that a certaine man called by Saint Luke q Luk. 18.18 a Ruler comming vnto our Lord said r Mat. 19.16 Good Master what good thing shall I doe that I may haue eternall life He desires to obtaine eternall life and perswades himselfe that the onely meritorious cause thereof is to doe a good thing he asketh not what he must beleeue but what he must doe to be saued This was the arrogant and ouer-weeâ—ing perswasion of al the Iewes of whom the Apostle writeth Å¿ Rom. 9 3â—.32 that Israel which followed after the Law of righteousnesse hath not attained to the Law of righteousnesse wherefore because they sought it not by faith but at it were by the works of the Law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone And therefore answering his demaund and according to the hypothesis position thereof saith vnto him If thou wilt enter into life keepe the Commandements For when the question is made of workes the Morall Law is the rule of good workes Hee commaunds him therefore to keepe the Commandements t Ferus in Mat. vt sciret se nunquam implêsse Quis enim de hoc gloriabitur c. to the ende saith Ferus he might know that he had neuer kept them for who caâ— beast of that If we say saith Saint u 1. John 1.8 Iohn that we haue no sin we deceiue our selues If none can beast that he is free from sinne none also can glory nor vaunt that bee hath kept the Law seeing that sinne it no other thing then the transgression of the Law He goes on and asketh againe Which Not that he was ignorant of the Commandements but because hee expected that the Lord should haue prescribed to him others more perfect Notwithstanding the Lord to instruct him that the Morall Law is the vnchangeable rule of the will of God to him that seekes saluation by his workes and to shew x Ferus ibid. that he is not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill rehearseth some of the Commandements Thou shalt doe no murder c. Then shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe And that to the ende saith the same Ferus y Ibid. Vt arrâ—gans ille iuuenis vitam suam ad illa conferens discat quà m ne micam quidem verae pietatis haberet c. that the arrogant young man comparing his life with the Commandements might learne that hee had not so much as 〈◊〉 crumme of true godlinesse For there is nothing that stoppes 〈◊〉 wâ—ll the mouth of the arrogant and proud men then when they art warned of Gods Commandements and thou seest not so clearâ—ly in a looking glasse the blemishes of thy body as thou seest thy sinâ— in the Law Furthermore he rehearseth specially the Commandements of the second Table For he which is conuicted that he hath not kept the things that concerne his neighbour is a great deals more conuinced that he bath not kept the things that are of God For if a man say I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyar saith Saint z 1. Iohn 4.20 Iohn VI. Therefore our Sauiour answering this young man according to his demand remaunds him to the Law that being conuicted in his conscience how hee was very farre from the perfection of the righteousnesse required in the same he might hee humbled disposed and prepared to heare and receiue by faith the Gospell of the remission of sinnes whereby to be saued but the wretched young man young in yeeres but younger in the knowledge of himselfe and of the spiritual vse of the Law puffed vp with a presumptuous opinion of his vprightnesse dared to open his mouth and say All these things haue I kept from my youth vp It was saith Saint Ambrose a Ambros in Luc. c. 18. inaniâ— iactantia a vaine boasting Saint Ierome saith plainely b Hieron in Mat. c. 19. mentitur adolescens c. the young man lied for if he had fulfilled in word and deede that which is contained in the Law Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe how comes it afterwards that he hauing heard say go and sell that thou hast and giue to the poore he went away sorrowfull for hee had great possessions Saint Hilarie writes c Hilar. in Mat. c. 19. Neque superiora illa egerat ad quae remittitur that hee hath not kept the things he is sent back vnto And Saint Austin arguing vpon that he went away sorrowfull d August Epist 89. quaest 4. Qui. viderit quemadmodum illa legis mandata seruauerat puto enim quòd se arrogantiùs quà m veriùs seruâsse responderit Let him consider how he hath kept those Commandements for I thinke that he answered more arrogantly then truly that he had kept them Ferus among the Modernes a great Preacher in his time and of great reputation among his owne proues that he lied e Ferus in Mat. c. 19. I will not say saith he that be hath perfectly fulfilled the Commandements of God vnlesse I should say that hee was pure from sinne whereunto the Scripture gaine-saies euidently