man iustifyed by Fayth The second act of comfortable assurance doth not as he sayth actiuely iustify but finding the thing done certifyeth and assureth vs of it the first doth but impetrate obtaine and procure it by way of request no act can he assigne betweene the first and the second therefore no act of fayth can he assigne whereby he may be formally iustifyed On the other fide I thinke the Protestants petition which humbly intreateth for acception and fauour must needes proceed from fayth For how shall they humbly ad Rom. â—â— v. 14. intreate How shall they inâ—ocate in whome they haue not beleeued Beleeue then they do before they intreate and yet they are not iust therefore Fayth alone doth not iustify but only by way of impetration by stirring vp our affections and exciting our will to craue and desire it which with S. Augustine and the whole schoole of Catholike August ep 105. de praedest Sanctor c. 7. Deuines we willingly imbrace And to which M. Feild must at length retire for rest and safeguard or els well canuased he is driuen to the wall which way soeuer he turneth 10. The fifth argument which I meane to prosecute is of the regeneration of young baptized Infants who Feild in his 3. booke â— 44. fol. 179. cannot be iustifyed by an act of special fayth because they can haue none as M. Field accordeth with vs but by the habituall qualityes or inherent habits of Fayth Hope and Charity therefore all others are iustifyed by the like because the same spirit of adoption the same title of diuin Augu. l. 1. cont 2. ep Pelag. â— 7. c 21. l. 1. deÌ„ pecc meri c. â—â— ep 157. Marc vlt. v. 16. Act. Apost c. 8. v. 37. filiation the same new birth and regeneration in Christ the same seed of life the same formall cause of iustification is in euery one of these faythful in euery child of God in euery state whatsoeuer as S. Augustine teacheth 11. Likewise when the Adulâ—i or such as arriue to the vse of reason are baptized fayth is required as a necessary disposition for them worthily to receaue the grace of Baptisme therefore our Sauiour sayd He that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued And S. Philip to the Eunuch desirous to be christned answered If thou beleeue withall thy hart thou mayst But the Fayth which Christ the fayth which Philip exacted before Baptisme was no doubt true perfect fayth that fayth which togeather with the SacrameÌ„t was sufficient to saluation and yet that fayth alone did not iustify or if it did it remitted them their sinnes it regenerated and implanted them in Christ acheiued before all those heanenly effects for which that holy Sacrament was ordayned in vaine then was it instituted in vaine was it after applyed No say you it is after applyed as a signe or seale of regeneration as the outward pledge of adoption Rogers art 27. VVhitak l. 1. aduers Duraeum fol. 675. Calu. l. 4. instit c. 24. §. 3. Calu. ibid. as an addition to confirme and ratify the promise of God to establish vs in the fayth thereof But this pledge seale and addition is not requisite in the behalfe of God for his truth sayth Caluin is by it selfe sound and certaine though and cannot from any other where receaue better confirmation them from it selfe Neither is it needfull for the ignorance as he fancieth and dulnesse of Protestants for their speciall affiance being as they bragge certaine knowne and infallible iustifying fayth giueth them more assurance of the remission of their sinnes and promises of God applyed vnto them then any outward signes or additions whatsoeuer Againe the performance 2. Pet. 1. v. 10. of good workes to which S. Peter exhorteth the word of God heard or read is more apt and efficacious to excite and stir vp our Fayth to confirme vs therin then the dumbe elements of water bread and wine which you only vse Besides the Scriptures and Fathers attribute vnto Baptisme not only the force of a signe or seale to Tit. 3. v. 5. Ioan. 3. Ephes 5. 1. Cor. 6. Ambr. l. â— de Sacraâ— c. 4. Leo. serm â— de natiuiitat Clement Alex. l. 1. paeda c. 6. Basil l. c. de spirit sant cap. 15. Hier. l. 3. cont Pelag Hilar. in psal 65. Tertul. l. de Bapt. c. 1. Dion c. 3. Eccles Hiera p. 1. Nazian in sanctum lauacrum Aug. in psal 73. l. 19. in Faust c. 13. Iren. l. 4. cont baer c. â—0 Chrys bo 17. in Gen. Orig. bom 3. in Gen. Epiphan baer 30. Basil l. de spir sanct c. 14. Euseb Caesar l. 1 demon Euan. c. 10 â— bistor c. 1. Emisbom in Sabb. post 1. Domin Quadr. Ambr. â—p 72. ad Iren. in cap. 4. ad Rom. August ep 19. ad Hier. tract 41. in Ioan. q. 25. in â— Numer ratify grace but the true efficacy of an instrumentall cause to iustify and cleanse our soules from the filth of sinne therefore sound and entiere fayth which goeth before as a preparation necessary doth not worke the effect but the Sacrament which is after ministred Whereupon it is tearmed not the pledge or token but the lauer of regeneration by which we are borne a new are cleansed are washed from sinne So S. Ambrose also sayth of the baptized By this fountaine he hath passed from thinges earthly to heauenly from sinne to life from fault to grace from defilement to sanctification S. Leo The power of the most high which made that Mary brought forth a Sauiour doth make that the water regenerateth the beleeuer S. Clemens Alexandrinus tearmeth Baptisme the grace perfection illumination and lauer by which we are washed and wipe away sinnes S. Basil S. Hierom S. Hilary and Tertullian haue the like 12. S. Denis S. Gregory Nazianzen and other also of the Greeke Fathers call Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illuminationem illumination because in Baptisme man is illuminated and enlightned with the fayth of Christ he receaueth the fellowship or society of the first and increated light and the beginning or head spring of all diuine and celestiall illustrations as the same S. Denis affirmeth S. Augustine assigneth this difference betweene the Sacraments of the old and the new Law that they promised a Sauiour these affoard saluation that these are greater in vertue for profit and vtility better They according to S. Irenâ—us S. Chrysostome Origen Epiphanius Eusebius Caesariensis and Emissenus S. Ambrose and S. Augustine were signes and shaddowes only euen Circumcision in the opinion of some their chiefest ceremony which betokned the verity of our Sacraments yielding and exhibiting Grace And S. Basil sayth that the Baptisme of Basil hom 1. de Bapt. Christ giueth the Holy Ghost which the Baptisme of Iohn did not giue 13. Which it hath pleased also our mighty Soueraigne K. Iames in his answere to Card. Peron fol. 32. in Latin fol. 20. in
powred into our harts men are iust whosoeuer are iust Moreouer conferring the law written in tables of stone with the law of Grace engrauen in our harts he auoucheth That was written out of man that it might terrify him this in man himselfe that it might intrinsecally iustify him Further This iustice of ours is the grace of Christ regenerating vs De spirit lit c. 17. by the holy Ghost In fine explicating these wordes of the the Apostle The iustice of God by faith of Iesus Christ which the Caluinists glose to be that which is resident in Christ De peccat reâ—is c. 25. S. Augustine expoundeth thus The Iustice of God by fayth of Iesus Christ that is by fayth wherewith we belieue in Christ for as that fayth is called Christs not by which Christ belieues so that Rom. 3. v. 22. Aug. de spirit lit c. 9. cap. 11. iâ— psal 30. Conc. 1. tract 26. in Ioan. Iustice is called Gods not whereby God is iust both of them fayth and iustice be ours but therefore they are tearmed Gods Christs because through their liberalâ—â—y they are giuen to vs. 6. The third and chiefest point whereby the former two are more strongly confirmed that our inherent iustice doth truly iustify vs in the sight of God the Apostle himselfe manifestly teacheth saying As by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so also by the obedience of one many shall be made iust For the fall of Adam made vs truly sinners by inward infection before the face of God Rom. 5. v. 19. therefore the merits of christ did make vs truly iust by internal iustice in the sight of God This place so vexeth all Sectaryes as they know not how to rid themselues of Calu. l. 3. instit c. 11. sect 2. it Caluin answereth that we are iust because we are declared and pronounced iust by the iudgment of God but to be constituted or made iust as the Apostle writeth importeth more then to be declared such Againe this authenticall true iudgment of God presupposeth iustice in vs before it can be Caâ—â— ibid. rightly pronounced as not to depart from Caluins owne example If an Innocent be brought to be arraigned before the Fulk in c 5. ad Rom. sect 3. Abbot in his defence of the reformed Cathol c. 4. sect 6. 8. Abbot loc citato Fulke vbi supra VVhitak l. 8. aduer Dureum fol. 602. Aug. l. 1. de peccat merit remis cap. 9. 15. Chrys ho. 10. in c. 15. ad Rom. Theoph. in hunc loc seate of a righteous iudge when iudgment is giuen according to his innocency he is sayd to be iustifyed quoth he before the Iudge Well I say so too but as innocency there so iustice heere precedeth iudgment in the party adiudged or declared iust euen in the sight of the Almighty who pronounceth his sentence according to truth Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot help out their Maister and graunt that imputatiue Iustice by which he is constituted and made iust indeed goeth before the sentence yet not inherent Iustice But S. Paul teacheth that as we are made sinners by the offence of Adam so iust by the grace of Christ therfore as besids the imputation of Adams default there is a true and proper sin of nature which infecteth vs all and maketh vs truly properly sinners in the eyes of God as both they and all English ProtestaÌ„ts hold with vs against the Pelagians so besides the imputation of Christs iustice which cannot make vs formally iust there ought to be a true and inhabitant iustice which beautifyeth our soules before the throne of heauen or els we could not be truly made iust by Christ as we are made sinners by Adam and therein consisteth the force of the Antithesis S. Paul vseth betweene them which M. Abbot and Fulke like cunning Pylots who warily shunne the most perilous rocks silently passe ouer but M. Whitaker perceiueth it well rather ventureth to dash himselfe against it by denying the comparison then not to take notice therof Though sayth he we be iust in Christ as we are sinners in Adam yet not after the same manner No I appeale againe to the sacred Text to S. Augustine S. Chrysostome Origen Theophilact and all Interpreters Heretikes only excepted whether the opposition doth not wholy accord in this that as true sinne hatefull to God was distilled from Adam so true iustice acceptable in his sight is communicated vnto vs by Christ for S. Paul doth not only teach That as Adam was the authour of sinne so Christ of righteousnes wherein VVhitak loco citato Origen l. 5. in c. 5. ad Rom M. Whitaker only placeth the summe of his discourse he addeth moreouer That as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so also by the obedience of one man many shal be made iust where he maketh sayth Origen a comparison of sin and death diffused into all men from Adam of iustification and Theoph. in hunc loc life from Christ. A little before he explaineth how they are both alike in the diffusion or communication from one to many and differ in the thing they communicate because from the one sin from the other iustification is imparted Rom. 3. v. 15. Ibid. v. 17. And Theophilact As by the default of one sinne crept in vnto condeÌ„nation of death so by the iustice of one saluatioÌ„ entred to iustification of life Besides the Apostle in the same place amplifyeth this point and affirmeth that the grace instilled by Christ hath more power to iustify then sinne to destroy saying If by the offence of one many dyed much more the grace of God and the guift in the grace of one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vpon many Likewise If in the offence of one death raigned by one much more they that receaue the aboundance of grace and of donation and of iustice shall raigne in life by one Iesus Christ. Out of which wordes we collect fiue infallible verityes against the erroneous doctrine of Protestants First that grace communicated by Christ is not weake and imperfect but copious and abundant Secondly it is not only imputed vnto vs but receaued of vs. Thirdly it is not the meerâ— grace of sanctification but of Iustice Fourthly it raigneth and preuaileth in vs to produce workes of iustification to life as sinne raigned to bring forth workes of iniquity to death Fifthly it is much more powerfull to iustify and make vs acceptable to God then sinne was to condemne and make vs odious vnto him Therfore he concludeth Where sinne abounded grace did more abound that as sinne raygned to death so also grace may raigne by iustice to life euerlasting through Iesus Christ our Lord. Ibid. v. 10. 22. 7. Let vs match these Texts of holy Writ with others and make all modest men ashamed to spurne against a truth warranted by the collation of sundry
ashes no clowd of sinne can depriue the iustifyed person of his right to heauen which do not dismantle him of the robe of Iustice Answere therfore heereunto what you list escape you cannot vnles you leape into some detestable heresy 6. My fourth argument is when the Protestant perswades himselfe or vndoubtedly beleeues the remission of his sinnes either he hath his sinne by that act of fayth remitted before or after he that sayth it is after alloweth his precedent perswasion to be false and deceitfull beleeuing the forgiuenes of his sinnes which then was not he that will haue it before admitteth a remission of sinnes and consequently a true iustification before his beliefe which cannot be for without Fayth it is impossible to please God he who holdeth that his beliefe causeth the remission which it beleeueth will haue his beliefe Gab. Vas in 1. 2. disp 110. c. 3. and knowledge so omnipotent as to make the obiect which it knoweth the mystery it beleueth as if a man by beleeuing himselfe to be a great Lawyer a great Physitian a great Deuine should endow himselfe with the Aug. l. 4. de Genes ad lit c. 32. perfect knowledge of Law Phisicke and Diuinity wherein they seeme to surpasse the nature of God whose knowledge being most efficacious and practicall yet it followeth as Gabriel Vasquez teacheth the obiect it knoweth according to the posteriority of vnderstanding It followeth I say in affirming or knowing it to be true In which sense S. Augustine teacheth that no knowledge can be vnles things knowne precede and we may auow that no fayth can be vnles it first presuppose the article beleeued for as our knowledge is true or false because the obiect we know is such so our beliefe is certaine and vndoubted because the thing is infallible which we beleeue 7. M. Field beholding the ruines this Cannon-shot makes in the walls of their perfidious and faythles perswasion rayseth the engines of his wit to diuert the battery and annoyance thereof and first proposeth the argument thus When men begin to beleeue either they are iust and then their fayth iustifyeth them not being in nature after their iustification Field in his 3. booke of the Church c. 44. or els they are not iust then speciall fayth making a man beleeue he is iust is false and so man is iustifyed by alye To this horned argument we answere sayth he that speciall fayth hath sundry acts but to this purpose specially two the one by way of petition humbly intreating for acceptation and fauour the other in the nature of comfortable assurance consisting in a perswasion that that is graunted which was desired Fayth by her first act obtayneth and worketh our iustification and doth not find vs iust when we begin to beleeue by her second act she doth not actiuely iustify S. Thom. 1. 2. q. 83. â—â—t 3. but finding the thing done certifyeth assureth vs of it c. So then quoth he fayth in her first act is before the iustification procureth or obtayneth it Hitherto M. Feild and very profoundly without doubt distinguisheth fayth into two acts whereof the first he mentioneth is no act of Fayth but a prayer or petition humbly intreating for acceptatioÌ„ Fulk in c. 2. Iacobi sect 9. circa finem Abbot in his defence cap. 4. fol. 487. and fauour which properly as S. Thomas proueth is an act of Religion as much different from fayth as a man from a Calfe And the second seemeth rather to be an assured confidence of the will then any supernatural assent of the vnderstanding in which Fayth consisteth But these thinges I let passe The opposition heere he maketh against his owne adherents the contradicting of Doctour Fulke the ouertwharting of M. Abbot the impugning of another principall and generall article of Protestancy is more remarkable then a priuate absurdity or ignorance of his For to affirme That fayth by way of petition humbly intreâ—â—eth for fauour obtaineth and worketh our iustification and doth not find vs iust is to graunt a certaine kind of preparation congruency merit or disposition to go before the life of grace and iustification of our soules which how earnestly M. Fulke and Doctour Abbot gainesay I haue declared and refuted in the precedent Controuersy Then it is opposite to that common principle which Protestantes maintaine That the captiued will of man concurreth passiuely only to his iustification vntill he be truely iustifyed in Christ. Howbeit M. Field heer teacheth this petition to obtaine to procure to worke our iustification before it be effected which M. Abbot writing against our preparatiue workes of prayer and petition reproueth thus There can be no true prayer without the spirit of grace without the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Abbot c. 4. sect 20. fol. 4 â— Father the spirit of adoption and grace is the spirit of sanctification It followeth then that we pray not but by being first sanctifyed and because sanctification is consequent to iustification it must follow also that iustification must go before prayer Hitherto he warring against M. Feild one Sectary against another as Esay prophesyed of them saying I will make the Aegyptians to run togeather against the Aegyptians a man shall fight against his brother euery man against his friend But I will not further exaggerate these horrible breaches betweene him Isa 29. v. his fellowes I will not intreate M. Field to reconcile his assertion with their other fornamed principles I only desire him to tell me whether the petition which worketh our iustification and doth not find vs iust be in his opinion an act of true iustifying fayth or no Let him answere that it is and he yieldeth that fayth alone doth not iustify he yieldeth this first act to be an act of true fayth and yet that it doth only impetrate and procure iustice and not make vs formerly iust but if the first act of true fayth doth not iustify neither can the second or third or any other ensuing act affoard that benefit for they being all and euery one of the same speciall nature they hauing all the same essentiall forme that effect which in no degree is performed by one cannot be effected by any other except they dreame that one the same vertue should consist of diuers essentiall formes and so by diuers actes yield diuers formall effects which very nature it selfe and euery Puny in Philosophy will condemne of implicancy and contradiction 8. Let him deny it to be an act of iustifying fayth and he denyeth his owne diuision of speciall fayth into sundry acts he deludeth our argument proposed not of any other vertue but of their speciall fayth and of the first act thereof which can be but one and of that one it proceeds whether iustification be before it after it or caused by it as is vrged aboue 9. Againe supposing these two actes into which he brancheth his speciall fayth how is
my whole hart I in al my hart will search thy commmandments Howbeit he busied also Iudith â— 17. 2. Reg. 5. v. 1â— himselfe in the affayres of the common wealth and was often distracted with temporall cares And the priestes and people prayed God with al their hart although they were sometyme interrupted with other cogitations All Israell is sayd 4. Reg. 23. v. 25. to follow Absalom with al their hart albeyt they managed some other affayres no doubt and affected some other thing besides him Of Iosias God himselfe witnesseth There was no king before him like to him that returned to our Lord in all his hart and in all his soule and in all his power according to the law of Moyses neyther after him did there arise the like to him 6. In fine Protestantes obserue the precept of Faith by which they are likewise commaunded to beleeue withall their hart Yf thou beleeue with all thy hart thou maiest Act. 8. v. 3â— notwithstanding they giue humane credit to many other authentical histories or probable reportes without hinderance thereof so they may accomplish the commandment of louing God with all the powers of their soule when this loue ouerswayeth the loue of all other thinges when they make him the principall obiect of their hart and summe of their desires when they neyther imbrace nor execute any thing oppofite or disagreable with his frendiship which diuers haue and euery one may by the prerogatiue of Grace atteyne vnto Thirdly S. Paul professeth I can all thinges in him that strengthneth me therfore he could by the strenght of grace fulfil the commaundments or els you derogate both from the authority of the Apostle who affirmeth it and from the power of grace by vertue whereof he many accomplish whatsoeuer Moreouer Philip. 4. v. 13. God maketh this promise vnto vs I will put my spirit in the middest of you and I will make that you walke in my preceptes and keepe my iudgements and doe them Christ testifieth the performance I haue manifested thy name to the men whome thou Ezech. 36. v. 27. gauest me c. and they haue kept thy word Yet notwithstanding the possibility S. Paul speaketh of notwithstanding the promise of God the Father notwithstanding the accomplishment the Sonne mentioneth do they breath vpon Ioh. 17. v. 6 the earth and vaunt of Christianity who depose against them that neuer any fulfilled the law That it is not possible for man to accomplish it 7. Thus much for the mayntenance of our doctrine Now to the obiections of aduersaries First they vrge out S. Paul Cursed be euery one that abideth not in all things that be Gal. 3. v. 10. written in the booke of the law to do them But no man can obserue euery iote of the law without some litle or veniall default therefore he is obnoxious to that damnable curse Iac. 2. v. 10. For whosoeuer shall keep the whole law and offendeth but in one is made guiltie of all Truly they haue framed an excellent Argument to proue themselues accursed who freely confesse they cannot keep any one precept of the law much lesse the whole But we to whome the coÌ„mandments by Gods Hier. Ep. ad Pâ—efiph 1. Iob. 3. v. 6. 9. grace are possible according to S. Hierome we who by the seed of God dwelling in vs do not sinne but arriue to the full accomplishment of the law and of all thinges written and conteyned therein we I say are free from that malediction for veniall sinnes do not in that sense breake or violate the law neyther doth S. Paul pronounce that curse of them as appeareth by the playne text of Deuteronomy whence he reciteth those words but of mortal and deadly crimes of Idolatry incest murder c. which are indeed grieuous breaches traÌ„nsgressions of the Law Therfore Deuâ— 17â— v. 26. he that obserueth the rest and coÌ„mitteth any one of those is liable to the curse of the law he is made guilty as S. Iames witnesseth of the whole not that he who stealeth should be guilty of adultery or he who is an adulterer is therein a murderer or that he who traÌ„sgresseth one coÌ„maundement shal be as seuerely punished tormented in hell as if he had brokeÌ„ al but the sense is that he who offeÌ„deth in one eyther incurreth the wrath and indignation of God the vniuersal authour enacter of them al or caÌ„ haue no more Aug. ep 26 hope of obtayning saluatioÌ„ then if he were guilty of al or that he sinneth as S. Augustine interpreteth against the general great coÌ„mandment of loue Charity the summe the band the plenitude and perfection of them all for the breaking of the band is the dissoluing of the whole 8. I answere agayne that S. Pauls argument here alleadged inferreth the possibility of keeping the law for which we dispute he reasoneth to this effect Whosoeuer wil be iustified by the workes of the law must fullfill the whole taske of the law But without faith in Christ no man can by the force of nature vndergo or do the whole taske of the Law Therfore without faith through the strength of nature no man can be iustified by the workes of the law Hence he inferreth Christ hath deliuereth vs froÌ„ the eurse of the law he doth not meane as Protestants falsify him that he hath discharged vs from the obseruation of the law as from a thing vnpossible but that he inspireth fayth and affordeth grace from the Storehouse of of his merites whereby we may keepe the law and so eschewthe malediction or curse of transgression which the delinquentes incurre 9. Secondly it is opposed Now therefore why tempt you God to put a yoake vpon the neckes of the disciples which neyther our Fathers nor we haue beene able to beare I answere that S. Act. 15. v. 10. Peter there calleth not the obseruation of the decalogue but the ceremoniall law of the Iewes a yoake insupportable because it was very hard and difficult as S. Thomas S. Thom. in 2. dist 28. q. 1. at 4. ad 3. Lyran. in bunolocuÌ„ Rab. Moy. 3. duct dub cap. 56. 57. Abulen in c. 1. Ruth q. 24. Ios 11. v. 15. and Lyranus note to be fulfilled For all their precepts were as Rabby Moyses and Abulensis recount them 600. or there about amongst which were 218. that were affirmatiue and 365. negatiue commandements then the obligation of them was strictly and punctually to be obserued the transgression capitall and punished with all seuerity yet King Dauid Zachary Elizabeth Moyses Iosue c. fulfilled them for of Iosue the Scripture giueth testimony He accomplished all thinges he omitted not of all the commandementes not so much as one worde which our Lord had commanded Moyses Now Christ hath exempted vs from that combersome yoke from that Burthen as S. Augustine calleth it of innumerable Ceremonies yet not which Libertines pretend from the * Aug.
