〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. in prayers in hymnes and supplications c. confessing the name of the Lord. And how In as much saith hee as wee giue him thankes for that he died for our sinnes c. Theoder ad Hebr. c. 13. Thom. ad Heb. c. 13. Chrysostome and Theodoret vpon this place after the same sort But Thomas more clearely then any of them all saying This is the Altar or the Crosse of Christ whereupon he was offered for vs or els this is Christ himselfe in whom and by whom we offer vp our praiers This is the Altar likewise whereof mention is made Apoc. 8. c. But let them tell me then in their consciences Belarm l. 1. de Sacram. c. 35. l. 1. de Miss c. 14. if there be in all this any one word of the Masse And in deed Bellarmine in a certain place after the manner of other would faine abuse it but elswhere he saith that hee will not presse this place seeing that other good Catholike writers doe vnderstande it of the Altar of the Crosse In the ende they come to breath life into the Masse with that which cannot but make it breathlesse and presse it to death euen with this Epistle Heb. 5. v. 1. which ceaseth not to go ouer it againe and againe in a hundred places that our priest hath fulfilled whatsoeuer was needfull for our redemption by the onely sacrifice of the Crosse It is written say they Omnis Pontifex siue sacerdos euerie high priest or other priest taken from amongst men is established by men in things which are done to Godward to offer sacrifices and giftes for sinnes then it behoueth that our priestes doe offer for sinnes and that in the new Testament Let vs note their good dealing the text is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euery high priest and not euerie sacrificer nor euerie priest And in deed hee compareth in this place and setteth the high priest of the law against our high Priest Iesus Christ in these words In like manner also Christ c. Hee compareth him I say in this that both of them had their calling of God he setteth downe the prerogatiue in that the one was a seruant and the other the Sonne of whom it is said This day haue I begotten him He opposeth and setteth him against him in that he was taken from amongst men from time to time but this our high priest vnder the Gospell is eternall without beginning after the manner of Melchisedech And this is the cause why the interlineall Glose saith Omnis Pontifex secundum legem And Oecumenius By the comparing of the priestes that is to say of Christ and of the high priest of the law hee would shew the excellencie of the new Testament aboue the old c. And Thomas of Aquin comming after all the old writers vnderstandeth this place after the same manner What shamelesse cogging and foisting then is this to conclude from the high priest to euerie ordinarie and inferior priest from the high priest of the law to the inferior priests of the Church of Rome And let it be said here by the way that which is to bee held once for all that there is not so much as any one place in all the holy scripture where the Ministers of the new Testament are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sacerdotes priestes or by any other name of equall sence and signification but rather all manner of Christians are called in certaine places by the name of Priestes notwithstanding that they be qualified with diuers names as Euangelistes Prophets Teachers Ministers Pastors and Elders that for no other cause doubtles but because the holy Ghost purposed to abolish the pedagogie and childish rudimentes of the law that so they might not haue any place or vse vnder the Gospel He wold also take away therby this stumbling stone which Antichrist hath very cunningly cast in the way hauing drawne from this word sacrifice which is to say A holy consecrate kind of dutie or seruice a phrase and tearme first vsed by Christians generally for the whole exercise of deuotion a Sacrifice properly so called as they speake then propitiatorie and afterward meritorious for the remission of sinnes and that not for the liuing onely but also for the dead But they go further It is thus said at the least in place elsewhere that it behoueth that Iesus Christ should haue something to offer and if any thing then himselfe and that euery day vnto God in heauen for vs. Now without all question the Masse by this accompt is as farre from this place as heauen is remoued from their Altar But yet we must looke further into this their deceit craft It must needs be that he haue something to offer that is to say that he hath offered something and what hee hath offered Heb. 8.3 the Apostle telleth vs in a hundred places Hee offered himselfe once for all for the sinnes of the world he hath purchased vnto vs by his blood an euerlasting redemption by one onely offering once offered he hath sanctified vs and sitteth at the right hand of God his father He doth not then offer or sacrifice any such thing vnto him euerie day as they doe falsly alleadge the text but rather Hee appeareth before God making intercession for vs praying and making requestes for vs by the power and vertue of this sacrifice once made c. The question onely betwixt vs is whether these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be expounded Quod offerat or Quod offerret that is that he doth dayly offer or that he hath once offered And the Apostle hath decided it without the helpe of any others in many places but let vs heare what the olde writers doe say thereof Oecumenius saith Oecumen in epist ad Heb. c. 8. Because it properly belongeth to priests to offer gifts sacrifices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where our aduersaries woulde vnderstand for the perfecting of the sence this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is necessarie we do make the supply with this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make the sence It was necessarie which agreeth better with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is as much as to say that it was meet that Christ should also haue something to offer But that which followeth doth decide the question This was the cause saith he wherefore he had his owne proper flesh which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath offered For it might haue beene said If he bee a high priest for euer why is he dead wherefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee might offer himself a sacrifice c. And a little after He is therefore dead that he might offer this sacrifice but he is risen from the dead ascended into heauen to possesse keepe the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where it is requisite that he should exercise his priesthood And how Verily saith he by
counteruaile eternal life and of too shallow and short a measure in respect of infinite blessednesse yea though it were the merite of the holy Virgine and that conceiued or not conceiued be it as you will in originall sinne For if shee were conceiued in originall sinne shee is freely redeemed as well as any other and regenerate and borne againe of meere grace as well as any other But and if shee were not which yet the holy Scripture denieth that was also of the worke and operation of the same grace and furthermore the greater shee is the deepelier is shee bound vnto God and the further off from merite as also from hauing any occasion to be proud beeing on the contrarie so much the more to carrie her selfe in a greater measure of dutifulnesse and humilitie in respect of so rich and aboundant mercies bestowed vpon her so freely and vndeseruedly by the high and mightie God According to that which is said Vnto whome much is giuen and committed Luk 12.24 of him shall so much the more bee required againe c. CHAP. XVII That the Regenerate man cannot merite eternall life either for himselfe or for anie other LEt vs come to the condition of the regenerate man to the state of grace Proofes out of the holy Scripture as it is called and let vs see if any one standing in that state before God can merite of him by his workes either his owne saluation or an other mans The Scripture speaketh verie highly of mans Regeneration it setteth him before vs as a man new moulded and cast by the effectuall power and working of the holy Ghost in all and euerie one of his parts and members Now what better way to comprehend and conceiue the fall and ruine then by the reedified repaired parts Coloss 1.3 Acts. 15. Ephe. 1. Coloss 2.13 Gala. 5. Rom. 6. Coloss 7. Rom. 8.14 For the spirit of Christ deliuereth vs from the power of darknesse being dead as we were in sinne he quickneth and maketh vs aliue he purgeth our hearts by faith he inlightneth the eyes of our vnderstanding by the knowledge of God He destroyeth the bodie of sinne He mortifieth yea crucifieth the old man with all the diseases concupiscences and affections of the flesh He maketh vs the children of God and as we are such to crie Abba that is to say father But dooth it follow of all this that after Regeneration we are either cleane from all sinne or that we can attaine vnto it in this world Such as doe flatter themselues in making their sinne small should therewithall thinke that a small thing should repaire and make vp the breach But what then will they say when as of necessitie for the sauing of this miserable flesh the word must be made flesh When for the deliuering of vs from the seruitude of sinne hee must needes become sinne himselfe who had neuer knowne any sinne Or will they thinke that the flesh bee it neuer so wholly and throughly regenerate will bee able to doe all things Or would they flie vp with their owne wings to heauen without Iacobs Ladder the helpe of the Lord or his merite More readie as yet by their pride to loose the benefit of Regeneration then our Father was to loose the excellent gifts he had by his Creation at the suggestion of the woman But let vs heare how the Scripture speaketh J am saith S. Paul crucified with Christ I liue Gala. 2.16 no more I but Christ in me and the life that I liue now in the flesh I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued me and who hath giuen himselfe for me What could he haue spoken of more excellencie And where is that regenerate man that can vtter any thing more boldly then hee hath done this And yet therewithall heare him comming from the setting foorth of the praises of the grace receiued by God to the consideration of his owne infirmitie I see saith hee an other Law in my members Rom. 7. fighting against the Law of my vnderstanding and making me captiue to the law of sinne which is in my members c. That is to say I feele concupiscence the bud of the flesh c. And this Lawe this concupiscence if thou be in doubt doe not thinke that it is good For I know saith he that in me that is to say in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing To will well is readie with me but J doe not find the meanes to performe or doe it Nay this concupiscence is euil for he addeth thee hereunto The euill is readie with me and fast sticking vnto me I doe the euil that I would not euen the euill that I hate that is to say which I condemne in my mind and such euill as is repugnant vnto the Law of God which cannot be called any thing but sinne according to that which S. Iohn saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All whatsoeuer is against the Lawe is sinne euen to the obeying of my flesh and not the Law of my God which J consent vnto and agree to be good but vnto the Law of sinne which I condemne and dislike of in my spirit And againe This sinne is sinne in such a manner and degree as that it forceth me to confesse that it is sinne in deed For if the Law had not said Thou shalt not lust I had not knowne sinne but now I knowe it And it hath such a deepe roote in me as that I am constrained to crie Miserable man that J am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death Yea and it hath fruit also which it beareth and bringeth forth in me Sinne dwelleth in me euen the sinne which begetteth death which hath no other wages but death which also in stead of being brought vnder by the Law of God is lifted vp by the nature thereof and armed to rebell against it taking occasion from the same to multiplie and increase Rom. 8. Gala. 5. Coloss 3. Ephe. 4. It is prouoked and enraged like a maligne Vlcer against the salue Thus speaketh S. Paul of this sinne and not as it is in the Infidels but as it is in the regenerate and those not of the weakest sort of the regenerate but as it was in himselfe concluding generally and euerie where that he hath need to spoyle destroy kill and crucifie the same and that yet notwithstanding all this doe what he can 2. Cor. 4.10 it will not all be vanquisht and subdued at one blow For Howbeit saith he that our outward man be decaied and cast downe yet our inward is renued euerie day And yet notwithstanding not in any such measure of perfection as that any man can vaunt or boast himselfe to haue wholy put on the one and put off the other in this world For In this world wee shall neuer grow vp together and become perfect men Ephe. 4 13. according to the measure of the perfect stature of Christ
Wee shall haue euermore need to say Forgiue vs our trespasses And the Apostle himselfe hath a pricke dwelling still in his flesh for to humble him withall 1. Cor. 12.7 because that The grace of God is sufficient for vs his power is perfected in our weaknesse What is then the priuiledge or what is the prerogatiue of the regenerate Great verily euerie manner of way for sinne dwelleth but raigneth not in them for that the old man liueth yet in them but cannot kill them but himselfe rather is mortified and slaine euerie day for that they haue an assurance against the reward of sinne for their sinnes are forgiuen them in Christ and therefore blessed and assured of eternal life For there is no condemnation to them which are in Iesus Christ which walke not after the flesh Rom. 8.2 but after the spirit in as much as the Law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed them from the Law sinne death c. Saint Augustine intreating vppon this question of purpose Testimonies out of the Fathers August de peccat merit remiss l. 2. c. 7. hath not said any otherwise Let vs not thinke saith he that presently vpon the baptising of any man that all his old and accustomed infirmities are wasted and vanished seeing his renuing or Regeneration beginneth at the remission of all his sinnes c. Otherwise saith hee the Apostle would not haue said although that the outward man die the inward is renued day by day But it may be that this concupiscence after Baptisme is indifferent either to couet good or euill This is it which Iulianus the Pelagian did so vehemently auouch vnto him Idem l. 6. c. 6. contr Iulian. Nay saith he if I had thought so much I had not said vnto thee that it is euill and wicked but that it had henâ— for thou speakest as those that would say that it should haue beene sanctified in Baptisme But wee say that it is wicked and that it ceaseth not so to continue in those that haue beene baptised But saith Iulian Reatus eius his sinne is absolued and forgiuen Not his sinne saith S. Augustine for it is no person but rather sinne as it made man originally guiltie is remitted and made voide of all such force As when any man is absolued of manslaughter thou saist not that the crime of manslaughter is absolued but the man from the crime But it is not it may be so bad as men report it to be and that there is a heauier punishment laid vppon it then the fault deserueth Idem contr eundem l 6. c. 5 Nay saith he againe This is so great a mischiefe as that it would hold vs in death and draw vs into the last death if the bonds thereof were not vnloosed or broken in the generall pardon of all our sinnes which is sealed and assured in Baptisme And although that sometimes according to the common custome hee call sinne Non ipsum concupiscere sed post concupiscentias ire Not the blossome or bud but the fruite that commeth therof Rom. 7. yet the saying of S. Paul doth alwaies remaine out of all doubt I had not knowne lust to haue beene sinne if the Lawe had not said Thou shalt not lust c. And in deede S. Augustine proueth it to Iulian August contr Iulian. l. 2. by all them which haue gone before By S. Ambrose who calleth it iniquitie Because saith he it is vnrighteous which the flesh lusteth after against the spirit Malitiam per conditionem originis Againe A delight contrarie to the Law of God By S. Hillarie who calleth our bodies the matter of vices and the euils within vs an originall malice inherent euen from our first framing c. Whereupon saith hee we doe not retaine any thing that is cleane vndefiled or harmelesse No not the Apostles themselues in whome saith he after they were washed sanctified by the word there remained as yet a malice Per conditionem communis originis By the condition of the common beginning Which thing our Lord teacheth vs saying Idem contr eundem l 5. c. 4.5 l. 2. If you which yet are euill c. And as consequently following of all that hath gone before S. Augustine teacheth That concupiscence is an euill not such a one as men are to suffer and beare by patience but such a one as those are which men must bridle and suppresse by abstayning from committing of them that is to say an euill of fault and not of punishment that it is a vice that must be fought against by vertue which is remitted and pardoned but not finished not extinguished by Baptisme Idem de pecc merit l. 1. c. 3. tract in Ioh 4. Not in such sort saith he as that it should not be any longer inherent in man for the rest of the time that he liueth but to the end that it should not hurt him after his death that it is an infirmitie that is troden downe by the Lawe of God a griefe and wearing disease that striueth against our saluation In a word That it is both a punishment of sinne as also a cause of sinne a punishment saith he in as much as it is repaid for the merites of disobedience Idem contr eundem l. 5 c. 3 Aut defuncti one consentientis aut contagione nascentis Idem in Iohn 4. Criminibus querela a cause for that man is either polluted with it in his conception or else is drawne to consent to sinne by the default thereof Yea a verie sinne it selfe in as much as it is a disobedience rebelling against the rule and gouernment of the vnderstanding a desire against which the good spirite coueteth and desireth that is to say the spirit of man regenerate by the spirit of God But in one place after many solemne protestations he handleth the whole question The regenerate saith he are deliuered from sinne But how They are deliuered saith hee in as much as they are both without crime and sorrow but this is a libertie onely begun and not accomplished not altogether absolute not as yet pure and vnspotted because that I see an other Law in my members c. Againe All our sinnes and trespasses are blotted out in Baptisme and yet is it said that if iniquitie bee defaced there remaineth no infirmitie Verily if there were no remnants of it behinde we should liue without sinne If therefore thou serue with thy flesh the Lawe of sinne doe that which the Apostle saith Let not sinne raigne in our mortall bodies It is not said let it not be there at all but let it not raigne because that as long as thou liuest there must of necessitie be sinne in thy members but at the least let it haue his kingdome taken awaie that so it may not bee obeyed in that which it commaundeth Yea such a sinne as is hated of God abiding still in the regenerate and
