imployed upon better things so the Lord give a blessing to our endeavours and sweet Madam be pleas'd to continue me in the quality of Madam Your most humble Servant N. The Messenger Arriving speedily back at my Ladies House and delivering the Letter with the inclos'd papers her Ladyship finding the Contents fell to the work iw mediately which you shall hear as followeth Madam the Doctrine that your Church delivers concerning good works is a Mother most strange erroâ—s and abuses of Christianity as confession free will c. Which gives me the boldnesse to make my addresse to your Ladyship wholly to that purpose So I shall first endeavour to overthrow your foundation that is your Doctrine of good works That good Works signifie nothing to the Justification much less to the salvation of a Christian by any way of merit iâ— most manifest out of Scripture 1. The Prophet Habakkuk tells us plainly of him that seeks his Justification by his Works that his soul which is lifted up Hab. 2.4 is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith The same is insisted on by our Saviour Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And St. Paul quoting the Prophet tells the Romans For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written Rom. 1.17 the just shall live by faith And again Gal. 3.11 to the Galatians â—ut that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith And again to the Hebrews Now the just shall live by faith What then is become of your grand confidence in good works Our Saviour tells the woman diseased with an issue of blood Matth. â— that her Faith hath made her whole And in the same Chapter assures the blind men because they believed that he was able to restore their eyes to them that therefore they should see and saying according to your Faith be it unto you their eyes were opened by this you may see the value that Faith hath in the esteem of God 3. The Scripture expresly tells us that Abraham believed in the Lord Gen. 15.6 Rom. 4. â— and he counted it to him for righteousness the same thing St. Paul repeats to the Romans to the Galatians Gal. 3.6 Jam. 2.22 and so St. James by all which it is plain that Faith is the only thing that justifies and gives the reputation of righteousness before God 4. We finde in St. Lukes Gospel that our Saviour bids us to say when we shall have done all things that are commanded us that we are but unprofitable Servants Luk. 11.43 we have done that which was our duty to do What is become of your doctrine of works Where is your merit in them by them or for them when after you have done all things fill'd the world with Hospitals Colledges Churches and Monasteries given all your goods to the poor mortified and macerated your bodies you are yet so far from meriting that you are but unprofitable Servants 5. Our Saviour tells us clearly and with a vertly verily I say unto you he that heareth my word Joh. 5.24 and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life Can any thing be more plain then this that by Faith alone we are to gain everlasting life 6. Charity it self is but a fruit of Faith so that it is plain Faith alone may suffice to our justification and our Saviour taketh frequently works for Hypocritical and pronounceth a woe to such as depend upon them 7. Then it is plain there neither is or can be any such thing as good works and whosoever pretends to that righteousnesse is a hypocrite for the Prophet Isaiah tels us Isa 54.6 that we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags And again the Scripture tels us that there is not a righteous man upon the earth who does well Eccl. 5. and sins not And the Prophet David cryed out Psalm though a man after Gods own heart Enter not into Judgement with thy servant O Lord for in thy fight shall no man living be justified Where is then your Justification by works And St. Paul that great Vessel of Election complains Rom. 7.15.23 that he was sold under sin for that which he did he allowed not he did not what he would but what he hated that he did and that he saw another Law in his members warring against the Law of his mind and bringing him into captivity to the Law of sin which was in his Members what then must become of us poor creatures if we confide in our own works That Auricular Confession of Sins to a Priest is so farre from being a good work and acceptable in the sight of God that it is meerly to be esteemed Wil-worship and humane invention is proved thus It is plain out of the very Text which you so much urge for your opinion Joh. 20.23 which is in St. John Whosoevrr sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosoever sins ye retain they are retained That Christ commands nothing there concerning confession but only requires Priests to give their absolution 2. And St. James when he seems to command Confession speaks only of a brotherly Confession Confess your faults one to another Jam. 5.16 there is not a word of confession to Priests 3. Then our Saviour said not to the woman taken in adultery go and confess thy sins to a Priest but go and sin no more 4. Again we read of Peters tears and great repentance how he wept most bitterly but we read not a jot of his going to confession and yet