faithfull an assurance of Saluation be it by faith be it by charitie let not that here be the question Is there to the faithfull by S. Austines iudgement any assurance of Saluation He could not tell how directly to denie it and yet with a Romish and impudent face passeth it ouer as if there were no such thing The onely shift that he insinuateth is this that this assurance spoken of by S. Austine is by charity and not by faith But what then is there assurance by charitie No such matter for he hath told vs before that charitie is seated in the e Sect. 6. darke corners of the will and we cannot tell whether we haue it or not And so whereas the Apostle and by him S. Austine say that we know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren he contrariwise saith We cannot know that we are translated from death to life because we cannot know that we loue the brethren in both points absolutely contradicting both the one and the other But to his foolish question I answer him that the affirming of the assurance of faith is no deniall of the meanes and helps from which it gathereth and increaseth this assurance Faith giueth assurance of Saluation by the word of God not onely by apprehending the promises of life Saluation but also by obseruing such marks and tokens as the word of God setteth down to describe thē to whom this Saluation doth appertaine which whē a man findeth in himselfe his faith thereby giueth him the cōfort of Saluation because it beleeueth that which the word of God hath deliuered concerning them in whom those signes marks are found Therfore it doth not only looke to that which Christ saith that f Iohn 3.16 whosoeuer beleeueth shal haue euerlasting life but because Christ also saith g Iohn 8.47 He that is of God heareth Gods word therfore the faithfull man delighting in the word of God beleeueth concerning himselfe that he is of God Because the Apostle saith h Rom. 10.13 Euery one that calleth vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued therfore the faithfull man vnfainedly calling vpon the name of the Lord beleeueth of himself that he shal be saued And so whereas S. Iohn saith that we know that we are translated frō death to life because we loue the brethren it is our faith whereby we take this knowledge that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren for how should we know it but that our faith beleeueth that which the word of God hath taught vs in that behalfe How idlely then doth he argue that we need not seeke for charity for assurance of Saluation if we be assured thereof by faith when charity it selfe is appointed for a helpe of that assurance which we haue by faith when from charity it is in some part that faith by the word of God conceiueth a reason of that assurance But by his answers to these places the Reader may esteeme of his wilfulnesse in all the rest How miserable is the case of those men who being so fast bound with the bonds of truth as that they know not which way to stirre yet haue no heart nor conscience to giue assent to that which they are no way able to resist 15. W. BISHOP Sup. 5. cap. Mat. The next Author he citeth is S. Hylarie in these words The Kingdome of heauen which our Lord professed to be in himselfe his wil is that it be hoped for without any doubtfulnesse of vncertaine will at all is an addition otherwise there is no iustification by faith if faith it selfe be made doubtfull First he faith but as we say that the Kingdome of heauen is to be hoped for without any doubtfulnesse for we professe Certaintie of hope and denie onely Certaintie of faith as M. Perkins confesseth before And as for faith we say with him also it is not doubtfull but very certaine What maketh this to the purpose that a man must beleeue his owne Saluation when S. Hilary speaketh there of faith of the resurrection of the dead His last Author is S. Bernard Who is the iust man Epist 107. but he that being loued of God loues him againe which comes not to passe but by the spirit reuealing by faith the eternall promise of God of his Saluation to come which reuelation is nothing else but the infusion of spirituall grace by which the deeds of the flesh are mortified the man is prepared to the kingdome of heauen together receiuing in one spirit that whereby he may presume that he is loued and loues againe Note that he saith the reuelation of the spirit to be nothing else but the infusion of spirituall graces and comfort whereby a man hath some feeling of Gods goodnesse towards him by which he saith he may presume but not beleeue certainly that he is loued of God But let S. Bernard in the same place interpret himselfe there he speaketh thus as I cited once before It is giuen to men to tast before hand somewhat of the blisse to come c. Of the which knowledge of our selues now in part perceiued a man