non potius redditur quà m donatur Non dicat ista homo fidelis quia cum dixerit vt merear iustificationem habeo fidem respondetur ei Quid enim habes quod non accepisti Being iustified freely by his grace lest faith it selfe should be proud Nor let any man say to himselfe if it be of faith how is it freely for that which faith meriteth why is it not rather rendred as due than freely giuen Let no beleeuer speake thus for when he shall say I haue faith that I may merit iustification it is answered him For what hast thou that thou hast not receiued Thus this holy man disclaimes all merit of workes in vs yea euen of faith it selfe though it bee the instrument to apply the righteousnesse of God in Christ vnto vs whereby we are truely iustified And it stands with good reason For faith iustifieth not by vertue of the act of beleeuing but as the instrument in applying the obiect which is Christ. As the hand is said to heale onely by applying the medicine or to inrich by receiuing a treasure or to feed by putting meat into the mouth as we say a childe is fed with a spoone when the milke onely feedeth So faith by applying Christ the true balme healeth by receiuing Christ the true treasure inricheth by conuaying Christ the true bread and water of life feedeth the soule St. Augustine also in his first Sermon vpon the 70. Psalme saith In eum credo qui iustificat impium vt deputetur sides mea ad iustitiam I beleeue in him that iustifieth the vngodly that my faith may be deputed hee comes very neare Imputed for righteousnesse It would fill a large volume to set downe the Tracts and sayings of this holy Father to this purpose seeing all his workes are euery where perfumed with this most sweet and Catholicke doctrine of iustification through the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to vs not for any grace inherent in vs though it be the gift of God bestowed on vs for Christs sake I will onely adde one or two sayings more of this holy man Per fidem induendo Christum omnes fiunt filij non natura sicut vnicus Filius sed filij fiunt participatione sapientiae id praeparante atque praestante Mediatoris fide quam fidei gratiam nunc indumentum vocat vt Christum induti sint qui in eum crediderunt ideo filij Dei fratresque eius Mediatoris effecti sunt In putting on Christ by faith all are made sonnes not sonnes by nature as is the onely begotten Sonne but they are made sonnes by the participation of wisedome being prepared and performed by the faith of the Mediator which grace of faith hee now calleth a clothing or putting on so that they haue put on Christ that haue beleeued in him and therefore they are made the sonnes of God and brethren of the Mediator What plainer words could this holy Father haue vsed to expresse the nature of iustification in the imputatiue righteousnesse of Christ than by calling imputation a participation of Christ by the meanes of faith in which respect hee calleth faith a putting on because thereby Christ with all his righteousnesse is put vpon vs and so wee are made the sonnes of God Iustin Martyr saith Quid aliud peccata nostra potuisset tegere quà m Christi iustitia O beneficia expectationem omnem exuperantia vt iniquitas quidem multorum in vno iusto abscondatur iustitia autem vnius faciat vt multi iniusti pro iustis habeantur What else could haue couered our sinnes but Christs righteousnesse O blessings exceeding all expectation that the iniquity of many should bee couered in one righteous person and that the righteousnesse of one should cause that many vniust should be accounted iust And of later times deuout Bernard Mor◠in Christi morte fugatur Christi nobis iustitia imputatur Death is vanquished in Christs death and Christs righteousnesse is imputed to vs. And againe Qui nostram induit carnem subijt mortem putas suam nobis negabit iustitiam voluntariè incarnatus voluntariè passus voluntariè crucifixus solam à nobis retinebit iustitiam Christus peccati meritum tulit suam nobis donando iustitiam Hee that both tooke vpon him our flesh and vndertooke death will hee trow you denie vs his righteousnesse voluntarily incarnate voluntarily suffering voluntarily crucified will hee keepe from vs his onely righteousnesse And writing to Innocentius he saith Homo qui debuit homo qui soluit Nam si vnus pro omnibus mortuus est ergo omnes mortui sunt vt videlicet satisfactio vnius omnibus imputetur sicut omnium peccata vnus ille portauit It was man that was indebted and man that paid it For if one died for all then were all dead to the end that the satisfaction of one should be imputed to all euen as he alone bore the sinnes of all Ambrose also vpon these words of the Apostle Christ was made a curse for vs as it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on tree saith Non ille maledictus sed in te maledictus Christ was not accursed but in thee was hee accursed lust so are we in him blessed Saint Cyril also vpon these words of Esay The Deliuerer shall come forth of Sion and shal turn away iniquities from Iacob c. concludes thus from Rom. 10 10. For with the heart c. With the heart saith he man beleeueth to righteousness with the mouth confession is made to saluation We haue therefore receiued of God the word of faith and confession Which word bringeth saluation and procureth righteousnesse For Christ doth so iustifie the vngodly that hee proclaimeth Behold I haue remoued thine iniquities as a cloud and thy sinnes as a mist. For this word of faith shall be for euer in vs and shall neuer cease from our mouth but wee shall transmit and conuay it euen vnto posterity For thus also shall posterity be iustified For if Christ bee for euer both God and Lord the confession of this his faith shall neuer faile with those who haue acknowledged his appearing So Cyril This therefore was among the ancient Fathers of the Church and they haue sent it downe to vs their posterity as the Catholicke faith to bee confessed of all Gods children vntill the appearing of Iesus Christ that our iustification stands in the merits of Christ and the mercies of God in the remission of our sinnes and the not imputing them vnto vs. But the Trent-Fathers and the Church of Rome as being not the legitimate posterity but the bastard brood falsly pretending from those holy Fathers disclaime this Catholick faith concerning iustification in the remission of sinnes which God in the forenamed place of Esay cals his new Couenant or Testament and doth anathematize and curse to the pit of hell all those that haue or shall place our iustification in the onely
this yet this Faith is a true iustifying Faith though it bee dead This is the expresse perplext doctrine of the Church of Rome concerning Faith without any equiuocation at all Come wee now to examine the truth of this doctrine CHAP. XII Wherein Romane-Catholicke Doctrine concerning the kinde of iustifying Faith is confuted and the Catholicke Doctrine confirmed also of Faiths obiect and subiect FIrst whereas they allow no Faith in Scripture but one which they ground vpon that of the Apostle Ephes. 4. 5. One Faith it is euident they build vpon a wrong ground That there is but one Faith in the Apostles sense it is true that is but one sauing and iustifying Faith but that this faith is that which the Romane Catholicks only allow of is vtterly false and fabulous And yet they cal this the iustifying faith which Vega describeth thus Fides cui sacrae literae nostram tribuunt iustificationem c. That Faith to which the holy Scriptures attribute our iustification is for the most part and specially the Faith of the only Mediator betweene vs and God or to speake more plainely it is the Faith of Iesus Christ to wit a credulity or perswasion whereby we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue that we may possibly be saued by him alone and also other things which are deliuered eyther by himself or by his Church or by his Apostles which we are to beleeue concerning his life death resurrection glory and dignity and grace Note here the nature of the Pontifician Faith They call it the Faith of the only Mediatour between vs and God This is well said but it is with limitation it is but vt plurimum for the most part Therefore this is not the true Catholicke faith as we shall see anone Then they call this Faith a credulity or perswasion wherby we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue How Certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue This may passe for good Catholike doctrine But what do we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue namely Per eum vnum nos posse saluari That we may possibly be saued by him alone So they place their faith in a possibility of saluation by Christ. But is this all No this faith hath for its full and adaequate obiect as the entire rule of it whatsoeuer is reuealed or deliuered by writing or tradition either by Christ himselfe or by his Church or by his Apostles So that this faith must bee regulated as well by that which the Church saith and what he meaneth by the Church we all know as what Christ and his Apostles haue said as well by traditions Romes vnwritten word as by the written Word of God Nay the Councell of Trent goes farther making the maine rule of faith to be that sense and meaning which the Church alwayes vnderstand of Rome hath or shall set downe concerning all things written and vnwritten And this is the Romane-Catholike faith Now if this faith of theirs bee the iustifying faith how comes it to passe that they that haue this faith are not iustified by it And if men hauing this faith may notwithstanding be damned and carry it with them to hell how is it a iustifying faith But with Romes good will we must not touch vpon particulars Suffice it there is one faith and this is the Catholicke faith of Romane-Catholicke beleeuers There is but one faith say they whether it be formed or vnformed which they take from the Scoria of the Schooles forge For Aquinas saith that faith formed or vnformed is one and the same in kinde and in number as the Logicke terme is Indeede Aquinas might speake his pleasure of faith formed and vnformed as being the first Forger of the forme of faith Whereas if this Scoria be but cast into the Test it will presently fume into the ayre For according to Philosophy Aquinas his profest and pretended proper element a thing without forme is non ens if it be Tohu it is Bohu too Gen. 1. 2. For the forme giues the being to the thing Now the faith of Deuils and of the wicked wanting a forme as Pontificians say is no faith at all But the faith of Deuils is not no faith a faith it is therefore a forme it must haue What forme Indeede as Scaliger saith the formes of things are hard to be found out But euery thing that hath but a name must haue a forme that giues the being Now that the faith of Deuils hath a forme proper vnto it is manifest because it hath a speciall act and motion in beleeuing which springeth from the proper forme of it The act of the Deuils faith is to beleeue that God is and that he is true in his word and iust in his iudgements so as it maketh the Deuill to tremble withall If therefore the Deuils faith hath a speciall forme to giue being vnto it then this forme puts a specificall difference betweene the Deuils faith and the Saints faith For euery thing is differenced in kinde from another by its proper forme As therefore the Saints faith hath a speciall forme to difference it from the faith of Deuils so the Deuils faith hath a proper forme to difference it specifically from the faith of Saints as the beasts soule is by the forme of it differenced from a mans soule And the forme makes the maine difference But this by the way to shew how these Philosophicall Doctors defile their owne nest To proceed That there is but one faith whereby we are saued all Catholike Diuines haue euer taught but that the liuing faith which they call formed and the dead faith which they say is vnformed should be all one faith in kinde this is a mysterie neuer known nor I suppose euer so much as dreamt of by any of the ancient Catholick Doctors of the Church Leo sirnamed the Great who was Bishop of Rome about the yeare of Christ 440. while as yet the faith of that Church was truely Catholike he saith Vna fides iustificat vniuersorum temporum Sanctos ad eandem spem fidelium pertinet quicquid per Mediatorem Dei hominum lesum Christum vel nos confitemur factum vel Patres nostri adorauere faciendum A sentence worthy to be written in golden letters One faith saith he doth iustifie the Saints of all times and it appertaines to the same hope of the faithfull whatsoeuer eyther we confesse already done or our Fathers adored should be done by the Mediator of God and men Iesus Christ. Note here this good old Bishop of Rome acknowledgeth one faith What faith A iustifying faith What A faith common to reprobates No such as iustifieth the Saints What Saints Those of the Popes Canonizing No The Saints of all times such as were long before the new order of Saints instituted by the Pope long after St. Leo. Such Saints as are not mentioned in the Popes Calender namely all those Saints of the old Testament whereof the Popes Rubricke hath none As the same Leo saith Omnes
