rules not thinking thereon being insensibly thrust into them by the force of reason Whosoeuer will haue no consequences produced abolisheth all common sense and all vse of reason which onely consisteth therein The rules of Lodgique are no Articles of faith but instruments to mannage all knowledge by order and certainty and by consequence also matters of Diuinitie CHAP. VI. The third Euasion THe third Euasion which Master Arnoux saith we vse is that we serue our turnes with the circle in this that we proue those things to be Scripture by our particular spirit and proue that particular spirit by the Scripture Which is false and slanderous We leaue that particular spirit to mad men none of vs makes our selues Iudges of the Scriptures That is the Popes and his Prelates property who being assembled boast that they pronounce Iudgement touching points of faith and beleeue they cannot erre And our Aduersaries say that euery particular person of the Church of Rome doth certainly discerne the true Church which spirit or particular iudgement is meere blindnesse seeing that the poore people haue no other proofe to know that the Church of Rome is the true Church then onely the witnesse that the same Church giueth of itselfe Touching the circle if any serue their turnes therewith it is our aduersaries for they ground the authoritie of the Scripture vpon the testimony of the Church and yet ground the authoritie of the Church vpon testimonies of the Scripture as one that hauing placed the walles of a house vpon the foundation afterward should place the foundation vpon the walles When we aske them how they know that wee must beleeue the bookes of the new Testament They answere and say because the Church saith it and ordaines it to be so and when we say that how know you that wee must beleeue the Church because say they that the bookes of the New Testament say so and ordaine it to be so for there it is written Tell it vnto the Church c. Certainely as often as they alledge the Scriptures to ground and authorize their Church they ouerthrow that which they will haue men to beleeue which is that the authority of the Scripture is grounded vpon the authority of the Church And thereby are tyed to rowle the circle as Diogenes is to his tub and ouerturne their owne wits by this circulation But when we aske one of them and say how know you that your Church teacheth the true Doctrine or how know you that it is conformable to the ancient Church There they are at a stay and the circle rowles no more and so they are dumbe by necessity For how shall they know the true Doctrine seeing the rule of the true Doctrine which is the holy Scripture is hidden from them And how should they know whether their Church is conformable to the ancient Church seeing it is not knowne but by an infinite number of Greeke and Latine Bookes which the people vnderstand not Then the people must know that the Church of Rome teacheth the true Doctrine onely because those that teach it say so which is to belieue at hazard and to haue a humane Religion grounded vpon coniectures without the Word of God and to allow a man to be a witnesse and a Iudge in his owne cause Therefore Master Arnoux giueth markes to know the true Church without speaking of the holy Scriptures Pag. 119. which are all false First The consent of the people But there are a greater number of the people that disagree with the Church of Rome than those that agree therewith And Iesus Christ saith that broad is the way that leadeth to destruction Math. 7.13.14 and many there be which goe in thereat because straite is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it Then he addeth the testimony of Martyrs a false marke for there shall neuer be any Martyrs found that died for calling vpon Saints or for Transubstantiation or for Purgatory They suffered death for the doctrine of the Gospell for the which our poore Churches haue suffered so many martyrdomes by meanes of the Church of Rome which suffereth no more but maketh martyrs suffer For a third marke he placeth the authority of the Fathers But the Fathers are contrary to the Doctrine of the Romish Church the people cannot looke into them And Master Arnoux speaketh by heare-say for in his Booke he alledgeth but foure or fiue places out of the Fathers which are not found to be false and corrupted For a fourth marke hee puts the eminence of the Doctrine I thinke that by the eminence hee vnderstandeth the excellency which consisteth in purity and conformity to the Word of God Without proofe to say that the Church of Rome hath the purity of Doctrine it is without proofe to pre-suppose that which is in question To the contrary we haue proued against Master Arnoux that Poperie is a heape of errours and a corruption of Christianitie And how should the people know that purity of Doctrine seeing they hide the rule of purity which is the holy Scriptures from them For the last marke hee seâ—teth succession neuer interrupted It he vnderstandeth a