Baptisme commonly called Concupiscence was neuer a sinne properly but onely the materiall part of sinne the formall and principall part of it consisting in the depriuation of Originall iustice and a voluntary auersion from the lawe of GOD the which is cured by the Grace of GOD giuen to the baptised and so that which was principall in Originall sinne doth not remayne in the regenerate neither doth that which remayneth make the person to sinne which was the second point vnlesse he willingly consent vnto it as hath beene proued heretofore it allureth intiseth him to sinne but hath not power to constrayne him to it as M. PERKINS also himselfe before confessed Nowe to the third and intangleth him in the punishment of sinne howe doth Originall sinne intangle the regenerate in the punishment of sinne If all the guiltines of it be remoued from his person as you taught before in our Consent Mendacem memorem esse oportet Either confesse that the guilt of Originall sinne is not taken away from the regenerate or else you must vnsay this that it intangleth him in the punishment of sinne nowe to the last clause that the reliques of Originall sinne make a man miserable a man may be called wreatched and miserable in that he is in disgrace with God and so subject to his heauy displeasure and that which maketh him miserable in this sence is sinne but S. Paul taketh not the word so here but for an vnhappy man exposed to the danger of sinne and to all the miseries of this world from which we should haue beene exempted had it not beene for Originall sinne after which sort he vseth the same word 1. Cor. 15. If in this life onely we were hoping in Christ we were more miserable then all men not that the good Christians were farthest out of Gods fauour and more sinnefull then other men but that they had fewest worldly comforts and the greatest crosses and thus much in confutation of that formall argument Now to the second Infantes Baptised die the bodely death before they come to the yeares of discretion but there is not in them anie other cause of death besides Originall sinne for they haue no actuall sinne Rom. 5. Rom. 5. and death is the wages of sinne as the Apostle saith death entred into the world by sinne Answere The cause of the death of such Innocentes is either the distemperature of their bodies or externall violence and God who freely bestowed their liues vpon them may when it pleaseth him as freely take their liues from them especially when he meanes to recompence them with the happy exchaunge of life euerlasting True it is that if our first parentes had not sinned no man should haue died but haue beene both long preserued in Paradise by the fruit of the wood of life and finally translated without death into the Kingdome of heauen and therefore is it said most truely of S. Paul death entred into the world by sinne Rom. 5. But the other place Rom. 6. the wages of sinne is death is fouly abused for the Apostle there by death vnderstandeth eternall damnation as appeareth by the opposition of it to life euerlasting and by sinne there meaneth not Originall but Actuall sinne such as the Romans committed in their infidely the wagis where of if they had not repented them had bin hell fire now to inferre that Innocents are punished with corporall death for Originall sinne remayning in them because that eternall death is the due hire of Actuall sinne is either to shewe great wante of judgement or else very strangelie to preuert the wordes of Holy scripture Let this also not be forgotten that he himselfe acknowledged in our Consent that the punishment of Originall sinne was taken away in Baptisme from the regenerate howe then doth he here say that he doth die the death for it M. PERKINS third reason That which lusteth against the spirite and by lusting tempteth and in tempting intiseth and draweth the hart to sinne is for nature sinne it selfe but concupiscence in the regenerate is such ergo Answere The first proposition is not true for not euery thing that intiseth vs to sinne is sinne or else the Apple that allured Eue to sinne had beene by nature sinne and euery thing in this world one way or an other tempteth vs to sinne according vnto that of S. Iohn All that is in the world 1. Epl. 2. is the Concupiscence of the flesh and the Concupiscence of the eyes and Pride of life So that it is very grosse to say that euery thing which allureth to sinne is sinne it selfe and as wide is it from all morall wisedome to affirme that the first motions of our passions be sins For euen the very heathen Philosophers could distinguish betweene sodaine passions of the minde and vices teaching that passions may be bridled by the vnderstanding and brought by due ordering of them into the ring of reason and so made vertues rather then vices And that same text which M. PERKINS bringeth to perswade these temptations to be sinnes proues the quite contrary God tempteth no man but euerie man is tempted Iacob 1. when he is drawen away by his owne concupiscence and is allured afterward when concupiscence hath conceaued it bringeth forth sinne Marke the wordes well First Concupiscence tempteth and allureth by some euill motion but that is no sinne vntill afterward it doe conceiue that is obtayne some liking of our will in giuing eare to it and not expelling it so speedely as we ought to doe the suggestion of such an enemie the which that most deepe Doctor Saint Augustine sifteth out very profoundly in these wordes Lib. 6. in Iul. cap. 5. When the Apostle Saint Iames saith euery man is tempted being drawne away and allured by his Concupiscence and afterward Concupiscence when it hath conceiued bringeth forth sinne Trulie in these wordes the thing brought forth is distinguished from that which bringeth it forth The damme is concupiscence the fole is sinne But concupiscence doth not bring sinne forth vnlesse it conceiue so then it is not sinne of it selfe and it conceiueth not vnlesse it drawe vs that is vnlesse it obtayne the consent of our will to commit euill The like exposition of the same place and the difference betweene the pleasure tempting that runneth before and the sinne which followeth after Vnlesse we resist manfully may be seene in S. Cirill Lib. 4. in Iohan. ca. â—1 so that by the iudgement of the most learned auncient Fathers that text of S. Iames cited by M. PERKINS to proue concupiscence to be sinne disputeth it very soundly to that reason of his Such as the fruit is such is the Tree I answere that not concupiscence but the will of man is the Tree which bringeth forth either good or badde fruit according vnto the disposition of it concupiscence is onely an intiser vnto badde Lib. 5 con Iulianum cap. 3. But S. Augustine saith That concupiscence
so wicked a man should rule ouer so good Ouer what then but he shall rule ouer sinne See how manifestly that worthie Doctor hath preuented their cauill And if it were neede I might joyne with him that most skilfull Father in the Hebrue text S. Ierome In quest Hebraice who in the person of God expoundeth it thus Because thou hast free will I admonish and warne thee that thou suffer not sinne to ouercome thee but doe thou ouercome sinne The second is taken out of this text of Deut. Cap. 30.19 I call this day sayeth Moyses heauen and earth to witnes that I haue set before you life and death benediction malediction therefore choose life that thou maist liue and thy seede Which words were spoken in vayne if it had not beene in their power by the grace of God to haue made choise of life or if that grace would haue made them doe it infallibly without their consent Vnto these two places of the old Testament one vnder the law of Nature and the other vnder Moyses law let vs couple two more out of the newe Testament The first may be those kinde wordes of our Sauiour vnto the Iewes Math. 23. Ierusalem Ierusalem c. how often would I haue gathered together thy children as the hen doth her chickens vnder her winges thou wouldest not Which doe playnlie demonstrate that there was no want either of Gods help inwardly or of Christs perswasion outwardly for their conuersion and that the whole fault lay in their owne refusing and withstanding Gods grace as these wordes of Christ doe playnlie witnes and thou wouldest not The last testimony is in the Reuelat. where it is said in the person of God I stande at the dore and knocke Cap. 3. if any man shall heare my voyce and open the gates I will enter in to him and will suppe with him and he with me Marke well the wordes God by his grace knockes at the dore of our hartes he doth not breake it open or in any sort force it but attendeth that by our assenting to his call we open him the gates and then lo he with his heauenly giftes will enter in otherwise he leaues vs. What can be more euident in confirmation of the freedome of mans will in working with Gods grace To these expresse places taken out of Gods word let vs joyne the testimonie of those most auncient Fathers against whose workes the Protestants can take no exception The first shall be that excellent learned Martir Iustinus