transgressing of one huspeled and handled as though they were some haynous rebbels and traytors Who be it spoken without disparagement to others are by them that liue neare them esteemed commonly the most orderly subjectes as true of their wordes as sound in their deedes of as greate charity and hospitality towardes their neighbours and compassion of the poore briefly of as moderate and ciuile carriage and behauiour as most men in their Country So that to begger and vndoe them as the execution of that lawe established must needes doe the poorer sorte of them would be litle lesse then vndoe and destroy all good order and Discipline in the common weale Before I make an end I beseech your Majestie that the old worthy saying of Cassian may diligently examined Cui bonum For whose commodity to what end and purpose must such numbers of most ciuill subjectes be so grieuously molested What is the cause why your peaceable and joyfull gouernment should be so mingled with such bitter stormes of persecution Is it to extinguish the Catholike faith It lyeth not in mans power to suppresse and destroy that which the Almighty supporteth and maintayneth Matth. 16. The gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Catholike Church And let but those graue wise counsailers who haue mannaged the state in our late Queenes dayes enforme your Majestie whether all those terrible persecutions that then were most vehemently pursued did any whitte at all diminish the number of recusantes or rather did not greatly multiply and encrease them from one at the first to an hundred and moe in continuance But it may be they entende by those penall lawes to enrich your Majestie and to fill your coffers Surely the receipts will fall out much to short to grow to any such reckoning And what delight to enrich your treasury and stuffe your coffers with regrets and out cries of the husband wife children widowes and poore infantes when as the best and most assured treasury of a King is by the prudent esteemed to consist in the loue and harty affection of his people Or are these penall lawes and forfaitures ordayned for rewardes vnto such dependents as for these or the like do follow you But the reuennues preferments offices belonging to your crowne of England are abundantly able to content and reward them that shall deserue well of the common weale without that so heauy agrieuance and hart bleeding of others your Majesties good subjectes And your Majesties high wisdome and long experience in gouernment can best remember you that such men are not so mindefull of benefits receiued as the daylie want and miserie will continually renue and reuiue the memorie of the oppressed And when they shall see no hope of remedie the state being nowe setled and a continuall posterity like to ensue of one nature and condition God knoweth what that forceable weapon of necessitie may constrayne and driue then vnto at length If then there be no greater reason of waight and moment why such dutifull and well deseruing Subjects should be so greeuously afflicted for their conscience Let others conceiue as they shall please I will neuer suffer my selfe to be perswaded that your Majestie will euer permitte it before I see it donne If it be further objected why should not your Majestie aswell punish Catholikes in your Kingdomes as Catholikes doe Protestants in some other Countries I answere that in all Countries where multitudes of both sortes are mixed as it is in England The Protestants are tollerated as in France Polonia Bohemia the Catholike states of Germanie and Cantounes according to that of the Gospell Suffer both the wheate and cockle to growe vntill haruest Math. 13. In Spaine and Italie where scarse any Protestants be the case is otherwise But what is that to England Where are very many Catholike Recusants and Catholikely affected in euery degree not only of the Temporalty but in the Clergie also hardly of the highest degrees of honour to be excepted therefore for their number and quality to be tollerated Lastly if there were no other cause but the innumerable benefittes which euery degree and order of men throughout England haue and doe daily receiue from our most Catholike Auncestors As the constituting of so many holsome lawes founding of so many honourable and rich rewardes of learning as Bishoprickes Cathedrall Churches Deaneries Arch-deaconries Residencies Prebendes and Benefices the erecting and building of so goodly Schooles Colledges and Hospitalles and endowing of them with so ample possessions which all proceeded out of the bowelles of the true wisedome pietie and vertue of their Catholike Religion Is not this much more then a sufficient motiue why their heires in faith should be most benignely and louingly dealt with and not for the profession of the same