get no more rest Next as you falsly pretended your faith to be contain'd in the word of God so now as groundlesly you pretend the Catholique faith to be condemned by the same word which as yet you could never make good in any one point It is true indeed that the Catholique Church is condemned by the Church of Scotland But it is as true that the Church of Scotland is condemned by the Catholique Church which is of far greater authority and which has iudged condemned all former Heresies and Triumphed over them Now followes your dismall song with your abiurations detestations of the Faith Order Disciplin of the Catholique Church and first you strick at the Visible head and Governour of it vnder Christ whom you call Anti-Christ detesting his Authority which you call vsurped The principal reason for which you beleeve this strange article of your faith to witt that the Pope is Anti-Christ is because he claimes Primacy over other Bishops and extends his care over the whole Church which he affirmes to be committed to his charge as vnto S. Peters Successor If your reason were good then S. Peter himself had been the first Anti-Christ For both the Scriptures and Fathers show that he received from Christ the primacy over the other Apostles and that the care of the whole Church was entrusted to him S. Mathew shewes that Peter was the first of the Apostles The names saith he Math. 10 2. of the Apostles are these the first Sâ—mon who is called Peter Now Peter was not first in calling but in preeminence For as S. Ambrose saith in 2. Cor. 12. Andrew first followed our Saviour before Peter and yet the Primacy Andrew received not but Peter The same is showed by the change of his name which Christ promised in the 1. of S. Iohn and thereafter performed Math. 16. in S Mathew where he said Thou art Peter or a Rock and vpon this Rock will I build my Church c. And I will give vnto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven c. This change of the name of Simon into Peter foretold by Christ and thereafter performed by him is not without great mystery and these excellent privileges which our Saviour promised to him of the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven of binding and loosing do show that he was particularly to grace and advance him above others which he performed after his resurrection when he said to him Feed my sheep feed my Lambs giving him thereby the charge of his whole flock 5. Iohn 21.16 The same Supremacy of S. Peter may be showed by many other preeminences recorded in Scripture as how Christ prayed particularly for him that his faith might not faile and payed Tribut for him but for brevities sake they are omitted Now we shall briefly see how the holy Fathers vnderstood these Scriptures S. Gregory the great saith Greg. lib â— â—pâ—st 7 â— It is manifest to all persons who know the Gospell that from our Lords own mouth the â—â—re of the whole Church was 〈◊〉 to S. Peter the Prince of the Apostles for to For what end saith he did Christ shed his blood Chrysost lib. 2. de Sacerdotio Aug. epist 86. but that he might purchase these sheep the care of which he committed to S. Peter and his successors S. Augustin calls S. Peter the Head of the Apostles the Gate-keeper of heaven and the Foundation of the Church S. Cyprian saith Cypr. epist ad Iulian. We hold Peter the Head and Roote of the Church And in a word all the holy Fathers affirm the same They do likwise acknowledge that the Bishops of Rome are S. Peter successors in that supreame Authority S. Athanasius writing to Pope Liberius saith Athanas epist ad liber Ep. ad Felicem For this cause the Vniversal Church is committed to you by our Lord Iesus that you should labour for all men And again writing to Pope Felix he saith Thou art Peter and vpon thy foundation the Pillars of the Church that is the Bishops are fortified S. Augustin saith Aug. ep 165. in the Romaâ— Church the Principality of the Apostolique Chair did ever flourish And elswhere Number the Priests from the Sea of Peter Aug. in psal cont part Donati and in that order of Fathers see who succeeded to another This is the Rock which the proud gates of hell do not overcome To which we shall only add the testimony of S. Bernard who writes thus to Eugenius Thou art he to whom the keies of heaven are delivered â—ern l. 2. de consid c. 8. and to whom the sheep are committed there be other Porters of heaven other Pastor of flocks but thou â—â—st â—â—â—erited in more glorious and different sort For they have every 〈◊〉 their particular sâ—ock but to thee all Vniver-â—â—◠〈…〉 of all the Pastors themselvs But thou wilt ask me how I prove that even by our Lords word For to whom of all I say not only Bishops but Apostles were the sheep so absolutely and without limitation committed If thou lovest