by way of relation iustification is the subiect of inherent grace For wee speake here of the formall cause of iustification not of the formall cause of man as if hee were the subiect wherein iustification is a quality inherent But to answer their mis-applyed philosophicall diuinity The forme of a thing is not alwayes a quality inherent as in the subiect where it is but sometimes it is onely adherent and extrinsicall by way of relation As that I am the sonne of such a man the formall cause hereof is not inherent in me but it is originally and relatiuely from my father that begate mee giuing a being to my sonship respectiuely to him So a man set at liberty by the fauour and meanes of another the very forme of his freedome was the others act in freeing of him not inhering in him that is freed but rather adhering vnto him Yea the Pontificians themselues confesse and Vega for one that the formall cause of mans redemption is a thing extrinsicall to wit the oblation of Christ on the Crosse and that the free fauour of God for the merit of Christ is the formall cause of remission of sinnes If therefore the forme of our redemption and remission of sinnes is not within vs but without vs why not as well the forme of our iustification the cause whereof is Christs redemption and the effect of it remission of sinnes In a word it is not with a forme as with an accident the being of an accident is the in-being of it Not so of a forme where being or modus essendi consists not necessarily in the inhering in the subiect whose formall cause it is but it may as well be extrinsicall by conferring a vertue and power whereby the Causatum receiueth the formality of its being But to leaue Philosophy and return to Diuinity it is yet in question whether the matter of this iustification be within vs or rather without vs. The Romane-Catholicke faith teacheth that it is within vs but the Catholicke faith concludeth that the formall cause of our iustification is without vs not within vs. This is that Catholicke doctrine which the Scriptures teach when they ascribe our iustification to faith apprehending that which is without vs where by apprehending is not meant a bare vnderstanding or knowing as Soto in the name of his Romane-Catholickes would haue it but it is also a laying hold vpon and applying of the thing beleeued We haue shewed afore how the Pontificians take the word Imputation namely for a participation of Christs righteousnesse so farre forth as thereby some other righteousnesse being merited is infused into vs and inherent in vs. But the true Catholickes hold otherwise that imputation is of a thing without vs being apprehended and applied by faith So that the thing imputed is that which is by faith apprehended As it is said of Abraham that hee beleeued God and his faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse Rom. 4. 3. Now the obiect of Abrahams faith was God yea God promising in regard of which obiect Abrahams faith is imputed to him for righteousnesse Not the act of Abrahams faith being but an instrument but the obiect of it is imputed As we may say we are iustified by the act of faith relatiuely to the obiect Christ not for the act of it Abraham beleeued God and his faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse But how is this sufficient to iustifie a man to beleeue God or the promise of God that it should be said to be imputed to man for righteousnesse I answer To beleeue Gods promise is to haue an eye of faith vpon Christ who is the substance of all Gods promises and in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen 2. Cor. 1. 20. So that God in Christ is the obiect of faith imputed to the beleeuer for righteousnesse But here an obiection crosseth my way cast in by the aduersary of the truth Vega who saith Dixi c. I said that this faith of the Mediator is that to which for the most part and chiefely the Scriptures doe attribute our iustification yet we beleeue also saith he that faith taken generally as it relieth vpon diuine truth may also iustifie a man Nor are wee in that errour wherein some are to thinke that the onely faith of iustification promised or of saluation in Christ doth iustifie vs or is imputed vnto vs for righteousnesse For saith he Noahs faith of the future deluge as Paul witnesseth was imputed to him for righteousnesse and he was appointed the heire of righteousnesse which is by faith in that he beleeued God fore-telling the floud and a hundred yeares before it came began to build the Arke for the safety of his house And to Abraham also as the history of Genâ—sis plainely teacheth it was imputed for righteousnesse because hee beleeued that his posterity should bee multiplied as the starres of heauen So that hence hee concludes that not onely to faith in Gods promises in Christ is righteousnesse imputed but to faith in generall beleeuing Gods truth such as is not in the compasse of Gods promises in Christ but either speculatiue precepts or morall doctrines or other Propheticall predictions or historicall relations So that by the Pontifician doctrine other faith besides that in Gods promises in Christ may be imputed to a man for righteousnesse As Noahs faith in building the Arke against the floud and Abrahams faith in beleeuing Gods promise concerning the multiplication of his seed I answer that no faith is or can bee imputed to a man for righteousnesse but that which hath respect vnto Christ and the promises of God in him But Noahs faith in preparing the Arke to saue himselfe and his family from the floud was imputed to him for righteousnesse True this confirmeth the Catholicke doctrine of the imputation of faith as it lookes vpon Christ for what was the Arke but a Sacramentall type of Christ as Augustine saith Christus figuratus est in Noe in illa Arca orbis terrarum Quare enim in Arca inclusa sunt omnia animaliae nisi vt significarentur omnes gentes Christ is figured in Noe and in that Arke of the whole world for why in that Arke were included all creatures but that all Nations should be signified by them And there hee applies that promise to Abraham Gen. 22. 18. In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed And for Abrahams faith in Gods promise what seed of Abraham was this in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed Was it not Christ Yes Christ so saith Augustine in the forenamed place Christus in ea prophetia occultus erat in quo benedicuntur omnes gentes Christ saith he was hid in that prophesie in whom all the Nations are blessed But the Apostle or rather the holy Ghost by the Apostle is the best interpreter of that prophecie Gal. 3. 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the
remains for me no hope of saluation but in the sole mercy of Iesus Christ. So that the very Arch-Pontificians themselues in their death when their conscience is made their iudge renounce their own Doctrine seeme to desire to dye good Protestants like Balaam who wished he might dye the death of the righteous But I cānot see by what way such dubbling Wanderers can come to heauen because as in their life they denyed the doctrine of Faith so in their death they are for ought wee may deeme deuoyd of the duety of charity Dye they not in a most preposterous malice and enuy They would goe to Heauen but would pull the Ladder after them lest the simple people should follow them So the Hypocriticall Pharisees who shut vp the Kingdome of Heauen against men neither going in themselues nor suffering those that would to enter in Thus the Testimony of Romane Catholickes themselues may bee sufficient to conuince the vanitie and falshood of their iustification by their inherent righteousnesse But yet for more confirmation of the truth and confutation of this damnable doctrine of Popery let vs take a briefe view of the faith and opinion which the Saints of God from time to time haue had concerning their owne inherent righteousnesse Abraham the father and figure of the faithfull for all his workes yet was not iustified by them in the sight of God as the Apostle testifieth of him Rom. 4. 2. for if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to glory but not before God This onely testimony might stand for all to proue wherein the righteousnesse of all the faithfull consisteth whereby they stand iust in the sight of God to wit not in their inherent righteousnesse but in the onely righteousnesse of Christ imputed and by faith applied Thus Iob confessed he stood iustified Iob 9 2. How should man be iust with God if he will contend with him hee cannot answer him one of a thousand And ver 20. If I iustifie my selfe mine owne mouth shall condemne me if I say I am perfect it shall also proue me peruerse And Chapt. 25. 4. How can man bee iustified with God yea Chapt. 9. 15. whom saith he though I were righteous yet would I not answer but I would make supplication to my Iudge Indeede towards his friends he stands stoutly in the iustification of himselfe namely of his integrity and sincerity and that hee was no hypocrite as they no lesse vncharitably than vntruely charged him but towards God he beares himself farre otherwise before him he humbles himselfe he makes supplication to his Iudge saith Chap. 9. 30. If I wash my self with snow-water and make my hands neuer so cleane yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch and mine owne clothes shall abhorre me for he is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in iudgement And Chapt. 10. 14. If I sinne then thou markest mee and thou wilt not acquite me from mine iniquity If I bee wicked woe vnto me and if I be righteous yet will I not lift vp my head I am full of confusion c. But had Iob no good workes Yes looke vpon his life described in his 29. 30 31. Chapters Hee was an eye to the blinde and a foote to the lame a deliuerer of the poore fatherlesse and friendlesse from the oppressor breaking the iawes of the wicked and plucking the spoile out of his teeth He wept for him that was in trouble and his soule was grieued for the poore And though hee were a great man a wise man a Prince yet hee ate not his morcels alone but the poore and fatherlesse fed with him The naked limmes blessed him being warmed with the fleece of his sheepe What sinne was Iob addicted to and what actions of piety and mercy did he not abound in Insomuch as in respect of his sincerity and integrity of heart hee durst say If I haue walked with vanity or if my foote hath hasted to deceit let me be weighed in an euen ballance that God may know mine integrity And God knew his integrity giuing testimony vnto it that he was a man perfect and vpright and one that feared God and eschued euill Yet all this righteousnesse Iob renounceth when he comes to the strict tryall of Gods Tribunall For comming to stand in Gods presence he saith Chapt 42. 5. I haue heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes An admirable type of a faithfull man not trusting in his owne inherent righteousnesse but in the onely mercy of God through Christs merits whereby onely he stands iustified in the sight of God Was not Dauid also a holy man an honest hearted man after Gods owne heart yet he professeth Psal. 71. 15. c. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousnesse and thy saluation all the day for I know not the numbers that is the perfections thereof I will goe in the strength of the Lord God and will make mention of thy righteousnesse euen of thine onely And in the beginning of the same Psalme In thee O Lord haue I put my trust let me neuer bee put to confusion deliuer me in thy righteousnesse And Psalme 89. 16. speaking in the name of all the faithfull he saith In thy name shall they reioyce all the day and in thy righteousnesse shall they make their boast And vpon the 32. Psalme Paul hath these words as a Commentary of Dauids words Rom. 4. 6. Euen as Dauid also describeth the blessednesse of the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne But Dauid disclaimeth the iustification of all inherent righteousnesse in the sight of God Psal. 143. Heare my prayer O Lord giue eare to my supplication in thy faithfulnesse answer me and in thy righteousnesse And enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shall no man liuing be iustified And Psalme 30. If thou Lord shouldst marke iniquities O Lord who shall stand But there is forgiuenesse with thee that thou mayst be feared So Esay that Euangelicall Prophet aduanceth Gods righteousnesse and disauoweth mans righteousnesse Esay 54. 17. This is the heritage of the seruants of the Lord and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord. Yea say the Pontificians our inherent righteousnesse is of the Lord. Nay saith Esay chapt 64. 6. We are all as an vncleane thing and all our righteousnesse are as filthy rags Yea say the Pontificians before we be regenerate and be in Christ. But Esay speaketh of the Church of the Iewes of the circumcised to whom circumcision was a signe of regeneration and of Gods Couenant of grace and a seale of faith and Esay puts himselfe in the number Was Esay now vnregenerate And in the name of