succession of doctrine wee deny it if he vnderstandeth a succession of chaires without Doctrine that succession is nothing Many other Churches also which condemne the Church of Rome haue their succession and that ancienter than the Romane And schismes haue often broken the succession of the Romish Bishopricke And how can the people know any thing touching this succession which cannot be learned but by reading of infinite Histories and Greeke and Latine Authors that haue written for the space of one thousand sixe hundred yeares CHAP. VII The fourth Euasion THe aduersary noteth another Euasion wherewith wee serue our turnes as he saith which is to produce diuers places of Scripture one with another whereof the one serueth to interpret the other For example he saith that wee expound these words This is my body by this place I am the Vine wherein hee slandereth vs. We know well that these words I am the Vine are not the exposition of these words This is my body Wee note not those places I am the Vine I am the dore This cup is the Couenant The rocke was Christ to interpret these words This is my body but to shew that whosoeuer will alwaies take the words of the holy Scripture literally and leaue these interpretations whereby the Scripture expresseth it selfe should often fall into great absurdities and to shew that ordinarily the Scripture nameth the signes and Sacraments by the names of that which they represent CHAP. VIII The fift Euasion THe fift Euasion which Master Arnoux imputeth vnto vs is a Chaos of confused calumniations He saith that we attribute things to the Church of Rome which shee beleeueth not That we charge the Popes with injuries That wee reiect the originall Text of the Scripture that is the Hebrew and the Greeke
appropriated sense nothing contrary to the literall sense I will make our greatest enemies Iudges herein whether they would endure that in our confession wee should serue our selues with places of Scripture not agreeing with the literall sense but with an accommodated sense made for our pleasures and drawne for our profit for those places are interpreted for the Popes aduantage in an impious sense to perswade men that he ought to be adored by Kings and that he hath all power in heauen and in earth Are these the men that will binde vs to finde all that in the Scripture which we say and in as many words and syllables who in the meane time take libertie themselues to play with the Scripture with such licentious prophanation and thinke to carry it away by saying that it is an accommodated and not a literall sense which accommodated sense neuerthelesse they receiue for good and most certaine seeing they hold that the Pope and his Counsels cannot erre in faith After this Doctor hath so barely acquitted himselfe hee speaketh as being touched with compassion towards vs and giueth vs counsell full of wisedome saying Yeeld your selues to the Church and she will tell you all as if he should say Ioyne your selues with the Church of Rome and then wee will at leasure answere to your demands for by the Church he vnderstandeth the Romish Church which he will haue vs to beleeue to be the true Church before we know what shee ought to beleeue that shee may be the true and pure Church But why should shee rather be the true Church than the Greeke or the Syrian Churches which are ancienter than the Romane and purer and which Iesus Christ and his Apostles did plant and where S. Peters and the rest of the Apostles chaires are Thereupon Master Arnoux will haue vs plainely to shew which is the true Church if the Church of Rome be not the true Church but he saith that to mocke vs for he speaketh as if he should say Shew vs that but while you shew it wee will shut our eyes for the true Church is that which followeth and teacheth the true Doctrine contained in the holy Scriptures by that we must know it as St. Augustine saith Aug. lib. de vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 16. Vtrum ipsi Ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinarū Scripturarum canonicis libris ostendatur Et eodem libro Ergo in Canonicis Scripturis eam requiramus Cap. 3. let vs seeke for the Church in the canonicall Scriptures that is that holy Scripture which they hide from the people Then these Doctors will haue vs to shew them the true Church but will not haue men to see that which onely maketh them to know the Church As if a man would haue one to shew him the best gouerned Common-wealth without knowing the rules that make a good Common-wealth He also will haue vs to produce our Commission and the charge that we haue from that Church Whereunto we haue answered in the 123. Section of the first Booke where wee haue handled the vocation of Pastors The effect thereof is that although euery Pastor of our Churches be lawfully called and according to the forme and manner therein required by imposition of the hands of other faithfull Pastors after enquiry made of his life and conuersation and of his capacity