Aquitanus moueth a question to this purpose wherefore the iust are called sinners for if they bee iust how are they sinners And if sinners how are they iust Not one of them saith he that liue in this mortall bodie can say that hee is without the contagion of sinne no not those excellent leaders of the flockes of Christes sheepe seèing that he hath enioyned euen them to say Idem in Epigra 46. in Psalme 129. Forgiue vs our trespasses c. Not any one of the Saints how well and commendably so euer hee liue in this world But saith hee in an other place those are called iust because that sinne is dayly taken away and diminished in them that is by the growth and proceeding of regeneration but these are called sinners because that it increaseth in them dayly that is by the increase of the proceeding of their corruption c. As also we alleadged heretofore out of Saint Chrysostome That God to shew that he is only iust and all the rest of the iust and righteous sinners suffered euen the best and most approued to fall c. as Dauid Abraham Peter c. In so much as that the exception would not extend vnto the Virgine Marie Orig. hom in Luc. 17. whome sometimes hee taxeth for her ambition and sometimes for weakenesse of faith c. And Origen goeth further If saith hee shee had not taken offence at the passion of the Lord the Lord hath not died for her sinnes And if all haue sinned and stand in need of the grace of God being iustified and redeemed by his grace then Marie also as who for a time was also offended c. We cease here to repeate many other for that they are before alleadged Wherefore without exception wee are all sinners but from these sinners hauing sinne proceeding and springing from them to the meriting of condemnation can there also proceed workes meriting life and saluation Let vs heare them yet further Origen expounding these words of Saint Paul To him that worketh the reward is not accompted for grace but for a debt c. But I saith he cannot be perswaded that there is any worke that can craue recompence or reward of God as a dew debt c. And hee rendreth a reason Idem in Ep. ad Rom. 4.4 August de verb. Apost Serm. 31. Idem Ep. 54. ad Maced Idem in psalm 142. For the wages of sinne is death but grace is eternall life Saint Augustine Wee are not in this world without sinne but wee shall goe foorth of it without sinne Againe Who so saith that he is without sinne is not in the truth and who so saith that in any worke that is verie well done he is without sinne he deceiueth himselfe For saith hee Neuer did man any good worke with that charitie that he might and ought and therefore euerie man remaineth vniust now the vniust and vnrighteous cannot but sinne in a iust and righteous worke And to be short saith he Charitie is a vertue whereby we loue that which ought to be beloued In some greater in some lesse and in some not at all and in no man growne to such perfection but that it may increase and grow in him as long as he liueth And that lesse measure that any man hath then he should euen that is a vice and such a vice as that it causeth that there is not a iust or righteous man on the earth not one that doth good nay which sinneth not Such a vice as that man whiles he liueth cannot be iustified before God A vice whereof it is said if we say that we haue no sin c. by reason whereof we are to say how well so euer we haue profited Forgiue vs our sins c. Where we see that S. Augustine maintaineth that the want of charity continueth alwaies here being of it selfe sufficient to make insufficient that which we take to be the most sufficient of all our workes Idem Ep. 30. ad Hieronym In a word he cleane cutteth off all Who are they that are blessed Not those in whome God findeth no sinne for hee findeth sinne in all c. Not those that doe good workes for all thy workes saith he are viewed and found to bee wicked And if there should bee giuen and rendred to thee according to that which is due to thy workes without doubt hee should condemne thee for the reward of sinne is death And what is due vnto wicked workes but condemnation But they are blessed whose sinnes are remitted God heapeth not vpon thee the punishment that is due but bestoweth grace fauor vpon thee which is not due or deserued Saint Ambrose saith I hold it for good and sound Ambros de Iacob that we are not iustified by the workes of the Lawe then it must follow that J haue nothing wherefore I should boast my selfe in my workes but rather in Christ. J will not glorifie or boast my selfe as though I were iust but because J am redeemed because I am disburdened and deliuered from sinne but because that my sinnes are forgiuen me not because that I haue helped my selfe therein or yet any other for me Quia profui Idem de vocatione Gent. l. 5. c. 5. but because I haue an aduocate with the Father c. Againe As there is no action so wicked as that it can hinder the gift of grace so there are no workes so excellent as that they may challenge as their due recompence that which is freely giuen For otherwise the redemption of Christ should grow base and contemptible and the prerogatiue of the workes of man should not yeelde and humble it selfe vnder the mercie of God if the iustification which is wrought by his grace were due vnto precedent merites For so it should not be any more the gift of one that giueth but the wages of one which laboureth c. To bee briefe mans merites whether past or to come are not to make vp any part of the price in this purchase Saint Ierome saith What vprightnesse Hieronym in Prou. 20. in Eccle. c. 7. Gregor Nyss l. de orat Bernard Serm. 50. what cleannesse can there be in the liues of the righteous The workes that wee discharge by the ministerie of our bodies are alwayes mingled with some errour Againe We are saith Gregorius Nyssenus taught by the Scripture that there is not any one amongst men to bee found which can passe ouer one day without spot or staine But Saint Barnard though hee liued in an age full of all humane presumptions did notwithstanding hold fast this puritie of doctrine If there be saith hee any righteousnesse in vs it may bee vpright and honest but it can neuer be pure If so be that we will not thinke better of our selues then wee doe of our forefathers all which haue confessed no lesse truely then humbly That all our righteousnesse is as the menstruous clothes of a woman c. For where shall
For without the Lawe sinne was not knowne whereas now there is no man that can excuse himselfe by ignorance Ambros l. 9. Ep. 71. wherefore it is made First for to take away excuse Secondly to humble euerie man before God by the sight and knowledge of his sinne Sinne did superabound through the Law and began to be offensiue vnto me for to know it as being a thing which by infirmitie I could not auoide for it causeth a man throughly to know that from which no man can keepe himselfe and which cannot but hurt him The Law then is turned vpside downe except that euen by the verie increase of sinne it become profitable vnto me by the meanes of my hauing beene humbled c. In the end transgression increased by the Law and in like manner pride was abated being the originall of transgression and this turned me to profit for as pride deuised and found out transgression euen so transgression hath wrought and brought foorth grace c. Againe Sinne hath shut out the naturall Law yea and almost quite abolished it and therefore this Law succeeded to conuince vs by written testimonies to shut our mouthes and to humble the whole world before God To humble it for as much as by the Law wee are all cast and conuict persons and for that by the workes of the Law there is no man iustified that is to say that by the Law sinne is knowne but the offence is not pardoned It might haue seemed then that the Lawe had brought dammage and hurt with it in that it hath made vs all sinners but the Lord comming hath with vs giuen sentence against the sinne which wee could not auoide and hath cancelled our bill of debt by his bloud c. Ep. 73. The Law therefore saith hee is a Schoolemaster that leadeth vs vnto our Master which master is Christ Saint Augustine The letter of the Law which teacheth that wee ought not to sinne August de spirit liter if the quickning spirit doe not accompanie the same doth kill vs For it hath done more for vs to bring vs to the knowledge of sinne then to the auoiding of the same for euerie way wee stand in need of an absolute righteousnesse when as yet the case so standeth as that there is no man without sinne him onely excepted which is not onely man but God by his nature c. Thus saith hee the righteousnesse of God is manifested but not without the Law for by the Law hee hath shewed vnto man his infirmitie to the end that returning by faith and hauing recourse vnto his mercie he might be healed c. Againe The vnrighteous haue a lawfull vse of the Law as of a Schoolemaster for it is vnto them beeing vnrighteous a iust terrour the iust doe vse it also and yet are not iustified by it but by the Law of faith The Law of workes is in Iudaisme the Lawe of faith in Christianitie c. By the Law of workes God saith Doe this that I commaund you by the Law of faith we say to God Giue and inable vs to doe that which thou commaundest For that which the Law commaundeth is to make vs vnderstand what the Law doth Idem de verb. Apost Ser. 13. What is it then saith he in an other place lawfully and rightly to vse the Law It is to learne what our sicknesse and disease is by the Law The law is a Schoolemaster a guide and gouernour of children the Tutor dooth not giue directions and instructions to the child how to come to him but to his Schoolemaster but to his Master that is to say to Christ In an other place Who is that saith he that can accomplish the Law Idem l. 9. retract so much as in one point besides him who is the author of all the commaundements of God that is to say Christ For likewise in these commaundements we are to pray thus Forgiue vs c. Which the Church is to continue vnto the end of the world But saith he all the commaundements are said to bee fulfilled when that which is not fulfilled is pardoned Thou saiest Idem de perfect Iustit Wherefore then should hee haue commaunded that which could not be fulfilled Nay rather saith he what could he doe more for the good of man then to commaund him to walke vpright to the end that when hee should be brought to confesse and acknowledge that he could not hee might haue recourse vnto the remedie And this is it which hee toucheth in briefe Idem in Iohn c. 3. by way of recapitulation in an other place Seeing that they could not fulfill the Law by their owne power and strength being become guiltie of the Law they haue craued the helpe of the deliuerer To bee conuicted of the Law Reatus legis wrought spite and maliciousnesse in the proude and this spite in the proude brought forth confession in the humble so that now the sicke and diseased doe confesse themselues sicke and diseased Let the Phisition come saie they and heale our diseased and sicke people nowe the Physition is our Lord c. The Demi-pelagians and amongst other of them the Monke Cassianus put foorth this question to Prosper that great Diuine of Fraunce And what is then the vse of the law Prosper Aquit in sentent 42. 44. In Epigram 43. in Psal 118. Verily saith hee that we might seeke for grace euen that grace by the which the Law is fulfilled The law saith he which could not bee fulfilled and that not through it owne default but through ours and our fault was necessarily discouered by the Law that so it might be cured by grace Otherwise the Law doth rather increase sinne then diminish or cut it off in as much as to concupiscence it addeth disobedience And in an other place in one word Chrysost in Ep. ad Rom. hom 5. 17. Idem in 1. Tim. hom 2. Transmittit ernard in Cantic Serm. 50. Jndex peccati lex est c. Saint Chrysostome saith The Law would iustifie man but it cannot for neuer did any man fulfill it and no man can be iustified thereby but in accomplishing of the same a thing which is not possible for any man What doth it then It straineth it selfe it doth his dutie to send vs to him that is able to doe it and the same is Iesus Christ saith he if thou belieue in him And this is the same also that Saint Barnard hath so excellently said God in commaunding vs impossible things hath not properly made men sinners but hath made them humble For in receiuing the commaundement and espying the default we will crie to heauen and God will haue pittie on vs and then also in that day we shall know that it is not by the workes that we shal haue done that we shall be saued but by his mightie power c. Now these which haue so well instructed vs in the office and ministration
as there can nothing come out of vs that can make God fauourable and mercifull vnto vs. In whose passion iniquitie was remitted and righteousnesse restored all in a day and that not onely vnto iustification but euen to the meriting that is to say to be reputed worthie of the companie of God by them And this is to be vnderstoode so farre forth as we belieue and as his obedience is sufficient for all belieuers vnto eternall life the same being perfectly washed into the remission which is in his bloud But and if you aske to what end then serueth the Law seeing that it doth not iustifie Haimo aunswereth Not to take away sinnes but to shew and point out the same Hincmarus It is because of transgressions and for the hardnesse of the people Adelbertus To teach vs our concupiscence and to learne vs to knowe and vnderstand what is due vnto vs for our sinnes to the end that thereupon wee may seeke for grace Theophilact To conuince vs of sinne and to bring vs to Christ. Anselme To shewe in what Chaines and bandes of sinne such were held as presumed of their power to accomplish and make perfect their righteousnesse by works that so they might perceiue the poyson though thereby they could not take it away and to the increasing and augmenting of sinne not to the cleansing or wiping of it away Radulph in Leuit. l. 20. c. 1. Gysilb in alter But what doe wee not accomplish it then Radulphus saieth What man is he vpon the face of the earth that is able verily not one And Gisilbert So neither hath it brought any thing vnto perfection it hath laid open the woundes but it hath not cured them Theophyliad Rom. c. 3. Anselm in 7 ad Rom. Haimo in Psal 118. in c. 6 ad Rom. passim Otherwise saith Theophilact We had not had neede of Christ And Anselme What is the law but a letter for them that knowe to reade it and cannot accomplish or fulfill it And therefore it hath onely led vs as by the hand vnto grace But againe concerning this grace who hath mooued the Lord to doe so much for vs Verily saith Haimo The onelie goodnesse which is in him and therefore let no man presume of his merits but of the onelie clemencie of our Sauiour who saith the Apostle hath saued vs freelie that is to say without anie precedent merits who saueth vs saith hee by his preuenting grace and iustifieth vs by his subsequent grace Eternall life is giuen to none as a thing of due but by free mercie Remig in psa 19.21 32 70. c. And S. Remigius Adam made the olde people but our Lorde Christ the newe in asmuch as he hath freely iustified the same without anie precedent merits For wee haue made our selues sinners but his onely mercie hath made vs righteous yea saith hee it hath made of vs that were wicked and vngodly godly ones of seruants free men of condemned ones such as are to be receyued into the kingdome of heauen Theophyl in Ep. ad Tit. c. 3 Anselm in c. 5. ad Ephes And Theophilact Hee hath saued vs euerlastinglie not by the workes of righteousnesse which we haue done but by the operation of his onelie clemencie c. And Anselme This hath come to passe through the great and vnspeakeable loue of God that the onely begotten sonne hath deliuered himselfe ouer vnto death the maisler for the seruant Cur Deus homo c. 2. the Creator for the creature that hee hath said vnto man Take my onelie sonne and giue him for thee that the sonne hath said Take me and redeeme thy selfe c. And all the same treatise handleth no other thing And againe howe doe wee receiue this grace Haimo in c. 9. ad Rom in c. 3 ad Galat. super Euang. in Oct. Pasch Remig. in Psa 10. in 18. in 19. Haimo saith Of faith and by faith wee are iustified heires through faith and not through the lawe by grace and not by merit to the ende that the promise made vnto the seede of Abraham may abide and continue firme c. Remigius All my faith is in Christ I belieue my selfe in him onely to be iustified saued This is my mountaine This is my refuge c. The heauens sing of the glorie of God And what manner of glorie verily saith he for that we are not saued by our workes but by his mercie And this is the great glorie of God that all hauing sinned and all hauing need of this glorie namely to be freely iustified euen in the mercie exhibited by the Sonne Gisilb in alt c. 1. 13. c. Gisilbertus Faith went before the law and without the law hath iustified the faithfull Our father Abraham pleased God by faith rather then by circumcision Many haue perished notwithstanding circumcision and many before that it was haue beene iustified by faith alone Christ is the inheritance of the faithfull whome they receiue by faith Theophyl in Abac. c 2. c. Theophylact The righteous man worketh by faith vnto life whether it bee that which is to come or be it righteousnes it selfe Faith iustifieth in as much as it vnlooseth sinnes The law would iustifie men but it hath not the power faith therefore hath done it which iustifieth Idem ad Rom. c 9 Idem in c. 3. ad Gal. Haimo in c. 1. 3. 4. ad Rom. and not workes yea saith he Faith iustifieth onely and not workes The law curseth vs but faith blesseth vs c. But to be iustified is it not to be made righteous And then with what manner of righteousnes Verily saith Haimo with the righteousnes of Christ by the which he maketh the faithfull righteous in bestowing the same vpon them and therefore it is called the righteousnes of God And the same is applied vnto vs by the gift of God that is to say by the redemption which is in Christ and not by the workes of the Law c. Whereby it commeth to passe Idem in Psal 83. Gisibert in alterc c. 8. saith he that to shew mercy is not onely to pardon and forgiue the sinnes but also to gine righteousnes Gisilbertus saith This righteousnes of God is not the same with that by which he is righteous but that wherewith he clotheth the righteous when hee freely iustifieth the wicked And it is to this righteousnesse that the Law and the Prophets beare witnesse The Lawe for in that it commaundeth and threateneth but iustifieth not anye man it sheweth sufficientlye that man is not iustified but by the gifte of GOD by the quickeninge Spirite The Prophetes in asmuch as the comminge of Christ hath fullfilled that which they haue foretolde Anselm in 1. Cor. 11. And Anselme The righteousnesse of God is by fayth by the which wee beleeue in Christ And it is called the faith of Christ after the same manner that righteousnesse is called the
