and proud persons which will examine all things at their owne pleasures without the faith of the Church may plucke in their combes he addeth hast thou seene these things Who denie the sufficiency of the scripture but the Church of Rome who will teach all things with the finger of reason but that synagogue As their doctrines of the supremacy fréewill reall presence inuocation of saints do plainly declare Ierome of the scriptures writes thus to Eustochium In praef Esai Thou compellest me O Christian virgine Eustochium to passe ouer now to the Prophet Esay and to performe that to thee which I promised to thy mother Paula while she liued Therefore I pay both to thee and by thee to her that which I doe owe obeying the commaundements of Christ who saith search the scriptures And againe seeke and ye shall finde least I should heare with the Iewes you erre not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God For if according to the Apostle Paul Christ be the vertue of God and the wisedome of God and he which knowes not the scriptures is ignorant both of the vertue of God and of his wisedome the ignorance of the scripture is the ignorance of Christ Eustochium a virgine was so in loue with the scriptures that she compelled Ierome to write his commentaries vpon the Prophet Esay And shall not our women studie know and loue them The ignorance of the scriptures is the ignorance of Christ as Ierome heere plainely auoucheth how can it be then the mother of deuotion as the Papistes affirme In cap. 16. Io. Of the sufficiencie of the scriptures Ferus writes thus I haue as yet many things to say vnto you That which he said before seemes contrarie to this Whatsoeuer I haue heard of my father I haue declared vnto you But they are not contrarie For first that which he saies I haue declared vnto you he takes the preterperfect tense for the future tense for the certaintie of this doctrine which is a familiar thing in the writing of the prophets As when as Esay saith He was wounded for our iniquities which notwithstanding chanced long after Compare this doctrine with the Rhemists doctrine Then Christ also in trueth hath reuealed all things vnto vs necessarie for our saluation because hee hath preached the Gospell which is the fountaine of all trueth For whatsoeuer the spirit hereafter hath reuealed to the Church proceeded our of this fountaine So that trueth which the holy Ghost reuealed in the first councell of the Apostles that is that circumcision and other legall ceremonies were not necessarie to saluation came not from any where else then from the gospell where Christ plainely shewes that we haue saluation through faith in him and not of the workes of the law So that trueth that the sonne is consubstantiall to his father which appeared in the Nicene Councell against Arrius issued out of the gospel for although that word Homousion or consubstantial be not found in the Gospell yet there are found there other wordes of as great force as I my father are one Héere we may note first that that place I haue many things to say vnto you by Ferus a papists iudgement makes nothing for traditions or vnwritten verities Secondly that the holy Ghost reuealeth to the Church no new or straunge doctrine but that which is contained in the scriptures whereas other papistes affirme that the holy Ghost doth reueale doctrines to the Church besides the scriptures which are as firmely to be beleeued as those which are contained in the scriptures Lastly that that same doctrine of Christes equalitie with God his father Ferus acknowledgeth to be gathered out of the scriptures And after vpon the same wordes he writes thus I haue as yet many things to say to you The Apostles had forgotten many things and many things they did not vnderstand aright many things also Christ had spoken obscurely the which might be drawen into a wrong sense the which after chanced in the heretikes Therefore the holy Ghost was necessarie for them which might bring into their memories those things they had forgotten and should lighten those things they vnderstood not and should giue the true meaning of all obscure sayings Therefore this word may be referred to the whole gospell as though he shoul say although I haue taught you many things yet you neede further instructions for the causes now mentioned He shall speake all things which he shall heare that is which truely are and indeed stand fast and haue authoritie in the scriptures deuising nothing of his owne peruerting or misconstruing nothing heere we may learne what is to be preached taught in the Church or else we shall heare that I speake not to them and yet they prophecied Héere we may plainely sée what doctrine Ferus would haue taught and preached in the Church onely the scriptures and such as the holy Ghost doth drawe out of them In cap. 14. Ioh. not any vnwritten verities or traditions of the Church or inuentions of man And in another place he writes thus of Christ I am the way of life the trueth of doctrine and the life of saluation all men desire the way the trueth and the life These are not any where found certaine or sure sauing in Christ In cap. 2. Mat. And of the excellency of the scriptures he writes thus As in the latter daies the word of God came clad with flesh into the world and it was one thing that was seene and another that was vnderstood the sight of the flesh in him was apparant to all men but the knowledge of his diuinitie was giuen but to a few and to his elect so the word of God and the spirit is couered with the vaile of the letter The letter is looked vpon as the flesh and the spirit lying hid within is perceiued like the deitie And as the sheepheards being taught of the Angels knew Christ in his ragges and simple swathling clothes who otherwise would neuer haue beleeued that that childe was Christ although they had seene him a thousand times his clothes were so base of no great cost So the letter of the Scripture is plaine and it seemes often to speake of matters of no waight Therefore vnlesse we be lightened from aboue it doth not seeme that we should finde Christ in them Ferus here doth not make the Scriptures a bare or dead letter as some other Papistes doe but a liuing letter vnder which being read and studied Gods spirit lieth hid euen as vnder Christs flesh his diuinitie Oh wonderfull force and maiestie then of Gods words Oh that all Papists would confesse thus much and beléeue it It would make them reade the scriptures And herein Ferus agrées with the doctrine Ioh. 6.63 euen of our Sauiour himselfe who saith That the wordes which I speake are spirit and life which saying of his is to be referred to all the Scriptures of the Gospell For he
the Church as manie doe nowe Chrysostome or whosoeuer he was that wrote this booke a verie auncient and learned Christian was of this iudgment long before Antichrist came and shall we now not beleeue it seeing it with our eies And he addeth that the onely way nowe to trie the truth is by the Scriptures This is his counsell And the Pope herein by disswading men from reading the scriptures declares plainely that hee is Antichrist for as the Gospell teacheth He that doth euill hateth the light and will not come neere it Why should the Pope debarre men from reading the scriptures but that he feares they would discouer his darkenesse and false doctrines Neither is the comming of Elias and Enoch necessarie for the conuersion of the Iewes The scriptures doe teach vs other meanes of their conuersion Euen to this daie saith Saint Paul when Moses is read 1. Cor. 3.15 there is a vaile put ouer the hearts of the Iewes but when they shall returne to the Lord the vaile shall be taken away It is God alone which must take awaie the vailes from their hearts and then they shall be conuerted Psal 119.18 As Dauid also prayeth O Lord take awaie the vaile from mine eies and I shall beholde the wondrous things of thy law And in another place saint Paul writes thus If the reiecting of them were the reconciliation of the world Ro. 11 15. what is the resumption and taking them againe but euen life from death The conuersion of the Iewes then and their resumption is euen as it were of dead men to make liuing men And this is the worke of God alone And this worke doth he worke euen in a moment as many histories do proue That hereof then no Christian may dreame of any long continuance of this world because the Iewes are not as yet conuerted when as their conuersion is of the hand and power of God as saint Paul plainly teacheth and not of the comming and preaching of Enoch and Elias and is as it were putting life into dead men which God can doe in a minute And of the ouerthrowing of Antichrist 2. Thes 2.8 Saint Paul also writes thus That he shall be consumed by little and little by the Spirit of Gods mouth and shall be quite abolished by his glorious appearance Iesus Christ himselfe by his word and by his owne presence shall consume and quite destroie Antichrist he shall not need the ministerie of Elias and Enoch The prophet Zacharie also prophecying most manifestly of the conuersion of the Iewes attributes it to Gods extraordinary mercie and not to the preaching of Elias and Enoch And I will powre out saith God vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and prayers or of mercie For the hebrew word may signifie both Zach. 12.10 And they shall looke vpon him whō they haue thrust thorow they shall lament ouer him as one doth ouer his onely begotten and the whole land shall lament family to family by themselues the family of the house of Dauid apart c. And here in this waightie matter concerning the fulfilling explication of this prophecy to let all mens interpretations passe the holie ghost it selfe by whom the prophet spake is the best interpreter of this prophecie and teacheth vs most plainly in whom and when it shall be fulfilled As concerning the first in whom it shall be fulfilled saint Iohn in his gospell tels vs plainly That it shall be fulfilled in those Iewes that put Christ to death and caused him to be pearced with a speare Io. 19.37 For he saith that therefore one of the souldiers thrust him thorow with a speare that that scripture might be fulfilled And they shall behold him whom they haue pearced That was done then that this might be fulfilled hereafter So that of the persons vpon whom this prophecie shall be fulfilled it is plaine that by Saint Iohns interpretation they are the true naturall Iewes and not as some haue here allegorically gone about to expound this place the spirituall Iewes that is vs Christians And if S. Iohn here do plainly affirme that this latter branch of Zacharias prophecie shall be fulfilled in the true Iewes I will adde that then likewise the former branch of this prophecie that is That God will powre vpon them the spirit of grace and mercie shall be fulfilled in them We may not dismember the prophecies of God If the latter part be verified in them then surely it necessarily inferres that the former is verified also And at what time all this shall be fulfilled the same saint Iohn in another place declares Behold saith he he comes in the clouds and all eies shall see him Reue. 1.7 yea euen they which haue pearced him and all the tribes of the earth shall lament ouer him Amen That this shall be fulfilled in the day of iudgement here saint Iohn plainly affirmes and he also ads that wéeping whereof Zacharie maketh mention to make the matter more plaine And that this wéeping which Zacharie speakes of shall be of such as shall be saued is manifest hereby first that the prophet saith That God will powre vpon them the spirit of grace and mercy This powring this aboundance of grace and mercie argues no doubt the hainousnes and the miserablenes of their estate wherein they are euen now also it argues their fauourable acceptation and pardon at Gods hands And that also it shal be of such as shall be saued appeares hereby that the prophet declares the manner thereof so apparantly euen twise togither They shall lament him saith he as one that lamenteth bitterly for his onelie sonne and they shall be sorie for him as one that is sorie for his first borne No doubt this argues that this their repentance shall be syncere Gen 34. Heb. 12. Mat. 27.4 Luke 7.3 Mat. 26.7 8. euen from the bottome of their hearts not like Esaus or Iudas his repentance but like Marie Magdalens and Peters So that to expound this place of vs Christians who are spirituall Iewes seemes not to agrée naturally with the text and also to gainsay saint Iohns exposition Who saith that Christ was pearced with a speare that the scripture might be fulfilled in them and that not then but hereafter And they shal see him whom they haue pearced Neither do we read of anie such generall mourning required or practised of the spirituall Iewes that is of vs Christians when we were conuerted In the Acts of the Apostles Act. 2.37.41 They were pricked in their hearts we read and of their baptisme but of the teares of anie we read not Neither was it fulfilled in those women which when Christ was led to his passion came weeping after him Luke 23.27 For these were but certaine women neither do we read that they wept apart but altogither neither that anie men wept with them but women onely And those women wept before he
the Gospell against the manifold thornes and pricks which Satan here in this life strewes in our wayes and in our iourney to heauen Exod 25.31 The golden Candlesticke which God commaunded Moses to make hauing one foot and a shaft beaten our with hammers hauing on euerie side therof three brāches cōming out of it euery branch hauing 3 bowles like to an Almond vpō it one knop one flower declares vnto vs also the ministery in the Church of God Act. 26.18 Luk. 12.42 whose office is aswell to giue light and to teach all as to giue meate and food and therefore héere they are compared to the candlestick And as before there was but one table so heere there is but one Candlesticke to declare the vnitie that should be among the ministers and pastors of Christs Church They should all be as one 1. Cor. 1.10 There should be no sects or schismes amōgst them They should go out to battell against their enemies as the Israelits did Iud. 20.8 euen as one man The foote of this Candlesticke is Iesus Christ who alone sustaines vs Matth. 28 2◠Reu. 1.13 who is said to be among the golden Candlestickes The shaft thereof is the Apostles out of which procéede thrée branches on the right side and thrée on the left side to teach vs that as there were false Prophets in the law as Peter teacheth 2. Pet. 2.1 so there should be also in the Gospell This Candlesticke shall haue aswell left branches as right branches euerie branch shall haue thrée bowles like Almonds and a flower and an apple The bowles like Almonds declare the doctrine they must preach They must preach the Gospel that is Mark 16.15 comfortable doctrine and glad newes And this is to be bowles like Almond nuts Leuinus Lemnius de herb◠biblicis cap. 4◠For the Almond is comfortable and restoratiue They must also haue an apple and a flower They must not haue only flourishing words but good works that they may say with Paul Brethren be followers of me And againe Phil. 3.17.4.8 Furthermore brethren whatsoeuer things are true whatsoeuer things are honest whatsoeuer things are iust whatsoeuer things are pure whatsoeuer things pertaine to loue whatsoeuer things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise think on these things which ye haue both learned and receiued heard and seene in me Those things do and the God of peace shall bee with you By this type we may learne the necessitie of the ministerie in the Church Who would dwell in a house which lacked light What ioy can I haue saith Tobias that sit in darknes Tob. 5.12 and see not the light of heauen Such is the estate of all men without the preaching of the word vers 38. The snuffers also and the vessels to put the snuffes in doe teach first that ministers must haue a care of their doctrine that it be cleare and pure grounded of the Scriptures Matth. 15. ◠that no dregges of mans traditions be mingled with it God will haue all his torches burne cleare Secondly the vessels wherein the snuffes were put doe comfort those which haue meaner gifts in the Church Those which cannot be Apostles or great Doctors must not discourage themselues God had in his Tabernacle as well vessels to hold the snuffes of the torches as the torches themselues Lastly this candlestick must bee Mikshah beaten with hammers not melted sound not hollow 2. Cor. 2.4 to teach all Gods Ministers to beware of hypocrisie They must not make merchādize of the word of God The forme and fashion of this Tabernacle how vnlike is it to the Church of Rome In the making of this Tabernacle all things were voluntarie but the Roman Church commands she puts a necessitie in all her doings The Arke being all couered with the gold of charity 1. Cor. 16.14 condemnes that couetous Synagogue Let all your affaires be done through loue saith S. Paul but they do all for money She hath separated those foure rings from the sides of the Arke and the barres also she hath pulled forth from the rings which God commaunded should not be separated while she neither suffred the Bible to be in the Church neither the Pastors to preach it Neither were these rings fastened to the sides of the Ark neither were the tables of Gods commandements and that heauenly Manna and Aarons rod contained in the Ark while the gospell of Iesus Christ his most glorious death passion was not plainly taught the people It was neither in their houses nor in their harts She taught that the mercie seat couered not all the Ark but that the blessed Virgine was without sinne And that not as the Cherubims do all men should turne their faces to the mercie seat but that praying we may turne our faces some other way She hath also taken away the table of the shew bread from Gods house and hath not commanded his stewards to giue meat to his familie in due season but hath laid this burthen on other mens shoulders Likewise she hath made Gods house a most darke dungeon by taking from thence the light of Gods word Salomons temple also was a figure of Christs Church as first the verie author therof may teach vs. Salomon in Hebrew signifies peaceable Phil. 4.9 so the great God of peace Iesus Christ the true Salomon builded Gods Church Ioh. 14.27 Ephes 3.14 1. King 6.1 Matt. 6.33 1. King 7.1 Luk 2.46 1. King 5.13.14 He is our peace saith S. Paul He is our Salomon Secondly Salomon built the Temple in the fourth yeare of his raigne to teach vs that we must first seek the kingdome of God Salomon built Gods house before his owne house so Iesus Christ being but twelue yeares old began to build his Temple disputing with the Doctors And this exāple of Salomon proueth that kings though they be not builders themselues yet they may commaund the workmen they may cause the Lords house to be built So kings though they be no ministers yet may deale in ecclesiasticall affaires they may command the builders they may by their authoritie command and procure that Gods temple be built The Temple was builded in the moneth Zif which signifies brightnesse to declare 1. King 6.2 1. Ti. 4.13.15 that knowledge learning is required to the building of Gods house The which thing Pet. Berchorius in his Moralizations doth verie excellētly expresse Berch lib. 11. Moral super 3. Reg. cap. 5. Salomon saith he built the house of the Lord of squared wood and grauen stones and he deuided it into three roomes in height and whereof the lower was deuided into the inward oracle and outward house And thus it was made that all the walles of the lower Temple were couered with boords of Cedar and the floore with firre boords And aboue the boords all things were couered with plates of gold round
