The Degrees of Ardency in Christs Prayer, Title page 1 – Title page 2
ΕΚΤΕΝΕ'ΣΤΕΡΟΝ. OR The Degrees of Ardency IN CHRISTS PRAYER Reconciled with His fulneſſe OF HABITƲAL GRACE.
In Reply to the Author of a Book, intituled, A mixture of Scholastical Divinity with Practical.
By H. HAMMOND. D. D.
LONDON, Printed for R. ROYSTON at the Angel in Ivie-lane. 1656.
The Degrees of ardency in Chriſt's Prayer, &c.
§. 1 I Was very willing to hearken to the ſeaſonable advice of many, and to wholly withdraw my ſelf à foro contentioſo, to ſome more pleaſing & profitable imployment; but diſcerning it to be the deſire of the Author of the Book, Intituled, A mixture of Scholaſtical and Practical Divinity, that I ſhould reply to his examination of one paſſage of mine againſt Mr. Cawdrey, I ſhall make no ſcruple immediately to obey him, not only becauſe it may be done in very few words, but eſpecially becauſe the doctrine, which he affixeth to mee, ſeems (and not without ſome reaſon) to be contrary to the truth of Scripture, which I am to look on with all reverent ſubmiſſion and acquieſce in, with captivation of underſtanding, and ſo not aſſert any thing from my own conceptions, which is but ſeemingly contrary to it.
section 2 The propoſition which he affixes to mee, is*Of the fulneſs of Chriſt. p. 258. this; That Christs love of God was capable of farther degrees, and that he refutes, as being contrary to that point (a truth of Scripture) which he had in hand, viz. The dwelling of all fulneſs of habituall grace in Chriſt.
section 3 By this I ſuppoſe I may conclude his meaning to bee, that I have affirmed Chriſts love of God (meaning thereby that habituall grace of divine Charity) to have been capable of further degrees, ſo as that capacity of further degrees, is the denyall of all fulneſs of that habitual grace already in him.
section 4 And truly, had I thus expreſt my ſelf, or let fall any words, which might have been thus interpretable, I acknowledge I had been very injurious not onelyonly to the verity of God, but alſo to my own conceptions, and even to the cauſe which I had in hand, which had not been ſupported, but betrayed by any ſuch apprehenſion of the imperfection of Chriſts habitual graces.
section 5 This I could eaſily ſhew, and withall how cautiouſly and expreſly it was fore-ſtall'd by mee; But to the matter in hand, it is ſufficient, that I profeſſe I never thought it; but deem it a contrariety to expreſſe words of Scripture in any man who ſhall think it, and in ſhort, that I never gave occaſion to any man to believe it my opinion, having never ſaid it in thoſe words which he ſets up to refute in mee, never in any other that may be reaſonably interpretable to that ſenſe.
section 6 Firſt, I ſaid it not in thoſe words, which he undertakes to refute; Theſe are p. 258. of his Book thus ſet down by him.
This point may ſerve for confutation of a paſſage in Dr. H. againſt Mr. C. to wit, That Chriſts love of God was capable of farther degrees].
section 7 Theſe words I never ſaid, nor indeed are they to be found in the Paſſage, which he ſets down from mee, and whereon he grounds them; which, ſaith he, is this:
Dr. H. p. 222. In the next place he paſſeth to the inforcement of my argument, from what we read concerning Chriſt himſelf, that he was more intenſe in Prayer at one time than another, when yet the lower degree was ſure no ſin, and prepares to make anſwer to it. viz. That Chriſt was above the Law, and did more then the Law required, but men fall ſhort by many degrees of what is required. But ſure this anſwer is nothing to the matter now in hand, for the evidencing of which, that example of Christ was brought by mee, viz. That ſincere Love is capable of degrees. This was firſt ſhewed in ſeverall men, and in the ſame man at ſeveral times, in the ſeverall rankes of Angels, and at laſt in Chriſt himſelf, more ardent in one act of Prayer than in another.
section 8 Here the Reader findes not the words [Chriſts love of God is capable of further degrees] and when by deduction he endeavours to conclude them from theſe words, his concluſion falls ſhort in one word viz. [further] and 'tis but this,
That the example of Chriſt will never prove D. H. his concluſion, unleſſe it inferre, that Chriſts love of God was capable of degrees.]
