his scholler would haue been ashamed to haue taugh it to any Christians CHAP. VI. SAint Paul hauing planted and proued this doctrine of iustification by faith in Christ as he doth in the fourth chapter of this Epistle to the Romans and else where in many places hee then teacheth that in respect of this grace we should be so far from being imboldened to sin that on the contrary we are the more bound therby to holines of life For whosoeuer is dead to sin must not liue to sin But we if we be not baptised into Christ are dead to sin Therfore such as are baptised into Christ may not liue to sin or in sin Yea it is good reason that the seruant obey his Master but we are Gods seruants by promise in baptisme therefore him we must obey then we cannot obey him which God hateth forbiddeth and punisheth but we must serue God our Master in holines and righteousnes And whereas no man euer more plainely taught our frée iustification in Christ without our workes or merites or any inherent righteousnesse euen by the forgiuenes of our sinnes then the Apostle S. Paul both in this epistle and else where yet no man more earnestly and effectually then he exhorteth to holines of life good workes and all Christian duties sinne and security haue not a sharper enemie then he is S. Peter also teacheth vs that Christ his Owne selfe bare our sinnes in his body vpon the tree Whereby he sheweth the satisfaction that he hath made to be the attonement betwéene God and vs and that without vs he hath done it himselfe I say in his owne body hath paid that price and taken away the condemnation due to the sinne that we haue committed Hee hath done it vpon the trée by his death and passion purchasing thereby eternall redemption What can the Apostle say more plainely to teach vs that the satisfaction for al our sinnes is alreadie perfected so in and by Christ that our owne workes can be nothing auayleable to satisfie for them or that there is not to that vse any neede of them What then Séeing he beareth our sinnes shall we lay loade vpon him and by our sinne and vngodly life doe what wee can to make his burthen heauier No no he hath done all this that wee who by this benefite of Christ are dead to sinne should liue to righteousnesse For if GOD bee our God wee must be his people If hee bee our louing Father hee looketh that wee shoulde be his obedient children If he bee our gratious Lorde and Master we must not be vngracious but duetifull seruantes For as God doth couenant with vs to bee our God so do we also by vowe and promise binde our selues vnto him to bée his seruantes And this also doth the Apostle Saint Peter teache vs who in the first Chapter hath plentifully set forth Gods greate merrie towardes vs euen in this question of our free iustification as also in this place he hath done and yet wil not in any wise that any Christian duties should of vs be vnperformed but exhorteth vs to bee occupied in them as we may see Chap. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. and to accompt them as a debt that we owe vnto God and must pay him For we are Gods workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them Saint Marke reporteth vnto vs that our Sauiour Christ preachd often forgiuenes of sinnes as in his third and fourth Chapters it may appeare which forgiuenes of sin doth quite ouerthrow that inherent righteousnes and iustification by worke that the papistes striue to establish And yet the same S. Marke doth register and record among many other godly exhortations that our Sauiour Christ made to his disciples this necessary caueat Take heed watch and pray for you know not when the time is By all which this doth appeare that sanctification and holines must followe iustification and forgiuenes of sinne for we are washed that we should not againe defile our selues with the filth of sin and that Gods loue doth more effectually tie vs to obey him and to indeuour our selues to doe his will And looke howe much the more we are instructed and assuredly perswaded of the free loue of God so much the more will our inner man be inflamed with loue to him againe I say euen with such loue as will thrust vs forwardes to walke in good workes And this is notably proued by our Sauiour Christ who gathereth that the sinfull woman in S. Luke felt That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued so much And thus we sée that the auncient Roman faith was this that such as haue receiued and felt Gods free grace in forgiuing their iniquities as in trueth they are so in duety they must be alwaies ready to serue him So that I may boldly say with S. August It can hardly bée that he that beléeueth well should liue euil But our popish spiders out of this sweete flower doe gather their poyson They burtheÌ„ this doctrine which in expresse words is taught by S. Paul and the effects of it by S. Peter also that we are iustified by faith without the workes of the Law with this slaunder that it is a doctrine of liberty and occasion of licentious life a hinderance to good workes And thus this doctrine which they cannot confute with reason they couer with shame and reproches And that which they cannot with all their learning proue false by this shameles shift they seeke to make odious Far