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A09274 Vindiciae fidei, or A treatise of iustification by faith wherein that point is fully cleared, and vindicated from the cauils of it's aduersaries. Deliuered in certaine lectures at Magdalen Hall in Oxford, by William Pemble, Master of Arts of the same house: and now published since his death for the publique benefit. Pemble, William, 1592?-1623.; Capel, Richard, 1586-1656. 1625 (1625) STC 19589; ESTC S114368 167,454 232

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better but then here also they deny that this imperfection of our charity and good works is any sinne Lastly they grant that no man can auoide veniall sinnes scarse in the best workes he doth but then they deny that veniall sinnes be contrary to the Law so that albeit a man commit them yet he may perfectly fulfill the Law of God I cannot stand largely in the refutation of these foule errors The confutation whereof belongs properly to the Article of remission of sinnes where the nature and kindes of sinnes are to be handled For this present I shall but touch on them briefly and proceed to the matter 1 For the first we defend this conclusion The vitious inclination and pronnesse of Nature vnto euill as also the inordinate moti●ns of concupiscence which goe before consent they are sinnes euen in a man regenerate That the inclination and pronnesse of Nature to sinne is a sinne we proue thus It is expresly so called by the Apostle Rom. 7. not once nor twice but almost in euery verse of the Chapter I am carnall sold vnder sinne The sinne that dwelleth in me ver 17. 20. The Law of sinne verse 23. 25. In it selfe it is sinne and deserues the wages of sinne eternall death For which cause the Apostle there cals it The body of this death verse 24. Because this inward Corruption which is like a Body that hath many members consisting of diuerse euill affections spreading themselues throughout his whole Nature made him lyable to eternall death from which onely Gods mercy in Christ could deliuer him 2 To rebell against the Law is Sinne. Ergo To haue a rebellious inclination is sinne likewise For if the act bee euill the habite must needes be naught if the Law forbid one it must needs forbid the other If it be euill to breake any Commandement in act is it not euill to haue a pronenesse and readinesse of minde to breake it The habit denominated a man sinfull and not the act Nor doth God lesse abhorre the pronnesse of man to offend him then wee doe abhorre the rauenous disposition of a Wolfe though it be a Cubb not yet vsed to the prey or one tyed vp in a chaine and kept from rauening That the euill motions of the heart without consent be sins 1 They are forbidden in the Morrall Law In the tenth Commandement Thou shalt not couet For motions with consent are forbidden in the other Commandments As appeares manifestly in Christs exposition of the Commandements Mat. 5. 22. were not only the outward act of Adultery but the inward desire is also forbidden if wee beleeue Christ the best interpreter of the Law When Ergo the tenth Commandement forbids coueting of our Neighbours Wife it either meanes the same kind of lusting with a needelesse Tautology or a different viz. that which is not consented vnto Nor can our Aduersaries shift this off though Becanus most impudently denies it with out any reason of his so doing 2 We proue it thus Whatsoeuer is inordinate and repugnant to right Reason that is Sinne. But these Motions without confent be inordinate Ergo They be Sinne The Minor is confessed That these Motions be inordinati recta Rationi repugnantes The Maior is apparant For what is Ordo recta Ratio in Moralibus but that course of doing any thing which is conformable to Gods Law and his will God is the God of order His Law is the rule of order in all humane actions Recta Ratio what is it but the conformity of mans vnderstanding and will vnto Gods will which only is the rule of righteousnesse We neuer purpose and will matters aright but when wee will them agreeably to Gods will Wherefore it is a grosse absurdity to deny the Sinnefulnesse of these disorderly motions seeing no man can breake those orders which God hath made and yet be faultlesse Nor is it possible a Man should doe that which is contrary to Gods will And yet be without Sinne in doing of it These motions then without consent be confusions in Nature opposites to the righteousnesse of the will of God and vnto that euen and streight order expressed in his Law We conclude then that Concupiscence and inordinate motions of the Soule not consented