A Reformed Catholike OR A DECLARATION SHEWING HOW NEERE WE MAY COME TO THE PRESENT Church of Rome in sundrie points of Religion and vvherein we must for euer depart from them with an Advertisment to all fauourers of the Romane religion shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the Catechisme PRINTED BY JOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1598. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL SIR WILLIAM BOWES KNIGHT c. Grace and peace RIght Worshipfull it is a notable pollicie of the deuil which he hath put into the heades of sundrie men in this age to thinke that our religion and the religion of the present Church of Rome are all one for substance and that they may be reunited as in their opinion they were before Writings to this effect are spread abroad in the French tōgue respected of English Protestants more thē is meete or ought to be For let men in shew of moderation pretend the peace and good estate of the Catholike Church as long as they will This vnion of the two religions can neuer be made more then the Vnion of light darknes And this shall appeare if we doe but a litle consider how they of the Romane church haue rased the foundation For though in words they honour Christ yet in deede they turne him into a Pseudo-Christ and an Idol of their owne braine They call him our Lord but with this condition that the Seruant of Seruants of this Lord may change and adde to his commaundements hauing so great a power that he may open and shut heauen to whome he will binde the very conscience with his owne laws and consequently be partaker of the spirituall kingdome of Christ. Againe they call him a Sauiour but yet in Vs in that he giues this grace vnto vs that by our merits we may be our owne Sauiours and in the want of our owne merits we may partake in the merits of the Saints And they acknowledge that he Died and Suffred for vs but with this caueat that the Fault beeing pardoned we must satisfie for the temporall punishment either in this worlde or in Purgatorie In a word they make him our Mediatour of Intercession vnto God but withal his Mother must be the Queene of heauen and by the right of a mother commaund him there Thus in word they crie Osanna but in deed they crucifie Christ. Therfore we haue good cause to blesse the name of God that hath freed vs from the yoke of this Romane bondage hath brought vs to the true light liberty of the gospel And it should be a great height of vnthankfulnesse in vs not to stand out against the present church of Rome but to yeeld our selues to plottes of reconciliation To this effect and purpose I haue penned this little Treatise which I present to your Worship desiring it might be some token of a thankefull minde for vndeserued loue And I craue withall not onely your Worshipfull which is more common but also your Learned protection being wel assured that by skill and arte you are able to iustifie whatsoeuer I haue truly taught Thus wishing to you and yours the continuance and the increase of faith and good conscience I take my leaue Cambr. Iune 28. 1597. Your VVorships in the Lord William Perkins THE AVTHOR TO THE Christian Reader BY a Reformed Catholike I vnderstand any one that holds the same necessarie heades of religion vvith the Romane Church yet so as he pares off and reiects all errours in doctrine vvhereby the said religion is corrupted Hovv this may be done I haue begunne to make some little declaration in this small Treatise the intent whereof is to shevve howe neere we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of religion and wherein we must for euer dissent My purpose in penning this small discourse is threefold The first is to confute all such Politikes as holde and maintaine that our religion and that of the Romane Church differ not in substance and consequently that they may be reconciled yet my meaning is not here to condemne any Pacification that tends to perswade the Romane church to our religion The second is that the papists which thinke so basely of our religion may be wonne to a better liking of it when they shall see how neare we come vnto them in sundrie points The third that the common protestant might in some part see and conceiue the point of difference betvveene vs and the Church of Rome an◠knovv in what manner and hovv far forth vve condemne the opinions of the said Church I craue pardon for the order vvhich I vse in handling the seuerall points For I haue set them downe one by one as they came to minde not respecting the laws of methode If any Papist shall say that I haue not alleadged their opinions aright I ansvver that their bookes be at hand and I can iustifie what I haue said Thus crauing thine acceptation of this my paines and wishing vnto thee the increase of knowledge and loue of pure and sound religion I take my leaue and make an ende The places of doctrine handled are 1 Of Free-will pag. 11 2 Of Originall sinne 28 3 Assurance of Saluation 38 4 Iustification of a sinner 61 5 Of merits 103 6 Satisfactions for sinne 117 7 Of Traditions 134 8 Of Vowes 151 9 Of images 170 10 Of Real-presence 185 11 The sacrifice of the Masse 204 12 Of Fasting 221 13 The State of perfection 232 14 Worshipping of Saints departed 245 15 Intercession of Saints 258 16 Implicite faith 266 17 Of purgatorie 278 18 Of the Supremacie 283 19 Of the efficacie of the Sacraments 297 20 Of Faith 305 21 Of Repentance 316 22 The sinnes of the Romane church 331 REVELAT 18. 