A Reformed Catholike OR A DECLARATION SHEWING HOW NEERE WE MAY COME TO THE PRESENT Church of Rome in sundrie points of Religion and vvherein we must for euer depart from them with an Advertisment to all fauourers of the Romane religion shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the Catechisme PRINTED BY JOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1598. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL SIR WILLIAM BOWES KNIGHT c. Grace and peace RIght Worshipfull it is a notable pollicie of the deuil which he hath put into the heades of sundrie men in this age to thinke that our religion and the religion of the present Church of Rome are all one for substance and that they may be reunited as in their opinion they were before Writings to this effect are spread abroad in the French tōgue respected of English Protestants more thē is meete or ought to be For let men in shew of moderation pretend the peace and good estate of the Catholike Church as long as they will This vnion of the two religions can neuer be made more then the Vnion of light darknes And this shall appeare if we doe but a litle consider how they of the Romane church haue rased the foundation For though in words they honour Christ yet in deede they turne him into a Pseudo-Christ and an Idol of their owne braine They call him our Lord but with this condition that the Seruant of Seruants of this Lord may change and adde to his commaundements hauing so great a power that he may open and shut heauen to whome he will binde the very conscience with his owne laws and consequently be partaker of the spirituall kingdome of Christ. Againe they call him a Sauiour but yet in Vs in that he giues this grace vnto vs that by our merits we may be our owne Sauiours and in the want of our owne merits we may partake in the merits of the Saints And they acknowledge that he Died and Suffred for vs but with this caueat that the Fault beeing pardoned we must satisfie for the temporall punishment either in this worlde or in Purgatorie In a word they make him our Mediatour of Intercession vnto God but withal his Mother must be the Queene of heauen and by the right of a mother commaund him there Thus in word they crie Osanna but in deed they crucifie Christ. Therfore we haue good cause to blesse the name of God that hath freed vs from the yoke of this Romane bondage hath brought vs to the true light liberty of the gospel And it should be a great height of vnthankfulnesse in vs not to stand out against the present church of Rome but to yeeld our selues to plottes of reconciliation To this effect and purpose I haue penned this little Treatise which I present to your Worship desiring it might be some token of a thankefull minde for vndeserued loue And I craue withall not onely your Worshipfull which is more common but also your Learned protection being wel assured that by skill and arte you are able to iustifie whatsoeuer I haue truly taught Thus wishing to you and yours the continuance and the increase of faith and good conscience I take my leaue Cambr. Iune 28. 1597. Your VVorships in the Lord William Perkins THE AVTHOR TO THE Christian Reader BY a Reformed Catholike I vnderstand any one that holds the same necessarie heades of religion vvith the Romane Church yet so as he pares off and reiects all errours in doctrine vvhereby the said religion is corrupted Hovv this may be done I haue begunne to make some little declaration in this small Treatise the intent whereof is to shevve howe neere we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of religion and wherein we must for euer dissent My purpose in penning this small discourse is threefold The first is to confute all such Politikes as holde and maintaine that our religion and that of the Romane Church differ not in substance and consequently that they may be reconciled yet my meaning is not here to condemne any Pacification that tends to perswade the Romane church to our religion The second is that the papists which thinke so basely of our religion may be wonne to a better liking of it when they shall see how neare we come vnto them in sundrie points The third that the common protestant might in some part see and conceiue the point of difference betvveene vs and the Church of Rome an◠knovv in what manner and hovv far forth vve condemne the opinions of the said Church I craue pardon for the order vvhich I vse in handling the seuerall points For I haue set them downe one by one as they came to minde not respecting the laws of methode If any Papist shall say that I haue not alleadged their opinions aright I ansvver that their bookes be at hand and I can iustifie what I haue said Thus crauing thine acceptation of this my paines and wishing vnto thee the increase of knowledge and loue of pure and sound religion I take my leaue and make an ende The places of doctrine handled are 1 Of Free-will pag. 11 2 Of Originall sinne 28 3 Assurance of Saluation 38 4 Iustification of a sinner 61 5 Of merits 103 6 Satisfactions for sinne 117 7 Of Traditions 134 8 Of Vowes 151 9 Of images 170 10 Of Real-presence 185 11 The sacrifice of the Masse 204 12 Of Fasting 221 13 The State of perfection 232 14 Worshipping of Saints departed 245 15 Intercession of Saints 258 16 Implicite faith 266 17 Of purgatorie 278 18 Of the Supremacie 283 19 Of the efficacie of the Sacraments 297 20 Of Faith 305 21 Of Repentance 316 22 The sinnes of the Romane church 331 REVELAT 18. 4. And I heard another voyce from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and receiue not of her plagues IN the former chapter S. Iohn sets down a description of the whore of Babylon and that at large as he sawe her in a vision described vnto him In the sixteenth verse of the same chapter he foretells her destruction and in the three first verses of this 18. chapter he goeth on to propound the said destruction yet more directly and plainly withall alleadging arguments to prooue the same in all the verses following Now in this fourth verse is set downe a caueat seruing to forewarne all the people of God that they may escape the iudgement which shall befall the whore and the wordes containe two parts a commandement and a reason The commandement Come out of her my people that is from Babylon The reason taken from the euent least ye be partakers c. Touching the commandement first I will search the right meaning of it and then set downe the vse thereof and doctrine flowing thence In historie therefore are three Babylons mentioned one is Babylon of Assyria standing on the riuer