which are of the circumcision but vnto them also that walke in the steppes of the faith of our father Abraham This to be iustified more which saint Iohn speakes of is no doubt to walke in the steppes of the faith of Abraham And this no doubt also is that which saint Peter meaneth when hee concludes his epistle thus Growe in grace 2. Peter 3.18 and in the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ That is grow in your faith and knowledge of the Gospell For this is life eternall saieth our Sauiour to knowe thee to bee the onely true God Ioh. 17.3 and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ Gagneius should haue considered all these places and not grounded his second iustification of workes vpon that one onlie place Whereas also that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him be righteous still maie signifie rather a perseuerance then an increase But to let Gagneius go with his mystes and cauilles against the trueth and to returne to saint Austen againe As hee quite takes all our iustification from all workes whatsoeuer either ceremoniall or morall so he yéelds this to that our first iustification that it makes vs partakers of the glory of God Lib. spir lit cap. 9. and doe wee thinke then that hee euer thought of anie second Thus hee writes By grace the wicked man is iustified freely that is hauing no merites of his works going before For otherwise grace were not grace because therefore it is giuen not because that we haue doon good works but that we may do them that is not because we haue fulfilled the law but that we might fulfill it For he said I came not to destroie the law but to fulfill it Of whome it is saide We haue seene his glorie the glorie as it were of the onelie begotten Sonne of the Father full of grace and trueth This is the glory whereof it is said All haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God And this is the grace whereof by and by he saieth Being iustified freely by his grace So that by saint Austens iudgment this grace which we receiue in our first iustification is that grace of God which before our iustification all men were depriued of And will Gagneius saie then that our iustification is imperfect Naie herein also saint Austen agrees with saint Paul who speaking of that first iustification saieth 1. Iohn 15. We being iustified by faith are at peace with God and is it imperfect then no imperfect thing can please God Ephes 2.16 He is light and in him is no darknes at all Naie in another place hee saieth that Iesus Christ hath slaine hatred betweene God and vs and that we haue an entrance now to the father by one spirit no doubt which we receiue in our Baptismes and at our first iustification 19. And that now we are no more strangers or forreiners but citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God And is this our first iustification as yet imperfect Naie saint Iohn saieth 1. Iohn 1.3 That we haue seene and heard we declare vnto you that you also maie haue fellowship with vs and that our fellowship may be also with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ Do wée beleeue this O happie newes by faith wee are made fellowes with the apostles naie euen with God himselfe and is then our first iustification imperfect and these things Saint Iohn writes to vs that our ioy may be full Who will not reioice that heareth this newes Other Papists make another cauill at our iustification Stella writes thus Of these words of Christ that error of the Lutherans is conuinced Stella in cap. 6 Luc. who dare affirm that faith cannot be without charity but one may truely as it is manifest out of this text of the Gospell heare the vvordes of God and beleeue them and yet not bee in grace But here Stella addes this of his owne and beleeue them that is more then is in the text The text saieth One maie heare the words of God and not do them not be in grace But surelie he that heares them beleeues them will do them also no doubt and therefore such a one is in grace S. Austen also verie excellentlie condemnes the Papists in this their doctrine De fide operib cap. 23 The Lord saith in the Gospell The houre shall come wherein all they that are in the graues shall he are his voice and they shall go which haue doone well into the resurrection of life and they which haue doone euill into the resurrection of iudgment Neither is it said that they which haue beleeued or that they which haue not beleeued but thus they which haue doone wel and that they which haue doon euil for a good life cannot be separated from faith which works thorough loue yea verily that same is a good life it selfe A true liuelie faith and a good life by saint Austens iudgement are vnseparable And againe saint Austen declares his iudgment concering our iustification and she vse of good workes verie manifestlie thus When as the Apostle saith Aug. de fide operib cap. 14. that he supposeth that a man is iustified by faith without the works of the law hee meanes not that when as wee haue receiued and professed the faith that the works of righteousnes should be despised but that euery one may know that he may be iustified through faith although no works of the law haue gone before For they follow a man that is now iustified they do not go before him which is to be iustified This is saint Austens plaine iudgement that workes are fruites of our iustification not rootes they are neither precedent nor concurrent causes but effects following Ibidem And after hee addes the causes why saint Peter Iohn and Iames and Iude wrote their Epistles and expoundes their meanings whereas they seeme to make much for good workes Because this opinion saieth he was then sproong vp that is that works were despised the other apostolique Epistles of Peter Iohn Iames and Iude against this opinion bend al their force so that they very vehemently affirme that faith without workes profiteth nothing As also Saint Paul himselfe cals not faith euery faith wherewith we beleeue in God but that healthfull and euangelicall faith whose workes proceede from charitie and faith saieth he which vvorketh thorow loue Therefore he affirmes that that faith which some men thinke is sufficient to saluation to be of so small force that he saith If so be that I had all faith so that I could moue mountaines out of their places and yet had no charity I am nothing But where this faithfull charitie works there is a good life c. So that by saint Austens iudgement that vaine and barren faith which some men in those dayes imagined of their owne braines and despised all good workes doe both saint Iames and saint Iohn and the
Scriptures For our inherent righteousnesse or our inward renouation is knowne chiefely to consist in faith hope and charitie wherefore if we shall proue that faith hope and charitie can bee perfect in this life we shall also proue that the imputation of Christs righteousnesse is not necessarie But how contrarie also is this his doctrine to the scriptures We know in part saith saint Paul and we prophesie in part 1. Cor. 13.10 but when that which is perfect is come that which is in part shall be abolished There is no perfection in this life that shall come hereafter in the life to come No doubt that prayer of the Apostles is set downe as a paterne for all Christians to vse Luke 17.5 euen vnto the worlds ende And the Apostles said vnto the Lord Increase our faith How contrarie also he is in this his assertion to Ferus and other Papists hereafter euidently shal God willing appeare Of the merites also of good workes Maister Bellarmine writes thus And first of the nature of a merit or deseruing Lib. 5. de Iustifica cap. 18. many thinges saith he as the sunne the moone the fields vineyardes and gardens yeelde vs great commodities and yet they are not said properly to deserue any thing of vs because they doe not their dueties voluntarily neither can they choose but they must doe as they doe Then wages is due to a desert or merit but debt ariseth not but hereof that one giues another that which was his owne For if he should not giue his owne but that which was another mans nothing were owing or due to him There is nothing properlie ours but that which is in our owne power either to doe or to let passe These things are in our power and of these we are properlie said to haue the Lordship To conclude our euill workes vnlesse they be done freely deserue no punishment therefore neither good works shall deserue any reward vnlesse they be done voluntarily His drift is to proue that we haue in vs fréewill and therefore we maie deserue of God And therefore he writes thus after Now truely the good workes of the iust deserue eternall life ex condigno worthily not onely by reason of the couenant and acceptation of God but also by reason of the worke it selfe So that in the good workes which proceede from grace there is a certaine proportion and equalitie to the reward of eternall life And after he writes thus Whereby we perceiue that same degree of glorie which is due to vs by right of inheritance is giuen vs also by right of the reward For one thing as we haue often said may bee due by two titles that is by inheritance and of merites How contrarie also in this doctrine is he to the doctrine of the scriptures whereas Christ shall saie to all his Come ye blessed of my father Matth. 25.34 Luke 12.32 inherite ye the kingdome prepared for you And againe Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome He dare affirme that the saints of God shall not onely inherit this kingdome by their fathers frée gift as the scriptures in these places manifestly teach but also that they shall deserue it How contrarie is he also herein to Philippus de Dies Who saith that the iust can challenge nothing of God and to Ferus as appeares in this that followes But here first let vs marke howe contrarie this his doctrine is to that which Gregory a Byshoppe of Rome concerning this matter Greg. in 7. Psal paenit taught in his dayes The mercie of the Lord sayeth hee is for euer and euer vpon them that feare him if so be that the blessednesse of the Saints is mercy and is not gotten by merites where is that which is written And thou shalt giue to euery man according to his works If it be giuen according vnto works how shall it bee accounted merite But it is one thing to giue according to workes and another to giue for our workes In that hee saieth he will giue euery one according to his works the quality of works is vnderstood that he whose works shall appeare good shall haue that glorious reward For to that blessed life wherein we shall liue with God and of God no labour can be equal nor no works compared especially when as the Apostle saith The sufferings of this life are not worthy the glory which shall be reuealed in vs. Maister Bellarmine saieth that in the good works which proceede from grace there is a certaine proportion and equalitie but Gregory saith no labour or worke can bee compared vnto it And after hee writes thus Although in this respect also it may bee called mercie because it is giuen for those vvorkes which vnlesse Gods mercy did preuent him no man could obtaine wherefore it is said in the Psalme My God his mercie hath preuented me For vnlesse he had made the Vesselles of wrath Vessels of mercy his owne holy life had separated none from that lumpe of perdition his owne righteousnesse had deliuered none from the punishment of euerlasting death Therefore it is certaine that to whome he giues mercifully that in this life they should do well he giues them more mercifully that in that euerlasting blessednes they shuld a hundreth fold be rewarded This is the grace which for grace the Apostle affirmes shall be giuen vnto the Saints of God that to whō in this life is giuen the grace of sanctification to them of this also in the life to come shal be giuen the grace of euerlasting hapines Here wee maie note how Gregory makes two expositions of these wordes God shall render to euery one according to his works And in both he takes awaie all merite and in both he sets downe the onelie cause of our reward to be mercie In the first hee saieth not for our workes as anie cause of our saluation but according to our workes as effectes we shall bee rewarded Againe not according to the quantitie of our workes wherein manie Pagans haue excéeded manie Christians as they which voluntarilie did giue themselues to death for the loue of their countrie these were great workes and of these the Romane histories and other doe testifie but according to the qualitie euen be they neuer so few or so small yet if they shall procéede from a liuelie faith they shall bee rewarded as our sauiour witnesseth Euen a cuppe of cold water giuen in his name Mat. 10.42 shall not loose his reward Naie shall surpasse all the Cuppes of most bitter death which those Pagans suffered for their countrie sakes Such an excellent thing is Christian faith it alone giues vertue and makes acceptable vnto God all our workes Our reward shall bee like theirs that came into the Vineyeard at the last houre of the day Mat. 20.24 the mercifull housholder made them equall with them that came first To teach vs that it is not our vvorking or running
if he will haue him For who doubts but that God knowes how to saue and is also able and willing to saue For God is the God of saluation as saith the Psalme but whether hee will saue him or no this the Diuell cals in question especially if a man haue liued among the wicked as Christ was here among the theeues Therefore it is a great temptation when the Diuell makes a man doubt which trusts in the Gospell that although he beleeue that Christ is our righteousnesse yet that he should doubt whether he be his righteousnesse or no c. Euerie true Christian must beléeue in particular that Christ is his righteousnesse if he minde to ouercome the Diuell and be saued To beléeue in Generall that he is the righteousnesse of all men is the marke the Diuell shootes at and this doctrine the Papists some of them doe now teach But he must go further that will be saued and apply this soueraigne plaister of Christs death to himselfe and to his owne soule and beléeue that he is his righteousnesse also Granatensis also of the same matter writes thus But thou O Lord as thou art omnipotent in vertues Granat de perfectione amor dei lib. 2. ca. 34 so thou art sufficient for all men in loue thou art infinit in them both and therefore that cannot be wanting to any which hath neither lymits nor any ende although it be deuided amongst many Euen as no man enioyeth lesse the light of the sunne because it shineth to all men but he receiueth so much thereof euen as though he were alone in the world so that heauenly bridegroome loues no lesse all the Godly soules both in particular and in generall then if it were one soule alone For he is not a louer like to Iacob whose loue towards Leah was colder for the feruent loue wherewith he loued Rachel but as an infinite God whose vertue is no lesse in euerie particular person though it be deuided also amongst many And after The Philosophers say Cap. 37. that goodnesse is to be beloued of it selfe but also that euery one loues his owne goods the best for when as man loues himselfe by nature it followes by a necessarie consequent that he must loue all his owne things as proper and pertaining to himselfe alone Wherefore euerie one loues his owne house his owne vineyard his owne money his owne seruants his owne horses and whatsoeuer he possesseth for all these serue to his vse and therefore man as he loueth himselfe so he loues all things which belong to himselfe Therfore if then thou my Lord God be not the onely best good thing in the world but also my best good thing that I haue in the world I minde here to consider in what degree thou art mine and by how many titles thou art mine that hereby I may more manifestly know how greatly I ought to loue thee Therefore I see O my God that thou art my Creator that thou art my sanctifier and that thou art my gloryfier Thou art my helper my gouernour defender tutour and keeper thou sustainest me thou encouragest me thou preseruest me thou to conclude art my God thou art my Lorde thou art my saluation thou art my hope thou art my glorie thou art all the good things I haue Thou art all these thinges vnto me O Lorde as thou art God but in that thou art man there are many other titles other duties and other bonds wherewith I am bound to thee Thou art my repairer for thou hast made perfect againe mans nature which by sinne was corrupted and weakned thou art my deliuerer for by thy captiuitie thou hast deliuered me from the tyranny of sinne death hell and the diuell my deadly enimy thou art my redeemer for with a price and incomparable treasure laid out for my sake thou hast redeemed me from that seruitude into the which thorow sinne I was fallen thou art my King for thou gouernest me with thy Spirite thou also hast fought for me and hast deliuered me from the hands of mine enimies And so going forward he reckons vp a great many benefits of Iesus Christ to his Church and after concludes thus All these things thou art O Lord my God and more then these both to all and to euery one and to me alone And therefore with what face shal I not loue thee Lord to whom I am bound by so many titles and meanes Par. prec orat 7. de impet amore dei Michaelab Istelt cites thus Granatensis praying But when as indeed euery good thing is to be beleeued by it selfe yet notwithstāding euery one doth loue his own good the best I wil therfore loue thee O Lord my God not only because that thou art the best good thing but because that thou art my good too For when I consider and way with my selfe by how many titles and means thou art become mine my very entrails melt within me and I crie out with the Bride My loue is mine and I am his For thou O Lord art my creator thou art my sanctifier and glorifier thou hast giuen me the essence of nature thou hast giuen me the essence of grace and thou wilt giue me the essence of glory Thou art my helper my gouernour my defender my tutor my preseruer and lastly thou art my Lord and my God thou art my saluation my hope my glory thou art all the goods I haue And truly thou art all these vnto me in as much as thou art God in as much as thou art the Creator and preseruer of all things but in that thou art man there are many other titles other duties and other bonds wherewith I am bound to thee and thou to me for the which also I ought of good right to loue thee if it were possible with an infinit loue c. Granatensis here affirmes that God is not onely the best good thing in the world but that hee is his good to him And what is this else but to teach men to beleeue speciall grace Mem. lib. 2. cap. 4. Granatensis also himselfe of speciall grace writes thus Amongst all those losses which the sinner incurres thorow his sinne there is none greater or more to be lamented then that hee loseth God himselfe for this is the root and fountaine of all other losses For to haue lost God is not to haue God a speciall father tutor pastour and defender and now to haue changed him from being a most louing Father into a most seuere Iudge Here is the verie word vsed that God is as it were a speciall father protector and defender to euerie one of his Granatensis in another place of speciall grace writes thus Mem. lib. 5. orat remiss peccat O Lord remember thy wordes which are most comfortable which sometimes thou spakest by the mouth of thy Prophet Ier. 31. But thou hauing plaide the harlot with manie louers yet turne againe to mee sayth the Lord. Wherefore O mercifull father
written A father of many Nations haue I ordained thee Roman 4.16 euen before God whome he beleeued who quickneth the dead and calleth the things which be not as though they were which Abraham beleeued against hope vnder hope that he should be the father of manie Nations according to that which was spoken to him So shall thy seed be And he not weake in faith considered not his owne bodie which was now dead being almost an hundreth yeare old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in faith and gaue glorie to God being fully assured that he that had promised was able to doe it And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now it is not written for him onely that it was imputed to him for righteousnesse but also for vs to whom it shall be imputed for righteousnesse which beleeue in him which raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead who was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Saint Paul here the Doctour of the Gentiles teacheth all Christians by the example of their father Abraham contrarie to the doctrine of the Vniuersitie of Collen that they must not consider their owne frailtie and weakenesse for who then shoulde not despaire but the promise and mercie of God Abraham considered not that now hee and Sarah his Wife were as good as dead to child-bearing and begetting but the word and promise of God which euen quickens things that be dead calles things which are not as though they were and euen so must all Abrahams Children and all true Christians not consider their owne frailtie and weakenesse for if they respect their owne deseruings euen the best of them all they are like their Father Abraham euen dead in their sinnes and farre off from obtaining the Kingdome of God yet beleeuing the promise of God assuredlie and not respecting this their owne frailtie and weakenesse but euen nowe with a liuelie faith whensoeuer it assaulteth them ouercomming it they must all assure themselues of the kingdome of God as Abraham did of his sonne Isaac And this is faith and this is to be the true sonne of Abraham and without this faith no man can bee saued Wée must not consider our owne infirmities naie that wée are euen of our selues dead through our sinnes as the Vniuersitie of Collen teacheth but wee must onelie respect the grace mercie and promise of God as Abraham our forefather did and by this strengthened ouercome the other which as an enemie is opposed and set against faith to wrestle with it and to assault it The Vniuersitie of Collen in this their doctrine doe gainesay the Prophet Dauid whome they alleadge for their witnesse Psalm 125.1 The iust man sayeth Dauid is like mount Sion which on no side can bee moued Hée is firme on euerie side hee trusting on the mercie of God is not mooued as they teach with the consideration of his owne frailtie Againe let vs consider howe the Vniuersitie of Collen and Master Bellarmine do disagree in this great point of saluation Bellarmine whereas saint Iohn saith Lib. 1. de Iustificat cap. 11. These things haue I written vnto you which beleeue on the name of the sonne of God that you may knowe that you haue eternall life answereth that S. Iohn saith truly they which beleeue as they ought haue euerlasting life The meaning therefore saith he of the Apostle is conditionall for hee writes to those which beleeue that they may know that they haue eternall life if so be they beleeue indeed as they ought to beleeue that is if they haue faith which worketh by loue This is master Bellarmines iudgement But the vniuersity of Collen writes thus Dialog 4. contra Monhem Who euer hath taught thus of faith that the saluation of euery particular man should bee obtained by it or haue relation to it For faith is of all things most assured which neither can be deceiued nor deceiue But the iustification of euery priuate man say they is very vncertaine much more their eternall saluation how therefore can faith bee had of such vncertaine things This is the censure of the Vniuersitie of Collen whereas both Saint Iohn and master Bellarmine auouch that they which beleeue aright know that they haue eternall life so that by the censure of the Vniuersitie of Collen wee must not beleeue assuredlie wee must not knowe that wee shall be saued wee must onelie hope that wee shall bee saued And they saie againe That the certainty of hope is not such that any man trusting thereunto should not doubt for so long as we hope say they we are vncertaine as the very Etymologie of the name of hope doeth teach vs. Thus wée maie plainelie see howe they will haue vs doubt still of our saluation which doubting is both contrarie to faith and also to knowledge which Saint Iohn the Apostle teacheth But to returne againe to M. Bellarmines former answere his meaning is thereby though hee dissent from the vniuersitie to prooue that no man shall bee assured or know that hee shall bee saued For hee saieth a little before that euen by our confession faith is necessary to the forgiuenes of sinnes But saieth he out of what word of God do they learne that they haue such a faith as is required to get and obtaine remission of sinnes This is one of his mistes whereby hee would haue euerie one doubt whether hee hath faith or no and so doubt whether hee should bee saued or no. But this doctrine is contrarie to Saint Paul who thus writes to the Church of Corinth 2. Cor. 13.5 Trie your selues sayeth hee and search your selues whether you bee in faith or no. Doe you not know your selues that Iesus Christ is in you vnlesse you bee reprobates All Christians must knowe that Iesus Christ is in them that they are by faith engrafted into him or else they are reprobates By master Bellarmines doctrine all Christians are reprobates For no Christian sayeth hee knowes whether he hath such a faith as obtaineth remission of his sinnes and then it must néedes followe that no Christian knowes that Iesus Christ dwelleth in him which all shoulde knowe and so all are reprobates by his doctrine 1. Pet. 1. Peter the Apostle writes his Catholique Epistle in generall to all Christians and hee sayeth that they haue gotten like precious faith to the Apostles And shall they not know then that they haue obtained such a faith as is required to the forgiuenesse of sinnes The Papistes imagine God to bee a respecter of persons and that to the Apostles hee gaue a great faith and that they might bee sure of their saluation but to none else hee gaue the like faith and that all others ought to doubt but Saint Peter here plainlie teacheth that euen those to whome he wrote had obtained euen as precious a faith as he And shall not we iudge so
