THE Christian Man: OR, THE REPARATION OF NATURE BY GRACE.. Written in French BY JOHN FRANCIS SENAULT; And now Englished.  
LONDON, Printed for M. M. G. Bedell, and T. C. and are to be sold at their Shop at the Middle-Temple-gate in FLEETSTREET, 1650.   

AN ADVERTISEMENT To the READER.  
IT cannot be amiss, for preventing of misapprehension or scandal, by way of Advertisement, to premonish the READER, that the Author (which is very obvious to be perceived) is a Roman Catholic, whose opinions, in  repugnant to the established Doctrine of the Church of England, the Translators intent is no way either to defend or promote. That some such passages there may be (and indeed are, especially in the Sixth Treatise, where he expresseth himself too grossly concerning the Christians Nourishment in the Sacrifice of the Altar, as they usually phrase it; as elsewhere glancing at Purgatory, and other the espoused Tenants of the Church of Rome, enforced by the necessity of the Discourse) is no wonder to any man of Ingenuity; the wonder is, that there are no more: All which, rather then to cause a Chasm in the Work, and so be guilty of an incivility to the Author, are left to the Readers censure; and, which may give no small satisfaction, the entire Peice delivered by way of Discourse, far from any magisterial dogmatizing; so that with some, his modesty may soon prove prejudicial, which siding with no Party, doth therefore engage him upon the defensive against all those, who pressing their opinions with too much heat, think all expressions crude, that are not peremptory. Besides, the whole intendment of the Author being to the praise and glory of the Grace of God, (which, how remarkable in a Romanist, and advantageous to Christianity, none but a Pelagian will deny) will, I hope, make the whole Work at least a passable Error. If therefore thy affection to the Subject shall invite thee to buy, and thy charity to the Publisher, who professeth himself no Master of Language, bear thee company when thou readest in pardoning his Mistakes, and giving a candid interpretation to his Intentions; Thou wilt find, as thy honour to be a Man, so thy perfection and happiness to be a Christian man. In the mean time, referring thee to the Authors own Preface to usher thee in to the following Treatises, the only design of this Preloquium is, not at all to commend the Original; but to prevent, if possible, any prejudging the Translation as scandalous to the Truths we profess, by advancing contrary Doctrines under the disguise of well-worded Theologie; which, if so, in the Author's native Style, will even upon that score persuade none but those who account all expressions true because handsome: whereas this being a Translation, wants that vanity of allurement, having indeed the same face, but the eyes put out. Read therefore, and let thy Charity give it light; or read not, and thou art charitable still by leaving it in the dark; Every way 'tis at thy disposal: Unhappy He that is seduced by what himself is allowed to guide. Farewell.   

The PREFACE.  
SInce 'tis the duty of Physicians to cure those diseases they have found out; me thinks, it concerns me, having discovered the miseries of Man a Criminal, to let you see the advantages of Man justified, and to search in the purity of Grace the cure of Nature, corrupted by sin. To acquit myself of this obligation is my business in this Work; where by an innocent Murder, I slay Man the Sinner, to give birth to Man the Christian.  
This seems to have been the principal design of the Son of God, and that next to the Glory of his Father, he had no other motive for his Incarnation. Nature, though never so powerful and wise, forms only our body, and having prepared the organs for the operations of the soul, leaves Morality the care of completing what she hath merely deciphered: This goes a step higher; and finding Liberty and Reason in Man, endeavours to husband them by her advice and precepts: But if she be not assisted by Faith, she fills her disciples with much vanity, and in stead of making them Men, many times renders them Devils.  
Religion undertakes what Nature and Morality, corrupted, knew not how to accomplish; she tries to form the Christian Man by the Grace of Jesus Christ, and in her School to teach him those verities he has not been able to learn in those of Philosophers. To change his Inclinations, she changeth his Belief, and giving him another Principle then what he received at his Birth, makes him a new Creature. In this Work I describe the miracles of Religion, I report the means she useth to execute so high an Enterprise; and as in guilty Man I took notice of the devastations of Sin, in the Christian Man I observe the happy effects of Grace. I consider him in all his Conditions, and taking him at his Birth, I lead him to his Happiness: I look upon all his advantages, and lest Pride should ruin him, I present him with all his infirmities, that perceiving what he hath drawn from Adam, and what he hath received from Jesus Christ, he may shake hands with the first, and close with the second.  
Not to wander in so difficult a path, I have taken the Fathers of the Church for my Guides, I tread in the steps of those Great Men she reverenceth as her Masters; and knowing very well that a man cannot easily fail with those that destroyed Heresies, I stick to their opinions, that so I may not fall into Error. But because S. Augustine seems one of the most famous, and most sound, he is one of those I most diligently consult: From the beams of this Sun I borrow my Light; I am instructed in the School of this Great Doctor, and after the example of the Church, I have drawn out of his Books the most part of those Truths I deliver in This. And as I do not less admire his profound Humility than his deep knowledge, I labour to profit by both, and defending his opinions without any eager heat, I not only reverence all those the Church doth not condemn, but I am ready to renounce all my own  she shall disprove them.  
Having given the world this account of my opinions, I conceive myself obliged to make information of my proceeding and order in this Work: I promote very few Conceits which are not supported by the Authority of the Fathers; and if sometimes I fail to relate their words faithfully, I believe I never swerve from their meaning. I have enriched my Margin with many passages which are not inserted into the Discourse; but I hope I have no ways disobliged the Reader in making him partaker of those Treasures I have discovered in Antiquity, nor that he will be offended, if, like a Prodigal, I keep no measure in my Largesses. For what concerns the order, I suppose I have very carefully observed it, avoiding that confusion which is often incident to Works of this length; and to impart some general Notion of what I intent to those that shall take so much pains as to peruse it, I will lay down a plain and easy Scheme, which shall present you with a short prospect of the whole Christian Man.  
I begin the first Treatise with his Birth: which, as it is the fruitful source of all the Allyances he contracts with God, I cannot speak of it sound and to the purpose, without discovering some of his Qualities, and letting you see that assoon as he is regenerated, he is the adopted child of the eternal Father, because he is the Temple of the holy Ghost, and the Brother of the Word Incarnate; To this I add some other Privileges concomitants of his Baptism, all which declare the misery he hath avoided, and the happiness he hath obtained.  
From thence I pass to the second Treatise, which represents the Spirit of the Christian, and which comprehends all the obligations we have to follow his motions, to act according to his orders, and to obey his inspirations, because none are truly the children of God but those that are quickened by his Spirit. Quicunque enim Spiritu Dei aguntur, two sunt Filii Dei. Rom. 8.  
And because the Christian is but a part of a mystical Body whereof there is a Head to guide it, as well as a Spirit to enliven it; in the third Treatise I describe the near relations and close connexion's this glorious quality communicates to him with jesus Christ, the advantages he receives from thence, and the just duties he is obliged to return to this adored Head.  
The fourth Treatise discovers all the secrets of Grace, which seem to be nothing else but a sacred chain uniting the Christian with the son of God and with the Holy Ghost, and putting him at their disposal to be conducted safely in the way of Salvation.  
The virtues that flow from Grace, as streams do from their fountain, are the subject of the fifth Treatise, demonstrating a new Morality which the Philosophers were ignorant of, and which severing man from himself, fastens him happily to his Principle.  
Forasmuch as he lives by Grace and virtues, in the sixth Treatise, I set before him a heavenly Nourishment that preserves his life, and withal affords him some pledges of Immortality. But because this food is also a Victim, speaking of his Nourishment, I speak of his Sacrifice, and I lay down the just Reasons the Christian hath to offer up himself to God with jesus Christ.  
In the seventh Treatise I discourse of his glorious Qualities which I had not touched in the former; wherein I make it appear, that being the Image of the Son of God, he is also a Priest and a Sacrifice, a Soldier and a Conqueror, a Slave and a Sovereign, a Penitent and an Innocent.  
Lastly, to complete the Christian, who is but rudely drawn in Baptism, & who, as long as he is upon earth, is always imperfect, I lead him to Glory; where finding his Happiness in the knowledge and love of the supreme Good, he is happily transformed into God; There he patiently waits for the resurrection of his Body, that the two parts whereof he is composed being reunited, there may be nothing wanting to the perfection of his happiness, and that both Soul and Body being freed from the bondage of sin, he may reign for ever with the Angels in Heaven.  
Thus you see in a few words the drift and scope of the whole Work: where, if I have repeated something that I formerly delivered in the Guilty Man, it is because the Cure depends upon the Disease, Subjects are illustrated by their contraries, and it is impossible to conceive the Advantages of Grace, without comprehending all the Miseries of Sin.   

A TABLE OF THE TREATISES & DISCOURSES.  

The First TREATISE. Of the Christian's Birth.  
Disc. 1. That the Christian hath a double Birth page 1  
Disc. 2. That Man must be renewed to make a Christian of him. page 6  
Disc. 3. That the principal Mysteries of jesus Christ are applied to the Christian in his Birth. page 10  
Disc. 4. That Grace is communicated to the Christian in his Birth, as Sin is communicated to Man in his Generation. page 15  
Disc. 5 Of the Resemblances that are found between the Generation of jesus Christ, and that of a Christian. page 19  
Disc. 6 Of the Adoption of Christians, and the advantage it hath above the Adoption of Men. page 24  
Disc. 7 Of the Allyances the Christian contracts in his Birth with the Divine Persons page 29  
Disc. 8 Of the Principal Effects Baptism produceth in the Christian. page 34  
Disc. 9 Of the obligation of a Christian as the consequence of his Birth. page 39  
Disc. 10 That the Regeneration of a Christian takes not from him all that he drew from his first Generation. page 43   

The Second TREATISE. Of the Spirit of a Christian.  
Disc. 1. That every Body hath its Head, and what that of the Church is. 48  
Disc. 2 That the Holy Ghost is the Heart of the Church. 53  
Disc. 3 That the Holy Ghost is in a sort the same to Christians that he is to the Father, and to the Son in Eternity. 57  
Disc. 4 That the Holy Ghost seems to be the same to Christians that he is to the Son of God. 62  
Disc. 5 That the Presence of the Holy Ghost giveth life to the Christian, and his Absence causeth Death. 67  
Disc. 6 That the Holy Ghost teacheth Christians to pray. 72  
Disc. 7 That the Holy Ghost remits the sins of the Christian. 77  
Disc. 8 That the Christian in his infirmities is assisted by the strength of the Holy Ghost. 83  
Disc. 9 That the Holy Ghost is the Christians Comforter. 89  
Disc. 10 Of the Christians ingratitude toward the Holy Ghost. 94   

The third TREATISE. Of the Christian's Head.  
Disc. 1 That the Christian hath two Heads, Adam and jesus Christ. 100  
Disc. 2 Of the Excellencies of the Christian's Head, and the advantages they draw from thence. 105  
Disc. 3 Of the strict Union of the Head with his Members, and of that of jesus Christ with Christians. 110  
Disc. 4 That the Union of Christians with their Head is an Imitation of the Hypostatical Union. 115  
Disc. 5 That jesus Christ treateth his Mystical Body with as much charity as he doth his Natural Body. 120  
Disc. 6 That the Church is the Spouse of jesus Christ, because she is the Body; and of the community of their Marriage. 125  
Disc. 7 That the Quality of the Members of jesus Christ is more advantageous than that of the Bretbren of jesus Christ. 130  
Disc. 8 That jesus Christ hath taken all his Infirmities from his Members, and that his Members derive all their strength from him. 134  
Disc. 9 Of the duties of Christians, as Members, towards jesus Christ as their Head. 139  
Disc. 10 That all things are common among Christians as between members of the same Body. 144   

The fourth TREATISE. Of the Grace of a Christian.  
Disc. 1 That Predestination, which is the source of Grace, is a hidden Mystery. 150  
Disc. 2 Of the necessity of Grace in the state of Innocence, and of Sin. 156  
Disc. 3 That the Grace of a Christian ought to be more powerful than that of Adam. 160  
Disc. 4 Different opinions of the power of Christian Grace. 166  
Disc. 5 Wherein precisely consists the power of Grace effectual. 170  
Disc. 6 That the names that S. Augustine gives Christian Grace do sufficiently testify that it is effectual. 175  
Disc. 7 That we may judge of the power of Grace over a Christian, by the power of Concupiscence over a Sinner. 180  
Disc. 8 That Grace effectual doth not destroy Grace sufficient. 186  
Disc. 9 Answers to some Objections against Grace effectual. 193  
A Prosecution of the same Discourse. 197  
Disc. 10 That the Christian finds more rest in placing his salvation in Grace then in Liberty. 202   

The fifth TREATISE. Of the Virtues of a Christian.  
Disc. 1. Wherein consisteth Christian Virtue. 207  
Disc. 2 Of the Division of Christian Virtues. 212  
Disc. 3 Of the Excellency and Necessity of Christian Faith. 217  
Disc. 4 Of Christian Hope. 222  
Disc. 5 A Description of Christian Charity. 227  
Disc. 6 Of the Properties and Effects of Christian Charity. 233  
Disc. 7 Of Christian Prudence, justice, Fortitude and Temperance. 238  
Disc. 8 Of Christian Humility. 243  
Disc. 9 Of Christian Repentance. 248  
Disc. 10. Of Christian Self-denial. 253   

The sixth TREATISE. Of the Nourishment and Sacrifice of a Christian.  
Disc. 1 Of three Nourishments answering to the three Lives of a Christian. 259  
Disc. 2 Of the Nourishment of Man in his Innocency, and of that of a Christian. 264  
Disc. 3 That the Body of jesus Christ is the same to a Christian that Manna was to the jews. 269  
Disc. 4 That this Nourishment bestows upon the Christian all that the Devil promised Man in his Innocence, if he would eat of the forbidden Fruit. 274  
Disc. 5 That this Nourishment unites the Christian with the Son of God. 279  
Disc. 6 Of the Dispositions that the Christian ought to bring for the receiving of this Nourishment. 283  
Disc. 7 That the Christian owes God the honour of the Sacrifice. 288  
Disc. 8 That the Christian had need that the Son of God should offer up for him the Sacrifice of the Cross, and of the Altar. 293  
Disc. 9 Of the Difference of these two Sacrifices, and what the Christian receives from both of them. 298  
Disc. 10 Of the obligation the Christian hath to sacrifice himself too God. 303   

The seventh TREATISE. Of the Qualities of a Christian.  
Disc. 1 That the Christian is the Image of jesus Christ. 308  
Disc. 2 That the Christian is a Priest and a Victim. 313  
Disc. 3 That the Christian is a Soldier and a Conqueror. 317  
Disc. 4 That the Christian is a King and a Slave. 322  
Disc. 5 That the Christian is a Saint 327  
Disc. 6 That the Christian is a Martyr. 332  
Disc. 7 That the Christian is a Lover. 338  
Disc. 8 That the Christian is an Excile and a Pilgrim. 343  
Disc. 9 That the Christian is a Penitent. 347  
Disc. 10 That the most glorious Quality of the Christian is that of a Christian. 352   

The eighth TREATISE. Of the Blessedness of a Christian.  
Disc. 1. That every man desires to be happy, and that he cannot be so but in God. 357  
Disc. 2 That the Perfect Felicity of a Christian cannot be found in this world. 361  
Disc. 3 That the Christian tastes some Felicity here below. 365  
Disc. 4 That Happiness consists not in pleasure, but in grief. 368  
Disc. 5 That Happiness is rather found in Poverty then in Riches 372  
Disc. 6 That the Felicity of a Christian upon earth consists rather in Humility then in Glory. 377  
Disc. 7 That Felicity is rather found in Obedience then in Command. 381  
Disc. 8 What is the happiness of a Christian in Heaven, and wherein it consists. 385  
Disc. 9 That the Soul and Body of the Christian shall find their perfection in the Beatifical Vision. 391  
Disc. 10 Of the Miracles that are found in the Christian's Beatitude. 396    

THE CHRISTIAN MAN: OR, The Reparation of NATURE BY GRACE..  

The first TREATISE. Of the Christian's Birth.  

The first DISCOURSE. That the Christian hath a double Birth.  
IF MAN have passed for a Monster in the opinion of some Philosophers, 
* Est inter Carnem & Spiritum colluctatio & discordantibus adversus se invicem quotidiana congressio, ut non ea quae volumus ipsi faciamus: dum spiritus coelestia & divina quaerit, caro terrena & secularia concupiscit, Aug. lib. 1. contra Julian.  because he is composed of two parts which cannot agree; certainly the Christian may very well pass for a Prodigy in the judgement of the faithful, since the parts whereof he is made maintain a war as long as life. For though the body of man contain within its Constitution all the Elements, these four Enemies agree when they are mixed together: The Fire is confounded with the Water without losing its dryness, and the Earth is united to the Air without losing its heaviness; if they are at odds by reason of their Contrariety, they embrace by reason of their sympathy; and if sometimes they grow irregular, there is always some external Cause that produceth the Disorder. The Soul and Body are yet more opposite than the Elements; it it is the strangest Marriage within the Confines of Nature; 
Mirus amor corporis & animi in tanta disparitate non potest esse sine fato. Pla.  and when God associated them together to make Man, he had a mind to show that he was absolute in the Universe. In him we observe Sense with Understanding, Passion with Reason, Heaven with Earth; Nevertheless, God hath so well tempered their qualities, that these two so different parts cease not mutually to love one another. The Soul stoops below the privilege of her Birth, to secure the Infirmities of the Body; and the Body soars above the meaness of its Extraction, to be serviceable to the more noble operations of the Soul: If they are exercised at the provocation of some rebel-lust, there is always found some common friend that takes up the difference: Self-love is content to set them at one, thereby to establish his Empire over sinners, 
Haec cupiditas vana ac per hoc prava, vincit in eyes ac frenat alias cupiditates, Aug. lib. 4. contra Julia. c. 3.  and accompanies his Commands with so many charms, that these two subjects wrong one another to obey him; The spirit basely submits to the Body in the unclean conversations of the wanton, and the body does homage to the soul in the pleasing caresses of the Ambitious; these two parties join their forces to bid Grace battle; and though Divine Justice hath divided them for their punishment, they forget their quarrel, and are reconciled to execute their vengeance.  
But the Christian is of such a Composure that he can never taste any peace in his person; Division seems to constitute one part of his Essence, and till Glory shall put a period to his Controversies, he is continually infested with a Domestic and intestine war. Though Repentance subdue the Body by its Austerities, and Prayer elevate the Soul by its Raptures, both Soul and Body continually rebel against the Spirit of God: 
Indicitur enim bellum non solum adversus suggestiones Diaboli, sed etiam adversus teipsum; sed ex qua parte tibi displices jungeris Deo, & idoneus eris ad vincendum te, quia tecum est qui omnia superat; quare autem permittitur ut diu contra te litiges donec absorbeantur omnes cupiditates? ut intelligas in te poenam tuam. In te ex teipso est flagellum tuum; est rixa tua tecum; sic vindicatur in rebellem contra Deum ut ipse sit sibi bellum qui pacem noluit habere cum Deo. Aug. in Psal. 75.  The greatest Saints complain of these disorders, and wish an End of their life, to find an End of their Conflicts. The internal peace that always accompanies a good Conscience is not able to reconcile these two Enemies, and experience teacheth us that peace and war will sooner shake hands in a Kingdom, than Concupiscence and Charity in a CHRISTIAN.  
But certainly I never wonder at his Discord, since he hath two Fathers, two Births, and two Principles. He hath two Fathers because he came from Adam and from Jesus Christ; and deriving from one the Life of Sin, he derives from the other the Life of Grace. Thus by a strange wonder he is at the same time Innocent and Guilty; he hopes for heaven as his Inheritance, and is afraid of hell as the place of his torment; and pursuing the several Interests he hath received from these two Parents, he is tossed continually between hope and fear. He is 
* Primas homo Adam sic olim defunctus est, ut tamen post illum secundus sit homo Christus, cum tot hominum millia inter illum & hunc orta sint; & ideo manifestum pertinere ad illum omnem qui ex illa successione propagatur & nascitur: sicut ad istum pertinet omnis qui gratiae largitate in illo renascitur, unde fit ut totum genus humanum quodammodo sint homines duo, primus & secundus. Ex scent. Prosp. 299.  Adam and Jesus both together, in his person he unites their names aswell as their qualities, he resents their divers inclinations, and holding something of these two Fathers, he bears the Crime of the one, and the Innocence of the other. They reign successively in his person, and the chief Employment of his life is to make the first die and the second live. This Parricide is innocent, all Christians are obliged to commit it; neither doth Jesus Christ acknowledge them for his children, who endeavour not to strangle this Father, who made them liable to Death before he entitled them to Life. They cannot dispense with themselves from this murder, and whosoever spares Adam in his person, gives evidence he hath no mind that Jesus Christ should reign there. Adam himself allows of this cruelty, in heaven where he now triumphs amongst the Angels, he desires to die in his Children, that he may see him live there who hath repaired his breach; and if there were any thing that could trouble his happiness, it would be this, that he sees his sin still to reign in his posterity, that he stifles Christ in their souls, and makes him suffer death upon Earth, by whose benefit he enjoys life in Heaven. He complains that he cannot utterly perish in his offspring, that he reigns there to this day against his will, and that for punishment of a sin whereof he made them stand convicted before they were born, they continue to make him guilty after that he is dead. But nothing afflicts him so much as to behold sin in some sort more powerful than Grace, that the One overspreads all mankind, the Other only the 
* Contra carnis concupiscentiam ità confligunt Sancti non ei consentientes ad malum, ut tamen ejus motibus quibus repugnantibus resistunt non careant in hac vita. Aug. l. 1. Retra. cap. 13.  Faithful, that sin oftentimes destroys all Grace, but Grace can never wholly destroy all sin. Lastly, that Adam utterly exterminates Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ can never perfectly slay Adam.  
These two Fathers are conveyed to their posterity by two different Productions; the first is shameful and guilty, the second is glorious and innocent: The first is inseparable from sin; For though it be noble according to the Laws of the world, 'tis always ignominious according to the Laws of God, and though it appear innocent to the eyes of men, 'tis always Criminal in the sight of Angels: The Saints acknowledge it with grief, and though the Issue of lawful Beds, they cease not to confess that they were 
* Nunquid David de adulterio natus erat? de Jesse viro justo & Conjuge ipsius? quid est quod se dicit in iniquitate conceptum, nisi quia trahitur iniquitas ex Adam? Aug. in Ps. 50.  born in sin. The second is ever joined with Grace, it gives us God for our Father, the Church for our Mother, and Heaven for our Inheritance. We cannot better express their differences, then in the words of St. Augustine 
* 
Duae sunt nativitates, una de terra, alia de Coelo; una de Carne, alia de Spiritu; una de mortalitate, alia de aeternitate; una de Masculo & Foemina, alia de Deo & Ecclesia. Aug. Tract. 11. in Joan.  
Sicut eos vita spiritus regenerat sideles in Christo, sic eos Corpus mortis in Adam generat Peccatores: Illa enim carnalis generatio est, haec spiritualis; illa facit filios carnis, haec spiritûs; illa filios mortis, haec Resurrectionis; illa filios saeculi, haec filios Dei; illa filios irae, haec filios misericordiae; ac per hoc illa peccato originali obligatos, illa omnis vinculo peccati liberatos. August. lib. 1. de Pecca. men.  , who tells us, The one comes from the Earth and returns thither again, the other comes from Heaven and ascends thither again; the one draws it's Original from the Flesh, the other from the Spirit; the one tends to Death, the other to Eternity; the one proceeds from Man and Woman, the other from God and the Church. Or to deliver the same Truth in other terms, we may add with the same Saint, That the Life of the Spirit regenerates the Faithful in Jesus Christ, and the Death of the Body begets sinners in Adam: That of these two Births, the One is Carnal, the Other Spiritual; The One produceth Angels, the Other engenders Men; The One designs them to Death, the Other prepares them for the Resurrection; The One renders them the children of the Devil, the Other makes them the children of God; The One exposeth them to his Wrath, the Other to his Mercy; Finally, the One engageth them in Original sin, the Other by a more happy and powerful influence frees them from all Iniquity.  
These two Births produce two Lives which are preserved in every Christian till he dies; their strength is more or less according to the Progress 
* 
Sient ignorantia minuitur veritate magis magisque lucente, ita & concupiscentia minuitur charitate magis magisque fervente, Aug l. 6. contra Julia.  
Per cupiditatem regnat in homine Diabolus & cor ejus tenet; per charitatem regnat in illo Christus, Aug. lib. de Ago Christ. cap. 1.  
Quanto magis regnum cupiditatis destruitur, tanto magis regnum charitatis augetur. August. lib. 3. de Doctrina Christ. c. 10.   Grace or Sin makes in the Soul; They act by contrary principles, and divide the Christian in his operations as well as in his person. For as he is mystically compounded of Jesus Christ and Adam, so is he spiritually framed of Concupiscence and Charity: whatever he undertakes is under the conduct of one of these Mistresses, who have no other design but to have an absolute Command over his will: He is a slave to both; he complains that being wholly delivered up to Grace, he is not wholly delivered from Sin; that he suffers the Evil he hath no mind to act; that he feels disorders he no ways approves of, and that unhappily divided between his desires, he cannot so fully obey Charity, but he must still serve Concupiscence.  
Indeed every Christian is obliged to combat himself, he feels something within him that cannot but displease him; he wonders to behold such different motions in the same person, and not being able to comprehend how such contrary desires grow in the same heart, he is amazed to find inclinations which transport him to sin as much as to virtue. When he reflects upon himself, he observes that he is just and guilty; that he partly obeys Jesus Christ and partly resists him; that being a subject and a rebel at the same time, he bears about him the seeds of Life and of Death. For he is righteous, as 
* 
Eris in part emendata justus, quamvis sis adhuc in emendanda pecoator: ex qua parte tibi displices justus es, ex qua parte tibi displicet quod justum est in ustus es. August. in Psal. 1.  
Praeponite delectationem mentis delectationi carnis; carnem quippe nostram delectant delectationes illicitae: mentem nostram delectat invisibilis, casta, sancta, dulcis justitia, ut non ad eam timore cogamini; si enim ad eam timore cogimini nondum delectat; peccare non debes timore paenae sed amore justitiae, Aug. serm. 17. de verb. Apost.   St. Augustin saith, with that part that is sanctified by Grace, but guilty with that which is corrupted by Sin; He pleaseth God because he endeavours to keep his Commandments; He displeaseth him, because he cherisheth something in his Soul that opposeth his will.  
These two Mistresses that govern the Christian have some correspondency in their oppositions; both of them make use of the same subjects, nor undertake any thing of importance but by the assistance of the Passions and faculties of the Soul: But Concupiscence finds more submission than Charity, because she asks nothing but what suits with their humour, and flatters their hope: Nevertheless, Charity gains Obedience, because she acts in the power of the Almighty, and is assisted by Grace to reduce all these rebels to their duty. Her Empire though strong is nevertheless pleasing, and herein she imitates Concupiscence her opposite: For this agreeable Enemy of a Christian reigns with so much sweetness, that she is loved of those that persecute her; all her persuasions are so many charms; and knowing very well that she commands over free Creatures, she never propounds any thing that is not acceptable and delightful. Charity takes the same course; all her inspirations are pleasant: if she press us, 'tis with Charms; if she be victorious, 'tis without doing us any violence; if she gain our Consent, 'tis without compelling our liberty; and if she encourage us against ourselves, 'tis not till she hath persuaded us that we are faulty.  
Finally, these two Sovereigns wholly possess the Christian by their divers motions, and according as he is acted by them, he is Innocent or Guilty. When he follows the provocations of Concupiscence he can do nothing but offend; 
* Libido non solum sibi totum corpus, nec solum extrinsecus vendicat, sed totum hominem commovet, animi simul affectu cum carnis appetitu conjuncto atque permixto. Aug. lib. 14. de Civ. c. 15.  whatever lustre his actions put on, they are always bad when they proceed from this principle. Though he give his goods to the poor, his assistance to the miserable, expose his life for the safety of his Country, shed his blood for the interest of Religion or Justice, if he act by the Counsel of Concupiscence, he is criminal amidst the throng of so many splendid Actions; and the principle he moves by being unable to propound any other end then vainglory, can secure him neither from sin nor punishment. When on the contrary the Christian being led by Charity, acted by the Spirit of God that quickens him, and following the motions of Grace, endeavours to satisfy his Duty; all his actions are Innocent and acceptable to God: Did he always act according to this Principle, his condition would be no longer peccant, and did he obey its holy inspirations he should be sure not to offend. It is in this sense that the Beloved disciple of our Saviour, assures us, 
* Omnis qui natus est ex Deo peccatum non facit; quoniam semen ipsius in eo manet, & quoniam ex Deo natus est. 1 Joan. cap. 3.  That whatever is born of God sinneth not; that is, the Christian that always follows the motion of the Divine Spirit, is never subdued by Concupiscence, neither can he be overcome as long as he is actually guided by Charity. This heavenly seed that preserves him, can produce nothing but what is excellent, and this Tree that is planted in his heart, can bring forth none but good fruit. But in as much as this actual assistance is not due unto him, and that heaven leaves him to himself, to make him sensible of his weakness, he falls many times into light transgressions, and is forced to confess with the same Apostle, That, he that says he hath no sin, deceives himself, and the truth is not in him.  Thus the Christians life is a continual warfare; he resents his double Extraction, feels the effects of both his Parents; and divided by his desires, he learns by woeful experience that when he acts not by Charity, he is in danger to act by Concupiscence.  

The second DISCOURSE. To make Man a Christian, he must be Renewed, Regenerate, and raised from the Dead.  
NOthing doth so fully manifest the greatness of a Disease, 
Si cito caperetur incarnatio, non opus erat ut crederetur; credendo ergo capitur quod nisi credatur nunquam intelligitur. Aug. de vera Innoc. c. 45.  as the difficulty of the Remedy; neither does any thing make a man so sensible of the Corruption of his Nature by Sin, as the difficulty of his Restitution by Grace: The External Cause of his salvation is so strange, that it appears incredible to all those that are not illuminated by Faith; Humane Prudence cannot comprehend that the Death of a God was necessary for the Recovery of a Sinner: It laughs at that Mercy that obliged Divinity to be clothed with our miseries, it believes such excess of love unworthy an infinite wisdom, and that to be persuaded of the mystery of the Incarnation, is to render the Divine Nature ridiculous, and humane Nature insolent.  
Nevertheless, Faith convinceth us, that nothing hath so much exalted God as this Condescension; nothing hath so much abased Man as this Exaltation. For albeit the greatness of God be at the height; that neither Desires nor Imaginations can add any thing to it; yet if we believe Saint 
* Deus cum non haberet quo cresceret per ascensum quia ultra Deum nihil est, per descensum quomodo cresceret invenit veniens Incarnari. Bern. serm. 2. de Asc.  Bernard, he acquired new qualities by the Incarnation: Men never more reverenced him then since he thus humbled himself; and he hath done things in pursuance of this Mystery that might seem unprofitably attempted before he vouchsafed to accomplish so transcendent a wonder. His Empire is increased now that he is become a servant to his Father; Men have erected Altars to his Majesty since the Jews lifted him up upon the Cross, and the Crown of Thorns that encircled his head hath merited the Crown of all the Kingdoms of the Universe. If his Humiliation hath exalted him, we must acknowledge that our exaltation hath humbled us: 
† Haec medicina hominum tanta est, quanta non potest cogitari; nam quae superbia sanari potest si humilitate filii Dei non sanatur? Aug. de Ago. Chr. c. two.  For there is no pride that will not stoop when it considers that our sin could not find a perfect remedy but in the death of God-Man, that we must be washed in his blood to be purified, and with his honour despoil him of Life to restore us our Innocence.  
This Truth finds new proofs in the Birth of a Christian; and if he consider the names it bears, and the effects it produceth, he will be constrained to acknowledge that he was strangely corrupted by sin, since to re-establish him in Grace he was fain to bestow upon him a 
* Redditur nobis novitas per Baptismū vetustate discedente; deoneratur anima sarcinis peccatorum ut libertate novae vitae induta adversus Diabolum cum adjutorio Divino valeat fortiter dimicare. Aug. l. 4. de Sym. c. 9  New-Birth. Indeed the Holy Scriptures teach us that the Baptism wherein the Christian is Regenerated, is sometimes called his Renovation, sometimes his second Birth, sometimes his first Resurrection, that from the very name of his Remedy he may learn the greatness of his Malady: Let us admire these two together, and show in this Discourse the Transgression of Man, and the Reformation of the Christian.  
Sin is a Secret poison that hath spread its malice over the soul and body of Man. 
Malorum omnium nostrorum causa peccatum est; non enim fine causa mala ista homines patiuntur; Justus est Deus omnipotens; non ista pateremur nisi mereremur. Aug. ser. 139. de Tempore.  The miseries it hath produced in the body are so public that there is none but knows them, because there is none but feels them. The Confusion of our Humours, the Disorder of our Temperament, the unfaithfulness of our Senses, and the revolt of our Passions, are miseries under which Philosophers groan as well as Believers: But as the soul is more guilty than the Body, so is she much more miserable: For Error hath stolen into the Understanding, Malice hath depraved the Will, Oblivion hath dropped into the Memory, and in so general a disorder there remains no faculty that is not either weakened or corrupted. The Pride of the Stoïcks hath complained of this misfortune, which though they have endeavoured to sweeten by Reason, they have been forced to confess that so impotent a remedy could not cure so obstinate a malady.  
After the Divine Justice had suffered man for many ages to languish in his 
* Productior est poena quam culpa, ne parva putaretur culpa si cum illa finiretur & poena. Aug. Trac. 124. in Joan.  miseries, at last Mercy furnished him with Baptism to rid him of his Evils: But lest the Easiness of the remedy, consisting of the Commonest of the Elements might render it contemptible, God was willing that the very name it bears should inform us that we were so corrupt, that to be cured we must be wholly newmade. For in this Sacrament Man seems to change his Nature, to receive a new life, to assume other inclinations, 
Ecce libertatis serenitate perfruuntur qui tenebantur paulo ante captivi; Cives Ecclesiae sunt qui fuerunt in peregrinationis errore, & in sort justitiae versantur qui fuerunt in confus●one peccati. Non enim tantum sunt liberi sed & sancti, non tantum sancti sed & justi, non solum justi sed & filii, non solum filii sed cohaeredes, etc. vides quot sunt Baptismatis largitates. Chrysost. homil. de Baptisatis citatur ab. Aug. lib. 1. contra Julia. cap. 2.  where being illuminated by faith he discovers other lights; being warmed by Charity he conceives other heats; being united to another head he receives other influences; and being quickened by a new Spirit, he forms new designs.  
Is it not indeed a prodigious change, that he that was the slave of the Devil, becomes the subject of Jesus Christ; that a Criminal is pronounced Innocent; that he that had in him the seeds of all Vices, receives the seeds of all Virtues, and that by a happy Metamorphosis which is wrought in a moment, and with a word he is despoiled of Adam, and clothed with Jesus Christ?  
This Renovation is so great and so consequentially admirable in the effects thereof, that the Scripture to express the wonders that accompany it, hath sometimes called it a New-birth, sometimes a Regeneration. The Son of God who is the Author of it testifies that no man can enter into the kingdom of heaven except he be born again of Water and of the Holy Ghost. The Fathers of the Church have given it the same name, and Theoyhylact teacheth us that we were so deeply swallowed up in the puddle of sin, that being not able to be drawn out by an ordinary endeavour, nor cleansed by a simple washing, we were fain to be Regenerated: And making use of another Comparison, he tells us, That being like an old house that is ready to fall, it was requisite we should be quite destroyed that we might be rebuilt again. 
Ita vitiis eramus immersi ut nulla ratione purgari possemus, sed opus suit Regeneratione; nam secundam nativitatem Regeneratio significat, & nos ut veterem domum quam evertere oportet Deus denuo condidit. Theophyl. ad Tit. c. 3.  St. Augustin is of the same opinion, when observing what havoc sin hath made in our Nature, he saith, God deals with us as he doth with decayed buildings which are good only to be thrown down, that upon their ruins may be laid the foundation of a new structure, wherein the wisdom of the Architect is to be admired, who from a heap of rubbish hath been able to erect a stately Palace or a magnificent Temple.  
But not to wander from the subject of our Discourse in such figurative expressions, 
Qui gaudes Baptismi perceptione, vive in novi hominis sanctitate, & tenens fidem quae per dilectionem operatur habe bonum quod nondum habes, & profit tibi bonum quod habes. Prosp. Sent. 325.  let us hold to the simplicity of the Gospel affirming that Baptism is called the New-birth of a Christian; because thereby he receives a New-Being, and passing from the person of Adam into that of Jesus Christ, he happily loseth those bad qualities he had contracted in his first conception: He becomes a member of the Son of God, he enters by Grace upon all the rights of his head, he converseth with God as with his Father, with whom not losing his respect he gains a familiarity, till being insensibly disengaged from the Earth, he aspires to Heaven, as towards his lawful inheritance.  
Indeed this Generation is but begun in Baptism, it continues the whole course of a man's life, nor is it finished till the general Resurrection. For though Sin be blotted out by Grace in a Christian, 
Concupiscentia tanquam lex peccati manens in membris corporis mortis hujus cum parvulis nascitur; in parvulis baptizatis à reatu solvitur, ad agonem relinquitur, ante agonem mortuos nulla damnatione prosequitur. August.  neither can all that he hath received from Adam any longer shut the gate of Heaven against him; yet there are a thousand disorders that hinder the complete perfect establishment of Charity in his soul; It lives as it were in an ungrateful and barren land, where there can be no improvement without a kind of violence: Self-love opposeth all its designs; and this Enemy who is often beaten but never vanquished, gives it so many turns that were it not for the continual assistance it receives from God, it could not preserve itself one moment.  
But admit this dangerous Enemy persecute not the Christian with so cruel awar, the bondage whereto Infancy hath reduced him, suffers him not to make any great progress: For the Grace that we receive in Baptism cannot make us operate; as we have not yet the use of Reason, neither have we that of Charity or of Faith; we are faithful without believing in God, Charitable without loving him; we possess a Treasure that we cannot dispose of, and our happiness having some resemblance with our disaster, we have no other merits but that of Jesus Christ, as we have no other sins but those of Adam. For this reason are we obliged to be very industrious as soon as we are out of our childhood, and not to suffer all those advantages we receive from our New-Birth to lie useless and unprofitable; we must have recourse to our Redeemer, and conjure him by our prayers to finish the work he hath begun, that perfecting us in Grace 
* Cum concupiscentia natus es; ut eam vincas, noli tibi hostes addere, vince cum quo natus es; ad stadium vitae hujus cum illo venisti, congredere cum eo qui tecum procedit. Aug. Ps. 57  here, we may one day be happily consummated in Glory hereafter.  
But to return to the subject we have necessarily digressed from, Baptism bears not only the name of a New Birth, but also that of a Resurrection; Therefore the Great Apostle saith 
* An ignoratis quia quicunque baptizati sumus in Christ's Jesus, in morte ipsius baptizati sumus cum illo per Baptismum in mortem, ut quomodo Christus surrexit à mortuis per gloriam Patris, ità & nos in novitate vitae ambulemus? Roman. 6. , That the Christians are risen with Christ, that his Death quickens their souls, and that these two contraries agreeing in their person, they are dead to Sin and alive to Grace. This name, more excellent than the rest, does (me thinks) more fully discover the misery of Man, and the happiness of a Christian: For if Baptism be a Resurrection, if a Believer be not only born again, but raised from the grave, we must conclude, that before this second Birth he was dead; and if he had some symptoms of a natural and sensitive, he had not any Principle of a supernatural and divine Life: He was as much pre-engaged in Death as in Sin, and according to the rules of Scripture, he was truly dead; because truly a sinner. All the excuse he could allege in his misery, is, that his Death was contracted by the fault of another; and that as he transgressed not but by the will of his Father, so neither was he obnoxious to death but by his hand. In a word, to comprehend this rightly, He is the cause of our misfortune; He committed the Crime that we contracted in our birth; if he be guilty by design, we are so by necessity, and before we have the use of reason we are therefore sinners, because we are his Children; by the same means that he conveys 
* Sicut omnium fuisii parens, ità & omnium peremptor, &, quod infelicius, omnium prius peremptor quàm parens. Ber.  death to us, by the same doth he communicate sin; he is our Parricide just as he is our Parent; and, which puzzles all Philosophy, he commits as many murders as his posterity begets Children.  
In this deplorable condition as Baptism finds us, it not only gives us life, but restores it, nor is it merely our Birth but our Resurrection. This is it that St. Augustine, with no less Eloquence than Learning, delivers, when he saith, 
Resurrecturum humanum genus i● saeculi consummatione post mortem nunc resurgit in Baptismo: suscitandus est tunc populus Dei post soporem, nunc suscitandus post infidelitatem, liberandus est tunc à mortali conditione, nunc liberatur ab ignorantiae caecitate; renasciturus tunc ad aeternitatem, nunc renascitur ad salutem. August. Serm. 163. de Tempore.  that the Church acknowledgeth two Resurrections in the world; the first is in Baptism, the second will be at the day of Judgement, that the Christians shall then awake from their long sleep which hath so many Ages sealed them up in their Tombs, and that now they do arise after they were buried in Infidelity; then they shall be freed from all misfortunes that attend their mortal condition; now they are delivered from all clouds of Ignorance that darken their spiritual existency; then they shall rise to Immortality and Glory, now they are regenerated to Grace and Salvation.  
Though these effects of Baptism are sufficiently admirable by their own proper greatness, 
Nun mirandum et lavacro dilui mortem? atquin eo magis credendum, si quia mirandum est ideo non creditur: atquin eo magis credendum est; qualia enim decet esse opera divina nisi omnem admirationem? Tert. de Bapt. Sine pompa, sine apparatu, sine sumptu in aquae demissus inter pauca verba tinctus inde exiliit innocentior. Idem ibid.  yet must we acknowledge that the easiness that produceth them, extremely heightens their Excellency: For, to revive a child, there needs only a little water animated with the Word of God; all these changes are wrought in his soul, when the Priest speaks, and sprinkles his body; he is miraculously raised, when the Ceremonies of the Church are ended; and this way that prepares him to eternal life, costs the Ministers of Jesus Christ nothing but the Pronunciation of these words, I baptise thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  
The Heathen who heretofore informed themselves of our Mysteries, were scandalised at a miracle so mean and simple in its Administration, so glorious in its Promises, and so powerful in its Effects: They could not comprehend saith Tertullian, that washing the body with a little water, the soul should be cleansed from its sins; that without any 
* Miratur incredulitas, non credit; miratur enim simplicia quasi vana, magnifica quasi impossbilia. Ter.  pomp or expense, a few words mingled with the commonest of the Elements, should assure us of the Conquest of heaven: But this Great Doctor answers their doubts with such solid Reasons, that he at once blazons the honour of our Religion, and the Majesty of our God. For he makes them see 
* Prob misera incredulitas quae denegas Deo proprietas suas, simplicitatem et potestatem! Ter. de Baptis.  he was pleased to show his simplicity in the matter of our Sacraments, and his State in their effects: that not to know God, was no more than to deny him these two perfections which seem to constitute his Nature; and that it was to want respect to make simple things pass for vain, and glorious things for impossible; because it is easy for him who drew the world out of nothing to draw our salvation out of an Element quickened by his Word and by his Spirit. Baptism then being so fruitful of Miracles, and this Sacrament being the Throne of the power of the Almighty, we need not wonder that the Christian finds his birth there, that in it he is renewed by Grace, that he is raised again by the virtue of Jesus Christ, and that there he commenceth a supernatural life, whose Progress is as strange as the Beginning is wonderful.   

The Third DISCOURSE. That the chiefest Mysteries of Jesus Christ are applied to the Christian in his Birth.  
IT is not without reason that St. Paul informs Christians newly baptised 
* Quicunque in Christo baptizati estis Christum induistis. Gal. 3. , that they have put on Jesus Christ, since in their second Nativity they are united to his Person, replenished with his Grace, and quickened with his Spirit: For as a 
* Induistis, id est, conforms ei facti estis quod est vobis honor contra aestus & protectio. Glossa. ordinar. in hunc locum.  Garment is the ornament and shelter of a man, it covers his shame, and protects him from the injury of the weather: so may we say of Jesus Christ; he is the glory and guard of a Christian, whom having delivered from the confusion that accompanies sin, he defends against the assaults of temptation, and bestows upon him vigour and beauty, thereby to render him a complete work. But as all graces in Christianity are mixed with pain, the Christian, according to the doctrine of the same Apostle, if he intent to be perfect, must die with Christ; death must bring him to the resurrection and to life: Whosoever, saith he, are baptised into Jesus Christ, are baptised into his death. All that we are of Christians, we have by being baptised in his death: 
Sacri Baptismatis in cruse Christi grande mysterium commendavit Apostolus eo modo ut intelligamus nihil aliud esse in Christo baptismum, nisi mortis Christi similitudinem, ut quemadmodum in illo vera mors facta est, sic in vobis vera remissio peccatorum; & quemadmodum in illo vera resurrectio, ita in vobis vera justificatio. Aug. in Beda.  we are buried with him in Baptism: we drowned our sins in the waters of this Sacrament, and in this laver happily lose whatever we received from Adam in our first birth. This death is fruitful, producing in us the life of grace: this burial prepares us for the Resurrection; neither doth Jesus Christ make us partake of his Cross, but thereby to make us partake of his Glory. The Tomb is a step to our Birth: like the Phoenix, we find life in our ashes; and, by a wonderful prodigy, the Sepulchre of the Sinner becomes the Cradle of the Believer. For the Christian receives a Being in Baptism, according as he expires there; and, contrary to all the Laws of Nature, Death is the Midwife of Life.  
All the Fathers speak the same dialect with S. Paul; 
Baptismus Christi nobis est sepultura in quo peccatis morimur, criminibus sepelimur, & veteris hominis conscientia in alteram nativitatem rediviva infantia reparamur. Baptismus inquam Salvatoris vobis sepultura, quia ibi perdidimus quod antè viximus, & ibi dennò accipimus ut vivamus: magna igitur sepulturae hujus est gratia, in qua nobis & utilis mors infertur, & utilior vita condonatur: magna inquam sepulturae hujus gratia, quae & purificat peccatorem, & vivificat morientem. Aug. Serm. 129. de Temp.  never mentioning Baptism but as a Sacrament where the life and death of Jesus Christ are equally applied unto us, that we may live to grace, and die to sin. The Baptism of Jesus Christ, saith S. Augustine, is a burial wherein we bequeath sin; and losing the conscience of the old man, we enter upon a second Infancy by a new Nativity. In a word, the Baptism of our Saviour is a Tomb wherein we are buried, and a Cradle wherein we are born again: 'tis a pleasant dormitory where receiving a death beneficial, we receive withal a life far more glorious; and where leaving off to be Sinners, we begin to be Innocents'.  
In this it is that I admire the Providence of the Son of God, who made use of sin to destroy sin, as saith the Apostle of the Gentiles; De peccato damnavit peccatum; and changing his death into a sacrifice, made it a satisfaction for all our iniquities. For if Baptism make us die to sin, it is upon no other ground, but because it imprints in our souls the merit and image of the death of Christ, and by an invisible, but a true and real grace, works in us a desire to part with all that is derived from Adam. This makes the 
* Infelix ego homo, quis me liberabit de corpore mortis hujus! Rom. 7.  Saints that they cannot endure the rebellions of concupiscence; that they employ all their strength to smother these embryos; that being true to Grace, they resist all the motions of its Enemy; groaning when they are compelled to follow or suffer his disorders. They know that Christ died to oblige them to die to sin; that he was not nailed to the Cross, but to crucify them to the world; nor buried in the grave, but that the earth might be their sepulchre. All that is in the world, 
Crucifixus est Christus, ut & vos crucifigamini mundo: mortuus est, ut & vos moriamini peccato, & saeculo, & vivatis Deo: sepultus est, ut & vos consepeliamini illi per baptismum; Apostolo dicente, Consepulti sumus, etc. ut sicut ille semel surgens à mortuis, jam non moritur; ita & vos vetustate mortalitatis per Baptismum mortificati, & vitale indumentum induti non iterum per peccata in anima in morte retrahami●i. Aug. de Expos. Orat. Dom. & Symbol. Serm. 3.  displeaseth them; diversions are their torments; that which is a recreation to sinners, afflicts them; and knowing very well the mind of the Lord Jesus, they endeavour to fulfil it, even with the loss of their own lives. Saint Augustine entertained the Catechumeni heretofore with these obligations; and expounding to them the doctrine of the Gospel, taught them that Baptism engaged them in death. Jesus Christ, said he, was crucified, that you might be so to the world; he suffered death, that you might die to sin: he was buried, that you might be together with him: and having put off the old man Adam, and being clothed with the new man Jesus Christ, you may die no more in your souls by sin.  
All the other Fathers speak the same language, teaching us that there is a death and a life hid in Baptism, producing real effects in our souls. Thence ariseth the inclination all Christians have to die and to live: thence proceed those obstinate conflicts they entertain self-love with: thence spring those violent desires to be separated from the world and the flesh, that they may be no longer subject to their tyranny.  
But because this Mystery very much concerns our salvation, it deserves a more ample explication from us, that we may disclose the truths and obligations that lie wrapped up in it. The Son of God is willing that as his death is the Principle, so it should be the Rule and Example of our salvation: as he died to deliver us, he would have us die to honour him: and as he entered not into glory but by the door of the Cross, neither must we pass to the resurrection but by the gate of the Grave. He died, saith the great Apostle, that by his death he might ruin the Empire of sin. He died, that losing all the imperfections he drew from Adam, he might rise again to life everlasting. He died, that satisfying his Father, we might be no longer responsible to his Justice. All these considerations oblige us to die in Baptism: 
Pro omnibus mortuus est, ut & qui vivunt jam non sibi vivant, sed ei qui pro ipsis mortuus est; debet ergo vita hominis in se deficere, in Christo proficere, ut dicat cum Apostolo, Vivo ego, jam non ego. Aug. Serm. de Epiphan.  if we intent to be the images of Jesus Christ, we must destroy sin by death, that dying we may be born again; and making a sacrifice of our death, we may be changed into spotless Victims.  
But as the Son of God was not content only to die, but was willing to join the ignominy of the grave to the bitterness of his death; 
Sicut Christus sepultus fuit in terra, sic baptizatus mergitur in aqua. Nicol. de Lyra.  because there was a second punishment of sin comprised in those words of our Arrest, Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return, he will have our death followed with a funeral; and that the same Sacrament that makes us die, bury us together with him. Consepulti sumus cum Christo.  
Burial adds to the dead corpse two or three notable conditions. The first is, 
Coemeteria extra urbes, utnullum esset vivenium cum mort vis mmercium.  that he that is buried is separated from the company of the living, that he remains in the regions of death, and hath no more commerce with the present world. So the Christian is buried with the Son of God, because he is removed from amongst wicked men; neither doth the state of death into which he is entered, suffer him to converse with them. 
Quid est mori peccat● & consepeliri cum Christo, nisi damnandis operibus omnino non vivere, nihil concupiscere carnaliter, nihil ambire? sicut qui mortuus est carne, nulli detrahit, nullum aversatur. Prosp. de vita contempt. c. 21  He hath now no ears to hear calumnies, no eyes to gaze upon the beauties of the earth, no desires nor pretensions after the honours of the world; and his death being attended with a funeral, he protests aloud that he hath renounced all hopes of the things of the world.  
The second condition of this state, is, the duration that goes along with it: For though death be eternal in respect of the Creature, nor can any but an Almighty power reunite the soul with the body when once separated; yet there seems to remain some faint hope, as long as the body is not committed to the grave: we watch it, to see if that which appears a death, be but a swoon or trance: and there have been those that have died and risen again the same day, without a miracle. But when the body is laid in the sepulchre, drooping Nature is then past all hope. This dismal abode hath no intercourse with life: 'tis an everlasting habitation whence there is no return but by a prodigy: 
Sepulchra eorum domus illorum in aeternum, jam quia constructa sunt sepulchra, domus sunt sepulchra, & quia ibi semper crunt ideo domus in aeternum. Aug. in Psal. 48.  'tis the place where worms serving for ministers of the Divine Justice, discharge their fury upon men, till being reduced to powder, there remains nothing of these famous criminals. Thus the Christians, when baptised, are as it were interred; to instruct them, that this death ought to be immortal, that the divorce which they have made with the world can admit of no accommodation, and that a departure accompanied with so solemn a funeral, should in all reason extinguish the desire and hope of the life of Adam.  
Finally, the last condition of a burial, is, the oblivion of the world. For notwithstanding men desire to live after death, whereof those proud Mausolaeums they erect to their ashes is a witness as vain as it is confident; 
Postquam per mille indignitates ad dignitates pervenerint misera subit eos cogitatio laborasse tantum in titulum sepulchri. Senec.  and that the care they take for their Obsequies, gives testimony they would be thought to live still in the opinion of the world: nevertheless experience teacheth us, that Tombs are the chambers of Forgetfulness, that they steal out of our remembrance those they cover, and that contrary to the intention of the bvilders, they many times, together with their Body, lay a stone upon their Name and Memory too. The holy Scripture, whose plainness of expression hath not wholly abandoned the figures of eloquence, calls graves the receptacles of Oblivion; 
Oblivioni datus sum tanquam mortuus à cord. Psal. 30.  disciplining us by so elegant a metaphor, that the sepulchre draws a black line over the glory of mortals; and death having spoiled them of their life, takes pleasure still to plunder their reputation. As the Christian is entombed, so ought he also to be forgotten: if he repent not of the grace he hath received, 
Nunquid cognoscentur in tenebris mirabilia tua, & justitia tua in terra oblivionis. Psa. 87  he ought to be dead in the memory of men, lest their calling him to mind prove fatal to his innocence; and being remanded into the world, whence death had given him a retirement, he begin again to live in Adam, and die to Jesus Christ.  
Though this Doctrine appear harsh, yet is it sweet and comfortable to those who know, that the sepulture we find in Baptism prepares us for the Resurrection: 
Per Crucem datur credentibus virtus de infirmitate, gloria de opprobrio, vita de morte. Leo. Serm. 8. de Passio. Dom.  For as Christ by his death entered into a new life, the Cross contributed to his glory; nor was heaven opened to him but thorough the passage of shame and grief: so the Christian in death embraceth life, and in the grave finds a new conception. He is quickened with a new spirit in Baptism; he tastes the joys of heaven there: and the grace he receives in that holy Sacrament is not only an Earnest, but an Antepast and Prelibation of glory. His life is answerable to his dignity: having God for his Father, his pretensions must needs be high; and despising whatever the world can promise, he aspires at no less than the felicity of Angels. This is the consolation of the faithful in their troubles; 'tis the reason the great Apostle makes use of, to sweeten his travels: and as often as persecution flats our spirits, he endeavours to raise them up again from the consideration of the recompenses that are prepared for us.  
The truth is, this life lies secret, undiscovered; the precedent death being much more visible and apparent. Ye are dead, saith the Apostle, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Our miseries are public, our advantages walk in the dark. Men see what we suffer, but doubt of what we hope for: 
Mortui estis, & vita vestra abscondita cum Christo: quomodo videutur arbores per hyemem quasi aridae, quasi mortuae: ergo quae spes? Si mortui sumus, intus est radix, ibi radix nostra, ibi vita nostra, ibi charitas nostra. Quando autem ver nostrum? quando aestas nostra, quando circumvestit dignitas foliorum, & ubertas frucluum. Quando hoc erit? Audi quod sequrtur: Cùm Christus apparuerit vita vestra, tunc & vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria. Aug. in Ps. 36.  and in the judgement of Infidels, our Religion passeth for an Imposture, because the good things it promiseth are invisible, but the evils it threatens are sensible and present. We are, saith S. Augustine, like those great trees which during the sharpness of the winter are naked of all their leaves; their life is enclosed in their roots; their vigour is retired into their sap; and all the soul and vegetation they have, is hid from the eyes of the beholders: but their death is conspicuous; every branch publisheth it; and all the bavock winter hath made them feel, are so many arguments to make us doubt of their life. Thus it is with Christians: they are dead, and they are alive: but their life is in a cloud, their death manifest: the persecutions they suffer, the temptations they contest with, the conflicts they undergo, persuade Infidels that their life is but a languishing and doleful death: but their vigour is over-shadowed, their beauty is like that of the Spouse, whose advantages are the fruits rather of her mind then of her body: their glory is retreated with Christ in God. And as the Spring must needs return, to convince the ignorant that a tree that hath lost his leaves is not dead; so must the general Resurrection happen, to assure unbelievers that a Christian persecuted by the world is alive with Christ in God. Let us die therefore with him, if we mean to live with him: and, to end this Discourse with the words of S. Gregory cited by S. Augustine; 
* Cum Christo ergo nascamur, cum Christo crucifigamur, & consepcliamur ei in mortem, ut cum ipso etiam resurgamus ad vitam. Greg. citat. ab Aug.  Let us be born with the Son of God in Baptism, die with him upon the Cross, be buried with him in the Tomb, that we may rise with him in Glory; and that from this present receiving the Pledges of his promises we may in the same Sacrament find a Birth joined with Death, and a Resurrection with a Funeral.   

The fourth DISCOURSE. That Grace is communicated to the Christian in his Regeneration, as Sin is communicated to Man in his Generation.  
THough Providence display its banner in all the occurrences of our life, and there is no moment wherein we may not take notice of its dispensations; yet me thinks it never appears with greater lustre, 
 qui in ligno vincebat in ligno quoque vinceretur.  then when from our fall it raiseth our salvation, or makes use of a remedy that hath some resemblance with our disease: Thus we see it makes the malice of the Devil serviceable to the Glory of the Martyrs; employs a Man for the Redemption of all Men, that their fall and recovery may have the same Principle. 'Tis Adam that destroys us; 
Debitum quide Adae tantum erat, ut illud non deberet solvere nifi homo, sed non posset nisi Deus; ita opus erat ut idem esset homo qui esset Deus. Aug. lib. cur Deus homo, cap. 6.  'tis Jesus Christ that saves us: It was a woman that served as an Interpreter to Satan, to deceive our first Father; and 'tis a Virgin that serves as a Handmaid to Jesus Christ, to begin the work of our Restitution: Finally, Generation is the Channel whereby sin passeth into the soul of Man, and Baptism is the Regeneration whereby Grace descendeth into the soul of the Christian: Their Relations are so wonderful, that 'tis easy to judge that Divine Providence hath ordered them both, and that we should admire its conduct in the work of our Redemption.  
The first resemblance is, that Sin precedes our knowledge; we are Delinquents without knowing it, our Ignorance furnisheth us with no excuse; and though we know not the Parent from whom we are descended, we fail not to be the heirs of his obliquity. Thus the Remedy imitating the Disease, prevents our Reasoning; we are absolved in our Baptism without knowing our Redeemer; Grace enters into our soul, and brings no light along with it; it leaves us in the dark, and knocks off our chains; 
Quaeis utrum ex voluntate peccatum originale? respondeo prorsus esse, quia et hoc ex voluntate primi hominis seminatü est, ut & in illo esset, et in omnes transiret. Aug. lib. de Nup. & Concup. c. 28.  and the Divine Mercy regulating itself after the measure of Justice, is unwilling our Ignorance should exclude us from Grace, since it no way excuseth us from sin.  
Besides, the offence that was voluntary in Adam is natural in his children, they draw it in with their breath, it infects not their Will but because it corrupts their Nature. This Sin was voluntary only in the first Man; his posterity cannot hinder it; and as Infants have not the use of Reason, they are transgressors by the will of their Father. We must rise as high as Paradise to find the Spring of our misfortune; we are unable without the help of faith, so much as to comprehend that we are guilty of a sin committed in the Nonage of the world; and that without knowing or willing it, we do in the first moment of our Conception contract it.  
But if the Disease be strange we must needs acknowledge the Remedy is no less admirable. For Christians are justified in Baptism by the Grace of Jesus Christ, they enjoy his merits without ask for them, they are enriched with his spoils, and entering into a Community of Goods with him, they have as much share in His Innocence, as they had part in Adam's Transgression. 'Tis not their Consent that sanctifies them, their Salvation is no effect of their Will; and if they satisfy the Justice of God, 'tis by the sole Merits of Jesus Christ. They believe in him as they doubted in Adam, and their Satisfaction being parallel to their Fault, they are Innocent and Guilty in the person of their Fathers.  
In the Third place, Adam lent us his Body in Paradise to make us Criminals; We saw the forbidden fruit with his Eyes; We gathered it with his Hands; We are it with his Mouth; and as if with Him we had committed all these sins, We are to this day punished in all our members after his death: For whether we made up one part of him; whether he was a Universal and General Man, whereof all others are but the Members; whether he perpetuates and transmits' himself into his descendants; or whether having stipulated for us before God, his Crimes became ours, 
† Per unius illius voluntatem malam omnes in co peccaverunt, quando omnes unus fuerunt, de quo praeterea sin. guli peccatum originale traxerunt. Aug. l. 2. de Nup. & Concup. c. 3.  what he hath done is imputed to us, and we bear the punishment of a sin we could not commit but in his Person. But that our Salvation may answer our Fall, we use a borrowed support in our Baptism; we believe by the faith of another, we act by the mediation of the faithful, and the Church affords us her favour to make us partakers of the Grace of her Beloved. 
* Accommodat Infantibus mater Ecclesia aliorum pedes ut veniant, aliorum Cor ut credant, aliorum linguam ut fatcantur, ut quemadmodum quod aegri suut alio peccaute gravantur, sic hi cùm sani sunt alio consitente salventur. Aug. serm. 10. de verb. Apo.  Indeed this Charitable Mother lends us her mouth to answer at the Font of Baptism, the Arms of her Confessors, to carry us thither, her Heart to form acts of faith, that as we were lost by the prevarication of our Father, we might be saved by the piety of our Mother. This was the argument the great S. Augustin sometimes made use of to confound the Pelagians, who judge Baptism not necessary for Infants. They believe already saith he, though they cannot reason, and if you ask me how they believe, I answer, 'tis by the faith of their Parents; whence I conclude they are infected with their sin, 
Si baptizatis infantibus credentibus dicis aliquid Christum prodesse, bene dicis; Credunt & Infants. Unde credunt? fide parentum: si fide parentum purgantur, peccato parentum pollutt sunt; corpus morcis in primis parentibus generavit eos peccatores, Spiritus vitae in posterioribus parentibus regeneravit eos fideles Tu das fidem non respondenti, & ego peccatum nihil agenti. Aug. Serm. de Bap. Parvul. contra Pelag. cap. 14.  because they are purified by their faith: neither are you to think it strange that I admit sin in Children that act not, since you admit faith in them that answer not. Thus the one are sinners without Acting, the others are believers without Speaking: Sin is imparted as Grace is, and Salvation imitating the Fall, the sole merit of Jesus Christ makes them live, whom the sole fault of Adam made die.  
Their destiny is like that of the holy Babes of Bethlehem; those innocent victimes, immolated to pay homage to the Birth of the Son of God: The Church placeth them in the Catalogue of Martyrs: it is the purest blond she ever shed upon the earth, to honour that which the Son of God spilt at his Circumcision; These are the first fruits that were offered to him in Judea, the most illustrious testimony his Greatness received whilst yet he lay in his cradle. In the mean time, these Infant Martyrs were happy and never knew it, 
Occiduntur pro Christo parvuli, pro justitia moritur innocentia: Quam beataaetas, qua needum Christum potest loqui, & jam pro Christo meretur occidi. Aug. Ser. 2. de Innoc.  they poured out their blood upon an occasion they could neither foresee, nor wish for: their will accepted not this Sacrifice, and if we judge of their thoughts by their actions, we shall be obliged to doubt of their courage, and mistrust their merit; They neither apprehended the greatness of the danger that was threatened, nor the cruelty of the Tyrant that condemned them to death, nor the fury of the Executioners that searched them out to massacre them; their happiness was as unknown to them as their misery; they were ignorant that they suffered for Jesus Christ, that in their person they sought for Him, and that receiving the stabs of the poniard thrust at their heart, they had this double honour to die for their Saviour, and by yielding up their own life to secure his. Nevertheless, all the Fathers of the Church confess, that their Martyrdom was true, that the power of God supplied their weakness, that his grace prevented their will, and that their sacrifice failed not to be meritorious, though it was not voluntary.  
Amongst all those that have been their Advocates, there is none hath pleaded their cause with more Eloquence than St Bernard; his Reasons and his Words are equally powerful; and it seems, that, preserving the glory of their Martyrdom, his design was to preserve that of their Baptism. 
Si quaeric corum apud Deum merita ut coronarentur, quaere & apud Herodem crimina ut occiderentur: An fort minor Christi Pietas, quàm Herodis impietas, ut ille quidem potuit innoxios neci dare; Christus non potuerit propter se occisos coronare? Bern. de natal. Inn.  If you ask (saith he) what desert they had in the sight of God to merit a Crown, ask what their crime was against Herod, that deserved such a butchery: shall the Piety of the Son of God be less powerful than the Impiety of Herod? Shall the Tyrant be able to massacre Innocents', and their Saviour not able to crown their sufferings? Their Martyrdom exalteth the mercy of Jesus Christ, and their example teacheth us, that as good desires without works are sometimes recompensed in men, works without desires may be recompensed in children. If we doubt of their Martyrdom, 
Ille pro Christo trucidatos Infantes dubitet inter Martyres coronari, qui regeneratos in Christo non credit inter adoptionis silios numerari. Idem ibid.  (as the same Father goes on) we must doubt of the salvation of all those that are baptised; and if we believe that Baptism sanctifies Infants though they cannot speak, we must believe that Martyrdom consecrates these, though they cannot express themselves. After this example, we need not think it strange, that the Eternal Father acknowledgeth those for his Children, whom the Son acknowledgeth for his Brethren; nor doubt, that imitating his Justice, he saves by borrowed merits, those he had condemned for accessary crimes.  
But one of the most remarkable resemblances between our Recovery and our Fall, is, that both of them began by the Body. For though this be less guilty than the soul, neither did the corporal revolt solicit our first Father to sin; yet is it the pipe through which his offence passeth into the essence of his posterity; 
Certum tenemus quia caro contracta de carne per legem concupiscentiae, quam cito vivificatur originalis culpae vinculo premitur, cjusque affectionibus anima quae carnem vivificat aggravatur, sub hoc peccati vinculo demerguntur parvuli qui sine remedio baptismi moriuntur. Habent enim originale peccatum non per animam, sed per carnem utique contractum animaeque infusum: carni namque ita unitur anima, ut cum carne fit una persona. Aug. lib. de Spir. & Anim. c. 41.  if they were not a part of his flesh, they should inherit neither his sin nor his punishment; and if concupiscence were fully extinguished by grace, Generation would not be criminal: Man is not faulty in his conception, but because he is clothed with Adam's flesh; 'tis by means of it, that sin overspreads the soul; for issuing from the hands of God, 'tis stained with no impurity; but no sooner is it united to the body, but it becomes guilty; their marriage begets sin; and having quickened that unhappy moiety, it enters into its imperfections and disorders; it gins to affect terrestrial things, it dwells upon perishable goods, and is at a distance from eternal ones: lest it should sad the Body, it readily complyes with all its desires; and as if it were become corporeal, it longs for those objects that please and entertain the senses: Though it be not carried yet by deliberation this way, 'tis by inclination; and though it offend not willingly, we may say it does naturally; and that the privation of Grace joined to its union with the body, is the source of its transgression and misery: In this point the Regeneration of the Christian holds so full a proportion with the Generation of the Man, that the one is as well the proof as the Image of the other: 
Quaeris in parvulis culpam? invenis ex carne traductam. Quaeris in eyes gratiam? invenis à Deo collatam. Aug. de Spir. & Anim. c. 41.  For Grace, though spiritual, enters not into the soul, but by the mediation of the body; The Sacraments that dispense it, communicate not their virtue to the Spirit, till they have first imparted it to the flesh. God is pleased to imitate his enemy, and following his steps, he cures the noblest part of man by the more ignoble: 
Caro abluitur, ut anima emaculetur; caro ungitur, ut anima consecretur; caro corpore & sanguine Christi vescitur, ut anima saginetur. Tert. de resurrect. carnis.  The spirit of the Christian Champions is not strengthened in Confirmation, till the holy oil is sprinkled on their forehead: Their soul (to use Tertullian's expressions) is not fatted with the Eucharist, till it receives the body and blood of Christ by their mouth; nor is their spirit purified in Baptism, but when their body is dipped in water. The Remedy is symbolical to the nature of the disease, 'tis affixed to the prime delinquent; and this maxim admits of no contradiction, that the soul is uncapable of being healed assoon as it is separated from the flesh. It seems, the divine Justice will have Grace enter by the same passage into the soul, that Sin did; 
Nulla omnino anima salutem potest adipisci ni dum in carne est. Id. Ib.  and that the flesh should be the Christians ligament to Jesus Christ, as well as the sinners to his first Progenitor.  
Neither truly is it harder to conceive one than the other; for as grace is insinuated into the soul by Baptism, of an offendor making an Innocent, despoiling us of Adam, and putting us on Jesus Christ, 
‛ Anima in corpore tanquam in vitiato vase corrumpitur, ubi occulta justitia divinae legis includitur. Aug.  and finally passeth from our body into the Essence of that part that inanimates us; so also may we easily comprehend that concupiscence is the conduit of sin, that the miseries of the flesh make an Impression upon the spirit, that this is infected with the contagion of that, and that sin, tracing grace, prevents the will, making it criminal before it be free.  
The only thing that may seem strange to us in this Oeconomy, is, That a Baptised person does not communicate Christian grace to his children though he be possessed of it; and yet doth communicate original sin though he be freed from it. 
Miraris quare peccator nascatur de semine Justi; non te delectat mirari quare oleaster nascatur de semine olivae. Accipe aliam similitudinem: non attendis quia de grano purgato frumentum cum palea nascitur sine qua seminatur. Aug. Serm. de Verb. Apos. 14.  But our wonder will cease, if we consider that a grain of corn which is sown without chaff springs up notwithstanding with it: and on the other side a learned man derives not his sciences to his children, though he do his being: 
Ideo de baptizato non justus nascitur, quia non eum generat unde regeneratus est, sed unde generatus est. Id. ib.  And because as Saint Augustine observes, Christians beget not their children by the Spirit which is sanctified, but by the body which still remains corrupted: neither is Grace the concomitant of the Birth of Adam, but of the regeneration of Jesus Christ, who absolves not the guilty, till they are clothed with his merits in Baptism.   

The Fifth DISCOURSE. Of the Resemblances that are found between the Birth of Christ, and that of a Christian.  
AS the Christian takes his denomination of Christ, so also doth he his Glory; neither hath he any Privilege which he is not obliged to him for. If he have any merits that render him acceptable to God, 'tis from the 
* Ex sacramento unctionis & Christi Christianorum descendit voeabulum et nomen: quod nomen ille frustra sortitur qui Christum minime imitatur. Aug. de vita Christi.  Actions or Sufferings of Jesus Christ that he borrows them. If he pretends any right to heaven as his inheritance, 'tis because Christ is his elder Brother; if the Angels do him any service, 'tis because he is a member of his Body, and that this quality equals, if not prefers him before these blessed Spirits: If (lastly) his birth be holy, 'tis because it resembles that of the Son of God, and receives in the bosom of the Church the same advantages the Son of God received in the womb of his Mother. Indeed, could the tongue of man recount the wonders of a Nativity that astonished the Prophets, they might haply be reduced to three or four heads that render it glorious and full of lustre.  
The First is, That the Son of God was conceived by the operation of the holy Ghost: He it was that managed this great Design, who curdled the most pure blood of the Virgin, who formed the Body of the Word Incarnate, and becoming his principle, did in a manner give him in Time what he had received from him in Eternity. The Angel spoke thus of it to the Virgin, when for the interest of her Virginity she desired to be instructed how she might be the Mother of God. 
Superveniet in te dando foecunditatem, & servando Virginitatem. Bern.  The holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Glory of the Highest shall  thee. The Holy Ghost was the dispenser of this mystery; his goodness wrought this miracle of love; and he that was barren in Eternity, to give Jesus Christ to the world, became fruitful in time. Though this favour be admirable, exalting the Son of God above Prophets and Kings; yet is it common to him with Christians, who have the privilege to be born of the Holy Ghost, and to enter into a new life by his grace: For he it is, and not an Angel, that sits Precedent in this sacred 
* Omni homini renascenti aqua baptismatis instar est uteri virginalis; eodem Spiritu sanctorcplente fontem qui replevit et Virginem, ut peccatum quod ibi vacuavit sacra conceptio, hic mystica tollat ablutio. Leo.  pool wherein we are regenerated: he it is that stamps upon us the character that makes us christian's, and sheds abroad charity into our hearts, whereby we are made the children of God: 'Tis by his virtue that our sins are blotted out, and by a secret influence that penetrateth the essence of our soul, that we become the adopted sons of the Everlasting Father, and the brethren of Jesus Christ. The holy Scripture teacheth us this transcendent verity in common ordinary words, but which in their deep sense, comprehend almost an infinite number of mysteries: Except a man be born again of water, and of the Holy Ghost, he shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. As it is he that gives us the being of Grace, so he gives us a right to Glory; and as he made the Virgin 
* Originem quam sumpsit in utero Virginis posuit in fonte baptismatis, dedit aquae quod dedit Matri; et obumbratio Spiritus sanctiquae fecit ut Maria parerot, eadem facit ut aqua rogeneret credentem. Leo Serm. de Nat. Christi.  fruitful to bring forth Christ, so he makes the water prolifical to regenerate the Christian. 'Tis the opinion of St Ambrose, and of St Augustine, who both conspire together to make us admire the excellent grace that we receive of the Holy Ghost in Baptism: The same Grace, saith the later, that makes Man-God, makes Man-Christian; the one is reborn by the same Spirit whereof the other is born; and as This is wholly exempt from all sin, That is fully delivered from it. Thus the Christian may boast that he hath God for his Principle, that he owes his birth to the Holy Ghost, and that this privilege is common to him with the Word incarnate.  
The Second Advantage of the Son of God in his temporal Nativity, is, That he had a Mother who miraculously united Fruitfulness with Purity; for the Fruit that she bore shed not her Flower; the quality of a Mother made her not lose that of a Virgin; and Nature stood amazed, that being so pure, she was notwithstanding brought to bed. The 
* Ecce Virgo concipiet, ct parict filium. Isa. 7.  Prophets have prepared us for the belief of this miracle by their predictions; they beheld it in the secrets of Futurity, and knowing very well that it was one of the greatest Privileges of the Messiah, they have made it one of the fairest observations in his History. The very Heathen were not ignorant of it: The Sibyls have proclaimed it for the rarest ornament of Virginity; and there were some people who (moved by their Predictions) erected Altars to the 
* Virgini pariturae.  Virgin-Mother. Nothing in all our Religion hath carried so much lustre with it amongst the Heathen, as this glorious particular; neither had they much ado to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, seeing he was the Son of a Virgin: This Prerogative hath repaired the scandal of the Cross; and if some impious wretches have thought meanly of him when they knew he suffered upon a Gibbet, they could not choose but highly admire him when they learned that he was born of a Virgin. The Fathers of the Church are of opinion, That if the Son honoured 
* Nobilitas fuit nascentis in Virginitate parientis, et nobilitas parientis in Divinitate nascentis. Aug. Serm. 30. de Temp.  his Mother by his Divinity, the Mother honoured her Son by her Virginity, Finally, they thought, if God must have a Mother, she must be a Virgin; and if a Virgin must have a Son, he must needs be a God. Though this be so extraordinary a Privilege, that Christ never communicated it to any mortal (the greatest Monarches are born of a woman that purchaseth her condition of a Mother with the expense of that of a Virgin); yet hath he been pleased to honour every Christian with the same favour: For they are born of the Church, who like Mary, is pure and teeming together: Their Mother is a Virgin; and as Age impairs not her fecundity, neither doth the number of her Progeny sully her purity: She is delivered of them without sorrow, as she conceives them without sin; and because she engenders the members of Jesus Christ, she hath the same privilege with her that brought forth their Head. The Church is a Virgin, saith 
* Et Virgoest, et parit, Mariam imitatur quae Dominum peperit; numquid non virgo sancta Maria, et peperit, et virgo permansit: sic est Ecclesia, et parit, et virgo est. Aug. Ser. 117. de Temp.  St Augustine) she imitates Mary that conceived Christ: Mary is a Virgin, though she were delivered of a child; the Church also bears children, and continues still a Virgin: And if you well weigh her privileges, you shall perceive, that even she also brings forth Jesus Christ, seeing those that are baptised are his members. Thus the Birth of Christians is as glorious by their Mother's side, as by their Fathers; they have, as Christ their elder Brother, a God for their Principle, a Virgin for their Mother, and a Kingdom for their Inheritance.  
To all these Graces we may add a Third, which is common to them with their Head, for the Holy Scripture silently hints that the word of the Virgin contributed something to the production of her son; she yielded her consent, before she surrendered her womb, she spoke to express her intentions, and her word had so much virtue that it gave life to Jesus Christ.  
This word 
* Verbum quod erat in principio apud Deum, fiat caro de carne mea secundum verbum, fiat mihi verbum non prolatum quod transeat, sed conceptum ut maneat. Bern. super missus est. Hom. 4.  Fiat which began the Incarnation, was in a manner as powerful in her mouth, as that which began the Creation; and if we judge of the Cause by the Effects, we are more obliged to this, then to that which produced the whole world, since one Jesus Christ is more worth than the whole Mass of Men and Angels together. This Word, as efficacious as it was humble, glads heaven and earth, repairs the disorders of the Universe, and giving a product to a Divine 
* Expectat Angelus responsum, expectamus & nos verbum miserationis quos premit sententia damnationis: Ecce offertur tibi pretium salutis nostrae, statim liberabuntur si consentis: si ergo tu Deum facias audire vocem tuam, ille te faciet videre salutem nostram. Bern. ibid.  Redeemer, laid an obligation upon all creatures. But if with our Mysteries we may raise our contemplations; let us say that the Virgin imitated the Eternal Father, and as He conceived his Son by speaking, she conceived him so too; she declares his divine Original, and becoming the Mother of him of whom he is the Father, she begat him, if not by her Thought, at least by her Word: Her sacred Mouth began the work of our salvation, her Virgin-Womb finished it, and assoon as the Holy Maid returned her answer, and contributed her blood, the Word was found Incarnate in her bowels.  
I confess this Miracle would be without a Parallel, had Jesus Christ no brethren: but since he was willing to honour them with all the Privileges of his Nativity, he was pleased also that his Spouse should be fruitful as his Mother was. Indeed, the Church produceth us by speaking; the water that regenerates us receives the virtue from her words; and did not the Ministers pronounce them when they baptise us, this Sacrament would have no power to give us a Being: 'Tis the lips of the Mother that quickens us, her voice that draws us out of the bosom of death; neither would all the water of the sea be able to wash away the least sin, were it not enlivened with her word: She acts as her Beloved doth, makes things by her speech, inspires a secret virtue into the Elements, ennobles them above their nature, and by a miraculous impression gives them an insluence upon the soul: She imitates Mary, her speech is prolifical; and as her production is spiritual, she needs only speak to enliven her children. What is water, saith Saint Augustine, without the Word of God in the mouth of the Church, but the commonest of the Elements? but when quickened with her voice, it becomes fruitful; and by the union of these two Principles together, the Sacrament is completed, sins are absolved, the dead are raised, Christians are regenerated, and sinners converted.  
Let us add Miracles upon Miracles to unfold the excellencies of Man a Christian, and pronounce this fourth wonder in the Birth of Christ, that without losing the quality of the Son of God, 
Idem est in forma Dei qui formam suscepit servi; idem est incorporcus manens, et corpus assumen; idem est in sua virtute inviolabilis, & in nostra infirmitate passibilis; idem est à paterno non divisus throno, et ab impiis crucifixus in ligno. D. Leo Ser. 10. de Nat.  he assumed that of the Son of Man: For having two Natures united in one person, he relates to his Father from all Eternity, and to his Mother in the fullness of time; from the one he received Divinity, from the other humanity: The manger that cradled him in his Temporal Birth, obscured not the Glory of his eternal Birth: Greatness was always mixed in his Person with meanness; and as God and Man are never separated since first they were united; 
Nihil ibi ab invicem vacat, tota est in majestate humilitas, tota in humilitate majestas: nec infert unitas confusionem, nec dirimit proprietas unitatem; aliud est passibile, aliud inviolabile; & tamen ejusdem est contumelia cujus & gloria. Leo Ser. 3. de passi. Dom.  in this divine composure may still be discerned an admirable Medley of glory and humility, which ravisheth Christians and confounds Infidels. These cannot comprehend that the Son of Man is the Son of God; that he that is equal to the Father, is his servant; that he gives Orders, and receives them; that he commands, and obeys; that he comes down upon the earth, and yet never leaves heaven; that he dies, and still lives; that he is confined in a Sepulchre, and yet fills the whole world. This Miracle prepares us for the belief of another, no less strange than the former: For if we consult the Holy Scriptures, we shall find that the Son of God was made the Son of man for no other end then to make us the Children of God; he was humbled, that we might be exalted; and he hath facilitated the belief of our future greatness by the example of his debasement. His birth is a pledge of ours, he was born of a woman, but to assure us that we might be born of God; neither was he apparelled with the flesh in the womb, but to persuade us that one day we shall be clothed with glory in the heavens: And this is the Argument the most illuminated of the Evangelists makes use of to establish our second Generation; for having taught us that Baptism and Faith give us God for our Father, fearing lest so high a promise find no credit in our understanding, 
* Venit Filius ut illo participantemortalitatem nostram per dilectionem, nos efficeret participes divinitatis suae per adoptionem. Aug. de Cons. Evangel.  he gives us the Generation of the Word for an assurance of our Regeneration: and having ravished all men with those magnificent words, He gave them power to become the Sons of God, he discovers the cause of that miracle, and clearing us of one wonder by telling a greater, he tells us man may become God, since God by an excess of love was willing to become man: And the Word was made flesh and dwelled amongst us. This is the admirable argumentation of St. John and the solid establishment of our greatness: 'Tis by this unparallelled example that he prepares us for the belief of our mysteries; this is the proof all the Fathers make use of to persuade us that the misery of our condition can no way hinder us from being the children of God, since the glory of the Word was no obstacle to his being made man. Give me leave to express these wonders in the words of S. August. 
 homines nascerentur ex Deo, primo ex ipsis natus est Deus. Non quaesivit quidem nisi matrem in terra, quia jam patrem habebat in coelo; natus ex Deo per quem efficeremur; natus ex foemina, per quem resiceremur. Noli ergo mirari quia efficeris Filius Dei pergrat am, quia nasceris ex Deo per verbum ejus, prius ipsum Verbum voluit nasci ex homine ut tu securus nascereris ex Deo; & diceres, nasci voluit Deus ex homine, ut immortalem me faceret, & pro me mortaliter nascitur. Aug. Tract. 2. in Joan.  and to join the pomp of his eloquence to the majesty of my subject. God that makes all things with so much justice, was willing to be born of a woman, that men might might be born of him: He sought out but one Mother upon the earth, because he had already one Father in heaven; being born of his Father he made us; being born of his mother he remade us, associating by an admirable conjunction, the quality of Creator with that of Redeemer. Wonder not then if by grace ye are the Sons of God, since ye are born of him by his word; nor think it strange that ye shall be one day immortal in glory, since God in his second Generation became mortal, was willing to suffer death upon the Cross for our salvation. Thus his Charity makes us like him, his goodness surpasseth the miseries of our nature, and renders us partakers of his glory: so that there is no Christian but may boast that his Baptism confers upon him by grace all the advantages Jesus Christ possesseth by nature, and that the Mystery of the Incarnation being repeated in the faithful by their new Birth, exalts them by a happy Indulgence to the greatness of Jesus Christ.   

The Sixth DISCOURSE. Of the Adoption of Christians and the advantages it hath above the Adoption of Men.  
IF it be true that the end why the Son of God was made the son of Man, was, that we might be made the children of God, we need not think it strange, that the adoption of a Christian is one of the chiefest effects of Baptism, nor that man, changing his condition by his regeneration, change also his Father and Mother. But it is a thing very well worthy our admiration, to consider, that he is adopted by a Father, who having an only Son equal to himself, should in reason cast out all adopted children, were he not obliged to accept them at the entreaty of his own proper Son. 
Adoptio nuptiarum subsidium fortunae remedium, supplet sterilitati, vel orbitati. Jurisc.  For to take this Truth at the rise, and unfold the wonders contained in it, we must know that Adoption was invented among men to supply the barrenness of Parents, or the death of children. Indeed 'tis a thing never heard of, that a Father to whom Nature hath given a Son, should adopt another, and seek that in a strange Family which he may find in his own: He would believe himself to offend against paternal charity, should he divide it; and injurious to his Son, should he assign him coheirs: Though this be his only one, he never resolves to provide him companions, neither hath he ever recourse to this remedy, but when the death of his son makes it lawful, in making it necessary. In the mean time the Eternal Father adopts us; though he have an immortal Son, he extends his affections to us, and admits us into his Family, to make us share in his Inheritance.  
But that which most furprifeth us in this Oeconomy, is, That he undertakes this design at the request of his Son, nor does he honour us with the condition of Children, till Jesus Christ hath honoured us with that of Brethren: 'Tis one of the chiefest motives of his incarnation, and we may say, that he had never chosen a Mother upon earth, but that he might have Brethren in heaven. He is the only begotten in the bosom of his Father: He shares not this quality with the Holy Ghost; and as their processions are different, one is the Son, the other the Spirit of the Father; the One remains in his bosom, the Other in his heart; the One proceeds by Knowledge, the Other by Love. But this only Son is first born of the chaste spotless womb of the Virgin, by his temporal birth he gains Brethren, and clothing them with the robes of his merits, obligeth his Father to avow them for his Children: For we enjoy not this quality but after we are instated in the person of the Word: nor can we have God for our Father, but we must have Jesus Christ for our Head: But when Grace hath made us his members, 
Unicum Filium Deus habet quem de sua substantia genuit; nos autem non de sua substantia genuit: Creatura enim sumus quam non genuit, sed fecit; & ideo ut fratres Christi secundùm modum faceret, adoptavit. Aug. lib. 3. contra Faust. cap. 3.  and being quickened by his Spirit, we make up one body with him: the Father loves us as his children, looks upon us as a portion of Jesus Christ, contracts an alliance with us, that honours us, and imitates that which he hath from all Eternity with his Son: Thus we are his sons and his subjects; he is our Lord and our Father, and we bespeak him in the same language our Head doth; we call him our Father and our God.  
This Alliance is not only true because founded in Grace; 
Vinculum igitur nostrae cum Deo Patre unionis Christum esse constat, qui nos quidem sibi conjunxit ut homo, Deo verò genitori suo sic unitus est, ut naturaliter in eo sit. Cyril. Alex. in Joan.  but so proper, that it relates only to the person of the Son, agreeing not so much as to the holy Spirit: For as he is not the Father of Jesus Christ, so neither is he ours; and as he hath other Alliances with him, so hath he also with us: The Father alone is our Father, 'tis to him that we address ourselves when we use that name; and knowing very well, that we are inseparable from his Son, we know very well that the affection he bears us is an overflowing beam of that love he bears him, of whom we have the honour to be members.  
Though this mystery be wonderful, and 'tis a hard matter to comprehend upon what motive Jesus Christ was willing to procure us this honour; yet the condition wherein he found us redoubles the wonder: For Adoption hath this advantage above Nature, that 'tis in its liberty to choose the most accomplished. Nature is blind in her affections, as well as in her productions; she knows not, for the most part, what she does, her works are many times defective; and as if she had lost her light together with her innocence, she brings forth Monsters as often as Men: In the mean time she forbears not to love her imperfections; she hath the heart of a Mother for all her productions, and compels parents many times to embrace Monsters, because they are their children. In this particular, Adoption is much happier than Nature; it sees what it admits of, chooseth upon knowledge of the cause, loves that which is lovely and amiable, nor does impart affections or goods but to persons that merit them: Nevertheless, contrary to all these rules, we find, that the Eternal Father adopts children born in sin, and having nothing but the Apennage of Adam, are rather the objects of his wrath, then of his love: He goes to seek them in the mass of perdition, he separates them from the Guilty to render them innocent, and applies to them the merits of his Son to make them worthy of his inheritance: For of all the Favours (saith St 
* Promisit hominibus divinitatem, mortalibus immortalitatem, peccatoribus justificationem, abject is glorificationem; quicquid promisit indignis promisit, ut non quasi operibus merces promitteretur, sed gratia nomine suo gratia, gratis daretur. Aug. Psal. 102.  Augustine) God the Father was pleased to honour us with, he hath continually prevented our deservings; he pardoned us in our delinquency, heaped honour upon us in our misery: To wretches condemned to death he hath promised immortality; to the guilty, innocence; to base contemptible creatures, glory; to men, divinity; that we may receive all these favours as the gracious endearments of his mercy, and not the recompenses of our merits. Thus our Adoption is founded upon his goodness; he chose us but because it was his good pleasure; he hath made us his Children because Christ hath made us his Brethren; and in the apprehension of so great an advantage, all we have to do, is to humble ourselves at the sight of our miseries, and to give him thanks at the consideration of his mercies.  
But to the end that this grace may appear more precious, we must reckon up its Privileges, and allow the rest of this Discourse to its more noble Excellencies. The Adoption of men is indeed an Alliance, but we may without offence call it an imaginary one; it hath no other foundation but the affection of him that adopts, and the true or apparent merit of him that is adopted: the conjunction is so impotent, that it produceth nothing real in their minds; 'tis, as we have observed, a mere denomination, constituting no true relation between the two persons it unites; and in this particular we must needs confess, 'tis much weaker than Nature: For this ties men with flesh and blood, her chains are so strong, that 'tis almost impossible to break them: The Father looks upon his Son as a piece of himself, the Mother beholds him as a portion of her own bowels; nor can the Son die, but both of them die in conceit with him. Adoption hath nothing of this vigour in it, it leans upon interests, and as soon as he that is adopted hath no more any hope, he hath no more love nor respect. But the Christian Adoption is like that of Nature; the links that compose it are of Diamond, 
Missus est Filius, non adoptione factus, sed semper genitus Filius ut participata natura filiorum hominum, ad participandam ettam suam naturam, adoptaret etiam filios hominum. Aug. lib. de Gra. Novi Test.  and the Grace that supports it is so firm, that 'tis able to subsift eternally: It penetrates the very essence of the soul, and cleanseth it from the spots of sin, darts a light into the understanding, heat into the Will; plants the seeds of Glory in that intellectual substance, gives it a true right and title to the kingdom of heaven: and constitutes an Alliance between man and God so strict and combining, that it imitates that that is between the Humanity and the Divinity by the mystery of the Incarnation. From the very instant of Baptism the Christian is truly the Son of God; the misery of his Nature, the shame of his Birth, and the Crime of his first Father hinders not Jesus Christ from being his Brother, the Church from being his Mother, nor eternal glory from being his portion.  
But I wonder not at all that the Adoption of Christians is more substantial than that of men, since it is celebrated with greater pomp and ceremony. For when a man intends to adopt a child, he needs only declare his will, and make use of the Prince's authority to make his Adoption public and valid; as soon as this Instrument is drawn, he that was but a stranger becomes a Son: But the Adoption of Christians is as full of mysteries as of circumstances; for the Son of God must make himself the son of man, must charge himself with our sins, and enrich us with his merits, that satisfying the justice of his Father, he may oblige him to change his hatred into love, and to accept those for his Children that he accounted his Enemies: The Christian also must be washed in the waters of Baptism, must borrow the voice of the Church to renounce the tyranny of the Devil and the pomp of the World; must put off Adam, and put on Jesus Christ, that being filled with grace, and cleansed from sin, he may receive the benefit of Adoption: Under the shadows of these Ceremonies there are performed a hundred miracles, which faith only can discover: For an Element animated with the Word of God acts in the soul, and defaceth the spots sin had imprinted there; Man changeth his condition, though not his nature; he that was a slave becomes free, and he that deserved damnation by the fault of Adam, is accounted worthy of Glory by the Grace of Jesus Christ.  
But the last and rarest Circumstance of this Adoption is, that it admits Christians into an inheritance not at all divided by the number of heirs. One of the greatest misfortunes of the world is, that the goods are so small, 
Ista quae appetitis, quia exigua sunt, nec possunt ad altcrum nisi alteri erepta transferri; etdem affectantibus pugnam & jurgia excitant. Senec. lib. 5. de Ira. cap. 35.  one man cannot be proprietary of them, without ravishing them from another; every man impoverisheth his neighbour to enrich himself: and humane prudence, that seeks for tranquillity in estates, hath not to this day been able to choke this unhappy seed, the root of all disorders. Sovereign's will reign alone in their Dominions, Fathers will be Masters of their Families; both of them are jealous of their Children, nor do they invite them as partners in the possession of their goods, because they know very well they cannot be divided, but they must be lessened. Death must take away the Father, that the Son may succeed him; so that the lawfullest Succession in the world is never without grief, because it can never be without loss. This unhappiness proceeds certainly from the scantiness of earthly goods: for were they large enough to be parted without suffering a diminution, every one would possess them without jealousy: Kings would not fear their Successors, nor Fathers their Heirs: And as Light and Virtue breed no quarrel amongst those that have them in their possession, there would be no more War among Sovereigns, nor Lawsuits among Subjects. This benefit is an inseparable consequence of the Adoption of Christians; Their Inheritance is so large, that the number of children cannot diminish it: The Good they hope for hath two properties that secure it from envy; it is one, and cannot be divided; it is infinite, and sufficeth the whole world: its unity is the cause that every one possesseth it entire; its infinity, that none are afraid of a lessening; they are all rich of the same substance, they are all happy by the same felicity; the difference of their condition troubles not their rest, and this Summum bonum, though in diversity of endowments, makes men neither envious nor proud: Every one is content with another's prosperity, and with his own; and the charity that reigns among the Citizens of this heavenly Jerusalem, doth so intimately unite their hearts, that the diversity of particulars disturbs not the happiness of the whole. But that which completes their contentment to the full, is, that death never separates the children from their Father; he hath Heirs, but no Successors; he despoils not himself to enrich them; but living and reigning with them, he conferrs all his goods upon them without losing them: He himself is their everlasting Inheritance, who fills their desires, perfects all the powers of their soul, and communicates himself so abundantly, and so surely to his children, that as there is nothing they can fear, so neither is there any thing they can wish for. And to describe this happy state with St Augustine, let us profess, 
Deus sit baereditas nostra; non fortè temerè dicimus faciendo vobis Deum possessionem, cum ipse sit Deus & Creator; non est ista temeritas, ●ffectus est desiderii, & dulcedo spei. Dic securus, ama securus, spera securus, Dominus pars haereditatis mcae. Aug. in Psal. 32. Ser. 2.  That God is our Inheritance to Eternity, that it is no presumption to style him so, though he be our Creator and our Sovereign; because it is the fervency of our desire, and the sweetness of our hope that puts this name into our mouth. Say we therefore with assurance, that he is our heritage, since the Scripture obligeth us to believe it, and forbids us to doubt of it: But let us remember, that as he is our Inheritance, we are also his, that he will possess us as we shall possess him; and that we shall never be completely happy, till possessing our God, we shall entirely be possessed by him. Let us live always in this desire, comfort ourselves with this expectation, and by a certain hope taste the happiness we shall one day be satisfied with in an everlasting enjoyment.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. Of the Allyances the Christian contracts at his Birth, with the divine Persons.  
THe Creation is the first Alliance Man contracted with God: for as soon as ever he came forth out of Nothing, he began to be his Creature; and all the advantages he possesseth are so many sacred chains to fasten him to his Creator. His Alliance is founded in his servitude, and his servitude is founded in his Essence; he must be annihilated to render him an independent from the Almighty; neither yet in this condition would he cease to hold of him, since God 
* Vocat ea qua non sunt, tanquam ea quae sunt. Unde existimavit Clem. Alexandrinus, Decum esse Dominum creaturarum, antequam esset illarum Creator.  commands the creatures in their nonentity, from out whose abyss he hath extracted all the elements. Thus man obeys God before he hath an existence, he is his Vassal before he is his Creature, and he submits to his Orders before he can understand them: But if his obedience precede his creation, his Alliance succeeds it; neither hath he any affinity with God, till he is made his workmanship: 'Tis in that instant that he enters into society with him, when his spirit enlightened by Faith, knows the prime verity, and his will warmed by love, seeks out for the sovereign Good: Assisted with this double succour, he soars above himself; and knowing that he came forth from God as from his Principle, he endeavours to return thither as to his ultimate end.  
Though this be a very noble Alliance, yet we may say, it relates not to God in his Persons, but in his Essence: For all the perfections Man received in his Creation, are but the droppings of the perfections of God: His Power expresseth that of his Creator; his Liberty is an emanation of that Being which is as free as it is necessary; his Reason is a product of the first primitive Reason; and all the other qualities that raise him above the rest of Creatures, are rather images of the Unity of God, then of the Plurality of his Persons. Nay, the very Angels, which are of nobler extraction than Man, seem not allied to the divine Persons: Every one of their 
* Cernere est in Seraphin, quomodo amet, qui unde amet non habet: cernere est in Cherubin Deum scientiarum, qui solam nesciat ignorantiam: cernere est in Thronis judicantis aequitatem, nec vacat sessio tranquillitatis insigne est. Bern. lib. 5. de Consid. cap. 4.  Orders respect some one of the perfections of their Creator; The Seraphims express his Love, the Cherubins his Light, the Thrones his Rest. The Hierarchies lead us not to the Trinity; or if they give us some umbrages thereof, they deliver no exact knowledge: We see nothing in these blessed Spirits that discovers to us the Generation of the Word, or the Procession of the Holy Ghost; and having well considered them, there is nothing we admire in them but the Goodness or the Power, the Greatness or the Majesty of him that created them. All their Allyances, as well as those of Men, are terminated in the divine Essence, and pass not to the Trinity of the Persons: They are rather Servants than Sons; or if they are Sons, their Adoption is not 
* Nusquam enim Angelos apprchendis, sed semen Abrahae apprehendit. Heb. 2.  founded upon the Mystery of the Incarnation. This glory was reserved for Christians, who at the moment of their Nativity have the honour to be allied to all the Persons of the Trinity: The Son loves them as his Brethren, the Father adopts them as his children, and the Holy Ghost quickens them as his Temples; therefore are they baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Their Birth consecrates them to this ineffable mystery; and from the time they receive the Being of Grace, they bear the Character of the Trinity.  
The Son began this Alliance by the Mystery of the Incarnation; he was made Man, to make us his Members; he hath united us in his Person by such a near combination, that his advantages become ours, and our transgressions become his. Every thing is common to us with him, and giving his Person to our Nature, there is no Greatness he hath not communicated to us: our Grace is an effusion flowing from his, our Birth is an image of his eternal Generation; 
Gratia nihil est aliud quàm participatio divinae filiationis: secundùm Divum Thomam.  and if we believe the Master of the School, our Adoption is a copy of his divine filiation. Finally, to express so high a Verity in a more noble Elegy, Every Christian seems to be a second Jesus Christ, every believer is a son of God; and as they are happily blended with the Word Incarnate, they may boast themselves as he is, Men-Gods. 'Tis on this occasion Love makes his power appear, that of many persons mutually affecting one another, he makes but one; that he makes greatness bow, and sets humility on high; that he transforms God into Man, to transform Man into God; and surmounting all obstacles that oppose this Union, constitutes Jesus Christ the Head of Christians, and Christians the Members of Jesus Christ. Now 'tis in Baptism that they obtain this honour; for albeit the Son of God is united to our Nature in the Mystery of the Incarnation, and that there this eternal affinity was contracted, which death cannot dissolve, we are not engrafted upon his Person but by Baptism; till we are bathed in this Laver, we have nothing but the miseries of Adam, nor any part in the merits of Jesus Christ. 'Tis by the virtue of this 
† Nemo fit membrum Christi, nisi aut Baptismate in Christo, aut morte pro Christo. Aug. lib. 1. de anima.  Sacrament that we enter into society with him; 'tis there, that putting off the old man, we put on the new, and beginning to be united to the Son of God, we participate of his divine qualities. From this time the Christian is a new creature, he receives the Spirit of Jesus Christ, without changing his nature he changeth his condition; though he hath yet but the seeds of glory, he hath notwithstanding the rights of a Son, and looks upon the Kingdom of heaven as his inheritance: The grace of Jesus Christ blots out all his sins; of a slave he becomes a child, of an object of wrath he becomes an object of love; and big with the merits of his Head, he hopes one day to reign with him in glory.  
By a necessary consequence he enters into an Alliance with the Father Everlasting: not considering the meanness of his Extraction, nor the misery of his Original, he treats with God as with his own Father; he makes use of those amorous terms the Church puts in his mouth, and without losing the respect of a servant, he enters into the liberty of a child. Grace fastens so strict a union betwixt them, that nothing but sin can divide them; as it is an emanation of the divine Sonship, it is not a bare Adoption; and if it bear this name, 'tis because we have no other to express its excellence by. But to comprehend rightly; this Alliance is as true as that which flesh and blood entitles us to with our Fathers and Mothers: if this be founded in Nature, that is founded in Grace; if this be sensible, that is spiritual; if this be close, that is more intimate; neither is the quality of children in Christians a mere denomination, as 'tis in those that humanely are adopted. We are the images of our Father, in the donation of Grace we participate of his nature; and as it is true according to the saying of St Peter, that by grace we are God's; so is it certain, that by the same grace we are the children of God." All the trouble in this Alliance, is, that it depends upon our Liberty for its preservation; we have the power to dissolve it, there needs but one act of our will to break the Association; and though the chains that entertain it are stronger and more precious than those of Diamond, one mortal sin is able to dash them all in pieces; there is nothing but Glory that unites us inseparably with God; as long as we live upon the earth we are divided between hope and fear, and if the greatness of Alliance makes us joyful, it's frailty causeth us to be apprehensive and fearful: As long as it lasts, it protects us from all disasters, we have nothing to be afraid of but our own weakness; and provided we remain true to Grace, we may promise ourselves victory over our greatest enemies." God watcheth over us as over the members of his Son, he hath a care of our Interests, he blesseth all our designs, he makes the hatred of our adversaries serviceable to our salvation; and spite of the fury of all Devils that tempt us, and the rage of all Tyrants that persecute us, he at last brings us happily to Glory.  
But that which I find most admirable in this Alliance, is, that in some sort it makes us enter upon the rights of a Father over his Son Jesus Christ: for we 
* Nomen Paternitatis ex divinis ad humanos Patres translatum est. Damas'. de fide cap. 9  produce him on our Altars, and in the souls of Believers; we are his Fathers and his Mothers, and by a manner as true as incomprehensible, we give him a new life here below. The Priests bring him forth by their words, and the Church acknowledgeth she should not enjoy her Beloved upon the earth, did not the Priests make him descend from heaven. 'Tis in this administration that (more powerful than Joshua) they command Jesus Christ, and entering into the authority of his Father, they prescribe him Laws which never he dispenseth with: when they speak, he obeys; he works an hundred miracles to comply with their Orders. The Preachers 
† O praeclara, O reverenda potestas vestra! certè non est potestas post Deum sicut potestas vestra; quod enim vobis dedit primo loco sancta Verbi Incarnatio, vos de die in diem nobis ministratis nobis ex collatae potestatis officio. Ber●de Coena Dom.  imitate the Priests, and from their Mission receive the same power the others do from their Character; their lips are fruitful in the Church, they never preach, but they hold forth the Son of God; their word is a sacred branch that gives life to their Auditors, and by a strange miracle, they are the Fathers of Jesus Christ and of the faithful, they travel with them both together; and when God blesseth their labours, they bring forth these two Twins at the same time. This is the happiness the great 
* Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio donec formetur Christus●n vobis. Gal. 4.  Apostle of the Gentiles boasted of heretofore, when he called the Galatians his children, and forming Jesus Christ in their souls, he endeavoured to perfect both by his Evangelical labours. Thus Preachers and Priests take their fruitfulness from the Father Everlasting; they have no authority over his Son, but because they have the honour to be his Ministers; nor do they enter into his power, but because they have an interest in the divine Paternity.  
This advantage is not so peculiarly theirs, that it is not common to them with the faithful; Every Christian may conceive Jesus Christ in his own soul, and bring him forth in others, he may be both Father and Mother; and the Son of God teacheth us, that so holy an Alliance is contracted by an humble obedience: He that doth the will of his Father, becomes his Mother, he that preacheth by his good example becomes his Father; and every Christian may boast he returns that to Jesus Christ he received from him in his Baptism. But certainly, we must acknowledge, there is no person that more honourably possesseth this advantage, than the blessed Virgin: she is the Mother of the Son of God in so August a manner, that she comes near that of his Eternal Father; 'tis the noblest copy of that divine Original; neither is there any creature to whom God hath more largely communicated his fecundity: He takes pleasure to see himself imitated by the Virgin, and to observe in the person of Mary the properties of his divine Hypostasis: He begot his Son of his substance, and Mary of her blood; He conceived his Word in his bosom, and Mary in her womb; He produced him by a virtue that constitutes his Person in the Trinity, and Mary brings him forth by the same virtue communicated to her in the moment of the Incarnation; He produceth him by the knowledge of his Greatness, and Mary by the consideration of her Nothingness. Finally, the Father begetteth his Son equal to himself, 
Et erat subditus illis. Luc. 2. Quid fecit Verbum, non capiebatur in se, descendit ita etiam ut esset subditus illis; sic mutavit confilium suum ut quod tunc caeperat usque ad trigesimum annum dimiserit. Ber. de Resur. Domin. Ser. 3.  and Mary bringeth forth her firstborn like unto Men: She holds the place of the Eternal Father upon earth, she is the Regent of the Son in his Minority, she prescribes laws to him that gives laws to the Angels; and Jesus Christ reverencing the Authority of his Father in the person of his Mother, was obedient to her the space of thirty years. Thus the Eternal Father hath nothing so proper, that he communicates not to Christians; the Alliance he contracts with them is so strict, that together with him they are all the fathers of the same Son; and we may say, 'twas drawn out of that communication, seeing he reserves not that very quality that distinguisheth him from his own natural Son.  
As the holy Spirit is the sacred bond uniting all these divine Allyances, he also is pleased to associate himself with the Christians, and entertains so firm a union with them, that he is as well their Spirit, as that of the Father and the Son: for he is shed abroad in our hearts by charity; he erects his Throne in our hearts, he quickens us by his presence, leads us by his motions, illuminates us by his light, and warms us by his heat. He is so well blended with us, that he is more the Principle of our actions, than we ourselves: If we pray, he furnisheth us with words and conceptions; he expresseth himself by our mouth, weeps with our eyes, works with our hands; and as if he were incarnate in each of us, he makes use of all our members to accomplish his designs. This divine Spirit accommodates himself to all our affairs and conditions; he acts diversely in the faithful, and as the soul, diffused over all the body, sees with the eyes, works with the hands, hears with the ears; so he preacheth by the Apostles, suffers in the Martyrs, instructeth in the Doctors, and in his adorable Unity produceth an acceptable Diversity of operations and effects: His infinite charity obligeth him to intermeddle with our affairs; he comforts the miserable without troubling his own happiness, he strengthens the weak, and makes Maids and Children triumph in the infirmity of their Age and Sex, he teacheth the ignorant, and this Divine Master distils Truth into the Understanding without the mediation of the Senses. Finally, he is the Spirit of the Church, the bond of the faithful, the love of Christians, the mutual gift of Men to God, and of God to Men.  
But that which surpasseth all belief, He is so absolutely in our disposal, that the faithful communicate him to others: The Priests are not only the Ministers, but the Principles thereof, they produce him by their word, as they do Jesus Christ; neither are there any Sacraments in the Church which are not so many channels by which they pour forth the Holy Ghost into the souls of Christians. Nay, many times they that have him not themselves impart him to others; being poor, they make others rich; and having not the grace, they notwithstanding communicate the source; for though they lose their sanctity, they lose not their power; and as it is founded in their Character, which can never be obliterated, they have always the right to give the Holy Ghost, and to remit sins. But because I intent to make a particular Treatise of the Spirit of the Christian, I shall reserve my larger Discourse of the Allyances we have with him, for that place; and conclude the present subject with those words of St Leo, That the Believer is obliged to acknowledge the advantages he hath received from Jesus Christ in his Birth, by no means to degenerate from his Nobility; and to think he ought no more absolutely to dispose of himself, seeing he hath the honour to be the Son of the Eternal Father, the Brother of Jesus Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Ghost.   

