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Of the Nature of Felicity, its Ex∣cellence and Perfection.
THE Peripateticks, so far forth as they contemplated the Nature and Estate of man in this World, were Wise, in defining the Goods of the Bo∣dy, Soul and Fortune to concur to Mans perfect Happiness. For Difficulties and Conflicts are not Essential to the Na∣ture of Bliss, nor confistent with the frui∣tion of its fulness and Perfection.
THERE is the Way, and the jour∣neyes end.
IN the Way to Felicity many things
are to be endured, that are not to be desired. And therefore is it necessary, to make a Distinction between the way to Felicity, and the Rest which we attain in the end of our Journey.
THE Goods of the Soul, are abso∣lutely necessary in the Way to Happiness; the Goods of the Body are very conve∣nient, and those of Fortune Commodi∣ous enough. But the latter of these are not with too much eagerness to be pur∣sued.
THE Goods of the soul are wisdom, Knowledg, Courage, all the Virtues, all the Passions, Affections, Powers and faculties. And these you know are ab∣solutely necessary.
THE Goods of the Body are Health, Agility, Beauty, Vivacity, Strength and Libertie: and these shall in Heaven it self, together with those of the Soul, he enjoyed. By which you may dis∣cern that the Goods of the Body are real Parts and Ingredients of Happiness.
THE Goods of Fortune are food and Rayment, Houses and Lands, Rich∣es, Honours, Relations and Friends, with all those convenient Circumstances without the Body, that are subject to
chance. By which vertue is assisted, and of which a noble use may be made, in Works of Justice, Hospitality, Cour∣tesie and Charity, which may redound to our greater Felicity here and in heaven.
THE more Honor and pleasure we enjoy, the Greater and more Perfect is our present Happiness: Tho many times in the Way to Felicity, we are forced to quit all these, for the Preservation of our Innocence.
GALLANT Behavior in flighting all Transitory things for the Preservation of our Virtue, is more conducive to our fu∣ture Perfection, then the greatest ease imaginable in our present condition.
IT is incumbent upon us, as a spe∣cial part of our Care, to take heed, that we be not ensnared by the easiness of Prosperity, and that we do not set up our Rest in the Way to Happiness, nor deceive our selves in thinking the Goods of Fortune Essential: nor discou∣rage our selves, by thinking it impos∣siable to be Happy without them. Our Thoughts and Affections must be al∣ways disentangled, that we may run, with Alacritie the Race set before us, and close with the Sublimest Perfection
of Bliss, as our only portion and De∣sire.
FELICITY is rightly defined, to be the Perfect fruition of a Perfect Soul, acting in perfect Life by Perfect Virtue. For the Attainment of which Perfection, we must, in the Way to Felicity, endure all Afflictions that can befall us. For tho they are not Parts of Felicity them∣selves, yet we may acknowledge them great Advantages for the Exercise of Virtue, and reckon our Calamities among our Joys, when we bear and overcome them in a virtuous Manner, because they add to our Honor, and contribute much to our Perfection, both here, and hereafter.
FOR this purpose we are to remem∣ber, that our present Estate is not that of Reward, but Labour: It is an Estate of Trial, not of Fruition: A Condition wherein we are to Toyl, and Sweat, and travail hard, for the promised Wages; an Appointed Seed Time, for a future Harvest; a real Warfare, in order to a Glorious Victory: In which we must expect some Blows, and delight in the Hazzards and Encounters we meet with, because they will be crowned with a Glorious and joyful Triumph; and at∣tended
with ornaments and trophies far surpassing the bare Tranquillity of idle peace.
WHEN we can cheerfully look on an Army of Misfortunes, without Amazement we may then freely and Delightfully con∣template the Nature of the Highest Felicity.
ARISTOTLE never heard of our Ascension into Heaven, nor of sitting down in the Throne of GOD, yet by a lucky Hit (if I may so say) fell in point blanck upon the Nature of Blessedness. For a perfect fruition by perfect virtue, is all that can be thought of: It implies our Objective, and our formal Happi∣ness.
OBJECTIVE Happiness is all the Good∣ness that is fit to be enjoyed either in GOD or in his Creatures: while For∣mal Happiness is an active Enjoyment of all Objects by Contemplation and Love, attended with full Complacency in all their Perfections.
PERFECT Fruition implies the Per∣fection of all its Objects. Among which GOD himself is one, Angels and Saints are next, the World also with all the va∣riety of Creatures in it, the Laws of GOD, and his wayes in all Ages, his Eter∣nal
Counsels and Divine Attributes are other Objects of our Content and Pleasure. Unless all these be perfect in their Nature, Variety, Number, Extent, Relation, Use and Value, our fruition can∣not be simply perfect, because a Greater and more perfect fruition might, upon the production of better Objects, be con∣trived, and no fruition can be truly perfect, that is not conversant about the highest things. The more Beautiful the Object is, the more pleasant is the enjoy∣ment. But where Delight may be in∣creased, the Fruition is imperfect.
A Perfect Soul is a Transcendent Mystery. As GOD could not be Perfect, were it possible there could be any Better Essence then he; so neither would the Soul be per∣fect, could any more Perfect Soul be crea∣ted.