this diminitiue enough but hee must put small yea perexigua very small vnto it and so leaue a very small not part but diminitiue particle for faith in the promises of God But Romane-Catholikes must bee content with this poore pittance of faith no otherwise beleeuing Gods promises but as other Histories reuealed in the Word as the Councell of Trent teacheth in her sixt Session and sixt Chapter But else she makes no mention at all of beleeuing in the promises of God and by faith applying them to our owne soules No the Church of Rome is of another spirit she wants that can did ingenuity to acknowledge this gracious mysterie of Christ and of the Gospell So that these Pontifician Romane-Catholickes place onely the truth of God and well too if they ioyned not their owne lying traditions as the generall obiect of faith namely as a true History to be beleeued As Soto commenting vpon the forenamed place of the Councell saith Ratio Christianis credendi est summa infallibilisque Det veritas haec autem eadem perlucet in reuelatis omnibus siue ad Historiam pertineant siue ad Promissiones The reason inducing Christians to beleeue is the soueraigne and infallible truth of God and this same shineth in all those things that are reuealed whether they pertaine to the History or to the Promises But how doth he vnderstand the faith of these promises Sanè quas credimus saith hee non solum verè esse factas sed esse firmissima◠quantum ex parte Dei nisi nos reuitamur which promises indeed we beleeue that not only they were truely made but are most firme as touching Gods part vnlesse we resist But as for speciall Faith in beleeuing and applying the promises of God quòd non pertineat that it appertains not to Catholick Faith saith Soto is most easie to demonstrate Fides enim Catholica ex sola diuina assertione vel promissione pendet quod autem quisque aptus sit idoneus promisso beneficio suscipiendo ex humano sensu cooperatione etiam pendet For saith he the Catholick Faith depends vpon Gods onely affirmation or promise but that any man may be apt or fit to receiue the benefit promised doth depend vpon the sense and also the cooperation of man And so he concludes Ergo huius Fides non est Catholica therefore this mans Faith is not Catholicke So that by Romane-Catholicke Doctrine a speciall Faith in the promises of God in Christ is not the Catholicke Faith for by Catholicke Faith they vnderstand a generall Faith such as is the Catholicke Faith of all Romane-Catholickes And hence it is also that they place Faith onely in the vnderstanding as assenting vnto the truth of God in his Word and not in the will in applying and apprehending the goodnesse and grace of God reuealed in the Word Now to cleare the truth in this point The Catholick Faith is so called not in respect of the generality of it as if iustifying Faith were onely a generall Faith or because the generall obiect of it is whatsoeuer is reuealed in the Word as a Historie but because the true Catholicke Faith is the Faith of all the Elect of all times to the end of the world and because this Faith comprehends all Faith in it For the true Catholicke Faith doth both credere Deum beleeue that God is and credere Deo beleeue that whatsoeuer is contained in the holy Word of God written is true and also credere in Deum beleeue in God that is in especiall beleeue the promises of God in Christ reuealed in the Gospell that they are not onely true in respect of God who promiseth but that they doe belong to euery beleeuer in Christ in particular As Saint Iohn saith speaking of the blessed estate of Gods children both here in that they are now the Sonnes of God and hereafter in the perfect vision of God Euery man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe euen as he is pure The Apostle Paul setting forth the nature of iustifying Faith in the example of faithfull Abraham hee bounds it mainely vpon the promise of God in Christ as the speciall obiect of Faith As Rom. 4. 13. The promise that Abraham should be the heire of the world was not to him or to his seede through the Law but through the righteousnesse of Faith for if they which are of the Law bee heires Faith is made voide and the promise made of none effect Therefore it is of Faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seede not to that onely which is of the Law but to that also which is of the Faith of Abraham who is the father of vs all And vers 20. Hee staggered not at the promise of God through vnbeliefe but was strong in Faith giuing glory to God So wee see that the promise of God is the speciall obiect of iustifying Faith And hence it is that all true beleeuers who are the children of Abraham are called the children of the Promise Rom. 9. 8. They which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the seed heires of the Promise Heb. 6. 17. Yea the promises of God in Christ are the very sum of the Gospel as the Apostle declareth very amply in the third Chapter to the Galathians As vers 8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Heathen through faith preached before the Gospell vnto Abraham saying In thee shall all Nations be blessed So we see plainly that the speciall obiect of Faith is the Gospell of God and the Gospel of God is the promise of God in Christ. This was the summe of all Christs preaching The Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeue the Gospell And so Gal. 3. 22. the Apostle sweetly concludeth this heauenly Doctrine The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sin that the promise by faith of Iesus Christ might be giuen to them that beleeue Hence also was the Land of Canaan being a type of the Kingdome of Christ called the Land of Promise and Abraham and his sonnes coheires of the same Promise What Promise For hee loooked for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God Heb. 11. 10. And by faith he waited for this promise vers 9. The Pontificians would faine haue that faith whose prayses are so predicated in that 11. Chapter to the Hebrewes to be vnderstood of their kinde of Catholicke faith to wit a generall historicall faith And they alledge the third Verse and the sixt Verse c. Vers. 3. Through faith wee vnderstand that the worlds were framed by the word of God Hence they conclude their Historicall faith And Vers. 6. He that commeth to God must beleeue that God is c. Hence they inferre that Faith is nothing else but a certaine assent concerning the truth of God in his
yet the speciall obiect of it is Christ Iesus the word incarnate and the speciall promises of life made vnto vs of God in him Now by this which hath beene already said we may easily see the sequell and issue of all the rest of those priuiledges and markes that the Pontificians put vpon their Catholick Faith For seeing they admit of no other Faith in kinde than the Historicall we will easily yeeld vnto them that this their Faith may be and is in the very Deuils and Damned We will yeeld them also that their Faith being dead of it selfe and without forme or being and receiuing life forme and being from Charity may also vpon the losse of Charity become as well dead and vnformed againe as before it receiued life from Charity But whereas they say that this Faith dead as it is and being fruitlesse and without Charity yet is sufficient to make a man a Christian and a Beleeuer wee allow them this also thus farre that it may make them such Christians and Beleeuers as to send them to hell amongst the Deuils and Damned their fellow-Beleeuers as their fideles fornicarios adulteros molles musculorum concubitores fures c. their faithfull fornicators adulterers effeminate Sodomites and Catamites theeues and other such their Christian beleeuers whom by Trents owne confession their Faith excludes from the Kingdome of Heauen But this Faith of theirs being no other in kinde but that which is common with the damned to wit of it selfe dead and fruitlesse let them deuise neuer such precious wares to stuffe it withall as Charity Hope and the like to put life into it it will proue no more a liuing Faith than Michals Image with the pillow stuffed with Goates haire laide vnder the head of it proued a liuing man And so consequently it can neuer make a man such a Christian and Beleeuer as to bring him to the possession of Gods Kingdome But are they to be accounted Christians and Beleeuers that goe to Hell Yes surely as good as Romane-Catholickes for such onely they account their Christians and Beleeuers Well let them enioy their priuiledge In the meane time they must know that God hath another kinde of beleeuing Christians For as the Apostle saith As he is not a Iew that is one outwardly nor that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but hee is a Iew that is one within and Circumcision that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God So he is not a Christian that is one outwardly neither is that Baptisme which is outward on the flesh but hee is a Christian that is one inwardly and Baptisme that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God But the Romane-Catholicke Christian beleeuers are they that haue receiued their outward forme of Baptisme and professe themselues members of the Romane-Catholicke Church be they otherwise neuer so damnable in their liues What saith Bernard in his Sermon ad Pastores Neminem vestrum credo esse haereticum omnes creditis c. I beleeue none of you is a hereticke you all beleeue one God in Trinity that Christ suffered and was buried that hee descended and ascended But doth this faith make a man a Catholicke By this faith the very Deuils should bee Catholickes for as St. Iames saith they beleeue and tremble But not that faith which is common with Deuils and men maketh a true Catholick but that only which is common to men with Angelicall spirits What faith is that That which worketh by loue So he Therefore by Bernards doctrine faith voyde of charity which is common with Deuils howsoeuer it may make a Romane-Catholicke and so saith Bernard it may the Deuill as well but a true Catholicke it cannot make St. Augustine also puts a maine difference saying Cum dilectione fides Christiani sine dilectione fides Daemonum the faith of a Christian is ioyned with loue the faith of Deuils is without loue Hee is therefore a Christian that hath such a faith as hath loue ioyned with it and consequently they are no Christians but rather of the number of Deuils as being members of the Deuill whose faith is without loue And the same Austine elsewhere plainly declareth who are the faithfull saying Corpus Christi est Ecclesia non ista aut illa sed toto orbe diffusa Tota autem Ecclesia constans ex omnibus fidelibus quia fideles omnes membra sunt Christi habet illud caput positum in coelestibus quod gubernat corpus suum etsi separatum est à visione sed annectitur charitate Totus Christus caput est corpus eius The body of Christ is the Church not this or that Church but diffused ouer the whole world And the whole Church consisting of all the faithfull in as much as all the faithfull are members of Christ hath that head now set in the heauenly places which gouerneth his body and although it bee separated from vision or sight yet it is knit vnto him by loue For whole Christ is the head and his body So we see St. Augustine confesseth none to bee faithfull but such as are the members of Christ nor any his members but the members of his body the Church nor Christs Church to be any one particular Church as the Romane-Catholicke Church but indeed the Catholicke Church spread ouer the whole world Now if none bee faithfull but such as are the members of Christ of his Church of his body Christ is the Sauiour of his body and not one of his members can perish yea not a haire of their heads shall perish how then are they members of Christ sith Christians sith faithfull that haue no part in that saluation whereof the whole body is partaker But such are members of Christ though not perfectly vnited as Trent saith Chapt. 