Peter will beleeue he shall be saued but whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued Now then comes the minister of the word who standing in the roome of God and in the stead of Christ him selfe takes the indefinite promises of the Gospell and laies them to the hearts of euery particular man and this in effect is as much as if Christ himselfe should say Cornelius beleeue thou and thou shalt be saued Peter beleeue thou and thou shalt be saued It is answered that this applying of the Gospell is vpon condition of mens faith and repentance and that men are deceived touching their owne faith and repentance and therefore faile in applying the word vnto themselues Answ. Indeede this manner of applying is false in all hypocrits heretickes and vnrepentant persons for they apply vpon carnall presumption and not by faith Neuerthelesse it is true in all the Elect hauing the spirit of grace and praier for when God in the ministerie of the word being his owne ordinance saith Seeke ye my face the heart of Gods children truly answereth O Lord I will seeke thy face Psal. 17. 8. And when God shall say Thou art my people they shall say againe The Lord is my God Zach. 13. 6. And it is a truth of God that he which beleeueth knoweth that he beleeueth and he that truly repenteth knoweth that he repenteth vnles it be in the beginning of our conuersiou and in the time of distresse and temptation Otherwise what thankfulnes can there be for grace receiued Obiect II. It is no article of the Creed that a man must beleeue his owne saluation and therefore no man is bound thereto Ans. By this argument it appeares plainely that the very pillars of the Church of Rome doe not vnderstand the Creed for in that which is commonly called the Apostles Creede euery article implieth in it this particular faith And in the first article I beleeue in God are three things contained the first to beleeue that there is a God the second to beleeue the same God is my God the third to put my confidence in him for my saluation and so much containe the other articles which are concerning God When Thomas said Ioh. 20. 28. 29. My God Christ answered Thou hast beleeued Thomas Where we see that to beleeue in God is to beleeue God to be our God And Psal. 78. v. 22. to beleeue in God to put trust in him are all one They beleeued not in God and trusted not in his helpe And the articles concerning Remission of sinnes and Life euerlasting doe include and we in them acknowledge our speciall faith concerning our owne saluation For to beleeue this or that is to beleeue there is such a thing and that the same thing belongs to me as when Dauid said I should haue fainted except I had beleeued to see the goodnes of the Lord in the land of the liuing Psal. 27. 13. It is answered that in those articles we onely professe our selues to beleeue remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to be vouchsafed to the people and Church of god Ans. This indeed is the exposition of many but it staÌ„ds not with common reason For if that be â—ll the faith that is there confessed the deuil hath as good a faith as we He knoweth and beleeueth that there is a god that this god imparteth remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to his Church And to the ende that we beeing Gods children may in faith goe beyond all the deuils in hell we must further beleeue that remission of sinnes and life euerlasting belongs vnto vs and vnlesse we doe particularly apply the said articles vnto our selues we shall little or nothing differ from the deuill in making confession of faith Obiect III. We are taught to pray for the pardon of our sinnes day by day Math. 6. 12. and all this were needlesse if we could be assured of pardon in this life Ans. The fourth petition must be vnderstoode not so much of our old debts or sinns as of our present new sinnes for as we go on froÌ„ day to day so we adde sinne to sinne and for the pardon of them must we humble our selues and pray I answer againe that we pray for the pardon of our sinnes not because we haue no assurance thereof but because our assuraÌ„ce is weake smale we grow on from grace to grace in Christ as children do to mans estate by little little The heart of euery beleeuer is like a vessell with a narrowe necke which being cast into the sea is not filled at the first but by reason of the straight passage receiueth water droppe by droppe God giueth vnto vs in Christ euen a sea of mercy but the same on our parts is apprehended and receiued onely by little and little as faith groweth from age to age and this is the cause why men hauing assurance pray for more Our reasons to the contrarie Reason I. The first reason may be taken from the nature of faith on this maner True faith is both an vnfallible assurance and a particular assurance of the remission of sinns and of life euerlasting And therefore by this faith a man may be certenly and particularly assured of the remission of sinnes and life euerlasting That this reason may be of force two things must be prooued first that true faith is a certen assurance of Gods mercy to that partie in whome it is Secondly that faith is a particular assurance thereof For the first that faith is a certen assurance Christ saith to Peter Mat. 14. 