in his Apologie who vnto the Emperour Antonine speaketh thus Vnlesse man by free will could flie from foule dishonest deedes and follow those that be faire and good he were without fault as not being cause of such thinges as were done But we Christians teach that mainkinde by free choise and free will doth both doe well and sinne To him we will joyne that holy Bishoppe and valiant Martir Ireneus who of free will writeth thus not only in workes but in faith also Lib. 4. c. 72. our Lord reserued liberty and freedome of will vnto man saying be it done vnto thee according to thy faith I will adde to that worthy companie S. Cyprian who vpon those words of our Sauiour will you also depart discourseth thus Ioan. 6. Lib. 1. Ep. 3 Our Lord did not bitterly inueigh against them which forsooke him but rather vsed these gentle speeches to his Apostles will you also goe your way and why so Marry obseruing and keeping as this holy Father declareth that decree by which man left vnto his liberty and put vnto his free choise might deserue vnto himselfe either damnation or saluation These three most auncient and most skilfull in Christian Religion and so zealous of Christian truth that they spent their bloud in confirmation of it may suffice to certifie any indifferent reader what was the iudgement of the auncient and most pure Church concerning this article of free will specially when the learnedst of our Aduersaries confesse al Antiquity excepting only S. Augustine to haue beleeued taught free wil. Heare the wordes of one for all Mathias Illyricus in his large long lying historie hauing rehearsed touching free will the testimonies of Iustine Ireneus and others Cent. 2. c. 4. col 59. saith In like manner Clement Patriarch of Alexandria doth euery where teach free will that it may appeare say these Lutherans not only the Doctors of that age to haue beene in such darknes but also that it did much encrease in the ages following See the wilfull blindnes of heresie Illyricus confessing the best learned in the purest times of the Church to haue taught free will yet had rather beleeue them to haue beene blindly ledde by the Apostles and their best Schollers who were their Masters then to espy amend his owne error These principall pillers of Christs Church were in darknes belike as Protestants must needes say that proude Persian most wicked heretike Manes of whome the Manichees are named who first denyed free will beganne to broach the true light of the newe Gospell Here I would make an end of citing Authorities were it not that Caluin sayeth 2. Iust. ca. 2. q. 4. that albeit al other auncient writers be against him yet S. Augustine as he vaunteth is clearly for him in this point but the poore man is fouly deceiued aswell in this as in most other matters I will briefly proue and that out of those workes which S. Augustine wrote after the Pelagian heresie was a foote for in his others Caluin acknowledgeth him to haue taught free will Of our freedome in consenting to Gods grace he thus defineth De spirit lit 34. De gra Chri. 14. Ad simpli q. 2. Tract 72. in Ioan Ep 47. to consent to Gods calling or not to consent lyeth in a mans owne will Againe Who doth not see euery man to come or not to come by free will but this free will may be alone if he doe not come but it cannot be but holpen if he doe come In an other place that we will doe well God will haue it to be his and ours his in calling vs ours in following him Yea more To Christ working in him a man doth cooperate that is worketh with him both his owne iustification and life euerlasting will you here him speake yet more formally for vs. We haue dealt with your brethren and ours as much as we could that they would hold out and continue in the sound Catholike faith the which neither denieth free will to euill or good life nor doth attribute so much to it that it is worth any thing without grace So according to this most worthy Fathers iudgement the sound Catholike faith doth not deny free will as the old Manichees and our newe Gospellers doe nor esteeme it without grace able to doe any thing toward saluation as the Pelagians did And to conclude heare S. Augustines answere vnto them who say
for the mastery 2. Tim. 2. is not crowned vnlesse he striue lawfully It is also resembled vnto places of honour Math. 25. Ioh. 14. Mat. 13. 1. Ioh. 3. I will place thee ouer much And I goe to prouide you places Grace is also in many places of Scripture compared to seede For the seede of God tarrieth in him But a little seede cast into good ground and well manured bringeth forth abundance of corne Briefly then such equality as there is betweene the well deseruing subject and the office betweene him that striueth lawfully and the crowne betweene the seede and the corne is betweene the reward of heauen and the merit of a true seruant of God And thus much of M. PERKINS first Argument more indeede to explicate the nature and condition of merit then that his reason nakedly proposed did require it Exod 20. His second testimony is God will shewe mercy vpon thousandes in them that loue him and keepe his commaundements Hence he reasoneth thus Where reward is giuen vpon mercy there is no merit but reward is giuen vpon mercy as the text proueth ergo Answere That in that text is nothing touching the reward of heauen which is now in question God doth for his louing seruants sake shewe mercy vnto their children or friends either in temporall thinges or in calling them to repentance and such like but doth neuer for one mans sake bestowe the kingdome vpon another vnlesse the party himselfe be first made worthy of it That confirmation of his that Adam by his continuall and perfect obedience could not haue procured a further increase of Gods fauour is both besides the purpose and most false for as well he as euery good man sithence by good vse of Gods gifts might day by day encrease them And that no man thinke that in Paradise it should haue bin otherwise S. Augustine saith expresly That in the felicity of Paradise righteousnes preserued should haue ascended into better In Inchir cap. 25. And Adam finally and all his posterity if he had not fallen should haue bin from Paradise translated aliue into the Kingdome of heauen this by the way Nowe to the thirde Argument Rom. 6. Scripture condemneth merite of workes The wages of sinne is death True But we speake of good workes and not of badde which the Apostle calleth sinne where were the mans wittes but it followeth there That eternall life is the grace or gift of God This is to purpose but answered 1200. yeares past by that famous Father S. Augustine in diuers places of his most learned workes I will note one or two of them First thus here ariseth no small doubt De gra li. arb c. 8. which by Gods helpe I will now discusse For if eternall life be rendred vnto good workes as the holy Scripture doth most clearely teach note how then can it be called grace when grace is giuen freely and not repaide for vvorkes and so pursuing the pointes of difficulty at large in the end resolueth that eternall life is most trulie rendred vnto good workes as the due rewarde of them but because those good workes could not haue beene donne vnlesse God had before freely through Christ bestowed his grace vpon vs therefore the same eternall life is also truly called grace because the first roote of it was Gods free gift The very same answere doth he giue where he hath these wordes Epist 106. Eternall life is called grace not because it is not rendred vnto merittes but for that those merittes to which it is rendred were giuen in which place he crosseth M. PERKINS proportion most directly affirming that S. Paul might haue said truly eternall life is the pay or wages of good vvorkes but to holde vs in humility partly and partly to put a difference betweene our saluation and damnation choose rather to say that the gift of God was life eternall because of our damnation we are the whole and only cause but not of our saluation but principally the grace of God the only fountayne of merit and all good workes Now to those textes cited before about justification Ad Eph. 2. We are saued freely not of our selues or by the workes of righteousnesse which we haue donne Ad Tit. 3. I haue often answered that the Apostle speakes of workes donne by our owne forces without the helpe of Gods grace and therefore they cannot serue against workes donne in and by grace Now to that text which he hudleth vp together with the rest although it deserued a better place being one of their principall pillers in this controuersie It is The sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory to come Rom. 8. The strength of this objection lyeth in a false translation of these words Axia pros tein doxan equal to that glory or in the misconstruction of them For we graunt as it hath beene already declared that our afflictions and sufferinges be not of equall in length or greatnes with the glory of heauen for our afflictions be but for the short space of this life and they cannot be so great as will be the pleasure in heauen notwithstanding