interpretation then that which I haue mentioned vnles a man would bend his wits and force his quill of purpose to misconstrue his meaning THE NINTEENTH CONTROVERSY DECLARETH How Fayth alone doth not iustify against D. Whitaker D. Feild D. Abbot and all Sectaryes CHAP. I. THAT we may not stumble at the beginning Châ—nitiuâ— in 1. part examinaâ— Con iâ— Trid. Calu. l. 30 instit c. ◠§. 9. Fulk in c. 13. 1. ad Cor. sect 5 Perkins in his reform Cath. f. 7â— nor post away in vaine before I go further I will truly lay down the state of this question as it is controuerted defended on both sides Protestants distinguish three sorts of fayth 1. The historicall fayth as they tearm it by which they belieue the history of the Bible 2. The guift of fayth to worke miracles of which S. Paul If I should haue all fayth so as I could remoue mountaines c. 3. The sayth and affiance in the diuine promises of God So that the truth and veracity of God is the proper obiect of the first his power of the second his mercy and goodnes of the third Which later fayth they subdeuide againe into Abbot inhis defence cap 4. fol. 453. VVhitak l. 1. aduers Duraeum two members or branches into a generall beliefe that God will faythfully accomplish all his promises will graunt remission of sinnes to all true beleeuers and into a particuler and speciall fayth whereby euery Protestant perswadeth and assureth himselfe that his sinnes by the mercy of God in Christ be forgiuen him And in this speciall affiance and firme perswasion all Sectaryes place their iustifying fayth from whence Charity and good workes according to them only flow as fruits and necessary sequels accompanying their beliefe Thus they 2. We on the other side defend that Charity and good workes are not only fruits or signes but the life or Ephes 4. v. 5. Cyril ca Greg. Nazian or at â—ltim in sanctum lauacrum Aug. in Enchirid. c. 2. 5. 7. 8. l. 2. conduas epist Pelag. c. 5. Leo serm â—1 de Epiphan Fulg. l. de side ad Petrum in prolog Hebr. â—1 v. â— Gaâ— Vâ—s â—â— 1. â— disp â—10 â— 7. substance of iustification Likewise we deny that counterfeit diuision of seuerall fayths which they deuise and imbrace with holy Scriptures one dogmaticall and Catholik Fayth by which we belieue the Ghospell of Christ the articles of our Creed and whatsoeuer in this kind the vniuersall Church proposeth vnto vs. For as there is but one formall motiue or subiect of beliefe to wit the prime verity or diuine auctority obscurely reueiling the histories of the Bible the power of working miracles the promises of God and whatsoeuer els So there is but one true and Theologicall vertue of fayth which with most constant assent beleeueth them all one Lord one Fayth one Baptisme And to this one sole fayth not to the peculiar perswasion of Sectaryes is ascrybed by S. Cyrill Patriarch of Hierusalem by S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Augustine S. Leo and S. Fulgentius the whole force of iustification which in any part of sacred Writ is attributed vnto Fayth Wherefore although we hold that this Theological Fayth be the beginning foundation of our spiritual building for be that commeth to God must beleeue that he is Though it be also the roote from whence the life of grace doth somtyme spring by stirring vp and exciting the affections of the will to loue good and detest sinne yet it doth not fully engender that sparke of life it doth neither wholy dispose to the fauour of God as I haue already proued nor intierely sanctify and make vs iust as I shall now demonstrate Math. 25. v. 11. Matth. 7. v. 22. Ioan. 12. v. 42. 43. Matth. 22. v. 11. 3. The foolish Virgins who cryed Lord Lord open vnto vs had fayth and beleeued in him whome they inuocated The false Prophets beleeued who wrought miracles in the name of Christ. The Princes of the Iewes who loued the glory of men more then the glory of God yet as the Scripture sayth they belieued in Christ The guest who was found at the marriage feast without his wedding garment he belieued also for by fayth he yielded to the calling came into the house VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum in his aÌ„swere to 1. reason of M. Campian Abbot in his defence c. 4. Orig. tract 32. in Matth. Hilar. can 27. Hier. ep ad Demetr Theoph. Euthy in cum locuÌ„ August tract 54. in Ioan. August tract 53. in Ioan. Beliar. de iustif l. 1. c. 15. of God and yet none of these were iustifyed therefore Fayth alone is not sufficient to iuftification M. Whitaker M. Abbot and the rest will answere that These had not a true but a faygned dead and idle fayth dead and idle we coÌ„fesse it was yet true and vnfaygned in respect of the essence and nature of Fayth for the Euangelist speaking of the Iewish Princes vseth the same word crediderunt they beleeued in Christ as he doth when he discourseth of them who beleeued indeed which would breed intollerable ambiguity doubtfullnes in expounding of holy Scripture if he were not to be vnderstood of true beliefe Secondly the ancieÌ„t Fathers interprete al these places of true and vnfaygned Fayth Origen S. Hilary S. Hierome the first affirming the foolish Virgins to be excluded from their bride-grome not for want of true fayth but for want of good workes S. Hierome Theophilact and Euthymius the second of the false Prophets attributing to their fayth the inuocation they made Lord Lord haue not we prophefied in thy name and intimating thereby that fayth alone is not inough to saluation S. Augustine expoundeth the third place likwise of true fayth comparing the fayth of those Princes with the true Fayth of such as openly confessed the name of Christ Affirming that if they also had proceeded and gone forward in that entrance of beliefe they might by profiting haue ouercome the loue of humane glory But that Fayth as Cardinal Bellarmine wel argueth which by profiting could vanquish the affection of vaine glory was true fayth otherwise that Fayth had Tertul. l. de resurrec carnis Orig. Chryso in hunc loc Ambr. ser 14. de naâ—ali Hieron Gregor Theoph. Euthy in â—um locuÌ„ Maldon in cap. 22. Matth. Iacob ep cap. 2. v. 14. 17. 14. Augu. de â—â—de opâ—rib c. 14. VVhitak l. 1. aduers Duraeum in his aÌ„swere to 1. reason of M. Ca â—pian VVitak vbi supra Fulk in c. 2. Ioan. sect 9. Abbot c. 4. f. 476. 477. not profited but another arriuing to perfection that had fayled Lastly that he who wanted his wedding garment beleeued also aright is insinuated by Tertullian Origen S. Hierome S. Chrysostome S. Ambrose S. Gregory Theophilact and Euthymius who conformably teach that he was cast into outward darknes not for any defect of fayth but for want of
ashes no clowd of sinne can depriue the iustifyed person of his right to heauen which do not dismantle him of the robe of Iustice Answere therfore heereunto what you list escape you cannot vnles you leape into some detestable heresy 6. My fourth argument is when the Protestant perswades himselfe or vndoubtedly beleeues the remission of his sinnes either he hath his sinne by that act of fayth remitted before or after he that sayth it is after alloweth his precedent perswasion to be false and deceitfull beleeuing the forgiuenes of his sinnes which then was not he that will haue it before admitteth a remission of sinnes and consequently a true iustification before his beliefe which cannot be for without Fayth it is impossible to please God he who holdeth that his beliefe causeth the remission which it beleeueth will haue his beliefe Gab. Vas in 1. 2. disp 110. c. 3. and knowledge so omnipotent as to make the obiect which it knoweth the mystery it beleueth as if a man by beleeuing himselfe to be a great Lawyer a great Physitian a great Deuine should endow himselfe with the Aug. l. 4. de Genes ad lit c. 32. perfect knowledge of Law Phisicke and Diuinity wherein they seeme to surpasse the nature of God whose knowledge being most efficacious and practicall yet it followeth as Gabriel Vasquez teacheth the obiect it knoweth according to the posteriority of vnderstanding It followeth I say in affirming or knowing it to be true In which sense S. Augustine teacheth that no knowledge can be vnles things knowne precede and we may auow that no fayth can be vnles it first presuppose the article beleeued for as our knowledge is true or false because the obiect we know is such so our beliefe is certaine and vndoubted because the thing is infallible which we beleeue 7. M. Field beholding the ruines this Cannon-shot makes in the walls of their perfidious and faythles perswasion rayseth the engines of his wit to diuert the battery and annoyance thereof and first proposeth the argument thus When men begin to beleeue either they are iust and then their fayth iustifyeth them not being in nature after their iustification Field in his 3. booke of the Church c. 44. or els they are not iust then speciall fayth making a man beleeue he is iust is false and so man is iustifyed by alye To this horned argument we answere sayth he that speciall fayth hath sundry acts but to this purpose specially two the one by way of petition humbly intreating for acceptation and fauour the other in the nature of comfortable assurance consisting in a perswasion that that is graunted which was desired Fayth by her first act obtayneth and worketh our iustification and doth not find vs iust when we begin to beleeue by her second act she doth not actiuely iustify S. Thom. 1. 2. q. 83. â—â—t 3. but finding the thing done certifyeth assureth vs of it c. So then quoth he fayth in her first act is before the iustification procureth or obtayneth it Hitherto M. Feild and very profoundly without doubt distinguisheth fayth into two acts whereof the first he mentioneth is no act of Fayth but a prayer or petition humbly intreating for acceptatioÌ„ Fulk in c. 2. Iacobi sect 9. circa finem Abbot in his defence cap. 4. fol. 487. and fauour which properly as S. Thomas proueth is an act of Religion as much different from fayth as a man from a Calfe And the second seemeth rather to be an assured confidence of the will then any supernatural assent of the vnderstanding in which Fayth consisteth But these thinges I let passe The opposition heere he maketh against his owne adherents the contradicting of Doctour Fulke the ouertwharting of M. Abbot the impugning of another principall and generall article of Protestancy is more remarkable then a priuate absurdity or ignorance of his For to affirme That fayth by way of petition humbly intreâ—â—eth for fauour obtaineth and worketh our iustification and doth not find vs iust is to graunt a certaine kind of preparation congruency merit or disposition to go before the life of grace and iustification of our soules which how earnestly M. Fulke and Doctour Abbot gainesay I haue declared and refuted in the precedent Controuersy Then it is opposite to that common principle which Protestantes maintaine That the captiued will of man concurreth passiuely only to his iustification vntill he be truely iustifyed in Christ. Howbeit M. Field heer teacheth this petition to obtaine to procure to worke our iustification before it be effected which M. Abbot writing against our preparatiue workes of prayer and petition reproueth thus There can be no true prayer without the spirit of grace without the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Abbot c. 4. sect 20. fol. 4 â— Father the spirit of adoption and grace is the spirit of sanctification It followeth then that we pray not but by being first sanctifyed and because sanctification is consequent to iustification it must follow also that iustification must go before prayer Hitherto he warring against M. Feild one Sectary against another as Esay prophesyed of them saying I will make the Aegyptians to run togeather against the Aegyptians a man shall fight against his brother euery man against his friend But I will not further exaggerate these horrible breaches betweene him Isa 29. v. his fellowes I will not intreate M. Field to reconcile his assertion with their other fornamed principles I only desire him to tell me whether the petition which worketh our iustification and doth not find vs iust be in his opinion an act of true iustifying fayth or no Let him answere that it is and he yieldeth that fayth alone doth not iustify he yieldeth this first act to be an act of true fayth and yet that it doth only impetrate and procure iustice and not make vs formerly iust but if the first act of true fayth doth not iustify neither can the second or third or any other ensuing act affoard that benefit for they being all and euery one of the same speciall nature they hauing all the same essentiall forme that effect which in no degree is performed by one cannot be effected by any other except they dreame that one the same vertue should consist of diuers essentiall formes and so by diuers actes yield diuers formall effects which very nature it selfe and euery Puny in Philosophy will condemne of implicancy and contradiction 8. Let him deny it to be an act of iustifying fayth and he denyeth his owne diuision of speciall fayth into sundry acts he deludeth our argument proposed not of any other vertue but of their speciall fayth and of the first act thereof which can be but one and of that one it proceeds whether iustification be before it after it or caused by it as is vrged aboue 9. Againe supposing these two actes into which he brancheth his speciall fayth how is
Traditions Both false depositions both wrongfully imposed crimes A wrongfull crime it is that we traduce the Scriptures as vnperfect We graunt with Vincentius Lyrinensis Vincen. Lyâ—â—nen cap. 2. that the Canon of Scripture is perfect a perfect light and lanterne to our feet a perfect rule and direction of sayth if as he noteth the line of Propheticall and Apostolical interpretation be leuelled according to the square of the Ecclesiastical and Catholike sense As great a wrong that we cleaue to humane and vncertaine Traditions We anker on such as are diuine certaine and infallible authentically warranted by the rules himselfe approueth to descend from Christ or the Church his holy and vndoubted Spouse 17. A like wrongfull crime M. Sparkes fastneth vpon Sparks p. 82. 83. vs when he sayth That we preferre the authority of the Church the wife before Christ the husband that we make the written word of God inferiour in authority to the Church and to haue his Canonicall credit from thence Sure you are as Salomon censureth a guilfull witnesse who furnish your cause Prouerb cap. 14. Testis fidelis non mentitur Profert mendaciâ—â— dolosus testis Io. 4 3. Reg. 3. with such shamefull lyes When many belieued in Christ induced by the speach of the Samaritan woman was her authority prefeâ—â—ed before Christ When King Salomon decreed the infant for which the two harlots contended to belong to her whose bowells were moued at the sentence of his death did he make her therby the mother of the child or declare her to be the mother who was the mother indeed So when we imbrace Gods written word by the externall approbation and testimony of the Church answerable to that of S. Augustine Ego Euangelio non crederem c. I would not belieue the Ghospell vnles the authority of the Church moued me thereunto we extoll not the Aug con ep Fund cap. 5. voice of the Spouse before the voyce of Christ. Nor the Church when it defyneth any booke to be Canonicall Scripture doth giue it thereby diuine and Canonicall credit Bils part 4. pag â—81 Rem cont 1. pag. 619 6â—9 Field l. 4 Stapleton cont 5. de poâ— Eccles quaest â— but commaundeth that to be receaued by others as Canonicall which hath in itselfe Canonicall authority 18. Lastly our Aduersaryes arme themselues with the weapons of the Fathers and M. Bilson marshalleth six togeather in a rancke S. Athanasius S. Chrysostome S. Cyrill S. Ambrose S. Augustine and Vincentius who conformably mantaine the sufficiency of Scripture in all necessary points of fayth Many other to the like purpose are alleadged by M. Reynolds and M. Field To all which I answere First that the Scripture is taught to containe all things necessary to saluation as the vniuersal ground Cyril l. 12. c. vltimo Chrys ho. 3. in 2. Thes 2. Vincent aduersus prophan hae nouit c. 2. Bafil ep 80 Cyril de rect fide ad Regi Hieron in Psal 86. Aug. l 3. con lit Petil Tert. lib. cont haer Athan. l. cont Gent. Aug. l. 2. cap. 9. Rein in his conf c. 2. diuis 2. Aug. l. 10. de Gen. ad lit c. 23. Bils 4. par p. 582. 583. Field in appen 2. p. §. 8. Aug. l. 4. c. 24. Dio. l. Eâ—c bier c. vlt. Orig. in 12. Leuit. bom 8. in cap. 6. epist ad Rom. seed or roote from which whatsoeuer we belieue may either mediately or immediatly be gatheted as S. Cyril and S. Chrysostome auouch Secondly as it teacheth and directeth vs to the authority of the Church and doctrine of her Pastours by which euery point is of may be particulerly and clearely explained Thus Vincentius and others are to be interpreted Thirdly it is affirmed to containe all thinges and that nothing besides the Scripture is to be admitted to wit no priuate customes or particuler Traditions not agreeable or repugnant to the writen word as S. Basil S. Cyrill S. Hierome S. Augustines meaning is in his booke against Petilian Fourthly the Fathers often acknowledge the sufficiency of Scripture to conclude euen in plaine and expresse wordes certaine maine principles of our fayth as that God created all thinges of nothing of which Tertullian against Hermogenes That Christ is the true God That Idolls are not God of which Athanasius writeth Or they teach it clearely comprehends the chiefe articles of our Creed and ten Commandments of which S. Augustine only speaketh in his booke of Christian doctrine so often quoted by M. Reynolds 19. Besides which many other things are necessary to be imbraced as by Fathers Reason and Scripture I haue already conuinced and therfore will close vp my whole discourse with one or two sentences of S. Augustine and Origen S. Augustine sayth The custome of the Church in baptizing Infants is not at all to be belieued vnles it were an Apostolicall Tradition M. Bilson and M. Field haue no other shift to trauerse the euidence of this place then by accusing it of some secret corruption But what was he corrupted also in his booke of Baptisme against the Donatists where he repeateth it againe Was Dionysius was Origen corrupted too who sayth The Church receaued a Tradition from the Apostles to minister Baptisme also to Infants Was this other passage of S. Augustine corrupted likewise Aug. de Bap. con Donat. l. 5â— c. 23. It is an article of faith to belieue this Baptisme to be valide Orig. in c. 3. ad Tit. teste Pamphilo in Apol. prâ— Orig. of the validity of Baptisme ministred by Heretikes The Apostles commanded nothing hereof yet the custome which was opposed herein against Cyprian is to bebelieued to proceed from their Tradition euen as many things be which the whole Church holdeth and are therfore well belieued to be commanded of the Apostles although they be not written I may then conclude with Origen He is an Heretike who professeth himself to beleiue in Christ yet belieueth otherwise of the truth of Christian fayth then the definition of Ecclesiastic all Tradition containeth 20. Notwithstanding to reproue our Aduersaries and satisfy all indifferent Readers that we fly not to the succour of Traditions for want of proofes out of holy writ I will vphold the right of our cause in euery ensuing Controuersy as I promised in my Preface by the irreprouable testimonies of Gods written word THE THIRD CONTROVERSY WHEREIN The Reall Presence is maintayned against D. Bilson and D. Sparkes CHAP. I. AS the vnspeakable riches of Gods infinite loue in no mystery of our fayth appeareth more bountâ—full then in the true and reall Fresence of Christs sacred Body conteyned in the holy Eucharist so the vnsatiable malice of our deadly enemy no where more hatefully bewrayeth it selfe then in seeking to abolish this most blessed dreadfull and admirable Sacrament For besids the Armenians Messalians Grecians and Aquarians Althons de Cast l. 9. adu haer v Eucharist Aug. de haer Epiph haer 26. whose errours
sometym know he repenteth know he beleeueth with some fayth with some repentanc◠or other because he sensibly feeleth the inward throbs of his hart behouldeth the teares trickling from his eyes apparent tokens of sorrow and repentance because fayth is a light which manifest it selfe an act of the vnderstanding which cannot be hidden to which effect M. Whitaker and M. Abbot vrge out of S. Abbot c. ◠VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum Augu. ep 112. Augustine That the faythfull man doth see his fayth it selfe by which he answereth that he beleeueth Although I say all this be true yet the knot of our difficulty remayneth still vntyed For neither doth S. Augustine teach nor any reason perswade that he infallibly knoweth his repentance to be such as it ought to be done for so pure and diuine a motiue as is requisite for the iustifying of his soule to be true Christian not false Herodian not Antiochus his sorrow that his tears are distilled from the Rose of Charity not squeazed out of the nettles of priuate selfe loue Likewise he cānot certainly know whether his fayth be natural or supernatural whether it rely vpon the authority of God duly proposed and immediatly credited for it selfe or for some other humane reasons as the formall motiues of his belief because there is such cōnexion affinity betweene the naturall and supernaturall acts they are paralelled and consorted togeather in so many branches of neere alliance as it is impossible by infallible certainty to discerne without speciall reuelation humane fayth from diuine vertues infused by God from vertues gayned by mans labour and industry Then it is aboue the reach and skill of man to diue into the secrets of God to trace his steps or discouer the operation and working of his grace In so much as Iob sayd If God come to me I shall not see him and if he depart away from me I shall not vnderstand Iob. 9. v. 11. Greg. l. 9. in c. 9. Iob. c. 10. 11. Aug. in psal 41. serm 13. de verb. Dom. Iraen c. 17. v. 9. it Which S. Gregory interpreteth of Gods comming and departure from our soules of his abyding or forsaking our harts that it is hidden and concealed from vs in this vale of teares for our greater humility Againe we are obnoxious to sundry illusions our hart is inueagled with diuers phantasyes hath such a multitude of folds and windings in it as it is too hard to define what it throughly abhorreth or sincerely imbraceth with all behoofull circumstances as it ought especially in the pious course of vertue which perplexityes abstrusenes of our hart Ieremy deciphreth saying The hart of man is peruerse vnsearchable who shall know it And Caluin delineateth in this manner The hart of man hath so many secret corners of vanity is Calu. l. 3. instit c. 2. §. 10. so full of hypocrysy that it often deceaueth himselfe In the next Paragraffe he addeth Experience sheweth that the reprobate are sometyme moued with the same feeling that the elect are so that in their owne iudgment they nothing differ from the elect wherefore it Hebr. 6. v. 4. Luc. 8. v. is no absurdity that the Apostle ascribeth to them that tast of the heauenly gifts that Christ ascribeth to them fayth for a tyme. If this be so if our hart often beguile vs if the reprobate be sometyme moued with the same feeling as the elect are if they haue a fayth for a tyme how is your conscience infallibly sealed that yours is perpetuall May not your hart your iudgment your firme perswasion deceaue you as it deceaueth others The Anabaptist assureth himselfe that his sinnes by speciall fayth be remitted and that he and all of his sect shall be certainly saued The Lutheran the Caluinist assureth of the like and ech of them is certaine that the contrary to him notwithstanding his assurance shall be infallibly damned Whom shall we beleeue When euery one is equally by faith assured of saluation and yet ech one condemneth the other two and the whole Catholike world condemneth them all to the pit of hell if they obstinatly dye in their perfidious beliefe 2. Secondly if speciall fayth remitteth sinnes and Sectaryes by the same fayth are assured of the remission they can neuer say our Lords prayer without mockery or infidelity For as they cannot intreate the Sonne of God may be incarnate as they cannot intreate his death and passion for the redemption of man vnles they deny or misdoubt the accomplishment of them So if they certainly beleeue the remission of their sinnes effected by fayth they cannot without dissimulation irrision or Field l. 3. cap. 44. fol. 178. plaine infidelity cry vnto God forgiue vs our trespasses which they assuredly beleeue to haue been forgiuen before Feild answereth The iustifyed man knoweth that the dominion of his sins is taken away and that the guilt of condemnation whereunto they subiect such as are vnder the dominion of them is already remoued and therefore he doth not desire nor aske forgiuenes of sinnes in this sort but the inherence of sins he acknowledgeth in himselfe notwithstanding his iustification which still subiecteth him to Gods displeasure and punishments accompanying the same These thinges he desireth to be remoued and in this sense asketh forgiuenes of his sinnes So he The loosenes of whose answere is already discouered in the first Controuersy of Originall sin in which place I haue largely demonstrated that when sinne is truly inherent the guilt of condemnation still remayneth or where the guilt and dominion is abolished there sinne is extinguished there sinne inhereth not not wholy because the dominion is remoued not in part because the blemish of sinne is indiuisible and hath no parts or suppose we speake of diuers sinnes which haue diuers spots diuers deformityes one deformity cannot be cleansed or taken away without the other which M. Abbot had once an eye to discerne disputing Abbot c. 6. sect 7. fol. 766. thus against Doctour Bishop Let him say the sinne in part is pardoned but not wholy and then let him shew vs what warrant he hath that God in that sort forgiueth sinnes by patches and peeces which because he cannot do let him giue vs leaue to take him for that that he sheweth himselfe to be Thus with one eye what with the other the diligent Reader may perceaue in my foresayd Treatise of originall sinne Then this reply cohereth not with it selfe nor with other of his and his fellows barbarismes For if the iustifyed man knoweth the dominion of sinne the guilt of condemnation to be remoued how doth the inherence therof notwithstanding his iustification subiect him to Gods displeasure whereas this common songe is chaunted among you and by you also M. Feild That where the Feild in his 3. booke of the Church cap. 16. Abbot c. 6. sess 7. fault of sinne is once remitted there no amercement or debt of punishment
