yours deserves You only look at how much you proceed in running but you do not also take heed how much you fail in your race And after all these things do you yet boast of your merits as if the reward of the Everlasting state were due to your Labours In which assertions I do not drive at this to dissolve the Pious endeavours of making Progress or to dishearten them by desperation For the Admonition of the Apostle is not in vain so run that ye may obtain And again no Man is Crowned except he strive Lawfully Let us therefore so strive that we may be Crowned let us so run that we may obtain But we do not therefore obtain because we run but we do therefore run because the promise is made to them that run not to them that slumber So that the running is not the cause of the promise but the promise stirs up to running and adds alacrity to the runners Therefore the Apostle that he may make them the more valiant in striving adds this promise your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. And speaking of himself I have fought saith he the good fight and a Crown of Righteousness is laid up for me c. What then do you not see that labours well performed have their own reward due to them Be it so indeed But we treat not here of the labours of Men but of the merits of Labours we do not ask with what rewards the goodness of God dignifies us but what we our selves deserve to receive For there is no small difference between Gift and Merit If Merit is called that to which a recompense of reward is due by reason of its equality it is certain there is no equality between those things which we do here on Earth and those things which being promised we expect in Heaven The Inheritance of the Everlasting Kingdom is promised not that which upon the account of hire is due to our Works but which is promised to our Faith by the free gift of God Whence Paul when he said the wages of Sin his Death he doth not add next thereunto the reward of them that live Godly is Life Eternal But the grace saith he or the gift of God is Eternal Life And why doth he not as well say the reward of Righteousness is Eternal Life But that the difference between gift and reward between grace and recompence might be evident For if it is of grace than it is not of works If of works than it is not of grace But now that he might manifest the Infinite Riches of Divine Grace towards us through Christ Iesus He Proclaims openly that we are saved through Grace by Faith And that not of our selves it is the gift of God not of Works lest any Man should boast Which also elsewhere inculcating more clearly He says not by works of Righteousness which we have done How then But according to his mercy hath he saved us And now what is that mercy but the favour and loving kindness of God which remitting the rigour of Iustice spares those that are unworthy pardons the penitent receives them that are undone into favour which favour or mercy also glories against Iudgment All which being so what should be said of the Hypocritical Fathers of Trent who by the publick decree of their Senate pronounce those accursed whosoever dare say that the grace of God whereby we are justified is only the favour of God The Absurd Paradox of the Tridentines whereby they deny that we are justified by the favour of God only BUT Now by what other thing then will they say that we are justified if we obtain it not by the favour of God only By the Law But that works Wrath By the works of the Law But the Apostle expresly excludes those Not of works lest any Man should boast But here I call to mind the ordinary Glosse which doth resolve no difficulty but makes one by it's subtile comment partly affirming that we are justified by works and partly denying it For thus it says our works as they are ours have no power to justifie yet consider them as they are not from us but are wrought by God in us through Grace they merit Iustification And for that cause the Apostle would not say the wages of Righteousness is Eternal Life But chose rather to say the grace of God is Eternal Life Why so Because saith this device those merits to which Eternal Life is rendered are not from us but they come from grace whence they receive the vertue of meriting O wise yea rather wild talk to vilifie grace What if the Spirit of Christ influencing the Hearts of his own stirs up the Holy Offices of Charity and excellent motions to Piety What doth not the same Spirit also vouchsafe all other gifts to his Church bestowing on some gifts of Prophesie on others divers kinds of Tongues on others admirable Vertues of Curing and Healing and on others of Teaching for the Edification of the Saints What shall we therefore place our whole Iustification in those gifts received from Christ I know that there are both many and eminent vertues wherewith the Spirit of Christ always adorns his Church but it is one thing to adorn another thing to justifie the Church The gift of Sanctification is one thing the cause of justifying is another both whereof though Christ perform by his grace yet he Sanctifies one way and Iustifies another for he Sanctifies by his Spirit but he Saves and Iustifies only by his Death and Blood But you will say if Salvation is not placed in Grace why then is the grace of God called by Paul Eternal Life Verily it is certain and must be confessed which Paul teaches that our Life must be attributed wholly unto grace to which also it behoves us to attribute all other things But we must look what way this grace saves and justifies for it is that on which the whole controversy depends In which the generality of the adversaries are greatly deceived Against the Tridentines It is Demonstrated by the Scriptures that the grace of God whereby we are Iustified consists only in the free favour of God and Remission of sins not in the Merits of Works or Infusion of Charity THomas Aquinas and they that follow him according to the gloss which they call ordinary do not deny that which the Apostle affirms That we are saved by the Grace of God But if you ask after what manner they answer that it comes to pass upon the account of good Works For these are the words of the Gloss Grace says it is called Eternal Life because it is rendered to those Merits which grace hath conferred And to the same Sense are the Comments of Orbelius Bonaventure Halensis and others because say they without grace no Man can observe the Commands of God And Thomas adds elsewhere that to fulfill the Commands of the Law according to the
unreasonable so to do as if a man disputing concerning Osorius should thus conclude that because he hath no power of governing in the Kings Chamber therefore he hath nothing he can do at home amongst his own family Or because he is not at all excellent in military vertue to gain a victory that therefore he hath no faculty or dexterity in managing the affairs of his own business Luther separates charity from faith and the Law from the Gospel and does it not without cause But it must be considered where in what place and for what cause he does it Not to cause the godly works of good men to be despised nor to discourage the exercise thereof but that the power of justifying should not be attributed to the performance of them Not that faith should not work by love before Men but that it should not work before God For it is one thing to work before Men and another thing to work before God Therefore one and the same faith acteth both ways but one way before God and another way before men for before men it works by love that it may perform obedience to the will of God and be serviceable for the benefit of our Neighbour but before God it works not by any love but by Christ only that it may obtain the pardon of sins and eternal life By which you see what is the difference between faith and vertue and wherein they both agree and how different the working of both is How faith is alone without works and again how the same is not alone for in the mean while Godly works are not therefore condemned because they are not admitted to the justification of life but the trusting in works is only overturned Here then a wise and suitable division should be used that things may be distinguished each by their own places and bounds lest one thing should rashly rush into the possession of another and disturb the order of its station Therefore let the praise-worthy merits of the greatest vertues have their own honour and dignity which no man withholds from them Nevertheless by their dignity they will never be so available in the presence of the Heavenly Iudge as to redeem us from our sins to satisfie Iustice to deliver us from the wrath of God and everlasting destruction to restore us that are so many ways ruinated unto grace and life to unite us as Sons and Heirs to God and to overcome Death and the World These things cost a far dearer price than that we should ever be able to pay so many and so great debts by any works or merits or means of our own For so great is the severity of Iustice that there can be no reconciliation unless Iustice be satisfied by suffering the whole punishment that was due The wrath is so very great that there is no hope of appeasing the Father but by the price and death of the Son And again so great is the mercy that the Father grudged not to send his own Son and bestow him on the World and so to bestow him that he gives Life Eternal to them that believe in him Moreover so great is the loving kindness of the Son towards us that he grudged not for our sakes to bring upon himself this infinite load of wrath which otherways our frailty however assisted with all the help of moral vertues had never been able to sustain Whence Faith hath received its efficacy BEcause Faith alone with fixed eyes looks upon this Son and Mediator and cleaves unto him who only could bring about this Atchievement of our Redemption with the Father therefore it is that it alone hath this vertue and power of justifying not with works nor for works but only for the sake of the Mediator on whom it relies Therefore that is false and worthy to be rejected with disdain which some unhappy and wicked School-Divines affirm in discoursing of Charity to wit that it is the form of Faith and that it must not by any means be separated from faith no more than the vital Soul can be separated from the body or the essential form from matter which otherwise is a rude and unweildy Mass. In answering of whom I think there is no need of many words seeing the whole meaning and drift of Scripture if rightly understood the very end of the Law seeing Christ and the instruction of the Apostles and the whole nature of the Gospel seem to be manifestly against them and wholly to overturn that most absur'd Opinion by so many Oracles so many Signs Examples and Arguments to the contrary Now if that be form which gives subsistence to a thing how much more truly must it be said that faith is the form of charity without which all the works of charity are base and contemptible as again the form of faith is not charity but Christ only and the promise of the word But what say they are not the pious works of Charity acceptable to God being so many ways prescribed unto us and commanded by him Are not these also remunerated with plentiful fruits of Righteousness and heaped up with manifold Rewards in the Gospel I was hungry says he and ye fed me I thirsted and ye refreshed me with drink so that not so much as a cup of cold water shall want a reward when it is given in the name of Christ besides an infinite number of other things of that kind which being taken out of the Scriptures are enlarged upon to the praise of Charity Indeed no man denys that pious and holy works of Charity are greatly approved of God and it is an undoubted truth that the love of God and of our Neighbour as it comprehends the Summary of both Tables and is the greatest complement of the whole Law so it hath excellent promises annexed unto it Neither is there any Controversie between us about that But when we affirm that Charity pleases God we ask this how it pleases whether simply of it self in respect of the very work or upon the account of faith and the Mediatour and then whether the same Charity so pleases that it justifies us before God and obtains the pardon of sins and overcomes the terrours of death and sin that it may be opposed to the judgment and anger of God Moreover whether it hath the promises of Eternal Life annexed unto it If without a Mediatour and the faith of him there is nothing which can please God and it is impossible that works should please him before the person of him that worketh be reconciled it follows that Charity depends on Faith and not Faith on Charity But that it rather goes before Love and is so far from being joyned with it for justification that it also justifies Charity and makes all the works of Charity acceptable to God The matters appear more evident by Example Suppose a Iew or Turk does daily bestow great gifts upon the poor with very great cost
we must see how they are done away He does them away in this Life he will also do them 〈◊〉 in the Life to come but not after one and the same manner For Iniquity is taken away and Sin receives an end as is evident by the Prophecy of Daniel But if you ask how in this Flesh Augustin will answer you None saith he takes away Sin but Christ who is the Lamb of God that takes away the Sins of the World And he takes them away both by removing the Sins that were done and by helping that they may not be done and by bringing to the Future Life where they cannot be done at all Therefore in this Life there is only a race to Righteousness and in the other Life will be the prize This then is our Righteousness now whereby we run Hungering and Thirsting to the perfection and fulness of that Righteousness wherewith we shall afterward be satisfied in the other Life Hence the Apostle saith Not that I have already attained or am already perfect Brethren I do not think that I have apprehended but one thing I do forgetting the things that are behind and being stretched forth to those things that are before I press forward to the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus c. Therefore according to Augustin here is the Race here is the Progress there will be the Perfection Here as running in a Race we proceed from Vertue to Vertue There we are perfected Now we have only the Seeds of Vertues begun then in that fulness of Charity when that shall be perfected in us which now is imperfect that precept shall be fulfilled Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul For whilest there is yet any Carnal concupiscence which may be restrained by continency God is not in all respects loved with all the Soul for the Flesh doth not Lust without the Soul though the Flesh is said to Lust because the Soul Lusteth Carnally c. Therefore as long as the Saints are burthened with this Flesh which they cannot shake off verily Sin dwelling in the Flesh cannot be absent Objection But how say you is Sin taken out of the World If the Corruption of Sin yet does reign in the Saints Answer I will tell you briefly to wit after the very same manner that the death of Christ hath driven 〈◊〉 from our necks and yet we dye The same comes to pass in the destroying of sin that being freed from Sin by Christ yet we are not without sin for these two things come always together being tied to one another by a very near connexion That where sin is there by necessary consequence death follows wherefore if the flesh is yet held in bonds by the cruelty of death by the same reason it is proved that the relicks of sin remain also in the flesh But now where is then that righteousness which Christ hath purchased for us Would you know O Osorius where our life is there is also our righteousness Not in this flesh which we put off but in that body which we shall in due time put on uncorrupted For such are all the benefits of Christ purchased for us that the promise of them being shewed afar off as of old the Holy Land to the Hebrews it is apprehended by Faith and the Spirit in this life but the full possession belongs only peculiarly and in the whole to the other life Christ begins his Benefits in this Life and perfects them in the Life to come Now these great Benefits of the Son of God consist chiefly in this that sin being totally abolished death being destroyed he restores us being plucked out of the Kingdom of the Devil unto the possession of eternal Life in which God communicates himself wholly to us and is wholly all in all And this most glorious work of his most full of the highest dignity he begins in this miserable life and will compleat it in the other life when that shall come to pass which is written Death is swallowed up in Victory O Death where is thy Victory O Death where is thy Sting Howbeit these things are not said upon this account as if there were nothing in the interim or but little in this life which the help of the grace of Christ does for us As of old the help of the Eternal God was never wanting to the Israelites in the waste Widerness whom he was to bring into the habitations of promise so verily neither are Christs benefits towards us little and the riches of his bounty are not small which the present Grace of Christ pours daily upon us with a full hand when in this sinful Nature he often helps our infirmities forgives our sins instructs us with his word refreshes us with hope supports us by Faith feeds and strengthens us by the Sacraments and refreshes us by his own Spirit adorns us with his gifts renews our hearts and stirs them up to spiritual motions of better life and obedience restrains vitious affections by whose guidance there increase in us the beginnings of eternal life the knowledge of God invocation fear faith true repentance a new law and the image of him who Created us c. And seeing Christ works these things in us with continual care daily more and more promoting and bringing unto maturity that which he hath begun in us there is therefore no cause why the Graces of Christ here should seem needless to any Man But these beginnings of Divine Grace must be distinguished from that perfect and compleat renovation of Nature which shall be seen in the glorified after this life For though it should not be doubted but great advantages are communicated to Believers by the Divine help of the Holy Spirit both to shun those things that are grievously offensive and also to exercise the Offices of Piety of which Paul Rom. 8. They who are led saith he by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Yet there is not given to the regenerate in this life a compleat conformity to the Law of God but it is reserved for the other life for the life of the Saints in this World should not be called a life of the flesh but of Faith rather not a life of perfect but of begun love and mortification as being not so much discerned in justice as in justification not in perfect holiness but in sanctification not in perfect purity but in purification not in perfection but in going forward But this good Friend ours thinks this should by no means be suffered Who so fights against us as if all the Nature of Salvation consisted not in Iustification the name whereof he doth not account worthy of any mention but in Iustice it self not in the growth but in the perfection of Vertues And as if it were not allowable otherways to aspire to those just rewards of Felicity but
