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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17308	Truth's triumph ouer Trent: or, the great gulfe betweene Sion and Babylon That is, the vnreconcileable opposition betweene the Apostolicke Church of Christ, and the apostate synagogue of Antichrist, in the maine and fundamentall doctrine of iustification, for which the Church of England Christs spouse, hath iustly, through Gods mercie, for these manie yeares, according to Christs voyce, separated her selfe from Babylon, with whom from henceforth she must hold no communion. By H.B. rector of S. Mathews Friday-Street.	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1629 (1629)	STC 4156; ESTC S107077	312,928	398

haue done by the word Communication whom Vega hath quoted to shew how thereby the righteousnesse of Christ is made wholly ours his sufferings our sufferings as if we our selues had suffered But yet let vs see a little further into the language of the Fathers concerning this point Onely by the way seeing Vega cannot finde the word Imputation once mentioned among the ancient Fathers let him looke but St. Augustines Epist. 106. to Bonifacius or as some copies haue it to Paulinus and there hee shall finde these words Cur meritis praeueniri gratia perhibetur quae gratia non esset si secundum meritum imputaretur Why is grace said to be preuented by merits which should not be grace if it were imputed according to merit Yea how often doth Augustine mention the Apostles words where he saith Fides imputaretur ad iustitiam Faith is imputed vnto righteousnesse But let vs contend not so much for the word as for the thing it selfe which wee shall finde the Fathers to abound in St. Ambrose writing vpon the 39 Psalme saith Totus ex persona Christi iste Psalmus est Iustitiam meam dicit licet non arroganter homo dicere possit Iustitiam suam qui Deo credit fidem suam sibi reputari ad iustitiam confitetur This whole Psalme is of the person of Christ therefore hee saith My righteousnesse though also a man that beleeues in God and confesseth that his faith is reputed to him for righteousnesse may without arrogancy say his righteousnesse Now although Ambrose say speaking of Christ Iustitiam meam in stead of Iustitiam tuam as it is in the originall and also in the vulgar Latine he following some other copy yet hereby wee may see his vnderstanding in the mysterie of Christ namely how Christs righteousnesse comes to bee our righteousnesse our faith being imputed to vs for righteousnesse as the Scripture saith Sauing that Ambrose vseth the word Reputing for Imputing differing very little in the sound but nothing at all in the sense The same Ambrose writing vpon the Epistle to the Galatians where hee opposeth the righteousnesse of the Law and that of Christ one against the other vpon these words for if there had beene a Law giuen which could haue giuen life verily righteousnesse had beene by the Law saith Iustitiam hau● dicit quae apud Deum imputatur iustitia id est fidei quia lex habuit iustitiam sed ad praesens quia non iustificaret apud Deum remittere enim peccata non potuit vt de peccatoribus faceret iustos he saith that righteousnesse which of God is imputed to wit the righteousnesse of faith sith the Law also had a kinde of righteousnesse but temporary that could not iustifie with God for it could not forgiue sinnes and so of sinners make men to bee iust So that here is another ancient Father vsing the very word Imputation And a little after vpon these words As many as haue beene baptized into Iesus Christ haue put on Christ saith Hoc dicit quia credentes dum immutantur Christum induunt quando hoc appellantur quod credunt This he saith because beleeuers while they are changed doe put on Christ when they are called that which they beleeue So that by St. Ambrose his doctrine our iustification is by imputation of grace by faith in the putting on of Christ. And St. Austine besides the former alledged place where he defineth iustification to be a making of one iust by accounting him so or by deputing reckoning him iust saith in Psa. 32. Nol● vos interrogare de iustitia vestra ●ortassis autem nemo vestrum audeat mihi respondere iustus sum sed interrogo vos de fide vestra Sicut nemo vestrum audet dicere Iustus sum sic nemo non audet dicere Fidelissum Nondum quaero quid viuas sed quaero quid credas responsurus es credere te in Christum Non audisti Apostolum Iustus exfide viuit fides tua iustitia tua I will not aske you of your righteousnesse for haply none of you dare answer me I am righteous but I aske you of your faith As none of you dare say I am iust so you dare not but say I am a beleeuer I demand not yet how thou liuest but how thou beleeuest thou wilt answer me thou beleeuest in Christ. Hast thou not heard the Apostle The iust shall liue by faith Thy saith is thy righteousnesse And vpon the 30. Psalme the same Father doth further cleare his minde touching imputatiue righteousnesse vpon these words of the Psalme Rid mee and deliuer mee in thy righteousnesse Nam si attendas ad iustitiam meam damnas me In tua iustitia erue me est enim iustitia Dei quae nostra fit cum donatur nobis Ideo autem Dei iustitia dicitur ne homo se putet à seipso habere iustitiam For if thou lookest vpon my righteousnesse thou condemnest mee In thy righteousnesse deliuer me for it is the righteousnesse of God which is made also oure when it is giuen vnto vs. And therefore is