the meane space there follow a perfect resolute desire to accomplish the same then hath the man likewise eaten principallie in coÌ„senting resolutâ—lie with pretence of accomplishment and in that case it is a damnable and an heauie sinne c. Surelie this will trie Saint Mâ—chaels wittes and put him to his trumpe howe to obserue this rule in weying and iudging these sinnes vnlesse he come first for a while into the Vniuersitie of Louen or to the Sorbonistes of Paris there to loiter read ouer and learne to vnderstand the glosses and expositions of the Maister of the Sentences I knowe no other meane for him howe to deale vnlesse he can find out in one place or other some subtil Doctour of diuinitie and make him so much his friend that hee will helpe him through with the matter yet notwithstanding the principall knowledge and speculation may well be brought to passe and considered as That we are not of dutie bound to loue God with all our hearts with all our minde and with all our might in such sort as he by his lawe hath commaunded seeing that the soule can separate her selfe from him and so giue ouer her selfe to sinne and yet not plunge so deepe therein as to fall throughly into Gods wrath â–ª yea there is great recoÌ„pense deserued at Gods hand when as a man is prouoked to sinne and to fall from God that by his wisedome hee doeth withstand the same so as the serpent onelie doth eate of the forbidden fruite as the Maister of the Sentences hath in another place written Therefore it is that our mother the holie Church of Rome hath expounded that which our Sauiour Christ set foorth in the fift Chapter of S. Matthewe As to loue our enimies not to doe euill for euill not to desire another mans wife and such other like sayings more after the Pharisaicall manner As that it is no speciall commaundement but onelie a counsell and aduise and that therefore no man is bounde to obserue and keepe the same but such as haue professed and vowed chastitie as Monkes Ankers and other such like Whereby doeth euidentlie appeare either that GOD hath wholie created and shapen the soule and hearte of man or at the least that his Lawe is not altogethâ—r spirituall considering that he hath not the full gouernâ—ment of the spirite onelie through this occasion that reason did not consent and agree wholie to sinne For in conclusion you may not esteeme sinne thus as though all that is done against Gods lawe and commaundement were a deadlie sinne and could not bee recompensed by deseâ—uing or satisfaction but all sins offences must be weighed in the balance of our mother the holie church of Rome who saieth thus That for all ordinarie and light sinnes and offences a man may sufficientlie satisfie with saying a Pater noster and an Aue Maria with knocking vpon the breast and saying Peccaui with holie water and especially with hearing of a Masse as for deadly sinnes the like must be done but yet with much more force efficacie and deuotion And to say all in all satisfaction is necessarie and requisite for all sinnes according to the qualitie and quantitie of the same And although a man shoulde wholie returne to God yet can not that helpe vnles hee make full satisfaction For whereas these Heretikes doe say That when soeuer a sinner doeth conuert and repent him of his sinnes God doth pardon and forgiue him yea in such sorte as he doth wholie forgette the sinnes committed and casteth them as farre from him as the East is from the West yea and sinketh them down euen into the bottome of the sea yea maketh them consume to naught euen as smoke or as a cloude in so much as they are not once more thought vpon euen like as he doeth also vtterlie forget all the good deedes that a man hath done which in the end doth giue him selfe to mischiefe Take heede of that saying for it smelleth of a faggot For our mother the holie Church of Rome hath speciallie concluded That GOD doeth not forgiue anie sinnes vnlesse a man doe first make full satisfaction and payment for the same to the vttermost and last farthing shee can allowe that hee forgiueth the sinne but not the punishment and for that cause must hee likewise bee well recompensed doing after this manner As if a man should pardon his debter all whatsoeuer hee did owe him and giue him to vnderstande that hee cancelled his obligation and in the meane space caused him to be arrested and cast into prison there to remaine and lie till the whole debte were paide euen to the vttermost mite Were not that great mercie vsed and a liberall pardoning of debters After that manner will our deare mother the holie Church of Rome haue that remission of sinnes vnderstoode which wee haue obteined through the bloud and passion of Iesus christ For the bloud of Iesus Christ saieth shee hath washed away the sinnes but holie water the Masse and such other like satisfactions doe deliuer vs from the paine and punishement Or rather the bloud of IESVS Christ hath troden the path by the which Masses Pilgrimages Holie water and other satisfactions may runne post after our Lorde God to put him in remembrance to pardon vs of the punishment which we by our sinnes haue deserued And if they perhaps should come to late then are the merites of Saintes in a readinesse to shut vp and make euen the rest of the reckoning and accompt For our deare mother the holy church of Rome saieth plainlie by speciall textes of the Scripture That God doeth neuer clearelie forgiue and pardon the punishment for sinnes through the merites of the bloud and passion of Christ without a former satisfaction For all the Scriptures and examples which the Lutherans â–ª and Huguenotes alledge and bring in to proue That God doeth chasten his children with plagues and punishmentes to the end to bring them to perfect knowledge and vnderstanding of their miserie and calamitie and to proue their faith or that hee will thereby bring them from the diuelishe dissimulations of this worlde all this doeth our deare mother the holie Church of Rome alledge to proue that God hath onelie forgiuen them the offence but not the punishment as appeareth by the example of Adam who although after his fall hee receiued comfort againe at Gods hande yet was hee well punished euen by bodilie death and with manie calamities sorrowes and troubles by the which hee made satisfaction And likewise take example of the Prophet Dauid who hauing grieuouslie offended God and afterwardes returned by repentance obteined forgiuenesse of his sinnes and was yet afterwardes notwithstanding this sharplie punished so forth of manie other examples For our mother the holie church wil in no wise allow That God did so punish them onelie to the ende they should so feele his mightie hande as they should euer after walke in feare and