his sin was most undoubtedly pardoned 5. Then I have read in Ecclesiastical History that Confession was in one Age wholly abrogated and forbidden in the Church That your Doctrine of satisfaction for sins is most dangerous if not desperate for Christian souls is proved thus 1. St. John the Baptist being sent to be a Preacher of Repentance to the people taught only the observation of the Commandments of God expresly forbidding them to do more then what was appointed for them to do nor makes he mention at all of any satisfaction for sins The Lord himself declares by his holy Prophet Ezekiel Luk. 3.13 that if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all his statutes and do that which is lawfull and right Ezek. 18.21 he shall surely live he shall not die Here is nothing imposed upon a penitent but to do Judgement and righteousness c. not the least word of satisfaction The Prophet Micah does most plainly deride all those that seek to make a satisfaction for their sins
just shall live by faith alone Now to believe truly in God according to the received use of Scripture is to adhere to him by love and this our Divines call a formed faith which can never be without charity as S. Paul most amply explains to his Galatians Gal. 5.6 For in Jesus Christ saith he neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Here S. Paul assures us that it is not every faith that is sufficient to justifie us but onely that which worketh by love To the second You might be satisfied in this by the answer before but I shall adde that such a faith as that of the woman with the issue of blood and of the blinde men in the Gospel might obtain such a temporal benefit as the curing both of the one and the other I say temporal benefits may be procured by an unformed faith as the Romans and other Heathens have visibly found Gods blessings to follow them for their many virtues and this S. Paul intimates when he tells the Hebrews that by faith the Harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she received the spies with peace here was a good work too went along with her faith Heb. 11.31 Rom. 4. Heb. 11. And there is no doubt but an unformed faith accompanied with charity humility and devotion may obtain by grace a justification from sin and whosoever does believe in Jesus Christ that he can justifie a sinner it shall be imputed to him for righteousness for without faith it is impossible to please God To the third What you urge out of Genesis S. Paul and S. James is sufficiently explained and answered by the foregoing words of the said S. James 5.21.22 James was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered up Isaac his son upon the Altar seest thou how faith worketh with his works and by works was faith made perfect and in the verse immediately following that which you urge against us he concludes ye see there how that by works a man is justified Ver. 24. and not by faith onely for as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also To the fourth What you urge out of S. Lukes Gospel is to be understood as the context shews of servants that do what they are commanded onely to do and that is but their duty and no thanks are due to them in like manner those that keep the commandments of God do but their duties our Saviour says nothing by your favour of those that observe the Evangelicall counsells as the building of religious houses giving our goods among the poor or mortifying of our bodies which you seem to draw into the same conclusion Besides as to the keeping of the commandements do you think the meaning of that text is that there is no merit at all due to that it cannot possibly be so understood must the case be the same between him that does his duty well and him that does it not at all for so it must be as you seem to understand it for at the worst they can be but unprofitable and at the best you would have them be so too and this would not onely throw confusion into all divinity but would be the destruction of all civil government and humane conversation It is true what our Saviour says when we have done all that is required of us we are unprofitable servants that is to him whom we serve we are unprofitable what does the Almighty and infinite creator get by the salvation of his creature nothing can be added to him But the text tells us not that in so doing we are unprofitable to our selves God forbid for that would be to discourage all virtue piety and Christianity it self To the fifth I answer perfectly as to your first for that text of S. John cannot be understood of a bare beliefe but such a one as is accompanied with charity for it is impossible that a good faith should be without it To the sixth I say you are most cleerly mistaken for charity is not a fruit of faith but a fruit of the spirit as indeed faith it self is no less as S. Paul instructs the Galatians Gal. 5.22 The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace longsuffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance c. And that our Saviour taxeth Pharisaicall works for Hypocritical is granted who planted all their Religion in Ceremonies and neglected the weightier matters of the law which were the true good works and always