Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Section 3
SECT. III. Of the Operations and Principles as compared.
§. 1. THough Power, Wiſdom and Goodneſs or Love, all co-operate by the ſpirit of Chriſt; yet in the work of Mans Recovery their Impreſſions are not equal. But as POWER with Wiſdom and Love, more appeared in the CREATION, (as is aforeſaid;) ſo WISDOM with Power, conveying Love, appeareth more in our Redemption; and LOVE with Power and Wiſdom is moſt conſpicuous and illuſtrious in our Renewed ſtate, begun indeed by Sanctification, but perfect in our GLORIFICATION. *As to the Queſtion between the Schoolmen define & beatitudin, undoubtedly the Thomiſts err in placing it chiefly in the Intellect (And Medina and others give ſilly reaſons for it, and the Scotiſts (of whom Rada well handleth it) are far righter: And Agid. Romanus briefly and clearly tells us the truth, Quodlib. 3. q. 18. p. 187. [Btatitudo eſt in aliquo finaliter & in a… quo formaliter. Na… ſi ipſum objectum principa… Voluntatis, prout habit rationem finis, ſit beatitudo, oportet quod beatitudo principaliter ſit in hoc objecto:—& co…ſequenter formaliter in actu Voluntatis. Nam Voluntas in ſuum objectum tendit finaliter; ſed per ſuum actum teadit in objectum formaliter: Ex quo apparet quod be …titudo ſit magis in ipſo objecto Voluntatis, quam in actu: quia ratio finis eſt magis in objecto quam in actu.] This is clear truth, if you put but finis alone for beatitudo: For Beatitudo qua talis is not the principal end of man; but God as God in his perfect Goodneſs, and the fulfilling of his will next; and then our own beatitude with that of the bleſ…ed: And he maketh Viſion (and not Love) to be the ſecondary final object of all.The Omnipotent Father (as is ſaid) Createth Nature, with the Son and Holy Spirit. The Son, the Wiſdom of the Father, is the Phyſicion of ſouls, and healeth them by SKILL with Power and Love. The Holy Ghoſt, called by the Schoolmen, The LOVE of God, dwelling and working peculiarly in us to and in perfection, with power and Wiſdom, is the PERFECTION of the ſoul: And ſo Natura, Medela, Sanitas, are the various effects of the Divine operation.
§. 2. Therefore the SONS operation in procuring and communicating the SPIRIT (of Love and Holineſs) is eminently ſapi… tial.
§. 3. The Impreſſions of all the Divine Virtues are excellent, in their ſeveral kinds: And it's hard for us to ſay that this is ſimply more excellent than that: But we can ſay, which is more ſuitable to the nature of man, to be eſteemed and Loved by him. And ſo we eſteem the Impreſſions of Wiſdom and Love as moſt ſuitable to us.
§. 4. A Horſe or Oxe excelleth Man in ſtrength, and a Bird or Hare or Dog in ſwiftneſs; and a Mountain and an Oak in Greatneſs: And yet we account the Wiſdom and Moral Goodneſs of man to be a greater excellency, and to make him the more noble Creature.
§. 5. And God ſeemeth to tell it us, 1. By calling theſe his Image. 2. And by making man the Lord of theſe ſtronger Creatures.
§. 6. And among men, we take him not for the moſt excellent who is the ſtrongeſt, but who is the Wiſeſt and the Beſt. And therefore the Wiſeſt and Beſt are by Ariſtotle ſaid to be born by Nature to Rule the reſt: and by all ſober men are thought to be the Fitteſt to Guide and Rule others; (how ſeldom ſoever it cometh to paſs:) while the Robuſter ſort are Labourers and Mechanicks.