me Peter feed my sheep He saith not the people of this kingdome or that Citie but my sheep without all distinction So S. Bernard By which Authorities Testimonies both of the Scriptures and Fathers you see what solid ground the Popes authority hath that it was confer'd by Christ on S. Peter and that it has been acknowledged by the holy Fathers Christian world in the Bishops of Rome his Successors Therefore you very rashly have reiected this authority which has been established confirmed by Christs special providence vnto this day but more wickedly do you call it an vsurped Tyranny and beleeve the Pope for vindicating and exercising the same authority to be the great Anti-Christ whereas you ought to acknowledge him to be the Vicar of Christ These who honour reverence the Authority of the Bishops of Rome of the Apostolique Sea follow the example of all the holy Fathers and auncient good Christians but these who now a dayes endeavour to dishonour and revile them have the Heretiques for their Predecessors who never caried good-will to them S. Augustin shewes that the Donatists called the Apostolique Sea the Chair of Pestilence but that is nothing to the Epithets of the Covenanting Ministers Who exâ—eed in railings and blasphemies all that ever spoke when they fall vpon this point making thereby the simple people beleeve that Anti-Christian article of their faith that the Pope is Anti-Christ But the holy Fathers tooke it for an vndoubted mark that these who did not acknowledge the Popes authority and were not of his Communion belonged not to Christ but to Anti-Christ S. Hierom writing to S Damasus saith who gathereth not with thee scattereth that is who it not Christs is Anti-Christs Having now seen that the Pope whom the Covenanters call malitiously Anti-Christ is the Vicar of Christ it remaines evident that his Authority is lawfull
as their frequent changes and manifest experience do shew Therefore I iudged they did very inconsequentially in exacting so rigorously an vndeniable obedience with oaths to a fallible and perhaps an actually erring Church with which yow must wheele about againe when it wheels and turn with it as a Weather-Cocke with the wind Yow must swear this yeare that to be true which peradventure the next yeare the same Exactours vpon pretence of new lights will have yow swear to be false 7. They inveigh often against implicit faith as Popish and Anti-Christian and yet themselues practise it in a most grosse manner and very inconsequentially That they practise it is manifest For who among the people hath expresse knowledge of all points of the Covenant and of their new Confession And yet they are made to abiure all the points of the one and to believe all the articles of the other Yea it 's knowen by experience that few of the Ministers themselves know all the points abiured in the Covenant as opus operatum Stations and the like and yet all are abiured Therefore they practise in deeds what they renounce in words and they do the same thing which they iudge and condemn in others Yea it is considerable that they do not only goe against their principle but also they abuse implicit faith in such a grosse and irrational manner as cannot be imputed vnto the Roman Catholiques For these beleeving explicity their Church to be infallible and to be continually assisted by the holy Ghost conforme to this principle do most rationally to believe implicitly all points which the same Church teaches and believes iust as a Protestant believing explicity the Scripture to be Gods word although he doth not know expresly all the sentences and verses in it yet with great reason he believeth implicity all to be true and reveal'd by God which is contayn'd in it But the Presbyterian Church being fallible and professing it self to be so requires very irrationally an implicit faith to all her doctrine whereof a man can prudently believe no more then he sees and knowes Moreover the Presbyterians haue fallen into a third more grosse and inconsequentiall errour concerning this implicit faith Fore they haue forced many not only to swear and subscrive such things whereof they were ignorant but also such things which the Presbyterians themselves knew to be against the expresse knowledge and Consciences of the Swearers and Subscrybers which is to force men to sin as is evident out of the 14. to the Romans This is a rare kinde of implicit faith which can consist with explicit beleef of the contrary I heard from a person worthy of Credit that when this inconvenience was proposed to a prime Apostle of the Covenant how many were driwen to periury by swearing against their Consciences he answered That it was all one to him let them looke to it And vpon an other occasion he said to a Roman Catholique who after great trouble