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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15859	Speculum Christianum or, A Christian suruey for the conscience Containing, three tractates of that eminent, graue, and learned diuine, maister Hierome Zanchius. 1. Of the end of the world. 2. Of the perseuerance of the saints. 3. A summarie abridgement of his protections. Englished for the good of Gods church, and for a warning to wicked and impenitent men. By H.N.; Speculum Christianum. English	Zanchi, Girolamo, 1516-1590.; Nelson, Henry, fl. 1614.	1614 (1614)	STC 26121A.7; ESTC S111786	125,039	404

side saith Onely the Elect doe truly beleeue in Christ the reprobate beleeue but it is for a time and therefore not truely and their faith because it is temporarie neither to be true faith nor to iustifie or make the sonnes of God Idem in Iohn 2. sect 3 vpon these words but Iesus did not commit him-selfe vnto them first teacheth that those who in that place are said to haue beleeued in Christ were temporizers then of temporizers Those saith he were such which beleeue in the name of Christ yet he did not commit himselfe vnto them for he knew what was in man for hee knew them to haue nothing lesse then a true and sound faith in it felfe Thus he Therfore temporary faith is not true and soundfaith Idem in lib dereconcilia Eccles incontrouers de iustif in the significatitions of this word credere to beleeue first hee concludeth that it is wrought in vs by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that wee doe beleeue Then that this inspiration doth happen diuerse waies first sometime in such manner as that wee beleeue some part of the word of God but not all againe sometime such as that wee doe beleeue all but not alwaies but for a certaine time And hee teacheth neither of these to be the inspiration of a true faith fol. 138 128. 139. But the other inspirations of true faith which he there reciteth and explaineth hee conioyneth them all with perpetuitie and therefore teacheth That it is no true faith vnlesse it bee perpetuall And fol. 139. expressely hee saith That Faith not true which the Lord calleth temporary is called by Paul ●aigned and by Iames dead faith and that this is not of the same ranke with a liuely and true faith which doth in veritie apprehend the life of GOD in Christ By which words Bucer teacheth that faith which is temporarie to bee hypocriticall and dead that is neither liuing nor true faith Therefore true Faith must bee perpetuall Idem in Eph. c. 1. vpon these words yee are sealed by the holy Spirit of promise he calleth temporarie faith a picture of faith againe dissembled credulitie and saith it is called of Iames dead faith and therefore not to bee true faith As likewise a dead man is not a true man for that by this addition scili●●● of dead it destroyeth the nature of faith as also when wee say a dead man by this addition of dead is extinct the nature of man But saith hee Paul speaketh not of the image of faith but of true faith when he speaketh of a sauing faith and which proceedeth from the Holy Spirit For although that image of faith doth sometime strongly grow on so that it doth pa● forth fruit yet the Sun arising at last those fruits are extinguished as doth appeare in them who seeke carnall libertie by the Gospell and doe neuer make consideration of the Crosse which is there taught this faith is hypocriticall credulitie Iames calleth it dead faith which condition being added destroyeth the nature of faith as when wee say a dead man by that addition the nature of man is done away These things Bucer Therefore if faith be not perpetuall it cannot be true and liuing faith Idem in ep ad Eph. ● 4. Tract d● Eccles in the entrance fol. 111. ●ee putteth downe a three-fold faith first iustifying and therefore true and perpetuall faith then faith vtterly dead thirdly the meane betweene both this temporary faith And hee doth demonstrate these two last not to be a true saith neither men thereby to be iustified Although saith hee there be some to be found who place a certain 〈◊〉 faith between that which iustifieth which worketh by Loue and is expressely called a liuing faith and that which is vtterly dead that is not working any good And indeed there is a certaine temporarie faith noted by Christ which although it doth not endure and profit so farre to fructifie yet it putteth forth into bud This faith is an assent vnto the Gospell which i● therefore inspired euen into reprobate men that they in some sort should glorifie God in their words and deedes and should commend him to the prayers of the Saints and withall be stripped naked of all excuse of ignorance Such was the faith of Cain for hee also offered sacrifice of Saul A●hab Iudas the T●aitor and of all others who are so far illuminated of God that in some sort and for