doth in the meane season glory in hope but not yet in securitie His opinion then is expresly that for all the reuelations of the spirit made by faith vnto vs we are not assured for Certaintie of our Saluation but feele great ioy through the hope we haue hereafter to receiue it R. ABBOT The words of Hilarie are very plaine that a Hilar. in Mat. cap. 5. Regnum coelorum vult Dominus sine aliquae incertae voluntatis ambiguitate sperari alioqum iustificatio ex fide nulla est si fides ipsa sit ambigua without doubting we are to hope for the kingdome of heauen and that it is the will of Christ that we do so Whereof he addeth a reason Otherwise there is no iustification by faith if faith it selfe become doubtfull which if we will accommodate to that that goeth before it must import thus much that we cannot by our faith be iustified to the obtaining of the kingdome of heauen if we do not vndoubtedly beleeue to obtaine the same M. Bishop answereth first that Hilarie saith but as they say No doth Why do they say that without doubting we must hope for the kingdome of heauen He saith yea but forgetting the prouerb that a liar must beare a braine For in the leafe b Sect. 10. before he hath set it downe for a principle confirmed as he saith by aboue an hundred texts of holy writ that the faithfull must stand in feare of their owne Saluation There cannot be certaine and vndoubted hope where there is a necessitie of feare If a man must stand in feare then can he not hope without doubt Thus he knoweth not what he saith nor what to say We must feare and we must not feare we must doubt and we must not doubt there is Certaintie and
if any man saith he be set in the Apostolike seate without the foresaid concording and canonicall election of the Cardinals and the consent of the religious states following the Cleargie and Laity he shall not be accounted Pope or Apostolicall but Apostatical which is as much to say as Antichristian The Popes then being not now nor hauing bene of long time chosen by this rule but onely by the Colledge of Cardinals are found to be Apostataes and Antichrists by the sentence and decree of the Pope himselfe Hereto M. Bishop saith not a word though he confesse that he knew M. Perkins meaning well enough which indeed was somewhat amisse set downe by putting the Antipope called Innocentius for the Pope called Innocentius He had nothing whereby to excuse the Pope from being Antichrist euen by his owne decrees and therefore putteth the matter ouer to another place where he neuer meant to say any thing of it Onely in the end he chargeth M. Perkins with a grosse fault in citing the Canon of Pope Nicholas for saying that the Pope was to be created by the Cardinals bishops of Rome as though saith he there were some thirtie or fortie Bishops of Rome Belike it was darke and his eyes did not well serue him or else he might haue seene that M. Perkins did not say by the Cardinals Bishops of Rome as he hath set downe and pointed amisse but by the Cardinall Bishops of Rome that is by the Cardinals of Rome which are Bishops For they are all Cardinals of Rome but some are Cardinall bishops some Cardinall priests some Cardinall Deacons and according to this distinction M. Perkins named the Cardinall Bishops of Rome the Popes Canon requiring the Cardinall Bishops to be the Electors of the Pope As touching that which M. Bishop citeth out of S. Bernard for his opinion of the Pope I answer him that we doubt not but that S. Bernard had a very high opinion of the Popes place but I answer him withall that S. Bernard had a higher opinion of the Popes place then he had of the Pope himselfe He knew well that though the Popes place were such in the Church of Christ as he describeth it to be yet the Pope by the abusing of his place might be very Antichrist himselfe He wisheth Pope Eugenius to remember and consider what person what place and office according to his conceipt he did beare in the Church thereby to moue him vpon conscience thereof to the redressing of those intolerable enormities and corruptions that were then growne in the Church and Court of Rome For in those books De consideratione he doth purposely bend himselfe to lay foorth the deformities and abuses then preuailing to shew how the Bishop of Rome by temporall dominion and princely pompe did degenerate from Peter and the rest of the Apostles did rather succeed Constantine then him to note the defaults and corruptions of gouernment of iudiciall proceedings of appeales to Rome of the Popes dispensations of the neglect of the punishment of offendors to shew the neglect of the Cleargie in teaching the people making themselues fitter for any other vse then for that Yea such was the horrible apostasie and iniquitie raigning at that time as that by way of complaint vnto Iesus Christ he saith therof with