AN ANTIDOTE OR TREATISE OF THIRTY CONTROVERSIES VVith a large Discourse of the Church IN WHICH The soueraigne truth of Catholike doctrine is faythfully deliuered against the pestiferous writinges of all English Sectaryes AND In particuler against D. WHITAKER D. FVLKE D. RIYNOLDS D. BILSON D. ROBERT ABBOT D. SPARKES and D. FIELD the chiefe vpholders some of Protestancy some of Puritanisme some of both Deuided into three Partes By S. N. Doctour of Diuinity THE FIRST PART Deut. 32. vers 30. How should one be able to pursue a thousand and two put tenthousand to flight Is it not therefore because their God hath sold them and our Lord hath inclosed and made them thrall Permissu Superiorum M. DC XXII THE principall maintainers of Protestancy of whome I spake in the former page are D. BILSON and D. FIELD THE pillars of Puritanisme are D. REYNOLDS and D. SPARKES who were chosen Proctours for the Preâ—isian faction in the Conference before his Maiesty at Hampton-Court THE abbettours of both are D. WHITAKER D. FVLKE and D. ROBERT ABBOT who sometimes defend the articles of the one sometymes of the other TO THE RIGHT WORTHY STVDENTS OF THE TWO FAMOVS VNIVERSITIES OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE ARISTOTLE in penning his Morall Instructions of Arist. l. r. Eth. cap. 1. Philosophy thought all his endeauours well bestowed if he might profit as he saith any one thereby much more if Townes and Citties How happy then may I thinke my labours imployed if by these small paines I may rightly instruct some few of You not in Morall Vertues but in Diuine and Heauenly Verities not in Precepts of Manners only but in Articles of Faith in Mysteries of true Beliefe on which I will not say the ciuil Nurture or gay Deportment of the outward man but the inward Carriage Grace of the Holy Ghost the life of your Soules the loue of God and hope of all eternity dependeth By instructing You I shall cleere the beames which giue light to thousands I shall purifie the Waters and purge the Fountaine of which many must drinke You are the Seedes you are the Lights of the Kingdome you are the Mines whose treasures are to be dispensed riches of learning hereafter deriued to the whole body of the Realme Wherfore least you should both beguile others and be your selues deceiued with counterfeite drosse in lieu of true and perfect mettall I haue opened vnto you these veines of Gold with which if you couet to enrich your soules two things I request at your hands The one is not to frame an ouerweening conceit or beare too partiall Affection to the men of your own side the other to peruse this Treatise with an indifferent and single eye and with a greedy zeale of imbracing Truth from whose mouth soeuer 2. You are not I hope of Agesicles the Lacedemonian his mind who taking great pleasure to heare smooth eloqueÌ„t discourses would not intertaine Philophanes Plutarch in his Laconike Apophtheg the famous RhetoriciaÌ„ being a straÌ„ger vnto him because as Plutarch reporteth he would be Scholler only to them whose sonne he was that is he would learne of them alone amongst whom he was borne Much lesse can I thinke you bewitched with Philostorgius the Eunomian his folly who was so besotted of his Maister Eunomius as he admired his very naturall defects set the glosse of vertue on them For his faltering tongue as Nicephorus writeth he vainely Niceph. l. 12. c. 29. commended as the Key of Eloquence his flow words he prized as precious Margarites the spots and blemishes of his leaprous face what did he account them but the rarest markes and ornaments of beauty If any of you shold be infected with these bastardly humors if you would heare none but those in whose bosomes ye haue beene bred or be so farre enamoured of your first Teachers wits as to loue their errours applaud their forgeries praise the beauty of their deformed writings little hope should I haue to gaine your soules But if yee be as I trust ye are louers of truth enemies of falshood desirous of your owne saluatioÌ„ then here you may discouer that Euangelical Pearle which Maâ—â— 13. vers 4â— he that findeth selleth all that he hath to buy so rare a Iewell 3. I know the subtilty of Sathan and snare of Heretikes hath euer beene as the Rom. 16. v. 18. 2. Petr. 2. v. 3. Apostle saith By sweet speaches and benedictions to seduce the hearts of Innocents By faigned words to make merchandize of You. Their chiefest proiect and principall study is with meretricious and painted eloquence to intertaine their followers and whilest they fill their eares with delight to instill into their soules most poysoned doctrine But a great * The saying of Demosthenes mentioned by S. Aug. con Crescon Gram. l. 2. cap. 1. 1. Cor. 2. v. 1. 4. 5. ver 13. Oratour can tell you That the riches of Greece consist not in words And the Apostle pronounceth Not in loftinesse sublimity of speach not in the perswasible words of humaine wisedome are the Mysteries of Christ but in the power of God and Doctrine of the spirit Be not therefore be not I beseech you inueagled with the smooth tongue or filed stile of your flourishing Sect-maisters but coÌ„sider the matter weigh the reasons examine the proofes they alledge and you shall find such silly arguments Aug. l. 5. confes c. 2. such slender stuffe as S. Augustine espied in the eloquent and lofty discourses of Faustus Manichaeus and the rest of his crew when not regarding as he saith what gallant dish or vessell of speach but what food of knowledge he propounded vnto him not harkening to the sound of words but to the pith of matter Albeit they bragged much and promised nothing more then Truth Truth yet he discouered as he witnesseth No truth amongst Ibid. l. 3. c. 9. them nothing but Lies Vanities and vile Superstitions 4. The like shall you discerne in the Ghospellers of our time For although they vaunt of the word of God vaunt of Scriptures and Scriptures only seeme to follow Ambr. in c. 3. ep ad Titum yet because as S. Ambrose teacheth By the word of the law they impugne the law framing their priuate sense and construction to couÌ„tenance the peruersity of their minds by the authority of the law it is more then euident they follow not the Oracles of God but rather the Fancies of their owne braine the suggestion of Sathan For by peruerse interpretation as S. Hierome testifieth of â—â—ier l. â— in â— 1. ep ad Galat. the Ghospell of Christ is made the Ghospel of man or which is worse the Ghospell of the Diuell And Martiall the Poët speaketh to this purpose Quem recitas meus est â— Fidentine libellus Sed malè cùm recitas incipit esse tuus The Booke thou doest recite o Fidentine is mine Reciting it amisse it groweth to be thine 5. Secondly they
boast of the pure preaching of the Word whereas you shall discouer in my third Part that they haue no authority to preach no mission no vocation at all They are Theeues who enter Ioan. 10. v. 2. 10. not by the doore but climbe another way to steale kill and destroy your soules They are the Ezech. 13 v. 3. 6 7. false Prophets who crie Thus saith our Lord when our Lord said it not nor sent them nor gaue them commission to speake And the purity of which they crake is as Hieremy Hierem. 14. 1 v. 4. declareth A lying Vision and Diuination Deceit and Beguiling of their heart which they prophesie vnto you Thirdly they glory to haue purged and reformed the Church of many errours which by little and little haue crept into her and restored her againe to the ancient integritie of the Apostolike Faith But you shall see their Reformations haue beene al corruptions abuses innouations they haue broken the peace departed from the vnity of the flocke of Christ are indeed no Church at all but a Rebellious Faction an Hereticall Assembly You shall finde their Ancient Faith a new Beliefe as S. Gregory Nazianzen said of the Arians their refined Greg. Nazian orat in Ariaâ—os Doctrines meere nouelties new broached Heresies which I pray God both you and all others may haue grace to discerne in time least you open your eyes and begin to lament these things to late as Constantius the Emperour did of whom the same S. Gregory Nazianzen writeth That lying on his death-bed he repented him of three things Greg. Nazian in Laudem Athanas First that he had commanded his Sonne in law to be slaine The other that he had nominated Iulian the Apostata to succeed him in his Imperiall Throne The third that he had giuen eare to new deuised Doctrines And with these words he yielded vp his ghost 9. O yee flourishing Academians But what should I restraine my speach to you O England my dearest Country I would to God this fearefull president might so mooue thy Heart as to make Thee now whilest time serueth and grace is offered more fruitfully bewaile the like or more grieuous crimes committed by Thee Thou perchance hast not murdered thy carnall Kinsfolkes or Allies but thy spirituall Pastours Guides and Curates of thy soule Some thou hast spoyled vexed imprisoned and pined away with extreamest misery some thou hast arraigned executed and barbarously massacred as Rebels to thy Prince and Traytours to thy Crowne their bloud like water thou Psal 78. v. 3. hast powred forth round about Hierusalem their quarters thou hast set vp as preyes to be deuoured by birds and foules of the aire Thou hast vniustly nominated and entitled others to inherite their roomes possesse their benefices discharge their functions many of them reuolted Apostata's many mercinary Hirelings all tyrannicall Vsurpers who seeke not so much to oppresse the bodies as exercise their tyrannie ouer the soules of thy subiects and pittifully enthral them to euerlasting seruitude Lastly thou hast dammed vp the passage by which the cleere waters of Antiquity should flow into thy Kingdome thou hast opened the sluse to the puddles of nouelty to new flouds of Doctrine new fayned Sacraments new Articles of Faith new worship of God which I beseech his Diuine Piety thou maist haue grace to detest learne of the Lacedemonians who would not permit any strang merchandise or vnusual wares to be transported into their Citty to banish and abandon these vnwonted Doctrines and imbrace againe that ancient Faith which once thy whole Realme then happie Iland daughter of God and Dowry of the B. Virgin deuoutly sucked from the breast of Rome which all thy former Kings and Princes vntill now of late supported thy Lawes established thy People honoured thy Vniuersities defended To this end I present you Noble Students with these first fruits of my labours and will not cease to sacrifice vnto God my continuall praiers THE EPISTLE TO THE READER TWO of the first stoutest Champions of the Primitiue Church Tertullian and Arnobius writing against the Pagans auouch Tertul. Arno. coÌ„tra Gent. that many of them impugned at the beginning our Christian fayth not so much of inueterate hatred as either of ignorance not knowing what we maintainde or of weaknes transported by the streame of Idolatry which euery where disgraced and opposed it selfe against it S. Augustine likewise writeth of himselfe Aug. l. 7â— Confess c. 19. and his friend Alipius how slowly they imbraced or rather refrained from the Catholike Church by reason of some erroneous conceits they framed of our beliefe the one that we were infected with the heresy of Apollinaris the other not discerning the purity of our doctrine from the dregges of Photinus 2. The same opinion I haue of sundry Protestants who renounce our Religion not of any malicious mind but for that they ignorantly mistake the true grounds of faith or easily giue eare to the pernitious obloquies of their fayth-lesse Ministers who without feare of God or regarde of conscience perfidiously appeach vs of innumerable Sacriledges of such worship of Images as was vsed by Reyn. de ido Rom. Eccles lib. 1. c. 2. c. Fulke in c. 2. ad Col. sect 3. Fulke in 1. ad Tim. c. 4. sect 4. 5. Sutclif in his suruey of Popery cap. 8. Sparks in his answer to M. Iohn D'Albines p. 219. 120. VVhitak contro 1. quaest 5. Rich. Stoch in his ep Dedica to the Lord Knowles prefixed before M. VVhitak answere to M. Camp 10. reasons Bils in his booke of Christian subiection c 4. par part 1. Reyn. in his conference with M. Hart. the Carpocratians of such inuocation of Angels as the Apostolikes practised of deniall of Marriage with the Tatians and Encratites of selling the guifts of the holy Ghost with Simon Magus of honouring our Blessed Lady in offering her a wafer cake with the Collyridians of many such execrable blasphemies which our harts detest farre more then theirs Wherefore after the excellent and worthy labours of diuers memorable men both forraine and domesticall who with large volumes and inuincible reasons haue purged vs of these slaunders manifestly defended the vnconquerable truth of our ancient beliefe I haue endeauoured to make a short abridgment of all our most weighty and important proofes that heere the Reader may see as in a mappe described or pourtraited in a table what in the spacious feild of sundry mens workes is in diuers things more amply enlarged 3. My purpose is not seuerally to encounter any one particulâ—r aduersary but to trace the steppes and ioyntly to desâ—ry the errours of many according as the proiect of my intended discourse or force of their opposition shall minister occasion for my intention is to wade by Gods help into the maine Ocean of all the greatest and most difficult questions controuerted at this day betweene our English
Church are certain publik notes and known signes by which the spouse of Christ is euidently marked and discribed vnto vs. Then it is true that we also acknowledg a supernaturall help or inward working of the holy ghost to belieue the Catholik Church and all the articles she proposeth yet in a farre different manner from that which our sectaries pretend for we require the interiour working to moue our will and eleuate our vnderstanding to belieue the mysteries already reuealed our sectaries require it to reueale the very mysteries which are to be belieued we to receaue the expositions of Scripture publikly and vniformily made by the diuine interpreters they priuatly to expound and particularly to interpret the scriptures themselues We haue moreouer prudentiall motiues or arguments of credibility prudently to induce vs to those acts of faith they haue no such arguments but of the contrary side many reasons to distrust their priuat spirits We besides the inward vnction and outward letter haue the safe-conduct of a common publike and inerrable directour they haue no other publik and outward guide then the bare letter subiect to a thousand false constructions Ours is the spirit of peace and vnion vniting vs all in the same belief theirs of strife and dissention making them infinitely to vary in poynts of faith Ours of submission theirs of presumption Ours inclineth vs to obey and humbly imbrace theirs proudly to iudge and peremptorily to conrroule the true preachers doctrine So that the heauenly inspiration which we allow hath not any linke of affinity with their priuate spirit THE SECOND CHAPTER WHEREIN All that which D. Reynolds D. Sparkes and M. Whitaker deuise to bolster their former Position is refuted BECAVSE so many windinges crosse-wayes occur in this wild desert of scanning words vnfolding texts and searching originall fountaynes our Aduersaries striue to assigne some lines to lead vs aright in this maze of difficulties D. Reynolds and D. Sparkes prescribe not only search but deligent Rein c. 2. diuis 2. p. 60. 62. Sparks pa. 246. c. Ioan. 5. v. 36. Mart. 7. v. 7. Iac. 1. v. 5. search and earnest prayer to God Of the one it is sayd Search the scriptures c. and they shall be opened vnto you Of the other If any of you want Wisdome let him aske it of God c. and it shall be giuen him Soueraygne helpes I graunt but no assured rules For how many haue troden these pathes who wandered and miserably perished amongst the briars of errour Pelagius Photinus Eunomius prayed earnestly and most diligently searched the Canon of Scripture who vented notwithstanding infamous heresies 2. M. Reynolds replyeth that the fault of these and others â—rring must be Not in conferring places most diligently but not in conferring them dâ—ligently inough In not praying as they Rein. c. 2. diuis 2. p. 60. p 45 1. Ioan c. 5. v. 14. Rom. c. 12. v. 13. should and searching as they ought in the spirit of fayth and modesty But you that carpe so often at the Schoolemens Quiddiâ—es what meane you now by this nice distinction betweene most diligently diligently inough Or what degree of diligence attribute you to that which is inough aboue the superlatiue exactnes of that which is most Further what do you vnderstand by searching as they ought in the spirit of Faith and modesty Doe you thinke it necessary the Collatour should belieue the thing he searcheth before he beginneth to search To what end then doth he search And what shall he do who belieneth not or doubteth of the matter But not to demure in these deep subtiltyes or meere fooleryes rather who can tell I beseech you when he prayeth in fayth and modesty as he should When he vseth diligeÌ„ce inough in searching as he ought Or how can others be warranted who they be that performe these thinges Is not this as hidden as intricate as inscrutable as the truth of Gods word for which we labour I thinke you suppose S. Iraeneus S. Cyprian S Ambrose S. Chrysostom S. Hierome S. Augustine prayed to God weighed his word in fayth modesty as they ought By what meanes then swarued they so farre from the true sense of Scripture as to be spotted with so many The Centurie writers Cen. 2. 4. 5. wennes and warts as you call them of superstitious Popery to wit the Sacrifice of the Masse Inuocation of Saints Free-will Merit Purgatory Prayer for the dead c You will answere againe They fayled in their prayers slacked of their diligence when out of the pure fountaines of holy Write they deriued these Romish dregs Well let it be they failed at least your late reformers Luther Caluin Beza c. failed not They prayed in fayth and modesty they marked they examined Scripture as they ought How commeth it then to passe they haue not obtained so much wisedome from God as to agree in their exposition How do they who follow the right rules of interpreting Scripture vary so infinitly as to dissent in aboue 80. seuerall expositions of these foure wordes This is my body which Claudius de Xainctes reckoneth Xainct repet 1. cap. vltimo vp besides innumerable other most irreconciliable iarres 3. I know not with what brasen face or steeled conscience D. Field and M. Sparkes depose That these their diuisions are imaginary and meerly accidentall not in points fundamentall Field in his appendix 1. par pag. 23. 24. Sparkes in his answere to M. Iohn Albins not in matters necessary to saluation Wheras they differ in number of Sacraments nature of the Church essentiall manner of her gouernement in the article of Christs descension into hell of his Passion Mediation of his equality with his Father our regeneration by Baptisme Iustification by fayth as I shall by Gods grace discouer heereafter And if these be not fundamentall points what points will you make fundamentall Or if your diligence your prayer with other helpes may mislead you in these why not in others Why define you not what articles they be in which yee are freed from errour Are you all priuiledged not to faile in fundamentall points can no man tell nor your selues accord in what points your priuiledge consisteth 4. For answere O thou Protestant are they fundamentall points which make men forfait their saluatioÌ„ which carry millions of millions to eternall flames Then whosoeuer BroughtoÌ„ vbâ— supra imbraceth your English translation of the Bible differeth as I haue proued from his owne companions in pointes fundamentall Are they fundamentall pointes which are necessary to be belieued And All points necessary to be belieued as M. Whitaker strayneth out of S. Augustines VVhitak c. 1 q. 4. c. 4 pa 29â— wordes so cleare in Scripture as they cannot be mistaken You square among your selues in pointes fundamentall some assigning these some others to be essentiall capital and necessary to be belieued Nay you vary in so plaine and perspicuous points
and made for his purpose Or if they already belieued as others mantain then nothing doubting of the truth he preached they searched only for their confort and confirmation to nourish and strengthen their beliefe to arme themselues the better against the assaults of the enemy Both which are allowable vpon these supposal neither are warrantable for the faithfull to iudge and censure their Pastours doctrine 18. To the second and third instance I answere S. Iohn wrote to those that had receaued the fayth and needed not another maister to teach them a new doctrine contrary thereunto Isay prophesied of them that were to receaue it and both as S. Augustine commenteth speak of the inward vnction of Gods grace and inspiration of Aug. tract 3. in ep 1. Ioan. l. de gra Christi c. 13 14. the Holy Ghost which togeather with the outward preaching sweetly moueth strengtheneth and confirmeth the faythfull not to examine iudge or try but humbly to belieue and ioyfully to imbrace the message of truth deliuered vnto them Shall I repeate S. Augustines wordes Shall I propound the question he maketh to S. Iohn vpon occasion of this speach wherein he excellently refuâ—eth this obiection of Protestants Thou saâ—est Tract 3. vbi supra quoth he his vnction teacheth you of all thinges why then didst thou write that Epistle Why didst thou teach them Why didst thou instruct See heere my Brethren a great mistery the noâ—se of our words passe vnto the eares the Maister is within c. Outward instructions are helps and admonitions he hath his chaire in heauen who teacheth the hart Christ teacheth his inspiration teacheth where his inspiration and vnction is not in vaine is the sound of words without 19. Besides if we read that place of Isay All shall be taught of God as our Aduersaryes presse the Greeke I answere Cyril in 〈◊〉 loâ—â—â— againe with S. Cyril That it is a Prophesy of Christs comming to teach Christians in his owne person who before taught the Iewes by the mouth of his Prophets If we read All shal be docible of God as Maldonate more faithfully Maldonat in cap. 6. Ioan. gathered out of the Hebrew and Chaldean word it was spoken as he notably proueth by the testimony of Leontius Ammonius and S. Iohn Chrysostome for that God of himselfe is most ready to instruct and the Euangelical Law more fit to be infused into the hart by the vnction of the holy Ghost then to be vttered by wordes or imprinted in bookes 20. Lastly M. Whitaker M. Reynolds and their adherents VVhitaker 1. cont q. 5. Cap. 8. Reyn. c. 8. diuis 1. Basil Epist 80. Tul. l. 3 de leg Aug de nup. coÌ„ cup. â— 2. c. 33. Opt. l. 5. cont Parmen Aug. coÌ„c 2. in Psal 35. obiect sundry Fathers allowing the sufficiency of Scripture to end disputes to whose authorities I shall answere in my next discourse Now I reply to the testimonyes of S. Basil S. Augustine and Optatus S. Basil summoneth his Aduersaryes to the arbitrement of holy Writ in a thing most clearely reuealed concerning the Trinity in which case he may call the Scripture arbiter or Iudge as the Lawyers sometimes tearme the ciuil law or Iustinian the compiler of them Vmpier and Iudge And as Tully calleth The Law a dumbe Magistrate and the Magistrate a liuely Law After which sort S. Augustine sayth Let Christ iudge let the Apostles iudge c. Optatus likewise in the question of Rebaptization prouoked the Donatists to the Iudgement of Gods written word because there were most euident testimonyes thereof and because the Donatists would admit no indifferent tryall by any lawfull sentence but still appealed as S. Augustine witnesseth froÌ„ one another from Melchiades the Pope to the assembly of Bishops from the Bishops to the Emperour from the Emperour to others disclayming from all by whome they were vanquished Secondly I answere That these and many other Fathers ofteÌ„ referre themselues to the vmpiershippe of Scripture for that it is the silent and outward law by which the voyce of our speaking Iudge ought and alwayes is vttered and pronounced and for that it directeth vs to the Church the true soueraigne and liuely Iudge of all debats 21. Thus we are so farre from derogating from the prerogatiue of holy writ as we graunt it is A perfect light and lanterne to our feete The entire rule and square of fayth The supreme and absolute Iudge of Controuersies Thus we graunt it is the Mine of truth the fountain of life the sea of wisdom the Armary of the holy Ghost It is the promptuary of God fully stored with all spirituall treasures yet such as are to be dispensed by the Opta l. 5. con Parm. Stewards of his house It is as Optatus noteth The will and Testament of Christ yet to be interpreted by those his executours whom he appointed to expound his mind and dispose of his legacy It is the booke of heauen signed with seauen seales as Origen sayth but not to be opened Orig. hom 12. in Exo. by any but by the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda or them to whoÌ„ he giueth commission It is as another auerreth The light of the world not to be hidden vnder the bushell of any priuate or phantasticall braine but to be placed on the candlesticke of Gods Church to giue light vnto all her obedient children Esay 35. vers â— 22. After this manner the repaire to Scripture is a plaine easy generall and certaine high-way In which fooles cannot erre or step awry whereas the search our Sectaries applaud is as you see hidden darke variable vnconstant not publike not vniuersall It hath byn the path of Heretiks to damnable errours It is a field to theÌ„selues of interminable strifes and it may be to all that follow it as well a trayne to drawe them vnto the wiles of perdition as a line to guid them to the port of blisse to the true knowledg of God as shall more amply appeare by the Chapter ensuing THE SECOND CONTROVERSY THAT All things necessary to Saluation are not contained in Scripture AGAINST D. Reynolds D. Bilson D. Field CHAP. I. ARIGHT wise and laudable endeauour it hath beene amongst the learned of all ages rather to imprint their chiefest points of doctrin in the minds Casar l. 6. de Bello Gallico â—lut in vita Numae And in his first oratioÌ„ of the fort or vertues of Alexan. and memories of well disposed auditours then engraue them in curious tables or blaze them with the pennes of industrious writers So we read that our ancient Druides renowned for learning throughout all the world neuer coÌ„mitted anything to the casualty of writing but entrusted all the riches of their knowledg to the treasurie of their disciples harts Pithagoras Socrates and many other famous philosophers are deseruedly praysed and commended for the like What doe I speake of men God himself long taught and instructed
Figura ergo est It is therefore a figure It is a Sacrament because albeit the same body be really eaten the same bloud really drunke yet in a mystery in a figure in a Sacrament after a sweet spirituall and vnbloudy manner 16. Nay S. Augustine as our Sacramentaries contend saith What doest thou prepare thy teeth and belly Beleeue and thou hast eaten True he writeth there of the spirituall eating of Christ the bread of life by faith beleefe onely he had not begun to discourse of the Sacrament or Sacramentall eating At least after say they he speaketh of the Sacrament yet vseth these wordes He that feedeâ—h wiâ—h Aug. tra 2â— in Io. the hart not he that grindeth with the tooth True not he that grindeth only can partake the fruit of this Sacrament he that feedeth with hart without corporall eating may benefit himself but he that corporally eateth without faith can receaue no profit at all They vrge againe that S. Aug. tra 59. 2â— in Ioan. Augustine sayth The Apostles eat the bread our Lord Iudas the bread of our Lord. And in another place he denyeth The wicked to eate the body of Christ. Most true He denyeth theÌ„ to eate the bread our Lord or to feed of his body because they are not incorporated in his mysticall body Or because they do it not fruitfully by grace to the benefit Psalm â—â— Augu. de Bapt cont Donatist l. 9. â— 8. con Pulgent c. 6. cont lit Petil. l. 2. c. 20. c. 55. Biâ—s 4. pâ— pag. 772. 773. 774. 776. of their soules as King Dauid sayth The wicked shall not rise in Iudgment Because they shall not rise to saluation but to damnation Otherwise S. Augustine graunteth that Iudas did and the wicked do truely eaâ—e the body of Christ in his booke of Baptisme against the Donatists against Fulgentius and against the letters of Petilian 17. In summe many Fathers obiected by M. Bilson exhort vs to eate the Sacrament by fayth to cleanse our soules prepare our harts they call it spirituall food the bread of the mind and not of the belly no bodily but ghostly meat the proper nourishment of the spirit All most true for a liuely fayth a cleane soule a pure hart are necessarily required in the worthy receauer and the purer he approacheth the more plenty he receaueth of Gods heauenly graces Then it is stiled spirituall food ghostly meate the bread of the mind the proper nourishment of the spirit because the spirituall repast and refection Cyr. Alex l. 10. in Ioan. c. 13. of our mind the perfect vigour and increase of spirit is the chiefe and most soueraigne effect of this diuine banquet Neuertheles it excludeth not as S. Cyrill noteth but presupposeth the corporall from which as from the fountaine and sea of grace the spirituall is deriued Our Aduersaryes reply The Fathers exclude it by certaine negatiue tearmes which they vse calling it No bodily but Ghostly meate the bread of the mind and not of the belly They call it so indeed and speake in the Scriptures phrase euen as Almighty God spake when he sayd I will mercy and not sacrifice yet thereby he neither excluded Ose 6. v. 6. Matth. 9. v. 13. nor forbad sacrifice which himselfe prescribed exacted and commanded but only preferred mercy as an act of charity more acceptable vnto him So the Fathers by the like words exclude not the bodily but preferre the ghostly as the dayntiest food of our soules Or they deny it to be any bodily sustenance as bodily is commonly taken for that which is opposite to ghostly This is not so this is both bodily and ghostly both spirituall corporall meate this relisheth the mouth and cheereth the hart quickneth the body and refresheth the soule Therefore it is not a meere corporall but a spiritual dainty because it hath a spirituall manner of being is seasoned with spirituall qualityes affoardeth all spirituall comfort and is principally ordained to our spirituall nourishment For the flesh as Tertullian writeth is fed Tertul. l. de resurr carnis with the body and bloud of Christ that the soule may be fattened with God 18. And if Protestants would be as ready to defend as they are to cauill at the former sayinges they might learne by the like speaches which the Apostle vseth how to explaine the Fathers wordes for as they call the body of Christ in the Sacrament spiritual so he the body which 1. Cor. 15. v. 44. shall rise in the later day It is sowen a naturall body it shal ryse a spirituall body as they account it a barbarous and sauage thing to eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of Ibid. v. 50. Christ so he a thing impossible that flesh and bloud can possesse the kingdome of God as S. Augustine sayth Not that Ibid. v. 37. body which you see shall you eate c. so he not the body that shall be dost thou sow Which place togeather with the former Eutichius vrged against the corporall resurrection of our flesh with no lesse colourable pretense then Sectaryes do the precedent sayings against the bodily presence of Christ in the Sacrament But as they are constrained vnles they deny that article of our fayth with S. Gregory and other of our Deuines to construe S. Pauls meaning Greg. lib. 4. in lob c. 32. 33. that the body which ryseth shall be both spirituall and corporall spirituall by reason of the glorious dowryes it shall receaue and corporall in respect of the true and tractable substance it shall still retaine That flesh and bloud according to humane misery and corruption cannot possesse the Kingdome of God but according to immortality and corruption that not the body which is sowed shall rise but another another in quality the same in substance another in perfection of glory the same in property and condition of nature another in powerfull vertue the same in corporall verity another in manner and forme the same in realty and essence of being Apply the like constructions to the fornamed sentences written against the reall presence and you shall rightly expound those learned writers and soundly answere your owne obiections 19. To conclude when these new-fangled teachers with no euidence of Scripture or sentence of Father can disproue the truth of our doctrine they fall to their accustomed Pulk in c. 6. Io. sect 13. Bils 4 par pag. 791. Ambr. l. 30 de Spirit sanct c. 12. Aug. in Pâ—al 24. in 1. Cor. Bils 4. par p. 710. c. rayling They tearme vs Capharnaites Vbiquitaries Idolaters c. whereas we detest the inhumane grosse imagination of the Capharnaites condemne the Vbiquity or euery where being of Christ adore not with diuine honor as M. Bilson is pleased to impose vpon vs the elements of bread and wine but we adore to vse S. Ambrose words the flesh of Christ in the mysteries That flesh which â—ce man eateth as S. Augustine
