Piety 1. Tim. 3. And I say that by justification I understand the purity of conscience which dares appear in judgement such as was S. Pauls when he said there is laid up for mee a Crowne of righteousnesse c. Passing on farther I understand that calling into counsell for the making of this examination the naturall light prudence and humane wisdome shee will alwaies say and affirme that justification is a fruit of piety understanding that one cannot have justification and purity in his conscience if he doe not first adore God in spirit and in truth giving unto him that which it ought to doe as his creature and that suddenly when he gives to God that which he ought to give hee is iust having cleannesse in his conscience And so it is resolved that Iustification is a fruit of piety since from a mans being pious it redounds that he is iust Farther I understand that calling into counsell for the making of this triall the holy spirit and the Christian spirit he will say and affirme that Piety is the fruit of Iustification understanding that a man cannot haue Piety worship God in spirit and truth if he be not first iust accepting the Gospell of Christ making Christs iustice his and understanding that instantly when a man believing is iust he begins to haue Piety adoring God in spirit and truth And so it is resolved that Piety is a fruit of Iustification for a man is first iust then pious If that were true which naturall light saith prudence and humane wisdome for the selfesame cause it would follow that there hath not been nor is nor shall bee a pious man I would say who should giue entirely compleatly unto God that which he ought to give And it being true that which the holy spirit and the Christian spirit saith it well follows that there hath been is and shall be a great number of iust men for there haue been are and shall be many men that haue been are and shall bee iustistified by Christ accepting and making Christiustice theirs Men that Iudge that Iustfication is a fruit of piety by the selfe same case give testimony of themselves that they iudge by naturall light by prudence humane wisdome as Plato and Aristotle would have iudged who had no notice at all of Christ. And in very truth I knowe not what they think of Christ of the Christian businesse nor of the Gospell The men that iudge that Piety is a fruit of Iustification by the selfesame case give testimony of themselves that they iudge by the holy spirit by the Christian spirit as S. Peter and S. Paul iudged who largely knew Christ and had the spirit of Christ. They haue this opinion of Christ that in him God chastised all our sinnes that is all that wherein we faile unto that which as the creatures of God we are
satisfied for all that which wee sinne through evill inclination which is naturall unto us through originall sin Fourthly that the faith of them who believe being taught neither quieting nor pacifying their consciences doth not facilitate them to believe that all our sinnes were chastised in Christ. Fiftly that the faith of them who believe inspired quieting and pacifying their consciences facilitaeth them to believe That all our sins were chastised in Christ. And so it is that they who haue this infpired faith proving and experimenting in themselves the truth which the Gospell preacheth come to understand by experience that which at first they believed by inspiration First they believe that Christ was chastised for them For so the Gospell preacheth unto them and they are inwardly moved to believe that is true Afterwards finding peace in their consciences they understand in what manner Christ was chastised for them They who doe not believe it or believe it not being inspired but taught never finding peace in their consciences never understand that saying of the Prophet being fulfilled in them Except you shall believe yee shall not understand Esay 7. CGNSID C. That the fruits which in Christian Persons in the beginning of their Incorporation in Christ seem of the spirit are of the flesh SEing by experience that almost in all persons who accepting the Gospell come to be incorporated in Christ in the begining of their incorporation there are found certain tasts and feelings and certain desires and vehemencies and certain intelligences of holy Scripture of the Christian buisinesse and certain teares all which seem to be of the spirit and is altogether of Flesh and as matter of the Flesh in time dries and falls And willing to understand whence this proceeds I have considered that to every one of thē who are incorporated in Christ that befalls which to a branch which being cut from one tree is grafted in another I would say that as that branch would not produce the fruit which it doth if it were not grafted in that tree but that first fruit is as it were altogether of the sappe which it brought with it from the tree from whence it was cut so the person incorporated in Christ would not have the tasts or the feelings nor the vehemencies nor the desires nor the intelligencies nor the teares which he hath if he were not incorporated in Christ but that is as it were all Flesh affection of the flesh and complacency and satisfaction of the flesh which standing yet alive and not able to satisfy itselfe nor to please it selfe in carnall matters pleaseth it selfe and satisfieth it selfe in spirituall matters Whence I understand that every person who comes to be incorporated in Christ may rejoyce himselfe of those tasts and feelings of those desires and impetusses and of those intelligences and teares in as much as they assure him that he is incorporated in Christ for as much as he should not have any of these things if he were not partaker of the incorporation And I