exceeding griefe in another place r Bernard in conuers S. Pauli Ser. 1. Coniurasse contra te videtur vniuersitas Christiani populi à minimo vsque ad maximum à planta pedis vsque ad verticem non est sanitas vlla Egressa est iniquitas à senioribus Iudicibus Vi carijs tuis qui videntur regere populum tuum c. Heu heu Domine Deus quia ipsi sunt in persecutione tua primi qui videntur in Ecclesia tua diligere primatum gerere principatum Aê° cem Sion occupauerunt apprehenderunt munitiones vniuersam deinceps liberè potestatiuè tradunt incendio ciuitatem Misera eortem conuersatio plebis tuae miserabilis subuersio est c. Dati sunt sacri gradus in occasionem turpis luerâ— c. De animarum salute nouissima cogitatio est c. Iniquè agitâ—r caeteri eo â—ra Christum multique nostris temporibus sunt Antichristi The whole company of Christian people seemeth to haue conspired against thee from the least euen to the greatest from the sole of the foote to the top of the head there is nothing sound iniquitie is gone foorth from the auncients the Iudges thy Vicars which seeme to gouerne thy people Alas alas O Lord God for they are foremost in persecuting thee who seeme to loue supremacie and to beare principalitie in thy Church They haue taken possession of the tower of Sion they haue seized vpon the munitions thereof and thencefoorth freely and by authoritie they betray the whole citie to the fire Their wretched conuersation is the miserable subuersion of thy people c. The sacred degrees and orders are yeelded to opportunitie of filthie lucre the sauing of souls is the thing last thought of The rest also deale wickedly against Christ and there are many Antichrists in our times Now the due consideration of these words we suppose may somewhat qualifie M. Bishops opinion of the words by himselfe alledged because hereby we plainely vnderstand not by broken but by perfect sentences that whatsoeuer S. Bernard conceiued of the dignitie and dutie of the Popes place yet that he very well saw that by euill vsage therof the Popes in his time were become the very enemies and persecutors of Christ euen they who as he saith were Christs Vicars and had the supremacie and principalitie in the Church of Christ And so we find that the high Priest of the Iewes who by Gods owne ordinance and institution was a figure of Christ and sate in the place of Christ yet by Apostasie and iniquitie became an Antichrist a persecutor of Christ and solemnly gaue sentence against Christ In like sort therefore nothing letteth but that the Pope may now be Antichrist albeit his place had bene at the first appointed by Christ but much more now in that his place is no diuine institution but onely humane presumption affected by ambition attempted by rebellion yeelded vnto by superstition established possessed by tyrannie and crueltie by villanie and trecherie vpholden by the deuices of Sycophants and Parasites who haue vsed all manner falshood and deceipt to iniect into the minds of men an opinion of it S. Bernard therefore by errour attributed to the Pope that which indeed is none of his and although for the credit of the Popes authoritie he alledge some words out of the Gospell vsed to S. Peter yet he bringeth no Scripture to proue either that that which he giueth to the Pope in that description did euer belong to Peter or that that which in the Gospell is spoken to Peter belongeth to the Pope He attributeth to the Pope to be Å¿ Tues princeps Episcoporum summus
to the hope of euerlasting life should stand in doubt of that Saluation that God hath promised vnto him The very place and occasion of the speech might haue made M. Bishop to forbeare to vse the same to that purpose that he hath done but that he is stil like his maister Bellarmine so that it carrie some shew it neuer skilleth whether it be right or wrong 7. W. BISHOP Another reason of this vncertaintie De cor gra cap. 13. yeeldeth Saint Augustine in these words In this place of temptation such is our infirmitie that assurednes might engender pride To this agreeth S. Gregorie Lib. 9. moral cap. 17. saying If we know our selues to haue grace we are proud So that to strike downe the pride of our hearts and to humble vs and to make vs trauaile more carefully in the workes of mortification God doth not ordinarily assure men at the first of their owne Saluation but to cheere vp their hearts on the other side doth put them in great hope of it like to a discreet and good Lord who will not at the first entrance into his seruice infeofe his seruant in the fee simple of those lands which after vpon his good deserts he meaneth to bestow on him This is another kind of Doctrine then that which M. Perkins in his last supply deliuered to wit That if we regard our owne indisposition we must despaire because we be not worthie of his mercie Not so good Sir Because