for euer He that belieueth and is baptized shall be saued Euery one that shall inuocate the name of the Lord shal be saued to wit if he inuocate and call vpon him in fayth and charity as he ought if he belieue aright and doth not finally loose his fayth nor the grace of Baptisme and water of the holy Ghost once receaued as I shall proue heereafter he may Therefore this argument of theirs maketh no more against the corporal then spirituall feeding for as euerlasting life is promised to the faythfull and pious belieuer so to the reall and worthy Receauer and as the one may fall from his worthy dignity so the other make shipwracke of his liuely fayth and eternally perish Perchance you will obiect that this answere suteth not with the prerogatiue which our Sauiour giueth to the holy Eucharist aboue Manna That Ioan. 6. v. 49. 50. the Fathers did eate Manna in the desert and they dyed this is the bread that descendeth froÌ„ heauen that if any man eat of it he dye not For whosoeuer did worthily feed on that dainty Manna and continued in the same state neuer tasted the bitternes of spirituall death therefore according to this construction it is not inferiour to the blessed Sacrament I answere first that such as then liued for euer enioyed not the priuiledges of life by the vertue and force of Manna but by their loue of God and fayth in Christ their true Messias and yet they that worthily receaue the Eucharist truely liue by the vertue power and efficacy of Christs reall presence the spring of life and fountaine of grace therein contained 9. Secondly I reply that Christ doth not only compare the Eucharist with Manna in respect of the life and death of the soule but of the body also after this sort Manna could not affoard to your Fathers life of body much lesse of soule during their short passage through the desert This bread affoardeth life to the soule much more to the body during the length of all eternity They that eate Manna dyed in body a temporall death they that eate this bread shall not dye the eternall death neither of the body nor soule And heerein consisteth as Maldonate commenteth vpon this text the singular grace elegancy of our Sauiours comparison in passing from Maldonatâ— in hunc loeum Matt. 8. v. 22. Ioan. 4. v. 13. one kind of life and death to another which plesant digression he often vseth as the same Author discourseth in other places In S. Matthew Let the dead bury the dead The first he calleth dead in soule the next in body In S. Iohn Euery one that drinketh of this water shall thirst againe but he that shall drinke of the water that I will giue him shall not thirst for euer First he speaketh of the corporall Matt. 26. v. 29. water and thirst of the body then of the spirituall water and thirst of the soule Likewise I wil not drinke from hence forth of this fruit of the vine vntill that day when I shall drinke it with you new in the kingdome of my Father Heere he first mentioneth the naturall wine of the grape then the metaphoricall wine of celestiall ioyes So now he first speaketh of the corporall then of the spirituall and euerlasting life which our Blessed Sacrament of his owne nature yeildeth to all such as daily receaue it although Manna yielded not as much as the corporall if they doe not after by sinne willfully destroy the quickening grace and liuely seed it imparteth vnto them And thus the wordes are of more emphasy the comparison more pithy and the preheminence of the Eucharist aboue Manna more remarkable then if our Sauiour had spoken in both places only of the spirituall Lastly if our Sectaryes expound S. Iohn of the eating by fayth how vncongruously will they make S. Paul to speake writing of the same matter and saying He that eatech vnworthily which 1. Cor. 11. v. 27. cannot be properly attributed to the belieuer because he that belieueth not as he ought doth either falsly or fainedly belieue we cannot with any congruity of speach say that he belieueth vnworthily therefore as S. Paul so likewise S. Iohn ought to be vnderstood not of the spirituall but of the corporall eating of Christs sacred flesh 10. That which M. Bilson alleadgeth out of Gelasius S. Leo condemning the Communion vnder one kind Bils 4. par pag. 684. 685. Gelas can Comperiâ—ê° dist 2. Leo. ser 4. de quadra is of no force at all For they condemne the dry Communion not of the Catholiks but of the Manichees who teaching that Christ brought into this world and walked vpon earth with a meere empty and phantasticall body deuoyd of true and natural bloud they in testimony of this errour abstained from the bloud with great sacriledge as Gelâ—sius writeth deuided one and the selfe same mistery which all Catholikes had iust cause to reprehend in them no Protestant any cause to obiect against vs who neither deuide the mistery nor abstaine from the bloud but constantly teach that by fequele concomitance we receaue it wholy and entirely contained in the body we inioy the full participation of Christ Fulke loco â—itato Bils 4. par pag. 682. as M. Fulke requireth 11. At last both he and D. Bilson ioyntly oppose the Practise of the vniuersall Church which for many ages togeather ministred the Sacrament vnder both kinds euen to the Laity I grant that the Church vsed it as a thing lawfull not as a Aug. epist 23. ad Bonif Tolet. Con. cap. 11. Tho. 3. p. q. 80. art 9. ad 3. Cypr. serm de lapsis thing prescribed or decreed by God or vniuersally without exception in all times and places practised Which manner of receauing the Church might after change when her Communicaâ—ts were so many as wine sufficient could not be fitly consecrated nor without eminent perill of shedding or danger of abusing be conueniently ministred It was an vsuall custome both in the Greeke and Latine Church for many ages to communicate with the Chalice young sucking babes of which S. Augustine the x j. Toletan Councell and S. Thomas make mention And S. Cyprian writeth of the consecrated Bloud powred into the mouth of an Infant But as the Church vpon iust cause abrogated that custome leauing the children the benefit of neither kind without any wrong vnto them and Protestants allow hereof why write they so bitterly against debarring the people vpon as many important reasons from the vse of the Chalice where notwithstanding the whole fruit and benefit thereof to their comfort remayneth 12. Besides in many things you your selues who count it in vs a crime so damnable stray from that which Christ practised in the institution of the Sacramenâ— for example Christ communicated only men you women also he in a priuate house you in a publike Temple he at night you in the morning he with * For
his daies The Church by honouring them that are departed encourageth such as are present S. Gregory Nissen To what King is such honour exhibited What Emperour hath euer beene so famous and renowned as this poore Champion speaking of S. Theodore the Martyr S. Augustine Christian people celebrate the memoryes of Martyrs with Religious solemnity To these I might adde S. Athanasius S. Aug. l. 20 con â—aust cap. 21. Atha l. de virg Nazian orat in Machab. Epipha haer 79. Chry. hom de SS Iuuent Maximo Abros ser â— Gregory Nazianzen S. Chrysostome S. Ambrose with many more if the very calumniation and obloquy of the professed enemies of God did not ratify the truth hereof For Iulian the Apostata the Manichees the Iewes Heathens and other Heretikes obseruing the custome of former Christians in honouring Saintes aboue all earthly Creatures alwayes slaundered them with the crime of Idolatry as Saint Ciril Saint Augustine and Euscbius testify to whome these Fathers answered as we do now the like imposition layed vpon vs by our Aduersaryes 14. Saint Augustine excusing the Christians of his tyme sayd to the Manichees We worship the Martyrs c. yet â—ot with that honour proper to God which is called in Greeke Latria S. Cyril replyed to Iulian We doe not say our Martyrs are made Gods but we vse to yield all honour vnto them All honour Cyr. l. 6. 10. con Iulianum Aug. l. 10. c. 21. con Faust Euseb l. 8. hist c. 6. l. 4. c. 14. Cyril loco citato Arist 1. Eth. cap. 5. Rom. 2. 10. he sayth because they are replenished with all the supernaturall giftes and graces to which any honour can possibly belong To vertue sayth Aristotle To well doing sayth S. Paul honour is due glory and honour to euery one that doth well The Saints haue accomplished such vertuous and heroicke acts as haue purchased a crowne of eternall blisse To sanctity and holynesse honour is due they are so perfectly holy as they are admitted into the Society of the Holy of all Holyes To wisdome honour is due they are so wise as beholding the treasures of the Diuine wisdome it selfe they see in it whatsoeuer they can eyther wish or desire To nobility honour is due they are ennobled to be the children of God the sonne of the highest the vndoubted inheritours of the Kingdome of heauen To soueraygne dignity honour is due they are aduanced to so great preferment as they Apoc. 3. 21. Apoc. 2. 27. Cyril vbi supra sit with God in his throne they haue power ouer NatioÌ„s they rule gouerne them So that all honour as S. Cyril sayth may be iustly bestowed vpon them who haue all these worthy respects of honour and reuerence howbeit not in that highest degree which is proper and agreeth only to God Reyn. l. â— de Idol Rom. Ecc. c. 8. p. 287. c. Greg. Nis orat in S. Theod. Reyn. ibid. p. 288. c. Chrys ser de SS Iuuent Maximo Basiâ— in Psal 115. 15. M. Reynolds ouercome with these and many other reasons graunteth sometymes although otherwhere agayne he vtterly denyeth it That the Angels and Saintes are to be worshiped yet with a Ciuill kinde of worship But S Augustine tearmeth the honour done vnto them not Ciuill but Religious solemnity no such as is surrendred to mortall men but farre greater such according to Saint Gregory Nissen as hath beene yielded to no earthly King or Emperour Yea M. Reynoldes owne Pew-fellowes condemne his rashnes herein affirming that no Ciuill honour can be exhibited to soules departed And he himselfe speaketh so staggeringly in this behalfe as his Pen had no sooner vttered that vnaduised phrase That Ciuill honour is due to Saintes but he presently recalled the word Ciuill as a voyce vnbeseeming the nature of their worship and addeth That Caluin himselfe accounted it somewhat too rough and therefore he sought to sleeke and smooth it with the limitation of Ciuill honour as I may say It is wel you limit and correct smooth and soften your rude and harsh conceipt It is well neyther Niss orat in Theod. Hiero. l. 2. ep fâ—n ep 8. Ergone â—rlt illadies quando nobis liceat speluneam Saluatoris intrare Crucis laÌ„bere lignuÌ„ IohaÌ„nis Baptistae Helisaei quoque Abdiae pariter ciâ—â—resadorare Amb. ser 93. de SS Naza Câ—lso you nor your mayster knowes how to call which you disdayne to call by the right approued name To returne therfore to my purpose 16. As the Saints of God so their Reliques Tombes and ashes are highly to be honoured S. Chrysostome writing of S. Iuuentius and Maximus sayth Let vs often visit them let vs adorne their Tombes let vs touch their Reliques with a strong fayth that we may receaue some blessing from thence S. Basil He who handleth the bones of a Martyr draweth a certayne touch of Sanctification from the grace resident in the body S. Gregory Nissen affirmeth the same S. Hierome speaking of visiting the holy Land of Palestine and other deuout Reliques sayth Will that day once come when it shall be lawfull for vs to enter our Sauiours denne and to licke the wood of the Crosse and to adore the ashes of S. Iohn Baptist of Elizaeus togeather and Abdias S. Ambrose proposing this obiection to himselfe what doest thou honour in resolued and decayed flesh I honour sayth he in the flesh of the Martyr the woundes or markes receyued for Christ I honour the memory of the liuing by perpetuity of vertue I honour ashes sacred by the Confession of our Lord honour in the ashes seedes of eternity I honour the body which instructeth me to loue our Lord which hath taught Aug. l. 22. de Ciuit. c. 8. epist 103. ad Quin. Chrys l. cont Gen. Beda l. 2. c. 13. l. 3. c. 11. 12. 13. l. 4. c. 19. me for his sake not to be daunted with the horrour of death And why should not the faythfull worship that body which the very diuels doe reuerence S. Augustine testifyeth of the many myracles and great honour yielded to the Reliques of S. Stephen S. Chry sostome the like of the shrine of S. Babilas Venerable Bede of the Reliques S German wore about his necke with which he restored sight to the blind Of the Reliques of S. Oswald and S Edildride the one a Pious and Godly King the other a vvedded vvife and Virgin Queene of our countrey Socrates reporteth of Theodosius the yonger a vertuous Socrat. l. 7. cap. 22. and noble Prince that he was wont to weare the sackecloth of a certayne holy Bishop that dyed at Constantinople quamuis sorditatus although it were not very cleane Persuasus se aliquid ex mortui sanctimonia inde percepturum persuading himselfe that he should receaue some benefit from thence by the holines of him that was dead S. Gregory the great sent to King Edilbert of England Greg. l. 8. ep 60. l. 7.
are not imputed but pardoned in Christ all Mortall in the Reprobate M. Fulke conformably deliuereth Allsinnes are pardonable to the Penitent and faythfull and without fayth and repentance euen the least and ligh est sinne are damnable and deadly Against whom I reason thus 2. If there be any sinnes which euen then wheÌ„ they are voluntarily committed without repentance can stand with grace and Iustice the life of our soules they are of their owne nature neyther damnable nor deadly but there are some suchsinnes Therefore there are some sinnes which neyther of their owne nature Prou. 24. v. 16. cause the spirituall death of our soules in this life nor damnation in the next That there are some such sinnes I proue out of Scripture out of the Prouerbes Seauen tymes doth the Iust man fall and rise againe If he be Iust how falleth he into sinne If a sinner how is he called Iust vnlesse some sinne may consist with Iustice Out of Ecclesiast There is not a Iust man vpon earth who doth good and doth not sinne Out of S. Iohn If we shall say we haue no sinne we seduce Eccles 7. v. 21. 1. Iohn 1. Aug. l. dâ— natu gra c. 36. Haeb. 5. our selues and the truth is not in vs. Where S. Augustine expoundeth S. Iohn of the sinnes of the Iust and speaking of our Blessed Lady absolutly pronounceth This Virgin excepted if all holy Persons whilest heere they liued were assembled togeather with how great sanctity soeuer they shined c. they would all crie out If we say we haue no sinne we seduceour selues Out of S. Paul Euery Bishop ought as for the people so also for himselfe to offer for sinnes Whence S. Hierome collecteth He Hier. apud Panigarol part 2. lect 12. Iaco. 3. v. 2. lacob 1. v. 14 Hier. in CoÌ„menta c. 5. Mat. Psal 31. Math. 5. 1. Cor. 3. Orig. bo 5. In Leuit. Amb. in Psalm 118. Naz. or at 2. Iulia. in Cbrys bo 24. in Mat. Hier. l. 2. con Pelag. Aug. l. de natura gra ca. 38. in Enchir c. 22. 71. ser 41. de Sanct. Fulke in c. 1. Iaco. sect 6. Ezech. 18. 4. Rom. 6. 23. Iacob 2. 10. Aug. Ep 29. Cbrys bo 35. in Mat. should neuer be commanded to offer for others vnlesse he were Iust nor for himselfe if he wanted sinnes Out of S. Iames In many things we all offend And in his first Chapter Euery one is tempted of his owne concupiscence abstracted and allured afterward concupiscence when it hath conceaued bringeth forth sin but sinne when it is consummate engendreth death Behold three things in man Concupiscence the ground or entisement to sinne Conception the first and imperfect motion which yeeldeth therunto ConsuÌ„mation the absolute deliberate consent Concupiscence is no sinne Conception is a sinne but not damnable not deadly ConsuÌ„mation or full consent is only that which engendreth death S. Hierom agreable heereunto maketh a great difference betweene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Desire with Consent and withous Consent Many other places I omit cited out of King Dauid S. Mathew and S. Paul I omit the Fathers who acknowledge this diuersity of Veniall and Mortall sinnes Origen S. Ambrose S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Chrysostome S. Hierome S. Augustine c. 3. M. Fulke obiecteth by Ezechiel and S. Paul Of all sinnes in generall it is sayd The soule which sinneth shal die And The wages of sinne is death I answere They speake of haynous sinnes not of euery small offence For God were too seuere his leagne of friendship intollerable if for the least idle word or sleight default he would depriue his Friends of grace and persecute them to death S. Iames also writeth of grieuous sinne the breach of Gods Commandment in the place you commonly alleadg against vs He that offeudeth in one is made guilty of all For S. Augustine teacheth that he is made guilty of all because he breaketh the band of Charity which is the totall summe and perfection of the law Or can no lesse escape the sentence of death and damnation who transgresseth one commandement then if he were guilty of all as the Authour vpon the imperfect worke vpon S. Matthew singularly well expoundeth S. Basil and S. Augustine I grant make great account of Veniall sinnes in that they diminish the feruour of Charity are somewhat contrary to the Easil in quaest q. 4. q. 293. Aug. Con. 3. super Ps 118. tract 12. in Ioan. law and now and then dispose to the transgreslion of it in that they truly offend the infinite maiesty of God yet in a matter so light and with such imperfect apprehension as it diminisheth the indignity and wholy altereth the quality of the fault For if the want of all knowledge and all consent in children and mad men vtterly taketh away the guilt of sinne then imperfect knowledge imperfect consent must needs cause imperfect sinnes Not such as absolutly violate the law of God or throughly incurre his high displeasure but such as are to be shunned notwithstanding as dangerous infirmities and diseases of our soule Which is all that S. Augustine and the rest of the Fathers intend when they exaggerate the enormity of small offences Thus much in confutation of our Aduersaries second ground Concerning the third 4. We stand not vpon the name but vphold the thing that is a certaine penall estate or cleansing of some soules after this life which cleansing we call as Suarez Tom. 4. in 3. par disp 45. sect 1. Esay 4. Malach. 3. Suarez well noteth Purgation and the place where it is made Purgatory which the ancient Fathers themselues haue constantly gathered out of sundry texts of holy Write In the old Testament S. Augustine teacheth it from the mouth of Isay Our Lord shall purge the dregs of the daughters of Syon and shall wash the bloud of Hierusalem out of the middest therof in the Spirit of iudgment and in the Spirit of Aug. l. 20. de â—iuit Dei c. 25. Hiero. in hunc locuÌ„ Amb. in Psalm 36. Orig. ho. 6. in Exod. combustion or as the English Protestant translation readeth By the spirit of burning He teacheth it likewise from the mouth of Malachy Our Lord is like a purging fire and like fullers sope he shall sit downe to trye and fine the siluer he shall euen fine the Sonnes of Leui and purify them as gold and siluer Where S. Augustine addeth That these wordes cannot signify a separation only of the polluted from the pure in the last penall iudgment c. but must intimate a purgation of the good who haue need thereof With whome S. Hierome S. Ambrose Origen consent in the interpretation of that place The same S. Augustine and Venerable Bede deduce out of that passage of Aug. in Ps 7. Beda in Psal 37. Psalm 65. Amb. in Psal 36. ser in Psal 118. Orig. hom 25. in Numer the
obiections to the contrary answered against Doctour Whitaker Doctour Field and Maister Abbot pag. 20. The Seauenteenth Controuersy DEmonstrateth that our Iustice is inherent in vs and not imputed only against Doctour Whitaker Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot pag. 38. The second Chapter of this Controuersy IN which the former doctrine is confirmed by more reasons authorities and other obiections of our aduersaries refuted pag. 54. The Eighteenth Controuersy IN which it is proued that Fayth Hope Feare Loue Sorrow c. precede as dispositions to Iustification in such as are arriued to the vse of Reason against D. Fulke and Maister Abbot pag. 69. The Nineteenth Controuersy DEclareth how faith alone doth not iustify against D. Whitaker D. Field D. Abbot and all Sectaries pag. 83. The Twentith Controuersy IN which it is concluded that our Iustification consisteth in the habit of Charity against D. Abbot D. Whitaker and D. Fulke pag. 10â— The one Twentith Controuersy IN which it is discussed how good Workes do iustify against Doctour Abbot Doctour Whitaker and D. Fulke pag. 116. THE FIFTH BOOKE The two and Twentith Controuersy DIsproueth the Protestants Certainty of Saluation against D. Whitaker and D. Abbot pag. 140. The second Chapter of this Controuersy VVHerein the former Presumption is refuted by Reason and whatsoeuer the Aduersary obiecteth against vs is remoued pag. 151. The three and Twentith Controuersy DEclareth that true Fayth or Iustice once had may be lost against D. Whitaker D. Fulke and D. Abbot pag. 165. The foure and Twentith Controuersy A Voweth Freewill against D. Fulke and D. Whitaker pag. 177. The fiue and Twentith Controuersy SHeweth the cooperation of Free-wil to our conuersion and to workes of Piety against D. Whitaker D. Fulke and M. White pag. 191. The six and Twentith Controuersy VVHerein is taught that the Fayth uâ—l by the help of Gods grace do some workes so perfect entterly god as they truly please the diuine Maiesty against Doctour Whitaker Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot pag. 206. The seauen Twentith Controuersy VVHerein our good workes are acquitted from the spottes of sinne against Doctour Whitaker Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot pag. 216. The second Chapter of this Controuersy IN which the same is warrâ—ntâ—d by the Fatherâ— the obiections answered and the vnâ—oluntary motions of Concupiscence discharged of sinne pag. 227. The eight and Twentith Controuersy EStablisheth the possibility of keeping Gods Law against Doctour Whitaker Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot pag. 336. The second Chapter of this Controuersy IN which the possibility of keeping the Law is maintained by other reasons and objections answered p. 243. The nine and Twentith Controuersy DEfendeth God from being Authour of siane against Doctour Fulke and his Companions pag. 355. The second Chapter of this Controuersy IN which some other Heresies are comprehended our Sectaries cheifâ— obiections fully answered pag. 372. The Thirtith Controuersy IN which the merit of Good workes is supported against Doctour Abbot and Doctour Fulke pag. 386. The second Chapter of this Controuersy IN which the same is strenghned by other reasons authorities and the Obiections satisfied pag. 296. THE FOVRTH BOOKE THE SIXTEENTH CONTROVERSY MAINTAINETH Originall sinne to be abolished by Baptisme and Concupiscence remaining to be no sinne against D. Whitaker D. Field D. Abbot CHAP. I. IT is the proper badge and common custome of such as wander from the truth sometymes to stray in the extremity of one errour sometyme of another one while by excesse to ouerflow the bankes of truth other while to sticke in the sandes by want or defect Thus a Ambr l. 1. de fide cap. 1. 2â— Sabellius erring by defect gaine-sayd the distinction of Persons in the mistery of the holy Trinity and b Nazi orat 5. de Theolog. Arius by excesse multiplyed or rather deuided the vnity of their Essence c Euâ—gr l. 2. cap. 2. Nestâ—rius would haue no Hypostaticall or Substantiall vnâ—â—â— betwixt the diuine and humane nature of Christ and d Theod. l 4. hâ—ret fab c. vlâ— Eutiches would admit no diuision betweene them e Aug. l. de haeres haer 81. 82. Iouinian so highly commended Matrimony as he equaled it with virginity f Iren. l. 1. c. 22 30. Saturninus Tatian and others misprized it so much as they wholy condemned it as an execrable and vnlawfull thing The g Alfon. de Cast. v. Imago Carpocratians Gnostickes and Collyridians honoured Images with sacrifices and diuine worship The h in Alcoran c. 15. 17. Bilson 4. par p 545. sequent Turkes Image-breakers and our Protestants depriue them of all religious worship i Aug. ep 109. 107. Pelagius the enemy of Gods grace attributed too much k Hier. in praef dial aduer Pelag. Manichaus with our late Ghospellers too little to the liberty of Free-will And to come to my purpose the same l Aug. l. 4. cont 2. ep Felag c. 2. 4. libris cont Iul. Castro l. 12. her verbo Peccat Melanth in loc com de baptis infant Pelagius Iulian the Armentians Anabaptists of our dayes extenuate the fault of Originall sinne deny it to be infectious to the soules of Infants or any thing necessary for the cleansing of it M. Luther Caluin Field Abbot Whitaker and all other Protestants exaggerate it so farre and make it so contagious to the whole of spring of Adam as it can neuer be purged or washed from them 2. But the Church of God and spouse of Christ by the guide of his holy spirit shunning the gulfe of both extremes and still sayling in the middst or meane of truth neither confoundeth the Persons of the Blessed Trinity with Sabellius nor deuideth their essence with Aâ—ius She defendeth the Hypostaticall vnion of God and Man in the persons of Christ against Nestorius and alloweth not the mixture of natures with Eutiches She honoureth Marriage as an holy Sacrament against Tattan yet doth notequall it to virginity with Iouinian with Whitaker and the rest of his crew She condemneth the sacrilegious honour which the Carpocratians allow to Images and yet bereaueth them not of all externall worship with Turkes m Luth. in assert art 2. Caluin l. 2. inst c. 10. parag 8. 9. Field in his booke of the Church c. â—6 Abbot in his defence cap. 2. VVhitaker in his answere to the 8. reason of M. Campian and in his 8. booke aduers Duraum VVhitaker Contro 2. q. 5 cap. 7. fol. 384. Images-breakers and Protestants She requireth the supply and assistance of grace to flye all sinne and to do good pleasing to God against Pelagius and excludeth not the cooperation of Free-will with Manichaeus She auoucheth that all mankind contracted the spot of Originall infectioÌ„ Calu. l. 2. instit c. 1. §. 8. 9. Abbot in his defence of the reformed Cathol c. 2. sol 198. Calu. ibi §. 9. Calu. ibid against the Anabaptists and houldeth also that by fayth in