Religion so seuerely afflicted Let the Protestants in those countries where they are most molested appeare and shew that their predecessors in beliefe haue beene so beneficiall vnto the publike weale And I dare vndertake that for their Auncestors sake they shall finde much more fauour then wee sue for Wherefore they can haue no just cause to repine at your Majesties goodnes if vpon men of that Religion which hath beene so beneficiall vnto your whole Realme you take extraordinary compassion It lying then in your Majesties free choise and election whether you will enlarge and extend your Royall fauour vnto an infinite number of your most dutifull and affectionate Subjects who are the most vnwilling in the world to transgresse any one of your lawes were they not thereunto compelled by the lawe of God or else vtterly to beggar and to vndoe both them and theirs for their constant profession of the Auncient Roman faith My confidence in the sweet prouidence of the Almighty is that he will mercifullie incline your Royall heart to choose rather to pardon then to punish because the way of mercie consorteth better with your kinde and tender nature it is of better assurance to continue your peacible and prosperous Raigne it will purchase mercie at Gods hands according to his owne promise Blessed be the mercifull Math. 5. for they shall obtayne mercie I need not adde what a Consolation and Comfort it will be to many score thousands of your subjects and the greatest obligation that can be deuised to binde them to you and yours for euer Nowe what applause and congratulation from forraine Catholike countries would followe this your famous Fact Vndoubtedly all the glorious companie of Kinges and Queenes now in heauen of whom your are lineallie descended and among all the rest namelie your most sacred and deare Mother that endured so much for her constancy in the same Catholike faith cannot but take it most kindly if for God and their sakes you take into your Princelie protection their folowers in the Roman faith and defend them from oppression Thus most humbly crauing pardon of your Highnes if I haue in any thing exceeded the limittes of my bounden
of God whereby he accounteth and esteemeth that righteousnes which is in Christ as the righteousnes of that sinner which beleeueth in him By Christs righteousnes we are to vnderstand two thinges first his sufferings specially in his death and passion secondly his obedience in fulfilling the lawe both which goe together for Christ in suffering obeyed and obeying suffered And the very shedding of his bloud to which our saluation is ascribed must not onely be considered as it is passiue that is a suffering but also as it is actiue that is an obedience in which he shewed his exceeding loue both to his father and vs and thus fulfilled the lawe for vs. 3. Rule That iustification is from Gods mercies and grace procured onely by the merite of Christ 4. Rule That man is iustified by faith alone because faith is that alone instrument created in the hart by the Holy Ghost whereby a sinner laieth holde of Christs righteousnes and applies the same to him selfe There is neither hope nor loue nor any other grace of God within man that can doe this but faith alone now of the Doctrine of the Roman Church Because M. PERKINS settes not downe well the Catholikes opinion I will helpe him out both with the preparation and justification it selfe and that taken out of the Councel of Trent Where the very wordes concerning preparation are these Sess 6. c. 6. Men are prepared and disposed to this iustice when being stirred vp and helped by Gods grace they conceiuing faith by hearing are freely moued towardes God beleeuing those thinges to be true which God doth reueale and promise â—â—â—â—ely that he of his grace doth iustifie a sinner through the redemption that is in CHRIST IESVS And when knowledging them selues to be sinners through the feare of Gods iudgementes they turne them selues to consider the mercie of God are lifted vp into hope trusting that God will be mercifull vnto them for Christs sake and beginning to loue him as the fountayne of all iustice are there by moued with hatred and detestation of all sinnes Finally they determine to receiue baptisme to beginne a new life and to keepe all Christs commaundements After this disposition or preparation followeth Iustification and for that euery thing is best knowne by the causes of it all the causes of Iustification are deliuered by the Councell in the next Chapter which briefly are these The finall cause of the Iustification of a sinner is the glorie of God the glory of Christ and mans owne iustification the efficient is God the meritorious CHRIST IESVS Passions the instrumentall is the Sacrament of Baptisme the onlie formall cause is inherent iustice that