opposition if any stands not in the degree but rather beareth the sence of a preuention For as much as the Iewes from whom the old sacred records were originally deriued would not enter them into the Diuine Canon it could not but occasion many considerate Christians vtterly to cashere them For the auoiding heereof S. Augustine seeing they might tend to some good vse tells vs that albeit the Iewes did not receiue them as Canonicall yet the Church receiued them not vnprofitably if they bee read soberly He saith not that the Church receiued them into higher authority then the Iewes but as books which might serue to as good purpose if they were read warily amongst vs as they did among the Iewes Neither doth hee say Recipienda est Scriptura Machabeorum as implying an vndeniable necessity but recepta est non mutiliter as noting a voluntary acceptance vpon a probable end with th' addition of this Prouiso if they be read soberly which howsoeuer you otherwise deeme cannot be fitly spoken of Canonicall writ which is necessarily to be embraced and is alwaies profitable to the Church which euermore bringeth Sobriety to the reading thereof neither is it any lesse behoofull to the Church though it be peruerted by reprobates to their owne damnation But as for humane writings the case is otherwise they are then onely receiued profitably by the Church when they are read warily A good man by attributing too much to an vnwarrantable ground of which sort the sacred writ affoordeth none may make a faulty inference which mooued Saint Augustine to insinuate that there are rocks by which he would haue vs warily to saile Nick. What if wee admit for disputation sake that S. Augustine deliuereth this as his resolute opinion in Iabals sence I would gladly learne what reason hee can yeeld why this should ouer-sway the ioynt iudgement and consent of so many far more ancient Fathers who teach the contrary Iab i Pag. 59. Caluin doth allow him the style of the best and most faithfull witnesse of Antiquity how can hee then be excused from great temerity if heerein he erred Ma. Errare humanum est The spirit of God alone is free from errour The k It was lawful to contradict the Fathers and doubt of them Guido de Haeres c. 7. Church euen in his daies was somewhat clowded with the mists of superstition Had he not an Eagles eye he could hardly haue discouered those beames which Antichrist had then laid in the way It was hard if not impossible for one man to discerne euery mote which then houered in the aire of the Papall regiment Iab l Pag. 60. This sentence may suffice alone to giue any Iudicious eare to vnderstand your opposition with S. Augustine Ma. Wee honour his memory as a blessed Saint from whose pen the Church of God hath receiued ineffable good and wee account it not the least part of our happinesse that for one seeming testimony which you wrest to serue your owne turne wee are able to shew a million to right our cause Iab Can you deny that S. Augustine taught our Catholique doctrine concerning the point of Merit m Pag. 62. Doth he not say that as the wages due to sinne is death so the wages due to righteousnesse is life eternall And againe The reward cannot go before merits nor bee giuen before a man be worthy thereof yea that God should be vniust if he that is truly iust be not admitted into his kingdome Can any Catholique speak more plainly then he doth of Merits Min. These places doe not any whit crosse our doctrine against merit The Analogy which he makes betweene Sinne and Death Righteousnesse and life consisteth not in the quality of Desert but of the n Deest gratiae quiâ— quid meritis deputas Nolo meritum quod gratiam excludit Bâ—â—n super Caen. Ser. 67. effect Augustine saith not that the wages of righteousnesse which is Heauen is as due as the wages of sinne which is death th' Analogy is in regard of the consequent effect to signifie that heauen the wages which is due to righteousnesse shall as truly bee bestowed vpon the faithfull as Hell or Death shall bee inflicted vpon the wicked For if wee consider th'equality of desert and condignity there is according to the doctrine of S. Augustine a threefold disproportion One in respect of the Rewarder whose rewarding of sinne with eternall torment is the proper act of Iustice in it selfe Whereas his rewarding of Righteousnesse vpon them whom he hath accepted vnto Grace is only the Iustice of his mercifull o In illis opera saa glorificant In â—â—les opera non sua condemnant Fulgen. ad Mon. lib. 1. promise Secondly in respect of the Subiect for the Sinne which a wicked man committeth is properly his owne but the righteousnesse of the Regenerate is the gift p Opera bona habemus non ex nobis nata sed à Deo donata Fulg. ibidem of God so that the reward of death is more properly due to sinne then is the reward of life vnto righteousnesse Thirdly in regard of the obiect because the sinne of the wicked is perfectly imperfect but the righteousnes of the most godly