The Eighth DISCOURSE. Of the principal Effects Baptism produceth in the CHRISTIAN.  
FOrasmuch as Effects are the images of their Causes, we never judge better of the power of these, then by the greatness of those: A great Effect leads always on to a great Cause, and this Maxim is as true in Grace as in Nature. For if God sometime make use of a weak Instrument to produce a miracle, 
Aliud est enim baptizare per ministerium, aliud per potestatem; Baptisma enim tale est qualis est ille in cujus potestate datur: non qualis est ille per cujus ministerium datur. Aug. Tr. 5. in Joann.  he raiseth the puissance thereof, and by himself supplies what infirmity would sink under. Thence it comes to pass, that the Fathers of the Church attribute to Jesus Christ all the effects of Baptism, teaching us, that 'tis neither the virtue of the Water, nor the merit of the Minister (though both are requisite) that justify the Christian. God reserves to himself the glory to act in this Sacrament; He it is that baptiseth by the hand of his servants, and without having respect to their deserts, worketh grace by a Devil, as well as by an Angel. Wherefore we need not wonder that so common an element produceth such rare effects, seeing 'tis in his hands who of nothing was able to create all things. These effects are almost infinite, their number aswell as their greatness astonish us; and to observe them well, we had need be illuminated by his light whose works they are. 
Nolite contristare Spiritum sanctum, in quo signati estis. Ephes. 4.   
The most part of Divines are of opinion, that the impression of the character is the first effect: for he that is baptised wears the Livery of his Sovereign, he is marked with his Seal, and from the time of his Baptism there is form in the essence of his soul a Character that neither Time nor Eternity can blot out: He carries it with him to heaven for his glory, into hell for his confusion; and that which was a mark of his alliance with God, becomes a mark of his rebellion against God. Men make their slaves wear upon their garments visible Badges of their vassalage, and there are some so cruel as to stigmatize their very faces: The Devil (who is God's Ape) engraves his Character upon the bodies of those miserable wretches that serve him; and if we believe the report of the Magicians, and the experience of the Judges that have examined them, there are not any Witches who bear not the shameful marks of their abominable servitude. This proud Spirit imitates his Sovereign as far as his weakness will give him leave, and he is ravished that the creature who hath given himself to him, witnesseth his fidelity by an external and visible impress: since he cannot act in the souls of men, he is content to act upon their bodies; and he is satisfied, when upon the works of the Creator may be seen some characters of his Tyranny. But God who is absolute in his State, acts upon the souls aswell as upon the bodies; and at the same time that the Ministers sprinkle the water of Baptism upon the body of the Neophytes, he imprints an eternal character in their souls.  
This first effect is followed with another, to wit, the Infusion of Grace: for assoon as the words that consecrate us are pronounced, the holy Spirit enters into our hearts, and there produceth that divine quality which renders us the children of God. We know not whether it be equal in all those that are baptised: Some are of opinion, that the disposition of those that are at age augments or diminisheth it, and according as they have more or less actual love, they receive more or less habitual Grace. Some others pass the same judgement upon Infants, and are persuaded, that the design of God upon their souls makes the difference of their Graces; and that those who are destined to the highest degrees of Glory, receive also at their baptism a higher degree of Grace. This question being not yet resolved, every one may abound in his own sense, though it seem, that as every man equally sinned in Adam, every Christian is equally regenerated in Jesus Christ. But I conceive our Fall and our Restauration are two Abysses that cannot be sounded; and that the example alleged for confirmation of the first, is as much concealed, as the Truth they would thence elicit and extract. Therefore, not confining ourselves to any one of these opinions, 'tis better to confess our ignorance, and acknowledge there are secrets in the order of Grace, aswell as in that of Nature, which the spirit of man can by no means discover.  
The third Effect of Baptism is the restitution of the Innocence we lost in Paradise: Every one explains it according to the conceit he hath of it; and there are store of Divines who imagine that man by the virtue of Baptism, reenters into all the advantages of Adam; that his will recovers its Perfect freedom, his understanding its light, and every faculty of the soul is reestablished in its primitive vigour and activity. But certainly, experience gives this opinion sufficiently the lie, seeing every day the faithful to their cost find that their will is a slave to concupiscence, and if the assistance of Jesus Christ give them not the mastery, there is no temptation but would engage them in a sin. Indeed, though we should affirm, that habitual grace restores us with advantage  Adam despoiled us of; yet must we acknowledge that concupiscence remains in those that are baptised, making havoc in their souls aswell as in their bodies; that it weakens their wills, because it divides them; obscures their understandings, because it sheds darkness over them; troubles their rest, because it stirs up seditions in their person, which end not but with their life: Let us say then that this innocency is nothing but a freedom from sin, which flowing from grace, causeth that the disorders of concupiscence render us not guilty, and that there must be an act of the will to occasion the loss of that which grace hath endued us with. This binds us so powerfully to Jesus Christ, that we find more strength in him then in Adam, and are more secure in our Banishment than we had been in the earthly Paradise. But this Innocence, though never so substantial, is not quiet, its conflicts make up the best part of its glory, its enemies prepare triumphs for it; and 'tis always armed, because 'tis well assured Heaven cannot be gained now but by violence.  
The fourth Effect of Baptism is the weakening of our concupiscence: For though it remain in the baptised for their exercise, it loseth much of its vigour, being left an orphan, in respect of the father that gave it life, it droops and languisheth; and separated from sin, it gives us no assaults but such as we may easily defend ourselves from. The grace that assists us is more potent than the adversary that sets upon us: and 'tis upon this occasion that we may say, Stronger are they that are on our side, than those that are against us. A man must needs play the coward, to suffer himself to be overcome in a combat where the victory depends upon his own will animated with Grace. If we want help, we may pray for it; and the Christian hath this comfort, to know that his own consent is necessary to his undoing. True it is, inasmuch as he is not ignorant that his victory is affixed to Grace, and that Grace is not so due unto him, as that it may not be justly refused him, he hath still reason to fear; and distrusting his own strength, is obliged to have recourse to the mercy of his divine Redeemer.  
Though all Christians are persecuted by concupiscence, 
Cecidit primus homo, & omnes qui de illo nati sunt, de illo traxerunt concupiscentiam carnis. Aug. Tract. 5. in Joann.  yet is it not certainly known whether it be equal in all; for it is so impotent in some, it seems utterly extinct; all their inclinations are so good, we have great reason to believe that Grace is rather the Principle of their actions, than corrupted Nature; and having had a greater share in Jesus Christ at their Baptism, they have less of Adam than others of his Posterity. Nothing pleaseth them but virtue, sin appears with no shape but that of horror; and whether it be that Grace hath weakened Concupiscence, or fortified Nature, they have none but holy desires, and just and upright hopes: Others, on the contrary, have so many bad inclinations, that Baptism seems not to have regenerated them; Adam appears more in their actions and in their words than Jesus Christ, the old man is more thriving and operative in their persons then the new; and did not faith instruct us, that the Sacraments infallibly produce their effects, we should with reason doubt, whether they had received that of Baptism or no. These two differences can proceed from nothing but from those two Principles which we are equally ignorant of, to wit, whether some men have more transgressed in Adam, or more merited in Jesus Christ than others have; unless we will lay all the blame and misfortune of the later upon their own constitution, or upon the disorders of their Parents, who many times make them undergo the punishment of their debauches.  
To all these internal Effects may be added a great number of external ones, which makes us greatly admire the power of Baptism. For by the virtue of this Sacrament the Christian is freed from the slavery of Satan, he changeth his Master, as he changeth his Condition; Hell is shut against him, Heaven is opened to him; the Angels look upon him as one of their Companions; and seeing in his soul the Mark of their Sovereign, they are very tender and respective of his Grace and Privileges. Circumcision had not this advantage; for if it distinguished a child from an Infidel, enroled him in the number of the Israelites, and by the belief of his Parents shed forth faith into his soul; yet all Divines are of opinion, that it gave him no entrance into Heaven, and that dying in that state, they went down into Limbo, the skirts and fringes of perdition: The heavens were not opened till the Ascension of Jesus Christ; He it was that delivered our Fathers from their Captivity; and that he might triumph over Hell, aswell as over Earth, made them partakers of his happiness. But to give us a clearer apprehension of the right we have to Glory by Baptism, 
Baptizato Domino, Caeli sunt ap●rti; ut declaretur nobis quid ex Baptismo operari possemus. Diu. Thom.  he was pleased that the Heavens should be opened when he received this Ceremony at the hands of his Precursor, and the Confession of his Father, declaring him his well-beloved Son, was an Earnest and Pledge assuring us that we should one day receive the same favour.  
From this advantage there ariseth another which greatly promoteth the Condition of Christians: As they are engrafted into the person of Jesus Christ, passing into a new order, they live under other laws; and I can hardly believe that they are subject to that common Providence that rules over all men: For the illustration of this Truth, which may seem strange because it is new; 
Effectus rerum omnium aut movent aut notant sydera; sed sive quod evenitfaciunt, quid immutabilis rei notitia prosiciet sive significant, quid refert puovidere quod evitare non possis. Sen.  we must suppose that the sin of Adam hath not only changed Man, but the World also: The Elements bid him battle, the Stars persecute him, and the fires of the Firmament sparkle with pernicious qualities to infest him: Man's life depends upon their influences, his constitution is altered by their motions, and the greatest part of his adventures are regulated by their favourable or malignant aspects. Astrologers therefore have some reason to search for good or bad successes in the stars, and to learn from heaven what shall happen upon the earth: 'Tis a book wherein knowing men may read the alteration of Monarchies, the events of battles, the birth and death of Sovereigns, and all those other accidents which surprise the vulgar: This Opinion, whether true or false, pretends to be founded in scripture; 
In sole posuit Tabernaculum suum. Psal. 18  and that there are some passages in it assuing us that the stars are the Channel through which Providence conveys its virtue upon the Creatures. The Sun is the Throne where God sits in state, and where he acts with more force; 'Tis by means of this glorious Star that he produceth the rarest wonders of nature, and from the very moment that he drew all things out of nothing; he never appears in the production of any visible Creatures, but he makes use of his light or heat. His Ecilpses are dreadful to the Universe; he never suspends his influences but Nature suffers by it; and his course is so necessary to the constitution of the World, that a moment of rest would be able to destroy it. Though this great body of Light have so absolute a superintendency over all Creatures, yet do I not believe that the Christians hold of his Empire, though he enlighten them with his beams, warm them with his heat, and entertain their life with his motion: yet am I of opinion there is a particular providence that governs them: 
Dominus custodit te, Dominus protectio tua, per diem Sol non uret te, n●que Luna per noctem. Psal. 120.  that their occurrences are regulated by another sun; neither is it in the power of Astrologers to discover the adventures of the faithful. In that they are the members of Jesus Christ, their happiness is affixed to his person, their predestination is included in his, and we must understand the secrets of the Apocalypse to divine their good or bad fortune. The devil himself, though never so subtle, cannot penetrate this depth; if he have some conjectures for the future, they prove false in what concerns Christians: the Grace that includes them, blinds him; and as the heavenly Light strikes his spirit with obscurity, he is altogether unacquainted with the ways by which providence happily conducts them to their end. Therefore is it that Astrologers are never so much at a loss, as when they pretend to judge of the fortune of Believers, by the rules of Astrology; they must dive into the mind of the eternal Father to understand his thoughts concerning the members of his Son, and less than to be admitted into his Cabinet where the unchangeable designs of his predestination are contrived, cannot enable them to foresee the smallest accidents of their life.  
If the sanctity of their Condition cloud them from the curiosity of Astrologers, it moreover protects them from the fury of Devils. For though these wretched spirits are called by scripture the Princes of the World, and the divine Justice suffers them to employ the Elements to content their fury: yet have they no power over the faithful: All their rage turns to our profit, they are serviceable even while they persecute: Their notable attempts, which testify their power aswell as their hatred, contribute greatly to our merit: The Divine Providence that regulates all their motions, makes use of them to our glory; and we learn by experience, That nothing can hurt those that love GOD, because they are beloved of him. Thence ariseth that profound tranquillity which Christians enjoy; For as they know nothing happens in the world but according to the order and disposal of their Sovereign; that the fury of their Enemies is subject to his Providence, that the Devils execute his Will, that the Elements serve his Justice or his Mercy, they look upon all Accidents with a Holy indifferency; they embrace Life and Death, Honour and Dishonour, Pleasure and Pain with one and the same disposition of spirit, and knowing very well that they are the members of Jesus Christ, they count it not strange that his Father makes them climb up to honour by affronts, and to felicity by persecution.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. Of the Obligations of Christians in pursuance of their Birth.  
INdependency is so natural to God, that some Philosophers have doubted whether he could be engaged by his promises: But me thinks to preserve his Independency they would take away his Veracity, and that they might make him an absolute Sovereign go about to render him an unfaithful one: The perfections of God never clash one against another, and those that seem to have some contrariety in the creatures preserve a peaceful harmony without losing their differences in the Creator. He is absolute in his power, and faithful in his promises, he is subject to those Laws he himself prescribes, and he respects his own Orders without infringing his Supremacy. Seneca, who had only natural reason for his light, judged that obedience did not at all injure the Sovereignty of God, 
Ille ipse omnium conditor ac rector scripsit quidem fata sed sequitur: semper paret, semel jussit. Senec. de prov. c. 5.  and that observing the ordinances he had set from all eternity, he obeyed always, and commanded but once. David acknowledged fidelity in God as well as Independency, and though he knew that all his graces were mercies, he forbears not to exact from him the effects of his promises, and to conjure him upon the truth of his Word, God is faithful in all his words.  
Wherefore I conceive I shall no ways wrong the Almighty, if I say that he treats with the Christian in Baptism; That he imposes Laws upon himself, which he never revokes; and obliges himself to conditions, which he inviolably keeps. He receives the sinner into favour, signs him the pardon of his sin, invests him with the merits of his Son, and promiseth all things necessary for his preservation in this new condition. I cannot imagine that this Peace is but a Truce, that there are any Christians to whom God does not sincerely and really remit original sin: 
Cr●dentes in Christum per lavacrum regenerationis, soluto reatu omnium peccatorum, & originalis quod generatio trahit, liberantur à damnationc perpetua & vivunt in fide spe & charitate peregrinantes in hoc saeculo. Aug. tract. 124. in Joan.  His goodness gives me not leave to pass this judgement upon his justice, and though I know that he performs an Act of Grace to a Delinquent in Baptism; I believe that considering him in the person of his Son, he refuses him not those graces which so holy an alliance seem to require: if he condemn them, 'tis not for the sin which is blotted out, and if God be deficient to the Laws of this Treaty, 'tis because the Christian hath first broken the Covenant. The gifts of God are without repentance, he deserts none, but those that forsake him, and were we true to his grace he would never dispense with his promises.  
The unchangeable Laws of Predestination clash not at all with this Maxim, and at that instant when he resolved to leave the Reprobate in the mass of Perdition, he saw their sins as well as those of Adam: 'Tis upon these that he rests, when he refuses them Grace, and had they made good use of that they received, I cannot believe he would have abandoned them. 
Si gratia dicitur, gratis datur; si operibus additur, mer●es redditur. Aug. Psal. 103. Ser. 3  The doctrine of S. Augustine doth not destroy itself, though he teach us that Grace is not due to the Creature, he never told us that it was not due to Jesus Christ; and where he said that it was justly refused Christians, he always presupposed that they had committed some Crimes, which rendered them unworthy.  
There is some secret in Grace which yet we understand not, whereby it comes to pass that without destroying the virtue of its efficacy, we may resist its operation; its charms perhaps are not so strong, that they are always inevitable, its powers rob us not of our liberty, and though it be very often victorious, yet it is sometimes worsted: We have a miserable power remaining in us to resist its motions, and did it infallibly without any intermission produce its effect, the Saints would not complain of their Infidelity. Whatever good we do, bears witness of the great Empire it hath over our wills, since it changeth them without compelling them, and a thousand times more powerful than eloquence, it makes the sinner act what he never had a mind to before; it knows how to conquer our rebellion, and its charms are so sweetly prevalent, that they master the most obstinate, and subject the most rebellious. But the evil we do, is an argument that our liberty may resist it, that at all times it acts not with the like force; and if at its birth it work more vigorously, in its progress it grows more languishing and remiss, In this point consists all the difficulty, this is the secret God hath not been willing to discover to us, 'tis the cause of our differences, and I am of opinion, this will never be understood till Jesus Christ raise up some new light in his Church. I reverence Saint Augustine when he defends the party of grace, when he sets it above man's freewill, when he styles it victorious, and to express its efficacy, affirms that it infallibly produceth its effect: I am ravished when I read that great Doctor, how he makes man stoop to God, the will to grace, salvation to mercy. But withal I respect the Council of Trent, teaching us that our liberty may resist grace, that when it receives its impressions, it may reject them, and that in the very motion whereby 'tis carried it may remain obstinate and unmoveable; what ever is said to reconcile these two opinions doth not at all satisfy me, and whatsoever answer is returned, I always meet with difficulties great enough to persuade me that earth is not the mansion of light, I honour S. Augustine and the Holy Sea, I subscribe to the anathemas the Church hath thundered out against Pelagians & Calvinists: and as I believe that Sin hath not destroyed the Liberty of Man, neither do I believe that  ruins the power of Grace.  
But to return where I left, I hold for certain, that God is never wanting to the Covenant he made with the Christian in Baptism; that he never forsakes him, till he be forsaken by him; and that there is always some secret infidelity on man's part, that renders him unworthy of the assistance God would afford him: his grace is many times offered to the Christian, though it be not due to him; and as he is constantly obliged to combat sin, I conceive he hath continually some helps which he scarce ever fails of. If God make us sensible of our weakness, 'tis that he may oblige us to have recourse to his goodness: if he suffer us to fall, 'tis to punish us: and the withdrawing of his grace supposeth always some notable infidelity. When he pardons in Baptism, 'tis with as much Sincerity as Mercy: he doth not quicken a sin that he hath made to die: he goes not to Adam to seek for motives to destroy a man that gins to revive in Jesus Christ: and I verily believe he never refuses grace to a Christian for an offence he hath so solemnly pardoned.  
But we must certainly confess that we observe not our promises with the same faithfulness, and that we are many times wanting to those oaths and protestations we have made in Baptism. For the Christian publicly vows that he doth renounce the devil, That he dies to himself, to live to Jesus Christ, That he will be crucified with him; and as he takes his party, he is resolved to fight his enemies. Let us examine these promises in particular, and see what they exact from us. Baptism in those of age gins by Instruction, in children by Exorcism; it presupposeth that they are possessed with Devils; whom if they torment not as a Tyrant, they command as a Sovereign. If this Maxim be not true, the Ceremonies of Baptism must pass for illusions; and the Church, to amaze us with vain fears, increaseth the misery of our thraldom, to augment the benefit of our deliverance: when she sets us free from this shameful captivity, she obligeth us to have no more commerce with the Evil spirit: and knowing that the World is his State, that it lives under his Laws, follows his Maxims, obeys his Directions, she gives us in charge to hate it: and to the end we may submit to her injunctions, we promise, by the mouth of our Godfathers, to renounce the World as well as the Devil. But because the grace that defaceth Sin destroys not Concupiscence, but this monster still lives in our flesh, stirs up disorders there, makes parties, and raiseth seditions; we engage moreover to weaken his Empire, to combat his designs, to check his motions. Thus the Christians in their Baptism are obliged to a War, nay to Death; they must die, if they intent to live; they must fight, if they mean to overcome: and knowing that the New man is a soldier, they must consider Life as a Combat, the Earth as the Pitched Field, and the Devil, the World and the Flesh as irreconcilable Enemies.  
In the rear of these, marcheth a terrible Troop of sins which Christians are bound to grapple with and subdue. For the grace they have received in Baptism, differs much from that which Adam received in the state of Innocence. His was quiet, and gave no alarms; it subjected the Soul to God, the Body to the Soul, and the Senses to Reason; its commands were executed without the least dispute; it found no resistance in its subjects: and as it commanded with Gentleness, it was obeyed with cheerfulness. This of Christians is obliged to join Force with Sweetness: and as the most part of its subjects are rebels, they must be threatened, to reduce them to their duty. It commands always with the sword in the hand: and knowing very well that when a people are up, Justice can execute nothing if it be not assisted with force, it must be feared, that it may be obeyed. Hence it is that it calls in severe virtues to its aid, which make the Body afflict the Senses, and swallow up the Passions. But use what endeavour it will, it finds by woeful experience, that its subjects are so mutinous, that they cannot be brought in subjection: They are rather tired then overcome: and at the very instant they seem to submit to Grace, they listen to Concupiscence; and taking new courage from this rebel-lust, they set upon their Sovereign afresh. Thus our whole life is a continual Warfare: we begin at our Baptism, and we end not till our Death. This is it that S. Cyprian expresseth so handsomely in his Treatise of the Deluge; where speaking to the Neophytes, he says, You are baptised, you have the honour to bear the character of Jesus Christ; you have been admitted to his Table, and his Flesh hath served for nourishment: Take notice how this new kind of life engages you in a combat where you must grapple with the whole family of sins: If you overcome Covetousness, Lust will set upon you; if you foil Lust, Ambition steps in its place; and joining craft to violence, endeavours to persuade us that all his designs are reasonable: If you master this combatant, Envy, Anger, Drunkenness, accompanied with their partisans, will presently draw into a body to destroy you. Therefore doth S. Augustine compare the condition of newly-converted Christians to that of the Jews when they went out of Egypt: They, saith he, were delivered by Moses, these are delivered by Jesus Christ; they passed thorough the red Sea, these pass thorough Baptism; they saw all their enemies dead upon the shore, these see all their sins drowned in the waters: But remember, my brethren, that the Jews having passed the Red-sea, were not suddenly landed in Palestine: the wilderness and deserts exercised their patience, hunger and thirst oppressed them a long time, fiery serpents persecuted them, and a thousand strange nations opposing their passage, made them stand to their arms to defend themselves. Thus the Christians spend their life in conflicts, and find the world a horrid desert, where a hundred several monsters serve as trials of their courage, and exercises of their virtue. They sigh after their dear Country, they long to reign with Jesus Christ; but disciplined by these precedent Types and Figures, they are taught, that to arrive to his Triumphs, they must share in his Combats. Therefore ought they not to think it strange, though being brethren of Jesus Christ, and children of their heavenly Father, they yet enjoy not their inheritance; and if, while they are on the earth treated like slaves or enemies, they still feel the revolt of the Creatures, the persecution of Satan, the War of those two parts whereof they are composed. Let us profit by these Examples, and remember that if Heaven be our Inheritance, 'tis also our Recompense; if we be Children, we are also Soldiers; and if God be Good enough to prevent our Deserts, he is Just enough to require our Good Works.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. The Regeneration of a Christian takes not away all that he drew from his first Generation.  
AS Grace and Nature proceed from one and the same Principle, 
Erat Deus in Angelis & in pr●● homine naturä condens & largiens gratiam. Aug.  they have in their differences certain wonderful resemblances which cannot be considered without ravishment. They act both together; and though sin have divided them, yet does not Grace forbear to make use of Nature in its highest operations. Their designs are alike, only they seek after God by divers ways: but Grace hath this advantage over Nature, that it never wanders. They have one and the same End, as they have one and the same Beginning; and when they seem to contest, their only design is to make Man happy. Both of them are admirable in their Variety: Nature puts as many differences in men's Minds, as in their Countenances; and though all faces have the same parts, yet she ranks them with so much artifice, that there appears a diversity in their very likeness. Grace is not inferior to Nature in this advantage; all its productions are different: and though the Saints are quickened with the same Spirit, the Church, recording their Panegyric, instructs us that they are singular in their species.  
But one of their greatest resemblances, is, that Nature is flow in her operations: she brings not her works to pass without much labour and time: one grain of Corn costs her a whole year; and she needs the several Seasons, to bring it to a perfect maturity. Flowers that are not so useful as Fruits, stand her not in less time: and to give them their Colour and their Smell, Winter and Spring are requisite. Grace is yet more slow than Nature: for whether it find resistance in its designs, or labour in more difficult undertake, it perfects not but in Eternity, what it gins in Time: There remains something still to be reform in the Creature: and whatever excellency of endeavour it bestows upon the greatest Saints, it continually meets with some disorders to be regulated, some sin to be corrected, some inclinations to be vanquished. Thence it comes to pass that in Baptism, where it gives life to the Christian, it acts with so much weakness, that wiping away the stain of sin, it leaves notwithstanding Concupiscence there still. For though by the virtue of this Sacrament we become new creatures, that Adam dies, and Jesus Christ is born in us; yet are we but rude draughts, unpolished works expecting their perfection from time and travel: We are, saith one Apostle, but the embryo of a new creature; and we bear the denomination of Children by reason of our Weakness, as well as of our Innocence. The Principles of Christian life are in our souls; we have the seeds of all virtues: but if we husband them not with great care, they are choked among the thorns of our evil inclinations.  
For the understanding a truth that so much concerns our salvation, we must know that the grace of Baptism defaceth the sin of Adam, invests us with the Innocence of Jesus Christ; and giving us admittance into his rights, bestoweth heaven upon us for our inheritance: of children of wrath which we were before, 
Salus hominis in Baptismate sacta est, quia dimissum est peccatum quod ex parentibus traxit, vel quicquid etiam propric ante Baptismum peccavit.  we become children of mercy; and contracting a true alliance with the holy Trinity, we renounce all affinity with flesh and blood. In this happy condition, we are no longer afraid of the just wrath of God; the thunders he threatens sinners with, are no longer terrible to us; and living securely under the shadow of Jesus Christ, we know that the sole sin of Adam can no longer prejudice our salvation: we meditate with delight upon those words of S. Paul, There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. We have the earnest of our salvation in ourselves; Grace is a pledge of glory: and remaining under the Conduct of the holy Spirit, we are sure that under so good a guide we cannot miscarry. But whatever hope our spirit flatters us with, we cease not to have just apprehensions of our fall: For though God never forsakes the sinner, till the sinner first forsake him; though he be faithful in his promises, nor is ever wanting to the Treaty he made with us in Baptism: Nevertheless there remains in us a wretched faintness, that so weakens us in temptation, that without a continued assistance of Grace, we cannot hope for victory. Concupiscence always sides with sin; it labours to revive what it first gave birth to; and overspreading all the faculties of the soul, and members of the body, it solicits all of them to rise-against Grace: its Fruitfulness is equal to its Malice; it contains in it the seeds of all sins: and when Temptation hatcheth them, there's not so much as one whereof man may not become guilty: As long as he carries about him this enemy, his salvation is in danger; he groans under its tyranny: and knowing that there wants but one mere act of the Will to be the midwife to sin, he would willingly not be free, that he might not become criminal. For all Theologic confesseth that Concupiscence is not taken away by Baptism, That it is left with the faithful to exercise them, That it continually provokes them to evil, That it contributes as often to their fall as to their glory; and if it increase their merit, it swells their danger. Though it be not a sin in Christians, it keeps them still in breath; they are equally afraid of its smiles and of its frowns: and whether it flatter or frighten, they have still reason to fear lest it render then delinquents. In a word, Is it not a sad condition for a man always to carry his enemy in his bosom; to be obliged to fight, without any assurance of getting the better; and to know that Grace with all its supplies may enfeeble him, but never utterly defeat him? If Man account himself miserable in Nature, because he carries the principles of his death in himself; and that the opposition of the elements which make him live, must one day make him die: Is not the Christian very unhappy in grace itself, when he sees how he bears about the source of sin in his soul, That Baptism sets him not free from slavery, That Virtue engageth him to fight; and at the same time that Hope promiseth him Victory, Fear appalls him with the apprehension of a Defeat?  
This vexation is redoubled by a troublesome division which his second birth hath not composed. For the Christian is unfortunately parted between Concupiscence and Grace: he never sights with his full strength; and when he hath a mind to obey Charity, there is always some part of Himself that holds with his Enemy. The Flesh always faceth the Spirit: Man is the Theatre of this dreadful combat; he cannot disarm those that trouble his rest: though he sometimes prevail over them, he fears lest rallying their forces they triumph over their conqueror. 'Twas this inseparable misfortune of the Christian, that made S. Paul sigh; 'twas this potent enemy that made him long for death: and supposing that 'twere better die then sin, he desired to lose his Life, to preserve his Integrity.  
But admit the Christian were delivered from Concupiscence that torments him, and from Sedition that divides him; he is still exercised by another trial which Baptism leaves him to grapple with: For he is subject to Illusion; Error, as well as Truth, steals into his Understanding: his giddy and unfaithful Senses side more with Wickedness then with Grace: and these parties for the most part holding intelligence with the Devil, threaten him with Blindness and Ignorance.  
'Tis by this gate that the devil surpriseth the Will; 'tis by our eyes or by our ears that he seduceth us: and having these rebels always at his devotion, we need not wonder if he gain so many victories against us. When he tempted our first father in Paradise, he set upon a place where he had no intelligence; the Senses did not all assist him against the Intellectual faculty, nor Passions against Reason: Man's forces were united; and when his Will pronounced the definitive sentence, he found as many ministers to execute it, as he had Faculties. But now he hath scarce any members which are not instrumental to his enemy: his Grace, though never so powerful, stamps no faithfulness upon the Senses, nor obedience upon the Passions: he hath no submission but by violence; and reigning in a state where Concupiscence lives still, he meets with more rebels than subjects. All his stability consists in Grace: instructed by the defeat of Adam, he has recourse to his divine Redeemer; and knowing very well that his forces are weakened by sin, he finds no better expedient to vanquish his enemy, then to confess his impotency. 
Haec una praesentis vitae perfectio est, ut te infirmum & imperfectum agnoscas. Hieron. ad Ctesi.  He remembers that Virtue is preserved in Infirmity, that the Distrust of himself is the mother of Safety, and that in a Religion where we live not by our own spirit, neither do we overcome by our own strength.  
But whatever artifice our Humility makes use of to defend itself, yet must we confess that 'tis an extreme affliction to know that the devil that tempts us can trouble our Imagination, and make a part of ourselves serviceable to his malice: For in conclusion, Concupiscence is a trusty minister which executes all his commands, sets all the Passions in a commotion in behalf of him, debaucheth all the Senses to serve him; and carrying disorder into the inmost recesses of the Soul, undertakes to make the Understanding and the Will stoop to his lure. S. Augustine acknowledged this misery; and confesseth, that though the body were sanctified by Baptism, it had not lost its corruption; that in the language of Scripture it lay heavy upon the soul, disposing it to sin. Nay, the soul itself, though it have a greater share in grace then the body, is nevertheless engaged in self-love: Though in Baptism it received remission of all sins, yet its bad inclinations are not obliterated in a moment: nor do the first-fruits of Grace produce Virtues, if they be not husbanded with much care and diligence: the New man must increase daily, if he intent to ruin the Old; and dismantle the body of Sin, if he will establish the Spirit of Grace. For 'tis an error, saith that great Saint, for a man to persuade himself, that from the very moment that a Christian is baptised, all the infirmities of the old man are quite washed away: his renovation indeed gins by the remission of sins; but it cannot arrive to perfection, but as he goes on in virtue, and tastes those spiritual delights which serve as nourishment to the new life. They therefore are much deceived, who anchor their hope upon their Character; who think, to be a Christian, is title enough to Salvation; and never considering that they have only the seeds of Christianity, labour not to make them fructify by good works: whoever neglects this care, cannot preserve his grace any long time; and he that resists not Temptation which remains after sin, is in great danger to be speedily deprived of the Innocence of Baptism.  
To all these internal evils which seize us, may be added those external ones which surround us: for if Regeneration reform not the disorders of our soul nor of our body, it never assuageth the persecution of the Elements: Though we be justified by Baptism, we are not instated in our primitive advantages: The Curse issued out against the Creatures, is not taken away by Grace; and as we experience revolts in our person, we resent them also in our state. The Earth hath not recovered her former fruitfulness; it brings forth thorns to this day to punish us; it nourisheth monsters that make war against us; it rends asunder in gaping chasms to swallow us up; and levels mountains to overwhelm us. Every Element minds us of our misery: they make no difference between an Infidel and a Christian. Though the Angels respect their character, Creatures despise it, or know it not. The Sea drowns Our Vessels, as well as those of the Turks. To be reconciled with God, makes us not friends with the Winds: a man must be a Saint that commands the Waves: And if together with our Charity, we have not also the gift of Miracles, we know not how to calm the Sea, nor to appease Tempests. The Fire spares not all Innocents'; it hath burnt Martyrs who had no less faith than the Three Children that walked untouched in the midst of the fiery furnace: it sometimes blends itself with Thunder, and, being blind, strikes the Just as often as the Guilty. The Church canonizeth some Saints, which that element hath reduced to Powder: and because she knows that the sentence of our death speaks of dust and ashes, she wonders not if Thunder have the same operation upon some Saints, which Time is designed to have upon All men.  
Finally, all the Elements teach us that we are Miserable, though we be not Criminal: Baptism, that delivers us from Sin, frees us not from Punishment. God will have the World persecute us, that we may hate it: he hath ordained the place of our banishment to be troublesome, lest it should make us forget our Country. This is the Advantage we draw from our Evil, the Comfort we retain in our Miseries: and 'tis enough to make us stoop with all humility to the Justice of God, inasmuch as we know that our Punishment may as well be serviceable to our own Salvation, as to his Glory.    

The Second TREATISE. Of the Spirit of a Christian.  

The first DISCOURSE. That every Body hath its Spirit; and what that of the Churches is.  
IN Nature, every thing hath its own Spirit: and if we believe Chemists, there is no element, though never so simple, out of which the Essent, though never so simple, out of which the Essence may not be extracted: They make daily Experiments hereof with the Fire; and dividing what Nature had united, they separate the Form from the Matter. The World, according to the relation of some Philosophers, hath a Soul that inanimates it, which is shed abroad thorough all its parts, and which, according to their divers dispositions, produceth divers effects. 'Tis this Divine Spirit that gives it motion; that waters it with fruitfulness, whereby it hatcheth all those wonders whose causes men are ignorant of. As Artificial things are the images of Natural, neither do men make any thing whereof they take not the Copy from Nature, as from a perfect Original; there is not any Sect that hath not its particular humour and difference.  
The Peripatetics take all their light from Argumentation and Experience; 
Alii alia de anima disceptant, prout aut Platonis honour, aut Zenonis vigour, aut Aristotolis tenor, aut Empedoclis furor, aut Epicuri stupor, aut Heracliti maeror, persuascrunt. Tert. de Ani.  Authority hath no credit in their School: they desert their Master, when he agrees not with Truth: and laughing at the blind obedience of the Pythagoreans, they believe nothing but what they discover by Sense or by Discourse.  
The Platonics march upon the higher ground, but less certain, less solid: 
Animus cernit, animus audit; reliquae surda & caeca sunt: impedimentum est corpus, non socium ad cognoscendam veritatem. Tert. de Plato.  for they withdraw from the Senses, as from the enemies of truth; they look upon them, as upon faithless ministers, or pleasing impostors, which beholding nought but the shadows of things, present us with nothing but Errors and falsehoods. Their Spirit savours more of Intelligence then of Science; as if individuals were unworthy of their observation; they consider nothing but generals, and leaving men and beasts, 
Iste Academicue quiae omnia esse contendit incerta, indignus est qui habeat ulld in his rebus authoritatem. August. de Cice.  they contemplate only Angels and Ideas.  
The Academics are parted between these two, they allow something to Reason and Intelligence, they are more noble than the Peripatetics, but not so credulous as the Platonics; they make the senses servants to Reason, but having a mind to see a part of what they believe, they make a Sect whose principal difference is doubt and uncertainty.  
The Stoics are as capacious as they are proud; 
Magna promittitis & quae optari quidem nedum credi possint; deinde sublato alte supercilio, in eadem quae caeteri desceuditis, mutatis rerum nominibus. Seneca.  ordinary proceed please them not, nothing seems generous that is not extravagant, all common Opinions stumble them; they judge so ill of the people, that they take all their votes for Errors: Their Pride, which is the very soul of their Sect, forms Ideas of virtue, which not one of them can reach unto; and they propound a Sage so exactly perfect to their Disciples, that they put them past all hope of imitating him, at the very same time they stir up a desire in them to become their Proselytes.  
The Epicures search after nothing but pleasure, because they conceive it inseparable from virtue: Their Sect which is soft only in expressions, is austere really and in deed; 
Mea quidem sententia est; Epicurum sancta & recta praecipere & si propius accesseris tristia: voluptas enim illa ad parvum & exile revocatur, & quam nos virtuti legem dicimus, eam ille dicit voluptati: Jubet illam parere naturae; parum est autem luxuriae quod naturae satis est. Senec. de vita beat. cap. 13.  they reduce the desires of men to things merely necessary, they part with superfluities joyfully, and placing their felicity in their Conscience, they count themselves happy in the midst of Torments: These Philosophers speak not of pleasure, but to make their Disciples in love with virtue; and if there have been found some who have deserted virtues side to embrace that of pleasure, it hath been not only contrary to their expectation, but also to their belief: For the foundation of their Opinion, is, that the will cannot be charmed by any thing but by pleasure, and that pleasure cannot be separated from virtue, so that the mind and intendment of this Sect is to render a man content in rendering him virtuous, and to make him in love with virtue by catching him with pleasure.  
If from the Schools of Philosophers we pass to the conversation of sinners, we shall find there is not one of them who is not carried with a particular humour, and who seeks not out in the sins he does commit some shadow of happiness. The Ambitious have no other Spirit but vainglory; This is that proud passion which inanimates all their designs, inables them to surmount all difficulties, engages them in conflicts where the success is doubtful, and obliges them to sacrifice their own lives to purchase a little reputation. Interest is the soul of the Covetous; whatever is profitable is welcome and glorious: 'Tis the hope of gain that sweetens their travels; and when in despite of Rocks and Tempests they pass the Seas, 'tis that Idol of Interest which scatters their fears, and boys up their hopes. Pleasure is the life of the Lascivious; this passion fosters their desires, surmounts their griefs, entertains their fidelity and so besots them with the senses, that nothing can any way divert them, but what is agreeable or sensual.  
But not to trouble myself with the proof of so known a Truth, and leaving the state of sin to consider that of Grace; we must confess there is not any Society in the Church which finds not its difference in its Spirit; and being linked together in the same bond of Charity, is not distinguished by some other particular virtue. 
Carthusianorum spiritus solitudo.  For to begin with that order which hath no commerce with men, that they may have the more with Angels; solitude is its spirit and advantage; they take their probation in the Deserts: They find Thebais in Europe; and reviving the Anchorites in these last Ages, they present us in their Disciples with the happy Image of those great Saints that succeeded the Martyrs, and who began to combat pleasure, 
Labia Sacerdotis custodiunt scientiam. Mala. 2.  after others had triumphed over grief. The Dominicans have the Spirit of Preaching, their Name which obliges them to this Exercise, is an emblem of their duty; and because the Gospel subsists by knowledge as well as by Piety, they are the Cherubins of the Church, the Depositaries and Guardians of Learning, the Masters of Divinity, and the fruitful Seminaries whence other Orders derive Knowledge and Truth: 'Twas their Order that bore those Constellations of Doctors that enlightened the whole Church; the Albert's, Thomas', Jourdains, Renoults, Raymond's, and Vincents, are the Stars which sparkle in this Firmament, and who for these four Ages dispense Light and Science round the Europian Christendom. The Order of St. Francis is inanimated with the spirit of Penance and Poverty; these are the two severe ascetic virtues that preserve it, representing in every one of this Fraternity, as their blessed Founder, the Image of Jesus Christ Crucified; all their other Privileges are reduced to these two, as to their Principle: what ever they do or say, their design is to fasten the whole World to the Cross; and infusing their Spirit into the Church, 
Surrexit Elias Propheta quasi ignis, & verbum illius quasi sacula ardebat: verbo Domini continnit ignem, & dejecit de coelo ignem ter; sic amplificatus est Elias in mirabilibus suis. Eccles. cap. 48.  to make all Christians they converse with, so many Votaries of Penance and Poverty. That Order that takes its Name and Original from Carmel, hath no other Spirit then that of Elias; The zeal of this Prophet breathes still in his Disciples; wrongs done to God injure them; whatever offends him wounds them; and these Boanerges more sensible of his glory then their own concernments, care not for being persecuted, so God may be known and reverenced. If as their Father they retire into Deserts, 'tis because they cannot away with the sins of the World; if they preach, 'tis to gain subjects to Jesus Christ, and to enlarge the bounds of his Empire; if they pass the Sea, 'tis to make war against Idols, and to teach all people that they are the children of that Prophet who must support the state of the Church to the end of the World: Its Daughters are not inferior to its Disciples; their zeal imitates that of their Father, after his Example they live in Wildernesses, they destroy wickedness by their good Works, they do Penance for those sins they never committed, and tempering the fervency of Elias with the sweetness of Jesus Christ, they pray for the salvation of sinners, and the ruin of sins; they assist the Preachers with their Devotion, and neither breaking their Cloister nor their Silence, they are carried in Spirit into New France and England, to convert by their fervour, Heretics and Infidels.  
But as all these companies make but one portion of the body of the Church, their spirits are but a part of hers, and we may say that from her fullness they have borrowed all their riches: For the spirit of the Church is the spirit of God; he that form Jesus Christ in the womb of the Virgin, form the Church in the world; 
Venit Christus; complentur in ejus ortu, vita, factis, dictis, morte, resurrectione, ascenfione omnia praeconiae prophetarum: mittit Spiritum sanctum, implet fideles in una domo congregatos, & hoc ipsum ante promissum, orando, & desiderando expectantes. Aug. ad Volus.  he it was that composed it when he descended upon the Apostles in the likeness of tongues; and as the Synagogue took its denomination from mount Sinai, when the Law was written upon two stones in the midst of thunder and lightning; so the Christian Church derives its original from mount Zion, when the law of love was engraven in the heart of the faithful, by the finger of God, which is nothing else but the holy Spirit. 'tis from this happy moment, that the sacred Historians begin the Annals of our Mother, and then it was that the Apostles her Fathers, and her Children, cured of their ignorance and infirmity, prepared themselves for the conquest of the Universe, and the couversion of Infidels. The same spirit that inspired them with life, inspired them with courage for so generous a design, and hell trembled with amazement when it beheld twelve fishermen, and seventy Peasants, resolved to lose their lives, or to work the downfall of Infidelity: Their strength triumphed over the power of Kings, their simplicity confounded the prudence of Politicians; their ignorance convinced the obstinacy of Philosophers; and their discourse, void of all rhetorical ornaments persuaded the minds of Orators.  
These Prodigies are very apt to beget wonder; but when we consider that the Apostles served as interpreters to the holy Ghost, that he spoke with their mouths, and that he resided in their hearts, we shall not conceive it strange, that he that subdued Egypt with an army of flies, converted the world by a few fishermen. This spirit which was the force of the Church, was also the light; as it assisted her in her combats, 
Impleti Spiritu sancto loquumur repente linguis omnium, arguunt fidenter errores, praedicant saluberrimam veritatem, exbortantur ad poenitentiam, indulgentiam de divina gratia pollicentur. Aug. epist. 3. ad Volusi.  it instructed her in her doubts; and as often as she would resolve a difficulty, or settle an Article of faith, she consulted the spirit of her well-beloved, and finding truth in his answers, she pronounced nothing but Oracles to her children.  
I see nothing more venerable and august in the infancy of the Church, than the first Council held in the City of Jerusalem, to decide a matter that might separate the Jews from the Gentiles; It was not convened with so much pomp as others have been; there appeared not the Ambassadors of Christian Princes, because the whole Church was included within the walls of one only City; there were no Philosophers who made use of the vanity of their Sciences to impede the progress of the truth of the Gospel; there were no strange Nations, because all the believers were of one Country; the epitome of the Universe was not seen in one Convocation, because the Church had not yet displayed her banner, neither in Europe, nor Africa: But there might be seen the Lieutenant of Jesus Christ, with a zeal worthy of his charge; there was the Bishop of Jerusalem, who was to water with his blood the Church that he had built by his example, and instructed by his sermons; there might you see the Apostle of the Gentiles take the interest of the people he had newly converted, and prove by his reasons that the Gospel being the accomplishment of the Law, they were not to make that live again which Jesus Christ had crucified with himself upon the Cross.  
But of all the circumstances that give an excellency to this Council above all others, I am ravished with none so much as with that great assurance, and unshaken confidence the Apostles begin their decisions withal; For they acquaint us that they were the Organs of the holy Ghost; that he that resided in their hearts, expressed himself by their mouths; that he pronounced his Oracles in their words, and confirming all they had ordained, he had no other sense but theirs. Visum est spiritui sancto & nobis. It hath seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us. Let Kings conclude their Edicts in terms never so absolute, let them second their reasons with that imperious clause, Such is our pleasure, and let them prescribe laws to their subjects liberty, they shall never persuade us that the holy Ghost is the Author of their Ordinances, and that he that spoke by the mouth of the Apostles speaks by the mouth of Monarches. Infallibility is promised to none but to the Church, and to the head thereof; there is but that Assembly alone that makes the holy Ghost vocal. Truth is suspected in the mouths of Philosophers and Orators; Sovereigns are constrained to have recourse to force to make their laws valid, and of credit. The Church only can impose obedience upon her children when she will, 
Potest fieri ut homo mentiatur, non potest fieriut veritas mentiatur; ex v ritatis ore cognosco Christum ipsam veritatem, ex veritatis ore cognosco Ecclefiam veritatis participem. Aug. in Isa. 57  because to her alone is promised the assistance of the holy Ghost. He is her Author, because he form her in her birth; he is her strength, because he defends her in persecution; he is her light, because he instructs her in her doubts; and he is her Spirit, because he gives her life, motion, and direction.   

The second DISCOURSE. That the Holy Ghost is the Heart of the Church.  
THough there is not any part in a man's body useless or unprofitable, yet Natural Philosophy acknowledgeth the Heart and the Head for the two principal. The Head is placed in the highest and most eminent seat, as the Sovereign, having all the Senses as so many faithful ministers; gives orders and sheds influences thorough the whole body of the State: thence every part receives Sense and Motion: and no sooner is there any obstruction that hinders the commerce of the Head with the rest of the Members, but they remain stupied or benumbed. The Heart is not inferior to the Head in dignity: And we may affirm the Body an Empire that obeys two Sovereign's, without the inconvenience of a Schism; and takes Law from two absolute Potentates, without dividing their Royalty. For the Heart resides in the midst of the Body, as a King in his Kingdom, conveys the Spirits thorough the Arteries, dispenseth Life to all his Subjects: so extremely sensible of the Public good, that not the least disorder can arise, but he gives notice of it by his irregular motion. As these two parts are the Noblest, so are they most United: their fair correspondence cements the peace of the Body; their division threatens its ruin: and when they no longer entertain a free communication, the State must necessarily perish, without any hope of recovery.  
If we may compare Great things with Small, 
Ecclesiae Corporis Christus est Caput, Spiritus sanctus Cor. Thom.  we may say that the Church is a mystical Body, whereof Jesus Christ is the Head, and the holy Ghost the Heart: They act diversely, but to one and the same end: The one Guides this great Body, the other Quickens it; the one gives it Motion, the other Life. As there is no misfortune that can divide them, the Body which they constitute is immortal; and whatever enemies set upon it, they shall never be able to prevail against it: all its Combats are attended with Victory: Death despoils it of no parts which Eternity restores not again: what it loseth upon Earth, it recovers in Heaven; and by a happy dispensation of Providence, finds Rest in Persecution, Life in Death, Glory in Shame. But as its greatest advantage is to have the holy Ghost for its Heart, and the Son of God for its Head; let us speak of the First, till we shall have an opportunity to treat of the Second; and let us discover those Graces and Blessings the Church receives from his guidance and direction.  
Where, that we may not pass the terms of our Comparison, we say, that the holy Spirit being the Heart of this great Body, inanimates it by his Presence, unites it by his Charity, guides it by his Light, and comforts it by his Goodness. The Heart is the Noblest Seat of the Soul, the Throne where she reigns, the Centre of her Principality, where she keeps her chief residence; so that we may say, 'tis the Heart that inanimates the Body, and that part that gives life to all the rest. Thence it comes to pass, that, to express the operations of the holy Spirit in the Church, we call him the Heart thereof; and not wronging his greatness, we make use of this Example to express his Charity by. For 'tis an undoubted truth, That he inanimates the whole Church, That he is conveyed into all her Members, 
Quod est in corpore nostro anima, id est Spiritus sanctus in corpore Christi, quod est Ecclesia. Aug. Serm. 186. de Temp.  That he never forsakes her; but in whatsoever condition she is, she is always fully in his possession. He is the Principle of her Operations, as the Author of her Life: She acts not but by His motions; and whatever She undertakes, 'tis by his Counsels, or his Inspirations: He prosides in all Her Assemblies; She determines nothing but by His advice; and in Her General Counsels She pronounceth no Oracles which She hath not received from Him. As He speaks by Her Mouth, She conceives by His Thoughts; and she delivers nothing upon trust to her children, which she hath not learned in the School of this Divine Master.  
If he instruct her in her doubts, he keeps her at unity, maugre those rents and divisions that threaten to distract her; entertaining that admirable harmony amongst the different parts whereof she is compacted. One of the wonders in Man's body, is, that the same Heart which is the fountain of Life, is also the bond of Peace: it is the Ligature of all the Members; and the Spirits it imparts unto them, are so many invisible Chains which entertain their mutual Society: As soon as it leaves off to inanimate them, it ceaseth to unite them; neither can it suspend its influences, but all the parts of the State fall apieces. 
Credentium erat Cor unum, & Anima una. Act. 4.  The Holy Ghost works the same thing in the Church: He is the Soul and the Cement of this Great Body: he concentres all the Faithful by his Love: and doing that in Time, which he does during Eternity, he unites Christians, as he unites the Divine Persons: 
Si charitas de tot animabus fecit animam unam, & de tot cordibus fecit cor unum, quanta est charit is inter Patrem & Filium! charitas autem Patris & Filii, Spiri●us sanctus est. Aug. Tract. 14. in Joan.  For the Church reigns in the Unity of the Spirit; she finds her rest and strength in that admirable incohabitation: nor is she afraid that Heresies should dissect her, as long as the holy Spirit preserves her unity. 'Tis this good intelligence that makes her terrible to her enemies: This is it that maintains her, for so many Ages, against the violence of Tyrants, the fury of Devils, and the subtle stratagems of Heretics. Neither do I wonder at it, since the force and power of States consists in their Union; and Politicians study no one design so much, as to banish Division, thereby to keep their people quiet and at rest. For Experience teacheth them, that growing Kingdoms have no surer Bulwarks against the Approaches of an Enemy, than the Concord of their Subjects. When they conspire together, they are invincible; and when they are divided, 
Q● bus erat una sides, erat una substantia; quibus crat communis spiritus communis erat & sumptus.  they are at the eve of their ruin and destruction. But notwithstanding all the care Politicians take to keep Peace in their Commonwealth, there are a thousand subjects of Division which they cannot hinder. men's Interests are more different than their Conditions: the People are industrious to preserve their Liberty, the Prince to enlarge his Prerogative; and Private men cannot endure the ruin of their Families, for the preservation of the Public. Though all these Disorders were not able to sow Division in a State, the diversity of Opinions would effect it: For though every one mean well, yet all ministers aim not at the same thing: the worst Counsellors are many times most listened to; and those that more respect the Fortune of the Prince than his Person, are most dangerous. But the Church is secured from all these dangers: though she have many Ministers, she hath but one Counsellor: God's Spirit is her Spirit: she is never divided in her determinations: her embracing of an Opinion, makes it a Truth: and having consulted him that governs her, all her Decisions are Articles of Faith. She never errs in Counsels: whatever she pronounceth there, is infallible: and her children are no less observant of her words, then of those of the Evangelists: She cannot be contradicted, without much rashness: those that desert her Judgement, are involved in a Lie: and if those who acquiesce in her bosom may haply be in the cloud of Ignorance, they cannot be in the snare of Heresy. The same Spirit that gives Authority to the Church, stamps Obedience upon her children: so that there can be no falling out in a Body where Charity stisles Schisms, Light dispels Darkness, and Power suppresseth Revolts and Insurrections.  
But nothing so much magnifieth the Unity of the Church, as to behold her not divided by the disparity of Conditions; and that the same Spirit which unites all the Faithful, employs them about divers Offices, according to his designs, and their own inclinations. In this it is that the Church more resembles a Natural body, and the Spirit the Heart that inanimates it: For though the Heart be one, yet is it different in its operations; it acts diversely, according to the diversity of the Members: It expresseth itself by the Mouth, guides itself with the Eyes, defends itself with the Hands; and making every part serviceable according to its power, it preserves the Public good, without interessing the Private. Thus one and the same Spirit causeth a thousand different effects in the Church: it speaks by the mouth of Prophets, enlightens their understandings, informs them of secrets to come; and violating the method of Time, recals things past, and makes futurities present. He it was that wrote the History of the Son of God, before he was born of his mother: he it was that expressed his Truths in Figures, his Light in Shadows, and the most important actions of his life, by those of the Patriarches. The same Spirit that spoke by the mouth of the Prophets, spoke by that of the Apostles: he was their Master, after the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven: he instructed them in those Mysteries they were yet ignorant of; and making them capable in a moment, taught them without the tedious expense of labour and delay what they were suddenly to preach to Infidels.  
To facilate this design, he gave them the gift of Tongues; and working a Miracle incredible to reason, he inspired them with words which the whole World understood, that all Nations might obey them. 'Twas a prodigy that surprised men, 
Per linguas diversas dividi meruit genus humanum; Eeclesiae contulit unitate, ut quod discordia dissipaverat colligeret charitas. Aug. ser. 3. de Pentecost.  when God (intending to stop the progress of that proud Tower, the aspiring Posterity of Noah raised to get them a Name) confounded their Language, and scattered the people by the division of their Dialects: But it was a far greater wonder, when the Holy Ghost to unite all Nations, honoured the Apostles with the gift of Tongues, and made one man speak the Language of the Universe, that the Gospel might be preached without an Interpreter through all the Provinces of the World: And we must confess, the Church was never more glorious than when consisting but of one people, it already spoke the Language of all Countries, and proclaimed by this Miracle, that her Conquests were to have no bounds, but those of the Universe. To this day she enjoys this Privilege, but with less splendour; she speaks all Languages, because she possesseth some of all people; she hath that in her progress, which was conferred upon her at her birth; and she owns that amongst all the Faithful, 
Loquor omnibus linguis quia in co sum Christi corpore, hoc est, in Ecclesia quae loquitur jam omnibus linguis. Aug. in psal. 54.  which heretofore was eminent in every one of the Apostles. Therefore saith S. Augustine, is the gift of Tongues now superfluous, because the Church having overspread all the Earth, she finds in the meanest of her Disciples, what was consigned heretofore to the College of her Masters; and she may boast she hath lost nothing of her ancient Privileges, because the goods of a Body being common among the Members, she hath no children that speak not all sort of Tongues by the mouth of their brethren.  
But because speech, without the effect, is but a dead letter; the same Spirit that gave the Church the gift of Tongues, gave her also the power of working Miracles; she hath subjects to whom nothing is impossible; Nature submits to their orders; Faith that inanimates them, makes them absolute in the state of their Sovereign: The Sun stands still in the midst of his Course to do homage to their words; the Sea becomes firm under their feet, and the Earth trembles under those of their Enemies; and they oblige that common Mother to make a sepulchre of her Womb to swallow them up alive. Indeed, this favour that exalts them so high, is transient to humble them; 
Donum miraculorum sicut aliae gratiae gratis datae non sunt in sanctis nisi per modum transeuntis. D. Tho.  their will is not the rule, but the motion of the Holy Ghost; they act not, but when he acts with them; they work miracles, when they receive the power from him; and assoon as ever he leaves them, they return to their former inability. Miracles cost them prayers and tears; they acknowledge their dependence, even whilst they exercise their Empire; and whilst all people look upon them as Gods, they find themselves obliged to confess that they are nothing but mear Creatures. Is it not a wonder, that St. Paul drives away Devils, heals the sick, and yet by his prayers cannot deliver either himself from that Devil, or that malady, which exercised his humility as much as his patience?  
Finally, this Spirit that acted so powerfully by the hands of the Apostles, establishing the Gospel no less by their miracles then by their words, fortified them in persecutions, and gave them courage at the same time to triumph over grief and pleasure too. For as the Tyrants employed subtlety and violence, power and policy to vanquish the Martyrs, making use of threats and promises to astonish or seduce the Apostles, it was requisite that the Holy Ghost should inspire them with continence and strength; and that Grace serving them instead of a Sword and Buckler, gained them as many Victories as they were bid Battles. His power never appeared more glorious then upon this occasion; 
Quld magnum est si fortis Angelus? magnum est si fortis est Caro; sed unde fortis Caro? unde forte vas fictile nisi à Domino? Aug. in Psal. 238.  Miracles have not procured so many conquests as persecutions have; the Saints never got so much credit by their power, as by their constancy; and infidel Rome hath more admired the patience of the Martyrs, than the puissance of the Apostles. In the mean time, he that shall consider these effects in their primitive cause, will confess that one and the same spirit hath produced them; and that as he inanimates the Church by his presence, so by his assistance he communicates the understanding of Tongues, the knowledge of things to come, the power of Miracles, and the victory over torments. Wherefore the Church knowing very well that she owes all to the Holy Spirit, 
Nihil agunt fideles inconsulto Spiritu Sancto; quae petunt illi commendant, quae accipiunt illi adscribunt. Bernard.  undertakes nothing but by his direction; and being persuaded that she hath no strength, which she is not beholding to his aid for; she forms no design wherein she implores not his succour; and when any happy success completes the Enterprise, she gives public testimony by her Eucharistical deportment, that she is beholding to the favour of the Holy Ghost, for the benefit she rejoiceth in.   

The Third DISCOURSE. That the Holy Spirit is in some sort the same to Christians, that he is to the Father and the Son from all Eternity.  
THe alliance that the Eternal Word hath contracted with men, is the source and original of that which the Father and the Holy Spirit contract with the same Creatures. The Father loves us as his children, because we are the brethren of his only Son. Heaven is as well our inheritance as our recompense; and the quality of mercenaries or soldiers which we bear, is no bar to that of children and heirs: The Holy Spirit hath an influence also upon our souls by charity; he rears an altar in our hearts, and of the members of our body, he vouchsafes to make living Temples. But as his infinite love hath no bounds, his communications are much aforehand; and by an excess of goodness, he was pleased to be in time to the faithful, what he is in the Trinity to the Father and his only Son.  
The whole Scripture teacheth us that the Holy Spirit is a sacred bond, uniting the Father and the Son from all Eternity: The Church which is very wel-sighted in these profound Mysteries, 
Nexus amoris quo conjungitur Pater cum filio & filius cum Patre.  calls him the True-loves-Knot: The conclusion of her prayers, clearly instruct us that the Father and the Son reign together in the unity of the Spirit. Admit they were not one and the same Thing by their Essence, they would be one and the same Principle by the Holy Spirit; since all Theology knows very well that the Father and the Son are admirably united together to produce him: Therefore hath he received a name that perfectly expresseth his ineffable procession; 
Charitas quae pater diligit filium & filius patrem, quae est Spiritus Sanctus, ineffabilem communionem demonstrat. Aug. de Trini.  for being the production of the Father and the Son, he bears a name common to both; and he is called the Spirit, because the Father and the Son call him so in Scripture. Now this Spirit is the sacred Bond which conjoins all Christians together; he is not only the soul, but the unity; and he it is, who by admirable and secret Ties, entertains a fair correspondence between all the parts of this great body: The diffence of their conditions, the contrariety of their humours, the diversity of their designs, hinders not the Holy Spirit from uniting them together; nor that he that is the agreement of the Father and the Son, be also the peace and agreement of the faithful. He it is, that decided the differences between the Jews and the Gentiles; he it is, who breaking down the partition Wall, hath made of them one building; he it is, who perfecting the design of Jesus Christ, hath happily taken out of the way all obstacles that impeded the unity of the Church; and he it is, who equalling the poor with the rich, the freeman with the slave, the learned with the ignorant, hath framed that wonderful body, the most perfect Image of the Trinity.  
Therefore must we acknowledge that all those figures that represent to us the person of the holy Ghost, abundantly bear witness that his principal work is unity. For sometimes he is called Fire, because that element combines metals in melting them, and of two different substances makes a third, which is neither one nor the other, but rather both: Sometimes he is called Water, because he gives consistency to the earth, watering it by secret veins, and of a fluid sand makes a solid heap, which serves for the foundation and centre of the whole Universe; Therefore is it that the great Apostle of the Gentiles never speaks of unity, 
Solliciti servare unitatem spiritus in vinculo pacis. Epist.  but he mentions the holy Ghost, as the source and fountain of it: As often as he recommends peace to the faithful, he wisheth them him that reconciles men unto God, by the remission of sin that separates them asunder. Neither hath charity, which is the principal effect of this ever to be adored Spirit, any more worthy employment, then to unite Christians together, after he hath united them with the Trinity.  
The second Alliance that he contracts with us, is, that he becomes the gift of God to men, as he is the gift of the Father to the Son, and of the Son to the Father back again. If we believe profane Philosophy, Love is not only the first production, but the first profusion of the will; This faculty is liberal, assoon as it is amorous, and parting with its love, it makes a donation of whatever holds of its Empire: Thence it comes to pass, that all Lovers are prodigal, that they engage their liberty, stripping themselves of their goods, and renouncing their own inclinations, assoon as ever they begin to be affectionate: Now as the holy Spirit is the Love of the Father and the Son, so is He their mutual gift; they give themselves whatever they are in producing him; and it seems the Son renders to his Father, by the production of the Spirit, all that he received by his birth. Though we want terms to express the greatness of these mysteries, Faith which supplies our impotency, steps in to persuade us, that the holy Spirit is the uncreated Liberality of the Father, and of the Son, from all eternity; and 'tis the same faith that teacheth us, that the holy Ghost is also the gift of God to the Christians, and that at the same time he entered into alliance with them, he bestowed his love upon them, as a mark of his largesse; wherein I observe two or three things worthy of admiration. The first is, that God makes us a Present equal to himself, 
Dedit dona hominibus, quale donum? Spiritum sanctum; magna est autem Dei misericordia, donum dat aequale sibi, quia donum ejus Spiritus sanctus est. Aug. ser. 44. de verb. Dom.  which the truest and most affectionate Lovers never do; for though gifts are the effects of love, they never equal it; and if the Lover makes not himself a slave to the person he loveth, he can offer no Present equivalent to his affection: Pearls and Diamonds are but weak expressions of his good will; whatever contents others, are but incentives to his desires; he would be a Monarch, that he might bestow a kingdom; and in that height of fortune, he would profess, no prodigality can satisfy a Lover. But God, to whom nothing is impossible, hath in presenting his love, presented a gift commensurate to the greatness of that best love he would express; that which he bestows equals himself, his Present is infinite; and when he tenders us the holy Ghost, he makes offer of a divine Person. The second excellency of this Present is, that it prevents our merit, because it finds us in the state of sin; and did God consult his justice, as much as his mercy, we should appear the objects of his wrath rather than of his love: For he bestows his Spirit upon his enemies, he sheds his love abroad in the hearts of believers, and we receive this favour from him, when we deserve nothing but chastisements. The third excellency of this gift is, that it is the source of all others; for being the prime radical donation, 'tis that from whence all the bounteous liberality of God issues and proceeds, who confers no benefit upon us, which bears not the image and superscription of this first and prime gratuity. Whatever comes from heaven, is a copy of the holy Spirit; riches are the expresses of his bounty; advantageous parts of soul or body, are the marks of his goodness; Graces and virtues are his immediate impressions; and in a few words to comprehend the privileges of this Divine Offertory, we must say with S. Augustine, 'tis the Pandora thorough which all other gifts are bestowed upon us. If the Angels descend from heaven to protect us, if the Sun enlightens us, if the Stars favour us, if the Earth nourish us, if the Trees shade us, if the Eternal Word leave the bosom of his Father to take upon him our miseries, 'tis by the counsel and mediation of the holy Spirit: and this gift that ravished the Apostle who tells us of it, was nothing but an effect and consequence of that primitive largess which is the cause of all others. Thence I infer, that when we receive any grace, we ought to look upward to the Holy Spirit; and acknowledging him the fountain of all blessings, profess ourselves bound to render him the eternal calves of our lips.  
This favour would take away all hope of gratitude, did not the following surpass it. For the Holy Spirit is the Love of the Faithful, as he is the Love of the Father, and of the Son. But to understand this truth, we must inform you, that the Word being begotten of the Father by the Understanding, is his only Son; and that the Holy Ghost being produced by the Will, is his Love. The Father and the Son reciprocally love one another by this mutual charity; they find their happiness in this common dilection: and should they cease to love, they would cease to be happy. Having a mind to exalt us to their happiness, they raise us also to their love; and pouring forth charity into our souls, they make us capable of loving them. For God is so great, that he can neither be known but by his own Light, nor loved but by his own Love: the Holy Spirit must enlighten our Souls, warm our Wills; and by the purity of his flames, purge away the impurity of our affections: he transforms us into himself, to make us happy. This holy Love is a particular effect of the Holy Spirit: the beams that heat us, are an emanation from that Divine fire that burns the Seraphims: and the charity that raiseth us above the condition of men, is a spark of that personal charity wherewith the Father and the Son love each other from all eternity.  
But that we may not challenge the Holy Spirit as sparing of his favours, he hath vouchsafed to be the accomplishment of the Church, as he is the accomplishment and perfection of the Trinity. For though there be no defects in God, though this Sun is never clouded nor eclipsed, this Supreme Truth labours under no shadows nor errors this excellent Beauty hath no spots nor blemishes, and this amiable goodness be full of charms and graces; yet may the Holy Ghost be called the Compliment thereof. The Father gins this adorable Circle, which the Son continues, and the Holy Spirit finisheth: he it is that bounds the Divine emanations, draws forth the fruitfulness of those that cause his production: and if it be lawful to speak of an ineffable mystery, and to subject to the laws of Time Eternity itself, God is not completed, but by the production of the holy Spirit: He is the rest of the Father and the Son; his person is the perfection of the Trinity: and this Divine mystery would want its full proportion, did it not include the Holy Spirit with the two Persons from whence he proceeded. The holy Scriptures, to afford us some light of this verity, attribute all the perfection of the works of God to the blessed Spirit: They represent him to us moving upon the waters in the Creation of the world; finishing by his Fecundity, what the Father and the Son had produced by their Power: They teach us that it was he that gave motion to the Heavens, influences to the Stars, heat to the Sun: They inform us that 'twas by his virtue that the earth became fruitful, and that from his goodness she received that secret Fermentation that to this day renders her the Mother and the Nurse of all things living. And the Gospel, to give this Truth its full extent, instructs us, that 'tis the holy Ghost who by his graces in the Church makes up what Jesus Christ hath begun in it by his travels. He is his Vicar and Lieutenant: he came down upon the earth, after the other ascended up to heaven: nor hath he any other design in his descension, then to complete all the works of Jesus Christ. The Apostles were yet but embryo's in Christianity when the Son of God left them: three years of conversation was not able to perfect them: the greatest part of the discourses of their Divine Master seemed to them nothing but Aenigmas; his Maxims Paradoxes, his Promises pleasing Illusions: every thing was a mormo to these timorous spirits: this name of the Cross scandalised them: and so many Miracles wrought in their presence, were unable to calm their Fear, or heighten their Courage. To finish these demi-works, the Holy Ghost came into the world: he descended upon their heads in the shape of fiery tongues, to make them eloquent and bold: he inspired them with Charity, to cure them of Fear; made them Lovers, thereby to make them Martyrs: he cleared their Understanding, warmed their Will; that light and heat being blended together, they might more easily overcome Philosophers and Tyrants. Finally, he set up a Throne in their hearts, that speaking by their mouths, and acting by their hands, he might render them accomplished pieces to the service of their Master. And indeed, we must acknowledge the Apostles changed their condition after the descent of the Holy Ghost: their Fear vanished, as soon as they were confirmed by his Strength; the Cross seemed strewed with Charms, as soon as they were kindled with his Flames: they found Sweetness even in Torments, Glory in Affronts, 
Venit Vicarius Redemptoris, ut beneficia quae Salvator Dominus inchoavit, Spiritus sancti virtute consammet; & quod ille redemit; iste sanctificet; quod ille acquisivit, iste custodiat. Aug. Serm. 1. Feria 32. Pentec.  and Riches in Poverty. This made S. Augustine say, that the Holy Spirit came to finish in Power, what the Son of God had begun in Weakness; to sanctify what the other had redeemed, and to preserve what Christ had purchased. If you seek, saith the same S. Augustine, what was wanting to the Apostles, and what might be added to their perfection by the coming down of the Holy Ghost, I will tell you: Before that happy moment, they had Faith, but they had neither Constancy nor Fidelity: they were able to forsake their possessions to follow Jesus Christ, but they would not lose their lives to glorify him: they were able indeed to preach the Gospel, but knew not how to sign it with their blood, nor seal it with their death: they were virtuous as long as they conversed with the Son of God up on earth; but they were not grown up to perfection, till the Holy Ghost had communicated to them his graces; and adding force to charity, had made them the Foundations of the Church, the Fathers of the Faithful, the Terror of Devils, and the Astonishment of Tyrants. Finally, 'tis the holy Spirit, according to the saying of S. John Damascen, that perfects the Christians, because 'tis he that Quickens them by Grace, and Deifies them with Glory: So that we are obliged to confess, that he enters into alliance with them, that he is the same to the Church that he is to the Trinity, and that after he hath been our Bond, our Gift, and our Love upon Earth, he will be our Accomplishment in Heaven.   

The Fourth DISCOURSE. That the Holy Ghost seems to be to Christians, what he is to the Son of God.  
IT is not without ground, that the Christian is called the Image of Jesus Christ, since he is his other Self; the one possessing by Grace, what the other doth by Nature. For if Jesus be the Natural Son of the Father, the Christian is his Adopted one; if Jesus be the Heir of the Father, the Christian is the Co-heir of the Son, according to the expression of the great Apostle; if Jesus be Innocent, the Christian is Justified; if Jesus be born of the Spirit, the Christian is regenerated thereby; and receives in his Baptism, what the Son of God received in his Birth. Inasmuch as this last wonderfully exalteth the glory of the Faithful, I conceive I ought to bestow this whole Discourse upon this matter, and to make it appear that the Holy Ghost, by an excess of bounty, will be to every Christian what he is to Jesus Christ.  
Faith teacheth us, that though Jesus Christ be the Son of the Everlasting Father, yet is he withal the Workmanship of the Holy Spirit: he that was barren in Eternity, became fruitful in Time: he that produced nothing in the Heart of the Father, produced the Word Incarnate in the Womb of the Virgin: and he that before the world began was the Spirit of the Son, in the fullness of time became his Principle. The Scripture insinuates this Truth, when it brings in the Angel speaking these words to the Virgin, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee: And the Church teacheth it all her children, in the Symbol of her Creed, in these terms, He was conceived of the Holy Ghost. 
Et licet aliud quidem ex te, aliud ex Patre sit; jam non tamen cujusque suus, sed unus utriusque erit Filius & Sanctus. Bern. super missus est homil.  Thence it comes to pass that his conception is so pure, that sin hath no part therein, and that he is free from shame, as the mother that bore him was from sorrow. He was so born, saith Tertullian, that he need not blush at the name of Son. This great privilege is granted the Christian in his Baptism; and his second birth is as holy and as noble, as his first was shameful and criminal: In the one, he is a sinner before he is reasonable; and the slave of the devil, as soon as he is the subject of Jesus Christ: but in the other, he is happily born again by the virtue of the Holy Spirit, he receives grace as an earnest of glory, he is adopted by the Father for his son, acknowledged by Jesus Christ for his brother, treated by the Angels as their equal, and exalted to so high a condition, that the holy Spirit disdains not to be styled the Author and Principle thereof. This is it that holy Scripture holds out to us, by these words, Unless a man be born again of water and of the holy Ghost. I would enlarge myself upon this meditation, had I not explained it already in another passage of this Work: Neither would it be any hard matter to make it appear, that the Regeneration of a Christian is little inferior, in this particular, to the Birth of Jesus Christ.  
The second advantage that is common to them, is, that the same spirit which is their Principle, is also their Director; and that he that gives them life, gives them conduct and motion. These two Things are inseparable in Nature and in Grace; the same causes that make us live, make us act; these Stars whose influences contribute so much to our birth, are not less conducing to our fortune; and as they are the Principles of our Being, they are in some sort the Guides of our life; if they have no dominion over our spirit, they have over our humour; and if they force not our liberty, they many times solicit our inclinations. But not to rest in second Causes; it is plain, the creature depends as well upon God in his motion as in his Being; he governs men whom he hath created, he guides Princes whom he hath raised to the Throne; and he as absolutely hath their wills in his hands as their Sceptre. By the same reason, the Holy Spirit which is the Principle of Jesus Christ, is his Director; he undertakes nothing but by his conduct; and as he received his being from his goodness, he submits all his actions to his power: The Scriptures furnish us with a thousand proofs of so important a Truth; all the Evangelists are the faithful Witnesses thereof; neither do they ever take notice of the designs of the Son of God, 
Ductus est Jesus à Spiritu, quia Humanitas Christi erat organum Divinitatis; & ideo ad omnia movebatur instinctu Spiritûs sancti, hoc igitur motu ivit in desertum locum aptum or ationi? Glossa. ordin.  but they make it appear at the same time, that the Holy Spirit is the first mover of them. For if he retire into the deserts to converse with beasts, if he enter the list wherein he seems to injure his glory to assure our salvation; if he spend days and nights there in prayers and fasting, if he suffer his slave to tempt him, and if he refuse not to combat him upon Earth, that he had driven out of Heaven, 'tis because the Holy Spirit engageth him in the conflict, and lays an obligation upon him to bear the punishment of our sins, to deliver us therefrom: if he pass from one Province to another, if he leave a rebellious City to instruct another more obedient to his divine sermons, 'tis by the direction of his guide. Jesus returned into Galilee in the power of the Spirit: If he work Miracles in Judea, 'tis not so much to magnify his power, 
In Spiritu Dei ejicio Daemonia.  as to comply with the motions of the Holy Spirit; and though these signal wonders cost him but a few words or desires, he never wrought them, but his divine Principle obliged him thereto by some secret inspiration; if he unfolds the Mysteries of our Religion, if he declare to his Disciples the will of his Father, and discover to them those grand designs contrived from all Eternity, 
In ipsa hora exultavit Spiritu Sancto, & dixit, confiteor tibi Pater Domine caeli & terrae, quod abscondisti haec à sapientibus & prudentibus, & revelasti ca parvucis. Luk. 10.  and which were not to be executed but in time; 'tis the Holy Spirit that animates him to this discourse, and obliges him to manifest that to men, which till then he would not impart to the Angels: If finally, the Son of God offer himself up upon the Cross for our salvation, if he drown our sins in his blood, if he reconcile us to his Father by his death, and satisfy him with the loss of life and honour; 'tis the holy Spirit that engageth him in this Agony, and who inspires him with love enough to vanquish the ignomy and pain thereof: He offered himselse without spot to God by the Holy Ghost; so that the life of the Son of God was spent in a continued obedience to the Holy Spirit; he undertook nothing but by his orders, executed nothing but by his advice; and he that at first was his Principle, proceeds still to be his counsellor and director.  
The Christian enjoys this advantage with Jesus Christ; whatsoever design he conceives, whatsoever resolution he takes, whatsoever enterprise he brings to pass, he is always bound to call upon the holy Ghost: He that hath given him his Being, aught to give him motion; he that hath begotten him in Baptism, aught to govern him in the Church, and if he will not be wanting to his obligations, nor renounce his privileges, the same Spirit that inanimates him while he lives, must move and lead him in all his operations: This is it that S. Paul so highly magnifies, when he says, Those only deserve to be called the children of God, who are acted by the Spirit of God. Qui Spiritu Dei aguntur hi sunt filii Dei: Whereupon 
* Ergo agimur & non agimus? respondeo; imo & agis & ageris, & tunc bene agis si à bono agaris: Spiritus enim Dei qui te agit adjutor est tibi agenti: ipsum nomen adjutoris praescribit tibi, quia & tu ipse aliquod agis: sed ne te extolleret humanus spiritus. & ad hoc opus se idoneum jactaret, ideo subjecit quotquot Spiritu Dei aguntur high snut filii Dei. Aug. Ser. 13. de verb. Apost.  S. Augustine preventing two contrary objections which might be made against this truth, saith, That Christians are not only lead by the Spirit, but driven, to the end they may know that He is rather the Principle of their actions, than themselves, and that in the way of salvation, they are rather sufferers than doers: But because this answer might soothe men up in idleness, and give them an occasion to neglect good works, expecting the enthusiasms of the Spirit, he adds, They are moved, that they might move; they receive the impression of grace, that they may act; and that the Apostle expressly made use of this manner of speech, at once to make them shake off idleness and presumption.  
From this Privilege is derived a third, not so peculiar to Christ, as not to be common to Christians; For the holy Spirit is their Master; he instructs them both in his school; and they have the glory to be his disciples as well as his workmanship. The Son of God hath two schools, as he hath two births; the first is Eternity, where his Father is his Master, and where he teacheth him his learning, in communicating to him his Essence: There by a strange Prodigy, the Master is not more knowing then the Scholar, nor the Scholar junior to his Master; the science is learned in a moment, but that moment endures for ever; and though it have no parts, it includes nevertheless all the differences of time; this science, though but one, comprehends in it all sorts of truth; the Master hides nothing from his Scholar, he instructs him at the same instant he begets him; the birth of this Son, to speak properly, is his instruction: as he is born for ever, so he learns for ever: and he that conceived him in his bosom, is eternally his Father, and his Master: This Son hath in time another school, and a new Master; he that produceth him, teacheth him; and the same Principle that forms his body, fashions his understanding from the very first moment of his Conception. He imitates the Father that teacheth him from all eternity, he instils all things into him without succession or labour, and conveying light into his soul, 
Vir erat Jesus necdum etiam natus, sed sapientia, non aetate animi virtute non viribus corporis. Bern.  he hath no need of the mediation of the senses to render him learned. This Pupil discourseth before he speaks, he conceives truth before he beholds the light, and his understanding is informed of all the secrets of his Father, before he could pronounce the name of his Mother: His knowledge grows not up with time, because it had its just proportion and measure at the very moment of his Generation; Experience hath not made it more evident, nor age more assured; and if he pronounced no Oracles in his Infancy, 'tis because he had a mind to conceal his Wisdom, as he had concealed his Divinity. Finally, this Divine Master taught him a science, which Politicians seek for and cannot find; for he discovers to him the secrets of the heart, the motions of the will, and all those thoughts and imaginations, which though they never broke forth in words nor actions, cease not to render men guilty: So that should Jesus Christ neither be united to the Person of the Word, nor illuminated with the light of Glory, he would nevertheless have an infused knowledge, whereby he would be acquainted with whatever is most secret in Nature, and in Grace, in Time, and in Eternity. The holy Scripture also teacheth us that the holy Spirit that abides not always in others, rests upon Jesus Christ; 
Requievit super eum Spiritus Domini. Isa.  and he that distributes his Graces to others by measure, communicates them to his Masterpiece without weight or limitation: But this is no hindrance from his being the Master also of all other Christians, from teaching them the science of salvation, discovering to them the mysteries of Theology, the secrets of Nature, and the maxims of the Politikes: In effect, 'tis the holy Spirit that made the Apostles learned, that spoke with their mouths, that confounded Emperors and Philosophers with their answers, and made them understand those Oracles which were nothing but Riddles to them, whilst Jesus Christ conversed with them upon the earth; 'Tis last, the self same Spirit, which to this day teacheth the faithful what they are to believe in Religion, what they are to do or leave undone in the practice of their life, and what they ought to hope or fear after death: He cannot deceive them, because he is the Spirit of Truth; he cannot engage them in evil, because he is the Spirit of Holiness; neither can he suffer them to wander in Error, or languish in infirmities, because he is the Spirit of Counsel and of Strength; Therefore is he the Master whom the faithful consult with in their occasions, 'tis in his School that they commence in virtue, 'tis under his Conduct that they grow up to perfection, and by his advice that they defend themselves against error and falsehood. 
Vbi Deus Magister quam cito discitur quod docetur. Leo Serm. 1. de Penned.  Though this Science be so deep, yet is it learned in a moment; his Disciples become Masters without pains; Truth distils into their understandings without passing through their eyes or ears; sleeping and waking, they are equally capable of attention; and this Doctor is so dextrously exact, that bestowing the Spirit upon his scholars, he repairs by Grace the defects of Nature.  
But to conclude all these resemblances, we affirm that the holy Spirit is the witness of Jesus Christ, and of the faithful; and having deposed for the Divinity of him, deposeth daily for the Innocence of these. For we know by Scripture, that the same Spirit that spoke heretofore by the Prophets, hath since spoken by the Apostles; and having foretold the Ages past, the wonders that Jesus ought to do, revealed them to the generations to come, that all men might be fully informed of the Mysteries concerning him to whom they were beholding for their salvation. This Spirit is the testimony of Jesus and of the faithful, because he hath form them, and knows all their thoughts, whereof he is the first Principle and Author: This also was he that descended upon the head of the Son of God in the form of a Dove during the ceremonies of his Baptism; 'twas he that discovered to S. John Baptist his Innocence, and taught him without speaking that he was that Lamb of God that was to take away the sins of the world. And he it is that daily performs the same office to Christians: For having been their Master, he vouchsafes to be their witness; he speaks to the eternal Father in their behalf; having pleaded their cause, he gives them assurance of their salvation; The Rest that calms the waves of their conscience, is an effect of his testimony; those sighs and groans he draws from the bottom of their heart, those desires he inspires them with for everlasting good things, those scorns he furnisheth them with for perishable ones, are so many Earnests which the Elect have of his love, and their salvation: if there be some remainders now and then of Fear amidst their Hope, 'tis to preserve them from Negligence, or from Pride; and to make them profess that they find in him a Divine Principle, a wise Director, a knowing Master, and a faithful Witness.   

The Fifth DISCOURSE. That the presence of the Holy Spirit gives life to the Christian, and his absence causeth his death.  
ONe of the chiefest advantages we shall partake of in Glory, is, that God will be to us in stead of all things; and that finding in him the accomplishment of all our desires, we shall there meet with our perfect felicity: He will be the Temple of the Blessed, because they shall lodge in his Divine Essence: He will be for a garment to them, because they shall be clothed with his light: He will be their nourishment, because he gives them eternal life; and, according to the language of S. Paul, he will be All in all to these blessed inhabitants. The Holy Spirit seems to have a mind to make us taste upon Earth the Happiness of Heaven, inasmuch as he is all things to us in the Church; that he informs us in our doubts, comforts us in our afflictions, assists us in our conflicts, teacheth us in our prayers. For Christians own all that they are, and all that they do, to the holy Spirit: They live by his presence, act by his power, understand by his light, and love by his charity: All their advantages flow from him. If they are Saints, 'tis he that sanctifies them: if they are free, 'tis he that sets them at liberty: if they are generous, 'tis he that encourageth them: and if they be wise, 'tis he that enlightens them. In the mean time, the most part of the Faithful are ungrateful to the holy Spirit: 
Liberalitem Dei servitutem faciunt. Tert.  They attribute that to their own power, which they derive from his; and turning his grace into a slavery, they would pass for the Authors of a work whereof they are at most but the Ministers. Therefore will I spend this Discourse to let them see, that the holy Spirit inanimates them; and that as by his presence he makes them live, so by his withdrawing himself he makes them die.  
A Man and a Christian have some resemblance in their difference; they live both of them by the Spirit; and their life is rather spiritual than animal: For though Man have a body composed of the Elements, which hath need of the Air to breathe, of the Earth to bear it, of Food to nourish it, and of Light to make it see; yet is his soul the principle of his life; This Form inanimates the heart, giving it motion, whereby all the other parts live. The absence of the soul, is the death of the body; its presence, the life: and when grief or weakness separates them, Man ceaseth to be a living creature. Inasmuch as a Christian is more excellent than a Man, by so much is his life more sublime, and he hath a nobler principle of his Being: For the holy Spirit is his Soul; and paring off whatever defects that name may include, he is the Form that inanimates the Believer. Though he have an Understanding that reasoneth, a Memory that preserves his conceptions, and a Will free and absolute; yet does he live by the holy Spirit, and receive from him a supernatural life, which makes him capable of God. As long as he is united to this Spirit, he is alive; assoon as he is parted from him, he is dead: And 'tis a miracle, saith S. Augustine, that the soul, dead by sin, does nevertheless enliven the body; and that notwithstanding that imperfection, 
Aliud est in anima unde corpus vivificatur, aliud unde ipsa anima vivificatur. Melius quippe anima quam corpus, sed melius quam ipsa est Deus; est ergo ipsa etiamsi sit insipiens, injusta & impia vita corporis. Aug. Tract. 19 in Joan.  it have wherewithal still to reason in the finding out of Sciences, and to manage itself in its affairs and negotiations. It is true therefore, that the absence of the holy Spirit greatly impaireth the vigour and clearness of Man: for the life of Man as a Reasonable creature, and as a Christian, are so intimately united together, that the one cannot be separated from the other without an extreme detriment, and enfeebling of the creature. The Christian merits not, till he begin to reason: Grace is idle in his soul, when Reason is not yet form in it: and all Divines are of opinion, that children baptised have no other merits but those of Jesus Christ: Heaven is their Inheritance, but not their Recompense: they are in the condition of Heirs, but not of Soldiers: and the Crown they receive is rather the Consequence of their good Fortune, than the Reward of their Labour. Man is yet more deplorable when he loseth Grace, then when the Christian loseth Reason: for besides that none of his actions are any longer meritorious, that he does nothing pleasing to God; and having lost the Principle of his supernatural life, he is destitute of all recompense and desert: he hath moreover contracted this misfortune, 
Vita infidelium peccatum est; & nihil est bonum, sine summo bono: ubi enim deest agnitio aeternae veritatis, falsa virtus est etiam in optimis moribus. Prosp. sen. 106  that he is become the slave of Concupiscence, which throws Darkness over his Understanding, Weakness into his Memory, and Malice into his Will: Under this conduct, he confounds Error with Truth, Vice with Virtue; and having no other end but himself, he commits as many sins, as he intends to perform good works: Vainglory is the Primum mobile that sets him a going; he seeks for reputation in all his actions: and when he assists his Country, stands for the Laws, and fights for Liberty, he obeys a Tyrant which inspires him with wicked intentions, even then when he seems to counsel him to the best and most upright undertake. Thus Man becomes Wretched, when he ceaseth to be Faithful: the loss of Grace, causeth the enfeebling of his Liberty; and the removal of the holy Spirit involves him in a death so much the more dangerous, by how much it is less sensible, and more concealed.  
The Natural death makes a strange havoc in the body of Man: as soon as he seizeth upon the face, he banisheth Beauty; horror and fear always attend him; nor does he ever enter upon a body, but 'tis accompanied with stench and putrefaction. These sad effects render him ghastly; nor can the most confident behold him without some sense of terror and affrightment: But the spiritual death causeth indeed no amazement, because it leaves no visible characters of its malignity: The holy Spirit quits the sinner with small noise: his departure, which causeth so much misfortune, makes not buzzle at all: and when he withdraws his Grace from a soul, she is no whit affected with it, because the loss is insensible. A Monarch thinks he is deprived of nothing, because he still exerciseth absolute command over his subjects; nor sees that he is a slave to as many masters as there are sins that reign in his soul. A Philosopher never conceits himself less happy, because he is not more ignorant: the Light that remains in him, suffers him not to see his Blindness; and he imagines he is still virtuous, because he still retains his knowledge. An immodest woman is never troubled at the loss of Grace, because it no ways impairs her good complexion: she hath much ado to believe that sin hath polluted her Soul, because it hath stamped no deformity upon her Face: and beholding herself in her glass as handsome after her fault as before, she cannot persuade herself that she is less amiable in God's eyes, because she is not in her own. In the mean time, the loss of Grace is the loss of Life; the absence of the holy Spirit, is the death of the Soul; and from the very instant he deserts us, all Virtues bid us farewell: Whiles he keeps his residence in our hearts, those glorious habits that render men virtuous, accompany them: and as the presence of the Sun produceth Lilies and Roses in our Gardens, the presence of the holy Spirit produceth Hope and Charity in our Souls. 'Tis true, this Spirit is so good, that after he hath left us, he still hovers about us: if he dwell not in our hearts, he forbears not to move and stir them; and if he Quicken us no longer by his, Grace, he incites us by his Power.  
But to understand this Truth, which is one of the most important in Religion, we must know, there is this difference between the Soul and the Spirit: That moves no more, when once it ceaseth to inanimate; 
Spiritus ubi vult spirat; & quod fatendum est, aliter adjuvat nondum inhabitans aliter inhabitans: nordum inhabitans adjuvat, ut sint fideles inhabitans adjuvat jam fidebes. Aug. Epist. ad Sixt.  it gives no Impulse, when it gives no Life; and there must be some supernatural power, to reunite it to the body which it hath once bidden adieu to: But the holy Spirit, which is a Form not depending upon the Matter, free in his operations, and like the wind blows where it listeth, is not subject to these laws; he quits the sinner, when his Crime obliges him to do it; he abandons the Temple he consecrated with his presence; and together with habitual grace, he takes away all virtues that served him for ornament or for defence: But his goodness reserves the means still to solicit this unfaithful soul by holy motions, to touch this rebel by his inspirations, and by his allurements to court this adulteress who hath falsified the faith. she promised in the Sacrament of Baptism, or that of Repentance; he knocks at the door of his heart to get admittance, he sheds light into his understanding, to dispel the darkness; he carries pleasure into his will to gain its content; and without doing it any violence, triumphs over his obstinacy, when he constrains him to taste more sweetness in virtue then in vice.  
The love men have to liberty, makes them wish that these motions of the Spirit were continual, that at every moment he should offer grace to the sinner, that he could use it at pleasure; and that in the state of sin, enjoying the privileges of the state of innocene, his salvation might depend absolutely upon his own will. Those that make this objection, know not in my opinion, neither the greatness of our crime, nor the power of the Holy Spirit; God deals with the sinner, much after another fashion than he does with the Innocent; 
Natura hominis primitus inculpata, & sine ullo vitio creata est; natura vero ista hominis qua unusquisque ex Adam nascitur, jam medico indiget, quia sana non est. Aug. de nature. & grac. c. 3.  'tis easier to preserve a just man, then to convert a guilty one; there needs much more endeavour to subdue a will rooted, consummated in evil, then to entertame one grounded, established in good. Innocent man had no bad inclinations, Grace found no resistance in his person; and his liberty being not captivated by concupiscence, there was no need that the Holy Ghost should gain mastery thereby to purchase his deliverance: It was sufficient gently to excite a man who needed but a little support to walk, to raise him by his Inspirations, who was cumbered with no disorders, and to dart a small beam of light into his eyes, who needed indeed to be cleared, not to be cured. But sinful man must be dealt with after another manner, the motion of the Spirit must be more vigorous, because he undertakes an enemy; Grace must have more allurements, because it meets with more impediments; must raise itself above the will, because the will stoops beneath self-love; and God must be the Author of man's salvation, because man was the Author of his fall. If the Holy Spirit did not act more vigorously then in the state of Innocence, sinners would remain obstinate in their obliquity; if Grace were but a flash, their will would never be changed; and if this victorious sweetness did not imprint force with pleasure, they would live and die in their sins.  
But at last, say they, Grace ought to be as common as it is vigorous, it must be offered to us every moment; 
Pro nihilo salvos facies illos; nuila ergo hujus bona merita praecesseraut de quibus salvaretur imo talia praecesserant de quibus damnaretur. Aug. in psal. 55.  and since the goodness of God is so jealous of our salvation, it should of necessity furnish us with assistance upon all occasions. There were some colour for this objection, were Grace a debt; but since 'tis an Alms which God is no way bound to bestow upon any body, I know not what pretence they have to complain against its want of universality, since in strictness of justice it might be refused to all the world. The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Master of Grace, he disposeth of it as pleaseth him; and if sometimes he deny it, there is none that can complain. The children of Adam lost it by the sin of their Father, and the members of Jesus Christ lose it by their own: The former are excluded by their birth, the second by their infidelity: The former are unfortunate, the latter criminal; and both of them living or dying in sin, may justly expect nothing but condemnation.  
But they reply, 'tis necessary that the holy Spirit acting in and by free creatures, depend in his motions upon their will, and concur so gently with their freewill, that they be rather the Authors than the Instruments of their salvation: For we cannot conceive this dominion of the holy Spirit over men's hearts, but withal we must apprehend some violence which diminisheth their merit, and weakens their liberty. Nature, Reason, and Faith, furnish us with answers to satisfy these difficulties. For when nature unites the soul and body together, she intends that the Noblest should be the most powerful; that all the Authority appertains to him, and that he should be the Master of that part which is inferior to him in dignity. When morality united man with the Angel, and gave Geniusse's to Philosophers and Emperors, she was not afraid to injure the Liberty of Pupils, by advancing the power of their Tutelary Angels; nor did she never believe that Nocrates was a slave, because obedient to his Familiar; This Spirit whether good or bad, indifferently applied him to all things; he was his Councillor in his highest enterprises; and the will of this Philosopher was so pliant to the motions of his genius, that himself confesseth in Plato, that he was rather Passive then Active. 
Movebatur Socrates à Genio suo; & ut quaedam ageret, à quibusdam abstineret, saepe compellebatur. Plut. de Socra. daem.  In the mean time he complains not that he was forced, he found pleasure in servitude; and because his submission was voluntary, he believed, and that not without reason, that obedience is no prejudice to liberty. Faith persuades the same truth upon much stronger arguments: for when it unites the holy Spirit with man, it gives all the advantage to the Creator, without supposing the least injury done to the creature; it knows that God is more intimate with man, than man with himself, that he flows in upon the very essence of his will, that he can change all his inclinations; and being the Master of his workmanship, can dispose of it as he pleaseth, without the least umbrage of constraint.  
His Providence leads men to their end with as much force as sweetness; his force hurts not their liberty, because accompanied with sweetness; and his sweetness wrongs not his Majesty, because attended with force: whatever he does, he always acts like a Sovereign; his will finds no opposition that it surmounts not; and when he intends to execute his designs, he knows as well how to prepare the heart of the guilty, as of the innocent. The first motions of Grace require no predispositions in the soul; the second beget a consent without constraint, and both of them bear away man with so much force and sweetness, that he is never more free than when he is most powerfully drawn. Sweetness so well tempers force, that it is never violent; and force so fully encourageth sweetness, that it meets with no impediment it overcomes not. Thus God is absolutely obeyed, man sweetly born away; the one finds his glory in his power, the other his salvation in his obedience; and both of them after a divers manner finish one and the same work. This conduct is so distant from compulsion, that the stronger it is, the more gentle is it, the more subject man is to it, the freer his condition; the less opposition he hath, the more happy is he and perfect. Jesus Christ owes one part of his Sanctity to the obedience he rendered to the Holy Spirit; the happy impotency he was endued with not to resist him, diminished neither his merit nor his liberty; and he blotted out our transgressions, because he was as necessarily, as freely subject to his ordinances: The nearer Christians approach to this state, the more perfect are they; the more powerful their grace is, the stronger is their liberty; the more effectual the inspirations of the Spirit are, the easier and more acceptable is there conversion.   

The sixth DISCOURSE. That the Holy Spirit teacheth the Christian to pray.  
NAture, whose providence cannot be sufficiently admired, hath been pleased that those things that are most necessary should be most common; and that as it were preventing the desires of men, they should of their own accord offer themselves to those that inquire not after them. There is nothing more necessary than light; for besides that it is the channel whereby the Sun sheds his Influences upon the Earth, it serves for a guide to them that walk, discovers all the beauties of the world, and happily expresseth those of its Creator: So is there nothing more common in nature; it is communicated to all people, it suffers no partition; and covetousness and ambition which have divided Sea and Land, have found no way how to canton the light. As the Air is more necessary than this, so is it also more common; it enters into prisons where day never dawns; it entertains those wretches with life, who have lost their liberty; it steals into the depths of the Sea, and the bowels of the Earth; neither is there any creature that is not refreshed by its acceptable humidity. Grace imitates nature; it is prodigal of its Treasures, the more Christians stand in need of them, the more frequently are they dispensed unto them; and out of the care it takes of their salvation, its good pleasure is, that the most useful favours are also the easiest to be obtained.  
Prayer is an excellent proof of this truth; for in the condition we are, there is no believer that stands not in need thereof: the daily miseries they suffer, obliges them to make use of it; and amongst so many enemies that set upon them, they have no weapon but this wherewith to defend themselves: 'Tis the portion of the Church Militant, and being still in conflict, she cannot implore succour from heaven, but by the mediation of Prayer: 
Angeli & beati de Salute sua sunt securi & de nostra solliciti. Greg. Mag.  The Church Triumphant is wholly taken up with Allelujahs, being freed from miseries she makes no vows but for us; and she hath no other business, but eternally to bless him that is the Fountain of her blessedness. But the Church Militant, who lives in a strange Country, who hath as many enemies as neighbours, and who is well assured that the very name she bears obliges her to combat, importunes Heaven by her prayers, sends up sighs to her Wellbeloved, and calls upon him for help by the frequency of supplications. If Prayer be thus necessary, 'tis yet more common; for the Son of God tells us that blessings cost us only the pains to ask for them: Ask and ye shall receive; Saint Paul will have us use this remedy in all our distresses, offering up this sacrifice in all places, Volo vos orare omni loco: and Saint Augustine the faithful Interpreter of this great Apostle, assures us that to pray well, there is nothing required but to desire well; that our intercession continues as long as our desires do; and that in keeping silence we speak to God when we address our wishes to him; but though this remedy be so necessary and so common, yet is it nevertheless of difficult performance; and to know well how to use it, the holy Spirit must instruct us.  
The Scripture whose words are Oracles, confers this Elegy upon him particularly; it teacheth us that he it is that animates our prayers by his calentures, that inspires us with this confidence, which gives us boldness to call God our Father; which draws tears from our eyes, sighs from our hearts, and with groans that cannot be expressed, whereof he is the Author, blots out our sins, and comforts our miseries. In a word, if we believe the great Apostle, we know not the art to pray, if we have not learned it in the School of the holy Spirit; the evils that oppress us, may indeed inspire us with eloquence, but not indite our prayer; and whatever need we feel, if Grace prevent us not, we cannot obtain a remedy. Self-love so blinds us, that if we be led by it, we shall rather beg our ruin then our salvation. Man is in so profound an ignorance, that he knows not what is profitable or prejudicial to him; he many times conceives designs, the accomplishments whereof are sad and dismal to him; and Seneca had reason to say, that God was incensed, when he granted our requests. If the ambitious give the reins to his passion that possesses him, he will never ask any thing but honours, and not consulting whether Glory slain his humility, all his vows will have no other aim but the increase of his Fortune. If the Covetous take council of his Interest, his prayers serve only his covetousness, even to the injuring of his Creator, whom he will never strive to gain, but that he may be the Minister of his unjust desires: If the Lascivious pursue the motion of wantonness that tyranniseth over him, perhaps he will grow insolent enough to demand of God the glutting of his brutish passion; so that according to the language of the Scripture, his prayer will be turned into sin; and the more Petitions he puts up, the more offences will he commit. If a man who breathes nothing but revenge, implore the aid of Heaven in that wretched condition, his inclination stronger than his reason, will oblige him to interest the Son of God in his injuries, and out of an impudence worthy to be punished, endeavour to engage him in his quarrel, who died upon the Cross for the salvation of his enemies: Finally, the prayer of every sinner will be a high sacrilege, and he will draw down upon his head the thunder of heaven, even then when he thinks to appease its anger. But when the Christian suffers himself to be guided by the Spirit, he entreats nothing of God but what is wellpleasing to him; all his conceptions are not less beneficial to himself, then glorious for Jesus Christ; and as the Principle that quickens him is Divine, all the Prayers that flow thence are Divine and Heavenly too. The glory of God is always dearer to him then his salvation; he never separates the public good from his own private interest, he prays for his Family when he petitions for the State; and knowing very well that he is a living member of the mystical body of Jesus Christ, he never makes any supplications that are prejudicial to the Church.  
The second Advantage we draw from the assistance of the holy Spirit in Prayer, is, that he makes known to us the secrets to come, and carrying us beyond the present time, marks out all those disasters the injustice of our desires threaten us with. Our ignorance is one of the chiefest causes of our misfortunes; if we could read in those eternal Annals, where men's adventures are imprinted, we should perceive that the greatest part of our desires are more disadvantageous to us, than the imprecations of our enemies; we are inquisitive after the causes of our disgrace in the night of futurity; we hasten our ruin by our impatience, and Heaven may easily plead excuse for our mischances, since they are very often the effects of our own prayers: God never takes greater vengeance on us, then when he grants us what we so earnestly importune him for; nor is he ever more opposite to our salvation, then when he shows himself most favourable to our requests; our Fathers and Mothers contribute to our damnation, their wishes make us miserable, and we need not wonder that calamities overwhelm us, seeing we live amongst the anathemas of our nearest relations.  
The holy Spirit happily remedies this disorder; for knowing the full extent of Eternity, he sees all the events that are to happen in the sequel of succeeding generations; so that he never inspires us with meditations that are not profitable to us; he diverts us from those wishes which are prejudicial to our salvation; he will not suffer us to ask a Curse instead of a Blessing; and when he breathes in our heart, or speaks by our mouth, our prayers always carry their reward with them; the very denial of them is useful, and when he forbears to grant what we besought him for, 'tis to exercise our patience, and crown our humility.  
If he have so much respect to our interest, he hath no less to the Glory of Jesus Christ; and he so well sorts his honour and our good together, that whatsoever is helpful to us, is honourable to him. The greatest part of sinners entreat of God those things that are opposite to his will, or unworthy of his greatness; For whether passion transport them, or ignorance blind them, they require honours of him that was born in a Stable, and died upon a Cross; they expect pleasures from him who spent his whole life in sorrow, and whom the Scriptures by way of Excellency style a Man of Griefs; they hope for riches from him who lived in poverty, nor would receive any Disciples into his School, that had not sold their goods, and distributed them to the poor; they demand Earth of him that reigns in Heaven, the establishment of their welfare in this world from him who is the Father of that which is to come; and taking no notice of their Creed, they beg time of him who promiseth eternity. But the holy Spirit disabuseth Christians, when he either enlightens or instructs them: For being the Spirit of the Son, and knowing his intentions, he never puts them upon those requests that are offensive to him. When their hearts are encouraged with his Grace, they prefer Conscience before Honour; Virtue before Interest; Grief before Pleasure, and the will of God before their own inclinations; If sometimes they petition for perishable goods, 'tis as fare as necessity obliges them; and knowing that all such demands are dangerous, 'tis with fear that they always commence such suits, with reservation that they continue them, and with submission that they conclude them. All their prayers are terminated with those words of our blessed Saviour to his Father in the Garden: Not as I will, but as thou wilt.  
Finally, the same Spirit teacheth them innocent Stratagems, which they ought to make use of to pacify the indignation of their Heavenly Father, and to obtain those Graces they become Petitioners for. Men are so little acquainted with God, 
Quid oremus sicut oportet nescimus. Rom. 8.  that they know neither his mind nor his will; his greatness exalts him so fare above us, that we cannot approach unto him; his designs are concealed from us, and the Eternal Decrees he hath conceived in his breast are not to be penetrated by us; 'Tis with fear that we address ourselves before him, and being ignorant of his designs and resolutions, we have an apprehension that our desires may bid him defiance. We have certain secrets to gain men, we know by what arts we may insinuate into their fair opinion; we have dexterity enough to take them with their interests; and Rhetoric supplies us with inventions to triumph over their liberty, without doing them the least violence: But we know not how we are to treat with God; his Majesty astonisheth us, his Splendour dazzles us; and if his Mercy assure us, his Justice confounds us, because if we are miserable, we are besides more guilty. The Holy Spirit assists us in this disorder whereto our sin hath reduced us: 
Qui autem scrutatur corda scit quid desideret spiritus, quia secundum Deum postulat pro Sanctis. Rom. 8.  For residing in the heart of the Father and of the Son, he knows their most intimate cogitations; he sounds those abysses which the Angels cannot descend into; he sees their secretest intentions, and teacheth us innocent artifices to appease them when provoked against us. He spoke no doubt by the mouth of Moses, when that Prophet disarmed the Almighty, and reduced to a loving impotency him whose power hath no other bounds but his will: It was the Holy Spirit who fettered him by the hands of Moses, and obliged him to demand leave to be avenged of his enemies: Let me alone that my fury may wax hot. 'Tis the same Spirit that daily disarms our God, that pulleth the Thunder out of his hands, and which gently forcing him willingly to be overcome by the prayers he dictates to us, triumphs over his fury by our perseverance.  
'Tis he finally, that teacheth us to desire that life that is known only by Faith, 
Est in nobis quaedam ut ita dicam docta ignorantia sed docta Spiritu Dei qui adjuvat infirmitatem nostram. Aug.  and possessed only by Charity: 'Tis he saith Saint Augustine, that inspires us with that learned Ignorance whereby we confess that the happiness that is promised us surpasseth our imagination; we know only that his greatness exceedeth all those Ideas we can fashion of him, so that we reject all that are offered to our understanding, knowing very well that faculty cannot conceive the good it is bound to hope for; 'Tis the Holy Spirit that mingles his light with our darkness, and leaving us in the ignorance of our felicity, gives as much knowledge of it as is requisite to desire it: For as Saint Augustine wisely observes, if it were absolutely unknown of us, it could never stir up any desire in us; but besides were it fully revealed, it could not provoke our hopes, since according to the Maxim of the Apostle, what a man sees he hopes not for, nor wishes that which he possesseth.  
But the last and most admirable Stratagem of this Divine Spirit, 
In quo clamamus Abba pater, postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus. Rom. 8.  is, that he accompanies our prayers with his groans, that without disturbing his own happiness, he partakes of our distresses, rendering himself in a sort miserable with us, to make us happy with him: for 'tis by his motion that we send forth sighs, by his grace that we groan, and he so fully works these things in us, that the Apostle attributing them to him is not afraid to say, that he intercedes for us with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed. In a word, 'tis this Spirit that teacheth us to mourn in the world, that informs us that the Earth is our Banishment, Heaven our Country; that the one is to be endured, the other to be hoped for. Whoever knows how to profit by this instruction, spends all his life in the doleful tone of the Turtle; he sighs always when he considers that he is separated from JESUS; and that living here below, 
Nec parva res est, quod docet nos Spiritus sanctus gemere: insinuat enim nobis quia peregrinamur, & docet nos in Patriam suspirare, & ipso desiderio gemimus. Aug.  he hath only the Earnest of that happiness which is promised him: he weeps in these just desires, and sheds tears much different from those of sinners: They groan indeed, burdened with Misfortunes, the inseparable companions of Life; they complain when they have lost their Liberty; they sigh when they are oppressed with any Sorrow; they murmur when they are betrayed by their friends, or persecuted by their enemies: But these Lamentations savour nothing of those mournful Accents of the Dove: 'Tis not Charity, but Interest, that fans this Passion; 'tis the spirit of the World, and not that of God, that makes them thus breathe out their souls in Sadness: For, as this last is Eternal, so he sighs only for Eternity; as he proceeds from the Father and the Son, he returns thither again, and leads us with him; and being the Spirit of Truth, he occasions us to wish none but solid Goods, nor to grieve for any but true Evils.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. That the Holy Spirit remits the Sins of the Christian.  
REpentance is one of the greatest advantages Christian Grace can possibly have above Original Righteousness: 
Poenitentia à poena nomen accepit, quia anima cruciatur, & caro mortificatur. Aug.  For though it presuppose sin, and that Man cannot repent if he have not done amiss; yet is it a very present help against his Infirmity, and an admirable Invention of Mercy, to deliver him from his Transgression. In the mean time, the state of Innocence was deprived of it: and whether these two privileges were incompatible; neither would God grant this favour to men who had no excuse for their sin, because it was absolutely in their power not to commit it; we see not that they had this Prerogative, nor that Adam recovered from his Fall by the assistance of Original Justice. His Conversion is an effect of the Grace of JESUS CHRIST: If he bewailed his sin, he is beholding to the merits of the Son of God: 
Nullus hominum transit ad Christum ut incipiat esse quod non erat, nisi cum poeniteat fuisse quod erat. Homil. 50.  and if he repent, 'twas not till he became Christian. For the Divine Providence, which turns our Evils into Remedies, is pleased to make use of our weakness in the business of Repentance; and fortifying our Liberty by the virtue of Grace, settles us in a condition more humble indeed, but more sure than that of Innocence: Therefore is it not founded so much upon the Will, as upon Grace, drawing its force much less from Man then from Jesus Christ: He it is that hath instituted the remedy in his Church by a Sacrament, wherein the holy Spirit raiseth up sinners, after he hath regenerated them by Baptism. For as he is the Principle of our new life, so is he the Restorer thereof; as he gives it by his Grace, so he repairs it by his Goodness: he presides in this sacred Pool; and working stranger Miracles than the Angel did at the pool of Jerusalem, he convinceth the Obstinate, enlightens the Blind, instructeth the Ignorant.  
Indeed, this Sacrament hath always been looked upon by Christians as a channel thorough which the holy Spirit pours forth his graces into the souls of sinners. There it is that he works those prodigies which astonish all Christians; there it is that he acts as God, and by a victorious sweetness triumphs over the liberty of Criminals; there it is that he changeth Persecutors into Apostles, Wolves into Lambs, Libertines into Believers, and Lascivious persons into Continent. In the Old Testament, this Spirit changed men externally, endued them with new strength, made use of Samsons to tame Lions, take Cities, and defeat Armies: The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, and he slew a thousand men. He changed the mind of those that he lifted up to the Throne; and putting the Sceptre into their hands, inspired the Politics into their soul, and taught them that Science whereby Sovereigns govern States and Kingdoms: The Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and thou shalt be changed into another man. But now he changeth the hearts; he causeth a Metamorphosis less glittering, but more useful, inspiring into the soul Repentance, and Sorrow for Sin.  
This Change is attributed to the holy Spirit, because being the personal Love, 
Est Spiritus sanctus in confitente; jam ad donum Spiritûs sancti pertinet, quia tibi displicet quod fecisti; immundo spiritui peccata placent, sancto displicent. Aug.  all the effects which design any goodness, are particularly applied to him: and our Religion knows none greater than that wherein God receives his enemy into favour; where, not considering his Greatness, he prevents him by his Mercy; nor minding the many sins he hath committed, treats with him not as a Rebellious Slave, but as an obedient Son. This belongs to the holy Spirit, because, being that sacred Bond that unites the Father with the Son from all Eternity, it concerns him to reconcile sinners to God, who are separated from him by their offences, according to the language of the Prophet; Your sins have separated between you and your God. Finally, this effect is so honourable to him, that he is pleased to take it for his Name: For the Church in her Orisons calls it the Remission of Sins: And as to flatter the ambition of conquerors, they bestow upon them the names of those Provinces they have reduced under their obedience, the Church is of opinion, that worthily to praise the holy Spirit, to his Divine Qualities, this glorious Title must be added; and to specify the victories he gains over sinners, to name him, by way of excellence, The Remission of sins. This Maxim is so true, and the pardon of our offences so particularly attributed to the holy Ghost, that the Ministers who are employed in this Sacrament, must be quickened with his virtue to blot out sins. For, as Saint Augustine judiciously observes, the Apostles received not the power to absolve the Guilty, till they had received the holy Ghost; nor did the Son of God say unto them, Remit sins, till he had before said unto them, Receive the holy Ghost; that they might know it was through his Name that they wrought this Miracle, and that they were only his Organs, when they dispensed Grace in the State of their Sovereign.  
This will not seem strange to those that shall consider, there is no greater power in the Church then to forgive sins: For 'tis in a manner to act upon a Nonentity; 'tis to imitate the power of God, and to extract Grace out of Sin, as the World out of Nothing. Besides, if we believe Saint Ambrose, the Conversion of sinners hath something more difficult in it then the Creation of men. For though in both these works God act upon nothing, David telling us, that to change a heart, is to create it: Create in me, O God, a clean heart; and Saint Paul assuring us, that our soul is created in good works, when we are converted: Creati in bonis operibus; It seems God meets with more resistance in Conversion, then in Creation. Nothing obeys God, when it hears his Word; if it contribute not to his designs, neither doth it oppose them; and no sooner hath God made known his desire, but it thrusts forth out of its barren womb, The Heaven with its Stars, the Earth with its Fields, and the Sea with its Rocks: He spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created. But Sin is a Nonentity, rebellious against God; it knows his mind, and contemns it; sets up parties in his State, deboists his subjects; and entrenching itself in their heart, as in a Fort, disputes the victory with their Sovereign.  
Moreover, there is no body but knows that God acts far more absolutely in the Creation of Men, then in the Conversion of Sinners. For when he drew man out of Nothing, he advised with none but Himself; he had no respect to his Liberty, because he handled him as a Slave; and speaking imperiously to him, obliged him to appear before his Creator. But when he Converts him, he uses some kind of respect towards him; he puts on rather the deportment of a Lover, then of a Sovereign; he gains his will without forcing it; and though he knows the secret whereby to be obeyed, 'tis always with so much sweetness, that he that suffers himself to be overcome, hath reason to believe he gets the Victory. Therefore doth the Scripture never speak of this Change, but as of a work common to God with Man: And when Saint Augustine observes the differences between Conversion and Creation, he bears witness to this truth, in these words, Qui creavit te sine te, non salvabit te sine te. But not to enter into Disputes more Curious than Profitable, 
Si conversio peccatoris non est majoris potentiae quàm creatio universi, saltem est majoris miscricordiae. Aug.  let us be content to conclude with the same Saint Augustine, that if the Conversion of a sinner require not more Power, it supposeth at least more Mercy than Creation; because if in This God obligeth the Miserable, in That he obligeth the Criminal, showing Favour to those that could expect nothing but severity of Punishments. Therefore is it that the Conversion of a sinner belongs to the Holy Spirit: and a work that bears the Character of Goodness, must needs have no other Principle but he to whom this Divine Perfection is attributed in the Scripture.  
'Tis true, that after he hath showed mercy to sinners, he performs a piece of most exemplary Justice; and animating them against themselves, he obliges them to take revenge and punishment upon themselves: For, one of the most admirable effects of the Spirit of Love, is, to produce hatred in the spirit of Penitents, 
Quia ergo non potest esse confessio & punitio peccati in homine à seipso, cum quisque sibi irascitur, & sibi displicet, sine dono Spiritûs sancti non est. Aug. in Psal. 50.  and to satisfy the Majesty of God by the excess of their Austerities towards themselves. They look upon themselves as guilty of Treason against the Divine Majesty: they stay not till his Justice punish them; they prevent his Sentence, by their own Resolutions; and invent more tortures to wrack themselves, than the Executioners have been witty in to torment Martyrs with. This is that Divine Spirit which hath driven the Anchorites into the deserts, made the antonine go down into caves and holes of the earth, made the Stilites fix upon the top of Pillars; which found out sackcloth and discipline to make as many Wretches as he had made Penitents. All the Austerity that is in Christianity, takes its birth from the love he inspires into the Faithful: Their Rigour is proportionable to their Charity: the more the holy Spirit possesseth them, the more are they set against Themselves: and we may affirm with reason, that as much as they grow in his Love, so much do they grow in the Hatred of their Sin.  
This is it, perhaps, that our Saviour would have us understand, when he told us that the holy Spirit should judge the world, and should oblige sinners to punish themselves for the offences they have committed: He shall convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement. We cannot understand this Truth, if we conceive not that the Father hath judged all men in his Son; and having charged him with their iniquities, hath charged him also with the punishments due for them. From this moment they have no engagements to sue out with the Father; and the Father, satisfied with the Passion of his Son, protests that he hath signed over to him all the right of judging the world: The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement to the Son. The Son, by virtue of this resignation, shall judge all men at the end of the world, and being become their Judge and their Party, will pronounce the definitive sentence of their Eternity. In expectation of this day of Doom, the holy Spirit judgeth men that are converted; and mixing meekness with severity in these determinations, he obliges them to undergo a scrutiny upon earth, to be delivered from the torments of hell. Nor are we to think it strange, that he that is so gentle, is withal so rigorous, since the Poets have bestowed these two qualities upon Love; For these pleasant Tell-tales have feigned, that he was the severest of all the Gods, that he bathed himself in tears, lived upon blood, and (more cruel than Tyrants) took pleasure in the torments of his subjects. But Christian Religion, that conceals Truth under the shadow of our Mysteries, teacheth us, that the love of God is severe, that he exacts chastisements from those he inanimates, that he engageth his Lovers in penance, and (more strong than death, which parts soul and body) he divides between the soul and the spirit, and exerciseth a Tyranny over whole entire man.  
True it is, the torments he inflicts are always mixed with pleasures; he makes Roses grow among Thorns, and amidst such a throng of Penitents that bid him battle, there is not one complains of his sufferings: 'Tis enough, that persecuting themselves, 
Haec tristitia quae poenitcutiam ad salutem stabilem operatur, laeta est, ac spe profectus sui vegetata, cunctam affabilitatis retinet suavitatem. Cassian. l. 9 c. 11.  they are persuaded they satisfy him whom they have offended; the same consideration that afflicts them comforts them; and when they meditate that God that loves them is infinite, they meet with no pain that is not short, nor any torment that is not joyous. They are better accompanied in the Deserts, than the Monarches in their Palaces; their humiliations are more glorious than the Triumphs of Conquerors, their poverty is more happy than abundance of riches, and their ascetic life more full of charms then the pleasures of the world.  
Though the holy Spirit be thus favourable to Penitents, yet fails he not to be very severe against sinners: if he pardon the offences committed against the Father and the Son, he never pardons those that are committed against his own Person; and the holy Scriptures teach us, 
Blasphemia in Spiritum sanctum non remittetur in hoc seculo, nec in futuro. Mat. 12.  that of all the sins in the world, none are irremissible, but those which do despite to the Holy Ghost. This passage leaves all our Expositors at a loss; every one forgeth new Principles to resolve the difficulties thereof, and there are few but strive to invent something upon a subject so often handled, and so little cleared. Some divide sins into three Orders, according to the perfections which are commonly applied to the three Divine Persons: The first comprehends sins of infirmity, which seem to clash against the Person of the Father, 
Peccata alia sunt infirmitatis, quae Patri, cujus est potentia, adversantur; alia ignorantiae, quae Filio, cujus est sapientia; alia malitiae, quae Spiritui sancto, cujus est bonitas. D. Thom. in Paulum.  to whom power belongs: The second includes sins of ignorance, which seem to injure the Person of the Son, to whom Wisdom is attributed; The third comprehends sins of malice, which seem to malign the Person of the Holy Ghost, to whom Goodness belongs. Following this division, they suppose that the first and second sort of sins deserve some pardon, because the weakness and ignorance wherewith they are accompanied may plead somewhat in their excuse; but the last are altogether unworthy of pardon, because malice is the very soul of them, and that those that have committed them had strength and light enough not to fall into them. But if this Maxim were true, there were not any Christian that would hope for the pardon of his sins, since being enlightened by Faith, and assisted by Grace, they need neither eyes to see them, nor hands to withstand them: Nay, all the world knows, there is not any sinner in whose soul Malice, Weakness, and Ignorance are not blended together: Concupiscence, which blinds their Understanding, enfeebles their Will; and sin reigning in both of them, inspires them with Malice. Thus every sinner would grow desperate, and having offended the holy Spirit, could not expect the remission of his sins.  
Others explain this passage of Heretics, who knowing the Truth, do notwithstanding contradict it; who persecute the Church because she is the Spouse of Jesus Christ; and serving for Ministers to the Devil, do their utmost to ruin the workmanship of the Son of God: But we have seen Heretics converted, who have stood for the defence of the Truth, having quitted that of a Lie; and who have gained subjects to Jesus Christ, after they had procured slaves for his Enemy. Some others understand it with St Augustine, of that sin that accompanies men till death, and which always resisting Grace, cannot be expiated but by the pains of hell: Pro quibus jam non est hostia, sed terribilis quaedam expectatio judicii. This Explication doubtless is the most assured, for that the sin wherein any one dies is certainly irremissible; but I do not know whether this Interpretation be the truest: For it seems, the Son of God would plainly and simply insinuate unto us the difference between sinners that oppose the designs of the Father and the Son, and those who resist the designs of the Holy Ghost; 
Ad hoc Mediator est Christus, ut eos qui recesserant à Patre per se reconciliet, & suo sanguine eorum peccata solveret. Aug. in Psal. 93. ser. 2.  for though the first be culpable, and have done very ill to neglect the Father, speaking to them by the mouth of the Prophets, yet might they hope for some impunity in their crimes, and promise themselves, that the Son coming upon the earth, would reconcile them to his Father: Though the second were more to blame then the first, and deserve a severer punishment for not hearing the Son, who taught them by his examples, instructed them by his discourse, and ravished them with his miracles: They might yet persuade themselves, that the Holy Ghost descending down amongst them, would convert them, and that submitting to his Graces, and yielding obedience to his Counsels, would change their bad life into a better: But the last, who resist the Holy Ghost, can have no more hope, their sin, considering the disposition of the Orders of God, is irremissible of its own nature; for they no longer expect a divine Person that may reconcile them with the others: The mission of the Holy Ghost is the last, and the Scripture holds forth nothing more to be expected, but the coming of Jesus Christ to judge both the quick and the dead. Thus their sin who resist the Holy Ghost, 
Contra Spiritum sanctum quo peccata omnia dimittuntur verbum valde malum & nimis impium dicit, quem patientia Dei, cum ad paenitentiam adducat, ipse secundum duritiam cordis sui, & cor impaenitens, thesaurizat sibi iram in die judicii Dei, qui reddet unicuique juxta opera ejus. Aug. de verbis Dom. Ser. 12.  is not only inexcusable, but irremissible; if they submit not to his inspirations, their salvation is desperate; if they suffer not themselves to be swayed by his motions, 'tis in vain that they pretend to glory; and if they make not good use of his graces, 'tis rashness to promise that the Father or the Son will descend upon the earth to work their conversion: for the holy Spirit consummates the work of the Father and of the Son, he is the oeconomy of our salvation; he that always resists him cannot be converted, and he that will not give ear to his counsels cannot avoid the judgement of the Son of God. Thus to conclude in a few words all that we have delivered in this discourse; The Holy Ghost remits the sins of the world, reconciles sinners to God, animates them against themselves to give him satisfaction; but acting after another manner with obstinate perverse transgressors, he gives them up to their impiety, and justly refuseth them that grace which they have insolently despised.   