and doctrine yet it is not alwaies necessary to haue his commission and allowance from a pure Church and without errour He that is admitted into the charge of a Pastor in an hereticall Church as in an Arian or Nestorian Church and that hath beene receiued vpon oath to teach the truth ought necessarily to accomplish that oath and in the same charge to change his hereticall doctrine and propound the true Doctrine of saluation Not only because the charge of a Pastor in what Church soeuer it be by the nature thereof and the first institution is expresly giuen vnto him and instituted to teach the truth but also because that euery oath made to God concerning any good iust and necessary thing and whereinto a man hath not intruded himselfe ought necessarily to be accomplished And if it hapneth that any Pastors of an hereticall and an idolatrous Church as the Romish Church is changing their hereticall doctrine and taking on them to preach the truth and thereby draw a part of their flockes to follow the truth and that thereupon the other part obstinate in errour expulseth and excommunicateth them I say that they ought to be constant and not to abandon Gods cause that they may not leaue their charge for accomplishing their oathes but conuert their charge into the true vse thereof for they ought rather to haue a respect to Gods will and intent for the which hee hath instituted the charge of Pastors than to the intent of those that imposed their hands vpon them when it is contrary to Gods will and intent for a man is not established in the charge of a Pastor to doe the will of man but the will of God The force of the bond to obserue and keepe his oath proceedeth not from him before whom he taketh his oath or that maketh him to sweare but from God to whom hee sweareth and in whose power the punishments of periury are reserued Such was the commission and the proceedings of those whom God vsed to striue against Papistrie in the Church of Rome and openly to publish the holy Scripture which the Pope had suppressed who hauing beene chosen and elected Priests and Doctors in the Church of Rome to preach the Doctrine of the Gospel to the people and to be sacrificers of the body of Christ did beleeue that they were bound to performe the first because it is the ordinance of God and to leaue the second because it is the inuention of man Master Arnoux addeth a conceipt which hee saith is very strong and of much force the substance whereof is That no Testament is made without there be an heire That the Testament is the Gospel That the Church is the perpetuall assigned heire of this Testament the which by consequence cannot erre as being perpetuall inheritor of the infallible truth I answere that the inheritance which Iesus Christ by his testament hath left to the true faithfull Ephes 1.14.18 Hebr. 9.15 is the Kingdome of Heauen and not the guift not to erre And although the infallible truth of God might be called the inheritance of the Church yet it doth not follow that the Church cannot erre nor sinne against the truth So the law which is the intire rule of righteousnesse is giuen to the Church which neuerthelesse doth sinne against that Law How should the Vniuersall Church be without error seeing it is composed of diuers and particular discordant Churches among the which why should the Church of Rome rather haue the guift not to erre than the Greeke ancienter than the Romane or than the Syrrian much ancienter than the Greeke and where Saint Peters chaire is and which
of God either in this life or in purgatorie 10 Where God forbiddeth Priests and Monkes to marry 11 In what place of the Scripture we are commanded to adore the reliques of Saints 12 In what place of the Scripture there is any thing said of the place of Limbus for little Children 13 In what place of the Scripture it is said that the Church of Rome is the Soueraigne Iudge of doubts in faith and that she cannot erre 14 In what place of the Scripture the Virgin Mary is called Queene of Heauen 15 In what place of the Scripture God forbiddeth the people to reade the holy Scriptures without speciall permission 16 In what place of the Scripture power is giuen to the Pope to gather into the treasury of the Church the super-aboundant satisfactions of Saints and of Monkes and to conuert them into payment for others distributing them by Indulgences 17 Lastly where and when hath God giuen power to the Pope to depose Kings to draw soules out of Purgatorie and to giue pardons for seauen or eight hundred thousand yeares Vpon these seauenteene poynts which make the Body of Popery and wherein the abuse and tyranny thereof consisteth we aske Master Arnoux whether he will produce any places of holy Scripture to proue them and wee will content our selues with one place onely for euery seuerall poynt Our meaning is not to restraine him to finde these things in the Scripture word by word it shall suffice vs if he can finde them there in substance or that they can be deduced by good consequence For we seeke no delayes nor are not tyed to the number of syllables so the thing be proued in the word of God Now we must see what answere Mr. Arnoux maketh to these questions and how he proueth his Religion by the Word of God CHAP. II. Mr. Arnoux answere to these Questions THe Aduersarie maketh answere in these words 1. 