avoid this danger and not to fear mens enmity for preaching Gods Truth 4. Pleasure in unrighteousness makes this Doctrine not rightly preached and not rightly believed 5. The Articles of faith not given to devour the Commandements therefore no sacrilegious or unjust person can be justified by faith in Christ 6. This Gospel-Truth to be embraced by Papists and not forsaken by Protestants though it hath been most abused of all others and was so from the first entrance of the Gospel whence the Catholick Epistles were written chiefly against the Solifidian Haereticks 7. The Doctrine of Justification delivered by St. Paul Rom 3. in two Propositions the one Negative That 't is not by works proved by 3. Arguments The other affirmative That 't is by â—…aith proved from all the causes of Justification viz. God the efficient Christ the meritorious Faith the instrumental remission of sins through the imputation of Christs obedience the formal cause And the declaration of Gods righteousness and mans glorying in God alone the two final causes thereof These 2. Propositions afterwards joyned together in one Dogmatical conclusion That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law which is again repeated Gal. 3. and confirmed by Ten arguments 8. The best way of arguing in this heavenly Doctrine is by arguments that come from Heaven agreeing not only with the analogie of faith in the Doctrine they prove but also with the analogie of the Text in the manâ—…er of their proof 9. That Faith which is without works justifieth not gives not works a share in justifying 10. That Charity is greater then Faith gives it not a greater influence in Justification 11. This Text Not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified for faith is not in hearing but in doing not in the ear but in the heart 12. St. James and St. Paul deliver one and the same doctrine concerning Justification That t is by Faith in Chtist not by works but St. Paul speaks of Faith more in relation to Christ its proper Object to teach the Jews the necessity of Faith St. James speaks of Faith more in relation to works its proper effect to teach unsanctified Christians the obedience of Faith 13. The doctrine of Justification by Faith without works is the whole scope both of the Law and of the Gospel as is particularly proved in the Epistle to the Hebrews 14. Good worke are necessary consequents of the Faith that justifieth not Causes of the Justification and are no further required of us by any of the Apostles or Prophets in the judgement of St. Austin St. Ambrose and St. Chrysostom Therefore Justification by Faith without works was then the judgement of the Catholick Church and indeed is now of the present Roman Church if we look upon her Devotions not her Disputes 15. To maintain Justification by mans righteousness is not only to forsake Christs Church but also to destroy it 16. Christs imputed righteousness blasphemously called a Fiction by Bellarmin piously acknowledged a Reality by Pererius hîs brother Jesuit But the Saints imputed righteousness is a meer fiction both in regard of the Imputation which hath no promise of Gods acceptance and in regard of the righteousness which cannot challenge it as being incompleat because of Original and Actual sin therfore not superfluous in the best of Gods Saints as 〈◊〉 proved by several Texts of Holy Scripture according to the exposition of the Catholick Church 17. All men being sinners no man can be justified by his own righteousness 18. To be justified by works is to be justified without if not against Grace Christ and Faith 19. T is madness and wickedness for man to set up his own against his Saviours righteousness yet self-Justiciaries are guilty of this madness and wickedness undervaluing both Christs death and the Redemption thereby purchased for true blievers The sixt Exception IBidem sect 3. pag. 196. Against Justification by works you alledge Being justified by Faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. But what faith The same St. Paul Gal. 5. 5 6. saith thus ex fide spem Justitiae expectamus sed fides quae per Charitatem operatur Here are works required to Justification as well as faith which must proceed from charity which according to St. Paul 1 Cor. 13. 13. is greater then faith and must needs therefore have the greater influence in our justification For as he saith Rom. 2. 13. Not the hearers of the Law there is faith are just before God but the doers of the Law there are good works shall be justified The Answer 1. HE that walks on battlements had need take a special care of his footing because if he slip he must fall and if he fall he must be dashed to pieces And such is now the walk of all Orthodox Divines in the way of Gods Truth especially this of justification the main Gospel-Truth 't is as if they walked upon battlements every step is slippery and every slip threatens ruin not that God hath left his way either dangerous or slippery but that some men have made it so their debates have made it dangerous their devices have made it slippery For some men have turneth Devotion it self into Debate to make Gods way dangerous and Doctrine it self into Devices to make Gods way slippery And concerning such men it is the Apostle hath said Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the Truth men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith 2 Tim. 3. 8. They that use tricks and devices to elude the sense when they cannot evade the sentence of the Law Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are wâ—…itten in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. do like Jannes and Jambres withstand Moses by enchantments making themselves Aegyptians when God made them Israelites or making themselves Magicians when God made them Divines only they seldome cry out Digitus Dei This is the finger of God though they be shewed never so plainly his own very hand writing to convence them oÌ„f their resistance against the Truth For the same corrupt minds that make them resist the Truth do also make them reprobate or of no Judgement concerning the faith For who can be judicious in the Faith but from the Truth and therefore he that resists the Truth must needs be of no Judgement concerning the faith And since we find among all the multitudes of factious men so little Judgement concerning the Faith we cannot but feat that they have all more or less resisted the Truth I am the way and the Truth saith Christ So that if the Christian look directly and constantly on Him he shall not walk out of the right way nor erre from the saving Truth Surely then t is because we have not looked on our Saviour but on our selves on our own Interests that our strayings have been so many from this right
way our errours have been so many against this Soul-saving Truth How far this may concern the grand factions of Christendome I will not determine but sure I am they whose Religion is rebellion and whose faith is faction have no other Truth but their own phansies or imaginations and consequently can have no other God but their own Perverseness Yet we doubt not but as Aarons Rod swallowed up the Rods of the Magicians so will Religion at last swallow up rebellion and Faith will swallow up Faction and Truth will swallow up Phansie and Wisedome will swallow up Folly if not so as to be acknowledged of her enemies yet so as to be justified of her Children For the Apostle hath said most positively though more comfortably But they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest to all And he that hath promised concerning the Preachers of his truth hath much more promised concerning the Truths they are to Preach especially those which so nearly concern the salvation of Souls They shall not be removed into a Corner any more But thine eyes shall see thy teachers and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk â—…e in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left Isa. 30. 20 21. 2. But if the Lovers of Gods Truth will hope to obtain this promise of a word saying This is the way they must endeavour to obey that command see that ye walk circumspectly Eph. 5. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Latine Church in the Text of Sixtus 5. See therefore how circumspectly ye walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Greek Church in the Text of St. Chrysostome See therefore circumspectly how ye walk Men that will not wander in the by-paths of errour must have their eyes in their heads to look about them to see which is the way of Truth and they must keep their eyes open in their heads to look before them to walk in that way If they want a good circumspection to look about them they may chance never come into the right way if they want a good Prospection to look before them they may soon go out of it self-conceit is a great enemy to circumspection self-interest is a great enemy to prospection and 't is commonly one of these two if not both that makes so many Christians not walk in the way of Truth but choose faction or phansie instead of Faith This may seem to be far fetcht but it comes very neer my purpose and I pray God it may yet come neerer some mens consciences For they who licentiously abuse this Doctrine of justification by faith in Christ choose phansie instead of Faith and turn the Grace of God into wantonness They who wilfully oppose it to set up their own righteousness choose faction instead of Faith and turn the Grace of God into nothing for as mans age so his righteousness is as nothing in respect of God All my goods are nothing unto thee Psal. 16. 2. Both alike with Elymas the Sorcerer seek to turn away others from the Faith and may justly expect the hand of God upon them selves to make them so blind as not to see the Sun of Righteousness for ever God of his infinite mercy take away this mist and darkâ—…ess from before the eyes of all his servants but especially of all his Seers for if the light of the world be darkness how great will be the darkness thereof If we delight in the inner darkness here how shall we escape the outer darkness hereafter If they were a rebellious people lying children children that would not hear the law of the Lord who said to the Seers See not Isa. 30. 9 10. then what are those Seeâ—…s who say to themselves See not who shut their eyes against the light and shut their hearts against the Power of this Truth But that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by Faith Gal. 3. 11. See the light of this Truth for it is evident see we the Power of this Truth for even the just shall not live by his works but by his Faith The just shall live by Faith q. d. The justest must that is hath that justice whereby he shall live eternally from his Faith not from his works from his Saviours righteousness not from his own God speaking this soul-saving Truth so plainly to the understanding and pressing it so powerfully upon the Conscience bids all Christian Divines admire his goodness in shewing the great need and benefit of Christ not discover their own wickedness in seeking to undermine the very foundation of Christianity Accordingly St. Chrys. expounds that precept see ye walk circumspectly of the Ministers of the Gospel Observe saith he how the Apostle doth forewarn and forearm the Preachers of Gods Truth againg all the oppositions of their and its enemies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whole Towns and Cities waged war against them which the Canonist signally expressed after this manner Laici clericis Oppidò sunt infesti yet they are furnished with no other armour but this to defend themselves see that ye walk ciâ—…rcumspectly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Give your enemies no other occasion of their enmity but onely from your Preaching which is an occasion rather taken then given 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let that alone be the ground of their enmity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let no man be able to accuse you of any thing else and then your adversaries will accuse God not you An admirable gloss and seasonable for this Atheistical Age wherein men will not believe the Truth because they have pleasure in unrighteousness though St. Paul tell them plainly that they shall be damned for their unbelief That they all mâ—…ght be damned who believe not the Truth but â—…ad pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2. 12. 4. It is the pleasure in unrighteousness which makes either the people not rightly believe Gods Truth or the Priests not rightly preach it and particularly this Truth of Justification by Faith which some of your Priests care not to preach because it will spoil their markets and some of our Priests had need preach more warily for fear it should spoil our people It is onely pleasure in unrighteousness that hath hitherto opposed this Truth in its doctrine or poisoned this Truth in its belief For why should a Truth so clearly revealed in the word of Christ so neerly concerning the glory of Christ so highly condâ—…ceing to the salvation of Christians be so violently opposed by some of your Priests in its doctrine but that it pulleth down the prices of Masses and Indulgences stopping the hands of silly and simple but yet liberal and munificent votaries Hence it is that Demetrius-like for love of gain they raise an uproar against St. Paul for it is not against us it is against him or rather Gods Spirit in him the main Preacher
