owne nature and substance as may be seene in Hospiniane and diuers other Authours Hauing conuinced you to be enemyes of the Saints Enemies of God of the B. Virgine Iesus Ch. and good workes we will now see whether you be not also enemyes of God And certes you are enemyes of the whol Trinitie making God almightie authour of sinne and euery effect of the three persons is common which being without God proceeds from his power You deny that you teach this blasphemie I affirme it we are at variaÌ„ce in this point But shortly we shall aggree at least by the iudgment of all men that without passion and perturbation doe consider the case For myne owne part I will indeuour to speake nothing which shall not be openly accnowledged to be the same which you affirme Is not this to make God guiltie and the cause of sinne if you auerre that he wills sinne as sinne That sinne was ordayned by Christ that euill is not onely foreseene but eueÌ„ predestinated by God That God would certainly ordaine the fall of maÌ„ and gradatim dispose the causes of his damnationâ— Finally that man is blinded by the will and command of God And yet these things you say Sinne saith Sanchius a Zanchius in Miscell lib. de Excaecat q. 5. Peccatum consideratum etiam vt peccatuÌ„ quatenus ad illustraÌ„daÌ„ Des gloriam facit eatenus peccatuÌ„ malum culpae praeordinatum est à Deo coÌ„sidered euen as it is sinne so farforth as it makes to the illustrating of Gods glorie in this sense sinne and the euill of the fault malum culpae is ordayned by God By Gods ordonnance and becke saith Caluin b Calu. in c. 3. Gen Dico Dei ordinatione nutu lapsum esse Adam hominem labi voluit Adam fell He would haue man to fall It is the opinion of our Doctours saith Pareus c Paraeus l 3. de amiss gratiae c. 2. NostroruÌ„ Doctorum senteÌ„tia est quod Deus tentationem lapsum bomini infallibiliter decreuerit that God did infallibly decree the temptation and fall of man God d Lib. 1. de Praed Deus non tantum ad damnationeÌ„ sed etiam ad causas damnationis praedestinauit quoscuÌ„que libucrit saith Beza did not only predestinate who soeuer he pleased to damnation but euen to the causes of damnation Man was blinded saith Caluine e Calu. 1. instir c. 18. §. 1 Volente iubonte Deo excaecatur homo by the will and coÌ„mandement of God Doe not they who speake in this sort make God the cause of sinne yea euen of the malice of sinne which sinne as it is sinne doth formally import and contayne Moreouer to affirme that God was Authour of Pharaos obduration to coÌ„stitute the diuine will the prime and supreame cause therof that God doth inflict sinne and that he made maÌ„ and Angells violaters of the diuine law is not this to make God Authour of sinne in plane tearmes And yet this you auerre too Certaine it is saith Sanchius f Zanchius sup q. 1. Certum est Deum primariuÌ„ fuisse huius obdurationis authorem that God was the prime Authour of this obduration We resolue saith g Calu. lib de Prad In Doum transferimus obdurationis causas Caluine the cause of obduration into God And in another place h Lib. de Prouid Dei voluntas summa est vel remota causa obdurationis Et 3. Instit c. 23. § 1. Sequitur absconditum Dei consilium obssurationis esse causam the will of God is the chiefe or remote that is the primarie cause of obduration Gods Decree saith i Beza de Praedest ad art is Corruptionis causis excludere Des decretum non potest Beza cannot be excluded from the causes of corruption God saith a Martyr in Rom. 1. Deus infligit peccatum originale Mart. doth inflict originall sinne God saith Zuin. b Zuingl lib. de Prouid c. 5. makes maÌ„ ad Angells traÌ„sgressiours He that affirmes that God doth incite moue necessitate and doth so compelle men to sinne that they cannot anoyd it and that the efficacie of the errour proceedes from God doth he not make God guiltie and cause of sinne Dâ—us Angelum transgressorem facit hominem He that attributes the species attributes without doubt the kind genus too and therfore whosoeuer ascribes this qualitie to God that he doth compell men to sinne doth also doubtlesly make God cause of sinne since compulsion is but à certaine species vnder that generall cause and yet this you doe God saith c Mart. in Rom. 1 Deus in clinat impellit voluntates impiorum in grauta peccata Martyr doth incline and inforce the wills of the wicked vpoÌ„ greeuous sinns God saith Zuingl d Zuing lib. do Drouid c. 6. Mouet Deus latronem ad occidendum Deo impulsat occidit at inquies coactus est ad peccandum permitto inquam coactum esse Et in margine Deus mouet sontes ad pecâ—anduÌ„ doth moue the thiefe to kill God incites he kills but you will say goes on the same that he was compelled to offend and I admit your inference he was compelled The reprobate saith Caluin e Calu. 3. Instit c. 23. §. 