of our Christians at this daie Naie in the Acts he pronounceth the same sentence Act. 10 34. that God is no respecter of persons that in euerie Nation he is accepted vnto him which feareth him and worketh righteousnesse And when as the Holie ghost fell vpon them hee commaunded them to be baptized and haue not all Christians at this daie likewise the holie Ghost doeth not Saint Paul saie that they which haue not the Spirite of God Roman 8.9 are none of his If all christians then haue the Holie ghost then must they néedes haue faith which is the first and principall fruite thereof and such a faith as is required to the obtaining of the remission of their sins Maie not wée saie of our christians as Saint Paul speakes of the christians in the Primitiue Church 2. Corin. 3.3 1. Corin. 1.7 You are the Epistle of Christ sayth he to the Corinthians made by our ministerie written not with Inke but with the Spirit of the liuing God And in his first Epistle he giues thanks to God that they wanted no gift Therefore they had no doubt such a faith as is required to the forgiuenesse of sinnes by Saint Pauls owne Testimonie yea although that their faith had some imperfectiōs in it of dissention of diuers errors both concerning the Sacrament and also the resurrection of the dead Why maie we not therefore beléeue and pronounce of all christians in these our daies which are not notorious Atheists or cut off from the church as saint Paul did of the christians generallie in his daies Thus wée maie see howe saint Pauls doctrine and master Bellarmines differs the one tendeth to consolation and edification the other plainly to the destruction of the faith and to desperation Ferus writes That most iustly the holy Ghost is called the comforter not only for this cause In. cap. 14. Ioh. that it comforted the Apostles the Children of the Bride of the death and absence of their father by the word of the Scripture saying that it behooued Christ thus to haue suffered but also for this cause that as an earnest peny and pledge it assureth the faithfull that they are the sonnes of God But Bellarmine saieth That the Spirit witnesseth to our spirites that we are the Sonnes of God but this Testimony is by no expresse word that is by Reuelation but by a taste of some inward ioy and peace which ingenders in vs no certainty but coniectural But an earnest giuen to any takes away all coniecture And Ferus speaking of this Testimonie sayeth O this happy knowledge yea most happy vnion so to be knit not only to the Sonne but to the father It makes vs know surely we are Gods Sonnes So this earnest takes awaie all coniecture nay more then this it vnites vs to God But that place of Ecclesiastes is alleadged of some to disprooue this certainty of our saluation the which place if it bee indifferently considered prooues no such thing but rather it condemnes all rash iudgements of Christians Ecclesiast 9.1 Matthew 7.1 according to our Sauiours doctrine Iudge not and yee shall not be iudged The place is this I gaue my selfe sayeth Salomon to consider this whole matter and to declare the same because that iust men and wise men and their seruice are in the hands of God euen the iust men and wise men are in the handes of God if hee held them not vp they should surelie fall euen into the pitte of hell Loue also and hatred no man knowes all things are before their faces for all thinges happen to all men alike There is one euent to the iust and wicked to the good and pure and to the vncleane to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not The plaine meaning of this place is that no man knowes by the externall euentes which happen to himselfe or others whether hee bee beloued of God or hated The same thinges chance verie often alike both to the godlie and to the wicked 2. King 23.29 1. King 22.35 Gen. 13.2 Luk. 16.19 2. Sam. 12.18 1. Kin. 19 14 17 1 King 22 49. Psalm 48.6 Luke 13.4 Act. 28.4 Gen. 22.2 Good Iosias was slaine in the battell as well as wicked Ahab Abraham was rich as well as Diues Dauids child died as well as Ieroboams Iosaphats Shippes were broken as wel as the Shippes of the wicked Let no man pronounce sentence of condemnation against his Brother by reason of these outward euents as did the superstitious Iewes against those vpon whom the Tower of Siloam did fall or as did those prophane Paganes against Paul who iudged him a wicked man because a Viper caught him God deales woonderfullie with his Isaac the hope of the world is commanded to be sacrificed Iesus the light of the Gentiles Luk. 2.32.23.33 and the glory of Israel is crucified who will then iudge or condemne by anie externall accident This sense the verie coherence of the verse that followeth inforceth for thus it followeth in the Text. This is an euill that is done amongst all vnder the sunne that there is one chance or euent to all and that the harts of the sons of men are full of euill and madnesse is in their harts whilest they liue And because in all mens heartes this sinne and madnesse remaines so that no man can saie hee hath no sinne therefore these like euents and chances outwardlie happen to all alike Again it is to be noted that Salomon here saith The man knoweth not that is the carnall man and he that is not regenerate in whose person he hath spoken manie things before as that Who knoweth whether the spirit of man ascēd vpward the spirit of a beast descend downward Eccles 3.21 to the earth It is euident that Salomon speaketh not that of himselfe who affirmes in the 12. Chapter that the spirit of man returnes to God Cap. 12. ver 7. that gaue it him so that the carnall man knowes not then whether hee bee worthy of loue or hatred It is Gods Spirite that bringes this certaintie that workes this effect that witnesseth this without which our spirits should doubt naie euen despaire euen the spirites of the most couragious and valiant So our Sauiour told Peter of the profession of his faith that flesh and bloud had not reuealed that vnto him Matth. 16.17 but his heauenly father by the working of his holie spirite So wee reade in the Gospell Mark 13.32 that our Sauiour himselfe knowes not the day of iudgement as hee is man so man in that respect hee is man knowes not his loue nor his hate Rom 8.15.16 but the holy spirit beares witnesse to our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God and therefore beloued of God and vpon this assurance of loue makes vs call boldlie vpon God and crie Abba father And Salomon himselfe after seemes to make this distinction of man The end of all the Word saieth hee
liuely verified and expressed when as he said Come vnto me al that trauell and bee heauy loden and I will refresh you Matth. 11.28 This was that caue wherein also Elias hid himselfe 1. King 19.11 till the mighty strong wind that euen rent the mountaines and brake the rocks before the Lord and the earthquake and the fire were past And vntill that soft small and louing voice was heard And if Elias was glad to hide himselfe in this caue vntil all these sharpe stormes of Gods wrath were past how much more all other Christians how holie soeuer they be And a refuge from the tempest Not onely Gods wrath outwardlie doeth punish vs but euen the stormes and huge tempests which by reason of our sinnes Sathan doeth raine often euen in our owne heartes And these raging tempests also Iesus Christ doeth pacifie and swage in vs he is a refuge or hiding place Of these Dauid complaines Psalm 93. ◠The waues of the sea are mighty and rage horribly but yet the Lord that dwelleth on high is mightier No doubt Dauid here speakes not of the waues of the earthlie seas which hee neuer medled withall but of the waues and sea of his conscience which by reason of his sinnes dailie vexed him And for the waues of this sea that wee might bee deliuered from them maie verie fitlie spiritually that prayer the Apostles made in the tempest of the other sea wherein they were bee vnderstood Saue vs Lord wee perish And hee rebuked the Sea and the winds Mat. 8.25 and there followed a great calme Hée that was of power to controll and pacifie the stormes of the sea can also controll and make calme those stormes of conscience of all them that are in trouble and seeke to him for succour euen with one word now as he did then He is as riuers of waters in a drie ground All mens hearts by nature are as a Wildernesse euen as a drie ground wherein no goodnesse dwelles He onely is the heauenly deaw that fell vpon the hilles of Sion Psa 133.3 that makes both Hermon of the Gentiles and Sion of the Iewes fruitfull Hée is that fountaine of all good graces and blessings of whose fulnesse wee all haue receiued euen grace for grace Ioh. 1.16 euen most francklie and fréelie all that we haue Iohn 15.1 He is that Vine into whom whosoeuer is not grafted brings forth nothing nothing that is acceptable or pleasant to God Hée makes our works grapes and our almes and prayers wine in Gods sight which otherwise in Gods sight were but al vineger and stinking Elder berries Therefore whosoeuer lacks anie spirituall gift either heauenlie wisedome or the gift of faith or of the holie Ghost let them begge it of him and without all doubt they shall not returne emptie awaie And as the shadow of a precious rocke in a weary land This our life is a pilgrimage and we are all here but as pilgrimes and in this the seruice we doe to our God how slothfullie how negligentlie how wearilie and how vnperfectlie doe wee it when wee haue doone the best we can Luk. 17.10 Psal 130.3 We must all say as our Sauiour Christ taught vs wee are vnprofitable seruants and wee must saie with Dauid O Lord if thou wilt marke what is done amisse who may abide And with saint Iohn If wee euen the Apostles of Christ say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no trueth in vs. The best of vs all Ioh. 1. Epi. 1.8 Exod. 17.12 in our prayers are euer weary and in some thing halting as was Moyses and therefore needed to haue Aaron and Vr to helpe to hold vp his armes and besides these to haue a great stone put vnder him to beare the waight and wearines of his whole body and that was no doubt Iesus Christ Our forsaking this world Gen. 19.16 is like to Lots going out of Sodome when as he prolonged the time the Angels caught him with his wife and his two daughters by the hands the Lorde beeing mercifull to him Gen. 6.8 Luke 1.28.46 Rom. 3.14 and so they brought him forth and set him without the City Euen Noah himselfe found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And likewise the blessed Virgine as the Angell told hir and as she hir selfe confessed and all the Saints of God that all mouthes should bee stopped as saint Paul teacheth and that all glory and power might be giuen to GOD alone Now Iesus Christ is that great and precious Rocke whereon all the saints doe rest and repose themselues in their thousands of imperfections in all their sinnes and works to their God in this their pilgrimage hee beares all their imperfections as a mightie rocke for his sake our prayers and almes all our works though all of them imperfect done wearilie and lazilie and not with such seale and perfection as Gods law requireth are accepted A thousand maie sit vpon a rocke Exod. 25.17 and it will ease the wearinesse of them all He is that golden table which was called the propitiatory which couered the whole Arke Art thou a péece or a part of Gods arke or Church then Iesus Christ must couer thee whosoeuer thou art and this our king is our hope 1. Col. 1.27 he makes all his Christians sure of their saluation for what should make them afraid he is a hiding place from the winds of Gods wrath hee is a most safe refuge and hauen against all the stormes and tempests of our sinnes and conscience hee is a most plentifull fountaine of all heauenlie graces still watering the drines and barrennesse of our hearts and euer making vs springing and fructifying in all good works and lastlie in our manifold imperfections and works euen in our best works wee doe in the seruice of our God he is a Rock for vs most assuredlie to relie rest vpon what will we more shall we anie more doubt of our saluation Let vs rather beleeue the Prophet Esay then all the doctrines of men whosoeuer he that beleeues this cannot doubt anie more Therefore let euerie one remember ruminate vpon these foure vertues and principall effects of our heauenlie king and Sauiour and neuer hereafter doubt anie more Stella makes this difference of the godlie and of the wicked Stella in 2. cap Lucae The iust saieth hee reioice in death they desire it and passing out of the bonds of this body they reioicing triumph but the wicked do contrary for euen as theeues which feare the Iudges and officers so these wicked men being reprooued of their owne consciences flie from death fearing least they should appeare before the Iudge And no doubt the ioie of the godlie is grounded vpon this rocke they reioice in the Lord euer euen in death as Saint Paul teacheth them Granatensis de perfectione amoris dei ca. 15. Granatensis of the certaintie of our saluation writes thus A fourth thing
that especially helpes to keepe and preserue this peace of conscience is a certaine familiar and a filiall trust which the iust haue in God of which wee will speake briefly which in some of them is so great that there is no sonne in the world which in all his necessities trusts so much in the protection of his father as they do in the protection of God For they know that there is no father on earth worthy of this name if he bee compared with their heauenly father They know that this father hath a care not onely of their bones but also of the very haires of their heads and that not one of them doth fall without his appointment and will These and such other like things they know by faith And they know also by the experience of particular graces and by his prouidence and louing kindnesse which God vseth towards them and they know that God will so certainly prouide for them in all their necessities that they sing ioifully with the Prophet The Lord gouernes me or as some other doth translate it The Lord doth feed me and therefore I can lacke nothing And after Although I walke in the middest of the shadow of death I will feare no euill because thou art with me Such like promises hath the scripture in a thousand places and with the truth of these the iust man is defended as with a most sure shield and therefore he is neither troubled nor any whit moued in all the chances of this life For whatsoeuer is taken from him on the one side he trusts shall be restored againe of God on the other side in matters of greater waight and importance Thus farre Granatensis And what could be more truelie and plainlie written of the great loue which God hath to euerie Christian and of the loue which he ought to beleeue most assuredlie To beleeue this loue of God towards them is the onelie shield of Christians in the manifold chances of this life Take this loue awaie from them and you leaue them naked and what is more contrarie to the doubtfull doctrine of our saluation which the Church of Rome daylie teacheth Ferus speaking of the time betweene Christs death and his resurrection writes thus Fer. Ser. 10. de filio predi What maruell is it saieth hee if the Disciples then doubted whether their faith in Christ were a right faith or no That without all doubt was a most sorrowfull time vnto them when as they were so perplexed in their minds For what doth so torment a mans conscience as then when he is compelled so to sticke in two waies doubtfull of his faith whether there be any hope of grace and mercy or no This I say the holy Apostles and Disciples tried by experience in the death of Christ c. Such a doubtfull faith the Church of Rome now teacheth which Ferus here plainelie condemnes as a most miserable thing In the psalme euerie soule now is called the beloued of God Psalm 118.6 That thy beloued may be deliuered saieth Dauid Let thy right hand saue mee and heare thou me Euerie soule in the sight of God is now Dauid that is beloued is Salomon is at peace with God is Iedidiah on the Lords behalfe But to returne againe to Granatensis after hee addes this And by this meanes the people of God as the Prophet Esay sayth Ibidem shall sit in the beauty of peace and in tabernacles of sure confidence and in rich tranquility where she shall find all things in him who is all in all Therefore the Prophet fitly ioines peace with confidence for one of these comes of another that is peace of confidence for he that trusts in the Lord there is nothing that may cause him to bee afraid or that may trouble him for he hath God his defender and one that prouides and taketh care for him Of the certaintie also of saluation Med die lunae de vener Sacram he in another place writes thus Christ also would make his spowse sure of the inheritance of the heauenly kingdome and he would leaue hir thereof an earnest penie and pledge that being sure of it she might passe ouer without wearines the pilgrimage troubles of mans life There is nothing that doth more forcibly moue vs to cōtemn al these things which are vnder the sunne then the hope looking for of those things which we shal haue in heauen And therefore our Sauiour said when as he was now ready to die I tell you the truth it is expedient that I go away frō you c. And a little after That his spouse might most certainly look for this good thing he hath left hir this incōparable pledge which is of so great price and valew as are those things which by the hope thereof she lookes for And he hath left hir these pledges least she should distrust the promises of God but should verily beleeue that God will giue all things in the life to come which he hath promised where she shall liue by the spirit seeing he hath not denied her the pledge thereof in this vale of misery where shee liueth in the flesh And in the same Chapter a little before Why was it not enough O King of glory to thy most feruent and vnspeakeable loue to haue despoused my soule vnto thee my soule I say which before was a seruant and bondslaue of the diuell but also when as thou hadst seene her to languish in thy loue thou madest for her this mysticall loue medicine which is consecrated and transelemented with these words that it hath power of transforming the soule that eates it into thee and of inflaming it with the loue of thee Nothing declares more manifestly ones loue then to wil to beloued againe Therefore when as thou so earnestly desires our loue and hast sought for it with so great pleasure who is it that hereafter will doubt of thy loue I am sure O Lord that when I loue thee I am loued againe of thee I am sure O Lord that I need vse no new meanes to kindle thy loue towards me as thou hast done to rauish my affections towards thee Thus farre Granatensis What can bee more plainelie saide that euerie one is sure of his saluation then that euerie spouse of Christ that shée might bee sure of her heauenlie inheritance and that shée might passe ouer this pilgrimage ioifully hath receiued a pledge and earnest penie thereof of God and that hereafter now none will doubt of the loue of Iesus Christ towards him why then he is sure of his saluation And in another place Loue and mercy compassed thee about and laide that heauy burthen vpon thy shoulders loue mooued thee to giue me thy goods and mercy caused thee that thou shouldest take vpon thee all my euilles if therefore mercy with loue brought thee vnto such and so miserable a state who euer hereafter wil doubt of the greatnesse of thy loue For if that
