Of Peace and Contentment of Mind, Book 2 · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. Of the acquiſite Ornaments of the Will.
THe end of the inſtruction of the Underſtanding is the ruling and ordering of the Will in a conſtant goodneſſe, ſo much better then ſcience and prudence, as the end is better then the meanes; unleſſe by prudence we underſtand that wiſedome which is employed about mans duty to God, and comprehends all vertues; for as in God all vertues are but one, which is his Being; likewiſe when we take vertues in a divine ſenſe one vertue comprehends many, as having ſome participation with the divine nature.
Commonly by vertue we underſtand uprightneſſe of the will, becauſe without it the vertues of the underſtanding, ſcience, intelligence, and prudence, deſerve not to be called vertues, and the more able they are, the more pernicious.
Vertue of all acquiſitions is the moſt precious; without it the goods of body and fortune become evills, ſerving only to make a man guilty and miſerable; for then the goods of the body give the faculty, and the goods of fortune give the opportunity to do evill; but without them Vertue alone is good, and fetcheth good even out of evill.
By vertue man is made like God who is the originall vertue. Vertue gives glory to God, utility to the publique, tranquillity and joy to the conſcience, reliefe to ſome, counſell to others, example to all. Vertue is reſpected of all, even of them that envy it. They that love not the reality of vertue, yet ſtudy to get the name of it, and to put upon their falſe coyne the ſtamp of vertue. All the hypocriſie in the world is an homage that Vice payeth unto Vertue.
A vertuous man may be ſtript of his eſtate by his enemies, but of his vertue he cannot. Becauſe he keepes it, he is alwayes rich. Vertue ſtrengthneth him in adverſity, moderates him in proſperity, guides him in ſociety, entertaines him in his ſolitarineſſe, adviſeth him in his doubts, ſupports him in his weakneſſe, keeps him company in his journeyes by ſea and land. If his ſhip ſink, vertue ſinkes not; and he whether living or dying ſaveth it and himſelfe. By vertue he feares neither life nor death, looking upon both with an equal eye, yet aſpiring to depart and to be with Chriſt; but bearing patiently the delay of his departure, becauſe he is already with Chriſt by a lively hope. Vertue ſteering the ſoule makes it take a ſtreight and ſafe courſe to heaven, and there abides with him eternally, for vertue as well as glory is that treaſure in heaven, where neither the moth nor the ruſt corrupt, and where theeves do not breake thorough and ſteale. Math. 6.
Philoſophy conſidereth three vertues in the wil, Juſtice, Fortitude, and Temperance, excellent vertues, the firſt eſpecially, which in effect containes the two others; for it is the right temper of the will, not drawne aſide from the integrity of a good conſcience, either by oppoſitions of adverſity againſt which fortitude ſtands faſt, or by allurements of proſperity from which temperance witholds the appetite. Good conſcience (of which we have ſpoken in the firſt Booke) is nothing elſe but juſtice.
For theſe vertues wherein mans duty and happineſſe conſiſteth it were hard to find Elogies equal to their worth. But there is great diffecence between the excellency of Vertue in it ſelf, and ſuch vertue as is found among men. The exacteſt juſtice that man is capable of, is defective and infected with ſinne. All our righteouſneſſes are as the defiled cloath. Wherefore the deſcription of a juſt counterpoiſe of the will, never ſwarving either on the right hand or the left, never ſhaken from his ſquare cubus either by afflictions or temptations, is a fair character fit to ſet before our eyes, to imitate as neere as we can; as faire pictures, in the ſight of breeding women: But truly ſuch a perfect vertue ſubſiſteth not in any ſubject under heaven. In this world to be juſt, is only to be ſomewhat leſſe evill then others.
If a perfect Juſtice cannot be eſtabliſht in the private policy of a mans ſoul, it is not to be lookt for in publique Policies. Juſtice being pure in her original, becomes impure and maimed being kneaded by the weak and uncleane hands of men Job 14.4. Who can bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane? Of this it were eaſy to give inſtances out of the formes of Juſtice, & out of the very Lawes in all States. But it is a point of juſtice to reſpect her in thoſe hands to which divine providence hath intruſted her, and to adde ſtrength to her weakeneſſe by our voluntary deference.
Man being weake in juſtice, cannot but be ſo in her appurtenances, fortitude and temperance. The higheſt point unto which human precepts endeavour to raiſe fortitude is to make patience a remedy to evills remedileſs. But how ſhort the braveſt men come of that remedy in their paines and griefes, daily experience ſheweth it. The vulgar placeth the vertue of fortitude in ſtriking and maſſacring, which is rather a barbarous inhumanity; and if it be a vertue, tygers are more vertuous then men.
As for Temperance, her very name ſounds weakeneſſe. For he that is not ſubject to be corrupted by evill ſuggeſtions, hath no need of temperance. That man is temperat that knoweth how to keepe himſelfe from himſelfe; who therefore is naturally evill, and prone to vicious exceſſes: Wherein men are inferiour to beaſts, which are not tempted with covetuouſneſſe & deſire of ſuperfluities, but keepe within the bounds of nature and neceſſity.