abominable unrighteousness For even immediately after the first clear preaching of Justification by Faith we find a strange generation of licentious and ungodly men who did boast of Faith in Christ without good works committing all manner of sin with greediness and without remorse This gave occasion to St. Peter St. John St. James and St. Jude who all writ after St. Paul to direct their stiles chiefly against such vain boasters of this empty Faith and their Epistles were afterwatds peculiarly called Catholick for this reason amongst others That they were all written in Vindication of the true Catholick Faith which did teach a man so to believe in Christ as to have his life answerable to his belief This account doth St. Peter give for himself saying I have written briefly exhorting and testifying That this is the true Grace of God wherein ye stand 1 Pet. 5. 12. As if he had said These two things I have chiefly proposed to my self in my writing 1. To testifie the doctrine of the Gospel concerning the Grace of God in Christ to be the onely doctrine to bring you to eternal Salvation 2. To Perswade you to stand fast and persevere in that doctrine by leading your lives answerable to your profession And this account may we give concerning the rest of the Authors of the Catholick Epistles for thus the whole Argument of St. Johns first Epistle consists of those two principal parts of the Christian Religion The Promises and the Precepts of the Gospel For to the Promises we must refer all that he speaks of Communion with God of the expiation of our sins by the blood of Christ and of the hope of eternal life To the Precepts we must refer all that he speaks of true Faith in Christ of living godly and righteously according to that Faith and of loving God sincerely or not loving the world that we may live godly and of loving our Bretheren sincerely not hypocritically That we may live righteously The like may we say for St. James and St. Jude that their Epistles are chiefly against the Solifidean Hereticks and are therefore filled with divers exhortations to several Christian Virtues which they had deserted and with Dehortations from the the contrary vices which they had committed And we may be Catholicks in this doctrine of Justification according to these Catholick Epistles and yet still deny Justification by works For it is only the Faith in Christ that is justified by its works but the man is still justified only by his Faith 7. You are as zealous for Justification by works as St. Paul is against it with what good Conscience I cannot say but sure upon no good ground yet you have appealed to St. Paul himself as the Judge of this controversie to decide on your side and accordingly to St. Paul you shall go who sure will very little befriend you by his decision For I pray what works can any man do which are not comprised under The works of the Law But it is St. Paul's most absolute Determination Therefore by the deeds or works of the Law there shall no flesh be justified Rom. 3. 20. He that looks upon the foregoing words setting forth the abominable sins that were in the best of men then living the Jews and in those times wherein they lived best even the times of David and Hezekiah for all the proofs here concerning their wickedness are taken out of the Psalms and the Prophesie of Isaiah will easily acknowledge that the words though particular in their occasion yet are universal in their Instruction and do set forth the general corruption of all men whatsoever whereby they are most grievous transgressours of the Law and most odious in the sight most obnoxious to the Justice of God for their transgressions This considered He must be led by the spirit of errour who will not see the evidence and by the spirit of contradiction who will gainsay the power of St. Paul's conclusion Therefore by the works of the Law there shal no flesh be justified for it followeth upon these Premises No Transgressour of the Law can be justified by the works of the Law But all men whatsoever are transgressours of the Law Therefore no man whatsoever can be justified by the works of the Law which is as much as to say That no man whatsoever can be justified by works for all works whatsoever are reducible to the works of the Law as being done through obedience to its authority and not rightly done but through compliance with and conformity to its righteousness And to this Argument he adds another v. 27. which may be put into this Syllogism The Law of works doth not wholly exclude mans boasting in his Justification But God will have mans boasting wholly excluded in his Justification Therefore The Law of works doth not justifie The Major is further proved by Rom. 4. 2. For if Abraham were justified by works he hath wherof to glory The Minor by Eph. 2. 8 9. For by Grace ye are saved through Faith not of works lest any man should boast what remains then for the conclusion but that the Law of works doth not justify For if it justified not Abraham who had so good works as to be called the friend of God much less will it justify me who by my wicked deeds am become Gods enemy We have yet a third argument in this very place v. 29 30. which concludes thus If Justification were by the works of the Law then onely the Jews who alone had the Law written in tables could be justified and God should regard the salvation of no other people save of the Jews But these consequents are directly against the goodness of God and the whole scope or Tenor of his Word Therefore so is that Antecedent that Justification is by works of â—…e Law These are St. Paul's three arguments in this place for his Negative conclusion which is against Justification by works And he is not contented with this but he gives us also an affirmative conclusion which is for Justification by Faith v. 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ which he fully explaineth and confirmeth from all the causes of our Justification The principal efficient cause is God of whom it is said v. 30. It is one God that shall justify by Faith and through Faith and this needs no other proof because no other could give us our blessed Jesus for a Saviour nor can give us Faith to be made partakers of his salvation The meritorious cause is Christ the Mediator betwixt God and man v. 25. Whom God hâ—…th set forth to be a propitiation The instrumental cause is Faith v. 22. The 〈◊〉 of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ upon all that beâ—…eve for there is no apprehending of Christ without 〈◊〉 as there is no righteousness and salvation without Christ and again v. 25. through Faith in his blood not excluding any other act of his Mediatorship
the hearers of the law there is Faith for what can any sacrilegious Enthusiast say more who robs God of mens hearts in regular and sound prayers to place all Religion in the ear sure there were many hearers of St. Pauls Sermon for it was preached on the Sabbath and in a place where prayer was wont to be made Act. 16. 13. who heard more than the law for they also heard the Gospel yet only one Lydia for ought we know was judged faithful unto the Lord and the text gives this reason of her Faith whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul Therefore the hearers of the law have not Faith but the doers of it at least in vote and desire i. e. those who labour to do it yet they when they have done all are taught to say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do Luk. 17. 10. Their doings cannot fully reach the obligation of their duty and how can they be a satisfaction for their undutifulnesse All their works of righteousnesse when they have laboured to do all those things which are commanded and as they are commanded them will leave them unprofitable and much more must their works of unrighteousnesse make them unacceptable so that you have only supposed a false Faith in the hearers of the Law not disprov'd Justification by Faith in the doers of it for he that saith not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified doth not thereby suppose much less averre any men to be so compleat doers of the Law as to rely upon their good deeds for their justification 12. You might happily better have appealed to St. James than to St. Paul for justification by works and yet neither would he have befriended this your appeal much lesse have justified that your position for St. James doth not contradict the doctrine of St. Paul but doth only correct those who had misunderstood or at least misapplied it bidding them add to their Faith Vertue as St. Peter had done before 2 Pet. 3. 5. or not expect to be justified by it wherefore those two Apostles may very well be said to have delivered but one and the same doctrine concerning justification if we take their words not as we please but as they intended them for St. Paul writing against proud Justitiaries among the Jews who sought for righteousness from their own works according to the Law of Moses and rejected the righteousnesse of God by Faith in Christ strongly denyed Justification by works meaning works properly so called that is to say a perfect and perpetual observation of the whole Law because all men whatsoever Christ only excepted had many wayes transgressed the Law But St. James writing against licentious and profane Hypocrites among the Christians who pretending to Faith in Christ lived not according to the Rule of the Christian Faith but altogether neglected the study and practice of good works affirmed Justification by works meaning by works the very obedience of Faith or a working by love and obedience The one writ against the proud opposers the other against the fond Pretenders of Faith in Christ therefore the one tells the proud Jews that their works were not answerable to the Law in which they trusted that he might teach them the necessity of Faith in Christ The other tell the hypocritical Christians that their works were not answerable to the Gospel of which they boasted that he might teach them the obedience of that Faith accordingly as often as St. Paul affirmeth in sense at least if not in words That we are justified only by Faith so often he understandeth a Faith working by love Gal. 5. 6. or an unfained unhypocritical Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a Faith as belongs not to hypocrites 1 Tim. 1. 5. And as often as St. James denieth that we are justified only by Faith so often he understandeth a Faith not working by love a Faith only in profession or in perswasion not in obedience or in affection a Faith belonging to hypocrities not to good Christians a Faith in noise and in word but not in truth and in deed as appeares from the manner of his expression ver 14. If a man say he hath Faith for the Apostle would not say it for him because he had only a dead Faith A Faith without works and therefore without life operari sequitur esse the Faith of devils from the evidence or power of truth convincing the understanding not the Faith of Abraham or Rahab from the acceptance and love of truth converting the will therefore these two positions are not contrary A man is justified before God not by the works of the Law which he cannot have but only by Faith in Christ which alwaies worketh by love and A man is justified before God not only by Faith that is an historical knowledge of the Gospel and an emptie profession of Faith but also by works that is an affectionate love of the Gospel and a sincere obedience of Faith The former position is maintained by St. Paul against those Jews who rejected the Gospel of Christ the latter position is maintained by St. James against those Christians who profaned the same Gospel Both Apostles teach one and the same Justification by Faith in Christ only St. Paul speaks of Faith more in relation to its proper object even to Christ because he went to convince gainsaying Jews and to make them Christians St. James speaks of Faith more in relation to its proper effect even good works because he went to convert revolting Christians and to make them good Christians For so himself saith concerning Abraham Seest then how Faith wrought with his works and by work was Faith made perfect ver 23. He saith not By works was his justification made perfect but only his Faith whereby he was justified requiring works only to the Faith that justifieth but not to the act of justification And after the same manner are we to understand his conclusion ver 24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified and not by Faith only as if he had said From this example of Abraham you may gather that 't is not the wording but the working not the professing but the performing Faith that justifies a man before God requiring works in that man which is justified but not denying to Faith the power and prerogative of justifying 13. You have well reconciled St. Paul with St. James in your question But what Faith which intimaâ—…eth that a justâ—…fying Faith is such a 〈◊〉 as workeâ—…h by love but you have ill reconciled your selfe with St. Paul in your position That works are required to Justification as well as Faith which plainly asserteth the contradictory of St. Pauls doctrine And surely 't is not safe for any Divine to differ in this Doctrine of Justification from St. Paul no more than it is safe for him