100. page of Mr. Arnoux Booke First he saith it belongeth not vnto them to aske me the reason of my beleefe because I am in possession no man hath giuen them commission to pull the title of the inheritance which I hold out of my hands I answere that it is true that we haue no power to make him speake nor to binde him to giue vs an answere but the commandement of God bindeth him thereunto in the first Epistle of S. Peter 3.15 Be ready alwayes to giue an answere to euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekenesse and feare Iesus Christ made answere touching his doctrine to those that came vnto him although they were his enemles and had no power ouer him We haue answered Mr. Arnoux to all whatsoeuer he demanded of vs and obiected against vs although he hath no power ouer vs neither did shew vs his commission He hath bound himselfe to answere vs because he prouoked vs to speake For that asking vs a reason of our religion he might make his account that we would aske him a reason of his religion not in manner of reuenge but to let the truth be knowne and to shew that wee are better grounded in Religion then he is Whereas he saith that he is in possession of an inheritance and that we haue no commission to take it from him If by that inheritance he vnderstandeth earthly possessions and riches we enuie him not and wish that he had ten times as much more so he would become a defender of the truth But if by that inheritance hee vnderstandeth the possession of the true doctrine it is to presuppose that which is in question We goe not about to take a thing from the Church of Rome which she hath partly lost There needs no commission to aske a man what he beleeueth or the reason of his beleefe Charitie towards all men and a desire to lend our helping hand to him that is fallen and the zeale that we ought to beare to the defence of Gods cause sufficiently bindeth vs to speake and to propound the doctrine of saluation to those that require it It is to no purpose to say it is already long time since I haue bin in possession of this doctrine For Pagans Iewes and Turkes may say as much whose religions are ancienter then Papistry We dispute not by numbers or yeeres but by proofes The Church is in a Country where there is a written Law and not in a Country where custome onely ruleth There is no prescription against the heauenly truth which alwayes is most ancient for that vntruth or lying is but a corruption of the truth An ancient opinion once was new and if time may authorize a doctrine tell me how many yeeres at the least me must haue to giue authoritie thereunto Then we must proceed to the ground and to the institution contained in the Word of God And without speaking of the Word of God yet it will be found that the most part of the errors of the Church of Rome are very new As the deposing of Kings by the Pope the Communion vnder one kinde The forbidding to reade the holy Scriptures c. 2 Mr. Arnoux addeth and saith Their request should be more tollerable if they made it before some Iudge that had authoritie to end our difference If this excuse made by the Iesuite were allowable before he sets vpon vs he ought to finde out a Iudge that could set vs at an agreement But that notwithstanding we haue not spared to answere him because that although at this day there is no man to be found that is fit to be a Iudge of Controuersies with infallible certainty and soueraigne authority yet euery particular man ought to haue iudgement with discretion to discerne which of vs best proueth and iustifieth his sayings by the Word of God Then that should bee no hinderance vnto him to answere vs. 3 The third excuse that he addeth is no better then the former which is seeing saith he that they haue bound themselues to re-establish the Church that is fallen and that I offer my selfe vnto them to be drawne out of the ruines wherewith as they thinke I am inclosed It belongs to them to lend me their hand to shew me those notable places and to produce the Scriptures I answere that it is false that we haue taken vpon vs to reforme the Church and that wee haue bound our selues thereunto It is sufficient for vs to reforme our selues They call our Churches reformed and not reformers And they are called reformed because they are Christian Churches purged from Papistrie It is true that as euery true Christian is moued with compassion towards those that erre we could gladly wish that our aduersaries eyes were opened and that we could take the vaile of ignorance from before them But yet we take not on vs the title of reformers I am perswaded that our aduersaries which beleeue that they haue the truth on their sides would be glad if they could doe the like for vs