otherwise did the ancient fathers both speak write Iustinus Martyr lerned of the Apostle S. Peter to say that faith profiâ—eth our hearts Ciprian saith to cease from sin that beginneth of faith Tertulian affirmeth that faith sheweth vs the way whither to licentious life No but by which we must come to God Basil ascribeth vnto it great force to allure draw and perswade the mind because as in another place he telleth vs it strengheneth the powers of the same it obtayneth getteth indeuour in vs and Gods helpe which both are necessary in al our works Epiphanius writeth that it preserueth euery faithful man he meaneth from euil no doubt And Theophilact telleth vs that faith in Christ is truely a holy and perfect worke and doth sanctifie or make holy him that hath it And on the other side that such as lead an vncleane life are not truely faithfull who professe that they know God but in workes they deny him By all which it is plaine to see that these holy fathers did thinke that faith doth both quench all the firie dartes of the wicked and nourish or maintaine within vs the good motions of the spirit and so is as it were the fountaine from whence doth spring whatsoeuer good work we can performe But the papistes would beare the worde in hande that the more
shoulde doe and the will hath no greate liking of that which it knoweth the coruptible bodie also is a burthen to the soule so that we cannot doe what we woulde Which true testimonie of S. Bernard doth sufficiently proue that in our works there cannot be perfection And S. Augustine as else where so in his booke intituled De perfectione iustitiae doth plainely proue that no man heere can be perfect So that we must be glad that the Lorde when he vieweth our workes accompteth that as done which if it be not done he pardoneth as S. Augustine writeth else where Who also teacheth vs that our perfection consisteth in knowing that héere we cannot be perfect why should we then dreame of that to be héere in vs which we cannot possibly attaine vnto or what meane we to say that is straight that agréeth not with the rule or that is perfect that néedeth mending But the new relligion of the Romish Church is that the works of the regenerate may be so perfect and holy as that they may be voyd of sinne and nothing in them to be reproued Yea and not that onely but also that by them they may iustify themselues merit or deserue eternal life because they can perfectly keepe the Law This is the doctrine which with common consent they teach And yet thēselues confesse that the loue of God cannot be perfect in vs neither so great as it ought to be But howe that agreeth with that which they also affirme that any man I suppose they vnderstand it but of the regenerate may fully and perfectly keepe the Lawe let the reader iudge To salue this sore Andradius Payuas taketh great paines in the place before alledged But I cannot but maruell that the strength of the trueth did not inforce him to giue glory vnto God and to be ashamed of that silly shift which he and before him the Iesuites of Colen are forced to vse in their censure For when they see that God requireth that we should loue the Lord our God with all our heart with all our soule with all our might and they confesse that to this loue of God or the keeping of this commaundement we cannot attaine they tell vs that God neuer would deale so hardly with vs as to require that of vs that we cannot doe and therefore that this commaundement doth but shew what we ought to wish striue for but that God meaneth not to tie vs to obey it in this life as for the fulfilling of it it shall bee after this life Woulde a man thinke that these men who brag so much of the fulfilling of the Law would now in good earnest confesse that God would haue them keep no more of the Law then they can God in like manner deliuered both the Tables of the commaundements with as great charge to keep the first as the second And in the first is all that comprehended euen that earnest loue that in these words is commaunded Therfore if we be tyed vnto the performance of loue towards men how can we be free to leaue or to doe our dutie toward God Yea Moses telleth the Israelites a litle before as it were by way of preface That these are the commaundements ordinances and Lawes which the Lord God commaunded him to teach them that they might doe them in the land whither they go to possesse it Among which this is one and the greatest as Christ himselfe witnesseth And shall we then trust them that tell vs that God gaue vs not that commaundement to require of vs the keeping of the same No rather let vs beleeue as the truth is that God who gaue vs this commaundement shall also and iustly may without note of crueltie require at our hands the performance of the same But when we see that it passeth our power to keepe it as our aduersaries truely confesse then must we learne to seek for our perfect obedience to him onely that did and could onely performe the whole Law And that is the lesson that Saint Paul teacheth vs when he saith The Law is a schoolmaster vnto Christ that we may be iustified by faith Agreeable vnto that also that the same Apostle taught the Romans That Christ is the end of the Law to righteousnesse to all that