consists not in the Merits of Works but in Grace only and the Hope of Mercy unto which Men fly for refuge in their emptyness of Vertues as he speaks But let us proceed Another Argument Evil Works deserve Eternal Destruction Therefore Good Works Merit Eternal Life Answer Both are true indeed if you consider things in respect of the just rewards due unto them For as the vile Abominations of an Ungodly Life procure the Wrath and Vengeance of God so Works of Righteousness would procure his favour if we could perform good things with as great perfection as we do Evil things But because we cannot do that therefore of our selves we can deserve nothing according to the rules of Iustice but only Death and Damnation But now by the right of Redemption through Christ we are set free from the Law of Iustice and translated into the Kingdom of Grace by Vertue of a new Covenant whereby it comes to pass that God hath respect not to our Merits but only to Christ the price of our Redemption Therefore I answer That this opposition of contraries is of force according to the strict severity of the Law but not according to the Grace of the Gospel for here there is a block put in the way To wit The Blood of the Redeemer that frees us from the Law of Sin and Death Moreover the Argument from contraries avails not except the contraries are set equally in their full extent one against another Now Evil Works in us are perfectly Evil but good Works though assisted by Grace yet because of the refractary imperfection of the Flesh in the sight of God are imperfect at the best as they are performed by us Wherefore Hierom says The perfection of all Righteous Men in the Flesh is Imperfection Another Argument The Grace of Iustification is lost by Evil Works Therefore it is retained by good Works Answer By the same Answer the Fallacy of this Sophistical Argument is discovered because our Sins and Vertues are not equally contrary to one another But whereas it is said that the Grace of Iustification is retained by Obedience though this in some sense may be granted yet Iustification is not thereby procured Moreover when we say It is retained by Works that should not be so understood as if this were done for the Merit of the Actions but only for the sake of the Redeemer upon whose account first the person is accepted and afterwards the actions are well pleasing which otherways would be unclean and of no value They say that perseverance in Righteousness is lost by Evil Works But Evil Works as they are in us admit of a twofold consideration either as they are inherent in us as in all Saints thro' the infirmity of the Flesh and we presently rise up again by Repentance and Faith And such kind of Sins as Paul asserts shall not have dominion over us or in the next place as we give up our selves to Sin against our own Conscience that we may serve it and take a sinful delight therein But such a Sin can by no means consist with this Faith whereof Paul speaks which hath place in none but those that are turned from Sin and returned to God Another Argument Faith Iustifies Faith is a Work Therefore Works Iustifie Answer I Answer The Argument is faulty because the middle term is of a larger extent in the Major than in the Minor For Faith in the Major is taken correlatively for Christ or the Promise which is apprehended by Faith In the Minor it is taken only for a quality of the Mind as it is an act of our Will Otherways if Faith is taken in the Minor just as it is in the Major it is false and the Minor should be denied To wit That Faith is a Work Another Argument of the Iesuits If Faith only Iustifies it would Iustifie without Charity Faith doth not Iustifie without Charity Therefore Faith only doth not Iustifie Answer I may oppose unto this Argument another not unlike it that the Fallacy of the one may appear the more easily by the other Thus then by way of Instance a Man may infer If the heat of Fire only makes warm then it makes warm without light But the heat of Fire doth not make warm without light joyned therewith Therefore The heat of the Fire only doth not make warm I doubt not but by this mutual comparing of Arguments it appears evident to the Reader how like the one is to the other and consequently how he should judge thereof so that there is no need of any further Refutation For all things that are joyned and agree together in some respects are not therefore engaged in the same Office He that hath Feet Eyes and Ears though he hath not these Members in separation from one another yet it is an untruth if it is said That he sees not with his Eyes only or walks not with his Feet only Though I deny not that in the performance of those duties which belong to this Life Faith is not separated from Charity So if we look upward to things that are Divine and Eternal if we contemplate and view what that is which can help us at our appearance before the Dreadful Iudgment Seat of God and appease his Wrath and deliver us from Eternal Destruction and conquer Death and the Devil and regain the favour of God and Iustifie us and procure us the Crown of Life Faith only in the Mediatour doth so bear rule in these affairs and so fully performs all things requisite to our Salvation and Redemption that here Charity hath nothing to do for the Kingdom is not promised or due to you because you love this or that Neighbour after your manner but contrarily because you neither love God as you ought nor your Neighbour as your self therefore unavoidable destruction is due to you unless Faith only through the Mediatour should come in for your help and set you free from the condemnation due unto you notwithstanding your Charity Faith is so far from needing to be joyned with Charity for Iustification that unless Charity it self were justified by Faith it could not stand nor keep it self from falling to ruine and Destruction Of the like nature is that Argument which they wrest out of the Writings of the Apostle Paul An Argument out of 1 Cor. 13. If I have all Faith so that I can remove Mountains but have not Charity I am nothing Therefore Iustification comes by Faith and good Works Answer Erasmus did write in his Exposition on the Second Chapter of Iames Faith which is cold without Charity and puts not forth it self when the matter requires it is not Faith but only the Name of Faith c. They of Paris argue contray ways that Faith can be without Charity out of this place of Paul If I have all Faith so that I can remove Mountains Erasmus following Basil Interprets this Scripture on this manner That we should take this to
much more cause to fear than his vertues give him to hope And what remedy then shall remain for the perplexed consciences of Men if the Righteousness of Christ being hid from their Eyes you leave nothing for hope or consolation but the righteousness of the Law Or with what comfort will you raise up the Spirit of a fallen and afflicted Sinner when the Law useth to shew what every Man should do aright but can pardon no Man what is done amiss must you not here of necessity be compelled to leave the Righteousness of the Law and presently to appeal to the Righteousness of Christ And I think you will not at all deny that but say you seeing this righteousness of Christ is no other but that which is the righteousness of the Law yea and the very perfection of the Law therefore it is not necessary that we should make a twofold Righteousness but one only both of Christ and of the Law But 't is not a difficult thing to answer to this objection Indeed it must be confessed if you consider the things by themselves and compare the one with the other by a mutual relation there seems not to be any difference between the Righteousness of Christ and of the Law Because there is nothing in the Law so Holy and perfect but it appears as evident in the Life of Christ But if you consider the efficacy and manner of working which the Righteousness of Christ and of the Law exercises in others if you consider the effect and end of both there is a great difference For though Christ is no otherwise just in himself than the Law it self is Holy and Iust But yet this which is called the Righteousness of Christ acts in us much otherwise than that which is called the Righteousness of the Law so that nothing seems more unlike or more contrary The difference between the Righteousness of the Law and the Gospel FIRST as touching the Law what the Nature Vertue and Efficacy thereof is it is unknown to no Man To wit that it is of it self a Holy and Perfect Rule and Mistress to teach how to lead the Life made for this purpose by the most Holy God that Creatures might certainly know what they should fly and what they should follow as it contains in it self the very Rule of all perfection in all respects compleat so it requires perfect obedience in all respects and upon all accounts upon this condition that he that doth these things shall live in them But on the contrary he that doth otherwise and abides not in all the Law pronounces a Curse against him and inflicts the vengeance of Death and heaps up anger and indignation upon him For by the Law the Wrath of God is declared from Heaven being justly kindled against all Men that are wicked and unjust upon any account Whereby it comes to pass that the Law indeed being it self Holy and Good was not given for this that it should bring Destruction but Salvation but yet the same being hindred by the infirmity of our flesh it cannot but kill us but cannot at all save us by its own means not for any default or tyranny of its own but by taking just occasion from the refractory rebellion of our flesh which as it naturally hath an enmity against God so it cannot avoid being contrary to his Sacred Will and Divine Institutions And hence break forth so many and so great calamities that fall upon this sinful Nature of ours hence so many proofs of the Divine Indignation and Anger hence also that dreadful and unavoidable necessity of dying which when it passes promiscuously through all ages and kindreds which none of the most Holy Men could ever drive away from themselves verily that one thing proves us all to be guilty of unrighteousness and that there is not any perfection of righteousness in our most righteous works for if the Wages of Sin be Death it cannot be that there should be any extinction of Life there where no unrighteousness is seen Therefore O Osorius if the Law cannot defend thee in this Life with all thy works from Death will the same save thee after Death and restore thee to Life when thou art Dead Concerning Evangelical Righteousness AND hitherto these things have been explained by us concerning the Righteousness of the Law as it is considered out of Christ. Now let us again turn our eyes unto Christ and consider what his Righteousness without the Law worketh in us And here first of all a wonderful and most manifest difference between the Law and Christ presents it self unto us For seeing the Law as hath been said can give no Life according to the rigour of its Iustice but only to perfect Men Therefore it comes to pass that because it finds nothing perfect in us it being hindered through the infirmity of our flesh can give no help nor work any thing in us but wrath Therefore being repulsed by the Law and destitute of the help of Works let us seek another Patron of Salvation whosoever he be who may help us But there is none who doubts that He is no other but Christ the only Son of God whom we all alike profess through all Churches There is therefore no Controversie remaining between us and our Adversaries concerning the Author of Salvation Nevertheless there remains here another ambiguity or question perhaps not yet cleared enough by all Divines For whereas there is no man but confesses that Righteousness is in Christ in its highest perfection And we have already heard from the Law that there is no fellowship of Righteousness with Unrighteousness here some difficulty comes in how it comes to pass that the Lord Christ all whose Iudgments are most just can or ought against Righteousness favour those who having forsaken their duty have turned aside to Unrighteousness For if the Law of God according to the nature of Righteousness cannot avoid condemning of those that are guilty of wickedness some perhaps may ask What way Christ who doth not any thing but what is most righteous can procure Salvation to those without the violation of his Righteousness whom the Law of Righteousness justly condemns Or if he do it how for what cause and in what manner he does it by Faith or by Works If by Faith whether by Faith only or by the help of Works joyned with it if upon the account of Works whether before Works or after Works or in the very Works But if by Faith only without Works hence ariseth a threefold question 1. What then do good Works avail 2. What Faith that is and of what sort it is which is said to justifie 3. Whom this Faith justifies for they must be either sinners or righteous if sinners they are either penitent or stubborn if you say both you will speak against Righteousness which cannot be well called Righteousness unless it reward according to every mans deeds and merits But