9. Gall would be thought excusable in offending because they cannot auoyd the necessitie of sinning especially since that depends vpon the ordonnance and will of God but I contrariwise deny that that can be à sufficient excuse for them because this disposition of God is iuste A Creature saith Parçus f Paraeus li. 2. de amiss grat c. 13â— Nei essario quidem iustisssmo iudicio Dei peccat creatura Item lapsum hominis ex accideÌ„ te ob Dei decretum necess â—â—ium ineuitabilen fuisse nostri redissime asserunâ— doth necessarily offend and that by Gods most iust iudgment Our men saith the same doe rightly affirme that mans fall was by accident by reason of Gods decree necessarie and ineuitable God adds the same a Et cap. 4. Opera malorum Deus quae sunt mala poenae iusta sua iudicia facit efficacissime doth the workes of the wicked most efficaciously Which are the euills of paine mala poenae and his iust iudgments The efficacie ef the errour saith Caluine b Calu. 1. Instit cap 18 §. 2. A Deo ipso manat efficacia erroris vt mendacijs credant that credit is giuen to lyes proceeds from God They that will haue God be Authour of all those things which as we teach happen by Gods permission onely doe they not deliuer in expresse tearmes that God is authour of the malice of sinne which we hold he permitts onely and yet this you doe Now I haue plaÌ„ly enough shewen saith Caluine c Calu. 1. Instit c. 18 §. 3. that God is called the Authour of all those things which those Controwlers will haue to happen
by his idle permission They that doe teach in expresse tearmes that God by his pure will of his owne free motion without all consideration of merite doth predestinate to dānation and damnes man doe they not speake yet more detestably then when they make God the Authour of sinne And yet this you doe God of his owne accord saith Luther d Luth. lib. de seru arbitrio Deus mera sua voluntate homines deserit indurat damnat abbandons hardens and damnes men In damning them saith e Et ibid. Non respicit merita en damnandis Et ib. Immeritos dānat itam seuerit atem spargit in immeritos he in another place he respects not merits be damnes those that haue not merited it He powres out his wroth and seueritie vpon such as haue not merited the same And yet in another passage he saith f Hic est sidei summus gradus credere illum esse iustum qui sua voluntate nos necessario damnabiles facit that the soueraigne degree of faith consistes in beleeuing that he is iust who by his sole will make vs necessarily damnable God saith he a Ibid. Deus absconditus operatur vitam mortē omnia in emnibus multa vult quae verbo suo non ostendit sese velle sic non vultmortem peccatoris verbo scilicet vult autem illam voluntate imperscrutabili wills many things which yet by his word he shewes not to will so he willeth not the death of sinners to witt in word but he wills it by his inscrutable will By his onely will saith Caluine b Calu. 3. Instit c. 23. §. 2. Nudo etus in arbitrio citra propriū meritum in aeternam mortem prae destinantur and without cōsideration of their owne merits they are predestinated to eternall death Caluine saith Paraeus c Paraeus li 2. de Grat. lib. arb cap. 16. ait Caluinus Apostolum sequutus praedestinationē peccati praeuisione priorem facit following the Apostle makes Predestination preceede the foresight of sinne How can you now purge your selues of blasphemie wherof you stand indited in making God Author and cause of sinne especially being conuicted therof by so many expresse testimonies of your owne principale Authours To what pourpose shoald you deny with your mouth so detestable à doctrine since it lyes still at your hart and since your writinges wch you should haue waighed in the waightes of the Sāctuarie ought rather to winne credit thē your words For if not to auouch ones crime were à sufficient meanes to be purged of it ther would none be found criminall though they stood conuicted of the fact What will you say to this that our senses deceaue vs and that we see what is not we appeale to your owne eyes which I dare be bold to say will aggree with ours if you will please to take the paines to open thē and looke vpon your booke to see therin the passages which I haue most faithfully coted You will say peraduenture that their meaning is onely that God is cause of sinne not that he is Authour therof But this answere is no defence for you since your Doctours doe say againe and againe that he is Authour of sinne ether in expresse