31. O thou of litle faith wherfore diddest thou doubt Where he maketh an opposition betweene faith doubting thereby giuing vs directly to vnderstand that To be certen To giue assuraÌ„ce is of the nature of faith Rom. 4. 20. 22. Paul saith of Abraham that he did not doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in faith and gaue glorie to God being fully assured that he which had promised was able to doe it where I obserue first that doubting is made a fruite of vnbeleefe and therefore vnfallible certentie and assurance being contrarie to doubting must needes proceed from true faith considering that contrary effects come of contrarie causes and contrarie causes produce contrary effects SecoÌ„dly I note that the streÌ„gth of Abrahams faith did staÌ„d in fulnesse of assurance for the text saith he was strengthened in the faith being fully assured againe Heb. 11. 1. true saving faith is said to be the ground and subsistance of things hoped for the euidence or demonstration of things that are not seene but faith can be no grouÌ„d or euidence of things vnles it be for nature certentie it selfe thus the first point is manifest The second that sauing faith is a particular assurance is prooued by this that the propertie of faith is to apprehend and applie the promise and the thing promised Christ with his benefits Ioh. 1. 12. As many saith S. Iohn as receiued
in praier we must beleeue it shall be giuen vs as we aske it but in praier we are to aske the pardon of our owne sinnes and the merit of Christs righteousnes for our selues therefore we must beleeue the same particularly The proposition is a rule of Gods word requiring that in euery petition we bring a particular faith whereby we beleeue that the thing lawfully asked shall be giuen accordingly Mark 11. 24. The minor is also euident neither can it be denyed for we are taught by Christ himselfe to pray on this manner Forgiue vs our debts and to it we say Amen that is that our petitions shall without all doubt be graunted vnto vs. Aug. serm de Temp. 182. And here note that the Church of Rome in the doctrine of iustification by faith cuts off the principall part and propertie thereof For in iustifying faith two things are required first Knowledge reuealed in the word touching the meanes of saluation secondly an Applying of things knowne vnto our selues which some call affiance Nowe the first they acknowledge but the second which is the very substance and principall part thereof they denie III. Reason The iudgement of the auncient Church August I demand now doest thou beleeue in Christ O sinner Thou saist I beleeue What beleevest thou that all THY SINNES may freely be pardoned by him THOV HAST THAT VVHICH THOV HAST BEELEEVED Bern. The Apostle thinketh that a man is iustified freely by faith If thou beleeuest that thy sinnes cannot be remitted but by him alone against whome they were committed but goe further and beleeue this too that by him THY SINNES ARE FORGIVEN THEâ— This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost giueth in the heart saying thy sinnes are forgiueÌ„ thee Cyprian God promiseth thee immortalitie vvhen thou goest out of this vvorld and DOEST THOV DOVBT This is indeede not to knowe God and this is for a member of the church in the house of faith not to haue faith If we beleeue in Christ let vs beleeue his wordes promises and we shall neuer die and shall come to Christ with IOYFVL SECVRITIE with him to raigne for euer The II. difference touching faith in the act of iustification is this The Papist saith we are iustified by faith because it disposeth a sinner to his iustification after this maner By faith saith he the minde of man is inlightened in the knowledge of the law and gospell knowledge stirres vp a feare of hel with a consideration of the promise of happines as also the loue and feare of God and hope of life eternall Now when the heart is thus prepared God infuseth the habite of charitie and other vertues whereby a sinner is iustified before God We say otherwise that faith iustifieth because it is a supernaturall Instrument created by God in the heart of man at his conuersion whereby he apprehendeth and receiueth Christs righteousnes for his iustification In this their doctrine is a twofold error I. that they make faith which iustifieth to goe before iustification it selfe both for order of nature as also for time whereas by the word of God at the very instant when any man beleeueth first he is then iustified and sanctified For he that beleeueth eateth and drinketh the body and blood of Christ and is alreadie passed from death to life Iohn 6. 54. The second is that faith beeing nothing else with them but an illumination of the minde stirreth vp the will which beeing mooued and helped causeth in the heart many spirituall motions and thereby disposeth man to his future iustification But this indeed is as much as if we should say that dead men onely helped can prepare themselues to their future resurrection For we are all by nature dead in sinne and therefore must not onely be inlightened in minde but also renewed in will before we can so much as will or desire that which is good Now we as I haue said teach otherwise that faith iustifieth as it is an instrument to apprehend apply Christ with his obedience which is the matter of our iustification This is the truth I prooue it thus In the Couenant of grace two things must be considered the substance thereof the condition The substance of the couenant is that righteousnes and life euerlasting is giuen to Gods Church and people by Christ. The condition is that we for our parts are by faith to receiue the foresaid benefits and this conditioÌ„ is by grace as well as the substance Now theÌ„ that we may attaine to saluation by Christ he must be giuen vnto vs really as he is propounded in the tenour of the foresaid couenant And for the giuing of Christ God hath appointed speciall ordinances as the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments The word preached is the power of God to saluatioÌ„ to euery one that beleeues and the end of the sacraments is to communicate Christ with all his benefites to them that come to be partakers thereof as is most plainely to be seene in the supper of the Lord in which the giuing of bread and wine to the seuerall communicantes is a pledge and signe of Gods particular giuing of Christs bodie and blood with all his merits vnto them And this giuing on Gods part cannot be effectuall without receiuing on our parts and therefore faith must needes be an instrument or hand to receiue that which God giueth that we may finde comfort by this giuing The III. difference concerning faith is this the Papist saith that a man is iustified by faith yet not by faith alone but also by other vertues as hope loue the feare of God c. The reasons which are brought to maintaine their opinion are of no moment I. Reason Luk. 7. 47. Many sinnes are forgiueÌ„her BECASE shee loued much WheÌ„ce they gather that the woman here spoken of was iustified and had the pardon of sinnes by loue Ans. In this text loue is not made an impulsiue cause to mooue God to pardon her sinnes but onely a signe to shew and manifest that God had already pardoned them Like to this is the place of Iohn who saith 1. Ioh. 3. 14. We are translated from death to life BECAVSE we loue the brethren where loue is no cause of the change but a signe and consequent thereof II. Reason Gal. 5. 6. Neither circumcision nor vncircumcision auaileth any thing but FAITH THAT VVOEKâ—TH BY LOVE Hence they gather that faith doth instifie together with loue Ans. The propertie of true faith is to apprehend and receiue something vnto it selfe and loue that goes alwaies with faith as a fruite and an vnseperable companion thereof is of another nature For it doth not receiue in but as it were giue out it selfe in all the duties of the first and second table towards God and man and this thing faith by it selfe cannot doe therefore Paul saith that faith worketh by loue The hand hath a propertie to reach out it selfe to
hauing his first iustification may afterward by grace make himself more iust Therefore they hold these two things I. That good workes are meritorious causes of the second iustification which they tearme Actuall II. that good workes are means to increase the first iustificatiō which they call Habituall Now let vs see how farreforth we must ioyne with them in this point Our consent therefore stands in three conclusions I. That good workes done by them that are iustified doe please God and are approoued of him and therefore haue a reward II. Good workes are necessarie to saluation two waies first not as causes thereof either conseruant adiuvant or procreant but onely as consequents of faith in that they are inseperable companions and fruits of that faith which is indeede necessarie to saluation Secondly they are necessarie as markes in a way and as the way it selfe directing vs vnto eternall life III. We hold and beleeue that the righteous man is in some sort iustified by works for so the holy Ghost speaketh plainely and truly Iam. 2. 21. that Abraham vvas iustified by works Thus farre we ioyne with them and the very difference is this They say we are iustified by works as by causes thereof we say that we are iustified by workes as by signes fruits of our iustification before God and no otherwise and in this sense must the place of S. Iames be vnderstoode that Abraham was iustified that is declared and made manifest to be iust indeede by his obedience and that euen before God Nowe that our doctrine is the truth it will appeare by reasons on both parts Our reasons I. Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the vvorkes of the lavv Some answer that ceremoniall works be excluded here some that morall workes some works going before faith But let them deuise what they can for themselues the truth is that Paul excludeth all works whatsoeuer as by the very text will appeare For v. 24. he saith We are iustified FREELY by his grace that is by the meere gift of God giuing vs to vnderstand that a sinner in his iustification is meerely passiue that is doing nothing on his part whereby God should accept him to life euerlasting and v. 27. he saith iustification by faith excludeth all boasting and therefore all kinde of workes are thereby excluded and specially such as are most of all the matter of boasting that is good workes For if a sinner after that he is iustified by the merit of Christ were iustified more by his owne workes then might he haue some matter of boasting in himselfe And that we may not doubt of Pauls meaning consider and read Eph. 2. 8 9. By grace saith he you are saued through faith that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of vvorks least any man should boast himselfe Here Paul excludes all and euery worke and directly workes of grace themselues as appeares by the reason following For vve are his workemanship CREATED in Christ Iesus VNTO GOOD VVORKS VVHICH GOD HATH ORDAINED that vve should vvalke in them Nowe let the Papists tell me what be the workes which God hath prepared for men to walke in and to which they are regenerate vnles they be the most excellent works of grace and let them marke how Paul excludes them wholly from the worke of iustification and saluation II. Gal. 5. 