For who can boast that he hath no sinne seeing Salomon saith f 1. King 8.46 that there is no man that sinneth not and Saint Iohn g 1. Iohn 1.8 If we say that we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. And the Psalmist h Psal 130.3 If thou shouldest marke iniquities O Lord who shall stand and Saint Iames i Iam. 3.2 In many things we offend all and the Wise man k Prou. 24.16 A iust man falleth seuen times the day For which cause Christ commaunds all to pray and say l Mat. 6.12 Forgiue vs our trespasses Who is he then that seeth not that this young man spake very presumptuously All these things haue I kept and that with this addition euen from my youth vp seeing that Christ vpbraides euidently and manifestly reprocheth the Iewes m John 7.19 Did not Moses giue you the Law and yet none of you keepeth the Law These reasons are irrefragable and without any reply VII How then saith this young man that hee hath kept the Law Surely because he vnderstood not the true vse of the Law He had laied no violent and bloudy hands vpon any to kill him He had not defiled his neighbours bed He had not stollen another mans goods He had not borne false witnesse against his neighbour before the Magistrate He had done no wrong to his neighbour Hee was taught that to liue blamelesse before men was to fulfill the righteousnesse of the Law For the false Doctors had restrained the vse of the Law to the outward obseruation thereof euen to say n Mat. 5.43 Thou shalt loue thy neighbour and hate thine enemie as if an enemie were not a mans neighbour and this false doctrine was propounded by them as deriued from the Elders So Saint Paul saith that o Phil. 3.7.8
kept it perfectly or else he accuseth the most Iust of great malice That cannot he doe for he which keepes perfectly that which God commands him in this life is without sinne sinne being no other thing then the transgression of Gods commandements all which doe meete at one ende and abut vpon charitie b Hieron ad Rusticum epist 44. c. 4. Now there is none that is pure from sinne though his life had been but for a day saith Saint Ierome The Apostle himselfe doth openly confesse that he and all the Saints are tied to this vnauoidable necessitie of c Aug. de tempore serm 47. sinne saith Saint Austin and that doth hee confesse in the seuenth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans as wee shall see in the fourth argument There is none then that keepes perfectly that which God commands him yea that can keepe himselfe all being tied to this necessitie of sinning by the flesh lusting against the Spirit and by the Law of their members warring incessantly against the Law of their minde and bringing them into captiuitie to the Law of sinne which is in their members d Rom. 7.23 Gal. 5.17 as the Apostle speaks This is more perspicuously set before our eyes by death which is saith the Scriptures e Ioshua 23.14 the way of all the earth f Heb. 9.27 it being appointed vnto men once to die It is therefore a manifest conclusion that all are sinners and by consequent all transgressours of the Commandements of God g Rom. 6.23 for the wages of sinne is death and the effect of death in the faithfull is the death of sinne h Rom. 6.7 for he that is dead is freed from sinne which made the holy Apostle to sigh and call after death i Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death Now Bellarmine not being able to name any one Saint who hath been in his life pure from sinne and saying notwithstanding that they can perfectly keepe Gods Commandements hee accuseth and chargeth them with a notorious malice for what is the cause that they haue not kept the Commandements was it ignorance that was in them Noe for they knew the Commandements was it impotencie that was in them No for Bellarmine saith that they could keepe the Commandements The salt was then only in their will for three things concurre together in the reasonable creature to the producing and bringing forth of a good worke knowledge will power Now to know and to be able to doe good and not to will the doing of it is the propertie of a malicious and peruerse spirit it is a malice altogether condemned as it is written k Iames 4.17 To him that knoweth to doe good and doth it not to him it is sinne Let this be farre from Saints And therefore we will correct the saying of Bellarmine and say that the Saints and faithfull haue the wil to keepe perfectly the Commandements of God but they haue not the power and strength to doe them and that will we verifie by Saint Paul saying of himselfe l Rom. 7.18 To will is present with me but how to performe that which is good I finde not And of vs all m Gal. 5.17 The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrarie the one to