Church are certain publik notes and known signes by which the spouse of Christ is euidently marked and discribed vnto vs. Then it is true that we also acknowledg a supernaturall help or inward working of the holy ghost to belieue the Catholik Church and all the articles she proposeth yet in a farre different manner from that which our sectaries pretend for we require the interiour working to moue our will and eleuate our vnderstanding to belieue the mysteries already reuealed our sectaries require it to reueale the very mysteries which are to be belieued we to receaue the expositions of Scripture publikly and vniformily made by the diuine interpreters they priuatly to expound and particularly to interpret the scriptures themselues We haue moreouer prudentiall motiues or arguments of credibility prudently to induce vs to those acts of faith they haue no such arguments but of the contrary side many reasons to distrust their priuat spirits We besides the inward vnction and outward letter haue the safe-conduct of a common publike and inerrable directour they haue no other publik and outward guide then the bare letter subiect to a thousand false constructions Ours is the spirit of peace and vnion vniting vs all in the same belief theirs of strife and dissention making them infinitely to vary in poynts of faith Ours of submission theirs of presumption Ours inclineth vs to obey and humbly imbrace theirs proudly to iudge and peremptorily to conrroule the true preachers doctrine So that the heauenly inspiration which we allow hath not any linke of affinity with their priuate spirit THE SECOND CHAPTER WHEREIN All that which D. Reynolds D. Sparkes and M. Whitaker deuise to bolster their former Position is refuted BECAVSE so many windinges crosse-wayes occur in this wild desert of scanning words vnfolding texts and searching originall fountaynes our Aduersaries striue to assigne some lines to lead vs aright in this maze of difficulties D. Reynolds and D. Sparkes prescribe not only search but deligent Rein c. 2. diuis 2. p. 60. 62. Sparks pa. 246. c. Ioan. 5. v. 36. Mart. 7. v. 7. Iac. 1. v. 5. search and earnest prayer to God Of the one it is sayd Search the scriptures c. and they shall be opened vnto you Of the other If any of you want Wisdome let him aske it of God c. and it shall be giuen him Soueraygne helpes I graunt but no assured rules For how many haue troden these pathes who wandered and miserably perished amongst the briars of errour Pelagius Photinus Eunomius prayed earnestly and most diligently searched the Canon of Scripture who vented notwithstanding infamous heresies 2. M. Reynolds replyeth that the fault of these and others â—rring must be Not in conferring places most diligently but not in conferring them dâ—ligently inough In not praying as they Rein. c. 2. diuis 2. p. 60. p 45 1. Ioan c. 5. v. 14. Rom. c. 12. v. 13. should and searching as they ought in the spirit of fayth and modesty But you that carpe so often at the Schoolemens Quiddiâ—es what meane you now by this nice distinction betweene most diligently diligently inough Or what degree of diligence attribute you to that which is inough aboue the superlatiue exactnes of that which is most Further what do you vnderstand by searching as they ought in the spirit of Faith and modesty Doe you thinke it necessary the Collatour should belieue the thing he searcheth before he beginneth to search To what end then doth he search And what shall he do who belieneth not or doubteth of the matter But not to demure in these deep subtiltyes or meere fooleryes rather who can tell I beseech you when he prayeth in fayth and modesty as he should When he vseth diligeÌ„ce inough in searching as he ought Or how can others be warranted who they be that performe these thinges Is not this as hidden as intricate as inscrutable as the truth of Gods word for which we labour I thinke you suppose S. Iraeneus S. Cyprian S Ambrose S. Chrysostom S. Hierome S. Augustine prayed to God weighed his word in fayth modesty as they ought By what meanes then swarued they so farre from the true sense of Scripture as to be spotted with so many The Centurie writers Cen. 2. 4. 5. wennes and warts as you call them of superstitious Popery to wit the Sacrifice of the Masse Inuocation of Saints Free-will Merit Purgatory Prayer for the dead c You will answere againe They fayled in their prayers slacked of their diligence when out of the pure fountaines of holy Write they deriued these Romish dregs Well let it be they failed at least your late reformers Luther Caluin Beza c. failed not They prayed in fayth and modesty they marked they examined Scripture as they ought How commeth it then to passe they haue not obtained so much wisedome from God as to agree in their exposition How do they who follow the right rules of interpreting Scripture vary so infinitly as to dissent in aboue 80. seuerall expositions of these foure wordes This is my body which Claudius de Xainctes reckoneth Xainct repet 1. cap. vltimo vp besides innumerable other most irreconciliable iarres 3. I know not with what brasen face or steeled conscience D. Field and M. Sparkes depose That these their diuisions are imaginary and meerly accidentall not in points fundamentall Field in his appendix 1. par pag. 23. 24. Sparkes in his answere to M. Iohn Albins not in matters necessary to saluation Wheras they differ in number of Sacraments nature of the Church essentiall manner of her gouernement in the article of Christs descension into hell of his Passion Mediation of his equality with his Father our regeneration by Baptisme Iustification by fayth as I shall by Gods grace discouer heereafter And if these be not fundamentall points what points will you make fundamentall Or if your diligence your prayer with other helpes may mislead you in these why not in others Why define you not what articles they be in which yee are freed from errour Are you all priuiledged not to faile in fundamentall points can no man tell nor your selues accord in what points your priuiledge consisteth 4. For answere O thou Protestant are they fundamentall points which make men forfait their saluatioÌ„ which carry millions of millions to eternall flames Then whosoeuer BroughtoÌ„ vbâ— supra imbraceth your English translation of the Bible differeth as I haue proued from his owne companions in pointes fundamentall Are they fundamentall pointes which are necessary to be belieued And All points necessary to be belieued as M. Whitaker strayneth out of S. Augustines VVhitak c. 1 q. 4. c. 4 pa 29â— wordes so cleare in Scripture as they cannot be mistaken You square among your selues in pointes fundamentall some assigning these some others to be essentiall capital and necessary to be belieued Nay you vary in so plaine and perspicuous points
Gods present grace and eternall fauour And who I pray hath this feruent fayth He that imbraceth the reformed Ghospell O rounds O circles Are you not ashamed stil to trace this endles Labyrinth Calu. in argumento Epist l. â— Inst c. 8. anno 1554. Luther in prolog Epist. Rogers in his book to the Kings Maiesty I desire to know how I might belieue aright how I might be sure to heare my shepheards voyce and you at length resolue me if I be a sheep of your fold and belieue as you do I shall belieue aright and be sure to heare his voyce A feat of Sophistry tooto common amongst you yet such a feat as with slender skill may be defeated 14. Caluin your Ring-leader approued and partly broached your reformed Ghospell he was a sheep of Christ who reading the epistle of S. Paul to the Hebrewes the epistle of S. Iames heard in them the voyce of Christ the voyce of God And Luther your fore-father what was he a goat of Sathan who perusing the same epistles heard no such voice nothing but dry and dusty stuffe nothing worthy an Apostolicall spirit Our English Protestants are sheep of Christ who reuerence the whole vulgar translation of their Bible as the pure word of God The Millenary Plaintiffes what are they All goats of Sathan who lament therein many false corruptions in matters of fayth as M. Rogers testifyeth in his booke dedicated to this Maiesty Not to speake of the Precisians the Protestants among themselues are all no doubt sheep of Christ How heare they then the voice of their Pastour One in this sort another in that quite opposite to the former One heareth Christ a Biâ—â—on in his suruey of Christs sufferings pa. 650. 651. c. descended into hell another He b Vviâ—let in his book intituled Lymbomasâ—ix descended not One The c Field l. 1. of the Church Church to be alwayes visible another sometymes d VVillet in his Synopfis p. 48. all protestants generally inuisible One gathereth out of Gods words two e Melancâ—hon in lo. commun Sacraments another f Caluin l. 4. inst c. 19. Tree another g Melancth in locis editis an 36. an 52. foure c. One affirmeth The Sacraments do not only signify but h â—ilsoÌ„ in his book of Christ subiection 4. p. pag 51. conferre grace another condemneth i Fulke against purgâ—tor p. 35. Sparks in his answere to M. Iohn Aâ—bins p. â—46 the same as Popish What Is the voice of Christ repugnaÌ„t to it self c. Or are some Protestants also goats of Sathan Or is it true the sheep of Christ do not certainly heare their shep-heards voyce 15. Moreouer the sheep of Christ are of two sortes some are sheep by present grace others by eternall election of neither of these can your maxime be verifyed Not of the first For if they only know their Pastours voyce woe be to all Infidels woe to all notorious and obstinate sinners in vaine are they perswaded and preached vnto Woe had it beene to S. Matthew to S. Mary Magdalen and thousands of Saintes who once depriued of preseÌ„t grace could neuer haue heard their shepheards cal Happy the Reprobate in respect of them who being often sheep by present grace might perfectly know and easily stoop to theâ—â—â—aisters lure Not of the second kind of sheep because S. Augustine a Manichâ—e S. Paul a persecutour euen then â—â—re sheep of Christ by eternall election euen then they studyed and examined the text of Scripture euen then they were both infused with the inward perswasion and spirit of Protestants that they followed their Pastour and obeyed his precepts yet were both deceaued by the voice of a stranger You answere they could not be finally deceaued They heare the true voice of their spouse sayth M. Sparkes at one tyme or another At one tyme or another And who hath reuealed vnto you that this is the tyme of your vocation Imagine you be as they were Gods chosen sheep may you not now be bewitched with some deceitfull charme May not your dreames seeme his Oracles And may you not as God graunt you may be heereafter vncharmed and lament with S. Augustine My errour was my God and the siction Aug l. 4. confes cap. 7. of my braines the voice of my shepheard 16. Againe if this second sort only of elected sheep are vndoubtedly grounded in the true knowledge of holy writ none according to you can be infallibly instructed in necessary points of fayth vntill God admit him as S. Paul sayth to the Counsell of his inscrutable iudgments vntill Rom. 11. v. 3â— he shew his name engrossed in the booke of Liâ—e Which because you ordinarily hold impossible to be belieued without your Solifidian and all-working fayth fayth requireth election and election presupposeth faith And seeing the one can neuer be obtayned without assurance of the other you may search long inough before you can attaine to either 17. What construction then quoth Whitaker will you make of those wordes My sheep heare my voyce Of those The spirituall man iudgeth all thinges I answere that Vvhitaker locis ciâ—â—tis the sheep of Christ heare his voice not at all tymes not when they list but how and when it pleaseth God Sometyme by secret inspiration other while by outwaâ—d hearing or reading his word yet so as they haue neuer infallible certitude heerof but when it is confirmed by extraordinary reuelation or by the publike Iudgment approbation of the Church by whose authority the spirituall man iudgeth all thinges Or he may be sayd to Vvhitaker cont 1. q. 5. c. 8. Rein c. 2. diuis 2. Act. 17. v. 1â— 1. Ioan. 2. v. 27. iudge all thinges not infallibly but prudently and discreetly as the testimony of his conscience and instinct of the holy Ghost shall teach and perswade him Whitaker and Reynoldes againe The men of Beroea are commended for trying the doctrine of S. Paul by the iudgment of Scripture It is written You haue no need that any man teach you but as his vnction teacheth you of all things Lastly All are sayd to be taught of God I answere The men of Beroea or as some say of Thessalonica which were the more noble and wiser sort Esay 54. v. 3. Iohn 6. v. 4â— Vvhitaker ibidâ—m q. 3. ca. â—â— either belieued not before as many hold and then they tooke a iudicious prudent course in searching the places S. Paul alleadged to procure as the Deuines require arguments of credibility whereby they might be induced maturely to imbrace the truth he deliuered which S. Paâ—l no doubt exhorted them vnto And in like case hauing produced testimonyes out of the Sybills Hystapsis against See Lorinê° vpon this place of the Actes and Stapleâ—on in Antidoto â—â—â—n â— strom â— 1. the Gentills he counsaileth them as S. Clemens Alexandrinus testifyeth to read and consider the allegations how strongly they concluded
so great a maister in Israel why blame you vs for approuing what your selues allow Why appeale you to Scripture alone and yet subscribe to such and so many points of fayth not comprised in Scripture Or if these Traditions be necessary to be imbraced what meane you M. Field to renounce others as ancient as behoofull as warrantable as these euen by the rules your selfe prescribe which are Field l. 4. cap. 19. pa. 242 Iran lib. 4. c. 32. â—ulke in his confut of Purgat p. 362. 303. 393. August tract 84. in Ioan. Chrys bo 21. in act Concil Nicen. 2. Damas lib. 4. c. 17. Hiero. con Vigil c. 2. Middlâ—ton Papis pag. â—34 Bils part 2. pag 265. Rom. 10. 17. Basil de spir Sanct. c. 27. Chris ho. 4. in â— Thes 5. Aug. Ep. 119 86. Field l. 4. cap. 20. Rein. conclus 1. pag. â—17 The authority and custome of the Church Consent of Fathers or testimony of an Apostolicall Church By these Irenaeus alloweth the new oblation of Christs body and bloud as a Tradition from the Apostles Why reiect you this Tertullian S. Cyprian S. Chrysostome S. Hierome S. Augustine approue as M. Fulke your great Golias granteth the Sacrifice and prayer for the dead as an Apostolicall traditioÌ„ Why disproue it you S. Augustiue S. Chrysostome admit a memory or Inuocation of Saints in the selfe same sacrifice Three hundred Fathers of the second Councell of Nice defend with S. Iohn Damascen the adoration of Images as a Tradition from the Apostles S. Hierome by the custome of the Church and consent of Fathers D. Fields rules for true Traditions mantaineth against Vigilantius the religious worship of holy Reliques By the same Tradition of the Church and consent of the Fathers M. Middleton auerreth vowes of Chastity to be obserued What meane you to make no reckoning of these Are you only priuiledged to admit or discard what Traditions you please to countenance or deface whatsoeuer you list But an ill cause without cosenage cannot be vpholden I acknowledge the shifts of pouerty and falshood 13. Against these vnanswerable grounds M. Bilson opposeth in this weake and impertinent manner Fayth is by hearing and hearing by the word of God therefore S. Paul alloweth not matters of faith vnwritten How often shall I repeate inculcate a truth that the word of God is partly written partly vnwritten and this as S. Basil S. Chrysostome S. Augustine affirme is as worthy to be credited as the other Which speach albeit M. Whitaker noteth in S Chrysostome as inconsiderate and vnworthy so great a Father yet M. Field approueth it and reason perswadeth it vnles you belieue that letters figured with inke and paper add awe of reuerence to Gods hidden verityes M. Reynolds obiecteth out of S. Iohn These thinges are written that yee may belieue that Iesus is Christ the Sonne of God and that belieuing you may haue life in his name Heereupon M. Reynolds inferreth Ioan. 20. v. vlt. that S. Iohns Ghospell alone is sufficient to faith and saluation What may not be proued where such illations go currant S. Iohn speaketh of signes and miracles M. Reynoldes extendeth himselfe to many other matters S. Iohn writeth there of one principall point of fayth he concludeth all necessary to saluation S. Iohn disputing against Cerinthus who denyed the diuinity of Christ affirmeth that he hath written sufficient to proue that Christ is the sonne of God M. Reynoldes arguing against vs forceth him to say that he hath written inough concerning that and all other necessary articles of our beliefe Againe if S. Iohns Ghospell alone haue sufficient to saluation needlesse are the rest of the Euangelists the Epistles of S. Paul of S. Peter of S. Iude the Reuelations of S. Iohn wholy needlesse If S. Iohns Ghospell alone haue sufficient the Natiuity and birth of Christ his Circumcision Apparition the Institution of our Lords supper and many other thinges of which S. Iohn writeth nothing are not necessary to saluation Which to confesse is vtterly to subuert all Christian Religion to deny is plainely to ouerthwart M. Reynoldes assertion Rein. con â— 1. p. 618 â— 619. 2. Cor. 3. 16. 14. Secondly he alleadgeth out of S. Paul That all Scripture inspired by God is profitable to teach argue c. That the man of God may be perfect instructed to euery good worke Our Aduersaryes boast much of the pregnancy of this place and yet if it made any thing in their behalfe it would conuince that all and euery Scripture euery Epistle euery Chapter euery sentence which is some Scripture were The Greek hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latin Omnis Al or euery auailable to these foresayd effects Which they perceauing resolue rather to abuse the word of God then loose the force of their argument when insteed of all or euery Scripture they most fraudulently translate the whole Scripture contrary both to the Greeke and Latin text But no deceite will serue to betray the truth The whole Scripture was not finished when S. Paul wrote that Epistle the Ghospell of S. Iohn which by it selfe alone as M. Reynolds auerreth â— sufficient to saluation the Apocalips and other bookes of Scripture were wanting at that tyme he could Rein. loc citat not then speake of the whole Scripture before the whole was extant or if he meant of the whole that was written it maketh nothing against vs. For S. Paul speaketh of the profitablenes of Scripture to instruct argue c. and not of 1. Tim. 4. v. 8. the sufficiency thereof Many thinges are profitable to promote vs to perfection which are not sufficient to atchieue the same Piety as S. Paul writeth is profitable to all thinges yet not alone sufficient nor only profitable You cannot deny but that rayne is profitable for the fruits of the earth yet without the labour of men fertility of soile heate of the sunne not sufficient to make them increase So as when M. Reynolds disgraceth this as a mincing distinction he discrediteth not vs but S. Paul for mincing in this manner 15. Fourthly others obiect That Christ reprehendeth the Traditions of men S. Paul condemneth them and S. Peter exempteth all Christians from them They mistake Christ Mat. 15. v. 9. Colos 2. v. 22. only reprehendeth the fond and friuolous Pharisaicall traditions or deprauations of the law called Deuteroses Of which also S. Peter speaketh or of the superstitious errours of the Gentils from which we are redeemed by the bloud of Christ S. Paul forewarneth vs of the vaine Sophismes 1. Pet. 1. â— 18. and fallacyes of the Philosophers which impaireth not the authority of our soueraigne and holy Traditions deriued from the Apostles and their successours inspired by the holy Ghost 16. Yet M. Field will needs endite vs of two hainous faults 1. That we charge the Scriptures with imperfection 2. Field l. 4. c. 15. That therfore we rely vpon humane interpretations and vncertaine
the shaddows with the truth and see whether any place sentence or sillable of holy Writ disaduantage our cause The bread and wine of Melchisedech Gen. 14. v. 18. Exod. 12. 16. Deuter. 8. the Pascall Lambe the Manna which God rayned from heauen were figures of this Sacrament as the ancient Fathers witnesse But what Were they figures of any other figure Were they shaddowes of a shaddow only Againe figures are as far inferiour to the thing figured as the Image or picture of the King to the King himselfe For which cause our Sauiour preferreth the Eucharist many degrees before Manna in the sixt of S. Iohn And yet such as make it a signe or resemblance do not preferre it but much debase it beneath the excellent food of Manna whereby the Iewes fed vpon Christ by fayth farre more daintily then the Protestants by their bare Communion of which the Prophesyes also make tooto honorable mention to accord with them 11. The Prophet Esay speaking in commendation of Esa 25. v. 6. this feast calleth it A banquet of fat things of fat things full of marrow of purified and refined wines Zachary tearmeth it The wheat of Gods elect the wine which springeth Virgins Malachy A cleane oblation Iacob The delight of King S Iohn Zach. 9. v. 17. Mala. 1. v. 11. Gen. 49. v. 20. Apoc. 2. v. 17. Psal 77. 110. 71. Hidden Manna Holy Dauid the bread of Angels the memory of Gods meruailous workes the stability or strength in earth vpon tops of Mountaines Now vpon what table did these blessed Prophets looke when they so highly praised this Celestial feast Did they commend the poore and beggarly supper of the Caluinists their Wheaten bread which hath no prerogatiue aboue the Iewish naked Elements their wine of grapes which may be fitlier tearmed wine in which lechery raigneth to vse Saint Pauls phrase then wine which springeth Virgins No no. They looked vpon ad Eph. 5. 18. this diuine and heauenly table of ours This this is that magnificall banquet that memorable Wheat those refined wines that cleane Oblation that bread of Angels those delights of Kings which worthily deserue such Our Reall Presence is manifestly gathered out of the Acts of the 1. Nicen out of the general Councell of Ephesus vo constat ex ep Cyr. ad Nestorium out of the Councell of Chalcedon art 3. admirable titles 12. I will not here speake of innumerable myracles of generall Councels of authenticall Histories of the Sibillian Oracles truely recorded in confirmation of this truth I only adde that the whole Lutheran sect vntil this day the whole Church of England in the time of King Henry euen after his reuolt in publicke Parlament decred the Reall Presence of Christs body in the Sacrament And now of late after the repealing of that and certaine other Articles after the vtter abolishment and manifold condemnation for many yeares of the former doctrine it is with great applause reuiued againe by the Bishop of Ely who writing of the Reall Presence in the holy Eucharist against Cardinall Bellarmine saith We agree with you concerning the obiect all the strife is about the manner And then We beleeue the Presence we beleeue I say the true Presence aswell as you concerning the manner of the Presence we do not vnaduisedly define Which priuate assertion of his Casaubon alloweth in his Maiesties name coÌ„fidently CasauboÌ„ in the answer to the Card. Peron to the first instance fol. 31. in English Moys Ha. com in Ps 36. Symeon l. qui inscribitur Reuelatio sâ—cretor Caha in Gen. c. 49. graceth with this publik approbation This is the fayth of the King this is the faith of the church of EnglaÌ„d which being so I might surcease my paines and spare the search of further proofes in a matter already confessed by the aduerse part 13. But I adde that the ancient Iewish Rabbins ratifie and confirme the same as Rabby Moyses Hadarsan Rabby Simeon Rabby Cahana whose words to let passe many others are these In the Sacrifice which shall be made of bread notwithstanding it be white as milke the substance shall be turned into the substance of the body of the Messias And there shal be in the sacrifice it self the substaÌ„ce of the bloud of the Messias red as wine There shal be also in the sacrifice the bloud flesh of the Messias both shal be in the bread because the body of the Messias cannot be diuided And then he assigneth another reason Because the flesh without the bloud and so againe the bloud without the flesh are dead things But the Body of the Messias after his Resurrection because it shall be glorified shall alwaies liue 14. Doctor Sparkes and sundry others of the learned Protestants vanquished with these euident and irreprouable Sparks in his answer to M. Iohn Albines pa. 108. 10â— 110. c. testimonies confesse the Reall presence of Christs body in the Eucharist but to the faith forsooth of the right Receiuer not to the mouth of euery Communicant D. Sparkes further boasteth That he learned of Christ of his Apostles of all the ancient writers of credit and account in the Church for 700. or 800. yeares togeather to denie our Reall Presence to the mouth of all Receiuers I wonder he blushed not to publish so vaine a bragge when Christ when the Apostles when all the famous writers as I haue already conuinced most manifestly teach the contrary when S. CypriaÌ„ saith speaking of the lapsed That they more offended our Lord with their hands and mouth who vnworthily receiue then Cyp. ser 5. de lap Aug. â—iâ— coÌ„ adu leg Proph. â—ap 9. when they denied him S. Augustine We receiue with a faithfull heart and mouth the Mediator of God and man Christ Iesus giuing vs his flesh to eate and bloud to drinke S. Leo This is taken with the mouth which is beleeued with faith S. Gregory What is the bloud of the Lambe now not by hearing but by drinking you haue learned which bloud is sprinckled vpon both posts Leo. ser â— de iâ—iu 7. menfis Greg. ho. 22. in euan Tertu l. de resur car cap. 8. Nyss ora cate c. 37. Cyril l. 10. in Io. c. 13. Chrys ho. 69. ad po Idem de Eu cha in En. caen Aug. in Ps 33. Cyr. Alex. li. 10. in Ioan. c. 23. when not onely with the mouth of the body but with the mouth of the heart it is drunke When Tertullian writeth That the flesh is fed with the body and bloud of Christ S. Gregory Nissen That the body of Christ is admitted into the bowels of maÌ„ S. Cyril That it is tempered mingled and ioyned with vs like other wax powred into melted wax S. Chrysostome That our hand deuideth his flesh and our tongue becommeth red with his tooto dreadfull bloud And in another place Imagine saith he that wholsome bloud to flow out of the diuine and vndefiled breast