wee teach that this shorter and lesser labour imployed by a righteous man in the seruice of GOD doth meritte the other greater and of longer continuance and that by the said Apostles playne wordes for saith he 2. Cor. 4. That tribulation which in this present life is but for a moment and light doth worke aboue measure exceedingly an euerlasting weight of glory in vs. The reason is that just mens workes issue out of the fountayne of grace which giueth a heauenly value vnto his workes Againe it maketh him a quicke member of Christ and so receiuing influence from his head his workes are raised to an higher estimate it consecrateth him also a temple of the holy Ghost 2. Pet. 1. and so maketh him partaker of the heauenly nature as S. Peter speaketh Which addes a worth of heauen to his workes Neither is that glory in heauen which any pure creature attayneth vnto of infinite dignity as M. PERKINS fableth but hath his certayne boundes measure according vnto each mans merittes otherwise it would make a man equall to God in glory for there can be no greater then infinite as all learned men doe confesse M. PERKINS 4. reason Whosoeuer will meritte must fulfill the whole law for if we offend in one commandement we are guiltie of the whole lawe but no man can fulfill the whole lawe ergo Answere I denie the first proposition for one good worke done with his due circumstances doth bring forth merite as by all the properties of meritte may be proued at large and by his owne definition of meritte set downe in tne beginning Now if a man afterward fall into deadly sinne he leeseth his former meritte but recouering grace he riseth to his former meritte as the learned gather out of that saying of our Sauiour in the
person of the good Father Luc. 15. Doe on him that is on his prodigall sonne returning whome his former garment His second proposition is also false as hath bin proued at large in a seueral question To that of S. Iames although it belong not to this matter I answere that he who offendeth in one is made guiltie of all that is he shall be as surely condemned as if he had broken all Epis 29. ad â—lieron See S. Augustine His 5. reason We are taught to pray on this manner Giue vs this day our dayly bread where we acknowledge euery morsell of bread to be the meere gift of God much more must we confesse heauen to be Answere M. PERKINS taketh great delight to argue out of the Lords prayer but he handleth the matter so handsomely that a man may thinke him to be so profouÌ„dly learned that he doth not yet vnderstand the Pater noster for who taketh our daylie foode to be so meerely the gift of God that we must not either make it ours with our peny or trauaile we must not looke to be fedde from heauen by miracle by the mere gift of God but according vnto S. Paules rule either labour for our liuing in some approued sort or not eate Yet because our trauailes are in vaine vnlesse God blesse them we pray to God daily to giue vs our nuriture either by sending or preseruing the fruits of the earth or by prospering our labours with good successe or if they be men who liue of almes by stirring vp the charitable to relieue them So we pray and much more earnestly that God will giue vs eternall life Yet by such meanes as it hath pleased God to ordayne one of which and the principall is by the exercise of good workes which God hath appointed vs to walke in to deserue it And it cannot but sauour of a Satannicall spirit to call it a Satannicall insolency as M. PERKINS doth to thinke that eternall life can be merited when S. Augustine and the best spirit of men since Christs time so thought and taught in most expresse tearmes But let vs heare his last argument which is as he speaketh the consent of the auncient Church and then beginneth with S. Bernard who liued 1000. yeares after Christ He in I knowe not what place the quotation is so doudtfull saith Those thinges which wee call merittes are the way to the Kingdome but not the cause of raigning I answere that merittes be not the whole cause but the promise of God through Christ and the grace of God freely bestowed on vs out of which our merittes proceede Which is Bernards owne doctrine Serm. 68 in Cantica Manuali c. 22. Secondly he citeth S. Augustine All my hope is in the death of my Lord his death is my meritte True in a good sence that is by the vertue of his death and passion my sinnes are pardoned and grace is bestowed on me to doe good workes and so to meritte 3. Basil Eternall life is reserued for them that haue striuen lawfully In Ps 114. not for the meritte of their doing but vpon the grace of the most bountifull God These wordes are vntruly translated for first he maketh with the Apostle eternall life to be the prize of that combate and then addeth that it is not giuen according vnto the debt and just rate of the workes but in a suller measure according vnto the bounty of so liberall a Lord Where hence is gathered that common and most true sentence That God punisheth men vnder their deserts but rewardeth them aboue their merittes 4. M. PERKINS turnes backe to Augustine vpon the Psal 120. Where he saith as M. PERKINS reporteth He crowneth thee because he crowneth his owne giftes not thy merittes Answere S. Augustine was to wise to let any such foolish sentence passe his penne What congruity is in this He crowneth thee because he crowneth his owne giftes not thy merittes It had beene better said He crowneth thee not c. But he mistooke belike this sentence of S. Augustines When God crowneth thee he crowneth his giftes not thy merittes Which is true being taken in that sence which he himselfe declareth To such a man so thinking that is De grat l b. arb c. 6. that he hath merittes of him selfe without the grace of God it may be most truly said God doth crowne his owne giftes not thy merittes If thy merittes be of thy selfe and not from him but if we acknowledge our merittes to proceede from grace working with vs then may we as truly say that eternall life is the crowne and reward of merittes Psal 142. His other place on the Psalme is not to this purpose but appertaynes to the first justification of a sinner as the first word quicken and reuiue mee sheweth playnelie nowe wee confesse that a sinner is called to repentance and reuiued not for any desert of his owne but of Gods meere mercy Hauing thus at length answered vnto all that M. PERKINS hath alleaged against merittes Let vs see what can be said for them following as neare as I can M. PERKINS order Obiections of Papists so he tearmeth our reasons First in sundry places of Scripture promise of reward is made vnto good workes Genes 4. Prouer 11. Eccles 18. Math. 5. If thou doe well shalt thou not receiue To him that doeth well there is a faithfull rewarde Feare not to be iustified vnto death because the rewarde of God remayneth for euer and. When you are reuiled and persecuted for my sake reioyce for great is your reward in heauen And a hundreth such like therefore such workes doe meritte heauen for a reward supposeth that there was a desart of it M. PERKINS answereth first that the reward is of meere mercy without any thing donne by men But this is most apparantly false for the Scripture expresseth the very workes whereof it is a reward Againe a reward in English supposeth some former pleasure which is rewarded otherwise it were to be called a gift and not a reward and much more the Latin and Greeke word Misos Merus which rather signifie a mans hier and wagis then a gift or rewarde Wherefore M. PERKINS skippes to a second shift that forsooth eternall life is an inheritance but not a reward Reply We knowe well that it is an inheritance because it is onely due vnto the adopted Sonnes of God but that hindreth not it to be a reward for that it is our heauenly fathers pleasure that all his Sonnes comming to the yeares of discretion shall by their good carriage either deserue it or else for their badde behauiour be disinherited M. PERKINS hauing so good reason to distrust his two former answeres flies to a third and graunteth that eternall life is a reward yet not of our workes but of Christs merits imputed vnto vs This is that Castle wherein he holdes himselfe safe from all Canon shotte but he is fouly abused for this