commanded not censured by him Besides our Saviour chargeth us expresly in these words Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven To the seventh and last To what you alledge first out of the Prophet Isaiah I answer that the Prophet there speaks comparatively between the righteousness of the Law and that of the Gospel for the legall purity compared to the Evangelicall is impurity it self as our righteousness compared to Gods is no righteousness so our Saviour tells us Luke 18. Mat. 19.17 that none is good but one that is God because our goodness compared to Gods goodness is no goodness is no goodness To your next text I answer that it onely infers that there is none so righteous but at sometimes sinnes not that a man when he does well sins Then to what you alledge out of the Psalms it is very plain that the prophet David begs of God that he would not judge him according to his own divine righteousness that is so absolutely pure and without sin for so saith he Psal 25.21 no flesh living can be justified for he saith in another Psalm let integrity and uprightness preserve me for I wait on thee Last of all to what you urge so hard out of S. Paul to the Romans S. Paul himself answers in the beginning of the next Chapter There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death that is both from sin and the punishment of it Rom. 8. and so proceeds to shew that though there be a repugnancy in the Law of the flesh to the Law of the spirit yet they that mind the things of the spirit shall be judged accordingly and no sin imputed to them which I conceive clean contrary to the sence that you would impose upon the Apostle Now Mrs. N. I must desire you to give me leave to follow my former method and to return to you some Texts that as I conceive do expresly conclude our Churches doctrine which is that faith does not nor can suffice without works and that works are something in the sight of God that is meritorious of eternal life by the grace
him in Jordan confessing their sins The wise Solomon assures us that he that conceals his wickedness shall not be directed Prov. 8. but he that confesseth it shall finde mercy That this duty of confession was both preached and practised in the Apostles days is plain by that express place And the name of the Lord Jesus was maguified Acts 19.28 and many that belived came and confessed and shewed their deeds No less express is that text of S. John if we confess our sines he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all wickedness To figure out this greatâ—duty of confession to us our Saviour chargeth the Leper whom he cleansed Mat. 8. to go and shew himself to the Preist and offer the gift that Moses comanded Luke 17. In the like manner he commanded the ten lepers and says to Lazarus when he had raysed him from the dead loose him and let him go These things I say are cleer prefigurations of this duty of confession which was afterwards to be establisht in the Christian Church and has been ever since the Apostles times most universally practised To what you alledge against our doctrine of Satisfaction for sins I answear thus To the first I do absolutly deny Luke 3.11 Mat. 3. that the Baptise taught no satisfaction for he taught almes and works of mercy for him that had two coats to impart to him that had none and him that had meat to do likewise They that came to him for batisme were to confess their sins as I said before that according to their qualities they might have several penitencies imposed upon them Luke 3.8 and therefore exhorts them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance which fruits are the works of satisfaction understood by us by this it is plain that the holy Baptist enjoynes us more then our duty and besides those words which you quote were spoken to the Publicans whom he bids to exact no more than what was appointed them you have strained the text hard to bring it to us that we should do no more than we are commanded to do To the Second I answear that the Prophet speaks there of the life of grace only which to attain if satisfaction be not performed before it is required to be in purpose and intention and is necessary to the preservation of that life of grace when it is acquired Besides though there should be no mention at all of satisfaction in these words of the Prophet that you quote does it therefore follow that there is no such thing required or that the prophet has deceived us God forbid for we finde what is wanting in one place abundantly supplied in other Scriptures as heer the Prophet mentions nothing but justice says not a word of fortitude temperance chastity c. which we know are equally requisite and suâ—iffiently laid down and commanded in other Scriptures To the Third I answer that the Prophet Micah in those words you quote does not seclude but rather include works of satisfaction for by doing judgement and justice is to be under stood a severe censure and condemnation of our selves by loveing of mercy are understood those works of mercy almes and piety that are to be exercised upon the poor by charity and to walk humbly with God what is it but resignation of our selves to him and perfect submission to his will joyned with