sort Cardinall Tolet out of Origen and S Augustine notably expoundeth the words of the Psalmist Blessed are they whose iniquit yes are forgiuen and whose sinnes be couered blessed is the man to whome our Lord hath not imputed sinne the chiefest place Protestants alleadge to bolster their fancy of Gods pardoning of sin by not imputing it such an idle fancy as the very tyme may seeme idly spent in disproofe thereof for what is it you account not imputed to the regenerate or other pardoned offendour 11. In Originall as in euery actuall sinne there be S. Tbom. 1. 2. q. 86. 87. Vasq ibid. disp 206. c. 2. Valent. ibid. q. 16. 17. three thinges First there is macula culpae the spot or blemish of the fault because euery sinne defileth the soule with some base and vgly deformity Secondly there is that which is termed by some reatus poenae by others meritum seu condignit as poenae that is the condignity or deseruing of punishment for whosoeuer offendeth doth condignely deserue to be punished for his offence The third is obligatio seu destinatio ad poenam to wit an actuall destination bynding over to punishment which is the ordinance and decree of God appoynting due chastisement to them that deserue it Now which of these is not imputed in your remission of sinnes Is the vgly spot remayning are you not deemed to be defiled by him who cannot erre or be deceaued in his doome Or is not the deseruing or lyablenes to punishment imputed to this inherent fault of your spotted soule It cannot chuse they are inseparable they necessarily accompany the one the other and as it is impossible for the relation of fatherhood not to arise and follow him who beggetteth a child or risibility the power of laughing not to flow from the nature of man so likewise impossible the condignity of punishment should not alwayes attend on the faultines of sinne It resteth then that the actuall destination and binding ouer to punishment is not imputed to the pardoned sinner that to pardon sinne according to your new Diuinity is nothing els then not to punish it which flatly destroyeth a maine article of our fayth the forgiuenes of sinnes defeateth the merits of Christs bountifull passion and disanulleth the benefit of our redemption For to exempt our persons from the paine of hesl is not to redeeme our Psal 7◠v. 14. soules from their iniquity of which King Dauid nor deliuer vs out of the power of darknes of which the Apostle speaketh The delinquent or malefactour who is freed from the Ad Colos ◠v. 13. sentence of death pronounced against him is not therby either loosed of his chaines or bayled out of prison no more are we assoyled of the bandes of vice or bayled out of the iayle of sinne by immunity from the paine or exemption from the horrour of euerlasting death 12. Besides as long as the nature of sinne truly harboureth in the harts of Protestants by infection adhereth and contaminateth their soule it maketh it hatefull detestable to God for his infinit purity cannot but abhone the defiled sinner of whome King Salomon sayth Sap. 14. v. 9. Psal 44. v. 8. To God the impious and his impiety are odious alike And the Psalmist Thou hast loued Iustice and hast hated iniquity but whatsoeuer he hateth he ordeyneth to punishment therfore euery Protestant who is inherently polluted with the deformity of vice how beautifull soeuer he may seem without by the iust censure of the Highest is bound ouer to the paine which is due vnto him for as the loue of God is nothing els then velle bonum to procure good to whatsoeuer he loueth so his hatred is velle malum to wreak euill to that which he hateth and because he cannot will the euill of fault the euill of punishment must he needes inflict on euery vitious and hatefull transgressour 13. In fine this binding ouer to punishment which you dream not imputed may be two wayes vnderstood First it may be taken for the eternall will of the first and supreme cause ordayning iust punishment to such as deserue it Secondly for his exteriour law promulgated vnto vs either absolutly or conditionally declaring the same in the former acception it is the will of God vnchangeable immutable and cannot be altered in the later it is a signe or declaration vnto vs of his inward will which if it be absolute it shal be infallibly executed according to his word if conditionall or comminatory only it may be altered or suspended supposing a change and alteration on our part yet being good of God and for our repentance proclaymed it cannot possible be the sault not imputed vnto vs. 14. Their second quirke or guilefull deceit that guiltines is remoued from the person not frō the sinne in the person or from vs not the sinne in vs is a palpable contradiction because if guiltines still cleaue to the sinne and the sinne abide Perkins in his refor Cath p. 56. Abbot in his defence cap. 2. Bell in his down-fall in vs we must of necessity remaine subiect and obnoxious to that guilty sinne Or if the guilt of Originall sin be remoued from the person it is also remoued from the sinne in the person For enquire of S. Augustine that Miracle of Wit enquire of him how sins aboad in sinners he wil answere no otherwise then by their guilt then demand what it is to be free from sinne he will tell you this it is not to haue sinne not to be guilty of sinne So that sinne guilt are Aug. l. 1. de nupt concup c. 26. according to him two inseparable thinges leaue sinne in the regenerate and the guilt therof remayneth extinguish the guilt and the sinne is abolished 15. Notwithstanding M. Robert Abbot taketh vpon him the defence of the former brainsicke and fanaticall Abbot in the place aboue cyted f. 17 speach that guiltines is remoued from the person not from the sinne in the person thus interpreteth the meaning thereof That sinne is pardoned to the man regenerate and therfore cannot mak him guilty but yet in it selfe and in it owne nature it continueth such as that setting aside the pardon it were sufficient still to make him guilty and to condemne him A fit glosse for such a deformed Text which runneth into more contrarietyes then the contrariety it selfe he seeketh to reconcile For wil you consider the regenerate pardoned of their sinnes and set aside their pardon Will you make them not guilty of sinne as you say by one and guilty by the other at one and the selfe same tyme Is it possible your tongue should discourse of men endued with fayth and abstract from fayth Speake of soules adorned with grace and bereft of grace with one and the selfe same breath Our question is whether the regenerate supposing they be pardoned by the lauer of Baptisme be endued with fayth
proposition is taught by the Apostle that we receaue by Christ more then we lost by Adam Aug. tom 3. de Gen. l. 6. c. 21. Aug. l. dâ— spir lit cap. 21. Iraen l. 3. c. 20 Cyril l. 1â— in Ioan. â— 25. and subscribed vnto by S. Augustine saying We receaue not the immortality of a spirituall body which man had not but we receaue Iustice from which by sinne man was fallen And in another place he affirmeth in the inward man renewed by the grace of Christ that iustice to be written which fault had cancelled By S. Irenaeus who teacheth that the SoÌ„ne of God was to this end incarnate that that which we had last lost in Adam of the Image and likeness of God we might recouer in Christ Iesus By S. Cyrill Patriarch of Alexandria the nature of man to be sanctifyed is to be reformed and renewed by participation of the spirit according to the first image that inuested with that first grace we may ouercome the raigning sinne adhering to diuine charity and wholy giuen to the study of vertue and so the law of the flesh being vanquished we may preserue inuiolable the beauty of the image imprinted in vs. 3. Doctour Abbot ouer-borne with the weight of this reason and poise of some of the former auctorityes Abbot â— 4. sect 13. fol. 431. plainely affirmeth that Christ came to restore the inherent Iustice we lost in Adam yet so as he beginneth but doth not perfect it as long as we continue in this life and therfore inherent Iustice is not such in any men heere as that therby he can be found iust in the sight of God Yes you cannot deny but that Adams iustice before his fall was such as it made him iust in the sight of God but these Fathers contest that we partake by the merits of Christ that iustice from which by sinne man was fallen that which fault had cancelled yea sayth M. Abbot we receaue the same not really but in hope Neither Abbot lol citato will this serue your turne for in hope we possesse the immortality of our bodyes of which notwithstanding S. Augustine affirmeth we receaue not the immortality of a spirituall body c. but receaue Iustice therfore we receaue this really and not only in hope as we do immortality Besides he testifyeth this iustice to be giuen when man is renewed by grace which not only the holy Scriptures but your selues also confesse to be really performed euen in this life S. Cyrill auoucheth the like with whome Irenaeus agreeth in such perspicuous tearmes as no shift can be deuised to expound them otherwise Andreas Vega vbi supra 4. The second reason insinuated by the fornamed Vega is that one and the same thing can neuer be both the efficient and formall cause of the same effect The Sunne for example cannot be the cause of heate and be the heat itselfe which is produced but the Iustice of Christ is the cause of our iustification and that by producing iustice in vs for of his fullnes we al partake more or lesse according to the measure of his donation Which cannot be meant of imputatiue iustice which without limitation or proportion of measure is equally referred to euery one therefore of inherent wherof Christs iustice being the efficient cannot be also the formall cause or if it be how is it also the free fauour and mercy of God as Protestants VVhitak in his answere to 8. reason of M. Campian fol. 228. likewise vnaduisedly teach How doth Whitaker auouch We acknowledge no other iustifying grace then the great and free mercy of God whereby he did elect and predestinate vs in Christ before all eternity vnto life euerlasting And yet he sayth a little after This obedience of Christ imputed vnto vs and apprehended by fayth is that righteousnes of ours which you enquire after Ibid. fol. 229. What Is the obededience of Christ all one with the mercy goodnes of God the humility of him that obeyeth with the greatnes of him who is obeyed Or do such diuers causes both worke the same formall effect I need not wonder at your ignorance in points of diuinity who are so little seene in the principles of Philosophy 5. The third reason is the diuine grace with which we are heere iustifyed vpon earth is the same which shal be heereafter crowned in heauen for the reward of glory is there proportioned to the small pittance of iustice or 2. Cor. 9. v. 6. great measure of grace which heere we obtaine He that soweth sparingly sparingly also shall reap and he that soweth in blessings of blessings also shall reape Now the haruest of celestiall iustice which we shall heereafter enioy is not imputatiue but such as shall inhere and beautify our soules therefore that which is heere either infused by God or which we purchase by our good workes is likewise in herent and dwelling in vs. 6. The fourth reason if by the iustice of Christapprehended and applyed vnto vs by fayth we be formally iust we should all equally participate the perfection of iustice one could not be more holy righteous and iust Ioan. 14. v. 2. Hiero. l. 2. aduers Iouin 1. Cor. 15. v. 41. 42. â—eild in his 3. booke of the Church c. 30. fol. 140. then another and consequently because according to the proportion of iustice the crown of glory is assigned there should be no distinction of glory no difference of reward in heauen contrary to that of Christ In the house of my Father there be many mansions of the Apostle One glory of the Sunne another glory of the stars for starre differeth from starre in glory so also the resurrection of the dead And wheras M. Feild auoucheth That from imputed righteousnes which is equall in all men no imparity of ioy can flow c. but from the imparity of inherent righteousnes it is that there are so different degrees of ioy glory found among the Saints of God that are in heauen he auoucheth two thinges which countenance our doctrine the one directly that our iustice is inherent the other coÌ„sequently that this inherent iustice is perfect entiere cleane from al impurity and wholy pleasing to God otherwise it could not deserue any reward at his handes it could not be renowned honoured nor yet admitted into that pure and immaculate kingdome into which no defiled thing can enter 7. Fiftly the Iustice with which baptized infants are endowed by the water of regeneration is not the extrinsecal Iustice of Christ apprehended by an act of fayth which sucklings depriued of reason cannot haue but they are iustifyed as M. Feild with vs auerreth and striueth to wrest the meaning of Luther with the habits or potentiall habilityes of Fayth Hope and Charity but according to S. Augustine Feild in his 3. booke of the Church c. 44. Aug. l. 1. de peccat merit c. 9. God giueth to the faythfull the most secret grace of
fountaine of life The feare of our Lord is the beginning of wisedome So of Hope it is recorded By hope we are saued Our Lord will saue them because they hoped in him And Euery one that hath this hope in him sanctifyeth himselfe to wit by his free will working togeather with Gods grace as S. Augustine 1. Ioan. 3 v. 3. August in eum locum 1. Ioan. 3. v. 14. Luc. 7. v. 47. Eccles 2. v. 10. Marc. l. v. 15. Act. 1. v. 38. Act. 8. v. 12. Fulk locot citato Ezech. 18. v. 27. Ibid. v. 31. 2. Tim. 2. v. 21. sayth vpon this Text. So of Loue and Charity we read We are translated from death to life because we loue our brethren many sinnes are remitted vnto her because she loued much And yee that feare our Lord loue him and your harts shal be illuminated 2. Or Sorrow and Repentance our Sauiour sayth Be penitent and belieue the Ghospell S. Peter do pennance and be euery one of you baptized in the name of Iesus Christ for remissioÌ„ of your sinnes Againe exhorting Symon Magus do pennance from this thy wickednes and pray to God if perhaps this cogitation of thy hart may be remitted Where he requireth pennance in which contrition or sorrow is included and also prayer not as sequells which follow according to M. Fulks pelting Sophistry but as necessary preparations which go before remission of his sinne The Prophet Ezechiel when the wicked shall turne away himselfe from his impiety he shall viuificate his soule And cast away from you all your preuarications wherein yee haue preuaricated and make to your selues a new hart and a new spirit S. Paul If any man shall clense himselfe from these he shal be a vessel vnto honour What more cleare A sinner may begin to cast off his preuarications to cleanse and make himselfe a new hart a new spirit he may by Sorrow griefe and pennance viuificate or giue life to his soule therefore he may being quickned and stirred vp by God freely concurre to his owne iustification as shall yet more euidently appeare by this description gathered out of the sacred Councell of Trent and many most learned Deuines 3. Iustification is a motion or change of our freewill made Concil Trid. sesâ— 6. by God in detestation of sinne with infusion of grace to the remissioÌ„ thereof and gayning of eternall blisse It is called a motion or change because it is a passage or departure from the state of sinne to the state of grace from vice to vertue from darknes to light from being wicked vniust hatefull in enmity with God to be pious iust deare and lincked vnto him in the band of friendship in so much as to iustify the wicked to reconcile the enemy to rayse the lapsed and to sanctify the sinner is one and the selfe same thing although explayned in diuers manners It is said to be of freewill for that the will of man is not forced or violently drawn but voluntarily freely concurreth to this blessed change It is added made by God because freewill worketh not of it selfe but inspired quickned and ayded by him He first calleth on vs auerted from him he knocketh at the gate of our harts he awaketh vs being a sleep in our sinnefull letargy he stirreth vs vp eggeth vs forward helpeth vs labouring refresheth vs fainting and strengthneth vs accomplishing that which he inspireth he likewise remitteth the wrong we did vnto him he pardoneth the fault cancelleth our depts we willingly as I say endeauouring cooperating with him For as a lame cripple holpen by his friend to remoue from this roome to that doth freely go yet supported by another so man by the ayde of Gods preuenting corroborating and helping grace doth freely consent and obey his motions willingly passeth from the prison of vice to the court of his fauour yet succoured by the help of his diuine asistance It is auerred to be in detestation of sin for as much as that preuenting grace layeth before the God stirreth vs vp to the detestation of sinne before he infuse his habituall grace eyes of our vnderstanding the turpitude of vice and vgly shape of our soules the beatitude and happynes we lost the miseryes the seuere punishments the indignation we haue incurred and striketh vs with the feare and terrour of them discouereth the meanes by which we may escape them meanes to recouer our felicity againe Then it inflameth the affections of our will to loue and imbrace these happy meanes by detesting our forepassed and vndertaking a new course of life Moreouer it is inserted with infusion of grace to the remission of sinne because at the same instant iustifying grace is infused and sinne expelled the temple of our soules It is lastly concluded to the gayning of eternall blisse to signify that that is the finall end of our iustification the saluation of oursoules and purchase of euerlasting life 4. Thus man through the great mercy and sweet motions of God is prepared by an act of Fayth Feare Tertul. l. 4. cont Marcion c. 18. Orig. hom 3 in Leuit. Cypr ser 5. de lapsis Basil in psal 33. August tract 9. In ep Ioan. l. de Catechiz rudibus c. 4. 5 l. de natu gratia Clement Alexan. l 2. Strom. â— ante med Imbr. l. â— de poeâ—it Hieron lâ— 2. aduers Pelag. in commeÌ„ad â— c. 〈◊〉 Greg. hâ—m 13. in â—uaÌ„gelium Aug. ep 105. Augustep 106. August tract 44. In Ioan. Cent. 3. c. 4. Colum. 80. Tertul l. de poenit lib. 4. contra Marcion Orig. tract 32. in Matth. hom 24. in Iosue 26. in â—undem Hope Charity and Repentance to returne vnto his fauour and to receaue the stole of his heauenly Iustice for he cannot possibly be excited and recalled from wickednes without grace from aboue he cannot belieue the way of saluation without fayth nor dread the iudgmentes of God without feare nor expect and desire his friendship without hope nor loue his goodnes without Charity nor truly detest offences past without Sorrow Repentance Therfore they all ioyntly make way to this supernaturall iustifying of our soules whereby two thinges are manifest 1. That our freewill before we be iustifyed doth not as Protestants fancy passiuely concurre but as we say actiuely to the callings of God 2. That not Fayth alone but Feare Hope Charity Repentence and other vertues cooperate also to the worke of our iustification as the whole Senate of Fathers agree with vs Tertullian Origen S. Cyprian S. Basil S. Augustine S. Clement of Alexandria S. Hierome S. Gregory and the rest some affirming one of the former vertues to prepare the way to iustification some another And S. Augustine els where writing of Fayth in particuler often teacheth that it meriteth by way of congruity or impetration the remission of our sinnes and true iustification therefore it goeth before the life of grace and cannot possibly be that vertue in which
true Iustice consisteth Remission of sinnes sayth he it selfe is not without some merit if fayth do get or impetrate it neither is the merit of fayth none by which fayth he sayd Lord be mercifull to me a sinner and descended iustifyed by the merit of faythfull humility And in the epistle next following But if any man shall say that Fayth doth merit the grace of working well we cannot deny it nay we willingly confesse it c. They therefore that haue fayth by which they obtaine iustification through the grace of God haue arriued to the law of Iustice Likewise in another place This confession sayth he meriteth Iustification 5. The Centurists taxe Tertullian Origen S. Gregory Nissen S. Ephrem S. Hierome for fauouring heerin our doctrine Tertullian say they seemeth to hould that good workes do both goe before and follow fayth for so he auerreth of Patience And in his fourth booke against Marcion he affirmeth the chief cause of Zachaeus iustification to haue been in that he not knowing fullfilled the precept of Isay breake thy bread vnto the hungry In like manner Origen in so many places I cyte their owne wordes ascribeth to workes the preparation to saluation and cause thereof as in his Commentaryes vpon S. Matthew Such truely sayth he as do professe their fayth in Iesus and do not prepare themselues by good workes to saluation are resembled to the foolish Virgins And in his homilyes vpon Iosue The habitation or dwelling of God in vs he attributeth to our merits that is to our merits of congruity as S. Augustine taught whome I cyted before Then they reprehend and labour to refell this saying Cent. 4. c. 10. Colum. 953. Nissen l. de vita Moys Cent. 4 c. 4. Colum. â—94 Ephrem l. 2. de compunct cor cap. 8. Cent. 4. c. 10. Col. 1249. of S. Gregory Nissen The grace of the holy Ghost dwelleth not in man vnles be first mortify in himselfe the force of sinne They accuse S. Ephrem for teaching that Contrition doth merit remission of sinnes Wherupon they reiect this as one of his blemished places Who doth not admire that God by the teares of this short space forgiueth sinnes and that we gauled with the sore of a thousand woundes he at the eleuenth houre cureth vs by teares Againe When he hath healed vs he rendreth the reward of tears S. Hierome also they blame because in his commentary vpon the prayer of Ieremy Nimium tribuit contritioni he attributeth too much to contrition they blame him likewise for houlding That Cornelius receaued the holy Ghost by the works of the naturall law by which Abraham Moyses and other Saints were also iustifyed What S. Hierome there meaneth by receauing the holy Ghost and whether Cornelius were S. Basil reg 224. ex breuior Greg. hom â— in Ezech. iustifyed before the comming of S. Peter I referre my Reader to the expositours vpon that place and certaine it is that S. Basil S. Gregory do insinuate that the almes prayers and other morall good workes which Cornelius wrought were acceptable preparatiues to moue God to mercy and to communicate vnto him the grace of inherent Iustice Which preparation Prosper expresly acknowledgeth and freeth it from the heresy of the Pelagians Prosp l. de lib. arbitr ad Ruffin Beda in hunc locuÌ„ saying that they did not vnderstand that preparation of Cornelius to be made by Gods grace as we do And Venerable Bede out of S. Gregory affirmeth of the same Cornelius He knew God Creatour of all but that his omnipotent Sonne was incarnate he knew not and in that fayth he made prayers and gaue almes which pleased God and by well doing he deserued to know God perfectly to belieue the mistery of the Incarnation and to come to the Sacrament of Baptisme S. Augustine also thus Because Aug. l. â— de Bapt. c. â— whatsoeuer goodnes he had in prayer and almes the same could not profit him vnles he were by the bands of Christian society and peace incorporated to the Church he is bidden to send vnto Peter that by him he may learne Christ by him he may be baptized Wherby it appeareth that all these allowed his preparatiue workes to deserue in a manner by way of congruity the iustifying grace of the holy Sacrament of Baptisme 6. It is bootlesse to demur any longer on the recitall Rom. 4. Ioan. 20. v. 29. Matth. 8. v. 10. 15. v. 8. Luc. vltim 25. Marc. vlt. v. 14. of other sayings in a point so cleare which Protestants themselues could neuer gainesay vnles they would haue vs worke like stockes and stones or like brute and senseles creatures without freedome and election in the most noble and supernaturall act of our fayth wherein they place the summe of our spirituall life For if that be free as the Holy Ghost declareth it to be commending the fayth of Abraham and of many other that belieued rebuking the incredulity of such as belieued not which he would not haue done if it had not beene in their power to belieue or not to belieue Then it must needs presuppose a pious affection of the will to go before and bend the vnderstanding to assent vnto such hidden misteryes as he imbraceth not only because that alone can affoard it the dignity of freedome but also because the vnderstanding being not inclined by nature nor drawne by the euident sight S. Thoâ— 2. 2. of the obiect nor otherwise inforced cannot possibly as S. Thomas the oracle of Deuines reasoneth giue assent to darke obscure and ineuident articles vnles it be bowed and determined by the force of the will which force and Concil Araus c. 5. Concil Tol. 4. c 55. refer c. de Iudaeis dist 45. August tract 26. in Ioan. Ambr ad Rom. 4. in illa verb. Ei autem quioperatur c. inclination the Arausican Councell tearmeth Initium fidei ipsum credulitatis affectum the beginning of Fayth and the affection it selfe or desire of belieuing And for this cause the fourth Toletan Councell sayth Mentis conuersione quisquis credendo saluatur By the conuersion of his owne mind euery one belieuing is saued S. Augustine recyting many thinges that man may do not willingly immediatly inferreth but belieue he cannot vnles he be willing S. Ambrose To belieue or not belieue is the part of the will for he cannot be forced to that which is not manifest Origen No man is depriued of the possibility of belieuing for this is placed in the arbitrement or choice of man and in the cooperation of grace S. Clemens Alexandrinus The kingdome of heauen is yours if you will c. it is yours if you shall only be willing to belieue Which wordes the Centuristes quote and with their proud and audacious pen censure as Origen ho. 2. in diuersa loca sacrae Scripturae Clement Alexan. in paren Cent. 2. c. 4. Col. 59. Iraen Col. â—8 apud Centur. erroneous As also the like of
Iraeneus the like of others But the authority it selfe of these Ancients the purity of that prime and perfect age is inough to quite them of that false accusatiō inough to cleare the truth of our cause that som thing goeth before the assent of our vnderstanding or act of fayth that we do not like beastes vnuoluntarily belieue but that we willingly prepare our selues and freely worke to the obtayning of Iustice Wherein how farre M. Field forsaketh his owne confederates and runneth in the same line with vs shall be discouered in the next Controuersy 7. As for M. Abbots argument to the contrary That Feild in his 3. booke of the Church c. 44. Abbot in his defence sect 20. fol. 467. as a dead carcasse cannot concurre to his resurrection no more can a man dead in sinne any way cooperate to the restoring of his life I answer that the parity haulteth in this maine ioynt or principall limme that the dead man hath no working power or ability at all to produce the actions of life But the sinner although he be wholy dead in respect of supernatural grace yet he liueth a naturall life hath a naturall and liuely faculty of free will which albeit by it selfe it be altogeather vnable to worke any good appertayning to saluation yet by the assistance and ayde of God it is quickened eleuated and inabled to cooperate with him vnto the workes of piety And it is a thing vsuall in the course of Nature to requite your natural cōparison with the like examples of nature for a dead senseles thing to cooperate if not actiuely as some do at least by way of disposition to the receauing of life for so the dead and corrupted graines of corne by the fertility moysture and warme bosome of the earth do according to some part of them not only dispose but also produce their vegetiue life yea the mortifyed dead matter which example euery way sitteth my purpose ministred by parents to the begetting of children doth truly concurre by way of disposition to their receauing of life to the creation of their breathing and reasonable soules If dead thinges haue this efficacy by the supply of dead senseles causes to concurre to naturall life why should not the liuely facultyes of our mind by the supernaturall succour of the supreme cause haue force and vigour also to dispose our soules to the supernaturall grace 8. But to graunt this sayth M. Abbot is to slyde into Abbot in his defence c. 4. f. 80. 459. the heresy of the Pelagians with whome he impiously consorteth both vs the sacred Councell of Trent in such malicious manner as when we assigne a substantiall difference betweene vs and them by houlding the precedent acts of Feare Hope Loue c. to proceed not Abbot ibidem c. 1. f. 104. 106. 107. Aug. con Pelag. Celest c. 2. 4. c. 31. 32. 33. 35. 37. from the force of nature not from our owne merits as they imagined but from the benefit of Gods grace he replyeth againe that we do but dally with the name of grace as Pelagius did who acknowledged also the necessity thereof as he goeth about to proue out of many places of S. Augustine out of his first booke against Pelagius and Celestius in sundry Chapters and out of his Epistles also But he willingly or cunningly passeth ouer the collusion or legier-du-maine of the Pelagians who to beguile the Bishops of the Easterne Church vsurped the name Grace as the same S. Augustine both in the aforesayd and in other places testifyeth in diuers senses most different from Sec Aug. ep 90. 95. 105. 106. 107. Vasq in 1. part dips 9◠c. 9. Molin item in 1. part disp 19. mem 5. Aug. tom 7. l. 1. 2. de grat Christ de peccat Origin vs. For first they sometyme tearmed the benefit of creatiō conseruation and free will it selfe by the name of grace because they be singular gifts by Gods gracious fauour bestowed vpon vs. We heere take Grace alwayes for that which aboue the course of nature through the merits of Christ is supernaturally imparted 2. They although they did after confesse a supernaturall grace yet they say it was only profitable to facilitate not necessary to accomplish fullfill the commandments which S. Augustine often reprehended in them or as Celestius Pelagius his scholler did temper qualify the roughnes of his Maisters speach it was necessary to perfect and consummate not to inchoate or begin the perfection of a good and pious worke witnes S. Augustine against the two Epistles of Pelagius We say it is absolutly necessary not only to consummate but also to beginne not only to facilitate but Augu. l. 2. cont 2. ep Pelag. ◠8◠Aug. l. 1. de grat Christ con Pelag. c. 4. 5. 25. 26. Phil. 2. v. 13. August l. de grat lib. arbit ◠16. Aug. l. 10. cont 2. ep Pelag. cap. 19. Aug. l. 1. de grat Christ c. 1. euen to performe or satisfy any part of the law as it ought to be pleasing and gratefull vnto God 3. They held that grace affoarded possibility only to the will not force efficacy to shun euill and imbrace good they thought that grace sayth S. Augustine doth not helpe vs to do but only that we might be willing able to do We teach with the Apostle that it is God who worketh in vs both to will and accomplish His grace say we with S. Augustine doth not only giue sufficient but vires efficacissimas voluntati most efficacious forces to the will to performe and effectuate whatsoeuer good it willeth 4. They affirme the grace of God to be giuen vs for our deserts and that it-followeth the determination of our will which S. Augustine auerreth reporting of Pelagius that man according to him is ayded in doing good Pro meritis viz. voluntatis bonae c. for the merits to wit of his good wil that grace deserued might be estored not vndeserued giuen And againe Whatsoeuer grace he alloweth he affirmeth it imparted to Christians according to their desert So the Semipelagians would haue the beginning of fayth to spring from our felues from the faculty of free-will as appeareth out of their ring-leader Faustus Regiensis But Faust Regien lib. de arbit c. 8. 15. Concil Araus 2. Can. 5. we say with the Arausican Councell that the beginning of fayth or pious affection by which we belieue is the guift of God We say that grace goeth before exciting our wil and is mercifully bestowed on vs for our Sauiour Christ his sake wholy vndeserued on our part 5. When the Pelagians admitted the necessity of grace to awake and stir vs vp they vnderstood it sayth S. Augustine of the law of the doctrine and of the examples of Christ outwardly preached Aug. l. 1. de grat Chri. c. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. ep 106 ad Paulin ◠107.