doth not say the words I haue spoken a little before but the wordes I doe speake are spirit and life and therefore are my flesh For euen as that which containeth a mans spirit and life is his flesh euen so saith our Sauiour that which containeth my spirit and life is also my flesh So that by this short sentence he exhorteth all men to the reading of his word Wouldest thou be partaker of Christs life and spirit then eate his flesh that is read his word muse and meditate therein day and night And no doubt beleeue the saying of thy Sauiour his wordes he hath spoken shall be spirit and life vnto thee Thus we may sée how Ferus doctrine most manifestly agrées with the doctrine of our Sauiour Manie for want of eating of this flesh which feede their bodies daintily with the flesh of fishes and foules at this daie haue faint and pined soules nay dead soules void of the life and spirit of Iesus Christ In Mat. cap. 7. Ferus also of the certaintie of our saluation and of the sufficiencie of the Scriptures writes thus What saith he do men so greatly desire as securitie How much would the Emperor of Rome giue that he might be safe from his enemies How much would euery iust man reioice if he were certaine of his estate if he knewe that he should neuer fall how greatly would euery sinner reioyce if safetie were assured him against death hell But all these things doe Christs words onely performe This saith Ferus But the Romane Correctors in their copie do command to put out onely They are loth that so much should bee attributed to the Scriptures Of the sanctification also of the sabboth In cap. Mat. 22 Ferus hath this notable lesson The chiefest worke of the sabboth saith he is to cease from thine owne workes and to giue place that God may worke his in thee that is faith charitie patience longanimitie chastitie The second worke is that we apply our selues to doe good workes and to meditate in the Law of God to heare the word of God to pray in spirit and truth Especially therefore the word of God is to be heard without which there is no hallowing of it know that this is commanded thee of God that thou heare his word and keepe it and of this he will require an account of thee in the day of iudgement Neither is it enough for thee to heare it once or twise vnlesse thou heare it often The Diuell is euer assaulting thee and thou must euer by the word of God resist him by which alone he is ouercome Againe thou must meditate of the word of God or els thou hearest in vaine And two things especially are to be meditated out of the word of God that is to say our sinnes and Gods goodnesse And by these two as in Iacobs ladder sometime we must descend into our selues and sometime ascend vnto God Thus farre Ferus If this be true how hallowed they the Lords sabboth in the daies of our forefathers when Gods word was neuer or seldome preached to them If this be true that we should meditate on this Law of God then must we know it And here the Romane addition to Ferus detractes from the word of God againe that dignitie which Ferus giues to it By which alone saith he the Diuell is conquered but they blot out alone Of voluntarie religion Ferus writes thus Then In cap. 4. Ioh. their worshippings had not the warrant of the word of God and how can then they be certaine or sure to please God for they onely followed their owne reason and the examples of the fathers For thus they reasoned with themselues If an earthly or fleshly calfe pleased God offered at Ierusalem how much more shall a calfe of gold seeing it is more precious lasteth longer Also if it were lawfull for our holy fathers to worship God in this mountaine why is not the same lawfull for vs But in the worship of God neither mans reason neither the examples of the fathers but Gods word are to be followed Thou shalt not doe saieth he that which seemeth good in thine owne eies but that I command Here Ferus sets downe the only true and certaine ground of Gods true worshippe that is the word and commandement of God Here the reason of man or the examples of the fathers are denied to bee sure grounds of Gods worshippe and yet the Papistes doe builde their faith on these Dom. 1. Sexag Of the Scriptures also Philippus de Dies writes thus The matters which faith teacheth are so excellent that no mans wit be it neuer so sharpe and subtile can attaine vnto them for if it could then it were no faith And therefore to obtaine this faith we must heare the word of God as the Apostle exaggerates saying howe shall they beleeue in him which they haue not heard And after he concludes saying Faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God And so it appeareth how to the obtaining of faith it is necessarie to heare the word of God Behold how God which is the fruit which we hope for is not obtained without charitie and charitie is not obtained without faith and faith is not obtained without the preaching of the word of God And therefore for the verie great agreement and likenesse that it hath the Lorde called his worde seed What other doctrine doe we teach at this day here in England of the necessitie of hearing and knowing the worde of God In 3. cap. ad Col. Theodore also vpon that place of the Apostle to the Colossians Let the word of God dwell plentiously among you writes thus The olde law also commanded the daily meditation and studie of Gods word Thou shalt meditate in them saith the Lawe sitting at home in thy house rising vp also and lying vpon thy bed and going in thy iourney This thing the Apostle commandeth that we should also carrie about with vs the doctrine of the Lord and that we should praise him and that we should sanctifie him with our tongues with spirituall songs That phrase also in your hearts is as much to say As not in your mouthes onely That same note which the Hebrew text yéelds in that same Psalme we vse daily to repeat is worth marking Psal 95. v. 7. In the Hebrew it is thus Because he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and sheepe of his hands If to day you will heare his voice Here is the full point in the Hebrew text and here endes the verse and not where the common translation appoints it to ende So that then we are his people and shéepe of his pasture Here are great priuiledges such as none could be wished greater such as euerie man would desire to be partaker of But as euery one desires to be partaker of these priuiledges and blessings so let him as well marke the infallible and most plaine
dangers So the Apostles teach three things first the law that is what we must doe and what we must eschew Secondly the gospell Thirdly they bring remedies against perils But he especially counsels them that they should take meate for there is nothing more necessarie to thē that be in danger then the bread of the word of God No man can swimme out and escape from death vnlesse he first strengthen himselfe with the bread of life Wouldest thou escape death then follow Ferus his counsell strengthen thy soule with this bread 8. Of Pilgrimages FIrst concerning Pilgrimages Ioh. 4.21 the Gospell teacheth vs these lessons And Iesus said vnto the woman of Samariah Woman beleeue me the houre commeth when ye shall neither in this mountaine nor at Ierusalem worship the Father c. No nor in any other set place But the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth that is in euerie place Mal. 1.11 And this is that which Malachie also prophesieth of Christs kingdome From the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe of the same my Name is great among the Gentiles and in euery place incense shall be offered in my name Here are two things of vs to be considered First that Gods name alone shall be great among the Gentiles and of it shall proceede incense that most swéet smelling sacrifice vnto God in euerie place And what is this els but prayers to bee made in all places in the name of Iesus Christ The same lesson also grounded no doubt of this Prophesie Saint Paul teacheth al christians I will therefore that men pray euery where 1. Tim. 2.8 lifting vppe pure hands without doubtfulnesse No doubt this prayer in all places is that sacrifice and most pleasant incense whereof Malachie spake before But that place of Saint Paul most manifestly ouerthrowes all Pilgrimages The word is neere thee Rom. 10.8 euen in thy mouth and in thy heart This is the word of faith which we preach for if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus shalt beleeue in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued For with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth vnto saluation The word of faith the worde of saluation is nigh thée saith Saint Paul thou néedes not go to Rome or to any other place for it For if at home in thine house thou shalt beléeue in the lord Iesus confesse him with thy mouth thou shalt be saued thou néeds not make any great long iournie for to obtain thy saluation Nay our sauiour Christ himselfe most manifestly makes it a signe of heretikes to teach this doctrine of pilgrimages There shall arise false Christes saith he and false prophets c. Mat. 24. Wherefore if they shall saye vnto you behold he is in the desart goe not forth behold he is in secrete places 23. or in their cels cloisters beleeue them not For as the lightning commeth out of the East and shineth into the West 27. So shall also the comming of the sonne of man be Not onely in his comming to iudgement but also to euerie faithfull soule as saint Luke seemes to expound this For as the lightening that lighteneth out of the one part vnder heauen shineth vnto the other part vnder heauen Luke 17.24 so shall the sonne of man be in his day Where as that which saint Matthew calles his comming saint Luke calles his day And saint Luke before calles the light of the Gospell the daie of the sonne of man which in the thicke darkenesse of Antichrist he saith Vers 22. Men shall desire to see but one of them and shall not see it Christ in his kingdome as the true sunne of righteousnesse to illuminate to quicken things nowe dead thorow sinne shines not onely at Rome but thorow the whole world Of Pilgrimages to Rome or to other places Concerning this matter Ferus writes thus By this word hee shewes Fer. in ca. 4. Io. all controuersies of the prerogatiue of places are to be taken away for in the newe Testament the worship of God is tyed to no one place but in all places of his dominion God is praised of the faithfull as it was foretolde by Malachie This is our great comfort that we may finde God in all places For otherwise if we must all goe to Ierusalem who seeketh not howe fewe should haue beene saued therefore he left not one stone vpon another in the Temple of Ierusalem that we might all know that that law of worshipping God in one place was now abrogated as concerning externall things for spiritually we all do worship and sacrifice nowe in Christ the true Temple of God Fer. in pass Parte 4. And againe of the same matter in another place hee writeth thus To conclude saith hee no man knowes where Moses graue is neither makes it any great matter But Christes graue is knowen to all men and so also it was necessarie that of it wee may learne our burials and resurrection for as Christs passion is ours so his buriall is ours also that wee are buried with him in baptisme to death c. It makes no matter for Moses his graue saith Ferus and the chiefe end of Christes graue why it is knowne where it is is not to go to sée it but to beleeue that as hee was buried and rose againe so shall wée also But how contrarie is all this to that which the Rhemists in their Testament haue noted vpon the second chapter of Saint Matthew vpon these wordes Came to adore they write thus This comming so farre of deuotion to visite and adore Christ in the place of his birth was properly a pilgrimage to his person and warrants the faithfull in the like kinde of externall worship done to holy places persons or things But this followes not they came to worship Christ therefore the faithfull may go a pilgrimage to worship holy places or things when as God is onely to be worshipped Then they had a starre to direct them but we haue none now therefore their fact cannot warrant vs. 9. Of Traditions and ceremonies AS concerning traditions and ceremonies Deut. 16.1 and what account to make of them that shadow of the lawe may seeme to teach Thou shalt keepe the moneth of Abib or new corne as Ierome translates it that is when as corne growes to be eared Reue. 11.1.8 And thou shalt celebrate the Passeouer vnto the Lord thy God For in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee out of the land of Egypt The comming out of that corporall Egypt was a signe no doubt of the comming out of the spirituall Egypt as S. Iohn teacheth vs in the Reuelation And amongst manie other resemblances Rom. 15.4 that the one of these hath to the other this is not the least and to be obserued of vs
that they came out of the land of Egypt in the moneth of Abib when corne waxed ripe and began to be eared And this God wils them here to remember And surely no doubt for our learning and instruction That we also should come out of Egypt in the moneth Abib when as the Lords corne shall waxe ripe when as the doctrine of the Gospell shall growe to perfection when as the séede of the Gospell shall not now be newe sown as it was in the daies of the Fathers but now shall be eared and be comed to perfection Mat. 13 26.30 Mar. 4.28 and be readie for the reapers to thrust in the sicle and reape it into the Lords barnes As our sauiour teacheth The earth bringeth out of her selfe first the blade then the eare and after the full corne in the eare Such like is the growth of the seede of the worde in the Church I would to God all Israelites which nowe amongst vs belong to the Lord would remember this moneth Abib when we shall come out of the spirituall Egypt as the other Israelites came out of that corporall Egypt the Lords corne shall waxe ripe and shall growe to perfection Manie Israelites obserue not this They will haue the ceremonies and rites which the Fathers obserued euen now to be obserued still as though corne being greene and like grasse had not the hoses or huskes belonging to it which it being now ripe do wither away and fall downe as nothing which in the beginning grew aloft and flourished Surely this lesson the moneth Abib must teach vs the Lordes corne is now waxen ripe and therefore wee must not looke for those rites and ceremonies those hoses or huskes which in the beginning when as the Lords corne was greene the Fathers tolerated or perchance made great account of that part of the corne which in the spring flourished most and grewe aloft is now become withered and quite fallen to the ground The true worshippers as our sauiour teacheth worship the father in spirit and trueth Io. 4.23 And the name of the whore of Babylon is a mysterie as saint Iohn sheweth vs Reue. 17.5 that is she is full of ceremonies and mysteries Wee are made partakers of Christ if we keepe and holde fast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 3.14 That is the beginning of our confidence our vnderpropping that is of our faith as Chrysostome expounds it euen vnto the ende That is asmuch to say as if wée kéepe fast the faith in the beginning taught and preached They that holde not the beginning of their firmitie and first faith haue lost their part in Christ The traditions of men will not warrant it them as saint Paul also writes to the Galathians O ye foolish Galathians Gal. 3.1 who hath bewitched you that you should beleeue another Gospell Euen then Sathan began by little and little to chaunge the Gospell of Christ to bring in his traditions and so to make the first Christians to loose their benefit in Christ let vs beeing warned by their example beware this his sleight Ferus of the markes of the true Church writes thus In 2. cap. Mâ—â— That also is the true Church which the starre declares that is where the word of God is taught and raigneth and where they liue according to the word of God and where all things are done according to the word of God and of Christ in what corner of the earth soeuer it be The new Testament saith Ferus is nothing else but a manifestation of those things which were sealed vp in the old vnder the rude letter vnder diuers figures The which thing is excellently declared vnder the figure of a booke sealed which none could open but the Lambe that was slaine and hereof it came to passe that the Apostles in their preachings opened the scriptures and hence it is that Christ wrote nothing but preached by worde of mouth that which was conteined in the olde lawe And also sewe of the Apostles wrote any thing And if any of them did write they would onely teach things that were contained in the olde If this be true then the scripture which the Papists cal traditioneÌ„ is not of like force with that which is scripta or written Secondly then the traditions which we are to beléeue are commended to vs in the worde of God and are the same that are contained in the written word of God For such traditions onely the Iewes were commaunded to obserue As we read in Ieremie Stand by the waies Ier. 6.16 marke and enquire of the auncient waies which is the good way and walke in it and you shall finde comfort for your soules But the traditions of the fathers besides the word were vtterly forbidden them as we read in Amos Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Iudah and for foure I will not turne Am. 2.4 but because they haue cast away the lawe of the Lord and haue not kept his commaundementes Their lies caused them to erre after which their fathers haue walked Sée how the following of their fathers steppes could not iustify them neglecting or making light account of the law of the Lord no traditions of fathers besides are warranted them So saint Paul writes to the Thessalonians That they should keepe the traditions which they had learned eyther by word or by Epistle 2. Thes 2.15 That is no doubt such traditions as either were written in other parts of the scripture or were agréeing to the worde written How greatly soeuer the nature of man delightes in traditions in the seruice of God yet our Sauiour telles all men plainlie They worship me in vaine Mat. 15.9 teaching the doctrines and commandements of men God will be worshipped of all his according to his own commandements All other worshippe be it neuer so statelie or costlie is vaine worship and displeaseth God Then by Ferus iudgement that doctrine which is not contained in the olde Testament vnder some type or figure is not to be beléeued in the newe And then as the olde Testament condemned all traditions besides the lawe written so that from that the Iewes might not depart neither to the right hand nor to the left so doth also the new Testament In cap. 4.30 The same Ferus of the worship of Christians writes thus The true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and truth Waye saith he our worship according to this rule and see whether it be not more like Iewish then Christian worshippe Nay be sure that thou art not as yet a true worshipper although thou obserue al outward things neuer so exactly vnlesse thou worship God in spirit and truth How manie euill worshippers were then in the daies of our forefathers by his iudgement in the midst of Popish darknesse In. cap. 16. Mat. Also Ferus writes thus of this matter There is nothing more pestilent then euill doctrine and therefore Christ doth shadow it by
the name of Leuen and that not vnfitly For first as Leuen is added outwardly and is of another nature so it is false doctrine whatsoeuer is added to the word of God or is mingled with it as either an externall or a contrarie thing for the word of God is pure bread not mingled with any other thing to which nothing must be added or put to of man according to that thou shalt adde nothing to my words In cap. 4. Mat. And in another place he writes thus Then our workes please God if they bee done of the spirit that is if they bee agreeing to Gods commandements and the Scripture for all that is not good which seemes good to thee Thou hast an example hereof in Saul who of Amelecke reserued oxen for the sacrifice of God to whom it was said Doth God delight in burnt offrings They are like to him to whom those things seeme better which they chuse themselues then Gods commandements yea they despise Gods commandements for their owne inuentions To conclude there is nothing good that is contrarie to Gods commandements for the will of God is the rule of righteousnesse and his commandement is a signe of his will therefore doe not that which seemeth good in thy own iudgement Thus much Ferus And yet such like were manie of their workes they did in Poperie they had no commandement in the word of God to warrant them And all such works by Ferus iudgement could not please God no more then Sauls sacrifice of the shéepe of the Amalekites did and yet manie Catholikes will vse such works still And in another place hee writes thus Fer. in 11. cap Mat. So it is also a staffe of reede whatsoeuer is taught or deliuered besides the word of God It is onely the word of God the which we may safely leane vpon that hereby thou maiest learne what kinde of froward deceiuers they are which giue vs for the word of God onely their owne dreames that is a staffe of reede This sentence is quite left out in the copie of Ferus printed at Rome The vncertaintie also of Traditions should cause anie good Christian to doubt to build his faith vpon them Augustine saith That their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or loue feasts Gagneius in cap. 14. ad cor which the ancient Christians did commonly vse at their communion were euer made before their communion as Christ did first eate the Paschall Lambe before he celebrated his sacrament but Chrysostome saieth that these loue feasts were euer made after the communion which of these traditions should we beléeue now Maister Bellarmine also of the signe of the Crosse which Constantine saw writes thus De laicis lib. 3 cap. 40. That Eusebius himselfe in the life of Constantine writes that he sawe it in his iourney and that Constantine himselfe told him so But in his ecclesiasticall Historie translated by Ruffinus it is recorded that he saw it in his sleepe And that Angels stood by him and said to him In this signe thou shalt ouercome It is very likely saith Maister Bellarmine that this was added of Ruffinus If there were additions in those daies euen by Maist Bellarmines iudgement and forgeries against the truth what shall we looke for in our daies Ierom also of Origens bookes writes In pref in E◠That in his daies manie were lost and some were vnder his name forged That subtile Sathan who durst be bold to corrupt and forge Origens works would not sticke also to forge other fathers Stella also of customes and old rites writes thus Christ saith hee and his Parents were verie carefull in keeping godly and holy customes but we quite contrarie dissent from Christ In 2. cap. Luc. keeping the olde custome and wont as we say in our garments vsuries and vnlawfull bargaines we ought in this matter consider this whether that such customes agree with the Gospell or no The which if they doe not then they are to be forsaken of vs but if they agree with it then they ought to be followed For the law of God ought to be a rule and square by which euerie rite custome is to be exemined For an euill custome is no law but a wicked abuse of the law c. So no doubt all customes not onely of bargaining but of worshipping God by this rule and square are to be examined But it is obiected of the Papists that Saint Basill speakes verie earnestly in the defence of Traditions He doth so but nothing for Popish Traditions Almost all the fathers doe make mention of Traditions and outward Ceremonies which were vsed in the Church in their daies which they did reuerentlie obserue and kéepe but they were not such vnwritten verities as the Papists now Lib. de Spirit Sanct. cap. 27. vnder the name of traditions do teach men to beléeue Basils Traditions are almost all externall thinges and no points of doctrine As signing those which are baptized with the signe of the crosse to pray towards the East to dippe the childe baptized thrise in baptisme That forme of prayer which is vsed in the Lords supper is not written saith he and the annointing of the baptized with oyle Amb. lib. 1. de faer cap. 2. of which Ceremonie also Ambrose makes mention These are all outward things neither are they substantiall points of doctrine And of these our church hath retained some which séeme not repugnant to the Scriptures and others she hath refused The fathers surely in their daies through their ouermuch deuotion and zeale in religion considered not that Antichrists kingdome should be a mysterie 1. Thes 2.7 Reu. 17.5 Mark 15.38 and that Christ now suffering the vaile of the Temple did rent asunder to teach vs that the true Sonne being now comed into the world all shadowes should vanish awaie but they began againe euen then to load the church with outward ceremonies and obseruations in so much that Austen complained in his daies Ep. 119. ad Ia. that the church and the religion which Gods mercie would haue free with the ceremonies and mysteries in her seruices of God and as plaine and as fewe as might be some did now oppresse againe with slauish burdens in so much that the Iewes were in better case then we Austen then perceiued whither this immoderate deuotion would grow vnto hee vrgeth that libertie whereinto we are brought by the mercies of Christ and in the which Saint Paul wils vs to stand Gal. 5.1 and to maintaine But although S. Basill doe vrge the obseruation of these outward things besides the expresse commandement and warrant of the scriptures yet concerning doctrine about the which betwéene the Papistes and vs is the greatest controuersie hee writes plainly that he would haue that tried by the scriptures For speaking of Heretikes he saith Ep. 80. That they might blame vs thus they saie that it is against their custome and that the Scripture doth not agree thereunto But