this day was saued at the request of one Petrus Diaconus hauing some care of the same But it was to verie good purpose that hee had in his life time left the forme of seruice to the discretion of the Pastors and that those which presentlie after succeeded him did not stirre much or trouble themselues in causing of his to bee obserued for by that meanes the Churches remained a long time inioying their libertie in such sort as wee haue alreadie acknowledged to bee contained in the Canons of the Councell of Venice and Gerond helde about the yeare 500. and 550. that is to say that all whatsoeuer was to bee got thereby was That in one and the same Prouince or vnder one and the same Metropolitane there was obserued one and the same seruice except it were in such countries as where Christianitie did settle it selfe a fresh for there the reformers sent thether from the Popes caused them strictlie and directlie to admit and follow the Romish order In France this Augustine a Monke of Rome of the Order of S. Bennet trauelling on the behalfe of Gregorie into England found himselfe offended that the Order of Rome was not obserued and thereupon did write vnto Gregorie who repressed redressed his ouer forwardnes in these wordes That hee must take that in euerie Church which is good c. Againe the authoritie of the French Church was then so great as that it helde his councels apart and within it selfe and not fearing or standing vpon whatsoeuer anie man could or would gain-say as caring but a little or else nothing at all for the Church of Rome In England The Romish Masse first receiued in England where hee thought hee should find a greene ground that neuer had beene husbanded or tilled hee proceeded further insomuch as that hee procured from the Pope to bee created Archbishoppe of Canterbury and the rather because of his good happe so seruing him to meete with an ignorant king and a superstitious Queene and there hee preached so was it called the Christian religion that is to say all the ceremonies and trumperie of Rome as their Masses Letanies Processions Copes Vestmentes Altars Candlestickes holie Waters Consecrations c. and there hee brought to passe to haue them receiued and yet vpon condition That no man should bee forced or constrained thereunto Beda lib. 1 2. But going about to purchase still further credite to himselfe and beginning of a wilie Foxe to play the fierce and furious Lyon a famous Abbot named Dinoth a great Diuine who taught vnder him more then two thousande Monkes for the Nurcerie of seauen Diocesses in England opposed himselfe verie stoutelie against him in a full Synode and boldly auouched that hee ought not to chaunge the olde and auncient formes of Christian religion refusing therewithall to acknowledge him for an Archbishoppe c. insomuch as that this good Augustine did incense Ethelfred king of Northumberland against him who caused him to bee knockt in the head with twelue hundred of those that did belong vnto him From that time forward the people being bold and farre from feare about the yeare 637. at the earnest sute of Pope Iohn the fourth and the solicitation of Laurentius Mellitus Iustus Honorius and others sent from the Sea of Rome one after an other to presse and vrge forward the kinges and Cleargie of England for the entertayning of this change and alteration beganne to celebrate the feaste of Easter after the manner of Rome And about the yeare 666. the Bishoppes receiued shauing and vnction and the Pastors which were there beganne to bee called Sacerdotes that is to say Priestes Afterward about the yeare 679. there was established the manner of celebrating in the Latine tongue Beda lib. 4. c. 18. de geshs Anglor at the great labour and diligence vsed by an Archchanter or chiefe singing man of Rome whom the Pope Agatho sent thether and as for the playing of organes it being added vnto the Romish manner of singing by Pope Vitalian Beda could not abstaine but say Heretofore in steade of these thinges the principall seruice of God consisted in the preaching of the Gospell and hearing of the word of God But as the Romains thought not themselues absolute Lordes and Conquerours of anie Countrie who did not consent to liue according to their lawes The Romish Masse first receiued in Italy speak their language euen so the Popes at this time aspiring vnto and greedilie gaping after the Monarchie of the Church did not thinke or make account of hauing the same in good earnest except they brought it to bee subiect vnto their lawe of the Latine seruice and that ioyned with the Latine tongue And as Pipin and Charles the great new vsurpers both ouer the French as also ouer the Empire in the West had great neede of their fauour for the authorising of them and making of their places to be graunted and acknowledged as rightlie descending vnto them by the people so the Popes did not spare to looke to receiue from them againe a giue for their gaue as namelie to establish their lawes seruices and ceremonies so farre as they shoulde be able that is so farre as their authority or sword might establish and settle the same Thus Adrian the first about the yeare 790. held a councell in Rome Adr. D. 63. Durand l. 5. c. 2. wherin hee caused to bee ordained that Gregories Masse should bee obserued in all Christian Churches And Charles the great liuing at the same time ordained that the decrees of the Pope should bee obeyed throughout all his Empire and Dominions and particularlie that Gregories Masse should bee receiued into all the coastes and countries of the same and for the easier accomplishing of the execution of the same which could not but be full of difficulties hee did not spare either threatninges or punishmentes The historie is set downe all at large in Nauclerus Naucler Gene. 2â— fol. 44. Iacob de Vorag in legenda Gregor B. Eugenri Iacobus de Voragine and others to the breaking out of these wordes Carolus Imperator omnes Clericos minis suppliciis coegit libros Ambrosiani Officii c. Hee compelled all the Church men by threatninges and punishmentes to burne all the bookes of S. Ambrose his Office or Lithurgie c. Yea there was no sparing of miracles whereupon the malice of a few became very pregnant and fruitfull preuailing much against the ignorance of a great sort It is reported that in this Councell of Rome the Masse-bookes or Offices of S. Ambrose and S. Gregorie were laid vpon S. Peters Altar the dores of the Temple close shut and sealed with the seales of diuers Bishoppes they all abiding in fasting and prayer vntill such time as it shoulde please God by some signe to shewe which of the two was most acceptable to him Now in the Morning when they should come to open the dore they found the Masse-booke of S. Ambrose
as worthilie communicate therein Note that for the saluing of the honour of the Councell of Constance hee will haue the thing not to depend vpon the institutiō of Christ but vpon the custom of the church Againe how that hee maketh that to bee a matter of indifferencie in the Sacrament which is indeed essentiall vnto the same and further he will haue the Bohemians not onelie to take it thankefullie at his hands but also binde themselues that when hee hath solde them the blood of Christ they should quite claime and wholie burie in silence whatsoeuer other agreeuances which they had conceiued against the Church of Rome especiallie that of the iurisdiction and Primacie of the Pope If sayeth he the Bohemians persist to demaund this communion and according lie send their Legate with expresse commaundement to bee instant and importunate for the same then the holie Councell shall giue libertie to the Priestes of Morauia and Bohemia to administer the communion vnto their partishioners vnder both kindes but yet with condition sayeth Nauclerus that if so bee in all other thinges the onelie matter of communicating vnder both kindes excepted they doe conforme themselues vnto the faith Naucl. Gen. 48. f. 174. ordinances ceremonies of the church of Rome Wherfore were those deadlie and cruell wars wherefore was there so much blood shedde to purchase this decree in the end Let euerie man iudge if it were not vppon good ground and cause 1500. that Albertus Pigghius one of our great aduersaries said speaking of these two Councels That they haue made decrees against the law of nature against the cleare and manifest Scriptures against the authoritie of antiquitie and against the Catholike faith of the Church As also the Thomists doe holde that the Councell of Basill was assembled and called in ill sorte and ought to bee helde as no Councell And yet after these Councels the Doctors stoode not firme and well assured of the soundnes of their determinations so harde a thing is it for falshoode to get out of the clouches of Veritie and Truth for Gabriel Biel sayeth that The Priestes are more worthie then all the holie Laitie Gabr. Biel. Lect. 52. litera f. yea then the virgin Marie because that they doe communicate vnder both kindes And therfore the Sacrament vnder one kinde notwithstanding their concomitancie is more excellent then vnder both kinds And yet in another place he lancheth deeper That it is not sufficient to haue the grace of the communion by the taking of the bodie which is signified by the element of bread if we haue not the grace of redemption by the bloode signified by the element of wine otherwise sayeth hee The Sacrament is imperfectum alimentum that is an imperfect foode and nourishment In the ende wee are come to the Councell of Trent Concil Trid. Sess 6. wherein as appeareth by the tenor of the same it was required by many great Princes and estates of Christendom that the cup might be restored vnto the people which thing was put to be consulted vpon about the same was the whole summer in the yeare 62. passed ouer with great strife and contention in wordes some holding with the inhibition ordained in the Councell of Constance Consule Cassand de communione sub vtraque specie edita Coloniae 64. the hard tearmes onelie whereof they had been admonished by Gerson being somewhat qualified and others for the grant and allowance thereof made in the Councell of Basill vpon certaine conditions which being indifferent Talis confessio fieret sine detrimento imminutione plenariae potestatis ecclesiae Romanae such graunt and allowance should be made as might stand without the preiudice or diminishing of the ful power of the authoritie of the Church of Rome But manie words hauing passed to and fro they keeping a middle way ordayned That non conficientes that is such properlie as make not the sacrament but receiue it onely aswell Priestes as the Laitie are not bounde by the institution of Christ to receiue both kindes Wherein they doe not stretch the priuiledge of the Priestes but quo ad actum conficiendi so far foorth as it concerneth the acte of Consecration But what greater necessitie can wee looke for to bee laide vpon vs then the commaundement of God they goe about to proue That it hath beene alwayes in the power of the church to dispence of the Sacraments as hee shall thinke best salua eorum substantia that is reseruing their substance safe and entire vnto them But from whence shall wee learne the substance thereof but from the institution of Christ And yet notwithstanding they conclude That it is verie considerately and well done of the Church to ordaine the communion vnder one kind alone as if that the receyuing of it vnder two were not of the substance of the Sacrament But what is there notwithstanding that can bee more substantiall in the sacramentes then that which maketh them Sacramēts that is the signes instituted by Christ And moreouer That seeing that Iesus Christ is whole and entire vnder one of the two kindes it is not needfull to take anie moe then one and that those which take that one alone are not defrauded for all that of anie thing necessarie vnto their saluation Who doubteth that this Diuinitie was vnknowne vnto the Primitiue Church That Christ in what place soeuer hee bee is there whole and entire And notwithstanding who euer was so bold to draw from thence a conclusion directlie contrarie to the expresse institution and is the question in this place about the practising of that rule of naturall Philosophie That which may bee done by the fewer and lesse number should not be done by the greater c And if this might finde place who would not take vp some one colourable excuse and reason or other to reiect all the sacramēts seeing it is saide That Jesus Christ dwelleth in our heartes by faith Ephes 2. Heb. 3. Iohn 6. Calat 3. that we are made partakers of Christ by faith in his word that hee dwelleth in the belieuers and the belieuers in him that we put him on in Baptisme c. For who cannot conclude from thence Baptisme is sufficient what haue I to doe with the holie Supper The word sufficeth what neede haue I of the Sacraments if it were not that wee did giue that reuerend and Christian regarde vnto the institution of Christ to bound and limit all our conclusions within the tearmes of the same In the meane time it curseth all them which hold that the Communion vnder the two kinds is necessarie either in respect of saluation or otherwise in respect of the commaundement of God as all those likewise which say that the cuppe hath beene taken from the Laitie without anie manner of sounde ground or sufficient reasons and as for the sute and request amde by Princes that it might bee restored to them and their Subiectes they commit that to the
