in Gods merciful promises to be saved from everlasting damnation by Christ whereof doth follow a loving heart to obey his Commandments And this true Christian faith neither Devil hath nor yet any man which in the outward profession of his mouth and in his outward receiving of the Sacraments in coming to the Church and in all other outward appearances seemeth to be a Christian man and yet in his living and deeds sheweth the contrary And also p. 22. There is a twofold faith 1. Dead which bringeth forth no good fruits but is idle and unfruitful and is the faith of Devils and of wicked men who confess God with their mouths but deny him in their deeds He believeth the Scriptures to be true but trusteth not in God for the performance of the Promises therein He believeth not in God and trusteth not in his mercy and grace 2. A lively Faith is not idle or unfruitful but worketh by charity And this is not the common belief of the Articles of our Faith but 't is also a true trust and confidence of the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ Nothing so much commendeth men to God as this assured Faith and trust in him By which we may see 1. That Faith justifieth not as it barely assents to the word of God which may be proved thus That is no act of Faith as 't is justifying which Devils and wicked men may have but assent to the word of God Devils and wicked men may have therefore a bare assent to the word is no act of Faith as justifying The Major is undeniable the Minor is not only affirmed by our Church in the said Homily but may be proved by Jam. 2. 19. Thou believest that there is one God thou dost well the Devils also believe and tremble And that wicked men may have such faith may be seen in Jam. 2. 14. Wicked men may assent to the History of the Scriptures yea to this That Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Saviour of the World as those did we read of in Joh. 2. 23 24 Many believed in his name when they saw the Miracles which he did But yet these did not put their trust and confidence in Jesus for Salvation they believed that he was the Christ that was promised but they received him not to be their Saviour For Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men He knew they did not believe in him with their hearts And Joâ— 12 42. Among the chief rulers many believed in hâ—m but they were hypocrites for because of the I harisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God And such a believer was Simon Magus Act. 8. 13. He believed and was baptized and continued with Philip 〈◊〉 wondred beholding the Miracles and signs which were done and yet his heart was not right in the sight of God he was in the gall of bitâ—â—rness and bond of iniquity which he discovered when he would have bought the power of giving the Holy Ghost with money as may be seen in Act. 8. 19 20. 21 22 23. If this assent would justifie it would juâ—â—â—fiâ— them 2. Faith justifies not as 't is an act habit or work for faith putteth us from it self and remitteth us to Christ for justification and saith it is not I that justifie you but Christ only it is not I that take away your sins it is Christ only and to him only I send you for that purpose forsaking therein all your good vertues thoughts and works and only putting your trust in Christ Hom. of Salvation of Mankind p. 18. and before that it saith No man by his own acts works and deeds seem they never so good can be justified and made righteous before God ibi p. 13. Now the act of a mans own Faith is a mans own act and therefore it cannot justifie him before God 2. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of our learned and orthodox Divines 1. Read what Bishop * â—ascic Controv. c. 5. q. 5. p. 266 267. Prideaux saith Neque tamen merito fidei justificamur sed medio non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non propter fidem sed per fidem non justi facti sumus sed declaramur apprehendente scilicet fide non mâ—da tantum cognitione assensu sed fiducia iâ—â—ente salvatoris merito quod divinae justitiae satisfaciat We are not justified by the merit or worthiness of Faith but by means of Faith not for Faith but by Faith we are not made but declared just by Faith apprehending not by a naked knowledg and assent only but by a trust resting upon the merits of our Saviour which satisfies Gods justice 2. Archbishop Vsher to this question How is this great benefit of Justification applied to us and apprehended by us excellently and truly answereth thus This is done on our part by faith alone and that not considered as a virtue inherent in us * Mark this is directly and distinctly and expresly against Dr. Patrick's and Mr. Fowler 's false Doctrine mentioned before John Bradford that pious and learned Martyr saith That Faith as it justifieth is to be understood thus not that the action it self of believing as it is a quality in man doth deserve it but because it taketh that dignity of the object For in the act of justifying faith as it is an action in man is not to be considered alone but must go ever with the object and taketh its virtue thereof Fox his Acts and Monuments in one Volume p. 1577. working by love but only as an instrument or hand of the soul stretched forth to lay hold on the Lord our righteousness Rom. 5. 