it called Gods righteousnesse lest man should thinke that he hath righteousnesse of himselfe Now what righteousnesse doth this holy man meane here The righteousnesse of God made ours by infusion of grace into vs So I know the Pontificians would be ready to interpret this place But let St. Augustine be his owne interpreter who addeth in the very next words Sic enim dicit Apostolus Paulus Credenti in eum qui iustificat impium So saith the Apostle Paul To him that beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly Quid est Qui iustificat impium Qui ex impio facit iustum deputatur fides eius ad iustitiam What is that Which iustifieth the vngodly Who of vngodly and wicked makes iust his faith is deputed for righteousnesse Yea this holy man is so farre from ascribing the least part of iustification to any inherent righteousnesse in vs as that he excludes euen faith it selfe as it is a worke from being any meritorious cause of our iustification For elsewhere speaking of Gods election and vocation of grace and not of workes alledging the examples of Iacob and Esau the one loued the other hated euen in the wombe before either of them had done good or euill c. that the election of God might stand not of workes c. Si autem verum est quod non ex operibus inde hoc probat quia de nondum natis nondumque aliquid operatis dictum est vnde nec ex fide quae in nondum natis similiter nondum erat And if it be true that it is not of works and from thence he proues it because it was said of them before they were borne and before they had done any thing whereupon neither was it in respect of faith which likewise as a worke was not as yet in them being yet vnborne And againe Iustificati gratis

of Esay cals his new Couenant or Testament and doth anathematize and curse to the pit of hell all those that haue or shall place our iustification in the onely imputation of Christs righteousnesse or in the remission of sinnes without our inherent righteousnesse as appeareth in the former Chapter What needes more testimony in such a cloud of witnesses Among all which not a word of any inherent righteousnesse not a word of infusion of grace not a word of hope and charity ioyned with faith as equally concurring much lesse precurring and out-stripping faith in the worke of iustification not a word of imputation so to bee vnderstood as if Christ did therefore merit that we might haue grace inherent or of our owne whereby to bee iustified in Gods sight Although true it is that the same ancient Fathers doe often call our inherent righteousnesse which is our sanctification by the name of iustification but they neuer say that hereby we are iustified in the sight of God In a word the consideration of the true difference betweene the first couenant and the second doth easily conclude the truth of this doctrine The first couenant made with Adam in Paradise was the couenant of workes Doe this and liue but the second couenant opposite to that is of grace Beleeue and liue as the Apostle doth notably oppose faith against workes in our iustification Therefore vnlesse wee would bring man againe into the estate of Adam in his earthly Paradise before his fall and so shut out Christ the second Adam to pleade iustification by workes is a monstrous dreame Therefore it was not for nothing that our first Parents were banished out of that earthly Paradise typically to teach them that now they had no more to do with that first condition of their creation the happinesse whereof depended vpon the couenant of workes but now they must seek a new Paradise that is a heauenly and that by a new and liuing way to wit by faith in Christ which is that couenant of grace opposite to the couenant of workes So opposite that as the Apostle saith If it be of grace then it is no more of workes otherwise grace is no more grace But if it bee of workes then is it no more grace otherwise worke is no more worke Rom. 11. 6. CHAP. VI. Of the instrumentall cause of iustification and first of the Romane Catholicke doctrine herein THE Councell of Trent puts no other instrumentall cause of iustification but the Sacrament of Baptisme which saith she is the instrument of faith without which faith no man could euer obtaine iustification Where notwithstanding shee would seeme not altogether to exclude faith as a party-instrument But because Baptisme is so vnderstood as an instrumentall cause as will require rather a particular discourse by it selfe wee will shew here what allowance they giue to faith in iustification That which the Pontificians ascribe to faith in the worke of iustification is either that it is a worke of grace preparing and disposing a man to receiue the grace of iustification as being the beginning of other graces and going before iustification as appeareth out of the Tre●● Councell Ses. 6. cap. 8. or else that it is a grace concurring with other graces infused and inherent as hope and charity and such like by which ioyntly a man comes to be iustified otherwise they allow faith no hand at all in iustification As may appeare in the Councell of Trent the sixth Session the ninth and eleuenth Canons Si quis dixerit sola fide impium iustificari c. If any man shall say that a sinner is iustified by faith alone c. And if any man shall say that men are iustified either by the onely imputation of Christs righteousnesse or by the onely remission of sinnes excluding grace and charity which is shed abroad in their hearts by the