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A61117
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Scripture mistaken the ground of Protestants and common plea of all new reformers against the ancient Catholicke religion of England : many texts quite mistaken by Nouelists are lay'd open and redressed in this treatis[e] by Iohn Spenser.
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Spencer, John, 1601-1671.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing S4958; ESTC R30149
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176,766
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400
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SCRIPTVRE MISTAKEN THE GROVND OF PROTESTANTS AND COMMON PLEA OF ALL NEW REFORMERS AGAINST THE ANCIENT CATHOLICKE RELIGION OF ENGLAND Many texts quite mistaken by Nouelists are layd open and redressed in this treatis by restoring them to theyr proper sense according to which it is made manifest that none of them are of force against the ancient Catholicke Religion By IOHN SPENSER of the Society of IESVS Videtis id vos agere vt oninis de medio Scripturarum auferatur auctoritas S. Aug. li. 32. contra Faust. c. 19. PRINTED AT ANTWERPE By IAMES MEVRSIVS ANNO M.DC.LV. The points of Controuersie conteyned in this Treatis I. Of vvorship of Saincts and Angles pag. 1. II. Of the making and vvorshipping of holy Images pag. 69. III. Of Iustification by faith only pag. 137. IV. Of the merit of good vvorkes pag. 161. V. Of Purgatory pag. 179. VI. Of the reall Presence pag. 189. VII Of Communion vnder one kinde pag. 317. THE PREFACE THose victories are deseruedly inroled amongst the most noble and memorable in the monumeÌ„ts of Antiquity wherein an Enemy is ouercâ—m me with his own weapen Thus Dauids beating down that Tower of the Philistines seemed to the Israelites to haue been a conquest ouer ten thowsand Enemies Saul percussit mille Dauid decem millia because he cut of Golias head with Golias sword Thus the sone of God our dearest Sauiour purchast the noblest of all victories against the strongest of all Enimies vt qui in ligno vincebat in ligno quoque vinceretur because he who ouercame vs by a tree was through him by a tree ouercome And thus our deare Redeemer hauing been furiously attacked by the Tempter in the desert with the authority of his own word put to flight and vanquished the same Tempter by the authority of the same word which he had pressed against him Hence it is that not the sling of Dauid werewith he begunne but the sword of Golias was reserued and wrapt vp in a holy Ephod in the Tabernacle as an eternall trophe and monument of his victory Hence that anciently most ignominious hatefull of creatures the crosse is now erected in triumphal maner not only vppon the highest towers of Christian temples but vppon the most sacred and soueraigne heads of Christian Emperours And hence it also is that the Catholicque Church hath soe carefully conserued soe religiously honored and gloriously triuÌ„phed in those breathes of diuinity the holy Scriptures because that as her spouse stopt the fontaine soe she by the heat of his spirit hath dried vp the troubled and diuided streames of all errours and heresies trough theyr heauenly light and authority This is the victoty which I represent in triumph in this present treatis as the most heroicke amongst all others of the Romane Church because it conquers heresie by the weapen of heresie vt qui in verbo pugnabant in verbo quoque vincerentur that those vvbo haue hitherto fought vvith the sole vvord might be ouercome vvith the sole vvord The Romane Church euen from the first Challenge of her aduersaries in these last ages hath giuen them the foile nay quite defeated them at the weapens of Antiquity vniuersalâ—â—y vnity succession visibility sanctity miracles Fathers Councils reason authority but these were soe farre and clearly her weapens that they scarce euer dirst lay clayme to any of them and soe the victory glassed in theyr eyes seemes eyther none or small because not gayned with a weapen of theyr chusing now therefore to accomplish what she hath soe prosperously attempted she accepts the combat euen with that weapen which they take by mistaking to be theyr own It is the vvritâ—en vvord of God the sole vvritten vvord to which all appeall here they boast and glory here they exult and triumph not only before the victory but befote the fight this and this alone they take for theyr bucklar of defense for theyr armour of proofe for theyr deepe piercing dart theyr swift flying arrow and theyr sharp edged sword this they brandish before the eyes of innoceÌ„ts with this they florish in theyr bookes and Pulpits in theyr publicque meetings and priuate conuenticles nay in the very streetes and tauernes and that soe seemingly with a glosse as false as it is faire that they dazle the eyes of the vulgar and strike them with admiration in each motion of it Here they fully perswade themselues that those of the Roman Church dare not medle with them and take for granted that whatsoeuer wee haue gained vppon them by other weapens yet wee yeeld our selues clerely conquered by this So confideÌ„t are our Aduersaries in theyr own conceipts where as the Roman Church neuer as yet acknowledged to haue been eyther worsted or soe much as touched by any one text of Scripture which they euer pressed against her witnesse the many large volumes of full and cleere answers to euery senteÌ„ce objected by her Aduersaries Neyther euer refused she to incounter her enemies with this weapen of theyr own chusing True it is she requiers iudges present to see and determine which party hath the better in the incounter but they refuse all other iudges quite contrary to the light of reason saue that very weapen where with rhey fight and though she still keepe the feeld continue on the coÌ„bat maintaine the quarel without soe much as yeelding eyther a step or hairs breadth not withstaÌ„ding she must be worsted only because her aduersaries say she is What will an impartiall ey iudge of such proceedings yet to shew how empty and vaine all these flotishes are and how strong desires she hath of the eternall good of her enimies rather then leaue them wholy destitute of redresse she freely like an indulgent mother condesceÌ„ds to theyr infirmities and conformes her selfe to theyr wayward humours and that soe farre as to expose the equitie of her cause euen to the iudgement of her very Aduersaries and confides with holy Dauid inimici nostri sunt iudices that euen her most forward enimies will not be soe voyd of light reason and equity as not to acknowledge her conquerant and themselue vanquished euen in theyr own iudgements and with theyr own weapen Thus she enters the list and confides in the strength of her God and spouse that the day wil be hers And findes noe surer meanes to incompasse it then by disarming her enimie because to dissarme him him is to dissanimate him for yeeld he must when he can feight noe longer I haue indeauored in this present Treatis to giue my Readers an essay of this kinde of victory of the Roman Church where in I hope he will finde it manifest that the texts which our Aduersaries vsually alleadge against the Romane doctrine in such points as I haue tuched are not arguments but mistakes And that soe grosse and palpable that halfe an ey may discouer them Thus therefore the matter stands and the combat proceeds betwixt vs. Our Aduersaries haue now aboue