7. and Vega commends it But St. Augustine knew no such members of Christ. Although by a common appellation or account all Christians as being baptized are called Faithfull in as much as they haue receiued the character of Faith which is Baptisme as Augustine saith yet properly and in a strict sense none are true beleeuers but such as are indued with a true liuing holy iustifying Faith in Christ whereby they are perpetually and inseparably vnited vnto him as liuing members of the same body to reigne with him for euermore So Saint Paul doth exemplifie this in describing a true Iew Hee is not a Iew that is one outward neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Iew that is one within and the Circumcision of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God St. Chrysostome saith Whence art thou made holy Whence art thou called faithfull Is it not therefore because thou art sanctified by the death of Christ Is it not therefore because
thou beleeuest in Christ And againe Fidelis propterea vocaris quoniam credis Deo ab eo creditam ipse iustitiam habes sanctitatem munditiam animae in filium adoptionem regnum coelorum Thou art therefore called faithfull because both thou beleeuest God and hast from him granted vnto thee righteousnesse sanctity purity of soule adoption of a sonne and the kingdome of heauen Seeing therefore by the Doctrine of Scriptures and Fathers faith and saluation cannot bee separated mee thinkes the Councell of Trent had done more politickly if with the losse of charity they had suffered faith quite to be lost too rather than retaining it to be damned with it Further for as much as the Pontificians admit of no other faith to Iustification but an historicall faith wee easily grant that which they so much desire That their faith doth not iustifie them at all but may be in them though they go to hell for it as themselues do teach Whereas the faith of beleeuers which beleeue in Christ hath the property to saue not suffer any to perish For Christ saith if we may beleeue Christ rather than the Popes infallibility in the Councel of Trent Whosoeuer beleeueth on the Sonne of man or the Sonne of God shall not perish but hath eternall life And v. 18 He that beleeueth on him is not condemned Yes saith the Councell of Trent he that is a beleeuer may bee condemned though still hee continue a Beleeuer Lastly sith for all this that their Faith cannot iustifie nor saue them yet notwithstanding they wil haue this to be a true Faith though a dead faith I et vs yeelde them this also that the Romane faith is a true dead Faith or a true Faith of the Diuels and damned Else what true Faith is it Gregory once Bishop of Rome saith Vera fides est quae in hoc quod verbis dicit moribus non contradicit That is true faith which in that it professeth in words it contradicteth not in maners And a little after Fidei nostrae veritatem in vitae nostrae consideratione debemus agnoscere tâ—nc enim veraciter fideles sumus si quod verbis promittimus operibus complemus We ought to acknowledge the truth of our Faith in the consideration of our life for then are we truly faithful if that which we promise in words we performe in deeds And St. Ambrose saith Nunquam fides vera turbatur True faith is neuer troubled How is then the Pontifician faith a true faith albeit a dead faith seeing according to Gregory what it professeth in words it contradicteth in deeds and according to Ambrose it is not free from trouble being ouer-whelmed with horrour of Conscience yea St. Hierome saith Cum dilectio proâ—ul abfuerit fides pariter abscedit When charity is away there faith also is gone with it To summe vp all in a word that hath beene said of this point the Notes of difference betweene the true Catholick sauing Faith and the Romane-Catholicke faith are these and such like 1. The true Catholicke iustifying Faith bringeth euery one that hath it vnto saluation and such shall neuer perish Iohn 3. 16. 18. and 1. Pet. 1. 9. The end of sauing Faith is the saluation of our soule But the Romish faith doth not by their owne confession bring euery one of them that hath it vnto saluation Therefore the Romane Catholicke faith is not the true Catholicke iustifying Faith Secondly the true Catholicke sauing Faith is a free gift of Gods grace giuen for Christs sake as Phil 1. 29 Ephes. 2 8. But the Romish faith is no free gift of Gods grace as being in the very Diuels which faith also the Councell of Trent separateth from grace Concil Trid. Sess. 6. cap. 15. saying that grace may bee lost though not faith Therefore the Romish faith is not the true Catholicke sauing faith Whereupon Bellarmine as the mouth of all Pontificians saith Fides infusa non perit gratia recedente vt Catholici omnes fatentur Infused faith perisheth not when grace is gone as all Catholickes confesse So that Pontifician faith is no grace with them and no maruaile then if iustifying faith be in no grace with them also But how is their faith infused This may seeme to make faith a gift of God Let Bellarmine himself resolue it he saith That all men may beleeue if they will when the Euangell is preached and so the Pontifician faith is of them disclaimed to be a speciall gift of Gods sauing grace Thirdly The true Catholicke sauing faith is a confidence in the promises of God in Christ it being the foundation of things hoped for in Christ the speciall obiect of it Heb. 11. 1. But the Romish faith beeing no other in its owne nature but that which is common with the very Diuels by their owne confession is altogether without hope hauing no respect to things hoped for no more than the Diuels for all their faith haue Therefore the Romish faith is none of the true sauing iustifying faith There bee many other differences which follow in this Treatise In stead of adding more to this place it shall suffice to conclude this Chapter with the definition of sauing and iustifying faith which may fitly bee thus defined Iustifying faith is a speciall free gift of God his grace whereby a sinner beleeuing in or into Christ being thus vnited vnto him is made partaker of all Christs merits and righteousnesse and is by the same faith certainly and infallibly perswaded that all his sins are remitted and himselfe in Christ perfectly iustified in Gods sight this faith also as a liuing roote containing in it all other graces as hope loue patience humility c. For the proofe of each part of this definition we neede not here stand vpon as referring both to the foregoing and ensuing Chapters where they are amply proued Now that I call iustifying Faith a gift of God I note the efficient cause of it to be God whereby it is also distinguished from the faith of Diuels which cannot bee called the gift of God Secondly that I call it a free gift of Gods grace as Phil. 1. 29. this excludes all precedent workes in man as merits of congruity or of any preuious repentance making a man acceptable to receiue Faith in Christ which jumps with the merit of congruity Thirdly that I call it a speciall gift I exclude all reprobates from hauing any communion with this Faith it is specially and peculiarly and solely giuen to the Saints Iude 3. speciall also in regard of the nature of it being a gift of grace flowing from Gods special loue in Christ vnto his elect Saints Fourthly whereby a sinner c. I note that whoso hath this Faith is empty of all inherent righteousnesse of his own he must be a sinner the generall subiect wherein Faith dwelleth Fiftly by beleeuing in or into Christ I note the proper act of iustifying Faith differencing
it from all other kinds of faith as also that Christ is the proper obiect of iustifying Faith not the whole Word of God in generall Sixtly being by Faith vnited to Christ and so made partaker of all Christs merits and righteousnesse I note that Faith is the immediate instrument whereby wee are made one with Christ and so haue our perfect communion with him in all his righteousnesse and graces in so much as by vertue of this vnion by Faith Christ and all true beleeuers are all one mysticall Christ. Seuenthly by being certainly and infallibly perswaded of the remission of sinnes by faith I note the natiue property of iustifying Faith which is to assure a man of his saluation and that in a greater or lesser measure according to the proportion of Faith measured out vnto vs and that faith also assures vs of our iustification in Gods sight as laying hold vpon Christ who is our righteousnesse which certainety and assurance is such as it necessarily excludeth all vaine presumption For how can a man that is truely and infallibly certaine be sayd therein vainely to presume Lastly I call this Faith a liuing roote whence all other graces spring to note the true difference betweene this iustifying faith and the Pontifician faith which in its owne nature is dead vntill say they it bee quickened by charity infused into it to note also how vaine that common cauill and quarrell of Papists is against our doctrine of iustification by Faith alone as a doctrine tending say they to Libertinisme and to cast off all care of good workes whereas our faith whereby we are iustified is such as being not a dead but a liuing roote including in it all other graces it causeth the beleeuer to bee as a liuing tree planted by the riuers of waters and bringing forth his fruit in due season whose leafe also doth not wither and whatsoeuer he doth shall prosper CHAP. XIII Of the generalitie and vncertainety of Romane-Catholicke Faith the generalitie of it confuted by the contrary confirmed BEsides the forenamed properties and limitations of that kinde of faith which Pontificians appropriate to themselues though common by their owne confession with the Diuels and damned wee cannot omit two other speciall markes whereby they would dignifie and commend this their faith vnto the world The first whereof is the generality and implicity of this faith the second is the vncertainty of it Wee ioyne these two together generality and vncertainety because the former is a necessary inducement to the latter and as it were the foundation of Babels tottering Tower of vncertainty For grant once such a generality of faith as they require and the vncertainty of it will easily follow Now concerning generality of faith we noted before out of Soto that they vtterly disclaime that speciall faith in Christ in the promises of God in him I may here fitly apply that sentence vsed by his Excellent Maiestie in his late speech to the honorable house of Parliament which I humbly craue leaue to borrow Dolosus versatâ—r in vniuersalibus The deceitful man loueth to walke in vniuersalities or generalities The Pontificians in this their vniuersality or generality of faith deale like the timorous and therefore cautelous Hare who to deceiue her pursuers or tracers makes many doubles and crafty windings out and in that vneath it is for the most sagacious pursuer to deprehend or finde her out Their end is that faith in the height of sins deluge ouerflowing the soule might haue no solid and firme ground to pitch and rest her foote vpon And herein lyes the mystery of their Antichristian iniquity to pull men quite away from Christ that in matter of faith they may wholly depend vpon that Papall imaginary infallibility hauing no other security than to pin their soules vpon a sinnefull mans sleeue Which Vega doth not a whit dissemble saying