satisfaction for their sinnes M. The satisfaction which they maintained was an ecclesiasticall and publike mulct or penalty imposed vpon notorious offenders thereby to testifie their repentance and to satisfie the Church whom they had offended Perkins 1. V. 577 c 2 vol. 165. 2 D. 166. The efficient causâ— of our iustification is God alone It is God onely that forgiueth our sinnes Esa 43.25 Mar. 2.7 Ro. 8.33 They teach that the Pope can forgiue sinnes and we know that he giues pardons not only for the time past but also for the time to come yea they teach that priests haue right to remit sinnes and they alleadge these places to proue it Math. 16.19 Ioh. 20.23 Now we are to note this that as none can forgiue a debt but the party to whom the debt is due so none can forgiue sinnes but God onely against whom the sinne is committed Ps 51.4 The power of binding and loosing committed to the Apostles Ministers of the Word is by declaring the will and pleasure of GOD out of his Word both to pronounce forgiuenes of sinnes to all that are truely penitent and the retayning of them to the impenitent The Pope and his Clergie are neuer able to proue themselues to bee the true Ministers of Christ and they cannot so much as challenge this latter authoritie and power to themselues much lesse the former which is proper to God onely The motiue or impulsiue cause which moued God to iustifie vs was not any thing in vs but onely the grace of God that is the free good will and pleasure of God Rom. 3.24 Eph. 2.8 Tit. 3.5 7. They teach that wee are not iustified by grace onely but by workes also that is by the merit of our works And to this end they haue of late yeeres deuised a first second Iustification The first is when a sinner of an euill man is made a good man and this they say commeth onely of Gods mercy by the merit of Christ The second is when one of a good or iust man is made better and more iust and this proceedeth from workes But we are to know that there are not two kinds of iustification a first and second but one and the same iustification considered in different respects In respect of Gods actuall acceptation of a mans person iustification is absolute but in respect of the actuall application and manifestation of Gods acceptation vnto a mans conscience iustification is by parts and degrees M. Scudder on the Lords Prayer pag. 303. to 309. And further we are to note that the Papists second iustification is no other then sanctification which is an effect fruit of iustification the which is imperfect not able to iustifie vs before God The materiall cause of our iustification is the actiue and passiue righteousnesse and obedience of Iesus Christ his inherent holinesse his fulfilling of the Law his death sacrifice and full satisfaction The formall cause or the forme of iustification is the righteousnesse of Christ imputed of God vnto vs Rom. 5.19 Rom. 4 5 6 7 8. 1. Cor. 1.30 2. Cor. 5.19 21. Phil. 3.9 The Papists deride this doctrine that Men are iustified by the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ which righteousnesse is not in vs but in Christ The Rhemists call it a new no-iustice a phantasticall apprehension of that which is not Rhem. on Ro. 3. Sect 7. They hold them accursed that so affirme and teach And they teach that the onely formall cause of our iustificaâ—ion is the iustice of God whereby wee are not reputed and â—ccounted iust but are made iust indeed and this iustice is â—hat which euery man hath within himselfe and is inherent â—n him Concil Trid. Sess 6. can 10 11. Rhem. on Phil. cha 3. Sect. 3. â—he instrumentall cause of iustification on our part is a true â—nd liuely faith whereby wee receiue and apply vnto our selues the mercy of God Christ Iesus and all his benefits resting vpon him alone for saluation They teach that faith doth not iustifie as an instrument in apprehending the righteousnesse of Christ but as a proper and true cause it actually iustifieth by the dignity worthinesse and meritorious worke thereof Bellar. l. 1. de iustificat cap. 17. They teach also that faith is not the onely cause of our iustification but that there are other also as hope charity almes-deeds and other vertues yea they say that workes are more principall then faith in the matter of iustification and pronounce him accursed that shall say a man is iustified onely by faith Rhem. on Rom. 8. Sect. 6. and on Iâ—m 2. Sect. 7. Bellar. l. 1 de iustif c. 13. Concil Trid. Sess 6 Can. 9. These and other such like things they teach contrary to the doctrine of iustification which is a maine ground of Religion And if there were no more points of difference betweene vs these were sufficient to keepe vs from vniting of our Religions for heereby the Church of Rome doth raze the very foundation C. You said before that we are iustified freely I would know how this can be if we be iustified by the righteousnes and for the merit of Christ M. Because the Decree of God the Father for our Redemption