4. And I heard another voyce from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and receiue not of her plagues IN the former chapter S. Iohn sets down a description of the whore of Babylon and that at large as he sawe her in a vision described vnto him In the sixteenth verse of the same chapter he foretells her destruction and in the three first verses of this 18. chapter he goeth on to propound the said destruction yet more directly and plainly withall alleadging arguments to prooue the same in all the verses following Now in this fourth verse is set downe a caueat seruing to forewarne all the people of God that they may escape the iudgement which shall befall the whore and the wordes containe two parts a commandement and a reason The commandement Come out of her my people that is from Babylon The reason taken from the euent least ye be partakers c. Touching the commandement first I will search the right meaning of it and then set downe the vse thereof and doctrine flowing thence In historie therefore are three Babylons mentioned one is Babylon of Assyria standing on the riuer
in praier we must beleeue it shall be giuen vs as we aske it but in praier we are to aske the pardon of our owne sinnes and the merit of Christs righteousnes for our selues therefore we must beleeue the same particularly The proposition is a rule of Gods word requiring that in euery petition we bring a particular faith whereby we beleeue that the thing lawfully asked shall be giuen accordingly Mark 11. 24. The minor is also euident neither can it be denyed for we are taught by Christ himselfe to pray on this manner Forgiue vs our debts and to it we say Amen that is that our petitions shall without all doubt be graunted vnto vs. Aug. serm de Temp. 182. And here note that the Church of Rome in the doctrine of iustification by faith cuts off the principall part and propertie thereof For in iustifying faith two things are required first Knowledge reuealed in the word touching the meanes of saluation secondly an Applying of things knowne vnto our selues which some call affiance Nowe the first they acknowledge but the second which is the very substance and principall part thereof they denie III. Reason The iudgement of the auncient Church August I demand now doest thou beleeue in Christ O sinner Thou saist I beleeue What beleevest thou that all THY SINNES may freely be pardoned by him THOV HAST THAT VVHICH THOV HAST BEELEEVED Bern. The Apostle thinketh that a man is iustified freely by faith If thou beleeuest that thy sinnes cannot be remitted but by him alone against whome they were committed but goe further and beleeue this too that by him THY SINNES ARE FORGIVEN THEâ— This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost giueth in the heart saying thy sinnes are forgiueÌ„ thee Cyprian God promiseth thee immortalitie vvhen thou goest out of this vvorld and DOEST THOV DOVBT This is indeede not to knowe God and this is for a member of the church in the house of faith not to haue faith If we beleeue in Christ let vs beleeue his wordes promises and we shall neuer die and shall come to Christ with IOYFVL SECVRITIE with him to raigne for euer The II. difference touching faith in the act of iustification is this The Papist saith we are iustified by faith because it disposeth a sinner to his iustification after this maner By faith saith he the minde of man is inlightened in the knowledge of the law and gospell knowledge stirres vp a feare of hel with a consideration of the promise of happines as also the loue and feare of God and hope of life eternall Now when the heart is thus prepared God infuseth the habite of charitie and other vertues whereby a sinner is iustified before God We say otherwise that faith iustifieth because it is a supernaturall Instrument created by God in the heart of man at his conuersion whereby he apprehendeth and receiueth Christs righteousnes for his iustification In this their doctrine is a twofold error I. that they make faith which iustifieth to goe before iustification it selfe both for order of nature as also for time whereas by the word of God at the very instant when any man beleeueth first he is then iustified and sanctified For he that beleeueth eateth and drinketh the body and blood of Christ and is alreadie passed from death to life Iohn 6. 