whereof as many their notable lessons did aboundantly declare so aboue all other who can wonder enough at that heauenly voyce of Scipio the Romayne surnamed Affricanus being an Ethnicke whereof Marcus Cicero doth make relatiō in his Treatize called the dreame of Scipio Writing on this wise There is sayth he a certayne sure and determined place reserued in heauē for all such as do preserue ayd aduaunce their natiue coūtrey where they shall liue in euerlasting felicity for euer and euer There is nothing more acceptable to that high and mighty God that guideth and ruleth all the world amongest all the actions of men then counsailes corporations and societies of men lincked and knitt together with orders and lawes which are called Citties c. If we regard the iudgement of the flesh what sentence cann be spoken more plausible or more notable in the singler commendation of vertue then this was which doth assure the good deseruinges and mutuall amities of men ech towardes other exercised here of eternall and infallible rest and ioyes in heauen Go to And what is it els almost that this diuinitye of Osorius doth trayne vs vnto then to teach the very same that Scipio the Romaine did namely That there is no passable way to the attaynmēt of the blessed felycyty of eternall lyfe then that whych is atchyeued by godly actions wyth an absolute integryty of excellent life Pag. 32. But heauenly Philosophy doth direct vs a farre more neare way The heauenly Scholemaister doth out of heauen display abroad and chalke vs out a speédier way and an easier iourney towardes heauen teaching vs in the Gospell on this wise I am sayth he the way the trueth and the life Neither will Osorius deny this to be true I know in word but in deéd what doth he els then deny it For to admitt him his saying that there is no passable way to heauen but which is purchased with absolute perfection of life what may we winne hereof els but that this way to heauē be not Christ but the speciall prerogatiue of our owne purchase So that by this reasō if our owne industry do satisfy all thinges what neéd is there of Christ thē or to what vse will his death and passion auayle yes forsooth to this purpose you will say that by the merite of his passiō he may purchase for vs the grace and gift of sanctification regeneration wherewith being once endued hereof fortwith springeth that excellency of absolute perfection and other ornamentes of charity and vertues which will make vs an easy passage into the kingdome of heauen What then doe you so depaynt vs out the whole office and power of Christ in this one onely action namely that he shall powre out vpō vs new qualityes godly actions by the Deuine operation of the holy ghost what doth he not redeéme vs also doth he not iustify vs and reconcile vs yes What els you will say Doth he iustify all men without exception or the faythfull onely if he doe iustify them onely that do beleue I do demaūd further what the cause is why they be iustified Is it for their faythe 's sake or for their workes sake If it be for their faythe 's sake I aske againe whether for faith onely or faith ioyned with good workes I do here expect some oracle frō you for an aūswere hereunto If you finde that there is no hope of any thing to be iustified by wtout fayth then must you neédes alter your foundation that you grounded vpon before to witt That there is no passable way to heauen but whych is atchyued wyth godly actions of thys lyfe Pag. 32. And that it is onely righteousnesse that doth obtayne the fauour of God to Mankynde Pag. 142. And in an other place That fayth onely is onely rashnesse Pag. 74. What shall fayth therefore be quite banished away No but you will couple her with some copemate that neither Fayth without the company of good workes nor workes without the cōpany of Fayth may be able to procure righteousnes But this knott will the aucthoritie of the Scriptures easily cracke in peéces for if Fayth onely doe not aduaunce the faythfull to saluation except it be coupled with excellēt integritie of life why did not Christ thē couple them together whē he spake simply Hè that beleeueth in me hath euerlasting life Why did not Peter couple them together when he doth preach Remission of Sinnes vnto all as many as doe beleeue in his name prouyng the same by the Testimonies of the Prophetes Act. 10. why did not Paule couple them together Actes 16. where he instructeth the Gaylor in Fayth Beleeue sayth he in the Lord Iesus and thou and all thy houshold shal be saued Many Sentences might be vouched purportyng the same in effect but it shall suffice to haue noted these fewe for breuities sake The History of the Galathians is notably knowen who beyng seduced by the false Apostles did not simply reuolt frō Christ nor did simply abandone their Fayth in Christ but endeuoured to couple the good workes of the beleéuers together with Fayth in the Article of Iustification before God for the attaynemēt of lyfe euerlastyng On which behalfe how sternely and sharpely the Apostle did reproue them his owne Epistle beareth sufficient Testimony But here commeth a Reply by and by out of the same Epistle where writyng to the Galathians he doth treate vpon such a fayth as doth worke by loue Upon this place Osorius agreéyng with the Tridentine Councell doth builde an vnseparable coniūction of Fayth and Charitie together so that Fayth without Charitie as an vnshapen and vnformed Image is altogether vneffectuall to the absolute fullnes and perfect accomplishment of righteousnes But that Charitie which they call a righteousnesse cleauyng fast within vs is so vnable to be seuered a sunder from the worke of Iustification that they dare boldly pronoūce that it is the onely formall cause of our Iustification To satisfie this place of S. Paule here is an easie and a Resolute aunswere For in the same Epistle the Apostle doth endeuour by all meanes possible to call backe agayne his Galathians to the onely righteousnesse of Fayth from whence they were backslyden and withall bycause they should not be seduced with a vayne persuasion of counterfaict Fayth he doth discouer vnto them what kynde of Fayth it is which he doth meane Not the fayth that is idle and dead without workes but which doth worke by Fayth sayth he And in this respect it is most true that Fayth is not alone But what maner of concludyng an Argument is this Liuely Fayth is not alone without Charitie Ergo Not Fayth onely but coupled with Charitie doth Iustifie The Argument that is deriued from thynges setterer by nature to thynges coupled by nature concludyng from that which is Secundum quid ad Simpliciter is worthely reiected in the Logicians Schoole and is called a meére
Sophistication If all thyngs that goe commonly after a certein maner together be done together must be coupled applyed to one and the selfe same operationÌ„ by this Reason it must come to passe that he that hath feéte eyes and eares and haue them not by them selues alone therefore he shal be supposed to goe not vpon his feéte onely but to walke vpon his eyes and to seé with his eares For the matter goeth none otherwise in Fayth Hope and Charitie which threé heauenly Iewelles albeit be instilled into vs by the freé liberalitie of God with Remission of Sinnes and cleaue fast within one subiect yet euery of them are distinguished by their seuerall properties and functions notwithstandyng As for Example If a question be demaunded what thyng it is that doth Iustifie vs in the sight of God and obteine vs euerlastyng lyfe I doe aunswere that it is Fayth yea and Fayth onely If you demaunde by what meanes I do aunswere through Iesus Christ the Mediatour Agayne if you aske what kynde of Fayth that is I do aunswere not an idle nor a dead Fayth but a liuely Fayth and a workyng Fayth If you will demaunde further by what markes you may be able to discerne a true Fayth from a false Fayth S. Paule will make aunswere vnto you The true Fayth is that which worketh by Charitie If you will demaunde further yet what this Fayth worketh I doe aunswere accordyng to the seuerall properties thereof two maner of wayes namely Fayth worketh Saluation thorough Christ and it worketh obedience of the law by Charitie what absolute obedience I doe not thinke so What then vnperfect obedience But such a Fayth must neédes be insufficient to the full measure of absolute righteousnesse and perfect felicity And where is now that excellent integritie of lyfe which doth purchase vs a way into the kyngdome of heauen where is the effectualnesse of Charitie auayleable to eternall lyfe where is that solemne Decreé of that Tridentine CouÌ„cell which doth ascribe the onely begynnyng of our Iustification to Fayth but maketh the Formall cause thereof onely Charitie as a certein new kynde of obedience which they call a righteousnesse cleauyng fast within vs whereby we are not onely accompted righteous but be both truely called righteous and be also truely righteous in the sight of God Annexing thereunto a very dreadfull and terrible curse If any man dare presume to say that man is iustified either by the onely Imputation of Christes Righteousnesse or by onely Remission of Sinnes excludyng Grace and Charitie which is poured forth into their hartes by the holy Ghost and cleaueth fast within them or if any man will presume to say that the Grace whereby we be Iustified is the onely fauour and mercy of God Lett him stand accursed And agayne in the Cannon followyng If any man dare presume to say that Iustifiyng Fayth is nothyng els then a CoÌ„fidence of Gods mercy forgeuyng Sinnes for Christes sake or to be that onely affiauÌ„ce whereby we be Iustified lett hym be holden accursed Behold here learned Reader a notable Decreé of this Councell which when these graue Fathers did coyne may any man dought but that the Maister of the Familie was a sleépe when the enuious maÌ„ did scatter abroad darnell emongest his wheate They doe discourse and determine vpon Iustification but none otherwise then as they might argue in Aristotles schoole about naturall causes or powers of the soule For how much more nycely could Aristotle him selfe the Prince of the Peripateticall Schoole dispute if he hadd accoÌ„panyed them and debatyng this cause together with that Ghostly Councell then Osorius and the Tridentine Deuines did Philosophically dispute of the formall cause of Iustification which consideration of doctrine if must be holden for an infallible foundation then lett vs be bold and blush not to roote out withall the whole natiue and essentiall substaunce of all mysticall Diuinitie and lett vs raâ—e out the very foundations of all our Religion For if the state of our Saluation be come to this passe that it must be established by merites not by freé Imputation onely where then is that righteousnesse which is called the righteousnesse of Fayth the force and power whereof is so highely and often aduaunced by Paule what shall become of the difference betwixt the law and the Gospell which if be not obserued very diligently we shall wander and straggle blindely in the course of the Scriptures none otherwise then as wantes and rearemyce at the bright beames of the cleare Sunne Moreouer what shall become of that Antithesis of Paule betwixt the righteousnesse of the law and Fayth betwixt grace and merite what shall become of all that excluding of glorious boastyng vpon workes where is that Fayth Imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse Moreouer how shall this saying of