in most cases be enough for the idiot or unlearned that they do not oppose what they do not understand, but humbly submit themselves to God and their superiors, by a confident confession of what they understand, and a modest conformity to those other articles, in which public peace is more concerned than public truth, or their private duty. In this case a negative indifference of the will by reason of the ignorance of the understanding, that is, a not opposing what they understand not, and cannot understand, is their security and their innocence.

30. "He that is not against Christ, is with him," is true in the preparations and dispositions to conversion. For he that makes use of a little grace, shall have more; and he that well uses the laws of his country, and keeps the justice of his nation, and observes the principles of reason, and walks according to the light he hath, though he hath not the broad noon-day of the gospel, -yet he is so far on Christ's side, that Christ will join himself to his, and draw him nearer, and advance his nature, and promote his excellent dispositions, and by the methods of the Spirit bring him to God. Upon this stock it was, that God sent St. Peter to Cornelius, and that so many of the Jewish proselytes were converted to Christianity, and so many wise heathens, who had just and ingenuous souls and lived good lives, were brought into the schools of Christ.

31. This is true also in the habits or actions of any one virtue, when it is alone, or when it comes in upon the stock of nature, or education, or passion, or human laws. He that does one good act for Christ, though he do no more, by that one action declares himself to be no enemy, and therefore, he shall not lose his reward: though he give but a cup of cold water to a thirsty disciple,' in that capacity of his being a disciple; nay, if it be but in consideration of his being thirsty, if it be but by a natural pity and tenderness, by the emotions of humanity, by the meltings of a worthy disposition and of tender bowels: and therefore much more shall every worthy habit, though it be alone, though entering from a less perfect principle than a spiritual and Christian grace. The chastity of Lucretia, the honesty of Decianus, the truth of Rutilius, the bravery of Scævola, the repentance of Ahab, the humiliation of Manasses, the zeal of Jehu, the compassion of Titus over Jerusalem, these things, and these persons, are considered by God, and have their portion of reward. And he is not wholly against Christ that does any thing for him: for our blessed Lord is so gracious, that no man shall speak a word for him, or relieve any of his servants, or keep a memorial, but as far as that action goes, according to the proportion of the choice, and the good will, Christ will reckon him to be on his side, and allot him a portion of his blessing, a younger brother's part, though not the inheritance.

32. This is true of those, who, being secretly convinced, cannot yet shake off their prejudices, and their pitiable fears; who own Christ in their hearts, whose faith is weak, and their doubts are strong; who fear God heartily, and yet cannot quite shake off the fear of men; they also are reckoned on Christ's side so far, that they are not present and actual enemies, but actual friends, and but potential professors and disciples. Thus Nicodemus was on Christ's side, by not being against him. He owned as much as he durst; he spake on behalf of Christ, but professed him not; he believed in him, but feared the Jews. This was not enough to adopt him into the kingdom, but this brought him from the enemies' side, like the Kenites and the sons of Rechab in the land of Israel.

33. To be with Christ, hath many parts and degrees of progression and avail. Every man that professes Christ, is with him; he that is baptized, he that is called Christian, he that delights in the name, he that is in the external communion of the church, -is, in some sense, with Christ, because he is not against him. For whoever is a member of the church, whosoever retains his baptismal right, he that hath not renounced Christianity, lost his faith, defied Christ, or turned apostate, he is still within the covenant of mercy, within the limits of grace, and the power of the Spirit; that is, he hath a right to the privilege and grace of being admitted to repentance, and the consequent grace of pardon : for baptism is for the remission of sins, and as long as that is not renounced, we have a perpetual title to remission of sins, the sacrament as to this purpose being of perpetual effect. Every such person is yet a member of Christ, though barren and unfruitful; his leaf doth not prosper, and his fruit springs not, yet there is a root remaining. For thus

the gospel is compared to a net with fishes, good and bad, to a field of corn and tares. For no man is thrown from grace and mercy, but the open, professed, irreconcilable enemies of Christ, voluntary and malicious apostates; for they are cut off from the root, and have no portion in it, as St. Paul largely discourses in the sixth and tenth chapters to the Hebrews. But those who sin against Christ, and dishonour and grieve the Holy Spirit of Christ, who sin and repent, and yet sin and repent again, being always sorrowful, and always have cause, these men have hopes and time, and helps, and arguments, and probabilities of life, which they could not have, but by being members of Christ's mystical body. They are with Christ in covenant and desire, in title and adoption, because they are not against him in profession and voluntary hostility; but they must go further, or they die.