ad Vitalem and proposed vnto vs. We besides that outward grace and fauour of preaching belieue also an internall grace which inwardly moueth and worketh with vs. For if a way faring man should fall a sleep in a dangerous wood where he were ready to be deuoured and should be so benuÌ„med of his senses or infeebled with trauaile that he could not moue without help it were not inough for another to awake and warne him of the danger to shew him the way by which he may escape vnles he affoard him also his helping hand vnles he succour stay and ayde him to depart so it is not sufficient to heare the word of God thundred in our eares to heare the truth deliuered the examples of Christ of his Saints and followers set before our eyes vnles God himselfe vouchsafe to enlighten our vnderstanding inflame our will touch and open the Act. 1â— vers 14. stringes of our harts as he opened the hart of Lydia to attend â—o those thinges which were sayd by Paul vnles he inwardly inspire moue and cooperate with vs to imbrace the sayth which is outwardly propounded 9. In this therefore and all the former positions of Grace we dissent from the Pelagians as M. Abbot might haue seene in the selfe same places he quoted out of S. Augustine if that passion which ministred to his pen those Aug. l. â— 2. de grat Chri. peccat orig odious comparisons betweene them and vs had not dimmed his sight from discouering these manifold differences of truth from heresy He might moreouer haue read in the foresayd S. Augustine that al beit Pelagius by those ambiguous acceptions of the word Grace deluded many Bishops in the Councell of Palestine yet he neuer could how beit he endeauoured much deceaue or beguile the Roman Church that impregnable rocke against which no heresy can euer preuaile But M. Abbot vbi supra c. 1. fol. 105. 106. 107. Abbot contendeth and struggleth to proue that the RomaÌ„ Church the an cient Fathers and S. Augustine himselfe coÌ„demned Pelagius because he confessed not the habituall quality and guift of renewing grace to be necessary to euery pious and Godly deed although he acknowledged Idem folio 110. the worke of preparation to proceed from the preuenting grace and help which we and the holy Councell of Trent admit yea sayth he this grace of ours the very Heathens Aristotle and Tully allowed saying Neuer any man Arist. de mundo Cicero de natura De orum 1. q. Tuscula proued great and excellent without some diuine instinct I answer he struggleth I confesse and struggleth eagerly to heap vp falshoods and hatefull criminations not to all eadge any grounded proofes or substantiall testimonyes either against vs or that Oecumenicall and venerable Councel For albeit the Heathens acknowledged the diuine concourse or speciall influence of the supreme cause to all heroicall acts yet they still bounded and restrained it within the confines and limites of nature they neuer dreamed of any supernaturall grace of any motion or illumination bestowed vpon vs through the merits of Christ or any speciall succour or inspiration of God ordayned to the remission of sinnes iustification of our soules in this life or to our future glory and felicity in the next For although those heauenly impulses which God gaue to the Pagans were often addressed to that end as S. Augustine affirmeth of the strang mutation made in Polemo by the Aug. ep 230. Araus 2. Can. 5. 7. 15. Aug. ep 105. perswasion of Zenocrates Yet they were not acquainted heerewith they ingulfed in the lake of superstitious infidelity neuer acknowledged the extraordinary benefite of those supernaturall fauours of which we only speake Secondly how falsly we are accused to agree with the Pelagians and how mayne an opposition there is in sundry points betweene vs and them I haue already declared Thirdly that the Roman Church and Ancient Fathers censured Pelagius among the rancke of Heretikes not for his denyall of habituall but chiefly of actual grace Augu. ep 105. 107 l. degra lib. arbi c. 17. l. 1. de praedest Sanctor c. 19. l. 2. de pece merit remis c. 18. in Enchirid c. 32 de nat grat c. 32. l. 1. ad Simpl. q. â— which preuenteth and cooperateth with the consent of our will independent of the merits thereof is so euidently expressed and so often repeated not only in the second Arausican Councell but also by the Pelagians chiefe Antagonist our greatest champion S. Augustine himselfe as M. Abbots paper might haue blushed for him when he wrote the contrary For it is not inough to confesse an habitual or inhabitant grace which S. Augustine calleth the grace of remission of sinnes but we must also sayth he acknowledge a grace precedent which must dispose and prepare vs to obtaine remission styled by him Preuenting and ayding or concomitant grace the one wrought in vs without vs that is without our free consent the other in vs with vs to wit with our free consent 10. But the dust which stopped M. Abbots eyes from behoulding a truth testifyed in so many places was the cause of his mistaking of some of S. Augustines wordes calling Abbot ibid. f. 105. the grace for which he contended with Pelagius the grace whereby we are Christians and the children of God whereby we are iustifyed c. And yet he only graceth with those tearmes the former motioÌ„s or illuminations of the holy Ghost because they moue induce and disspose vs to be iust good and the children of the highest Gab. Vasq 1. 2. disp 18â— c. 1. or because they make increase in the perfection of Iustice already attayned as Gabriel Vasquez solidly interpreteth him And S. Augustine himselfe plainely insinuateth in his epistle to Sixtus a little after the middest saying No man is Aug. ep 105. deliuered and iustifyed from the euills of his transgression or preâ—aâ—ication but by the grace of Iesus Christ our Lord not only by remission of sinnes but first by inspiration of fayth it selfe and feare of God Now in what sort can we by inspired feare by inspired fayth be iustifyed in what sort can we be deliuered from our offences before our offences be forgiuen before remission of sinnes but only by them as by dispositions preparations or certaine merites of congruity to obtaine remission therefore S. Augustine taketh grace by which we are iustifyed for that which moueth or disposeth to iustification in which sense he affirmeth about the beginning of the same Epistle That fayth by some kind of merits August ibid. obtayneth remission and yet that remission is not of merit because fayth is a free guift of God and not proceeding from our selues as the Pelagians boasted of their beliefe S. Augustine also in many other his Treatises cyted aboue speaketh so expresly of preparing preuenting and ayding grace before the infusion of habituall as his wordes can beare no other
interpretation then that which I haue mentioned vnles a man would bend his wits and force his quill of purpose to misconstrue his meaning THE NINTEENTH CONTROVERSY DECLARETH How Fayth alone doth not iustify against D. Whitaker D. Feild D. Abbot and all Sectaryes CHAP. I. THAT we may not stumble at the beginning Châ—nitiuâ— in 1. part examinaâ— Con iâ— Trid. Calu. l. 30 instit c. ◠§. 9. Fulk in c. 13. 1. ad Cor. sect 5 Perkins in his reform Cath. f. 7â— nor post away in vaine before I go further I will truly lay down the state of this question as it is controuerted defended on both sides Protestants distinguish three sorts of fayth 1. The historicall fayth as they tearm it by which they belieue the history of the Bible 2. The guift of fayth to worke miracles of which S. Paul If I should haue all fayth so as I could remoue mountaines c. 3. The sayth and affiance in the diuine promises of God So that the truth and veracity of God is the proper obiect of the first his power of the second his mercy and goodnes of the third Which later fayth they subdeuide againe into Abbot inhis defence cap 4. fol. 453. VVhitak l. 1. aduers Duraeum two members or branches into a generall beliefe that God will faythfully accomplish all his promises will graunt remission of sinnes to all true beleeuers and into a particuler and speciall fayth whereby euery Protestant perswadeth and assureth himselfe that his sinnes by the mercy of God in Christ be forgiuen him And in this speciall affiance and firme perswasion all Sectaryes place their iustifying fayth from whence Charity and good workes according to them only flow as fruits and necessary sequels accompanying their beliefe Thus they 2. We on the other side defend that Charity and good workes are not only fruits or signes but the life or Ephes 4. v. 5. Cyril ca Greg. Nazian or at â—ltim in sanctum lauacrum Aug. in Enchirid. c. 2. 5. 7. 8. l. 2. conduas epist Pelag. c. 5. Leo serm â—1 de Epiphan Fulg. l. de side ad Petrum in prolog Hebr. â—1 v. â— Gaâ— Vâ—s â—â— 1. â— disp â—10 â— 7. substance of iustification Likewise we deny that counterfeit diuision of seuerall fayths which they deuise and imbrace with holy Scriptures one dogmaticall and Catholik Fayth by which we belieue the Ghospell of Christ the articles of our Creed and whatsoeuer in this kind the vniuersall Church proposeth vnto vs. For as there is but one formall motiue or subiect of beliefe to wit the prime verity or diuine auctority obscurely reueiling the histories of the Bible the power of working miracles the promises of God and whatsoeuer els So there is but one true and Theologicall vertue of fayth which with most constant assent beleeueth them all one Lord one Fayth one Baptisme And to this one sole fayth not to the peculiar perswasion of Sectaryes is ascrybed by S. Cyrill Patriarch of Hierusalem by S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Augustine S. Leo and S. Fulgentius the whole force of iustification which in any part of sacred Writ is attributed vnto Fayth Wherefore although we hold that this Theological Fayth be the beginning foundation of our spiritual building for be that commeth to God must beleeue that he is Though it be also the roote from whence the life of grace doth somtyme spring by stirring vp and exciting the affections of the will to loue good and detest sinne yet it doth not fully engender that sparke of life it doth neither wholy dispose to the fauour of God as I haue already proued nor intierely sanctify and make vs iust as I shall now demonstrate Math. 25. v. 11. Matth. 7. v. 22. Ioan. 12. v. 42. 43. Matth. 22. v. 11. 3. The foolish Virgins who cryed Lord Lord open vnto vs had fayth and beleeued in him whome they inuocated The false Prophets beleeued who wrought miracles in the name of Christ. The Princes of the Iewes who loued the glory of men more then the glory of God yet as the Scripture sayth they belieued in Christ The guest who was found at the marriage feast without his wedding garment he belieued also for by fayth he yielded to the calling came into the house VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum in his aÌ„swere to 1. reason of M. Campian Abbot in his defence c. 4. Orig. tract 32. in Matth. Hilar. can 27. Hier. ep ad Demetr Theoph. Euthy in cum locuÌ„ August tract 54. in Ioan. August tract 53. in Ioan. Beliar. de iustif l. 1. c. 15. of God and yet none of these were iustifyed therefore Fayth alone is not sufficient to iuftification M. Whitaker M. Abbot and the rest will answere that These had not a true but a faygned dead and idle fayth dead and idle we coÌ„fesse it was yet true and vnfaygned in respect of the essence and nature of Fayth for the Euangelist speaking of the Iewish Princes vseth the same word crediderunt they beleeued in Christ as he doth when he discourseth of them who beleeued indeed which would breed intollerable ambiguity doubtfullnes in expounding of holy Scripture if he were not to be vnderstood of true beliefe Secondly the ancieÌ„t Fathers interprete al these places of true and vnfaygned Fayth Origen S. Hilary S. Hierome the first affirming the foolish Virgins to be excluded from their bride-grome not for want of true fayth but for want of good workes S. Hierome Theophilact and Euthymius the second of the false Prophets attributing to their fayth the inuocation they made Lord Lord haue not we prophefied in thy name and intimating thereby that fayth alone is not inough to saluation S. Augustine expoundeth the third place likwise of true fayth comparing the fayth of those Princes with the true Fayth of such as openly confessed the name of Christ Affirming that if they also had proceeded and gone forward in that entrance of beliefe they might by profiting haue ouercome the loue of humane glory But that Fayth as Cardinal Bellarmine wel argueth which by profiting could vanquish the affection of vaine glory was true fayth otherwise that Fayth had Tertul. l. de resurrec carnis Orig. Chryso in hunc loc Ambr. ser 14. de naâ—ali Hieron Gregor Theoph. Euthy in â—um locuÌ„ Maldon in cap. 22. Matth. Iacob ep cap. 2. v. 14. 17. 14. Augu. de â—â—de opâ—rib c. 14. VVhitak l. 1. aduers Duraeum in his aÌ„swere to 1. reason of M. Ca â—pian VVitak vbi supra Fulk in c. 2. Ioan. sect 9. Abbot c. 4. f. 476. 477. not profited but another arriuing to perfection that had fayled Lastly that he who wanted his wedding garment beleeued also aright is insinuated by Tertullian Origen S. Hierome S. Chrysostome S. Ambrose S. Gregory Theophilact and Euthymius who conformably teach that he was cast into outward darknes not for any defect of fayth but for want of
Charity good workes or vertuous life agreable to his fayth Therefore Maldonate had great reason to coÌ„mend this as an excellent place against all them that hold Fayth alone to be sufficient for saluation 4. The second argument is taken out of S. Iames his Epistle which was as S. Augustine sayth specially directed against the erroneous maintainers of only Fayth and contayneth many passages cleane contrary to our aduersaryes assertion as if a man sayth he hath fayth but hath not workes shall Fayth be able to saue him Likewise Fayth also if it haue not workes is dead in it selfe And Yee see that by workes a man is iustifyed not by fayth only Whitaker replyeth that S. Iames treateth of an idle faygned fayth But this is euidently false for he treateth of the fayth of Abraham much renowned in holy Scripture of that fayth of his which was consummated by his works which togeather with works did iustify him before God which must needs be a true fayth for a counterfeit fayth had neuer beene commended by the holy Ghost nor byn sayd to be consummated by workes much lesse could it iustify before the face of God Againe what needed the Apostle labour so much to proue that a faygned and counterfeit fayth nothing auayleth to the gayning of Saluation when none of those Christians against whome he wrote euer imagined any such matter And demaunding thou beeleuest that there is one God how could he haue answered thou dost wel if with a counterfeit Fayth he had belieued which had been rather hypocrisy then well doing Another euasion therefore both he Doctour Fulke and Doctour Abbot deuise that S. Iames speaketh of Fayth outwardly professed which declareth vs iust in the face of men not of inward fayth whereby we are iustifyed before the sight of God But by the same argument this is also refuted for the beloiuing in God is inward fayth Then Abrahams fayth there mentioned was iustifying fayth in the â—ight of God that alone did not iustify him but workes consummated they perfected not another but the same Aug. l. 21. de Ciuit. Dei c. 26 l. de vnic Bapt. c. 10. Cyril l. 10. in Ioan. Chrys hom 2. in Gen. hom 2. in ep ad Philemon Hier. in c. 5. ad Gal. tom 2. in Apol. ad Pammâ— c. 2. Aug. l. 83. q. q. 76. Aug. l. de fide operi c. 14. iustification therefore they also perfected the iustification before God or fayth alone performed it which the Apostle denyeth And thus S. Augustine S. Cyrill S. Chrysostome and S. Hierome vnderstand S. Iames of true Fayth which they also teach not to be auailable to saluation without other vertues Likewise it is cleare that S. Iames taketh Fayth in the same sense S. Paul did when he taught that a man is iustifyed by fayth for which cause S. Augustine noteth that he tooke the same example of Abraham which S. Paul vsed purposely to disproue the peruersity of some who misconstruing S. Paules meaning pleaded the sufficiency of fayth alone of which see S. Augustine in his booke of Fayth and Workes where he auerreth that because this opinion of only fayth sprung vp in the dayes of the Apostles therefore S. Peter S. Iohn S. Iames and S. Iude in their Epistles directed their intent specially against the same earnestly auouching that Fayth without workes auaileth nothing By which it is manifest that S. Iames the rest spake not of the outward profession but of the inward fayth and beliefe of the hart to which S. Paul with charity attributeth iustification or els they all roued from the marke and disputed in vaine or S. Augustine the most faythfull Herald of all antiquity vtterly mistaketh the scope of their intention 5. My third argument I frame in this manner The Protestant who by fayth is iustifyed may after fall into fornication adultery and other damnable sinnes or not He will not seeke to perswade vs that he cannot fall into any sinne for that were to broach a new the Iouinian heresy which S. Austine S. Hierome haue long Aug. ep 29. de haer c. 82. Hier. l. 1. coâ—t Iou. since buryed in the lake of hell Fall then he may as experience teacheth of sundry forward Protestants Ministers also arraigned condemned for their villanies in this kind Wel theÌ„ suppose they may sinne I aske whether falling into these horrible crimes they loose their true fayth which they had before â— retaine it still To graunt that they loose it is to make all sinners not only grieuous offenders but either Atheists Heretikes or Infidells also for he that is bereft of Fayth must needes be infected with Atheisme Heresy or plaine Infidelity It is to deuide and separate them from al vnion with Christ and to cut them off with Wicliffe from being members of the Church it is to depriue them of the patronage of Christs imputed righteousnes or not imputing their sins and to make them sinne like misbeleeuers to death and damnation for Christ couereth not the sinnes of any according to them but of the faythfull only it is against the common axiomes of Fulke Whitaker and their followers who ween that true fayth once gotten can neuer be lost the print thereof according to Caluin can neuer be blotted out of the harts of Gods elect To hold that they still retaine their true fayth notwithstanding they wallow in Cahâ— l. 3. instit c. ◠§. 11. these sudds of vncleanes that their fayth alone doth iustify them is to hold that they still abyde in the state of saluation and may inioy the kingdome of heauen if they should chance to depart in that wretched case which is quite contrary to the Apostle Do not erre neither fornicatours nor seruers of Idols nor aduowterers nor the effeminate 1. Cor. 6. v. 9. 10. nor the lyers with mankind c. shall possesse the kingdome of God I know the iuggling they vse to delude this argument is that in thes sinners fayth is darkned during that tyme like the Sunne ouercast with clouds like the fire couered with the ashes like the tree in winter bereaued of her blossoms But all these exampls warre against them for the tree in winter is truly a tree enioying her vegetiue life the fire raked vp is perfect fire the Sun ouerclouded looseth not the beames of his naturall light although they be hindred from shining vnto vs. Therefore the darkened and Caluin in An â—id ad Canonem 28. sess 6. in Concil Trid â—ffirmeth Particulam aliquam vitiae fidei manore inter grauissimos lapsus couered fayth of the adulterer is true fayth perfect in the nature of fayth looseth not any motion of life or beame of grace which is due to fayth and if that alone be sufficient to iustify remayning in the adulterer it affoardeth to him the benefit of iustification and by necessary consequence also of saluation for no winter barrenes no embers or
Authours both of the Greek Latin Church if all these famous Writers of the first fiue hundred yeares after Christ agree with vs in the partiall eye of sworne Catholiks freed froÌ„ leuity or disaffectioÌ„ to their Prince for cleauing to the ancient Fathers enemyes that fayth alone cannot purchase saluation or iustify vs before God I hope my soueraigne Liege King Iames who vouchâ—afeth to submit his royall wisedome princely iudgment to the censure and tryal of that perfect age will not deeme it any lâ—uity in Catholikes or disloyalty to his person to whome we owe and are ready to performe all the dutifull seruice which euer any subiects haue yielded to their Prince but feare of God zeale of his honour loue of Religion care of our soules and meere respect of conscience which maketh vs afrayd to wander out of this straite and trodden path of so many our holy and learned predecessours and afraid to follow crooked turnings and by-wayes of Heretikes which winde into the labyrinth of eternall perdition THE TWENTITH CONTROVERSY IN WHICH It is concluded that our Iustification consisteth in the habit of Charity against D. Abbot D. Whitaker and D. Fulke CHAP. I. ALTHOVGH we make not any separation or diuorce between those diuine and louing sisters Fayth Hope and Charity but that they all three concurre to the spirituall marriage of our Vide Scot. in 4. dist 27. q. 1. Vega l. 7. super Conci Concil Trid. c. â—5 Gab. Vas in 1. 2. disâ— 198. c. 3. 1. Ioan. 3. v. 1. Luc. 7. v. 47. Ioan. 13. v. 35. 1. Ioan. 4. v. 7. Rom 13. v. 10. Coloss 3. v. 14. VVhitak l. 8. aduns Durâ—um in his aÌ„swere to 8. reason Abbot in his defence cap. 4. Rom. 1. v. 17. 1. Ioan. 3. v. 14. Act. 13. v. 39. Ioan. 14. v. 21. Col. 1. v. 23. Ephes 3. v. 17. Hebr. 11. v. 6. 1. 〈◊〉 1â— v. â— 1. Ioan. 5. v. 1. â—1 Ioan. 4. v. 7. 1. Cor. 13. v. 13. soules with God yet we assigne to euery one her part or function which she performeth heerein To Fayth the entrance to Hope the progresse to Charity which I suppose as most probable to be all one with grace the complement and consummation of this happy Wedlocke As the holy Scriptures declare when they tearme it the band of our vnion and coniunction with God He that abydeth in Charity abydeth in God and God in him When they attribute vnto it the right of our adoption and title of diuine filiation See what manner of Charity the Father hath giuen vs that we should be named and be â—he sonnes of God The remission of our sinnes Many sinnes are forgiuen her because she hath loued much When they make it the badge and cognizance of Christs faythful seruants In this all men shall know that you are my disciples if you haue loue to one another When thereby we are sayd to be borne a new and regenerated in Christ Euery one that loueth is borne of God and knoweth God When they call it the accomplishment of the Law and summe of all perfection Loue therfore is the fullnes of the Law And Aboue all these things haue Charity which is the band of perfection All these places inuincibly proue that Charity is the vertue which espouseth and marryeth vs vnto God which adopteth reneweth and truly iustifyeth vs in his sight 1. The same I also euince by the like testimonyes by which our Aduersaryes would seeme to challeng it to Fayth alon Of fayth say they it is written The iust liueth by Fayth Of Charity we read the like We know that me are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren 〈◊〉 that loueth not abideth in death Of Fayth Euery one that belieueth is iustifyed Of Charity He that loueth me shall be loued of my Father and I will loue him Of Fayth If yee continue in the fayth grounded stable Of Charity Rooted and founded in Charity Of Fayth Without Fayth it is impossible to please God Of Charity If I haue not Charity I am nothing Of Fayth Whosoeuer belieueth that Iesus is Christ is borne of God Of Charity Euery one that loueth is borne of God Wherefore if Fayth by reason of these testimonyes is not the fruit or sequell in our Secâ—â—â—yes iudgment but the true cause of iustification why should not Charity haue the same priâ—iledge which is ouery way warranted with the same authority and with more ample also for S. Paâ—â— expreâ—â—y preferreth Charity before Fayth saying Now 〈…〉 Fayth Hope and Charity these three but the greatâ—â—â— of these is Charity Before he insinuâ—â—â—th that Charity is such as it shall neuer fayle Fayth imperfect and shal be made voyd when we see God face to face Therefore Fayth cannot be heere that garment of Iustice which shall there Ibid. v. 2. remayne and adorne vs for euer but Charity which shall still abyde and continue with vs. Likewise the Apostle VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum Fulk in c. 13. 1. Cor Abbot c. 4. Origen tract in Matth. 4. Hier. Bedâ— Strabo in cum lo Aug. l. 15 de Trin. c. 18. Abbot in his defence c. 4. sect 22 p. 479. auoucheth in the beginning of that Chapter If I should haue all fayth so that I could remoue mountains and haue not Charity I am nothing He doth not say as Whitaker Fulke Abbot misconstrue him If I had the gift of Fayth to do miracles but if I should haue all fayth all historicall and dogmaticall all fayth of miracles all whatsoeuer yea quoth Origen S. Hierome Venerable Bede and Strabo If I had that excellent that solide entiere and most perfect fayth of all others which is able to remoue mountaines without Charity it doth no good Whereupon S. Augustine sayth Nothing but Charity maketh fayth it selfe auailable for Fath may be without Charity but it profiteth not without Charity Abbot answereth He speaketh of fayth after the vulgar vnderstanding aâ— S. Iames did not of true fayth No then neither he nor S. Iames nor the Apostle spake anything at all to the purpose for of what Fayth could there be any questioÌ„ but of that Fayth which is a Theologicall vertue hath her proper and intrinsecall forme distinct from Charity of that which vvith Charity auayleth to iustification for of a false and counterfeit fayth no doubt could be made neither was there euer any heretike so mad or bereft of his wits as to imagine a false fayth to be sufficient to iustification what needed then S. Augustine what needed S. Iames what needed the Apostle with such vehemency so often so seriously to inculcate that a fayned beliefe VVhitak l. 1. aduers-Durâ—um a diabolicall fayth as Whitaker calleth it which no man dreamed to be sufficient auayleth nothing in the sight of God For ioyne to such a fayth ioyne to your meere historicall fayth to your gift of fayth for the working of miracles as much Charity as may
