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A20474
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A probleme propounded by Francis Dillingham, in which is plainely shewed, that the holy scriptures haue met with popish arguments and opinions.
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Dillingham, Francis, d. 1625.
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1616
(1616)
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STC 6887; ESTC S117462
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12,729
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50
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Image of God to remember him this cavill is cut off in the next wordes And lest you make you any graven Image or likenes of any thing as the Lord thy God hath charged thee and in the 15. verse Take heed to your selues for yee saw no Image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire Now where as God saith Bellarmin may be painted imperfectly I would faine knowe how God can be so painted seeing he hath reuealed himselfe in the blessed Trinity Thus writeth Bellarmine vbi tamen notandum etc. Where notwithstanding it is to be noted that such Images are not to be multiplyed neither is it to be suffered that Paynters dare of their owne heads faine Images of the Trinitie as when they paynt one man with three faces or one man with two heads and in the midest of them a Doue These are monsters and doe rather offend by their deformitie then helpe by their similitude Thus farre Bellarmine and truly by the same proportion so are all other Images of God wherefore I say with Durand lib 3. distinct 9 quaest 2. It is impietie to Paynt that which is Divine and if any man say that the holy Ghost did appeare in the forme of a Doue we must say that those formes were not taken into unitie of person wherefore no reuerence is due to them This hath Durand written with many more words which I haue omitted for brevitie sake God teach vs to remember him aright to detest our owne inuentions I deale onely with the scriptures and therfore I medle little with humane testimonyes Of persevering in grace whether faith and righteousnes be proper to the elect and whether saving faith being once had may be wholly and finally lost The papists hold that it may be lost Bellar. lib. 3. de iustif ca. 14. SAint Peter in his first Epistle cap 1. v. 3. Thus writeth Blessed be God even the father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten vs againe vnto a liuely hope by the resurection of Iesus Christ from the dead unto an inheritance immortall undefiled and that fadeth not away reserued in heauen for you Thus farr S. Peter Now some might obiect and say as the papists doe we may leese this hope inheritance Nay saith S. Peter in the next wordes verse it is not so we are kept by the power of God thorough faith unto saluation which is prepared to be shewed in the last time So then the power of God preserveth vs thorough faith if our Saluation were suspended vpon our owne selues then no doubt we might leese the same The same S. Peter in his 2 epistle 1 chap. 10 verse exhorteth the dispersed Iewes to make their calling and election sure Some might say and cavill it cannot be so for we may wholly and finally fall nay saith S. Peter that cannot be For if you doe these things ye shall never fall He doth not meane they shal not sinne but they shall not wholly or finally fall from grace all the Saints sinne yet a true Saint cannot totally for ever fall from grace And as S. Peter hath met with these cavills so likewise hath S. Iohn 1 epist chap. 2. v. 19. They went out from us but they were not of us some might say that it is not so for they might be both nay saith S. Iohn that is not so For if they had ben of us they had remayned with us but this commeth to passe that it might appeare they were not of us In the same Epist cap. 3. v. 9. it is thus written Whosoever is borne of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him I but saith the papist it is true so long as charity is in him but he may lose it nay saith S. Iohn Neither can he sinne because he is borne of God And whereas they say faith is not peculiar to the elect I marvell that they will not see these plaine scriptures Titus 1. v. 1. Paul a servant of God an Apostle of Iesus Christ according to the faith of Gods elect And Act. 13. v. 48. As many as were ordayned to eternall life beleeved Of Purgatory THe papistes teach Purgatory a place after death in which the godly must be purged from their sinnes having not perfectly satisfied in this life Now let vs see how the Scripture meets with this conceite In the 7. chap of the Romans Paul cryeth out after this manner O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Some might say Paul if thou beest so miserable then thou art in the state of damnation marke how the Apostle answereth this doubt Now then there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the fleesh but after the spirit Nay saith the Apostle though I am miserable in my selfe yet am I happy in Christ Iesus and not only I but all that