A Treatise of Paradise, Chapter 65
CHAP. LXV.
In which the obiections of Manes are aſſoiled.
MAnes that wicked heretike, with the reſt of his ſect doe moſt blaſphemouſly accuſe the wiſdom of God, as touching the fore-ſaid commandement of abſtaining from the tree of good and euill: for (ſaith he) doubtles when God did giuegive this law, vntounto our firſt fathers, hee thought, that they would obey it; which ſeeing they did not, God (as Manes obiecteth) was deceiued.
Secondly, he accuſeth God of vniuſt wrath and indignation: in that he condemned man for ſo ſmall a matter, as the eating of an apple. Finally, he accuſeth him of ignorance, mutabilitie, and contradiction to himſelfe; in that ignoring his future compaſſion towards man, hee did fruſtrate the law, which hee himſelfe had made, yea and contradicted the ſentence of death, as raſhly pronounced by himſelfe againſt Adam.
Here we may ſee, how (as Tertullian ſaith) God of his infinite goodnes and mercy ſuffereth himſelfe to bee diſhonoured in his other infinite attributes, and dietie: but that it may bee apparent, that theſe blaſphemies hauehave not any ground, euen in naturall reaſon: we anſwer, that though all things, and conſequently the diſobedience of Adam was perfectly fore-knowne by God Almighty, yet neuertheleſſe it was conformable to reaſon, that Adam being a reaſonable creature ſhould hauehave this law of obedience preſcribed vntounto him, ſo conformable to reaſon: firſt, for to manifeſt the abſolute power, dominion, and authoritie of God the Creator ouer his creature; and the due ſubiection of the creature towards his Creator.
Secondly, this law of obedience was moſt profitable vntounto man (though foreknowne that it was to be violated by man) moſt profitable (I ſay) it was, both in regard of the manifeſtation of Gods iuſtice, and mercy: as alſo for the exerciſe and tryall of the good, and bad; righteous, and vnrighteous, a neceſſarie obiect of the afore-ſaid attributes.
Now if this law ſhould therefore hauehave beene omitted, becauſe God fore-knew the tranſgreſſion thereof; by the ſame reaſon, or rather no reaſon, no other law ſhould hauehave beene preſcribed vntounto man; ſeeing there is no law, either of nature or grace, which God in his fore-knowledge did not foreſee would be often-times violated by man.
Furthermore, as touching the blaſphemie againſt the wrath of God, I anſwer, that it is not to be attributed to God, as ſignifying any paſſion, or mutation in the immutable or impaſſible God; but that this ſhadow of change, or ſhew of mutabilitie, is attributed vntounto him, who in his nature is altogether immutable, becauſe hee ſeeing the wickedneſſe of man, he worketh thoſe effects, which in vsus bee euident tokens, and ſignes of mutabilitie and change.
Nay ſecondly, I adde, that after Adam had tranſgreſſed the commandement of God, God pronounced againſt him the afore-ſaid ſentence of death, more moued by mercy, then of any anger or wrath: which wee may euidently ſee in that hee did not die the ſame day of his tranſgreſſion, according as the ſentence, which God pronounced againſt him, ſeemed to threaten; ſo that whether wee reſpect the ſentence giuen before Adams diſobedience, or the execution of the ſame after his ſinne, we may admire the infinite mercy of the Almighty in both, both in regard of Adam, and his poſteritie; as alſo in regard of the ſentence threatned to be inflicted ſo immediatly after their ſinne: ſo that euen in his iuſtice wee may magnifie his mercy, and ſay with the Pſalmiſt, miſericordia eius ſuper omnia opera eius, that his mercy aboundeth in all his workes, yea and is aboue all his works: becauſe (as the Diuines ſay) remunerat vltra condignum, punit citra condignum, he rewardeth our workes farre beyond their worth, which is none at all, vnleſſe it bee in Chriſt; and puniſheth our ſinnes much leſſe, then they deſerue.
To the other blaſphemie, which Manes vſeth againſt the Almighty God, in accuſing him of repentance, and mutabilitie, I anſwer, that we muſt firſt ſuppoſe, what it is to repent, or to be ſorry for any thing, which wee hauehave done: For repentance or ſorrow ſuppoſeth ignorance in vsus, of future euents, yea of ſuch as are noxious or hurtfull to thoſe who are affected with the afore-ſaid paſſion; both which are farre vnfitting the all-ſeeing ſcience, and omnipotent power of God: who did not remit the rigour of this ſentence, moued by ſorrow or repentance, as it happeneth in vsus, but rather, as we hauehave ſaid before, by his infinite mercy and clemencie, to the end that his infinite goodneſſe and mercy might bee the more manifeſt vntounto vsus.
In like manner wee may ſay, that when any ſinner doth turne from his former being in ſinne, God Almightie in ſome ſort may bee ſaid to remit the rigour of his ſentence pronounced againſt him; and this not by reaſon of any ignorance, or mutable repenting himſelfe of the former fact, or threatning (as Manes blaſphemouſly obiecteth) but rather hee remitteth out of his infinite clemencie, the ſentence of damnation, which conditionally hee had decreed, to wit, if the ſinner had not repented himſelfe of his ſinne: an example of which wee finde in the commination of doome and vtter deſtruction threatned not abſolutely, but conditionally againſt the Niuiuites, Ionae 3.that they ſhould vtterly bee deſtroied within forty dayes,4. Reg. 20. likewiſe againſt Ezechias, that hee ſhould die for his ſinnes, whom neuertheleſſe God pardoned vponupon their repentance: and the like alſo wee finde in others, moſt hainous offenders, againſt whom God hauing denounced his wrath, neuertheleſſe pardoned vponupon their ſorrow, contriſtation, and humiliation.
Now as touching the lie, which this hereticke obiecteth againſt God, in that hee threatned death vntounto man in the day of his tranſgreſſion, which neuertheleſſe was not inflicted: I anſwer, that as man is compoſed of body and ſpirit, ſo likewiſe the death threatned againſt him was both corporall and ſpirituall; which both were in ſome ſort inflicted euen in the very inſtant of his tranſgreſſion: the ſpirituall in the ſeparation of his ſpirit from God and his grace, wherein conſiſted his ſpirituall and ſupernaturall life: the corporall in the perturbation of his affections and powers both ſpirituall and corporall, which was a kinde of beginning of a neuer dying death, beginning in this life, and which according to the preſent iuſtice of God, if it had beene executed, was to hauehave beene conſummated in the other life, or rather eternall death, if ſo be that this firſt lapſe and fall had not been remitted, not of mans merit, but by Gods mercy.