Christ invites unto himself Consciences that are afflicted and burdened with sin Isaiab calls all that are athirst to come without price or any exchange to the Fountains of Christ that they may be refreshed Osorius will bestow the Kingdom which God hath promised upon none but righteous men and eminent good works I beseech you Sir according to your righteousness what excellent good work brought that sinful Woman with her in the Gospel out of whom seven Devils were cast What righteousness appeared in the Thief on the Right Hand of Christ except faith only why he should after the commiting so many evil deeds enter in together with Christ on the same day into Paradise what other thing did the Woman of Canaan that was a stranger bring to Christ but an importunate cry of faith so that she carried home not Crumbs but whole Loaves of Divine Grace What deserved the miserable Woman with the bloody Issue or Iairus the Governour of the Synagogue or Zacchaeus of Matthew or other Publicans with them why they being perferred before the Pharisees who seemed so much more righteous should obtain the benefit of free favour being so obvious and exposed unto them There is almost an infinite number of others of the like condition that may be discoursed of after the same manner in whom you can find nothing worthy of so great bounty of Divine Grace but faith only Blind Bartimeus cried the Lepers cried Iesus Master thou Son of David have mercy on us and they were heard For nothing cries louder than faith nothing is more effectual to prevail Let Osorius also cry and let us all cry with the like noise of Faith and we shall be heard alike I speak of that faith which is in Christ Iesus besides which there is not any passage into Heaven nor access unto God nor way of prevailing with God Therefore that we may be heard let us come and knock but let us do it aright to wit by Faith and in the name of only begotten Otherways it is in vain to cry to God who hears not sinners but drives them away who regards not servants and guilty persons unless they come to the Son or in the name of the Son Now by what way we are heard by the same we are Iustified For the Divine reward is always joyned with righteousness Seeing then all of us mortal men are by nature sinners and servants of sin therefore we must see what that is which makes us of servants free men of guilty persons sons of sinners righteous For this is the whole subject matter of the debate this is the question on which the whole controversie depends which is not so difficult to be judged of if the authority of Sacred Scripture may prevail upon impartial judgments For the testimony of the Gospel remains sure and eternal which no mortal man can weaken at any time instructing our faith thus As many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God and that he may teach what it is to receive him he presently explains the same to them saith he that believe in his name c. Whereby it appears evidently what it is to which we are beholden for all that splendor and dignity wealth and riches yea and the possession of Heaven and Life I know that in those excellent offices of good works which you so much cry up in the exercise of charity and observance of Righteousness there is great weight and also great benefit as I consess also that the law it self hath great efficacy if a man use it lawfully Now the use of the law consists in this that it should bring us to Christ and be subservient to his glory But when you have heaped all these things together into one whatsoever were by God either prescribed to us in his Law or written within us they are far from restoring perfection to a mans deeds that are altogether imperfect or to a mans person that is wholly destroyed and ruinated They are far from making us of servants freemen of Slaves of Satan Sons of God heirs of his Kingdom co-heirs of Christ fellow Citizens of the Saints and Domesticks of the highest Father Verily that is not the Office of the Law but of Christ And it is not righteousness but grace that does this This is not the efficacy of works but of Faith which relying not upon works but being strengthned only by the promise of God brings us from bondage to liberty from death to life adopts us being reconciled unto God makes us Sons of the promise which is so far from being joyned with Charity and Works that it reconciles Charity it self and all works of life unto God and justifies them without which they could not have place in Heaven in the presence of the great God Upon what account and how Faith justifies Fallen Sinners NOW because I have demonstrated what the power of Faith is and what it performeth I must of necessity explain upon what account and for what cause Faith procureth unto it self so great efficacy and power of Iustifying how it is said to Iustifie alone without Works and what Men the same Iustifies whether the righteous or the wicked If the righteous what need is there now of Iustification or Faith when the Law is sufficient If the wicked whether those that are penitent and converted or the impenitent and rebellious If the Faith of Christ justifies the penitent frees them from guilt and makes them righteous of unrighteous which neither you your self can deny Why then do you inveigh against Luther so unmodestly and undeservedly Does Luther either say or teach any other thing Where does he at any time let loose the Reins to sin or promise liberty to the wicked or preach Iustification otherways than to those who being reformed by Repentance breathe after Christ and joyn themselves to him by Faith What Will you shut out those from all hope of pardon I trow not And what remedy then will you shew them Will you send us to the Faith of Christ or to the Sentence of the Law to heal our wounds What if the Law gives no help here and there is not any other thing in man that can help righteousness once violated except Faith only placed in Christ which neither you your self can deny And if this very Faith brings Salvation to none but those that deplore the sins they have committed which together with you Luther affirms to what purpose are those out-cries against Luther so Tragical and raised without any cause Wherefore then dost thou deceive us O Luther For when thou d'dst condemn pious tears and didst cast reproaches upon wise sorrowfulness and didst plead that all works were not only unprofitable but pernicious And presently going on in the same stile and waxing more violent For when say you thou didst put so much in faith that thou saidst there was help enough in that only the sense of thy
contained in Christ only who is the only begotten Son of God And because our Faith only lays hold on him and he cannot profit any but Believers therefore it comes to pass that faith only without works that is without any merits of works compleats all our Righteousness before God Concerning the Praise of Repentance the Dignity and Benefit and Peculiar Office thereof BUT you will say to what purpose then is it to repent and to amend evil deeds or what shall be answered to these Scriptures which promise in more places than one the pardon of all sins to those that lament their sins and are converted unto a better life That I may answer these I would have you take notice of this in the first place When we attribute the vertue of justifying to Faith and in this case place it alone being helped by no addition of our works Let no man so mis-understand as if we did drive away and 〈◊〉 all saving Repentance and other holy Offices of Duty and Charity from every action of life as Andradius falsly gathers against Chemnitius For that we may openly confess the truth what else is this whole life of Godly Men but a continual repentance and a perpetual detestation and condemnation of sin whilst we are forced by the Gospel with daily groans to breath forth this Petition Forgive us our sins as if we were conflicting in a continual place of wrestling in which sometimes we stand by the Spirit sometimes we fall through the infirmity of the Flesh and sometimes we again make new repentance yet we always overcome and triumph by Faith to wit obtaining the pardon of our faults and we obtain true righteousness for ever Therefore away with impudent slanders let just judgment be exercised and let things be comprehended each in their own places and bounds Pious tears a serious deploring of former destruction and a just care of living a better life with all other pious exercises are things which we do not thrust away nor put out of their place only we search what is the place what is the peculiar office of those things And in the first place this is a thing that should not be doubted of by any Man that Repentance as it is an excellent gift of God so it brings forth fruits not to be repented of according to its Office the Office or duty whereof I reckon to be twofold The first is that which duly detests the sins committed The other that which diligently endeavours the Reformation of the life from which follows both great praise and greater fruits and also very great incitements to vertue For he that being weary of his former wickedness applys his mind wholly to amend his ungodly Life by a future reformation verily he hath made a great progress towards Salvation but he is not therefore as yet put into a certain possession of Salvation or because of that taken up with the Penitent Malefactor into Paradise For it is one thing to weep for the things that one hath done amiss and another thing to obtain the pardon of them Verily he that seriously purposes with himself to amend his life I judge that he ought justly to be praised but yet that is not enough as I suppose to turn away the anger of an offended God to put away the heinous nature of Sin to procure a clear tranquility of Conscience and to shake off the tyranny of death for to obtain that Victory we will need another Panoply or compleat Armour than Repentance or the forces of our vertues for nothing that we can do is sufficient to bring this to pass but only faith in the Son of God And therefore Repentance with Charity and other Offices of that kind have a necessary connexion with faith not that they may give form to this as to a dead matter but that rather they may receive life and Spirit from it not that Faith hath need of these for justification but that they themselves may be justified by the value received by Faith in Christ which unless they were recommended upon the account of that Faith would all be abominable in the sight of God and though they may be call'd works yet cannot be call'd good works in Gods account unless they are supported by Faith Whence Augustin admonishing not without cause commands us to believe in him that justifies the Wicked that our very good works may be good works for those deserve not to be called good as long as they proceed not from a good root c. But here you object approved Testimonies and Examples rehearsed out of the Sacred Oracles of Divine Scripture in which without any mention of Faith Salvation is assuredly promised to them that Repent as in Ezekiel I de sire not the death of a Sinner but that the wicked should turn from his way and live There are set before us the Examples of the Ninivites of David Manasseh and others and lest I should weary you with Rehearsing of every one of them which are infinite I will make a short Collection of the whole inatter You say that thus the Prophets proclaim and openly avouch this thing that there is no hope of Salvation shewed unto any but only those who are with their whole heart brought back from an unclean and wicked life to the practise of Holiness c. And presently concluding with this Opinion you teach us that there is no other way at all either to avert destruction or procure salvation Lest I should speak many things in vain there is one Answer abundantly sufficient for all such Objections that there is indeed necessarily required a sincere reformation of heart and life in these who are to obtain life as in an Heir for whom there is appointed the possession of an Inheritance to be enjoyed there is necessarily required dutifulness towards his Father which dutifulness nevertheless when it is most exactly performed is not any cause of obtaining the inheritance And in like manner there is nothing that can be more certain than that Repentance and Renovation do much commend the life of Christians to God yet it makes them not Christians neither doth it so much commend the person of the Penitent as it is it self commended by the dignity of the man who if he is a Christian his Repentance is approved But if he be an Alien from the faith the lamenting of sin doth not at all profit for the obtaining of Righteousness neither doth it take away Sin But as you say Repentance hath Divine Promises and indeed I am not against your Opinion in that for God doth not desire the death of a Sinner promising also life to him that repents That 's right But let us see how he promises it and by pondering the Circumstances of things times and persons let us consider what is promised and to whom and what is the true cause of promising Indeed the old Law hath dark promises the Gospel
Obliging to eternal punishment is not only taken away in the life to come but also in this life by the holy laver and continual remission of sins for the sake of a Mediator But the infirmity of sinning which is concupiscence in the flesh and ignorance in the mind that I may speak with Hugo it also is abolished in the regenerate but yet after its own order and by its own degrees For it is daily diminished in this Life by the renewing of the Spirit and it shall be abolished in the Life to come by the Resurrection of the Flesh. In the interim the relicks of infirmity stick yet in the Flesh as both Death and Temporal punishments stick yet in the Flesh to exercise the Saints unto Combat not to condemn them to destruction Iust as the Land of Canaan was promised to the Hebrews a great while before which yet they did not suddenly take possession of Neither was the frame of this World made immediately in one moment but the Works of God were perfected in distinct intervals of Days So neither is the whole Flesh suddainly renewed but by degrees and daily increases it is going on unto perfection An example may be conveniently taken from him whom being Wounded the Samaritan cap. 10. Luc. doth not suddainly cure but first pours Wine into his Wounds washes off the Blood afterwards he adds Oyl that he may mitigate the grief and the Wound may begin to cleave together Afterwards the Wound being bound up he puts the Sick-man upon the Beast and afterwards commands him to be cured in the Inn. Iust so Christ suffering the punishment of our Sins in his Body by remission immediately takes away the guilt from us pouring into our Wounds the gladning Oyl of the Gospel joined together with the Wine of serious Repentance whereby whatsoever is deadly in the Wounds is washed away with a health restoring Pardon But the Wounds are not yet altogether healed But health will be compleat in Eternal Life In the interim he will have diseases cured in the Church by Godly Exercises the Cross and constant Prayer Briefly if those Men desire to know what that is which Christ hath abolished in us by his Death I will say it in a word Whatsoever was laid upon Christ on the Cross to be carried away for our sakes that is taken away from us in this Flesh. Only the guilt and punishment of Sin not the matter it self of our actions was laid upon Christ to bear upon the Cross. The act or substance of sin is not wholly abolished by the Death of Christ in this flesh but only the guilt and punishment of sin Or more briefly let them take it thus Whatsoever Christ by dying did bear for us that only he took away by his death in this Life Christ by dying did bear only the punishment of our Sins not the Sins themselves in his Body whereof he had none Therefore Christ in this Life took away only the punishment not the matter it self of sin by his Death But afterwards by his power he shall also take away the whole matter of Sin in the Glory of the Resurection to come Concerning the necessity of the practice and care of good Works THerefore in this place something hath been said of Faith and all that manner of Righteousness which the Divine Authority attributes to Faith only without Works More things elsewhere have been explained by us in other Books From which things just conclusions being drawn it evidently appears if I am not mistaken wherein all our righteousness consists not in Works without Faith nor joined together with Faith but wholly in Faith without Works that is without the merits of Works or any condition of meriting For if Faith which is nothing else but an internal and illuminated contemplation and receiving of Christ the Son of God receives a free promise of Life in him I do not well see what the good deeds of our Life thought excellent can perform in this part of justification Yet it doth not follow from hence that the Holy practice of good Works for necessary uses that I may speak with Paul is not upon any account necessary Neither is it a reason forcible enough if any Man teaches that no trust should be put in Works that therefore there is no need of any care to do good For what Logick is this Works should not be trusted in when they are performed Therefore there is no need to endeavour to perform Good and Holy Works We are no other ways justified but upon the account of Faith which is in Christ Iesus Therefore Offices of Piety are not necessary in those who are justified by Faith Faith only not upon the account of Love but of the Mediatour promotes us to righteousness Therefore it profits nothing to repent and to weep and mourn for sins committed It is of no concernment after what manner every one leads his Life for so you seem to gather and not you only O Osorius but also as many as being like to you bear an enmity to Luther And hence such fierce out-cries of yours against him such odious and bitter ragings reproaches evil reports and outragious invectives being filled not so much with Evil Speeches as most filthy Lyes But this is no new nor strange thing either because you are of your old temper and disposition or because it is and always was the condition of the Gospel which hath already been accustomed enough to such like Enemies and reproaches So Saul persecuted David a most moderate Prince by whom he had never been hurt So when Christ was born Herod was troubled and all Ierusalem with him By the like fury Christ himself the Prince of the Church was slain So of Old Stephen was Stoned The same also did the Ancient Martyrs of all Times hear from their own People which Luther now and other Ministers of Gods Word are forced to hear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take away these Enemies of the god's yea also that Divine Martyr Iohn Huss of latter memory was brought forth to Death in a manner not unlike that whereby Luther is brought forth by you after his Death For they Cloathed him with odious Pictures of Devils and abominable Titles Neither is Luther here handled much more handsomly by you being Cloath'd with most vain Lyes and set forth by you in such Colours not as he really was nor as his Writings had persuaded you concerning him which it seems you have not read but as other accusers to whom you use to give too much credit have described him For what other thing declares this your narrative which is curiously fitted for calumny whereby you make him liker a Monster than a Man as if he brought in a certain new kind of Faith that was not heard of before and was unknown in former times as if he were an example of Wickedness an encourager of Slothfulness an Turbulent Person and disturber of