what doe we answere to this We thinke it not meete that that manner of speech which hath obtained the name of a custome among them should be accounted for a rule and canon of true doctrine Let vs both stand to the iudgement of the holy scriptures inspired by God and amongst whome are found opinions agreeing to the diuine Oracles let the sentence of truth bee pronounced on their side What can be plainer then this Custome must not be the canon and rule of truth in doctrine but Gods worde and they which haue that on their side let them haue the victorie The like offer now we make to the Paâ—â—â—ts But that booke of S. Basill is of Erasmus suspected to be forged and that not without iust cause as the most Reuerend Father in God the L. Byshop of Winchester in his booke called The difference betweene Christian subiection and vnchristian rebellion hath verie learnedly prooued Of Christes doctrine Ferus writes thus Fer. de pass part 2. and he quite ouerthrowes the verie ground of Traditions Christ proueth saieth he the truth of his doctrine by two arguments First that he neuer taught secretly but openly For he that doth euill hateth the light but he that doth the truth comes to the light Secondly he giues his hearers leaue to iudge I saith he spake openly in the world in secret I spake nothing that I would haue kept secret or not come to light yea he plainly coÌ„manded his Apostles That which I tell you in darknes preach you in the light He told his Disciples many things alone but for no other cause then that others were not able to comprehende them For whatsoeuer Christ hath taught he will haue it published and made knowne to all least any should excuse himselfe And hereof Saint Paul saith If our Gospell be hidde it is hidde in those that perish For in truth Christ speakes openly in the world euen now wisedome cries in the streets Therefore no man can iustly excuse himselfe of ignorance And this also is most true that he taught in the Synagogues and Temple of the Iewes where all were wont to assemble themselues yea not onely in the Temple and in their Synagogues but in ships and hilles Luke 6. and plaine fields That is publikely where men most commonly mette together therfore they can haue no excuse Therefore at another time he said vnto them If I had not comed and spoken vnto them they had had no sinne c. This quite ouerthrowes the Popes Religion Christ will haue his doctrine knowne to all and the refore he frequented common places They goe about to kéepe it in secret and thinke it not conuenient that all shoulde know it Againe he deliuered all things openly and nothing by tradition secretly Lib. 5. Eccles Hist ca. 2.4 Eusebius also of Traditions writes thus Not onely saith hee of the day of Easter is the controuersie but also of the manner of fasting for some thinke that the fast ought to be kept but one day some other but two daies other moe daies some fortie daies so that counting the howres of the day and night together they make a day which varietie of obseruations began not in our times but long before vs of them as I suppose who holding not surely that which was by tradition deliuered in the beginning haue eyther by their negligence or vnskilfulnesse afterward falne into another custome Héere we may learne that traditions are no safe and sure kéepers of trueth as the papists would make vs beleeue How soone had they lost the true tradition of fasting which the Apostles practised euen in Eusebius daies And shall wee nowe in the ende of the worlde grounde our faithes vpon traditions Ier. de ord Eccle part 3. c. 9. Saint Ierome also concerning the authoritie of Bishoppes and Elders in the Church writes thus If any of vs could know the custome of the time past I would proue that which I say to haue beene obserued euer and to haue beene obserued when as the Apostles preached in the Church And after by the spite of certaine some things were corrupted and some things were presumed Héere Ierome affirmes that what was done in the Apostles times he could not then certainly learne much lesse we nowe Such an vncertaine rule in matters of faith tradition is And Austen also of Antichrist writes thus But what is the cause of the delaie that he may be reuealed in his time you do know De ciu del lib. 20. ca. 19. that which he said that they knew he would not vtter And therefore we which know not which they knew desire to come to the knowledge of that which the Apostle ment with great labour neither can we attaine vnto it because that those things which he added haue made the sense also more obscure for what meanes this nowe the mysterie of iniquitie worketh let him onely that now holdeth holde till he be taken out of the waie and then that wicked one shall be reuealed I plainely heere confesse my selfe to be ignorant what he hath said yet I will not keepe close the suspitions and surmises of men which I haue read or heard concerning this matter In Austens daies that tradition which was deliuered by saint Paul to the Thessalonians concerning Antichrist a most great and weightie matter was forgotten and doe we thinke that till our daies the Church hath kept traditions of lighter matters inuiolably Irenaeus to Florinus an heretike writes thus I saw thee Euseb lib. 5. Eccle. hi. ca. 19. when as yet being but a childe I was with Policarpe in Asia who then didst verie well whilest as yet thou remainedst within the Emperours palace and didst studie to please Policarpe For I remember farre better the things which were done then then they which are done now because those things we learne wheÌ„ we are children grow vp in vs with our minde and doe cleaue fast vnto it Wherefore also I can tell thee the place wherein Policarpe did sit when as he did dispute and also his manner of going his countenance the maner of all his life and also his apparell and also his sermons and discourses he made to the people and also howe he liued with Iohn and how he was wont also to tell of others which had seen the Lord and also how he remembred all the words which the Lord spake which he had heard of them and of his miracles and doctrine and yet notwithstanding he reported all these agreeing to the scriptures the which things I then of the mercie of God which he vouchsafed to bestow vpon me hearing attentiuely and diligently did write not in papers but in my heart and which thinges by the grace of God I yet keepe faithfully and doe as it were chew them ouer againe with my selfe without ceasing I take God to witnesse and in his sight I affirme vnto thee that if that blessed Apostolical man Policarpe had heard any such matter as thou
are taught in this place first by this fact of our Sauiour that the authoritie of a kinge is of God which is both worthie of honour and reuerence So hee payde tribute to Caesar and to the tol gatherers of Caesar he would that tribute should bee paide of Peter and being asked whether tribute should be payde to Caesar hee answered Giue to Caesar the thinges that are Caesars He would be subiect to lawes euen from the beginning of his birth least he which should bee to others an example of life and holinesse should trouble the cōmon wealth which also came to amende that was amisse that he might also insinuate that a iust Empire hath lawes acceptable to all mē while the common wealth is maintained in peace iustice And for this cause no man ought to resist the higher powers when as Christ the example of humilitie would be subiect vnto them Thus farre Stella He excepts none from that subiection and obedience and paying of tribute neither Pope nor cleargie And whereas the Papists saye that one ministeriall head is necessarie for the gouernment of the Church August in psal 56. and that such a head is the Pope S. Austen concerning this matter writes thus Because all Christ is a head a bodie which I doe not doubt but that you knowe well enough our Sauiour himselfe the head who suffered vnder Pontius Pilate who now after he rose from the dead fitteth at the right hand of his father The Church is his bodie not this Church or that Church but that which is spred ouer the whole world nor that onely which is among men which now presently liue but they also belonging to her which were before vs and those also which shal be after vs to the worlds ende For the whole church consisting of all the faithfull because all the faithfull are mēbers of Christ hath now that head which is now placed in heauen which gouernes his bodie And although hee bee separated from sight yet hee is not separated from loue Therefore because all Christ is a head and his bodie therfore in al Psalmes let vs so heare the voice of our head as we also heare the voice of his bodie For he would not speake seuerally because he would not be separated Saying I am with you euen vnto the ende of the world If hee bee with vs he speakes in vs he speakes of vs and hee speakes by vs because we speake by him And therefore we speake truth because we speake in him For if at any time wee shall speake in our selues and of our selues we shall continue liers Thus far Austen where he saith plainly that Christ himselfe is a head gouerning his Church And that which is the chief part of a gouernor he speakes vnto it and that not by anie one but by all his ministers Fer. in 14. ca. Ioh. To whome hee hath promised He wil be with to the end of the world And how this gouernment is executed that is by his holie spirit Ferus verie excellentlie declares Christ alwaies saith he doth the part of a most faithfull Father For euen as a father his children being yet young doth not onely leaue them his inheritance and all the goods he hath but also placeth Tutors and guardians ouer them that may keepe that inheritance for his children and may resist those that would iniurie them which thing the children themselues orphanes could not doe So Christ here being not content by his testament to leaue vs his inheritance and his goods but moreouer he promiseth and appointeth the holie spirit to be our tutor and guardian who should take vpon him the care and guardianshippe of his Orphanes and should in euerie court before any Iudge King or tyraunt defende by his lawfull pleading the inheritance of the father bequeathed them in his testament nay written with his owne bloud and should haue a care least the children by their owne negligence should lose their inheritance Thus farre Ferus Now to be appointed tutor or guardian of the church what is it else but to be appointed gouernour of the Church Ieron in 4. ca. Mal. The Papists doe teach that before Antichrist Elias in his owne person shall come Concerning which thing Ierome writes thus The Iewes and heretiques following the Iewes before their Messias thinke that Elias shall come shall restore all things And hereupon in the Gospell this question was made to Christ Why the Pharisees doe say that Elias shall come To whome he answered Helias truly shall come And if you beleeue he is comed alreadie by Elias meaning Iohn Thus much Ierome Where we may note that Ierome calles them Iewish heretiques that looke for Elias And yet the Papistes at this daie looke for Elias If this had béen a point of Catholique doctrine in the Church in Ieromes daies no doubt hee would not haue béen ignorant of it neither would he haue called the professors thereof heretiques So that it should séeme the papists opinion concerning Antichrist was comed since Ieroms daies whereof this comming of Elias is a principall braunch And that the Papists are of this opinion Gagneius writes thus Neither in this place a mystical exposition of the number Gag in cap. xx Apoc. can fitly be applied when as in deede in the time of Antichrist that Elias shall come and preach according to the testimonie of Malachie we holde for a suretie Maister Bellarmine also affirmes the same De Rom. pont lib. 5. cap. 6. The third demonstration saith he is drawne from the comming of Enoch and Elias which as yet liue and liue to this ende that they may oppose themselues against Antichrist when he commeth and should preserue the elect in the faith of Christ and at the length should conuert the Iewes These are the causes why Maister Bellarmine saith that Elias and Enoch shall come But these causes haue no ground in the scripture and therfore the effect of them shall not follow For S. Paul saith Eph. 6.17 that the word of God is the sword of the spirit with which sworde no doubt all Gods enemies amongst whom Antichrist is chiefe must be wounded and confounded And S. Paul saith plainly that Antichrist must be consumed with the breath of Gods mouth 2. Thess 2.8 that is no doubt with this sword And as our Sauiour Christ fought against Antichrists father the Deuill saying Luk. 4.48 It is written and not saying thus it is taught by tradition so must all his souldiers fight against his sonne the sonne of perdition Antichrist himselfe saying Thus it is written Euerie Christian armed with the sword of the spirit that is with the word of God must oppose himselfe against Antichrist This sword is able to confound him and cut off his head There néedes not Elias and Enoch to come to oppose themselues against him They blunt the edge of this sword which teach this doctrine And with this sword also Saint Iohn armes euerie
and that God will defend the Iewes for all this their ingratitude De ciuit Dei lib. 20. ca. 30. Saint Austen also referres this prophecie of Zacharie to be fulfilled in the end of the world It shall repent saith he at that day the Iewes yea euen those which shall receiue the spirit of grace and mercy hat in this passion they haue triumphed ouer him when as they shall haue respect vnto him comming in his maiestie and shall know that this is he whom being humble before and of no account among them they haue laughed to scorne in their parents Although their parents the ringleaders of that most hainous offence rising againe shall see him also but to be punished not to be pardoned Therefore in this place he meanes not them whereas he saith I will powre out vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and mercie and they shall now haue a speciall regard of me for that they made a iest of me but only those which come of their progenie which at that time shall beleeue by the meanes of Elias Thus farre Austen where he also thinkes that this prophecie of Zacharie shall be fulfilled in the end of the world and in the ofspring and progenie of those Iewes which put Christ to death But Austen here saith that Elias shall come But what then Ierome denies it Ier. in cap. 4. Mat. and cals them heretiques that say so And whether of these now shall we beléeue The Angell also taught Zacharie that in Iohn Baptist that prophecie of Malachie was fulfilled and he repeats the verie words of that prophecie that he shal turne the hearts of the fathers to the children c. least any one should doubt Luk. 1.17 whether he meant that prophecie or no. And our sauiour also in the gospel plainly teacheth that Elias was thē come and that they had done to him whatsoeuer they would Therefore he is not to come and to be killed againe of Antichrist as the papists teach Luk. 17.12 Likewise also saith he shall the sonne of man suffer of them They may as well say that Christ shall come and suffer againe as to say that Elias shall come and suffer againe for Christ himselfe compares both their sufferings togither And speaking of the prophecies which should be fulfilled All the law and the prophets saith he prophecie but vnto Iohn Mat. 11.13.14 And if ye will receiue it he is Elias which was to come What can be more planly spoken The prophecie of Malachie is fulfilled Iohn is not a type or figure of Elias as the papists would haue him but he is Elias which was to come saith our Sauiour And shall we not beléeue the Angell that taught Zacharie alleadging the verie words of the prophecie of Malachie that Iohn should fulfill it nor our Sauiour who agrées with the Angell and saith that that prophecie is fulfilled Nay who saith plainly that Iohn is Elias which was to come In this matter being so plaine to doubt surely is great incredulitie Nay our Sauiour addes yet more to make vs very wel to marke and beléeue this Vers 15. He that hath eares to heare let him heare saith he And yet for all this shall we not heare this doctrine of our blessed Sauiours owne mouth shall we not beléeue it So that then the prophecie of Malachie is fulfilled alreadie And what néds then Elias to come againe to fulfil it But they will say Elias neuer died but all men must die And therefore he must needs come againe to suffer death 1. Cor. 15.51 Must all men die Those that liue when Christ comes againe to iudgement shal not die vnlesse you cal that their change to be a death 2. Cor. 5.4 They shall not be vncloathed but cloathed vpon which thing saint Paul himselfe desired And so no doubt Elias and Enoch haue died already and are chaunged And therefore their bodies now vnlesse God should create them new bodies cannot suffer death And therefore for this cause they néed not nay they cannot come Now if Austen Gal. 1.8 nay if an Angell from heauen shall teach any thing contrarie to the gospell let him be acursed saith Saint Paul neither doth Saint Austen affirme this out of the scriptures but rather by tradition No man saith he will denie the iudgement but he that will denie the scripture But we haue learned that at the daie of iudgement or about that time these things shall be meaning Elias the Thesbite the conuersion or the faith of the Iewes that Antichrist shall persecute Lib. 20. de ciui ca. 30 that Christ shall come to iudgement that there shall be a resurrection of the good and a spoile of the wicked a consuming of the world by fire and a renewing of it againe All which that they shal come we must beleeue but in what manner and what order they shall come experience shall then better teach then now any mans wit can perfectly comprehend Lib. 20. ciu ca. 29. But I thinke that they shall come in order as I haue said And of Elias comming thus he writes in another place By this great Elias and wonderful prophet that the Iewes shall beleeue in the true Christ that is in our Christ before the iudgement by Elias who shal expound the law vnto them it is a verie common thing in the mouthes and hearts of the faithfull It was as should séeme a common spéech among the Christians in Saint Austens daies that Elias should come but we must ground our faith vpon the scriptures not vpon spéeches To these fathers Rup lib. 5 in Zac. Rupertus a latter writer agréeth And it shall come to passe that in that day I wil destroy al nations which come against Ierusalem This saith he needs no fauourable exposition for although this word conterere may sometime signifie mercie yet no man doubts or is ignorant but in that day of iudgement God ought to breake in peeces or destroy al nations which come against Ierusalem which haue shed so many martyrs bloud and haue not repented But before this the remnant of the Iewes are to be conuerted And therefore he saith And I will power vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the dwellers of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and prayers that is the spirit of the rem ssion of their sinnes which is the chiefest and greatest gift of grace And it shall come to passe that they shall be the house of Dauid and the inhabiters of Ierusalem And after this shall be the great day of iudgement of which he said In that day I will seeke to breake in peeces all nations which come against Ierusalem And therefore by and by he addeth and they shall behold me whom they haue pierced and they shall lament ouer him as ouer their onely begotten sonne c. Here is Rupertus iudgement that God will powre vpon the Iewes the spirit of mercie
