it will follow that Christ by his obedience and sufferings in the humane nature had merited to bee God but this hee had not by purchase but by nature and therefore himselfe prayed a little before his death Ioh. 17. 5. And now Father glorifie mee with the glory not which I have merited by my death but with that glory which I had with thee before the world waâ—… And it is evident that the glory whereunto Christ in this place is said to be exalted is proper to God himselfe Esay 45. 22. And this may suffice for this point for I will not trouble the Reader with those two other allegations of our Rhemists the one out of Apoc. 5. 12. that the Lambe which was slaine was worthy to receive power and as they read Divinity from whence they should prove if they prove any thing that Christ by his sufferings in his humanity merited his Divinity The other Heb. 2. 9. that Christ because of the passion of death was crowned with glory and honour where the words are thus to be construed according to the distinction and interpretation of the Fathers wee see Iesus crowned with glory and honour who for a shorâ—… time was made lesse than the Angels viz. by hiâ—… incarnaâ—…ion for the suffering of death that is that hee might suffer death or as the Apostle speaketh that by the grace of God hee might viz. in the humane nature assumed tast of death for all § XIII Object 3. If Christ obeyed the Law for us that by his obedience we might be justified then shall not wee need to obey the Law but the consequent is absurd therefore the antecedent I answere that we need not to obey the Law to that end that we may thereby be justified for from that yoke of most miserable bondage excluding us from 〈◊〉 if we doe noâ—… perfectly fulfill the Law in our owne persons our Saviour Christ hath freed us the condition which the Law requireth to justification being utterly impossible to us by reason of the flesh But howsoever we cannot perfectly fulfill the Law that we must thinke our selves bound sincerely to keepe it that is we must have an 〈◊〉 desire an unsained purpose a serious care an upright endevour to walke in the obedience of Gods commandements in this study and practice of piety consisteth our new obedience which we must be carefull to performe not to be justified thereby but to glorifie God to obey his will to restifie our thankfulnesse towards him to edifie our brethren to gather sound testimonies to our selves and assurance of our justification and so to make our calling and our election sure § XIV Object 4. If wee be justified by the obedience of Christs life what needed he to dye for us Answ. the chiefest part of his obedience was to be performed at his death His totall obedience was his fulfilling of the whole Law for us The Law since the fall is fulfilled neither by an obedience conformable to the commandements alone because wee are all sinners nor by suffering the punishment alone but by both And therefore Christ performed both for us that by both we might be justified But this objection I will requite with § XV. Our fourth reason If wee bee justified altogether by the death and passion of Christ onely to what end and purpose serveth his habituall righteousnesse and actuall obedience by which hee was obedient to the Law in the whole course of his life doing alwayes those things which are pleasing to God performing all righteousnesse fulfilling the Law and whatsoever the Law requireth to justification These things as I shewed before he did not for himselfe therefore for us and in our stead To this some of our aforesaid Divines doe answer that Christ indeed fulfilled the Law for our sakes but they put a difference betweene pro and propter saying that Christ obeyed the Law pro se not pro nobis sed propter nos that is for our sakes but not for us or in our stead which some expresse thus that he might be sanctus Ponâ—…ifex and sacra Victima an holy Priest and an holy Sacrifice Others thus that these things are required in Christ that in his blood hee may bee righteousnesse unto us Answ. 1. That there is no such distinction in the Scriptures but the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this very point of Christs doing or suffering for us are used indifferently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 8. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 17. 19. Rom. 5. 8. Luk. 22. 20. 1 Cor. 11. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 26. 28. Mark 14. 24. 1 Ioh. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 20. 28. Mark 10. 45. Neither is this distinction acknowledged by the Fathers who acknowledge that Christ obeyed pro nobis Cyril de rect â fide ad Reginam Theodoret. therapeut 10. pag. 148. that hee was baptized pro nobis Aug. tract 4. in Ioan. tract 111. that he who dyed for us liveth pro nobis Cyril Thesaur lib. 9. cap. 2. That he was made a Priest pro nobis Idem in Ioan. lib. 2. cap. 1. pro omnibus mortuus pro omnibus resurrexit c. Answ. 2. This to me seemeth but a shallow conceit For who is the Priest and what is the Sacrifice Was not the Priest the Son of God both God and Man Was not the Sacrifice the flesh or human nature of the Son of God Surely if Christ had never submitted himselfe to obey the Law yet he being God had been a most holy Priest his body and blood being the body and blood of God had beene a most holy and all-sufficient Sacrifice Neither was it the holinesse of the humanity that sanctified the sacrifice or gave the vertue of satisfaction unto it but the dignity of the person and the vertue of the Godhead which made the righteousnesse of the Man Christ as well active as passive to bee meritorious and satisfactory for others Iesus Christ therefore being both God and Man was and is our high Priest who offered the sacrifice of his humanity upon the altar of his Deity which sanctified the sacrifice and made it an all-sufficient satisfaction for the sinnes of all that beleeve It is the Spirit saith our Saviour Christ that giveth life the flesh by it selfe profiteth nothing Ioh. 6. 63. the sufferings or obedience of Christ as hee is Man considered apart from the Godhead are neither satisfactory nor meritorious for others but being the sufferings of God they are a sufficient price of ransome to free us from hell and being the obedience of God is of sufficient merit to entitle us unto the kingdome of heaven § XVI Our fifth reason There are two parts of justification the one the absolving from the guilt of sinne and damnation the other the accepting of a beleeving sinner as righteous unto life the former is wrought by the sufferings of Christ
Adams disobedience or transgâ—…ession Therefore wee are justified that is not onely absolved from the guilt of sinne but also accepted as righteous by imputation of Christs obedience As touching the proposition that the word sinners doth in this place signifie guilty of sinne and obnoxious to condemnation it is testified by Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what then is the word sinners in this place it seemeth to mee that it is to be subject or obnoxious to punishment and condemned to death by Oecumenius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by Theophylact likewise sinners that is obnoxious to punishments and guilty of death which exposition is plainely confirmed by the verses going before where the same opposition betweene the first and second Adam being made the â—…ormer part is expressed in these words that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or guilt of Adams transgression came upon his posterity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto condemnation especially vers 16. and 18. § II. The assumption though gaine-said by Bellarmine in this place yet is taught not only by other Papists who fully contradict Bellarmines Assumption but elsewhere also by Bellarmine himselfe For Durandus Pighius Catharinus doe hold originall sinne to be nothing else but the guilt of Adams fall or the disobedience of Adam imputed unto us which opinion also Occam professeth that he would hold if he were not hindered by the authority of the Fathers Yea saith Bellarmine it seemeth to have beene the opinion of some of the ancient as Peter Lombard reporteth Iâ—… refuting this opinion Bellarmine justly findeth fault with them that they held originall sinne to be nothing else but the guilt of Adams disobedience imputed it being also the depravation of our nature following thereupon But in that they say originall sinne is the disobedience of Adam imputed unto us that he doth approve For Adam alone did indâ—…ed commit that sinne by actuall will but to us it is communicated by generation eo modo quo communicari potest id quod transiit nimirum per imputationem after that manner whereby that may be communicated which is transcient and gone to wit by imputation Omnibus enim imputatur c. for it is imputed to all who are borne of Adam because wee all being then in the loynes of Adam when hee sinned in him and by him wee sinned Yea and farther hee rightly disputeth that if Adams sinne were not ours by imputation neither the guilt of it nor the corruption following upon it had belonged to us This assertion of Bellarmine confirmeth our assumption and contradicteth his own alleaging that wee are made sinners through the disobedience of Adam by injustice inherent and not imputed which also he contradicteth in other places For he granteth the sinne of Adam so to be imputed to all his posterity as if they all had committed that sinne and to the same purpose citeth Bernard Ours is Adams fault because though in another yet we sinned and to us it was imputed by the just though secret judgement of God And againe taking upon him to prove that the propagation of sinne may bee defended without maintaining the propagation or traduction of the soule he saith that nothing else is required to the traduction of sinne but that a man be descended from Adam by true and ordinary generation For generation not being of a part but of the person or whole man for homo generat hominem therefore the person descending from Adam though his soule be from God was in the loynes of Adam and being in him originally as in the roote in him and with him hee sinned the actuall sinne of Adam being communicated unto him by imputatioâ—… For as Augustine saith definita est seutentia c. it is a resolved case by the Apostle that in Adam we all sinned § III. But what shall wee say to the inherent corruption which Adam by his transgression contracted By this assertion it seemeth not to be traducted otherwise than as the fruit and consequent of the actuall disobedience which was the opinion of Pighius and Catharinus For as Adam by his first transgression which was the sinne of mankind contracted not onely the guilt of death but also the corruption of his nature being both a privation of originall righteousnesse and also an evill disposition and pronenesse to all manner of sinne which is that macula peccati remaining in the sinner after the act is gone so wee having sinned in Adam are not onely made guilty of death and void of originall righteousnesse but also are defiled with that habituall disposition and pronenesse to all manner of sinne So that according to this assertion it may be defended that nothing in our generation is communicated unto us with the humane nature but the disobedience of Adam which is communicated by imputation As for the guilt of death and the inherent coruption they are not derived from Adam but contracted by our sinning in him And hereunto we may apply Bellarmines distinction of sinne so properly called that it is either a voluntary transgression or that blemish which remaineth in the soule caused and contracted by the transgression being of the same nature with it diffeâ—…ing no otherwise from it than as heat from the act of heating For in the former sense originall sinne is the voluntary trangression of Adam imputed unto us and is one and the same in all men in Adam actuall and personall in us originall For onely he by actuall will committed it but to us it is communicated after that manner by which that which is past and gone may bee communicated to wit by imputation In the latter sense it is the corruption inherent contracted and caused as in Adam by his personall sinne so in us by our sinning originally in him which though it bee alike and equall in all yet it is every mans owne § IV. But supposing originall sinne according to the received opinion to be wholly communicated unto us from Adam in our generation yet we must distinguish betwixt Adams first transgression or actuall disobedience which we call his â—…all and the corruption or depravation of his nature which thereupon followed For though we be partakers of both yet not after the same manner Of the transgression we can be no otherwise partakers than by imputation For Adams transgression being an action and actions continuing or having a being no longer than they are in doing cannot bee traducted or transmitted from Adam to his posterity But the corruption being habituall is derivable by propagation Now the Apostle Rom. 5. speaketh of Adams actuall disobedience once committed by him by which he saith we are made sinners that sinne of his being communicated unto us by imputation and not of the corruption thereupon following So by the like reason we are made just by the obedience of Christ which hee performed for us in the daies of his flesh which can
we say it doth The exclusive particle used by some of our Divines doth exclude infusion not imputation of righteousnesse as Bellarmine confesseth For wee doe hold though all perhaps have not so plainely expressed their meaning and some few have delivered their private opinions that remission of sinne is but a part of justification and that by imputation of Christs righteousnesse we are both absolved from our sinnes and also accepted as righteous in Christ and as heires of eternall life But Bellarmine howsoever he would seeme to acknowledge the concurrence of remission of sinne unto justification yet indeed excludeth it For by remission of sinne concurring to justification hee doth not understand the not imputing or forgiving of sinne but the extinction and abolition thereof wrought by the infusion of habituall righteousnesse which expelleth its contrary as heat doth cold and light darkenesse And howsoever there bee duo termini two termes in this motion or mutation as he conceiveth of justification as being a passage b or change from sinne to righteousnesse yet there be not two causes nor yet two distinct actions but the onely cause is justice infused and the action is but one and the same the infusion of righteousnesse expelling sinne Even as in creation which is transitâ—…s à non esse ad esse in illumination which is transitâ—…s à tenebris ad lâ—…cem in calefaction which is a passage from cold to heat But if this be all that is required in the Popish justification as undoubtedly it is the whole and onely forme thereof being infused of righteousnesse or as they love rather to speake righteousnesse infused their justification also not differing from that which the Scriptures call sanctification saving that they dreame of a totall mortification or deletion of sinne and of a perfect renovation then what is become of the absolving of â—…â—…tom the guilt of sinne by which wee are freed from hell and the acceptation of us as righteous in Christ by we are intitled to the kingdome of heaven Both which are wrought by imputation of Christs righteousnesse in which true justification doth consist For infused righteousnesse though it were perfect could not discharge us from our former debts and being unperfect as their owne consciences cannot but tell them it cannot entitle them to the kingdome of heaven Wherefore if they will be saved they must of necessity flee to the righteousnesse or satisfaction of Christ who hath fully satisfied the Law both in respect of the penalty by his sufferings and also in regard of the commandement by his obedience which obedience and sufferings being transient and gone so long since can no otherwise bee communicated unto them but by imputation Now if they can be content to acknowledge the imputation of Christs satisfaction which sometimes they doe and must doe if they will bee saved for there is no other meanes either to escape hell or to come to heaven then let them according to the Scriptures acknowledge this imputation of Christs satisfaction by which they are to bee acquitted and freed from the guilt of sinne and damnation and also accepted as righteous in Christ and heires of eternall life to be their justification As for the mortification of sinne and the renovation of us according to the image of God in true holinesse and righteousnesse both which are but in part and by degrees wrought in us by the Spirit of regeneration let them bee acknowledged to bee the two parts of our sanctification § II. But Bellarmine will needs have our renovation to be the righteousnesse of justification And this he indevoureth to prove by Testimonies of Scripture by the authority of Saint Augustine and by reason The texts of Scripture which he citeth are six The first Rom. 4. 25. who was delivered up for our sinâ—…es and rose for our justification From whence Bellarmine argueth thus to what the Apostle giveth the name of justification in that justification consisteth rather than in that unto which hee doth not give the name But to renovation in this place the Apostle doth give the name of justification and not to remission of sinne Therefore justification consisteth rather in renovation than in remission of sinne Before I answere I thinke good to advertise the reader againe that Bellarmine here by remission of sinne doth not understand the not imputing of sinne or as we in plaine English call it forgivenesse of sinne but the utter deletion the extinction the totall mortification of sinne And that hee doth foure times at the least signifie in this one passage Now I answer by denying his assumption because the Apostle in this place doth give the name of justification neither to remission nor yet to renovation which is not mentioned so much as once in all the Chapter Indeed in some other places the Apostle and his Disciple Saint Luke doe give the name to remission of sinnes that is to the not imputing of sinne or to the absolving and acquitting from sinne Rom. 4. 6 7 8. 〈◊〉 13. 38 39. but never to renovation § III. His assumption Bellarmine proveth because it cannot be doubtâ—…d but that the Apostles meaning was that Christ his death was a samplar or patterne of the death of sin that is saith he of remission or deletion of sins and that his resurrection was a samplar or patterne of our renovation and inward regeneration by which we walke in newnesse of life And is this the meaning of the Apostle Then be like wee are justified by imitation and not by imputation of Christs death and by imitation of his resurrection and then also by the same reason we are made sinners by imitation and not imputation of Adams transgression But indeed in this place the Apostle doth not propound by way of exhortation the death and resurrection of Christ as an example to bee followed in dying to sinne and rising to righteousnesse represented in Baptisme as hee doth in the sixth to the Romans where he exhorteth to sanctification as an inseparable consequent and companion of justification but by way of Doctrine hee speaketh of the death and resurrection of Christ as the cause of our justification of which he had spoken in the whole Chapter and even in the verses next going before that righteousnesse shall bee imputed to us as well as to Abraham if wee beleeve in him that raised up Iesus our Lord from the dead who was given by his father and by himselfe to us and for us that by the obedience of his life untill death but especially at his death he might satisfie for our sinnes and was raised from the dead that we might be justified and saved by his life which he liveth after his death Christ by his death and obedience did satisfie for our sinnes paying a full ransome for them and so did justifie us meritoriously and in that sense we are said to bee justified by his bloud and by his obedience both as the