1. Rom. 10. 10. Jer. 22. 6. So that faith justifieth only relatively in respect of the object which it fastneth on to wit the righteousness of Christ by which we are justified faith being only the instrument to convey so grrat a benefit unto the soul 〈◊〉 the hand of the beggar receives the almes Sum of Christian Religion pag. 196. 3. Bishop Downham in his learned Treatise of Justification where may be seen Mr. Fowler 's Arguments and Doctrine taken out of Bellarmine fully and punctually answered too long to be herein inserted Lib. 6. c. 7. Sec. 3. in answer to this question Whether Faith doth justifie formally as being a part of inherent righteousness or instrumentally only as the hand to receive Christ who is our righteousness He saith thus The Roman Catholicks hold the former the true Catholicks the latter But the former I have sufficiently disproved before and proved the latterâ— for if we be not justified by any grace or righteousness inherent iâ— our selves or performed by our selves which I have before Liâ—â— 4. by undeniable arguments demonstrated then it follows necessarily that we are not justified by Faith as it is a gift or
of Godfry Goodman Bishop of Gloucester was accused of it in Court and Convocation and declared and professed it by his last Will and Testament as Dr. Heylin shews in his Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p. 416. 'T is said of Dr. Theodore Price Bishop of that though he lived like an Atheist yet he died like a Papist Prin ' s Epistle to K. Châ—r I before his Quench-coal p. 42. England be so absolutely directly and cordially Papists that it is all that 1500 l. per Ann can do to keep them from confessing it This and much more may be seen in Dr. Heylin's Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p 392 408. Doth not A. B. Laud p. 36. of his commended Relation of his Conference with Fisher say thus The Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion And doth not Dean Potter iâ— Charity mistaken p 62 say thus That the most necessary and fundamental Truths which constitute a Church are on both sides unquestioned by fundamental points of faith we understand these prime and capital Doctrines of Religion which * But what are those a Bishop and a people or a Pope and the multitude of Professors of Christianity as Bishop Sparrow intimates in his Rationale upon the Common-prayer Book p. 89. Bishops Curates and people committed to their charge make up a Church make up the holy Catholick Church But did not the Church of England before A. B. Laud altered the Prayer for the Fifth of November say That Papists Religion is Rebellion and A. B. Laud held that Bishops are essential to the being of a Church as Heylin shews in his Cypr. Anglic. l. 1. p. 54. l. 4. p. 400 401. their faith is faction Which cannot be said of Protestants Religion or Faith truly without great slander though Dr. Heylin as they say most wickedly standers all the first restorers of the Reformed Religion with it Doth not the Church of Rome hold such points of faith as do destroy the foundation and those not only questioned but denied by real Protestants Doth not the Church of Rome hold this Doctrine as a point of faith for denying or not believing of which they have put many thousands of Protestants to death viz. That the body and blood together with the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly really and substantially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that there is made a turning of the whole substance of the bread into his body and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood which turning the Catholick Church as they falsly call themselves doth call Transubstantiation If this be denied see the 18th Article of their Religion set down in the 14th Article of this Book And doth not our Vide Bull Pii 4 bound up with the Council of Trent super forma juramenti professionis sidei Church of England hold the truth in this point against the Church of Rome that this their Doctrine is false and doth destroy the humane Nature of Christ and consequently destroy all the Articles of our Creed which concern Jesus Christs humane nature and consequently our Salvation And is not this a fundamental point of faith that true believers persons are justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them and applied by faith alone Is it not the main drift of the Apostle to prove and settle the Romans and Galatians in this truth That believers persons are not justified before God by their own good works even of that Law of which câ—meth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledg of sin Yea doth not the Apostle say that if he shall teach justification of our persons before God by our own good works he should frustrate the grace of God that is overthrow the Gosâ—el of Jesus Christ for if righteousness come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2. 