in looking vppon the image of Simeon and that an other found a Well by causing the image of Theodosius the Abbot to be brought her An image of the virgine Mary kept the candle of a certaine Abbot from going out a long way and an other helpeth to conueigh water from the cesterne to the house And how a woman was tempted of the Deuill by forsaking and leauing to vse the image of the virgin whereupon the Abbot Theodorus sheweth her that it were better to go to the stewes and brothell-house a thousand times then to leaue and forsake the worshipping and adoring thereof What baggage are these to oppose set against the holy law of God Giuen as saith the Apostle by the ministery of Angels and vttered by his owne mouth Thou shalt not worship images Now let vs heare on the contrarie the foundations of the Councell of Francford We must not saith it worship images seeing we must not worship any besides one onely God one onely Iesus Christ who with the father the holy Ghost raigneth eternally Because likewise there is neither commandement nor example either of the Apostles Patriarkes or prophetes or of the fathers of the primitiue Church for the same And on the contrary that if any man haue images for remembrances and monumentes that yet notwithstanding it ought not to be any president for the trimming decking vp of the Church that such ornamentes and courses are nothing els but the waies of the Gentils that the good fathers Antonius Hilarius and others who loued well the beautie of the house of God did yet verie well leaue off to haue any dealing with them And as little for the instruction of the people That God hath giuen them the holy scriptures to this end the law whereby to come to the knowledge of Christ and not by Images And not any more for imitation or example sake to bee followed That the vertues of the Saintes as faith hope and charitie are inuisible and that we must therefore seeke them in their workes and not in their painted pictures It further proueth that whatsoeuer the patrons of images alleadge of scripture it is eyther to no end or contrarie to the end for which they alleadge it that their tales of the image of Christ are Apocrypha their authorities out of the fathers meerely imaginarie and their pretended miracles no better then either doubtfull or notoriously false or els diuelish Yea and although saith it that they were true because that God appeared to Moyses in a bush shall we therefore worship all bushes or vnder the colour of Aarons rod shall we worship all rods And so for Sampson his iaw-bone all other iaw-bones Or from the shaddow of S. Peter all other shadowes c. That this assertion of the Nicene Councell is damnable I adore and worship the image with the same worship wherewith I worship the Trinitie it selfe and do curse those that say otherwise The word being so plaine and euident Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and that exclusiuely meant say they of all other maner of worship besides that which is due vnto God alone not excluding onely that of images but of whatsoeuer other creatures be they neuer so excellent In like manner that their other reason is as weake which they would draw from the nature of relation and reference which the image hath with the thing whereof it is the image seeing that Christ said not He that receiueth Images but he that receiueth you receiueth me Nor that which you haue done to images you haue done to me but rather what you haue done to one of these little ones And therefore that whosoeuer doth say of a picture This is Christ sinneth lyeth and committeth villanous wickednesse instead that the second Nicene Councel hath by name said and affirmed that a man may speake it in godly religious maner And all these things with such grauitie learning and religiousnesse together with such reasons drawne so to the purpose from the scriptures fathers S. Ierome S. Augustine S. Gregorie c and pressed with such good consequence and so necessarily as that all the Dagons of the Philistines bee they neuer so firmely vnderpropped shal not be able possiblie to stand before them And yet furthermore this booke is approued by Hincmarus Archbishop of Rheimes who alleadgeth a whole Chapter out of the same against Hincmarus Bishop of Laon who liued in the time of Charles the great and as for Ecchius himselfe hee doeth not once call it in question Let vs go forward with the effectes and successe insuing vppon these two Councels The effect of these Councels It appeareth that that of Franckford did stay the course of idolatrie for a time in the Churches of France and Germanie which is gathered hereby namely for that Haimo and Rabanus who followed shortly after do not speake a word of the worshipping of images and in that Walfridus Strabo liuing at the same time continueth all one phrase and manner of speech Walfrid Strabo c. 8. That it is not lawfull either to worship them or els to banish and cast them out And because likewise that Claudius a famous Priest brought vp in the Court of Charles the Great was no sooner made Bishop of Turin in the time of Lewes the Gentle then that hee pulled downe and defaced the images when as hee founde the people of his Diocesse giuen to worship them by reason of the Romish superstition which had gained and preuailed so farre amongst them Claud. Taurinens de adorat imaginum An Abbot called Theodomirus set himselfe against his proceedings wherevpon this Claudius writte a booke vnto him against the worshipping of Images which hee was not afraide to send to the Emperour Lewes who committed the same to Ionas of Orleance to examine But hee neuer vouchsafed to vtter his iudgement of it till after that both Lewes and Claudius were deade neither is it found that Claudius was disturbed or troubled by the French Church vppon this occasion Anno. 840. Ionas Aurelian aduers Claud. Taurinens a signe that the doctrine of images was gouerned by the Councell of Franckford Now of this booke of Claudius Bishoppe of Turin there is no parte to come by more then that which Ionas his booke wherein hee goeth about the confutation of the same doeth afford vs and that after his death It may iustlie bee doubted whether hee haue dealt faithfullie with it in alleadging and setting downe the whole but onely that his owne aunsweres do sufficiently witnes that Idolatrie as yet was verie young and tender in the Churches of France Claudius reproueth the worshipping of Images according to the Councell of Francford Ionas doth not maintaine the same for hee aunswereth onlie as Gregory aunswereth Serenus that they may bee had for instruction sake to the people and not for to bee worshipped proceeding euen to the cursing of them who do worshippe them Claudius maintaineth and proueth by Origen
meanes whereby they might excell and go beyond the laitie therewithall the well inclined being still oppressed kept downe by the authoritie of the Pope Euen iust after the same manner as it would haue fallen out in other cases with vs in Fraunce in as much as the case so stood in the beginning as that matters of sute and law were pleaded in Latine and all manner of writings made in Latine howbeit that the common people by reason of the change that happened did not vnderstand it but that our kings as those which did more carefully watch ouer the goodes of the people then the Romish Bishops did ouer their soules haue beene very prouident wisely to foresee and by their ordinances to prouide for the same CHAP. VI. That in the Primitiue Church and a long time after the holy scriptures were read amongst the people in all tongues THe liturgie then or diuine seruice That the scriptures were translated into all languages euen from the first times was retained in the Church in the vulgar and common tongue for a long space following the precept of Saint Paule Let euery thing be done to edification in the Church And as for the Maxime of the Church of Rome which is to hold the people in ignorance that so they may not come to the knowledge of their faluation it did not take place but of late and that for no other end but to bind their consciences and knowledge to go no further neither yet to come short of the conscience skill of their curates that so they may pray vpon their simplicitie either by leading them into vaine superstition or into seruile subiection The holy scriptures of the old Testament say they were written in Hebrew and those of the new Testament in Greeke and not in any other tongue Let it bee so and good cause why seeing the Hebrew tongue was the language of Israel to whome the law was properly and peculiarly giuen and the Greeke likewise very common knowne vnto all the East parts where Christianitie did first spring and spread abroad But what prerogatiue do they shew vs why they should so aduance and cleaue vnto the Latine Let them answere them that the Gospell was notwithstanding preached by word of mouth in all tongues and to that end was the gift of tongues sent vnto the Church which was no sooner ceased but that the scriptures both of the old and new Testament were found as a supply of the same translated into diuers tongues as Hebrew Syrian Arabicke and Scythian as the ecclesiasticall historie doth witnesse vnto vs that this diligent indeuour continued and endured by the industrie of good pastors in such measure and sort as that the knowledge of Christ gained and got ground in the world Thus we see that Saint Ierome translated the holy scriptures into the Dalmaticke tongue Hieronym in ep ad Sophron. Gregor Patriarch Alexand. in vita Chrysost Sixtus Senens in l. 4. in lit l. k. Postellus in ep ad Ambr. Theseum Chrysostome into the Armenian Vlphilas Bishop of the Gothes into Gothicke Methodius into the Sclauonian and their translations are founde as yet both extant and in vse And that the same zeale was followed and imitated in the end in all Churches so that wee haue as yet the Gospels in the Ethiopian tongue the Psalter in the Egyptian as also in the Indian tongue but imprinted in Syriacke Characters the fiue bookes of Moyses in the Persian tongue the Psalter all the new Testament in the Gothish or old Frizeland speech all the Bible from the time of Ethelstanus king of England that is nine hundred yeares in the Brittish tongue c. And therefore Chrysostome sayth The Syrians Egyptians Indians Persians Ethiopians and innumerable other nations haue the heauenly doctrine translated into their naturall tongues and by this meanes haue left off their barbarousnes to play the philosophers in good earnest Theodoret Theodor. de corrig Graecor affect The Hebrew bookes are not onely translated into Greeke but also into Latine Egiptian Persian Indian Armenian Scythian Saromatian and in a word into all tongues which the nations vse as yet vnto this day All these good Pastors zealously and feruently affecting the wholesome instruction of their flockes and all these famous Churches had not yet studied or busied their braines about the title of the Crosse to conclude from thence that the scriptures could not bee read but in three tongues because in deed they had no desire or will by any such shift so to worke their purpose as that the poore people might not learne the way wherby they might be saued that so they might hold their consciences in homage vnto them Whether it be daungerous or no for the cōmon people to reade them But whatsoeuer any man may seeme to bee able to say to the contrarie say they it is and alwaies hath beene daungerous for the people to haue and reade the holy scripture in their common and naturall tongue And to whom then was it that our Lord said Search the scriptures And wherefore had all Christian Churches so translated them But now therefore let them heare euen they which make such vauntes of the auncient writers into what daunger those auncients did bring mens consciences by the reading of the holy scripture and into what daunger if a man will belieue them herein they brought the whole Church Irenaeus without all doubt did not conceiue any such daunger to bee therein Iren. l. 4. c. 12. 31. when hee said of the heretikes the Valentinians That their not knowing of the scriptures had brought them to this heresie He found preseruatiues therein and our aduersaries are afraid to meete with poison And as little paines did he take to draw backe the faithfull from the reading of them because of obscuritie for he saith The scriptures are open and cleare without ambiguitie or doubtfulnesse Origen in Esa hom 2. in Exod hom 9. they may bee alike heard of all Origen in like manner who tooke so great paines to translate and publish them in all tongues saith Woulde God wee all belieued and did that which is written Search the scriptures they are shutte and sealed to the negligent but they are founde to bee open and vnlockt to them that seeke and knocke at the dore By them hee would haue his parishioners his people that were still to be instructed and catechised and his disciples to trie and examine his doctrine for hee saith Origen in Iosuam hom 20. Idem in Leuit. hom 9. When I teach you that which I thinke then examine and iudge you whether it bee right and true or no. For wee desire sayeth hee in another place that you shoulde not onely heare the wordes of God in the Church but therewithall that you shoulde exercise your selues in them in your houses and meditate in his law day and night Idem in Ios hom 20. Yea and to the end that they
either his offering vp againe by the handes of the Iewes or els any daily sacrificing of him by any action of the priestes The Apostle saith The law which had a shadow of good things to come That the sacrifice of Christ cannot be reâ—terated Heb. 8.9.10 and not the expresse forme of things by the sacrifices which were offered euery yeare could neuer sanctifie those which approached thereunto c. What doth the Apostle conclude out of this proposition He setteth the law against the Gospell the priestes of the same against our soueraigne priest Iesus Christ their sacrifices repeated and oftentimes renewed against his sacrifice which hath no need to be renewed their weaknes and disabilitie to sanctifie against the holinesse and effectuall sanctifying power which was in his And afterward he concludeth He taketh away the former for to establish the latter the sacrifices of the law for to establish this onely Sacrifice Now how could this conclusion be good if this sacrifice were againe to bee reiterated And that not yearely as vnder the law but daily yea hourely nay which is yet more euery moment and in euerie moment of a thousand thousand times Whereuppon it is said the sacrifices of the lawe are abolished in the sacrifice of Iesus Christ but it is not saide that hee himselfe cannot bee sacrificed againe let vs heare the Apostle Heb. 9. v. 12.24 Christ being come to bee our high priest of good thinges to come c. not by the blood of goates or of calues but by his owne blood is entred once into the holy places hauing obtained an euerlasting redemption Is entred saith hee into the holy places euen into heauen that nowe hee may appeare for vs before the face of God but not to the ende to offer vp himselfe oftentimes in such sorte as the high Priest who entreth into the holy places euerie yeare with other bloode for then it should haue behoued him to haue suffered oftentimes since the foundation of the worlde But nowe in the fulnesse of time hee hath appeared once for the putting away of sinne by the sacrificing of himselfe And as it is appointed for all men to die once and after that followeth iudgement euen so likewise Christ hauing beene offered once for to take away the sins of many will appeare the second time without sinne to those which attende vnto saluation Where wee are to obserue that the Apostle goeth ouer it sundry times That Christ hath offered himselfe once Where is now their pretended reiterating seeing that by his one onely oblation hee hath purchased euerlasting redemption that is hath wholly accomplished and fulfilled the worke of the redemption of the Church and that sufficiently as the schoolemen speake for the whole worlde but effectually for his elect onely And therefore what neede is there of a new propitiation That he did appeare in heauen before the father that is to bestow by his intercession the efficacie of this sacrifice vpon his faithfull ones himselfe making the application of his owne sacrifice That by this onely appearing this onely sacrifice once offered hee hath abolished sinne I say not the sinnes of some fewe but sinne that is destroyed the kingdome of sinne it selfe in such sorte as that euerie other propitiatorie sacrifice is from hencefoorth vnprofitable euen vnto his seconde appearing that is vnto the end and consummation of the worlde And no man is here to say that in deed hee hath offered himselfe once but that others are to offer him hereafter for in that he hath shewed the sufficiencie of this sacrifice he hath annihilated and disanulled in one word Heb. 10. all others whatsoeuer Others saith he which are not reiterated but because of their imperfectnesse in as much as it is impossible that the blood of Bulles and Goates though they should bee a thousand times reiterated should take away sinnes For which cause saith hee there is a yearely remembrance of sinnes reiterated whereas our Lord by one onely oblation hath consecrated for euer those which are sanctified Whereuppon it followeth that where blood is of sufficient effectualnesse there is no neede of any reiteration Now wee are of iudgement that this effectualnesse is absolute and perfect in the precious blood of our Lord that so wee may stay and content our selues with this onely Sacrifice And as by the sufficiencie thereof being opposed and set against the insufficiencie of all others the reiterating thereof is excluded so by the perfectnesse of the Priest opposed and set against the vnperfectnesse of those before him all others are excluded and we tyed vnto one onely and him resident and sitting in the heauens at the right hand of the father in whose sacrifice as all sacrifices haue an end so in his person euerie priesthood is both fully finished and accomplished One priest according to the order of Melchisedech without father without mother without stocke or kindred without beginning of daies and without end of life that is which hath not had any such like predecessors neither yet shall haue any such like successors in the line and tribe of Leui an euerlasting priest and therefore one onely and therefore also not succeeded of any other sacrificing Priestes and much lesse of any other priestes which should bee imployed in the sacrificing of him For saith hee the cause why there were many priestes was because they were mortall because that death would not let them indure But this priest abideth for euer and God hath witnessed the same of him by an oath and therefore he hath an euerlasting and eternall priesthoode in himselfe and in the Church A priest which is able to be both the Sacrificer and Sacrifice together and at once a holy Priest which hath no neede to offer daily both for his owne sinnes and for the sinnes of the people and such a one is Iesus Christ the sonne of the eternall God and God himselfe A Sacrifice also perfect and sufficient which thing cannot possiblie be found in the blood of all the creatures that are liuing no not in the offering vp of all men and the whole worlde therewithall and such a one againe is Iesus Christ God and man but man without sinne seperated and set apart from sinners the lambe without spotte Hebr. 7. Who saith the Apostle offered himselfe once for the sinnes of the people ordained by the worde of the oath to bee consecrated for euer alwaies liuing that so hee might alwaies bee our intercessor alwaies mightie and powerfull that so hee might perfectly saue those which draw neere vnto God by him that is to say continually offering vp the prayers of his brethren sanctified and authorised by his owne continually applying the merite of the sacrifice of his obedience by his intercession Hebr. 10. by this sacrifice by this oblation of which it is said That by one onely oblation hee hath perfected for euer them which are sanctified that hee was once offered to abolish the sinnes of many that