some time they embrace and tast of the sacred word of God with ioy and are made partakers of the heauenly gifts and the holy Spirit and yet by relapse they fall into impietie and therein perish in obstinacie Notwithstanding whatsoeuer life or worke is seene in their faith yet these men remaine endued with a temporarie gift and a lame faith so long as they want a iustifying faith without Christ therefore are they in death and vnder Gods wrath and al those motions of faith in them of what qualitie soeuer and benefits in apparance are indeed the good works of the good God as whereby also hee is beneficiall vnto mankinde by euill men to the amplifying of 〈◊〉 glorie in his infinite bountifulnesse● but to those men they are euil works and sinnes who doe them yet of an impious minde because they proceede wickedly reiecting the blood of Iesus Christ and iustification by him offered Yet hence is the difference betweene them who through this faith though but vanishing and not regenerating doe confesse the Lord Christ in word and doe not apparantly deny him in deede and them who howsoeuer they say that they beleeue in word yet in deede doe trample vnder foote the Lord Christ and hold his bloud as prophane for that the one sort are tolerated 〈◊〉 the externe fellowship of the Saints vntill they doe plainely discouer their impietie but not the other for that they make themselues manifest in their impietie Yet neither sort are true members at any time of the bodie of Christ for that they liue not in Christ In these wordes of Bucer amongst other things it is manifest first That if saith be temporary it is not true and iustifying therefore true and iustifying faith is perpetuall secondly That Saul and Iudas had neuer true and iustifying faith for that their faith was but temporarie Therfore that is false which one taught and committed to writing That Saul Iudas were iustified as wel as Dauid and Peter thirdly That neither temporizers nor notoriouslie wicked euer were true members of the Church and therfore the Elect onely and such as are endued with true faith are the true members of the Church Musculus in Ioh. cap. 8. pag. 62. vpon these words if ye abide in 〈…〉 then are yee verily my Disciples saith he He ioyneth soliditie and stabilitie with veritie That which is true is solid that which is false is vaine and fained and so cannot be stable specially if it come liable to examination That which is gold remaineth gold that which seemeth and is not

often able to resist they wold neuer do that they would not but would alwaies doe that they would Thirdly after the sinne committed or after the violence of the sea that is of concupiscence be abated they doe lament the fact and mourne and pray forgiuenesse and offer the sacrifice of repentance that hee may pardon it verily by all those things which befall to the Saints both before in and after the temptation and sinne committed it abundantly appeareth how the Saints in sinning both will and nill sinne and doe the euil they would not and doe not the good they would And therefore it cannot be said of them that they do sin as the wicked do with a fui will That which I haue illustrated by the comparison of the Mariners is declared by the example of Peter and Iudas Before the sinne it was not in Peters heart to deny Christ but rather on the contrary hee so loued Christ and detested both the offences and enemies of Christ as that indeed hee was rather ready to die then to deny Christ and therefore hee said though all shall deuie thee yet I will neuer denie thee Such also is the purpose of the Godly before they sin scilicet when as they are not their owne men and are not violently carried with violent temptations as it were out of themselues crossely into absurdities But the mind of Iudas was not such as of Peter but rather of a long time with a quiet mind hee had practised officiously theft by defrauding Christ and his Apostles of their mony as Ioh. 12 doth testifie that he was a theefe and therefore of long and with a setled mind he had deliberated with himselfe how he might with gaine and without tumult betray Christ into his enemies hands Such like are the minds of the wicked they alwaies meditate euill according to the prouerbe euen in their cold bloud But in the heat of temptation Peter though through the excessiue force of the feare of death which he did perceiue as imminent vpon him for the free confession of Christ is not recorded to haue resisted or encountred with the temptation yet out of the quality of these three de nialls of his it may easily be collected That at the beginning hee did some-what in minde with-stand for that hee did not directly in the entrance denie but dissemble by his cold answering the Damsell saying And thou also wast with Iesus of Galile● I know not what thou saiest For after that the tempest