which serues her turne to fill her hiue with pleasant and sweete honie and what soeuer is not appliable or agreeing to her purpose that she leaues vntouched Therefore the foundation of the holy Church of Rome may very wel be called A Bee hiue hauing the propertie of a tubbe wherein al maner of pleasant things are put The vii Chapter VVherin is declared that the Church of Rome can likevvise helpe her selfe vvith the opinions and doctrine of the olde Heretikes in follovving the same vvhen it serues for her purpose NOwe so farre it is from our deare mother the holy Church to be afraid to spring ouer the pales of the holie Scripture auncient Fathers Councelles and Decrees that often times she will go and solace her self in the pleasant medowes and greene fieldes of the olde heretikes which haue alwayes bin extreeme enemies and directly contrarie to the holy scripture and the Fathers and of them doeth she borrowe very many goodly iewelles too furnishe beautiefie her Gabanet or bee Hiue withall For it is wel knowen and euident that she hath learned of the Heretike Pelagius That we notwithstanding the fall of Adam do still possesse a free will and haue power to Iustifie our selues and to fulfil al the commaundementes of God if we our selues will and That it is not the onelye grace of God whereby we are iustified as Paule doth teache but an helper only after that we of our selues haue prepared our selues therevnto Also That Christ did by his death merit for original sinne onely and that for all other our daily sinnes we our selues must answere and make sufficient amendes Of the Messalians or Euchites likewise of the Pelagians she hath gathered that baptisme alone doth not make vs perfect Christians but is onely necessarie to washe away our originall sin to helpe vs out of our first shipwracke But if we fal againe so run in danger of a second shipwracke theÌ„ we must seke for another plaÌ„ke to helpe vs out of hazard Shee hath likewise sucked out of the breasts of the MessaliaÌ„s to mumble out her Mattines The seuen Psalmes and the Pater noster by â–ª number vpon a paire of beades and with a burning candle pretending thereby to obteine great pardones and to doe vnto God great seruice Also whereas she doeth vse spittle in baptizing after that the diuell is coniured that shee tooke of the Messalians who did teache That men might driue away the diuel with spitting Of the Saturnialles Ebeonites Tatians and Encratites shee hath learned That the state of Mariage is vncleane and spotted and that such as wil please God and be cleane purified must wholy refraine them selues from it Also That there is great holinesse in absteining from eating of fleshe and vsing of certeine other meates although she hath set the things out vnder another colour to the ende men might not knowe froÌ„ whence they come Besides this she hath borrowed of the Montanistes manie newe fasting dayes which she hath commaunded and coÌ„firmed to be obserued vpon paâ—ne of great punishment and beside that on or cemeÌ„ts In the schoole of the Coloredlanes shee hath learned to praye to the holye Virgine Marie and to immolate or offer vp her oblations Of Marcus the sorcerer and Heretike she hath learned to vse in her seruice sacrifices certeine strange wordes in Hebrewe and other languages Of the Anthropomorphites to painte God the Father in the forme of a man with a gray beard Of the Gnostikes and Carpocratians to set vp images of Christ and other Saints and to worship the same with censing and other maner of deuotions vnlesse men will say as Eusebius in the 7. booke of histories in the 18. chap. doth declare that this erecting of images did first spring from the Heathen And last of all she hath learned of Simon the sorcerer father of al Heretikes to giue Bishoprikes Benefices Masse Mattius and Sacraments for money and yet not to sell them For it is but a simple bargaine or contract which the Lawyers call Do vt des I giue that thou mayest giue againe Euen like to Simon who would giue money to receiue the holy ghost So that it is very plaine apparaunt that shee can helpe her selfe well ynough with the doctrines and opinions of Heretikes and sucke out of them what shee thinkes good to carie into her Bee hiue Yea shee doeth in manie things agree with the Alcaron of Mahomet and with the Turkes religion as specially in many pilgrimages in praying vnto dead Saints in the obseruing of fasting dayes in diuers sortes orders of Monkes and particularly in the doctrine of Freewill and iustification by workes Now whether they haue borrowed that of Mahomet or he receiued it from them by reason he had a holy Monke one Sergius for an assistent companion I referre that to the iudgement of the Doctors of Louen Thus much once by the waye that it is easie to be noted that it is all one per dominum and all diet in one fatte and that she is like to a cunning spinner which can make good thred of all sortes of flaxe The viii Chapter Declaring that the Church of Rome hath likevvise borrovved manye things of the levves vvhich shee doeth set forth and holde as articles of the faith NOwe as touching the Iewes shee hath not forgotten to followe them sundrie wayes and that is apparant ynough in that which our master Gentianus hath declared in this worke For hee will mainteine that the Transubstantiation of the bread into the very body of Christ and the changing or turning of the substaÌ„ce of the wine into his verie blood maye bee proued by the testimonies of the Iewishe Rabbines And that is without doubt for one of their Rabbines named Rabbi Moses Hazardan writing vppon the 136. Psalme where the Prophet saith O Lord thou giuest all fleshe their foode saieth thus This texte doth fully and wholy agree with that which is saide in the 34. Psalme Taste and see howe pleasant the Lord is For the bread or meate which he giues to euery man is his fleshe and with the tasting or with the eating it is turned into flesh Out of this hath a good Monke a Catholike writer concluded That this Iewish Rabbin did well vnderstand Transubstantiation which he doth yet againe coÌ„firme by another named Rabbie Cahana who vttereth maruelous woÌ„derful speculations vpoÌ„ that texte of Moses where Iacob did promise to his sonne Iuda an vnspeakable vnmesurable quantitie of wine milke by these wordes He shal binde his foales to the vinetree and his asses to the noble vine branches he shal wash his clothing in wine his mantle in the bloud of grapes his teeth are whiter than milk For out of these woordes of Iacob doeth the foresaid Rabbi conclude That the asse doeth here signifie Messias into whose bodie and bloud the wine shal