section 9 This is but a ſlight charge indeed, yet may be worthy to be taken notice of in the entrance (though the principal weight of my anſwer be not laid on it) and ſuggeſt this ſeaſonable advertiſment, that he which undertakes to refute any ſaying of another, muſt oblige himſelf to an exact recital of it to a word, and ſyllable; Otherwiſe he may himſelf become the onelyonly Author of the Propoſition, which he refutes.
section 10 The difference is no more than by the addition of the word [further.] But that addition may poſſibly beger in the Readers underſtanding, a very conſiderable difference.
section 11 For this propoſition [Chriſts love of God was capable of further degrees] is readily interpretable to this dangerous ſenſe, that Christs love of God was not ful, but ſo farre imperfect, as to be capable of ſome further degrees than yet it had; And thus ſure the Author I have now before mee, acknowledges to have underſtood the words; and accordingly propoſeth to refute them from the conſideration of the all-fulneſs of habitual grace in Christ, which he could not doe, unleſſe he deemed them a prejudice to it.
section 12 But thoſe other words, which though he findes not in my papers, he yet not illogically inferres from them [that Chriſts love of God was capable of degrees, more intenſe at one time than at another] are not ſo liable to be thus interpreted, but onelyonly import that Christs love of God had in its latitude or amplitude ſeverall degrees, one differing from another. See magis & minus, all of them comprehended in that all-full perfect love of God, which was alwayes in Chriſt ſo full, and ſo perfect, as not to want, and ſo not to be capable of further degrees.
section 13 The Matter is cleare; The degrees of which Chriſts love of God is capable, are by me thus expreſt, that his love was more intenſe at one time than at another; but ſtill the higher of thoſe degrees of intenſneſs, was as truly acknowledged to be in Chriſts love, at ſome time, viz. in his agonie, as the lower was at …; and ſo all the degrees, which are ſuppoſed to be mentioned of his love, are alſo ſuppoſed, and expreſly affirmed to have been in him at ſome time or other; whereas a ſuppoſed capacity of further degrees, ſeems at leaſt (and ſo is reſolved by that Author) to inferre, that theſe degrees were not in Chriſt (the direct contradictorie to the former Propoſition) and ſo that they were wanting in him, & the but ſeeming aſſerting of that want is juſtly cenſured, as prejudiciall to Christs fulneſs. Here then was one miſadventure in his proceeding.
section 14 But this is but the proaemial, part of my Reply, there is another more material branch of it ſtill behind, which may yet ſeem neceſſarie to be added, viz. to mind him of (what he well knowes) the diſtinction between habits and acts of virtues, or graces; and that love the Genus doth equally comprehend both theſe species, and that his diſcourſe of all fulneſs belonging to the habitual grace of Christ, I ſpeak diſtinctly of another matter, viz. of the degrees of that grace diſcernable in the ſeveral acts of it.
section 15 This diſtinction I thought legible enough before, both in the Tract of Will-worſhip, and in the Anſwer to Mr. Caw.
section 16 In the former the *p. 259.Refuter confeſſeth to finde it, reciting theſe words of mine, It is poſſible for the ſame perſon conſtantly to love God above all, and yet to have higher expreſſions of that love at one time than another. Where the expreſſions at one time, and at another, muſt needs referre to the ſeverall acts of the ſame, all-full habituall love. OnelyOnly I gueſſe not what temptation he had to chooſe that expreſſion, which he there makes uſe of, viz.
[That there D. H. minceth the matter, and speaketh more cautelouſly] adding [that what he there ſaith is nothing to the matter now in hand]
Whereas 1. thoſe of Will-worſhip being the Firſt papers written on that ſubject, are ſure very pertinent to aſcertain him of the meaning of the latter, written in defenſe of them; and ſecondly the early cautelous ſpeaking there, might have made further later caution unneceſſary: and 3ly, I could not be ſaid to mince (which to vulgar eares ſignifies to retract in ſome degree what I had ſaid before,) and again, speak more cautiouſly, when that was the firſt time of my ſpeaking of it.
section 17 Mean-while it is manifeſt, and his own confeſſion, that there theſe were my words, and thoſe ſo cautious, that this ſenſe of the words which he undertakes to refute, could not be affixt on them. And this I ſhould have thought ſufficient to have preſerved my innocence, and forſtalled his Ʋſe of Confutation.