it self unto us of which the one is Divine and is attributed to God only the other is only referred to men That therefore is peculiar to God this is called our Righteousness but what difference is between this and that there is no great difficulty to discern For that which is the Righteousness of God appears evident in all his works and the perfect exactness of his holiness But that which is the Righteousness of men is received by Faith only not that faith in acting is wholly without works but because in justifying works do nothing before God and that is it which the Apostle seems to to intend in these words saying for this purpose that he may be just and the justifier of him that is of the faith of Iesus Christ c. For this purpose saith he that he may be just how is he just by faith no but by works that thou mayest be justified in thy sayings and mayest overcome when thou art judged But now what way are we justified by works not at all but by Faith Concerning which the Apostle A justifier of him who is of the faith of Iesus Christ c. He said not him that behaved himself well by working but him that is of the faith of Iesus Christ Whence a Disciple being witness whosoever shall believe in Christ with a direct and intent faith it follows by necessary consequence that this Man is esteemed Righteous and is justified before God For otherwise to what purpose should God be said to justifie us by Faith or what need would there be here of any mention of faith at all if holy works of themselves were sufficient to make up a Righteousness By all which things being thus deduced and confirmed it is easie to understand what should be judged of this your definition For if there is no other Righteousness but that which by your definition is placed in holy works and a perfect obedience to the Law of God it thence follows that either we are not tainted with any sins at all or that we must necessarily confess that we are excluded from all possession of Righteousness Both of which are false for though Sin and Righteousness in respect of one and the same thing through a mutual Antithesis whereby they are opposed one against another cannot come together yet nothing hinders but we may be both Sinners and also Righteous upon a different account You will say how can that be If you know not my good Friend I will tell you and in a word that you may understand the more expeditiously We are Sinners in our selves we are Righteous inChrist Hereunto belongs the Mystery of Christ the Son of God given to us by his Father that he with all his works and benefits may become wholly ours for our right and for our advantage So he is said by the Prophet to be born so he is said to be given not to himself but to us So he was Righteous so he fulfilled the Law so he died and rose again that his life might be to us Righteounsness his death might be Redemption and his Resurrection might be Life and Glory Moreover whatsoever is Christ's yea whatsoever Christ. is is not so much his own as yours O Osorius as mine and as it is all ours that by Faith are Iesus Christ's Therefore our Salvation consists of the Redemption purchas'd by another and not of our works For herein shines forth the more than stupendious mercy and unspeakable Grace of a most tender hearted God that he even dedicated his only begotten Son wholly to our advantage that so whatsoever was performed by him was performed not for his sake but for ours neither had it respect to him who had no private need but it redounds as a publick good to us all because he sustains the publick person of All before his Father Wherefore if you desire to know what is our Righteousness Paul and Peter will shew it to you much better than it was defined by you For our Righteousness is Christ our righteous Lord through whose name as many as believe in his name receive Remission of sins What more I pray you would you require unto perfect Righteousness than that sins may never be imputed and that the punishments due to your sins may never be inflicted on you Concerning Inherent and Imputed Righteousness BUT perhaps it is not enough to you that the sins you committed are not imputed to you but that nothing may be committed which may be justly imputed And for that cause you think no man should be reckoned among the Iust but he whose life being upon all accounts untainted is conformable to the perfect rule of the Law having abolished the foot-steps of all sins And indeed that should be wished for if wishes in this case could do any good But you will say that it is not difficult to the Infinite Power of the Almighty God to give strength to perform it to those that ask it of him And again there is not any thing more unsuitable to his Infinite Equity and less honour able to his Infinite Goodness than that he should command his Servants those things which he knows cannot be observed by them But in answer First If those things cannot be kept by us which are commanded by God that comes not to pass through any default of his but through our default who being at first created by him very good brought this disability upon our selves and threw our selves into that necessity of sinning And then what if it so seemed good to his Omnipotent Wisdom to do thus for a Declaration of his own Righteousnes as St. Paul teaches for this purpose that he should be Righteous that is that his Righteousnes might by this means become the more evident through our unrighteousness which could not otherways have been unless he only had been declared to be Righteous and we upon the same account Unrighteous according to Works Which if it had not been so what need had there been why he should justifie us by Faith whom he had seen to be righteous and perfect by Works Yea you say there is very great need of faith and you add a reason Because all the means of destroying and restraining Lust consists in the Grace of God alone which must be obtained by Faith and there is no other way shewed to extinguish and destroy it Therefore Faith as you say prepares the Mind for Righteousness and makes it fit that the great author of all good things should bring into it the seed of righteousness What And does Faith nothing but prepare us for Righteousness But now what way does it prepare Because say you the Grace of God is obtained by Faith and the merit of Christ. But proceed what follows after For it is God only by whose Almighty Power and Bounty we break the force of Lust and restrain all its importunity and maintain the perfect Offices of
Concl. Therefore from Faith men are rightly and formally called righteous before God Again Ma. They that do justly should be called just before God Mi. They that believe in the Son of God do most justly Concl. Therefore they that believe in the Son of God are deservedly called just For what can any man do more justly or more holily than to believe in the only begotten Son of God and to embrace him with all his faith as the Gospel bears witness This is the work of God that ye should believe in him whom he hath sent And what Doctrine is more excellent than to know Christ the Son of God aright and the power of his Death and Resurrection Which knowledge how much it is valued by God above all other disciplines and arts it may appear by this which is foretold unto us of Christ by the Divine Prophet and my Righteous Servant saith he by his Knowledge shall justifie many What if our Iustification is placed only in the knowledge of the Son of God and the Faith of the Son is nothing else but knowledge Divinely Inspired what credit then should be given to those Iesuitical Sophisters who neither admit of any external cause of justifying nor acknowledge any other but this which they themselves place in Works And now what will they answer to this Argument of Augustin Ma. Whence we are saved thence we are just Mi. By Faith we are saved and reconciled to God and become Conquerors according to that saying of the Gospel This is the Victory which overcomes the World our Faith Conclu Therefore by Faith the name of Righteousness is rightly given to us according to the Testimony of Augustin But those Praters will not yet hold their Peace neither do they endure any either Internal or External Righteousness but this only which they describe in Works and the observance of the Law And they endeavour to prove it by this caption First then as touching Faith though that is an internal Vertue yet they plead that it doth not otherways justifie but upon the account of Charity But thus they dispute concerning the righteousness of Christ Because it is not our own but is peculiar to Christ. There is no cause why a Man should take upon him the Name of Righteous from that Righteousness which is anothers to wit according to the Law of Aristotle Which how frivolous it is and contrary to the Faith of the Gospel it will not be difficult to demonstrate by very clear words of Scripture for to what purpose is the Divine Love Preached in the Gospel and in the Prophets to have given Christ his only begotten Son unto the World Unless he had been willing to make us partakers together with him of all his Wealth Vertues Merits and whatsoever good things belong to him Whence Paul He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things What if Christ was given to us byhis Father poured forth exposed and is wholly made ours with all his goods and gifts is there any thing in him whether Wisdom or Iustice or Sanctification or Life or Victory or Death or any other thing besides which we may not by a due right lay claim to as our own If it is ours upon what account then do those Gymnosophists Preach that it belongs not to us Of which thing we may reason thus Ma. Whatsoever Christ did for us is esteemed ours just as if it had been done by our selves Mi. Christ fulfilled all Righteousness for us Conclu Therefore all the Righteousness of Christ is ours by Faith just as if it had been fulfilled by us It is 〈◊〉 by the Example of Adam that Christ's Righteousness is ours PErhaps the thing will appear more evident by Example Let us look upon Adam and in him let us behold the publick calamity of our Nature And also let us contemplate Salvation restored again by the second Adam from the ruine received by the first For if the Doctrine and Force of contraries be the same according to Philosophers it will be more easie by that means from the Evil of the one to judge of the advantages of the other Then let us compare both Adams with one another The first Earthly of the Earth with this second Heavenly from Heaven Who though in their whole Nature they are most different one from another Yet by the singular Wisdom of God it so comes to pass that there is a wonderful resemblance between things that differ very much and the reason of our Salvation being restored agrees most aptly with the reason of the ruine received First in this that both were Originally Princes and Authors of our Propagation one of the Earthly and the other of the Heavenly And then afterwards there was added another thing in which he was a wonderful Type and Image of Christ who was to come a long time after How that came to pass we shall very well learn of Paul himself As saith he by the Disobedience of one Man many were made Sinners So by the Obedience of one many shall be made Righteous and doubling the same again and again in many words As faith he by one Man Sin entred into the World and by Sin Death came upon all Men in that all have Sinned c. And presently If therefore by the Sin of one Man Death came upon all Men to Condemnation in like manner by the Iustification of one Man good is propagated unto all Men to the Iustification of Life What is more clear than these words of the Apostle The whole force and summ of the Argument drives at this that the true Nature of our Righteousness is not due to our Vertues but we must be beholden for it to the merit of another Setting before us such a sense as this by Argument Argument Ma. In what manner Unrighteousness is propagated in the World in the same manner also Righteousness comes Mi. Unrighteousness is propagated by the Sin of one Man Only Conclu Therefore also Righteousness by the merit of one only is derived unto all that are allied to Christ by Faith Otherways Ma. As the matter is between Adam and us after the same manner is the matter between us and Christ. Mi. The sin of one Adam is imputed to all his Posterity yea all those who transgressed not with him Conclu Therefore The Righteousness of one Christ is imputed to all his Posterity to wit that believe in him though they did not obey with him Which things seeing they are of themselves clear and conspicuous the Point calls us to return to you O most excellent Osorius who seem either not to head carefully enough or else perniciously to deny that which Paul Discourses of Imputation so copiously and weightily Wherefore again and again beseeching you I appeal to this sacred Righteousness whereof you write and also to the equity of your own humanity that having
somewhat cleared your Eyes you may search more exactly into the meaning of the Apostles debate and the force of his reasons And first I would have you see into this what it is the Divine Apostle chiefly treats of here what he breaths after what he drives at by this similitude whereby he compares Adam together with Christ and proposes him as a Type and Figure of Christ. But where there is a Type it is necessary there should be something which by certain agreement of similitude may be answerable to the Type On the contrary where there is no agreement there is no Type Where there is no signification there is no similitude discerned Now whereas the former Adam bears a type and resemblance of him that was to follow let us consider in what this similitude consists What in propagating sin Not at all in the very Nature of the Persons What is more unlike Where then is similitude To wit not in the persons nor things themselves but only in the manner of the thing But it must be explained what that manner is For herein lyes all the controversie between us and the Papists For otherways as touching the things themselves and the Persons we are well enough agreed in that for there is no Man who is asked concerning Adam and concerning Christ but will answer concerning both according as the thing is in truth that he is by nature earthly and in his life a Sinner and that he brought upon us not only an Example but also a cause of sinning by a certain venomous contagion of Nature And on the contrary that Christ is from Heaven Heavenly and most pure from all defilement of sin and that he only is the Saviour of the World Concerning which if I am not mistaken there is an agreement between us and our Adversaries But concerning the manner how these either good or evil things come to us from these two Originally herein consists all the matter of controversie between us for as there are many who think we are no other way guilty but that by the example of sinning we imitate Adam the first Author of Sinning So you may see many who think we are upon no other account righteous and acceptable to God but that being helped by Grace we attain unto Christs most Holy Works and his most pure Innocency of Life or do very nearly resemble the same Who though they seem to say something yet is not all contained in that For though good Education and imitation wisely used hath no small influence for the becoming Vertuous whereby it may come to pass that some perhaps may seem less wicked than others and in some respect to excel others in the praise of Piety But imitation or any instruction of discipline will never perform this In short nor any way besides will be sufficient for this that you may shake form off your neck that which you drew from Adam or that you should attain that which is in Christ that is that you should appear righteous in the sight of God unless Christ come in to your succour another way than by any of your endeavours how great soever You will say After what manner is all this No Men can tell you that better than St. Paul For after what manner the former Adam ruin'd you after the same manner the Second Adam Christ restores you That first Author of your kind whilest thou was not yet born killed thee in the root by his not by thy rebellion and drew thee into misery and destruction In Adam behold Christ for in like manner being born and having dyed for thee by his won Innocency not by thine hath restored thee again to true 〈◊〉 and Paradice As therefore the transgression of Adam was imputed to thee who didst not Sin after the similitude of his transgression So the Righteousness of Christ is imputed unto thee who didst not Work after the similitude of