The Way to True Happiness, Sermon 2
The second SERMON.
The last day wee laid downe two conclusions, whereof the first is this:
There is blessednesse or happines as yet attaineable in this life; It is yet possible for man to be blessed, and that in this world: we first explaine our selues, and (that done) we make good the point. Possibility implyes power; power is either actiue or passiue; the conclusion is, man hath no inherent actiue power of his owne, whereby he may aduance to happinesse, onelyonly a passiue power or capacity he hath. 2. happinesse is either full,August. de Ciuit. Dei l. 19. cap. 20. 27. entire and compleate, or else is onelyonly substantiall and initiall; happinesse, for substance, is here attaineable, though not in fulnesse of degrees, and this appeares by testimony of God, who affirmes it of men, here for the present, and of this estate which is onelyonly viae, euen in this our pilgrimage, thus the poore (a pilgrims estate) is blessed, the mourner (the pilgrims case) is blessed, the hungerer, the persecuted blessed, blessed for the present. as well as in reuersion, so saith God.
2 Of men first wise men,Ʋid Arist. Ethic. vlt, all your Philosophers yeeld an vtmost end, a soueraigne good (1. an happinesse) and here attaineable for substance, though not in perfection of degrees 2. all men, though they agree like clocks about particulars (where so many men,Vid. August. de Ciuit. Dei. l. 19. cap. 1. Vinere omnes heatè volunt &c. Vid. Senec. de vit. heat. ca. 1. so many mindes) yet they concurre in the maine, all would be happy in the Generall, and God and nature which doe nothing in vaine, hauehave not for nought emplanted this desire: eueryevery creature is made for an end, and that end is its happinesse (I meane) its perfection; man is the King of Creatures, and therefore made for, and capable of an higher happinesse, he is here capable of vertue, of grace, of holinesse, therefore of happinesse, he is here capable of greatest misery, therefore of felicity, hee here works for an end, and ends (one or many imply an happinesse) he is here capable, nay possessed of Gods Image in part, there is some maiesty in his face, lustre in his complexion, Lordship ouer the creatures, there is somewhat diuine in his vnderstanding, in his spirit, and this naturall Image (as some call it) conclude a capacity of more, and surely, if God hath communicated to eueryevery species, so much happines, as he hath fitted them for, wee cannot conceiue that man amongst the rest should be quite excluded; nay, why did Christ Iesus become man; but because that whole species (mankind I meane) should not be quite abandoned: but why stand I vponupon these discourses? man in this life may hauehave heauen in his heart, faith, louelove, feare, ioy, &c; may hauehave Christ his head and husband betrothed, the holy Ghost his inhabitant & cōfort, God his Father, therefore in this life he may be blessed.
Vse. 1 Is man capable of happinesse? First, let iniquity stop her mouth; say, man fall into misery, whose is the fault? not Gods: Nothing comes from God, but Goodnesse; from happinesse, but happinesse.
Secondly, he hath giuen man a nature capable of felicity, hee at the first put him into possession of happinesse. And settled him in a blessed condition: He vndid himselfe alone. Obiect.
How could he choose, Answr. when God had ordained and damned him to misery? First, its not so, for there is no damning to misery, without relation to sinne: so first, he had destroied himselfe, and then God left him vnderunder his owne ruines. 2. If so, yet decrees do not compell to sinne (being secret; And this presupposing sinne) no more, then a capitall law, necessitates to murder. But the matter is, God did not decree him to sinne; if we speake properly of decrees.
Obiect. But God deserted him, and then, Obiect. hee must needs fall? Ans. There is a double desertion; one such, as that he cannot but fall (2.) Such, as that he may fal. God made it not impossible to him to stand; but onelyonly possible to all or stand: But God foresaw the issue? True (1o) but foresight is not causatiue; Ioseph, he foresaw a Famine, but caused it not: God was not bound to giuegive and keepe a stocke both. Ob. Vid Aqui quod lib. 11. art. 3.But his not preuenting it, argues his willingnesse of mans misery? Ans. It argueth his delight in glorying himselfe by manifesting his excellencies. As for misery, its not any obiect of delight or desire at all. Ob. But, what is this to vsus, we are now depriued of possibility of saluation. Ans. Our nature is not, if any person hath depriued himselfe, whom will hee blame, but himselfe, who is still vnwilling to blessednesse in Gods way: Why will you die, Vid. Caiet. in Rom. 9. quam optimeoh house of Israel (saith God) yee would not; saith Christ: we may resolue all mans misery into that principle, mans will, and speake and walke according to the rule prescribed vsus, and not foolishly and saucily charge God, as Iob did not. ca 1. when we vnderstand not our selues.
