The Portraiture of the Image of God in Man, Part 2 · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. Of Adams life before the fall, whether it was contemplative, or practicke?
Adam had beſide the Image of God placed in him, two royall prerogatives above any man that ever was: the firſt was concerning his eſtate and condition of life, whether it was in action, or contemplation. The ſecond concerning his mariage celebrated by God himſelfe, in Paradiſe. Of the firſt prerogative is intreated here. Prop.
Mans life before the fall, was more contemplative than practicke.
As from the Sunne, firſt proceed bright beames, Illuſt. which lighting upon tranſparent bodies they caſt a brightneſſe or ſplendor by their reflex; and after their reflex, they caſt ſhadowes. So from God that glorious Sunne, there proceeded firſt wiſedome, which being reflexed upon the mind of Adam to cognoſce and contemplate upon things; this contemplation, brought forth prudency, and at laſt arts, as the ſhadow of prudency. This wiſedome or contemplation was in cognoſcibilibus, in things to be knowne; but prudency was in agibilibus, in things to be done; arts are in factibilibus, in things to be done by the hands.
Queſt. Vita activa eſt prior in via generation is, ſed vita contemplativa eſt prior in via directionis.It may bee asked which of theſe two lives is to be preferred before another: it might ſeeme that prudeney is to bee preferred before wiſdome; for man is bound to love God above all, and to helpe his neighbour; theſe we get not by contemplation but by action. Againe, it may ſeeme that the contemplative life is the beſt life, becauſe in the active life there are many dangers and perils, but not ſo in the contemplative.
Anſw. To cleare this point, wee muſt marke theſe aſſertions following.
Firſt, when we compare theſe two wiſedome and prudency together, Duplex bonitas; neceſſitatis, & excellentiae.either we reſpect the neceſſity of them, or the excellency of them. If wee reſpect the neceſsity of them; then no doubt, prudency is moſt fit for oureſtate now.
If wee marke the excellency of them, then wee muſt uſe this diſtinction; one thing is ſaid to be better than another, either abſolutely, or determinate to this or that particular: as, to have foure feet is good for a horſe, but not abſolutely good, Duplex bonitas; abſoluta & determinata.for it is not good for a man. So to be a Philoſopher is determinately good for man, but not abſolutely good; for it is not good for a horſe. So wiſedome and prudency conferred together, wiſedome abſolutely is better than prudency; but prudency in this caſe as we are now, is better for us.
Thirdly, Duplex couſideratio vitae humanae, reſpectu mediorum, & fin is.if wee conſider the end of mans life; then contemplation is better than action; but if wee conſider the meanes tending to the end, then action is fitter for us, than contemplation. If wee conſider the end, it is more excellent than the meanes; for all theſe practicall arts and operations which man doth, are ordained (as to their properend,) to the contemplation of the underſtanding: and all the contemplation of the underſtanding is ordained for the metaphyſickes: and all the knowledge which we have of the metaphyſicks: (in ſo farre as it precedes the knowledge which we have of God:) is ordained for the knowledge of God, as the laſt end; Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee onelyonly, Matth. 5. Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God: therefore the contemplative life, being the laſt end, muſt bee moſt perfect in it ſelfe; for it ſtandeth in need of fewer helpes than the practicke life doth. Prop.
Theſe two ſorts of lives, are ſo neceſſary both for this life, and for the life to come, and are ſo ſtraitly lincked, that we muſt labour to joyne them together.
The active life, without the contemplative life, Illuſt. is a moſt imperfect life, like the fruit pulled from the tree; ſo the contemplative life, without the active, is a moſt imperfect life; but joyne them both together, they make a perfect Argus, having his eyes looking up and downe.
Theſe two ſorts of lives are well compared to the two great lights in heaven, the Sun and Moone: firſt, as the Moone hath her light from the Sunne, ſo hath prudency her light from wiſedome. Secondly, as the Sunne rules the day, and the Moone the night; ſo wiſedome rules our heavenly life; and prudency our earthly life. Thirdly, as the moone is neerer to us than the Sunne; ſo is prudency in this eſtate neerer to us than wiſedome.