heard in their seruice Sursum Corda 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lift vp your heartes on hie and when their currant speech and common talke was but of one Altar and one celestiall sacrifice when in their entrance into the celebration of the sacrament it was saide vnto the people Shew yee forth the death of the Son of man and confesse his resurrection vntill his comming But there were two doctrines especiallie which springing vppe in those ages Transubstantiation and Purgatorie concuning and conspiring together establish this sacrifice and prospering and growing together at that time and that by equall degrees did aduance and set aloft this pretended sacrifice The one Transubstantiation for after such time as it was taught that the bread and the wine were chaunged that they were reallie the body and blood of our Lord then what honour was too great to giue vnto this sacrifice Who can then doubt that it should bee propitiatorie for the sinnes of all that were liuing this sacrifice offered in the Masse being the same in flesh and blood which was hanged vppon the Crosse for the sinnes of the world The other was that of Purgatorie for if we haue saide they both our friendes departing passing out of this worlde to abide the scorching flames of Purgatorie and that our owne sinnes also must bee purged there then let vs prouide a remedie let vs goe to this Masse which is so soueraigne and full of saluation let vs laye good foundations and powre out largelie for our selues and our parentes let vs leaue grounds goods with charge of hauing the same saide after vs. And hereto belong the lawes aboue mentioned to bee made in the time of Charles the Great and then euery day thinges grew from ill to worse The ignorance then of the age the coldnes of the people in deuotion the couetousnes of the Priestes the carelesnes of the Bishoppes and the barbarousnes of the speech of men begot fostered and maintained this abuse in the Church which hauing once taken roote and growne vppe to strength could not bee beaten downe againe but by the spirite of God which thing also manie men of good spirits did perceiue verie well Arnoldus de villa noua one of the great men of that time About the yeare 1200. helde in his positions That the sacrifice of the Masse was a manifest abuse and a plaine starting aside from the pure doctrine of Christ The Waldenses and Albigenses in France That Masses whether they were for the liuing or for the dead were directlie against the institution of the Lord. And these resistances and contradictions did so assaulte the maintainers of this abuse as that all Christendome was in an vprore and not without fruite for the spreading of them throughout all the nations of the west Church proued a good seed sowne by God to cause the truth to spring vp there againe in his time but what shall wee say if their greatest and grauest Doctors carried away notwithstanding with the streame do likewise speake against their doctrine Peter Lumbard saith the Maister of the sentences Distinct 12. l. 4. De Consec D. 2. Can. handleth this question aboute the yeare 1150. saying It is demaunded of some if that which the Priest doth bee properlie called a sacrifice and oblation and if Christ be sacrificed euery day or whether hee was onely once offered Whereunto this short aunswere may be shaped That that which is consecrated and offered by the Priest is called a sacrifice and oblation because it is the renuing of the memorie and representation of the true sacrifice and of the holy oblation made vpon the Altar of the Crosse And this hee proueth by manie places out of S. Augustine and of S. Ambrose c. Note here how well hee agreede with the Councell of Trent which pronounceth If any man say that the verie and proper body of Christ is not offered in the Masse let him be accursed The Schoolemen which came after him haue beene so bold as to rob the Crosse of Christ to hang the Iewels euen the power thereof about the necke of their Masse so that sometimes they break out into these speeches That the bodie of our Lord was offered for originall sinne but that hee is continuallie offered by them vpon the Altar for actuall sins A cursed blasphemie by which the Crosse of Christ is made of none effect by which there is lesse attributed vnto it then vnto the Table of their Altar directlie also against the expresse Scripture which sayeth comparing the fall of Adam with the benefite of Christ his death That the fault was through one offence vnto condemnation but the gift is of manie offences vnto iustification Againe after hee had spoken of all manner of sinners And such saith S. Paule were you but you haue beene washed you haue beene sanctified but you haue beene iustified by the name of Iesus Christ Rom. 5. 1. Iohn 3.8 c. And to bee briefe That the Sonne of God hath appeared to destroy the workes of the Diuell c. But so the case standeth as that Thomas their chief Champiō Thom. in Ep. ad Heb. 6. doth again in an other place agree with himself saying Christ was wounded for our iniquities Esa 53. and that not oftentimes but onely once 1. Pet. 3 Christ hath died once for our sinnes and his onely oblation sufficeth to drie vp the fountaine of the sinnes of all mankinde Idem in sūma part 3. q. 83. And as concerning the sacrament It is but the representation sayeth hee of the passion of our Lord for S. Augustine sayeth as oft as wee celebrate the Passeouer is Christ slaine euerie time yea rather this is but a yearelie renuing of the memory of that which was done otherwise thereby setting before vs such notable and famous monumentes thereof as if by them wee were brought to the verie beholding of his hanging vppon the Crosse Idem part 13.3 q. 73. art 6. And elsewhere It behoued that euermore there should remaine some representation of the passion of our Lord In the old Testament this principall sacrament was the Paschall Lambe Whereuppon the Apostle sayeth Christ our Paschall Lambe was offered And in place thereof hath succeeded in the new Testament the Eucharist which is a memoriall of his passion past and suffered as the other was a prefigurer and foreshewer of his passion to come Petrus Alphonsus at the same time Petr. Alph. l. 2. Ep. did not acknowledge either the Eucharist or the Masse for any other thing then a sacrifice of praise and this was at that time one of the questions disputed by the Albigenses and Petrus Brutis who was burnt aliue at Tholosa where he taught publikelie that it was not propitiatorie All these sacrifices sayeth hee which were offered vnder the lawe were nothing but signes of this great sacrifice Idem in Dialog tit 12. which was to destroy sinne But since the comming of Christ we vse
but Obseruationem consuetudo roborauit There is no Scripture saith he that can here be pretended but custome hath giuen force and strength to obseruation And this custome taken and raised from the good intents of some faithfull persons and not from the Apostles For saith hee dost thou not thinke that it is lawfull for euerie faithfull person to conceiue and set downe for a Law what he thinketh to be agreeable vnto God conuenient for discipline or furthering vnto saluation c. And by the like proposition entred the heresie of Montanus both into his head and after into the Church And to be short he setteth this custome in the ranke of many others which he reckoneth vp there As to dip the child thrise in Baptisme to take a tast of Milke and Honie before hand which they called Infantation to offer for birth dayes not to kneele or bow downe vpon the Lords dayes c. All which are long since abolished out of the Church of Christ and so also should this giue place by vertue of the same abolishment as made of the same stuffe and so also by consequent their Purgatorie In S. Cyprian who followeth him close at the heele Cypr. Ep. 9. l. 1 Ep. 5. l. 4. we haue Sportulas and Sportulantes Thus they called that which was giuen for the reliefe of the poore either by commaundement or in remembrance of the dead in stead of the feast which the Gentiles accustomed to prepare and bring out to set vppon the graue And this was continued by certaine Christians in the time of S. Augustine not without great offence taken thereat and this he complaineth of as likewise August Ep. 64 that he cannot remedie or redresse it but by force Such is the tyrannie that custome practiseth vppon men And of these offerings or rather testamentarie Legacies the Canon speaketh C. Qui Oblationes xiii q. 2. Such as denie the Church the offerings of the dead ought to be held as murtherers of the poore in as much as they rob them of their foode and nourishment c. Now these feasts made for the poore were qualified with the name of sacrifices and oblations as it may bee seene in many places of Tertuilian Tertull. de monog de cor milit August Ep. 64 de Ciuit. Dei l. 8. c. 27. Chrysost de Martyr S. Augustine and Chrysostome But what maketh all this either for Masses for the dead or else for Purgatorie And what will this prooue to on the contrarie side if we show that they which offered these oblations and praiers or to speake more fitly these memorials and remembrances in the seruice of the Church did the same for such persons as they belieued to be already in rest and euerlasting felicitie so farre off were they from presupposing them to be in Purgatorie Tertullian saith that the wife offereth for the husband and the husband for the wife Annuis diebus dormitionis eius c. From yeare to yeare vpon the day of his death And this is done in their dwelling house with their kinsfolkes as their owne mouthes confesse And what hath this that is common with the Priest his pretended sacrifice Hee saith also that they doe craue the one for the other betwixt the time of death and the resurrection refrigerium and consortium in the same that is to say That it would please God to giue rest vnto the fore deceased Tertull. l. 4. cont Marcion l. de Anima and to both to meete in the resurrection Who knoweth not that Tertullian calleth Refrigerium the place of refreshment the bosome of Abraham the place of the righteous where they abide waiting the day of the resurrection Wherein saith hee they are from their death vnto the finall end and consummation of all things And so by consequent that this their practise is nothing else but a continuing of this naturall affection which cannot bee staied and which according to the measure and quantitie wherein it calleth them to mind whome it loueth can not but lay open and shew foorth it selfe by making vowes for the procuring of their prosperitie and will not suffer it selfe to be perswaded thereof howsoeuer in deed it bee neither in a manner would haue it so to the end it may not lacke matter to doe them good wherein possibly it can And then what argreement is there betwixt this refreshment and the fire of Purgatorie betwixt Abrahams bosome from whence the rich man craued to be cooled refreâ—â—ed by Lazarus and this fire nothing differing say they from that fire wherein the rich man burned as concerning the feruent and tormenting heate thereof Cypr. l. 1. Ep. 9. but onely in durablenesse S. Cyprian seemeth to speake rawly To offer saith he for the dead to celebrate a sacrifice Pro dormitione corum for their falling a sleepe l. 3. Ep. 14. 6 But he expoundeth himself when he calleth these oblations Liueries and contributions these sacrifices memorials and remembrances of the dead in the praiers of the Church And in deed these oblations these legacies these sacrifices are celebrated for the Martyrs in ripping vp and renuing of their glorious death and their constant suffering If this were any thing tending vnto propitiation how could it fit with that sentence of S. Augustine August de verb. A post Serm. 17. Innoc. C. cum Marth de celebrat Miss l. 4. Ep. 5. Who so prayeth for a Martyr doth offer him iniurie Which Pope Innocent the third applieth vnto all Saints Thus S. Cyprian saith vnto vs Wee offer sacrifices speaking of Celerinus his kinred all which almost was honoured with the crowne of Martyrdome whome notwithstanding he affirmeth to bee crowned in heauen And on the contrarie hee will not haue any mention made at the Altar that is to say in the publike prayers Pro dormitione for the rest of a certaine man named Victor because he had contrarie to the receiued Discipline and gouernment caused a Priest to be charged with the keeping of a child in his nonage Whereby we see that these prayers and commemorations were but to put vs in mind of the vertuous liues of the Saints and not for the making of any fatisfaction for sinnes And this is that which Rhenanus saith B. Rhenanus in l. ad Martyr Sacrificia pro Martyribus offerri sic accipiendum ni fallor vt pro eis idem valeat quod commemoratione corum c. The same which Cyprian saith to offer sacrifices for the Martyrs that is to say for the renuing of their memories in at much as the calling to mind of their death and suffering did offer matter of offering oblations And therefore these were rather gratulatorie and ioyfull prayers as by the which thankes was giuen to God for that he had shewed such fauour vnto the Martyr and thereupon they prayed vnto him with one consent and voice that hee would continue to shew the like vnto his faithfull seruants that
not able to counteruaile the glorie that is to come and which is to be reuealed in vs. But in the meane time they are not ashamed to oppose vnto so cleare a doctrine so plainly handled by all the Apostles by Saint Paul in all his Epistles a place of Saint Paul himselfe I reioyce saith he now in my sufferings for you Coloss 1.24 and fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the Church Whereupon it followeth say they that men by their afflictions and sufferings may satisfie for the sinnes of others And we will obserue by the way that it is in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tertul. aduers Marcion l. ◠c. 19. Timo. ◠15 which Tertullian and S. Ambrose translate with vs Reliqua the rest and not that which lacketh But here againe what will they dare to say vnto vs That S. Paul by his afflictions hath satisfied for himselfe Not so For it is a sure thing saith he that Iesus Christ is come into the world to saue sinners whereof I am the chiefest Againe To shew in me the chiefest all manner of clemencie for an example to them which shall belieue in him vnto eternall life c. I doe saith he the ill I would not but the good that I would that I doe not Philip. 3.6 Notwithstanding that I find not my selfe guiltie of any thing yet know I that I am not iustified thereby Howbeit that according to the righteousnesse which is in the Law J am vnreproueable yet I haue accounted all this to be losse vnto me I haue accompted it as dung for the loue of Christ that is to be found in him not according to mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law 1. Cor. 2.2 but according to that which is of the faith of Christ. And of Christ saith he elsewhere crucified What hath hee in these speeches that may sauour of pharisaicall righteousnesse That dooth holde any thing of the doctrine of our Masters concerning supererogation Againe the words of the place it selfe are repugnant thereunto For it saith In my sufferings for you in mine afflictions for the body of Christ which is the Church What then Shall he haue satisfied for an other For the temporall punishments of the Colossians For the Church of Christ And how should he possbly doe it for an other when he findeth not himselfe able and sufficient to pay his owne debt And that not in the way or words of Christian modestie or humilitie but in good sooth earnest Philip. 3. 1. Cor. 15. ◠Who haue whereupon to boast saith he in the flesh more then any other circumcised the eight day of the race of Israell of the Tribe of Beniamin an Hebrew borne of the Hebrewes a Pharisie in Religion vpright according to the Law and after all this called of Christ to bee an Apostle and yet notwithstanding as one borne out of time and notwithstanding an vnprofitable seruant And how then for the Colossians Reconciled on the contrarie saith he in the body of the flesh of Christ by his death Coloss 1. 2. when they were enemies and straungers redeemed by his bloud for the remission of their sinnes quickned by his grace when they were dead in their iniquities by the blotting out of the Obligation of eternall death which was betweene them fastning it with him vnto his Crosse But how in the end for the body of Christ which is the Church Which God saith he in an other place hath purchased vnto himself by his own bloud reconciling to himselfe the world in Christ Acts. 20.28 2. Cor. 5. in not imputing vnto it her sinnes making the Church one bodie wherof he is the head gathering and ioyning together into this bodie vnto God many nations by his Crosse c. If they say that the sufferings of S. Paul do supply the want of that of Christs but dare they say it And what shal that be I pray you that shall fulfil become a sufficient supply of that which of it selfe is infinite Shal man become the supply to the Son of God Ephes 2. Falsehood vntruth vnto verity sin vnto iustice mans infirmitie vnto the power might of God vnto saluation c. Nay verily not so S. Paul did neuer thinke of that but saith he I am a Minister of this Gospel by which you are reconciled vnto God And notwithstanding that I must suffer much in my ministerie for you yet I reioyce neuertheles in my sufferings Philip. 2. partly because that I suffer for the name of Christ. As he saith in an other place If it be requisite that I be offered vp a sprinkling vpon the sacrifice I reioyce together with you c. Partly because he himselfe suffreth in me who vouchsafeth to allow our afflictions as his own for that we are his members And therfore he saith in an other place Ambros in Epist ad Colo. As the sufferings of Christ abound in vs so likewise our consolation by Christ c. And this is it likewise which the old writers haue deliuered vpon this place altogether otherwise then our late writers Saint Ambrose He confesseth saith he that he reloyceth in his sufferings because he seeth the belieuers profiting in faith c And these sufferings saith hee he saith that they are Christs Hieronym in Ep ad Colos Chrysost in Ep. ad Coloss c. 1. in 2. ad Cor c. 1. ho. 1. because it is his doctrine which they persecute And S. Ierome by the sufferings of Christ vnderstandeth the sufferings for Christ c. Chrysostome The Apostle saith hee seemeth to haue spoken something arrogantly but it is nothing else but an exceeding great measure of good will that he beareth towards Christ. That which I suffer saith he to the Collossians J suffer it for him and therefore it is not to me that you owe any thankes but vnto himselfe Theodoret Because that hee suffereth for the preaching of the Gospell vnto the Gentiles Occumen ex Photio procuring their life by the same c. Oecumenius All that we suffer saith he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a rest or remnant farre differing from the sufferings of Christ For how should it possibly bee matched and fulfilled A master his suffering for his seruant by a seruant his suffering for his master What equalitie is there therein Or any thing neere thereunto He who is without sinne suffering for sinners And those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obstinately set against him How will it bee made vp by a sinfull people suffering for their benefactor and the same without sinne c Far differing from the arrogancie of our aduersaries who will that S. Paul did merite by his sufferings and that both for himselfe and an other and for the Church also c. It is sufficient therefore that hitherto we plainely and clearely see that inuocation intercession and the imployment of the merits of the Saints