spirits that we are the sonnes of God and coheires of Christ with this condition If yet we suffer with him that we may be glorified with him So that the testimonie is not absolute but conditionall and then if we faile in performance of the condition God standes free of his promise and will take his earnest backe againe And so to haue receaued the earnest of it will nothing auaile vs much lesse assure vs of saluation This is the direct answere to that place although the other be very good that the testimonie of the spirit is but an inward comfort and joy which breedeth great hope of saluation but bringeth not assurance thereof This M. PERKINS would refute by the authority of S. Bernard in the place before cited Epist 107. see the place and my answere there The third reason is That which we must pray for by Gods commaūdement that we must beleeue but euery man must pray for saluation therefore we must beleeue that we shall haue saluation The proposition he confirmeth thus in euery petition must be two thinges one a desire of the thing we aske an other a particular faith to obtaine it which is proued by Christs wordes Whatsoeuer you shall request when you pray Marke 11. beleeue that you shall haue it and it shall be done This Argument is so proper for their purpose that we returne it vpon their owne heades We must pray for saluation therefore we are not yet assured of it For who in his wittes prayeth God to giue him that whereof he is assured already And a godly act of faith it is in that prayer to beleeue that God will giue that which he is assured of before hand such foolish petitions cannot please God and therefore after their doctrine it is to be denied that any faithfull man may pray for his saluatiō but rather thanke the Lord for it But to answere directly he who prayeth must beleeue he shall obtayne that which he prayeth for if he obserue all the due circumstances of prayer which be many but to this purpose two are required necessarily the one that he who prayeth be the true seruāt of God which first excludeth all those that erre in faith touched in these wordes What you of the faithfull shall desire when you pray shall be giuen you The other is when we request matters of such moment that we perseuer in prayer continue our suite day by day of these suites of eternall saluation we must take these words of our Sauiour to be spoken Luke 18. We must alwayes pray and neuer be wearie And then no doubt but we shall in the end receiue it But because we are in doubt whether we shal obserue those necessarie circūstances of prayer or no therefore we can not be so wel assured to obtayne our suite although we be on Gods parte most assured that he is most bountifull and readier to giue them we are to aske 1. Ioan 5. But saith M. PERKINS S. Iohn noteth out this particular faith calling it Our assurance that God will giue vnto vs whatsoeuer we aske according to his will But where finde we that it is Gods will to assure euerie man at the first entrance into his seruice of eternall saluation is it not sufficient to make him an assured promise of it vpon his faithfull seruice and good behauiour towardes him The fourth reason is Whatsoeuer God commaundeth that a man must and can performe But God commaundeth vs to beleeue our saluation ergo we must beleeue it The proposition is true yet commonly denyed by all Protestants for God commaundes vs to keepe his commaundements and they hold that to be impossible but to the assumption That God commaundes vs to beleeue our saluation is proued saith M. PERKINS by these wordes Repent and beleeue the Gospell Spectatum admissi risum teneatis amici Where is it written in that Gospel beleeue your owne particular saluation shew vs once but one cleare text for it and we will beleeue it I doe beleeue in Christ and hope to be saued through his mercy and merits but knowe well that vnlesse I keepe his wordes I am by him likened to a foole Math. 7. Math. 26. Math. 25. that built his house vpon the sandes He commaundes me to watch and pray least I fall into temptation and else where warneth me to prepare oyle to keepe my lampe burning against his comming or else I am most certayne to be shut out with the foolish Virgins An hundred such admonitions finde we in holy Scriptures to shake vs out of this security of our saluation and to make vs vigilant to preuent all temptations of the enemie and diligent to trayne our selues in godly exercises of all vertue The fift and last reason is this The Papists teach assurance of hope Rom. 5. euen hence it followeth that he may be infallibly assured for the property of a true and liuely hope is neuer to make a make a man ashamed Answere hope indeede of heauen makes a man most couragiouslie beare out all stormes of persecution and not to be ashamed of Christs Crosse but to professe his faith most boldly before the most bloudy tyrants of the world our harts being by charity fortified and made inuincible And this is that which the Apostle teacheth in that place and saith before Ver. 2. that the faithfull glory in the hope of the sonnes of God And doe not vaunt themselues of the certainty of their saluation This certainty of hope is great in those that haue long liued vertuously specially when they haue also endured manifolde losses much disgrace great wronges and injuries for Christs sake for he that cannot faile of his word hath promised to requite all such with an hundred folde But what is this to the certainty of faith which the Protestants will haue euery man to be endued with at his first entrance into the seruice of God When as S. Paul insinuateth that godly men partakers of the holy Ghost Heb. 6 yea after they haue tasted the good word of God and the power of the world to come that is haue receiued besides faith great fauours of Gods spirit and felt as it were the joyes of heauen haue after all this so fallen from God that there was small hope of their recouerie CHAPTER 4. OF IVSTIFICATION M. PERKINS Pag. 60. FIRST I will set downe the Doctrine on both partes that it may be seene how farreforth we agree Secondly The mayne differences wherein we are to stand against them euen to death Our Doctrine touching the iustification of a sinner I propound in foure rules The first Rule That iustification is an action of God whereby he absolueth a sinner and accepteth him to life euerlasting for the righteousnes and merits of Christ 2. Rule That iustification stands in two thinges First in the remission of sinnes by the merite of Christs death Secondly in the imputation of Christs righteousnes which is an other action
Peters faith so much magnified by the auncient Fathers and highlie rewarded by our Sauiour was it any other Then that our Sauiour was Christ Math. 16 the Sonne of the liuing God And briefly let S. Iohn that great secretarie of the Holy Ghost tell vs what faith is the finall end of the whole Gospell Ioh 20. These thinges saith he are written that you may beleeue that IESVS is CHRIST the Sonne of God and that beleeuing you may haue life in his name With the Euangelist the Apostle S. Paul accordeth very well saying Rom. 10. This is the word of faith which we preach for if thou cōfesse with thy mouth our Lord IESVS CHRIST and shalt beleeue in thy hart that God raised him from death thou shalt be saued And in an other place ◠Cor. 15. I make knowne vnto you the Gospell which I haue preached and by which you shall be saued vnlesse perhaps you haue beleeued in vayne What was that Gospell I haue deliuered vnto you that which I haue receiued that Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures was buried and rose againe the third day c. So by the verdite of S. Paul the beleefe of the articles of the creede is that justifying faith by which you must be saued And neither in S. Paul nor any other place of Holy Scriptures is it once taught that a particular faith whereby we applie Christs righteousnes to our selues assure our selues of our saluation is either a justifying or any Christian mans faith but the very naturall act of that ougly Monster presumption Which being layd as the very corner stone of the Protestants irreligion what morall and modest conuersation what humility and deuotion can they build vpon it The second difference in the manner of justification is about the formall act of faith which M. PERKINS handleth as it were by the way cuttedly I will be as shorte as he the matter not being great The Catholikes teach as you haue heard out of the Councell of Trent in the beginning of this question that many actes of faith feare hope and charity doe goe before our justification preparing our soule to receiue into it from God through Christ that great grace M. PERKINS Doctor like resolueth otherwise That faith is an instrument created by God in the hart of man at his conuersion whereby he apprehendeth and receiueth Christs righteousnes for his iustification This joylie description is set downe without any other probation then his owne authority that deliuered it and so let it passe as already sufficiently confuted And if there needed any other disproofe of it I might gather one more out of this owne explication of it where he saith that the couenant of grace is communicated vnto vs by the word of God and by the Sacraments For if faith created in our hartes be the only sufficient supernaturall instrument to apprehend that couenant of grace then there needes no Sacraments for that purpose and consequently I would fayne know by the way how litle infants that can not for want of judgement and discretion haue any such act of faith as to lay hold on Christ his justice are justified Must we without any warrant in Gods word contrary to all experience beleeue that they haue this act of faith before the come to any vnderstanding But to returne vnto the sound doctrine of our Catholike faith M. PER. findes two faults with it one that we teach faith to goe before justification whereas by the