offered at lenth to take the Covenant If thou be not sincere I shall make thee damn thy owne soule 8. They appeared also vnto me to goe clearly against an other Principle of theirs to witt That the Scripture is the only Iudge of Controversy And yet the Presbytery did make it self only Iudge And after it pronounced sentence all were obliged yea and forced to give obedience albeit many could not find their Doctrinal Decisions in the Scriptures But I found that the simple truth was they gave the Scripture the only name of a Iudge and keep 't all power of Iudging to themselves iust as they did with the King to whom they gave a bare empty title but keep 't to themselves the reall possession and exercise of all Royall power and authority Lastly they seem'd to overshoote themselves very much when not long before the battel of Dumbar they made their solemn Appeale to God for decyding the iustnesse of either cause by the victory that was to ensue whereof they thought themselves very certaine as indeed they had great probability The English Army notwithstanding many disavantages wherewith they were prest accepts the Appeale and makes also their recourse to God after the same manner And at lenth the question being decyded in favour of the English when the most Eminent person of that Army put the Ministers in mind of their Solemn Appeale and how God had pronounced sentence against them he received this answer You must not Iudge the goodnesse of a cause by the event Which words vere very inconsequentiall to their Appeale and in which absurdity they had not fallen if the victory had be fallen to them Many Ministers since that time have blam'd the rashnesse of that Appeale as being grounded more vpon humane confidence then any Divin assurance By these considerations I discovered clearly the vanity of the Presbyterians many faire pretences and how their deeds contradicted their words how themselves did the same things which they condemned in others and how their Principles were so false that themselves behooved to controull them They pretended great tendernesse of Consciences when they were Servants but shew strong Consciences when they were Masters They cry'd much for compassion in their subiection but would shew none in their Exaltation They condemn'd the Bishops for medling in Civil affaires and yet their Ministers did rule the affaires of State They accused others of pride and Tyranny and yet their owne little fingers have been more heavy then the others loines and they have shewed more pride and contempt of others in one yeare then these whom they accuse had done in forty They professe themselves to be fallible in faith and yet they will be infallibly believed and vndeniably obeyed They renounce implicit faith and yet they practise it and in a most grosse and vnreasonable sense exacts it They pretend the Scripture to be the only Iudge of Controversies and yet they will take all power of Iudging to themselves They will be esteem'd true Prophets when they guesse right and they will not have themselves thought false Prophets when they divin wrong They would have their cause esteem'd good for it's prosperity and they will not have it thought evil when it fall's into adversity In a word their doctrin's and practises were so full of contradictions that I found many of them not only to be humane but also false inventions which may be showen in diverse other particulars but these for our intention are sufficient to shew that I could not prudently believe them much lesse could I hazard my Salvation vpon them CHAP. VI. Of the Presbyterians Disobedience to the Civil Magistrate and of their pretext of Piety GOOD Christians are alway's good Subiects and these who are true to God are ever true to men As they render vnto God what is Gods so they give vnto Caesar what is Caesars Vpon the other part these who are false to men can never be true to God and they who are disobedient to their earthly
As a man who was rich and had mispent his estate cannot be iustly commanded by any new law to pay as much tribute as when he had his estate nor be punished for not paying it thereafter for such a law would be both vniust ridiculous commanding impossibilities and so would be no law and the makers of it would be both vnreasonable cruel So man after the fall of Adam could not by any new law be iustly commanded by God to do that which was impossible vnto him vnlesse we would make that new law vniust and ridiculous God him self vnreasonable Tyrannous Therefore since God made and promulgated his law long after the fall of man vsed exhortations propounded rewards and threatned punishments to induce men to keep it and all his actions are iust and wise they presuppose necessarly the possibility of keeping that law with the assistance of his grace