From the love of

God.

fhews,

eat; that is, is judged to have acted amifs: because he eateth not of faith: for, whatsoever is not of faith, is fin. For, here the Apoftle preffes what he had enjoined, verfe 5, let every man be fully perfuaded in his own mind.

LXXIII. 3dly, The practice of Christian holiness flows from the love of God, and confifts in that very ambition, which we have recommended from 2 Cor. 5. 9, of doing what is acceptable to God. And in this, Chriftian holinefs furpaffes all the virtuous ac tions of the Heathen, who were very juftly commended, if what they did proceeded from the love of that virtue, they were acquainted with: but as that& love did not afcend to God himfelf, but centered in a created, nay, and a very defective thing, fuch as their virtue was, it was not a holy love, but a vi cious affection, which indirectly and finfully terminates

in man himself.

Janfenius LXXIV. Janfenius lib. 4. de ftatu nature lapfæ c. 11. feq. has treated diftinctly and at large on this t fubject: where he speaks to this purpose. "This "therefore was the proper defect of philofophical ແ virtue, even when pureft, that, being delighted "with a certain ruinous height of virtue, they earnest

that the Gentiles acted from Sell-love.

66

iy defired it for this end, that they might be great "in their own efleem, delight and please themfelves; "whereas it became them to please God, or the "truth, as Augustine fpeaks. This vice of felf

pleafing fo closely adheres to thofe, who feek not "to pleafe either God or men, that it is not poffible "fuch perfons should not fall into it." To which he immediately fubjoins: "whoever lifts not up his "eyes to God, in order to please him from the beauty of virtue, but admires it alone, as the end of good, the faireft and the moft exalted; it is im"poffible, that either defiring it, he should not thence "pleafe himfelf; or not willing thence to please himfelf, he fhould defire it. Seeing it is altogether neceffary, the foul of man fhould delight

..

66

"in fomething. With what other object, pray, can "a foul, alienated from God, be delighted, and "looking down, as we fuppofe, with contempt on "the other meaner creatures, than with what he "imagines to be moft excellent among created things? but this is the mind itfelf, now adorned "with virtue; which ornament it judges the most "becoming of all. He therefore neceffarily pleafes "himself from his virtue,' who defires not by it to "pleafe either God or other men." All which is found and folid.

works in

the faints.

LXXV. Chriftian virtue therefore has a deeper and beter original, than any: love of virtue whatfo- How the ever, or than any complacency in one's own actions. love of But faith, which reprefents God to the foul, as in- God finitely good and perfectly holy, and the moft bountiful rewarder of good actions; as alfo his laws, as full of equity and juftice, enflames the foul with the love of a gracious God, and of his most equitable laws, and to deem nothing preferable to, nothing more valuable than, by a conformity to thofe laws, to resemble him, in his measure, in holinefs, and, in that resemblance, to pleafe him. That God looking down, as it were, out of himfelf, and from heaven, may also find upon earth, what to delight himself in, as his copy: which is the highest pleasure of a holy foul. So that it loves not virtue for itself alone, but for God, whofe image it is, and whom, in the practice of virtue, it pleafes. From this love to God fprings the practice of true holiness.

LXXVI. I cannot but tranfcribe an excellent An excellent pafpaffage of Clemens Alexandrinus to this purpose, who fage ef Stromat. lib. 5. p. 532, thus gives us the picture of Clemens. a holy perfon. He who obeys the bare call, so far as he is called, 1bours after knowledge, nei"ther from fear, nor from pleafure. For, he does "not confider, whether any profitable gain, or ex"ternal pleasure, will enfue, but being conftrained by the love of what is truly amiable, and thereby

excited

Another

511.

"excited to his duty, be is a pious worshipper of "God. Were we therefore to fuppofe him to have "received from God a liberty to what was forbid "den, without any apprehenfion of punishment:

''

nay moreover, had he a promife of receiving the "reward of the bleffed; and befides, was he perfuad"ed, that his actions fhould efcape the notice. of "God, (which by the way is impoffible) he could. "never be provailed with, to act contrary to right "reafon, after he had once chofen, what is really lovely and eligible of itself, and on that account to "be loved and defired." Than which nothing can be faid more fublime.

σε

LXXVII. He would have a holy or fanctified lib. 5. p perfon do every thing from a principle of love. It becomes him who is perfect, to be in the exercife of love, and fo endeavour after the divine favour and friendship, while he performs the commandments by love. But this love has not renown, nor any other advantage, but virtue itself, pure virtue for its object; fo he frames his life after the image and resemblance of God, no longer for the fake of renown, or, as the philofophers fpeak, xa of a fplendid name; nor from the view of reward, either from God or men. Moreover, what renders virtue amiable to him, is not that philofophical agreement it has with right reafon; but becaufe he beholds in it a refemblance to God, than which nothing can be imagined more amiable: for thus he defcribes it, what is truly good, he calls, truly defireable, faying, it is good by an affimulation to God to become impaffive and virtuous.

