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A14612 The contrition of a Protestant preacher, converted to be a Catholiqve scholler conteyning certayne meditations vpon the fourth penitentiall psalme, Miserere / composed by Iames Waddesworth, Bachlour of Diuinitie in the Vniversity of Cambridge, & late parson of Cotton, and of Great-Thorneham in the County of Suffolke, who went into Spaine with the Kinges Maiesties first Embassadour-Legier, as his chaplayne ... Wadsworth, James, 1572?-1623. 1615 (1615) STC 24924.5; ESTC S2953 166,461 144

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thou giuest as a nurse and to worke what thou commandest as a laborer For Salomon calls him sluggarde who hides his hande in his bosome will not put it to his mouthe not so much for meate as to performe with his hande what he speakes with his mouthe And thus let vs folowe S. Peters aduise As euery one haue receiued grace so to employe it towardes others in grace of speache grace of action that as the holy ghoste appeared in fashion of a tongue so allso he is called in holy scriptures Digitus Dei the finger of God our Sauiour saying he caste out diuells by the finger of God that is by the vertue of the holie spirite which is a finger of action as well as a tongue of speache that as our coūtryman venerable Bede hath written a Treatise teaching men to speake or expresse their mindes by the signes motions of their fingers as we vse to talke with dumbe me● so we shoulde learne according to our English phrase to handle our tongues well i. by the workes of our handes to make good the wordes of our tongue For otherwise that accusation of Ieremy will fall vpon vs mendacium operatus est we haue wroughte alye whiles our bad actions doo falsefye our good speches or when we doo good for hypocrisy not for sincerity it is a monstrous lye because ordinary lyes are spoken but such a lye is wroughte operatus esi mendacium a lye with a wroughte latchet which may be seene Contrarywise a true seruante of God one who will teach his fellowe seruantes the iuste complete will of his maister he must learne Salomons lesson Read my lawe as the apple of thine eye vidz with attention And write it on thy fingers namely in execution so the prophet saith the worde of our lorde was made in the hande of Aggaeus where he mentioneth making of it in his hande for reuealing of it to his knowledge because our knowledge is vayne without practise as in Geometry the Mathematiques one quarter of an howres practicall demonstration will make you to vnderstand more then a whole weekes theoricall study and as the 7. planets giue more influence then the fixed starres because the one are fixed in their spheres and the other haue their peculiar motions for influence procedeth from lighte motion not from lighte alone and therfore we must like S. Ihon Baptiste as well burne mooue in heate of charity as shyne stand still in lighte of faith Not as the Lacedimonian of the nightingall to haue a sweete voyce only and nothing else Nor Iacobs milde voyce Esaus roughe handes Nor as Agis said of a witty Sophister that when he helde his peace he had nothing good in him Or as Stratonicus cōming by a fountyen asked of the inhabitantes nexte it whether the water were good they answered we vse to drinke of it Thē saith he it is like to be naughte for your faces complexions seeme to be corrupted iudging of their founteyne by the operation effectes therof as we likewise shall be discerned by our deedes what is in the founteyn of our hartes WHAT BE THE WAYES OR PROCEEdinges of our iustification what faith doth teache vs in these wayes Sect 5. 1. WHerfore least penitent or thirsty men shoulde drinke of corrupted founteynes I will directe as many as I can to the cleare waters of healthfull doctrine whose springes are only within the boundes of the Carholique churche I will teach the wicked thy wayes vidz such as haue bene in wickednes of sinne or of heresye I will shew them thy wa●es of iustification 2. I will teach them that somtime thy lawes and thy wayes are called iustifications praying with Dauid I woulde my wayes mighte be directed to keepe thy iustifications 2. sōtime they are said to be iustifyed who are only declared to be iuste which is imputatiue righteousnes wherof Esay said wo be to you who doo iustifye the wicked for bribes 3. somtime for the first iustification or obteyning of iustice vnto a sinner wherof S. Paul saith whom God calleth he iustif●e●h 4. somtime for encrease or proceeding in further iustice which is called a second iustification of one