Paule agreé with these Tridentine Lawgeuers to witte Not to him that worketh but vnto him that beleeueth on him that doth Iustifie the wicked Sinner Fayth is imputed for righteousnesse Moreouer what shall become of those exceptiue exclusiue senteÌ„ces of S. Paule wherein all the consideration of our Saluation beyng taken away from confidence in workes is ascribed wholy to Imputation Finally what shall become of all those sweét and most amiable promises of God if according to the rule of this doctrine we shal be excluded from our assurednesse of Saluation and Gods freé imputation We do heare the Lord promising in the Gospell When you haue lifted vpp the Sonne of man on high I will draw all things vnto my selfe And how cann this be true if all assurednesse must be attributed to merites according to the TrideÌ„tines Not so simply to merits say they but we do couple Grace therewith which grace because is not receiued but through the merites of Christ herefore there it commeth to passe that the merite of Christ is so farr forth effectuall to vs in the worke of our saluation as God doth powre into vs the measure of his grace to worke well O notable Deuines But goe to that I may the better aunswere them may I be so bold to demaund a question or two touching Abraham whose workes if we behold what thing coulde be more holy If we respect the vprightnes of his life what was more excellent if we regard the grace of his sanctificatioÌ„ and renouacioÌ„ where was it euer more pleÌ„tifull in any man And now lett vs heare the iudgement of S. Paule concerning all those so manifold and wonderfull workes For if Abraham haue anye thing whereupon he may glory sayth he he hath it in respect of meÌ„ but not of God What where the most excellent workes of Abraham are nothing worth shall our most filthy workes be auayleables Lett vs haue recourse to the first creation of mankinde and lett vs call to remembraunce the auncient age of our first Parent Adam who alone tasting of the forbidden fruite did he
newe What was the chiefe cause and meanes of the Restoring the trueth of the Gospell The Arte of Imprinting was a singuler gift of God The yeare of Antichrist 666. Osori pag. 212. 213. Osorius exhortation to Queene Elizabeth Osor. pag. 211. Pestiferous Councell The Troiane horse Osori pag. 214. In matters of Religion it is more meete to deale with mens cōsciences rather then with Princes only Osor. quarrell for the Popes Chayre Osori pag. 214. Osori pag. 214. A slaunderous cauillation agaynst Haddon Why Oso bookes treating of Religion haue no force to perswade The constācye of Queene Elizabeth in defending Christian Religion Osor. pag. 214. Osorius reproch against the Lutherans The wonderful prouidence of God in the preseruation of Elizabeth our Queene The tēpest of Queene Maries persecution Apoca. 18. Horace ser. lib. 2. satir. 3 The circumcision of the crowne amōgest the Papistes Osor. pag. 215. Osor. pag. 216. The knowledge of the Scriptures doth apperteigne to all men indifferently 1. Tim. 5. Osor. doth build Memphyticall Steeples In fewe wordes much matter In many wordes nothing at all Osor. wrytinges discussed A recapitulation of all Osorius Epistle to the Queene What doth want in Osorius bookes Osori pag. 216. Osori but a greene souldiour God doth auenge him of the persecution of his Gospell Pag. 216. English Papistes Osori pag. 216. Osori pag. 117. Ausonius Tit. 3. Osori pag. 217. Osorius Epistle to Queene Elizabeth how full it is of slaunderous reproches Osori pag. 217. Antithesis a figure whereby one contrary is ioyned for an other A Comparison betwixt Haddon and Osorius Osor. pag. 217. Osor. charity for our sauety Cicero in his 1. Booke of duetyes Psal. 140. Osori carefull of our sauety The way to saluatiō after Osorius Rule Osor. diuinity is Philosophicall Cicero in the dreame of Scipio Iohn 14. Faith is not coupled with Charitie in the Article of Iustificatiō Iohn 6. Actes 10. Actes 16. Galath The Triden tyne Counsayle Ses. 6. Cap. 7. The fallax from the Diuision to the Coniunction Onely faith worketh Iustificatiō but is not alone In what respectes Fayth hope and Charitie be coupled What fayth doth worke through loue A new kynde of obediēce but vnperfect The formall cause of Iustification accordyng to the Tridentynes The Councell of Trident Canō 11. Canon 12. Math. 13. Rom. 4. How much the merite of Christes death and passion may auayle vnto vs according to the Tridentyne Councell An Argument agaynst the Trydentines deriued from Abraham An Argumēt against the Tridentines deriued from the Type of Adam An Argumēt agaynst the Tridentines deriued from the Type of the Brasen Serpent An Argumēt against the Tridentines deriued from S. Paule 2. Cor. 5. An Argument of the Tridentine Councell agaynst righteousnesse of fayth An Aunswere out of Augustin◠New obedience is not the cause but the fruite of Iustification The Assertion of the Tridentines confuted It is proued that Iustification in the sight of God is nothing els then the Remission of Sinnes agaynst the Tridentines The state of the questiō Two kindes of questions Rom. 3. Galath 2. To lyue Through fayth When good workes be necessary Wherefore fayth onely doth iustify Fayth worketh by loue but not as effectuall to eternall life Apoca. 3. A Collect. for the kingdome of England Onely Christ is to be called vpon as a Mediatour The death of the body the soule swallowed by Christ onely The Conquest ouer the Empire of Sathan 2. Thes. 2. The Childe of Perditiō Apoc. 18. Apocal. 14. Be not light of beliefe Osor. lib. 2. de iustitia Pag. 31. Thou onely art holy
with the Gospell the persons with the thynges them selues righteousnesse of fayth with righteousnesse of workes neither noteth which are the naturall causes of the thynges nor which are the proper effectes of the causes but disguiseth the causes vnder title of effectes and effectes likewise misturneth into causes For where as workes are properly the effectes of fayth neither are of their owne nature good nor can be esteémed for good but through Iustification goyng before yet our Osorius frameth his discourse as though the chief and especiall bullwarke of all our righteousnesse were built wholy vpoÌ„ workes And that which he readeth in Scriptures shall come to passe accordyng to workes the same forthwith he coÌ„cludeth to be done for the workes sake as though heauen were now a due reward for our trauaile and labours not the gift of grace as though they do worke might clayme it as due dette for their workes sake and were not rather promised to them that beleue for the Sonne the Redeémer his sake But we haue discoursed enough vpon this matter it remaineth that we pursue the tracke of the rest of his disputation And bycause we haue spoken sufficiently as I suppose of the one of those two propositions which he calleth false and whereof hee hath accused Luther to be the Authour Let vs now fyritte out the other and seé what vermine it is and how it is able to defende it selfe First of all whereas Luther hath noted this saying to be the chief piller and foundation of Christian doctrine That no man ought to ascribe the meane of his Saluation in any thyng els then in the onely fayth of Iesus Christ afterwardes he proceédeth to the other pointe That the fruites of good workes are engendred and doe issue from this fayth euen as the fruite is engendred of the roote of a good treé and that workes doe follow fayth of necessitie none otherwise then as a fertile treé budding out first his greéne leafe and beautifull blossome doth at the last by course and force of nature bryng forth fruite The sentence Osorius iudgeth to be haynous in no wise sufferable and yet in the meane tyme denyeth not but that good workes do follow fayth But he cryeth out with an opeÌ„ mouth this to be false that good workes doe follow Luthers fayth But it is well yet that we heare in the meane whiles that good workes are engendred out of Fayth but in no wise out of Luthers fayth I would therfore learne of you Osorius out of whose Fayth good workes doe proceéde Forsooth my fayth sayth hee is not Luthers nor Haddones fayth if he bee Luther Scholer herein Come hither Osorius a good fellowshyp that I may stroke the smoath shauelyng of yours a whiles Truely I can not choose but all to beloue you and beleue you also when you speake the truth for I I suppose that the Oracle of Apollo can bee no more true then this Oracle is that workes doe follow your fayth as you say They follow in deéde apasse in great clusters And bycause ye vouchsafe not your selfe to expresse vnto vs what kynde of workes those are it shall not greéue me to do so much in your behalf And yet what neéde I make proclamatioÌ„ of them whenas your owne bookes do so aboundauntly and manifestly vtter the same as that no man can be so blynd or deafe but he must neédes seé heare them What art thou desirous Reader to haue described vnto theé as it were in a painted Table what blossoms this pregnaunt fayth of Osorius doth shewe forth Peruse his writynges and his bookes especially those Inuectiues compiled agaynst Luther Haddon Was euer man in this world that hath heaped together so many lyes vpon lyes hath compacted so many blasphemies and slaunders hath vttered so many errours hath euer by writyng or practize imagined expressed vomited out so many tauntes reproches madde wordes vanities cursinges bragges follies and Thrasonicall crakes so much rascallike scoldyng mockes doggishe snarllyng as this beast hath brayed out in this one booke wherein you shall neuer finde Luther once named but coupled together with some title of reproche as outragious fraÌ„ticke or madde If those trimme monuments of your gay workes do cleaue as fast to your dayly conuersatioÌ„ as they are ryfe to be founde euery where in your bookes and the testimonies of your witte I Appeale to the iudgement of the indifferent Reader what consideration may bee had of that your fayth which whelpeth out vnto vs such a monstruous lytter For if a good â—â—â—â—growyng vpon a sounde roote do not commonly bryng forth fruites vnlike to the stocke And if children doe vsually represent their progenitours in byrth in some lineamentes of personage resemblaunce of maners or other applyable feature of Nature for the Gleade as the Prouerbe is doth not hatche forth Piggeons it must surely follow of necessitie that either your workes whereof you vaunt your crest do by no meanes follow your fayth or els we must neédes adiudge you a man scarse of any fayth at all And therefore to aunswere briefly to those glorious vauntes whiche you make touching workes that follow your faith and not Luthers fayth if you meane those workes which I haue rehearsed I will gladly agreé with you but if your meanyng tende to good workes truly your owne writynges will without any other witnes condemne you for a great lyar But go ye to Let vs allow this vnto you which you require to be graunted that is to say That your Fayth doth necessaryly drawe after it good deédes as the Southeast wynde doth draw along the cloudes yet what should be thestoppell in the meane space to barre good deédes from Luthers or Haddones fayth more then from yours Bycause say you fayth commeth by hearyng and hearyng by the word of God I do acknowledge this a very Catholicke maxime a sentence meéte for a true Christian. But I wonder what monster these mouÌ„taines will bryng forth at the last But Luthers fayth commeth not of hearyng for hee doth not heare the wordes of Christ. What wordes I pray you and where are they writteÌ„ Forsooth where Christ as he sayth doth promise euerlastyng life to them that Repente and doth man ace hell and destruction to them that are impenitent Where is this Seéke it Reader And bycause Luther doth not heare those wordes of Christ. Ergo his fayth commeth not by hearyng and therefore yeldeth no fruites of good workes but starke bryers brambles onely Go to And what doth your fayth in the meane space Osorius Let vs heare what grapes it produceth But my fayth sayth he that is to say the faith of holy Church whenas it coÌ„senteth to the wordes of Christ And whenas also Christ hym selfe doth threaten destruction to the impenitent sinners this fayth therfore wherewith I doe beleue these wordes of Christ causeth me to be repentaunt What do I heare Osorus why what neédeth repentaunce
