It would take up a long time, and be much more troublesome to rake together out of every one of your Books, every one of those wonderful sayings, which are more than Paradoxes, whereby you plead that all the safeguard of our Salvation, should be placed in nothing else but in the observance and care of Righteousness: which if you could as well perform in effect and reality, as you set them forth in Words magnificently; I should esteem that none were more happy, none more worthy of Heaven than you. But now let us suppose that, which I see you would so fain have granted, that Heaven is only due to perfect Men no other ways, but upon the account of Righteousness, and that there is no other way of coming to those blessed mansions, but that which is trodden by the most pure footsteps of good men, and settled in the perfect integrity of Works. Now we are not against the deserved praises of righteousness, neither do we with-hold from it its rewards: Be it so indeed. But where shall we find this Righteousness? Dic quibus in terris, & erit mihi magnus Apollo. Tell me in what Country (and I 1shall esteem you to be a great Oracle,) This man of righteous life dwells, who will so direct the course of his Life according to this Idea of Virtue proposed by you, that he fails no where, who Roots out all manner of wickedness, who refrains himself from railing with his Tongue, ⟨p. 14⟩Suppresses the Haughtiness, Insolency, and madness of an Ambitious Spirit, and the rashness of a Headstrong Mind; who Crucifies the Flesh with its Lusts, who suppressing ungodly lustings, by frequent meditation upon Death, brings himself over from all Impurity and Impiety to the resemblance of Christ; who separating his mind from the Contagion of the Body, applies it wholly to the Imitation of Christ, who resembles the humility and meekness of Christ, his bounty and benevolence; and his excellent Holiness in all respects, and also cuts off all defilements of the mind, and all the roots of filthiness and impurity. I say, where will that man be found, who performs these and all other duties of true Piety, and so performs them, that nothing in his Life seems superfluous, nothing is unequal in his duties, nor defective in his manners? I think he may be found in the Books of Osorius: but not in the 2Life, in the daily Confessions, or in the Holy Absolutions of Osorius.
It would take up a long time, and be much more troublesome to rake together out of every one of your Books, every one of those wonderful sayings, which are more than Paradoxes, whereby you plead that all the safeguard of our Salvation, should be placed in nothing else but in the observance and care of Righteousness: which if you could as well perform in effect and reality, as you set them forth in Words magnificently; I should esteem that none were more happy, none more worthy of Heaven than you. But now let us suppose that, which I see you would so fain have granted, that Heaven is only due to perfect Men no other ways, but upon the account of Righteousness, and that there is no other way of coming to those blessed mansions, but that which is trodden by the most pure footsteps of good men, and settled in the perfect integrity of Works. Now we are not against the deserved praises of righteousness, neither do we with-hold from it its rewards: Be it so indeed. But where shall we find this Righteousness? Dic quibus in terris, & erit mihi magnus Apollo. Tell me in what Country (and I 1shall esteem you to be a great Oracle,) This man of righteous life dwells, who will so direct the course of his Life according to this Idea of Vertue proposed by you, that he fails no where, who Roots out all manner of wickedness, who refrains himself from railing with his Tongue, ⟨p. 14⟩Suppresses the Haughtiness, Insolency, and madness of an Ambitious Spirit, and the rashness of a Headstrong Mind; who Crucifies the Flesh with its Lusts, who suppressing ungodly lustings, by frequent meditation upon Death, brings himself over from all Impurity and Impiety to the resemblance of Christ; who separating his mind from the Contagion of the Body, applies it wholly to the Imitation of Christ, who resembles the humility and meekness of Christ, his bounty and benevolence; and his excellent Holiness in all respects, and also cuts off all defilements of the mind, and all the roots of filthiness and impurity. I say, where will that man be found, who performs these and all other duties of true Piety, and so performs them, that nothing in his Life seems superfiuous, nothing is unequal in his duties, nor defective in his manners? I think he may be found in the Books of Osorius: but not in the 2Life, in the daily Confessions, or in the Holy Absolutions of Osorius.
- 1All have finned and come short of the glory of God.
- 2The Idea of the Osorian righteousness, can be more easily found in his Books, than in his Manners.The Idea of the Osorian righteousness, can be more easily found in his Books, than in his Mauners.