or else such things would not be only against Gods goodnesse iustice but also against ordinary prudence Moreover the same Catholique shew me that the Presbyterians who accuse the Catholiques falsy for taking away the second commandment as they call it of which matter we shall haue occasion to speak more fitly hereafter may be iustly accused for taking away in reality not one but alle the commandments For their errour of the impossibility of them destroyes the end for which they and all iust lawes are made to wi t that they may be kept and so they destroy the Whole divine commandments and make them of no effect yea this errour destroies also the end of Christs Incarnation Passion if we will believe S. Augustin For having brougt many passages of Scripture to this purpose he subioyns Quibus appaparet D. Iesum Christum nullam aliam ob causam in carnem venisse c. Aug. lib 1 de pecc mer rem c. 26. where he sheweth very largely that Christ for no other cause came vnto the world and became obedient vnto the death of the Crosse but that he might reconcile sinners to God destroy the power of sin obtaine grace from God to make vs walk in newnesse of life and in obedience of his holy commandments Whereby it may be seen what a dangerous fundamental errour this is which is against such principal fundamental points of the Christian religion Therefore the Presbyteriās would de well to make vse of the same holy Fathers sound advice when he saith Let him to whom the commandments are heavie know Aug. lib. de perfect institue c. 10. that he hath not got the gift to witt of the love of God by which they are made not heavie but yet though he find them heavie let him not be broke with despaire but let him be enforced and stirred vp to seek to beg and to knock But the Presbyterians who hereby may know that they want the love of God cannot make immediat vse of this wholsome counsel to seek and beg that love of God by which his commandments are made easy till they first correct or rather quite their erroneous faith whereof they make this a chiefe article that it 's impossible to love God or keep his commandments Therefore they must first beg true faith that they may believe Gods commandments to be possible with help of his grace and then they may beg and obtaine the second to witt the love of God by which they may find grace to fulfill them This article of the Presbyterians faith gave occasion to a Catholique Gentleman of my acquentance to say to the Presbyterians who were much pressing him to subscrib the Covenant that he would never be of their religion who professed they did not love God yea and made it an article of their faith that they could not love him Thus he Having therefore diligently considered all these grounds I could no longer believe the impossibility of keeping Gods commandments even with the help of his grace as an article of my faith reveald in Scripture which I found to be against Scripture and against the goodnesse iustice and wisdome of God Which the holy Fathers some Protestants do call extream blasphemy which destroyes the vertue and power of Gods grace which puts the blame of our negligence sluggishnesse from our selves and layes all vpon God which is against the end of Christs Incarnation merit of his Passsion which hinders the growth of piety and opens a gate to all wickednesse and makes all the divine commandments of no effect But vpon the contrary I resolved by Gods grace to embrace and believe the ancient Catholique doctrin concerning the possibility of keeping the commandments with the help of Gods grace Which I found to be so clearly expressed in Scriptures so strongly maintaind by the holy Fathers so consonant to right reason iustice piety and which did make so much for the glory of Gods grace the merits of Christs death and passion CHAP. XV. Of Iustification by Faith onely maintain'd by the Presbyterians and their first Reformers as the principal article of their Religion AFTER the triall of our doctrine concerning the Commandments I considered in the next place our doctrine of Iustification not only because this hath connexion with the former but also for the importāce of the matter For I haue read and heard this article of Iustification by faith onely called by many Protestants the soule and life of their religion and of all articles the principal and greatest on the contrary they call Iustification by works the life of Popery so that M. Fox saith that Luther Fox Acts. Man p. 402. by opening a certaine veine which lay long hid to witt our Iustification by faith only did overturne the foundation of Popery Moreover I haue heard it affirmed that Iustification by faith only was so certaine a truth and so evidently contain'd in the Scriptures that some of the learned Papists after they had much oppposed it were at lenth overcome by the strenth of it and made to acknowledge it and there was no point of Popery esteem'd to be more absurd nor more against the Scriptures then Iustification by works in so much that M Knox in his first sermon at S. Andrewes did make instance principally in it Knox Chron. pag. 76. 