word of God saith he at the very instant when any man beleeueth first he is then both justified and sanctified What word of God so teacheth Marry this He that beleeueth eateth and drinketh the body and bloud of Christ and is already passed from death to life Io. 6.54 I answere that our Sauiour in that text speaketh not of beleeuing but of eating his body in the blessed Sacrament which who so receiueth worthely obtayneth thereby life euerlasting as Christ saith expressely in that place And so this proofe is vayne Now will I proue out of the holy Scriptures that faith goeth before justification first by that of S. Paul Whosoeuer calleth on the name of our Lord Rom. 10. shall be saued but how shall they call vpon him in whome they doe not beleeue how shall they beleeue without a preacher c. Where there is this order set downe to arriue vnto justification First to heare the preacher then to beleeue afterwardes to call vpon God for mercy and finally mercy is graunted giuen in justification so that prayer goeth betweene faith and justification This S. Augustine obserued when he said Faith is giuen first De prede◠sanct ca. 7 De spirit lit cap. 30 by which we obteyne the rest And againe By the lawe is knowledge of sinne by faith we obtayne grace and by grace our soule is cured If we list to see the practise of this recorded in holy write read the second of the actes and there you shall finde how that the people hauing heard S. Peters Sermon were stroken to the hartes and beleeued yet were they not straight way justified but asked of the Apostles what they must doe who willed them to doe penance and to be baptized in the name of IESVS in remission of their sinnes then loe they were justified so that penance and baptisme went betweene their faith and their justification In like manner Queene Candaces Eunuch hauing heard S. Philippe announcing vnto him Christ beleeued that IESVS CHRIST was the Sonne of God no talke in those dayes of applying vnto himselfe Christs righteousnes yet was he not justified before descending out of his chariot he was baptized Act. 8. And three dayes passed betweene S. Paules conuersion and his justification as doth euidently appeare by the historie of his conuersion Act. 9. The second fault he findeth with our faith is that we take it to be nothing else but an illumination of the minde stirring vp the will which being so moued and helped by grace causeth in the hart many good spirituall motions But this sayes M. PERKINS is as much to say that dead men only helped can prepare themselues to their resurrection Not so good Sir but that men spiritually dead being quickned by Gods spirit may haue many good motions for as our spirit giueth life vnto our bodies so the spirit of God by his grace animateth and giueth life vnto our soules But of this it hath beene once before spoken at large in the question of free will Pag. 84. THE THIRD DIFFERENCE CONCERNING FAITH IS this The Papists say that man is iustified by faith yet not by faith alone but also by other vertues as the feare of God hope loue c. The reasons which are brought to maintayne their opinion are of no moment well let vs heare some of them that the indifferent Reader may iudge whether they be of any moment or no. M. PERKINS first Reason
be set to worke and if it doe not act that which it is set too then there wanted some thing requisite And consequently that was not the whole cause of that worke Now to the second proposition But their imagined faith can not apply to themselues Christs righteousnes without the presence of hope and charity For else he might be justified without any hope of heauen and without any loue towardes God and estimation of his honour which are thinges most absurd in themselues but yet very well fitting the Protestants justification which is nothing else but the playne vice of presumption as hath beene before declared Yet to auoid this inconuenience which is so great M. PE. graunteth that both hope and charity must needes be present at the justification but doe nothing in it but faith doth all as the head is present to the eie whē it seeth yet it is the eie alone that seeth Here is a worthy peece of Philosophy that the eie alone doth see whereas in truth it is but the instrument of seing the soule being the principall cause of sight as it is of all other actions of life sence and reason and it is not to purpose here where we require the presence of the whole cause not only of the instrumentall cause And to returne your similitude vpon your selfe as the eie cannot see without the head because it receiueth influence from it before it cā see so cannot faith justifie without charity because it necessarily receiueth spirit of life from it before it can doe any thing acceptable in Gods sight The fourth reason if faith alone doe justifie then faith alone will saue but it will not saue ergo M. PERKINS first denyeth the proposition and saith That it may iustifie and yet not saue because more is required to saluation then to iustification Which is false for put the case that an Innocent babe dye shortly after his baptisme wherein he was justified shall he not be saued for want of any thing I hope you will say yes euen so any man that is justified if he depart in that state no man makes doubt of his saluation therefore this first shift was very friuoulous Which M. PERKINS perceiuing flies to a second that for faith alone we shall also be saued that good workes shall not be regarded at the day of our judgement Then must those wordes of the holy Ghost so often repeted in the Scriptures be razed out of the text God at that time will render vnto euery man according to his workes But of this more amply in the question of merits 5. Reason There be many other vertues vnto which justification and saluation are ascribed in Gods word therefore faith alone sufficeth not The Antecedent is proued first of feare it is said He that is without feare Ecclesias 1. Rom. 8. Luc. 13. 1. Ioan. 3. cannot be iustified We are saued by hope Vnlesse you doe penance you shall all in like sort perish We are translated from death to life that is justified because we loue the brethren Againe of baptisme Vnlesse you be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost you cannot enter into the Kingdome of heauen Lastly we must haue a resolute purpose to amend our euill liues Rom. 6. For we are buried together with Christ by baptisme into death that as Christ is risen from the dead c. So we may also walke in newes of life To all these and many such like places of Holy Scripture it pleased M. PERKINS to make answere in that one Rom. 8. You are saued by hope to wit that Paules meaning is only that we haue not as yet saluation in possession but must wayte patiently for it vntill the time of our full deliuerance this is all Now whether that patient expectation which is not hope but issueth out of hope of eternall saluation or hope it selfe be any cause of saluation he sayeth neither yea nor nay leaues you to thinke as it seemeth best vnto your selfe S. Paul then affirming it to be a cause of saluation it is best to beleeue him so neither to exclude hope or charity or any of the foresaid vertues from the worke of justification hauing so good warrant as the word of God for the confirmation of it To these authorities and reasons taken out of the holy Scriptures let vs joyne here some testimonies of the auncient Church reseruing the rest vnto that place wherein M. PER. citeth some for him The most auncient and most valiant Martir S. Ignatius of our justification writeth thus Epist ad Philip. The beginning of life is faith but the end of it is charity but both vnited and ioyned together doe make the man of God perfect Clement Patriarch of Alexandria saith Faith goeth before Libr. 2. strom but feare doth build and charity bringeth to perfection Saint Iohn Chrysostome Patriarch of Constantinople hath these wordes Least the faithfull should trust that by faith alone they might be saued Hom. 70. in Mat. he disputeth of the punishment of euill men and so doth he both exhort the Infidels to faith and the faithfull to liue well Lib. 3. hypognost S. Augustine cryeth out as it were to our Protestants and saith Heare O foolish Heretike and enemy to the true faith Good workes which that they may be donne are by grace prepared and not of the merits of free will we condemne not because by them or such like men of God haue beene iustified are iustified and shall be iustified De side oper c. 14. And Now let vs see that which is to be shaken out of the harts of the faithfull Least by euill security they lose their saluation if they shall thinke faith alone to be sufficient to obtayne it Now the doctrine which M. PERKINS teacheth is cleane contrary For saith he A sinner is iustified by faith alone that is nothing that man can doe by nature or grace concurreth thereto as any kind of cause but faith a lone Farther he saith That faith it selfe is no principall but rather an instrumentall cause whereby we apprehend and apply Christ and his righteousnes for our iustification So that in fine we haue that faith so much by them magnified and called the only and whole cause of our justification is in the end become no true cause at all but a bare condition without which we cannot be justified If it be an instrumentall cause Conditio sine qua non let him then declare what is the principall cause whose instrument faith is and choose whether he had leifer to haue charity or the soule of man without any helpe of grace But to come to his reasons The first is taken out of these wordes As Moyses lift vp the serpent in the desart Ioh. 3. so must the sonne of man be lift vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue life euerlasting True if he liue accordingly and as his faith teacheth