christian beliefe And for that cause did they drinke the bloud of Christ as the Catholike Doctours haue written according to the doctrine of Cyprianus saying how can they shed their owne bloud for Christes sake if they doe not drinke of Christs bloud But now there is no more tidings of those matters for the holy church of Rome wil not lose one drop of her bloud considering that she hath ynough to do for the defence of the holy Catholike faith to shed the bloud of the Lutherans and Caluinists like water in the streetes And therefore it is not any more needful that the Lay people should drinke the bloud of Christ out of the Chalice vnder the substance of wine They can digest it well inough rawe as it was shed out of the bodie of Christ Iesus yet for all that the priests haue this aduantage that they may drinke the bloud of Christ both waies And yet is not the bloud of Christ in the Sacrament taken quite away from the Lay people For when they do eate the whole body with flesh bones it is certeine that they gette in the bloud wall For the before named Bonauentura doth make mention of a certein miracle of one which would not beleue that there was any bloud in the holy Ost or singing bread vsed in the holie Masse and sodeinly there came bloud ruÌ„ning out And likewise Alexander de Ales doth declare that vpoÌ„ a time when the people would haue receiued the Sacrament vnder both kindes there was sodenlie before them a platter full of bloud whereof the good deuoute people being meruellously abashed were glad to content them selues with the one And that the bloud vndoubtedlie is with the bodie we haue here before by manie other miracles declared sufficientlie proued Therefore haue the Laie people no occasion to complaine as though the bloud of Christ were denied them for euen the Priestes them selues are contented with one kinde on the good Fridaie next after the shire Thursday when they haue had their sops in good Bastard or Romnay For then the next day being good Friday they sing a drie Masse and keepe a Mouses banket as well as the Laie people doe at Easter Before time likewise in the Iewish church the Laie people had no parte of the drinke offerings but the Priestes onelie For although that Chrysostome saith touching this matter that this is now changed and that in this Sacrament the Laie people must enioye the like meate and drinke as the Priestes doe so as nowe the one hath no more aduantage than the other as they had in the olde Lawe yet can not the saying of Chrysostome anie thing serue in this place For against Chrysostome wil we set Brother Barnard of Luxenburgh professour in Theologie and Iohn Eckius with all other good Catholike writers of our time who haue otherwise written and determined of this matter And as touching that which the Huguenotes do alledge out of Paule yea out of Iesus Christ him selfe saying That Paule did command all christen people to do according as Christ had ordeined and as Christ had saide Drinke all of this We do answere to that That this was onelie a simple permission and not a speciall commandement as he saith in another place Destroie this temple and I will builde it vp againe within three dayes for that is no commaundement but onely a permission as if he said If it be so in deede that you will destroie this temple of my bodie I will not forbidde you but I will builde him vp againe c. In like manner doeth our mother the hâ—lie Church saie that these woordes Drinke you all of this And As often as you drinke this you shall declare the death of the Lord Those wordes are thus to be vnderstoode as though he had said I doe not will you Laie people to doe so but the Priestes onelie notwithstanding if you will doe it and that the Priestes are contented withall I will not then bee against it Thus you see the game is won Nowe let vs to an other matter tending to the like ende The vii Chapter VVhich doeth treate of full satisfaction for sinnes of the desertes of good workes also of the merites of Christes passion and of Iustification of the difference betweene mortall sinnes and veniall sinnes and of the assured hope of saluation NOwe seeing that wee haue sufficientlie spoken of the holie Masse and the Sacrament of the altar and that our mother the holie Church of Rome doeth moreouer teache and set foorth for an article of the faith That wee by desert hearing a Masse and receiuing the Sacrament may make full amendes for our offences and sufficientlie satisfie for our sinnes therefore it is now verie necessarie that we something treate of satisfaction for sinnes and of deseruing by good works the rather because the Heretikes do with their scriptures so trouble vs touching this point as they turne both the spit and the rost meat into the ashes in so much that wee shall loose both the sheepe and the fleece if wee suffer this to be so plucked from vs And therefore it is necessarie to put all good Catholike children in remembrance that in no wise they doe giue anie eare to the Heretikes touching this point for feare lest therby they should be brought out of the right way and so by receiuing their goodlie reasons multitude of scriptures be persuaded from their due obedience to the holie Church of Rome And to the ende that euerie man should be warned and not by negligence sodenlie taken in a trappe therefore shall I set out something more at large their meaning touching this point to the ende that euery one may see whether our deare mother the holie Church haue not iust occasion so bitterlie to curse and banish their doctrine Then to beginne withall they do take vpon them to defende and mainteine by Scripture That all sinnes are deadlie mortall because that sinne is the breaking of Gods commaundements as S. Iohn saith And That who soeuer doeth not obserue all whatsoeuer God hath commaunded in his Lawe is accursed For S. Iames doeth witnesse That who soeuer transgresseth in one point of the Lawe is guiltie in the whole considering that the same God which câ—mmaunded the one did also commaunde the other In so much that all those which commit sinne are through sinne alienated and estranged from the life which is onelie to bee had at the hand of God and so must fall into the hand of heath seeing that The recoÌ„pense of sinne is death according to the saying of S. Paule whereby all men without anie exception which are vnder sinne are likewise vnder the bondage of eternall malediction death and damnation considering that all haue sinned are fallen away from that life which is of God into his wrath and do thereby become if the speciall mercie of God were not
