The Marrow of Sacred Divinity - William Ames (1642)

1. AN action of vertue is an operation flowing from a disposition of vertue. Mat. 12. 35. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things.

2. In the same sence it is called an action or worke that is good, right, laudable, and pleasing to God.

3. Unto such an action there is required first a good efficient or beginning, that is, a will well disposed, and working from true vertue; for good fruits doe not grow but out of a good Tree. Mat. 12. 33. Secondly, a good matter or object, that is something commended by God. Mat. 15. 9. In vaine they worship me, teaching doctrines which are the Commandements of men. Thirdly, a good end, that is the glory of God, and those things which tend unto his glory. 1 Cor. 10. 31. Doe all to the glory of God.

4. But the end and the object are oftentimes all one, both in good and evill actions, especially in the intention and election of te will, where they end it selfe is the proper object. For those acts are either conversant in the end it selfe, as in the matter or object, as the acts of desiring, willing, wishing, loving, injoying; or in those things which tend to the end as they are such, so as the goodnesse or deformity is properly derived from the end.

5. For although that good intention or intention of welldoing which is generall and confused doth not make a particular action good, if other conditions be wanting: neither doth a speciall intention of good suffice for it, if the meanes be evill: as if any intending to bestow any thing on the poore or upon pious uses should to that end take to himselfe other mens goods: yet an evill intention doth alwayes make an action evill, and a good intention with other conditions doth make very much to the constitution of a good action.

6. But there is required to an action truly good, that at least virtually it be referred to God, as to the chiefe end.

7. In the fourth place also, there is required a forme or a good manner, which is placed in the agreeing of the action to the revealed Will of God.

8. Moreover this will of God doth informe an action of man, as far forth as it is apprehended by reason. Hence the very conscience of man is the subordinate rule of morall actions: so as every action must agree with a right conscience, and an erring or doubtfull conscience is first to be laid down before a man may doe against it; although a lighter scruple or sticking of conscience must not any way put off any action otherwise approved.

9. But that this forme or manner be good it requires all the circumstances to be good, for a singular action is alwayes clothed with its circumstances, upon which the goodnesse or evillnesse of it doth not a little depend.

10. But those circumstances being referred to the act of the will, doe passe into the nature of an object. For the will whiles it willeth some worke, willeth all that which is in it, and so all the known circumstances either expresly or implicitely; and a knowen circumstance being changed, oftentimes the act of the will is changed.¹⁷⁴

11. But the same circumstances being referred to the act of any other faculty besides the will, are only adjuncts.

12. So the end it selfe is rightly reckoned among the circumstances, although not in respect of the will, yet in respect of the faculties and other Acts.

13. By reason of these circumstances it comes to passe, that although many Acts in the generall or in their owne nature are indifferent, yet there is no singular Act that is morall, and deliberate, but it is either good or evill.

14. An Act in its kind indifferent is, when the object of it includes nothing which pertaines to the will of God, either commanding or forbidding, yet such acts being in exercise, severally considered, if they be properly humane proceeding of deliberate reason, are either directed to a due end, and have conformity to the will of God, and so are good: or they are not rightly directed, but dissent from the will of God, and in that respect are evill.

15. Besides actions good, evill, and indifferent, some doe observe that there are some acts that do Sonare in malum, have an evill sound, that is being absolutly considered they doe impart a certaine inordinatenesse, but by some circumstances comming to them they are sometimes made good, as to kill a man, & the like:¹⁷⁵ but even those acts ought to be referred to indifferents; for they only seeme to have some evill in themselves: as also to free a man from danger of death seemeth to have some good in it selfe, with which shew also many that are not evill are deceived: but the true goodnesse, or pravity of these actions depends upon the object, and other circumstances: to slay the innocent or set at liberty the guilty is evill; to slay the guilty justly, or deliver the innocent upon just reason is good.

16. The goodnesse of all these causes and conditions is collectively required for an action absolutely good, but the defect of some one makes the action so far forth evill.

17. Hence our good workes, whilest we live here, are imperfect and impure in themselves.

18. Hence they are not accepted before GOD, but in Christ.

19. Hence in the workes of the regenerate there is not that respect of merit whereby any reward is obtained by Iustice.

20. Yet that reward which is imputed not of debt, but of grace, Rom. 4. 4. is sometime assigned to those imperfect indeavours, Mat. 5. 12. Because although all our blessednesse is the meere gift of God, Rom. 6. 23. Yet the fruits of grace abounding in us, are put upon those accounts whereby we doe get the certainty of that gift. Phil. 4. 17. I require that fruit abounding which may be put on your accounts.