3. If ye be circūcised ye are bound to the vvhole lavv and ye are abolished from Christ. Here Paul disputeth against such men as would be saued partly by Christ and partly by the workes of the lawe hence I reason thus If a man will be iustified by workes he is bound to fulfill the whole law according to the rigour thereof that is Pauls ground I now assume no man can fulfill the lawe according to the rigour thereof for the liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stained with sinne and therefore they are taught euery daie to say on this manner forgiue vs our debts Againe our knowledge is imperfect and therefore our faith repentance and sanctification is answerable And lastly the regenerate man is partly flesh and partly spirit and therfore his best works are partly frō the flesh in part onely spirituall Thus then for any man to be bound to the rigour of the whole law is as much as if he were bound to his owne damnation III. Election to saluation is of grace without workes therefore the iustification of a sinner is of grace alone without works For it is a certen rule that the cause of a cause is the cause of a thing caused Now grace without workes is the cause of election which election is the cause of our iustification and therefore grace without workes is the cause of our iustification IIII. A man must first be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke for the person must first please God before his workes can please him But the person of a sinner cannot please God till he be perfectly iustified and therefore till he be iustified he can not doe so much as one good worke And thus good works cannot be any meritorious causes of iustification after which they are both for time and order of nature In a word whereas they make two distinct iustifications we acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification yet so as iustificatiō is onely one standing in remission of sinnes and Gods acceptation of vs to life euerlasting by Christ and this iustification hath no degrees but is perfect at the very first Obiections of Papists Psal. 7. 8. Iudge me according to my righteousnesse Hence they reason thus if Dauid be iudged according to his righteousnes then may he be iustified thereby but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnes and therefore he was iustified thereby Ans. There be two kinds of righteousnes one of the person the other of the cause or action The righteousnes of a mans person is whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall The righteousnes of the action or cause is when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust Now Dauid in this psalme speaketh onely of the righteousnes of the action or innocency of his cause in that he was falsly charged to haue sought the kingdome In like manner it is said of Phineas Psal. 166. 31. that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie was imputed to him for righteousnes not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke but because God accepted of it as a iust worke and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glory II. Obiect The Scripture saith in sundrie places that men are blessed which doe good workes Psal. 119. 1. Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart and walketh in the law of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that endeauoureth to keepe Gods commandements Yet is he not
blessed simply because he doth so but because he is in Christ by whome he doth so and his obedience to the lawe of God is a signe thereof III. Obiect When man confesseth his sinnes and humbleth himselfe by praier and fasting Gods wrath is pacified and staied therefore prayer and fasting are causes of iustification before God Ans. Indeede men that truely humble themselues by praier and fasting doe appease the wrath of God yet not properly by these actions but by their faith expressed and testified in them whereby they apprehend that which appeaseth Gods wrath euen the merits of Christ in whome the father is well pleased and for whose sake alone he is well pleased with vs. IV. Obiect Sundrie persons in Scripture are commended for perfection as Noe and Abraham Zacharie and Elizabeth and Christ biddeth vs all be perfect and where there is any perfection of workes there also workes may iustifie Ansvv. There be two kinds of perfection perfection in parts and perfection in degrees Perfection in part is when beeing regenerate and hauing the seedes of all necessarie vertues we endeauour accordingly to obey God not in some few but in al and euery part of the law as Iosias turned vnto God according to all the law of Moses Perfection in degrees is when a man keepeth euery commandement of God and that according to the rigour thereof in the very highest degree Nowe then wheras we are commanded to be perfected and haue examples of the same perfection in Scripture both commandements and examples must be vnderstood of perfection in parts and not of perfection in degrees which cannot be attained vnto in this life though we for our partes must daily striue to come as neare vnto it as possibly we can V. Obiect 2. Cor. 4. 