the children of wrath of cursing and of death yea iustlie may be called the verie enimies of god Out of this they conclude That in the wide world there is no meaâ—e nor counsell to be found for the payment accomplishment of our satisfaction but that all must be discharged to the vttermost farthing which is as much to saie that all people are vnder the eternall wrath curse damnation of God considering that the sentence of God being once pronounced must endure for euer and a man being dead and once taken away from life can neuer restore him selfe againe to life And thus say they there is no more to be said but al fleshe are debters vnto god But hereby is the mercie of GOD made manifest that the punishment of our sinnes is laide vpon our Sauiour Iesus Christ the vnspotted lambe of God that he hath suffered for vs and taken vpon him our sinnes that hee being become man and hauing put on our nature hath borne the burthen of this curse this wrath of GOD this death and this hell and damnation and through his diuine and eternall power for that hee also was the onelie Sonne of God yea euen God him selfe and the verie authour and well spring of eternall life hath ouer come and clearelie taken away the same and hath freelie and without deserte by his meere mercie giuen vnto all those which doe faithfullie beleeue in him life and iustification In so much that they nowe in the person of Iesus Christ as partakers of his bodie boldlie appeare before the Diuine Maiestie of GOD being assured that God is their good mercifull and most louing Father and doeth no more charge them with the burden of their sinnes but most mercifullie forgiueth them their olde and odde debtes and pardoneth them of the punishment which they haue deserued not thorough anie of their good workes merites or desertes but through the power of the merites and desertes of our Sauiour Iesus Christ whâ— hath made restitution for that which he neuer had and hath not only taken vpon him to discharge our debtes but also to suffer our punishment and hath borne the same wholie in his owne person so that hee is iustiâ—e called Our raunsome Our Pastour Our pledge Our full satisfaction and the costlie pâ—ice of our saluation without whom there is no saluation no raunsome nor redemption in the worlde And therefore say they That who soeuer will beginne to account or reckon with God a newe and make satisfaction or payment vnto him whether in whole or in parte â–ª of that which they are indebted vnto him those are wholie quite of Gods mercie and binde them selues soule and bodie to the full obseruing of the Lawe and doe clearelie take away and renounce as much as apperteineth vnto them the merites of Christ notwithstanding that by the iust iudgement of God sinne is so abhominable that it can not by anie meanes bee recompensed or fullie satisfied but onelie by eternall death and damnation or els by the sweete and most pretious offering of the bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ which is before God the Father a sufficient satisfaction and remission for the sinnes of all those that haue their full trust and confidence therein And also they doe acknowledge That God doth in the meane space correct his children in this worlde and proueth their faith by manie and diuerse troubles crosses afflictions partlie for that they shall learne to knowe verie well their miserie and calamitie and thereby be prouoked the rather spedilie to flie to his mercie for succour partlie that thereby they may become like vnto their maister head Christ Iesus and with him die from sinne and rise vp in newnesse of life and hereafter liue and reigne with him eternallie but they will in no wise consent that these troubles crosses afflictions should serue anie thing for satisfaction or remission of sinnes no not so much as for the least sinne that can be thought vpoÌ„ And likewise they clearely dissent disagree from vs saying That al the good works that anie man can do during all his life can not serue him to anie purpose for the remission of the least sinne that euer he committed considering that al men without exceptioÌ„ are of meere dutie bound to obey God to loue him with all their hearts with all their might with all their power in body and soule with thanks in all that lieth in them to loue their neighbours as theÌ„selues in such maner as though they had accoÌ„plished al this which is impossible for anie man to doe for that we are dead in Adam and that all the thoughtes of mans heart all the conceites of his mind are meere mischiefe and malice against God euen from the beginning in so much that they should yet remaine vnprofitable seruantes and should haue done no more than they of verie dutie were bound to do So farre doeth it differ that they should be able thereby to satisfie God make amends for any such offences as they heretofore haue committed For if they should come in reckoning by works then wee must make a perfect reckoning not halfe a reckoning say they otherwise works were no works but contrawise when men do seeke for mercie not for iustice then must they with Paul forsake all their works all their righteousnes their holines all whatsoeuer they haue done accompt the same as nothing to obteine iustification by faith through God mercy for otherwise mercie were no mercie And after this they proceede on further conclude in this forme and manner Now seeing God will not accept any iustificatioÌ„ by those works which he him selfe commanded in his Law how much lesse will he accept these workes which other men haue deuised and fetched out of their owne heades which hee neuer commaunded As to hearing of Masse to runne from one Church to another to trudge from one altar to another to go on pilgrimage â–ª to weare hairecloth to whippe them selues to pull a Friers hoode ouer their head to make vowes which God neuer allowed with such other like workes which the holie church doeth esteeme for verie meritorious calleth them Opera supererogationis that is to say Superfluous workes for that God neuer commanded them therefore men may hereby do more than they are of dutie bouÌ„d to do These say they shall not onelie be vnacceptable before GOD for good payement but shall rather be esteemed for false coyne yea bee imputed for verie slandering and blaspheming of God and for a flat forsaking and despising of the shedding of the bloud of Iesus Christ. O what a matter is this O helpe blessed Ladie of the 7. Okes Help S. Lewen S. Rombold S. Iames of CoÌ„postell with all your scallop shelles and pilgrims staues helpe all you sweet men and women Saints whose relikes are deuoutly prayed vnto by our deere