Deus summam salutis fidelium in Sacerdotum posuit potestate That God hath placed the summe of the saluation of the faithfull in the power of the Priests the summe whereof is the Pope the Arch-priest But of this more in the proper place But for their faith it must bee generall in two respects first in respect of the generality of the obiect of Faith the whole Word of God as they say written and vnwritten an vnlimited obiect secondly in regard of the generality of men to be saued or iustified as they teach They must neither in particular beleeue the promises of God in Christ nor any man must beleeue that the promises of God belong vnto him in particular To which purpose Soto saith Fides Catholica Christianae familiae necessaria vtpote qua Christiani censemur non est specialis illa qua indubitato credit quisque ac constituit sibi remitti peccata propter Christum esse in gratia Dei sed ille assensus in genere quo firmiter credimus Iesum Christum vniuersalem esse Redemptorem c. that is The Catholick Faith necessary for the Christian family as whereby we are reputed Christians is not that speciall Faith whereby euery man doth vndoubtedly beleeue and resolue with himselfe that his sinnes are forgiuen him for Christs sake and that he is in the fauour of God but that generall assent whereby we firmely beleeue that Iesus Christ is the vniuersall Redeemer c. as we touched before Now the grounds of this their generall Faith wee finde in the sixt Chapter of the sixt Session of the Councell of Trent of the manner of preparation to iustification as first for the beliefe of things reuealed and promised the generall obiect of it and secondly In spem eriguntur fidentes Deum sibi propter Christum propitium fore c. Men are brought to hope beleeuing that God will bee or may bee mercifull to them for Christs sake Marke they doe not say beleeuing that God is mercifull vnto them but that hee will be or may be as Vega interprets it Se posse saluari that they may possibly be saued And when they speake of a particular iustification of any one man in the present tense then also they expresse it by an indefinite speech and generall phrase Credentes à Deo iustificari impium per gratiam eius c. Beleeuing that a sinner is iustified of God through his grace not that a mans selfe is iustified For for a man to beleeue in particular that himselfe is truely iustified by Christ such a man they anathematize and curse Can. 14. yea this Faith is so generall and so little respecteth Christ as the obiect of it as that Vega in his Commentary vpon the said sixt Chapter of the sixt Session saith Persuaderi potest non solum iustificari posse homines sed saluari sine fide Christi explicita It is very credible that men may not only be iustified but also saued without the explicite or cleare and vnfolded Faith of Christ. Where note that they not onely
dubium quin latinè possimus dicere apud Haereticos nostrae tempestatis non esse suae gratiae opinionem sed certitudinem Nor do we doubt but that we may say in plaine termes that the Heritiques of our time haue not an opinion of their grace or iustification but a certainety Note here iudicious Reader that the Pontificians doe allow of a certaine vncertaine particular certainety of Faith namely such as may bee eyther true or false They might better haue said iust nothing sauing that they cautelously put this clause by way of preuention that if a particular certainty of Faith bee neuer so manifestly proued yet it may proue at hap-hazzard eyther true or false And this Vega would demonstrate by a distinction saying There is a two-fold certainty Per se or Quoad nos Eyther a certainty in regard of the truth it selfe beleeued or in respect of our apprehension which may be deceiued according to the Councels own Text. In a word in his fift Chapter following hee sets downe foure limitations of certainety that are extra controuersiam without all controuersie allowed of the Pontificians First that euery man may haue a knowledge of his iustification by diuine reuelation and that this hath been truly reuealed to some holy men although but to few and them Gods greatest familiars as the blessed Virgin and the Apostles Secondly it is certaine that all righteous men may by some certaine signes and probable arguments or tokens and coniectures attaine to a probable notice and opinion or as they call it a coniecturall certitude of their iustification Thirdly saith he it is certaine that no mortall man without diuine reuelation can attaine in this life to the certainety of euidence of his iustification Fourthly it is also certaine that no man can without diuine reuelation certainely know anothers iustification vnlesse haply when he shall haue baptized a childe To these limitations wee may here adde the substance of that which Vega sets downe in the 46. Chapter of the same booke the title whereof is Possunt viri spirituales certitudinem assequi de sua gratia Spirituall men may attaine a certainty of their grace and iustification By spirituall men he vnderstandeth those that liue in a state of perfection as they terme it Yet this certainety is so rarely found among such as after much adoe and wauering this way and that way Vega being vncertaine what to thinke of this certainety at length hee is resolued vpon the point and giues vs a rare instance of Saint Anthony whose birth of faithull and religious Parents whose Christian and holy education whose firme faith in beleeuing all which the Church of Rome beleeueth whose care not to offend but to please God in all things whose voluntary pouerty whose inoffensiue and innocent life full of charity whose humility whose dayly comming to Masse and frequent Shrifts whose watchings and fastings and other infinit deuotions induced Vega to thinke that this certainty of saluation may haply bee found in some spirituall men But hee must bee a St. Anthony at the least who is possest with this certainety So few receiue this gift as Christ said of continency No not Martyrs themselues saith Vega Chapter 43. His words are Neque adduci possum vt credam aliquem Martyrem aut habuisse aut habere potuisse certitudinem de sua iustificatione c. Nor can I bee induced to beleeue saith hee that any Martyr eyther had or could haue the certainety of iustification vnlesse God reuealed it vnto him as also their perseuerance and crowne of blessednesse layd vp for them that so they might the more cheerefully and couragiously persist in their confession With these limitations doe the Pontificians confine their allowance of the certainty of Iustification First it is only generall not speciall or particular Secondly if particular there be any they say it may be true or false Thirdly this speciall certainty is giuen to none but by speciall reuelation and that to some speciall choyce persons as the blessed Virgin and the Apostles Fourthly iust men may haue some coniectural signes and probable opinions of their iustification Fifthly if any had this speciall certainty then certainly St. Anthony a priueledge which not euen the holy and faithfull Martyrs are capable off without speciall reuelation saith Vega. His reason is because euen Heretickes may be Martyrs and constantly dye for Christ. This is the state of Pontifician doctrine about certainety and vncertainety of faith in iustification Against which we oppose the truth of Catholick doctrine concerning the certainety of Faith First to their first limitation we oppose That the certainty of Faith is not generall but particular and speciall Secondly to the second that this certainty cannot be false but alwayes infallibly true and that not onely in regard of the truth of Gods word in generall which certainty may be in dogmaticall and historicall Faith but also of Gods speciall promises in Christ which it is the property of sauing faith certainely to apply and appropriate to the beleeuer that vndoubtedly they belong to him in particular Thirdly to the third that neyther this certainety is simply and only a speciall diuine reuelation nor peculiar onely to a few but it is the proper vertue of sauing and iustifying Faith and is in euery true beleeuer in whom true sauing faith is found Fourthly to the fourth that this certainety in euery man iustified is no coniecturall matter gathered by probable signes but a certaine cleare firme euidence of Faith Fiftly to the fift As for St. Anthony much might his priueledge be as hauing the Patronage of Pigs Cattel which the Priests do solemnly on St. Anthonies day blesse in his name and so they are free from all diseases and disasters all the yeare after and therefore the Pigges Masters or Dames are very Hogs if they requite not the Priests paines with the best Pigge But for all St. Anthonies workes of deuotion if they had beene of a far higher and holier nature they make but little for this euidence of certainety but rather the contrary For the more a man confides in his good workes the more vnsettled he is in the certainety of iustification And for Martyrs I meane Christs Martyrs if they haue not this certainty then none euer had it As for Heretickes they cannot dye for Christ while they dye in the quarrell of their Heresie Thus we haue the state of the question on both sides As for Veg's fourth allegation in his fifth Chapter forementioned That no man can certainely know but by speciall reuelation whether another man be iustified or no this is impertinent to the present purpose and so we leaue it extra controuersiam But display wee our forces now in the open field and try we our cause by the dint of truth First that the Pontificians should so stiffly stand for their vncertainty of Faith they haue great reason in regard it is the strongest supporter vncertaine as it is of the
very effect of Gods mercy applied sealed to the conscience by a liuely faith no less assured of the pardon of sin than the Niniuites were of the preseruation of their Citie Thus Vega's triumph is like his Country-treaties very plausible and currant will gaine much if but beleeued the cunning conueyances be not discouered And by this successe of Vega in this one authority which he sets down as a master-peece wee may easily sum vp the account of all his other allegations out of the Fathers for this purpose what will they amount to To the Fathers he addes the authority of Schoole-men for vncertainty of grace in his 14. Chapter and so forwards to the 19. Chapter But let him take his Schoole-men we doe not enuie the Councell of Trent their authority as out of whose Channels is gathered the Sinke of Romane-Catholick faith So that while Vega alledgeth his Schoole-men hee is as the Fish in the sea or a Cocke vpon his owne dunghill Herein I will doe as Christ directeth concerning the Pharisees let them alone they are all blinde leaders of the blinde And for Philosophers as Aristotle c. Vega will haue them all of his side and takes it in great snuffe that any aduersaries of Pontifician vncertainty should alledge any Philosopher to be for them As hee saith in his 44. Chapter in answer to those that produce euen Philosophicall reasons to oppugne vncertainty Laterem lauant cum nobis putant aduersari Aristotelem as much to say as in the Prouerbe They but wash the Blackamore when they thinke to haue Aristotle to be our aduersary Well let them take Aristotle the Schoole-Doctors Chapt. 14. Scotus Chapt. 15. famous Schooles Chapt. 