Prudency and wiſedome, Conſequence 1 the active and contemplative life, ſhould be joyned together: therefore theſe onagri, or wilde aſſes, the Hermites; who give themſelves onelyonly to contemplation and withdraw themſelves from the ſociety of men, never joyning action to their contemplation; miſtake altogether the end wherefore man was placed here.
When Elias was in the wilderneſſe, the Angel came to him and ſaid; what doſt thou here? So the Lord will ſay one day to theſe unprofitable members (that are in the Church and Common-wealth) what do ye in the Wilderneſſe; The Philoſopher could ſay, that hee was either a God or a beaſt that could live in the Wilderneſſe; this their contemplative life hath pride for the father, and idleneſſe for the mother.
The contemplative life, is the moſt excellent life, therefore that life that drawes neereſt to it, muſt be the beſt. There are three ſorts of lifes, Triplex vita, activa, effectiva, & voluptuaria.the active life, the effective life, and the voluptuary. The active life conſiſts in managing and ruling things by prudency; this was Davids life, and it comes neereſt to the contemplative life. The effective life conſiſts in dreſſing of the ground, in huſbandry, and ſuch; this was Vzziahs life: therefore, 2 King. 15. He is called vir agri, becauſe he delighted in tillage; and this is further removed from the contemplative life, than the active life. The voluptuary life was that in Salomon, when he gave himſelfe to pleaſure and delights, ſo the life of Sardanapalus King of Aſſyria; and this is furtheſt from the contemplative life. Adam had the contemplative life chiefly, he had the Active and effective life; but he had not that voluptuary or ſinfull life, delighting in pleaſure.
The firſt Adam his life was contemplative, A collation betwixt the innocent, old, and glorified Adam.active, and effective. The old Adam his life is voluptuary, for the end of all his actions is pleaſure. The glorified Adam, his life is contemplative and active onelyonly, Actiones internae quarum finis contemplaetio, manebunt in vita futura, ut dilectio, amor: at actioues exttrnae quarum finis eſt actio, non manebunt, quales ſunt vir tutes morales quae diriguntur ad finem, (ſcilicet contemplatiorem) at non verſantur circa finem, quia hoo proprium eſt contemplarionis.and in this conſiſts his laſt happineſſe.
In the life to come, the glorified Adam ſhall have all ſorts of perfection in him. Firſt, his deſire ſhall be perfected in his being (every thing naturally deſires the being and preſervation of it ſelfe) for hee ſhall be perpetually. Secondly, his deſire ſhall be fulfilled in theſe things that are common to him and other living creatures, which is delight; his delights and pleaſure ſhall be ſpirituall altogether, and theſe farre exceed corporall delights; becauſe men are contented to ſuffer many corporall torments for ſpirituall delights. Thirdly, his deſire ſhall be fulfilled in his reaſonable deſires; Quadruplex defiderium; commune, animale, rationale, & intellectuale.which is, to rule his active and civill life; In his active life, ſo to live vertuouſly, that hee cannot make defection to evill: in this civill life, for all that a man deſires in this life is honour, a good name and riches; the deſires of all theſe ſhall be perfected in the life to come; for honour, wee ſhall reigne with him, Revel. 20. For a good name, none ſhall have place to accuſe or revile them there; for riches, Pſal. 111. Riches and glory are in his houſe. Fourthly, his deſire ſhall be fulfilled in his intellectuall knowledge, becauſe then hee ſhall attaine to the full perfection of theſe things; that he deſires to know; and this ſhall bee the perfection of his contemplative life; in beholding God, which is the complement of all his other deſires, and they all ayme at this.
Object. But it may be ſaid that mans deſire ſhall not be fulfilled in the life to come by beholding God: for the ſoules in glory long for their bodies againe, and have not their full reſt till they injoy them.