tearmes or in words equiualent Adde that though there is indeede à difference betwixt these words Authour and cause in that the one doth signifie more then the other Authour signifying à first cause which doth moue of it selfe yet light you of nothing which can free you from crime since it it is blasphemie not onely to make God Authour of sinne but euen to hold him to be the cause therof You say that when yours doe make God the Authour and cause of sinne they speake of the acte not of the malice of sinne But you cannot haue recourse to this answere because you vse this reduplication sinne as sinne tearming him cause of the euill of saulte mali culpae and making him the fountaine whence flowes the efficacie of errour What haue you then to reply That though you deliuer in your writings that God is Authour of sinne yet doe not you beleeue it you will not gaine credit in this nether and againe which is yet worse it is à part of the Diuell and his disciples whose ayme is the destruction of soules to speake one thing and beleeue another in matter of saluatiō You condēne in one place what you professe in another or rather you blush vpon some occasiōs to make that good which you are not ashamed to beleeue at all tymes Indeuour your vtmost you shall neuer be able to persuade euen the most ignorant that those truthes which you miscall calumnies in your writings are calumnies indeede for euery one will easily discouer that if there be any calumnie and iniurie it is that which you impose vpon the Saints the B. Virgine Iesus-Christ good workes God him selfe Which calumnies and iniuries doe indeed make your religion odious for which yet you can iustly blame none but yourselues seeing it is euident that you are so far from refuting those blasphemies by your writings sermons and liues that contrariewise your writings preachings and liues doe teach them In this extreamitie and being reduced into these straights whither are you to betake your selues certes if you stand to your word you are to depart out of humane societie and to retire your selues into same corner of the world not yet inhabited Yet if you will please to let me haue credit with you you shall doe yet beter You shall accnowledge your faulte forsake your errours and then in steede of seperating your selues from the societie of men the Church shall receaue you againe into the societie of her children which you abandoned and in which onely saluation is to be found CHAP. VIII MINIST BVt principally we could make knowen to your Maiestie that we are hated and hardly dealt withall because we maintaine the dignitie of your crowne against vsurping strangers who doe defile and bring it into slauerie For your Maiestie may call to mynd that in the late assemblie of the states at Paris the question was handled whether the Pope Could depose our kings and whether it is in the Popes prower to dispose of your crowne and that by the faction of the Church-men who drew à long with them à parte of the Nobilitie you lost your cause Wherupon the Pope dispatched vnto them letters triumphant and full of prayse A thing which we and diuers of your Catholike Romane subiects would neuer endure knowing that we owe our liues and fortunes to the defence of the dignitie of your crowne especially to the defence of à right which God bestowes vpon your Matie and which is grounded vpon his word Hopeing that one day God will open your eyes to discouer that vnder this specious name of Romane Church the Pope doth establish vnto him selfe à temporall Moniarchie vpon earth and hath withdrawen from your obedience
faith but according to S. Cyprian punishments of your perfidiousnes Hauing spoken of your persecutions you represent your fidelitie and seruices such if we beleeue you that euen the king who persecuted you to vse your owne words had fully tasted the fauorable effectes therof To what pourpose is it to make those indebted vnto you to whom you owe all that you are To what end is it to bragge that you were a refuge to that great king in his afflictions and crosses Vvhy doe you represent his crowne fastened vpon his head by the cement of your blood spilt in many battaills Frenchmen being no strangers in France that is not being ignorant of what past therin I cannot see to what end you so magnifie your seruices if not to giue way to all the world to condemne you out of their owne knowledge for there are none at all be they neuer so sharpe sighted be they neuer so diligent in runing ouer historie that can find out the seruices you haue rendred vnder Francis the first and Henry the second who are those vnder whom you may pretend with most shew