The Eighth DISCOURSE. That the CHRISTIAN in his Infirmities is assisted by the strength of the Holy SPIRIT.  
Weakness is so natural to the Creature, that he hath need of Grace in the state of innocence, as well as in that of sin. Nothing, 
Natura humana etiamsi in illa integritate in qua condita est permaneret, nullo modo seipsam Creatore suo non adjuvante permaneret. Aug. Epist. 109. ad Bonif.  from whence he came forth, engageth him in this necessity; and all Divines confess with St Augustine, That Man in Paradise could not raise himself up to God, nor defend himself against the Devil without the assistance of Grace. But his task is much harder since he became a Delinquent: the infirmity he hath contracted from sin is far greater than that he drew out of Nothing, and he is much weaker because he is a sinner, then because he is a Creature: The one is common to him with Angels, who though of never so noble an extraction, stood nevertheless in need of Grace whereby to persevere in that good they were instated in; the other is proper and particular, and takes it's original from all those devastations sin hath made in nature. For there remains nothing in man since his disobedience, which is not wholly impaired. His Understanding hath scarce any light to discern truth from falsehood; his Memory hath no more that force to retain the several Species of things committed to its trust, and his Will is so enfeebled, that it scarce meets with any enemies that triumph not over his liberty: ever since it became captive, it drooped & languished; the devil that possesseth it, tyrannizeth over it; and if grace come not in to the rescue, it cannot hold out against his solicitations.  
Sin is yet more absolute than Satan; he hath only a borrowed power; he reigns not over the hearts, but because he domineers over the senses; he is not master of the mind, but because he is of the body; nor hath he any command over the will of man, but because 'tis in his power to mutiny his passions. But sin reigns in all the faculties of man; his darkness clouds the Understanding, his malice depraves the Will, his ingratitude weakens the Memory; he enters where ever grace can, and penetrating the very essence of the soul, builds a Palace, where the holy Spirit had erected a Temple. When he is forced to quit the hold where he had entrenched himself, and yielding to grace is constrained to leave the sinner at liberty, he sets on foot by his Ministers, that violence he could not act by himself: Concupiscence, which is his daughter, and his mother, endeavours to execute his designs; she takes pains in his directions, and like a soldier that disputes the victory after the death of his General, she does her utmost to enthrone him after his defeat: For all the motions of this concupiscence favour sin; all the streams that issue from this fountain, are unclean; all the counsels that proceed from this Minister are suspected; and all the assaults this Enemy makes against us are prejudicial to our salvation: she is not innocent in the greatest Saints; 
* Concupiscentia causa est peccati, vel defectione consentientis, vel contagione nascentis. Aug. lib. 6. Con. Jul. c. 19  she preserves her malignity in the very Empire of Grace; she resists the Holy Spirit in the Temple he is adored in; and as Divines confess, that as the Tree is enclosed in the kernel, sin is wrapped up in concupiscence.  
This was the evil the Apostle of the Gentiles complains of, writing to the Romans; 'twas that disorder he would, but could not reform; 'twas that rebellion he felt in his members, and was not able to appease; 'twas that law of the flesh warring against that of God, which he could not abrogate; 'twas finally that Monster that drew complaints from his mouth, made him confess his weakness, and obliged him to wish for death, that he might be delivered from his Tyranny. For as Saint 
* Non quod volo ago, sed quod nolo hoc ago; quod odi concupiscere, odi concupiscere, & tamen illud ago ex carne, non ex ment; non implet legem infirmitas mea, sed legem laudat voluntas mea. Aug. in Rom.  Augustine observes very well, 'twas not in the power of the Apostle to cure that malady which depended not upon his Will, because it passed on in despite of him; and his complaints, which were marks of his piety, were proofs also of his infirmity. We must not say with the Pelagians, that Saint Paul in his person represents that of a sinner, whose bad Habit having weakened his liberty, left him nothing but sighs and regrets, for being thrown into a condition, out of which 'twas not in his power to come forth: For though this interpretation be true, and some Fathers, who were very tender of the holiness of the Apostle of the Gentiles, have imagined that he could not be subject to these disorders: Nevertheless, Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine (who knew very well that Grace does not destroy Concupiscence) were not troubled to acknowledge this in Saint Paul, and to confess, That the Liberty of the greatest Saints is not so entire, but it experienceth rebellions which it cannot master, and that 'tis only in Eternity where Grace obtains a full triumphant victory over sin, 
Si autem (sicut melius sentit Ambrose) hoc etiam de seipso dicit Apostolus, nec justorum est in hac vita tanta libertas propriae voluntatis, quanta erit in illa vita ubi non dicitur, Non quod volo ago. Aug. lib. 6. cont. Julian.  when the Saints shall no more say with Saint Paul, I do that which I would not. Indeed, this complaint is an evident proof of the weakness that remains in man after he hath received the pardon of his sin: Though he be in Grace, he is not freed from pain; though he be assisted by God, he cannot choose but tremble; and though his Will be strait, yet is it not so steadfast and constant, as to overcome all that combats his good resolutions. The experience he hath of his infirmity, obligeth him to implore the succours of Heaven, knowing very well, that victory is never complete upon earth; he entreats an end of his life, to obtain that of his conflict; and being not ignorant that his vigour is abated by this Inmate, which he can neither defeat nor divorce, he implores an Aid that supplies his impotency, and renders him strong enough not to be worsted. This is the Reason St Augustine made use of against the Pelagians: For whereas they affirmed, that Man had always a full freedom to correct himself, nor that there was any state wherein Concupiscence held so great a command over the Will, that he could not easily defend himself, he confronted them with this passage of St Paul, saying with that vigour of spirit that accompanies all his argumentations," Confess that all those that have a mind to mend, cannot do it, since he that speaks in these terms, 'Tis not I that work, gives a sufficient demonstration, that his desire is strong, but his power weak. Say not, that he can subdue sin by the mere abilities of his Will, since he discovers his infirmity by his complaints; and were he vigorous enough to bring all his forces into the field, he would never utter those words, Non quod volo ago. Suffer him at least in whom you see the activity of freewill weakened, to have recourse to the assistance of Grace, and to seek for that out of himself, which he cannot find in himself.  
But this misfortune is yet much greater in sinners newly converted, then in the just, who have a long time persevered in this virtue: For if these last have not destroyed sin, they have debilitated him; and if they have not obtained a full victory, they have gained some advantage over this Enemy; if they have not quite obstructed his motions, they have greatly checked them; and if they have not strength to be delivered, they have courage enough to stand upon their guard and defend themselves: But the others have increased his power by their own cowardice, they have added the tyranny of Habit to that of Concupiscence; they are reduced to a wretched impotency to withstand, since they have not crushed him in his conception; and their liberty is so small to defeat him, that their slavery degenerates for the most part into downright necessity. Thence it came to pass, that St Augustine being fallen into that deplorable condition, complained that his bad Habit had fettered his Will, that he groaned under the weight of his irons, that he could not break them though he had hammered them himself, and having voluntarily thrown himself into the net, he was necessarily held fast in it. My Will (saith he admirably in his Confessions) was in the hands of mine Enemy, he had cast a chain about me, which manacled me so fast I could not disengage myself, but was forced to follow him: for of my bad inclinations he form bad desires, which basely obeying, I contracted a bad habit; and not timely resisted, was presently changed into a troublesome necessity. I call this slavery a Chain, because it was composed of my own inclinations as of so many links, which the Grace that prepared me for my Conversion was not strong enough to break asunder. He made vain attempts to be disengaged; his Will encouraged with Grace, stoutly opposed his Will seconded with Concupiscence; himself was the Theatre of this Combat, he was the Victor and the vanquished; but the advantage was more prejudicial than the defeat, since the worse party was the strongest, and his Will yielding obedience to the Tyranny of Concupiscence, resisted the Command of Charity: He pleasantly complains to God of the greatness of this Evil in the same place of his Confessions. In vain did I take pleasure in Your Law concerning the inward man, because there was another law in the rebelling against Yours, and which against my will made me subject to the law of sin that was in my members: For the law of sin is nothing else but the Tyranny of Custom, which engageth the mind of man with a kind of constraint, but not without some colour of Justice, because he willingly procured this Thraldom.  
But he never more happily expressed the nature of this Evil, then when he compares a bad Habit to the imperious complacency of sleep: For it seems, there is nothing more sweet than those drowsy vapours; in the mean time there is nothing more violent; and of all things that set upon a man, there is none from which he can less defend himself; This evil takes force from its sweetness, the more pleasant the fumes are it exhaleth, the stronger are they; the more pain they inflict the more is their pleasure, the less liberty they indulge us, the more is the love they express toward us. 'Tis by this example, that this great Saint illustrates the agreeable violence of a bad habit. 
Ita sarcina seculi veluti somno assolet dulciter premebar, & cogitationes quibus meditabar in te similes erant conatibus expergisci volentium qui tamen superati soporis altitudine, remerguntur. Aug. " I was overwhelmed with the love of the world (saith he) as with a deep sleep, and the meditations I lifted up to heaven, were like the vain endeavours of men, striving to awake, who beaten down with the weight of drowsiness, fall asleep again at the very instant they awake. True it is, as there is no man that would always sleep, and in the judgement of all wise men, watch are better than sleep, I also was of the same opinion, that 'twas more advantageous for me to submit to thy grace (O Lord) then to yield to my passion: But as the most part of men suffered themselves to be more sweetly charmed with sleep when their hour to awake approacheth, so did I more enticingly embrace my bad habit, when the time of my conversion seemed nearest at hand". It is but too evident by this comparison, that man's weakness passeth even to impotency, when he suffers himself to be swallowed up by sin, and in his infirmities stands in need of a mighty arm to deliver him from the Tyrant that keeps him under.  
Now the holy Spirit performs this good office to all sinners, 'tis he that breaketh their irons when they are fettered by concupiscence, or by custom, The Spirit helpeth our infirmity, saith great Saint Paul, he not only clarifies the Christians, but fortifies them; and the same grace he sheds abroad in their souls, at once fills them with light and strength; he joins himself with the soul to subdue the rebellions of the flesh; he inspires their liberty with a new vigour, knocking off its fetters, he arms the faculty, whereby it takes vengeance of its enemies: for as Saint Augustine excellently observes, 'tis not the Spirit of man, but of God that fights against the flesh; 
Spiritus concupiscit adversus carnem in hominibus bonis, non in malis, qui Spiritum Dei non habent, contra quem caro concupiscat. Aug.  these two parts almost continually agree in unbelievers and wicked men, if they practise hostility for their particular interests concupiscence unites them to serve her designs. She masters wantonness with pride, tames pleasure with avarice; but in all these contestations the soul and body are subject to sin, and these two are reconciled together to further the intentions of their Sovereign. But when the soul fights against the flesh; in the faithful, 'tis always by the motion of the spirit, 'tis this divine Protection that gives her courage, and delivering her from the bondage of her slave establisheth her in the possession of her lawful authority.  
Let us explain this Truth in the words of Saint Augustine: the flesh did not lust against the spirit in Paradise, there was no war in so profound a peace, nor did man see himself divided by the conflict of two parts, whereof he was made: But when once he had violated the Law of God, and had refused obedience to his Sovereign. he was given over to himself, upon condition too that he should never be his own Master, but be wholly at his devotion that had deceived him. Then was it that the flesh began to revolt against the spirit; but this happens not but in the person of good men; for in that of wicked men the flesh hath nothing to rebel against, because the soul being become carnal, hath no other feelings but those of the flesh. And when the Apostle saith, That the spirit warreth against the flesh, we are not to imagine that he speaks of the spirit of man, but of that of God, that fights in us against ourselves; or to speak more sound, 'tis he that combats that in us that is prejudicial to us; and when he makes war upon us, 'tis to procure peace within us. 'Tis in this sense that the same Apostle hath said further to the faithful, that if by the virtue of the spirit they did mortify the deeds of the flesh, they should live. For least man should grow proud in hearing those words, and persuade himself that it was by his own spirit that he ought to tame the flesh, the Apostle presently explains himself, that they are the Children of God that are led by the Spirit, to the end we may know that 'tis he that mortifies our flesh, quickens our soul, and gives us victory in the Conslict.  
'Tis for this cause that he is called in Scripture the Spirit of strength, and of counsel, to teach us, that the same that guides doth also assist us; that having enlightened us, he warms us too, inspiring us with courage to execute our designs, after he hath endued us with wisdom to devise and contrive them. But Saint Augustine informs us, that he acts otherwise with sinners, then with the godly; and that he carries himself after another fashion with those he moves only, 
Aliter adjuvat nondum inhabitans, aliter habitans: nam nondum inhabitans adjuvat ut sint fideles, inhabitans adjuvat jam fideles. Aug. Epist. ad Sixtum.  then with those whom he inanimates. He assists the former that they may be converted, he helps the second that they may persevere; in the former he inspires faith, in the later charity; to the one he opens the door of the Church, to the other the gate of Heaven. But finally, 'tis one and the same Spirit that aids all Christians in their different conversations: 'Tis he that triumphs over the Executioners in the Martyrs, that combats Heretics in the Doctors, that subdues the flesh in the Continent, that despiseth the pleasures of the world in the Anchorites, that conquers sin in the Penitents, and that leads all the Elect from the Camp of the Church Militant into the bosom of the Church Triumphant.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. That the HOLYSPIRIT is the CHRISTIANS Comforter.  
SIn and Misery were borne into the world both upon a day, assoon as ever man became criminal, he became miserable; 
Peccavit anima, & ideo misera est; liberum arbitrium accepit quo usa est quemadmodum voluit; lapsa est, ejecta est, de beatitudine, implicata est misertis. Aug. contra Fortu. Disp. 2.  punishment followed transgression so close upon the heels, that he lost his happiness as soon as he had lost his innocence. Ever since this fatal moment his life hath been but a continued Train of miseries insensibly leading him to the Chambers of death.  
The Hydra of the Poets never was so fruitfully pregnant, and Fiction with all its inventions, could never yet represent the story of our misfortunes. Nor Age, nor Sex, nor Condition give any person a dispensation. Infants are wretched in the Cradle; that innocent Age that hath no other sin then that of Adam, is sensible of pains as sharp as those that accompany old age. Women, who sometimes shake off obedience to their Husbands, cannot escape the pangs of grief; and Kings, who are so absolute in their State, have no Guards that can stop sickness and sadness from entering into their Palaces: These two enemies of mankind creep every where, their dominion knows no bounds; where ever there are men, they find subjects, and create miserable.  
Indeed Christians meet with a great deal of consolation in these distresses; for besides that the hope of futurity sweetens their present evils; that the example of Jesus Christ gives them encouragement; that the constancy of Martyrs bear up their spirits, they have received the Holy Spirit that comforts them in their troubles, and supplies them with as many remedies, as misfortune takes upon it shapes to assault them. Let us reduce both of them to four heads, and make it appear in their discourses, that 'tis not in vain that man bears the name of miserable, and the Holy Spirit that of a Comforter.  
One of the fearfullest torments of man a sinner, is, that the two parts whereof he is made, cannot agree: 
In te ex teipso est flagellum tuum, fit rixa tua tecum, lucta est in illo corpore; quamdiu vivimus pugnamus, quamdiu pugnamus periclitamur. Aug.  The body and the soul are always upon bad terms; their love is turned into hate, and if there be any agreement between them, 'tis always to the disadvantage of the nobler part: All is out of order in the masterpiece of the Creation; Earth is higher than Heaven; the Beast domineers over the Angel; the Spirit stoops to the Body, and Passions are the Mistresses of Reason. The Saints groan under this disorder; they invoke death to be freed from this Tyranny, and they entreat an end of their life that they may see an end of a Combat whose event is so doubtful. The Holy Spirit accommodates this difference by his grace; for he takes part with the soul against the body; he subjects the soul to God, thereby to subject the body to the soul; he sets things in the state they were in during the time of Innocence, and so suppresseth the revolts of the flesh, that if the Spirit be not absolute, it is at least the strongest in the Saints. 'Tis the grace of our heavenly Comforter, say the Fathers of the Church, that sweetens our discontents, that quencheth the impure flames that concupiscence kindles in our hearts, that subdues those violent passions whose first motions are of so difficult coercion; 'Tis it that charms those deceitful hopes and desires that promise us felicity in the World, and which finally following the Inclinations of this Spirit, whereof it is the Image inables the Christian to be revenged of those rebels that disturb the quiet of his person.  
The second punishment of guilty man, is to see himself exiled from heaven, and constrained to endure a banishment as long as life: Indeed he undergoes here all the miseries of an exterminated person; he is deprived of his goods, and lives not but upon borrowing or alms; he is driven out of Paradise, fallen from all those honours that equalled his condition, to that of Angels and reduced to a deplorarable state, 
Homo cum in honore esset non intellexit, ideo comparatus est jumentis insipientibus. Psal. 48.  rendering his fortune little different from that of beasts. He never looks up to heaven, but if there be any spark of piety remaining, he bewails his offence, and is afflicted at his banishment: Grief puts these complaints in his mouth: Woe is me because my habitation is prolonged. He is afraid lest the snares that are scattered in the place of his residence, entangle him; if he suffer any calamity, he presently reflects upon the happiness he hath lost; and if he taste any pleasures, he misstrusts, lest they engage him in the world. For Christians are threatened with this double evil; and if they take not good heed, they are in danger to love their exile, and forget their Country; they settle their fortune upon earth, they build as if they never meant to remove; they are strongly taken up with the present world, and they lose all belief of the future; and a man hath much ado to persuade them, that so delightful an Abode is the place of their Banishment, and the Theatre of their Torment; They must be made feel their miseries, that they may have some desire towards another life; and we think we have gained much upon their Spirit, when they will be persuaded to look with an indifferent eye upon the place of their birth. Therefore is it that Richardus de Sancto Victore, divides men into three ranks; the first is those that are fastened to their Country, whom he calls Delicate; 
Delicatus est cui patria dulcis; fortis, cui omne solum patria, perf●ctus, cui omnis terra exilium est; primus amorem fixit, secundus sparsit, tertius extinxit. Richar. de Sanct. Vict.  the second those that look upon the whole earth as their Country, whom he calls Courageous; the third those that look upon the World as the place of their banishment, whom he calls Perfect. To speak truth, the first are sordid, because they have confined their love to a corner of the world; the others are generous because intending it over all, they have weakened it; and the third are accomplished, because having wholly stifled it, their hopes are altogether taken up with heaven; they long for this eternal habitation: the moments that stop them here below seem ages; the diversions, illusions; the pleasures, torments; the happiness of the World, a dangerous temptation. Now the Holy Spirit comforts them in this reasonable disgust; he inspires them with the desire of heaven, points out the glory of the blessed; fills them with hope of the shortening of their exile; and makes them say with David, I was glad when they said unto me we will go into the house of the Lord. But the most substantial Comfort he makes use of to mitigate, and sweeten their troubles, is, to give them an Antepast of felicity, to render them happy in the midst of their miseries; and to shed his graces into their spirit with so much complacency, that conversing with men, they may relish the bliss of Angels. For he is the earnest of our blessedness, the Assurance of our salvation, the Caution of the promise of Jesus Christ; and if we may say so, he is a portion of the felicity which is promised us in Glory.  
The third grievance of Man a Sinner is, That the Earth is not only a place of Banishment, but a Country of Enemies, where all creatures, serving as Instruments of the Divine Justice, make war upon him, which ends not till he dies. For though he boast himself the Lord of the Universe, though the sin of his father persuade him into this error, though Concupiscence that reigns in his soul, heightens the desire thereof, nor can all the miseries he endures, shake him out of this hope; yet is he dealt with as a Criminal. Every Element threatens him with a thousand dangers, and into what ever corner of his State he retires, he finds either Executioners, or Rebels. Poisons are mixed with nourishment upon the earth; rocks lie in ambush for him upon the Sea; the fire inflames thunder to destroy him, 
Qui in cunctis delinquimus, in cunctis ferimur, ut impleatur quod dicitur; Et pugnabit pro co contra infensatos orbis terrarum. Greg. Mag. hom. 35. in Evan.  and the air scatters contagions to infect him. There is no part of the world that conspires not against him; heaven punisheth his iniquities as well as earth: the Sun which is the fountain of life, makes him die; the Aspects of the heavenly bodies are fatal to him; nor is there any Star in the Firmament, which hath not some power to infest him.  
But that which redoubles these displeasures is, That all these Creatures are in the hands of his Enemy to afflict him; for the devil is the Prince of the world; The Scripture that designs him this Quality, teacheth us, that he disposeth of the Elements under the good pleasure of God, to persecute man: sometimes he darts down Thunderbolts; and though he execute the determinations of Heaven, he fails not to content his own malice; he raiseth Tempests upon the Sea, and Storms upon the Land, forms Lightnings in the air, and successively makes use of wet and drought to produce barrenness.  
Admit this Stratagem succeed not, he tries another so much more dangerous, in that it appears more taking; for he employs the creatures to seduce us; he discovers beauties to make us Idolaters, spreads nets to catch us, 
Creaturae Dei in odium factae sunt et in tentationem animabus hominum, et in muscipulam pedibus insipientium. Sapient. cap. 14.  and of every creature makes a Lure to engage us into sin. Greatness serves to swell us with vanity, riches to nuzzle us in covetousness, beauties to awaken our wantonness, and food (which is necessary for our life) to plunge us into sensuality. He makes weapons of all the parts of our body; deals with our senses to corrupt us; nor is he ever more terrible, then when he arms ourselves against ourselves.  
Finally, To leave nothing unattempted, he perverts  is most necessary in the world, and mixes disorders in those actions that cannot be dispensed with, to the end, that thinking to preserve our lives, we may be instrumental to his malice, and our ruin. Marriage is the nursery of the world, 
Posuit in comestione gulam, in generatione luxuriam, in dominatione supcrbiam, in correctione iram, in conversatione invidiam. Aug.  'tis that Sacrament that repairs the havoc death makes, that entertains families, supplies Kingdoms with Ministers of State and Soldiers, people's heaven, replenisheth the orders of Angels, and consummates the number of the Elect: In the mean time, our Enemy hath rendered it dangerous, in rendering it unchaste; he turns the remedy into a poison; and making sinners licentious, of a married couple makes many times a pair of Adulterers. Eating is the subsistence of life, 'tis that to man that Marriage is to the world, it protects us from famine, that tends to death, it repairs our strength with pleasure, and if it be the most necessary of our remedies, 'tis also the most delightful: But the Devil hath tempered it with gluttony and excess, thereby to corrupt it; he occasions debauchments at feasts; and we viciously please our palate, when we think only to supply our necessity. Government is one of the usefullest inventions of the Politic, or rather of Providence; The power of Kings preserves justice in States, their Sceptre is a terror to the wicked, and a support to the good; God shows himself visible in their person, and we look upon them with as much respect as Infidels did heretofore upon their false Deities: In the mean time, the pride that steals into Greatness through the malice of the Devil, dims their lustre, makes their power odious, and many times makes their lawful Authority degenerate into a most insupportable Tyranny. Correction and Conversation are equally necessary; the one entertains society, the other eliminates offences; the one polisheth our manners, the other perfects them; the one renders us civil, the other virtuous: mean while the subtlety of the malignant spirit scatters anger into Correction, envy into Conversation, and corrupting the fruits and effects of each, hinders us from profiting by the advice and entertainments of our friends.  
Who would not lose all patience amidst such a throng of miseries, did not the holy Spirit give us strength to vanquish the fury of our Enemies; prudence, to defend us against their plots and subtleties; 
Spiritus adjuvat infirmitatem nostram. Rom. 8.  and consolation, to support us against the bitterness of our afflictions? For he it is that fortifies our weakness when we are set upon, that dissipates our darkness when we are blinded, and sweetens our discontents when we are troubled. He weeps with us, without interessing his felicity, he shares in our infirmities without prejudicing his Almightiness, he is sadded with our miseries, without disquieting his own contentedness; he puts sighs into our hearts, words into our mouths, reasons into our understandings, to express our wretchedness; and to pacify our Judge, Postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus. The union he contracts with us is so strict, that the Scripture attributes to him what it would have us do, and by a strange liberty makes him partakers of our miseries, as we are made partakers of his happiness.  
The last torment of man a sinner, is the doubt he hath of his salvation: Death is troublesome, because the hour thereof is uncertain, neither hath he that pronounced sentence upon us, expressed the time of its execution. All moments are to be suspected by us, every day may be our last; and the accidents that cause our dissolution are so involved in futurity, that they daily seize us before we are provided for them: 
Nescit homo, utrum amore an odio dignus sit, sed omnia in futurum servantur incerta, Eccl. 9  But our salvation is much more concealed than our death; Predestination is much more secret, and more important than the end of our life; and the alarms so just an apprehension strikes us with, are much more lawful and amazing. There is no man that hath read in the Book of the living, nor that knows whether his name be written there; the whole world trembles at the thought of that irrevocable judgement; the Character of Baptism, the vocation into the Church, the power of working Miracles, the love of Enemies, the forgetting of Injuries, and  is most glorious and most difficult in Religion, are no certain proofs of our predestination; Fear is always mixed with hope in our souls; the Grace that quickens us may forsake us; the example of the Reprobate strikes us with astonishment; and after the Treason and Despair of Judas, there is no Saint but trembles. This is the greatest pain that afflicts Christians, 
Vae miseris nobis, qui de electione nostra nullam adhuc Dei vocem cognovimus, & jam in otio torpemus; vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum si remota pictate judicemur. Greg.  the cruelest punishment that exerciseth their patience, the rudest torment that proves their charity. Thus would it be an insupportable vexation, did not the holy Spirit sweeten it by the inward testimony he witnesseth to our Conscience: But he moreover gives us assurances of our salvation, he makes us obscurely read over the Book of Life; he takes us into that privie-Chamber where the definitive sentence of our Eternity is pronounced, 
Ipse Spiritus testimonium reddit spiritui nostro, quòd sumus filii Dei. Rom. 8.  he applies to us the merits of Jesus Christ, and interposes himself the caution of his promises; he blots out those mortal discontents which labour to cast us into despair, he heightens our hope by a prelibation of glory, and handles us with so much tenderness, that we have much ado to believe that we can be miserable in the other world, having been so happy in this.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. Of the CHRISTIAN's Ingratitude towards the Holy SPIRIT.  
IF that Philosopher had reason to say, 
Nibil in rerum natura tam sacrum, quod sacrilegum non inveniat. Sen.  There was nothing so sacred in Nature, that meets not with some sacrilegious person to profane it; Divines may with greater justice affirm, There is nothing so holy in Religion, that wicked and ungodly men do not dishonour, and by their malice desecrate its holiest mysteries. The divine Mercy is the source of all Graces; were not God merciful, we should be eternally miserable; did not he remit the injuries done against him, the first offence would cast us into despair, and having once lost his grace, we could expect nothing but punishments: in the mean time, his Mercy makes sinners presumptuous in their crimes; that which should convert them, hardens them; and that which promiseth them impunity, carries them for the most part to impenitency. The death of Jesus Christ is the last testimony of his love, his wounds are so many bleeding mouths breathing forth this Truth; and when we begin to doubt of it, we need but consider the streams of blood that issued from his veins: In the mean time, 
Positus est in ruinam, & in resurrectionem mul●orum. Luc. 7.  his death is often the occasion of our fall; we persuade ourselves, that he that could find in his heart to die for us, is too much concerned in our salvation, to destroy us: upon this vain hope we abandon ourselves to all wickedness, and turn our Antidote into a poison. The holy Sacrament is the highest invention the charity of the Son of God could find out; none but an infinite Wisdom could design it, nor could any but an absolute uncontrolled Power put it in execution; both of them are drained in this Mystery; and when the Son of God is incarnated upon our Altars to enter into our hearts, there is no other favour to be wished for upon earth: Nevertheless, experience teacheth us, that this Grace is not only unprofitable, 
Sumunt boni, sumunt mali, sort tamen inaequali vitae vel interitus. D. Thom.  but pernicious to sinners; that it conveighes death instead of life, mixeth a sacrilege with a sacrifice; and makes the devil enter into their souls, by admitting Jesus Christ unworthily. But not to stand upon the proof of so known a Truth, we need but represent the Grace of the Holy Spirit, and the ingratitude of wicked men, to be fully persuaded thereof. He is the fruitful source of all the blessings we receive from heaven; he is the dispenser of all the merits of the Son of God; nor can we expect any thing of the one, but by the mediation of the other: In the mean time we profane his Graces, cast off his Inspirations: his goodness serves only to set an edge upon our malice: the more favourable he is to us, the more rebellious are we against him; and the more arts he useth to convert us, the more bars do we oppose to resist him: we may judge of this by the names he bears; and by the attempts he makes to gain us, he gives testimony of his love and affection towards us.  
The Holy Spirit is the Principle of our supernatural life. 
Spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas ad Creationem pertinet; nisi quis renatus fuerit ad regen●rationem.  Faith instructs us that 'tis he that frees us from the state of sin, to level us a passage to Grace; & if we are the effects of his power in the world, we are the works of his mercy in the Church; so high a favour would challenge as high an acknowledgement; so that being his Creatures under a double Title, and he our Principle in Nature, and in Grace, there is no body but believes we have all the reason in the world to set up his Kingdom in our hearts, and carefully to preserve charity whereby he lives in our souls. Nevertheless the Great Apostle of the Gentiles complains that the faithful of his time made him die; that they put out the candle of their life; and by an ingratitude as great as their blindness, committed a double murder in one and the same crime: He begs their favour towards the holy Spirit; and having presented them with the Obligations they own his infinite goodness, he conjures them not to choke him in their souls: Quench not the Spirit. This passage is diversely explained, 
Nolite Spiritum extinguere. 1 Thes. 5.  but equally weak'nd by our Interpreters. For some are of opinion, that Saint Paul made use of this word to quench, because the Holy Ghost coming down upon the Apostles in the likeness of Fire, might be put out as fire by our negligence: And if the vestal Virgins were guilty of death, 
Vesta nihil aliud quam ignis cui virgines solent servire, quod sicut ex virgine ita nihil ex igne nascatur. Aug.  for suffering the profane fire committed to their charge to go out; the Christians were certainly much more criminal to suffer this holy Fire to die, that kindled all virtues in their hearts, and purged out all defects and inward defilements. Others think it a kind of figurative speech, the Apostle makes use of to aggravate the heinousness of the sin they commit, who do all that they can to extinguish the Holy Spirit, and endeavour to imitate the cruelty of the Jews, will sign their malice by a detestable parricide: It seems Saint Augustine was entered into this opinion, accusing not the sinner for the death of the holy Spirit, but because of the will he had to do it; and endeavouring all that was in his power to stifle him, that lives and reigns with the Father and the Son from all Eternity. But I conceive, without doing violence to the words of Saint Paul, or at all prejudicing the holy Spirit, we may say, He suffers death by sin, and loseth life when we lose charity. For the same Apostle teacheth us, 
Nescitis quia templum Dei estis, & Spiritus Dei habitat in v●bis. 1 Cor. 3.  that the holy Ghost dwells in us by Grace, that he erects an Altar in our heart, makes himself a Temple in our soul, and lives in us by his virtues. All his Epistles speak this language; and as often as he treats of the residence of the holy Spirit in our hearts, he speaks of it as of a Divine life, whereof he is the first Principle; so that he lives in us after the same manner as we live in him; and these two lives are so closely combined together, that one cannot be destroyed without the other: Thus the holy Spirit ceaseth to live in the sinner, when the sinner ceaseth to live by the holy Spirit; As they have one and the same life, so they endure one and the same death; and as the sinner loseth life, because he loseth Grace that united him to Jesus Christ; so the holy Spirit in some sort loseth that life that united him to the Christian by Charity, and receives death from him that inflicts it upon himself by sin. Therefore is it that the Apostle useth such high terms to make us comprehend the heinousness of our crime, and describes the death of our soul, under that of the holy Spirit, to the end, that if we are not afraid to commit a simple Murder, we may at least be startled from committing a Parricide.  
The second Quality of the holy Spirit, is, that having been our Principle, he will also be our Director, and give us motion after he hath endued us with life. I will not enlarge this Truth, because I have already spoken sufficiently of it, and discovered those advantages the Christian may draw from thence. It shall suffice to add, that Christians are exalted as far above Philosophers, as Philosophers are above Beasts: For Beasts are led merely by sense, the pleasure that tickles them transports them, and  flatters their appetite, either in taste or sight, overpowers them, if they are not withheld by fear or grief: Sinners are in no better condition than the Brutes, they consult only their sense when they act, 
Homo comparatus est jumentis; Considerate vos factos ad Dei imaginem. Imago Dei intus est, non est in corpore, non est in auribus istis & eculis, sed est factus ubi est intellectus, ubi mens, ubi ratio investigandae veritatis. Aug. in Psa. 48.  their soul is always the slave of their body; neither do they perceive, when they engage themselves in the love of pleasure or glory, how they do no more than Bulls, that foam and fight for the enjoyment of a Heifer, or to be leaders of the Herd. Philosophers are a degree higher than Sinners, and taking Reason for their Guide, they think they cannot err; 
Rationalc animal est homo; consummatur itaque ejus bonum si id adimplevit cui nascitur: quid est autem quod ab illo ratio exigit? rem facillimam, secundum naturam suam vivere. Senec. Epist. 41.  they fancy proud ostentous designs, they frame noble Ideas of felicity; they call in the Virtues to their aid to compass it; and assisted with Prudence, Justice and Fortitude, they count themselves as happy, and as perfect as God himself. 
Illi Philosophi seculi vitium vitio, peccatumque peccato medicantur: nos amore virtutum vitia superemus. Hieron. Epist. ad Rust.  These blind Opinators see not that their Reason is a slave to their Concupiscence, that Vainglory is the foul of their Virtue, that thinking to avoid Sensuaality, they fall into Arrogance; and flying the sins of Men, are taken with those of Devils. But Christians humbly soaring above Philosophers, take the holy Spirit for their Guide, they subject their reason to his Inspirations: and knowing very well, that they cannot be the children of God, unless they be the organs of his Spirit, they undertake nothing but by the motion of his Grace. Though this favour make up one of their greatest advantages, they fail not sometimes to neglect it, and to resist the Conduct of their divine Director: They relapse into the condition of Beasts, when they obey their senses; are restored to that of Philosophers, 
Haec est iniquitas cujus non miseretur Deus, cum homo defendit quod Deus odit, & pec●atum justitiam asserit, ut omnipotenti resistat & omnipotens illi. Bern. de Conse.  when they are led by their judgement, and become sinners when they resist Grace. 'Tis from this impiety that all others are derived; there is no wickedness a soul is uncapble of, when it rejects the impulses of the Spirit; neither were the Jews cast off, but because they stopped their ears against his Oracles. 'Tis the crime St Stephen accused them of when they stoned him; Ye always resist the Holy Ghost: and 'tis the punishment the Son of God threatens all those with, that persevere in their sins.  
The Third Quality of the holy Spirit is that of a Comforter; for if our Body revolt against reason, he supplies us with strength to subdue this Rebel: if Passions trouble our rest, he lays the storms: if we are in doubt of our Salvation, he gives us assurances; and whatever affliction exerciseth our Patience, he is our Consolation and our Joy: But as concerning the acknowledgement of this Grace, we daily afflict him by our insolence, and we compel the Successors of the Apostles to reprove us, as Saint Paul did; Grieve not the holy Spirit. This advice which the Doctor of the Gentiles gives us, is expressed in terms not easy to be understood: For the holy Spirit being God with the Father and the Son, is not capable of sadness, he enjoys a happiness that cannot be disturbed; the rebellion of his Subjects can neither shake his Empire, nor diminish his felicity;  design is undertaken against him, he still remains absolute; and his Power, which equals his Wisdom, makes the malice of his enemies serviceable to the execution of his Will. Therefore is it, 
Ira Dei non est ut hominis; id est, perturbatio concitati animi; sed tranquilla justi supplicii constitutio. Aug. Trac. 124. in Joan.  that Divines cannot comprehend the language of St Paul, nor conceive how the holy Spirit, that is the source of joy, can be grieved by sinners: Some explain it, following the common Rule, which placeth the effects of the Passions in God, and excludes the imperfections; for his Anger takes not away his Tranquillity; he punisheth the Rebels of his State without the least commotion; nor is he less calm when he punisheth the Devils, then when he rewards the Angels. But though he act with so much stayedness, he makes his thunder roar over the heads of the guilty, he makes the earth open under their feet; and if these two Elements are not enough to destroy them, he obliges the Sea to drown them by his Inundations. Others conceive, that Saint Paul attributes Grief to the holy Spirit, after the same manner he attributes Groans; that he more respects his Figure then his Person; and considering him in that Dove, 
Gemitus Columbae, gemitus Spiritus sancti, quia in figura columbae descendit Spiritus in Dominum.  in the shape whereof he descended upon Jesus Christ, he applies to him the properties of that innocent Bird: For every one knows that the Dove mourns, that she hath no other note but sighs; and when she is once separated from her mate, her lamentation lasts as long as her life. But St Augustine, resolves this difficulty by the strict union between the Faithful and the holy Spirit; he attributes to him the grief he inspires into them; and because the pity they express for the lost estate of sinners is an effect of his Grace, he ascends to the cause, and attributes that to the holy Spirit, that he produceth in Christians. But however it is, we afflict him that comforts us; and not acknowledging the good he hath done us, we grieve the holy Spirit, because we sad the Church whom he inanimates.  
Finally, to conclude this Discourse; One of the most eminent Qualities of the holy Spirit is that of the Remission of sins; his Spouse making his Panegyric, honours him with this Elegy: and Divinity teacheth us, that he it is that prepares the Will of the ungodly, that manageth their Consent by the endearments of his Grace, and reconciles them to the Father by the merits of the Son, which he applies to them: Thence is it that he presides in the work of Repentance; that the Priests who absolve the guilty, are his Ministers; and the sorrow that blots out sin is an effect of his Mercy. 
Ad ipsum pertinet societas, qua efficimur unum corpus unici Filii Dei. Aug. in Ser. de Blasph. Spir.  In the mean time, we offend him that pardons us, his indulgence makes us insolent, and the easiness wherewith he receiveth Penitents increaseth the number of Delinquents. All the sins we commit check these Divine perfections, and by the least of our offences we violate all his personal Proprieties. He is the Unity of the Father and of the Son, because he is that sacred bond that joins them eternally together; and Sin is an unhappy division that divorceth Man from God, the body from the soul, 
Peccatum origo mali, nec sine peccato aliquid in natura malum est. Aug.  the Husband from the Wife. The holy Spirit is Goodness, because he proceeds by the way of Love, and all the effects that bear the mark of that divine perfection, are particularly attributed to him. Sin is nothing but malice in the essence of it; the Creature may be weak and ignorant by nature, 
Sanctitas est ab omni inquinatione libera, incontaminatissema et perfectissima puritas, quae fine Spiritu saucto intelligi non potest in creatura. S. Dyonis.  but he cannot be bad but by sin:  bears that shameful character takes its origination thence; and men and Angels would be exempt from Malice, were they exempt from Sin. The holy Spirit is styled Holy, not only because he sanctifies all Creatures, but because being the Spirit of the Father, and of the Son, who are both holy, it concerned him to bear a name common to both, and which may delineate forth the admirable secrets of his eternal Procession: Sin is so opposite to Holiness, that we cannot better define it, then by its contrariety to this divine Perfection: For sanctity separates us from the Creatures, and unites us so mightily to the Creator, that nothing can disjoin us: on the contrary, Sin is nothing else but a being wedded to the Creatures, and an unhappy separation from the Creator; so that it thwarts all the personal Proprieties of the holy Spirit, and renders men unworthy of all the Favours they have received from him.  
Let us therefore combat this Enemy of Grace, 
Quicquid fecit Christus, ut destrueret peccatum fecit: ita debet facere Christianus, cui nullus hostis est praeter peccatum. Chrys.  make war against him, that makes it against God: let us shake off the yoke of this Tyrant, that flatters only to destroy us; and acknowledging the obligations we have to the holy Spirit, submit ourselves to his divine qualities. Seeing he gives us Life by Grace, let not us make him die together with it; seeing he is our Director, let us yield obedience to his Ordinances; since he is our Consolation in our discontents, let us not grieve him in his just Ones; and seeing he is the Remission of sins, let us bewail those we have committed, to give him satisfaction; and commit no new ones further to provoke him.    

The Third TREATISE. Of the Christians Head.  

The first DISCOURSE. That the CHRISTIAN hath two Heads, ADAM, and JESUS CHRIST.  
IF Bodies with two Heads pass for Monsters, humane Nature may very well pass for a Prodigy, in that it hath two Chiefs, upon which it depends; and that as Adam communicates his Sin to it by Generation, making it guilty and miserable; Jesus Christ communicates his Grace to it by Baptism, making it innocent and happy. 'Tis true, Nature might have expected great advantages from this first Head, had he kept his original Righteousness: for our Divines confess, that Adam being Chief of all men, received Grace not only for himself, but for all his Posterity; that as his sin passeth into his children by Generation, Grace had passed into them by the same conveyance; and that then they had been borne innocent, as now they are borne criminal, Together with grace he had communicated to them all the Privileges he had received from God in the Creation; Their bodies had been freed from those troublesome maladies that exercise our patience; and original righteousness had knit the body so close to the soul, that their peace had never been disturbed by these intestine divisions that set them so much at distance. Nourishment had repaired the radical moisture that the natural heat had consumed; and the fruit of the Tree of Life retaining something of our Sacraments, had imparted to them a new vigour, that had secured them against old Age and Death. Their soul had not been worse provided for then their body; for with Grace they had received all virtues; and according to Saint Augustine, either they had had the use of reason for their service, or they had learned with so much easiness, that Ignorance had never been their Torment.  
In this happy condition the Will had been more free than now it is; the passions were so subject to reason that they had never been up, but by his order: Concupiscence, that tyrannizeth over the children of Adam, 
Summa in carne sanitas, in anima tota tranquilitas. Aug. lib. 14. de Civ. c. 26.  had not enslaved the soul to the body; and though the inferior part had felt its natural inclinations; Grace had so well moderated them, that they had never undertaken any thing either against justice, or honesty. Thence it comes to pass that these austere virtues, that have nothing else to do, but to combat the motions of the flesh, had served rather for his ornament, then for his defence. Thence it follows that Grace had not been the Mistress of the Will, because having no bad inclinations, she might have guided herself, provided she were but supported; nor had there been any danger that she that was not yet a Captive to sin, should have the chief disposal of his salvation: we are not certain that if Adam had preserved his innocence, his children had been impeccable; neither know we if the sin of other men had injured their posterity; and if having lost the advantages of original righteousness in their own behalf, they had lost them also as concerning their successors: This condition is so concealed that we have nothing but weak conjectures of it; every one extols or debaseth it according to his humour; and having neither Scripture nor Tradition for their rule, all the world may diminish or add something to their happiness.  
'Tis certain nevertheless, 
Sicut in Paradiso nullus aestus aut frigus, sic in ejus habitatione, nulla ex cupiditate vel timore, bonae voluntatis offensio. Aug. lib. 14. de Civ. c. 26.  that all the torments that came into the world with sin had never discomposed his quiet: The Seasons had not been irregular, the Elements had not bid him battle, the Earth had been fruitful without tilling, and thorns, that are the fruits of sin, had not dishonoured the face thereof; Deluges that drowned the world, Drought that makes the fields barren, Pestilence that depopulates Cities, and mows down the Inhabitants, having no other cause but sin, had made no devastations in an innocent State; and men being upon good terms with God, had found their happiness under the protection of his Grace: having lived some Ages upon the earth, 
Proinde, si non peccasset Adam, non erat expoliandus corpore, sed supervestiendus immortalitate. Aug.  they had been translated into heaven, where Glory consuming what they had of perishable, had made them perfectly immortal, without passing them through the pangs of immortality. The two parts that compose man had not been separated, the Masterpiece of the Creation had not been ruined; and the soul reigning with Angels had not beheld her body devoured by worms, in the Sepulchre. See here a rude draught of the state of Innocence, and a slight shadow of the glorious advantages children had derived from their father, had he kept original righteousness; but the evils he procured them, surpass the privileges in number and quality.  
For his sin is the source and fountain of all misfortunes: we are not guilty but because we are his Members, we sinned by his will, because we lived in his person; and the offence of one man is become the obliquity of whole Nature, because it was included in him as the Tree in the Kernel, or as a River in the Head. 
Quia vero per liberum arbitrium Deum deseruit, justum Dei judicium expertus est, ut cum tota sua stirpe quae in illo adhuc posita tota cum illo peccaverat damnaretur. Aug.  This is it that Saint Augustine teacheth us, in those no less handsome than solid expressions. Adam felt the just judgement of God, because abusing his free will, he was unjustly separated from him, and punishment was inflicted upon him with his whole race, because being in him as in the stock, they had wholly transgressed with him. The same also he delivers with as much or more eloquence in his Enchiridion; for searching out the cause of so many evils that assault us, he concludes that the sin of our first father is the original thereof, and that we are therefore criminal and miserable, because we are a part of him. Thence it comes to pass, saith he, that being banished out of Paradise after his transgression, he was condemned to death with all his Posterity, who living in him as in their Principle, were infected with his prevarication, as the branches whither in their stock, and die in their root. Thence it comes to pass that all children that descend from him, and from his wife, the Complice of his offence and of his punishment, are the heirs of his corruption. This sin passeth into them by the channel of concupiscence, and makes them sensible of a torment which seems the image of their disobedience, since one part of themselves is revolted against the other: This revolt engaging their soul in vanity, and their body in pain; leads them insensibly with the rebellious Angels to that last Judgement which will never have an end.  
Let us give a little light to this Speculation, let us amplify in this discourse what Saint Augustine hath wrapped up in this passage; and unfolding all the evils derived from sin, discover the malignant influences of this Delinquent in chief upon his wretched members. Ignorance seems to be one of the prime calamities of man; 'Tis born with him ever since he was born with sin; it sinks so deep into his soul, that it cannot be expelled thence but with labour and pain. Children know neither their Creator, nor their Father; they live some years in this sad condition: we must expect till Nature ripen their senses, and make them capable of the instructions of their Nurses or Masters, that knowledge and truth may pass into their souls by the mediation of their eyes and ears. Those that are born among infidels, thinking to deliver themselves from ignorance, are plunged into falsehood, and fall into a mischief more grievous than that they labour to avoid; when these two evils are associated together, they heighten the bad inclinations of the Will; of an offender they make an Opinator, and adding obstinacy to malice, throw him into a necessity of sinning.  
If it have not this unhappy consequence in the faithful, who are instructed in the School of Truth, it occasions another, whose effects are no whit less tragical. For the Will feels a wretched impotency towards all those good things, the combat of vices, and the conquest of virtues, makes him apprehend; she complains that what ever is enjoined is harsh and difficult; what ever is forbidden, easy and delightful; and having no strength to secure herself against grief and pleasure, 
Languorem istum culpa meruit, natura non habuit, quam sane culpam per lavacrum regenerationis Dei gratia fidelibus jam remisit, sed sub ejusdem medici manibus adhuc natura cum suo languore confligit. Aug.  she loseth as many victories as she fights battles. In the mean time all the children of Adam live in this misery, what ever habitual goodness they acquire, they never lose all that weakness they extracted from their Father; assoon as Grace forsakes them, they relapse into their former infirmity, and being members of Adam, they are always feeble and languishing.  
But that which is most deplorable, Concupiscence that so disables for good, raiseth their appetite with so strong a propensity to evil, that nothing seems difficult that appears under that notion. The ambitious suffer with pleasure those great anxieties that accompany Glory; this vain Idol makes them so courageous that they are true to it to the last gasp; their constancy imitates that of Martyrs, and they endure more hardships to conquer a Province, than those generous Champions have to purchase Heaven. The Covetous make our Penitentiaries blush; their Interest costs them more than our Salvation; Passion that swallows them up, exerciseth so cruel a Tyranny over their wills, that it obliges them to all the painful severities the love of Jesus Christ disciplined the Anchorites to. They fast to save charges, they watch for lucre, they leave their Country to traffic, they venture their lives to assure their gains, and lose their conscience to enrich their house. Finally, 
Haec cupiditas vana, ac per hoc prava vincit in eyes ac fraenat alias cupiditates. Aug.  Concupiscence works as many disorders in sinners, as Charity does good in Martyrs; it inspires them with vigour in tickling them with love; it sheds a poison into their souls, which blending weakness with strength, makes them so unable for any good, that the least difficulty that accompanies it astonisheth them; and so valiant for evil, that the greatest oppositions that attend it, raise their courage to compass it. To all these mischiefs might be added the division of the soul and body, the revolt of the passions against reason, the treachery of the senses in respect of the understanding, and all the distempers that arise from the unseasonableness of the weather, or the strife of the Elements, had I not largely described them in discovering the miseries of man a Criminal: But not to fall upon tedious repetitions, 'tis more useful to consider the Head from whence we have derived our Benedictions; and confront him against the other, from whom we have received our Anathemaes.  
Jesus Christ is that glorious CHIEF whom the Eternal Father is pleased to engraft upon our Nature, to deliver it from those miseries it groans under; 'tis from Him that all our advantages flow; and as we are made guilty by descending from Adam, we become innocent by being planted into JESUS CHRIST: Our Redemption holds some proportion with our Fall; the Mercy of God is regulated by his Justice, and the Grace he bestows upon us is a copy of our chastisement. The first Man (saith Saint Augustine) received a Liberty void of all servitude; God presented him with Fire and Water, and gave him leave to choose; Man took Fire, and rejected the Water; God, who is just, let him grasp what he had chosen, so that he was therefore unhappy because he would be so: See here an Express of the Justice of God; Turn the Table, and behold one of his Mercy: For seeing that Man, by the bad use of his , had corrupted all Mankind in his Person, He came down from heaven, not tarrying for his prayers, and healed him by his Humility, who had lost himself by his Pride; he rectified the wanderers, and put them into the right way; he called home the Banished, and instated them in their Country, that they might no longer glory in themselves, but in that immaculate CHIEF from whom they derived their salvation. This Verity is the Foundation of our Religion; The belief of two adam's acquaints us with our Fall, and with our Recovery: We cannot know what we own JESUS CHRIST, unless we know what we lost in Adam; nor can we ever worthily comprehend the obligations we have to our Redeemer, unless we fully understand all the misfortunes accrued to us by him that was our Parricide, at the same instant that he was our Parent. Therefore is it that the great Apostle never separates ADAM from JESUS CHRIST; he always opposeth Grace against Sin; be heightens the greatness of the Remedy, by that of the Disease: and that we may have a right estimate of the children of God, he minds us, that they were the children of wrath, and vessels of dishonour. Saint Augustine (the faithful Interpreter of Saint Paul) admirably explains this Mystery, in commenting upon the words of this Apostle. As none (saith he) enters into the kingdom of Death, that passeth not by Adam; 
Si●●t in regno Mortis nemo sine Adam; ita in regno Vitaenomo sine Christo: sicur per Adam omnes peccatores, ita per Christum omnes justi homines: sicut per Adam omnes mortales in poena facti sunt filii seculi; ita per Christu● omnes immortales, in gratia sunt filii Dei. August. ad Optat.  so none enters into the kingdom of Life, but by Jesus Christ: As all that are born of Adam are sinners, all that are born again of Jesus Christ are justified; and as all the sons and daughters of Adam are the children of the earth and death, all the children of Jesus Christ are the children of heaven and of life.  
This Maxim is so true, that man makes no more progress in perfection, then according as he doth in alliance with Jesus Christ: The more Faith he hath, the less hath he of Error and Falsehood; the more hope he conceives in the mercy of God, the less confidence hath he in the favour of men; the more he burns with the fire of Charity, the less is he scorched with the flames of Concupiscence; the more he is united to this innocent and glorious Head, from whom all grace is derived, the less is he fixed to that infamous and criminal Head, from whom all sin takes it original; so that Christians, as we have already proved, aught to have no other care but to make Adam die, and Jesus Christ live in their person; if they intent to be innocent, they must be Parricides; if they will bestow life upon the Son of God, they must inflict death upon their first Father; if they mean to be quickened with the spirit of humility, which raiseth men in debasing them, they must renounce the spirit of vainglory, which lays men low in lifting them up, and under a colour of making Gods of them, makes them nothing but Devils or Beasts. Finally, man's unhappiness flows from the shameful alliance he contracted with Adam in his Birth, 
Ex transgressione primi hominis, universum genus humanum natum cum obligatione peccati victor Diabolus possidebat; si enim sub captivitate non teneremur, redemptore non indigeremus; venit ad captivos non captus, venit ad captivos redimendos nihil in se captivitatis ha bens, sed carne mortali pretium nostrum portans. Aug. de Verb. Apo. Ser. 22.  and the Christians happiness proceeds from the glorious alliance he contracted with Jesus Christ in Baptism. Thus the quality of a Chief in Adam is the source of all our Evils; and the quality of a Chief in Jesus Christ, is the Original of all our Good; and as Adam did not so much destroy us in being our Father, as in being our Head: neither doth Jesus Christ save us so much for being his Brethren or his Children, as because we are his members; because 'tis in effect, this quality that procures us all the rest; neither is God our Father, but because Jesus Christ is our Head.   

The Second DISCOURSE. Of the Excellencies of the Christians Head, and the advantages they draw from thence.  
THough all the alliances Jesus Christ hath contracted with men, be as beneficial to them as they are honourable; yet must we confess, that the relation that unites him to them as their Head, is the strictest and most advantageous. 'Tis much that he would be their King, and giving them Laws had owned them for his Subjects; 'Tis more yet that he condescended to be their Brother, and sharing his Eternal Inheritance with them, made them Coheirs together with Himself; 'tis more yet that he made them his Children, and conceiving them in his wounds, suffered death to give them life; But 'tis yet a more signal favour, that he vouchsafed to make them his Members, and joining them to Himself in one body, he is constituted the Head from whence they receive all those endearing influences which communicate to them the life of Grace, and merit for them that of Glory. Therefore also doth Saint Augustine, when he examines the favours we have received from the Father, prefer this before all others, 
Nullum majus donum prast●re posset hominibus quam ut verbum suum per quod condidit omni● faccret illis caput, & illos ei tanquam membra coaptaret, ut esset filius Dei & silius hominis unus Deus cum patre, unus homo cum hominibus. Aug. in Psal. 36. Ser. 3.  and confesseth he never more sensibly obliged us then when he gave us his only Son to be our Head. God saith he, could bestow no higher honour upon men then by uniting them with his Word, by whom he created all things, as the Members with their Head; that he that was the Son of God, might be the Son of Man; and that by reason of his Divine Person subsisting in the Humane Nature, he might be God with his Father, and Man with his Brethren. 'Tis in effect from this glorious co-habitation that all our blessings are derived: If the Father look upon us, 'tis because we are the Members of his only Son; If he hear our prayers, 'tis because Jesus Christ speaks by our mouth; if he receive us into Glory, 'tis because he sees us clothed with the merits of our Head; if he admit us into his bosom, 'tis because the quality we bear renders us inseparable from his Word; But if this alliance be beneficial to Christians, 'tis honourable to Jesus Christ; For though nothing can be added to his Grandeur, who is equal to his Father, and all the Privileges he received from his Incarnation, may pass for so many Humiliations: Nevertheless the dignity of being Head of the Church is so eminent, that after that of the Son of God, there is none so Venerable and August. It gives Jesus Christ the same advantage over the Faithful, that the Head hath over the Members; and to conceive what he is in the Church, we must observe what this is in the Body.  
The Head is the noblest seat of the Soul, 'tis that part of the Body where she acts her highest operations; 'tis there that she debates those subjects that are presented to her, that she deliberates upon the accidents that happen: 'tis there that the memory preserves the species, which may be called the treasures of wisdom, and the riches of the Intellectual faculty; 'tis there that the understanding conceives truths, and the will pronounceth determinations: In a word, 'tis there that the affairs concerning Peace and War, Salvation or Damnation, Time or Eternity, are treated of; Thus also is it in jesus Christ, that all those lights reside that govern the Church; 'tis in him that are shut up all the treasures of wisdom: and from him that all Oracles proceed whereby the Faithful are instructed.  
The Head is the most eminent part of the Body; Nature was willing that as it is the noblest, so it should be placed nearest Heaven; and the very situation should oblige all the other parts to show it reverence: It is the most exalted, that it may more easily dispense its orders, and that the spirits which convey sense and motion by the nerves, may descend with more facility into all the parts of the body. jesus Christ also is in the highest place of his State, he reigns in Heaven with his Father, from thence he views all the necessities of his Body, he sends those influences that are needful to every particular member, distributing light and heat according to his own designs and their necessities.  
The Head is the most illustrious throne of the Soul; she hath all the senses for ornament or for defence; The Ears serve as Scouts which exactly report whatever the confusion of noises, or distinction of voices can inform either doubtful or certain: The Eyes are faithful Guides, discovering the Essence of things, by discovering the accidents under which they are veiled; The Palate is the taster of meats, judgeth of good and bad, and following the orders of his Sovereign, receives the one and rejects the other; The Nose is not only the unloader of the Brain, and the ornament of the Face, but the seat of smelling, and discerns of scents; that as the Head is the Queen Regent of the Body, she may have all things necessary for the preservation of her Subjects. Thus may we say that the Son of God possesses all the Graces that are dispersed amongst the Faithful; that he hath all the gifts of the holy Ghost, which are as the senses of the Mystical Body, and includes all the virtues that serve either for the ornament or defence of his members. 
Omnia fere dona nostra habent adjunctam imperfectionem: unde continentia est hostis & testis concupis●entiae. Aug.  He hath moreover some advantages which others enjoy not; and as he is the Head of the Church, his Father was pleased that he should be happy in his mortal passage; that his light should have no shadow of darkness; that he should preserve his Innocence in the midst of our sins, whereof he was the pledge; that he should have the gift of Prophecy without obscurity, and that all his Graces should be free from those imperfections in men they are accompanied with.  
If this wonderful Chief have some privileges common with the Head, he hath others that are particular, and which force us to confess that he is much nobler than that goodly part that commands all the rest: For the Head can neither be younger nor elder than the Body; Nature forms them both together, and at the same time that she lengthens the arm, extends the Shoulders, fastens the Legs, she opens the Eyes, boars the Ears, fashions the Nose and pefects the Head: But jesus Christ is Independent of his Members; he was born at the very instant he chose with his Father; and as he quickens his Body before his Birth, so doth he after his Death: All the Faithful that were before him, lived by the Grace they drew from him; and all that come after him, live now by the influences they receive from his Sacred Person: He acted in the world, before he came into the world; He sanctified the Patriarches, of whom he was to be born; He inanimated those Kings that were his Ancestors; and contrary to all the orders of Nature, he gave life to those from whom he was to receive it. We cannot deny but his Grace was more powerful in this particular, than the sin of Adam; for this wretched Parent communicated not his poison but to those that descended from him; he made none but his children heirs of his misfortune; and whoever sprang not from that unfortunate stock, may boast himself innocent. But the Son of God acts indifferently upon all men; his power is not bounded by Ages; the Future depends upon him as well as the Past; and the Saints that saw the Deluge of the world, own their grace to him, as well as those that shall see the Conflagration of it: He hath this advantage common to him with those causes which act before they are; and being the last in execution, cease not to operate, because they are the first in intention. Thus the Son of God produceth wonders at the birth and at the dissolution of Ages, though he were not born till the fullness of time, because he is the first in the intention of his Father: the Faithful are but for him; and all the Elect are the Members which make up that Body whereof he is the Head. 
Vicerunt sancti in sanguine Agni. Apoc. Agnus est occisus ab origine mundi: caput nostrii Christus est; Corpus capitis illius nos sumus: nunquid soli nos, & non etiam illi qui fuerunt ante nos? Omnes qui ab inicio saeculi fuerunt justi, caput Christum habent. Aug. Serm. 3. in Psal. 36.  This is the truth that S. John teacheth us, when he saith that the Saints overcame by the blood of the Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the world. For though he died not till the reign of Tiberius, his blood failed not to produce effects in all the differences of time: and as the Martyrs of the Old Testament were not less his Members then those of the New, they owed their conflicts, their victories, their triumphs, to his virtue.  
This circumstance greatly magnifies the power of Jesus Christ, and makes us see that the treasures of his merits are infinite, in that he is not only unable to be exhausted by all the Faithful that are enriched by him, but because his liberality was laid open from the beginning of the world. The Kings of the earth act not but during their life; if they exercise some desires in the hearts of their Subjects before their death, they are blind velleities, which are many times attended with repentance and sorrow: if they leave some regret after their death, it is quickly buried by the vices or virtues of their Successors: and when we no longer feel the benefit of their Protection, we are no longer mindful of their Persons. But Jesus, more powerful and more necessary than Monarches, acted before his Birth, and after his Resurrection: 
Christus ante profuit quàm fuit. Bern.  he governed his Kingdom, before he was conceived in the womb of the Virgin: he won battles, before he had any hands to fight: he maintained the Faithful, before he had a Soul; and gave life to his Members, before he received it from his Mother: he lived not as yet in Himself, and was alive and already in Others: he acted not in his Natural body, and yet he acted in his Mystical body: not being able to express himself by his own mouth, he spoke by that of the Prophets, and gave Laws to all the Jews in the person of Moses.  
His Power was increased by his Death: that which ruins the dominion of Princes, served only to establish his Kingdom: he was never more absolute then upon the Cross; and that head crowned with thorns, was never more active than when he stood at bay: This Sun never darted forth more rays, then when he was in an eclipse; nor did the Son of God ever so gloriously triumph over his enemies, as when they upbraided him with his weakness, and rejoiced at his sufferings. Then was it that he conceived the Church in his wounds, that he gave his children life by his own death, that he encouraged his Apostles to Martyrdom; and providing Graces for all his Members, inspired them with strength to vanquish pleasure, and subdue grief. For though the Son of God be the Head of men in all the conditions of life, because he was so before his birth; nevertheless he exerciseth this Office in a time when others cannot: 
Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso: Excedit humanum conditionem ista promissio, nec tam de ligno Crucis quàm de Throno editur potestatis. Leo.  He founded his Church in dying; he acted like a Sovereign, when they deprived him of life: he pardoned offenders, when they handled him as a delinquent: he disposed of the kingdom of heaven, when they disputed his kingdom upon earth; and making his power appear in his weakness, his innocence in his execution, and his grandeur in his affronts, he takes pleasure to confound the pride of his enemies.  
But me thinks there is no quality makes him shine forth with so much pomp upon the Cross, as that of being the Head: For besides that it was in this place that he offered up himself for his Elect, and by bonds as strong as they are secret, united them to his Person, that neither sin nor death can ever separate them from him; it was there that he made that wonderful Bargain with them, where charging himself with their sins, he invested them with his merits; and taking upon him the quality of a sinner, communicated to them that of innocents'. There it was that he espoused the Church; and accomplishing that Figure which preceded in the person of Adam and Eve, he was willing to die, that his Spouse might live. For the holy Scripture, not without a Mystery, observes that Eve was taken from the side of Adam whilst he was asleep, that all the world might know that the Church must proceed from the side of Christ when he hung dead upon the Cross. God could, saith S. Augustine, have form the woman of her husband whilst he was awake, had there not been some Mystery couched under that Ceremony; for if we say God chose that time to rid man from all sense of pain, it was too violent not to awaken him: and if we say man felt it not, because God wrought the work, he could as easily have taken away the rib when he was awake, as when he lay asleep: But he had a mind to express that in Paradise, which was to be acted upon mount Calvary; and teach us, that as Eve issued from the side of her sleeping husband, the Church should issue from the side of dying Jesus.  
If this Mystery heightens the love and power of Jesus Christ, we must confess it augments withal the obligations Christians have to death and sufferings. For Christ conceived us in the midst of his wounds; we are the children of his sorrows; and his Church cost him much more pain and trouble then Eve did the first Adam: 
Sicut dormienti Adae costa detrabitur, ut conjux efficiatur; ita & Christo morienti de latere sanguis effunditur, ut Ecclesia construatur: communicantes namque corpori & sanguini efficimur Ecclesia Christi conjux. Aug.  His spouse never broke his sleep; she risen from his side without any pang or violence; he found himself happily married when he awoke; and he judged her a piece of himself, more from his inclination then his grief. But Jesus lost his life, to bestow it upon the Church; his body must be opened, and his heart pierced, to form his Bride: this Maid was to be sought for in the bowels of her Father; and an incision made into the side of the Parent, to be the Midwife to this Posthuma. As this Quality was dear bought, and like David he was fain to mingle his own blood with that of the Philistims, to purchase his Church, his mind is, that the children of so dolorous a Marriage breathe nothing but sufferings; and remembering that they are the babes of a God dying upon the Cross, they should pass their whole life in sorrow and tribulations: For, what likelihood is there, that, being born in pain and anguish, they should seek after delights and pleasure? That they should be crowned with Roses, when their Head was encircled with Thorns? That they should be ambitious after the glory of the world, since he that gave them being, died amongst ignominy and reproaches; or that they should seek revenge for their injuries, when he from whom they descend, begged, as a favour, the pardon of his enemies? Let us imitate our Chief, because he is our Example: let us remember that all our happiness depends upon our union and conformity with him. Let us often meditate that the Father loves none but his only Son, That none can have a part in his Inheritance that is not united to Jesus Christ, That he only can ascend up into heaven that came down from thence, That as there is but one Guilty man, so there is but one Innocent; and as all the Reprobate are involved in the sin of Adam, all the Predestinate are wrapped up in the grace of Jesus Christ.   

The Third DISCOURSE. Of the strict Union of the Head with the Members, and of that of Jesus Christ with Christians.  
ALl Politicians acknowledge that the Sovereign, being the Head of the State, is united with his Subjects; and that their union is so near, that their interests are in common: He that offends the Prince, wrongs the State: he that attempts any thing against his sacred Person, wounds all those that live in his Kingdom: and as Nature teacheth all members to expose themselves for the preservation of their head, the Politics teach all Subjects to venture themselves for the defence of their Sovereign. But forasmuch as the obligations are mutual and reciprocal, the same Politics read a Lecture to Kings, that they are bound to preserve their Subjects, to spare their blood, and to handle offenders as corrupted members, which are never cut off from the body but with sorrow and necessity. The Prince must be sensible of every part of his State that perisheth; every blow that lights upon it, pierceth his heart: and his love towards it must be such, that he be ready to lay down his life for them, when he shall judge their safety to depend upon his death. This is the reason Seneca sometimes made use of to sweeten the cruel humour of Nero, and to instil clemency into the heart of that bloody Parricide. Thou, said he, art the head of the Commonwealth; whence thou mayst guess how necessary Clemency is to thee, since in pardoning others, thou art pitiful to thyself; and favouring thy subjects, art kind to him that lives in them as in his members. If we believe this Philosopher, there was a time when Nero profited by this advice; and this Truth had so powerful an impression upon his spirit, that he was witty to find out pretences to spare the blood of delinquents: For, to use Seneca's own words; When there came an offender before him who was yet in the flower of his age, he pardoned his youth, 
Alterius aetate prima motus sum, alterius ultima; alium dignitati donavi, alium humilitati; queties nullam inveneram misericordiae causam mihi peperci. Sen. lib. 1. de Clem. c. 1.  and that extravagancy which ever accompanies it: when he was stricken in years, he pardoned his grey hairs, and left death the charge of the execution: when he was of a good House, he respected his birth; and balancing the good services of his Ancestors with his crimes, conceived he did justice to them in showing mercy to him: when he was of an obscure mean Family, he contemned an offender whose example could not any way prejudice the Commonwealth: But when there was a prisoner presented whose crimes seemed to obstruct his Clemency, and command his Severity, he used an innocent stratagem; and remembering that he was the Head of that transgressing Member, he pardoned him in consideration of that Alliance, and spared himself in the person of that delinquent.  
Though all this Discourse make it evident, that there is no stricter relation then that between Kings and their Subjects; yet must we confess 'tis rather Imaginary then Veritable: For, besides that experience teacheth us, that Kings, who live in pleasure, seldom think of the miseries of their People; Reason instructs us, that there is nothing but Nature or Grace that can unite men to one another. All those Alliances that are founded only upon Inclinations or Duty, stamp no Character; and if Religion second not the Politics, they can neither oblige Subjects to expose their lives for the safety of their Prince, nor Princes for that of their Subjects. Whatever Oracles Morality pronounceth upon this occasion, whatever Colours Eloquence adorns the actions of Soldiers with who have spilt their blood for the honour of their Sovereigns, they never looked upon them as their Head: and if they set upon their enemies in spite of the thunder of the Canon, 'twas not so much for the preservation of their Person, as out of a hope of Glory, or expectation of a Reward. There is no true Alliance, but that which is established upon the Flesh, or upon the Spirit: and among so many Chiefs that govern their States, there is none but Jesus Christ that is really united with his Subjects: He lives in them by Grace; and as Faith and Charity are able to make him present in all his members, it is sufficient to be Faithful or Charitable, to make up one part of his Mystical Body.  
Thence it comes to pass, that he shares with his members in all the Good or Evil they receive; that his Glory hinders him not from having a fellow-feeling of their miseries; and though in Heaven, yet ceaseth not to suffer with them upon Earth. The distance of place disjoins him not from his Mystical Body; he is with men, though among the Angels; and this Bridegroom that reigns with the Church Triumphant, fights yet with the Militant. These two Churches make up his Spouse; he loves them both as one; he gives himself to both of them, not imitating the Saints who leaving their ashes to the Church Militant, translate their souls to the Church Triumphant; he imparts himself to both without being divided to either; and to take away all shadow of jealousy, resides as truly among the Faithful, 
Caput nostrum est in coelo & nos in illo ibi sursum: Ecce jam pignus habomus unde nos fide & spe & charitate cum capite no●●ro sumus in coelo in aeternum, quia & ipsum bonitate, divinitate, unitate nobiscum est in terra atque ad consummatione saeculi. Aug. in Psal. 26. Ser. 2.  as among the Beatifical. He respects only the difference of their conditions in the favours he confers upon them; For the Church Triumphant being in possession, he discovers to them his beauties, declares to them his secrets, and gives them a portion of his felicity; But the Church Militant being still in hope, he hides his face to increase her love; he speaks to her darkly in Aenigmas to exercise her faith; he takes her into his sufferings, to increase her merits; nor does he show himself to her, but under the veils and curtains of our Sacraments, to put an edge upon her desires; But he is equally united with both of them by that charity which makes him their Bridegroom and their Head.  
We see also in the Scripture, that he is sensible of all the outrages that are done to his members; and that from Heaven above where he reigns, with the Angels, he suffers with the Faithful upon the earth. When Saul persecuted the Infant Church, endeavouring to stifle it in the Cradle; when rage in his heart, threats in his mouth, arms in his hands, sent him to make inquisition after her tender ones from Jerusalem as far as Damascus; the Son of God complains of this violence, as if done against his own Person; and the near relation he hath contracted with them, obliged him to profess that in offending them, they wounded him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Jesus Christ had sufficiently honoured the Faithful, saith Saint Augustine, had he been contented to call them his Friends or his Brethren, and one so glorious a condition had shrouded them from the rage and fury of so cruel a persecutor; but he had prejudiced his love and his veracity, had he used other terms: Being the Head of the Christians, and happily affianced to them, he must of necessity mingle their injuries with his; and to aggravate the greatness of this outrage, he informed him that was the Author, that no man could offend the Christians, but he must wound him; nor hurt men, but he must injure the only Son of God. Let us hear Saint Augustine upon this Subject, and see how he handles this mystery of Unity. Jesus Christ was in Heaven when he converted Saint Paul, and of a Persecutor made him an Apostle: Whence comes it then that in reproaching him with his Crime, he saith, Saul, why persecutest thou me? This furious Assassinate, had he climbed up to Heaven to declare War against jesus Christ? Meant he to imitate the pride of those ambitious Angels, that set upon him in the midst of his Glory? Saul persecuced the Christians, and not jesus Christ that reigned with his Father in Heaven: But because he lived in the Faithful, he suffered with his members, and established that Maxim which this Apostle was one day to preach; If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it: he uses this language to Saul, and speaks to him with an Emphasis, Why dost thou persecute me? The glory wherewith I am surrounded, renders thy attempts fruitless; and whatever hatred thou hast conceived against me, thou canst not injure my Greatness: Know neverthesse's, that I live still in my Faithful ones; that they are my members; that I am their Head; and that in persecuting them, thou persecutest me in their person. Ought not this my Brethren to astonish you? goes on Saint Augustine: seeing the same thing happens to us every day, and an ordinary and familiar example evidenceth the same truth; For when ye are in the throng of an Assembly, and some body treads upon your foot, your tongue presently complains: and though no body touched it, cries out, you have hurt me; what means it by that expression? Might it not be replied, you are in safety; the place you have in the body, secures you from danger: and if any part be offended, 'tis the foot, not you. In the mean time Truth and Charity require this language; for being in the same body with the foot, their good and bad are common; he that hurts one, hurts the other; the society that unites them, and the compassion that grows from their society, constrains it to utter the●e complaints, as just as they are true. Let us apply this comparison, and say, though jesus Christ suffer not in his Person, he suffers in that of the Faithful; that making up one body with them, he is sensible of their pains; and taking part in their wrongs, is offended when any one offends them.  
By the same consequence, a Christian can do no good to other Christians, but the Son or God is beholding to him for it: For the Felicity he enjoyeth, exempts him from all want; nothing can be added to his riches by desires, and he is so great and so happy, that there is nothing he can either hope or fear: yet is he indigent in the faithful, and he may be assisted in the person of the miserable; he protests that in that terrible day when he will examine the good and bad works of his Subjects, he will recompense the good offices done to the poor, as done to himself; nor will make any difference between the good usage he received in his natural body, and that he shall have received in his mystical body; he will equally pronounce sentence upon these different actions, and every where confounding the Head with the Members, will punish with as much severity, those that have persecuted him in the poor, as those that nailed him to the Cross: That which ye did to one of the least of mine, ye did unto me. This truth ought to comfort the good, and strike terror into the wicked: For if jesus Christ live still in the distressed; if the condition of a Head, which he preserves in Glory, make him languish in the poor, we must needs conclude that those that oppress them, are as guilty as the Pharisees that oppressed Jesus Christ; Though his Innocence was clouded under the likeness of sinful flesh, and the lustre of his Majesty obscured by the humility of his person; his enemies did despite to a God when they thought only to injure a Man, they committed a Parricide when they imagined they acted only a murder; and the Father punisheth them as guilty of Treason against the Divine Majesty, because the miracles of his Son took away all pretence from their zeal, and all excuse from their offence: The same judgement threatens those that persecute the poor; For though nothing of worth shine forth in them that can render them considerable; though jesus be hid under the misery of their condition, and reason cannot discover a happy man under an unfortunate one; nor a Son of God under a child of Adam; he will not fail to punish them as severely as those that knew him not in Judea, because his words which are to be respected as Oracles, suffer us not to doubt of this verity which makes up one of the chiefest Articles of our Faith.  
But if it be an argument of terror to the wicked, 'tis a ground of comfort and consolation to the godly; For they may still secure the Son of God in wretched and distressed people; they may imitate the piety of Martha and Mary Magdalen; they may enjoy the privileges which make up the glory of those blessed women; they may still be the entertainers of jesus Christ; and receiving him in the person of the poor and strangers, 
Ne quis vestrum dicat, 〈◊〉 beati qui Christum suscipere in propriam domii meruerunt, noli dolere, noli murmurare quia temporibus natus es quando jam dominum non vides in carne: non tibi abstulit istam dignationem, cum uni inquit ex minimis meis fecistis, mibi fecistis. Aug. Serm. 27. de Verb. Dom.  participate in their merits who received him himself into their houses. The Son of God will not have us make any difference between his natural and his mystical body; his hands and his feet are not dearer to him then the poor: and all that is done to these may expect the same reward as that which was done to them. If we believe S. chrysostom, there is more advantage by serving Christ in his afflicted members, than there was to wait upon him in his own Person, because there is more trouble in it; and as our senses meet with nothing that can flatter them in that exercise, our love is more pure, and more disinteressed. There was as much pleasure, as honour to perform acts of service to the Son of God, whilst he lived upon earth; the Majesty of his Countenance, the graciousness of his Aspect, the Charms of his Conversation, the Power of his Words, were recompense enough to them that received him into their houses; they had a certain adhaesion to his person, from whence they were to be separated by death. That visible presence which charmed their eyes, diminished their merit; and the love they bore to that body that was the workmanship of the Holy Ghost, had imperfections which were to be purified by elongation. But the Faithful who serve the Son of God in the poor, are free from this danger; they behold nothing in these sad objects that can please their sense; they must consult their faith to find jesus Christ there; they must do violence to themselves, to pay their homage at those shrines; and that Image having no allurements, all their devotion betakes itself purely to seek after jesus Christ in Heaven; But not to determine this difference, 'tis sufficient to know for our comfort, that jesus Christ is in the Christians; that the glories of the one, and the miseries of the other, separate them not; that he suffers in us without any abatement of his Felicity; that we reign in him, without any prejudice to our merit; that he is upon the Earth, though clothed with the Glories of Immortality; that we are in Heaven, though shrouded in the rags of misery; that in the difference of our conditions, 
Quoties ergo videmus aliquem indigentem, agnoscamus Christum in illo, quia & ipse indigens membrum Christi est. Bern. de Pass. Domi. cap. 32.  there is a perfect communication of good and bad things between him and us; that his Grace is ours, our sins are his; with this difference only, that his Grace cancels our sins, and our sins despoil not him of his Innocence.   

The Fourth DISCOURSE. That the Union of Christians with their Head is an Imitation of the Hypostatical Union.  
CHristian Religion acknowledgeth three wonderful Unities which exercise her Faith, inflame her Love, and entertain her Piety: The first is the Unity of Essence which is found in the Trinity: For the same Faith that reaches us there are three Persons in one God, teacheth us also that he subsists in one and the same Essence; and that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are but one God. This Truth soars so high above Humane Understanding, that it cannot be conceived otherwise then by the light of Faith. Reason would deceive, should she be consulted with in this mystery; Man would not be more faithful, 
Considera quod voceris fidelis, non rationalis; si dicas hoc non est exponcre sed expositione fugere, respondeo in die judicii non damnor quia dicam nescivi naturam Dei mei; si a●tem aliquid temere dixero, temeritas poenam habas, ignorantia veviam meretur. Aug. Ser. 1. de Trinitate.  should he labour to be more rational in this subject; and he will fall into the Heresy of the Arrians, or into that of the Sabellians, did he not subject his Reason to his Faith. The second is the Unity of Person in jesus Christ, which honours the Unity of Essence in the Trinity, though it be in some sort opposite thereto: For as there are three Persons in God, which preserve their differences in the Unity of their Nature, that the Trinity is neither confounded by the Unity, 
Decuit & cum summa qu● in Deo est, unitate congruere, ut quomo o ibi tres personae, una essentia; it a hic convenientissima quadam contrarietate tres essentiae fint una persona. Bern. lib. 5. de Consider. cap. 9  nor the Unity divided by the Trinity: There are three Natures in Jesus Christ, that subsist in one and the same Person, and which, without losing their proprieties, make one composition, which is called God-Man. There, by a strange prodigy, Flesh and Spirit agree with Divinity; neither are the two Others swallowed up in This: Each Nature preserves its rights; and as the soul is not debased by being engaged in the Flesh, the Divinity is not disparaged by being associated to both: This shines forth by Miracles, the Other Two are obscured by Injuries: In a word, the Son of God never loseth his Equality with his Father, nor the Son of Man his Equality with his Mother. The third Unity is that of the Body, which is found between Christ and his Church: for though there be so much difference between these two Persons, Love hath combined them so near together, that not confounding their properties, he hath made there of but one Body whereof Jesus Christ is the Head, and the Faithful the Members: They live of one and the same Spirit; their Interests are common: though one reign triumphantly in heaven, the other suffer miserably upon earth, they fail not to be so perfectly knit together, that the Body is happy in the Head, and the Head is afflicted in the Members. Of these Three admirable Unities, the Second adores the First, and the Third the Second: For the principal design of the Word in his Incarnation, is, to honour the Trinity of the Divine Persons by the Trinity of his Natures, and to pay homage to the Unity of the Divine Essence, by the Unity of his Person. This Divine Compound is an Image of the Trinity: it declares the wonders thereof by its constitution; neither did he take pleasure to unite the Flesh and the Spirit with the Divinity, but to express to the Faithful the ineffable Unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the difference of their personal proprieties. Indeed this incomprehensible Mystery was not preached among the children of men, till the Word became Incarnate; and their Understanding clarified with the light of Faith, began not to conceive the Trinity of the Persons in the Unity of the Divine Essence, till it conceived the Trinity of the Natures in the Unity of the Person of the Word. Finally, the Third Unity renders honour to the Second, seeing Jesus Christ entered not into society with his Church, but in pursuance of the affinity he had contracted with Humane Nature. It seems he was willing to extend the mystery of the Incarnation, in that he made all men his Members, to make them the children of God; and not being able, or not vouchsafing to unite himself personally with every Christian, he became united to them in the unity of the Spirit and of the Body. The First of these Marriages is the example of the Second; and we cannot well express the Union of Jesus Christ with his Church, but by that of the Word with our Nature. The Resemblances are so wonderful, that they justly deserve this Discourse, to see if we can clear them.  
The chiefest secret of this mystery, is, that the Plurality of Nature destroys not the Unity of the Person: 
Verbum caro factum unus est Christus, ubi nihil est alterius naturae●quod sit utriusque. D. Leo. Serm. 10. de nat. Dom.  For though the Flesh have its weaknesses, and the Divinity its perfections in Jesus Christ; 'tis nevertheless an admirable Compound, that preserves its unity in the difference of its Natures: he acts sometimes as God, sometimes as Man; receives the adorations of Angels, and the injuries of Men; that obeys his Father, and commands with him; suffers upon the Cross, and reigns in Glory; that's buried with the dead in the Grave, and triumphs over the devil in hell. But in these different conditions he ceaseth not to be one and the same subject, who accommodating himself to the proprieties of his Natures, mixes Greatness with Humility, Joy with Sorrow, Repentance with Innocence, without interessing his Person. The same wonder is met with in the Marriage of Christ with his Church: they are different in their qualities; and 'tis a strange effect of Love, that was able to find out a means to unite together two subjects whose conditions are so dissonant: The one is Sovereign, because God; the other a slave, because redeemed: the one innocent, the other guilty; the one reigns in Eternity, the other sighs and groans in Time: nevertheless their Union is so strict, that, without confounding their properties, they compose one and the same Body, and both together make up but one only Jesus Christ. Whence it comes to pass, that S. Augustine, who after S. Paul hath best understood this Mystery, 
Totus Christus secundum Ecclesiam & caput & corpus est, non quia sinc corpore non est integer, sed quia & nobiscum integer esse dignatus est, qui & sine nobis semper est integer. Veruntamen fratres quomodo corpus ejus nos, si non & nobiscum unum Christus? Aug. in Serm. Quod tribusmodis Christus intelligitur.  delivers these words: One only Jesus Christ, is the Body and the Head of the Church; not that he is not entire without this Body; but he that is entire without us as Man and God, was pleased to be entire with us as Head: For how shall we be one Body with him, if he were not one Christ with us? and how shall he speak in our person, if he give us not the liberty to speak in his? Jesus Christ, then, and the Church, make up but one Body; and both of them together make that admirable Compound, which, by reason of the difference of its parts, bears sometimes the name of Jesus Christ, and sometimes the name of the Church.  
This leads us to the second Resemblance between the Union of the Humanity with the Divinity, and that of Jesus Christ with the Faithful: For the former is so perfect, that without offending the two Natures that subsist in the Word, all that may be said of the one, which is said of the other. The Communication of Properties, produceth that of Idioms; and, without uttering blasphemies, we attribute to Man all that may be attributed to God. Thus, without doing any violence to Truth, we say, that God is Man, and that Man is God; that Man commands over Death, that God is subject to the dominion thereof; that Man contains the whole world in his Innocency, and that God is enclosed in the chaste womb of a Virgin; that Man bears rule with his Father, and that God obeys with his Mother. All these manners of speech, which else had been blasphemies, are now great Verities: and as if the Word had been willing to satisfy the unjust passion of Man that desired to be God, he hath exalted him to his Greatness, in uniting him to his Person; and by privilege hath conferred that upon him by Grace, which by Nature he was no ways able to attain unto. Such is the Union of Jesus Christ with his Church: the communication of their Goods, hath produced the communication of Dialects: we speak of them so confusedly, that there are no Eulogies given to Jesus Christ, which may not be given to his Spouse: he loads himself with her sins, and  her with his merits; he gives her part of his innocence, and covers himself with her unrighteousness: so that without prejudicing the Greatness of Jesus Christ, and the Modesty of the Church, we may say, The Church is perfect in her Head, and the Head imperfect in his Members; the Church knows all things in her Head, and Jesus Christ learns in his Members; the Church is innocent in her Head, and Jesus Christ guilty in his Members. Thus is it that S. Augustine interprets the words of the Prophet, 
Deus, Deus meus, ut quid me dereliquisti? Quare hoc dicitur, nifi quia nos ibi eramus, nisi quia corpus Christi Ecclesia? quomodo dicit delictorum meorum, nisi quia pro delictis nostris ipse precatur, & delict a nostra sua fecit ut juftitiam nostram suam faceret? Aug. in Psal. 24. Expos. 2.  Long à salute mea ve●ba delictorum meorum; and finds that this language that so happily expresseth the love of the Son of God, does no way prejudice his innocence. Indeed because he is the Head of the Church, and this quality unites him with his Members, it obliges him to speak of their sins as of his own, to pay those debts for them he never contracted, and in their name to satisfy the justice of his Father he had no ways offended. How, saith the same S. Augustine, could Jesus Christ make this discourse without wounding his Innocence and Truth itself? How could he attribute sins to himself, that never committed any? How can we believe him true, when he made his confession upon the Cross, were it not that we acknowledge he applied our offences to himself, that he might communicate our righteousness to him; and by the communication between the Head and the Members, he is charged with our Crimes, to enrich us with his Merits?  
This will not seem strange to those that shall consider another parallel between the Marriage of the Humanity with the Divinity, and that of Jesus Christ with the Church: For though Joy and Sorrow be as incompatible as Sin and Innocence, since, according to the doctrine of S. Augustine, man became not miserable, till he became criminal; we observe nevertheless both of them in the Person of the Son of God, from the very moment of his Incarnation: he joined pain with pleasure during the course of his whole life: he tasted the felicity of Angels, and resented the miseries of men: he is happy and afflicted; and, contrary to all the laws of Nature and Grace, a glorious soul informs a passive body; and that which beholds the Divine Essence, 
Tristis est anima mea usque ad mortem.  is obliged to make complaints and shed tears. Therefore is it that I have always reverenced that Ancient who called Jesus Christ a Paradox, because his composition startles Humane Reason, associating in his Person Joy and Grief, Innocence and Gild; in a word, the Majesty of a God, with the Weakness of a Man. But inasmuch as this Mystery was unconceivable, because hid, Jesus Christ was willing to manifest it by the union he contracted with the Church: For there may be seen an Image or Representation of that which passed heretofore in the person of the Son of God: pleasure may be observed with pain; and by a strange wonder, 
Jam in caelo est, & hic laborat, quamdiu laborat Ec●lesia; his Christus esuris, hic sitit, nudus est, hespes est; quicquid enim patitur corpus ejus se dixit paet●. Aug.  the condition of the Blessed twisted with that of the Miserable one; and the same Jesus is still a Sufferer, and still Glorious; he reigns with his Father in heaven, and suffers with his People upon earth: he triumphs in the Angels, and sighs in the Martyrs: he is rich in Eternity, and poor in Time: he makes liberal largesses in his Glory, and receives presents in his Poverty: and he that possesseth all things in Himself, hath need of all things in his Members.  
Finally, to conclude these Resemblances, the Word uniting itself to the Humanity, stoops to exalt it; and enters into its Imperfections, to give it admittance into his Power. For though the Manhood remain in its natural condition, yet was it adorned with so many Graces by this sacred Marriage, that it became happily acceptable, and found itself in a free necessity to love God, without being able to offend him; it appeared sanctified as soon as conceived, glorious as soon as reasonable; and by a privilege which neither Men nor Angels shall ever enjoy, it was no sooner drawn out of Nothing, but was united to the Eternal Word. These Miracles would remain without an Example, did we not perceive some shadows thereof in the conjunction of Jesus Christ with the Church: For, in choosing her for his Spouse, he hath endowed her with all the advantages so noble an Alliance could exact: he hath made her worthy of his Love, from the very first moment he began to love her; and more powerful than those Bridegrooms who can only advantage those they love in riches or honours, he hath adorned her with all the graces her dignity could require, or her condition suffer: For if she be not yet glorious in all her Members, if she sigh in the Poor, be a captive in the Prisoner, 'tis because the Land of dying mortals where she lives, is not capable of all the privileges of her Bridegroom; yet may she boast, that she possesseth in her Head what she wants in her Body; tastes that in the Blessed, which she cannot taste in the Faithful; and if she be Militant upon Earth, is Triumphant in Heaven. But nothing so much advanceth the Graces she hath received from Jesus Christ, as the offences she committed during her Infidelity. For she broke her word in the first of her children; she listened to the promises of the Serpent by the ear of our first mother; she erected Altars to devils by the hands of Idolaters; she uttered blasphemies by the mouth of Libertines; she had committed as many Adulteries, as she had adored False Deities; and her crimes embossed one upon another, had branded her with the ignominious titles of Perfidiousness, Adultery, and Impudence. In the mean time, her Beloved forgave her all these faults, wiped away all her spots in the Laver of Baptism; and making her a Bath of his own Blood, returned her at the same time Holiness, Innocence, and Beauty. But as his Power is equal to his Love, he undertook a thing that Nature never durst attempt: For finding her, saith S. Augustine, in her prostitution, he restored her her Purity; of an Adultress, he made her a Virgin; and repeating that miracle which he never wrought for any but his Mother and his Spouse; 
Nuptiae Spirituales in quibus nobis magna castitate vivendum est sunt Christi & Ecclesiae, quia Ecclesiae concessit Deus in Spiritu quod mater ejus habuit in corpore ut Mater & Virgo sit. Aug.  he bestowed Virginity with Pregnancy, that being pure she might not complain that she was barren; and being fruitful, she might not be reproached as impure. Thus the Church is treated by Christ her Beloved, as he treated Humane Nature; he hath honoured her with all the privileges he bestowed upon his own Body; and letting us see an Image of the Hypostatical Union in the Mystical Union he contracted with his Spouse, he hath showed us the dignity of a Christian, that being a member of jesus Christ he may aspire to the Glory of his Head, and promise himself that having suffered with him upon Earth, he shall one day reign with him in the Heavens.   

The Fifth DISCOURSE. That Jesus Christ treats his Mystical Body with as much Charity as his Natural Body.  
THere is no Christian so little acquainted with the Mysteries of our Religion, but knows that the Son of God hath two Bodies; the one Natural, the other Mystical; the former he had from his Mother, who yielding her consent to the Angel, furnished blood, whereof the Holy Chost form the Body of her only Son: The second he hath from the Church, which springing from his wounds upon Mount Calvary, gives him as many Members as she bears Believers in her chaste Bosom; 
Nun in figura Mariae typum videmus Sanctae Ecclefiae? ad hanc utique ●●scen lit Sanctus Sp●ritus, huic virtus altissimi obumbravit; binc Christus potens vi tute egr●ditur: Ecclesia viro immaculata concubitu, foecunda partu conc pit non viro sed Spiritu. Aug. ser. 10. de Temp.  and makes him Head of all that acknowledge her for their Mother, and whom she owns for her Children. These two Bodies have so much affinity, that 'tis hard to judge which of them Jesus Christ loves best; and their privileges so like, that 'tis easily perceived they belong both to one God. For besides that they are both form by the Holy Ghost, and the Mothers that conceived them, cease not to be pure; notwithstanding they are pregnant, they enjoy the same favours, and are equally precious to the Son of God: His Natural Body by time received its full growth, though he were perfect at the moment of conception; he was so little, that nothing but Faith could comprehend him to be the Temple of the Eternal Word; his Members were fashioned in the space of nine months; the natural heat enlarged and fortified them, and the nourishment they received, gave them that just proportion Children ought to have at their Birth. It was no small proof of the Humility of jesus Christ, saith Saint Augustine, that he was willing to condescend to the Laws of Nature, and waving his absolute power, expect with patience till his members were fashioned to be born in the fullness of time. 
Statim lucem lacrymis auspicatus, molestus uberibus, diu infans, vix puer, tarde homo. Tert.  He handles his Mystical Body after the same manner, expects its perfection with gracious tenderness, waits for those members his Father pleases to add in the continuance of years; he sees his Spouse grow up with joy, and from heaven above is ravished when the Church by Baptism, or by Repentance, bestows upon him new Subjects to the compleatment of this Mystical Body. Sometimes he sees the saul's become part of that whole they have endeavoured to destroy; Sometimes he receives Augustine's, and drawing them from Error to Truth, makes them his Disciples and his Members; Sometimes he converts other sinners, and associating them to his Person with himself, completes his Church. 'Tis true, as this Body is much greater than the Natural, there is required much more time to give it its ultimate perfection: The Natural was accomplished in twenty five years; it had all its bigness when ' rwas nailed to the Cross, neither was any thing wanting to that Masterpiece of the Holy Ghost, but Glory, which was deferred till the Resurrection, because it had hindered the work of our Salvation: But the Mystical commenced with the world; nor shall end but with that Fabric: Adam and Abel were the first parts; the Patriarches and Prophets, the Apostles and the Faithful continue it; and the last predestinated, shall accomplish it at the end of the world. It's full measure shall not be till the general Resurrection, and there will something still be wanting to its perfection, till the number of the Elect be completed.  
The Natural Body could not grow, but all the members must grow with it: For there is such a Harmony in man's body, that nature travels at the same time to perfect the whole Compositum: The nourishment turned into blood, passeth through the veins to the remotest parts; one and the same matter takes a thousand different forms; and the same aliment changeth the qualities, that it may equally supply the needs of all the members. Jesus Christ was subject to these Laws whilst he lived among men; the meat he eat, assimilated into his substance; every part took what was needful for it; and whilst his hands that were to work so many miracles were strengthened, his legs that were to bear him over all Palestine, were alike fixed and consolidated. 'Tis so with his Mystical Body; the parts that compose it, grow according to their employments; they take their bulk and nourishment from his Word, and from his Grace; nothing remains useless in that great Body; every particular hastens to perfection, and in the difference of conditions, all the members receive their growth and dimension. This is it that the Apostle had a mind to acquaint us with by those words, which being well understood, will greatly serve to the clearing of this mystery: Speaking the truth in love, let us grow in him through all things, who is the Head Christ; From whence we learn, that we grow not in ourselves, but as much as we grow in Jesus Christ; and that 'tis from the union we contract with him, that our greatness and perfection is derived.  
Both these Bodies were a Sacrifice to God; assoon as jesus Christ was Incarnate, he immolated himself to his Father in the Womb of his Mother; he made it appear by the thoughts of his heart, that he respects his body as a Holocaust, and he testifieth by the language of his Prophets, reported by his Apostles, that he was clothed with our flesh only to make an oblation of it. Sacrifice wouldst thou not, but a body hast thou prepared me. His design is to supply the unprofitableness of the Law, to offer to his Father a Victim wellpleasing to him, and meritorious for us, that finding our salvation in his loss, we might be reconciled to God by his Death; 
Id Sacrificium succedit omnibus illis sacrificiis veteris Testamenti quae immolabantur in umbra futuri, propter quod dicit Oblationem noluisti, corpus autem aptasti mihi, quia pro illis omnibus sacrificiis, & oblationibus corpus ejus offertur, & participantibus ministratur. Aug. lib. 16. de Civ. Dei.  His mother who was as well acquainted with his designs, offered him in the Temple in that Spirit; and Simeon answering her thought, speaks to her only of her sorrows; A Sword shall pass thorough thy Soul. jesus Christ exhibited himself as a Sacrifice during his life; he entertains his Disciples with this Discourse, and testifies he was not at rest till he should be offered up for an oblation: He finished in the arms of the Cross what he had begun in the Womb of his Mother; he was immolated to his Father by the hands of the Executioners; he made their fury serviceable to his piety; and of a Gibbet erected an Altar; of a Sacrilege, a Sacrifice; of a Patient, a Holocaust; he fully satisfied the justice of his Father; Thus his Mystical Body is a Victim which he daily offers for the glory of the same Father; He will have every believer immolated, that the members imitating their Head, may have the honour to lose their life in the holy severity of an acceptable sacrifice. Therefore doth Saint Paul so often invite us to discharge this duty; he speaks to us of nothing but Oblations and Altars; he exhorts us to offer ourselves to God in a sweet smelling savour, and he would have us looking upon ourselves as reasonable and living sacrifices; our whole life should be but one continued Oblation. Saint Augustine treading in the steps of his Master, teacheth us the same Truth, and far differing from their judgement, who would mingle Roses with Thorns in Christianity, tells us, that the life of the Faithful, if it be ordered according to the Maxims of the Gospel, is but a languishing and a painful Martyrdom.  
This Circumstance discovers another; and the Sacrifice of these two Bodies, leads me insensibly to their persecution: For the Natural Body of the Son of God was not exempted from sorrow, because innocent; his Trials began with his Life; he had Enemies assoon as he had Subjects; and if he saw Kings at his Cradle paying their Homages, 
Positus est in signum cui contradicetur. Luc. 2.  he saw others conspiring his Death: He was forced to commit his Safety to his Flight; to seek an Asylum in Egypt, and to pass his minority in a Country where his people spent the years of their Infancy; the continuance of his life was not much different from his beginning; he lived not in security, but whilst he lived unknown, he purchased his quiet with the loss of his Glory; nor did he see himself without Enemies, but during the time he got his living by the sweat of his brows. Assoon as ever he began to appear, he began to be persecuted; 
Passionem autem Christi non illum diem solum appellamus quo mortuus f it, sed totam vitam ejus. Tota enim vita Chri●i crux fuit & Martyrium. Bernard.  The Preaching of the Gospel drew upon him the hatred of the Pharisees; the lustre of his miracles made an end of him; they plotted his death when he had raised Luzarus from the grave; and the rage of these cruel men ended not with this life; for they made war upon him after his death; they endeavoured to destroy his Mystical Body, having destroyed his Natural Body; and God suffered them to have successors in their malice, that the condition of these two Bodies might be alike. Indeed the Church never wanted persecutors, she hath seen all the Princes of the Earth armed against her Children; Three full Ages have exercised her patience; she hath watered the whole Earth with her blood; neither is there any corner in the world, wherein she hath not given testimony of her courage. The conversion of Heathen Princes hath not been the end of her persecutions; Sinners have succeeded Tyrants; the good have found tormentors in the person of the wicked; Every believer hath found by experience, that the Maxim of Saint Paul is true, and that it is impossible to live piously, and not to be persecuted: All those that will live godlily in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution.  
Indeed their persecution hath appeared glorious, and 'tis in this particular, that they have another resemblance to the Natural Body of the Son of God: For his Father glorified him upon the Cross; he would have his Innocence known at his Death, that his Executioners should be the first witnesses of it; that to the confusion of the Jews the Judge that condemned him should make his Apology; that the Thiefs that suffered with him should publish his Royalty; and the Soldiers that nailed him to the Cross, become his Adorers. But as if so many miracles had not sufficiently magnified his only Son, he would have whole Nature wear mourning for him; The Sun must bewail his Death, and the Earth tremble with amazement; the rocks cleave asunder with pangs of sorrow, and all creatures celebrate the obsequies of a dying God. Indeed there never was a more doleful and more august solemnity then what appeared at the Death of Jesus Christ. Men lament the death of their Sovereigns; they express some sadness, though for the most part 'tis either counterfeit, or interessed; Those that expected their liberality, are afflicted at their death; those that feared their power or their displeasure, rejoice: But were they so generally beloved, that the regret was universal, at least we must confess that Nature would not weep over their Funerals, she would be insensible of their death, nor would she disorder her Course to witness her Lamentation. This honour was reserved for Jesus Christ; There was never any King but he, registered by quick and dead. None but this Innocent drew tears from the Stars; and the Son of God is the only Sovereign, whose obsequies all creatures solemnly attended. 'Tis true his Mystical Body partakes of this honour with him: Nature hath many times wrought miracles to publish the Innocence of Martyrs; the fire hath lost his heat, that it might not be instrumental to their punishment; wild Beasts have waxed tame at their feet, 
Omnes Martyres Deus Spiritualiter liberavit, neminem Spritualiter deseruit, visibiliter tamen quosdam deseruisse visus est, & quosdam eripuisse, sed ideo quosdam eripuit, neputes illum non potuisse eripere; ubi non cripuit secretiorem intelligas voluntatem. Aug. Tract. 8. in Epist. 10.  and acknowledging in them a Grace more powerful than that of Original Righteousness, they have many times forgot that fierceness the sin of man endued them with. The Sea hath suffered violence to preserve them; hath gently transported them upon his waves, or suspending his waters as it were into Walls and Arches, hath erected them Temples in his lowest Abysses. But the Scripture whose every word is an Oracle, teacheth us, that the death of the Mystical Body of Christ shall receive the same honours at the end of the world, that his Natural Body received in Mount Calvary: For when the number of the Elect shall be perfect, when Jesus Christ coming to judge the quick and the dead, shall cut off the corrupted members from his Mystical Body, and remove those from his person that were united to it only by a vain Character, and an unprofitable Faith, the same prodigies that appeared at his death, shall appear at this Judgement; and according to the language of the Fathers, Nature that bewailed Jesus Christ in his Natural Body, shall bewail him again in his Mystical Body: and all creatures shall put on mourning for the death of their Sovereign.  
Finally, these two Bodies shall have the same destiny after their Resurrection, as they had the same during their Life; for the one shall be glorified as the other, and they shall both receive the recompense due to their labours: The Son of God risen gloriously out of his Tomb after he had given assurance to his Apostles; he was taken up into Heaven, to reign there eternally with his Father; The Angels made a part of his Triumph; the Captives he delivered from the Lymbo's waited upon him; those gates of Brass and Steel that had been shut since the sin of Man, opened at his word; and his Body that was pierced with the nails, rend with stripes, torn with thorns, was set at the right hand of his Father upon a Throne, whose ornament was Justice, and the foundation Mercy: His Mystical Body shall always receive the same glorious entertainment; the Faithful are admitted into the company of the Blessed; the Saints shall reign in Heaven with the Angels; they shall be mingled in their Hierarchies according to their merits; and as heretofore of the Jew and Gentile, was made one Church Militant, of Men and Angels is daily made one Church Triumphant; The bodies of the Faithful shall accompany their souls in glory in the general Resurrection; those members that have suffered in the quarrel of Jesus Christ, shall be freed from all miseries; the Divine Providence shall rouse them out of their dormitories by the clattering sound of a miraculous trumpet; it will find in spite of the flames, those that have been burnt to ashes; in spite of the waters those that have been swallowed up in the deep; and working as many miracles as there shall be diversities of death to overcome, shall treat the Faithful as it hath already treated Jesus Christ; so that we may say of both the Bodies of the Son of God, those glorious words of the Apostle, Great is the Mystery of Godliness: Indeed 'tis a Sacrament of Piety, that the Word was pleased to be allied to our nature, and to the Church, to have a Natural Body, and a Mystical Body, Which was manifested in the flesh; both of them were manifested in the flesh, because it was requisite that the Word should be made Incarnate to Espouse his Church: Justified in the Spirit; Both of them were justified in the Spirit, because they are purely his work, and the Regeneration of Believers is an Image of the Birth of Jesus Christ: Seen of Angels; Both of them appeared to Angels, in that the same Spirits that waited upon the Son of God, assisted his Spouse, and extend their care over all her children: Preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world. Both of them were preached to the Gentiles by the Apostles, and the mystery of the Incarnation joined to that of their Vocation, hath made up the best part of the Gospel. Both of them were believed on in the world, nor hath any thing more persuaded us of our future greatness, than the condescension of the Eternal world; Received up into Glory: Finally, both of them were exalted into Glory, there to reign everlastingly, that the blessedness of jesus Christ may have its accomplishment, and he be as happy in his Members as in his Person.   

The sixth DISCOURSE. That the Church is the Spouse of Jesus Christ, because she is his Body, and of the Community of their Marriage.  
ONe of the ancientest qualities of jesus Christ, is that of a Bridegroom; 
Tanquam sponsus procedens de thalamo suo Psal. 18.  the Prophets have honoured him with this title in the Old Testament; David in the forty fifth Psalm, hath made his Epithalamium, and Saint john, who was the end of Types and Figures, and the Silence of the Prophets, gave out that he was the Friend of the Bridegroom: But Adam is the first that descovered to us this mystery, and by his marriage represented to us that of jesus Christ with his Church: For besides that his wife was taken out of his side whilst he lay asleep, as the Church was out of the side of the Son of God, when he was dead; we know that the Laws of that marriage more respected the second Adam then the first: He having neither Father nor Mother, was not obliged to forsake them to cleave unto his wife; But jesus Christ at his Incarnation, left his Father when he took upon him the form of a Servant, and his Mother at his Passion, when he suffered death for Sinners; All his Actions testify that he considers his Church as his Spouse, and the Faithful as his Children, because he was willing to enter into their humiliations, and to exalt them to his Greatnesses; For though the Church be not jesus Christ, nor jesus Christ the Church, yet their union is so strict, that they are two in one flesh; two in one voice, two in one passion, and two in one rest. Indeed if we examine these words well, we shall find that they contain the chiefest conditions of the marriage of jesus Christ with his Church; and that they clearly explain the privileges which the quality of being members of the Son of God, bestows upon the Faithful. They are both in one flesh, because the Church is born of jesus Christ upon the Cross, and that the Sacraments which produce and preserve her issued from the wounds of her Beloved; They are two in the same flesh, because in the Eucharist he nourisheth her with his Body and Blood; and in that mystery tries to transform her into himself, as he was transformed into her in the Incarnation, when he was made Man to become her Beloved. Wherefore Saint Augustine hath very well observed, 
Ut noveritis quia unus dicitur Christus, caput & corpus suum ipse dicit cum de conjugio loqueretur; sunt duo in carne una; ergo jam non duo sed caro una; sed forte hoc dicit de quocunque conjugio: Auli Paulum, Ego autem dico in Christo & Ecclesia: fit ergo ex duobus una quaedam persona, ex capite & corpore, ex sponso & sponsa. Aug. in Psal. 30.  that the Church was all things to Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ was all things to his Church; She is his Mother, because she conceived him in the womb of the Virgin; she is his Daughter, because she was born of his death, and proceeding from his wounds, honours as her Father him whom she loves as her Bridegroom; she is his Sister, because she fulfils the will of the Father, and obtains that quality by her obedience. Thus Jesus Christ and his Church are truly allied by flesh, and may upon a better title than other conjugal parties say in the difference of their conditions they are but one Body.  
They have also but one voice, because they always speak together; the Church is the Organ of her Beloved, and jesus Christ is the interpreter of his Church; He expressed himself by her mouth before he was born upon Earth; he speaks yet by her now that he is ascended up into Heaven: and as their interests are inseparable, their prayers are common, and their language is equally entertained by the Father. Thence it comes to pass that Saint Augustine unfolding this profound mystery, teacheth us, that the Son of God carries himself diversely towards the Faithful, according to the different qualities that separate, or unite him to them. He intercedes for them as their Chief Priest, whose principal Office is to offer up men's prayers, and to draw down blessings from Heaven upon their heads: He hears their supplications with his Father, to whom he is equal in Majesty; he is willingly overcome by the tears of the distressed, and having prayed for them as their Priest, he hears them as their God: Finally, he prays in them as their Head, he delivers the Word in the name of his Body; he defends the interests of his members; he pleads his own cause in pleading theirs, and asks a Grace for himself, in begging mercy for them. Thence it comes to pass that the Father giving way to the Prayers of his Son, so easily lends an ear to the Petitions of the Church, because he owns the voice of Jesus Christ in that of his Spouse, and grants that to the merits of the one, which he might justly refuse to the demerits of the other. He might answer us as David sometimes did that widow that made so eloquent a speech to him in behalf of Absalon, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in this? 
Loquatur Christus in nobis, ut quem gerimus in pectore babeamus in cre. Cypr.  For when he understands the innocent voice of his Son mingled with ours, and sees that we make use of the merits and arguments of Jesus Christ to persuade him, he may say to every sinner, Is not the hand of Christ with thee in this? Or beholding the accomplishment of that Figurative History acted heretofore in the family of Isaac, where the Cadet got the blessing of his father by a mysterious surprise, he might say, The hands are Esau's, but the voice is Jacob's, because 'tis true that the voice of the Son of God covers many times our bad actions, and his innocent mouth obtains Graces for us in stead of punishments our guilty hands would deservedly draw down upon us.  
Oftentimes, out of an excess of love, he loads himself with our sins; and, forgetting his Greatness, appears before his Father as a Delinquent; he puts on the habit of a servant, takes the place of rebels; and making a change advantageous for them, takes their Offences, and puts upon them his Merits. Thence it comes to past, that on the Cross, where he stands the Caution of Sinners, he complains that his Father forsakes, though he be inseparable from him; and beholding himself as the Victim of Sin, useth language unworthy of his Innocence, but worthy of his Love, 
Orator ergo in forma Det orat in forma servi; ibi creator, hic creatus, creaturam mutandam non mutatus assumen, & secum nos faciens unum hominem caput & corpus; oramus ergo ad illum, per illum, in illo, & dicimus cum illo, & dicit nobiscum longe à salute mea verb a delictorum. Aug. praef. in Ps. 85.  and the condition he was in. This is it that S. Augustine acquaints us with in that discourse that comprebends as many Mysteries as Words. If we consider Jesus Christ as equal to his Father, he hears our prayers with him: if we consider him in the form of a servant, as like to sinenrs, he presents his prayers with them: there he is the Creator, here he is created; but remaining unchangeable, is united to his Creature, to change him; and makes himself one man with him, whereof they are jointly the Head and Body. Thus sometimes we pray to him, and sometimes also we pray in him, and he prays with us; he speaks by our mouth, we by his; and living in one and the same Body, we many times use the same language. 'Tis in the view of this Mystery that S. Augustine hath discovered a Secret to explain all those passages that seem to concern the Innocence of Jesus Christ: For, as by consequence of the Marriage contracted with the Church, he is included in her obligations, he speaks many times in the person of the Church: and, that we mistake not, we must have this alliance always before our eyes, and not be astonished that the Son of God, who hath vouchsafed to bear our miseries, hath been pleased to speak our language. The Church, saith that great Doctor, is made up of all the Faithful, 
Quia ergo totus Christus caput est & corpus Ecclesiae, prepter a in omnibus Psalmis sic audiamus voces capitis, ut audiamus voces corporis. Aug. in Psal. 56.  because all the Faithful are the Members of Jesus Christ: Though her Head be in heaven, he fails not to guide her upon earth; and though separated by the distance of places, ceaseth not to be united to her by charity. Wherefore Christ making the Head and the Body, we ought not in the Psalms to separate the voice of the Head from that of the Body, nor think it strange that he that never deserted the Church, never held other language than his Spouse did. This it it that he treats of elsewhere, in clearer and fuller terms: If Jesus be our Head, and we his Body, the Head and the Body compose whole Jesus Christ; nor is Jesus Christ entire, if he comprehend not both. This Maxim must serve us as a light to explain the Scripture by; with which if we are not always enlightened, we are in danger to mistake: For sometimes we meet with words that cannot be applied to the Head, and which would involve us in an error, or in doubt, did we apply them to the body; there are others that cannot be appropriated to the Body, and yet are uttered by Jesus Christ: To unravel these difficulties, we need but attribute to the Head what cannot agree to the Body; remembering that Jesus Christ speaks sometimes in his own person, and sometimes in the person of the Church: He spoke certainly in her name, when he complained that his Father had forsaken him; because we know very well, the Son was never abandoned by the Father, were it not when he sustained the person of Adam, who was forsaken of God as soon as he became guilty.  
But because this Truth is but too evident, let us pass to the Third condition of the Marriage of Jesus Christ with his Church, and see how they are two in one and the same passion. One of the chiefest effects of Love, is, 
Anima est magis ubi amat quàm ubi animat.  to make us Live where we Love, and to make us Suffer where we Live: Experience better persuades us of this Maxim than Reason; and 'tis needless to prove a Truth which every man may evidence in himself. A father knows he is more affected with the sorrows of his children then with his own: a husband is not ignorant that he sufters less in his own person then in that of his wife: and all Lovers proclaim, that the injuries or discontents of their Mistresses wound them deeper than those that fall upon themselves. 
Siqua sides vulnus quod feci non dolet inquit; Sed quod in facies hoc mihi Paetc dolet. Mart.  That generous gallant wife was well acquainted with this Axiom, who protested she felt not the blow the Poniard gave herself, but only that which her husband was resolved to receive. As Charity, which unites Jesus Christ to the Church, is stronger than Conjugal love, so doth it more advantageously produce this effect in them; Their sufferings are common; the Son of God suffers no sorrows which the Church resents not, and the Church endures no torments which the Son of God complains not of: Therefore hath S. Augustine said, that the Church suffered in Jesus Christ, when jesus Christ suffered for the salvation of the Church; and that Jesus Christ suffered in the Church, when the Church was persecuted for the glory of Jesus Christ: their complaints were proofs of their sufferings: and as the Church complained in Jesus Christ, when he cried out upon the Cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Jesus complained in behalf of his Church, when from the midst of his glory he said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? But as Saint Paul had learned this truth from the mouth of the Son of God himself, by whom he was informed that a man could not persecute the Church, but he must persecute Jesus Christ; there was not any of the Apostles who so highly exalted his labours as he did: For knowing very well that he was a Member of the Church, in which condition he could not suffer, but Jesus Christ must suffer with him, he speaks of his own sufferings, as of those of his Master; and out of a confidence which could arise from nothing but his love, he boasts, that in suffering he finished the Passion of Jesus Christ; Adimpleo ea quae desunt passionum Christi. He knew very well, that nothing was wanting to the sorrows of the Son of God, that the rage of the executioners was glutted upon his person, that the Truth of Figures was accomplished in his death, and that himself, before he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost, had said aloud, Consummatum est: But he knew also that Jesus Christ had two Bodies; that he suffered in one, what he could not suffer in the other; and that honouring his Father in both, he sacrificed himself in his Members, after he had sacrificed himself in his Person. S. Augustine happily expresseth the meaning of S. Paul, in these words: Jesus Christ suffers no more in that flesh he carried into heaven; but he suffers in mine that is still persecuted upon the earth: nor are we to wonder at it, because it is no more I that live, but he that liveth in me. And if this Maxim were not true, Jesus Christ had never complained of the persecution of Saul, nor ever Saul have been so bold as to say he had filled up what was wanting in the sufferings of Christ.  
But a little to clear this passage, we must say, that the Son of God being the Pledge and Surety of sinners, was willing to satisfy the justice of his Father, and bear all the pains their sins deserved: 
Passio Domini usque ad finem mun●i producitur; & sicut in Sanctis suis ipse honoratur, ipse diligitur, & in pauperibus ipse pascitur, ipse vestitur; ita & in omnibus qui pro justitia adversae tolerant ipse compatitur. Leo. de pass. Dom. Ser. 19  Death being one of the severest; and the sentence that designs us to it, expresses no one kind, that we might fear all, the Son will have them undergo all; and by that stratagem of Love, change all our Chastisements into Oblations of piety. But because the Body his mother gave him could not suffer all these deaths, their different kinds being incompatible, and that one and the same man could not be nailed to the Cross, devoured by wild beasts, choked in the waters, consumed by the flames, he was pleased to associate a mystical Body, which being compounded of different Members, might undergo divers punishments; and, to satisfy the excess of his Charity, might honour his Father by as many sacrifices as there were kinds of death in Nature. Thus was he torn in pieces by lions in the person of S. Ignatius, devoured by flames in that of S. Laurence, stoned in that of S. Stephen, beheaded in that of S. Paul: and this great Apostle, that knew the desires of Jesus Christ, rejoiced to accomplish them by his sufferings, and to be one of those Victims, whereby he adored the Justice and the Sovereignty of his Father.  
But, not to urge this conceit any further, 'tis enough that we learn from it, that Jesus and the Church are united in their sufferings upon earth, and by a necessary consequence assures us they shall be so one day in their rest in heaven. For though the Church sigh here below, she knows her Beloved will keep his word, that having had a part in his sorrows, she shall have a share in his triumphs; and having been two in one Flesh, they shall be two in one and the same Felicity. She hath the promises of Jesus Christ for caution of her hope; and when she remembers the prayer her Beloved made to his Father in her behalf, she expects the performance, with constancy of assurance: Father, I will that where I am, there also my servants be. Whenever Jesus Christ speaks to his Father, 'tis with so much respect, that he seems rather a Servant than a Son; when he asks that his Church may reign with him in his glory, 'tis with so much freedom of speech, that he seems equal to his Father, and that his demand is rather a determination then a prayer; Volo Pater: so that the Church, who hath passed thorough all the degrees of unity with her Beloved, expects this last with confidence, and makes no more doubt of the Eternity of her rest, then of the Verity of the words of her Beloved. She believes that the union he hath contracted with her, puts her in possession of her hopes, that she enjoys in him, what she hopes for in herself; that she is glorious in her Body, because she is so in her Head; and that during the evils she suffers, 
Ubi portio mea regnat. ibi, me regnare puto; ubi caput meum dominatur, ibi me dominari sentio. D. Max. Serm. 3.  she may boast herself happy, because nothing is wanting to the felicity of her Beloved: She hath now in Christ, what she hopes for in herself: and according to the judgement of S. Maxim, she believes to reign there already, where the most illustrious part of her Body reigns; and conceives herself exalted above the Angels, in the person of him that considers her as his Spouse, and looks upon them as his Subjects.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. That the quality of the Members of Jesus Christ is no more advantageous to Christians, then that of the Brethren of Jesus Christ.  
IT is not without great reason, 
Unigenitus Dei factus est hominis filius, ut qui Creator mundi erat, fieret & Redemptor. Aug.  that the same God that created us by his Power, hath redeemed us by his Mercy: For these two favours being extreme, we should have had much ado equally to have acknowledged them: Having but one heart to love with, we must of necessity have divided our affections; and the benefit of Redemption surpassing that of Creation, we had been constrained to prefer our Redeemer before our Creator. But the Divine Providence, saith S. Bernard, hath delivered us from this perplexity: for he that drew us out of Nothing, hath drawn us out of Sin; and he that Created us, is the same that Redeemed us: so that without any fear of Jealousy, we may compare these two benefits, and give one the pre-eminence, without injuring him of whom we have received them. Me thinks I may say the same concerning the subject I am in hand with; and free from any apprehension, confront the quality of Brethren with that of Members, because we hold them both of Jesus Christ, and that the same who was pleased to be our Brother, disdained not to be our Head. Nature hath found out no alliance nearer than that of Brothers and Members; and, though she be so ingenious, she hath not been able to link men in a stronger bond of relation, then in giving them one and the same Father, or one and the same Head. Brothers are Slips of the same Stock: if they ascend one degree, they will find, that before their conception, they made one portion of their Father; and that before their birth, they were a part of the bowels of their mother. Friendship, which is so much esteemed of in the world, is but a Copy of this Alliance: Friends are Brethren that our Will bestows upon us; and Brethren are Friends that Nature stores us with: but as that which is voluntary never equals that which is natural, 'tis very hard for Friends to love so tenderly as Brothers do. Nevertheless, if the affinity of these begin by Unity, it insensibly tends to Division: Brothers children are but Cousins; their Grandchilds are yet at a farther distance; and it falls out in time, that those that issued from one father, become, by continuance of Generations, strangers and enemies.  
I know very well that Christians have privileges that raise them above the condition of Men; and that Grace, more powerful than Nature, hath given them a Father and Mother from whom they are never divided: For the Son of God unites us to his Person in begetting us; of children he makes us members; and as if the Alliance of Father were not strict enough, he becomes our Head; that subsisting in him, our life may be inseparable from his. The Church imitates the charity of her Beloved; she is so tenderly affected towards her children, that she brings them up in the same bosom where she conceived them: There are none but Heretics that go out from her; and they, as Vipers, must tear her bowels, and offer violence to her Love, in making a breach in her Unity. Though other Mothers bear their children Nine months, with an affection that solaceth their travel, yet do they long to be eased of that painful load, and the Infant desires to quit that troublesome prison: Both of them do their utmost for a separation; and if the children seek their liberty, the mothers are as earnest after their delivery. But the Church is so good a Mother, she is never rid of her burden; they always make a part of her inwards, as they always are a part of the body of their Father; they are born in the same place they are form; and as their Regeneration divides them not from Jesus Christ, their Generation divorces them not from the Church.  
But who sees not, that, to entertain this Union, the quality of Members comes in to the assistance of that of Children; and that the Faithful are much more knit together for being Members of the same Head, then for being Children of the same Father? We make up one Body with him: Time, that divides Brothers, cannot divide Christians; and as nothing but death can disjoin the members of the same Body: 
Non est Judaeus neque Graecus, non estliber neque servus, non est masulus neque foemina, omnes enim vos unum estis in Christo Jesus. Gal. 3.  nothing but sin can separate Believers. As long as they remain in the Church, they keep their alliance; though removed by distance of place, they are always united in the person of their Head; though they speak divers tongues, they have but one faith; though they live under divers Sovereigns, they have no law but charity; and making up the parts of the same body, they have this advantage that they are quickened with the same Spirit.  
This is the second difference I observe between brethren and members: for though brothers have tumbled in the same belly, issued from the same Father, have been nursed with the same milk, and brought up in the same family; yet many times their minds are as different as their bodies; and nature that takes pleasure in the variety of her works, or sin that travels to divide them, putteth so little correspondence in their wills, that those that have lived in the same womb, cannot live in the same house. The Scripture tells us that in the Infancy of the world, Cain and Abel were more different in their humours then in their conditions; that envy stealing into the heart of the elder, defaced all the feelings of nature, and counselled him to commit a Parricide: The same Scripture instructs us, that Jacob and Esau could not agree in their mother's belly, that their being twins hindered them not from being enemies, that their hatred preceded their knowledge, their inclinations set them more at variance then their interests, that being not yet in the world, they disputed the right of Primogeniture, and already fought for the inheritance of their Father: Collidebantur in utero ejus parvuli. 
Bonorum & malorum in Ecclesia simul pugnantium figura fueruut Jacob & Esau in sinu matris sese collidentes. Aug.  I know very well their division was mysterious, that these two brothers represented two people, and that this Mother being a Type of the Church, bore in her womb an Elect with a Reprobate; but before Grace had sanctified Jacob, the hatred he bore his brother Esau, was founded in nature; nor were they disaffected so much from the difference of their destiny, as from the contrariety of their humours. Now this mischief is never found amongst the members of the same body, jealousy hath no dominion in so near an alliance, and being quickened by one and the same Spirit, they never have any contestation or quarrel: Folly or madness must needs have infatuated that man, who useth one hand to cut off the other, or divides those parts whose preservation consists in their mutual correspondence; What therefore never falls out among members, happens many times among brethren; notwithstanding all the care nature takes to unite them, hatred divides their hearts, and experience teacheth us there is no more deadly nor bloody feud then between persons of so near a relation: The most memorable revenges Antiquity mentions, are such as men have taken upon their own blood; their rage was never more violent, then when it succeeded fraternal love; and Tyrants may go to school to those that have executed their fury by taking vengeance on their brethren: If the story of Eteocles and Polynices pass for a fable, that of Romulus and Remus is reckoned for a truth; and if we can hardly believe what the Poets tell us of Thyestes and Atreus, we dare not question what the Prophets writ of jacob and Esau.  
But should Nature be so much mistress as to preserve amity among Brethren, there is one mischief she can no ways remedy, which proves the ground of wars among Princes, and of Lawsuits among private persons. For the division of goods occasions that of hearts; the parting of portions sets men at enmity; and as they know their inheritances cannot be divided, but they must be diminished, they are unwilling to have brothers, lest they should be troubled with coheirs; This was the reason Tertullian sometimes made use of, to let the Heathens see the Christians much better deserved the name of brothers, than those that came from the same Father, because the sharing of goods divided the affections of these, and covetousness which admits of no companions, made them contrive the death of their brothers after they had longed for that of their Fathers. Indeed the Son of God hath remedied this disorder in his Church, because the Inheritance of Christians being infinite cannot be divided; They enjoy one and the same good in common; they spoil not others of what they possess themselves, and as light communicates itself entirely to every person, felicity is wholly imparted to every Believer. Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that the quality of members adds something in this point to that of brethren: for whatever good intelligence there is between these, it never equals what is between those. Brother's always study their own advantage: as they are separated by birth, so are they parted by interests; neither can charity well regulate their desires, that the one do not many times enrich themselves with the loss of the other: 
Qui enim non est Christo contrarius in corpore ipsius haret & membrum computatur; nunquam sibi sunt membra contraria; corporis integritas universis membris constat. August.  But the members are so closely combined that the good fortune of the one contributes to that of the other; the unity of the body they compose, gives them not leave to have divided interests; whatever difference nature puts in their functions, they live always in community, and whilst they are united in the same body, they enjoy a common felicity.  
But to make this conception a little clearer, we must repeat what we said in the beginning of this Discourse, and take notice that the alliance we have with Jesus Christ, is much different from that we have from Adam: That of Adam commenceth in unity, and terminates in division; we are all descended from one Father; we were but one & the same thing in his Person, but the succession of time hath so divided us, that of brethren we are become strangers and unknown: For the family of Adam multiplying by the birth of his children, made Towns which by their number grew into Provinces, Provinces formed Kingdoms, and Kingdoms at last peopled the Universe; Thus men who were brothers at their birth, were estranged by distance of place, divided by languages, parted by interests, and opposite to each other by the contrariety of their humours.  
The Son of God finding us in this deplorable condition, makes us return to unity by all the degrees that tumbled us from it; His love assisted with his power hath placed us in the same Kingdom, given us the same Sovereign, under whose Laws we breathe an acceptable liberty, Fecisti nos Deo nostroregnun: But because all the Subjects of a Kingdom know not one another, the distance of places estrangeth their hearts; he hath brought us into one City, that being shut up within her Lines of Communication, we may the easier converse together, and of fellow Subjects may become fellow Citizens: Vos estis Cives Sanctorum. But forasmuch as this alliance is not the strictest, there are factions many times in Cities which sow discord in men's minds: all the inhabitants steer not one way, the diversity of quarters hinders their familiarity; he hath adopted us into one family, that being the Domestics of one Master, our amity may be the closer by how much our condition is more equal: Vos estis Domestici Dei. Had he left us in this state, he had taken pains enough for our good; but as Domestics have different designs, jealousy steals into their souls, and the hope of profit which is the end of base and mercenary souls, suffers them not to taste the sweets of true Friendship; he hath raised them to the quality of children, and giving them their Sovereign for their Father, will have them love one another as brethren; Vos omnes fratres estis. Morality and Politics have nothing to wish for after this favour, seeing all the Subjects of a State linkd together by the bonds of so indissoluble an alliance believe nothing can be added to their happiness. But God who is pleased to outgo our hopes, hath reduced us to the perfection of unity in making us members of the same body, and giving us our Father for our Head; So that all the Faithful make up but one Man; all their conditions are happily confounded together, and all of them making up one part of Jesus Christ, they are quickened with his Spirit, clarified with his Light, warmed with his Love, till they be taken up into his Immensities, and consummated in his Glory.   