Anſw. Duplex deſiderium; ex parte appetibilis, & ex parte appetentis.The ſoules in glory deſire no greater meaſure of joy, than to behold God, who is the end and object of their bleſſed neſſe. But they deſire a greater perfection in reſpect of themſelves; becauſe they doe not ſo totally and fully injoy that which they deſire to poſſeſſe. A man ſitting at a table furniſhed with variety of diſhes, hee deſires no moe diſhes than are at the table, yet hee deſires to have a better ſtomacke: ſo the ſoules in glory deſire no greater meaſure of bleſſedneſſe than to behold God; but reſpecting the longing they have for their bodies, they are not come to the fulneſſe of their bleſſedneſſe till they be joyned together againe.
Queſt. Whether ſhall the ſoule after the reſurrection, being joyned with the body againe, enjoy greater happineſſe, than it had without the body in heaven?
Anſw. In reſpect of the object which is God, it ſhall have no greater happineſſe; but in reſpect of it ſelfe, it ſhall have greater joy, both extenſive, becauſe it ſhall rejoyce in the glory of the body, Duplex gaudium; extenſivum, & intenſivum. Picalhom. lib. 10. Etbic. Sexcordiriones vitae bumanae, metaphora ſumpta a carcere, a monſtro, a mundo, a navi, a curru, & ab…ave.and intenſive, becauſe in the conjunction with the body, the operation therefore ſhall be more forcible, when ſoule and body are joyned together.
The Academickes make fixe conditions of the life of man whereunto it is reſembled, which they ſet out to us by ſix metaphors. The firſt is in the conjunction of the ſoule and the body; and herein they take the compariſon from a man in a Priſon, and in this eſtate man had need of ſpurres to ſtirre him up, that he may come out of priſon.
The ſecond Condition of mans life is in conſiſting of contrary faculties; and in this eſtate they compare him to a Monſter, halfe man and halfe beaſt, the ſenſuall part fighting againſt the reaſonable; here we muſt take heed ne pars fera voret humanam, leſt the brutiſh part overcome the reaſonable.
The third condition makes him an abſolute man, and then he is called the little world, or epilogus mundi, the compend of the world; and ſo hee ſhould labour to keepe all things in a juſt frame.
The fourth condition, as he is ayming towards his end, and ſo he is compared to a ſhippe in the midſt of the Sea, ſayling towards the haven; reaſon is the ſhip; the windes, waves, and rockes, are the many hazards we are expoſed to in this life; the oares are his affections and deſires; and when the eye is ſet upon eternall happineſſe, this is like the pole which directs the ſhip.
The fift condition is then, when as the ſoule is purified by vertue, and elevated above the owne nature, then it is compared to a chariot, which reſembles the whole conſtitution of the ſoule joyned to the body; the Coach-man is reaſon; the horſes which draw the coach are two, one white and another blacke; the white horſe is the iraſcible appetite, the blacke is the concupiſcible appetite; the ſpurres which ſpurre theſe horſes forward, are, deſire of honour, and feare of ſhame.
The ſixt condition is, when the ſoule by contemplation aſcends to God, then it is compared to a fowle mounting upward, then it is no longer conſidered as yoaked in the coach, for now the horſes are looſed, & auriga ſiſtens eos ad praeſepe, tribuit eis nectar & ambroſiam; that is, the coachman looſing the horſes, brings them to the manger, and gives them nectar and ambroſia to eate and drinke; for when the ſoule is taken up with this contemplation, beholding the chiefe Good, then the appetite is ſatisfied with milke and honey as the Scripture calls it. As nurſes taking pleaſure and delight to feed their babes, when they have ſtilled them, they lay them up to ſleepe, and then they take delight to feed themſelves: ſo, when the ſenſible faculty ſhall be ſatisfied, then ſhall our great delight be in contemplation to behold the face of God and that eternall glory: whereupon is reſolved that poſition laid downe in the beginning, that mans chiefe felicity in his life before the fall, was chiefly in contemplation, and ſo ſhall it be in glory: although action in love doe flow from it, as the fruit from the tree.