through negligence fallen into sinne in the same maner as with those which after the baptisme haue willingly and wittingly defiled the Temple of God and made sad the holie ghost She doth plainly acknowledge that euen at the first houre of their birth they haue deserued death and are fallen into the curse and wrath of God yet for all that she will take vpon her to be a meane betwene parties at variance and be like vnto Butter which bettereth althings therfore wil haue this hold That God as touching originall sinne shall bee satisfied by washing away the same by baptisme not receiuing or requiring anie other satisfaction or raunsome for that matter and for this hath shee also named Baptisme The first plancke whereby we are saued in our shipwrack But I assure you as touching all other sinnes shee doth sing vs a new song as followeth Si quis dixerit peccata omnia quae post baptismum fiunt sola recordatione fide suscepti baptismi â–ª vel dimitti vel venalia fieri Anathema sit That is to say Whosoeuer will maintein that all sinnes coÌ„mitted after baptisme should either be forgeuen or at least may be forgeuen onely through faith and power of Baptisme let him be accursed Here you may see now that this planke alone is too weake to beare vs out of the water so that Baptisme is not in anie wise the Lauer or bath of those that are borne a newe wherein Christ shoulde haue purged and cleane washed his spouse that she might become without spot or wrinkle as Paule goeth about to teach but onelie forsomuch as doeth apperteine to the first spotte wherewith we are borne and no further Neither is nowe anie more a Baptisme of conuersion penance as it was in the Apostles time For the holie Fathers assembled in the Councell of Trent haue accursed all those that shall call it a Lauer or bath and Sacrament of conuersion and repentaunce And therefore haue they prouided an other planke for vs wherewith wee may swimme out of this water as lustily as with a couple of Hogges bladders to witte the Tree of penance consisting of three braunches namely Confessio that is Shrift Contritio that is Heartes sorrow and Satisfactio that is Full satisfaction and a plenarie payment for our sinnes For this is the Saint Christopher that can carrie vs ouer the Sea and through this shall wee receiue once at our Baptisme the garment of innocencie and being afterwardes bespotted with sinne wash the same off again bring all into the right way Therefore it will be said according to the vnderstanding of our deare mother the holie Church as manie holie Catholike Champions haue both said and written That Christ hath made full satisfaction for originall sinne and hath fed vs when we coulde not yet slie but now that our fethers are ful growen we must slie of our selues out of the nest and helpe our selues That is to bee vnderstood We must from henceforth satisfie and sufficiently recompense for all our sinnes our owne selues For this is the opinion and meaning of manie holie Champions and pillars of the holie church of Rome as doth euidently appeare by the before written example of the two pillars But yet notwithstanding when all is well considered this is not yet the verie right tune and harmonious noyse which the holie Church commonly vseth in this daunse for out of this might follow That God should impute righteousnesse to those which are not righteous in them selues and through Christs merites and for his sake forgiue sinnes without any other satisfaction I tell you our mother the holie Church will not meddle with this pretended righteousnes She will not remaine in Gods debte but will clere the score and cut off all the nicks of the tallie Therefore hath she a little patched vp this and concluded That men shall likewise satisfie for some part of originall sinne and so fully satisfie God because he shall not hereafter report that hee hath forgeuen and pardoned the same for nothing but for Iesus Christes sake onely For weigh this wel this is the vtter determination and conclusion of our maisters of the Sentences That although the merits of Christ are the most speciall desert through which Gods mercie and the way into the kingdome of heauen is graunted vnto vs yet this notwithstanding is in no wise to be reckoned for the only whole and full satisfaction and deseruing Whereby it doth euidently appeare that alway with the merites of Christ there must be ioyned some deeds and workes of those which receiue the mercie and rewarde whether it be for themselues if they be of age or for another which is not yet come to full yeeres of vnderstanding which deedes are called Meritum de congruo vel condigno that is to say A deseruing worthily obteined or A lâ—ke worthie deseruing Consider then now doth it followe that for the redeeming of originall sinne some meritorious works are adioyned and specially the merites of the Sacrament which as our mother the holy Church saieth doe giue vnto men mercie Ex opere operato that is to say For the worthinesse of it selfe and deseruing by woorkes For whosoeuer will say and defend that the Sacraments shoulde not Ex opere operato or by their owne worthinesse present and giue mercie vnto vs but that faith or beleefe in Gods promises should be sufficient for the obteining of mercy as Paul saieth that Abraham did beleeue the promise of God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse and did then first receiue the Sacrament of Circumcision for a seale to this freely giuen righteousnesse hee is by the Councell of Trent accurssed and excommunicated And because it shall not seeme that the Sacrament of baptisme is not sufficient to deserue the forgiuenesse of sinne Ex opere operato considering that the childe which is christened doth not there worke whereby it may deserue any thing therefore doth our dere mother the holie Church say That the Godfathers deserue it for the child And to the end that this deseruing may the more freely be put in the reckoning against the accusations of the diuell therefore hath our mother the holy Church deckt it trimly and hanged much costly ware about it as specially strong and mightie coniuring and commaunding of the diuell wherethrough he is forced to remoue streight way and giue place to the holy ghost Item with manie holie crosses which the Priest doeth make ouer the foreheade ouer the eyes the nose the eares the mouth the breast and the shoulders of the children so christned by the might power whereof the diuell originall sinne are chaced seuen mile froÌ„ thence so that his accusation is not esteemed worth a straw After this is the child gresed on the nose and eares with the priests snot spittle which spittle doth bring a maruellous strength with it as men may wel coÌ„iecture so that
