much Chapter 9. Proouing That true Merite and condigne Merite is all one That the regenerate doe Good works and receiue reward aboue their desertes That Good workes doe follow Iustification but goe not before the same That the best Workes of the regenerate are stayned with sinne and in rigour of Iustice deserue eternall death That Good workes are so necessarie to attaine eternall life as the way and meanes by which God hath decreed to bring his chosen to it but not as the cause thereof as without them it can not be had That Good workes are the effectes of Predestination depending vpon it not it vpon them That Good workes in a godly sense may be called Meritorious that is they so please God that of mercie he rewardeth them That without the mercie and promise of God they doe not merite Heauen That Charitie is not the forme of Fayth That Fayth as a worker doth not iustifie but respectiuely as an instrument apprehending Christes merites and applying them vnto vs. That Good workes though they be neither the efficient nor the formall nor the finall cause of Iustification which euer goeth before them yet are they the materiall cause and cause sine qua non as the Schooles tearme it the cause or condition without which Iustification shall not haue effect That Good workes must be done for three respectes That Gods Promise doth not make Good workes to be condignely worthy of the reward That condigne merite of Workes was not an Article of Popish fayth for more then 1540. yeares after Christ. Chapter 10. Proouing That Transubstantiation is a Monster lately begotten in Germanie and borne in Rome Chapter 11. Proouing That popish Inuocation doth not onely make Saintes the mediatours of Intercession but also of Redemption That it maketh Saintes ioynt purchasers of saluation with Christes most sacred blood so it be not in the same degree That it was not hatched for more then 1160 yeares after Christ. Chapter 12. Of the popish Communion vnder one kind Chapter 13. Of popish priuate Masse Chapter 14. Of Pope Martins Dispensation Chapter 15 Of worshipping of Images Chapter 16. Of Church-seruice in the vulgar tongue Chapter 17. Of the peeces of popish Masse Chapter 18. Of the mysteries of the popish Masse Chapter 19. Of kissing the Popes feete Chapter 20. Of praying vpon Beedes Chapter 21. Of changing the Popes name Chapter 22. Of the Paschal Torch Chapter 23. Of the popish Pax and the mysterie thereof Chapter 24. Of the Popes Bulles Chapter 25. Of the popish Agnus-dei Chapter 26. Of Candelmas-day Chapter 27. Of the dolefull Oath which popish Byshops make to the Pope Chapter 28. Of the popish Lent-fast Chapter 29. Of the annulling of popish Wedlocke Chapter 30. Of the Popes falsely pretended Superioritie ouer and aboue a generall Councell Chapter 31. Proouing That the Fayth and Doctrine of the Church of England is the old Romane Religion The Iesuites Proeme B. C. INtending to note the principall vntruethes of Bels Pamphlet I haue thought good first to salute his Epistle and see what holsome stuffe hee presenteth in that to his Patrons T. B. I Answere First that If I should stand vpon euery falsehood slaunder and coozening tricke which the Iesuite hath published and handsomely paint him out in his best beseeming colours time would sooner fayle me then matter whereof to speake Howbeit as I meane for the most part to let passe his slaunders his rayling wordes his fooleries his absurdities his contradictions and his impertinent trifles so will I by Gods holy assistance confute all the partes and parcels of his foolish and ridiculous Pamphlet not omitting any thing of any moment in the same Secondly that our Iesuite hath passed ouer in deepe silence my principall and chiefest groundes argumentes authorities reasons as not able to say any thing against them which the iuditious and honest Reader will soone perceiue with all facilitie Thirdly that our Fryer doth but snatch at peeces heere there with the which he thought he might best deale at the least in some colourable shew of wordes But let vs hearken I pray you to that attentiuely which he saith he found in my dedicatorie Epistle B. C. The Minister falleth roundly to the matter presenting his Patrons with a tricke of his occupation in his very first entraunce his wordes be these The visible Church sayth Bell as writeth Egesippus remayned a Virgin free from all heresies and corruptions during the life of the Apostles that is to say about one hundred