of reason to haue bene persecuted since vnder their raigne endeuour was vsed to stiffe your errour in its birth vnlesse it be that as there are some who deeme they doe well when they doe no euill you repute it seruice not to haue disserued which yet would not be the wining of your cause it being certaine that if a man be obliged to any one for an euill he did not it is to him who had power to doe it and it is euident that in the raigne of those first kinges if you had a will to hurt your infancie did not second you with power to put it in execution And if from the raignes of these kings one passe to those of Francis the second and Charles IX and that you pretend to haue serued them the conspiracie of Amboise against the first and the Bataills of Dreux S. Denis Iarnac and Moncontour against the last the enterprise which was made at Meaux to seaze vpon his person are they to be counted in the number of seruices Since you make shew to haue rendred good for euil there is no question of seeking place of excuse to those actions but in case one should presse you to it you should neuer be able to fetch out the stayne which they fastened vpon your Predecessours foreheads And as litle can you couer it by your blood spent in a bloodie day since this action following the others one may well auerre that it was caused by those but neuer that those were caused by it And concerning Henry the third the seruices which he receaued from you will appeare by those which you afforded to his successour the Battaill of Coutras the taking of many townes and diuers other actions clearely demonstrating that in seruing the one you did bad offices to the other Thence it appeares in deede that your predecessours had serued Henry the Greate marrie that which goes amisse for you is that it appeares withall that they serued him not as king but as Fauourer of their secte sithens their seruices went before his comeing to the Crowne while yet he did openly fauour them at which tyme they could not lawfully assiste him against their kinge and that since the royall scepter fell into his hands which was the tyme indeede in which they were to die for him yet abbeit he were their king because hauing imbraced the Catholik faith he stood not in matter of religion Promotour of their Cause their fire became ice whose coldnes he felt as with his owne mouth he witnessed at the seige of Amienns You cannot without temeritie affirme that you were his refuge but with veritie one may auerre that you were cause why he stood in neede therof you cannot say that you were cause of his prosperitie but well may you be said to haue bene the cause of his misfortunes for who had bene more prosperous or in greater assurance then he if you separating him from the Church had not put him in a way to loose his kingdome and life amidst the hazards of warre where a thousand thousand tymes he exposed himselfe in a way to be depriued of his earthly Crowne together with that of heauen He that should haue cast a man headlong into the sea with intention to drowne him and after conceauing his conseruation profitable to himselfe lends him his hand to fetch him out of the perill in which he had put him can draw no great glorie from that action If you contributed any thing to the establishment of this greate kinge who hauing bene cast downe by some of yours from the Peters-shippe of the Church into the sea of errour was coÌ„stituted in most emineÌ„t danger it is onely in this sense and yet it is so litle too that you ought not to put it to accompt In steed of seruing him you serue your selues of him he fought for you not you for him and so far were your armes and powre from â—aysing him to the Crowne that nothing did so powrefully concurre to establish him as the abiureing of your errours which had put him in perill and yet he stands indebted to you for all by your owne accompt wherupon I cannot but apply vnto you what was said of Moab in Isaie Vve haue heard his pride Isa 6. his pride and arrogancie greater then his povver Loe in a few words how yours haue serued the kings whom in lieu of pointing them out by odious names you ought to stile your benefactours sith it was vnder them that you began to get footing in this kingdome in libertie and that they haue made fauorable Edicts which euen to this day you enioy If I haue brought vpon the stage the comportemeÌ„ts of your Predecessours all trespasses being personall it was not to impute their faultes to you but onely to take notice by the way vpon the occasion which you administred of what hath past leauing to such as are addicted to reading to take a more ample View of them in