holy Ghost and is inherent in them or also that the grace whereby we are iustified is onely the fauour of God let him bee Anathema or accursed Whereupon Vega in his glosse vpon this place sets this downe for his prime conclusion Certissima fide est tenendum fidem solam absque operibus alijs neque satis esse ad iustificationem acquirendam neque ad tenendam acquisitam Wee are to hold by a most certaine beliefe that faith alone without other workes is neither sufficient to procure iustification nor being procured to preserue it And what those other workes bee hee telleth vs to wit first Baptisme secondly the Eucharist or the Masse thirdly Penance fourthly Confession and Absolution fiftly the keeping of the Commandements c. And againe Multipliciter posse hominem iustificari prima quidem ac communior magisque protrita via est per poenitentiam secunda dilectio Dei super omnia c. Wee say that a man may be iustified many waies The first and more common beaten way is by penance the second by the loue of God aboue all the third by martyrdome the fourth by prayer no doubt so many Pater-nosters and Aue-maries vpon beades and obseruing Cannonicall houres the fift by the Sacraments of the Church and especially by Baptisme Penance and the Eucharist Penance you must note is in great request in the worke of iustification being here againe repeated and rancked in the middest betweene Baptisme and the Eucharist because in Penance there is not onely Confession to know what is in the conscience but satisfaction to tell what is in a mans purse if hee will deale by commutation And in the last place Probabilis est etiam sexta vt videtur via nempe per fidem It seemeth also probable that there is a sixt way namely by Faith But this way of faith comes lag in the reare and it is but probable neyther nay it doth but seeme probable The other wayes therefore are their common high-wayes of iustification this of Faith is onely a way of sufferance and that in some case of Necessitie yet with speciall restriction too as iustifying a man onely from originall sinne as Vega there addeth Videtur enim probabile c. For it seemeth probable that if a man be infected only with originall sinne and so soone as he should come to the vse of reason hauing heard the preaching of faith and seene miracles to confirme it should be willing to receiue it for the sauing of his soule by this onely that he giues credit vnto it hee should be iustified and haue his originall sinne pardoned But here mee thinkes Vega forgets himselfe in two things first that he puts faith in the last place which elsewhere he puts in the first Secondly that he attributes that to faith to wit the taking away of original sinne which eyther was taken away before in the baptized or if the party were not yet baptized Faith is not sufficient to iustifie him from originall sinne without Baptisme eyther infacto or in voto in deed or in desire Yea in the

writeth vpon the exposition of those words Incerta occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi that is Thou hast reuealed vnto mee the vncertaine and hidden things of thy wisedome Whereupon Augustine saith Quae incerta Quae occulta Quia Deus ignoscit talibus peccatoribus con●itentibus punientibus sua peccata What vncertainty What hidden things Because God doth pardon such to wit sinners confessing and punishing or repenting of their sinnes And Augustine addes as Vega also alledgeth Nihil tam occultum nihil tam incertum Nothing so secret nothing so vncertaine And Vega here leaping ouer Augustines amplification and exposition of his meaning he onely addes Augustines conclusion Hoc incertum patefecerit Deus seruo suo Dauid c. This vncertaine thing God reuealed to his seruant Dauid For when standing and accusing himselfe hee said Pecca●i I haue sinned forthwith hee heard of the Prophet that is of the Spirit of God which was in the Prophet The Lord hath put away thy sinne Well now let vs a little insist vpon these words of Augustine which Vega ingeniously confesseth doe most clearely fauour their cause of Pontifician vncertainty of all other that hee hath read in all Augustines workes First whereas Augustine taking the vulgar Latine for the onely Text which hee followeth vseth the word incerta I answer there is no such word in the Originall for incertum The words in the Originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is word for word And in the secret or in the hidden part as our last translation well renders it thou shalt make me to know wisedome Not a word of vncertainty Therefore Vega takes a very vncertaine ground yea rather a meere Bohu or emptinesse whereon to build his vncertainty Besides ●●th Augustine going vpon an vnwarrantable ground taking that for Text which Gods Word knoweth not are we therefore bound presently to take his exposition for Gospell And whereas hee applies those vncertaine and hidden things to the remission of sinnes wee know Augustine oftentimes abounds with rare conceits but else how this application or exposition should result from the Text vnlesse raised vp by the strength of conceit the Text it selfe giues vs no euidence to see But that wee may not seeme too strait-laced in limiting the ouer-lauish liberty of the vulgar Latine if wee take downe both the Text and Augustines Glosse at one bit together it will not choake vs nor cause vs to surfeit especially if we take all the ingredients of it For it is with Scriptures and Fathers