learned and picus men from the Ministry So that for the most part no other young men entred into holy orders but such as looked after a fat living and a licentious life unless it were some few who through unadvisedness and inconsideration were brought into the snare Praeter nonnulios qui imprudenter nondum sibi satis noti in laqueum inducuntur And therefore saith plainly and positively unless marriage be tolerated they should scarce be able to find out fitting Ministers to supply the Church Nisi conjugium toleretur vix idonei Ecclesiae ministri in posterum quidem inveniri poterunt Cassander in Consult Art 23. And now considering that Truth is good in it self and Virginity is good only in order to another thing sc. to righteousness let any conscientious man judge which of the two Priests is more in the state of sin and damnation whether he that is lawfully and righteously wedded to a wife or he that is unlawfully and unrighteously wedded to such a false opinion although as self-interest now steers Saint Peters ship there is little hope that the one will part or be divorced from his opinion as there is little honesty that the other should part or be divorced from his wife CAP. III. Of Purgatory 1. PUrgatory a stumbling block not to be cast in the way of men that are departing hence 2. Saint Paul desired to be dissolved that he might be with Christ. 3. All that die in the faith of Christ at their death go immediately to Christ as did Saint Paul and the good thief and to assert otherwise is to be injurious to Religious souls and to Christ their Saviour 4. Bellarmine professeth it is uncertain that Christs humane soul was in Purgatory and by his proofs makes it impossible for they all speak of the Hell of the damned 5. To say Christ went into Purgatory as into a part of his Kingdom to take possession thereof savours of blasphemy and of infidelity 6. Bellarmines uncertainties are so many and great concerning the Place the Time the Torment the Tormentors and the causes for which souls are said to be tormented in Purgatory as to enfeeble any unprejudicate mans belief though he is so confident as to say That all shall be damned who do not believe Purgatory 7. This doctrine is neither in word nor sense taught in the holy Scriptures The Texts alledged for it in Bachonus his daies answered by him The Books of the Macchabees no more Canonical to the Christians then to the Jews The fire mentioned 1 Cor. 3. no proof of Purgatory It shall not be forgiven him in the world to come spoken by way of aggravation Mat. 12. Hell taught in the Creed not so Purgatory 8. Peter Martyr vindicated Bellarmines rules of prudence against the rules of Logick meer nullities Doctrines inferred from prudential consequences are humane imaginations but from Logical consequences are Divine Truths The one by being believed the other by not being believed make a man an Heretick 9. No remission of sins in the next world proved by Aquinas out of Saint Chrysostom and Saint Augustine 10. Gods Remitting of sin is not Punishing it for Christs sake 11. Saint Augustine defines against Purgatory 12. No ground for it in the Text nor in any true general Council 13. Beilarmines reasons for it are not from but against Gods Word though seemingly deduced out of the holy Scriptures 14. His arguments for Venial sins untheological 15. His wresling of Scripture against the analogie of faith to maintain this new doctrine of his Church which agreeth not with the belief of the remission of sins or the Communion of Saints 16. The Prayers of the Church may be abused by this doctrine as well as the Word of God 17. Christ not praying for souls in Purgatory they can if any there have no benefit of others Prayers The third Exception Part. 2. Chap. 2. pag. 174. Against Purgatory you object first Desiderium habens dissolvi esse cum Christo Phil. 1. 23. But all the strength of this argument stands upon a Desiderium habens having a desire And what good Catholick man doth not desire to die so holily as he may escape Purgatory and go immediately to Christ Secondly Hodiè meâ—…um eris in paradiso Luc. 23. 43. Where you say it is evident The Convert thief upon the Cross cannot be looked upon as a priviledged person Were this evident it is evident to me that most eminently learned men would have perceived this evidence yet our Rhemes Doctors confidently call it A rare example of mercy and prerogative Maldonate handling this place Mat. 27. 44. calls it a stupidity Ex uno exemplo generalem legem colligere Bellarm. lib. 1. de Purg. cap. 8. concludes his answer to this very objection Privilegia pauco rum legem non faciunt Becanus compend men contr lib. 1. c. 11. n. 7. calls it expresly Singulare privilegium so that this your evidence is to me inevident Thirdly Bellarmine himself confesseth De Purgatorio incertum est you quote neither Chapter nor Book which is very uncouth amongst learned Antagonists These words may be understood in a double sense absolutely as to Purgatoty it self or relatively as to the good thief If the first then Bellarmine confesseth it is uncertain whether there be any such thing as Purgatory or no if the second whether the good thief went to Purgatory or no As to the first there can be nothing more certain amongst Christians then what is de fide of divine faith But Bellarm. lib. 1. de Purg. cap. 2. 