beleeue Now how litle this bastard brood that now is resembleth those auncient commended Romans let the Reader iudge CHAP. X. NOw as concerning the powers of our nature we humbly acknowledge that by our hereditarie corruption they are so stayned and polluted that nothing but sinne nothing but euill can come from vs or be in vs vntill God by his spirit of regeneration hath made vs new men for we cannot raise our selues from the death of sinne as Saint Austen teacheth And being regenerate yet there are in vs two men The new man weak and féeble better in truth in hart and courage then in hand or power called a new man when it is compared with the old man But when Gods spirit will in déed set forth how litle our strength is to stand against our spirituall enemies in this our spirituall battell then we are called children in respect of our weaknes Then also there is in vs the old man lusty and strong come to his full groweth Betwéene these two in the godly there is a continual strife As for the vngodly they are altogether old there is in them nothing new no new hart or affections no new mind or vnderstanding no good desires no godly motions Now this old man although in the regenerat he be but faint harted yet hath he so many helpes and so many oportunities and occasions to do euill and to annoy the new man that he is ouer doing neuer quiet alwaies striuing against the spirit Insomuch as he neuer séeth the new man the spirituall man the man that yeldeth it selfe to the spirit of God to be led therby indeuouring or attempting any good thing but straight way this old man opposeth himselfe with might and main so that he will neuer suffer the new man quietly or fréely to do any good But be the spirit neuer so willing yet will the flesh alwaies be found not only weak but also rebellious By this meanes it commeth to passe that although God of his great mercie by his good spirit haue wrought in his new borne babes a will readie to serue him and a desire or readynes to obey him yet is not this will of ours at any time frée or at libertie to performe the same either as we should or as we would For as Gods children are by the godly motions of the spirit stirred vp to do his will euen then presently doe the lust◠of the flesh which fight against the soule make a mutinie or commotion prouoking the members thereof to wrestle and striue against such holie cogitations So that it commeth many times to passe as it was in the
priest that we must in al thinges apply our selues in holines to serue God For that which is offered to GOD must haue no blemish and the priestes were consecrated to Gods seruice euen so must we striue to be faultlesse and alwaies indeuour to be occupied in good workes and in so doing we shall in deede as holy priestes offer vnto God most acceptable sacrifices As concerning sacrifices for sinne we knowe none but Christ we seeke none but him because wee neede none beside him If God haue saith Chrisostome by one sacrifice taken away sinne wée neede not another And againe there is no other sacrifice one hath cleansed vs after which followeth fyre and hell And Theophilact writeth that the sacrifice of Christes body once offered shall alwaies be auailable for our saluation so that we shall not stand in neede of a second With this one therefore wee may well content our selues and comfort our consciences with the sufficiencie thereof saying with sweete S. Bernard Thy passion O Lord is the last refuge the onely remedy When wisedome fayleth when my righteousnes cannot helpe and the merits of holines cannot serue the turne then doth it stand me in steed But in the Church of Rome which now is there is no mention of priests but onely of those shorne and smeered sacrificeâ—â— And if you desire to knowe howe and when their priesthoode was instituted they wil tell you Christ did institute their order when hee saide at his last supper doe ye this For that which Christ referreth to the whol action of his last supper which then he instituted they wil haue it meant of his sacrifice as if hee had saide sacrifice as I doe And as they haue in trueth no colour of trueth to wring out of those wordes their sacrifysing priesthood so in such sort to wrest these wordes could not make for them For if they say doe this that is sacrifice as I doe they are farre from sacrifysing as Christ did For hee did sacrifice him selfe in his death vpon the tree But our Romish priests will rather leaue their priesthoode then offer such sacrifices Well it doth not appeare in the writinges of these two Apostles that euer they dreamed of such a priesthood but onely of that whereof by Christ we are all partakers euen all that offer vp these spirituall sacrifices men women children of all ages sortes and sexes So that these sacrificers are a new order whether they be regular or irregular it maketh no great matter For they were not so much as thought vpon in the Apostles times And for the sacrifices whereunto S. Paule moueth vs they tell vs much of the sacrifice of the Masse an Idoll of their own making set vp to deface and disgrace the vertue and efficacie of Christ his death and passion For when blasphemously they terme it a sacrifice propitiatory for the quick and the dead is not that directly