allready iuste of which S. Iames speaketh concluding that a man is iustifyed by workes and not by faith only and S. Ihon willeth him who is iuste to be further instifyed 3. I will teach them that the end of our iustification is the Glory of God the saluation of our soules That the cheife efficient cause of our iustification is the Goodnes Mercy of God the efficient by-way of merite is the passion of Christe the efficient by-way of instrument vnited is the humanity of Christe the efficient by-way of instrument separate are the Worde Sacramentes their Administers The materiall cause or subiect of our iustification is the minde of man es●ecially the will wherin this iustice is wroughte remayneth The formall cause in habite intrinsecall is the habite of grace or charity infused in habite extrinsecall or exemplar it is the very iustice of our Sauiour Christe in which S. Paul admonisheth vs we shoulde beare the image of the celestiall man i. Christe as we haue borne the image of the terrestriall man Adam But the formall cause in Acte are good workes which in one respecte are the Effectes of our iustice and in another haue allso so efficiency in our iustification as likewise haue feare faith hope loue repentance all which laste as dispositions preparing our minde will doo euery one in some sorte iustifye I will teach them that faith necessary to iustification is not to be restreyned only to the promises of Gods mercy but it must beleeue all Truthe which God hath taughte And that faith is seated principally in the vnderstanding not in the will as a confidence for so it should be all one with hope And that in the vnderstanding it is a firme assent vnto all thinges which God propoundeth to be beleeued and not a knowledge of them 4. Touching the firste Our Sauiour in the holy Go●pells and in the Epistles and Actes of the Apostles they doo often require other pointes of faith to be beleeued beside the promises of mercy as that Ch●iste is omnipotent that he is the Sonne of God that he is God and man and the true Messias that he was crucifyed and rose agayne c. so all the other Articles of the Apostles Creede whatsoeuer the Caluinistes say to the contrary are poyntes of justifying faith w●thout beleefe wherof no man can be saued and yet moste of them perte●ne to other matters then to promises of mercy 5. Touching the second that faith is an assent of the vnderstanding in beleefe not a confidence of the will which perteyne● to hope and therfore S. Paul saith that in Christe Iesu we haue truste and accesse in confidence through his faith therfore faith is not a
truste or confidence but the cau●e of truste and confidence which we get throughe faith And S. Augustin saith Credere nihil aliud est nisi cun assensu ●ogitar● to beleeue is no●hing else but to thinke of a matter with assent therunto And S. Bonauenture maketh a double certeinty one of faith in the vnderstanding anothe● of hope in the will By the fi●ste we beleeue firmely as true all propositions of Gods worde in generall and by the second we haue good confidence in the particuler application of those thinges which may perteyne to our selues as good for vs For attingimus Deum we are joyned or doo reach vnto God only by our vnderstanding and our will in our vnderstanding is faith and because our will considers thinges eyther as juste and so we loue them or as p●ofitable and so we desire them therfore in ou● will is both hope expecting our heauenly profitable Good ●harity louing all that is equally just And so we haue the 3. Theologicall vertues faith hope and charity 6. In the thirde poynte Faith is not a distincte knowledge but an obedient assent captiuating the vnderstanding to the obedience of faith for where there is a playne knowledge of truthe it needeth not to captiuate the vnderstanding to obedience Therfore the Apostle twice reckoneth knowledge faithe as two seuerall giftes of God and the common phrase is oportet discentem credere A learner must beleeue viz such thinges as he doth not or cannot vnderstand S. Hilary said It hath rather a rewarde then neede of pardon to be i●norante what thou beleeuest as in the mistery of the Trinity Saint Prosper alledging those wordes of scripture Excepte you beleeue you shall not vnderstand collecteth thence that faith procedeth not of vnderstanding but vnderstanding cometh f●om faith and S. Augu●tin accordingly prayed credam vt intelligam non intelligam vt credam o Lorde let me beleeue that so I may vnderstand not by vnderstanding to beleeue w●erfore faith going before know●edge is not all one with knowledge