whose images they are yet this positive ordinance supposed the law of nature also binds men to worship and adore it with reference to God imagined to sit thereon This ever hath been and is the opinion and practise of all the world except it be of those who under the shew of grace have extinguished the light of nature and yet even these in their humane practises doe the same things as if Christ and his Saints were the only men that after death or in absence were incapable of honour It is well known that the Kings and Queenes of England are honoured by uncovering of the head in all places where they are but supposed to be present and when they are dead untill their funeralls are solemnized there is the same respect exhibited to their Images as to themselves And what Puritane lover is there that will not in the ardour of his affection kisse lay in his bosome and talk to not only the picture which doth more immediately and directly represent a person than any thing else but even the handkercher glove or letter which are but reliques of her whom he desires in marriage And is it lesse Idolatry to doe these things to mortall men than to immortall Saints though there be as much difference observed in the degree of honour as there is between the dignity of the persons Surely if they consider it duely they will find that they must either leave their religion in this point or their manners and civility in all points seeing either both or neither are Idolatry § 3. Secondly they teach the people and the people ordinarily believe that Catholiques think to be saved by their good workes and that without being beholding to Christ For they make an opposition between these two assertions wee are saved by Christs merits And we are saved by our own merits Hence they believe that Catholiques are the proudest and most ungratefull to God of all people in the world But this doctrine is misliked amongst them because it is misunderstood For Catholiques hold that no work is meritorious with God of its owne nature but to make the same meritorious many graces are required First the grace of adoption in Baptisme whereby soules are supernaturally beautified by participation of the divine nature whence a triple dignity redounds to works One from God the Father who in respect of adoption regards good works as the works of his children Another from God the holy Ghost dwelling in us by whom good works are honoured as by the principall author of them so that he rather then wee doth the works Thirdly they receive dignity from God the Sonne whose members we are made by grace which grace he by his merits purchased for us so that the works we doe are reputed not so much ours or his as the work of a particular member is attributed principally to the head Secondly there is required grace prevenient whereby God stirres up mens hearts to pious workes and grace adjuvant to assist us in the performancee of the works making our free-will produce works that are supernaturall and above the reach of meer man Thirdly there is required the grace of mercifull indulgence in not using us in the rigour of his justice for God might require the good works we doe as his own by many titles as by the title of justice being the works of his servants and bondmen by the title of religion as being the works of his creatures by the title of gratitude as being the works of persons infinitely obliged to him by which titles if God did exact upon works with uttermost rigour no goodnesse would be left in them to be offered for meriting of heaven But his infinite benignity remitting this rigour moved thereunto through the merits of Christ is content that wee make use of our good works for the purchasing of glory and doth not exact them as wholely due by all his titles The fourth is the favour of Gods liberall promise by which he obligeth himselfe to reward the good works of his children according to the measure of their goodnesse without which the most excellent works of Saints could not establish an obligation on him And finally there is required the grace of perseverance without which no man is crowned And so far are Catholiques from boasting or trusting in their merits that the Councell of Trent Sess 6. Can. 16. faith God forbid that a Christian should either boast or trust in himself and not in our Lord whose goodnesse is so great towards all men as that those things which are his gifts he will have to be our merits To be worthy of a thing to deserve or merit it signifie all one and that by our works we deserve and are worthy of heaven is the frequent phrase of Scripture The workeman is worthy of his hire saith our Saviour Luke 10.7 And S. Paul That you may be counted worthy of the Kingdome of God for which also ye suffer 2. Thes 1.5 And again That you may walk worthy of God in all things pleasing fructifying in all Good works Colos 1.10 And our Saviour They shall walk with me in white for they are worthy Revel 3.4 And againe Come ye blessed of my Father possesse the kingdome c. for I was hungry and ye gave me meat c. Math. 25.34 alledging these as the cause why God received them into everlasting habitations with plenty of other places to this purpose As for the most frequently objected place of Luc. 17.10 when you have done all those things that are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do According to S. Ambrose lib. 8. in Luc. Christ commands hereby to acknowledge what we are of our selves to wit unprofitable not what we are by his grace for that is profitable according to the Apostle 2 Tim. 2.21 If any man therefore shall cleanse himselfe from these he shall be a vessell unto honour sanctified and profitable to our Lord prepared to every good work according to S. Augustine Serm. 3. de verb. Dom. we may be said to be unprofitable servants because in doing all that is commanded we do but our duty we are Gods servants and slaves and owe him all nor could we look for reward had he not voluntarily covenanted with us And to this base and poor condition of ours for the preservation of our humility Christ in these words sends back our thoughts which hinders not but that supposing Gods bountifull promise and covenant we may through his grace truly merit and expect reward himself saying Mat. 20.14 Didst thou not covenant with me for a penny take that which is thine own and go thy way S. Chrysostome observes that Christ saith not you are unprofitable servants but bids them to say they are willing us thereby after our good deeds to think humbly lest they be corrupted with pride for that otherwise they only that work evill are by God accounted unprofitable but they that