3. affirms it is de fide And again cap. 11. Constanter asserimus dogma esse fidei Purgatorium adeò ut qui non credit Purgatorium esse ad illud nunquam sit perventurus sed in gehennâ sempiterno incendio cruciandus What can a man speak more resolutely then this As to the second He hath not any such word but all the contrary as I have shewed to your second objection Where then Bellarmine should make this Confession is beyond my skill to find Fourthly none ever durst say That the humane soul of Christ was at all in Purgatory If you mean To suffer there it were an horrible blasphemy to say so But if to go down thither in majesty as a most victorious Conquerer and triumphant King to take possession of his whole Kingdom which according to Saint Paul is tripartite Philip. 2. 10. Coelestium terrestrium infernorum So Bellarmine besides what he saith thereof lib. 4. de Christo cap. 12. in fine durst c. 16. with a probabile say that Christs humane soul went down thither not only quoad effectum but secundum substantiam realem praesentiam For having made this querie Ad quae loca inferni descenderit He answers Probabile est profectò Christi animum ad omnia loca inferni descendisse But whether so or no it neither makes nor marrs but the good thief enjoyed Christs promise to be with him that
A Christian Vindication OF TRUTH Against ERROUR Concerning these Seven Controversies 1. Of Sinners Prayers 2. Of Priests Marriage 3. Of Purgatory 4. Of the second Commandment and Images 5. Of praying to Saints and Angels 6. Of Justification by Faith 7. Of Christs New Testament or Covenant By Edw. Hide D. D. sometimes Fellow of T. C. in Cambridge and late Rector Resident of Brightwell in Berks. Holding forth the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers Tit. 1. 9. Idcirco doctrinam Catholicam contradicentium obsidet impugnatio ut fides nostra non torpescat otio sed multis exercitationibus elimetur Aug. Serm. 98. de Tempore London Printed by R. White for Richard Davis Bookseller in Oxford 1659. The General Contents of each Chapter CAp. 1. Of Sinners prayers p. 1. 2. Of Priests Marriage p. 13. 3. Of Purgatory p. 69. 4. Of the Second Commandement and against Images p. 129. 5. Of Praying to Saints and Angels p. 245. 6. Of Justification p. 359. 7. Of Christs New Testament or Covenant p. 471. Courteous Reader The pages above-mentioned will shew theâ—… the full Contents of all particulars handled in each Chapter TO THE Christian Reader HE that writes Devotion is like to please all good Christians and is sure to please himself because he walks with God in whose presence is joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore But he that writes Controversie is sure to displease many even all that are either Unchristian as coming short of Religion or Antichristian as going beyond or against it and cannot easily please himself because he walks among briers and thorns which may entangle but must annoy and offend his footing I did little think when I took some few steps in Golgotha to teach my self and prepare others how to dye That I should have met with thorns instead of dead mens skuls though I made a publick impression of those steps in my Christian Legacie for others the more plainly to see and the more easily to follow them But such is the contentiousness of this carping and quarreling age That it turneth even Devotion it self into controversie and no wonder then if it turn controversie into contention and contention into bloodshed Let the Apostle cry never so lowd Foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes And the servant of Christ must not strive 2 Tim. 2. yet this captious world will afford more questions concerning strife then Godliness not considering that the Spirit of God calleth them foolish and unlearned questions though they be invented with never so much wit and maintained with never so great learning And such I think are most of these ensuing questions raised by so many exceptions lately brought against the doctrine and practice of the Church of England by one G. B. neerly devoted to the Church of Rome 1. Of Gods hearing the Prayers of Heathens for what is that to Christians 2. Of Purgatory for what is that to the Christian Faith 3. Of Priests marriage for what is that to the Christian Religion 4. Of worshiping Images for they are both directly against Religion. 5. Of Praying to Saints 6. Of Justification by works for that 's against Faith in Christ. 7. Of Quarrelling about the words of Testament and Covenant for that 's at least vain if not profane or sinful babling As t is meerly upon words so t is vain as t is quarrelling upon those words so it may easily be sinful For he that saith Hold fast the form of sound words 2 Tim. 1. 13. bids us stand upon Propositions which signifie true or false not upon single Terms which are unsignificant as to the Truth whether speculative or practick for there can be neither Faith nor Love in them yet I have endeavoured to make the Answers to these Questions though grounded on such unnecessary exceptions to contain some very necessary and sound Divinity for which purpose I have put them into large Chapters and have assigned to each Chapter large Contents being resolved to answer the Cause for the satisfaction of others rather then the Objection for the vindication ofmy self And I think I had a good occasion and a better reason so to do for though our Brethren most oppress us yet our Adversaries most revile us and therefore every true Son much more Servant of this distressed Church ought to believe and observe his Church now speaking to him in the language of St. Paul Be not thou therefore ashamed of the Testimony of the Lord nor of me his Prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the Power of God 2 Tim. 1. 