Baptisme commonly called Concupiscence was neuer a sinne properly but onely the materiall part of sinne the formall and principall part of it consisting in the depriuation of Originall iustice and a voluntary auersion from the lawe of GOD the which is cured by the Grace of GOD giuen to the baptised and so that which was principall in Originall sinne doth not remayne in the regenerate neither doth that which remayneth make the person to sinne which was the second point vnlesse he willingly consent vnto it as hath beene proued heretofore it allureth intiseth him to sinne but hath not power to constrayne him to it as M. PERKINS also himselfe before confessed Nowe to the third and intangleth him in the punishment of sinne howe doth Originall sinne intangle the regenerate in the punishment of sinne If all the guiltines of it be remoued from his person as you taught before in our Consent Mendacem memorem esse oportet Either confesse that the guilt of Originall sinne is not taken away from the regenerate or else you must vnsay this that it intangleth him in the punishment of sinne nowe to the last clause that the reliques of Originall sinne make a man miserable a man may be called wreatched and miserable in that he is in disgrace with God and so subject to his heauy displeasure and that which maketh him miserable in this sence is sinne but S. Paul taketh not the word so here but for an vnhappy man exposed to the danger of sinne and to all the miseries of this world from which we should haue beene exempted had it not beene for Originall sinne after which sort he vseth the same word 1. Cor. 15. If in this life onely we were hoping in Christ we were more miserable then all men not that the good Christians were farthest out of Gods fauour and more sinnefull then other men but that they had fewest worldly comforts and the greatest crosses and thus much in confutation of that formall argument Now to the second Infantes Baptised die the bodely death before they come to the yeares of discretion but there is not in them anie other cause of death besides Originall sinne for they haue no actuall sinne Rom. 5. Rom. 5. and death is the wages of sinne as the Apostle saith death entred into the world by sinne Answere The cause of the death of such Innocentes is either the distemperature of their bodies or externall violence and God who freely bestowed their liues vpon them may when it pleaseth him as freely take their liues from them especially when he meanes to recompence them with the happy exchaunge of life euerlasting True it is that if our first parentes had not sinned no man should haue died but haue beene both long preserued in Paradise by the fruit of the wood of life and finally translated without death into the Kingdome of heauen and therefore is it said most truely of S. Paul death entred into the world by sinne Rom. 5. But the other place Rom. 6. the wages of sinne is death is fouly abused for the Apostle there by death vnderstandeth eternall damnation as appeareth by the opposition of it to life euerlasting and by sinne there meaneth not Originall but Actuall sinne such as the Romans committed in their infidely the wagis where of if they had not repented them had bin hell fire now to inferre that Innocents are punished with corporall death for Originall sinne remayning in them because that eternall death is the due hire of Actuall sinne is either to shewe great wante of judgement or else very strangelie to preuert the wordes of Holy scripture Let this also not be forgotten that he himselfe acknowledged in our Consent that the punishment of Originall sinne was taken away in Baptisme from the regenerate howe then doth he here say that he doth die the death for it M. PERKINS third reason That which lusteth against the spirite and by lusting tempteth and in tempting intiseth and draweth the hart to sinne is for nature sinne it selfe but concupiscence in the regenerate is such ergo Answere The first proposition is not true for not euery thing that intiseth vs to sinne is sinne or else the Apple that allured Eue to sinne had beene by nature sinne and euery thing in this world one way or an other tempteth vs to sinne according vnto that of S. Iohn All that is in the world 1. Epl. 2. is the Concupiscence of the flesh and the Concupiscence of the eyes and Pride of life So that it is very grosse to say that euery thing which allureth to sinne is sinne it selfe and as wide is it from all morall wisedome to affirme that the first motions of our passions be sins For euen the very heathen Philosophers could distinguish betweene sodaine passions of the minde and vices teaching that passions may be bridled by the vnderstanding and brought by due ordering of them into the ring of reason and so made vertues rather then vices And that same text which M. PERKINS bringeth to perswade these temptations to be sinnes proues the quite contrary God tempteth no man but euerie man is tempted Iacob 1. when he is drawen away by his owne concupiscence and is allured afterward when concupiscence hath conceaued it bringeth forth sinne Marke the wordes well First Concupiscence tempteth and allureth by some euill motion but that is no sinne vntill afterward it doe conceiue that is obtayne some liking of our will in giuing eare to it and not expelling it so speedely as we