Christ. In the one of whom behold the severity of Iudgment in the other the excellency of Grace What if this perhaps seems hard and strange to any Man in Adam that I should suffer the punishment of another Man's Sin and that those should be punished for the crime of another who committed nothing For it must needs be another Mans crime seeing I am deprived of Righteousness not for my own fault but for the fault of my Parent Let this same Man again leaving Adam cast back his Eyes upon Christ In whom the bounty of a most plentiful clemency makes amends by a counterpoize for the severity of the former Iudgment For from one Man Death passed upon all on them also who sinned not And justly Though I do not so much regard merit here I only consider the manner of the thing Come then let us compare the Type with the Antitype from the disobedience of one Man as I said death passed upon all Men who sinned not after his example which is a thing that cannot be denied After the same manner again from the Righteousness of one Man Life is communicated unto all who did not like him work Righteousness which is agreeable by the like reason for otherways Christ could not agree to his Type Here now consider whosoever thou art Christian Reader whether the judgments of God in Adam should be more dreaded by thee in which the severity of God imputed unto thee being not yet born that which thou hadst not committed or mercy in Christ the Lord should be more loved who tothee not working but believing in him that justifies the wicked imputes the Righteousness thou didst not deserve By which you see worthy Man if Paul the Apostle should be credited how unworthy of any credit your Doctrine is whereby you take away the Grace of all Imputation and leave no Righteousness besides to miserable Sinners but what every Man purchases by his own good deeds which how true it is let us examine by that place of Paul which convinces you of a Lye and a shameful Error by this most evident Argument Argument Ma. After what manner Christ was made sin for us after the like manner we are made the Righteousness of God by Christ. Mi. Christ was made sin for us no other way but by Imputation only Concl. Therefore we are made Righteous before God no other way but by imputation only I beseech you by your Chatholick Charity what will you say or what will you feign O most dear Osorius to this so clear evidence of manifest Scripture Do you not see that you are tyed on every side with Bonds that are Apostolick and wholly of Adamant Now what Turning what Hole to escape at can you find Christ is made sin for us Wherefore That we might be made the Righteousness of God by him saith the Apostle Will you deny it I suppose you will not What way then was he made sin Will you say by committing it No By Imputation then Certainly it is so Right indeed What
condemnation due to Sinners I speak of those Sinners who being turned from their sins by serious Repentance fly to Christ by Faith But methinks I do already hear what your Divinity in this case will mutter against us you will not deny that Christ died for us and that our righteousness is placed in him but yet so that these benefits of his and rewards of justice come not to us by Faith nor by imputation but by the study of Works and Holiness which being given to the Merits of Christ we receive in this Life by the free gift of God Therefore that we who were of old shut up in darkness And even extinct by the strength of death now we do escape the tyranny of Death that we do now recover the gifts of divine righteousness formerly lost and slipt out of our hands and that we obtain the reward of life proposed to vertue all that consists in this that we should wholly abdicate and forsake whatsoever we have from our first Father and transfer our selves wholly to the similitude and imitation of our second Father and so it will come to pass that we shall purchase immortal and divine riches and eternal glory and true righteousness with everlasting praise not by our merits but only by the vertue of Christ Who works all these things in us Therefore according to this sort of Divinity the merits of Christ do nothing else in Heaven but that they obtain unto us Divine Grace whereby we may by way of imitation more easily resemble the most holy footsteps and similitude of Christ our second Father and lead our lives well in this World according to his Laws But now what if we cannot exactly follow the footsteps of his holiness What if imitation falter sometimes and stagger What if the servency of charity and the care of our most holy Religion and the observance of Iustice becomes too remiss Yea what if somewhere a defilement of sin creeps in as infirmity may occasion Or what if that I may use the words of Hierom he that rows a Boat against the stream slacken his hands a little doth he not presently slide back and is carried by the stream whither he would not and who is not remiss sometimes Seeing Paul also confesses that he is sometimes drawn thither whither he would not And then where is the righteousness which was hoped for by Works where is the immortality proposed to vertue Verily unless the greater mercy of our most gracious Father had so taken care for us that our whole Salvation should be laid up in the righteousness of his Son and if faith and imputation did not help us more than imitation of life our condition had stood on a miserable enough and too broken foundation But eternal thanks be to Almighty God the Father of all mercies who according to his unspeakable Wisdom which reaches from end to end strongly and disposes all things sweetly hath not settled our estate by any law of works but by faith that according to Grace the Promise may be sure to all the Seed that though we our selves are weak and void of all righteousness yet it is sufficient that there is one in our Nature which hath fulfilled all righteousness and that he only is righteous for all How say you for all Why not as well as the unrighteousness of one Adam of old was sufficient to bring ruine upon all Therefore let us behold Christ in Adam and compare the one with the other Who though they are very unlike to one another yet agree in this that both being First Fathers of Propagation by an equal similitude something came from both as Progenitors which hath spread abroad upon all Men. To wit Death and Life Sin and justice Therefore one Man destroyed all Men And in like manner one Man saves all Men neither do you your self deny this But let us see how the one destroys and how the other saves those that are destroyed Through his fault say you not our own we contracted the pollution of Sin in our Birth these are your very words Which as I entertain willingly so if they are true and if he in this respect was a Type of Christ which is shewed out of Paul what hinders but that we also in like manner in Regeneration may obtain the reward of Righteousness not for our own Obedience but his The one sinned and by his wickedness ruinated all Men the other obeyed and by his righteousness saves all You say it is true if so be we lead our Life well according to the Imitation and Example of him And where then is the agreement of similitude between Christ and Adam if the one destroyed us in our being Born as you your self confess but Christ cannot save us in our Regeneration except Imitation be joyned And where now is the Grace of Imputation and the Imputation of Faith unto Righteousness so oft repeated in the Scriptures taught by the Apostles testified by the most Ancient Fathers received and delivered by the Church Shall it be sufficient cause to inflict Death upon thy Body that thou wast propagated from Adam and shall it not have cause enough for the justification of thy Soul that thou art born again in Christ What say you Do none dye but they that Sin after the Example of Adam Are none saved but those that by a due imitation attain unto the most Holy Vertues of Christ And what then doth Baptism the Sacrament of Faith in Regeneration if Salvation is purchased by no other thing but by treading in the Footsteps of Christ The Objection of Osorius is Answered where the Imitation of Christ is discoursed of at large BUT you will say what is it not an excellent thing is it not a Pious thing is it not very necessary for every Man who counts his Life and Salvation dear to him who looks for Immortal Glory who seeks stable and eternal pleasures that he separate himself as much as he can from theImitation of the Earthly Father and frame himself wholly to the imitation of the Heavenly Who denies or is Ignorant of that O Osorius Who is so void of all Religion and Sense but is ready of his own accord and with his whole Heart to confess that very thing to you which that you may persuade you do not only explain but also draw forth all the force and efficacy of Speech that you can upon it with so much earnestness and vehemency First who is so Ignorant but knows what we received from both our Parents of which you dispute so prolixly The thing it self and the experience of all things does abundantly make it evident into what deceits and straits into what a gulf of miseries the former hath brought us into So on the contrary how many and how great good things have proceeded from the other Father I think it is unknown to no Man Whose acts for us if we consider what is more excellent If the
greatness of his benefits what more Divine If his Life it self every way perfect with all purity of the greatest Vertues what more admirable Unto whose example as the most perfect rule for imitation seeing you invite us so earnestly I must needs both willingly approve of your Piety therein and also give you thanks upon this account for your diligence And so much the more upon the account that the unhappy calamity of these times does so greatly need such incitements which I know not by what means having obliterated the footsteps of the Heavenly Adam seem to have degenerated again unto the Earthly Father with a perfect conspiracy Wherefore I could the rather with to these manners and times that those things which are very well discoursed of by you concerning following the Example of Christ concerning the resembling of his Death concerning imitating his Divine Life may pierce not only the Ears of Men but also the most inward parts of their minds For what is more solid for Advice or more seasonable for the Time than that which you so much enlarge upon with a plentiful amplification of Words that every Man according to his power should propose unto himself Christ the chiefest Example of all Vertue and Master of Life for Imitation and Resemblance That having rooted out the filth and relicks of the Old Nature He may drive away very far from him with a resolved and magnanimous Spirit all Taints of impurity And because as you say we cannot be in the middle between the two therefore it remains that having forsaken the party of the body we should so fight under the banner of Christ our Prince we should so subdue the body it self by the power of his saving Crosi all rebellion of the body should so be overcome in us that this unbridled lust which maintains everlasting enmity against God may at length yield to his command and that we may not lessen any endeavour or labour howsoever great in this most holy observance of Iustice and imitation of Christ. As these things are proposed by you most excellent Osorius no less Holily than Eloquently so I would that in like manner your Rhetorick might make a suitable Harmony concerning the Imitation of Christ in the Ears of the Roman Bishops and Cardinals That these Men having abdicated the perishing and transitory Wealth of this World with which they overflow beyond all measure of their own profession and also above royal magnificence may at length think of the poverty of Christ that they may diminish their Possessions and large Inheritances heaped together their Diadems and their other regalities I say not according to the example of the Ancient Philosophers but according to the contentation of the most Holy Apostles that seriously rejecting the luxury and superfluity of this Life their vain glory their needless vanities and trifles may at length cease to be conform to the wicked fashions of this World And that laying aside all haughtiness and pride of Life they may submit themselves to the humility of Christ and restrain and compose the exorbitancy of their Minds and Spirits And laying down this Popish Cruelty and Tyranny learn to become meek of Christ that most perfect pattern of meekness Learn saith he of me because I am meek and lowly of Spirit I do not require that those Roman Priests should wash the Feet of the Poor according to the example of Christ but that they should not embrue their cruel Hands in the Blood of their Brethren neither do I require that they should give Water to refresh the Disciples of Christ but that they should not heap up Flames and Faggots to burn their Bodies nor lay Snares for them or devise to entrap them privily design their ruine and destruction furnish Darts and Weapons to slay them for whom Christ was Sacrificed and by whom they themselves were never hurt If Example should be taken from Christ I pray you what doth the Divine Father and Creator commend more unto us what else doth his whole life breath but mutual Charity both towards Friends and also towards Enemies Who not only doth not break the shaken and bruised Reed but upon the Cross prays for his very Crucifiers Therefore we have an example singularly excellent which we may imitate We have also together with an example a commendation by the mouth of the Apostle by whom Charity is called the bond of perfection Moreover there is not wanting the Preaching of Divines who in their Books in their Exercises in their Sermons do attribute so much to Charity that they call It the form the perfection and the very life of faith without which there is no other vertue that can be helpful to Salvation And now I need not here in many words declare what agreement there is between the Doctrine of those great extollers of Charity and the practice of their lives seeing there are so many proofs before our eyes so many ten thousands of men slain do witness it and so great abundance of Christian blood shed there is so great outrage of Persecution every where there is nothing safe from slaughter fury tumult snares contentions dangers articles of Inquisition bonds and imprisonments In some places the Turk makes havock with the Sword and elsewhere with flames and smoak And the Fathers of the Roman Court exercise Cruelty First they make Laws written with blood which afterwards they commit to Political Monarchs to be promulgated and to the other Officers to be executed by Law On the sudden Citizens of good repute and Learned Ministers are violently haled to examinations and afterwards to death if any Man dare but open his mouth against the manifest abuses of errours they spare neither Age nor Sex nor Condition Thus forsooth those perfect Roman Catholick Nobles imitate the Charity of Christ so they follow his Divine Life so they resemble his death so they shew forth his meekness so they bear the Image of the Divine Father so they wholly and more than wholly form and fashion themselves from the imitation of the earthly Father to the example of the Heavenly Who justly deserve to hear from the Lord ye are those that justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is of high account before Men is abominable before God What if the most Holy Popes and purple Cardinals those Chiefest Dignitaries of the Church with all this your Order of Bishops and the most strict Orders of Monks who by Place Dignity and Profession seem to approach nearest unto Christ and to supply his place upon earth differ so much from him what cause is there why we should hope better of the whole body of the common people or that any Man should promise himself Salvation in following the footsteps of Christ but God willing I shall elsewhere make enquity into this just matter of complaint Now let us return to you Osorius whose so godly and eloquent exhortations about putting on and imitating Christ