in everlasting righteousnesse Dan. 9. 24. § VII Inst. III. If we bee justified by Christ his fulfilling of the Law then wee are justified by a legall righteousnesse but wee are not justified by a legall justice but by such a righteousnesse as without the Law is revealed in the Gospell Answ. The same righteousnesse by which we are justified is both legall and Evangelicall in divers respects Legall in respect of Christ who being made under the Law that hee might redeeme us who were under the Law perfectly fulfilled the Law for us Evangelicall in respect of us unto whom his fulfilling of the Law is imputed And herein standeth the maine both agreement and difference betweene the Law and the Gospell The agreement that both unto justification require the perfect fulfilling of the Law the difference that the Law requireth to justification perfect obedience to be performed in our owne persons The Gospell propoundeth to justification the righteousnesse of God that is the perfect righteousnesse of Christ who is God performed for us and accepted in the behalfe of them that beleeve as if it had been performed in their own persons § VIII Our second reason As by the disobedience of the first Adam by which he transgressed the Law men were made sinners his disobedience being imputed to them so by the obedience of the second Adam whereby hee fulfilled the Law men are made righteous his obedience being imputed to them In answer to this argument two novelties are broached the former that as wee were made sinners by one act of disobedience committed by one man and that but once so we are justified by one act of obedience performed by one and that but once which was that oblation of Christ whereby hee but once offered himselfe Whereunto I reply first that betweene sinne whereby the Law is broken and obedience whereby the Law is fulfilled there is great ods The Law is broken by any one act of sinne for hee that offendeth in any one is guilty of all But the Law is not fulfilled by any one act of obedience but by a totall perfect and perpetuall observation of the Law for by the sentence of the Law hee is accursed whosoever doth not continue in all the things which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them But in no one act of obedience there neither is nor can bee a continuance in doing all the things that are commanded Secondly that although the obedience by which we are justified was but of one man yet it was not one act but as the Apostle calleth it in the verse going before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is all that the Law requireth to justification The second Novelty is that neither Adam in sinning transgressed the Law nor our Saviour in his obedience to death obeyed the Law For neitheâ—… the commandement given to the first Adam concerning the forbidden fruit nor the commandement given to the second Adam concerning his suffering of death for us was any commandement of the Law no more than the commandement given to Abraham for the sacrificing of his sonne or to the Israelites for the spoiling of the Aegyptians but a speciall commandement Whereto I reply that although every thing which God commandeth in particular be not expressed in the Law yet wee have a generall commandement expressed in the Law that whatsoever God commandeth we must doe and if we doe it not we sinne and every sinne is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a transgression of the Law § IX Our third reason If Christ by his conformity to the Law fulfilled the Law for us then his obedience in fulfilling of the Law is accepted of God in our behalfe as if wee had fulfilled it in our owne persons but Christ by his conformity to the Law fulfilled the Law for us therefore his obedience in fulfilling of the Law is accepted of God in our behalfe as if wee had fulfilled it in our owne persons that is to say both his habituall and actuall righteousnesse is imputed to us The consequence of the proposition is necessary for if hee performed obedience for us and in our behalfe he performed it in vaine if it be not accepted for us and in our behalfe The assumption also is of necessary truth for first that Christ did fulfill the Law it is evident for himselfe professeth that he came to fulfill the Law Matth. 5. 17. that it became him to fulfill all righteousnesse Matth. 3. 15. that he did alwayes those things which please God Ioh. 8. 29. and the Scripture testifieth that not for himselfe but for us hee fulfilled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever the Law requireth to justification that his whole life was a perpetuall course of obedience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even untill his death which he performed not for himselfe for as hee was incarnate not for himselfe but for us men and for our salvation for it was the exinanition of himselfe so being incarnate he sanctificed himselfe for us and was made under the Law not for himselfe for that was a farther degree of humiliation that being man hee humbled himselfe to bee obedient even untill his death and therein also humbled himselfe to undergoe the death of the crosse The Apostle Rom. 10. 4. teacheth that Christ is thâ—… end that is the perfection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greeke Fathers speake that is complement of the Law to all that beleeve unto righteousnesse that is that hee hath fulfilled the Law for all beleevers in so much that all who truely beleeve have in Christ fulfilled the Law Upon which place Remigius writing saith Christus finâ—…â—…gis in completio legis Christ the end of the Law that is the fulfilling of the Law Theodoret. He that beleeveth in our Lord Christ hee hath fulfilled the scope of the Law and what that is Chrysostome sheweth For saith hee What did the Law intend To make a man just but it was not able for never any fulfilled it but this end our Saviour Christ hath more amply accomplished through faith if therefore thou beleevest in Christ thâ—… hast not onely fulfilled the Law but much more than it commanded for thou hast received a farre greater righteousnesse and what can that be but the righteousnesse of Christ And Photias whosoever therefore saith the Apostle beleeveth in Christ hee fulfilleth the Law Sedulius likewise hee hath the perfection of the Law who beleeveth in Christ. This therefore doth plainely prove that Christs obedience in fulfilling the Law is imputed to all that beleeve unto righteousnesse as if themselves had fulfilled it And this is the conceived doctrine of the Church of England that Christ satisfied the justice of God and redeemed us not onely by the oblation of his body and shedding of his blood but also by the full and perfect fulfilling of the
by some inherent gift The proposition which no man denieth he laboreth to prove by three arguments which he might very well have spared but that he would have the world to thinke that we deny sanctification to be inherent The assumption which do we deny he proveth by his own authority alleaging that in the fifth and the sixth verses The Apostle describeth justification which indeed he doth not to be regeneration and renâ—…vation wroughâ—… in us out of the bounty of God by the laver of Baptisme and effusion of the holy Ghost This we deny first because the word justifie never in the whole Scriptures is used in that sense secondly here the Apostle in plaine termes saith that we are justified and saved not by works of righteousnesse whereby is excluded all justice inherent but by Gods grace How then doth he prove it because in these words vers 7 that being justified by his grace wee might bee heires in hope of eternall life the Apostle rendreth a reason why God by the laver and by the Holy Ghost did regenerate and renew us and saith the cause was that being justified that is saith he that being by that regeneration and renovation justified we might deserve to be made heires of the kingdome and of life everlasting Answ. This glosse maketh the Apostle not like himselfe but like a popish merit-monger corrupteth the text which indeed doth paralell that 1 Cor. 6. 11. shewing how men converted from Gentilisme to Christianity shuld be exhorted to the performance of Christian duties For howsoever whiles they were Gentiles they were addicted to many vices and sinnes yet after they were called which the Apostle expresseth thus after that the bounty and humanity of God was manifested viz. by the preaching of the Gospel God not out of any desert of theirs but out of his meere mercy saved them by Baptisme as Saint Peter also speaketh that is justified them for that is the salvation we have here to bee intitled to salvation or saved in hope that being justified by his grace that is as he said before by his undeserved mercy they should be made heires according to hope of eternall life that is they might be saved in hope Of this sentence therefore stripped of its amplifications as it were its garments the naked substance is this But after we were called God by Baptisme justified us that being justified by his grace we might be saved in hope The amplifications which are added are to set forth and describe Baptisme unto us which as hee had noted to be the seale of that righteousnesse which is by faith when he saith that God justified or saved us by it so he calleth it the laver of regeneration and of the renovation wrought by the Spirit which God hath plentifully bestowed upon us So that these words are not a description of justification as Bellarmine dreameth waking but of Baptisme And they are added according to the purpose of the Apostle in this place as arguments to move men to Christian duties Why Because Baptisme as it was a seale unto them of their justification so also a Sacrament of their regeneration and renovation of the Spirit which Spirit God hath poured forth plentifully upon the faithfull which he speaketh to this end that the faithfull which are Baptized should make this use of their Baptisme not onely as of a seale to assure them of their justification and salvation but also to be a Sacrament token memoriall of their regeneration and renovation wrought by the Spirit plentifully poured upon them To which purpose the Apostle telleth the Romans that so many as were baptized into Christ were baptized into the similitude of Christs death and resurrection whereupon the Apostle inferreth in the next words vers 8. this is a faithfull saying and these things I will thou shouldest affirme and confirme that they which have beleeved in God ought to bee carefull precedents of good workes The Aposâ—…le therefore doth not say as Bellarmine maketh him speake that we are justified or saved or made heires of salvation by regeneration or renovation and much lesse that thereby we merit our inheritance but that God hath justified or saved us Sacramentally by Baptisme which as it is the seale of our justification and salvation so it is also the laver of regeneration and renovation wrought by the Spirit that being justified by his grace we might according to hope bee made heires of eternall life For howsoever we are neither justified nor saved nor made heires of eternall life by our Sanctification yet Sanctification is both the way wherein from our justification wee are to walke unto glorification For God hath chosen us to salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes. 2. 13. and therefore sanctification as it is a necessary consequent of our justification so it is a necessary fore-runner of glorification a necessary marke and cognizance of all that are justified and to be saved And therefore ouâ—… Saviour saith that by faith in him wee receive remission of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctified and so the Apostle also Act. 20. 32. § IX His fifth testimony is Heb. 11. and some other places of the Scripture which doe give testimony to some men that they were truly and perfectly just and that not by an imputative justice but inherent his reason is because the Scriptures would not call them absolutely just if they were not absolutely just Answ. To omit that it is one thing to be absolutely called just and another to be just absolutely and perfectly I answere that the faithfull who are commended in the Scriptures for righteous were righteous by a twofold justice both imputative and inherent The former being the righteousnesse of justification the latter of sanctification the former absolute and perfect the latter inchoated and unperfect By the former they were justified before God in respect of the latter though they were also called just yet they were not justified thereby that is they were neither absolved thereby from their sinnes past nor intitled to the kingdome of heaven as may appeare by all those Arguments which before I produced against justification by inherent righteousnesse As for those examples which hee alleageth out of Heb. 11. which is the Chapter of saith namely of Abel vers 4. and Noah vers 7. c. it is evident that they were justified by the righteousnesse which is of faith as is expresly said of Noah vers 7. that is by the righteousnesse of Christ apprehended by faith and imputed to them that beleeve for the righteousnefse which is of faith is imputative Rom. 4. 5. And when it is said that without faith they could not possibly have pleased God it is plainely intimated that by faith they pleased God and that they being besore justified by faith brought forth the fruits of faith acceptable unto God by which their faith was approved But as they were just by imputation that
matter and merit of our justification But neither his death nor obedience had beene effectuall to our justification if he had not risen from the dead As the Apostle sheweth 1 Cor. 15 17. If Christ bee not raised your faith is vaine yee are yet in your sinnes For if Christ had not risen againe it had beene an evidâ—…nce that he was not the Sonne of God and then could not his obedience or sufferings have beene meritorious for us But by his resurrection hee was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God in regard whereof it was said Thou art my Sonne this day have I begotten thee and being God his obedience and sufferings are of infinite and all sufficient merit and value vertue and efficacie for the justification and salvation of all that beleeve in him And againe what benefits Christ merited for us by his obedience even untill death the same being risen he applyeth and giveth to those that beleeve God having raised him and exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Israel and remission of sinnes Christ therefore was given unto death that hee might by his sufferings satisfie for our sinnes the penalty thereunto belonging and he did rise againe that by application of his merits we might bee justified Righteousnesse therefore shall be imputed to those that beleeve in the resurrection of Christ or rather in Christ raised againe who as he gave himselfe to bee a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or price of ransome for our sinnes so he did arise againe that by effectuall application of his merits we might bee justified So that whom by his death and obedience he redeemed meritoriously then he doth effectually justifie and save by his life and the severall actions thereof viz. his resurrection ascension sitting at the right hand of his Father as our King and Priest his comming againe to judgement who therefore shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods children it is God that justifieth who is hee that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intorcession for us § IV. In the words following Bellarmine answeareth a secret objection if remission of sinnes be ascribed to Christs death and renovation to his resurrection then belike remission and renovation be two severall actions proceeding from divers causes contrary to that which hath beene delivered For prevention whereof he saith It is to be noted that the death of Christ which is the price of our redemption was not onely the cause of the remission of sinne but also of internall renovation And the like as he saith afterwards may bee said of the reâ—…urrection For according to the doctrine of the Catholike Church these two cannot bee severed fâ—…rasmuch as one and the same grace viz. charity being through the merit of Christ infused and inherent in us doth both blot out or extinguish our sinnes and also adorneth the soule with righteousnesse wherefore though the Apostle might have ascribed both remission and renovation either to Christs death or to his resurrection yet he chose rather distinctly to attribute remission to his death and renovation to his resurrection propter similitudinem because of the likenesse which the extinction of sinne hath with the death of the body and spirituall renovation with the resurrection of the body whereunto I answer briefly first that though the death and resurrection of Christ in respect of their efficacie though remission and renovation alwayes goission and renovation then in justification there are two actions proceeding from two causes secondly that these foure distinct benefits remission of sinne and acceptation of us as righteous in Christ which are the parts of justification wrought both of them by imputation of Christs righteousnesse which is the one and onely forme of justification likewise the dying unto sinne or mortification and the rising of the Sonle from the grave of sinne which is our first resurrection or vivification which are the two parts of sanctification those foure actions I say proceed from two causes and that in twofold respects For remission of sinne is procured by the merit of Christs death and dying unto sinne is ascribed to the vertue of his death the imputation of Christs merits whereby wee are both absolved from sinne and accepted as righteous is ascribed to his resurrection whereby his merits are applyed unto us for our justification and the grace of rising from the grave of sinne to the vertue of his resurrection for by the same power whereby Christ did rise againe are wee raised from sinne to newnesse of life § V. His second allegation is Rom. 5. 