21. And could these great Grandees who imposed and took subscription to the Book of Homilies upon and from others be ignorant of what the Church of England holds therein especially this Whosoever denieth this Doctrine THAT FAITH ALONE JUSTIFIETH is not to be accounted a Christian man nor a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary to Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory that 't were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 16 17. Now because some of our English conforming Divines have by their Preachings and Writings said that most of these ensuing false Doctrines I Heylin in his Introduction to his Cypr. Angl. p. 36. S. 36. have renounced all which the Church of Rome holdeth and maintaineth are the Doctrines of the Church of England and thereby induced many persons to believe and allow them I have to prevent the growing mischief of this grand deceit and to vindicate the Church of England from these calumnies and to inform the ignorant and inconsiderate that have subscribed assented and consented to the Articles of Religion and Homilies of the Church of England but never throughly read and considered them spent as much of my time with my pen as could be spared from my fork and rake this Harvest whiles many great Conformists to the Ceremonies and Government enjoy their Plurality of Benefices besides their great dignities but labour not in the Word and Doctrine much less preach or write against these gross Popish Doctrines but rather preach or print them to the great dishonour of God especially of Jesus Christ the increase of Popery and Atheism and the great grief of those godly Christians that are Protestants indeed and in truth as well as in profession Antichrist professeth the Creed as well as these men yet by his superinduced Doctrines and practices he overtbrows it So these men of long Name may profess subscribe and assent to the Doctrine of the Church of England and yet by superinduced Doctrines contradict and destroy it for they give not an internal assent to it as was observed before out of Mr. Fowler ' s Free Discourse p. 305. And whether those men do not play the Hypocrites lâ—t the world judg The Pope of Rome in divâ—ding Rome unto 25 Priests the fatal squarâ—-root of the number of the Beast 666 laid the foundation of his Iâ—olatrous and tyrannous Kingdom long before his Supremacy was perfected yea claimed He arose out of the earth as grass by little and little insensibly so possibly may a Pontifex Maximus with such a number of such Priests in time â—o elsewhere especially if rulers and ruled are willing to be ridden by them Of all Beasts tâ—e two horned Beast is the most dangerous to be ridden by next that which is most like him as
the same Apostle calls the Anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast Heb. 6. 19. and Rom. 15. 13. He judgeth that the measure of unmoved and unshaken hope is in every true believer according to the measure of faith that is in him Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost And St Hilary in his Comment upon Matthew p. 261. quoted by Bâ—shop Davenant ubi supra doâ—h so joyn this hope with faith that he doth ascribe to both of them the same firmness anâ— certainty fluctuation and uncertainty Dominus vult regnum caelorum sine aliqua incertae voluntatis ambiguitate sperari alioqui justificatio ex fide nulla est si fides ipsa fiat Spes est certa expectatio futurae beatitudinis Pet. Lomb. 3. 26. Tho. Aquin. 22 ae q. 18. a. 4. ambiguâ— And the Papists do in vain distinguish between a certainty of hope and a certainty of faith seeing hope in the same regenerated and justified man cannot waver or be unstable unless also his faith in Christ do waver and be unstable neither doth a certain faith remain unless by hope it obtain the same certainty 3. I say that true believers may have a certainty of faith of their present state of grace and future state of glory for their belief is or may be grounded upon the sure and certain word or promises of God as John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he give his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and Act. 16. 30 31. the Jaylor said to the Apostles Sirs what must I do to be saved and they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ they may assume but we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ therefore we shall be saved and we know that we do believe in Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received the Spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God and Rom 8. 16. the Spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God and Gal. 4. 6. because ye are Sons God hath â—ent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father and many other true believers besides those two godly Martyrs Mr. Robert Glover and John Carles of whom before have had fidem evidentiae the faith of evidence they have known that they did believe Lord said he in the Gospel I believe help thou mine unbelief Mark 9. 24. and the Romans being â—ustified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. How could they by faith obtain peace with God if they were uncertain whether they had faith or not St. Paul Gal. 2. 20. saith thus The life that I 〈◊〉 in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God so Peter saith 〈◊〉 21. 15 16. Lord thou knowest that I love thee St. John and those tâ—â— believers he wrote to 1 Joh. 3. 