Where there is a compleat vertue, there is neither fortitude nor temperance; Therefore theſe are not in God, who is the original vertue. He hath no need of fortitude, for he hath no danger to overcome; and no uſe of temperance, for he hath no affection that need to be reſtrained; whence it followes that man alſo when he is once brought to his perfection of vertue which is his full union with God, ſhall have neither fortitude nor temperance, as having no evill to oppoſe, and no …upidity to repreſſe. Juſtice is the onelyonly vertue that outliveth the body, and lives eternally with God; not that juſtice eſtabliſht in the Polities of the world, for in heaven there is neither ſelling nor contracting, which are the ſubjects of communicative juſtice: And as for the diſtributive, which hath two offices, to recompence vertue & to puniſh vice, humane juſtice exerciſeth but the laſt; recompence is accounted an act of grace, and is rare: Whereas Gods juſtice regardeth ſo much more reward then puniſhment, as a thouſand is more then three or foure, as it is expreſt in the precept againſt Idolatry. Exod 20.5. and 6.
That juſtice of good Chriſtians which outliveth temporall life is the uprightneſſe of their will, which in the paſſage of the ſoul to the high ſeat of perfection will be wonderfully mended and ſublimated. While the ſpirit liveth in the fleſh, though the will were never diſturbed from its uprightneſſe by the tumult of paſſions, yet it could not be raiſed to a degree of uprightneſſe above the proportion of the illumination of of the underſtanding. Now the underſtanding is obſcured in this world with a miſt of errour, receiving but ſome few rayes of the Sun of righteouſneſſe through a cloud.
I like very well the ſetting forth of a faire and compleat notion of Vertue, filling the ſoul with joy; which is not a chimera and a fiction, for every good ſoul muſt once be really brought to that perfection in his finall union with God, who is the ſoveraigne good of man, the originall perfection, and vertue in ſubſtance. But I wiſh together, that while we ſet before the eyes of men, a high character of a wiſe & vertuous man, compleat & happy in himſelfe, we put them in mind of the fickly condition of mans ſoul, as long as ſhe dwels in the fleſh, that none be deceived with thoſe Idea's of imaginary perfection which Pagan Philoſophers aſcribe to the wiſe man living according to nature.
To the Chriſtian onelyonly it becomes well to deſcribe vertue in a perfect character, 2 Pet. 1.4. partaker of the divine nature, and though it be above his pitch, yet to aſpire to it; for he knowes whom he hath beleeved, and where he may get a perfection exceeding abundantly above all that he askes or thinkes according to the power that worketh in him, Epheſ. 3.20. yea ſo farre as to be filled with all the fullneſſe of God. But in the mouth of Philoſophers that expect no perfection but from their own nature, nor a longer duration of their vertue then of their natural life (and of ſuch men there are more in the world then one would think) thoſe high expreſſions of the greatneſſe and happineſſe of a vertuous man are illegitimate, unſuitable, and unbecoming; for either theſe characters are true, and then they were not made for them; or they are productions of a wild and phantaſticall pride. Seneca deſcribing his wiſe man ſaith, that he cannot be ſhaken with any thing and that he marcheth equal with God. Alas poore little man! Do but diſcharge a piſtol at his eares, though charged with powder only, you ſhall ſee that ſtout champion, which marcheth equal with God, mightily ſhaken and diſcompoſed in his march. There needs but the ſting of a tarantola to make him skip and dance, put his vertue out of tune, and turne all his Philoſophy upſide downe. Another was ſaying virtute mea me involvo, I wrap my ſelfe about with my vertue, as if it had bin an armour cannonproofe and thunderbolt proofe. Though it had bin ſo, and impenetrable to temptation beſides, yet it is not impenetrable to death, for theſe diſciples of nature onelyonly, pretend not to extend the life of their vertue beyond the life of nature. To what purpoſe all thoſe bravado's for a mortal vertue; that the wiſeman is alwayes free, alwayes rich, alwayes happy, that he wants nothing becauſe he hath himſelfe, that he is King of the univerſe and Maſter of fortune, that in all conditions he is ſafe, ſtedfaſt, and content, and finally that he is alwayes in health; but when he hath got a cold, as Horace jeſtingly addeth. This is ſtretching man beyond man. That wiſeman after al that flouriſh is a calamitous creature weak, needy, unſtable, ſubject to erre, to ſinne, to ſuffer, and in the end to dye. Certainly if among all the Philoſophical vertues humility and faith be wanting, they ſerve but to puffe up a man and make him burſt and periſh. Let us before all things humble ourſelves before God, who is the onelyonly wiſe and righteous, miſtruſting ourſelves and putting our truſt in him. Then let us ſeeke wiſedome in his wiſedome; and to frame our ſpirit upon it let us implore the aſſiſtance of his Spirit. After that, moral vertues will become eaſy to learne, and pleaſant to practiſe. They ſhall obtaine a good reward in heaven; and in earth work their own recompence.