77. for thus speaks his history of him He plainly proved the Papists doctrine lawes to repugne directly to the lawes of God the Father and of Christ Iesus his Son This he proved by conferring the doctrine of Iustification expressed in the Scriptures which teach that man is iustifyed by faith only c. and the doctrine of the Papists which attributes iustification to the works of the law And vpon severall occasions I haue heard the Ministers pretend great advantage in this point which they ordinarly vrge very much Having then no small expectation to find such expresse and convincing Scripture for this point of Iustification by faith only that any impudent front cowld hardly deny it I begun
fruitfull in produceing Saints But the Protestant Church teacheth doctrines which tend to prophanesse to the neglect of piety of all good works and she is so barren in produceing Saints that she professeth to bring forth none but those who continually or dayly break mortally Gods Commandments The true Church according to the Scriptures must be Catholique or Vniversal and must convert all Nations from infidelity to Christianity But the Protestant Church is only in parts pettie corners of the earth and has never as yet converted any Nation of Infidels but according to the nature of heresy has only perverted some ill Catholiques The true Church must ever have true Pastors lawfully called and ordained deriving their Succession by an vninterrupted line from the holy Apostles But the Protestant Churches first Pastors succeeded to none and without any lawfull Vocation ordination did intrude themselves by Vsurpation into the Pastoral office as all their successors have done The true Church adheres so closly to the truth that she is called in the Scriptures The pillar ground of truth 1. Timoth 3.15 But the Protestant Church is so inconstant passing from one falshood into another that she may be called the Pillar ground of Error The true Church according to Christs promise is ever directed by the Spirit of truth into all truth But the Protestant Church is misgoverned by the Spirit of giddinesse as is known by fresh experience These considerations besides others make me see the great darknesse wherein I lay and have made me to admire of my former blindnesse that I reading so frequently the Scriptures did not see the monstrous difference which is between the Church of Christ there so clearly described and the Protestant Church to which not one propertie of the true Church contain'd in the Scriptures doth agree This shew me how necessary it is to read the Scriptures with attention and to implore the Divine Maiesty for spirituall illumination without which darknesse will seem light and light darknesse But in the holy Catholique Church I found not only promise but also perforformance of truth I found her faith to be more pretious then gold which is tried by the fire as S. Peter speaks 1. Pet. 1.7 which after greatest opposition and triall doth ever shine more brightly I found in this Church clearly fulfilled all the Prophesies and that to her do agree all the properties of the true Church described in the Scriptures For this is the Church which alone has endured since the time of the Apostles This is the Church which as a Citie seated on a hill could never be hid but as a Candle set vpon a Candlestick hath enlightned the whole world This is the Church which has been admirable for its Vnity and eminent for its sanctity replenishing the heaven with innumerable Saints who have all lived and died in the bosome of her Communion This is the Church which is Vniversal for time place which has had her gates continually open night and day to receive the strength of the Gentils which she alone has converted from infidelity to Christianity This is the Church which has had a continued succession of Pastors descending without interruption from the holy Apostles This is the Church which adheres so closely to the faith she once received that she would never part from it nor yield in one syllabe or letter neither to Heathnish cruelty nor to heretical impiety and which neither force nor flatterie could ever shake so that she may be iustly called the Pillar ground of Veritie This Church is the chast Virgin Spouse of Christ which has been ever falsly accused as an Adulteresse by all Heretical Strumpets and has been even overloaden with their Calumnies but she has alwayes adhered vnto her heavenly spouse who in his own time has manifested