vnto are Sinnes contrary to our Aduersaries assertion They bring some Reasons to proue they are not 1 Originall sinne is taken away in Baptisme But concupiscence is not taken away in Baptisme as appeares by experience in the regenerate in whom it remaines Ergo concupiscence and pronnesse to Sinne is no sinne This Argument is friuolous In Originall sinne there are two things First the guilt Secondly the inherent corruptions We say in Baptisme the guilt is altogether washed away from the Baptized Elect by the blood of Christ. And for the corruption thereof it is part done away by the sanctifying Spirit of Christ powred out vpon the Regenerate which by degrees purgeth out the inherent sinfulnesse of Nature by replanting the graces of Sanctification in all parts Concupiscence then notwithstanding Baptisme remaines in the Regenerate and is a sinne in them the guiltinesse whereof God mercifully pardons in Christ. 2 What is not in our power to auoide that God doth not forbid vs by his Law But t is not in our power to auoide the Motions of the heart that preuent Reason and consent Ergo they be no sinnes forbidden vs. To this we answere The Maior is true in things meerely Naturall that fall out by the Necessity of Nature well disposed So we say Gods Law were vncouth should he command a man neuer to be an hungry or thirst which things he cannot auoide but they come vpon him will he nill he by the meere necessity of Nature But concerning inordinate motions there 's no such matter God hath layed no such necessity on Nature in her creation but we by our sinne haue brought it upon our selues Now such a necessity excuses vs not In this case it helpes a man no more to say I cannot auoid euill thoughts and desires then it doth a desperate sinner that by countenance hath hardened himselfe in euill courses or then it helpes the Diuels and the damned if they should say Wee cannot chuse but doe euill 3 They argue thus That which would haue beene naturall and without fault in man if he had beene created in puris Naturalibus that is no sinne nor fault in vs. But motions preuenting consent would be naturall and without fault in men so made Ergo In vs they be no faults of themselues Heere our Aduersaries haue made a Man of white Paper or the like to Materia prima that hath not any quality in him morally good or bad That is A Man that hath neither the Image of God in knowledge righteousnes and holines engrauen on his vnderstanding will affections and whole person nor yet though it haue it not hath in him any contrary euill quality that comes vpon him by
that he is a God that hateth Iniquity If he do hate it thē certainly he must punish it God cannot see a fault and hate a fault but he must also punish it to If he punish it then he which is iustified shall yet be condemned which is absurd Vnto these Arguments we answere Vnto the two former thus When we say Sin remaines in a Man regenerate and Iustified we must distinguish the ambiguity of the word Sin In Sin to vse that distinction which is authenticall with ou● Aduersaries There are three things 1 The offence of God which is the fault 2 The obligation vnto eternall punishment which is the guilt 3 The staine or pollution of the soule viz the inherent vitious inclination of it vnto euill From whence the fault committed first issued and which by committing of the fault is augmented For euill once committed leaues a further pronnesse in the heart to doe it againe This we call the corruption of Sinne. Thus then we answer Sin doth not remaine in those that are iustified regenerate in the two first respects viz. of the fault and the guilt both which are takē away by the death of Christ. But Sin doth remain in the regenerate according to the 3 respect viz. the vitious quality and corruption thereof inherent in the soule We shall explaine these answeres and apply them to the Arguments We say then That the fault guilt of sinne in the regenerate is vtterly abolished by the death of Christ. Which we doe not take in such a sense as this That in a man regenerate there is not at all any one fault or guilt to be found for to say that a man regenerate when he sinnes were neither faulty nor guilty were a grosse vntruth ● seeing t is impossible that man should sinne yet God not be offended that man should sinne and yet not be guilty and deseruing eternall death Wherefore we confesse that in the holiest of men if they sinne there 's a true fault and God is displeased with it there is also true guilt and for it they deserue to goe to Hell But yet this truth also must be acknowledged withall that all