salvation but because man being in his soule and powers thereof changed renewed and enabled by the precious giftes of grace shall and may cooperate to his salvation yea the Apostle dares to professe himselfe 2 Cor. 3. 9. and such like to be Gods-helpers in the ministery of salvation If God did not requyre mans good and pious conversation as a meanes and necessary way leading to salvation then should not the faculties powers of mans soule neede to be sanctified and elevated with such supernaturall giftes and graces for the working and effecting of such actions of pietie and godlines but seeing he requires them yea most necessarily requires them as welnye every page of sacred Scripture proclaimes it should seeme a kinde of iniquity in God which be farre from him to require such actions of man yea and to condemne for the want of them if hee should not by his graces be ready to enable man for the doing and performing of the same Hee doth it then and this surely by no other meanes then by investing the soule and every power of her with such divine gifts graces and vertues as so divine actions doe require Bernard truely to Bern. ser 83. in canst this purpose The soule cannot seeke after God unlesse she be prevented by grace Austen more fully Grace is therefore given not because wee have done works but that we may doe them that is not because Epist 105. a sixt to 2 circaâ—med we have kept the law but that wee may keepe the law And againe Even as man should not have wisedome understanding counsell fortitude knowledge piety the Isa 11. 2. feare of God except according to the Propheticall saying he had received the Spirit of wisedome and understanding and counsell and fortitude and knowledge and piety and the feare of God and even as he should not have vertue charity continency except he should have received the holy Spirit whereof the Apostle speaketh you have not received the Spirit of feare but of vertue charitie contineney so neither should hee have faith unlesse he had received the Spirit of faith according as it is written I have beleeved therefore Psal 115. I have spoken and we also doe beleeve and therefore wee speake So then the source roote and fountaine of all these godly actions and motions which leade to salvation are the graces of God because proceeding from his graces enabling us for them which Sap. 10. 25. graces he who hateth nothing of all that he hath made he that willeth all should be saved and come to the knowledge of his truth He who delighteth not in the 1 Timoth. 2. 4. death of a sinner but that he turne from his wickednes Ezec 33. 11. and live He who lightneth every man that commeth Ioh. 1. 9. into the world Hee who hath placed his Tabernacle in the Sunne to runne his race with swiftnes and Psaâ— 19. 6. to spread his beames with graciousnesse that nothing can scape the warmth of his illuminations He who Reve. 3. 20. standeth at the dore and knocketh that if any man open to him he will enter in sup with him and bee his guest He I say who is out of his goodnesse thus Reve. 22. 17. graciously disposed towards his creatures freely and frankely offers and presents the same unto them in a holy serious manner that they may have life yea have it more abundantly according Ioh. 10. 10. to that of himselfe I am come that they may have life and have it more aboundantly And thus it appeareth how by grace presented and received received by the efficacy of it selfe the Saints and servants of God do walke in those wayes where by they come to be saved whereby they are enabled in some good measure truely to doe that which otherwise should be impossible to nature vitiated and corrupted Austen for De grat et lib. arbitrio cap. 16 â—07 this purpose excellently thus It is certaine we may keepe the Commandements if wee will but because the will must be prepared by the Lord we must aske of him that we may have a will to do so much as wee ought willingly to doe It is certeine that we do then well when we will but he maketh us able that we may will good of whom that is written which I expressed a litle aboue The will is prepared of the Lord of whom it is said The wayes of men are directed of the Lord. And he it is that willeth their way of whom it is said It is God that doth worke in us both to will to doe It is certaine that we doe when we doe but he maketh that we may doe giving most powerfull strength and ability to the will who hath said I will make you able that you may walke in my justifications and keepe and doe my judgements Thus he most excellently declaring the working of grace in us and our working by grace Grace the reward whereof is eternall life and our good keeping of Gods Commandements in a partiall measure according to this state not in a full perfect measure of degrees Thus concluding these my meditations touching the last end of man I earnestly intreate the religious Reader seriously to thinke and meditate on the glory and aeternity of this Land of promise both shewed and promised so faithfully and seriously unto him in sacred Scriptures The glories and excellencies thereof do infinitely surpasse the fruites that were brought unto the children of Israel out of the Land of promise which Num. 13. 