A treatise of the divine essence and attributes. By Thomas Iackson Doctor in Divinitie, chaplaine to his Majestie in ordinary, and vicar of S. Nicolas Church in the towne of Newcastle upon Tyne. The first part

CHAP. 20.

Whilest God of a loving Father becomes a severe Iudge, their is no change or alteration at all in God, but onely in men and in their actions. Gods will is al∣wayes exactly fulfilled even in such as goe most against it. How it may stand with the Iustice of God to punish transgressions temporall, with tormens everlasting.

1THe summe of all is this; love was the Mother of all his workes, and (if I may so speake) the fertility of his power and Essence. And seeing it is his nature as Cre∣ator, and cannot change: no part of our nature (seeing every part was created by him) can bee utterly ex∣cluded from all fruits of his love; untill the sinister use of that contingencie wherewith hee indued it, or the improvement of inclinations naturally bent unto evill, come to that height as to imply a con∣tradiction for infinite justice or equity to vouch∣safe them any favour. Whether naturall inclinati∣ons unto evill, may bee thus farre improved in the children by their forefathers or no, is disputable; but in another place. Concerning Infants (save onely) so farre as neglect of duties to be performed to them, may concerne their Elders, seeing the Scripture in this point is silent, I have no minde here or elsewhere to dispute. If faith they have, or

such holinesse as becommeth Saints; neither are begotten by our writing or preaching, nor is the written word the rule of theirs as of all others faith that are of yeares. And unto them onely that can heare or reade, or have the use of reason, I write and speake this, as well for their comfort and en∣couragement to follow goodnes, or for their terror, lest they follow evill.

Love, much greater than a∣ny creature owes or performes, or is capable of, either in respect of himselfe, or in others, is the essentiall and sole fruit of Gods antecedent will, whether concerning our nature as it was in the first man, or now is in the severall persons deri∣ved from him. And of this love every particular faculty of soule or body is a pledge undoubted; all, are as so many ties or handles to draw us un∣to him, from whom we are separated onely by dissimilitude; our very natures being otherwise linkt to his being, with bonds of strictest refe∣rence or dependency.

On the contrary, Wrath and Severity are the proper effects of his consequent will, that is, they are the infallible consequents of our neglecting and despising his will revealed for our good, or sweet promises of saving health. The full explication and necessary use of this di∣stinction, hath taken up its place, in the Articles of Creation, or Divine Providence. Thus much of it may serve our present turn. That Gods absolute wil was to have man capable of Heaven & Hel, of joyes and miseries immortall. That this absolute will whose possible objects are two, is in the first place set on mans eternall and everlasting joy, more fer∣vently

than man can conceive; yet not so, as to contradict it selfe by frustrating the contrary possi∣bility, which unto man it had appointed. That Gods anger never kindles, but out of the ashes of his flaming love despised. Nor doth the turning of tender love and compassion, into severity & wrath, presuppose or argue any change or turning in the Father of lights and everlasting mercy; it is wholly seated in mens irregular deviation from that course which by the appointment of his antecedent will they should and might have taken (whereto his fa∣therly kindnesse did still invite them) unto whose crooked wayes, which they doe, but should not follow; from which the same infinite goodnesse doth still allure them by every temporall blessing, and deterre them by every crosse and plague that doth befall them.

2 This bodily Sunne, which wee see, never changeth with the Moone, his light, his heat are still the same; yet one and the same heat in the spring time, refresheth our bodies here in this Land; but scortcheth such as, brought up in this clime, journey in the sands of Affricke. His beames reflected on bodies solid, but of corruptible and changeable nature, often inflame matter capable of combustion. But (as some Philosophers thinke) wold not annoy us (unless by too much light) were we in that aethereall or coelestiall region wherein it moves. At least, were our bodies of the like sub∣stance with the heavens; the vicinity of it would rather comfort than torment us. Thus is the Fa∣ther of lights a refreshing flame of unquenchable