be reserved only to the Eternal Son of God who alone had a righteousness able to hold weight in the ballance of the Sanctuary and consequently who alone had a righteousness able to make a sinner righteous If I wash thee not thou hast no part with me Joh. 13. 8. being spoken to a man of infirmity better merit than I can hope for notwithstanding all that I can do or suffer for my Saviour makes me say That unlesse his blood wash me I shall never be so clean as to have a part with him Therefore will I rely only upon his blood to make and keep me a true member of his Body for I see that St. Paul who excelled all others in his Doings and in his sufferings for Christ in labours more abundant there was the excellency of his doings In stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in deaths oft there was the excellency of his sufferings 2 Cor. 11. 23. yet dares not plead either for acquitment or acceptance with God from his own but only from his Saviours obed ence And do couâ—…t them but dung sc. all things whatsoever not the righteousness of the Law excepted that I may win Christ And be found in him not having my own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by Faith Phil. 3. 9. A righteousness which is most truly called the righteousness of God for it is of God the Fathers giving of God the Sons purchasing For none but God can take away sin appease the wrath of God abolish the power of death and the tyranny of the Devil therefore no righteousness but the righteousness of God can have any thing to do in our Justification whereby sin is taken away Gods wrath is appeased and the power of death and the Devil is abolished If men alone can do this great work of our redemption what need we any more then man alone in the person of our Redeemer wherefore to admit any but the Son of Gods righteousness as the cause of mans Justification is to set open if not to set up an inlet for Arrianism which forceth Christian Divines to bring St. James to St. Paul in this doctrine of Justification that they may set up not mans but Gods righteousness for if we need a God to redeem us why not also to justifie us since Justification is the main work of our redemption And indeed if men would be so ingenuous as to allow the Spirit of God the same constancy to himself under the hands of several Pen-men as of One They would no more oppose St. James against St. Paul in this doctrine then St. Paul against himself For St. Paul hath as palpably rejected a Faith without works as St. James Though I have all Faith so as to remove mountains and have no charity I am nothing 1. Cor. 13. 2. And yet by so saying did never intend and was never thought to thwart his own doctrine concerning Justification by Faith in Christ or to ascribe any share of it to works which proceed from charity or to make man a fellow-sharer with God by allowing our own righteousness to be in the least respect a Partial cause of our Justification And herein St. Augustin shews himself St. Pauls Scholar and therefore may justly challenge to be our Master For though he writ a Book of purpose to confute the Solifidean Heresie which looked only after Faith yet hath he not let fall any one passage to perswade us That works are required to Justification as well as Faith This himself professeth lib. 2. Retr cap. 38. Interea missa sunt mihi à quibusdam fratribus laicis quidem sed divinorum eloquiorum studiosis scripta nonnulla quae ita distinguerent à bonis operibus Christianam fidem ut sine hâc non posse sine illis autem posse perveniri suaderetur ad aeâ—…ernam vitam quibus respondens librum scripsi cujus nomen est de Fide Operibus When I had received certain writings from some Lay-brethren indeed but studious of the holy Scripture mark the distinction of Lay-men and Clergy-men in those daies but withal the free use of the Scriptures not denied to Lay-men which did so divide and separate Faith from Works as to say without the one we might not be saved but without the other we might I thought to answer them in a Treatise of purpose which entitled of Faith and Works And in this Treatise though by many Texts he proveth that men are bound to work out their own salvation yet doth he nowhere avow that they shall be justified or saved by their works Thus himself declareth the whole intent and scope of his Book as to this argument Quare illud jam videamus quod excutiendum est à cordibus religiosis ne malâ securitate salutem suam perdant si ad eam obtinendam sufficere solam fidem putaverint berè autem vivere bonis operibus viam Dei tenere neglexerint lib. de Fide Oper. cap. 14. Now let us consider that Tenent which is to be kept or driven out of religious hearts lest by an evil security they should lose their own salvation while they think to obtain it only by faith and neglect to live righteously and by works of righteousness to keep themselves in the way of Godliness Here 's his whole scope and intention To keep religious hearts from carnal security in neglecting good works not to fill them with spiritual Pride in relying on them and surely they must rely on them very much to the dishonour of their Saviour and to the danger of their salvation if they look to be justified by them nay a little after He plainly excludes good works from Justification though he require them in the Faith that justifieth Quùm ergo dicit Apostolus arbitrari se justificari hominem per fidem sine operibus Legis non hoc agit ut praeceptâ ac professâ fide opera Justitiae contemnantur sed ut sciat se quisque per fidem posse justificari etiamsi legis opera non praecesserint sequuntur enim justificatum non praecedunt justificandum When therefore the Apostle saith we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law his intent is not that because we have known and do profess the faith we should contemn the works of the Law but only that every man should know he may be justified by his faith though he hath not performed the works of the Law For those works do follow him that already is not go before him that hereafter shall be justified If good works do not go before him that is justified then the work of Justification is done before they come and if done before them then most surely done also without them Yet still the same Father reviles their opinion who did think That Faith without works was available to salvation saying plainly that to confute this
in doing or in suffering because there is no proportion betwixt an infinite Justice and a finite satisfaction This considered may I not be as gross an Ebionite or Cherinthian by saying there is a necessity of penal satisfaction as if I say there is a necessity of legal observations for the expiation of sin do not both alike diminish and disparage the efficacy of Christs death Or may I think that the Church of Christ by using the power of the Keyes in retaining sins intends to retain where Christ remits to wiâ—… in the true Penitent to the undervaluing of Christs merit in purchasing remission of sins and Gods free grace and mercy in granting it and Gods holy Spirit in testifying it Therefore I must let the satisfaction enjoyned by the Church die with the Penitent and not be required of him after death unless I will suppose the Church both able and willing to bind where Christ hath loosed For if Christ loose not the sinner here I do not find upon what grounds to believe That he will loose him hereafter So that we see if satisfaction is to be made by the sinner All must go to Purgatory and for ought we can prove tarry there eternally And so Purgatory will in truth be Hell If satisfaction hath been made by Christ then none at all can justly go thither And so Purgatory will in truth be Nothing certain it is no other satisfaction was given for all the offences of the good Thief though he were not a Penitent till the hour of his death and with what colour of Truth can any Divine teach that God will not take this satisfaction and this alone for all other Penitents And yet this in Bellarmines acount is one of the two supporters of Purgatory the other is Venial sins which may also be shaken in good time In a word The Place the Time the Quality of Torment the manner of tormenting the Tormentor and the cause or end for which souls are said to be tormented in Purgatory are all uncertain and how can the torment it self be taken for a certainty For it is not any mans confidence can make that certain which is invested with so many intrinsecal doubts and ambiguities nor any mans arguments can make that credible which is not certain But besides the uncertainty wâ—… meet with in this temporary Tormentâ—… which will not suffer us to believe it wâ—… find it casts an uncertainty upon that eternal Torment which we confess our selveâ—… bound to believe For as you rightly sayâ—… Nothing is more certain amongst Christiaâ—… then what is de fide of Divine Faith So crave leave to inferr from that sayinâ—… Nothing is to be affirmed de fide of diviâ—… faith among Christians which is not ceâ—…tain unless we will labour to overthroâ—… the Certainty of the Christian faith Fâ—… to require men to believe an uncertaiâ—… equally with a certainty is to invite theâ—… to disbelieve a certainty since it is not possible they should have one and the same Divine Faith for uncertainties and for certainties And therefore to teach men to believe Purgatory which is uncertain is the ready way to make them not believe Hell which is most certain Nor is it to be wondered That Bellarmines certainties concerning this doctrine should be so much enfeebled by his own uncertainties concerning the same no more then it is to be wondered that the certainty of our Christian saith should depend not upon the wit of man but upon the word of God 7. For this doctrine of Purgatory is so far from being taught in the Word of God that if you should ask those Disciples who have been most and best instructed in the Word Have ye received the doctrine of Purgatory since ye believed They must answer you We have not so much as heard whether there be any Purgatory and yet the same men will plainly tell you They have heard there is an holy Ghost and have received him though your over-bold Peltanus would perswade the world That Purgatory is as expresly taught in the holy Scriptures as the Unity of God and yet that is a little more expresly taught then the Deity of the Holy Ghost though blessed be God the Scripture is very express in both these Doctrines But in the whole Book of God there is neither in words nor in sense neither explicitly nor implicitly any such thing as your Purgatory which we cannot say concerning any Article of the Christian Faith That the thing we are bound to believe is not so much as really or virtually named in all the Holy Bible For an sit is as truly a precognition in the object of faith as in the subject of any question by that Rule of the Apostle if reason will not serve How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher Rom. 10. 14. We cannot believe what we have heard we cannot hear any supernatural truth unless God preach it and if he hath been the Preacher we may find the doctrine in his written Word which the most zealous defenders of this your doctrine durst not assert in former times For a very eminent Schoolman of our own Couâ—…rey Iohannis Bachâ—…nus lib. 4. dist 45. quâ—…unica answers all the Texts that were in his daies commonly alledged out of the Bible to prove Purgatory which were then but three though since they have swelled into a far greater number The first Text was that of 2 Mac. 12. To which his answer is Libri Macchabaeorum non sunt de Canone Bibliae ut dicit Hieronymus The Books of the Macchabees are not of the Canon of the Bible as saith Saint Hierom Nor doth your Cardinals new subtilty invalidate this answer Dico librum Maccha non esse Canonicum apud Judaeos sed apud Christianos esse I say the Books of the Macchabees were not Canonical among the Jews but they are among the Christians For the Christian Church had the Canon of the Old Testament from the Church of the Jews who not daring to make themselves a Canon took that which God gave them and therefore left out the Macchabees because they were not in the Ark that is to say not in that Canon which God had given them Nor hath God given the Christian Church power and authority to make that or any other Book Canonical which himself hath not made so for the Text is plain which saith To them were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. Which words only shew a Trust of keeping not a power of making the Oracles of God either in Jew or Christian. The second Text then alledged to prove Purgatory was that of 1 Cor. 3. To which his answer is That the Apostle there speaketh of that fire which shall burn the world at the day of Judgement therefore that place will not prove such a a purging by fire as the Doctors suppose before the day of Judgement Benè probatur Purgatio ista conflagrationis in
needs follow an errour in Faith And so Bellarmine himself professeth lib. 4. de Pont. c. 5. Si Papa erraret praecipiendo vitia prohibendo virtutes teneretur Ecclesia credere vitia esse bona virtutes esse malas proinde teneretur errare If the Pope should err so grosly as to command us to do evil and to eschew that which is good the Church would be bound to believe that Vices were lawful and Vertues unlawful and so consequently would be bound to be in errour We may yet further improve this tenent and say That no man can maintain what is false in matter of fact but he must also maintain what is false in matter of faith according to the very same particular in the Creed which corresponds to that of the Decalogue wherein he is erroneous whether the falsity concern his God or his neighbour or himself For as all practicks so all speculatives are reducible to these three heads Our God our neighbour and our selves As for example He that explicitly in fact maintains that fornication is lawful or any sin that is against his own body doth implicitly in faith deny his own resurrection and as in fact so also in faith doth sin against himself He that maintains any point of faction and disobedience against the fifth Commandement or any thing of injustice against the rest doth not only in fact explicitly sin against the Decalogue but also in faith implicitly sin against the Creed in that part of it which concerns his neighbour that is The Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints Lastly He that maintains any false external worship being rather willing to expunge or confound the second Commandement then to obey it sins not only in fact but also in faith against his God and doth in effect expunge that Article out of his Creed which immediately concerneth the Deity I believe in God So you see there is no Catholick Divinity in this doctrine which either makes the second no Commandement or makes no sin against it as it is no Catholick Divinity which supposeth our belief in God to be no Article of Faith or that there may be in Christians no errour or heresie against that Article For your seeming qualification in these words through ignorance alters not the case because the second Commandement hath as great an obligation and as distinct a morality as the first and therefore may be transgressed as many waies as the first that is to say as well by ignorance as by negligence infirmity or presumption and I suppose you cannot think it for the credit of your Confessional Interrogatories so to keep men from ignorances as to let them continue in presumptions Therefore either say there may be no sin at all against the second Commandement or do not say What Interrâ—…gatories are needful concerning it For if your Interrogatories do not discover the greater sins they must discover their own weakness if not your deceitfulness that 's my answer in general 7. Secondly I answer in particular That Saint Augustine did in the division of the Commandements reckon the first and second but as One not that he thought the second comprized in the first as you seem to intimate but that from a Trinity of precepts concerning our duty towards God we might readily acknowledge a Trinity of persons in the Unity of the Godhead For he neither expunged the second Commandement out of the practical principles of his Religion nor confounded it with the first but allowed it to prohibit an external Idolatry in worshipping the Godhead by any Image or representation For so saith he lib. de fide Symb. cap. 7. Simulachrum Dei nefas est Christiano in templo collocare It is a great sin for a Christian to set up any Image of God in the Church which is the very second Commandement changed from a legal prohibition into a doctrinal conclusion Again Epist. 