For firste there is apprehension next is Assent which twoo togeather make faith and thirdly is knowledge n●w in ●arte and hereafter fully when fides shall be vides when we shall knowe as we are knowne 7 Note al●so that this apprehension is ey ther indistincte and in grosse or it is euident and particuler this laste is neither necessary nor enoughe vnto faith the firste is necessary but not enoughe for both of them must haue Assent Therfore if a country-man or oth●r ignorante playne soule doo giue his firme Assent to that which he apprehendes but grossely he hath faith wheras a heathen philosopher or other cunning Clarke ●houghe he haue neuer so cleare an apprehension yet he hath no faith if he haue not assent and credite to that which he vnderstandeth wherfore faith consisteth more in Assenting obedience then in vnderstanding knowledge 8. Likewise this Assent is double eyther grounded on reason and the euidence of the matter or vpon the authority of the Teacher The firste may be called knowledge but the latter is properly faith So saith S. Augustin That which we vnderstand we ● we it vnto reason but what we beleeue vnto Auctority And yet thus thoughe faith be not knowledge yet is knowledge both profitable to encrease out loue of God and commendable in them who desire so to profite And therfore with Dauid I will teach the wicked in matters of faith what to beleue yeilding their Assent to the infallibility of the churche and in matters of knowledge how to vnderstand by illustration of argumentes grounded vpon reason for these are the wayes of God and of certeyn truthe which if they be not sensibly demonstrable to fleshly eyes yet are they euidently credible to spirituall hartes Thus I will teach thy wayes which are thy iustifications HOW MANY OTHER PATHES DOO LEAD vnto the wayes of iustification and that we are not iustifyed by faith only Sect. 6. ANd the vngodly will be conuerted vnto thee How shall a wicked heretique or ignorante man learne thy wayes of truthe By obedient faith How shall an vngodly Catholique or a lewde sinner be conuerted vnto thee in a good life By iustifying faith It is faith which beginnes first to iustifye a sinner and secondly allso the iuste shall liue by his faith In matter of our iustification alwayes faith must be one yet only faith doth neuer iustifye Neither firste as the only Disposition vnto iustice nor 2. as the only formall cause of our iustice nor 3. as the only encreaser or preseruer of our iustice 2. Luther on the Galathians once said that faith is our formall iustice for which a man is iustifyed making faith an essentiall cause of our iustification But since all protestants reiect that saying and make it only a bare instrument as a hande receiuing an almes and so to iustifye vs only relatiuely Yet touching the concurrence of other vertues and good workes the Electorall Wittembergians or softer Lutherans following Melancthon with whom herein concurreth Caluin they require the presence of good workes as necessary signes and fruites of faith yet denying them to haue any efficiency vnto iustification But the Saxonians and harder Lutherans following Illyricus deny any necessity of good workes to iustification either in presence or in efficience alledging these sayinges of Luther Faith doth iustefye without and before charity and in his disputation whither workes auayle to iustification he auoucheth That faith excepte it be without the least workes doth not iustefye nor is faith These and many other be their particuler dissentions among themselues thoughe against Catholiques good workes they all conspire That only faith iustifyeth 3. But the Councell of Trent beside faith which is the firste Disposition requireth allso Dispositions of feare hope loue penitence a purpose of vsing the necessary Sacramentes and a purpose of a new life in obseruing Gods commandements The firste then is faith as S. Paul saith It behooueth him that cometh to God to beleeue that he is and that he is a iust Iudge and a punisher of euill and a mercifull father and rewarder of good Out of the one procedeth nexte feare which likewise as well as faith is an introduction or disposition to iustification For Ecclesias saith He that is without feare cannot be justifyed and Esay saith From thy feare we haue conceiued brought forthe the spirite of saluation 4. Then from beholding of mercy and rewarde thirdely groweth Hope which likewise doth iustefye as the Apostle expressely speaketh we are saued by hope and in the psalmes often They shall be saued de●iuered because they hoped in God Fourthly after hoping for Good foloweth ●oue of the Benefactor which loue is before remission of sinnes eyther in time if it be an imperfecte loue only beginning or in nature if it be perfecte in all ou● harte abounding as our Sauiour said to S. Mary Magdalen Manie sinnes are