The Eight DISCOURSE. That Jesus Christ hath taken all the infirmities of his Members, and his Members have drawn all their strength from him.  
IF it be a Truth, that whatever is glorious as relating to Jesus Christ, is profitable to Christians: it is not true on the other side, that whatever is beneficial to Christians, is honourable to Jesus Christ; For the dignity of Head whence all their advantages are derived, is the source of all those evils Jesus Christ underwent; and had he not been the Head of sinners, he had not been obliged to be their Surety. He hath as Saint Augustine saith, made a compact with men extremely advantageous for them, but very prejudicial to himself. For as the union which Nature or Grace puts between the members of the same body makes their good and bad common, we find that the Son of God imparts his privileges to us, and assumes our miseries to himself. He enters into our lowness, and we are admitted into his Greatness; he is burdened with our transgressions, and we are invested with his merits; he is made the Son of Man, and makes us the Children of God. This important Verity requires a full Discourse, and 'tis just that in acknowledgement of the obligations we have to Jesus Christ, we take notice of what he drew from us, and of what we have received from him.  
Innocence is one of the Apennages of the Word Incarnate; 
Ind nascimur, sic nascimur, in carne peccati nascimur, quam sola sanat similitudo carnis peccati, inde mifit Deus filium suum in fimilitudine carnis peccati: Ind venit, sed non sic venit, non enim virgo libidine sed fide concepit. Aug. de verb. Dom. ser. 10.  were he not God by his Person, he would be innocent by his Conception, and having the Holy Ghost for his Principle, and the Virgin for his Mother, 'tis impossible he should have contracted the sin of Adam: Wherefore when the Angel expounded to the Virgin the Grandeurs of her only Son, he expressly observes that his Sanctity was derived from his Birth, and being the work of the Holy Ghost, must therefore be exempt from all impurity: Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te, ideoque quod nascetur ex te Sanctum vocabitur filius Dei. In the mean time the quality of Head obliges him to stoop under the load of our offences: He that is innocent by nature, becomes guilty by love; and when he united himself to his members, he became their Surety, and engaged himself to satisfy for them. Thence it is that the Prophets speak not of him only as a man of sorrows, but as a man who stands Hostage for the children of Adam, and who is voluntarily boundto bear all the punishments their sins are obnoxious to. This made the Father say by the mouth of the Prophet Esay, Percussi eum propter scelera populi mei; 
Ipse vulneratus est propter iniquitates nostras, attritus est proterscelera nostra; posuit Dominus in eo iniquitatem omnium nostrum. Isa. 53.  This made Saint John say, That he was the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world; and this made Jesus Christ himself upon the Cross say, that his sins condemned him to death, Long à salute mea verba delictorum meorum; For he died not that ignominious death, but because he stood in the place of men, and being their pledge, because he is their Head, he was bound to satisfy for them the Justice of his Father.  
Therefore the sentence that obliges the Son of God to death, is the justest and unjustest sentence in the world: 'Tis unjust if we consider it as proceeding from the mouth of Pilate, because all the crimes Jesus Christ was accused of, were forged by his enemies; 'Tis just, if we consider it as proceeding from the mouth of the Eternal Father, because his Son appeared before him as the Head of all men; and he beholds him as an innocent Victim, whose charity hath made him a Delinquent. Indeed our sins are not remitted, but because the Son of God is charged with them; the fury of God the Father is not appeased, but because Jesus Christ hath satisfied it; nor do we live securely in the world, but because our Head hath restored us our Innocence. This is the compact he made with us; he hath taken our evils to confer upon us his merits: he hath made a change of qualities; and to procure us that of the children of God, hath voluntarily accepted of that of Surety for sinners. This is it that Saint Augustine confirms to us in explaining those words of the Prophet, which he supposes spoken by Jesus Christ: Domine Deus meus clamavi ad te, & sanasti me. The Son of God saith he prayed to his Father in the mount of Olives before his death, and his Father healed him after his death; but how could he heal him that never was wounded? did he heal his Word who was God equal with himself? No certainly, but he healed us in his Person, because this Word being made our Head, was loaden with our wounds, and had changed them into remedies to cure us of our scars: He healed him then when he raised him from the dead, and the Cure was perfect when coming forth from the bosom of death, he entered into that of Immortality, and passed into that happy state where death losing the victory, had now no more dominion over him.  
As Jesus Christ hath communicated to us his innocence, taking upon himself our sins, so hath he made us partakers of his strength by taking part of our infirmities▪ For though the Word was as well the Power as the Wisdom of his Father, and by condition of his Eternal Generation he was as well his Arm as his Idea; 
In vera natura hominis verus natus est Deus, totus in suis, totus in nostris: nostra autem dicimus quae in nobis ab initio creator con ●dit & qu● reparanda suscepit. Leo Epist. ad Flaviam.  yet all Scripture teacheth us that in clothing himself with our nature, he took upon him our infirmities, and was pleased to ascertain us of his infirmities, to assure us of his love. In all his actions he mixed weakness with power; he never wrought a miracle wherein he gave not some proof that he was a man, and in the masterpiece of his miracles, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, he shed tears to testify this truth; He trembled in the Garden; he gave fear and sadness leave to seize upon his heart, and appear in his countenance; he gave witness that death and sin had made an impression of sorrow upon his soul; and he that was happier and stronger than the Angels, appeared as weak and wretched as men. This wonderful proceeding was neither without design nor justice; For seeing the Son of God was our Head, he must of necessity be charged with our infirmities: seeing that quality obliged him to make a change with us, he must needs assume our weakness and endue us with his courage. Thence it came to pass that the Martyrs braved their tortures with such magnanimity; that Virgins contemned death, and ran to execution as to a recreation; that Christian Philosophers more constant and more humble than Stoics, without any other succour then that of Grace laughed at Grief, and preserved the tranquillity of mind amidst the sharpest gripes of an ingenious torment. This is it that Saint Augustine so happily expresseth in his eloquent discourses: As Jesus Christ took flesh without sin, so was he made partaker of our infirmities without partaking our unrighteousness; that assuming the one, and delivering us from the other, it might appear he was therefore made our Head, that he might be our Redeemer. Prosecuting the same meditation, he adds, that we are more beholding to the Weakness of Jesus Christ, then to his Power: 
Fortitudo Christi te creavit, infirmitas Christi te recreavit: fortit do Chri, ti feeit ut quod non erat esset, infirmitas Christi fecit ut quod erat non periret: con idit nos fortitudine sua, quaesivit nos in. firmitate sua. Aug. Tract. 15 in Joan.  For his Power Created us, his Infirmity Redeemed us; his Omnipotency Form us, his Weakness Reform us; his Power made that which was Not begin to be, and his Weakness hath kept that which Was from perishing; that being obliged for life and salvation to one and the same Jesus Christ, we may publicly confess what we own his Power, and what we own his weakness. Forasmuch as this Grace is rare and precious, it had its Types and Figures in the infancy of the world; and Adam, who was the form or mould of him that was to come, according to the language of the Apostle, discovered this mystery to us in his person: for, besides that his wife came forth of his side whilst he lay asleep, as the Church did out of Christ's during his death, she was made of his Bone, and not of his Flesh, and that vacuity was filled up with Flesh, and not with Bone: What was intended, saith S. Augustine, to be hinted to us in this Ceremony, where the woman taken from the bone appeared the stronger, and the man form of the flesh appeared the weaker, but that Jesus Christ took his infirmity from the Church, and the Church took her strength from Jesus Christ? Indeed, his Weakness is our Power, because we acknowledge ourselves strong, in that we are his Members; and that separated from him, we are so impotent, that there is no enemy but may overcome us, nor any temptation but may prevail against us.  
This Mystery would be unconceivable, if a greater did not give it credit in our minds: For we know the Son of God would be tempted, to deliver us from temptation; and not content to vanquish, thereby to gain us the victory, he was pleased, out of an excess of love, to subject himself to the lowest proof an Innocent could receive. Though all Pains are the tokens of Sin, and the creature is not Miserable, but since he became Griminal, Religion teacheth us there are Afflictions that may consist with Innocence; a man may be Wretched, and not Guilty; and suffer for the glory of his God, and the safety of his Brethren, without prejudicing his honour. Death was not ignominious to Jesus Christ, though 'twas the first punishment of sin; the motive made it honourable: and undergoing it to satisfy his Father's justice, it was not so much a Punishment as a Sacrifice: But Temptation is always infamous: though it be a step to Victory, yet is it a way that leads to Sin: and we may say, If he that is tempted be not Guilty, neither is he perfectly Innocent; because he that manageth the Temptation, is persuaded that he can make him a Criminal: So that of all the afflictions the Son of God laboured under, there is none more shameful, in my opinion, than Temptation; because the devil that set upon him, promised himself success in perverting him; and looking upon him as a Man, hoped to make him a Sinner. Upon the Cross he attempted only his Life, in the Wilderness he attempted his Innocence: upon the Cross he pretended only to render him Miserable, but in the Defart he tried to make him a Delinquent: so that we may say, he was more humbled in the Solitude of the Desert, then in the Agony of the Cross; and that Temptation carried more infamy and torment with it then Death did. Now he endured not this affront, but because he was our Head; he stooped not to this punishment, but to deliver his Members; nor did he give the devils leave to set upon him, but to facilitate their defeat, and open the way to our victory. This is it that S. Augustine glosseth admirably well upon the Sixtieth Psalm. 
Prorsus Christus tentabatur à diabolo: in Christo enim tu tentab aris, quia Christus de te sibi habebat carnem, de se tibi salutem; de te sibi mortem, de se tibi vitam; de te sibi contumel as, de se tibi honores: ergo de te sibi tentationem, de se tibi victoriam: agnosce ●e in ipso tentatum, & te in illo agnosce vincentem. Aug.  Jesus Christ, saith he, was tempted by the evil spirit in the desert, or rather, we were tempted in him: for 'tis from us that he took Flesh, from him that we derive Salvation; 'tis from us that he receives his Death, from him that we receive our Life; 'tis from us that he had these affronts cast upon him, from him that we have Honours conferred upon us: 'Tis therefore for our sakes that he suffered Temptation, and for his sake that we carry away the victory. Or, to say the same thing in other words; If we were tempted in him, 'tis in him also that we overcame the devil our enemy: He certainly could have difcarded him from his person, and, using him like a rebellious slave, have punished his rash boldness, by commanding him to hell: but, had he not been willing to be tempted, he had not taught us to overcome by his example, nor had the combat he fought in the wilderness procured us the honour of a Triumph. Thus the quality of Head is injurious to Jesus Christ, and honourable to Christians, because in that exchange it obliged him to make with them, he endured the shame of the Temptation, and purchased for them the advantage of the Victory.  
Finally, to conclude this Discourse, The Son of God was willing to bear the reproaches of the Cross, and to merit for us the privileges of Glory: For, being charged with our iniquities, he suffered death, the punishment of them, permitted Shame to be added to Cruelty; that spoiling him of Life, 
Si moriamur, saltem cum libertate moriamur. Cicero in Ver●em, de Crucis supplicio agens.  they might withal rob him of his Honour, and he might give up the ghost as an Offender and a Slave together. In the mean time, his Punishment purchased our Glory, his Death merited our Immortality; and in stead of taking vengeance of our crimes, he procures us his own advantages. It seems, saith S. Augustine, the Father mistook himself; he treats his only Son as a Delinquent, and handles Men as Innocents'; he crowns him with Thorns, these with Glory; and, confounding the Sinner with the Just, confounds Chastisements with Rewards. But if we consider that the Son of God took our place, and we his; that he is our Head, and we his Members, we shall find that his Father had reason to punish him, and to reward us, because, having made a change with us, he is become Guilty, we Innocent. Let us therefore be thankful to Jesus Christ, who disdained not a quality, which, investing him with our Nature, chargeth him with our sins and our infirmities; and uniting him to us, as to his Members, obliges him to be tempted, to make us victorious; 
Ille quippe Christianorum caput, in omnibus tentari voluit, quia tentamur; sic & morivoluit, quiae morimur; sic resurgere, quiae resurrecturi sumus. Aug. in Psal. 9 Serm. 2.  and to suffer the death of the Cross, to obtain for us the glory of Immortality.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. Of the duties of Christians as Members, toward Jesus Christ as their Head.  
THough the duties of the Head and of the Members are reciprocal, and that, composing one Body, they are obliged to a mutual correspondence, arising from Necessity as well as Love: yet there is no man but will acknowledge, that as the Members receive more assistance from the Head, ten the Head from the Members; so are they tied to greater expressions of dependence. Nature, which is an excellent mistress in this matter, instructs us, that the life of the Members depends upon the Head; and their very preservation obliges them to three or four duties, without which they can no ways subsist.  
Their Interest requires that they be inseparably fastened to that from whence they receive their life, lest their division, with their death, deprive them of all those advantages which spring from the union they have with their Head. Thus we see that the Hand, which is one of the most ingenious parts of the body, and which may be called the Mother of all Arts, and the faithfullest Minister of the Soul, loseth its dexterity and comeliness as soon as separated from the Head that enlivens it: The Feet, though not so noble as the Hands are yet as necessary, being the movable Foundations of this living building, are destitute of all strength when they have no commerce with the Head: This indeed ceaseth not to act and move, though provided neither of Hands nor Feet; when Nature fails, it hath recourse to Art; and being the throne of the Soul, ransacks all her treasures of Invention, to execute that by itself, 
Omnis salus, omnis vita à capite in caeterae membra derivatur. Galen.  was wont to be put in execution by its Members. But though the hands are so industriously subtle, and the legs so vigorously strong, they are absolutely useless, because their separation deprives them of the influences of their head. This Maxim, so notorious in Nature, is much more evident in Grace: For the Son of God hath no need of his Members; 'tis Mercy, and not Necessity, obligeth him to make use of them: He is not at all more powerful when united to them, nor more feeble when separated from them: Faith tells us he can do all things without them, whereas they can do nothing without him: Therefore is he compared to the Vine, and they to the Branch, to acquaint them that all their virtue flows from his; and being plucked from his Body, can, as the Branch, expect nothing but the fire. Therefore the first obligation of Christians, is to unite themselves to Jesus Christ; to seek their life in this union, and to believe that their death is the infallible consequence of their division.  
This is it that Saint Augustine represents us in this Discourse, which though long, cannot be tedious, because there is nothing in it that is not delightful and necessary. As the Body hath many members, which though different in number, make up but one body: so Jesus Christ hath many members, which in the diversity of their conditions, constitute also but one body; so that we are always with him as with our Head, and drawing from him our strength as well as our life, we can neither act nor live without him: We with him make up a fruitful Vine, that bears more Grapes than Leaves; but divided from him, we are like those Branches which being good for nothing, are destined to the slames, when stripped off from the Vine. Therefore doth the Son of God so earnestly affirm it in the Gospel, that without him we can do nothing, that our interests as well as our love, 
Domine si fine te nihil, totum in te possumus. Etenim quicquid ille operatur per nos, videmur nos operari: potest ille multum & totum sine nobis, nos nihil sine ipso. Aug. in Psal. 30.  may engage us to be united to his Person; For if it be true Lord, adds Saint Augustine, that we can do nothing without thee, 'tis in thee only that we effect all that we bring to pass; all our ability is from thee, 'tis thou that workest what we seem to work; and being convinced by these Truths, we are obliged to say, that thou canst do all things without us; but we can do nothing without thee. These words happily express all the obligations of the Faithful, and make them clearly discern, that liberty can do nothing without grace; and that the members divided from their Head, with all their natural endowments and advantages, are good for nothing but to be eternally burnt in Hel.  
From this first obligation is derived a second no whit less considerable: For seeing the members draw life from their Head, and their division causeth their ruin, they are bound absolutely to depend upon him, nor to have any other designs then his: As they live by a borrowed life, they ought to act by a foreign virtue, and to abandon themselves so fully to him that inanimates them, as to have no other conduct but his. Thence it comes to pass that self-denial is the first virtue recommended to a Christian, that renouncing himself he may obey Jesus Christ, and conceiving himself in a strange body, may act by his motions who is the Head thereof. Philosophy hath laid down this position, that man ought to purchase his liberty with the expense of his riches; that 'tis better be poor, then be a slave; and that 'twas a gainful bargain, where parting with the goods of fortune, we purchased the quietness of mind: she hath also judged very well, that the body is to be tamed when it grows rebellious against reason; that nourishment is to be retrencht as provender from an unruly wanton horse; and his stomach taken down by the ascetic discipline of Fasts and Watch: But it never entered into her Theorems, that to be happy, a man must renounce his understanding, unlord his reason to become learned, condemn his judgement to become wise. Indeed Philosophy knew not that we are the members of a Body whereof the Eternal Word is the Head; and that this condition that raiseth us as high as the light of Faith, forbids us the pure use of Reason, commanding us to soar above our own thoughts to search into his mind who will be the Principle of our Life; For there is no body but sees that this obligation is as just as honourable; that since Christians are rather Gods than men, because of the union they have contracted with the Word Incarnate, they ought to act rather by his motion then their own reason; and remember that seeing he is the Head that quickens them, he ought to be the Principle that guides them. The whole drift of the Gospel labours to persuade us this Truth; all its commands and counsels insinuate this obligation into us; and when the Son of God gives order to us to renounce our own will, to combat our inclinations, to love our enemies, and to hate our friends, 'tis only to teach us that being no longer at our own disposal we ought to have no other mind but what he inspires into us by his Grace.  
A Third Obligation slows from this which is to be conformable to our Head: to imitate his actions, having followed his motions, and to be made so like him, that he may not be ashamed to own us for his members. Nature exacts not this condition from the parts that compose man's body; she will not have them resemble their Head, because there would be insolence and impossibility in the very desire; 'Tis enough that they receive his influences, that they obey his motions, and that their whole imitation consist in their mere subjection. But Morality and the Politics will have the members that make up a Mystical Body, add imitation to their other duties, that they be regulated by their Head as by their model; that they study his inclinations, and be the perfect copies of this first Original. Thus we see that Kings are the inanimate examples of their subjects, the living Laws of their States, and the prime Masters of their people: Every one makes it his glory to imitate them, they are persuaded that whatever they do is lawful, and that those that are the Images of God, may very well be the Examplars of men. Though this Maxim be true, yet it is dangerous; For as Greatness does not always inspire Goodness, 
Quid est aliud vitia incendere, quam authores illos Deos vel reges inscribere, & dare morbo exemplo Divinitatis aut Majestatis excusatam lieentiam? Senec.  nor are Sovereigns the most perfect; and those that may do what they will, do not always what they should, it falls out many times that the greatest are the most vicious; and the readiest way to corrupt a whole State is to set before it the Examples of the Governors. Therefore hath Philosophy invented Ideas of Wisdom, and despairing to find among men models which may be securely transcribed, hath made a Romance of Princes, by the same artifice discovering their irregularity & her own impotency. But the Eternal Father giving us Jesus Christ for our Head, hath withal propounded him for our Example; he will have our life fully conformable to his; that his actions be our documents; that we be admitted into his School when we are united to his Body; that we seek for perfection where we found life, and that we be as well his Images as his Members. This is it that Saint Bernard acquaints us with: Our Head shall not reign in glory without his Members, provided they be one with him by Faith, and conformable to him in their Manners: Both these conditions are necessary; Union without Conformity is but mere hypocrisy, and Conformity without Union is pure vanity: He that is united to Christ and imitates him not, cannot escape a fearful separation one day, by an Eternal Anathema; and he that imitates him without believing, will perceive in time that his imitation was but counterfeit, and that he was so much more opposite to Jesus Christ, the more he appeared only conformable to him. We must therefore join these two duties together, if we will have them useful; and having been united to our Head by Faith, conform to him by good works, that we be not reproached to have despised him whom we cannot find in our hearts to imitate.  
But the chiefest obligation the quality of being Members of the Son of God exacts from us, is to expose our life for his Glory, as he exposed his for our salvation. Nature and Politics teach us the justice of this duty, and we need only consider how the members carry themselves toward the Head, and subjects demean themselves towards their Sovereigns, to understand what is our duty towards Jesus Christ. Though every part of the body love its own preservation, carefully avoiding whatever is contrary thereto, and by a natural providence abominates whatever may any way annoy it; yet from a higher principle 'tis informed that its life depends upon the Head, and that 'tis obliged to expose its self in his defence. Thence it comes to pass that the hands ward the blow which is aimed at the Head; that they readily oppose themselves to the danger that threatens it, and forgetting their proper interests sacrifice themselves for the preservation of this Chief. Thence it is that soldiers jeopard their lives in the quarrel of their Sovereign, slighting the hail of Muskets, the brunt of Pikes, and the Thunder of Canons to augment his Glory or widen his State: They are never more valiant than when his Person is in danger; the greatness of the hazard heightens their courage, and opinion or nature persuades them that living more in him then in themselves, their death is less considerable than his. Many times it falls out that he for whom they sacrifice themselves is some old Dotard, spent with labour and age, and hath but a few moments to live; In the mean time, because they know he is the soul of the State, and the Head of his subjects, they are persuaded they preserve themselves in dying in his defence; and imagine that as Fathers live again in their children, the members receive a new being in their Head. This Paradox finds belief amongst all complexions; there is not the meanest soldier but ventures his life upon this Maxim, and I rather conceive their courage quickened by this consideration, then by the hope of profit and reputation, because all men are neither ambitious nor covetous: but all being members of the State, are instructed by nature to die for the defence of their Head.  
Forasmuch as Grace is much more powerful than Nature, 
Vivificati sunt Martyres ne amando vitam, negarent vitam, & negando vitam amitterent vitam; ac sic qui pro vita veritatem deserere noluerunt, moriendo pro veritate vixe unt. Aug. Concil. 20. in Psal. 118.  it hath so strongly imprinted this Maxim in the soul of the subjects of Jesus Christ, that there are no torments can wear it our; For the Grace that makes them christian's, secretly disciplines them that they are parts of the Mystical Body of the Son of God; that their condition obliges them to expose themselves for his Glory; that they ought to be his Victimes, because they are his Members, and that they are bound to imitate the Wisdom of the Serpent that hides his Head with his whole Body, knowing very well that 'tis the Fountain of Life; and provided he may secure that, can receive no wound that's mortal. The Martyrs animated with this Faith, defended Jesus Christ who lived in them; they suffered death, saith Saint Augustine, to secure themselves from death; they parted with that life they had received from Adam, to guard that they had received from the Son of God: so that it happily fell out, that those who would not relinquish Truth to save their lives, recovered that in Heaven which they lost upon Earth; and lived above eternally, being content for the profession of the Truth, to die here below miserably: They laughed at all the threats of Tyrants, and whilst they were covered with obloquys, loaded with irons, and burnt with flames, they drew strength from him for whose sake they suffered; and lifting up their now-expiring voice, said, If God be for us, who can be against us? When they were told, as Saint Augustine saith, how all the world was banded against them, they answered courageously, why should we fear the world, who die for the glory of h●m that made the world? What hurt can this hatred do us, who are environed with the love of God? And why should we trouble ourselves, if our enemies spoil us of our bodies, seeing he that defends our souls will restore our bodies in glory, where being united to our Head, we shall triumph over griefs and executioners? Though persecution do not exercise the courage of the Martyrs, and the peace the Church enjoys suffer not the Faithful to expose their lives for the quarrel of Jesus Christ, they cease not to be obliged to this duty in a thousand opportunities; if occasion present not itself, they must preserve a will to it; if they cannot suffer death, they must suffer shame and confusion for his glory; and when the world shall overturn the maxims of the Gospel to set up the maxims of Libertinism or Impiety, then is it that Christians must call to mind that they are the Members of Jesus Christ; that they must prefer his interests before their own honour, and if they be so happy as to sacrifice their lives for the defence of their Head, they must be so stout as to sacrifice their reputation, who requires this duty of them as the surest testimony of their love.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. That all is common among Christians as among Members of the same Body.  
AS Man's Body is the perfectest Image of the Church: the Members that compose it are also the liveliest representatives of Christians: Both of them live in unity, depend of the same Head, and are informed with the same Spirit; Both of them preserve their differences in their Unity, and exhibit in their mutual correspondence that agreeable variety that sets an estimate upon all the works of Nature. Though these Mystical and Natural members conspire altogether for the public good, they cease not to have their different employments; Each particular acts according to its capacity: they never trespass one upon another, and as there are none useless they have all their several functions which they exercise without confusion and jealousy; their faculties are answerable to their employments: Nature gives every one what is necessary for them to act according to her orders, and Grace never refuses the others what they stand in need of to operate according to its motions; But the most wonderful resemblance I find between the members of these two Bodies, is, that their good and bad occurrences are common, and that living in a perfect society, no sad disaster happens to one but all the rest are affected with it: One sole blow makes a thousand wounds at once; and though there be but one part set upon, all the rest testify their compassion. The foot seems to be in the body what the foundation is in the building; 'tis not the noblest part though one of the necessariest, and it seems by the distance 'tis a● from others, it should have less communication with them: In the mean time, if it be pricked with a thorn, the pain is dispersed through all the body; Every member affords it some good office, and the care they have to assist it, testifieth what share they have in the misfortune: The Tongue complains for it; this faithful Interpreter gives advice to all the rest; to show how much the evil concerns her, she speaks of it as her own, and to hear her talk, one would think she had been hurt too: The Eyes being more delicate and more sensible, express more regret; they are not content only to look upon the offended part, but they shed tears to comfort it, and many times cure it by that innocent remedy: The Head which is seated in the most eminent place of the body, stoops to secure this poor afflicted; he forgets his condition to satisfy his love, and giving a fair example to Sovereigns, instructs them they ought to be sensible of all the miseries of the meanest of their subjects: the Heart, 
Nemo regi tam vilis sit, ut illum perire non sentiat qualiscunque pars imperii sit. Senec.  which from the centre where it is lodged, equally enlivens all the parts, discovers its sense of pain by its regrets; and mixing its sighs with the tears of the eyes, and the complaints of the mouth, gives a loud testimony it cannot be at quiet, when the members it inanimates are afflicted: The Hands, that are the faithful ministers of the body, discover their sorrow, by their quickness of dispatch; being more active than the rest, they presently visit the distressed part; they sound the malady, apply remedies to it, and evidence, that if they be not so tender, they are more serviceable than the Eyes or Tongue.  
If all things were well regulated in the Church, if the Faithful acted according to the motions of Grace, and if Charity, that combines them together, were as lively in their Hearts, as in those of the primitive Christians, we should see in the mystical Body of Jesus Christ, what we behold every day in the natural body of Man: The affliction of one of these quickened Members would equally touch all the rest; every one would do his office according to his power; and imitating the good intelligence of parts composing the same body, some would weep as the eyes, others complain as the mouth, and others assist as the hands. This certainly was the consideration that wrought so much upon S. Paul's affections, 
Docet utique Paulus save veritatem, patitur sua & aliorum simul mala, infirmitates tolerat & solatur, simul de communisalute, & de toto orbe sollicitus. Ansel.  and obliged him to pronounce those words flowing from the greatness of his love: Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? For as he came nearer Jesus Christ then other Christians did, being closer united to this Head, he sunk deeper into his mind; and remembering the complaints he himself had drawn from his mouth, when he persecuted the Church, he endeavoured to repair that offence by compassion; and in Mercy to imitate him, whom he represented in Authority. All Christians are bound to live in this disposition; if they mean to satisfy their duty, they must be afflicted with the miserable, weep with those that weep; and calling to mind that they are the Members of the same Body, they must see no Innocents' persecuted, no Godly distressed, but they must do their utmost to comfort them, by condoling their misfortunes. 'Tis perhaps for this reason, that the Church is called a Dove, because sighs are as natural to her, as to that Bird, who having lost her mate, spends her life in grief and solitude: The Church is a widow, and consequently solitary: her Husband left her, when he ascended up to heaven: and though she be honoured with his presence, being deprived of his sight, she cannot secure herself from that anxiety her love works in her, but she mourns as the Dove, because, being made up of as many Members as she hath Believers, she is constrained to give herself over to Sorrow, when she sees them in Calamity or in Danger.  
Having considered the Afflictions of the Church, let us consider the subject of her Joy, and behold the community of Goods she hath set up among her children, in that which Nature hath erected among members of the same body. The union of these later is so great, that though they have different offices, yet cease they not to take pains one for the other. The eyes see, and hear not, saith S. Augustine; the ears hear, and see not; the hands act, and hear not; the feet walk, and act not: nevertheless their correspondence is so good, that the eyes hear by the ears, the ears see by the eyes, the hands walk by the feet, and the feet act by the hands: so that if we ask the ears, Can they judge of Colours? they would answer, Being in the unity of the body, they are always with the eyes; and if they see not themselves, they are inseparable from those whose office it is to see for them: Thus, continues S. Augustine, as the eyes say we hear by the ears, and the ears, We see by the eyes, and both of them, We act by the hands; all is common among these parts; their difference destroys not their unity; and though their employments be divers, they live in so perfect a society, that the advantages of the one part, make up the riches of all the rest.  
If Christians be Members of Jesus Christ, they enjoy the same privileges; all their goods are common; and, if envy divide them not from their Head, they possess in Him, whatever is wanting in Themselves: The Alliance they have with his Body, enriches them with another's good, without any injustice; and like the members of a man, which act in one another's behalf, they foretell things to come, by the mouth of the Prophets; they are understood of all Nations, by those that have the gift of Tongues; they work miracles, by the hands of the Apostles; and they attribute to themselves, without vanity, whatever the Saints are able to do in the mystical Body of Jesus Christ: For one of the secrets of the Natural body, saith S. Augustine, is, that the relation of the members is so perfect, that each particular labours not so much for itself as for others. The eye is the only part that can see; but it sees not for itself alone; it is the candle of the feet in their walking, of the hands in working, and of all the other members in their employments: Indeed, if it discover any danger threatening the foot, it endeavours to protect it; and gives notice, that it may be avoided. The hand acts only, but not for itself alone; it defends the face if stricken at, courageously opposeth any enemy that braves it; and knowing that their interests are common, valiantly suffers the evil, to deliver the body from it. All the members are silent; there is none but the tongue that speaks; but she is their interpreter, and furnisheth them with words to express their like or dislike, their sorrow or joy. Thus must we confess, in the mystical body of Jesus Christ, the Faithful receive no benefit which is not reckoned as pertaining to the rest: If they be prudent, 'tis to counsel the simple; if they work miracles, 'tis to convert Infidels, or to confirm weak Believers; if they have the spirit of Prophecy, 'tis to instruct the ignorant; if they have the gift of Tongues, 'tis to make strangers understand them, and to gather up the children of God that are dispersed thorough all the world.  
But that which exceedeth all belief, is, that the particular graces that sanctify men's souls, are common among the Faithful. For of these Theology acknowledgeth two sorts; one, which are given us for the service of others, and respect more the benefit of the Church then our own sanctification; such are all those graces that are called Gratuities, whose principal end is the glory of Jesus Christ, and the conversion of Infidels; such is the gift of Miracles, which doth not so much profit him that hath received it, as those who see the effects of it; because we know very well, that this privilege, though extraordinary and rare, may consist with sin, and, if it be not accompanied with much humility, is as dangerous as splendid: The other sort of Graces are those that make us acceptable to God, blot out our offences, look more to our own salvation, then that of our neighbour; and being not so glittering as the other, are incomparably more holy and useful. Now though these last kind of graces be our own, yet also are they common in the Church; and those that are united to us by charity, may in some sort make use of them. 'Tis certainly upon this ground, that the great Apostle calls this virtue the bond of perfection, because it not only associates all Christians, but renders their grace's common, and enricheth every particular with the advantages of the whole fraternity: Therefore was David bold to entitle himself to all the good works they did that kept the commandments of God: Particeps ego sum omnium timentium te, & custodientium mandata tua: For though he knew very well his condition would not suffer him to be always at the Altar, that the cares that accompany Royalty agree not with the sweet retirements of solitude, and the bloody exercises of war gave him not leave to attend the service of the Ark; he hoped nevertheless that Charity, which united him to the Faithful, would make him partaker of their merits; and being a Member of that mystical body, he should enjoy their Graces, that made it up with him: Thus this great Prince, ruling in his Palace, or fight in his Armies, promised himself a share in the Sacrifices of the Priests, in the Tears of the Widows, in the Illuminations of the Prophets, in the Crowns of the Martyrs; and that Love supplying the defect of his condition, enriched him with their virtues, without impoverishing them.  
This also was the counsel S. Augustine gave the Faithful of his time: for knowing that every Christian could not have all graces, 
Noli dicere in animo tuo ego si Christianus essem utique, & ad Deum pertinerem, possem facere quod alius facit; talis enim est acsi diceret auris, ego si ad corpus pertinerē possem videre lunan & solen, & non habet illud tamen, nec auris nec manus, sed faciunt fingula quod possunt, & cum concordia serviunt sibi invicem omnia membra. Aug. Hom. 15. Ex. 50.  that variety is one of the beauties of the Church, and that diversity of conditions contributes no less to her profit then to her ornament, persuaded them to have recourse to Charity, and to employ the credit of this virtue, to purchase all others without labour. His words are too handsome to be omitted. Envy not, said he, to the whole company of the Faithful the advantages your neighbour possesseth, but holily rejoice in them, and ye shall enjoy them with him. Say not in your heart, Were I indeed a Christian, and had I the honour to belong to Jesus Christ, I could do that which others do, and instead of being engaged in the bonds of Marriage, I would live a holy Celibate: For, 'tis just as if the ear should say, I am not of the body, because I cannot see the light of the Sun: in the mean time, the hand hath not that privilege, no more than the ear; and yet they are parts of the body as well as the eyes; because, though every member cannot do that by itself which all the others do, they cease not mutually to assist each other, and to possess that in common, which they call their own properly. After their example, be glad of that grace God hath conferred upon any of the Faithful; and you may do that in him, which you are not able to perform in yourselves. He keeps his Virginity; love him, and you are continent with him: you have the gift of Patience, by learning to suffer; let him love you, and your patience shall become his: He can fast, and your constitution will not give you leave; love him, and his fasting shall be yours. If you ask me how this can be: 'tis because he lives in you, and you in him, and you are both members of the same body: for though ye be different in condition and in person, by charity ye are but one and the same thing.  
The Abbot Guerric certainly grounded himself upon this Maxim, when he said that all virtues were common among Believers; that the treasure of the Church was open to all her children; and that when our condition or our weakness did not permit us to practise one virtue, we fail not to practise it in another: 
Caeteras virtutes etsi omnes non habent, ●iligant illum qui habet quod in se non inveniunt, & in illo habent quod in se non vident; sicut Petrus in Joanne virginitatis habet meritum, sic Joannes in Petro habet Martyris praemi m. Gueri. in festo pu.  Thus, saith this great man, Saint Peter and Saint John lived in a community of goods; one found that in the other, which he could not find in himself; joining their merits together, they mutually enriched one another; and as Saint Peter was a virgin in the person of Saint John, that beloved disciple was a Martyr in the person of Saint Peter: So that the unity of Members, which they had in Jesus Christ, bestowed upon them privileges they had not in their own person; and Charity, that united these two Apostles, in despite of their condition, twisted the Crown of Martyrdom with that of Virginity: Martyrdom cost Saint John only a little love; without enduring the pain, he had the merit of patience; he triumphed without fight, because he lived in him whom grace made victorious. Virginity cost Saint Peter no more; his love procured him purity; he was a virgin, because he loved a virgin-disciple; and enjoying the goods of Saint John as his own, he found the merit of continence in the engagements of Marriage. 
Quod tuum est per laborem, menm est per amorem. Greg. Mag.  To give this truth a fuller expression, we must make use of the words of S. Gregory the Great, and say, that in the unity of the Church one Believer gains that by love, that another does by labour; and is master of that with complacency, which another cannot reach to but with much sweat of anxiety. Thus the courage of the Martyrs supplies our weakness, the knowledge of Doctors our ignorance, the purity of virgins is in stead of continence in Marriage, and the solitude of Anchorites is a supplement to the employments of those that are conversant in the world. Hence 'tis evident, that he that is in the Body of the Church, partakes of all the merits of the Faithful; that, without admitting himself into Religious Orders, he shares in their travels, if he be associated to them by charity; without wearing their habit, he participates of their virtues; and that in an ordinary Secular condition, he preacheth with the Dominicans, sacrificeth with the Priests, is in the desert with the solitary, and is chaste in the highest degree of continency with the virgins.  
But in this prerogative, the Christian must defend himself from two mischiefs which strongly threaten him: the first is Pride; receiving with humility what he possesseth not but by right of Charity, lest his own sufficiency make him lose the benefit of the Church's community. The second is Idleness; not to neglect the practice of virtues, under a pretence of enjoying them in others; but going forward with the highest industry in the way of perfection, to store the Church with his pious endeavours, and to add new merits to the treasures of this charitable mother.    

The Fourth TREATISE. Of the Grace of a Christian.  

The first DISCOURSE. That Predestination upon which Grace depends is a hidden Mystery.  
INasmuch as men are the children of Adam, they are as curious as they are proud: and as the haughtiness of their Father hath made them lose the remembrance of their misery: his curiosity hath made them forget their ignorance; They aspire to reign, although they be slaves; they would be masters of knowledge, although they are born ignorant; and these two unjust desires have made so deep an impression in their souls, that all the punishments inflicted upon sin have not been able to suppress them.  
I could pardon this imperfection of man, had it any bounds; nor would I find fault with an ignorant person desiring to be learned, could he content himself with the knowledge of what might be known without danger or sin: But the difficulty sets an edge upon his appetite; there are no truths he is more eagerly inquisitive of, than those God hath pleased to leave in the dark; He mounts up to the Heavens to know their motions and influences; he seeks his destiny in the Conjunction of the Planets, and studies a Book whose Characters have abused all Astrologers, and means to find that in Stars, which God hath locked up in his own Bosom: He descends into the Abysses of the Earth out of Curiosity as much as Avarice; he thinks knowledge is retired to the Centre of the world, and that he must confer with the spirit of lies to be acquainted with truth. His Insolence hath passed as far as Religion; he would fain penetrate its mysteries; nor does God bring any thing to pass in the world, the Causes and motives whereof he endeavours not to discover.  
'Tis a crime in the State to comment upon the intentions of the Ministers thereof; 
Sicut inquirere in vitam Principis ita in arcana ejus nefas est. Taci. Annal.  Their prudence draws a curtain over the wheels they work by, and they believe that he that shall sound the secrets of the Prince, is not less guilty than he that would know the end of his life. In the mean time we commit this crime against the mysteries of Faith; we would make Religion a Science, and we daily search for evidence and certitude in the region of ignorance and obscurity. The desire we have to fathom the depths of Predestination, is a certain proof of this Insolence: For though there be nothing in the world more bid, more in the dark, there is not any thing man hath more curiously examined, and made the employment of his busy undertake, seeking his fall in the fountain of salvation; I should account myself very happy, could I cure him of this malady; and if describing the mystery hidden in eternity, could make him see, 'tis an impiety to pretend to know more than God hath been willing to reveal.  
Predestination is as certain as it is secret, it makes up one part of Providence, and if God have any care of his creatures, he must needs lead them to their end. There are none but the Epicures, who fearing to trouble his rest, have denied him the knowledge of humane affairs: The best of Philosophers have believed our fortune is in his hands, and that having given us our being, he must also give us our felicity.  
Christian Religion hath confirmed us in this Creed, and Faith persuading us that God hath regulated all things from Eternity, obligeth us to believe that he hath ordained necessary means to ascertain our salvation: 
Sufficiat eis scire quod non sit in quitas apud Deum cum cuim nulla merita invenisset Apostolus quibus Jacob apud Deum praecederet fratrem dicit, Numquid apud Deum est iniquitas? absit. Aug. lib. 4. contra duas Episto. Pelag.  She teacheth us that he beheld all his works before they proceeded out of Nothing; that he hath drawn forth what he pleased, not all that he was able: That he created Men and Angels, elected some out of Mercy, rejected others out of Justice: and that in these two contrary judgements, he hath carried himself with so much evenness, that no person hath any cause to complain.  
Reason together with Faith instructs us, that God loves all his creatures; that his being Absolute, makes him not unjust, and acting according to the knowledge of the Cause, he punisheth none that have not deserved it; If he be no more liberal in his recompenses, then severe in his corrections, he fails not to be very observant of Justice; if we be not sure that he hath respect to our merits, we know at least that he hath to his own favours: and that when he crowns our good works, he crowns his own benefits and endowments.  
The Scripture that knows very well that men are in love with their salvation, and jealous of their liberty, represents them often that God is absolute in his State; that he is not to give account of his actions; that his judgements being equitable in themselves, have no need of our approbation; nor are therefore less just, because not conformable to our weak reasonings. This divine Register insinuates to us, that God is the master of his creature; that he disposeth thereof as he pleaseth, and that if Nothing whence he had his Being give him right enough to destroy him; sin which he is guilty of gives him title enough to punish him. But delivering all these reasons in different passages, we are not permitted to deduce thence infallible consequences; nay, we may easily perceive the whole drift is rather to humble then inform us.  
In the mean time though Scripture use so many cautions when it speaks of so concealed a mystery, & the Eulogies bestowed upon itoblige us to confess, that 'tis not to be penetrated by creatures; necessity notwithstanding hath put us upon the search of it, 
Nihil aliud est Praedestinatio sauctorū quam praescientia & praeparatio beneficiorum Dei, quibus certissime liberantur quicunque liberantur: caeteri autem, ubi, nisi in massâ perditionis justo divino judicio relinquuntur. Aug. lib. 2. de praed. c. 14.  and the Fathers of the Church have been constrained sometimes to unveil the wonders thereof, to crush Heresies in their conception. S. Augustine who hath writ whole Treatises of this Subject, never had other design then to debase the pride of the Pelagians, and make them see that the will of man being corrupted by sin, could now no longer hope for happiness by his own merits. We may say this great Doctor would not sound the depths of the mystery of Predestination, that he entrenched himself in the fall of the children of Adam, as in an impregnable fort; that considering men but since they were criminal & beholding them in that state wherein the justice of God owes them nothing but punishments, he hath spoken more severely in this point than others. He informs not at all what God ordained concerning his creature before the sin of Adam; and though he knew all things were unchangeably decreed before that fatal accident, he would not dive into them lest he might lose the advantages Original sin gave him over the Pelagians.  
Saint Thomas hath outgone Saint Augustine, and though he glories to be his Disciple, 
Cum Deus mundum pro luxit propter suam gloriam, convenieus fuit quod in illo esset diversitas creaturarum, quarum aliae justitiam ejus, aliae misericordiam ejus declararent.  he saw nevertheless that before the fall of Man, God must have deliberated of his salvation: & that he knew from that unceivable moment, what was to happen to Jesus Christ & to Adam. Therefore taking the thing higher, he believed that God in the Creation of the world, had a design to manifest his Divine perfections; and as he made his mercy shine forth in his Elect, so would he make his justice appear in the Reprobate; that he destined Graces to the former out of pure goodness, and refused them to the second out of a just severity, whom abandoning to their own freewill, he was neither guilty of their crime, nor responsible for their loss. Though this opinion hath seemed so severe to all the School, that it hath no Abettors but the faithful Disciples of Saint Thomas, and the conformity it seems to have with the Error of Calvin, 
Nunquid dicit figmentum ei qui se finxit, quid me fecisti sic? an non habet potestatem sigulus luti ex eadem massa facere aliud quidem vas in honorem, aliud vero in contumelian? Ro. 9  hath made it suspected by the Catholics, yet is it not without its grounds in Scripture; The example of the Potter, who doth what he will with his clay, and of the same matter makes vessels of Honour and Dishonour, seems to favour it; and those that believe that God owes nothing to his creature, what state soever he look upon him in, are not troubled to embrace this sense: It appears more sublime than that of Saint Augustine, in that it disposeth of man before sin, settles his salvation before his fall, and leaves not the mind in suspense what God intended to do with man before the Devil had seduced him. It appears also more severe in that it lays Gods refusing Grace not upon sin, but upon Nothing; nor grounds this sentence so much upon the Justice of God, as upon his Sovereignty: For 'tis some comfort to the creature to know that God reprobated him not, but by consequence of Adam's transgression; that he is not out of his favour, but because he is the issue of his enemy: nor that he is interdicted Heaven, but because his Father shut the door against him.  
There are other Divines who taking things another way, are persuaded that God since the fall of Adam hath a mind to save all Men: but having created them free, hath given them sufficient graces, the use whereof depends upon their own will: This opinion hath more assertors then both the others, and if it were lawful to reason in Religion, I should say, 'tis of all the most reasonable; But neither condemning nor approving it, me thinks it hath no such ground in Scripture, giving God rather a mere naked prescience, than an entire disposal over his creature; that it exalteth Liberty above Grace; making man the Author of his salvation, it takes not sufficient notice of the devastations sin hath made in our nature, and judgeth as favourable concerning a Criminal as an Innocent: It makes me question Grace in rendering it so common; it weakens salvation intending to establishing it, and having too much care of Insidels, seems not to have enough of Christians. Finally, to speak in few words, it entertains not man sufficiently within the decencies of humility; and making him the master of his salvation, me thinks it darkens the glory, and weakens the power of Grace: Had it not these blemishes, it cannot be denied, but 'tis contrary to the judgements of Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas, and hath forsaken the two greatest Master's Theology ever yet was honoured with.  
Were I permitted to discourse of this Mystery, I should take something of these three opinions, & of them make a fourth, which yet would not want Assertors, being common in the Schools; 
Praedestinatio est aeterna praeparatio gratiae. in pr●senti, & gloriae in futuro. Aug. & Thom. abstrahendo à peccato Adae.  and with Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas would say, that Predestination is a Decree whereby God looking upon all men in Nothing, or in Sin, resolves to save a certain number, which can neither receive diminution nor addition: But with others I would say, that the Reprobation of Christians is not founded upon Original Sin, because being regenerated in Jesus Christ by Baptism, the sentence of Condemnation must include those other sins which are superadded to this former: But forasmuch as which way soever I turn myself, I meet with difficulties which I cannot resolve, 
Nihil ergonunc damnationis est ils qui sunt in Christo Jesus. Rom. 8.  I had rather confess my ignorance, and acknowledge that 'tis not lawful to penetrate a design God hath been pleased to conceal in his Eternal Council and Decree.  
The Church which is the Spouse of Christ hath not yet perhaps light enough to make a full discovery of this Truth. The Apostles her Masters have spoken but sparingly thereof; they have been content to insinuate the power and the justice of God, that we should not be so rashly insolent as to ascribe our salvation to ourselves, and impute our fall to him: When they foresaw our objections and our doubts, they answered them only with admiration; and paying us with that solution Saint Augustine so often returned the Pelagians that urged him close, they have taught us this lesson, that there is more to be adored then to be known in this ineffable mystery; That in this occasion a man may boast his ignorance, nor know which side to take without running the hazard of being accounted rash and unadvised; Finally, that the ways we take to discover the will and mind of God, are in some sort injurious to his Majesty.  
For we limit the knowledge of the Almighty, and set down Instances wherein he sees some things, and not others; we make him reason according to our manner, and we prescribe him principles, whence we oblige him to draw consequences that please us; we constrain him to save and destroy men according to the motions of severity or pity which sway us; and not knowing that his justice is transcendently above all our Laws, we go about to reduce him to the conditions of Judges or Sovereigns.  
I honour the Fathers of the Church, who to quell Heresies, have advanced certain Maxims upon this subject of Predestination: I reverence whatever the Church obliges me to believe of the Justice or Mercy of God; I adore with the Scripture all the judgements of my Creator; & whether he found'st his refusal of Grace or Glory upon my Nonentity, or upon my Sin, I bless his justice; if he choose me upon sight of his own favours, or my merits, which are but the effects of his favours, I will magnify his mercy; and not examining either his motives, or questioning his power in the disposal of his creatures, I will patiently submit to the Eternal determination of his Divine Providence.  
Upon the consideration of these verities the Christian must live between hope and fear, that seeing himself suspended between Heaven and Hell, he may sigh out after his Redeemer; and finding no firmer assurance then in submission to his grace, may yield full obedience to it, earnestly longing that it may grow more vigorous, that so it may exercise an absolute dominion over his will; never fearing to lose his liberty by yielding subjection thereto; but instructed by the language of the Church, beg of God that grace may become Mistress of his heart, that it may vanquish his resistance; and making strength succeed sweetness, may triumph over a rebel that disputes the victory with him.  
I know very well this subject causeth much bandying in the Schools, that it divides the Masters of Divinity, and troubles the peace and fair intelligence with which they ought to inquire after Truth. But for me, I find them agreed in the most material circumstances; and that in the diversity of their opinions, they can neither be suspected of Error nor Rashness. For seeing those who vary a little from the Doctrine of Saint Augustine, confess that grace always prevents the will, that with its light it sheds forth heat and warmth into the soul of man, choosing those ery moments in which it infallibly produceth its effects; they are at a great distance from the error of the Pelagians, who ascribed all to Liberty, and judged not Grace necessary to act absolutely, but easily: 
Semper est antë in nobis voluntas libera, sed non est semper bona; aut enim à justitia libera est, quando servit peccato; & tunc est mala; aut à peccato libera est, quando servit justitiae, & tunc est bona. Aug. de Grat. & Lib. arb. c. 15.  and seeing those that boast themselves the disciples of Saint Augustine, acknowledge that Grace takes not away the Liberty, though it leave it not wholly in an indifferency, me thinks they are very far from the dreams of the Manichees, and the impiety of the Calvinists; particularly, that following their Master, they acknowledge that Man is always free in good and evil; only with this difference, that his Liberty is the only cause of his Perdition, and Grace the principal cause of his Salvation.  
'Tis upon these two Principles, as upon two  Poles, that I make this whole Treatise roll; wherein I profess to take S. Augustine for my guide; but protest withal, that in seeking after Truth, I have always endeavoured to preserve Charity; and am so far from blaming those Opinions I do not hold, that I am ready to relinquish mine own, when the Church shall condemn them, or when her Governors shall oblige me to change them. Hitherto, both Opinions have seemed Orthodox: The Council of Trent hath authorized them, leaving them in the Church; and hath suffered the Faithful to embrace that which they shall judge most conformable to Scripture, and the holy Fathers. The Canons of this Assembly are composed with so much prudence, that, condemning the Heresies that divided the unity of the Church, it hath determined nothing concerning the Controversies of the Divines: It hath so judiciously explained itself, that each party allegeth it for themselves; and by the carriage of the business hath made us see, that tacitly it gave approbation to both these Opinions, which for twelve Ages have busied the best Wits of the School. For though something be added to that which seems least consonant to the doctrine of S. Augustine, there is no change in the substance; and 'tis the same that so many Bishops and Doctors have taught heretofore in the Pulpit and in the Chair.  
After the example of this great Council, I honour both the Opinions; and expecting till the Church shall further explain herself upon these matters, which produce so many gallant Pieces on one side and the other, I will content myself in saying, that in each party there is something to be done, and something to be left undone. For, those who will not that Grace have so absolute a dominion over the Will, aught to labour hard, because believing their liberty not so maimed, but that it may with a little aid practise Christian virtues, they are obliged to produce notable effects, and to carry heaven by violence, and the assiduity of an uncessant endeavour: But they must withal carefully avoid Pride, which accompanies bold undertake: They must remember, all their pains will be fruitless, if they be not quickened with Grace; they must be ever mindful of those words of Jesus Christ, who confounding the vanity of men, hath obliged his disciples to confess, that after all their travels, they are unprofitable servants: They must consider, that whatever share their liberty may pretend in the business of their salvation, they can do nothing without his grace who said to all his disciples in the person of his Apostles, Sine me nihil potest is facere. The disciples of S. Augustine, who acknowledge the weakness of Nature, and the power of Grace, are engaged to pray much, to depend upon the mercy of God, and to cry aloud with the Psalmist to their Divine Redeemer, In manibus tua sortes meae; but lest the fear of their Infirmity should lull them asleep in the lap of Idleness, they are bound to join Action to their Prayers, good Works to their Sighs; remembering that Charity is active, and that she never hath recourse to Desires and Wish, but when she is destitute of occasions to suffer or do for the glory of him whom she so passionately affects.   

The Second DISCOURSE. Of the Necessity of Grace in the state of Innocence; and of Sin.  
A Man must be an enemy to his Salvation, that is an enemy to the Grace of Jesus Christ; because, in whatever state the creature is considered, he hath need of some supernatural assistance to attain to glory. His weakness is so great, and his end so high, that he can neither master the first, nor compass the second, if he be not assisted with an extraordinary succour. Original righteousness that furnished him with so many advantages, gave no dispensation from this necessity; and though he had neither Passions to combat, nor disorders to regulate, Grace was still necessary for him to overcome Temptations, and to persevere in Innocence: Had Humane nature continued, saith S. Augustine, in that happy condition God at first created it in, it had been unable to preserve itself, had it not been upheld by the power of its Creator.  
The state of Grace is more delicate than that of Nature; and if all Philosophers confess that the Creatures have need of the support of the Almighty, that they return not to their Nothing, all Divines acknowledge they have need of his help, lest they fall into Sin. Weakness, which is inseparable from the Creature, puts him in this necessity; and notwithstanding those many privileges his production was honoured with, he cannot want that succour which supports and fortifies him. Adam remained but a small time in his original righteousness; his first conflict was followed with his overthrow; and we know not whether his Creation and his Fall happened not on the same day: but this we know, that his Fall had been speedier, had not Grace seconded his Liberty; and that he had wandered from his End assoon as ever he had known it, had he not been supplied with supernatural Means to tend thereunto. And me thinks we may apply the words of the Scripture in the state of Innocence as well as of Sin, and say with that excellent Doctor of Grace, Let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord. For as there is no Creature can begin any good without Grace, neither is there any that can perfect that good beginning without it.  
The Necessity of Grace is so great, 
Non talis facta est Natura, ut sine Divino adjutorio posset manere. Aug.  that 'tis common to all sorts of conditions: Angels can no more be without it then Men; the nobleness of their Creation dispenseth not with them: and if it be true that the dignity of their nature, being higher than that of Men, makes them more indigent of the assistance of God, I conceive their elevation in Grace renders them more necessitous of its support. The Greatness of the Creatures serves only to abase them; their excellence is a glorious servitude; the more they have received from God, the more do they depend upon him; and the grace that would preserve an Angel, would not be sufficient to preserve a Seraphim. Thus the dignity of the Creature is as well a proof of the Necessity of Grace, as his weakness: and till he be admitted into Glory, where he finds his confirmation in Good, he stands in need of Grace to preserve those advantages he hath received from his Creator.  
If Innocence could not free us from this happy Necessity, we may say 'tis increased upon us by sin; and, that to give us a release, we have need of some more vigorous and active Grace: For, 'tis not enough now, that it show us the Good, and enable us to attain unto it, but it must withal inspire us with a Will unto it; it must lead us by the hand, support our weakness, order our do, correct our imperfections, break our chains, and master concupiscence that takes possession of our Will: It must assault this Tyrant, to set us at liberty; that dealing skilfully with us, and valiantly against it, we may be delivered from servitude, without any violence to our nature. For  is so weakened by sin, that it cannot so much as will the Good, if Grace cure it not: it must change its inclinations, to elevate its desires; and imprint upon him the love of virtue, hereby to abhor vice. Indeed, saith S. Augustine, how should a man live justly, if he be not justified? how should he live holily, if he be not sanctfied? and how should he live truly, if he be not quickened with Grace, which is the true life of the soul? The Cure of man, and his Disease, depend not equally upon his Will: there needs nothing but a small excess, to contract a Fever: hot and cold are able to debois our constitution: Fruits eaten unseasonably, or excessively, may cause a Flux: nor is there any man so well, but may be sick when he will: But the Cure depends upon Physic; we must recover that by the help of another, which we have lost by our own fault; and experience teacheth us, that the end of evil is not in our power, as its birth is. We may reason thus concerning Man a Sinner, because sickness is as well the Image as the Punishment of his crime: he may sin when he will; he hath liberty enough to become a delinquent; there needs no temptation to make him swerve from his duty; and he is dextrous enough, by his sole power, to render himself miserable. But having lost Grace, he cannot recover it by his own proper Will: notwithstanding all the abilities still remain with him, there will never be enough to raise him from his Fall; nor can he be justified by any other then by him that is the fountain of all the Justice in the world. The Law that was given to Instruct him, is not sufficient to Cure him: though it be one step to arrive to virtue, and the knowledge of sin be necessary for the avoiding thereof, nevertheless the Law, without Grace, cannot convert the sinner; its light serves only to dazzle him, its defence only to irritate his desires; and when this feeble succour is not seconded by Grace, it makes a man but more guilty. 'Tis Charity that inspires a love towards the Law, that surmounts its difficulties, changeth its pains into pleasures; and of slaves making children, renders that easy and agreeable, that seemed burdensome and impossible.  
But when, by the mediation of Grace, a man passeth from the Law to the Gospel, he ought not to think this guide useless, nor that he can without its aid preserve, what without its light he could not attain. Grace is not less necessary to finish then to begin; and the new state whereto the Christian it raised, depends so absolutely upon its influences, that he ceaseth to act, when this ceaseth to operate.  
For the right understanding of this Truth, we must remember, that though the Christian and the Man be one and the same person, yet have they their oppositions and their differences: Man believes himself perfect, when he is free and reasonable; these two faculties are his principal advantages; and the vanity of Philosophy persuades him, that as long as he acts according to Reason, he cannot fail of attaining felicity: To keep himself in this state, he is careful that the Senses pervert not his Understanding, that the Passions trouble not his Rest, and an inordinate Love deprive him of his Liberty: But this blind Opiniator sees not that he carries his enemy in his own bosom, that Concupiscence order all the motions of his soul, that Reason is but her slave, and that he is never more wedded to himself, then when he thinks to hang lose from all things else.  
As the Christian is a new man, he acts by other principles: for he renounceth Reason, to give himself over to Grace; he quits the light of his Understanding, to submit to the obscurity of Faith; and his endeavour is to quench the flames of Self-love, that he may burn only with the fire of Charity: He learns in the School of Christianity, that Reason is a bad guide, because she lets Concupiscence lead her; he knows that the Understanding is prevented with a thousand errors; and having lost the better part of his light, he many times confounds Virtue with Vice: He is not ignorant that the Will is the most depraved, as it is the most guilty of all his faculties; and being engaged in the love of the creatures, finds nothing that charms the affection, but what is corruptible and perishable; Therefore is his greatest care to get assistance against these domestic enemies, and wholly to surrender himself to grace, that it may be to him for a guide and a defence. Thus Faith becomes his Light, Hope his Supporter, Charity his Love, and if we may speak so, Grace is made his second Nature. To the vain errors of Science, he opposeth the solid lights of Faith; to the false promises of the world, the true promises of Jesus Christ; to self-love, divine love; and to the corruption of Nature, the purity of Grace. Then is it that soaring above himself, he learns by a happy experience, that he was never more free then since he became a slave; and that Grace is so far from robbing him of his liberty, that it hath delivered him from a bondage as cruel as it was ignominious. For as Saint Augustine saith,  finds its perfection in Charity; he that was in darkness becomes enlightened; from weakness he passeth to strength; from disorder, to good government; and he that was sullied with the love of the creatures, recovers his purity in the love of the Creator.  
But nothing more obliges the Christian to renounce his reason, that so he may become the subject of Grace, then to know that his last end is supernatural, and that he cannot attain it by forces solely natural. For though man have some knowledge of God, though he observe his perfections in the creatures, though he judge of his greatness by the beauty of his works, and recoiling into himself, sees there some shadows of him whose image he is; yet he knows very well that God is so great, that he cannot be perceived but by his own light. Indeed he must shed abroad some rays into our soul, that the soul may have some glimpse of him; he must clarify and strengthen her, that she may look up unto him, and mounting above herself, may render her partaker of that light, whereby he is made visible to the blessed in glory. Thus though the will have some affection for the Supreme Good, though she cannot fix upon any objects that have not some appearance of Goodness in them, and that in the midst of her greatest disorders there still remains some inclination towards her Creator; yet the Christian knows that God cannot be worthily embraced but by that love he works in us; that charity must be poured into our hearts; and that without the assistance of this Divine gift, we can neither love him nor hate ourselves as we should. The inclination Nature stamped upon us in her purity, was too weak to effect this; and that which Nature hath left us since her corruption, is too inordinate to lead us to it. Thus Grace is necessary in both conditions, and the actions that proceed not from this Principle, are to be suspected, because according to the Maxims of Saint Augustine, those that flow not from Charity, flow most commonly from Concupiscence. These two Sovereigns possess the will successively: as the first works nothing but good, the second is only active in evil; and to be disengaged from the tyranny of the one, there is no other way but to submit to the lawful dominion of the other. Thence it comes to pass that the same Doctor declaring his full judgement in that Epistle he writ to Vitalius, informs us, that Grace depends upon God's pure Liberality; that 'tis due neither to Men nor Infants, though it be necessary to all the actions of the former; that God who is the Author of it, respects neither their works nor their dispositions; that men may know when he bestows it, 'tis an emanation of his mercy; and when he denies it, 'tis an act of his justice: He that shall well weigh the sense of these words, as profound as the depths he treats of, will not have much ado to acknowledge the indigence of the creature, the need he hath of Grace, and the Liberty God reserves to himself of dispensing it to whom he will.   

The Third DISCOURSE. That the Grace of a Christian ought to be more powerful than that of Adam.  
IT is strange, but withal very true, that nothing so much hinders a man from valuing the remedies that cure him, as the opinion he hath that he was not very sick. This is it that to this day abuseth the greatest part of Christians, and lessens the obligation they have to the Grace of Jesus Christ: For they are persuaded that the fault of our first Father hath scarce made any devastations in our Nature; that the greatest part of our evils spring not so much from our will, as from our imagination; and that there is little difference between the state of sin, and the state of original righteousness. Pride insensibly confirms us in this belief; we make our weakness pass for cowardice, nor can we be brought to acknowledge that our passions are the punishment of our disobedience. From this first Error is derived a second more troublesome than the former: For believing our disease light, we think the remedy extreme easy; and judging Concupiscence not so strong, we judge the Grace of Jesus Christ nothing so powerful. Indeed those that imagine that man's liberty is yet vigorous enough to resist sin, acknowledge only a sufficient grace, adding little to that of Adam, depending upon our will, as well as that did upon his: They make us the masters of our salvation; and not considering the terrible enemies we have to combat, they think our weapons need be no better furnished then those of the first Man. Therefore I cannot establish the necessity of efficacious Grace, but I must describe the irregularity of our nature, that the greatness of our disease may make us apprehend the excellency of the remedy. And indeed 'tis one of the chiefest reasons Saint Augustine made use of, to make the Semi-Pelagians understand that the succours which were sufficient for man an Innocent, could not be sufficient for man a Sinner: He handles these two subjects without dividing them; he opposeth Concupiscence to Charity, and found'st the strength of Grace upon the weakness of corrupted Nature.  
Man in the state of Innocence was well with himself, because he was so with God; his flesh was obedient to his spirit, because his spirit was obedient to him that created it; Original righteousness was a sacred chain which linked the body to the soul, and the soul to God: so that having no domestic enemies, he had but forainers to combat; But when sin had despoiled him of grace, he saw himself swallowed up by his own passions, and justly condemned to suffer the eternal pain of his disobedience: From that hour he began to be criminal and miserable; the parts that composed him were divided; and Original righteousness the bond of their amity, having abandoned them, their love was changed into hatred: 'Twas in this sad moment that Nature lost her primitive purity; that she that was subject to Grace, became captive to Concupiscence; from which incestuous mixture, those monsters received birth that bid us battle. Man attempted divers means to recover the good he had lost; Reason promised him the victory over his passions; 
Data est Lex 〈◊〉 agrum de morbe convinceret qui sibi sanus videbatur, ut peccata demonstrarentur, non ut auferrentur. Aug. in Psal. 83.  Liberty undertook the reconciliation of the soul and body; and both of them assisted by a vain Philosophy, put him in hopes of a happy tranquillity: For awhile he suffered himself to be cozened with their promises; and his vanity which could not be cured by his misery, persuaded him that reason could supply the want of grace: But the Law undeceived him, which seems to have commanded the good, and forbidden the evil, for no other end, but to make us sensible of our weakness, and to oblige us to run to Grace.  
'Tis true, that as sin hath corrupted nature, whereby she is at a great distance from this acceptable condition, wherein soul and body conspired together to make man happy; The Grace of Jesus Christ must of necessity be far different from that of Adam; it must have more light, because it is to enlighten one blind; more force, because it is to cure one diseased; In the state of Innocence it was subject to the will of man; he made use of it according to his pleasure, because having as yet no bad inclinations, there was no inconvenience but his salvation might depend upon his liberty; and he be in some sort the master of his happiness. Heaven never refused him relief; he found assistance in all his designs, and being not yet criminal, Grace was offered to him at every moment: As it was always present with, so was it always at his devotion; he might accept or refuse it, and in this happy condition he was so free, that his salvation and his fall depended upon his will: Weakness which is so natural to the creature, had nothing to do to disquiet him, because having no disorders in his soul nor in his body, there were no intestine seditions that could surprise him: But now that the disease is sunk down into the very Essence of his Being, that all the faculties of his soul are disabled, that the will seized upon by concupiscence, hath no inclination but towards evil; and the understanding dazzled with false lights, or obscured by real darkness, can hardly discern truth from falsehood; Man hath need of some more vigorous active Grace, then that of Innocence; such as may render itself Mistress of his Liberty without forcing it; apply his will to good, without constraining it: withdraw it from evil, without offering it violence; and being the principle of all his actions, defend him from the subtle treachery of the senses, the open revolt of the passions, and the bold fury of concupiscence.  
Though habitual grace that resides in the innermost recesses of the soul, seems to have reinstated man in his first condition, and that by virtue of Baptism or Repentance, he is reconciled with God; yet does he groan still under the tyranny of concupiscence; This monster makes war upon him after his death, 
Concupiscentia tanquam lex peccati cum parvulis nascitur, in baptizatis à reatu solvitur, ad agonem relinquitur. Aug.  employs the malice of his daughter to ruin him, and endeavouring to re-enter upon a place where he holds so much intelligence, admits of no truce nor minute of rest. If among so many rebels that favour the party of sin, Grace did still depend upon man's liberty, I know not if he could make use of it with profit; and whether self-love that lives still in his will, would not endeavour to employ Grace itself to the advantage of this selfish passion. For what can be hoped for from a creature that more follows the motions of concupiscence, than the impulses of charity, were there not some commanding Grace that became the Mistress of his heart, and carrying him to good with as much force as sweetness, gained him a sure victory over his enemies?  
Therefore is it that the Great Saint Augustine, to whom all the secrets of Grace were known, represents it to us under the name of a Victorious Suavity, which gently masters the will by its affectionate allurements, leading her so securely amidst the throng of precipices, that she runs less hazard in the world, than our first Father did in Paradise: For though he had nothing to fear but his weakness, experience made him see 'twas enough to destroy him; and that 'twas easy for him to tumble into a misfortune, whence an Angel that was more vigorous, knew not how to defend himself: But though in the state of sin, rebellion share the forces of man, though Concupiscence divide his will, he knows very well that when Grace clears up his understanding, he cannot mistake; and when it inanimates him, he cannot be worsted.  
We must not imagine for all this, that Grace renders man impeccable, nor that when it carries him out of himself he hath lost the power of resisting it; he is too potent towards his loss; he feels too often that the actual love that moves him Godward, takes not away that unhappy inclination he hath to turn his back upon him; he hears that cruel enemy in the deepest recesses of his soul, that murmurs even whilst Grace triumphs over his Liberty; he hath a sense of Passions that divide his Will, and hinder Charity from taking a full possession of that superior faculty; he is convinced, even to his damage, that as a Needle between two Lodestones, though drawn away by the strongest, turns notwithstanding towards the weakest; so he, though mastered by Grace, ceaseth not to be tempted by Concupiscence; and by woeful experience learns, that as soon as Charity suspends her virtue, and moderates that sweet violence wherewith she so pleasingly ravisheth the heart, he is presently trailed on by the weight of self-love, that bends him towards the Creatures.  
I know there are a sort of new Divines that seem to place Concupiscence in man an Innocent, not exempting him from that intestine war whereof the Saints complain; who are persuaded that original righteousness did not accord the two parts that compose man; and that their division contributing to his glory, ought also to contribute to his merit. But besides that I suspect this Opinion as maintained by the Pelagians; 
Haec quae ab impudentibus impudenter laudata pudenda Concupiscentia, nulla esset nisi homo ante peccasset. Aug.  and S. Augustine hath laid it on the ground, as the foundation of their Heresy; those that defend it are at least obliged to confess, that if Concupiscence were in man in the state of Innocence, it was not there with those disorders the Apostle of the Gentiles groaned under; but that original sin giving it a new vigour, there is requisite a new grace to contest against it: Otherwise he had done very unmanly to complain of a revolt which was nothing but an effect of Nature, and which he might easily suppress by his Will, animated with as much Grace as Jesus Christ refuses not even to his enemies: And the Church, guided by the holy Spirit, would do amiss to entreat so often for her children's deliverance from an insurrection which cannot be bad, if it were born with man in his Innocence. If they answer, She requests not that the Faithful be delivered from it because bad, but because dangerous; by the same reason they must desire that they had neither eyes nor hands, because both these parts are of sad consequence to sinners. If they say they pray not for the full ruin of it, but for its diminution; they must confess, that if what they would pair away be hurtful, it ought not to be in Adam, nor could now be cured by his grace. For, as S. Augustine says excellently well, the grace of Adam was the grace of a man sound and free, and the grace of Jesus Christ of a man a captive and diseased: this produceth two effects in his person; it restores his health, before it give him strength; it breaks his fetters, before it makes him walk; and suppresseth his disorders, before it makes him act.  
This Truth will be better conceived, if we compare the Liberty of Adam with the Servitude of Man a sinner; that by the difference of these two states, we may judge more easily of the difference of their graces. Adam was as Free as Innocent; nothing resisted his Will in his person; and the Passions having not as yet shook off the yoke of Reason, troubled not his Rest: he acted with tranquillity of mind; he found his pleasure in his duty; nor was he sensible of any internal rebellion impeaching his liberty. Thence it came to pass that his grace was subject to his Will, that he used it according to his desires and his occasions, either to obey his Sovereign, to command his Subjects, or to resist his Enemies. But the sinner fallen from this glorious condition, is the slave of him that hath conquered him; he serves as many Masters as he hath Passions; and he finds to his cost, that to punish his disobedience, all his subjects rebel against him. The grace of Adam would be useless in this condition; being not fully free, he could not make use of it; and being the slave of sin, in whose possession he is, he would employ it rather to his own ruin, then to his salvation: Grace must set him free, before he can work; must break his chains, before he can fight; and restore him his liberty, before he can form one good design. This is it that S. Augustine teacheth us in that Chapter where making the Antithesis of Man a Sinner, and Man an Innocent, he saith, This had a grace great indeed, but much different from ours: For he lived in the advantages he had received from his Creator, and of his goodness held that happy condition that exempted him from all our evils: But the Faithful, to whom this grace appertains that delivers Captives, languish in misfortunes that make them seek after Liberty: Adam in the midst of the innocent delights he tasted, had no need of the death of Jesus Christ; but the Christians cannot be washed from their hereditary or acquired sins, but by the blood of the Lamb slain for their salvation: Adam stood not in need of that assistance his children require, when experiencing the revolt of the Flesh against the Spirit, they complain of the Law of Sin that opposeth the Law of God; and by the mediation of Jesus Christ, beg strength to combat, and ability to overcome an enemy whose assaults Adam was never sensible of: For he was not divided in Paradise; but enjoying a profound peace, he saw not his body warring against his soul, nor one part of himself unjustly lifting up the heel against the other. 
Proinde etsi non interim laetiore, nunc verunratē potentiore gratia indigent isti. Aug.  Let us say then with that great Doctor, that the grace of Adam was happier than ours, and ours more powerful than his; he might, if he would, have overcome amidst his delights; and we triumph among our sorrows: his grace gave him a Power to act, ours a Will: his was subject to his Will, ours is her mistress; and, by a happy occasion, we are the conquerors of Devils, because the slaves of Jesus Christ.  
It seems our Redeemer would be revenged of us, in avenging us of our enemy; that he disposed all things so, that our victory should depend upon our overthrow, and our liberty should be grounded upon our servitude; because Grace tames our Will, to make it victorious over sin; and subjects her to itself, to give her command over the Passions; and in this humble submission, procures us those advantages we never had possessed in the Empire of Innocence. For, whatever arts we use to exalt the happy condition of Adam, we must confess his grace was weak, because it could not maintain the freedom of his Will; and, leaving him to himself, suffered his enemy to foil him: But the grace of Jesus Christ makes us victorious in the midst of our infirmities, assures our salvation among the many stormings of Temptations, and seizing upon our heart, makes us triumph over the world.  
When I consider the deplorable condition of a sinner, me thinks Jesus Christ had a mind to humble him by lifting him up; and that he might profit by his loss, to make him find his greatness in his abasement: For 'tis indeed to take man down, to subject him to grace, to deprive him of the disposal of his Will, and to use him as a slave, who is no longer master of his own person: But 'tis also to lift him up, to endow him with a victorious grace, which confirms his liberty, makes him constant in good, and in despite of all his weaknesses, gives him so much vigour and strength, that he meets no enemies he does not vanquish, nor any temptations he does not overcome.  
But admit all these reasons did not clearly conclude for the necessity of Grace, I conceive Predestination would always be a most evident proof: For seeing it is true that God is immutable in his Decrees, that the designs he hath laid from all Eternity, are not changed in Time, 
Praedéstinare Deum nihil aliud quicquam est quam in illasua quae falli mutarique non potest praescientia sua opera. futuradisponere. Aug. de Perseus.  nor can all the powers of earth hinder the execution of his will; we must confess that Predestination being the first of his Decrees, must of necessity be irrevocable: He himself says it, that he knows all his sheep, that no man can take them out of his hands, that they cannot be blotted out of the book of Life, and that all the malice of the devils cannot destroy those he hath a mind to save. If this Maxim be true, we must infallibly conclude that the salvation of the Elect is not grounded upon their Liberty, but upon Grace; and that their perseverance in the ways of goodness, depends not absolutely upon their , but upon the assistance of Jesus Christ. For if it be true that there is nothing more changeable than the Will of Man, and that the state of Innocency set him upon a rock, Must we not confess that Predestination would be very uncertain, had it no surer foundation? and that the salvation of the Elect would run a great hazard, did it rely only upon a sufficient grace depending merely upon their Liberty? Let us confess therefore, with S. Augustine, that since the Fall of man, there is a grace whose effect is infallible; that it changeth our Will, to convert it; gives us strength to combat, inspires us with constancy to persevere; and securing us from the malice of Satan, happily conducts us out of this miserable Banishment, to our desired Country.   

The Fourth DISCOURSE. Different Opinions of the Power of the Christians Grace.  
THough Man have very many proofs of his Weakness, yet hath he more of his Ignorance: he knows not that which he sees, and that which he touches: his Senses are better sighted then his Understanding; and they judge more surely of their objects, than the Intellect does of his. The Qualities of things cloud their Essences; every Accident is a veil cast over the eyes of the Soul; and he undergoes all the troubles in the world, to find the Sun of Truth amidst the Shadows that cover it: But his Ignorance is never more evident than when he seeks for the last differences of things; he changes upon all occasions; the more he goes on, the more he wanders; and finding no tracks that may steer him in an unknown path, he many times takes Falsehood for Truth. Thence it comes to pass that we are acquainted with nothing but the Accidents or Proprieties of things, and that we fall into Error as often as we intent to judge of their Essences. There is nothing more known to Christians then Grace; a man must be a Pelagian, to doubt of its virtue: all our prayers are testimonies of its necessity; and when we entreat of God to enable us to perform what he commands us to do, we ask Grace ●●thout naming it. In the mean time, 
Inctinantur ecram corda ut boc velint, eo scilicet inclinante qui in nobis mirabili modo & ineffabili operatur ut velit. Aug. de praed. cap. 20.  there is nothing more hid than its Essence: These twelve Ages men have disputed its power; nor is it yet resolved wherein corsists that virtue that makes it efficacious. Every one confesseth, there are two kinds of Graces in Christianity: One Habitual, that gives the Christian his supernatural being; that lifts him up to the participation of the Divine Nature; and making him an Image of Jesus Christ, makes him Man and God together: The other Actual, which elevates him in his operations, makes him act heavenwards, and renders his works holy and acceptable before God: But few know wherein consists the power of this Grace, what that is, which, without forcing our Liberty, makes it irresistible in its designs.  
The disciples of S. Thomas believe Grace effectual because it is an impulse of God, raising and determining the Will as often as he moves and applies it. 
Primum agens in agendo omnia agentia alia praevenit, perficit & conservat, co quod ipsum omnibus dat esse, unde dabit perfectiones concomitantes & sequentes ad ipsum esso. D. Thom.  They ground themselves upon the power of the First cause, which ought to regulate his state and guide his subjects according to their inclinations, and according to their desires. Thence it comes to pass, that he inlightens with the Sun, burns with the Fire, reasons with Man, acts necessarily with necessary Causes, and freely with free Causes; Thence it comes to pass also, that he is free in the world, that nothing is done contrary to his directions, and that applying the creatures in their operations, sees all his designs infallibly succeed. For these Divines believe not that any thing is to be permitted to Fortune in the Kingdom of Providence; nor that the knowledge of God is to be submitted to the capricious fancies of his creatures. Therefore do they put into his hands the reins of his whole Empire: they will have him give motion to all his subjects; to apply them in their operations, and without offering them any violence, execute his will by their inclinations. If he abandons necessary Causes, they produce Monsters; if free Causes, they commit sins; and when he guides both of them in order of Nature or of Grace, they are regular in their motions, and happy in their productions: But being the Principle, the Glory belongs to him; and the effects they produce aught rather to be ascribed to his Influence, then to their Virtue. This Predetermination of the creature in a supernatural order, is called Effectual Grace among the Disciples of Saint Thomas: and they are so wedded to this opinion, that they believe a man cannot descent from it, without renouncing the meaning of Saint Paul, overturning the order of Nature, robbing God of his Sovereignty, and taking from him the infallible knowledge of all events that happen in his State: They never think to weaken the liberty of man by establishing the Providence of God, because they know his concurrence hath no less sweetness than force; and that he ceaseth not to act winningly, notwithstanding he acts absolutely. They believe also God no ways injures the creature, if he leave him to his infirmity, because owing him nothing, he may let him fall when he will; and that it is mercy and not justice when he vouchsafes to uphold or lift him up. 
Adjuvat no● Deus per Doctrinam & revelationem suam dum cordis nostri oculos aperit, dum nobis ne praesentibus occupemur futura demonstrate, dum Diaboli pandit infidias, dum nos m●liformi & inoffabili dono gratiae caelestis illuminat. Pelag. in Aug. ●● 1. de Gra. Christi. ca 7.   
Some other Divines to whom this opinion seems too severe, place the power of Grace in the consent of the creature; and will have, that God more tender of our salvation then of his own glory, presents Grace to all men: and that it depends only upon their liberty to receive or reject it. This assistance hath no more virtue than the law; it shows the evil, but cures it not; it forbids sin, but gives no strength to avoid it; it clears the understanding, but changeth not the will; it solicits not this, but because it illuminates that; and as if men had kept all their liberty since their fall, it tries to dissipate their darkness, without taking the pains to break their fetters. This Grace thus conceived, is but a weak light, because it leaves all Infidels in their Errors; and a vain persuasion, because it leaves so many Christians in their sins: Nevertheless according to their Creed, 'tis sufficient to save all men, provided they will; and as if their liberty had not been enfeebled at all by Original sin, they can make use of this Universal Grace, work out their salvation with it, draw themselves out of the number of the Reprobate, and pass into that of Elect. It seems this Grace is not much different from that which Saint Augustine opposed, when he said these words to the Pelagians: If we have the power to consent, why does the Apostle teach us that 'tis God that works in us to will? I know ye will answer, he works in us by his Law: in obeying which, we make it efficacious; and in resisting, render it useless and unprofitable. But if all be as you say, you condemn all the Prayers of the Faithful, you blame the custom of the Church: For seeing 'tis in our power to consent when we list, 'tis to no purpose to pray that we may do it; and since having the knowledge of good, 'tis in our own power to perform it, 'tis in vain that Saint Paul requested Grace for the Faithful, who were already enlightened. In the mean time, knowing that 'tis of God to prepare the will, he adds Prayer to the Command; having exhorted them to departed from sin, he endeavours to divert them by his supplications, and to obtain that for them, which he had formerly taught them.  
But as I writ not so much to confute the opinion of others, as to establish my own, I leave every man the freedom to follow his own sense in this particular; and content myself to make it appear, that Saint Augustine was never of this judgement concerning Grace. And indeed there are few Divines that embrace the opinion I am about to deliver; it was stifled in the very Birth as Monsters are; and though it flatter liberty, making it the Mistress of salvation, it must be sweetened to give it some credit among the Faithful.  
Behold therefore the temperament the new Divines have reduced it to, thereby to give more to Grace and less to . 
Neque tacendum est Dlum pracedenter velle omnes homines salvari; non enim ad puniendum nos plasmavit, sed ut efficiat nos bonitatis suae participes ut bonus, peccantes autem puniri vult ut justus. Damas'. de fide.  They say then that God is willing to save all men: that this is a design worthy his goodness, who would not create men to damn them; that in consideration of the merits of Jesus Christ that are infinite, he offers Grace to all sinners, which being well husbanded, is able to procure them salvation: But forasmuch as the weakness of man is great, his inclination to evil powerful, and his will so free, that no Laws can be imposed upon it; they say that God, as if he disinherited his forces, or would not encroach upon the Liberty, accommodates himself to the inclinations of the sinner whom he means to convert; that he studies his humours, feels the pulse of his affections, and taking the moments he judgeth most proper for the execution of his designs, sets upon him when he scarce knows how to defend himself: For the Grace's God offers, are so fitted to his spirit, so agreeable to his Will, so conformable to his Temperament, that he accepts on this occasion what he would have refused in another. 
Gratia congrna est qua tali tempore & loco datur quo per scieutiam conditionatam Deus praevidet voluntatem hominis ei consensum praebituram, quamvis potest pro naturali sua indifferentia dissentire. Suarez. lib. 3. de Concurs. Lesle. lib. de Grat. Efficaci.  These Divines describe God as a timorous Lover, and the soul of man as a stately Mistress: God speaks to her by his inspirations, and she gives no ear; he discovers her his Beauties, and she contemns them; he presents her his Favours, and she minds them not: Seeing her rebellious to his will, deaf to his entreaties, as if he could not be obeyed without offering her violence; and conveying heat into the will, as well as light into the understanding, he hath recourse to Stratagems; he endeavours to surprise her that he cannot overcome; he wins her heart by her ears, nor triumphs over her liberty, but by her humours or her inclinations. But certainly Love never made the Almighty lose his Majesty, but in the Mystery of the Incarnation; when he deals with his creature, he always keeps his State; his being a Lover, makes him not forget that he is a Sovereign; and when he intends to deliver a soul from the slavery of sin, he employs graces so sweet and so strong, that as he no ways wrongs the liberty of his creature, so neither doth he prejudice his absolute Power. He knows very well that sin gives him a new right over men; that he may refuse them grace without any injustice; that he saves a Delinquent when he saves a Saint: and that the merits of his Son being not applied to men but according to his good pleasure, take not from him the power absolutely to dispose of his subjects.  
To give my judgement therefore of these three opinions; Me thinks the first more respects the Majesty of God, than the Liberty of Man; prescribes Laws to him which in truth are not unjust, but seems a little too severe; lifts him not high enough above the rest of creatures, and though it leave him his liberty, considers not sufficiently the dignity of his extraction: For it seems God deals with Men as with the Elements, that he makes scarce any difference between Angels and Beasts; and that this Sovereign governs so absolutely in his State, that he much more regards his own glory then the welfare of his subjects: He determines also free creatures as well as necessary; if he oppress not their liberty, he takes no pains to gain it; and more solicitous to make himself obeyed, then loved, he masters the will rather by force then sweetness. The second passeth into another extreme, and seems to be so careful of the salvation of man, that it neglects the glory of God, makes his grace a bondage, opens heaven to all the world: makes Mercy sparkle abroad to the detriment of Justice; ascribes more to liberty then to grace; renders man insolent since his Fall; will have him as familiar with God since his rebellion, as during his innocence: Imagines that nature received no blemishes by sin, and that the will under the thraldom of Concupiscence, is as vigorous as under the Empire of Original righteousness. The third handles Grace a little more respectfully than the second; 'tis me thinks a bold opinion, but not impudent, it covers self-love under honourable pretences; it bestows that upon the Mercy of God, that it takes from his Justice; it entitles not liberty so absolutely to salvation, but it preserves the rights of Grace; which if it make not victorious, it makes at least well-disposed; if it reign not over the will, it does over the inclinations: and if it offers a sufficient grace to all men, it confesseth nevertheless the effect is not produced, but when it agrees with the constitution or humour of Man. But after all this, it seems to overturn the order of Predestination: gives more to merits then to grace, imposes Laws upon its Sovereign, and obliges him when he means to save a sinner, to consult rather their dispositions then his own will and pleasure. Let us see what Saint Augustine hath most constantly believed concerning this Subject: and lest we mistake our way, take him for a guide that hath so generously defended its Cause against the Impiety of Heretics.   

The Fift DISCOURSE. Wherein precisely consists the power of Effectual Grace.  
THere is no man but may observe that the Loadstone draws iron to it: but there is no Philosopher can discover wherein this virtue consists. We need but open our eyes to see how this stone, which may be called one of the miracles of Nature, lifts up the iron assoon as moved towards it: that it gives a kind of feeling to this senseless metal, and in despite of its hardness, softens it into a tenderness of affection: We behold with astonishment, that it leaps from the Earth to follow that which draws it; that it steals from itself to embrace it, 
Quid ferri duritia pugnatius? sed cedit & patitur amores; trahitur namque à magnete lapi●e domitrix illa rerum omnium materia; ad inane nescio quid currit, atque ut propius venit assistit teneturque & complexu haeret. Pli. lib. 36. cap. 16.  and clings so strongly to it, that violence must be used to part them. But certainly, 'tis very difficult to comprehend what is that secret virtue that imprints this power in the Loadstone: The whole Body of Philosophers have troubled themselves to no purpose to discover it, whatever pains they have taken; and whatever watch they have spent in this study, they have not to this day been able to find out the occult cause of so evident an effect; they are ignorant whence this sympathy between the Loadstone and the Iron grows, nor can they render a reason why this stone attracts this metal and not others; they know not whether this attraction have more of sweetness or of force, whether it draw the Iron by affecting it, or by forcing it, and whether it complies with its inclination, or over-bears its weight and obstinacy.  
What I have said of the Loadstone, may as truly be verified of Grace: Its power is so public, and its attempts so common, that there is no body but knows and admires them; It triumphs daily over the liberty of sinners, lifts these wretches from the Earth, enlightens the blind, softens the obdurate, converts the obstinate, and subdues these rebels: But though all the Faithful acknowledge a virtue whose effects they resent, they know not precisely wherein it consists; they are divided in their opinions: and though they all take S. Augustine for their Master, they express themselves in such different terms, that though taught in the same School, it seems they have not all learned the same Lesson.  
Inasmuch as this incomparable Doctor is pleased in all his Works to break forth in commendations of Grace, consacring all his Labours to the glory of that which drew him out of his sin; he sometimes admires its Force, and seems to place all its virtue in its invincible puissance: he will have it the mistress of hearts, strongly overruling the Will of sinners; and like a Sovereign, more respecting her own Majesty, than the Inclination of her subjects: Sometimes he changeth his language; and meditating rather to preserve the Liberty of Man, than the Power of Grace, he seems to place its virtue in its compliance, he represents it to us as a sweet persuasion; flattering man, to gain him; setting upon him where he is weakest, to overcome him; studying his inclinations, to make him in love; entering into his meaning, to accommodate it to that of its own; and like Lovers, who become complacent only to become absolute, stoops to the liberty of the sinner, to triumph over it; nor is his slave, but to become his mistress.  
Sometimes he walks between these two Extremes; and joining force with sweetness, he speaks of Grace as of a victorious complacency: he describes her as a Queen displaying her Beauty as well as her Power, to keep her subjects in obedience: and knowing that Nature hath given her as many Allurements as she hath done Forces, unites both together, to tame the rebels of her State: She imitates the conduct of Providence, whereof she is an emanation; and mingling Sweetness with Authority, executes her designs, leading men whither she pleaseth. These three manners whereby S. Augustine expresseth himself in his Writings, have produced three Opinions in the Church, which acknowledge him for Master, boasting to be of his mind, and to stand to his Doctrine.  
The first is that which is ascribed to S. Thomas; which delivering itself in terms very significant, but somewhat barbarous, placeth the power of Grace in Predetermination. Those that hold this Opinion, will have God always preserve his Sovereignty when he deals with the Creature, 
Voluntas Dei est prima & summa omnium causa. Aug. lib. 3. de Trin.  applying him as he will; and using rather compulsion then fair means, discovers a desire rather to be obeyed then loved. He acts so powerfully, that all his designs are accomplished: he toucheth the Will of Man with so much energy, that he masters it; and makes that blind faculty so sensible of his Authority, that acknowledging him for her lawful Sovereign that seizeth her, she loseth all desire of resistance, and accounts it her happiness to yield obedience. These Divines borrow the terms of S. Augustine to explain themselves; and taking advantage of whatever he hath said in behalf of the power of Grace, say that she is invincible in her designs; that she finds no opposition in her subjects; that she manageth the hearts of men as she lists, bending their Wills without constraining them; that she acts so absolutely, that she changeth their resolutions, and of rebels makes them loyal and obedient subjects. They stick to all those expressions S. Augustine makes use of to set an estimate upon the power of Grace; and they are so afraid lest gentle usage bring some prejudice to the Sovereignty of God, that they seem to have neglected the liberty of Man.  
Nothing more detains them in these manners of speech, than a belief they have that no operation of God, though never so strong, doth ever oppress the liberty of the Creature: In a word, though he act so powerfully, he still preserves the interest of his workmanship; he never deprives him of those perfections he once endowed him with; and as he necessarily moves necessary causes, so he also freely moves free causes: whatever impression he makes upon them, he never storms them; and as there is nothing more natural to the Creature then to obey his Creator, so is there nothing less violent. 
Cujuscunque rci natura Dei voluntas. Aug. de civ. Dei.  This made S. Augustine utter that learned and gallant speech, That the will of God was the nature of every thing, That the Fire was as much disposed to cool as to burn; the Sea to contain itself, as to overflow; the Earth to move, as to stand fixed upon its centre, when they received order from their Sovereign. The same may be said some way proportionably of Man; as his inclinations are not more natural to him, than these qualities to the Elements, God may change them without doing him any violence, and ravish his heart without interesting his liberty. 
Si ergo cum voluerit reges in terra Deus constituere, magis habet in potestate voluntates hominum quam ipsi suas; quis alius facit ut salubris sit correptio, & fiat in correpti corde correctio, ut caelesti constituatur in regno? Aug.  Thus we see that S. Augustine saith so often, That Grace worketh in us to will, That it gains our consent, overcomes our standing out, and, by a wonderful effect of its power, makes us hate those things we loved, and love those things we hated; That, finally, its impulses are so strong, that when they are received into our heart, we must infallibly obey; and yielding to his omnipotence that drew us out of nothing, we voluntarily pass from Death to Life, from Rebellion to Obedience. Though this Opinion ascribe so much to the Grace of Jesus Christ, it takes from it the principal advantage; and speaking nothing of its Sweetness, the better to establish its power, greatly diminisheth the esteem due unto it: For Men being passionate of their Liberty, cannot relish that which seems to weaken it; the shadow of bondage checks them; and this absolute Empire of the Creator over his Creature, inspires them rather with Rebellion than Obedience.  
Therefore some other, willing to preserve Man's Liberty, have lessened the power of Grace: they place its virtue in its accommodation; and rendering it rather compliant then victorious, make it not reign so much by power as by stratagem: They will have Jesus Christ, when he undertakes the conversion of a sinner, choose the most opportune moments, consult the inclinations of his enemy, search among his treasures of Graces those that are most suitable to this rebels humour; and, that he may not force his Will fit himself to his condition and temper: They are afraid lest giving too much authority to Grace, they ruin the Liberty of Man; and, to avoid this misfortune, they reconcile them so well together, that 'tis hard to judge which of the two is mistress.  
S. Augustine furnisheth them with words and reasons for their defence; his first Writings are much in their favour; and before he was to cope with the Pelagians, said very much in their behalf. For as this great Doctor hath combated all the Heretics of his time, hath buckled with the Manichees and the Donatists, he hath changed his Batteries according as he changed his Enemies, and seems to employ other Principles against the Manichees then against the Pelagians. When he deals with the first, he attributes much to the liberty of man; he makes it not only the source of sin, but of good works; and to hear him speak against these Heretics, Grace seems not so much the handmaid, as the mistress of the Will. Before he was advanced to a Bishopric, he had opinions which afterwards he retracted; and being as humble as he was learned, he knew that he had attributed too much to the Will, and too little to Grace: But also we must confess that he writ some things in those times that he never recanted; and though he spoke afterwards more stoutly, he seems to have left his disciples the liberty of choosing in his Writings those opinions that seem most reasonable: For this great man would never tyrannize over the spirits, never would he make himself Head of a party; and excepting those things he believed matter of Faith, he never forced any man to follow his Judgement.  
Though therefore he quitted this opinion, he condemned it not; and those that embrace it may boast themselves the disciples of this great Doctor: besides that in his last Works he useth some terms that seem to favour it: For he makes as if he placed the victory of Grace in its aptness, acknowledging it victorious as far as 'tis agreeable, and agreeable as far as suitable to the sinner: He compares it sometimes to those Potions that are bitter to a sick person, because their mouths are out of taste, and which must be dulcorated by some artisice, that they may be taken: He confesses, writing against Faustus, that the sweet elapses of Grace consist in this agreement, which makes it entertained by the sinner; and that, to produce its effect, it must have some resemblance with the inclination of him that it would master. Procul dubio, saith he, suavitatem ipsa congruentia facit.  
But as in this Opinion Liberty seems still the mistress of Grace, and that she reserves a right to use it at pleasure: There is a Third Opinion made up of the two former, taking and leaving somewhat of both. From the first it takes that Force it acknowledgeth in Grace, and rejects that imperious power that converts the Will in whatever disposition it finds her: For those that fully dived into the meaning of S. Augustine, have observed that the Grace of Jesus Christ, though always effectual, is not always victorious; and though it never fail to produce some holy desires or good motions in the soul of a sinner, yet it surmounts not always the illegitimate pleasure that holds her captive; so that its manner of acting differs very much from Physical predetermination, which ever tames the will, notwithstanding all the resistance she can make. Finally, this third opinion takes and leaves something of the second; it takes that sweetness that charms the will of man, and confesseth all the force of grace to consist in that suavity that accompanies it: but it rejects that lazy compliance that subjects grace to liberty, making man in some sort the master of his salvation; it cannot allow that our consent should more depend upon ourselves then upon grace: and that acting in the state of sin, as if we had acted in the state of innocence, we should rather dispose of grace, than grace of us.  
To explain therefore the power of this Divine influence according to the most common opinion and most constant with S. Augustine; it consists me thinks in a certain sweet elapse, shedding itself into the will, charming it so agreeably, that 'tis transported by it, doing nothing but by the motion of this suavity, which becomes infallibly victorious, surmounting the delectation that captivated the will. If it produce not always this last effect, it fails not to produce some others. For if it disengage not the sinner's soul, it breathes into him some desire of his liberty, imprints some motions into him that make him sigh; if it breaks not his chains, it easeth the weight of them, and enables him to form some good designs, or conceive some good wishes. But whatever man does, 'tis grace still that makes him do it; it is more the principle of his action then himself: and seeing it produceth in him according to the language of the great Apostle, both to will and to do, he is obliged to say with the same Apostle, that he owes all that he is, and all that he doth to Grace, and that the glory he expects, is rather the reward of grace, then of his merits.  
From all this Discourse 'tis easy to judge that this last opinion comprehends the two other; that it unites force with sweetness in grace; that it may prevail upon man without wiolence: It respects the Majesty of God, because it gives him the absolute disposal of his creature: it spares the liberty of man, 
Certum est nos velle cum volumus, sed ille facit ut velimus bonum; certum est nos facere cum facimus, sed ille facit ut faciamus praebendo vires efficacissimas voluntati. Aug.  because it subjects it only to pleasure, which is never more welcome than when forced: and gives it a share in the work of salvation, because it confesseth with Saint Augustine, that he acts with the grace that makes him act: Ageris ut agas, & bene agis si à bono agaris  
There remains one difficulty which I am content to propound without resolving: To wit, whether Grace always mingle force with sweetness to convert a sinner, or to guide a just person; for it seems there are some souls that God deals roughly with, which taste no inward sweetness at all: and destitute of all delectation, act only by the strength and faithfulness of their grace. They are continually plunged in grief and sorrow; they may bespeak God as Job did in the midst of his afflictions, Mutatus es mihi in crudelem; and they may boast with the Apostle, that all their strength consists in their weakness: Tunc potens sum cum infirmor. I know very well that Saint Augustine never separates force from sweetness in grace, and that where ever he describes it victorious, he describes it agreeable. But may we not say also, that this great Doctor hath spoken of Grace, as he had experience of it himself; and being disengaged from sinful pleasures by innocent ones, believed all graces sweet: and that the particular conduct God had observed towards his soul, was his general proceeding with all others. In a word, Mystical Divines and Spiritual Guides seem to acknowledge ways wherein God separates light from force, and force from sweetness, though in both these he fail not to promote souls in piety. But because Saint Augustine hath given no notice of them in his works, let us hold ourselves to his conceptions, and say, that if there are graces where light and force are more sensible than sweetness, there are none where sweetness is not mixed with force and light, and the sweetness so much more effectual, that being more intimate, 'tis less known to the understanding and more remote from sense.   

The sixth DISCOURSE. That the names Saint Augustine gives Christian Grace, bear witness 'tis effectual.  
MAn is so free that he cannot endure any thing that checks his liberty; he is more afraid of servitude, then of death; he had rather die a Freeman then live a Slave; and if liberty were not to be found in Heaven, I question whether he could find in his heart to be happy: 'Tis the love he hath to this advantage, which serves him for excuse of his greatest crimes. If he repine to live in a Monarchy, 'tis because he conceives the absolute power of Sovereign's inconsistent with the liberty of their subjects: If he cannot submit to Laws, 'tis because he is persuaded they entrench upon his will; and that they will fetter a creature, over whom God will not reign by compulsion; If finally, Christians cannot suffer effectual grace; if the name be distasteful or suspected; and if instead thereof they introduce sufficient grace, 'tis because they believe it reduceth man to a troublesome bondage, excluding merit, and prejudicing liberty: But because there are unjust panic fears, and evils that more hurt the imagination than the body; I design this Discourse to discover the unreasonableness of this apprehension, and to let those that are in love with liberty see that 'tis not incompatible with effectual grace, because this according to Saint Augustine, is a victorious pleasure charming our soul; a triumphant love, predominant over our will, and a powerful persuasion captivating our understanding.  
Forasmuch as God hath made man free, never taking that from him which once he hath bestowed upon him; he could not have employed a more gracious, nor more effectual way to gain him, than pleasure: All creatures are taken with it, and the Poet had reason to say, There is nothing that is not sweetly mastered by pleasure. The Ambitious seek not so much the reputation in honours, as the pleasure, because they contemn them assoon as they cease to be agreeable. The Covetous is not so much provoked with profit, as pleasure in the desire of wealth, because he spends many times prodigally to procure other things that more delight him; Nay, the Lascivious wanton, is not so much in love with beauty as with pleasure, because he placeth his affection sometimes upon objects that have no appearance of beauty, and many times forsakes a handsome woman to court a deformed one; Thus pleasure is a powerful charm, that masters all hearts, plunders liberties, and makes slaves that never complain of their bondage, because they are voluntary. Lovers that seek the secret of purchasing affection, study nothing but complacency, being assured they shall produce love in that heart where they have begot pleasure. Flatterers never insinuate into the minds of great men, but by rendering themselves acceptable; nor do their false Commendations steal in at the ears, but because pleasure takes up the place of truth. The very Devils, though our mortal enemies seduce us not, but because they please us; and had they not found out the art of mixing pleasure with sin, all their temptations would be fruitless. But the will of man, though never so free, hath such an inclination toward pleasure, that did she never so strongly barracado herself, she could not possibly resist it: she holds out against truth, because she is blind and sees not the beauties 'tis adorned with; she secures herself against violence, because she is free, and naturally opposeth whatever seems to encroach upon her liberty; she does not acquiesce in reason, because she is deaf; nor hears any discourse but such as charms the understanding by convincing it; But pleasure hath allurements which she can no ways withstand: she trembles when ever it sets upon her, she is afraid to lose her liberty in his presence; and knowing the power it hath over her inclinations, she calls in sorrow to her succour to guard her against this pleasing enemy.  
If it be true, that pleasure reigns absolutely over the will, we need not think it strange that grace which is nothing else but a victorious suavity, hath such advantage over her; for besides, that this Heavenly influence surpasseth all the delights in the world that charm us, having more allurements than glory and beauty that makes so many Lovers and Martyrs, it insinuates much deeper into the will than whatever ravisheth us mortals. 
Tunc enim bonum concupisci incipit cum dulcescere incipit: ergo benedictio dulcedinis est gratia Dei qua fit in nobis ut nos delectet & cupiamus, hoc est amemus quod praecipit nobis. Aug.  Being in the hands of Jesus Christ, whom nothing can resist, it glides into the very Centre of our heart, making impressions there that are never more strong than when they are most agreeable; thence it cashieres all pleasures that have unjustly usurped upon us, and knowing all the weaknesses of the place it sets upon, we need not wonder if she make herself mistress. Other pleasures enter not into the will, but at the gate of the senses; they have lost half their strength before they can make their approach; and her inclinations being unknown to them, they many times cause aversion intending to procure love: But grace woos the heart without the mediation of the senses, and more powerful than pleasures that act not upon all the faculties of the soul, carries light into the understanding, faithfulness into the memory, and pleasure into the will; so that we need not wonder if the sinner suffer himself to be overcome by a Divine quality that sheds delight into all the powers and faculties of the soul.  
That which Grace effects thus agreeably by pleasure, it brings to pass more powerfully by Love: For according to the judgement of S. Augustine, 
Amor imperiü babet super omnes animae vires, propter hoc quod ejus objectum est bonum. Aristo. & Di. Tho.  and when God means to convert a sinner, his sole design is to make him his Lover. Love is the Master of all hearts; There is no impossibility this passion undertakes not; Miracles are his sports, and all the prodigies Antiquity hath teemed with, are nothing but the effects of this Sovereign. Scripture is never more eloquent than when it intends to express the force thereof: nothing satisfies it in this design; all words seem too weak to express its conceptions, and finding no comparisons that answer the dignity of the subject, it descends to the Tombs, where having considered the Trophies of death, is forced to confess that his power equals not that of Love: it passeth to the very Centre of the Earth, observes the unrelenting hardness of Hell, and comparing the pains of the damned with the anxiety of lovers, leaves us in doubt whether Hell or Love be more pitiless.  
But not to aggravate his power by such strange comparisons, let it suffice to judge of him by his effects: Though he be the son of the Will, yet is he the Master; he disposeth so absolutely of his Mother, that she hath no motions but what her Son inspires her with: she undertakes nothing but by his orders; 'tis the weight that sets her a going; the Loadstone that attracts her; the King that governs her; and she so absolutely depends upon his power, that nothing but another love can disengage her: she is so fierce or so free, that neither violence nor fear can tame her; she laughs at tortures, preserves her liberty in the midst of fetters, and many times torments make her but more wilful: Only Love mollifies her hardness, his charms gain upon her what sorrow cannot, and experience teacheth us, there is no surer Command than that which is founded upon Love.  
In the mean time Vanity, which is almost the inseparable companion of Greatness, persuades Kings that 'tis a debasement to seek the love of their subjects; and, seduced by this false Maxim, they endeavour to make themselves feared, not being able to make themselves beloved. But God, who hath form the heart of man, and knows how they may be vanquished without being forced, owes all his Conquests to his Love; he never appears more absolute, then when he tames a rebellious Will, when of an Enemy he makes a Lover, and, changing his inclinations, sweetly compels him to fall in love with him. 
Forinsecus terret per Legem, intrinsecus delectat per Amorem. Aug.  His Power sparkles in his Corrections; he astonisheth sinners, when he loosens the mountains from their foundations, when he makes the earth shake under their feet, the thunder rumble over their heads, and threatens the world with an universal Deluge, or a general Conflagration: But all these menaces convert not the Guilty; the fear that terrifies them, reduceth them not to their duty; their heart remains criminal, when their mouths and their hands be innocent; and if God inspire not his love into them, he punisheth indeed their offence, but changeth not their Will: This prodigious Metamorphosis is reserved for his love; 'tis his charity that must triumph over rebels; nor is there any thing, but his Grace, that by its imperious sweetness can oblige a sinner to love him.  
I am not afraid to injure man's Liberty in using terms so significant; because, supposing Grace nothing but Love, it can do no violence to the Will: for, of all the things in the world, there is none freer than Love: A man cannot complain that he is forced, when nothing but charms of affection are employed to gain him: and if there are some Lovers that have blamed the rigour of their mistresses, there is none that have found fault with their love: If it be an Evil, 'tis a voluntary one; it hurts none but those that willingly embrace it; and of so many punishments that torment us, there is none more innocent, because none more free: Crowns may be snatched from Sovereigns, Confidence may be taken from Philosophers, Orators may be convinced, any man may lose his life; but whatever stratagems are made use of, whatever violence men practise, a Lover cannot be forced, nor his love extorted from him. Seeing then Grace is nothing but Charity, and Charity nothing but a holy Love; we must not apprehend violence, nor imagine that the assaults of this divine quality can at all injure our Liberty, because it does not disengage us from evil, but by obliging us to love God.  
If Grace cannot force our Will because it is a victorious love, it ought less to constrain it; because, according to the language of S. Augustine, 'tis a pleasant persuasion: For this great man considering that he was to deal with  on one side, and the Power of Grace on the other; that he was to maintain the Empire of God, and the Liberty of Man; he hath always expressed himself so happily, that he never prejudiced either: and as indeed Grace never forceth Man, but persuades him, it holds something of Eloquence or of Reason that triumphs over Liberty without compelling it. Rhetoric is an Art that teacheth us to persuade Truth; Orators are agreeable Sovereigns that bear rule over the minds of their Auditors, that calm their Passions, change their Designs, 
Quid enim inter Pisistratum & Periclem interfuit, nisi quod ille armatus, hic sine armis tyrannidem gessel Cicer.  and gently force their Wills: Therefore was it unhandsomely done of that Ancient to compare Pericles with Pisistratus, because this Tyrant domineered but over men's Bodies, that Orator exercised a dominion over their Souls: the one made use of Violence, the other employed nothing but Sweetness: the one procured the hatred of his Subjects, the other the love of his Auditors: For no man could complain of Pericles, because he used nothing but Eloquence to persuade; his Command was founded upon Reason, his chief Force consisted in Truth, he subjected no Understandings but by clearing them, nor changed any men's Wills but in taking them by their interests or their inclinations.  
In a word, Eloquence may boast herself a Sovereign that reigns without arms, subdues people by her word, convinceth Philosophers by her reasons, and subjects Monarches by her power: She protects the Innocent, comforts the Distressed, condemns or absolves the Guilty; and as she animates the Advocates or the Judges, produceth different miracles in their souls. Whether she inchant the Ears by the harmonious cadencies of her Periods, whether she excite love and hatred by her gestures, her principal design is to master the Liberty of Man. She sets not upon the Understanding, but to gain the Will; she appears complacent, that she may be persuasive; nor doth she require the attention or her auditors, but that she may get their consent: 'Tis true, never any man complains of her violence, because she is sweet; and he that hath changed his mind at the hearing of an Orator, never accused him of Tyranny. 'Tis certainly upon this ground that S. Augustine calls Grace a powerful persuasion; because, imitating Eloquence, it clears our Spirits, calms our Passions, and gains our Consent: It hath this advantage over Eloquence, that it hath no need of our Ears to win our Hearts; it transmits' itself, by itself, into the inmost recesses of the soul; finds out Reason in her Throne, without employing the Senses; carries Light into the Understanding, and kindles Love in the Will. Thus she persuades what she will to the obstinate, subdues rebels without arms, makes her Subjects will what she desires they should; and when she displays all her forces, she works the conversion of a sinner in a moment. This certainly was the power Jesus Christ made use of, when he laid Saint Paul flat at his feet, when he converted that Persecutor into an Apostle, changed his heart and his tongue, and made him that breathed nothing but murder, say, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? He lost not his Liberty, for having lost his Fury; he changed not his Nature, for having changed his Judgement; nor can we say that the persuasion that gained his consent, was less free or more violent for being so sudden. Grace knows how to be obeyed, without making us slaves; she can persuade without compelling, and, more powerful than Eloquence, is able to make us love what we hated before. That great Orator that guided the Roman Commonwealth with his Tongue, and made his opinion so dexterously pass into the soul of his Auditors: that gallant man, I say, hath wrought miracles by his Eloquence, which we have much ado to allow the grace of Jesus Christ to effect. He could boast that he altered the resolution of Caesar, defending the cause of Ligarius; that he shook the papers out of the hands, and the hatred out of the heart of that Conqueror; that he made him recall the sentence he had already pronounced in his soul; that he overcame him by his Reasons, that fubdued all by his Arms; and trampled upon the pride of a Tyrant that had triumphed over the Liberty of Rome. In the mean time, we have much ado to believe that Grace can work miracles; we weaken its Virtue, to preserve our own : we are not content that Jesus Christ should be as powerful as an Orator: and when we hear of these victorious Graces, and of these invincible persuasions, we imagine as if there were a design to oppress the public Liberty: Let us ascribe that to Grace, which we grant to Eloquence: let us confess that the Son of God knows how to imprint Truth in our spirit, and Love in our heart, to persuade us infallibly: let us acknowledge that he is not to seek by what stratagems to gain our inclinations; that his Grace, more intimate than Concupiscence, is able to become the mistress of our Wills; and whatever command she exerciseth over us, she never destroys our Liberty, because she hath no other design then to enfranchise it out of servitude.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. That we may judge of the power of Grace over the Christian, by that of Concupiscence over the Sinner.  
FOrasmuch as the things of the world never appear with greater lustre than when they are set in opposition against their contraries, I conceive in this Discourse I shall not do amiss to confront Concupiscence with Grace, and discover the excellency of the Remedy, by the greatness of the Disease: For 'tis very true, that a man cannot comprehend the dominion of Grace, if he conceive not rightly of the tyranny of Concupiscence over the Will. These two Sovereigns have so much resemblance in their contrariety, that they make use of the same arms, and employ the same means to execute their designs: they subject men by ways altogether alike, and deal with policy and power, fair means and foul, to make themselves mistresses. For, if we believe S. Augustine, a man no less skilled in the state of Sin then of Grace, he will acquaint us that Concupiscence is the law of the sinner, acting impetuously over his Will, 
Concupiscentia lex peccati est; sequentes duxit nos, & postca renitentes traxi● nos. Aug. in Psal. 64.  applying it in all his actions, so that he undertakes nothing but by the orders of this proud and domineering usurper: she hath gained such a power over his Liberty, that he acts only by her impulses: if he speak, she moves his tongue; if he looks about, she open't his eyes; if he act, she manageth his hands; and so absolutely commands all that belongs unto him, that Concupiscence seems to inform and quicken him. Though she exercise so absolute a power over his person, she so well tempers sweetness with force, that he never complains of his bondage: he loves the Tyrant that devours him, he loseth his liberty with pleasure, he finds content in his vassalage, and, what is more unconceivable, he makes haste to a precipice, and embraceth death with satisfaction, whenever this cruel Sovereign commands him. 'Tis in effect Concupiscence that obligeth the Covetous to pass the Seas, to descend into the depths, and to surmount all dangers that accompany the search of riches: 'Tis she that engageth the Ambitious in such desperate designs, where death is always mixed with glory, and where a man must resolve to kill or be killed, to purchase reputation: 'Tis she that imbarks the lascivious in their infamous pursuits, where shame is the inseparable attendant of pleasure, where a man must lose his own liberty to attain that of another, and become a slave, that he may be a master. In the mean time, if we ask all these Martyrs of Concupiscence, we shall see by their answers, there's not one of them that groans under his irons, that's troubled for the loss of his honour or liberty, nor makes the least attempt to break those chains that fetter him: Had Tyrants but found this artifice, they would reign more absolutely than Kings; and making Love succeed Hatred, they would be the delight of their Subjects: But nothing but Concupiscence hath discovered this Secret, which according Sweetness with Violence, knows how to make herself beloved and obeyed by sinners.  
Nevertheless we must confess that Grace is as absolute over Christians; and taking pattern from the proceeding of Concupiscence, reigns over them with as much power as love. For, to express in a few words the Sovereign power of Grace, we must say with S. Augustine, that 'tis she that makes us act, that masters our Understanding, possesseth our Will, 
Facit utvelimus bonum gratia, facit ut faciamus, operatu● velle & perficere, praebet vires efficacissimas voluntati. Aug. de Gra. & Lib. arb. c. 16.  and is the principle of all our good works: She acts with the Just, as Concupiscence doth with Sinners; she is the mistress of their Actions; and, if we believe the great Apostle, 'tis Grace that worketh in us to will and to do. For, as the Sinner loseth not his Liberty for being the slave of Concupiscence; ceaseth not to act by himself, though guided by another; nor doth this external principle, because the first mover that sets him a-work, exempt him from sin: so the Believer is not constrained for being subject to Grace; he ceaseth not to operate, though moved by the holy Spirit; and, for having another principle of his actions then his Will, fails not to merit eternal life. But as Concupiscence is imperious, carrying the heart by her assaults, prescribing Laws which he inviolably keeps; Grace produceth the same effects in the Faithful; her orders are religiously observed; she makes those act she enlivens, and, seizing upon their Wills, causeth them exactly to put in execution whatever she commands.  
S. Augustine will explain these Truths to us better than another: Let us make up this Discourse with his Reasons, 
Deus est qui operatur in nobis & velle & oprari: non sicut isti sentiunt tantummodo Scientiam revelando, ut novetimus quod faciamus; sed etiam inspirando charitatem, ut ea quae discenso novimus, etiam diligendo faciamus. Aug.  and respectfully hear the learnedst Doctor of the Church. Grace is not only a Light that clears the Understanding, as Faith or Doctrine doth; her Charity is accompanied with Force; she produceth two effects at the same time: For having taught us the good, she gives us power to perform it; and he that knows it, and does it not, cannot boast that he hath received it of Grace, but from the Law: Therefore is it that our Lord Jesus Christ saith in S. John, that he that is taught of his Father, fails not to come unto him. Omnis qui audivit à Patre, & didicit, venit ad me. Whence S. Augustine concludes, that he that is instructed in this School, always goes to Jesus Christ; and he that goes not, never had the Father for his Master. For Grace warms the Will, at the same time it enlightens the Understanding; it conveys light and heat both together; and working two miracles at one moment, fortifies our Weakness, and warms our Coldness. Her manner of acting is much more excellent than that of Precept, or of the Law: For these two Mistresses strike only the ears or the eyes; they inform not our judgement but by the mediation of our Senses; and though they enlighten the Understanding, they change not the Will: But Grace works by an occult power in the hearts of men, producing there not only true illuminations, but good and constant resolutions. And because the Pelagians always confound Doctrine with Grace, to weaken her virtue, S. Augustine answers them, that, would they christian her with that name, they must represent a wonderful Doctrine that God sheds abroad internally in the soul with an ineffable sweetness, which taught not only Truth, but infused Charity into its disciples.  
He more strongly establisheth this Maxim, in explaining that passage where S. Paul tells us God worketh in us to will and to do: we will, saith this great Doctor; for we are not liveless trunks, or senseless rocks; but God produceth in us this will: we act; for we ought not to be unprofitable; but God produceth in us this action, according to his good pleasure: we are bound to say it, and to believe it; 'tis piety to promote it, that we may with all humility confess that all we do is rather of God then of ourselves. He says the same thing again, speaking of Perseverance, and persuades all the Faithful that their salvation ought to be founded upon their humility, because God hath endued them with Graces whereby they are made acquainted with his power and their own weakness: For he will not have the Saints glorify themselves for their perseverance in good out of their own abilities, but from the assistance of his Grace; neither hath he given them a succour equal to that he bestowed upon the first man, whereby he might have persevered if he would; because foreseeing that they would not persevere, had they not from him the power and the will, he hath given them both out of his pure mercy.  
Indeed their will is so effectually warmed by the holy Spirit, that they are able to do the good, because they will, and they will it, because God hath inspired them with a will to it: For did God abandon them to themselves in this infirmity, which serves as a remedy against their pride, and did he give them no other assistance but that by which Adam might have persevered if he would, they would stoop to the assaults of temptations in the frailty of their flesh; nor would they ever persevere, because the weakness of their will would not suffer them to will the good at all, or to will it so strongly as to do it. Therefore God desiring to secure their misery, hath given them a grace that so moves this rational faculty, that she never resists it; that in her weakness she may be vigorous enough to surmount all the adversities of life. But because these manners of speeches might persuade the ignorant, that a grace that acts so energetically would destroy liberty, Saint Augustine instructs us, that her force consists in her sweetness, that she works upon the will only by the pleasure she there produceth; nor that she is victorious, but because she is agreeable.  
This is the second truth that remains to be proved, to satisfy my promise, and to manifest the last resemblance between Concupiscence and Charity: Though the former be sometimes so violent that she hardly leaves the sinner any liberty to resist, she never employs force to extort his consent: she is not of the humour of those tyrants, which make use of nothing but torments to reduce their subjects to their designs, and knowing that Empires are preserved by the same means they are acquired, endeavour to keep that by cruelty they have gotten by violence: But she corrupts the will by pleasure, proposing nothing but what is delightful; she dexterously mixeth smiles with frowns, profit with loss, glory with shame, and so artificially disguiseth the objects she presents sinners with, that they complain not even in the midst of their torments: 'Tis she that sweetens the laborious travels of Conquerors, charms the discontents of the Covetous, comforts the Lascivious in the tortures that accompany their wantonness: she gilds the chains of all lthe slaves that follow her, makes them acceptable, when she cannot make them glorious, sowing pleasure where she cannot sow profit nor reputation: Thence it comes to pass that her Empire is so firmly established among finners, that to destroy it, grace must change their wills, subduing the vanity of their criminal pleasures by the truth of her innocent delights.  
For she walks in the steps of her enemy; she imitates her she intends to ruin, and benefiting by her wiles, she never sets upon the will of a sinner, but she is seconded with pleasure; her chief Stratagem is to render virtue agreeable, to take off that austerity that suffers her not to be accosted, and to lay all her Stoical morosity upon the face of sin. This is it that Saint Augustine declares by those words, where he exhorts a sinner to be converted: Confess yourselves saith he in the presence of? Almighty God, and you shall obtain from his bounty, that the virtue which seemed so stern, will seem sweet and easy: When he hath wrought this first miracle, you shall find that facile which now you apprehend as impossible; you shall have as much satisfaction in justice as formerly you had in iniquity; Sobriety will relish better than drunkenness, you will discern more charms in Alms then in Robbery, and taste a fare richer pleasure in giving your own, then in taking that of your neighbour. Prayer will outvie the Pastimes of the Theatre; Psalms and Hymns will entertain you better than amorous Sonnets, or the Airs of the Court: you will go to Church more cheerfully than ever you went to a Play, and reflecting upon the change of your heart, you will acknowledge Grace the cause thereof; and that the barren ground of your soul bore no fruits, but because the Lord hath been pleased to water it with the perfumes of his Divine Influences: For 'tis an undoubted Maxim, that Good though never so excellent, gins not to be desired, till it begin to be pleasurable; Though it have more charms than beauty, more lustre than glory, more invitations than profit: if it convey not pleasure into the will, it knows not how to beget love; Pleasure is the Loadstone that draws all hearts that are capable of love; 'tis the poison that distils into the heart of all sinners, and the only answer they return those that condemn them: They oppose nothing but pleasure against all reproaches; and when truth itself accuseth them, they have but one reason wherewith to defend themselves; they cannot forsooth leave that they take so much delight in. Indeed they would never sin, did not pleasure solicit them; nor would the Devil ever master their will, did he not make use of pleasure to gain their consent: He employs the same devices against them, he did against our first Father; he makes use of the flesh to gain the spirit, as he dealt with the woman to seduce the man; he tries by suggestion to produce pleasure in his heart, that pleasure may quicken sin: He knows that this Commander is too free to be compelled, but he knows also that he is too amorous to hold out, if he call not in another to his aid whereby he may be defended.  
This also is the way God deals with souls to gain them; he useth not his power, but his sweetness; he employs not his threats, but his promises; and when he intends to vanquish a creature, he makes not use of pain, but of pleasure; he combats sensual delights with spiritual ones; he opposeth the charms of virtue against the allurements of sin; he inspires thoughts so sweet and so powerful, that they blot out all those of the Earth: and knowing very well that the Will always complies with the more predominant delectation that solicits her; he is content to be liked, that he may be victorious: For if Concupiscence contest with Grace about the conquest of a heart, she that promiseth the highest pleasure shall prevail; and though never so free, the Helen will be overcome by the temptation if it appear more agreeable than the Law of God. Therefore when Jesus Christ undertakes our Conversion, he infuses into our souls innocent pleasures, which are more prevalent than those of sin; he unmasks the beauties of virtue, he charms us with her allurements, and ravisheth our hearts by holy delights that make his Grace victorious.  
Then is it that we resist the temptations of Satan, that we contemn the revolts of the flesh, and raised above ourselves are amazed that such weak enemies have been able heretofore to worst us: Then is it that the Martyrs run to the Faggot, that enchanted with this pleasure that overcomes their spirit, they triumph over Devils and Executioners, trample upon flames and wild Beasts, and turn the cruelty of tyrants into wonder and admiration. Must not the pleasure that charms them be exceeding powerful, when they tumble upon hot burning coals as upon a bed of roses? When they swallow down melted lead, as most delicious liquours? Receive wounds a favours? Prefer Prisons before Palaces, Gibbets before Thrones, and Crowns of Thorns before those of Diamonds? Is not this that victorious pleasure that transports maids out of the dwellings of their parents, burying them alive in cloisters, and changing their inclinations, obligeth them to quit gold and silk, to put on hair and sackcloth? Is it not this innocent pleasure that makes them neglect the advantages of their birth, and persuading them that virtue is the beauty of the soul, obliges them to despise the charming comeliness of the face? Is it not finally this Grace as imperious as agreeable, that animates the Religious against themselves, that arms their hands to revenge the Son of God, whom they have offended, and making a just indignation the parent of a holy love, obliges them to persecute themselves? Let us conclude then from all this Discourse, that Grace cannot force man, because it is so sweet; and that the most prevalent never destroys our liberty, because its power consists in gentleness; But withal let us confess, that she is victorious in all her designs, that she finds no resistance in the most obstinate sinners, because she charms their wills by pleasures, which seem the first fruits of those they shall reap in glory, and which make the miserable taste one part of that felicity here, the blessed seed upon in Heaven.   

The Eighth DISCOURSE. That Effectual Grace destroys not Sufficient Grace.  
IF it be a truth that Nature hath some secrets that cannot be discovered, that she conceals her virtue when she means to produce a wonder, and steals out of the sight of her dearest lovers, when she deals in mysteries; we need not think it strange that God the Author of Nature reveals not his designs to all the world, and that there are some so profound, that his most intimate friends are not acquainted with. The Oeconomy of man's salvation is so involved, that all those that go about to explain it are in danger to mistake; all foundations their reason relies upon in this matter, are so infirm, that having well discoursed, they are obliged to confess their ignorance, and adore the wisdom of God that hath reserved to himself the disposal of his creatures. Neither indeed do I pretend to examine his designs, nor to penetrate his intentions, but to search out the meaning of Saint Augustine, and to see in this Discourse whether he believed the order established in the state of Innocence to be so ruined, that there remained no footstep of it in the world; and whether he judged Effectual Grace so absolutely necessary, that he held Grace sufficient merited by Jesus Christ to be altogether useless.  
Though the sin of Adam hath corrupted the Nature of man, though all men are born Delinquents, their inclinations irregular, and the faculties of their souls weakened; yet must we confess with Saint Augustine, that this disorder cannot deface the Characters God hath stamped upon his workmanship. Reason serves for a Law to Insidels, and teacheth them what the Law of Moses taught the Israelites: all her lights are not put out, and in the midst of that darkness wherein infidelity hath plunged her, 
Nulla est anima quamvis perversa quae tamen ratiocinari potest in cujus conscientia non loquatur Deus: quis enim legem naturalem scripsit in cordibus hominum nisi Deus? Aug.  she retains some knowledge of her Creator; The passions that trouble her and the senses that seduce her, cannot yet persuade her that the body ought to be her Sovereign: neither is there any sinner so brutish, but knows that of two parts that compose him, the noblest ought too be the most absolute. Notwithstanding all the injustice which swarms amongst men, it cannot blot out of their souls this maxim, that Nature hath engraven there: What thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not to another; and had neither Lawgivers nor Philosophers forbidden Murders & Adulteries, there was a Judge within them had made an Edict against both these iniquities: So that we may say in their very infidelity they had the first Principles of Religion and Morality; and if they discerned not in God the Trinity of Persons, they knew at least the Unity of his Essence.  
If all these advantages be the relics of Original righteousness, and the splinters of that great shipwreck where Nature was wholly lost in one man; If the seeds of virtues be the steps of the innocence in men, and if Conscience that punisheth Criminals, be an expression of Divine Justice, I am easily persuaded to believe, that there remains some assistance for Infidels that solicits them to the practice of virtue, and gives them some thoughts of their salvation in the midst of Paganism itself. 
Qui est salvator omnium hominum, maxim fidelium. 1 Tim. 4.  For if the Son of God died for all men, and hath merited some favours for them which Nature since her prevarication could not hope for without him; I doubt not but the Eternal Father inspires them with some good motions to satisfy the desires of his only Son, and that those glorious actions they have performed, and which according to the judgement of Saint Augustine deserve some commendations, are the price of the blood of that dying sacrifice: If they have not faith, they had perhaps some glimmerings, which as the dawning had something of the brightness of the day, something of the obscurity of the night: if they wanted charity, they have had some supernatural love which was not strong enough to defend them from self-love; and as fear though servile, is the gift of God, this love though interessed, may be the effect of Grace; They acted not always according to the motions of Concupiscence; Their captived will had some release according to the assistance they received from Heaven; Their reason illuminated with a divine light, and their will seconded with a supernatural force, resisted some sins, and made them more innocent, or less guilty than others. Saint Augustine acknoweldgeth their actions profitable to the Commonwealth, that their virtue though imperfect, carried lustre with it, and though no way comparable to that of true believers, had notwithstanding beauty enough to condemn one day bad Christians.  
But admit the virtue of Infidels be false, that hinders not but they may have some assistance from Heaven to discern good from evil, and to take from them that excuse wherewith the pride of man shelters itself having sinned through ignorance. This was the motive that induced God to give the Law to the Jews, 
Nulli enim hominum ablatum est scire utiliter quaerere: Non tibi deput atur a● culpam quod invitus ignorat, se● quod negligis quaerere quod ignoras. Aug.  and 'tis the same that prevailed with him to indulge the Heathen some light, which in my opinion cannot render them more culpable, if it did not withal render them more capable to shake hands with sin. This is it perhaps that Saint Augustine means in the nineteenth Chapter of his third Book of , where he grants that God hath deprived no body of the means to seek after truth: and that the power of finding it is common to all men. If their mind may be enlightened with some heavenly light, their will may be touched with some regret for their offences, they may have good thoughts and good motions which they reject; their being in Infidelity puts them not yet in the state of Reprobation: God makes some difference between these delinquents and the damned; he deals not with them as with the devils: and if it be true that he suspends the torments of these, I can easily be persuaded that he withholds the sins of those, and that they have graces that disengage their Will for some moments from the tyranny of Concupiscence. They act not always under the conduct of this enemy; and though they are his slaves, yet they have a Sovereign, who, never losing his rights, can defend them when he please.  
S. Thomas, the truest Interpreter, and most knowing disciple of S. Augustine, was of the same opinion, neither intended to descent from his Master: He judged right with him, that whatever is done among Infidels, and among Christians, by the instigation of Concupiscence, is sin: but he did not believe that Mercy had utterly forsaken the Heathen, and that she imparts no Grace unto them, which, though leaving them in error, disengageth them many times from sin. If there be supernatural assistances that prepare us for Faith, and make us conceive some good thoughts, before we be made Believers, there may also be some, which, not drawing the Heathen out of their Infidelity, may preserve them from the committing of some offences, and make them perform some actions which relate to the Supreme Good imperfectly known, and imperfectly loved.  
When God heretofore converted the Heathen, 
Concilium Tridentinum pronunciat Anathem a in eos qui dicunt opera omnia quae ante justificationem quacunque ratione facta sint vera esse peccata. Sess. 6. Can. 7.  he gave them not the light of Faith all at once; this virtue was ushered in by some good dispositions; there were some moments wherein they were Infidels and sinned not, wherein they acted by the conduct of Grace, and not by that of Charity; and when following the inspirations of heaven, they were not actually in sin, though habitually they still remained it. There is some Grace that is not absolutely inconsistent with Infidelity, because there is some love that is not altogether incompatible with sin; and as every day sinners feel supernatural motions that lift them up towards God, and oblige them to do good works, we may say also that Infidels receive some extraordinary supply that rectifies their intentions, 
Ex quo apparet habere quosdam in ipso ingenio divinumquoddā naturaliter munus intelligentiae quo moveantur ad fidem si congrua suis mentibus vel audiant verba, vel figna conspiciant. Aug. de bono Perseus. cap. 14.  and makes them act for a supernatural and divine end.  
And certainly, they are not destitute of all Graces, because S. Augugustine observes some in them, which he acknowledgeth not in the Jews: For, explaining that famous and difficult passage where Jesus Christ assures us that those of Tyre and Sidon had certainly repent, had they seen the miracles he did in Judea; this great Doctor avows, that the Tyrians were not so blind nor so hardened as the Jews; that they had one advantage, which holding from Nature and Grace, prepared them for Faith; A naturally-divine gift of understanding, whereby they are moved to Faith: that they had believed the miracles of the Son of God, had they had the honour to have seen them, Quoniam credidissent si qualia viderunt isti, signa vidissent; and that this Grace had produced its effect, had the circumstance whereon it depended intervened: But though it gave them a power of being converted, 'twas as useless to them, as Christ's miracles were to the Jews, because neither of them were of the number of the predestinated, Sed nec illis profuit quod credere poterant, quia praedestinati non erant.  
The same Doctor is not far from this opinion, when writing against Julian, he saith to that Heretic, that they were more equitable than he, who ascribed the virtues of the Heathen to the assistance of heaven, and not to their own ; and who granted them some grace in their Infidelity, which they acknowledged after their conversion. Perhaps the impulse of S. Dennis at the death of the Son of God, was of this kind, That the Oracle he pronounced was inspired into him from heaven, and that he felt the effects of the Cross before he knew the virtue thereof. 'Tis to no purpose to object that S. Augustine slights this opinion, having judged it not so bad as that of the Pelagians; and that he condemns it, 
Sed absit ut sit in aliquo vera virtus nisi fuerit justus; absit autem ut sit justus vere nisi vivat ex fide: justus enim ex. fide vivit.  when he protests that there is no solid virtue, where there is not a lively Faith, and true Justice: For, if we take those words in the strictest acception, we must confess that sinners whose Faith is dead, can do no good works; and that all those that are not just, can practise no virtue: Sinners are as arrogant as Infidels; they contemn the humility of the Son, which they do not imitate; they are the slaves of the devil, whose motions they follow; and that remainder of Faith, that languisheth in their soul, seems to serve only to render them more culpable than the Heathen. When therefore S. Augustine saith that the virtue of these is not true, because not quickened by Faith, he speaks certainly of a perfect virtue agreeable to God, profitable to him that practifeth it, and which may merit eternal life for him. Now there is no man but sees that the virtue of Heathens and Sinners hath not these conditions; and though it proceed from a good Principle, and respect a lawful End, may yet be styled deficient, because, according to the Maxim of Aristotle, 
Bonum ex integra Causa, malum ex quolibet defectu. Aristo.  an action is bad when it labours under any defect. After all this Argumentation, I cannot but confess that the graces of Infidels are very rare; and if they remain subject to their liberty, they will not deliver them from their errors: But they are more common among Christians, and act more powerfully over their Wills, because there they find less resistance.  
This Proposition is evident according to the principles of S. Augustine, because in a thousand places of his Writings he will have Faith teach us to pray, and that Supplication obtain that succour that is necessary for the subduing of Concupiscence. I know very well that Prayer supposeth Grace, that a man must be instructed in the School of the holy Ghost, to speak to the Eternal Father; but it seems this grace is offered to all the Faithful, serving us for a defence in our infirmity; and that as in all times our enemies may assault us, we may in all times also defend our: selves. For if the Grace of Prayer were not easy and common, it never had been ordained of God for the obtaining of all others; and we should have some reason to complain of him that hath obliged us to have recourse to that Asylum, if it were not more in out disposal then those things we entreat by means thereof. This remedy is as common as it is easy; 'tis a favour which God refuseth not but to some notorious offenders: a man must often have rejected it, to be deprived of its assistance; and it seems that the soul that is inanimated with habitual Grace, hath some right and power to flee to Prayer, when dejected with sorrow, or assaulted by temptation.  
The hardening of Sinners is another proof of the Truth I endeavour to promote: For since, according to the doctrine of S. Augustine, this punishment is nothing else but the withdrawing of Grace, 
Obdurate Deus non impertiendo gratiam; quibus enim non impertitur, nec digni sunt, nec merentur. Aug.  we must needs confess that those who are not yet hardened, have some grace gently bearing them on to piety, which solicits their consent, and, not using an absolute power, as effectual Grace doth, separates them withal from those God hath utterly given over, and from those God conducts to heaven by more sure ways, and more powerful motions.  
Thence it comes to pass that S. Augustine preaching to his people, and letting them see the great danger in despising those good inspirations that come from heaven, said, that sinners sometimes could not be converted, though they had a will to it, because they would not do it when they had the power. Impius, saith this great Doctor, dum vult non potest, quia dum potuit noluit. I know some Divines take that wicked one for Adam, who making no use of his grace whereby he had power to act, lost it for himself and for all his posterity; and say that 'tis he S. Augustine speaks of in that passage: But whoever shall take good notice of his intention, will clearly perceive that he ascends not so high as Paradise, that he complains not of the first man only, but of all his children, who neglect the power they have to do good, and justly are deprived of it, for not having made use thereof. Otherwise sinners would lay all their faults upon the person of Adam, and esteeming themselves more unfortunate than sinful, would blame S. Augustine for accusing them to have abused a power they never had.  
But nothing better confirms sufficient grace, than our refusing to obey it. Experience teacheth us, there are Divine sweetnesses which are not always victorious: Grace triumphs not continually, when it combats sin: S. Augustine often found that his ill habits were more prevalent than the invitations of Grace; and that his Will, like a Needle between two Lodestones, quitted the more feeble and innocent pleasure, to close with the stronger and more criminal: Had Grace been effectual, she had not received this shameful repulse; her first attempts had gained this sinner; and S. Augustine, after he had tasted the innocent delights of holy love, would not have longed to drink of the muddy waters of Voluptuousness. But were all their designs of Grace followed with their effects, did this Conqueress of Hearts fight no battles that were not accompanied with victories; the Saints, whose confessions are as true as they are humble, would never accuse themselves for resisting her motions, and being untrue to her inspirations. For they complain not only of this habitual opposition which is never lost till they are received into glory, and which still subsists in us, even then when Grace hath gotten the mastery; but they complain of an actual opposition which cannot agree with effectual Grace: they acknowledge their resisting the holy Ghost, that their soul, possessed with self-love, disputes with the love of God, and, resenting their weakness, conjure heaven to redouble its batteries, and to make use of some more powerful grace, to bring their rebellious Wills in subjection.  
S. Augustine nor his Interpreters descent from this opinion: for they confess that there are ineffectual Graces which produce indeed some effect in the sinner, but convert him not, and cannot be rightly styled victorious, because they surmount not unlawful and criminal pleasure, which corrupt the Will; so that we may say, This Grace hath not done all that it pretended to do, since fight against her enemy, she was not able to overcome him: For though it be usually answered, that this Grace is effectual, because it always produceth its effect, and that it is felt by the sinner in whose soul she begets a pleasure that tickles him; but is not fully prevalent, because she cannot perfect his conversion, nor disengage him from sin. Me thinks a man may reply, from the principles of S. Augustine, that this Grace is not efficacious, because not victorious; that she rights and is beaten; that she carries not the advantage throughout, which she pretended over her enemy; and that we cannot imagine that having set upon him, her design was not to subdue him. 'Tis easy also to prove that this Grace is sufficient, because it makes war upon sin, endeavours his expulsion, and would certainly be accounted rash or indiscreet, had she undertaken a design beyond her power: Moreover, every one knows, that if the sinner had not fortified Concupiscence by his bad habits, this Grace had been able to convert him, and by its innocent pleasure outvie that criminal sensuality he finds in his iniquity, because he hath a mind to take up his dwelling in it.  
To all this I add the testimony of S. Augustine, which ought to be so much the less suspected, because taken from two places where he seems more strongly to establish the necessity of effectual Grace: For all the world confesseth that this great Doctor never expressed himself more clearly then in the Eleventh Chapter of his Book of Correction and of Grace: There it is that he distinguisheth the grace of Adam from that of Jesus Christ, that he calls the first a grace of Possibility, and the other a grace of effect: 'Tis there that he teacheth that the former was sufficient for man an innocent; that the second is necessary for man a sinner; and that in the disorders and infirmities he daily experienceth, it would be impossible for him to continue any long time victorious, if he had not some more powerful assistance then that of Adam. In the mean time, when he speaks of the Grace of Possibility, he professeth that it is not lost with Innocence, that there remains one like it merited by Jesus Christ; that if God refuse it to some, 'tis out of justice; if he bestow it upon others, 'tis from his Goodness; and if it were in some sort due to Innocent man, 'tis not at all due to man a Criminal; because that Grace which was indulged the just in the Paradise of Eden, is not now given to sinners in the Paradise of the Church. He saith the same thing in the twenty sixth Chapter of the Book of Nature and Grace: 
Non solum supernus medicus sanat vulnera ut illa non sint, sed ut de caetero recte ambulare possimus, quod quidem etiam sani non nisi illo adjuvante poteri●us. Aug.  For comparing the sinner with a man sick, a justified person with one that is whole, he determines that the former hath need of Grace that may cure him, the second of grace that may support him; and as the soundest eye cannot see unless disposed by light, the justest man cannot live if he be not assisted by Grace. This Comparison makes those that are acquainted with the Principles of S. Augustine judge that man perfectly justified stands not in need of a stronger Grace than man an innocent; because, his Will being fully possessed by Charity, 'tis enough that he be endued with assistance that supports him, without any more powerful one to transport and master him.  
For the clearing of this answer, we must remember that Grace in the state of Innocence upheld man, because he was weak; and in the state of sin cured him, because he was diseased. For as the Eye when sound, needs nothing but light to see: but when sore, wants some Collyrium to heal it, and prepare it for sight; So Innocent man needed but one Grace to enlighten him, but sinful man needs a Grace that may cure him. Saint Augustine supposing this comparison saith, that Grace cures a sick man, when it converts a sinner: that being an Eyesalve and a Light, 'tis withal a succour and a remedy; But he adds, when the sinner is made whole and perfectly justified, he hath no more need, as the Eye that is sound, but of one Grace, which having more of Light then of Collyrium, preserves him in the state he is entered into by his Conversion, and treats him more like an Innocent than a Criminal.  
Fairly to reconcile the two parties that contest about this subject, let us say that one and the same Grace may bear two different names: That 'tis sufficient, because the will may resist it; neither doth it always produce the same effects in man a sinner, as in man an Innocent: Let us say thai 'tis Effectual, because never unprofitable, always prevailing by some advantage over our liberty, that it not only clears the understanding, but warms the heart; and being not in vain, as that Sufficient Grace which never doth nothing, nor Omnipotent, neither as that Effecutall Grace that always does what it will: 'tis of a middle temper between both, and may justly bear the name of Sufficient and Effectual. We must nevertheless acknowledge, that this last gins and ends the work of our salvation, that it disengageth our soul from the slavery of Satan, breaks the fetters of those that lie under the tyranny of sin, raiseth up the just, when they fall foully, and putting the last Seal to their Predestination, obtains for them perseverance, without which they can neither conquer upon Earth, nor triumph in Heaven.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. Answers to some Objections that are made against Effectual Grace.  
Innocence's and Truth have this misfortune, that they are often assaulted; but they have this advantage, they still return victorious: The former triumphs over Calumny, the second over Falsehood; The former owes a piece of her beauty to slanderers that would oppress her; The later owes much of her lustre to Heretics that would obscure her. This Maxim is clearly seen in the business of Grace, which never seems more transparent then by doubts, nor better established then by difficulties that oppose it. Indeed all the Objections that have been made against her power, have served only to support her: and as all her combats have been the midwives of her victories, all the writings of her adversaries have erected her so many Trophies. Therefore I should slain her glory, did I not rehearse the principal reasons humane Philosophy hath made use of to destroy her: that their weakness may heighten her force, and the vanity of their attempts occasion one part of her triumph.  
The strongest Engine hath been planted against her, is the Interest of Liberty, which it seems cannot be preserved with the Necessity attributed to Grace: For if she be the mistress of the Will, if she always gain her consent, if she take away her indifferency, and suffer her not to follow her bad inclinations; How can she be free in this Necessity. This Objection is of no force, 
Libertas arbitrii in admittend peccati, & abstinen●i à peccato, possibilitate consistit, ait Julia. lib. 1. operis imper.  because we have not yet rightly conceived the true Idea of Liberty, and know not wherein its essence consists. Some confound Voluntary with Free, and believe that whatever we do voluntarily we do freely, though otherwise we be in some sort necessitated to do it. These certainly are not persuaded that Indifferency is essential to Liberty; but on the contrary, they imagine that as Necessity is a mark of a Will fixed and determined, Indifferency is the argument of a Will doubtful and unresolved. Seneca, who was as jealous of his Liberty as any other Philosopher, was of opinion that Man was never more free in Good, then when he was so strongly fastened to it, that nothing could separate him. We shall better conceive of his meaning, if we well apprehend the difficulty he would resolve. He propounds an Objection which hath much resemblance with those which are started against Grace; and demands if the Stars, which he supposed inanimated, could oblige us by their Light and Influence, because, being necessitated to give us both, it seems they could do no otherwise, and therefore we were not beholding to them. See the Answer he returns to these Philosophers: 'Tis a great argument of a firm Will, not to be able to change; and we are not to imagine that a man will not a thing, when he wills it so strongly that 'tis not in his power not to will it at all: For who is so unadvised as to deny that the Will is free, when she is no longer in danger to quit her resolution to embrace a contrary! nay, who ought not rather to judge that she is never so free, as when her resolution is so firm, that it becomes eternal? Indeed, if we believe he wills a thing who may not will it: Must we not believe that he wills it much more, when he wills it so powerfully, that he is past all danger of not willing it?  
But he could not better resolve this Doubt, then when opposing Constraint against Necessity, he saith, The later may be found with Liberty; and if we have no obligation to a man that does us a courtesy because he was forced to it, we have notwithstanding to him that does it because he cannot do otherwise, and hath imposed this necessity upon himself, with which he cannot possibly dispense. This opinion hath its Reasons to back it; and, though it seem somewhat singular, hath notwithstanding Philosophers for its Protectors, whose judgement 'tis that the Will is never more free than when 'tis less indifferent: For if Liberty, say they, be nothing but a fixation of the Will, we must acknowledge that she is never more free than when, by many indifferent acts, she is so united to her object, that she cannot possibly undo herself. Otherwise perfect Love would deprive us of Liberty; the use of that power would destroy it; and it would follow, that to have a long time acted freely, we should cease to be free. They confess that Indifferency, which they look upon as a weakness of Liberty, is lessened by the power of Love; and the more strongly a man affects a thing, the less indifferency hath he to quit it. But they believe you shall never persuade a Lover that the loss of his Indifferency is the loss of his Liberty; that the more his Passion increaseth, the more his worth diminisheth; and, for being more constant, he is less acceptable to her he loveth.  
There are some Divines of the opinion of these Philosophers; who, finding no Indifferency in Jesus Christ, nor in the Blessed, cannot imagine it inseparable from Liberty. For Jesus Christ was free, because he merited the reconciliation of men with his Father; he was free, because he satisfied for their sins; and all the hope of their salvation is founded as well upon the Liberty as upon the Dignity of his actions: 
Etiamsi esset liberum arbitrium Christi determinatum ad unum numero, sicut ad diligendum Deum quod non facere non potest; tamen ex hoc non amittit libertatem aut rationem laudis sive meriti●nam respectu amoris, est sempiterna & libera electio. D. Thom.  In the mean time, he had no Indifference in respect of Good and Evil; the will of his Father determined his without constraining it; he died necessarily and freely; and seeing his sentence noted in the thought of his Father, he submitted to it by an obedience, which, not being indifferent, ceased not therefore to be perfectly free. Finally, they cannot be persuaded that the Saints have lost their Liberty in the enjoyment of Glory; for having lost their Indifferency: They cannot believe that the Blessed are slaves, that their love is not free because necessary, and that the firmness of their condition cancels the perfection of their Liberty. They add further, that no man shall persuade them that Grace, which is Glory begun, deprives us of Liberty, when it deprives us of Indifferency; not that it reduceth us to the condition of Slaves, because it brings us near to that of the Blessed.  
But as all agree not upon the same Principles; Other Divines, leaning upon Reason and Scripture, will have Indifference inseparable from Liberty in this world; that men may always will Good and Evil, and that they are never so strongly determined to the one, but they may quit it to embrace the other. They judge that Grace does not so fix the Will upon Good, that it takes away her Indifferency, but that there remains some inclination or some capacity towards Evil; so that even when she is determined by Grace, she hath still in the centre of her Being a certain Indifferency, making her capable to change her mind, and to departed from the Supreme Good that possesseth her. According to this Principle, we must say, that as Grace, transporting us, leaves us a power to resist; so also determining us, an Indifferency; That as we may hold out, so may we change if we will; and consequently, there is no moment wherein our Will is not always Indifferent.  
By this 'tis easy to judge that the Council of Trent opposeth not this Opinion, 
Siquis dixerit Liberum arbitrium à Deo motum non posse dissentire si velit, se●velut inanime quoddam nihil omnino agere, anathema sit. Sess. 6. Can. 4.  when it pronounceth an Anathema against those that say that , being moved by Grace, cannot resist it when it will; because, whatever advantage we put upon Grace, we acknowledge she never takes away the power of resisting of God; confessing she leaves us Concupiscence, which holds our Will under her Tyranny: For there are no Saints who at the very instant they yield obedience to Grace, prove not internally a secret opposition to her motions; who groan not to see themselves divided by self-love, and who sigh not with Saint Paul, in that they feel in the recesses of their soul an irregular inclination that combats that of Grace. This domestic sedition makes them long for Glory which hath this advantage over Grace that, destroying all the remainders of sin, and confirming their will in Good, it lifts them to a condition which suffers them no longer to contradict the pleasures of the Almighty. But in expectation of this happy hour, they confess, with as much confusion of face as grief of heart, that though they will not resist him that draws them, they can nevertheless do it; because Grace hath not so strongly rooted them in good, but they may forsake it, should the mercy of God give them over to their own infirmity.  
'Tis then easy enough to comprehend, that Grace, though effectual, takes not away from the greatest Saints the power to resist Jesus Christ: But 'tis very hard to conceive how their complaints are true, and how they can with reason accuse themselves for having been unfaithful to him: For the accusations of Saints ought to be sincere; humility must not make them renounce Truth, nor, to avoid Pride, engage in a Lie: These are two extremes equally dangerous, which all those that are led by the holy Spirit, ought carefully to avoid. In the mean time, they accuse themselves daily before Men and Angels, that they resist Grace, that they abuse his favours, and frustrate his designs: This sin is constantly the first Article of their Confession; they look upon it as the source of all the rest; and these great men, that are better acquainted with the motions of Grace then the learnedst Divines, never speak thereof without regret for having rejected them.  
I profess this Objection seems one of the strongest can be form against Effectual Grace, because I have taken it for a proof of Grace Sufficient; and withal, it seems to clash against the Principles of S. Augustine: for if Grace always produceth her effect, how can we resist it? if she make herself mistress of our Will, how can she meet with rebellion there? and if she manage that faculty with as much force as dexterity, how can we oppose her designs, or stop the conquests of her that S. Augustine so many times calls victorious? I know some Doctors dispatch this difficulty by an Answer that admits of no Reply, and say, that when the Saints complain of their infidelity towards Grace, their meaning is to speak of that which toucheth our Senses, or enlightens our Understandings: and being so well instructed in the School of S. Augustine, they are not ignorant that the true Grace of Jesus Christ infallibly produceth its effect. But this Answer never satisfied me; and I must acknowledge the language of the Saints seems too strong to be expressed by so weak a grace. They speak of their resistance with so much grief, that we may judge by their complaints, that 'tis of the grace of Jesus Christ, which they have abused, that they intent to speak. Some others believe 'tis not an actual resistance that they accuse themselves of, because that is incompatible with effectual grace; but of an habitual resistance that combats the design of Grace, though it hinders not its effect. These seem better grounded then the former, because 'tis true that the greatest Saint in the world hath always an opposition against Grace, as long as there is one degree of self-love; and is contrary to Jesus Christ, as long as he is conformable in any thing to the first Adam. The inordinate intentions which insensibly fasten him to the things of the world, the revolt of the Passions that trouble the repose of his mind, and Concupiscence that weakens Charity, are so many enemies heaving at Grace, and retarding the accomplishment of her designs: But for all this we must confess that this Answer resolves not fully the whole difficulty of the Objection: for besides that this resistance, to speak properly, is not a sin, because 'tis purely habitual, nor renders the Saints more culpable than Concupiscence; we know very well that it impedes not the effect of Grace; and that when God intends to make himself master of the Will, he can as well tame bad Habits as bad Inclinations.  
Therefore have I thought it necessary to add, That there are secret oppositions against Grace, that are unknown to us; That the Will is not so fully possessed by Charity, but Concupiscence shares with her; That there is no inconvenience that she should be inanimated at the same time with two contrary loves, though one be victorious over the other; seeing S. Augustine hath so often confessed, that his heart being divided between two affections, he willed at the same time two things utterly opposite. Or we must say that Grace, though efficacious in the beginning, languisheth in the progress; that when the motion that carried the Will grows weak, Concupiscence awakes, and attempts a victory when she finds least resistance. Thus Grace is worsted in her retreat; self-love takes courage when the love of God gives ground; and this Grace that was victorious in the onset, becomes, as all things in the world, faint and drooping towards the end. If this Answer crosseth the principles of S. Augustine, I disavow it; and if it resolve not the difficulty propounded, I entreat those that shall read this Work to consider, that Grace is not less wondersul than Nature; and if the virtue of the Loadstone hath left so many Philosophers at a loss, we need not wonder if the power of Grace put the Divines in a confusion.   