sprynges of the comfortable glad tydynges of the Gospell But lysten I pray you to Osorius disputation and wonder a whiles at his deépe insight in Logicke For in matters past recouery sayth he and in most assured confideÌ„ce there is no man that wil be enduced to rayse vp his mynde earnestly to any vertuous endeuour You haue here geuen vs a right Rhetoricall position now marke a concludyng determination more then Catholicke Ergo saith he Whereas Luther doth partly dispoile vs of the hope of righteousnesse and partly doth place the the same wholy in the righteousnesse of Christ which hope ought to be proper and peculiar to ech person what doth he herein els then vtterly subuerte and extinguishe all dueties and endeuours of godlynesse in vs Truely I do not deny but that in all maner of enterprises which happen in vsuall and dayly practize well conceauyng hope doth minister wonderfull courage to the mynde of man the whole force and lyuelynes wherof through DesperatioÌ„ or distrust is many tymes vtterly daunted But to what purpose is this alledged agaynst Luther Whose teachyng Lessons tende to this onely marke not so much to instruct vs in the rules of good lyfe which is the onely peculiar office of the law as to lead vs to know whether we ought in these good workes of ours to repose our affiaunce or elles to ascribe the same wholy to the freé mercy of GOD through Iesu Christ not bycause godly endeuours and vertuous workes are not prayseworthy but whether our workes be of so great estimation as may satisfie Gods iudgement and deserue eternall lyfe so establishe our conscieÌ„ces in sauetie This is the grounde and principall point of the controuersie which ought in this place to be decided For as much therfore as there be two kyndes of Desperation as we haue sayd it behoued you Osorius to haue distinguished the same before you had raysed your Battrye agaynst Luther There be some persons which doe vtterly dispayre of forgeuenes of their sinnes and of the mercy of God towardes them As for example the Desperation of Cain Saul Esau Antiochus Iudas Minerius Latomus Sadolete and such others And this kynde of DesperatioÌ„ belongeth properly to the vngodly and wicked whiche are altogether estraunged from God and nothyng agreable with Luthers doctrine There is besides this an other kynde of Desperation as in the attempt of any enterprise if a man be wholy discomfited to attaine the Maistrie and can not be the foremost will not yet bee discouraged but wil employ his abilitie as much as in him lieth that he may be the second at the left For the Archer that shooteth somewhat neare the sticke Deserueth his prayse though he hitt not the pricke In lyke manner we all euery one of vs doe marche onwarde paynefully in this warrefarre of Gods law as it were in a runnyng game to trye Maistric wherein albeit was neuer founde man whiche could in this lyfe assure him selfe to attayne the appointed goale yet are we not therewith so throwen downe in conceite as to bee in dispayre of our Saluation Neither ought we so to interprete the law as though through the practise and guidyng thereof onely and by no meanes elles we could obteine euerlastyng lyfe The law hath other purposes and endes to direct vs vnto whiche Osorius might haue learned out of Paule and Augustine and diuers others if he would not wittyngly and wilfully haue bene blynd The first Rule and vse of the Law is to represent vnto vs the inestimable righteousnesse of our creatour after whose Image we are created The next to condemne our vnrighteousnesse and abate our pride The other to bee for a tyme in steéde of a Schoolemaister to lead vs to Christ whiche albeit could not of her selfe geue full righteousnes to that people vnto whom it was deliuered first might neuertheles in the meane space through wholesome seueritie hold them backe and keépe them in feare and restrayne the vnbrideled licentiousnesse of their fleshe in some orderly comlynesse lest-they should runne headlong into all execrable and wicked impietie Truly these seéme to me bee the principall vses of the law the absolute and exact perfection wherof as neuer any man of that race hetherto was able to satisfie though vpholdeÌ„ altogether with the gracious ayde of God So if you Osorius can remember any one man sithence that tyme the sonne of God onely except that hath throughly performed all and euery part and duetie required by the law I beseéch you name him or if you caÌ„ name no one of all the ofspryng of AdaÌ„ which hath perfectly accomplished the whole law what moueth you so furiously to rage agaynst Luther who teacheth that all our righteousnes is vnperfect But be it that he hath likewise affirmed as the truth is that our righteousnesse is not onely vnperfect but had condemned all our righteousnesse to be more lothsome theÌ„ the defilynges of a foule menstruous clothe euen as Esay the Prophet did or what if accordyng to the saying of our Lord Iesus Christ hee had adiudged not onely all our deédes and wordes what soeuer though neuer so precisely handled not in the tyme of the old law onely but after the commyng of Christ also neither of vs alone or the rude vnlettered multitude but euen of the Apostles them selues performed to bee altogether vnauaylable to the purchasing of eternall lyfe yea and that theÌ„ selues also were in no better plighte and condition then seruauntes and vnprofitable bondeslaues what a sturre would this Daâ—â—s haue kept But now sithence no man can be ignoraunt of the most manifest sayings of Christ and the Apostles either must Osorius cite these felowes vnto the Chapter house together with the Lutherans or if he do acquyte them he must not from henceforth quarell with Luther in the cause Agayne where the same Lord in the Gospell doth promise a teacher the holy Ghost Which should coÌ„uince the world of sinne and of righteousnesse what shall we thinke that he mente by sendyng this teacher other then that hee purposed to establishe those two thynges especially which Osorius doth seéke chiefly to discredite That is to say that godly hartes beyng enlightened by the inspiration of the holy Ghost may bee instructed to feéle their owne weakenesse that from them selues as froÌ„ their owne power they haue no hope of Saluation and that for the attainement thereof nothyng wanteth in Christ Iesu and how that without Christ all that euer we haue is but in dispayred case but in him all thynges rest most safe and assured Out of the one wherof ariseth vnto vs a very coÌ„fortable Desperation out of the other floweth a most holy Affiaunce A Desperation I say not such a one as doth exclude true trust in Iesu Christ but which doth abrogate vayne confidence of our workes onely Neither doe I here meane the confidence whiche doth let louse the reynes to licentious boldnes and vnpunishable libertie but the same
reposed in them the Apostles meanyng was to aduertize them that they should ascribe true righteousnes to those outward Ceremonies shadowes and cleansinges What a iest is this as though the Iewes did settle their cōfidence in the Ceremonies onely and did not much more rather glory in their Race in their Parentage in their worshippyng and callyng vpon God in their Prophetes in Gods promises in the deédes and workes of holynes Furthermore whereas this Epistle was not written to the Iewes but to the Romaines what aunswere will Osorius make here Were the Romaines also instructed to the obseruation of those Ceremonies or did they rest so much vpon them that it behooued the Apostle of necessitie to forewarne them in his letters written vnto them But what better weapon shall I vse in this conflict agaynst Osorius then one taken out of his owne armory for thus he speaketh If the Apostle had first praysed the Iewes for their vertues and good deedes and afterwardes had sayd that those vertues and good deedes were of no valew towardes the purchasing of righteousnes and then at last had concluded that they could not haue bene Iustified through the workes of the lawe then the matter had bene cleare that Paule had not excluded the Ceremoniall law onely but the Morall law also frō righteousnes Marke well gentle Reader and note aduizedly what hee speaketh If Paul had first praysed the workes of the Iewes afterwardes had derogated Iustification from these workes c. Uery well and what if out of the same Nation I doe name some men whose singular integritie of lyfe and study of righteousnesse Paule could by no meanes reproue yea whose godly endeuour vpright dealyng procured them no droppe of righteousnes notwithstandyng what will this Sophister say then And first of all let vs behold the workes of that most holy Patriarche Abraham who for his inestimable godlynesse can neuer be condignely enough commended of any of vs. And yet will ye heare Osorius the testimonie of the Apostle touchyng the same Patriarche What shall we say sayth hee that our Father Abraham did finde accordyng to the flesh For if Abraham were Iustified through workes he hath wherein he may glory but not in the sight of God Rom. 4. What then did he not obteine of God to bee called righteous Yes veryly but let vs seé by what meanes not through workes sayth the Apostle but by the commendation of his fayth which onely maketh vs appeare worthy in the sight of God For Abraham beleued God and it was Imputed vnto him for righteousnesse It is manifest therefore that he was accoumpted righteous but by what meanes forsooth not simply nor in respect of his workes but by way of Imputation onely Now what soeuer commeth of Imputation proceédeth from meére mercy of him that Imputeth and is not geuen in reward after the proportion of duetie or of dette For no man Imputeth that to an other that is duely owyng vnto him Now let vs here the testimonies of the Scriptures cōcernyng that whiche was Imputed Not bycause hee did the thynges which he was commaunded albeit he did many thynges wonderfully well but bycause he beleued God this was sayd to be Imputed vnto him for righteousnesse And why was not righteousnesse imputed vnto him aswell in those respectes bycause he did sacrifice vnto God Bycause he forsooke his natiue countrey Bycause hee offred his onely sonne to be slayne Neither doth the Apostle ouerskippe or conceale those causes especially bycause that he which was the Parente of the Posteritie the same also should be the Authour of the doctrine For why this was written sayth Paule videl That it was Imputed vnto him for righteousnesse not for his sake onely but for vs also to whom it shall likewise bee Imputed that beleue in him which raysed our Lord Iesus from death to life c. Rome 4. And thus much concerning