sinne rather then our Father wheras indeed it comes more from Adam then from either Sect. 3. 1. NExte let vs cōsider why he rather mentioneth his mother in this case of originall sinne and not his father especially seing all our Deuines affirme that althoughe Eua had sinned yet if Adam had remayned innocent originall sinne should not haue bene deriued vnto their posterity Because they say Adam alone as a publique person and generall father of all mankind did represent the persons of all his successors and for them as well as for himselfe did receiue originall iustice by the losse wherof he broughte vs all as being partes of him as our natural head into this detriment of originall sinne Wherfore in the same respecte allso thoughe Cayn or any other sinner had first sinned Adam being still vprighte yet their sinne should only haue deformed themselues and not haue perteyned to vs because we are comprehended in none as our generall father saue only in Adam 2. Further it is alledged in fauor of the woman that she concurreth but passiuely vnto generation as only giuing the materiall parte of conceptione not inducing the actiue forme which procedeth from the man who therfore by phylosophers and physicians is accompted the principall partye and cheifer cause of generation And yet here about originall sinne the mother is named only and not the father because at the time of our quickening when first in deede we doo contracte originall sinne then we are in her wombe then she kepeth and norisheth vs and not the father and so she is said to conceiue vs in sinne not mentioning the father 3. And thoughe Eua coulde not be Author of original sinne to all her posterity as is afore sayd yet our nexte parentes both man and woman being alwayes the instrumentes and successiue conueyors of originall sinne by descendence from Adam I say our parentes and auncestors are conueyors and instrumentes not causes or Authors ' for only Adam is so to be accompted And seing the mother is the materiall instrumente and conduyte which is more euident to our sense then the formall the●fore is she allso named rather then the father 4. Allso I said that in deede and really we doo only contracte originall sinne at the time when we are quickened and receiue life in our mothers wombe for thoughe at the instante of the very first conception those informed and mixed seedes may be said improperly in debito to haue an obligacion to be afterward subiect to originall sinne when it comes to be a liuing humane creature yet properly and truly in effecto the childe is not infected with originall sinne vntill it come to haue the soule infused and vnited to the body which is not till the quickening and hauing no soule it is not a perfecte humane creature but only little more then a masse of flesh which without soule cannot be said to be really capable of any sinne 5. Wherfore at that time being in the mothers wombe and allso hauing bene there norished vntill that time and so maynteyned afterwarde vntill the Birthe the mother is rather named then the father And so here the hebrew worde Hama doth signifye to giue heate which naturall hea●e of the mothers wombe cherishing the infante some read it thus with sinnes my mother gaue me heate and S. Augustin readeth it In sinnes my mother norished me and S. Ierome In sinnes my mother broughte me forthe 4. And allso as S. Thomas distinguisheth twoo birthes Nasci in vtero and nasci ex vtero to be borne in the wombe when the soule is infused and we become rea●onable creatures And to be borne out of the wombe when we firste come into this lighte So there is a twofolde conception as hath bene said first of humane seede which is at the very first generation and secondly a conception of humane nature when at the quickening we receiue our soule This second conception and the first Birthe in vtero are all one and because then properly we are first in deede capable of originall sinne therfore we may be so sayd eyther to be borne of our mother in originall sinne viz in the first birthe or to be conceiued of her in originall sinne viz in the second conception But at any of these Birthes or conceptions we are rather said to be conceiued or borne of our mother then of our father because to conceiue or beare children they are termes and propertyes