A Prosecution of the same DISCOURSE; Wherein some other Objections against Effectual Grace are answered.  
Man's Understanding, since the Fall, is of the same condition as the Earth: This is fruitful only in thorns, and bears nothing but briers, if it be not tilled by the labour of the husbandman; and that is fertitle only in errors, and is delivered of nothing but doubts, which rather fight against Truth then defend it: His Ingeny serves him for no other end, but to raise difficulties; his light is always mixed with darkness; and, as if he were of the nature of Spiders, that distil flowers into poison, he changeth truth into errors, and extracts nothing from the fairest Maxims of Religion, but doubts and suspicions. There is nothing more certain in Christianity, than that Grace is the Principle of our Salvation; that she supports our Will, and gives that faculty strength to stand out against Concupiscence. In the mean time, this Truth is the mother of Errors; our understanding hath drawn more darkness thence then light, and the doctrine of Saint Augustine that hath ruined the Pelagians, hath produced more scruples than resolutions amongst Divines: We cannot speak of the dominion of Grace, but we are troubled to secure the liberty of man; We are well content God should be the Master, because we dare not dispute his Sovereignty; 
Non aliud intelligetis arbitrium laudabiliter liberum nisi quod fuerit Dei Gratia liheratum. Aug.  but we are loath man should be his slave, as if we doubted of his Justice, or questioned his Mercy; whatever depends not upon our will, casts us into a sealousie; if Grace be not in subjection to , we cannot be quiet: The example of Adam, who was foiled notwithstanding his Sufficient Grace, cannot cure us of this apprehension, and the violent desire we have to be absolute in all things, makes us seek for our safety in our Independency. The Objections that are made against the Doctrine of Saint Augustine, are proofs of this passion, and the number is so great, that one Discourse being not large enough to resolve them, we must employ this supplement to the same purpose.  
One of the strongest and most remarkable, is, that Baptism is a second Birth, where the Christian being regenerated, seems to have received a new Nature. For in that happy moment wherein his sins are remitted, he receives Habitual Grace, which uniting him to Jesus Christ as to his Head, sets him free from the slavery of Satan, and entitles him to the felicity of Angels. Forasmuch as this Grace is a second nature, she hath her faculties whereby she works: Faith is her Light, Hope her Strength, Charity her Love, and these three virtues are supernatural habits that elevate her understanding and her will. As God refuseth not his assistance to his creature to act with, pleads no dispensation for himself from those Laws he hath prescribed; nay, is helpful to his very enemies, that he may not be wanting to his Word; It seems that in the order of Grace, he owes the same faithfulness to Christians, that he is bound to assist them in all their actions: and out of an obligation that no way injures his Greatness, because worthy his Goodness he ought in some sort to concur with the faithful in all their operations; 
Gratia redditur pro gratia cum Christiano propter Christi merita id quod petit conceditur. Bernard.  For seeing they have the honour to be the Members of his Son, seeing they are quickened with his Spirit, and bear a glorious Character, separating them from all other creatures, why will he not at every moment indulge them a Grace necessary for their condition, and as it were due to the dignity of their extraction? I conceive this objection hath its full weight, and I have set it forth in all the colours, that may render it reasonable; Let us see whether Truth will furnish us with Arms to batter it, and whether the doctrine of Saint Augustine will warrant the Son of God from injustice when he refuseth his Grace to the Faithful.  
To back our Answer, we must suppose that the order of Nature, and that of Grace, are very different: in the first order God seems to be in some sort responsible to his creature; he never dispenseth with himself but by miracle: when he refuseth his aid to a sinner, makes the hand whither that is about to commit a Parricide, or ties the tongue that was going to utter a blasphemy; every one looks upon these effects as Prodigies: But he owes nothing to his creature in the second order; he entered not into it but by Grace, nor doth he persevere in it, but by Mercy; In raising him to this state, he is not tied to any rules: what he hath once given, obliges him not to continue; and when he receives a sinner into his Church, 'tis with conditions, which no ways prejudice his Sovereignty. Inasmuch as he shows favour to whom he will, we can plead no prescription against his Goodness; he may every moment take away that succour he hath bestowed, and he is so absolute in the order of Grace, that when he deserts the just themselves, they have no more right to complain then the guilty: If they look upon themselves in Adam, they are all sinners; the sentence of their Condemnation preceded their Birth, 
Vnde constat magnam esse gratiam quod plurimi liberantur, & quid sibi deberetur in iis qui non liberantur agnoscunt, ut qui gloriantur, non in suis meritis, quae paria videntur esse in damnatis, sed in Domino glorientur. Aug.  and when they were drawn out of the mass of perdition to be united to Jesus Christ, 'tis but for a time only, if they be not written in the Book of Life in Eternal Characters.  
This Answer is taken out of the pure Doctrine of Saint Augustine, 'tis founded upon his principles, and he that makes a difficulty to receive it, will not be a Disciple of that great Master: But because it seems too severe to those that are not instructed in his School, who consider not sufficiently the absolute power Divine Justice hath reserved to itself over the reprobate, let us add here this temperament, and say, that Christians have some right to Grace whilst they are united to Jesus Christ, and that they may obtain it by Prayer, when they find too much difficulty in good, or too much engagement in evil.  
But this Answer starts a new Objection, and seems to combat the power of Grace in labouring to establish the facility of Prayer; For if by the mediation of this virtue we can obtain every thing, our salvation is in our own hands, and we may purchase Grace by Supplication. I acknowledge this Objection grounded not only upon the Principles of Saint Augustine, but even upon the Principles of Religion itself. For Scripture exhorts all sinners to prayer, proposeth it to us as a help in all our needs, 
Petite & dabitur vobis, quae. rite & invenietis pulsate & aperietur vobis. Mat. 7.  and as a remedy for all our evils; it seems 'tis enough to be a believer to be able to pray, and that the Son of God having taught us the Lords Prayer, hath furnished us with arms for our defence against the justice of his Father. Saint Augustine following the steps of Jesus Christ, teacheth us in a thousand places of his writings, that the Law discovers virtue to us, and Prayer obtains it; that 'tis the guard of Christians, surmounting all temptations, sweetening all difficulties, and triumphing over Devils. If then we are able to pray, we are able to persevere; if what is not due to our merits be granted to our prayers, we may thereby obtain the Grace that is the Beginning and the End of our Salvation.  
I confess this Objection puzzles me, nor does the ordinary Answer made to it at all satisfy me: For though Grace be requisite to pray, though it is the Holy Spirit that puts the thoughts into our soul, the affections into our heart, and words into our mouths; though a prayer that is not warmed with his heats, is not acceptable to the Eternal Father, we must nevertheless confess, either that Grace to pray is always offered to ns, or that we have no means to make our addresses to God in our needs. Therefore is it that Holy Scripture invites us every where to prayer. The Son of God tells us that it offers a pleasing violence, that it changeth his will, sweetens his severity, and obtains all Graces it requests of him. 
Si ergo vos cum sitis mali bona datis filiis vestris; quanto magis pater vester qui in coelis est dabit bona petentibus se? Mat. 7. Ne orationes putarentur praecedere merita quibus non gratuita daretur gratia, sed jam nec gratia esset quia debita redderetur, etiam ipsa oratio inter gratiae munera reperitur. Aug. Epist, ad Sixtum 105.  I know indeed that Saint Paul teacheth us also, that we know not how to pray as we ought, unless the Holy Spirit teacheth us, and that this Grace precedes our prayers, as well as our good works. Saint Augustine is of the same judgement, when explaining that passage he saith in express terms, that to secure us from vanity which may persuade us that our prayer precedes Grace, it is ranked by the Apostle among the gifts of the Spirit.  
In this perplexity I can say nothing else, but that the Grace of Prayer is more common than other graces; that 'tis frequently offered to Christians; that God refuseth it none but those that undervalue it; that 'tis the principal cause of our Conversion, and that if by this unhappy power which remains in us, we resist not the Holy Ghost, it would serve us for a strong means to obtain of God all other favours. I perceive very well this answer rather scatters the difficulty than resolves it: But who knows not that in all Sciences there are some Objections that cannot be answered, and in that of Salvation, which is the profoundest and most hidden, there are a thousand, which cannot be avoided, but by the simplicity of faith. 'Tis enough to know in this, that Prayer is a Grace more easily obtained than others, and that if it be effectual in respect of its effect, 'tis sufficient by reason of its facility.  
But scarce are we delivered from one gulf, but we are ready to fall into another; and provide new Arms to defend us from a new assault, which is so much the harder to sustain in that it takes all the force from the doctrine of Saint Augustine. For this famous man that so discreetly manageth the justice of God with his mercy, teacheth us in a hundred places of his writings, that God never forsakes the sinner till the sinner forsakes him; that he is not of the humour of those unfaithful friends, who loving our fortune better than our person, leave us when we have most need: He must be provoked to punish us, and out of an excess of bounty, as he is always the first to prevent us, so is he the last to desert us. All the Doctrine of Saint Augustine rowls upon this Maxim; 
Si omnes peccatores Deus sperneret, omnes utique sperneret, quia sine peccato nemo est; sed spernit discedentes à se quos Apostatas vocat Aug. de Nat. & gra. cap. 62.  We must ruin his whole works to destroy it, and convince him of falsehood to convince him of change: He never retracted this Principle, and whenever he speaks of the desertion of a sinner, healways lays the blame upon his own infidelity. But if Grace be effectual, if it absolutely dispose of man's will; if Jesus Christ necessarily apply it to virtue, how can she abandon him, being in his hands, and he is rather the principle of her motions then herself? For she acts by power derived from him, obeys his orders, and as long as Grace hath her in possession, hath no other desire then to be perfectly united to him.  
The most usual Answer, and perhaps the soundest, is, that God never forsakes the soul of sinners where he makes his residence, till they drive him away by some mortal sin: and though he deny them Actual Grace, because he is the master of it, and owes it no body; he never deprives them of Habitual Grace, whereby he remains in their soul, till they have broken his Laws or profaned his Sacraments. The Disciples of Saint Augustine will be satisfied with this Answer; but I conceive it contents not others, who will reply with much reason, that God takes away Habitual grace from sinners when he refuseth them actual Grace, because they cannot preserve one without the other; and so 'tis God always, who, contrary to the Maxim of Saint Augustine, quits the sinner first. For every one confesseth, that as Habitual grace hath no other enemy that can destroy it, but mortal sin, neither hath she any other defence but Actual grace; and assoon as men are deprived of the assistance of the one, they are not only in danger, but in a necessity of losing the other.  
To stand so strong an Objection, we must freely confess that there is some secret infidelity on the sinners part unknown to us; that they make not all the use of the grace that is in their power, that some way or other they resist its motions, and expose themselves to dangers they might easily avoid: or else we must ingenuously acknowledge that God abandons them not for having refused them Effectual Grace, because many times by some other less powerful assistance, but sufficient however, he scatters the occasions that might engage them in sin, weakens the force of temptations, rebuketh the insolence of Satan, and deals with them still as Friends, though not as Elect. Finally, we may boldly say, that there is not a just man but wanders from God every day: for he swerves as often as he acts by the instigation of Concupiscence; this wretched weight bends him towards the creature, and his weakness insensibly engages him in sin: so that we need not wonder if God, seeing so many things in him contrary to his Grace, he deny him the assistance thereof, and abandons a sinner that never loves him but when he is obliged to it by some foreign external affection.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. That the Christian finds more rest in placing his Salvation in Grace, then in his Liberty.  
THere is no man in the world who is not as solicitous after his Salvation as after his Pleasure, and would not secure his Felicity as well as his Fortune: Sinners seek Good under the shadow of Evil; and these poor madmen believe they approach their happiness, even then when they turn their backs upon it. Our first father intended not to make himself miserable by his disobedience; he hoped to find Immortality in that Fruit that was his Death; and he fancied repose and quietness in committing the sin that occasioned all his sad calamities. His children are not wiser than he; the same devil that deceived him, abuseth them; and his improvident offspring find every day their torment, where they search for their contentment. The Ambitious are remarkable witnesses of this important verity; the Passion that animates them to these glorious enter prizes, where honour cannot be purchased without the hazard of their life, is both the Tyrant that possesseth them, and the Executioner that torments them: They seek, blind as they are, reputation in Arms, and meet many times nothing but death: They feel themselves Men, by those very attempts they would pass for Gods. Providence, that thwarts their designs, makes them acknowledge that the prowess of Conquerors holds as well of his Empire, as the prudence of Politicians.  
But not to embark into the deduction of a Truth whereof all sinners can furnish me with testimonies, 'tis enough to affirm that there are Christians themselves involved in this Error, who seek for rest where they find nothing but vexation and discontent: For, to assure their salvation, they would have Predestination grounded upon their Merits; that God considered their good works, when he separated the Elect from the Reprobate; and foresaw their Fidelity, when he destined them to Glory. They will have all Grace's sufficient; that their effects depend upon our Wills; that we be the authors of our Fortune; and that God presenting us aids at every moment, 'tis in our power to entertain or reject them. They say Jesus Christ died indifferently for all men; that his merits are offered to us; that we can apply the virtue of them to ourselves; and that in the midst of Paganism, without Gospel or Instruction, we may feel their effects. Finally, they will have Paradise stand open for all the world; that, according to the saying of our Saviour, ill interpreted, it may be carried by violence; and, without passing thorough the Church, a man may scale heaven. The desire of their Salvation, is the source of these unjust desires; They choose not this side, nor embrace this opinion, but because they believe it favours their hopes: Vanity is mixed with Interest: being the children of Adam, they imitate the pride of their Father; they are guilty of his crime before they are ware; nor do they consider that whilst they go about to subject Grace to their Liberty, they follow his steps who had a mind to be god for no other end, but that he might live an Independent in respect of his Sovereign.  
But were they far enough from the vain ostentation of their first father, they would certainly fall into his misfortune, whilst they think to avoid it. For all Theology assures us that Men and Angels were lost, because their Grace, being subjected to their Liberty, made them not constant in good: they made ill use of their advantage, because they were masters of it; nor did they fall into sin, but because their salvation was put into their own hands. Their Fall teacheth us, that we can have no weaker support than ourselves; that the Grace which relies only upon our own Will, is very frail; and that sinners that ground their hope upon the certainty of their resolution, are very blind, or very proud.  
The Angels were much more illuminated than we; their light was much purer than ours; their strength was not mixed with weakness: These pure spirits were not embodied in flesh and blood; and Nature being happily united with Grace in their person, banished all disorders that are in the creature by reason of sin. In the mean time, all these advantages hindered them not from falling: the first temptation shook their Liberty, because not submitted to Grace. The beauty of Lucifer dazzled them, and struck them in love: his promises made them forget those of God; and the hope they fancied of reigning with that proud Angel, made them side with him in his rebellion. All these misfortunes have no other Cause but the weakness of Liberty; and he that should ask these wretched spirits in the midst of their torments, would receive no other answer, but that their Grace was unprofitable, because it depended upon their Will.  
Neither are you to object that the faithful Angels were saved by the same succour the other neglected, because all Divines are not agreed; and 'tis disputed in the Schools, of the assistance they received to oppose the rebellion of Lucifer. The greatest part of the Fathers were of opinion that the mystery of the Incarnation was revealed to them at that instant; that they drew force from Jesus Christ; that they fought under his banner; that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb; and that they own their triumphs to the Sacrifice of his death. S. Augustine is of this belief; and though, according to his Principles, 
Si utrique boni squaliter creati sunt, istis mala voluntate cadentibus, illi amplius adjuti ad eam beatitudinis plenitudinem unde se nunquam casuros certissimi fierent, pervenerunt. Aug. l. 12. de Civ. Dei. c. 9  it seems we must conclude that the good Angels were not recompensed but because their Will made good use of their Grace, he unsays it in other places, and confesseth ingenuously, that they received new assistances, and that they were victorious, because they were better seconded then the others. I know what may be said in answer to this passage: but I find it so clear, and uttered in such strong expressions, that those that explain it will pardon me if I remain in my opinion, and if with S. Augustine I believe that the good Angels own not their salvation to Grace Sufficient, but to that Christian Grace the Word Incarnate merited for them by his travels.  
Though Man was not advantaged equal to the Angels, neither in Nature nor in Grace, because they were Hierarchies, and one was the rule of the other: yet every one confesseth Man's Will was created right; his Understanding cleared, his Senses faithful, and his Passions obedient: He felt not those revolts which now trouble our rest; the Flesh warred not against the Spirit; and those two parts, notwithstanding their difference, were not as yet enemies: original righteousness composed their quarrels; and living in good intelligence under the dominion of this prerogative, they conspired together man's felicity: Sufficient Grace was always offered him; whatever enterprise he took in hand, this faithful companion never left him; she came to his aid as often as he called upon her; or rather, preventing his desires and his necessities, waited his orders and directions. Nevertheless, amidst all these privileges, miserable man lost himself; the first temptation made him forget his duty; though he knew that his Soul was taken out of Nothing, and his body form of the slime of the earth, he suffered himself to be persuaded that in violating the Laws of God, he could make himself immortal. Whence, think you, proceeded this misfortune? and what was the cause of so dismal a disgrace? 'Twas not the strength of the temptation; for that was ridiculous; and we cannot yet conceive how it could make any impression upon the mind of a Rational creature: 'Twas not Concupiscence; for this infamous daughter was not born before her Father, nor had Sin as yet given her a Being: 'Twas not the refusal of Grace; for it was due to man in this state, or at least was never denied him. 'Twas then his Liberty which was the cause of his misfortune: his Will, which, without being forced by temptation, corrupted by the Senses, or solicited by the Passions, made no use of Grace, and so fell headlong into sin.  
If it be true that  was so impotent in the state of Innocence, What can we expect in the state of sin? And if Sufficient Grace supported by original righteousness, hindered not Man from falling, What assistance can we promise ourselves thence, now that it is assaulted by Concupiscence? Let us rest our Salvation upon a surer Foundation; let us implore some more vigorous Grace; let us give our Liberty leave to be overborn by its motions; let us grow wise by our Father's losses, and not pitch our hope upon a succout which ruined him only because he was subject to his Will. Grace is changed with Nature: as this is not in her primitive purity, neither is the other in her primitive weakness. JESUS CHRIST is come to be the Founder of a New Order in the world; and because he finds men in infirmities which they had during the state of Innocence, he furnisheth them with stronger Graces, that the Remedy surpassing the Disease, may afford them a perfect Cure. When he had to do with Adam, whose vigour was natural, because his Forces were not yet divided, he left his Salvation at his own disposal; and giving him a Grace that depended upon his Liberty, made him in some sort the Author of his good or bad fortune: but as he dealeth now with infirm men, whose Forces are weakened by Division, he will have their Salvation depend upon his Will, and gives them a Grace, which, seizing their heart, makes them victorious in the midst of their Infirmities. Thence it comes to pass, saith Saint Augustine, that the Liberty of Man, though never so languishing, perseveres in Good by the virtue of JESUS CHRIST, when the Will of Adam, with all its vigorous activity, stood not out against the Temptation. 'Tis the glory of the Son of God, and the assurance of a Christian, who comforts himself when he sees that his Salvation is no longer founded upon the Inconstancy of his Liberty, but upon the Stability of Grace, and certitude of Predestination. This Belief makes him not more insolent, because he knows this Mystery is hid, and that there is not any one upon earth that knows whether his name be written in the Book of Life: It makes him not more lazy, because he is not ignorant that Grace obligeth him to a combat, that Glory is a Triumph that succeeds a Victory, and that no body is received into heaven, that hath not suffered with JESUS CHRIST upon earth. But this Belief ministers them Tranquillity in the midst of all the miseries of life; it sweetly mingles Hope with Fear in his soul: at the sight of his Infirmity, he trembles; looking upon the vigour of his Grace, he takes courage; and having had so much experience of his frailty, he comforts himself that his Salvation stands fixed upon the Rock of Grace: he blesseth the mercy of the Almighty, that hath found a secret whereby to vanquish us without forcing us; which, leaving us our Liberty, fortifies our Weakness; and gives us an assurance in our Banishment, which our first Father never had in Paradise: For, to conclude this Discourse and this Treatise with the words of Saint Augustine; 
Ille Adam, nempe Job in stercore, est cautior quam Adam in Paradiso: nam Adamin Paradiso consensitmulieri ut de Paradiso emitteretur, ille in stercore respu ●t mulierem ut ad Paradisum admitteretur. Aug. in Psal. 29.  Job. was more happy in his misery, than Adam in his innocence: He was victorious on the Dunghill, this Other was defeated in his Throne: He gave no ear to the evil counsel of his wife, this Other was cajoled by his: He despised all the assaults of Satan, this Other suffered himself to be worsted at the first Temptation: He preserved his Righteousness in the midst of his Sorrows, this Other lost his Innocence in the midst of his Pleasures. Let us comfort ourselves then in the Grace of JESUS CHRIST, whereby the Infirmity of Man triumphs over the Malice of Satan: Let us rejoice, because he enjoins it his Disciples, in the hope we have that his hand hath written our names in the Book of Life in Characters that cannot be blotted out: Let us give Thanks to him, who, knowing our Weakness, is willing to save us by his Power; and protesting that his Grace is the Fountain of our Salvation, beg it in our Prayers, expect it from his Mercy, and hope not for it only by our Merits.    

The Fifth TREATISE. Of the Virtues of a Christian.  

The first DISCOURSE. In what Christian Virtue consists.  
IF it be true that the Christian is an inward man, we need not wonder if he be hid, 
Condelector legi Dei secundum interiorem hominem. Rom. cap. 7.  nor that his virtues carry less splendour with them then those of Philosophers: Inasmuch as all their beauty resides in the soul, it can be perceived by none but by Angels; Those that have not their lights cannot observe them; and the same blindness that occasions their ignorance, occasions also the neglect they conceive of them. The Chastity of Lucrece hath received more Eulogies then that of the Catharines' and Cecilies', because it sparkles with more pomp; and the murder which should arraign her as guilty, hath made her more notable and glorious. The Constancy of Cato hath far more admirers than the undaunted Courage of the Martyrs: Pride and Despair that forced him to sheathe his sword in his own bowels, to avoid something he called Servitude, have heightened his Glory and his Crime in the soul of the children of Adam, who can admire nothing but what is arrogant and pompous.  
Thence it comes to pass that Christian Virtue which is humble, and seeks no other witness, but he that reads the the heart, receives not always the approbation of men, and wanders von the Earth without any Elegy or Commendation; Her Essence is concealed, we have much ado to discover her Proprieties; and if Grace do not second Nature, we shall be at a loss to define or describe her. As every one hath formed an Idea of her, every one makes descriptions of her according to his own humour, or his knowledge; and we may say of Virtue what the Orator said of the Supreme Good, that men consulted rather their Inclination then Truth, when they were minded to speak of it.  
I wonder not that Philosophers, who had no other light than that of Nature, have injured Virtue in thinking to bestow commendations upon her: But I wonder that Christians have followed them in their errors, and that leaving the Fathers of the Church, they have taken the Blind for their Guides. For there are some at this day that confound honesty with virtue, 
Virtus & hovestas nomina diversa sunt; res autem subjecta prorsus eadem. Cicero de Offic.  who would persuade us that whatever is honest is virtuous: Wherein I find them little differing from those that place Virtue in Glory, and imagine a crime lawful when it ceaseth to be shameful, and gins to appear honourabble. Seneca as proud as he was, hath well taken notice that this error was prejudicial to virtue, and that the ambitious would not longer court her, when once she should oblige her Partisans to quit their honour to continue in their duty.  
Some others not so much in love with glory, but more in love with nature, are persuaded that Virtue is nothing else but a natural inclination guided by reason, and perfected by Science; so that to live according to the Laws of Nature, was to live according to the Laws of Virtue. This opinion is approved of by the Stoics among Philosophers, and by the Pelagians among Heretics; It infuseth blindness and arrogance into the spirit of those that side with it, and the esteem it puffs them up with of Nature, makes them neglect the assistance of Grace. It seems they would retrieve the state of Innocence, that they have a design to persuade us that sin hath done no hurt to the will of man, that he is as free under the captivity of Concupiscence, as under the dominion of Original righteousness: and that Nature having lost nothing of her primitive purity, may serve for a guide to guilty man, as well as to man an innocent.  
Others following the Maxims of Aristotle, place Virtue in Mediocricy, and lest they should give the lie to an Infidel, endeavour to suit the Maxims of the Gospel with those of Philosophy. Seeing that Liberality must be as far distant from Prodigality as from Covetousness; and that Fortitude, if it be true, must neither partake of Cowardice nor of Rashness; they have confined all other virtues within these limits, not considering that the noblest, and most common, find their perfection in their excess; For Humility and Charity have no bounds; the one descends to sin and nothingness, the other ascends as high as God who is infinite. Therefore says Saint Bernard, 
Modus amandi Doum sine modo. Bernard.  Love hath no measure; and considering the greatness of its object, endeavours to love according, or as much as it is lovely.  
But the most dangerous of all these Masters, are those that confound reason with virtue, and conceive man sufficiently virtuous, when he is rational; they give a thousand fair glosses to this lie; and making reason the chiefest or only good of man, they suppose they have secured him from all vices in deputing him this Idol for the conduct of his life. They will have her a Sovereign whose power is lawful, all whose decrees are just, and her designs laudable. They ascribe to reason what we do to grace; and not fearing to render her government tyrannical, they will have her reign absolutely over the will without constraining it, illuminate the understanding without dazzling it, use passions without stifling them, and employ the body without offering it the least injury or violence: But these blind Dotards will not see that reason being a slave, cannot be a Queen; and so far is she from guiding man, that she herself hath need of a star to enlighten her, and a prop to support her. For since the fall of Adam this Sovereign is a Captive, all her subjects slight her Laws, and whatever vain Authority she slatters herself with, she meets with as many rebellions as she gives commands.  
Reason without Grace, hath hitherto brought up none but proud Scholars; and not to examine what she can do, she hath yet served for no other use, but to swell Philosophers with vain glory, and to persuade them that Original sin was a fable, and the corruption of nature an illusion. Idolaters have not so much resisted the Gospel as Philosophers; Superstition hath with more ease struck sail then vain Philosophy, and the gods that reason fashioned and set up, have stood longer than those of wood and of marble.  
Whatever is rumoured of the Letters and Conferences between Seneca and Saint Paul, I have always believed the conversion of that Stoic harder then that of the Covetous and most impudent Lascivious. The Pride that inanimated his spirit, was so strong a bulwark against grace, that he had never stooped to the Maxims of Christianity, if that Conqueress of hearts had not employed all her charms and all her forces to bring him under. It had never troubled him to part with his goods, 
Annaeo Senecae non quidem ex toto virtus, verum ex aliqua parte defuit; affuit enim scribenti, cesuit viventi. Aug.  though avarice be reckoned one of his sins: be had suffered the torments which served for proofs to the Primitive Christians, and his vainglory had armed him with courage enough to endure those affronts that accompanied the Preaching of the Gospel. But the love he bore his reason had never given him leave to believe, without some miraculous work of Grace, that man was born a criminal, that his nature was corrupted, his liberty weakened, and that to the practising of virtue, there was requisite some external assistance, which God might refuse him without the least show of injustice. This Philosopher had he kept his opinions, had been the first Author of Pelagianism in the world; and his pride making him the capital enemy of grace, had obliged him to side with reason against her.  
But not to combat a Heresy, the Church hath triumphed over so many ages since; nor to condemn Seneca whom she hath anathematised in the person of Pelagius; It contents me to say, that virtue to the end it may be solid, must be the gift of God: that she cannot be acquired without grace, of whose aid being destitute, she is rather the shadow of virtue, then true and real virtue indeed. If that of the Heathen be not a sin, if all the circumstances of it be not bad, and if we may not blame a son that succours his Father, a Subject that desends his Prince, a Citizen that dies for his Country, we have great cause to bewail the misfortune of those, who having not the light of faith, could not direct all their actions to their first principle, nor refer them to their last end.  
Let us affirm then with S. Augustine, 
Virtus est bona qualitas mertis quae recte vivitur, qua nemo male utitur, & quam Deus in nobis operatur. Aug. lib. 1. de lib. arb.  the Master of Virtue as well as of Grace, that Virtue is a quality of the soul, wherewith we live well, which we cannot use ill, which God works in us, either to guide us or defend us. Let's give a little light to this definiition, and say, he calls virtue a quality, because though it be an expression of the Divinity, 'tis not a substance but an accident, to teach man that virtue is not natural to him but adventitious, and that he receives her as a present from the bounteous hand of God; she is good, because she communicates goodness to us, and by her motions leads us on to the supreme Good; she learns us to live well because she knocks us off from ourselves, lifts us up to God, and makes our interests give place to the interests of his Glory.  
But inasmuch as man's life is civil, this same virtue teacheth us to live well with our neighbour, and to conspire together to find satisfaction upon Earth, and felicity in Heaven: We cannot use it ill because all her acts are just, and she would change her nature should she change her inclination. 
Nemo virtute abutitur quamvis allquando virtus sit occasio alicujus mali. Isidor.  Wherein I find virtue happier than the faculties of the soul which are daily abused in the practice of sin: For the memory is not less faithful when it represents us an injury, then when it minds us of a good turn; The will is not less free when it commits a sin, then when it practiseth a virtue, nor hath the understanding less vivacity when it conceives an Error then when it conceives a Truth: But Virtue is so pure that she cannot be corrupted, her intentions are so right they cannot be perverted, and her beauty so resplendent, that it admits of no spots nor imperfections. Finally, 'tis God that works her in us, because he is the source of all our good things, and since the havoc sin hath made in men, we have no right to Virtue but what his mercy bestows upon us.  
The ignorance of the last condition of Virtue hath thrown all the Philosophers into pride and blindness: For not knowing the miseries of Original sin, but seduced by self-love, they have established their strength in their freedom, and their happiness in reason; they have given stately names to Virtue, which helping to deceive them, have filled their persuasion that she was rather an effect of their own labour, then of Grace; Therefore is it that S. Augustine observes, that all the Philosophers considering the difficulties that accompany Virtue, & the combats that must be fought to gether, have Christened her with a name which seems to take its being from force, and which by a just judgement of God hath entertained them in their vanity, hiding from them their weakness. But Christians, who have learned humility in the School of Truth, who have profited by their misfortune, and are become wise by the miscarriages of Philosophers, have called Virtue a Grace, or a gift of God, and will have her name an instance of their misery, and of the liberality of their Sovereign.  
This is it that the same Doctor saith in other terms, opposing the vanity of Philosophers to the humility of Christians; The Philosophers saith he, loved their own glory, and despised t hat of God; they confided in their own strength, and were not thankful to him that lifteth up the humble, and casteth down the proud. But Christians instructed in a better School avoid the glory of the world, and seek after that of God. The experience they have of their infirmity makes them distrust their own abilities: and since they know they can neither undertake nor execute any thing without the assistance of their Creator; they invoke him when they begin their actions, return him thanks when they have finished them, and if they want courage or fidelity, accuse themselves confessing ingenuously, that all good things come from God, and all evil from the creature.  
Indeed God will be glorified in our weakness, he will have all that we do rather an effect of his Grace, then of our Liberty: 
Omnia Dec attribuunt, & radicem meriti virtutum (cilicet & praemiunnon videntes nec in se nec in alio nisi Gratiam Dei. Greg. Mag.  and he takes pleasure to command us such things as exceed our power, that the glory may be his. 'Tis perhaps for this reason, that he saith in his Word that the Kingdom of Heaven cannot be gained but by violence, and that he hath propounded to us so high a Conquest, that the greatness thereof may oblige us to seek for his assistance. It is not a Prodigy, saith a Father of the Church, to be born upon the Earth and scale Heaven; to win that by Virtue that cannot be obtained by Nature: that the whole world may know, that if in this Conflict man get the victory, 'tis God that gives him the Courage to overcome, and the Grace to triumph.  
Therefore the great Origen considering the designs of God, and the weakness of men, 
Vult Dominus Jesus res mirabiles facere, vult enim de Locustis Gigames, & de his quae in terra sunt caelestes vincere nequitias. Orig.  said with as much Congruity as Truth, that this great Master took pleasure to work miracles in our favour; that having drawn us out of nothing, and then out of sin, he would raise us to glory; that having form our body of the slime of the Earth, he destined it for Heaven; and that the Devils by their malice intending to oppose this design, he gave us arms to fight them; that those Pigmies vanquishing these Giants, the honour of the victory might be ascribed to him; where the parties being so unequal, the advantage was found on the weaker side. 'Tis upon the discovery of all these verities, that Christians call Virtue by the name of Grace, and confess that if she came not from Heaven, they were never able to surpass all difficulties, suffer all sorrows, and despise all the delights of the Earth.   

The Second DISCOURSE. Of the Division of the Virtues of a Christian.  
AS Physicians make an Anatomy of Man's Body, thereby to discover its qualities; and exercise a cruelty upon the Dead, that they may benefit the Living: Philosophers divide the Virtues, that they may know them: they separate that which is indivisible; and break the sacred bonds that unite these dear Sisters, that so they may peruse their beauties: Or, to express this Truth by a more noble comparison; as the Schoolmen divide the Divine Essence to illustrate its perfections, separating Justice from Mercy, Majesty from Love, Wisdom from Power, though they are but one and the same thing; we are obliged to disjoin the Virtues, though they be all concentred in Charity, and, according to the opinion of S. Augustine, are nothing but Charities disguised.  
For, taking leave to repeat a Principle often explained in another Work, Charity is the only Christian Virtue, changing names according as her object changeth conditions: When That is hid, she is called Faith, and with her obscure lights endeavours to discover that Sun which the splendour of his Majesty renders invisible: when this object is absent, she is called Hope, which raiseth her soul towards him that stands at a distance only to increase our desires: when 'tis armed with Thunder, she is called Fear, imprinting endearments of respect towards a Majesty that can annihilate all those that offend him. Those Virtues that we style Cardinal, and which seem not directly to aim at the Supreme Good, are but so many true Loves fastening us to him by different chains. Temperance, saith S. Augustine, is a chaste Love, which can suffer no parting of hearts; obliging us to consecrate ourselves wholly to his service whom we pretend to affect. Valour is a generous Love, making a Pleasure of Pain; and gives proof of his Constancy in the hottest battery of Persecutions. Justice is a regulated Love, teaching us to command by obeying; and subjecting us to our lawful Sovereign, gains us an absolute Dominion over all the Creatures. Prudence is a clearsighted Love which is never seduced, choosing by its illumination those means which are able to bring us to God, and rejecting all others that may estrange us from him. So that the Virtues are nothing but Charity in a several dress; or, to speak more correctly, they are only the different functions of Love.  
But not to wander from this Principle, which I honour because S. Augustine, after Saint Paul, is the author of it; I will not forbear to divide the Virtues without interessing their Unity; and to consider their divers employments, without wronging their fair correspondence. The same S. Augustine is of opinion that there are Two Principal Virtues which include all the rest: The one consists in Action, the other in Contemplation: The one teacheth us the way we must walk in to go to God, and the other happily guides us in it: The one purifies our soul by Labour, the other unites us to God by Prayer: The one keeps the Commandments, and the other receives the Recompense: The one is afflicted with grief, because it bewails his sins with the Penitents; the other is bathed in pleasure, because it participates in the felicity of the Blessed.  
The same Doctor, all whose Maxims are Truths, gives us another Division of Virtues, from the difference of our conditions; and being not far from that Principle we are going to explain, attributes but one Virtue to the Blessed, and leaves all the rest to the Faithful. They indeed find all their happiness in the Supreme Good which they are in possession of; their Love makes up the total of their felicity; and that ineffable Union that transforms them into him they love, is the only Virtue that for ever takes them up in the fruition of Glory. Prudence is not requisite, because there is no darkness to be dissipated, nor misfortunes to be prevented. Fortitude is useless, because there are no sorrows to struggle with. Temperance serves to no end, because all their delights are innocent and lawful: Neither is there any employment for their Justice, because in the Tabernacle of Glory there are neither miserable to be protected, nor criminals to be punished. Thus, as that incomparable Doctor goes on, they practise but one Virtue; and, by a happy encounter, this Virtue is their recompense; because, uniting them to God, it makes them find their felicity in him.  
'Tis true, that as the Supreme Good contains all other Goods, we may say also that all the Virtues are comprehended in this, and their several denominations may be imposed upon it. It is Prudence, because it illuminates them with the brightness of God himself: Fortitude, because it unites them so firmly with him, that nothing can separate them: Temperance, because it makes them chastely embrace the Chief Good, and in the delights they taste of, they seek not so much their Pleasure as his Glory: Justice, because it subjects them to their Sovereign, making them find their Happiness in their Submission.  
But as there is some analogy between the condition of the Blessed and that of the Faithful, at the same time that S. Augustine separates them, he associates them again; and confounding their Virtues together, saith, that during this life Love is the only virtue of Christians, and that there is none other but to love that which is amiable: So that, to facilitate the acquisition of that object we place our affections upon, by choosing suitable and convenient means, is Prudence: Not to be discouraged or diverted by Grief, is Fortitude: Not to be drawn away by Pleasures, is Temperance; and not to be kept off by the vain pomp and grandetza's of the world, is Justice. He lodgeth these Virtues in Glory, which he seems to have banished thence; and acknowledgeth that the Blessed enjoy them as well as the Faithful; but with this difference, That upon the earth they are in Act, in heaven in Habit; upon the earth they serve for a Defence, in heaven for an Ornament; upon the earth in Exercise, in heaven in their Acquiescence; upon the earth they are the sure Landmarks guiding the Faithful to their journey's end, in heaven they happily unite the Faithful in an inseparable Bond of Communion.  
But because this Doctrine is not fully conformable to that which is commonly received, and that we have borrowed from Philosophers the Division and the Quality of Virtues; let us say with them, that we judge of their number by our obligations and our necessities: We are upon the earth for no other end, but to Know and Love, to Suffer and to Do; our whole life is spent in these two employments; and if we be not absolutely unprofitable, we must raise ourselves to the Knowledge and Love of the Supreme Good; and resolve, if we be not altogether lazy, by our Courage to overcome all the difficulties which occur in the course of our life. Thence it comes to pass that we have need of different Virtues, 
Bonam vitam ego puto & Deum cognoscere & amare, & mala pati & bona facere, & sic perseverare usque ad mortem. Bern.  and that according to the designs we form, we are obliged sometimes to have recourse to the Divine virtues, sometimes to the Moral.  
Inasmuch as God is surrounded with Light that darkens us, our Understanding must necessarily be cleared by Faith, that we may know him: In that he is an Infinite Good, our soul must be fortified with Hope, that we may search after him; and our Will warmed with Charity, that we may love him. For though Good be amiable, and the Supreme Good transcendently amiable; yet is it so far above our reach, that without Grace we cannot approach unto it: and as we must be clarified by his Light, that we may know him; so must we be warmed by his Calentures, that we may affectionately close with him. Thus Faith, Hope and Charity are the Virtues by means whereof we treat with God. But because Man is born for Society, in serving God he is bound to assist his Neighbour: Charity hath a double respect, having united us to the Supreme Good, for love of it, she unites us to our Like, and obligeth us to love them as we do ourselves. Were this Virtue in its full vigour, 'twould be sufficient alone: 
Lex venit in subsidium amicitiae. Atistot.  and as Philosophers have observed that Laws would be useless, did Friendship reign in men's hearts; I dare affirm, did Charity set up her throne in ours, the Virtues would be idle among Christians, or act only by her orders and directions.  
But whether we have not as yet attained this Perfection, or that the number of Subjects contributes to the Greatness of Sovereigns; she hath under her command Four Virtues, which are called Cardinal, that act by her motions, and execute her designs.  
Prudence clears our Understandings to act, helps us to discern Good from Evil, and Truth from Falsehood: For as there are Evils which under a fair show deceive us, and Lies that find more credit than some Truths, Prudence must serve us for a Guide, and in so important an election secure us from mistakes.  
Justice gives every one his due, makes our Interests yield to Reason, preserves Peace in the inequality of our conditions, and taking original righteousness for an example which made a harmony between foul and body, this sets Man at union with himself, and by a necessary consequence accommodates him with his neighbour. Therefore is it that Repentance and Humility are as rivulets flowing from this Fountain, and as rays issuing from this Sun: For Repentance is nothing but a severe Justice that animates the sinner against himself, that obliges him to act the part of a witness in accusing, of a judge in condemning, of an executioner in punishing himself. Humility is nothing but a modest and true Justice, which considering the Majesty of the Creator, forceth the Creature to fall down before him, and, upon the sight of sin and nothingness, to adore the Power and Mercy that drew him out of these two Abysses.  
Temperance regulates our Pleasures, and moderates our Delights, lest their disorder obstruct our salvation, and, out of a blind impetuosity, find Pain and Sorrow where we look for Pleasure and Content. 'Tis true, she is not so taken up with Particular good, as not to watch over the Public: For, without encroaching upon the rights and privileges of Justice, she calms the Passions, allays the storms, and producing a tranquillity in the soul of Particulars, contributes to that of Kingdoms; because the quiet of States depends upon that of Families; and 'tis very hard that those Subjects that yield not obedience to the laws of Temperance, should to those of Justice.  
But as since the Fall of Adam, Sufferings are as common as Actings, and man spends his life in Pain as well as in Labour; to these Three Virtues is added Fortitude, as a Supply to combat and vanquish Griefs that set upon us. Indeed, the chiefest employment of Fortitude is to wrestle with whatever is most troublesome in the world: It skirmisheth with those accidents that disquiet our Health, or concern our Honour; is armed against Fortune; and, defying that blind potentate that seems the enemy of Virtue, stands ready to receive all the assaults this insolent Tyranness makes upon those that slight her Empire. Indeed, when Valour is enlightened by Faith, she laughs at an Idol who subsists only in the minds of those that fear it, and may be called the work of their Fancy and Imagination: she trembles not at the attempts of a false Deity; and being assured that every thing is regulated by a Supreme Providence which cannot fail, lays an obligation upon us to adore his Decrees, though they condemn us, and kiss his Thunders, though they strike us dead. Thus, under the favourable shadow of these Virtues, the life of a Christian passeth on calmly: Faith affords him light to illuminate him; Charity, heats to inflame him; Hope promises to encourage him; Justice and Temperance their several supplies to put him in action; and Fortitude who herself is a whole Army, giveth undauntedness of spirit to fight and to triumph.  
To all these Divisions this may be added, namely, that man being compounded of a body and a soul, hath need of Virtues that may unite them together, and subjecting the soul to God, may subject the body to the soul; For there is this order between these two parts, that the body respects not the laws of the mind, but as far as the mind respects the laws of God: assoon as one dispenseth with his duty, the other fails of his obedience; and at the same time that the soul rebels against God, the flesh maketh an insurrection against the soul. To this day we bewail the mischiefs of this rebellion, and all the Virtues are given us only to reinstate us in our Primitive Tranquillity. The Theological Virtues undertake to subject the mind to God: Faith captivates the Understanding, and obligeth it to believe those verities it comprehends not: Hope fills the Memory with the Promises of Jesus Christ; and Charity sweetly divorceth the will from all perishable goods, to fix it upon the Supreme Good. The Virtues that are called Cardinal, 
Prudentia se habet ad vera & fa●sa, temperantia & fortitudo ad prospera & adversujustitiase habet ad Deum & Proximum. D. Thom. 2.2.  have mixed employments exercising their dominion over soul and body; Prudence enlightens them, Justice accords them, Temperance regulates their pleasures, and Fortitude combats their griefs; so that all these Virtues associated together, restrain man in his duty, and make him find his happiness in his obedience. But because I destiny another Discourse to treat of these last Virtues, I conceive myself bound to bestow the remainder of this upon the former, and to show the reasons wherefore it was requisite that the Christian must be assisted with Faith, Hope, and Charity.  
Grace hath some resemblance with Nature, and we find in man some Image of a Christian. Man cannot come to his End, unless he know it, and have some assurance of a possibility to obtain it. The Christian cannot move towards God, his sole end, unless he know him by Faith, love him by Charity, and promise himself the enjoyment of him by Hope. Man, that he may work aright, hath need of three succours; he must know what he does, he must be able to do it, and he must will it; otherwise all his designs will be unprofitable, nor will he form any enterprise which will not confound or grieve him. The Christian, whose salvation is his chief business, hath need of the same aids: but because his enterprise is extremely difficult, and sin that hath made strange devastations in his soul, hath spread darkness over his Rational, thrown weakness into his Irascible, and scattered malice into his Concupiscible faculty; Faith must enlighten the one, Hope satisfy the other, and Charity, which is nothing but an effusion of the Divine Goodness, shed itself into the last and amend it: Or, let us say, that Faith discovers the Supreme Good to the Christian by its Lights; that thence there arise two affections in his soul; the desire of possessing it, which is love; and a confidence of obtaining it, which is Hope. These three Virtues do consummate the Christians perfection: Faith illuminates him, Hope elevates him, and Charity uniting him to God, makes him partake in same sort of the felicity of the Blessed.   

The Third DISCOURSE. Of the Excellency and Necessity of Faith.  
GOd is so far above our apprehension by the Greatness of his Nature, that in whatever state we consider him, we have only a borrowed light to know him by: In that happy condition wherein Innocence dispelled all man's darkness, suffering neither ignorance nor infirmity to engage him in these sins, which are rather natural then voluntary: he had need of light to know him whose Image he had the honour to be. Those infused verities he received in his Creation, those faithful glasses that presented him his Creator, and all the beauties of the Universe that expressed his Divine perfections, had imprinted in him but a faint knowledge, if Faith elevating his soul had not clarified him with its brightness. But when man shall pass from Earth to Heaven, and removing from the Order of Grace shall enter into that of Glory, 
In lumine tuo videbimus lumen Psal. 35.  he shall still have need of a borrowed light to behold the Divine Essence. Though he be then a pure Spirit, and his soul abstracted from matter act as the Angels, yet all our Divines confess, that his darkness must be enlightened, his weakness supported, that he may contemplate this Divine Sun, who by a rare Prodigy hides himself in light, and covers himself with his Majesty.  
We are not therefore to wonder if Faith be necessary for man in the state whereto sin hath reduced him, 
Intellectus humanus se habet ad Divina sicut visus noctuae se habet ad . Arist.  and that he cannot know God if he be not irradiated with his Grace: For he is in respect of the things of God, according to the judgement of Philosophers themselves, as those Birds of night which cannot endure the beams of the Sun, but are constrained to hid themselves when that glorious Star appears, lest they should be dazzled with his rays: so that man is bound to renounce his reason, and to give his judgement the lie if he will comprehend the Truths and Mysteries of Religion. Thence it is that the Fathers of the Church have said, 
Nemo novit filium nisi pater, neque Patrem quis novit nisi filius, & cui filius voluerit revelare. Mat. 11.  that he could not know the designs of God if he were not informed of them by Revelation; nor believe them if he were not persuaded by Faith, nor ought at all to rest in them, if he that contrived them had not commented upon them by himself or by his Ministers; Because as the great Saint Hila y saith, we must not believe Divine things, but when God pleaseth to reveal them, because he alone knows them, and is able to discover them to others.  
Thus must we confess, that if Faith came not in to our succour, there would be a strange confusion in the belief of our Mysteries: For as men's opinions are as different as their minds, their reason doubtful and uncertain, approving in one Country, what it condemns in another, changes judgements according to Climates, and in one and the same man grows weaker or stronger with age; we had for ever sloated in uncertainty, and our belief had been as subject to change as our opinion. Wherefore God dealing with all Christians alike, hath given them the same light: and not respecting their natural advantages is pleased that the simple and the learned have one and the same principle to know his Mysteries by.  
But had not this consideration obliged him to bestow upon us one and the same Faith to entertain us in the same mind; the extent and variety of the things we believe, had always required the same Oeconomy: For some ascend into Heaven, others go down into Hell; some are buried in the obscurity of what is past, others are hid in the abysses of what's to come; some happened at the birth of the world, others shall not happen till its decay; so that there being no natural light vast enough to comprehend all these marvels, separated by the distance of place or time, we must of necessity be illuminated with a Divine light which may collect them all; and without giving us a clear understanding, give us at least a sure belief.  
Having so great an obligation to Faith, 'tis all the reason in the world we should be acquainted with the nature of that which makes us know all things, and be informed of the definition of a virtue that serves for the basis and foundation of all others. Saint Augustine calls it in one place an obscure light, which having the certitude of Science, wants evidence and perspicuity. For 'tis a Truth that Faith clears us, that 'tis an effusion of the Light of Glory, and an emanation of that admirable clarity that discovers all things to the blessed. A Light shining, saith the Apostle, but in an obscure and dark place, in Caliginoso loco. 'Tis a Star wrapped in a Cloud, an Aurora that knits the shadows of the night with the brightness of the day; its obscurity constitutes one part of its Essence; when it becomes evident it changeth its nature, and ceasing to be Faith, gins to be Science or Revelation. Thus the Christians are like those people, who for the space of six Months see no Sun, yet because that glorious Luminary wheels continually round their Horizon, they may boast their nights not to be without some brightness; and though deprived of the presence of the Sun, want not altogether his Light.  
S. John chrysostom saith, that Faith is the basis of Religion; that 'tis in this spiritual building what foundations are in houses, and that as these cannot subsist when removed from their groundsils, so doth a man cease being a Christian assoon as he leaves off to be a Believer. Indeed all the Virtue's lean upon this, and by a particular privilege she is preserved without others, but others are not preserved without her: Their absence weakens her; and Faith, not quickened with Charity, nor supported with Hope, hath no vigour, because, in the judgement of an Apostle, it is then dead. Nevertheless this spark lives under the ashes; and though never so weak and languishing, may, with the benign influence of heaven, produce some effects.  
But S. Bernard, whose wit is no less solid than agreeable, 
Fides est quaedam voluntaria & certa praelibatio nondum propalatae veritatis. Bernar.  gives us an excellent definition of Faith, when he saith, 'Tis like a voluntary and assured prejudice of a Truth not yet evident: For 'tis certain that Faith is not only an Earnest of the Truths we believe, but as it were an Antepast and Prelibation of them: we see them not evidently, but we believe them certainly; we find that its Obscurity produceth Light, and that Evidence is oftentimes the recompense of its Firmness. If ye believe not, ye shall not understand. So that we may say, As in Christianity Weakness produceth strength, Obscurity many times produceth Evidence. Thus S. Augustine defining Faith, calls it sometimes a Light guiding the mind to the Prime verity; and by obscure and cloudy passages, leads it securely into the region of Light.  
For all this, we must acknowledge that the fullest definition of Faith is that which S. Paul gives us, 
Est autem Fides sperandarum substanmia rerum, argumentum non apparentium. Hebr. 11.  where he calls this Virtue the substance of things hoped for, and the argument of those not seen: For as Substance is the support of Accidents, Faith is the pillar of Virtues, and the immovable basis of the Spiritual building, because 'tis founded upon the Prime verity. It looks upon the things we hope for, because they are more noble than those that we possess; and this generous virtue leaving the consideration of Mediums, soareth as high as the contemplation of the last End. It is also an argument of those things we see not, because it gives us a certitude, and, without exhibiting them to our view, settles in us so strong a persuasion of them, that all the reasons in the world cannot alter our belief: But its principal advantage, and which is happily expressed in this definition, is, that as it is called the substance of things hoped for, because it is the earnest of them, giving us, in some sort, what it hath promised; so is it the demonstration of things not seen, because it makes them in a manner visible, and its obscurity begets in our souls light and certitude.  
Having considered its essence, 'tis fit we consider its properties and effects, which are so great, itself must come in to gain them belief: For the Scripture seems to attribute to Faith whatever is most august and reverential in Scripture: It is the Principle of spiritual life; and according to the language of Saint Paul, the just doth live by Faith. For though the lise of a Christian be composed of many parts, 
Initium bonae vitae, cui vita etiam debetur aeterna, rectafides est. Aug.  as the body is of many members; and to be in a vigorous condition, which is the symptom of perfect health, Faith must be animated with good works; nevertheless Faith is the first principle, and, without it, every one confesseth all virtues are dead or languishing: Therefore when S. Bernard calls Charity the life of the soul, he acknowledgeth at the same time that Faith conceives her, Hope brings her forth, the holy Spirit forms her, Reading suckles her, Meditation nourisheth her, and Prayer fortifies her.  
As Faith is the life of the soul, so is it also the eye; and he that takes it not for his Guide, shall never come to Glory: it enlightens all the other virtues, and penetrates those clouds of darkness that surround them: 'Tis also an observation S. Bernard hath made, that Christ was never so closely hid, but Faith always discovered him: If he be Incarnate in the womb of his mother, Faith does him homage in the person of S. John: If he be born in a manger, Faith adores him with the Wisemen, and acknowledgeth the Word in Infancy, Majesty in Baseness, and Power in Infirmity: If he be presented in the Temple, Faith receives him in the arms of Simeon, and makes his Elegy by the mouth of that aged Saint: If he enter the river of Jordan to be baptised among sinners, Faith manifests him by the testimony of his Precursor, and teacheth us that he is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world: If he die upon the Cross, or lose his honour with his life, Faith acknowledgeth his Innocence in the midst of his Punishment, and begs a share in his Kingdom by the mouth of the good Thief: If he be veiled upon our Altars, and the outward species of the Sacrament conceal him from our eyes, Faith adores him in the person of Believers, and discovers his splendour under the clouds that encompass him. This made S. Bernard utter those excellent words, That Faith was very quicksighted, because it acknowledged Christ born in the Manger, and dying upon the Cross.  
But as if one sole virtue made up all our Glory, I find that our highest qualities take their being from its merit: For if we be the children of God, 'tis because we are Believers; and the great Apostle, that describes the prerogatives of Man's nature, discovering the humiliations of the Word Incarnate, observes expressly, that the quality of the children of God is an appendix of Faith; and that heaven shall not be our inheritance, but because this virtue was the principle of our Filiation: He gave them power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his Name. This august quality is not indulged us in Baptism, but because there we receive Faith; and 'tis so truly the effect of that Sacrament, that the Believer that gives proof of his Creed in the midst of torments, fails not to be the child of God, though he be not baptised.  
If Faith advance us to dignity, it also communicates power to us; it gives Reputation to our Dominion, that it grow not contemptible; and makes us in some sort absolute in the State of our Master. For the gift of Miracles is a privilege of Faith: These Prodigies that astonish the Universe, convert Nations, make Tyrants tremble, tame Devils, are donatives heaven hath promised to Faith rather than to Charity. Every thing is possible to him that believeth: this virtue may boast itself absolute; and, as if it were inseparable from Sovereignty, it seems he that is a Believer becomes powerful: Those men of renown whose Eulogies Saint Paul makes in his Epistles, own all their privileges to Faith: 'Tis by it that they subdued Tyrants, changed Nature, disordered the Seasons, and altered the Elements: It serves us for a Conduct in Peace, and a Defence in War; and whenever the Apostle arms the Christians, he gives them nothing but Faith either to assault or repel their enemies: He Christens one and the same thing with divers names; and calling it sometimes a Buckler, sometimes a Breastplate, sometimes a Sword, lets us see that 'tis sufficient to procure as many victories as it stands assaults, or sights battles. Finally, it seems God takes pleasure to fasten our Power to our Infirmity; and treating us like Samson, all whose strength lay in his hair, he will teach all the world that the Miracles we work are not so much the effects of our Ability as of his Grace. For Faith is nothing but a submission of mind, and a blind obedience, which, holding more of Credulity than Argument, seems rather a mark of our Weakness then of our Strength. In the mean time, the Son of God, that hath a mind to humble us in raising us up, and to manifest his greatness in our abasement, hath founded our ability upon belief, and is pleased that the gift of Miracles should be the recompense of our Credulity.  
But nothing more astonisheth me, 
Creditis quia hopossum faccrevobis? dicunt ci, Utique, Domine, Tunctetigit ocu. los corum, diceus, Secundum filem vestram fiat vobis Matth. 9  then to consider that God hath in some sort subjected his own Power to our Faith; and before he would heal the sick, or raise the dead, he requires our Belief as a preparative to his Miracles: For he never undertook any Cure, but he obliged the Patient to believe; and if he were not in a condition to use his own Understanding, he demanded that disposition in the Assistants or Witnesses. The same Evangelist observes, that his power was manacled by the Infidelity of sinners, 
Et non poterat ibi virtutem ullam facere, & mirabatur propter incredulitatem corum. Matth. 6.  and that there were some Towns where he could work no Miracles, because he found no Faith among them.  
We need not wonder that the Son of God hath so greatly honoured this virtue, because it gives him so much obedience; and that of all the Sacrifices the Christian can offer him, this seems the hardest and most honourable: For, it makes an Oblation of our Understanding, takes from us the liberty of reasoning in our Mysteries; it persuades us what we understand not; and contesting at the same time against Reason and Sense, makes a perfect Holocaust of the Christian: It reduceth that insolent undertaker, who would know every thing in Paradise, to believe all without knowing any thing: it makes him purchase Faith with the expense of his Reason; and it seems that to render him Faithful, it will not suffer him to be Rational.  
Though Faith have all these advantages, yet must we acknowledge that without Charity it is unprofitable; all a man's Miracles profit nothing without Good works: and though this virtue reign so absolutely in the State of Jesus Christ, she will never cause the Faithful to reign in Glory, if he add not the ardours of Love to the Light of Belief. S. Augustine hath observed, that though Abraham own the beginning of his happiness to Faith, he owed the perfection thereof to his Good works and Obedience: when he believed the Word of God, 'twas a rare effect of Faith; but when he obeyed the voice of the Angel, armed his hand with a Sword, lifted up his arm to strike his only son, 'twas doubtless a very great act of Faith, and a certain proof of his obedience. Let us join therefore these two virtues, that we may imitate him: let us pass from Faith to Good works; and if we would have the merit of that Patriarch, let us fully believe the promises of Jesus Christ, and faithfully execute his will, that we may not be reproached that our Faith is like that of Devils, that fear the Justice of the Almighty, but love not his Goodness.   

The Fourth DISCOURSE. Of the Hope of a Christian.  
AS Sin hath rob us of our Light, so hath it deprived us of our Strength; and he that cast us into Error, hath precipitated us into Weakness: we are not only Blind, but Impotent; nor is it a sufficient Cure for us to have our Sight restored, if withal we recover not our Vigour. Faith takes pains to scatter our Darkness, and Hope endeavours to strengthen our Weakness. This virtue bears up the heart of a Christian, draws him out of that unhappy Impotency whereto sin had reduced him; and resting upon the veracity of God, expects with confidence the effects of his promises: it knows very well that his Word is not like that of Sovereigns; and being not subject to their Infirmities, neither is he liable to their Changes.  
For Princes oftentimes break their word, either out of weakness, or lightness, or imprudence: they cannot always do what they would; their Will exceeds their Power; and they are constrained to recall their word, because they are not able to put it in execution. 'Tis enough that they are Men, to make them Liars: The Sceptre that adorns their hand, and the Royal Wreath that circle's their head, change not their Nature; upon the Throne they are sensible of the failings of their Subjects; and though the disposers of Honour and Life, yet are they inconstant as their Mothers. But were they resolved to keep their word, that they might imitate his Constancy whose Majesty they represent, they would be often forced to revoke it, to avoid those disorders their Prudence had not foreseen: for the Light of Kings is bounded as well as their Power; they cannot read the obscure Characters of Futurity; and whatever ministers their Council is composed of, they cannot prevent accidents if they consult not with Prophets; so that necessity compels them to fail of their word, if they will not fail of their duty.  
But the God we adore is free from these infirmities: and if he appear sometimes to repent of his designs, or recall his decrees, 'tis only to suit with our understanding, and to deal with men after the manner of men: He is absolute in his state, his Power is his Will, as his Goodness is his Essence; he finds no Rebels in the world, and if there be any that seem to brave his Mercy, they obey his Justice that punisheth them: His Immutability is equal to his Power, he never changeth his designs; and though he accommodate himself sometimes to his creatures, 'tis in reducing them to his Will without constraining them. He magnifieth himself in this Attribute in Holy Scripture; and as if his Constancy were a proof of his Divinity, he will have us believe him God, because he is Immutable, Ego Deus & non mutor. A surprisal or a mistake obligeth him not to change his resolution; nothing happens in his State contrary to his Will, or his Permission; he prevents the revolts of his Subjects, and if his Justice punish Crimes in Time, his Wisdom foresaw them in Eternity; His Council regulates Events, Success answers his Enterprises, and the malice of men not being able to surprise his Providence, he is never forced to revoke his Decrees.  
Thence it comes to pass that Hope which is founded upon his Promises, is not liable to distrust; 'tis well assured that Truth can neither deceive nor be deceived; that an absolute power meets with no difficulties that check it; and that a wisdom subject to no error, is subject to no change. Thus the Christian assisted with this Virtue, lives in the sweetness of tranquillity; nothing in the whole world makes him afraid, the greatness of danger heightens his confidence, and knowing very well that God can raise his salvation out of his very fall, he is fearless in the midst of his enemies. This made David utter those words, In Domino sperans non infi mabor; he could not have said so, had he placed his confidence in the creature, because as Saint Augustine saith, it fell with man who was its support; but being grounded upon him who is as Powerful as he is True, he was able to preserve his assurance in the midst of danger, and to promise victory in the thickest of the conflict.  
Thus doth Saint Augustine paraphrase upon the words of the same Prophet, where out of an excess of confidence he calls his God his Hope; Quoniam tu es Domine spes mea. Let other men, saith that incomparable Doctor, trust in the vanity of their riches, and think that with their gold they can seduce Women, corrupt Judges, and subdue their Enemies; Let others confide in their Friends, and persuade themselves they have a share in their goods as well as in their affections; that assisted by their counsel, or supported by their furtherance, they can triumph over grief and fortune: Let others raising their thoughts a degree higher, hope in the weak power of Kings, promise themselves admittance into their favour, to be of their Council, to partake of their Secrets, and to govern their Person or their State; as for me who am no longer abused with these vanities, I will rest upon my God, and not violating the respect I own him, making the Almighty my Hope, will say, Quoniam tu es Domive spes mea.  
If this Virtue heighten the infirmity of Christians, we must confess it sweetens their discontents, and is in stead of Consolation, midst all the torments that afflict them. Not to know that man is miserable since he became criminal, is to be extremely ignorant; the sweetest life hath its labours; the shortest is long enough to be sensible of a thousand calamities; the remedies whereof are a second affliction; and that which we call comfort and consolation, is often a disguised misery, and a real torment. Among so many adversities, Heaven that watcheth over the welfare of Christians hath furnished them with Hope, which never confounds those it assists: for it awakens their courage with recompenses, stirs them up by the examples of former Saints, quickens them by the shortness of their life, and making them balance what they suffer with what they expect, gives them occasion to say with Saint Paul, Non sunt condignae Passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam quae revelatur in nobis.  
But inasmuch as Jesus Christ is the principal object of this Virtue, hence ariseth the strongest comfort it can bestow upon us; for representing us his Shame and his Glory, his Death and his Resurrection, it makes us patiently suffer the afflictions of this present life in consideration of the advantages of the future. The Son of God, saith Saint Augustine, becomes the hope of the Faithful, they behold in him labour and recompense: labour in his Passion, recompense in his Resurrection; and in these two states rather different then contrary, they behold two kinds of lives, whereof the one being miserable and present, must be endured with courage; the other being happy and future, must be expected with patience. Jesus Christ hath manifested the former in his Cross, the second in his Glory, to the end that having born the former in this world, they may hope to possess the second in the other world.  
Though this Example be able to encourage the most fearful, and comfort the most afflicted, we must acknowledge nevertheless that the assurance we have, that God will not forsake those that are his is a powerful Consolation: which is indeed the reason Hope makes use of to encourage Christians; nor was ever expressed more eloquently then in the words of the Psalmist, who representing them the power of their Sovereign, obligeth them to hope all things and fear nothing. 
Ideo nihil dicit ut omnia dicat, & tu omnia credas.  Spera in Deo & ipse faciet. In a word, it mentions all in naming nothing, and giving no bounds to its promises, suffers us to hope every thing from God; it instructs us by silence, leaves us to think what it expresseth not, and lest some favours might be forgotten in the rehearfall, chooseth rather to be altogether silent, then to forget any.  
If I may serve for his Interpreter, me thinks his meaning is, that from the Almighty power of God we may expect every thing; That he will stop the Sun, shake the Earth, remove the Mountains from their stations, open the abysses of the sea, and do an hundred miracles for our sakes, if we hope in his goodness: or this Virtue will have us understand, that God will heal us if we be sick, that he will comfort us if we be afflicted, every us if we be poor, restore us to liberty if we be in prison, and deliver us from the grave when we are dead: Finally, we may hope all that he can do; our hope is as large as his power; and without rashness we may expect as many favours as he can work miracles.  
Seeing this Virtue is as lowly as generous, it keeps us from complaining when successes answer not our desires; and teacheth us, that there are two ways whereby God assists us when we are persecuted; the One is glittering and full of pomp, showers astonishment into the soul of our Enemies, tameth lions that would devour us, quencheth flames that would burn us to ashes, and disarms Executioners that are ready to sacrifice us: The other is more reserved and less splendid; for not delivering us from torments, it gives us courage to bear them, makes us victorious by enduring, and working the miracle in ourselves, sweetens not the cup of our punishment, but increaseth our constancy, whereby we triumph over it. The former of these ways appeared in the three Children, who were thrown into a fiery furnace by the command of a heathen Prince: The fire spared their clothes, respected their bodies; and having consumed their chains that they might walk at liberty, sought out their Executioners to execute vengeance upon them. The second appeared in the person of the Maccabees, who vanquished in suffering, tired their Enemies, and in an age that trembles at the frowns of a Master, laughed at the fury of a Tyrant. Might I pass my judgement upon these two Miracles, I would prefer the later; and had I liberty to choose, I would rather be in the condition of the Maccabees, then in that of the companions of Daniel.  
But leaving this Digression to pursue my Discourse: Hope is not founded upon promises, but upon assurances: it hath earnests that dissipates all doubts; and considering what hath passed, easily believes what is yet to come: For though God be the supreme Verity, though his words be Oracles, and reason itself persuades us, that he promiseth nothing to his subjects he does not perform; yet is he so good, he gives them earnest of his promises; and as if he were afraid to weary their hope in making them expect too much, he sweetens their anxious pains by pledges of affection, which make up a part of that sum he hath promised them; he gives us favours, whereby we are enabled to hope for what remains behind; the death he suffered for us, is an assurance of that life he prepares for us; neither can we doubt (saith St Augustine) that we shall not reign with him in heaven, seeing he was willing to die for us upon the Cross. For what Goods may we not expect, when his death is a pledge of his love, and an assurance of the happiness we look for? Let us hope then for his Kingdom; and when the greatness of his promises shall raise any doubts in our soul, let us consider the greatness of our Surety, and we shall securely wait the accomplishment of our desires.  
Having considered the necessity of this Virtue, 'tis just that we consider its Nature, and consulting the Divines and Fathers, be acquainted with its Definition. Philo the Jew calls it the Forerunner of Joy, a Harbingerpleasure preceding the Eternal one, an antepast of Blessedness; so that following the opinion of this Philosopher, he that hopes, may boast himself happy beforehand. The Master of the Sentences comes near this sense, when defining this Virtue, he calls it a certain assurance of a future Felicity; the certitude that accompanies it, sweetens the pain which the remoteness of the Good it waits for, occasions; and she thinks herself happy because the felicity she promiseth is certain. St Augustine calls it by a more magnificent name, and making it pass for a view of the supreme Good, seems with Philo to confound it with Joy: for he saith, that Faith cures the eyes of the soul, and that Hope makes her see what she desires.  
But because things never appear so clearly as when they are opposed with contraries, I conceive, I cannot better discover the nature of Christian Hope, then by confronting it with that that deceives men by the vanity of its promises: This than is uncertain, doubt makes up a part of its Essence; and by a misfortune inseparable from it, it ceaseth to be Hope as soon as it gins to be sure: Therefore Seneca said, she promised a doubtful good, and to her very favourites leaves all things dubious and uncertain: But the Hope of a Christian is sure, his certitude commensurate, and all men that define it make it synonimous with Assurance. That of Men is false,  fair colours its promises are dressed with; it cannot avoid the denomination of a Lie: Therefore the same Scripture that calls it uncertain, calls it a lying vanity: and finding nothing vain enough whereby to express its essence, compares it to Dreams, that abuse men in their sleep, Vana spes & mendacium viro insensato; somnia extollunt imprudentem: so that those that give ear unto it are like those poor Dreamers, who being rich only whilst they sleep, lose all as soon as they awake: their sleep enricheth them, and when they awake they are plundered of all, and reduced to their former poverty: But the Hope of a Christian is true, and being founded upon the promises of God, who cannot lie, never deludes the Believer that listens to them.  
If that of Men be false, we need not wonder that it is miserable; and for those imaginary contentments it allures us with, gives nothing but real pains. For though we may flatteringly apprehend her as the most agreeable passion, and endeavour to persuade ourselves that she sweetens the disquietness of our long; true Philosophy confesseth her the cause of our Fear; 
Desines sperare, desines timere. Senec.  and that the only means to be free from distrustful apprehensions, is to be free from hope: But the Hope of a Christian is accompanied with confidence, and so close united to pleasure, that it passeth for one part of our Felicity.  
Finally, the Hope of Worldlings is so often faulty, that the Scripture calls it an Abomination, and makes us know, that all the pretences of sinners are nothing but Crimes: The Lascivious promiseth himself nothing but Adulteries, the Ambitious nought but Tyrannies, the Furious plots vengeance, the Covetous feeds himself with unjust gains, and all of them saith S. Gregory never acknowledge their sin till the pleasure is past, and grief succeeds in the place thereof: But the Hope of a Christian is Innocent, produceth just desires in their souls, and the Good they wait for, makes them commence Saints upon Earth, that they be perfected in heaven.   

The Fifth DISCOURSE. The Description of Christian Charity.  
DIvinity teacheth us, that God is so infinite, that to express all his Greatness, he must have as many names as he hath perfections. Therefore is it that the Scripture calls him sometimes a Sun, because his brightness dissipates the darkness of our hearts, and discovers our intentions from the very depth of our wills: Sometimes he is called a Heaven, because his Immensity incircles all his works, and comprehends in his Nature, whatever he produceth by his Power: Sometimes he is styled a devouring Fire, because he consumes our sins, and because his holiness more active than that Element, burns the souls of the Saints whom it purifieth: Sometimes he is called a Flower, because his beauty ravisheth us, his odour perfumes us, and his splendour dazzles us. In as much as Charity is his noblest and most excellent expression, the Scripture handleth it with the same respect, and perceiving that it cannot manifest all its Excellencies by one single name, gives it as many Appellations, as this Virtue hath different qualities. And because every name is a kind of a Definition, I believe I ought to rehearse them in this Discourse, which will contribute very much towards the knowledge of the Excellencies of Charity.  
Saint John the Evangelist, whom we may call the Disciple of Love, as well as of Light, 
Deus charitas est & qui manet in charitate in Deo manet, & Deus in eo. 1 Joh. 4.  teacheth us that God is Charity, and though in this definition he pretends not to persuade us that the Charity which makes us love God is God himself, yet his design is to inform us, that there is nothing can more happily transform us into God than this virtue, because he vouchsafes to bear the name thereof; and of all the things in the world there is none that express his Greatness in so noble an Hieroglyphic. Therefore Saint Augustine ravished with this Speech, hath uttered that which gives us the meaning thereof. God is Charity, a short Elegy, but exceeding great; short in words, but great in sense: If you inquire how many Gods there are, this Definition will tell you but one, and if you ask what he is, will assure you he is Love. St. Bernard, who following the steps of St. Augustine, revived his opinions in France, 
Deus Charitas est, quid pretiosius? & qui manet in charitate in Deo manet, quid securius? & Deus in eo, quid jucundius. Bern.  and made us see that in the matter of Grace we need consult no other Oracle, heightens this Definition, with as much learning as Eloquence. God, saith he, is Charity, what more precious? he that abides in Charity, abides in God; what more secure? and God abides in him, what condition more agreeable? Indeed we cannot possess Charity in our hearts, but together with it we must have the Divine Essence, and their Union is so inseparable, that the one cannot be lost without the other.  
This gave the Apostle of the Gentiles occasion to call Charity the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost, because being the chiefest of his Gifts, he never produceth it in a soul but he always enters together with it: Light is never disjoined from the Sun; and if it be true that this noble quality subsisted some days without adhering to that glorious Star, the same power that united them, may again separate them: But the Holy Spirit and Charity are indivisible, this fire is never without heat, this Sun is never without brightness, and all Scripture would be false, if Charity were not a certain proof of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our souls.  
The same Apostle whom we style the Panegyrist of Charity, assures us, that it is the fulfilling of the Law, and the accomplishment of the Decalogue: Indeed he lives holily, that loves the Supreme Good, and at the same time those that may enjoy it with him: He is perfect, saith S. Augustine, that can regulate his affection, and govern himself with so much justice, that he loves what is amiable, and hates what is odious; and proportioning his charity to the merit of the objects, loves that differently, which he cannot love equally. Therefore is there not so great a necessity in reading holy Books, in diving into the mysteries of Scripture, to search out the meaning of the Prophets, because in exercising Charity we may boast we have fulfiled all, we have understood all. Therefore saith the same St. Augustine, sinners have no more excuse, nor can they lay their sins upon their ignorance, because God to ease their memory seems to abbreviate his Doctrine in abbreviating his Word Incarnate, and clothed it with so much light, that the most Ignorant may understand it: It is short, that it may be remembered; clear that it may be comprehended; and this treasure, notwithstanding its preciousness, is so easy to be discovered, that it costs us no pains to have it, but to ask for it.  
Let us add further with Saint Paul, to explain the nature of a virtue that seems inexplicable, that it is the source of all good things, In charitate radicati, not only because it imparts life but merit and goodness: For when Hope or Faith are divided from Charity, they die or languish; and when Justice or Temperance are animated with any other Spirit, they are criminal or unfortunate. I know there are some Virtues that share in this glory with Charity; that Faith is called the principle of Christian life, because it is the first that God sheds abroad into men's souls, that Humility is the root, because 'tis always hid in the Earth, nor shines forth but by those fruits that spring from it, but both of them owe their worth to Charity, because without it, the former is unprofitable, the second hypocritical.  
If leaving the Apostles we consider what the Fathers of the Church have spoken of Charity, we shall find all their writings so many panegyrics of this virtue, that they are never more eloquent than when they discourse of charity; and looking upon her as the Queen of virtues, speak of her with that respect which is due to Sovereigns. Saint Augustine who hath no less defended the part of Charity, then of Grace, seeing in a thousand passages he is pleased to confound them, saith, that this excellent virtue is the only Science of Christians, that it comprehends what ever we know already, and what ever we are yet ignorant of; that it is the principle upon which all other knowledges do depend, and that it embraceth in her chaste bosom what ever is scattered in the garden of the Scriptures, that it shines forth in those mysteries we are acquainted with, and lies hid in those we are yet ignorant of. Thence it comes to pass that this great Saint engaging himself in the proof of this verity, makes us see that Love is the Epitome of all Sciences, and that to be learned is to be charitable. What lights, saith he, can we find in the writings of Philosophers which we may not discover in this Commandment, which obligeth us to love God above all things, and our neighbour as ourself? There you shall find the secrets of natural Philosophy, because the true causes of the Creatures are in God as in their Principle; there you shall perceive the precepts of Morality, because we cannot form a good life, but in loving what is amiable, and withal, in loving it as much as is meet: there you shall read the demonstrations of Logic, because the reasonable soul ought not to seek, nor indeed can find reason and truth any where but in him that is the fruitful source thereof; There you shall discover the mysteries of the Politics, because the preservation of States, and the right conduct of Monarchies depends upon the fair correspondence and fidelity of the Subjects, who will never love themselves sincerely, if they love not the supreme Good, God; and if for the love of him, who cannot be deceived, together with him they love not all their like.  
The Master of the Sentences, 
Charitas est dilectio qua diligitur Deus propter se, & proximus propter Deum, vel in Deo magis. Senten.  who deserves that name for no other reason but because he is the Disciple of Saint Augustine, walking in his steps, that he may not wander, and following his principles, that he may not mistake, teacheth us that charity is a love as just as it is discerning, which weighing the condition of persons, loves God for himself, and his neighbour for God's sake: Indeed 'tis a kind of iniquity to seek for motives to love God out of God himself; he ought to be the cause of our love; if we respect his recompenses, rather than his perfections, we are mercenaries; if we stand more in fear of stripes then of his frowns, we are slaves; and as Saint Augustine saith, if we are more taken with his gifts, than his goodness, we are adulterers. Charity, that it may be holy must be chaste, or to speak more truly, it ceaseth to be charity, when it ceaseth to be chaste; our love changeth its nature as soon as it changeth its motive; when it fastens upon our interests, it becomes concupiscence, and when a man loves God only to purchase perishable goods, or to avoid eternal pains; me thinks he better deserves the name of Slave, then that of Lover.  
I am ashamed that we should deal with God, as we would not be dealt with ourselves: could we read men's hearts, we should be extremely offended at the carriage of those friends, who more respect our fortune then our person, and who consulting only their own interests, study not so much our glory, as their own profit. There is no Master will keep servants who serve him only because they cannot impunely offend him, who obey him merely for fear of the lash, respect not his commands, but because they fear his anger; and certainly he would be well grounded in this resolution, because there is no body but knows that a slave, who hath no other obligation but his fear, manumits himself as soon as he looseth it, and neglects the service of his Master when he hopes for no more recompenses, nor stands in fear of no more punishments.  
If we believe Saint Augustine, such a slave hath innocent hands with a guilty heart; Sin lodgeth still in his soul with fear; he overcomes not his inclination, but out of the apprehension of pain; he loves what he dares not do, and by an infallible consequence; he hates the Master that forbids his undertake. Therefore doth Charity which is so contrary to Concupiscence, banish fear from their souls in whom it resides: It seeks the honour of him she loveth, sacrificeth her Interests to the glory of God, and having none but commendable motives, loves him not because he is beneficial, but because he is indeed amiable: when she communicates her affection by endowments to her neighbour, she looks only upon him whose image he is, and not considering those reasons that are the inducements of interessed souls, it is enough that a creature is capable of possessing God to merit a charitable affection. Thence it comes to pass that she renders the same duties to her enemies; cherisheth them that injure her; and insensible of their wrongs, pardons those that trample upon her. The will of her God sets all her motions a-work; though inordinate nature counsel her, she remains constant in her resolutions, and knowing there is no sinner whose conversion may not be hoped for; she prays for those that despitefully use her, that after the example of Jesus Christ, she may make her tormentors her friends.  
In as much as this Discourse draws to an end, I must be more brief in the other definitions of Charity, and say succinctly with Saint Augustine, that she is the love of the true good, because to speak properly, she adheres only to God, in consideration of whom she despiseth all other goods, which are nothing but lies or illusions. The desire and possession whereof she leaves to concupiscence; she envies not her false felicity, because she knows 'tis really but a true misery; and by means of those lights that came down from heaven, she never troubles herself to acquire those Goods which make not the possessors better, because they cannot use them well, if they be not good before they take them in possession.  
By a necessary Consequence, Charity is a love which makes us tender of those goods we cannot lose against our wills; I wonder not that Concupiscence is poor, because the preservation of her riches depends not upon her will; she may be robbed of all that she loves; violence or injustice may spoil her of her treasures, calumny may black her reputation, grief may damp her pleasures, death whose only name brings so much terror with it, may take away her life: But Charity, who hath this advantage that she hath chosen the better part, is well assured it shall never be taken from her: she loves a Good she cannot be plundered of, she knows that Fortune hath no Dominion over Grace; that the severity of torments, and the sweetness of pleasures cannot impair her felicity. This is it that St Augustine hath so happily expressed in those words, which contain the Encomium and the definition of Charity: Charitas est amor rerum quas non nisi volentes amittimus: 'Tis the love of things which we part not with but when we have a mind to it. Inasmuch as there is great affinity between the supreme Good and dilection, St Augustine hath drawn from one and the same Principle their common advantage; for he teacheth us, that as Love is not charitable but when it respects a Good which cannot be taken away; the Good also is not true, but when he that possesseth it cannot lose it but by his own fault. 
Nolite amare praesentia, quae possessa onerant, amata inquinant, amissa cruciant. Ber.  Solid good, saith he, is of such a nature, that 'tis never lost unless a man will: The Covetous every day lose their riches with sorrow of heart; the Ambitious fall from their dignities with grief of mind; and the immodest Wantoness testify by their tears, that the deprivation of what they love is no voluntary loss: But this Good, that inspires us with Goodness, can neither be acquired nor lost without our own consent.  
Thence ariseth another Definition of Charity, and a second opposition to Concupiscence her Enemy: This makes us slaves of what we love, find Servitude where we expect Sovereignty, punisheth our Ambition in deceiving it; as she imitates the Devil, who ruin'd us by his promises, she throws us into thraldom by filling us with the hope of Liberty: There is no sinner but is sensible of his torment. The Covetous are the slaves of their wealth; a great Fortune is a glorious servitude, and all those that are engaged in love are entangled in a Captivity. Therefore hath Augustine said admirably well; Men become vassals of the Creatures, when by unjust means they endeavour to make themselves Masters. 'Tis Charity only that exalteth us in humbling us, and more happy than Concupiscence, makes us find liberty in bondage, sovereignty in obedience; for submitting to God, we soar above all sublunary things; by teaching us to obey, we learn to command; and imposing but one Sovereign over us, gives us as many subjects as there are creatures.  
Finally, to conclude this Discourse with a Definition which may be called the Panegyric of Charity, we say she is the Love of eternal Goods, as Concupiscence is of perishable ones. This virtue is so generous that after the example of Eagles which look only upon the Sun, she considers only God: when she expresseth any affection to men or Angels, she riseth as high as the Creator; she would conceive herself unjust, did she love any thing but for God; and making her glory of that Maxim she bespeaks God by the mouth of one of his Lovers, with these excellent words; 
Minus te amat qui tecum aliquid amat, & non propter te. Aug.  He loves thee not at all who loves any thing with thee, which he loves not for thy sake. Concupiscence on the contrary is wedded to the creatures, runs along unhappily with them, finds sorrow where she looks for content, and seeing those objects perish which were the Fuel to her flames, is forced to waste away in sad lamentations, and to begin those complaints here, which will last for ever in the dominions of Hell.   

The Sixth DISCOURSE. Of the Properties and Effects of Charity.  
IF the Learned Tertullian, had reason to call the Devil God's Ape; me thinks I may style Concupiscence the Ape of Charity, because she endeavours to copy her, thereby to obscure her, promising her slaves the same advantages Charity makes her subjects hope for: she takes the same course, continueth the same designs, and in her opposition is so perfect a Transcript of this excellent Original, that the most part of Philosophers confound them together. Their ends are rather contrary then different; but the means they make use of to come thither, are altogether alike; Their Principles are opposite, but their Conclusions run parallel; Their thoughts clash, but their language agrees; so that to complete the Portraiture of Charity, I must draw the Picture of Concupiscence, and make use of the same colours to paint them both.  
Concupiscence or self-love is active; the greater it is in the source, the more violent is it in the effects; nothing can stop its fury, and all the disorders we see in the world, are the works of this irregular passion: she changeth her name according to the objects she fixeth upon; and adhering to Glory, or Profit, or Pleasure, she is styled Ambition, Lust, or Avarice: But in all these different conditions, she is ever active, and by no means sits still. Sometimes she beats an Alarm to war, to increase her reputation in enlarging her Empire: Sometimes she passeth the Seas to get riches, and driven by want which never forsakes her, feeds her wolf, supposing to allay his appetite: Sometimes she sets upon Chastity, and making use of a thousand subtleties to corrupt it, troubles whole Nature to purchase her satisfaction. Therefore is it that Saint Augustine who was so well acquainted with the humour of Concupiscence, says, that no love was idle; that 'twas active assoon as born; that the oppositions made against it, double its fury; and judging its strength by its violence, finds nothing impossible. Thence is it that the ambitious conceive so many designs that surpass humane power, and hardening themselves against all difficulties, had rather break then bow. Thence comes it to pass, that the covetous undergo so many miseries to fill their coffers, and are exposed to the fury of all the elements to comply with that passion that tyrannizeth over them.  
These attempts are the images of those Charity effects, which is yet more active than Concupiscence: For as her hope is founded upon God, and the greatness of her Conquests heightens her courage, whereby she travels for Eternity, she believes there is no pain she ought not to suffer, nor difficulties she must not overcome. Nothing seems hard when it may serve her turn, and measuring her force by her affection, imagines nothing aught to check her enterprises; 
Nihil difficile videtur amanti: amor enim nomen difficultatis erubescit. Bern.  She chides her laziness when she deliberates: she is afraid her weakness should be objected to her, when she parleys for composition; and she is so used to overcome, that she looks upon difficulties not so much as a true excuse, as a shameful pretence. Thus the Martyrs have traversed the flames to find Jesus Christ; The Virgins have provoked wild Beasts, that they might be the sooner with their Beloved; The Anchorites have contested with grief, that they might carry Heaven by violence. Finally, Charity is of the nature of fire, she cannot lie still, she sets upon her body when she finds no other enemy; and that she may not be unprofitable, seeks for occasions of suffering when she wants those of acting: And this is the second resemblance between these two Loves.  
For Concupiscence hath her Martyrs as well as Charity, she suffers for what she loves; and as doing and suffering are mutually in the world, she gives proof of her courage in these two different conditions: From the evils she undergoes, she extracts vanity; she makes them her happiness when they are passed; and lest they should slip out of her memory, she ruminates upon them in her solitudes, and entertains herself with them in companies: she hath some satisfaction in her Martyrdom, when she thinks it will be an argument of her Constancy, or of her Fidelity; nor is she troubled to be made the prey of Flames or of Lions, provided she may evidence her Courage and her Affection. Charity thrives better in this design then Concupiscence; she hath made many more Martyrs than vainglory hath; as she takes her birth from the Cross, so is she never more vigorous nor content then when she swims in her own blood; she is witty to invent occasions of suffering, and becomes her own tormentor when she can meet with no other. The absence of her Beloved is the greatest part of her punishment; and conceiving that torments may shorten her banishment, she is inquisitive after them, as the remedies of her languishing: Therefore do these Divine Lovers suffer always upon Earth; the peace of the Church frees not them from persecution; and though the Princes that govern them are Christians, they meet with Tyrants that persecute them. Every failing is their torture; every moment makes them languish, and they die a thousand times in a day, because they will not die at last. Indeed their Love which is as witty as cruel, learns them innocent murders; they commit Parricides without a Crime; they kill Adam in their person, that Jesus Christ may live there; they take vengeance of this Father that made them guilty, and destroying whatever they received from him; of every one of their inclinations they make a reasonable sacrifice.  
But the Masterpiece of Love is, that it makes that present which we love, and in despite of absence unites us with it. Remoteness is certainly one of the greatest torments of Love; he shuns it as his mortalest enemy, and employs all his stratagems to be secured from it: he hath recourse to Presents, knowing very well that they are the remembrancers of the absent, and that 'tis very hard to forget a person to whom we are beholding: he entertains himself by the commerce of Letters; he writes to those he cannot speak to; he beguiles his Passion with a picture; and not being able to see his friend, he is satisfied with beholding his portraiture: But when all these inventions content not, he reflects upon himself; and making use of his thoughts and desires, he goes upon the quest, and retrives him whose absence caused his punishment. For the Understanding is an imperious faculty, which by a Natural Magic renders absent things present; excelling the Imagery of Painters, because her Ideas can speak; and the same spirit that gives them life, infuses motion into them, and speech: If Love be not satisfied with this invention, he obligeth the Will to inquire out what she affecteth; and to quit the body and the soul, to be united to the object of her sorrow. To obey her Sovereign, she commands her desires to bestir themselves, to prevent the diligence of the winds; and passeth Sea and Land to seek the Subject of her vexation to the world's end: She pursues the Posts she hath dispatched; imitates the agility of Angels; and like those spirits finding themselves wherever they operate, clings in spite of absence to what she loveth. In these admirable courses, she arrives at her journey's end without passing any middle distance; she traverseth Kingdoms in a moment; and disengaging herself from the body she informs, finds herself miraculously in the subject she loves.  
Concupiscence works the same Miracles every day; she makes use of the Understanding and of the Will for her satisfaction; she employs these two faculties to content her Passion; and when the ears or the eyes can tell her no news of the remote objects that torment her, she hath recourse to her thoughts and desire to bring them to her presence. But we must confess that Charity acts this part much better; for though that which she loves be in heaven, she journeys thither without weariness; she goes to seek him whom the Angels enjoy; 
Iter tuum ad. caelum voluntas tua, gradus tui affecius tui; ambulas affectibus non pedibus; accedis ad Deum amando, recedis neg●igendo: stans in terra in caelo es si diligas Deum. Aug.  and leaving the Sun and Stars below her, is swallowed up in that Abyss of Glory, whose elongation caused her torment. For S. Augustine excellently informs me, our Affections are our Wings, and our Will is our Guide to conduct us to heaven. You think perhaps you must build a tower to ascend thither; that the Angels must be invited down to assist you, or that the wings of a dove must be borrowed to convey you thither: but your Love is your Polestar; by your Desires you scale those heavenly regions; by your negligence you stand at distance from them; and loving God upon the earth, you may boast yourselves already in heaven: For it is not with the Soul as with the Body; this cannot move without changing of place; but that needs only change her affection, and presently she ascends: she is where she would be; her love makes all her objects present; and assoon as over she fixeth her affection upon any thing, 'tis no longer at a distance: This is it which he delivers admirably in another passage: We can never be better than when we are with him whom nothing can equal in goodness; we go thither not walking, but loving; and he is so much the nearer and at hand, by how much our Love is more pure and vigorous. Then letting us see the advantage Charity hath above Concupiscence, he brings in God speaking these words which evidence an Oracle: I command you to love me; and I assure you that in doing so, you shall enjoy me: Sinners possess not all that they love; there are covetous worldlings that sigh for gold, and yet are poor; Ambitious persons that are passionate for glory, and yet are infamous: but every one that loves me, finds me; I am with him that seeks for me; his love makes me present in his soul; assoon as he longs for me, I am in his embraces; and I leave off to be absent assoon as he gins to be in love with me.  
Though there is not any lover that hath spoken more nobly of this residence of God in our souls by Charity then S. Augustine; the Fathers his followers have used the same language; and once instructed in the School of Divine Love, have acknowledged that 'twas impossible to love God and not to possess him. 
Qui ment integra Deum desiderat, profecto jam habet quem amat; neque enim quisquam posset Deum diligere, si hunc quem diligit non haberet. Greg. mag. in Moral.  See what S. Gregory saith in his Morals, which differs little from what S. Augustine hath delivered in his Confessions. The Believer that seeks after God without dividing his affections, possesseth him already whom his soul loveth: For he could never be amorous for him, were he not filled with his love, and inanimated with his presence. S. Bernard, who serves for an Interpreter to the Spouse in the Canticles, and expresseth her mind with as much innocent nakedness as winning sweetness, brings her in holding the same discourse. She comforts herself in the absence of her Beloved, by the belief she hath that she bears him in her heart, and that she is the living throne of him who never forsakes her but to exercise her patience.  
Let us conclude this Discourse with the highest operation of Love, and say, that this last effect is to transform Lovers into the things that they love, and to stamp them with their qualities. This property is so natural to Love, that it remains with it even when it exerciseth its power over inanimate things. If the Elements jar, if they trouble the peace of the Universe by their contestations; if these four bodies that compose all others, seem to engage whole Nature in their quarrels; 'tis Love that obligeth them to the combat: and when Fire and Water dispute in the bosom of the clouds, or in the bowels of the earth, they have no other design but to transform each other. Love hath a greater share in their difference then Ambition; neither do they strive so much to destroy one another as to be united, that they may be but one and the same thing. Concupiscence succeeds wonderfully in this enterprise; she imprints in men all the qualities of those objects she obligeth them to be in love with; and by a strange Metamorphosis, deprives them of their proper inclinations, to endue them with strange external ones: They become abominable as the things that they  upon; they change their Nature, in changing their Love: and we see by experience, that Lascivious persons become effeminate as the women they caress, that the Ambitious assume the vanity of that glory they court, and the Covetous become as senseless as the metal they adore. 
Similes eyes fiant qui saciuns ea, & omnes qui confidunt in eyes. Psal. 115.  Therefore David justly wished that Idolators, following the laws of Love, might become like their Idols, and might lose speech and motion for their love towards dumb and senseless gods, that the Israelites might more easily defeat them in the combat.  
But inasmuch as Concupiscence plays the deceiver, she makes good but half her promises to her servants: For she transforms them only to their loss; she changeth them merely to make them miserable; and of all the qualities the things they love are endued with, she communicates none to them for the most part but bad ones: The Lustful, who contract the lightness of women, gain not their beauty: The Covetous, who grow stupid as their metal, extract not its value: and the Ambitious, who vapour like the glory they feed upon, become not always Sovereigns.  
But Charity, which is more sincere and more powerful than Concupiscence, happily transforms Christians into what they love: she imprints upon them the qualities of heaven, and makes them heavenly upon earth; by different degrees it exalts them as high as Divinity itself; she gives them what the devil promised their first father; she changeth them into Gods by a holy Metamorphosis, and makes them innocently obtain what Pride made them heretofore insolently covet: For Man's most ancient passion is to be like God: this was his crime and his desire in Paradise; 'twas upon this consideration that he listened to the devil; and under this hope he violated the command of God. His Pride was punished with an ignominious brand; and he that pretended to an equality with his Sovereign, saw himself reduced to the condition of his meanest Subjects: This correction made him not forget his desire; he preserved his arrogance in the midst of his misery; and being but the relic of innocent man, he could not forbear to wish to be a God.  
Piety hath taught him an honest means to content his ambition: Grace takes pains to assimilate him according to his desire: the Virtues are so many draughts completing this Image; but Charity, their Queen, gives it perfection: She it is that satisfies his long; and raising him above himself, happily transforms him into God: This is the end of all the designs of this august Virtue, the Masterpiece of her power, the triumph of her glory; and when she hath brought Man to this height of felicity, she is content, because he is happy: Let us not advance so important a Virtue without caution; let us make it appear that he who was so well acquainted with the nature of Love, was not ignorant of his effects: Let us make use of the words of S. Augustine: Men, saith he, take their name from what they love; they own their condition to their affection; as wives take the quality of their husbands, and Lovers those of their Mistresses: so in loving the earth, they become earthly; in loving heaven, they become heavenly; and carrying their affection higher in loving God, they become Divine. But there needs no other proof of this verity, but the Mystery of the Incarnation, where Love triumphing over God himself, made him assume the form of a Man, invested him with our nature and our miseries, loaded him with our sins, and obliged him to appear before his Father as a Penitent, or rather as an Anathema. This prodigious change makes us look for another: For God was not made Man, but that Men might be made Gods; he was humbled, that they might be exalted; he took their nature, that he might bestow his upon them; nor did he suffer his love to render him like Man, but to persuade them that the same love may liken them to God.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. Of the Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance of a Christian.  
THough sin hath committed so many outrages against Nature; divided her Forces, obscured her Lights, and weakened her Liberty; yet hath he not been able to destroy the workmanship of God: There remains to man since his Fall, some strength to combat his enemies, some light to discover errors, and some liberty to defend him against evil: After his Transgression, his misery opened his eyes, when, seeking out remedies for his disease, he made himself a Morality, which taught him virtues to rectify those disorders his disobedience had occasioned in his person.  
Some call them the Relics of Innocence, 
Virtus ars est, now natura. Senec.  but without any reason; Because the Virtues that accompanied that happle condition having no enemies, were not obliged to stand upon their guard. Others call them the Succours of sinful Man, and that very justly, Because they help him in his necessities, and comfort him in his misfortunes. They believe that Adam receiving them from God after his repentance for his fault, taught them his children, and left them these arms to combat their Passions: But inasmuch as they went not to him who had bestowed them upon their father, and had reserved himself the power of dispensing them to their children, there remained nothing but the appearance and the name. Concupiscence took the place of Charity; and animating her false Virtues, made them true Sins. This made S. Augustine so often profess, that the Prudence of the Heathen is blind and interessed; that their Fortitude is upheld merely by Vanity; that their Temperance overcomes one passion with another; and that their Justice being arrogant, seeks only fair pretences to authorize its usurpations: So that these Virtues have not recovered their Primitive purity, but by the grace of Christianity. They own all their worth to Charity; they are acceptable to God, because they proceed from Jesus Christ; nor can they hope for an eternal recompense, but because they have a Supernatural and Divine Principle: Therefore the same Doctor mingles Charity always in the definition of these Virtues, 
Definitio brevis est & vera virtutis ardor amoris, propter quod dicit sponsa ordinate in me charitatem. Aug. lib. 15. de Civ. cap. 12. Prudentia est in eligendis, Temperantia in utendis; Fortitudo in tolerandis, Justitia in distribuendis. Aug.  and makes them pass for so many several motions or functions of Love. In this conceit he calls Prudence an illuminated Love, Justice a regulated Love, Fortitude a courageous Love, and Temperance a faithful Love.  
But because this definition seems to limit these Virtues, and many think they are not so much the Impulses as the Ministers of Love; Let us say, that Prudence is a Practical Science, teaching the soul what it ought to do, inspiring her with a love of good things, and a detestation of bad; and carrying light into the understanding, teacheth it to discern what is profitable from what is hurtful.  
Fortitude is a courageous Virtue, making us suffer with an evenness of mind affronts and griefs; 'Tis a victorious habit that triumphs in suffering, and owes the best part of her advantages to the bitterness of the afflictions that persecute her: 'Tis a stability of spirit against all the miseries of the world; a resolution to fight and overcome all the labours that accompany life; 'Tis a Virtue whose generous humour makes us desire great things, contemn low things, and endure hard things; or it is a Virtue that raiseth the soul above Fear, apprehending nothing but dishonour, and which instructs us to carry ourselves equally in favours, and in disgraces; If we will shut her up within the bounds of Christianity, we may say, it is a Virtue informed with Grace, preparing us to undergo all things rather than fail of our duty.  
Temperance is a just dominion of reason over the passions, but especially over those that flatter us by the pleasure they promise, and employ voluptuousness to seduce us: 'Tis a Virtue that teacheth us to wish nothing that may cause shame in us or regret; not to do any thing that exceeds the bounds of reason; to suffer nothing that may diminish her authority, and foment the rebellion of her lawful subjects: Or to use Saint Augustine's expressions, 'tis an affection that subdueth the Concupiscible appetite, and gives it not leave to hunt after those pleasures which are accompanied with shame or followed which repentance.  
Justice is a Virtue that prefers the public interests before private; and many times punisheth a Delinquent with more severity than his fault requires, to stop the course of evil, and to astonish other offenders. According to the opinion of Saint Ambrose, it is a Virtue which hath more respect to the service of others, then of itself; and considers more the advantages of her neighbour, than her own. According to Aristotle, it renders every one their due, punisheth Vice, rewards Virtue, maintains the peace of the State by the severity of punishments, and the liberality of recompenses; Let us add with Seneca, though very blind in the knowledge of Christian Virtues, that Justice is a secret Convention Nature hath contracted with men for the succour of the innocent or distressed; that it is a Divine Law that entertains humane society, preserves every man his right, and not respecting the quality of the persons, considers only their merits. Finally, 'tis a Christian Virtue, which enlightened by Faith, animated with Charity, obligeth man to satisfy at once God, himself, and his neighbour.  
Having examined the nature of these Virtues, it remains that we take notice of their use, and the profit that ariseth from them. S. Augustine, whom in Morality I look upon as my Guide, and in Divinity my Master, saith, that these Virtues are given to the soul to embellish her, and to arm her against Vices. Prudence teacheth her what she is to do, is in stead of a Torch to light her in the darkness of the world. Temperance learns her not to be charmed with pleasure; Fortitude not to be vanquished with griefs; and Justice not to be transported with her own interests: or to express another way, no less solidly, and more pleasingly, the obligations of these Virtues, it concerns Prudence to know our power, Fortitude to employ it, Temperance to moderate it, Justice to rule it; and as this Divine Spirit can never be exhausted, but knows how to give a hundred colours to the same thing, thereby to discover all the different beauties thereof; Let us add with him, that Prudence concerns the choice of means: Temperance the use of pleasures: Fortitude that of afflictions, and Justice the distribution of all these. Finally, he concludes that it belongs to Prudence to foresee hidden things, to Temperance to defy pleasures, to Fortitude to attaque them, and to Justice to regulate their interests.  
But because these duties savour still of the description, let us speak of those that denote the necessity of these Virtues, and say, that honesty which is inseparable from them is composed of four parts, without which it cannot possibly subsist; The first is Knowledge, which serves it for a conduct and a light; The second is the Interest of Society, which ought always to be preferred before that of particulars; The third is a certain magnanimity, which seems as it were the soul of all honourable Actions, and the defence of all Virtues; The fourth is Moderation, which keeps every one within his duty, not suffering him to undertake any thing that may be disadvantageous to his neighbour. Light appertains to Prudence; the care of the Community to Justice; Glorious enterprises to Fortitude, and the regulating of Pleasures to Temperance.  
Therefore hath that excellent Copier of Saint Augustine, venerable Bede, who being able to be a great Master of his own Head, chose rather to be an humble Disciple of that learned Doctor; observed, that the Virtues coming in to the help of man a sinner, seemed to have a mind to cure four great wounds which Original sin had inflicted upon him.  
The first is Ignorance, which is born with him, which involves him in darkness assoon as ever nature exposeth him to the light; For he is Ignorant assoon as Criminal, and as Grace is necessary to deliver him from sin, Prudence is requisite to defend him from Error and Falsehood; she irradiates his mind with a Heavenly Light, gives him the spirit of discerning between Good and Evil, and severing apparent good from real, keeps him from wandering in the course of his life.  
The second wound is that of Concupiscence, which seems particularly to have set upon the Concupisicible appetite, which she hath engaged in the love of sinful sensualities, and diverts from innocent contentments; against this agreeable enemy, Heaven hath given him Temperance, whose business 'tis to undeceive this irregular appetite, to make use of charms to suppress his unjust inclinations, and to reduce him to a condition, where he wisheth only reasonable things.  
The third wound is Weakness, which plungeth man in idleness, suffering him not to act, frights him from Virtue, because of the difficulties 'tis accompanied with, and representing Death as a Spectrum, Grief as a Monster, strives to deter him from his duty by such fearful apprehensions: against this great inconvenience, which may be called the root of all other; Fortitude stands up which heightens our courage, fills the man with hope and activity, animates him with glory, the companion of difficulty, and changing our diseases into remedies, makes us find honour in pain, and Immortality in Death.  
The fourth and deepest wound is the malice of the will, which may be called a Natural Injustice, which is troubled at the prosperity, and rejoiceth at the adversity of his neighbour: when a man minds nothing but his own interests, believes whatever is profitable is lawful, placeth right in force, duty in pleasure, and is persuaded that glory being inseparable from profit, there is nothing beneficial which at the same time is not honourable. Morality to rid him of so Potent an enemy, hath given him Justice, which supplying the loss of Original righteousness, teacheth him to prefer his duty before his interest, and his conscience before his reputation. This excellent Virtue which is the soul of all the rest, undertakes to regulate man's actions, to appease all disorders wherein his guilty birth hath engaged him; For she submitteth his mind to God, his body to his mind, and having made this double agreement, tries to accommodate man with his neighbour, and to establish peace in his state after she hath brought it into his person.  
Nothing distinguisheth this Virtue from Original righteousness, but the resistance it meets with in those things it would regulate; for the first took no pains to be obeyed, she had to do with tractable subjects; the soul and body had not as yet clashed; their inclinations though different, were not opposite; and these two parts that make up man, were not contrary in their designs: so that Original righteousness had no hard task to manage a peace, which seemed founded as well in Grace as in Nature; But Christian Justice meets with insolent subjects, who acknowledge not their Sovereign, obey her not but by compulsion; who being born in sedition, think it their duty to live in disobedience; nevertheless, when assisted with Prudence to choose means of accommodation; seconded with Temperance, to suppress pleasures; and manfully supported by Fortitude, to overcome grief; she gains that by violence, which Original righteousness did by sweet compliance; and if she be not so quiet, she may boast at least she is more glorious.  
To express the same Truth in other words, and to give it a new beauty in setting it out in new colours, we may say, that Prudence is busied in discussing those things that deceive us, to discern truth from falsehood, and to secure us from being surprised with a lie: Temperance is employed to suppress those things that charm our affections, and whose allurements pleasingly heighten our appetites: Fortitude is engaged to vanquish those things that terrify us; it revives our spirits; and as a General of an Army that heartens his soldiers, endeavours to rally that Courage Grief or Danger had in a manner routed. Justice is busied in regulating those concernments wherein lies our interest, and which, under a colour of some gain, would set us upon some violent course to compass it. Wherefore Seneca said, that perilous things were to be mastered by Valour; pleasurable things to be moderated by Temperance; Things that abuse us to be examined by Prudence; and those that tempt, and fain would corrupt us, to be regulated by Justice.  
If it be true that Virtue respects only our person, and that, according to the opinion of some Philosophers, who would make her the slave of our interests, her sole object is man; we may say, without thwarting their conceit, that Prudence considers things without us, which being hid and obscured by the distance of places and times, cannot be foreseen but by the light of this Virtue, which seems to be a natural kind of prophecy: According to this principle, Temperance regulates things that are below us in the inferior Region of the soul, reduceth the passions and the senses to their duty, and entertains reason in her Empire: Fortitude combats those things that rise against us, defends us from our enemies, scatters all those evils whos● pomps hath no other design but to weaken our courage: Justice looks after that which is beside or above us, makes us render to God our Sovereign, and to our neighbour our equal, what of due belongs unto them: and parting our obligations according to their conditions, binds us to love the former above ourselves, and the later as ourselves.  
If, as it is very likely, these Virtue's respect our rest and quietness; they deliver us from four inconveniences which may exceedingly trouble us: For many times we prefer an imaginary apparent Good before a real one; and from this error Prudence secures us: we desert a Good, because difficult; and from this cowardice Fortitude rouzeth us: we seek after some pleasing, but unprofitable or pernicious Good; and this pitfal Temperance teacheth us to avoid: or, lastly, we desire something advantageous to ourselves, but prejudicial to our neighbour; and this iniquity Justice forbids, obliging us to preserve the interest of another as our own.  
But whatever succour the Christian can draw from these virtues, he must confess they reproach him with his miseries, and exprobate him with his crimes: For Prudence informs him that he is in banishment, where Good and Evil are mixed together, and where he is in danger to mistake as often as he hath occasion to choose. Temperance teacheth him that he hath inordinate Passions that must be suppressed, that he nourisheth monsters in his person which must be strangled; but that the disease over-tops the remedy, because Prudence dissipates not the darkness of his Ignorance, nor doth Temperance regulate all the disorders of his Appetite. Justice tells him he must submit his spirit to God, his body to his spirit; but the resistance he finds, makes him sadly feel that earth is not the mansion of Peace, nor this life the time of Triumph. Finally, Fortitude, which obligeth him to combat Grief, is an argument that he is still criminal, because he still remains miserable.   