§. 7. Yet I deny not but the effect is anſwerable to the Cauſe; And as Active-Power cauſeth Action, and Wiſdom and Government cauſeth the Order and Rectitude of action, and Love and Goodneſs the Perfection of it and the agent; ſo Gods Vital-Power, Wiſdom and Goodneſs, are equal, which are the Principles of all: As the Father, Son and Spirit are coequal: And God is indeed glorious in the Motion of Sun and Stars, &c. as well as in the Wiſdom and Holineſs of man. But beſides the foreſaid ſuitableneſs, this difference muſt be conſidered, that as Life, Intellect and Will, Power, By special Grace, ſome mean two diſtinct things: viz. 1. Our Love to God and other holy Habits and acts, or an Inclination to them. 2. Gods favour to us, and acceptation of us, and that as relating to the Glory which he will give us: ſo that the firſt they call the Habit of Grace, qu… ens & qualitas, &c. and the latter they call the formal nature of Grace, viz. quatenus Deo gratioſi ſeu amati ſumus. So Alvarez de Aux. disp. 60. p. 275. [Gratiam augeri in eſſe gratiae, (& ſimiliter charitas in eſſe charitatis,) nihil aliud eſt quam quod per illam acceptetur juſtus ad majorem gloriam.] By which he decideth the queſtion, whether Grace or Charity be increaſed by remiſs acts, or only by intenſe acts, ſaying that [1. Gratia in eſſe gratiae, & ſimiliter Charitas in eſſe Charitatis ſtatim augentur, etiam per actus remiſſos (that is, We are made more acceptable to God, for greater glory:) But augmentum gratiae & charitatis in eſſe Habitûs, quod homo meretur per actus remiſſos, dabitur poſtea in primo inſtanti glorificationis.] And it ſeems that ſo they ſometimes take Charitas too, both for the Habit and Act of our Love, and for our Amability or Dearneſs to God. Now this is ill done: For theſe equivocal words ſignifie theſe, not as one, but as two diſtinct things: Amor & Amabilitas or Dearneſs are two things: Though Love be materially our Lovelineſs▪ yet not formally: the latter being an ob…ective relation reſulting from the former.Wiſdom and Goodneſs, are Inadequate conceptions of One God, ſo all together are a more perfect expreſſion of him, than one of them alone. Now in all theſe the former is ſtill implyed in the latter, as to the very ſenſe of the word, but not contrarily. Power doth not alway ſignifie Wiſdom or Love; but Wiſdom ſignifieth the wiſdom of one Potent, including power, (for there is Potentia Intellectiva.) And Will or Love include Power and Act. So Action may be without ORDER or Rectitude, and Perfection, but the order and perfection of Acts, include or ſuppoſe the Acts.
§. 8. It is therefore the glory of Gods SAPIENTIAL work of Government which eminently ſhineth forth in the communications of Grace by the Spirit of Chriſt: But not that Government which was fitted to the ſtate of Innocency; but that which ſtands nearer to the End, as more demonſtrating Love, and tending more effectually to it.
§. 9. Therefore it is much to be noted that all this frame of Grace as tending to Glory, is uſually called in Scripture, The Kingdom of God, and The Kingdom of Heaven, Matth. 13. 45, &c. which containeth the whole frame of Political Order and Government.
§. 10. This Kingdom is the ſtate of Relation between God and the Mediator as the Head or Ruler, and Man as the Subject, as he is to be guided by Grace to Glory. God who is Phyſically neither Pars nor Totum maketh himſelf here as it were a Relative Part, being the ſupream Head; and the Mediator the ſupream official Head, or general Adminiſtrator: who hath under him a courſe of Political means for the accompliſhment of this his work.
§. 11. As Chriſt himſelf is the Head Means or ſecond Cauſe, ſo under him are Prophets and Apoſtles, eminently qualified to make them fit to do this work ſo as tendeth to ſucceſs.
§. 12. Theſe Prophets and Apoſtles were endued with that ſpecial infallible Spirit, by which they certainly delivered Chriſts doctrine and actions, and faithfully diſcharged all their truſt.
§. 13. They had the power of working Miracles many wayes to confirm their doctrine as the Truth of God. (Beſides Chriſts M…racles.)
§. 14. The Scriptures are Gods Record, which they left us to be the continual ſtanding ſignifier of his will.
§. 15. In theſe Scriptures are his Doctrine to teach, his precepts to make duty and oblige, and forbid ſin (by prohibition;) his own and ſervants examples to move; his threatnings to drive; his promiſes to draw, formed into a Covenant, ſtrongly to engage; the Records alſo of his Judgements and Mercies upon others, that they might every way be fitted to their ſanctifying uſe.
§. 16. He hath alſo inſtituted his Sacraments by which the mutual Covenant might be celebrated the more obligingly for its effects.
§. 17. He hath appointed his ordinary Miniſters as his ſtanding officers through all generations to preach this word; And he endoweth them with ſpecial gifts thereto; and chargeth them vehemently to preach in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon, with urgency and importunity, even to all mankind, 2 Tim. 4. 1, 2. Mat. 28. 19, 20. whatever it coſt them, and whatever they undergoe.
§. 18. He hath appointed alſo Prayer as his Means to obtain Grace by preparing the heart to a due receptivity; by the excitation of deſires after it: And Praiſe and Thanksgiving to ſweeten it to us in the review when we have received it.