the interpretation which we giue to a place in the Scripture be drawne out of the Scripture it selfe it is not we that are the interpreters but God himselfe interpreteth For example when to haue the vnderstanding of these words This is my Body wee expound the word This by the bread which I breake and these words my Body by the remembrance of my Body we are not the interpreters but the Apostle S. Paul and Iesus Christ himselfe which giue vs this interpretation So when the Apostle to the Hebrewes 13.16 saith for with such sacrifices God is well pleased We deny that those sacrifices whereof he speaketh are masses and say that he speaketh of doing good and of Christian liberalitie and proue it by the same verse where he saith But to doe good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased But in Mr. Arnoux iudgement such expositions are not allowable if I bring him not another place of Scripture that saith that the same interpretation is true and that this place ought to be expounded by that place So it is requisite that some of the bookes of the Scripture should be commentaries vpon the other bookes and that in the Scripture there should be a Commentary vpon the Psalmes and another vpon the Prophets that should expound euery verse seuerally and that should say that such and such a verse ought thus to bee interpreted but seeing there are no such Commentaries in the Scriptures it appeareth that Mr. Arnoux hath no other intent but to inquire absurd and impossible things of vs and so neuer to haue the Scripture to be interpreted by the Scripture and thereby to impeach and hinder all instruction For example of our That is to say Mr. Arnoux produceth the 2. verse of the 16. Psalme where word for word according to the Hebrew It is My goodnesse extendeth not to thee And wee say that thereby Dauid acknowledgeth that the good which he doth is no benefit vnto God and that God hath no need thereof which ouerthroweth merits Mr. Arnoux reiecteth this interpretation which notwithstanding is the interpretation of his owne Bible which is translated Bonorum meorum non eges thou hast no need of my good deeds This man with a blinde zeale giueth a blow to euery thing and to contradict vs contradicteth himselfe That which Mr. Arnoux addeth that euery one of vs boasteth of a particular Spirit and of a Iudgement sounder then that of the vniuersall Church is a slander none of vs attribute such a spirit vnto our selues such a particular spirit is an vniuersall folly CHAP. V. The second Euasion THe second Euasion wherewith Mr. Arnoux saith wee serue our turnes is that we haue our recourse to consequences which saith he we would not doe if we had a formall place of Scripture And that to confirme our consequences we make Sillogismes the formes whereof proceede from Aristotles forge which cannot binde mens consciences nor strengthen faith All this is the Iesuite Gonters fense which alwaies held his first trade He knew not that a place of Scripture from whence we draw a consequence is neuerthelesse formall when the consequence is plaine and necessary If the Scripture saith For there is no man which sinneth not 2 Chron. 6.36 Is not that a formall place to prooue that the Apostles sinned seeing they were men When the Law of God saith Thou shalt not commit adulterie Is it not a formall place to shew that the Pope doth euill to permit adulterie and yet it followeth by consequence And when the Gospell commandeth euery man to beleeue in Iesus Christ is not that a formall place to prooue that Philip and Anthony ought to beleeue in Iesus Christ and yet that followeth by consequence So when S. Paul Romans 9.19 saith For who hath resisted his will And when Dauid Psal 115.3 saith But our God is in the Heauens he hath done whatsoeuer hee pleased Are not these formall places to prooue that God guideth all things by his prouidence Neuerthelesse the Iesuites will not allow of such proofes and when I say that God guideth all things by his prouidence they say vnto me prooue that by the Scripture and then if I alledge these places out of S. Paul and the Psalmes they reiect them because they containe not the same words and the same syllables but consequences drawne from them by reason Acts 17.3 and 18.28 By this meanes they condemne S. Paul and Apollos who by the Scriptures prooued to the Iewes that Iesus is that Christ although that in those places of the Scripture which they alledged to the Iewes the same words are not therein found but are drawne from them by necessary consequence So S. Peter Acts 10.43 saith To him giue all the Prophets witnesse that through his Name whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Which neuerthelesse is not found in the same words but is drawne from thence by consequence So the Fathers in the Counsell of Nice by the Scriptures proue that the Son is consubstantiall with the father and the first Counsell of Ephesus that the Virgin Mary