yeares after Christ to which time S. Iohn the Euangelist was liuing but after the death of the Apostles sayth hee errours by litle and litle crept into the Church as into a voyde and desart House This Collection which Bell hath made is powdred with lies and iugling trickes thicke and threefold Bell belyeth both Egesippus and also Eusebius whom be quoteth in the third Booke of his Historie in the two and thirtie Chapter as the relator of those wordes of Egesippus Read the place he that please no such thing shall there be found nor the name of Egesippus so much as once mentioned The Minister both abuseth his Patrons and others with a notorious vntrueth of his owne fathering that vpon Eusebius which is not there to be found Neither can this dealing of his proceed from other roote then meere malice as whose braines are employed about nothing more then the hammering of lyes cauils and corruptions against the Catholicke fayth T. B. I answere First that the Jesuites accusation which here he maketh against mee is too too grieuous and more then intollerable vnto godly eares For he chargeth mee first to haue powdred mine assertion with lyes and iugling trickes Then to haue done the same thicke and threefold Thirdly to haue belyed both Egesippus Eusebius Fourthly he impudently affirmeth that no such thing can possibly be found as I haue alleadged out of Eusebius Fiftly that my position is so false and so farre from the trueth that the name of Egesippus is not so much as once mentioned Sixtly that I haue of meere malice slaundered Egesippus and Eusebius being men of great learning Secondly that seeing the Diuell is the Father of Lyers the Jesuite may very well be thought to be his only Sonne But how shal this be prooued All that shal read his booke must needes thinke he sayth the trueth because he affirmeth it so impudently confidently I would say This text of Christes holy Ghospell may well be verified in the Jesuites their accursed Iesuited crew They loued the prayâ—e of men more then the glory of God The truth is neuer ashamed she will shew her selfe to the confusion of the newly hatched sect of Jesuites of the late start-vp Romish fayth and religion These are the expresse wordes of Eusebius as Ruffinus a very learned Father who liued aboue 1200. yeares agoe hath translated them Post haec idem scriptor
condignitie of their Workes And the Fryers answere is childish and friuolous when he denieth the loane of the Cloake to haue such virtuall and proportionate equalitie to an Hundred poundes as mans Merites haue to Glory For first the Promise is equall and holdeth in both alike Secondly the Promise doth not adde any Worthines to the worke and consequently there is still as great inequalitie after the Promise as was before the same Thirdly there is infinite distance betweene God and Man the Worke and the Reward as their Angelicall Doctor hath well obserued But the distance and inequalitie betweene the Loane of the Cloake and the Hundred poundes is finite and limited in them both Thus much for this Conclusion If any desire a larger Discourse he may peruse my Suruey and the Downe-fall of Poperie where he shall find soundly answered what possibly can be obiected against the same Note well the eleuenth Conclusion following The 8. Conclusion The doctrine of the Popish Schoole-doctors in which they affirme Charitie to be the forme of Fayth is friuolous ridiculous false erroneous and absurd I prooue it first because in thinges distinguished intrinsecally one can not be the forme of another If our Fryer deny this he will prooue him selfe an Asse Si non actu at saltem in potentia For an Asse by this graunt may be his forme and so giue him the denomination of that worthy Beast Now that Fayth and Charitie are distinct Theologicall virtues S. Paul affirmeth it so plainely as no deniall can be made thereof Secondly because of thinges in perfect essence and nature the latter can not possiblely be the forme of the former and consequently seeing Fayth goeth before Charitie Charitie cannot possiblely be the forme thereof The antecedent is euident because whatsoeuer commeth to a thing after the essentiall constitution thereof is meerely extrinsecall accidentall to the same The consequent is likewise euident because we can neither please God nor yet come to God but by Fayth in him It is the flat and constant Doctrine of the chosen vessell of our Lord Iesus Thirdly because Charitie is the effect and worke of