quite contrary also to the Apostle who acknowledgeth Charity only to be the fountaine nurse or mother of vertues saying Charity is patient is benigne c. Charity 1. Cor. 13. v. 4. v. â— suffereth all things beleeueth all thinges hopeth all thinges beareth all things But how is it patieÌ„t How benigne c. not formally for that were to make it a monstrous vertue compounded of diuers speciall formes Causally then because it is the Mother that begetteth the nurse that cherisheth the soule that giueth life of grace vigour of iustice preheminence of merit to the whole army of vertues 4. How inexcusable now are our seduced Protestants how wretchedly inchaunted with their Ministers charms who engrosse all to fayth which the Secretaryes of the Holy Ghost ascribe to Charity How entitle they fayth alone to the possession of life which S. Iames affirmeth to be dead without the workes of Charity How enthrone they fayth in the highest chaire of eminent dignity when S. Paul defineth Charity to be greater then it Marry a veile they haue to maske themselues vnder For Fulk in c. 13. 1. Cor. sect 3. Abbot cap. 4. sect 22. fol. 478. Ephes 3. v. 17. Charity sayth M. Fulke and M. Abbot with him is the greater in regard of continuance because fayth is but for a time Charity abydeth for euer Then it is the greatest also quoth M. Abbot if we respect latitude of vse for Charity is extended euery way to God to Angells to Men c. But if we consider man priuatly in himselfe and for his owne vse Fayth is more excellent then Charity as wherein our communion and fellowship with God by which Christ dwelleth in our harts into which as a hand God putteth all the riches of his grace for our saluation and by which whatsoeuer els Abbot fol. 479. in vs is commended vnto God Therefore he concludeth that to saue and iustify fayth is the greater So he It is true that Charity continueth when Fayth is euacuated but one truth ought not to impeach another that cannot derogat from the excellency of Charity in many other pointes wherein both Scriptures and Fathers giue her the preheminence But as for latitude of vse as you there take it Bern. serm â— in vigil nat Christ Fides veluti quoddaÌ„ aeternitatis exemplar praeterita simul praesentia ac futura â—iâ—u suo vastissimo coÌ„prehendit for the materiall obiects which they respect very false it is that Charity extendeth to more thinges then Fayth because fayth mounteth to God to Angells to men c. it descendeth to hell to the Diuels to their perpetuall torments it stretcheth it selfe to the fall of Adam to the deluge past to the future iudgment and many other obiects which Charity imbraceth not it reacheth besides to all tymes which either are haue beene or shall be heerafter Therefore S. Bernard calleth it The image or paterne of eternity which in her wide and vast bosome comprehendeth all thinges both past present and to come 5. Howbeit let this goe on the score of other the Authors rash and inconsiderate speaches The marke I shoot at is that Charity is preferred before fayth euen in the worke of iustificatioÌ„ and saluation of our soules in all these particulers in which M. Abbot giueth the first Abbot vbi supra 1. Cor. 13. Ioan. 1. c. 4. v. 12. Rom. 5. Ephes 3. 17. Aug. de spir lit cap. 17. Charitas lex est fidei spiritus viuificans dilectorem August tract 9. in ep Ioan. Chrys de incoÌ„p Dei nat hom 1. Leo ser 8. de Epipha Basil in proem de vera pia fide Prosp l. 3. de vita coÌ„temp c. 13. Ambr. in c. 13. Cor. Berna ser 24. super Cant. Idem serm 2. de resur chiefest place to fayth for when the Apostle defineth we are nothing without Charity he meaneth surely that we are nothing in the fauour of God nothing in the way of grace in the way of iustice and saluation S. Iames and S. Augustine meane the like whome I cyted aboue Moreouer haue I not already shewed that Charity adopteth vs to be the children of God that by Charity we are regenerated and new borne in Christ that by Charity the Holy Ghost by Charity God himselfe is harboured in our soules If we loue one another God abydeth in vs and his Charity in vs is perfected Also The Charity of God is powred forth into our harts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs And if M. Abbot had not vsed his dexterity leauing out the wordes which maketh against him he might haue read in that very place which he quoteth for his purpose that not in Fayth but in Charity originally standeth our communion and fellowship with God for after these wordes By fayth Christ dwelleth in our hartes it immediatly followeth rooted and grounded in Charity Therefore Charity is the roote the origen or first beginning of Christs viuificall presence for as the tree draweth from the roote the sap of life so fayth from charity the liuely inhabitatioÌ„ of God in our harts For which cause S. Augustine sayth Charity it selfe diffused in the hart of the beleeuers is the law of Fayth and the spirit that giueth life to the loâ—er He calleth it otherwhere The health the beauty of the soule S. Chrysostome The chiefe good and head of all good thinges S. Leo The mother of all vertues S. Basil The proper budge or ensigne of a Christian man S. Prosper A Summary and abridgment of all good doings of the which euery good worke taketh his life S. Ambrose The head of Religion is Charity and he that had not the head hath not life c. Immediatly after Charity is the foundation of Religion S. Bernard sayth The separation of Charity is the death of fayth and he that deuideth them is tearmed by him Fideicida The murtherer of Fayth then he testifyeth with S. Augustine That Fayth taketh her life or soule from Charity Aug. l. de cognit verae vitae c. 37. 6. Further they affirme of Charity that it vniteth a Aug. de subst l. diâ—ect amoris and knitteth vs to God Marryeth b Bern. serm 83. in Cant. our soule to the word Marketh c Amb. l. 2. ep ep 7. man a friend to God Imparteth d Chrys in psal 132. heauen and vnspeakable good thinges to vs. He e Basil in institut Monach. that hath Charity hath God And f Idem in constit Monast c. 35. he that is depriued of Charity wanteth diuin grace By g Aug. l. de mor. Eccles cap. 13. Charity only it is wrought that we be not auerted from God and that we conforme our selues rather to him then to this world Moreouer say they Charity h Hilar. comment in Matth. ca. 4. couereth the multitude of sinnes By i Orig. hom 3. in c. 3. Leuit the aboundance of Charity remission of sinnes is made The
l. de Euchar opinion of the Church concerning imputatiue Iustice. The like accusation of the most ancient Fathers made by Bullinger D. Whitguift Humfrey Whitaker and others you may see heereafter recyted in the Treatise of merit and in the first part of this worke in the Controuersy of Satisfaction which more then aboundantly conuinceth the consent Feild in append 1. p. fol. 19. of the Primitiue Church for of the later there is no doubt to be wholy with vs in this substantiall point of Fayth and that our Reformers bandy against it and the long continued current of truth in all tymes and Countryes euer since Howbeit M. Field to win credit with the simple audaciously craketh We no way oppose our selues against the vniuersall resolution and practise of the whole Church which to do Augustine pronounceth insolent madnes Let this then M. Field be your taske or let some of your * Thus S. Ambrose derideth ProtestaÌ„ts before they were hatched l. 10. ep â—p 82. new Maisters take the payns to discouer some other publick or hidden Congregration of theirs some other pastours besids the fornamed who taught your doctrine and reproued our errours in S. Cyprian S. Hierome S. Austine the rest as the true sheepheards watchmeÌ„ ouer the house of God haue alwayes done Were they reckoned such small defects as might be cloaked dissembled And not essentiall not fundameÌ„tall points of fayth which shake the whole ground of Religion Were they whispered in corners by some vnknowne or obscure companions not printed in books preached in pulpits diuulged to the whole world by sundry troups of learned men in such vast Regious kingdomes and not one of your â—olifidian professours to open their mouth against them Shall we expect after so long tyme your wresting of their words to some fauourable exposition of your deuising The Centurists your own Collegues partners in beliefe wanted neither will wit diligence or cunning to haue performed it had they not found their sayings vnanswerable their words vndefeatable the mayne drift scope of their discourses wholy vncapable of other construction Shall we thinke they also fauoured the opinion of Protestants and so breathed out of the same mouth truth falshood fire water heate Pomeran vbi supra cold as Pomerane blasphemeth or which is all one that they contradicted themselues as the Centurists sticke not in plaine tearmes to auerre of Clemens Alexandrinus that famous Cent. 2. c. 4. Colum. 6â— Cent. 5. c. â— Colum. 1008. Writer and Maister to Origen and of Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus It were too notorious a stumbling and headlong course not heard of before that so huge an army of deuout and learned pillers of the Church should all vniformely precipitate and contradict themselues in this sole point In a chiefe point of Fayth and that not once or twice but ech of them diuers and sundry tymes and none to haue the grace to see so great an ouersight or seeing it to amend it to recant it to seeke to reconcile it with other of their sayings no zealous man in the whole world for so many ages who durst note or twite them of it vntill drunken Lutherans enraged with the fury of an Apostata Frier began to espy that horrible Antichristian and often repeated contradiction It is incredible it cannot be imagined or of it could certes they were no Protestants who maintayned beleeued an article of Fayth quite opposite to the life of Protestancy or worse then Infidells who sought to perswade and inculcate to others that which they beleeued not or knew to be falfe Fye vpon such impious Chams as cannot vphold their follyes without disgracing their predecessours who cannot enter the kingdome of heauen without they condemne these Saints into the pit of hell nor become Christians themselues without making them impious Luth. tom 5. in Gal. c. 4. f. 382. hypocrits damnable Idolaters for no better doth Luther account such as dissent from him and his mates in the iustice of only Fayth Let vs heare his words 13. Whosoeuer falleth from the article of Iustification he becommeth ignorant of God and is an Idolater therefore it is all Luth. ibid. fol. 400. one whether he be a Monke a Turke a Iew or Anabaptist for this article once taken away there remayneth nothing but meere errour hipocrisy impiety idolatry although in shew there appeare excellent truth worship of God holynes c. And some VVhitak l. 8. aduers Dureum and in his answere to 〈◊〉 Câ—mpiaÌ„â— râ—ason Abbot in his defence caâ— 4. Fulke vpon sundry of these places against the new Testam few lines after If that face and forme of old papistry stood now if that discipline were obserued now with so much seruerity and rigour as the Hereâ—its as Hierome Augustine Gregory Bernard Francis Dominicke and many others obserued it little perhaps should I profit by my doctrine of Fayth against that state of papistry yet neuertheles after the example of Paul inueighing against the false Apostles in appearance most holy good men I ought to fight against such Iustice workers-of the Papistical kingdome Thus he confessing S. Hierome S. Augustine S. Gregory S. Bernard c. to haue beene iustice-workers of our kingdome and to haue beene bondmen of the law of sinne and the Diuell cast out of the house of God as he wretchedly auoweth in the same place of which some of his followers being since ashamed haue clipped and pared off much of this his discourse in the later editions But it is high time to view the forces wherein the Aduersary confideth 14. The huge host of obiections which the mutinous enemy disorderly leuieth against vs the Tenent of their Ancestours in â—his and the former two Controuersyes I for more perspicuity and orders sake sunder and part into diuers wings or squadrons In the first I rank those texts of Scripture which attribute vnto Fayth the corporall benefite of health or saluation by which the Matth. â— v. 22. Luc. 18. v. 42. Luc. 8. v. 50. Luc. 17. v. 19. Matth. â— v. 2. spirituall was betokned because our Sauiour seldome cured any in body whome he cured not also in soule As when to the woman troubled with an issue of bloud he sayd Haue a good hart daughter thy Fayth hath made thee safe To the blind man Do thou see thy fayth hath made thee whole To the Prince of the Synagogue Feare not beleeue only and she shal be safe To the cured leaper Aryse go thy wayes because thy fayth hath made thee safe Likewise Iesus seeing their fayth sayd to the sicke of the palsey Haue a good hart Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee These and the like which our aduersaryes produce rather witnes against them then speake in their behalfe for not one of them mentioneth their speciall assurance and particuler fayth relying on the mercy of God remitting their sinnes of which the fornamed Calu. l.
3. instit c. 2. §. 2. Luc. 18. v. 41. persons had not at the first any thought or imagination vnles it were in a couert implicite as the Schoolemen call it and vnexpressed Fayth which Protestantes deride with Caluin their forerunner but they all specify the Fayth of miracles grounded on the power of God which our Reformers deny to be sufficient for saluation For what was the fayth of the womaÌ„ healed of her bloudy fluxe but the fayth of miracles by which she beleeued such power and vertue in Christ as she sayd in her hart If I shall touch only his garment I shal be safe What was the fayth of the blind man but the fayth of miracles that Christ could restore him his sight What wilt thou that I do â—o thee He sayd Lord that I may see What the fayth of the Prince of the Synagogue but the fayth of miracles that Christ could recall to life his deceased daughter The same I auerre of the rest yet this later was not the proper fayth of the reuiued daughter but the fayth of the Father So the Fayth which Christ chiefly regarded in pardoning the man sicke of the palsy was the â—ayth of those that carryed him brought him vp vpon the roofe through the tyles let him downe Iesus seeing their fayth whereby Matth. 9. v. 2. Luc. 5. v. 19. though we Catholikes proue that the Fayth of one may preuaile to obtaine health and safety for another yet no Sectarye graunteth that the fayth of one can iustify another Therefore not one of these places serueth to rayse but all pluck downe the rampire of their iustifying fayth in so much as they labour to vnderprop it by some other testimonyes crowded into the selfe same rancke as the iust liueth by Fayth Abraham beleeued and it was reputed him to iustice Being iustifyed by Fayth let vs haue peace towards God Likewise Abac. 2. v. 4. Rom. 4. v. 3. Rom. 5. v. 1. Act. 13. v 39. 1. Ioan. 5. v. 1. Gabr. Vasq in 1. 2. disp 210. c. 7. Clemens Alexand. l. 2. Strom. Orig. in 4 ad Rom August serm 22. de verb. Dom. de hono perseu c. â— serm â—6 de verb. Apo. In him euery one that beleeueth is iustifyed whosoeuer beleeueth that Iesus is Christ iâ— borne of God 15. All which haue so many true and litterall expositions as it can betoken no lesse then grosse dulnes in Protestant Ministers who either for want of reading did not find or finding conceaued not some one of them The first is that by Fayth we liue are iustifyed and are made the children of God inchoatiuely as the Deuines speake because fayth is the first supernaturall seed roote or beginning from which our iustification springeth and the first foundation or ground-worke vpon which our whole spirituall building relyeth as Gabriel Vasquez solidly proueth by the authority of Clemens Alexandrinus Origen and S. Augustine Secondly Fayth iustifyeth by way of impetration excyting our will by the consideration of Gods goodnes and other beleeued mysteryes to aske and obtayne the remission of our faults iustice of our soules Thus S. Augustine often interpreteth those and the like wordes of S. Paul saying Therefore by fayth the Apostle affirmeth man to be iustifyed not of workes because sayth is first giuen by which the rest are impetrated by the law the knowledge of sinne by fayth impetration of grace against sinne by grace health and saluation of the soule The same in diuers other places Not workes but fayth doth inchoate merit Aug. l. de praedestin Sanctor c. 7. de spir lit c. 30. Idem epist. 105 106 Idem l. de gra lib arbit c. 14. defide oper c. 21. August l. de grat lib. arbitr cap. 7. Thirdly all the former places may be vnderstood of liuely fayth formed with Charity and accompanyed with the retinue of other vertues which wholy and intierely iustify vs in the sight of that infinite Maiesty So also S. Augustine Men not vnderstanding that which the Apostle sayth we count a man to be iustifyed by Fayth c. did thinke that he sayd Fayth would suffice a man though he liued ill and had no good workes which God forbid the Vessell of Election should thinke who in a certaine place after he had sayd In Christ Iesus neither circumcision nor prepuce auayleth any whit he straight added but fayth which worketh by loue Fourthly fayth as all other vertuous and laudable acts flowing from Grace doth likewise iustify meritoriously by procuring increase of former iustice Therefore S. Paul to the Hebrewes sayth of holy men and Prophets That by fayth they ouercame kingdomes Hebr. 11. v. 33. Cypr. l. 4 ep 6. wrought iustice obtayned promises And S. Cyprian teacheth That God in the day of iudgment payeth the reward of Fayth and deuotion These foure wayes the forenamed Texts may be truly vnderstood howbeit our Reformers stupidity was such as they could not light on them euery Apo. 22 v. 17. Isa 55. v. 1. Rom. 3. v. 24. Ephes 2. v. 8. where obuious to the diligent searcher 16. The second bande of Obiections are those which affirme our iustification to be freely made by the benefite of grace therefore without the supply of works viz. He that thirsteth let him come and he that will let him take the water of life gratis All yee that thirst come to the waters c. come buy without siluer without any exchange wine and milke Aug. l. de spir lit c. 10. 16. Cent. 5. c 4. Colum. 505. Againe Iustifyed gratis by his grace By grace you are saued thorough Fayth I answere our first Iustification is free gratis because fayth which first beginneth and stirreth vs vp vnto it is freely giuen vs Charity which after accomplisheth it is likewise freely imparted not due to nature or hauing any connexion or dependance with our naturall actions be they neuer so good or commendable in themselues which is not my exposition but the interpretation of S. Augustine confirmed by the diuine sentence of the thrice holy Councell of Trent By grace man is iustifyed Similia habet Aug. in psal 18. exp 2. ep 106. de praedest Sanctor c. 15 praef in psal 31. Concil Trid sess 6. c. 8. Ioan. 6. v. 2â— that is no merits of his workes going before and which the Centurists reprehend the Apostle will haue nothing els vnderstood in that which he sayth gratis but that workes do not precede Iustification The Councell of Trent hath defyned the same Therefore we are sayd to be freely iustifyed because none of those thinges which go before iustification whether it be fayth or workes do promerit the grace it selfe of iustification But if our Aduersaryes by reason that iustification is free and of the grace of Christ will renounce all workes they must euen renounce true fayth itselfe of which S. Iohn sayth This is the worke of God that yee beleeue
in him Or if that work doth not hinder the free grace of iustification in Protestants conceit because it is the gift of God because it doth not iustify according to them as it is an actioÌ„ proceeding froÌ„ man but as it taketh hold and applyeth vnto them the iustice of Christ Why should our preparatiue workes any way preiudicate the freedome of that fauour as long as we acknowledg theÌ„ also the meer guift of the highest and not to dispose vs to the life of grace as they are achieued by our owne forces alone or flow from the drye and barren soyle of Nature but as they are made fertile by the water of the holy Ghost as they are eleuated and inspired by his viuificall motion For if the Beggar which is Cardinall Tolets example who of his owne accord Toleâ— in c. 3. ad Rom. stretcheth out his hand to receaue the offered almes doth not hinder the francke and liberall bestowing of the money much lesse should the cooperation of our freewill which not of our selues not of our owne endeauours but moued and strengthned by God yieldeth to his motions any way withstand his liberall donation and free guift of Iustice 17. In the last wing wherein the only hope of their victory remayneth such sentences of Scripture are ranged as flatly debarre the concurrence of workes from all kind of Iustice to wit By grace you are saued through fayth and that not of your selues for it is the guift of God not of workes that no man glory We account a man to be iustifyed by fayth without the Ephes 2. v. 8. Rom. 3. v. 28. Rom. 11. v. 6. Rom. 4. v. 2. workes of the law If by grace not now of workes otherwise grace now is not grace If Abraham were iustifyed by workes he hath glory but not with God with many others to the same purpose I answere that the Apostle excludeth indeed from the grace of iustification either first or second all workes which proceed from the vigour or strength of nature on which the Pelagians so much relyed Then he excludeth the good vse and exercise of freewil done without Christ to which the Semipelagians ascribed the dowry of grace Thirdly he excludeth the moral vertues performed by the Act. 15. v. 1. Aug. l 5. cont 2. ep Pelag. c. 7. in prâ—f ps 3â— ep 107. tract 50 de verb. Domini secundum Euang. Matth. Hier. l. â— com in c. 3. ad Gal. Prosper cont collat c. 22. Cent. 3. c. 4. Col. 80. ciâ—ant Orig. l. 8. in epist ad Rom. light of reason precepts of naturall Philosophy wherin the Gentils boasted and placed their happines Lastly he excludeth all works achieued by the sole notice of the Law both cerimoniall and morall in which the Iewes trusted so farre as they deemed themselues thereby only assured of Gods fauour and some of them vrged the necessity of circumcision the obseruation of their ceremonyes euen to Gentils conuerted vnto Christ of whome they auouched Vnles you be eireumcised you cannot be saued 18. Against these the Apostle so often inculcateth that neither circumcision prepuce nor any worke either of Iew or Gentill done by themselues or by the knowledge of the law without the grace of the Spirit inwardly mouing is able to saue them but he neuer excludeth the Sacraments of Baptisme or Pennance nor the works proceeding from the help of supernaturall grace to be dispositions to attaine the first true causes of increase in the second iustification whereof read S. Augustine S. Hierome and Prosper who interprete the Apostls meaning in the selfe same manner as I haue heere declared which interpretation the Century-writers haue also espyed and reproued in Origen engrossing these wordes in the Catalogue as they account them of his errours It is to be vnderstood that the workes which S. Paul reiecteth and so often reprehendeth are not the iustices which are commanded in the Law but those thinges in which they boast and glory who obserue the law according to the flesh or rites of sacrifices or obseruation of Sabaoths and new Monnes these and the like are the Concil Trid. sesl 6. Can. 1. Fulk in c. 2. Iacob sect 9. Fulk ibid. Vasq in 1. 2. disp 210. cap. 9. VVhitak l. 1. aduerf Duraeum VVhitak in his answere to M. CampiaÌ„ 8. reason â—ulke in c. 2. Iac. sect 9. Abbot in his defence c. 4. Ambr. in c. 3. 4. ad Rom. Chrys in c. 3. ad Gal. hom 7. in c. 3. ad Rom. Basil serm de humiâ—it Aug. l. 1. cont 2. ep Pelag. c. 21. l. 83. q. 76. Hesich in Leuit. l. 4. cap. 14. Hilar. cap. in Matth. August tract 49. in Ioan. workes by which he auoucheth no man may be saued Hitherto Origen quoted by the Magdeburgians To which purpose the Councell of Trent hath very diuinely decreed If any shall teach man may be iustifyed before God by his works which either by humane nature or by the doctrine of the Law are accomplished without the diuine grace of Iesus Christ let him be accursed According to this authentical exposition S. Paul and S. Iames are clearely discharged from that irreconciliable contradiction M. Fulke imagineth betweene them in our opinion for either S. Paul speaketh of the first iustification and S. Iames of the second which is not as he mistaketh another kind of iustification but the augmentation of the former or they both treate of the first and second also as Gabriel Vasquez thinketh most probable and the one excludeth workes wrought without the inward motion of grace from iustification the other acknowledgeth such workes to cooperate thereunto as proceed from grace which is no contradiction but the true and vndoubted position of our Catholike fayth 19. Although all the sentences of the Fathers which are stumbling blockes in our Reformers way be satisfyed in the same manner as these Texts of Scripture yet to ease the studious Reader from further trauaile I will particulerly set downe how the chiefest of them are to be vnderstood whome our Reformers oppose against vs concerning this point S. Ambrose S. Chrysostome S. Basil S. Augustine Hesichius and S. Hilary when they affirme vs iustifyed by fayth alone without any workes they mean without any workes eyther of our owne or of Moyses law done without grace Or they are to be interpreted of Fayth which is liuely indewed with Charity and accompanyed with other vertues So S. Augustine in his treatises vpon S. Iohn when he sayth Fayth is the soule of our soule Prosper S. Bernard and S. Augustine againe in the seauenth Chapter of his booke of predestination of Saints Prosp de voca gent. l. â— c. 8 9. Bernar ser 22 in cant Aug. de praedest Sanctor c. cap. 7. Leo serm de Epiphaâ— alibi Orig. in c. 3. ad Rom. Chrysost hom de fide lege nâ—turae Vasq in â— 2. disp 210. c. 9. are to be interpreted of fayth alone inchoatiuely S. Leo