encreased the next turne hee denied with an oath directly renouncing Christ and saying I know not the man But at the third turne when the blast of temptation was most vehement hee did not onely dissemble neither only deny with an oath but also euen deuoting himselfe to execrations he accursed and as Marke saith anathematized himself But Iudas from that time of his first temptation touching the betraying of Christ was alwaies of the same minde neither did sodainely fall into temptation as Peter but with long deliberation he did seeke opportunities of betraying him into their hands So doe all wicked men they doe not fall into temptation vpon the sodaine but they hunt and seeke for them But the Godly are quite contrary And after the offence committed Peter presently was so penitent for his fact that hee wept bitterly for his sinne So do also the Godly But Iudas although hee came to the Priests and restoring the mony said I haue sinned in betraying innocent blood yet do we not read that hee lamented and truely sorrowed for his offence committed Wherefore in that he hanged himselfe hee did not so from sorrow for sinne but for that he saw that his life should bee with perpetuall infamie for the betraying his maister specially for so small a summe of money So the wicked do sometime greeue for their sinne but not properly for the sinne it selfe but either for shame or for punishment temporall or eternall whereinto they see they are fallen wherefore the wicked do not declare by such repentances that they hate the euil which they haue committed but onely the punishment whervnto they are liable but contrariwise the Saints do indeed detest the sinnes committed and hate them Who in these two Apostles cannot see what difference there is betweene the sinnes of the wicked and the godly between the willes of one and other in their sinnes And that which I speak of all the Saints that it may be more clearely apparant in the example of Peter I wil cite a place out of Bernard ●l●b de libero arbitrio Col. 1592 in which place with exceding elegancie and pietie he doth explaine this selfe-same Question which I doe entreat of concerning that will where with the Saints doe sinne by the very example of Peter produced Sed vid●aimus c. But let us see saith he touching such who in word compulsorily do deny the faith through feare of paine and death least happily according to this assertiō either it fall out to be no fault that they do deny in word onely or that the will could be coacted to offend as that a man should will that which it appeareth he nilled and so free-will should be extinct which because it was impossible for that he could not will and nill the same thing in one instant the Question ariseth How to them that in no case will no euil euil ought to be imputed For this is not of like quality with originall sinne wherein not onely hee who consenteth not but also euen he that is ignorant is another way hanckled not being as yet renewed by baptisine For example let Peter the Apostle come into the rank for he seemed to deny the truth against his wil for either he must haue dyed or denied fearing to dye he denyed he nilled to denye but more to dye therefore against his will but yet he denyed to auoid death but if with tongue and not with will the man was inforced to speak that he nilled yet not to will otherwise then hee willed the tongue was mooued against the will but was the will also altered for what willed he verily to bee as he was the disciple of Christ What spake he I know not the man Why so he was willing to scape death But what offence was that we doe vnderstand two willes in the Apostle one whereby hee would not dye altogether vnculpable another euen much commendable wherein hee tooke delight that hee was a Christian Where●● then shall hee be culpable in this respect for that he would rather lie then die This Will vtterly deserued reprehension that he willed rather to saue the life of the body then of Sap. 1. the soule The mout● verily that speaketh ● lye killeth the S●●●e therefore he both sinned nor without consent of his owne will both weake and wofull and yet most free But hee sinned not in contempt or hatred of Christ but in too much loue of himselfe neither did that sodaine feare enforce his