17. Our moment any afflictions worke vnto vs a greater measure of glorie now if afflictions worke our saluation then workes also doe the same Ansvv. Afflictions worke saluation not as causes procuring it but as meanes directing vs therto And thus alwaies must we esteem of workes in the matter of our saluation as of a certen way or a marke therein directing vs to glory not causing and procuring it as Bernard saith they are VIAREGNI NON CAVSA regnandi The way to the kingdome not the cause of raigning there VI. Obiect Wee are iustified by the same thing whereby we are iudged but we are iudged by our good workes therefore iustified also Ans. The proposition is false for indgement is an act of God declaring a man to be iust that is already iust and iustification is an other distinct act of God wherby he maketh him to be iust that is by nature vniust And therefore in equitie the last iudgement is to proceed by workes because they are the fittest meanes to make triall of euery mans cause and serue fitly to declare whome God hath iustified in this life VII Obiect Wicked men are condemned for euill workes therefore righteous men are iustified by good workes Ans. The reason holdeth not for there is great difference betweene euill and good workes An euill worke is perfectly euill and so deserueth damnation but there is no good work of any man that is perfectly good and therefore cannot iustifie VIII Obiect To beleeue in Christ is a worke and by it we are iustified and if one worke doe iustifie why may we not be iustified by al the works of the law Ans. Faith must be considered two waies first as a worke quality or vertue secondly as an Instrument or an hand reaching out it selfe to receiue Christs merit And we are iustified by faith not as it is a worke vertue or qualitie but as it is an instrument to receiue and apply that thing whereby we are iustified And therefore it is a figuratiue speach to say We are iustified by faith Faith considered by it selfe maketh no man righteous neither doth the action of faith which is to apprehend iustifie but the obiect of faith which is Christs obedience apprehended These are the principall reasons commonly vsed which as we see are of no moment To conclude therefore we hold that works concurre to iustification and that we are iustified thereby as by signes and effects not as causes for both the beginning middle and accomplishment of our iustification is onely in Christ and herevpon Iohn saith If any man being alreadie iustified sinne vve haue an Aduocate with the father Iesus Christ and he is the propitiation for our sinnes And to make our good workes meanes or causes of our iustification is to make euery man a Sauiour to himselfe The U. point Of merits By merit we vnderstand any thing or any worke whereby Gods fauour and life euerlasting is procured and that for the dignitie and excellencie of the worke or thing done or a good worke done binding him that receiueth is to repay the like Our Consent Touching merits we consent in two conclusions with them The first conclusion that merits are so far forth necessarie that without them there can be no saluation The second that Christ our Mediatour Redeemer is the roote and fountaine of all merit The dissent or difference The popish Church placeth merits within man making two sorts thereof the merit of the person and the merite of the worke The merite of the person is a dignitie in the person whereby it is worthy of life euerlasting And this as they say is to be found in Infants dying after baptisme who though they want good workes yet are they not voide of this kinde of merite for which they receiue the kingdome of heauen The merit of the worke is a dignitie or excellencie in the worke whereby it is made fitte and inabled to deserue life euerlasting for the doer And workes as they teach are meritorious two waies first by couenant because God hath made a promise of reward vnto them secondly by their owne dignitie for Christ hath merited that our workes might merit And this is the substance of their doctrine From it we dissent in these points I. We renounce all personall merits that is all merits within the person of any meere mā II. And we renonuce al merit of works that is all merit of any worke done by any meere man whatsoeuer And the true merit whereby we looke to attaine the fauour of God life euerlasting is to be found in the persō of Christ alone who is the storehouse of all our merits whose prerogatiue it is to be the person alone in whō God is wel pleased Gods fauour is of infinite dignitie no creature is able to doe a worke that may countervayle the fauour of God saue Christ alone who by reason of the dignitie of his person beeing not a meere man but God-man or Man-God he can doe such workes as ate of endlesse dignitie euery way answerable to the fauour of God and therefore sufficient to merit the same for vs. And though a merit or meritorious worke agree onely to the person of Christ
when we doe things prescribed in the way of counsell we may profit our selues and merit therby But this answer doth not stand with reason For things commanded in that they are commaunded are more excellent then things left to our libertie because the will and commaundement of God giues excellencie and goodnes vnto them Againe counsells are thought to be haâ—der then the commandements of the law and if men can not profit themselues by obedience of moral precepts which are more easie much lesse shall they be able to profit theÌ„selues by counsells which are of greater difficultie Reason IV. If it be not in the abilitie and power of man to keepe the law then much lesse is he able to doe any worke that is beyond and aboue all the law requireth but no man is able to fulfill the lawe and therefore no man is able to supererrogate Here the Papists deny the proposition for say they though we keepe not the lawe yet we may doe things of counsell aboue the lawe and thereby merit But by their leaues they speake absurdly for in common reason if a man faile in the lesse he cannot but faile in the greater Now as I haue said in popish doctrine it is easier to obey the moral lawe then to performe the counsells of perfection Obiections of Papists I. Isaie 56. 4. The Lord saith vnto Eunuches that keepe his sabbath and choose the thinge that pleaseth him will he giue a place a name better then the sonnes and daughters Now say they an Eunuch is one that liues a single life and keepes the vow of chastitie herevpon he is said to deserue a greater measure of glory Ans. If the wordes be well considered they prooue nothing lesse for honour is promised to Eunuches not because they make and performe the vowe of single life but because as the text saith they obserue the Lordes Sabbath and chose the thing that pleaseth God and keepe his couenant which is to beleeue the word of God to obey the commandements of the morall lawe Obiect II. Mat. 16. 