Moyses lawe but not without prouision of good workes issuing out of faith and the helpe of Gods grace as shall be handled more largely in the question of merits OF THE SECOND IVSTIFICATION THE fourth argument A man iust be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke and therefore good workes can not goe before iustification True not before the first justification of a sinner But good Sir you hauing made in the beginning of this last Article a distinction betweene the first and second justification And hauing before discussed the first and the second now remayning and expecting you why did you not say one word of it the matter being ample and well worthy the handling albeit you will not willingly confesse any second justification as you say Yet had it beene your part at least to haue disproued such arguments as we bring to proue a second justification Yee acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification But these degrees must be made downeward of euill worser and worst for if all our sanctification and best workes be like vnto defiled cloutes and no better then deadly sinnes as you hold and else where Pag. 76. let any wise man judge what degrees of goodnes can be lodged in it Againe how absurd is that position that there is but one justification whereby they take fast hold on Christs righteousnes which can neuer after be either loosed or increased Why then doe you with your brother Iouinian maintayne that all men are equally righteous If it so be Lib. 2. con Iouin Epist 81. Epist 57. Hom. 15. in Ezech. let him that desireth to see you well coursed read S. Hier. S. Amb. S. August S. Greg. At least we must needes vphold that a man is as just and righteous at his first conuersion as at his death how Godly a life soeuer he lead against which I will put downe these reasons following First that of the reuelations Let him that is iust be yet iustified or as your text hath it Cap. 22. He that is righteous let him be more righteous and that of feare not to be iustified euen vntill death Eccles 18. doe conuince that there are more justifications then one and that a man may increase in justification and righteousnes vntill death Which is confirmed where it is said That the path of a iust man proceedeth Prob. 4. as the light doth vntill it be perfect day Which is degrees more more And S. Paul teacheth the same where he saith to men that giue almes plentifully 2. Cor. 9. That God will multiply their seede and augment the increases of the fruits of their iustice Further S. Iames doth most effectually proue this increase of righteousnes and the second iustification in these wordes Abraham our father was he not iustified by workes offering Isaac his Sonne vpon the Aultar Cap. 2. That he speaketh of the second iustification is euident for Abraham was iustified before Isaac was borne as it is most manifest by the Scripture it selfe and by that heroicall act of not sparing his onely entirely beloued Sonne Genes 15. Rom. 4. his iustice was much augmented And the Apostle himselfe seemeth to haue forseene all our aduersaries cauillation and to haue so longe before preuented them First that common shift of theirs that this worke was a signe or the fruit onely of his faith and no companion of it in the matter of iustification is formally confuted for the holy Ghost speaking distinctly of both his faith and worke and joyning them both in this act of justification attributeth the better part of it vnto his worke thus Seest thou that faith did worke with his workes and by the workes the faith was consummate and made perfect Which he doth after fitly declare by a similitude comparing faith to the body and good workes to the soule which giue life and lustre to faith otherwise faith is of litle value estimation with God Which S. Paul also teacheth at large among other speeches including this That if he should haue all faith and wanted charity 1. Cor. 13 he were nothing And comparing faith charity together defineth expresly that charity is the greater vertue Which charity is the fountayne of all good workes And so by this preferring these workes of charity before faith he doth stop the other starting hole of the Protestants that Abraham forsooth was justified before God by onely faith but was declared just before men by his workes For if God esteeme more of charity then of our faith a man is more justified before God by charity then by faith Againe in the very place where this noble fact is recorded to shew how acceptable it was to God himselfe it is said in the person of God Gen. 22. Nowe I knowe that thou louest me and to conuince all obstinate cauilling is it not said that his faith did in this very fact cooperate with his workes and that the worke made his faith perfect which conjunction of both of them together doth demonstrate that he speaketh of his justification before God adding also That he was therefore called the friend of God Which could not haue beene if thereby he had beene only declared just before men thus doth S. Augustine reconcile the two places of the Apostles S. Paul S. Iames which seeme contrarie S. Paul saying that a man is iustified by faith without workes and S. Iames that a man is iustified by workes and not by faith onely That S. Paul speaketh of workes which goe before faith such as we of our owne forces without the helpe of grace are able to doe and such he saith not to deserue our first iustification But S. Iames disputeth of workes which followe faith and issue out of our soules nowe garnished with grace and such he holdeth vs to be iustified by that is made more and more iust See the place He saith directly L. 83. quest q. 76. Serm. 16. de verb. Apos that we are iustified and that this justice doth increase whiles it doth proceede and profit Nothing then is more certaine and cleare then that there our justification may daylie be augmented and it seemeth to me that this also bee graunted in their opinion For they holding faith to be the only instrument of justification cannot deny but that there are many degrees of faith it is so plainely taught in the worde O yee of little faith Math. 8. Luc. 19. And then a little after I haue not founde so great faith in Israell And O Lord increase our faith and many such like where many different degrees of faith are mentioned How then can the justification which dependes vpon that faith not be correspondent vnto that diuersity of faith but all one Pag. 54. Againe M. PERK deliuereth plainly That men at the first are not so well assured of their saluation as they are afterward If then in the certainty of their saluation which is the prime effect of their
so that God giueth it not vnto all yet doth he certainely giue it to some for otherwise they cannot keepe their Vowes but to the dishonour of God and to their owne damnation should breake them And wee onely teach that some such who haue Vowed chastitie could keepe it so that the argument is verie childish and too too weake to lead any wise man away from the holy and auncient Doctrine of the Church But to the further confirmation of this poynt let vs heare what the holy Fathers teach touching the possibilitie of this Vowe TERTVLLIAN neere the ende expounding these wordes * Lib. de monog Hee that can take let him take * Mat 19. Choose sayeth hee that which is good if thou saye thou canst not it is because thou wilt not for that thou mightest if thou wouldest he doth declare who hath left both to thy choyse ORIGEN vpon the same place * Mat 19. Hee that will take this worde that is set downe of chastitie let him praye for it beleeuing him that saide aske and it shall bee giuen you and hee shall receiue it which doeth plainelie confute Maist Perk. Who sayeth that although wee aske neuer so much wee can not obtayne this gift with ORIGEN agreeth Sainct IEROM vpon the same place who sayeth It is giuen vnto them vvho haue requested it who haue desired it and trauayled that they might receiue it The same Song chanteth GREGORIE NAZIANZ which is of three kindes of Eunuchs * Orat. 3 1. Saint CHRYSOSTOME sayeth it is possible to all them who make choyse of it and further addeth that our Sauiour CHRIST himselfe doeth prooue it there after this sorte Thinke with thy selfe if thou haddest bene by nature an Eunuch or by the malice of men made one what wouldest thou then haue done when thou shouldest both haue bene depriued