Vse. 2 Here blesse Gods goodnesse, that hath not left vnderunder his owne curse and misery; this goodnesse of his is commended; First, from the motiues, God did this freely, when wilfully wee chose death, catcht our fall by rebellion, did not desire God. 2. from the meanes, by plunging Christ into misery, all our ioy flowes from his sorrow, our cōfort and honour from his shame. 3. from the matter, hee made the bone stronger then euer it was made, I meane, vsus more happy then other creatures, whereas we were more miserable. A toade was a man to vsus, and wee the toade once: but now we aree more happy then they. Nay 2. then the Angels, they being seruants, we sonnes, married to the heire. Thirdly, more happy then Adam, his estate was happy, but vncertaine in his owne keeping, his was good; but not so good as ours, God was not so neare to him, as to vsus, who hauehave Christ (God incarnate) an head and husband. And now if all creatures, if Adam was thankfull much more must we if the prisoner be thankfull, for bare liberty, if the malefactor for life alone, what we, who for d…ath hauehave life, for shame honour, Obiect. for a prison, pa…a…e. Ob. But how shall I know that I am blessed? Anws. Looke to the Text hereafter, and thence gather it, wee passe. Secondly, seeke the blisse, make out as the sicke man doth (if any hope) for health, the poore man for riches, the pain…d man for ease, the oppressed for right: If they doe this for priuate, and partiall goods, shall not wee for an vniuersall good? all other goods are lesse then man; this of happinesse matches, nay, exceed him, all other are mingled, vncertaine, vnsufficient, vnsatisfying, all other receiue their perfections from this, this is the end that crownes all, and therefore this must chiefely be sought.
Now, to expedite and quicken this persuite, let vsus take into our consideration these particulars, as they follow First, consider the point, happinesse is feisable and hauable, for first our nature is capable of it, as w…e hauehave said, and as wee see, for some men are actually, and truely blessed, wee iustly blesse their estate in life, in death, in the middest, of their afflictoins, and next, the blessed promises, (though they be not eueryevery way, and simply vniuersall, yet) are they generally and indefinitely deliuered, so that no one particular is by name excluded. Adde to this in the third place, that there is nothing within vsus, no creature without vsus which can keepe vsus from happinesse. Originall sinne cannot, sinnes actuall cannot, men cannot, diuells cannot; happinesse rests in Gods hands, and at his dispose, If he giuegive quietnesse, who, saith, Elyhu, Iob 34.29. can make trouble. Fourthly, the Lord delights in our happinesse, hee ma…e vsus for it, hee calls vsus to it, hee perswades acceptance, and teaches the way, &c.
Secondly, Consider it is desirable, namely, that which necessarily drawes the heart after it, none can desire misery, none can but desire blessednesse in the generall, though he faile in the particulars.
Secondly, that which makes other things desirable. Nothing else hath any worth in it, any further then it makes for happinesse, or any power at all vponupon the heart, any further then it hath its prospect that way, why doe men desire, wealth, ease, health, &c. Why doe they indure paine, sweate, or any other hardship, but in relation to happinesse.
Thirdly, it is happinesse that quenches the thirst and quiets the appetite; it is the center of the soule, which neuer rests, vntill it rest here, where it receiues its perfection. It is the food of the soule, other things no more satisfie the soule, then ayre the stomacke: To make short, it is (as Salomon calls it) the whole man or, his perfection. The truth whereof will yet further appeare vntounto vsus, if we lay to the effects named, the parts also of happinesse. First, there is (let mee so call it) a negatiue part; full happinesse, excludes both all kindes, and all degrees of misery, it expells from its presence all darkenesse, like the sunne in his strength, and so much Schollars conceiue to be implied in the word foreign,Phanorinus of foreign & foreign. true happinesse excludes, though not the presence, yet the poyson of all wants and crosses whatsoeuer. A man that is once pronounced blessed of God, is past all harme, no affliction can hurt him. Nay, hee is blessed in all, because all sets him forward to happinesse, and is subordinate to it. Hereof is it that a Christian is vnderunder the blessing, aswell in prison as in a Palace, in a suite of leather, as in cloth of gold.