is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deipara These words are not expresly found there but are drawne from them by consequence Gregory de Nazianze in his fift Oration of Diuinitie saith There are things which although they are not named in expresse words yet men gather things which make and prooue them by necessitie Cardinall Iohn de Turre Cremata saith A thing is contayned in the Scripture by these two meanes Summa de Eccles lib. 4. c. 8. either in expresse word as in this sentence Christ was a man or obscurely that is that which followeth by good and necessary consequence of things formally placed on earth as from this proposition Christ was a man therefore it followeth that he had a reasonable soule Peter de Alliaco Cardinall of Cambray saith I say In 1. Sentent Quest 1. art 3. that to speake properly a Theologicall discourse is composed of propositions contained in the Scripture or of those that are drawne from it c. Cardinall Bellarmine in his third Booke of Iustification Cap. 8. saith Nothing can be certaine touching the certainty of faith if it be not immediately contained in the Word of God or drawne from thence by euident and true consequence For it is not faith if it be not grounded vpon the authority of the Word of God and thereof neither Catholickes nor Heretiques make any doubt Then Mr. Arnoux which doubteth thereof by the iudgement of a Cardinall and a Iesuite is no Catholique Where as hee saith that hee would haue no Sillogismes allowed of there is a meanes to content him by speaking with him as with children seeing hee reiecteth the naturall rules of reason which are not Aristotles inuention as he thinketh Zeno Eleates and diuers others before him wrote of that matter a Diog. Laertius in Zenone Eleate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plaine Countrey people vse those
ninth Articles are true wee reiect the Limbus patrum which is said to bee emptie these 1600. yeeres and the Apocriphall bookes 10 It is false that we say that we must confesse our sinnes onely to God We must confesse them to the Church and to our Pastors and to our neighbours whom wee haue offended 11 To take the word iustifie in that sense which our Aduersaries take it for regeneration and sanctification It is false that we say that faith onely iustifieth For a Christian is regenerated by all Christian vertues But if by being iustified they vnderstand absolued and esteemed to be righteous before the iudiciall seate of God which is the sense wherein the Scripture ordinarily taketh the word iustifie in that sense we say that faith voide of workes cannot iustifie vs but that faith accompanied with workes onely hath the vertue to iustifie vs for that among Christian vertues faith onely hath that propertie To apprehend the benefit of our Lord Iesus Christ 12 It is false that we simply say without exception that when the fault is remitted the punishment also is remitted We speake that of satisfactory and vindicatiue punishments but not of chastning punishments which serue to amend and instrust the sinner in time to come Those punishments are sufferable with the remission of sinnes 13 It is false that we say that God hath created men to be damned Caluin saith not so and if hee had said so wee are not bound to beleeue it 14 It is false that we say that euery one of vs hath not an Angell to be his guardian Our Churches haue not defined any thing touching that point Whether God imployeth an Angell for the guarding of diuers persons or many Angels for the guarding of one man It is a thing which wee leaue to the Counsell of God 15 The fifteenth Article is true we honour Saints and set them before vs for an example and aspire to their beatitude but we call not vpon them 16 It is false and slanderous that we say that God thrusteth vs forward and constraineth vs to sinne that doctrine is horrible and diuelish Caluin to whom they impute this doctrine neuer said it but taught the contrary and although he had said it yet our confession of the faith in the seauenth Article protesteth the contrary in these words saying Not that God is the Author of euill or that the fault can be imputed vnto him seeing that his will is the soueraigne and the infallible rule of all doctrine and equitie 17 It is false that we say that the Scripture is easie to bee vnderstood and that the vnderstanding thereof is giuen vnto all men In it there are obscure prophesies and difficult places We say that in the Scriptures there are sufficient euident and cleare places which are instructions vnto vs for saluation and that in things which are plaine and manifest in the Scriptures and which haue no neede of interpretation all that which is necessary for our saluation is contayned 18 It is false that we say that to preach the Word of God there needes no ordinary nor extraordinary calling I haue made a booke expresly to proue the contrary 19 It is false that we say that we must beleeue nothing but that which is written We say that we must