is Faith Hope and Charity with the other giftes of the Holy Ghost powred into a mans soule at that instant of iustification Of the iustification by faith and the second iustification shall be spoken in their places So that we agree in this point that iustification commeth of the free grace of God through his infinite mercies and the merits of our Sauiours Passion and that all sinnes when a man is justified be pardoned him The point of difference is this that the Protestants hold that Christs Passion and obedience imputed vnto vs becommeth our righteousnes for the wordes of justice and justification they seldome vse and not any righteousnes which is in our selues The Catholikes affirme that those vertues powred into our soules speaking of the formall cause of iustification is our iustice and that through that a man is iustified in Gods sight and accepted to life euerlasting Although as you haue seene before we hold that God of his meere mercie through the merits of CHRIST IESVS our Sauiour hath freely bestowed that iustice on vs. Note that M. PERKINS comes to short in his second rule when he attributeth the merits of Christs suffringes to obedience whereas obedience if it had beene without charity would haue merited nothing at Gods handes And whereas M. PERKINS doth say that therein we raze the foundation that is as he interpreteth it in his preface we make Christ a Pseudochrist we auerre that herein we doe much more magnifie Christ then they doe for they take Christs merits to be so meane that they doe but euen serue the turne to deface sinne and make men worthie of the joyes of heauen Nay it doth not serue the turne but only that God doth not impute sinne vnto vs. We contrarywise doe so highly esteeme of our Sauiours inestimable merits that we hold them wel able to purchase at Gods handes a farre inferiour justice and such merits as mortall men are capable of and to them doe giue such force and value that they make a man just before God and worthy of the Kingdome of heauen as shall be proued Againe they doe great iniury to Gods goodnes wisedome and justice in their justification for they teach that inward justice or sanctification is not necessary to justification Yea their Ring-leader Luther saith That the iustified can by no sinnes whatsoeuer except he refuse to beleeue lose their saluation Wherein first they make their righteous man Like as our Sauiour speaketh to sepulchers whited on the out side with an imputed justice but within full of iniquity and disorder Then the wisdome of GOD must either not discouer this masse of iniquity or his goodnesse abide it or his justice either wipe it away or punish it But say they he seeth it well enough but couereth it with the mantle of Christs righteousnesse Why can any thing be hid from his sight it is madnesse to thinke it And why doth he not for Christes sake deface it and wipe it cleane away and adorne with his grace that soule whome he for his sonnes sake loueth and make it worthy of his loue and kingdome What is it because Christ hath not deserued it So to say were to derogate from the infinite value of his merits Or is it for that God cannot make such justice in a pure man as may be worthy of his loue and his kingdome And this were to deny Gods power in a matter that can be donne as we confesse that such vertue was in our first father Adam in state of innocencie And M. PERKINS seemes to graunt Pag. 77. That man in this life at his last gaspe may haue such righteousnesse If then we had no other reason for vs but that our justification doth more exalt the power and goodnes of God more magnifie the value of Christs merits and bringeth greater dignity vnto men our doctrine were much better to be liked then our aduersaries who cannot alleage one expresse sentence either out of holy Scriptures or auncient Fathers teaching the imputation of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs to be our justification as shall be seene in the reasons following and doe much abase both Christs merits and Gods power wisdome and goodnesse Now to their reasons M. PERKINS first reason is this That which must be our righteousnesse before God must satisfie the iustice of