21. That as sinne reigned unto death so grace may reign by justice to life everlasting through Iesus Christ our Lord where by justice opposed to sin he saith is meant inward renovation Ans. 1. We deny not but that in all the faithful there is a two fold righteousnesse the one imputed which is the righteousnesse of justification the other infused and inherent which is the righteousnesse of sanctification which he calleth renovation If therfore the Apostle did speake here of righteousnesse inherent yet this place would make nothing against us For we confesse that as sin reigneth in the children of disobedience by producing the workes of iniquity so the grace of God or the Spirit of grace doth reigne in the faithful by bringing forth the fruits of righteousnes But this is not the righteousnesse of justification but that wherein our sanctification doth consist But indeed the Apostle here doth not speake either only or chiefly if at all of inherent righteousnesse Neither doth hee in this place make an opposition or antithesis betweene sinne and righteonsnesse to which supposition Bellarmines argument is grounded but betweene the kingdome of sinne reigning unto death and the kingdome of grace reigning by righteousnesse unto everlasting life through Iesns Christ our Lord. Now the righteousnesse wherein the kingdome of grace especially consisteth is the righteousnesse of justification by faith whereupon followeth peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. compared with Rom. 5. 1. 2. which being not our righteousnesse as all inherent justice is but the righteousnesse of God is chiefly yea in the cause of justification is onely to bee sought after Phil. 3. 8 9. Rom. 10. 3. Secondly as in all the chapter from the twelfth verse to the end the opposition which is made is of Adams sinne to Christs obedience so in this place as the sinne of Adam was the cause of death so Christs obedience of life the opposition is not of inherent righteousnesse to inherent sinne but of Christs righteousnesse to Adams sinne § VI. His third allegation is out of Rom. 6. 13. Doe not ye exhibit your members as instruments of iniquity unto sinne but exhibit your selves to God as of dead men alive and your members
instruments of justice to God where by righteousnesse saith hee is understood something that is inherent c. and that hee goeth about to prove which no man doubteth of when indeed hee should prove not that there is a righteousnesse inherent in the faithfull for that wee freely confesse but that the righteousnesse which is inherent is that by which wee are justified But it is evident that the Apostle speaketh not heere of the righteousnesse of justification but of the righteousnesse of sanctification whereunto in this Chapter hee doth exhort as to a necessary and unseparable consequent of justification Neither doth the Apostle heere or elsewhere as before I observed in setting downe the differences betweene justification and sanctification exhort us to the righteousnesse of justification or the parts thereof which bee not our duties but Gods gracious favours for that were to exhort us to remission of sinne and acceptation to life But to the righteousnesse of sanctification and the parts mortification and renovation and to the particular duties thereof hee doth both here and in many other places exhort as namely in his sixth testimony cited oâ—…t of Eph. 4. 23 24. from which hee would prove which no man doth deny that our renovaâ—…ion according to the image of God standeth in righteousnesse and holinesse inherent § VII His fourth allegation had need to be a good one for this is the third time that hee hath cited and recited and as it were recocted it out of Rom. 8. 10. The Spirit liveth because of justification or as it is in the Greeke the Spirit is life because of justice For justification or justice which maketh us to live and thereby to worke cannot be onely remission of sin but something inward inherent Answ. In this place vers 10. 11. as I shewed before the Apostle setteth down a double priviledge of those in whom Christ dwelleth by his Spirit freeing them from the Law of death The one in respect of the soule vers 10. that howsoever the body bee dead that is as Bellarmine himselfe expoundeth mortall or appointed to death by reason of sin which the first Adam brought in and by it death his sinne being imputed to all yet the soule for so the word Spirit is taken when it is opposed to the body is life that is as the Antithesis requireth designed unto life by reason of that righteousnes of the second Adam by imputation whereof all the faithfull are entituled unto everlasting life For as in the former part of the Antithesis is not meant the spirituall death of men dead in sinne for that is the death of the soule and not of the body and the Apostle speaketh of those in whom Christ dwelleth but the corporall death unto which they also in whom Christ dwelleth are subject so in the latter is meant not the life of grace or of righteousnesse but the life of glory The other priviledge respecteth the body vers 11. that after it hath beene dead and turned into dust the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from death dwelling in us shall raise unto life eternall our mortall bodies § VIII His fifth testimony Gal. 3. 21. where when the Apostle saith If there had been a Law given which could give life or justifie as the Rhemists translate the word vivificare then in very deed justice should be of Law hee doth plainely saith he demonstrate that justice from whence justification is named is something which giveth life to the soule and hee doth place the same in motion and action Answ. If from this proposition propounded by the Apostle Bellarmine could have assumed the antecedent that so hee might conclude the consequent then might hee strongly have concluded against us that wee are justified by inherent righteousnesse But seeing the Apostle doth tollere antecedenâ—… that is intendeth to contradict that antecedent what reason hath Bellarmine to argue as hee doth It is very true that if the Law could have given us life that is as Chrysostome and Oâ—…umenius expound could have saved us according to that legall promise Hocfac vives doe this and thou shalt live or as the Rhemists translate could have justified us then undoubtedly wee might have beene justified by inherent righteousnesse But forasmuch as it was impossible for the Law to justifie and save us because it neither was noâ—… is possible for us by reason of the flesh to performe the condition and forasmuch as God therefore sent his Sonne to performe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all that the Law requireth unto justification that wee who could not bee justified nor saved by any inherent righteousnesse of our owne prescribed in the Law and therefore not by a justice consisting in our actions or motions might bee justified and saved by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed unto us what can Bellarmine gather from hence with any shew or colour of reason to prove justification by such a righteousnesse as is inherent and consisteth in motion and action § IX The sixth I have already answered with the third As for his testimonies collected out of Augustine a briefe anâ—…were may serve that hee not considering the force of the Hebrew and Greeke words which never in all the Scriptures are used in the signification of making righteous by inherent or infused righteousnesse but resting as it seemeth upon the notation and composition of the Latine word justificare as not differing in respect thereof from the Verbe sanctificare doth sometimes more largely extend the signification of the word justification than the Scriptures use it as including the benefit of sanctification But it is a most certaine truth that the word justificare being used in the Scriptures translated into Latine as the translation of the Hebrew Hitsdiq and of the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be understood to signifie no other thing if it bee a true translation than what is meant by the Hebrew and the Greeke which as I have shewed before doe never in all the Scriptures signifie to make just by infusion of righteousnesse And therefore it cannot be denied but that it is and was an oversight in them who using the word as mentioned in the Scriptures and from thence borrowing it extend it to another signification than that of the originall wherof it is a translation I say againe as I have said before that the fotce of the Latine word in this controversie is no further to be respected than as it is a translation of the Hebrew and the Greek and as it is a true translation it must bee understood no otherwise than according to the meaning of the originall if it be understood otherwise then is it not a true translation neither is the sence of the word divine but humane Howbeit Augustine differeth from Bellarmine as touching the use of this word in two things first that hee doth not alwaies so use the word as for example when hee teacheth as hee and the rest of the Fathers often doe
it selfe there would be no more opposition betweene faith and workes than is betweene the first and second justification of the Papists which are so farre from opposition that they are sub-alternall the one proving the other For if we be justified by righteousnesse inherent wee must bee justified both by habituall and actuall righteousnesse neither of them alone sufficing in adultis and therefore if by the one then by the other also Againe Faith being but one grace among many cannot as it is an habit inherent in us by it owne worthinesse or merit justifie or sanctifie alone but there must be a concurrence of charity and of other graces neither can the habits of grace suffice to the sanctification of one come to yeares unlesse they bring forth the fruits of obedience neither are the fruits of obedience called good works of any account before God unlesse they proceed from the inward habits of faith and love But faith considered relatively as the instrument apprehending Christs righteousnesse it self alone sufficeth to justification as the Fathers before have testified This is the worke of God which with God is in stead of all workes that wee beleeve on his Sonne For hee that truely beleeveth is reputed as if he had fulfilled the whole Law Christ being the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he therefore saith the Apostle that beleeveth in Christ fulfilleth the Law because Christ hath fulfilled it for him Christs obedience being imputed to him and accepted of God in his behalfe as if hee had performed the same in his owne person § IV. Secondly Bellarmine by other places where the preposition is used indevoureth to prove that faith is deciphered as a true cause For if saith he in all other places the preposition by or through doth signifie a cause why should it not betoken a cause when a man is said to be iustified by or through faith I answer first that the preposition is often used to signifie no cause at all as where it is attributed to wayes and meanes occasions and times waies as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 2. 12. by another way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 12. 1. through the corne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through dry places vers 43. so through windowes Gen. 26. 8. 2 Cor. 11. 33. dores Mat. 7. 13. Ioh. 10. 1. walls as Act. 9. 25. tiles Luk. 5. 19. Sea 1 Cor. 10. 1. afflictions Act. 14. 22. meanes as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by word Act. 15. 27. 32. by parable Luk. 8. 4. by vision Act. 18. 9. through a glasse 1 Cor. 13. 12. by Epistle 2 Thâ—…s 2. 15. by faith and not by sight 2 Cor. 5. 7. Occasion as our corruption by the Law worketh sinne Rom. 7. 5 13. for so it is said verse 8 11. it tooke occasion by the Commandement c. infirmity laid upon Lazarus that by it the Sonne of God might be glorified Ioh. 11. 4. Time whether all time as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 18. 10. 2. 25. Or set times as three dayes Mat. 26. 61. fortie dayes Act. 1. 3. by night Luk. 5. 5. Mat. 5. 19. Secondly that the preposition is often used to signifie the instrumentall cause as in that Hebrew phrase by the hand of his servants Gen. 32 16. as God commanded by the hand of Moses Exod. 9. 35. 35. 29. Levit. 8. 36. 10. 11. 26. 45. Numb 4. 37 45 c. By the hand of Moses and Aaron Psal. 77. 20. 1 Sam. 16. 20. Iesse sent by the hand of his sonne David So God speaketh by the hand of his Prophets 1 Sam. 28. 15. 2 Sam. 12. 25. 2 Chr. 29. 25. By the mouth of his Prophets Luk. 1. 70. So by his Prophets viz. as his instruments Mat. 1. 22. 2. 15. Thus God wrought miracles by the hands of Paul Act. 19. 11. or as himselfe speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by his ministery Act. 21. 19. Rom. 15. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by me Thirdly that faith is no such cause of justification as is usually meant by the preposition joyned either with other causes of justification or with faith upon other occasions And first to mention those which Bellarmine saith he will here omit as that we are justified by Christ by his blood by his death by his obedience it may not be thought that when it is said that wee are justified by or through Christ and by or through faith or by or through the bloud the death the obedience of Christ and by or through faith that faith though the same preposition be prefixed before it should signifie the same kind of cause When the Apostle saith Rom. 3. 24. that we are justified by the grace of God there Bellar. noteth the formall cause of our justification confounding Gods grace and our charity freely that is saith he by the bounty of God noting the efficient by the redemption wrought by Christ Iesus which noteth the meritorious cause by faith in his blood we must needs conceive that faith is a distinct cause from the rest For neither is it the formall for there is but one and that one is charity as they teach nor the efficient 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that is Gods bounty and justice nor the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the meritorious cause for thath onely is the merit of Christ. It remaineth then that it is the instrumentall which is plainely signified when it is said that we are justified through the redemption or satisfaction of Ghrist by faith or when the preposition is attributed both to Christ and to faith as I noted before § 2. § V. Bellarmine saith that in that place Rom. 3. 24. faith is there noted to be the dispositive cause which I have allready disproved The truth is that for all this flourish which Bellarmine here maketh hee maketh faith to be no cause at all of justification but a remote disposition which disposeth to justification no otherwise thâ—…n servile feare doth which is farre enough from being a cause of justification If it bee said that he maketh it a part of the formall cause of justification I answer that according to the Councell of Trent they constantly hold that there is but one formall cause of justification and that is charity which being lost justification is lost though faith remaineth The habit of faith infused â—…s indeed a chiefe part of our sanctification as a mother grace and root of the rest but of justification it is no part but an instrument For justification consisteth wholly upon imputation of Christs righteousnesse which faith as the hand doth receive § VI. For the better understanding the manner how faith doth justifie wee are to distinguish the acts of faith both in justifying and sanctifying The act of faith in justifying is the elicite and immediate act of faith which is credere credendo Christum recipere amplecti to beleeve