14. saith We know that we are passâ—â— from death to life because we love the brethren and besides faith 〈◊〉 be known by its fruits of which our learned and orthodox Diviâ—â— have written much The Church of England saith Article 12. Thâ—â— good works a lively faith may be known as evidently as a tree discerned the fruit and I have proved it before that we are justified by fâ—â— and that we may know that we have faith and consequently that are justified and consequently we may know that we shall be eternâ—â— saved for Rom. 8. 30. those that be justified shall be glorified 2. The second point of Popery to confirm the former in the fâ—â—mer Popish conclusion renounced is this That truly regenerated and justified persons may totally and finally 〈◊〉 away from the acts and habits of saving-grace before they dye and be â—â—nally damned To which I say 1. 'T is not denied that an unbeliâ—â— or wicked man may fall away from the common grace which he 〈◊〉 2. That a truly regenerated man may for a time lose the sense of 〈◊〉 love to him in Christ is not denied neither 3. That a truly regâ—â—rated man may fall into sin though not that against the Holy Gâ—â— as the Arminians hold is yeilded also 4. That a truly regenerâ—â— person or believer in Christ may fall for a time from some act or 〈◊〉 saving-grace is granted also as may be seen in David and Peter 〈◊〉 is the sense of the 16th Article of Religion of the Church of Englaâ—â— But 5. that a truly regenerated pâ—â—son or believer in Christ can 〈◊〉 and * Thomas Whittell in his Letter to John Carles saith That God suffereth his to fall but not finally to perish Fox his book of Martyrs p. 1742. finally fall away from all the acts 〈◊〉 habits of saving-grace before he dye 〈◊〉 become a damned reprobate is utterly â—â—nied and renounced and that 〈◊〉 cause 1. 'T is contrary to the Doctriâ—â— the Church of England Article 〈◊〉 Bertius a Scholar of the late Arminius who was the first that infected Leyden with Heresie was so impudent as to send a Letter unto the Archbishop of Canterbury with a book intituled De Apostasia Sanctorum the title whereof were worthy enough to make it worthy of the fire saith King James in his Declaration against Vorstius p. 554. of his Works Mark it he calls Arminius and Bertius his Doctrine of the falling away of the Saints heresie and ibid p. 355. he calls Arminius that enemy of God and his Doctrine corrupt seed and ibid p. 350. he calls Arminius and Arminians seditious and heretical Preachers of which he warned the States-General not to suffer to creep in among them and p 355. he calls them infected persons yea Hereticks and Atheistical Sectaries and their Doctrine Heresie and Schisms yea he calls Bertius his Book of the Apostasie of the Saints a blasphemous Book ibid. p. 355. And Sir Ralph Wynwood K. James his Ambassador calls Arminian Doctrine of the Apostasie of the Saints that wicked Doctrine ibid. p. 361. After we have received the 〈◊〉 Ghost we may depart from gâ—â— given and fall into sin and by 〈◊〉 grace of God we may arise agâ—â— and amend our lives Lo here the Church holds only a partial not a total a temporary not a final falling away from saving-grace given into sin for it maintains that we may rise again by the grace of God and amend our lives And the 17th Article is more full Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundations of the world were laid he constantly decreed by his councel secret to us to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation as vessels made to honour Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit working in
we read thus And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours The word here most observable is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which saith Cornelius a Lapide and Pâ—reus saith that all Copies except Montanus's doth end the full sense of the former sentence Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab hoc tempore from this very time that is from this instant of time that they dye they are blessed as learned Mr. Leigh in his Criticks expounds the word and assures me in his Notes upon the place that Dr. Reynolds and Gerard do so interpret it and so doth Scriveliâ—â— too and the Latines interpret it * Amodo id est ex nunc deinceps in aternum puta a tempore mortis illico requiefcunt requiescent in omne aenum Cor. a Lapide 〈◊〉 amolâ—â— which we English henceforth that is from this time forward that is from the time of their death and so forward for ever are they blessed that die in the Lord. Pareus upon the place saith That this is a true and charitable opinion that those that die in the Lord do from the point or instant of their 〈◊〉 become and continue to be blessed And 't is observable that they are said to be blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 morientes dying or qui moriuntur who 〈◊〉 die in the Lord in the present tense not in the future who shall diâ—â— hereafter though they shall be blessed too which shews that 〈◊〉 soon as ever they are dead they begin to be blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preseâ—â— and perfectly as some expound the word and henceforth even for eâ—â— though before their death they are in some sort as St. Paul was partly carnal as well as spiritual yet their souls depart not so 〈◊〉 are if not immediately before yet in the instant of their departure from their bodies through faith purged by the blood and spirit of Jesus Christ from all their sins and so their spiritual uncleanness being perfectly done away they are fitted for and received into that City into which nothing that defileth shall enter And this may be proved further 5. From Joh. 5. 