had and giue it to the poore and come and follow him and then should haue a treasure in heauen These words are so expresse and euident that there can be but one way to shift from them which M. P. flyeth vnto Pag. 244. to witt that these wordes were onely meant vnto that yong man and not to be applyed vnto any others no more than those wordes to ABRAHAM of sacrificing his sonne ISAAC But this seely shift of our poore Protestants is confuted manifestly in the same chapter of Sainte MATTHEVV where a little after S. PETER sayeth Lord behold we haue left all things and haue followed thee what rewarde shall we therefore haue We haue done as S. HIEROM expoundeth it and the verie sequele of the text doth plainely require that which thou commaundest in the wordes before to that yong man What answere made our Sauiour That his commandement was onely meant vnto that young man and that they had done foolishlie in so doing nothing lesse but promiseth that they shall therefore sit with him in twelue seates iudging the twelue tribes of Israel And that who-so-euer would forsake Father Mother Landes goodes c. for his sake should receiue an hundreth fold and possesse life euerlasting Can any thing be more plaine out of the word of God it selfe than that not this or that man but whosoeuer shall forsake all for Christ doeth verie blessedlie And if neede were I could cite most of the auncient Fathers teaching those wordes of Christ Goe and sell all to be an heauenly counsell giuen generallie vnto all S. ANTONY tooke them spoken to him In vita eius apud Athanas S. AVGVSTINE to him ad Hilarium * Epist 89. to omit latter Religious men I will onely cite S. HIEROM who doeth briefely both declare our Catholike doctrine and shewes also who was the Author of the Protestants opinion * Lib. cont vigilant saying thus To that which thou affirmest that they doe better who vse their goods and do by little and litle distribute to the poore the profites of their possessions then others who selling them giue all at once not I but our Lord shall answere If thou wilt bee perfect goe and sell all thou hast and giue it to the poore CHRIST speaketh to him that will be perfect not to the young man onely who with the Apostles forsooke both father shippe and nettes That which thou VIGILANTIVS commendest obtayneth the second and third degree so that the first which is to sell all at once bee preferred before the seconde and thirde Which is to giue by little and little the fruite of our reuenues to the poore I might confirme this former argument with the example of the foresaide best Christians * Act 4. who hauing possessions and landes solde all and brought the price of them and layde it at the Apostles feete and more yet enforce it by the fact of ANANIAS and SAPHIRA his wife who hauing sold all theirs presented but part of the money vnto the Apostles and reserued the rest vnto them selues Be-like they were of M. P. his minde that it is better to giue then to receiue and therefore kept part to that purpose but they therefore were both punished with present death Which prooueth invincibly both how laudable it is to sell all and howe dangerous to halte in such holy workes But to auoyde prolixitie I doe but poynt at the places And that ANANIAS as the rest had promised this to God which is a Vowe it appeareth in the text where it is saide that hee lyed not vnto men but vnto God in not performing his promise And here we deduce verie cleerelie that such a Vowe is much pleasing vnto God thus That which is commended by our Sauiours owne both example and doctrine and was practized by the Apostles and most holy Christians that may be Vowed very laudablie but to sell all and giue it to the poore is such Nowe one worde of obedience before wee ende this question This Vowe sayeth M. P. is against Christian libertie whereby we haue granted vs a free vse of all things indifferent and therefore to bee bounde to certaine meates and apparrell is intollerable but this reason hath bene reprooued alreadie * Gal. 5.10 he addeth stand fast in the libertie wherein Christ hath made you free Doeth your breath or heart fayle you Sir that you stop thus in the middest of a sentence the rest belike discouereth the fraud of it And wrap not your selues againe in the yoke of bondage to wit bynde not yor selues to the obseruation of MOSES Law as yee shall doe if ye be Circumcised All this is good but doeth it followe hereof that in the Law of grace wee should not obey our superiours nor obserue such good orders as Holie Church hath approoued nothing lesse but happie is that necessitie as S. AVGVSTINE witnesseth which holdeth vs close to those things which be better to doe than to leaue vndone otherwise our weaknesse would quickly shrinke backe And againe if Christs sufferings without his obedience as M. P. himselfe testifyeth Pag. 61. had not bene avayleable for our justifycation No doubt but those workes which are garnished with the vertue of obedience are more acceptable in Gods sight Finally M. P. sayeth that we magnifie these three Vowes of Chastitie pouertie and obedience And good reason haue wee so to do as hath bene shewed but sayeth he for the Vowe of Baptisme we hath made no such account of it as they do which is not so We holde indeed that the couenant which we make in Baptisme is no Vow but a full and assured promise to beleeue in God to renounce the deuill and all his workes and to keepe all