if hee spake of such as are not good or devised by men but of those good workes which God himselfe hath commanded and to the perfect performance whereof hee hath promised justification Rom. 2. 13. And life Gal. 2. 12. Rom. 10. 5. 4. The holy Ghost speaketh generally of all men whether regenerate or unregenerate and of all workes whether going before faith or folloâ—…ing it that a man that is every one who is justified is justified by faith without the workes of the law Rom. 3. 28. that a man is not justified that is that no man is justified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Iesus Christ for by the workes of the Law no flesh that is as the Psalmist speaketh no man living shall be justified Gal. 2. 16. For as in the first act of justification wee are justified by faith without respect of workes so our justification is continued unto us without respect of our workes And this appeareth most plainely in the examples of Abraham of Iob of David of Paul c. as I shewed before who though they abounded with good works which they wrought by faith yet were not justified by them but by faith onely For that which Chrysostome saith of Abraham is also verified of all the godly for saith hee that a man having not workes should bee justified by faith it is no unlikely thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but this that a man flourishing in good workes should not thereby be justified but by faith it was wonderfull and very much setteth forth the force of faith 5. When the Apostle excludeth workes from justification hee cannot bee understood to exclude them from the first justification only of the Papists for that as themselves teach is meerely habituall consisting in the habits of grace Now it is a senselesse thing to imagine that the Apostle would so seriously labour to prove that habituall Iustice is not actuall or that good works are no part of habituall righteousnesse nor doe concurre to habituall justification § XII Notwithstanding Bellarmine will prove that good workes only going before faith are excluded first out of Rom. 4. 4. To him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of grace but of debt Nâ—…w saith hee such onely are those which are wrought by the strength of free-will for to works done by grace that which is given is not simply merces wages but grace also yea grace rather than wages Answ. First the meaning of the Apostle is this to him that fulfilleth the Law whether it bee by strength of nature or by helpe of grace if any such were to him the reward of justification and salvation would bee due by Gods covenant Doe this and live But to him that fulfilleth not the Law which was the case of Abraham and still is the case of the best but beleeveth in him that justifieth the ungodly such as he doth judge himselfe to be in himself he is justified gratis or of grace his faith being imputed unto him for righteousnesse without workes this place therefore proveth justification by faith without workes Secondly this assertion of Bellarmine is confuted both by other Papists and by himselfe also in other places For first there is no rewards due to him that fulfilleth the condition of the covenant that is to him that fufilleth the whole Law for he that doth not fulfill the Law doth transgresse it and to him that transgresseth not reward but punishment is due But to hold that a man before or without grace is able to fulfill the Law is meere Pelagianismes Againe all men before or without grace are wicked sinners and to such no reward is due but punishment Mâ—…ritis impii saith Augustine non gratiâ—… sed poena debetur Secondly the Papists and namely Bellarmine himselfe teach that to workes of grace proceeding from Charity the wages of eternall life is as due as the promised hire to the workeman and that by workes of Charity men doe merit and that condignely not onely ratione pacti by reason of the covenant sed etiam ipsius operis for the worth of the worke it selfe and yet forsooth the wages of their merit must be counted grace when the very place alleaged doth teach that the wages which is of debt is not of grace § XIII Secondly from the scope of the Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians which was to perswade men that without the faith of Christ neither the Iewes by the Law nor the Gentiles by their Philosophie could bee justified or saved Which is untrue For the Apostle writeth not to unbeleeving either Iewes or Gentiles but to Christians who were already perswaded of that truth Neither was there ever any beleeving Iew who held that they might be justified by the works of the Law without faith neither any beleeving Gentiles who thought that by their morall works they might be saved without faith That question therefore the Apostle doth nowhere dispute But whereas many of the beleeving Iewes being zealous of the Law and many of the beleeving Gentiles being misse-led by the Iewes were perswaded that they were to be justified not onely by faith in Christ but also by the observation of the Law that is to say by a righteousnesse inherent in themselves and to bee performed by themselves The Apostle therefore sheweth that the righteousnesse whereby we are justified is the righteousnesse of God and that neither Iewes nor Gentiles are justified by inherent righteousnesse wich is prescribed in the Law to which end he proveth at large in the three first chapters of the Epistle to the Romanes that both Iewes and Gentiles were sinners and therefore were not to be justified by inherent righteousnesse which is the observation of the Law but were to be justified freely by the grace of God through the redemption which is in Christ by or through faith that is to say by the righteousnesse of Christ both active and passive apprehended by faith This righteousnesse of Christ is that righteousnesse of God by which we are justified which is revealed in the Gospell as being the principall argument thereof Rom. 1. 17. for so the Apostle saith that we are justified through the redemption that is in Christ that wee are justified by his bloud Rom. 5. 5. reconciled to God by his death vers 10. and constituted or made just by his obedience Rom. 5. 19. Of the scope of the Epistle to the Galatians I am shortly to speake But Bellarmine in his whole disputation impudently perverteth the Apostles scope as if the question which he disputeth were not this Whether faith doe justifie without workes which every where he affirmatively concludeth but whether workes doe justifie without faith which the Apostle never mentioned nor meant though Bellarmine makes him to conclude it negatively viz. that workes without faith doe not justifie And to this scope hee maketh the whole discourse of the Apostle to aime By this Sophisticall tricke Bellarmine seeketh to
either godly sorrow or repentance doth worke salvation But the Apostle saith that godly sorrow worketh repentance even such repentance as is a forerunner unto salvation or as the faithfull speake Act. 11. 18. That God had given the Gentiles repentance unto life and therefore such a repentance as was not to bee repented of For the Apostle seemeth to have relation unto his owne words verse 8. that he had repented that hee had made them sorry But when hee understood that their sorrow had brought forth in them repentance he did not repent thereof Repentance therefore which is unto salvation is indeed a necessary and undoubted forerunner of salvation and salvation a certaice consequent of repentance necessary I say because without it a sinner cannot bee saved Luke 13. 3. Undoubted because to whom God hath given grace truely to repent it is an infallible token that such an one shall be saved Acts 11. 18. but a cause of salvation it is not neither can bee unlesse hee meane Causa sine qua non § VII His fifth Testimony 2 Cor. 4. 17. For that our tribulation which presently is momentany and light worketh above measure exceedingly an eternall weight of glory in us What could bee spoken more plainely If patience in tribulation doth worke a weight of eternall glory who can deny but that there is some relation betweene patience and salvation Vnlesse perhaps to worke salvation be not to worke something or that upon the working there followeth no relation Answ. If the Apostle had said that patience in affliction doth worke an eternall weight of glory hee might from thence have had some colour that patience hath a relation of efficiency to salvation and yet but a colour But when the Apostle doth not once mention patience how could hee bee so confident as to aske what could bee spoken more plainely The Apostle speaketh of affliction both light and momentany and saith that it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worketh unto us an eternall weight of glory Here then wee are to consider in what sence affliction which in it selfe is evill and miserable should worke glory and happinesse being light should worke that which is most ponderous being momentany should worke that which is eternall whether as a cause properly and in it owne nature causing or working or as an occasion which besides or rather contrary to it owne nature which is evill is to us sanctified of God to be a meanes and occasion of our so great good And to this purpose let us consult with other places of holy Scripture as Rom. 5. 3 4. and Iam. 1. 12. In the former place the Apostle saith wee rejoyce in afflictions knowing that affliction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worketh patience and so Saint Iames 1. 3. Not that affliction in it selfe worketh patience but rather the contrary as appeareth in men unregenerate whom it maketh to murmure and sometimes to blaspheme God which the Divell by experience well knew when hee moved God to â—…fflict Iob Chap. 1. 11. 2. 5. Doe but touch all that he hath saith he and againe touch his bone and his flesh and hee will curse thee to thy face But afflictions are said to worke patience in the faithfull because the holy Ghost sanctifieth their afflictions to them and excercising them thereby worketh in them patience and what followeth Patience worketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 probation that is as I have formerly expounded it maketh him that by affliction is tryed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not that patience maketh him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that by patient bearing of affliction hee is found and knowne to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a sound approved and upright Christian. For therefore God sendeth tryals of all sorts that those who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may bee knowne Now when men have beene by patient bearing of afflictions found to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are crowned with eternall life as Saint Iames saith Chap. 1. 12. Blessed is the man who patiently beareth temptation that is affliction for when hee shall bee found to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee shall receive the Crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him The meaning therefore of this place is neither that affliction causeth patience nor patience salvation but that when the godly are afflicted the holy Ghost by affliction where with they are exercised worketh patience in them and patience worketh probation because by patience when they are tryed they are knowne to bee sound and approved and probation worketh hope of salvation For when upon try all men are found to bee approved they shall receive the Crowne of life which God hath freely promised to give them And it is to be observed that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated to worke is given not onely to causes but also to occasions And therefore in such places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie it occasioneth as when it it said Rom. 4. 15. the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worketh anger § VIII His sixth Testimony Rom. 8. 13. If by the Spirit yee mortifie the deeds of the flesh you shall live whence hee would prove That the mortification of carnall concâ—…piscence is necessary to salvation as a condition and cause and therefore hath relation to salvation from the conditionall particle If and from the antithesis of the words going before if you live according to the flesh you shall die Answ. The conditionall particle used in conditionall or connexive propositions alwayes pretendeth a necessity of consequence insomuch that the connexion if it bee not necessary is not absolutely true but the necessity of efficiency it implyeth none And as for the necessity of consequence that ariseth not onely from causes but from all other arguments And whereas from the Antithesis hee would prove that as to live according to the flesh causeth death so to mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit causeth life I answere that in both the parts the connexion or consequence is equally that is necessarily true for if it were not necessary it were not absolutely true but it is absolutely true because of the authority of the Scriptures which are infallible which is sufficient to make good the Antithesis But hence it followeth not that the condition of either part should be taken from the same arguments seeing it may bee taken from any other This sufficeth for the Antithesis that if by the Spiriâ—… ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh it is an evident argument that you shall live but if you live according to the flesh it is an evident argument that you shall dye therefore though the condition of the latter part bee the cause of the consequent yet it is not so in the former for sinne is the meritorious cause of damnation but our obedience being a duety and yet but unperfect cannot merit salvation A servant not doing his duety but the contrary is punished A
his conversion he was touching the righteousnes which is in the Law blamelesse Phil. 3. 6. They were blamelesse before men but not faultles before God For Zacharias did use to sacrifice for his owne sinnes as well as for others as Augustine saith in his answere to this argument alleaged by the Pelagians And who knoweth not that for the sinne of incredulity hee was both deafe and dumbe for a time As touching the Apostles before the resurrection of Christ though our Saviour call them his friends and giveth them this testimony that they had kept his word yet who can bee ignorant how farre they were at that time from perfection and with how great imperfections they kept his word But it is strange that he should alleage the example of S. Paul Rom. 7. as one that had kept the Commandement forbidding concupiscence when in that chapter hee doth not onely confesse that by that Commandement hee was convicted to bee a sinner in that hee had concupiscence but also that that habituall concupiscence might appeare exceedingly sinnefull it did take occasion by the Law to worke in him all manner of actuall concupiscence § XIV But Bellarmines conceit is that concupiscence in the Apostle was no sinne because he did not consent to it Whereto I answere first that as he was carnall he did consent unto it but not as he was spirituall for so hee saith I delight in the Law of God after the inward man but I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members Whereupon he cryeth out v. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death meaning therby the flesh or the body of sin Secondly though the Apostle had not consented to concupiscence yet both the habituall concupiscence it self remainning in him after his regeneration and the actual concupiscences going before coâ—…sent arising from thence were sins The habituall is often called by the Apostle a sin and is noted to be the sinning sin which taking occasion by the Law to send forth evill concupiscences namely which the Law forbiddeth was exceedingly sinfull As for those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or first motions of sinne in the thought or affections going before consent and arising from our owne concupiscence they are those very sinnes which are directly forbidden in the tenth Commandement for those which are joyned with consent are forbidden in the former Commandements Neither could Paul who had beene trayned up in the Law bee ignorant of that which the very heathen knew by the light of nature that evill concupiscence accompanyed with consent was a sinne But that which is forbidden in the tenth commandement the Apostle had not knowne to bee a sinne except the Law had said thou shalt not lust or thou shalt not have any evill concupiscence Hence Bellarmine concludeth that because the Law hath beene kept by many it is possible Neither doe we deny it to bee kept by the faithfull in respect of their upright walking in all the Commandements of God but wee deny it to be perfectly fulfilled by them Their new obedience which they performe with upright hearts and willing mindes hath the title of perfection given unto it and is a perfection begunne in respect of the parts for even an infant that is formed in the wombe is perfect in respect of his parts and is accepted of God in Christ the Lord not imputing to the faithfull their imperfections And it is a good saying of Augustine Oâ—…nia ergo mandata facta deputantur quando quicquid non fit ignoscitur All the Commandements are esteemed as done when that whâ—…ch is not done is pardoned § XV. But this answere concerning perfection of obedience begunne and the imperfections remitted will not serve the turne saith Yeaâ—…zechias â—…zechias professâ—…th that he had walked before the Lord in truth and with a perfect heart And if Ezechias walked before God with a perfâ—…ct heart who will deny it to Abraham to whom it was said walke before me and be perfect Answ. Wee doe read that the faithfull did keepe the Law but wee never read that they did abâ—…olutely fulfill it but that all of them had their imperfections and their sinnes And although many oâ—… them abounded with good workes yet their justification consisted in the remission of their sinnes and Gods acceptation of them in Christ imputing righteousnesse unto them without workes And where as it is said that they obeyed God with their whole heart and with a perfect heart this is to be understood of an entire or upright heart The hebrew words Tham Thom Tâ—…min and Shalem which signifâ—…e perfect or perfection are synonyma or words of the same sence with â—…ashar Iosher and Emeth that is upright uprightnesse and truth or sincerity and are signified by the phrase of walking with God or be fore God and aâ—…e the same with the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all of them opposed not to imperfection but to hypocrisie For Thom Tham and Thamin consider these places Psal. 35. 21. where Thom and Iosher are used as synonima the latter being the exposition of the former Let perfection and 〈◊〉 preserve mee Iosh. 24. 14. Where Thamin and Emâ—…th are used promiscuously serve the Lord in perfection and in truth Psal. 37. 37. where Tham and Iashar are put for the same observe the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace So Iob is commended to have been Ish Thâ—… Vejashar a perfect and upright man The word Shalem which in the same speech of Ezechias 2 King 20. 3. is by the 72. translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfect is by them reâ—…dred Esay 38. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a true heart as an upright heart is called Heb. 10. 22. § XVI The phrase of performing dueties with the whole heart Deut. 26. 16 as to seeke God with all the heart Deut. 4. 29. Psal. 119. â—… 10. to keepe his Commandements with all the heart and with all â—…he soule 2 King 23. 3. Psal. 119. 34 69. to turne unto the Lord with all the heart Ioâ—…l 2. 12. importeth nothing else where it is not legally understood but an entyre or upright heart that is not an heart and an heart as hypocrites use to speake Psal. 12. 2. 1 Chron. 12. 33. the phrase not with an heart and an heart is expounded vers 38. to be a perfect or upright heart Thus to serve the Lord in truth is to serve him with the whole heart 1 Sam. 12. 24. and to praise God with the whole heart Psal. 9. 1. 111. 1. is to praiâ—…e him with uprightnesse of heart Psal. 119. 7. Thus to walke with God or before God is to bee perfect or upright Gen. 17. 1. and to bee perfect or upright is to walke with God or before him for to