119. In primo praecepto prohibetur coli aliqua in figmentis hominum Dei similitudo non quia non habet imaginem Deus sed quia nulla imago ejus coli debet nisi illa quae hoâ—… est quod ipse nec ipsa pro illo sed cum illo In the first Commandement sc. the second being joyned with it according to his new method we are forbidden to worship any Image of God according to the false inventions of men not that God hath not an Image but because no Image of his ought to be worshipped but only that one substantial Image of him his begotten Son who is the same with himself and to be worshipped as himself And in his 222. Epistle Si Trinitas sic est invisibilis ut nec mente videatur multò minus de illa hujusmodi opinionem habere debemus ut eam rebus corporalibus vel corporalium rerum imaginibus similem esse credamus If the Trinity be so invisible as that it is also incomprehensible we ought not to have so slight an opinion concerning it as if it were like any corporeal thing or to think it may be represented by any corporeal images What could Saint Augustine say more for the second Commandement and against you who are now come to represent and worship God the Father under the image of an Old man God the Son under the image of a Lamb and God the holy Ghost under the image of a Dove If I wrong you in this you may thank your own Cajetane who saith expresly Ecclesiae Romanae usus admittit hasce Trinitatis imagines eaque pinguntur non solum ut ostendantur sed ut adorentur Cajet in 3. Aqu. qu. 25. art 3. The custom of the Roman Church admitteth these images of the Trinity and they are painted not only that they may be shewed but also that they may be worshipped See the vast difference between Saint Augustines and your doctrine concerning the second Commandement He alloweth it to prohibit both the making and the worshipping any Image of God either in Trinity or in Unity you notwithstanding that prohibition say it is lawful not only to make but also to worship the images of the Trinity Doubtless were Saint Augustine now alive he would again part the second Commandement and divide it from the first meerly out of hatred to this your most abominable idolatry For rather then suffer the holy and undivided Trinity to be thus sinfully either represented or worshipped expresly against this second Commandement He would certainly restore it to its own place that it might no longer lie hid under the first but recover its own power as being much more zealous of Gods glory then of his own and therefore such a Divine as had much rather lose his argument of proving the Trinity from the number of three Commandements in the first Table then let you lose your Religion by an idolatrous representation and worship of that Trinity expresly against the letter and the end of the second Commandement Or if you think Saint Augustine a
of my heart prove me and examine my thoughts look well if there be any way of wickedness in me and lead me this day and ever in the way ever lasting Ps. 139. 'T is an excellent observation of Abulenâ—…is Dicitur quod loquutus est Deus ne tantum beneficium vel tantus actus quantus est dare legem attribueretur Angelo ne crederent se Judaei obligatos Angelis Tost in Exod. 20. q. 1. It is said God spake all these words at the giving of the Law least if such a great blessing had been attributed to an Angel The Jews might think themselves obliged to the Angels The Jews might not think themselves obliged to the Angels for giving the Law and may Christians pray to them for assistance in keeping it If so how will you answer your own Baronius An. 60. n. 19. Quòd praecipuos Episcopos appellet Angelos planè significat instar hominum Angelos hominibus ministrare nec tantae esse excellentiae ut quae divina sunt iisdem tribuantur The Spirit of God in giving the Title of Angels to the chiefest Bishops doth plainly shew that as men so Angels do minister unto men and are not of so great excellency as that we should ascribe to them those things which belong to God All the world cannot say more against your daily prayer to your Guardian Angel He ministers to you no otherwise then your Bishop enlightning you Instrumentally by propounding directing applying heavenly thoughts to your understanding not efficiently by infusing or increasing them And by this reason you may no more invocate him for Illumination then you may your Bishop for he is not of so great excellency that you should ascribe to him those things which belong to God Till you can say of him that he hath opened the eyes of your body to receive the Light of nature how can you say to him Open the eyes of my Soul to rereive the light of Grace Till you can say of him he hath enlightned the darkness of the night how can you say to him Enlighten the darkness of mine understanding The Centurion had many servants under him and they all did come and go as he bade them to do any Acts of favourable assistance to the Jews should therefore the servants have the thanks and honour that was due unto their master I find that when Lazarus died he was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome yet I do not find that Lazarus said to his Guardian Angel who doubtless was one of them that carried him Into thy hands do I commend my spirit nor do I see how you can say so to yours unless you can also say unto him For thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth and if you cannot commend your Soul to your Guardian Angel when you die how can you commend your Soul to him whiles you live You may say with St. Stephen Lord Jesus receive my Spirit when it is to be carried to him by the Angels for they minister to this Lord But you cannot say Lord Jesus receive my Prayers when they are given or offered to his Angels for they are not fellow-sharers in his Lordship And this instance alone is enough to answer all your objections which you have gathered out of my ejaculations but if not you may take another The Psalmist saith The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him and delivereth them yet he saith not O Taste and see how gracious the Angel of the Lord is But O Tast and see how gracious the Lord is blessed is the man that trusteth in him Ps. 34. 7 8. My Guardian Angel is a ministring Spirit for my comfort but my God alone is an al-sufficient Spirit for my content None but he can give the Spiritual gust taste of a blessed immortality to my Soul who hath made it immortal and since my prayers are the chiefest means to procure this spiritual gust or Taste to my Soul how shall I pray to them who cannot give it I desire my Religion may be to me the beginning of my Salvation for so is Grace the inchoation of Glory and therefore cannot delight in such prayers as will not give my Soul the Antipast of eternity that is in such prayers as do not bid me say unto my self O Taste and see how gracious the Lord is because they do not ascend up so high as the Lord For prayer being a spiritual colloquy with him to whom we pray why should I pray to an Angel which probably may not be present to partake of this colloquy and indeed cannot partake of it if it be meerly spiritual that is only in the heart or if he could why should my heart leave conversing with God to converse with his Servant Is not this to undervalue that happiness which I can not deserve should not desert nay is it not to undervalue prayer to make it the depression of the Soul to the Creature which God hath appointed for the elevation of the Soul unto himself What though one Angel destroyed 185000. Assyrans may we therefore say unto him Remember not our iniquities nor the iniquities of our forefathers neither take thou vengeance of our sins And if we may not pray to Angels for the averting of Judgements then sure not for the obtaining of mercies since God useth them as his instruments for the one as well as for the other If we may as you infer humbly pray them to do those good offices for us which God hath appointed them we may also humbly pray God to give us leave to sin against Him in our Prayers for to break his Commandement is to sin against Him and he hath expresly commanded saying Call upon me in the day of trouble Psal. 50. 15. In that he hath said Call upon me he hath also in effect said Call not upon any of my Angels for that is not to call upon me Therefore dare I not pray to Angels for fear of bringing Judas his curse upon my prayers of whom it was said Let his prayer be turned into sin Ps. 109. v. 7. For if my prayer be turned into sin how will my sin be turned into Repentance or my repentance be turned into mercy and forgiveness If my prayer end in sin how will my sin not end in damnation your own Clement the 8. that corrected your Latine Translation which was of much longer standing in your Church then any of your corrupt devotions will rise up against you in Judgement if you will needs continue still in these corruptions For if he reformed your Bibles why should not you reform your Breviaries CHAP. VI. Of Justification 1. THe way of Truth in the Doctrine of Justification by Faith made dangerous by mens debates slippery by mens devices yet the truth it self never to be subverted or suppressed 2. The danger of not walking circumspectly in this way by taking either faction or phansie for faith 3. Gods Seers or Ministers above all are to
end But the Faith which doth not this as it proceedeth not from the grace of Christ but from the strength of our own conviction and tendeth not to the glory of Christ So it is rather the Faith of Devils than of good Christians and may well let a man go to hell for it may go thither along with him and therefore as it is not the foundation of righteousnesse so it cannot be the foundation of blessednesse Again the same Father tells us That though our blessed Saviour had at first in effect called the woman of Canaan a Dog it is not lawful to take the childrens bread and give it unto Dogs yet when he saw in her soul â—…he fruit of that reproof he changed his dialect and said not O Dog but O Woman great is thy Faith Non ait O canis sed O mulier magna est fides tua mutavit vocabulum quia mutatum vidit affectum That Faith which Christ approved in her had changed the affection and 't is not possible but the Affection should change the Action and therefore St. James feared not to call an actionless Faith or a Faith not working by love a Faith not of Christians but of Devils Fidem non Christianorum sed Daemonum For they are not Christians but Dogs and Devils who persist in ungodly affections and in unrighteous actions nay indeed they are Infidels so farre from having true Faith in Christ that they do not know what is true Faith They rightly affirme saith he that whosoever will not believe in Christ doth in some sort sin against the Holy Ghost and put himself under a necessity of damnation but they do not rightly understand what it is to believe in Christ for that is not to believe as Devils but as Christians not to have a dead Faith but a Faith living and working by love Illud sane non absurde intelligunt eum peccare in spiritum sanctum esse sine veniâ reum aeterni peccati qui usque in finem vitae noluerit credere in Christum sed si rectè intelligerent quid sit credere in Christum non enim hoc est habere Daemonum fidem quae rectè mortua perhibetur sed fidem quae per dilectionem operatur Aug. ibid. cap. 16. I have of purpose alledged many quotations out of St. Augustine indeed most of them which concerned this argument that all the world may see that his intent in confuting those mistaken brethren who thought to be saved by Faith without works was only to shew out of â—…t James and the other Catholick Epâ—…stles what Faith it is that justifieth sc. a Faith working by love but not to ascribe the glory of Justification either to works or love because they hold of mansrighteousness but only to Faith which holdeth of the righteousness of the Son of God I will now to St. Augustine further add St. Ambrose who in his Comment upon the Romans cap. 3. hath these words Justificati sunt gratis quia nihil operantes neque vicem reddentes solâ fide justificati sunt They are justified freely by his grace because working nothing sc. worth Gods acceptance and their own acquitment and making no recompence they are justified only by Faith through the gift of God And again upon those