section 18 But the anſwer to Mr. C. which occaſioned it was, I think, as cautious alſo, 1. In the words recited by the Refuter, viz. that Chriſt himſelf was more ardent in one act of prayer then in another. 2. In the words following in that anſwer, but not recited by him, viz. that the ſincerity of this or that virtue expreſt in this or that performance, is it we ſpeake of when we ſay it conſiſts in a latitude and hath degrees; where the [this or that performance] are certainly Acts of the virtue, conſiſting in a latitude and the having degrees (viz in that latitude) no way implies him that hath that virtue in that latitude (viz. Chriſt) to want at preſent; and in that ſenſe to be capable of farther degrees.
section 19 I am willing to look as jealouſly as I can on any paſſage of my own, which falls under any mans cenſure; and therefore finding nothing in the words ſet down by him as the ground of the Refutation) which is any way capable of it, I have reviewed the whole ſection, and weighed every period, as ſuſpiciouſly as I could; to obſerve whether I could draw or wreſt that conſequence from any other paſſage, not recited by him.
section 20 And I find none in any degree liable, except it ſhould be this in the *p. 221. n. 1.beginning of the Sect. Where ſetting down the argument, as it lay in the Tr. of Will-wor. I ſay tis poſſible for the ſame perſon which ſo loves God (i.e. with all the heart) to love him, and expreſſe that love more intenſely at one time than another, as appeared by the example of Chriſt.
section 21 If this be thought capable of miſapprehenſion, by reaſon of the [and] disjoyning love from the expreſsions of it, and ſo the expreſsions belonging to the acts, the love be deemed to denote the habitual love; I muſt onelyonly ſay; that this is a miſapprehenſion, for that by loving with all the heart, in the firſt place, I certainly meant the ſincere habit of Love, by love in the latter place, the inward acts of love, and by the expreſſions of love, the outward expreſſions of thoſe inward acts, and of thoſe acts onelyonly I ſpeak, and of thoſe expreſſions, when I ſay they are more intenſe at one time then another.
section 22 The word love, as I ſaid, is a genus, equally comprehending the two ſpecies, habitual and actual love, and equally applicable to either of the ſpecies, to the acts as well as habit of love. And ſo when I ſay love is capable of degrees, the meaning is cleare, The generical word love reſtrained to the later ſpecies, i. e. conſidered in reſpect of the acts of love, gradually differenced one from the other, is that reſpect, capable of degrees, both inwardly and in outward expreſſions, that act of love, that poured out, and expreſt it ſelf in the more ardent prayer, was a more intenſe act of love, then another act of the ſame habitual love, which did not ſo ardently expreſſe it ſelf.
section 23 I ſhall explain this by the Refuters own Confeſſion. The death of Chriſt, p. 259.ſaith he, was an higher expreſſion of Chriſts love of us, then his poverty, hunger, or thirſt. To this I ſubjoyn that ſuch as the expreſſion was, ſuch was the act of inward love, of which that was an expreſſion, it being certain that each of theſe expreſſions had an act of internal love, of which they were ſo many proportionably different expreſſions; And from hence I ſuppoſe it unavoidably conſequent, that that act of internal love, expreſt by his dying for us, was ſuperior to thoſe former acts, which onelyonly expreſt themſelves in his poverty, and ſo the ſame perſon that loved ſincerely, did alſo love, and expreſſe that love more intenſly at one time then at another, which was the very thing I had ſaid in another inſtance. But this I have added ex abundanti more then the Refuters diſcourſe required of me.
section 24 It now onelyonly remaines, that I conſider whether this Refuter have in the proceſs of his diſcourſe added any thing, wherein I may be any whit concern'd.
section 25 And 1. ſaith he, the falſehood of ſuch an aſſertion is evident from the point there handled and confirmed, the abſolute fulneſſe of Chriſts grace, which by the general conſent of the Fathers and School-men was ſuch, as that it excluded all intenſive growth.
section 26 But to this the reply will bee eaſily foreſeen, from the premiſſes, that as the point by him handled and confirmed was diſtinctly the all-fulneſs of habituall grace in Christ, ſo his proofs of it by the conſent of Fathers and School-men belong ſtill to that fulneſs of habitual grace.