her innocencie and brought confusion on her Enemies And in a word this is the Church which is admirable for its order and government for its supreme authority and invincible strength for its heavenly doctrin and great holynesse and lastly for her power of working miracles What then can I do more fitly then after so great darknesse to embrace so clear a light after so many dangerous errors and wandrings to put my self in the direct way of Salvation and incorporat my self without delay into this one holy Catholique Apostolique Church wherein all the holy Fathers all the Saints have liv'd and dyed What can I vse more properly then the words of S. Augustin who saith to this purpose since we see so great help of God Aug. dt vâ—il credendi c. 17. so great profit and fruite shall we make any doubt at all to retire vnto the bosome of that Church which from the Apostolique Sea by succession of Bishops has obtaind the Soveraign authority heretiques in vain barking round about it c. To which not to yield the Primacy is either a matter of greatest impiety or of precipitat arrogancy The same Motives which held S. Augustin within the Catholique Church have drawn me vnto it To witt Idem cont epist fund c. 4. the Consent of People and Nations Authority begun by Miracles nourished by Hope enlarged by Charity and Confirmed by Antiquity The Succession of Priests from the Seat of Peter vnto the present Bishoprick And last of all the very name Catholique which not without cause this Church has only obtaind among so many Heresies Iohn 1.41 Iohn 4.29 As then S. Andrew and the Woman of Samaria were glad when they found the Messias foretould by the Prophets because they were sure to find with him all truth So am I no lesse overioyed to have found the true Church foretould and clearly described by the Messias for with her I am sure to find all truth since she is the Pillar and ground of Truth and Christ has promised to her the Spirit of truth to remain with her for ever to lead her into all truth As the Apostles believed Christ for the voice of God the Father who said Mark 9.7 Luke 10.16 This is my beloved Son heare him so I believe the Church for the voice of God the Son who said Who heares you heares me and who despiseth yow despiseth me Math. 18.19 and who will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen a Publican And as the holy Apostles did believe Christ in all things because he received all from his father so I believe the Catholique Church in all points because she has received all her doctrines from Christ his Apostles and has faithfully retaind them This Catholique Church is she alone which Lactan. lib. 4. divinar Instit c. vlt. as an auncient Father writeth retaines the true worship This is the fountain of truth and House of Faith This is the Temple of God into which if one do not enter or from which if one go astray he is a stranger from the hope of life
else but the privation of some good and that can be of no other good but of Original Iustice And as Original Iustice albeit it comprehended many supernatural perfections both in the soule body consisted principally properly in that Iustifying grace by which the soule was adorned and Vnited vnto God the Soveraign good so original sin is the privation only of that Iustifying grace in the Superiour part of the soule the want of which makes the soule deformed and averted from God And seing this want is taken away by Baptisme and the whole grace as it beautifyed the soule is entirly restored the whole guilt of original sin is taken away and the whole essence of Original Iustice is recovered again by the merits of Christ Then for Concupiscence which is left after Baptisme it is not truly any sin but a weaknesse imperfection of Nature proceeding from the former Original sin as all sicknesses miseries and death it self are All which are left in vs even after the sin it self is taken away to put vs in mind from what happy Estate we had fallen and to stirre vs vp to labour more diligently and to call more earnestly for the help of Gods grace Neither is the grace which we receive from Christ the smaller or weaker that it doth not take away concupiscence and restore vs to the whole rectitude which Adam enieyed but it is rather more strong since many by it do stand even with all that weaknesse of nature which Adam did not with all the grace he had even in the strength rectitude of his nature All which things were confirmed to me by diverse authorities reasons which were too longsome here to insert It shall be sufficient to bring one testimony of S. Augustin against Calvins opinion and the fundament of it Concupiscence August lib. 1. de nuptijs concupis c. 23. saith he is called sin because it was made by sin whereas now in the regenerate it is not sin c. Yea he