as with Physicke if the Dosis haue eyther moe or fewer ingredients than the wise Physitian prescribeth it may alter the whole nature of the Physicke and in stead of health procure more hurt to the body And here I must tell you that Vega deales with St. Augustine as eyther a negligent or rather malicious Apothecary who for some sinister respects leaues out some speciall ingredient out of the composition Or else to goe no further than the Scripture hee treades in the very steppes of the Tempter who craftily left out the most materiall word in all the Text which was In all thy wayes without which we haue no warrant of Gods protection and so Sathan by his false fingering would haue made the promise of God of none effect So playeth Vega. For as we noted euen now Vega in relating Augustines exposition leaues out the most materiall thing which Augustine noteth in his explaning and applying those Incerta or vncertaine things to remission of sinnes And that is the instance he giueth of the Niniuites That we may recollect all to one intire head which Vega hath so torne asunder wee will set downe Augustines words whole together Incerta occulia sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi they be the words of his vulgar Text. Whereupon he inferreth Quae occulta Quae incerta Quia Deus ignoscit talibus id est poenitentibus Nihil tam occultum nihil tam incertum Ad hoc incertum Niniuitae poenitentiam egerunt dixerunt enim c. What hidden what vncertaine things Because God pardoneth euen such that is penitent persons Nothing so hidden nothing so vncertaine Vpon this certainty the Niniuites repented for they said though after the Prophet had threatned though after that voice * Three dayes and Niniuie shall be destroyed they said among themselues that the mercy of God was to be intreated They said thus reasoning with themselues Who knoweth if God will returne and shew mercy It was vncertaine when they said Quis nouit Who knoweth But hauing once repented they reaped certaine mercy c. So Augustine Do we not see here a manifest difference between Augustines owne application of vncertainty Vega's strained application Vega would apply this vncertainty of the remission of sins to the time past vnderstanding it of sins already pardoned as if a man were altogether vncertaine that his sins are pardoned when they are already pardoned But Augustine tels vs plainly that he vnderstands this vncertainty of remission of sins in the future tense that is concerning the vncertainty of sins to be pardoned for which God denounceth expresse iudgments as in the example of the Niniuites God hath threatned peremptorily that within forty dayes Niniuie should be destroyed What should the Niniuites now doe in this case They beleeue God that hee was true in his word Yet they resolue to repent speedily But to what purpose when now the sentence was already pronounced of him that cannot lye Yes as knowing that such like threatnings are conditionall they would at least put it to an aduenture Who knoweth if God will returne and pardon It may be God will shew mercy No maruell if the Niniuites were doubtfull of the pardon of those sins which they knew they had committed but had not yet repented of But whence proceeded this their vncertainty From their faith No but Augustine tels vs the reason Quia peccata magna erant Niniuitarum dixerunt Quis nouit Because the Niniuites sins were great they said Who knoweth So that their vncertainty proceeded not from the defect of faith but from the excesse of their sins But as they were vncertaine before they repented after they had repented they found certam misericordiam certaine mercy saith Augustine witnesse the preseruation of themselues and their Citie As therefore the Niniuites were vncertaine in regard of the grieuousnesse of their sinnes and the greatnesse of Gods iudgement already peremptorily threatned whether they should finde God fauourable or no in reuersing his sentence and preseruing their Citie but afterwards vpon their repentance found the certainty of Gods mercy in sparing them whereof the sparing of their City was a certaine and infallible argument So sinnefull men burthened with the guilt and horrour of sinnes and borne downe with the terrour of Gods wrath threatned in his Word may well bee doubtfull and vncertaine how God may deale with them although they resolue with themselues

mysterie of mans saluation but it is expresly and particularly referred to the will and good pleasure of God as the prime and supreme cause of all That the Sonne of God Iesus Christ came into the world to take our nature vpon him to be incarnate of the Virgin Mary and to become our Mediatour and to accomplish the worke of mans saluation it is wholly and in euery part ascribed to the will and good pleasure of God How often doth Christ himselfe say in the Gospell I came downe from Heauen not to doe mine owne will but the will of him that sent mee Ioh. 6. 38. It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell and hauing made peace through the bloud of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things vnto himselfe c. His death and passion were the fruits of Gods will and good pleasure Esa. 53 10. It pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to griefe when thou shalt make his soule an offering for sinne c. and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand His preaching here on the earth and reuealing the mysterie of God vnto Babes was from his Fathers good will Euen so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight Mat. 11. 