our Histories And so far am I from desireing to denigrate you with the faultes of your forerunners that on the coÌ„trarie side I conceaue and hold for certaine that the king vnder whose authoritie we all liue shall receaue so good seruices both of the nobilitie who giues eare vnto you and the comon people who follow you and of your selues that France will haue occasion to burie in obliuion the actioÌ„s of your forefathers which were preiudiciall vnto it In the interim you will licence me to tell you that although yours had serued as you pretend yet by the vanitie you take therin you make your owne recompence wheras you were elswhere sufficiently rewarded wherin you commit a double fault to witt an extreame vanitie and withall a grosse misaccnowledgmeÌ„t complayning of set purpose of his Maiesties Predecessours in lieu of expressing a true feeling of the notable obligations by them heaped vpon you
a fundation a head doth so agree and belong to S. Peter as that yet Iesus Christ remaynes the onely rocke the onely fundation the onely head sithens S. Peter doth not impeach the indiuiduall vnitie This is his ayme againe whilst in another place he brings in Iesus Christ saying to S. Peter a S. Leâ—serm â— in aâ—iuer suae â—â—ssumptionis Câ—m ego sim 〈◊〉 is 〈…〉 quoque Peâ—ra es quia â—ea virtute solidaris vt quae inthi potestate sunt propria sint â—ibi â—necum particâ—patione communia Albeit I am the inuiolable Rocke yet thou art a Rocke too because thou art supported and confirmed by my vertue to the end that those things Which are proper to me by povver might be comon to thee by participation To the same purpose b S. Aug. in Psal 86 cum dicuntur duodecâ—m portae Hierusalem vna porta Christus duodecim portae Christus quia in duodecim pâ—rtis Christus S. Augustine affirmes that there are twelue gates of Hierusalem which is the Church to witt the twelue Apostles though there is indeede but one Gate which is Christ Iesus because saith he Christ is in those twelue gates for as much as those twelue are subiect vnto Christ and doe subsist in him alone And in verie deede reason doth teach vs that diuers thinges subordinate one to another doe no wayes destroy their vnitie Vvhich is euident in this that the instrument is not tearmed another cause then the principall cause in vertue wherof it workes The Mason and his hammar are not two causes of the house but one onely The man and the sword which kills are but one onely cause of death whence it is manifest that wheras S. Peter doth onely participate of Heade by reason of the subordination and reference he hath to Iesus Christ it doth not any way hinder Iesus Christ to remayne the onely head of the Church like as the power of Gouernour in a Lieutenant doth not constitute two Gouernours the Lieutenant participating onely of that power of gouernement by subordination to the Gouernour Nor is it to the purpose to say that a Lieutenant doth not inferre two Gouernours because he beares not the name of Gouernour since it is not the name that makes the thing and againe to find a true similitude in the things we speake of it is onely requisite that like as the power of a Lieutenant is subordinate to that of the Gouernour so the power which S. Peter inioyes in the Church may be subiect and subordinate to Christs power in the same Church That the Lieutenant is not instiled Gouernour causeth no chang at all in the nature of the thing but doth onely shew an accidentall difference to witt that the Lieutenant and Gouernour doe often chance to meet together in the same towne or Prouince wherof they haue the gouernement wheras Iesus Christ in his owne species doth neuer meet with his Lieutenant in the visible gouernement of the Church And hence it is that though we doe not asscribe the name of Gouernour to his Lieutenant to the end we might auoyd confusion otherwise being both together how should the one be discerned from the other yet doe we iustly attribute the title of head to the Pope where the said inconuenience can haue no place Yea Caluine himselfe vpon that passage of S. Mathew Nolite c. be not called Rabbis For one is your master Christ Let no man saith he sticke or trouble himselfe about wordes Christ cares not how they be intituled who vndertake the instruction of others So there is one onely Pastour and yet he admitts many Pastours vnder himselfe so that he may haue preeminencie aboue them all and by them he alone may gouerne the Church And a litle after The true sense is That then the paternall honour is falsely attributed vnto men when it obscures Gods glorie which happens as often as a mortall man independently of God