sometym know he repenteth know he beleeueth with some fayth with some repentanc◠or other because he sensibly feeleth the inward throbs of his hart behouldeth the teares trickling from his eyes apparent tokens of sorrow and repentance because fayth is a light which manifest it selfe an act of the vnderstanding which cannot be hidden to which effect M. Whitaker and M. Abbot vrge out of S. Abbot c. ◠VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum Augu. ep 112. Augustine That the faythfull man doth see his fayth it selfe by which he answereth that he beleeueth Although I say all this be true yet the knot of our difficulty remayneth still vntyed For neither doth S. Augustine teach nor any reason perswade that he infallibly knoweth his repentance to be such as it ought to be done for so pure and diuine a motiue as is requisite for the iustifying of his soule to be true Christian not false Herodian not Antiochus his sorrow that his tears are distilled from the Rose of Charity not squeazed out of the nettles of priuate selfe loue Likewise he cānot certainly know whether his fayth be natural or supernatural whether it rely vpon the authority of God duly proposed and immediatly credited for it selfe or for some other humane reasons as the formall motiues of his belief because there is such cōnexion affinity betweene the naturall and supernaturall acts they are paralelled and consorted togeather in so many branches of neere alliance as it is impossible by infallible certainty to discerne without speciall reuelation humane fayth from diuine vertues infused by God from vertues gayned by mans labour and industry Then it is aboue the reach and skill of man to diue into the secrets of God to trace his steps or discouer the operation and working of his grace In so much as Iob sayd If God come to me I shall not see him and if he depart away from me I shall not vnderstand Iob. 9. v. 11. Greg. l. 9. in c. 9. Iob. c. 10. 11. Aug. in psal 41. serm 13. de verb. Dom. Iraen c. 17. v. 9. it Which S. Gregory interpreteth of Gods comming and departure from our soules of his abyding or forsaking our harts that it is hidden and concealed from vs in this vale of teares for our greater humility Againe we are obnoxious to sundry illusions our hart is inueagled with diuers phantasyes hath such a multitude of folds and windings in it as it is too hard to define what it throughly abhorreth or sincerely imbraceth with all behoofull circumstances as it ought especially in the pious course of vertue which perplexityes abstrusenes of our hart Ieremy deciphreth saying The hart of man is peruerse vnsearchable who shall know it And Caluin delineateth in this manner The hart of man hath so many secret corners of vanity is Calu. l. 3. instit c. 2. §. 10. so full of hypocrysy that it often deceaueth himselfe In the next Paragraffe he addeth Experience sheweth that the reprobate are sometyme moued with the same feeling that the elect are so that in their owne iudgment they nothing differ from the elect wherefore it Hebr. 6. v. 4. Luc. 8. v. is no absurdity that the Apostle ascribeth to them that tast of the heauenly gifts that Christ ascribeth to them fayth for a tyme. If this be so if our hart often beguile vs if the reprobate be sometyme moued with the same feeling as the elect are if they haue a fayth for a tyme how is your conscience infallibly sealed that yours is perpetuall May not your hart your iudgment your firme perswasion deceaue you as it deceaueth others The Anabaptist assureth himselfe that his sinnes by speciall fayth be remitted and that he and all of his sect shall be certainly saued The Lutheran the Caluinist assureth of the like and ech of them is certaine that the contrary to him notwithstanding his assurance shall be infallibly damned Whom shall we beleeue When euery one is equally by faith assured of saluation and yet ech one condemneth the other two and the whole Catholike world condemneth them all to the pit of hell if they obstinatly dye in their perfidious beliefe 2. Secondly if speciall fayth remitteth sinnes and Sectaryes by the same fayth are assured of the remission they can neuer say our Lords prayer without mockery or infidelity For as they cannot intreate the Sonne of God may be incarnate as they cannot intreate his death and passion for the redemption of man vnles they deny or misdoubt the accomplishment of them So if they certainly beleeue the remission of their sinnes effected by fayth they cannot without dissimulation irrision or Field l. 3. cap. 44. fol. 178. plaine infidelity cry vnto God forgiue vs our trespasses which they assuredly beleeue to haue been forgiuen before Feild answereth The iustifyed man knoweth that the dominion of his sins is taken away and that the guilt of condemnation whereunto they subiect such as are vnder the dominion of them is already remoued and therefore he doth not desire nor aske forgiuenes of sinnes in this sort but the inherence of sins he acknowledgeth in himselfe notwithstanding his iustification which still subiecteth him to Gods displeasure and punishments accompanying the same These thinges he desireth to be remoued and in this sense asketh forgiuenes of his sinnes So he The loosenes of whose answere is already discouered in the first Controuersy of Originall sin in which place I haue largely demonstrated that when sinne is truly inherent the guilt of condemnation still remayneth or where the guilt and dominion is abolished there sinne is extinguished there sinne inhereth not not wholy because the dominion is remoued not in part because the blemish of sinne is indiuisible and hath no parts or suppose we speake of diuers sinnes which haue diuers spots diuers deformityes one deformity cannot be cleansed or taken away without the other which M. Abbot had once an eye to discerne disputing Abbot c. 6. sect 7. fol. 766. thus against Doctour Bishop Let him say the sinne in part is pardoned but not wholy and then let him shew vs what warrant he hath that God in that sort forgiueth sinnes by patches and peeces which because he cannot do let him giue vs leaue to take him for that that he sheweth himselfe to be Thus with one eye what with the other the diligent Reader may perceaue in my foresayd Treatise of originall sinne Then this reply cohereth not with it selfe nor with other of his and his fellows barbarismes For if the iustifyed man knoweth the dominion of sinne the guilt of condemnation to be remoued how doth the inherence therof notwithstanding his iustification subiect him to Gods displeasure whereas this common songe is chaunted among you and by you also M. Feild That where the Feild in his 3. booke of the Church cap. 16. Abbot c. 6. sess 7. fault of sinne is once remitted there no amercement or debt of punishment
vertues it nourisheth humility exciteth care procureth watchfullnes restrayneth vs within our bounds whetteth vs forward Hier. in c. 3. lonae Aug. l. de correp grat c. 13. Chrys ho. 8. in c. 2. ad Philip. Greg. ep 186. quae est l. 6. ad Greg. Cubiâ—ul Aug. lib. 9. mora c. 17. Andr. Vegal 9. cap. 17. in Concil Trident. Abbot c. 3. sect 7. Greg. epist 286. quae est ad Gre. Cubicul Aug. in our duety maketh vs more narrowly sift and examine our actions more deeply repent and do pennance for our sinnes more diligently worke to the attayning of vertue and more feruently cry and call vpon God to succor and assist vs in our dayly conflicts and combates against vice These fruits of our vncertainty and the former euills of Protestants security are set downe by S. Hierome S. Augustine S. Chrysostome S. Gregory the Great and diligently proposed by Andreas Vega in his defence of the holy Councell of Trent 7. Now when Protestants account these feares tentations when they compare them to sinne against which they fight and seeke wholy to abandone they bewray the Anuil on which their deuises are hammered quite opposite to the touch-stone of holy Scripture which commendeth timidity as behoofull Blessed is the man who is alwayes timerous worke your saluation with feare and trembling Are these counsailes suggestions Is this happynes to be abandoned Renounce you as dangerous assaults which the holy Ghost proposeth as wholesome remedyes and stayes of our soules And which S. Gregory writing to the Lady Gregoria notably pursueth telling her That she ought not to haue security but alwayes iealous alwayes fearefull dread her sinnes and wash them away with incessant teares A verity so often repeated in holy Write and celebrated by the rest of the Fathers as Caluin is coÌ„strained to coÌ„desceÌ„d vnto it at least in shew of words For Calu. in c. 6. ad Heb. v. 4. he affirmeth That God sprinckleth the reprobate with some tast or smacke of his grace shiâ—eth on their minds with some sparks of his light affoardeth them some feeling of his goodnes and engraueth in a sort his word in their souls Otherwise where is that fayth for a time of which S. Marke maketh mention There is therefore Mar. 4. v. 17. in the reprobate a certaine knowledge of God which after vanisheth away either because it tooke not so deep root as it ought or because being choaked it degenerateth Hitherto Caluin Which discourse Cal. ibid. of his because it driueth the silly Protestant into a thousand perplexityes still casting doubts and questioning with himselfe whether his fayth hath taken sufficient roote may not heereafter be choaked may not degenerate Whether the motions he feeleth be proper to the elect or the common sparkes of light tastes of grace feelings and impressions which are communicated to the reprobate Caluin quieteth his conscience with this finall Conclusion And by this bridle our Lord keepeth vs in feare and humility And truly we see how slippery and prone humane nature is otherwise to security foolish confidence Whose wordes be these The wordes of a Protestant or of a Catholike They are the wordes of a Protestant of the ring-leader of Protestants taking heerein the face of a Catholike and condemning the infallible certainty vayne security and foolish confidence of his Sectaryes 8. The obiections heere heaped togeather by our late Reformers are of diuers sorts some insinuate an assurance of saluation by reason of Gods spirit dwelling in vs others seeme to challenge it to the condition of faith others to Gods protection safeguard and preseruation Abbot c. 3. VVhitak l. 8. aduers Duraeum of such as he hath once called to the participation of his grace The principall of the first kind are these In this we know that we abyde in him and he in vs because he hath giuen vs of his spirit the spirit himselfe giueth testimony to our spirit that we are the sonnes of God and if sonnes heires also We haue receaued not the spirit of this world but the spirit which is in Fulk in c. 8. ad Rom. 2. 1. ad Cor. Kâ—mnitius in examin Con. Trid. Calu. l. 3. iustit c. 11. 1. Ioan. 4. v. â—3 Rom. 8. v. 1â— 1. Cor. 2. v. 12. 1. Ioan. 5. v. 19. â— Ioan. 3. v. 2. Rom. 8. v. 38. Hier. ep ad Algas quaest 9. Ambr. in eum loc Vatablus Beza and Erasmus in eum locuÌ„ â— Cor. 2. v. 12. God that we may know the thinges that are giuen vnto vs of God We know that we are of God and the whole is in wickednes We know that when he shall appeare we shall be like vnto him for we shall see him as he is I answere that this knowledg which the Apostles mention is not the certayne and infallible assurance of fayth but a probable knowledge a morall certainty such as begetteth a ioyful confidence and assured hope as S. Paul had when he sayd I am sure that neither death nor life nor Angells c. shal be able to separate vs from the Charity of God Where the Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyeth only a propable perswasion and so S. Hierome S. Ambrose the Syrian interpreter Vatablus Bedae also and Erasmus read it or the Apostles may speake in some of those places of themselues in particuler by speciall reuelation if they had any such imparted vnto them concerning their perseuerance in grace as some thinke they had or they are to be vnderstood of the predestinate in generall and benefits of grace glory and euerlasting life reuealed for them in Scripture and by the instinct of fayth and spirit of God infallibly beleeued of which S. Paul namely writeth in the second Chapter of the first to the Corinthians But Protestants vrge against my former answere That the testimony of the spirit is the testimony of the Holy Ghost the testimony of the Holy Ghost is sure and infallible therfore the testimony of the spirit which witnesses to our spirit or with our spirit as the Greeke importeth is not only probable and coniecturall but infallibly certaine I answere it is so I confesse in it selfe as it is witnessed by the Holy Ghost but as it is intimated vnto vs by the inward loue of God zeale of soules hatred of sinne peace sweetnes ioy comfort dilatation of our hart such like which are the pledges testimonyes and certificates the holy Ghost affoardeth it is fallible and subiect to deceit For as the truth of holy Writ is of irrefâ—agable authority in it selfe yet proposed by men who may be deceaued is also deceaueable so that which the Holy Ghost witnesseth by himselfe immediatly or such expositors as cannot erre is infallible that which he testifyeth by probable and coniecturall signes is only probable vnto vs and obnoxious vnto errour Howbeit it passeth the boundes of truth and modesty That with a wonderfull tormenting of conscience we mistrust Reynolds
assured Hier. in c. 6. ad Gal. August tract â— 8. in epist Ioan. in psal 4. Leo hom 2. defest Pas Greg. 34. in Euang. Dionys de diuin nom cap. 7. Aug. in psal 88. Hilar. in c. â— Matt. Cypr. con Demâ—â— Aug. serm 28. de verb. Dom. Bernard serm 59. in Cant. de Euang. Septâ—â—g Pan. ser 3. ser 5 de dediâ— Eccl. Conc. Trid. sess â— â— 9. of our Christian fayth whereof S. Denis writeth or of Christs perpetuall raigne in the empire of his Church of which S. Augustine affirmeth That no man ought to preach that with trepidiation and feare of which he ought not to doubt or of the article of our Resurrection and Gods future kingdome of which S. Hilary The kingdome of heauen which our Lord professed to be in himselfe his will is that it be hoped for without any doubtfullnes c. 13. Lastly the Fathers often inculcate the infallible certainty of Gods help and concurrence on his part of his general promises of the merits of Christ of the power of the Sacraments c. and in this sense they bid vs rest assured of saluation So S. Cyprian when he sayth There is with vs a strength of hope and stedfastnes of fayth c. a soule alwayes secure of God to be our God S. Augustine To presume of Christs grace is not arrogancy but Fayth S. Bernard I know whome I haue beleeued and I am certaine or sure because he hath adopted me in great loue because he is true in his promises c. Yet this withstandeth not but that we may doubt and feare least there be some lets and impediments for want of disposition on our side which the thrice venerable Councell of Trent hath enacted in these wordes As no pious man ought to doubt of the mercy of God of the merits of Christ of the vertue and efficacy of the Sacraments so euery one whilest he considereth himselfe and his owne proper infirmity and indisposition may tremble and feare whether he be in grace or no. The soundnes of this distinction in mistructing our owne weaknes and imbecility only not the goodnes and bonity of God is worthy to be marked for thereon dependeth the whole decision of this our debate and the ignorance or inconsideration Stapleton l. 9. de â—â—â—stifiâ— c. â—â— thereof in our Aduersaryes is well obserued by M. Doctour Staplâ—ton to be the very roote and seminary of all their heresyes touching this point God giue them grace to see and humility to acknowledge it before it be too late THE XXIII CONTROVERSY DECLARETH That true Fayth or Iustice once had may be lost against D. Whitaker D. Fulke and D. Abbot CHAP. I. ANOTHER licentious or Iouinian Paradoxe which bolstreth the former presumption or vayne security of our Sectaryes is that their liuely fayth grace and righteousnes once had can neuer be extinguished or taken Fulke in c 11. ad Rom. sect 2. VVhitak in his answer to the 8. reason of M. Camp f. 236. from them He that is once the child of God and beleeueth aright is sure to continue still in his fauour whatsoeuer villanyes he after commit For he that standeth sayth Fulke by the grace of God whereof he is assured by a liuely fayth cannot fall Whitaker Fayth is either perpetuall or els it is none at al either it perseueres to the last breath or els that which is esteemed for fayth is but some fancy M. Abbot Where there is true repentance fayth iustification knowledg Abbot c. sect 10. f. 322. VVhitak contro 2. q. 5. p. 236. Fulk in c. 3. 1. Ioan. sect 5. 1. Tim. 1. v. 19. 1. Tim. 4. v. 1. 1. Tim. 6. v. 10. Apoc. c. 2. v. 4. 2. Tim. 2. v. 17. 18. Act. 8. v. 1â— VVhitak in his answere to the 1. 8. reason of M. Campian l. 8. aduers Duraeum Abbot c. 3. Fulke in c. 1. ad Tim. sect 2. Act. 8. v. 13. of God there infallibly followeth perseuerance to the end Henâ—â— they inferre That sinnes are not hurtfull to him that doth belieue that King Dauid was the sonne of God when he committed adultery But if no man can loose the fayth and consequently with them the iustification and charity he once truely inioyed what meane these words of holy Write 2. Hauing fayth and a good conscience which certaine repelling haue made shipwracke about the fayth In the last tymes certaine shall depart from the fayth The roote of all euill is couetousnes which certaine desiring haue erred from the fayth I haue against thee a few thinges both because thou hast left thy first Charity Their speach spreadeth as a canker of whome is Hymenaeus and Philetus who haue erred from the truth And of Symon Magus it is written Symon also himselfe beleeued who after notwithstanding became an Arch-heretike a reprobate and miserably perished D. Whitaker D. Abbot Fulke and their fellowes reply That neither Symon Mâ—gus nor any of the rest who fell from their fayth did euer truely beleeue with a liuely fayth but only with a fruitles dead and counterfeit Thus our Protestants The Apostles the Euangelists otherwise To whome shall I giue credit To S. Luke to S. Paul or to Fulke to Whitaker to Abbot S. Luke sayth That Symon Magus also belieued and cleaued to Philippe he matcheth him with the rest who did truly belieue and expsicateth the fruit of his true beliefe that he was astonished with admiration S. Paul blamed certaine who departed from their fayth erred from the fayth made shipwracke about the fayth which he would neuer haue done if they had only forsaken a counterfeit fayth or els shew vs any one place in the whole corpes of holy Scripture where men are commended or recorded by the holy Ghost to haue beleeued the preaching of the word with a fruitles counterfeit or reprehended for departing from a fruitles fayth And to put the matter out of doubt S. Paul againe hath these wordes It is impossible for them that were once Hebr. 6. v. 4. illuminated haue tasted also the heauenly guift and were made partaker of the holy Ghost haue moreouer tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come and are fallen to be renewed againe to pennance I cannot stand to exaggerate the Fulke in c. 6. ad Heb. sect 3. Calu. in idem cap. heynous glosle which Fulke and Caluin heretically frame vpon these wordes more hatefull and enormous then the impiety of the Nouatians who misconstruing the afore passage taught it impossible for them that reuolat after Baptisme into a deadly and notorions cryme to be after receaued by pennance into the lap of the Church But Fulke and his Sectaryes more cruel then they barbarously Ezech. 18. v. 21. Ezech. 33. v. 15. Ioel. 2. v. 32. Isa 55. v. 7. Ambr. l. 2. de poenit c. 4. Hier. ep ad Ocean Aug. l. 1. retract c. 19. maintaine that he who wholy falleth from his fayth
and restored Note that by Grace he and all Protestants vnderstand Iustifying Grace without which euery action euery thought that proceedeth from the vnfaythfull is as they misdeeme a damnable and deadly crime and so imputed 3. Touching the third estate of vprising or entrance into Grace all in like sort agree that man albeit he be excited and called vpon by God yet doth not worke or as much as consent to his conuersion vntill he be truly iustifyed by Faith in Christ which I shall disproue in the Chapter following 4. In the fourth and last estate they allow also to man with vniforme consent the Liberty as they call it of Grace which Caluin and others interpret to be A Liberty from Constraint only and not from Necessity and so depriue man in this case as well as in the former of his free Arbitrement Against whom I am now to proue two points of chiefe importance 5. First the Liberty of Mans Freewill since his fall not only to Ciuill actions but also by the speciall ayd and assistance of Gods Grace to the conquest of any new sinne and performance at least of some Morall good Secondly that this Liberty is from Necessity and not from Coaction onely Yet remember I take not Grace before mentioned for Iustifying Grace as ProtestaÌ„ts doe not for habituall Grace or Inherent Iustice dwelling in our soules but for Actuall Grace that is for any heauenly Motion illustration or other extraordinary succoursent from aboue for our Sauiour Christs sake by help whereof he that is prostitute to some kind of â—ices may well subdue and ouermaster other He that transgresseth the Saboath may dutifully honour and reuerence his Parents he that walloweth in fleshly lust may of compassion relieue the necessity of his Neighbour and He that sitteth in the Chaire of Pestilence may rise and walke the way of Gods Commandements if he diligently Psalm 1. giue eare and correspondently worke according to his Diuine Inspirations All which our Sectaries obstinatly impiously blasphemously deny Not knowing the Scripturs Matth. 22. 2. Petr. 3. v. 16. or willfully deprauing them to their owne perdition 6. For to comprise the proofes of the former two points both togeather is there any thing in Scripture more seriously recorded or promulgated more solemnely then Deut. 30 â— vers 19. that which Moyses denounced to the Iewes saying I call this day Heauen and Earth to witnesse that I haue set before you Life and Death Benediction and Malediction therfore choose Life c. He speaketh of the Morall obseruation or breach of the Law biddeth them choose Life by obseruing not Death by transgressing Wheron it followeth most euidently that they were not Thrall to transgression or in the Bondage of Sinne but might if they would haue imbraced life and were not by necessity determined either to life or death For which cause the wise and ancient Philo notably Philo in libro quod deus fit immutabilis Iosu 24. concludeth Man hath Free-will c. To which purpose is extant the Oracle of God in Deuteronomie I haue placed before thee life and death good and euill choose life In like manner Iosue proposing the worshiping of God or Idols to the people said Choose this day that which pleaseth you whom you Dan. 23. 22. ought especially to serue 7. Susanna in danger of incurring either the offence of God or disgrace of the world after she had reasoned Amos 5. v. â—4 with herselfe on both sides what she might doe made choise not to sinne in the sight of God The Prophet Amos exhorteth the Iewes Seeke the good and not the euill that yee may liue Almighty God propounding three seuerall 2. Reg. 24. v. 12 13. 3. Reg. 3. v. 5. chastisments to Dauid biddeth him take his choice which he would haue To King Salomon likewise he saied Aske what thou wilt who demanded the Morall vertue of Wisedome and not riches or the death of his enemies as they Arist l. 3. Eth. c. 4. 5. Orig. l. 3. de Prin. c. 1. Nissen l. 7. de phi c. 1. Nazian in Apolog. Ambros l. 2. c. 3. very Text declareth he might haue done 8. Therefore both he and the rest had perfect freedome some to Ciuill some to Morall actions some from the Captiuity of sinne and all enioyed the freedome of Choice the freedome of Election in which the true liberty not only from Constraint but also from Necessity consisteth as both Aristotle the Philosopher and Origen Saint Gregory Nissen Saint Gregory Nazianzen Saint Ambrose those great Deuines affirme which no man of sense or iudgment can deny For when it is in our free power to take this or that one thing or another as in all the Eccles 15. v. 17. former examples it was we are not restrained or necessarily inclined by ineuitable influence to yield to either 9. Moreouer in Ecclesiasticus the wiseman saith God Vhitaker in his answer to the first reasoÌ„ of M. Campian hath set before thee water and fire to which thou wilt stretch forth thy hand Before man is life and death good and euill that which pleaseth him shall be giuen vnto him Which words because M. Whitaker could not otherwise auoid he discardeth the worke and reiecteth the Author in this lewd arrogate manner That place of Ecclesiasticus I nothing esteeme neither 1. Cor. 7. v. 37. will I beleeue the liberty of Freewill although he affirme it a thousand times But if others affirme it against whom he can take no exception will he giue credit to them If S. Paul Act. 5. 4. if S. Peter if Christ if God himselfe affirme it will he giue credit to them S. Paul He that hath determined in his heart Aug. ser 10. de Diuers being setled not hauing necessity but hauing power of his owne will and hath iudged this in his heart to keepe his Virgin doth well S. Peter speaking to Ananias about the price of his Mat. 12. v. 33. Land Remayning did it not remain to thee And being sold was it not in thy power Whereupon S. Augustine teacheth that before we vow it is in our power to vow or not to vow but after we haue vowed we ought to performe the same Aug l. 2 de Act. cum Feliâ—e Manich c. 4. Gen. c. 4. ver 7. vnder paine not of corporall death but of euerlasting fire Christ saith Either make the Tree good and his fruit good or make the Tree euill and his fruit euill Which place the forenamed S. Augustine vrgeth against Felix the Manichee and proueth it to be In the Free will of man either to choose good things and become a good Tree or euill become a bad Tree And God himselfe in his owne person fore warning Cain If thou Amb. l. 2 l de Cain c. 7. Bernâ—ser 5. de quadrages Ruper l 4. Comment in Gen. c. 3. See their English Bible printed Anno 1594. the Annotat. in cap.