are godly And heere by the way let vs obserue a poynt in Divinity we teach that sinne is euery breach of Gods law deseruing the curse This must be vnderstood with this exception except a man be in Christ Iesus sinne of it self deserueth the curse but in Christ it is taken away To proceed as this place preuenteth purgatory so doth another place also in the 2. of the Cor. 5. Chap. 1. vers For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolued we haue a building giuen of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens In the 17. v. of the former chapt these are S. Paul his words For our light affliction which is but for a moment causeth unto us a farre more excellent and eternall weight of glory Some man might demand when shall we haue this glory the Apostle answereth when our earthly tabernacle is dissolued But heere some will say why did the Fathers pray for the dead although I haue answered this obiection in another treatise yet here I will speake somewhat of it Hildebert in his 4 epistle being exhorted by his friend to pray for a Queene saith that he did preuent his exhortation Oratis saith he quidem orari pro ea sed credimus eam plus posse suis adiuuare quà m agere nostris precibus adiuuari We beleeue that she rather helpeth vs by her prayers then that she neede be helped by our prayers Yet saith he Vestram tamen praecessimus exhortationem We preuented your exhortation ergo they prayed for those that were in heaven Alcuinus in his booke De diuints officiis cap. 43. hath these words Aliquibus in locis generaliter pro omnibus defuncttis omni tempore exceptis Penticostes et festis diebus oratur in officio vespertinali At evēing prayer in some places they pray generally for all the dead at all times except the dayes of Pentecost festivall dayes Ergo
not to be fathers and shepheards to their subiects The speech of Cyrus in Xenophon in his eighth booke is excellent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the workes of a good shepheard and good King are very like And I am sure a King in Homer is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the shepheard of the people Let vs heare Langius a Papist concerning the Popes temporall dominion Eodem anno saith he The same yeare namely 1407. the Romanes offered to Innocentius the Pope the keyes of the Citie with branches of Palmes and granted him all the temporall dominion of the citie of Rome but vniustly and vncommendably for the store of temporall things doe no little hurt to spirituall With many moe words to the same purpose Secondly saith Bellarmine Christ forbiddeth tyrannie for the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I answer S. Luke hath met with this cauill for he vseth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without any composition yea the compound is with force and power to rule men whether they will or no not with wrong and iniurie to oppresse them But let vs heare Bernard lib. 2. de consid ad Eugen. Planum est Apostolis interdicitur dominatus i ergo tu tibi vsurpare aude aut dominans apostolatum aut apostolicus dominatum plane ab alterutro prohiberis It is euident that rule is prohibited the Apostles go thou therfore and vsurpe if thou darest being a ruler the Apostleship or being an Apostle rule thou art plainly forbidden one of them Againe in his first booke he hath these words In criminibus non in possessionibns potestas vesâ—ra Your power is in crimes not in possessions for them and not for these you haue receiued the keyes of the kingdome of heauen excluding sinners not possessors of lands In his third book thus boldly speaketh he Pro libitu agere quid tam bestiale To do all things after his owne pleasure what is so beastly as this To conclude in his fourth booke saith he In his successisti non Petro sed Constantino In these things thou hast not succeeded Peter but Constantine But it may be the Popes authoritie will preuaile let Gelasius therfore speake tom 2. Concil pag. 442. Some were before the coming of Christ Kings and Priests typically but when the true King and high Priest came then neither doth the Emperour take to himself the name of an high Priest neither doth the high Priest challenge royall authoritie Many mo words he hath to the same purpose The same thing in effect hath Pope Nicolas the first in his Epistle to Michael the Emperor Cassiodore vpon the fiftieth Psalme thus writeth Si quis de populo errauerit Deo peccat Regi nam quando Rex delinquit soli Deo reus est quia hominem non habet qui eius facta diiudicatâ— merito ergo Rex Deo tantum se dicit peccasse qui solus erat qui eius potuisset admissa discutere If any of the people erre he sinneth against God and the King when the King sinneth he is guiltie onely to God for he hath no man that may iudge his deeds worthily therefore doth the King say that he sinned onely against God because he alone could discusse his offences To conclude That which the Apostles requested is forbidden them But they requested teÌ„poral dominion Ergo it was forbidden them I do not denie but they were somewhat ambitious in asking temporall dominion but meere ambition