we know that he bestoweth mercie vpon the vnworthie at the first iustification of a sinner but will not admit into the Kingdome of heauen any vnworthie but giues men grace while they liue to worke that they are made worthie of his heauenly Kingdome according to that Apoc. 3.4 They shall walke with me in whites because they are worthie but of this more fully in the chapter of Merits R. ABBOT The place of Austin is true as touching immediate and perfect assurance such as is free from all assault and impeachment of doubt and feare For this is a place of temptation and weaknesse as he truly saith by reason whereof as we neuer attaine to a perfection of righteousnesse against sinne so we neuer attaine to a perfection of assurance against doubting But yet as we haue a measure of true righteousnesse against sinne wherein we doubt not but God accepteth vs so haue we also a measure of true and comfortable assurance against all feare and doubt whereby our hearts do rest perswaded that God for euer will preserue vs. Thus God as a wise and carefull father both giueth comfort to his children and yet prouideth to keepe them within their bounds that tasting the ioy of his Saluation and finding it thenceforth bitter and grieuous vnto themselues to be distracted by perplexities and feares from the quiet enioying thereof they may the more carefully endeuour to cleaue fast vnto him and beware of doing any thing that should interrupt their ioyful peace He knoweth how readie we are by the corruption of our nature to abuse the comforts and assurances that he giueth vnto vs and therefore so ordereth the same as that somtimes out of our nature somtimes by other afflictions they are nipped and sneaped that they grow not proud and ranke to the decaying and destroying of themselues And as somtimes by his admirable wisdom he maketh sin the whetstone of righteousnesse so by affliction and trouble of mind by distrusts and fearfull doubts he whetteth sharpeneth our faith and assurance which by fighting increaseth and the longer it wrastleth the stronger it waxeth whilest a August de verb. Dom. ser 36 Fides fundit erationem fusaoratio impetrat fidei firmitatem faith specially when it is assaulted powreth forth prayer and powring forth of prayer obtaineth further strength of faith And as a man in danger of drowning catcheth for hold to saue himselfe so whilest the comfort of life maketh offer to go from vs we take the better hold thereof and it becommeth so much the more precious and deare vnto vs. But as we do not approue sinne for that it is vsed sometimes for a helpe of righteousnesse so no more do we commend doubting for that it is vsed for the increase of faith but as against the one so against the other we fight and labour to abandon it wholy from vs that we may say b Rom. 8.35 Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse c Nay in all these things we are more then conquerours through him that loued vs. For I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor things present nor things to come nor any creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Thus therefore we so take the words of Austin as that we leaue place for that which elsewhere he saith that c August in Psal 32. Non est ista remeriâ—as affectus est desiderij dulcedâ— spei Dicat anima omnino securaÌ„ dicat Deus meus es tu qui dicit animae salus tuaego sum God saith to the soule of the faithfull I am thy Saluation whereupon it is boldly to say to him Thou art my God which saith he is no rashnesse or presumption but affection of desire and sweetnesse of hope For that voice of God whereby he saith to our soule d Psa 35.3 as Dauid for himselfe prayeth I am thy Saluation what is it else but e Rom. 8.16 the spirit that giueth witnesse to our spirit that we are the sonnes of God The words of Gregorie if there be any such for in the place by him cited they are not may import how readie our corruption is to misconuert the graces and gifts of God but to denie to the faithfull man the knowledge of Gods grace in himselfe is to bereaue him of all stedfast hope and to quench in him all true conscience of thankfulnesse towards God because he cannot hope that knoweth nothing wherupon to hope nor hartily giue thanks that knoweth not whether he haue cause to giue thankes or not And how doth S. Iohn say f 1. Iohn 4.13 By this we know that we are in him and he in vs because he hath giuen vs of his spirit if we do not know that he hath giuen vs of his spirit and how should we not know that we haue receiued grace if we know that we haue receiued the spirit of grace But of this matter sufficient hath bene spoken in the former section Now whereas M. Bishop saith that God doth not ordinarily assure men at the first of their owne Saluation if he meane that God doth not at the first offer any such assurance he saith vntruly For God speaketh by the same word in the beginning and in the end and therfore both in the beginning and in the end giueth the same assurance although our faith being perhaps weake