Fayth S. Augustine prooueth it in these golden wordes Oâ—us autem fidej iâ—sa dilectinest But Charitie it selfe is the worke of Fayth This testimonie striketh dead it plainely conuinceth it is vnanswerable The 9. Conclusion Fayth though it be a worke as the Papistes truly obiect yet doth it not iustifie as a worke or qualitie neither yet for any worthinesse or condignitie in the same Explico When we teach hold and defend according to the vniforme consent of the holy Fathers and constant doctrine of the Apostle That man is iustified by Fayth onely without Workes wee neither denie Fayth to be a worke nor yet affirme it to iustifie as a worke For Fayth being taken two wayes properly according to the nature of Fayth and respectiuely as it apprehendeth his obiect it is sayd to iustifie the latter way not the former not as it is an habite in vs but as it apprehendeth Christ without vs. Wee neither make Fayth a part nor yet a cause of our iustification either efficient or formall or finall albeit I willingly graunt hold defend and beleeue that it is the materiall cause that is as the Schooles tearme it Causa sine qua non the cause without which iustification shall not haue effect Which our sauiour Christ sheweth euidently when hee telleth vs That God so loued the World that hee gaue his onely Sonne that none beleeuing in him should perish but haue eternall life And in an other place That whosoeuer beleeue not shal be condemned To which the holy Apostle is consonant when he affirmeth it impossible to please God without Fayth I graunt yet further that when there be many graduall effectes of one and the same cause then the former may fitly be teaâ—med the Materiall cause of the latter and consequently although Good workes can not be any cause of Iustification which goeth before them yet may they be the Materiall cause and causa sine qua non of Saluation which followeth them For Good workes are in sort necessarie to Saluation as is already prooued in the fourth Conclusion For as Vocation Iustification Regeneration and Glorification are the effectes of Predestination euen so by Gods holy ordinaunce being Predestinate we are called by the hearing of his Word vnto Fayth which apprehending the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus is the cause of our Iustification After we be Iustified of our Iustification proceedes Regeneration as who hauing remission of our sinnes and being ingraffed in Christ by Fayth are indewed with more aboundant Grace of his holy spirite through which we are dayly more and more Regenerate and made new creatures in Christ. After we be Regenerate out of our Regeneration spring Good workes both internall and externall as who being made Good trees begin to bring foorth Good fruits and so continuing are brought at the length of Gods free Mercie to the perpetuall possession of Eternall life For the proofe of IustificatioÌ„ by Faith without Workes I referre the Reader to my Suruay which Booke if he once peruse and ponder it seriously he can not but be fully satisfied in this behalfe The 10. Conclusion Good workes though they neither be partes nor causes of Iustification nor merite eternall Glorie condignely as is alreadie prooued yet must wee doe them for these three respectes Gods Ours our Neighbours In respect of God for these three endes First because God hath so commaunded vs This is my Commaundement that ye loue one an other as I haue loued you Againe in these words If ye loue me keepe my coÌ„mandementes Againe thus Bring foorth fruites worthy of repentance Euery Tree that bringeth not foorth good fruite shal be cut downe cast into the fire Againe thus Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule and with all thy minde Againe in these words Bee yee therefore perfect as your heauenly Father is perfect Againe thus He chose vs in Christ that we should be holy in his sight Againe thus Wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works which he hath prepared for vs to walke in Secondly for the Glory of God Let your Light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in Heauen Thirdly to shew our gratitude and thankfulnesse to God for which respect S Paul exhorteth the Râ—manes To offer vp their bodyes a liuely holy and acceptable Sacrifice vnto God Yea the Scriptures teach vs euery where to shew our thankefulnesse vnto God by our holy and godly liues In respect of our selues for sundry endes First to assure vs of our Election Saluation For thus is the Latine vulgar text extolled preferred before all other by the Popish Councell of Trent Quapropter