ought to doe the suggestion of such an enemie the which that most deepe Doctor Saint Augustine sifteth out very profoundly in these wordes Lib. 6. in Iul. cap. 5. When the Apostle Saint Iames saith euery man is tempted being drawne away and allured by his Concupiscence and afterward Concupiscence when it hath conceiued bringeth forth sinne Trulie in these wordes the thing brought forth is distinguished from that which bringeth it forth The damme is concupiscence the fole is sinne But concupiscence doth not bring sinne forth vnlesse it conceiue so then it is not sinne of it selfe and it conceiueth not vnlesse it drawe vs that is vnlesse it obtayne the consent of our will to commit euill The like exposition of the same place and the difference betweene the pleasure tempting that runneth before and the sinne which followeth after Vnlesse we resist manfully may be seene in S. Cirill Lib. 4. in Iohan. ca. â—1 so that by the iudgement of the most learned auncient Fathers that text of S. Iames cited by M. PERKINS to proue concupiscence to be sinne disputeth it very soundly to that reason of his Such as the fruit is such is the Tree I answere that not concupiscence but the will of man is the Tree which bringeth forth either good or badde fruit according vnto the disposition of it concupiscence is onely an intiser vnto badde Lib. 5 con Iulianum cap. 3. But S. Augustine saith That concupiscence
inherent in the soule of Man any such grace of God as doth cleanse it from sinne and make the man just in his sight is with them to raze the foundation of Religion and to make Christ a Pseudochrist wherein I knowe not whether they be more enuious against the good of Man then they are injurious eyther to the inestimable value of Christes bloud as though it coulde not deserue any better estate for his fauourites or vnto the vertue and efficacie of the holy Ghost as not being able by likeliehood to purge mens soules from sinne and endue them with such Heauenlie qualities I omitte the disgrace thereby donne to the Blessed God-head it selfe making the Holie of Holies rather willing to couer and cloake our iniquitie then to cure it And contrarie to his infinite goodnes to loue them whom he seeth defiled with all maner of abhominations Vnto these paradoxes impious against God and slaunderous to Man If it will please your Majestie to adde the prophane carnallity of some other points of the Protestant Doctrine you will doubtles in short time loath it As for example That it is as good godlie by eating to feede the body as to chastize it by fasting That it is as holy to fulfill the fleshly desires of it by Mariage as by Continencie to mortifie them yea that it is flatte against the word of GOD to vowe Virginitie And also contrarie to his blessed will to bestowe our goodes on the poore and to giue our selues wholy to prayer and fasting All which this Aduocate of the English Congregation teacheth expreslie Pag. 132. 162. 166. Is this the purity of the Gospell Or is it not rather the high way to Epicurisme and to all worldly vanity and iniquitie I need not joyne hereunto that they teach it to be impossible to keepe Gods Commaundements and therefore in vaine to goe about it And farther that the best worke of the righteous man is defiled with sinne Wherefore as good for him to leaue all vndone as to doe any Nay if this position of others were true it would followe necessarily that all men were bound vnder payne of damnation neuer to doe any good deede so long as they liue for that their good deede being stayned with sinne cannot but deserue the hyre of sinne which according to the Apostle is Death euerlasting If your Majesties important affaires Rom. 6. would once permitte you to consider maturely of these impieties and many other like absurdities wherewith the Protestant Doctrine is stuffed I dare be bold to say that you would speedely either commaund them to reforme themselues and amend their errors or fairly giue them their Congie I will close vp this my second reason with this Epiphoneme That it is impossible for a Protestant firmely cleauing to the groundes of his owne Religion to hope for anie saluation For they doe and needes must graunt that no man can be saued without a liuely faith and also that a liuely faith cannot be without charity for otherwise it were dead Now then to the purpose No Protestant can haue charity for as witnesseth S. Iohn 1. Epis cap. 5. 3. This is the charitie of God that we keepe his commaundements But it is impossible according to the Protestants to keepe the commaundements therefore also impossible to haue charity Which is the fulnes of the lawe Rom. 13. consequently impossible to haue a liuely faith which cannot be without charity And so finally through want of that liuely feeling faith whereby they should lay hold on Christs righteousnes to hale and apply that vnto themselues they can haue no hope at all of any fauour and grace at Gods handes Without which they must needes assure themselues of eternal damnation in steede of their pretended certayntie of saluation To these two argumēts gathered out of the treatise following I adde a third collected from these your owne memorable wordes related in the aboue named conference viz. Are we nowe come to that passe Pag. 69. that we must appeache Constantine of Poperie and superstition Which