A Christian Survey for the Conscience, Confession · Testimony from scripture 2
Out of the Fathers.
BVt I will not relate all the Teſtimonies of Fathers; both for that a ſhort confeſſion will not beare it, and for that yee hauehave many in my Praelections of Perſeuerance, and confirmations thereof amongſt the Actes (there) yet ſome I will briefly remember.
Auguſtine is totallie on my ſide. Out of his bookes many teſtimonies are in my Lectures; I will report one. To. 7. de corept. & gratia. cap▪ 12. Hee compareth grace giuen to Adam in the Creation, with that which is now giuen to the Saints Elected; and hee ſheweth ours to be greater then that; for that hee had grace whereby hee had power to perſeuer if he would, but not that whereby he was willing to perſeuer; but wee by Chriſt hauehave receiued grace whereby we hauehave will to perſeuere, and therefore wherby we do… pe… ſeuere. Primo ita… homini. &c. Therefore to the firſt mā, who in that good whereby hee was made vpright hee receiued power not to dye, power not to forſake that good, was giuen aſſiſtance of perſeuerance, not whereby hee did perſeuere, but without which through free wil he had not ability of perſeuerance: but now to the Saints predeſtinate for the Kingdome of God▪ by Gods grace, not onelyonly ſuch aſſiſtance of perſeuerance is granted, but ſuch as that perſeuerance it ſelfe is giuen vntounto them, not onelyonly that without this gift they cannot but perſeuere. For he did not only ſay, Without me Iohn 15.ye… can do nothing; but hee ſaid alſo, Not ye… hauehave choſen mee, but I you, and …et you that yee ſhould goe, and bring forth much fruit, and that your fruit should remaine. By which words he did manifeſt that he gaue vntounto them not onelyonly iuſtice, but alſo perſeuerance therein. For Chriſt ſo ordaining them, that they ſhould goe and bring forth fruit, and their fruit ſhould remaine, who dare ſay Perchance it ſhall not remaine? For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance: but it is the calling of ſuch as are called of purpoſe. Therfore Chriſt making interceſſion for them leaſt their faith ſhould faile, doubtleſſe it ſhall nor faile to the end; & hereby it ſhal…perſeuer vntounto the end, neither ſhal thenon …anen…em. end of this life find it to be deficiēt.
Ambroſe… Rom. 8. Nam quos praeſciuit. Thoſe (ſaith hee) who ſeeme to beleeue, and do not perſiſt in the faith begun, are deemed as elect of God; for that whom God hath choſen they do continue with him. And a little after, vppon theſe wordes, Quos ante praedeſtina…t; ſaith he, he ſpeaketh the ſame as before: becauſe whom God hath foreknowne as ſit for himſelfe, thoſe beleiuing perſiſt, for that it cannot be otherwiſe.
Trimaſius, Epiſcopus Vticenſis, who was famous the very ſame time in Africa with Auguſtine: in 1. Cor. vponupon theſe wordes, That your faith be not in the wiſdome of men but in the power of God &c. ſaith hee▪ humane wiſdome is pleaſant for a ſhort time for that it is temporary as man himſelfe is; but the power diuine is eternall as God himſelfe is: Therfore that faith is permanent and beſtowed vponupon man by the power of God.
Proſ…er, Epiſcopus Rhegi…nſ. Auguſtines diſciple, Of the life Contemplatiue, lib. 3. cap. 13. Charity (ſaith he) as me thinketh, is a right wil alienated vtterly from all: terrene and thinges preſent, conioyned and vnited inſeperably to God. Theſe thinges he. He ſaith that Charity is a right will, for that Charity by the Holy Ghoſt ſhed abroad in our hearts maketh a right will, and conioyneth it inſeperably to God. And the Fathers are wont to aſcribe that to Charity, which is proper to faith working by louelove Therfore Proſper doth teach, that faith which work eth by louelove▪ doth conioyn the faithfull to God inſeperably.
Gregor. 1. To 2 l…b. in Ez…ch. cap. 1▪ hom. 3. col. 87. vponupon theſe words They returned not when they went &c. This (ſaith hee) is ſpoken of the reprobate, for that they returned in heart into AEgipt: the truth ſpeaketh by it ſelfe No man putting his hand to the plough and looking b…kward, is fit for the Kingdome of God. Indeed, to put the hand to the plough is (as it were) by the ploughſhare of compunction, to open the ſoile of the heart, for to bring forth fruit. But he looketh back behind the plough, who after the beginning of a good work doth returne to the euils which he had forſaken, Which for that in no wiſe it befalleth the Elect of God, it is therefore rightly ſaid by the Prophet, verſ. 17. They returned not when they went.
Likewiſe Homil. 5. They returned not when they walked: becauſe the Elect eueryevery of them, do ſo goe on to good thinges, as that they do not retire from committing of euill thinges. for he that continueth out to the end ſhal be ſaued.
Againe in the ſame homily expounding thoſe wordes, This was a ruuning Ʋiſion &c. he teach…h▪ That the holy Spirit, according to the vertue of ſaith, hope, and louelove doth neuer depart from the heartes of the Elect, but according to Propheſie and differences of tongues, and ſuch like, ſomtime to depart, ſometime to returne: After this concluding; ſaith he, therefore in thoſe vertues without which we cannot come to life, the holy Spirit in the hearts of his Elect is permanent; but in thoſe by which the power of ſanctity is manifeſted, ſometime it is mercifully preſent, ſometime mercifully abſent. Thus Gregorie. In which wordes we may not regard whether aptly he did interprete the Prophet or otherwiſe, but onelyonly what his determination was touching the perſeuerance of the Saints.