whosoeuer hee bee as blessed Iohn saith in this regard that hee is borne of God that is according to the state of the inward man so farre forth he doth not sinne in that hee rather abhorreth Sinne which worketh outwardly the body of death hee rather hateth then approoueth it the seede of the spirituall birth whereby he is born of God inwardly preseruing him Which although in the meane while by the incursion of Sinne hee is sometime hurt and battered yet he doth not perish for that the root of Charity is deeply fastened nay rather more plentifully and effectually hee doth gather strength and reuiue into hope of good fruit For saith Saint Iohn for all that is borne of God sinneth not because the seede abideth in him neither can he sinne who is borne of God The force of the words is to bee noted He saith not that he doth commit sinne for hee rather suffereth then doth sinne that is borne of God and he cannot sinne scilieet by perseuering in sinne whilest that he maketh hast to subdue the flesh to the Law of God whereinto in mind hee obeyeth which seemed to bee seruant to the Law of Sinne whilest temptation and Sinne inuaded him P●ter when hee sinned lost not D●fecit fide● consessio in ore sed non d●fecit fides in corde Zanch. 〈◊〉 Charitie sor that hee rather sinned against Veritie then Charitie when hee lied with his mouth That hee knew him not whose he was totally in his heart insomuch as that the Veritie of Loue did incontinently wash away the deniall of falshood So also Dauid when he sinned lost not Charitie but in a sort Charitie was benummed in him by the violent blow of Temptation neither was Loue at all abolished in him but as it were in a slumber which presently after it awaked at the voice of the Prophet reprouing incontinently brake forth into that most feruent confession of Loue I haue sinne● against the ●ord wherevpon he worthily heard Thoushalt not die Out of Luther and other Diuines LVTHER in Postilis True faith perpetuall and immoueable Maior in Euang. Natiuit Do●ini Describing in the shepheards themselues the qualitie of both to wit of true and not true of Diuine as he speaketh and of humane faith hee teacheth the nature of true faith to bee constant perpetuall and immoueable but of Faith not true that in fine it vtterly faileth These are his words And from hence take out the difference of faith both diuine and humane Humane faith doth adhaere to the mans person giue credence beleeue his word and honour him for the speakers sake But Diuine faith contrariwise doth cleane fast to the Word which is God himselfe and doth beleeue put affiance and reuerence it not for the speakers sake but doth perceiue the word so certainely that no man can remooue him from it Such were these Samaritans of whom we read Ioh. 4. That at the first indeed they were by the voice of a Damsell excited to heare Christ but after the hearing of him they said to the woman We doe not now beleeue for thy word sake but for that we haue knowne him to bee that Sauiour of the World On the contrarie side so many as gaue faith to Christ moued with his person and miracles all of them againe fell away when Christ was crucified So alwaies it hath been and so it must bee at this day vnlesse the Word of it selfe doe clearely manifest it selfe to the heart and as it were captiuate the same in such sort as that they perceiue the certaintie thereof to be such as by no meanes they can thence be drawne yea if the whole World all the Angels all the Powers of Hell doe say to the contrarie nay if God himselfe should say otherwise as oftentimes hee is wont to tempt his Elect as seeming to appeare vnto them as if he intended to vtter things contrarie to his former promises Which fell out with Abraham when he was commanded to offer his sonne Isaac as also to Iacob in his conflict with the Angell and with Dauid when he was pursued by Absalom Such faith doth persist immoueable both in life and in death as well in Hell as Heauen neither can it by any thing be deiected for that it is founded vpon the sole and bare word of God without all respect of persons With such Faith these shepheards were replenished These things Luther Let likewise his whole Homily be read in 14. Ioh. being the Gospel for the Feast of Pentecost which is of the Holy Ghost Also in festo Sanctae Catharina expounding the Gospell of the ten Virgins who had taken their Lamps he saith The wise Virgins are true Christians endued with true faith such haue oile alwaies in their lampes But the vnwise to be hypocrites who haue a counterfet faith and haue no oyle in their Lampes Therfore of true beleeuers he saith Furthermore such as are rightly seasoned with the doctrine of the Gospell do lightly regard these stormes and tempests but persist immoueable and perse●●●e vnto the end and therefore are truely blessed as saith Christ Hee hat continueth to the end shall be saued Likewise in the same place the other Virgins had not onely their Lampes in their hands but had also with their Lampes oyle in a readinesse that is true faith which God hath laid vp in their harts they are furnished how to defend themselues if any harme befall them For they haue the worke of God for afsistance not any fained opinion which cannot beate off the assaults of death such did continue in the hope of the diuine promises These things Luth●r Therefore the true beleeuers continue in hope Also in the other page Hence is it saith