sheweth that concupiscence is so far from being sin when it is resisted that it becomes rather the matter of Victory and of a Crown vnto vs. Sometimes saith he Aug de Genesi cont Manich c. 4. Cal. lib. 3. Inst c. 3. par 10. reason doth stoutly resist bridle Concupiscence even when it is stirred vp which when it is performed we fall not into sin but after some wrestlings we are crowned Calvin ingenuously confesseth that his opinion in this matter is against S. Augustin all Antiquity which is sufficient to make it to be suspected if not also reiected As then the Catholique doctrine concerning Original sin is the same holy pure doctrine of the Primitive Church so your doctrine ô Covenanters is full of corruptions For besides that it corrupts the Catholique Faith it corrupts both your soules bodies This your selves do confesse for in your new Confession you say that man by Original sin became wholly defilled Conf. westminst ch 6. in all the faculties parts of Soule body and that this corruption of nature dureing this life doth remain in those who are regenerated and that both it self and the motions of it are truly properly sin Moreover it corrupts all your best thoughts words and actions For so you professe that by it you are vtterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all good and wholly inclined to all evil This also M. Calvin did teach Cal in Antid Con. Trid. sess 6. c. 16. Shels p. 146. saying The vitiousnesse of original sin which remaines in vs defiles before God what ever works proceed from vs. Of which doctrin M. Shelford a Protestant gives his opinion thus These who say so cannot in my Iudgment be excused from extream blasphemie Thirdly it corrupts Grace for it makes the Grace of Christ so weak and imperfect that it cannot free vs from the corruption of Original sin And lastly it is the source of many corrupt errors as of your Iustification by faith only the impossibility of keeping Gods commandments the denyall of all good works of inherent Iustice many more From which it is evident that your doctrine is very much corrupted which is the cause of so many corruptions Hence also may be easily seen that the Catholique doctrin concerning our natural inhability and rebellion to Gods Law is not corrupted because as it teacheth against the Pelagians that we are vnable by the power of nature to keep Gods Law so it affirmeth also against the Presbyterians what is impossible to be done by nature is possible by Gods grace and what we cannot do of our selves we can performe by the strength of him who comforts vs. Which might be easily shown to be S. Pauls doctrine Rom. 8.3.4 Philip. 4.13 and therefore to be free of corruption But your doctrine is very corrupt which so grants a natural inhability that it denys all supernatural ability even with the assistance of Gods grace to keep his Law You professe yourselves to be so naturally rebels to God that all his grace cannot make you good subiects which shewes that both your doctrin your selves are very much corrupted The same may be shewed of Sanctification For the Catholiques teach that no man is so perfectly holy here in this pilgrinage but he may every day advance in holynesse and be renewed dayly in the inward man and that no person even the holyest is free of venial sins imperfections and then only we shall be perfect when this corruption shall put on immortality In this sense they grant that sanctification in this life is imperfect whereas in an other sense they teach that there may be even in this life a certain perfection of holynesse in some degree svitable to the observation of the divine Commandments as has been shewed above chap. 14. p. 145. But your doctrin is very corrupt which maks your sanctification so imperfect that you cannot by it think so much as a good thought or do any thing but sin mortally And your obedience to the Law is so imperfect that you break it at every minut So that such sanctification may be rather called profanation and such imperfect obedience to Gods Law may be iustly tearmed Disobedience Lastly if the Catholique doctrin which affirmeth that man is not iustifyed by faith only be corrupted then the Scripture is corrupted which teacheth the same not only in substance but in expresse words proving it by diverse arguments examples and comparcing those who beleeve the contrary to Devils as we have seen above chap. 15. pag. 157. But your doctrin in this principal article of your faith is very much corrupted which corrupteth the pure fountain of Gods word By all which may be seen not only how falsly you accuse the Catholique doctrin of corruptions in all the former points but also how truly your own doctrin is full of corruptions SECTION VII Of the Holy Sacraments of Ceremonies Divorces and of Dispensations NEXT follow