Gods commandements which we keepe or do our best indeuour to keepe at least wee teach not as the Protestants doe that they are impossible to be kept for that is enough to discourage any man from endeuouring to keepe them And as touching the Vowe which he saith wee made in our Creation we remember nothing of it nor neuer heard speake of it by any good author not that we make or meane we any Vowes when we receiue the B. Sacrament These be but nouelties of words and the ravening of some decayed wits FIRST OF IMAGES M. PERK pag. 170. OVR CONSENTS WEE Acknowledge the ciuill vse of Images as freelie and truelie as the Church of Rome doeth By ciuill vse I vnderstande that which is made of them in the common societie of men out of the appoynted places of the solemne worshippe of GOD And this to bee lawfull appeareth because the arts of paynting and grauing are the Ordinances of GOD and to be skilfull in them is the gift of GOD as the example of BEZALEEL and AHOLIAB declare * Exod. 35. This vse of Images may be in sundrie things First in adoring and setting forth of buyldings so the Lord commaunded his Temple to bee adorned with Images of Palme-trees and Pomegranates of
justification they put degrees they must perforce allowe them in the justificatiō it selfe And thus much of this question Pag. 200. the objections which M. PERKINS makes for vs in this Article doe belong either to the question of merits or of the possibility of fulfilling the lawe or to the perfection of our justice and therefore I remitte them to those places and will handle the two latter poynts before I come to that of merits WHETHER IT BE POSSIBLE FOR A MAN IN GRACE to fulfill Gods lawe Pag. 95. Gal. 5. MASTER PERKINS argueth that it is vnpossible First for that Paul tooke it for his ground that the lawe could not be fulfilled Admitte it were so I then would answere that he meant that a man helped only with the knowledge of the lawe cannot fulfill the lawe but by the ayde of Gods grace he might be able to doe it Which I gather out of S. Paul Rom. 8. where he saith That that which was impossible to the lawe is made by the grace of Christ possible 2 Object The liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stayned with sinne ergo quid Of this there shall be a seuerall Article 3 Object Our knowledge is imperfect and therefore out faith repentance and sanctification is answerable I would to God all our workes were answerable to our knowledge then would they be much more perfect then they are but this Argument is also impertinent and doth rather proue it possible to fulfill the lawe because it is possible to knowe all the lawe Then if our workes be answerable to our knowledge we may also fulfill it 4 Object A man regenerate is partly flesh and partly spirit and therefore his best workes are partly from the flesh Not so if we mortifie the deedes of the flesh by the spirit Rom. 8.13 as the Apostle exhorteth But these trifling arguments belong rather vnto the next question I will helpe M. PERKINS to some better that the matter may be more throughly examined Why goe yee about to put a yoke vpon the Disciples neckes Act. 1.15 which neither we nor our Fathers were able to be are these wordes were spoken of the lawe of Moyses therefore we were not able to fulfill it I answere first that that lawe could not be fulfilled by the only helpe of the same lawe without the further ayde of Gods grace Secondly that it was so burdensome and comberous by reason of the multitude of their Sacrifices Sacraments and Ceremonies that it could hardly be kept with the helpe of ordinary grace and in that sence it is said to be such a yoke as we were not able to beare Because thinges very hard to be donne are now and then called impossible Now that Iosue Ios 11.3 Reg. 14. Act. 13. 4. Reg. 23. Luke 1. Dauid Iosias Zachary Elizabeth and many others did fulfill all the lawe is recorded in holy Scripture Wherefore it is most manifest that it might be kept To will is in me but I finde not how to performe Rom. 7. If S. Paul could not performe that which he would how can others Answere He speakes there of auoyding al euil motions and temptations which he would willingly haue donne but he could not Marry he could well by the assistance of Gods grace subdue those prouocations to sinne and make them occasions of vertue and consequently keep all the commaundements not suffering those passions to leade him to the breach of any one of them The like answere we make vnto that objection that one of the ten commandements forbids vs to couet our neighbors goods his wife or seruants which as they say is impossible but we holde that it may be well donne vnderstanding the commaundement rightly which prohibiteth not to haue euill motions of couetuousnes and lechery but to yeelde our consent vnto them