he that our Lampes shall neuer be extinguished Thus much he Therfore the Lampe of true faith is neuer put out in the Saints The same Luther To. 5. in 1. Pet. 1. vpon these words Wee are borne againe not of corruptible but incorruptible seed The word is foorthwith preached and heard but when it taketh possession of the heart it cannot after die or bee abolished Neither will it indeed suffer thee to die but will conserue thee as long as thou doest adhere vnto it For example When I doe he are that Iesus Christ suffered death and hath done away my sinnes and deserued heauen for mee and withall hath giuen mee all that he hath now I do heare the Gospell when this is published in words presently it passeth away but if it be receiued in the heart and thou doest embrace him by faith now can he not any more fall away this truth can no creature demolish the depth of Hell cannot at all exp●gne it An Argument out of Luther WHAT SO EVER things Christ entreated for his Elect those also hee obtained for Christ was heard with effect Luther in Ioh. 17. vpon these words I pray for them I pray not for the world I doubt not saith he but this prayer was heard Now Christ in

that prayer Ioh. 17. prayed the Father for all the Elect which should beleeue in him That hee would keepe them in the faith and not permit them at all to fall away from the faith This doth Luther plainely deliuer vppon these words I pray for them I pray not for the World Saith hee So he prayeth for Christians and for all that shall be conuerted that they abide firme touching true faith and profit therin and proceed neither that they sall away from it These things Luther Therefore hath Christ obtained for all the Elect that they shall persist in the faith and neuer shrinke from it Wherefore it cannot bee in regard of this prayer of Christ that the Elect beeing indued with true faith should vtterly slide away from faith Hee that doubteth whether Luther was of this iudgement which I defend doth certainly declare That either he hath not been much conuersant in his books or doth not vnderstand Luther The testimonies of Bucer so many and such ye haue in my Lectures as that of his determination no doubt can be made But beside them I will also put downe these of new In Mat. 6. And leade vs not into temptation pag. 70. in the Entrance Seeing then none can take them out of the Lords hands Ioh. 10. And hee in no wise casteth off such as come vnto him Io● 6. It is necessarie that such as are Christs once shall neuer be alienated from him In Ioh. 4. Vpon these words If thou knewest the gift of God For saith hee as the liuing and springing water out of the fountaine doth alwaies flow to quench the thirst of men So the Holy Spirit giuing testimonie to our Spirit that wee bee the Sonnes of God doth for euer take away the thirst of the good in that it maketh them finally blessed in fulnesse and here doth refresh them continually with sure faith This is that fountaine neuer failing for that it neuer forsaketh such as it once inspireth Rom. 8. in the Quaestion of Praedestination pag. 361. not much before the conclusion of the Third Question He concludeth Predestination to be a Diuine designement of the Saints vnto this that they should bee made partakers of euerlasting saluation by Christ the Lord. This verily is saluation saith hee that being inspired with Gods Spirit thou maist most fully see soundly iudge that which is truely good and prose quute the same with a most eager and constant studie Here of it is a good consequent That therfore the Elect vnto life aeternall are also Elect to this that they should prose quute that which is good with a continuall studie or with perseuerance And that which is by God decreed cannot be made frustrate wherefore the Elect and Saints cannot but perseuere in faith Likewise in ep ad Eph s c●p 1. vpon these words Hee hath chosen vs that we should be holy Paul saith he Romans 8. doth treat of Election as is meete And when the Saints are compassed with most grieuous afflictions they would often distrust amongst these euills wherevnto they are throwne of the glorie promised to the sonnes of God if they did not relie vpon this buckler For it will come to passe that whatsoeuer their sufferings be they shal be at last glorified Neither can they be dispelled by any thing out of their inheritance which is in Christ Iesus He is our euerlasting Mediatour and we for euer ioyned vnto him our vnion with Christ is inseparable nether can it be but for euer Also vpon the same 1. chap. in his short treatise of faith page 34. Faith although it bee infirme euen in the Saints and therfore also more to be lamented they do commit the more sinnes as euery where both the old and new Testament doe testifie and examples too euident doe declare as in Peter Dauid and others yet doth it not suffer him who is