for the absolute possibility of fulfilling the Law but rather against it For those who are not at all times so willing as they ought to be to fulfill the Law they cannot allwaies fulfill it But no man is at all times so willing as he ought to be to fullfill the Law Augustine averreth Nâ—…minem esse qui tantum velit 〈◊〉 res exigit therfore no man is able allwaies to fulfill it For although perhaps he could if hee would which as even now I said is not generally true of the regenerate themselves yet whiles hee will not hee cannot For the will of obeying is the chiefe part of obedience The meaning therfore of those Fathers is that the impossibility of the Law is not to be ascribed to the Law as if it were not possible but to the will of man who will not obey it § XXII Now that the Fathers who deny the Law to be impossible doe not meane that it is absolutely possible to be perfectly fulfilled appeareth by these reasons First because they yeelded so farre to the objection of the Pelagians as not to deny it to be possible to the unregenerate as I noted before Secondly because they held that all men are sinners and that no man in this mortall life can live without sinne and consequently without transgressing the Law Now it is manifest that hee who transgresseth thâ—… Law doth not fulfill it But when we thus argue Bellarmine saith we confound two questions which ought not to be confounded whether the Commandements may be kept and whether a man may live without sinne which questions are so different that to the former â—…gustine allwayes answered affirmatively to which purpose â—…ee citeth Dâ—… peccat merit remiss lib. 2. cap. 3. 6. De Nâ—…tur gratia c. 69. De gratia lib. arbitr c. 16. in Psal. 56. And to the latter negatively to which purpose hee quoteth Lib. de Natur. gratia cap. 34. De spiritu litera cap. ult contr 2. Epistolas Pelag. c. 14. Epist. 89. 95. and the whole booke de perfectione justitiâ—… Aâ—…sw This say I is a plaine evidence that Augustine when hee saith which wee also say that a man may keepe the Commandements meaneth not the perfect fulfilling of the Law For if the question be propounded concerning the perfect fulfilling of the Law it is the same in effect with the other For hee that perfectly fulfilleth the Law doth undoubtedly live without â—…nne and hee that doth not live without sinne doth not perfectly fulfill the Law Wherefore the affirmation of the one question understood of perfect fulfilling and the Negation of the other doth imply a contradiction Thirdly Because the fathers explane their meaning when they say that the Law is possible and that a man may keepe the commandements not in respect of the perfect fulfilling but partly in respect of the sinceâ—…e study and upright endevour to performe and partly in respect of Gods mercie in Christ pardoning what is wanting in their obedience So saith Augustine hîc studium pracepta servandi gratia Dei tribuit quâ—… si quid etiam in eis prâ—…ceptis minus servâ—…tur ignoscit Here the grace of God bestoweth the study of keeping the precepts which also if any thing in those precepts be not kept it pardoneth which I cited before all the commandements are reputed to be done when whatsoever is not done is pardoned And elsewhere hee saith that our righteousâ—…esse in this life doth consist rather in remission of sins than in perfection of virtues For as touching perfection he saith Vâ—…rtutem quae nuâ—… est in homine justo perfectam hactenus nominare ut ad ejus perfectionem pertineat etiam ipsius imperfectionis in veritate agnitio in humilitate confessio that the virtue which now is in a just man is â—…o farre forth called perfect that to the perfection thereof appertaineth both the acknowledgment of the imperfection there of in truth and the confâ—…ssion of it in humilily § XXIII But heâ—…e Bellarmine holdeth a strange paraâ—…oxe That although a man cannot live without sin yet he may perfectly fulfill the Law of God The absurdity whereof hee hopeth to salve with the distinction of sinnes into veniall and mortall because veniall sinnes without which none are in this life doe not hinder the fulfilling of the Law But this distinction will not serve his turne unlesse hee can prove that veniall sinnes are no sinnes For if they be sinnes they are transgressions of the Law And if they be transgâ—…essions of the Law as undoubtedly thâ—…y are or else they be no sinnes then hee that cannot live witâ—…out them cannot live without transgression of the Law and hee thâ—…t cannot live without transgression of the Law cannot perfectly fulfill it I will not enter into the full discussing of this question at this time because it is another controversy onely for the clearing of the point in hand I doe avouch according to the Sâ—…riptures that the wages of sinne or stipend Rom. 6. 23. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the just recompence of reward Heb. 2. 2. is death and that the least sinne according to the sentence of the Law if it be a sinne maketh a man subjâ—…ct to the curse of God Gal. 3. 10. And that as every sinne deserveth death and therefore in it self is mortall so every sinne is punishâ—…d with death either with the death of the party who hath no part in Christ to whom all sinnes are mortall or with the death of Christ as the sinnes of those who are his members to whom their sinnes which in their owne nature are mortall become veniall as being allready punished in Christ and the justice of God satisfied for them by the satisfaction given by Christ whose bloud doth cleanse us from all our sinnes both great and small none being so small but that it is of sufficient weight to presse down the sinner to hell being of infinit guilt committed against infinite justice deserving infinite punishment for which the justice of God cannot be satisfyed but by a propitiation of infinite value Thus therefore I reason That sinnâ—… which is punished with the death of Christ is in it selfe mortall all and every even â—…he least sinne of the faithfull is punished with the death of Christ therfore all and every even the least sinne of the faithfull is in it selfe mortall But Bellarmine hath a conceipt that veniall sinnes are not simply siâ—…nes nor against the Law but besides it I answere First that which is besides the Law is an aberration from it and a declination from it â—…ither to the right hand or to the left and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is absolutely forbidden Secondly to doe that which is besides the Law is not to doe that which is commanded but hee that doth not the thing commanded that doth not all that doth not continue in doing all is subject to the
what we were and not what we are that seeing from what wee are fallen we might seeke to bee repaired in Christ who is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10. 4. The covenant of workes God made with man in his state of integrity when he was able to keepe it But after the fall because it was not possible that man should performe that covenant in and by himselfe he in great mercie made with man the Covenant of grace in Christ. But lest any man should either through ignorance or pride neglect the benefit of the Messias it pleased God to renew the Covenant of workes not to that end that men should be justified or saved thereby but that it might bee a meanes to drive them unto Christ. And fo Bellarmine himselfe hath taught Lex non data erat ut justificaret sed ut morbum â—…stenderet ad quaerâ—…ndum medicum excitaret The Law was not given to that end that it should justifie but that it might shew the disease and stirte up men to seeke to the Physitian Againe a distinction is to be made as in the answere to the second reason of the parties to whom the law is given For to the wicked and reprobate who are Gods rebellious subjects the law is indeed impossible through their owne default and yet God exacteth most justly that righteousnesse in which hee did create them hee requireth most justly an accompt of those talents which hee committed to them though now they be not able to pay The debt is duely exacted of the debtour though through his own default hee bee not now able to make payment As for the elect whom the Lord hath before they were loved in Christ hee hath given his law to them not to this end that either by the observation thereof in their own persons they should bee justified or by the breach thereof they should bee condemned for then who could be saved But the use of the law to them before their conversion is that it might bee unto them a Schoolmaster unto Christ and after their conversion and justification it might bee a rule whereby to frame their lives and conversation aspiring alwaies towards that perfection which the law prescribeth though they cannot fully attaine unto it Why then saith Augustine should not this perfection bee enjoyned to man though no man in this life have it Non enim rectè curratur si quò currendum est nesciatur quomodo autem sciretur si nullis praeceptis ostenderetur For men cannot runne well if they know not whither they must runne and how should they know that if by precepts it be not made known to them And worthy is that saying of Bernard to be repeated againe and againe Neither was the commander ignorant that the weight of the commandement doth exceed the strength of men but hee judged it profitable that hereby they should be admonished of their owne unsufficiencie and that they might know to what end or perfection of righteousnesse they should aspire Therefore by commanding impossible things hee did not make men transgressors but humble that every mouth may bee stoppod and the whole world made obnoxious to God For by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified in his sight For receiving the commandement and feeling our defectivenes wee shall cry to heaven and God will have mercie on us And wee shall know in that day that not by the workes of righteousnesse which wee have done but according to his mercie hee hath saved us § X. His fourth reason is collected out of three places of scripture Rom. 8. 4. Mat. 6. 10. Heb. 5. 9. In the first it is said that Christ suffered that the justification of the Law might be fulfilled in us In the second we are taught to pray that Gods will may bee done upon earth as it is in heaven In the third that Christ is made to all that obey him the cause of eternall salvation But saith hee if we canâ—…t fulfill the Law then Christ misseth of his end For notwithstanding his sufferings the justification of the Law is not fulfilled in us neither is our prayer ever obtayned of fulfilling Gâ—…ds will and commandements on earth as in heaven neither is Christ the authour of salvation to any because none obey him Answ. As touching the first place because it is often alleaged by Bellarmine I will somewhat insist upon it The place is two wayes expounded either of sanctification or of justification Ifit be to be understood of sanctification as the Papists commonly expound it we acknowledge that our sanctification is the end and fruit of our redemption by Christ and that this end is atchieved iâ—… all those who live not after the flesh but after the Spirit that is in all true believers I say it is archieved 〈◊〉 in this life and perfectly in the life to come But as I suppose it is rather to be understood of justification For the Apostle having assured the faithfull vers 1. that notwithstanding sinne and the body of sinne and of death wherof hee had complayned chap. 7. remayneth in them yet forasmuch as we are delivered from the same by Iesus Christ our Lord vers 25. there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ as his members whom hee describeth by this character that they walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit In the verses following he confirmeth the same conclusion showing how Christ hath delivered us For saith hee vers 2. the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath delivered me from the law of sinne and of death Whereby the law of the Spirit of life we understand the virtue and power of holynes or sanctification not in us but in Christ Iesus for so hee saith though they doe not observe it who understand this place of sanctification and righteousnesse inherent who by his righteousnesse and merits hath delivered us from the power of sinne and of death But the Apostle as in the former chapter vers 24. so here in the singular number speaketh of himself teaching by his owne example every true Christian to apply the benefits of Christ to himself For that which was impossible for the law to doe that is to justifie us in that it was weake through the flesh God sending his owne sonne in the likenes of sinfull flesh that is in the humane nature subject to passions and infirmities and that for sinne that hee might take away the sinne of the world for so saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned sinne in the flesh that is exacted the due punishment of sinne in his humane nature that the guilt of our sinnes being taken away by his alsufficient satisfaction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which the law requireth unto justification might by Christ bee fulfilled in us who are his members which walke not as also hee had said in the first verse not after
eternall life is not a stipend or wages merited by us but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free gift of God which is a most pregnant place for if the Apostle had supposed eternall life to be a stipend or wages or merited reward he would have said that as death is the stipend of sinne so eternall life is the stipend of righteousnesse But the Apostle making an opposition between the reward of sinne and the reward of righteousnesse saith that the one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a military stipend due to those who serve under Satans colours the other is not a stipend or wages deserved but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free gift of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a military stipend or wages due to souldiers As when Iohn Baptist biddeth the souldiers to bee content 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with their stipend Luke 3. 14. So 1 Cor. 9. 7. For as Augustine saith Quod est merces operanti hoc militanti stipendium and worthily saith hee is death called a Stipendium Quia militiae diabolicae mors aeterna tanquam debitum redditur The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the vulgar Latine translateth Gratia signifieth a free gift not rendred as due to the merit of the receiver but vouchsafed freely out of the free bounty and undeserved favour of the giver For as Primasius saith Non est gratia si non gratis datur si debita merentibus redditur quod absit And Augustine Non erit Dei gratia ullo modo nisi gratuita fuerit omni modo wherefore it is called Gratia that we may understand it is of grace and not not of merits The Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence it is derived signifieth freely to bestow to gratifie or graciously to give And therefore is eternall life called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth freely bestow it The Argument standeth thus A free gift which is opposed to stipend or wages is not merited by us Eternall life is the free gift of God and is opposed to stipend or wages therefore it is not merited by us § XIV Bellarmine answereth that Augustine hath diligently answered this argument Epist. 105. Enchirid. â—…ap 107. But chiefly In libro de gratia lib. arb cap. 8. 9. From whence hee gathereth two Assertions First That the Apostle might well have said eternall life is the stipend of righteousnesse even as he said The stipend of sinne is death which confession of Augustine cutteth the thrâ—…at hee saith of our Assertion Sâ—…condly That the Apostle did not say Eternall life is the stipend of righteousnesse as he said Death is the stipend of sinne least any man should thinke that we so have righteousnesse of ourselves as we have sinne of our selves therefore eternall life is called grace not because it is not the reward of merit but that we have the merits themselves from grace To the former I reply that when Augustine saith that eternall life might well be called a stipend which hee maketh to bee all one with merces hee meaneth a stipend or reward freely given as if there were stipendium gratâ—…itum as well as merces gratuita And that this was his meaning I demonstrate out of the same places which Bellarmine doth quote and first out of Epist. 105. Debita redditur pâ—…na demnato indebita gratia liberato â—…t nec ille se indignum queratur nâ—…c dignum se iste glorietur Si antem gratia atque null is meritis reddits sed gratuita bâ—…nitate donata ipsa aterna vita gratia nuncupatur nâ—…n ob aliâ—…d nisi quia gratis datur Secondly Enchirid. cap. 107. Ipsam vitam aeternam quae certa merces est operum bonorum gratiam Dei appellat Apostolus stipendium enim inquit pâ—…ccatimors gratia autem Dei vita aeterna in Christo Iesu Dominâ—… nâ—…stro stipendium pro opere militiae debitum redditur non donatur Idâ—…ò dixit stipendium peccatimors ut mortem peccato non immeritò illatam sed debitam demonstraret Gratia verò nisi gratis sit gratia non est Thirdly Praefat. in Psal. 31. Merces nostra gratia vocatur figratiâ—… est gratis datur quid est gratis datur Gratis câ—…nstat Si reddatur tibi quod debetur puniendus es quid ergò fit Non tibi Deus râ—…ddit debitam poenam sed donat indebitam gratiam Fourthly Degratia lib. arbitr cap. 9. Cum Apostolus prius dixisset stipendium peccatimâ—…rs meritâ—… inquit stipendium quia militiae diabolicae mors aeterna tanquam debitum redditur Vbi cum posset dicere rectè dicere stipendium autem justitiae vita aeterna maluit dicere Gratia autem Dei vita aeternâ—… ut hinc intelligamus non meritis nostris Deum nos ad aeternam vitam sed pro sua miseratione perducere Whereby it appeareth that although hee saith that eternall life may bee called a stipend yet hee meaneth not a stipend or wages deserved or merited by us but a reward freely given us of God § XV. And as the former Assertion maketh not against us so the later maketh wholly for us against both the Pelagians and the Papists The Pelagians held that their good workes were done not by the helpe of grace but by the strength of their owne free will and so in that respect a reward was due unto them whereas they who bring forth good workes ex donâ—… gratiae had neither commendation nor merit Against them Augustine in many places disputeth proving that eternall life which is the reward of our good workes is called by the Apostle Gratia not onely because it selfe is freely given but also because the good workes whereof it is the reward are to be ascribed to Gods grace And that therefore the Lord when he rewardeth the godly life of the faithfull with eternall life hee giveth them gratiam progratia and that when he rewardeth our merits thereby meaning our good workes hee doth crowne not our merits but his owne graces Thus hee writeth Epist. 105. Omne meritum nostrum non in nobis facit nisi gratia cum Deus câ—…ronat meritâ—… nâ—…stra nihil aliud 〈◊〉 quà m munerâ—… suâ—… Sicâ—…t enim ab initio fidei misericordiam consecuti sumus non quia fideles eramus sed ut esseâ—…us sic in finâ—… quod erit in vita aeterna câ—…ronabit nos sicut scriptum est in miseratione misericordia Vndè ipsa vita aeterna quâ—… utique in fine sine fine habebitur ideò merit is praecedentibus redditur tamen quiâ—… eadem merita quibus redditur non à nobis parata sunt per nâ—…stram sufficientiam sed in nobis facta per gratiâ—…m etiam ipsa grâ—…tia nuncupatur Non ob aliud niâ—…i quia gratis datur nec ideò quiâ—… meritis non datur sed quia data sunt ipsa merita quibus datur Stipendium peccati mors rectè stipendium