To. …. Moralium. lib. 2. cap. 28 & 29. he propoſeth a Queſtion touching the holy Spirit; How in Iohn 14. that can be a concordance (The Spirit shall abide with you and bee in you) with that Iob. 1. (VponUpon whom ye shall ſee the Spirit deſcending, and abiding vponupon him; he it is which baptizeth with the holy Ghoſt) If alſo it abide in the diſciples? How can it be therefore a peculiar ſigne, wherby Chriſt is acknowledged to be him, who baptizeth in the ſpirit? Anſwering th… Queſtion, and reconciling duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page theſe places he putteth difference betweene thoſe gifts of the holy Spirit▪ without the which we cannot come to life eternal, & thoſe without which we may attain it. Afterward his cōcluſiō is in theſe words therfor in thoſe gifts without which we cannot come to life, whether in Preachers or in all the Elect, the holy Spirit is alwaies permanent: But in ſuch giftes whereby by manifeſtation thereof not our life is ſaued, but the life of others ſought for, in no wiſe it is alwayes permanent in the Preachers, for that alwaies indeed it beareth rule in their heart for to liue well, and yet doth not alwayes ſhew forth by them powerful ſignes, but ſometime hee withdraweth himſelfe from manifeſtation of ſignes, that with ſo much more humility his vertues may be accompted, by how much being had they cannot be holden: But the Mediator betweene God and Man, the Man Ieſus Chriſt, hath it in all thinges, and alwayes, and continually preſent; for that from him the ſame Spirit is by ſubſtance produced. Therfore fitly, whereas it abideth in the holy Preachers, it is ſaid ſingularly to remain in the Mediator for that in them it abideth by grace for ſome thing; but in him by ſubſtance it abideth for all thinges.
Bed… Praeſbyter hath plainely taught the ſame things vponupon Iohns Goſpell, 1. chap. expounding that place, Ʋpon whom yee ſhall ſee the Spirit &c. For hee moueth the very ſame Queſtion which alſo Gregorie did before him, and doth giuegive altogether the ſame ſolution; The Holy Spirit in the Elect partly to abide for aeternitie, partly to depart for to returne▪ to abide aeternally in reſpect of ſuch vertues without which we cannot be ſaued; to parted for a time in reſpect of other gifts.
Bernard▪ de natura & dignitate amoris diuini …. 5. v. 6. ſpeaking of the nature of true Charitie, which is, that it neuer faileth, hee citeth that of the Apoſtle 1. Cor 13. Charitie doth ne…er fall away▪ and hee ſaith, that ſometime indeed the effect of affection and of working doth ſtagger and wander, ſo long as with this life Charitic cannot ſee but in part, and by a glaſſe, and in a myſterie; but yet the entire and ſolid affection is alwaies permanent in her force. Chap. 6. thus hee writeth.
Diſpoſition is one thing; AffectionAffectus & Affectio. another. Diſpoſition is that which poſſeſſeth the minde with a certaine general power and vertue firme and ſtable, which it hath obtained by grace: Affections are they, which in varietie the variable euents of things and times doe produce. For the infirmitie of the fleſh through the corruption of the firſt originall doth often offend, often fall, often doth grieuouſly hurt, and receiueth hurt; the Minde in wardly lamenting, and rather ſuffering then doing that which is done amiſſe outwardly; yet not looſing Charitie, but out of Charitie mourning and crying to God: Owretched man that I am, who ſhall deliuer me from the bodie of this death? Whervpon the Apoſtle ſaith, I ſerue (ſaith he) the Law of God in my minde, but my fleſh the Law of Sinne: and againe, Not I doe worke that, but Sinne dwelling within mee. Therefore whoſoeuer hee bee (as bleſſed Iohn ſaith) in this regard that hee is borne of God, that is, according to the ſtate of the inward man, ſo farre forth he doth not ſinne, in that hee rather abhorreth Sinne, which worketh outwardly the body of death, hee rather hateth then approoueth it; the ſeede of the ſpirituall birth whereby he is born of God, inwardly preſeruing him. Which although in the meane while, by the incurſion of Sinne, hee is ſometime hurt and battered, yet he doth not periſh, for that the root of Charity is deeply faſtened, nay rather more plentifully and effectually hee doth gather ſtrength and reuiue into hope of good fruit. For ſaith Saint Iohn, for all that is borne of God, ſinneth not, becauſe the ſeede abideth in him, neither can he ſinne who is borne of God. The force of the words is to bee noted; He ſaith not that he doth commit ſinne; for hee rather ſuffereth then doth ſinne, that is borne of God: and he cannot ſinne, ſcilieet by perſeuering in ſinne, whileſt that he maketh haſt to ſubdue the fleſh to the Law of God, whereinto in mind hee obeyeth, which ſeemed to bee ſeruant to the Law of Sinne, whileſt temptation and Sinne inuaded him. P…ter, when hee ſinned, loſt notD…fecit fide… conſeſsio in ore, ſed non d…fecit fides in corde. Zanch. … Charitie, ſor that hee rather ſinned againſt Veritie then Charitie; when hee lied with his mouth, That hee knew him not, whoſe he was totally in his heart: inſomuch as that the Veritie of LoueLove did incontinently waſh away the deniall of falſhood, So alſo Dauid, when he ſinned, loſt not Charitie; but (in a ſort) Charitie was benummed in him by the violent blow of Temptation; neither was LoueLove at all aboliſhed in him, but (as it were) in a ſlumber, which, preſently after it awaked at the voice of the Prophet reprouing, incontinently brake forth into that moſt feruent confeſsion of LoueLove, I hauehave ſinne… againſt the …ord: wherevpon he worthily heard, Thouſhalt not die.