Not ur

LXXVIII. Yet we are not fo to understand these lawful to things, as if, in the practice of holiness, we were not have a re- allowed to pay any regard to our own advantage, and gard to that all love of ourfelves ought in this cafe quite to advantage disappear. We are not only allowed, but command

our own

in the

ed to love ourfelves: nor are we bound to love our practice of neighbour, without a love for ourselves. And this holiness. is not a written, but a natural law, which we have

learned

Of SANCTIFICATION. learned from no other quarter, but have received it from nature herfelf: no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourifbeth and cherisheth it, Eph. 5. 29. We may alfo be lawfully ftirred up to the diligent practice of holiness, by this love of ourfelves. God himfelf, by this enticing motive, invites his people, promifing, that their labour fhall not be in vain in the Lord, i Cor. 15. 58. And to what, pray, tend all those promifes, by which he has recommended his commandments to us, but that being excited by a defire of them, we should more chearfully obey him? Not to love the promised good, is to throw contempt on the goodness of a promifing God. By the love of them not to be ftirred up to piety, is to abufe them to fome other purpose, than God ever intended. David himfelf confeffed, that the commandments of God were even on that account, more to be defired than gold, yea, than much fine gold: fweeter also than honey, and the honey-comb; becaufe in keeping of them there is great reward, Pf. 19. 10, 12. And the faith of Mofes is, for the fame reafon, commended, becaufe he had a refpel unto the recompenfe of the reward, Heb. 11. 26. Nay, that faith is required as neceffary for all who come to God, whereby they may believe, that he is a rewarder of them, that diligently feek him, verse 6.

to God.

LXXIX. But then, here also the love of ourselves But fuborought to fpring from the love of God, be fubordinate dinately thereto, and rendered back to him. We must not love God on our own account, fo as to confider ourselves as the end, and God as the means, by which we are made happy in the enjoyment of him: but becaufe we are God's property, whom we ought to love above all, and therefore, for his fake, we are bound to love ourfelves. We are further to feek our own good, that therein we may tafte the sweetness of the Lord, and that thereby we may be fo much the more emproved and enriched as God's peculiar treafure. Thus the love of ourselves is at last swallowed up

Nature,

example

in that ocean of divine love. Of this we shall speak a little prefently.

LXXX. Let us now confider the rule or ftandard reafon and of holiness. Philofophers made the nature of man, made the right reafon and the examples of excellent men, the ftandard rule. A few of them fpoke of the precepts of God, of virtue and of the example, which he gives us, but that, in by phylo- deed, in a very flender manner. Of the nature of

sophers.

Epictetus adds the

com

mands of

God.

"

Others al

ample of

God,

man the emperor Marc Antonine, fpeaks thus; lib. 8. §. 11; wherein confifts a happy life? In doing thofe things, which human nature requires. They are for ever talking of right recfon, and of the examples of illuftrious men, fee Seneca, Epift. 6. 11,25.

LXXXI. Epictetus fpeaks things more fublime concerning the precepts of God, than could well have been expected from a Heathen. He protests Arrian. lib. 3. c. 24, towards the end, that he would live and die before God; as thou haft required, fays he, that as free, as thy fervant, as knowing what thou commandeft, and what thou forbiddest. And a little after, do not I wholly tend towards God, and his precepts and commands? And lib. 4. c. 7, I am fet at liberty by Gods I know his commandments. And in the fame book, a gi I am fet free, and am the friend of God, that I may wil lingly obey him. And a little after: wherefore I cannot tranfgrefs any of his commands. And to conclude; these are Edits, I must be the interpreter of, must obey them, before the precepts of Maffurius and Caffius.

LXXXII. Sometimes alfo they have spoken of the to the ex- imitation of God, and of conformity to him. Seneca de benefic. lib. 7. c. 31, let us imitate the Gods. Marc. Antonin. lib. 5. §. 27, we must live with the Gods: and lib. 2. § 5, live a divine life. Clemens Storm. lib. 2. P. 403. Plato the philofopher defining happiness, fays, it is an affimilation to God, as far as may be. See above, chap. 5. fect. 2.

All which LXXXIII. Thefe things are spoken in a lofty strain: nevertheless, as they had not the knowledge

are not

of