and approaching receiue it with pure lips S. Augustine That Christ carried his owne body in his owne hands when he said This is my body and that secundum literam according to the letter and so as King Dauid could not carrie himselfe Which two points are worthilie noted because the Apostles eat with their corporall mouthes what Christ held in his corporall hands In fine S. Cyril saith We doe not deny our selues with assured faith and sincere charity to be spiritually conioyned to Christ but that we haue no manner of coniunction with him according vnto the flesh this truely we deny 15. Is it not strange M. Sparkes should vaunt of all these learned Writers within eight hundred years when all disclaime his false imputation when all confesse the Reall Presence not only to fayth but also to the mouth Bils 4. par pag. 754. 755. c. to the tongue to the lips to the hands to the flesh to the bowells of all Communicants Is it not as strange M. Bilson should goe about to defeate these and the former authotityes with his accustomed sleight of Seales Sacraments bearing the names of the things themselues For if the outward seales onely were receaued into the mouth the outward seales only were eaten by fayth bare figures and seales nourish the soule seeing the same flesh the same bloud the same body the same Mediatour of God and Man Christ Iesus which is belieued by fayth is auouched as you see to be receaued into the hands mouths harts bowels of the faythfull Deny then M. Bilson the true reall flesh to the mouth of the body deny it also to the mouth of the soule and so become a Manichee a Marcionist a denyer of Christ Or giue leaue at least to them and other Heretikes to subuert by like sophistry the chief principles of our beliefe LiceÌ„ce them to expound by sound of names without sense of wordes whatsoeuer is written of the true flesh bloud and body of our Lord of his Incarnation Passion and glorious Resurrection 16. What pretense then can any Protestant make vnlesse he open the gate to a floud of blasphemyes why he should delude such ineuitable proofes Why he should discredit so many lights Lampes and Ornaments of the Church and preferre the hard wrested construction of some new fangled teachers before such vndeniable texts of Fathers and testimonyes of Scripture Perchance he may pretend with D. Bilson and D. Sparkes the impossibilty inconueniency and contradictions our doctrine Bils 4. par pag. 790. 794. 795. 796. Sparks p. 180. sequentibus implyeth To which I might answere Philosophers Infidells obiected such stuffe against the true IncarnatioÌ„ and Passion of our Lord I might say that he yieldeth assent to diuers articles of our fayth more contrary and repugnant to the reach of our naturall reason as to the mistery of the holy Trinity to the fecundity of our B. Lady remayning a Virgin to the Resurrection of putrifyed and decaied flesh c. I might also reply that we should not measure the works of the Almighty by the weakenes of our feeble vnderstanding as S. Basil singulerly teacheth against Eunomius by the example of the Emmet Basil Epist â—68 But what if I demonstrate the Reall Presence to be possible conuenient and without any repugnance or contradiction at all 17. To begin with the possibility of our conuersion or Transubstantiation We do not as M. Bilson iniuriously fathereth vpon vs make the creature the Creatour or the dead Bils 4. par pag. 729. element of bread the Sonne of God We only teach the bread and wine to be changed into the flesh bloud of Christ And that one substance may be turned into another yea and bread into flesh experience it selfe aboundantly teacheth For the bread which we eate and wine which we drinke by the naturall heat and concoction of our stomacke is conuerted into the flesh and bloud of man the same effect had the food which Christ receaued Likewise the graine of seed sowed in the ground altereth in nature buddeth vp into a faire eare of Corne. Wax cast Niss orat cate ca. 37. Damas l. 4 defi c. 14. Irenaus l. 5. cap. 2. Chryshom de Euâ—h Centurywrit c. 4. col 4â—6 Ambro de init myst cap. 9. Cyr. Iero. cate 4. mystag into fire is melted consumed and turned into fire Which similitudes the Fathers of former ages haue vsed to illustrate this mistery S. Gregory Nissen and S. Iohn Damascen the first S. Irenaeus the second S. Chrysostome the third who annexeth thereunto that as Nothing of the substance of Wax remaineth so heere the Misteryes are consumed by the substance of the body By which passage if the Century-writers may be credited S. Chrysostome doth seeme to confirm TransubstaÌ„tiation S. Ambrose whome they likewise reproue for not writing well of the same matter sometime coÌ„pareth the substantiall mutatioÌ„ of bread in the Eucharist to the creation of heauen and earth of nothing Otherwhile to the conuersion of the Rod of Moyses into a serpent of bloud into water water into bloud and the like S. Cyrill of Hierusalem conuinceth it by the miraculous change our Sauiour made of water into wine disputing thus Christ confirming and saying this is my bloud who Gauden tract 2. de Exo. will euer doubt and say it is not his bloud He once conuerted water into wine in Cana of Galily and is he not worthy to be belieued that he hath changed wine into bloud S. Gaudentius hath the like who flourished within the 400 yeares after Christ He that produceth bread out of the earth of bread againe maketh Greg. Nyssen oracate cap. 37. his owne body for he is both able and promised it and he that made of water wine maketh of wine his owne bloud S. Gregory Nissen We rightly belieue the sanctifyed bread to be changed by the word of God into the body of the Sonne of God S. Ambrose Thou sayest perhaps to me I see another manner of thing How Ambro. lib. de â—js qui iniâ— myst cap. â— then tellest thou me that I receaue Christs body Then this is yet to be established by vs. And how many exampls may we vse to proue 〈…〉 is not that which nature framed but that which the blessing consecrated and that the power of blessing ouer commeth nature because by blessing euen the very nature it selfe is changed Behould that is not sayth S. Ambrose which nature made but what did nature make The substance of bread what becommeth of it It is changed quoth he how by blessing into what Into that which the blessing consecrateth What it that The body of Christ for he tooke Ciryl ep ad Colas bread blessed and sayd This is my body S. Cyrill of Alexandria who succeeded them in the next age God condescending to our frailtyes instilleth into the thinges offered the power of life Conuertens ea in veritatem propriae carnis onuerting
inherent in any other thing Somewhat like to that which the former substances enioyed Thus Gelasius ought and no otherwise can he be expounded Gelasius answered for he doth not say yet ceaseth not in substance and nature c. but vsing first the word substance as a tearme ouer strict he corecteth and enlargeth it with this addition or nature and after explicating of what nature he meant he calleth the same proprietas naturae the property or quality of nature Then he affirmeth the Eucharist to be made a diuine thing and we by it partakers of the diuine nature a little after he addeth The elements are changed by the Holy Ghost into a diuine substance which confirmeth our and wholy subuerteâ—h the aduersaryes doctrine therefore M. Bilson very warily leâ—t it forth 8. As touching Theodoret the Greeke in which he Theodoret answered wrote explaineth his meaning for in the first place insteed of nature he vseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which compriseth as all Grecians know the accidentall nature as well as the substantiall and signifyeth sometymes the vertue or quality of nature In the second place in lieu of substaÌ„ce Vide dicti Graecolat Conradi Gesneri Thesaurling graecae H. Stephani he hath the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Essence as Quinâ—ilian and Budaeus out of Philo or nature also as Tully translateth it And so we graunt that the true nature essence of the accidents still remaine Neither can the word nature essence no nor substance which the translatour vseth be vnderstood as it is diuided against accident For Theodoret sayth The signes depart not from their owne nature they remaine in their former essence But they neuer had nor could haue any other then an accidentall nature an accidentall essence or substance if you will so call it Because the nature and substance of bread and Wine was not their owne nature not their former substance but really distinct from theirs Therefore Theodoret could not truly affirme That they remained in their former substance which formerly they had not but in the accidentall essence which they formerly had and in which they still perseuere Nor yet can any Cauiller say that remaine is heere taken for inhere because then the accidents should also inhere in their figure inhere in their shape to which the verbe remaine is as necessarily referred as it is to their substance 9. Although this answere fully satisfyeth and taketh Another answer to Theodoret away all manner of cauillations yet I will not omit another which Reuerend Father Cotton gaue at a disputation in France to wit that the three Genitiues in Greeke should not all be turned into Ablatiues in Latin but two into Ablatiues the first into the Genitiue case thus Manent enim mystica Symbola 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in prioris essentiae seu substaÌ„tiae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 figura specie videri tangi pessunt sicut priùs that is The mystical signes remaine in the figure and shape of their former substance The reall presence and TransubstaÌ„tiatioÌ„ proued by Theodorets owne wordes in the very same place whom the CeÌ„turistes also reiect for the same Cent. 5. c. 4. col 517. 1008. and may be seene and touched as before Which answere somwhat varieth in wordes but is the same substance with the former both are notably strengthened and our TraÌ„substantiation established by this ensuing sentence which immediatly followeth But they are vnderstood to be those thinges which are made and belieued and adored as being those thinges which are belieued Now what are the thinges belieued what adored Not the outward signes barely of themselues they are seene not belieued they cannot without Idolatry be adored The thinges beleeued euen in our and in the Sacramentaryes opinion are the body and bloud of Christ those they apprehend those they adore by fayth yet they belieue and adore them absent we present but Theodoret auoucheth that the misticall signes Are made those thinges which are belieued which are adored therfore they are made the body and bloud of Christ And how are they made By representation by signification only No but truly and really As being sayth he those thinges which are belieued Can we deuise to speake more plainely for our selues then this Father speaketh in our behalfe whome quarreling enemyes would wrest against vs. The rest of M. Bilsons allegations I let passe because some of them make nothing against vs others may be answered as these before others are plainly of no account as the authority of Bertram a late suspected authour and of the false impious and sacrilegious CouÌ„cell of Constantinople vnder Constantinus Copronymâ—s so alleadged in the 2. Nicen Synod euen in the place quoted by M. Bilson howbeit his conscience serued him to produce their testimonyes for want of better 10. M. Bilson vrgeth againe The Lord tooke bread Bils pag. 730. 731. brake bread But that which he tooke that which he brake he gaue to his disciples therfore he gaue bread The same fallacy might I returne vpon him That he tooke prophane and common bread Therfore he gaue prophane and not Sacramentall bread With the same collusion any heathen Matth. 9 v. 26. might depraue the most famous miracles of Christ That of the Gouernous daughter raised by him he might say for example That Christ was inuited to the maid dead that he entred to her dead held her by the hand dead spake to her dead but she to whom he entred she to whom he spake arose Therfore she arose not aliue but dead He might after the same manner delude the resuscitation of Lazarus For vpon whom did Christ call when he sayd Lazarus come forth Did he call vpon the liuing Ioan. 1â— v. 43. or vpon the dead I know you wil grant that he called vpon the dead and yet as you must needs confesse by the power of his God-head and force of his voyce he came forth aliue So I answere vnto you That Christ tooke bread blessed bread c. yet by the power and efficacy of his words when he sayd This is my body the bread was changed and transubstantiated into his body Perhaps you will cauill that the beholders saw the actions of life in the fornamed parties Whà t then Will you credit the eyes of men which might be deceaued witnessing them to liue and will you not belieue the words of Christ who cannot beguile vs auouching this his body No sayth M. Bilson for Christ vseth these words I am the dore I am the vine and yet he is not really eyther dore Chrys ho. 83. in Mat. Bils 4. par pag. 717. c. or vine Is this your guise of arguing from a Liâ—erall to a figuratine speach Heere the things themselues the connection of the text fayth reason and whatsoeuer els inforceth a figure In the words of our Lords Supper all things plead the property of the letter The Collation of places the
Figura ergo est It is therefore a figure It is a Sacrament because albeit the same body be really eaten the same bloud really drunke yet in a mystery in a figure in a Sacrament after a sweet spirituall and vnbloudy manner 16. Nay S. Augustine as our Sacramentaries contend saith What doest thou prepare thy teeth and belly Beleeue and thou hast eaten True he writeth there of the spirituall eating of Christ the bread of life by faith beleefe onely he had not begun to discourse of the Sacrament or Sacramentall eating At least after say they he speaketh of the Sacrament yet vseth these wordes He that feedeâ—h wiâ—h Aug. tra 2â— in Io. the hart not he that grindeth with the tooth True not he that grindeth only can partake the fruit of this Sacrament he that feedeth with hart without corporall eating may benefit himself but he that corporally eateth without faith can receaue no profit at all They vrge againe that S. Aug. tra 59. 2â— in Ioan. Augustine sayth The Apostles eat the bread our Lord Iudas the bread of our Lord. And in another place he denyeth The wicked to eate the body of Christ. Most true He denyeth theÌ„ to eate the bread our Lord or to feed of his body because they are not incorporated in his mysticall body Or because they do it not fruitfully by grace to the benefit Psalm â—â— Augu. de Bapt cont Donatist l. 9. â— 8. con Pulgent c. 6. cont lit Petil. l. 2. c. 20. c. 55. Biâ—s 4. pâ— pag. 772. 773. 774. 776. of their soules as King Dauid sayth The wicked shall not rise in Iudgment Because they shall not rise to saluation but to damnation Otherwise S. Augustine graunteth that Iudas did and the wicked do truely eaâ—e the body of Christ in his booke of Baptisme against the Donatists against Fulgentius and against the letters of Petilian 17. In summe many Fathers obiected by M. Bilson exhort vs to eate the Sacrament by fayth to cleanse our soules prepare our harts they call it spirituall food the bread of the mind and not of the belly no bodily but ghostly meat the proper nourishment of the spirit All most true for a liuely fayth a cleane soule a pure hart are necessarily required in the worthy receauer and the purer he approacheth the more plenty he receaueth of Gods heauenly graces Then it is stiled spirituall food ghostly meate the bread of the mind the proper nourishment of the spirit because the spirituall repast and refection Cyr. Alex l. 10. in Ioan. c. 13. of our mind the perfect vigour and increase of spirit is the chiefe and most soueraigne effect of this diuine banquet Neuertheles it excludeth not as S. Cyrill noteth but presupposeth the corporall from which as from the fountaine and sea of grace the spirituall is deriued Our Aduersaryes reply The Fathers exclude it by certaine negatiue tearmes which they vse calling it No bodily but Ghostly meate the bread of the mind and not of the belly They call it so indeed and speake in the Scriptures phrase euen as Almighty God spake when he sayd I will mercy and not sacrifice yet thereby he neither excluded Ose 6. v. 6. Matth. 9. v. 13. nor forbad sacrifice which himselfe prescribed exacted and commanded but only preferred mercy as an act of charity more acceptable vnto him So the Fathers by the like words exclude not the bodily but preferre the ghostly as the dayntiest food of our soules Or they deny it to be any bodily sustenance as bodily is commonly taken for that which is opposite to ghostly This is not so this is both bodily and ghostly both spirituall corporall meate this relisheth the mouth and cheereth the hart quickneth the body and refresheth the soule Therefore it is not a meere corporall but a spiritual dainty because it hath a spirituall manner of being is seasoned with spirituall qualityes affoardeth all spirituall comfort and is principally ordained to our spirituall nourishment For the flesh as Tertullian writeth is fed Tertul. l. de resurr carnis with the body and bloud of Christ that the soule may be fattened with God 18. And if Protestants would be as ready to defend as they are to cauill at the former sayinges they might learne by the like speaches which the Apostle vseth how to explaine the Fathers wordes for as they call the body of Christ in the Sacrament spiritual so he the body which 1. Cor. 15. v. 44. shall rise in the later day It is sowen a naturall body it shal ryse a spirituall body as they account it a barbarous and sauage thing to eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of Ibid. v. 50. Christ so he a thing impossible that flesh and bloud can possesse the kingdome of God as S. Augustine sayth Not that Ibid. v. 37. body which you see shall you eate c. so he not the body that shall be dost thou sow Which place togeather with the former Eutichius vrged against the corporall resurrection of our flesh with no lesse colourable pretense then Sectaryes do the precedent sayings against the bodily presence of Christ in the Sacrament But as they are constrained vnles they deny that article of our fayth with S. Gregory and other of our Deuines to construe S. Pauls meaning Greg. lib. 4. in lob c. 32. 33. that the body which ryseth shall be both spirituall and corporall spirituall by reason of the glorious dowryes it shall receaue and corporall in respect of the true and tractable substance it shall still retaine That flesh and bloud according to humane misery and corruption cannot possesse the Kingdome of God but according to immortality and corruption that not the body which is sowed shall rise but another another in quality the same in substance another in perfection of glory the same in property and condition of nature another in powerfull vertue the same in corporall verity another in manner and forme the same in realty and essence of being Apply the like constructions to the fornamed sentences written against the reall presence and you shall rightly expound those learned writers and soundly answere your owne obiections 19. To conclude when these new-fangled teachers with no euidence of Scripture or sentence of Father can disproue the truth of our doctrine they fall to their accustomed Pulk in c. 6. Io. sect 13. Bils 4 par pag. 791. Ambr. l. 30 de Spirit sanct c. 12. Aug. in Pâ—al 24. in 1. Cor. Bils 4. par p. 710. c. rayling They tearme vs Capharnaites Vbiquitaries Idolaters c. whereas we detest the inhumane grosse imagination of the Capharnaites condemne the Vbiquity or euery where being of Christ adore not with diuine honor as M. Bilson is pleased to impose vpon vs the elements of bread and wine but we adore to vse S. Ambrose words the flesh of Christ in the mysteries That flesh which â—ce man eateth as S. Augustine
for euer He that belieueth and is baptized shall be saued Euery one that shall inuocate the name of the Lord shal be saued to wit if he inuocate and call vpon him in fayth and charity as he ought if he belieue aright and doth not finally loose his fayth nor the grace of Baptisme and water of the holy Ghost once receaued as I shall proue heereafter he may Therefore this argument of theirs maketh no more against the corporal then spirituall feeding for as euerlasting life is promised to the faythfull and pious belieuer so to the reall and worthy Receauer and as the one may fall from his worthy dignity so the other make shipwracke of his liuely fayth and eternally perish Perchance you will obiect that this answere suteth not with the prerogatiue which our Sauiour giueth to the holy Eucharist aboue Manna That Ioan. 6. v. 49. 50. the Fathers did eate Manna in the desert and they dyed this is the bread that descendeth froÌ„ heauen that if any man eat of it he dye not For whosoeuer did worthily feed on that dainty Manna and continued in the same state neuer tasted the bitternes of spirituall death therefore according to this construction it is not inferiour to the blessed Sacrament I answere first that such as then liued for euer enioyed not the priuiledges of life by the vertue and force of Manna but by their loue of God and fayth in Christ their true Messias and yet they that worthily receaue the Eucharist truely liue by the vertue power and efficacy of Christs reall presence the spring of life and fountaine of grace therein contained 9. Secondly I reply that Christ doth not only compare the Eucharist with Manna in respect of the life and death of the soule but of the body also after this sort Manna could not affoard to your Fathers life of body much lesse of soule during their short passage through the desert This bread affoardeth life to the soule much more to the body during the length of all eternity They that eate Manna dyed in body a temporall death they that eate this bread shall not dye the eternall death neither of the body nor soule And heerein consisteth as Maldonate commenteth vpon this text the singular grace elegancy of our Sauiours comparison in passing from Maldonatâ— in hunc loeum Matt. 8. v. 22. Ioan. 4. v. 13. one kind of life and death to another which plesant digression he often vseth as the same Author discourseth in other places In S. Matthew Let the dead bury the dead The first he calleth dead in soule the next in body In S. Iohn Euery one that drinketh of this water shall thirst againe but he that shall drinke of the water that I will giue him shall not thirst for euer First he speaketh of the corporall Matt. 26. v. 29. water and thirst of the body then of the spirituall water and thirst of the soule Likewise I wil not drinke from hence forth of this fruit of the vine vntill that day when I shall drinke it with you new in the kingdome of my Father Heere he first mentioneth the naturall wine of the grape then the metaphoricall wine of celestiall ioyes So now he first speaketh of the corporall then of the spirituall and euerlasting life which our Blessed Sacrament of his owne nature yeildeth to all such as daily receaue it although Manna yielded not as much as the corporall if they doe not after by sinne willfully destroy the quickening grace and liuely seed it imparteth vnto them And thus the wordes are of more emphasy the comparison more pithy and the preheminence of the Eucharist aboue Manna more remarkable then if our Sauiour had spoken in both places only of the spirituall Lastly if our Sectaryes expound S. Iohn of the eating by fayth how vncongruously will they make S. Paul to speake writing of the same matter and saying He that eatech vnworthily which 1. Cor. 11. v. 27. cannot be properly attributed to the belieuer because he that belieueth not as he ought doth either falsly or fainedly belieue we cannot with any congruity of speach say that he belieueth vnworthily therefore as S. Paul so likewise S. Iohn ought to be vnderstood not of the spirituall but of the corporall eating of Christs sacred flesh 10. That which M. Bilson alleadgeth out of Gelasius S. Leo condemning the Communion vnder one kind Bils 4. par pag. 684. 685. Gelas can Comperiâ—ê° dist 2. Leo. ser 4. de quadra is of no force at all For they condemne the dry Communion not of the Catholiks but of the Manichees who teaching that Christ brought into this world and walked vpon earth with a meere empty and phantasticall body deuoyd of true and natural bloud they in testimony of this errour abstained from the bloud with great sacriledge as Gelâ—sius writeth deuided one and the selfe same mistery which all Catholikes had iust cause to reprehend in them no Protestant any cause to obiect against vs who neither deuide the mistery nor abstaine from the bloud but constantly teach that by fequele concomitance we receaue it wholy and entirely contained in the body we inioy the full participation of Christ Fulke loco â—itato Bils 4. par pag. 682. as M. Fulke requireth 11. At last both he and D. Bilson ioyntly oppose the Practise of the vniuersall Church which for many ages togeather ministred the Sacrament vnder both kinds euen to the Laity I grant that the Church vsed it as a thing lawfull not as a Aug. epist 23. ad Bonif Tolet. Con. cap. 11. Tho. 3. p. q. 80. art 9. ad 3. Cypr. serm de lapsis thing prescribed or decreed by God or vniuersally without exception in all times and places practised Which manner of receauing the Church might after change when her Communicaâ—ts were so many as wine sufficient could not be fitly consecrated nor without eminent perill of shedding or danger of abusing be conueniently ministred It was an vsuall custome both in the Greeke and Latine Church for many ages to communicate with the Chalice young sucking babes of which S. Augustine the x j. Toletan Councell and S. Thomas make mention And S. Cyprian writeth of the consecrated Bloud powred into the mouth of an Infant But as the Church vpon iust cause abrogated that custome leauing the children the benefit of neither kind without any wrong vnto them and Protestants allow hereof why write they so bitterly against debarring the people vpon as many important reasons from the vse of the Chalice where notwithstanding the whole fruit and benefit thereof to their comfort remayneth 12. Besides in many things you your selues who count it in vs a crime so damnable stray from that which Christ practised in the institution of the Sacramenâ— for example Christ communicated only men you women also he in a priuate house you in a publike Temple he at night you in the morning he with * For