Abrahā who though alone may suffice in place of all others so that we neéde none other example yet let vs ioyne to this holy Patriarche as holy a Kyng Dauid with Abraham both beyng deare vnto God both equally endued with like excellent ornamētes of godlynesse and vertue Whereof the one as he had nothyng whereupon to glory before God so the other did so disclayme altogether from righteousnesse that he besought nothyng more carefully of God in his prayers Then that hee would not enter into Iudgement with his seruaunt And rendreth a Reason of his most earnest prayer Bycause all flesh shall not be Iustified in thy sight And what other thyng is meant by this then that which Paule affirmeth in the selfe same wordes almost That no man is Iustified by the workes of the law Goe to then And where are now those wonderfull fruites of workes Where is that glorious shewe of righteousnesse Finally where shall Osorius him selfe appeare with all his cleannes good disposition temperaunce of mynde singular humanitie lenitie patience chastitie vnfayned charitie and with that absolute huge Chaos of bountyfull vertues so vnseparably vnited and linked together as it were chayned fast with yron ropes When as Dauid so great a Kyng and Prophet a most choyse vessell accordyng to Gods owne hart dare not presume to offer him selfe to Iudgement when as Iob a man commended of God for his singlenesse of hart and approued holynesse beyng asked a question of God durst not aunswere one word It will not be Impertinēt to the matter if we speake somewhat here of Paule him selfe Whose conuersation whiche he led vnblameable beyng as yet a Pharisie Tertullus him selfe could not charge with any fault The same beyng afterwardes engraffed into Christ liued in that vprightenesse of conscience that Osorius cā not iustly reprehende him as worthy of crime And yet all those so great and so many ornaments of holynesse did so nothyng auayle him to righteousnesse that hee him selfe accompted them for drosse Wherefore consider here with me Christian Reader a good felowshyp how much difference is betwixt Osorius and Paule where as the same workes whiche Osorius doth with so glorious pompe of eloquēt wordes garnishe so gorgiously Paule in playne termes doth compare thē to durtie drosse and filthy dounge whereby he may be found in Christ not to haue any his owne righteousnesse by the operatiō of the law but that onely righteousnesse grounded vpon fayth which is through the fayth of Christ. c. Cornelius of whom mention is made in the Actes of the Apostles was a holy man and feared God together which his whole houshold dealyng much almes to the poore and makyng continuall intercessions to almighty God This was a great and glorious commendation truely of excellent godlynesse which no sensible mā would say ought to be referred to the Ceremoniall law but to the Morall law rather And yet the selfe same Cornelius beyng neuer so notable for his commendable bertues vnlesse by the aduertizement of the Aungell had sent for Peter
that is able to accomplishe the law as he ought to do Ergo No man linyng is able to attaine the true commendatiō of his righteousnes but in respect of his workes is of necessitie subiect to the Iudgement and curse of God In this Argument doth the whole force pithe of Paules disputatiō cōsiste if I be not deceaued In the Maior first proposition whereof he setteth down before vs the seueritie of Gods Iudgement In the Minor or second proposition he condemneth all men generally as guilty of sinne By the conclusion he allureth and as it were driueth all men to Christ necessaryly By this Argument you may playnely perceaue vnlesse you wil be wilfully blind like a want how you haue piked out not one scrappe so much of all that you haue hitherto raked together to salue the credite of your cause Finally to make shorte with you I referre you to note marke examine and search out all whatsoeuer the Churche doth acknowledge of the sayd Apostles Letters Epistles yea all his sentences Ye shall finde in them all so nothing agreable to this your Assertiō That Paule should attribute righteousnes to workes or promise be meanes therof possession of euerlastyng inheritaunce as that his whole bent and endeuour may seéme to bee in no one thyng els so earnest as in this wherein he trauaileth earnestly to persuade that the promise of God poureth out vpō all them that beleue in Iesu Christ most plentyfull and assured freédome yea such a freédome as is clearely deliuered from all entanglyng of workes So that the same Apostle doth inferre his conclusion on this wise If inheritaunce come by the law then not of promise And in an other place If we bee made heyres through the law then is our fayth made frustrate and the promise of none effect Rome 4. And agayne If righteousnesse come by the lawe then did Christ suffer in vayne Gal. 2. And least that your lying spirite should with sinister interpretation wrest those sentences spoken of the law to the ceremoniall law you may heare the Apostle there treating of that law which was geuē for offendours vntill the promised seéde should come which law should in steéde of a Schoolemaister lead vs as it were by the hād directly to Christ which law did shut vp all vnder sinne as well Iewes as Gentiles that the promise might be geuen vnto the beleuers through fayth in Iesus Christ. All whiche titles of the law can not be construed to haue any apte agreément with the ceremonies of the Iewishe Sinagogue And where are now those workes of the law maister Osorius vnto whom Paule doth promise possession of the kyngdome if you exclude those wherof Luther preacheth Sitheace Paule him selfe doth so wisely and carefully not onely exclude all presumption of mans righteousnesse from the inheritaūce of the kingdome but also rēder a reason wherfore he doth so By what law sayth he by the lawe of workes No ye may not beleue so Osorius And therfore that ye may the better vnderstand how no matter of Confidence at all is left to the consideration of the workes of the law But by the law of fayth sayth S. Paule the same lawe which consisteth in fayth and not in workes That is to say if we beleue the Paraphrast The very same law which requireth nothyng but fayth Now therfore sithence these matters are so throughly debated in the holy Scriptures discouered manifestly by the holy Ghost with what shamelesse face dare Osorius thrust those workes in the doctrine of freé Iustification whiche the Spirite of God doth so openly reiect or with what impudencie dare he affirme that Paule doth promise the right and title of inheritaūce to them whiche worke good deédes Whereas the same Paule mainteynyng the challenge of fayth and not of workes pronoūceth so expressely That God doth accept his fayth for righteousnesse whiche doth not worke but beleueth on him that doth Iustifie the wicked Which two sentences beyng so meérely opposite and contrary eche to other I referre me to the Readers Iudgemēt whether Paule shal be accōpted vnconstaunt or Osorius a false Fabeler But I heare a certeine gruntyng of this Pigge beyng no lesse an enemy to the Crosse of Christ thē to Paule who assoone as he heareth good workes to be banished from the effect of Iustification doth straightway cite vs to the Consistorie as though we did vtterly choake vp all care studious endeuour to liue vertuously and destroy all preceptes and rules of godly conuersation And hereupon conceauyng a vayne errour in his idle braynes he rageth and foameth at the mouth outragiously not much vnlike to Aiax Sometyme called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who beyng swallowed vp of extreme frensie did most foolishly assayle and batter poore seély sheépe in steéde of Agamemnon and other noble Pieres of Greéce But let vs once agayne geue eare to his gay Logicke which being sometyme esteémed the Schoolemystres of Inuētion and displaying the truth this Gentlemā hath made therof an Arte of lying and desceit as thus Luther doth exclude all good workes from the cause of Iustification Ergo Luther doth extinguishe all vertue and abolishe all Morall and Ciuill actions Agayne Luther doth make fayth onely beyng voyde of good workes the cause of Iustification Ergo Luther doth require nothyng in Christians but Fayth Onely I aunswere that this is a Fallax and a Sophisticallye deriued from the proposition that is tearmed in Schooles Secundum quid to Simpliciter Furthermore herein also hee doth bewray his Sophisticall iugglyng whereas by his liedger de mayne he conueyeth away the state of the questiō which concerneth the thynges onely to the circumstaunce of the persons For whereas we agreéyng herein with Luther do enquire the thyng onely which is the instrumentall Cause of our Iustification before God he in his aunswere doth describe vnto vs what maner of life they ought to lead that are already Iustified And bycause it is most requisite that those which are Iustified by the freémercy of God through fayth shall continually exercise thē selues in good workes hereupon he concludeth That Luthers propositiō wherein he affirmeth that fayth onely doth knit vp the knot of our Iustification without all ayde of workes is vtterly false As though Luthers disputation concerned the actions and endeuours of them to whom righteousnesse is geuen and not rather of the cause of Iustification onely or as though he did not as carefully require all faythfull persons to the dayly and cōtinuall practize of godly lyfe as any of all the Byshops of Portingall doe But if you be so vnskilfull Osorius as you seéme to be you must learne that it is one thyng to treate of the persons whiche are made righteous and other thyng of the Cause that doth make them righteous And therfore this is a deceitfull and a friuolous Argument The possession of heauenly kyngdome is promised to them which doe good deedes Ergo