is free and we pay nothing againe to God of our owne And therefore by the word freely our merits are excluded but not Christs By which it appeareth that in respect of our selues we are iustified freely of Gods meere mercy and grace without any respect of our owne righteousneâ— or worthinesse but yet through Christ and for his righteouâ—nesse and obedience imputed to vs both which are signifieâ— by the Apostle Rom. 3.23 24. C. Shew me I pray you what is meant by Merit what the dectâ—â— of the Papists is concerning merit and whether that our workes be mâ—â—â—orious or no. M. By Merit wee vnderstand any thing or any workeâ— whereby Gods fauour and life euerlasting is procured 〈◊〉 that for the dignitie and excellency of the worke or thiâ— done Now the true merit whereby wee looke to attaine the fauour of God and life euerlasting is to be found in the person of Christ alone in whom God is well pleased The Papists make two kindes of merit the merit of the person and the merit of the worke The merit of the person is as they say a dignitie in the person whereby it is worthy of life euerlasting The merit of the worke is a dignitie or excellency in the worke whereby it is made fit and inabled to deserue life euerlasting for the doer of the worke See Rhem. on Rom. 8. Sect. 5. We now doe renounce our owne personall merits and all merit of our owne workes and rely onely vpon the merits of Christ and we hold that no workes of ours can merit That no man by any workes of his can merit may bee proued by the properties and conditions that must bee in a worke meritorious and they are fiue First the worke must be absolutely perfect
this meanes it came to passe that Christ was free from all spot Concil Trid. Sess 5. Cap. 1. â—peccato originali And so herein they do altogether ouerthroâ— this Article of Christs conception by the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 whose onely power the Scripture doth impute Christs holinesse and not the Virgin Marie which was no lesse then all others conceiued and borne in sinne did need Christ to be her Mediator as wel as the rest of mankind There was a long time a foule stirre in the Church of Rome betweene the Dominicans and the Franciscans about this point Acts and Monuments pa. 732. It was the common opinion of Fathers and Writers vntill Lumbards time which was about the yeere 1150. that she was conceiued in Original sinne Perkins 2. Vol. 596. In the fourth Article wee professe that Christ suffered c. by which he hath made a full and perfect satisfaction for the sinnes of his elect and for the whole punishment thereof both eternall and temporall The Papists teach that Christ hath satisfied for sinnes going before Baptisme but concerning sinnes following Baptisme the fault is remitted by the Passion of Christ and the punishment which of infinite is made finite is to be satisfied for by men themselues either heere or in Purgatorie that is men themselues must satisfie the iustice of God for the temporall punishment of their offences either on earth or in Purgatorie There is say they a certaine infernall place in the earth called Purgatory in the which as in a prison-house the soules which were not fully purged in this life are there clensed and purged by fire before they can be receiued into heauen Bell. de Purgat lib. 1. cap. 1. and cap. 3. lib. 2. cap. 6. Rhem. on 1. Cor. 3. Sect. 4. They say also that it is an Article of faith to beleeue that there is a Purgatorie and that he which beleeues it not is â—â—re to goe to hell Bellar. ibid. l. 1. c. 15. But this is so farre from â—eing an Article of faith as that it is a meere fable and conâ—rarie to an Article of faith The bloud of Christ is the Purâ—atory of our sinnes 1. Ioh. 1.7 Afflictions are called the fieâ— tryall 1. Pet. 1.7.4.12 whereby wee are clensed from our â—orruption as gold is froÌ„ the drosse by fire No other Purgaâ—â—rie is to be found in Scriptures The Scriptures mentioÌ„ but two sorts of men beleeuers and vnbeleeuers and but two places after this for them heauen for the one and hell for the other Luke 16.25 26. Iohn 3.36 Reuelation 20.14 15.21.7 8. They that dye in the Lord rest from their labours which cannot be true if any of them goe to Purgatorie Their workes follow them that is the reward of their workes Reuel 14.13 If any man should haue gone to Purgatorie then the thiefe vpon the Crosse had gone thither who repenting at his end wanted time to make satisfaction for the temporall punishment of his sinnes but Christ said to him To day shalt thou bee with me in Paradise The doctrine of Purgatorie came into the Church out of the Heathen writers for the Philosophers and Poets were the first that euer wrote of it and Popish Purgatorie was vnknowne to the Fathers many hundred yeeres after Christ Perkins 2. Vol 568.569 C. If Purgatorie be but a fable contrary to an Article of faith then what is the cause that the Church of Rome so stifty maintaines it M. There is great