§. 19. He hath commanded exerciſes of humiliation, confeſſion, bringing down the body, to fit us to receive it by a due ſenſe of our ſins, unworthineſs and wants.
§. 20. He hath appointed the publick aſſembling of his ſervants, that concurſe might augment the Sacred flame, in the performance of all this Sacred work.
§. 21. He hath inſtituted the Lords day, to be wholly employed in ſuch works and helps, that it be not neglected and lightly done.
§. 22. He hath commanded every private Chriſtian to be a helper to others, by conference, exhortation, and good example.
§. 23. He hath made Paſtoral diſcipline a great ordinance to promote the due performance of all the reſt.
§. 24. He hath commanded us by ſecret Meditation, Conſideration, Examination, &c. to preach to our ſelves, and night and day to think on Scripture, God, Chriſt, Glory, &c. and to ſtir up all Gods graces in our ſelves, and to reprove our ſelves for all our ſins.
§. 25. He hath made it the duty of Parents to teach their Children diligently his word, lying down and riſing up, at home and abroad, Deut. 6. & 11. and to educate them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, having bound them firſt in Covenant to God and the Mediator.
§. 26. He hath made it the duty of husband and wife to help each other herein, and of maſters to help their ſervants, and all relations to ſanctifie their places and opportunities to this uſe.
§. 27. He doth by multitudes of mercies and deliverances further all this work, to make known the more his Love to win the hearts of men.
§. 28. He greatly promoteth it alſo by ſeaſonable afflictions, to humble the proud, and awake the ſleepy.
§. 29. He maketh it mens great duty to tame the body, and mortifie concupiſcence, and make no proviſion for the fleſh to ſatisfie the luſts thereof, Rom. 13. 13, 14. & 8. 13. Gal. 5. 21, 22.
§. 30. He commandeth us to avoid the company of the wicked, and to joyn in the Communion of Saints, and walk with ſuch as will be our helpers toward Heaven.
§. 31. He commandeth us to avoid all Temptations of Satan, and the world and fleſh, and to live in a continual war againſt them.
§. 32. He maketh all the world about us, the book or glaſs in which we may ſee our maker and his will; yea even our own natures; and every Creature doth preach him to us; and all things muſt be ſanctified and uſed to this holy end.
§. 33. He ſetteth Death continually before our eyes, aſſuring us of the ſhortneſs of our lives, and ſhewing us how we muſt leave this world, that we may read Vanity upon all, and not be deceived by it.
§. 34. By all this we ſee that this Kingdom of Chriſt, is a ſapiential frame of Moral Cauſes, deſigned for the Government of man, in right ordering his internal and external acts, and glorifying eminently the wiſdom of our Ruler.
§. 35. And he that will think rightly of this excellent frame muſt have all theſe things in his conſideration: 1. That Chriſt himſelf is not only a Juſtifier and Actor of us, but a Prophet, Prieſt and King, and that the Government is laid upon his ſhoulders, Iſa. 9. 6.
2. That we are not only Patients and pardoned ſinners, but alſo Subjects, and engaged Covenanters.
3. That Chriſts Church is not like a Statuaries ſhop, but a Kingdom, and a School, where all muſt learn and obey.
4. That Chriſt hath not only Motive power, but Laws, Promiſes, Threatnings, &c. to work by.
5. That his great bleſſings of Glory are his Rewards, and Hell at laſt after thoſe here, are his puniſhments, foretold to work on ſouls.
6. That he hath a day, in which as Rector, he will judge the world in righteouſneſs, according to what we have done in the body.
7. That faith is wrought by Preaching, and Love and Hope and obedience are the ends and uſes of faith.
8. That the felicity of individuals, and in them of the Heavenly Society in one Glorified body with Chriſt, is the end of all, where Gods Remunerating Juſtice is to be glorified, and his governing Wiſdom and Love for ever.
§. 36. From all this I conclude, That they that ſlight all this work of God, by the contemptuous name of Moral Suaſion, and take it to be a diminutive term as to the honour of it, to call it Moral, and by Means, and talk of Gods work of Grace on the ſoul, as if there were no more in it very honourable, than a phyſical Motion, and God Converted ſouls but as Boyes whip their Tops, or Women turn their Wheels, or the Spring moveth the Watch, are Carteſian blind Theologues, and overlook the very nature of that Theologie which they profeſs, which is the Doctrine of the Kingdom of God over man; And while they ſee little but Matter and Motion, they are fitter mechanically to treat of or deal with Stones, or Bricks, or Timber, than men … being unfit to treat of humane Government, much more of Divine.