argueth that your Majestie judgeth them to haue litle regard of either piety or ciuility that would admit such a thought into their mind as that the first Christian Emperour our most renowmed countriman should be nousled brought vp in superstitiō wherein your Majestie hath great reason for he was most carefully instructed taught the Christian Religion by such holy Confessors whose sincerity in faith had bin tried in the hotte furnace of many strange persecutions And he farther had the good happe to see and heare together in the first generall Councell of Nice many of the holiest and best learned Bishops of Christendome Therefore is it most vnlikely that so Royall a Person deuoted to Religion and hauing so good meanes to attayne to the perfect knowledge thereof as no man could haue better should neuerthelesse in the purest time of it be mis-ledde into errour and superstition If then it may be proued that this most Christian Emperor the glittering ornament of our noble Iland did beleeue such articles of the present Roman Church as the Protestants teach not to be beleeued Will not your Majestie rather joyne in faith with so peerles a Prince who by the consent of all antiquity was for certayne right well enformed then with these whome doubtles most men deeme to be pittifully deceiued Nowe that Constantine was of the same opinion in matter of Religion with the present Church of Rome may euidently be gathered out of this that followeth First he was so affectionate vnto the signe of the Crosse that he would haue it gloriously appeare both abroade in his banners and at home in his Pallace Euseb de vita Constan lib. 3. cap. 2. Lib 2. c. r 4. Lib. 4. c. 26. and in the middest of the Citie of Rome with this Poesie In this signe of saluation I haue deliuered the Cittie With it also he blessed his visage With fasting and other corporall affliction he chastized his body that he might please God He with incredible admiration honoured professed Virgins and made lawes in their fauour Ibidem lib. 3. cap. 47. alibi Chry. hom 66. ad pop Antioch He builded many Churches in honour of the Apostles and Martirs And as S. Chrysostome recordeth He that was reuested in purple went to embrace the Sepulchres of S. Peter and S. Paul and all Princely state laide aside stood humbly praying vnto the Saints that they would be intercessors for him vnto God He farther tooke order for the burying of his owne body in the middest of the Tombes of the twelue Apostles that after his death he might be partaker of the prayers Euseb in vita Const lib. 4. ca. 60. Ibid cap. 71. which should be there offered in the honour of the Apostles Neither was he frustrated of his holy desire for as it followeth in the 71. Chapter of the same booke at his funerals the people joyning with the
Peters faith so much magnified by the auncient Fathers and highlie rewarded by our Sauiour was it any other Then that our Sauiour was Christ Math. 16 the Sonne of the liuing God And briefly let S. Iohn that great secretarie of the Holy Ghost tell vs what faith is the finall end of the whole Gospell Ioh 20. These thinges saith he are written that you may beleeue that IESVS is CHRIST the Sonne of God and that beleeuing you may haue life in his name With the Euangelist the Apostle S. Paul accordeth very well saying Rom. 10. This is the word of faith which we preach for if thou cōfesse with thy mouth our Lord IESVS CHRIST and shalt beleeue in thy hart that God raised him from death thou shalt be saued And in an other place ◠Cor. 15. I make knowne vnto you the Gospell which I haue preached and by which you shall be saued vnlesse perhaps you haue beleeued in vayne What was that Gospell I haue deliuered vnto you that which I haue receiued that Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures was buried and rose againe the third day c. So by the verdite of S. Paul the beleefe of the articles of the creede is that justifying faith by which you must be saued And neither in S. Paul nor any other place of Holy Scriptures is it once taught that a particular faith whereby we applie Christs righteousnes to our selues assure our selues of our saluation is either a justifying or any Christian mans faith but the very naturall act of that ougly Monster presumption Which being layd as the very corner stone of the Protestants irreligion what morall and modest conuersation what humility and deuotion can they build vpon it The second difference in the manner of justification is about the formall act of faith which M. PERKINS handleth as it were by the way cuttedly I will be as shorte as he the matter not being great The Catholikes teach as you haue heard out of the Councell of Trent in the beginning of this question that many actes of faith feare hope and charity doe goe before our justification preparing our soule to receiue into it from God through Christ that great grace M. PERKINS Doctor like resolueth otherwise That faith is an instrument created by God in the hart of man at his conuersion whereby he apprehendeth and receiueth Christs righteousnes for his iustification This joylie description is set downe without any other probation then his owne authority that deliuered it and so let it passe as already sufficiently confuted And if there needed any other disproofe of it I might gather one more out of this owne