The Eighth DISCOURSE. Of the Humility of a Christian.  
IT is a strange thing, but withal exceeding true, that of all the Virtues there is none more natural, nor yet a greater stranger to Man then Humility: For she is born with him; he carries the principles thereof in his soul and in his body, in that the one is drawn out of Nothing, the other is form out of the Slime of the earth: He must forget his extraction, to give the least admittance to Vainglory; and he need only study and mind himself, to be sensibly affected with Humility. Therefore said an Ancient that Pride was a stranger-vice, and Humility a natural virtue. In the mean time, Man was never more arrogant then since he became so wretchedly miserable: That which ought to take down his spirit, hath raised it; and the misery that should have taught him Humility, hath made him quite forget so commendable a virtue. She was unknown to the Heathen: her name, which we account so glorious, was infamous among them; nor was it ever ascribed to any actions but those that deserved blame. It was necessary that Christian grace should revive her, and that her light should discover the beauties of this unknown virtue: Indeed she had no credit with men, till the mystery of the Incarnation: God must be abased, that we may learn this lesson; and his examples must persuade humane wilfulness that true greatness consists in low deportment.  
Though this Virtue takes her merit from her Master, and her glory is very remarkable in having God for her Author; yet must we confess that in her own nature she is of very high esteem, and that her proper intrinsecal excellency gives worth and value to her. For she seems to include all the Cardinal virtues, and to comprehend all their advantages in her essence: She partakes of Prudence, because she is illuminated, and knows the greatness of God and the meanness of the Creature: She hath something of Temperance, because she bridles the pleasure that vanity promiseth, and defends herself from that agreeable enemy, who makes use of praises only to deceive us: She shares with Fortitude, because she combats shame and grief, which frequently accompany base and unworthy actions: Finally, she is an image of Justice, because she treats the Creator and the Creature with so much equity; and rendering Glory to the one, reserves nothing but Contempt for the other.  
But lest we should think her riches are merely the spoils of another, that she hath none but borrowed excellencies, nor is at all considerable but for the alms she receives from other virtues; we shall do well to consider her nature, and to be acquainted with her by weighing her definition. Humility, according to S. Augustine, is a voluntary debasement of the soul before God, in the sight of her own condition; which representing her Nothingness, reads her this lesson, that none can preserve her but he that created her: This great man expressly joins the Creature with the Creator in this definition: for Man looking only upon himself, might easily grow proud at the sight of his own privileges: when he looks up to God, compares the Creature with the Creator, confronting two things opposite by such an infinite distance, he is obliged to fall low upon his face, if his Pride exceed not that of the devil. Therefore did that afflicted Prince, who would persuade his friends that his being miserable was no argument he was criminal, change his language, when he had compared his own defects with the perfections of God, and confess there was no creature so holy that was not guilty before him: Now mine eye seethe thee, and therefore I abhor myself: As if he would have said, Whilst I compared my actions with those of men, I cherished a high opinion of my virtue; but when thy light had cleared my spirit, and I beheld that holiness whereby thou art so gloriously separated from thy works, I prevent thy arrest; and forgetting my innocence, pass sentence of condemnation upon myself. This is the apprehension of Humility; and whenever Man is tempted to Pride, this lowliness of mind presents him before God in his nature, in his person, in his actions: in his Nature, that he is miserable; in his Person, that he is criminal; in his Actions, that he is unconstant and wavering.  
Others define Humility a disesteem that Man conceives of his own excellency, inasmuch as he hath not any thing which was not given him by Grace, and may not be taken away by Justice. For this wretch lives but upon loan: In the height of his Innocence, he was but many creatures in gross; and it seems that God, to oblige him to Humility, made him up of borrowed pieces: He takes his Being from the Elements, his Life from Plants, his Sense from Animals, and his Understanding from Angels: So that should he return every Creature what he hath received, all that would remain to him would be his Nothingness and his Sin.  
S. Bernard, whom we may call the Panegyrist of Humility, knowing that this virtue hath two Principles, the Mind and the Will, defines it sometimes a knowledge of our miseries, sometimes a contempt of our advantages: Both these definitions are true; but the second is much more perfect than the former: For the very devils, in the midst of their darkness, acknowledge their miseries; they are not ignorant that he that punisheth them is able to destroy them; and that notwithstanding their rebellion, they depend upon this just Sovereign whom they have dishonoured. But there are none but the Righteous that join Submission to their Knowledge, and, by an act of the Will, 
Humilitas est contemptus propriae excellentiae. Bernard.  pass from the sight of their infirmities to the contempt of their perfections: They would not change their nature nor their condition; they rejoice that their Being makes them the servants of God: of a happy Necessity, they make an excellent Virtue; and profiting by their Misery, they grow great by diminution. For Glory is the portion of Humility; she cannot shun that honour she flies from; this enemy she apprehends leaves her not but for a time; and that which seems to threaten her ruin, becomes at last her recompense.  
Inasmuch as Pride and Humillty are opposite in their nature, they are also contrary in their effects: Pride intending to exalt itself, is thrown down; the more it approacheth to God, the more it removeth from him; and by a misfortune inevitably accompanying this capital sin, it tumbles into hell, when it thinks to scale heaven: But Humility, which walks another path, is exalted in being abased, draws near to God by standing at a distance from him, and reacheth heaven by descending to the gates of hell. Therefore doth her enemy dress himself sometimes in her mantle, to carry on his designs; he affects modesty, and, to gain reputation, seems to slight it: but his dissimulation is of no continuance; his vanity presently betrays him; and upon the first battery made against his honour, he is transported with invectives, which discover the stately humour he fain would have concealed.  
In this opposition of Pride and Humility, they have notwithstanding some correspondence: For as Humility preserves all the Virtues, Pride animates all the Vices: He excites Envy, which is nothing but a sadness at the prosperity of another: He whets Vengeance, which is armed only to destroy whatever resists it: He awakens Calumny, which sets upon virtue but because she darkens his glory: and this Monster which produceth all sins by his activity, protects them by his malice. Humility, on the contrary, is the Guardian of all Virtues: if she gives them not their life, she preserves it; if she be not their Mother, she is their Nurse; and if she be not pompous enough to serve them for an ornament, she is courageous enough to serve them for a defence. It is S. Ambrose that bestows this Elegy upon her, and calls her the Protectress of the Virtues, because they are exposed to Vanity assoon as ever they are left destitute of Humility; and that 'tis a kind of miracle, when, having lost this support, they can for any time defend themselves from their enemies. S. Bernard sets a higher price upon it then S. Ambrose, and will have the Virtues no longer acceptable to God than they are humble: nay, he goes further, that the Purity of the Virgin Mary had never procured her the quality of being the mother of God, had she not been accompanied with Humility.  
Seeing this Virtue is so necessary, the rest of this Discourse shall be spent in the search of some Reasons which may as motives beget it in our souls, and convince our Judgements, that so our Wills may incline towards it. I find that this Virtue hath three Principles absolutely incompatible with Pride. The first is Nothing: the second is Sin: the third is Death. Nothing is the Glory of God, and the Shame of Man; 'tis the Theatre upon which the Divine Majesty acts most nobly, the Womb whereout he extracts all his works of Creation, the most obedient of all his subjects, and which acknowledgeth none but his Orders. Nature cannot create any thing; and though she be so powerful, her operations are rather changes then productions. She converts the dew into flowers and fruits, turns the vapours into clouds, dissolves them into showers, inflames them into lightnings, or makes them rattle in thunder: She is absolute when she acts upon the Elements; and having altered their qualities, converts them into their contraries: But notwithstanding all her power, she cannot act upon Nothing: and, as if she knew him for her father, she bears him respect, and by no means dares venture to command him. Art, which is the Ape of Nature, never makes her industry admired but in alterations: Nature must sustain her; and there must be some matter whereon to exercise her power. Painter's can draw no Pictures without Colours, Architects raise no buildings without materials; and if you take away Marble or Porphyry from Engravers, they can carve neither Images nor Statues: It is only God that actuates Nothing, who forms a Being out of a Nonentity, and makes his Omnipotence manifest in commanding this Rebel.  
As it is the Theatre of his Glory, so is it the subject of our Confusion: 'Tis enough to abase the stoutest, but to think that Nothing is his original, that an eternity of ages passed before he was in Nature, and that he could not come forth of that abyss of darkness and misery. In this dreadful habitation the Angel hath no privilege above the Beast; all things are more confused then in the fabulous Chaos; and in this undigested medley, the noblest creature hath no mark of separation from the most vile. But that which adds much to man's humiliation, is, that he hath a natural bent towards annihilation; the power that redeemed him from it, must still preserve him from relapsing; He is divided by two contrary Inclinations; he removes from Nothingness, as from the place of his loss; he approacheth insensibly towards it, as the place of his Original; and the experience he daily meets with of his infirmity, confirms him in the truth of this belief. All creatures would cease to be, saith Saint Augustine, did God withdraw his arm that sustains them: 
Si potentiam suam fabricatoriam rebus subtrahat, ita non erunt sicut antequam fierent non fuerunt. Aug.  and did he leave off to uphold them, they would leave off to subsist; did he not keep them by his looks, they would vanish into air; and did he not contemplate himself in his creatures, they would have the same destiny with the shadows in a glass; which depend so absolutely upon our presence, that they would perish, did we but turn away our face from beholding them. This is it perhaps that the Prophet intended in those words which he addresseth to God in behalf of the creature, Avertente autem te faciem turbabuntur.  
The second Principle of Humility is sin, which is a Nonentity in the order of Grace, and which abaseth the sinner to so low a condition, that he is much more miserable than if he were annihilated. For inasmuch as he recedes from God the supreme Being, adhering to the creature, who is in a manner Nothing, himself becomes a wretched Nonentity, and loseth all those advantages he was made partaker of by the union he had with his Creator. 
Tamdiu est aliquid homo quamdiu haeret illi à quo factus est homo. Aug. in Psal. 75.  This is it that Saint Augustine expresseth in those excellent words; Man is Something as long as he is united to God from whom he had his Being: but he ceaseth to be assoon as he separates from him by sin; and finding his Fall in his Crimes, tumbles into a more deplorable Nothing then that of Nature: For the former obeys the voice of God; if it contribute nothing to his design, neither doth it resist his hand; and the world that issued out of its barren depths, was an evident proof of its submission: But the Nonentity of sin resists the will of God, forms parties in his State, deboists his most loyal subjects, and mastering their wills, disputes the dominion with their Sovereign. Therefore doth Saint Augustine in some place of his writings call sin an armed Nothing; and the Scripture to show us the horror goes along with it, 
Nihil rebelle & in Deum armatum. Amb.  prefers the condition of men who never were, before that of transgressors who are fallen into sin.  
The third Principle of Humility is Death, which seems the middle between Nothing and Sin: It is an image of the former, and a chastisement of the second; it bears the name of both in Scripture; and the Prophets illuminated from above, call it sometimes a Nothing, sometimes a Sin. Saint Augustine gives us a handsome proof hereof in these words: Death, saith he, is the punishment of sin; he bears the name of his Father, to teach us that though man sin not in dying, he never should have died if he had not sinned: and the same Doctor in another passage, acquaints us that Death is a Nothing, which having no Essence, might indeed be ordained by the Justice of God, but not produced by his Power. Thence it comes to pass that 'tis a shameful punishment attempting the honour of man and his life, and makes him feel himself a Criminal, because having set upon his reputation, it proceeds to attaque his person: For he destroys this Masterpiece of Nature, separates the two parts that compound him, breaks the ligaments that unites them, and being not able to be revenged upon the soul, dischargeth his fury upon the body, and afflicts the Mistress in punishing her servant.  
But should not all these powerful considerations oblige man to humble himself, the Christian could by no means refuse this homage, when he considers that his salvation depends upon Grace; that his Liberty without this Supernatural aid, serves only to damn him; and being fallen from that happy condition wherein he was the master of his fortune, he is now the slave of Concupiscence if he be not enfranchised by the merits of Jesus Christ. Indeed the Example of God debased, greatly comforts him in his misery; he is never troubled to humble himself; when he considers the Word annihilated in the Incarnation, he submits to the Counsels of that Divine Master; he is not ashamed to learn humility in his School; and having heard that Oracle from his mouth, Discite à me quia mitis sum & humilis cord: he looks upon this Virtue as his Glory, and is forced to confess with Saint Augustine, that if it be a Prodigy to behold a man proud, 'tis a Miracle to see a God humbled; and by consequence of so great an Example, that man must have lost his judgement that should be ashamed of Humility.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. Of the Repentance of a Christian.  
ALL the Virtues have their particular advantages: the least splendid are the most useful, and those that have not so many allurements have commonly most desert; Repentance is of the number of these, and it seems 'tis not so much her beauty, as her necessity, that makes her considerable; Her Countenance hath no comeliness; her Mouth is always full of sighs; her Eyes moist with tears; her shoulders covered with sackcloth, and her hands armed with discipline. The Interest of God sets her against herself; his Goodness offended, his Glory obscured, his Mercy neglected, provokes her indignation against sinners, and obliges them to invent torments to punish their offences.  
But did not her zeal contribute to her excellency, she is so necessary, that in whatever condition man appears, she is proper and peculiar to him; It seems she is his difference in Grace, and that this Virtue distinguisheth him from Angels and Beasts; For these have only a blind instinct that guides them, they have no liberty in their actions; It is not reason but Nature that leads them, and as they are incapable of Sin, so are they of Repentance. The Angels are unchangeable in good and evil; Constancy hath made the Angels happy, and Obstinacy hath rendered the Devils miserable; These pure spirits cannot alter, and whether they know good and evil intuitively, or whether they act with the full extent of their power: or whether they had but one moment to merit in, all Divinity assures us that they cannot repent. I intent not to examine whether Grace by its victorious sweetness, be able to work a change in them: and whether their will be so perversely obstinate in evil, that it cannot be diverted; But I say with our Masters, there is something in their Nature and in their Sin, which renders them unworthy and uncapable of Repentance: so that this Virtue is a privilege of a man, one of his properties in Nature, and one of his differences in Grace.  
Being weak he never adheres so strongly to Virtue, but he may desert her; and by a happiness arising from his infirmity, he is never so deeply engaged in vice, but he may shake hands with it. He is neither constant in good, nor obstinate in evil: and though he can neither leave the one, nor embrace the other, unless he be assisted by Grace, he hath a natural disposition, which rendering him unconstant, makes him capable of this happy change that accompanies Repentance. It seems the mercy of God which makes use of our sin to redeem us, will make use of unconstancy to convert us: and managing this weakness which is natural to us, takes pleasure to save us by the same means that ruined us. If those that are of opinion that the Grace that changeth men, were able also to convert the Angels, are not agreed as touching this Maxim, they ought at least to confess that the Angel having had but one moment to merit in, was not capable of this Grace in the order of God, because his Salvation or his Fall had immediately followed his Obedience or his Rebellion; and thus it is always true, that Repentance is a favour reserved for man, and if it lean not upon the unconstancy of his mind, it is founded at least upon the length of his life, which seems therefore prolonged that he may have time to repent.  
But if Repentance be not natural to man, 'tis at lest necessary for a sinner; if it be not his difference, 'tis his remedy; if it be not his propriety; 'tis his only refuge; and as Tertullian saith, 'tis the Table after the Shipwreck. Man in Paradise might save himself by his Innocence; this acceptable convoy had brought him through a Garden of Roses; he had found pleasure with virtue; he had conquered without fight; and though he had had no enemies, he had not failed to triumph. But now there remains only Repentance which swims in blood or in tears, which is covered with earth or with ashes; which blots out no transgressions but by lamentations; satisfies not the Justice of God, but by preventing his arrests; nor gains any battles, but those that cost him fighs or wounds.  
The sinner following the Counsels of this austere Virtue, is always animated against himself; his whole life is spent in sorrow; and since he lost Grace, he is obliged to bid adieu to all pleasure; his very reconciliation with God dispenseth not with him from this severity; To be a Christian, 
Nullus hominium transit ad Christum ut incipiat esse quod non erat, nisi eum poeniteat fuisse quod erat. Aug.  entitles him to be a Penitent; 'tis enough that he hath sinned in Adam, to live in sadness; and being a member of Jesus Christ, he is bound over to penance. For though the union he contracts with this adorable Head in Baptism, happily deliver him from all his sins, that he recovers Innocence with Grace, and be freed from all those pains which are prepared for offenders in Hell: he becomes Penitent in becoming Innocent, and the same Sacrament that ties him to Jesus Christ, engageth him in griefs and sufferings.  
The Son of God uniting the Divinity with the Humanity in his Person, is pleased also to unite all things that seemed incompatible: Having surpassed the difficulties that withstood the accomplishment of this mystery; having accorded power with weakness, Nonentity with Being, Life with Death, he would make Innocence friends with Repentance, and charge himself with the pains our sins deserved, without interessing the holiness that made him impeccable; he was the most just and most afflicted of all men; he was equally divided between the blessed and the penitent; his soul resented grief with joy, and at the same time that he reigned with the Angels, he suffered with Mortals: According to his example, the greatest Saints have laboured to join Repentance with Innocence; His Mother the purest of Virgins, the Holiest of Women, bore the infirmities of our nature, without contracting the obligations; and to imitate her Son, was content to be miserable, though she were not criminal. Saint John Baptist, who was a sinner but for some months, who received Grace in his mother's belly, who after the Virgin was the first object of the miracles of Jesus, who was born without sin: nor brought into the world with him the ignominious quality of a sinner; This great Saint, I say, was the example of Penitents: he spent his whole life in the Deserts; he had no other covering then that of Trees or Rocks; Earth served him for a Bed, Sackcloth for a Garment, Water for Drink, and Locusts for Food: He added the labours of preaching to the austerity of penance; he reproved sin with boldness; his generous freedom procured him the hatred of the great ones; and for a recompense of so many virtues, he lost his head at the entreaty of an incestuous woman.  
Thence it comes to pass that the Christian, having the honour to be a member of Jesus Christ, is obliged to Repentance: the favour he hath received in the Church, gives him no dispensation from this duty; and if he have the use of Reason when admitted to Baptism, his Contrition must precede that Sacrament, and recover his lost Innocence by the assistance of this virtue. His obligation continues with his life: For as the Grace of Christianity does not enfranchise him fully from Concupiscence, but he groans still under the weight of his irons, sees his heart divided between Self-love and Charity, that both these principles make him act successively, and having obeyed Grace, obeys Sin again; he is bound to run to sorrow, to deface his light offences with Tears, and to spend his whole life in Repentance.  
It is the opinion of S. Augustine, who carries this truth on farther, and imposeth a more severe law upon Christians: for be will not have Innocence itself to exempt them from Grief; he will have them sigh, not because of their sin, but because of their banishment; he will have them bewail their exile as long as long as it lasts; and condemning their coldness that can find any pleasure in this sad abode, saith, that the Believer who hath not an aversion for this mortal and perishable life, can have no love for the Eternal and Beatifical: his regret ought to be an argument of his love; and that it becomes him to bemoan his abode upon earth, if he have a real desire of being speedily translated to heaven.  
This great Master of Grace seeks no other motives of Repentance than the miseries of life; he thinks it sufficient to sad our hearts, that we live under the tyranny of sin, that we feel the rebellions of the flesh, and suffer the persecution of the Elements: the justice of these continued pains teacheth us that we are guilty: the Prayer that Christ taught us, confirms us in this belief; and seeing we cannot be his disciples except we daily say Dimitte nobis debita nostra, we must confess we are not free from sin: otherwise the Church would abuse the Faithful; the Son of God himself had involved us in an error; and, as S. Augustine saith, ask pardon for a sin we never committed, we should utter a blasphemy, because we should lie in the midst of our most august mysteries.  
We cannot doubt then that Repentance is necessary for a Christian, nor can we deny, that, to the end it may be profitable, it must be severe, especially if the precedent sins have been notorious. For as Repentance is a kind of Justice, it proportions the Punishment to the Offence; it respects the quality of the delinquents, considers the Majesty offended, and casting its eyes upon the torments of the damned, strives to make some resemblance of them in the revenge it takes upon Criminals. Let us carefully examine all these Reasons, see the just motives we have to punish ourselves; and, not to slatter our lazy negligence in so important a concernment, let us consider the qualities of this Virtue.  
Repentance is a Judgement, where, contrary to the ordinary Laws, the same Delinquent is Witness, Judge, and Executioner. In the quality of a Witness, he is bound to examine his Conscience, to Wrack his Memory; to search the inmost thoughts of his Mind, the secretest intentions of his Will, and to convent himself before himself, without Excuse or Flattery. As a Judge, he ought to consider the Number and the Quality of the crimes, dextrously to examine the prisoner, carefully to observe the cause of the fault, and with Justice to pronounce sentence whereby the Criminal may suffer according to his desert, and the party offended receive fatisfaction to his dignity. And because soul and body are both concerned in the sin, they must be jointly condemned: but the soul being the author of the iniquity, and the body but the minister or complice, he must begin the correction by an inward sadness mixed with Fear and Love, and finish it by an external pain attended with Shame and Sorrow: For there would be a kind of Injustice, to separate those in the Punishment that were Partners in the Fault: and the Repentance would be imperfect, did it not reach the body as well as the soul. Having pronounced righteous judgement, the Judge must take upon him the quality of the Executioner, and execute what himself hath ordained, being zealous for the Justice of God; betraying Self-love, so that he abandon it to Charity; and, full of anger and indignation, revenge Jesus Christ upon his enemy. All true Penitents have done thus; the Contrition of their spirit hath produced the Maceration of their body; and having conceived a mortal displeasure at their offences, they have obliged their eyes to bewail them, their hands to punish them, and their mouths to confess them: They joined Fast to Prayer, Watch to Reading, Discipline to Obedience; that mortifying both soul and body, they might obtain pardon for both these offenders.  
Nothing can yield such assistance to so good a design, as the consideration of a second quality of Repentance: For it takes the name from Pain; 'tis a Punishment as well as a Judgement; 'tis mingled with Grace and Rigour; 
In peccatorem poenitentia pronuntians pro Dei indignatione fungitur, & temporali afflictatione aeterna supplicia non dicam frustratur, sed expungit. Tertul.  and, according to the conceit of Tertullian, 'tis an abridgement of eternal pains. The sinner, if a believer, is not ignorant that his crimes, which inflict death upon his soul, merit hell: he knows very well the decree is gone out, the truth whereof he cannot question; and that every transgressor that loseth Grace, is worthy of the Torments the devil and his angels suffer: When he is converted therefore, and by the favour of Repentance hath his sins remitted, he is obliged in spirit to descend into the centre of the earth, to consider the pains the damned endure; and then, to equalise his sorrow, he ought to imitate what he hath seen, and to deal so severely with himself, that he may satisfy that Justice which inflicts eternal punishments upon his enemies.  
But nothing ought so much to animate him against himself, as the consideration of his offence, which being in its own nature infinite, merits eternal punishments. For though the sin be committed in a moment, 
Momentaneum est quod delectat, aeternum est quod cruciat. Greg. Mag.  and the pleasure that accompanies it be but an illusion; yet doth it put the sinner in a condition out of which he cannot arise but by Grace, which is not at his disposal: He falls into this abyss by his own proper motion, but he cannot get out of it by his own strength: He may defend himself when he is tempted; but, being overcome, he cannot rid himself of his enemy: He enters into a slavery that insensibly engageth him into a necessity: If Grace, which he cannot challenge as his due, prevent him not, he lives and dies in a very deplorable condition, and carries the same mind into hell which he cherished upon the earth: Therefore doth the Divine Justice that reads men's hearts, and looks rather upon the dispositions than actions of offenders, inflict an eternal punishment upon a sin not fully finished, and condemns a transgressor to endless torments, who had always offended, had he always lived.  
But though he should not retain this unhappy disposition till his death, 'tis enough to merit an everlasting punishment, that he hath committed a sin whose malice hath no bounds: For Reason tells us there is no proportion between the Creature and the Creator; the distance that separates them is infinite; and therefore the sinner that forsakes the Creator to adhere is infinite; 
Qui peccat mortaliter, vult Deum esse impotentem, aut injustum, aut insipientem; quia vellet Deum aut sua peccata nescire, aut vindicare non posse, aut vindicare nolle. Bern.  offers him an infinite injury, which cannot justly be punished but by an eternaltorment. Indeed, he endeavours to destroy God by his offence; he would rob him of his perfections; and in the mind he is in, to content himself, he would have God void of light to see him, without goodness to hate him, without power to correct him. Therefore is the Penitent, at the sight of so many disorders and injustices, obliged to make war upon himself, to take God's part against himself, to punish a delinquent severely whose due it is to burn eternally, and to continue a torment during his life, which ought to continue for all generations.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. Of the Renunciation and Self-denial of a Christian.  
Policy and Religion, in the difference of their designs, exact the same dispositions in their subjects: Policy will have men prefer Public interests before Private, and to sacrifice their Fortune for the preservation of the State: Religion also will have men consider nothing but the glory of Jesus Christ, being always ready to immolate themselves in his quarrel. Policy will not have men wedded to their goods, lest Avarice should make them cowards: Religion, going a step further, obligeth them to a voluntary poverty, and will have them really or in affection divorced from their riches. Finally, Policy will have Subjects renounce their Will, that they be more the States than their own Families, and depend more upon their Sovereign then on Themselves: Religion requires the same duty from her disciples, 
Qui vult venire post me, abneget semetipsum, tollat crucem suam, & sequatur me. Luc. 9  and will ahve them renounce their inclinations when they are admitted into the Church, and Jesus Christ to be the Master of their actions and of their persons: All the Maxims she gives us, tend to this end; all her counsels inspire us with this disposition; and it seems the whole Gospel hath no other intention then to make us die to ourselves, that we may be guided by Jesus Christ.  
And certainly we must confess, If there be Rigour in the design, there is much Justice in it: For besides that the Church no more than the State can subsist without submission, and a Government loseth all command when not obeyed; there are a thousand Reasons which no less respect our own Interest then the Glory of our Sovereign, which oblige us to this undisputed resignation. If we consider the Word Incarnate, we shall find that his deportment towards his Father exacts this humble duty from us: He doth nothing upon the earth but by his orders; he consults his will before he undertake any thing; and if the time he hath set him to work his miracles in be not yet come, he rejects the entreaties of his mother, who can receive no other answer from his mouth but these words, Nondum venit hora mea.  
But if we look upon the holy Humanity united to the Eternal Word, we shall see that as it is despoiled of its proper subsistence, it hath no other motions than what it receives from the Divine Assistant that sustains it: 
Humanitas Christi non est sui juris sed verbi; actiones enim sunt suppofitorum.  It is more a his devotion then at its own; is guided by that that preserves it; and having no dominion over its actions, is in a submission equal to its love: whatever it acts upon earth, all is referred to the Divine Person; and as there is no union more strict than theirs, neither is any dependence more obedient than that of the Humanity to the Divinity. The Word acts absolutely in this holy Humanity; 
Aliud est inviolabile, aliud est passibile; & tamen ejusdem est contumelia cujus est & gloria; ipse est in infirmitate qui in virtute. Leo.  he reserves the whole conduct thereof to himself, appropriates all the Inclinations; and whether the Humane nature suffer or be abased, he will have us know and believe that a God suffers and is humbled with it.  
Therefore are all Christians, after the imitation of so rare an example, obliged to despoil themselves of their Wills, to renounce their Desires, to submit to Jesus Christ, and to manifest in their person an image of the Incarnation: 'Twas certainly this powerful reason that made the great Apostle to utter these notable words: Vivo autem jam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus, and to teach us, by his advice, to derive our guidance, as well as our glory, from the Son of God. Indeed, the whole Abnegation of a Christian is founded upon the mystery of the Incarnation; and when they consider how the holy Humanity is obscured in the deserts, humbled in the Villages, sacrificed upon Mount Calavary, to be obedient to the person of the Word, they need not think it strange if to do Homage to Jesus Christ, they are obliged to renounce their glory, and consent to lay down their lives at his command.  
But if this example be not powerful enough to persuade us, we must be convinced by reason, and confess, that Christians have no quality that that doth not exact this blind submission from them: For if we consider them as Temples of the Holy Ghost, or Members of the Son of God, we are forced to acknowledge that these two glorious qualities are as well the Fountains of their dependence as of their greatness. Temples are only for the Divinity that honours them with his presence; they breathe forth nothing but his glory, and were they inanimated, they would act merely by his motions: Therefore inasmuch as Christians are the living Temples of the Holy Ghost, they ought not to act but as guided by him; they are unable to perform any thing but by his order; and all their actions that have not his Grace for their principle, are Criminal or profane. We are no more the children of God, but as far as we are quickened by this ever to be adored Spirit; all our merit is from our acting by his Virtue, and when he ceaseth to incite and stir us up, we leave off to form good thoughts, or perform good actions.  
The quality of Members ties us not less closely to our Head, then that of Temples to the Holy Ghost: for according to the Laws of Nature, the Members more belong to their Head, than slaves do to their Master; they receive life and motion from his Influences; they own all their vigour to the communication they have with him: and whenever there happens any obstruction that hinders him from sending his Spirits into his Members, they lose all sense and strength; Besides, he hath such command over them, that he applies them according to his designs, takes no notice of their wills; employs the eyes to weep as well as see; the hand to serve as well as command; the tongue to manage meat, as well as compose words; and as if it were their greatest glory to perish for him, there is not any Member but willingly exposeth itself to death for his defence or honour.  
This submission is an Image of the dependence Christians ought to have towards Jesus Christ; they are no longer their own, when once ingraffed upon his person; they receive an obligation to obey, from the same quality that gives them a power to operate; 
Quam in in Christo manes per amorem, & ipse in te per sanctitatis & justitiae operationem, in ejus corpore & membris computaris. Ber.  they become Servants assoon as they become Members; their liberty depends upon their servitude; and by a happy occurrence, they lose their own will by submitting to that of the Son of God: As it is love that unites them to him, so that their liberty is not interessed in their obedience; they are never more their own, then when they are their Heads; they recover themselves in being lost; possess themselves by forsaking themselves, and by a strange adventure, find a resurrection in dying. Thence it comes to pass, that they are never troubled to sacrifice themselves to Jesus Christ; they account themselves sufficiently happy, if they can be serviceable to his Glory; it matters not though they lose their lives, provided they obey him; and knowing very well that in the State, and in Nature, subjects expose themselves for their Prince, Members for their Head, they are of this mind assoon as ever they enter into the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ.  
●●t when they consider how he hath joined the quality of Redeemer to that of Head, and that to associate them to his person, he hath delivered them by the loss of his own life, they believe they can no ways acknowledge this extreme obligation, but in dying for his glory, who was willing to die for their salvation. Indeed we are the servants of Jesus Christ; he hath bought us by his death; we are the price of his blood, and we own our happiness and our hope to his merits: This is it that the Apostle represents to us in such emphatical terms, when he saith, Empti estis pretio magno: and by a necessary consequence teacheth us, that we ought to glorify him in our body and in our soul. Thence it is that he infers, that those that live upon his bounty, aught to live for his service; Thence he concludes, that we offer our members as oblations, and employ all that we are for the glory of our Redeemer.  
Slaves in the negotiations of the world, could not dispose of their actions; they acted by order of their Master; they took pains for his Interest; they got wealth for his profit; and as if nature had lost her right in their persons, they got children to increase his family. Philosophers acknowledge, that servitude falls only upon the body, that it fetters only the feet and the hands, leaving the slaves more free many times in their irons, than the Sovereigns upon their Throne. Bondage hath no dominion over their will, and with all her rigours cannot extort the least baseness from them, if they be generous; they dispute their liberty with fortune; they preserve in deed what they have lost in appearance; they many times command their oppressor, and bearing the hearts of Kings in the bodies of slaves, are more free and more happy than their Master. But the Christian enters by Redemption into a Thraldom, which passeth from his body into his soul; fetters his heart with his hands; triumphs over his liberty without constraining it; confiscates all his goods to his Sovereign; and despoiling him of all but Nothingness and Sin, obligeth him to confess that he owes all the rest to the Liberaility of his Redeemer.  
For the understanding of this Verity, which makes one of the foundations of Christianity, we must know, that though God be the Sovereign of all men, he treats not the innocent and the guilty alike; He seems to respect the former, to refuse them nothing that they desire, preventing their wishes: and in that happy state wherein Concupiscence had not disordered them, he subjected their salvation to their liberty, and made them in some sort the disposers or masters of their good fortune: Grace is always at the door of their heart, this Divine assistance never fails them, and God would think he violated the Laws of his Justice, had he not given these Innocents' all that is necessary for their salvation; But he deals far otherwise with Guilty men; It seems Sin gives him more right over these wretches, than Nothing does: and being fallen from their privileges by their own fault, he owes them nothing but punishments; He abandons them to their own conduct, leaves them in blindness and weakness: and as if they were merely the objects of his anger, he sometimes withdraws from them the assistance of his Grace. Thus did the Eternal Father deal with men before the mystery of the Incarnation; his Son found them in this deplorable condition, when he undertook their deliverance: they had no right neither to Grace nor Glory; and sin that had deprived them of their innocence, had confiscated all their apennages. Thus we own our Salvation to our Redemption; we hold that of Mercy, which heretofore we held of Justice; we are saved rather as men enfranchised, then free: and acknowledging our salvation an effect rather of Grace then our own freedom, we ought to renounce the one to give ourselves over to the other.  
This conceit carries me insensibly to another, which seems only a consequent of this; and the coherence they have, will not give me leave to divide them. Man in the state of Innocence, was the master of his actions; the uprightness wherein he was created, was the cause that God left him to his liberty; having no inordinate motions to regulate, no wild passions to subdue, no unfaithful senses to correct, he had need only of a succour to sustain him; His will was the principle of his merit: and the good works he did, proceeded rather from himself, then from God; Thus his good fortune was in a manner in his own hands; he depended more upon Liberty then upon Grace: and being the Director of this, he might say without vanity, that he was the principal Author of his own salvation; Divine Providence obliged him to take the guidance of himself, to determine his own actions, that he was the master of his fortune, and making use of the advantages she had given him, the acknowledgement of the victory was due only to his own courage and dexterity; But now that he is fallen from his Innocence, hath lost half his Light, and Liberty, carries a Tyrant in his very Essentials, which subjects him to his Laws, he stands in need of a Grace that may deliver him: and exercising a dominion over his will, may save him by a more humble, but surer way than that of Adam; He is no longer the Master of his actions, nor the Author of his salvation: he must take direction from Jesus Christ, learn to deny himself, distrust his own abilities, and place his hope in that victorious Grace which subjects whose man, captivating his understanding by Faith, and his will by Love.  
This Oeconomy of God towards the Christian is mixed with Justice and Mercy: 'tis Justice to take from him the disposal of his person, because he used it so ill in the state of Innocence; 'Tis Justice to submit his Liberty to Grace, because when he was the master thereof, he neglected to make use of it; 'Tis Justice to treat him as a Pupil or a Slave, not to trust him any more with the government of himself, and to employ for his cure a remedy, which reproacheth him with his blindness and infirmity. 'Tis Mercy also to knock off the fetters of a slave: to indulge him the true liberty his sin had deprived him of; to unite him to God from whom he was estranged; to assure his salvation by a Grace which infallibly produceth its effect; to sanctify him in Jesus Christ whereof he is a Member: and to give him an occasion to offer himself an Holocaust to God.  
For it is true, that self-denial is a parting with all things; a sacrifice wherein man immolates his will by obedience; a combat wherein he triumphs over himself; where he is the vanquisher, and the vanquished; where he subdues his passions by reason, and subjects his reason to grace. After this advantage there is none but he may with Justice hope for, because he that hath conquered himself, may easily conquer all others; 'Tis a punishment which in hardship and durance disputes with that of Martyrs: It is long, because it lasts as long as life, may take up the best part of an age: nor spares the strength of the penitent, but to make him suffer more; It is rigorous, because there is no cruelties a man given over to grace, does not exercise upon his person: and being witty to invent torments, converts all things into corrections; For as Saint Gregory the Great saith, he suppresseth vanity by the sword of the Word of God; he cuts off his head to engraff Jesus Christ upon his body; he makes all die that he received from the old Adam, to make all live that he hath drawn from the new: and if he cut not off his arms and his legs, he pares away his desires and his hopes to give Jesus Christ some testimonies of his love: Therefore doth the Scripture inform us, that there is no Virtue receives a greater recompense than Self-denial. The Man that is knocked off from himself is united to the Son of God: the creatures respect him, the Sun obeys his word, and 'tis in this sense that the Scripture to make his Panegyric, is not content to say, that he pronounceth Oracles, but adds, that he gains Battles, and bears away victories by speaking: All things stoop to his commands, and more glorious than the first man, who could not use the creatures but according to their inclinations; he disorders them to make himself feared, and testifies the power he hath in the state of his Master, by the command he exerciseth over all the parts of the Universe. Thus Self-denial which seems to abase men, raiseth them up; the Virtue that entertains them in the distrust of their weakness, gives them admittance into the power of God: and that which obligeth them to renounce their own will, makes them find the accomplishment of all their desires.    

The Sixth TREATISE. Of the Nourishment and Sacrifice of the Christian.  

The first DISCOURSE. Of Three Nourishments answering the Three Lives of a Christian.  
SOme will wonder, perhaps, that in the same Treatise I join two such different things together; and that speaking of Nourishment, which preserves the life of a Christian, I treat of a Sacrifice, that engageth him in Death: But the wonder will cease, if we consider that these two things are united together in Religion; and that the same Sacrament that feeds us, obligeth us also to die: For the Son of God, upon our Altars, is as well our Nourishment as our Victim: inviting us to a Feast, he bids us to a Sacrifice; and his Love associating two Subjects which have so small a relation, he makes use of one and the same body to destroy our sins and to preserve our souls: He offers himself up to his Father as an innocent Sacrifice, and gives himself to the Faithful as a delicious Viand: His Power, which equals his Love, takes from this Sacrifice whatever might render it horrid, and removes from this Banquet whatever might make it sensual: In both of them, he satisfies his Father and his Children; and exalting us in the light of Faith, makes us believe what we cannot conceive. Following therefore his intentions, I have joined in the same Treatise what he hath joined in the same Mystery; and resolve to manifest the wonders of this Food, and the Prodigies of this Sacrifice.  
Reason, that teacheth us that Nourishment is the staff of Life, teacheth us also that every living thing hath need of Nourishment; and that the Divine Providence, whose care is extended over all the Creatures, hath left none without aliment: This feedeth the Fowls of the air; and the Psalmist confesseth, it provided for the necessities of their young, when forsaken by the dams: It maketh Grass to grow in the deserts for the ; and Rain, which seems unprofitably to fall into the Sea, serves for refreshing and meat for the Fishes. Inasmuch as Men are Gods masterpieces, he takes a particular care to nourish them: whole Nature labours to furnish their Table; her fruitfulness is only to satisfy their hunger, or content their appetite; and every Creature she teems with, seems a Victim to be immolated to preserve their life. But as they have Three Lives that answer to the Three Orders of Nature, of Grace, and of Glory, God hath given them Three sorts of Food, which, in the difference of their qualities, cease not to have wonderful Correspondencies.  
The Earth is the Nurse that furnisheth us our chiefest nourishment: that Divine word, Crescite & multiplicamini, which enriched her with fruitfulness in the very birth, hath preserved this prolifical virtue in the succession of so many years; and if the Justice of God make her not barren for our punishment, she returns with usury the laborious pains of the Husbandman. Corn, which is our principal support, is multiplied by its corruption; 'tis born by death; and making us see an image of the Resurrection, persuades us our bodies may rise out of the Grave, after they have been resolved to dust, because the Grain springs not up till it be putrified in the earth: This production would pass for a Miracle, were it not so common; and to observe the wonders thereof, would be sufficient to oblige all men to reverence the power and wisdom of the Creator. For when the Corn is corrupted, it puts forth a bud, which cleaves the earth, and covers it with a tuft of Grass, which preserves its verdure in the midst of the sharpest Winters: At the Spring, it thrusts forth a stalk, which riseth insensibly, and from time to time is strengthened with joints to resist the violence of the winds: Upon the top is form an Ear, wherein Nature seems to employ all her industry; 
Seritur solummodo granum sine folliculi teste, sine fundamento spicae, fine munimento aristae, fine superbia culmi: Exurgit autem copia faen●ratum, compagine aedisicatam, ordine structum, cultu munitum & usquequaque vestitum. Tertul.  every grain is enclosed in a husk, that if one be corrupted, the rest may not be infected, and the evil prove not a contagion: each husk is fenced with a prizly sharp, to guard the enclosed fruit from the injury of the air, and the rapine of birds. The heat of the Summer completes the whole work, gives it Colour in giving it Maturity; and gently opening the several cells which lock up the treasure of the Husbandman, admonisheth him to prepare for the Harvest.  
If this Wonder ravish us, and if we are bound to reverence the Divine Providence which makes the earth fruitful to nourish us; we are not less concerned to admire the prodigious alterations it causeth in Nature to increase provision: For it makes use only of Rain to enrich us, and from this inexhausted source draws so many different Fruits, that if their number please us, their qualities astonish us. Rain is nothing but a Vapour in the conception; the Sun sports with it in the air, thickens it into a cloud, to take it out of our sight; then destroying his own work, dissolves it into showers, to water the thirsty earth. In the mean time, this Rain is turned into all things it toucheth, takes the nature and quality of those things it baths, and, by a miraculous Metamorphosis, is changed into Wine falling upon grapes, into Oil upon olives: It contracts the taste of all Fruits, and the colour of all Flowers: It grows yellow upon the Marigolds, red upon Pinks, white upon Lilies; and though, when it falls, it have neither taste nor colour, yet may it boast it gives both to all Fruits and all Flowers.  
This prodigious change which is daily wrought upon the earth, is but an overture of that which is made upon the Body of Man, to maintain it: For all the Nourishment he receives, is digested by the Stomach, and is turned to Blood in the Liver; thence it is conveyed by the Veins into all the parts of the body; which assimilating it into their substance, gives it as many forms as they themselves have. There, by a strange prodigy, the same aliment is softened into Flesh, hardened into Bones, stiffened into Sinews, extended into Cartilages: its superfluities are not useless; and, if we be-believe Physicians, they serve to nourish our Hair and our Nails, whereof the first is the ornament of the Head, the second the defence of the Hand. Who will not acknowledge that Man is very dear to God, since he works so many Miracles to feed him, and produceth so many several Meats to entertain a life common to him with beasts?  
But inasmuch as that of the Soul is much more noble, the nourishment whereby it is preserved is exceedingly more excellent: and if in the order of Nature God hath made so many prodigies to nourish Man, he works many more in the order of Grace to entertain the Christian. For the body of his oncly Son is the food of the Faithful; they live upon that Blood which begat them on the Cross; that the same Principle which gave them their life, may preserve it. This Body is form upon our Altars by the Word of Jesus Christ himself; the Priests are only the Ministers or Interpreters; they repeat what he delivered in the Supper; they do that in the Church, that he did at Jerusalem: and offering up this Sacrifice to the Eternal Father, make provision to nourish the Faithful. Thus, in Nature and in Grace, 'tis the Word of God that makes us live; and we may truly say, Non in solo pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo quod procedit ex ore Dei. But this Bread that nourisheth our souls, is not of the same quality with that that nourisheth our Bodies: For the Corn whereof this is made, owes its Life to its Death, nor can increase till it be corrupted; but that which is exhibited to us upon our Altars, felt corruption only on the Cross, where dying to procure us life, he himself boasted that he was the Grain of Corn whose fruitfulness proceeds from its corruption: Si mortuum fuerit, multum fructum affert. But now it is incorruptible in our Tabernacles; death can no more injure it; the Glory that invests it, secures it from our fury as well as our wrongs.  
We must acknowledge nevertheless, that its presence depends upon the species that cover it; it ceaseth to be with us, when the heat hath digested them, or time consumed them: and though he remain by his Grace, his body is absent, which is tied to accidents, as to chains his love hath forged for it. He never dispenseth with this bondage; the treachery of Judas could not make him violate the laws he had prescribed; the blind fury of Heretics cannot compel him out of this prison; and the impiety of Sinners hath not been able to force him to quit their hearts, till the species that preserved him there be consumed by the natural heat: He is as faithful to observe his promises, as to obey the will of his Father: and as the blasphemies of the Jews could not make him descend from the Cross to give them proofs of his Innocence and of his Divinity, the sacrileges of profane Christians cannot make him desert the Host, where his love and fidelity hold him prisoner.  
Though he be subject to all these humiliations to become our nourishment, he is not liable, for all that, to all the conditions of Nutriment: For he passeth not into our substance, he is not changed into those that receive him, and in his debasement he reserves himself the power to convert them into him: His being our Food, hinders him not from being our God: he acts upon those that feed upon him; he makes an impression of his Divine qualities in their souls; and if he changeth not their Nature, at least he makes them change their Condition and their Life. Neither ought this to seem strange to those that consider that Natural meats communicate their qualities to us; and, by a mutual Metamorphosis, we are changed into them, when they are assimilated into us. 'Tis believed that Nero was therefore cruel, because he sucked the milk of a cruel Nurse; and that Achilles was therefore valiant, because his Master nourished him with the marrow of Lions: Experience itself teacheth us that people draw their humours from the earth that bears them, and the heaven that covers them: Those that are bred among Rocks, are savage; those that live in the fertile Plains, are more tractable: Therefore we need not wonder if the Christians, feeding upon a Divine meat, do so easily change their inclinations, 
Au●ite officaciam & communionem corporis & sanguinu Domini; & nos Jesu Christo, & Jesus Christus nobis in unitate foederatur inenarrabili, sicut ipse dicit, Qui manducat carnem meum, in me manet, & ego in eo. Bern.  because more powerful and successful then ordinary food, it hath the virtue of conveying its own qualities, and of changing the guests into itself. And from this Principle do the Fathers draw the obligation the Christians have to be gods upon earth, because they receive a God in the Eucharist; who, acting according to the extent of his power, would transform them into himself, were not his Divine operations hindered by the weakness or malice of the recipient.  
But that which is begun upon Earth, is happily perfected in Heaven; where Divinity being the food of the Blessed, raiseth them to a condition, where, leaving off to be Mortals, they commence Gods: Indeed, the holy Scripture teacheth us that the Beatifical state is a Feast, where God communicating his Essence to Angels and Men, makes them, in one dish, taste all imaginable delights: For though there be diversity of conditions among the Blessed, though the degrees of Glory answer the degrees of Love, and those who have been most affectionate, are those that God most honours: yet all Theology confesseth, that the Divine Essence is the only object of their felicity; that every one enjoys all without division; that though common to all, 'tis notwithstanding proper to each particular; that being wholly communicated to one, it takes nothing from the rest: and more excellent than the light which enlightens one man as perfectly as the whole world; it is as fully communicated to the lowest Angel, as to the highest Seraphim.  
God is divided upon the Earth without interessing his simplicity, he communicates himself to the faithful, but in part: and handling every one according to their Merit and his Grate, is not always the same to one that he is to another. He hath manifested his Wisdom in Solomon, his Clemency in David, his Patience in Job, his Love in Saint Peter, his Zeal in Saint Paul, his Purity in Saint John, and his other perfections in the rest of the Faithful. But at the end of the world, God will be all in all things; he will pour out that in abundance, which now he deals forth in measure: and all the Saints possessing all the Virtues, shall possess God in all his perfections.  
But the chiefest advantage of this Divine Banquet, is, that the Mess which is served up, will be instead of all things: as long as we live upon the Earth, the misery of our condition, or the frailty of our goods, suffers us not to find our contentment in one single object; That which allays our hunger, quencheth not our thirst; that which enlightens us, covers us not; that which serves us for a garment, serves us not for a house; and that which satisfies our mind, does not always content our body: But when we shall be in Heaven, the Divine Essence will fill all our desires; and being infinite, will alone abundantly supply the fullness of all perishable Earthly goods. Your God, saith Saint Augustine, shall be your All; you shall feed upon him, to satisfy your hunger; drink him, to quench your thirst; rest upon him, for your support; make him your garment, to cover you; you shall wholly possess, and he as wholly possess you; you shall find in him all that others do, because both you and they shall be but one and the same thing in him.  
For the last effect of this viand, whereof we have but an essay in the Eucharist, is, that it will perfectly transform us into itself, because all Scripture teacheth us, that when we see God, we shall be like him: 
Scimus quoniam cum apparuerit similes ei erimus. Joan.  and that Glory having consumed all that was mortal and perishable in our nature, we shall be happily swallowed up in him without ceasing for all this to be ourselves. Thus God nourisheth us in nature with the fruits of the Earth, which maintain a body taken out of the Earth; in Grace by the blood of Jesus Christ, which preserves the life he merited for us upon the Cross; In Glory by Divinity itself, which is both together our food and our felicity.   

The Second DISCOURSE. Of the Nourishment of Innocent Man; and of that of Man a Christian.  
I If the state of Innocence be unknown to us by reason of its dignity, or its remoteness: we must confess, that Original Righteousness and the fruit of the Tree of Life, which were the chief privileges thereof, are so hid from us, 
Immortalitas ista praestabatur ei de ligno vitae, non de constitutione naturae, quo ligno separatus est eum peccasset ut posset mori. Aug.  that we have but weak conjectures to judge of their properties or of their effects. Saint Augustine that hath written most rationally, confounds them so often one with another, that he seems to attribute to the Tree of Life, that which appertains to Original Righteousness: For though we know that this united the soul with the body, subjected both to God, and preserving the one from sin, exempted the other from death; yet he forbears not to impute that to the Tree of Life, which we impute to Grace, and to allot it so many advantages, that it seems the whole happiness of man depended absolutely upon this miraculous Tree.  
But having well considered the words of this great Saint: I find his doctrine so conformable to Scripture, that there is no doubt but it was suggested to him by the same Spirit that made Moses speak in Genesis. For as nourishment is ordained to preserve our life, we need not think it strange that it holds some analogy with the principle that gives it us: and that there should be some agreement between the matter whereof we are made, and that wherewith we are nourished. Therefore may we say, that the Tree of Life preserved in Innocent man, all that Original Righteousness had endued him with: and that the fruit thereof, which certainly was a figure of the holy Sacrament, repaired the wastes of the natural heat, maintained man in his vigour, and secured him from death. Wherein I find a great resemblance with truth, because it wrought that in man an Innocent, which the Body of the Son of God doth in man a Christian; For there is none but confesseth, that this admirable fruit united the soul with the body, that it entertained that good intelligence which made up a notable part of his happiness, and subjecting the body to the soul, by a necessary consequence subjected the soul to God.  
Divinity hath not yet fully examined, whether this Virtue were natural to this Tree, or whether being but a visible sign of an inusible grace, the Divine power produced this effect in man when he took of that fruit with the dispositions of a firm faith and an humble obedience. If we take the Scripture for our Guide, and Saint Augustine for its Interpreter, it will be easy to judge that this effect depended not upon the disposition of Man, but upon the Virtue of the Tree, because we see in Genesis, that one of the reasons why our forefather was driven out of Paradise, was, that he might not eat of that wonderful fruit; and so the miseries he had contracted by sin, be prolonged together with his life. Saint Augustine explicating this passage, makes us plainly see, that man having lost Original Righteousness, had not lost Immortality, if he had continued to feed upon the fruit of the Tree of Life. Thus we are forced to confess, that this Tree had a secret Virtue which depended not upon the sole disposition of man: and that it was capable of producing a quality in his body, which descending him for a time from death, had increased his misfortune with his years.  
But not to engage in a question more curious than profitable, 'tis enough to know that as this fruit of the Tree of Life subjected the body to the soul, and the soul to God, the Eucharist produceth the same effects in the Christian: and being received with the dispositions requisite to this Sacrament, calms the passions weakens Concupiscence, enthrones' reason: For though Baptism leave Concupiscence to exercise the Christian, and this Sacrament which opens him the Gate of the Church, gives him not victory together with life; yet all the Fathers confess, that the Eucharist more powerful than Baptism, furnisheth them with forces to set upon this domestic enemy; that it sweetens his fury in combating him, and that the presence of Jesus Christ delivers him from this evil, more obstinate than the Devil and Sin: For whether the purity of his flesh cures ours by a holy contagion, or whether Concupiscence tremble at the apprehension of a body which is the work of the Holy Ghost; or whether lastly, this Sacrament that preserves our life gives us strength, and delivers us from that languishing impotency which seems the very soul of Concupiscence: we find by experience, that the body of the Son of God procures us the victory, and prepares us the triumph.  
If it defend us, it nourisheth us: and if it pacify our disorders, it repairs the devastations the heat of self-love makes in our souls; In which respect, 'tis certainly the truth of the Tree of Life, and the accomplishment of that figure: For though Innocent Man had other meats besides that; and excepting the forbidden fruit, all others that Paradise afforded, were allowed him; yet was he obliged to take of this from time to time as a medicine which the mercy of God had prepared for him, to defend him against the Natural heat which insensibly wasted him. Whence it is easy to infer, that in the state of Innocence, the body of man was composed of parts that could not agree; That fire which makes man live, devoured the radical moisture on which it feeds: and though he daily took in nourishment, which being much purer than ours, might preserve life much longer; yet had he need of an extraordinary diet which might repair the ruins the natural heat made in his body; and Divines Providence which never abandons that sinner, provided the Tree of Life for Innocent Man, to defend him against the internal enemy, who had insensibly brought him to death by means of old age and consumption.  
Thus may we say, that the body of the Son of God shields us against that foreign heat, 
Concupiscentia carnis in Baptismo dimittitur, non ut non sit, sed ut non obsit & non imput tur. Aug. lib. de Nup. & Concup. cap. 25.  which setting upon the warmth of Charity, threatens the Christian with death. For though Concupiscence since Baptism, be no longer sin: and if sometimes they give it this name, 'tis because it is the principal effect; yet is she not idle in our souls; she makes strange progresses, when her fury is not stopped; she makes use of all occasions that are offered, and holding under her command the passions and the senses, she endeavours by their mediation to enslave the understanding and the will; Though never so weak and langnishing in Christians, she hath still vigour enough to engage them in sin, if their reason assisted with grace, continually oppose not her designs: The little remainder there is, makes them they cannot live secure, and as long as they nourish the least degree of self-love, there is no crime whereof they have not the seeds in them. What the Son of God hath said of the grain of Mustard seed, which is so small at first, and so prodigious in the progress, is not comparable to Concupiscence, whose least sparks are able to kindle mighty conflagrations, which only the Grace of Jesus Christ can extinguish. Indeed his Body, the noblest Organ of his Spirit, moderates daily these heats in the Eucharist, smothers the flames Concupiscence stirs up to consume us; he gives being to that virtue that fight obscenity; weakens that strange burning which glows against divine heat, without which a Christian cannot live; He produceth two contrary effects which manifests his power to be infinite: For by kindling one fire, he quencheth another: and warming us with his own love, happily delivers us from that of self; 'Tis a a wonderful Wine, which contrary to the nature of ordinary wine, bears Virgins, and renders them pure, thereby to render them pregnant in Virtues: Finally, 'tis a Bread of Life, that nourisheth soul and body, carrying vigour into the one, and light into the other, to the end that preserving the whole man, it may be his food in health, and his remedy in sickness.  
Having contrary to the Laws of Physic cured him, contrary to the Laws of Nature, it endeavours to make him young; For Religion more powerful than the Fable, hath found out a secret to renew the Christians youth in the Eucharist, and to discover in Mysteries what it made us believe in Types and Figures. Indeed all the Fathers are of opinion that the Tree of Life defended man from old age, and preserved him from that languishing consumption, which disposed him insensibly to his death; if common fruits could preserve his life, they were unable to maintain his vigour; Though they had all the purity Innocent Nature could furnish her works with, yet in repairing man's strength, they had not restored that freshness which accompanies youth: To secure himself from that mischief which had not respected his Innocence, he was obliged to have recourse to the Tree of Life, and from time to time to take an agreeable Physic, which being no way distasteful, restored him his primitive vigour, and reinstated him in that flourishing age he was at first created in. It is true, that as Prudence was natural to him, he never expected length of days to impair his beauty, nor that old-age should print wrinkles upon his face: he made such seasonable use of this remedy, that the freshness of his complexion never faded: The Roses and the Lilies were always mingled on his cheeks: age and deformity never seized a body whose soul was exempt from sin; and the fruit of the Tree of Life seconding his ordinary food, maintained him in a vigorous constitution, which was afraid neither of Sickness nor Weakness. In this happy state, Man had the advantages of the Aged, and not their imperfections: his Reason, without the tedious trouble of Experience, was furnished with all Lights requisite to conduct him; he had no need to enfeeble his body to fortify his mind; but both the parts that composed him being equally innocent, he had no occasion to wish that age might weaken the one to make it more obedient, nor strengthen the other to render it more absolute. Thus the fruit of the Tree of Life maintained Man in Youth and Innocence; and these two inseparable qualities combating Old-age and Sin, made him spend his life happily and holily.  
Although Christians have not this advantage upon the earth, and that their body, being still the slave of Concupiscence, cannot avoid the infirmities incident to old-age; yet in their souls they fail not to enjoy the privileges of Innocence; they find in the holy Sacrament, what Adam found in the Tree of Life; they receive a new vigour in the Eucharist; their souls grow young as often as they approach to Jesus Christ: when, like Eagles, they soar as high as this Sun lodged in a cloud, they are astonished that in the infirmity of their flesh their spirit is renewed; and that the outward man falling to decay by years and penance, the inward man recruits by the heavenly meat he feeds upon. This Miracle passeth sometimes from the soul to the body; yet there have been some holy persons who taking no other sustenance but what is offered upon our Altars, have lived many years. Many times this Nutriment hath imprinted its qualities upon their bodies; and darting forth certain rays of Grace upon their countenances, communicated to them a part of that beauty which the blessed spirits shall possess. 
Post primam caenam ita similes evascrunt Christodiscipuli ejus, ut vix ab illo possent discerni. Chrys.  S. John chrysostom was of opinion that the Apostles participated of this privilege in their first Communion; and having received the Body of the Son of God, became so resplendent with light, that the Jews had taken them for Jesus Christ in the Garden of Olives, had not the traitor Judas prevented their mistake by the perfidious kiss he gave his Master.  
If this sacred Nutriment always produce not this Miracle, at least we must acknowledge it gives us an Earnest of the Resurrection, and a right to Immortality: In which respect, I find it as powerful and as happy as the fruit of the Tree of Life. One of the wonders of this Tree was, in the judgement of all the Fathers, to secure Man from dissolution; and so firmly to unite the soul with the body, that the number of years could not separate them. Death respected not only Original righteousness, but the fruit of the Tree of Life; and though it might grow from the mixture of the Elements which composed the body of Man, it durst not set upon him as long as original righteousness maintained their good correspondence, or this convenient remedy hindered their division. Thus Man was not Immortal so much by his own constitution, as by a borrowed assistance; that the obligation he had to make use of it, might instruct him that he owed all these advantages to the liberality of his Creator. Now it is certain that the Eucharist works all these Miracles daily in the Church: for it imprints an occult virtue in our bodies, which is as a Pledge of the Resurrection; it sheds abroad in our members the seeds of an eternal life; and by a holy contagion, which corruption itself cannot deprive us of, communicates a certain right to Immortality: For we have the word of the Son of God for a caution of this immutable verity; and after the solemn promises he hath made in the Gospel, we may, without wronging his Greatness, affirm, that his Justice obligeth him to give the Christians a Resurrection, and that he cannot deny a habitation in heaven to those bodies that have served him for temples upon the earth.  
If he prevent not Death, but suffer this faithful minister of his Vengeance to exercise so many cruelties upon our body, 'tis to deliver us from him with greater pomp and power: if he give him leave to reduce us to dust, 'tis to make us rise out of the Grave, as the Phoenix from her funeral-pile; 'tis, finally, that having had a part in his Shame, we may share in his Glory; and that it may be said of all the Elect, what S. Augustine said heretofore of Lazarus, that the Son of God forbore to cure him, that he might raise him; and was unwilling to lift him from his Bed, that he might call him out of his Grave, and seal his love by the greatness of his Miracle.   

The Third DISCOURSE. That the Body of Jesus Christ is the same to the Christian, that Manna was to the Jews.  
THe Types and Figures of the Old Testament are, in respect of our Mysteries, what Enigmas are in respect of Truth: They conceal and discover them to our eyes; their shadows have some glimmerings of light; and these transparent clouds occasion the bright breaking forth of those Stars they rob us of. They instruct the Learned; and the least measure of understanding they have of the Gospel, makes them easily conceive what the jews were not able to comprehend. When this people saw the Manna descend in the wilderness, they never minded the secrets to come; and without diving into the designs of God, believed that his Divine Providence was pleased to give them that miraculous bread in a place where Humane Prudence could not possibly procure any. But there is not the meanest Christian, instructed in the School of Jesus Christ, but understands that it was a Figure of the Eucharist; and that God intending to prepare our minds for his Masterpiece by this essay, wrought this Miracle for no other end but to persuade us of those he would one day exhibit upon our Altars. Indeed, there is so much resemblance between the Manna and the holy Sacrament, that if it be an Enigma, 'tis also a Glass, wherein may be observed all the wonders that render it commendable.  
That miraculous meat took its original from heaven; it was form, according to the opinion of S. Augustine, 
In illa superiori parte terrae, ubi grando & nix gignitur, nascebatur manna, & in cibum inferioris terrae partis, hominibus per angelos administrabatur. Aug.  where storms and rain are hatched: The credulous multitude did not imagine it only the work of Angels, but, dull gross as they were, were persuaded that those blessed spirits fed upon it, and that God, to deal with them as he did with those Intelligences, had given them the food of Angels: Angelorum esca nutrivisti populum tuum. That which the Jews conceited of Manna, we have reason to believe of the Eucharist; because the meat we eat, being the work of the Priests, may well be called the work of Angels: For all Scripture teacheth us, that the Ministers that wait at the Altars of the living God, are Angels; that, more happy than those pure spirits, they produce the body of their Master by their words, and give a new life to him who is the Eternal Word of his Father. This Bread came down from heaven by better right than Manna, because Jesus Christ took his beginning from his Father who dwells in heaven; and though conceived in Nazareth, and born in Bethlehem, was notwithstanding as truly denominated the dew of heaven, as the fruit of the earth.  
Manna took its name from the astonishment of the Jews; 
Dixerunt ad invicem Manhu? quod significat? quid est hoc? Ignorabant ● enim quid esset. Exod. 16.  the people enquiring into the cause of this prodigy, named it in wondering at it; and taught us, that so great a Miracle could not be sufficiently expressed but by wonder and silent admiration. The holy Scripture hath left it this glorious name, that, entering in the mind of this people, we may admire the wonders God wrought to nourish them in the deserts: But certainly we may truly say, without offending the Israelites, that their wonder arose from their ignorance; that they had not been so ravished with this prodigy, had they but known that the same Vapours which compound the Clouds, might form Manna; and that it was as easy for the Providence of God to nourish them with this meat, as to nourish all the people of the earth with Rain and Dew. They had certainly reserved their wonderment for the Eucharist, had they had the knowledge of our mysteries: For indeed, it is the strangest and most glorious: it seems the Son of God hath drained his power in producing it; and recollecting all the miracles of his life, would sum them up in this stupendious Sacrament: He makes use of the mouth of a man to exhibit a God; he will have a transient and perishable word produce the Eternal and Divine Word; he will, contrary to all the laws of Nature, that the Accidents subsist without their Subject, and that the Substance of the Bread and Wine, being turned into that of his Body and Blood, keep notwithstanding its Colour, Taste, and Form: He is multiplied without being divided, to satisfy the love of his Spouse; and admitting his Humanity into the privileges of the Divinity, filleth his State with his presence. We are in a doubt whether he does not work a Miracle for the Faithful which is not indulged the Blessed; and we are yet ignorant whether this divine multiplication be an effect of his glory, or of his power. For though there are some Divines who believe that glorified bodies may be in divers places without a miracle, and that the part they have in the Immensity of God multiplies their bodies without dividing them; the Schools have always looked upon this effect as a prodigy, and have taught us that the order of Glory had its Miracles as well as that of Nature and Grace.  
Finally, it seems that the Son of God, to make his power and his love admired, 
Dicitur virgini supervenient in te Spiritus sanctus, dic●tur etiem Sacerdoti superveniet in te Spiritus sarctus; & efficiet quod intelligentiam tuam excedet. Joan. Damasc.  had a mind in this Mystery to repeat all the Miracles he had wrought during the course of his life: For if he were born of Mary without interessing her Virginity; if, making her a Mother, he left her a Virgin; if the Fruit she bore deflowered not her Purity; he is produced in our Sacrifices without violating their Accidents; and changing their substance into his, altars not the Species that cover them: If he turn water into wine at a Marriage in Cana, and manifest himself the Master of the Elements in changing their qualies; he appears no less absolute in a Sacrament, where he turns the Bread into his Body, the Wine into his Blood, and the Creature into his Creator: If he multiply the loaves in the wilderness, and operate this prodigy by the hands of his Apostles, they being ignorant of the manner; he daily multiplies his Body by the hands of the Priests, who cannot comprehend a miracle whereof they are the witnesses and the Ministers: If heretofore he cured the sick that came unto him, here he cures the diseased that receive him; and if he raised the dead by his touch or by his Word, here he promiseth life to all those that feed upon him, and engageth himself by a promise as sure as an Oracle, that he will draw all those out of the grave that have served him here for a Temple. Thus this adorable Sacrament deserves the name of Manna, better than Manna itself, and ought no less to fill our hearts with astonishment then with love.  
But to continue our resemblances, and to manifest the truth in the figure; The Psalmist hath observed, that Manna was not a bare Nutriment, but a preservative and a remedy. For while the Israelites made use of it in the Deserts, they were never molested with any infirmities; Though they so often changed their Quarters, marched through a Wilderness where the want of water, and the multitude of serpents might make them fear an infection; nevertheless, this food which participated of the Tree of Life, and made them taste in the Deserts the delights of Paradise, so well suited with their temper, that though they daily beheld rebels in their Camp, they never saw any sick: In Tribubus eorum non erat infirmus. There by a strange prodigy, diseases were not the harbingers of death: they gave up the ghost without any pangs; some small weakness gave them notice of the hour of their departure; the soul fairly took leave of the body, and the Fever which seems the forrager of death, durst not set upon men whom Manna served for nourishment. The Eucharist works the same miracle in our souls, that this Heavenly food did in their bodies; It is at the same time diet and an Antidote; it gives life and preserves it; it delivers us from evil, and then protects us against it; it maintains the constitution of the soul in a regulated evenness of temper, and much happier than physic, which cannot tame the disease without weakening nature; it deals so critically with the sins, that it never prejudiceth the sinner. Many times when Faith seconds Piety, this Celestial viand extends its effects as far as the body; it maintains health as well as salvation, and cures the diseased as well as the wicked: In the Primitive Church it wrought wonderful cures, and the great Saint Cyprian tells us, that Physicians were useless in those days, because Christians found their cure in the Eucharist, and proved there was the same Jesus present, whose Word was heretofore so fatal to infirmities, and so favourable to the infirm.  
If in this particular it supass Manna, in another it equals it, 
Manna non solum sanitatem sed & animum Judais conserebat, Jos●ph.  because in restoring health it infused strength, and inspired courage; For there are some Writers that are of opinion, that the valour of the Israelites was an effect of Manna; that they owed those formidable victories they gained from their enemies, to this meat that came down from Heaven. Neither ought this to seem strange to the incredulous, since experience teacheth us, that wine which is the pure work of Nature, produceth daily the same effects; drowns fear in its vapours; inspires men with the contempt of dangers; gives a new vigour to soldiers, and constitutes the best part of their courage. Therefore I am easily persuaded to believe, that Manna wrought the same wonder in the Israelites, whilst nourishing their body, it maintained their valour: and making them sound and lusty, made them withal magnanimous and valiant. Indeed, inasmuch as this food was more miraculous than natural, and acted rather by the directions of Heaven, than the properties of its own nature, it lost this faculty assoon as the Israelites lost grace: and as if it had changed quality when they changed disposition, it produced fear in the same hearts where it had formerly produced courage and assurance.  
All these wonders were but the shadows of what we adore in the Eucharist, which is not only the food but the force of the Christian; we come from the Altar as Lions terrifying the Infernal Spirits, they cannot endure our sight; the presence of Jesus Christ wherewith we are surrounded, startles them into a disorder: and remembering that we bear about us the same flesh and blood which triumphed over them upon Mount Calvary, they dare not set upon us; They fly such men who lodge a god in their souls, and beholding their Judge seated in our hearts as upon his Throne, they are afraid lest he pronounce sentence against them, re-doubling their pains, and aggravating their torments. It was this Heavenly Bread that animated the Martyrs to the combat; this adorable Bread that gave them courage to daunt their executioners; and the sword of Gideon that won so many victories, was but the Type of this; For this mighty man entering the Camp of the Madianites, and hearing one of their soldiers tell his fellow, that in his sleep he saw a Cake fall from Heaven, which routed their army; he persuaded himself, contrary to all appearance, 
Sicut verbum Dei cibus est & gladius, ita & corpus ejus. Ber.  that this Cake was his Sword: and taking advantage from this dream, set upon his enemies and defeated them; Non est hoc aliud nisi gladius Gideonis. But 'tis very true, that the Bread of Jesus Christ is the Sword of the Christians; the same meat that nourisheth them, defends them; and the same remedy that cures their maladies, subdues their enemies.  
It's strength no way hinders its sweetness, and like Manna there are charms in it, that make it pleasing to every palate; For the holy Scripture assures us, that this Heavenly food was fitted to the appetite of the Israelites: that never changing the fashion, it altered the savour, and following their inclinations, complied with their tastes to satisfy their longing. I know Saint Augustine is of opinion, that this miracle was wrought only in favour of the righteous, and that the guilty were deprived of a Grace, which in stead of heightening their devotion, did only whet their stomach: But the Scripture declares this miracle; and the words thereof, which are as true as Oracles, inform us, that Manna, besides its natural taste, had other relishes according to the several appetites of those that gathered it.  
If the Figure were thus advantageous for the body, the Substance is much more beneficial for the soul: For inasmuch as this Sacrament contains the source of Grace, there is none but may from thence be communicated unto us; though its principal effect be to maintain life, it fails not to produce all Virtues, and to satisfy the inclinations of all those that receive it: It inspires Lovers with Charity, weak persons with Courage, Virgins with Purity, Penitents with Sorrow: and becoming all things to all upon Earth as well as in Heaven, perfectly fulfils all the desires of the Faithful; By its abundance it supplies all other Sacraments: It gives us Jesus Christ in all his different relations; and comprehending as well his Mysteries as their Graces, makes us enjoy him living and dying, humble and glorified, acting and suffering.  
For whether Eternity which in one indivisible moment includes all the differences of time, recollect here all the Mysteries of Jesus Christ; or whether this Sacrament comprehend all that it exhibits, and being the Figure and Truth both together, presents us the Death and Resurrection of the Son of God, because it is the Sacrament thereof; or finally, whether Jesus Christ upon the Altars, to comfort the Faithful, who saw him not upon the Earth, will by a miraculous way for their sakes, accord the present with the past, and let himself be enjoyed after his Death, as he was seen before his Birth; he gives himself wholly to them in this Mystery, and fully communicates all that he is, all that he hath done, and all that he hath suffered for their salvation: so that simple souls may consider him there as a child; Hermit's as solitary; the Evangelists as a Divine Preacher; the Martyrs as a Sacrifice; the Prelates as a Pastor: 
In hoc Sacramento judex & advocatus, sacerdos & victima, Leo & Agnus, Pastor & Pascua. Ber.  and every one following his own piety, may behold him in the condition which most affects him with pleasure or pain. It was perhaps for this cause that the Moserabs in their Liturgy divided the Body of the Son of God into nine portions, upon which they imposed the names of his chiefest Mysteries, to teach us, that he repeated them upon our Altars to content our piety: and accomplishing the Figure of Manna, exhibited himself in all these different estates, thereby to accommodate himself to all our inclinations.   

The Fourth DISCOURSE. That this Nourishment gives the Christian whatever the Devil promised Innocent Man, if he did eat of the Forbidden Fruit.  
THe Divine Providence is never more wonderful, then when it employs the same means to save us, the malice of the Devil had made use of to destroy us. Thus let us magnify his Oeconomy when we see our salvation somewhat resemble our fall, and the same things that involved us in transgression, deliver us out of it. A Devil jealous of our happiness, began our misery; a Woman, too easily listened to his words; a man overlightly complacent, suffered himself to be cajoled by her: and the beauty of the forbidden fruit charming his eyes, seduced his mind and corrupted his will. The Divine Wisdom imitating our fall in the work of our salvation, made use of an Angel the Interpreter of his designs; of a Virgin true to his Promises; of a Man-God, that satisfied his Justice; and of a fruit not forbidden, but commanded, which really exhibits to the Christian all those advantages man was made to hope for in his Innocence. For the Devil considering the just inclinations Nature and Grace had imprinted in the soul of man, to seduce him, promised him that if he would disobey God, he should find his happiness in his rebellion: and that the use of the fruit he was forbidden to meddle with, should make him Immortal, knowing Good and Evil; and Christian Religion teacheth us, that the Body of the Son of God received in the Sacrament, with piety due to so great love, produceth in us these effects: and making us Men-Gods, makes us Knowing and Immortal. Let us examine these Promises, and see what we ought to expect from the God of Truth, and the Father of Lies.  
If the fear of death, and the desire of life, be not the most ancient passions of man, we may affirm them the most natural and most violent; He hath an apprehension of death, before he knows what it is; he desires Immortality, before he believes it: and whatever he does here below, is only by defending himself from a dissolution, to live for ever. Every one seeks after the same end, though by different mediums; and he that would put the question to each particular, would learn by their answers, that they labour only to become Immortal. Father's marry not so much for the pleasure of the bed, as for the desire they have to survive in their posterity; and, in spite of death, gain a perpetuity to their Being as well as their Name. Philosophers are not so much in love with Knowledge and Vanity, as with Life; whilst they spend whole nights in their books, and leave the productions of their brain to posterity: For they think to cousin death by this stratagem; they believe their reputation will pierce the Generations to come; and that, living in the memory of men, they shall in some sort enjoy Immortality. Monarches, whose mind and body are equally barren, leaving neither Children nor Virtues behind them, whereby they may be known to their Successors, raise Pyramids to preserve their memory; and being not able to busy the Pen of the Historian, employ the Tool of the Engraver; and stamp their name upon Marble, being unable to write it in the Annals. Conquerors are not exempt from this madness; they fight only to get themselves a Name, seek for Life in the very bosom of Death, depopulate States, to make succeeding ages talk of them; destroy Towns to raise Trophies; and, 
Longum est retexere Curios & Regulos, & Graecos, viros quorum iunumera elogia sunt contemptae morti● propter posthumam famam. Tert.  not able to gain Reputation by their Justice or Clemency, strive to purchase it by their Courage and Valour. From this Passion doth Tertullian draw arguments to prove the immortality of the soul; and to persuade the Infidels that whole man dies not, because he extends his desires beyond this life: and knowing very well that his spirit must survive his body, is much troubled how he may preserve his reputation after his death.  
The Devil, who is not ignorant that this desire is engraved in our hearts by the finger of Nature, and that it is easier to divert it then smother it, tried to make use of it in Paradise, to seduce the first man: he went not about to take from him the belief of the immortality of his soul; he knew, a mind so enlightened could not be clouded with such darkness; but he persuaded him that his happiness depended upon his disobedience, and that, to defend him from death, wherewith God had threatened him, his only way was to eat of the forbidden fruit. This subtle spirit would not set upon man till he had stirred up the most violent of his Passions; and he conceived it an easy matter to ruin him, if he could but persuade him that Immortality would be the recompense of his crime: Indeed, Man, charmed with so fair a promise, violated the respect he owed his God; he reached his hand to that fatal Tree, and plucking the fruit which served for a proof his obedience, made himself guilty of sin and obnoxious to death.  
But inasmuch as the Son of God takes pleasure to draw our Salvation out of our Fall, and makes us, in a blind submission, find that advantage we sought for in a foolish credulity; he hath instituted a Sacrament in his Church which contains an admirable fruit, giving those that eat of it a happy Immortality. For the chief effect of this celestial food, is, to preserve us from death, and assure us of life: He that eateth my flesh, saith Jesus Christ, shall live for ever: He opposeth this nourishment against that of the fathers in the wilderness; and protesting that those that eat his flesh shall never die, he engageth himself, by a solemn promise, to raise them from the dead: So that though his Justice did not oblige him to raise the Innocent and the Guilty out of the grave to give them their reward, his Truth would oblige him to restore life to the Faithful, who in obedience to his will have eaten this ever-to-be-adored Fruit. Therefore is it that the Fathers of the Church, making the Elegy of this Sacrament, call it sometimes the Earnest of glory, sometimes the Antidote of death, sometimes the Seed of immortality: But because the devil joined the desire of Glory with that of Life, and promised man to make him a god if he would eat of the Forbidden fruit; Jesus Christ takes the same course; and having made us hope for immortality in this Sacrament, he raiseth our expectation, and promiseth us Divinity.  
I do not wonder that Innocent man desired to be God, 
Nec quicquam homine aut superbius aut miserius. Plin. maj.  seeing Guilty man covets it to this day; and that the misery which punisheth his disobedience, hath not flatted this his desire: nor do I conceive it strange, that the greatness of his condition, seconded with the promises of the Serpent, had persuaded him, that, in eating the forbidden fruit, he might purchase Divinity: For in that happy state all was submitted to his will, he was equally absolute in his Person and in his Kingdom; he discoursed familiarly with the Angels, and he knew that his soul, though included in a body, was little inferior to those blessed spirits: His Sovereignty gave him hopes of an Independency: being Lord of the Universe, he was easily persuaded he might be the Conservator; his lights, which should have cleared up his judgement, dazzled him; his present greatness made him forget his former original: The promises of the devil charmed him; and not imagining that Humility was the way which should lead him to Glory, he suffered himself to be transported with Pride, which threw him into confusion and misery.  
His loss had been irrecoverable, had not the Son of God found out a remedy, and, obliging him to taste a Divine Fruit in the Eucharist, had not repaired his fault, and satisfied his desire. For it was not enough to cure Man of his sin by a Sacrament, if the Divine Mercy had not furnished him at the same time with a means innocently to content his long. The inclination to Divinity was riveted in the very bottom of his Essence; and I dare say, the persuasion of the Serpent, very far from defacing it, had rooted it faster: Man had a mind to command: though he had lost the power, he still retained the desire; and as there is no miserable man that would not with all his heart be happy, neither is there any sinner that would not reign with God.  
This wish was a Sacrilege, and an attempt against the Godhead; but by the goodness of Jesus Christ, it is become an act of Religion and Obedience. For this Son, who is equal to his Father, and who, being his primitive Image, and the Character of his Substance, hath the right of exalting men to this dignity, was made Man in the Incarnation, that they might be made Gods in the Eucharist; and was laden with their Miseries in the One, that they might be clothed with his Glory in the Other. Indeed, 'tis in this ineffable Mystery wherein Man mingles himself with God; where, by a holy confusion, he loseth his bad qualities, and assumes divine ones; where, leaving off to be a sinner, he gins to be innocent; where, soaring above himself, he enters into the rights of God. 
Eucharistia videtur esse velut Incarnationis mira quaedam extensio. D●. Tho.   
There it is that the Eucharist supplies the mystery of the Incarnation: For this made only a Man-God, included its effects in one Individual of Nature; the holy Humanity enjoyed this favour all alone; and if men received any advantage, it was rather honourable then useful. This Alliance was like those Marriages where all the profit is the Brides, and the glory only the Kindred's: 'Twas indeed a happiness for men, that their nature was preferred before that of the Angels, and that God, intending to be allied to his Creatures, vouchsafed to make himself a Man, and not a Seraphim: But had not this mystery been attended with other consequences, and had not the holy Sacrament been added to the Incarnation, the Man-God had not communicated to us his qualities; and remaining still the children of Adam, we had never been made the children of God: This great effect was reserved for the Eucharist; 'tis in this mystery that whole Nature was Deified; and we may say, that if the Communication of the Word in the Incarnation was infinite, it was not immense but in the holy Sacrament of the Altar. There it is that we become Gods without committing a crime; there Piety satisfies our Ambition: there the union we contract with the Word, imitates and honours That it contracted with the Father from all Eternity. Finally, there it is that the only Son becomes the firstborn; and taking us for his Brethren, makes us the Children, and withal the Images of his Father.  
After this great advantage, 'tis not hard to conceive that he was willing to content our third desire; and having made us Gods, hath endued us with Knowledge, to bestow upon us in earnest what the devil promised us in jest. For this Spirit, who still retains so much light amidst the thickness of his darkness, perceiving that the desire of Knowledge is one of the strongest Passions of Man, persuaded him that God had not forbidden him the use of the fruit he advised him to eat, but to keep him in ignorance, and to deprive him of those innocent pleasure's Science brings with it into the mind. This temptation proved so powerful, that it prevailed upon man for his consent; and he that had resisted the promises of Glory and Life, suffered himself to be charmed with the hope of Knowledge.  
Indeed, we must confess, that of all the Passions this is the most reasonable: Beasts are moved with the love of Life and Glory; they fear Death and Dishonour: They fight, to be secured from both these; and those that are accounted the noblest, are as ambitious in their victories of the increase of their reputation, as of the preservation of their life: But the desire of Knowledge is peculiar to Man: there is no creature but he, that takes pains to be delivered from Ignorance: His combats for Glory are not more famous than his disputes for Truth; and Conquerors take less pleasure to gain Slaves, than Philosophers do to purchase Disciples.  
The contestation of Wits is nobler than that of Bodies: and if there be any conflict among the Angels, it more resembles that of Philosophers then that of Conquerors: The Understanding and the Will are the only Atms made use of, either for offence or defence: whole Nature is the Field; the differences spring not from the divers interests of Sovereigns, but from the contrary opinions of Masters: the recompense of the Victors is not so much the Conquest of Glory, as of Knowledge: they are never more satisfied with their advantage, then when of their Enemies they make their Partisans; and delivering them from Error and Falsehood, every them with Knowledge and Truth. Therefore did the devil make use of this stratagem to gain man to his side; and believed that if any thing in the world would make him forget his duty, 'twas his desire to Know Good and Evil. In the mean time, Man lost his Light by losing his Innocence; the father of Lies plunged him in darkness; and, falling into the pit of Sin, by a just judgement he fell into the abyss of Ignorance.  
But Jesus Christ, all whose Promises are Truth, opens the eyes of the soul to the Faithful that receive his Body: he enlightens their Understanding, and warms their Will; he manifests himself to those that receive him in this Sacrament; and leading them to Knowledge by the mystery of Faith, may be said to give them sight, by making them blind. 'Tis in the breaking of this Bread, that his disciples know him; 'tis by the virtue of this Drink, that the scales are taken from their eyes; and 'tis by the Grace of this Food, that the Just, who are nourished therewith, receive Understanding together with Life. If Jesus Christ reign upon our Altars as a Sovereign, he instructs thence as a Master: if we are his Subjects in that condition, we are also his Disciples; and if he gives us Laws to regulate us, he gives us Counsels to inform us. From all this Discourse 'tis easy to infer, that Jesus Christ is the God of Truth, and the Devil the Father of Lies; That the One, promising us Honour, Knowledge, and Life, involved us in Shame, Ignorance and Death; the Other, giving us his Body, made us Wise, Immortal, and Glorious.   

The Fifth DISCOURSE. That this Nourishment unites the Christian with the Son of God.  
INasmuch as Unity is the most excellent perfection of God, all the works of his hands bear the Character thereof; there is no creature that in his composition maintains not this advantage; he ceaseth to subsist or live, assoon as he gins to be divided; and if S. Augustine judged rightly, that grief was nothing but the division of the soul, we may say that death is nothing but the dissolution of the body. Thence it comes to pass, that God, in Nature and in Grace, that he may preserve his creatures, maintains them in unity, and makes his noblest operations and his highest mysteries serviceable to this design. His Providence that guides the Universe, takes no other care but to associate the creatures together, that their union may compose the world's Harmony: As the Battles of Princes tend to peace, the jar of the Elements wrangles out a concord; if they recede from their contraries, 'tis to embrace their like; and when they seem most incensed, they intent not so much a mutual destruction, as to remove those obstacles that hinder their alliance.  
That which is done in Nature, is effected in Grace; all the operations thereof, mean only to reconcile us to God; 
Teneamus charitatem, fine qua etiam cum Sacramentis & cum fide nibil sumus: tenemus autem charitatem si amplectimur unitatem. Aug.  This noble expression of the Divine Essence breathes nothing but Unity; and these austere Virtues which seem to annihilate the sinner, have no other end but to destroy his sin, to reunite him to his Principle. All our Mysteries, and all our Sacraments, seek the same end by different ways. Baptism unites us to Jesus Christ, as to our Head; Repentance, as to our Surety; the Eucharist, as to our Beloved, because completing all the other unions, it happily converts us into him that nourisheth us with his Flesh and Blood.  
This design hath excellently appeared in the choice he made of the matter of this Sacrament. For the Bread, whose substance is changed into that of the Body of Jesus Christ, is made up of many grains of corn, which being kneaded and baked together, composeth that Sacrifice which is offered upon our Altars: The Wine, whose substance is turned into the Blood of Christ, is compounded of many Grapes, which being trodden in the same Press, sends forth that juice which is exhibited in this oblation: So that the Son of God prepares the heart of the Faithful by a sensible union to a spiritual one; and teacheth them, that he will unite them with him in a Sacrament, whose outward appearances breathe nothing but unity.  
The Flesh which the outward species cover, is so one, that its multiplication cannot divide it: it is produced in a thousand places to reunite those that receive it; and contrary to that of Adam, is one in its substance, 
Omne bellum oritur ex carne; homo enim si carnalis non esset, nunquam cum alio homine pugnaret. Aug.  as well as in its effects. For the flesh of our first Father is a fruitful and unhappy spring of division; it is parted into as many bodies as there are children: and we may say, that all men are the wretched portions of this guilty flesh. The souls are divided with it to inanimate it; and acting by its Organs, contract its bad qualities, whence arise quarrels and disputes that distract States and Fam lies: But the most Tragical division is, that being the channel of sin, it makes the souls guilty assoon as they touch it, and separate them from God by an offence which was free in the first man, and natural in all his posterity: For 'tis enough that they are blended with the flesh of Adam, to make them become guilty. 'Tis from this unhappy mixture that those fatal rents issue and proceed, which occasion all our disasters; and if we did not communicate in flesh with Adam, we should not partake of his sin, nor be liable to his punishment.  
But this of Jesus Christ more happy and more innocent than his, heals our division, and leads us to unity; it is one in substance; and though a part of adam's, is exempt from all sin, because the work of the Holy Ghost, and the Word that sustains it, renders it impeccable; He that communicates life to it, communicates innocence in so high a degree, that he imparts it to those that receive it. It's multiplication dissolves not the unity; the same Word that produceth it upon our Altars, gives it the impress of its qualities; and contrary to all the rules of nature, which cannot multiply things without dividing them, finds a secret to give it a Being in a thousand places without impairing its unity.  
There is this difference between Nature and a Word; the former is fruitful only by division; 'tis wonderful how from a grain of corn she extracts a whole Harvest; pays the labour of the Husbandman with usury; recompenseth his pains with plenty; and imitating the power of her Creator, which makes all things of nothing, makes a great deal of a very little. But she cannot accord multiplication with unity; she must divide whatever she produceth: and her liberality is founded upon the fraction of her Presents. A Word more powerful than nature, is brought forth without partition; it is communicated through the fullest Auditory without wronging its Unity; and though always one, fills the ears of all those that are within the sound of it.  
It seems that the Body of the Son of God, which produced by the Word, 
Vnusquisque accepit partem suam unde & ipsa Gratia parts vocantur, per partes manducantur, & manet integer totus, per partes manducatur in Sacramento, & manet integer totus in coelo, manet integer to●us in cord tuo. Aug. Serm. de Verb. Evang.  hath borrowed this Virtue from its cause, is multiplied in the world, and is not divided; it is received into the heart of all the Faithful; and this kind of Immensity that multiplies its presence, altars not its unity: It is whole and entire under every part of the Host; though they break it, they cannot divide it; but preserving its unity in the fraction of the species, remains always the Numerical body of Jesus Christ. Thence it comes to pass, that it unites all the faithful that receive it; For though they be as different in conditions as generations; as contrary in humours as interests; as great strangers in their inclinations as climates; they do notwithstanding make up one body, because they are nourished with one bread, and all eat the same meat; which having the power to assimilate the feeder into the food, communicates unto them a wonderful unity which composeth all their differences.  
But to comprehend this last miracle, we must remember that this viand being of another nature then common meat, is not digested by the natural heat, nor converted into the substance of those that take it; only the accidents that cover it resent that injury, and yielding to that fire that animates and consumes us, becomes a part of ourselves: Being impassable and glorified, 'tis free from corruption, acting upon those that eat it, and having the same effect upon them, they have upon other nutriments, converts them miraculously into itself. Thus every Christian, if he bring not resistance with him, becomes another Jesus Christ; he parts with the bad qualities of Adam, to assume the glorious ones of the Son of God; if he share not in his impassibility, he does in his innocence; if he become not immortal, he becomes in some sort glorified; and if he change not nature, he altars at least his inclination.  
Therefore is it that all the Fathers of the Church admiring the holy stratagems Jesus Christ makes use of to unite us to himself, 
Qui vult vivere habet unde vivat; accedat, credat, incorporetur, vivificectur, inhaereat corpori, vivat Deo de Deo, nunc laboret in terra ut postea vivat in cae●o. Aug.  call this Sacrament a Divine Transformation, wherein man losing what he had of corruptible and criminal, gains the advantages of the Blessed, and is happily changed into him that nourisheth him. Indeed experience teacheth us, that nature and love have found out no better invention to convert Essences then Nutrition: Every day the meat we eat, is assimilated into our substance; the wine altering its qualities by a natural Chemistry, is turned into our blood; bread without any other additional supplement than the natural heat, becomes our flesh; and all the nourishments we take, by a wonderful metamorphosis pass into our nature: The union they contract with us is so great, nothing can break it; all the endeavours of men cannot dissolve it; and it is easier for the cruelty of the Executioner to bray the chains that fasten the soul to the body, then to unravel those links that do consubstantiate the food with him that hath digested it: Being changed into his substance, and blended with all the parts that compose him, the inquisition must search for it in his Arteries, and break his very bones to extract it with the marrow.  
Love also, that takes pleasure to imitate nature, hath found out no more powerful means to unite lovers together, when one of them hath bid farewell to the world, then in making the dead serve for a nourishment to the living; and to give him a resurrection by an artifice which can find no excuse, but in the excess of that passion that gave it a being. Thus we read that disconsolate Artemisia having lost her dear Mausolus, 
Mortui cineres vino commistos ebibit, & memoriae ejus tam splendidum sepulchrum erexit, ut magnifica monumenta deinceps Mausolea ab illius nomine fuerint appellaii. Gelli. lib. 10. cap. 18.  could not satisfy her love but by swallowing his ashes, thereby to be united to him, and to make him still cohabit with her. Her grief spared nothing that might comfort an afflicted wife, in honouring the memory of so dearly a beloved husband; she employed the most famous Orators of her time to sweeten her sorrows; and to make the Panegyric of him she had lost, she erected a staely monument which passeth for one of the seven wonders of the world; and having not seen any Tomb that can equal its magnificence, gives a denomination to this day to those of the the greatest Monarches of the Universe: But inasmuch as nothing can content the extremity of love, and ordinary remedies do but aggravate a violent sorrow, this afflicted lover resolved to drink the ashes of her dead husband; 
 esset vivum & spirans conjugis sepulchrum.  that changing them into her substance, she might expire with him, or he survive together with her.  
Me thinks the Son of God completed in the Eucharist what love engaged this amorous Princess to attempt: For being united to us in this Sacrament, and converting us into himself by the mighty working of his infinite Power, we may say he reanimates ashes, because he raiseth the dead and converts sinners: So that of all the alliances he hath contracted with us, we must needs acknowledge this the closest and most intimate. 'Twas certainly a great testimony of his love, when he was incarnate in the chaste Womb of his Virgin Mother; and clothing himself with our flesh, took upon him the burden of our sins, and of the punishments due unto them: it was a consequence of this love, when he vouchsafed to converse with us, and treating us as his brethren, gave us part in the inheritance of his glory: It was a proof of his compassion, when he became our Advocate to his Father; pleaded our Cause before his Throne; and to purchase an act of oblivion for all our transgressions, mingled his tears with his blood in the garden of Olives: It was me thinks the utmost expression of his love, when he became our Surety upon the Cross, loaded himself with our sins to enrich us with his merits, and made an exchange with us, which cost him his life, and procured us salvation. Nevertheless all these favours united him not with men, and when he was our Brother, 
Cum autem datur in cibum unio perfecta est; uniuntur enim in unitate corporis & cibus & qui cibum sumit. Di. Tho.  our Advocate, our Surety, he was not one person with us: But in the Eucharist, wherein he is our nourishment, his love hath found out the secret of incorporating us with him; he yet unites man with God; he repeats the Mystery of the Incarnation; he does that in favour of all men, which he only did for Humanity; and he works a thousand times one miracle in the Bosom of the Church, which he acted but once in the Womb of his Mother: For if we compare the Eucharist with the Incarnation, we shall find that in the one, God is made Man; in the other, Men became Gods; In the one, he is united to our nature; in the other, to our person; in the one, he is invested with our miseries; in the other, he apparels us with his greatness.  
But because in all these Alliances we meet not with that of Mother, he is willing that his body, conceived by the Virgin, should be also produced by the Priests upon our Altars, that they might be his parents, and might boast that the Incarnation hath no preeminence above the Eucharist. For the Scripture teacheth us that Jesus Christ in his birth is the work of the holy Ghost, and of the Virgin; both these persons became mutually pregnant: Mary restores to the holy Ghost what she received from him; and when she became the Mother of the Son of God, he became the Principle: The same Jesus in his Passion is the work of sinners; they condemn him to death by the mouth of Pilate, nail him to the Cross by the hands of the Executioners, and despoil him of his honour and his life by the outrages of the Jews: In the Resurrection he is the pure work of his Father; he it is that draws him from the grave, who gives him the recompense of his labours, exalts him to glory, and makes him reign everlastingly with him. But in the Eucharist he is the work of the Priests; 'tis their word that makes him present upon our Altars; their intention, that makes him descend from heaven: in the name of all the Faithful, these are the powerful Ministers that conceive him, and bring him forth, that this holy Sacrament may perfect all the Alliances the mystery of the Incarnation had begun, and that we may have this consolation, to know that there is no union in Nature we contract not with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.   

The Sixth DISCOURSE. Of the dispositions the Christian ought to bring with him to receive this Nourishment.  
IF it be a truth, that great benefits require great acknowledgements, we must confess that extraordinary Mysteries require extraordinary dispositions; nor that they must otherwise be approached unto, then with that reverence which is due to sacred things: 'Tis a Sacrilege to have to do with them with a profane spirit; and we do but expose ourselves to the indignation of heaven, when we think to partake of them without that preparation their stupendious holiness doth require. The Levites were not admitted to the service of the Altar before they were purified: The Highpriest went not into the Sanctuary of the Temple, till he had expiated his sins by the blood of a Sacrifice; neither did the Prophets deliver Oracles to the people, till the holy Spirit, who spoke with their mouth, resided in their heart. The Eucharist therefore being the most august of our Mysteries, obligeth us to very great and reverential dispositions: Each quality 'tis attended with, exacts a particular preparation; and all the titles it bears, demand of the receivers as many different virtues.  
Inasmuch as it is the most hidden Mystery of our Religion, whose wonders deceive our eyes, whose lustre dazzles the sunshine of our nearest observation; the manner of Christ's residing there being altogether imperceptible to our Senses, and unconceivable to our Understandings, we are obliged to bring along with us much Faith, and little Reasoning: a blind obedience is a Sacrifice that must accompany this oblation of the Son of God upon our Altars; and at the same time that his Body is the Holocaust of his Love, our Understanding must be the Victim of our Faith. 'Tis in this occasion that we ought to rely upon the Power and Truth of him that worketh this Miracle; and examining the difficulties that combat our Faith, we are only to consider that he that hath drawn All things out of Nothing, is still able to extract his Body out of the substance of the Bread, 
Haec Sacramenta necessario fidem exigunt, & rationem non admittunt. Bern.  and change one thing into another, since he was able to produce what was not. This is the Mystery must be approached unto in the simplicity of Faith; where we must believe Jesus Christ whom we do not see; that Darkness being the midwife of Light, we may behold him in heaven, whom we have believed upon earth.  
The second disposition of the Christian is derived from the second quality of this heavenly meat: All Religion informs us that Heaven bestows this Nutriment upon us by the mighty power of its Love; every effect we observe therein, is a Miracle; never will the Prodigies of Manna equal those of the Eucharist; 
Tota ratio facti potentia facientis. Aug.  nothing is done here according to the laws of Nature: God dispenseth with all those rules in other occurrences he obligeth himself unto; and we may say that in this adorable Mystery he consults only his Power and his Goodness: He changeth the Elements without altering their qualities; he sustains Accidents without their Substances; he multiplies his Body without dividing it; he nourisheth the Faithful with his Flesh without wasting it; he is present in a thousand places at the same instant: Whilst Men possess him, the Angels do not lose him: he is wholly in heaven, and wholly upon the earth: and, as if the Incarnation were but an Essay of the Eucharist, this gives all the world the same Body the other indulged only to Judea. Such a cloud of Miracles exact our silence and astonishment: we must admire what we cannot comprehend; and making Ignorance serviceable to Piety, say with the Prophet, Mirabilis Deus in sanctis suis, & magnus in operibus suis. Indeed, if we admire the wonders of Nature; if that which surpasseth our apprehension ravish our understanding; if the disorder of the Elements, or the irregularity of the Seasons, strike a kind of awe into us; Ought we not greatly to respect a Mystery whose every circumstance is a Miracle, and every effect a Prodigy!  
But inasmuch as this Food is an Earnest of Glory, and this Feast whereto the Faithful are invited, is a figure of that Eternal Banquet which the Blessed sit down at; we must bring along with us Desire and Hope: God gives us nothing upon the earth which he doth promise us aforehand to occasion our desires: But because Promises are not bare words, 
Judaei quip habebant quandam umbram, nos veritatem: Judaei fuerunt servi, nos filii: Judaei per mare transierunt ad Eremum, nos per Baptismum intravimus in Regnum: Judaei Manna manducaverunt, nos Christum: Judaei pruinam, nos Deum caeli. Salvia.  he many times gives us a part of what he hath promised: Though the Law were but a shadow of Truth, the Sacraments thereof but vain and empty Figures, yet did they contain something that the Israelites were to hope for by them. Manna had qualities expressing those of the Body of Jesus Christ: The Law, though obscure, was an exposition of the Gospel, and, rightly understood, obliged us to love God above all things, and our Neighbour as ourselves. The Sea, which favoured their retreat in parting asunder, and coming together again swallowed up the Egyptians, darted forth some glimmerings of light amidst these shades of darkness, and by sensible effects exhibited what was to be acted upon our souls in the Sacrament of Baptism. The Land of Promise had some resemblance with that of the Living; its plenty was an image of the felicity of heaven, where nothing is wanting to the blessed inhabitants.  
Nevertheless we must acknowledge that the pledges we receive in the New Testament, are far more certain and substantial: They exhibit the best part of what they promise, they do what they make show of; and joining the Figure with the Substance, we may say, that, without depriving us of the quality of the Faithful, they procure us that of the Blessed. Baptism, which raiseth us to the dignity of the Sons of God, gives us admittance into his Inheritance; we are already new creatures; and though not yet perfected by Glory, are notwithstanding begun to be wrought upon by Grace. We are the members of Jesus Christ, though we remain the members of Adam: if the Charity the holy Ghost hath shed abroad in our hearts quench not Concupiscence, at least it abolisheth the sin; and though our righteousness be imperfect, it fails not to be true. The Incarnation raiseth our hopes; and having seen a God made Man in being born of a Virgin, we have not much ado to believe that Men may become Gods in being born of the Church.  
But not to enter upon a deduction which would lead too far from the Subject of my discourse, we need only consider the Eucharist, to be persuaded of this Verity: It is a pledge wherein God performs what he promiseth: 'Tis part of that sum he bids us hope for, 
Sacramenta prima erant praenunitiativa Christi, & ideo ablata quia completa: alia sunt instituta, virtute majora, utilitate meliora, actu feliciora, numero pauciora. Aug.  an Antepast of the felicity we expect; neither is there any Christian who is not fully assured to possess Jesus Christ in heaven, because he so entirely enjoys him on earth. He waits with patience for the effect of so many gracious promises whereof he hath received such certain earnest; he comforts himself in his discontents, from the consideration of his advantages; neither can he doubt that he that is so often sacrificed for his salvation, will not wholly communicate himself for his happiness.  
This infallible Gage exacts from us as much Desire as Confidence: It is not enough to be assured of the promise of God, we must long to have it effected: our enjoyment ought to produce our yearning after it: All Christians must be like Daniel, men of desires; and renouncing the things of the world, fix all their pretensions towards heaven. This Mystery that unites them to Jesus Christ, must raise them as high as God; and when his presence is vanished with the species, the desires that Grace inspires them with, must give them another relish of what the natural heat hath made them lose by digestion.  
This disposition prepares us for another more noble and more holy: For if we are to express our long because the Body of the Son of God is a pledge of his Promises, we ought to be endued with Love and Fidelity, because this Sacrament is a Marriage of his soul with ours: Baptism is the Beginning, and the Eucharist the Consummation hereof: we have engaged our word when we were admitted into the Church; and receiving the character of our servitude, we have given bond for our Faithfulness. But in the Mystery of the Eucharist he deals with our souls as with his Spouse; we become flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone; he enters into our bosom, and we into his: his body and ours are animated with the same Spirit; and partaking in all the qualities of our Beloved, we have right to his most glorious privileges.  
But so noble an Alliance requires a great affection, and much fidelity: This Lover is jealous; he will reign alone in the hearts that he possesseth: as he cannot endure a Competitor in his State, so neither can he a Rival in his Love: he will have nothing loved but for his sake: and because our adhesion to the Creature is not without imperfections, he never beholds it without grief, nor leaves it without punishment. Whatever is prejudicial to Fidelity, displeaseth: he never breaks his word, and therefore cannot endure we should fail of our duty: He will keep what he hath once gotten: and seeing his Power is equal to his Love, he is as severe in his Revenge, as he is liberal in his Favours When I consider the obligations we have to his Goodness, I never wonder that his Justice corrects us; but I am ashamed there should be any souls so negligently careless as to provoke him; and that, after so many favours, any should be so wretched as to betray their duty, and abandon Jesus Christ. Nevertheless this crime is so common among Christians, that those who will not break their word with an Enemy, take no care to be true to the Son of God, basely desert his party, lodge the devil in the same Throne where they had seated their Sovereign, and take an Adulterer into the bed from whence they have driven their lawful Husband.  
If the remembrance of his favours cannot produce love in our souls, the terror of punishments must beget Fear: For if he be our Beloved in the Eucharist, he is also our Judge; and having fruitlessly exhibited testimonies of his Goodness, 
Qui enim manducat & bibit indigne, judicium sibi manducat & hibit, non dijudicans corpus Domini. 1 Cor. 11.  will sensibly inflict marks of his indignation. The great Apostle of the Gentiles tells us, that he that receiveth unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself: that the Devil being the Minister of the Divine Justice, takes visible possession of the soul of that Delinquent; that he erects an Altar in his heart, and of his slave making his victim, engageth him in despair, having engaged him in Sacrilege. 
Et post buccellun introivit in cum Satanas. Joan. 13.  Thus dealt he with Judas, when he had communicated unworthily; The Evangelist observes, that he entered into his soul, urged him to execute his abominable design; for a light interest, obliterated out of his mind the remembrance of all the favours he had received from his Master; and tumbling him from one precipice to another, from Covetousness tempted him to Treachery, from Treason to Sacrilege, 
Diabolus intravit in cor ut traderet eum Judas; quomodo intravit in cor nisi immittendo iniquas persuasiones cogitatienibus iniquorum? Aug. de Consen. Evang.  from Sacrilege to Parricide, and from Parricide to Desperation: For when the wicked spirit that possessed him had counselled him to betray the Son of God, he counselled him to hang himself, and setting him against himself, made him make use of his own hands to inflict a just and cruel death upon himself.  
Finally, there is no mystery wherein the Son of God manifests more love, or more severity, where he obligeth more dearly, or punisheth more strictly, or pardons more rarely; and because the crimes committed here are the greatest, it seems the vengeance inflicted upon them is most memorable. The first of all sinners is a great Saint in Heaven; The man that was our Father, and our Parricide both together; 
De illo quidem primo homine patre generis humani, quod eum in inferno solverit Christus, Ecclesia fere tot a consentit, quod eam non inaniter credidisse credendum est. Aug. Epist. 99 ad Enod.  The Criminal who is accessary to all the transgressions of the world; The Father that engageth all his posterity in his offences and his punishment; The Rebel who makes an Insurrection of all his Descendants against their lawful Sovereign; That unfortunate Chief who lives yet after his death, sins still in his members, and by a dreadful prodigy being happy in his person, is miserable and guilty in his posterity: That old man who is new born in every sinner; and in one word, That Adam, who committed a fault whole nature bewails to this day, found his pard on in his repentance; and whiles he sees Hell pepled with his offspring, enjoys glory with the Angels in Heaven.  
That great King whom God raised to the Throne against all humane probability; That Stripling who without arms gave a Giant battle; That Shepherd whose Crook was turned into a Sceptre, who reckoned his victories by his combats, and boasted that the Lord of Hosts had trained him up in the Discipline of War: This Prince, who forgetting all these favours joined Murder to Adultery, and made an Innocent dye to cloak the dishonour of a debauched woman: This glorious Criminal, who saw all the Vials of Heaven poured down upon his Head; his Kingdom divided; his subjects revolted, and his own children in the head of an Army against him; This famous Delinquent reigns in glory with the Son of God; his tears have washed away his iniquities; and his grief more powerful than his offence, opened him the gate of Heaven.  
That Apostle, who having received so many testimonies of affection from his Master, forsook him so shamefully in the Garden of Gethsemane; denied him so openly in the house of Caiaphas; is as great in Heaven as he was upon Earth: The Church to this day reverenceth his Injunctions; the Pope's boast themselves his Successors, and all the faithful glory in being his children. That young man full of zeal and and fury, who intended to strangle Christianity in the very Cradle, who was the boutefew of the first persecution against the Disciples of Jesus, who stoned Saint Stephen by their hands whose  he kept, 
De caelo vocavi, una voce percussi, alia erexi & elegi, tertia implevi & misi, quarta liberavi & coronavi. Aug.  hath found his salvation in his sin: He was converted when he went about to plunge himself in the blood of the first believers; he received Grace when he was upon the very point of increasing the number of Parricides; in one moment he became a Preacher of the Gospel, an Apostle of the Son of God, and the Master of the Gentiles.  
But the first that ever profaned the Body of Jesus Christ and committed a Sacrilege in approaching the Altar, was given up to the fury of Satan: To his Sacrilege he added a Parricide, and expiating these two offences by a violent death, taught us there was never any crime more severely punished upon Earth, than what was committed against Jesus Christ in the Eucharist: so that a man cannot dispose himself too carefully when he is to approach this holy communion; and seeing the Son of God recollects all his Graces in this Sacrament, thereby to oblige us, we ought to come accompanied with all kind of Virtues worthily to receive him.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. That the Christian owes God the Honour of a Sacrifice.  
SAcrifice is the most ancient duty of the creature towards his Creator; It is the soul of Religion, precedes affection; and before man can be obliged to love God, he is bound to offer him a Sacrifice: For love presupposeth some society between God and man, which is not so much an effect of Nature as of Grace; but Sacrifice supposeth nothing but dependence, which is inseparable from the creature, and engageth him assoon as ever he proceeded out of Nothing, to acknowledge his Original by a solemn homage. From hence may be inferred, that Sacrifice is an honour can be rendered only to God, and that 'tis changed into Sacrilege when offered to a mere creature.  
Neither is this hard to be conceived, if we consider the divers motives we have to offer Sacrifices to God, since sin hath corrupted nature. The first is, to reconcile us to him, and to mitigate his anger by the merit of the victim; The second is to be united to him, knowing very well that as his Indignation is the soucre of all our evils, his Grace is the fountainhead of all our good; whence it came to pass, that in the Old Testament there were peace-offerings offered to him for the salvation of sinners, which testified by their dying mouths, that to be removed from God was to be miserable: The third is to obtain eternal glory, which makes us find our happiness in the union it procures us with God, and destroying whatever we had of mortal or perishable, happily transforms us into him; 
Holocaustum dicitur sacrificium cum totum accenditur, quandò totum ardet & totum absumitur igne divino. Aug.  Therefore were Holocausts immolated, wherein the oblation wholly consumed by the flame, figured out this Truth; and by a silent language taught us, that man should never be happy till he was despoiled of all his corruption, that he might be perfectly consummated in God. Now all men confess, that God only can bestow Grace, remit sins which brave his Majesty, sanctify souls in uniting them to himself, and glorify them by communicating to them his Essence.  
Therefore by a necessary consequence, they acknowledge, that as from him only these favours are to be obtained, we have no other way to intercede for them, but by sacrifice. The Law punished those with death that erected Altars to strange gods, and offered those honours to vain idols, which could not be safely given to true men: Nature herself, though never so blind, sacrificeth to none but those she conceives at least to be Gods; and sin being not able to quench all her lights, she retains this belief in her error, that Divinity only deserves the honours of sacrifice: Faith confirms this Truth, and strongly persuades us, that if the creature adores not his Creator, he is miserable; and if he encroach upon the honour due to him, he becomes guilty. 
Creatura rationalis si non colit Deum, misera est, quia privatur Deo; si colit Deum, non vult se coli pro Deo. Aug.  Sacrifice then is a divine worship, whereby a reasonable creature honours his Creator, and publicly professeth, that as he hath received being from him, 'tis from him likewise that he expects felicity. But though there is nothing in God which being God himself deserves not this homage, and all his perfections may justly require it; we must confess nevertheless there are three that oblige us to this duty, and which in the state of innocence as well as sin, demand this sacrifice.  
The first is the Sovereignty he hath over his creature: For he depends of him in Creation and Preservation; He had no right to exist before he issued from Nothing; in these profound abysses he could not so much as desire or ask any thing; and being not yet in nature, could have no pretensions of aspiring either to Grace or Glory. Being now reduced from Nonentity, he depends still upon his Sovereign; he could not be able to subsist one moment, without assistance from him; he cannot act but by his impulses; and though he be free in his operations, he that gave him being must give him motion: his preservation is a consequence of his Creation: the same power that produced him, preserves him; and unless he be strangely impudent, he must confess he depends not less upon God in his Entity, then in his Nonentity. There is no need that the Earth should open under his feet to swallow him up; that thunder should fall upon his head to crush him to ashes; nor that the waters should flow from their couch to drown him: God needs only withdraw his hand, and he perisheth; let him but cease to preserve, and he moulders into annihilation. Dependency therefore and servitude constitute one part of his Essence: he is a slave assoon as a creature; and though God be Almighty, we may say, without offence, he can produce neither man nor Angel able to support themselves without him; and who in the progress as well as beginning of his life, depends not absolutely upon his All-sufficiency.  
This is it that obligeth both of them in their Creation to offer sacrifices to him; 'twas their first reflection towards their Principle, their first duty towards their Sovereign, and their primitive inclination towards their last end: If they do not acquit themselves, 'tis their fault; if dazzled with their own light, and charmed with their own beauty, they fail of this their lawful homage, they need seek no other cause of their crime, nor of their fall. I pretend not to express the nature of this sacrifice, because it is unkown to us; but I will say thus much, thatthe Angels being pure spirits, seek not oblations out of their own person; they stoop before the Almighty at the presence of his greatness; they offer him what they are bound to by Creation, and refuse not to submit to him by the motion of their proper will, as they did from all Eternity in their nature.  
For men, there is great likelihood, being compounded of a body and a soul, they would join external sacrifice to internal; and to the end they might offer all they had received, presenting him an Holocaust of their person, they would employ their mouths to praise him, and their hands to serve him, having made use of their understandings to know him, and their wills to love him: we might believe also that acknowledging all the goods of the Earth the effects of his bounty, they would bring presents and victim of them; that returning his Sovereignty what they had received from his mercy, they would sprinkle his Altars with wine, load them with fruits, and deck them with flowers.  
But there is a question, whether to satisfy their piety they would exercise their cruelty upon Animals: whether they would butcher those innocent victimes; shed their blood upon the Earth, and in that happy state commit murders, that they might offer sacrifices? Some are of opinion, that man living only upon fruits, slaughtered not victim; that having not as yet deserved death, he would not make them bear the punishment of his sin; and being content to offer their Wool or their Milk, he honoured God, and did not deprive them of life: Others conceive, they slew these innocent Beasts, not to pacify the Justice of God, who was not as yet offended, but to adore his Sovereignty, and publicly to profess, that expecting no sin, he might bind Man over to death, and require it of him not as a Punishment, but as a Sacrifice. The Scripture seems to favour this opinion; and the skins wherewith our first parents were clothed after their transgression, make us suspect they had sacrificed some Animals during the state of Innocence, and that the Supremacy of the Almighty imitating his Justice, was content that Man sacrificed them in stead of himself. But not to engage in the search of a Truth which lies buried in darkness and oblivion, 'tis enough to know, that Sacrifice is a public acknowledgement of God's Sovereign power, and that this was the first motive that invited Man to offer him Oblations.  
The second is taken from his Holiness, 
Sanctum & terribile nomen ejus. Psal. 110.  which is one of the noblest and least known of all his perfections. The Scripture never speaks of it but with respect; and mixing admiration always with this attribute, teacheth us that we are to magnify it rather by our silence then by our words: The Angels in their eternal Hallelujahs are taken up only with this adorable perfection. They forget as it were his Power that drew them out of Nothing, his Providence that guided them while they walked in the way of Merit, his Mercy that fortified them in their conflict, his Justice that crowned them in the victory, to think only upon his Holiness, 
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus exercituum, Isa. 6.  which unites them to the Supreme Good, and separates them from all things else. Indeed, it is the Seat of the Almighty; and if it be true, according to the opinion of the Fathers, that his Essence was his Habitation, we may say that his Holiness is his Throne, and place of rest. For all the other perfections, more solicitous after our advantage then his glory, oblige him to apply himself to our necessities: His Power marcheth forth to seek us in the Abysses of Nonentity; his Mercy delivers us from our Miseries; his Goodness pardons our Offences; and if his Justice that punisheth us seem to espouse his interests, it presently forgets them, because, having revenged them, it studies to recompense our deservings: But Holiness, 
Sanctitas est ab omni inquinatione libera, incontaminatissima & perfectissima puritas. Dionys. Requievit ab operibus, non in operibus suis; in se enim Deus requiescit.  it studies to recompense our deservings: But Holiness, more zealous for the Glory of God than the Salvation of Man, separates him from all things, shuts him up in himself, and surrounds him with such a brightness of Majesty, that his Creatures dare not approach unto him: He rests in this ever-to-be-worshipped Throne more holily then in those blessed spirits, who, borrowing their name from their properties, or from their offices, are called the living Thrones of the Divine Essence.  
Sacrifices than are immolated upon Altars, to adore this ineffable Perfection: They perish by the knife, or by the flame, to testify that God is not at all fastened to his Creatures, that the noblest are unworthy to come into his presence, and that, approaching before him, he must destroy them, because there is nothing deserves to be offered up unto him. 'Twas in this humble and true sense of the Divine Majesty, that the most innocent of all Sacrifices bowed his head, and gave up the ghost: In this apprehension, that Jesus Christ, adoring the dereliction of his Father, acknowledged that as his Victim he was to be forsaken, though as his Son he remained inseparable; nor that it was just for God to go out of his rest to deliver him from his sorrows, or to avenge him of his enemies. Tu autem in sancto habitas laus Israel. But because we cannot speak much of a Perfection whose Greatness amazeth us, and the lustre whereof dazzles us, we pass to the Fullness of God, which is the Third Motive of our duty of Sacrifice. 
Sadai appellatur Deus ab Hebraeis, hoc est sibi sufficiens.   
God is so Immense, that, by a glorious Impotency he can do nothing which is not useless in respect of Himself: Whatever he produceth out of his Essence, is unworthy of his employment: Inasmuch as he finds his happiness in himself, he stands not in need of our Magnificats; and seeing his felicity supplies him with inexhaustible riches, he hath no need of our Presents: he possesseth all things in a transcendent eminency; and they are much nobler in him then in themselves. 
Omnis pulchritudo agri mecum est, ubertas omnium in terra gignentium mecum est; cum illo sunt omnia cognition; quaedam ineffabilis sapientia Dei in verbo constituta. Aug. in Ps. 49.  The Flowers are immortal in God; the Fields are always clothed with a springing fertility; the Trees never lose their fruit; the Seasons are never irregular; the Elements jar not in him; there men live for ever; and all Creatures subsist in their perfections, without any mixture of deficiency. Thence it comes to pass that we deliver up Victims to the knife, and consume them in the fire, to publish aloud that we pretend not to enrich him that possesseth all things, and who would not be God, did he stand in need of our Oblations. Dixi Domino, Deus meus es tu, quoniam bonorum meorum non eges. Therefore in the very state of Innocence they poured out the Liquors that were offered, they burned the Fruits that were presented; and striving to annihilate them, proclaimed openly that they were no way profitable to him.  
But since sin hath rob us of original righteousness, we were obliged to join offended Justice to these three Perfections, and to offer Sacrifice to him, to pacify his Fury. For inasmuch as he is chief busied to revenge his neglected slighted Mercy, that 'tis this that laid the foundations of hell, made deluges overflow, shakes the earth till it tremble, we have endeavoured to appease this incensed attribute by our homages. Knowing that Death is one of the highest vengeances he takes, we make use of it in Sacrifice; and laying the punishment we ourselves deserve upon the Creature, we do our utmost to avoid his indignation, by an invention his own mercy hath taught us. 
Et viles animas pro meliore damus. Ovi. Fast.  Thence it is that those people who have lost the true Religion, have not left off to continue Sacrifice; and, instructed either by Tradition or Nature, they have laboured to appease the gods they worship by the slaughter of Victims. 
Apud Aegyptios victimae inurchantur sigillo quodam, in quo effigies erat servi seipsum gladio confodientis. Plut. in Isid. & Osy.  By that Ceremony they acknowledged themselves worthy of death; and at the same time they went about to satisfy Justice, they confessed that his Mercy suffered them to transfer the punishment due to their offences upon the Beast, and to immolate innocent Animals in stead of guilty Men. The Egyptians, who had more dealing with the Jews, give testimony they were of the same mind, when they stamped upon the Victim the picture of a Slave stabbing himself; to inform all the world, that the Justice of God sparing the Man, gave them leave to sacrifice the Beast in his place, and in a manner to charge him with his sin and his punishment. 'Tis true, that as Oblations were not considerable among the Jews, but because they were the Figures and Types of Jesus Christ, 
Huic summo veroque sacrificio, cuncta falsa sacrificia cesserunt Aug.  it was thought requisite that in the fullness of time he should accomplish the Truth; and that he might perfectly honour all the perfections of his Father, should himself be sacrificed upon the Altar of the Cross.   