the Iewes had no other then vnleaâ—ened bread at that tyme. Exod. 12. Ther shall not be found leanened in your houses Luc. 24. Aug. l. 3. de consen Euang. c. 25. Chry. hom 17. oper imperfect in Matth. Theoph. in eumlocum Beda in iâ— loc Luc. Act. 2. v. 42. 20. v. 7. vnleauened you with leauened bread his Communicants receaued sitting yours kneeling his after yours before meat may you in these points vary from Christ and may not we by the ineriable warrant of his Church alter that which he hath left indifferent vnto her Especially seeing she followeth herein the president of Christ who ministred the Sacrament vnder one kind only to the two Disciples at Emaus as S. Augustine S. Chrysostome Theophilact and Venerable Bede auouch the example of the Apostles who did often the like the practise of S. Paul who at Troiâ—s before he fell into danger of Ship-wracke as S. Chrysostome teacheth performed the same the prescription of Chry. hom 17. oper imperf Tertul. l. 2. â—â—vâ—or Cypr. serm de lapsis Amb. or â—â— de obitu Satyâ—i Basil ep ad Casar Euse lib. 6. bist c. 36. Pauliâ—us in vita Ambros Amphilo in vi Basil Fulke in c. 6. 10 sect 11. Conc. Tol. 2. cap. 11. August serm 252. detemp Conc. Anâ—ifiod cap. 3â— 38. Ambr. in orat de obitu Satyrifratris sui Basil ep ad Caesar am Patric Alâ—uinus l. de Offi. Eccles c. de Parasâ—eue Inno. â— ep 1. cap. 4. Euseb loc citato Fulke vbi suprâ— the ancient Church which ministred to Children only the bloud reserued most commonly the body alone both in priuate houses and in Wildernesses for the Ermites as Tertullian S. Cyprian S. Ambrose and S. Basil testifie housled the sicke often vnder one kind after which manner Serapion S. Ambrose S. Basill receiued their Viaticum lying on their death beds witnesse Eusebius Paulinus and Amphilochius 13. M. Fulke laboureth to auoid the authorities of these Fathers by two Sophisticall shifts First by the figure of Synecdoche which taketh the part for the whole secondly by disgracing the practise S. Tertullian S. Cyprian S. Basil S. Chrysostome Eusebius and others record with the note of a superstitious custome Where on the one side he ouerthroweth himselfe he contradicteth on the other those learned writers He ouerthroweth himselfe calling it a superstitious custome which must consequently sauour of some point of Popery conformable to our ancient prescription and wholy disagreable to his new inuented doctrine He contradicteth those learned Fathers who expresly speake of the sole infusioÌ„ of the bloud into the mouthes of yong sucking babes or into the mouths of the sicke who could not for drinesse receaue the body as it was decreed in the second Toletan Councell Of fine Linnen clothes called Dominicaâ—â—a prouided by deuout women to in wrap the body vnfit to infold the bloud Of a sole particle of the body which S. Ambrose his brother inclosed in a Pix and hanged for safegard about his necke Of keeping the body so long in Alexandriâ— Aegypt those hoat Countries where the wine without corruption could not be reserued nor carried with safty nor kept with decency Of the Custome of the Roman Church whose Priest vpon Good-friday many yeares agoe communicated only vnder one kind as Alcuinus and Innocentius the first â—elate Of the moysture which was vsed for the better swallowing downe of the Host mentioned by Eusebius altogeather needlesse if the Cup had beene exhibited Where I desire the Reader to register the folly of M. Fulke who affirmeth the moistned Sacrament whereof Eusebius speaketh To be the Cup dropped into the mouth of â—erapion whereas it was the body dipped in some prophane liquor the easier to swallow downe that diuine food But any Common liquor faithfully receaued is wholy as good as the wine of their Table therefore he may wel entitle it the Cup of his Communion 14. Not the Fathers only our Sectaries also Vrbanus Vrbanus Regius in li. de locis com 69. Luther ep ad Bohemoâ— christus inquit hac in re nihil tâ—quaÌ„ necessarium praecepit Melanct. in Centu. ep thâ—o pag. 252. Bucer in Colloq Raâ—isbon Iewel in his Reply p. 110. 106. Regius a Lutheran Doctour confesseth the Sacramont in one kind to haue beene ordained in the first Councell at Ephesus about a thousand yeares before the Synode of Basill or Constance for extinguishing Nestorious heresie who held the Body without the Bloud in the one the Bloud without the Body in the other kind comprised Yea M. Luther the Protestants first Progenitour and chiefest Patriarch affirmeth That Christ commanded nothing as necessary touching Communion vnder one or both kinds And Melancthon his scholler and Bucer with him accounteth it as a matter of indifferency as many other Protestants doe whom M. Iewell in his Reply neither reproueth or gaine-sayth And it is strange the Sacramentaries should begin to plead for the necessity of both who beleeue their bread and wine to be nothing els but outward tokens to stirre vp their faith memory and deuotion which may be farre better excited by the sight and view of the seuerall Hosts which our Priests doe offer then by the participation of the signes their Ministers exhibit Or if they will needs tast of the Cup we allow our faithfull Communicants whatsoeuer they for their Sect-mates prouide and the same for which they contend We minister to our Laity the wine of the Grape the dayntiest Nectar of their Communion Table we affoard them besides the precious food of Christs Body and Bloud a Celestiall banquet infinitely surpassing their poore prophane and hungry feast 15. Goe then M. Bilson goe M. Fulke goe you Sectaries reuile and vpbraid vs as transgressors of Christs commandement goe you their fauoruits declaime in your Oratories and crie out in the Pulpits that we defraud the people of the Cup of their saluation of the Communion of Christs Bloud Whereas you are they who rob them indeed of the sacred Bloud and Body also bereaue them of their spirituall life and of all the heauenly delights and treasures of their soule yeelding bare signes vaine figures in lieu of the diuine verities and reall substances our Blessed Sauiour bequeathed vnto them And we fensed by Christ by his Apostles by the Church the neuer-erring Spouse of our Lord refreshing all with the maine fountaine of life performe it in that manner as is most behoofull for time for place for Priests and People THE SIXTH CONTROVERSY CONVINCETH The Necessity of Confession against D. Sparkes and D. Fulke CHAP. 1. I May fitly compare the Sectaries of our tyme as S. Gregory NazianzeÌ„ doth that enemy of God Iulian the Apostata Nazian orat 1. in Iulianum Sparkes in his answer to M. Iohn de Albins pag. 3. 6. 337. Eu. ke in cap. 20. 10. sect 5. Kemnitius in Censu ad c. 5. Conâ—ilâ— Trident. to the Camclion For as he changeth himselfe into all variety
powred into our harts men are iust whosoeuer are iust Moreouer conferring the law written in tables of stone with the law of Grace engrauen in our harts he auoucheth That was written out of man that it might terrify him this in man himselfe that it might intrinsecally iustify him Further This iustice of ours is the grace of Christ regenerating vs De spirit lit c. 17. by the holy Ghost In fine explicating these wordes of the the Apostle The iustice of God by faith of Iesus Christ which the Caluinists glose to be that which is resident in Christ De peccat reâ—is c. 25. S. Augustine expoundeth thus The Iustice of God by fayth of Iesus Christ that is by fayth wherewith we belieue in Christ for as that fayth is called Christs not by which Christ belieues so that Rom. 3. v. 22. Aug. de spirit lit c. 9. cap. 11. iâ— psal 30. Conc. 1. tract 26. in Ioan. Iustice is called Gods not whereby God is iust both of them fayth and iustice be ours but therefore they are tearmed Gods Christs because through their liberalâ—â—y they are giuen to vs. 6. The third and chiefest point whereby the former two are more strongly confirmed that our inherent iustice doth truly iustify vs in the sight of God the Apostle himselfe manifestly teacheth saying As by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so also by the obedience of one many shall be made iust For the fall of Adam made vs truly sinners by inward infection before the face of God Rom. 5. v. 19. therefore the merits of christ did make vs truly iust by internal iustice in the sight of God This place so vexeth all Sectaryes as they know not how to rid themselues of Calu. l. 3. instit c. 11. sect 2. it Caluin answereth that we are iust because we are declared and pronounced iust by the iudgment of God but to be constituted or made iust as the Apostle writeth importeth more then to be declared such Againe this authenticall true iudgment of God presupposeth iustice in vs before it can be Caâ—â— ibid. rightly pronounced as not to depart from Caluins owne example If an Innocent be brought to be arraigned before the Fulk in c 5. ad Rom. sect 3. Abbot in his defence of the reformed Cathol c. 4. sect 6. 8. Abbot loc citato Fulke vbi supra VVhitak l. 8. aduer Dureum fol. 602. Aug. l. 1. de peccat merit remis cap. 9. 15. Chrys ho. 10. in c. 15. ad Rom. Theoph. in hunc loc seate of a righteous iudge when iudgment is giuen according to his innocency he is sayd to be iustifyed quoth he before the Iudge Well I say so too but as innocency there so iustice heere precedeth iudgment in the party adiudged or declared iust euen in the sight of the Almighty who pronounceth his sentence according to truth Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot help out their Maister and graunt that imputatiue Iustice by which he is constituted and made iust indeed goeth before the sentence yet not inherent Iustice But S. Paul teacheth that as we are made sinners by the offence of Adam so iust by the grace of Christ therfore as besids the imputation of Adams default there is a true and proper sin of nature which infecteth vs all and maketh vs truly properly sinners in the eyes of God as both they and all English ProtestaÌ„ts hold with vs against the Pelagians so besides the imputation of Christs iustice which cannot make vs formally iust there ought to be a true and inhabitant iustice which beautifyeth our soules before the throne of heauen or els we could not be truly made iust by Christ as we are made sinners by Adam and therein consisteth the force of the Antithesis S. Paul vseth betweene them which M. Abbot and Fulke like cunning Pylots who warily shunne the most perilous rocks silently passe ouer but M. Whitaker perceiueth it well rather ventureth to dash himselfe against it by denying the comparison then not to take notice therof Though sayth he we be iust in Christ as we are sinners in Adam yet not after the same manner No I appeale againe to the sacred Text to S. Augustine S. Chrysostome Origen Theophilact and all Interpreters Heretikes only excepted whether the opposition doth not wholy accord in this that as true sinne hatefull to God was distilled from Adam so true iustice acceptable in his sight is communicated vnto vs by Christ for S. Paul doth not only teach That as Adam was the authour of sinne so Christ of righteousnes wherein VVhitak loco citato Origen l. 5. in c. 5. ad Rom M. Whitaker only placeth the summe of his discourse he addeth moreouer That as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so also by the obedience of one man many shal be made iust where he maketh sayth Origen a comparison of sin and death diffused into all men from Adam of iustification and Theoph. in hunc loc life from Christ. A little before he explaineth how they are both alike in the diffusion or communication from one to many and differ in the thing they communicate because from the one sin from the other iustification is imparted Rom. 3. v. 15. Ibid. v. 17. And Theophilact As by the default of one sinne crept in vnto condeÌ„nation of death so by the iustice of one saluatioÌ„ entred to iustification of life Besides the Apostle in the same place amplifyeth this point and affirmeth that the grace instilled by Christ hath more power to iustify then sinne to destroy saying If by the offence of one many dyed much more the grace of God and the guift in the grace of one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vpon many Likewise If in the offence of one death raigned by one much more they that receaue the aboundance of grace and of donation and of iustice shall raigne in life by one Iesus Christ. Out of which wordes we collect fiue infallible verityes against the erroneous doctrine of Protestants First that grace communicated by Christ is not weake and imperfect but copious and abundant Secondly it is not only imputed vnto vs but receaued of vs. Thirdly it is not the meerâ— grace of sanctification but of Iustice Fourthly it raigneth and preuaileth in vs to produce workes of iustification to life as sinne raigned to bring forth workes of iniquity to death Fifthly it is much more powerfull to iustify and make vs acceptable to God then sinne was to condemne and make vs odious vnto him Therfore he concludeth Where sinne abounded grace did more abound that as sinne raygned to death so also grace may raigne by iustice to life euerlasting through Iesus Christ our Lord. Ibid. v. 10. 22. 7. Let vs match these Texts of holy Writ with others and make all modest men ashamed to spurne against a truth warranted by the collation of sundry
fountaine of life The feare of our Lord is the beginning of wisedome So of Hope it is recorded By hope we are saued Our Lord will saue them because they hoped in him And Euery one that hath this hope in him sanctifyeth himselfe to wit by his free will working togeather with Gods grace as S. Augustine 1. Ioan. 3 v. 3. August in eum locum 1. Ioan. 3. v. 14. Luc. 7. v. 47. Eccles 2. v. 10. Marc. l. v. 15. Act. 1. v. 38. Act. 8. v. 12. Fulk locot citato Ezech. 18. v. 27. Ibid. v. 31. 2. Tim. 2. v. 21. sayth vpon this Text. So of Loue and Charity we read We are translated from death to life because we loue our brethren many sinnes are remitted vnto her because she loued much And yee that feare our Lord loue him and your harts shal be illuminated 2. Or Sorrow and Repentance our Sauiour sayth Be penitent and belieue the Ghospell S. Peter do pennance and be euery one of you baptized in the name of Iesus Christ for remissioÌ„ of your sinnes Againe exhorting Symon Magus do pennance from this thy wickednes and pray to God if perhaps this cogitation of thy hart may be remitted Where he requireth pennance in which contrition or sorrow is included and also prayer not as sequells which follow according to M. Fulks pelting Sophistry but as necessary preparations which go before remission of his sinne The Prophet Ezechiel when the wicked shall turne away himselfe from his impiety he shall viuificate his soule And cast away from you all your preuarications wherein yee haue preuaricated and make to your selues a new hart and a new spirit S. Paul If any man shall clense himselfe from these he shal be a vessel vnto honour What more cleare A sinner may begin to cast off his preuarications to cleanse and make himselfe a new hart a new spirit he may by Sorrow griefe and pennance viuificate or giue life to his soule therefore he may being quickned and stirred vp by God freely concurre to his owne iustification as shall yet more euidently appeare by this description gathered out of the sacred Councell of Trent and many most learned Deuines 3. Iustification is a motion or change of our freewill made Concil Trid. sesâ— 6. by God in detestation of sinne with infusion of grace to the remissioÌ„ thereof and gayning of eternall blisse It is called a motion or change because it is a passage or departure from the state of sinne to the state of grace from vice to vertue from darknes to light from being wicked vniust hatefull in enmity with God to be pious iust deare and lincked vnto him in the band of friendship in so much as to iustify the wicked to reconcile the enemy to rayse the lapsed and to sanctify the sinner is one and the selfe same thing although explayned in diuers manners It is said to be of freewill for that the will of man is not forced or violently drawn but voluntarily freely concurreth to this blessed change It is added made by God because freewill worketh not of it selfe but inspired quickned and ayded by him He first calleth on vs auerted from him he knocketh at the gate of our harts he awaketh vs being a sleep in our sinnefull letargy he stirreth vs vp eggeth vs forward helpeth vs labouring refresheth vs fainting and strengthneth vs accomplishing that which he inspireth he likewise remitteth the wrong we did vnto him he pardoneth the fault cancelleth our depts we willingly as I say endeauouring cooperating with him For as a lame cripple holpen by his friend to remoue from this roome to that doth freely go yet supported by another so man by the ayde of Gods preuenting corroborating and helping grace doth freely consent and obey his motions willingly passeth from the prison of vice to the court of his fauour yet succoured by the help of his diuine asistance It is auerred to be in detestation of sin for as much as that preuenting grace layeth before the God stirreth vs vp to the detestation of sinne before he infuse his habituall grace eyes of our vnderstanding the turpitude of vice and vgly shape of our soules the beatitude and happynes we lost the miseryes the seuere punishments the indignation we haue incurred and striketh vs with the feare and terrour of them discouereth the meanes by which we may escape them meanes to recouer our felicity againe Then it inflameth the affections of our will to loue and imbrace these happy meanes by detesting our forepassed and vndertaking a new course of life Moreouer it is inserted with infusion of grace to the remission of sinne because at the same instant iustifying grace is infused and sinne expelled the temple of our soules It is lastly concluded to the gayning of eternall blisse to signify that that is the finall end of our iustification the saluation of oursoules and purchase of euerlasting life 4. Thus man through the great mercy and sweet motions of God is prepared by an act of Fayth Feare Tertul. l. 4. cont Marcion c. 18. Orig. hom 3 in Leuit. Cypr ser 5. de lapsis Basil in psal 33. August tract 9. In ep Ioan. l. de Catechiz rudibus c. 4. 5 l. de natu gratia Clement Alexan. l 2. Strom. â— ante med Imbr. l. â— de poeâ—it Hieron lâ— 2. aduers Pelag. in commeÌ„ad â— c. 〈◊〉 Greg. hâ—m 13. in â—uaÌ„gelium Aug. ep 105. Augustep 106. August tract 44. In Ioan. Cent. 3. c. 4. Colum. 80. Tertul l. de poenit lib. 4. contra Marcion Orig. tract 32. in Matth. hom 24. in Iosue 26. in â—undem Hope Charity and Repentance to returne vnto his fauour and to receaue the stole of his heauenly Iustice for he cannot possibly be excited and recalled from wickednes without grace from aboue he cannot belieue the way of saluation without fayth nor dread the iudgmentes of God without feare nor expect and desire his friendship without hope nor loue his goodnes without Charity nor truly detest offences past without Sorrow Repentance Therfore they all ioyntly make way to this supernaturall iustifying of our soules whereby two thinges are manifest 1. That our freewill before we be iustifyed doth not as Protestants fancy passiuely concurre but as we say actiuely to the callings of God 2. That not Fayth alone but Feare Hope Charity Repentence and other vertues cooperate also to the worke of our iustification as the whole Senate of Fathers agree with vs Tertullian Origen S. Cyprian S. Basil S. Augustine S. Clement of Alexandria S. Hierome S. Gregory and the rest some affirming one of the former vertues to prepare the way to iustification some another And S. Augustine els where writing of Fayth in particuler often teacheth that it meriteth by way of congruity or impetration the remission of our sinnes and true iustification therefore it goeth before the life of grace and cannot possibly be that vertue in which
Charity good workes or vertuous life agreable to his fayth Therefore Maldonate had great reason to coÌ„mend this as an excellent place against all them that hold Fayth alone to be sufficient for saluation 4. The second argument is taken out of S. Iames his Epistle which was as S. Augustine sayth specially directed against the erroneous maintainers of only Fayth and contayneth many passages cleane contrary to our aduersaryes assertion as if a man sayth he hath fayth but hath not workes shall Fayth be able to saue him Likewise Fayth also if it haue not workes is dead in it selfe And Yee see that by workes a man is iustifyed not by fayth only Whitaker replyeth that S. Iames treateth of an idle faygned fayth But this is euidently false for he treateth of the fayth of Abraham much renowned in holy Scripture of that fayth of his which was consummated by his works which togeather with works did iustify him before God which must needs be a true fayth for a counterfeit fayth had neuer beene commended by the holy Ghost nor byn sayd to be consummated by workes much lesse could it iustify before the face of God Againe what needed the Apostle labour so much to proue that a faygned and counterfeit fayth nothing auayleth to the gayning of Saluation when none of those Christians against whome he wrote euer imagined any such matter And demaunding thou beeleuest that there is one God how could he haue answered thou dost wel if with a counterfeit Fayth he had belieued which had been rather hypocrisy then well doing Another euasion therefore both he Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot deuise that S. Iames speaketh of Fayth outwardly professed which declareth vs iust in the face of men not of inward fayth whereby we are iustifyed before the sight of God But by the same argument this is also refuted for the beloiuing in God is inward fayth Then Abrahams fayth there mentioned was iustifying fayth in the â—ight of God that alone did not iustify him but workes consummated they perfected not another but the same Aug. l. 21. de Ciuit. Dei c. 26 l. de vnic Bapt. c. 10. Cyril l. 10. in Ioan. Chrys hom 2. in Gen. hom 2. in ep ad Philemon Hier. in c. 5. ad Gal. tom 2. in Apol. ad Pammâ— c. 2. Aug. l. 83. q. q. 76. Aug. l. de fide operi c. 14. iustification therefore they also perfected the iustification before God or fayth alone performed it which the Apostle denyeth And thus S. Augustine S. Cyrill S. Chrysostome and S. Hierome vnderstand S. Iames of true Fayth which they also teach not to be auailable to saluation without other vertues Likewise it is cleare that S. Iames taketh Fayth in the same sense S. Paul did when he taught that a man is iustifyed by fayth for which cause S. Augustine noteth that he tooke the same example of Abraham which S. Paul vsed purposely to disproue the peruersity of some who misconstruing S. Paules meaning pleaded the sufficiency of fayth alone of which see S. Augustine in his booke of Fayth and Workes where he auerreth that because this opinion of only fayth sprung vp in the dayes of the Apostles therefore S. Peter S. Iohn S. Iames and S. Iude in their Epistles directed their intent specially against the same earnestly auouching that Fayth without workes auaileth nothing By which it is manifest that S. Iames the rest spake not of the outward profession but of the inward fayth and beliefe of the hart to which S. Paul with charity attributeth iustification or els they all roued from the marke and disputed in vaine or S. Augustine the most faythfull Herald of all antiquity vtterly mistaketh the scope of their intention 5. My third argument I frame in this manner The Protestant who by fayth is iustifyed may after fall into fornication adultery and other damnable sinnes or not He will not seeke to perswade vs that he cannot fall into any sinne for that were to broach a new the Iouinian heresy which S. Austine S. Hierome haue long Aug. ep 29. de haer c. 82. Hier. l. 1. coâ—t Iou. since buryed in the lake of hell Fall then he may as experience teacheth of sundry forward Protestants Ministers also arraigned condemned for their villanies in this kind Wel theÌ„ suppose they may sinne I aske whether falling into these horrible crimes they loose their true fayth which they had before â— retaine it still To graunt that they loose it is to make all sinners not only grieuous offenders but either Atheists Heretikes or Infidells also for he that is bereft of Fayth must needes be infected with Atheisme Heresy or plaine Infidelity It is to deuide and separate them from al vnion with Christ and to cut them off with Wicliffe from being members of the Church it is to depriue them of the patronage of Christs imputed righteousnes or not imputing their sins and to make them sinne like misbeleeuers to death and damnation for Christ couereth not the sinnes of any according to them but of the faythfull only it is against the common axiomes of Fulke Whitaker and their followers who ween that true fayth once gotten can neuer be lost the print thereof according to Caluin can neuer be blotted out of the harts of Gods elect To hold that they still retaine their true fayth notwithstanding they wallow in Cahâ— l. 3. instit c. ◠§. 11. these sudds of vncleanes that their fayth alone doth iustify them is to hold that they still abyde in the state of saluation and may inioy the kingdome of heauen if they should chance to depart in that wretched case which is quite contrary to the Apostle Do not erre neither fornicatours nor seruers of Idols nor aduowterers nor the effeminate 1. Cor. 6. v. 9. 10. nor the lyers with mankind c. shall possesse the kingdome of God I know the iuggling they vse to delude this argument is that in thes sinners fayth is darkned during that tyme like the Sunne ouercast with clouds like the fire couered with the ashes like the tree in winter bereaued of her blossoms But all these exampls warre against them for the tree in winter is truly a tree enioying her vegetiue life the fire raked vp is perfect fire the Sun ouerclouded looseth not the beames of his naturall light although they be hindred from shining vnto vs. Therefore the darkened and Caluin in An â—id ad Canonem 28. sess 6. in Concil Trid â—ffirmeth Particulam aliquam vitiae fidei manore inter grauissimos lapsus couered fayth of the adulterer is true fayth perfect in the nature of fayth looseth not any motion of life or beame of grace which is due to fayth and if that alone be sufficient to iustify remayning in the adulterer it affoardeth to him the benefit of iustification and by necessary consequence also of saluation for no winter barrenes no embers or