Secondly, there is a positiue part, happinesse includes all good things in it, and denotes two things.
First, a plurality, Secondly a perfection of good things; so much some thinke to be implied in the word foreign being plurally vsed. So much the thing it selfe speaketh, being the vtmost end of man, which virtually contains, and finally perfects all. An happy man then is truely inuested into all things and rights truely good, with sufficient security of being saued harmelesse from the contrary, all which good, hee shall fully inioy (in the quintessence of them) when he is compleatly happy; by thus much spoken, wee finde the estate first hauable, secondly desirable; therefore now what remaines, but that wee enquire into two things. First, where mans happinesse is to be found, secondly, by what meanes it is to be attained; for the first, our Sauiours silence tells vsus where it is not, his Sermon where it is; for the negatiue, mans happinesse lyeth not in outward things: Blessed saith our Sauiour are some, but who? here is no blessed are the rich, blessed are the faire, blessed are the merry, blessed are the mighty, no, nor yet blessed are the witty, the deep, the worldly lear…ed men, much lesse blessed are the proud. Happinesse lyes not in carnality, in morality, within the reach of nature, or verge of the whole creation, in the disquisition of true happinesse, we must leaue all these things behind vsus, as labouring with vanity and vexation, as Salomon doth in his discourse vponupon this subiect, thorowout his Ecclesiastes, a…d fasten vponupon his affirmitiue, which is our second thing, and what's that? God inioyed, is mans happinesse; hence Salomon, feare God, and keepe his commandements: for, this is the whole man; hee attaines not his perfection, that is, his happinesse, till he come home to God in this holy communion. Obiect. But how (will some men say) can this be? God in in himselfe is indeede blessednesse it selfe. But how is hee mans blessednesse? lyeth mans blessednesse out of himselfe?
Answ. Obiectiue happinesse lyeth out of man, out of eueryevery creature, and the more happy and excellent he is, the more he fastens his happinesse vponupon the obiect without himselfe, thus the angells behold Gods face, not themselues, this is their happinesse, thus the eye is perfected by light without, the soule by Christ and God, and then man is at the best, when he is rapt out of himselfe, and when nature sleepes and ceases from naturall acts, as it shall in heauen. But, Secondly, consider that we doe not make God simply considered and abstracted, mans happinesse, but God enioyed (as I said) that is, God, 1. reconcilest. 2. vnited and communicated to vsus; and when God is both for vsus, and with vsus, and in vsus, then our happinesse is brought home to vsus, for this is that vision and fruition of God, which makes vp mans formall happinesse, as men call it: whosoeuer then will hauehave happinesse, he must hauehave God, as is said, Psal. 144. last verse; Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord: Read the words how you will (by way of correction, or by way of confirmation, or amplification) the thing is cleare; our blessednes is in, and of, and from him the first blessednesse, as things retailed come out of the chiefe store-house, as all heats come from the prime heat, fire, all lights from the prime light, the Sunne: so 'tis heere, no blessednesse can be had without God, who is essentiall happinesse. But how doth God become ours? hee must be ours (if wee will be happy) 2. waies. First, ours by couenant: Secondly, ours in communion; but now to passe to the second thing, whats to be done on our parts for the putting of our selues into a couenant and communion with God? Surely God begins to vsus, and we must answer him in his call, in his meanes, we must 1. see what our danger and misery is, so long as God and wee stand at termes of enmity and defence; Oh vnhappy creature, who hath to encounter the wrath of an infinite God, who knowes the power thereof; beleeue it to be more then hell, and neuer rest till thou hast thy peace; begge, cry, flye to Iesus Christ the Peace maker, flye to the word of reconciliation, the precious Gospell, and entreat the Lord for his Words sake, and his Christs sake, to saue thy life, and to accept of thee, vponupon thy submission, thy comming in, and casting away of thy weapons (I meane) thy sinnes, and when thou hast purchased thy peace, and begg'd thy life, then in the next place, apply thy selfe to God in all his meanes, and endeauour 1. an vnion with him (an vnion I meane of quality) standing in conformity with him and his holy Image: 2. A communion, the first is obtained by the hauing, the latter, by the exercising of the heauenly graces. Labour these, get knowledge, whereby the vnderstanding vnites it selfe to God, get faith, get louelove, truth, &c. whereby the will is carryed to him, and pitches vponupon him, and when you hauehave the habites and graces themselues, then exercise and act them,1 Iohn 1. Walke with God (as Iohn calls it) in light, and so you hauehave communion with God, as with a father in Christ; walke? how is that? Micah tells you, in the daily exercise of humiliation, as there is daily occasion offered, and in the constant imployment and emproouement of our graces; for happinesse stands in action, (and that action must be of the noblests parts, in the highest operations, vponupon the highest obiect, God) the more you dwell vponupon him, the more you feede vponupon happinesse, the more you liue. Goe therefore to him in the constant vse of all his meanes, thence draw and sucke sauing grace, and learne of him, who is not onelyonly the obiect of our happines, but the teacher also, nor so onelyonly, but the Author and worker too.