yet notwithstanding the same hee loueth them For saith he There is not any one sinne that God iustifieth and aloweth he hateth them all but by his grace he causeth sinne to bee consumed in vs in as much as it is wasted somewhat and diminished in the liues of such men as profit but consumed in the liues of such as haue attained to perfection that is to say after this life And this he maketh plaine in an other place by S. Hillarie There is not saith he in this life any purifying and cleansing away of all sinne Idem l. 2 cont Iulianum and yet hee hopeth to attaine humane perfection that is to say a nature perfectly cleansed in the last resurrection Which thing our Lord if so be that our Aduersaries would haue belieued him hath said in one word vnto his Apostles You are now cleane because of my word And yet hee had said My father cleanseth you and purgeth you euerie day that so you may beare more fruit c. If then sinne do still dwell in the regenerate and that such sinne as begetteth infinite other sinnes in vs and these sinnes death yea so many deathes so many hels doe we purchase vnto our selues as we commit sinnes and therefore farre off from meriting of life for an other seeing we cannot doe it for our selues Neither haue wee any other exception to alleadge against it but this There is iust cause and matter in vs to condemne vs yea and more then inough but praised be the grace of our God That we are in Christ c. That there is no condemnation to such as are in him But if they say to vs that euen as the flesh worketh sinne in vs vnto condemnation if grace doe not preuent euen so the regenerate spirit worketh good workes vnto saluation yea sufficiently yea aboundantly c. We answere That the beginning and originall of good workes is altogether of God whereas the beginning and originall of sinne is of our selues so that in deed damnation doth belong to vs and saluation to God as also that these good workes proceeding from a heart not perfectly regenerate haue alwaies a spice of euill euen of the euill that is in and of vs and that sufficeth to make them displeasing vnto God saue that he beareth with them through his mercies exhibited in his Sonne the goodnesse which we cannot make our accompt and reckoning of before God seeing it is his It is generally therefore said of all men but this word is expresly and properly appointed and directed to the regenerate to the end that in their miserie and misdeeds they may seeke and search for the remedie which God hath prepared for them in Christ Eccles 6. Prou. 10. Iob. 15. Psal 143. that all are sinners There is not a man vpon the earth that doth good No man can say I am cleane from sinne yea euen amongst his Saints God cannot find any that are able to abide the triall And if we say saith the Apostle that we haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. On the contrarie it standeth vs vpon continually To craue pardon Psal 19. because we are continually euen euerie houre sinning and pardon Ab occultis nostris From the sinnes that we neither see nor perceiue We are so seared in respect of the sence and feeling of sinne And of all this it followeth that as God hath shut vp all vnder sinne so likewise vnder condemnation the same extending and stretching it selfe also vnto vs if he had not shrowded vs vnder the protection of his grace As concerning our good workes Without me saith the sonne of God you can doe nothing no not so much as thinke a good thought Iohn 15.6 2. Cor. 3.5 Acts. 16.14 Psal 119. Philip. 2.13 Iam. 1.17 but in that you are any thing fitted thereto it is of God of God that openeth our heart that inclineth it vnto his lawes and which strengthneth it in his waies that accomplisheth in vs both the will and the worke according to his owne free-will and good pleasure Of God the father of lights from whome euerie good gift commeth c. But principally the gift of faith without which neither we neither any thing of ours can please God Math 16. the faith I say of the Sonne of God Which flesh and bloud do not reueale but the father that is in heauen And what should God be bound and indebted to vs for that which he himselfe worketh in vs of his meere grace for these pretended good workes Osce 13. Nay let vs say rather with the Prophet Israell thy destruction is of thy selfe And thou must impute and lay it to no other but to thine owne selfe But thy saluation is of me Thou hast not any thing then to reproach or accuse But how will the case stand if these verie workes weighed in the balance of iustice bee found to be sinnes And so much the rather and more likely because that thou dost make accompt of them for holy and sanctified deedes as also so much the more cursed and damnable by how much the more thou accomptest of them for meritorious The Sonne of God said vnto his Apostles When you haue done all that is commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruants Luk. 17.10 But how farre off are we And next what meaneth this To do that which we ought But to doe it as we ought and to that end that it ought to be done c. And who is he that is able to obserue all that and if it were but in one onely action And that I may not presse them withall how would he bee able to doe it for Gods glorie c. without making some mixture for his owne interest as either for his owne profit or honour c. But as for sinne and that which is euill what is it that wee are not cunning inough in to doe verie well and on the contrarie where is that good thing that fadgeth not and falleth out most ill fauouredly in our hands and that in diuers respects So then we must say with the Propht All our righteous deedes are as a stained cloath Our righteous and best deeds saith he and not our vnrighteousnesse for in all our workes how good so euer they seeme to bee there doe iumpe and meete together something that is of the spirit and something that is of the fleshe as they are more or lesse strong in vs according to the saying of Saint Paul who teacheth vs not to flatter our selues When I would doe the good as if hee said euen when I buckle my selfe about it with all the power within me Rom 7. Philip. 3. Euill is readie with me to will is present but I cannot find the meanes to doe and performe it c. And for the proofe hereof wee neede no other proofe but to consider and looke into our selues and our best actions as into our praiers with what an
of the Law The law leadeth to faith and the iustice of God to his grace cannot possibly faile by consequent to explaine and lay open vnto vs the benefite of grace leading vs from Moyses to Christ from workes to faith and from death wherein wee stand naturally euen from the time of our conception and whereinto also euen after the time of our regeneration we runne and cast our selues continually by our faults and offences vnto our life and righteousnesse which is hid in Christ We cannot liue by the Law for we cannot fulfill it wherefore we must haue recourse vnto his grace His grace that is to say the mercie of God freely exhibited in Iesus Christ who hath fulfilled the Law by his obedience and which hath borne our transgressions vppon the Crosse but for such as to whome God hath giuen by the same grace to feele the sentence of condemnation due in themselues and assuredly to belieue their saluation in him And this is the cause why these two points are ordinarily conioyned and coupled together both in the Scriptures and holy Fathers euen grace and faith opposed to the Law and workes namely that grace that is to say that gift which God hath bestowed vppon vs by the righteousnesse of his onely begotten Sonne yea of his Sonne and all that which hee possesseth for the abolishing of our sinnes that faith that is to say that abilitie and power which hee giueth vs by his holy spirite to receiue in humilitie and yet with all assurednesse and certaintie that incomparable good thing which hee bestoweth vpon vs here below as a pledge and earnest pennie of those which hee will consequently giue vs to possesse with him in the highest heauens Origen expounding these words of the Apostle Orig. in Ep. ad Rom. l 3. c. 3. Where is thy glorying it is shut out c. He saith saith he that the iustification which is of faith onely doth suffice although that the belieuer haue not wrought any worke And for an example wee haue the theefe for whose onely faith Jesus said vnto him This day thou shalt be with me in Paradice c. And so likewise the woman in the Gospell Luke the seuenth The Pharisie said Jf he were a Prophet he would know what shee is but for her faith onely Iesus said vnto her Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee c. And for this cause the Apostle doth not boast himselfe of his owne righteousnesse chastitie wisedome c. But of the Crosse of Christ in the Lawe of faith which is in Iesus Christ c. Saint Ambrose saith Ambros de Virgin l. 3. Christ hath not redeemed thee with siluer nor gold haue thy siluer readie thou art not arrested euerie day though thou be in debt He hath paid his bloud for thee thou art indebted vnto him this bloud for we lay pawned in the hands of a wicked Creditor We haue beene the cause of the bill of our owne blame and guiltinesse by our sinnes Idem de fide l. 3. c. 3. wee owe for the punishment of the same our bloud the Lord Iesus is come hee hath paid his bloud for vs c. Againe Our redemption is by the bloud of Christ our forgiuenesse and pardon by his power and our life by his grace Idem de bono mort c. 2. Ep. 72.73 Againe Eternall life that is the forgiuenesse of sinnes and the Lord Iesus is come to fasten our sufferings to his Crosse to forgiue vs our sinnes to nayle to the crosse our obligation and to wash all the world in his blood Otherwise Idem de Iacob beat vita l. 1. c. 5. Psalme 118. saith he wherefore should the Prophet haue said Haue mercie on mee if he had trusted vnto his owne righteousness if there be any thing but mercie which deliuereth from sin But hee that hath need of mercie is a sinner and therefore what soeuer good commeth to vs let vs impute it to the righteousnesse of Christ It is the mercie of the Lord that remission of sinnes is freely and liberally giuen vnto vs Let no man glorie or boast himselfe that he hath a chast hart c. Againe Idem de fide l. 3. c. 3. My wisedome that is to saie the crosse of Christ My redemption the death of Christ Again By the disobedience of one man many are made sinners by the obedience of one man many are made righteous Againe God hath taken vpon him our flesh to abolish the curse of our sinfull flesh Idem de fuga saecul c. 7. Iudicato he was made a curse for vs to the end that the blessing might swallow vppe the curse integritie sinne grace the sentence of death and life death it selfe for he likewise hath vndergone death to fulfill the sentence of death and to satisfie the iudge for the curse lying vppon sinfull flesh Faith receiueth and taketh hold of grace Idem de paenit l. 2. Ex Syngrapha Idem in ep ad Rom. c. 3. 4 euen to the death c. And here behold the poole of grace the fountaine of life freely set open who shall put vs into the poole who shall draw for vs out of that fountaine verily verily no other helping hand saith the Apostle but faith yea Onely faith saith Saint Ambrose Let vs hope and looke for saith he the pardoning of sinnes by faith and not as by debt or merite faith will obtaine it for vs as by vertue of couenant vnder writing that is to say of the promises of God by the which he hath bound himselfe vnto vs Praesumptio propior est arroganti quà m roganti c. Presumption that is that ouer high couceipt we haue of our workes is more incident to such as arrogate and challenge for their owne eternall life by their desertes then to such as acknowledging themselues to haue no parte therein as of themselues doe humblie craue the same by praier c. Againe They are iustified freely because they are iustified without doing or working for the same and because they giue not any thing in exchange for the same they are iustified by faith alone by the gift of God c. The wicked man impius is iustified before God by faith alone c. For Idem devocat Gen. l. 2. c. 8. He that dare saith he preach that the grace of God is giuen according to mens merites preacheth against the catholike faith c. Let no man therefore glorie in his workes for no man shall be iustified by them He that is iust he hath it of gift Tertullian calleth it Donatiuum for hee is iustified by being washed It is faith that deliuereth vs by the blood of Christ Idem ep 71. Blessed is he whose sinnes are remitted and hath his pardon granted c. Againe By the sinne of one all haue deserued to bee condemned sinning alike for in the righteousnesse of one all shall be iustified credentes that belieue If hee
had taught as our aduersaries doe should hee not haue put downe in stead of his Antithesis or contrarie assertion which he bringeth in In meriting alike Idem ad Rom. c. 8. by working that which is good as he himselfe doth c. Here it were requisite that we should bring in the whole and intire speeches of S. Augustine but we will content our selues with his ordinarie maximes Death could not be ouercom but by death Christ hath taken vpon him to die that his vniust vnderserued death might ouercome ours that was iust and deserued August serm 10◠de temp Idem serm 141 de Temp. and to the end that he might deliuer the guilty iustly being himselfe slaine for them vniustly Christ in bearing the punishment being guiltles hath paid the punishment and satisfied the offence His resurrection hath paide or broken the bandes of our double death and hath in like manner framed and procured our twofold resurrections c. Our righteousnesse notwithstanding that it were true yet is it such in this life as that it consisteth rather in the forgiuenes of sinnes then in the perfection of vertues Idem serm 18. de Temp. Idem de ciuit Dei l. 19. c. 27. l. 2. c. 29. Idem de verb. Domim serm 61. Idem de verb. Apost serm 6. Idem in psal 30. Idem in psal 70. Our sanctuarie and cittie of refuge our enfranchisement is the remission and forgiuenes of our sinnes c. If our righteousnes be not in Christ then it is no righteousnes at all Our righteousnes is he which goeth vnto the father whereas notwithstanding we are not seperated from him in as much as he is one with vs euen with his bodie which is the Church Our righteousnes is the righteousnes of God not our owne which we haue in him and not in our selues The law cannot be accomplished by thee it hath beene accomplished by Christ c. And therefore saith the Psalmist Deliuer me in thy righteousnesse for if thou shouldest looke vpon behold mine thou wouldest condemne me Now this is that iustice of God which is made ours when it is giuen vnto vs. Againe I know no righteousnesse in my selfe I do not call to mind any other then thy righteousnesse deliuer me by thine and not by mine owne for if I haue no better to saue me by then mine owne I shall be numbred amongst them of whome it is written That the not knowing the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.3 but seeking to establish their owne did not submit themselues vnto that righteousnesse which is of God that is to say to the righteousnesse which is of faith exhibited by grace Which saith he raiseth vp those that are cast downe August contr aduers legis Idem de Trinitate l. 13. whereas the law casteth downe them that are raised vp bestoweth good things vpon man where as the Law doth nothing but commaunde goodnesse that is in as much as it doth iustifie vs by the bloud of Christ And what is it saith he to be iustified in the bloud of Christ The father being angrie seeth his Sonne dead for vs Idem de grat Christ l. 1. c. 48 and so becommeth appeased toward vs. Whereupon we shall be saued not in our selues but in God not by our selues but by Jesus Christ And not in our owne righteousnesse but in his For the Apostle S. Paul saith verie wel that he is vnreproueable according to the