but perforce abhorre and detest Poperie as a New Religion by litle litle crept into the Church The Jesuites like Gypsies haue inuented a tricke of fast and loose assigning to their Pope a double person Priuate and Publique As a Priuate man they graunt he may both be deceiued himselfe and also deceiue others But that he can erre as a publique person or as Pope of Rome they vtterly deny For if they should once graunt this poynt which is a manifest and knowne truth Poperie would soone be turned vp-side downe Howbeit my saluation I gage for the tryall Fryer Alphonsus decideth the controuersie so plainely as all the Jesuites and Jesuited Papistes in the world are not in trueth able to withstand or gainesay the same Alphonsus sayth constantly and plainely without all And 's and Ifs that Pope Celestine erred not as a Priuate man but euen as Pope and publique person O sweete Iesus ô mercifull God! ô most louing Father how great is the malice and blasphemie of Iesuites and Jesuited Papistes against thine euerlasting Trueth and holy Name With what face can the Iesuiticall Cardinall Bellarmine tell vs that Pope Celestine erred onely as a Priuate man and not as Pope or Publique person When the Papistes like the Popes Decrees then they say hee defined as Pope and Publique person and that none may withstand his definitiue Sentence or once examine the same as is alreadie prooued to their euerlasting shame But when their Pope is conuinced to haue erred so grossely that they know not possibly how to defende him then they are not ashamed to say that hee erred but as a Priuate man Thirdly that the Pope erred in a poynt of great consequence euen in a matter of Popish Fayth viz. that Matrimonie was so dissolued by reason of Heresie that the faythfull man or woman might marrie againe the Hereticall partie lyuing Which thing sayth Alphonsus was manifest to euery one to be an Heresie and their late Councell of Trent hath defined it to be so Fourthly that this Decree and Definition of Pope Celestine was in those dayes enrolled in the Popes Decretals Fiftly that Alphonsus saw and read the same Sixtly that the sayd Decree can not this day be found amongst the Popes Decretall Epistles Where I note by the way and heartily wish the Reader to obserue the same that the decrees of our holy Fathers the Popes haue bin such so much against lately hatched Poperie as they are this day ashamed to bring the same to light But let this be our comfort herein that God hath at all times stirred vp some learned Papistes otherwise deuoted to the Pope who haue boldly vsed their Pennes and Wittes such is the force of trueth to discouer and lay open to the view of the world the deceit coozenage liegerdemayne and cunnicatching tricks of wicked Popes Jesuites all Iesuited Papistes so farre foorth I euer meane as is necessarie for the common good of his Church Now whether our Jesuite be a most notorious lyer or noe let the Reader iudge For if Alphonsus say that the Pope can not erre as Pope and Publique person I am content to be the lyer But if he constantly hold and defend the contrarie as the vndoubted trueth then iudge and censure our Fryer in this as in many other thinges for a shameles and impudent lyer best worthy of the Whetstone I wish he may haue it weare it about his necke as a testimonie of his condigne desertes The 9. Chapter Of the condigne so supposed merit of Good workes FOR the clearer manifestation and illustration of the trueth of this Controuersie I thinke it not amisse to proceed therein by way of Conclusions Which being soundly effected I purpose in God to answere and confute a thing very easie to be done the childish cauils ridiculous euasions and cunnicatching trickes which our Fryer vseth in pleading for the life of their New Religion The first Conclusion The Regenerate doe Good workes which are acceptable in Gods sight and receiue reward farre aboue their Condigne desertes This Conclusion is prooued by many textes of holy Writ Iob is enrolled among the Godly and those that feared God euen by the testimony of God himselfe Abel was slaine of his brother Cain because he feared God and did Good works The Scripture sayth that Noe was a iust man and perfect who therefore with his Familie found fauour in Gods sight in time of the generall Deluge The Angell of God saluting the blessed virgin