is imperfectly perfect that is but a stained goodnesse wherefore there cannot be an equall condignity in both Ma. We grant that the reward cannot goe before merites nor bee giuen before a man bee worthy thereof but Iabal must learne that these merits are q Mors eius meritum meum Aug. in Manual c. 22. Christs by the Imputation whereof we that are altogether vnworthy of our selues are made through Gods gracious acceptance of his sonnes obedience worthy of this reward Otherwise Non sunt condignae passiones our greatest sufferings are not worthy of the least degree of glory which shall bee reuealed to the sonnes of God r Ephes 2. v. 8. Gratia enim saluatis estis saith the Apostle For you are saued by Grace through Faith and that not of your selues Min. Fulgentius makes the case plaine in this golden sentence Å¿ De praedest 〈◊〉 Montâ—tum lib. 1 Vnus Deus est qui gratis et vocat praedestinatos et iustificat vocatos et glorificat iustificatos and againe t Ibid. Sicut gratiae ipsius opus est cum facit iustos sic gratiae ipsius erit cum faciet gloriosos u Aug. in Psal 83. Debitorem se ipse Dominus fecit saith S. Augustine non accipiendo sed promittendo non ei dicitur Redde quod accepisli sed quod promisisti God hath made himselfe a Debtor not by receauing any thing from vs but by the passing of his promise vnto vs wee say not to him Render that thou hast receiued but giue that which thou hast promised And the same x Tract 3. in Iohan Father Non pro merito acciptes vitam aeternam sed pro gratia Thou shalt not receiue life eternall for merit but for grace Nick.
but Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost in neither Whence followeth seing the next world is the time of Iustice that God doth not there remit sinnes without exacting and inflicting the due punishment vnto the Authours which is the Purgatorie the Catholique Church doth and hath euer taught This exposition no sooner soundeth in his eare but his tongue waggeth in this sort I protest I thought as much you haue turned vp Noddy Ma. Doubtlesse you read the Knights booke with a perspectiue glasse otherwise the Noddy which was sixe pages distant from the first proposall of this argument would not haue sate so close vpon your brow First to she the vanitie of this Inference he tels you that Saint Marke handling the same theame renders Saint Matthewes disiunctiue in this plaine Collectiue that who so blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost shall neuer haue forgiuenes as being culpable of eternal daÌ„nation secondly to proue that this was no simple but an approued glosse in those dayes he alleadgeth Athanasius Hierome Hillarie and Ambrose who made no other construction of those wordes then that this Sinne should bee neuer forgiuen Thirdly by way of Concession he giueth allowance in part to your Inference that some sinnes may bee said to bee pardoned in the world to come viz. per Remissionis promulgationem And so concludes b Letter to T.H. pag. 32. that the Sinne against the Holy Ghost is here exaggerated by opposition to other Sinnes in the depriuation of that double benefit whereof other Sinners penitent are capable Now because he saw his Aduersarie did put the wordes on the Rack making them speake that which was farre from the scope of the place viz. that some Sinnes remissible are pardoned in the world to come which were not formerly forgiuen in this world he tels him indeed that in adding this last clause he had turned vp Noddy which gaming Metaphor was not vnfitly applied to so trifling a disputant Iab c Pag. 65 He discourseth more like a Carpet Knight then a sober Diuine shewing more skil at Cardes then of Scriptures Ma. Indeed he hath taught you a New Cut viz. to deale more mercifully with the Scriptures and more charitably with the Soules of your poore brethren If eyther the rules of Logick or the verdict of Ancients bee of any account he hath turned this your deduction many specks out And for ought I see the more you draw the further you are gone Min. How absurd the Inference is it will easily appeare by the scope of the text and the sence of the words Our Sauiour there speaketh de reatu peccati of the guilt of Sinne saying non remittetur and doth not specifie any paine to bee suffered for such sinnes whose fault is forgiuen in this present life Had he said Hee that sinneth against the Holy Ghost shall not be vnpunished in this world nor in the world to come the Inference had not beene amisse Ergo some sinnes are punished in the world to come which are not punished in this world But when hee sayth it shall bee forgiuen neyther in this VVorld nor in the VVorld to come it is a meere fallacie to drawe the speech from the guilt to the punishment inferring that some sinnes shall be punished in the next world whose offence is forgiuen in this The remission from which that Superlatiue Sinner is debar'd is an act of mercie wherin man is considered as a Patient and therefore cannot be sutable to that time and act