words cap. 4. Credenti autem in eum But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly he saith thus Sic decretum dicit à Deo ut cessante lege solam fidem gratia Dei posceret ad salutem The Apostle tells us it was so decreed of God that the Law ceasing sc. as to that male diction Cursed is he that continueth not in all things to do them The grace of God should require only Faith to our salvation we find no mention of a Decree in the Text either in the Greek Original or in the Latine Translation yet St. Ambrose sets down the words thus Ei vere qui non operatur credenti autem in eum qui justificat impium reputatur fides ejus ad justitiam secundum Propositum Gratiae Dei To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is accounted for righteousness according to the Purpose of the Grace of God not intending by the addition of these words according to the Purpose of the Grace of God that any should cavil against the true reading of the Truth as of late some Criticks have taught us to do but that all should understand the true meaning of it and no more question that in justification of the ungodly Faith is accounted for righteousness then they dare question the Purpose of the Grace of God This is palbably St. Ambrose his Doctrine and therefore he asks him Is it possible the Jews should think themselves justified by the works of the Law according to the justification of Abraham when they saw that Abraham himself was justified not by the works of the Law but only by Faith Quomodo ergo Judaei per opera legis justificari se putant justificatione Abrahae quum vident Abrahamum non ex operibus legis sed solâ fide justificatum He saith moreover That our Apostle proved this from the Psalmist pronouncing them blessed unto whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works Beatos dicit quibus hoc sanxit Deus ut sine labore aliquâ observatione solâ fide justificentur apud Deum He calleth those blessed concerning whom the Lord hath determined that without their own labour and any observation of the Law by Faith alone they should be justified before Him which are so clear and high expressions for Justification by Faith alone that for any Divine now to say works are required to Justification as well as Faith is either to suppose the Apostles and Prophets not to have known Gods intent and meaning or to suppose St. Ambrose and St. Augustine not to have known the intent and meaning of the Apostles I must yet further add one more Testimony that in the mouth of two or three witnesses this so heavenly Word of Truth may be firmely established And that shall be the Testimony of St. Chrysostome who upon the two first Verses of the fourth Chapter to the Romans where the Apostle speaketh of Abrahams Justification giveth us this Exposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For as much as the Jews did turn this point of Divinity upside down because their Patriarch the friend of God was first circumcised sc. before he was accepted as a friend The Apostle is resolved to shew them that even Abraham himself was justified by Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For that a man should be justified by Faith who had no works were nothing strange But for one that flourished in deeds of righteousness not to be made just from them but from his Faith was very wounderful and doth exceedingly declare the power of Faith Therefore passing by all others he maketh mention only of him that is of Abraham Chrys. Aug. 11. in
Rom. in principio what should I add more witnesses here are enough to shew the unanimous consent of Greek and Latine Church in this doctrine of Justification by Faith without works so it is not of our Invention And they are consenting with the Prophets and Apostles in this Doctrine so it may not be of your rejection For you know who hath said If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luk. 16. 31. That is to say in this present case they will not be perswaded though one that hath passed under the Judgement of God should come from the dead to tell them That he had not been acquitted for his own but for his Saviours righteousness I was the more desirous to insist the longer upon the Fathers because some late Protestants to make their own writings the more acceptable have not stuck to say That the Fathers did write either defectively or obscurely of this point whereas if they had written with a pen of Iron or of a diamond they could not have written more Fully and with a Sun-beam they could not have written more clearly And because some Papists on the other side to make their Tenent the more passible have not stuck to say that the Fathers writ all fully and clearly for Justification by works Let any unprejudicate man judge from these few quotations whether all their fulness and plainness be not to enlarge and explain this very doctrine of St. Paul which you have blamed in me Therefore being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 1. Whereby he attributes not only our Justification from the guilt of sin but also our peace for the deliverance from the terrour of that guilt only to Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ But because men of the contrary opinion do pretend to be wholly for the Church it shall not suffice me to have shewed what the Catholick Church did believe and profess in the daies of St. Ambrose St. Augustin and St. Chrysostom but what the present Roman Church doth believe and profess at this very day for that still teaching all her Communicants to pray on this wise Effunde super nos misericordiam tuam ut dimittas quae conscientia metuit adjicias quod oratio non praesumit per dominum nostrum Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy forgiveing us those things whereof our Conscience is afraid and giving unto us that that our Prayers dare not presume to ask through Jesus Christ our Lord 12. Sunday after Trinity doth plainly shew and declare That forgiveness of sins and quietation of our Consciences are among those blessings which our prayers dare not presume to ask and much less may hope to attain by any of our own but only by our Saviours righteousness and what is Justification but the forgiveness of sins and what is the immediate effect of it but the quietation of our Consciences God hath made Remission of sins an Article of our Faith not a duty of our life and his Church accounteth them Infidels who do not believe it But if we can purchase it by our own works t is rather to be merited or to be deserved then believed Let us then change the daily Hymne of the Church and say When we had overcome the wickednesse of life we did open the Kingdom of Heaven to our selves that were workers not when Thou hadst overcome the sharpnesse of death Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers The Church owns the opening of Heaven to Christs death not denying true believers to be workers but denying Heaven to be opened by their works And shall we say that Heaven is opened by our Saviours merits but entred by our own 15. But see first if by saying so we do not only forsake Christs Church but also destroy it For none can shut the gates of Hell but He that hath opened the gate of Heaven The same righteousness shuts Them for they are many and wide and opens This for it is but one and very narrow If mans righteousnesse can do so let not Hierusalem be any longer called by this name The Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 16. But if she be no longer so called How will she be Gods Church for withoubt dout the gates of Hell will easily be able to prevail against Her righteousness though not against Her Saviours Therefore the Church that Hell shall not prevail against must be founded on the Rock of Christs righteousnesse not on the Sand of mans righteousness for then God may soon come to have no Church because the Church may soon come to have no righteousness surely it can have no such righteousness as either to vanquish Hell or to challenge Heaven no such righteousnesse as not for ever to say most justly what now she saith si iniquitates observaveris Domine Domine quis sustinebit If thou Lord wilâ—… be exâ—…ream to mark what is done amisse O Lord who may abide it That man would be very desperate who should answer this question and say I may abide it and consequently that Divinity must needs be very dangerous which must put him upon such an answer for his Justification This is for Christians to have a worse opinion of Christ then had the Jews for even Rabbi David upon these words of Jeremy The Lord our Righteousnesse gives us this glosse Israel shall call the Messias by this name The Lord our righteousnesse because in his daies the Justice of God shall be firmly established for ever acknowledging that a Justice which is to be established in us for ever is not to be obtained may not be expected by and from our selves but by and from the Messias by and from him who is here called The Lord our righteousnesse 16. Yet your Bellarmine lib. 2. de Just. useth no less then ten Arguments to prove that the imputation of Christs righteousness in our justification is little other then a fiction or a vain and empty opinion Justificationem non consistere in Imputatione justitiae Christi He saith positively That Justificatoin doth not consist in the imputation of Christs righteousnesse Sure St. Paul taught him not to say so for he plainly rejecteth his own inherent righteousnesse and cleaved only to the imputed righteousnesse of Christ when he desired to be justified Phil. 3. 9. That I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith He desired not to be found in his Own but in his Saviours righteousnesse when he was to pass under Gods sentence and he could not be found in that unless it might be imputed to Him for being Anothers it could not be inherent in Him Therefore if your Cardinals contradistinctions stand for good in your account Vera mundities non Imputativa arg 9. non verè sed
say it for he is cordially turning to him in all Thus was it with St. Peter look upon the course of his obedience you find him after his greatest undertakings grievously turning away from our blessed Saviour but look upon his repentance you find him earnestly turning to him Christ assured him his Faith should not fail and yet he should deny him thrice But we are sure his works failed and may be as sure our own works will fail so we must trust to our faith not to our works if we desire not to fail of our Justification 18. And I would gladly know how your doctrine of justification by works can agree with these three Scripture expressions justified by his free grace Rom. 3. 24. justified by Faith Rom. 5. 1. and justified by his blood Rom. 5. 9. For grace and works are set down as contraries mutually expelling one the other in the matter of Justification Rom. 11. 6. If by Grace then is it no more of works otherwise Grace is no more Grace But if it be of Works then is it no more Grace otherwise Work is no more Work So also Christ and Works Gal. 2. 21. If righteousnessâ—… come by the Law then Christ is dead in vaine So also Faith and Works Rom. 3. 28. A man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law so that to be justified by Works is to be justified without Grace without Christ without Faith unless we will make contraries not only abide but also agree one with another whereas in the doctrine of Justification by Faith all these expressions are as admirably reconciled among themselves as they are powerfully and plainly used to set forth our reconciliation with God For to be justified by Grace and by Christ and by Faith are so far from being contraries that they all speak one and the same truth namely this That we are justified through the free grace of Goâ—… for the mâ—…rit and bâ—…ood of Christ by a lively Faith applying that blood unto our souls and our souls unâ—… our God 〈◊〉 a lively Faith is not wiâ—…out works in the man 〈◊〉 justâ—…fieth though it be in the act of jusâ—…ification And therein it must be without â—…ks that it may be with Christ for if righteousnesse come by works it cannot come by Christ. 19. And what a madnesse is it for frail and weak flesh what a wickednesse is it for corrupt and sinful flesh to set up its own instead of its Saviours righteousnesse For though this doctrine may pretend to be most zealous for obedience yet is it in truth most averse from it nay most opposite against it so saith the Apostle Rom. 103. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their own righteousnesse have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God This was a great disobedience in the Jews but a greater in the Christians for they might be ignorant of the righteousnesse of God who knew not Christ not so we who know him Therefore if they in going about to establish their own righteousness did not submit unto the righteousness of God then we by going about to establish our righteousness must needs moreover wilfully resist and disobey Gods righteousness And in vaine do we talk of any other obedience whiles we are guilty of this resistance Yet I fear he came very near this guilt who said that justification by Faith alone was a most pestilent doctrine pestilentissimum dogma Stapâ—…eton qu. quodl 3. c. 9. cum itaque forgetting sure that St. Paul had fi st taught it And they who denounced Anathema against those who maintain this doctrine si quis dixerit solâ fide impium justificari Anathema sit Concil Trid. ses 6. can 9. forgetting sure that St. Paul still maintained it for their expurgatory Criticks durst not expunge this Position out of his Epistles though they durst out of the Index made upon them And this guilt must needs be very dangerous if not fully damnable because it labours to establish our own instead of our Saviours righteousness for so the same Council can 11. si quis dixerit justificari homines solâ imputatione justitiae Christi Anathema â—…it If any say that men are justified only by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse let him be accursed Jesu God didst thou give us thy righteousness to be imputed to us to bless us by taking away the guilt of our sins that in thee all the Nations of the earth might be blessed Gen. 22. 