21. The action of vertue is either inward, or outward. 2 Cor. 18. 10. 11. To will, to doe, to performe.

22. The internall action is properly of the will it selfe.

23. The externall action is of another faculty distinct from the will; whether it be of the understanding, or of the sensitive appetite which is commonly called internall, or of the executive power which is usually called externall.

24. The internall action of the will hath goodnesse or evillnesse so intrinsecall, that an act cannot remaine the same in the nature of it, but it must be the same in manners; but an outward act may remaine the same in nature, and yet become another in manners: namely of good may become evill, and of evill good: As if any one beginning to walke out of an honest purpose, doe persist in his journey for an evill end.

25. There is one and the same goodnesse or evillnesse of an internall act, and an externall commanded by it: for it is the same act in kind of manners; For to will to worship God, and from that will towards God, are not two acts of obedience, but two degrees of one and the same act, so that the goodnesse of the one is perfited in the other, 2 Cor. 8. 11. Performe to doe that very thing: that as there was a readinesse to will, so there may be a performance.¹⁷⁶

26. The outward act without the inward is not properly, good or evill: but the inward is good or evill, without the externall; because the goodnesse of an action depends first and chiefly upon the will, which is often accepted with God, although the outward work it selfe be absent. 2 Cor. 8. 13. If there be first a ready mind, one is accepted according to that he hath.

27. But as vertue in its own nature tends to an act (for it is a disposition to doe well, neither is it idle) so the internall act of it tends to an externall, and produceth it, and in it is lead to its end. Iames 2. 22. Thou seest that Faith was the helper of his workes, and by works Faith was brought to its end.

28. Yet the externall act joyned with the internall doth not properly and by it selfe increase the goodnesse, or evillnesse of it in respect of the intention only; but by accident it doth increase it, as it doth continue or increase the act of the will it selfe.

29. The goodnesse and evillnesse of any act, which depends upon the object and the circumstances of the act, is in respect of its nature in the externall act, before it be in the internall, although in order of existence it is first in the internall. For to will to give every one his owne is therefore good, because this thing, to give every one his own is good: yet the goodnesse doth exist in the act of willing before in the act of giving. So to will to steale is evill, because to steale is evill. The reason is, because the exterior act is the cause of the inward, in order of intention, and the inward act is the cause of the outward in order of execution.

30. But that goodnesse or evillnesse which depends upon the end, is first in the inward act, and after in the outward; because the very intention of the end is the inward act of the will; so-to-forsake the World for righteousnesse sake is good, because to will righteousnesse is good, and to give almes for vaine glory is evill, because it is evill to will vaine Glory.

31. Obedience that appeares in outward actions, without the inward is hypocrisie, and so is not indeed obedience, but a certaine shadow of it.

32. Yet inward obedience without outward, although it be incompleat; yet it is true: and if there be an effectuall will present, so that opportunity, or ability of executing is only wanting, it is no lesse acceptable to God, then if it had an externall act joyned with it. 2 Cor. 8. 12.

33. Therefore we must not judge of actions good or evill by the event. For although it is equall, and God himselfe willeth, that he that is judge of offences among men, doe incline to the more fovourable side, if the event it selfe doe favour. Exod. 21. 21. and so forward: yet before the tribunall of God, the inward sin is as great caeteris paribus other things answerable, when neither event not outward act followes, as if both should follow. Mat. 5. 28. Whosoever lookes on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery already with her in his heart.

34. Yet inward obedience is not of it selfe sufficient because the whole man ought to subject it selfe to God: our bodies are to be offered to God, Rom. 12. 1. He is to be glorified in our bodies. 1 Cor. 6. 20. Neither is that true inward obedience which doth not incline to externall.

35. The workes which are called workes of supererogation,¹⁷⁷ whereby the Papists doe boast that some of theirs doe performe more excellent workes then are commanded in the Law of God, by the obsevation of certaine counsells which they faigne doe not command, but counsell only a singular perfection, are the dotings¹⁷⁸ of idle men which know neither the Law nor the Gospell.

36. Unto the best workes of the faithfull there adhereth that imperfection which hath need of remission: yet the workes themselves are not sins.