one state and therfore they who do build their faith vpon the Church build vpon no sure foundation Master Bellarmine also concerning Antichrist agrées with their Catholicon and writes thus Adde this also saith he that as we haue shewed before Antichrist shall be a Iew and shall be Messias and King of the Iewes And therefore without all doubt shall make his seat in Ierusalem and shall go about to restore Salomons temple For the Iewes dreame of nothing else thē of Ierusalē the temple neither do they seeme that they will euer acknowledge any for their Messias which sits not in Ierusalem and after some sort repaires againe the Temple Thus farre Master Bellarmine But Stella contrarie to this assertion of M. Bellarmine writes thus If God promised by Aggee In ca. 2. Luc. that Messias should come to that Temple while it remained and that Temple now is ouerthrowen neither is there now any such Temple nor one stone thereof left vpon another how madde are the Iewes that will looke yet for a Messias To what second Temple shall he come if it be vtterly ouerthrowen if no signe thereof remaine Neither can the Iewes say that they shall haue another temple to which their Christ should come For Aggee their Prophet speakes of that Temple which then was built in Ierusalem and not of any other as his words plainly testifie nay he saith plainly that there shal neuer be any other Thus much Stella out of Aggee And where is then Master Bellarmines temple which he affirmes after a sort Antichrist shall restore Where is his Antichrist which shall lacke a seat by Stellas iudgement Nay vnlikelie is this to common experience Iulian the Apostata Egnat ca. 6. when he came to Ierusalē and saw the temple quite ouerthrown by Titus in despight of Christian religion he commaunded Philip of Antioch that he should make fit the place and should lay such a foundation of the temple that it might be compared with the former in statelinesse The which things pleased Iuliā the Iewes wonderfully But sodainly there were heard terrible rorings in the earth hot burning firebrands rose vp among the foundations which in a moment dispersed all things and consumed both the workemen and their tooles and the signe of crosses appeared in many mens garmēts which could not be put out If God so resisted then Iulian do we think he wil now suffer Antichrist to build the temple againe But the seate of Antichrist the seat of the Babylonish whore Who shall make all men drunke with the wine of her abominations Saint Iohn saith shall be a citie with seuen hils And what other citie in the world can that be else but Rome And what other heretique can this be then Antichrist who shall make the chast spouse a whore Re◠17.4 and that by wine of fornication what religion more pleasant or like wine then the Romish religion As their ordinarie musicke of singing and Organs playing of censing their precious Robes and Ornaments they vsed wherein not the least part of their seruing of God consisted do declare besides their guilds feastings their fraternities of euerie trade and occupation But to let all these passe All things amongst them were pardonable for mony And what more pleasant wine could be then this to flesh and bloud But as this their wine wherewith they made all men drunken is manifest so is also their fornication no lesse manifest It is spirituall fornication to trust in anie to call vpon anie to reueale the secrets of the heart to anie but to God Honest matrons know thus much For so they behaue themselues towards their husbands Hos 2.16 And God is the husband of his Church as he oftentimes protesteth But the Church of Rome hath taught men to trust in others to cal vpon others to reueale the secrets of the heart to others then to God And can this be anie thing else then spirituall fornication But they did this to saints and therefore it was no sinne neither can it be rightly iudged fornication Psal 73.25 Thus they say But let all true Catholikes marke what Dauid saith Whom haue I in heauen but thee and I haue desired none on earth with thee Here is the true spouse declared and the true Catholike religion grounded Now followes the whore 27 for lo they which withdraw themselues from thee or as it is in the Hebrew go farre from thee shall perish thou destroiest all them that go a whoring from thee To haue anie other yea in heauen to trust in to giue our hearts vnto but God is to commit fornication And therefore let all true Catholickes that meane to be saued take héed how they call vpon or repose their trust in anie no though he be in heauen but in God alone Reu. 14.8 as did Dauid lest they commit fornication against him and so be destroyed all The same doctrine plainely the angell crieth out To all nations kinreds and people against the kingdome of Antichrist and shall we be deafe will we not heare him Ibid. 6.7.8 Then saw I another Angell saith Saint Iohn flie in the midst of heauen hauing an euerlasting gospell to preach to them that dwell on earth and to euerie nation and kinred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice Feare God giue glorie to him For the houre of his iudgement is come worship him that made heauen and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters And there followed another Angell saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon that great citie for she made all nations to drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication Here first is the euerlasting gospell preached with a loud voice of an Angel which is feare God and worship him that made heauen and earth and not anie creature or saint whatsoeuer And shall we not imbrace this gospell shall we not beléeue this Angell this no doubt is the true Catholike faith this is the euerlasting gospel whatsoeuer all the Iesuites in the world teach to the contrarie And Babylon the mother of fornications which taught a doctrine contrarie to this is fallen What can be more plain then this To worship anie but him that made heauen earth is fornication This Dauid and the Angell teach And Babylon who hath taught the contrarie is fallen And as the wine of this whore is manifest so is her seat also as I noted before so that as he is deafe that will not heare the crying of the Angell concerning her poisoned wine so he is blind wilfully that will not see her seuen hils whereon she is situated Neither Saint Iohn onely but other prophecies haue taught the destruction of Rome and haue by these seuen hils portraied her out vnto vs Vae tibi septicollis c. Vaticinium Leonis Wo to thee O Citie built on seuen hils saith a prophecie going vnder the name of Leo the Emperour printed lately in Briscia
any signes for God hath sufficiently yeelded to our infirmitie that in the beginning of the law and gospell he adioyned to his word certaine signes as seales by which we might be assured that they were the word of God But now he will not at our pleasure giue any more signes but he will haue vs beleeue his word For we walke not by sight but by faith And hereupon he saith to Thomas Blessed are they which haue not seene and yet haue beleeued Therefore not without cause he condemnes those which as yet seeke for signes For first not to beleeue without signes is against the nature of faith For faith is a substance of those things which are not seene but are hoped for Secondly not to beleeue without signes is iniurious to God as though he could either deceiue or be deceiued Thirdly it is daungerous to giue more heed to signes then to the word of God it selfe for the diuell can shew signes the which thing we see in the enchaunters of Egypt Hereof also Moses forbiddeth that no credit should be giuen to the Prophet doing miracles and in the meane while teaching against the law because miracles cannot make the false word true but seduce rather but if they be annexed to the true word they confirme and seale vs the more in the truth Lastly faith conceiued by miracles is not so constant for they which beleeue not because of the word but by reason of miracles oftentimes fall into incredulitie in the time of tribulation neither continue stedfast in faith as we may see in the Israelites who verie often when as the miracles ceased fell a doubting Againe he writes thus Then we may safely beleeue miracles if the doctrine agree with the word of God which they teach that they are done in Christ And againe of the ends of miracles he writes thus God hath annexed miracles to his word Fer. in 3 ca. act as it were certaine seales by which we should be assured that they were not the words of man but of God which we see confirmed with such great signes which belong onely to God to doe for which cause Christ did not onely miracles himselfe but gaue his Apostles also power to do the same as also in times past to Moses and the Prophets Thus much Ferus Therefore miracles of themselues if they be separated from the word are of no force to establish anie doctrine 13. Of Apparitions of spirits AGainst Appearing of spirits Ierome writeth thus Ierom. in 8. ca. Esai This you ought to know that euerie nation asketh counsell of their owne Gods and enquires of the dead for the liuing but to you he hath giuen his law for to helpe you that you may say The diuination of the heathen is not such which often deceiueth the worshippers And not like ours which without any gift is drawen out of the law of God And after No maruell if you follow your traditions when as euerie nation asketh counsell of their Idols speaking of the Scribes and Pharisées following the traditions of their fathers Therefore we will not aske counsell of you being as it were dead concerning the liuing God hath rather giuen you a law and the testimonie of the Scriptures which if ye will not follow you shall haue no light but euer darknes shall oppresse you May we not say the like of the Papists who followed the apparitions of spirits and the traditions of the elders Saint Bernard also asketh a question of the blessed Virgine of whom it is said that she cast in her mind what that salutation should meane Oleast in 2. ca. Gen. And why she should suspect talking with an Angell and he answereth wilt thou O man be in daunger without care feare then securitie it selfe Wilt thou be safe and sure from the diuell then feare Angels from heauen Thou hast heard that Sathan hath transformed himselfe into an Angell of light that he might deceiue man Thus much Oleaster alleadgeth out of Bernard I would to God they themselues had followed this holy fact of the blessed virgin who at the first suspected the Angell that appeared to her and that they had not giuen credit to the apparitions of Angels nor of the Saints No nor to the blessed virgin her selfe or of the soules of any departed of whom they haue learned most part of their religion Sathan may seeme a saint the blessed virgine nay euen an Angell of God Beware therefore how thou at all beléeuest such apparitions least thou be deceiued Looke rather to Moses and the prophets according to thy Sauiours counsell then to these doubtfull apparitions And after Why O woman dost thou lie saying God hath forbidden both to eate and touch the tree when as God onely forbad the eating thereof Note heere that he calleth it a lie to adde to the commaundement of God though it seeme religious as not so much as to touch the trée This Eue might seeme to haue said of a deuotion that she bare to the commaundement that she would not so much as touch the trée But that had béene superstition that had béene more then God commanded she might lawfully haue touched the tree And many such superstitions beside the word Eue the mother Church of Rome vpon a good intent for deuotion bringeth now into the Church Stella also of Reuelations writes thus Simeon beleeued the scriptures which spake of Messias and after he had Reuelations Stell in 2. Luc. Hereby we are taught that they are worthy to haue Reuelations shewed them which beleeuing the scriptures obtaine those things which they beleeue and doe them Secondly that those Reuelations are certaine which doe not dissent from the Scriptures Thus farre Stella I would to God they had examined all their reuelations and apparitions by this rule of the scriptures then the papists by lying spirits had not béene so often deceiued as they haue béene Of the nature and sleights of the diuell In orat dom Ludouicus Viues hath verie excellently writen thus Thou O Lord art onely good and whatsoeuer thou hast created are good because thou art the creator of them But he that is thy continuall enemie the diuell is naught and wicked He is thy enemie and therefore also ours because thou accountest vs for thy children He can hurt thee by no manner of meanes but he can and is willing to hurt vs diuersly and he is euer readie to destroy vs neuer sleeping his opportunitie And which of vs in any respect is able to resist him for if we deale with him in strength he is most strong neither is there any power found vpon earth as Iob saith that may be compared vnto him If by pollicie he is most craftie he will counterfait loue fauor to thee whose destruction aboue all others he longeth for and to whom euery minute he imagineth mischiefe Nay also he will seeme to beare a faire shew as that he alloweth truth and vertue which he hates most deadly and he will
Else when thou blessest with the spirit how shall he which occupieth the roome of the vnlearned say Amen at thy giuing of thanks seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest Thou verily giuest thanks wel but the other is not edified S. Paul here speakes manifestly of common prayer in the Church both of praying singing of Psalmes and not only of priuate hymnes or some particular songs which some Christians made to their owne comforts and to praise God as Master Bellarmine expounds this place Saint Pauls doctrine agrées with the promise of our sauiour Lib. 2. de verb. dei cap. 16. and with the practise of the Church before recited The same doctrine he deliuereth to Timothie a Bishop to be deliuered to the whole Church I will therefore saith he first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giuing of thanks be made for all men for kings 1. Tim. 2.1 and all that are in authoritie that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlines and honestie No doubt he meanes here common praiers And he puts downe the benefits which are reaped thereby which being knowen and vnderstood of the Church should as it were whet on this their desire of praying These benefits they should know assuredlie they did reape by their prayers and that they were to obtaine them by no other meanes but by prayer And therefore séeing they are such things as no man can be without all men greatliest desire it behooueth them especially to praie for these and as they know and vnderstand the price of them to be so much the more earnest by their prayers in begging them of God The like doctrine he teacheth all men after in their priuate prayers I will saith he that men pray in all places lifting vp pure hands without doubtfulnes They must haue faith ioined with their prayers and beleeue verilie they doe receiue that which they praie for according to our sauiours doctrine or else they shall obteine nothing at Gods hands But this faith of receiuing the things they praie for argues a knowledge They cannot beléeue they receiue the things they praie for vnlesse they know what they praie for so that by saint Pauls doctrine both common priuate prayers must be made with our vnderstanding The same teacheth saint Iames Is anie sicke amongst you Let him call for the elders of the Church let them pray for him Ia. 5.14 And annoint him with oyle in the name of the Lord And the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke Here are common praiers set downe but they must be done in faith and in the name of the Lord Iesus S. Iames agrees with the gospell Our common praiers must haue these two conditions which the gospel teacheth they must be made in faith and with knowledge as is before repeated And they must be made in the name of the Lord Iesus They must not be barbarous prayers without vnderstanding as saint Paul tearmes them but Christian prayers framed according to the doctrine of Iesus Christ The same doctrine saint Iohn teacheth 1. Io. 5.14.15 And this is the assurance which we haue in him that if we aske anie thing according to his will he heareth vs. And if we know that he heare vs whatsoeuer we aske we know that we haue the petitions that we haue desired of him Saint Iohn ioines the same two conditions to common prayers which saint Iames did that is faith and assurance that we shall obtaine our petitions and knowledge And this is that which our sauiour himselfe also teacheth all his Io. 16.24 Hitherto haue ye asked nothing in my name Aske and ye shall receiue that your ioy may be full What can be greater ioy to a man then to haue his suit granted of a mortall man euen of a king but to haue it granted at the handes of God is the cause of the greatest ioy in the world Prou. 13.12 The hope that is deferred saith Salomon is the fainting of the heart bu◠when the desire commeth it is a tree of life But how shall w◠know that our suits and prayers be granted vs or not vnlesse we know what we pray for Therefore they take from vs this tree of life which teach vs to praie in Latin and not to vnderstand our prayers They take from vs the greatest ioie we haue in the world And what kind of enemies are they 1. Iohn 5.16 The same doctrine saint Iohn giues of priuate prayers If anie man saith he see his brother sinne a sinne not vnto death let him aske and he shall giue life for them which sinne not vnto death All Christians ought to praie for their brethren when they sée them offend They should praie God to amend them And should they not then vnderstand their prayers I would to God all Christians would attentiuelie marke this forcible effect of prayer they shall by their praiers giue life to their brethren offending To restore a dead man in bodie to life againe what a great commendation would we account it but it is a farre greater matter to restore a dead man in soule to life againe And this most assuredly doth faithfull praier Oh that all Christians would remember this and practise it and cease in their brothers sinnes as most men do now a daies either to backbite them or slaunder them but rather as saint Iohn here counselleth pray for them Neither were the common prayers onelie in the Gospell but in the law also in a knowne tongue Before the captiuitie Dauid saith O come let vs sing vnto the Lord Let vs heartily reioyce in the strength of our saluation This exhortation had béene in vaine if the people then had not vnderstood what had beene said And in another Psalme he concludes thus Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for euer and euer Psal 106.48 And let all the people say Amen prase ye the Lord. And againe speaking of the Church of Christ Psal 47.7 he saith God is king ouer all the earth sing ye praises with vnderstanding All Christs subiectes must be children to maliciousnes but not in wit they must be men in vnderstanding And they must praise God with their vnderstandings He requires only the heart He will be worshipped in spirit and truth Iohn 4.23 Esay 29.13 as our sauiour teacheth And againe We must not now worship him as the wicked did in Esaias daies This people honoureth me with their lips but their heart is farre from mee This kinde of worship God condemned in the Iewes and do we thinke that he wil allow of such like amongst christians Of the common praiers also of the Iewes after the captiuity Neh. 8.6 we read thus in the booke of Nehemiah And Esdrah praised the Lord the great God and all the people answered Amen c. No doubt if they had not vnderstood his praises they could not haue answered Amen So that contrarie to M. Hardings and Mast Stapletons assertions
also was more then God commanded them They might no doubt haue touched that tree without sinne if they had not taken and eaten of the fruit thereof Gen. 2.15 For Adam before was placed of God to dresse the Garden therefore no doubt he might haue pruned and touched anie trée in the garden without danger And here that fault in religion first sprang which men call superstition The which is thus defined Vocab scholast to be a fault opposite to religion in excesse when a man will be religious more then néeds and more then God commands Lastly she doubts of the truth of Gods word And she saith Gâ—n 3.3 Gen. 2.27 least peraduenture yee shall die wheras God had said In dying yee shall die as it is in the Hebrew that is ye shall most assuredly die Here are then the notes and markes of the false Church to vse subtiltie to depart from the plaine and expresse commandement of God to adde any thing though it séeme religious superstitiously vnto it and to doubt of the truth of it And by these the notes marks of the true Church by the contrarie may be gathered to vse plainnesse in her doctrine to cleaue to the word of God to adde nothing to it neither to doubt of the truth of it And that these are infallible and vndoubted markes of the Church 1. Sam. 15.20.21 1. King 13.18 the histories of King Saul and of the man of God that came to Bethel prophesied against Ieroboams golden calues and S. Pauls protestation twise vttered plainly prooue Gal. 1.8.9 Wherof the first teacheth that Saul being a King might not dispense with Gods worde to saue the life of another King no nor to saue fatte shéepe and oxen which as man would haue thought it had béene pitie to haue killed no not for sacrifice and for Gods owne honour and seruice No pretence of mans brain maie dispense with Gods word it must be obeied The second also teacheth the same lesson The man of God being a Prophet doing a myracle healing the kings withered hand againe being beguiled by another Prophet who was an olde man and therefore not likely to be a liar and pretending also the reuelation of an Angell yet this Prophet this man of God going beyond his commission who transgressed Gods word being drawn and perswaded by all these fleshly reasons and that but a little to a thing which in mans iudgment would seeme but necessarie euen but to refresh himselfe escaped not death for this his contempt but was killed of a Lyon Neither King nor Priest here can dispense they must obey If anie excuse might serue the turne surely then we would thinke that both these were excusable but their excuses would not saue them harmelesse therefore no other lesser pretences or excuses can warrant vs can secure meaner men if Kings and Prophets by these escaped not And to these histories as it should séeme S. Paul alludes when as he saith Gal. 1.8.9 If an Angel from heauen or we our selues preach to you any other Gospell that is anie other meanes of saluation then that ye haue alreadie receiued let him be accursed And he saith the same twise no doubt because some men should not marke this or hardlie beléeue it and that they should beléeue Angels from heauen naie euen diuels from hell in the shape of men teaching doctrines and meanes of saluation which the gospell teacheth not Oh that all true Catholikes which relie so much of the name of the Church would marke diligentlie this lesson iterated of the Apostle and would accept no other waies or means of saluation besides those only which the gospel teacheth They are worthily accursed which will not beléeue this doctrine which Saul a king teacheth them with the losse of his kingdome which the man of God teacheth them with the losse of his life and Saint Paul himselfe the Doctor of the Gentiles twise togither 1. Tim. 2.7 most euidently and that vnder the paine of a curse Dauid also teacheth vs the same lesson Psal 95.7 For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheepe of his hands To day if yee will heare his voice c. for so this verse is pointed in the Hebrewe So that then would we haue God to be our God would wee be his people and shéepe of his foulde that is members of his true Church what then let vs heare his voice This is an euident and plaine marke of his true Church and of all his shéepe Our Sauiour also in the gospell agréeth with Dauid My sheepe saith he heare my voice Ioh. 10.27.28.29 and I know them and they follow me and I giue vnto them eternall life and they shall neuer perish neither shall any plucke them out of my hand my father which gaue them me is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my fathers handes Here is the true brande of all Christs shéepe they heare his voice and they know him And here is the benefit they reape by being his shéepe here is his most pleasant and swéete pasture which passeth all the pleasant meadowes and pastures in the world That he knoweth all his sheepe not in generall but euerie one particularlie And of this must euerie one of his sheepe be most assuredlie perswaded Exod. 33.12 Luk. 12.32 Rom. 6.23 that he knowes him euen by name as he knew Moses and he giueth them eternall life it is his free gift Oh how are all men bound to loue and serue such a louing Lord and shéepheard that bestowes on them such a gift This bountifulnesse passeth all the bountifulnesse in the world and this gift all the gifts in the world Luk. 17.10 And all that euer we can doe are but dueties and humble seruices to such a mighty and bountifull prince Oh prowd Pharisee that wilt thinke here thou canst challenge or bast deserued anie part of this gift It is a most frée gift it is no desert And thou art sure of it thou shalt neuer perish none is able to take thée out of Iesus Christs hands And this because men are fainthearted and it is the principall marke that sathan shootes at to take this assurance of saluation out of mens hearts and to make them doubt of Gods loue towardes them as hee did Eue it is twise repeated here of our Sauiour 1. Pet. 2.22 in whose mouth is no deceipt His sheepe shall neuer perish and none is able to plucke them out of his fathers handes And wilte thou not beléeue him wilte thou doubt The same marke of Gods Church and of all his children our Sauiour teacheth in another place I am the vine saith he and ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him Io. 15.4 the same bringeth forth much fruit For without me can ye doe nothing If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and withereth