by performing these Offices of Life which are contained in the Law O miserable condition of Mortal Men if those things are true which you Evangelize to us But by what Authority of the Gospel do you confirm those things which you assert You say There is no reason that any Man should be joyned to God unless he be a Friend to him I hear you What then But no Man can be his friend unless he be like him That is harder Let the induction proceed But the Divine similitude consists wholly of the study and exercise of true Vertue From all this therefore it is concluded That there is no other way that joyns us to God but what consists in the performance of Vertue and in worthy Offices And now what will become of those who being Iust Men fall seven times a Day and yet rise up again What also will become of all those concerning whom Iames speaking saith in many things we offend all Moreover what will become of those whom Christ bids Pray Lord forgive us our debts Moreover whereas you say that no Man is joyned to God or received into favour but he that is his Friend If that be so How then doth God agree to his own Law which commands not only to love Friends but to pray for Enemies I beseech you when God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son what else was this World then but an Enemy to God which yet he had so great a favour to Yea Paul expresly testifies that we were reconciled to God not when we were Friends but Enemies and therefore he says the love of Christ is commended in this that he dyed for Enemies And again if whilst we were Enemies we were reconciled unto God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life See I beseech you how great a difference is between Paul's Assertion and yours Osorius He affirms we were reconciled to God when we were Enemies you admit no Man unto favour but him that is a Friend to him and conform to him in the whole fimilitude of his Life And how then will that command of Christ consist concerning loving Enemies and that by the example of his Father's bounty who bestows the benefit both of Sun and Rain not only on Friends but also on Enemies if so be the Grace of Divine favour is accessible to none but Friends and those that are like himself And that I may by the by touch something here of the Mysteries of Prophetical Scriptures tell me what else is pointed at unto us by the reception of Iacob and his Sons into the Land of AEgypt Gen. chap. 47. Whom that very loving King being brought unto him to whom they had not been so much as known before received for Inhabitants of Foreigners and for dear Subjects of Men unknown not only into the Common Wealth but into Friendship not at all for their own sakes who brought nothing with them but hunger and poverty But only for the sake of Ioseph whom the King had a very dear love for What else doth Ioseph represent to us but the sublime Son of God dearly beloved of him What else should you understand in the Brethren Father and the whole Kindred but us miserable Sinners whom being dead in Sins Christ hath quickned and of Enemies reconciled us in Friendship to his Father not for any merit of our Works or Conformity but only by that favour whereby he is powerful with the Father But now let us briefly bring the Osorian Argument into a regular form that we may the better view each part thereof Argument Ma. Those only are joyned in friendship with God who are like unto him Mi. They who are infected with the pollution of Sins are not like God Concl. Therefore none of those to whom pollution of Sin cleaves have any Union with God And thence on the contrary sense it is gathered that it must be concluded by necessary consequence that all spots of Sins being abolished That man who desires Union with God should agree with him by a certain eminent resemblance I Answer First to the major which is not always true Though the similitude of manners hath oftimes no small strength to procure Friendship in the common use of Life as Cicero says yet all things that are any way unlike are not so opposed that they cannot consist together without fighting one against another As there are many differences in things yet every difference doth not unty the bond of love As again neither do all Men every where cleave to one another by a firm bond of Friendship whosoever do some way agree in endowments and Ingeny Verily in the Divine Love this agreement of Conformity hath no place That they should be received into favour who came nearest to his Image For so it would come to pass that all other Creatures being excluded Almighty God would embrace only Angelical Vertues with his Divine Favour Though neither here if you look to Angels themselves doth any proportion of similitude unite into one with the Divine Holyness according to the Testimony of Roffensis Who says that the Righteousness of Men is another than that of Angels and again that their Righteousness is another than that of God As therefore this Righteousness of Angels if you compare it with the Righteousness of God will seem imperfect and beyond all comparison coming short of that highest Righteousness and which yet perhaps is without Sin So if you compare Human Perfection with Angelical it will have some Imperfection yet so that all its works are not subject to Sin Hitherto spake Roffensis Augustin also comes to this Point who comparing our Righteousness which now is with that which is to come hath these words concerning its dissimilitude when that Righteousness saith he according to which they live shall be and where no evil concupiscence shall be let every Man measure himself what he is now and what he shall be then and he will find in comparison of that Righteousness that all his works now are loss and dung c. And presently after In the Resurrection we believe we shall fulfil Righteousness that is that we shall have full Righteousness In comparison of that all the Life we live now is dung c. And now Osorius what Agreement of similitude will you find between this Life of dung and that highest Author and Prince of all Holiness The Assertion of Osorius whereby he proves that there can be no Reconciliation to God unless all the Relicks of Sin be utterly cut off BUT perhaps some Osorian will here again object Though dissimilitude doth not divide the connexion of friendship but yet things that are so different that they are opposed to one another by a mutual repugnancy it cannot by any means be that those things should be joyned together of which sort are Virtue and Vice Righteousness and Sin Love and Hatred
reason why this is called the Iustification of a wicked Man in these words To wit because all motion is denominated more from the term to which than from the term from which therefore that Transmutation whereby a Man is changed from a State of unrighteousness through the Remission of sin to a State of righteousness it takes its name from the term to which and it is called the Iustification of the wicked These things said he and he said not amiss if so be it be rightly understood for suppose we grant that which must necessarily be acknowledged that there is no Iustification of a wicked Man without a Transmutation and that Transmutation is not made without Remission and also that there is no motion without a twofold term yet there is a twofold consideration requisite here First where he places his term to which That is where he would place this State of Righteousness If in this life it is false But if in the other it is most true For here by the help of Divine grace we proceed from Vertue to Vertue But we shall attain the term of full Righteousness only in the life to come And then as touching the word Righteousness I must ask Thomas what Righteousness he means if he means Human or Inherent Righteousness whereby he thinks we are Iustified before God I answer That we shall never attain unto that state of Righteousness in this life But if he understand That Righteousness which 〈◊〉 Preaches which is God's and not ours the assertion of Thomas doth not at all differ from the words of the Apostle for thus saith he that we might be made the Righteousness of God through him First what is called this Righteousness of God but that which is not ours Which God approves in us by his imputation And then why doth he add through him but that we may understand that this Righteousness consists not in any performance of our Vertues but is only upon the account of Christ's imputed to us that he only may be just and the justifier of him that is of the Faith of Iesus Reasons are brought against the Definition of Iustification set down by Thomas BUT because here we fall into a debate with Thomas about the definition of Iustification Out of whose Breasts the late School Divines seem to have sucked whatsoever poyson runs in this Controversie It will not be unconvenient as it were by tracing his Foot-steps to pursue the deceits of this definition by a more exact enquiry and to confute them by just Authority that we may as much as in us lies bring to nothing these Sophistical tricks But by what reason more happily or by what authority more conveniently shall I do it then if I oppose St. Hierom to St. Thomas who I think is nothing inferior to him as it were beating out one hard wedge with another harder wedge Now whereas Thomas measuring this peripatetical Iustification by a Physical Motion he terminates it by these bonds to wit That it is a Transmutation from a Term of Unrighteousness by Remission of sins to a Term or State of Righteousness immediately the Divines of the Council of Trent following him snatch at this same definition and thus express it that it is a Translation from that State in which Man is born a Son of the first Adam into a State of grace and adoption of the Sons of God by the second Adam Iesus Christ our Saviour Though this latter definition seems to be somewhat more cautious in words but it differs not much in the Sense yet one answer is sufficient to both of them And first I ask this of Thomas and then of the Tridentines What they mean by this motionary Translation of theirs from Term to Term from State into State as they teach If this be their meaning that we who before were dead in sins having our sins afterwards forgiven through Christ and being again received into grace with God being freed from death and the bond of Damnation are vouchsafed into favour and received unto life and Placed in a free condition Herein they do wholly agree with us But if otherways they think thus That there is no Iustification made but that which consists of the change of qualities so that he who before was a sinner an Evil Doer a Deceiver a Perjured person an Adulterer a Glutton and Drunkard having changed his life now begins to be another Man fasts twice a week and out of his own wealth willingly supplies the want of the needy being forward to help all unto the expending of the tenth part of all his goods and so leading his life and changed into a new Man that he appears Iust and Holy not by thatRighteousness which either needsRemission or is imputed to the bounty of the Iudge But which by reason of true Vertues inhering by grace is justly approved in the sight of God What hinders I beseech you but upon this account the Pharisee in comparison of the Publican goes away justified The Histories of the Heathen Nations abound with examples of many who when they had been very much corrupted by their own disposition or by education returned afterwards to a remarkable amendment of their Life and a habit of good manners And what will hinder but we may reckon those also among the Iustified according to the Philosophy of Thomas If so be Iustification be nothing else but a certain motion from contrary into contrary that is a transmutation from a state of Unrighteousness to a state of Righteousness But there is added in the definition by the remission of Sin and what does this help their cause For if there is no other Iustification but that which consists of Remission of Sins why then do they of Trent deny Iustification to confist of Remission of Sins only Moreover whereas in the Remission of Sins always a suspicion of hidden Sin lyes hid which needs the Patronage of a Pardon where now will that state and term of Inherent Righteousness consist which cannot otherways defend it self before the Iudge without his Mercy and Remission But why should I contend with any more words about this matter when the Opinion of Hierom is contrary thereunto who speaking particularly of these degrees of Righteousness utterly beats down and overturns all this both Station and term settled by Thomas For whereas Thomas disputing about the motion of Iustification proceeds from one term to another term in which the motion ceases and the transmutation receives an end and station on the contrary Hierom running through all degrees teaches that we never fix in a station and are always in a race in this Life and that that is always imperfect here which we Men thought to be perfect And he confirms it by the example of Paul Who forgetting things past stretched himself always to things beyod him by which he teaches that things which are behind should be neglected and things to come should be desired that what he thought
the godly can will to sin because by a voluntary receiving of Grace they are endued with so pure Charity and Innocency that being polluted with no spot of unrighteousness they are not only accounted clean and undefiled by imputation and the remission of sins but are in reality righteous and unblameable by the true possession and exercise of Vertue But where will they find those righteous men that dare profess themselves free from all guilt of sin As I may speak it of all the other Apostles so here I would ask them particularly of Iohn whom they quote whether they think that he himself should be reckoned in the Catalogue of the righteous who are not tainted with the least spot of sin Let us then hear the Apostle confessing of himself If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us Now then if so great a Disciple of Christ and one so dearly beloved of him durst not plead a total and perfect freedom from sin nor could do so without a Lye dare those Tridentine Seducers attribute that unto themselves and do they suppose that the World can be so blinded by them that it doth not easily take notice of and detest their manifest Lyes Deceits and Impostures and so great an impudence in Lying and Deceiving Pious Reader what Testimonies of greater Authority dost thou look for That which the Tridentines affirm the Apostle denies If they say true the Canonical Truth is a Lye But if it be blasphemy to entertain such a thought must not they of Trent be Lyars What need is there to prove it I will express it in a word The Testimony of Scripture the Consent of Nature the Experience of all Ages the Iudgment of the Learned the Sayings of the Antient Fathers the Examples of all the Saints the general Opinion of all good men the guilty Conscience of evil doers the constant Prayers of the Church her Complaints and Tears the Rebellion of the Flesh the wicked Imaginations arising in the Heart the Deceit of Errours the Groans of troubled Spirits the Disturbances incident to a Mortal Life and Death it self common to all men Moreover the constant Confessions of the Papists and their often repeated Absolutions what is the meaning of these so many and weighty Arguments What is it that they declare but that the Righteousness attainable in this Life is either none at all or such as Augustin describes that consists more in the remission of sins than in the perfection of Vertues And lest any should flatter himself with hopes of perfection in this Life let us hear what the same Augustin commenting upon Iohn infers Let not sin reign in your mortal body He says not let it not be but let it not reign For as long as you live of necessity sin must be in your Members Yet let the dominion be taken from it let not that be done which it commands c. And again writing to Macedonius Who of us is without sin And presently again repeating the same But who in this Life is without some sin But him we call good whose goodness prevails and him we call best who sins least Therefore those whom the Lord himself calls good by reason of the participation of Divine Grace he calls the same also evil because oftheir infirmities until our whole man be thoroughly purged from all corruption by passing into that Life in which we shall sin no more c. Thus said Augustin Where then is that real infusion of Vertues as they call it where are these new Qualities and that Inherent Righteousness that hath no need of remission of sins for what need is there of remission there where there is nothing to be forgiven For what sin can remain there where the perfect purification as they speak of Body and Soul from all pollution of sin makes us holy and partakers of the Divine Nature Briefly that I may comprehend the matter in a few words lest this discourse should grow into too great a bulk I suppose I have sufficiently by what I have discoursed at large cleared these things following First what is the nature of true Faith which causeth Righteousness what is its proper Object from whence it receives power to justifie which we have proved by the Scriptures to proceed wholly from its object that is the person of him only in whom we believe Now because Faith only embraces the person of Christ therefore it is that Faith only upon the account of its Object and not for the sake of our Vertues justifies the sinners and ungodly What sinners are justified by Christ. BUT here there is another thing to be enquired into to wit who are these sinners to whom this Iustification belongs In which the difference must of necessity be observed For as it is not every Faith or act of believing that procures Iustification but that only which eyes the Mediatour So this very Faith doth not belong to all sinners promiscuously Though all men are sinners by nature and in many things we offend all yet all are not sinners alike They that have no sense of their sins no trouble in their Conscience nor shame for the Abominations they have committed but run on headlong and without fear into all wickedness though they prosess Christ and Faith in him with their mouth yet their heart is void of him neither doth this empty profession yield them any benefit Of which sort of men Christ Preaches in the Gospel Not every one that saith to me Lord Lord but he that doth the Will of my Father c. After the same manner the whole Epistle of Iames treats of these and such like men whom he denies to be justified by this counterfeit and hypocritical Faith But on the contrary those that sincerely repent and mourn for their sins and abhorring their own Wickedness return to Christ with all their Hearts and receive him by Faith these only are 〈◊〉 whom Faith alone Iustifies without Works according to that well known saying of Paul And by this means it will not be difficult to reconcile both the Apostles Paul and Iames to one another For as Iames a Servant of Iesus Christ cannot deny but Faith when it is found in a Penitent and Humbled sinner justifies him freely without Works and before all good Works So on the other side neither doth Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ approve of that Faith which works not by love nor admits abominable wretches of profligate lives to have any fellowship with Christ. Which things being granted what can the Papists say against this Assertion concerning justifying Faith Or what valuble Author can they produce in defence of their Erroneus Doctrine Now if to justifie from sins is nothing else but to absolve from sins as we have demonstrated out of the Apostle Is there any that can absolveus but Christ only Or how should he absolve unless he be received Or after what