Dan. 4.24 which Text to avoid the Protestants doe corrupt Now to redeem sinnes is the same in effect as to satisfie for them for how is any thing redeemed but by satisfying the price of its redemption Why then should Protestants under the pretence of magnifying the operation of Christs satisfaction without our concurrence which Catholikes yet acknowledge to proceed from him disobey him and leave him thereby the lesse satisfied with us But this was Luthers most acceptable way to flesh and blood to cast all the burden on Christ and leave nothing to themselves but the pleasing liberty of sin which though it should infinitely extend it self needs no other cure amongst them but only their barren faith § 6. Againe Protestants are taught to believe that to entreat Gods favour by the merits of Saints as Catholiques doe is a great derogation from the merits of Christ. But why Catholiques doe not deny but that the merits of Christ are of infinite value and there is motive enough in them for God to bestow all favour on us yet seeing the Saints have merited of God it is lawfull also to entreat him by those merits and what he doth sometimes doe and not by Miracle it is lawfull at any time to entreat him to doe Now he did blesse the house of Potiphar for Josephs sake therefore doubtlesse it was lawfull for Potiphar to intreat God to blesse him for Josephs sake and if so then much more for the sake of Saints in heaven who are more in Gods favour then Joseph could be here in this life Thus Moses desires God to asswage his wrath against the Israelites saying Remember Abraham Isaac and Israel thy servants Exod. 32.13 and for what should he remember them but for the good works and service they had done and for that to spare their children Calvins shift in answer to this and the like places is trifling when he saith that God is only entreated to remember his Covenant with the Patriarchs whereby he promised to blesse their posterity for there is mention not only of Gods Covenant but of the righteousnesse and merits of the Saints Salomon praies thus Psal 131.1 Lord remember David and all his meeknesse his afflictions as the Protestants read it which is all one for our present purpose both being meritorious and a little after he saith For thy servant Davids sake turn not away the face of thine anointed where God is invocated by the merits of David who was dead and gone and God likewise for Davids sake did hear and prosper Abia as the Scripture saith For Davids sake did our Lord his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem that he might raise up his son after him and establish Ierusalem because David had done right in the eyes of the Lord 3. Kings 15.4.5 Much more is found in Scripture to this purpose Nor can it be a derogation from the merits of Christ whose value as it is infinite in it selfe so it gives all the tincture to all the merits of all Saints like the Elixer which turnes all into gold that it touches And like the radiant Sun enkindles all other celestiall fires yea so far is it from being a dishonour to him that it adds to him a great encrease of honour by being able to raise his servants to such a pitch of excellency that they can merit favours both for themselves and others § 7. Againe Protestants are taught to believe that it is an arrogant thing to think that a man may doe more than he is commanded as Catholiques teach whereas they think he cannot do so much Yet what more plaine in Scriptures What more evident in reason That wee are commanded to give almes is true but the proportion is not exprest let a man give so much dayly as that he may justly think he hath discharged his duty and sinnes not though he give no more and then may he give more and so do more then he is commanded Suppose a man bound to fast and pray in such or such a measure which when he hath done he hath discharged the duty of a Christian yet when this is done he may take some of the time wherein he may lawfully feed and recreate himself and bestow this also in fasting and prayer doth not he in this doe more than he is commanded I think no impartiall man will say the contrary Else there were no compasse or latitude of goodnesse wherein men might move excelling one another in degrees yet the lowest void of sinne Else he that were not most good must be evill there would be no medium betwixt sin and excellency And men that were desirous to please God would abound in scruples that could never be satisfied it being impossible in every mans condition to find out that indivisible point of prayer fasting almes and the like beyond or short of which he must be guilty of sin Our Saviour saith There are Eunuchs who have made themselves Eunuchs for the Kingdome of heaven Mat. 19.12 21. and this is more than any man is bound to for he may marry if he will and yet go to heaven He saith again If thou wilt be perfect go and sell all that thou hast and give it to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven No man can reasonably suppose this to be a command for then all men were bound to obey it and if not than he that obeyes it doth more than he is commanded And to think that this was a personall command to this man only as many do is ridiculous our Saviour had spoke of the Commandements before which when the young man said he had observed Christ gives him this counsel of perfection and the Apostles immediately after affirmed that they had observed it in leaving all things to follow him Concerning Virgins saith the Appostle I have no command but I give counsell 1 Cor. 7.25 plainly distinguishing betwixt counsell command betwixt that we must do and what we may do betwixt well better He that marries doth well but he that marries not doth better 1 Cor. 7.38 and he that doth well doth not sin doth not break a Commandement but he that doth better doth more than not sin doth more than he is commanded And though it be harder indeed to do all that is commanded than in some degrees to do more than is commanded yet the highest degrees of acts of perfection and things uncommanded are harder than the highest of things commanded yet neither impossible by the grace of God as the Apostle saith I am able to do all things through him that enableth me Phil. 4.13 So that the doctrine of doing more than is commanded is not so fraught with pride as Protestants imagine Catholiques say that God doth not require of us all the good that he inables us to do as is proved and this is the ground of works of supererogation and doing more than is commanded Protestants say that God requires of us all that he enables us to