faultinesse and guiltinesse are quite abolished and taken away from them by Christ because that both are pardoned vnto them God is offended but yet they feele not the wofull effects of his indignation because in Christ hee is graciously contented to be reconciled with them Againe they haue deserued euerlasting death but they come not to the paines thereof because freed from the punishment by Christs satisfaction Thus then we vnderstand the first part of the answere That the fault and guilt of sinne is vtterly abolished that is totally pardoned vnto the Regenerate by meanes of Christ so that no finall eternall punishment shall befall them therefore The other part That Sinne in the uitious quality and corruption if it remaine in Men iustified we vnderstand with this necessary Limitation That it remaines in them not in its power and strength but in its Being and Life It hath vitam but not Regnum It reignes where there is no Grace at all but it liues euen where Grace is which though it mightily a bate to power of it it cannot vtterly d●stroy its being Hence now its easy to vnty the Arguments Sinne is taken away b●otted out drowned in the bottome of the Sea in regare of those mischieuous effects which sinne would haue brough on vs God is reconciled the obligation to punishment cancelled and all the power force strength of Sin defeated So that like the dead Egyptians they can no longer pursue the Israelites to annoy them not shall stand vp as an aduersary in iudgment to condemne vs. The Guilt of Sinne is washed away totall by the blood of Christ the filthynesse of corrupted Nature is in part by Degrees clensed by the Spirite of Christ powred on vs in his sanctifieing Grace The Fetters and bonds of Sinne whereby we were held in bondage vnder condemnation these are quite broken asunder but those chaines whereby with Paul Rom. 7 we are led captiue to disobedience are some broken all weakened We are freed from the power of Satan and feare of Hell but not wholly freed from Sinne whereby we are often captiues against our will Sinne is a sicknesse and God is the Phisitian a wound and God is the Chirurgian true but the cures neither perectly yet correct that word He cures our sicknesse and sores perfectly but not suddainely where he begines the worke he will finish it but he will not doe all in a day The cure begins and goes onward to perfection during this life but t is neuer finished till after death He forgiues all our iniquity and that 's done ●utirely and totally and healeth all our infirmities but this is by degrees not all at once In which course God hath no cause to feare the censure of a Iesuite for vnskilfulnesse nor stands he in need of Mans counsaile for prescription nor Mans helpe to hold his hand in working if the Cure goe on more slowly then our foolish hastinesse thinkes fit That 's fit and best what God thinkes so and if we count him faithfull and wise in his art t is our duty to take his aduice but saucy persumption to giue him any Lastly where Sinne is said to be the Spirituall Death of the Soule and so Life being restored in Iustification Death must needes be quite abolished the weaknesse of this Argument appeares streight if the metaphoricall terme be changed in to proper The death of Sinne is either the Separation of all grace from the Soule or the Separation of Gods Fauour from the Soule We are dead in trespasses and Sinnes both waies In regard that in the state of vnregeneration the Soule is vtterly destitute of all Grace and goodnesse and also be cause in that condition it is liable to eternall Death Now the Death of Sinne that is eternall death in the perpetuall Losse of Gods fauour this is cleane taken a way from him that 's regenerate Christ by his death hath purchased to him Life and immortality But touching that other death that is the want of all inherent Grace in the Soule They say That in Regeneration Grace and Holynesse is restored to the Soule yet not so perfectly as to abolish euery degree of Sinnefull Corruption Before Regeneration the Soule had no grace atall and so was vtterly dead but it followes not That therefore in Regeneration it hath all grace giuen it in all perfection and so made perfectly aliue what euer harshnesse there is in the Metaphore the plaine termes in this case are smooth enough A Man may be at once a liue and dead that is at once a Man may bee partly holy and partly sinnefull Our old Man is crucified with Christ vpon whose Crosse it receaued a deadly wound because Christ by his sacrifice hath procured the sending of the Holy ghost into the hearts of the Elect who by