man iustifyed by Fayth The second act of comfortable assurance doth not as he sayth actiuely iustify but finding the thing done certifyeth and assureth vs of it the first doth but impetrate obtaine and procure it by way of request no act can he assigne betweene the first and the second therefore no act of fayth can he assigne whereby he may be formally iustifyed On the other fide I thinke the Protestants petition which humbly intreateth for acception and fauour must needes proceed from fayth For how shall they humbly ad Rom. â—â— v. 14. intreate How shall they inâ—ocate in whome they haue not beleeued Beleeue then they do before they intreate and yet they are not iust therefore Fayth alone doth not iustify but only by way of impetration by stirring vp our affections and exciting our will to craue and desire it which with S. Augustine and the whole schoole of Catholike August ep 105. de praedest Sanctor c. 7. Deuines we willingly imbrace And to which M. Feild must at length retire for rest and safeguard or els well canuased he is driuen to the wall which way soeuer he turneth 10. The fifth argument which I meane to prosecute is of the regeneration of young baptized Infants who Feild in his 3. booke â— 44. fol. 179. cannot be iustifyed by an act of special fayth because they can haue none as M. Field accordeth with vs but by the habituall qualityes or inherent habits of Fayth Hope and Charity therefore all others are iustifyed by the like because the same spirit of adoption the same title of diuin Augu. l. 1. cont 2. ep Pelag. â— 7. c 21. l. 1. deÌ„ pecc meri c. â—â— ep 157. Marc vlt. v. 16. Act. Apost c. 8. v. 37. filiation the same new birth and regeneration in Christ the same seed of life the same formall cause of iustification is in euery one of these faythful in euery child of God in euery state whatsoeuer as S. Augustine teacheth 11. Likewise when the Adulâ—i or such as arriue to the vse of reason are baptized fayth is required as a necessary disposition for them worthily to receaue the grace of Baptisme therefore our Sauiour sayd He that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued And S. Philip to the Eunuch desirous to be christned answered If thou beleeue withall thy hart thou mayst But the Fayth which Christ the fayth which Philip exacted before Baptisme was no doubt true perfect fayth that fayth which togeather with the SacrameÌ„t was sufficient to saluation and yet that fayth alone did not iustify or if it did it remitted them their sinnes it regenerated and implanted them in Christ acheiued before all those heanenly effects for which that holy Sacrament was ordayned in vaine then was it instituted in vaine was it after applyed No say you it is after applyed as a signe or seale of regeneration as the outward pledge of adoption Rogers art 27. VVhitak l. 1. aduers Duraeum fol. 675. Calu. l. 4. instit c. 24. §. 3. Calu. ibid. as an addition to confirme and ratify the promise of God to establish vs in the fayth thereof But this pledge seale and addition is not requisite in the behalfe of God for his truth sayth Caluin is by it selfe sound and certaine though and cannot from any other where receaue better confirmation them from it selfe Neither is it needfull for the ignorance as he fancieth and dulnesse of Protestants for their speciall affiance being as they bragge certaine knowne and infallible iustifying fayth giueth them more assurance of the remission of their sinnes and promises of God applyed vnto them then any outward signes or additions whatsoeuer Againe the performance 2. Pet. 1. v. 10. of good workes to which S. Peter exhorteth the word of God heard or read is more apt and efficacious to excite and stir vp our Fayth to confirme vs therin then the dumbe elements of water bread and wine which you only vse Besides the Scriptures and Fathers attribute vnto Baptisme not only the force of a signe or seale to Tit. 3. v. 5. Ioan. 3. Ephes 5. 1. Cor. 6. Ambr. l. â— de Sacraâ— c. 4. Leo. serm â— de natiuiitat Clement Alex. l. 1. paeda c. 6. Basil l. c. de spirit sant cap. 15. Hier. l. 3. cont Pelag Hilar. in psal 65. Tertul. l. de Bapt. c. 1. Dion c. 3. Eccles Hiera p. 1. Nazian in sanctum lauacrum Aug. in psal 73. l. 19. in Faust c. 13. Iren. l. 4. cont baer c. â—0 Chrys bo 17. in Gen. Orig. bom 3. in Gen. Epiphan baer 30. Basil l. de spir sanct c. 14. Euseb Caesar l. 1 demon Euan. c. 10 â— bistor c. 1. Emisbom in Sabb. post 1. Domin Quadr. Ambr. â—p 72. ad Iren. in cap. 4. ad Rom. August ep 19. ad Hier. tract 41. in Ioan. q. 25. in â— Numer ratify grace but the true efficacy of an instrumentall cause to iustify and cleanse our soules from the filth of sinne therefore sound and entiere fayth which goeth before as a preparation necessary doth not worke the effect but the Sacrament which is after ministred Whereupon it is tearmed not the pledge or token but the lauer of regeneration by which we are borne a new are cleansed are washed from sinne So S. Ambrose also sayth of the baptized By this fountaine he hath passed from thinges earthly to heauenly from sinne to life from fault to grace from defilement to sanctification S. Leo The power of the most high which made that Mary brought forth a Sauiour doth make that the water regenerateth the beleeuer S. Clemens Alexandrinus tearmeth Baptisme the grace perfection illumination and lauer by which we are washed and wipe away sinnes S. Basil S. Hierom S. Hilary and Tertullian haue the like 12. S. Denis S. Gregory Nazianzen and other also of the Greeke Fathers call Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illuminationem illumination because in Baptisme man is illuminated and enlightned with the fayth of Christ he receaueth the fellowship or society of the first and increated light and the beginning or head spring of all diuine and celestiall illustrations as the same S. Denis affirmeth S. Augustine assigneth this difference betweene the Sacraments of the old and the new Law that they promised a Sauiour these affoard saluation that these are greater in vertue for profit and vtility better They according to S. Irenâ—us S. Chrysostome Origen Epiphanius Eusebius Caesariensis and Emissenus S. Ambrose and S. Augustine were signes and shaddowes only euen Circumcision in the opinion of some their chiefest ceremony which betokned the verity of our Sacraments yielding and exhibiting Grace And S. Basil sayth that the Baptisme of Basil hom 1. de Bapt. Christ giueth the Holy Ghost which the Baptisme of Iohn did not giue 13. Which it hath pleased also our mighty Soueraigne K. Iames in his answere to Card. Peron fol. 32. in Latin fol. 20. in
English K. Iames to patronage in his answere to Cardinall Peron for although that answere be set forth vnder Casaubons name yet his Highnes vouchsafeth to adopt it for his own Royal ofspring in his reply to the foreâ—ayd Cardinalls Oration The words are His Maiesty and the Church of England do allow the necessity of Baptisme in respect of the diuine institution as well as you c. God hath appointed this as for the ordinary way to obtaine remission of sinnes in his Church Christ himselfe denieth the entrance into the kingdome of heauen to those which are not borne againe of water and the spirit Therefore it is not the seale which signeth the Charter of Iustice already made not the addition hanging at it but the instrument which by vertue communicated vnto it by God doth effect and make vs iust And so the true and intier fayth which the Apostle exacted of the Eunuch Act. 8. v. 37. before Baptisme what not sufficient to iustify in the sight of God nor to remit his sinnes nor to open the gate of heauen vnles he had byn also sprinckled with the precious and sauing water of that holy Sacrament 14. Lastly the fayth so often celebrated and commended in holy Writ is not your presumptuous confidence not your confortable trust or affiance of the will but our humble and firme beliefe the submission of captiuating of our vnderstanding to the obedience of mysteries reuealed by God Such is the Fayth defined by S. Rom. 1. v. 8. 17. Heb. 11. v. 1. 4. 5. Heb. 11. v. 7. Rom. 4. v. 21. Heb. 11. v. 11. Paul and by him so much extolled in Abel Henoch Noë Abraham Sara for Noë his fayth was not any speciall perswasion of the remission of his sinnes by the righteousnes of Christ but the assent and credit he gaue to the reuelations which God made vnto him of the vniuersall deluge which should drowne the word whereupon fearing he framed the Arke for sauing of his house Abrahams fayth was his generall acknowledgment that whatsoeuer God promised he is able also to do his assured beliefe that his seed should be as the starres in heaueÌ„ notwithstaÌ„ding his old age and the dead matrice of Sara his wife Sara her fayth the Apostle declareth saying By fayth Sara also her selfe being barren receaued vertue in conceauing of seed yea past the tyme of age because she beleeued that he was faythfull which had promised But to passe from the faythfull of the old Testament to those of the new 15. The renowned Fayth of the Centurion admired and praysed by the diuine wisedome it selfe what was Matt. 8. v. 8. Matt. 16. v. 10. Ioan. 10 v. 28. it That Christ being absent by his only word could cure his diseased seruant Only say the word and my boy shall be healed The fayth of S. Peter by which he deserued the Primacy of the Apostleship what was it Thou art Christ the son of the liuing God The fayth of S. Thomas after his incredulity what was it his faytfull exclamation My Lord and my God To be briefe the fayth in which S. Iohn in which S. Paul placeth the life and saluation of our soules what Ioan. 20. v. 31. other is it Then to beleeue that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God and that beleeuing you may haue life in his name This is the word of fayth sayth S. Paul which we preach for if thou confesse Rom. 10. v. 8. 9. with thy mouth our Lord Iesus Christ and shalt beleeue in thy hart that God raysed him from death thou shalt be saued M. Abbot is so mightily embroyled in answering of these sentences Abbot inhis defence câ—p 4. sect â—8 strongly vrged by M. Doctour Bishop as to the first example of Noë forsaking the written word the soueraigne refuge to which they make their last appeale he recoyleth from the rule of Fayth and literall exposition of all ancient writers and laboureth to scramble out of the brakes by the help of some Allegoryes or other mysticall sentences of S. Augustine and S. Chrysoftome which if they were sincerely alleadged as they are fondly wrested by him yet they could not auaile to establish any truth in matters of fayth as all Deuines agree 16. To the second of Abraham he is forced to confesse that not the mercy of God remitting sins but the power of God in being able to performe his promise was the obiect of Abrahams fayth To the example of the Centurion he replyeth It followeth not that because the act of fayth is no further expressed heere therfore there was nothing further in his fayth Abbot in his defence c 4. sect â—â— f. 456. for his iustification towards God Yes M. Abbot it inuincibly followeth against you and your consorts who still prouoke vs to the expresse wordes of Scripture therefore if the fayth you mention be neither there nor els where expressed in Scripture you deuise a fayth of your owne heades not expressed in Scripture To the confession of S. Peter to the texts cited out of S. Iohn S. Paul he answereth Abbot ibidem by teaching vs this strange lesson That fayth is a compounded action not of the vnderstanding only but of the hart will and affections O how were you heere ouerseene to cast into writing a speach so contrary to the Apostle and repugnant 1. Cor. 1â— v. 13. to the doctrine of all Deuines The Apostle sayth Now remaine Fayth Hope and Charity these three Loe he tearmeth them three distinct and seuerall vertues he flatly sequestreth fayth from Charity which you transform into a compounded action Yet with such an vntoward composition as thereby is destroyed the very compound it selfe For if Fayth be an act of the vnderstanding it cannot be also an act of the will or if you once make it an affection of the wil you vtterly ouerthrow the nature of fayth and so are become such a solifidian Patron of only fayth as you quite abolish all kind of fayth Againe S. S. Thom 2. 2. q. 4. 23. Loâ— Banneâ— in eadem q. Arist l. 7. phis c. 17. lâ—â— Eth. c. â— Augu. l. 4. cont Iul. c. 3. Thomas all Deuines assigne to fayth her proper subiect in which it inhereth her peculiar obiect to wit the prime verity obscurely reuealing the mysteryes of our beliefe her peculiar excellency and proper act her speciall difficulty her singular prayse her particuler merit distinct from Charity therefore it hath all which either Aristotle or S. Augustine require to the integrity of a sole and single vertue 17. Notwithstanding we say that all true and perfect vertues are linked togeather with the golden chaine of mutuall society therefore we cannot perfectly beleeue in Christ vnles we loue hope delight and ioy in him In whome we looke to find as you say blessing peace immortality and euerlasting life which is the only meaning of S. Augustine Abbot c. 4. f. 456. Augu. in
psal 130. and others obiected by you when they affirme This is to beleeue in Christ euen to loue Christ c. And which is also the only roote and cause of your errour who partially attribute that to fayth which is the chiefest priuiledge of Charity and function of other vertues not essentially coÌ„pounded but mutually conioyned in friendship togeather The principall obiection M. Abbot and other Protestants vrge against vs is that if fayth be not compounded of an act of Loue c. it is nothing els but the bare assent of the vnderstanding that Iesus is Christ the Sonne of God But this is the fayth of the Diuells for they sayth M. Abbots professe so much O Iesus of Nazareth Abbot c. 4. sect 18. fol. 456. I know who thou art euen the holy one of God I answere there are sundry differences betweene the fayth of Christians and the fayth of the Diuells first because that if it be liuely and formed it is alwayes vnited with Charity Marc. 1. v. 24. Hope and other vertues which in the Diuels are neuer If dead and formeles as in wicked beleeuers yet in them it is a supernaturall and theologicall act in Diuells naturall and not so much as a morall vertue in them voluntary and free in Diuells forced and coacted in them it proceedeth from the pious affection of the will mouing the vnderstanding to that theologicall assent in Diuells it is wrested from them by the powerfullnes of miracles or euidence of things appearing vnto them Whereupon S. Augustine fayth That the Diuells knew Christ not by the light Aug. l. 9. de ciuit Dei c. 21. which illuminateth the pious who belieue by fayth but by other effects and most hidden signes of the diuine power And as they differ in these so they agree in some other points they Aug. tom â—0 l. 50. Hom. hom 17. tract 10. in epist Iaâ—n agree in that both giue assent to the misteryes of our faith both are fruitles and wholy insufficient to iustify vs before God In which respect S. Iames in his Catholike Epistle and S. Augustine often compareth the fayth of Diuels with the vnprofitable fayth of vngodly Christians not thaâ— this is not true and supernaturall fayth but that without Charity and good works it no more auayleth to purchase saluation then the naturall knowledge or beliefe of Diuells 18. When M. Whitaker insisteth that Charity and VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum in his aÌ„swere to 8. reason of M. Campian good Workes are inseparable companions of true fayth and that it neither is nor can be without them besides the arguments already made by which this fancy is reproued I aske how Charity is inseparable from true fayth is it a fruit which springeth from it as the apple from the tree then as the tree remayneth a true and perfect tree although it be sometym barren and voyd of fruit so fayth â—hay haue all things requisite to the essence thereof howsoeuer it be somety me depriued of Charity Is it an aceidental quality of inseparable passion which floweth from fayth as the power of laughing from the nature of man It should follow that Charity could not be in heauen separated from fayth no more then risibility can be deuided from man Is it an essentiall forme which is required to the integrity of fayth Then fayth alone doth not iustify but Charity also which is essentially conioyned and worketh with it Finally who taught you thus to enterfeite and wound your selues that fayth is the fountaine of spirituall life the roote which sprouteth from branches of Charity Hope and all good Workes and yet that all the works which proceed from the faythful be all of their owne nature damnable and deadly sinnes all stayned with the infection of mortall sinnes I would you were once constant in your absurdityes and mindfull of your leasings that we might know where to haue you and what to refute 19. Thus hauing stopped the gappe by which the wily aduersary thought to escape hauing compassed him with reasons hemmed him in with Scriptures I am Cyril l. 10. in Ioan. cap. 10. now to put him to open confusion with the testimony of Fathers S. Cyrill affirmeth The faythful by sincere fayth to be sâ—â—ps or branches inocculated in the Vine And yet he sayth a little after It is not inough to perfection that is to sanctification Chrys l. â— cont vitu monast vitae Basil in Psalter psal 110. Greg. l. 6. ep 15. August tract 10. in ep Ioan. Aug. l. defide operi c. 14. 15. l. 21. de ciuit Dei c. 16. â—n â—â—chir c. â—8 de octo dupl quaest q. 1. Augu. in praef Psal 31. Cent. 2. c. 4. Colum. â—0 61. Cent. 3. c. 4. Colum. 79. 80. Cent. 4. c. 4. Colum. 292. 293. Cent. 5. c. 4. Colum. 504. 505. 506. 507. 508. 509. 510. which by Christ is wrought in spirit to be admitted into the number of branches S. Chrysostome What profit will fayth affoard vs if our life be not sincere and pure S. Basil Fayth alone is not sufficient vntes there be added conuersation of life agreeable thereunto S. Gregory It is manifest that since the Incarnation of our Lord none euen of them can be saued who haue fayth in him and haue not the life of fayth S. Augustine Many quoth he say I belieue but fayth without workes saueth not And he vvriteth a vvhole booke of purpose besides many other inuectiues against this dangerous persvvasioÌ„ of only fayth to be sufficient to saluation he likevvise shevveth many sayings of the Apostle to be false that saying of Christ If thou vvilt enter into life keep the Commandments to haue beene in vaine vnles other thinges vvere necessary besides fayth yea besides true fayth for discoursing of the fayth of Abraham vvhich you cannot deny to be true he pronounceth that euen that Fayth of his had beene dead vvithout vvorkes and like a stocke vvithout fruit dry vvithered and barren But vvhat should I recyte particuler authorityes of this or that Father We haue on our side by voluntary confession and iudgment of our Aduersaryes the Magdeburgian Protestants the generall consent of all most ancient and illustrious vvriters vvhich liued vvithin the first fiue hundred yeares after Christ for in the second hundred they accuse by name S. Clemens Alexandrinus and Theophilus for approuing in this point the truth of our doctrine cyting their vvords and quoting the places vvherin they approue it They attach of the same fault Origen Methodius Tertullian S. Cyprian in the third Lactantius Nilus Chromatius Ephrem S. Hierome S. Gregory Nissen S. Hilary S. Gregory Nazianzen and S. Ambrose in the fourth In the fifth S. Chrysostome S. Augustine S. Cyrill S. Leo Prosper Sedulius Theodulus Saluianus Salonius Eucherius 20. Wherefore to conclude for the obiections which belong to this and the next I shall ioyntly make answere in the Controuersy of good workes if all these renowned
Authours both of the Greek Latin Church if all these famous Writers of the first fiue hundred yeares after Christ agree with vs in the partiall eye of sworne Catholiks freed froÌ„ leuity or disaffectioÌ„ to their Prince for cleauing to the ancient Fathers enemyes that fayth alone cannot purchase saluation or iustify vs before God I hope my soueraigne Liege King Iames who vouchâ—afeth to submit his royall wisedome princely iudgment to the censure and tryal of that perfect age will not deeme it any lâ—uity in Catholikes or disloyalty to his person to whome we owe and are ready to performe all the dutifull seruice which euer any subiects haue yielded to their Prince but feare of God zeale of his honour loue of Religion care of our soules and meere respect of conscience which maketh vs afrayd to wander out of this straite and trodden path of so many our holy and learned predecessours and afraid to follow crooked turnings and by-wayes of Heretikes which winde into the labyrinth of eternall perdition THE TWENTITH CONTROVERSY IN WHICH It is concluded that our Iustification consisteth in the habit of Charity against D. Abbot D. Whitaker and D. Fulke CHAP. I. ALTHOVGH we make not any separation or diuorce between those diuine and louing sisters Fayth Hope and Charity but that they all three concurre to the spirituall marriage of our Vide Scot. in 4. dist 27. q. 1. Vega l. 7. super Conci Concil Trid. c. â—5 Gab. Vas in 1. 2. disâ— 198. c. 3. 1. Ioan. 3. v. 1. Luc. 7. v. 47. Ioan. 13. v. 35. 1. Ioan. 4. v. 7. Rom 13. v. 10. Coloss 3. v. 14. VVhitak l. 8. aduns Durâ—um in his aÌ„swere to 8. reason Abbot in his defence cap. 4. Rom. 1. v. 17. 1. Ioan. 3. v. 14. Act. 13. v. 39. Ioan. 14. v. 21. Col. 1. v. 23. Ephes 3. v. 17. Hebr. 11. v. 6. 1. 〈◊〉 1â— v. â— 1. Ioan. 5. v. 1. â—1 Ioan. 4. v. 7. 1. Cor. 13. v. 13. soules with God yet we assigne to euery one her part or function which she performeth heerein To Fayth the entrance to Hope the progresse to Charity which I suppose as most probable to be all one with grace the complement and consummation of this happy Wedlocke As the holy Scriptures declare when they tearme it the band of our vnion and coniunction with God He that abydeth in Charity abydeth in God and God in him When they attribute vnto it the right of our adoption and title of diuine filiation See what manner of Charity the Father hath giuen vs that we should be named and be â—he sonnes of God The remission of our sinnes Many sinnes are forgiuen her because she hath loued much When they make it the badge and cognizance of Christs faythful seruants In this all men shall know that you are my disciples if you haue loue to one another When thereby we are sayd to be borne a new and regenerated in Christ Euery one that loueth is borne of God and knoweth God When they call it the accomplishment of the Law and summe of all perfection Loue therfore is the fullnes of the Law And Aboue all these things haue Charity which is the band of perfection All these places inuincibly proue that Charity is the vertue which espouseth and marryeth vs vnto God which adopteth reneweth and truly iustifyeth vs in his sight 1. The same I also euince by the like testimonyes by which our Aduersaryes would seeme to challeng it to Fayth alon Of fayth say they it is written The iust liueth by Fayth Of Charity we read the like We know that me are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren 〈◊〉 that loueth not abideth in death Of Fayth Euery one that belieueth is iustifyed Of Charity He that loueth me shall be loued of my Father and I will loue him Of Fayth If yee continue in the fayth grounded stable Of Charity Rooted and founded in Charity Of Fayth Without Fayth it is impossible to please God Of Charity If I haue not Charity I am nothing Of Fayth Whosoeuer belieueth that Iesus is Christ is borne of God Of Charity Euery one that loueth is borne of God Wherefore if Fayth by reason of these testimonyes is not the fruit or sequell in our Secâ—â—â—yes iudgment but the true cause of iustification why should not Charity haue the same priâ—iledge which is ouery way warranted with the same authority and with more ample also for S. Paâ—â— expreâ—â—y preferreth Charity before Fayth saying Now 〈…〉 Fayth Hope and Charity these three but the greatâ—â—â— of these is Charity Before he insinuâ—â—â—th that Charity is such as it shall neuer fayle Fayth imperfect and shal be made voyd when we see God face to face Therefore Fayth cannot be heere that garment of Iustice which shall there Ibid. v. 2. remayne and adorne vs for euer but Charity which shall still abyde and continue with vs. Likewise the Apostle VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum Fulk in c. 13. 1. Cor Abbot c. 4. Origen tract in Matth. 4. Hier. Bedâ— Strabo in cum lo Aug. l. 15 de Trin. c. 18. Abbot in his defence c. 4. sect 22 p. 479. auoucheth in the beginning of that Chapter If I should haue all fayth so that I could remoue mountains and haue not Charity I am nothing He doth not say as Whitaker Fulke Abbot misconstrue him If I had the gift of Fayth to do miracles but if I should haue all fayth all historicall and dogmaticall all fayth of miracles all whatsoeuer yea quoth Origen S. Hierome Venerable Bede and Strabo If I had that excellent that solide entiere and most perfect fayth of all others which is able to remoue mountaines without Charity it doth no good Whereupon S. Augustine sayth Nothing but Charity maketh fayth it selfe auailable for Fath may be without Charity but it profiteth not without Charity Abbot answereth He speaketh of fayth after the vulgar vnderstanding aâ— S. Iames did not of true fayth No then neither he nor S. Iames nor the Apostle spake anything at all to the purpose for of what Fayth could there be any questioÌ„ but of that Fayth which is a Theologicall vertue hath her proper and intrinsecall forme distinct from Charity of that which vvith Charity auayleth to iustification for of a false and counterfeit fayth no doubt could be made neither was there euer any heretike so mad or bereft of his wits as to imagine a false fayth to be sufficient to iustification what needed then S. Augustine what needed S. Iames what needed the Apostle with such vehemency so often so seriously to inculcate that a fayned beliefe VVhitak l. 1. aduers-Durâ—um a diabolicall fayth as Whitaker calleth it which no man dreamed to be sufficient auayleth nothing in the sight of God For ioyne to such a fayth ioyne to your meere historicall fayth to your gift of fayth for the working of miracles as much Charity as may