8. He that is ashamed of his Religion is ashamed of the Testimony of the Lord He that forsakes his Church when she is the Lords Prisoner did hypocritically follow her when she was the Lords free Servant and refusing to partake in the afflictions of the Gospel shews he embraced the Gospel according to the custom of men not according to the Power of God But the Word of God is not bound 2 Tim. 2. 9. These Truths which we profess according to Gods word will alwaies be professed to the worlds end though with less visibility yet not with less constancy and if Protestants shall go from them Papists shall return to them For God that can raise Children out of Stones will never be without witness among his own children and I look upon all Christians at large as his children though only upon good Christians as his dutiful children And if they should hold their peace the very stones would speak crying Hosanna to the Son of David our blessed Saviour ascribing unto him the Truth of our Religion and the honour of our Salvation And we desire no more may obtain no less Let our adversaries shew any one Tenent or Practice wherein we of this Church leave them to be more for the honour of Christ then that which we embrace and we will acknowledge our selves the worser Christians nor be any longer in that particular Protestant against them but detestant of our selves But till they can shew that we beseech them to shew themselves good Christians in not railing and raging against us for being so because we cannot think God hath given any Church Dominion over Religion or his Servant power above his Son yet men of their perswasion then most call to be answered when they least resolve to be satisfied disiring only to hinder Orthodox Ministers from confirming Protestants because they have power by prohibiting their own Proselites the use of their Books to hinder them from converting Papists yet for my part I should not have laid open the corrupt doctrines and practices of Popery had I not been constrained to vindicate Protestancy for I had rather spend my time and zeal about doctrines of Conscience the of Contestation or of Corruption and these for the most part are both
in doing or in suffering because there is no proportion betwixt an infinite Justice and a finite satisfaction This considered may I not be as gross an Ebionite or Cherinthian by saying there is a necessity of penal satisfaction as if I say there is a necessity of legal observations for the expiation of sin do not both alike diminish and disparage the efficacy of Christs death Or may I think that the Church of Christ by using the power of the Keyes in retaining sins intends to retain where Christ remits to wiâ—… in the true Penitent to the undervaluing of Christs merit in purchasing remission of sins and Gods free grace and mercy in granting it and Gods holy Spirit in testifying it Therefore I must let the satisfaction enjoyned by the Church die with the Penitent and not be required of him after death unless I will suppose the Church both able and willing to bind where Christ hath loosed For if Christ loose not the sinner here I do not find upon what grounds to believe That he will loose him hereafter So that we see if satisfaction is to be made by the sinner All must go to Purgatory and for ought we can prove tarry there eternally And so Purgatory will in truth be Hell If satisfaction hath been made by Christ then none at all can justly go thither And so Purgatory will in truth be Nothing certain it is no other satisfaction was given for all the offences of the good Thief though he were not a Penitent till the hour of his death and with what colour of Truth can any Divine teach that God will not take this satisfaction and this alone for all other Penitents And yet this in Bellarmines acount is one of the two supporters of Purgatory the other is Venial sins which may also be shaken in good time In a word The Place the Time the Quality of Torment the manner of tormenting the Tormentor and the cause or end for which souls are said to be tormented in Purgatory are all uncertain and how can the torment it self be taken for a certainty For it is not any mans confidence can make that certain which is invested with so many intrinsecal doubts and ambiguities nor any mans arguments can make that credible which is not certain But besides the uncertainty wâ—… meet with in this temporary Tormentâ—… which will not suffer us to believe it wâ—… find it casts an uncertainty upon that eternal Torment which we confess our selveâ—… bound to believe For as you rightly sayâ—… Nothing is more certain amongst Christiaâ—… then what is de fide of Divine Faith So crave leave to inferr from that sayinâ—… Nothing is to be affirmed de fide of diviâ—… faith among Christians which is not ceâ—…tain unless we will labour to overthroâ—… the Certainty of the Christian faith Fâ—… to require men to believe an uncertaiâ—… equally with a certainty is to invite theâ—… to disbelieve a certainty since it is not possible they should have one and the same Divine Faith for uncertainties and for certainties And therefore to teach men to believe Purgatory which is uncertain is the ready way to make them not believe Hell which is most certain Nor is it to be wondered That Bellarmines certainties concerning this doctrine should be so much enfeebled by his own uncertainties concerning the same no more then it is to be wondered that the certainty of our Christian saith should depend not upon the wit of man but upon the word of God 7. For this