understand that holding them for fruits of the flesh and not of the spirit by the sappe of that root of Adam not of that root of Christ he ought to cast them away and to cut them off no waies feeding himselfe with them for that would befall him which befalls many persons who feeding themselves with such meat perswade thēselves to live in the spirit and live in the flesh And I understand that they ought to have intent that there should be nothing found in them but that which is of the spirit and of the root of Christ in which he stands incorporated and as it were engrafted holding for fruit of the root of Christ humility meeknesse patience the despising of himselfe the denyall of his own proper will the obedience to God charity for all these things were seen in Christ whilest he conversed corporally amongst men and unto these doth God inspire us and the spirit of Christ moveth us And these shine out in them who stand perfectly incorporated in Christ and the fruits redound to the Glory of God and to the glory of Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. CI. Whence it proceeds that the impious cannot believe that the superstitious believe with ease and that the pious believe with difficulty IN the Impious I consider the impossibility in believing and I call them impious who make profession to be the enemies of God as Pharaoh and as the Scribes and Pharises who were contrary unto Christ. In the superstitious I consider the facility in believing and I call them superstitious who not being pious make profession of piety and believe that they are pious And in the pious I consider the difficulty in believing and I call them pious who having by the Spirit accepted the generall pardon which the Gospell offers unto us attend to confirme themselves in it and to live in this present life a life like unto that which they are to live in life eternall The impossibility of the impious I understand consists in this that God blindes their eyes and shuts their eyes and shuts their cares and harde◅s their hearts to the end that not knowing the generall pardon which is intimated unto them they doe not believe it and so doe not obtain salvation This S. Iohn understood in this manner when he said therefore they could not believe because Esaias said again he hath blinded their eyes Nay this very thing Christ meant as it is proved by the three other Evangelists and S. Paul understood it as S. Luke testifieth the last of the Acts. The facility where with the superstitious believe I understand proceeds from their believing with humane wisdome from believing by opinion and by relation and from believing by use and custome they holding it for impiety to doubt That this is true is approved by this that amongst those true things which they believe they believe many other false things and they believe the false things more then the true Nay they doe not believe that which is the foundation of all true things that is the remission of sinnes and the reconciliation with God by the justice of God executed on Christ. And I say they doe not believe it for if they did believe it for the selfe-same reason they would leave to be superstitious and would be pious The difficulty wherewith the pious believe I understand proceeds from human wisdome from evill conscience and from the livelinesse of mind and from the lasciviousnesse of the flesh and it proceeds from human wisdome for by how much they goe on the more procuring to certify themselves in the faith so much the more contrast and impediment doth human wisdome goe making against them in it That this is true is approved by this that because they principally procure to certify themselves and confirme themselves that all their sinnes were chastized in Christ in this they who are Christians finde more contrast then in all other things which they believe It proceeds
which Christ suffered Farthermore I will answer him that mortification and vivification are most efficacious experiences by which our Faith is confirmed in as much as they only who believe know themselves just in Christ have mortification and have vivification And if another shall aske mee saying how shall I doe who believe to confirme my faith with experience I will answer him two things The one that he dispoile himselfe of all justifications that are without Christ as well of those which consist in not doing as of those which consist in doing and that embracing himselfe only with the justification which is in Christ which doth consist in believing he travell with prayer to God supplicating him that he would make him feel the peace of conscience that he would mortify him that he would make him alive and the Other that he keep very strict accompt with himselfe with his workes with his wordes and with his thoughts with intent to know in all these things how much mortification and how much vivification he hath gotten and with intent also to mortify himselfe and to make himselfe alive every day more pretending to get this Christian experience with which the Christian faith is confirmed And to him that would consider to have the scienâ—…e how he ought to doe to dispoile himselfe of his own iustification and so as well of those that confist in not doing as of those which consist in doing I should say unto him that of those which consist in not doing he shall dispoile himselfe knowing that if he doe not kill if he doe not rob if he be no fornicator if he doe no injury to his neighbour it is either because he is not inclined thereto or because he feares the shame of the world or the punishment wherewith such sinnes are punished in this life And of this he may certify himselfe considering that he forbeares not to doe other things unto which