28. notwithstanding did so prevaile on the hearts of the faithfull that the desire to obtaine the said fruits enabled them with a spirit of courage to undergoe all perills and hazards for the attaining of them many there were indeed whom the spirit of feare and trembling restreined from going into that happy land because they heard that the sonnes of Enacim giants robustious men were therein and thereby perished deservedly for their incredulity and disobedience Oh let not the like spirit of Incredulity and disobedience have dominion over the hearts of any Christians I especially meane those who professe to know God arightly for if we know God arightly let us walke to him arightly diligently fervently O gracious God thou the onely wise and most powerfull God doe thou vouchsafe for thy deare Sonnes sake to enlarge and widen our streightened hearts by the Spirit of grace that we may runne to thee and in the end also attaine thee by the way of thy Commandements preset to us by thy selfe To my soule I say and resolue that it be praying to God the Father in his Sonns name that shee may be endewed with such a spirit of grace that enamoured with the consideration and love of this happines shee may in the imitation of that holy man ever breathe out thus O my soule if we ought continually to endure torments that we may see Christ in his glory with God the Father and to be associated to the fellowship of his Saints were it not meete patiently and willingly to suffer all that is sorrowfull that we might bee made partakers of so great a good and so great a glory Let the Devills therefore lye in waite and prepare their temptations let fastings and hard-clothings breake and sub due our bodies let labours oppresse watchings afflict let that man disquyet me this man crie out against me let cold bowe and pinch me heate burne me let my head ake my brest faint my stomacke swell my face waxe wanne pale let me in every part be weakened and let my life faile me in griefe sorrow my soule in mourning heavinesse let rottennes enter into my bones and abound under me so that I may find rest in the day of Tribulation and may ascend up to the people of God O my God giue me a spirit to awake early in the morning unto thee and that my soule may thirst after thee yea that my very flesh may be manifestly and manyfoldly even bent unto thee O be thou the Horizon of my heart at noone day the desire of my soule at midnight O let all that is within me long after thee that I may in the end come to see and behold thee as thou art in thy selfe my blessed end my happinesse the God of my heart my part and my portion for ever AMEN Recensui hunc Tractatum cui Titulus est Mans last end c. unà cum Epistola Dedicatoria ad Serenissimum Regem Carolum et praefatione ad Lectorem qui quidem liber continet pag. 83. in quibus omnibus nihil reperio sanae doctrinae aut bonis moribus contrarium quo minus cum utilitate publica imprimatur ita tamen ut si non intra septem menses proxime sequentes Typis mandetur haec licentia sit omnino irrita Ex aedibus Fulhamiensibus prid Calend. Septem 1633. Guil. Bray The Errata Page 10. lin 8. for that read and p. 20. l. 5. reade is his end pa. 57 l. 29 for him r sinne p. 82 l. 30. for roule r. walke pa. 87 r. If we be found p 99 l. 2 r. or as meâ—rits pag 100. l 31 r. table of faith p. 102 l. 29 according to diverse readings In the notes Pag 25 read presences pa 43 for Trinitate r Civitate pag 60 r q. 82. p. 68 r. 19. p. 103. r. Cor. v 16.
operations The estate of happinesse requires that the soules of the beatified should be in a continuall glorified exercise of glorious actions of every power and faculty of the soule nay it is impossible to conceive how there should be a glorious satiety of happinesse if there be not an incessant and never intermitted exercise of glorious operations and a very apprehension of that glorious estate and condition of happinesse wherein the beatified are This truely is most apparent The Cherubins and Seraphins with incessant admiration sing the thrice holy holy holy holy Lord God of Saboth The sweet singer of Israell accounts all those blessed that dwell in the house of the Lord for that they shall for all eternities blesse and sing praises unto the Lord Now these divine cries Isa 6. 3. and elevations of admiration holy holy holy Lord God of Sabboth of the Cherubins and Seraphins these praises and collaudations of the Saints those Alleluias praise ye the Lord praise ye the Lord recounted by the Prophet in the Revelation are they ought else or can they be ought else then thir severall actions and operations of vision love joy delight reverence admiration which the Angells and Saints seeing God have with God in God and of God with God because they are made partakers of the very joy of the Lord in God because they shall see him as he is of God because he is the eternall fountaine of light streaming into the soules and spirits of the beatified a most glorious light whereby they see God and his glorious Majesty most clearely and consequently they cannot but love him but delight in him admire reverence and adore him 〈…〉 bâ—fâ—â—â— him thereby acknowledging him for the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 of themselves of their 〈◊〉 and oâ— all creatures whethâ—r 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 above or on the earth 〈…〉 within the 〈◊〉 of the â—arth beneath Fifthly I suppose that this glorious exercise 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 glorious 〈◊〉 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of the 〈…〉 God Some there are who do thinke that there is in the 〈◊〉 an abstractive knowledge of God by his creatures and 〈◊〉 an answerable love arising from the same but without all question they are herein mistaken for seeing the knowledges of God by 〈◊〉 13. 