Marie pronounced her holy aboue all Women Zacharias and Elizabeth his wife were both iust walked in all the Commaundements of God Abraham Moses Dauid Gedeon Sampson Samuel and many others did Workes acceptable in Gods sight Cornelius is highly commended in holy Writ for the Good workes he did Thus much for the former part And for the latter part the Scripture is likewise plentifull Christ himselfe promiseth to reward Good workes so liberally that he will not suffer so much as a Cuppe of cold Water giuen in his name to passe without reward For which cause Moses is said to haue had respect vnto reward And S. Paul teacheth vs that the passions of this life are not worthy of the glory to come In briefe the Popish Fryer Iohn de Combis a very learned Papist in his Theological Abridgement affirmeth it to be a maxime with God euer to reward vs aboue our well doinges and to punish vs lesse then our euill demerites These are his expresse wordes Et hoc pates quod Deus semper remunerat supra meritum sicut punit citra condignâ—m And this is euident because God euer rewardeth aboue our merites and punisheth vs lesse then we be worthy Where I may not passe ouer in silence the blasphemie of the Rhemistes against the effect of Christes Passion while they affirme Christ not to haue so fully satisfied for our sinnes but that wee are still bound to satisfie each man in particular for his owne sinnes For most true it is as I haue prooued in sundry places of this Discourse that Christ hath so sufficiently satisfied for all his Elect and so answered the iustice of God for punishment of their sinnes as they are freely discharged thereof Yet must they willingly suffer to be made conformable to Christ in Suffering as they looke to be like him in Glorie Their sufferings are indeed a condition required to their Glorification but neither a Cause thereof nor any Satisfaction for their sinnes The case is cleare the Scriptures doe euery where insinuate the same They are onely Conditio sine qua non of our Glorification and the necessarie and infallible effectes of our Predestination which they euer follow as Fruites doe the Tree for the afflictions of Gods children though they be a cause working eternall Glorie in the sense afore touched as they be the way by which God hath appoynted them to passe to Glorie yet neither are
they neither any way can they be worthy condigne or truly Meritorious of eternall Glorie But as the troublesome way by which a man passeth to possesse the inheritaunce which his father hath freely giuen him may be sayd to worke and procure the actuall possession of the Inheritaunce not condignely or worthily to deserue the same euen so may our sufferinges be sayd to worke and procure our Glorification as a condition required at our handes or the way by which we must passe to it but neuer to be condigne worthy or meritorious of the same The reward is freely giuen by the Grace of our Adoption but that Grace maketh not our Workes meritorious and worthy of Heauen which they neither doe nor euer can deserue The 2. Conclusion Good Workes follow Iustification but they neither doe nor can goe before the same The latter part is euident because Without Fayth we can not please God Neither Can an euill tree as our maister Christ telleth vs bring foorth good fruite To which I adde with Christes Apostle that Whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne The former part is clearely deduced out of these wordes of our Lord Iesus Euery good tree bringeth foorth good fruite S. Austin pithily prooueth both the partes in these sweete short and golden wordes Opera sequuntur iustificatum non precâ—dunt iustificandum Workes follow him that is alreadie iustified but they goe not before him that is to be iustified The 3. Conclusion The best Workes which the regenerate doe are vnperfect polluted with sinne and in rigour of Iustice Mercie set apart deserue eternall Death I prooue it first because the Prophet of God telleth vs that all our righteousnesse is as filthy cloutes spotted and stayned with sinne Vpon which wordes holy Bernard yeeldeth this most excellent and Christian CoÌ„mentarie Nostra enim siqua est humilis iustitia recta forsitan sed non pura nisi fortè meliores nos esse credimus quam patres nostrâ—s qui non minus veraciter quam humiliter aiâ—bant omnes iustitiae nostrae tanquaÌ„ pannus menstruatae mulieriâ— For our base Iustice if wee haue any is perchaunce right but not pure or perfect