The Eighth DISCOURSE. That the Christian stood in need that the Son of God should offer for him the Sacrifice of the Cross and of the Altar.  
IT is a strange Paradox, but very true, that Sin, which obligeth Man to sacrifice himself, deprives him of the power to do it, 
Animantia minus ingrata Deo, quia minus infecta peccato. Philo Jud.  and reduceth him to a condition, where, not being able to find a Victim in himself, he is driven to seek for one among the Creatures. This shameful necessity discovered not to him only the Goodness of God, who was content that Beasts should be offered up in stead of Men: but it upbraided him with his unworthiness, and made him woefully resent, that being able to offend his Creator, he could by no means make him satisfaction. Having imprinted this truth in his mind, and for many Generations reading him this lesson, that he that pretended to equal the Almighty, was in a worse condition than the Beasts: in process of time, it was demonstrated to him that his crime was too great to be expiated by the blood of Goats or Lambs, and that his excess required a Sacrifice whose merit was Infinite.  
Indeed, that a Sacrifice might be acceptable to God, it must have those qualities which are found neither in Angels, nor Men, nor Beasts. For it must be Innocent, and no way obnoxious to that evil whereof it is to be the remedy: It must be Reasonable, to treat with God, and to speak in behalf of them whose place he appears in: It must be mortal, that it may undergo the punishment sin hath deserved, and thereby satisfy the Divine Justice: But above all, its merit must of necessity be Infinite, that, being equal to the malice of sin, the honour of God may have full reparation, and the debt of man an entire complete acquittance. 
De Adaestirpe nullus propagari poterat naturaliter, qui illius delicto non teneretur adstrictus. Aug.  The Angel had two of these conditions; he was Reasonable, and Innocent; but being Immortal and Finite by nature, he could neither die nor satisfy: Man was Reasonable and Mortal; the one he owed to his Sin, the other to his Constitution; but having lost his Innocence, he could neither Satisfy nor Merit: The Beast, more happy in some sort then Man, was Mortal and Innocent; but having not the use of Reason, his death was unprofitable, nor could his sacrifice reconcile us to God.  
Therefore did the Eternal Word contrive to be Incarnate, that, uniting the Divine Nature with the Humane in his Person, there might come forth a Divine Compositum, which, being God and Man both together, might possess all the qualities requisite to accomplish the work of our Salvation. He was Mortal, because he was Man, and had assumed our Nature, with its imperfections, the appurtenances of sin: He was Innocent, because he subsisted in the person of the Word, which managed his Will without constraining it, and by a happy necessity made him absolutely impeccable: He was Reasonable, inasmuch as having taken our imperfections, he withal took our advantages; and, by a privilege due to his Greatness, the use of Reason was indulged him with life, that from the first moment of his conception he might honour his Father, and satisfy for sinners: His Merit was, as his Person, Infinite; and the actions that were performed by this God-Man were Meritorious, because Humane; and on the other fide, Infinite, because Divine. Thus the Word Incarnate became the Sacrifice of God and Men; and entering into our duties, paid what we stood bound for to the Justice of his Father: he suffered what our sins deserved, and delivered us from those punishments our sentence condemned us to.  
But being the Substance of all the Shadows of the Old Testament, and by his acquitting us being obliged to fulfil all the Figures thereof, he offered up himself to the Eternal Father by a double Sacrifice, that one seconding the other, the Christians might render as much honour to God as the Jews. For the Synagogue had four kinds of Sacrifices: The First was the Holocaust, which respected the glory of God, wherein the Victim was wholly consumed by the fire: The Second was an Atonement for sin, where the Oblation being parted between God and his Ministers, one part was burnt in the fire, and the other remained to the Priest for his nourishment: The Third and Fourth were called Peace-offerings, with this distinction, that the one was made to obtain some favour of God, or to give him thanks for what was already received; the other, to acquit the offerer of his promises, and to accomplish those vows he stood engaged to God for. In these two last Sacrifices, the Victim was divided into Three parts: The First was consecrated to God, the Second designed to the Priest, and the Third left to the Faithful.  
Therefore hath the Son of God joined the Sacrifice of the Cross with that of the Altar, to accomplish all those of the Old Law: Upon the Cross he offered up himself an Holocaust to his Father; where being destroyed by death, he risen from the Grave, to be consummated in Glory, and to be received into the bosom of his Father, from whence he came forth by the Mystery of the Incarnation. But because in the Oblation where the Sacrifice is wholly reduced into God, men have no part, he was pleased to institute another in his Church, where giving himself wholly to his Father, 
Hujus sacrificii caro & sanguis ante adventum Christi per Victimas similitudinum promittebatur, in Passione Christi per ipsam veritatem reddebatur, post ascensum Christi per Sacramentum memoriae celebratur. Aug. lib 20. cont. Faust.  and to the Faithful, he completed with advantage the sacrifices of the Old Testament: For he is there after such a wonderful manner, that without being divided, he enters equally into the bosom of his Father, and into the heart of his Ministers: every one possesseth him entirely; and this communion is so perfect, that none are excluded but those that will have no part in it. But for the better understanding of a truth which is one of the principal Articles of our Faith, and to resolve the difficulties Heresy opposeth against these two sacrifices; we must know, that both of them make up but one; and that one without the other would be utterly unprofitable: For the Scripture teacheth us, that to the perfection of a sacrifice, 
Si autem habuerit maculam vel claudum fuerit, vel coecum, aut in aliqua parte deform, vel debile, non immolabitur Deo. Deut. 15.  there are required five parts; The first is the sanctification of the Victim, which consisted in four things: The first was its perfection, which excluded all blemishes, because they are the marks and punishments of sin; whence it was that the Law in express terms enjoined that nothing should be offered to God that was not perfect: The second was a supernatural sanctification, which elevated the sacrifice above itself, and which being stamped upon it by Divine Authority, disengaged it from the dominion of man, and destined it for the Altar: The third was separation which consecrated it to God, and suffered it no longer to be employed to any profane use: The last was the obligation to death, 
Haecomnia patent ex libris Exo. & Levi. Vbi de h●stia dicitur quod sanctificabitur & scparabitur Domino.  as a thing dedicated to God, and which ought to perish for his glory. The second part of the sacrifice was the oblation of the Victim, where according to the form prescribed in the Law, or taught by Tradition, it was actually offered to God, and began to appertain to him by a new right, greater than that of sanctification. The third was the death or killing of the Victim, which though the most sensible part of the sacrifice, was not yet the principal; because it was performed by the Levites, and not by the Priests; in the Court of the Temple, and not in the place next the Sanctuary: The fourth was the consummation of the sacrifice which was devoured by the flame; that the smoke ascending up into Heaven, God might partake of the oblation, as the Scripture testifieth in those words, Odoratus est Dominus sacrificium; and that which seems to have given some colour to the false opinion of the Heathen, who imagined that God was nourished with the fume of the offerings. The fifth was the communion of the Victim, which as we have already observed, was sometimes wholly devoted to God, sometimes was divided between God, the Priest and the people: But inasmuch as these sacrifices were but the types and shadows of that which Jesus Christ was to offer to his Father, he did not partake of it but in a figure by means of fire, which in the belief of the world was accounted the noblest representatation of the Divinity, Deus noster Ignis consumens est; as for the people and the Priest, they communicated really, and received the sacrifice into their mouth to digest it in their stomach.  
If Jesus Christ be the accomplishment of the Law, his Sacrifice must necessarily comprehend all these parts; and we must find on the Altar, what we do not find on the Cross. His sanctification is fully evident; for besides that he is the firstborn, and in that consideration is holy; we know that he is the work of the Holy Ghost; that his Father is God; that his Mother is a Virgin, and that his Conception is altogether Immaculate: But his Divine Person is his principal sanctification; and if other sacrifices be sanctified by some transient words, this is consecrated by the Eternal and Divine Word: The same Unction that made him Priest, made him the Victim, and dedicated him by a double title to the service of the Altar. His oblation began in the womb of the Blessed Virgin; continued in the Temple, and during his life, and was at last finished upon the Cross: In the womb of his mother he offered himself in spirit, according to the meaning of Saint Paul; and explaining his mind in the words of the Prophet, he protests that he took a body only to be immolated to his Father: In the Temple he was presented by the hands of the Virgin, and received by Simeon, who penetrating the design of Jesus Christ and his mother, answers their intentions, and instructs her in the mystery of the Cross, whereof this oblation was the prologue. During his life he continued to offer up himself to his Father as an innocent Victim, till upon the Cross he acquitted himself of his promises, and satisfied his obligations; Obtulit se immaculatum Deo per Spiritum Sanctum. His death appeared upon Mount Calvary, where making use of the cruelty of the Jews, of the treason of Judas, and of the rage of the Executioners, he was offered up for our salvation: But because it is not the principal part of the sacrifice which is not complete, if the Victim be not consummated, it was requisite that the Resurrection should finish what Death began. Indeed the Resurrection of the Son of God is his consummation; 'tis in this mystery that Glory swallowed up what Death had left; that he parts with whatever remained of perishable; that he enters into that Majesty which is due to his Birth; that he is reduced to God, and received into the bosom of his Father, his lawful and natural habitation. This is the mystery to which Saint Paul attributes the perfection of our salvation, because it is the Crown of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ; Therefore discoursing of what we own his Death and his Glory, he saith, Mortuus est propter peccata nostra, & resurrexit propter justificationem nostram: where he assigns the principal effect of our salvation, not to the Passion, but to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. There it is in a word, that Jesus is perfected, that his work is accomplished, where he is happily consummated; where the Divine Essence having the same operation in him, that the fire had in the sacrifice, he is despoiled of our infirmities, and invested with all the glories of his Father.  
Inasmuch as the life of a Christian is a sacrifice which honours that of the Word Incarnate, it is not terminated so much by Death as by the Resurrection; nor will the Faithful be truly consummated, till he shall be transformed into God by the splendours of Glory. Therefore doth Saint Augustine in his Comment upon that passage of the Psalmist, Introibo in domum tuam in Holocaustis, deliver these excellent words which serve greatly to illustrate this truth: The Holocaust is a Sacrifice, wherein the Victim is wholly devoured by the fire; and the Church, in the expectation she hath one day to be admitted into Heaven, useth the same language, and persuades herself that the fire of glory will consume her, to the end that nothing of herself remaining in her, she may be wholly her Beloved's: This desire will not be accomplished till the general Resurrection, when our mortal shall be clothed with Immortality, and life shall triumph over death; the Divine fire will produce this effect, and consuming all our perishable being will make of us an Holocaust: For nothing mortal shall remain in our flesh; nothing culpable in our soul; both of them shall be consummated by life, that passing into a new being we may become the Holocausts of the Lord. That which ought to befall all Christians at the day of the general Resurrection, did happen to Jesus Christ at the day of his glorious Resurrection; Death was swallowed in Life, Glory consumed infirmity, and leaving the likeness of sin, he entered into the Majesty of God his Father.  
But because this sacrifice would be impetfect, if the Communion did not succeed the Consummation; The love & power of Jesus Christ invented a means, whereby without departing from God, he might communicate himself to the Faithful, and make them partakers of his body and blood. This is done upon our Altars, where offering up himself daily, he finisheth the sacrifice of the Cross; and by a mystery worthy of his charity, he communicates not only the merits of his death, but the very victim that was immolated upon Mount Calvary. It bears the name of sacrifice, not only because it finisheth that of the Cross, which precisely contains nothing but the kill of the sacrifice, but for that it exhibits all the marks of a true sacrifice.  
For besides that it is the verity of the sacrifice of Melchisedeh, instituted by the High Priest, who hath commanded his Ministers to do it in remembrance of him: We may say, without any offence to piety, that it hath more show of a sacrifice, then that of the Cross, because it gins with Prayer, succeeds the eating of the Paschal Lamb as the substance the shadow; contains an innocent victim; is instituted by words dedicated to sacrifices; and examining it seriously, we shall find the oblation of the victim, because there it is offered by the hands of the Priest; His mystical death, because immolated not by the knife, but by the Word of God; its perfect consummation, because in a glorious condition which rescues it from all humane miseries; and its communion, because taken into the bosom of God, 
Sacrificium corporis & sanguinis Christi successit omnibus sacrificiis veteris Testamenti quae immolabantur in umbra hujus futuri. Aug.  and the mouth of the Faithful. But though all these conditions should fail, it would be enough to say, that as the death of Jesus Christ, though but the kill of the victim, ceaseth not to be a true sacrifice; that of the Altar, though but the communion of the victim, ceaseth not to be also a true sacrifice; though to speak properly, both of them make but one perfect sacrifice, according to the true sense of those words of Saint Paul, una oblatione consummavit sanctificatos; and that one and the same Jesus is continually the victim, but in such different conditions, that they give occasion to Divines to make them pass for two distinct sacrifices.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. Of the difference between these two Sacrifices; and what the Christian receives in the one, and in the other.  
THough it were very easy to demonstrate the wonderful resemblances which are found between the sacrifice of the Cross and of the Altar; and without doing violence to Scripture, we might make it appear that one is the image of the other; that the same victim is immolated in Both; that the Eternal Father is equally honoured in Both, and that the Faithful receive thence like advantages: yet because things are illustrated better by their differences then their similitudes, and that which distinguisheth them from others is always more particularly theirs; I have designed this Discourse to unfold the oppositions Nature and Grace hath placed in these two sacrifices; 
Quod autem mortuus est peccato, mortuus est semel; quod autem vivit, vivit Deo. Ro. 6.  which though one and the same thing in their ground and foundation, are notwithstanding different in their circumstances; whereof the first is, that that of the Cross was never offered but once; and this of the Altar is offered every day.  
For the right understanding of this difference we must know, that the sacrifice of the Cross is a sacrifice of Redemption; 
Qui non habet necessitatem quotidie quemadmodum sacerdotes prius pro suis delictis hostias offer, deinde pro populi: hoc enim fecit semel se offerendo. Hebrae. 7.  where the victim is charged with the sins of the world, satisfies for them by the infiniteness of his merits, appeaseth the Justice of the Eternal Father, and delivers men from the tyranny of the Devil. Inasmuch as all those things are no otherwise performed then by the death of Christ, which cannot be repeated without a miracle; and the Glory whereinto he is entered, suffers him not to die a second time: Saint Paul tells us, that he redeemed the world by that one only sacrifice; The Priests of the Old Testament were bound to reiterate their sacrifices, because the merit of the victim was limited; and, to speak properly, were neither acceptable to God, nor meritorious for men, but because they were the Figures of Jesus Christ: But inasmuch as the Sacrifice he offered to his Father upon the Cross is of infinite merit, he need not repeat it; and having sufficiently expiated all the sins of the world, it had been useless to pacify God who was no longer offended, and to satisfy for those faults which were already pardoned.  
Thence it comes to pass that the Sacraments which exhibit the death of the Son of God, and are applicatory to us of their merit, imprint a Character upon us, and are never performed twice. Baptism is administered but once, not only because it is the Christians birth, which cannot be done over again, but also because it is the Figure of the death of Christ, which, according to the language of S. Paul, 
Sicut semel Christus moritur in Cruse, ita semel Christianus moritur in Baptismo. Aug.  cannot be readministred without offence. Therefore is it that the same Apostle, condemning those that gave themselves over to sin, in hope to make an atonement by a second Baptism, said to the Hebrews, that they crucified again the Son of God, and that, contrary to his intention, and that of his Church, they would make him die twice in their person, who died but once in his own; Rursum crucifigentes sibimet ipsis Filium Dei, & ostentui habentes.  
But inasmuch as the Sacrifice of the Altar is a Sacrifice of Religion, it must of necessity be repeated; and for the continual honouring of the Eternal Father, must continually be immolated in our Temples. Therefore is it that the Synagogue, which was the Figure of the Church, had some Sacrifices which were offered but once every year; nor had been offered but once at all, had they had the merit and value of that of the Cross: But there were others offered every day, which the Scripture for this reason calls Juge Sacrificium. The Church, which hath not less piety than the Synagogue, imitates and outgoes it in this point, because it offers a daily Sacrifice, and never changeth the Victim. For 'tis always the same body she produceth and immolateth; that satisfying her love, she may render an honour to God which ends not but with the world. Her Beloved, who hath inspired her with this desire, hath given her the means to put it in execution; she acts by the virtue received from him; she repeats his words, to repeat his miracles; she produceth upon the Altars him that produced her upon the Cross; she becomes the mother of him whose daughter she is; and, by a happy exchange, conceives in her chaste womb him that heretofore conceived her in his wounds. Thus this Sacrifice of Love is repeated every day; and the Victim being incessantly produced by the Priest, the Eternal Father is continually honoured.  
The second difference is, that the Sacrifice of the Cross is General, and that of the Altar Particular. Upon the Cross the Son of God was offered up for the salvation of all men; his love is extended over all the Nations of the earth; he excludes no Condition from this universal benefit; he looks upon the Gentiles together with the Jews, he mingles the Guilty with the Innocent; and making no distinction of persons, dies as well for Slaves as for those that are Free, 
Ne existimes pro illa tantummodo gente hanc hostiam offerri: propterea extra muros & extra civitatem occiditur, ut intelligas quoniam communis est hostia pro humano genere oblata. Aug.  and for the Poor as well as for the Rich. Therefore neither was this Sacrifice offered in the Temple, nor in the City of Jerusalem, that all people might know this favour was not particular; and the most desperately-wicked might pretend to it, since the first that felt the effect thereof were Thiefs and Murderers: But the Sacrifice of the Altar is particular; being instituted in the Church, it relates only to the Faithful; its Merit, though infinite, reacheth not to strangers; excommunicated persons are banished from it, neither are the Catechumeni admitted: The wedding-garment is requisite for those that are received; and being a Feast as well as a Sacrifice, they must be the Friends of the Bridegroom that are partakers of it.  
But the third and most notable difference is, that upon the Cross the Sacrifice was blended with Sacrilege; whereas upon the Altar it is altogether pure, attended with nothing that makes it not acceptable to God. It is one of the Miracles of Providence, to make wicked instruments serviceable to its designs, and to employ their very malice to the execution of its will and intendments. Joseph owes his Greatness to the Hatred of his Brethren; and their ill disposition, well husbanded by the conduct of heaven, made him sit upon the Throne of Egypt. That prodigy of Patience, whose example comforts all that are miserable, is glorious by his very detriment; and had not the devil been permitted to afflict him, he would not be the wonder and astonishment of all the Righteous. The Martyrs were not admired by Christians but because they were persecuted by Tyrants; and had they not given proofs of their courage in the Conflict, they never had triumphed with Jesus Christ in Glory. But that which most astonisheth me, is, that the very Passion of the Son of God was not effected but by the malice of men and devils; this Sacrifice is accompanied with a Sacrilege; and the holiest action of the world is shrouded under the appearance of a murder. In respect of the Son of God, there is nothing more sacred than his death: 'tis the most illustrious testimony of his Obedience, the last office of his Piety, the greatest expression of his Love, and the most memorable action of his Life: There is no Creature that is not beholding to him for it: Men own him their Salvation, the Angels their Crowns, the Elements their Deliverance, the Earth her Purity, and Heaven its Ornament and Glory.  
If we consider this Death in respect of the Jews, we want words to express the horror thereof with: It was the most unjust Sentence that ever was pronounced, the most shameful ignominious punishment that an Innocent ever suffered, the most execrable attempt that ever was projected by Rebellious Subjects; in a word, the most abominable Parricide that ever was committed by unnatural Children. Comparing the motive of the Jews with that of Jesus Christ, we cannot say whether God was more honoured or more offended upon Mount Calvary, nor whether Nature conceived more horror or compassion at the Tragedy. The Eternal Father was abundantly satisfied, 
Ibi Deus per malos quidem, sed tamen ipse bonus; per injustos, sed justus & just: ita in eos vindicavit, ut perimerentur multa hominum millia, & ipsa civitas everteretur. Aug. in Psal. 73.  because in consideration thereof he forgot his injuries and our sins, and consented that his enemies should become his heirs: But on the other side, he was mightily offended, because he discharged his wrath upon Judea, armed the Romans against the Jews, sacked Jerusalem and his Temple; and, his just indignation not satisfied with so many miseries, persecutes to this day that vagabond and criminal Nation.  
Nature imitates the mind of her Author; all her parts testified their Anger and their Pity: The Earth trembled, to swallow up the executioners in her fearful abysses; the Rocks clavae asunder with grief; the Stars sunk into the Firmament, that they might not be the witnesses of this Parricide; the Sun was eclipsed, that it might not enlighten such prodigious wickedness; and whole Nature being not able to destroy them, endeavoured to die with her God that died for her. Thus Sacrilege was mixed with the Sacrifice of the Cross; the Father was Oftended even whilst he was Satisfied; and the whole world was scandalised by the crime of the Jews, at the same time when it was purified by the Blood of Jesus Christ.  
But Sanctity is altogether spotless upon our Altars; there appears not that Medley which makes a confused mixture of Love and Hatred in our hearts; and the Sacrifice that is offered is no longer a Sacrilege to be detested: It is not Cruelty that makes Jesus Christ die, but Piety: 'Tis no longer a Crime, but an act of Religion to immolate him; neither is he offered by the hands of Executioners, but of Priests. The Father receives this Sacrifice with Pleasure, without Indignation; the Son presents himself with Affection free from Sorrow; Nature beholds it with Respect and no Horror; and Men partake of it Profitably and without Sin.  
The fourth and last difference is, that the Sacrifice of the Cross merits all, and applies nothing; and contrarily, that of the Altar merits nothing, and applies all. For the comprehending of this Truth, we must know, that General Causes are the sources of all things: nothing is produced here below, that flows not from their fecundity: the very operation of Particular Causes is an emanation of their virtue. Did the Sun cease to shine, all things of the world would not only cease to act, but also to subsist: this goodly Star maintains them with its aspects; and though he be not their Creator, he is in some sort their Preserver: But though he equally shed heat and light over all Creatures, yet must we confess some receive his influences more favourably, and apply them more faithfully: With the Clouds he forms those Meteors which pleasantly ravish the eyes of the beholders; with dew he enamels the Flowers which serve for an ornament to our Gardens; with the Earth he produceth Gold and Iron, which Avarice and Cruelty employed to a hundred different uses: But did not these Causes that apply his power, weaken his virtue; and were there a Sun here below to receive his influences without confining them, all the world are of opinion he would produce far nobler effects, 
Virtus Causae generalis recipitur à causa particulari secundum suam agendi capacitatem. D. Tho.  and that in stead of Roses and Lilies we should see nothing but Stars in our Walks and Gardens: But because he cannot act alone, and the Causes that apply him debilitate his power, we behold nothing here below answerable either to his excellency or beauty.  
What we see in Nature, we believe in Grace: General Causes produce all, but apply nothing; Particular Causes produce nothing, but apply all. The death of Jesus Christ is the Springhead of all Merit: the Faithful can hope for nothing which is not acquired by that Sacrifice: Heaven is not so much the recompense of their Virtue, as of its Value: and if the quality of Members, which ties them to Jesus Christ as to their Head, did not give them part in his merits, they could not pretend to the inheritance of heaven. In the mean time, so powerful a Cause produceth nothing, if not applied: this fruitful Fountain sends forth no streams, if there be no Channels disposed to receive them: 
Mors Christi Fons omnium bonorum, Sacramenta vero Rivuli.  and this Star, which darts forth so much heat and light, makes neither flowers nor fruit grow up in the Church, if there be not some secondary cause which conveys its virtue to us. Therefore hath the Son of God instituted Sacraments in his Church, which happily apply whatever he hath liberally merited for us upon the Cross: They are so many Pipes issuing his blood into our hearts, so many Suns carrying their influences into our souls: but they have this unhappiness in applying his merits, they weaken them; and not being capable of receiving all his virtue, neither have they the power of communicating it to us. Every Sacrament operates in us according to its particular condition. Baptism gives us our new birth; 
Sacramenta novae legis representant passionem Christi, à qua fluxerunt, sicut effectus representant causam. Hugo à Sancto Victor.  Confirmation strengthens us; Repentance raiseth us; Ordination designs us to the service of the Altar; and, being second causes, they limit the virtue of this universal cause which they apply unto us. But the Sacrifice of the Altar, more happy and more powerful than the rest, applieth the merits of the Cross without any limitation: It procures us all kind of Graces, hath the power to produce and raise us, gives us life and strength, unites us to God, and takes us off from the world, weakens concupiscence and sin; and the Son of God finding himself applied by himself, there are no wonderful effects which he cannot give a product to: There he merits nothing, because he is at the end of his Course, in the place of his Rest, and in the time of his Recompense; But he applies all, because, being equal to himself, he hath gained nothing by the Sacrifice of the Cross, which he cannot communicate by the Sacrifice of the Altar: Nothing can hinder his divine operations, but our Weakness or our Malice: for as he acts with Free causes without constraining them, we must lend him our Will for our Sanctification; that making him Master of our hearts, we may in some sort assist him to reign absolutely in his State, and prepare ourselves worthily to receive at the Altar those Graces he hath merited for us upon the Cross.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. Of the Obligation the Christian hath to sacrifice himself too God.  
SInce the Son of God hath united in his person the Humane Nature with the Divine, 
Deus erat, homo factus est, suscepit humanitatem, non amisit divinitatem; factus humilis, mansit sublimis; natus est homo, non destitit esse Deus. Aug. lib. de quinq. haeres. cap. 5.  and mastering the difficulties which stood in opposition to the execution of so great a design, hath effected this admirable Masterpiece, which accords baseness with greatness, misery with happiness; it seems he hath taken pleasure to conjoin in his person all those qualities which clash in others: so that we may say, he hath pacified all the differences that were in Heaven and in Earth. Indeed he is the Father and the Son of the Church; he produced her upon the Cross, and is produced by her upon the Altar: He is the Son and the Servant of his Father; he associates two qualities which appear incompatible in men; and tempering respect with love, teacheth us, that Gods being his Father, hinders him not from being his Sovereign: He is our Advocate and our Judge; having pleaded our cause, he pronounceth our sentence; and I know not whether it be a ground of fear or of confidence, in that we are assured that he that is entered into our obligations, is admitted also into the rights of his Father; and that one day he will punish those for whom he hath satisfied upon the Cross.  
But if there be any qualities whose alliance ravisheth us in the person of Jesus Christ, we must confess 'tis that of Priest and Sacrifice: These two are so different among men, that nothing but a supreme power, or an extreme love, could unite them together. When the Synagogue would represent us with the Sacrifice of the Son of God in that of Isaac, it was obliged to separate the Priest from the Victim, and to arm the hands of the Father to immolate his only Son: In the mean time Jesus Christ unites them in his person; and in this adorable Sacrifice which he offers to his Father, whether on the Cross or on the Altar, he is both the Priest that consecrateth, and the Victim that is immolated. Inasmuch as Jesus Christ, saith Saint Augustine, is our God and our Temple, he is also our Sacrifice and our Priest: He is the Priest that reconciles us; he is the Sacrifice whereby we are reconciled; and the same Doctor admiring the novelties of the sacrifice of the Cross, expresseth his wonder by these words: The Altar of the Sacrifice is new, because the Immolation is new and admirable; For he that is the Sacrifice is the Priest; the Sacrifice, according to the Flesh; the Priest, according to the Spirit; and both, according to his Humanity: He that offereth, and he that is offered, is one and the same person, and these qualities which have so little analogy are found united in the sacrifice of the Cross.  
Inasmuch as the Christian is the Image of Jesus Christ, and this glorious title obligeth him to transcribe his original, he ought to sacrifice himself as he did, and to be both the Priest and the Oblation together. Indeed if we descend into the Mysteries of our Religion, and consider with the eye of Faith what we are not able to discover with the light of reason, we shall find that we are immolated upon the Altar with the Son of God, and that after his example, we are both the sacrificers and the sacrifice: For Jesus Christ is not offered all alone in our Temples; he is immolated by the hands of the Priests; and at the same time that he offers his natural body to his Father, he offers also his mystical body; so that offering himself to his Father by his Church, and offering his Church together with himself, he teacheth all the Faithful to join the quality of Priests with that of victim.  
This is it that Saint Augustine informs us of in his Book De Civitate Dei; 
Per hoc & sacerdos est ipse offerens, ipse & oblatio; cujus rei Sacramentum quotidianum esse voluit Ecclesiae sacrificium, quae cum ipsius capitis corpus sit seipsam per ipsum discit offer. Aug. lib. 10. de Civit. ca 6.  where searching into our mysteries, he finds that the Church offers herself with her Beloved upon our Altars, and that in the same sacrifice she is both Priestess and Oblation: His words are too elegant to be omitted, neither must it be a less Doctor than he that must appear that Protector of so important a Verity. 'Tis particularly saith he, in unity that the sacrifice of Christians consists, where being many in number we make up but one body with Jesus Christ; this is it that the Church daily does in this Sacrament, which is so well known to the Faithful, wherein is demonstrated that in the Oblation she offers, she herself is offered, that after the example of her Beloved, she may be in the same sacrifice Priestess and Victim. From this passage may easily be inferred, that the Faithful are offered with Christ upon the Altar; that the Host that contains him is large enough to contain all his members; and that his mystical body being immolated with his natural body, he obligeth all Christians to associate as he doth, the quality of Victim with that of a Priest.  
But if leaving the Altar, we consider the Faithful in the course of their life, we shall see there is none but aught to sacrifice himself, and who either in his body or in his soul may not find victim to offer to God. There is no more need of providing Bulls or Goats with the Jews to lay upon our Altars: The time of the Mosaical Law is past; truths have succeeded figures; and if we rightly understand the secret of our mysteries, 
Noli extrinsecus thura comparare, sed dic, In me sunt Deus vota tua; noli extrinsecus pecus quod mactes inquirere; habes in te quod occidas. Aug. in Psal. 51.  it becomes us to offer those things these Animals represent. We have whereof to sacrifice within ourselves; there is not any passion in our soul nor part in our body, whereof we may not make an innocent Victim. Indeed Christian Religion converting the sinner into a sacrifice, obligeth him to immolate to God all that he is: He is deficient in the lawfullest of his duties, if his whole life be not a sacrifice; and being compounded of soul and body, he ought to sacrifice both, that he may have the honour to be a perfect Holocaust.  
The virtues are auxiliaries which facilitate these means, and it seems these glorious habits are given us for no other end then to teach us to sacrifice to God all the faculties of our soul. Inasmuch as the will is the noblest, and this Sovereign being once perfectly gained over to God, gives him an absolute dominion over all the rest; there are some virtues which have no other employment but to be made victim. Sorrow which discovers to man the excess of his crime, labours to convert him; it bruiseth his heart by the violence of a holy contrition; and if it cannot draw blood from this sacrifice, it draws tears, which are more acceptable to God than the blood of beasts. This made David say, that the spirit broken and afflicted, was a true sacrifice; and that he who sometimes refuseth Goats and Lambs, never despiseth a heart that Repentance and Humility offers up unto him; Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus.  
Obedience comes in to the succour of grief; this beats down the pride of the will, masters that imperious faculty; and changing her triumph into a sacrifice, obligeth her to die to her own inclinations, that she may live to those of the Grace of Jesus Christ: But love happily finisheth this design; he burns the victim with his flames to render it an Holocaust; and finding the means to put to death an immortal power, teacheth us, that a pure spirit may offer sacrifices to God: For there is no lover but knows that love imitates death, that he commits innocent murders; and by stratagems which himself is only privy to, makes sin die in us that Grace may live.  
If the will become a Victim by means of Charity, the understanding is offered up to God by the intervening of faith; This virtue subjects it to her Empire, persuades truths she explicates not; she obligeth a man to suspend his judgement, to renounce his reason, and to give his senses the lie; she engageth him to offer as many sacrifices as she propounds mysteries; and by a power which would seem tyrannical were it not legitimate, forbids him the use of reasoning in matters of religion.  
The memory after the example of the understanding, is immolated to God by remembrance and forgetfulness; These two different ways make two contrary sacrifices; This faculty calls to mind the benefits received from its Creator, and forgets the injuries received from Enemies: Between these two exercises it is equally divided, and whatever outrage sin hath committed in our soul, she finds that the art of oblivion is harder than that of retaining or learning. 'Tis upon the first that the love of enemies is founded, which seems the most troublesome sacrifice of Ghristian Religion; and upon the other, acknowledgement or the action of thankfulness, which is the justest duty of the creature towards his Creator.  
Though the body be the least moiety of man, yet is it not destitute of Victims which it furnisheth him with to appease God; and according to the different virtues that inform it, offers sacrifices which are little inferior to those of the mind. Repentance afflicts it a hundred several ways; and this virtue no less austere than witty, invents every day new means to tame its rebellion, and of a disobedient slave to make a voluntary sacrifice: Sometimes she punishes his boldness by fasting; sometimes abates his strength by watch; sometimes lets him blood by disciplines; sometimes tames his pride with ashes; Finally, by these divers artifices she lets us see, that a penitent is nothing but a man armed against himself, who offers a sacrifice of Justice, when he is more offended at his own sins then those of his neighbour: Repentance calls in Continence many times to her aid; for when this rebel resists grief, she forbids him the use of the most lawful pleasures; and depriving him of whatever he loves, makes a victim of him, which suffers the more, the slower his sorrow is, and his sacrifice more sharp and irksome.  
But because the eye and the mouth are the most guilty parts of man, repentance obligeth the first to bewail his sins, changeth his fountain of flames into floods of tears, compels this complice of impurity to become the Minister of sorrow, forceth this faithful Interpreter of the heart to betray it no more with his glances, and to be closed to all objects which might trouble his rest or pervert his good designs, she deals more imperiously with the mouth; for seeing this is guilty of two contrary evils, and his silence is sometimes as criminal as his words, this part is condemned to two different punishments, sometimes being obliged to keep silence, sometims to speak: of his silence and of his discourse is composed one and the same sacrifice; The mouth is obliged to open in chanting forth the praises of its Creator; and having discharged this part of duty when the words are no longer answerable to the greatness of the subject, it hath recourse to silence, and by wonder and astonishment makes amends for those faults committed by too much liberty. This double sacrifice hath its value and its price; and the Scripture which tells us that God is pleased with praises, acquaints us also that silence, when arising from a great respect, is not unacceptable to him. By the first, we profess that he is the Author of all perfections, that ours are derived from him; and because speech is an advantage we hold from his goodness, it ought to be consecrated to his honour: By the second, we tacitly confess, that as his Divine Essence cannot be known, neither can it be expressed; and that of all the ways we have to magnify him by, silence is most agreeable to his greatness and our humility.  
After that man hath immolated his body and his soul, he is obliged to tender his goods, and to offer him a sacrifice of all that he possesseth: Alms and Poverty are his assistants in so pious a design; and these two virtues by different mediums arrive at the same end; for Alms parts goods with God, and looking upon Jesus Christ in the person of the poor, restores that to his indigence which he received of his bounty: 'Tis true in this point his meaning is much different from those that address themselves by way of sacrifice; for they when they offer a victim slay him at the Altar, to testify that their presents are useless to God, because being the source of all good, nothing can be given him which he possesseth not in himself. But he that doth Alms hath this satisfaction, 
Noli contemnere Christum in coelo sedentem, in terra egentem; veniet cum retributione, & vita aeterna, & igne aeterno. Aug.  that his sacrifice is not unprofitable to Jesus Christ, because though he be happy in his person, he is indigent in his members. Poverty out-bids Alms, despoils a man of all, is of the nature of the Holocaust, where he that sacrificeth reserving nothing to himself, gives all wholly to God: This forsakes not goods only, but the very desires also, renounceth all pretensions to the Earth, and not content to offer God what is in possession, bestows upon him whatever may be hoped for; so that this sacrifice being as large as Hope, we may say, it comprehends all that this passion, which is boundless, promiseth the Ambitious or the Covetous.  
Thus the Christian acquits himself of the promise he made in Baptism, and consecrating his soul by Charity, his body by Repentance, and his Riches by Alms or Poverty, satisfies both his obligations and his promises: 
Ipse homo Dei nomini consecratus, & Deo devotus in quantum mundo moritur ut Deo vivat sacrificium est. Aug.  For Saint Augustine teacheth me, that he that dies to the world, to live to Jesus Christ, is a true sacrifice; when following the motions of Grace, he useth his body to the Glory of his Creator; striving to quench the fire of self-love by that of Charity, making his members servants to justice in being serviceable to repentance, he becomes a sacrifice wel-pleasing to God, and may boast that in satisfying the duties of Christianity, he acquits himself of the obligation of the sacrifice with which Christians can no way dispense.    

The Seventh TREATISE. Of the Qualities of the Christian.  

The first DISCOURSE. That the Christian is the Image of Jesus Christ.  
ALthough men are dignified by Qualities, being the marks either of their Birth or Desert; yet must we confess that they add nothing to their Persons, nor imprint any Character upon their Soul or Body: They are fair illusions which pleasingly deceive us, Dreams that amuse men awake, Charms that inchant those that are in love with them. They own their Lustre to our Blindness, their Grandeur to our Ignorance: For the highest dignities which so much disquiet the Ambitious, are but the Errors of their Understanding, and the Idols of their Imagination: should we pair away from Great Personages the attendance of their followers, the pomp of their habits, and the magnificence of their houses, 
Magna Fortuna magna Servitus. Senec.  we should find their Charges mere Chimeras; and that which we call Fortune, nothing but a False Greatness, or a Real Slavery.  
But inasmuch as the Qualities of a Christian are not the works of Vanity, but such as imprint Characters, or produce effects in their souls, they are as solid as glorious; they raise men up to heaven, make them heirs of the Eternal Father, and brethren of his only Son: Their greatness depends not upon the opinion of people; though they are unknown, they are notwithstanding honourable: sometimes Contempt augments their reputation; and the less splendour they bear amongst men, the more respect they find with God. Therefore I should betray the honour of the Christian, if, having spoken of his Virtues, I should not speak of his Qualities; and, having described his Labours and his Sacrifices, I should say nothing of his Rewards and Recompenses. True it is, that, as the parts of this work are mutually interwoven, and the remotest have secret links that unite them all together; in speaking of the Christians Birth I have handled his Noblest Qualities, and have made it appear, that he was the Brother and the Member of Jesus Christ, that he was the adopted Son of the Eternal Father, and the living Temple of the holy Ghost. In making the Elegy of his Virtues, I shown that Faith made him a Believer, Charity a Lover, Austerity of life a Penitent; so that having already spoken of these advantages, there remains only to supply what is behind, to complete his Portraiture, which I cannot better begin, then in demonstrating in this Discourse that the Christian is the Image of Jesus Christ.  
For the happier explaining of this Verity, we must know, that the Word is the Image of his Father, the Character of his Substance, 
Qui videt me, videt & Patrem. Joan. 14.  the Express of his Greatness: He gives himself this Title in the Gospel, and teacheth his Disciples, that, in seeing Him, they see his Father in his person. Our Divines abound with Reasons of this Assertion, to prove that this Elegy is not unworthy of the Eternal Word, and that his being the lively Image of his Father, no way hinders his being equal with him. But, not to trouble myself in the proof of a Truth Faith obligeth us to believe, it is enough, with the great S. Athanasius, to let you see, that this Divine Image hath none of those defects which are inseparably incident to those of our Carvers and Painters: for, 
Existimavit Philo Judaeus prohibitas esse à Deo picturas, quia sunt mendacia.  the most exact Pieces that come from their hands are false, because they are not that which they represent; nor can all the industry of Art make them other then agreeable Illusions: Though they are Liars, yet are they mute; painting cannot make them speak; and the highest commendation can be given them, is, to say that nothing but Speech is wanting to them: Lastly, they are dead: Art, less powerful than Nature, cannot inanimate them; what ever dexterity it useth, it cannot enliven them: they are children that expire in their very birth; and, could they speak, would complain of the rigour of their Parents, who, in stead of making them Men, have made them only Idols. Now this Image that so lively represents the Eternal Father, hath none of these imperfections: It is very far from a Lie, because it is so conformable to its Original, that 'tis as well his Truth as his Copy: It is not dumb, because it is the Interpreter of the Father, his Eternal Panegyric, his subsisting Word, all whose works are so many expressions chanting forth the praises of their Author: It is not dead, because it is the Fountain of Life, wherein the Creatures, before their birth, and after their death, live; and, by a perpetual Miracle, enlivens all those works it hath produced. 
Imago ista non falsa est, quia Veritas; non muta, quia Verbum; non mortua, quia Vita. Lib. de Incar. Verb.  This is it which S. Athanasius saith with as much pomp of Eloquence, as Learning and Piety: This Image is not mute, because it is the Word; not false, because it is the Truth; not dead, because it is Life.  
This same Son, who is the Image of his Father, is by a necessary consequence the Idea of all the Creatures; they are all form after this Divine Examplar; and according as they more or less participate of his likeness, they are more or less noble in their nature: Men and Angels have no advantage above the rest, but because they are the Transcripts of this Idea, and others at most but the Footsteps thereof. The Scripture teacheth us that Man was form after this primitive Image, that he was made after the similitude thereof, and that in the very Creation he belonged not to the Father but by the mediation of the Son: This Greatness was the occasion of his Fall: for, solicited by the devil, he was not content to be the Image of the Word, but would also be that of the Father, and pronounce these words, which are only true in the mouth of the Son, Ego sum similis Altissimo. This Crime was the cause of his disaster: the Father, to revenge his Son, drove this Insolent, that had encroached upon his rights, out of Paradise; and reduced Him to the condition of Beasts, who had impudently aspired to the equality of his Word. So great a misfortune had utterly ruined us, without any hope of recovery, had not the Son of God, who was the Innocent occasion, been also the Charitable remedy: For seeing that men were become guilty in striving to imitate him, that to revenge Him his Father had destroyed Them, he resolved, saith S. Bernard, 
Per me Pater recipiat quos propter me amisisse videtur; ecce, venio, & talem me eye exhibebo, ut quisquis gesticrit imitari, fiat ei aemulatio in bonum. Bern.  to put himself in a condition wherein he may be securely imitated, and where the desire of being like him being no longer a Crime, is become a means to arrive to happiness. He was made Man, to serve for an Example to Man; he submitted himself to his Father, to teach them obedience; he was abased to the shame of the Cross, to teach them Humility; and he forgave his Executioners their putting him to death, to oblige them to pardon their enemies.  
Therefore is it that S. Paul, discovering the secrets of Predestination, saith, that his design is to render the Elect conformable to his Image, and to bestow Graces upon them, which, satisfying their desires, may make them, without committing a fault, like his only Son. For this reason Tertullian says, that the same Eternal Father forming the body of the First man at the Creation of the world, 
Quodcunque limus exprimebatur, Christus cogitabatur homo futurus. Tert. de resurrect. carn.  was taken up with Jesus Christ; that the Slime represented him the Incarnation of his Word, and that, foreseeing the sin of Adam, he already provided him a remedy. It is true, then, that the Christian is the Image of the Son of God, that Nature and Grace obligeth him to imitate this Pattern, and that his perfection consists in the likeness he may have to this Model. Let us see then what it concerns him to do that he may gain it, and afterwards we will consider the obligations so great an advantage requires at our hands.  
Grace hath more analogy with Art then with Nature: For when this makes a man, at the same time she is busy about all the parts whereof he is composed: and, as if she were afraid to make them jealous one of another, she hollows the eyes when she boreas the ears, and fashions the tongue as soon as the heart: But Art, less happy or less powerful than Nature, contrives her works successively: one while she makes a hand, and divides it into five fingers, whereby it becomes as useful as it is handsome; presently it opens an eye, than the mouth; and effecting that at divers turns which it could not do at once, finisheth the Picture with much time and labour. Grace, imitating Art more than Nature, spends whole months to form Jesus Christ in our souls: In our Birth we are but rude draughts of the New man; our virtues are not acquired all at an instant; and whether Grace find resistance in our Wills, or Concupiscence combat her designs, she thinks her progress very considerable, if in a whole year she can enrich us with one virtue; and having spent much sweat to finish us, is obliged to say, by the mouth of S. Paul, Filioli, quos iterum parturio donec formetur in vobis Christus. She calls us little, to teach us that we are still growing; she puts us in mind that she still travels with us, that we may comprehend 'tis at divers passes that she brings us forth: she says she teems with us till Christ be again form in our hearts, to persuade us that our production is not wrought in a moment; and, to make us the Images of Jesus Christ, she must successively employ the Lights of Faith, the Fervours of Charity, the Vigours of Repentance, and the Submissions of Humility. For all this, it often falls out that the Christian is not perfect when he dies, that he is but a defective Image of the Son of God, and that there is need for the flames of Purgatory to supply the negligence of our labour and the weakness of our virtue.  
Nevertheless, if he will, during his life, make use of a double address, and join two Arts together to express Jesus Christ in himself, he may make his designs happily succeed. Painting and Carving do both of them make Images; but the ways they take are extremely different: for the Carver useth nothing but the Chizel; he hews away whatever is superfluous in the Marble or in the Wood; it seems to search for the Statue in its matter, takes away that which covers it, strips it to enrich it, destroys it to perfect it; and removes the form of a tree, or of a stone, only to give it that of a Man, or of a Beast. The Painter goes a quite contrary way: for he finisheth the Picture by laying Colour upon Colour, draws the Pencil a hundred times over his work, adds one dash upon another; and emboldening bright Colours by dark ones, extends Fields, depresseth Valleys, raiseth Mountains, and does all those wonders which cozen our eyes, and ravish our understandings.  
To the completing of a Christian, and to form the Image of Jesus Christ in his soul, these two contrary arts must be associated, and the Statuaries industry and the Painter's dexterity jointly imitated; 
Sculptoris Artem imitetur Christianus; detrahat quotidie quod sibi nocet, & quod Deo displicet. Hugo de sanct. Vict.  he must every day lop off some imperfection, deface some bad habit, pair away some vicious inclination; and, as if he sought for the beauty of Grace under the rubbish of Sin, remove whatever seems to hid it from us: But at the same time we must imitate the Painter, add virtue to virtue, join patience to humility, heighten constancy by sweetness, mingle many good works together, and by that pleasing medley perfect the Image of Jesus Christ. The Pencil-must be sorted: with the Chizel; chop off, as-Carvers do, useless Pleasures, superfluous Riches, excessive Honours; and at the same time, like the Painter, add the practice of virtue the exercise of good works, and the patiented suffering of advesities.  
Finally, the most excellent disposition is, so to engrave the Image of Jesus Christ in our heart, that nothing can blot it out: We draw figures upon the sand, but a little wind blows them away; we paint the water, but the least storm spoils our fancy; we cut in brass and marble, and these characters stand the fury of time, and endure many ages. The Image of Jesus Christ meets with all these different subjects in Christians; sometimes 'tis form upon souls that have no more consistence than the sand, or waves; the wind of temptation scatters the impressions of grace, and the least occasion makes them lose advantages they had received in the Sacrament of Repentance: There are others more constant which keep the form they have taken, who amidst the storms of grief preserve the character they bear; and more lasting than brass, lose not in the flames what they have received from the Sacraments: If we are of this number, there remains no more to make us perfect, but to render to Jesus Christ the submissions are due to him from his Images.  
The first is to depend upon his will, and to acknowledge, that as we hold our being from his power, so we expect the preservation thereof from his goodness. There are some pieces that survive the Artists that have wrought them, and having been made by mortal hands, cease not in some sort to enjoy a kind of eternity: There are other images which cannot subsist but by those that have given them their being; Our presence produceth them in a Glass; our absence quite defaceth them, and they cease to live assoon as we cease to inanimate them: 
 in nobis quasi in quodam speculo Divinae bonitatis forma resplendeat. D. Leo.  Christians are like these later Images; The presence of Jesus Christ is necessary for their preservation, and the Grace that produced them is the same that preserves and upholds them.  
The second duty is to express him so happily, that he may be seen in our person, and that we may be taken for second Jesus Christ's; For if a picture be good, it makes us know him it represents; we see the lineaments of his face, observe his behaviour, and discover his very humours: If the Christian be the Image of the Son of God, he must have his air, express his virtues, imitate his actions, and follow his motions.  
The last duty of an Image, is to serve for the glory of him whom it represents; Can it speak, it would publish nothing but his praises, and would witness that being only his, it espouseth no other Interests but what are his. The Christian is bound to be of the same mind, because he is the Image of the Son of God; he ought to breathe only after his honour, to act for his service, to speak for his glory; and as a Criminal whom the Prince hath pardoned, remains a living monument of his clemency: so a Christian whom Jesus Christ hath redeemed, is an inanimated picture of his mercy; nor ought to have any other design then by the lustre of his actions to manifest the goodness of his Divine Redeemer.   

The Second DISCOURSE. That the Christian is a Priest and a Sacrifice.  
LOve hath made the Son of God so liberal, that he possesseth no qualities which he communicates not to the Christians: If he be God by his Essence, we are by his Grace; if he be the Son of God by Nature, we are by Adoption; if he produce the holy Spirit from all Eternity, we produce him in Time; if he confer Grace in the state of his Father, we confer it in his; if he be Priest and Victim in his Sacrifice, we partake these two qualities with him; and the Church bears no Christians in her womb, who may not boast that in some sort they are both Priests and Victims. 
Gens sancta, regale sacerdodotium. 1. Pet. 2.  The Scripture gives them this honourable title by the mouth of S. Peter; the Saints glory in the Apocalypse, that the Grace of Baptism hath made them Priests and Kings, Fecisti nos regnum & sacerdotes Deo & Patri: so that we cannot question this title, as not belonging to the Christian, unless we question the Authority of the Scripture; nor can we doubt that the Son of God hath honoured them with this Character, but we must withal doubt of his love or of his power.  
Indeed the Fathers of the Church have professed, that the Christians were Priests; that their Baptism was their Priesthood; 
Sacerdotium Laico um Baptisma. Hieron.  and that in this Sacrament which separates them from the world, they were consecrated to Jesus Christ; Therefore doth the great Saint Hierome writing against the Luciferians, honour the Laity with this title, and calls their Baptism their Priesthood. Saint Augustine is of the same mind; and though he was not ignorant of the difference between the Laity and the Clergy, he forbears not to style all Christian Priests, because their Name denotes their Unction, and their Grace makes them the members of the High Priest Jesus Christ.  
And certainly, he that shall consider the employments of Priests, will find that they are common to the Laity; and though they have neither their character nor their power, they are with them admitted into the dispensation of the Sacraments. They may administer Baptism in case of necessity, communicate the Grace they have received, and bring forth children to Jesus Christ: Though they are not raised to that pitch of dignity which makes the Priest's Judges in the Tribunal of Repentance, and have not any Authority from the Son of God to remit sins; nevertheless it hath sometimes fallen out, that the Faithful being not able to meet with a Priest, have confessed themselves to Laics, and the Laics have endeavoured to obtain Grace for them by means of Prayer, which in some sort supplies the virtue of Absolution. Saint Thomas authoriseth this custom, and exhorts Soldiers that enter into the field, Mariners that are surprised with a storm, not to neglect this remedy, and to fly to this kind of confession, when they want the ordinary one: He confirms the use thereof by his reasons, and tells us, that the sorrow and the humility Christians epxresse in this occasion, is not unprofitable to draw down upon them the Divine mercy.  
The Laity in some sense may be said to sacrifice daily in our Churches; If they pronounce not the Sacramental words with the Priests, they join themselves with their intentions, and accompanying them with their vows, have a share in the producing of Jesus Christ on our Altars: For the Priests representing the whole Church in this Sacrament, they are the Syndics, or Proctors of the Faithful, acting in their name; they require their assistance, and conjure them to join with them in an action which equally concerns them all. All the words of the Mass confirm this truth; The confession which is common to Priest and people testifies that the sacrifice is common; The oblation of the Host, wherein the Priest requires the attention and consent of the people, is an evident proof of the part they bear in it; the very Canon wherein the Priest treats in secret with God, where he interposeth the credit of the Saints that reign in Heaven, authoriseth this belief: For he speaks in the name of the Faithful, and even then when he offers this sacrifice in their behalf, testifies that he offers it with them, and that he is at the same time the Minister of Jesus Christ and of his Church.  
Finally, Christians are Priests as we have said, because they are ordained daily to offer up sacrifices; 
Perum Sacrificium est omne opus quod agitur ut sancta societate haereamus Deo. Aug.  and according to the language of Saint Augustine, all virtuous actions are so many holy oblations which they present to the Eternal Father. He that sings with the Priest, offers the sacrifice of praise; he that gives Alms to the poor, makes a sacrifice of his goods; he that is sorrowful for his sins, offers a sacrifice of his heart; and he that endeavours to wash them away by his tears, offers a sacrifice of his eyes: But not to reckon up all the actions of the Faithful, it is enough to say with the same Saint Augustine, that their whole life is a sacrifice, and that they begin to be Priests assoon as they begin to be Victims.  
These two qualities were inseparable in the person of Jesus Christ; he bore them from the very first moment of his Incarnation; and assoon as ever he held the language of a Priest, 
A Domino Deo missus Christus sacerdos noster, assumpsit à nobis quod offerret Domino, ipsas primitias carnis ex utero virgins. Aug.  he had the dispositions of a Victim: He began his sacrifice with his life; he offered himself to his Father in the chaste womb of his Mother; and having received that Divine Unction, which constituted him High Priest, he protested that he would be a public Victim; He finished upon the Cross what he had projected before his Birth; and joining these two qualities in his Death, taught us, that we should not separte them during our life: Therefore are all Christians obliged to be Victims, and after the example of Jesus Christ, they ought to find in their person the subject of their sacrifice: They have no remainders of Adam, which may not happily be subservient to this design: Whatever they hold of this wretched Father, aught to be consumed by the flames of Justice or those of Charity; Purgatory will burn that which the fire hath not; and Heaven finishing what these two had begun, w●● reduce the Victim to an estate where nothing will appear in it which is displeasing to God.  
But in expectation of this happy hour, they must begin their sacrifice here; and by little and little destroying what is contrary to Grace, make Holocausts of all their inordinate inclinations; For we learn from Origen, that though we are no longer under the Law of Moses, we are not dispensed with for sacrificing; but as the Law of Grace is the accomplishment of the other, we ought to immolate all those passions that were represented to us by the Beasts they slaughtered at the foot of the Altar: We satisfy this duty when we set upon our criminal affections, and full of zeal and courage we endeavour to stifle them. We immolate a Bull when we tame our pride, and labour to kill this sin that gives life to all others; we sacrifice a Goat when we quench the lustful flames of impurity, and by a divine fire mortify this infernal one, which devours all virtues; we slay a Ram when we subdue our anger, disarm this seditious passion, calm this raging sea, and manacle this fury which troubles the tranquillity of our mind; we offer Pigeons and Turtles, when we banish those volatile inordinations which divert us from piety, and engage our minds in the affairs of the world.  
But if we have subjected our passions to the dominion of reason, and by a happy barrenness the Earth of our Intellectual part breeds no monsters which we may offer up to God; we must seek into our body, and of our members make innocent sacrifices: For the great Apostle of the Gentiles teacheth us, that we are obliged to offer our bodies a lively sacrifice, and to pacify the anger of Heaven by a holy oblation acceptable to him,  exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam viventem; as if he would say, that we ought to die to sin, that we may live to Grace; and the members which have served heretofore to the tyranny of Concupiscence, may now become serviceable to the lawful power of Charity: or, he would advertise us, that if in the Old Testament only dead Victims were offered up to God, in the New we must offer up living one's; and that mortification working in the Christian what death did in the Beasts, we must join the two sacrifices together, and accord death with life to satisfy the Divine Justice: Thus the whole exercise of a Christian is to make war upon their bodies; and to gain victories over themselves, they vanquish their enemies in facrificing their members, and they may boast that in offering sacrifices to God, they erect trophies to themselves.  
In consideration of these Truths, me thinks we may say with Origen, that all the faithful are Victims, and that in the difference of their conditions, they agree in this common quality: If any thing distinguish them, 'tis the degree of their love, and the perfection of their Sacrifice. The Apostles, saith He, were the first Victims, because they forsook all to follow their Master; and having given him their heart by Charity, their spirit by Faith, their goods by Poverty, they moreover consecrated their bodies by the Repentance of their life, and by the cruelty of their death: The Martyrs immediately succeed them, because having a long time laboured by Grief, at last they have perfected their sacrifice by Martyrdom. The Virgins hold the Third place, because they triumph over their bodies, tame a hundred several ways this domestic Enemy, and not content to consecrate him by purity, borrow the assistance of penance, to mortify him by contrition; The Continent and the Married follow these close; and if in their sacrifice they destroy not the Victim, they put it at least in a condition, that it no more rebels against the Sacrificers, and where it expects with patience for death, 
Castitas & viduitas de bonis carnis Deo adolentur. Tertul.  to finish that which Continence hath begun: Tertullian was much of this opinion, when he said, That our bodies furnished us with Victims as well as virtues; and that Fasting. Silence and Chastity were fruits of this Tree, which might be gathered to make an offering for Jesus Christ.  
For though the Body be the least part of man, 'tis not the most unprofitable; its imperfections are advantageous to us; its rebellions serve us for Trials; and Grace, which is ingenious, turns the most part of its miseries into remedies. The infirmities which trouble its health, help our Sacrifice; and the diseased person that suffers his afflictions patiently, is a victim: who though not innocent, is notwithstanding wellpleasing to Jesus Christ. Poverty which strips us of superfluities, or of necessaries, which reduceth us to the condition our Birth found us in, and whither Death will bring us, is a sacrifice which gains us as much merit, as it procures us inconvenience.  
Nay, Death itself, which seems the eldest daughter of sin, who shows all the horrors of her father upon her countenance, is not so much the destruction, as the sacrifice of our Body: she imitates the severity of fire and sword: she, she alone does what the knife and the pile of wood sometimes did; and reduceth the victim to ashes, having deprived it of life: she serves for the Divine Justice and Mercy together: 
Deficit homo ad Gloriam, moritur a● vitam, perit ad salutem, & mors per Christum commendatio facta est Charitatis. Chrysost.  she prepares the body for Immortality; nor despoils it of corruption, but to apparel it with Glory. This is it that imprints so violent a desire of Death in the hearts of the faithful; which makes them in the midst of their prosperity call her in to their assistance, and wish, that coming to end their life, she may come to perfect their sacrifice: For it seems she hath changed Nature since Jesus Christ consecrated her in his person; she is like those waters that take the taste and colour of those Minerals through which they pass; she hath lost all her gastliness, and hath some secret beauties which beget love in the soul of all Saints. She that led us to the gates of hell, lifts us up to heaven: she that was the mother of shame and sadness, is now the mother of joy and glory: she that filled us with despair, buoys us up with hope: she that established the Empire of sin, destroys it: in a word, she that was the Chastisement of our Crime, is now the Sacrifice of our Love.  
For this end have all the greatest Saints made the Panegyric of death: they have rendered thanks to the Divine Justice that inflicts a punishment upon us which shortens our misery, and advanceth our happiness, which separates us from the world, and unites us to Jesus Christ; and under a false appearance of rigour, delivers us from the dangers that threaten us, the griefs that torment us, and the sins that tyrannize over us. This made that famous Penitent say, He was just that expected death, but he was holy that desired it. Finally, this drew that Elegy out of the mouth of S. Paul: for, considering the advantages which he promised himself by death, how that it would unite him to Jesus Christ, he called it, by a new name, his Gains and his Riches; it enters into his mind as the recompense of his travels, an indemnity for his losses, and the most assured purchase he could make in this world: Mihi vivere Christus est, & mori lucrum.  
Thus every Christian may easily become a Victim, because death is a favourable occasion; and being well managed, may serve to expiate our sins, to satisfy the Divine Justice, and to imitate the charity of Jesus. But the misfortune is, that Love is wanting in this Sacrifice; and, holding a language far different from that of Isaac, we are obliged to say, We find the Sacrifice, but there is neither knife, nor fire to consume it. Indeed, all men die, but few Christians make good use of their death; and there are none but the Elect, who, turning it into a Holocaust, know so well how to use it, that it opens them the gate of heaven.   

The Third DISCOURSE. That the Christian is a Soldier and a Conqueror.  
THe God whom we adore takes his Glory as well from War as from Rest; and if he be called in Scripture the God of peace, he is as often called the Lord of hosts: His Angels are the soldiers that wait upon him to the Battle, who avenge him of his enemies; Numquid est numerus militum ejus! the Stars, which keep watch as Sentinels about his Palace, bear the name of the Militia in the language of the Prophets; Militia coelorum: and all those that serve him for Ministers in his Embassies, serve him for Combatants in his Conquests. Therefore did the Angels who gave notice to the Shepherds of the birth of Jesus Christ, take their name from their principal employment, and called themselves the heavenly Host, Multitudo Militiae coelstis: and when the Son of God was taken in the garden of Olives, and blamed Saint Peter, who would have hindered the work of our Salvation, he told his disciples that it was easy for him to ask of his Father legions of Angels to defend him from his enemies.  
Men are considered under this quality upon earth; the holy Scripture calls them Soldiers; and if we believe the testimony of Job, their whole life is a continual warfare: They have as many Enemies as Subjects: Rebellion is spread over every corner of their State; the parts whereof they are composed, are revolted; and, which way soever they turn themselves, they find occasions of Fight. Christians are yet more obliged to War then Men: the Sacrament, that enables them, withal engageth them into the combat: 
Labora sicut bonus miles Christi 2 Tim. 2. Nemo coronabitur nifi vicerit, neque vincet n si certaverit: quis autem certet, nisi inimicum habeat? Ex Sent. Prosp.  The Earth is the Field where they try the Mastery; and these terms of a List, a Crown, a Soldier, which S. Paul so often useth in his Epistles, are so many proofs of so known a Truth: The Church itself is an Army, the Christians whereof it is form are the Soldiers; and the Scripture describes her in arms in these words, Terribilis ut Castrorum acies ordinata.  
Wherein it seems we may behold the difference between a Camp and a City: Both of them are Bodies which have their Head and Members, their Laws and Policy, their designs and employments: But in Cities we observe a pleasing variety of conditions equally contributing to their advantage and beauty: There we see Priests, who chant forth the praises of God in his Temple, who load his Altars with offerings; and mixing their tears with the blood of the Victims, endeavour to appease his just indignation: There are Magistrates which end Controversies, maintain Peace among the People, and make Justice reign in Families: There are Merchants which traffic with strangers; who, by their Commerce, occasion Plenty, and by their diligence supply all necessities. But difference of condition seems to be banished from Armies: as all fight, so all are soldiers: those that command, and those that obey, bear this quality, and both of them place their glory in their valour. Therefore the Church being an Army, those it consists of must necessarily fight: the most feeble must be courageous; the women must be amazons; and all Christians, forgetting the difference of their conditions, must take upon them the quality of Soldiers.  
Enemy's will not be wanting to exercise their courage, because the World, the Flesh and the Devil hold intelligence to set upon them: For the Christians war is at home; whatever he hath received from Adam, is an occasion of exercising him; and, for a punishment of his sin, he is obliged to fight with himself. The Flesh is never at agreement with the Spirit; these two parties have always some difference to compose; and though linked together by natural chains, and common interests, cease not continually to make war upon one another: They are two friends that usually fall out, and two enemies that caress each other; two friends that shake hands, and two enemies that make mutual visits; two friends that cannot endure one another, and two enemies that can never be asunder. This division is the first punishment of our sin: and when we began to be upon ill terms with God, we ceased to have any good correspondence with ourselves.  
But that which seems most troublesome, is, that one Combat furnisheth us with many enemies: for, as S. Augustine saith, we daily fight in our heart; in such a little room we find whole armies; and sometimes we grapple with Avarice, sometimes with Pride, sometimes with Impurity: so that 'tis very hard, being set upon by so many enemies, if we receive not some wound: This Combat is obstinately disputed: if there be some Truce, there is no real Peace: it lasts till death; and if soul and body be not separated, it is impossible to make them friends: The Senses bring us false reports, the Passions raise storms, our Inclinations set up a party; and, to defend us from so many enemies, we are obliged to borrow the assistance of Virtue. Every Age hath its exercise: Infancy is oppressed with Error and Ignorance, Youth is baited with Ambition and Wantonness, Old-age is clogged with Anger and Peevishness; so that there is no condition but hath need of Grace, to defend it from those enemies that set upon it.  
The Devil takes part with the Body to destroy us, employs his wiles or his force to terrify or seduce us; he mingles himself with our Humours, disorders our Passions, troubles our Temper; and, as if he were the Sovereign of Man, as well as the Prince of the World, he deboists our Subjects, to disquiet our Rest. Sometimes he takes upon him the shape of a Lion, and sometimes that of a Serpent, that using subtlety and violence, he may gain some advantage upon us: He studies our inclinations, to destroy us; suits himself with our humours, to surprise us; and, regulating his promises according to our desires, propounds Honours to us if ambitious, Riches if covetous, Pleasures if wanton: He persuades us that our Revenges are just, our Inclinations reasonable, and our Recreations innocent; and hiding Vice under the mantle of Virtue, hinders us from reforming or defending ourselves. To secure us from so redoubted an enemy, who sets upon us so many different ways, we must oppose our Prudence against his Cunning, our Patience against his Fury: we must countermine his Stratagems, penetrate his Intentions, and discover the hook which lies under the sugared bait: we must also bless the Justice of God, who exerciseth us by the cruelty of this Executioner; put our confidence in his goodness, and remember that in this Conflict we can overcome only by suffering.  
Having obtained this victory, we must arm ourselves against the world, which is the most dangerous enemy the Christian can have: He set upon Jesus Christ in his birth, and being true to his Tyrant, knew not his lawful Sovereign even then when he came to be his deliverer; In mundo erat, & mundus eum non cognovit: He persecuted him during his life, nor lost any occasion wherein he might do him a mischief; Mundus me odit: He conspired his death with the Devils, and expressing himself by the mouth of the Scribes and Pharises, charged him with calumnies before the Tribunal of Pilate, cast fear into the soul of that cowardly Judge, and forced him to condemn a man whom he acknowledged innocent. Therefore neither had Jesus Christ any commerce with the world, he protested he had nothing to do with it, Ego non sum de mundo; and that contrary his to maxims, he could neither approve nor suffer it: He would not so much as pray for it, when he prayed for his executioners, Non pro mundo rogo: He boasted in the presence of his Apostles, that he had subdued this rebel, and defeated this enemy, Confidite, ego vici mundum; Finally, he promised his Disciples, that he would destroy the world in the dreadful day of his vengeance; so that professing to imitate the Son of God, we are obliged to hate what he never loved, and to defend ourselves from a Traitor, who employs lying, grief, and pleasure to gain us to his party.  
He tries to deceive us, that so he may corrupt us; he sets up Maxims which under a pretence of maintaining society, introduce Libertinism amongst men; he makes debauches pass for recreations, revenge for greatness of courage, 
Duplicem aciem mundus producit coutra milites Christi; blanditur ut decipiat, minatur ut frangat; ad utrosque aditus occurrit C ristus, & non vincitur Christianus. Aug. de sanc. vinc.  impurity for a lawful affection: If he cannot seduce us, he goes about to terrify us, casts panic fears into weak souls, makes them apprehensive of grief or infamy; persuades a young man that chastity is a blemish to his reputation; a woman that modesty spoils the lustre of her beauty; a Gentleman, that the forgetting of injuries damps his courage; and being a Tyrant, makes use of fear to keep his Subjects in obedience: But when he meets with generous souls, who reject his Maxims, and contemn his Threats, he hath recourse to pleasures, and employs charms to soften the obdurate: This last battery is the most to be feared, because the sweetest; This is it that enervates the sampson's, masters the Davids, and triumphs over the solomon's: Engageth these great men in a lie by blinding them, terrifies them by making them Cowards; and breeding fear in their hearts with love, causeth them to apprehend the loss of those things he makes them passionately affect. He lays before their eyes whatever may allure them; makes pleasure enter in at their senses; and forgetting no artifice to render wickedness agreeable, widens his Empire, and increaseth the number of his Subjects.  
If we be Christians indeed, we must combat this enemy, oppose the Maxims of the Gospel against his falsehoods; destroy error by truth; & protest that being the subjects of Jesus Christ, we acknowledge no other Laws but those of his Church: To evacuate those terrors wherewith he shakes our courage, we must discern true honour from false, fix our glory in our duty; and remember, that the true Disciples of Jesus Christ, ought always to prefer virtue before honour, and conscience before reputation. To defend us from the pleasures the world tempts us with, we must look upon their end, and represent the shame and grief that never forsakes them: Finally, we must beg Grace of Jesus Christ, who hath overcome the world; that assisted with his favour we may vanquish his enemies with all the errors wherewith he would seduce us, the fear wherewith he would astonish us, and the pleasures wherewith he would enchant us.  
For it is not enough for the Christian to be a soldier, if he be not also victorious; his condition is more painful than that of soldiers: For though these are the Victims of Glory and of Death, that for a little pay they expose themselves to a thousand dangers, they are not responsible for the success of the battle; and provided they lend their heart and hand to their General, there is nothing more can be expected from their valour. But the Christians are such soldiers as must be victorious, 'tis not enough that they fight, they must win the field, they must overcome here, if they mean toreign with Christ hereafter: 'Tis true, he hath this advantage over all other Captains, he inspires courage into his soldiers, and gives them victory who engage in the combat; so that 'tis their fault if they be defeated, and the glory of their Commander if they remain Conquerors: Their birth obligeth them to this duty; for the Scripture teacheth us, 
Omne quod natum est ex Deo vincit mundum. Joan. 16.5.  that those that are born of God overcome the world; that Grace which contains Glory in the seed, is able to preserve them from sin; and that leaving them to the spirit that inanimates them, they remain impeccable in his hands: S. Bernard is of this mind, and will have their victory over temptation a certain proof of their adoption.  
The virtues themselves they have received at their Baptism, are helps which facilitate the defeat of their enemies; For faith is not only their strength but their victory, and renders them as well Conquerors as Soldiers; Hope heightens their Courage, and giving them the Almighty for their Second, makes them gain as many Victories as they fight Battles. Charity that finds nothing impossible, which measures its power by its courage, and more prevalent than death, overturns whatever resists it, inspires them with so much force, that they vanquish all griefs, and master all difficulties: But if there be any virtue that renders them invincible, we must confess 'tis their despoiling themselves of the goods of the Earth; For Satan never catcheth us but by those things that engage us; he seduceth only by those things that please us, and when self-denial hath perfectly separated us, they lose the boldness to set upon us, and the hope of overcoming us. Therefore doth S. Augustine admirably conclude, that he that only loves that good which cannot be taken from him is truly invincible: and Seneca founded upon the same principle had reason to say, that Alexander was vanquished by Diogenes, because he found a Philosopher to whom he could give nothing, and from whom he could take nothing away.  
Indeed the ambitious are not subdued, but because they are afraid to lose their honour; the immodest are not gained, but because they have a mind to preserve their love; nor are the covetous engaged in injustice, but because they cannot resolve to part with riches. But the Saints who are wedded only to God, laughed at Tyrants and Devils; and cruelty being not able to ravish from them what they love, they happily associate the quality of Conqueror with that of a Soldier. Let us add, that the believer is invincible, if he be perfectly united to Jesus Christ; our strength depends upon this union, and when the Devil breaks the secured bonds, he hath an advantage against us. He defeated us in the person of Adam; he vanquished all men in one; he gained a hundred victories in one duel: But he hath lost all his advantages against Jesus Christ; in him we are Conquerors; and as S. Augustine saith, his victory would not be perfect if he did not still conquer the world in his members: Let us therefore unite ourselves to him, that we may be invincible. When we feel the solicitations of the flesh or the Devil, and these two Tyrants confederate together endeavour to overpower us, let us implore the assistance of our Head, and nothing presuming upon our own abilities, but promising ourselves all from his Grace, render the honour to him of whom we hold the victory.   

The Fourth DISCOURSE. That the Christian is a King and a Slave.  
THough the Christian be a Conqueror, he ceaseth not to be a slave; and though he be called to Liberty, he finds himself engaged in a happy servitude, which subjecting him to his Sovereign, raiseth him above all creatures: For as in the state of Jesus Christ, grief is the mother of pleasure, and humility the midwife to greatness, servitude begets liberty, and to be truly free, we must be Christ's bondmen: All the Saints were of this belief; and whilst they lived upon the Earth, they have been proud of those chains the love of God loaded them with. Saint Paul makes it his boast that he was the slave of the Son of God; he many times prefers this quality before that of an Apostle; and he had rather be known by his Chain then by his Preaching. The Blessed Virgin makes her apology from this advantage; and being chosen by the Eternal Word to be his Mother protests, she will be his Handmaid; and that the dignity wherewith she was honoured, shall never make her leave the affections of a servant, Ecce Ancilla Domini: But because there are many conditions of Servitude, it is fit to take notice of them in this Discourse, and to see what sort that of the Christians ought to be.  
The first is founded in Nature, we bear the Character of it in our very essentials, we are Gods Vassals, because we are his Creatures; there is no Greatness can give us a dispensation from this Thraldom: Kings are obedient to his will, their hearts are in his hands; and as there is in every thing a secret obedience, which maugre the proper inclination subjects it to the power of the Creator; so there is in every man a natural submission, which without violating his Liberty, makes him stoop to the command of the Almighty. The second Servitude somewhat different from the former, is a forced subjection, making Caitiffs obey their Sovereign, even whilst they resist him; to follow his Ordinances whilst they contemn his laws; and to be serviceable to his Justcie, when they would not be wrought upon by his Mercy. The third is a Servitude arising from fear, which makes slaves more solicitous after their own interest, than the glory of their Master, and are more apprehensive of the punishment then of the sin. These slaves are guilty in his eyes, who reads their souls; if their hands or mouth be Innocent, their heart is Criminal, and if they commit not the act of sin, they preserve the desire of it in the inmost recesses of their Will. The fourth and last Servitude is voluntary, because amorous; these slaves love their master, 
Boni servi sumus quande ipsum qui jubet diligimus nec aliud in nostra servitute commodum quaerimus, quam ut ad ipsum pervenire valeamus. August.  and seek nothing but his Glory; whatever pleaseth him, is agreeable to them; all his commands seem easy: and having no other inclinations than his, find their happiness in their bondage: Thence it comes to pass that it is profitable, glorious, welcome, accompanied with none of those conditions that make slavery painful.  
Slaves labour not but for their master; they till the ground, but reap not the fruits; they plant vineyards, and drink not of the wine; they suffer much pain, and another tastes the pleasure: They are not as wives called in to a community of Goods, they are not as Children admitted to share in the inheritance; and by a misfortune which seems to violate all the Laws of Nature, they neither dispose of their estate nor of their persons: But the slaves of the son of God find riches in their servitude; their Master adopting them for his children, makes them his Heirs, and before he gives them his Glory for their Portion, gives them the disposal of the Earth for Assurance: For these Great Saints who may be called the Royal slaves of the son of God bear rule in his State; The sun riseth only to enlighten them, the Earth is fruitful for no other end but to nourish them; Kings reign to be their Conductors; Tyrants are their persecutors, only to exercise them; and whole Nature travels for their glory and their salvation: The seasons respect their Commands, diseases obey their words, these animated Nothings which being the works of sin, should not in reason acknowledge their power, are subject to their Empire; and the Miracles these work in the world, are proofs that their service puts them in possession of all the goods of their Master. 
Vnus est sapiens cujus omnia sunt, nec ex diffic li tuenda; quemadmodum. Dii immortales regnum inermes regunt; ita hic officia sua quamvis la●issime pateant sine tumultu obit. Senec. 7. Bene. cap. 3.  They are in deed what the Stoics Wise man never was but in speculation; All things belong to them without injustice, they keep them without disquietness; they are not obliged to send Lieutenants into remote Provinces, nor to maintain Garrisons upon the Frontiers to stop the incursion of Enemies; They govern without arms and soldiers, and which way soever they turn their eyes, they may without vanity utter these words: Whatever we see is ours; and though we leave the propriety to particular persons, we cease not to enjoy the sovereignty with God.  
But we need not wonder if these slaves are rich, because they are free; and that the same quality which instates them in plenty, puts them into liberty. Man is so free that he cannot be compelled; Sin that deprives him of Grace, robs him not of his Liberty; and into whatever condition he throws himself, is still his own Master. It is true, that according to the language of Saint Paul, he becomes the slave of sin, and free from Grace when he becomes Guilty; and on the contrary, free from sin, and the fervant of Grace when justified: Although in these two states so opposite, Liberty is always mixed with Servitude; St Thomas and St Augustine, Masters with whom we cannot easily mistake, teach us, That in the state of sin there is a real Thraldom, and a false Liberty, because man departing from God, wanders from his duty; and subjecting himself to his passions, is a slave in earnest, and free only in appearance: On the contrary, there is a real liberty in the state of Grace, and an apparent servitude, because Man does what he will, in that he does what he ought: that he is free because reasonable, and master of himself, because the slave of Jesus Christ. This is it that the Word Incarnate had a mind to teach us with his own mouth, when he said, We should be free indeed, if the Son made us free; and this is it that Saint Augustine would have us understand by those excellent words; We were the slaves of self-love, and now that we are made free, we may boast that we are the Slaves of Charity: Neither is there any Divine that does not acknowledge, that our will is never more free, 
Omnia propter Electos.  then when she is most submitted to God; and, that true Liberty is the recompense of so happy a Bondage: I may well give it this name, because it produceth Glory, and that all the slaves of the son of God are Sovereigns.  
But that we may rightly conceive of the Greatness of this Privilege, we must remember that Servitude is the daughter of Sin, that men were not slaves till they became Guilty, and that Nature which laboured to equal their Conditions, is not she that created this shameful difference, which distinguisheth them one from another. They were all Kings before their Defection, Innocence was the character of their Royalty; and as long as they were the Images of God, they were his Vicegerents in the world; But sin that deprived them of Grace, ravished from them their Liberty, gave them as many Masters as they have bad inclinations; and making this misfortune pass from their person into their estate, many times imposed Tyrants over them, under a colour of constituting lawful Sovereigns.  
We had for ever remained in this shameful Bondage, had not the son of God, who draws our salvation out of our fall, made us recover Liberty by Servitude: For Grace bringing us in subjection unto his will, hath put all Creatures under us; his love subjecting our soul to his Empire, hath made us the Masters of our Body: this insolent slave is is become obedient; and as it revolted not against the soul, but because the soul was revolted against God; it returned to its duty, as soon as she betook herself to her respect; and acknowledged his Sovereign, as soon as she acknowledged her Creator. Thus our Rule is founded upon our submission, our Liberty established upon our vassalage, and we command our Body, because we obey our God. 
Vis serviat animae tuae caro tua? Deo serviat anima tua; debes regi ut possis regerc. Aug.  This is it that Saint Augustine expresseth so handsomely: When the soul is the servant of God, she is the Mistress of the flesh; when Reason is subject to Grace, she is the queen of Passions, and reduceth these rebels to obedience; so that the most assured means to re-enter upon our ancient Privileges, is to submit to God, and to seek our greatness in our debasement.  
The Son of God hath furnished us with a rare Example in his Life; he ascended not to Glory, but by the ladder of humility: He was content to be his Father's servant, before he would be adored as his Son; and in heaven itself where he reigns with him, he still retains this humble deportment. Saint Paul teacheth us, that he wisheth not the accomplishment of his mystical body, but that he may be subject to his Father, 
Cum autem subjecta fuerint illi omnia, tunc ipse filius crit subjectus ei. 1 Cor, 15.  having subjected all things to himself; It seems he chose the Virgin for his mother, because she was devoted to the service of the Altar, and had protested that she would eternally remain the servant of the Lord: He boasts of it by the mouth of a Prophet: he will have all the world know, that his service is founded upon his birth, and that he is the slave of the eternal Father, because the Son of his handmaid. Ego servus tuus & filius Ancillae tuae.  
Humane Laws acknowledge three sorts of Slaves: The First, 
Servi sunt alii à Conventione, alii à fortuna, alii à natura. Arist. 2. Poli.  those that sell themselves, and, to gain a small livelihood, engage their Liberty, and become Slaves, to enrich their friends or children: Others are those that Fortune throws into Fetters, whom the loss of a Battle subjects to the mercy of the Conqueror, and, according to the Laws of War, become the prisoners of their enemies: The Last are those who are born of slavish parents, and who seem to have less reason to complain, because their servitude preceded their Birth, and Nature conspired with Fortune to deprive them of their Liberty: The Son of God was pleased to be of this number; he desired his Thraldom might be natural, 
Partus sequitur ventrem.  and that the same mother that made him a Man, might make him his Father's Servant: and we cannot deny that he is liable to this condition, because all Laws ordain that the Child is of the same quality with the Mother: It seems she had inspired him with this desire, in giving him a being; and that at the same time she conceived him, she imprinted in his soul the mind of a Slave.  
The Naturalists assure us that Mothers have so much power over the bodies of their children in the moment of conception, 
Matres dum concipiunt, foetibus desideriorū signa quaedam inurunt. Plin.  that they express upon them their Long and Imaginations; and those extraordinary marks they bring along with them into the world, are certain proofs of so known a Truth. But the Scripture acquaints us that the Virgin, more happy and more powerful than other mothers, hath made an impression upon the soul and body of her only Son; and having conceived him in the humble apprehensions of a handmaid, as her last words to the Angel sufficiently testify, Ecce Ancilla Domini, she infused her holy dispositions into the heart of Jesus Christ, who, as a faithful Echo, repeating the words of his mother, protested he would be his Father's Servant. Therefore there is no Christian who ought not to esteem a Quality common to him with the Son of God; which, though it were not so honourable, in yielding complacency would appear sufficiently agreeable.  
Servitude hath always this misfortune, that it makes us regret the loss of Liberty; whatever charms it useth to sweeten our discontents, 'tis always troublesome when forced: A Chain, though of Diamonds, is a punishment, and no ornament, if it load us; the stateliest Palace loseth its pleasantness, when it becomes our prison; and wherever there is compulsion, we find pain and sorrow. 
Aliquando revera inventum est quando aurum non ametur. Tert.  There is nothing more acceptable than Gold; 'tis the richest and the fairest of Metals; 'tis the noblest production of the Sun; and this Star, which gives a being to so many Flowers in the Spring, spends whole Ages to contribute the last perfection to this Masterpiece of his light and heat. In the mean time, the love of Liberty hath made some Slaves utterly abominate it; and in those Countries where it is so common, where they make it the manacles of offenders, 'tis insupportable to the wretched inhabitants: They complain when they are adorned with it; that which is the pompous dress of our Kings, is their torment: because this Metal engageth them to Bondage, it is the object of their hate; and Nature hath found out an innocent artifice to render it odious to these Captives.  
But though Servitude be so grievous, it loseth its bitterness when voluntary; Love, without breaking their Chains, sweetens them; and mixing his Charms with their Weight, makes them so welcome, that there is not one Slave would recover his Liberty. Ask all sinners, who live in slavery, you shall not find one that complains of his Irons: every one seeks to add to their weight, or to tie them faster; and, as if their Passion had changed their Nature, they hug their Bondage, and are afraid of their deliverance. Who doubts but that a Wanton is captivated with the beauty he idolizeth? Who knows not, by his complaints, that he hath lost his Liberty, that he wears the Colours of his Mistress as a Slave those of his Master, and that all the actions he does are so many proofs of his Slavery? In the mean time, he loves his Prison, boasts of his Captivity, and is proud of his Misery; he would not change condition with a Monarch.  
Inasmuch as the Grace of the Son of God is nothing but Love, it knows the way of mixing Sweetness with Servitude; it makes us slaves in subjecting us to his will; it triumphs over our Liberty, because it is victorious; it imprisons us, because we are made its Captives, by being delivered from the Tyranny of sin: Captivam duxit Captivitatem: But it is agreeable, because amorous; amorous, because voluntary; and charms our discontents, because it sweetly enchants our Wills. It hath no Slaves that complain of their Bondage, or regret their Liberty: if they express any sorrow, 'tis because they are not yet fully under the dominion of Jesus Christ: if they are big with any desires, 'tis, that they may see themselves in a happy impotency to break their chains, and to be so strongly fastened to their Master, that, as S. Paul, they may bid defiance to all Creatures, and say with that great Apostle, that they cannot separate them from their divine Redeemer. Therefore did S. Augustine heretofore admonish his Auditors, 
Nolite timere Domini servitutem; non erit ibi gemitus, non murmur, non indignatio, sed libera servitus est apud Deum. ubi non necessitas sed charitas servit. August.  that the name of Servitude ought not to astonish them: for Charity had dulcorated all the bitterness thereof; in that Family no Slaves complained of the severity of their Master, nor of the misery of their condition, because the service is always free and pleasing, seeing 'tis not Necessity, but Charity, that makes us embrace it. Thus may we with reason glory that we are Slaves and Sovereigns; that the same power that united the Word with Flesh in Jesus Christ, Virginity with Pregnancy in Mary, hath been pleased in Christians to associate Servitude with Liberty, Plenty with Want, Glory with Humility; since, by a strange wonder, there is not any Believer that owes not his Greatness, his Pleasure, his Empire, to the humble condition of a Slave which he received in his Baptism.   

The fifth DISCOURSE. That the Christian is a Saint.  
THough there be nothing in God which is not God himself, and his Unity which forbids us to divide him, suffers us not to know him: Nevertheless, the Scripture teacheth us to distinguish his perfections, to compare one with another, and to give them the advantage which seems most conducing to his glory, or to our profit. There is none but sees that our interests oblige us to prefer Mercy before Justice; that being laden with miseries and crimes, we love the one, because it assists the distressed, and fear the other, because it punisheth offenders. Following this principle, I conceive I may give Holiness the pre-eminence over all the perfections of God; because uniting our interests with his, it contributes most to his Glory and our salvation.  
'Tis this to speak truly that separates God from his works; which preserves his respect in preserving his Majesty; and which putting him at a distance from us, confines him within himself: Therefore may we say, it repairs the wrong his immensity seems to do to him; For though this noble perfection scatters him over all the corners of his state, raiseth him into Heaven, and leads him into Hell; nevertheless it engageth him in creatures which are unworthy to possess him; and though this effusion of himself be as well a mark of his Greatness as of his Goodness, the understanding of man can hardly comprehend that the Divine Majesty is not interessed when it is in the Intellect of a Devil, or in the heart of a sinner; we have much ado to suffer his Omnipotence to inanimate an impious person, to move the tongue of a blasphemer, to guide the hand of a parrcide, and not to be wanting to the Laws he hath been pleased to prescribe himself to assist the guilty when they offend: But his Holiness secures him from these outrages, removes sinners fare from him, 
Peccator longe abest ab illo qui ubique est. Aug. in Psal.  scatters those wretches from him that fills all places, preserves his purity in the midst of their crimes, and manageth his honour so dextrously, that he is as glorious in Hell as in the highest Heaven, and as pure in the heart of a Reprobate, as in that of an Elect.  
This Attribute is not less delicate than zealous; all transgressions scandalise it; nor does any thing bear the stamp of sin, that does not offer it violence: she hath more enemies than the rest of her sisters, and if the other perfections of God are dishonoured by some particular crimes, this is by all inquities of what kind soever. Those that sin of infirmity, and pretend to find their excuse in the cause of their offence, dash only upon the power of the Almighty: Those that sin out of ignorance, and conceive themselves not guilty, because they are blind, offend only the wisdom of God: Those that transgress out of malice, and who are less excusable, because more enlightened, wound only the Goodness of God; and though so highly criminal, persuade themselves that wronging but one of his perfections, the rest will be favourable towards them. But all sinners together injure Holiness; and as there is not one who turns not his back upon the Creator to embrace the creature, neither is there any that dishonours not this Attribute, whose principal design is to unite them to their Creator.  
Though Sanctity be thus injuriously dealt with, it ceaseth not to be most profitable to Christians; and so well manageth their interests with those of God, that it produceth all the miracles which so highly advance his Greatness and their merit. All the other perfections study more our glory then our salvation: Power makes only Kings, and when it would draw admiration from mortals, 
Singula Dei Att●ibuta singulos Angelorü & hominü ordines effinxerunt. Marsil. Fisci. de religione.  is content to raise Shepherds to the Throne: Wisdom makes Philosophers, and communicating to them a part of its light, gives them the understanding of the works of God: Providence makes Politicians, or Prophets; and discovering to both of them the secrets of futurity, inspires them with a science which is not learned in the Schools: But Holiness more happy and more powerful, makes Saints which are Gods Masterpieces; separates them from the creatures, and unites them to the Creator; transforms them into him, or to use the words of Scripture, makes commenced Gods by Grace, and perfect Gods by Glory. 'Tis to this height of honour that all Christians are destined; They bear this glorious title in the Gospel. Saint Paul treats them as Saints in all his Epistles; and as their sanctity is an effusion of Gods, it obligeth them to knock off from all things that they may be united to him, and to cling so close unto him, that nothing can separate them.  
Therefore is it that the Religion that leads us to Holiness, invites us to a Divorce with all things else; The Son of God admits none into his School, of whom he exacts not this promise; The Church who imitates him as her Husband, requires this disposition of all her Children when she conceives them in her womb by the operation of the Holy Ghost, and the virtue of the waters of Baptism; she will have them renounce the vanities of the world, and like the Apostles, forsake their riches in deed or in affection. The first is, matter of counsel; the second of obligation; 
Multum deseruit qui voluntatem babendi dereliquit, à sequentibus Christum tanta relicta sunt quanta à non sequentibus defiderari potuerunt. Greg  neither is there any creature who is not bound to say with Saint Peter, Ecce nos reliquimus omnia. I know there are those that laugh at the Confession of this Apostle, and with Saint Hierome, find it no hard matter for a man to leave all, whose whole demeans was but a skiff and a net: But had they well considered the vast extent of our hopes and our desires, they would find this man left very much, because he bid adieu to all things these two passions could possibly promise him.  
This first disposition is not the only abnegation the Son of God requires of us; it serves but for a step to ascend to a more difficult one, and having enjoined us the contempt of riches, obligeth us to deny ourselves. 'Tis not enough to be admitted into his School, for a man to forsake his goods; he must withal renounce his inclinations, and pursuing the evil into its very root, offer up his will for an Holocaust. Had he been content with the first disposition, he had exacted no more of his Disciples then vainglory had obtained of its vassal. Philosophers have parted with their goods to defend themselves from covetousness or discontent, which usually accompanies great fortunes. The Ambitious are so deeply in love with glory, that they contentedly part with all riches. The Prodigal seem as it were angry with money; and the lavish expenses they make, testifies they more undervalue then prise them: But both of them are wedded to themselves; the more they strip themselves of their goods, the more are they wrapped up in their inclinations; and the less they have of avarice, the more are they puffed up with pride and vainglory: Therefore is it that the Son of God willing wholly to to cure man, passeth from Poverty to Self-denial; and having counselled us to part with our riches, commands us to shake hands with ourselves. Saint Paul following the steps of his Master, teacheth us, that they only who have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof, deserve the name of Christians; and speaking elsewhere of himself, witnesseth, that to live to God, he was bound to crucify himself with Jesus Christ: He makes them pass for enemies to the Cross, who love themselves; and not content to declaim against uncleanness, makes an invective against those stately sins, which including man within himself, left him not above the degree of beasts, but to equal him with Devils: Finally, he will have all those who are risen with the Son of God to be taken up with the contempt of the Earth, and to be quickened with the desires of Heaven.  
Though this first condition of Holiness gives us occasion to see, that there are very few Saints in the world; the second, which is union with God, will more strongly persuade us of it: For sin being nothing but a separation from God, holiness which is so opposite thereto, is nothing but an alliance with God: Those that are most united to him, are the greatest Saints; nor does any thing more gloriously distinguish Christians from Philosophers, than this happy connexion. Every Sect hath form an Idea of the supreme good, and done their utmost to fasten their Disciples to it. The Epicures who acknowledge no other good but voluptuousness, had no other passion but for this Goddess: The Stoics who adored nothing but the mind, spent all their veneration upon this Idol; and the Academics who doted only upon Moral virtue, laboured merely to gain her: But Christians who know that pleasure makes none but effeminate, that the love of understanding renders men arrogant, and that of virtue itself when it mounts not high enough, makes only idolaters set their affections upon the supreme good; and seeking their felicity in God, say with David, Mihi autem adhaerere Deo bonum est. 'Tis in this point properly that holiness consists; he that wisheth any thing else is blind or wretched; and he that wastes himself with other desires, is not yet fully informed that the supreme good is the end and rest of the Christian.  
Therefore is it that Saint Augustine speaking to his Auditors, uttered these notable words: Let us be grieved to see men distracted with the diversity of their desires; Let us see their different conditions which arise from the difference of their designs: Let some take arms, and seek for Glory in the mouth of Danger, hazard their lives to get themselves a Name, and place their happiness in killing and slaying: Let others more harmless, but not less ambitious, plead at the Bar, gain reputation in defending Innocence, and aspire to the Glory of Orators, being not able to purchase that of Conquerors: Let others more humble, but not less interessed, hold commerce and Traffic with Strangers, pass the Seas to content their Avarice, descend into the bowels of the Earth to dig out Treasures: Let others more Innocent, but not less miserable, till the ground, master barrenness by their laborious Improvement, and at the years end reap a rich and plentiful harvest: Let all these different Conditions divide the heap of perishable Goods between them; but let Believers, instructed in a better School, protest that God is their portion, and that now and for ever, they will have no other Inheritance.  
These last words insinuate to us the last circumstance of Holiness, which is not true, if it be not Constant and pertinent: A little to clear this Truth, we must know, there is no Christian that is not united to God: the Character he received in his Baptism, is a mark of his dependence; Faith which he retains with sin, is a sacred tye fastening him to Jesus Christ, and gives him the honour to be a member of his Body; Charity is a perfect Bond, completing what the others have begun, which knits him so close to his Head, that their Good and Evil are indivisible: But if the Christian intent to be Holy, Perseverance must second Charity, and this faithful virtue link them so constantly to the son of God, that nothing can separate them: Many heard his words, admired his miracles, loved his person, who because they fell off attained not to that excellent title of Saints.  
'Tis this last Condition which Crowns Holiness, the ultimate Character distinguishing the Elect from the Reprobate: Finally, 
Absque perseverantia nec qui pugnat victoriam, nec palman victor consequitur. Bernard.  'tis this glorious mark that finisheth our salvation, and gins our Beatitude. It depends absolutely upon the good pleasure of God, and as he refuseth it not without Justice, neither does he indulge it but out of exceeding mercy: It fixeth our will without constraining it, renders it  without taking away its liberty, and gives it so much force, that it equally triumphs over Griefs that astonish us, and pleasures that corrupt us: He that hath not this Grace cannot complain, nor can he persevere; He cannot complain, because God denies it not but to his sin, nor is his Reprobation founded upon any thing but his Infidelity: He cannot persevere, because this assistance depends not upon his Merit. It being the immutable Decree of God's good will and pleasure, which makes men Saints and blessed: It is by virtue of this Eternal ordinance that they resist temptations, overrule Tyrants, and vanquish Devils.  
'Tis by virtue of this internal Grace that they defy all Creatures, and say with Saint Paul, That nothing can separate them from Jesus Christ: I am sure, saith that Great Apostle, that Death with his terrors, Life with its charms, Angels with their beauties, Devils with their deformities, Things present with their allurements, Things future with their promises, Heaven with its glory, Hell with its torment, can never separate me from the love of God. And indeed how should they, saith St Augustine, because Death though never so hideous, leads us to Him; Life is found in his possession, Angels and Devils are the Ministers of his Justice or of his mercy, Things present are false, Things to come uncertain, Hell with God would be my Happiness, and Paradise without him my Torment.  
Or if we will take this passage another way, let us say again with Saint Augustine, That nothing can separate us from Jesus Christ; Not Death, because there is none so dismal as to be deprived of his Love; Not the Angels, because being united to him we are stronger than all Spirits combined together; Not the vexations of life, because they are sweet when undergone for his Honour, and serve only to give us a nearer conjunction to his person; Not things to come, because nothing can be bestowed nor promised which can countervail him; Not Heaven, because it is the recompense of those that serve him; Not Hell, because it is made for none but those that forsake him. From all this Discourse it is easy to judge, that the perfect Christian is a Saint; that he ought to be wholly unbottomed from all things, and so closely united to Jesus Christ, that nothing can remove him: But 'tis easy to judge withal, that we are at a great distance from Holiness, because a small Interest, a weak Temptation, a shameful pleasure, a light Injury separates us daily from him, for whom we ought to sacrifice our Interests, renounce our pleasures, subdue our Temptations, and forget our Injuries.   

The Sixth DISCOURSE. That the Christian is a Martyr.  
THe condition of Christians would be very miserable, did their virtue depend upon their Enemies, and were they so streightened that they could not compass the Crown of Martyrdom, but must be beholding to the Cruelty of Tyrants: But the Peace of the Church hath her Martyrs, as well as her Persecution: Love is witty enough to exercise their Courage, without employing the fury of Infidels; Every Christian may, without Impiety, be his own Executioner; and provided he live according to the Laws the son of God hath prescribed him, will find his punishment in his obedience. All the virtues of Christianity will assist him in this design; Every Maxim of the Gospel will make a part in his Agony: and having practised all that Jesus Christ commands or counsels, he may boast, though he be an unprofitable servant, he ceaseth not to be a faithful Martyr.  
For if it be true that the Cause and the Punishment makes the Martyrs, we must confess that all they that live according to the Laws of Christianity, may lawfully pretend to this glorious quality: because they suffer much, and for the height of their happiness, they suffer for the Son of God: This last condition is so necessary, that, in the judgement of S. Augustine, 'tis not so much the Punishment, as the Cause, that makes the Martyr. The Galleyslaves that tug at the Oar, the Captives that pine away for the loss of Liberty in prisons, and those Miscreants that are broken upon the Wheel, endure the extremity of Torments: but because their sin is the cause of their punishment, they may be sufferers, but they cannot be Martyrs. To deserve this Quality, 
Nemo se extollat & glorietur de passione: nam si attendamus sol●s passiones, coronantur & latrones; si de passione gloriandum est, potest & ipse diabolus gloriari. Aug.  the interest of God must be mixed with Grief, and the suffering takes its estimate from the justice of the Cause: The Macchabees are Martyrs, because they suffered for the Law of God, and, rather than violate it, courageously lost their lives: S. John Baptist augments the number of these glorious Champions, because he died for the defence of Chastity, and is the first victim this excellent virtue received: The Saints who have spilt their blood in the Church's quarrels, and have fought against Infidels or Heretics for the interest of Faith, justly deserve the quality of Martyrs; and the Christian happily shares it with them, because he suffers in obedience to Jesus Christ: For when he pardons those that persecute him, stifles those just resentments which are occasioned by injuries; when he gives Calumny leave to blast his reputation, and loseth Goods or Honour because he will not break the Commandments, or violate the Counsels of the Son of God, 
Non Martyrium sola effusio sanguinis consummate, necsola dat palmam exustio flammarum: pervenitur non solum occasu, sed etiam contemptu Carnis ad Coronam. Aug. Ser. 46 de Sanctis.  he is not less worthy of the name of Martyr then those that have shed their blood for the defence of his honour: 'Tis of such a one, that we may say, Occasion was wanting to his Will, and that he had been in the Catalogue of Martyrs, had he lived in the time of persecution.  
But, not to betray the Cause that I defend, I am obliged to say, that, to be virtuous, is title enough to be a Martyr: For, since Nature is corrupted by sin, there is no Virtue that is not accompanied with Grief: We learn Vices without a Master; we carry the seeds of them in our souls; and, preventing bad examples, we act wickedness before we have seen it: But Christian virtues are so difficult, that their conquest costs us much labour and travel: we learn them with much ado, forget them easily; preserve them with care; neither is it Nature nor Art, but Grace and Sorrow that forms the Habit in us: They cross our Inclinations; we must fight to gain them: and seeing wickedness is passed into our Nature, Virtues are become our Torments.  
The Darkness we come into the world with, clouds the light of our Prudence: the infirmities we have inherited from our first Father, make the victory over Strength extremely difficult: Interest, which is inseparable from Self-love, is an opposition naturally set against Justice; and this heat, without which we cannot live, and by a deplorable unhappiness entertains the flames of Impurity, is an obstacle to Continence: It produceth thoughts which slain the lustre of this Virtue, motions which trouble its rest: so that S. Augustine had great reason to say, that of all the Trials of a Christian, the most furious was that of Chastity, where the Conflict is so long, the Victory so rare, and the Danger so great: I would add to the words of this holy man, without varrying much from his conceit, that 'tis the sharpest Martyrdom a Believer can endure, because he confesseth in another place, that, to mortify the Flesh, to tame Pride, makes up the best part of the Martyr: 'Tis perhaps upon this ground that the rigid Tertullian, who hath defended the advantages of Chastity with the prejudice of Truth itself, hath acknowledged this virtue so austere, that 'tis easier to die for her, 
Majus est in castitate vivere, quàm pro castitate mori. Ter●.  then to live with her: As if he would tacitly insinuate, that 'tis a harder matter to be chaste then to be a Martyr, and that a Christian who hath overcome impurity, may easily subdue grief.  
If having considered the severity of the Virtues, we consider the rigour of the Gospel, we shall find it cannot be obeyed without the badge of Martyrdom: Every People hath its Laws; and there are none so barbarous, whom Nature or Custom have not furnished with some Policy. The Greeks lived according to the Laws of their Sages: The Romans followed the Twelve Tables; and those that had neither Kings nor Lawgivers, have had for their guide the light of Nature, which is a relic of Innocence: The Jews were governed by the Law of Moses, which, if it gave them not strength enough to combat sin, it gave them light enough to know and avoid it: But the Christian hath so severe a Law, that if Love did not sweeten the severity thereof, it would drive men to despair; and, more tragical than Judaisme, would occasion not only prevaricators, but obstinate and hardened disciples: For it hath not one Article which is not a Paradox, and which thwarts not the Reason as well as the Inclinations of sinners: The First is, that, to love God aright, we must hate ourselves; and, bestowing all our affection upon him, reserve nothing but hatred for ourselves: The second is, to renounce our Will; that is to say, to quit all the advantages Nature hath endued us with; not to reason in our Mysteries, not to listen to our Inclinations in the practice of Virtues: The Third, which is not less rigid, and seems to violate the sweetest Laws of Nature, obligeth us to forsake father and mother, and to trample upon the belly of her that bore us, to follow the voice of him that calls us to his service: But the Fourth, which hath to deal with the dearest and most violent of our Passions, commands us to pardon our enemies, to forget the injuries they have done us, and to stifle all those just resentments the love of honour or of life can possess us with. Who will not pronounce these Laws so many tortures? these Commandments so many Pursuivants making inquisition after our Inclinations into the very inmost recesses of our Wills; and one while lopping of love, another while Hatred subjects us to as many sufferings as Martyrs undergo, whose arms or legs were chopped off by the cruelty of Tyrants? This made S. Augustine confess, that the life of a Christian was a painful Martyrdom, 
Vita Christiani si secundum Evangelium vivat, crux est & Martyrium. Aug.  nor that any man could observe the Laws of the Gospel, but must condemn himself to a punishment as grievous as that of the Cross: For this reason also will I make it appear in this following Discourse, that Christians suffer more than the Martyrs.  
These glorious Heroes of the Church suffered for the most part but in the body; their souls were quiet in the midst of their torments; God hindered the commerce that Nature had placed between these two parts whereof we are composell; a contented mind inanimated a wretched body, love divorced him from his prison, and by a kind of prodigious ecstasy disengaged him from all the painful vexations of his slave. In every Christian might be seen an Image of Jesus Christ, and as he during his life accorded pleasure with pain in his person, and his glorious soul enlivened his passable and mortal body, this miracle was repeated in favour of the Martyrs, who preserved their joy in the midst of their torments: They made Invectives against Tyrants, laughed at the weakness of their Executioners; and lifting up their soul to him that inspired them with strength, breathed forth his Panegyric whiles the flames devoured their bodies, or the wild Beasts tore them in pieces: But the Christians are bound to make war against both bodies and souls; to struggle against their inclinations and their senses; to exercise their just indignation against these two Delinquents, nor to divide those in the correction who were united in the crime.  
These Martyrs had only grief to master; and having tamed this unruly enemy were certain of a triumph: But the Christians are engaged to combat pleasure; and as this pleasing enemy knows the secret of gaining love, it is very hard to stand out against his charms. Grief is violent, astonisheth those that it sets upon, quells their courage by the pomp of torments; and he that is assisted with strength, cannot resist the fury of its onsets: In the mean time experience teacheth us, that it is oftener foiled than pleasure, and that there are more Christians fit to be Martyrs then to be Continent: The soul barracadoes itself against grief, but lies open to pleasure; The will stands out against the evil that would force her, but gently surrenders to the delectation that would corrupt her; her forces are rallied close when she combats grief, but lie scattered when opposed to sensuality: Grief holds no intelligence in the place it sets upon to facilitate a surprisal, but pleasure finds a thousand passions that favour her entrance, follow her motions, 
Donat Deus ut delectatio peccati justitiae delectatione vincatur. Aug.  and sight under her ensigns.  
Thence it comes to pass, that when God intends to gain a soul, or the Devil to seduce one, neither of them employ any other thing than pleasure; and knowing very well that they have to do with a free creature, make use only of allurements to win his consent without forcing it: God deals only with Grace in the conversion of sinners, and 'tis by this victorious suavity that he gains the Conquest, where honour is the Trophy of the Conqueror, and profit the reward of the vanquished: The Devil also employs no instrument but Pleasure to corrupt them; he studies their inclinations, follows their humours, flatters them to their destruction; and being not ignorant what sway pleasure bears over the will, promiseth glory to the ambitious, riches to the covetous: or in a word, proposeth to every sinner the accomplishment of all his desires. Therefore we need not wonder if the Christian suffer more than the Martyr, because he hath a more redoubted enemy to grapple with, nor can hope for any recompense except he triumph over pleasure. The great Saint Augustine hath pronounced sentence in their behalf, and comparing believers with Martyrs, hath said, that not to diminish the honour these have purchased by their constancy, he did verily believe that a Christian who mortified his body, resisted his inclinations, and defended himself from pleasure, might lawfully pretend to the Crown of Martyrdom.  
But if the sweetness that accompanies pleasure, give Christians such an advantage above Martyrs, we must confess that the glory which accompanied the Conflict of the later greatly lessened their sorrows. Nature, who hath no other conduct then that of Providence, hath been pleased that whatever was difficult should withal be glorious; 
Quae pulchra difficilia; quae difficilia gloriosa. Pla.  that glory which is attended with so many charms, may give us strength to master the difficulty: she hath so well linked these two things together, that they are inseparable; and wherever she hath planted pain, she hath hedged it about with honour. It is a hard matter to persuade men to change their minds, to calm their passions, and to reduce them to their duty; Thus is it glorious to be eloquent, to be acquainted with all the secrets Orators make use of to conquer without arms, and to gain obedience without violence: 'Tis a business of much industry to rule States, to govern people, to prescribe laws which may keep them Loyal, without interessing their Liberty: 'Tis also a high honour to know the mystery of the Politics, and to pass for a great Prince, or a wise Statesman: There is nothing that labours under more difficulties then to tame Nations, subdue Rebels, force Enemies to submit to the Conditions of Subjects or Allies: Neither indeed is there any thing more illustrious than victorious proceed; and the glory which is but faintly and in part bestowed upon Orators and Politians, descends unanimously and in a full gale upon the head of Conquerors.  
We see nothing in the Church more Noble than Martyrdom; 'tis the highest form of Virtue, the last expression of Charity, and when a man hath shed his blood, and parted with his life for Jesus Christ, there is not any instance can farther be expected from his love: Justly therefore may we acknowledge nothing more august in Religion than Martyrs; They are the Heroes of Christianity, the Gallant men of this State, the Noblest parts of this Mystical Body; there is no greatness that gives not way to their dignity; whatever we admire is below their merit, and according to the opinion of one of the wisest Fathers of the Church, 
Plus est esse Martyrem quam esse Apostolun. Cyp.  'tis more to be a Martyr then to be an Apostle: Neither hath any thing been ever more honoured in the world; Heaven hath wrought a hundred miracles to discover their innocence; Wild Beasts have respected them; the flames have spared their garments; Tyrants have admired them; and many times their Executioners have become their Disciples; insomuch that these renowned Champions had great reason to be afraid of vainglory at the same time that God delivered them from sorrow: But Christians want this consolation in their Martyrdom; they suffer more than they fight; they are Martyrs, because they endure pain to master pleasure; they give proof of their courage, because they resist temptation; but their Martyrdom is secret, it passeth in silence or in solitude; they have no witness but their Judge: If the Angels surround them, they are invisible; and if they undergo the hardships of Martyrs, they have neither their comforts nor their endearments: For as Saint Augustive saith, the soul of a Christian hath inward conflicts and domestic enemies; she struggles with grief, and expects her crown only from his hands who sees her thoughts and knows her courage.  
But the highest advantage of the Christian above the Martyr, is, that this man's trial endures but a few days. Nature is so good a mother that she hath provided remedies for her children against the violent irruption of discontents; she hath made the chains that unite the soul to the body so brittle, that the least torments are able to break them; tortures quickly end, or we end with them; and experience teacheth us, that a punishment cannot be long when violent and extreme. Criminals must be husbanded if you will have them endure; they must have respite if we intent to torture them for any long time; their weakness will rid them of their Exeeutioners; and death stepping in to the succour of these wretches, delivers them from their persecutors: Therefore is the punishment inflicted upon Martyrs short; many times one day saw both its beginning and its end; and when Grace wrought no miracle for their preservation, Nature used her endeavours to secure them: But the Martyrdom of Christians lasts the best part of an age; Repentance that afflicts them imitates the Divine Justice, it makes an agreement between life and death, lengthens that to prolong their misery, and draws out the thread of their sorrows to prove them more durably miserable: For mortification which constitutes the chiefest exercise of penitents, is it not a long and cruel death, which Disciplines the body, afflicts the spirits, nor gives any intermission to the disconsolate Penitentiary, but to heighten his austerity? This made S. Bernard say, that the mortification of the flesh was a kind of punishment, not so cruel indeed but much more irksome than that of Martyrs, and recompensing the sweetness by the duration, makes the penitent languish as long as he lives: But after all these differences we must confess that the Martyrs having been Christians as well as others, have suffered a double punishment; and living in penance, were prepared for Martyrdom: For as Tertullian observes the course of their life was a severe probation, wherein they disposed themselves to grief by austerity, to the prison by solitude, to a short death by a long mortification: Therefore tortures never startled these men who provided for them by a witty cruelty; and in so happy an age the Church had no children who were not the Martyrs of Penance when they could not be of Persecution.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. That the Christian is a Lover.  
THere is none but knows that the Son of God is a new Man, that he is prodigious in his Constitution, assembling Heaven with Earth, Time with Eternity; That he hath a God for his Principle, and a Virgin for his Mother; that he is the Son and the Father of his Spouse; that he gave her life upon the Cross, and receives life from her upon the Altar: That he is the Priest and the Victim of his sacrifice; the Judge and the Advocate of his parties; and by a strange prodigy the Brother and the God of his Subjects. As he is New in his composition, he is New in his Counsels and his Commandments: 
Ille qui ven't vetustatem nostram sua novitate solvere, mandato novo fecit hominem novum. Aug. Serm. 39 de Temp.  He will have his Disciples mutually love one another, and Love to be the Fundamental Law of his State; It seems he would alter nothing neither in Policy nor in Morality; and leaving men in the Light Reason and Faith had already inspired them with, was content to bequeath them a New Love: His intendment is, that all his Disciples be Lovers, that all their Qualities be included in this, and that the Christian find his full perfection in sole Charity.  
'Tis in effect the only virtue recommended to us, and when Jesus Christ lays the foundations of his Empire, 
Charitas omnia suffert; omnia credit, omnia sperat animo sustivet. 1 Cor. 13.  he requires nothing but Love from his subjects: S. Paul confounds all the virtues with Charity, and teacheth us, that he that Loves is endued with Faith, with Hope, with Fortitude; S. Augustin his faithful Interpreter, acknowledgeth but one virtue, and if he gives it different names, it is to express its divers effects, or different qualities; All the rest are reduced to this one; and as the Passions are nothing but the motions of love, we may say that the virtues are nothing but the Ministers of Charity. The morality of a Christian is easy and succinct; he is not bound to exercise himself in Patience, to be established in Justice, to be instructed in Prudence: Charity gives him an interest in all these glorious Qualities; and being a Lover, he may boast himself Courageous, Just, Prudent: Assoon as he knows how to Love, he is able to guide himself; his Light increaseth with his Heat; and without consulting the mysteries of the Politics, he becomes a Statesman assoon as ever he falls in love with Jesus Christ: As pleasures cannot corrupt him, grief cannot astonish him; His Love inspires him with Magnanimity and Temperance; and being united to God by Charity, neither the Promises, nor the Threats of the world are able to separate him: he is incapable of committing an injustice as long as he keeps his affection; and rendering his Sovereign his due, learns at the same time to carry himself fairly towards his Equals and Inferiors.  
If Love constitute the Christians virtue, it constitutes his difference also: For as Reason distinguisheth Man from Beasts, makes him equal with the Angels, and in Nature is accounted his principal advantage; we may say, that Charity divides the Christian from the sinner; and being his richest ornament, is also his noblest difference: All the Faithful are clarified with the Light of Faith; they receive in Baptism a Character which time cannot deface; they flatter themselves with a hope which though unjust, is notwithstanding sometimes true: The Church which comes short of the Knowledge of her Beloved, admits them to the Participation of her Mysteries; and being unable to read their hearts, suffers sacrilegious persons, because she cannot tell how to hinder them: Nay, Jesus Christ himself honours them many times with his choicest favours, discovers the secrets of Futurity to his enemies, gives them an absolute power in his State, and suffers those that offend him to drive away Devils and to cure the sick: But Charity is the privilege of his Friends; 'tis the glorious mark distinguishing them from Reprobates, and the only virtue that is inconsistent with sin: A man may be burnt in the flames, and give testimony of his Courage in the midst of torments, though he be not at all acceptable to God; a man may dive into all the Mysteries of Religion, and not be affected with them; may give his goods to the poor, and have his soul full of vainglory: But a man cannot have Charity, and be upon ill terms with Jesus Christ; those that love him are his Beloved; and if he indulge some favours to those that fear or serve him, he cannot refuse Heaven to those that die in love with him.  
Thence it comes to pass that Christians, who know that all their advantage consists in Charity, make this virtue their principal employment: they despise not others; for they possess all in this one: But being fully persuaded it must be their felicity in heaven, they make it their business whilst they are upon the earth: These Divine Lovers can do nothing but love: they imitate the Seraphims, whose Essence and Exercise is Love; they burn with the same Fire that makes them live; they swim in flames; and, as if they had forgotten all the virtues to learn one, they spend their whole life in this amorous entertainment: If they fear, 'tis to offend him whom their soul loveth: if they hope, 'tis to possess him: if they rejoice, 'tis for being united to him: if they are afflicted, 'tis for being separated from him: When they have to do with their Neighbour, 'tis upon this wheel that they move: they look only upon God in his Creatures, and upon Jesus Christ in his Members: if they sometimes adhere unto them out of a natural inclination, Divine Love furnisheth them with wings to soar above them, and with strength to be disentangled from them. Finally, Love so well manageth the whole course of their life, that leaving Respect to Domestics, Hope to Mercenaries, Fear to Slaves, Light to the Learned, they reserve only Charity for themselves; and are of the humour of that faithful Lover, who, being confined to solitude, had no other diversion but her Love.  
In consideration whereof, 
Dei unicum opus est se intueri, & se amare. Plato.  I find their condition very glorious, because they treat with God, as God doth with himself: for his whole happiness consists in knowing and loving Himself; and should he intermit this employment, he would cease to be happy: He sees the Creatures, in seeing himself; he loves Them, in loving Himself; and, without going forth of his own Nature, he finds his felicity in his Knowledge and in his Love. The Christian, by an admirable privilege, is advanced to this high degree of glory; 
Solus est Amor ex omnibus animae motibus in quo pote● Creatura respondere Creatori, & de simili mutuam rependere vi●ē. Bernard.  he enters into society with God, treats with him as with his Peer; and it seems, being no longer his Slave, becomes his Equal, in becoming his Friend. Greatness is so opposite to Love, that Kings are fain in a manner to depose themselves, when they have a mind to love their Subjects: That Majesty wherewith they are encircled, is fit to strike Fear and Consternation than Confidence: If they descend not from their Throne, lay not by their Crown and Sceptre, they can have no Friends, because no Equals: Therefore hath Aristotle observed, that Subjects could not contract Alliance with their Sovereigns; that the disparity of their Conditions permitted not those privacies which maintain Friendship among men; and as long as Kings remain in their Grandeur, Subjects must continue in their Respect. In the mean time, Charity finds out an Expedient to unite the Christian with God; exalteth the One, without debasing the Other; equals in some sort their conditions; and, as it obliged God to make himself Man, hath given Man a power to make himself God.  
Nor must we think it strange that this Virtue is the original of our Happiness, because it is the source of our Merit; and nothing makes us more commendable than Love: Though every thing have its estimate in the Church, Order banisheth Confusion, and in this vast Body every part hath its privilege and employments; nevertheless the whole perfection consists in Charity: he that knows best how to love, is most accomplished; and, without respecting his actions or his sufferings, we consider only the measure of his Love. The Son of God would not have our merit fastened to those conditions which depend not upon ourselves, nor that Greatness or Riches should difference his Subjects: He would not place Perfection in Alms, because the Rich only can dispense them; he would not tie it to Preaching, because that Gift is reserved for his Ministers; he would not limit it to Austerity, because that requires a strong Constitution; he would not fix it in Martyrdom, because that depends upon Persecution, with which the Church is not always afflicted: But he hath established it in Charity, where nothing is easier than this Virtue: The Ignorant and the Learned are equally admitted to it: Kings are not more capable of it then their Subjects: and if Martyrs pretend some advantage above the rest of the Faithful, they have a greater obligation to their Love then to their Torments. The greatest Saint is not he that hath Suffered most, or Done most, but he that hath Loved most: All his Merit consists in Charity; if occasions be wanting, he hath recourse to his desires; and he may boast, that, being a Lover, he is Liberal in Poverty, Learned in Ignorance, a Martyr in the Serenity of conversation.  
Though all these advantages oblige us to Love, that which God witnesseth to us, is the greatest endearment of affection: for there are conditions in his Indulgencies, which cannot be found in our Expressions; and his love is so powerful, and so noble, that 'tis easy to judge it cannot proceed but from an abyss of Goodness: It is Eternal, and before all worlds; God expects not till we subsist, to show his kindness towards us; his love makes inquisition after us in the confused heap of Nothing; as well as his power; he cherisheth us in what he is pleased to put into us; and separating us from all those Creatures which shall never see the light, makes us the objects of his Liberality: Our Crimes stop not the current of his Love; he loves us in our Delinquency; and that which ought to provoke his Justice to punish us, provokes his Mercy to deliver us: In Nonentity, he loves Ignorant Creatures; in Sin, he loves ungrateful ones: to the former he gives Being, to the later he gives Grace; and to both of them he makes it appear that his Love is Eternal and Fruitful.  
Men Love nothing but what is lovely, either really or in show; they discover in their friends those qualities they plant not there, and whatever height of greatness fortune shall advance them to, they can bestow upon them only riches or honour; if their favourites have any blemish in soul or body, they cannot mend it; and unhappy in their affections, they are constrained either to hate the man for his imperfection, or to love the imperfection for the man: But God, whose love is equally powerful and pregnant, makes that amiable which he pleaseth to set his love upon; he himself forms his own object; he puts that in his friends which he means to esteem; and by a prodigy which surpasseth all wonder, 
Meretricem invenit, virginem fecit; faedam amavit ne faeda remaneret. Au.  he gives purity to the Immodest, and innocence to the Criminals.  
This Love hath no bounds, neither in relation to its extent nor excess; 'tis immense and infinite both together, and when God loves us, he loves us in all places, and in all his perfections: men are so miserable, that they change manners when they change Countries and Climates; the Elements make some impression upon their wills; and being no longer what they were, they cease to love what they doted on before: should they be more constant, they would be always liable to this misfortune, that being unable to be but in one place, they could not stretch their love every where; they borrow tongues to express their passion: Like earthly Kings who being not in a capacity to fill their whole State, are obliged to have Leiutenants which represent them; these also are forced to seek out interpreters to declare their love, and supply their impotency. But God's Love is immense, place confines it not, he loves wherever he is; his charity is as extensive as his essence; in Heaven he cherisheth the blessed, and preserving his love in all the corners of his State, is affectionate to Christians in the very heart of their enemies.  
If it be immense, 'tis Infinite, and when God loves a person, 'tis with the full extent of his perfections: As men are made up of soul and body, the faculties of that, and the members of this, have their several uses and employments. The Understanding conceives thoughts, the Memory preserves the species, and only the will forms acts of Love. The holiest Lover hath this dissatisfaction, that he knows he loves God but with one faculty of the soul; he is afflicted and not without reason, that self-love shares with charity, and notwithstanding all his endeavour, he never loves God as much as he can, or aught to love him. He is not more happy in his body then in his mind; for every member hath its different functions; his hands act according as there is occasion, his eyes discern colours, his ears judge of sounds, his tongue forms words, and his heart only is capable of affection: he reproacheth Nature, and complains that this Step dame having given to him two hands to act, two eyes to see, two ears to hear, she hath given him but one heart to love; in the ecstasies of his soul he wisheth with David, that his whole body were heart and tongue to love and magnify him with all his power, who is so infinitely lovely; Nevertheless after all his vain desires he is obliged to confess, that there is nothing but the will in the soul, and the heart in his body, which is sensible of the endearments of affection: But inasmuch as God is a simple being, suffering neither composition nor division; he loves men where ever he is, he hath not any perfection but contributes to the love he bears them: His Justice which takes vengeance of his enemies, his Majesty which makes him respected of his subjects, his holiness which separates him from his works, are happily confounded with charity; and as he acts with all his power when he produceth some effects, he loves with his whole being when he expresseth his affection to his friends. Therefore the Christians who know very well, that love is paid only with love, never limit this passion; they endeavour to love God with all their power, nor do they wish for death but because they are of opinion that delivering them from self-love, they shall be perfect lovers in glory.   