he is inclined which are not so shamefull in the world nor are not chastized in this life such as are ambition honour proper satisfaction and proper reputation And I will say unto him also that of the things which consist in doing he shall dispoile himselfe knowing on one side the superstition which he hath put in some of them and on the other side the selfe love with which he hath contaminated and defiled the other And in this manner he shall come to these termes that knowing himselfe in himselfe deprived dispoiled of all justification he shall be constrained to embrace himselfe with that which the Gospell offers unto him shewing unto him how God chastized all our sinnes in his only begotten son Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. CIII Against the Imagination with which our Christian Faith is troubled THat which I haue ofttimes said that for a man to bee sollicited to doubt is a signe of Christian profiting I now return to consider For I understand that such sollicitation growes from a mans willing to believe and from his desiring to stand firme and constant in the Christian Faith in the generall Pardon which is intimated unto men in the Gospell The impious are not sollicited to doubt because they neither will nor desire to believe Nor the superstitious neither are sollicited to doubt For believing with humane and earnall wisdome they haue none to sollicite them to doubt They who have made progresse in Christian living are litle sollicited to doubt for having with much experience confirmed their faith they haue disarmed their enemies I say those that did sollicite them to doubt And here I understand that men are uncapable of being able to haue so much Faith in the that they should be altogether freed from being sollicited to doubt and therefore God gives them the Faith according to their capacity as we doe not put so hot water into a glasse vessell as into one of earth nor into one of earth as into one of braâ—…e accommodating it unto the capacity of the vessell not willing it should be broken in such sort as the much sollicitation to doubt remaines only for them who having left impiety and being here freed from the deceit of superstition begin to accept by the holy spirit the generall pardon which the Gospell publisheth and begin to bring forth â—…uit in Christian living and goe profiting in it For they desiring to believe finde alive in themselves humane prudence of which the evill spirits serve themselves to sollicite them to doubt And so it is that when one of these persons renouncing and leaving his own justifications those which consist in doing and those which â—…onsist in not doing will embrace himselfe with the justice of Christ which the Gospell offers unto us when through his own imperfection hee sees it not so cleare and discovered as he sees corporall things and those which consist in humane prudence he is suddenly tempted and sollicited to doubt of the truth which the Gospell affirmes Whereupon such a person ought suddenly to remedy to the temptation in this manner First he shall hold for a certain countersigne of his profiting in Christian Faith to be sollicited to doubt and he shall say If I had not a will and desire to believe I should not be sollicited to doubt as I was not sollicited when I did not stand in this will and in this desire and so he shall come to quiet himselfe with this matter whereby the Divell procures to disquiet him And if there shall come a fancy to him to say that his doubting is of the same quality with that of them who doubt without spirit he shall say it is not true for they who doubt without spirit feele no distast in doubting nor desire not to be free and I feel distast in doubting and desire to be free of it and consequently am certain that my doubting is not of that quality with that of theirs who doubt without spirit I would say without being tempted and sollicited to doubt because they desire to believe Secondly he shall think thus if this Christian faith were not a spirituall and divine thing it would not finde in me the contradiction which it finds as those things haue not found contradiction in me which were not spirituall nor divine but superstitious and humane in which I would perswade my selfe And in this manner the contradiction with which the Divell would disquiet him shall bee an instrument to him to quiet him Thirdly he shall think this If this Christian faith were not the gift of God I should not feele in my selfe the new desires to please God to stand alwaies united with God to see him glorified and sanctified of all men which desires after that I haue in earnest applied my selfe unto it I seel And in this manner with the experience of the love of God he shall certifie himselfe of the truth of that which the Gospell affirmes Forthly he shall think thus If this Christian faith were not a spirituall and divine thing it would not haue begun