contrary to that free iustification by grace by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus which is eternally obtayned by his owne sacrifice of himselfe once offered euen to that propitiation which God hath set forth to vs in his bloude Which doctrine the Apostles teach vs euery where and namelie S. Paule most plentifully before hath instructed the Romans therein Other offerings also they put vs in minde of namely to offer to stockes and stones which they call saintes fat offerings with full hands that the greater share may come to the priestes Yea they will also make men beleeue that it is no meane sacrifice to God if you be good and bountifull to them but that it smelleth full sweetely and is highly accepted of him And thus whereas S. Paule teacheth vs to sacrifice our selues to God they tell vs that eyther we must sacrifice our landes goods and possessions to them or their benefite or else they must sacrifice for vs in the Masse and not we for our selues And these are the sacrifices and offerings that they speake of how neere of kinne to those that the Apostles speake of let the reader iudge CHAP. XIIII NOw the Apostle S. Paule although he speaketh not of a peculiar kind of priestes ye doth he not omit the ecclesiasticall function or ministery in the Church For hauing exhorted vs by mortifying of our affections to consecrate our selues vnto God that we the more throughly may submit our wilâ— to Gods wil he perswadeth vs not to busy our selues about that which belongeth to another mans duety but that euery one of vs should haue a great regard to doe our owne And then beginning with ecclesiastical offices he saith Whether we haue prophesie let vs prophesie according to the measure of faith Or an office let vs wait on the office Or he that teacheth in teaching Or he that exhorteth on exhortation or he that distributeth let him do it with simplicitie He that ruleth with diligence he that sheweth mercie with cheerfulnesse I mean not héer to make my selfe a partie in that bitter contention which miserably hath afflicted this Church of England which I would to God either it neuer had bin begun or had bin followed with more moderation I purpose not curiously to examine what is ment by these particular words of prophesying office teaching exhorting distributing ruling shewing mercie In which many bestow too much labour more then in the defence of the truth against the sworne enemyes to our profession We haue the Papists our professed aduersaries who think their quietnes consisteth in our variance and wish our falling out as did the Cananits the falling out of Abraham and Lot Let vs therefore yet at the length follow Abrahams godly aduise Let there be no strife betweene thee and mee nor betweene thy heardmen and mine for we are brethren But to come to that which especially I note in these words we sée that if all these duties before mencioned did belong to the Ecclesiasticall function yet can we not find out the offices that the Church of Rome that now is will haue to bee in their Church We find there prophets or teachers likewise such as exhort Admit also that we find the Deacons there to distribute By rulers some vnderstand not onely Ecclesiasticall Rulers but other Magistrates also As that lykewise of shewing mercie may well signifie any that by office in the common wealth or Church or béeing moued by their owne priuate affection do shew mercy It is not vnlikely but that if there had bin at that time any other offices in the Church the Apostle would haue spoken of them And to be short the offices that the Apostle mentioneth either belong to the ministerie of the word as prophecying teaching exhorting Or to the care of the poore as Deacons that distribute and they that shew mercy or to gouernment and bearing rule if in that thapostle speaketh of Church offices A second thing that must héere be considered of and that which is in déed the
that are forgiuen after this life which must needs be in purgatory Saint Marke who commeth after saint Matthew and hearde belike his Maister saint Peter expound Christs meaning concerning that manner of speech for out of S. Hierom and Clemens of Alexandria the Rhemistes themselues confesse that S. Marke was Peters interpretor and according to that hee had heard of the mouth of S. Peter wrote at Rome a briefe Gospell at the request of the brethren which Peter also approoued and allowed of S. Mark I say who had such a teacher doth thus teach vs to expound or vnderstand those words of S. Matthew that hee that sinneth against the holy Ghost Hath not forgiuenes for euer but shalbe guiltie of eternall death So that if S. Peter him selfe be of that minde that S. Marke his disciple was we sée hee did not once dreame of any remission of sinne in another world by these words of our Sauiour Christ but expoundeth S. Matthew his sence to be for the latter must expounde the former when M. Bellarmine hath doone what he can to the contrarie that such sinne shal neuer be forgiuen And then I trust our aduersaries will not thus reason The sin against the holy ghost shall neuer be forgiuen therefore some sinnes shall after this life or in an other worlde bee forgiuen for then the children would spit and laugh at their