Now it is so possible for a man by Gods grace to refrayne his consent from such wicked temptations Libr. 10. conf c. 7. Iac. 3.2 1. Ioan. 1. that S. August thinketh it may be donne of a mortified vertuous man euen when he is a sleepe And testifieth of himselfe that waking he performed it Wee doe all offend in many thinges And if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues But if we could obserue all the lawe we should offend in nothing nor haue any sinne ergo Answere I graunt that we offend in many thinges not because it is not possible to keepe them but for that we are fraile and easely ledde by the craft of the Diuell into many offences which we might auoyde if wee were so warie and watchfull as we ought to be againe although wee cannot keepe our selues from veniall offences yet may wee fulfill the lawe which is not transgressed and broken vnlesse we committe some mortall sinnes For veniall sinnes either for the smalnesse of the matter or want of consideration are not so opposite to the lawe as that they violate the reason and purport of it although they be somewhat disagreeing with it But of this matter more fully in some other place Lastly it may be objected that the way to heauen is straite the gate narrowe which is so true that it seemeth impossible to be kept by flesh and bloud but that which is impossible to men of themselues is made possible and easie too by the grace of God which made S. Paul to say I can doe all thinges in him that strengthneth and comformeth me Philip. 4. Psal 118 And the Prophet Dauid after thou O Lord hadest dilated my hart and with thy grace set it at liberty I did runne the waies of thy commaundements that is I did readely and willingly performe them Of the loving of GOD vvith all our hart c. shall be treated in the question of the perfection of justice Hauing nowe confuted all that is commonly proposed to proue the impossibility of keeping Gods commaundements let vs now see what we can say in proofe of the possibility of it First S. Paul is very playnlie for it Rom. 8. saying That which was impossible to the lawe in that is weakned by the flesh God sending his Sonne in the similitude of flesh of sinne damned sinne in the flesh that the iustification of the lawe might be fulfilled in vs who walke not according to the flesh but according vnto the spirit See how formally he teacheth that Christ dying to redeeme vs from sinne purchased vs grace to fulfill the law which before was impossible vnto our weake flesh Againe how farre S. Iohn was from that opinion of thinking Gods commaundements to be impossible may appeare by that Epistle cap. 5. lath 11. And his commaundements be not heauy Which is taken out of our Sauiours owne wordes My yoke is sweete and my burthen is light The reason of this is that although to our corrupt frailty they be very heauy Yet when the vertue of charity is powred into our hartes by the holy Ghost then
loe doe we with delight fulfill them For as the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 13. Charity is the fulnes of the lawe And He that doth loue his neighbour hath fulfilled the lawe Which Christ himselfe teacheth when he affirmeth â—lath 22. That the whole lawe Prophets depend vpon these two commaundements of louing God and our neighbour Now both according vnto our opinion and the Protestants a man regenerate and in the state of grace hath in him the vertue of Charity we hold it to be the principall part of inherent justice they say that their justifying faith can neuer be seperated from it So that a righteous man being also indued with charity is able thereby to fulfill the whole lawe Let vs adjoyne vnto these Authorities of holy write the testimony of one auncient Father or two Serm. in ilâ—ud Attenâ—ie tibi De nat gra cap. 69. S. Basil affirmeth That it is impious and vngodly to say that the commaundements of the spirit be vnpossible S. Augustine defineth That we must beleeue firmely that God being iust good coulde not commaunde thinges that be impossible for vs to fulfill The reason may be that it is the part of a tyrant and no true lawemaker to commaund his subjectes to doe that vnder payne of death which he knowes them no way able to performe for those were not to be called lawes which are to direct men to that which is just but snares to catch the most diligent in and to binde them vp to most assured perdition Wherefore it was afterward decreed in an approued Councell of Aransican 2. Can. vlt. as an article of faith in these wordes This also we beleeue according to the Catholike faith that all men baptised by grace there receiued with the helpe and cooperation of Christ both can ought to keepe and fulfill those thinges which belong to saluation The principall whereof are after our Sauiours owne determination to keepe the