descends a vitall vertue by meanes whereof it lives so every one of those who being incorporated in Christ are the Church of god because he can speake saith and affirmeth that he feeles that from Christ there comes unto him a spirituall vertue by meanes whereof he lives a spirituall life This S. Iohn thus understood Chap. 1. when he said For of his fullnesse have we all received and grace for grace And so S. Paul understood it Colos. 1. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullnesse dwell I know Christ for King in the people of god for I understand that he is he who with his spirit rules and governes it not onely in inward things and divine as head but also as god In outward things and corporall as King In all which things being as they are the Sonnes of god as S. Paul saith Rom. 8. they are lead by the spirit of God And so I understand that the kingdome of god is not called the spirituall kingdome because he governes us in spirituall things but because governing us in spirituall and corporall things he doth not govern us with the outward law but with the inward law which is the government of the Holy Spirit the Christian spirit Of this kingdome of Christ the holy Scriptures are full Esay 5. Mic. 5. Daniel 7. By which I understand that in this present life God reigns but by Christ that in lifeeternall god shall reign but by himselfe For then he shall be all in all 1. Cor. 15. In this manner I know Christ glorious for King in the people of god for Head in the Church of god and for Lord of the Elect of god And I know Christ humble most innocent and free from all sinne and abounding in all justice And I know fullfilled in him in part the promises of god made to David and to Abraham And I know him for the Sonne of god first borne and onely begotten I know that he is the Word of god with which god created all things I know him eternall consubstantiall And I hold for certain that as the Christian faith shall goe on being in me more efficacious mortifying me and quickening me so theseknowledges of Christ shall goe on being more cleare and more distinct by which I shall goe on from day to day alwaies more knowing god as he may be knowne whilst this flesh being passible and mortall is not a subject habilitated to see Christ to see God face to face as I shall see him in life eternall Having taken this resolution in the conceit which I ought to have of Christ I goe resolving my selfe in the conceit that I ought to have of them who are the members of Christ considering every one of them a Sonne of god not first borne as Christ who alwaies was a Sonne but an adopted Sonne by Christ and in Christ not onely begotten as Christ who is the sonne by generation but regenerated by Christ and in Christ borne the sonne of wrath and re-borne the sonne of God not in the state of gloryfication in which Christ i◅ but in the state of opprobry in which Christ was not Lord of Gods elect but one of the number of them who being elected of God are the servants of Christ redeemed and bought by Christ Not head of the Church of God as Christ but a mēber of the Church of God of which Christ is the head Not King of the people of God as Christ but governed by the spirit of Christ by meanes of which spirit I know that all the members of Christ stand united amongst themselves and united with Christ himselfe and therefore united also with God God abiding in them and they in God And so I see fullfilled that Prayer which Christ made unto his Father for this union Iohn 17. saying That they may be one in us c. And I understand that in this vnion consisteth all the christian perfection I pray God that he doe in such manner Imprint it in my memory that it may not seeme that it sever itselfe or depart from it not so much as for one moment to the intent that I never may doe thing which shall not be worthy of this union which I acknowledge from my christ who is my Lord my Head and my King To him be glory with the Father and the holy spirit Amen CONSID. CX That the principall gifts are not understood untill they be possessed A Most great testimony of the Christian life is this that according as a christian man goes perfecting himself in his christian customes so he goes clearing himselfe in his christian conceptions Nay I hold for certain that the selfesame christian spirit which goes perfecting him in his customes goes clarifying him in his conceptions so much that it can be hardly understood whether the clarification in the conceptions comes from the perfection in the customes or the perfections in the customes come from the clarification in the conceptions And therefore it is sure to say that both the one and the other thing comes from the christian spirit which doth marvellously work both the one and the other in them who accept the Gospell of Christ. This I haue said to this purpose that I having understood that the christian businesse is not science but experience and having by many comparisons procured to make some persons capable of this truth I haue never remained satisfied in my minde in such manner that it seemed to me to haue expressed to mine own manner my conceit untill now that having in mine own judgement comprehended it with more clearenesse itseems to mee to bee able to expresse it better And so I say that between the believing and accepting the christian things Faith Hope Charity with humane wit◅ or with the christian spirit I know the difference which I know between accepting approving those three naturall vertues Magnanimity Valour and Liberality and having them indeed I would say that as there be mē who hearing speak of these three naturall vertues and of the perfection of them albeit they doe not know them in themselves do approue them and accept them for good so there bee also of those men who hearing speak of those three gifts of God Faith Hope and Charity and of the perfection and efficacy of them albeit they doe not know them in themselves doe approve them and accept them for good believing that thy who accept the grace of the Gospell doe enjoy the remission of sins the reconciliation with God through Christ and approving the hope with which they expect the felicity of eternall life and the loue with which they loue God aboue every thing and they loue their neighbour as themselves And I say farther that as whilst they who approve those three natural vertues not possessing them albeit they willingly heare talk of them through the desire which they haue to possesse them yet is not that so much as that it gives them entire