substantially cunningly haue determined and iudged That all sinnes are not deadlie but that there are but seneÌ„ deadâ— lie sinnes onelie which together with their branches and fruites haue deserued death The rest are altogether small simple and venial sinnes which he may not punish by death but with a smal rod such as doth serue to beate children withall And herevpon she hath valued all hir deseruings satisfactions euery one according to his price to the vttermost penie and so hath committed the balance to S. Michael with open commission charge that he do iustlie weye all the sinnes and offences of the Catholikes against the troubles which God hath sent them and likewise against their good deedes merites vpon this conditioÌ„ that if the said troubles good deedes â–ª and merites be but an ounce or twaine or some small weight lighter than the other then Christ shall make that good by his death and passion But if the difference in weight should be great so as it were to be considered vpon then must he to conterueil and make the weight euen put into that scale some good deedes c. as building of Abbies Masses Pilgrimages Pateâ— nosters and Aue Maries waxe candels holie ashes holie water Popes 〈◊〉 pardons grey friers cowles girdles S. Iames shels other like stuffe till both the balances wey alike But nowe Econtra â–ª if the good deeds meriâ—es c. be the heauier then shal the surplusage be kept against another time to helpe a good friend withall or to 〈◊〉 some 〈◊〉 soule one of Purgatorie And our mother the holie church hath had much a doe â— this matter to bring the balance to a iust â—â—ight and value to make all things euen betwixt the offences of men and the punishmentes of God and to approue that to be the right way which notwithstaÌ„ding she hath stronglie fortified with plaine scriptures And in especially where S. Iohn Baptist saieth Facite fructus dignos poenitentia that is to say Bring forth fruites worthie of repentance For out of this hath she concluded That the effect and nature of the punishment scourge of God must be equall with the effect and nature of the crime Well considered that the operation of good workes is not needfull to be so great or so manie in one that hath done â—esse sins as in him that hath coÌ„mitted a great deale more sinne c. And therefore when as God doeth visit anie man in this world with pouertie sicknesse hunger trouble or anie other crosse he must likewise haue those valued against his sinnes and offences And if it be found that the crosse and punishment which God hath laid vpon him be of greater importance than his sinnes haue deserued as our mother the holie Church of Rome will suppose that often times it is then must the surplusage of that be by some honest meane recompensed or if it be such as cannot well be recompensed by God then it shal be shut vp and kept in the chest of indulgencies and pardonâ— to serue the turne of such as shall haue neede of it for that shal at some conuenient time be sealed together with a Bull and then some profite will come of it as our deare mother the holie Church hath concluded alledging for that purpose a plain euident text of Iob saying O that my troubles and sorowes might be weyed my paines deliuered vp in a paire of balance They should be found heauier than the sande of the seas therein is it that my wordes haue ouerslipped me Consider now out of this hath our deare mother the holie Church gathered that Iob was contented to come to a reckoning with God and haue his crosse punishment weyed against his offences if his crosse punishment be greater than his sinnes as shee supposeth then will she that the surplus of the weight shall be shut vp in the Popes chest to â—elpe sâ—me other good fellowe withall for a little monie and so bring him out of daunger And to the end that hereafter no brabbling or processe should happâ—n in diâ—â—inguishing which are light and venâ—all sinnes and which are heauie and deadlie sinnes and how euerie sinne is to bee esteemed for that purpose hath shee fetched out of her cofer with her keye called Allegorica expositio a trimme scripture thereby to declare those things sufficiently beginning thus That like as in the beginning the serpent did first intise the woman ofte to sinne and then the woman brought the man to the same so haue wee now likewise the wittinesse within vs which is the serpent and then more the wisedome or the principall vnderstanding which is the man last of all the knowledge or the simplest part of vnderstanding which is the woman and this man is the same which by witnessing of the Apostle is called The image honour of God the woman is the same which by the Apostle is called The honour or beautie of the man. Is not this well and profoundly philosophied of our mother the holie Church of Rome I can not thinke but that the Maister of the Sentences was somewhere in the bottome of a deep seller when hee founde out this profounde speculation For otherwise it were not possible that he should haue conceiued these profounde secretes of his owne head But nowe let vs heare further of the matter Nowe there is saith he a spirituall mariage a naturall coniunction betwene the man and the woman and out of that is to be considered which is a deadlie sinne and which is a veniall sinne For euen as the serpent did by persuasion abuse the woman and the woman the man euen so it falleth out with vs For as the inward consent is the serpent which accepteth the accomplishment of sinne and so persuadeth the woman that is the knowledge or least branch of accomplishing and then when as by such reasons they are brought to consent to the accomplishing then it commeth to passe that the woman doth eate the forbidden fruite and then presenteth or offereth of the same to the man and so when she hath entised the vnderstanding or principall desire that it doth giue consent to the same then hath the man eaten of the forbidden fruit likewise But nowe if the full accomplishing remaine sticking in the minde and cogitation and taketh not full effect then it is but a verie small veniall sinne but when onlie the simple pretence is willing thereto to witte the lust and desire of the mind or thought without any further full pretence trauell to bring the same effectuallie to passe then hath the woman onelie eaten of the apple and not the man who hath by his owne strength subdued his will that it proceedes not to the performing and finishing of the woorke and yet in that case it is sometime a deadlie sinne and sometime a veniall sinne according to the continuance of the time â–ª But if in