When soeuer such proportion is kept in recompensing the labours we achieue as to greater labours greater crownes to lesser lesser rewards are alloted Thē the crownes and rewards are giuen in respect of the workes done not as signes and conditions but truly according to the merit of our labours as causes of the rewardes But this proportion is obserued by our Soueraigne Iudge in remunerating the good deedes of the Iust which flow from his grace Therefore he rewardeth them not as signes but as causes of our heauenly blisse according to the worthines of their merit The maior is cleere for what other then the dignity of the worke doth God regard in ballancing the measure of them The worthines of Christs merits imputed by faith that is not our owne labour not the thinges we do in our body for which we must receaue eyther good or euill as the Apostle writeth that doth not dignify one aboue another but equally as hath beene sayd is referred to al. The promise which God maketh vnto vs If God had his eye leuelled at that alone it were as much broken in a little as in a greater as faythfully kept in recōpensing a small as in a weighty matter Therein he looketh not to the greatnes of our endeauours but to the fidelity of his owne word in fulfilling whereof the equality of recompensation the proportion of workes the repayment of seruice the reward of labours cannot be as the Scriptures so often insinuate the principall markes aymed at by God Further our vertues are rewarded as worthy of their hire but the promise of God begetteth not any worthines or dignity in our workes more then of themselues belong vnto them For as our Schoolemen teach He that shall Gab. Vasq in 1. 2. tom 2. disp 214 cap. 5. others ibid. in q. 114. D. Tho. promise a Lordship or Dukedome in behalfe of some meane seruice or peece of money of small value doth not thereby enhaunce the price of the coyne or estimate of his obsequious seruice but the estate which is giuen in lieu of that plighted faith although it require the performance of the seruice or payment of the money as conditions necessary to oblige him that promised yet it doth as much exceed the rate of the one and desert of the other as if no promise had beene no couenaunt made at all Moreouer the Deuines proue that if God should threaten to punish with eternall paine an officious lye or other light offence that sinne should not mount thereby to the heynousnes of a mortall crime nor be worthy of more punishment then of his owne nature it deserueth wherefore if the commination and threatning of greater torments then sinnes of themselues require doth not augment the guiltines of their default or change a small sinne into the enormity of a greater neither can the promise of aboundant remuneration increase the dignity of our workes to which it is promised nor the remuneration it selfe be called a reward weighed forth as S. Gregory Greg. Na. orat in san Bap. extrema Nazianzen affirmeth in the iust and euen ballance of God nor equally imparted according to our labours as the Holy Ghost often pronounceth but a free gift liberally giuen through the gratefulnes and fidelity of the giuer vnles besides the promise some worthines or value in our works be acknowledged to which an agreable reward be correspondently assigned 6. The Minor that God obserueth due proportion in 2. ad Cor. 9. v. 6. Clem. Alex. l. 4. strom Matth. 10. v. 4. recompensing our seruice more or lesse conformably to the diligence or slacknes thereof is also manifest by the sundry textes already quoted That euery one shall receaue accordinge to his owne labour And by this of Saint Paul He that soweth sparingly sparingly also shall reape and he that soweth in blessinges of blessinges also shall reape Which Clemens Alexandrinus also gathereth out of these wordes of S. Matthew He that receaueth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receaue the reward of a Prophet and he that receaueth a iust man in the name of a iust man shall receaue the rewards of a iust man both receaue rewards yet not both the same but seuerall and vnequall according to the seuerall sanctity of their persons and inequality of their merits whome they receaue Hence the conclusion of my Syllogisme without checke or controle is ineuitably inferred That seeing Almighty God portioneth forth a greater or lesser share of glory answerable to the greatnes or slendernes of our workes as the hire wages or reward of them he truly remunerateth our pious endeauours not as sequells of faith not as meere gifts of grace but as precedent causes or condigne desertes of eternall life Which when our aduersaries gainsay they make our soueraigne God an accept our of persons and not a iust and vpright iudge quit contrary to these texts of holy writ 2. ad Timoth. 4. v. 8. ad Rom. 2. v. 11. 1. Pet. 1. v. 17. Act. 10. v. 34. For acception of persons is a vice directly opposite to distributiue iustice as when a Iudge bestoweth a reward where there is no precedent merit or when he giueth a more large reward then the dignity of the merit in any sort deserueth But God truly recompenseth the labours of his seruants and recompenseth them with due proportion of greater and lesser reward therefore he either presupposeth in thē the diuersity of merits or he violateth Aug. ep 46. ad Valent the lawes of distributiue iustice In so much as S. Augustin◠might well say If there be no merits how shall God iudge the world For take away them and take away Iustice take away iudgement take away that article of our Creed that Christ shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead 7. Another Argument or Enthymeme I frame in this sort The sinnes and euill workes of the reprobate are not eternally punished eyther because they are signes of their infidelity or by reason of Gods commination and threates which he promulgateth of punishing them with euerlasting torments But for that they be of themselues the true cause of damnation merit Gods wrath be iniurious and offensiue to his infinite goodnes Therefore the vertuous actes and good deedes of the elect which flow from the streames of heauenly grace are not only recompensed as fruites of faith or in regard of Gods promise made to reward them but because they be true and proper causes thereof because they be pleasing and acceptable in his sight and do deseruedly purchase and merit his fauour The consequence is inferred out of the words of Christ who attributeth after the same manner and with the same causall propositions the crowne of heauen to the pious workes of the iust as he doth the punishment of hell to the hard and vnmercifull hartes of sinners saying Come yee blessed of my Father possesse yee the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I
was an hungred and you gaue me to drinke c. Get you away froÌ„ me you cursed c. I was an hungred and you gaue me not to eate I was a thirst and you gaue me not to drinke For this cause the Apostle Matth. 25. v. 34. v. 41. 1. Cor. 4. v. 17. Tertult l. de râ—sur carnis c. 40 in Scorp cap. 13. Aug. ep 105. Chrysost hom 3. de Lazaro auerreth the sufferances of his life to win or cause faluation Our Tribulation which presently is momentary and light worketh aboue measure exceedingly an eternall weight of glory in vs where for worketh our Protestants corruptly translated heretofore prepareth albeit they haue since corrected it because it is in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is potently or forcibly worketh In liew whereof Tertullian readeth perficiet in nobis shall perfect and accoÌ„plish in vs an eternall weight of glory yet not physically as the efficient but morally as the meritorious cause which winneth and purchaseth the laurell of be atitude as sinnes procure the bane of endles misery Whereupon S. Augustine Euen as death is rendred for astipend to the merit of sinne so is euerlasting life as a stipend to the merit of iustice And S. Chrysostome By good workes we deserue heauen as by euill hell THE SECOND CHAPTER IN WHICH The same is strengthned by other reasons authorities and the Obiections satisfied THE third Argument to support the merit of workes is drawne from those places of Scripture which testify the singular valew prerogatiue of Almes-deeds Tob. 1â— v. 9. and Eccles 3. v. 33. Prou. 25. v. 27. Pro. 16. v. 6. Dan. 4. v. 24. that it deliuereth from death purgeth sinnes maketh vs find merit and life euerlasting Giue almes and behold all things are cleane vnto you By mercy and faith sinnes are purged By mercy and truth iniquity is redeemed Redeeme thou thy sinnes with almes and thy iniquities with the mercies of the poore which place by the Protestants former and by their later translation set forth by commaundement of his Maiesty is thus adulterated Breake of thy sinnes by righteousnes For although the Hebrew or rather Chaldeack word Peruk of Perak the roote signifieth sometime to breake in pieces to deuide to rend in sunder and also to redeeme yet neuer properly to breake off or cease to do couering by righteousnes as our sectaries wrest it not extinguishing by almes deeds as the Verbe inforceth the remaynes of sinne But albeit the Chaldeake word had beene ambiguous as in no indifferent mans iudgement it is in that place yet the Latine word Redime redeeme at least the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which hath no other natiue signification then ransome or redeeme thy sinnes should haue taken all doubt and ambiguity away had those Protestant translations syncerely followed the originall fountaines as they pretend 2. The fourth and last reason is insinuated in holy writ in these very textes which commend some vertuous and heroicall actes as better in themselues more gratefull vnto God then others although both the faith be equall inhabitant grace by which they are wrought 1. Cor. 7. v. 38. â—bidem v. 39. 40. Matt. 19â— v. â—1 For so S. Paul sayth He that ioyneth his virgin in matrimony doth well and he that ioyneth not doth better Likewise speaking of the widdow Let her marry to whom she will only in our Lord but more blessed shall she be if she so remaine In like manner to distribute all our goodes to the poore and follow Christ is of it selfe more perfect then to enioy the riches of the world and bestow them in his seruice Yf thou wilâ— be perfect go and sell the thinges that thou hast and giue IoaÌ„ 15. v. 13 to the poore c. To sacrifice our liues in testimony of our faith is more precious in the eies of God then to releeue the poore with a cup of cold water Greater loue then this no man hath that a man yield his life for his friends In so much as there is some valew some worthines in the act of Martyrdome which is not in almesdeeds some dignity in voluntary pouerty which is not in rich liberality some excellency of merit in virginity beyond the degree or holines of wedlocke wherein least our aduersaries should wrangle that they are more excellent and worthy only as they are signes of greater faith both our Sauiour and the Apostle speake absolutely without any condition of greater or lesser prerogatiue of faith Therefore the thinges considered in themselues are better more grâ—tefull and meritorious all other circumstances being equally weighed For as conditionall assertions cannot be absolutely In conc Mediolan Ambros Epist 81. Ambr. ibid. ep 8 c. Aug serm 143. de teÌ„p Diuersa specits claritatis quia diuersa suÌ„t merita charitatis Centur. 5. c. 4. col 518. Aug. l. 3. de peccat meritis Contur c. 4 4. col 301. Amb. l. 2. ad Marcel Cent. 3. 4. col 86. Orig l. 10. ep ad Rom. Cent. 4. c. 4. Col. 192. Cbrom in concion de Beat. Cent. 4. c. 10 col 1250. Ierom aduer Iou. Cent. 3. c. 4. col 86. Tertul l. de Ieiunio Cent. 2. c. 4 col 64. vnderstood no more can absolute and irrestreyned be expounded conditionally vnles we peruert the ten our of Gods sacred lawes and shake the whole fabrike of diuine oracles in peeces Whereupon very religiously S. Ambrose Bassian and other Bishops without any condition of more feruent faith absolutely auouch Mariage is good by which the posterity of Irumane succession is propagated but Virginity is better whereby the inheritance is gotten of our celestiall Kingdome and the succession is found out of heauenly merits Also the same S. Ambrose with Bassian and the rest a little before It is a wild and rusticall howling to awaite or looke for no fauour of virginity no prefermeÌ„t of chastity to be willing promiscuously to confound all thinges to abrogate the degrees of diuers merits and bring in a certeine pouerty of celestiall remunerations S. Augustine You see that clarity is promised to the bodies of Saintes and a various lustre of clarity for the various merits of charity But of him S. Ambrose Origen Chromatius S. Hierome Tertullian and S. Ignatius the Apostles Scholler I alleadge no other then the words of the Centuristes It is apparant say they that Augustine was of this mind that Virgins deuoted to sanctimony haue more merit with God then the faithfull married folkes For because Iouinian thought the contrary that they haue no more merite this he reprehended in him Ambrose to insolently pronounceth of the merit of virgins Origen maketh virginity a worke of perfection Chromatius extolleth voluntary Pouerty and sayth that by the merite thereof the riches of the heauenly Kingdome are obteyned Hierome de striuing too much for Virginity is somewhat vniust or aduerse to marriage Tertullian attributeth merit to Fasting It appeareth out of the Epistles of
things spoken if to Luc. 10. v. 16. Matth. 18. v. 17. all be graunted the spirit of Prophesy If members must iudge of their heades and people examine their Pastours doctrine 10. In fine to rippe vp the bowells and breake the very sinewes of this answere in pieces the inward Spirit which moueth the Collatour in the exposition of Gods word may be caused three seuerall wayes 1. God may inspire it 2. The Diuell suggest it 3. The discourse of reason gather and collect it Now aread me this doubt you that ground your fayth hereon how do you know the perswasion you follow to be an inspiratioÌ„ 2. Cor. 1â— vers 14 from God a suggestion of Satan or a discourse of reason The Diuell may transfigure himselfe into an Angell of light many falshoods as the Philosopher teacheth may seeme more probable then truthes Diuers haue beene vndoubtedly perswaded that the spirit of God guided them aright when they were ignorantly missed by the spirit of deceit wherein if you belieue not me belieue a iudicious learned ProtestaÌ„t belieue M. Hooker a famous writer of your owne who hath published these wordes in print Such as are readiest to cite for one thing fiue hundred Hook in his 2. Book sess 7. fol â—18 sentences of holy Scriptur what warrant haue they that any one of theÌ„ doth meane the thing for which it is alleadged Is not their surest ground most commonly eyther some probable coniecture of their owne or the iudgment of others taking those Scriptures as they do which notwithstanding to meane otherwise then they take them it is not still altogeather impossible So that now and then they ground themselues on humane authority euen when they most pretend diuine Who could say more against the vanity of our Sectaries against their obstinate arrogancy in expounding the word by their owne priuate sense and iudgmeÌ„t for if amongst fiue hundred sentences they haue no warrant for one to meane the thing for which it is alledged Yf now and then they ground themselues on humane authority euen when they most pretend diuine by the pretence no doubt and direction of the spirit what notes doth he or his mates assigne what marks do they propose to discerne the Diuine spirit of God from the humane spirit of man or illusion of the Diuell 11. Marrie some Protestants prescribe the Analogie of Scripture That the spirit ought to be tried by Canon of holy writ which is nothing els then to allow the circle so often hissed out of schooles by the spirit to interpret the Scripture and by the Scripture to discerne the spirit Nothing els then to make a faire shew where no hope can be had of escape For either I vnderstand before the sense of the Scripture to which I iudge my spirit agreable or vnderstand it not Suppose I vnderstand it in vaine is the instruction of the spirit Suppose I know it not how shall I iudge of the conformity of my spirit to that which I do not my selfe conceaue Others therfore teach That the spirit needeth not the touch stone of Scripture but may by it self be descried as black from white light from darknesse If this be so why are we commaunded Not to trust euery Spirit when none can deceaue vs Why is it â— Ioan. 4. v. 1. IbideÌ„ sayd Trie the Spirits when they need no triall How falleth it out so many mistake the spirit of truth How is our sight so dimmed that we cannot perceaue the distinction of spirits the darke night from the clearest day 12. We for example beleeue with Protestants the Councell of Nice we beleeue the mystery of the holy Trinity the Incarnation of Christ and with the same spirit which they count erroneous we beleeue the CouÌ„cell of Lateran of Florence the Reall presence the Sacrifice of the masse neither can we see any difference in this our spirit Not we perchance but you the sharp-sighted eagles who soare so high as to gaze on the sunne you no doubt can bewray the different markes Aske then the Lutheran what cloudes of darknesse he discouereth in the spirit of defiance he hath with the Caluinist from the bright beames of light which ioyntly shine in poynts of their agreement he answereth None at all Aske the Caluinist what foggie mist he espieth in his spirit of variance from the Lutheran he answereth none at all Aske the diuine spirited Protestant Aske the Puritan the like question The Protestant contendeth that the spirit which causeth him to dissent from the Puritan is the spirit of light the illustration of the Holy Ghost The Puritan protesteth the same of his And wheras the one must needs be a Satanicall illusion sith it wholy crosseth and contradicteth the other who seeth not that the spirit of truth cannot by it self be discerned from the spirit of deceit no not by the grand-maisters themselues and boasters of the spirit 13. When our Ghospellers are thus beaten out of all their forts or strong holds of succour when they are conuinced that neither Scripture alone nor perusall of places nor examination of Greeke Hebrew fountains nor prayer to God with the direction of the priuate spirit can safely conduct them to the true knowledge and Rein. â— 2. diuis 2. p. 62. 〈◊〉 in act Col. Ratis ses 14. p. 1â—2 Vvhâ—taker desa Scrip. Controu 1. q 4. c 4. q. 5. â— 8. Ioan. â—o v. 17. 1. Cor. 2. v. 15. sense of Scripture will you heare their last and most desperate refuge Listen and learne to detest their fraud Albeit say they these former helpes be not alwayes effectuall to the reprobate or wicked sinner yet they are sufficient inough to the elect of God If the Lord sayth Reynolds take delight in vs he will bring vs to the food of life he will giue vs the bread of our soules and make vs learned in the Scriptures For it is written quoth Hunnius Whitaker My sheep heare my voyce and The spirituall man iudgeth all things O yee children of darknesse O yee enemyes of light How long will yee seeke these cloudy euasions How long will yee runne from one maze of obscurity into another As from search of Scripture to secret prayer from secret prayer to priuate spirit from priuate spirit to hidden grace And how shall I learne who is endued with this celestiall grace in whome God is pleased How shall I know the spirituall man or sheep of Christ Eccles 9. v. â— Salomon sayd No man can tell whether he be worthy of loue or hatred S. Paul I am guilty of nothing yet in this I am not iustified But thou more wise then Salomon more illuminated then 1. Cor. 4. v. 4. S. Paul describe me the markes shew me the badge and cognizance of Christ that I may see whether I am a sheep of his flocke or no. Thou sayst if I had a strong feruent fayth if I belieued aright I should be infallibly acertainted of
Gods present grace and eternall fauour And who I pray hath this feruent fayth He that imbraceth the reformed Ghospell O rounds O circles Are you not ashamed stil to trace this endles Labyrinth Calu. in argumento Epist l. â— Inst c. 8. anno 1554. Luther in prolog Epist. Rogers in his book to the Kings Maiesty I desire to know how I might belieue aright how I might be sure to heare my shepheards voyce and you at length resolue me if I be a sheep of your fold and belieue as you do I shall belieue aright and be sure to heare his voyce A feat of Sophistry tooto common amongst you yet such a feat as with slender skill may be defeated 14. Caluin your Ring-leader approued and partly broached your reformed Ghospell he was a sheep of Christ who reading the epistle of S. Paul to the Hebrewes the epistle of S. Iames heard in them the voyce of Christ the voyce of God And Luther your fore-father what was he a goat of Sathan who perusing the same epistles heard no such voice nothing but dry and dusty stuffe nothing worthy an Apostolicall spirit Our English Protestants are sheep of Christ who reuerence the whole vulgar translation of their Bible as the pure word of God The Millenary Plaintiffes what are they All goats of Sathan who lament therein many false corruptions in matters of fayth as M. Rogers testifyeth in his booke dedicated to this Maiesty Not to speake of the Precisians the Protestants among themselues are all no doubt sheep of Christ How heare they then the voice of their Pastour One in this sort another in that quite opposite to the former One heareth Christ a Biâ—â—on in his suruey of Christs sufferings pa. 650. 651. c. descended into hell another He b Vviâ—let in his book intituled Lymbomasâ—ix descended not One The c Field l. 1. of the Church Church to be alwayes visible another sometymes d VVillet in his Synopfis p. 48. all protestants generally inuisible One gathereth out of Gods words two e Melancâ—hon in lo. commun Sacraments another f Caluin l. 4. inst c. 19. Tree another g Melancth in locis editis an 36. an 52. foure c. One affirmeth The Sacraments do not only signify but h â—ilsoÌ„ in his book of Christ subiection 4. p. pag 51. conferre grace another condemneth i Fulke against purgâ—tor p. 35. Sparks in his answere to M. Iohn Aâ—bins p. â—46 the same as Popish What Is the voice of Christ repugnaÌ„t to it self c. Or are some Protestants also goats of Sathan Or is it true the sheep of Christ do not certainly heare their shep-heards voyce 15. Moreouer the sheep of Christ are of two sortes some are sheep by present grace others by eternall election of neither of these can your maxime be verifyed Not of the first For if they only know their Pastours voyce woe be to all Infidels woe to all notorious and obstinate sinners in vaine are they perswaded and preached vnto Woe had it beene to S. Matthew to S. Mary Magdalen and thousands of Saintes who once depriued of preseÌ„t grace could neuer haue heard their shepheards cal Happy the Reprobate in respect of them who being often sheep by present grace might perfectly know and easily stoop to theâ—â—â—aisters lure Not of the second kind of sheep because S. Augustine a Manichâ—e S. Paul a persecutour euen then â—â—re sheep of Christ by eternall election euen then they studyed and examined the text of Scripture euen then they were both infused with the inward perswasion and spirit of Protestants that they followed their Pastour and obeyed his precepts yet were both deceaued by the voice of a stranger You answere they could not be finally deceaued They heare the true voice of their spouse sayth M. Sparkes at one tyme or another At one tyme or another And who hath reuealed vnto you that this is the tyme of your vocation Imagine you be as they were Gods chosen sheep may you not now be bewitched with some deceitfull charme May not your dreames seeme his Oracles And may you not as God graunt you may be heereafter vncharmed and lament with S. Augustine My errour was my God and the siction Aug l. 4. confes cap. 7. of my braines the voice of my shepheard 16. Againe if this second sort only of elected sheep are vndoubtedly grounded in the true knowledge of holy writ none according to you can be infallibly instructed in necessary points of fayth vntill God admit him as S. Paul sayth to the Counsell of his inscrutable iudgments vntill Rom. 11. v. 3â— he shew his name engrossed in the booke of Liâ—e Which because you ordinarily hold impossible to be belieued without your Solifidian and all-working fayth fayth requireth election and election presupposeth faith And seeing the one can neuer be obtayned without assurance of the other you may search long inough before you can attaine to either 17. What construction then quoth Whitaker will you make of those wordes My sheep heare my voyce Of those The spirituall man iudgeth all thinges I answere that Vvhitaker locis ciâ—â—tis the sheep of Christ heare his voice not at all tymes not when they list but how and when it pleaseth God Sometyme by secret inspiration other while by outwaâ—d hearing or reading his word yet so as they haue neuer infallible certitude heerof but when it is confirmed by extraordinary reuelation or by the publike Iudgment approbation of the Church by whose authority the spirituall man iudgeth all thinges Or he may be sayd to Vvhitaker cont 1. q. 5. c. 8. Rein c. 2. diuis 2. Act. 17. v. 1â— 1. Ioan. 2. v. 27. iudge all thinges not infallibly but prudently and discreetly as the testimony of his conscience and instinct of the holy Ghost shall teach and perswade him Whitaker and Reynoldes againe The men of Beroea are commended for trying the doctrine of S. Paul by the iudgment of Scripture It is written You haue no need that any man teach you but as his vnction teacheth you of all things Lastly All are sayd to be taught of God I answere The men of Beroea or as some say of Thessalonica which were the more noble and wiser sort Esay 54. v. 3. Iohn 6. v. 4â— Vvhitaker ibidâ—m q. 3. ca. â—â— either belieued not before as many hold and then they tooke a iudicious prudent course in searching the places S. Paul alleadged to procure as the Deuines require arguments of credibility whereby they might be induced maturely to imbrace the truth he deliuered which S. Paâ—l no doubt exhorted them vnto And in like case hauing produced testimonyes out of the Sybills Hystapsis against See Lorinê° vpon this place of the Actes and Stapleâ—on in Antidoto â—â—â—n â— strom â— 1. the Gentills he counsaileth them as S. Clemens Alexandrinus testifyeth to read and consider the allegations how strongly they concluded
and replenished with grace through the merits of Christ haue notwithstanding their former sins truly abiding in them or no Your answere is That sinne in it selfe and in it owne nature continueth such that setting aside the pardon it were sufficient still to make him guilty Is not this to flye from the question to destroy the supposall to forsake the helpe and defence of your clyents For example I conuince a Sectary of grosse ignorance open repugnance and contradiction in his writinges if some Atturney after excuse him thus that set aside his ignorance set aside his maleparte and flat contradictions no such foolish or repugnant saying hath beene diuulged by him should not he deserue a good fee at his handes The same doe you deserue who speaking of the regenerate pardoned of their sinnes doe proue them sinnefull setting aside their pardon Howbeit these wordes that follow may challenge the fire rather then a fee. The pardon acquiteth Abbot in the place aboue cyted the man but yet it cannot alter the nature of the sinne it setteth a barre against the effect but take away the barre and the cause is as strong as it was before So he As ill as Proclus worse then the Messalians Proclus held that sinnes by Baptisme were not cleansed but couered the Messalians taught they Abbot ibidem were shaued clipped and pared of M. Abbot auoucheth them not pared but barred curbed hindred only like a violent stream whose current is stopped not water dimished Proclus added take away the couer and the sinnes appeare M. Abbot affirmeth take away the barre and the cause is as strong as it was before Wherefore if they for that blasphemous doctrine were iustly censured amongst the rancke of Heretiks shall not he receaue the same doome who is returned guilty of the same if not more deeper heeresy Beare with me M. Abbot I write not this to touch your person whome for your good parts I honour loue but only to refell these errours which zeale of truth and desire Abbot c. 2. sect 1. fol. 171. of your safety moueth me to hate And so with your good leaue who are also willing that truth should preuayle I go on The pardon say you acquitteth the man but it cannot alter the nature of the sinne No doth it not alter the nature of sinne when it taketh it away blotteth it out and extinguisheth it quite as I haue shewed aboue Doth it cancell in man the guilt of sinne and not alter in him the nature of it For we speake not heere of the destruction or alteration of sinne seuered and abstracted from the subiect in which it inhereth because in that sort sinne is not altered neither in this nor after this life not altered as I may say in the Saints of heauen the murder and adultry K. Dauid committed the vsury of S. Matthew the theft and other faults S. Augustine bewayleth in his bookes of Confessions are truely thefts vsuryes murders and adulteryes if we conceaue them apart in the nature of sins yet when God of his mercy pardoned and forgaue them he did not only alter the nature but expelled the bane of the for named offences 16. Againe how ouerthwartly doe you write the pardon acquiteth the man and setteth a barre against the effect for Abbot in his defence cap. 2. sect 1. if it set only a barre it acquiteth him not if it acquite him the barre is needles to no purpose at all And who did euer heare sinnes banished from the soule taught to be stopped or barred from raigning therein The Phisitian who hindreth or abateth the furious increase of his patients disease cannot be auouched to free him from it or if he free him if he acquite him they wrong his art and abuse his patient who should contend that a stop onely is layd a barre applyed against his sicknes which once remoued the rage therof will be as great as euer The like wrong do you to our heauenly Phisitian the like iniury Abbot in his defence c. 2. and abuse to vs his patients when not without contradicting your selfe you peremptorily vtter that he hath set but a barre against the diseases of our soule acquited by Field in his 3. booke of the Church c. â—6 Abbot in his defence â— c. 2. pag. 176. Perkins in his Refor Catho p 37. his pardon or rather cured by the salue of his heauenly grace 17. The last euasion our Reformers vse to auoyd the vnanswerable proofes aboue alleadged is That Originall sinne by Baptisine looseth his dominion looseth his command is abated and the strength therof broken because it rageth it preuaileth not as it did hauing receaued a deadly wound and being resisted condemned by vs. Faire wordes but let me scan the sense and meaning of them let me know whether this sin bereft of his raigne and dominion abated by this mortall wound doth loose thereby either the whole or any part of the deformity with which it blemisheth your soules not the whole for then the whole fault were cancelled as the Scriptures and Fathers define against you not any part for it is indiuisible it cannot be seuered into parts or if it could why should one part be vtterly extinguished and not the other God is magnificent and liberall in his guifts he neuer bestoweth vpon vs any mangled or broken fauours The author of the booke of true fayned pennance attributed to S. Austine sayth It is the crime of infidelity Author de falsa vera poen apud Ang. c. 6. to expect from God halfe or imperfect saluatioÌ„ How then can he be so imperfect as brokenly by peece-meale to pardon one the same default partly in this partly in the life to come S. Thomas our Angelicall Doctor teacheth it impossible in them that are pestered with many grieuous offeÌ„ces to haue any one forgiueÌ„ without the rest And can one part of a deadly crime which hath no parts S. Thom. 3. par q. 86. art 3. be washed away according to your new Theology the other remaining But if neither the whole nor any part of the foule impurity be abolished then I may draw to an end and leaue my Aduersaryes branded with this note of reproach that they haue been dipped as they say in the water and bathed in the bloud of the Sonne of God yet no staine of vncleanes no wart of deformity no wrinckle of sinne hath that most soueraigne and celestiall lauer taken from their soules an infinite price hath beene offered and no true redemption procured no true saluation or perfect deliuerance from the bondage of Sathan And therefore as S. Augustine vpon a quite contrary occasion scornefully pursued the ancient Pelagians so Aug. l. 3. contra Iâ—l c. 3. I may now prosecute them with these his wordes Trudg â—n trudge on and of your followers say as you are wont In the Sacrament of our Sauiour they are baptized but not saued ransomed but not deliuered