manner by what Instrument by what hands must he be received but Faith only And what absurdity is it then for us to profess that we are justified by Faith only An answer to those that say the 〈◊〉 of Faith is 〈◊〉 pretending that it opens a door to Irreligion and Licentiousness BUT they pretend that this Doctrine is pernicious and contrary to a Pious Life and good manners For as they say it encourages Men that are weak by nature and prone to evil to sin with the greater boldness Canisius confirms this Wheresoever saith he Iustification by Faith only is taught it comes to pass that usually in such places Men sin without any fear or shame And vain Men to encourage themselves in living profanely flatter themselves with hopes to go unpunished because they lay hold on Christ by Faith And it is no wonder says Vega for what should he be afraid of yea what should he not despise and make light of who is once perswaded that Faith only is sufficient for his Iustification And that the Kingdom of Heaven is not shut up from any sin or wickenness if it were never so great Osorius adds his Vote to theirs If Faith only is sufficient and if every Action that we do is unprofitable and defiled it follows that all who embrace this imaginary Faith do altogether neglect good Works c. And elsewhere Therefore you cannot by such Doctrine exhort a Harlot to forsake her Lust nor a Thief to refrain his covetous desire of other Mens Goods nor a wicked Man to depart from his 〈◊〉 but that he should 〈◊〉 this naked and empty Faith only which is void of all works of Charity for by such instructions he will conceive a strong perswasion that by this Faith only he is very dear to God Than which what can be more absurd Though I grant this to be true that nothing can be more absurd than if we say that Harlots Highwaymen and Outragious Cut-throats who breaking the bonds of natural Modesty give themselves up willfully to all impurity are acceptable to God by Faith only I say suppose we grant this to be true what follows from hence Then Faith only as you say doth not justifie O ingenious arguing worthy of the Roman Mitres It is true that such as your Description sets forth to us are not Iustified by Faith But what a Connexion is this there are many who by the Preaching of free Iustification are encouraged to a greater Licentiousness in sinning Therefore that which is taught concerning justifying Faith is false As if the Truth or Falshood of things depended on the using or abusing of them What hath ever been so right or good but evil Men have made it the occasion of Destruction to themselves or others by the abuse thereof If this Argument were reasonable the Sun might cease to shine because there are some that abuse his light to commit the vilest Enormities And healthful Herbs may cease to be planted in Gardens because the venimous Spider sucks the worst poyson out of them The Physician also may cease to Administer Medicines because there are some found who after they have recovered their Health do sometimes commit such things that it had been better if they had still lain sick in Bed Yea on the Lord's days there are not a few that through idleness commit many sins What then because they that know not how to use good things aright take occasion to abuse the time of the Lord's Day to Gluttony and Drunkenness and to open a door to Licentiousness should we therefore reject the Lord's institution No verily Human things must give place to Divine and the usual custom of Men of wicked Lives must not be your rule to walk by but that which God hath commanded to be done Christ commands the Gospel to be Preached to every Creature Will ye forbid it though many abuse the Gospel But what is this Gospel of Christ that he commands to be Preached He that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved Do you hear that Salvation is simply promised to Believers and that it consists of nothing else but Faith and that Sacrament of Faith Will you deny it Whether then shall we believe Christ or you So it pleases him to open unto sinners the Treasures of his abundant grace And will your envy shut up that from us which he hath opened do you neither enter your self nor suffer others to enter Christ also speaks thus by the Prophet ye have been sold for nought and ye shall be redeemed without price What is the sense of these words without price but this without any Merits of Works at all that is your own Merits but not the Merits of another What then If the procurement of another hath brought you to death may not also the procurement of another restore you to life again And in the same Prophet the Holy Spirit proclaims how beautiful the feet of those are upon the Mountains that bring good tidings that publish peace And yet do you endeavour to stop the comfortable course of Gospel Preaching and in the room thereof do you obtrude your old erroneous Doctrine of mournful Sorrow and heartless doubting You will say Why not For it will be better for Men to be kept in fear for who will be anxious about the Fruits of Repentance or his progress in grace if every Man be sure of his own Iustification and of the favour of God And therefore Masters and Fathers conceal their love towards their Sons and Servants that by this uncertainty they may be the more obliged to their Duty And it must be believed that God deals just so with his Creatures c. Thus said Hosius Where then is that peace and joy in the Holy Ghost if no Man must be assured of the favour of God Where are those feet of them that run upon the Mountains and bring glad tidings of Peace if it is not lawful to publish the Righteousness of Peace We are not against the Preaching of Faith say they but we would not that Faith only should be Preached That is the only thing that we require for the cause that we mention'd because when this form of Doctrine is taught of necessity the consequence thereof is the Ruin and Destruction of all honest Discipline That I may answer this Objection though it hath been sufficiently answered already two things must be considered one whereof belongs to the manner of Preaching and the other to the truth of the Doctrine And first as touching Preaching their Objection is very false For though we teach that Faith only Iustifies yet we neglect not to use strong motives to the practice of good Works and sharp Admonitions and not only Admonitions but also severe threatnings yea and moreover Excommunications if need be to restrain wicked practices The frequent Sermons that are Preached in our Churches bear witness to this in which according to our power we
without any disadvantage to our Cause For suppose we grant that Faith is Dead which is not moved with a desire of doing good Works according to the saying of St. Iames yet it doth not therefore follow from hence that no Faith Iustifies without Works From which two things do follow worthy of consideration First That no Faith justifies that is not lively And next though it abounds in good Works and never is without them yet it only without Works Iustifies This will appear evident by the Example of St. Paul Who though he was not conscious to himself of any Wickedness yet he durst not affirm himself to be thereby Iustified I think nothing hinders but the whole Argument may be yielded unto if so be the terms are rightly placed The Adversaries gather out of the Apostle Iames that Faith is dead which is without Works and herein we do not much oppose them But what follows from hence Therefore as they say dead Faith without Works doth not justifie And I deny it not But what Conclusion flows from this manner of Arguing Therefore only Faith doth not justiste Why so If no Faith but that which is lively justifies and if it receives Life only from Works then this is the consequence that Faith justifies only upon the account of good Works I Answer First though we grant it is true that the Faith which justifies us in the sight of God is lively and always joyned with a Godly Life Yet that this Faith justifies and reconciles us no other ways but upon the account of good Works is most false For this is not a good consequence from the premises Because Faith is not alone in the Life of the Believer therefore Faith is not alone in the Office of justifying Or because the Faith that justifies is not a dead but a lively Faith therefore it doth not justifie alone without Works For herein is a fallacy of the Consequence But you may object Whence then is Faith said to be lively and not Dead but from Works Which if it be so of necessity it must draw all its Life and Vertue from Works Nay the matter is quite contrary For though in the sight of Men Faith is not discerned to be Lively and Vigorous but by Works yet Faith receives not Life from Works but rather Works from Faith As Fruits draw their Life and Sap from the Root of the Tree but not the Root from them Iust so external actions proceed from Faith as the Root which if they be good they evidence the Root to be sound and lively and this is all they do but they communicate no Life thereunto And this Life and Vertue of Faith is not one but Twofold And it acteth partly in Heaven and partly in Earth If you ask what it doth amongst Men upon Earth It does good to its Neighbour working by Love But before God in Heaven it justifies the Ungodly not by Love but by the Son of God whom it only lays hold of Therefore those Men seem not to have got a clear insight into the Vertue and Nature of the Grace of Faith that suppose the whole Life thereof to consist in Love as if Faith of it self could do nothing but as it receives Vertue and Efficacy from Charity Indeed both may seem to be true in the External Actions of Human Life in which Faith lyes like a dead thing unless it be enlivened by Charity to the exercise of good Works And hereunto belongs that saying of Paul whereby he so much commends Faith working by Love understanding such Works as Faith working by Love brings forth to the view of a Human Eye Yet with God Faith hath a far different operation for it only without any reliance upon Works or assistance of Charity but trusting to the naked promise of God and the dignity of the Mediatour climbs up to Heaven and gets access into the presence of God where it does great and wonderful things combating with the Iudgment to come fighting against the terrours of Death Satan and Hell pleads the cause of a Sinner obtains his pardon absolves and justifies him from the accusations of a guilty Conscience takes away all Iniquity reconciles God to the Sinner appeases his wrath subdues the power of Death and the Devil and procures Peace yea and Paradise it self with theThief that had led a wicked Life and yet at Death was justified by Faith in the Redeemer Who would desire more or greater things And now so many and great things being done by Faith let us enquire After what manner it does them Not as it lives and works by Love but as it lives only by Christ and relies on the promise for the Life of Faith which lives before God is not Charity but Christ not receiving Life from Charity but communicating life unto it and justifying Works that they may be acceptable to God which would otherways be abominable Unto the truth of this we have a sufficient Testimony given us by Paul When he says my Life is Christ and again the Life that I now live in the Flesh I live not by the Love but by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me And elsewhere speaking of himself he says That he was not conscious to himself of any VVickedness and yet he denies that he is thereby Iustified as the same Apostle discoursing about the works of Abraham though they were never so Eminent for Holiness yet he saw nothing in them which that Great Patriarch might make a matter of Glorying before God Hereunto may be added the Arguments of others that have been strangely wrested out of Scriptures There are six Reasons principally which they pretend the Evangelists furnish them with against the Righteousness of Faith First they draw an Argument from these words of Christ Come ye blessed of my Father to the Kingdom prepared for you For I was an hungred and ye gave me Meat Argument Da. That which is the cause of blessedness is also the cause of Iustification Whom he hath Iustified them he hath also Glorified c. Rom. 8. Ri. Works of Mercy are the cause of blessedness for I was an hungred and ye gave c. Mat. 25. I. Therefore Works of Mercy are the cause of Iustification Answer I deny the Minor For Works of Mercy as they are considered in themselves are not the cause of Iustification or blessedness but rather effects and furits of Iustification for they are no otherways pleasing to God but as they are performed by persons in a justified state and it is by the Faith of Christ that they become acceptable For unless Faith go before and justifie the person of him that worketh his works are not at all regarded by God because they do not satisfie the Law of God being tainted with the corruption of depraved Nature and come far short of that perfection which Divine Iustice requires Wherefore if we will Reason aright about
can do them no hurt in the Iudgment which are already done away and pardoned before the Iudgment by Faith and Repentance And besides this if they did any thing well and worthy of praise they receive an everlasting Reward not for the merit of the Work but according to free Imputation whereby God in his Infinite Mercy sets such a value on the works of them that believe in his Name though they are vile and contemptible in themselves that he rewards them with the recompence of the promised Inheritance not for any merit of theirs but according as he hath promised it freely in his Son Now there being a twofold manner of Divine Iudgment as we have shewed out of Augustine one belonging to the Iustice of condemnation and another to the Mercy of Separation According to this diversity of Iudgment we must distinguish between those that are to be called before this Tribunal of the great Iudge for all of us must be called and presented before it but the distinction between those that shall appear must be observed For though we are all sinners by Nature and in the practice of our Lives yet we are not all sinners after the same manner There are some whose sins are already forgiven by Faith and the free Grace of God and there is no doubt but the Mercy of Separation will deliver such from the Iudgment of Condemnation because there is nothing that can be justly alledged against them For who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that justifies who is he that condemns Or how can they in Righteousness be called to Iudgment for these things that were pardoned by the Iudge himself before they were brought under the Tryal of Iudgment For the offence being taken away the offender is not liable to Iudgment Wherefore no Sentence of Condemnation should affright those that are in Christ Iesus What Law can hold them guilty that are not under the Law but under Grace And again there are others that having passed their days in all manner of wickedness and abominations at their departure out of this Life carry with them a guilty self-condemning Conscience unto Iudgment Of which sort of Monsters this World hath been very fruitful Such as Epicurus Diagoras Lucian Sardanapalus vain glorious Boasters implacable Persecuters and Murderers of the Saints and such like Who though they may flatter themselves in this Life as if they were safe and out of danger yet they will find to their sorrow that there is a Iudge before whom they must unavoidably appear and give a strict account of all the actions of their Lives Therefore as touching the Iudgment of the Evil and the Good as I deny not that it is certainly true the Lord will judge the Living and the Dead in Righteousness and Equity So if they understand it