promise where prophecyeng of the tyme of his commyng of Iudgement When you shall see the beginning of those thinges sayth Christ looke vp and lift vp your heades and so proceédyng yeldeth therof this Reason Bycause then your redemption draweth nye Marke well Osorius he doth not say your Iudgement but your redemption draweth nye And why did he choose to put his Disciples in remembrauÌ„ce of their redemption rather keépyng the name of Iudgement in silence Ueryly bycause there is so no IudgemeÌ„t of condeÌ„nation to them which are of the fayth of Christ Iesu as thereis no redeÌ„ptioÌ„ for them who without the fayth of Christ Iesu do wholy yeld their seruice to the world and to the fleshe Whereupon we may heare him agayne debatyng the same matter touching the freédome of Iudgement in the v. of Iohn Whosoeuer heareth my voyce and beleeueth on him whiche hath sent me shall not come into Iudgement but hath already passed from death to life And in an other place turnyng his speache to his Disciples whenas hee could promise them no reward of more excelleÌ„cie And you sayth he shall sit together vpoÌ„ seates Iudging the xy tribes of Israell Luke 22. What neéde I rehearse Paule writyng to the Corinthians Doe ye not know sayth he that the Saintes shall Iudge the world And raysing vs vp beyond the reache of earthly thynges to the excellencie of Aungels Doe ye not know that we shall Iudge the Aungels 1. Cor. 1. What then will you say shall we not all come into Iudgement shall we not all be arraigned before the Royall seate of the Maistie Yes Osori we shall all come to Iudgement But Augustine will discouer vnto you a DistinctioÌ„ of this Iudgement That the one part therof shall concerne Damnation the other sequestration whereby the Goates shal be seuered from the Lambes but the Lambes not condemned with the Goates And therfore I do firmely beleue that we shall come all vnto Iudgement but my assured hope and Affiaunce is that the elect shall not come into Iudgement of condeÌ„nation I know that all shall yeld accoumpt but this Awdite shal be so easie and so voyde of all feare vnto them which are engraffed into Christ as on the other side it will be most rigorous dreadfull to them which shall come forth into Iudgement with out Christ and the weddyng Garment And why so veryly bycause whom Fayth doth clothe with her Roabes the same doth Christ so shield defende and saue harmelesse with his innocentie agaynst all bytternes of tempestuous IudgemeÌ„t as though they should neuer appeare before any Iudge at all but passe presently from death to life And this truely euen this same innocencie of Christ is that pure righteousnesse of Christians which the Father doth none otherwise Impute vnto vs that beleue in his Sonne then he did once Impute to the same his Sonne all our sinnes when he suffred his Passion for sinners And he sayth the Prophet did beare vpon his backe all our Iniquities Esay 53. On the contrary part such as refusing this ankerhold of Christ and trustyng to their own tackle will hazard the sauetie of their soules before the seuere Iustice of God otherwise then clothed with this weddyng Garment must neédes suffer shipwracke of their soules voyde of all hope to recouer the hauen of perfect felicitie so beyng turned ouer to the furniture of their own store must neédes be bulged through and ouerpaâ—sed at â—ast with the buroeÌ„ of Iustice whiche they could neuer reach vnto in this life And hereof ariseth all that difference betwixt them which are ioyned to Christ and the rascall rable of Infidels For although in this iust Iudgement a reckonyng shal be made of all the deédes of all men before God and likewise reward decreede vndoubtedly accordyng to euery maÌ„s deseruynges yet the order of this Iudgement shall farre otherwise proceéde with the faythfull theÌ„ with the Reprobate For such as will challenge their Saluation as due vnto them for obseruyng the righteousnesse of the law thorough their owne workes and not through fayth and ImputatioÌ„ of Christ Those meÌ„ surely shal be rewarded according to the deserte of their own workes vnder this coÌ„dition That whosoeuer haue accomplished the rule of the law with that absolute perfection that he ought to haue done shall lyue accordyng to the decreé of the law But if he haue fayled one tittle in performaance lesse then the law required what may he hope for els then accordyng to the sentence of the law which holdeth all men fast chayned vnder euerlasting malediction that haue not continually in all the course of their lyfe perseuered vpright and vnblameable of all partes therof That no blemish be it neuer so litle may be founde in the breache of any one iote of the law whiche may procure most heauy matter of vtter condeÌ„nation vnto him And euen here most manifestly appeareth the Iustice of God for hee that of him selfe is altogether vnable to atteyne perfect righteousnesse and will likewise wilfully refuse the same beyng offered vnto him by another if he suffer punishement for his owne vnrighteousnes hath no cause to accuse the law of iniustice but must referre his plague to his owne infidelitie On the other part Those that departing hence with fayth repentaunce I speake here of sinners which are truly penitent in Christ do so prepare them selues as men reposing all their whole righteousnesse in the onely innocency of Christ and not in their workes shall neither bee impeached for their sinnes whiche Christ hath healed with his woundes And yet if they haue done any good worke they shal be rewarded with the inheritauÌ„ce of eternall lyfe not for the worthynesse of the workes but bycause of his freé Imputation he doth vouchsafe those weake workes bee they neuer so barren and naked worthy to obteine the promised inheritaunce not bycause they haue deserued it but bycause hym selfe hath promised it I suppose these manifold and manifest sayings hitherto are sufficient enough to declare the truth and discouer the falshoode of all this quarell of Osorius nay rather to shewe how many sondry faultes he hath couched vp into one coÌ„clusion how many errours he hath clouted together and into how many absurdities hee hath tombled him selfe headlong For endeuouryng to proue agaynst the Lutheranes That there is none other way to attayne true righteousnesse then by liuyng vertuously he seémeth to pretende a colour of a certeine few sentences pyked out of the Scripture such as him selfe scarsely vnderstandeth or hath ilfauouredly disguised to make a shewe in his maske and makyng no distinction meane whiles betwixte the persons and the thynges disposing nothyng in his due place and order but choppyng and shufflyng all thynges together in a certeine confused hotchpotte as it were in the old vnformed Chaos though they be as farre distauÌ„t as heauen and earth iumbleth them together without all discretion confoundyng the law
and absolutely And yet neither may this be denyed in any wise that of the generall masse of all the creation any one thyng caÌ„ be without the coÌ„passe of Gods Deuine foreknowledge or done without his will albeit we must neédes confesse with Augustine that many thyngs are done agaynst his will Now therefore encombred as it were betwixt these two whirlepooles how shall we say that he doth either will Sinne which he doth forbyd and punish or that he doth not will sinne whenas nothyng can be done God not beyng wittyng and willyng thereunto Surely as touchyng Sinne God ought not to be named the Authour of Sinne properly Neither as Ambrose truely writeth can iniquitie issue from thence whence floweth all righteousnesse And yet can not God be excluded from the direction rule of Sinne altogether vnlesse we may thinke that somethyng may chauÌ„ce in mans lyfe which the almighty eye of God either seéth not or that his will willeth not If he do not seé it where is then his eternall foreknowledge if the thynges which he seéth be done without his knowledge and will where is his euerlastyng omnipotencie which worketh all in all and wherewith he is sayd to doe all thinges that he will in heaueÌ„ and in earth What shall we say then If God will not haue Sinne why is sinne committed so woÌ„derfully ouerflowyng If he will haue sinne how may it be defeÌ„ded that he is righteous for after this sorte reasoneth Osorius as though the righteousness of God could not be excusable if God may be supposed either to will Sinne or to be any cause or procurour of Sinne. Albeit this drift of Osori whereby he coÌ„cludeth that God willeth not sinne bycause hee is righteous may be in some respect yelded vnto so that it haue relation to the same will of God which hath discouered it selfe vnto vs in his expresse law which will the Schoolemen tearme VoluntateÌ„ sigui or if he argue on this wise God is righteous Ergo He is not a Sinner God is righteousnesse it selfe Ergo He can not sinne This Argument would hold well enough But this other Argument can not be good to say God is righteous and the founteine of all righteousnes Ergo God can not will Sinne in any others without preiudice to his owne righteousnesse As though God could not will Sinne in some respect not sinnefully with that most secrete and vnsearcheable will wherewith he orderâ—in and sweetely disposeth all thynges in heauen and in earth not empayring in the meane space any ioate of his own righteousnes at all Nay rather what if euen for the selfe same cause bycause he is righteous some kynde of actions do sometymes burst out whiche beyng committed of men in respect of mans nature are Sinne but in respect of God are not Sinne but punishementes of Sinne powred fromout his most iust Iudgement for it is not the least office of Iustice to punish sinne by sinne nor is it by and by necessary to Iudge alyke of the causes them selues whenas one selfe same action doth proceéde froÌ„ diuerse causes vnlesse the causes be altogether correspondent in action When the Magistrate doth execute the offendour he is both the cause of his death and doth willyngly cause him to be executed not bycause he delighteth in his death but enduced onely by necessitie of doyng Iustice he doth in that respect both rightfully and necessaryly minister Iustice. But if a priuate maÌ„ or a RussiaÌ„ should willyngly put a maÌ„ to death he should be deémed a murtherer When the parent doth chastize his vnthriftie child with the rodde he doth the same rightfully yea if he dyd it not he should Sinne. But if the brother should beate his brother or the seruaunt his felow seruaunt the same could not but be culpable Wherfore in all maner of actions regarde must be had not onely what is done but how it is done so must the ende and causes also bee considered whiche being in nomber many tymes many diuers not all of one nature do neuerthelesse concurre For it may be as it doth oftentimes come to passe that in causes beyng coÌ„currauÌ„t in one actioÌ„ may be great diuersitie So that one selfe same cause may be in one kynde of actioÌ„ wicked and in another actioÌ„ meére righteousnesse It may so come to passe that a man at a tyme may committe robbery or fall into some other haynous wickednesse where if you seéke for the very cause of executyng that action you may rightly impute it to the frayltie of mans nature If you seéke the procuryng cause that draue him to consent no doubt it was his wicked thought and corrupt mynde which is altogether replenished with sinne neither is it to be doubted but that Sinne is engendred out of the corrupt will of maÌ„ without the which as Anselme doth witnesse no wicked action is committed Whereby appeareth at the length that because no vncleannesse can be founde in the will of God therfore his most sacred nature can by no meanes be defiled with Sinne. But if you be desirous to learne from whence this corruption and euillnesse of the mynde imaginatioÌ„ doth proceéde Caluine him selfe whom you accuse very greéuously shall aunswere you in his owne behalfe This corruption of mynde sayth he commeth partly by the procurement of Sathan partly by the frayltie of nature which man did defile by his owne voluntary fall Whereupon he sayth when the cause of euill is sought for we ought not to seéke it els where then in our selues but the whole blame therof we must lay vpon our selues You will say then and how then will these wordes of Caluine agree with Luthers doctrine seing Luther maketh God the Authour both of good and euill and Caluine maketh man the cause of euill Nay rather by what meanes can you forge vnto vs such a crafty deuise of iarryng in so vniforme an agreement of IudgemeÌ„t betwixt Luther and Caluine Caluine supposeth that the cause of euill ought not to be sought for els where then in man Luther teacheth that no righteousnesse ought to be sought for els where then in God onely And where be these felowes now which either go about to make man excusable or God culpable of vnrighteousnes by any meanes for to this effect teÌ„deth the whole force of Osor. brablyng agaynst Luther as though God could not will sinne by any meanes but that the glory of his Iustice should by and by be blemished And bycause mans will imaginyng or doyng wickedly at any tyme can not imagine or do euill without Sinne therefore Osorius dreameth forthwith that it fareth in lyke maner in Gods will which is most vntrue For nothyng withstandeth at all but that many causes of semblable affections may concurre oftentymes all which nothwithstandyng may not altogether powre out semblable force of operatioÌ„ after one and semblable sorte And therfore this is no good Argument God accordyng to his secrete