18. and shall any Ministers of thy Gospel dare to curse us for relying upon the imputation of thy righteousness was not our sin made thine that thy righteousness might be made ours and how can it be made ours but by imputation or why is it made ours by imputation but only for our Justification so saith the Text expressely 2 Cor. 5. 21. For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him As Christ was made sin for us so we are made righteousnesse in Christ neither the one nor the other by inherence therefore both alike by imputation for a third way is unimaginable Therefore St. Augustine thus glosses the forecited text Ipse peccatum nos justitia nec nostra sed Dei nec in nobis sed in ipso sicut ipse peccatum non suum sed nostrum nec in se sed in nobis He was made sin and we were made righteousnesse not our own but Gods righteousnesse nor in our selves but in our Saviour as he was made sin not his own but our sin nor in himself but in us That is in one word we are so made the righteousnesse of God in him as he was made sin for us to wit by imputation Therefore neither St. Paul nor St. Augustine neither Scripture nor Church were much regarded by him who made a meer scoffe of this imputation as if it were a phansied Chimera of mans invention and not a real mercy of Gods Donation And what else doth that argumentation import urged by your great Doctor si concupiscentia est verum peccatum tum Christus non verè sed imputativè redemit nos a peccatis Bellar. de am gr lib. 5. c. 9. If concupiscence be a sin then Christ hath not tâ—…uely buâ—… imputatively redeemed us from our sins why did he say imputativè for putativè imputatively for putatively but only to perswade the world that imputation is but a meer imagination This seems to be the drift of his argument to make good mans righteousnesse as that which is not at all infected by original and therefore may not be at all impaired by actual sin and this is little lesse in the business of Justification than to make void the righteousnesse of Christ. It was a wretchednesse to say Concupiscence is no sin in the regenerate which St. Paul called a sin in himself above ten times together Rom. 7. But it was moreover a wickednesse to say
A Christian Vindication OF TRUTH Against ERROUR Concerning these Seven Controversies 1. Of Sinners Prayers 2. Of Priests Marriage 3. Of Purgatory 4. Of the second Commandment and Images 5. Of praying to Saints and Angels 6. Of Justification by Faith 7. Of Christs New Testament or Covenant By Edw. Hide D. D. sometimes Fellow of T. C. in Cambridge and late Rector Resident of Brightwell in Berks. Holding forth the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers Tit. 1. 9. Idcirco doctrinam Catholicam contradicentium obsidet impugnatio ut fides nostra non torpescat otio sed multis exercitationibus elimetur Aug. Serm. 98. de Tempore London Printed by R. White for Richard Davis Bookseller in Oxford 1659. The General Contents of each Chapter CAp. 1. Of Sinners prayers p. 1. 2. Of Priests Marriage p. 13. 3. Of Purgatory p. 69. 4. Of the Second Commandement and against Images p. 129. 5. Of Praying to Saints and Angels p. 245. 6. Of Justification p. 359. 7. Of Christs New Testament or Covenant p. 471. Courteous Reader The pages above-mentioned will shew theâ—… the full Contents of all particulars handled in each Chapter TO THE Christian Reader HE that writes Devotion is like to please all good Christians and is sure to please himself because he walks with God in whose presence is joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore But he that writes Controversie is sure to displease many even all that are either Unchristian as coming short of Religion or Antichristian as going beyond or against it and cannot easily please himself because he walks among briers and thorns which may entangle but must annoy and offend his footing I did little think when I took some few steps in Golgotha to teach my self and prepare others how to dye That I should have met with thorns instead of dead mens skuls though I made a publick impression of those steps in my Christian Legacie for others the more plainly to see and the more easily to follow them But such is the contentiousness of this carping and quarreling age That it turneth even Devotion it self into controversie and no wonder then if it turn controversie into contention and contention into bloodshed Let the Apostle cry never so lowd Foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes And the servant of Christ must not strive 2 Tim. 2. yet this captious world will afford more questions concerning strife then Godliness not considering that the Spirit of God calleth them foolish and unlearned questions though they be invented with never so much wit and maintained with never so great learning And such I think are most of these ensuing questions raised by so many exceptions lately brought against the doctrine and practice of the Church of England by one G. B. neerly devoted to the Church of Rome 1. Of Gods hearing the Prayers of Heathens for what is that to Christians 2. Of Purgatory for what is that to the Christian Faith 3. Of Priests marriage for what is that to the Christian Religion 4. Of worshiping Images for they are both directly against Religion. 5. Of Praying to Saints 6. Of Justification by works for that 's against Faith in Christ. 7. Of Quarrelling about the words of Testament and Covenant for that 's at least vain if not profane or sinful babling As t is meerly upon words so t is vain as t is quarrelling upon those words so it may easily be sinful For he that saith Hold fast the form of sound words 2 Tim. 1. 13. bids us stand upon Propositions which signifie true or false not upon single Terms which are unsignificant as to the Truth whether speculative or practick for there can be neither Faith nor Love in them yet I have endeavoured to make the Answers to these Questions though grounded on such unnecessary exceptions to contain some very necessary and sound Divinity for which purpose I have put them into large Chapters and have assigned to each Chapter large Contents being resolved to answer the Cause for the satisfaction of others rather then the Objection for the vindication ofmy self And I think I had a good occasion and a better reason so to do for though our Brethren most oppress us yet our Adversaries most revile us and therefore every true Son much more Servant of this distressed Church ought to believe and observe his Church now speaking to him in the language of St. Paul Be not thou therefore ashamed of the Testimony of the Lord nor of me his Prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the Power of God 2 Tim. 1. 8. He that is ashamed of his Religion is ashamed of the Testimony of the Lord He that forsakes his Church when she is the Lords Prisoner did hypocritically follow her when she was the Lords free Servant and refusing to partake in the afflictions of the Gospel shews he embraced the Gospel according to the custom of men not according to the Power of God But the Word of God is not bound 2 Tim. 2. 9. These Truths which we profess according to Gods word will alwaies be professed to the worlds end though with less visibility yet not with less constancy and if Protestants shall go from them Papists shall return to them For God that can raise Children out of Stones will never be without witness among his own children and I look upon all Christians at large as his children though only upon good Christians as his dutiful children And if they should hold their peace the very stones would speak crying Hosanna to the Son of David our blessed Saviour ascribing unto him the Truth of our Religion and the honour of our Salvation And we desire no more may obtain no less Let our adversaries shew any one Tenent or Practice wherein we of this Church leave them to be more for the honour of Christ then that which we embrace and we will acknowledge our selves the worser Christians nor be any longer in that particular Protestant against them but detestant of our selves But till they can shew that we beseech them to shew themselves good Christians in not railing and raging against us for being so because we cannot think God hath given any Church Dominion over Religion or his Servant power above his Son yet men of their perswasion then most call to be answered when they least resolve to be satisfied disiring only to hinder Orthodox Ministers from confirming Protestants because they have power by prohibiting their own Proselites the use of their Books to hinder them from converting Papists yet for my part I should not have laid open the corrupt doctrines and practices of Popery had I not been constrained to vindicate Protestancy for I had rather spend my time and zeal about doctrines of Conscience the of Contestation or of Corruption and these for the most part are both
learned and picus men from the Ministry So that for the most part no other young men entred into holy orders but such as looked after a fat living and a licentious life unless it were some few who through unadvisedness and inconsideration were brought into the snare Praeter nonnulios qui imprudenter nondum sibi satis noti in laqueum inducuntur And therefore saith plainly and positively unless marriage be tolerated they should scarce be able to find out fitting Ministers to supply the Church Nisi conjugium toleretur vix idonei Ecclesiae ministri in posterum quidem inveniri poterunt Cassander in Consult Art 23. And now considering that Truth is good in it self and Virginity is good only in order to another thing sc. to righteousness let any conscientious man judge which of the two Priests is more in the state of sin and damnation whether he that is lawfully and righteously wedded to a wife or he that is unlawfully and unrighteously wedded to such a false opinion although as self-interest now steers Saint Peters ship there is little hope that the one will part or be divorced from his opinion as there is little honesty that the other should part or be divorced from his wife CAP. III. Of Purgatory 1. PUrgatory a stumbling block not to be cast in the way of men that are departing hence 2. Saint Paul desired to be dissolved that he might be with Christ. 3. All that die in the faith of Christ at their death go immediately to Christ as did Saint Paul and the good thief and to assert otherwise is to be injurious to Religious souls and to Christ their Saviour 4. Bellarmine professeth it is uncertain that Christs humane soul was in Purgatory and by his proofs makes it impossible for they all speak of the Hell of the damned 5. To say Christ went into Purgatory as into a part of his Kingdom to take possession thereof savours of blasphemy and of infidelity 6. Bellarmines uncertainties are so many and great concerning the Place the Time the Torment the Tormentors and the causes for which souls are said to be tormented in Purgatory as to enfeeble any unprejudicate mans belief though he is so confident as to say That all shall be damned who do not believe Purgatory 7. This doctrine is neither in word nor sense taught in the holy Scriptures The Texts alledged for it in Bachonus his daies answered by him The Books of the Macchabees no more Canonical to the Christians then to the Jews The fire mentioned 1 Cor. 3. no proof of Purgatory It shall not be forgiven him in the world to come spoken by way of aggravation Mat. 12. Hell taught in the Creed not so Purgatory 8. Peter Martyr vindicated Bellarmines rules of prudence against the rules of Logick meer nullities Doctrines inferred from prudential consequences are humane imaginations but from Logical consequences are Divine Truths The one by being believed the other by not being believed make a man an Heretick 9. No remission of sins in the next world proved by Aquinas out of Saint Chrysostom and Saint Augustine 10. Gods Remitting of sin is not Punishing it for Christs sake 11. Saint Augustine defines against Purgatory 12. No ground for it in the Text nor in any true general Council 13. Beilarmines reasons for it are not from but against Gods Word though seemingly deduced out of the holy Scriptures 14. His arguments for Venial sins untheological 15. His wresling of Scripture against the analogie of faith to maintain this new doctrine of his Church which agreeth not with the belief of the remission of sins or the Communion of Saints 16. The Prayers of the Church may be abused by this doctrine as well as the Word of God 17. Christ not praying for souls in Purgatory they can if any there have no benefit of others Prayers The third Exception Part. 2. Chap. 2. pag. 174. Against Purgatory you object first Desiderium habens dissolvi esse cum Christo Phil. 1. 23. But all the strength of this argument stands upon a Desiderium habens having a desire And what good Catholick man doth not desire to die so holily as he may escape Purgatory and go immediately to Christ Secondly Hodiè meâ—…um eris in paradiso Luc. 23. 43. Where you say it is evident The Convert thief upon the Cross cannot be looked upon as a priviledged person Were this evident it is evident to me that most eminently learned men would have perceived this evidence yet our Rhemes Doctors confidently call it A rare example of mercy and prerogative Maldonate handling this place Mat. 27. 44. calls it a stupidity Ex uno exemplo generalem legem colligere Bellarm. lib. 1. de Purg. cap. 8. concludes his answer to this very objection Privilegia pauco rum legem non faciunt Becanus compend men contr lib. 1. c. 11. n. 7. calls it expresly Singulare privilegium so that this your evidence is to me inevident Thirdly Bellarmine himself confesseth De Purgatorio incertum est you quote neither Chapter nor Book which is very uncouth amongst learned Antagonists These words may be understood in a double sense absolutely as to Purgatoty it self or relatively as to the good thief If the first then Bellarmine confesseth it is uncertain whether there be any such thing as Purgatory or no if the second whether the good thief went to Purgatory or no As to the first there can be nothing more certain amongst Christians then what is de fide of divine faith But Bellarm. lib. 1. de Purg. cap. 2. 3. affirms it is de fide And again cap. 11. Constanter asserimus dogma esse fidei Purgatorium adeò ut qui non credit Purgatorium esse ad illud nunquam sit perventurus sed in gehennâ sempiterno incendio cruciandus What can a man speak more resolutely then this As to the second He hath not any such word but all the contrary as I have shewed to your second objection Where then Bellarmine should make this Confession is beyond my skill to find Fourthly none ever durst say That the humane soul of Christ was at all in Purgatory If you mean To suffer there it were an horrible blasphemy to say so But if to go down thither in majesty as a most victorious Conquerer and triumphant King to take possession of his whole Kingdom which according to Saint Paul is tripartite Philip. 2. 10. Coelestium terrestrium infernorum So Bellarmine besides what he saith thereof lib. 4. de Christo cap. 12. in fine durst c. 16. with a probabile say that Christs humane soul went down thither not only quoad effectum but secundum substantiam realem praesentiam For having made this querie Ad quae loca inferni descenderit He answers Probabile est profectò Christi animum ad omnia loca inferni descendisse But whether so or no it neither makes nor marrs but the good thief enjoyed Christs promise to be with him that