love, to such as are drawne by love to be like him in purity of life, but a consuming fire to such as he beholdeth a farre off; to such as run from him by making themselves most unlike unto him. No sonnes of Adam there be, which in some measure or other had not some taste or participation of his bountie. And the measure of his wrath is but e∣quall to the riches of his bounty despised. To whom this infinite treasure of his bounty hath beene most liberally opened, it proves in the end a storehouse of wrath and torments, unlesse it final∣ly draw them to repentance: According to the height of that exaltation whereunto his antecedent will had designed them, shall the degrees of their depression be in hell for not being exalted by it. Nor doth any man in that lake of torments, suffer paines more against his will, than he had done ma∣ny things against the will of his righteous Iudge daily leading him to repenttnce. The flames of hell take their scantling from the flames of Gods love neglected; they may not, they cannot exceede the measure of this neglect. Or to knit up this point with evidence of sacred truth; God alwaies proportioneth his plagues or punishments in just equality to mens sinnes. And the onely rule for measuring sinne or transgression right, must bee taken from the degrees of mans opposition to Gods delight or pleasure in his salvation. Not so much as a dramme of his delight or pleasure can be abated, not a scruple of his will, but must finally be accomplished. The measure of his delight in mans repentance or salvation, shall beee exactly satisfied

and fulfilled. Mans repentance he loves as hee is infinite in mercy and in bounty: mans punish∣ment he doth not love at all in it selfe, yet doth hee punish as hee is infinitely just, or as hee infinitely loveth justice. This is but the extract of Wisedomes speech, Prov. 1. vers. 24. Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded: But yee have set at nought all my counsell, and would none of my reproofe: I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mocke when your feare commeth, When your feare commeth as desolation, and your de∣struction commeth as a whirlewind; when distresse and anguish commeth upon you: Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seeke me eare∣ly, but they shall not finde mee: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the feare of the Lord. They would none of my counsel: they despised all my re∣proofe. Therefore shall they eate of the fruit of their owne way, and be filled with their owne devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them. But who so harkeneth unto me, shall dwell safely, and be quiet from feare of evill.

And it were to be wished, that some moderne Divines, would better explicate than they doe a schoole tenet, held by many, concerning Gods punishing sinners in the life to come, citra condig∣num, that is, lesse than they deserve. For by how much their punishment is lesse than the rule of di∣vine Iustice exacts: so much of that delight or good pleasure which God should have reaped from their salvation, may seeme by this remission

to be diminished. But this point I leave to the judi∣cious Readers consideration, who may inform him∣selfe from the* 1.1 Expositors of that sacred Maxime. His mercy is above all his works. Psal. 145. 9.

3 To thinke God should punish sinne unlesse it were truly against his will, or any sinne more deep∣ly than it is against his will and pleasure, is one of those three grosse transformations of the divine na∣ture, which Saint Augustine refutes. For thus to doe is neither incident to the divine nature, nor to any other imaginable. Most of us, are by nature cholericke, and often take offence where none is given, and almost alwayes greater than is justly gi∣ven; But to be offended with any thing, that goes not against their present wills, is a way wardnesse of men, whereof the humane nature is uncapable. To punish any, which doe not contradict their wills, is an injustice scarce incident to the inhabi∣tants of Hell. It is the mutability of our wills or multiplicity of humors, which makes us so hard to be pleased. Our minds (at lest our affections) are set upon one thing fasting, upon another full; on this to day, on that to morrow; on sweet meates in health, on sowre in sicknesse; on kindnesse in mirth, on cruelty in anger; and because each hath his severall inconstant motions, wee cannot hold consort long together, without crossing or thwar∣ring. But no man ever offended by merrily consor∣ting

with his brother disposed to mirth; nor by consenting to wreake his will, whilest hee was in rage. No man ever punished his servant for doing that which for the present he would have him doe; nor doe the Devills themselves vex the wicked (till Gods justice overtake them) but the godly; because the one doth what they would, the other what they would not have him doe; neither could displease them, were it not their wicked will to have all as bad and miserable as themselves. Could the dam∣ned by their suffering, either ease these tormentors, of paine, or abate their malice; they would be lesse displeased at them, and lesse displeased, torment them lesse. And, whom then have they made the subject of their thoughts, or did they rather dreame than thinke on God, that sometimes write as if it were not as much against Gods will to have men dye, as it is against mans will to suffer death. For they suffer death, not because God delighteth in it, but that Gods will may be fulfilled in their suffering or passion, according to the measure it hath beene neglected or opposed, by their actions.