sayd then either to suffer the thyng whiche he willeth not or to will the thyng wherof him selfe is not after a certeine maner the cause but if you sunder will from Sufferaunce so that Gods Sufferaunce be made opposite to his will That is to say contrary to the determinate coūsell of God in bringyng any thyng to passe Surely this way your bare Sufferaūce will not be sufferable but foolishe false and ridiculous For neither can any thyng be done without Gods Sufferaunce but must be done by his will and agayne nothyng soundeth more agaynst the conuenience of reason that any thyng may be done with his will otherwise thē as him selfe hath decreéd it to be done But if so be that ye set Gods Sufferaunce opposite to his will namely to that will wherewith he vouch safeth and accepteth any thyng veryly it may so be that some one thyng may be executed by Gods Sufferaunce yet altogether agaynst his will so that we forget not in the meane space that this Sufferaunce is not idle fruitelesse but altogether effectuall not much vnlike the orderly proceédynges in Iudgementes whenas the Iudge deliuereth ouer the trespassour to be executed it is cōmonly seéne that the Sufferaunce of the Iudge doth worke more in the execution of the offendour thē the acte of the executioner yet the Iudge is not altogether exempt from beyng the cause of his death though he be cleare of all blame in that respect And therfore to make you conceaue our meanyng more effectually Osorius you may vnderstand by the premisses That the will of God is to be taken two maner of wayes either for that vnsearcheable will not manifested vnto vs wherewith thynges may happen accordyng to to the determined decreé of his purposed coūsell whereunto all thynges are directed And in this sense or signification we doe affirme that God doth will all thynges that are done and that nothyng at all is done in heauen or in earth that he would not haue to be done Or els how should he be called Omnipotent if the successes of thyngs be other then as he hath decreéd them Secundarely the will of God may be takē for that which by expresse word and commaundement he hath reuealed vnto vs and which beyng done he accompteth acceptable in his sight And in this sense The faythfull and godly onely do execute the will of God euen that will wherewith he can not will nor allow anythyng but pure good After this maner is that will fully disclosed and ensealed vnto vs in his Scriptures wherewith God is sayd to be a God that doth not will Sinne. Accordyng to that former will which is hidden from vs and is neuertheles alwayes iust and discouered vnto vs but in part by his word as there is nothing done without his prouidence foreknowledge so in this sense we do affirme that he willeth nothyng at all but that which is of all partes most pure and most righteous be it neuer so secrete For euen as it is hidden frō the knowledge of all men what shall come to passe by the purposed appointement of God so shall nothyng come to passe but that which he hath decreéd vpon before neither should any thyng at all be done if he were altogether vnwillyng thereunto Finally to conclude in few wordes all whatsoeuer concerneth this present discourse God can not be sayd to be properly truely the very cause of sinne accordyng to that will which he would haue to be reuealed vnto vs in his Scriptures And yet if the cōcurraūce of causes must be deriued from the first originall surely God ought not be excluded altogether from the orderyng appointmēt of sinne Frō whence if we respect the meane second causes it is vndoubted true that mākynde doth perish through his owne default For no man liuyng sinneth vnwillyngly But if we tourne our eyes to the first agent principall cause by the which all inferiour causes haue their mouyng Then is this allso true that all second and subordinate causes are subiect to the eternall prouidence and will of GOD. And therefore both these may be true That mans destructiō commeth through his owne default And yet that therein the prouidence of God beareth the sway without any preiudice at all to his Iustice. But this prouidence notwithstandyng is altogether vnslayned for albeit Gods euerlastyng purpose be sayd to be the cause of our sinnesiull actions yet are those Sinnes in respect of Gods acceptaunce meare righteousnesse For GOD in most vpright disposed order doth by Sinne punish Sinne. And therfore with those Sinnes in that they are scourges of Gods Iustice God doth worthely execute his iust Iudgement agaynst mē which although his pleasure be to vse otherwise accordyng to his vnsearcheable counsell either to execute his Iudgement vpō the reprobate or to manifest his mercy towardes his elect neither is he iniurious to the one in exactyng that which is due neither culpable in the other sorte in forgeuyng that which he might haue exacted These two thyngs therfore especially be to be beleued to be inseparable in God though mās capacitie cā scarsely atteine hereunto the first That there is no wickednes with God Secondly That God hath mercy of whom it pleaseth him to haue mercy and doth harden their hartes whō he willeth to be hardened Now that we haue spoken sufficiētly in the defence of Gods Iustice and acquited it cleare from all quarellsome accusation to retourne agayne to our former question If Osorius doe demaunde now if God bee the cause of Sinne Bycause I will protract no tyme I aunswere in two wordes That in seuerall and sundry respectes it is both the cause not the cause Now let vs seé how this will hang together First I call him the cause not bycause he distilleth new poyson into man as water or other liquour is powred into empty caskes from somewhere els for that neédeth not for euery man ouerfloweth more then enough already with faultynes naturall though no new flames of corruption be kyndeled a fresh but bycause hee forsaketh our old nature or bycause he withholdeth him selfe from renewyng vs with grace Bycause nature beyng not holpen waxeth dayly worse and worse of it selfe without measure and without end Whereupon Augustine debatyng of mans induration speaketh not vnfitly on this wise But as touchyng that whiche followeth Hee doth harden whom hee will Here the force of mans capacitie is ouerwhelmed with the straungenesse of the word But it must not be so taken as though God did beginne to harden mās hart which was not infected before For what is hardnesse els then resistaunce of Gods commaundementes which who so thinketh to be the worke of God bycause of this saying He doth harden whom hee will let him beholde the first beginnyng of mans corruption and marke well the commaundemēt of God the disobedience whereof made the hart to offende and let him truely confesse that whatsoeuer
sinne he seémeth not to haue learned this lesson yet out of Augustine that sinne the punishmeÌ„t of sinne is all one And therfore mainteynyng one lye by an other doth conclude as wisely that it is not agreable to equitie sithence men are Instrumentes onely God the worker of all thyngs that they should be condemned as malefactours which are onely Instrumentes with as good reason as if the sworde wherewith a man is slayne should be adiudged faultie not the persoÌ„ that slue the man with the sword Whiche I my selfe would not deny to be agaynst all reason if that matter were as Osor. would applye it But who did euer speake or dreame that men were Instruments onely in doyng wickednesse and that God is the Authour and worker of all mischief These be the wordes of Osorius not Luthers nor Caluines That wicked men are Sawes Instrumentes many tymes in the handes of God for the punishement of sinne this not Luther onely but Esay also doth boldly confesse Go to And will you therfore coÌ„clude that men are nothyng els but instruments and tooles onely very wisely I warraunt you deriuyng your Argument from the propositioÌ„ Exponent to the Exclusiue nay rather maliciously wrestyng and peruertyng all thynges from the truth to slaunderous cauillyng August doth sundry tymes witnesse that mens willes are subiect to Gods will and are not able to withstand it For as much as the willes them selues sayth he God doth fashion as him liketh and when him lysteth and that our willes are no further auayleable then as God both willed and foresawe then to bee auayleable Whereby you seé that Gods almighty power doth worke in our willes as in a workeshoppe wheÌ„ he purposeth to do any thyng that then he doth neither traÌ„spose our willes otherwise or to other purposes then by the seruice of our owne willes And yet doth it not therfore follow the mens willes are nothyng els then Iustrumentes and tooles onely of Gods handyworke as the thyng that of it selfe doth nothyng but as it is carryed and whirled about hither thither without any his own proper motioÌ„ through the operation of the agent cause onely Truly Augustine sayth very well We doe not worke by wishinges onely sayth he least hereupon cauillation arise that our will is effectuall to procure to lyue well Bycause GOD doth not worke our saluation in vs as in vnsensible stoanes or in thynges which by nature were created voyde of reason will c. In deéde God doth worke in the willes and harts of men and yet not rollyng or tossyng them as stoanes or driuyng whirlyng them as thynges without lyfe as though in enterprising and attemptyng of thynges the myndes and willes of men were carryed about by any forrein constraint and Deuine coaction without any voluntary motion of the intelligible mynde And therfore Osorius doth hereof friuolously and falsely forge his cankred cauillation and maliciously practizeth to procure this doctrine of Luther to be maligned As though we did deuise man to be lyke vnto a stoane or imagined God to be the onely Authour and worker of mischief bycause we do teach that mens willes are subiect to Gods wil as it were secundary causes Certes if that â— August writeth begrauÌ„ted for truth That Gods will is the cause of thynges that are done Why should the same be lesse alowable in Luther or not as false in eche respect in Aug. since they both speake one selfe sentence be of one iudgement therein Neither is it therfore a good consequent that Osor doth phantasie The onely will of God to be so the cause of sinne as though mans will did nothyng reproueable for sinnyng or punishable for deseruyng For to this end tendeth the whole cutted conclusion of all Osorius brabblynges But if you haue no skill to know the nature of a distinctioÌ„ as yet you must be taught that it is one thyng to permitte a sinne voluntarâ—ly an other thyng to committe a sinne voluntaryly Wherof the first is proper to God the other is peculiar to men the first may be done without all offence the other can bee done by no meanes without wickednesse Whereas GOD is sayd to will sinne after a certeyne maner the same is sayd to be done accordyng to that will which they call Gods good pleasure neither euill nor without the truth of the Scriptures And yet it followeth not hereupon necessaryly that God is the onely and proper cause of sinne