of that pleasure and yet not haue had any recompence for thy paine Therefore thanke GOD because thou shalt haue a great rewarde and a glyttering Crowne if thou liue so as they must doe vvithout any revvarde yet sayeth hee thou mayest doe it more easelie safelie and pleasantlie both because thou art fortifyed with hope of recompence and also comforted with a vertuous conscience Wee will wrappe vp this poynte with Saint AVGVSTINE who directlie confuteth M. Perk. by many reasons and examples Lib. 2. De adulterinis coniug cap. 12. Et de bono viduit cap. 20. And vpon the Psalme an hundreth thirtie seauen he yeeldeth an other reason why God will more reallie assist them saying Hee that exhorteth thee to Vowe vvill helpe thee to fulfill it All which heauenly Doctrine because it is spirituallie judged as the Apostle speaketh the Carnall man cannot vnderstande And therefore M. P. being perswaded that few can liue chastly except they marrie avoucheth that this Vowe doeth bring foorth innumerable abhominations in the Worlde Not the hundreth parte so manie as the fleshlie Heretikes imagine and out of flying and lying tales reporte and bruite abroade Naie I dare affirme that let the authenticall Recordes of our Realme bee well perused and you shall finde more lewde filthie Lecherie to haue bene practised by Ministers and their Wiues this last age than was in a thousand yeare before by all the Catholike Priestes and Religious persons of the Land This may serue for a reproofe of al that M. P. objecteth against the Vowe of chastity afterward the man would somwhat reason the matter by shewing howe hee condemneth not chastitie yet sayeth that Marriage is better than it in two respects If IOVINIAN was reputed by the learnedst an holiest Fathers a Christian Epicure and a Monster because he durst make marriage equall with Virginitie What shall this man be who sayeth it is better His reasons are so childish that by the like you may prooue durt to be better then gold wherefore I will not stand vpon them He neuerthelesse afterwarde concludeth that one may purpose constantly with himselfe to leade a single life but so as he may change vpon occasion and this to be a councell of expedience but not of perfection Lastly that if any hauing the gifte of continencie doe Vowe and afterwarde Marrie the gift remayning they haue sinned which is flat against his owne second rule which prohibites vs to leese our libertie and to make any thing vnlawfull in conscience which Christian religion leaueth at libertie Now libertie supposeth M. P. his default who was accustomed to rehearse although many times vntowardly yet lightly alwaies some reasons for the Catholike partie which in this question he hath whollie omitted I wil briefely prooue by an argument or two that it is both lawful verie commendable for men and women of ripe yeeres and consideration hauing wel tryed their own aptnesse to Vow virginitie if by good inspirations they be thereunto inwardly called My first reason is this that which is more pleasant and grateful vnto God may verie well be Vowed to him but Virginitie is more acceptable to God than Marriage The first proposition is manifest and hath no other exception against it but that which before is confuted to wit if we be able to performe it The second is denyed by them which we prooue in expresse tearmes out of S. PAVL * 1. Cor. 7. He that ioyneth his Virgin doth well but he that ioyneth her not doth better and againe of Widdowes * Esa 56. They shall be more happie by S. PAVLS iudgement if they remaine vnmarried This may be confirmed out of ESAY Where God promiseth the Eunuch that holdeth greatly of the thing that pleaseth him that he will giue him in his houshold and within his walles a better heritage and name than if they had bene called sonnes and daughters I will saith God giue them an euerlasting name And also out of the booke of Wisdome * Cap. 3. Blessed is the Eunuch which hath wrought no vnrighteosnesse c. For vnto him shall be giuen the speciall gift of faith and the most acceptable portion in our Lords Temple for glorious is the fruit of God Which is also plainely taught in the Reuelations * Reuelat. 14. Where it is said that no man could sing that song but 14400 and the cause is set downe These be they which haue not bene defiled with women for they are Virgins To these latter places M. P. answereth pag. 241. that to the Eunuch is promised a greater rewarde but not because of his chastitie but because he keepeth the Lords Saboth and couenant But this is saide vnaduisedlie for to all others that keepe Gods commandements shall be giuen a heauenly reward but why shall they haue a better heritage and more acceptable portion than others but because of their speciall prerogatiue of chastitie M. P. then answereth otherwise here that the single life is better and more happie because it is freer from common cares of this life and yeeldeth vs more bodelie ease and libertie to serue God But 1200. yeares agoe
although perfect in itselfe so farre as mans capacity in this life doth permitte yet being compared vnto the state of justice which is in heauen it may be called imperfect not that this is not sufficient to defend vs from all formall transgression of Gods lawe but because it keepeth not vs sometimes from veniall sinne and hath not such a high degree of perfection as that hath De spir lit vlt. cap. S. Augustine hath the like discourse where he saith directly that it appertaines to the lesser justice of this life not to sinne So that we haue out of this oracle of Antiquity that many workes of a just man are without sinne To these reasons taken partly out of the Scriptures and partly out of the record of Antiquity let vs joyne one or two drawne from the absurdity of our aduersaries doctrine which teacheth euery good woorke of the righteous man to be infected with mortall sin Which being graunted it would followe necessarily that no good worke in the world were to be donne vnder paine of damnation thus No mortall sinne is to be donne vnder paine of damnation Rom. 6. for the wages of sinne is death but all good works are stayned with mortall sinne ergo no good worke is to be donne vnder paine of damnation It followeth secondly that euery man is bounde to sinne deadly For all men are bounde to performe the duties of the first and second table but euery performance of any dutie is necessary linked with some mortall sinne therefore euery man is bounde to committe many mortall sinnes and consequently to be damned These are holy and comfortable conclusions yet inseparable companions if not sworne brethren of the Protestants doctrine Now let vs heare what Arguments they bring against this Catholike verity THAT GOOD WORKES BE FREE FROM SINNE FIRST they alleadge these words Enter not O Lord Psal 141. into iudgement with thy seruāt because no liuing creature shal be iustified in thy sight If none can be justified before God it seemes that none of their works are just in his sight Answere There are two common expositions of this place among the auncient Fathers both true but far from the Protestants purpose The former is S. Augustines S. Hieromes De perfect iustitie Epistol ad Otesiph S. Gregories in his Commentaries vpon that place who say that no creature ordinarily liueth without many veniall sinnes for the which in justice they may be punished sharply either in this life or else afterward in Purgatory Wherefore the best men doe very prouidently pray vnto God not to deale with them according vnto their deserts for if he should so doe they cannot be justified and cleared from many veniall faultes And therefore they must all craue pardon for these faultes or else endure Gods judgements for them before they can attayne vnto the reward of their good deedes The second exposition is more ordinary with all the best writers vpon the Psalmes as S. Hilary S. Hierome S. Arnobius S. Euthimius and others Li. ad Crosium c. 10. Lib. 9. moral cap. 1. Which is also S. Augustines S. Gregory All these say that mans justice in comparison of the justice of God will seeme to be no justice at all and so take these words No creature neither man nor Angell shall be iustified in thy sight that is if his justice appeare before thine and be compared to it For as the starres be bright in themselues shine also goodly in a cleare night yet in the presence of the glittering sun beames they appeare not at all euen so mans justice although considered by it selfe it be great and perfect in his kind yet set in the sight and presence of Gods justice it vanisheth away and is not to be seene This exposition is taken out of Iob where he saith Iob. 9. I know truly it is euen so that no man compared to God shall be iustified Take the wordes of the Psalme in whether sence you list that either we haue many veniall faultes for which we cannot be justified in Gods sight or else that in the sight of Gods most bright justice ours will not appeare at all it cannot bee thereof justly concluded that euery worke of the righteous man is stayned with sinne And consequently the place is not