not receiue any doctrine as necessary to saluation that is not contained in the holy Scriptures 20 It is false that we say that God hath not giuen power to the Church to remit sinnes faithfull Pastors haue that power but their pardon is conditionall so the party be a repentant sinner which is not certanely knowne but to God onely Therefore their iudgement must of force be conditionall As the holy Scripture saith that Pastors saue soules because God vseth their ministry to saue them so it saith that Pastors pardon sinnes because God vseth their meanes to pardon them 21 It is false that our Churches haue made any definition touching this point that all sinnes are mortall It belongeth not to criminals and sinners to determine what punishment euery sinne they commit deserueth Onely we reiect that distinction which is made betweene mortall and veniall sinnes that is pardonable because those sinnes which are called mortall are pardonable in those that conuert and amend their liues and those sinnes that are called veniall are mortall when men perseuere therein till they die and that contempt and finall obstinacy is added to the transgression 22 The 22. Article is true We doe not presume that wee can merit before God and if thereupon we should be asked whether we cannot merit by the grace of God I answere that the same grace is it which hindereth vs from meriting For for that cause our good workes are not meritorious because they proceed from the grace of God It is no merit to receiue grace 23 It is false that we say that it is impossible to keepe the commandements of God though God doth helpe vs. When it is the will of God to make a man perfect and without sinne no man can hinder it nor limit any rules to the efficacie of his Spirit 24 It is most false that we say that God doth not reward good workes 25 It is false that we hold for a most assured thing that the Saints haue equall glory in heauen That is no Article necessary to saluation we condemne no man for that opinion but suffer euery man to conceiue thereof as hee thinketh it most probable But the Pope which giueth a degree of glory vnto some men aboue the vulgar Saints is bound to maintaine that inequalitie 26 It is false that we say that we must not vse the imposition of hands which the Apostles vsed in Samaria and in Ephesus Whosoeuer hath the vertue by imposition of hands to conferre the same miraculous graces and the gift of tongues which the Apostles conferred shall doe well to vse that ceremony 27 It is false that we say That the precept to annoynt the sicke with oyle whereof S. Iames speaketh ought not to be practised in the Church Wee know that not onely the Apostles but also their disciples after them did profitably vse the same for healing of the sicke Whosoeuer can by that vnction doe the like miraculous effects shall doe well to vse the same ceremony 28 Lastly it is false that our Churches beleeue and teach that prayer for the dead was not anciently in vse Wee say that the first ages whose examples should serue vs for a Law vsed it not and that God did not ordaine it Touching the Machabees it concernes vs nothing to know whether that as then they prayed for the dead For although the bookes of the Machabees are full of fables and that the same history is to be suspected yet although it were true our Religion is not ruled by the Iewes actions but by the commandement of God as also that prayer for the dead whereof wee speake is made with a reference to the resurrection and not to draw soules out of Purgatory The indifferent Reader will consider with what people wee haue to doe seeing that of the 28. Articles wherein they comprehend our Religion there are but foure which truely and without calumniation doe represent our doctrine and what hope is there to end our Controuersies by the Word of God seeing that they binde vs by the Word of God to proue those things which we beleeue not How should they faithfully propound our beleefe to their people when they disguise it vnto vs Put the case that our Religion were as full of errors as it is holy iust and true why doe they insteed of seeking to draw vs out of errours goe about to drowne vs therein why doe they study to make vs worse insteed of amending or bettering vs or doe they thinke that wee haue forgotten our Religion and that wee must be forc't to come to them to learne it Wee are vsed in the like manner by the Bishop of Luzon in his booke that he hath made against our Epistle dedicated to the King In the tenth page hee reduceth our Religion into twelue Articles which he hath forged out of some places of our Authors which he hath clipt and which doe not say that which he would haue them to say which we take for a iustification of our cause seeing that no man dares encounter with vs face to face nor come directly to vs but all of them take a wrong course and goe by-as way and discharge not their choller against our Religion but against another which they haue forged at their pleasures FINIS