No for this is accompted the onely cause which excludeth all other causes besides it selfe So is that cause called the proper cause which doth respect onely one end yea and that also the last end in respect wherof it is accompted to be the proper cause Whereas therfore sinne is the last end not of Gods will but of mans peruersenesse we do affirme that it is not done in deéde without Gods will but that man is the proper cause therof and not God For if the causes of thynges must be proportioned by their endes surely sinne is not the last end of Gods will in respect that it is euill but in respect that it is the scourge plague of sinne and to speake Paules own wordes The shewyng forth of Gods righteousnesse and the feare of God then which ende nothyng can be more better or more holy And where is now that iniquitie and cruelty of God Osorius which by misconstruyng Luther wickedly maliciously your fruitlesse Logicke taketh no fruite of but which your deuilishe Spirite and slaunderous cursed fury doth corrupt But that I may not seéme to stand to much vpon refutyng this toye lettyng slippe many thynges here in the meane whiles whiche make nothyng to the purpose nor conteyne any other thyng almost in them but vayne hautynesse of speache Tragicall exclamations maddnesse feéuers frensies spittyngs reproches horrible coÌ„tumelies wherwith this vnmanerly Deuine hath most filthely defiled whole papers I will come to those places which carry a certeyne shew of lesse scoldyng and more Scripture After this maner the vermine crawleth foreward But that ye may perceaue how illfauouredly your Doctours haue interpreted those testimonyes of Paule which you haue heaped vp together I thinke it expedient to disclose the meaning of Paule And that this may be done more orderly it behoueth to note diligently to what ende Paule gathered all those reasons together It is well truly This cruell scourgemottoÌ„ weried throughly with whippyng poore Luther miserably vnmercifully buffetyng him doth now at the length hyde his rod vnder his gowne beginneth to creépe to high desk will teach somewhat and God will out of the Scriptures so that we shall neede nothyng now but a Camell to daunce whiles this Assehead minstrell striketh vppe his drumme And therfore harken in any wise you blinde buzardly Lutherans you caluish Caluinistes you foolish Bucerans sith you be so blockish by nature that of your selues you can coÌ„ceaue nothing of
doth lye in all his Bookes Hereof therefore canne not be denyed but that he writeth Bookes Or els how could he lye in his bookes if he wrote no bookes at all And yet neither did Luther in that Article affirme symply that the righteous man doth sinne in euery good worke But annexing thereunto an exception conditionall he doth qualifye the sharpenesse of the proposition expounding himselfe with the testimonies of Gregory and Augustine on this wise If God proceed in his iudgement sayth he straightly without all consideration of mercy Meaning hereby not that God should take good workes from righteous men but should despoyle works of that perfection which of it selfe were able to counteruayle the cleare iudgement of God so that the perfection of our righteousnes consist not now in doing well but in acknoledgement of our owne Imperfection and humble confessing the same For this do we heare Augustine speake Vertue sayth he wherewith man is now endued is so farre forth called perfect as the true and humble acknowledgement of mans owne imperfection ioyned with an vnfayned confession of the same doth make it to be accepted for perfect Now what poyson lurketh here I beseéch you worshippfull Syr Unlesse perhappes you thinke thus that because God doth not commaund impossibilities for this cause they that be regenerated may in this life accomplish the law of God fully and absolutely and that your selfe be of the number of them which in this life abcomplish all righteousnes throughly If you thinke thus of your selfe what better aūswere shal I make you then the same which Constantine the great did on a time nippingly to Acesius a Nouatian who denyed that such as were fallen could rise agayne by repentaunce Set vppe your Ladders quoth he and clymbe you vppe to heauen alone Acesius Furthermore where you are wont to obiect in this place impossibilitie of performing the law surely this doth not so much empaire Luthers assertion nor helpe your presumptuousnes sithence Augustine doth aunswere you sufficiently in Luthers behalfe All the cōmaūdemēts of God saith he are thē reputed to haue bene performed when whatsoeuer is left vndone is pardoned And in his booke de perfectione iustitiae debating this question whether the commaundements of God were possible to be kept he doth deny that they be possible to be kept But he affirmeth that neither in this life they be possible to be kept nor to keep them commeth of nature but of the heauenly grace But hereof hath sufficiently bene spoken already before so that it shall not beé needfull to do the thing that is done already It remayneth next now that we enter into the discourse of the holy ceremonyes decreés and ordinaunces of the Church because he complayneth for the suppressing of these also wherein what iust cause he hath to complayne shall hereby apeare If we consider duly and aright the auncient ordinaunces and determinations of the primitiue Church Amongest which auncient ordinaūces of the Church I suppose this was establshed That no man should be abridged from freédome to marry and from eating all kinde of meates fish or flesh as euery man foūd himselfe best disposed It was an auncient ordinaunce also that aswell the lay people as priestes without exception should communicate vnder both kindes the bread and the wine And that nothing should be redde in the Churches besides the scriptures Moreouer that the Scriptures should be read openly to all persons generally in their mother toūg that euery man myght vnderstād it The auncient ordinaūces of the church did neuer admit any more sacramentes then two nor widdowes vnder threéscore yeéres old nor vouchsafed any that were but newly entred into the profession to beare any rule in the congregation nor any els but such as were knowne both godly and prayseworthy aswell for the soundnesse of theyr doctrine as for the continuall course of their liues It was an especiall prouiso of the auntient discipline that no one person should haue any more Cures the◠one nor should receiue out of any Church any greater contribution then should seéme sufficient for necessaryes onely and not to mayntayne prodigality and lust It was also an auncient custome amongst the elders that the newly professed should be applied to reading of lessones and singinge onely And the Priestes in the meane time should apply preaching of the word Amongest other aūciēt ordinaūces that Canon of the counsell of Nyce seémeth worthy to be placed here which prouided that the ouersight of all other churches should beé committed to threé or foure patriarches equally in such wise as that no preheminence of superiority should be amongst them but all to be equall in dignity Adde vnto this the generall discipline of the church which did not hang vpon one mans sleéue onely but was exercised indifferently in all places agaynst all notorions offences without respect of persons Now therefore where Osorius complayneth that the ordinaunces of the auntient and primitiue Church are taken away abolished herein he doth not amisse So do many godly personages more beside Osorius complayne very bitterly of the same But in the meane space I do maruaile much what monstruous deuise this Byshoppe coyneth agaynst vs who neither liketh with the abolishing of the auncient customes of the primitiue Church nor can in any respect disgest those men which do endeuour and desire onely to haue a generall reformation For to saye the trueth whereunto tendeth all the endeuour of those men whome Osorius here wringeth vpon so sharpely but that those auntient decreés and ordinaunces wherewith the Church of Christ was endued at the first might recouer agayne theyr former dignity from which they haue bene lamentably reiected If they could bring this to passe by any meanes nothing coulde please them better But if their harty desires attayne not wished Successe no men are more to be blamed for it Osorius then you your selues who vnder a deceauable and craftie vysor of antiquity practize earnestly and busily alwayes that no Monumēt of auncient antiquitie may remaine but haue forged vs a certeine new face of an vpstart Church with certeine straunge and newfangled Decreés and Decretalles which the true and auncient antiquitie if were alyue agayne would neuer acknowledge otherwise then as misbegotten Bastardes But to proceéde this Rhetoricall amplificatiō waxeth more hotte yet in more choler Moreouer neither contēted sayth he with the lamentable desolatiō of these thynges ye haue dispoyled mā of all freedome of will and haue bounde fast with a certeine fatall and vnauoydable Necessitie all the actoins and imaginations of men be they good and godly or be the perillous and pernitious cōtrary to Nature Reason and the law of God c. Touchyng the freédome of mans will and that fatall necessitie as Osorius tearmeth it bycause aunswere sufficient is made already before It shall be neédelesse to protract the Reader with a new repetition of matters spoken already To be brief and
assaulted in his fayth or that the conscience be miserably entangled with timerous feare or if the conscience be brought to dispayre or if any greater mishappe shall happen to vrge there must the vse of the Keyes be applyed of very necessity And hereof came it that the Lord would vouchsafe to furnish his Ministers with the power of opening and shutting not to make perfect the full worke of our iustification but onelye for the necessarye reliefe and comfort of our unbecillitye and weakenesse And therefore Thomas Aquinas doth erre and is fowly deceiued as in many other thinges so in this very notably where he reasoneth in his commeÌ„taries of distinctions that the Keyes of the Church of releasing and pardoning were therefore committed to the Ministers because no maÌ„ is able without the ayde of the Ministers to open himselfe an accesse vnto the kingdome of heauen For thus hee writeth Because no man is able to open to himselfe sayth he therfore were the Ministers authorized to forgeue Sinne Whereby the kingdome of heauen is made open Thus much Thomas And out of this established error sprang vppe If I be not deceaued that necessitye of compulsary Confession whereby all Christians are constrayned to craue Pardon of all their sinnes not of Christ through fayth but of the Priest by Confession I do not speake this because I thinke Confession is altogether vnprofitable in the Church but I meane of the superfluous necessitye of reckoning vppe the particularities of sinnes And I know not whether euer a more deadly poyson could be scattered abroad in the Church by that wicked Seédes-man the Deuill then this most pestilent Cancker as well for many causes as in this respect of all other chiefly That forasmuch as all he perfection of our righteousnes doth depend vpoÌ„ the mercy and promise of God through faith in Christ Iesu the ChristiaÌ„ people are by meanes of this doctrine trayned away to fleé from fayth to Merite Meritorius so that now this treasure proceédeth not from God that maketh the promise but from the Priest that graunteth absolution