The Eight DISCOURSE. That the Christian is an Exile and a Pilgrim.  
THe advantages we have received from Jesus Christ deliver us not from the misfortunes we drew from Adam; our being the children of God frees us not from being his slaves; though associated to his Empire, we are still obnoxious to the persecution of the creature; and though the objects of his love, feel notwithstanding the severity of his Justice. Thence it comes to pass that being Pilgrims we are Exiles, and these two qualities which clash in other men, agree exceeding well in Christians: For Pilgrims are honourable, Piety invites them out of their Country, they seek Heaven in the Temple they visit, and honouring the relics of Saints, oblige the Angels to assist them in their journeys: 
Peregrinum facit Pietas, Exulem paena; peregrini sumus qui cives peccatorum, Exulcs vero quia peceatores. Chryso.  But the banished are criminals; Justice drives them from their home, she it is that cuts them off from the body of the State like corrupt members, lest they should infect the the rest: In the mean time Christians are Pilgrims and Exiles; if they draw the former qualities from Grace, they derive the latter from sin.  
To clear this conceit we must remember that of all the punishments in the world banishment is the most shameful and most cruel: It hath served as a punishment for the greatest crimes, and the most notorious offenders have groaned under this pressure. Our first father was driven out of Paradise after he was condemned to death: That Parricide who steeped his hands in his Brother's blood heard this sentence pronounced against him by the mouth of the Living God, Eris vagus et profugus super terram; he desired that his punishment might be commuted, and judging death more gentle them banishment; he begged for an end of his life, that he might find a period of his torment. Therefore is it that Philo approving the opinion of Cain, said, that death was the end of our evils, banishment the beginning; and that if a man going out of the world were worthy of envy, he that departed out of his Country deserved pity. Thence certainly it comes to pass, that Christians are dealt with as exiles, that the severity of their chastisement may make them accknowledge the heinousness of their sin.  
Indeed those wretches are civilly dead, they have no more commerce with the world, the use of the Elements is interdicted them; and if the judges give them leave to live 'tis to make them die more cruelly. Thus it is with man since his transgression, he hath no more intercourse with the Angels; he was driven out from Paradise; and the Earth being cursed, he must water it either with his sweat or with his tears, if he intent to have it fruitful. Banished persons possess nothing; they lose their substance in losing their Country: they can neither make will nor inherit, and they learn to their cost that want is the inseparable companion of banishment: there must be some edict of the Prince to mitigate the rigour of the sentence, and without his express permission, their very kindred dare not relive them in their misery. If Christians be not so cruelly dealt with, 'tis from their obligation to the merits of of Jesus Christ: For being banished they are fallen from all their rights, losing the supreme good they have forfeited all together with him; and what they possessed heretofore escheating to their sovereign by their felony, they can dispose of nothing but by the privilege they receive from the Son of God.  
Finally, banished persons are degraded from their nobility; the loss of their honour is joined with that of their riches; and being driven from their Native soil, they can no longer have any share in the Government or charge of the Commonwealth: There was requisite an order of the Senate to restore Camillus to his dignities; neither would he accept of the office of Dictator till recalled from his banishment: All men are thus outed since the fall of Adam; the same rebellion that made them poor, made them base; they lost their honour with their innocence; and those that were little lower than the Angels, are reduced to the condition of Beasts. The world hath put on a new face ever since man changed their conduct; as long as they were in subjection with God, all the creatures were in subjection to them; but since their insurrection, all their subjects have rebelled; and the Empire where they exercised their power, is become the Theatre of their punishment.  
This gave Tertullian occasion to compare the world to a prison, and to make us confess that these two places so different in show were exceeding like really and in deed. 
Si recogitemus ipsum magis mundum carcerem esse, exisse nos è carcere intelligemus. Tert. ad Mar.  A prison is the receptacle of darkness, the Sun darts no beams there, and this glorions Luminary which penetrates the deep, cannot enlighten the dungeon. The world lies in ignorance; all men are born blind; and if Jesus Christ more powerful than the Sun, be not pleased to enlighten them, they live and die in a profound blindness: The Prison deprives Captives of their Liberty; if they be not loaded with irons, they are at least kept close; and being not able to quit those sad abodes without satisfying their obligations, they long for death to be delivered from servitude. The world in this particular is a perfect image of the Prison; all sinners lie fettered in it, their crimes compose their chains, and every offence they commit, is a new link making them stronger and more weighty: The Prison is the mansion of Delinquents; if an Innocent enter there, 'tis by misfortune; Justice built those dismal habitations for the punishment of Criminals; They are Hells upon Earth; the common shores of the state; and, when the Prince hath a mind to rid himself of some Subject who threatens his Principality with a sedition or a rebellion, he sends him to expiate his offence in this dreadful dwelling: since the fall of Adam, the world hath lodged none but sinners; if you except Jesus Christ and his Mother, all men are guilty; they live and die in this shameful condition; and whatever care Grace takes to render them innocent, there are very few who stand not in need of the flames of Purgatory to consume away what the Calentures of Charity could not. But as in the Prison the Criminals are always in fear, expecting with a thousand discontents the sentence of the Judge, trembling lest being condemned the Officer drag them to execution, and make them in some public place an example to the people; In the world men attend their judgement with the same trouble of mind; They are apprehensive of the least sickness as personal summons obliging them to appear before the Throne of their Sovereign; they tremble at every accident that threatens them with a dissolution; and, redoubting that arrest which must decide the business of their Eternity, 
Qui se nondum intelligit exulē in hoc mundo, nondum se intelligit peccatorem. Aug.  they live in continual fear if they live not in blindness and ignorance. Thus the world is our Banishment and our Prison; we are Captives and Exiles, and both these Qualities teach us, that though we be justified, we cease not to be Delinquents.  
But withal we must confess that we are Pilgrims, and if this condition ease not our pain, it does at least diminish our dishonour: For every one knows, that man was a Pilgrim in the state of Innocence; that he looked upon Heaven as his Country, and though his life were not a Banishment, it was a Pilgrimage. Indeed sin made it grievous, and changing the face of the Universe, changed our condition with it: For, before the sin of Adam, Paradise was a Temple, every creature was an image of God; 
Peregrinus erat Adam quia viator, sed non Exul quia non erat praevaricator. Rich. à San. Vic.  and though man promised himself Heaven as the recompense of his merit, he failed not to meet with some happiness upon Earth: The place of his Pilgrimage was not yet the path of his Banishment; he loved all things without danger, nor feared any change in removing his affection; and his thoughts daily raising him to his Creator, he performed as many acts of Religion, as he employed creatures for his use.  
But now that his condition is changed, and that world for a punishment of his offence hath lost its rest and beauty, he is as well as Exile as a Pilgrim, and the place of his Pilgrimage is become that of his Banishment, so that his whole life must be spent in desires and sorrow; He is necessitated to sigh perpetually after his dear Country, to look upon the Earth as a strange place, to distrust all creatures which are in his enemy's hands for his destruction, and to be like Passengers who return home assoon as possibly they can. Nothing can stop these when they are ever so little affected with those they have left behind; They rise before the Sun be up, go to their rest after he is set, and by the diligence they make, a man would judge their most violent passion were to arrive at their beloved Country. Thus ought Christians to make speed in the way of perfection, they must continually put on, that they may shorten their journey, and remember that to be wedded to the Earth, is to prolong their Banishment.  
Pilgrims look upon all objects as indifferent; if they meet with pleasant seats, fruitful fields, populous towns, stately buildings, they never lose the desire nor the thought of speedily returning into their Country; they know very well that since they cannot possess these goodly things, neither ought they to long for them, and that the love they spend abroad is injurious to their engagements at home. Christians instructed in the School of the Son of God, have nothing but contempt for the things of the Earth, they behold all its beauties without dwelling upon them, they take heed of pleasure as their mortalest enemy, and they groan sometimes under the weight of their travels; they confess nevertheless that the persecutions of the world are not so tragical as its caresses.  
Experience teacheth us, that the pain they endure in it increaseth their desire of reviewing their dear Country, and the pleasure they taste makes them lose the remembrance thereof: For 'tis impossible saith Saint Augustine, that he should be in love with his Country, that dotes upon his Banishment, or should have any passion for Heaven when he is strongly wedded to the Earth: If he be stricken with Divine Love, he spends his whole life in sighs; he never beholds the stars but he sheds tears; and, though there be nothing below that afflicts him, 'tis enough that he is in a strange Land to account himself miserable: His Banishment is his Torment, and without inventing other racks to exercise his patience, 'tis enough to make him complain that he is condemned to travel. David enjoyed a profound tranquillity when he sent up his sighs towards Heaven, Heu mihi quia incolat us meus prolongatus est: His state was not divided by a Civil War; the Grandees had not conspired against his person; his children had not as yet driven him from his Palace, and the people at his detion were not cheated with the false promises of an unlawful Sovereign: In the mean time he forbore not to lament, and the remoteness from his Country was the sole cause of his tears. 
Si amatur patria, magna poenae illium; si autem non amatur patria, pejor est cordis poena. Aug.  Therefore had S. Augustine reason to utter these gallant words; that to a man that loves his Country, Banishment is an insupportable pain; but yet he is more wretched, who cherishing his Banishment contemns or forgets his Country.  
Finally, Pilgrims see nothing during their journey more agreeable than their Country; the affection they bear the place of their Nativity, ever defends its cause in heir heart; Though it be but a rock environed with precipices, they have some secret charms which makes them wish well to it, and in the midst of fertile fields, they have a longing for the air they first drew their breath in. Christians are in this particular better grounded then Pilgrims; For they see nothing here below that can equal the beauty of their Country; whatever is presented to their eyes, is but the shadow of that happiness they wait for there: Earth is therefore fruitful, because it receives the influences of Heaven, and all that ravisheth here below, owes its worth to the heat and light of the Sun: Nothing can damage their Country, but its greatness; their understanding is too weak to conceive its Excellency; and, if it be not sufficiently esteemed, 'tis because it is not sufficiently known. Nevertheless 'tis enough to love it to be acquainted, as Saint Augustine saith, that it is a blessed City, whereof the Angels are the Citizens, the Eternal Father the Temple, the Son the Brightness, the Holy Ghost the Love; that 'tis a City where men are never born, nor ever die; where perfect Health banisheth all Sickness; where satiety expels hunger and thirst; where rest admits of no labour; and where we have nothing else to do but to live, reign, and rejoice eternally with God. The Hope of this Happiness sweetens our present discontents, and there is not any Pilgrim or Exile upon Earth, who takes not courage when he thinks that after his tedious wander, he shall enjoy a felicity that nothing can interrupt, nor ever shall have an end.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. That the Christian is a Penitent.  
IF Baptism did wash away self-love together with sin, and the Grace we receive in this Sacrament cleared us of ignorance and weakness, as well as of malice, we might boast, that being innocent, Repentance were useless: But seeing there is no Christian who after his Baptism feels not bad inclinations which carry him to sin, there is none but have need of this virtue, and who after the imitation of the greatest Saints ought not to join the Quality of a Penitent to that of a Sinner: For though light offences rob him not of Grace, he is obliged to be troubled at them, because they are displeasing to God; and as long as he feels rebellions in his soul or in his body, he must have recourse to austerity to stifle them: But if sin make him lose the life he received in Baptism, Repentance must give him a Resurrection; and coming to the relief of this first Sacrament, recover Grace by Sorrow and Contrition.  
Thence it comes to pass, that the Fathers have called Repentance a laborious Baptism, because the sinner is washed thereby in his tears, and obtains that with much difficulty which was easily gained in Baptism: He is obliged to mingle his blood with that of Jesus Christ, and to apply the merits thereof by painful and dolorous works of satisfaction: His whole life ought to be spent in lamentation; 
Poenitentia est Gratia vel virtus qua commissa mala plangimus, & semper odimus & iterum plangenda committere nolumus.  for assoon as he ceaseth to be a Penitent, he becomes a Sinner: For Repentance, according to the opinion of Divines, is a Grace or a Virtue, whereby, often bewailing our sins, we always hate them, and constantly resolve never to commit them again. This definition contains four things, which happily express the nature of Repentance; and remarking what it hath common with other virtues, discovers also what it hath proper and peculiar to itself.  
It is called Grace, because it is the gift of God, and finding us in a crime cannot be an effect of our merits: For in that wretched condition we are rather objects of God's Hatred, then of his Love; and when he delivers, 'tis of his Mercy, and not of his Justice: It is also called a Virtue, because it falls under the Law, combats sin, and obtains our pardon: It seems to belong to Vindicative Justice, because like it it pronounceth sentences, and invents punishments to torture offenders: In a word, it hath no other employment but to prevent the indignation of Heaven, and to oblige it to clemency by its own severity: It enters into the interests of God, chastiseth that in time which he would chastise for Eternity, and endeavours to proportion the correction to the offence of the transgressor. But though in some things it agree with Vindicative Justice, in others it is far different: For Justice is in the Judge, it pronounceth sentence from his mouth, 
Non impunitum erit peccatum meum, sed ideo nolo ut tu me punius quia ego peccatum meum punias. Aug. in Psal. 50.  and borrows the hand of the Officer to put it in execution: Repentance on the contrary is in the offendor, resides in his soul, expresseth itself by his mouth, acts by his hands, and contrary to all Natural and Civil Laws, obligeth the Criminal to condemn and punish himself.  
Justice cannot make sufferings welcome to those that undergo them; though just yet are they compulsive, and did not the Judges use force in their administration, all crimes would pass unpunished: But Repentance by a wonderful dexterity, makes afflictions agreeable, mixeth some sweetness with their severity, and causing the guilty person voluntarily to embrace such penalties, finds an expedient to make them suffer without murmuring: Finally, Justice looks upon the sin in itself, considers only the interests of the state, and provided that by punishing the wicked she may stop the current of Evil, accounts herself sufficiently happy: But Repentance illuminated by the Light of Faith, mounts as high as God, considers his Majesty offended, and full of zeal and love endeavours to satisfy him by punishing the sinner; Thence it comes to pass that 'tis more severe than Justice; and, comparing the Excellency of the Creator with the meanness of the creature, condemns him to sufferings which last as long as life.  
When strength fails, it hath recourse to tears, and gives itself over to sighs to expiate the offences committed. Morality hath observed, that tears serve us in all our passions: Joy hath its tears as well as Grief, and when excessive, hath a spice of groaning: Love cannot avoid them; when the heart is wounded, it bleeds at the eyes; and that Lover had reason to blame the Stoics, who allowed their Scholars to love, but by no means to weep. Mercy is never without Tears, it daily lets fall some drops as witnesses of her compassion: When she cannot relieve the distressed, 
Lacrymis altaria sudant, parca superstitio. Stat.  she bewails them; and this remedy is so common, that when the Pagans made a Goddess of this virtue, the Victims they offered were Tears and Sighs: But if there be any passion which profitably makes use of them, we must confess it to be Sorrow; this affection is better expressed by weeping then speaking; her Tears are more eloquent than her Words, and she gains more victories by her groans then by her reasons. Thence it comes to pass that Repentance being nothing else but a Sorrow for sin, it swims continually in tears, interrupts its prayers with sobbings, 
Purgatorium animae, Baptismus Poenitentium, diluvium pecca. torum. Hiero. Chrys. Greg.  and mingles blood with tears in all its sacrifices: Therefore do the Fathers of the Church call it sometimes the Purgatory of the souls, sometimes the Deluge of sins, sometimes the Baptism of sinners, and sometimes the Bath of Penitents.  
For this reason all those that have gone about to appease the Justice of God, have had recourse to their Tears: David mingled them with his drink, and that famous Penitent watered his Couch with them in the night season: Marry Magdaleu obtained pardon for her sins by that innocent Stratagem, she bedewed the feet of her Master with her tears, wiped them with the hair of her head, and making that instrumental to her Repentance which had been to her Vanity, deserved the glorious name of the Beloved of Christ: But he himself whom we may style a public Penitent, bewailed our sins to expiate them, he mingled his sighs with his words upon the Cross, and for the consummating of his sacrifice, he was pleased that the Victim should be bathed in his blood and in his tears. In the mean time all sinners despise this condition of Repentance, they bewail their miseries, but never weep for their transgressions; and knowing not well how to apply this remedy, vainly sigh for the loss of their honour or their goods, but are never seriously sad for the loss of Grace. Saint Augustin blames himself in his Confessions, that he lamented the death of Dido, but wept not over the death of his soul; that he bestowed some tears upon a woman that loved a man too much, and denied them to a sinner that was deficient in his affection to his God.  
Though Tears make up one part of Repentance, they may be sometimes wiped away; these fountains dry up with time, and there are few sinners who like Saint Peter can bedew their cheeks as often as they call to mind their offences: But they ought always to abominate them, and if there be some truce with their tears, their hatred must have no intermission. The virtues are not always active; inasmuch as they have none but particular enemies, they take their rest when they have either defeated or worsted them: Continence lays aside her arms when she hath mortified the Body; Humility takes some respite when the spirit is tamed; and Patience is satisfied when she hath calmed the motions of anger: But Repentance is a public virtue; whether she make war upon all kinds of sins, revenge the outrages done against God, set upon his enemies, she is never at rest: Her employment is continual; and as long as she sees any remainders of pride or impurity in the soul or body, she spends all her power to stifle them.  
The havoc that sin bathe made in our nature, maintains her in this humour; she cannot away with our irregularities, at sight of them she presently meditates vengeance; and as often as she considers our understanding darkened, and our will depraved, she resents a just indignation which awakens her against the sin. Nothing so much incenseth a Prince against an enemy that hath wasted his state, as when pursuing him with his Troops he sees the Fields desolate, the Towns beaten to the ground, the Villages burnt to ashes, and which way soever he turns himself meets with the marks of the fury of a stranger: Neither does any thing so much set an edge upon Repentance, as when bidding sin battle, she beholds the disorders it hath wrought in sinners, and perceives neither parts in their body nor faculties in their soul which are not out of order: Her just anger reacheth sometimes over the very men, and finding they have taken this Tyrant's part, she animates them against themselves, and making them serviceable to her indignation, changeth their love into hatred, and their pleasures into punishments.  
Indeed every Penitent is his own Judge; he enters into the interests of God; and as if he were elevated above himself, he conceives he hath some right to revenge the former and punish the later. Anger according to the opinion of Saint Augustin is nothing else but a desire of vengeance; and vengeance according to the sense of Tertullian, is only the fruit or effect of anger: But inasmuch as this passion is extremely violent, and that it is a hard matter to keep a just measure when we are Arbitrators in our own cause: God was willing to reserve the disposal thereof to himself: He it is that revengeth the Innocents', and punisheth the Guilty; and among so many things that belong to him, there is none that he is so jealous of as this; Mihi vindictam & ego retribuam: If he give some persons leave to make use of this right, 'tis after he hath made them his Images; and of so many men that people the world, there are none but Kings and Parents that have a power to correct their subjects or their children: But as the Penitent holds the place of God here below, and taketh part in his Interests, he shares also in his Justice and Power; he pronounceth sentence against himself, condemns himself as a Judge, punisheth himself as an Executioner, and being not able to endure himself, dischargeth his fury upon all the parts of his body. He imitates those that are transported with anger; and as they find no vengeance that can satisfy them, nor any punishments that equal their injuries, no more can he any sufferings that content him, nor any chastisements that equal his offences.  
From anger he passeth to hatred, and fully to satisfy the Justice of God, handles himself as a Criminal or as an Enemy; he exerciseth acts of Hostility against his body; and finding nothing more ignominious, nor more cruel than the Cross, condemns himself unto it, and willingly embraceth it: For Saint Augustin teacheth us, that the true Penitent aught to be crucified while he lives; that the Counsels and Precepts of Christ are the nails that must pierce his heart; that every inclination is a foot or a hand that he is bound to fasten to the Cross of Jesus Christ; and that it is a crime to take out the nails as long as we live upon the Earth. The Great Saint Leo is of this mind, and though he were of so mild a spirit, he is so severe in this point, that he cannot judge us worthy to be the Members of the Son of God, if our flesh be not crucified with his: He will not have us the same after Repentance that we were before; but out of a severity which he believes founded upon the Sacrament of our Reconciliation, he will have us put off the old man and put on the new, and renouncing all pleasure, make our body become the Image of Christ crucified.  
When he is arrived to this degree of severity, he hath no more to do but persevere that he may become worthy of the glorious name of Penitent: For the sorrow is not true, unless it be constant; the Repentance is not sincere, unless it be faithful; and he is rather a Deceiver then a Penitent, who having testified some desire of amendment of life, commits with pleasure the offence he had bewailed with grief. Many, saith Saint Augustin, protest that they are sinners, and continue still to sin; This acknowledgement is indeed a Confession, but no Correction; 
Irrisor est non Poenitens qut aduc agit quod poeniteat, & non minuit peccata sua, sed multiplicat. Aug. Ser. 1. de Poen.  they accuse themselves, but they labour not after a cure; and as another Father of the Church adds, they appease not the Divine Justice by their prayers, but provoke him by their insolence: For a man therefore to be truly Penitent, he must lament his sin; in lamenting it, he must punish it; in punishing it, he must hate it; and that this severity may not be reproached as counterfeit, it must last as long as our life; and our forsaking sin with a perseverance in good, must be the certain proof of the Truth of our Repentance.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. That the most glorious Quality of a Christian, is that of a Christian.  
IT is hard to determine, 
Non minus se debere Aristoteli quam Philippo dicebat Alexander. Plut.  Whether we have more obligations to our Tutors, or to our Fathers: for if the one fashions our Body, the other fashions our Mind; if the one give us Life, the other gives us Reason; and if we receive from the one our Riches, from the other we receive our Virtues. Therefore in all Antiquity Disciples bore the name of their Masters as well as of their Fathers; nor were they less jealous of the Learning of those that had instructed them, then of the glory of these that had begotten them. This difference hath no place among Christians; Because, he that gives them Life, gives them Grace; and the same Jesus Christ that hath conceived them in his Wounds, hath taught them in his School: He is the Father and the Master of the Faithful; and as these two Qualities oblige us to bear his Name, they oblige us also to relinquish our own.  
He is jealous of this honour; and whatever part his Ministers take in his advantages, he hath never been willing to let them share in this. The Apostles never transferred their name to their disciples; these faithful servants wrought all their gain for their Master; knowing very well that all their power was derived from him, they laboured only for his glory; and when they had brought forth children, they named them by the name of Jesus Christ, and not their own. They imitated, saith S. Augustine, the Israelites, who, marrying the widow of their brother, made their children bear the name of the dead. Jesus Christ died upon the Cross; his Ministers are his Brethren; and, to accomplish his design, they beget children for him by preaching: but they own him so much respect, that they baptise them in his Name, and call them Christians.  
Inasmuch as this advantage is great, it carries great obligations along with it; and all the Faithful are bound to imitate the Son of God: This honourable Title exacts this duty from them. 'Tis in vain, saith S. Augustine, 
Ex Sacramento Christi descendit hoc nomen, quod ille frustra sortitur qui Christum minime imitatur. Aug.  to denominate themselves from Jesus Christ, if they strive not to conform their life to his. It is lawful for Infidels, that know not the true God, to seek for Patterns among men, because they can find none among the gods; and they may regulate their actions according to the example of the Socrates or Cato's: But 'tis a crime for a Christian to transcribe any other copy then that of Jesus Christ: He that hath form them, aught to guide them; and as his Death is their Glory, his Life must be their Morality.  
I can not endure that the greatest part of Believers should seek for virtue among Heathens, and, dazzled with a false sparkles that decejves them, quit the Humanity of the Son of God, to imitate the Vanity of Pagans: For besides that their virtue hath its imperfections, that Self-love is the Principle, Pride the Soul, and Glory the End thereof, she is accompanied with so many Vices, that, labouring to render them Virtuous, she makes them Criminals. Alexander was valiant, but his Anger made him die his hands in the blood of his Favourites: Pompey was wise, but ambitious: Caesar was merciful, but lascivious: Cato was generous, but he drank many times somewhat too liberally; and, not being able to find consolation in Philosophy, sought it in good company. But neither are the Saints themselves to be our Models any further than they are conformable to Jesus Christ. When S. Paul invites us to follow him, 'tis after he hath assured us that he imitated our Exemplar, and endeavoured to exhibit himself a Copy of that divine Original: Imitatores mei estote, sicut & ego Christi. So that it is the Son of God always whom we look upon; they are his actions that regulate ours, and his Person that serves us for a Pattern.  
For this reason, he chose a life which may minister instruction to all men; and carried himself so, that Rich and Poor, Learned and Ignorant, Bond and Free, may securely imitate him: Had he lived deliciously, 
Talem se in omnibus rebus praebuit, ut oivina clementia quò porrigi, & humana insirmitas quò possit evehi sentiremus. Aug. de util. Cred.  he had disheartened the Miserable: had he conquered Kingdoms, and commanded Armies; had he heaped up Riches, or sought after Dignities, the Poor and Fearful had never followed him: and had he preferred Pleasure before Grief, or Glory before Humility, he had had none but the Ambitious or Voluptuous for his Disciples: But having placed the felicity of the earth in the contempt of Pleasure and Honour, there is none but may be of his School: The Distressed comfort themselves in his sufferings; they endure Persecution with complacency, when they consider his Cross; and finding their strength in his weakness, they are not troubled when afflicted, because they worship a God who was willing to live and die in sorrow: The Great and the Rich also may imitate him: for besides that they may forsake their goods, and instate themselves in a voluntary poverty, they ought not to esteem what Jesus Christ hath undervalved: and if they are fully persuaded that he is the Eternal Wisdom, it becomes them to believe that the condition he hath chosen is the surest and most holy. Thence it came to pass that the Primitive Christians, that had no other Morality than the Life of the Son of God, distributed their goods to the Poor when they entered into the Church; and were of opinion that it was to doubt of the Maxims of their Master, not to follow his Examples.  
Though Piety be now grown cold, we have still light enough to know that the Christian is obliged to contemn Present things, and to hope for Future: He hath not embraced Religion, to find his acquiescence in this world: He is no sooner admitted into the School of Christ, but he learns that the earth is his Banishment, and heaven his Country; nor that he is to make any account of perishable goods, further than they may conduce to the gaining of eternal; he useth his Riches to purchase the glory of heaven, endures persecutions as Trials, embraceth poverty as an Advantage, grief as an Exercise, fasting as a Remedy; and setting no estimate upon things but as they relate to his end, accounts those most beneficial which take him off from the world, and fix him upon Jesus Christ. The true Christian, saith S. Augustine, never need trouble himself to grow rich; if his ancestors have left him any possessions, he ought to account them false, that he may long after true ones, and that the contempt he hath of Those, may raise the opinion he hath of These: For 'tis a certain Maxim, as the same Saint goes on, that the man that loves Earthly goods, hath but little mind towards those of Heaven; and that he that is besotted with the delights of the present world, never dreams of the pleasures of the world to come.  
Finally, the Christian is not Regenerated in the Church, to seek for his happiness upon Earth; he makes no reckoning of what the Wicked possess; and he perceives that Riches and Honours are not the rewards of the Just, 
Non ad hoc sumus Christiani, ut terrenam nobis felicitatem quaetamus, quam plerumque habent latrones & scelerati. Aug.  because God bestows them upon his enemies: He suffers Infidels to reign, to instruct his Disciples; he abandons the fairest part of the world to them that persecute him, to teach us that Heaven is our Patrimony: and as he punisheth not all Crimes here below, neither doth he recompense all Virtues, to persuade us that there is another life where Misery and Happiness are real. Therefore is it that all the Faithful find not here matter of Joy and Rejoicing; they use transitory things with so much discretion, that they no way prejudice those Eternal ones they look for; and believing themselves Pilgrims upon earth, are afraid to meet with some Charm, which, making this Exile too agreeable, may occasion them to lose the remembrance of their dear Country.  
As the Christian ought to contemn Pleasures, so is it his part to prise Sorrow, and to remember that his two Births, though never so different, oblige him equally to suffer. The First exposeth him to the persecution of the Creatures, to the unfaithfulness of the Senses, to the revolt of the Passions; and because Criminal, engageth him in Misery and Suffering, Man is born of a woman, 
Homo natus de muliere, ideo cum reatu: brevi vivens, ideo cum metu: multis repleretur miseriis, ideo cum fleiu. Bern.  saith S. Bernard with Job, therefore is his nativity mixed with shame and sin; and whoever is the son of a woman, is miserable and guilty: he lives but a short time, therefore spends his years in fear, and trembles lest every day should be his last: He is overwhelmed with miseries, therefore he weeps continually; and following the course of the Distressed, endeavours to appease his Judge, or mitigate his Pain, with his tears.  
His Second birth obligeth him to Sorrow: Jesus Christ gave him life upon the Cross, the Church conceived him in Persecution; and his father and mother jointly engage him in the Combat: he is no Christian, if he do not suffer; he is unworthy of so fair a name, if he be not afflicted; nor does he yet believe, if in the midst of his rest he resent no displeasures: For, as S. Augustine saith excellently well, if he be truly faithful, he must be zealous for the glory of Jesus Christ: he cannot see his Person dishonoured, or his Commandments violated, but he is grieved at it. Bad examples trouble him, the Kingdom of Satan torments him, the impiety of his Ministers vexeth him; and when he hath none of these rude trials, his being yet at a distance from heaven, is enough to make him account himself miserable. In the mean time, he hath no other felicity but pain; though he groan, he knows that Delights are more tragical than Discontents: he is glad of persecution, and storming his spirit, changeth his complaint into grateful acknowledgements, because he is persuaded that Virtue is not preserved but by infirmities. For his comfort, he many times entertains himself with this Maxim, he labours to establish himself in the belief of this Paradox, and blesseth afflictions, because, if just, they increase his Merit; if guilty, serve for his Correction.  
And certainly we must confess that in all these dispositions he imitates his Divine Pattern: For, as S. Augustine judiciously observes, the Son of God despised riches, to teach us that they are not solid goods; and chose sorrow, to let us see that they were not true evils: He hath given us no counsel which he hath not practised beforehand; all his admonitions were confirmed by his examples; and knowing very well that actions persuade better than words, he would have his life the pattern of ours. If his Disciples imitate him not, if they fear Afflictions, seek after Pleasures, value Riches, despise Poverty, we must conclude with Saint Augustine, either that they are not Christians, or but bad ones. For, as that incomparable Doctor saith, there are many that bear the name of Believers, and have neither their Faith nor their Virtue: they wrong the Sacraments of the Church, dishonour the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, do despite to his Cross, condemn his Example; and being unwilling to regulate their lives according to his, make it appear he is not their Master, nor they his Disciples: These wretches seek nothing but their Interests; living in themselves, they die to Jesus Christ; and for the highest pitch of misfortune, destroy others in losing themselves. Their Evils become contagious; they corrupt those that come near them; and fight against the designs of the Son of God, engage them in sin that he would deliver from thence: They encroach upon the most eminent of his qualities; and propounding themselves for examples to the Faithful, strive to spread their impiety over the whole Church.  
Let us defend ourselves from their Infection; and seeing we have no other Pattern than Jesus Christ, let us try to regulate our life according to his: Let us imitate his Actions, because they are holy; reverence his Maxims, because true: and that we may be the Copies of this glorious Original, let us esteem those things he esteemed, and despise those things he despised: Let us be poor, because he was born in a Stable, and died upon a Cross: let us not fear Hunger, because he suffered it in the deserts; not tremble at Nakedness, because he had but one garment, and that the Executioners rob him of when they nailed him to the Cross: Let us not be afraid of Persecutions, because he underwent so many during his life; nor let Death terrify us, because that which he chose was as cruel as ignominious: if we himitate him upon Earth, we shall be like him in heaven; if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him; and if we share in his disgraces in Time, we shall partake of his glory in Eternity.    

The Eighth TREATISE. Of the Happiness of a Christian.  

The first DISCOURSE. That every man desires to be Happy; and that he cannot be so but in God.  
IF we may judge of the reasonableness of our desires by their constancy, we must confess there is none more lawful than the passion we express for happiness, because there is none more firm and durable: All others change with time or humour; we cure ourselves of the vain desire of glory, and are persuaded that virtue would be miserable, had she no other recompense but reputation: Age obstructs the desire of pleasure, and when the body is spent with diseases, or weakened with years, we find little relish in those pleasures which solicit none but those who have too much ease or too much health: Avarice itself is not always unsatiable; and when he whom this vice masters, finds his riches no longer serviceable to his designs, he contemns them: Curiosity, and the passionate industry of knowledge grows flat with time; the labour that accompanies it makes men repent of it; 
Beati omnes vivere volumus, nec quisquam est in hominum genere qui non huic sententiae antequam fit plane emissa consentiat. Aug  and there is scarce any man of parts but observes, that the Earth is the mansion neither of Light nor Truth.  
But the desire of Blessedness is immutable; whatever change our condition is liable to, this passion remains fixed in our souls, nor can all the miseries that exercise our patience ever deface it. Ask all people, whose designs are more different than their faces, we shall find they all conspire together in the search of felicity. They may peradventure propound several Ideas thereof, but their desire is one and the same; neither are there any wretches so miserable, who have not a mind to be happy: All conditions of the world agree in this point, and their differences are so many paths, whereby men resolve to arrive at the same end. The Covetous seek felicity in treasures; and as if nature had taught them that plenty attends this state, they never pretend to enrich themselves, but that thereby they may become happy.  
Conquerors seek their felicity in victory; and, because nothing resists man in Beatitude, their aim is in subduing their enemies to subject all things to their power. The Learned are in love with science for no other end, but because they are persuaded that felicity consists in the knowledge of the supreme Verity, and of all others by that light. The Ambitious are passionate for honour, because they have learned that happiness is an Eternal Glory; neither are they to be blamed, because they are desirous of honour, but for that they seek it where they neither can nor aught to find it. The Lascivious do not idolise beauty, but because they have heard that this quality which charms them is inseparable in God from goodness; and had not sin corrupted nature, whatever is comely would infallibly be good.  
Finally, whatever men do, whatever designs they contrive, whatever enterprises they execute, they would fain meet with happiness: If they engage in war, 
Quaerunt in varietate Creaturarum quod amiserunt in unitate Creatoris. Aug.  they seek their happiness in victory; if they agree with their enemies, they fancy it in peace; if they heap up riches, they suppose it in abundance of wealth; if they love women, they are pleased with beauty; and if they pretend to dignities, they place their contentment in glory: The truth is, they are faulty and miserable, because they look for happiness where it is not; and by a blindness which is the punishment of their sin, would find that in the variety of the creatures, which is not where to be found but in the unity of the Creator. Thence it comes to pass, that they spend themselves in desires, form new projects; and never content with what they possess, heap Conquests upon Conquests if ambitious; Treasures upon Treasures if covetous; Novelty upon Novelty if Curious: Their desires are not unjust, because without bounds, but because without prudence; I condemn them not because they are insatiable, but because they are blind, and fix upon objects which entertain their Indigence and Consumption.  
Every one blames Alexander the Great, because he could not bound his Conquests; that he passed from kingdom to kingdom; that the Earth seemed too scant for his ambition; and what contented so many Kings could not satisfy him: But for my own part, I think Divine Providence had a mind to let us see in this Conqueror that there is nothing in the world that can satiate the desires of man, that all the Sceptres of the Universe have not charms enough to make him happy, and that his heart larger than all Empires, can be filled only with God: Indeed inasmuch as God is his Creator, he ought to be his felicity; as he is the Principle of his Being, he must be the object of his Content; and, having given him life by his power, must give him Beatitude by his Goodness.  
It is a question in Divinity, whether man being a reasonable creature can have any other end then his Creator; and whether the Angels who are his superiors in Nature and in Grace, can be the objects of his felicity: But not to engage in the decision of a thing which depends absolutely upon the will of God, I may safely answer with Saint Augustine: 
In rebus à Deo factis tam magnum bonum est natura rationalis, ut nullum fit bonum quo beata sit nisi Deus. Aug. de Nat. bon. cap. 7.  That man in the state he is now in, can have no other end but God. He is too noble, saith that great Doctor, to find his felicity in a creature; he is destined for the supreme good, hath inclinations towards it which cannot be blotted out; He would be wretched, had he not some hope of possessing it; his desires would become his torment, were he not assured there was a possibility of satisfying them; and whatever should be offered him in exchange of the good they would deprive him of, would minister nothing but want and vexation of spirit.  
But if this were an injustice to man, it would be an injury to God: For he hath two qualities whereof he is equally jealous; The first is that of Creator, which he communicates to none; He calls neither Men nor Angels to his aid, when he creates any thing; the distance of Entity from Nonentity is so great, that it cannot be surmounted but by an infinite power, and the creature is too weak to be raised to so high a degree. S. Augustine believes 'tis to violate the respect due to God to imagine that the Angels can become Creators; and God himself who makes use of the Sun to preserve his works, would not make use of it to create them, lest men should ascribe an honour to it, which he reserves for himself. 
Gen. 1.  Indeed we observe in Scripture, that the fruits and flowers, the trees and plants, which own their preservation to the beauties of the Sun, were created two days before this glorious Luminary; that all nature might learn that if it were their Preserver, it never was their Creator.  
The second Quality which God by no means communicates, is, that of the last end: He is so jealous, that he will not have us stay at the creature; 'tis a fault in our Religion to be in love with them: Our love that it may be innocent, must aim directly at God; and whatever action a Christian does, he sins if he propounds himself any other end then his Principle. All the sins of the world are derived from this disorder; men become not Criminals, but because they close with the creature, and of means designed them by God to arrive unto him, make their last end, and their supreme felicity.  
The cause or occasion of this Error comes from this, that the perfections of God are shed abroad in his creatures: For he delineates himself in them when they are produced, and hath been pleased to make them his Portraitures or his Images. The Sun is an effusion of his Light; The Heaven which encloseth the Universe is an image of Immensity; The Earth which is centred upon its own weight, represents us his Constancy; the fields laden with fruits and adorned with flowers, are the marks of his beauty; and all the perfections that are dispersed in the several works of his hands, are the rivulets of this Ocean, or the rays of this Sun. Thence it comes to pass, that sinners preserving in the root of their inclinations an appetite for the supreme good, fasten upon every thing that represents it; and preferring the Copies before the Original, court the creature, and keep at distance from the Creator.  
But if their blindness make them wander, their misery reclaims them, and they learn by woeful experience that God only can cure them of their maladies. Man's desires arise either from his weakness or from his want; he covets what he stands in need of, nor hath he ever recourse to wishes, but when the things that he hath a mind to are out of his power. Both these appetites cannot be satisfied with the possession of the Creature: If the beauty that sparkles upon a face please our eyes, it cannot charm our ears; if riches protect us from poverty, they cannot secure us from grief; if glory have a powet to draw an ambitious man out of infamy or contempt, it cannot deliver him from obloquy or envy; and if Crowns and Sceptres exempt Kings from servitude, they cannot guard them from death: Thus in whatever condition men find themselves, they are obliged to ascend above the creatures, to seek for him, who being the Fountain of all good, is also the remedy against all evil; and with David to beg of him their cure and deliverance, De necessitatibus meis erue me.  
Being the supreme Power, he can free them from all their infirmities; being a Light without the least shadow, he can dispel all darkness; being the the Prime Verity, 
Jam non novimus bonum nisi promereri Deum & ad illa produci quae promisit: nec f●icitas hujus saeculi facit nos Beatos, nec adverfitas miseros. Aug. in Psal. 128.  he can disengage them from Error and Falsehood; being Fountain of Life, he can draw them out of the bosom of death; and to conclude all in one word, being the supreme Felicity, he is able to deliver them from all their miseries: When they hope for him, they are courageous; when they desire him, they are reasonable; when they possess him, they are happy. The sight of his Divine Essence satisfies all their wants, remedies all their evils, and contents all their desires; the belief they have by faith, the expectation they conceive by hope, gins their felicity here below: It is true that as the supreme Good cannot be fully known upon Earth, neither can happiness be perfect here; and being never entirely possessed in the region of mortality, there are always miseries to be undergone and languish to be endured.   

The Second DISCOURSE. That the perfect Felicity of a Christian cannot be found in this world.  
HE was not much mistaken, who considering that the Earth stood between Heaven and Hell, said, it held something of both these extremes: Indeed Pleasure is here mixed with Grief, Light confounded with Darkness, Plenty attended with Want, and men are happy and miserable both together. But certainly we must confess, that since the Earth was cursed for the sin of man, it partakes more of the qualities of Hell then of Heaven: For besides that all things here are in a confusion; that the seasons are irregular; that the Elements bid us battle; that the wild Beasts either persecute us or despise us; it is certain that Felicity is not to be met with here below, and that man is exceedingly more miserable than happy.  
All the world confesseth that Beatitude consists in the knowledge of the Supreme Good, and that no man can be truly content who is not acquainted with this prime Verity from whence all the rest flow as from their Fountain. Profane Philosophy says the same concerning this Maxim, neither hath she any Masters or Scholars, who make not this confession, that as the mind is more noble than the body, 'tis in the operations of that, not in the senses of this that Beatitude is to be sought for. In the mean time Earth is the habitation of obscurity; we know God but in an Enigma; we have only doubts and conjectures of his Greatness; and though we are fully persuaded of his Existence, we are altogether ignorant of his Essence.  
If we consult our senses, they cannot inform us of his Divine perfections; and having neither shape nor colour, our eyes nor our ears cannot tell us notice of him. If our spirit reflect upon itself, and elicit some act to know its Author in knowing itself, it finds that the images it produceth are but Idols or phantasms, and that the apprehensions it conceives of him are only mistakes and falsehoods. If Faith step in to the relief of the Understanding, and obliging it to renounce its proper light, clarify it with what she brings, 'tis with so much obscurity that it hath more merit than satisfaction in its obedience. I know very well that this virtue raiseth man, abstracts him from sense, gives him admittance into the light of God himself, neither can he complain that reasoning is denied him being prepared for an Intelligence: But certainly she pays him these advantages with usury: For he believes without knowing, gives his senses the lie, condemns his reason, and obligeth himself to die for those truths he cannot yet understand. Thus man is never happy in this world, and whatever certainty he have of the mysteries of our Religion, he will never attain to an evidence of them.  
From this misfortune there arrives a second, which is no whit less considerable; For inasmuch as the Understanding is the Gandle of the soul which enlightens the will, 
Nolunt homives facere quod justum est, sive quia latet, sive quia non delectat. Aug.  and this blind faculty loves things according to the rate she knows them; she never fully embraceth the Supreme Good, because she never perfectly knows it. There is something always wanting to her love, and to her happiness; her possession is continually imperfect, nor are her desires ever without discontent: whatever taste she hath of felicity, it rather sets an edge upon her love then any way appeaseth it; and whatever pleasure she finds in transitory and perishable goods, she feels by experience they may possibly divert her, but no ways content her: Their scantness causeth her indigence; she continually changeth objects, striving to find that in one which she cannot meet with in another; she is like the Bees who sip upon all flowers to taste the dew that drops from heaven; and being wearied with the various turn and wind of the world, is obliged to confess that Beatitude is found no where but in God, but he is neither met with, nor enjoyed upon Earth.  
I proceed, and say, that should he suffer himself to be seen by his creature in the condition whereto sin hath reduced him, it would prove rather a ground of fear and astonishment, then of love and satisfaction. There is so little proportion between God and Man, that the one must needs be abased, or the other greatly exalted, that there may be some commerce between them: The Majesty of God must be clouded by some allay of condescension, and man's weakness strongly heightened by some gracious endowment; or certainly, the presence of God which is the felicity of the Angels in Heaven, would occasion the misery of man upon Earth. The Scripture tells us, we cannot see him and live, his aspect is formidable, his splendour dazzles our eyes, his greatness chides our curiosity, neither can we behold this Sun but we are in danger of losing our life together with our sight. The righteous in the Old Testament repent their seeing him, and though he temper his Majesty to accommodate it to our weakness, they conceive this favour must be followed with their death: Deum vidimus, moriemur.  
But should his Almightiness be proportionable to our misery, and this Divine Sun like that of the Poets, 
Vbi metus est, ibi nulla vera felicitas. Sen.  lay by his rays that we may approach it, the state of Earth would not suffer his presence to make us happy: For our felicity that it may be true, must be constant; if we are not sure to keep the good we possess, the apprehension of losing it traverseth our contentment, and mingles restlessness with our pleasure. Fear more afflicts us then the enjoyment can delight us; we resent misery in the midst of felicity, and we find our happiness of the nature of those colours of the Chameleon, that perish with the object that produceth them. So then, there is nothing durable in the world; the noblest creatures are all subject to change; whatever is possessed, may be lost: The Soul, though Immortal, is not Immutable; she that cannot die, can sin: and though Grace be an emanation of Glory, it hath neither its constancy nor duration: it is a kind of Miracle that God works in favour of his Elect, 
Qui se putat stare, videat ne cadat. Phil. 2.  when he confirms them in Grace: and though he give them assurance of their salvation, he exempts them not from our miseries and infirmities. And this is the last Reason I intent to make use of, to let you see that the Earth is not the habitation of the Blessed.  
All those that form any Idea of Happiness, acknowledge that as it comprehends all Good, it ought to exclude all Evil: did it not include all of one sort, it would not be perfect; and did it not expel all of the other, it would be miserable. In the mean time, the Earth is the region of Poverty: Goods are very scarce, but Evils come in crowds: He that possesseth Riches, languisheth after Honour; he that reigns in a Kingdom, does not always bear rule in his Person; and if he triumph over his Enemies, he seldom triumphs over his Passions: He that baths himself in Pleasures, is drowned many times in Sin; and he that is upon good terms with Fortune, is for the most part at odds with Himself. Thus all men are miserable, because they are indigent; nor does the condition of their present life suffer them to associate all good things together, to compose a perfect felicity.  
It happens also, by a necessary consequence, that there are a thousand Evils from which they cannot defend themselves: Their souls and their bodies are equally disposed to grief: these two Delinquents, which forsake not one another in the Sin, share in the Punishment; and Earth, preventing Hell, torments them both for company. The Body bears an enemy in the bowels of it that devours it; the natural heat that inanimates it, consumes it: This wretched mother brings forth two Maladies, which, though natural, are notwithstanding mortal, if there be not some speedy remedies applied: For Hunger and Thirst are punishments that cannot be avoided; these two executioners harrase all the children of Adam: and when the Son of God was incarnate, he suffered their assaults: he was hungry in the deserts, thirsty in Samaria; and the blood which the stripes and nails drew from his veins, made him utter that word upon the Cross which expressed his Thirst as well as his Love, Sitio.  
The evils which arise from our Constitution, are accompanied with others that arise from the confusion of the Universe: Heat and Cold persecute us, Summer and Winter bid us battle; the Seasons grow irregular to make us suffer, and the Elements jar to destroy us: Our State is nothing now but a Country of enemies or strangers; our Subjects either know us not, or contemn us; and this place, which was heretofore the Threatre of our Glory, is now the Scaffold of our Punishment.  
Inasmuch as the Soul is more culpable than the Body, she is also more miserable; 
Corpus hoc animae pondus est, & poena prement illa urgetur, in vinculis est. Sen. ep. 65.  she suffers her own evils, and those of the body too; she resents her own pains, and those of her slave: her Temple is changed into a Prison; her Host is become her Enemy; nor is she less busied to subdue her Senses and her Members, then to guide her Passions and her Faculties: whatever attempt she make to procure peace in her State, there are four miseries which she can never provide against. The First is the revolt of the Passions, which always disturb her rest: Love and Hatred appear without her leave; the first gets up by desires, and hopes to be joined to the object that gives it birth: If he meet with any opposition to his designs, he makes use of Anger and Boldness to master it; if he be victorious, he triumphs with Joy; if defeated, he falls into despair, and is wholly given over to grief. Hatred imitates Love; she calls in the Passions to her aid that hold of her Empire; and having discovered her enemy, removes for fear, if too weak, or sets upon him with anger, if she conceive herself strong enough: When her enterprise succeeds well, she triumphs as well as Love; and when her endeavours are frustrated, she also sinks into despair and sadness. But that which is most troublesome in all these disorders, is, that they rebel in spite of Reason, and the soul is forced to suffer these insurrections which she cannot help.  
The Second misery she is sensible of, is the irregularity of her actions: though she consult with Prudence and Justice, though she keep a mediocrity which constitutes Virtue, she steps aside many times from her duty, and, under specious pretences, falls into vicious extremes: Sometimes she is too indulgent, or too severe in punishing: sometimes she is too reserved, or too lavish in her presents; sometimes she is too cowardly, or too hardy in her combats: 
Non est expectanda sinceritas veritatis à sensibus corporis: nihil est enim sensibile, quod non habeat fimile falso. Aug.  so that many times it falls out she commits a Crime, when she thinks to practise a Virtue.  
The Third misery which she can hardly avoid, is, Error and Illusion: For being a prisoner in the Body, seeing nothing but through the Senses, and so compelled to make use of these unfaithful messengers, she is oftener engaged in a lie then in truth; and is so badly informed of what she ought to love or hate, that for the most part she confounds Good with Evil, Vice with Virtue.  
But the Fourth misery, inseparable from her condition, and contrary to her felicity, is, the weakness she resents in all her enterprises: if she think to conquer Temptations, she sinks under them; if she thinks to mount up to heaven by holy contemplations, her body like a clog weighs her down to the earth; if she strive to combat her Inclinations, she finds her Senses favouring their party, and that she hath as many Enemies as she believes herself to have Subjects. In the midst of so many miseries, she hath only one consolation, that Grace is sufficient to make her victorious: Sufficit tibi gratia mea: But these words that comfort her, teach her that the earth is not the mansion of Happiness, because it is the Pitched Field where we must win the Victory to deserve the Triumph.   

The Third DISCOURSE. That the Christian tastes some Happiness here below.  
THough the earth be not the habitation of rest, and all the children of Adam are condemned to labour since the sin of their father; yet fail they not to taste some Pleasure among their Sorrows. The Divine Justice tempers its Chastisements with some Graces; Mercy steps to the relief of these wretches; and the merits of Jesus Christ obtain favours for them, which are not only the Pledges, but the Antepasts of Felicity: Enjoyment is mixed with Hope in our souls; the same advantages that make us hope for Glory, give us a title to possess it; and the Virtues which make us Saints, render us in some sort Blessed.  
Faith is the first virtue that unites us to Jesus Christ; she that initiates us into his Mysteries, that enrolls us of his Family, makes us the Subjects of his State, and the Members of his Mystical Body: It clarifies our Understanding, in subjecting it; imparts some Flames together with its Lights that warm our Will, and gain our consent to the belief of those Verities that surpass our apprehension. But it's principal and most wonderful effect, is, to make Jesus Christ present in our souls, and to give us a taste here below of the felicity of Angels: for these Spirits are therefore happy, because they are the Thrones of God, lodging their Sovereign in the innermost recesses of their Essence, 
Ambula per fidem ut pervenias ad patriam; species non laetisicat in Patria, quem fides non consolatur in via. Aug.  and are most intimately possessed by him who is infinitely distant from the Wicked. Now the Faithful partake of this happiness with them: Jesus Christ dwells in their hearts by Faith; and S. Paul tells us that those that believe in him possess him: Christum habitare per fidem in cordibus vestris.  
S. Augustine, who so happily expresseth the words of this great Apostle, assures us that this virtue hath the power to fill us with Jesus Christ; that it makes Heaven stoop, and Earth ascend; and uniting the Faithful with the beautified, in some sort equals their different conditions. It is a kind of Miracle, that Faith, which believes only things distant and obscure, should make us see and possess them, enlightening us by their darkness, and giving us an approach to them by their remoteness. For, as S. Augustine saith, when we believe in Jesus Christ, we have Jesus Christ in us: This virtue makes him present in our souls; and the belief we conceive of him, is his other self in our hearts. Thus the Believer is happy because he possesseth the Son of God; and is possessed by him as long as he preserves a virtue which so closely unites them together.  
Hope, which is bred with Faith, increaseth this happiness, and makes our condition more resemble that of the Blessed: For, that which seems most to separate them from us, is, that they enjoy that happiness we expect, that they languish not as we do, and that they have received seizin of the Supreme Good we still hope for: They feel the truth of that speech the Scripture hath recorded for our consolation, Intra in gaudium Domini tui. Their Desires disturb them not; and Fear, which always accompanies Hope, troubles not their content: They are above all their wishes; and being in full possession of the Supreme Good, have neither Miseries to fear, nor Blessings to desire.  
It is true, the Believers enjoy not all these privileges; neither does their condition suffer them to live without apprehensions and long: They work out their salvation with trembling; 
Ille bene novit in miseriis exterioribus subsistere qui scit de spe interna semper gaudere. Greg. Mora.  and as they possess not all that they love, they give themselves leave gently to consume away in the flames and desires of their Love. But withal, we must confess they have a part of this felicity: for all Philosophers know that Hope is the flower of Pleasure, that it gives a taste of the pleasure it promiseth, that, to stir up the appetite of our Soul, it indulgeth a kind of sense of the felicity prepared for us, and that the strength she inspires us with, proceeds from the sweetness she charms our expectation with. I know profane Authors affirm that the overtures of Hope are but pleasing Lies, 
Spes vigilantium somnium. Plut.  that she engageth us in dangers with vain promises; and finding us over-easy, abuseth our credulity: But the sounder sort of Philosophers acknowledge that Hopes animates us, sow's pleasures amidst our pains, nor ever carries men on to generous and difficult actions, but in making them taste a part of the recompense she promiseth.  
But admit this Passion had not all the power attributed to her, we must by no means question it as belonging to that Hope which is grounded upon the words of God: This confers things in promising them, makes us feel the happiness we expect: and as the Air and the Winds carry the Odours of Arabia into the neighbouring Provinces, we may say that this virtue carries the felicity of the Beatified into the very heart of the Faithful. Thence it comes to pass that Saint Paul many times in his Epistles mingles Joy with Hope; as if he would teach us, that we cannot hope but we must possess in part what we hope for; Spe gaudentes: and in another place, Gloriamur in spe gloriae filiorum Dei. Finally, if it exclude not all Evils, as Beatitude does, at least it sweetens them, and turns them into remedies: S. Gregory goes further: for he will have it happy, because certain; and wiping away the tears of Christians, crowns them with a joy which comes near that of the Angels.  
Inasmuch as Charity is nobler than Hope, she contributes more liberally to the Happiness of the Faithful: For, besides that it makes the holy Trinity present in their souls, renders their Exile a Paradise, she unites them to God, and by a happy Metamorphosis finds out an expedient to transform them into him. All the world knows that love is the tye of hearts, and that his principal effect is to unite together all the Subjects that live under his Empire: To accomplish this design, he equals their conditions, debaseth great persons, and exalteth mean ones, enricheth the poor, and impoverisheth the rich, sets slaves at liberty, and makes Masters slaves: But Charity effects all these things more happily then profane love; she humbles the Almighty without interessing his Greatness; obligeth him to comply with our weakness; 
Quis me amavit & non ad me pervenit, quisquis me quaerit cum ipso sum: ipse amor tibi praesentem me facit. Aug.  and reduceth him to a condition wherein he enters into commerce with us, not dazzling us with his light, nor astonishing us with his Majesty: He infuseth himself into our souls by grace, is linked to us by his love, and in this union communicates to us all his Divine Qualities: For he lifts us above ourselves to transform us into him; draws us out of our misery to make us capable of his happiness, and takes from us our own affections, to give us admittance into his inclinations: when we are arrived to this height of perfection, we behold all earthly things under our feet; we breathe nothing but Heaven; we discourse only of the subject of our love; and we are so perfectly filled with him, that we may say without offence, our desires are alike, our conditions equal, and our interests common.  
Though all Christians cannot pretend to this high degree of Happiness, it seems yet that having the Grace of Jesus Christ, they have one part of that felicity which the Saints possess by Charity: For in the judgement of all Divines, Grace is Glory begun, Glory Grace consummated: the former gives that a being here below, which the second finisheth above, and maugre all the miseries that afflict the children of Adam, makes us find Happiness in the midst of our sorrows: 'Tis perhaps upon this ground that Saint Paul calls Grace Eternal Life, Gratia Dei vita aeterna; and insinuates to all Christians, that being Saints here below, they are already Blessed. 
Beatitudo in quodam illapsu Divinae Essen. tiae intra animam consistit. Henri. à Gau.  Indeed Essential Felicity consists in a certain emanation of Divinity into the substance of the soul; when she as the iron by the fire, is penetrated therewith, she happily loseth her own qualities to assume those of God; she is swallowed up in this Ocean of Glory; and having no longer any thing of mortal nor humane, is entirely Immutable and Divine: What Glory operates in the Blessed, Grace works proportionably in the Faithful; she sheds abroad the Divine Essence in their souls, communicates to them a new being, and changing their nature and condition, makes Gods of them which may die indeed, because they may sin, and being not inseparable from the Supreme Good, are not yet fully impeccable.  
Nevertheless Divines confess, that as Grace is a participation of the Divine Nature, it communicates Immortality as well as Sanctity, and the life it produceth in our souls, carries along with it no principle of death. The life of the body is not a true life, because the same elements that preserve it, destroy it; and the corruption that accompanies it, leads it insensibly to a dissolution. But the life of Grace is exempt from this misfortune; it carries Eternity along with it, and were it not engaged in a subject changeable and obnoxious to mutability, it would be as Immortal as it is Holy.  
Let us add to this advantage that Grace cannot be taken from us against our will; 'tis a treasure we never lose but by our own default: Perishable goods cannot be preserved with all our care; cunning or violence may rob us of them; and whatever prudence we use to keep them, we are many times constrained to fear or feel the loss of them: Calumny takes away our good name; Injustice or misfortune spoils us of our riches; a disease deprives us of health, and death of life: All these goods though precious, cannot avoid the disasters that threaten them: The Innocent lose their honour as well as the Guilty; The rich are as much afraid of sickness as the poor; nor are Kings more secure from death then their Subjects. But Grace is a good which cannot be taken from us without our consent; 
Potes aurum perdere, & nolens, potes & domum: bonum autem quo bonus es, nec invitus accipis, nec invitus amittis. Au.  There is no violence can plunder us of it; and men though in league with the Devils, cannot make us lose it, if we favour not their design by our weakness.  
This is the difference Saint Augustine hath put between earthly goods and heavenly: Those are many times lost in spite of the owners, these are never lost but by the fault of those that neglect them: so that the condition of the Faithful is very little inferior to that of the Blessed; because that if the one be certain their glory shall never have an end, the others are sure their Grace shall never be lost, unless they will not preserve it out of malice, or not consent to secure it out of cowardice: Indeed inasmuch as they know that their wills are impotent, and their inclinations bad, they place all their confidence in the mercy of God; they hope that he that converted them, will make them persevere; and having assisted them in the combat, will crown them in the trumph.   

The Fourth DISCOURSE. That Happiness consists not in Pleasure, but in Grief.  
OF all the Sects which have opposed Truth, the most dangerous is that of the Epicures; For though base and unjust in that it gave the Body pre-eminence over the Mind, and Pleasure the right hand of Virtue; Nevertheless it surprised men at first sight, and seduced them by a name which bears some analogy with that of felicity: For whatever Idea men fashion of this, it is impossible to separate it from Pleasure, and very easy to confound them together. We cannot imagine such a thing as the supreme Good, but we must conceive it agreeable; nor can we persuade ourselves that there is felicity where there is not content.  
This hath procured more Disciples to this shameful Sect, then to all the rest, and made it triumph over the reason of the Academics, and the supercilious vanity of the Stoics: Allsinners took part with this Philosophy; Christian Religion which destroyed Idolatry, hath not been able to ruin this, and the Church bears those in her bosom who boast themselves Christians, but are indeed Epicures. The whole world courts pleasure by different addresses; 'Tis the Idol that hath most Altars, and receives most Sacrifices. The Ambitious are her slaves, they adore Voluptuousness under the name of Glory, and suffer themselves to be charmed by the allurements that attend a great reputation: The Covetous are her Votaries, they offer Incense to this false Deity; they seek for pleasure in the arms of profit; nor do they so much dote upon riches, because profitable, as because agreeable.  
Indeed the Supreme Good is inseparable from pleasure; and as you cannot see the Sun but must be enlightened, no more can men behold the Supreme Good without being charmed. 
Delectatio ex fruitione summi boni necessario sequitur. Aug.  If delectation be but a consequence of Happiness, as some Philosophers affirm, it is at least necessary; and I account it no more impossible to see God, and not love him, then to love and see him without receiving contentment in him. Therefore the error of the Epicures consists not in placing Beatitude in Pleasure, but in placing pleasure in the body, because man being compounded of a body and a mind, aught to be happy in both these parts. Let us combat this Monster, which against nature destroys not men, but because he flatters them; nor is dangerous, but because he is over complacent.  
There is no body but confesseth that Beatitude consists in a union with God, by means of the understanding and the will: we must renounce reason to oppose this truth, and cease to be men to doubt of a Maxim authorised by all profane Philosophy. God is the Ultimate End of his creatures, and consequently their perfect Happiness; The Understanding and the Will are the two noblest faculties of the soul, the wings that make her soar aloft, and the chains that fasten her to the object she loves; so that she is never more happy than when united to the Supreme Good by Knowledge and Love; whatever hinders this union, is contrary to it; and whatever separates or removes her from God, is the enemy of her felicity.  
It is easy thence to infer that sensual pleasures cannot cause our felicity, because they suffer not our souls to be united to God, and embark her so strongly in the flesh, that she seems to have lost all the qualities of a spirit. Impurity produceth store of miseries in the world, nor can we invent too many invectives against a sin that defiles a man, and of an Angel makes a Beast: But the greatest of its enormities is, that it inebriates our soul with its poison, and makes us lose the remembrance of all Divine things: Nothing pleaseth the slaves it tyrannizeth over, but sensuality; whatever affects not the senses, seems not true; they take the pleasures of the mind for mere illusions; and as if the glory of Heaven were but a fable, or an imposture, they are less affected with the consideration of them, then reasonable men with the reading of Romance.  
This misfortune produceth another; For as pleasure separates men from God, it fastens them to the creatures their inferiors, and debasing them below themselves, 
Quisquis quod seitso est deterius sequitur, fit & ipse de. erior. Aug.  communicates the bad qualities of the things they  upon. Love is a kind of medley, it confounds those subjects it unites, and by a wonderful Chemistry makes them pass one into another. Thence it comes to pass that Kings become Slaves when they love their Subjects, and renounce their power when abandoned to dalliance: They fall from their Greatness when they engage in an affection; and as the noblest metals lose their purity when mixed with those of a base allay, Sovereigns quit their Majesty when allied with their Subjects. Thus the man who gluts himself with the pleasures of the body, renounceth the privileges of the mind, betrays his duty and his dignity, despoils himself of the inclinations of Angels, and puts on those of Beasts; and without changing his shape, changeth condition and nature.  
But inasmuch as most men are led more by interest then reason, and those that are the slaves of pleasure are more sensible of grief than shame and dishonour; it will not be amiss in this Discourse to let them see that the pleasures after which they so eagerly run, are very tragical, and contrary to their intention, are turned into punishments. The Divine Justice which leaves no crime unpunished, hath been pleased that diseases should be natural penances, and that the Stone and the Gout should be the recompense of our debauches: Seeing sensual pleasures are commonly criminal, they are for the most part irregular; having shaken off the yoke of reason, they cast men into excess, and persuade them that 'tis a kind of injustice and base servility to prescribe Laws to their desires: abused by these false sophisms, they pursue their inclinations without keeping any measure in their diversions; they are drowned in delights, are lost in voluptuousness, and draining their strength and their substance, fall many times into diseases and poverty: Thus by a just judgement of Heaven their disorders become their torments, 
Ipsos voluptas habet, non ipsi voluptatem; cujus aut inopiâ torquentur, aut copiâ strangulantur; miseri si deseruntur ab illa, miseriores si obruantur. Sense.  and they find sorrow where they expected felicity.  
If to defend themselves from this misfortune, they observe some rules in their pleasures, they feel another punishment: For these pleasures being short, their soul is always languishing; they have scarce done with one, but they long for another; and living always in expectation or inquiry, can neither be secure from restlessness nor discontent: Those who to remedy this evil, endeavour to associate pleasures, undertake an impossibility: For whether nature intent to punish us, because we are culpable, or whether Grace be not willing to expose us to danger, because we are weak, Pleasures hold not so good intelligence as Pains: These set upon us in a full body, and join companies to render us wretched: the Stone, the Gout, the Colic, and the Palsy, conspire together to exercise our patience: whatever opposition these diseases may have, they agree to ruin us; and we many times behold distressed spectacles who have no part of their body free from torment: But Pleasures are divided; Self-love, with all its subtleties, cannot reconcile them; the Birth of one is the Death of another; and experience teacheth us, that we have more strength to endure Griefs, then to support pleasures: when these slow in upon us with full tide, they stifle us; when they succeed, they make us droop and languish; and when they recompense their shortness by their excess, they reduce us to complaints and groan.  
From all this Discourse we may conclude, that bodily pleasure is an enemy to our happiness, that it removes us from God, engageth us in the Creature, obligeth us to partake of their imperfections, and is followed with misery and indigence. Therefore, following the rule of Contraries, we shall not have much ado to persuade ourselves, that Felicity may be found in Grief, and that the Christian is never more happy than when he is afflicted for Christ's sake.  
For the understanding of this Paradox, we must remember that all earthly goods are only mediums whereby to gain those of heaven: that which leads us the safest way thither, is the best; neither is the Christian ever nearer his happiness, then when he is in the way that soon leads him thither. Now there is no man so little skilled in our mysteries, but knows that Grief is the surest and the speediest way to arrive at heaven; 
Cohaeredes autem Christi; si tamen compatimur, ut simul & conglorificemur. Rom. 8. Si sustinemus & conregnabimus. 2 Tim. 2.  'tis the path Christ hath marked out with his Blood, that whereby he entered into his Greatness, that which all the Martyrs have gone: and the Scripture teacheth us in a hundred places, that Glory is dispensed according to the measure of Sorrow; that they that have suffered most upon earth, shall be the happiest in heaven.  
One of the most remarkable differences between Christian Grace and Original Righteousness, is, that this guided man to his happiness thorough a way strewed with roses and lilies; the means were proportioned to the end, and seemed as an Antepast or Earnest thereof; He arrived to Glory by Honour, to Pleasure by Delights, to Plenty by Riches: He had reigned over Beasts, before he reigned with Angels: he had passed from one Paradise to another; and had been happy upon Earth, before he had been so in Heaven. But now Providence hath changed its conduct over men; and, whether it have a mind to chastis their Rebellion, or to wean them from the World, or to make them conformable to their Head, it leads them by difficult ways, thorough paths rugged with thorns, and environed with precipices: The means it indulgeth to bring them to their end, are contrary to it; and, to make its proceeding admired, they are guided to Life thorough the valley of Death, to Liberty thorough Servitude, to Light thorough Darkness, to Pleasure thorough Pain. All the Morality of a Christian propoundeth nothing but Crosses; its Virtues are austere, its Counsels difficult, its Commands harsh; and had it not found the means to sweeten all these anxities by Charity, it would reduce the Faithful to despair: For it obligeth them to hate Themselves, and to love their Enemies; orders them to forsake their Riches and their Parents; 
Fides non habet meritum, ubi humana ratio praebet experimentum. Greg.  to believe without knowledge, obey without discerning, love without interest, pardon without resentment, live without pleasure, and die without regret.  
All the Maxims of their Master confirm this Truth: for he prefers the Poor before the Rich, declares the Afflicted happy, canonizeth them that suffer, and promiseth his Kingdom to them that weep: he practised what he taught; his whole life was spent in labours, or affronts; he was born in a Stable, died upon a Cross, lost his Honour with his Life: nor did his Father glorify him, till his Enemies had loaded him with reproaches and sorrows. All his Apostles followed his steps; they preached his doctrine with the hazard of their lives, signed it with their blood, sealed it with their death, rendered up their souls among torments; nor is there any torture the cruelty of men hath not invented, to weary their Patience, and trample upon their Courage.  
All his faithful disciples seek for Grief in the Rest of the Church; they find Persecution in Penance, are their own executioners, and their whole life is an imitation of Martyrdom: they provide for the Prison by Solitude, dispose themselves for Banishment by removing from their Country, prevent the loss of their goods by Alms, grow hardened against Stripes by Discipline, grow acquainted with Hunger by Fasting, and learn to die in Torments, mortifying themselves by Austerities. Nothing more heartens them then the example of their Head; his Agonies sweeten their Sorrows; they count themselves happy to suffer for his glory who suffered for their salvation; and observing his whole life, find their strength in his death, and their recompense in his resurrection.   

The Fifth DISCOURSE. That Happiness is rather found in Poverty then in Riches.  
THe inclination we have for the Supreme Good is so strong, that sin hath not as yet been able to deface it: The Privation there of increaseth the desire; and as Health is never more lovely then in the region of Sickness, neither is Happiness ever more acceptable then in the confines of Misery: Nevertheless we must not always take counsel of this, nor follow the advice it always gives us: for when we lie under an affliction, we are easily persuaded 'tis ever more dolorous, and the good it deprives us of exceedingly more considerable. Thus we see those that are fallen into disgrace, look upon Glory as the supreme felicity; those that live in Poverty, imagine Riches the true happiness.  
Thence it comes to pass that Poverty being a very common misfortune, the opinion that placeth happiness in Plenty is an ordinary error. All men would be rich; this passion stealeth into all different conditions; and those that speak most pompously of the contempt of earthly goods, 
Est intolerabilis res poscere nummos & contemnere, & pecuniam sub gloria paupertatis quarere. Sen.  are those that most greedily cover them. It seems the evils that Want hath clogged them with, provokes their desires; and the fear of realpsing makes them of all men most penurious: Rich men soothe themselves with this belief, out of another consideration: and because they see that Riches are the means to satisfy their desires, that they open the gate of Honour with a golden-key, corrupt the integrity of Judges and the chastity of women with silver, they erect altars to a Goddess that prospers all their unjust designs. Morality furnisheth us with Reasons to ruin this error; and Religion will afford us Maxims to persuade Christians, that if there be any shadow of felicity upon earth, it is rather found in Poverty then in Plenty.  
One of the most splendid conditions of the Supreme Good, is, that it is the centre of our Love, and the end of our Desires: That which leaves us any thing to wish, is not true; and because it fully takes not up our heart, it possesseth not all perfections: This obligeth us to despise riches, and to condemn those worldings that would establish their felicity in them. For if they bear the name of Goods, 'tis an unjust title they usurp, because for the most part they are means Nature hath furnished us with to procure what we stand in need of. The use of Riches is for Commerce; we give them in exchange for the commodities we would have; and if sometimes we keep them, 'tis to make use of them in our necessities. Thus Riches are extremely different from the Supreme Good, which, being once possessed, is never forsaken; and is so the last end of Man, that it can never be a medium to arrive at any other more excellent.  
All Philosophers confess that Felicity is a thing so intimately annexed to the Creature, that it penetrates him thorewout; and so closely united to him, that it cannot be separated: If it have not these two conditions, Man will never be perfectly happy; there will be some faculty of his soul which unsatisfied will remain languishing; and when they shall all enjoy a contentment, he will still be liable to fear, lest haply he may be despoiled of the Good he possesseth: Now Riches want one of these two conditions; they surround us but no ways inform us; they are in our coffers, but enter not into out hearts we commit the keeping of them to our servants; and we are constrained to aband on our felicity as often as we take a journey.  
This misfortune causeth another: For, being not under safe custody, they are exposed to pillage: Injustice and violence may plunder us of them: and though Gold be the sinews of War, 'tis in his power that hath the best Sword to take it from us. Thus Riches create Fear, expose their masters or their slaves to danger; and whatever succour they promise, procure us more ill than they bring good.  
But should they be as good as their word, and were it easy for us to keep them, yet could they not give us a protection from the evil whereof they boast themselves the remedy: 
Cum dicitur nihil illi deest, attend; si nihil cupit nihil deest; si autem adhuc cupit, accesserunt divitiae ut egestas cresceret. Aug.  For if there be any misery in the world which Riches can cure us of, it must be Poverty: It seems, as soon as they enter into a house, they banish Want; and that 'tis impossible to be rich and poor both together: In the mean time, experience teacheth us that Riches introduce Poverty, that they inflame our desires, sharpen our disease under a pretence of mitigating it; and, for our punishment, beget indigence in our hearts, at the same time that they occasion plenty in our house. All profane Philosophy hath acknowledged this Truth; and the Stoics have confessed it, that the most biting poverty was that which we suffer in the midst of our Riches.  
This just judgement hath two causes: The first is the capacity of man's heart, which none but an infinite Good can fill: the second is, the scantness of riches, which increase our appetite in stead of allaying it, and, like a handful of water thrown upon a great fire, serves only to make it scorch more violently. Thence may we conclude with the Philosopher, that the richer a man is, the more miserable is he; that his riches impoverish him, if Grace do not instruct him how to moderate his desires: so that what he looked upon as a remedy, is a second evil more dangerous than that he would cure.  
This conceit discovers another, which makes it evident, that in the condition whereto sin hath reduced man, Riches are more pernicious than profitable: Every one knows that the inordinateness of our Passions is one of the severest punishments of our transgression: there is scarce one that is not rebellious against Reason, and which attempts not the violation of his authority: All our Desires are unjust, all our Hopes interessed, all our Affections criminal: every Passion produceth a sin, if not withheld by Grace; and whoever gives himself up to his inclinations, is sure to wander from his duty. In the mean time, Riches side with these rebels against their Sovereign; they flatter all our desires, serve as ministers to all our unjust designs, and furnish us with means to make us more culpable, under a colour of rendering us more happy. They promise pleasures to the Wanton, 
Inflant animos divitiae, superbiam pariunt, invidiam contrahunt, luxui serviunt. Sen.  and conspire with him to corrupt Chastity: they furnish Arms and Seconds to the Furious, to take vengeance on their enemies: they raise the Ambitious to offices and employments; and complying with all Passions, engage men in all kind of impiety. Therefore he judged aright, who said, that, to give a sinful man Riches, was to put a Sword into a mad man's hand or present poison to a Desperado; because not being under the command of Grace, he will make use of them only to satisfy his ambition, or to content his brutality.  
So that the Philosophers preventing the Divines, rightly discovered that Poverty was more Innocent than Plenty; and that it was easier for men to preserve their liberty in the leanness of want then in the affluence of riches. For besides that they wed us to the earth, 
Multis parasse divitias non finis miseriarū fuit sed mutatio. Senec. Epist. 17.  they expose us to a thousand accidents which can neither be foreseen nor avoided, and give fortune game at our person. Therefore is it that Seneca said, Those that will be happy, must either be poor, or like those that are so; they must possess their goods without being possessed by them; and use them as Stewards rather than Proprietaries; and they ought to be always ready to part with them, because they have them but in trust: Religion out-bids Philosophy, and requires fare other dispositions from her Children, than this does from her Disciples: For she will have them acknowledge that in Adam all is lost; that they are fallen from their rights by his sin, and being guilty are become miserable: Persuaded of this Truth, they live in the world as in a strange Country; they possess riches upon Loan; and since their Goods were confifcated to their sovereign, they enjoy them merely from his mercy: Though Jesus Christ reinstate them in their goods; and being made Coheirs with him, may dispose of heaven and earth as their Inheritance; yet are they obliged to regulate themselves by his Example, and not to make use of their rights till after the general Resurrection.  
He carried himself thus during his life; though Heir to his Father, he disposed not of his estate, a Cratch received him at his birth, and a Cross served him for a Deathbed; he lodged in a borrowed house, and was buried in a stranger's Sepulchre: If he wrought some miracles for the Glory of his Father, he did none for his own Interest; when he created a piece of money in the mouth of a Fish, it was to pay Tribute; and when he commanded his Disciples to take the Ass which served to carry him in his triumph, it was with the consent of the Owner. 
Paupertate Christi non additur pecunia sed justitia: Divitiae verae immortalitas: ubi enim vera copia, ibi nulla indigenti●● Aug.  He put not his absolute power in execution, till after his Resurrection; nor did he enjoy the privileges due to his Birth, till he was entered into Heaven. The Christians treading in his steps, pretend nothing in this world, but reserve the fruition of their right for the next: They are content with the promises of Jesus Christ, and living here upon hope, expect the effects thereof in glory.  
During this time, they look upon Poverty as an innocent Usury, which gives a value to what they give or part with here for the Son of God; for they know, saith S. Bernard, That Jesus Christ who is a New Man, is come down here below to teach us new things; and that those that obey him, find rest in labour, liberty in servitude, and abundance in Poverty. Their Goods are multiplied in being distributed; and as the husbandman casting his seed into the earth, promiseth himself a hapgy harvest; the Christian in communicating his goods to the Poor, expects a great recompense at the general Resurrection. Till than he comforts himself with the advantages Poverty bestows upon him: for he perceives that if riches have their good use, they have also their bad: They acknowledge the Custody of them troublesome, the love of them contagious, the loss of them sensible, and if there be pain to get them, there is more to keep them.  
This made some Philosophers rid themselves of such attendants, and gave comfort to others whom injustice or fortune had made bankrupt: for as Seneca says excellently well, We gain much in losing our riches, if with them we lose our covetousness; and we fail not continually to gain something even when we lose it not; because the subject that entertained it being taken away, there is some ground to hope either that it will die for want of nourishment, or at least do no hurt for want of power. The Poverty of Christians is happier in this point then that of Philosophers: for being inanimated with Grace, they lose the desire of evil with the means of doing it; nor are they innocent only out of impotency but out of deliberation. They make their Poverty meritorious in making it voluntary; if they choose it not, they endeavour to accept it, and a misfortune or a chastisement they husband into a virtue: The loss of their Goods causeth the assurance of their salvation, and the rest of their souls; they cease to fear assoon as they cease to love, and they draw this advantage from their poverty, that being no longer engaged to the Earth by their affection, they are no more troubled with fear nor abused with hope.  
But their greatest happiness is, that they learn from Scripture, that their condition is a holy Asylum, and that heaven hath promised a particular protection to the Poor: 
Evangelizare pauperibus misit me. Luc. 4.  They know that Christ came down from heaven to instruct them; that his care of teaching them is a proof of his Missions; that he hath pronounced them happy in his Sermons, chose them for his Disciples, hath designed them his favours, made them the objects of his love, and hath so particular an affection towards them, that a man must be poor in deed or in desire, to be taken notice of in his State. Let us love Poverty then and despise riches; seek Felicity in want: and if Nature hath not brought us poor into the world, let us become like those that are poor, either by unbottoming ourselves of our Goods, or distributing them; that raking part in the reproaches of Christ upon Earth, We may be partakers of glory in heaven.   

The sixth DISCOURSE. That the Happiness of a Christian upon Earth, consists in Humility rather than in Glory.  
THe Ambitious will hardly agree as concerning this Maxim, and it will pass into their mind as an Error, rather than a Paradox: 
Merces virtutis gloria, honos alit arts, omnesque incenduntur ad studia, gloriâ.  For they believe that Honour is the nourishment of Virtue; that she droops and languisheth when deprived of this Cordial: And as servile souls are gained by Profit, generous souls are won by Honour: They would persuade us, that of all external goods it is the noblest, and the most faithful; the Noblest, because it relates to the mind, and never descends so low as to the senses, as Interest or Pleasure do; the most Faithful, because it never abandons virtue, and accompanies men even to their Grave; Delights quit us with life; these pleasing sirens bear us company till death, and at their departure leave us nothing but shame and repentance. Riches are not more faithful than Pleasures, and as they descend not with our Bodies into the Grave, neither do they pass with our souls into the other world: But Glory is inseparable from Virtue, as the shadow from Light; it is the only Inheritance the dead may dispose of, that which makes them survive in the world, and preserves them from oblivion after their dissolution. Finally, Honour and Virtue are so closely combined together, that they cannot be divided without occasioning their destruction; They are Twins whose destiny is so like, that the Death of the one leaves the other liveless, and the only way to banish virtue out of the world, is to exterminate Glory thence, which serves her for a nourishment and a recompense.  
But whatever the Ambitious would say, there needs but a little reason to confess that there is nothing in the world more jejunely brittle than Glory; nor that men ever treated virtue more injuriously then when they assigned Honour for her Recompense. For if Glory be a Good, 'tis a strange one, and is oftener the fortunate man's portion, than the deservings Honorary: It reacheth not always to us; and when dispensed with Justice, it rests in the mind of those that know or publish our worth; so that we should be happy without knowing it, and receive honour without any contentment.  
But certainly, did we know it, our satisfaction would not be the more: For the Good that produceth Beatitude must be constant and immutable; if it be subject to change, 'tis to loss; and whatever good may fail is not productive of true felicity: Now there is nothing in the world that depends more upon fortune then honour; 'tis the work of opinion, 'tis a rumour founded upon the Capriciousness of the people, who look upon nothing but appearances, and in their Judgements, for the most part, consult nothing but their interest or pleasure. If Conquerors are unhappy because victories which are their master-peices depend upon fortune, I account them not less miserable, because Glory, which is the reward of their courage depends upon the opinion of the vulgar; and that in this point their Subjects and their Soldiers become their Judges and their Sovereigns.  
If their Felicity be such that they can force men to render them that honour they deserve, they ought to take heed lest those that commend them deceive; 
Qui laudant mendaces sunt, & qui laudantur vani. Aug.  and being Masters of their tongues, they be not also of their hearts. May they not be afraid also, that the judgement of wise men is not the same with the vulgar; that whilst they are adored by servile and mercenary souls, they are blamed by free and generous ones, who more considering the actions than the persons, prise virtue in a slave, and condemn vice in a Monarch?  
But what satisfaction can they have in the midst of their Triumphs, if the reproaches of their consciences give their commendations the lie? 
Plures magnum saepe nomen salsis vulgi rumoribus attulerunt; quo quid turpius excogitari potest? nam qui falso praedicantur, suis ipsi necesse est laudibus erubescant. Boet. l. 4. de Conso.  will they not be extremely wretched amidst the acclamations of the people, if they blame what others appland? and if they are conscious that in the managing of a state, or in the Conquest of a Province, they have laboured more for their own Glory, then for the good of their Subjects? Are they not more worthy of punishment than Honour, if they have preferred reputation before their Duty, and have ruined their neighbours only to gain the name of Conquerors? But admit for their satisfaction that their desires are lawful, their Conquests just, the praises they receive true, who can tell whether the opinions of men agree with those of Angels? who is sure that Heaven approves what the Earth so highly values, and whether God prepare not punishments for those victories, men solemnize with Triumphs?  
True glory depends upon him that reads the heart, who sees the intentions in the ground of the will: Therefore saith the Apostle, That he indeed was praiseworthy that received commendations from the mouth of God, 
Illuminabit abscondita tenebrarum, & manifestabit consilia cordium, & tunc laus erit unicuique à Deo. 1 Cor. 4.  and not from that of men: Men are mistaken in their words as well as in their thoughts; as they judge not but by the appearances, they blame an obscure virtue, and cry up a glittering vice: David therefore would not have his glory depend upon the judgement of his subjects: He committed his Reputation as well as his Crown into the hands of God; and protested in his Psalms, that as he owed his Victories to the protection of the Almighty, from him also did he expect glory as the recompense, Apud te laus mea. The Philosophers were of the same mind, because that defining glory, they would not have it grounded upon the opinion of the Vulgar, but upon the judgement of the wise, 
Gloria vera bonorum consensus est. Senec.  and that he only was honourable, who by his worth had gained the approbation of honest men.  
But who knows not that virtue is too generous to seek her felicity where she will not so much as look for her reward? she looks upon honour as her slave rather than her master; and when she acts, she consults not so much her reputation as her conscience: she is so noble that she looks after no other end but God; and so just, that she requires no other witness but he that must be her Judge. This Maxim is not so severe, but it hath been embraced by Philosophers: For though the Romans committed this outrage against virtue as to subject it to Glory; and these grand Politicians, to animate their Citizens to generous and difficult actions, had persuaded them that none entered into the Temple of Honour, but through that of Virtue: yet Seneca rightly acknowledged that there was injustice in this proceeding; that it was to subject the Sovereign to his slave; and that sometimes there were occasions offered where a man must betray his Honour to preserve his Virtue. Piety had taught the chaste Susanna this Maxim, when seeing that she could not preserve her chastity without the loss of her reputation, she sacrificed her honour to her duty, and preferred the approbation of Angels to the opinion and esteem of men.  
Glory then is not the true happiness of Christians, because they are obliged to renounce it; and there is great reason to believe, that Humility hath more Analogy with Beatitude, because it accompanies the Blessed in the midst of their Grandeurs. Indeed this virtue is the foundation of Christian Religion; it is that which the Son of God came to teach us by his words and actions; The way he held to come to us, and that we must walk in to come to him: Let us explain these Verities, and make it appear that the true Glory of a Christian consists in Humility. This virtue is so necessary, and withal so difficult, that God was fain to become Man to teach it us: Philosophers who were informed with vain glory, knew not the name of it; and if it came amongst them, it passed rather for a fault then a perfection. Aristotle confessed, that Modesty was a species of Virtue, but consisting in a mediocrity, 
Magister noster per quem facta sunt omnia, vocat genus humanum & dicit, discite à me quia mitis sum & humilis cord. Forte putaebas dicturum, discite quomodo caelos feci & astra. Aug.  it suffered not man to debase himself below his inferiors or his equals: The Son of God was united to flesh to read us this lesson; and confirming by his words what he had taught us by his examples, hath made it the principal subject of his entertainments: He that knew all things, hath propounded his humility only as imitable, and he chose rather to make his Disciples humble then learned. The Incarnate Wisdom opening his School upon Earth, taught us not the secret to create worlds, to dart thunderbolts, to govern states, but to mitigate our anger, to abase our pride.  
Inasmuch as he became like us in humbling himself, we become like him laying ourselves low; and by a strange prodigy humility gives us access to him; as Pride puts us at a distance from him, Man was ruined in striving to grow great; his vanity gave birth to his misery; nor did he fall from his Greatness, but because he would climb above his defarts: To draw him out of this abyss, the Son of God threw himself into it, and to place him higher than the Angels, he descended lower than Man: He was laden with their sins and languish, that by different degrees he might descend to the very Centre of debasement. His humility was the passage to his glory; his Father exalted him, because he vouchsafed to be humbled; and his Cross, which was the last proof of his Patience, became the Fountain of his Greatness. According to his example, we cannot aspire to honour, but by humility; we enter into grace by lowliness; arrive at glory by humility; and we find that this virtue producing its contrary, restores us those high immunities Vanity had ravished from us.  
If after death it lead us to glory, whilst we live it gives us some earnests thereof, nor are we ever more content than when most humble. The Earth is not the mansion of pleasure, because in it man is always exposed to danger; he finds enemies in all places; and which way soever he turns, he is apprehensive of detriment: Prosperity makes him insolent; the sweetness that flatters, corrupts him; and this pleasing enemy hath no charms which may not engage him in sin. 
Frangitur adversis qui prosperis corrumpitur. Aug.  Adversity renders him a coward; its batteries flat his courage; and this fierce enemy hath no afflictions which are not sufficient to cast him into despair. The virtues offer him their assistance in his need: Repentance, who boasts herself the punisher of all offences, and the protectress of all virtues, sets upon pleasures, and by its severities masters their allurements: Patience suffers the pains of life, struggles with discontents, and mingling tears with blood, triumphs over grief and death. 
Humilitas est maxima disciplina Christiana; ipsâ námque conservatur omnis virtus; nam nihil citius eam violat qwam superbia. Aug.  But we must needs acknowledge that these virtues without humility, would grow insolent of their good success; and man would find his defeat in his victory, if this faithful Confident did not mind him that his strength depends upon grace; and that the Christian who is not humbled, cannot subdue Satan who is a proud spirit.  
To establish us in a virtue which causeth our felicity upon Earth, we must remember, that it is not true if it reside not in the will as well as in the understanding; not perfect if it have not as much heat as light; and little exceeds that of Devils, if it pass not from knowledge to affection; Therefore he that means to be humble, must despise himself. Having made some good progress in the practice of this duty, he must wish that others may despise him; and being perfectly established in this disposition, he must find his joy in contempt, ann his torment in honour.   

The Seventh DISCOURSE. That Felicity is found rather in obedience then in command.  
IF there be any thing in the world, the possession whereof can promise us felicity, we must confess it is the power of commanding: For Kings are Gods Vicegerents, the Interpreters of his Intentions, 
Ego ex omnibus mortalibus electus sum qui in terris Deorum vice fungerer: Ego vitae necisque gentibus arbiter: quid cuique mortalium fortuna datum velit, meo ore pronuntiar. Sen. de Clem.  and the Disposers of Life and Death: Fortune, saith a Heathen, expresseth herself by their mouth, acts by their hands, and sheds abroad happiness or misery through a state by their conduct: Their wills are laws, their aspects more powerful than those of the stars, and as they please to dispense sweetness or indignation, they make Cities happy or miserable. All their soldiers devote themselves to death for their service; all Swords are drawn in their quartel; Peace and War is in their hands; nor are there any Subjects whose loss or safety depends not upon their orders: They dispense at their pleasure liberty and servitude, content and sorrow; and all that hold of their Crown, confess they are the Authors of their good or bad fortune. When they appear in public, it seems they are Suns which fill the Firmament; when they speak, all the world is attentive; when they are angry, they make their Kingdoms tremble; and when they punish an offendor, they astonish all Innocents'.  
The holy Scripture, which cannot flatter Sovereigns, and ranks them among slaves, when compared with the Almighty; makes them pass for Gods when compared with men; it prescribes no bounds to their power; allots them no Judge but their Creator; and whatever exorbitance they have committed, teacheth us, they are to render an account to none but him from whom they hold their Crown: If Priests have a power to reprove them, God only hath a right to punish them; and when they abuse their Authority, their subjects have only prayers and tears to reduce them to their duty. Therefore it is no wonder if an absolute power dazzles the eyes of mortals; and if those who look only upon the bravery, imagine it at least an image of felicity.  
But certainly the more advised make not this judgement, and Politicians who are acquainted with all the miseries of this pompous Majesty, 
Tibi soli peccavi & malum coram te feci. Psal. 51.  esteem it more worthy of pity, than envy: For besides that a great fortune is a great servitude; that Princes who command, are bound to obey; that those who encroach upon the liberty of others, lose their own; that those that strike terror in others, are not free from it themselves; and that Sovereigns who bear rule with violence, have as many enemies as they have subjects. Divinity teacheth us that the Earth is inconsistent with Felicity. For this, according to the Idea we are able to form of it, is an absolute Good, which cannot be transferred to another; 'tis Man's ultimate End, and which comprehending all kind of pleasures, fills his wishes, and bounds his motions. Now Regal power hath not one of these qualities; it stirs up the desires of Monarches, whose Heart is larger than their State; it finds nothing that can satisfy it; and as long as it hath neighbours or equals, it cannot think itself absolute.  
Alexander is a fair witness of this Truth: Never did Prince more enlarge his Conquests, never did Sovereign behold more Crowns at his feet, nor ever did Monarch see more different Nations subject to his will. 
Jam in unum Regnum multa Regna conjecit; jam Graeci Persaeque eundem timent: hic tamen ultra Oceanum solemque fertur, & ipsi Naturae vim parat. Senec. Ep. 94.  In the mean time, he accounted himself miserable in his Greatness, poor in his Abundance, and confined in his Empire: He is troubled that there are some people who have not yet felt the violence of his Arms; it grieves him that there are any men who are not his subjects; nor can he believe himself a Sovereign, as long as there are any freemen in the world. Finally, his ambition persuaded him, that, to be Absolute, he must command the whole World; and as the Heaven can bear but one Sun, no more can the Earth endure but one Monarch.  
Though all ambitious ones are not of the humour of Alexander, and can be content with a part of the Universe, yet are they always forced to confess that Felicity cannot be found in it; because, that it may be true, it must be Eternal, Solid, and Unshaken: if any of these qualities be wanting, it will ever be exposed to Danger, and threatened with Fear: Now there is no power in the world that is not Short, Feeble, and subject to Change. Scripture tells us that the life of Kings hath its bounds as well as those of their Subjects: Omnis Potentatus vita brevis: If they reign as Gods, they shall die like Men: If their State be durable, their Persons are mortal. That sentence pronounced against all the children of Adam, gives no exemption to Sovereigns: nay, it seems that as their power is greater, their life is shorter than that of ordinary men. Kings, saith the Wiseman, live to day, and are dead to morrow; they have no certain day; Death makes no truce with them; and when the moment Divine Justice hath assigned them, cometh, it proceeds to execution, without considering whether those it sets upon be Slaves or Sovereigns.  
Their power is not less weak than it is short; and if Kings be miserable because mortal, they are to be pitied because exposed to so many dangers: Weakness is natural to them, and Puissance accidental: they cannot defend themselves but with borrowed hands, and mercenary Arms: though their Soldiers be their Subjects, yet may they be debauched; and whatever Oath they engage them with to assure their Fidelity, they have reason to tremble as often as they think that their State and Person depends upon the Courage and Constancy of another. That Prophet, who is not less famous for his Eloquence then for the Miseries he endured, hath observed that Kings are never more put to it then at the eve of a Battle; 
Terrebit eum tribulatio, & angustia vallabit eum sicut Regem qui praeparetur ad praelium. Job. 5  because they see their Fortune in the hands of their Soldiers, and that the same day which must decide their Differences, may give a period to their Life and Kingdom. But me thinks this Fear never ought to abandon Sovereigns, and that in Peace as well as War their Power depends upon the fidelity of their Subjects: A Pestilence may mow down their States, and change the most populous Cities into desolate Wildernesses: Famine may rage's thorough a whole Kingdom; and, notwithstanding all the care Husbandmen take to till the ground, two months of Drought or Rain may render all their labours unprofitable, and the most flourishing Kingdom of the world wretchedly miserable.  
But admit these Evils, which are too common, prove not so formidable; and Kings may find that among their neighbours which is not to be met with at home; Who will deliver them from the just apprehension the instability of Humane things ought to strike into the hearts of all the Monarches of the earth? What Prince is there that can promise that the violence of Strangers or the rebellion of his Subjects will not snatch his Crown from his head? Who is there, that, after so many Examples past and present, is not obliged to believe that States perish as well as Sovereigns, that the Forms of Government change with the seasons and humours of men, that Monarchies may be turned into Commonwealths, and Commonwealths into Monarchies?  
The Empire of the Syrians, was it not seized by the Medes? The Medes, were not they obedient to the Persians? And the Persians, have not they stooped to the Romans? This vast Republic, which had swallowed all the Monarchies of the world, did it not produce all our Kingdoms? France, Spain, and England, are they not pieces of this great Wrack? and whatever is famous in Europe or Asia, is it not from its dissolution? is it not enriched with its damage, and raised by its downfall? What State ought not to fear, having seen the ruin of this Colossus? and what Republic or Monarchy is there which can promise itself Eternity, having seen the deplorable End of this City, which commanded all Kings, and disposed of all Kingdoms?  
But I will grant this Fear unjust, nor that men are to be afraid of a Calamity which threatens the Universe; at least, Kings must confess that their Power is a glorious Servitude, and that they bear not the Sword and Sceptre so much to be feared, as to cause obedience to Jesus Christ, 
Quem regnare delectat, uni omnium regnatori Deo subditus haereat. Aug.  and to put his will in execution: For being but his Vice-gerents, their power reacheth only to punish the Wicked, and reward the Good: They ought not to accept the Authority, if they intent not to use it according to the designs of their Sovereign; and they are unworthy to rule, if they have not courage enough to stifle the Evil in the birth, or stop it in the progress: They are deceived, saith S. Augustine, if they persuade themselves they are raised to the Throne only to trample upon the heads of their Subjects: they know not their obligations, if, labouring to subdue men, they take no care to subdue vices; nor are they victorious but in name, if having gained some advange over their Enemies, they suffer themselves to be routed by their passions, or devoured by their sins. I forbear to speak of the dangers that threaten their salvation as well as their power: nor do I intent to make a Catalogue of the faults they may possibly commit in Government, though it be an infallible proof that Blessedness is not to be found in Royalty: I am content with the holy Scripture, to say, That Kings cannot sin secretly; Their Devotion is a scandal to the whole State, They authorise the Evil they commit; infect their subjects by their examples; and as they are guilty of the sins they hinder not; so, do they condemn themselves when they commit those they punish; and by their actions give their Edicts the lie.  
Thence it comes to pass that Christians finding more security in obedience then in command, place their felicity in it, and never think themselves happier than when they follow the motions of their Sovereign: so that they have this advantage, in humbling themselves they are exalted, and submitting to God bring all the Creatures under their subjection. For Man by submission enters into the Sovereignty of his Creator, 
Magna utilitas est hominis jubenti Deo servire, jubendo enim Deus utile facit quicquid jubere voluerit. Aug.  neither is any thing impossible to him, when he obeys him that is Almighty. Thus we see S. Peter walking upon the water at the command of the Son of God; how this Element became solid under his feet, respects his obedience, or reverenceth Jesus Christ in his person: Man's Body could never pretend to the glorious qualities of the soul, were it not subject to her will; but soaring above itself in obedience to her commands, furnishing words to express her mind, reports the meaning of others; and offers some kind of violence to itself, to be subservient to her designs; she acknowledgeth the fidelity of its services in Glory, and associating it to her own happiness, communicates to it agility, light, and subtlety. Thus may we say, that the man who obeys God becomes Divine, passeth into the condition of him that commands, and despoiling himself of his miseries, puts on the majesty of his Sovereign.  
Transformation, which is accounted a principal effect of Love, is a privilege also of obedience; we are changed into God by submission as well as by Charity; and God takes as much pleasure to exalt his servants as his Friends: He gives Empires to his people when they obey his word, and obligeth himself to raise them higher than all the nations of the world when they keep his commandments: Si audieris voces Domini tui, faciet te excelsiorem omnibus Gentibus. If man become God by submission, he degenerates into a beast by disobedience. As long as Original righteousness subjected the spirit to God, it subjected the Body to the spirit; Man felt no revolts in his person; and though composed of flesh and blood, had none but reasonable inclinations: But assoon as he lost the respect was due to God, his Body rebelled against his Soul; he beheld irregular motions which made him extremely ashamed; and wondered, that being still a man, he felt the disorders of a Beast. Finally, Obedience is more acceptable to God then Sacrifice, and more honourable to man then the highest Triumph: Melior est Obedientia quàm Sacrificium. Though God have reserved this Homage for himself, and there is none but he alone to whom Victims are to be offered, yet he prefers the merit of Obedience before the honour of Sacrifice; and accounts himself more hallowed by him that stoops to his Word, then that offers him Holocausts. Nor are we to wonder at it, saith S. Gregory, because in our sacrifices we offer nothing but Bulls or other beasts; but by our Obedience we immolate our wills and affections.  
For this very reason is it more honourable than Triumphs, 
In armis militum virtus, locorum opportunitas auxilia sociorum multum juvant: maximam verò partem quasi jure fortuna sibi vendicat, & qu ic quid est prospere gestum, id poene omne ducit suum. Cic. pro M. Mar.  because it procures us more signal victories than those we gain over our Enemies. The world sees nothing more illustrious than a victorious Prince: The Sun once stood still as a witness of the conquest of Joshua; and this glorious Luminary which beholds all things but with a transient aspect, suspended his motion to have the pleasure of considering the advantages the Jews had over the Infidels. In the mean time there is no action wherein humane Prudence hath less part: Fortune presides over Battles, accidents occasion good successes, and many times the Dust and the Sun rob the most Courageous of their victory: But admit all these misfortunes which cannot be avoided, have no ways assisted the Conqueror; he must necessarily confess that his Prudence is beholding to the valour of his Soldiers; and in vain hath he gallantly commanded, if he be not honestly obeyed. But he that masters his Passions, shares his glory with none but the Grace of Jelus Christ; Having subdued himself in the conflict, 
Hoc est ex victoriâ suâ triumphare, testarique nihil se quod dignum esset victore apud victos invenisse. Senec.  all the honour is his own; and earth being unable to recompense him, he promiseth himself a Triumph in Heaven.   

The Eighth DISCOURSE. What is the Happiness of a Christian in Heaven, and wherein it consists.  
BLessedness hath so much relation to God, that whatever is said of the One, may be affirmed of the other. God is infinite, his Greatness hath no bounds, he includes his whole State within himself; nor does his power produce any thing which is not contained in his Essence. Blessedness is infinite, and the pleasure it promiseth is bounded neither with extent nor duration: God comprehends all imaginable perfections; nothing is dispersed in the creature which is not recollected in the Creator; and he possesseth aswel the brightness of the Stars, as the beauty of the meadows and the fruitfulness of the fields. Beatitude is an Epitome of all pleasures; nothing is wanting to him that enjoys all things; and according to the opinion of Philosophers it is a coacervation of all solid and true goods.  
But inasmuch as God is so great that he cannot be conceived, that his divine perfections raise him above our thoughts, nor can we praise him but by wonder and silence; Blessedness is so excellent that we cannot so much as form an Idea of it, we want words wherewith to express its excellencies; and the Scripture tells us, That eye hath not seen, Ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the happiness God hath laid up for them that love him. This last condition would impose silence upon us, if the liberty we take to speak of God, though incomprehensible, did not permit me to write of Blessedness, though unconceivable: But as we cannot fail, when treating of the perfections of God, we follow the light of Faith; I believe neither shall I wander in this vast Ocean of Glory, 
Qui ducem sequitur, fidem à veritate nunquam potest aberrare. Aug.  if I sail by that Star; and however, shipwreck is not to be feared upon a sea where all those that are Drowned may boast themselves Happy.  
Scripture, which is our guide in the mysteries of Religion, teacheth us, that Beatitude consists in the love and knowledge of God. For that which hath delivered these words, Haec est vita aeterna, ut cognascant te solum verum Deum, hath told us also, Qui manet in Charitate, in Deo manet, & Deus in eo. Knowledge would cool without Love, and Love would be blind without Knowledge: All the faculties of our soul must find their satisfaction in felicity; The Understanding must see the Truth it believes; the Will possess the good it loves; the Memory be filled with these two Things it hath so carefully recorded: 
Ita sunt potentiae in essentia anima inter se conjunctae, ut quicquid unam laedit, alias laedat necesse est. Mars. Fisc.  If these Three Faculties be not content, something will be wanting to the Christians felicity; and as they are united in one and the same soul, the pain of the one would be the Torment of the other. When the Scripture seems sometimes to give the advantage to Knowledge over Love, or to Love over Knowledge, it is only more strongly to express the excellency of both; and to make us comprehend, that as he that clearly sees God is happy, he that perfectly loves him cannot be miserable.  
Thence it comes to pass that the Fathers of the Church are divided upon this subject, whereof some have taken the part of Knowledge, others that of Love. 
Del visio sumnum bonum. Aug.  S. Augustin though the Panegyrist of Love, hath notwithstanding so fully expressed himself in many passages of his Writings in behalf of Knowledge, that he seems to have forgotten what he delivered elsewhere concerning Love: For he will have the End of all our Actions, and the repose of all our Desires to be found in beholding the supreme Good: That as he is miserable, who knowing all things, knows not the Creator that made them; he likewise is happy that knows the Creator; nor is there any addition to his happiness, in that he knows the creatures together with him. Finally, he saith in another place, that the clear vision of God is the whole recompense of a Christian, and that nothing can be wanting to his happiness when he fully contemplates the Divine Essence.  
But there are a thousand places beside where this Great Doctor placeth Felicity in Love, and represents the Blessed to us as so many Lovers who find their contentment in the possession of the Supreme Good. Thus, saith he, true Happiness consists in that joy which ariseth from Truth known, and Goodness beloved: 
Beata quippe vita est gaudium de veritate, hoc enim est gaudium de te qui veritas es. Aug.  He assures us that the Blessed have no other employment then to love God; and that all the virtues are useless in Heaven except Charity: He teacheth us, that enjoyment, which is the Rest of Love, is also its Recompense; that as desires disquiet Lovers, when they possess not what they long for, the Divine Essence would be a torment to the Blessed, if from their understanding it passed not to their will; and if having illuminated them with its light, it warmed them nor with its flames. Knowledge then and Love make up the felicity of the Saints in glory; but both of them are very different from that which is found among the Faithful.  
Our knowledge is always mixed with darkness; faith though certain, is notwithstanding obscure; and though an effusion of the light of glory, hath not its extent nor evidence. We see God but in Enigmas upon Earth; the species that discover him, conceal him; These glasses are too narrow to give us a full representation of his Greatness, and our spirits are too weak to bear the lustre of his Majesty: But in Heaven he fortifies the Blessed by the Light of Glory, gives them a capacity to look upon him; and piercing their understanding, is himself both the species and the image.  
There are three things in the world which oppose our Happiness, and suffer us not to know God perfectly: The first is his Greatness, which daisies or astonisheth us; whence it comes to pass, that the Scriptures assign him for his abode either light that hides him from us, or darkness that robs us of him: The second is his absence; for though he be every where, yet is he at a distance when he will; and as his presence is not fixed to the Earth which he fills; so is it true, to affirm of him that he is no where, as to say he is in all places; Nullibi est qui ubique est. The third is the weakness of man's soul, which cannot suffer the presence of his God, & finds the condign punishment of his pride, where he sought for the satisfaction of his curiosity: But all these impediments are taken away from the Blessed; The Majesty of God is no longer formidable; his Greatness which occasions our astonishment, gives being to their felicity; and love having banished from their hearts all fear, they treat with their Sovereign as with their Beloved. The absence of the Supreme Good causeth not their doleance; They are possessed by him whom they possess; his Divine Essence penetrates their very souls, and they are so full of him, that those who see them are obliged to reverence them as Gods. Finally, the weakness of their faculties hinders not their contentment; the same fire that burns them, inanimates them; the same light that clarifies, strengthens them; and the same God that searcheth all their inward parts, preserves them.  
If their Knowledge have this advantage, their Love hath yet more, and their Charity is much perfecter than ours: Whatever pains we take to love God upon Earth, our Love is never without some notable defects which enfeeble it: It is blind, because Faith that enlightens it, is a candle whose lamp is always surrounded with a cloud or smoke: It is faint and drooping, because we possess not the Supreme Good which we passionately affect; and being separated from him, we are as well his Martyrs as his Lovers: It is divided, because self-love is not yet extinguished; and the greatest Saints, if they manage not their intentions well, rob God of all the Love they indulge themselves. Finally, it is almost ever interessed; 
Quicquid creatura sui amori concedit, hoc amori Dei eripit. Bern.  we love not God so purely as not to seek our own pleasure with when his glory; and we are more earnest with him for riches or honours then for graces, we make it appear that Concupiscence bears a greater part in our prayers then Charity.  
But the Blessed have not one of these imperfections in their Love: It is not blind, because they love him whom they see; and the brightness of glory that enlightens them, is a ray dispelling all darkness of their understanding: It languisheth not as ours doth, nor spends itself in its own long, because they possess what they love; and being intimately united to God, are eternally inseparable from him: It is not divided, because self-love enters not into Heaven, but is quenched by the flames of Charity, or purified when the souls of the Blessed quit the Prison of their body. Finally, it is not interessed, because the honour of God is the end of their desires; and in felicity itself, they seek not so much their own happiness as his glory.  
From this Knowledge and this Love, is derived the resemblance the Blessed have with God, which is the accomplishment of their desires, and the perfection of their Beatitude: For though the Faithful be humble, aspire not to the vain pomps of the world, and being conscious of his misery, knows very well that Nothingness is his Original, and sin his work; yet ceaseth he not to wish by the motions of Grace what he sometimes coveted by the impulses of pride. He would have the same thing that Adam would; like the Angel he pretends to be like God; but he desires that with Justice which the two others did with Insolence: The holy Scripture authoriseth his appetite, and the promises of Jesus Christ make his hopes lawful: He knows very well that the Happiness of a reasonable creature consists particularly in this point; and that being the Image of God in Nature and in Grace, he ought to resemble him in Glory: The beloved disciple comforts us in the expectation of this happiness, and speaks so confidently of it to all the Faithful, that he seems rather to have received the Earnest than the Promise of his Master. Scimus quoniam cùm apparuerit, similes ei erimus.  
Though this similitude constitute our principal happiness, yet is it easier to hope for it then to describe it; and being an expression of the felicity of God himself, is as much unknown to us as his: Nevertheless we may say it is an effusion of his Essence into the soul of the Blessed, an emanation of his Divinity communicating all his perfections, lifting them above themselves; and transforming them into him without destroying them, makes as many Gods as there are Saints in Glory. The Fire which imprints all its qualities in the Iron it makes red-hot; the Sun that communicates all his light to the Crystal he penetrates; and the Presume which sheds its fragrant odour thorough all the rooms it embalms, are but faint comparisons to express the intimate communication of the Divine Essence to the Blessed. It is enough to believe in the simplicity of Faith that all our desires shall be fully completed; that our happiness shall surpass our hopes; and, raised to a higher condition then that the devil promised our father in Paradise, we shall be Men and Gods both together.  
Though we are not idle in so happy a condition, S. Augustine teacheth us that the knowledge and love of God shall be our sole employment: 
Tantum gandebunt Beati quantum amabunt; tantum amabunt quantum cognoscent Deum. Aug. lib. Medit.  we shall find all our contentment in this one exercise; and as we shall possess All Goods in the Supreme Good, so shall we taste all Felicity in this one diversion: The good works we have been conversant in upon earth, shall be banished from Glory; and Mercy shall be useless in a state whither Misery cannot approach: we shall have no need to visit the Sick, where Immortality provides for the Health of the Blessed: There will be no burying of the Dead in the land of the Living: Hospitality will not be practised where there are no Pilgrims: We shall not cloth the Naked, because the light of Glory will be the garment of the Saints: We shall not be troubled to reconcile Enemies, because Peace shall reign there eternally: We shall be no longer obliged to instruct the Simple, because the Beatifical Vision will eliminate all Ignorance.  
If the works of Mercy be useless, all actions wherein Necessity engageth us will then be superfluous. The miseries of life compel men to till the earth for their nourishment, to build houses to defend them from the injury of the weather, to make clothes to protect them from shame and cold: But all these employments shall have an end in a Kingdom where he that governs is both the Nourishment, the Clothing, and the Habitation of his Subjects: His Goodness, which penetrates them, is their Aliment; his Glory, that environs them, is their Apparel; and his Essence, which includes them, is their Lodging: They need fear nothing in a condition where the possession of All Good necessarily produceth the exclusion of All Evil. We shall have no apprehension then, saith S. Augustine, that Hunger or Thirst shall persecute us, because we shall lodge in the house of a Lord where there is plenty of all things, where we may bathe our elves in the River of his Innocent Pleasures. Nor Heat nor Cold shall once dare to annoy us, because, by a strange wonder, the same Sun that shall shelter us with his shadow, shall warm us with his heat: Weariness shall not weaken us, because God shall be our strength: we shall not be forced to sleep, because Labour shall never need repose; nor shall the night ever draw a curtain over the day: There shall be no Commerce, because we shall possess All in God: there shall be no Servitude, because all the Subjects of this Kingdom shall be Sovereigns.  
If you ask me, saith S. Augustine, what we shall do then in a place whence pain and travel are banished: I will answer with the Prophet, that the whole enployment of the Blessed is to think of God, and to rejoice in his glory. Vacate & videte, quoniam ego sum Deus. This meditation shall altogether take them up; it shall produce all pleasures, and constitute all their virtues: Every beautified person shall imitate Mary Magdalene; and as with her they shall have but one Object, they shall make use but of one Virtue; Porro unum est necessarium. The calamities of the Earth oblige us to employ successively all the Virtues: sometimes we borrow aid from Prudence to dissipate the darkness wherewith we are blinded, or to scatter the dangers that threaten us: sometimes we call in Continence to our relief, to defend us from pleasures that tickle us: sometimes we demand help of Fortitude, to combat griefs that assault us: sometimes we throw ourselves into the arms of Justice, to deliver us from enemies that oppress us: But in Heaven all these Virtues are idle, only Charity is active, and yet rests in acting; her action is to love what she sees; her rest to possess what she loves; and her felicity to know that she shall never lose what she enjoys. If you cannot suffer, saith S. Augustine, that the Virtues to which we own Heaven be banished thence, imagine them there more for your ornament then defence: never conceive that they fight, but persuade yourselves that they triumph; and, having vanquished all their enemies, enjoy a Peace which shall endure for all Eternity.   

The Ninth DISCOURSE. That the Christians Soul and Body shall find their Perfection in Beatitude.  
MAn is such a hidden Creature that he cannot well be known without Faith: He is mistaken as often as he intends to pass judgement upon himself; and the errors that have appeared in his own definition, have given us occasion to conclude that he was ignorant of his own essence: when he consulted his Sense, he believed he was nothing but a Body; and if there were a spirit that informed him, it was perishable and mortal: when he consulted his Pride, he conceited himself a pure Spirit, which, either for his penalty, or for his trial, was included in a Body as in a prison, from which he should be delivered by death. These two errors produced two grand disorders in the world: The first engaged Man in the love of his Body, and the oblivion of his Soul: he made no account but of sensual Pleasures; and knowing no life but the present, never troubled himself about the future: He was of opinion that Death was the end of his Being; and that nothing remaining of him after his dissolution, he need fear neither any Punishment, nor expect any Recompense. The second error made him so mightily undervalue his Body, that he repined at it as a Slave, and handled it as a Rebel: he had recourse many times to Death, that being delivered from this enemy, he might mix with pure Intelligences, and reign with Gods or Devils.  
Faith, which corrects our errors, obligeth us to believe that Man is neither an Angel nor a Beast; that he is compounded of a Body and a Soul; and if he have the First common with Beasts, he hath the Second common with Angels: The same Faith persuades him that Death deprives him of his body but for a time only, that at the General Resurrection it shall be reunited to the soul, to partake of its good or bad fortune. Therefore, treating here of the felicity of Christians, I am necessarily to speak of the two parts that compose them, and of the different happiness the Divine Justice prepares for them respectively.  
Inasmuch as the soul is the noblest, she is also most happily provided for, and her Beatitude infinitely surpasseth that of the body. 
Tunc nec falli nec peccare homines possunt, veritate illuminati, & in bono confirmati. Aug.  When she quits her prison, and is purified of all her imperfections by the grace of Jesus Christ, she enters into Glory, and receives all the advantages which are due to her dignity and condition. Ignorance, which is a brand of sin, is quite defaced by the brightness that enlightens her: her weakness is fortified by a supply, which, being much more powerful than that of Grace, raiseth her to a condition wherein she cannot desert the good, nor embrace the evil; and where, as Saint Augustine saith, she is in a happy impotency to wander from her duty, and estrange herself from the Supreme good: Assurance succeeds in the place of fear, rest in stead of conflicts, triumphs after victories: she is no longer constrained to resist the motions of the flesh, because this rebel is become obedient; and losing in the Resurrection whatever he drew from Adam at his Birth, hath now none but just and holy inclinations. The Spirit is no longer busied to maintain a war against sin, because this Monster cannot enter Heaven: he groans not now under the revolt of the passions; and as all the virtues are peaceable, they find neither enemies to subdue, nor rebels to tame: Her knowledge is no longer accompanied with doubts and darkness; she learns without labour; is not afraid to forget; and drawing light and wisdom from the very Fountain, knows all things in their Principles. In this happy condition there remains nothing for the Christian to wish for; his soul is penetrated by the Divine Essence; his understanding clarified with the light of glory; his will inflamed with the love of God; and all his powers and faculties finding their particular perfection in one object, he confesseth that the promises of God exceed his hopes.  
Though his body have been polluted by his birth, and corrupted by death, it finds life in the Resurrection, and Purity in Glory: For assoon as the Trumpet of the Angel shall have declared the will of God, every soul shall reassume her own body; & reuniting herself with it, shall give it a part in her happiness: The greatness of this wonder hath found no belief in the minds of Philosophers; though they were persuaded of the Immortality of the soul, they would not consent to the Resurrection of the body; and having seen it made a prey to wild Beasts, or fuel for the flames, they judged there was no power in the world could restore it again: The spirit of man hath favoured this error, and believing his eyes rather than his light, could not find in his heart to place that part of man in heaven which he saw committed to the grave; he was afraid to weary the power of the Almighty, if he should oblige him to so many miracles; and not comprehending how a body reduced to powder or smoke, could take its primitive form, chose rather to leave it in the Earth, then draw it thence with so much violence.  
But had he thought of the Creation, he had never doubted of the Resurrection; and Reason herself had persuaded him, that seeing God was able to find the body in Nonentity, where it was not, he might very well find it in the waters or in the slames where there was yet some remainder thereof. If Nothing were not rebellious to him, Nature cerrainly will not be disobedient; and if he could make that which was not, he may as easily repair what now is not. Nothing perisheth in respect of the Creator; the dead are not less his subjects then those that never were born; and if he could make Nonentity hear him, he may well make death obey him. The miracle of Resurrection is perhaps attended with more pomp than that of the Creation, but there is less difficulty in it; and he that could vanquish the distance between Entity and Nonentity, will have no great matter to do to master the opposition between Life and Death.  
Finally, our Creator never loses his right over his creatures; they are at his disposal in what place soever they are: Their changing of form makes them not change condition; and because they pass thorough three or four Elements, they depend not less upon his Omnipotence: The body of man is always the work of God; and he may after its corruption restore its beauty, and reunite it to the soul, like a wise Artist having reduced a statue to powder, may by his skill restore it to the primitive form. All the difficulties our spirit can suggest in this miracle, are easily mastered by him that can do all things; and having well weighed the wonders of the Creation, it will be no hard matter to comprehend those of the Resurrection.  
Inasmch as the body receives life in this, and is reunited with the soul, it is happily delivered from all the miseries it had contracted in its birth or during its life: If Nature were mistaken in forming it, the Author of Nature corrects the faults in raising it: He gives it its just dimension, its lawful proportion; and retrenching whatever was superfluous, makes it a complete piece. But because it is not enough to take away the defects to render it happy, God gives it advantages in glory which it had not in innocence: For although the body before it was infected with sin, was not rebellious against the mind, nor subject to grief and death; it was nevertheless capable of corruption; The Natural heat consumed the substance; and the waste it made, was to be repaired by nourishment: Though he were obedient, yet was he an Animal; and though he felt no disorders, yet was he liable to infirmities: his weight would have hindered him from following his soul to Heaven; he could not walk upon the water, nor penetrate the Crystal; and had he not prevented hunger and thirst by eating and drinking, he had never held out against grief and death: Finally, though he enjoyed the privileges of Original Righteousness, he wanted those of Glory; and though innocent, was neither incorruptible nor illuminated.  
But in the Resurrection he shall receive all these qualities; and as the soul is now corporeal, because wholly engaged in the body; by a happy retaliation the body will be spiritual, because perfectly submitted to the soul; and as the soul, saith Saint Augustine, though corporeal, ceaseth not to be a spirit; the body, though spiritual, ceaseth not to be a body: It will change condition, though it change not nature, and will have advantages which shall set it free from all the miseries it now endures. It's subtlety will surpass that of the light; will penetrate all solid bodies; nothing shall be able to withstand its desires, and being no longer the Prison but the Temple of his soul, will find no obstacles that stop it, nor chains that entangle it. It's agility will be so great that it will outstrip the winds and lightning; will fly without wings thorough the spacious regions of the air; will walk upon the water and not sink; and in a moment passing from one end of the world to another, will be no longer the clog and torment of the soul. It's impassibility will free it from all the injuries of the Seasons and Elements: the natural heat which now consumes him, shall no more corrode the natural Moisture; The Contraries that compose him will agree; and being no longer tormented with hunger and thirst, will stand in need neither of meat nor drink.  
He will be in a state of consistency, wherein he will have his just proportion; nor will he expect from time, his youth or old age; he will enjoy an eternal spring of years which will never whither; he will see the days pass on, and never feel any declension in himself; his budding verdure will fear no winter; the Lilies and the Roses of his countenance will keep their freshness: and as original righteousness served for a Garment for innocent man, glory will be instead of a robe to the blessed: His brightness will surpass that of the Sun; the rays which dart from his eyes will dim those of this Glorious Luminary; and he will cast such lights and flames, that the least glorified Body will be able to illuminate the Universe.  
His immortality will be the Crown of his Happiness. That pitiless monster which exerciseth his rigour upon all men, pursues them into the Grave, reduceth them to powder after the worms have devoured them: This Cruel one, I say, will have no more power over the Blessed; he will discharge his fury upon the damned in Hell; he will make a league with life to torment them Eternally; and that which endures here but for a moment, will last for ever in that dismal habitation, to lengthen their pains according to the obstinacy of their crimes: But he will respect his Conquerors; and beholding the Blessed as the Members of him that hath defeated him upon the Cross, will not dare to set upon them afresh, nor so much as appear in their presence. Then shall the happiness of men be perfect, when a glorified soul shall inanimate an immortal Body; and mutually communicating all their advantages, the soul shall be happy in the felicity of the Body, and the Body happy in that of the Soul. All their differences shall be composed in this General peace; the Soul shall forget all the Revolts of the Body, nor shall the Body any more complain of the severities of the Soul, but both of them remembering only the Good offices they have done each other; they shall reign in Heaven in a Community of Glory, as they lived upon Earth in a Community of Merits.  
But to arrive to this Happy condition, the Spirit must war against the Flesh, and Repentance give the faithful those Privileges Glory instates the Blessed in. For though there be nothing more opposite to Rest then a Conflict, yet is it the Conflict that gains us the victory, 
Ex bello pax; pugna enim nos praeparat victoriae; victoria nobis obtinet triumphum. Chry.  and the victory that procures us the peace: Though there be nothing more contrary to Happiness then Pain; it is notwithstanding austerity that subjects the Body to the Soul, and makes us see in our Banishment a perfect Image of Glory.  
For if it be true that the Blessed feel no Rebellion in their person, and if their Body be perfectly subjected to their mind, we must acknowledge that the Christian cannot pretend to any part of this advantage, but by the help of repentance: It is this virtue that tames the Pride of the flesh; this faithful minister of the Divine Justice which makes Charity reign in spite of Concupiscence; and all the peace we have in the earth, we own it to the zeal and austerity of crucifixion. If the Blessed be disengaged from the world; if their condition be separated from ours; and, if finding all things in the Divine Essence, meat, , and lodging be useless to them, it seems Repentance puts us in the same Liberty; and reducing us to things absolutely necessary, rids us of superfluities: This is it that confines the Anchorites to their pulse, that gives them sackcloth for a garment, a Den for a Lodging, a Mat for their Bed: This is it that enricheth them, by making them poor; makes them find Liberty in servitude; and equalling their condition with that of Angels, frees them from the need we have of the Creatures.  
If the Blessed have no communication but with God; if they have quitted Earth to live in Paradise; if the Love and Magnificats they bestow upon God be their whole employment; and if in this one object they find all their Happiness and their Diversion; Penance and Solitude procure the same privileges to the faithful: Their heart is no longer in the Earth; they mount up to heaven by their desires; converse more with Angels then with Men; and already enjoying the privileges of the Resurrection, lead a new life in their Banishment, and a happy life in their wilderness. Let us imitate their holy Examples; fit ourselves for Glory by Austerity; and subjecting the Body to the soul, and the soul to God; set us to shake hands with the world, that our Conversation may be with Jesus Christ.   

The Tenth DISCOURSE. Of the Miracles which are found in the Beatitude of a Christian.  
AS Nature and Grace have their extraordinary proceed, so have they their Miracles; 
Haec utique Deus potestatis suae proponit signa, suis in solatium, extraneis in testimonium. Tertul.  and in Both of them we behold changes which require the endeavours of an absolute omnipotence. When the Sun stands still in the midst of his course; when the Earth cleaves from her foundations, and opens her bowels to devour her Children; when the sea passeth his bounds, and makes inquisition after Delinquents beyond his Banks; There is no body but looks upon these irregularities as Prodigies, and who conceives not that the author of Nature disorders her to punish us. Though Grace be so powerful, and its victorious sweetness so often triumphs over the liberty of sinners, it many times produceth occurrences which pass for Miracles: When it converted the Doctor of the world, disarmed his heart and his hands, and changing his will in a moment, of a Persecutor made him an Apostle, it seems so strange a proceeding may well be ranked in the number of prodigies: when it touched that Comedian who laughed at the Ceremonies of our Religion, enlightened his spirit upon the Theatre, made use of the water he profaned, to make a Sacrament, and by a wonderful conduct made him find his salvation in his very sin; we shall not offend its power, if we call this effect a Miracle.  
If Nature and Grace have their Prodigies, Glory, which is their perfection, may boast of those it hath: and as its order is the highest, so is it most miraculous. Therefore did the Great S. Bernard confess, That there were Three Unions that ravished him: The first, That of Virginity with Pregnancy in the person of Mary: The second, That of the Humanity with the Divinity in the person of the Word; and the Third, That of Glory with the spirit of Man in the person of the Blessed. For he could not comprehend how it came to pass that the Creature was not dazzled with the brightness of the Creator; that a drop of water should not be lost in an Ocean; and that an Atom should be preserved in the Abysses of a Divine Essence: But certainly he that shall well consider the state of Glory, will find it a perpetual Miracle; and that the Circumstances that accompany it are so many Prodigies, whereof the first is, that God communicates himself entirely to every one of the Blessed.  
The Goods of the earth are such scantlings, that they cannot be divided without being diminished: we ravish that from our neighbour, which we possess ourselves; we cannot grow rich, but must inaccommodate him; and whatever care we take not to deal unjustly, we find by experience that our Plenty is an occasion of Misery and Indigence to others. Monarch's cannot enlarge the borders of their State, but must encroach upon those of their Neighbours; they cannot widen their own Kingdom, but must make a breach in that of their Allies; and all worldly things are so small, that, being shared, occasions the division and poverty of Families. But inasmuch as the Good which the Blessed are in possession of is infinite, it is communicated to all without being divided: The Felicity of one is no hindrance to that of another; and as Virtue, though common, is nevertheless chaste; the Divine Essence, though wholly shed abroad into a man, ceaseth not to be entirely infused into an Angel: It takes not from the Cherubims what it indulgeth the Seraphims; and communicating itself indivisibly to all its Subjects, occasions neither Jealousy nor Envy.  
Great Goods have this advantage, that they never suffer by division: 
Magna & vera bona non sic dividuntur ut exiguum in singulos cadat, ad unumquemque totum perveniat. Sen. Ep. 73.  They make some rich, without making others poor; and as they are conferred in full weight and measure, every one is content, and none miserable. Covetousness, which hath divided Sea and Land, hath not yet divided Time: That which measures the life of Kings, measures that of their Subjects: every one possesseth it in common; and though we make divers uses of it, it runs along equally to all people. Ambition, which hath cantonized Honour, hath not yet found out the Secret of parting the Light; this daughter of the Sun never thinks she sullies her purity by rendering it common; she equally shines upon all Nations; and did not the Earth interpose between the effusion of her brightness, she would banish Darkness from the face of the Universe. The Divine Essence, whereof the Light is but a shadow, is shed abroad into the soul of the Blessed without being divided; is not parted by being communicated: All Angels and all Men fully possess it; and if it make some difference in their happiness, 'tis without want or jealousy.  
The Second miracle of Glory, is, that one and the same Good produceth all kind of content, and satisfies all sorts of desires. Seeing the Creatures are but weak rays issuing from God, as from their Sun, there is none of them that possesseth all perfections: 
Nullum est bonum praeter summum, quo vere possimus esse boni aut beati. Aug.  They are bounded in their Qualities, as well as in their Essences: They cannot relieve us in all our necessities; and had not sin made them rebel against us, there was not one of them could remedy our evils: Light enlightens us, but cannot warm us without its heat: Meat nourisheth, but clothes us not: Garments cover us, but cannot feed us: Gold enricheth, but cannot defend us: Iron defends, but does not enrich us. One Good produceth but one single commodity: that which serves for one use, does not for another; and the remedy which cures a Disease, cannot give consolation to a Discontent. But the Blessed have this advantage, that they find in God whatever is necessary for them: having all Perfections, he fully contents their desires; and one sole Good infused into their souls, satisfies all their wants: He that enlightens them, warms them; he that feeds them, clothes them; he that lodges them, protects them; he that imparts his perfections in several portions to the Saints here below, communicates them all together to the Blessed; and, to express myself in the words of Saint Paul, and S. Augustine his disciple, God is All to All in Glory; nor can we form any wishes whereof we find not the accomplishment in his possession.  
The Third Miracle is, that the desire is not restless in heaven. Those that are well acquainted with our Passions, confess there is none more cruel than Desire: For though it seem to supply us in our need, we may say that the Remedy is more troublesome than the Disease, and that it were better to retrench the most part of worldly things, then to be troubled with longing for them. This Passion puts us not upon the search of Good but by means of Grief; 'tis a spur which wounds us to make us go, a needle that goads us to make us run, a transportation of the soul which renders us miserable to render us happy. Thence it comes to pass that Divines, agreeing with Philosophers, profess that Desires are the chiefest torment of the Damned; that these delinquents are therefore wretched, because their desires are hopeless, 
Est in eyes desiderium, nec poenam generat, quia desiderium omne transit in gaudium, dum praesto est quicquid optatur, & qui quid deside ratur abun●at. Aug. aut Greg. Mag.  and this viper which they conceive in their bowels, gnaws and devours them eternally. But, by an unconceivable wonder, the Blessed desire, and are not at all disquieted; they enjoy what they long for, see what they hope; and as the Goodness of God occasions their wishes, his Presence begets their felicity: The Good they desire, is not absent; the Good they possess, is not wearisome; and mixing Desire with Fruition, they are everlastingly happy. They long, saith S. Augustine, and their longing causeth no doleance, because, as soon as form, 'tis turned into joy; and the presence of the God they covet, banisheth pain, and causeth content.  
This Miracle produceth a Fourth, which makes the Blessed find a possession which never disgusts them. 
Duo sunt tortores cruci atum alternantes, dolour, & timor; si bene es times, si male es doles. Aug.  Men cannot avoid being upon Earth; and as Grief and Fear are two Passions which succeed to give them no respite, Fruition and Desire are two states which alternately torment them. Desire is always attended with Restlessness: every man that makes Vows, and puts up Requests, declares publicly his want and misery; and though raised to never so high a pitch of Fortune, tells all the world that he suffers because he desires. Fruition, which seems the period and acquiescence of Desires, and which, by a necessary consequence, aught to banish Grief out of the soul, begets a sapless cloying of the appetite, and condemns him to a punishment whereof he hath no right to complain, because himself seems to have courted it. In the mean time, this misfortune is so common, that there is no body but experienceth it: and the goods of the Earth are so mean and beggarly, that we cannot have them, but we must despise them. Their absence troubles us, and their presence cloys us; we make some account of them at a distance, but when we approach them, and taste the fruition of them, we discover their imperfections, are ashamed, or disrelish them: so that in whatever condition Fortune place us, we cannot choose but be miserable. But the happiness which the Blessed enjoy is so great, that as their Desire's occasion not their Impatience, neither doth their felicity nauseate into a distaste; They daily discover new beauties in this infinite object; they find more sweetnesses than were promised them; and confess that their happiness exceeds their hopes. The Faithful have less love, because less light; present things distract them; their senses which are at agreement with what they see, seduce them; and, because they can form no noble Ideas of the Supreme Good, the desires they have towards it are faint and languishing: But inasmuch as the Blessed know all the advantages it is attended with, their love increaseth with their light; their pleasure is augmented by fruition; and far distant from conceiving any disrelish, their desire continues in the height of possession, and they wish without pain, what they possess with assurance.  
But the last miracle of glory, and which is no whit inferior to the rest, is, that the difference of conditions causeth no jealousy. The variety of the world is one of its rarest ornaments: 
Tota Naturae pulchritudo aut certe praecipuae in sua varietate sita, est nec abest à varietate utilitas. Mars. Fisc.  The flowers which chequer a walk embellish it; The Stars which make a hundred several Figures in the Firmament, set a lustre upon its beauty; neither doth any thing make a Country more pleasant, than the diversity of the parts that compose it: Our eyes are ravished to behold rivulets creeping along the Meadows; Fields stretching themselves out of sight; Valleys which sink as low as the Centre of the Earth, and Mountains which strike Heaven with their tops. The Riches and Beauty of a State depends upon its diversity; if all Subjects were of the same condition, there would be neither diversion for strangers, nor accommodation for the Naturals: The Ornament and Advantage of the Body Politic, appears in this agreeable mixture of Poor and Rich, Artists and Husbandmen, Soldiers and Merchants, Magistrates and Priests. But it falls out by an inevitable misfortune, that this difference of conditions which begets its beauty, breeeds jealousy among the subjects: For as their goods are not common, because their conditions are different, one is jealous of what the other possesseth: The Grandees are proud, and despise their inferiors; the mean men are envious, and murmur at the Optimacy; 
Cum erit Deus omnia in omnibus, qui minus habebunt non abhorrebunt; ubi enim nulla est invidentia, concors est differentia. Aug.  Every condition carries its own torment along with it; Greatness is tortured with Pride, and Misery afflicted with Envy: But in Heaven the difference of conditions produceth their beauty, and gives no occasion of jealousy. All the Saints hold different stations, their merit is the measure of their glory, their crowns are proportionable to their labours, and there is more variety in the Blessed then among the Stars. In the mean time Peace bears rule in the diversity of their conditions; Charity, which unites them, renders their contentment common, though the Justice that rewards them makes their condition different: Every one is glad of another's good fortune; and without interessing any one, they find that the felicity of particulars contributes to that of the Public.  
But it were to injure their dignity, 
Non Nobis sufficit quia Christianum nomen accepimus, si opera Christi non fecerimus. Illi prodest quod Christianus dicitur qui castitatem diligit, ebrietatem fugit, superbiam odit, & invidiam respuit. Aug.  should we strive to express it; silence and astonishment are the only commendations we can give them, because the Holy Scripture teacheth us, that the Happiness God prepareth for those that love him, is unconceivable: Let us content ourselves to wish what we cannot comprehend; and finishing this Work with the Beatitude of Christians, let us strive to merit it by the precedent advantages: Let us profit by the Birth we received in Baptism; follow the motions of the Holy Spirit that inanimates us; imitate the examples of that ever to be adored Chief that governs us; obey his Grace that masters us; make use of those Virtues that assist us; Entertain our life by the nourishment, and our piety by the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ: Do nothing that may dishonour our Qualities; and endeavour to make ourselves worthy of that Glory which is promised to all true Christians in the other world.  
FINIS.