in respect hereof with sinne against the holy Ghost it is but a scape of his ignorance who as it seemeth vnderstandeth not what is meant thereby What his schoolemen haue written thereof it is nothing to vs but let him learne by Hierome how to vnderstand it out of the text it selfe h Hieron in Maâ— ca. 12. Qui manifestè intell gâ—ns opera Dei cùm de virtute negare noÌ„ possit eadem stimulatus inuidia caluÌ„niatur ChristuÌ„ Deique verbuÌ„ opera Sp sancti diâ—et esse Beelzebub isti non dimittetur neque in praesenti seculo nec iâ— futuro He saith he who vnderstanding manifestly the works of God when he cannot gainesay as touching the power doth yet of enuie calumniate the same and affirmeth Christ and the word of God and the works of the holy Ghost to be of the diuell to him it shall not be forgiuen neither in this world nor in the world to come This is a dreadfull sinne and let M. Bishop take heede the light of God so clearely shining as that it cannot but dazle his eyes that he doe not intangle himselfe in the guilt thereof by wilfull opposition against the truth 17. W. BISHOP Maister Perkins third reason is drawne from the consent of the auncient Church of which for fashion sake to make some shew he often speaketh but can seldome finde any one sentence in them that fits his purpose as you may see in this sentence of Saint Augustine cited by him De verbis Domini serm 7. Augustine saith I demaund now doest thou beleeue in Christ O sinner thou saiest I beleeue what beleeuest thou that all thy sinnes may freely be pardoned by him thou hast that which thou beleeuest See here is neither applying of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs by faith nor so much as beleeuing our sinnes to be pardoned through him but that they may be pardoned by him So there is not one word for M. Perkins But S. Bernard saith plainly That we must beleeue that our sinnes are pardoned vs. But he addeth not by the imputed righteousnes of Christ Againe he addeth conditions on our party which M. Perkins craftily concealeth For S. Bernard graunteth that we may beleeue our sinnes to be forgiuen if the truth of our conuersion meete with the mercy of God preuenting vs for in the same place he hath these words So therefore shall his mercy dwell in our earth that is the grace of God in our soules if mercy and truth meet together if iustice and peace embrace and kisse each other Which is as S. Bernard there expoundeth it if we stirred vp by the grace of God do truly bewaile our sinnes and confesse them and afterward follow holinesse of life and peace All which M. Perkins did wisely cut off because it dashed cleane the vain glosse of the former words His last authority is out of S. Cyprian who exhorteth men passing out of this life not to doubt of Gods promises but to beleeue that we shall come to Christ with ioyfull security Answer S. Cyprian encourageth good Christians dying to haue a full confidence in the promises of Christ and so do all Catholikes and bid them be secure too on that side that Christ will neuer faile of his word and promise but say that the cause of feare lies on our owne infirmities And yet bids them not to doubt as though they were as likely to be condemned as saued but animates them and puts them in the good way of hope by twenty kinds of reason R. ABBOT The drift of Saint Austine in the place alledged is to shew that we are a Aug. de verb. Dom. ser 7. Elegâ— de me praesumetes non de se TotuÌ„ gratiae semper reputa Si de tuo opere prasumis ergo merces tibi redditur non gratia condonatur Si auteÌ„ gratia est gratis daetur to presume of God onely not of our selues and to attribute all that we are towards him wholy to his grace If thou presume of thine owne worke then is it a wages paied not a grace giuen vnto thee But if it be grace then it is freely giuen Hereupon follow the words alledged b Interrogo nunc Credis ô peccator Christo Dicis Credo Quid credis Gratis vniuersa peccatae tibi per ipsuÌ„ posse remitti Habes quod credidisti O gratia gratis data I demaund now O sinner doest thou beleeue Christ Thou saiest I beleeue What doest thou beleeue That all thy sinnes may be pardoned freely by him By which words he would import that the sinner is to beleeue that in Christ onely there is enough to yeeld him forgiuenesse of sinnes and therefore that he is to presume onely vpon him Which if he do Saint Austine telleth him Thou hast that which thou beleeuest and addeth O grace freely giuen Now M. Bishop should here haue told vs what it is that S. Austine telleth the beleeuing sinner that he hath what that grace is that he saith is here freely giuen vnto