our Saluation resteth no more now vpon the mercy of God but vpoÌ„ mens deseruings not vpon the freé gifte and bountifull liberalitye of God but vpon satisfactory acquitall and sufficiencie of CoÌ„trition and vpon rendring full recompence of enioyned penaunce For so we be taught by Iohn Scotus and by a receaued custome in opinion long before his dayes Confession sayth he after absolution geuen either doth committ the partye ouer to Pardons or els sendes him packing to Purgatory And thus much hitherto of the Popes Pardons whereof albeit no portsale had bene made nor any gayne and lucre reaped Yet of their owne nature they are such as neither cann be made Iustifiable by any colour or pretence nor proued by any argument nor ratyfied by any Antiquitye nor ought to be suffred in any Christian common weale without horrible sacriledge and execrable empietye Now I returne agayne to that which Osorius doth deny And this is it That these Pardons were neuer put to sale and set out to hyre by the knowledge or permission of the holy mother Church of Rome O holy Churche doughtles that was neuer of this minde that such Fayres and Markets should be proclaymed and frequented in that most holy Church of God And therefore as farre as I doe perceaue this holy and worshippfull mother Church of Rome applying her selfe to that notable predsideÌ„t of that heaueÌ„ly Paule because she will make the Gospell freé for all men doth power out all thynges freély maketh sale of nothyng she maketh no price vpon Palles vpon Miters and Hattes and geueth freély without mony Prebends Benefices Pryuiledges Exemptions and Immunities If any thing be dispensed with all or any release to be made of speciall Reseruations tushe they are geuen for pure loue there is nothing done in all this whole Church couetously nothing filthyly no nor any corruption or Symony at all And no maruell giftes are accouÌ„pted loathsome trashe Rewardes are trodden vnder foote Mony is Maysterlesse and despised as a Roage Here be no lymetwigges layd for pencioÌ„ for tenthes for first fruites nor for Iubiles the onely luâ—re and gayne here is the recoueryng of the lost sheépe Finally the shauelynges and whole crewe of this Church dare not abide to be greaced in the handes And although the Pope doe dayly furnish abroad so many Pardoners so many Bulbearers though he poaste abroad so many Pardons coyne dayly so many fresh Bulles yet for all that as he receaued gratis so he geueth gratis and dispenceth with all thinges gratis and geueth waxe seales leade paper and partchment gratis there is nothing putt to sale all thinges of freé gift I suppose surely his Legats lykewise when they Ruffle abroad his Byshopps when they goe in visitatioÌ„s and geue orders his Suffraganes when they doe confirme when Mounckes and Feyers doe confesse when the Priestes doe sing and say Masse for the quicke and the dead they take no money at all nor yet for Trentaâ—â—s for Mortuaryes nor Mariages After the same order the Fryers Lymptoures when they gadd abroad a begging Stationars raunging from Churche to Churche with Boxes and Bulles they doe it not for any gayne beware that If thys be true Mantuan was a great lyar where in his booke of Lamentations he writeth on this maner Steades and fatt Palfrayes are presentes for Popes So are Churches and Chappels Altars and Copes Perfumes and Prayers Crownes and Attyres Tapers and waxelight Incense and Fryers Rome selleth all thinges for mony and coste Yea heauen and all with God and his hoste But because this lying Southsayer Mantuan doth lye opeÌ„ly we will salue this soare with an other kinde of dittye of a certein other Poet whatsoeuer he were who dallyed not altogether vnpleasauntly yet somewhat more clenly with two vearses to the same effect in the commendation of this Church Pauperibus sua dat gratis nec munera captat Curia papalis quod modo percipitur Free Pardons geue nor Brybes receaue Doe Romaine Popes that we perceaue What neéde many wordes who is he that will not clapp his handes for ioye to seé this exceéding bountifulnes of this holy mother Church which doth so plentifully reward such as come vnto her with such aboundaunt store of comfortable Pardons and other wholesome Drugges for neuer a penye so franckly abhorring vtterly detesting these gaynefull Fayres and Marketts none otherwise then botches and blaynes if all be true that Osorius preacheth But by what Markes may this appeare any thing probable worshippfull Syr that you doe affirme so boldly vnto vs seéing as yet you feéde vs but with leane affirmatiues onely approued neither by wittnesse nor by reason But I thinke it not amisse to couer Osorius nakednes here And because the Reader may more easely discerne the whole substaunce of these PardoÌ„s we will deryue the very pedigreé of them from their first auncestors
and so left not that we should seéke for forgeuenes of Sinnes out of the same but that these outward signes deliuered vnto vs to Eate might putt vs in remembraunce of that euerlasting remission of sinnes which Christ should purchase for vs by the shedding of his precious bloud And for this cause he doth call it the upp in his bloud which shall be shedd for many sayth he into the remission of sinnes not transitory remission I suppose Osorius but into euerlasting forgeuenes of sinnes For other wise if it be a forgeuenes Temporall how will that saying of Ieremy be true And I will make with them an euerlasting couenaunt that I may not remember their sinnes any more If it be an euerlasting Release what neéde we then any further Sacrifices or what shall be sayd of that your holynes of Religion which doth make that thing transitory to vs that God hath vouchsafed for vs to be vnremoueable and to continue beyond all ages To be briefe that we may now knitt vp the matter by that that hath bene spoken before Behold here in few wordes the trueth and substaunce of this Sacrament Iustified with most true and approued Argumēts Whereunto if you will aunswere in your next letters to the Queénes Maiestie at your conuenient leasure you shall do vs a great pleasure 1. The Lord departing from hence did carry away with him out of the earth the substaunce of his body Ergo. He did not leaue the same substaunce behinde him 2. Christ did deliuer vnto vs a Mistery of his body onely Ergo. He did not deliuer his very naturall body 3. Christ did institute a Mistery of his body to be eaten onely Ergo. Not to be sacrificed In the remembraunce of forgeuenes of sinnes onely Ergo. Not a Sacrifice of cleansing and forgeuing of Sinnes 4 Saluation and remission of Sinnes is promised to them onely that beleue in Christ. Ergo not to them that doe sacrifice Christ. 5 Remission of Sinnes is not geuen without shedding of bloud Heb. 9 In the vnbloudy Sacrifice of the Masse there is no effusion of bloud Ergo. In the Sacrifice of the Masse is no Remission of sinnes 6. Saluation and free Remission of Sinnes doth consist of the promise through fayth The Sacrifice of the Masse is not free but meritorious nor cōsisteth of fayth but of merite Meritorious Ergo. The Sacrifice of the Masse is vneffectuall to Saluation and to the Reconciling of God 7. There is no Materiall cause of forgeuenes of Sinnes but the onely shedding of Christes bloud and no formall cause but fayth The vnbloudy Sacrifice of the Masse is neither fayth neither hath in it any effusion of bloud Ergo in the Sacrifice of the Masse there is neither Materiall nor Formall cause of Remission of Sinnes 8. The Sacrifices that doe not cease to be offred for Sinnes doe not satisfie for Sinnes Heb. 10. The oblatiōs of the Lawe can neuer make the receauers thereof perfect for if they could they would neuer haue ceased to be offred c. The Sacrifices of the Altar doe not cease to be offred doth name it a Sacramentall ministration In Clement it is called a representation of the kingly body of Christ. Others doe call it a signe of a true Sacrifice sometymes it is called the Sacrifice of prayer and thankesgeuyng by a certein mysticall figure of speakyng As in a certein place Ambrose doth call our Soules Altares Where writyng of virgines I dare boldly affirme sayth he that your Soules are Altares In the which Christ is dayly offred for the redemption of the body Not bycause our Soules be Altares or that the flesh of Christ is naturally or materially offered of vs but these sayinges are to be taken in the same sence as many other like sayings of the old writers are to be vnderstanded As where Ierome writeth on this wise That which was borne of the Virgine is dayly borne vnto vs Christ is Crucified vnto vs dayly c. After the same maner also doth Augustine speake Then is Christ dayly slayne to euery of vs whē we beleeue in him that he was slayne And the same Augustine in an other place vpon the wordes of the Lord. Christ doth ryse agayne dayly vnto thee And in his 10. booke De Ciuit ate Dei Cap. 5. God is not delighted in the Sacrifices of slayne beastes but of a slayne hart Euen as Chrisostome speaketh likewise In the holy mysteries the death of Christ is executed Besides this also as Gregory de Consecrat Dist. 2. Christ doth dye agayne in this mystery c. And yet is there no man so senselesse to say that Christ is borne euery day or is Crucified ryseth agayne oftentymes or that his death is executed in the mysteries accordyng to the very substaunce thereof But these be figuratiue and vnproper kyndes of speaches wherein is celebrated a certein mysticall execution of those thynges for a Remembraunce so that the thyngs them selues be not present properly which were long sithence finished but are representations by certein applyable resemblaūces of thinges signified onely whereby our fayth may as it were from hād to hand be admonished by the application of these outward signes what was accomplished before spiritually for vs in that most excellent Sacrifice of Christ. Euē as the Natiō of the Hebrues were sometyme fedd with the visible Manna as our bodyes are at this present strenghthened with dayly food of nourishyng sustenaunce which would otherwise perish through want Semblably bycause there can be no saluation for our forlorne nature besides the bloud of Christ Christ is therfore worthely called the bread of our lyfe and the foode of the world whereby the bodies are not fed for a few yeares but the soules are nourished to euerlastyng lyfe And for this cause Christ takyng an occasion of their communication which were cōferryng together of Manna and the eatyng of his flesh not vnaptly alluding to that heauenly banquett in Moyses which dyd refresh the hunger of the body for a tyme did call him selfe bread in deéde and spake the same also truly And why truly bycause he is truly and in deéde the bread and foode of lyfe not onely of this trāsitory and temporall lyfe but of euerlastyng lyfe not this lyfe onely which we doe now enioy in this world but which we shall lyue much more truly in the world to come And for this cause purposing euen then to suffer death for vs he did note vnto vs his body and bloud vnder the names of bread wyne This is my body sayth he This is the cuppe of my bloud Not bycause that bread and that cuppe were chaunged into his body and his bloud naturally substauncially and in deéde but bycause he could not before his death represent vnto vs the force and efficacy of that euerlastyng and spirituall Sacrifice by any more apt similitude or application of any other likenes which might continually preserue the remembraunce of him in