of the Iudgment of Condemnation I answer as the Lawyers use to say The Exception limits the Rule For though this Iudgment is to be general yet if it be taken for the condemnatory Iudgment the general Rule is of force excepting those things that should be excepted But what this Exception is and to whom it belongs it appears evident enough by the distinction of separation mentioned by Christ in several places He that hears my Word and believes in him that sent me shall not come into condemnation but shall pass from death to life And again where the Lord fore-telling the time of his coming to Iudgment says thus When these things begin to come to pass look up and lift up your heads And presently gives the reason thereof for your Redemption draweth near Wherefore did it please him to make mention of Redemption to his Disciples without naming of Iudgment Certainly it was because as Paul speaks There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus as on the contrary there is no Redemption to those who live without the Faith of Christ in slavery to this World and the Flesh. And elsewhere the Lord when he turned himself to his Disciples and could promise them nothing that was more glorious and magnificent he said unto them Ye also shall sit upon Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel Moreover Paul writing to the Corintbians says Know ye not that the Saints shall judge the World And yet breathing forth something more glorious he exalts Saints above the highest pitch of worldly dignity adding further Know ye not that we shall judge the Angels If the Saints shall be judges how should they be judged in this Court of Iudicature in which they have something to do but nothing to fear Whether the Iudgment of God is terrible to the Saints THerefore let Canisius produce what he can answer unto these Scriptures for it is his Opinion that all men should be possessed with fear of Iudgment These are his words Not only Sinners but also Saints themselves are oft-times affrighted at the fore-thoughts of Iudgement Thus the Iesuit speaks in his own Dialect But let us hear what Scripture-proofs he brings to maintain his Assertion Hence saith he David feared and with great fervency breathed forth this Petition Lord enter not into Iudgment with thy Servant In like manner Iob feared though he was innocent What shall I do said he when God ariseth to judge and when he visiteth What shall I answer For destruction from the Almighty was a terrour to me and because of his greatness I could not endure I was afraid of all my sorrows for I knew thou wouldest not hold me innocent c. To this Objection I answer in short Who knows not that in us and our Works there is nothing whereof we ought not to be greatly afraid So David and Iob and all the Saints the more they call to mind the actions and practice of their Lives the more they are surprized with the fear of Divine Iudgment and repose the less confidence in themselves But this doth not at all abate our rejoycing in Christ Iesus so that relying upon the never failing Promise of God and being assured of the remission of our sins we strive against this fear as much as we can Howbeit we cannot be so perfectly rid of this fear which is placed in our Nature but that it will sometimes return and cause trouble to the most eminent Saints But that which sometimes happens through infirmity is one thing and that which always becomes the Saints to do is another So David and Iob before the return of spiritual comfort were in terrour but after God had restored unto them the joy of his Salvation all fear vanished away Canisius in saying the Saints should be possessed with the fear of Iudgment does what in him lies to root out all the assurance of Faith out of the minds of the godly and to make the Promise of God and our fiducial relyance on him utterly void and of none effect Does Christ encourage us to lift up our
heads for joy of the approaching Redemption and yet dares Canisius command us to hang them down for fear of Iudgment Doth Paul promote the Saints unto so high a pitch of dignity that he places them on the Seat of Iudgment together with Christ. as his Assessours and Assistants And yet must Canisius thrust the godly down as low as the ungodly to render a strict account of all the transactions of their Lives The holy Spirit in the Souls of Believers with fervency breaths after Christ crying Come Lord Iesus come quickly Should Canisius then endeavour to quench those holy desires by unbelief and distrustful fears The Sacred Writings of the holy Apostles call the Spirit of the Saints a Spirit not of bondage to fear but a Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father and yet hath Canisius the Iesuit the impudence to call back the Saints from a Spirit of Liberty to a slavish Spirit of Bondage Is this any society with Iesus Paul desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ. All Believers in Christ desire the same being afflicted in this Life For all that desire to live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer Persecution in this present evil World The Souls of them that were slain under the Altar are greatly longing for the coming of this Iudgment But as for Canisius he would persuade us to be afraid of this day and not to wish for it and love it as the Apostle Paul teaches us Iohn in the Revelation bids us rejoyce because the Marriage of the Lamb is approaching but the Iesuit bids us mourn The Lamb's Wife cloaths her self in fine Linnen in token of her joy but Canisius would have her cloathed in Sackcloth Nevertheless I deny not the truth of that which he gathers out of Bernard Gregory and Augustin concerning the dreadful severity of this Iudgment than which I know that nothing can be more terrible to them that seek Salvation by the Righteousness of the Law without flying to Christ for refuge But on the other side we ought not to abate the comfort nor discourage the fiducial reliance of Believers in Christ who are planted in him by Faith Though they acknowledge their own imperfections yet they strive against them and endeavour daily according to their power to make some progress in Holiness And therefore as there is nothing in their good Works whereof they may boast So also there is nothing in their evil Works being now forgiven which they have cause to fear Let us now proceed to the other Arguments of the Adversaries Argument If there are no merits of Works then that saying is false Thou shalt render to every one according to his Works But the Consequent is false therefore also the Antecedent The Minor hath been answered already by making a distinction of persons For there being a twofold sort of men to wit Such as are in Christ and such as are out of Chrst there must be a different Iudgment made of the one and the other First Those that are in Christ being united unto him by Faith the Iudgment of God uses to begin with them in this Life As touching the Life to come the Lord hath made this Promise concerning every Believer He shall not come into Iudgment but hath passed from Death to Life Secondly Suppose we grant that the Elect of God shall be called to Iudgment the account that they shall then make will be very easie who have Christ for their Righteousness Whence it follows by necessary consequence that this Iudgment will be to them a Iudgment not of Condemnation but of Absolution Thirdly Sentences of the Law belong properly to them that are under the Law but as for such as are regenerate by Faith in Christ because they are not under the Law but under Grace the Law hath no dominion over them Fourthly Whereas it is said That every man shall receive according to his works those works are either good or evil If good they are good upon the account of Faith only for what is not of Faith is sin and so they are beyond all danger But if evil either they are forgiven or not forgiven If they are forgiven through Faith and Repentance they are not called to Iudgment If not forgiven it is because they want Faith and so they are the works of the Unregenerate Whence it follows that this Iudgment of Condemnation doth not at all belong to them that are regenerate by Faith but them that are unregenerate Another Objection That place in Mat. 22. concerning the wedding garment is objected The King entring into the Marriage Feast saw a man not having on the wedding garment c. I wonder what those Papists can find in this place of Scripture to cover the shame of their own nakedness when there is nothing that less advantages their cause or weakens it more The wedding garment say they signifies Charity from whence they form this Argument They that have on the wedding garment are admitted to the Marriage Feast Charity only is the wedding garment Therefore they that are adorned with Charity are admitted to the heavenly Marriage Feast An Explication of the Parable of the Wedding Garment THE Minor must be denied Though works of Charity are of no small advantage to adorn and beautifie faith in the exercise fo Civilty and Morality yet a Garment suitable to the Heavenly Marriage-feast cannot be made of such Cloth but of other Materials What that is whereof this Garment must be made Paul the Apostle teaches us Put on the Lord Iesus Christ. And again whosever of you are Baptized ye have put on Christ. Because we put not on him by Charity but by Faith only Therefore faith is the Garment made white with the Blood of the Lamb which Cloaths us for this Marriage-feast not Charity nor the filthy ragged apparel of our Works Which that it may appear the more evident let us diligently consider both the Parable and the signification thereof First He that compares our great happiness in Christ to a Marriage-feast How could he more significantly set forth that which is the most joyful of all things For what is more joyful or suitable to Mirth than a Marriage-feast Where all things resound with Ioy and Dancing where there is no sign of Sorrow where no Lamentation is heard no Tear is seen yea all Tears are wiped away from the Eyes Unhappy is he that partakes not of the great felicity and unspeakable Ioy of this blessed Marriage-feast He that unworthily dishonours it deserves to be abhorred and he that disgraces it with Sackcloth and Ashes or any other Garment and comes to it without the wedding-garment is not worthy to enjoy so great a blessedness Now consider besides the joyfulness of the time the greatness of the benefit both which are Infinite and Eternal For as there is no firmer nor nearer Bond amongst Men than that of Marriage So nothing is more Divine
Osor. lib. 5. The Papists err from the scope of the Question Osor. lib. 3. p. 68 69. Osor. lib. 4. nu 103 104. Tit. 3. Hosius Osor. lib. 4. Nu. 104. Ex Hosio confut lib. 5. pag. 451. Hosius ibid. Ex Hosio lib. 5. Nu. 452. Andra. lib. 6. pa. ibi Orthod Explic. An Answer to the Adversaries The Roman Church is a Pseudocatholick Enemies of Faith and Grace under the Vizard of Religion Osor. lib. 6. p. 151. A pseudosyllogism An Answer to the Argument Pardoning Grace or Grace of Remission Rom. 9. 6 4. Coloss. 1. Rom. 3. Renewing Grace Grace is divided into Two parts The Syllogism is redundant with four Termini Aparalogism in the second figure concluding affirmatively A twofold sort of Works Rom. 14. Aug. of Nature and Grace The reparation of the Grace of Christ though it is begun in respect of the mind it is not yet perfected in respect of the Flesh Which shall be in the Countrey where Man shall not only be able to persevere but shall not be able to Sin An Argument from like Comparison Levit. 22. Deut. 15. Christ fulfilled all the Law not for himself but for us if for us then we also fulfil it by him Tho. 12. 109. pag. 259. The Roman Catholicks falsly so called obtrude another Gospel upon us The sum of all our Salvation and Religion is chiefly discerned in two things Faith and Renovation by Grace Grace Faith Wherein Beatitude consists according to the Shcolastick Doctors Divines disputing about the chief good Pelagians Adversaries of Grace Augustine a defender of Grace against the Pelagians The Papists Semipelagians Wherein the Papists agree with the Pelagians How Thomas Aquin. and the Thomists define grace Tho. 129. 109. Art 6. That the will may be prepared to work well and to enjoy God there is required an habitual gift of Grace which is the principle of a meritorious work Guillerm in sentent lib. 2. qu. 26. Art 1. a common definition among the Schoolmen Albert. in sentent lib. 2. dist 26. Art 2. Grace is a habit in the essence of the Soul which according to infused Vertues make perfect for act makes the possessor good A vulgar and usual defini-nition of Grace in the Schools The Schoolmen disagree with one another in the manner of Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Osor. lib. 5. p. 26. Dost thou deny Grace to be a Vertue what then is Grace if it is not a Veatue Thomas against Osorius Faith excluded from Iustification by the Thomists Thom. 12. q. 109. Art 5. why the holy Spitit is given Thom. 12. qu. 114. Art 4. The motion of humane mind to the fruition of divine good is a proper act of Charity by which all acts of other Vertues are appointed for this end according to which other Vertues are commanded by chariey and therefore the merit of Eternal Life belongs chiefly to charity c. Censura Gololoniens fol. 148 149. christ by his Death hath merited this that Believers are endued with charity and other Vertues which qualities being now received by the Merit of christ man himself by Inherent Righteousuess merits a greater Righteousness Reconciliation and at length Life Eternal c. And fol. 170 Faith is only the preparatory Cause and way to Iustification that afterwards we may by another thing be righteous before God not by Faith apprehending Christ c. Iustification is divided into two parts Iacob Pava Orthod Exp. 6. p. 470. Then the Spirit is communicated when at the coming of Righteousness we are made righteous when all our sins being extinguished we are renewed by charity spread abroad in our hearts by the Spirit which Charity because it informs the mind with the Love of the Divine Law is called Righteousness Of how large an extent the fruit of the Lord's passion is Ephes Christ only by his Personal Office is a Saviour and the Holy Spirit by his Office is a Helper and Comforter of them that are saved Answers Aug. Epist. 65. Righteousness receives not its vertue from Merits but Merits receive vertue from the Iustified The Dignity of 〈◊〉 is valued by the Person of the believer not the Person by the Deeds How the Reward of the Saints is appointed in the Scriptures Heaven is not a reward to the Saints but in the Heavens Ro. 6. An Objection concerning the rewards proposed Answer That which is due upon the account of Obedience deserves no grace Lu. 17. Ro. 8. August praefatione in Psal 31. Grace is often signified in the Scripture under the name of reward Whatsoever we are or shall be we are in debt to the Grace of God sor it A wonderful and secret operation of the Grace of God is shewed by Examples Trident. Concil Sess. 6. Can. 11. Free Will Isa. 53. 1 Cor. 9. 2 Tim. 2. The promise is not therefore made because we run But we do therefore run because the promise is made 1 Cor. 15. 2 Tim. 4. Difference between Gift and Merit Rom. 6. Ephes. 2. Council of Trent Sess. 6. Canon 11. The Tridentines deny that we are justified by favour only Glossa ordinaria in cap. 6. ad Rom. The ridiculouscomment of the Glosse of theSchoolmen Tho. Aqui. lib. 2. sent dist 26. q. 6. Glos. 9. Ro. 6. Orbelius lib. 2. Sent. dist 2. Bonaventure Alex. Halensis Salvation is promised to them that Work not for the sake of the Works themselves Rom. 11. In what thing chiefly the Efficacy of Divine Grace appears Examples of Divine Grace are produced out of the Scriptures AdamGen 3. Abraham Gen. 12. Isaac Gen. 27. Ioseph Gen. 65. The Israelites delivered fromthe Bondage of Pharaoh Exod. 12. The Law was promulgatedbyGod after the deliverance of the People The Land of promise the Victory of the People of Israel Deut. 9. 1 Cor. 7. The Land of promise is a Type of the promised Kingdom Thomas Aquinas with the ordinary Gloss. The Hebrews recover their Health by looking on the Serpent Ionas a Type of Christ saving the lives of his own by his Death The Pious Works of Believers are impured for Merits not according to Righteousriess but according to Grace Osor. de Iust. lib. 6. p. 150. Legal promimises Evangelical promises Romans 2. Imputation twofold 2 Cor. 5. Romans 4. Psalm 32. Andrad lib. 6. Orthod Explic. pag. 477. 454. Tiletanus in Apolog contra 〈◊〉 p. 226. By the Law it is reckoned that he did a thing who does it by another There is frequent mention of Imputation in Paul's Writings Faith without Works imputed for Righteousness Wherefore Worksare separated from Iustification Tho. Aquin. 〈◊〉 109. Ro. 7. Ro. 8. Wisd. 9. Deut. 27. Galat. 3. The manifold signification of Faith Errour and disturbauce among Divines proceeds chiefly from the wrong defining and misunderstanding of Faith Osorius Hosius Luther is falssy traduced Osor. li. 2. pa. 32. There is always joined with Faith a confidence of good hope Confidence and hope accompanies justifying Faith but doth not it self justifie It is requisite to see