commaundements Math. 19. If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commaundements This by the way concerning the possibility of fulfilling the lawe THAT GOOD WORKES BE NOT STAYNED WITH SINNE NOVV that just mens workes be not sinnes which I proue first by some workes of that patterne of patience Iob. Of whome it is written that notwithstanding all the Diuels power and craft in tempting of him He continued still a single harted and an vpright man departing from euill Cap. 2. and preseruing his innocency If he continued and innocent he sinned not Againe if in all these instigations to impatience he remayned patient these his workes were perfect For S. Iames saith Esteeme it my brethren Cap. 1. all ioy when you shall fall into diuers temptations knowing that the probation of your saith worketh patience And let patience haue a perfect worke that you may be perfect and entire fayling in nothing 2 King Dauid thus by the inspiration of the holy Ghost speaketh of himselfe Thou hast O Lord proued my hart thou hast visited me in the night Psal 16. thou hast tried me in fire and there was no iniquity founde in me It must needes then be graunted that some of his workes at least were free from all sinne and iniquity And that the most of them were such if you heare the holy Ghost testifying it I hope you will beleeue it reade then where it is of recorde That Dauid did that 3. Reg. 15. which was right in the sight of our Lord and not only in the sight of men and turned from nothing that he commaunded him all the dayes of his life except only the matter of Vrias the Hethite 3 The Apostle affirmeth 1 Cor. 3. That some men doe builde vpon the only foundation Christ Iesus golde siluer and pretious stones that is being choyce members of Christes Catholike Church doe many perfect good workes such as being tried in the fornace of Gods judgement will suffer no losse or detriment as he there saith expresly Wherefore they must needes be pure and free from all drosse of sinne otherwise hauing beene so proued in fire it would haue beene found out 4 Many workes of righteous men please God Rom. 12. 1. Pet. 2. Make your bodies a quicke sacrifice holy and acceptable to God the same offering spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God And S. Paul calleth almes bestowed on him in prison Phil. 4. an acceptable sacrifice of sweete sauour and pleasing God But nothing infected with sinne al which he hateth deadly can please God and be acceptable in his sight God of his mercy through Christ doth pardon sinne or as the Protestants speake not impute it to the person but to say that a sinfull worke is of sweete sauour before him and a gratefull sacrifice to him were blasphemy wherefore we must needes confesse that such workes which so well pleased him were not defiled with any kinde of sinne Finally many workes in holy write be called good as Math. 5. 1. Tim. 6. Ephes 2. That they may see your good workes to be rich in good workes Wee are created in CHRIST IESVS to good workes but they could not trulie be called good workes if they were infected with sin For according to the judgement of all learned Diuines it can be no good worke that fayleth either in substance or circumstance that hath any one fault in it For Bonum ex integra causa malum exquolibet defectu Wherefore we must either say that the H. Ghost calleth euill good which were blasphemy or else acknowledge that there be many good workes free from all infection of sinne In lieu of the manifolde testimony of Antiquity which doth nothing more then recommend good workes and paint out the excellencie of them I will set downe one passage of S. August wherein this very controuersie is distinctly declared and determined thus he beginneth The iustice through which the iust man liueth by faith because it is giuen to man by the spiritte of grace is true iustice Li. 3. cont duas epist Felag c. 7. the which although it be worthely called in some men perfect according to the capacitie of this life yet it is but small in comparison of that greater which man made equall to Angelles shall receiue Which heauenly iustice he that had not as yet said himselfe to be perfect in regard of that iustice that was in him and also imperfect if it be compared to that which he wanted But certainely this lesser iustice or righteousnesse breedeth and bringeth forth merittes and that greater is the rewarde thereof Wherefore he that pursueth not this shall not obtayne that Hitherto S. Augustine Note first that he defineth the justice which we haue in this life to be true justice which is pure from all injustice and iniquity Then that it is also perfect not fayling in any dutie which we be bound to performe Lastly that it bringeth forth good workes such as merit life euerlasting True it is also that this justice