16. Diuines Chap. 17. yea the infallible definition of the See Apostolique Chap. 18. when they haue done all what will they gaine but incertainty imbracing as Ixion an empty cloud of feare and perplexity in stead of Iuno the true substance of solid comfort They may be certain of keeping their weak fort of vncertainty vnsurprised the maintaining whereof brings vnto themselues in the end certaine ruine and sudden destruction Let Popish faith bee alwayes vncertaine doubtfull fearefull perplexed wauering with euery winde of errour of terror let it be such sith it will not sith it cannot bee any other than of those that beleeue and tremble as can neuer be perswaded of the remission of sinnes of Gods fauour and mercy in Christ. Seeing they will needs bee vncertaine let them be vncertaine as the Apostle saith Hee that is ignorant let him be ignorant In the meane time as we yeeld to the Pontificians the vncertainty of their faith so let them suffer vs to maintaine the certainty of true and sauing Catholick faith which is such as the gates of Hell shall neuer preuaile against True it is that Vega hath spent at the least 20. Chapters from the 19. to the 39. wherin he moyles in sweate and dust labouring to answer all obiections that his aduersaries bring for the confirmation of certainty of saluation wherein hee dealeth like a cunning theefe who knowing which way the Bloud-Hound will pursue him strawes saw-dust or some such like thing to sully the tract and dead the sent and at least to retarde and fore-slowe the pace of the pursuer while himselfe in the meane time may escape the more easily Or like the female Foxe which being pursued at the heeles with her traine dasheth her vrine into the dogs eyes that vneath they are able to pursue any further Such is Vega's holy water which he sprinckleth in our way thinking thereby to inueagle euen the most sagacious Or else he would put vs to our shifts as the Philistims did the Israelites who hauing taken all their armour and weapons from them would not suffer them the vse of any iron toole but such as they must frame in their Forge and sharpen with their tooles But blessed be God we are long ago freed from the spirituall bondage of these spirituall Philistims we can tell better how to weald our owne weapons and handle them better in our owne hands than according to the direction and limitation of these vsurpers and taking our owne weapons into our own hands wee shall the better defend the truth against all those oppositions which Vega with all his Pontifician power makes against it And when we haue spoken then as Iob said Mock on But fearing lest I haue tyred the Reader by leading him through the many windings of Pontifician Vncertainties which like an ignis fatuus may easily diuert the Traueller from his plaine path by leading him through inuious and wilde Wasts let vs here pawse and breathe a little and so pursue our purpose in an entire discourse by it selfe wherin also we must looke for sundry skirmishes and assaults which the aduersary will not let to make vpon our very Trenches CHAP. XV. Of the Certaintie of true sauing iustifying Catholicke Faith LEauing the Vncertainty of Saluation to the Pontificians as their vncertainty of Faith in regard of their incertainty in their grace incertainty in their baptisme incertainty in their Sacraments incertainty in their absolution incertainty in their Masse incertainty in their Priests disposition incertainty in their penance and conuersion incertainty in their contrition incertainty in their satisfaction and merits incertainty in their Monastical life incertainty in their Saints incertainty in their charity incertainty in their righteousnesse incertainty in their holy Ghost inhabiting in them incertainty in their in ucation incertainty in their laying downe their life for Christ their incertainety in purgatory while they acknowledge none other certainty but a morall coniecturall certainety which at the best is doubtfull and deceitfull all which not only Soto and Vega but also Bellarmine in his Bookes of iustification iustifying all that eyther the Councell of Trent or her Commentators Vega and Soto or Andradius and others their fellowes haue writ concerning this point yea and much more but that I would not goe out of my Text and prefixed bounds of the Councels proper Commentaries haue amply set down Come we now to encounter this Romane Catholique vncertainty with the Catholique doctrine of the certainty of Faith But before we can come to lay a firme foundation of this certainty of Faith which Pontificians call nothing else but a vaine hereticall presumption wee must digge vp and remoue one maine heape of Rubbish and Sand which the Pontificians haue put to choke vp the hauen of true rest and to vndermine all certainty of Faith and whereon they haue cobbled vp their tottering Tower of vncertainty for the maine ground of their vncertainty is the authority of the Church on which must depend the verity and certainty of the Scriptures themselues Which being so what maruaile is it if they vtterly renounce all Certainety of Faith and of Saluation For what certainty of Faith can there bee if the holy Scriptures the obiect and ground of Faith be not certaine
should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me Now if we obserue the occasion of this saying of Augustine it will easily appeare that hee had no such meaning as to preferre the authority of the Catholicke Church before the authority of the holy Scriptures for then hee should with one breath contradict the whole tenure of all his writings wherein hee still aduanceth the authority of the Scriptures aboue all as irrefragable supreame and subiect to no authority Now the occasion of this speech of Augustine was this Manicheus a grand Heretique writes an Epistle to Augustine wherein he stiles himselfe Manichaeus Apostolus Iesu Christi prouidentia Dei Patris that is Manicheus the Apostle of Iesus Christ by the prouidence of God the Father Whereupon Augustine saith Haec sunt salubria verba de perenni ac viuo fonte These are wholesome words from the eternall liuing fountain But with your good patience saith Augustine if it please you obserue what I require Non credo istum esse Apostolum Christi quaeso ne succenseatis malediâ—ere incipiatis c. I doe not beleeue that this is an Apostle of Christ I pray you bee not angry and fall a reuiling for you know that I am resolued to beleeue nothing rashly that you say I aske therefore who this Manicheus is you will answer me an Apostle of Christ. I doe not beleeue it Now thou hast nothing what to say or doe for thou didst promise me the knowledge of the truth and now thou constrainest mee to beleeue that which I know not But haply thou wilt reade the Gospell vnto me and out of that thou wilt assay to proue the person of Manicheus Now if thou shouldst finde any man who as yet doth not beleeue the Gospell what wouldst thou doe if he said vnto thee I doe not beleeue it Ego vero Euangelio non crederem nisi c. For I should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me Quibus ergo c. whom then I haue obeyed when they said Beleeue the Gospell why should I not beleeue them saying vnto me Doe not beleeue Manicheus Elige quid velis Choose which thou wilt If thou wilt say Beleeue the Catholickes they admonish mee to giue no credit to you Wherefore giuing credit to them I cannot but not beleeue thee if thou shalt say Doe not beleeue the Catholickes thou goest not the right way to compell me by the Gospell to the faith of Manicheus seeing I beleeued the Gospell it selfe being preached vnto mee by the Catholickes And so forth to this purpose Augustine pursueth his discourse So we see the question is about the truth of Manicheus his title calling himselfe an Apostle of Iesus Christ c. This hee obtrudes and thrusts vpon Augustine to giue credit to it Augustine and that worthily makes question of it Hee would haue him proue it by the Gospell Well But Manicheus foysteth in some counterfeit Gospell wherein he stiles himselfe an Apostle of Iesus Christ a Gospell that was neuer acknowledged for Canonicall Scripture But Manicheus will haue it receiued for Gospell How shall it be tryed Is it therefore Gospel because Manicheus saith it Or doth the Gospell depend vpon the testimony of one man No saith Augustine Pagan-Infidels are brought to receiue and beleeue the Gospell by the preaching of the Catholicke Church which hath from time to time kept the Canon of Scriptures intire without the mixture of counterfeit Gospels By this authority of the Catholicke Church to wit by the preaching of the Gospell by the Church Augustine himselfe when hee was a Manichee was wonne to the faith of the Gospell Hence it is that instancing himselfe for one that as yet beleeued not the Gospell hee saith Ego non crederem Euangelio c. I should not that is I if I were as once I was an vnbeleeuing Manichee I should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me So that hee makes the comparison betweene the authority of the Catholicke Church and the authority of one man Manicheus The question is Whether Augustine if he were a neutrall beleeuer as yet neyther beleeuing that Gospell which Manicheus bringeth neuer heard of before nor that which the Catholicke Church preacheth and hath euer taught should rather bee induced by the peremptory authority of one sole man to beleeue a new Gospell than by the authenticke authority of the Catholick Church of Christ to beleeue the euerlasting Gospell of Iesus Christ comprehended in both the Testaments and perpetually receiued preserued professed preached and beleeued of the Catholicke Church from all ages In this case Augustine inclines cleaues to the authority of the Catholick Church And what true Catholicke doth not reuerence the authority of the Church of God bringing him to Christ by the preaching of the Gospell as the Samaritan woman brought her neighbour Citizens to Christ But being brought vnto Christ after they had heard him themselues they said to the woman Now we beleeue not because of thy saying for wee haue heard him our selues and know that this is indeede the Christ the Sauiour of the world So euery beleeuer may say I was first induced and as it were led by the hand and voice of the Church to beleeue the Gospell of Christ but after that I haue heard receiued and beleeued Christ himselfe speaking in the Scriptures I now beleeue not for the Church or any mans saying but for the authority of Christ and the Scriptures themselues As Augustine ingeniously saith to Paulina Nolo authoritatem meam sequaris vt c. I would not haue you follow my authority that you should therefore thinke it necessary to beleeue any thing because it is spoken by mee but beleeue eyther the Canonicall Scriptures or the truth that doth inwardly teach and giue testimony thereof For if a truth bee once confirmed by the euident authority of holy Scriptures to wit those which in the Church are called Canonicall it is without all doubting to be beleeued And in his third booke against Maximinus an Arrian Bishop disputing about the word Homousion Augustine saith Nec ego Nicenum nec tu debeâ— Ariminense c. Neyther ought I to vrge the authority of the Nicene Councell nor you that of Ariminum for neyther am I bound to the authority of this nor you of that but both of vs are bound to the authorities of the Scriptures common witnesses to vs both and vnpartiall to eyther So let thing with thing cause with cause reason with reason contend Such was the Catholicke Doctrine of those times wherein Augustine liued that the authority of the Canonicall Scriptures was aboue all other authority eyther of Bishops or prouinciall Synods or generall Councels In those times the man of sinne had not thus exalted himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped as to vsurpe