an exact care to keep his divine precepts in this point of penance we are reqâ—ired to shew all the severity in the world against our selves that we being judged of our selves be not judged of the Lord as the Apostle tells us Besides the Prophet Micah there rebukes not those that go about by good works to satiâ—fy for their sins but those that foolishly thought by their pittifull sacrifices and burnt-offerings with the bloud of Rams and Bulls and Goats c. to satisfy the divine wrath for sins Now that was impossible as S. Paul tells us Heb. 10. Isay 1. and the Prophet Isay assures us that those things were not in themselves acceptable to God To the Fourth and Last I do answer and grant that the passion of Christ is sufficient to take away all sin and the guilt of punishment as well temporall as eternall it followes not therefore that nothing is required on our parts to be done for in the Sacrament of penance we partake of the virtue of the passion of Christ by a method of some proper acts which are the mater of pennance wherefore the Apostle Paul exhorts his penitents thus not to yeild their members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but to yeeld themselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God Now to what you imply of argument in that Christ Jesus is the great Physition and so likely to make a perfect cure as well from guilt of the punishment as from the guilt of the sin it self I do acknowledge him to be the great Physition of our souls and to cure perfectly as you say yet very differently Luke 4. and sometimes suddainly and all at once as Peters wifes mother who was perfectly restored to perfect health sometimes again he is pleased to cure very leasurely as when he cured the blind man first he was pleased to restore him to an inperfect use of his sight Mar. 8. as to see men like trees walking then he was pleased afterwards to perfect his cure and make him to see cleerly all things just so he is pleased to pass his spiritual cures upon us sometimes he is pleased to turn the heart of man with such a power that it shall presently enjoy a perfect spiritual health as he did that of the blessed Magdalen sometimes again he remits the sin by his operating grace and afterwards works so with his cooperating grace that in process of time he takes away all the guilt of punishment and all the other relicts of sin it is not therefore to be proved by any of Christs corporal or spiritual cures that the sin being remitted all the punishment is remitted likewise but rather the contrary and I shall proceed further to prove it thus The Catholick doctrine that I am to prove now against you is this that sins being by contrition confession and absolution perfectly forgiven the penitent ought yet to satisfie for the temporal punishment due to them Adam without doubt repented himself of his sin Gen. 2.17 notwithstanding he was not presently absolved from the punishment that was threatned by God for it which was this for in theday that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Nay after the transgression of the divine precept beyond the business of death which was before threatned God addes others saying to Adam Gen. 3.17 because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eate of
it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life Thornes also and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee c. Gen. 3.16 in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground for out af it wast thou taken c. Then he said unto the woman I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee c. Rom. 5. and as in Adam all sinned so all in him are to die as the Apostle tells us Therefore it is plain that though the guilt of original sin be taken away by repentance and baptisme it self there remains still a punishment of death and divers other penalties inflicted Mariam the sister of Moses Num. 12 after the sin o murmuring against Moses was committed was struck with a Leprosie but she was not presently cured no not by Moses his prayer to the Lord for her recovery but she was cast out of the Tents by the Lords command for seven days for the punishment of her sin though the guilt was forgiven her and she remained all that while in her Leprosie God forbid Moses and Aaron Num. 20 the going in and leading of their people with them into the land of Promise for their sin of unbelief at the water of Strife though without doubt God Almighty had forgiven the sin to those holy men So the sons of Jacob Gen. 41.21 for their offence committed against their brother Joseph conceived what they suffered to be very due to them and David after he had confest his sin of adultery and murder 2 Sam. 12.13 14 15. and was pardoned by the Prophet Nathan in these words the Lord also hath put away thy sin thou shalt not dye yet addes howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great oncasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the childe also that is born unto thee shall surely dye and the Lord strake the childe that Vriahs wife bare c. See the punishment of Eli and his house after the sin was pardoned 1 Sam. 3 12 13 14. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house when I begin I will also make an end for I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth because his sons made themselves vile and he resprained them not and therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli 1 Sam. 4.14 c. that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever All this must undoubtedly be understood of a temporal punishment onely accordingly Hophni and Phinehas were slain Eli falling backward brake his neck and Phinehas's wife dyed in travell David we know had his great sin pardoned him for numbring of the people 2 Sam. 24.18 c. yet he was punished with a most grievous pestilence to the destruction of so many thousands and yet at last was commanded by the Prophet Gad to make a further satisfaction to reare an altar unto the Lord in the threshing-floor of Araunah c. and his offering cost him fifty shekels of filver We finde that the Ninivites at their grand repentance fasted and put on sackcloth Jonah 3.1 Kings 21.27 Ahabrent his clothes and put sackloth upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sackeloth and went softly by which humbling of himself he did in part satisfie and pacifie the divine wrath conceived against him Jerem. 18.8 This the Prophet Jeremy most cleerly expresseth saying in the person of God if that nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evill I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them and according to the measure of the fault so ought the measure of the punishment to be as we read in the book of Deuteronomy Deut. 25 All this is clearly confirmed by S. John in his Apocalypse saying how much she hath glorified herself and lived deliciously Revel 18 7. John 5.14 so much torment and sorrow shall be given her but above all we finde it cleer in the Gospel where our Saviour after he had cured the man that was sick of the Palsie eight and thirty years he said unto him behold thou art whole sin no more least a worse thing come unto thee plainly intimating that this great and long infirmity was inflicted upon him for his sins and though those sins were probably pardoned before by the great mercy of God and patience of the person suffering yet the punishment lasted still upon him Now that prayer fasting and alms which are injoyned to penitents are necessary to the Sacrament of Penance appears plainly by these Scriptures We finde in Leviticus how God commands several sorts of Sacrifices to be offered for the sins of the Priests Levit. 4.5.6 Prince and People I pray you then observe how the Prophets call upon us for these duties therefore also now saith the Lord turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning So the Prophet Joel Then the Prophet Daniel says more cleerly yet to Nebuchadnexzar wherefore O King let my counsell be acceptable unto thee and break off thy sins by righteousness and thine iniquities by shewing of mercy to the poor it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity c. We sinde again how the Ninivites repenting at the preaching of Jonas proclaimed a fast and put on Sack-cloth from the greatest even to the lest of them The King himselfe arose from his throne layed by his Robe and covered himself with sack-cloth and sat in ashes crying all mightyly unto God and turning from their evill ways and the violence in their hands And God saw their works that they turned from their evill way and God repented of the evill c. is not here a plain fatisfaction performed by the Ninnivites and so accepted by God and as cleerly exprest by the Prophet and is not this repentance and satisfaction of the Ninivites highly commended by our blessed Saviour saying the men of Ninnive shall rise up in the judgement with the men of this generation that is obstenate impenitent siners Luke 11.32 such as refuse to satisfie for their sins and shall condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonas c. That great preacher of repentance Mat. 3. Lxke 3. the holy Baptist crys out to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance does not our Saviour plainly pronounce a woe unto Chorazin and Bethsaida for their impenitence Mat. 11.21 22. assuring them that if those mighty works he did there had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long agoe in sackcloth and ashes and therefore concludes that it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgement
sort of devills is not to be cast out but with prayer and fasting and whatsoever thou shall aske in prayer beleiving ye shall receive As for the Apostolical practice of this holy duty of prayer every leafe is full of it as first in the Acts Acts 1.14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and with his brethren Cap. 24. and again in the same chapter as they prayed and sayd thou Lord which knowest the hearts of al men c. Acts 4.31 Again and when they had prayed the place was shaken where they assembled were together and they were all filled with the holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness and again Acts 10.31 Thy prayer is heard and thine alms are had in rememberance in the sight of God Acts 12.5 Cap. 12. Peter was kept in prison but prayer was wade without ceasing of the Church unto God for him and then when he was