12. Christ saith There are some which haue made themselues chast for the kingdome of heauen therefore the vowe of single life is warrantable and is a worke of speciall glorie in heauen Ans. The meaning of this text is that some hauing receiued the gift of continencie doe willingly content themselues with single estate that they may with more libertie without distraction further the good estate of the Church of God or the kingdome of grace in themselues and others This is all that can be gathered out of this place hence therefore cannot be gathered the merit of euerlasting glorie by single life Obiect III. Math. 9 21. Christ saith to the young man If thou wilt be perfect goe sell that thou hast and giue to the poore and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen Therefore say they a man by forsaking all may merit not onely heauen but also treasure there that is an exceeding measure of glorie Ans. This young man beeing in likelihoode a most strickt Pharise thought to merit eternall life by the workes of the law as his first question imporieth Good master what shall I doe to be saued and therefore Christ goeth about to discouer vnto him the secret corruption of his heart and herevpon the words alledged are a commandement of triall not common to all but special to him The like commandement gaue the Lord to Abraham saying Abraham take thine onely sonne Isaac and offer him vpoÌ„ the mountaine which I shall shewe thee Gen. 12. 2. IV. Obiect 1. Cor. 7. 8. Paul saith It is good for all to be single as he was and v. 38. he saith it is better for virgins not to marry and this he speakes hy permission not by commandement v. 26. Ans. Here single life is not preferred simply but onely in respect of the present necessitie because the Church was then vnder persecution and because such as liue a single life are freed from the cares and distractions of the world V. Obiect 1. Cor. 9. 15. 17. 18. Paul preached that excelled in faith in the times of the olde and new testament II. They are to be honoured by giuing of thankes to God for them and the benefits that God vouchsafed by them vnto his Church Thus Paul saith that when the Churches heard of his conuersion they glorified God for him or in him Gal. 1. 13. And the like is to be done for the Saints departed III. They are to be honoured by an imitation of their faith humilitie meekenesse repentance the feare of God all good vertues wherin they excelled For this cause the examples of godly men in the old and new testament are called a cloud of witnesses by allusion for as the cloud did guide the Israelites through the wildernes to the land of Canaan so the faithful now are to be guided to the heauenly Canaan by the examples of good men that haue beleeued in God before vs and haue walked the strait way to life euerlasting Concl. II. Againe their TRVERELIQVES that is their vertues and good examples left to all posteritie to be followed we keepe and respect with due reuerence Yea if any man can shewe vs the bodily relique of any true Saint and prooue it so to be though we will not worship it yet will we not despise it but keepe it as a monument if it may conueniently be done without offence And thus farre we consent with the church of Rome Further we must not goe The dissent Our difference stands in the manner of worshipping of Saints The Papists make two degrees of religious worshippe The highest they cal Latria whereby God himselfe is worshipped and that alone The second lower then the former is called Doulia whereby the Saints and Angells that be in the speciall fauour of God and glorified with euerlasting glorie in heauen are worshipped This worshippe they place in outward adoration in bending of the knee and bowing of the bodie to them beeing in heauen in invocation whereby they call vpon them in dedication of Churches and houses of religion vnto them in sabbathes and festiuall daies lastly in pilgrimages vnto their reliques images We likewise distinguish adoration or worship for it is either religious or civill Religious worship is that which is done to him that is Lord of all things the searcher and trier of the heart omnipotent euery where present able to heare and helpe them that call vpon him euery where the author and first cause of euery good thing and that simply for himselfe because he is absolute goodnes it selfe And this worship is due to God alone being also commaunded in the first and second com mandements of the first table Ciuill worship is the honour done to men set above vs by God himselfe either in respect of their excellent gifts or in respect of their offices authoritie whereby they gouerne others The right ende of this worship is to testifie and declare that we
touching the meanes of purgation They say that men are purged by suffering of paines in purgatorie whereby they satisfie for their veniall sinnes and for the temporall punishment of their mortal sinnes We teach the contrarie holding that nothing can free vs from the least punishment of the smallest sinne but the sufferings of Christ and purge vs from the least taint of corruption sauing the bloode of Christ. Indede they say that our sufferings in themselues considered doe not purge and satisfie but as they are made meritorious by the sufferings of Christ but to this I oppose one text of scripture Hebr. 1. 