the other so that ye cannot doe the things that ye would Lastly because that all which Bellarmine writes touching the diuers degrees of perfection commanded in the Law is maintained by him for the cause and defence of the Monkish state and life which he termes n Bellar. de monach c. 2. the state of perfection I would willingly aske Bellarmine himselfe or the most holiest Monke or Frier if seeing he thinkes he can keepe the Commandements of God he hath euer kept them If he saies that he hath kept them he is a lyar For hee that keepes the Commandements hath no sinne o 1. Iohn 1. â— Now if we say that we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. If he confesseth that he hath not kept them he confesseth himselfe to be a wicked and malicious man in that hee would not doe that which he could and by his owne confession is doubly the childe of hell p Luk. 12.47 For that seruant which knew his Lords will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes VII The third argument is this If a man could keepe the Law he should haue no neede of a Mediatour q Gal. 2.21 For if righteousnesse come by the Law then Christ is dead in vaine They answere that Christ indeede should haue died in vaine if man could keepe the Law by his naturall strength and power but it is by grace that Christians keepe it and this grace hath been giuen them through the merit of the obedience and death of Christ which for this cause is not frustrate nor in vaine An answere iniurious to Christ and altogether false For if it were so our righteousnesse and saluation should be immediately of the Law and not of Christ and Christ should not be our Sauiour but onely an instrument by the which we are ayded and enabled to keepe the Law and by the obseruation of the same made our owne sauiours What blasphemie against the Sonne of God r 1. Cor. 1.30 Who of God is made vnto vs wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption In as much as Å¿ 2. Cor. 5.21 God hath made him to be sinne for vs who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him We are then righteousnesse as he is sinne he is sinne t August Encherid cap. 41. not his owne but ours not in himselfe but in vs euen so are wee righteousnesse not our owne but that of God not in our selues but in him And marke he hath beene made vnto vs righteousnesse by God it is not written that we are made righteousnesse by him Againe we are the righteousnesse of God in him it is not said that we are the righteousnesse of God by him as by an instrument So doth the same Apostle write that u Col. 2.10 we are complete in him and not complete in our selues by him he felt it so when being as then renewed hauing been alreadie yea a long time an Apostle and neere vnto death when hauing fought a good fight kept the faith and finished his course he writes from prison vnto his Philippians that x Phil. 3.8.9 he counted all things but lesse and dung that he might winne Christ and be found in him not hauing his owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ to wit the righteousnesse which is of God by faith He would haue vs to thinke and feele it so when he wrote to vs in the person of the
and filled with violence then when m Genes 6.2 the sonnes of God saw the daughters of men and tooke them wiues of all which they chose To proue this we neede but enter into great Cities and may iustly cry against them as in old time the Prophet cried against Ierusalem n 〈◊〉 3.1 Wee to her that is gluttenous fi lt his and polluted to the oppressing Citie The strong are within her roaring Lions they are night-wolues which leaue no bones to gnaw vpon in the morning of whom the Prophet Micah prophesied o Mica 2.1.2 Wee to them that deuise iniquitie and worke euill vpon their beds when the morning is light they practise it because it is in the power of their hand and they couet fieldes and take them by vilence and houses and take them away so they oppresse a man and his house euen a man and his heritage The women and maides do paint their faces and tire their heads like p 2. King 9.30 Iezabel They dance as the daughter q Mat. 14.6 of Herodias did They go abroad with a Mercers shop on their shoulders of whom it is written as otherwhiles of the daughters of Sion r Isai 3.16.17 Because the daughters of Sion are haughtie and walke with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes walking and mincing as they goe and making a tinckling with their feete The Lord will smite with a scabbe the crowne of the head of the daughters of Zion and the Lord will discouer their secret parts There are but few that can say with this young Lord that they haue not committed adulterie that they haue kept the Commandement in regard of the outward righteousnesse of the Law yea