24. Verily I say unto you he that believeth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life So Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life he hath it not only in the price and promise and expectation but also in the * inchoation and first Vrsin Catechis p. 2. q. 58. p. 414. Dr. Reynolds in 1 John 5. 12. p. 430. He that hath the Son hath life 1. In pretio 2. In permisso 3. In primitiis fruits he hath the beginnings of it here in this life in the kingdom of grace and he shall have it in more full and compleat possession of it as soon as he departs out of this life habenti dabitur to him that hath shall be given to him that hath true saving grace shall be given more grace not only quoad sufficientiam here but quoad gloriam hereafter Cornelius a Lapide a great Jesuit and Father in the Church of Rome assures me that the Church he means the Church of Rome calls the days of Saints death dies natales their birth-days and that hac de causa for this reason because the same days they are new-born into a blessed and glorious life and upon this account saith he doth the Church solemnize their birth-days not those in which they are born with sin into a temporal life but those in which by a temporal death they pass to an eternal life And 6. This may be further confirmed by that of the wise man the Preacher King Solomon Eccles 12. 7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the Spirit to God who gave it then that is when a man dies his body which was made at first of the dust of the earth returns to the earth its first material principle and the soul that was immediately made by God of a spiritual substance returns to God the Father of Spirits for judgment either of absolution or condemnation which is more particularly and privately passed upon every Heb. 9. 27. mans soul immediately after its separation from the body that is saith the learned Bishop Reynolds in his Notes upon the place commonly called the Assemblys-notes Vt stet judicio ante Deum that it may appear before his tribunal to be judged and certainly as the body goes into the dust so certainly the soul returneth unto God to be judged Now the bodies go immediately to the dust to the earth so the souls immediately to God Hence saith he the godly are translated into Paradise in Abrahams bosom into the condition of just men made perfect Luke 16. 22. Luke 23. 43. The wicked into the prison of disobedient spirits reserved there in Hell unto the judgment of the great day Luke 16. 23. 1 Pet. 2. 19. As the souls of wicked men when they die go immediately from God into Hell so do the souls of godly men go immediately to God into Heaven and consonant to this is that of our Saviour John 5. 24 before alledged He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into judgment that is into the judgment of condemnation as our translation according to the sense hath it and John 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life it notes a present and indeseasable interest and possession in heaven 7. Very agreeable to this is that devout and believing confident prayer of St. Stephen at his death Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Upon which this is the Assembly-note as 't is commonly called That this is the true comfort of the elect that they are assured that Christ Jesus who died for them in their dissolutions receiveth their souls into his safe and blessed custody to live with him who is the life and God of the living And 8. This is confirmed also by 1 Pet. 4. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator 9. To these testimonies may be superadded 2 Cor. 5. 4. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habemus we have in the present tense a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens and that the souls of all believers enter into this heavenly house as soon as they depart out of their earthly tabernacles may be further proved from the 6th and 8th verses of that Chapter where 't is said thus That while we are a home in the body we are absent from the Lord and that we
which ought to be the rule of all mens religious actions declaim against and thereby condemn his Majesties piety and prudence and suppress in many places the Whosoever forbids us to do what God commandeth or commandeth us to do what God forbiddeth is accursed unto all them that love the Lord. Basilius Moral c. 14. quoted by Bishop Jewel in his Reply to Harding a. 14. d5 p 373. most pure worship and service of God the preaching up the real interests of the Lord Jesus Christ and the preaching down the Errors Heresies Idolatries and Suâ—â—â—stitions and Antichristian inventions of the Apostatized Church of Rome with whom the Laudensian party long laboured a reconciliation Let any unprejudiced man that is judicious seriously read Dr. Heylin's Cyprianus Anglicus and his Introduction thereunto