is esteemed father And in another place hauing obiected vnto himselfe that the scripture commands that God onely be called Father he saith I Ansvvere that Paule doth in such sort take the name of Father that he doth not abragate or diminish the least particule of Gods glorie It is a common prouerbe that what is subordinate doth not repugne Such is the name of Father in Paule being compared to God God alone is the Father of all the faithfull yet he admitts the Ministers Whom he imployes therin to the participation of his ovvne honour Without derogating from the same God therfore was the spirituall father of Tymothie and that his onely father too properly speaking but Paule Who was Gods minister in begetting Tymothie doth by a certaine right of subordination chalence to himselfe the title And againe It is an ordinarie thing that as far forth as God doth exercise his povver in creatures so far doth he transcribe his ovvne names vnto them So he is our onely Lord and Father and yet fathers and Lords are they too Whom he daignes with this honour Whence it is that as well Angells as Iudges are called Gods You heare how Christ cares not by what name they be called who vndertake to preach and teach That he is so the sole Pastour that he admitts many vnder him That to call a man Father doth not obscure the glorie of God Vnlesse he be so called independently of God That things subordinate doe not repugne That by the right of subordination S. Paule did chalence vnto himselfe the name of Father That the name of God is customarily ascribed vnto creatures so far forth as by them he doth exercise his power Finally that the verie name of God is translated vnto men and Angells And why may not we by paritie of reason affirme the same of the word heade Certainely we may affirme the same and we learne it of the Apostle who writiting in the 1. to the Cor. 12. Chap. 1. Corinâ—◠〈◊〉 v. 21. That there is a head in the Church Which cannot say vnto the feete I haue no neede of you doth clearely demonstrate that he speakes of some other head then Iesus Christ since he might haue vsed that manner of speach to the Faithfull whose assistance indeed he did not stand in need of It is euident therfore that the Pope may be called head of the Church though yet we accnowledge no other head then Christ And if happily any Authour expresse him by the name of another head he is to be conceaued to haue spoken of another head subordinated euen as the instrument is somtymes tearmed another cause then the principall Agent Now we must indeuour to manifest vnto all men that it is no wayes preiudiciall vnto God that another with and vnder him should be the visible and ministeriall head of the vniuersall Church Vvhich may be shewen by sundrie reasons for why should it rather derogate from the dignitie of Iesus that another with and vnder him should be the head of
clearely shew that they register none therin but those thatare taken properly since their designe was to gather together all the opinions which might seperate from communion with the Church to the end that being knowen without difficultie they might be auoyded with facilitie 3. that besids these generall profes S. Aug. who is one of them now in question giues particular testimonie that he put downe none but true heresies in his Catalogue For a Lib. de Haeresi Petis à me vt de Haeresibus aliquid scribam dignum lectione cupientium dogmata deuitare contraria fides Christianae he saith in the begining that he doth publish them for their instruction who desire to flie the opinions contratrarie to Christian faith Whence is apparant that he onely makes mention of true heresies and properly taken for such as he doth also afterwards confirme b lib. de Haeres Quid contra ista sentiat Catholica Ecclesia superfluoquaeritur cum propter hoc scire sufficiat eam contra ista sentire nec aliquid horum in fideÌ„ quenquam debere recipere Possunt hareses aliae quae hoc opere commemoratae non sunt vel esse vel fieri quaruÌ„ aliquam quisquis tâ—nuerit Christianus Catholicus non erit saying that the Church condemns all the points which he putts downe that none ought to receaue any of them for articles of faith for in so doing they shall not be Catholikes Wherfore notwithstanding all your euasions it is cleare that in the foure points by me alleaged you haue renewed the heresies condemned in the primitiue Church and consequently that in this consideration your doctrine is worthy of hatred and horrour The religion pretended to be reformed doth banish all vertue CHAP. XVII THat your Religion doth banish and abolish all vertue though shame forceth you to deney it yet will I force your owne authours confesse it who surely will gaine beleife no man being suspected in his owne cause Let man know saith a Luth. lib. de honis operibus sciat hemo omnem eius vitam actionem nihil aliud nisi damnabilia esse peecata in Dei iudicie Luther that all his life and all his actions is nothing els but sinne damnable in the iudgement of God Those saith b Calu 3. Instit 1.12 §. 