be that can neuer according to you worke your iustification and yet they all speake of a fayth which by Charity profiteth by Charity iustifyeth 2. And if S. Augustine may construe his owne meaning he expoundeth himselfe to meane of the same fayth not to profit without Charity which hauing Charity Augu. l. 15. de Trin. c. 18. worketh by loue so discerning it from that fayth with which the Diuells beleeue tremble But that fayth which worketh by loue that which is so distinguished from the fayth of Diuels is euen in our Protestants opinion true Fayth True fayth then may be but profiteth not without loue of which loue S. Augustine writeth thus in the beginning Aug. ibid. Nuâ—â—um est isto dono excellentius solum est quod diuidit inter filios regni aeterni filios perditionis aeternae VVhitak l. 1. aduers Duraeum Abbotc 4. August ibidem Dilectio igitur quae ex Deo est diffunditur in cordi bus nostris Dei charitas per quam nos tota inhabitat Trinitas VVhitak l 8. aduers Duraeum August l. de nat grat c. 42. Ibid. c. 70. August tract 5. in epist Ioan. of that Chapter No gift is more excellent then this it is the only thing which maketh a difference between the sonns of the euerlasting kingdome and sonnes of eternall damnation And he affirmeth not that of any outward difference or externall diuision of iustification in the sight of men which is another subtile deuise of the Aduersary but of the internall before the face of the highest for he there concludeth of the same gift of Charity The loue therfore which is of God and is God is properly the holy Ghost by whome the Charity of God is diffused into our harts by which the whole Trinity inhabiteth in vs. But the inhabiting of the Blessed Trinity the infusion or dwelling of the Holy Ghost in our soules is not any outward signe distinguishing vs in the eyes of men but an inward seale or hidden stampe of our harts truly iustifying in the sight of God not imperfectly nor defectiuely only as Whitaker Snake-like finds another hole to creep away stopped vp in my former Treatise of Iustification but intierely perfectly Therfore S. Augustine auoucheth of Charity in another place Ipsa Charitas est verissima plenissima perfectissimaque iustitia Charity it selfe is most true most full most perfect iustice And Great Charity is great iustice perfect Charity is perfect iustice Likewise Only Loue discerneth betweene the sonnes of God and sonnes of the Diuell And a little after They that haue Charity are borne of God they that haue not are not borne of God Enioy whatsoeuer thou wilt and only want this it profiteth nothing other things if thou wantest haue this and thou hast fullfilled the Law 3 S. Paul sayth In Christ Iesus neither circumcision auayleth ought nor prepuce but Fayth that worketh by Charity Gal. 5. v 6. If Protestants would stand to the determination of the Apostle this exposition of his were inough to instruct them that the Fayth which he so often commended before the fayth to which he attributed our iustification is not as they imagine sole fayth but fayth formed with Charity and that Charity is the vertue which giueth fayth it selfe motion and actiuity towards iustice and saluation But M. Abbot and his Complices interpreting Abbot in his defence c. 4. sect 22. Perkins in his reform Cath. c. 4. 1. Tim. 1. v. 5. ad Col. 3. v. â—4 Rom. 13. v. 10. 1. Cor. 13. Abbot c. 4. f. 475. 476. Scripture according to their owne fancy will haue the Apostle to teach that Charity is the instrument of Fayth for mouing stirring abroad yet that fayth by it selfe doth wholy iustify which is notwithstanding refuted by the Apostles plaine discourse prouing Charity to be the end perfection and accomplishment of the Law Therefore not the instrument of fayth or inferiour to it but the chiefe and most excellent of all other vertues without which fayth it selfe profiteth nothing comparing it there with Fayth and Hope he affirmeth maior autem horum est Charitas the greater of these is Charity Wherfore to retort the argument in behalfe of Charity which M. Abbot vseth for the patronage of Fayth Seeing with God we cannot thinke that the greater is accepted for the lesse but rather the lesse for the greater not the Mistresse so to speake for the hand maydes sake but rather Abbot c. 4. sect 22. â— 474. 475. protesteth that neuer any translatour could light vpon this the band-maid for the Mistresse sake we must needs make fayth sayth he cleane opposite to the Apostle Charity say I conformable to the Apostle not the hand-mayd not the instrument but the Mistresse the chiefe and principall cause for which fayth is acceptable to God in the way of iustice as the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth import which signifyeth a hidden energy and inward efficacy force operation which Charity ministreth vnto fayth for the performing of vertuous deeds And the Syriacke Interpreter putteth it out of all doubt who maugre M. Abbots protestation to the contrary readeth it heer passiuely haimonuto deme thgameno ve kuâ—â—o Fayth which is made perfect or consumate by Charity Thus Guido Fabricius passiuely also translateth it Fides quae perficitur fayth which is perfected by Charity Fabric in â—â—s booke dâ—dicated to Henry the third King of Franâ—e prinâ—ed Ann. 1 503. laâ— c 2. v. 26. S. Iames explicating what kind of perfection this is calleth it the perfection of life and resembleth sayth without workes that is without Charity the fountaine from whence good workes proceed to a dead corpes without life soule or vitall operation therefore as the soule is not the instrument of the body but the true forme and principall cause which giueth life and motion vnto it so doth Charity likewise vnto Fayth not that Charity is the essentiall forme of Fayth as it is a Theological habit for so it hath her proper forme distinct from Charity but that Charity first aduanceth it to the state of perfect vertue to the preheminence of iustice giuing it the true forme life of iustification to which fayth only disposeth and maketh way before Secondly it affoardeth it the dignity of true and proper merit by giuing vs the spirit of adoptioÌ„ whereby our workes are meritorious and gratefull in the sight of God Thirdly it directeth and leuelleth it to a supernaturall end ordayning all our actions to the honour of God This is the life actiuity and operation which Charity communicateth to fayth to all vertue Abbot c. 4. sect 23. fol. 494. also To auouch as M. Abbot doth that fayth any one of these three wayes is either the seat or fountaine of spiritual life the nest wherin we lay our workes that we may hatch them the mother which breedeth and begetteth them vnto God is Ibid. sect 26. f. 48â—
founded erected by hope and perfected or finished by Charity The Centurists among the stubble rubbish or errours of S. Ephrem reiect this â—aying of his What doth it auaile if we haue all things and only want Charity that saueth vs Among the drosse of Sedulius they report this All iustice consisteth of Fayth and Charity 9. Innumerable others do they reprehend for houlding with vs in this point of iustification who partly in the former partly in the ensuing Chapter are recounted Yet I thinke it not amisse to knit vp this discourse with two or three Theological reasons borrowed from S. Thomas and his followers by which they demonstrate the excellency of Charity euen in this life beyond Fayth or Hope The first is that Charity in more noble and perfect S. Thom. 2. 2 q. 23â— art 6. 1. part q. 82. art 3 q. 108. art â— 1. 2. q. 65. art 6. Lorin Bannes â—â—iet â—s haec loca manner aymeth and inclineth to the incomparable bouÌ„ty and goodnes of God then either of those vertues for Fayth hath reference vnto him according to some speciall and restrayned manner as he is reuealed vnto vs. Hope as he shal be the goale or center of our Beatitude But Charity imbraceth him as he is in himselfe infinite illimited the soueraigne good and mayne Ocean of all perfection for although the supernatural knowledge of fayth be required as a condition to propose the amiablenes of the beloued obiect vnto vs yet loue is not bounded within the limits of our knowledge but extendeth it selfe to all the perfections of the thing proposed without any exception restriction or limitation which apparantly conuinceth the precedency of Charity because that vertue is more noble and worthy which after a more noble and worthy manner expresseth tendeth and draweth neere to the dignity of her obiect as all both Deuines Philosophers agree Secondly in this life the loue of thinges superiour which exceed the compasse of nature is more perfect then the knowledge or vnderstanding of them because we know them only answerable to the proportion of restrained formes which represent them vnto vs. We loue them according to the full sea of goodnes which Porphir is included in them In so much as Porphiry the Philosopher writeth That to speculate diuine things doth purify the soule Aug. ser 28. de teÌ„p Est 27. in append tract 2. in 1. ep Ioan. Dionys de diuin nomin c. 4. Plato to loue them doth deify or turne the same as it were into God S. Augustine agreably If thou louest God I dare say thou art God Thirdly loue weddeth conioyneth vs with the thing we loue it transformeth to vse S. Dionysius his word the louer into the bowels of his beloued Maketh sayth that Diuine Philosoper Plato the soule more where it loueth then where it liueth Howbeit Fayth and Hope suppose a disiunction and separation from their reuealed or desired obiects for Hope expecteth not the thing possessed and Fayth giueth not assent to the mystery clearely or manifestly proposed Hence S. Thomas inferreth the preheminence S. Thom. 1. 2. q. 66. art 6. of Charity aboue Hope or Fayth because the property and nature thereof consisteth in a more perfect vnion coniunction or marriage with God by reason of which it must needes more effectually concurre to our iustification then either of them 10. Therfore M. Abbot after much adoe to the contrary yieldeth to Charity so great a prerogatiue as he contenteth himselfe if Fayth may haue some part with Hier. in c. 22. Matth. it in the worke of iustification For in answere to that saying of Hierome The wedding garments are the Commandements of our Lord and the workes which are made vp of the Abbot c. fol. 610. 611. Law and the Ghospell and do make the garment of the new man M. Abbot replyeth Why doth he M. Doctour Bishop alleadge these words to exclude Fayth from being a part of the wedding garment Then The workes that are made vp of the Law Abbot ibidem the Ghospell consist not only in Charity but in Fayth also c. Lastly Though any do by occasion name Charity for the wedding garment as men by diuers occasions speake diuersly therof yet no man Ibidem was euer so absurde as expresly to exclude Fayth from being one part thereof I thinke so that neuer true Catholike was so absurde but so absurd are you as to accept that for a part which you and your companions haue hitherto challenged to be the only cause of Iustice For I cannot iudge that you should account this wedding garment which only admitteth vs to the banquet of heauen which only is acceptable to the Maister of that heauenly feast any other then the robe of true Iustice so pleasing vnto him wherein if Fayth haue only a part if it consist in Charity not excluding true Fayth why put you this question in suite in behalfe of Fayth alone Or if the wedding garment be not the true liuery of Iustice gratefull vnto God how is any part thereof wouen by Fayth which only concurreth according to you to iustify before God THE XXI CONTROVERSY IN WHICH It is discussed how good workes do iustify against Doctour Abbot Doctour Whitaker and D. Fulke CHAP. I. AFTER the first Iustification which iâ— accomplished by Charity there followeth the second that is the increase and augmentation of the same by good works in which holy men dayly walke and go forward vntill they arriue to the supreme degree of that finite perfection which God foreseeth they will climbe vnto by the concurrence of his grace as the wiseman teacheth â— Prouer. v. 2â— in the fourth Chapter of the Prouerbs The path of the iust as a shining light proceedeth euen to perfect day That is as the dawning appeareth more bright and bright vntill it approach to noone tyde or to the fullnes of the day so the iust man aduaunceth himselfe forwards in the way of perfection vntill he come to his determined pitch or state of vertue in which course euery step that he treadeth truly augmenteth his former iustice For as S. Iohn sayth He that doth instice is iust And he that is iust let him be iustifyed yet Doctour Whitaker D. Fulke and Doctour Abbot 1. Ioan. 3. v. 7. Apoc. 22. v. 11. VVhitak l. 8. aduer Duraeum Fulk in c. 22. Apoâ— sect 3. Abbot c. 4 sect 35. 36. Ibidem with one accord reply that S. Iohn speaketh not there of true iustice before God or of that iustice which purchaseth heauen but of inward sanctification or outward iustice before men only But if you distinguish sanctification from iustice as deceitfully you do the proper notion and signification of the word maketh against you which sayth not a man is sanctifyed only but iustifyed more iust by doing iustice Then S. Iohn expoundeth himselfe adding He that doth iustice is iust euen as he is iust But he to
c. He also thinketh some whose fayth is enobled with no accesse of works may indeed be * To wit infants and such as by Baptism or contrition being iustifyed are preuented by death before they can accomplish any good workes Method serm de resurr Cuius fragmentum extat apud Epiphan l. 2. tom 1. Tertul. l. aduers Iudaeos Cent. 3. c. eo Colum. â—40 saued but attaine not to the height of the kingdome or liberty which say they what is it other then without works no man to be perfectly iustifyed And the Authour of the homilyeâ—in Cantica maketh a double iustice one of Fayth another of Workes and truly to ech of them â—e imputeth saluation c. Methodius seemeth to hold that we are iustifyed by the obseruation and fullfilling of the naturall law which is performed by the ayde and help of Christ Tertullian sayth The Saints were iust by the iustice * Done by grace and fayth in Christ Cent. 3. c. 4. Col. 80. 81. Cypr. l. 3. ep 25. Serm de eleemos Tob. 4. v. 11. Eccles 3. v 33. Ioan. 5. v. 14. Serm. de eleemos Cent. 4. c. 4. Colum. 292. 293. Cent. 4. c. 4. Col. 292. 283. of the law of nature He attributeth to satisfaction remission of sinnes teaching nothing in the meane tyme perspicuously of the fayth in Christ or of free remission of sinnes as almost no where doth he either touch plainely inough or handleth very slenderly the article of the Ghospell and iustification With which errour Cyprian yieldeth to descipline or strict obseruation of good life That it is the guardian of hope the retentiue or stay it maketh vs alwayes remayne in Christ continually liue in God and to arriue to the heauenly and diuine promised rewards c. So he professedly teacheth sinnes committed after Baptisme by almes deeds and good workes to be abolished At once sayth he in Baptisme remission of sinnes is giuen dayly and continuall doing of good after the imitation of Baptisme imparteth the indulgence and mercy of God which he endeauoureth to proue by words of Scripture as by almesdeeds and fayth sinnes are purged As water extinguisheth fire so almesdeeds sinne also by the saying of Chryst Behould thou art whole see thou sinne no more least some worse thing befall thee he reasoneth that by good workes saluation had is to be kept and lost to be recouered 10. In the fourth hundred yeare they reproue for the same cause Lactantius Nilus Chromatius Ephrem S. Hierome S. Gregory Nissen S. Hilary S. Ambrose and Theophilâ—â— Alexandrinâ—â— Some of their words I will set downe as they are recorded by the Centurists the rest I omit for breuityes sake Lactantius say they auerreth that God giueth eternall saluation for our vertues labours afflictions torments c. Lactant. l. 7. c. 27. l. 3. c. 9. Chrom in conc de beatid Cent. 4. c. 4. Col. 301. Voluntariam paupertatem suo merito diuitias regni caelestis acquirere ait Eadem cent col 192. l. 8. comment in Isa EadeÌ„ cent Col. 293. Ambr. l. 10. ep ep 82. Qui sunt hi Preceptores noui qui merituÌ„ excludunt iâ—iunij EadeÌ„ cent col 293. Theoph. Alexand. l. 3. Pasch Cent. 5. c. 4. Colum. 504. 505. 506. 507. 508. 509. 510. c. 10. colum 1008. Chrys hom 6 in c. 1. Ioan. c. 4. col Cent. 5. c. 4 Colum. 504. Chrysost hom 20. in e. 2. Ioan. eadem cent 506. Cyril c. 18. in Ioan. Eadem cent c. 4. col 505. citant Aug. it a dicentem l. 2. de peccat merit c. 3. 4. c. haec de Aug. cent 5. c. 4. colum 507. 508. To serue God sayth he is nothing els then by good workes to maintaine and preserue iustice Chromatius attributeth so much to voluntary pouerty that he auerrâ—th the riches of the heauenly kingdome to be attayned by the merit thereof Hierome sayth It is not inough to haue the wall of fayth vnles fayth it selfe be strengthned with good workes S. Ambrose What saluation can we haue vnles by fasting we wash away our sinnes When as the Scripture fayth fasting and almesdeeds deliuereth from sinne Who are therefore these new Maisters who exclude or deny the merit of fasting Is not this the voice of the Gentils saying Let vs eate and drinke c. Theophilus Alexandrinus Such as fast that is imitate in earth Angelicall conuersation through the vertue of abstinence by a short and small labour gaine to themselues great and eternall rewards 11. In the fift age are traduced by them in like manner S. Chrysostome S. Cyrill S. Leo S. Augustine Theodoret Sedulius Prosper Hesychius Primasius Theodulus Saluianus Maximus Salonius Thalasius Marcus Eremita Eucherius and Paulinus For in the beginning of that Paragraffe of Iustification thus they write Most of the Doctours of this age ascribe also too much to workes in iustification and acceptation of men before God c. Chrysostome speaketh of many wayes or kindes of iustification c. Chrysostome is an immoderate Encomiast or prayser of humane workes For this he sayth Let vs endeauour withall our forces to attaine saluation by our owne good workes c. Againe Is it inough to life euerlasting to belieue in the Sonne No truly c. Cyrill also contendeth that fayth alone sufficeth not to saluation but fayth and workes Augustin attributeth sometyme too much too workes c. He recyteth some testimonyes by which he proueth euill workes to condemne good workes to merit eternall life As out of the first to the Corinthians the sixt Chapter Out of the first to the Galathians out of the ninetenth and fiue and twentith of S. Matthew Theodoret contrary to himselfe affirmeth Theâ—d quest 63. in Exod. ita asserunt de Theod. cent 5. c. 10. col 1008. Prosp l. 1. de vit contemp c. 19. Cent. 5. Col. 505. that only fayth is not sufficient to saluation but it needeth workes Prosper sayth Neither workes without Fayth nor fayth alone without workes doth iustify Hitherto the Centurists 12. And yet they are not singular in condemning all these Doctours of the Church Pomeran once Superintendent of Wittemberge sayth In the books of the Ecclesiasticall Doctours seldome shall you find the article of Iustification purely expressed not certes in the bookes of Athanasius A little after Touching Iustification they write at a venter whatsoeuer coÌ„meth in their mind Then he concludeth You ought not to beleeue the Fathers because out of the same mouth they blow both heate and could Chytraeus another Protestant complaineth that not Chytr l. de stud theol only Basil and Hierome but most of the Fathers either very sleightly touch or darken and depraue with politicke opinions concerning the iustice of the law the speciall doctrine of the Ghospell touching the grace of God and Iustice of fayth which is the chiefe and proper patrimony of the Church Schnepsius one of the same fraternity sayth Augustine neuer vnderstood the true and settled Schâ—â—ps
l. de Euchar opinion of the Church concerning imputatiue Iustice. The like accusation of the most ancient Fathers made by Bullinger D. Whitguift Humfrey Whitaker and others you may see heereafter recyted in the Treatise of merit and in the first part of this worke in the Controuersy of Satisfaction which more then aboundantly conuinceth the consent Feild in append 1. p. fol. 19. of the Primitiue Church for of the later there is no doubt to be wholy with vs in this substantiall point of Fayth and that our Reformers bandy against it and the long continued current of truth in all tymes and Countryes euer since Howbeit M. Field to win credit with the simple audaciously craketh We no way oppose our selues against the vniuersall resolution and practise of the whole Church which to do Augustine pronounceth insolent madnes Let this then M. Field be your taske or let some of your * Thus S. Ambrose derideth ProtestaÌ„ts before they were hatched l. 10. ep â—p 82. new Maisters take the payns to discouer some other publick or hidden Congregration of theirs some other pastours besids the fornamed who taught your doctrine and reproued our errours in S. Cyprian S. Hierome S. Austine the rest as the true sheepheards watchmeÌ„ ouer the house of God haue alwayes done Were they reckoned such small defects as might be cloaked dissembled And not essentiall not fundameÌ„tall points of fayth which shake the whole ground of Religion Were they whispered in corners by some vnknowne or obscure companions not printed in books preached in pulpits diuulged to the whole world by sundry troups of learned men in such vast Regious kingdomes and not one of your â—olifidian professours to open their mouth against them Shall we expect after so long tyme your wresting of their words to some fauourable exposition of your deuising The Centurists your own Collegues partners in beliefe wanted neither will wit diligence or cunning to haue performed it had they not found their sayings vnanswerable their words vndefeatable the mayne drift scope of their discourses wholy vncapable of other construction Shall we thinke they also fauoured the opinion of Protestants and so breathed out of the same mouth truth falshood fire water heate Pomeran vbi supra cold as Pomerane blasphemeth or which is all one that they contradicted themselues as the Centurists sticke not in plaine tearmes to auerre of Clemens Alexandrinus that famous Cent. 2. c. 4. Colum. 6â— Cent. 5. c. â— Colum. 1008. Writer and Maister to Origen and of Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus It were too notorious a stumbling and headlong course not heard of before that so huge an army of deuout and learned pillers of the Church should all vniformely precipitate and contradict themselues in this sole point In a chiefe point of Fayth and that not once or twice but ech of them diuers and sundry tymes and none to haue the grace to see so great an ouersight or seeing it to amend it to recant it to seeke to reconcile it with other of their sayings no zealous man in the whole world for so many ages who durst note or twite them of it vntill drunken Lutherans enraged with the fury of an Apostata Frier began to espy that horrible Antichristian and often repeated contradiction It is incredible it cannot be imagined or of it could certes they were no Protestants who maintayned beleeued an article of Fayth quite opposite to the life of Protestancy or worse then Infidells who sought to perswade and inculcate to others that which they beleeued not or knew to be falfe Fye vpon such impious Chams as cannot vphold their follyes without disgracing their predecessours who cannot enter the kingdome of heauen without they condemne these Saints into the pit of hell nor become Christians themselues without making them impious Luth. tom 5. in Gal. c. 4. f. 382. hypocrits damnable Idolaters for no better doth Luther account such as dissent from him and his mates in the iustice of only Fayth Let vs heare his words 13. Whosoeuer falleth from the article of Iustification he becommeth ignorant of God and is an Idolater therefore it is all Luth. ibid. fol. 400. one whether he be a Monke a Turke a Iew or Anabaptist for this article once taken away there remayneth nothing but meere errour hipocrisy impiety idolatry although in shew there appeare excellent truth worship of God holynes c. And some VVhitak l. 8. aduers Dureum and in his answere to 〈◊〉 Câ—mpiaÌ„â— râ—ason Abbot in his defence caâ— 4. Fulke vpon sundry of these places against the new Testam few lines after If that face and forme of old papistry stood now if that discipline were obserued now with so much seruerity and rigour as the Hereâ—its as Hierome Augustine Gregory Bernard Francis Dominicke and many others obserued it little perhaps should I profit by my doctrine of Fayth against that state of papistry yet neuertheles after the example of Paul inueighing against the false Apostles in appearance most holy good men I ought to fight against such Iustice workers-of the Papistical kingdome Thus he confessing S. Hierome S. Augustine S. Gregory S. Bernard c. to haue beene iustice-workers of our kingdome and to haue beene bondmen of the law of sinne and the Diuell cast out of the house of God as he wretchedly auoweth in the same place of which some of his followers being since ashamed haue clipped and pared off much of this his discourse in the later editions But it is high time to view the forces wherein the Aduersary confideth 14. The huge host of obiections which the mutinous enemy disorderly leuieth against vs the Tenent of their Ancestours in â—his and the former two Controuersyes I for more perspicuity and orders sake sunder and part into diuers wings or squadrons In the first I rank those texts of Scripture which attribute vnto Fayth the corporall benefite of health or saluation by which the Matth. â— v. 22. Luc. 18. v. 42. Luc. 8. v. 50. Luc. 17. v. 19. Matth. â— v. 2. spirituall was betokned because our Sauiour seldome cured any in body whome he cured not also in soule As when to the woman troubled with an issue of bloud he sayd Haue a good hart daughter thy Fayth hath made thee safe To the blind man Do thou see thy fayth hath made thee whole To the Prince of the Synagogue Feare not beleeue only and she shal be safe To the cured leaper Aryse go thy wayes because thy fayth hath made thee safe Likewise Iesus seeing their fayth sayd to the sicke of the palsey Haue a good hart Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee These and the like which our aduersaryes produce rather witnes against them then speake in their behalfe for not one of them mentioneth their speciall assurance and particuler fayth relying on the mercy of God remitting their sinnes of which the fornamed Calu. l.