and he will see much more than I do but hint and also what a mongrel Religion he would make ours and have established here and what principles of Tyranny and Popery he therein lays down and commends But though these things might be true in some heretofore yet now they see the error their selfish and passion hath led themselves and it may be others inconsiderately into that they may fear they shall be put besides the saddle it may be beaten with those rods which they made for other men that earnestly desired the Churches peacé and the Kingdoms welfare by any powerful ill-minded and ill-principled Prince as Heylin most falsely saith King Edward the sixth was of that will but make use of those weapons which they have made to subvert their dissenting brethren they are well content at least some of them to tolerate Protestant dissenters as may be seen in and about the Cities of London and Westminster and they preach against Popery very much Very good 't is well their eyes begin to be opened if they be not shut again before they 'l see and forsake the true causes and sin no more Old Bishop Bonner told them long since That liking of the Popes Broth would incline men to like in time their Beef too I wish their moderation might be known to all men But is a toleration of the pure Worship of God and preaching his truth all the fruit the sight of their error hath brought them to no question they I mean the Episcopal party would grant as much to home-born Papists 'T is granted to foreign Protestants though 't is true their great Father in God A. B. Laud overthrew that liberty of the Protestant Religion which King Edward the sixth Queen Elizabeth and King James granted them under hand and seal as Dr. Heylin largely shews in his Cyprianus Anglicus and thereby he made such an evil president as 't is believed did his present Majesty much mischief in his late Wars and rendred his gracious offers to the Netherlanders of protection and liberty of their Religion if they would come under his Government ineffectual lest such Bishops as A. B. Laud was should in time have though not his yet some succeeding Princes ears and thereby as he make void all grants and promises unto them What is no more to be granted to home-born Protestants who adhere to our doctrine of Faith and the Sacramants than to Foreigners Is granting a bare and uncertain toleration of the pure Worship of God to those godly Protestants that adhere most firmly to the pure Protestant Religion in Doctrine Discipline and Worship and a full comprehension with rewards and great promotions allowed and given to those that hold Popish Doctrines not only contrary to the Word of God but also to the sound Doctrine of the Church of England well becoming those Bishops that are in profession Protestant Is this a sufficient and the right way to keep out Popery is it proper for the chast Spouse of Christ to take upon her the badges of the great Whore of Rome Is it proper for the Israel of God to sâ—mbolize with her who is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt Is it proper for those that profess themselves the Saints and servants of the most high God and the followers of Jesus Christ to impose and contend for the proper marks of the Beast spoken of in Revelations the 1â— and 17 Chapters Doth not learned and religious Peter * Et nos si verè Christiani sumus non decet ritus caeremonias vel a Judoeis vel à nationibus aliis accipere sed tantum debem is usurpare quae nobis mandata sunt in literis divinis P. Martyr loc com clas 2 ae c. 5. S. 16. P. 220. Martyr say That if we be Christians indeed it becomes us not to receive Rites and Ceremonies from the Jews or other Nations but that we ought to use those things only which are commanded in the Divine Writings a Should we believe that those men †Aquin. 12 ae q. 103. a 2. Pet. Mart. loc Com. cl 2 ae p. 197. Pareus Beza in 1 Cor. 10. 18. those Jews who after pretence of sight of their errors are sound Christians and intend really to keep out and root out Judaism yet command and rigorously enjoin the use of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewish Religion which are the proper badges and real professions thereof as Papists themselves say and our men prove Can any rational sound Protestant be so silly as to think and say that if the Ceremonies be left in their use as the Bishops themselves say they are in their own nature indifferent that then farewell the Church of England For what is the Church of England like the Church of Rome built upon such sandy weak or unnecessary foundations or must the Kingdom be said to be so much in love with the Ceremonies of the Church of Rome as to give 400000 l. per Annum to the Bishops and their agents and dependants to uphold them Doth not the Church of England say * Homily against peril of Idolatry Part 3. p. 69. That the Church of Rome Knowing her self to be a foul filthy old withered Harlot understanding her lack of natural and true beauty and great lothsomeness which of her self she hath doth after the custom of such Harlots paint her self and deck and attire her self with gold pearl stone and all kind of precious jewels that she shining with the outward beauty and glory of them may please the foolish phantacy of some lovers and so entice them to spiritual fornication with her who if they saw her but in simple apparrel would abhor her as the foulest and filthiest Harlot that ever was seen Are not Ministers bound and do they not subscribe and give assent to this very Doctrine how can we then without great shame and suspicion wear her apparel and call her a true Church carry her name as it were in our foreheads comply with her in suâ—h unnecessary things except we have a months-mind to return to her ugly bosom and base drâ—â—gery Are not the Lords people forbidden Mark the word Unnecessary to do any