our selves to bee sinners and our righteousnesse consisteth not in our owne merit but in the mercy of God 4. God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble but where is grace it is not the retribution of workes but the largesse of the giver that the saying of the Apostle may be fulfilled it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy 5. Writing on those words Esai 64. 8. thou art our Father hee saith Si nostra consideremus merita desperandum est si tuam autem clementiam c. If wee consider our merits wee must despaire but if thy clemency who doest scourge every sonne whom thou receivest we dare powre forth our prayers 6. When the day of judgement or of death shall come all hands will bee dissolved because no worke shall bee found worthy Gods justice and in his sight shall no man living be jâ—…stified namely if he enter into judgement with him whereupon the Prophet saith in the Psâ—…lme If thou Lord observe iniquities who shall abide To these two that thred-bare answere is given that they speake of humane workes not assisted by grace when it is plaine that the former words are spoken in the person of Gods children whose good workes are alwayes assisted by grace the latter of all men even of the best whose workes though proceeding from grace are stained with the flesh and therefore not worthy of Gods justice § XIII The same answere is given to the testimonies of Macaâ—…ius and Marcus the Eremits which cannot bee so eluded Macarius speaking of the dignity of Christians for whom God hath prepared a kingdome writeth thus As touching the gift therefore which they shall inherit a man might well say that if any one should â—…ven from the creation of Adam to the consummation of the world fight against Satan and should suffer afflictions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee should doe no great matter in respect of the glory which he shall inherit Marcus among his twenty two sentences concerning those who thinke to bee justified by workes which in the first â—…entence hee calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath divers against merits whereof I will cite a few Our Lord saith he when he would shew that the keeping of the whole Law is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 debita to bee performed as a debt and that the adoption of sonnes is given by his blood hee saith when you shall have done all things that are commanded you say wee are unprofitable servants we have done what was our duety to doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore the kingdome of heaven is not wages or a mercenary reward of workes but the Grace or free Gift of the Lord prepared for his faithfull servants The servant doth no require liberty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a deâ—…erved reward but receiveth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as given by grace Some not doing the Commandements thinke they beleeve well Others doing them looke to receive the kingdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as due wages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both sorts misse the heavenly Canaan From Lords no reward is due to servants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither doe they obtaine liberty unlesse they serve well If Christ dyed for us according to the Scriptures and wee live not to our selves but to him that dyed for us and rose againe surely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee are bound as debtours to serve him uâ—…till death how then shall we esteeme the adoption or inheritance of sonnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 due unto us § XIV Out of Chrysostome many pregnant testimonies are alleaged first In Coloss. homil 2. Why doth hee call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lot or inheritance by lot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. he sheweth that no man by his owne good workes doth obtaine the kingdome for no man sheweth forth such a conversation that hee should bee worthy of the kindgdome but this is altoâ—…ether of the gift of God wherefore he saith when you shall have done all say we are unprofitable servants for what things wee ought to doe wee have done The same hath Theâ—…philact To this you may adde that which I cited before out of his Treatise De compunctione ad Stâ—…lochium and that which hee writeth in Psal. 4. 5. and in his sermon De primâ—… homine praelato â—…mni creaturâ—… In which it is said though we should die ten thousand deaths and should shew forth all virtue though we should performe ten thousand good workes yet we cannot performe any thing worthy of those honours bestowed upon us worthy of that heavenly kingdome or correspondent unto it but it is of his mâ—…rcie of his love of his grace that we are saved than which nothing can bee spoken more plaine against the merit of â—…ondignity To all which a senselesse answere is given that heaven is the free gift of God and yet is purchased by our merits which implyeth a contradiction within it selfe and is expressely repugnant to the Scriptures Rom 4. 4. 11. 6. And the reason which is given to prove it doth overthrow it because the good works which they call merits are the free gifts of God and therfore cannot merit of God as I have shewed before § XV. To that which is alleaged out of the life of Saint Anthâ—…ny and out of Augustine in Psal. 36. Conc. 2. in both which places is notably expressed the infinite disproportion betweene that we can doe or suffer which the Papists call merits and the heavenly reward which evidently overthroweth the Popish doctrine of meriâ—…s as I have heretofore proved it is answered that notwithstanding all this disproportion eternall life is given and justly given as the reward thereof But the question is not whether God doth justly give the reward which he hath freely promised but whether we doe merit and deserve it This answere therefore is frivolous Out of Augustine I have before produced manifold and manifest testimonies but yet because the Papists alleage out of him two Assertions which to them seeme contrary to that wee hold to wit that God is our debtour in respect of eternall life and that in justice he doth render it unto us I will brâ—…efly cleare them For first Augustine every where professeth that God is not a debtour unto us in respect of out desert but in regard of his gracious promise which proveth not our merit but the contrary For what he freely promised without respect of our worthinesse or desert that hee also promised to give freely And therefore eternall life when it is given according to his promise it is given freely and without our desert God is a debtour onely in respect of his promise a debtour unto himselfe as I have said before in respect of his trueth and fidelity it being impossible that he should lie or deny himselfe but not a debtour to us in respect of our
truely beleeve Secondly it is one and the same objectivè in respect of the same object it being the vision or fruition of the same God who is the chiefe good Thirdly in respect of continuance in regard whereof it is called eternall life which is one and the same to all being the same everlasting inheritance and the same â—…ternall fruition of God and Fellowship which we shall ever have with Christ and by him with the whole Trinity But however eternall life in respect of the substance be onâ—… and the same equally procured by the merit of Christ yet it is not to be doubted that there are divers degrees of glory where with God doth crowne the divers degrees of grace which he hath bestowed on his children in this life For although all that shall bee saved shall have fulnesse of felicity so much as they are capable of yet some are more capable than others Even as vessels of divers measures being put into the sea will all be fâ—…ll of liquor according to their capacity yet some will containe a greater quantity than others So all the Saints though all full of happinesse yet shall not all bee endued with the same measure of glory but according to their capacity This is that which heretofore I alleaged out of S. Ambrose that god doth give to all that are saved aequalem mercedem vitâ—… non gloriae equall reward of life not of glory These things thus premised I answere first by denying his proposition For although according to the proportion both of habituall grace and of actuall obedience which we call good workes the degrees of glory in the life to come shall bee bestowed yet these degrees are not thereby merited but God doth graciously crowne his greater graces which hee freely bestowed in this life with a greater measure of glory in the life to come Besides Bellarminâ—… and other Papists doe teach that God crowneth our good workes supra condignum therefore those crownes cannot be merited ex condigno Secondly I deny his assumption averting that eternall life it selfe is not bestowed according to the proportion of our workes but as it is wholly merited by the obedience of Christ so is it equally bestowed upon all the faithfull who are equally justified by the merits of Christ. § XII But here Bellarmine cavilleth with two answeres given as he saith by our Divines the former that divers rewards are given to good workes both in this life and in the world to come but not eternall life it selfe against which he proveth that good workes are rewarded with eternall life and that there are no rewards in the world to come which doe not belong to eternall life Whereas no doubt the meaning of those who gave that answere was this that there are divers degrees of rewards given both in this life and in the world to come as namely the divers degrees of glory but there are not divers degrees of eternall life that is one and the same to all that are saved We doe not deny but eternall life is the reward of good workes and therefore Bellarmine might have spared his paynes in proving that which we doe not deny but we deny it to be given in divers degrees according to the proportion of mens workes The other answere that etâ—…rnall life is to bâ—… given to good workes no otherwise bâ—…t as they are signes of faith which also hee solemnely disputeth against utterly mistaking the matter For first wee say that God doth graciously reward the virtues and obedience of his owne children not as their merits but as his graces Secondly we say indeed that in the Gospell eternall life is promised to those that beleeve without respect of workes and damnation denounced â—…gainst those that beleeve not but because both faith and infidelity are inward and hidden and many deceive themselves with an inward opinion and an outward profession of faith therefore the Lord at the last day will proceed in judgement according to the evidence of mens workes So that the Lord pronounceth the sentence according to workes as the signes and evidence of faith but rewardeth both faith and them as his owne gifts and graces Howbeit more properly eternall life it selfe is rendred to the righteousnesse of faith which is the righteousnesse and merits of Christ imputed to them that beleeve by which the faithfull are equally justified and equally entituled to the kingdome of heaven but the degrees of glory are given according to the degrees of our sanctification that is to the degrees both of the habits of faith and other graces and of the acts and exercise thereof which wee call good workes All which being Gods owne free gifts hee doth freely reward crowning his greater graces with greater glory § XIII As for the places of Scripture which testifie that God will reward men according to their workes I answere that secundum opera according to workes doth not signifie the proportion but the quality of workes as I have shewed before out of Gregorie that is as in some of the places it is expressed good workes are to be rewarded with glory evill with punishment Rom. 2. 6 7 8. 2 Cor. 5. 10. c. And so is that Gal. 6. 7. to be understood as the Apostle explaineth himselfe vers 8. that as every man doth sowe so he shall reape viz. he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape everlasting life The allegation out of Luk. 6. 38. is impertinent as appeareth by his paralell Mat. 7. 1 2. Iudge not that you be not judgâ—…d for with what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged and with what measure you mete it shall be measured to you againe For first it seemeth to speake of humane judgement that as wee judge others so we shall be judged of others according to the law of like for like Secondly it speaketh of active judging in the worse sense which is therefore forbidden and the reason is from the like judging passive as an evill though just reward thereof so farre is it from speaking of the reward of eternall life Or if the place should be generally understood of mens judging well or ill and of their being judged according either by God or man nothing else can necessarily be gathered but the like judgement in quality that is either good or bad And the like is to be said of 1 Cor. 3. 8. where the Apostle doth not spâ—…ake of the eternall reward either of life or death rendred to good or evill workes according to the proportion thereof but of the blessing of increase which God giveth to those that are planters or waterers in his garden as a reward of their labours By planters he understandeth himselfe and other Apostles who were the planters of the Church by waterers Apollo and other Evangelists and Preachers who fed the Church with their doctrine The
Master of the vineyard though he gave the day-penny to them that wrought but one houre which was as much as he gave them that wrought twelve houres yet was not unjust therin For in that which is free and meerely of grace there is no injustice nor acception of persons Indeed where the wages or hire is to bee rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as deserved and earned by the workemens labours it is to bee distributed according to distributive justice But where the reward is free and of grace the rewarder may doe with his owne what pleaseth him GOD especially to whom in all things whatsoever hee doth his will is the rule of justice § XXIV To these hereticall premisses Bellarmine addeth a sutable corollary wherein there is more malice than might Therefore saith hee Augustine saith well If there bee no merits how shall God judge this world wherefore the heresie of our adversaries which taketh away merits doth also take away the article of faith concerning the future judgemâ—…nt Answ. Augustine by merits understandeth workes which are to bee rewarded both the good workes of the godly proceeding from grace sanctifying and helping the Will which he though unproperly calleth their merits and also the evill workes of the wicked proceeding from their free will not freeed by grace which also hee calleth and that properly their merits For whereas there were two sorts of men living in the Monastery of Adrumetium whereof Valentinus was to whom hee writeth who ran into contrary extremes the one so holding free-will that they denied grace the other so holding grace that they denied free-will and which was worse said that at the day of judgement God is not to render to every man according to his works Augustine writeth against both Si non est Dei gratia quomodo salvat mundum et si non est liberum arbitrium quomodo judicat mundum If Gods grace bee not how doth he save the world and if there bee no free-will how doth hee judge the world and afterwards in the place which Bellarmine citeth having denyed against the Pelagians that grace is given according to merits hee addeth these words Non quiâ—… nullum est meritum vel bonum piorum vel malum impiorum aliâ—…quin quomodo judicabit Deus mundum not because there is no merit either good of the godly or bad of the wicked otherwise how shall God judge the world That is if there bee no workes to bee rewarded neither good with blisse nor bad with punishment how shall God judge the world But wee acknowledge that God will render to every man according to his workes rewarding the good workes of the godly which are unproperly called merits both themselves and their reward being the free gifts of God with eternall life and the evill workes of the wicked which properly are called their merits with everlasting death So farre are wee through Gods grace from denying that article of the future judgement whereof the Pope and the Papists seâ—…me to make but a mockery