him For if it be forgiuenesse of sins as indeed it is then the words import that the sinner beleeuing in Christ for the forgiuenesse of sinnes and relying wholy vpon him assuredly hath that for which he beleeueth and therefore is not to doubt thereof And herein he alludeth to that in the Gospell where Christ asketh the blind men c Mat. 9.28 Beleeue ye that I am able to do this to draw froÌ„ them whether they did attribute so much to him as to expect so great a benefit from him When therefore they answered Yea Lord he touched their eies saying According to your faith so be it vnto you So with S. Austine the word may serueth to chalenge a sufficiencie to Iesus Christ and to exclude other meanes of forgiuenesse of sinnes not to question the beliefe of the forgiuenesse thereof which he so resolutely affirmeth to him that beleeueth and can be no otherwise but by the applying of the righteousnesse the merit the satisfaction of Christ because we cannot beleeeue it but only thereby The place of Bernard is very impudently shifted off First by altering the question which is not here by what we beleeue our sinnes to be forgiuen but whether it be the property of a iustifying faith to beleeue particularly the forgiuenesse of a mans own sinnes Now S. Bernard saith that d Bernard in Annunâ—iat ser 1. Jnitium quoddam velut fundamentum fidei for a man to beleeue that he cannot haue forgiuenesse of sinnes but by Gods pardon is but the beginning and foundation of faith Therefore saith he if thou beleeue that thy sinnes cannot be done away but by him to whom onely thou hast sinned thou doest well e Sed adde adhuc vt hoc credas quia per ipsuÌ„ tibi peccata donaÌ„tur Hoc est testimonium quod perhibet in corde nostro Sp. sanctus dicens DimitiuÌ„tur tibi peccata tua Sic enim arbitratur Apostelus gratis
15.10 the law was a yoke which saith he neither we nor our fathers were able to beare Whence euen by the very words it must needs follow that we are not able to fulfill the law M. Bishops answer is that that law could not be fulfilled by the onely helpe of the same law without further ayde of Gods grace As though they had not the grace of God who notwithstanding complained of the law as of a yoke too heauie for them to beare euen in that state of grace Therefore we will say to M. Bishop as Orosius did to the Pelagian hereticke b Oros Apolog. de arbit libert Samuel Elias c. Patres sine dubio nostri sunt eâ—â—neminem Patrum Petrus affirmat sed neque semel ipsos hoc est Apostolos cuÌ„ essent Judaei â—nus legis ferre potuisse sed fide Christi secundum spem gratiae fuisse saluatos An fortè secundum te omnes isti sansti Patres Dei adiutorium non habebant Samuel Elias Elizeus Esay Ieremie Daniel Zachary all those holy ones either Iudges or Kings or Prophets were vndoubtedly our Fathers and Peter affirmeth that none of the Fathers no nor themselues that is the Apostles being Iewes could beare the burden of the lawe but were saued by the faith of Christ according to the help of grace What had not all these holy Fathers thinkest thou the hope of grace Hauing then the helpe of the grace of God yet they still acknowledged the law to be a heauier burthen then that they were able to stand vnder the waight thereof To this purpose he vrgeth the hereticke with that which is written in the law c Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. d Oros ibid. Responde non mihi sed Deo non vâ—co sed conscientia si ita ex toto corde Deum diligis vt nullam vn quam in eo cogitationem quae absque timore dilectione Dei intelligi possit admittas ita in tota anima sequeris vt suscepta semel cruce in nullam penitus oblectationem habita ad tempus iâ—cunditatu succedas c. Answer saith he not to me but to God not with thy voyce but with thy conscience whether thou so loue God with all thy heart as that thou neuer admit any thought therein that may be conceiued to be without the feare and loue of God whether thou so follow him with all thy soule as that hauing once vndertaken the crosse thou be neuer caried for the time to fall into any delight or contentment of pleasure c. Where as he sheweth how farre it is beyond our power to keep our selues within the lists bounds of this commandement so he taketh away M. Bishops second exception that the law was thus called a yoke c. in respect of the sacrifices sacraments and ceremonies by the multitude whereof he saith that it was so burdensome and comberous as that it could hardly be kept by the helpe of ordinary grace For if the law be there vnderstood which saith Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God c. as Orosius declareth then it is false which M. Bishop saith that that speech is to be referred to the ceremonies of the law But the reader is well to obserue the manner of his speech It could hardly be kept It could then or might