IT is a Soul in which no Defect, or Blemish can be discerned; perfect in the variety and Number of its Powers, in the fitness and Measure of every power, in the use and value of every Endow∣ment. A perfect Soul is that whereunto nothing can be added to please our De∣••••re. As all its Objects are perfect, so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it self. It is able to see all that is to be seen, to love all that is Lovely, to
hate all that is Hateful, to desire all that is Desirable, to honour all that is Ho∣norable, to esteem all that can be valued, to delight in all that is Delightful, and to enjoy all that is Good and fit to be enjoy∣ed. If its Power did fall short of any one Object, or of any one Perfection in any Object, or of any Degree in any Per∣fection, it would be imperfect, it would not be the Master piece of Eternal Power.
PERFECT life is the full exertion of perfect power. It implies two things, Perfection of Vigour, and perfection of intelligence, an activity of life, reach∣ing through all Immensity, to all Ob∣jects whatsoever; and a freedome from all Dulness in apprehending: An exqui∣site Tenderness of perception in feeling the least Object, and a Sphere of activity that runs parallel with the Omnipresence of the Godhead. For if any Soul lives so imperfectly, as to see and know but some Objects, or to love them remisly, and less then they deserve, its Life is im∣perfect, because either it is remisse, or if never so fervent, confined.
PERFECT Fruition, (as it implie•• the Perfection of all objects) more near∣ly imports the intrinsick Perfection o•• its own Operations. For if its Object
be never so many, and perfect in them∣selves, a Blemish lies upon the Enjoy∣ment, if it does not reach unto all their Excellence. If the Enjoyment of one Ob∣ject be lost, or one Degree of the enjoy∣ment abated, it is imperfect.
PERFECT Vertue may best be un∣derstood by a consideration of its Parti∣culars. Perfect Knowledg is a thorow compleat understanding of all that may be Known. Perfect Righteousness is a full and adequate Esteem of all the va∣lue that is in Things. It is a Kind of Spiritual Justice, whereby we do Right to our selves, and to all other Beings. If we render to any Object less than it deserves, we are not Just thereunto. Per∣fect Wisdome is that whereby we chuse a most perfect end, actualy pursue it by most perfect Means, acquire and enjoy it in most perfect manner: If we pitch upon an inferiour end, our Wisdom is imperfect; and so it is, if we pursue it by feeble and inferior Means, or neglect any one of those Advantages, whereby we may attain it. And the same may be said of all the Vertues.
NOW if all Objects be infinitely Glorious, and all Worlds fit to be en∣joyed,
if GOD has filled Heaven and earth, and all the Spaces above the Hea∣vens with innumerable pleasures, if his infinite Wisdome, Goodness, and Power be fully Glorified in every Being, and the Soul be created to enjoy all these in most perfect Manner; we may well conclude with the Holy Apostle, that we are the children of GOD, and if Children, then Heirs, Heirs of GOD, and joynt heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. That our light Afflicti∣on, that is but for a Moment, worketh out for us, a far more exceeding and eter∣nal Weight of Glory: That beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord, we shall at last be transformed into the same Image from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spi∣rit of the Lord. For all his Works, of which the Psalmist saith, They are wor∣thy to be had in remembrance, and are sought out of all them that have pleasure therein, are like a Mirror, wherein his Glory appeareth, as the face of the Sun doth in a clear fountain. We may conclude further that Vertue, by force of which we attain so great a Kingdome, is infinitely better then Rubies, all the Things thou
canst desire, are not to be compared to her: So that with unspeakable comfort we may take Courage to go on, not on∣ly in the study, but the Practice of all kind of Vertues, concerning which we are to treat in the ensuing Pages. For as the Apostle Peter telleth us, He hath given to us all things that pertain to Life and Godliness, through the Knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and vir∣tue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises; that by these you might be Partakers of the Di∣vine Nature, having escaped the Corrupti∣on that is in the World through List. And besides this, saith he, giving all dili∣gence, adde to your Faith vertue: and to vertue, knowledge; and to knowledge, tem∣perance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kind∣ness Charity. For so an Entrance shall be Ministred to you abundantly into 〈◊〉〈◊〉 everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Sa∣viour Jesus Christ. Which Kingdom be∣ing so Divine and Glorious as it is, we have need to bow our Knees, to the GOD and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole Family in Heaven and
Earth is named, that he would grant us according to the Riches of his Glory, to be strengthened with might, by his Spirit in the inward Man, that Christ may dwell in our Hearts by Faith, that we being root∣ed and grounded in Love, may be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the Breadth, and Length, and Depth, and Height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth Knowledg, that we may be filled with all the fulness of GOD.
TO be Partaker of the Divine nature, to be filled with all the Fulness of GOD, to enter into his Kingdom and Glory, to be transformed into his Image, and made an Heir of GOD, and a joynt Heir with Christ, to live in Union and Communion with GOD, and to be made a Temple of the Holy Ghost; these are Divine and transcen∣dent things that accompany our Souls in the Perfection of their Bliss and Hap∣piness: the Hope and Belief of all which is justified, and made apparent by the explanation of the very nature of the Soul, its Inclinations and Capacities, the reality, and greatness of those Vertues of which we are capable, and all those objects which the Univers affordeth to our Con∣templation.