righteousnesse which is of the Law but this righteousnesse he accompteth as dung and losse in respect of the righteousnesse which we hope for Idem in Psal 31. in Psal 138. and which we ought to thirst after c. Because saith he in another place that the one causeth vs to loose the other For Si vis alienus esse à gratia saith he if thou wilt haue no part in grace then boast thy selfe of thy merites All wholly is imputed to the grace of Christ and not to our merites Blessed are they not in whome there is no sinne found but vnto whome their sinnes are forgiuen Idem in Psal 142. Idem in Psal 142. c. In an other place Heare me in thy righteousnesse not in mine owne if he should say Heare me in my righteousnesse he should call it his merit Yea but he calleth it in some places his righteousnesse But when he speaketh of his owne he vnderstandeth giuen as when we say Giue vs our bread c. But hee speaketh in a more reformed manner when he saith Idem Serm. 49 de Temp. Idem in Psal 142. In thy righteousnes Again Thou shalt quicken me in thy righteousnes not in mine owne not because that I haue merited that thou shouldest so doe but because that thou hast pittie vpon me They whose sinnes are couered for they are couered they are abolished and blotted out If God haue couered our sinnes Voluit auertere he would turne aside and not see them and if hee would not see Noluit animaduertere hee would not take acknowledgement thereof neither yet saith he by consequent punish them Idem tract 3. in Iohn Noluit agnoscere maluit ignoscere he would not appoint any punishment for them he had rather forgiue them For what other thing can it be to see them but to punish them c. The body of Christ that is to say the Church is not iustified in it selfe but by grace And all the members thereof euen all those that are iustified by Christ are iust and that not in themselues but in him This grace exhibited and powred abroad in Christ this righteousnesse of Christ which must go in paiment for ours Idem de spir lit c. 8. how shal we come by it By the merit of our works or by the meanes of faith Verily saith he by faith By faith saith the Apostle euery man is iustified but hee addeth The righteousnesse of God is manifest He saith not the righteousnesse of man or of his owne will but the righteousnesse of God and yet hee meaneth not that essentiall righteousnesse of which God is called righteous but that wherwith he clotheth couereth man when he iustifieth the wicked The righteousnesse of God notwithstanding by the faith of Christ that is to say Idem Ep. 106. by the faith by which we belieue in Christ Againe The law according to which the Apostle a most constant Preacher of grace saith that no man shall be iustified doth not consist onely in circumcision or other the Sacraments of the same which hath figuratiue promises but also in the workes thereunto belonging and which who so performeth liueth iustly that is in the Law of the ten Commaundements c. This is far off from that which our Aduersaries answere That the Apostle in that his whole discourse doth meane nothing but the ceremoniall law And the doers of the law shal not be iustified that is to say shal not be made righteous shal not
sufficiently set out this doctrine My merite saith he is no other thing then the mercie of God I am not poore or spare of merites vntill such time as mercies begin to faile I will sing eternally And what Of mine owne righteous workes Nay O Lord I will call to mind thy righteousnesse alone for euen it also is mine For thou art become and made righteousnesse vnto me from God Should J feare that it will not be sufficient for both Nay this is no short cloake Idem Serm. 67.68 that is not able to couer two Thy righteousnesse is righteousnesse and indureth to all eternities This large and long lasting righteousnesse shall couer both thee and me for euer and in me a multitude of sinnes Idem Ep. 190. contr A bailar c. On the contrarie saith he Whereas merite hath forestalled and setled it selfe grace cannot find so much as a doore or any other place to enter at All that thou attributest to merites belongeth vnto the grace of God c. The children new borne stand not in need of merites for they haue the merites of Christ c. For saith he where as man wanted righteousnesse of his owne Aliunde the righteousnesse of an other was assigned vnto him Man was indebted and man paid the debt the satisfaction of one is imputed vnto all the head hath satisfied for the members Colossians 2. c. And what reason should there bee why our righteousnesse should not come from elswhere then from our selues seeing that our sinne came from elsewhere And should sinne be inherent in the seede of the sinner and righteousnesse separated from the bloud of our Sauiour Nay but as they died in Adam so they shall be quickned in Christ J am defiled of the one by the flesh but I take hold of the other by faith And if thou obiect vnto me the sinfulnesse of my birth and generation I set against it my regeneration my spiritual birth against my carnall birth Idem de Caenaâ—â—cmâ—ni Idem l. degrat liber arâ—it He that hath taken pittie vpon the sinner will not condemne the iust And righteous I may be bold to call my selfe but by the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ And what manner of righteousnesse The end of the Law is Christ in righteousnesse to all them that belieue seeing he is made righteousnesse vnto vs from God the father Now if hee haue beene made righteousnesse vnto me is not it mine The righteousnesse then of man consisteth in the bloud of the redeemer c. So farre forth as That it is impossible saith he that the least sinnes should be washed away otherwise then of Christ and by Christ c. And who is he that iustifieth himselfe but he that presumeth of other merites then his grace Incentura And this also is properly to be said to be he that knoweth not the righteousnesse of God it is hee onely that doth meritortous workes which hath made them vpon whome he may bestow them That which we call merites Via regni sed non causa regnandi is the nurcerie of hope the matches and matter to make charitie shine out the signes of a secret predestination the forerunners of a future felicitie and the way whereby to enter into the kingdome but not the cause of raigning c. In as much verily as the kingdome of heauen is an inheritance but the way to come thither is the feare of God manifested saith the Apostle in good workes which God hath prepared to the end that we should walke in them c. Whereby wee may iudge how farre Saint Barnard his doctrine is off from that of our Aduersaries in this point and yet it is not passing three hundred yeares since he writ when as he acknowledgeth no righteousnesse able to iustifie a sinner but the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to the sinner continually vsing this word of imputation whereat they stumble and whereto they oppose and set themselues so much He acknowledgeth not I say any merit but the merit of Christ nor any satisfaction but that which he made for vs vppon the Crosse And he maketh al this to be ours by faith alone Idem in Psal 91. Serm 9. Idem Serm. 10 15. as appeareth by that which followeth Let him saith hee that will pretend his merit it is good for me to put my hope in God God will saue them saith the Psalmist By what merits Heare what coÌ„meth after Because they haue hoped in him Hereby then consider their righteousnesse euen that which is of faith and not that which is of the Law Faith saith Great good things are prepared for the faithfull Hope These good things are reserued for me Charitie I runne thither ward as fast as I can c. In a word all the merit of man is that he haue his hope fixed in him which hath saued euery man c. Idem in Cantic Serm. 24. Epist 190. Whosoeuer findeth in himselfe remorce and compunction for his sinnes hungreth and thirsteth after righteousnesse Let him belieue in thee O Lord which iustifiest the wicked and he shall haue peace with God Being iustified saith he by faith onely For saith he the end of the Law is Christ vnto righteousnesse saith the Apostle vnto euerie belieuer c. CHAP. XIX That good workes are the gift of God and therefore cannot merit and to what vse or ende they serue according to the holy Scriptures and the fathers WHat then Are our workes vnprositable God forbid Whereunto good workes serue They are vnprofitable to iustifie thee before God and yet no doubt profitable to iustifie that is to say to testifie thy faith before the Church vnprofitable to make thee a Sonne to make thee an heyre but profitable liuely to set forth and truely to point out a Sonne a child of the promise in as much as thou liuest according to God in that thou indeuorest to edifie his elect and chosen For saith the Apostle wee are created in Christ vnto good workes which God hath prepared Eph. 2 2. Cor. 5. 1. Pet 2. to the end that we might walke in them He is dead he is risen againe for vs but it is to that end that wee may liue vnto him that we may die vnto sinne and liue vnto righteousnesse Hee hath deliuered vs from the seruitude of sinne and from the power of darknesse Rom 13. Iam. 2. 1. Timoth. 5. Rom. 8. but to the end that we might serue vnto righteousnesse that we might renounce the workes of darknesse and put on the armour of light Be cause that Faith without workes is dead Because that Who so saith that he knoweth God and doth not his commaundements is a lyer And because that Wee are debters to liue according to the spirit and not according to the flesh And therefore if we haue not loue The loue wee beare to God must not consider thereward but our obedience and dutiful regard Iohn 3.
the hearts of the elect the remission of their sinnes Vnto the Lambe saith he without spot or blemish that beareth the sinnes of the world alone righteous and by consequent alone fit and meete to enter into the holy of holies Now if he onely enter thereinto hee entereth all whole without any faile not one of his bones shal be broken The head shal not enter without the rest of his members his faithfull ones Cohaerentes fide conformes moribus which are fastned vnto him by faith and made conformable vnto him in their manners And they shall enter thereinto couered and clothed with his righteousnesse For saith he He hath giuen it them it is imputed vnto them he is made vnto them righteousnesse from God yea sufficient righteousnes And seeing he is made righteousnesse vnto vs it is ours c. And as for all our owne it is nothing but vnrighteousnes Idem in Can. serm 73. Idem Serm. 1 in Natal Dom Idem de â—â—pl miseric Dei Idem de sept miseric Idem Serm. 3. de Aduent Dom. Idem Dominic 1. post oct Epiph. Idem Serm. 1. de Annunt virg Mar. Initiat For there not the most holy that are but they stand in need to pray for their sinnes to the end that they may be saued by mercie Noe Daniel and Iob must repaire vnto this fountaine Pari voto with the same request desire and thirst that all others For euen the sinnes that we daily commit and which we accompt but sleight are such as presently receiue the sentence of condemnation without any delaie And mine owne soule saith hee of it selfe if God had not sustained me I both doe and will confesse was readie and prone to fall into all kind of sinne But saith hee behold and see his grace he hath iustified vs freely to the end that his grace might be the highlier esteemed of vs. And this grace doth not onely pardon and forgiue vs our sinnes but giueth vnto vs his merits For to the obtaining of remission of sins it is necessarie to haue indulgentiam Dei Gods pardon and it is impossible to haue any good worke if he himselfe doe not giue it but yet much more impossible to merit eternall life by any workes if it be not freely giuen c. Wherevpon the Prophet saith Blessed are they to whome the Lord imputeth no sinne c. And therefore saith hee we haue neede of a threefold grace a conuerting grace a grace assisting vs in temptations and a rewarding grace The first doth rough hew vs as being that whereby we are called The second doth set vs forward as by which wee are iustified The third doth perfect vs as by which we are glorified And the first is called the good pleasure of God The second merit but note by the way in what sence and signification he taketh it And the third praemium a gift wages recompence and all three graces Of the first it is said Idem Serm. 5. de Assumpt beat Mar. Wee haue all receiued of his fulnesse of the others grace for grace the gift of eternall life for the merit that is to say for the gift of temporall warfare And this grace of iustification sanctification and glorification is receiued in the Church by faith in Christ For saith he The misled and vnaduised Sinagogue which hath despised the righteousnesse of God for to establish her owne was reiected and cast off but vnto the spouse of Christ vnto the true Church it is said Desponsaut te mihi in fide I haue betrothed thee vnto me in faith iudgement righteousuesse mercie and compassion Neither must thou say that thou hast chosen me for I haue chosen thee and for to moue me to make thee my choice I did not find in thee any merits but it was of my selfe who preuented thee And therefore I haue affianced thee in faith that is to say not in the workes of the Law and in righteousnesse but that which is of faith and not of the Lawe It remaineth then for thee to iudge betwixt me and thy selfe seeing I haue affianced thee not according to thy merit but according to mine owne good will and pleasure Wherefore let it bee farre from thee to obiect vnto me either thy merits or the workes of the law or yet the heat of the day or the scorching heate of the Sunne which thou pretendest to haue indured but rather acknowledge that thou art affianced vnto me both by faith and also by the righteousnesse of faith in mercie and compassion For the true spouse acknowledgeth both the one and the other grace namely the preuenting grace as also that which followeth and commeth after it And what he saith of the Church he saith of the faithfull as he doth of the members that which he saith of the bodie Idem Serm. 67. super Cantic It is sufficient saith he to merit to know that merits are not sufficient And not to presume of merits is to merit and yet not to presume vppon them is to presume after a farre more sure and certaine way for we haue large matter to glorie of euen the ample mercies of the Lord Idem Serm. 68. super Cantic and his truth which indureth for euer That is to say faith in his promises For is there not sure and certaine matter for vs to glorie in when mercie and truth doe meete together for vs c. And al this by faith Belieue saith he that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee by him against whom alone thou hast sinned and who alone is able to deface blot them out and thou doest wel This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost beareth vnto our hearts saying Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Whereupon the Apostle saith that men are iustified freely by faith Idem Serm. 1. in Annunciat Mariae Idem super Cant. 22. Ep. 77. Yea saith he by faith onely And so Saint Ambrose vnderstandeth him in his booke of the death of Valentinian And with such I am willing either to erre or to bee wise belieuing that man may be saued by faith alone yea without the receiuing of the Sacrament for Valentinian died whiles hee was of the number of the Catechised prouided that hee haue a desire to receiue it And this it may be was the cause saith he that our Sauiour hauing said Who so shall belieue and be baptised shal be saued in that which followeth saith onely He that shall not belieue shall be condemned c. To shew that onely faith is sometimes sufficient vnto saluation that without it nothing auaileth But this faith by which the iust man liueth doth truely liue it selfe for otherwise how should it quicken and make aliue For by this faith saith hee the heart is cleansed And God cannot bee seene Idem l. 5. de confider that is to say knowne but of him that hath a pure and cleane heart Neither is this faith any doubtfull beliefe On the contrarie opinion when it is growne to a