of Iustice whereof the Doctor dreameth neyther can a sinne be said properly to be remitted the due punishment wherof th' offender hath condignely sustained Hee that payes the vtmost farthing is verie little beholding for the forgiuenesse of his debt But if you will needs vncase this sentence of the figure wherewith it is beautified I demaund whether doth our Sauiour speake of the guilt or of the punishment or of both If he say the guilt shall not be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come then your deduction must be this Ergo the guilt of some mortall sinnes shall bee remitted in the next world which is not remitted in this and so your Purgatorie presupposing a former assoylement from the guilt will haue no subsistence If hee speake of the punishment you must infer Ergo some sinnes shall be punished in the next world which are not punished in this which as all men confesse so doth it affoord no aduantage to your cause If you say that he speaks of both Guilt and Punishment then as well the Guilt as the Punishment of some mortall sinnes shal be then remitted which your d Pag. 79 Suarez doth disclaime So that you are verie nimble thus to fetch a crosse caper making the Lord of truth to speake of Guilt in the former and of Punishment in the latter part to serue your turne Nick. I would be loath to fast till Iabal get out of this Maze should I stay for a solution the piâ—d Nag I feare would not come at Iames Parke this grasse But you were in hand to speake something concerning the sence of the words Min. Well remembred I was about to shew the Doctor his error in making the World to come which signifieth e Marâ— 1â— â—â— the last day to note that middle space of time which is now in present being As long as time lasteth this present world continueth the world to come commeth not till the date of time be cleane extinct and then their owne confession making a full Gaole deliuerie casheireth Purgatorie as of no longer vse Had our Sauiour said It shall be forgiuen neyther in this life nor in the life to come there had beene some better colour for this Inference but by mentioning the world to come which being opposed to this present world hath relation to the day of Iudgment when no remission is to be expected he implieth a necessarie Nullitie of anie future forgiuenesse after this life Nick. Vnder correction I thinke a man might as well reason thus If the time present be in respect of those that are deceased to bee tearmed the World to come then much more may that Eternitie bee so called which followeth the day of the Lords last aduent And so by vertue of this place taken properly in Iabals sence some sins may then also be forgiuen which were not formerly remitted by which kind of pleading a man might easily merit Origens fee. Besides should it bee granted that some sinnes are remitted in Iabals world yet is there no necessarie consequence of the Satisfactorie fire of Purgatorie Iab You cannot denie but this our Inference and exposition of the former place is taught by f Pag. 66. fiue or sixe Ancient and Holy Doctors which the g T. H. Motist citeth Will your wisdome tearme them Noddies Shal Saint Bernard Venerable Bede Saint Isidore bee put in the number of Noddies If you be an English Christian you cannot denie Saint Gregorie to be your Father Heare what hee
that the garment of Christs sufferings is giuen vs ready made there was neuer any doubt made by anie duly considerate Christian That Oblation beeing made once for all can neither bee augmented nor diminished in regard of it selfe though in regard of vs the benefit is either more or lesse as we beleeue and expresse the vertue of our faith by the mortification of the flesh and holie conuersation of life His Wardrope affoords euery beleeuer a complete robe of righteousnes he that will not take the paines to fit it to his soule is not worthy to weare it As we grow in grace the warmth of this garment increaseth The neerer we come to his sufferings the greater shall we be in his glory not that wee deserue the least degree but because it hath n Coronat nos Deus in misericordia et commiserationibus Psal 103. v. 4. pleased him for the kindling of our frozen zeale to propound the greatest prize to the best runner for so saith S. Paul o Rom. 9.16 Nec volentis nec currentis It is neither in him that willeth nor in him that runneth Iab I feare the Knight p Pag. 116. playes not the Taylor aright but cuts out of the Scripture fauourable sentences for himselfe as this is Blessed are those that dye in the Lord that do concerne others whose liues do not much sute with q Interdum vulgus recte videt est vbi peccat Horace Diues daily banquetting as his seemeth to doe Let him take heed he find not a garment of another suite set on his back when his Soule shall depart more naked of good deedes out of the body then his body of Garments vnto the Graue Nick. My Master is beholding to you for your extraordinarie care But if he haue not in all this