section 27 Witneſs one for all, Aquin. is Ser. 3. qu. 7. art. 12. ad ſecundum, licet virtus divina poſſit facere aliquid majus & melius quàm ſit habitualis gratia Christi, non tamen—though the divine power may make ſomewhat greater and better, than is the habitual grace of Chriſt, yet— ſo 'tis plain he ſpeaks of the fulneſs of the habituall grace. And ad tertium. In ſapientia & gratia aliquis proficere poteſt dupliciter; uno modo ſecundùm ipſos habitus ſapientiae & gratiae augmentatos, & ſic Chriſtus in eis non proficiebat. Alio modo ſecundùm effectus, in quantum aliquis ſapientora & virtuoſiora opera facit, & ſic Chriſtus proficiebat ſapientia & gratiâ, ſicut & atate, quia ſecundùm proceſſum aetatis perfectiora opera faciebat,—et in his quae ſunt ad Deum, et in his quae ſunt ad homines. One may increaſe in wiſdome and grace two waies, one way according to the habits of them increaſed, and ſo Christ increaſed not; another way, according to the effects; when any doth more wiſe and virtuous workes; and ſo Chriſt increaſed in Wiſedome and grace, as he did in age, becauſe according to the proceſſe of his age, he did more perfect workes, and that both in things belonging to God, and men alſo.
section 28 And thus are the Schoolmen underſtood by the Refuter himſelf, in his producing their testimonies, as appeares by the expreſſe words [habitual grace p. 260. lin. penult. and holineſs, and the Image of God in him] p. 261. lin. 13. And ſo 'tis moſt cleare, their conſent belongs not, even in his own opinion, to the matter I had, and have in hand, no way denying but aſſerting a capacity of degrees among the acts of Chriſts love of God, and the expreſſions of it.
section 29 Secondly, he will heare the Doctors objection, and conſider of what weight it is.
Objection? againſt what? againſt the fulneſs of habitual grace▪ in Chriſt? ſure never any was by me urged againſtit. And he cannot now think there was. The degrees of intenſeneſs obſervable in the ſeveral acts of Chriſts love, his praying more ardently at one time then another, was all that I concluded from that text, Luke 22. 44. and that is nothing to his habituall love.
section 30 But even to this he is pleaſed to frame anſwers (though I hope his doctrine of the fulneſſe of Christs habitual grace be no way concern'd in it) and to theſe I ſhall briefly attend him, as my laſt ſtage in this no very long voyage.
section 31 And 1. ſaith he, the vulgar tranſlation renders foreign, prolixius; and if this verſion bee good, then there is no place for the Doctors objection.
But though I ſeek no advantage by that vulgar reading, yet thinking it a duty of reverence to that verſion, to take leave civilly, whenſoever I depart from it (wherein I ſhall have the ſuffrage of Protestants as learned in both the Languages *Paulus Fagius, Praf. in Verſ. Chal. Paraph. in Pentat.Hebrew and*Joh. Boys Eliens. vet, Interpr. cum. Beza-collat. Greek, as any) and that I may to the utmoſt obſerve the Refuters ſteps, I ſhall not utterly reject it.
section 32'Tis certain foreign doth primarily ſignifie extenſion, and that properly belongs to length, and ſo the comparative foreign to a greater degree of that length. And if it bee granted, that it ſo ſignifie here, there will yet be place equally for my concluſion.
section 33 For in every act of Prayer, be it but the ſhortest ejaculation, ſent out by Christ, I ſuppoſe (and my Refuter muſt not doubt of it) there was ſome degree of ardency or intenſion; And then ſure according to the multiplying of thoſe acts, lengthening that prayer, there muſt ſtill in Christ (I ſay not in every one of us) be a proportionable multiplication of thoſe degrees, and ſo parallel to a greater length; a greater intenſion.
section 34 This is cleare, and I need not adde (what elſe I might) that the very multiplication of more acts of any virtue, ſuppoſing it equally ſincere in the habit (and ſuch is the length of Prayer, when it is in Chriſt) is more valuable in the ſight of God (and that argues it more excellent) than the ſmaller number of thoſe acts would be, and proportionably more abundantly rewarded by him, who rewardeth every man not onelyonly according to the ſincerity of his heart, but alſo ſecundùm opera, according to the multiplied acts or workes, the more abundant labour proceeding from this ſincerity. And ſo that will ſuffice for his firſt Anſwer.
section 35 But then 2. Saith he, ſuppoſe we ſtick unto our own tranſlation, yet the place may fairly be ſo interpreted, as that it may no wayes advantage the purpoſe of the Doctor. For foreign, more earnestly, may be conſidered in reference unto either the object unto whom he prayed, God; or the matter, againſt which he prayed, the evils with which he conflicted in his agony.