few that know the Commandements yea that will heare speake of them few therefore whom our Lord Iesus Christ loueth as he loued this young man although he loued him not with that speciall loue wherof S. Iohn witnesseth that hauing ſ John 13.1 loued his owne which were in the world he loued them vnto the ende Hee loued him because he saw in him a desire to profit but he loued him not as hauing profited much He loued him to conuince him of sin but he loued him not to conuert him from his sinne He loued him to warne and admonish him of that which he should doe but he loued him not to make him to doe it He loued him to instruct him he loued him not to saue him He loued him with that measure of loue wherewith he loued the Doctor of Law who although he asked him which is the great Commandement in the Law in tempting him t Mat. 22.35 hee omitted not to approue the good he found in him and to say vnto him u Mark 12.34 Thou art not farre from the kingdome of heauen But he loued him not with that loue wherewith he loued his disciples x Iohn 15.9.13 As my Father hath loued me so haue I loued you greater loue hath no man then this that a man lay downe his life for his friends In a word he loued him with a common loue of a Doctor teaching with mildnesse those which came to him but he loued him not with that speciall loue of a Sauiour wherewith he hath loued none but his Church as it is written y Ephes 5.25.26.27 He loued the Church and gaue himselfe for it that hee might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish Louing him therefore with that common loue of a Doctor and Teacher he proceedes to instruct him and saith vnto him X. a Mat. 19.21 If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell that thou hast and giue to the poore and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and come and follow me What is that to say If thou wilt be perfect It is as much as to say saith Bellarmine b Bellar. de monach c. 9. §. 18. Si nones contentus vita aeterna sed aspiras ad excellentem gradum in ipsa vita aeterna as if thou art not content with eternall life but doest aspire vnto an excellent degree in eternall life O man wherewith can he content himselfe that is not contented with eternall life which is the gaine of the death of the Sonne of God and of all that which God promiseth which God giueth vnto those he loues all that the Saints sigh after the Abstract and epitome of all that which they beleeue all which they desire and indeuour to apprehend all that which they obtaine apprehēd Where hath Christ Iesus taught any not to content himselfe with eternall life Where is it written that to be perfect is as much as not to be content with eternall life as much as to aspire vnto a more excellent degree in eternall life How can such a glosse agree with the Text For let them tell me if this young man had already merited eternall life or no If hee had merited it then it would follow that hee that is no Christian that is not iustified in the bloud of Christ that is not sanctified by the Spirit of Christ that hath not acknowledged Christ but a good Master and Doctor and not for his good Sauiour that neuer followed Christ that refused to follow Christ can merit eternall life Now if eternall life can be gotten without Christ Christ came into the world in vaine in vaine is he dead and hath fully finished the worke of our redemption in vaine If he had merited it how went hee away sorrowfull when Christ counselled him to sell all that he◠had and to follow him How came it to passe that he went not rather away altogether ioyfull and content For hee enquired onely of eternall life and Christ gaue him this testimonie if we beleeue Bellarmine that hee had already merited eternall life there was then great occasion of great ioy And as touching the words Goe and sell that thou hast it was saith Bellarmine but a Counsell which Christ left to his choice either to doe it or to leaue it vndone without danger There was then no subiect no cause of sorrow except they will affirme that the Saints which neuer wore a Monkes Cowle nor euer haunted a Cloister shall haue wherewith to bee sorrowfull in heauen seeing themselues depriued of that more excellent degree of glory which is nothing else but the Aureola in that part there to the end the holy Ghost may be condemned of falsehood in the description of the eternall happinesse which hee setteth downe saying that there shall be no more sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more paine And if he hath not fulfilled the Law he hath not deserued eternall life as his owne conscience witnessed against him when he went away sorrowfull as our Sauiour Christ declared after he was gone saying d Mark
