In the which place, under the name of life; he meaneth this natural life; the which whosoever withdraweth from mortification, and the cross laid upon him by God, and doth attempt with highly dishonouring of Christ and his name, to repulse danger and temporal death from it: then doth he verily lose it, although he determine with himself to find it, and to recover it. For he despoileth it of those properties, which otherwise it should perpetually have in that eternal felicity with Christ. But the spiritual and true Christians, which by the judgment of the world are thought to betray their own life, while they make over-small account of the same, taking great and infinite perils in hand, yea and willing death for Christ’s sake: these (I say) as Christ most truly testifieth, in losing of their soul, do in very deed find and most certainly obtain the same. And that is most aptly expressed in the similitude of a grain of corn, which unless it should first become rotten in the earth, it would never give out flower or fruit, framed in the order of an ear of corn.
But let us proceed, and see, in what thing the spirits of the blessed may rest themselves in that state, whereof we have spoken. They that be justified by Christ, although that, even in this life, they have settled their desire to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their strength; and so long as they acknowledge, they be very far off from doing that, which they ought to do, they must needs be disquieted with exceeding sorrow. How pleasant a thing (think we) will it be to them, that they shall be able to satisfy their desire, so just, so excellent, so great, and so long desired of them? Then we shall be endued with this gift, that we shall offend him no more: we shall be delivered from the servitude of sin, and from our domestical enemy; namely, from the assaults of the flesh, seeing the same shall be at peace with the spirit. We being constrained with the bonds hereof, cannot fulfil the law of God. But in that state we shall love God with all our strength, and more than either ourselves, or whatsoever else is in the world. Neither shall that flesh let us anything, from the true and perfect love of our neighbour: he undoubtedly shall have no need of the duties of this life, but yet we shall love him, in that we shall no less be desirous of his felicity than of our own.
The motions of envy, self-pleasing, and of other desires (the which things be very great enemies unto us, and make us the slacker to love our neighbours) shall have no longer abiding in us. But as touching that, which is of greatest importance, and is greatly wished for of all men that be endued with reason and any godliness at all (I mean the knowledge of God) shall then at the last be granted unto us. Indeed it is now, after some sort, given unto men to know God by the evident tokens of things created, by the testimonies of the scriptures, and by inward revelation of the spirit: but there shall be then a full and perfect knowledge. Wherefore saith Paul to the Corinthians; We see (saith he) through a glass as in a dark speaking. Now there be certain dark sentences laid before us, which the Grecians call “enigmas”: then shall it be set forth to be perceived indeed. All veils and covering shall be removed, that we may penetrate even to the face of God himself, the which cannot be perceived in this life: as God himself verified to his faithful servant Moses, in these words; It cannot be that a man should see me and live. Therefore thou shalt not see my face, but I will cause, that as I pass by, thou mayest see my back part.
But when we be loosed from this mortal state, we without doubt shall be capable of that excellent gift. In the which thing chiefly consisteth that eternal life, as our saviour Jesus teacheth in the Gospel of John; This is the life eternal, that they may know thee only, the true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. And again he saith; that Abraham desired to know the day of the Lord, and he knew it and rejoiced. And unto the apostles he said; Blessed be the eyes, which see that ye see. I say unto you, that many kings and prophets desired to see that which ye see, and yet it was not granted unto them. In which place we must understand, that Christ spake of his first coming, in the which he had the mortal and passable properties of human nature. But if thou wilt object, that they saw him also after his resurrection, when he was now endued with an immortal and impassible life: I answer, that he had not even as yet gotten the full victory of all his enemies, neither had procured the kingdom to be perfect, peaceable, and sure from all adversaries: such as it shall be by the judgment of Paul, in the first epistle to the Corinthians, When he hath put all his enemies under his feet.
Wherefore, let everyone ponder in his mind, what a felicity remaineth for us, seeing it is admitted, that we shall see him, and shall have experience of our first begotten brother in that glory and triumph: where we shall not only be one with him, but with the eternal father also, with whom he shall make us firmly to abide, as a kingdom won by his own conquest, and governed in an excellent sort; That the same God the father (as Paul testifieth in that place) may be all in us all. Now then my brethren, what better thing can we desire? How profitable, pleasant, glorious, honest, beautiful, and in every respect good shall it be, that that father and blessed God shall be all in all? These things are not elsewhere to be sought, seeing they are not elsewhere to be attained. Some shadow, proof, and little spark of that blessedness of ours did Peter taste upon the mount: and therefore he wished there to have his perpetual habitation. Thereof had Paul a trial, when he was wrapped into the third heaven, where he heard great mysteries so far removed from the sense of man, as they were unspeakable. The face of Moses so glistered, by reason of the conversation which he had with the divine glory, as the Israelites were not able by any means to behold him. What shall happen therefore unto us, when we have obtained with him the place of children and house-dwellers?
If so be at any time it happen here, that we by any motion of the spirit, read the scriptures; if we pour out our earnest prayers before God, if we lament before him with great zeal for the evil which we suffer, or else be moved inwardly through the effectual preaching of the word: do we not conceive a joy, delectation, and consolation, which surpasses all delights, pastimes and pleasures of this world? But this is only a beginning of eternal life; whereby nevertheless yet we may conjecture, how pure, perfect, and immeasurable happiness that shall be, which is in the life to come. Touching which, many more things might be disputed; but it is more meet to leave these amplifications to the faith of the godly reader. The which felicity seeing it is the gift of God, which proceedeth not from ourselves, in that God maketh us capable thereof; so are we wont to conceive much more according to the measure which cometh into us. And these sweet conceits of the mind do comfort and refresh us in the calamities of this life: they showing unto us, even in the midst of the storms of this world, the haven of so great a felicity. Unto which we beseech him to bring us, that by his precious death hath procured it for us. And that it will please him, through his holy spirit, to bring thereunto all such as through him are regenerated by the eternal father: with whom he liveth, triumpheth, and reigneth forever, Amen.
Here (brethren) you have a short exposition of the particular things belonging to our faith. And as touching those things, which shall be perceived of you to want, I beseech you to allow of these excuses. One is, that my ability is but small and slender; the other is, for that I mean, in the book which I have in hand touching the true worshipping of God: to supply many wants, which for brevity sake I have omitted. God and the Father make you partakers more and more of his grace in Christ Jesus our Lord! Amen.
Monergism Books
Exposition Upon the Twelve Articles of the Christian Faith by Peter Martyr Vermigli, Copyright © 2024
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