Iohn_Jg.li. .Thel. .Etft~r. Of eachftvt– raUr. 1 YJ4/1f11J, tDatitm. :..Donllllfo lOb J. Zt. -~Bonum. tTim.•.g, H,b.7.19· John 3· '7· Mlt·7,9J 10. 1-Pt,f.flum. 1 Cor ·'3·Hi. Coi.J .•t· OftheS & N o ·xN a Sermon 14 • Non habem pottjlatem; Power fhould he hAvehadnone, if it hadnot beemgi b· andgivenhimftomabove: S. lames his very phrafe (here) from C a It 1 s ;en 1711 ' mouth~ So mull: we fpeake, ifwe will fpeake as C H 1t 1 s T fpake. s owne !his then is the firll: error. To have our minde runne and our fpeechrunne I! uponhaving. Men are all for having, thinkeand fpeake ofwhat they have. wirh 3 mention or whence, or how, or from whom they might receive it, or that i; isgi out them at all. ZXEltteerrare, Be nor deceived; for, all that you have, is datumo;;n · num, all; and they both areoffteegift; given, all. Thus the tongue that fate th~· day onSaint lames's headtaught him to call them. Thus far joynrly; now feverall;. For there is acleft in thefe tongues• Thecleft is Datum andDonum. Would not wrap them all up in one word, bur expre!fes them in two. Somewhat there is in that. Wee may nor admit of any idleTautBiogies in Scripture. Twofeverall f~ns then the~ be (thefc two) nor •pp•fite, bur. diffiringonely in:degree, as more aridleffe, Every g•ft 15 agwmg: Nor ev_erygt":mg, agift: Every per(efl,goud; nor every good, perje&1. Wearenortothmke, e1ther allourjinnes, or all ourgi(tsrobeeof onejize. Saint Matthewes talent is more tha~ SAi~t Luku pound; C-<fars penny, than the Wtdowes twomttu, yetgood money all, mthetr feverall values. Of thefetwo i Datmn, and •Donum; • Bonum, and 'Perfeflum; one is greater or lelfe rh~ another. He begins with thele!fe, DAtttm. Weigh the word, it is but a 14rti(iple : they' have tmfes, and ten[es, time. So, that is onely temporal/. ' Bur DonNmimpomno time: lo, a morefet terme; h1th morefublbnceinir i; fixed or permanent. One (as it were) for terme ofyeares : The other, ofche nature' of aperpetttitie. ADAtum, that which is Hill ingiving; that, perifhes with theufe, as doe things rranfirory; and be ofthatfort, that Iobfpake, Gon hathgiven, and Goo hathtakenaway. Donumisnotfo,butofthatforr,that CH !\1ST [peakes, in M.,ieschoice,Jogiven, aoitjhouUnever betakenfromher. So,one refems to the things which are feene, which are tempor•/1: the other, to the things not feene,that are ettrnall. One, to thebody, and to this world :the otherto theJoNie rather,and the life of the world to come. We fhall difcerne it the more cleerely, ifwe weigh the twoAdjeflives, •GH/, and •perfefl: they differ. Everygoodis notperfefl. We know, theLaw isgo•d(flitb the Apoiile:) bur we know withall, the Law hringeth mthing to perfeflioiJ; fo,not perfefl. Nature (quit natura) isguod, yet Nnperfefl: and the Law, in the rigorofit, nor poffible ; through the imperfection ofit. Nature is not, theL~w is not takena.· way; goodboth: butgrACe is added to both, to perfeet both : wh1chneeded not, if either wereperftrf. This wurtdsgood; fo cloth Saint Iohr; call our wealth. Nay, breAd,ffh, andegges, we give our children, ourS Av I o u 1t Himfelfe calkth ga~l gifts. But what are thefe? notwonhyto be named, ifyoufpeake ofDonumDd. «ternum, and the perfections there. Before I was aware,! have told you,whatisptrfefl, Thegl~ry,thejws,themrm ofheaven. For, when that perftfl is .r~me, allthis 1mper(ec?fbatl be dpne aw•J· ButS. lAmes feemes not to fpeake ofthat : he fpeakesin theprefent, and ofcherefiwt, wfb~t. nowis, whatper{eflin this life. And rhis(lo)brings us to donum die!, dtegifio t e Holy Ghofl. For,.to bep4rtakers of the Divine Nature,is all che perfec!Jon,we can here attaine. No higher,here. Now,to be made partakers oftheSpirit,is to bemade par· takers ofthe Divine nature. That is thisdayes worke. Parrakers ofthespmt,we are£ byreceivinggrace; whi~h is nothing elfe but the b~eAth. of~he Hol~ Ghefl,the Spmt~: grace; graa into the·ennre fubll:ance ofthe foule,dtvldmg 1t felfe .nto two ftreamifi .t • One goes tothcunderflawding, thegiftcffaith; • The other to thewdl, thep 10 1 ch.trity, the very bond Bfperjeflion. T~etongues,toteach usl:no,.,!edge; tbe,.r;o~ kindle our ajfeflions. The HateofgrMe IS theprrftEltonofthiS J,fe, tO g""' ftlll [Ill grace tugrace,roprofir in it. As togoe on Hill forward, is theperfetlionofatrAVI 11 ' rodrawfrillncerc!~m! neerertQhisjourneyes end. TP w~rl:e t~daJ andtormrr~ ,
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