are here excluded from ordinary sermons to common people and all curiosities forbidden The Protestant Position That the soules of the faithfull in theyr departure are happy wee often read but noe newes of Purgatory This is proued by Scripture mistaken Blessed are the dead who dye in the Lord from hence sorth saith the spirit that they may rest from theyr labours and theyr workes follow them The first mistake The text saith not they rest presently after theyr death They are not sayd here to rest presently after theyr departure but that they may rest and yet they may be termed blessed as our Sauiour calls the pore in spirit blessed in this world and in theyr misery because the Kingdome of heauen belongs to them as it does to those in Purgatory The second mistake The word labours misapplyed They are not sayd to rest from all labour but from their labours that is such labours persecutions afflictions sorrowes temptations mortifications troubles anxietyes as they suffered in this world from all which they rest after death By theyr labours also may be fitly here vnderstood theyr good workes and patience in suffering the miseries of this life with hope of eternall reward so that they are sayd to rest from their labours because the recompence and crown of their former labours are alloted to them as certainly to follow as the next words declare opera enini eorum sequunturillos for their morkes that is their labours follow them and yet in some of them it may happen that they may not presently receiue the reward of them which hinders not the resting of their labours because they are not to haue any reward for what they suffer after this life The second proofe out of Scripture mistaken For wee know that if the eartly house of this tabernacle were dissolued wee haue a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in heauen This text is mistaken These words say not that presently after death they shall goe into that heueauenly house How follows it hence that so soone as they depart they must goe into this house prepared for them seeing that many may haue houses that are hindred to liue in them especially in these distracted tymes and our Sauiour saith Blessed are the pore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heauen euen whilst they are liuing in this world And the Apostle Now therefore yee are no more strangers and furainers but fellow citizens vvith the saints and of the houshold of God And yet more clearly S. Iohn these things I writte vnto you that yee may know that yee haue life euerlasting yee who beleeue in the name of the sone of God That is in full hope and expectation not in actual possession which yet iâ— sayd more clerely to belong to those in Purgatory who haue an infallible certainty of life eternall The third proofe from Scripture mistaken But the soules of the righteous are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them Mistake The word torment misvnderstood The Latin hath it non tanget illos tormentum mortis the torment of deach shall not touch them which is most true of all the iust departed because they shall liue eternally but Protestants regard not the vulgar Latin translation The greeke hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which according to Scapula particularly signifyes a torment to which malefactours or suspected to be so are put to make them confesse the truth or to try whether they be guilty or no as are the racke or such like Now no such torment as this shall tuch the soules of the iust departed because God hath sufficiently tryed them and approued of them in this life as apeares v. 5. and hauing beene a little chastised they shall be greatly rewarded for God proued them and found them vvorthy of him selfe Which is a playne place for merits but when it is against Protestants it is only apocryphal If any shall demand whether the word Purgatory be expressed in Scripture I answer that it is as much expressed as the word trinity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diuine Petson which not withstanding are beleeued by Protestants If it be replied that at least the substance or meaning of those words are expressed in Scripture I answer the same of Purgatory which I demonstrate in this maner Purgatory is nothing else according to the Council of Trent now cited but a place where temporall punishments are suffered by iust persones after death vvich they deserued in this life Now if any iustified soul be and often is liable after death to suffer such punishments then certainly there must be some certaine place where they must be suffered But iustified soules may be and often are liable to suffer such punishments after death ergo there must be such a place where in they are to suffer them That iustified soules may be and often are liable to such punishments I proue thus Iustified persones yet liuing after the remission of theyr sinnes and consequently of eternall torment are liable to some temporall punishment therefore souls departed of iust persones may and often are liable to the like I proue the antecedent out of the 2. Sam. 12. v. 13.14 And Dauid said vnto nathan I haue sinned against the Lord and Nathan said vnto Dauid the Lord also hath put away thy sinnes thou shalt not dy Howbeit because by this deed thou hast giuen great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child also which is borne vnto the shall surely dy whete for that very sinne which was put away and forgiuen Dauid was punished by the death of his child because thou hast giuen by this deede c. the child shall dy The same is proued by the example of Adam whoe after his sinne was forgiuen him was notwithstanding liable to the punishment of death which is the wages of sinne as are also all iust persones for the same reason The antecedent therefore being clere I proue the consequence by this argument Seeing God is noe respecter of persones and that he rewards euery one according to theyr workes whosouer deserues the like punishmeÌ„t that Dauid deserued shall surely be punished as Dauid waâ—slet vs therefore put this case that at the same time with Dauid there had been an other Person guilty of sinnes as greate as were those of Dauid who should haue also repented with the same degree of sorrow and consequently obteyned pardone of his sinne as Dauid did this sinner must haue been liable to the same temporall punishment that Dauid was now suppose that this other sinnerâ— should haue died the very instant after his sinne was forgiuen him according to the doctrine of the Romane Church he should haue been punished temporally in the other world with a punishment correspondent to that of Dauid and soe God should not haue been a respecter of persones but haue rewarded euery one according to theyr workes but according to Protestants he should