hee granting and they accepting or defending his grant of indulgences and pardons for many thousands of yeeres whereby is presupposed that the day of judgement may perhaps bee so long differred For at the day of judgement when all shall bee adjudged to eternall either life or death purgatory shall bee at an end as themselves teach and together with Purgatory the use of pardons endeth CAP. VI. The Testimonies of the Fathers alleaged by Bellarmine answered § I. NOw I come to his allegation of the Fathers But before I examine the particular testimonies I am to admonish the Reader that hee have an eye to the point in question For that the Latine Fathers doe often use the termes of merit or meriting we doe acknowledge but without any advantage to the Papist For the Papist useth the words in the proper sense for deserving and desert But merits with the Fathers signifie no more but good workes or at the most good works which God will reward that is either simply good workes or with relation to reward And the Verbe tâ—… merit besides the generall sense of obtaining or finding favour which is very frequent they use it more particularly for doing workes of grace which God will graciously reward In which senses the use of the words though unproper were not to bee misliked in the Fathers were it not that the after-writers have taken occasion thereby to use the words properly for deservnig and desert and that in justice for the workes sake as well in good workes as in bad I meane that good workes doe as truely and as properly deserve eternall life as evill workes deserve everlasting death which was not the meaning of the Fathers who meant not that a man doth deserve those good things at the hands of God which by them hee is said to have merited If therefore his allegation bee of merits and meriting used by the Fathers in the former that is the unproper senses as indeed they are hee shall proove nothing but that the Fathers doe not dissent from us And if they serve not to prove either that the works of grace in themselves doe merit that is deserve eternall life as the meritorious causes thereof or that Christ hath by his merits made them meritorious then doe they not at all make foâ—… the Papists against us But I am confident that they are not able to produce any one pregnant testimony of the ancient Fathers affirming either that our good workes doe truely and properly that is condignely merit eternall life or that Christ hath merited for our workes that they might bee meritorious of everlasting life § II. Hee beginneth with the Greeke Fathers of whom hee citeth eight The first is Ignatius Sinite me ut bestiarum esca sim per quam possim Deum promereri Here Bellarmine for a poore shift is faine to make use of a corrupt Latine Translation as it were a puddle leaving the fountaine and the purer streames The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suffer me that I may become the food of wild beasts by whom I may obtaine God And so their owne Vairlemius translateth Sinâ—…e me ferarum escam fieri per quas licebit Deum adipisci But the same Latine Translatour doating as it seemeth upon his Helena of merit more than once or twice in that Epistle useth the word merear that I may merit where the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I may finde enjoy obtaine and in the first sentence of the Epistle twice Deprecans Deum obtinui ut videre merear dignos vultus vestros sicut plurimum optabam promereri The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Vairlemius rendreth thus Deprecatus Deum obtinui ut viderem divinas vestras facies quas plurimum expetebam And in the third sentence for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si modo graâ—…iam consequar the Latine Translatour whom Bellarmine followeth readeth Si quidem
addeth if we would not be ashamed at the shewing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our negotiation as those who had received the Talents nor heare tâ—…ou wicked and slothfull servant but having laid up our wares which before hee called heavenly riches to endeavour to passe through this life safely and securely And this further appeareth by the whole discourse For having said before the words alleaged that to our navigation in this life the gift of governing as it were of our shippe is necessary for we are all Merchants c. for saith hee in the next words after those which I alleaged last many who from their youth have gathered geat store namely of that heavenly wealth in the middle of their life for the want of the skill of governing and not able to withstand the tempests of temptations have made shipwracke which saith he is a miserable spectacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That hee who hath prospered in the negotiation of the Commandements should become like a Merchant of great wealth who glorying in the multitude of his wares his ship also failing wiâ—…h a prosperous winde and having passed the dreadfull seas at length suffering shipwracke at the very haven is at once deprived of all The sixth is Chrysostome If God be just hee will render both to the godly and to the wicked according to theirmerits But if he will render both to the one and the other according to their merits and in this life neither dâ—…e receive neither the one the punishment of wickednesse nor the other the reward of vertue it is manifest that there remaineth another time in which they shall have either of them a convenienâ—… reward Here also the force of Bellarmines argument is in the translation For the words which twice hee translateth pro meritâ—…s are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to their worthinesse which is of a larger extent than merit Now men are said to be worthy either of eternall punishment and that in and of themselves by their sinnes or of eternall life but not of or in themselves but in Christ and by grace God accepting of them in Christs worthinesse his merits being imputed to them without any merit of their owne And thus God will repay the wicked for their demerits and reward the godly according to their worthinesse which standeth not in dignitate sua but in dignatione divina as I have said before Howbeit his meaning in this place by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is all one as I suppose with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is according to the quality of their works that is to say rendring damnation to the wicked and salvation to the godly For so in the words going before hee saith that the godly shall receive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rewards of their vertue and the wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the allegation it selfe hee explaneth what hee meaneth by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit that the wicked shall receive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the punishment of their wickednesse and the godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rewards of their vertue The seventh is Gregory Nazianzen Crede resurrectionem judicium mercedem adjustum Dei lancem exigendam The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Besides these articles of the Christian faith receive the resurrection judgement remuneration by Gods just balance What is that balance but the righteous Will of God which is the rule and standard of all justice which will render to every one according to their workes that is to say to the wicked everlasting death and to the godly eternall life But merit of condignity was no point of his faith The eighth is Gregory Nissen Denique pro suis quemque meritis ornatum cerno Gregory in that place deciphereth the judgment to come And having described the Iudge and them that are to bee judged I heare saith he the speech as of the Iudge and their answers then followeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are the words which Bellarmine citeth and import no more but this that hee distributed to every one fitting rewards which hee doth particularize in the words following to them that have led a godly life the fruition of the Kingdome but to the inhumane and wicked the punishment of fire and that everlasting And these were his Greeke Fathers whose learned judgements hee hath not alleaged but for the most part the popish conceits of their partiall translatours § III. Of the Latines he citeth eleven Fathers To whose test imonies if it bee remembred that they use not the word meriting for justly deserving but either for obtaining and finding favour to obtaine or for doing that which God will accept and reward or the word merits in the better sense properly for such workes as doe truely and condignely merit or deserve but onely for good workes either simply or with relation to a free reward that is for such good works as God will freely reward it will not be hard to answere Neither will the Papists as I suppose bee ever able to alleage any one pregnant testimony where the word is used in the Popish â—…ense for that which truely properly and condignely deserveth a reward to bee rendred in justice for the workes sake Neither doe we deny merits in the sense of the Fathers but confesse that the good workes of the faithfull are such as God accepteth â—…o reward them And so Vega defineth merit the name of merit saith hee is restrained to those works which God accepteth to some reward And so Augustine useth the word as Bellarmine confesseth to signifie any good act for which wee receive any other thing But let us briefly examinâ—… the particulars And first the testimony of Tertullian which as hee alleageth it is to mee a riddle Orâ—…o meriâ—…orum dispositorum nomine disponetur merita autem cum corpori quoque adsâ—…ribantur ordo quoque corporâ—…m disponatur necesse est ut possit esse meritorum which I cannot assoile though I should read with Pamelius Ordo enim non alâ—…ud quam meritorum dispositor unlesse wee understand the word merits not actively for good workes meriting or obtaining but passively for the rewards obtained For actively merits cannot be attributed to the body which cannot produce any act of freewill and therefore cannot according to the doctrine of the Papists merit But the rewards are attributed as well to the body as to the soule and from thence hee proveth the resurrection of the body out of 1 Cor. 15. 23. The second is Cyprtan out of whom hee citeth two testimonies The former justâ—…tia opus est ut promereri quis possit Deum that a man may obtaine Gods favour there is need of justice wee must obey his precepts and monitions ut accipiant meâ—…ita nostra mercedem that our good workes may receive the reward which God hath promised The other testimony is the last sentence of his Booke de
a harsh speech that God should bee said to bee a debtour to any crâ—…ature yet as Augustine saith hee may bee said to be a debtour as hee is a promiser and because it is a just thing to keepe promise hee may be said to owe the performance of that which hee hath promised But as his promise was not de debito but de gratuitâ—… so what hee freely promised he freely giveth 7. Out of Augustine he citeth three testimonies two out of his Epistle to Sixtus out of which Epistle I have before produced divers pregnant testimonies against merits so properlycalled His first allegation is this nullane sunt merita justorâ—…m sunt planè quia â—…usti sunt sed ut justi fierent merita non fuerunt In which testimony there is nothing for the merit of condignity but onely the name of merit which notwithstanding â—…ignifieth nothing but the good workes of the just which God will reward As if hee had said have the just no good workes which God will reward They have no doubt because they are just For as Saint Iohn saith he thâ—…t worketh righteousnesse is righteous 1 Iâ—…h 3. 7. But as the former words doe not prove the merit of condignity so the later words plainely disprove merits of congruity that they might become righteous saith hee they had no merits for as in the same Epistle Augustine teacheth against bothsorts of merits Sicut ab initio fidei misericordiam consequuti sumus non quia fideles eramus sed ut essemus sic in fine quod eâ—…it in vita aeterna coronabit nos sicut scriptum est in miseratione misericâ—…rdia Secondly as touching the other Augustine indeed saith that as the Apostle calleth death the stipend of sinne so he might truly have called eternall life the stipend of righteousnesse But yet hee could not say that it was debitum stipendium Because the Apostle by way of opposition saith that death is the stipend meaning the due and deserved stipend of sinne but eternall life is the free gift of God Nay he saith the contrary that it is not to be demanded tanquam debitum stipendium And elsewhere as we heard before though the Apostle might have said that eternall life is the stipend of righteousnesse yet he would rather say that it is the grace of God that hereby we might understand that God doth not bring us to eternall life by our merits but by his mercie And in the same hundred and fifth Epistle The stipend of sinne is death and worthily it is called a stipend because it is due c. Deinde ne justitia de humano se extolleret bono sicut humanum meritum malum non dubitatur esse peccatum non à contrario retulit dicens stipendium justitiâ—… vita aeterna sed gratia inquit Dei vita aeterna tanquam diceret audito quòd stipendium peccati est mors quid te disponis extollere contrariam mâ—…rti vitam aeternam tanquam debitum stipendium flagitare But of this point I have spoken more than sufficiently when I urged our fourth testimony out of Rom. 6. 23. But the third testimony Bellarmine chiefly urgeth Vita aeterna est tâ—…tum praemium cujus promissione gaudemus Eternall life is the whole reward in the promise whereof we doe rejoyce nor can this reward come before merits be had neither may it be given to a man before he be worthy For what more unjust than this and what more just than God We must not therefore demand the reward before wee merit to receive it Answ. Augustine as himselfe testifieth wrote this booke when he was newly baptised and as yet not accustomed or well versed in the Scriptures and therefore if he should have written any thing therein contrary to that which I have heretofore proved out of him it ought not to prejudge those manifold pregnant Testimonies by mee cited before which he wrought when he was of more mature judgement and of riper yeares Notwithstanding out of this testimony such as it is Bellarminâ—… collecteth five conclusions against us First that a man he meaneth â—…o doubt a righteous man hath the merits of eternall life that is as Bellarmine acknowledgeth Augustine to use the terme that he hath good workes which God will reward with eternall life and that we confesse Secondly that eternall life is one and all our reward But Augustine doth not say unâ—…m neither is it true For temporall Blessings are also rewards though but petty rewards in comparison of eternall life neither doth he say simply totum but tâ—…tum cujus promissione gaudemus For temporall benefits we are to use but not to set our hearts upon them but spirituall blessings are those wherein we are to rejoyce them we use these we are to enjoy for those are utenda but these are sruenda Thirdly that the reward of eternall life is given in justice that we should not say that it is given of meere liberality But Augustine every where else teacheth that it is given of grace and that it is called grace non ob aliud nisi quia gratis datur for no other cause but because it is freâ—…ly given and that it is not grace si non sit omni modo gratuita Neither doth it hinder it to be of Gods free grace that it is given in justice For these two in the workes of God especially in the worke of justification and salvation doe meet together Grace and mercie in respect of us in that he doth justifie and save us gratis by his grace justice not in respect of our merits which in justice can merit nothing at the hands of God but punishment but partly in reâ—…pect of Christs merits unto which eternall life is due and partly in respect of his promise made in Christ to all that truely beleeve which promise he is faithfull and just to performe Fourthly that the reward is not given before they be found worthy of it that shall have it lest wee should fay there is no dignity in workes I answere that our dignity standeth in Gods dignation or acceptation in Christ which dignity he vouchsafeth to all that truely beleeve in Christ. For to them Christ is the end and complement of the Law insomuch that whosoever beleeve in Christ they are esteemed to have fulfilled the Law Wee acknowledge the dignitie of good workes as being the fruits of the Spirit and as being good profitable and necessary but no dignity of merit doe we ascribe to them And yet the faithfull are not therefore unworthy nor destitute of merits so long as they are accepted in Christ and made partakers of his merits by faith Unto which faith Augustine useth to ascribe merit For indeed faith is that worke of God which hee requireth instead of all our merits because by it wee are partakers of the merits of Christ which whosoever hath is not without merits nor unworthy of the Kingdome