perteyning to our mothers and cannot be said or aptely affirmed of our fathers WHAT ORIGINALL SINNE IS AND how it is deriued vnto vs allso how it is accompted a guilty faulte in children 1. NOw let vs see what Originall sinne is in his owne nature what effect it hath in vs. In his owne nature Originall sinne is a priuation or wante of Originall iustice which iustice God haue vnto Adam and he oughte to haue preserued in our nature In vs the effect of originall sinne is a corrupte disposition and deformitie of our nature proceeding from the losse of originall iustice by wante wherof there ariseth in vs that same fewell of sinne concupiscence deriued vnto vs from the publique disobedience of Adam by ordinarie humane generation It is a corrupte disposition as is sicknes It is a deformity for all sinne spotteth blemisheth It perteynes more to our nature then to our person for it is alike common to all The formall cause is the priuatiue losse of originall iustice Adams publique faulte as being our generall Father was the efficient cause And the instrumentall is humane generation which is ordinary not with priuiledge as was the conception of our Blessed lady nor extraordinary miraculous as the incarnacion of our Sauiour 2. This corrupte disposition of our nature according to Hugo de sancto Victore some others we contracte from our birthe By ignorance in our minde and By concupiscence in our flesh Not denying but there is concupiscence allso in the minde which blindeth our vnderstanding which concupiscence of the minde is moste cheifly a sinne and that concupiscence which is in our flesh is both a sinne punishment For so deuines say that Originall sinne is in vs both a faulte and a punishment his faulte consistes in the losse of originall iustice and by wante of that iustice in the deformity of our nature his penalty consistes in that concupiscence or fomes peccati which foloweth that former losse is an harbenger of succeding actuall sinne which fomes is in Infantes concupiscibilitie and in them of riper age is called concupiscence 3. Nexte let vs see How this originall corruption is our owne sonne deriued vnto vs from Adam without faulte of our other auncestors or parentes generation In respecte of which difficultyes S. Augustin aduiseth them who cannot comprehend it as being secrete yet not to reprehend it as vniuste rather let such content themselues to know and vse the remedi● then to repyne or cauill because they vnderstand
doth more respecte the intention of the minde then the worke of the hande In that lawe were more earthly temporall promises then heauenly and euerlasting but in ours there are more eternall spirituall promises then corporall transitory In both lawes there are indeede both eternall temporall promises and both doo require obedience of harte of hande for loue for feare for vnder both lawes there are some perfect men some imperfect But vnder the lawe of Christe there is more perfection so more loue then feare yet some feare more promises eternall then temporall and yet some temporall these temporall promises this feare in the lawe of Christe are for the imperfecte And on the other side for those which were perfect in the lawe of Moyses some did obey for loue with a good harte and for such it had some promises spirituall but these were fewer much inferior vnto them of the Gospell SOME OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWENE the Lawe the Gospell Sect. 2. 1. BVT the principall difference is that Moyses lawe did not iustifye ex opere operato nor did the sacrifices ceremonyes therof conteyne grace in themselues For the mysterye of our Sauiours incarnation passiō not being really accōplished they could not really conteyne vertue of that which yet was not only ex opere operantis if the partyes offering were in state of grace had faith in the expected Messias then did those sacrifices iustifye not as conferring grace of themselues causally but only as signes accidentally It is true the sacramentes of our lawe in like sorte require faith deuotion but moreouer in themselues they are more then signes and doo conteyne confer grace not corporally abiding in them for so can nothing meerely spirituall be conteyned in a bodily substance But instrumentally really remayning in them and so virtually intended to passe be conueyed by them For our sacraments effect grace cheifly as instrumentall causes and that as instrumentes mediate separate such as is a staffe not as an instrument coniuncte immediate such as a hande And so the principall efficient cause of grace is God himselfe