The Marrow of Sacred Divinity - William Ames (1642)

1. SPeciall Gubernation is that whereby God doth governe reasonable Creatures⁴⁸ in a speciall manner.

2. The speciall condition of those Creatures doth cause the difference. For seeing they are in some sort immortall, and created after the Image of God, and have an inward principle of their own actions proceeding from counsell, therefore they are to be governed to an eternall state of happinesse or unhappinesse, and that agreeably to counsell, and freedome.

3. Yet this speciall Gubernation doth not conclude that reall Gubernation of the reasonable Creature, which is common to all Creatures, but is added to it.

4. This morall government consists in teaching, and fulfilling according to that that before he hath taught Micah. 6. 8. He hath shewed thee O man what is good Deus. 30, 15. Life and good: Death and Evill. Hither to properly pertaineth that revealed Will of God whichis the rule of doing as touching manners, to the reasonable Creature.

5. God governes by teaching, partly in making a Law, partly in establishing it.

6. A Law is made by commanding, and forbidding.

7. A Law is established by promising, and threatning.

8. God governes by fulfilling, when he performes those things he hath taught. Ierem. 32. 19. Thine eyes being open do looke unto all the wayes of men, that thou mayest give to every one according to his wayes, and according to the fruit of his doings.

9. From this speciall and proper way of governing reasonable Creatures, there ariseth that covenant, which is between God and them. For this covenant is as it were a certaine transaction of God with the Creature, whereby God commandeth, promiseth, threatneth, fulfilleth, and the Creature doth tie it selfe in obedience to God thus covenanting. Deut. 26. 16, 17, 18, 19. This day Iehova thy God commandeth thee. &c. Thou hast avouched this day the Lord to be thy God, &c. Iehovah hath avouched thee this day, &c. To make thee high, &c. And that thou mayest be an holy people, &c.

10. Now because this way of entring into covenant is not between those that are equall, but between Lord and servant. Therefore it portaines to government, whence also it is most properly called not the covenant of man, but of God, who is the author, and chiefe Executor of it. Deut. 8. 17. 18. That he may performe his covenant.

11. By vertue of this covenant the morall workes of the intelligent Creature, whilst he is in the way, have alwayes a respect, either to happinesse as a reward, of to unhappinesse as a punishment: but in the last there is meriting, but in the other not.

12. Hence the proper and highest difference of a good work and sinne doth flow, namely in that a good worke is an operation expecting happinesse of another by way of reward: as by the opposite privation of it, evill workes are made in their kind extreamly evill.

13. Hence ariseth the force & reason of conscience, which is the judgement of an intelligent Creature of it selfe, as he is subjected to God.

14. Speciall government of the reasonable Creature is of Angels and men.

15. Speciall government of Angels, is either a speciall prescription, or ordering the event that followes upon it.

16. This was the same Law as touching the substance, with the morall Law which is contained in the Decalogue.

17. Yet those in the Decalogue are to be excepted which either pertaine to the nature of mans body, or the condition of this mortall life, which take no place in them, as many things of propagation pertaining to the seventh precept. Matth. 22. 30. Also many things pertaining to the fift precept, of subjection of inferiors of their superiors, in like sort some things belonging to the eighth precept of every ones getting of food in his vocation: finally many duties of the second and fourth Commandement to be performed to men.

18. The ordering of the event, was in some, a preservation to persist in obedience. Hence it is that they were confirmed in good, and endowed with full happinesse, so that they doe immutably cleave to God, with perfect obedience, and fullnesse of glory. Whence those Angells are called elected. 1. Tim. 5. 21. Good and holy, Luc. 9. 26. Blessed also, and Angels of light. 2. Cor. 11. 14.

19. In others, the ordering of the event was a permission, whence it is that they abusing their liberty did fall into Apostasie.

20. Hence it is that from that time they were obstinate, in evill, and condemned to extreme misery. Iud. 6. 2. Pet. 2. 4. Whence the evill Angells, are called impure spirits, and angells of darknesse. Luke 8. 2. & 9. 42:

21. In that different ordering, there doth manifestly appeare the election of some Angels, and reprobation of others, by Gods free counsell, and good pleasure.

22. Touching the time of the fall of Angels, it doth only appeare, that it was before Adams fall.

23. Touching the kind of their sin which was first committed by them, it is most like that it was pride.

24. Touching their punishment the Scripture witnesseth that it is not yet inflicted in the highest degree, but to be inflicted in the end of the world. Matth. 25; 41. 1. Cor. 6. 3.

25. In the speciall government of men, Two things are to be observed, as in the government of Angells, namely prescribing a Law, and ordering the event that would thence follow. Yet there is not the same reason of all on either side.

26. In prescribing a Law there is like reason. 1. In that the Law prescribed to Men and Angells, was the same as touching the Essence of it: namely morall, the summe whereof is in the Decalogue. 2. In that that it was written in the heart by way of habit, wherein the first reason of conscience is placed, which is called Syncercsis. Rom. 2, 15.

27. But the similitude, and difference is divers. For, First, The principles indeed of this Law are common to Angells and Men, but many secundary conclusions are only proper to men: as of Parents, mariage, meats, and the like.

28. Secondly, seeing man is of a more imperfect nature then Angells, and so needs more instruction and exercise: therefore there was added to the Law of nature a certaine positive thing, otherwise of the same reason with it: as the sanctifying of the seventh day.

29. Thirdly, because Man in this animall life⁴⁹ doth understand by sences, and so is as it were led by the hand from sensible things⁵⁰ to intelligible and spirituall, therefore unto that spirituall Law there were added unto Man outward Symboles; and Sacraments, to illustrate, and confirm it. And in these Symboles, there was contained, both a certaine speciall, and positive Law, & a prosession of generall obedience to the Law of nature before put into him and also a confirmation of that solemn sanction of the Law, which did consist of promises, and threatnings.

30. Fourthly, because Adam was the beginning of mankind, out of whom all Men were to be derived, therefore a Law is given to him not only as one private person, as was done in the Angells, but also as a publique person, or the head of mans nature, from whom all good and evill was to be derived to his posterity. Acts 17.6. Rom. 5, 18, 19. 1. Cor. 15. 21. 22.

31. Fifthly, in the sanction of this Law, there was contained a promise, of continuing animall life, and of exalting it afterward to spirituall, as also a threatning of bodily death which had no place in the Angells.

32. This interpretation being had, the Law and covenant of God with man in the Creation was, Doe this, and thou shalt live: If thou doe it not, thou shalt dye the death. In which words there is first contained a precept, Doe this. 2. a promise joyned to it. If thou doe it, thou shalt live, 3. A like threatning. If thou doe it not, thou shalt dye the death.

33. Unto this covenant there were two Symboles, or Sacraments adjoyned, In one of which the reward due to Obedience was sealed by a Tree, namely of life, and in the other the punishment of disobedience was sealed by a Tree, namely of knowledge of good and evill: that was a Sacrament of life, this a Sacrament of death.