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 as being obsâ—uâ—e in part and imperfect and of God 〈◊〉 are to cause and to be 〈◊〉 when as the clâ—are and iâ—tuitive vision of him 〈…〉 given unto the bâ—â—tified why then shall 〈…〉 knowledge of God by and thâ—ough his creatures whenas 〈◊〉 shall be 〈…〉 is in 〈…〉 whenas he shall be 〈…〉 whenas we shall kâ—â—w 〈◊〉 even as wâ—◠〈…〉 not obseurely in a â—haâ—ow 〈◊〉 clearely 〈…〉 face to face By 〈…〉 vision the spirits and soules of the 〈◊〉 shall be 〈…〉 〈◊〉 and so swallowed up that the pretended abstractive knowledge of God by and in his creatures shall be altogether needlesse yea perhaps impossible if we would stand longer to 〈◊〉 the same And so I come more specially to distinguish the principall actions and operations which the beatified have in 〈…〉 God The first and paine action of the beatified about and on God the fountaine of all the rest is a cleare and 〈◊〉 vision oâ— him as he is in 1 Ioâ— â— 2. himselfe Iâ— is 〈…〉 with God before God and 〈…〉 presence of God thereby not onely The first 〈◊〉 aâ—â— on 〈◊〉 the beatified seeing that which is â—â—nifest of God in regard of his creatures but also that which is manifest of God in himselfe by his owne 〈◊〉 â—â—sential light For God is light and in him there is no darknesse at all And by this intuitive vision of God 1 Ioh. â— the beatified spirits so see God their intellective powers being enabled thereunto by the light of glory that their powers are thereby fully satiated and at rest most sweetely and joyously injoying that which God promised to Moyses I will shew thee all good Out of this presentiall and Exod. 33. 19. intuitive vision of good all good clearly beheld there followeth necessarily a double love of God I said necessarily for it is impossible that good Second glorious action all good essentially good having no evill in it should clearely bee proposed to the understanding and that the will whose proper and formall object is good should not love and embrace the same Now this love is a double tendency or embracing of the soule into and of that infinite goodnesse which is in God first of that infinite goodnesse of God as he is good in himselfe goodnesse it selfe secondly of the very same goodnesse of God as by participation it is imparted and coÌ„municated as their last end and finall good unto the soules and spirits of the Beatified This with reverence I presume to declare by that which the Apostle delivereth in his Epistleto the Corinthians to weet that love never fadeth away whereby it is most apparent 1 Cor. 13. 8. that the love of the regenerate in this life the love of the beatified in the life of blisse and glory is one and the same essentially and in nature the onely diversity is that by an excesse of perfection that of the beatified doth exceedingly surpasse that which is of the Pilgrimes in this valley of mortality If then the love of the Elect whilst they are in the way absent from God and the love of the Elect when they are in their country and at their end present with God be one and the same then must it needs follow that as the love of the Elect in the way tendeth with a double respect to God to love A double kind of glorious love God as he is good in himselfe and to himselfe which is the love of friendship and amity and to love him as he is good to his elect their totall and finall good which is a love of a holy and sacred concupiscence so likewise the love of God in the beatified inclineth them to love God as hee is good to himselfe and in himselfe and as he is most graciously good unto themselves And can there be made any doubt of this what shall the habit of love charity moove incline us most divinely to love God in both respects as he is obscurely seene by faith whilest wee are Pilgrims and travellers in this mortall life and shall not the same habitt of love and charity being now perfected and glorious necessarily and ineviâ—ably moove us to love God in both respects for his goodnesse as it is infinitely in himselfe and for his goodnesse it as it is and as he is by participation communicated unto us Yea this is so apparent that the man according to Gods owne heart professes what his love was in this life of mortality and what he longed for and longed after in that life of glory and immortality thus What is there saith he for me in heaven Psal 73. 25. 26. besides thee and besides thee what would I upon earth
them should have had for their deliverance Is it not sufficient for the gamester and wrastler to know that except he contend manfully and worthily he shall have no reward So so let it be aboundantly sufficient for Christians to know and understand that unlesse they fight a good fight they 2 Timoth. 2. 5. shall not be crowned unlesse they hould fast that which Reve. 3. 11. they have another shall take their crowne unlesse their righteousnesse abound more then the righteousnesse Mat. 5. 20. of the Scribes and Pharises they shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Vnlesse they be diligent and painefull labourers in the vineyard they shall receive no Mat. 20. 8. day penney unlesse they have the cable of faith and repentance they shall not avoyd shipwracke except they persevere in faith and piety unto the end they shall never attaine that last happy end salvation Finally that according to their very workes so they shall receive either glory honour and immortalite 2 Cor. 5 10. Reve. 10. 12. Rom. 2. 