sighing and groning Ro 8 15.16.26 with faith and assurance For all these are the fruits of the holy Ghost Thirdly keep your selues in the loue of God that is be sure that God loues you Be sure and know that you haue eternall life Let not that subtil serpent euer perswade you to doubt of Gods loue towards you as he did Eue your grandmother And who goes about still teaching the same lesson to them that will beléeue him Gen. 3.5 And lastly looke for the mercie of our Lord Iesus Christ to eternall life Do not trust in your workes challenge nothing of desert Confesse that you are vnprofitable seruants Trust onely in his mercie Luke 17.10 These are the markes of the true Church by saint Iudes iudgement And they which lacke these are Sathans synagogue are the false Church what markes soeuer else they doe bragge of Psal 119.142 For Gods word is the word of truth And the markes of the Church that are in it set downe are onely the true markes But to conclude although many other cleare and manifest marks of the Church might be gathered out of the scriptures yet these markes are especially to be marked of vs which saint Iohn puts downe in the Reuelation For they concerne our daies they are those marks of Gods house which Babylon had defaced Antichrist had raced out so as in mans iudgement it séemed impossible that euer they should haue béene brought to light againe Antichrist heere dealt so cunningly euen as Pharaoh did in murthering the Israelites children intending to destroye their posteritie Exod. 1.14 and Herode in murthering the young innocēts Mat. 2.16 thinking thereby also to haue murthered Iesus Christ But God that dwelleth in heauen laughes all these their counsailes all this their wisedome to scorne And therefore saint Iohn saw an Angell flie in the midst of heauen Psal 2.4 Reue. 14.8 hauing an euerlasting gospell to preach to them that dwell on the earth and to euerie nation kinred and tongue and people Here is the first marke of the Church the preaching of the gospell This marke Antichrist had quite abolished And although in his kingdome that he might not séeme to be quite opposite to Iesus Christ vtterly to disallow preaching he had his Friers that preached yet the pastors of congregations Luk. 12.42 1 Pet. 5.2 whom Iesus Christ and Peter also commaunded to feede their flocke themselues in those daies seldome preached And these Friers preached not the Gospell but their legends of Saints commonly And therefore the second marke of the true Church is to preach not legends or olde wiues tales but an euerlasting Gospell that which was from the beginning not a new faith deuised of mans braine in the succession of manie ages Iesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for euer Heb. 13.8 Iud. 1.3 And all Gods true Saints must striue to maintaine that faith which was once giuen to the Saints in the beginning by Christ Iesus himselfe and by his Apostles That gospell which the Church of Rome now teacheth is not such a gospell And this gospell must be preached to the inhabitants of the earth to euerie nation and kinred and tongue and people Antichrist had seduced all these Reu. 17.2 all these were drunken with the pleasant wine of Babylons fornication Antichrist had not seduced the nation of the Iewes as the Papists thinke hee shall What néede the Diuell go about that they are his alreadie they are alreadie seduced as much as can be but he shall seduce all nations tongues kinreds and people he shall peruert the gospell of Iesus Christ And therfore to them it behooueth that this euerlasting gospell should be preached againe The plaster must be applied to the sore And here that marke which the Church of Rome woulde make men beléeue is a true marke of the true church is quite ouerthrowne and approoued to be a false marke Shall all nations be made drunken with Antichrists poisoned and pleasant wine why then Vniuersalitie is not a sound and a true marke of the Church Saying with a lowd voice Feare God Reu. 14.7 and giue glorie to him c. Now followes the doctrine and chiefe points of this euerlasting gospell as also by the contrarie most euidently may appeare the points of Antichrists doctrine for contraries make one another more manifest and cléere So that then if this be the euerlasting gospell to feare God and giue him the glorie the gospell which Antichrist preached was contrarie to this Not to feare God and not to giue him glorie Deut. 10 1◠And now Israel what doth thy Lord thy God require of thee saith Moses but to feare thy Lord thy God to walke in all his waies and to loue him and to serue thy Lord thy God with all thy hart and with all thy soule And God himselfe speaketh thus by the Prophet Ieremy Ier. 5.21.22 Heare now this O foolish people and without vnderstanding which haue eies and see not which haue eares and heare not Feare ye not me saith the Lord or will yee not be afraid at my presence which haue placed the sand for the bounds of the sea by the perpetuall decree that it cannot passe it and though the waues thereof rage yet can they not preuaile though they roare yet can they not passe ouer it And of man the Prophet Esay saith Esay 2.22 Cease you from the man whose breath is in his nostrels Marke 7.7 And our Sauiour saith of the Pharisees They worship me in vaine teaching the doctrines and commandements of men For ye lay the commandement of God apart and obserue the traditions of men as the washing of pots and of cups and many other such like things yee doe Such feare to breake mans lawes and commandements they had also most manifestly in the time of Poperie As concerning Gods glorie also the Prophet Esay writeth thus Esay 42.8 I am the Lord this is my name and my glorie will I not giue to another neither my praise to grauen images And after Behold I haue fined thee Esay 48.10 but not as siluer I haue chosen thee in the furnace of affliction For mine owne sake for mine owne sake will I doe it for how should my name be polluted Surely I will not giue my glorie to another And so Ieremy counsails the people Ier. 13.16 Giue glorie to the Lord your God before he bring darknesse and or euer your feet stumble on the darke mountaines And Dauid saith Psal 65.1 To thee O Lord praise keeps silence or vpon thee it waites in Sion So that whereas God by his eternall word commandeth to feare him and to be afraid to break his commandements and to giue all glorie to him the gospell of Antichrist was to feare man and to kéepe his commandements and to giue glorie to creatures And did not we sée this fulfilled in the time of Poperie how
pardon of sinnes for them euen like the prowd Pharisées She lacked a window in her she was like a dungeon without anie light Psal 1.2 She teacheth not her children to meditate in the law of God day and night Col. 3.16 and that the worde of Christ should dwell plenteously in their houses Her light is not midday like the light of the Arke but midnight Her Linsie Wolsie translation of the newe testament into English which shee giues some leaue to reade is but a light in a corner whereas S. Paul excepts none it lightens not the whole house it is but the light of a Rush it is not the light of a torch Psal 119.105 The doore in her was not in the side but on her toppe by the Pope all entred into heauen for the most part in her She had diuersities of mansions in her as the Arke had but shée did disorder them that should haue béen placed in them She placed her Prelates and Cleargie in the highest roumes Rom. 13. ◠and Princes and Magistrates in the inferiour roumes The onlie true meanes of saluation the couenants of God she hath not taught the people with Noah naie she hath apparantly broken the couenant in denying the cuppe to the laytie which Christ cals the new couenant and therefore belongs to all as though they had not béen in the couenant or if they were 1. Cor. 11.25 to exclude them That blessing our Sauiour pronounceth to all good Pastors Blessed is that seruant Luk. 12.42 whom his maister when he commeth shall finde giuing meate to his family in due season She hath quite taken awaie she hath not fedde Gods flocke as Noah did in the Arke but she hath pined them Matt. 4.4 For man liueth not by bread only saith our Sauiour but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God But her pastors haue not giuen meate to the Lords familie in due season nay they haue not giuen them anie meate at all They haue fedde their bodies with bread as though man had liued with bread onlie as Sathan then did séeme to instruct our Sauiour and would haue the world beléeue still and not their soules with Gods word which foode was the more necessarie Amos 8.11 And to conclude the Church of Rome is not built in all points according as God hath commanded How manie points of doctrine hath she in her which are not grounded vpon anie promise or commandement of God her inuocation of Angels and Saints departed her Latine prayers her worshipping of Images prooue this Therefore being so farre vnlike shee doth falsly bragge that shee is the Arke of Noah as hereby euerie one maie see Iericho also is a figure of the world and of Satans Citie as the name thereof in Hebrew deriued from the Moone which is called Iarak prooues which neuer continues in one state but is euer stil either increasing or decreasing Iosuah 6.34 The compassing also thereof 7. daies about with the Arke of God and the seuenth day 7. times plainly declares the same So after Christs ascension seuen Angels blew their trumpets Reu. 8.6 and in the daies of the seuenth Angell when he shall begin to blowe the mysterie shall be finished there shall be no more time the walles of Iericho shall fall downe And surely the daie we liue in now is the seuenth daie At this daie Iericho is compassed about with the Arke of God euen seuen times as much as in all the daies before The plentifull preaching of the Gospell by men speaking and writing more then euer before in anie age plainly prooue this The sunne now arising all the birds of heauen begin to sing whereas before the cockes onely did sing Surely this generall knowledge of God in the world and the profession of his gospell euen of some wicked Kites and couetous cormorants and Rauens declares that the rising of the true sunne Iesus Christ is not farre off And as Iericho resembles the worlde so no doubt the house of Rahab the harlot resembles the Church God will haue a house in Iericho Psal 87.4 Mat. 8.24 he will haue a shippe on the raging sea of this world And first her name Rahab which signifies a streete or enlarged agrées with the calling of the Gentiles The Church of God now is Rahab that is it is enlarged Esay 54.2 now is that prophesie of Esay fulfilled stretch foorth thy cordes and spare not c. Secondly her condition of life agrées with the Church She was Zonah Heb. 11.31 which signifies a vittailer or rather as the Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expounds it and restraines it she was a harlot and so is the church before regeneration an Adultresse Iam. 4.4 Esay 50.1 Ezech. 16.15 Iosuah 2.2 separated from God the Spouse of Satan Assoone as the men were come into her house the king of Iericho had word and persecutes them by and by So the Gospell of Iesus Christ his true professors shall be sure to be persecuted in this world 2. Tim. 3.12 They cannot be so secret in anie place but the king of Iericho the prince of this world will heare of them will spie them out And the woman tooke the men and made them go vp to the toppe of her house and hid them in line of that tree which shee had laid in order vpon the roofe of her house Here is a liuely Image of the true Church She greatly honours reuerences and makes much of Gods seruants and ministers Rom. 10.15 Gal. 4.15 she exalts them she would euen pull out hir owne eies to giue them to do them good withall as the Galathians would haue done to Paul And she hides them in the line of that tree Bepishbe Hagnets This line of that tree no doubt is a figure of the holy Scripture which was to bee written in paper which is made of linnen cloth And in the line of that tree meaning some notable and especiall trée no doubt signifies Iesus Christ He is that tree of life Reuel 22.2 that whosoeuer tasteth of shall liue foreuer and he that shrowdes himselfe vnder it needes not to feare the persecutions of the king of Iericho In the line of this tree the true Church hides her Ministers with this they are couered They are mightie in the Scriptures with Apollo In these they are ouer the head and eares Acts. 18.24 as we say Againe here we may learne how the true Church esteemes of the Scriptures She placeth the line of that tree vpon the roofe of her house She hath them in high estimation according as Dauid saith in the Psalme Psal 138.2 O Lord thou hast magnified thy name and thy word is aboue all things And she had laid her line in order 2. Ti. 2.15 Psal 2.10.11 Ro. 13.1 Ephes 5.22.23.6.1 5 So the true Church doth rightly deuide the word of God She hath meat for kings subiects for men and
chanced to his Apostles Let vs not therefore be troubled if there be now great dissension and quarels about religion Neither for this cause must we neglect to go to godly sermons but rather let vs diligently do this First call vpon God with the kingly Prophet saying Shew me thy wayes O Lord and teach me thy paths Then compare the doctrines diligently together and that which thou shalt perceiue more forcible to drawe thee from the world to God from the flesh to the Spirit from euill to goodnesse and from idolatrie to the true worshipping of God embrace that without anie feare with tooth and naile as they say nothing respecting the gainesayings of others The diuell hath euer gone about this That good deeds and words might bee made none account of least men beleeuing should bee saued Therefore by his ministers he sowes errours and sometimes also hee doth worke miracles that by errours he might make Gods word and by false signes Gods works to be lightly set by that by this means he may rather draw men quite frō the word or at least wise he may make them distrust and doubt of it God suffers this first that the godly may be tried according to that If a Prophet rise among you c. beleeue him not Deut. 13.1 for God tries you And hereof also Christ saith that in the end of the world so great shall be the beguilings of false Prophets that if it vvere possible the very elect should be seduced And hereof Saint Iohn saith Beleeue not euerie spirit but proue the spirits whether they be of God or no. The doctrin of the Gospell which we haue receiued is the word of God which hath been confirmed by many signes and with the bloud of many thousands Wherefore let no man doubt of that although an Angell from heauen should perswade the contrarie Againe therefore God suffers the diuell to shew lying signes that the wicked may be more blinded For it is done by the iust iudgement of God that they which will not beleeue the truth should be seduced and should cleaue to lies Thus far Ferus Where he plainly teacheth that it is no maruell that after the preaching of the Gospell contention and heresies haue sprung in the Church he saith it hath béene alwaies so and shall be euer And that for this cause no man ought to refuse to go and heare sermons And he loues the doctrine of the Gospell not anie lying miracles as the ground-worke of true Christian religion And after concerning the same matter he writes thus vpon these words The citie was deuided Ferus in 14. cap. Act. Here thou seest fulfilled that which Christ foretold I came not to send peace into the world but a sword The Gospell teacheth not seditions nor soweth discords but because it reprooueth their sinnes it cannot choose but the worldlings should repine against it I came to send fire vpon the earth maruell not therefore if there spring vp and be sects in the world for it hath beene euer so yea there must be heresies that the elect may be proued As much more as we see sects to arise so let vs striue earnestly to find and search out the truth and to stand firmely and vnmoueably in the confessed truth and to professe it boldly vnto our liues end And after he writes thus of the ground of euerie true Christians faith Ferus in cap. Act. 15. Euerie Christian ought to bee so sure of his faith that if all the world were of a contrarie opinion yet he could say I am sure this is Gods word let other men think what they will God cannot deceiue or beguile Yea if an Angell frō heauen should preach the contrarie let him be accursed Vnles thou be thus grounded thou canst not stand stedfastly when the false Apostles shall teach the contrarie And hereof Christ saith My sheepe heare my voyce and they will not heare stangers but run from them Gods word by Ferus iudgement is the onely Rocke of Christians faith and religion in these doubtful daies And againe in another place he makes these steps of Christianitie Marke in the foresaid words this order in Christianitie Ferus in cap. 22. Act. First is the predestination of God For it is not of him that willeth but of God that sheweth mercie Reade the ninth chapter to the Romans And we are predestinate not to idlenesse or wantonnesse but that wee may know the will of God what kind of one he is towards vs what he requires and willes at our hands Then wee are sent to Christ in whom alone we see how God is affected to vs. By him also we receiue the holy Ghost that we may be able to doe the will of God After we haue knowne Christ it remaines that in our life maners and words we testifie his goodnesse towards vs and that we are his disciples And this testimonie cōsists in foure things First that we rise vp from our old conuersation Secondly that we be baptized and bee partakers of the Sacraments Thirdly that we wash away the sinnes whereinto wee haue fallen by Christs bloud Fourthly that we call vpon his name that is his righteousnes and merits Here Ferus doth as it were make a perfect anatomie of a Christian man I would to God euery true Christian would marke well euerie part thereof and sée whether himselfe were sound in that faith or no. And in another place of Christian conuersation he writes thus Ferus in cap. Act 20. Marke here the manners of Christians First of all hee prayes the Saints alwayes giue themselues diligently to prayers both in the beginning and end of their work yea all their work thorough For we euer stand neede of the helpe of God for without him we can do nothing We are not sufficient of ourselues to thinke any thing that is good And againe He workes in vs both the will and to finish And in Osee O Israel thy destruction comes of thy selfe but thy helpe comes of me Let no man therefore trust in his owne strength Cursed is he that puts flesh his arme Therefore Paul neuer tooke any thing in hand nor finished anie thing without the helpe of prayer Secondly he kneeles downe against those which make a iest at all ceremonies in prayers He that goes about to make his prayers vnto God must haue well profited first in the schoole of humility otherwise he shall not be heard The prayers of him that humbleth himselfe pierceth the clouds And hereof it is said by the Prophet Vpon whom shall my Spirit rest but vpon the humble and peaceble And thirdly he prayes not alone but with all the companie The prayers of the holy Church is of great force So when the Apostles continued praying with one accord and consent the holy Ghost came vpon them and filled them all In like maner after the Iewes had threatned them when they had prayed altogether the place moued and they were all filled