be kept though hardly be kept No question then but some did keepe it if it might be kept But the yoke of which S. Peter speaketh is such as none was able to beare It is not then to be vnderstood of the ceremonies of the law And indeed there is no doubt but that the ceremoniall law by ordinary grace of God as touching the outward practise thereof might exactly be performed The multitude of those obseruations is equalled in the Romish Church and yet they haue nimble fellowes that can attaine to all But out of M. Bishops words we will argue à minori ad maius if the law of ceremonies were so heauie a yoke which consisted only in outward obseruations how much heauier is that that giueth law to the whole man to all his thoughts and words and deedes taking exception against any thing either inwardly or outwardly whereby we step aside from the rule thereof And yet he as a man void of sence conscience saith of the ceremonies that they could very hardly be obserued but of the rest of the commaundements that they are very possible and easie to be kept as we shall see anon In the meane time to proue it he bringeth exaÌ„ple of diuers who he saith did fulfill all the lawe but he is preuented and bereaued of those examples by Cyprian who saith of all those excellent men and Priests and Prophets before Christ that e Cyprian de Ieiun tent Christi Fuerant ante Christum viri insignes Prophetae Sacerdotes sed in peccatis concepti nati nec originali nec personali caruere delicto inuenta est in omnibus vel ignorantia vel insufficientia in quibus erronei peccauerunt egu erunt misericor dia Dei per quaÌ„ edocti restituti gratias egeruâ—t Deo ad plenitudinem iustitiae multùm sibi de esse confessi sunt sperantes in Deo nullam sibi soliditatem attri buere praesumpserunt being conceiued and borne in sinnes they were neither without originall nor personall fault and there was found in them all either ignorance or vnsufficiencie by which going astray they sinned and stood in need of the mercy of God by which being instructed and restored they gaue thankes to God and confessed that much was wanting vnto them to perfection of righteousnesse and trusting in God presumed not to attribute any soundnesse to themselues As touching them all we must answer the same that Saint Austine answered the Pelagian hereticks f August de pec mer. remiss lib. 2. cap. 14. Scripturarum testimonijs quibus de illorum laudibus credimus hoc etiam credimus non iustificari in conspectu Dei omnem vinentem ideo rogari ne inireâ— in iudicium cum seruis suis By the testimonies of the Scripture which we beleeue as touching their commendations we beleeue this also that no man liuing shall be found iust in the sight of God and that therefore he is requested not to enter into iudgement with his seruants Whereby what we meane when we request it the same S. Austin sheweth g Jdem de Tem. Ser 49. Nestes micum in iudicio exigendo à me omnia quae praece pisti omnia quae iussisiâ— NaÌ„ me inuenies reuÌ„ si in iudicium iniraueris mecuÌ„ c. Stand not with me in iudgement by exacting of me all that thou hast commanded and all that thou hast charged vs. For thou shalt find me guiltie if thou enter into iudgement with me This S. Austine maketh the common confession of all the seruants of God that
our merit and righteousnesse then it should be in giuing vs ablenesse to merit for our selues And by this the glory of the giuer is most of all set forth which then most clearely shineth when there is least shew or appearance of any thing to be attributed vnto vs. Which is not in their Popish doctrine where man by his merits is set on horsebacke and those merits are affirmed so to proceede from grace as that they proceede also in part from his owne free will Therefore to denie our merits is not to vndermine and blow out the vertue of Christes merits but to acknowledge the same to be in themselues entirely and perfectly sufficient without vs that whilest we yeeld nothing to our selues to reioyce in the glory of our saluation may redound wholy to him to whom wholy and onely it doth belong But to affirme merits on our part cannot be without singular derogation to the mediation and merits of Christ who hath taught vs to apply vnto vs the vertue of his merits not by meriting againe for ourselues but by beleeuing in him according to that which the Apostle hath taught vs that God hath m Rom. 3.25 set him forth to be an attonement for vs through faith in his bloud M. Perkins against this vaine presumption of merit alledgeth further that for one good worke that we do we haue many euill the offence whereof defaceth the merit of our best deedes and maketh them too light in the ballance of the law This M. Bishop lightly regardeth Tush his mortall sinnes are taken away by penance and his merits though they were gone yet returne againe