soever wee doe is profitable to our selves but not to God Reply Beda giveth two reasons though Bellarmine conceale the better why we doing that which is commanded are notwithstanding called unprofitable servants The former quia Dominus bonorum nostrorum non indiget because the Lord hath no need of our good things Which though true yet doth neither so well fit the comparison wherein the servant though usefull to his master both abroad and at home could not by all his endevour deserve to himselfe so much as thankes neither agreeable to the reason which our Saviour rendreth because we have â—…one what is our duty to doe The latter we are unprofitable servants because saith he Non sunt condignae c. The sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be reavealed that is because we cannot deserve the reward of eternall life by our service But as it is elswhere said saith he who crowneth thee in mercie and loving kindenesse hee doth not say in thy merits and workes because by whose mercie wee are prevented that we may in humility serve God by his gift we are crowned that in sublimity we may reigne with him So Bede § XI The third exposition he saith is Augustines viz. That we may be called unprofitable servants when we have kept all Gods Commandements because we doe no more than our duty which indeed is the reason which Christ himselfe doth render neither can wee from thence demand any just reward unlesse God had made a liberall Covenant with us For by our condition we are the bond-servants of God and if he will he may bind us to performe all manner of workes as it pleaseth him without reward This our condition Christ for the preservation of humility would have us to acknowledge Howbeit by his gracious covenant we may expect reward 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. Matth. 20. 13. Which God in his great bounty hath promised to this end that thereby he might draw us to performance of our duety as Augustine teacheth Replpy This answere of Bellaamine is worthy to be observed or rather admired first for the impudencie of it in that he fathereth this exposition upon Augustine who in the place by him quoted doth not once mention this Text of Luk. 17. 10. nor hath one word to that purpose for which this exposition is alleaged excepting the clause of Gods bounty which as it proveth this to bee that very testimony of Augustine which he quoteth so doth it evidently exclude merit Secondly for the force of truth which forceth him to contradict his owne assertions both here and in other places For first hee confesseth that hee which doth no more but his duty doth not merit and that wee doe no more but our duty Whereupon it followeth that we doe not merit Secondly where hee confesseth that wee can doe no more than our duty he renounceth all workes of supererrogation And thirdly in that he confesseth that for the same cause wee are unprofitable servants he taketh away all merit of condignity Fourthly he confesseth that without Gods gracious promise we could expect no reward Which proveth that the reward is due onely ratione pacti and not ratione ipsius operis which afterward he denyeth Fifthly he confesseth that such is the bounty and goodnesse of God that to allure us to the performance of our duty hee doth freely promise a reward Now what God doth freely promise to give he giveth freely and without desert For eternall life which in his word hee hath promised as a reward in his eternall counsell hee purposed freely without any respect of our worthynesse to bestow upon us and what in mercy hee either purposed or promised Christ by his merit hath purchased for us So that we attaine to heaven by a threefold right By Gods free donation electing us in Christ as his free gift Secondly by Christs merit as our inheritance Thirdly by Gods free promise as his gracious reward whereby he crowneth not our merits but his owne gifts and graces in us God indeed hath promised freely to reward our workes but that our workes should merit the reward he hath no where promised or taught § XII His fourth exposition is of Chrysostome that the Lord doth not say ye are unprofitable servants but biddeth them say so which is true But what will Bellarmine inferre therefrom that therefore they were not so God forbid For then our Saviour should have taught his Disciples to lye Neither doth God allow of counterfeit humility But the meaning of our Saviour was to teach his Disciples in humility to confesse the truth that because they had but done their duty if they had done all that is commanded they should not bee lifted up with a proud conceite that thereby they had merited but should no lesse truly than humbly confesse that they were unprofitable servants who by doing no more than their duty could not merit of God And this objection is also answered by Bernard Sed hoc inquies propter humilitatem monuit omne dicendum Planè propter humilitatem numquid contra veritatem But you will say that for humility sake hee admonisheth them thus to say No doubt for humilitie But did hee bid them speake against verity And the same is taught by Chrysostome elsewhere No man saith hee doth shew foorth such a conversation as to be worthy of the kingdome but it is wholly of his gift therefore hee saith when you shall doe all that is commanded say we are unprofitable servants we have done what is our duty to doe And againe in another place where he sheweth that what the Sonne of God did for us hee did not of duty but what good we doe wee doe it of duty Wherefore himselfe said when you shall have done all say ye are unprofitable servants for wee have done what was our duty to doe If therefore wee shew foorth love if we give our goods to the poore we performe our duty c. Object Yea but the servants which imployed their Talents well were commended as profitable servants Answ. They were commended as good servants and faithfull to their master And of him because they profitably imployed their Talents were graciouslie rewarded But of their merit nothing is said If they had not imployed their Talents well they should have beene punished And in that they did imploy them well they did but their duty and that also by assistance of Gods grace who both gave them the Talents and grace to imploy them well and therefore though they had reward yet they did not merit it § XIII Our fourth Testimonie is Rom. 6. 23. For the stipend of sinne is death but the free gift of God is eternall life through IESVS CHRIST our LORD where is an antitheâ—…is or opposition betweene death meaning eternall death the reward of sinne and eternall life the reward of righteousnesse that death is the stipend of sinne justly merited by it but
a worke doth not onely make the thing promised a debt for he that promised is bound to stand to his promises but also causeth that hee who shall fulfill the worke may be said to have merited the thing promised and may by right require it as his reward His reason briefly is this Eternall life is promised upon condition of good workes therefore good workes are meritorious of eternall life I deny the consequence though eternall life bee promised upon condition of good workes yet good workes are not the meritorious cause thereof First The reasons of my deniall are these first because eternall life before we had a being was freely intended to all of us that shall be saved not according to our workes but according to Gods owne purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before all secular times 2 Tim. 1. 9. Secondly Because Christ hath merited it for all the elect and there is no other meritorious cause of salvation besides him Thirdly Because in Christ it is freely promised to all the faithfull as their inheritance purchased by Christ and therefore not to bee obtayned by their owne merit Fourthly As it was a reward freely promised so it is freely given as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the free gift of God Fifthly Because as it selfe is the free gift of God so the graces and good workes to which it is promised as a reward are the free gifts of God of which the more we have the more are we indebted to God so sarre are wee from meriting any thing at the hands of God by them Sixthly Because all our workes are debita debts or dutyes which we owe unto God and therefore when we have done all wee must say we are unprofitable servants Seventhly Because there can bee no merit of condignity where is not an equall proportion betweene the worke and the reward Eighthly Because our best workes are stained with the flesh Ninthly Because God is our absolute Lord and wee are his bond-servants to whom we owe our selves and whatsoever wee can doe Neither are we able to render unto him so much as is due and much lesse can we merit any thing from him Tenthly Because God to all his creatures giveth all good things but receiveth nothing from any and therefore cannot be made a debtour to any of his creatures Therefore though eternall life bee promised to good workes yet it is not merited by them Yea but saith Bellarmine the promise made with a condition of workes doth make the thing promised due Answ. First where the condition is fully performed there the thing promised is due But wee all faile in the fulfilling And therefore if reward bee given to such as come short of their duety as all doe it must be acknowledged to bee of Gods grace and not of our merit Secondly the thing promised is due not by merit but by promise not in â—…espect of the worke done which is a dutie and that not so perfectly performed but that it needeth pardon but onely in respect of the promise because hee who hath promised hath bound himselfe to keepe his promise But Gods promise was dâ—… gratuitâ—… non de debito I say his promise was freely to give eternall life and so according to his promise he freely bestoweth it Yea but saith he by performing the condition not onely the thing promised becommeth due but he also that hath performed may truely be said to have merited the reward promised But this say I should have beene proved and not taken for granted being denyed by us and disproved by all the tenne arguments even now produced § XXII His sixth argument is taken from those places wherein mention is made of dignity or worthinesse For as before hee had said in his second Chapter to be worthy of reward and to merit it is all one according to that saying of our Saviour Luk. 10. 7. the labourer is worthy of his hire The places are these Wisd. 3. 5. God proved them and found them worthy of himselfe 2 Thes. 1. 5. that you may be counted worthie of Gods kingdome for which allso ye suffer Luk. 20. 35. They that shall be accounted worthy of that world and the resurrection from the dead Apoc. 3. 4. they shall walke with me in whites because they are worthy His reason may thus bee framed whosoever are worthy of eternall life they doe merit or deserve it Those that doe good workes are worthy of eternall life Therefore they doe merit or deserve it I answere by distinction For there is difference betweene these two to be worthy and to be counted worthy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be worthy by a mans owne worth or merit or by acceptation and grace or favour vouchsafed by another to be esteemed worthy to be worthy in our selves or to be accepted as worthy in Christ. If the word be understood in the former sense I deny the assumption if in the latter I deny the proposition For to be worthy or rather to bee accounted worthy of eternall life by mercie and grace not dignitate sua sed dignatione divina not in themselves but in Christ which is the case of all the faithfull and yet to merit and to deserve it by a mans owne worth implyeth a contradiction Against the assumption I say that none of the faithfull though fruitfull of good workes is in himselfe or by his owne worth or merit worthy of eternall life This hath beene the confession of the faithfull in all ages as I partly noted before Iacob confesseth Gen. 32. 10. that hee was lesse than the least of Gods mercies that is unworthy of them though but temporall what would he have said of eternall David professeth himselfe unworthy of those temporall honours which God had vouchsafed unto him 2 Sam. 7. 18. 1 Chron. 29. 14. Iohn the Baptist confesseth that hee was not worthy to carry Christs shoes Mat. 3. 11. or to loose the latchet of them Luk. 3. 16. Iohn 1. 27. The Centurion whose faith is so highly commended professeth himselfe not to bee worthy that Christ should come under his roofe Mat. 8. 8. The afflictions of this life though one man did beare them all are not worthy of the future glory Roman 8. 18. Adde to these the confessions of the Fathers though cited many of them before Ambrose Quid pâ—…ssumus dignum pramiis facere coelestibus Hâ—…erome Nullum opus dignum Dei justitia reperietur Againe Rever a nihil posset 〈◊〉 condignum pati glâ—…ria coelesti etianisi talis esset illa qualis modò est vita 〈◊〉 No man sheweth forth such a conversation as to be worthy of the Kingdome of Heaven No though a man should die ten thousand deaths and should performe all virtuous actions The Author of the worke not finished upon Matthew what doe we in this world worthy that wee may deserve to bee
made partakers of our Lord in the heavenly Kingdome Therefore the Apostle rightly saith I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy of the future glory Augustine Debita redditur poenâ—… damnato indebita gratia liberato â—…t nec ille se indignum queratur nec â—…ignum se iste glorietur In Psal. 30. 17. Salvum me fac non in mea justitia nâ—…n in meis meritis sed in tua misericâ—…rdia non quia ego sum dignus sed quia tu misericors es So in Psal. 41. 7. and 43. 26. Quicquid promisit indignis promisit ut non quasi operibus merces prâ—…mitteretur sed gratia à nomine suo gratis daretur Eusebius Emissenus professeth that wee can neither suffer nor doe any thing worthy of the heavenly good things Gregorie the great Illi beata vita in quâ—… câ—…m Deo dâ—… Deo vivitur nâ—…llus pâ—…test aequari lâ—…bor nulla opera comparari presertim cùm Apostolus dicat non sunt condignâ—… passiâ—…nes c. Anaâ—…tasius Sinaita This is true humility to practise good things and to esteeme himselfe uncleane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and unworthy of God thinking to bee saved by his goodnesse alone Oecumenius He sheweth that we are not able either to suffer or to conferre any thing worthy of that remuneration which shall bee there Anselme professeth that a thousand yeeres devout service of God doth not condignely merit the being in the Kingdome of Heaven halfe a day Bernard Fateor non sum dignus ego nec propriis possum meritis regnum obtinere coelorum and elsewhere Nihil sumus in cordibus nostris fortè in corde Dei potest aliud latere de nobis Lege homo in corde tuo lege intra teipsum de teipso testimonia veritatis etiam hac communi luce judicabis te indignum Againe Nos sumus sponsa Dei sed in corde Dei Nos sumus sed ipsius dignatione non dignitate nostra quod etsi nâ—…s puerili animositate gratis servari nolumus meritò non salvamur excludit miseriae dissimulatio miserationem nec dignatio locum habet ubi fuerit praesumptio dignitatis The faithfull indeed are digni worthy as it is said Apoc. 3. 4. Sap. 3. 5. but it is dignatione divina non dignitate sua worthy not in themselves but in Gods acceptation in Christ even as they are just not in themselves but in Christ 2 Cor. 5. 21. Augustine Propter nomen tuum h. e. gratis propter nomen tuum non propter meritum meum quiatu dignatus es facere non quia ego dignus cui facias And this is signified in the places alleaged Luk. 20. 35. 2 Thess. 1. 5. which speake not of being worthy but of being accompted worthy in Gods acceptation To the proposition I answere that they who are worthy not in themselves but in Christ not in respect of their owne dignity but of Gods dignation which is the case of all the faithfull though they be accompted worthy of eternall life yet they doe not merit it themselves but the merit of Christ is imputed unto them which excludeth our merit To that of Luk. 10. 7. and likewise 1 Tim. 5. 18. The workman is worthy of his hire hath place among men who can deserve and earne their wages one of another so that the one bee not the bond-servant of the other but Gods workemen of whom those places speake though they deservâ—…â—…heir hire of them among whom they labour yet cannot being not their owne men but the bond-servants of God deserve any thing at his hands Againe even among men the labourer is not worthy of his hire who hath but begun and not perfected his worke but our obedience our righteousnesse our charity whereby we serve God is but inchâ—…ata non perfecta justitia § XXIII His seventh argument is taken from those places where it is said that God is a righteous judge and no accepter of persons as Rom. 2. 11. Gal. 2. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 17. Act. 10. 34. but acception of persons is a vice contrary to distributive justice viz. when a judge giveth reward without merits or a greater reward to lesse merits or a lesse reward to greater merits God therefore in the retribution of rewards considereth the merits of men and according to the diversity of merits he assigneth the mansions of eternall life This argument if it shall conclude the question must thus bee framed If God doe render to men the rewards of eternall life neither without their merits nor greater rewards to lesse nor lesse to greater merits than God in the retribution of rewards considereth the merits of men and consequently the good workes of the faithfull are meritorious of eternall life but the antecedent is true therefore the consequent The assumption hee proveth because the contrary is repugnant to distributive justice Thus therefore he proveth it If God doe render rewards to men without their merits or greater rewards to lesse merits or lesse rewards to greater merits then is he an unjust judge and an accepter of persons which God forbid But God is a righteous judge and no accepter of persons as is proved by the testimonies alleaged therfore he doth not render to men rewards without their merits neither doth he give greater rewards to lesse nor lesse rewards to greater merits Answ. I deny the assumption of the former syllogisme and the proposition of the second The assumption was that God doth not render to men rewards of eternall life without their merits c. For that God doth give the reward of eternall life to some at the least without their merits it is evident in the elect infants who having no merits of their owne are saved only by the merits of Christ. And the like is to be said of all other beleevers for whom our Saviour by his merits hath purchased everlasting life Therefore that assumption is so farre from being true that the contrary thereof is alwaies true viz. that God doth give the reward of eternall life as his free gift to all that are saved without any merit of theirs Neither is there any other merit of eternall life but the merit of Christ which is more than sufficient for all that beleeve The proposition of the prosyllogisme hath two branches in both the parts thereof of both which I deny the consequence for as touching the first although God doe render to men the reward of eternall life without their merits yet hee is not an unjust Iudge For though they have no merit of their owne yet they have the all-sufficient satisfaction and the infinite merit of Christ unto which eternall life is in justice due For the second Although the Lord should give greater rewards to lesse offices and graces and lesse to greater yet were hee not unjust nor an accepter of persons For by the parable of the workmen Mat. 20. Wee learne that the