3. where it is saide that Christ hath purged our sinnes BY HIMSELFE where the last clause cuts the throat of all humane satisfactions and merits and it giueth vs to vnderstand that whatsoeuer thing purgeth vs from our sinnes is not to be found in vs but in Christ alone otherwise it should haue bin saide that Christ purgeth the sinnes of men by themselues as well as by himselfe and he should merit by his death that we should become our owne Sauiours in part To this place I may well referre prayer for the dead of which I wil propound two conclusions affirmatiue and one negatiue Conclus I. We hold that Christian charitie is to extend it selfe to the very deade and it must shew it selfe in their honest buriall in the preseruation of their good names in the helpe and releefe of their posteritie as time and occasion shall be offered Ruth 1. 8. Ioh. 19. 23. II. Conclus We praie further in general manner for the faithfull departed that God would hasten their ioyfull resurrection and the full accomplishment of their happinesse both for the bodie and soule and thus much we aske in saying Thy kingdome come that is not onely the kingdome of grace but also the kingdome of glory in heauen Thus farre we come but nearer the gates of Babylon we dare not approch III. Conclus To pray for particular men departed and to praie for their deliuerance out of purgatorie we thinke it vnlawfull because we haue neither promise nor commandement so to doe The eighteenth point Of the supremacie in causes Ecclesiasticall Our consent Touching the point of supremacie Ecclesiasticall I will set downe how neare we may come to the Romane Church in two conclusions Conclus I. For the founding of the primitiue Church the ministerie of the word was distinguished by degrees not onely of order but also of power and Peter was called to the highest degree Ephes. 4. vers 11. Christ ascended vp on high and gaue gifts vnto men for the good of his Church as some to be Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors and Doctors Now howsoeuer one Apostle be not aboue another or one Euangelist aboue another or one pastour aboue another yet an Apostle was aboue an Euangelist and an Euangelist aboue all pastours and teachers And Peter was by calling an Apostle and therefore aboue all Euangelists and Pastors hauing the highest roome in the ministerie of the new Testament both for order and authoritie Conclus II. Among the twelue Apostles Peter had a threefold priuiledge or prerogatiue I. The prerogatiue of authoritie II. Of primacie III. Of principalitie For the first by the priuiledge of authoritie I meane a preheminence in regard of estimatiō wherby he was had in reuerence aboue the rest of the twelue Apostles for Cephas with Iames and Iohn are called pillers and seemed to be great Gal. 2. v. 6 9. Againe he had the preheminence of primacie because he was the first named as the forman of the quest Math. 10. 2. The name of the twelue Apostles are these THE FIRST IS Simon called Peter Thirdly he had the preheminence of principality among the twelue because in regard of the measure of grace he excelled the rest for when Christ asked his disciples whome they said he was Peter as beeing of greatest abilitie and zeale answered for them all Math. 16. 16. I vse this clause among the twelue because Paul excelled Peter euery way in learning zeale vnderstanding as farre as Peter excelled the rest And thus neere we come to popish supremacie The difference The Church of Rome giues to Peter a supremacie vnder Christ aboue all causes and persons that is full power to gouerne order the catholik Church vpon the whole earth both for doctrine regiment This supremacie stands as they teach in a power or iudgement to determine of the true sense of all places of Scripture to determine all causes of faith to assemble generall councells to ratifie the decrees of the said councels to excommunicate any man vpon earth that liues within the Church euen princes and nations properly to absolue and forgiue sinnes to decide causes brought to him by appeale from all the parts of the earth lastly to make lawes that shall binde the conscience This fulnes of power with one consent is ascribed to Peter and the Bishops of Rome that follow him in a supposed succession Nowe we holde on the contrarie that neither Peter nor any Bishop of Rome hath any supremacie ouer the Catholike Church but that all supremacie vnder Christ is pertaining to kings and princes within theire dominions And that this our doctrine is good theirs false and forged I will make it manifest by sundrie reasons I. Christ must be considered of vs as a king two waies First as he is God and so is he an absolute king ouer all things in heauen and earth with the Father the holy Ghost by the right of creation Secōdly he is a king as he is redeemer of mankinde and by the right of redemprion he is a soueraigne king ouer the whole Church and that in speciall manner Now as Christ is God with the Father and the holy Ghost he hath his deputies on earth to gouerne the worlde as namely kings princes who are therefore in scriptures called gods But as Christ is Mediatour and consequently a king ouer his redeemed ones he hath neither fellow nor deputie No fellow for then he should be an imperfect mediatour No deputie for no creature is capable of this office to doe in the roome and stead of Christ that which he himselfe doth because euery worke of the Mediatour is a compound worke arising of the effects of two natures concurring in one and the same action namely the godhead and the manhood and therefore to the effecting of the said work there is required an infinite power which farre exceedes the strength of any created nature Againe Heb. 7. 24. Christ is said to haue a priesthood which cannot passe from his person to any other whence it followes that neither his kingly nor his propheticall office can passe from him to any creature either in whole or in part because the three offices of mediation in this regard be equall Nay it is a needlesse thing for Christ to haue a deputie to put in exequution any part of his mediatourship considering a deputy