by the dutie of the righteousnesse and iustice of God Rom 8.18 Cleane contrarie to that which Saint Paule saith But eternall life is the grace of God c. The miseries of this life that is to say the tortures and torments that we suffer for the name of Christ Are not worthie Non sunt condignae of the glorie which is to come c. As if they would vse this word Condignum of purpose in despite of the Apostle Durand l. 2. D 18. q. 4. art 12. Arist 8. Ethic. And Durand likewise saith in plaine tearmes That no man can merit Deâ—condigno according to the iustice of God either commutatiuely or distributiuely That such merit hath his place in the dealing betwixt man and man but not with God that the Philosopher teacheth vs That in things that concerne God Fathers and Mothers there is no equiualencie or equalitie That to gainesay the same cannot bee without temeritie and blasphemie That though God should not giue eternall glorie to him that should die in grace yet hee could not be called vniust no not though hee should take it away from him that had it On the contrarie that God might say vnto him that which is in the Gospell May I not doe with mine owne as best liketh me And what should such a partie haue to replie but onely the saying of Iob The Lord gaue it me and the Lord hath taken it away from me c. Jn as much as euerie good thing whatsoeuer is of the free gift of God c. Afterward Thomas had said That there was some manner of meanes for man to fulfill the Law although not in the highest degree and most absolute manner yet after a meaner and weaker fashion But these men say much more That it may not onely bee perfectly fulfilled but things much more difficult as namely some such as whereunto wee are not any way bound and therefore bee called and are workes of Supererogation And that as by the fulfilling of the Law wee purchase eternall life vnto our selues so by the working of that which is ouer and aboue the Law we purchase the same for others In which ranke the traditions of men are reckoned and placed Deut. 12. Numb 15 Esay 1.29 Mat. 15. as also their voluntarie deuotions afflictions affected fastings whippings and beating c. Of all which things God hath said vnto vs Doe not that which seemeth right in your eyes but that which I haue commaunded you Who hath required such things at your hands It is in vaine that you worship me according to the precepts of men c. To bee short a graie Frier became so shamelesse in the Councell of Trent as to declaime expounding the second Chapter of the Epistle to the Romaines That those who had liued before the Lawe had obtained eternall life without the faith of Christ. And wee reade in a booke intituled Flosculi B. Francisci That all those that were come into the world since the time of Saint Frances calling vpon him were saued by him And wee haue seene it that to weare his hoode was held for a second Baptisme to die in his hood or to put his hand onely in the same at the time of death with an intent to weare it as worthie a worke as to suffer martyrdome And what shal we say when as yet to this day to beare about blessed graines cast Pictures and such other the Romish marchandise are accompted to be as so many steps to lift a man vp into Paradise Romish ceremonies or to bring him backe out of Purgatorie When as also their Agnus Dei are consecrated with this blasphemie That they may haue the same power to deliuer vs out of the power of the Diuell that the Sonne of God the vnspotted Lambe slaine and offered vpon the Altar of the Crosse had to blot out our sinnes to obtaine our pardon and to relieue vs with grace and that such grace as whereby we may both merit and receiue eternall life We were come then so farre neither can we yet get out that we would not be any more indebted vnto God and withall we had robbed him if it had bin possible of the honour of our creation So mightily had pride masked vnder the shadow of humility wrought in vs as that we failed not willingly to arme our selues with our owne righteousnesse and therein to wrastle against his whereas indeed our miserie should haue brought vs on our knees and haue taught vs to implore and sue for his mercie Yet all these monstrous blasphemies were not vncontrolled For as S. Paul opposed himselfe to them of the Circumcision S. Augustine against Pelagius and S. Bernard against Abailardus and others of his time so in this age wherein the Schoolemen and Mendicant Friers stept foorth for the vpholding and fortifying of the same the Waldenses and Albigenses did oppose themselues thereunto of whose Articles this was one That euerie belieuer is iustified by onely faith in Christ c. Wickliefe in England in the yeare 1400. in the open Vniuersitie Profess fidei Waldens ad Vladislaum reg Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prague in the yeare 1415. in the Councell of Constance and Ierome Sauonarola in the yeare 1490. or there about whose bookes are so full of most excellent places for the prouing of free iustification against the pretended merits of whatsoeuer Saints or Martyrs as that it would beseeme vs to set them downe here word for word and the rather because hee was a man so highly esteemed of in Italy Tota meditat in Psal 5 1. as that the Counte Picus Mirandula called him the holy Prophet and tooke vpon him boldly to defend him in a booke written to that purpose against the Pope And what shall we say Adrian 6. in 4. Sent. when they themselues in our time vpon the beginning of the reformation of Religion were euen ashamed thereof Certes Adrian of Vtrecht who was afterward Pope Adrian the sixth saith plainely Our merits are a staffe of Reede whereupon if a man leane it breaketh and the shiuers therof runne into his hand Our righteousnesse a defiled cloth vpon this cloth of a good life which we haue a purpose to weaue vp with the workes of righteousnesse we continually distill and let droppe Clithou in Cant. the purulent and filthâ—â— matter of diuers crimes c. And Clithouius said at Paris Our merits are none before God vnto whome wee owe all our good workes if there be any such are not good vnto him but through his goodnesse our righteousnesse is nothing but filthinesse c. In like manner Iohannes Ferus a graie Frier whom they haue in our daies tearmed to be the chiefe and principall Preacher and Doctor in all Germanie is censured by Dominicus a Soto a Iacobine and Spaniard in 67. places but principally for hauing spoken euill of this Article according to their intention in his Commentaries In whose defence one Michael Medina a Spanish gray
was forbidden in the Councell of Laodicea Can. 14. And therefore there was but a little kept because that in the feruent zeale of those times the holy supper was celebrated almost euerie day and that a great deale lesse then the water of the Fonts which for all that was neither transubstantiated nor worshipped And this was the custome of the Church Some of superstition carried it into their houses and some women would wrap it vp in their handkerchefs lockt it vp in their Coffers and eate it at their owne houses c. Now let men iudge if the first ages of the Church did euer take the Sacrament to be God if it would haue suffered these prophanations But these examples are worthie to be as much accompted of in the Church as theirs that vsed to put it in childrens mouthes abusing this place If any man eate my flesh c. or of others who would put it in the mouthes of those that were dead c. being practises that haue beene condemned by many Councels And they are happily vanished and worne away of themselues howsoeuer they were grounded vppon verie auncient tradition euen since the time of Tertullian and S. Cyprian as also by the ordinance of Charlemaine That the Ministers should haue the Eucharist consecrated euerte day L. 1. c. 161. for children Because they had no other staie or foundation then the Scripture misunderstood The custome likewise being not of keeping it but of giuing it to them which were in extremitie grew hereupon that many sinking and shrinking away vnder the heate of persecution they were excluded and put from the Sacraments by the seueritie of this first discipline and that euen to the hower of death whereto the famous storie of Serapio is to bee referred And then that they might be comforted by their being receiued into the peace and Communion of the Church hauing giuen tokens of repentaunce the Ministers of the Church accompanied with their friendes did communicate vnto them the holy Supper and oftentimes also did communicate with them Againe wee reade not in all those 800. yeares The questions moued in these latter ages were not heard of in the first no not of 800. yeares after Christ which fall into the time of Charlemaine in any of the bookes of those graue and holy Doctors any of the questions wherewith the Schooles were afterward filled The people which read and heard the word of God and his seruice in their owne language was wonted to the phrases and manners of speeches vsed in the Scriptures the sheepe of the Lord did heare and vnderstand his voice and rested contented and satisfied therewith Barbarisme brought into the Church did beget these barbarous Expositions and consequently these blasphemous questions not as they are barbarous If our Lord do leaue heauē to come into the place of bread If in comming thither he passe through the ayre If he doe forsake the same againe so soone as the kind is striken vpon with the tooth or else if he goe downe into the stomacke and being in the stomacke whether he rest therin altogether and how long staying in the stomack whether he waite and attend there till the forme of the bread at the least bee disgested whether he chaunge himselfe at such time into the soule or body of the Communicant or whether he vanish into nothing or else returne to heauen Whether the accidents of bread and wine doe cleaue vnto him or else abide hanging in the ayre Whether the Priest in remouing the host doe remoue the body of Christ or the accidents onely Or rather whether the Priest remouing the accidents God do fit and accommodate the bodie of Christ to this mouing Againe Whether the thing nourished or rather poysoned as it is to be seene become a new substance which God createth in the stomacke and whereunto they fasten themselues Whether the body of Christ bee whole and all in euerie part of the host or at the least in those parts which are to be seene by an indifferent and meane sight as also the bloud in any the least drop Whether he be there alwaies standing his head turned toward the Priest c. Or else after the same manner of position and placing that he is in heauen set or otherwise and whether hee be there clothed or naked Whether the Priest be able to consecrate all the bread and wine of the world or that onely which is before him And whether that which he seeth onely or that also which he seeth not prouided that hee be equally distant from the one and the other Whether the words become of sufficient power being spoken once or many times to consecrate many hosts And what the words must bee whether those that our Lord spoke when he blessed the signes which we know not or those fower Hoc est corpus meum Or whether Enim bee requisite and necessarie thereto or not Or else Quod pro vobis datur c. Whether the intent of the Priest bee requisite if not actuall yet at the least habituall or inclining or disposed Whether that Christ bee entred into the bread after this word Hoc is spoken or after Est or the whole fiue words Whether he enter into the same seeing hearing speaking doing all that which he seeth heareth c. in heauen or else blind deafe dumbe c. and a thousand such like which we shall see hereafter Questions such as we shall not find any step or trace of in all the writings of the reuerend old Fathers as neither of their doctrine Whereat these good fathers would bee afraid and ashamed if they should liue againe and which verily I should haue made conscience to haue vttered if conscience did not bind me to discouer and vnfold the absurdities whereinto one falschood once receiued hath cast and plunged vs beeing also such as Dame impudencie her selfe would blush at howsoeuer that strumpet clothed with Scarlet died in the bloud of the Martyrs of Christ doe not blush thereat at all CHAP. VIII What hath beene the originall proceeding and increase of the opinion of Transubstantiation vnto the yeare 1215. And how it was ratisied and established by a decree in the Councell of Laterane THus then we see what the opinion was not onely of the first old writers but of all almost the later concerning the holy supper and how far off it was from that which is receiued at this day And now it onely remaineth that we see how it is transubstantiated by what degrees manner of proceeding The originall of Transubstantiation which worke wee will frame and applie our sclues in these our next labours to set downe Now it is a fresh to bee set before our eyes that the first zeale of Christendome beeing decaied and dead Christians came but fewe and seldome to the receiuing of the holy Sacrament in so much as that we haue heard those good Fathers complaining of the same in their Sermons and forced to
implore and craue the aide and authoritie of the Emperours whose Lawes to that effect are extant with vs That euerie person should communicate euerie Sabboth after that at the least thrise a yeare vpon paine of not being held any more for Christians The Ministers thē that feared that their offerings which were at that time their principall staie and maintenance for there were not as yet any personages or foundations of Masses or priuate seruices should come to be dried vp were constrained as we haue seene to teach the people that although they communicated not it wold not faile to yeeld them great aduantage furtherance to the saluation of their soules if they would but onely bee present at their seruice And the more easie to perswade them the same as wee say before they did suggest into them by little and little That there was not handled a Sacrament onely but also a sacrifice So that though they did not communicate in the one yet at the least they were partakers in the other A doctrine plausibly imbraced of the most part of those which had learned the meaning of the trying and proouing of themselues which is required in the receiuing of the Lords supper not comming to the same but with feare and trembling and which on the contrarie did see that there was nothing more easie then to bee present at this pretended sacrifice the profit whereof was so highly commended to them and also vnderpropt as we haue seene heretofore by the Lawes of the Emperours And to make the same to be the more reuerently thought of they applie thēselues the more freely to deceiue the present age being now ouer-shadowed with ignorance and the people brought to entertaine a seruice which was done altogether in an vnknowne language by meanes of the alteration of languages which hapned almost throughout al Christendome with diuers discourses and sundrie speeches taken out of those godly Fathers a thing vnpossible for any man to haue effected in their time the people being then seasoned with the doctrine of Christ by the reading of the Scriptures the preaching of good Bishops the frequenting of their Sermons and the Ecclesiasticall seruice which euerie where was done according to the rule of the Apostle in the vulgar tongue And yet wee are not to imagine that this monster was perfected by such increase and growth all at once For first it found such as by whome it was conceiued and after some to beare it others to bring it foorth others to receiue it vpon their laps others to nurse it and others to like and beautifie it Many were the ages that ouer-passed before it came to any certaine forme or shape and hardly hath it as yet attained an assured and secure estate as we shall see when as the most learned and soundest part of Christendome hath condemned smothered it right out sometimes by the spirit of the mouth of the Lord. Damascen about they yeare 800. was the first that remoued the markes of the ancients concerning this matter prouing also a patron of many other superstitions in his time but particularly of the adoration of images Out of this man our aduersaries alleadge these words The bread and wine are not figures of the body bloud of Christ L. 4. c. 14. God forbid but it is the verie deified body of the Lord the Lord himselfe saying This is my boby not the figure of my bodie c. directly contrarie to Tertullian Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine The Lord hath not doubted to call the bread his bodie althogh it were but the figure and signe of his bodie c. Againe Damascen saith If any man haue called them representations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Basill it is before their sanctification Whereas we are of iudgement with Bellarmine that before the same they could not be called by that name and in deed it is after But of what force can these his speeches be if he agree not either with our aduersaries or with himselfe Thou demaundest saith he how the bread is made the bodie of Christ c. I answere thee the holy Ghost worketh these things farre surpassing speech and vnderstanding but the bread and wine are taken Then they retaine their substance Againe God stooping to our wonted vse and custome worketh the things that are aboue nature by the things that are accustomed vnto nature As in Baptisme hee ioyneth the grace of the holy Ghost with the oyle and water and hath made the same the washing of regeneration So because it is an ordinarie thing for men to eate bread and drinkewine hee hath ioyned to these things his Diuinitie and hath made them his bodie and his bloud c. Then the bread and wine do continue in the holy supper no more transubstantiated then the water and oyle in Baptisme And declaring this coniunction afterward Esay saith he saw the coale not altogether simple but made one with the fire so the bread of the Communion is not altogether simple but ioyned to the Diuinitie But yet not without the abusing of the comparison vsed of the auncient writers for the representing of the Vnion of the humane nature with the diuine in Christ Now the burning cole abideth still a cole in Esay and notwithstanding a propitiation for his sinnes How doth al this agree with that deified bodie that he spoke of a little before With that which they say at this day that came after Thomas That the bread is not the bodie of Christ That the essence of bread goeth not into the essence of the bodie but that it giueth place to the bodie but that it vanisheth away c And who seeth not that these are patches ill fauouredly set together by a Monke which knew not whereunto to hold himselfe Apon l. in Cant. l 5. sub fine Aponius a great man in his time dealeth somewhat better Christ according to the place time and cause is become the meate and drinke of the Church by the Sacrament of his bodie and of his bloud And in an other place he calleth this Sacrament Desponsationem annuli traditionem osculi The ring and the kisse of the affiancing of Christ vnto his Church that is to say the certaine pledge of the coniunction of the faithfull with Christ And now consider the doctrine of the Church in the VII generall Councell Citatur in Nicaen Syn. 2. art 6. held at the same time at Constantinople vnder the Emperour Constantine V. wherein all Images of Christ were condemned this onely for so the holy supper was there called being reserued All those saith he doe glad and reioyce themselues which bring to the saluation of the spirit and bodie the true image of Christ which our high Priest taking wholly vpon him our fleshly masse when hee drew neere vnto his Passion gaue vnto his Ministers and Disciples for a figure and remembrance of exceeding great efficacie for hauing freely and willingly offered himselfe to die hee