explication of it where he saith that the couenant of grace is communicated vnto vs by the word of God and by the Sacraments For if faith created in our hartes be the only sufficient supernaturall instrument to apprehend that couenant of grace then there needes no Sacraments for that purpose and consequently I would fayne know by the way how litle infants that can not for want of judgement and discretion haue any such act of faith as to lay hold on Christ his justice are justified Must we without any warrant in Gods word contrary to all experience beleeue that they haue this act of faith before the come to any vnderstanding But to returne vnto the sound doctrine of our Catholike faith M. PER. findes two faults with it one that we teach faith to goe before justification whereas by the word of God saith he at the very instant when any man beleeueth first he is then both justified and sanctified What word of God so teacheth Marry this He that beleeueth eateth and drinketh the body and bloud of Christ and is already passed from death to life Io. 6.54 I answere that our Sauiour in that text speaketh not of beleeuing but of eating his body in the blessed Sacrament which who so receiueth worthely obtayneth thereby life euerlasting as Christ saith expressely in that place And so this proofe is vayne Now will I proue out of the holy Scriptures that faith goeth before justification first by that of S. Paul Whosoeuer calleth on the name of our Lord Rom. 10. shall be saued but how shall they call vpon him in whome they doe not beleeue how shall they beleeue without a preacher c. Where there is this order set downe to arriue vnto justification First to heare the preacher then to beleeue afterwardes to call vpon God for mercy and finally mercy is graunted giuen in justification so that prayer goeth betweene faith and justification This S. Augustine obserued when he said Faith is giuen first De prede◠sanct ca. 7 De spirit lit cap. 30 by which we obteyne the rest And againe By the lawe is knowledge of sinne by faith we obtayne grace and by grace our soule is cured If we list to see the practise of this recorded in holy write read the second of the actes and there you shall finde how that the people hauing heard S. Peters Sermon were stroken to the hartes and beleeued yet were they not straight way justified but asked of the Apostles what they must doe who willed them to doe penance and to be baptized in the name of IESVS in remission of their sinnes then loe they were justified so that penance and baptisme went betweene their faith and their justification In like manner Queene Candaces Eunuch hauing heard S. Philippe announcing vnto him Christ beleeued that IESVS CHRIST was the Sonne of God no talke in those dayes of applying vnto himselfe Christs righteousnes yet was he not justified before descending out of his chariot he was baptized Act. 8. And three dayes passed betweene S. Paules conuersion and his justification as doth euidently appeare by the historie of his conuersion Act. 9. The second fault he findeth with our faith is that we take it to be nothing else but an illumination of the minde stirring vp the will which being so moued and helped by grace causeth in the hart many good spirituall motions But this sayes M. PERKINS is as much to say that dead men only helped can prepare themselues to their resurrection Not so good Sir but that men spiritually dead being quickned by Gods spirit may haue many good motions for as our spirit giueth life vnto our bodies so the spirit of God by his grace animateth and giueth life vnto our soules But of this it hath beene once before spoken at large in the question of free will Pag. 84. THE THIRD DIFFERENCE CONCERNING FAITH IS this The Papists say that man is iustified by faith yet not by faith alone but also by other vertues as the feare of God hope loue c. The reasons which are brought to maintayne their opinion are of no moment well let vs heare some of them that the indifferent Reader may iudge whether they be of any moment or no. M. PERKINS first Reason
had and giue it to the poore and come and follow him and then should haue a treasure in heauen These words are so expresse and euident that there can be but one way to shift from them which M. P. flyeth vnto Pag. 244. to witt that these wordes were onely meant vnto that yong man and not to be applyed vnto any others no more than those wordes to ABRAHAM of sacrificing his sonne ISAAC But this seely shift of our poore Protestants is confuted manifestly in the same chapter of Sainte MATTHEVV where a little after S. PETER sayeth Lord behold we haue left all things and haue followed thee what rewarde shall we therefore haue We haue done as S. HIEROM expoundeth it and the verie sequele of the text doth plainely require that which thou commaundest in the wordes before to that yong man What answere made our Sauiour That his commandement was onely meant vnto that young man and that they had done foolishlie in so doing nothing lesse but promiseth that they shall therefore sit with him in twelue seates iudging the twelue tribes of Israel And that who-so-euer would forsake Father Mother Landes goodes c. for his sake should receiue an hundreth fold and possesse life euerlasting Can any thing be more plaine out of the word of God it selfe than that not this or that