4 But though the rule of justice bee exactly ob∣served in proportioning their paines to the degrees or fervency of his love neglected; yet seeing the continuance of their neglect was but temporall, how stands it with his justice to make their paines eternall? The doubt were pertinent, if the immor∣tall happinesse, wherunto the riches of Gods boun∣tie, did daily lead them during their pilgrimage on earth, whereof they had sweet promises and full assurance, had not farther exceeded all the plea∣sures

of this mortall life, for whose purchase, they morgaged their hopes of immortality, than the paines of hell doe these grievances or corrections, which caused them murmure against their heaven∣ly Father. In this sense we may maintaine what Mirandula in another doth: that no man is everlast∣ingly punished for temporall offences as commit∣ted against God. How then? Man wilfully ex∣changing his everlasting inheritance for momen∣tany and transient pleasures, becomes the Author of his owne woe, and reapes the fruit of his rash * 1.2bargaines, and so makes up that measure of Gods glory and pleasure, by his eternall sufferings, which he might and would not doe, by eternall participa∣tion of his joyfull presence.* 1.3 And it is more than just, (for it is justice tempered with abundant mer∣cy) that they should suffer everlasting paines, who not twice, or thrice, or seven times onely, but more than seventy times seven times, have wilfully refused to accomplish Gods eternall pleasure by accepting the sweet profers of their eternall joy. In every moment of this life, we have a pledge of his bounty to assure us of a better inheritance, the very first neglect whereof, might in justice con∣demne us to everlasting bondage. The often and perpetuall neglect, turnes flames of eternall love into an eternall consuming fire. For if love and mercy bee his property as hee is Crea∣tor and preserver of all mankinde: his love

(as was said before) must needs be more indissolu∣bly set on those attributes than on man. The end of his love to man, is to make him happy by be∣ing like him in the love of goodnesse: Now the more he loves him with reference to this end, or the oftner hee pardons him for neglecting or refu∣sing the meanes that draw unto it; the greater is his wrath against impenitency, or finall contempt of his loving mercy. This is his* 1.4 most deare and ten∣der attribute, which being foully wronged will not suffer justice to sleepe.

Patientia laesa sit furor. Long restraint of anger upon just and frequent provocations, makes the out-bursting of it, though unseemely and violent, seeme not altogether unjust nor immoderate. Al∣beit the forme and manner of proceeding, which humane patience much abused, usually observes in taking revenge, cannot in exact justice bee warran∣ted or approved: yet this excesse of anger, or delin∣quency in the forme, is so tempered with matter of equity, that it makes those actions of patient men much abused, seeme excusable, which in o∣thers would be intollerable. The ideall perfection of this rule of equity, thus often corrupted by humane passions, is in the Divine Nature, without mixture of such passion or perturbation, as is pic∣tured out to the terror of the ungodly in the pro∣pheticall characters or descriptions of his anger. Et excitatus est tanquam dormiens Dominus, &c. Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleepe, and like a mightie man that shouteth by reason of wine: Psal. 78. 65. Although he be a Father to all, and seeme

to winke at his sonnes enormities: yet when hee a∣wakes, he hath a curse in store, for such as abuse his patience, and make a mocke of his threatnings; more bitter than that which Noah bestowed on Cham. To attribute patience to him, and to deny him wrath and indignation; were, in Lactantius his judgement, to inrich his goodnesse, by robbing his Majesty.* 1.5 The reasons of those Philosophers are apparently vaine, which thinke that God cannot bee angry. For even earthly Empire or Soveraignty, forthwith dissolves, unlesse it be held together by fear. Take anger from a King, and in stead of obedience, he shall be throwne headlong from the height of dignity. Yea take anger from a man of meaner ranke, and hee shall become a prey to all, a laughing-stock to all.