doctrine of Purgatory is so far from being taught in the Word of God that if you should ask those Disciples who have been most and best instructed in the Word Have ye received the doctrine of Purgatory since ye believed They must answer you We have not so much as heard whether there be any Purgatory and yet the same men will plainly tell you They have heard there is an holy Ghost and have received him though your over-bold Peltanus would perswade the world That Purgatory is as expresly taught in the holy Scriptures as the Unity of God and yet that is a little more expresly taught then the Deity of the Holy Ghost though blessed be God the Scripture is very express in both these Doctrines But in the whole Book of God there is neither in words nor in sense neither explicitly nor implicitly any such thing as your Purgatory which we cannot say concerning any Article of the Christian Faith That the thing we are bound to believe is not so much as really or virtually named in all the Holy Bible For an sit is as truly a precognition in the object of faith as in the subject of any question by that Rule of the Apostle if reason will not serve How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher Rom. 10. 14. We cannot believe what we have heard we cannot hear any supernatural truth unless God preach it and if he hath been the Preacher we may find the doctrine in his written Word which the most zealous defenders of this your doctrine durst not assert in former times For a very eminent Schoolman of our own Couâ—…rey Iohannis Bachâ—…nus lib. 4. dist 45. quâ—…unica answers all the Texts that were in his daies commonly alledged out of the Bible to prove Purgatory which were then but three though since they have swelled into a far greater number The first Text was that of 2 Mac. 12. To which his answer is Libri Macchabaeorum non sunt de Canone Bibliae ut dicit Hieronymus The Books of the Macchabees are not of the Canon of the Bible as saith Saint Hierom Nor doth your Cardinals new subtilty invalidate this answer Dico librum Maccha non esse Canonicum apud Judaeos sed apud Christianos esse I say the Books of the Macchabees were not Canonical among the Jews but they are among the Christians For the Christian Church had the Canon of the Old Testament from the Church of the Jews who not daring to make themselves a Canon took that which God gave them and therefore left out the Macchabees because they were not in the Ark that is to say not in that Canon which God had given them Nor hath God given the Christian Church power and authority to make that or any other Book Canonical which himself hath not made so for the Text is plain which saith To them were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. Which words only shew a Trust of keeping not a power of making the Oracles of God either in Jew or Christian. The second Text then alledged to prove Purgatory was that of 1 Cor. 3. To which his answer is That the Apostle there speaketh of that fire which shall burn the world at the day of Judgement therefore that place will not prove such a a purging by fire as the Doctors suppose before the day of Judgement Benè probatur Purgatio ista conflagrationis in
of the Decalogue 2. Athanasius in bis Synopsis cap. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Book of Exodus containeth the Sâ—…atutes or Judgements and before them all the Ten Commandements in two Tables whereof this was the first I am the Lord thy God c. This the second Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image 3. Greg. Naz. in his verses which have this title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ten Commandements of Moses sets this for the first Commandement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not know any other God and this for the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not make any vain or breathless image I could moreover add Saint Chrysostom and Epiphanius and others but this was never at all a doubt much less a Controversie in the Greek Church Therefore I make haste to the Latines where I will not insist upon Saint Hierom because we had his testimony already in Sedulius but only Saint Ambrose who in his Comment upon the sixth of the Ephesians saith expresty This is the first Commandemâ—…nt Thou shalt have no other Gods but me and this the second Thou shalt not make to thy self any image or likeness This is enough to shew the doctrine of the Latine Church whereof Saint Hierom and Saint Ambrose were accounted the two first and chiefest Doctors yet to these I will add Severus Sulpitius who in the first Book of his holy History hath these words Nos eam sc. legem Dei breviter perstringemus Non erunt inquit tibi alii Dii praeter me Non facies tibi Idolum Non sumes nomen Dei tui in vanum Sabbathis nullum opus facies c. I will briefly set down the Law of God Thou shalt have no other Gods but me Thou shalt not make to thy self an image or idol Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Thou shalt do no work on the Sabbath daies c. This man undertaking to set down the Decalogue sets down those four Commandements distinctly as belonging to the first Table And though the Schoolmen in process of time had generally followed Saint Augustine joyning the first and second Commandements in one yet the other Divines had not generally followed the Schoolmen till of very late years if we may believe Polydore Virgil an Author that writ in the daies of our King Henery the eight For in his fifth Book de Invent. rerum and ninth Chapter he hath these