Gods Aqua coelestis is neuer wanting to reuiue it Faith may for the time bee asleepe in a mans heart as Christ was in the ship while the heart is euen couered ouer with waues of temptations yet being awakened by prayer by and by the Coast is cleered againe and faith recouering its natiue strength assureth the heart as the Angell did Paul in that dangerous Nauigation That none in this litle Barke of ours shall perish but safely arriue vpon the Honey-hauen of Melita euen at that true Honey-flowing-land of Canaan Indeede Faith suffereth many paroxismes or fits of tentations but all such fits are but as so many fits of an Ague in the Spring which make a man the healthier and stronger all the yeare after What if Faith now and then doe sleepe yet sleepe wee know though it binde vp and as it were deaden the senses for the time that vneath a man sleeping is discerned from a dead man yet this very deepe sleepe tends to the refection of the body and makes it arise more vigorous euen as a Gyant refresht with wine or as a Dazie drooping all the night displayes its cheerfull lookes at the approach of the morning sunne The Sunne may bee eclypsed or clouded a while but anon breakes through all interpositions and oppositions with the fresh darts of his piercing beames and during the Eclipse it lacked none of its light in our vnderstanding but we lacked the light of it in our sense So Faith may be eclipsed or ouer-clouded with tentations for a time yet lose none of its vertue sauing onely we are not so sensible of it till at length it haue ouercome the tentation The fire that is raked vp close vnder the embers though it cannot now be seene yet it is fire still and is the better peserued against the next morning to feede vpon new fewell So Faith though it bee not easily discerned while it lyeth couered vnder the dead ashes of deepe contrition and humiliation for sinne and of mortification yea of tentation yet it is the better preserued that while heauinesse for sinne may endure for a night yet the ioy of Faith returnes in the morning as it were feeding it selfe with new workes of obedience flaming forth in a Christian life So that Faith be it lesse or more is alwayes in its own nature certaine though not alwaies alike in our sense and apprehension The most fruitfull Tree is not free from windes and tempests whereby it is shrewdly shaken yet for all that it is not hindred but rather helped as the Philosophers speake in bringing forth more plentifull fruit in his season sith the roote thereof firmely fastned in the ground is not loosened but rather inlarged to receiue a fresh supply of sappe from the earth to become the more fruitfull Such is a faithfull man whom Dauid compares to a Tree planted by the riuers of water who though he be shaken with sundry windes of temptation yet he bringeth forth his fruit in due season his leafe not withering and his actions prospering sith his Faith as the roote is fixed in Christ hauing the Riuer of the water of life flowing from Gods holy Spirit to nourish it continually for as Esay saith Chap. 27. 10. In measure in the branches thereof wilt thou contend with it in the day when hee bloweth with his fierce winde God moueth the branches of his liuing Trees and that in measure by afflictions and temptations but the rootes are vntouched A ship wee see lying at hull in the Harbour is tossed and tumbled on this side and that side yet being fastned by the Anchor it is not subiect to wracke yea being now vnder sayle exposed to the windes and waues yet it is wafted onwards to the intended Port by the direction of the wise Pilot sitting and steering the Helme according to his Card and Compasse So the faithfull man euen when he rides securely in the Harbour of Tranquility as Dauid did Psal. 30. when hee said In my prosperity I shall neuer bee moued yet God turning away his face for the time hee is troubled but keeping his Anchor-hold of hope both sure and stedfast and adhering to God by faithfull prayer and humble supplication he is preserued from wracke keeping still his faithful station Or let him lanch out into the Deepe and hoyse vp saile for some noble voyage though he be driuen with fierce windes yet Gods Spirit sitting and steering the Helme of his Faith by the Card of Gods Word he bringeth him at length safely to the Hauen where hee would be although through most extreame difficulties So wee see the fruit of sauing Faith may bee suppressed yet the roote not supplanted the act of it may be suspended yet the habit not lost Faith may sleepe and yet liue it may be eclipsed yet hold on his course faint yet not faile sicke yet not to death bruised yet not broken to peeces shaken and weather-beaten yet not suffer vtter shipwracke languish yet not perish Bernard alledging St. Augustines words to wit Fides non coniectando vel opiniando habetur in corde in quo est ab eo cuius est sedcerta scientia acclamante conscientia that is Faith is found in the heart wherein it is of him whose it is not by coniecture or opinion but by certaine knowledge the conscience according with it Bernard thereupon inferreth these words Ego securus in Magistri Gentium sententiam pergo scio quoniam non confundar Placet mihi fateor illius de fide definitio Fides est ait substantia rerum sperandarum argumentum non apparentium Substantia inquit rerum sperandarum non inanium phantasia coniecturarum Substantia nomine aliquid tibi certum â—ixumque praefigitur Non est enim fides estimatio sed certitudo I doe securely follow the iudgement of the Teacher of the Gentiles and I know that I shall not bee confounded His definition of Faith I confesse pleaseth me well Faith saith he is the substance of things hoped for and the euidence of things not seene The substance of things hoped for not the phantasie of vaine coniectures Vnder the name of substance thou hast something certaine and fixed layd downe For faith is not opinion but certainty So Bernard And this was the Catholicke Doctrine of the ancienter Fathers of the Church St. Chrysostome vpon the wordes of the Apostle Heb. 10. 19. Hauing therefore Brethren boldnesse to enter into the most holy by the bloud of Iesus saith Whence is this boldnesse from remission of sins And vpon the 22. vers Let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith c. Hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which of vs draw neare Hee that is holy by faith And that with a true heart in full assurance of Faith How is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wee must so beleeu as if we did with our eies behold things visible before vs. And much more certainely
driuen out of themselues to seeke rest in God but that in a Babylonish and confused mixture of a high and lowe conceipt of themselues they might build an imaginary Tower reaching vp to Heauen whose foundation and whose fabricke is nothing else but tottering vncertainty And were it not that God had altogether confounded these Babylonish builders not onely in their language but in their very iudgements me thinkes in their naturall policy they might haue salued or saued the credit of their disposition which otherwise they so much adore by not mentioning it at all and in stead thereof haue magnified their naturals and inherentrighteousnesse to the very skyes and so all their certainty of saluation would euen mole sua of it owne accord fall to the ground according to their owne desire For once perswade a man that his saluation hath but any part of dependance vpon his owne naturall abilities and then the more you possesse him with an opinion of his owne worth the further off he is from all true certainty of saluation For as the deeper Seas haue the loftier surges tossing the ship now vp to Heauen now downe to Hell so that the passengers stagger too and fro like a drunken man and are at their wits end as Dauid speaks So the higher a man is mounted from the firme ground of sole sauing Faith vpon the swelling surges of his owne inherent righteousnesse the more is his conscience vpon euery winde of temptation rowled vp and downe now to the top of vaine presumption now to the bottome of deepe despaire hauing not the least anchor-hold of true hope whereon to stay his brittle Barke But sith the Pontificians acknowledge no other iustification but that which is inherent whereupon doth necessarily follow vncertainty as a fruit of the same tree and seeing this certainty at the best can be no other but a vaine presumption and false confidence which they maliciously brand the certainty of true Faith withall therfore let them at their pleasure cry vp or cry downe their own coyne to hold their Merchants in suspense of making any sauing trade by the certainty of saluation because such certainty grounded vpon their inherent righteousnesse must needes be meere presumption CHAP. XVI Of Pontifician vncertainty in regard of predestination and perseuerance in grace THE Pontificians denying the certainty of predestination and so consequently of perseuerance in grace do make the vncertainty of both the maine ground to build the vncertainty of their faith vpon Concerning predestination the Trent-Councell saith in the 12. Chapter the title whereof is To take heed of the rash presumption of predestination Nemo quamdiu in hac mortalitate viuitur de arcano diuinae praedestinationis mysterio vsque adeo praesumere debet vt certò statuat se omnino esse in numero praedestinatorum quasi verum esset quod iustificatus aut ampliu◠peccare non possit aut si peccauerit certam sibi resipiscentiam promittere debeat Nam nisi ex speciali reuelatione sciri non potest quos Deus sibi elegerit that is No man while hee liueth in this mortality ought so to presume of the secret mysterie of diuine predestination as that he certainly beleeues hee is altogether in the number of the predestinate as if it were true that a man once iustified eyther cannot sinne any more or if hee sinne ought to promise to himselfe certaine repentance For it cannot be knowne but by speciall reuelation whom God hath elected to himselfe Note here that the Councell puts no difference betweene the certainty of faith concerning predestination and rash presumption still referring all certainty to speciall reuelation from God So that I would aske these Pontifician Fathers that if a man by speciall reuelation being assured of his predestination should thereupon confidently affirme that hee is certainly in the number of Gods elect and predestinate vnto life eternall whether they would not also iudge this to bee rash presumption But this by the way And Chapter 13. the title whereof is Of the gift of perseuerance Similiter de perseuerantiae munere de quo scriptum est c. Likewise of the gift of perseuerance whereof it is written he that shall endure to the end he shall be saued c. Nemo sibi certi aliquid absoluta certitudine polliceatur tametsi in Dei auxilio c. Let no man promise to himselfe any certainty by an absolute assurance although all men ought to place and repose a most firme hope in Gods helpe c. but with feare and trembling let them worke out their saluation in labours in vigils in almes-deedes in prayers in oblations in fastings and in chastity for they ought to bee fearefull knowing that they are borne againe vnto the hope of glorie but not yet vnto glory c. Note here that the Pontifician Councell calleth perseuerance a speciall gift of God thereby meaning that it is a gift meerly distinct from faith no fruit of iustifying faith Now the Catholick Doctrine teacheth that although perseuerance be a gift of God yet it is not so distinct from true sauing faith but that it is also a proper fruit thereof Note here also how though in generall they say that all men ought to haue a most firme hope in Gods helpe yet their maine doctrine is to driue men to fearfulnesse and doubtfulnesse what shall become of them seeing they tye their gift of perseuerance to the most vncertaine condition of their owne standing As the Councell elsewhere saith Deus sua gratia semel iustificatos non deserit nisi ab eis priùs descratur God doth not forsake those that are once iustified by his grace vnlesse first he be forsaken of them But come we to the Commentaries vpon this Text of the Councell First concerning the point of predestination whereon depends perseuerance in grace I commend the Reader to the History of the Councell of Trent where he may in one briefe view see how humane deuices and labyrinths of vngrounded distinctions were set on worke to vndermine this foundation some of them holding the Orthodoxe truth concerning election and reprobation alledging the example of Iacob and Esau Rom. 9. together with sundry other proofes out of the Scriptures But a second sort condemning this as a hard cruell inhumane horrible and impious opinion that it made God an accepter of persons vniust that it ouerthrew free-will that it drowned men in the gulfe of despaire that it made others carelesse and presumptuous And therefore that God willing to haue all men saued purposed to offer the same meanes to all and whom he fore-saw would apply their free-will to receiue grace offered those he predestinated to be saued Others whom he fore-saw would not obey but refuse to cooperate with God those he did reprobate to damnation Otherwise there appeared no reason why God in the Scriptures so often complaines of sinners labours to reclaime them and win them vnto him if there were not in