to purpose Esay 64. One other ordinarie hackney of theirs is that out of the Prophet All our righteousnes is as a menstruous or defiled cloath The which I haue already ridde to death in the beginning of the question of justification where it was alledged The answere is briefly that the Prophet praying for the sinnes of the people speaketh in the person of the sinnefull Such as the common sort of them were who had more sinnes then good workes and so their righteousnes was like vnto a spotted and stayned cloath Now this disproueth not but that their good workes although but fewe yet were free for all spottes of iniquity it onely proueth that with their fewe good they had a great number or euill which defiled their righteousnes and made it like a stayned cloath 3. There is not a man who doth not sinne And blessed is the man whose sinnes be not imputed to him And such like I answere that the best men sinne venially and are happy when those their sinnes be pardoned but all this is cleane besides this question where it is onely enquired whether the good workes that the just doe be free from sinne and not whether they at other times doe sinne at the least venially This is all which M. PERKIN'S here and there objecteth against this matter but because some others doe alleadge also some darke places out of the fathers I thinke it not amisse to solue them here together S. Cyprian saith That the beseiged minde of man can hardly resist all assaults of the enemie for when couetuousnes is ouerthrowen vp starts lechery and so forth Answere All this is true that the life of man is a perpetuall warefare yet man assisted with the grace of God may performe it most valiantly and neuer take any mortall wound of the enemies although through his owne frailty he may be sometimes foyled Dial. 1. cap. Pelag. S. Hierome affirmeth That then we are iust when we confesse our selues to be sinners Answere That all just men confesse themselues to sinne venially but neither of these places come neare the point in question that not one good deede of the just man is without some spot or stayne of sinne Epis 29. S. Augustine hath these wordes Most perfect charity which cannot be increased is to be found in no man in this life and as long as it may be increased that which is lesse then it ought to be is faulty of which fault it proceedeth that there is no man who doth good and doeth not sinne All this we graunt to be true that no man hath so perfect charity in this life but that sometimes he doth lesse then he
ought to doe and consequently doth not so well but that nowe and then he sinneth at the least venially and that therefore the said holy Doctor had just cause to say Li. 9. confess c. 13. Woe be to the laudable life of a man if it be examined without mercy Al which notwithstanding just men may out of that charity which they haue in this life doe many good workes which are pure from all sinne as hath beene proued They alleadge yet another place out of S. Augustine That belongeth vnto the perfection of a iustman Lib. 3. conduas Epist Pelag. c. 7. to knowe in truth his imperfection and in humility to confesse is True that is as he teacheth else where First that the perfection of this life is imperfection being compared with the perfection of the life to come Againe that the most perfect in this life hath many imperfections both of witte and will and thereby many light faultes Now come we vnto S. Gregory our blessed Apostle out of whose sweet wordes ill vnderstood they seeme to haue sucked this their poison Lib. 9. morall cap. 1. He saith The holy man Iob because he did see all the merit of our vertue to be vice if it be straightly examined of the inward iudge doth rightly adde if I will contend with him I cannot answere him one for a thowsand I answere that by our vertue in that place is to be vnderstood that vertue which we haue of our owne strength without the aide of Gods grace which we acknowledge to be commonly infected with some vice that S. Gregory so tooke it appeares by the wordes both going before and following before he writeth thus A man not compared to God receiued iustice but compared vnto him he leeseth it For whosoeuer compareth himselfe vnto the author of all good leeseth that good which he had receiued for he that doth attribute the good vnto himselfe doth sight against God with his owne giftes And after thus To contend with God is not to giue to God the glory of his vertue but to take it to himselfe And so all the merit of this our vertue which commeth not of God but is attributed vnto our selfe as proceeding onely from our selues is the very vice of pride and cannot be prejudiciall vnto true good workes al which we acknowledge to proceede principally from the grace of God dwelling in vs. He saith further with S. Augustine that in this life we cannot attayne vnto perfect purity such as shall be in heauen read the beginning of his first and second booke of Morales and there you shall finde him commending Iob to the skyes as a good and holy man by his temptations not foyled but much aduanced in vertue Now before I depart from this large question of justification I will handle yet one other question which commonly ariseth about it it is WHETHER FAITH MAY BE WITHOVT CHARITY I PROVE that it may so be first out of these wordes of our Sauiour Many shall say vnto me in that day Lord Lord Math. 7. haue we not prophecied in thy name haue we not cast out Diuels haue we not done many miracles to whome I will confesse that I neuer knewe you depart from me all yee that worke iniquitie That these men beleeued in Christ and perswaded themselues assuredly to be of the elect appeareth by their confident calling of him Lord Lord and the rest that followeth Yet Christ declareth manifestly that they wanted charity in saying that they were workers of iniquity Math. 22. 2. When the King went to see his guestes He found there a man not attired in his wedding garment and therefore commaunded him to be cast into vtter darknes This man had faith or else he had not beene admitted vnto that table which signifieth the Sacraments yet wanted charity which to be the wedding garment besides the euidence of the text is also proued where in expresse tearmes Apoc. 19. The garments of Christs Spouse is declared to be the righteousnes and good workes of the Saintes And that with great reason for as S. Paul teacheth 1. Cor. 13. Faith shall not remayne after this life With what instrument then trow you will the Protestants lay hold on Christs righteousnes That charity is that wedding garment S. Hierome vpon the same place doth witnesse saying That it is the fulfilling of our Lordes commaundements And S. Gregory doth in expresse wordes define it Hom. 38. in Euang. What saith he must we vnderstand by the wedding garment but charity So doe S. Hilary and Origen and S. Chrysostome vpon that place Can. 22. in Math. Tract 20. in Math. Math. 25. 3. The like argument is made of the foolish Virgins Who were part of the Kingdome of God and therefore had faith which is the gate entrance into the seruice of God Yea in the house of God they aspired vnto more then ordinary perfection Hauing professed Virginity yet either caried away with vayne glory as S. Gregory takes it Or not giuing themselues to the workes of mercy spirituall and corporall as S. Chrysostome expoundes it briefly not continuing in their former charity for faith once had cannot after the Protestants doctrine be lost were shut out of the Kingdome of heauen albeit they presumed strongly on the assurance of their saluation as is apparant By their confident demaunding to be let in for they said Lord Lord open vnto vs. Ioh. 12. 4. Many of the princes beleeued in Christ but did not confesse him for they loued more the glory of men then the glory of God What can be more euident then that these men had faith whē the H. ghost saith expresly that they beleeued in christ which is the onely act of faith And yet were destitute of charity which preferreth the glorie and seruice of God before al things in this world Cap. 2. 5. This place of S. Iames. What shall it profit my bretheren if any man say that he hath faith but hath not workes what shall his faith be able to saue Supposeth very playnlie that a man may haue faith without good workes that is without charity but that it shall auayle him nothing Caluin saith that the Apostle speakes of a shadowe of faith which is a bare knowledge of the articles of our creede but not of a justifying faith Without doubt he was litle acquainted with that kinde of faith by which Protestants be justified but he directly speakes of such a faith as Abraham was justified by saying That that faith did worke with his workes and was made perfect by the workes Was this but a shadowe of faith but they reply that this faith is likened vnto the faith of the Diuell and therefore cannot be a justifying faith that followeth not an excellent good thing may be like vnto a badde in some thinges as Diuels in nature are not only like that the very same as Angels be euen so a full Christian faith may be well likened