necessary and edificative of the whole flock of Christ but are only made or said to be so by the will of man carrying a real appearance of evil and are scandalous to Papists and Protestants and establish such modes of Religious worship as are most conformable to the Gospel-rule and primo-primitive practise and not too like to and inductive of the Government and form of worship of the Apostatical and Antichristian Church of Rome I verily believe they would have more dutiful Sons and good Friends than now they have and the Church and Kingdom would have more peace and prosperity to which God of his great mercy incline their hearts However I beseech them to let their moderation be known to all men And I intreat all people without making any tumults upon any pretence whatsoever in their own places and callings quietly to endeavour and earnestly expect and pray for an amendment of what is amiss in Church and State to fear God and honour the King and submit to those that are in authority under him And so God keep you all Septemb. 29. 1673. R. R. B. D. The particular Doctrines renounced are these I. THat the Bread and Wine in the Lords-Supper after the Priests pronouncing these words with intention This is my Body and this is my Blood are turned or transubstantiated into the substance of Christs Body and Blood II. That Christ is really more present on the high Altar or Communion-Table as on his Throne or Chair of State than in the Pulpit or Font c. and that therefore more corporal bowing or more bodily reverence is due to the Altar or Communion-Table than to the Pulpit or Font. III. That mens persons are justified or accounted righteous before God for their own good works that follow Faith either in part or in whole and not for the merits of Jesus Christ alone IV. That Faith that doth justifie Believers persons before God is a bare and naked assent to the truth and that so and as an act habit or work in us it justifies V. That the persons of true Believers in Christ are not justified before God by the righteousness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ imputed to them on Gods part and apprehended and applied by Faith alone on their part VI. That mens foreseen faith repentance good works c. were the true causes moving God to elect them to eternal Salvation VII That men unregenetate or in the state of nature have by their own free will power sufficient of themselves to turn themselves to God to believe in Jesus Christ repent and do good workâ— acceptable to God when they will and also finally to resist the efficacious grace of God in converting an elected sinner to himself VIII That truly regenerated persons cannot be certain of their eternal Salvation but may totally and finally fall away from the acts and habits of saving Grace before they die and be eternally damned IX That the corruption of our nature commonly called Original sin which remaineth in truly regenerated persons after Baptism is not properly sin X. That meer men in this life since Adams fall can perfectly fulfill Gods whole Moral Law and also voluntarily do good works besides and above Gods Commandments which they call works of Supererogation which are as they say greater and holier than the works of the Moral Law and do merit remission of sin and eternal life not only for themselves but also for others XI That unregenerated mens own good works do make them meet to receive grace from God or as the School Doctors say deserve grace of congruity XII Thâ—t the good works of â—â—regenerated men do ex condigno merit at Gods hands eternal life XIII That there is a place after this life called Purgatory wherein the souls of believers dying since Christs Resurrection are purged from sins by penal satisfaction which were not purged in this life so fully as they ought that they may enter into Heaven XIV That the Pope of Rome successively or the Papacy is not the Antichrist of which the Scripture writes XV. That it is lawful to set up and suffer Images of the Sacred Trinity of God the Father of God the Son or Crucifixes Of God the Holy Ghost or of Saints departed this life which have been worshipped in Temples or Churches where Gods people do usually meet to worship God XVI That those Books which are commonly called Apocryphal Scriptures as Tobit Judith c. are the pure word of God and in all things agreeable thereunto XVII That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the supreme Head of the Universal Church of Christ above all Emperours Kings Princes Pastors People and Churches The Articles of Lambeth The Doctrine of the Churches of England and