away were once in the true faith and therefore a man may fall away from true faith and consequently from grace finally and totally But Saint Augustine cleareth this in many places of his Bookes shewing that a man cannot fall away from the faith of the elect As Fides Christi fides gratiae Christianae id est ea fides quae per dilectionem operatur posita in fundamento neminem perâ—â— permittit The faith of Christ the faith of Christian grace to wit that faith which worketh by loue being built vpon the foundation permitteth none to perish And therefore where hee speakes of such as were once in the faith and fall from it hee meaneth not the proper faith of the Elect but the common faith of Christians As he also saith Appellamus nos electos Christi Discipulos Dei Filios quia siâ— appellandi sunt quos regeneratos pâ—è viuere cernimus We doe call men euen the elect Disciples of Christ and the Sonnes of God because they are so to bee called whom we see to be regenerate and to liue godly but if they haue not perseuerance they are not truely called sith they are called that which they are not And therefore Quia non habuerunt perseuerantiam sicut non verè Discipuli Christi ita nec verè Filij Dei fuerunt etiam quando esse videbantur ita vocabantur Because they had not perseuerance as they were not truely Christs Disciples so neyther were they truely the Sons of God euen when they seemed to be so and were called so Of this sort and sense is another place of St. Augustine to bee taken which the Author of the new Gagge for the old Goose for haste as Charity may deeme rather than eyther of malice or ignorance not easily incident to a man of such rare and extraordinary learning hath perhaps casually in such a swift flowing current of discourse dropped from his Goose-quill His allegation out of St. Augustine is in these words Credendum est quosdam de filijs perditionis non accepto dono perseuerantiae vsque in finem in fide quae per dilectionem operatur incipere viuere aliquandiu fideliter iustè viuere postea cadere neque de haâ— vita priusquam hoc eis contingat auferri The author of the Gagge seemeth to alledge this place to proue that a man may totally fall away from grace sith from faith working by loue And the words as he alledgeth them seeme to fauour that opinion as if it were Augustines definitiue conclusion for all peremptorily to beleeue it Credendum est But as a guelt man though he haue all the other signes of a man hath lost his virility the chiefe difference of his Sexe so this sentence being but a little guelt how much is it made to degenerate from the Masculine stile of St. Augustine For Augustine speaking there of the gift of perseuerance inferreth this sentance thus Propter huius vtilitatem secreti credendum est quosdam c. For the benefit of this secret to wit of perseuerance credendum est where wee are to note that these first words left out by the Author are a speciall qualification and limitation of our faith herein namely how farre forth and in what respect Augustine would haue vs thinke so that men may fall from that faith which worketh by loue to the end that thereby they should bee more carefull to keepe their standing therefore he saith Propter huius vtilitatem secreti A clause in no case to bee neglected for little though it bee it leaueneth and seasoneth the whole lumpe As the same Augustine elsewhere saith Deus melius esse iudicauit miscere quosdam non perseueraturos certo numero Sanctorum suorum vt quibus non expedit in huius vitae tentatione securitas non possint esse securi God iudged it better to mingle some that should not perseuere with the certaine number of his Saints that they for whom security in the tentation of this life is not expedient might learne not to be secure Now that Augustine by that faith working by loue mentioned in the former allegation from whence he would haue vs beleeue for our owne profit and proficiency in perseuering that the reprobate fall did not meane that true reall faith of the Saints and Elect which worketh by loue but onely such a faith in appearance and common account besides many other places and those also which we haue forecited that one may conuince it where he saith vpon 2. Tim. 2. 19. Horum fides quae per dilectionem operatur profecto aut omnino non deficit aut si qui sunt quorum deficit reparatur antequam vita ista finiatur deleta quae intercurrerat iniquitate vsque in finem perseuerantia deputatur The faith of those which worketh by loue eyther doth not faile at all or if there be any whose faith doth faile it is repaired before this life be ended and the inquity which came betweene being blotted out perseuerance is deputed euen vnto the end Yea he saith definitiuely Fides eius qui aedificatur super Petram pro qua etiam or auit Christus ne deficiat non deficit His faith that is built vpon the Rocke for the which also Christ prayed that it should not faile faileth not And Christ saith expresly That the house built vpon the Rocke faileth not but standeth firme against all windes and waues of tentations The Rocke is Christ and the house vpon this Rocke is euery true beleeuer But say that former allegation out of Augustine had beene altogether set downe by him eyther in those termes or in that sense as the Author citeth it what if one such speech tending that way should haue fallen from that excellent holy man shall that one preponderate the whole tenure of St Augustines workes Nay rather let it bee interpreted by his other sayings than they be ouerthrowne and euacuate by this And let the learned Author of that booke of the Gagge so maintaine the truth of Christ in the maine current of his other writings as they may not only extenuate but wholly expiate and expunge to omit other things at least this blot dropping from his penne Augustine though a most excellent light in Gods Church yet wherein he saw his errours such was his rare humility and dextrous ingenuity hee writ a Booke of Retractations But for his Doctrine in the point of the Saints perseuerance in the state of grace vnto the end it is so cleare and consonant to the Scriptures that it needes no retractation and as vneasie it is almost by any wit to bee peruerted as subuerted Onely let not a misalledged place or a mis-conceiued allegation out of Augustine stand as the Rest whereon the state of the Doctrine of the Church of England must lye at hazzard Nor euer let it be said that the Doctrine of the faith of the Church of England is any other
than the Doctrine of the Catholick faith which is built vpon the holy Scriptures the onely adaequate obiect and rule of Catholike faith Now the ground and foundation of perseuerance in grace vnto the end is the eternall decree and act of Gods good pleasure and will in predestinating and electing a certaine number of men out of the corrupt masse of mankinde to be saued in and through Iesus Christ. So that the certainty of perserance of the elect Saints depends vpon the immutability of that foundation of God which stands sure and hath Gods seale vpon it The Lord knoweth who are his And it is worth the noting yea very materiall for the vnderstanding of the scope of the Apostle in that place to obserue the words immediatly going befoee vers 18. where speaking of the heresie of Hymeneus and Phileâ—us by whose meanes the faith of some was ouerthrowne and least some hereupon might conclude that therefore Gods elect may fall away from faith the Apostle preuents or at least remoues that obiection inferring in the next words Neuerthelesse the foundation of God stands sure c. Yea this foundation of God stands so sure as that it stands not idle and empty but still in all ages in all places where Christ is preached the elect are effectually called and built vpon it vntill the full and finall consummation of the holy and heauenly Temple of God So that as the Apostle saith Whom God did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also iustified and whom hee iustified them hee also glorified Note here the golden chaine of mans saluation Our glorification is chained to our iustification our iustification to our effectuall vocation our effectuall vocation iustification glorification begunne here in grace and consummate hereafter in glory are all chained inseparably to predestination Gods foundation Whereupon S. Augustine saith Quos praedestinauit ipsos vocauit illa scilicet vocatione secundum propositum non ergo alios sed quos praedestinauit ipsos vocauit nec alios sed quos ita vocauit ipsos iustificauit nec alios sed quos praedestinauit vocauit iustificauit ipsos glorificauit illo vtique fine qui non habet finem Whom he predestinated them he also called to wit with that calling which is according to his purpose therefore none else but whom hee predestinated them he also called nor any others but whom he so called them he also iustified nor any others but whom he hath predestinated called iustified them he hath also glorified vnto the end that hath no end And De fide ad Petrum Diaconum cap. 3. Illi cum Christo regnabunt quos Deus gratuita bonitate sua praedestinauit ad Regnum quoniam tales praedestinando praeparauit vt Regno digni essent praeparauit vtique secundum propositum vocandos vt obediant praeparauit iustificandos vt accepta gratia rectè credant bene viuant praeparauit etiam glorificandos vt Christi cohaeredes effecti Regnum coelorum sine fine possideant They shall reigne with Christ whom God of his free goodnesse hath predestinated to the Kingdome for because by predestinating he hath prepared such that they should be worthy of the Kingdome he hath prepared them to be called according to his purpose that they should obey hee hath prepared them to be iustified that hauing receiued grace they should beleeue aright and liue well he hath prepared them also to be glorified that being made coheires with Christ they might possesse the Kingdome of heauen without end Thus we see the maine reason of the Saints perseuerance in grace vnto the end is grounded vpon the immutability of Gods election So that the enemies of the truth and of Gods glory and louers of their owne glory know well enough that their Doctrine of vncertainty and of falling away from grace cannot stand so long as Gods foundation remaineth sure therefore they haue laboured tooth and nayle to vndermyne and blow vp this foundation of God that so men might be as a tottering house built vpon the sand or as a Ship without an anchor tossed vp and downe and running vpon the danger of euery rocke and shelue as St. Iames compares the faithlesse man to the winde-driuen waue Iames 1. 6. Now as God hath preordained and elected vs as to the end of our saluation so to the meanes ordinary and conditionall the Word and Sacraments whereby wee should be in time effectually called to imbraoe by faith the onely absolute meanes of our saluation Iesus Christ in whom we are elected and by whom we are mightily saued So also hee hath ordained and appointed vs vnto holinesse of life and conuersation wherein we should walke and perseuere vnto the end of this life as it is in the definition For good workes being the proper immediate and necessary fruits of iustifying Faith they become also the ordinary high-way to the Kindgome They are via Regni though not causa Regnandi the way of the Kingdome but not the cause of making vs Kings Hereupon the Apostle saith Ephes. 1. 4. That God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue And Chapt. 2. 10. We are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them Here the Apostle speakes of the new creature of the regenerate man created or re-created in Christ Iesus created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes that we should walke in them For the good workes of a regenerate man as they are euidences of true faith so they are excellent meanes to preserue vs from falling and to make vs perseuere in grace vnto the end Therfore St. Peter saith 2. Pet. 1. 10. Wherefore Brethren the rather giue diligence to make your calling and election sure for if yee doe these things ye shall neuer fall These things namely such as hee spake of in the fift sixt and seuen Verses to wit all kinde of good workes For so saith he an entrance shall be ministred vnto you aboundantly into the euerlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. Obiect But some will here obiect that for as much as the Apostle doth vse If here as putting the assurance of our election vpon Ifs and And 's therefore if a man continue not to doe these things he shall fall and so consequently the assurance of our perseuerance is only conditionall So that it rests in vs eyther to stand or fall from grace Answ. For answer hereunto True it is that the aduersaries of this truth catch at all shadowes whereby they may any way obscure this cleare Doctrine that so all men might remaine still in the shadow of death as Adam would haue done when he thought to hide himselfe from God by taking shrowd vnder the shadowie trees Hereunto they adde sundry places of Scripture as all such where there is eyther