the humanity of our Sauiour Christe as an instrument coniuncte and as separate instrumentes and causes of grace are our sacramentes both satisfactions for sinne and meritorious of fauour 2. Wherfore thoughe the sacrifices of the olde lawe iustifyed as signes testifying the faith obediēce of the offerer yet this was only ex opere oper●̄tis by the obedience faith of the partyes applying the merites of our Sauiour Christe by that faith as only by an inwarde acte of the minde in the offerer which inward action of faith thoughe alwayes it be necessary yet furthermore we haue the vertue of our Sauiours passion applyed vnto vs allso by the outwarde vse of externall sacraments which is a priuiledge of more fauor a prerogatiue of more grace 3. And thus is the lawe of Christe more perfect more abundant in grace then was the law of Moyses for what the Leuiticall law did but promise signifye our Euāgelicall law doth exhite performe as S. Augustin said significando causat gratiā in signifying doth allso cause grace in vs. Wherfore thoughe the lawe of the gospell propound more temporall afflictions and lesse store of worldly prosperity yet doth it affoarde a more speedy passage to heauen so much greater rewarde of eternall glory thirs was generally for a more carnall sensuall people more imperfect but ours is especially for men more perfect more spirituall which as it requires more perfection so it doth enable vs with more grace and so it is a much easyer yoke because it doth endue vs with farre greater strengthe 4. If you consider them both by the bare outward letter yet as S. Augustin said the lawe had the gospell hiddenlie inuolued and the gospell hath the lawe plainlie reuealed the lawe did foreshew our Sauiour as one a farre of dimly sene and the gospell doth manifest him clearly as one present And in respecte of their commandements admonitions other instructions let them be alike in this poynte of their letter that in both of thē the letter doth kill because when the letter of the lawe or gospells commandement is not fulfilled it is accidentally or improperly said to be the occasion of sinne so to kill yet seing it is the spirite which giueth life and considering that the lawe of Moyses was a dead lawe working wrathe requiring obedience not enabling to obey and considering that in the lawe of Christe beside the outward letter commandements writtē in paper there is allso abundāce of grace inwardly shed into all good Christians hartes not only prescribing what we are to doo but assisting vs euer in the doing this is an excellent difference and a confortable encoragement 5. Wherfore S. Augustin said In the olde testament the lawe was established outwardlie by which vniust men shoulde be terrifyed but in the new it is inwardlie giuen by which they mighte be iustifyed And so the lawe was made by Moyses but grace truthe was giuen by Iesus Christe and therfore the Apostle saith their lawe was giuen in tables of stone but ours is written in the fleshye tables of our hartes and calleth their lawes a ministration of death condemnation but ours he nameth a ministratiō of the spirite of iustice because with ours we receiue inwarde grace helping to be saued but theirs had only the outward letter which accused 6. In this respecte Dauid mighte say that our lorde would not be delighted with the sacrifices of Moyses lawe althoughe he had so strictely commāded them he exacteth them and yet refuseth them they were commanded therby to shew the faith obedience of the Offerers and yet he refused them in regarde of any value in the sacrifice it selfe they were exacted because of that which they did signifye but he did not regarde them for any worthe or vertue in themselues As when the Poste or other messenger bringes vs a letter whose cariage must coste vs deare Sir here is a letter for you pay me for the portage If we desire firste to read it he will say no if he suspecte we will returne it him vnpayde for he knowes we care not for the bulke of the letter but for the meaning of the wordes and that the paper of it selfe is nothing nere worthe the price which he demandes so the sacrifices of the olde lawe were required for signification of the Messias and were accepted according to the faith of the offerers not for any value which of it selfe was in the bloud of beastes or in the swetenes of fruites 7. Thus S. Ierome and others note of Abel that our Lorde more respected the person offering then the sacrifice offered And so S. Augustin obserueth in Abel 3. primarye vertues vidz he was the firste preist the firste virgin