vnlesse perhappes we beleeue that we are holier then our Fathers were who sayd as truely as humbly All our Righteousnesse is as filthy Cloutes Thus writeth the Popish Abbot an excellent Learned man Out of whose wordes I obserue first that the best Workes we doe are impure and vnperfect Secondly that our forefathers were as holy and perfect as we are who for all that confessed not onely of humilitie but most truely that our best Workes are vnperfect and stayned with sinne Secondly because S. Paul denied himselfe to be perfect Not saith he as though I had already attayned to it either were already perfect But Christ is our Iustice our sanctification our redemption in him we are perfect and consuÌ„mate Thirdly because the same Bernard hath these golden wordes Quomodo enim pura iustitia vbi adhuc non potest culpa deesse recta quidem interim videri potest iustitia hominum si tamen peccato non consentiant vt non regnet in eorum mortali corpore For how can their Iustice be pure who can not be without sinne Yet may the Iustice of men be right if they consent not to sinne nor suffer it to raigne in their mortall bodyes In which respect S. Iohn sayth That the faythfull sinne not because they suffer not sinne to raigne in them Fourthly because The reward of sinne is death and yet doe the best lyuers offende in many thinges Fiftly because the same Bernarde saith in an other place thus Omne quod natum est ex Deo non peccat sed hoc dictum est de predestinatis ad vitam non quod omnino non peccent sed quod peccatum ipsis non imputetur All that is borne of God sinneth not but this is spoken of the Predestinate to life not because they sinne not at all but for that sinne is not imputed to them Fiftly because S. Austen declareth this so plainely as none that ponder his words seriously can longer stand in doubt thereof these are his expresse wordes Ecce quemadmodum qui ambulant in vijs Domini non operantur peccatum et tamen non sunt sine peccato quia iam non ipsi operantur iniquitatem sed quod habitat in eis peccatum Behold how they that walke in the wayes of the Lord doe not sinne and yet are they not without sinne because now they themselues do not worke iniquitie but the sinne that dwelleth in them This Golden assertion of S Augustine Bernardus that learned religious Abbot coÌ„firmeth in these words Cupiâ—bat dissolui et cum Christo esse sciens quod peccatum separans inter nos et Deum penitus auferri non poterit donec liberemur a corpore Th'apostle desired to be dissolued and to be with Christ knowing that sinne which maketh a diuision betweene God and vs cannot wholly be taken away while we remaine in this body Out of these Testimonies of these great learned Doctors I obserue these memorable documentes First that the Children of God walke in his wayes Secondly that such their walking is vnperfect and polluted with sinne Thirdly that they are not without sinne Fourthly that this their sinne is not actuall and voluntarie but inuoluntarie and originall Fiftly that this originall sinne which still remayneth in the regenerate is such a sinne as maketh a separation betweene them and their God Sixtly because our Reconciliation with God doth not wholly purge vs from all sinne really but onely imputeth not the sinne remayning in vs vnto our charge or condemnation I will alledge the very wordes of the Latine vulgar edition to which all Papistes are tyed by their late councell of Trent Thus writeth the holy Apostle Quoniam quidem Deus erat in Christo mundum reconcilians sibi non reputans illis delicta ipsorum Because God was in Christ when he reconciled the world to him selfe not imputing their sinnes vnto them Thus discourseth S. Paul out of whose wordes I note two Lessons viz. the thing that was done and the manner of doing the same The thing done was the reconciling of the world vnto God The manner thereof was in not imputing their sinnes vnto them not in taking away their sinnes from them Sixtly this Conclusion is prooued at large both in the Chapter of Veniall sinnes in this present Triumph and in the Antepast in the Chapter of Originall Concupiscence See and note well the 7. Conclusion The 4. Conclusion Good Workes are so necessarie to attaine eternall life as the vsuall ordinarie and vndoubted way and meanes by which God in his great mercie and loue decreed from eternitie to bring his Elect to saluation as without the same none euer were are or shal be saued world without end when possibilitie time