3. instit c. 2. §. 2. Luc. 18. v. 41. persons had not at the first any thought or imagination vnles it were in a couert implicite as the Schoolemen call it and vnexpressed Fayth which Protestantes deride with Caluin their forerunner but they all specify the Fayth of miracles grounded on the power of God which our Reformers deny to be sufficient for saluation For what was the fayth of the womaÌ„ healed of her bloudy fluxe but the fayth of miracles by which she beleeued such power and vertue in Christ as she sayd in her hart If I shall touch only his garment I shal be safe What was the fayth of the blind man but the fayth of miracles that Christ could restore him his sight What wilt thou that I do â—o thee He sayd Lord that I may see What the fayth of the Prince of the Synagogue but the fayth of miracles that Christ could recall to life his deceased daughter The same I auerre of the rest yet this later was not the proper fayth of the reuiued daughter but the fayth of the Father So the Fayth which Christ chiefly regarded in pardoning the man sicke of the palsy was the â—ayth of those that carryed him brought him vp vpon the roofe through the tyles let him downe Iesus seeing their fayth whereby Matth. 9. v. 2. Luc. 5. v. 19. though we Catholikes proue that the Fayth of one may preuaile to obtaine health and safety for another yet no Sectarye graunteth that the fayth of one can iustify another Therefore not one of these places serueth to rayse but all pluck downe the rampire of their iustifying fayth in so much as they labour to vnderprop it by some other testimonyes crowded into the selfe same rancke as the iust liueth by Fayth Abraham beleeued and it was reputed him to iustice Being iustifyed by Fayth let vs haue peace towards God Likewise Abac. 2. v. 4. Rom. 4. v. 3. Rom. 5. v. 1. Act. 13. v 39. 1. Ioan. 5. v. 1. Gabr. Vasq in 1. 2. disp 210. c. 7. Clemens Alexand. l. 2. Strom. Orig. in 4 ad Rom August serm 22. de verb. Dom. de hono perseu c. â— serm â—6 de verb. Apo. In him euery one that beleeueth is iustifyed whosoeuer beleeueth that Iesus is Christ iâ— borne of God 15. All which haue so many true and litterall expositions as it can betoken no lesse then grosse dulnes in Protestant Ministers who either for want of reading did not find or finding conceaued not some one of them The first is that by Fayth we liue are iustifyed and are made the children of God inchoatiuely as the Deuines speake because fayth is the first supernaturall seed roote or beginning from which our iustification springeth and the first foundation or ground-worke vpon which our whole spirituall building relyeth as Gabriel Vasquez solidly proueth by the authority of Clemens Alexandrinus Origen and S. Augustine Secondly Fayth iustifyeth by way of impetration excyting our will by the consideration of Gods goodnes and other beleeued mysteryes to aske and obtayne the remission of our faults iustice of our soules Thus S. Augustine often interpreteth those and the like wordes of S. Paul saying Therefore by fayth the Apostle affirmeth man to be iustifyed not of workes because sayth is first giuen by which the rest are impetrated by the law the knowledge of sinne by fayth impetration of grace against sinne by grace health and saluation of the soule The same in diuers other places Not workes but fayth doth inchoate merit Aug. l. de praedestin Sanctor c. 7. de spir lit c. 30. Idem epist. 105 106 Idem l. de gra lib arbit c. 14. defide oper c. 21. August l. de grat lib. arbitr cap. 7. Thirdly all the former places may be vnderstood of liuely fayth formed with Charity and accompanyed with the retinue of other vertues which wholy and intierely iustify vs in the sight of that infinite Maiesty So also S. Augustine Men not vnderstanding that which the Apostle sayth we count a man to be iustifyed by Fayth c. did thinke that he sayd Fayth would suffice a man though he liued ill and had no good workes which God forbid the Vessell of Election should thinke who in a certaine place after he had sayd In Christ Iesus neither circumcision nor prepuce auayleth any whit he straight added but fayth which worketh by loue Fourthly fayth as all other vertuous and laudable acts flowing from Grace doth likewise iustify meritoriously by procuring increase of former iustice Therefore S. Paul to the Hebrewes sayth of holy men and Prophets That by fayth they ouercame kingdomes Hebr. 11. v. 33. Cypr. l. 4 ep 6. wrought iustice obtayned promises And S. Cyprian teacheth That God in the day of iudgment payeth the reward of Fayth and deuotion These foure wayes the forenamed Texts may be truly vnderstood howbeit our Reformers stupidity was such as they could not light on them euery Apo. 22 v. 17. Isa 55. v. 1. Rom. 3. v. 24. Ephes 2. v. 8. where obuious to the diligent searcher 16. The second bande of Obiections are those which affirme our iustification to be freely made by the benefite of grace therefore without the supply of works viz. He that thirsteth let him come and he that will let him take the water of life gratis All yee that thirst come to the waters c. come buy without siluer without any exchange wine and milke Aug. l. de spir lit c. 10. 16. Cent. 5. c 4. Colum. 505. Againe Iustifyed gratis by his grace By grace you are saued thorough Fayth I answere our first Iustification is free gratis because fayth which first beginneth and stirreth vs vp vnto it is freely giuen vs Charity which after accomplisheth it is likewise freely imparted not due to nature or hauing any connexion or dependance with our naturall actions be they neuer so good or commendable in themselues which is not my exposition but the interpretation of S. Augustine confirmed by the diuine sentence of the thrice holy Councell of Trent By grace man is iustifyed Similia habet Aug. in psal 18. exp 2. ep 106. de praedest Sanctor c. 15 praef in psal 31. Concil Trid sess 6. c. 8. Ioan. 6. v. 2â— that is no merits of his workes going before and which the Centurists reprehend the Apostle will haue nothing els vnderstood in that which he sayth gratis but that workes do not precede Iustification The Councell of Trent hath defyned the same Therefore we are sayd to be freely iustifyed because none of those thinges which go before iustification whether it be fayth or workes do promerit the grace it selfe of iustification But if our Aduersaryes by reason that iustification is free and of the grace of Christ will renounce all workes they must euen renounce true fayth itselfe of which S. Iohn sayth This is the worke of God that yee beleeue
humane iudgment more then of any other mystery of our redemption to which notwithstanding they are equally vnknowne 6. Further you teach M. Abbot that by ordinary fayth euery man is made priuy to his election and yet that no See Abbot cap. 3 and VVhitak vt infra man can be certaine of his fayth vnles he be sure he be one of the elect For true fayth in your fancyes is only graunted to the elect but by fayth to know election and by election fayth is to wheele about without end of knowing and neuer come to the full point of knowledg It is to run the circle you reprehend in others Notwithstanding what entrance I pray doe you make which is primò cogniâ—um the first knowne in this circled round Do you first ascend into the Counsails of God there see your names written in the booke of life and from thence discouer the beames of your beliefe or first see your true beliefe and thereby mount vnto the knowledge of your election A question which much perplexeth the learned Protestants For Whitaker clymeth the former way and VVhiâ—â—k l. 8. aduers Duraeum fol. 620. by assurance of election receaueth the certificate of saluation and beliefe saying Whosoeuer do certainely know themselues to be elect and predestinate they are certaine of the remission of â—heir sinnes and of their saluation c. Therfore the Protestant must first know that he is enrolled in the number of Calu. l. 3. instit c. 24. § 4. reproueth VVhitakâ—â—â— answere His Maiesty with the Bishops at Hampton Court reproue the same f. 29. 30. the predestinate before he can know that he is incorporated by remission of sinnes wrought by Fayth in the coÌ„gregation of the faythfull which clyming of Whitakers Caluin condemneth as a dangerous tentation and peruerse desire of seeking to know election out of the way I call iâ— seeking out of â—he way sayth he when a wreâ—ched man enterpriseâ—h to breake into the hidden secrets of the wisedome of God and to pierce euen to the highest Eternity to vnderstand what is determined of himselfe at the iudgment seate of God for then he throweth himself headlong to be swallowed vp in the depth of the vâ—measurable deuouring piâ— then he wrappeth himselfe with iâ—â—â—merable snares such as he cannot wind out of then he ouerwhelmeth hâ—mselfe with the bottomles gulfe of blind darcknesse 7. Therefore Caluin and M. Abbot compasse about Calu. l. 3. instit c. 24. §. 4. 5 6. Abbot cap. 3. sect 12. fol. â—â—7 the second way and by ordinary fayth trauaile to ascend into the bosome of Gods secrets and assure themselues of their election but this is already refuted by S. Paul S. Augustine and S. Bernard that God by fayth reuealeth other mysteryes but sealeth vp this and reserueth it still vnknowne concealeth it to himselfe as a depth vnsearchable Likewise your speciall fayth is nothing els but an assured affiance of your hart which certifyeth you of the remission of your sinnes of your adoption in Christ of your election and predestination But as the obiect according Aug. 4. de Gen. ad lit cap. 32. to S. Augustine goeth before the knowledge thereof so your predestination mouing you to beleeue precedeth euen in respect of you the affiance of your hart by which you belieue Howbeit if you ignorantly suppose that true fayth is knowne by it selfe and leadeth you to the obiect of election which thereby is knowne although it be a foolery vnworthy to be refuted yet I shall cast so much tyme away by and by as to disproue that foolery August de dono perse l. 2. c. 22. Chrys ho. 11 in â— 3. ad Philip. 1. Cor. 10. v 12. Ibidem c. 9. Greg. ep â—8â— quae est l. 6. ad Gâ—â—g Cubiâ—ul Aug. Bernar ser 2. in octau Pen. ser 1. in Sept. Hier. l. 2. cont Pâ—lâ— 8. My custome is after the authorityes of holy Scriptures to alleadge by themselues the testimonyes of Fathers but now besides those I haue heere interlaced shall add heereafter I will content my selfe with these few First with S. Augustine Serue our Lord with feare and reioyce to him with trembling because of euerlasting life which God not lying hath promised to the children of promise c. No man can be secure vntil this life be finished Then with S. Chrysostome Of resurrection we cannot be confident and secure to which purpose he bringeâ—h in S. Paul speaking thus I acknowledge my selfe to haue beleeued in Christ in the power of his resurrection that I haue byâ— mâ—de partaker of his sufferings conformable to his deaâ—h notwithstanding after all these things I am noâ— secure In proofe whereof he alleadgeth these two sentences He that seemeth to stand let him looke he do not fall and I feare so S. Chrysostome readeth least whilest I haue preached to others I become a reprobate my selfe With him S. Gregory S. Bernard and S. Hierome agree who excellently corroborate and confirme the same Moreouer S. Hierome sayth I contaminated with the filth of all kind of sins Hier. ep ad Florent citatur ep 5. in Gloss Hieron in vita â—ius day and night expect with trembling to render the Last farthing the tyme in which it shal be sayd to me Hierome come forth So S. Hilarion and the rest of the Saints stood in feare and dread not presuming to challenge the security of Protestants against which I also wage warre by the strength of reasons THE SECOND CHAPTER WHEREIN The former Presumption is refuted by Reason and whatsoeuer the Aduersary obiecteth against vs is remoued FIRST al Sectaries teach that nothing is to be beleeued as an article of fayth VVhitak l. 8. aduer Duraeum fol. 618. 619. Abbot c. 3. sect 2. f. 262. 263. 264. 265. loan 3. v. 15. Mar. 1. v. 15. Mar. 16. v. 15. 16. but what is either coÌ„teyned in Scripture or by manifest deduction is gathered from thence But where is it written in Scripture that Richard Field Doctour of Diuinity or Robert Abbot Titulary Bishop of Salisbury haue their sins remitted shall infallibly be saued Whitaker Abbot make answere that in these generall propositioÌ„s Whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued repent and belieue the Ghospell and yee shal be saued is inuolued Richard Field belieue thou shalt be saued Robert Abbot repent and beleeue and thou shalt be saued Therefore although the Scripture nameth not any in particuler yet it affoardeâ—h euery one a sufficient warrant that by his repenting and beleeuing he shal be saued But this warrant is conditionall as M. Abbot there confesseth and this condition is if he rightly repent if he righly belieue which Abbot ibiâ—â—â— are acts depending of Gods grace and his freewill no way comprehended in that generall assurance nor by any infallible meanes deduced from thence therefore his certainty still wauereth in respect of these conditionall workes For although it be so that a man may
remayneth behind to satisfy God displeased Where sinne sayth M. Abbot is forgiuen there is no punishment because there is no imputation of that to which the punishment is due Strange men who can neuer pursue the game in hand but euery foot hunt counter to themselues counter to their owne companious 3. Moreouer if Protestants do not desire nor aske forgiuenes of sinnes for any feare of condemnation to which they may be subiect then they cannot pray at least to auoyd that danger of perdition they cannot pray they may not be vtterly abandoned by God swallowed vp by Sathan or cast with the miscreants into outward darkenes They cannot say with King Dauid Destroy not O Psal 25. v. 9. Psal 50. v. 13. Psal 6. v. 1. Psal 37. v. 1. God my soule with the impious and my life with bloudy men Cast me not away from thy face Lord rebuke me not in thy fury nor chastize me in thy wrath that is torment me not in thy fury with eternall nor punish me in thy wrath with Purgatory flames which they fall into who depart this life not perfectly cleansed as S. Augustine expoundeth that place whose testimony S. Gregory cyteth and following his interpretation willeth euery faythfull soule to consider Greg in 1. psal poeâ— vers 1. what she hath done and contemplate what she shall receaue saying Lord rebuke me not in thy fury nor chastize me in thy wrath as if she sayd more plainely This only with my whole intention of hart I craue this incessantly withall my desires I couet that in the dreadfull tryall thou neither strike me with the reprobate nor affict me with the purging and reuenging flames So he so Manasses so the ancient Fathers so the whole Church of God hath euer prayed to haue the guilt of condemnation remoued from them Therfore they were neuer acquainted with our Protestants presumptuous fayth who do not aske forgiuenes of sinnes in this sort M. Abbot therefore not satisfyed with this answere of Feilds windeth about three other wayes to creep out of the mudd in which he and al Abbot c. 3. fol. 289. 290. his adherents are stabiled First sayth he Our prayer obtayneth pardon at Gods hands therefore we pray and by Fayth do rest assured that vndoubtedly we haue that for which we pray Secondly we pray for forgiuenes not that we haue no assurance thereof but for that we desire greater assurance and more confortable feeling thereof The third reason of our praying continually for the forgiuenes of our sinnes is for the obteyning of the fruit thereof to wit a freedome from all miseryes and sorrowes 4. Neither of these fetches can rid him forth of the mire For the first that prayer obteyneth pardon is refuted aboue in the Controuersy of only fayth against M. Field by M. Abbots owne discourse and can no way be verifyed ProtestaÌ„ts pray like the proud Pharisee according to their principles The second third as little auayle for who did euer read so idle an interpretation Forgiue vs O Lord our trespasses pardon our sinnes that is giue me greater assurance they are forgiuen they are pardoned or graunt me full freedome from all earthly misery which is the expected fruit of their forgiuenes Is this to accuse your selues of sinne to sue for mercy with the humble Publican or rather to say with the haughty Pharisy I acknowledge O Lord thy fauour in hauing remitted my offences yet yield me more comfortable feeling of this thy remission free me I beseech thee from all miseryes as thou hast freed me from my faults O proud oraison O Pharisaicall prayer far from the humility of K. Manasses I am not worthy to behould and looke on Manasses in orat sua the height of heauen for the multitude of myne iniquityes c. Forgiue me O Lord forgiue me and destroy me not togeather with my offences neither reserue thou for euer being angry euills for me neither damne me into the lowest places of the earth Far from his humility who durst not approach to the Altar nor lift vp his eyes to heauen but standing a loof sayd Lord be mercifull to me a sinner These men I hope beleeued aright and yet they were not assured of the remission of their Luc. 28. v. 13. sinnes they knew not for certaine that the guilt of condemnation was remoued from them and you no sooner beleeue but you presently receaue a warrant that your faults are cancelled you need not craue further pardon at the hands of God but only that he would seale vp your haâ—â—s with more assurance of his graunt you incontinently not only approach to his Altar heere vpon earth but euen to his throne and presence in heauen instantly asking without more adoe the fruit and consummation of your happynes begun the fulnes of redemption which there is prepared after this life What is arrogancy what is presumption if this be not 5. Besides your second kind of petition wholy proceeds Abbot ibidem f. 289. sect 4. fol. 283. 284. Abbot sect 4. f. 283. 284. from imbecility of Fayth For Our fayth say you being weake giueth but weake assurance and therefore we begge of God that our harts may be enlarged that the testimony of the spirit may more freely sound into vs Yet you affirme That some speciall men with the like assurance belieue their owne saluation as they do the doctrine of fayth expressed in the articles of the Creed Then at least after you obtaine the enlargement of your harts after you be once in the number of those speciall men then you enioy that security as you cannot aske a surer certificate of the remission of your sinnes then at the least you can say no longer Forgiue vs our trespasses for as we cannot without blasphemy desire more assurance of the Incarnation and Passion of Christ then that they are proposed in our Creed as articles of our beliefe so if you as infallibly beleeue your owne saluation and consequently the remission of your sinnes as those reuealed mysteryes it can be no lesse then horrible impiety to craue more assurance of them or if you may still craue for more by reason of the weaknes of your wauering fayth why do you boast and glory so much in the prerogatiue of your fayth when neuer any Protestant could yet arriue to this strong and stedfast Fayth 6. Thirdly your assurance of saluation is noysome and pernicious to the progresse of vertue it expelleth So S. Gregory calleth it feare the nurse of wisedome the anker of our soules the guardian of good life It looseth the reynes of careles liberty engendreth pryde arrogancy presumption breedeth a neglect of holesome discipline and many other weeds of dissolute and wanton demeanour Whereas the vncertainty whether we be worthy of loue or hatred whether our workes be acceptable to God or no as long as we haue a morall confidence and stedfast hope that they be cherisheth the seeds of sundry
in his 5. conclusion fol. 656. still and stand in doubt of saluation wherwith M. Reynoldes slaundereth vs. For the probability or morall certainty which we acknowledge ought not to trouble the peace of our Consciences nor anxiously distract much lesse torment the quietnes of our mindes It is a probability intermixed with feare and nourished with such comfortable VVhitak l. 8. aduer Duraeum and stedfast hope with such filial loue as banisheth all combersome anxiety all wauering doubtfullnes all seruile base and troublesome solicitude That which Whitaker so eagerly presseth against Duraeus Try your owneselues if you be in the fayth proue your selues know you 2. Cor. 13. vers 5. Cornelius Cornelij à Lapide in eum locuÌ„ not that Christ Iesus is in you vnles perhaps you be reprobates is interpreted as Cornelius declareth out of Theophilact of Christs aboad not in euery particuler person by iustifying grace but in the Church of the Corinthians by power miracles conuersions and other externall gifts wrought by S. Paul and to the tryall of this his presence he exhorteth them by the remembrance and consideration of the workes acheiued among them and not to try their iustifying fayth vnles it be by some probable tokens 9. The obiections of the second kind which ascribe Ioan. 3. v. 36. â— Ioan. 5. v. 13. Rom. 10. v. 9. Rom. 9. v. 33. Ioan. 3. v. 15. 16. Ioan. 6. v. 35. the certainty of saluation to fayth are these He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath life euerlasting They that beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God are to know that they haue eternall life confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeue in thy hart that God raysed him from the dead thou shalt be safe He that beleeueth in Christ shall neuer be confounded nor perish but haue euerlasting life He that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst He that eateth this bread shall liue for euer To which I answere that these generall promises which assure life and saluation to the beleeuer are vnderstood conditionally if he beleeue as he ought with a true fayth working by charity and he is sayd to haue euerlasting life because by Cyril in Ioan. 3. fayth he hath entred the gate and way which leadeth thereunto or hath receaued the seed thereof the pledge right and title vnto it by the spirit of adoption or diuine filiation imparted vnto him He is promised also to be saued conditionally if he perseuere in that state to the end after which many other vniuersall sentences of Scripture Ioel. 2. v. 3â— Rom. 10. v. 13. Prou. 1. v. 28. Matth. 7. vers 8. Iac. 4. v. 3. are to be expounded It is written Whosoeuer shall inuocate the name of our Lord shall be saued and contrarywise Then shall they inuocate me and I will not heare them Christ sayth Whosoeuer doth aske shall receaue Contrarywise you aske and receaue not the reason he subioyneth because you aske amisse that you may consume it in your concupiscences Therefore these generall sentences whosoeuer inuocateth or beleeueth shall be saued are to be construed also with this promise If he inuocate and beleeue with true fayth sincere affection and purity of life as it behooueth him to do 10. Secondly whereas many causes concurre to the Hebr. 5. v. 9. Rom. 8. v. 24. Eccles 1. v. 27. Tob. 12. v. â— workes of Iustification or saluation the holy Scripture sometyme attributeth it to one sometyme to another To obedience He was made to all that obey him cause of eternall saluation To Hope By hope we are saued To Feare The feare of our Lord expelleth sinne To Almesdeeds Almes-deeds deliuereth from death because ech of them if nothing els be wanting is sufficient to saue vs and so fayth acheiueth our saluation if we be not defectiue in other things required thereunto or rather because it is the first supernaturall habit origen or roote of life which springeth and bringeth forth the liuely motions of all other vertues and for this cause our iustification is more often assigned to fayth then to any other vertue neuertheles if it fayle dye or be lost as in the next Controuersy I shall proue it may be it procureth not the health of our soules to which it was ordeyned 11. The last troupe of their misapplyed sentences which retyre vnder the standard of Gods care and protection Ioan. 10. v. 27. 28. VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum Abbot c 3. Ioan. 17. v. â—0 21. Matt. 24. v. 24. Rom. 8. v. 30. 1. Cor. 1. v. 8. for security of saluation are My sheep heare my voice c. and they shall not periâ—h for euer no man shall plucke them out of my hands Christ prayed for the faythfull that they might be all one with him and no doubt obtayned it affirmeth it impossible for the elect to be induced into errour Whom he hath predestinated he hath called and whome he hath called he hath iustifyed and glorifyed He confirmeth and strengthneth them vnto the end I answere heere is a new throng of witnesses but no euidence brought in our Protestants behalfe For they are all veryfied of the elect in generall that they shall not perish but be preserued and glorifyed in the end into their harts he striketh his feare with them he maketh his euerlasting couenant but heer is no word or syllable that this or that man in particuler is one of them he may be in the number of such as are outwardly Matt. 20. v. 16. Aug. ser 16. de verb. Apostol called For many are called but few elect He may be also inwardly iustifyed for a tyme which yet S. Augustine auoweth to be vnknown to him but that he is one of the happy band of those who are called according to the purpose and eternall election of God is an inscrutable mystery fit and expedient sayth the same S. Augustine to be Aug. tom 7. de corr gra c. 13. hidden in this place where elation and pride is so much to be decaded c. That all euen those who runne may feare whilest it is concealed who shall ariue to the goale 12. In like manner to answere the authorityes of the Fathers foure obseruations are carefully to be noted Nazian in orat conso in grand Ambros serm 5. Bernar. ser â— de annuÌ„ August tract 22. in Ioan. First that they auouch vs certaine of Gods grace as S. Gregory Nazianzen doth Certaine of saluation S. Ambrose Of remission of saluation S. Bernard Of finall perseuerance S. Augustine to wit conditionally if we keep the commandements if we striue manfully against vice euen to the end c. Secondly they speake sometyme of the certainty of hope and confidence not of the certainty of fayth or of the certainty only of humane fayth by probable coniectures not of diuine and supernaturall Thus S. Hierome S. Augustine S. Leo and S. Gregory in the places heere quoted Thirdly they say that we are infallibly