Vide Bonavent in Prooemio, ad Pet. de Combis, & Sananarol. de faelic. vitae Christian. &c.In the next place, let this serue for the incouragement of the staggering, the comfort of the resolued Christian. For the first, 'tis true, when wee looke downeward, we finde as little comfort (the best of vsus) as Noah saw in the floud, let Noah looke forth, and there was nothing but feare, and death, let him looke inward, there were no neighbours, but Beares and Lyons, and other beasts, but yet hee had his Arke, a pledge of Gods care, and presence: so stands our case; looke wee inward into our selues, theres nothing but guilt, sin, death, rottennesse, corruptions, crawling in eueryevery roome of the soule; looke we outward vponupon the creatures, there's nothing before our eyes but confusion and destruction, eueryevery place is a sea, a dungeon filled with darknesse, misery, death, what not? All things threaten hell, destruction, God is gone, heauen is shut vp, happinesse is forfeited, no meanes of recouery left in vsus, in the creatures. How then? why, yet then there's an Arke, a Christ, an heauen, yet happinesse is hauable, yet 'tis possible for mee and thee (wretches though wee be) to be happy, and to be saued. Possible? what now after all this sinne? this misery? yet possible still; what for me? for thee; why, my conscience curses me, Satan doth, man doth, God doth; I am encompassed with curses in my estate, name, soule, in all the ordinances? well, yet (notwithstanding all this) 'tis possible for thee, for me to be happy; how? Nay, first grant me the generall, may some be happy? are some? hauehave some beene so? why then, thou and I are not excluded from the possibility, and therfore let's not cast off endeauours, cast away our hopes, but hold at least this twigge, 'tis possible, 'tis possible, there's nothing yet said, or done by mee, but 'tis possible for God to pardon it, for Christ to expiate it, lay hold on this sprig first, that so thou sinke not, and then catch at another, say 'tis not onelyonly possible, but probable; why, else, doth God spare mee, speak to me, inuite me to the accepting of Christ? and when thou art got vp so farre, climbe vp by these steps, here deliuered to a third degree, that is, to a certainty, meane while, let not this goe, 'tis possible. As for such as are already enrolled within the couenant, and beare the marke of God vponupon them, let their hearts be enlarged into ioy and reioycing, there is not onelyonly a possibilty, but a certainty too of their blessednes, the blessing is already put vponupon them, and that by God, and certaine it is, hee is blessed whom God blesseth, blessed then they be, not in hope onelyonly, but in act also, blessed eueryevery way, and eueryevery one who feareth God, blessed in all estates, liuing, dying, and how not? in all ages, in all places, at all times; doe yee whom this concernes enioy this, and make not your selues miserable, God hath not made you miserable, creatures cannot, men cannot, diuells cannot, things present cannot, things future cannot; God hath set on the blessing, and none can take it off, onelyonly be sure that God the father hath form'd and begotten you, that Christ hath vnited you to himselfe, redeemed you from this present euill world, and renewed you to his Image, that the holy Ghost hath seized vponupon your iudgements, and made them poore, vponupon you affections, and made them yeelding, vponupon your wills, and made them flexible and vpright, and then come pouerty, yet you are blessed, come sicknesse, yet yee are blessed, come death, wet, bloudy death by persecution, yet blessed, your leaues and blossomes may be stricken off, but there's a substance remaines, as Esay speake, the maine inheritance, blessednesse still holds.