recourse to him with perfect and steadfast hope through their beliefe in him and That God who abounds in mercie hath through his inestimable loue wherewith he hath loued vs when we were dead in sin made vs aliue againe in Christ through whose mercie wee are beecome holie yea and hath raised vs vp againe and placed vs in the heauens by Christ Iesus iustifying vs of his meere mercie through faith not through our selues but through the gift of God not by workes least anie man should boast himselfe so that from henceforth none can charge or blame the elect of God for it is he only which doth iustifie them who therefore can condemne them seeing that Christ hath suffered for them So that they are assured that neither death nor life nor Angel nor rule neither might nor power neither anie thing present nor to come neither hight nor depth nor any other creature can separate them from the loue of God shewed in Christ Iesus our Lord With manie such other like thinges which Paule speaketh of But all that cannot helpe For our mother the holie Church will haue that vnderstood onely of such as haue and are assured of the same by some speciall reuelation and of such as trust simplie vpon Gods worde and promise For she hath resolutely concluded that such a manner of beliefe should be nothing else but a flat and vaine-glorious presumption But when a man doth trust to his owne merits good works and satisfactions then he is assured to come out with his iust reckoning or at the least if there haue not bene ynough done here in this worlde that shall bee after in another worlde accomplished and paied to the vttermost farthing insomuch that he shall not remaine one mite in Gods debt For to that ende and purpose hath our deare mother the holie Churche of Rome ordeined the blessed Purgatorie whereof wee will nowe make further declaration and proue it to bee as well grounded on the Scripture as the merits and satisfactions whereof we haue now alreadie spoken The viii Chapter VVherein Purgatorie is established as well bp Scripture as by inheritance And herein are likewise intreated the remedies and helpes whereby the sillie soules are released out of Purgatorie HEre is to be considered that Purgatorie is founded and hath his ground out of the holie Scripture For if Masses are founded vpon the Scripture as wee haue alreadie certiâ—ied then surely we may not make a bastard of the Masse of Requiem And now if it be so that the Masse of Requiem is founded vpon the Scripture then no doubt there must needes be a Purgatorie But nowe let vs bring forth for the proofe hereof speciall textes of scripture First note howe there is written by Paule to the Corinthians That no man may lay anie other foundation but onely vpon Iesus Christ. And so whosoeuer doth build on this foundation gold siluer precious stones timber hay or stubble euerie mannes woorke shall appeare for the day shall declare it and it shall be shewed in fire the fire shall declare euerie mans woorke what it is c. This hath our dere mother the holy Church vnderstood meant and set forth of Purgatorie And although out of this it should follow That all manner of persons without exception as wel he Saints as she Saints which our holy father the Pope hath canonized yea and the verie Popes themselues shoulde daunse in Purgatorie as well as Iacke and Tom with the rest But considering how that doth not agree in one with the beliefe of the holie Church of Rome in respect of the superfluous good woorkes which those Saintes haue done for themselues and for their good friendes more than they were of duetie bound to do therefore she properly wisely concludeth therevpon That those soules onely which depart out of this world without any deadly sinne and before they haue sufficiently satisfied by penance for their veniall and quotidian sinnes shall remaine a certeine space in Purgatorie be there broiled and sodden til such time as they shall with soule Masses pardons or indulgencies be hailed out of the pan or chaldron as with a flesh hooke The which is worthie to bee noted considering that which is thereout concluded as first that as heretofore is declared al sinnes are not deadly neither deserue euerlasting damnation and then againe by this you may perceiue that which of late we did speake of namely That the death and passion of Iesus Christ hath purged but onely our originall sinne and not our daily sinnes for which wee must make full satisfaction our selues And whereas the Heretikes say that Paule doeth not in the foresaide text meane any thing at all of Purgatorie but meanes onely to speake according as the text importeth as many ancient fathers haue expounded vnderstoode the same of the fire of the holy ghost which doth in time trie cause to appere plaine all doctrines namely those which take their foundation of Iesus christ And they say that good doctrine and godly learning shal in this proofe remaine stedfast but babblers and false teachers shall consume like hay or stubble before the fire With all this we haue nothing to do for that is but an exposition after the letter and not after the spirit or allegorie It is sufficient for vs that our holie mother the Church of Rome hath vnderstood Paul otherwise and applied his text vnto Purgatorie like as she hath applied the wordes of the Euangelist where hee saith That it was a custome amongst the Iewes to weepe ouer the dead For therby she hath concluded That the Iewes did beleue that there is a Purgatorie because as she thinkes it had bene a great follie of them to weepe for the dead vnlesse they did beleeue there was a Purgatorie so that it is a thing verie credible that those which wept so sore ouer Steeuen as in the Acts of the Apostles is declared did thinke none other but that he was gone into Purgatorie notwithstanding that he had seene Iesus Christ sitting on the right hand of God the father and sealed the testimonie and witnesse of him with his bloud Thirdely Purgatorie is clearely proued â—ut of the plaine textes of Paule who saith That in the name of Iesus al knees do bow those that are in heauen those vpon the earth and those vnder the earth Surely we wil not haue this vnderstoode of diuels Ergo then it must needs folow that it is spokeÌ„ of the souls which lay burning in Purgatorie For thus saith S. Iohn in the Apocalypse touching the same matter And all creatures which are in heaueÌ„ in the earth vnder the earth in the sea all that are in them heard I saying Blessing honor power be to him that sitteth vpon the seat vnto the lambe for euermore Where vndoubtedly he doth vnderstand meane Purgatorie according to the exposition of our