cause why they should so doe for it keepes in the fire in the Popes Kitchin for if the fire of Purgatorie were not great the fire in the Popes Kitchin would be but small for by this meanes they haue store of money for Pardons Masses Diriges and other such like trumperies DIALOGVE 5. C. Doe they teach any thing else contrary to the Creede M. Yes The sixth Article saith that Christ ascended into Heauen c. and the Scriptures say that the Heauens must containe him c. Acts. 1.11.3.21 They teach contrarie hereunto namely that Christ is corporally present in thâ— Sacrament and that in many places at once The which 〈◊〉 contrary to the nature of a true body and contrarie to thâ— nature of the Sacrament which is a remembrance 〈◊〉 Christ Virgilius against Eutyches lib. 4. saith thus When 〈◊〉 that is the flesh of Christ was on earth it was not in heâ—uen and because it is now in Heauen it is not on eartâ— This is the Catholike faith and confession It is an Artiâ— of faith to beleeue the Catholike Church and faith is the euidence of things not seene Heb. 11.1 Therefore the Catholike Church is alwaies vnto the world inuisible and not to be espied but by the eyes of faith because things seene are not beleeued The Papists teach that the Catholike Church is and hath bin alwaies visible Rhem. on Mat. 5. Sect. 3. The Church is said to be Catholike that is vniuersall because it is not tyed to any one speciall place but is spred abroad ouer the face of the earth They tye it to Rome alone which can be but a particular Church not vniuersall In the Church there is a Communion of Saints and these are they that are sanctified by the bloud and Spirit of Christ hauing the perfect holines of Christ put vpon them by imputation of faith and the quality of imperfect holines powred into their heart by the Spirit of sanctification And such are the Faithfull here on earth 1. Cor. 1.2 Psal 16.2 The Papists acknowledge none to bee Saints but such as are in heauen They teach that the Pope can canonize Saints whereas to make one a Saint is onely the worke of God 1. Cor. 11. The Pope hath canonized many that indeede were neuer true Saints of God but wicked men and ranke Traitours to their Princes as Becket with many others This canonizing of Saints was neuer heard of with the Fathers vntill the yeere 880. and then Adrian tooke vp this authoritie And Alexander the Third after him confirmed it in his decrees In the Creede we professe to beleeue the forgiuenesse of sinnes that is I beleeue that God for Christ his sake doth freely forgiue the sinnes of his Elect and my sinnes also And herein consisteth our iustification namely in the free forgiuenes of our sinnes and the imputation of Christs righteousnes to vs. The Papists teach many things contrary to this Article First that men are to make satisfaction for their sinnes Now satisfaction for sinnes and forgiuenes of sinnes are contraries If we satisfie in our own person wee are not iustified freely if we be iustified freely as most certainely we are Rom. 3.23 then we make no satisfaction at all If a man can satisfie and pay a debt then he needes no forgiuenesse but if the debt bee forgiuen him then it is plaine that there is no satisfaction made The satisfaction for our sinnes was made by Christ and not by vs. C. Did not the ancient Fathers teach men to make
Trent This concupiscence which the Apostle sometime calleth sinne the holy Synod declareth that the Catholike Church did neuer vnderstand to be called sinne because it is truely properly sinne in the regenerate but because it commeth of sinne and inclineth vnto sinne If any man thinke the contrarie let him be accursed Sess 5. cap. 1. de pecc orig Wherein they both decree against the Apostle himselfe Rom. 7.23 and also they gaine say themselues for if this concupiscence boile out of originall sinne as out of a fountaine and that is damnable it followeth that concupiscence or lust is also sinne before God and doth deserue condemnation They say that in the regenerate it is veniall But this is an vndoubted principle that all sinnes in themselues and their owne nature are mortall And concerning this veniall sinne it was not knowne among the Fathers for 700. yeeres after Christ And thus you see what grosse things they both teach and practise contrary to the Commandements of God whereby it plainely appeareth that Popery cannot bee of God for thus I reason Whatsoeuer religion doth teach things contrary to the Commandements of God is not of God but Poperie doth so and therefore it is not of GOD and so by good consequence Papists cannot be good Catholikes DIALOGVE 13. C. Hitherto you haue shewed that the Papists teach many things contrary to the Creede the Sacraments and the ten Commandements now tell me I pray you whether they teach any thing contrary to the Lords Prayer M. They doe likewise teach practise many things contrarie thereunto I will but onely name some of them The Lords Prayer teacheth vs to call vpon God only