therewith endued vtterlie to lie vnder as surprised He trieth our faith but yet for this purpose that wee may vnderstand how much imperfection is alwaies intermixed in vs. Hence are are afflictions and from thence these voices in the Psalm O God hast thou forgotten mee hast thou forsaken mee From hence it fell out that Peter by the Damsell was assalted and afflicted with the batterings of temptation but yet he fell not for euer for that God put vnder his hand For God doth alwaies sppport his Elect that at last he shall swimme out and break through for the gifts and calling of God is without repentance And what shall wee say to these things If GOD be on our side who shal be against vs which words of Paul are not to be vnderstood of some but of al Gods elect And God doth solace vs against this debility of faith by the mightie power of Christ whereby hee beareth rule ouer all and hath dominion ouer death and sinne For he verily died but he rose againe death being subdued hee ascended to the Father sitteth at his right hand maketh intercession for vs and let all the Elect applie these things to themselues and say Hee arose for mee c. And seeing he is our head he shall ●●relie quicken vs and confirme vs neither can hee derelinquish the duty of a true head For we liue for his sake which loued vs therefore wee liue not for our owne loue Without doubt ours is required but it is imperfect and cannot vphold the hope of life aeternall Therefore that our hope might be certaine the cause of our life is setled in him not in vs. And therefore whatsoeuer excuse is alleadged touching vncertaintie of faith whatsoeuer commaunded and deliuered is vtterlie impious and blasphemous against the might amplenesses maiestie and loue and dispensation of Christ and doth o●erturne all faith and authoritie of the word which Paul presseth Rom. 8. and euerie where else Likewise pag. 38. in the Treatise of the Church quinto signo Touching Perseuerance saith hee wee haue a place 1. Ioh. 2. If they had been of vs they would surely haue continued with vs And that He that is borne of God sinneth not is thus to bee vnderstood Hee sinneth not wittingly and of knowledge Hee sinneth not impenitently for that a certaine efficacacie of the Spirit of Christ doth beare him vp For though many sins doe yet beset the godly yet doe they not perseuere in them or consent therevnto with a suffocation of conscience or of the Law of God See Augustine Of Repentance against the Donatists All these things Buc●r Here ye perceiue my Lords First that not vnfitly I did entreat of the perseuerance of the Saints when I did interpret that place of Iohn If they had beene of vs they would verily haue continued with vs. Againe neither did I interpret amisse that place of Iohn He that is born of God sinneth not in my Treatise of Perfeuerance when I gaue this interpretation That the Saints born of God did not sinne from the heart or with their totall and plenarie will and therefore not

that I may speake more rightly thou rather be retained conserued by him These things Brentius Who may not here perceiue the scope of Brentiu● to haue been That whosoeuer doth perceiue himselfe to bee endued with true faith in Christ hee should not further make doubt of his eternall saluation And that hee may attaine vnto this hee remoueth a double feare which do weaken this certaintie The first feare is lest the Lord cast vs off for that our faith is faint and infirme This he taketh away by the promise in Es●i That the Lord will not quench smoking Falxe The other feare lest our faith at last should faile that wee should not perseuere in faith This feare he expelleth by many arguments First for that God is faithfull who will not suffer vs to bee tempted aboue our strength 1. Cor. 10. Secondly that Christ will not permit any of his sheepe to bee taken out of his hands Ioh. 10. Thirdly that the prayer of Christ is effectuall wherein he maketh request for all that shal beleeue in him and therefore euen hath obtained to them all That as Hee and the Father are alwaies one so they should abide one in Christ Iesu for euer And this is perseuerance Fourthly hee confirmeth vs in this certaintie of perseuerance in the faith first by the example of the Apostle Rom. 8. That nothing can separate the Elect from Christ againe by the promise in Esai cap. 54. That Gods mercie shall neuer depart from the Elect. Finally hee concludeth That we ought to bee most certain of our perseuerance for that God the Father who gaue vs his Sonne and did effect that wee by faith should receiue him will euen altogether take care that wee may perpetually retaine him or rather that we may be retained of him to wit in faith and in himselfe and be also conserued Wherefore if no doubt is to bee made of the beleeuers and Saints according to the determination of D. Brentius touching