time learned to play the Tayler aright by my consent hee shall not be bound Prentize to such a Botcher who cannot teach him to thred his needle aright When you fall once to trifling I perceiue your Vessell runs low Purgatorie is out at the elbowes Ma. I would gladlie heare how you answere the Knights arguments Hee disputes in this manner r Lett. pag. 81.82 The Soules in Purgatory are either punished for those sins which Christs bloud hath wholly purged or for those which he hath not wholly purged If for those which Christ hath wholly purged then there must needs be iniustice in God to imprison them whose debts are fully discharged If for sinnes that hee hath not wholly purged then it followeth either that he is not the Lambe that taketh away the sins of the world or that mans satisfaction must goe hand in hand with Christs merits Iab He buts ſ Pag 117 against Purgatories walls with his horned arguments which if it haue any force against Purgatory will also breake open the gates of hell that the damned may come out For what debts are they kept in prisons Doubtlesse for those for which Christ did offer his pretious bloud which was a sufficient redemption for the sinnes of the world Is God then vniust to imprison them in the darke Dungeon for euer for whose sinnes Christ paid a full and rigorous ransome Min. Hath not this Dilemma brought you to a sore plunge If you come vpon either side you are sure to bee gored wherefore to get out of the reach of both you are faine to creepe downe to hell for an answere And what is your purchase The death of Christ though it is sufficient for all ex abundantia meriti yet is it not sufficient to saue all ex defectu fidei by reason of the want of Faith whereby that his sufficiencie of merit is particularlie to be applied What is this to those that are in Christ who die in the Lord Iab It is Christs t Pa. 118. holy will that in sins committed after Baptisme the whole guilt of pain bee not euer forgiuen but somtimes he reserueth a cōuenient task of temporal paine Ma. This you speak confidently could you proue it as soundly the day were yours If temporall paines be reserued how is the sin wholly forgiuen Dare you say that God who is perfection it selfe performeth the workes of his mercy which surpasse all the rest by halfes Are mortall sinnes with their punishments wholly remitted and must the greatest part of those that are veniall be reserued The cause being taken away the effect ceaseth If the paine of mortall sinnes be remitted then much more the penaltie of veniall slips Iab We daily u Pag. 119. see and feele that punishments and penalties may remaine though the sinne bee forgiuen What are death hunger thirst and other miseries of this life but effects of originall Sinne Is not sinne forgiuen vnto Christians in Baptisme Yet those that are baptized endure the former penalties God pardoned DAVIDS sinne but did all temporall punishment cease together with the sinne The sinne was remitted with a But thou shalt endure these and these afflictions because thou hast made the name of God to bee blasphemed Min. These are not properly punishments proceeding from seueritie but Chastisements sauouring of mercie for punishments haue respect vnto a person obnoxious to the Law and to a Iudge not satisfied for the breach of the Law But these are rather the effects of corrupt nature then the x Tribulatio piorum non tam afflictiua quam amoris diuini declaratiua virtutis promotiua culpae futurae cohibitiua Aqui. punishments of the persons regenerate Otherwise you must confesse that the Blessed Virgin because shee died a naturall death was thereby punished for her original sin which you wil not easily be drawne to admit Were the Childe of God perfectly sanctified as soone as hee is justified then were your objection to some purpose but you must know that notwithstanding Sinne bee remitted yet Concupiscence still remaineth for the mortifying whereof these Chastisements are sent As it standeth with the wisedome y Omnia cooperantur in bonum of God to beat downe this rebellious Law of our members So is it disagreable to his iustice to z Ezek. 18.33 remember anie more the sinnes of the repentant yea such is his goodnesse that hee repenteth him of the euill that hee had intended So far is he from punishing that Sinne which he hath formerly remitted Neyther indeede is there anie proportion betweene temporall punishment and the sinne that is committed against an infinite Majestie As for that Chastisement which followed Dauids absolution it happened sayth Saint Augustine vt pietas hominis in illa humilitate exerceretur not that he might be a Imponit nobis poenam non de peccato sumens supplicium sed ad futura nos corrigens Chrysost Hom. de Poen punished but that his godlinesse might bee thereby proued It was not inconuenient that the Childe should die both in respect of Dauid that his watchfulnesse against the like sinne might bee increased and others admonished as also in regard