remarkable words Si vis ad vitam ingredi serva mandata quorum capita haec sunt Unum Deum colito Nullius animalis effigiem colito Per Dei nomen haud frustra dejerabis Festos dies piè riâ—…è celebrato Parentes venerare Hominem ne occideris Adulterium fuge Furtum non feceris Nihil alienum concupiveris nec falsum dix eris testimonium If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandements the Heads whereof are these Worship one God Worship not the image of any creature mark he puts these for two several heads of the Decalogue and not the one as it were the tail of the other Swear not vainly by the name of God Observe the Festivals piously and righteously Honour your parents Kill no man Fly adultery Steal not Covet nothing that belongs to another Bear no false witness He is so far from dividing the Tenth Commandement that he puts the ninth after it whereby to keep others from dividing it for it is palpble himself took Nihil alienum concupiveris but for one Commandement And he saith so plainly That these were the heads of the Commandements that nothing could be said more plainly to shew That though the School did use a liberty in Disputing yet the Church did not use a liberty in Dogmatizing against the Ten Commandements as they had been taught and delivered by God himself 9. But that generally all good Church-men did even at that time in their method of Preaching of which he there speaketh part the first and second Commandements and did not part the tenth for he that saith Covet nothing that belongs to another sets down but one universal negative concerning all coveting And an universal negative may no more be divided into particulars then it may be limited for its division will at last prove its limitation and so an universal will be turned into a particular and Gods Negative will be made mans Affirmative as for example Thou shalt covet nothing of thy neighbours may be made Thou shalt covet something of thy neighbours for the enumeration of all the prohibited particulars in an universal negative being impossible to particularize in some few only as prohibited is in effect to leave those which are not particularized or enumerated out of the Prohibition and therefore we may not think those particulars which are set down in the Tenth Commandement to be set there by way of enumeration as if they were All but only by way of instance or exposition as being the most notorious And consequently one and the same Prohibition Thou shalt not covet must be extended to them All alike and then pass from those particulars till it come to this universal Nor any thing that is his So that this is in truth the Tenth Commandement Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbours for we cannot make it an universal Negative unless we suppose it but one universal Prohibition concerning all manner of concupiscence forbidding internally the first motions and affections thereof and the consent to either externally the leud significations or expressions and much more the completion and custom of concupiscence All these are alike forbidden in the Tenth Commandement by one the same universal Prohibition And if it be but one Prohibition it cannot be two Precepts and if it be two Precepts it cannot be one Prohibition so it must come from an universal negative forbidding all concupiscence to be a particular negative forbidding some concupiscence and consequently licencing that which it hath not forbidden 10. I have hitherto examined your assertion That all Catholick Divines after Saint Augustine did reckon the first and second Commandement but as one I now come to examine your Divinity built upon it and first that Position It is impossible for Christians whatever the Jews did well instructed in the First to offend through ignorance against the second Commandement You might as well have said It is impossible for Christians well instructed to sin through ignorance for you allow the instruction of the first to reach to the second or you allow no second Commandement so the instruction and the ignorance both concern the same thing I answer 1. God thought it not impossible for he hath given the second Commandement no less to Christians then to Jews since we find it not only re-inforced but also even repeated in the New Testament 1 John 5. 21. Little children keep your selves from Idols 9. d. If you will keep your selves Gods children and in his Communion you must
these two words And I ask no more about the â—…ow words Covenant and Testament to vindicate this my observation from domestick impertinencie and from forrein calumâ—…e which takes notice That Christ is called â—…he Mediator of the New Testament Heb. 9. 15. not the Mediator of the New Covenant as in other places 3. For even your own Latin Interpreter though in the Books of Moses he commonly say Faedus orpactum as Gen. 17. yet after them He doth much more delight in the word Testament then in the word Covenant as Psal. 50. v. 5. Qui ordinant Testamentum ejus super sacrificia not those who have made a Covenant but those who have made a Testament with me by Sacrifice looking through the Sacrifices of the Law upon the Sacrifice of Christ and in his death seeing that made a Testament which was before but a Covenant so again v. 16. Why takest thou my Covenant in thy mouth Pactum meum saith Pagnine and faedus meum saith the Hebrew as before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my Compact or Covenant but your Latin Testamentum meum my Testament And though Exod. 24. 7. he saith Volumen Faederis the Book of the Covenant yet Heb. 9. 