9 10. or shame dishonour anguish and confusion as the Apostle St. Paule hath plainely delivered and St. Peter most resolutely Of a truth I have found that there is no acception of persons with God but in every nation hee that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse Act. 10. 34. 35 is accepted with him Thus the word of God most clearely accursed then be he that addeth or detracteth any thing or disputes against this truth so clearely delivered so strongly confirmed Venerable Austen reproved some rash and presumptuous August de vit Christ cap. 14. 10. 6. wits of his times daring to blaspheme against this truth And I have knowne others saith he whom the darke and obscure cloud of folly and imprudence so deludeth and deceiveth that they thinke and affirme that the faith which they pretend themselues to have shall profit them without workes of justice before God being deceived with this kynd of errour without al feare they cōmit greivous crimes whilst they beleeve God to be onely a revenger and Punisher of Infidelity Mat. 15. 14. Luc. 6. 39. but not of other crimes And such as these are not content themselves to perish alone but they also endevour to entrappe others in whom there is no light of divine knowledge and the sentence of our Saviour is fulfilled in them The blinde if he lead the blinde they shall both fall into the ditch Thus he which censure of his doth it not concerne those who in these dayes dare affirme that Obedience appertaines not to the Gospell and that of the lawe do this and thou shalt live appertaines not to the Gospell and againe that whatsoever sinnes the elect may commit they are not lesse acceptable in the sight of God By which prodigious paradoxes it is evident that they have placed all religion in apprehension and opinion which in the end will but deceave them Thus having in generall shewed the way to the last end of man endlesse happinesse and felicity to be faith and pious godly life it shall not be amisse to adde a few words touching that source roote whereout and whence out a godly and pious life doth spring yea solely and infallibly doth spring and arise Cleare it is that the life of every man is called his daily study and conversation and as cleere it is that the daily studie and conversation of every man are the vsuall actions and operations of every man which actions and operations if pious godly leading to glorie they must needes proceede from a man renewed in spirit and regenerate in his soule so that though the very faculties powers of the soule to weet the understanding will and memorie with such like doe really and truely effectuate and produce such actions and operations yet they doe it by the vertue and efficacy of grace which is in them I sayeth the Apostle have laboured 1 Cor. 15. 10. more then they all but not I but the grace-of God which is with me or thus which is in me or thus with me upholding divers readings Againe Christ to his faithfull when you shall stand before your adversaries Luc. 21. 14. do yee not premeditate what or how to speake for I will give unto you a mouth and wisdome which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand for it is not you that speake but the Spirit of my Father which is in you Of the Apostles it is affirmed that they were Act. 2. 4. all filled with the holy Ghost and beganne to speake as the holy Ghost gave them utter ante So in these so in all actions godly and supernaturall man worketh according to that measure of grace which is given unto him When given unto him Surely Ephe 4 7. most specially in Regeneration where as that which Ioh. 3. 6. is borne of the spirit is become Spirit not by ceasing to be that substantiall naturall spirit which it was Isa 11. 2. Galat. 5. 22. Ephes 4. 23. 24. Rom. 8. 20. 21. before but because invested in herselfe and in every faculty of herselfe with the gifts and graces of the Spirit she is by them truely renewed and innovated yea changed from the servitude of sin full corruption into the libertie of the children of God Yea so changed that by the Spirit of God 2 Cor. 5. 17. Galat. 6. 15. Ephes 5. 6. 2 Cor. 6. 7. they are called new Creatures light in the Lord Temples of God seates of wisdome with many such like glorious appellations And no marvell for the graces and gifts of the Spirit of God are so deare and so gracious that the Apostle Saint Peter dares to affirme that by them the faithfull are made 2 Pet. 1. 4. Partakers of the Divine nature it selfe And these graces and giftes precious so called by Saint Peter are the very Source roote or fountaine of all those graces and motions which leade to aternity and these graces the Apostle intendeth when he thus divinely admonisheth It is good to confirme and establish the heart with grace not with meates which Heb. 13. 4. have not profited those which walked in them Now the reason why the sweete providence of God doth invest the Regenerate soules with these graces and precious giftes whereby the holy Ghost is said to dwell in them is not onely because they should have internall garments of sanctitie befitting his service but also because he would have those that doe his service and be his servants to doe him acceptable service yea such acceptable service as may leade and conduct them to glory immortall He made man without man man in his making doing nothing but he wil not so save man doing nothing hand in hand leaning his soules elbowes on the cushion of presumption no no hee will not save man without man as Austen truely not because man with by virtue of his naturall power can cooperate with God to