1. Then, ſaith he, he did not in his agony pray more earneſtly then at other times, if we conſider his prayer in reference unto the object, unto whom it was, God. The Religion, and inward worſhip of his prayer, was for degrees alwayes alike equal. His truſt and dependance upon God, love of zeal and devotion towards God, from which all his prayers ſlowed, were not at one time more intenſe then at another.
But now 2. He prayed more earneſtly in his agony then at other times, in regard of the matter, againſt which he prayed, the evils which he encountred with, which if they were not greater, then thoſe that he deprecated in the former prayer, v. 42. yet at leaſt they made a greater impreſſion upon his humane nature; for they put him into a bloody ſweat. Being in an agony, he prayed more earneſtly, and his ſweat was as it were great drops of blood, falling down to the ground.
section 36 Theſe are the words of his ſecond anſwer, and they are in the ſecond part, the very diſtinct confeſſion of all that I pretend in this matter (and therefore I need not make any reflections on the firſt part of them) For whatſoever, or how great ſoever the occaſion of the increaſe of his intenſion was (which I am willing to beleeve proportionable to the degree of the intenſion, a very weighty occaſion that thus inflamed his ardency) yet ſtill, 'tis confeſt, that on this occaſion, he now prayed more earneſtly then at other times, that which now approached made a greater impreſſion on his humane nature; which what is it but a proof of the point by me aſſerted, that Chriſt himſelf was more ardent in one act of prayer (this in his agonie) then in another.
section 37 As for the greatneſſe of the occaſion, ſo confeſt…ly great as to caſt him into that prodigious ſweat, falling foreign, as it were drops of blood, that may teſtifie, but it cannot prejudge the ardency, which was occaſioned thereby.
section 38 Twas not in Chriſt (he will eaſily ſuppoſe with me) as it is oft diſcernable in many of us, that thoſe which have really no ſincerity of love or zeal to God, can yet like the Mariners in the tempeſt, by ſome preſſing fear or danger be awaked to but formal, and, be they never ſo loud, but hypocritically zealous prayers.
section 39 The ardency in Chriſt was ſincere ardency, accompanied with acts of love and truſt of the ſame temper; and the heightning it foreign, was an addition of degrees to that act of ardency, and ſo of prayer, and proportionably of love and truſt in God, above either what there was, or what there was, occaſion for, at other times.
section 40 Of this I ſhall hope it is poſſible to finde ſome inſtances among men (of whoſe graces it can be no blaſphemie to affirm, that they are capable of degrees) ſuppoſe we a ſincerely pious man, a true lover of God, and no deſpiſer of his poor perſecuted Church, and ſuppoſe we, as it is very ſuppoſeable, that at ſome time the ſeas roar, the tempeſt be at its hight, and the waves boat violently upon this frailbrittle veſſel, may it not▪ be a ſeaſon for that pious mans ardency to receive ſome growth? for his zeal to be emulous of thoſe, waves, and poure it ſelf out more profuſely at ſuch, then at a calmer ſeaſon? I hope there be ſome at this time among us, in whom this point is really exemplified, if it be not, it is an effect of want, not fulneſs of love. But I need not thus to inlarge; It is not by this Refuter denied of the perſon of Chriſt, and that is my intyre foreign in reference either to Mr. C. or to him, the utmoſt that I undertook to demonſtrate then, or to juſtifie now.
section 41 And ſo. I ſhut up this haſty paper, hoping that he which invited, and promiſed it a welcome, in caſe it were given him in a fair and Scholaſtical way, having nothing to accuſe in it, as to the firſt Epithet, will abate ſomewhat in reference to the ſecond, and allow it a friendly, though being unqualified, it pretend not to a more hoſpitable reception.
The end.
ἘΥΣΧΗΜΌΝΩΣ ΚΑῚ ΚΑΤᾺ ΤΆΞΙΝ▪ OR, THE GROUNDS OF UNIFORMITY From 1 Cor. 14. 40. Vindicated from Mr JEANES'S exceptions to One paſſage in the View of the DIRECTORY.
By H. Hammond D. D.
LONDON, Printed by J. G. for Richard Royſton, at the Angel in Ivy. Lane, M.DC.LVII.