assured Hier. in c. 6. ad Gal. August tract â— 8. in epist Ioan. in psal 4. Leo hom 2. defest Pas Greg. 34. in Euang. Dionys de diuin nom cap. 7. Aug. in psal 88. Hilar. in c. â— Matt. Cypr. con Demâ—â— Aug. serm 28. de verb. Dom. Bernard serm 59. in Cant. de Euang. Septâ—â—g Pan. ser 3. ser 5 de dediâ— Eccl. Conc. Trid. sess â— â— 9. of our Christian fayth whereof S. Denis writeth or of Christs perpetuall raigne in the empire of his Church of which S. Augustine affirmeth That no man ought to preach that with trepidiation and feare of which he ought not to doubt or of the article of our Resurrection and Gods future kingdome of which S. Hilary The kingdome of heauen which our Lord professed to be in himselfe his will is that it be hoped for without any doubtfullnes c. 13. Lastly the Fathers often inculcate the infallible certainty of Gods help and concurrence on his part of his general promises of the merits of Christ of the power of the Sacraments c. and in this sense they bid vs rest assured of saluation So S. Cyprian when he sayth There is with vs a strength of hope and stedfastnes of fayth c. a soule alwayes secure of God to be our God S. Augustine To presume of Christs grace is not arrogancy but Fayth S. Bernard I know whome I haue beleeued and I am certaine or sure because he hath adopted me in great loue because he is true in his promises c. Yet this withstandeth not but that we may doubt and feare least there be some lets and impediments for want of disposition on our side which the thrice venerable Councell of Trent hath enacted in these wordes As no pious man ought to doubt of the mercy of God of the merits of Christ of the vertue and efficacy of the Sacraments so euery one whilest he considereth himselfe and his owne proper infirmity and indisposition may tremble and feare whether he be in grace or no. The soundnes of this distinction in mistructing our owne weaknes and imbecility only not the goodnes and bonity of God is worthy to be marked for thereon dependeth the whole decision of this our debate and the ignorance or inconsideration Stapleton l. 9. de â—â—â—stifiâ— c. â—â— thereof in our Aduersaryes is well obserued by M. Doctour Staplâ—ton to be the very roote and seminary of all their heresyes touching this point God giue them grace to see and humility to acknowledge it before it be too late THE XXIII CONTROVERSY DECLARETH That true Fayth or Iustice once had may be lost against D. Whitaker D. Fulke and D. Abbot CHAP. I. ANOTHER licentious or Iouinian Paradoxe which bolstreth the former presumption or vayne security of our Sectaryes is that their liuely fayth grace and righteousnes once had can neuer be extinguished or taken Fulke in c 11. ad Rom. sect 2. VVhitak in his answer to the 8. reason of M. Camp f. 236. from them He that is once the child of God and beleeueth aright is sure to continue still in his fauour whatsoeuer villanyes he after commit For he that standeth sayth Fulke by the grace of God whereof he is assured by a liuely fayth cannot fall Whitaker Fayth is either perpetuall or els it is none at al either it perseueres to the last breath or els that which is esteemed for fayth is but some fancy M. Abbot Where there is true repentance fayth iustification knowledg Abbot c. sect 10. f. 322. VVhitak contro 2. q. 5. p. 236. Fulk in c. 3. 1. Ioan. sect 5. 1. Tim. 1. v. 19. 1. Tim. 4. v. 1. 1. Tim. 6. v. 10. Apoc. c. 2. v. 4. 2. Tim. 2. v. 17. 18. Act. 8. v. 1â— VVhitak in his answere to the 1. 8. reason of M. Campian l. 8. aduers Duraeum Abbot c. 3. Fulke in c. 1. ad Tim. sect 2. Act. 8. v. 13. of God there infallibly followeth perseuerance to the end Henâ—â— they inferre That sinnes are not hurtfull to him that doth belieue that King Dauid was the sonne of God when he committed adultery But if no man can loose the fayth and consequently with them the iustification and charity he once truely inioyed what meane these words of holy Write 2. Hauing fayth and a good conscience which certaine repelling haue made shipwracke about the fayth In the last tymes certaine shall depart from the fayth The roote of all euill is couetousnes which certaine desiring haue erred from the fayth I haue against thee a few thinges both because thou hast left thy first Charity Their speach spreadeth as a canker of whome is Hymenaeus and Philetus who haue erred from the truth And of Symon Magus it is written Symon also himselfe beleeued who after notwithstanding became an Arch-heretike a reprobate and miserably perished D. Whitaker D. Abbot Fulke and their fellowes reply That neither Symon Mâ—gus nor any of the rest who fell from their fayth did euer truely beleeue with a liuely fayth but only with a fruitles dead and counterfeit Thus our Protestants The Apostles the Euangelists otherwise To whome shall I giue credit To S. Luke to S. Paul or to Fulke to Whitaker to Abbot S. Luke sayth That Symon Magus also belieued and cleaued to Philippe he matcheth him with the rest who did truly belieue and expsicateth the fruit of his true beliefe that he was astonished with admiration S. Paul blamed certaine who departed from their fayth erred from the fayth made shipwracke about the fayth which he would neuer haue done if they had only forsaken a counterfeit fayth or els shew vs any one place in the whole corpes of holy Scripture where men are commended or recorded by the holy Ghost to haue beleeued the preaching of the word with a fruitles counterfeit or reprehended for departing from a fruitles fayth And to put the matter out of doubt S. Paul againe hath these wordes It is impossible for them that were once Hebr. 6. v. 4. illuminated haue tasted also the heauenly guift and were made partaker of the holy Ghost haue moreouer tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come and are fallen to be renewed againe to pennance I cannot stand to exaggerate the Fulke in c. 6. ad Heb. sect 3. Calu. in idem cap. heynous glosle which Fulke and Caluin heretically frame vpon these wordes more hatefull and enormous then the impiety of the Nouatians who misconstruing the afore passage taught it impossible for them that reuolat after Baptisme into a deadly and notorions cryme to be after receaued by pennance into the lap of the Church But Fulke and his Sectaryes more cruel then they barbarously Ezech. 18. v. 21. Ezech. 33. v. 15. Ioel. 2. v. 32. Isa 55. v. 7. Ambr. l. 2. de poenit c. 4. Hier. ep ad Ocean Aug. l. 1. retract c. 19. maintaine that he who wholy falleth from his fayth
sinned in theÌ„ he shal dye Can there be more cleere testimonyes 5. Neuertheles if any simple and bewitched Sectary should be so miserably inueagled by the charming Ministers Zanchius ep ad Misc testifyeth this of a Geneuian Protestant Luc. 8. v. 13. Ezech. 28. v. 12. Greg. l. 32. mora c. 28. alias 24. 25. Basil in psal 32. Hier. in c. 3. Ozee Damas l. 2. de fide c. 3. Prosper de vita contempl c. 3. Anselm in l. de casu Diabol c. 4 17. 27. as one in Geneua was by Caluin who openly protesteth That if S. Paul should preach at the same tyme with Caluin he would leaue Paul giue eare to Caluin So least any beguiled soule should rather follow the constructioÌ„ of some glosing Fulke then the playne text of Ezechiel of S. Peter the assertion of S. Paul I will add heereunto the testimony of Christ that his authority may outcountenance the follyes of their greatest Rabbyns Our Sauiour speaking of some who with ioy receaue the word and haue no roots giueth the reason heereof saying Because for a tyme they beleeue and in the tyme of tentation they reuolt Which beliefe of theirs Christ compareth notwithstanding with the liuely fayth of such as bring forth a haruest of fruit therfore it was not dead counterfeit for that short tyme in which with ioy they beleeued receaued the word 6. Besides Lucifer was once iust when he was the signet of Gods similitude full of wisedome perfect in beauty when he walked in the midst of fiery stones as S. Gregory collecteth out of those places with whome S. Basil S. Hierome S. Iohn Damascen Prosper and S. Anselme accord in the same opinion Iudas also sayth S. Hierome was once a good tree And Adam without doubt in the state of innoceÌ„cy was likwise good Yet the former two eternally perished and the later for a tyme was wholy depriued of the seed of Grace So was King Dauid in the tyme of his adultery and murder Saul was once a iust man when the holy Ghost commended him as chosen and good King Salomon was highly in the 1. Reg. c. 9 v. 2. 2. Reg. 12. v. 25. Cypr. l. 1. ep 5. August l. â—2 cont â—aust c. 28 Bern. epist 42. ad Henric. Archiep. Luc. 8. v. 13. fauour grace of God when he was styled by the name of Amabilis Domino amiable to our Lord because our Lord loued him yet the one of them dyed after reprobate as the Scripture doth insinuate the other is also thought to be damned by S. Cyprian and by S. Augustine much doubted of by others S. Bernard egregiously argueth and conuinceth this matter out of that passage of S. Luke They beleeue for a while but in tyme of tentation they depart From whence sayth he and whether do they depart From fayth truly to infidelity Againe I aske Could they be saued in that fayth or would they not If they would not what iniury to our Sauiour or what delight to the tempter that they depart from hence where no saluation is For neither doth our Sauiour desire any thing but saluation nor the malignant spirit enuye at any thing but saluation But if they could how are they either without Charity as long as they are in that fayth when without charity saluation cannot be had or forsaking fayth do not also forsake charity when as charity and infidelity cannot stand togeather Some therfore reuolt from fayth because verity auoucheth it and by consequence from saluation because our Sauiour rebuketh it From whence we conclude that from Charity also without which saluation cannot be obtayned Hitherto S. Bernard victoriously writeth in our behalfe with such perspicuity of wordes as receaueth no glose with such pregnancy of reason as admitteth no reproofe 7. Moreouer we are often exhorted to stand stedfast in our calling to remayne constant to the end least Apoc. 3. v. 11. 2. Ioan. v. 8. 1. Cor. 10. v. 12. 2. Tim. 2. v. 5. Rom. 8. v. 17. Matth. 10. v. 22. we loose the goale of euerlasting blisse As Hold that which thou hast that no man take thy crowne S. Iohn againe Looke to your selues that you loose not the things which you haue wroght S. Paul He that thinketh himselfe to stand let him take heed least he fall It is possible then for a maÌ„ so to fal as he may wholy fall away from God and be depriued of his crowne or els these admonitions were to no purpose to as little these conditionall propositions He that striueth for the maistery is not crowned vnles he fight lawfully If we suffer with him that we may be also glorifyed with him He that shall perseuer to the end he shall be saued If whosoeuer hath the grace of God shall fight manfully shall be sure to suffer with Christ sure to perseuere to the end Wheerin if you expect the sentence of the most a Calu. instit l. 3. c. 3. §. 10. faythfull herald of all antiquity Of b Doctor Coued in his booke against M. Burges the chiefest Doctour that euer was or shal be excepting the Apostles Of c yr Edwar Hob. in his Counter pag. 8. August de correp gra c. 13. Aug. l. 11. de ciuit Dei c. 12. Abbot in bis defence c. 3. sect 12. pag. 337. that marble-piller that glorious Saint that euer admired Augustine he sayth It is to be beleeued that some of the children of perdisioÌ„ receauing not the guift of perseuerance vnto the end do begin to liue in faych which worketh by Charity for a time do liue faithfully and iustly and after fall And in another place Although quoth he holy men are certaine of the reward of their perseueraÌ„ce yet of their owne perseuerance they are found vncertaine For what man can know that he shall perseuere and hold on in the action increase of iustice vnto the end vnles by some reuelation he be assured therof from him who of his iust but secret iudgment doth not inform all men of this matter but deceaueth none To which M Abbot replyeth as before that we haue no certainty or assuraÌ„ce of these thinges by apprehension or light of flesh and bloud by sense reason or plaine appearance but by fayth c. Neither is there any necessity to restraine S. Augustines wordes to extraordinary reuelation No Why doth S. Augustine then expresly exclude not only the natural knowledge of sense reason but the supernaturall intelligence of ordinary fayth affirming them to be so vncertaine of their own perseuerance as they are certaine of the reward therof but they are certaine of the reward not by reason or plaine appearance but only by assurance of fayth Therefore they are vncertaine whether they shal perseuere euen by the sam knowledg which proceeds from fayth neither can they possible know it vnles they be enlightned aboue the course of ordinary belieuers Secondly S. Augustine discourseth there of holy men indewed
with iustice which they cannot haue without ordinary fayth yet he testifyeth of theÌ„ that they could not know whether they should perseuere and go forward in the way of iustice without reuelation therefore he must needs be vnderstood maugre M. Abbots out facing the contrary not of the ordinary reuelation of fayth which they had but of some speciall and extraordinary which they had not It were too long to lay before you the agreement heerein of S. Chrysostome S. Hierome S. Gregory S. Bernard Prosper Chrys hom 5. in c. 1. ad Tim. l. 1. de compun cordis Hier. ep 127. ad Pabiol l. x. comm in c. 7. Matth. Greg. l. 6. in 1. Reg. Bernar. ep 107. Prosp l. 2. de vocat gent. Luth. de capt Babil c. de Bapt. Abbot c. 3. sect 10 fol 321. 1. Ioan. 3. v. 9. Psal 37. v. 24. Sect. 9. f. 318. Fulke in c. 13. 1. ad Cor. sect 5. Fulk in c. 3 ep Ioan. sect 5. 1. Ioanâ— 3. v. 14. 15. and others 8. Therefore to conclude Luther some few yeares since stayned his breath with this contagious speach That the faythfull man cannot perish if he would how wickedly soeuer he liue vnles he cease to beleeue which the whole Christian world then abhorred as the furnace of licentiousnes as the mouth of hell But his disciples more pernicious then he dare now auerre that he cannot only not perish vnles he forsake his fayth but that he cannot at all forsake his fayth that he cannot by any deboyshnes by any lasciuious and wanton demeanour be finally abandoned and cast off from God For thogh the iustifyed by occasion fall yet they neuer so fall but that his seed remayneth in them And his hand is vnder to lift them vp againe In the Section before he openeth his meaning in this sort When we say that the regenerate man is neuer wholy cut off from Christ we meane as touching inward spirituall grace Another of that crew Though all sinne be against fayth and Charity yet we do not hold that either fayth or charity in them that are iustifyed is vtterly lost by deadly sin Likewise He which is borne of God cannot be voyd of loue towards his neighbour though he sinne particulerly against the rule of Charity If Beelzebub should send his preachers abroad could he desire a fitter Ghospeller a more zealous promoter of his kingdome then this A more ready to further iniquity to smother the truth of Christ and splendour of his Ghospel Which quite oppositely preacheth He that loueth not abideth in death whosoeuer hateth his brother is a murderer And you know that no murderer hath life euerlasting abiding in himselfe What is this life euerlasting but the inward and spirituall grace The inherent charity the seed of God springing vp to eternall life Which the holy Euangelist S. Iohn denyeth to abide in him that sinneth against the rule of Charity contrary to the auouchement of this new Euangelist Of him I say and some other his confederates for all are not attainted with so mischieuous a corruption D. Feild interpreting Fiel l 3. c. 22. fol. 118. the recited words of Luther A man cannot perish though he would and how wickedly soeuer he liue vnles he cease to beleeue Luther quoth he constantly teacheth that iustifying fayth cannot remaine in that man that sinneth with full consent nor be found in that soule wherein are peccata vastantia conscientiam as Melancthon speaketh following Augustine that is sins raging ruling preuayling laying wast and destroying the integrity of conscience which should resist against euill and condemne it This is all then that Luther sayth that no wickednes which with fayth may stand can hurt vs as long as fayth continueth but if sinne once become regnant and so exclude fayth we are in the state of damnation Heer you see that fayth may be lost that the iustifyed may fall into the state of damnation and vtterly perish 9. More plainely D. Ouerall then Deane of Paules in the publique conference at Hampton Court setteth downe his iudgment namely that whosoeuer though before iustifyed In the summe of the Confer before the Kings Maiesty 41. 42. fol. 42. fol. 30. did commit any grieuous sinne as adultery murder treason or the like did become ipso facto subiect to Gods wrath guilty of damnation whose opinion his Maiesty with his Princely censure most iudiciously approued and taxed the contrary as a desperate presumption with whome the greatest and learnedest part of that Assembly in all likelihood consented therefore I might haue spared this my labour if by the retchlesnesse of inferiour officers that execrable doctrine had not beene printed anew nor permitted to be sould and spread abroad in former writinges which because the secret fauourits of dissolute security are willing to dissemble Ioan. 4. v. 15. 14. Ioan 6. v. 37. Ioan. 15. v. 2. Philip. 1. v. 6. Rom. 11. v. 29. I must be as carefull to destroy the rest of their bold affiance which are these Texts of Scripture He that shall drink of the water that I wil giue him shal not thirst for euer Al that the Father giueth me shall come to me him that commeth to me I will not cast forth Euery branch that beareth fruit the Father purgeth that it may bring forth more fruit He that hath beguÌ„ a good worke in you will perfect it Without repentance are the guifts and vocation of God Therefore whome he once iustifyeth whoÌ„ he once inocculateth in the stocke of life he pruneth cultiuateth and neuer suffereth to perish or decay 10. To all these passages I answere as Maldonate doth Maldon in â—â—loca to the first and second out of Rupertus and others that they only declare the condition of God the benignity of Christ and nature of his grace that it is not like our corruptible water which is disgested consumed dryed vp in tyme tormenting them againe with thirst who drinke thereof but the spiritual water of the holy Ghost neuer perisheth is neuer consumed is of that incorruptible property of it owne nature that it maketh vs neuer to thirst any more it is a liuely spring which of it selfe spouteth vp to the mountaine of eternall blisse So Christ of his owne benigne and soueraigne clemency casteth off none but imbraceth all that repaire vnto him God the Father is ready to cut off all superfluityes from the mysticall boughes which grow in his Sonne he is ready to bring to perfection the worke he hath begun neuer willing to reuoke his gift vnles we by sinning make our selues vnworthy vnles we destroy his building breake 1. Ioan. 3. v. 9. Matth. 7. v. 38. Ierem. 32. v. 40. Abbot fol. 268. VVhitak l. 8. f. 626. ourselues off from that heauenly vine flye from vnder his wings vomit out his graces infused into vs then the fault is not his nor any defect in his grace but the whole blame lighteth vpon
Lord without blame Scan I pray these foure things First that they walked not in any one only but in all the commandments Secondly that they were iustifications which made them iust Thirdly before God Fourhly without blame viz. without any vicious defect or culpable imperfection which might eyther stayne the splendour of their iustice or hinder their ful complete obseruation of the law which God required at their hands 4. Lastly the keeping of the commandments is the sole marke and true cognizance of a beleeuing Christian Ioan. 14. v. 15. v. 21. â— Ioan. 2. v. 3. 4. If you loue me keepe my commandments He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loueth me And In this we know that we haue knowne him if we obserue his commandments He that sayth he knoweth him and keepeth not his commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him Wherefore if Protestants cannot obserue the Commandments they are not Abbot c. 4. sect 43. fol. 566. 568. VVbitak l. 8 aduers Duraeum Fulke in c. 1. Luc. sect 7. Ioan. 14. sect 1. Perkins in the 4. cha of bis reform Cath. louers nor knowers of God or if they challenge his loue and boast of his knowledge not fullfilling his law they are lyars blasphemers and the truth is not in them Their Ministers stinged with this sharpe censure begin to startle and perswade their fauourits that they keep the law correspondently to the proportion of their loue and knowledge that is haltingly weakly imperfectly as their loue is halting their knowledge imperfect Are these the new Apostles diuine lightned Reformers who sit in the sun-shine of their Ghospell and rise to illuminate the world with their radiant beames And do they confesse their beames of truth to be dimmed with clouds their flames of loue frozen with cold with such misty clouds with such nipping frost as violate the precept of knowing the commandment of louing God For as their raw and imperfect obseruations which hath been demonstrated before in the precedent Controuersy are of their owne nature true breaches of the law so their lame knowledge their imperfect loue is a transgression of the precept of loue a preuarication of the commandment of beliefe which is the supernaturall knowledge of God whereof S. Iohn speaketh But if they violate the precept of fayth as often as they beleeue with what conscience can they exercise an act of beliefe who are charged neuer to infringe the will of God With what hart can they iudge that precept imposed when neyther in this life nor in the next for then fayth ceaseth and vanisheth away it can be euer accomplished With what tongue can they bragge of true beliefe for this is commaÌ„ded wheras theirs transgresseth the commandment of God With that false stringed tongue with that hollow hart with that seared conscience with which they presume to auerre that the Father of heauen doth esteeme and account their breaches obseruations their violations accomplishments of what Isa 5. v. â—0 he commandeth forcing him to vnder go for the loue of their persons that heauy curse he threatneth to others Wo be vnto you that call euill good and good euill esteeming darknes light and light darknes accounting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter 5. Yet on the other side if abhorring these blasphemyes they dare pronounce their knowledge or beliefe such as it fulfilleth the precept of fayth as far as it ought thence we argue that they may likewise obserue the precept Rom. 13. v. 10. of charity as far forth as they ought and by consequence wholy obserue and fulfill the law For Charity is the fulnes of the law the summe or knot of perfection on which the Concil Arausic c. vlti Hilar. in Psal 118 whole law and Prophets depend Hence it is defined in the secoÌ„d Arausican Councell That all the Christned hauing receaued grace by Baptisme Christ ayding and cooperating may and ought if they will diligently labour to fullfill all things which belong to saluation S. Hilary saity It is not hard if the will be prompt to obey the precept of our Lord. S. Hierome No man doubteth of this but that God hath commanded things possible S. Augustine Neyther Hier. l. 3. cont Pela Aug. ser 61. 191. de tempo Aug. lib. de natur gratia cap. 43. Cent. 2. 4. col 58. Author respon ad quaest 130. Cent. 2. c. 4. col 61. Ibidem col 61. Obedientiam legalem reâ—atis omnino possi bilem esse magno errore iudicauit Cent. 3. c. 4. col 78. Orig. hom â— super Exod. Videtur asseuerare quòd baptizati per omnia possint legem implere Cypr. ser de Baps. Christ. God who is iust can command things impossible nor condenme man who is pious for that which he could not auoyd And agayne Thinges impossible God commandeth not but by coÌ„manding warneth thee both to doe what thou art able and to aske what thou art not able and he helpeth thee that thou mayest be able Yet because Protestants will strayne their wits to bow these sayings to some crooked sense I will stand to the iudgement of such as their owne fellow Protestans furnish me withall and whome they iudge to hold with vs without exception 6. For the Century-writers affime that the authour of Replyes extant among the workes or Iustin with full mouth breaketh into these words What is all the iustice of the law to loue God more then himselfe and his neighbour as himselfe which truely is not impossible to men that are willing Of Clemens Alexandrinus mayster to Origen they auouch He with great errour iudged the legall obedience to be altogeather possible to the regenerate Then passing to the three hundred years of Christ thus they deliuer their generall verdict of the Fathers of that age They held concerning the law very exhorbitant opinions as Tertullian in his booke against the Iewes disputeth that the Saints in the old testament as Noë Abraham Melchisedech others were iust by the iustice of the natural law Hence with the like error I vse the Centurists phrase Origen heer and there inculcateth many things of the possibility of the law as in his eyght homily vpon Exodus where expounding the Decalogue he seemeth to asseuere that the baptized may according to all things fulfil the law The same sayth the Authour of homilyes vpon the Canticle The diuine word is not mis-shapen or without order neyther doth it command things impossible And Cyprian because sayth he we know that which is to be done and can do that which we know thou conimandest me o Lord that I loue thee this both I can and ought to do Hitherto the Centurists producing witnesses against themselues THE SECOND CHAPTER IN WHICH The possibility of keeping the Law is maintayned by other reasons and obiections answered FIRST it were no lesse then tyranny to punish men euerlastingly for not keeping the Commandments if it be not
things spoken if to Luc. 10. v. 16. Matth. 18. v. 17. all be graunted the spirit of Prophesy If members must iudge of their heades and people examine their Pastours doctrine 10. In fine to rippe vp the bowells and breake the very sinewes of this answere in pieces the inward Spirit which moueth the Collatour in the exposition of Gods word may be caused three seuerall wayes 1. God may inspire it 2. The Diuell suggest it 3. The discourse of reason gather and collect it Now aread me this doubt you that ground your fayth hereon how do you know the perswasion you follow to be an inspiratioÌ„ 2. Cor. 1â— vers 14 from God a suggestion of Satan or a discourse of reason The Diuell may transfigure himselfe into an Angell of light many falshoods as the Philosopher teacheth may seeme more probable then truthes Diuers haue beene vndoubtedly perswaded that the spirit of God guided them aright when they were ignorantly missed by the spirit of deceit wherein if you belieue not me belieue a iudicious learned ProtestaÌ„t belieue M. Hooker a famous writer of your owne who hath published these wordes in print Such as are readiest to cite for one thing fiue hundred Hook in his 2. Book sess 7. fol â—18 sentences of holy Scriptur what warrant haue they that any one of theÌ„ doth meane the thing for which it is alleadged Is not their surest ground most commonly eyther some probable coniecture of their owne or the iudgment of others taking those Scriptures as they do which notwithstanding to meane otherwise then they take them it is not still altogeather impossible So that now and then they ground themselues on humane authority euen when they most pretend diuine Who could say more against the vanity of our Sectaries against their obstinate arrogancy in expounding the word by their owne priuate sense and iudgmeÌ„t for if amongst fiue hundred sentences they haue no warrant for one to meane the thing for which it is alledged Yf now and then they ground themselues on humane authority euen when they most pretend diuine by the pretence no doubt and direction of the spirit what notes doth he or his mates assigne what marks do they propose to discerne the Diuine spirit of God from the humane spirit of man or illusion of the Diuell 11. Marrie some Protestants prescribe the Analogie of Scripture That the spirit ought to be tried by Canon of holy writ which is nothing els then to allow the circle so often hissed out of schooles by the spirit to interpret the Scripture and by the Scripture to discerne the spirit Nothing els then to make a faire shew where no hope can be had of escape For either I vnderstand before the sense of the Scripture to which I iudge my spirit agreable or vnderstand it not Suppose I vnderstand it in vaine is the instruction of the spirit Suppose I know it not how shall I iudge of the conformity of my spirit to that which I do not my selfe conceaue Others therfore teach That the spirit needeth not the touch stone of Scripture but may by it self be descried as black from white light from darknesse If this be so why are we commaunded Not to trust euery Spirit when none can deceaue vs Why is it â— Ioan. 4. v. 1. IbideÌ„ sayd Trie the Spirits when they need no triall How falleth it out so many mistake the spirit of truth How is our sight so dimmed that we cannot perceaue the distinction of spirits the darke night from the clearest day 12. We for example beleeue with Protestants the Councell of Nice we beleeue the mystery of the holy Trinity the Incarnation of Christ and with the same spirit which they count erroneous we beleeue the CouÌ„cell of Lateran of Florence the Reall presence the Sacrifice of the masse neither can we see any difference in this our spirit Not we perchance but you the sharp-sighted eagles who soare so high as to gaze on the sunne you no doubt can bewray the different markes Aske then the Lutheran what cloudes of darknesse he discouereth in the spirit of defiance he hath with the Caluinist from the bright beames of light which ioyntly shine in poynts of their agreement he answereth None at all Aske the Caluinist what foggie mist he espieth in his spirit of variance from the Lutheran he answereth none at all Aske the diuine spirited Protestant Aske the Puritan the like question The Protestant contendeth that the spirit which causeth him to dissent from the Puritan is the spirit of light the illustration of the Holy Ghost The Puritan protesteth the same of his And wheras the one must needs be a Satanicall illusion sith it wholy crosseth and contradicteth the other who seeth not that the spirit of truth cannot by it self be discerned from the spirit of deceit no not by the grand-maisters themselues and boasters of the spirit 13. When our Ghospellers are thus beaten out of all their forts or strong holds of succour when they are conuinced that neither Scripture alone nor perusall of places nor examination of Greeke Hebrew fountains nor prayer to God with the direction of the priuate spirit can safely conduct them to the true knowledge and Rein. â— 2. diuis 2. p. 62. 〈◊〉 in act Col. Ratis ses 14. p. 1â—2 Vvhâ—taker desa Scrip. Controu 1. q 4. c 4. q. 5. â— 8. Ioan. â—o v. 17. 1. Cor. 2. v. 15. sense of Scripture will you heare their last and most desperate refuge Listen and learne to detest their fraud Albeit say they these former helpes be not alwayes effectuall to the reprobate or wicked sinner yet they are sufficient inough to the elect of God If the Lord sayth Reynolds take delight in vs he will bring vs to the food of life he will giue vs the bread of our soules and make vs learned in the Scriptures For it is written quoth Hunnius Whitaker My sheep heare my voyce and The spirituall man iudgeth all things O yee children of darknesse O yee enemyes of light How long will yee seeke these cloudy euasions How long will yee runne from one maze of obscurity into another As from search of Scripture to secret prayer from secret prayer to priuate spirit from priuate spirit to hidden grace And how shall I learne who is endued with this celestiall grace in whome God is pleased How shall I know the spirituall man or sheep of Christ Eccles 9. v. â— Salomon sayd No man can tell whether he be worthy of loue or hatred S. Paul I am guilty of nothing yet in this I am not iustified But thou more wise then Salomon more illuminated then 1. Cor. 4. v. 4. S. Paul describe me the markes shew me the badge and cognizance of Christ that I may see whether I am a sheep of his flocke or no. Thou sayst if I had a strong feruent fayth if I belieued aright I should be infallibly acertainted of