man but whosoeuer shall forsake all for Christ doeth verie blessedlie And if neede were I could cite most of the auncient Fathers teaching those wordes of Christ Goe and sell all to be an heauenly counsell giuen generallie vnto all S. ANTONY tooke them spoken to him In vita eius apud Athanas S. AVGVSTINE to him ad Hilarium * Epist 89. to omit latter Religious men I will onely cite S. HIEROM who doeth briefely both declare our Catholike doctrine and shewes also who was the Author of the Protestants opinion * Lib. cont vigilant saying thus To that which thou affirmest that they doe better who vse their goods and do by little and litle distribute to the poore the profites of their possessions then others who selling them giue all at once not I but our Lord shall answere If thou wilt bee perfect goe and sell all thou hast and giue it to the poore CHRIST speaketh to him that will be perfect not to the young man onely who with the Apostles forsooke both father shippe and nettes That which thou VIGILANTIVS commendest obtayneth the second and third degree so that the first which is to sell all at once bee preferred before the seconde and thirde Which is to giue by little and little the fruite of our reuenues to the poore I might confirme this former argument with the example of the foresaide best Christians * Act 4. who hauing possessions and landes solde all and brought the price of them and layde it at the Apostles feete and more yet enforce it by the fact of ANANIAS and SAPHIRA his wife who hauing sold all theirs presented but part of the money vnto the Apostles and reserued the rest vnto them selues Be-like they were of M. P. his minde that it is better to giue then to receiue and therefore kept part to that purpose but they therefore were both punished with present death Which prooueth invincibly both how laudable it is to sell all and howe dangerous to halte in such holy workes But to auoyde prolixitie I doe but poynt at the places And that ANANIAS as the rest had promised this to God which is a Vowe it appeareth in the text where it is saide that hee lyed not vnto men but vnto God in not performing his promise And here we deduce verie cleerelie that such a Vowe is much pleasing vnto God thus That which is commended by our Sauiours owne both example and doctrine and was practized by the Apostles and most holy Christians that may be Vowed very laudablie but to sell all and giue it to the poore is such Nowe one worde of obedience before wee ende this question This Vowe sayeth M. P. is against Christian libertie whereby we haue granted vs a free vse of all things indifferent and therefore to bee bounde to certaine meates and apparrell is intollerable but this reason hath bene reprooued alreadie * Gal. 5.10 he addeth stand fast in the libertie wherein Christ hath made you free Doeth your breath or heart fayle you Sir that you stop thus in the middest of a sentence the rest belike discouereth the fraud of it And wrap not your selues againe in the yoke of bondage to wit bynde not yor selues to the obseruation of MOSES Law as yee shall doe if ye be Circumcised All this is good but doeth it followe hereof that in the Law of grace wee should not obey our superiours nor obserue such good orders as Holie Church hath approoued nothing lesse but happie is that necessitie as S. AVGVSTINE witnesseth which holdeth vs close to those things which be better to doe than to leaue vndone otherwise our weaknesse would quickly shrinke backe And againe if Christs sufferings without his obedience as M. P. himselfe testifyeth Pag. 61. had not bene avayleable for our justifycation No doubt but those workes which are garnished with the vertue of obedience are more acceptable in Gods sight Finally M. P. sayeth that we magnifie these three Vowes of Chastitie pouertie and obedience And good reason haue wee so to do as hath bene shewed but sayeth he for the Vowe of Baptisme we hath made no such account of it as they do which is not so We holde indeed that the couenant which we make in Baptisme is no Vow but a full and assured promise to beleeue in God to renounce the deuill and all his workes and to keepe all Gods commandements which we keepe or do our best indeuour to keepe at least wee teach not as the Protestants doe that they are impossible to be kept for that is enough to discourage any man from endeuouring to keepe them And as touching the Vowe which he saith wee made in our Creation we remember nothing of it nor neuer heard speake of it by any good author not that we make or meane we any Vowes when we receiue the B. Sacrament These be but nouelties of words and the ravening of some decayed wits FIRST OF IMAGES M. PERK pag. 170. OVR CONSENTS WEE Acknowledge the ciuill vse of Images as freelie and truelie as the Church of Rome doeth By ciuill vse I vnderstande that which is made of them in the common societie of men out of the appoynted places of the solemne worshippe of GOD And this to bee lawfull appeareth because the arts of paynting and grauing are the Ordinances of GOD and to be skilfull in them is the gift of GOD as the example of BEZALEEL and AHOLIAB declare * Exod. 35. This vse of Images may be in sundrie things First in adoring and setting forth of buyldings so the Lord commaunded his Temple to bee adorned with Images of Palme-trees and Pomegranates of