Christ himself hath said concerning them I will that they be where I am that they may beâ—…old my glory I will that they be where I am not where I have been for then they might still remain on the earth or when they go hence sooner go to Hell then to Purgatory since it is without doubt say your authors Christ was once in Hell but much doubted whether he were once in Purgatory because that is looked on as a fictitious Place and so could not receive him But in truth the words will have those who are given unto Christ to go immediately unto Heaven for that is our Saviours meaning I will they be where I am viz. in heaven for there he then was in his Divinity in which respect we are taught to say to him Our Father which art in heaven and I think you must have recourse to the Divinity of Christ to prove that the good thief enjoyed his promise to be with him that day in Paradise for his body was in the grave and his humane soul in Hell say you and for ought we can prove only his Divinity was in heaven Wherefore whiles Christ was in the state of Humiliation all those who were given him were at their deaths with him as God But now he is in the state of his Exaltation all that are given him are at their deaths with him not only as God but also as man that they may behold his glory whether given him of the Father by eternal generation as God or by temporal dispensation as man And surely if they be with him that they may behold his glory they cannot be in Purgatory for neither he nor his glory is there And how their faith can be so long suspended from Vision their hope from comprehension their charity from fruition by the interposition of some continuance in Purgatory not to be measured by time for they are past that nor by eternity for they are not yet come to that I cannot see without a great injury to their soulâ—… which may not part with these Theologicall vertues till they be fully perfected and yet a greater injury to their Saviour whose merit and satisfaction is not thought enough to perfect them 4. As for those words Bellarmine himself confesseth de Purgatorio incertum est T is clear by the context they are to be understood only of the humane soul of Christ that it is uncertain whether that were ever in Purgatory or no for I said The good Thief was without doubt to be with his Saviour and therefore was to be in Paradise not in Purgatory since it was not without doubt that Christ was in Purgatory but it was without doubt that he was in Paradise And Bellarmine himself hath said thus much in sense though not in words and I intending to meddle only with his sense thought it needless to quote either Chapter or Book since I thought his sense so known to all Papists as not to be doubted and so received by them as not to be denyed For my business was a consolation of Protestants at such a time when they wanted it very much and yet against such a time when they might want it more not a contestation with Papists and therefore I quoted only the substance of his doctrine not the words of it and not the place because not the words which is not uncouth amongst serious Divines though as you say it is amongst learned Antagonists But since you have followed this quarrelsom age which will not let Catholik Divines and honest men either live securely or die peaceably that you might be my Antagonist and have turned that into Controversie which I intended only for peaceable Divinity for I was not then in case to answer a challenge much less to send one you have made it necessary for me to quote the very place that I may not be thought to have misquoted the thing The place I pointed at in Bellarmine was lib. 4. de Christo cap. 16. the very same which after your long excursion you have alledged as you think against me but in truth for me Probabile est profecto Christi animam ad omnia loca inferni descendisse It is probable that Christs humane soul descended to all the places of Hell I knowing that he reckoned Purgatory for one of those places took this for his sense It is probable that Christs humane soul went down into Purgatory But Logick having taught me that what was asserted only as probable was acknowledged as uncertain I put his sense in such words as I thought most suitable to my purpose saying Bellarmine himself confesseth De Purgatorio incertum est that is in plain English since my Latine had so ill luck Bellarmine himself confesseth it is uncertain concerning Purgatory whether Christs humane soul went thither or no which is clearly his own doctrine by undenyable consequence For he only saith It is probable Christs humane soul went down into Purgatory which is all one as if he had said It is uncertain that Christs humane soul went down into Purgatory For if it be but probable it was so it is also probable it was not so and therefore uncertain it was so This is all Bellarmine doth say and this is more then he doth prove Nay his proofs make his assertion altogether improbable if not impossible For all the proofs he brings concerning Christs descent do speak only of Hell properly so called not of Purgatory As that of Fulgentius Ubi solebant peccatorum animae torqueri He went thither where the souls of sinners had used to be tormented Whereas Purgatory though a place of torment according to his doctrine yet is it not so for the souls of sinners but for the souls of the righteous And that other proof he brings from all the Fathers at once is like to this Et ipsi patres dum describunt terrorem gehennae daemonnm in descensu Christi aperte indicant Christum praesentiam suam illis manifestasse And the Fathers describing the frights and fears of Hell and the Devils in Christs descent do plainly shew that Christ did manifest his presence to them I think you will not allow this to be spoken of Purgatory for then you must make it all one with Hell and take it for a place of Devils not of righteous Spirits which after they have been purged in flames from the reliques of their sins not expiated by their own former penance nor their friends after payments are sure to see the face of God 5. This is all the certainty I find in Bellarmine of Christs descending into Purgatory and this I look upon as a very great uncertainty But you look upon this as a great certainty in that you give a reason for it saying it was to take possession of his whole Kingdom say then Purgatory is a part of Christs Kingdom and if Christ did not take possession of this part amongst the rest you do nòt believe He did take possession of
Purgatory into doubts and his doubts into nothing Nay in truth his last doubt in this 11. Chapter is a meer nothing of it self An per se agant istae poenae Whether those pnnishments do act upon the souls by and of themselves For to think accidents can act of themselves is to think them substances and to think they can act upon immaterial souls is to think them above the best substances And to think they can act upon blessed souls is to think them above the substance of substances above God himself For the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God neither doth any grief hurt them Wisdom 3. 1. or rather and there shall no torment touch them The Latine translation Et non tanget illos tormentum mortis And the torment of death shall not touch them is too short by being too long hath taken from the Text by add ng to it for putting in mortis and saying the Torment of death shall not touch them seems to allow that Torment after death may touch them But the Greek Original is plain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et non tanget illos tormentum And no torment at all shall touch them sc. after once they may be truly said to be in the hands of God as resigned unto him according to that most comfortable Resignation sanctified unto us by the Spirit of God which made it and by the Son of God which used it In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit It was alwaies in thy hands by thy dominion and Tuition But now it is more peculiarly in thy hands by my own resignation The souls of the Righteous are alwaies in Gods hands as their Governor but more peculiarly at the hour of death as their Receiver and Possessor For they no sooner go from their own bodies but they go into his hands and being there no grief can hurt them no more then it can hurt him or take them out of his hands And sure we are he will not hurt them for he doth not receive them with one hand that he may torment them with the other so saith the voice from heaven and it is both shame and sin for any voice from earth to say otherwise Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works do follow them Apoc. 14. 13. That is their good works to procure their reward not their evil works to procure their punishment such as you teach to be in Purgatory for that 's not agreeable with their rest nor consistent with their blessedness And I desire to know how he can say to God at his death Into thy hands I commend my spirit who believes the Torments of Purgatory by which for ought you dare avow to the contrary he may be in the hands of the Devil Again Cap. 12. Sciri non posse in hac vita quomodo ignis corporeus Animas urat It cannot be known in this life how material fire can burn immaterial souls let me add much less how it can purge them or expiate the reliques of their sins for though we read that fire is an instrument of Gods Justice and so may punish immaterial spirits yet we do not read that it is an instrument of Gods Grace that it should purge or expiate them Cap. 13. An in purgatorio torquentur Animae à daemonibus Whether or no in Purgatory the souls are tormented by the Devils Concerning which he answers Res est omnino incerta It is a a thing altogether uncertain This is the second time he hath answered us with that very word so we see he could be confident where he could not be certain But in this case we have reason to believe him For there are divers several opinions concerning it so the doctrine is uncertain as to the Believers and not one of those opinions but hath an objection stronger then its proof so the doctrine is uncertain as to the belief For some say the souls in Purgatory are tormented by the good Angels but how come they from being their friends and Guardians to be their enemies and tormentors Others say That they are tormented by the Devils and to this Bellarmine inclines because forsooth the pretended Revelations have avowed it But how comes the Devil from being conquered by them whiles they were in the infirmities of the flesh to be a Conquerour over them when they are nothing but pure spirits Doth God say Resist the Devil and he will fly from you James 4. 7. and shall men say The Devil comes as a Conquerour upon them who have most resisted him Doth the Church pray That God would beat down Satan under our feet and have we no better benefit of that prayer Then that God should permit Satan to get up even over our Head Others say they are tormented by the fire meaning I suppose as it is directed and assisted by the hand of God But how comes God so low in their esteem as to do that which they do not think fit to be done by his meanest good Angel Why must that office of an Executioner become him which is unbecoming his most inferiour Minister Besides how can his Justice which hath been satisfied by Christ require a second satisfaction Or where hath God declared that he will allow his Justice to be thus satisfied We dare not deny That Gods Justice is fully satisfied in Christ for penitent Sinners because himself hath said This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3. which were nothing to us if he were not well pleased with all that flie to Christ or rather that are in Christ for Christs sake yet sure not well pleased if his Justice be not fully satisfied since Justice first and then Charity is a rule not to be violated or broken on earth much less in heaven Again our blessed Saviours fore-runner thus proclaimed concerning him Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world John 1. 29. If he hath taken them away they cannot be left behind either for our guilt or for our punishment since guilt is nothing else but an obligation to punishment for that were to say He hath taken them away so as to leave them behind for us to take them away which is in effect to deny him to be the Propitiation for our sins against the express word of God John 2. 2. and consequently not only against the benefits but also against the belief of our own souls wherefore we dare not deny That Gods justice is fully satisfied in Christ and if we dare we shall not know where to find him any other satisfaction for he hath not allowed or appointed any other and sure no satisfaction can give him content but such as himself hath allowed and appointed And indeed that is the only satisfaction which is adequate to his offended Justice the satisfaction made by his Son not by the sinner either