34. For all this effects nothing else, but that we are tied to treat such persons not as enemies, but as brethren; it exposes such to be chastised and guided by the rod of ecclesiastical discipline, but not to be cut off by the sword of excision and anathema, and sentences of despair: it does manifest the goodness of God, the glorious mercies of our Redeemer, his aptness to pardon, his readiness to receive us, his desires to have us saved, his passion for our felicity, and the presence of his preventing and auxiliary grace. But this was but the proverb of strangers and beginners, of infants and babes in Christ.

35. But when we are entered into the covenant of grace, when we have declared, when the question is concerning final pardon and the hopes of glory, then only the other proverb is true. It is not enough that we are not against Christ, but we must be with him and for him, earnest and zealous, passionate and obedient, diligent and true, illustrious and inquisitive; then it is, 'He that is not with Christ, is against him.' For it is not enough that we are in the root, that is, in preparation and disposition, but we must also bear fruit in the root; for so saith our blessed Saviour "; "I am the vine; my Father is the husbandman: every branch in me that beareth not fruit, shall be cut off." First they are in Christ as in the vine, before they can bear fruit; and there he suffers them to be in expectation of fruit; of which if they fail in their season, they shall be cut off. For the case between Christ and the world is, as it was between Cæsar and Pompey. Pompey had the possession and the right: and therefore, as Cicero in his oration 'pro Ligario' affirms, Pompey's party acknowledged none but his certain and professed friends; "adversarios autem putare nisi qui nobiscum essent," and all to be against them that were not with them; "Te autem," saith he to Cæsar, "qui contra te non essent, tuos." For Cæsar was but entering upon his new fortune; and all that he could get to himself and all that would not assist his enemy, were his purchase or security. So it is with Christ in the beginnings of our conversion; it is a degree of victory to arrest our thoughts, and our not-consentings to the world and its fond affections, is an approach and an accession to Christ. But when our Lord had gotten the first victories, when he hath acquired possession, as well as right, to a soul, and hath a title to rule alone, then the proposition is changed. Christ will not be satisfied with neutrality and an indifferent undetermined will, but he will have our love and active choice, and he will be honoured by all our services; and then the Christian philosophy relies upon these principles: 'He that does not love God, is his enemy:' ' Not to go forward is to go backward; not to do good, is a doing evil, and lukewarmness is an evil state;-and we must not only not resist the word of truth, but we must contend earnestly for it;-and we must confess with our mouth, what we believe with the heart; -to be a Christian is to hurt no man, and to do good to every man;-and we must not only proceed when we are not hindered, but we must take care that we be not hindered, we must remove every impediment, and pare away that which is useless; for "obstat quicquid non adjuvat," if it does no good, it does hurt: and when the talent is intrusted to us, it must not only not be spent riotously, but it must not be laid up in a napkin: "Pensemus quod lucrum Dei fecimus, nos qui, accepto talento, ad negotium missi sumus." Unless we gain and put something to God's heap, we are unprofitable servants.

36. By the proportion of this truth in the state of our life, we are to account concerning our single actions; not that every single action must be effective of a real, discernible event of piety, but that it be fitted to the general design of a Christian's life; nothing of evil, but ministering to good some way or other, or at least in some good order of things: good for edification, or good in charitable society, or good for example, or useful to some purpose that is fit to be designed, and fit to be chosen.

RULE II.

The virtual and interpretative Consent of the Will is imputed to Good or Evil.

1. THIS rule is intended to explicate the nature of social crimes, in which a man's will is deeper than his hand, though the action of the will is often indirect and collateral, consequent or distant; but if, by any means, it hath a portion into the effect, it is entire in the guilt. And this happens inany ways.

2. By ratihabition and confirmation.

" In maleficio ratihabitio mandato comparatur," saith the law: To command another to do violence is imputed to him that commands it more than to him that does it. So Ulpian interpreting the interdict 'Unde tu illum vi dejecisti, affirms 'eum quoque dejicere qui alteri mandavit vel jussit:' and therefore Ptolemy was guilty of the blood of Pompey, when he sent Photinus to kill him:

Hic factum domino præstitit

Now because ratihabition is, by presumption of law, esteemed as a commandment, therefore Ulpian affirms of both alike, "Dejicit et qui mandat, et dejicit qui ratum habet:" "He that commands, and he that consents after it is done, are equally responsible."-Now though the law particularly affirms this only, 'in maleficio,' 'in criminal and injurious actions,'-yet, in the edition of Holoander, that clause is not inserted; and it is also certain that it holds, and is true in

h Ff. de Reg. Jur. lib. 152.

VOL. XIV.

i Martial. iii. 66. Mattaire, pag. 62.

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