fires were lighted the sword drawne the publicke power and strength armed with fury with threatnings and with vengeance against the faithfull did abstaine from marriage for the Kingdome of Heauens sake For he who in time of persecution is charged with wife and children and sees himselfe brought to this hard necessitie either to bow the knee before Baal or to be depriued of that wherewith hee should sustaine his family to bee separated by banishment or death from those that are the halfe of himselfe his flesh his bones and his bloud or else to traile and leade them all after him with great feare toyle and continuall danger hath no small tentations hee that faints not nor yeeldes vnto them may well say that hee hath in him a greater strength then that of the world But hee which is alone whether he must flie or must die for the Gospell is farre from these tentations and is rid from all that which might stay him which might diuert or quench the zeale whereby he is carried to a free and constant profession of the Gospell For which cause the ancient Fathers seeing the Church of God pressed and oppressed with this necessitie did by long and vehement orations exhort men and maides to virginitie and many of them did follow their exhortations not by vow but by Gods gift and calling not by superstition and opinion of any merit and greater perfection but to apply themselues the better to the seruice of God with lesse disturbance without shutting themselues into a Monasterie without forsaking their houses without selling their goods or leauing them and without tying themselues to a continuall continencie For the daughters went abroad in publike as the others clothed like others and sometimes too sumptuously which Saint Cyprian reprehends saying Quid ornata quid compta prâ—cedit quasi maritum aut habeat aut quarat Why goeth she forth decked and tricked vp as if she had a husband or else sought one Some of them were very rich and did debate to maintaine their vanitie that they ought to vse their riches The holy man commands them not to sell them but take the vse of thy riches O virgin y Cyprian de habit virg vtere sed ad res salutares vtere sed ad bonas artes vtere sed ad illa quae Deus praece pit quae dominus ostendit DiuiteÌ„ tesentiant pauperes locupletem sentiant indigentes Patrimonium tuum Deo foenera Christum ciba c. saith he vse them but vnto wholesome things vse them but to good artes vse them but in such things as God hath commanded as the Lord hath shewed let the poore feele that thou art rich the needie that thou hast meanes giue thy patrimonie to vsurie vnto God feede Christ c. Iustin Martyrs words are ill translated and altered from their sense For he speaks not there of virgins but of those only which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remaine chaste or without defiling themselues with fornication as the Gentiles did among whom it was a hard matter to finde one that had liued without defiling themselues with that sinne whereas Iustin boasteth that hee could shew not those which haue kept Christs discipline as if single life were the discipline of our Lord Iesus Christ but those which haue learned the doctrine of Christ from their infancie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many of all orders men and women of threescore and of seuentie yeeres of age which haue neuer defiled themselues But that hee spake of virgines closely shut vp in a monastery separated from the world vayled and clothed with a particular habit affected by their order bound by the vow of perpetuall continence that they sold all forsake all transported their patrimonie ouer to the Cloisters that they were holier perfecter better then the maried women that they did more then they were commanded that they merited Aureolas by their workes of supererogation This is that which they should proue against vs and this is that wherein all they that vndertake this taske shall come short vnto whom I will say that which Iob said vnto his friends z Ioh 6.29 Turne I pray you let there bee none iniquitie returne I say and yee shall see yet my righteousnesse in that behalfe Come Lord Iesus euen so come FINIS Errata Pag. 2. line 9. the introgation is to be put after these words walk deceiued die Pag 7. l. 18. r. consolations p. 8. l. 4. r. gardiens p. 14. 30 r. their enlightning p. 20. l. 11. put out that p. 21. l. 13. put out defend them aud p. 27. l. 36. r. defining p. 30. l. 27. r. and the people p. 33. l. 15. put out of p 37. l. 28. r. Authors p. 40. l. 24. r. Truch-men l. 26. put out and. p. 46. l. 17. r. sand p. 55. l. 31. r. in the Counsell p. 56. l. 28. put out back Courteous Reader in reading ouer this Booke thou maist chance to meete with some other faults the which I intreate thee to mend with thy peâ—