storie only dislikes it excusing Epiphanius from the Imputation of Heresie because the thing at that time had not been defined by the Church And indeed this storie is to be found in all the editions of Saint Hieroms works not only in that of Basil by Erasmus who saith in the argument thereof Hanc Epistolam Hieronymus in odium Johannis Rufini Latinam fecit But also in that of Antwerp 1579. where this is the argument Epiphanius intimus D. Hieronymi à quo epistola versa est amicus excusat se Johanniquod Presbyterum ordinarat in ipsius diocaesi ipso inconsulto postremò cur velum ad Ecclesiae fores pendens in quo hominis imago depicta erat sciderit rationem reddit This Edition no more doubts that Epiphanius excused the cutting of the vail then the ordination of the Priest to John Bishop of Hierusalem Nay yet moreover The edition of Marianus Victorius at Rome which Bellarm. confesseth to be purged from Erasmus his errours ab erroribus Erasmi purgata est hath not this part of the Epistle purged out of it but Victorius in his Annotation confesseth it to be as undoubted as the rest in that he seeks to elude it by this gloss That the storie was to be understod of the image of some profane man de Imagine hominis profani He is very bold in calling that the Image of a profane man which Epiphanius said was the Image of Christ or some Saint for so Saint Hierom from him Habens imaginem quasi Christi vel Sancti cujusdam yet not so bold as to deny that Epiphanius had thus dealt with that image Nay this story is also in Epiphanius his works Printed at Paris 1622. with Petavius his notes yet he makes not the least objection against it but by his silence rather seems to allow it as unquestionable because he was so well able yet not willing to question it But t is no wonder if Petavius in this dissent from Bellarmine one Jesuit from another for in it Bellarmine dissenteth from himself For whereas lib. de Script Ecclesiasticis in his Chapter of Saint Epiphanius he said Ad finem epistolae ad Johannem Hierosolymitanum videtur aliquid additum ab Iconoclastis At the end of his Epistle to John Bishop of Hierusalem something seems to have been added by the haters of Images In his Chapter of Saint Hierom he in effect denyeth any such addition for he saith concerning the second Tome of Saint Hieroms works In hoc etiam tomo nihil est dubium vel supposititium Also in this tome nothing is doubtful or supposititious and this Epistle of Epiphanius concerning the Image at Anablatha is in that very second tome of Saint Hieroms works By all which it appears that this passage concerning the Image at Anablatha may not be excluded out of Epiphanius his Epistle nor out of Saint Hieroms translation and that alone is enough to prove that in their daies Images were excluded out of all Christian Churches 17. But some very good men are not troubled that Pictures have got into Churches for the Lutherans still keep them there the main trouble is That they have got into Religion and therefore in the last place I am to prove That though they had with much ado got into the Churches of Christians yet they were a long time after kept out of their Religion For Image-worship was not dogmatized till the second Council of Nice which was not till the year 787. after Christ nor was it practised as soon as it was dogmatized but rejected presently after in the Councils of Frankefort under Charles the great and at Paris under his son Lodowick the one saying The determinations of those at Nice smelt of dreams and dotage Penè nihil est ibi quod non somnii vanitatem aut deliramenti hebetudinem redoleat Act. Conc. Franc. in lib. Carol. 3. c. 26. The other saying That Pope Adrian the first had done very indiscretly by whose importunity they at Nice had passed those determinations Hadrianus indiscretè noscitur fecisse in eo quod superstitiosè imagines adorari jussit Concil Paris tempore Ludovici in princip And Engilbertus an Abbot Chaplain to Charles the great was so bold as to send a full confutation of the Nicene Council concerning this Image-worship unto Pope Hadrian which he endeavoured to answer but had clearly the worst of the cause as well as of the Religion And t is worth our notice That though that part of the Greek Church assembled at Nice had yielded to the Pope in this particular being over-mastered by the impetuousness of Irene their Empress and overborn by the Authority of Theranus their Patriarch yet the Latine Church did long after stoutly oppose him for the Pope at that time was not Omnipotent in his own Diocess though now he would be so in all the world For besides the fore-named oppositions Jon is Bishop of Orleans in the year 820 though he writ of purpose in defence of Images yet he writ against their Religious worship following exactly the doctrine of the Council of Frankefort which chose the middle betwixt two extreams defining against the Iconoclasts that Images should be retained and against the Idolators That they should not be worshipped So Baronius hath registred his opinion An. 825. nu 62. Jonas ita non confringendas esse praedicavit Imagines ut tamen eas non esse venerandas asseruerit Wherein he agreed with his adversarie Claudius Bishop of Turine whom he would be thought to write against for though the Title of his Book was de cultu imaginum concerning the worship of Images yer the doctrine of his Book was against it for which cause saith Bellarm. He is to be warily read because he was in the same errour with Agobardus and the rest of the French divines of that age who denyed any religious worship to be due to Images So that not only Jonas but also all the other French divines in his time though they allowed Images to be in their Churches yet they would not allow them to be in their Religion Hic auctor cautè legendus est quoniam laborateodeÌ„ errore quo Agobardus reliqui ejus aetatis Galli qui negabant Sacris Imaginibus ullum deferri cultum religiosum Bellar. de Scr. Eccl. in cap. de Jonâ Aur. which I have declared the more at large because the same Bellarm. lib. de Imag. cap. 12. reckons this very Jonas amongst those holy men who worshipped images Sanctorum virorum qui imagines coluerunt shewing to all the world that he was not so candid a Divine as he was an Historian and that he pen'd mens Lives more faithfully then Gods Truths For this Jonas was so great an opposer of Image-worship that Baronius saith plainly of him and of Walafridus Sirabâ—… That they both receded from the common opinion of the Catholick Church and did shoot their bolts both against her practice and her doctrine Eos à Communi Catholicae
from one another in the man that is justified for true Faith alwaies worketh obedience and God will not cannot justifie the disobedient yet we must separate them from one another in the doctrine of Justification For 't is only the Imputative righteousness which we have from our Saviour not the Inherent righteousness which we have in our selves which can acquit us at God's Judgement seat or absolve us as righteous and consequently which may be accounted the formal cause of our Justification Lastly the final cause of our Justification is set down first explicitly that it is the declaration of Gods Righteousness vers 25 26. To declare his righteousness not onely that this way of justifying a sinner is according to Gods Promise both in words and Types in all the Old Testament but also that this promise was according to the rule of righteousness because it acquitteth not a sinner without a due satisfaction for his sin nor without a true and serious aversion from himself and conversion to his Saviour Secondly the final cause of our justification is set down implicitly That it is our glorying or boasting in God alone For whereas v. 27. he excludeth all other boasting t is necessary he must include this as himself saith more largely 1 Cor. 1. 30 31. Christ Jesus is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption There is our Justification set forth in it self in its antecedents and in its consequents In it self for Châ—…st Jesus is our righteousness to deliver us from the guilt of sin by acquitting and discharging us In its antecedents for he is our wisdom to free us from the blindness and darkness of sin by enlighting and instructing us In its consequents for he is our Sanctification in this life to free us from the pollution of sin by renewing and cleansing us and our Redemption in the life everlasting to free us from the miseries of sin by receiving and by glorifying us That according as it is written he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord There is the final cause of our Justification Christ Jesus doth therefore instruct us by his most holy Word justifie us by his allsufficient merit sanctifie us by his most holy Spirit glorifie us by his all saving Mercy that we may not glory in our selves but onely in our Saviour from whom we have both the Knowledg and the Purchase and the Procurement and the Enjoyment of our salvation The Apostle having thus severally proved first his negative conclusion which is against justification by works and after that his affirmative conclusion which is for justification by Faith he at length joyns them both together in one Dogmatical determination Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by Faith wâ—…thout the deeds of the Law v. 28. And this conclusion he again repeateth Gal. 2. 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ which he immediately confirms with no less then Ten several arguments in the next Chapter all alledged to confute their foolishness in falling from Christ to the Law from Faith to works in the doctrine of Justification And being alledged by the Apostle to confute their foolishness they will either the more easily prevent or the more acceptably reform and redress Ours The first Argument is this You have received the gift of the Holy Spirit not by the works of the Law but by the hearing of Faith v. 2. but the gift of the Holy Spirit is the best pledge of your Justification or Reconciliation with God for he giveth not his Spirit to his enemies Therefore you are justified not by the Law but by the Gospel or by the Hearing of Faith The second Argument is this The same way that Abraham was justified who is the â—…ather of the faithful and to whom the Promise was made The same way must you be justified But He was justified onely by Faith v. 6 7 8 9. The Third this As many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse ver 10. but none that are under the curse are justified The fourth this The just shall live by Faith but the Law is not of Faith ver 11. 12. that is The just obtaineth life and salvation by the free grace of God apprehended by Faith in Christ but the Law alloweth no such free grace for that promiseth life only upon the now impossible condition of perfect obedience The man that doth them shall live in them The fifth this Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us ver 13. Therefore the Law could not justifie us for it did curse us and if it could in vaine was Christ made a curse for us in vaine did he do and suffer so much for our Redemption The sixth this To whom the Promises were made to him they were performed but the Promises of spiritual blessings and consequently of justification were made to Abrahams seed not seeds that is to Christ and his members not to them that should be under the Law but only to them that should be in Christ. The seventh is this The Promise of spiritual blessednesse was made to Abraham long before the giving of the Law therefore neither to be accomplished from the observation nor to be abolished by the obligation of the Law ver 17. which is further argued ver 18. If the inheritance be of the Law 't is no more of Promise but God gave it to Abraham by Promise therefore 't is not of the Law The eighth this That which was a sign of enmitie cannot be a means of reconciliation but the Law was a sign of enmitie betwixt God and man as appears in that it was ordained by Angels not immediately by God himself who being offended had withdrawn his presence which shews that men were at a distance from and at enmitie with God ver 19 20. Therefore the Law cannot be the means of our accesse to or of our reconciliation with God The ninth is this The Law cannot give life to any man by exempting him from the punishment of sin nor give righteousnesse by exempting him from the guilt of sin ver 21. 22. Therefore both righteousnesse and life are given only by Faith in Christ. The tenth and last argument is this The office of the Law was to be our School-master to bring us unto Christ to shew us the imperfection of our own and to make us desire the imputation of his righteousnesse that we might be justified by Faith ver 24. but the Law cannot go beyond its own office therefore no man can be justified either in whole or in part by the works of the Law 8. Thus have I mustred up S. Pauls Artillery to batter down our own but to keep up our Saviours righteousness in the doctrine of Justification which being a doctrine that came down from Heaven is best maintained by arguments from Heaven For as humane reason could not