5 I am not ignorant what censures passe upon this Author for his incommodious speeches in this argument of Gods wrath or anger. His words, I must confesse, sound somewhat harsh, to eares ac∣customed to the harmony of refined Scholastique Dialect. Yet* 1.6 Betuleius, a man too learned, and too well seene in Lactantius, to let grosse faults pass without espiall, and too ingenuous to spare his cen∣sure upon errors espyed; after long quaerulous de∣batements, chides himselfe friends with his Au∣thor:

whose meaning in conclusion he acknowled∣geth to be Orthodoxall and good; albeit his cha∣racters of divine wrath in the premisses, may seeme better to fit the fragility of humane peevishnesse, than the Majesty of the Almighty Iudge. His phrase (perhaps) might be excused in part, by the security of those times wherein he wrote; his fault (if any fault it were not to speake precisely in an age more precise for maintaining the elegancy or life of style, than the right use or logicall propriety of words) is too common to most Writers yet, and consisteth onely in appropriating that to the Divine Nature, which is attributed to it onely by extrinsecall deno∣mination. But leaving his phrase (about which perhaps he himselfe would not have wrangled) his argument holds thus farre true: God is more deep∣ly displeased with sinne, than man is, though his displeasure bee not cloathed with such passions, as mans anger is: and yet the motions of the crea∣tures appointed to execute his wrath, are more fu∣rious than any mans passions in extreamest fury can bee. What mans voice is like his thunder? What Tyrants frownes like to a lowring sky, breathing out stormes of fire and brimstone? Yet are the most terrible sounds, which the creatures can present, but as so many ecchoes of his angry voice; the most dreadfull spectacles that Heaven or Earth, or the intermediate Elements can afford, but copies of his irefull countenance. Howbe it this change or altera∣tion in the creature proceeds from him without a∣ny internall passion or alteration. Immotus movet: He moveth all things, being himselfe immoveable.

6 But as Lactantius may bee so farre justified, as we have said, so perhaps he is inexcusable in avou∣ching anger to bee as naturall to GOD, as mer∣cie, love, and favour are. To him that duely considers his infinite goodnesse, it may seeme im∣possible that hee should bee moved by us, or by any thing in us, to mercy; seeing, as* 1.7 Saint Ber∣nard well observes, he hath the seminary of mercy in himselfe, and cannot take the seeds of it from any other. The fruits of it, wee may, by ill deserving, so hinder, that they shall never take nor prosper in our selves; but to punish or condemne us, we in a sort constraine him. And though he be the Author as well of punish∣ment as of compassion, yet the manner how these two opposite attributes, in respect of us proceed from him, is much different; the one is naturall to him, and much better than any naturall comfort unto us; the other is in a sort to him unnaturall, and most unnaturall and unpleasant unto us: for as S. a 1.8Ierome saith, God when he punisheth, doth in a man∣ner, relinquish his nature, and therefore when he pro∣ceeds to punishment, he is said to goe out of his place, and to worke alienum opus, a strange or uncouth worke. The wicked and reprobate, after this life, shall alwayes see and feele his anger: But though they see him thus, immediately, they doe not see his nature so immediately as the Elect shall doe, to whom he shewes himselfe in love; this is his pro∣per visage, the live-character of his native counte∣nance. The manifestation of his anger in what part of the world soever, or in what manner soever made, is a veile or vizard put betweene him and the