54. The second is that faith beeing nothing else with them but an illumination of the minde stirreth vp the will which beeing mooued and helped causeth in the heart many spirituall motions and thereby disposeth man to his future iustification But this indeed is as much as if we should say that dead men onely helped can prepare themselues to their future resurrection For we are all by nature dead in sinne and therefore must not onely be inlightened in minde but also renewed in will before we can so much as will or desire that which is good Now we as I haue said teach otherwise that faith iustifieth as it is an instrument to apprehend apply Christ with his obedience which is the matter of our iustification This is the truth I prooue it thus In the Couenant of grace two things must be considered the substance thereof the condition The substance of the couenant is that righteousnes and life euerlasting is giuen to Gods Church and people by Christ. The condition is that we for our parts are by faith to receiue the foresaid benefits and this conditioÌ„ is by grace as well as the substance Now theÌ„ that we may attaine to saluation by Christ he must be giuen vnto vs really as he is propounded in the tenour of the foresaid couenant And for the giuing of Christ God hath appointed speciall ordinances as the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments The word preached is the power of God to saluatioÌ„ to euery one that beleeues and the end of the sacraments is to communicate Christ with all his benefites to them that come to be partakers thereof as is most plainely to be seene in the supper of the Lord in which the giuing of bread and wine to the seuerall communicantes is a pledge and signe of Gods particular giuing of Christs bodie and blood with all his merits vnto them And this giuing on Gods part cannot be effectuall without receiuing on our parts and therefore faith must needes be an instrument or hand to receiue that which God giueth that we may finde comfort by this giuing The III. difference concerning faith is this the Papist saith that a man is iustified by faith yet not by faith alone but also by other vertues as hope loue the feare of God c. The reasons which are brought to maintaine their opinion are of no moment I. Reason Luk. 7. 47. Many sinnes are forgiueÌ„her BECASE shee loued much WheÌ„ce they gather that the woman here spoken of was iustified and had the pardon of sinnes by loue Ans. In this text loue is not made an impulsiue cause to mooue God to pardon her sinnes but onely a signe to shew and manifest that God had already pardoned them Like to this is the place of Iohn who saith 1. Ioh. 3. 14. We are translated from death to life BECAVSE we loue the brethren where loue is no cause of the change but a signe and consequent thereof II. Reason Gal. 5. 6. Neither circumcision nor vncircumcision auaileth any thing but FAITH THAT VVOEKâ—TH BY LOVE Hence they gather that faith doth instifie together with loue Ans. The propertie of true faith is to apprehend and receiue something vnto it selfe and loue that goes alwaies with faith as a fruite and an vnseperable companion thereof is of another nature For it doth not receiue in but as it were giue out it selfe in all the duties of the first and second table towards God and man and this thing faith by it selfe cannot doe therefore Paul saith that faith worketh by loue The hand hath a propertie to reach out it selfe to
hauing his first iustification may afterward by grace make himself more iust Therefore they hold these two things I. That good workes are meritorious causes of the second iustification which they tearme Actuall II. that good workes are means to increase the first iustificatiō which they call Habituall Now let vs see how farreforth we must ioyne with them in this point Our consent therefore stands in three conclusions I. That good workes done by them that are iustified doe please God and are approoued of him and therefore haue a reward II. Good workes are necessarie to saluation two waies first not as causes thereof either conseruant adiuvant or procreant but onely as consequents of faith in that they are inseperable companions and fruits of that faith which is indeede necessarie to saluation Secondly they are necessarie as markes in a way and as the way it selfe directing vs vnto eternall life III. We hold and beleeue that the righteous man is in some sort iustified by works for so the holy Ghost speaketh plainely and truly Iam. 2. 21. that Abraham vvas iustified by works Thus farre we ioyne with them and the very difference is this They say we are iustified by works as by causes thereof we say that we are iustified by workes as by signes fruits of our iustification before God and no otherwise and in this sense must the place of S. Iames be vnderstoode that Abraham was iustified that is declared and made manifest to be iust indeede by his obedience and that euen before God Nowe that our doctrine is the truth it will appeare by reasons on both parts Our reasons I. Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the vvorkes of the lavv Some answer that ceremoniall works be excluded here some that morall workes some works going before faith But let them deuise what they can for themselues the truth is that Paul excludeth all works whatsoeuer as by the very text will appeare For v. 24. he saith We are iustified FREELY by his grace that is by the meere gift of God giuing vs to vnderstand that a sinner in his iustification is meerely passiue that is doing nothing on his part whereby God should accept him to life euerlasting and v. 27. he saith iustification by faith excludeth all boasting and therefore all kinde of workes are thereby excluded and specially such as are most of all the matter of boasting that is good workes For if a sinner after that he is iustified by the merit of Christ were iustified more by his owne workes then might he haue some matter of boasting in himselfe And that we may not doubt of Pauls meaning consider and read Eph. 2. 8 9. By grace saith he you are saued through faith that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of vvorks least any man should boast himselfe Here Paul excludes all and euery worke and directly workes of grace themselues as appeares by the reason following For vve are his workemanship CREATED in Christ Iesus VNTO GOOD VVORKS VVHICH GOD HATH ORDAINED that vve should vvalke in them Nowe let the Papists tell me what be the workes which God hath prepared for men to walke in and to which they are regenerate vnles they be the most excellent works of grace and let them marke how Paul excludes them wholly from the worke of iustification and saluation II. Gal. 5. 3. If ye be circūcised ye are bound to the vvhole lavv and ye are abolished from Christ. Here Paul disputeth against such men as would be saued partly by Christ and partly by the workes of the lawe hence I reason thus If a man will be iustified by workes he is bound to fulfill the whole law according to the rigour thereof that is Pauls ground I now assume no man can fulfill the lawe according to the rigour thereof for the liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stained with sinne and therefore they are taught euery daie to say on this manner forgiue vs our debts Againe our knowledge is imperfect and therefore our faith repentance and sanctification is answerable And lastly the regenerate man is partly flesh and partly spirit and therfore his best works are partly frō the flesh in part onely spirituall Thus then for any man to be bound to the rigour of the whole law is as much as if he were bound to his owne damnation III. Election to saluation is of grace without workes therefore the iustification of a sinner is of grace alone without works For it is a certen rule that the cause of a cause is the cause of a thing caused Now grace without workes is the cause of election which election is the cause of our iustification and therefore grace without workes is the cause of our iustification IIII. A man must first be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke for the person must first please God before his workes can please him But the person of a sinner cannot please God till he be perfectly iustified and therefore till he be iustified he can not doe so much as one good worke And thus good works cannot be any meritorious causes of iustification after which they are both for time and order of nature In a word whereas they make two distinct iustifications we acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification yet so as iustificatiō is onely one standing in remission of sinnes and Gods acceptation of vs to life euerlasting by Christ and this iustification hath no degrees but is perfect at the very first Obiections of Papists Psal. 7. 8. Iudge me according to my righteousnesse Hence they reason thus if Dauid be iudged according to his righteousnes then may he be iustified thereby but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnes and therefore he was iustified thereby Ans. There be two kinds of righteousnes one of the person the other of the cause or action The righteousnes of a mans person is whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall The righteousnes of the action or cause is when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust Now Dauid in this psalme speaketh onely of the righteousnes of the action or innocency of his cause in that he was falsly charged to haue sought the kingdome In like manner it is said of Phineas Psal. 166. 31. that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie was imputed to him for righteousnes not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke but because God accepted of it as a iust worke and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glory II. Obiect The Scripture saith in sundrie places that men are blessed which doe good workes Psal. 119. 1. Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart and walketh in the law of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that endeauoureth to keepe Gods commandements Yet is he not