2. The. 2 3. was the mother of that sonne of perdition and neither taught true Christian religion nor yet eternall life That saluation comes of the Iewes Here our Sauiour doth teach this woman also what thee must know and in her all Christians They must know their saluation from whence it comes and be thankfull to God for it The Church of Rome hath erred in this point also who hath taught that saluation hath not comed of the Iewes that is by the means only of Iesus Christ but by the bloud of Martyrs She hath added here in England euen the bloud of Thomas which euē Ferus condemnes vpon these words of Saint Iohn Ferus in 1. cap. ep Io. And the bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all our sinnes Mark saith he that he mentioneth not anie bloud but the bloud of Christ For no other bloud can or euer could do this Act. 4.12 c. There is no other name giuen vnder heauen saith Peter in which we must be saued To Iesus Christ alone the people and the children crie Hosannah that is saue vs Lord and as it is also in the Psalme Matt. 21.9.15 Hashlikah and O Lord send vs now prosperitie Matt. 28.18 He alone blesseth the works of our hands and also saues our soules He hath all power in heauen and earth And so must all true Catholikes crie also to him alone and to none else This is also a marke of the true Church But the houre comes and is euen now when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth Reu. 22.17 Here is another euident mark of the true Church She still waites for the cōming of Iesus Christ she accounts the time of this world but an houre euen then when Christ spake this and that now the houre is almost quite runne a small time or nothing thereof remaines She thinks that this world is of no great continuance as the Popish Church doth not thinke who teacheth that as yet Antichrist is not comed She thinks that those things which S. Iohn said should be fulfilled shortly Reu. 1.3 are fulfilled alreadie She thinkes not that the greater part of them are yet to be fulfilled as the Church of Rome doth She euer stands in the doore of her tent with Abraham Gen. 18.1 1. King 19.13 and in her caues mouth with Elias still looking when the Lord will come When the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth For such worshippers the Father now lookes for Here is another marke of the true Church Ioh. 4.23 To worship the Father God alone and also the maner how in spirit truth In spirit that is with our hearts and in truth that is without all types and shadowes Iohn 19.30 The law now hath an end the sunne shines all shadowes must vanish awaie Our humble hearts now must bée those sacrificed bulles Rom. 12 1. and our chast hearts those sacrificed Turtles and our good hearts those sacrificed Rammes and our bountifull hearts those sacrificed sheepe and our ioyfull hearts those sacrificed calues which God requires Heb. 13 15. God will not be worshipped now with those Iewish shadowes Col. 2.17 which he himselfe commanded the true sonne of Righteousnesse Iesus Christ being comed into the worlde much lesse with Popish shadowes and mysteries and mans deuise Reu. 14.9 or with Popish Images Exod. 20 4. Esa 40 25. which his Lawe and Prophets flatly condemne God is a Spirit and therefore he will be worshipped in spirit and truth Those externall things 2. King 12.28 which séeme pleasant to flesh and bloud as Ieroboams golden calues which he made as some thinke because that God would more highly esteeme golden calues Dan. 3.15 2. King 10.22 then calues of flesh Nebuchadnetzars Psalterie and musicke Baals Priests gay garments and robes frankinsence and such like thinges whatsoeuer wherein flesh and bloud takes so great pleasure and delight are an abomination to the Lord as our Sauiour Christ tels vs in the Gospell Luke 16.15 That which is verie highly esteemed amongst men is abominable before God Hée requires the loue of thy heart the faith and trust of thy soule Eccle. 9.10 Heb. 13.16 the knowledge of thy vnderstanding the obedience of thy will the praise of thy mouth and the good workes of thy handes And this is that which Dauid saith in the Psalme Psal 50.8 that at that great day of iudgement God shall not reproue the people for their burnt offrings of bullocks or goats but if they shal not haue offred him praise and thankesgiuing Let all true Catholikes feare this reproofe God hath foretold vs like a good Maister what hée will reproue vs for and what he will finde fault with in his house when he comes againe and shall we not take héede thereof O carelesse and disobedient seruants Let vs offer to him alone our praise and thankesgiuing and all our prayers least we be reproued and condemned of him when hée comes The true worshippers This proues that there shall be false worshippers in Gods house Esa 1 22. Mat. 13.25 25 33. there shall bee there copper as well as gold there shall be tares as well as wheate there shall be goates as well as sheepe O let vs marke this point well here is the brand wherewithall the Lords shéepe are discerned here is the touchstone whereby the Lords gold is tried from copper Matt. 3.12 here is the sieue and fanne which tries the Lords wheat from the chaffe that we may be shéepe and not goates gold and not copper wheat and not chaffe Let vs take diligent heed of this Vers 25. And the woman said vnto him I know that Messias shall come which is called Christ and when he shall come he shall shewe vs all things This opinion shée had of Christ that he should teach thē all things when he came And shall we beléeue lesse of him Shall we beléeue any doctrine which he neuer taught in his word And our Sauior himself agrees to this her spéech saying I will call you no more seruants Ioh. 15.15 because the seruant knoweth not what his maister doth but I haue called you friends because I haue made manifest to you all things that I haue heard of my father He testifieth here plainlie that he fulfilled her spéech that he had told them all things necessarie to their saluation he kept nothing backe to be reuealed after by the meanes of the Church and therefore he commands his Apostles to go and preach to all nations Matt. 28.10 baptizing them and teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer he had commanded them and nothing els And Saint Paul saith 1. Tim. 6.3.4 He that teacheth anie other doctrine and agrees not with the whole some words of our Sauiour Christ and that doctrine which agrees with godlinesse is puft vp and knowes nothing how wise
so euer he séemes to be and whatsoeuer he pretend either reuelations of Angels or anie miracles to confirme his doctrine withall The doctrine of Iesus Christ is the rule and square of all doctrines 2. Ioh. ver 8. by this place And Saint Iohn also saith Take heed to your selues lest wee lose all the works which we haue wrought but that we may haue a full reward For he that transgresseth or ouerreacheth the doctrine of Christ for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Gréek word signifies and that kéepes not himselfe within the limits and bounds thereof but will go beyond it though that which he doth séeme in his owne eye holy religious and deuout hath not God This is a terrible sentence let vs beware how in our deuotion and religion and zeale of seruing God we do more then the Gospell teacheth we go beyond the doctrine of Christ and abide not in it for if we doe we shall haue no part with God This place condemnes all blinde superstitious Papists which did manie things of a zeale and good intent and not according to the Gospell nay how manie of them neuer knew the Gospell and yet thought that they did well But all such workes how painfull and costlie soeuer they were by this place we may plainly learne that they were lost nay more then this they also sustained a greater losse they lost God God cannot abide seruants Esa 1.12 2. Io. 9. that will doe that he commands them not He will say to such Who required this at your hands But he that abides in the doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Sonne O happie continuance And what is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to abide to continue but to beléeue no more to do no more then God commaunds in his word then Christ Iesus taught not to go beyond this either in faith or workes no not an haires breadth though the doctrine which is taught besides this seeme neuer so old neuer so deuout practised of Fathers confirmed by Councels Let vs remember that the poore silly woman of Samariah could say that Messias when as he should come should teach them all things and shall not we say the same And Christ said to her I am he that talkes with thee Vers 26. Surely in all the Gospell Christ did neuer reueale himselfe to anie so manifestlie as he did to this woman He said to the high Priests when as they said Art thou the sonne of God Luke 22.70 You say that I am And to the Iewes Before Abraham was I am And Abraham desired to see my daye and saw it and reioyced Iohn 8.58 8.25 And againe to the Iewes which said vnto him Who art thou And Iesus said vnto them The beginning And therefore I speake vnto you No doubt hauing relation to that first word in Genesis Ioh. 1.1 whence that booke tooke his name Beresheth In the beginning c. Iesus Christ is that beginning 1. Cor. 8.6 And therefore Saint Paule saith To vs there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we for him And one Lord Iesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him Here is the Creator one God here is the onely meanes of the creation Iesus Christ All thinges were created by him And here is the end of all things Gods glorie So that Iesus Christ is that beginning by whom God created all things And thus he obscurely taught the Iewes who he was As though he should say Looke into the first booke of Genesis and take no great paines to reade it ouer but looke and marke well the very first word thereof and there you shall find who I am I am the beginning and therefore I talke with you Prou. 8.31 My delight is to be with the children of men as Salomon saith The workman loues his worke euen so that excellent workman the Sonne of God loues vs who are his workmanship De Gen. ad lit lib. 1 ca. 5. And therefore Austen saith The beginning of the intellectuall creature is the eternall wisedome of God which beginning abiding in it selfe vnchangeable neuer ceaseth by secrete inspirations to speake to that creature whereof it is the beginning that it may be conuerted to that by which it is made because otherwise it cannot haue his forme and be perfect Thus our Sauior obscurely shewed himselfe to these but neuer to anie so plainlie as to this woman hereby we may coniecture the excellencie of her faith no doubt her excellent faith euen as it were deserued such a great rewarde of our Sauiour Messias when he comes saith shée we know shall shewe vs all things Who could haue spoken more of Christ No not all the Iewish Rabbins And I would to God euen now our great Doctors in the Popes Church would say as much And therefore she receiued the greatest answere and reward that could be in the world Vers 26. I am he saith Christ that talks with thee neuer such an answere neuer such a word spoken in the world before Let vs haue the same faith of Christ that he may bestow also such like blessings vpon vs. And the like definition of true Catholike Religion and the same marks of the true Church S. Paul himselfe also hath no doubt expressed Act. 24.11 being taken from this stampe I confesse this vnto thee saith he vnto Felix that according to that way which they call heresie I so worship the God of my fathers beleeuing all that is written in the law and the Prophets hauing this hope in God which they also haue that there shall bee a resurrection of the iust and of the vniust Here are also markes of the true Church She must be able to giue an account of her faith as Saint Paul doth here to Felix and Saint Peter commaunds all Christians to doe to all men Sanctifie saith he the Lord God in your hearts 1. Pet. 3.15 euer being readie to maintaine and defend if that any shall aske you a reason of that hope which is in you We must not onely haue this hope of saluation in vs which is by Iesus Christ but we must be able also to yéeld a reason and an account of it Luke 12.8 to maintaine and defend it And our Sauiour saith He that shall confesse mee before men him shall I confesse before my Father in heauen We must be able to make confession of our faith if so bee we will haue Christ acknowledge vs for his But this in the Popish Church they were not able to doe and therefore that Church was not the true Church I confesse vnto thee saith he that after that way which they call heresie I worship the God of my fathers Act 24.11 Here is another marke of the true Church To be slaundered reuiled called heretikes Sée here how at this time the true Church of Christ was called hereticall And therefore let not that name of
heresie now discourage anie of Gods children So did they reuile and hate the verie names of the true prophets of God Luk. 6.22 as our Sauiour witnesseth So at this day the Papists goe about by all means possible to defame and discredite the persons of the professours of the Gospell But as Saint Paul passed not for the name of Heretike no more let vs. Beleeuing all that is written in the Law and the Prophets Here is another marke of the true Church here is a ground of a true Christians conscience concerning his faith and religion To beleeue all that is written in the lawe and the Prophets This was Saint Paules ground he beléeued no more and according to that he worshippeth God and he cares not let them cal him what they wil. Whosoeuer lacks this ground shall be caried about with euery blast of vaine doctrine Ephe. 4.14 like children To confirme and strengthen vs in our faith God hath put in his Church Apostles and Euangelists Ephes 2.20 and Wee are built vpon the foundations of the Prophets and Apostles Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone The like marks of the true Church Saint Paule setteth downe in the Epistle to the Romans as arrowes out of the same quiuer of our Sauiour to confound the enemies that would craftily créepe into Gods house Rom. 1.9 2. Pet. 2.1 God is my witnesse saith he whom I serue in my spirit in the Gospell of his Sonne Here also is the platforme of the true Church and a patterne of a true Christian God is only my witnesse saith Saint Paul not anie Saint or Angell The true Church must here with Saint Paul attribute this knowledge and searching of hearts to God alone and not to anie Saint or Angell else whatsoeuer Act. 1.24 15.8 Secondly she must serue this God onely and none els for to whom this knowledge belongeth to him also diuine seruice and Latria as they call it belongs Thirdly Whom I serue in my spirit saith Saint Paule not with anie outward or externall things or ceremonies like a Iew but with my heart as Iesus Christ now hath taught all men to worship the Father Fourthly in the Gospell of his Sonne here he describes the maner how the true Church of God must worship him Our seruice of God must be according to the Gospell of his Son And hereunto Dauid also agréeth in the Psalme There is no speech nor language Psal 19.3 where their voices are not heard speaking of the preaching of Gods word And he addeth Kauam as it is in the Hebrew that is their line their leuell their square is gone through all the earth and their words vnto the ends of the world To teach vs that Gods word is a line leuell square to rule limit and square the faiths of all nations by But to conclude Let vs marke what Saint Paule also writes concerning this matter to the Thessalonians and how he describes the Church and Gods house there From you the word of God was spread 1. Thes 1.10 not only in Macedonia and Achaia but your faith towards God came into euerie place So that we neede say nothing thereof for they shew and declare what an entrance we had vnto you how you turned vnto the Lord from idols to serue the liuing and true God and to looke for his sonne from heauen whom he raised from the dead euen Iesus who deliuereth vs from the anger to come Here are most manifestly set downe the markes of the true Church and the Catholike faith which was in Saint Paules dayes preached through the whole world To turne from Idols and to serue the true and liuing God And here first that blind distinction of Dulia and Latria which the Papists make to cloak the worshipping of creatures is quite ouerthrowne not onely Latria but as by this place appeareth Dulia is due vnto God Secondly we must serue the true and liuing God These two Adiuncts take away all worshipping of false gods and also of Images We must worship no false nor dead thing whatsoeuer we worship it must be liuing and true And therefore we must worship no Images which are dead stockes nay wee must worship nothing but God alone Those Images which the Prophet Dauid describeth Psal 115. what are they els but Papists Images That Psalme followeth the 114. Psal which containeth Israels going out of Egypt it may séeme to describe the spirituall Egypt Thirdly we must now euery day waite and looke for the comming of his Sonne Iesus Christ from heauen We must not thinke that he will not come yet as the Papists teach by their doctrine of Antichrist Fourthly wee must constantly beléeue that Iesus hath not onely deliuered vs by his passion from the guilt of sinne but from the punishment also thereof and anger to come And lastly if the Papists will thereof conclude that the Church of Rome is the mother Church of all the worlde Rom. 1.8 because Saint Paule saith that their faith was published throughout all the world Then the Church of Thessalonica must be her elder sister 1. Thess 1.8 because her faith also was spread through all the worlde and that before hers as should seeme For Saint Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Romans when hee giues this testimony to the Roman Church Rom. 15.26 1. Thess 1.8 the fruits of Macedonia and Achaia which was planted by the Church of Thessalonica And in a word to make an end of this matter let all men marke that plaine lesson which Dauid teacheth them in the Psalme Kings of the earth and all people Psal 148.11 Princes and all Iudges of the world young men and maides old men and children let them praise the name of the Lord. For his name onely is to bee exalted and his praise is aboue the heauens and the earth All Gods seruants must praise his name and they must praise it alone and they which praise anie thing else do not rightlie vnderstand as yet the maiestie of God his praise is aboue heauen earth that is all heauen and earth is not able to expresse the greatnesse of his praise And here is the reason Because he exalts the horne of his people he aduanceth to honor and makes mightie and strong which is a praise for all his saints euen for the children of Israel Gnam kerovo a people that drawes néere vnto him as it is in the Hebrew Would you haue God exalt your horne would you be his people then you must praise him alone then you must draw neere to him and not fly from him to any other The which God giue all grace to do for Iesus Christs sake to whom be praise for euer Amen Certaine Prayers fit for euerie true Catholique dayly to vse both for himselfe and his family taken out of the scriptures Granatensis and others Matt. 7 7. Aske and it shal be giuen you seeke and ye shall find knocke and
rest of the apostles condemne in their Epistles and not that Euangelicall and liuelie faith which S. Paul calles faith Some men in those dayes taught that if one kept a whore openlie and yet said that hee beleeued in Christ by his faith hee should bee saued Aug. de fide oper cap. 1. Against such saint Austen makes that Booke and affirmes that such a faith cannot profit anie man Againe here we note howe the Fathers are to be vnderstood when as manie times they saie that charitie couers sins and mercie saues and such like phrases they vse that as saint Austen doeth here saie that faithfull charitie liues well so also faithfull charitie couers sinnes and faithfull mercie saues As Saint Paul also saieth of faithfull prayer that it saues He that calles on the name of the Lord saieth hee shall be saued But howe shall they call on him on whom they haue not beleeued So that prayer hath this vertue to saue not of her selfe but of faith And so we maie no doubt saie of other good workes Euerie thing the more excellent it is doeth more communicate his vertue to others as euen the verie fire his heate to the colde and harde Iron so that now Iron burnes but it is by reason of fire that impartes his vertue vnto it so likewise the sunne impartes his forces to these inferior creatures so trees impart their sappe to their fruites and shall wée thinke that faith is lesse forcible then fire Phil. 1.11 and are not workes called the fruits of righteousnesse and why maie not faith which is the roote of righteousnesse impart this his sappe vnto them De Iacob beat vit lib. 2. cap. 1. Vno fidei munimine tegant Ambrose of faith and workes writes thus In this field flourish the Pomegranets which containe many fruits vnder one rinde of faith and do as it were nourish them with the embracing of charitie so that faith as the rind of the Pomegranet containes manie kernelles vnder it so doth faith couer all our works They may not appeare in Gods sight without it it giues life vnto them And charity is as it were the nurse of them as necessary as the nurse is to the child after it be born so necessary also is charity to all our good works Cap. 2. And after writing howe Isaac smelled a swéete sauour of Esaues garmentes which Rebeccah had put on her sonne Iacob he writes thus Peraduenture it meanes this That we are not iustified by workes but by faith because the infirmitie of our flesh is an hinderance to our workes but the brightnesse of faith ouershadowes the error of our deedes which deserues pardon of our sinnes So that whereas in our best good workes are imperfections by reason of the infirmitie of our flesh the glorie of faith lighteneth and couereth them This is Ambrose his iudgement Our workes then of themselues can iustly challenge no rewarde nay they must craue pardon for their imperfections and the helpe of faith to patronize them Againe how that all men are sinners he writes thus Amb. de lac beat vit l. 2. c. 5 Oh how happie is that man in whom the enemie can finde nothing that he may challenge to be his in whom the Diuell can finde nothing that he may say iustly to bee his this seemes impossible in man But Iacob herein bare a type of him who said in the Gospel The Prince of this world comes and in me he shall finde nothing Ambrose here plainlie affirmes that no man except only Iesus Christ is frée from sinne he excepts not the blessed virgin Marie as the Papists doe now Of whose iudgement were Chrysostome and Theophylact as Titilman notes vpon Iohn Titil in Ioh. cap. 2. But now saith he that it is reuealed to the Church that she is without sinne we must beleeue it though these fathers in their daies taught contrarie So lightly they account of the fathers when they make against them That lesson of Peter is worth the marking 1. Pet. 1.13 Therefore the loines of your minde being girded vp and being sober trust perfectly in that grace which is brought vnto you by the Reuelation of Iesus Christ And after If you call him father Verse 17. which iudgeth without respect of persons according to euerie mans worke passe the time of this your pilgrimage here in feare Here is a briefe summe of a Christians iustification and conuersation He must trust perfectly in the loue of God brought to him and declared by Iesus Christ as concerning his frailties and sinnes of infirmitie For who can say my heart is cleane But he must also haue the loines of his minde girded vp and passe the time of this his pilgrimage in feare As concerning presumptuous sinnes Psal 19.13 Psal 59.5 Rom. 6.12 Psal 119.122 De iustificatione lib. 2. cap. 7. he maie not sinne of malicious wickednes Sinne may no more raigne in him he may not take delight and pleasure in sinne This is the summe of Saint Peters doctrine concerning the conuersation and iustification of all Christians Maister Bellarmine first of Iustification writes thus The fourth and fift error which also haue many maintainers place our iustification in the imputation of Christs righteousnesse as though therefore we were righteous before God because Christ doth couer vs with his righteousnesse and seeing vs thus couered pronounceth that he accompts vs iust This doctrine Maister Bellarmine accounts erronious which agrées with the Scriptures euen as saint Paul most plainly prooueth Roman 4.6 The Prophet Dauid also saith he declareth the blessednesse of man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnesse are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Here are Dauids and saint Paules plaine resolutions that the blessednesse of euerie man consists in the couering of his sinnes and in the imputation of righteousnesse without workes To this agrées also saint Iohn 1. Ioh. 2.2 If anie man sin as before he had affirmed that all men did euen we the Apostles haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the propitiation or couering of our sinnes Euen Iesus Christ couers the Apostles sinnes And this is that which our Sauiour himselfe teacheth all Christians Luke 9.26 For whosoeuer shall be ashamed of me and of my wordes of him shall the son of man be ashamed when hee shall come in his glorie What meanes this that Christ will be ashamed of some at his comming No doubt that he will not clothe them with his righteousnesse nor shadowe them vnder his winges But Maister Bellarmine goeth on further and writes thus Our aduersaries saith he affirme that the imputation of Christs righteous is necessarie not only because sinne truely euer remaines in vs but also because our inherent righteousnesse is not so perfect that it might simply and absolutely iustifie vs. But we will easily refute this cause if our aduersaries will beleeue the