delivered he came to the house of Mary the mother of Iohn whose Sir name was Mark where many were gathered together praying Acts. 13.3 Acts 14.23 So again in the next chapter and when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they they sent them away and again in the next chapter and when they had ordained them elders in every Church and had prayed with fasting they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed What therefore the Apostles so earnestly desired to know how to do Christ himself so expresly taught and commanded and perfectly practised in his own person to give us an example his Disciples and all the primitive Christians so faithfully followed shall we leave undone now to satisfy your fanaticall humors will you see yet how the Apostles injoyn that duty Now I beseech you brethren for the Lord Iesus Christs sake Rom. 15 30. and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me 2 Cor. 1.10.11 And again to the Corinthians in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us you also helping together by praying for us c. again to the Philipians be careful for nothing Phil. 4.6 but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God 1 Thes 1.2 So to the Thessalonians we give thanks to God always for you all makeing mention always of you in our prayers remembring without ceasing c. Clos 4.2 So again to the Colossians continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving withall praying also for us that God would open to us a dore of utterance to speake the mystery of Christ c. So again to the Thessalonians pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified c. 1 Thes â— 1 2 Cor. 1â— 1 Tim. 2.12 So again to the Corinthians we pray God that ye do no ill but most expresly to Timothy he says I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for king and all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty then adds a little after I will therefore that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting Acts 6 4â— Nay that this duty of prayer is the first and grand concernment of a Christian see what is said in the persons of all the Apostles but we will give our selves continually unto prayer and to the ministry of the word it is very observable how all the Apostles preferred the duty of prayer before preaching it self I have pickt out these few texts out of a thousand that might be produced for as we said before every leaf both in old and new Testament is full heither of the precept or practice of this holy duty And as for the set hours of praying they are altogether as plainly prescribed to us in Scripture Psalm 118. Dan. 6.10 The Prophet David tells us that he did it seven times a day and Daniel we finde did it three times a day he went into his house and his windowes being open in his chamber towards Ierusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did afore time Acts 3 1â— It is as cleer likewise that it was the Apostles practice Now Peter and Iohn we â—t up together into the Temple at the hour of prayer being the ninth hour Act. 10.9 and again Peter went up upon the house to pray about the sixt hour So of this we conceive enough said and from your godly Church-work we will passe to your goodly State work To what you alledge against the lawfulness of making war against Turks Jews or Heriticks or persecution of any for conscience and against making of war at all or bearing of Civil Magistracy as Government or giving or taking of Oaths we answer thus To the First We say that though God doth visit our sins upon us by the Turks Jews Heriticks c. yet we are not forbidden to make our own defences Otherwise when he doth visit us by famine pestilence fire or any other way it would be unlawful to make any provision for our selves as to lay in any store against famine any medicine against diseases or to fly from the plague But we know that God so visits us as not to forsake us Psal 88. for so the Psalmist tells us I will visit their iniquitie with rods and their sins with scourges but I will not take my mercy quite away c. And as to our fighting with prayers we do confess it the duty of every good souldier to pray frequently yet to take his Arms in hand likewise with Joshua Gedion David and the Maccabees for we find that Moses prayed but Joshuah fought against Amalech Exo. 17. so let those that cannot sight pray and those that fight pray too so they may obtain doubtless the easier victory To the Second We grant that our Saviour commands us not to resist evil but that command sure is not absolute that we should never resist evil but so often as we are struck on one side to offer the other also for then neither Christ nor his Apostles had been so perfect for Christ when he was struck on one side before the Chief Priest did not turn t'other but rather resisted by a rebuke If I have spoken well Joh. 18.23 Acts 23.3 why strikest thou me if evil bear witness of the evil So S. Paul likewise when by the command of the Chief Priest he was struck replyed the Lord will smite thee thou whited wall So then those words of our Saviour must be understood that we resist not evil that is that we seek not our own private revenge but should be rather ready to offer