Lastly, here's the reason of our tendring happinesse to all in our ministry, first, wee know that mans nature is capable of happinesse without any varying of his species, which cannot bee said of stocks and stones.
2. Mans present estate and condition is capable of happinesse, for asmuch as he is here a viator and pilgrime capable of blessing, graces, faith, louelove, &c.
3. Our errand and message is to men within the Church, who are vnderunder the meanes, and in the walke of blessednesse,
4. We speake his Word, and come in his name, who is of infinite power, wisdome, mercy, whose spirit breatheth, where he pleaseth.
5. We follow our rule, and attend our cōmission, preach to eueryevery creature, Mark. 16. not in a frier-like sense, to wolues, birds, &c: as they say of some, but in our Sauiours sense; to eueryevery reasonable creature, to eueryevery man, who will giuegive vsus the hearing, vponupon these grounds wee are ready to tender happinesse to all thus farre, that 'tis possible for them (for ought wee see and finde in our commission, the written word) to bee saued, to bee blessed, and here an end of the first point. The second we hau… taken in by the way, whilst we prosecuted the former, and therefore we now hasten to particulars, wee may not at this time enter vponupon them, onelyonly in that our blessed Sauiour first propounds the end (blessednesse) and then the meanes, we see,
Doct. That mans chiefest aime should be at his vtmost end, happinesse, this though last atchieued must be first proiected, and this load-starre must be stil in mans eye, hence it is, that our Sauiours Sermon takes beginning here, and the holy Ghost founds many an exhortation vponupon this bottome: and indeed God made him for happines, and propounds that first to him, and therefore he must propound it first to himselfe, as his end: Againe, the vtmost end is that that formes all mens actions and qualifies all things, all which are so farre good or bad, as they more or lesse conduce to this end of his: 2. that which quickens all obedience, the end flowes into the meanes, and men worke no farder in them, than the end enliuens them. 3. That which sweetens all the meanes, and makes them amiable, & which crownes all our endeuours, perfecting both them and vsus. Now, here we mought tax our folly, who stay in the mid-way, flag and take vp our rest before we come home, that is, rest in subordinate ends, not in the supreme, stay in things of an inferior alloy, which are desirable f…r others sakes, not their own. Thus one man aimes at this, to be rich; hither tend all his thoughts, cares, labours, he layes all that hee is worth vponupon this purchase; another doth as much for pleasure, a third for honor, a fourth for worldly wisedome, &c; but all these are propter aliud, vndergoods, owing tribute to an higher end, not simply good, and therfore not for their own sakes desireable, but onelyonly in a degree and respect, as they speed vsus hom-ward toward happines; the thing to be studied is, what's blessednesse? wherein stands that? which way goes that? or which way leads to it? and in truth a man can neuer know the way, till he agree vp on his end, neuer prize the meanes and giuegive them their iust valuation, til he know the end, neuer vse the meanes aright, till he resolue vponupon that end which regulates all, quiets all, bounds and commands all: Therfore (good my Brethren) lets not loose our selues, and forget our errand; our Father Adam lost our happinesse, and we are sent to seeke it; seeke it, where it is, and goe handsomely to worke, say, I am not made for riches, they are made for me; I am not made for creatures, they are mine; and I am their Master: Therefore these cannot make me happy, I am made for eternity, for euerlasting life and happinesse, therefore, let me study that, mind that, see that end beyond inferiour ends, why, do men seek wealth, but to bee happy? why pleasures? why honours? but because they would be happy: if these cannot blesse and enhappy me, why should I burne day-light? why should I not off them, as the bee gets off the plant, that yeelds her no hony: and once, at last see where my businesse lyes in pursuing happinesse, and where my happinesse lyes in Gods wayes, the first step wherof is pouerty in spirit, of which hereafter, for now we hauehave exceeded the houre beyond my present purpose and future resolution.