4 Qui serio tanquam sub Dei conspectu de vera iustitiae regula quaerent illi certo coÌ„periens omnia heminum opera si suadignitate oeÌ„seantur nihil nisi inquinamenta esse sordes quae iustitia vulgo habetur eam apud DeuÌ„ meram esse iniquitatem Caluin who shall make à diligent search into the true rule of Iustice such as itis in the iudgment of God will certainly find that all the workes of men valued according to their waight and worth is no other thing but ordure and vncleanes and that which is commonly tearmed iustice is in the sight of God verie iniquitie If God saith c Beza Confess Fidei c. 4. art 19. Si summo iure inquireret Deus in ipsa quoque praestantissima hominum opera nihil aliud posset de ijs constitui quaÌ„ meras esse donorum Dei pollutiones Beza did rigorously sound the most excellent workes of men no other thing could be resolued vpon then that they were pollutions of the guiftes of God If workes be exactly examined saith d Paraeus lib. 4. de iustitific c. c. 15. Eadem opera bona si districtum ad legis rigorem examinentur à Deo mere erunt peccata Pareus one of your best moderne writers according to the rigour of Gods law they will be found pure sinns You say also in your e 2. Sunday Catechisme that there is alwayes some certaine infirmitie of the flesh mixed with our workes wherby they are defiled Whence it followes planely that all good workes are bad since the essence and beeing of Good proceeds from an intire cause as euill doth arise out of the least iefect Now if all our workes before God who according to the f 2. Corinth 6. Quae enim participatio iustitia cum iniquitate antquoe societas lucis ad tenebras Apostle to the Romains knoweth and iudgeth all things as they are in themselues are no other thing then damnable sinne then ordures vncleanesse pure iniquitie pure sinne pure pollution of the guiftes of God it is manifest that there is nor good worke nor vertue at all in the world being à thing altogether impossible that vertue and vice should subsist in the same subiect and yet far lesse can vertue accompanie an action which is meere iniquitie pure sinne and verie filth It appeares therfore that you banish and directly abolish all vertue and doe indirectly and in consequence diuert and seduce men from euery good action since all that is reputed good in the iudgement of men is pollution and damnable sinne in the sight of God So that such as both loue and feare God are to abstayne from it as from à thing which is disagreeable in his diuine presence But perhapps will you replie your doctrine doth not withdraw meÌ„ from good workes in that we teach that they are as many sinnes before God since it teacheth with all that those sinnes are not imputed to those that committ them But you shall not thus escape mo because one that hath à filiall feare doth not onely waigh wether the faults commetted shall be imputed or no or whether he shall sustayne the punishmeÌ„t therof but doth principally eye the offence of his father whom he nether ought nor will displease Wherupon he will abstayne from euery action which may be displeasing vnto him and moreouer that he is obliged ther vnto And it will be as litle to your purpose to alleadge that you doe not teach that workes are bad of their owne nature but onely by the corruption of man whence you inferre that à man is not obliged to flie them because besides that g Luth in Confut Latomi stat opus bonum natura sua esse immundum Et Assert art 32. Opus bonum optime factum est peccatum veniale non natura sua sed misericordia Dei whitak li. 2. de peccat orig c. 3. Docemus mortaliter semper peccari à tustis ex natura rei actionum ipsirum licet pro huiusmodi non reputentur some of yours doe sustayne that they are bad euen of their owne nature whither they be bad by nature or by accident it is enough to bring an obligation vpon vs to flie them seeing euen the light of nature doth teach vs that what soeuer is euill is to be eschewed without all exception and that God in no sort is to be offended nether by an action bad in its owne nature nor by accident Which I will manifest by à familiar example none being ignorant that though an almes be of its owne natute good and yet by accident euill as being giuen to an ill end