their perseuerance in Christ and in faith and therefore of their eternall saluation and that for the promises of God which hee related concerning this point and for the prayer of Christ which hee saith was effectuall it is manifest that such as are truely Saints and true beleeuers will perseuere in faith and in Christ and therefore cannot vtterly fall away from faith and from Christ and that for the promise of God and the prayer of Christ as my Position voucheth There bee in a manner infinite testimonies in the writings of this learned man for the perseuerance of Saints and certaintie of saluation I will only adde herevnto one more Vpon Iob. 10. homil 81. vpon those words No man shall take them out of my hand What saith hee should I speake of Death Is this of such power that it can take from Christ his sheepe But as Death could not detaine Christ in his power so neither can it withhold such as beleeue in Christ I will speake that which is more No sinne is so great that it can separate a sheepe of Christ from his shepheard For this Shepheard hath ransomed all sinnes and the grace of God which Christ hath purchased is greater then the sinne which made alienation betweene God and man For where sinne saith St. Paul did abound there did grace more abound that as sinne reigned in death so also grace might re●gne by righteousnes to life eternall by Iesus Christ What then Shall we sinne because sinne cannot take away Christ from the sheepe of Christ surely nothing lesse to be done then to sinne For such as are truely the sheepe of Christ they are so much more watchfull from committing sinne the more fully they acknowledge sinne to bee done away by Christ for they doe reioyce by all manner of meanes to testifie their gratitude of minde to Christ-wards and to conserue his louing kindnes Therefore Gratitude is declared to Christ-wards by obedience of righteousnes towards Christ These things Brentius I haue named only the principall Doctors of Germanie for I suppose their testimonie to bee more then sufficient to ratifie my sentence touching the perseuerance of the Saints in faith but if yee require more testimonies I will produce them most willingly for I haue many of them in a readines Concerning forraine testimonies I spare to speake at this present for that in a case so certaine and perspicuous I haue no need of their suffrages with vs Germains Lately also in that most famous Vniuersitie of Marpurge besides other positions this also was discussed defended and confirmed and in testimony of the approbation thereof was with other thinges committed to the Presse and diuulged which is set downe Numb 14. and is thus put downe verbatim Into whom scilicet Christ if any be once truly ingraffed he for that neither the spouse doth cast him out neither can any take him out of the shepheards hand of necessity he must be both certaine of his saluation neither at any time can he vtterly be pluckt away either from this coniunction with the Spouse or can totally fall away from his Shepheard Ioh. 6. 10. Now paetermitting the testimonies of many others I wil only anexe touching this matter the iudgement of D. Hesh●sius himselfe and that I doe for iust causes whereof the least is not this That yee may vnderstand that I was most wrongfully accused both by word and writing of my Colleagues both with you and all the Cittizens of a greeuous offence committed against the Augustane Confession Because I taught That the Elect being once indued with a true faith in Christ can neuer againe vtterly fall away from faith and from Christ Surely D. Heshusius doth not giue place to D. M. in the defence of the Augustane Confession And whereas Heshusius hath taught written and published the selfe same things of the pers●uerance of the Saints which I also taught in your School it followeth that either Heshusius himselfe also did write against the Augustane Confession or that D. M. did not vnderstand it and therfore in his ignorance did both condemne me vniustly as also disturbe the whole citty Heshusius his wordes De s●ruo arbitrio published An. 1562. are these Quartus gradus c. The fourth degree of the operation of the Spirit is the perfection of saluation or the gift of perseuerance whereby wee persist constantly in the faith that certaine saluation may be attained for not all who are illuminated by the word and haue tasted the first fruits of faith do retaine this saluation giuen them but many again do cast off faith shake off the holy Spirit and fall from grace as Christ saith Their latter end is worse then their beginning Luo. 11. This is therfore a peculiar benefit of the holy Spirit which be falleth the Elect alone That they are so established in faith as that they cannot fall away from it And in this operation of the holy Spirit as there is no merit of ours so is there no cooperation For