4. he saith Arcam Testamenti The Ark of the Testament notwithstanding the Ark was so called from the Book that was kept in it therefore either he should have said the Book of the Testament or he should not have said the Arke of the Testament but as in Exodus he said The Book of the Covenant so in the Hebrews he should have said the Arke of the Covenant using the same word in both places as the Seventy Interpreters and ours do since both relate to the same Thing I say not this to blame your Interpreters but to shew you upon what slight grounds you have blamed ours and more particularly Bâ—…za for using the words Covenant and Testament promiscuously for he did no more then your own Latin Translators had done before Him Therefore since you have respect to the man with a gold ring in goodly apparel that in your account weareth the rich clothing of Authority equally with the Original Text it self and say unto him sit thou here in a good place which however the Ancient Fathers did vouch safe only to the Original Text placing the Greek Testament but not any Translation of it on a Throne in the midst of their assembly in the four first general Councils you may not justly say to the poor man in the vile raiment for such is Beza in your account as being a Protestant Interpreter though you put the Master upon him that he may be thought a Gentleman rather then a Divine stand thou here or sit here under my footstool unless you will be Partial in your self and become a Judge of evil thoughts James 2. 4. And yet even Beza himself prefers Testament before Covenant in the Title to his Translation saying Testamentum Novum The New Testament though he also adde sive Novum faedus Domini nostri Jesu Christi or the New Covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ haply to shew that Jews and Christians had but one and the same Covenant to be saved by one and the same way of salvation though under defferent forms of administration and that was through our Saviour Christ who was to them no less then to us The way the Truth and the Life But to return again to your Interpreter for I left Bâ—…za to follow him that 〈◊〉 might say of Christ he was the Mediatour of the New Testament not of the new Covenant Heb. 9. 15. 't is very observable that Exod 24. 8. he saith Hic est sanguis Faederis This is the blood of the Covenant But Mat. 26. 28. Hic for Hoc est sanguis Novi Testamenti Tbâ—… is the blood of the New Testament Nay those very words of Moses which in Exodus he interprets sanguis faederis The blood of the Covenant Exod. 24. 8. in the Epistle to the Hebrews he interprets sanguis Testamenti The blood of the Testament Heb. 9. 20. Sure he saw either more efficacy or more comfort in the word Testament than in the word Covenant or he would not have exchanged the one for the other in the Interpretation of the very same Hebrew Text. 4. But why should I mention one single Interpreter for so he is accounted though he be made up of two interpretations the old Vulgar and St. Hieroms when the whole Catholick Church recording the Books which contain the mysteries of our salvation had rather call them the Old and the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then the Old and New Covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeking rather to bring the Law to be called the Testament in compliance with the Gospel then to permit the Gospel to be called the Covenant in compliance with the Law And indeed though the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Covenant between two parties both living then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Testament which supposeth one party to be dead yet the Sept. never interpret it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Covenant but by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Testament Symmachus renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 44. 18. but the Sept. there also hold to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surely by some special Providence and for some special reason happily to shew us That as all the Promises of God were Truth in Christ so they were also Mercies in him as in Christ Jesus every Promise was Yea and Amen so also in him alone it was such as to make us say of it Amen so be it even the Covenant of not drowning Noah with the world Gen. 6. 18. where this word is first used and of not drowning the world any more Gen. 9. was no mercy but in Christ the promised seed the Saviour of the world For what mercy is it not to perish by water to be reserved to everlasting fire to be suffered to prolong the pleasures of a sinful life that we may encrease the torments of an eternal death Therefore I conceive the seventy Interpreters in rendring the Hebrew Berith did make choyce of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Testament rather then of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Covenant that they might direct all mens thoughts and desires only to Christ and fix all their hopes and delights upon him for that the word Testament doth as expressely point at our Saviour Christs passion as St. John Baptists finger did point at his Person and doth in effect say what he said Ecce Agnus Dei Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world for he took away ous sins by his death plainly presignified and necessarily included in the word Testament because that could not be ratified and confirmed without his death For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator Heb. 9. 16. But where a