Reprobate, lest they shold see the light of his coun∣tenance and be made whole. Hence, in the sentence of condemnation, it shall be said, Depart from mee yee cursed into everlasting fire. From his essentiall presence they cannot, but from the light of his countenance or joyfull presence, they must of ne∣cessity depart. For were it possible for them to be∣hold it, no torments could take hold of them; the reflex of it upon whom soever it lighteth, createth joy; the fruition of it, is that happinesse which we seeke. To conclude: Lactantius rightly inferres, It were impossible sinne should not be odious to him, to whom goodnesse is pleasant and delightfull. Now his dispeasure at sinne, is the true cause of all displea∣sant motions or alterations in the creatures. His er∣rour, albeit we take him at the worst, was not great: and as it may easily be committed by others, so it may as quickly be rectified, if wee say, that Anger and Hate are by consequent, or upon supposall of sinne, as necessary to the Divine Nature, as Love and Mercy, but not so naturall. But how either Love or Anger, both of them being either formally passions, or indissolubly linkt with passions, may be rightly conceived to be in God, is a point worth explication.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Quod in fine versus 9. dicitur, Mesericor∣dia ejus s••∣per omnia opera ejus, hoc, inquit Calv. ne{que} absurdum, ne{que} durum videri de∣bet. Nam cum pec••ata nostra totum mundum involvant Dei male∣dictione, v∣bi{que} locus est misericor∣diae Dei ut brutis etiam animalibus subveniat. Hunc locum tractat Zan∣chius de na∣tura Dei. l. 4. c. 4. q. 4 Quam magna sit Dei miseri∣cordia▪ i. Deus de justitia sua multum semper remittit. It reprobri cum postea puniuntur non pro meritis puniuntur [Haec Zanchij sententia] in igitur remittit illis propter satisfactionem Christi, an sine ulla satisfa∣ctione? [Verba Coppen.] Notandum hic in Diabolis & reprobis condemnatis, post hanc vitam non videri quaerenda misericordiae divinae vestigia. Coppen in Psal. 145. 9. videtur Zanchij expositio contradicere lac. c. 2. v. 13 Damnatio 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ei qui non praestitit miseris ordiam.
• * 1.2

  For I reckon, that the sufferings of this pre∣sent time, are not worthy to be compa∣red with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. 8. 18.
• * 1.3

  Quod si Christo salus nostra tam chara fuit, & tam charò con∣stitit, quid est quare nostram ipsi salutem tantopere negligamus? Quibus supplicijs, & qua ignominia sempiterna non sumus digni, modicum laborem prore obtinenda tam praetiosa recusantes? Quomòdo nos effugie••••us (in∣quit Paulus) si tantum neglexerimus salutem? Acosta con. 3. de circumcisione.
• * 1.4

  Isa. 42. 14 I have long time hol∣den my peace, I have been still and re∣frained my selfe: now will I cry like a tra∣vailing woman, I wil destroy & devoure at once.
• * 1.5

  Ex his ap∣paret vanas esse ratio∣nes Philoso∣phorum, qui Deum putant sine ira: & in∣ter caeteras laudes ejus id ponunt, quod est contra ipsā majestatem. Regnum hoc imperi∣um{que} terre∣num, nisi metus cu∣stodiat, sol∣vitur. Au∣fer iram Regi, non modo nemo parebit, sed etiem de fastigio praecipitabitur. Imo vero cuilibet humili eripe hunc affectum, quis eum non spoliabit? quis non deridebit? Lactantius cap. 23. de ira Dei. p. 477.
• * 1.6

  Hacte∣nus mihi magna contentio suit cum Lactantio, dum humanis rationibus, divinam iram ex humana metiretur fragilitate. Iam autem, quia dicit iram Dei sicut ipsum etiam Deum, eternam, nihil habeo quod repugnem. Nam ex syncrisi divinae atque humanae irae intelligas, ipsum de divina longe aliter quam de humana loqui: neque esse accidens quod in Deum non cadit, sed proprium, quia ira Dei à justitia Dei nihil differt. Iustitia verò Dei exeterna lage manet, contra quam si quis deliquerit, vindictam nimirum illius Dei sentiet, apud quem nul∣lus vel temporum vel locorum terminus est. Betuleius in Com. in cap. 21. Lactant. de ira Dei.
• * 1.7

  Deus ex se sumil se∣minarium miserendi, quod judi∣cat & con∣demnat nos, eum quo∣dammodo cogimus, ut longe aliter de corde ipsius mise∣ratio quam animadver. sio procede∣re videatur. Bernard. Ser. 5. in na∣tal. Dom.
• a 1.8

  Vide Hie∣rom. in cap. 1. Mich. vi∣de Riberam in 1. Mich. num. 5. Et in 4. Mal. num. 4.