They teach and practise prayer to Saints In the first Petition we pray for the hallowing of Gods Name They giue vnto Saints departed that which is proper to God and so dishonour Gods Name In the second petition we pray for the erecting of Gods Kingdome of grace in our hearts and also for the meanes thereof namely the preaching hearing of Gods Word They hinder the comming of Gods Kingdome in reiecting the Word of God and in persecuting such as will preach heare and reade it Contrary to the third petition is their doctrine of free-will Contrary to the fifth petition is their doctrine of satisfaction for sin In the sixth petition we pray for strength to withstand Satan his temptations They teach people to driue away the Diuell with holy-water and such like childish toyes These and other such like things they teach and practise contrary to the Lords Prayâ—r DIALOGVE 14. C. If Popery be so contrary to the grounds of Religion then we may â—ot ioyne with the Papists in their profession M. It is true indeede we must therefore doe as the Lord â—â—de Ieremy Chap. 15.19 Let them returne to thee but reâ—urne not thou to them We may ioyne with them in respect â—f ciuill societie but not in respect of Religion and yet eâ—en then we are to take heed left we be corrupted by them â—r he that toucheth Pitch shall be defiled therewith Some thinke that our Religion and the religion of the present Church of Rome are all one for substance and that they may be vnited but they are grosely deceiued for an vnion of these two Religions can neuer be made more then the vnion of light and darknesse and that because the Church of Rome as hath at large bin shewed hath strooke at the very foundation C. If Poperie bee so contrary to the very grounds of Religion then what is the cause that so many yea of the more wise and learned sort do embrace and cleaue to it M. One speciall cause of it is that because men will not receiue the loue of the Trueth therefore God will send them strong delusion that they should beleeue a lie 2. Thes 2.10 11. A second cause is ignorance of the Scriptures and of the grounds of Religion for if men would well acquaint themselues herewith they should easily see the grossenesse of Poperie A third cause is that Popery is very agreeable and pleasing to mans corrupt nature As for example to be iustified by our good works to haue images to worship God in to liue in ignorance to haue pardons for our sinnes to serue God in outward ceremonies as in choice of meate difference of dayes c. these are things very agreeable pleasing to our corrupt nature and therefore one especiall cause why so many embrace Popery A fourth cause is the tyranny of the Church of Rome whose chiefe meanes to vphold her religion is fire sword for were it not for this many thousands in a few yeers would vtterly renounce Popery A fifth cause why so many especially of the Learned dâ— embrace it is pompe and profit that is ambition and couetousnesse This was that which made the Scribes and Pharises eueâ— against their owne knowledge to withstand Christ and 〈◊〉 Gospell And this makes many learned Papists ro do the like They know no doubt that in some things they erre as it doth appeare by the words of Stephen Gardiner on his death bed The Bishop of Chichester seeing him to be in a desperate case comforteth him with the hope of remission of sinnes by the merits of Christ Gardiner hereunto answereth thus What will you open that gappe now you may speake it to me and to such as are in my case but if you teach it to the people then farewell all meaning our authority pompe and profit by absolutions Masses c. These are the speciall causes why so many embrace Popery C. There is one thing more that I would gladly know concerning the Papists and that is whether a Papist may be saued seeing that Popeâ—ie is so contrary to the grounds of Religion M. You are then to marke what a Papist is A Papist as the Rhemists on Acts 11. Sect. 4. doe describe him is one that cleaueth to the Pope in Religion and is obedient to him in all things Euery one now that is vnder the iurisdictioÌ„ of the Pope is not to be counted a Papist for there are some euen in Italy â—paine c. that hold the Grounds of Religion doe sigh and â—rone vnder the Romish yoke and desire to be free'd from 〈◊〉 yea would reioyce to see it Againe there may be some that for want of knowledge â—nd the meanes thereof are entangled with some points of â—opery but yet they hold the foundation which is CHRIST â—ESVS and looke to be saued by his merits and not by their â—wne or any others Such we account not Papists but the â—â—e Church and children of GOD. But by Papists wee meane such as cleaue fast to the Pope in Religion are in all â—â—ings obedient to him will not be reclaimed from their erâ—â—urs refuse to heare the Word of God to read the Scripâ—â—res or any other good bookes Of such we may boldly say â—â—t if they thus continue to the end they cannot be saued DIALOGVE 15. C. I