mother How can it be that she should be so ouerseene should then all good catholikes haue hitherto reckoned and still do reckon without their host should our forefathers haue deserued none otherwise by building Cloisters Abbies Trentals Masses and such like deuotions should all that be lost O no I defie that We will rather forsake the whole Scripture Peter and Paule with the whole rable of them than that such a slaunder should rise and take place in the holy Catholike Apostolike Popish church of Rome For if that were so then should all our Decrees decretals all our Sentences and Seâ—tentiaries al orders ordinances old customes vsages priuiledges and old proceedings of the holie church all masses with the appurtenances al priests and priestly doings and so one diuell with another be cleane ouerthrowen And then it must needes followe that the Lutherans Zwinglians Caluinistes shal yet againe beare the swing all the shorne swarme of holie shauelings with all the Sophisters Theologians of Louen with all the newe Bishops Abbats Monks Prelats giue place To what purpose then I pray you should the Duke of Alba with his Spaniards serue hauing taken so troublesome a iournie vpon him to stand the Bishops instead of Sargeants hangmen and to set vp the ruined Romish church in her authoritie againe O no no we will neuer be giuen to vnderstand beleeue that the scripture doth teach this for otherwise the scriptures must be heretical directly against the holie church then shuld the scriptures haue deserued to be burnt aswel as the Huguenotes Wel surely our Doctors of Louen haue likewise perused the scriptures our newe Bishops do daily reade their seruice Masse booke at lest when they haue leasure but they find not this written there therfore it is to be thought that either the heretikes haue other Epistles Gospels than is written in our Masse booke read in the church or there is more malt in the mill than the miller will be acknowen of For although our mother the holy church is content to graunt the heretiks that Christ is our right redeemer hath sufficiently satisfied for our sins because it shal not seeme they haue vtterlie forsaken Christ thrust him out of his seat yet is not that so to bee vnderstood that he onely must be taken for our ful raunsome and satisfaction or that he should haue fullie made our peace with God the Father through the offering vp of his bodie bloud so as we should now through his merites be esteemed for righteous and the children of God and haue an assured belefe that God hath for his sake forgiuen vs all our sinnes is to vs a good louing Father as these heretikes will needes proue by their Bible No no it wil not go so easilie to worke we must go otherwise to worke we our selues must paie our debtes with our owne monie satisfie God sufficiently for our sinnes or otherwise all would be naught For it doth not beecome the mercie of God saith the councel of Trent that he should forgiue vs our debtes for nothing without anie former satisfactioÌ„ And although it be so that Paul doeth take on him to defend that Abraham hath no iust occasion to presume of him selfe before God of any desert or former works yea saith That he that works not but doth stedfastly beleeue in him that doth iustifie the vngodly to him is his beleefe for righteousnesse as Dauid also saieth touching the iustification of those to whom God doth impute righteousnes without any works by these words Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnes is forgiuen and whose sins are couered Blessed is that man to whoÌ„ God imputeth not sin yet that holie ghost of the couÌ„cell of Trent hath concluded the contrarie saying thus Whosoeuer will defend mainteine that the vngodly are iustified by faith only that for the obteyning of Gods mercie his works are not needful let him be accursed And our Doctors of Louen haue once for all acknowledged iudged That God may not impute righteousnes to any maÌ„ through faith vnlesse he be righteous of him selfe For consider this is the conclusion of the worshipfull profound learned Magistri nostri Ioice RaueÌ„stein of Thielt in his booke which he now a while agoe did write against the Lutherans of Antwerpe This pretended righteousnes saith he doeth tend first against naturall reason for it cannot stand with any natural reason â–ª that one which had no wisedome in his head should yet notwithstanding be called wise either else righteous who hath no inwarde righteousnesse in him selfe Secondarilie it is slaunderous against the holie Ghost who hath testified and witnessed of manie men in the scripture that they were righteous before God so should the holy Ghost be attached for a false witnesse Thirdlie it doeth differ from the doctrine of the Catholike Fathers Consider now here we haue a clere iudgement irreuocable sentence wherevpon it must rest That Paule hath spoken amisse in saying that God doeth ascribe righteousnes to the vngodlie without any works For what is the meaning of this ascâ—ibing our alowing Our sharpwitted Magistri nostri of Louen can not by their naturall reasons nor with al then Syllogismes Quotlibets nor other speculacions conceiue the same no nor will permit that God should impute righteousnes or yet couer sinnes through the merites of Christ to one that were not righteous of him selfe by deeds that had sufficiently satisfied for his sinnes by his deeds so that God is not licenced to name things that are not as though they were as Paule ascribes vnto him or to deck vs with a righteousnes and obedience which we haue not deserued our selues our deare mother the holie Church of Rome doeth esteeme it for a foolishnes vntowardnesse and blasphemie against God that Christ onelie should be our wisedome our righteousnes our holines and our only redemption Shee will haue it that we shall euen of our selues and by our selues haue our owne wisedome righteousnesse holinesse and redemption before God at least if we will be esteemed for righteous She doth esteeme it for a foolish and faithlesse trust that one should trust to the righteousnesse of anie other than him selfe She will haue it that euerie one shall be iustified by his owne righteousnesse and by his owne merites and therewithall satisâ—â—e and pay all the sinnes and offences wherewith hee may bee by anie meanes iustly burthened It is true That originall sinne hath some preeminence and that it may not be tried to the vttermost point For notwithstanding that originall sinne is that which makes vs the children of wrath and brings vs to death yet will our mother the holie Church stay a little and pale in Gods determination and persuade the best betwixt both saying That it doth not well become the righteousnesse of God that he should deale with those which before baptisme haue