to the direct meaning thereof and so either in those things become Popish themselves or accuse their teachers of Popery § 5. Another fraud I have observed amongst the Canonical Protestants which is that when they dispute against Catholikes they have recourse to the Scripture and wil be tried by that only but when they dispute against the Puritanes and other Sects amongst them who deal with them at their own weapon of Scripture only then they have recourse to the Fathers and the Tradition of the Church and use the same arguments against Sectaries that Catholiques do against them and particularly in the points of baptizing of Infants against the Anabaptists and the keeping of the first day of the week holy against the Sabbatarians who would have Saturday for either of which there is not any command in Scripture And shall Tradition serve them in those cases and not in others Or shall Scripture with them prove all other points and not those And this shift is such a one as S. Augustine in Psal 80. witnesses to be common to Foxes and Heretiques For as Foxes have two holes to save themselves by one when they are driven from the other so Heretiques whom the Scripture figures out by Foxes when the Spouse saith Let us take the young Foxes that destroy the vines Cant. 2.15 have a double passage to save themselves by the one when they are assaulted by the other so that he that will catch them must set his nets before both issues and besiege both passages as the excellent Catholique Writers have done and have left them neither Tradition nor Scripture wherby to escape For although the Scripture do not teach all in direct and particular terms that Caliques do yet it teaches nothing that Protestants do in the things they differ from Catholiques And in generall the Scripture teaches all that Catholiques do by referring us to Tradition And this is sufficient for it is not required that all that we believe or do be expresly set downe in Scripture it is enough that there be no Scripture against it for what is not forbidden is lawfull as the Apostle saith where there is no law there is no transgression Rom. 4.15 If then there be no law of Scripture against it it is lawfull especially if it be warranted by the Tradition of the Church to which the Scripture referres us and is to us more evident to come from God than the Scripture is which we do not know to do so but by the Churches testimony So that I found the Protestants were like to the Giant Procustus mentioned by Plutarch who having a great iron bed fit for himself all strangers that he took he layed therein and if they were too long for the bed he cut off so much of their leggs if too short he stretched them out till they came even So the Protestants having built a Religion after the modell of their owne fancy doe examine Scriptures Councells Fathers and all authority by it whereof some they cut off as being too long in affirming more than they do and others being too short for their purpose they miserably serue tenter and rack till they come to the length they desire And had I the wicked ambition by impiety to make my selfe famous I believe I could conjure up new opinions which laying aside the authority of the Church I could varnish with as much reason and Scripture as any they professe Whose attempts have had no better successe then Achelous had in fighting with Hercules who took upon him severall shapes hopeing in one or other to overcome him but was by Hercules beaten through all his shapes and forced at last to take his owne proper shape and yeeld So Protestants fighting against Catholiques are by them beaten through all their changes and formes and shifts through which they wander and are forced at last to take the true forme of Protestancy which is obstinatly to deny the plaine and manifest truth But I heartily pray that it would please God to bring them to the true form which they ought to have which is of Roman Catholique untill which they will like the blinded Sodomites perpetually roule wander and grope in the darknesse of uncertainty and instability till eternall darknesse seize upon them For by embarquing themselves in such an enterprize as is the boarding of the Ship of Peter they are like to arrive at no other port but ruine and destruction § 6. Moreover I found this proceeding of the Protestants to be most uneasonable and full of pride in that they being but few in number especially in their beginning yea but one one infinitely audacious Luther once a child of the Roman Church should presume to correct or reforme the whole Christian world a thing which no man would admit in the private regiment of his own family that a sonne or servant should presume to find fault with and change the customs of the house against the consent of the Father Master and all the rest and assume to himselfe alone to be judge of the cause One earnestly desiring Lycurgus to establish a popular State in Lacedemon that the basest might have as great authority as the highest answered Begin to doe so first in thine owne house which he refused and thereby saw the injustice of his own demand So these men that will not admit within themselves either in matters Ecclesiasticall or civill that they whose duty it is to obey should command they whose duty it is to learne should teach withwhat face can they defend the practise thereof in the Church which is the house of God of which our predecessors were guilty in the first attempt and this present generation in the continuance of their Rebellion Nor let them think that their having of the Bible in the Mother-tongue will save them as if it were like the Palladium to the Trojans a thing dropt down from heaven no man knowes how with this condition annexed that while they kept it in their city they should never perish while in the mean time they extreamly pollute it with two things their interpretation and their conversation whereas the Church of Rome hath not only the word but the meaning of God also as the Apostle saith we have the sense of Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 both proved by never-erring authority And lastly weighing all the Protestants arguments with all impartiality or if there were any inclination of the ballance it was to their side with whose doctrines I had been from my childhood seasoned and had been a teacher of others for the space of neere twenty yeares and to whom to receive contrary impressions I knew must prove extreamly prejudiciall who therefore addrest my selfe to this enquiry with the disposition of a jealous husband seeking that which I was most loath to find yet all this notwithstanding I found that all their pleas and pretences and their answers to Catholiques were weake sleight false or impertinent and like to a certain fish called Sleve