folly And yet out of these words thus by S. Marke expounded all the Priestes at Rome and Rhemes cannot otherwise prooue this their conclusion Neere a kinne to this purgatory is their Limbus puerorum where they place children not baptised but let them shewe what warrant they haue for the same what proofe that it was then beléeued when the Faith of the Romans was commended Their Pilgrimages pardons and indulgences are very holy things if we will beléeue the Popish Church that now is called the Catholike Church of Rome But where doth Saint Paule commend them to the Romans Where doth S. Peter that had as good power to giue pardons as any Pope could haue either practise it or where doth he or his disciple commaund such things And besides such pedlary ware Agnus dei blessed graines and such paltry stuffe sent abroad in great packs into all places to abuse the world are thought to haue many vertues and to be of great efficacie for many good purposes But I pray you my Masters of Rome when did S. Peter bestow his time in making such trifles or in packing vp such wares to sell vnto Christians all Christendome ouer as it were in pedlers packs And how necessarie they will accompt the crosse to be in all their ceremonies and seruices he that readeth their books cannot but sée And whatsoeuer antiquitie they wil pretend for the same yet they cannot teach that S. Paule and S. Peter either taught the Romans to vse it or themselues made any either vpon themselues or other Reliques they loue so well that if they cannot get the boans or reliques of good men and women yet any other such like be they of men or wemen neuer so bad will serue their turne so that they be said to be the Reliques of such a Saint Wherby it commeth to passe that some men and wemen who while they liued were like others hauing no superslous lymmes of their bodie now when they are dead are by these Romish charmers turned into such monsters as that they haue some many heads others many legges others great numbers of armes and so the parts of their bodies are multiplied excedingly belike they were buried in a fruitfull soyle and yet euery Priest that sheweth these reliques commend that they haue to be the true relique some miracle or vision euery one of them also would commonly faine to proue that which they said of their relique to be true And yet many of them must néedes be false For one man or woman had but one head two armes and so of the rest accordingly And therfore all besides that one head or those other true parts of the bodie must needes be false It is written that one of our Kings of England named Edward was euill troubled with the toothache And who knoweth not that Saint Apolines teeth are a préesent remedie for the same disease yf their lyes may goe for true reportes King Edward therefore belike being desirous to haue the true teeth of S. Apoline to aply to his teeth commaunded that the teeth of S. Apoline that were in all the Churches through the Realme kept for reliques should be sent to him which being brought were sound mo then would goe into some greate Hogsheades or vessels And yet I warrant you y t in euery Church they were perswaded that they had in deed S. Apolines teeth But in the auncient faith of the Romans what mention is made or what example is found of any such reliques To these may be added their shrift and Satisfactions very iniurious to Christ his death and that satisfaction which he in his body hath made for vs by that one onely sacrifice which vpon the altar of the crosse he offered to his father Their number of seven Sacraments hath no warrant out of any of these writings And to be short their prayer in an vnknowen tongue and strange language not vnderstoode of them selues that do pray I would haue them to shew how this together with their halfing of the 〈◊〉 of Christs bodie and bloude and many such like things can be proued to be taught by word or deede vnto that primitiue Church of Rome by S. Paule S. Peter or S. Marke which thing they can neuer doe If then in all such poynts as are in controuersie among vs wherof we find anie thing deliuered to vs by these holy men messengers of God the Church of Rome if shee teach not cleane contrarie wandreth verie much from that auncient Romane faith as in the 19. first chapters of this treatise it doth I trust appeare And if in these latter points of religion mentioned in this last chap. which they also make gret accompt of they haue neither word nor example of these Apostles or S. Marke to commende vnto the world such doctrines deuises what cause is there I pray you why that apostolicall Church of Rome that hath so manyfestly reiected that old faith and so wholy corrupted the auncent religion that ther was taught should so confidently term her selfe the Apostolicke and Catholicke Church of Christ With what face dare they tel vs that the faith of Rome is commended when as nothing doth more conuince them of Apostacy then to try the leaden religion that now is there taught by the touchstone of that faith that then was there preached And with shame enough may they tell vs that that faith of the auncient Romans is commended which most cruelly and stubbornly condemne the same persecute it most bloodily in Christ his members as