and without doubt he will thereof make himselfe a ladder that shal serue him to climbe to heauen What saith he must we not speake of good because we may hap to do euill That is a faire perswasion and well worthy of a wise man It is but a hap we must think that he doth any euill and therefore he will not be barred from speaking of his good and is no foole I warrant you in the perswasion thereof Surely we thinke that Iob was somewhat wiser then M. Bishop and yet he thought that perswasion not to be vnworthy of him n Iob. 9.2 If I would contend with him I should not be able to answer him one for a thousand And when by the prouocation of his friends he had vsed that great iustification of himselfe being reprooued for it by the Lord he renounceth to speake of his good any more and saith o Iob. 39.37 I am vile what shall I answere thee I will lay my hand vpon my mouth Once haue I spoken but I will answer no more yea twise but I will proceede no further Dauid p Aug in Psal 129. Vidit propè totam vitam humanam circumlatrari peccatis suis seeing the whole life of man in a manner on euery side to be barked at by his sinnes thought his euils sufficient to stop his mouth from talking of his good and crieth out vnto God q Psal 130.2 O Lord if thou straitly marke iniquities who can stand S. Austine thought it worth the while to consider and tooke it to be a barre against all pleading of Merit that if God strictly examine our behauiour r August Plarae inueniâ—â— peccata quà m merita he shall finde more sinnes then merits or good workes and therefore he could cry out Å¿ Confess lib. 9. ca. 13. Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominuÌ„ siremotae miserecordia discutias eam Woe euen to the commendable life of man if thou O God examine it without mercy I wonder then what merit M. Bishop can finde in the commendable life of man The same S. Austine asketh againe t De verb. Dom. ser 15. Quis est qui noÌ„ sit debitor Dei nisi in quo nullum potest inueniri peccaâ—â—m Who is he that is not a debtor vnto God but he onely in whom can no sinne be found Now if we be all debtors vnto God by our sinnes can we by our good workes haue him a debtor vnto vs And what though God of his meere mercy and goodnesse do pardon our sinnes and putting out of sight and remembrance our euill deedes do still reserue the acknowledgement of our well-doings Shall we thereupon out of his mercy build a merit vnto our selues and thinke that we haue well deserued at Gods hands and bound him to vs by our good deedes when by our sinnes we haue a thousand times more prouoked him to destroy vs M. Bishop is no doubt a wise man and hath some great reason to settle himselfe in this perswasion but yet a foole may be so wise as to wish him to take heede that the golden house of merits that he buildeth now do not fall heauie in the end vpon his owne head 17 W. BISHOP Let vs to our third Argument God hath by couenant and promise bound himselfe to reward our workes with life euerlasting Therefore good workes do in iustice deserue it for faithfull promise maketh due debt Math. 20. The couenant is plainely set downe where God in the person of an housholder agreeth with his workmen for a penny a day that is to giue them life euerlasting for trauailing in his seruice during their life time as all auncient interpreters expound it Whereupon S. Paul inferreth that God should be vniust Heb. 6. if he should forget their workes who suffered persecution for him 2. Thess 1. and saith If it be iust with God to render tribulation to them that persecute you and to such as are persecuted rest with vs Li. 2. cont Iouin cap. 2. vpon the same ground S. Hierome saith Great truly were the iniustice of God if he did punish euill works and would not as well receiue good workes To all these and much more such like M. Perkins answereth that couenant for works was in the olde Testament but in the new the couenant is made with the workman not with the worke Reply All that I cited in this argument is out of the new Testament where expresse couenant is made for working and workes as you haue heard And as it was said in the old law Math. 19. Do these things thou shalt liue so is it said in the new If thou wilt enter into life keepe the coÌ„mandements and life eternall is the hire and wages for labouring in Gods vineyard and not of the imputed iustice or merits of Christ but looke about you and behold the goodly marke which M. Perkins sets vp Marke saith he that it is said God will render vnto euery man according to his workes not to the worke or for the worke O sharpe and ouer-fine wit doth he render according to the workes and doth he not render for the workes If the rate of the workes be the measure of the reward that for fewer or lesser workes there is a lesser reward and for many and worthier a greater surely in