26. I hope they will not deny or question any of this as by pretending any merit in vs to precede or procure as a motiue from God any part of this grace of Redemption And yet I know not what they meane when they ascribe to the Virgin Mary a merit at least Ex congruo why shee should be the Mother of God That we should be saued by such a means as the preaching of the Gospell which is Christ crucified a meanes contemptible in the eyes of the world it is Gods good pleasure It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue 1. Cor. 1. 21. The whole administration of the Word of God is according to his owne will Heb. 2. 4. Our regeneration is not according to the will of the flesh nor the will of man but of God And Iames 1. 18. Of his owne will beg ate he vs by the Word of truth that wee should be a kinde of first-fruits of his creatures So also our saluation 1. Thes. 4. 3. This is the will of God euen your sanctification It is hee that worketh in vs both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. The perseuerance of Gods Saints and Elect in the state of grace vntill they come to full glory is the will of God Iohn 6. 39. This is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath giuen me I should lose nothing but should raise it vp againe at the last day And Mat. 18. 14. It is not your Fathers will that one of these little ones should perish That we inherit eternall life it is Gods good pleasure Luke 12. 32. Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers good pleasure to giue you the Kingdome So also Iohn 6. 40. It is the will of the Father to giue vs eternall life The Scriptures abound in setting forth the glory of Gods will and good pleasure herein Admirable is the wisedome and counsell of God that hee hath in the holy Scriptures so punctually and particularly pointed out vnto vs the pleasure of his will taking place in euery part and passage of the worke of our Redemption as altogether depending vpon that prime independent eternall will and good pleasure of God in his free purpose and appointment of vs vnto eternall life Let all aduersaries here stop their mouthes and be couered with confusion of face that goe about to robbe God of this his great glory while they would haue Gods electing of vs to depend vpon the free-will and work of man and Gods will and pleasure to bee no more but a consequence of their wils which qualities and actions in them God fore-seeing from all eternity say they did thereupon will that such should be saued according as he saw they would both receiue grace offered and retaine the same vnto the end And this they will haue to be the very substance and whole contents of the Gospell O for a Gagge for this new Gospell Nay no Gospell but it is the old spell of the Serpent which subtile though it were yet it is foolishnesse with God Ye shall be as Gods knowing good and euill That is as some learned Interpreters note vpon it the Serpent would perswade mankinde as indeede he did that hee should not neede any further Gods wisedome and counsell for direction themselues should bee thenceforth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe-wise sufficient yea euen as Gods knowing all things And Salomon saith Hee that is selfe-wise is a foole yea a foole of all fooles Well yet this Doctrine of the Serpent did not directly though by consequence it did exalt man aboue God but onely seemed to place him in an equall ranke with him But this Doctrine built vpon that foundation of the Serpent is now erected so high as it surmounts the Throne of God Now must God become inferiour to his creature his Souereigne will must daunce attendance at the doore of mans will Onely they haue left God his bare prescience as if he were no better than a poore Prognosticator or Fortune-teller And yet if this hellish and blasphemous doctrine were to bee found onely amongst those ancient Heretiques the Pelagians or among their successors the Pontificians it were but dignum patella operculum no maruaile if they that are of their Father the Deuill doe the workes of their Father The Lord Christ keepe out or whippe out this dotage yea this doctrine of Deuils out of his Schoole Let such vncleane Birds neuer nestle or roost in Christian Nurceries But passe wee to the next point in the definition From the perennious and pure fountaine of Gods will and pleasure doe flow all the riuers of the waters of life towards the creature as first in Gods eternall electing out of the corrupt masse of mankinde a certaine number of men This election of God is the prime and proper act of his good pleasure and will As Ephes. 1. 4. 15. Verses So Deut. 7. 6. 7. 8. Vers. where we haue a type of his election in the children of Israel flowing from the free loue and fauour of God But this reflecteth vpon that before sufficiently confirming this Againe this election is of a certaine number of men I say of a certaine number not of all as some absurdly affirme which is against the nature of an election For Electio est aliquorum non omnium Election is of some not of all as the word it selfe also importeth signifying to gather out from among others Againe a certaine number and definite not vncertaine and indefinite as the Pontificians teach The number of the Elect of God is a certaine and fixed number Hereupon Augustine saith Qui praedestinati sunt in