was not forbidden them but temporall rule as I haue made manifest and plaine Of sinning necessarily THus do the Papists dispute touching sinne Aut peccatum est necessarium aut voluntarium sinne is either necessarie or voluntarie if it be necessarie then it is no sinne The Apostle Paul Rom. 9.19 hath cut the sinewes of this argument Thou wilt say then Why doth he yet complain for who hath resisted his will The Apostle answereth But O man who art thou that pleadest against God To lay open the obiection thus it standeth He that cannot resist the will of God is not to be blamed But a hardened heart cannot resist the will of God Ergo a hardened heart cannot be blamed The Apostle denieth the propositioÌ„ by a reprehension O man who art thou that pleadest against God And here by the way Christian Reader iudge of their argument who thus dispute touching Adams fall If God decreed Adams fall then he fell necessarily and so God was the cause thereof O man what art thou that disputest with God I beseech thee Christian Reader adore the mysteries of election and reprobation search them not curiously but lay thy hand vpon thy mouth and be silent be not a querist but let God be righteous and let the whole world perish wonder that God should chuse any one to saluation wonder not if thousands be damned better farre is faithfull ignorance then rash knowledge Paul calleth them vnsearchable wayes of God and wilt thou search them Whosoeuer is not satisfied with this answer let him seek for one better learned then I am but let him take need that he finde not a more presumer Thus much may suffice for this argument of sinning necessarily Here I might enter into the question of Freewill but I say with Augustine concerning this point Ser. 2. de verbis Apostoli Worke your saluation saith the Apostle Now lest they should attribute any thing to themselues it followeth It is God which worketh in you both the will and the deed of his good pleasure Of Iustification THus doth the Apostle reasoÌ„ touching Iustification If Abraham were iustified by works he hath therein to reioyce but not with God The Papists answer that S. Paul speaketh of the first iustification This answer the Apostle taketh away in the next words Abraham beleeued in God and it was imputed or counted to him for righteousnesse This testimonie is alledged out of the fifteenth chapter of Genesis And if there were any second iustification it must needs be vnderstood of the same for Abraham was iustified before In the 12 13 and 14 chapters the notable works of Abraham are recorded as that he obeyed God in going out of his countrey that he built an altar that he talked familiarly with God besides Heb. 11. the Apostle putteth this amongst the praises of Abraham that by faith he went into a place which he knew not And if S. Iames speake of a second iustification then doth S. Paul likewise for S. Iames alledgeth the same text chap. 2. ver 23. But this vaine distinction is also preuented by S. Iames who alledgeth the example of Rachab vers 25. Likewise was not Rachab the harlot iustified through workes when she receiued the messengers and sent them out another way It is certaine that Rachab was an infidell vntill that time that she receiued the spies wherefore by her example it is euident that S. Iames nor S. Paul knew any second iustification I conclude with Bellarmine his speech lib. 2. de iustif cap. 7. Si solum vellent nobis imputari Christi merita quia nobis donata sunt et possumus ea Deo Patri offerre pro peccatis nostris quoniam Christus suscepit super se onus satisfaciendi pro nobis nosque Deo Patri reconciliandi recta esset corum sententia If they meant onely this that Christ his merits were imputed to vs because they were giuen vs and because we may offer them to God the Father for our sins seeing Christ tooke vpon him the burden to satisfie for vs and to reconcile vs to God the Father their opinion was right Thus farre Bellarmine Now let vs marke how the Apostle reasoneth Rom. 5. v. 10. For if when we were enemyes we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saved by his life Excellently writeth Bernard Fateor non suum dignus nec propriis possum meritis regnum obtinere caelorum ceterum Dominus meus duplici iure illud possidens haereditate patris et merito passionis altero ipse contentus alterum mihi donat I confesse and acknowledge that I am not worthy neither can I obteyne by my merits the kingdome of heaven but my Lord possessing it by a double right by his Fathers inheritaÌ„ce by the merit of his passion being content with the one himselfe giveth me the other Thus Christian reader I haue shewed thee how the holy scriptures meet with popish cavills in the weightiest controuersies betwixt them and vs. God almighty open mens hearts to see the cleere truth which in great brevitie simplicity I haue heere propounded I doubt not but other learned men may add much vnto this small Treatise which I haue written to excite men to studie the Scriptures and eschue popery And as I haue written it with this minde so I doubt not but that God will giue a blessing to it Amen Lord Iesus FINIS