Ireland Arminianism is not the Doctrine of the Church of England Notes taken out of King James his Declaration against Vorstius King James no friend to Arminianism A Renunciation OF SEVERAL Popish Doctrines BECAUSE Contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of ENGLAND IN general I renounce and detest all Popish false Doctrine and all Popish Superstitious and Idolatrous Worship and practises and the real appearances thereof and in particular I renounce and detest these that follow ARTICLE I. That the Bread and Wine in the Lords-Supper after the Priests pronouncing these words with intention This is my Body and this is my Blood are turned or transubstantiated into the substance of Christs Body and Blood This I renounce because it is contray to the Doctrine of the Church of England which Article 28th faith thus Transubstantiation or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord cannot be proved by holy Writ but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture overthroweth the Nature of the Sacrament and hath given occasion to many Superstitions The Body of Christ is given taken and eaten in the Supper only after an heavenly and spiritual manner and the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith And Homily of the worthy receiving the Sacrament it saith thus It is well known that the meat we seek for in the Supper is spiritual food the nourishment of our souls an heavenly refection and not earthly invisible meat and not bodily a ghostly substance and not carnal p. 200. It 's also contrary to the Church of England's declaration concerning kneeling at the end of the Communion-service The Sacramental bread and wine remain still in their very natural substances therefore may not be adored for that were Idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Christians and the natural body and blood of our Saviour Christ are in heaven and not here it being against the truth of Christs natural body to be at one time in more places than one This declaration is not only against the Papists Transubstantiation but also fully against the Lutherans Consubstantiation viz. That Christs body and blood is really and corporally in the bread and wine Both which
Habeant debitam reverentiam ad mensam Domini Heylin's Cypr. Anglic. l. 4. p. 403. Altare Christianum cap. 24. p. 175. A. B. Laud's Star-Chamber Speech pag. 48. l. 18. Laud and Dr. Pocklington argue for bodily reverence to the holy Altar or Gods board as they call it The Altar is the greatest place of Christs residence upon earth yea greater than the Pulpit for there 't is hoc est corpus meum this is my body but in the Pulpit 't is at most but hoc est verbum meum this is my word And a greater reverence no doubt is due to the body than to the word of our Lord and so in relation answerably to the throne where his body is usually present than to the seat where his word useth to be proclaimed Yea the Archbishop expresly calls this corporal bowing to or towards the Altar true Divine worship and he pleads for it upon a moral account in his Star-Chamber Speech p. 44 45. O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord Psal 95. 6. And in the 49 page of that Speech he saith That the Knights of the Garter are bound by their Order and Oath to give due honour and reverence Domino Deo Altari ejus in modum virorum Ecclesiasticorum to the Lord God and to his Altar and this in the manner as Ecclesiastical persons both worship and do reverence That is in plain English as 't was done in the time of King Henry the fifth by Idolatrous Priests in time of Popery which without doubt was worship not meer civil but as he calls it divine worship And Dr Pocklington in his Altare Christianum c. 24. p. 175. saith thus For as much as God hath put it into the hearts of the Governours of our Church to restore the Lords-Table to the ancient and true place it had in the Primitive Church and also to the honour and reverence â—hich of right belongs to it in regard of the presence of our Saviour whose chair of state it is upon earth Which honour and reverence he necessarily implies was adoration for chap. 21. p. 144. of the same Book he saith they honour reverence and adore towards it for his sake whose Sacrament is consecrated thereon And chap. 16. p 107. he saith the Archbishop of Constantinople whose example he brings and pleads for it did beseech his people to be quiet ut adoremus sanctum altare that is that we may worship or adore the holy Altar Religious reverence it is and must be that he saith is due to the holy Altar Where 't is observable that he makes to adore and to do reverence the same thing If bodily revâ—rence purposâ—ly performed to a religious thing called the most * Pocklington's Altâ—re Christ p. 157. holy place under the cope of heaven set purposely in a religious place or most holy place according to him and upon religious accounts of Gods most special presence or Christs true and real presence thereon Hoc est corpus meum be not religious or divine reverence which is worship I do acknowledg I do not know what it is But A. B. Laud saith That there is a reverence due to the Altar but such as comes far short of divine worship Star-Chamber Speech p. 49. But he doth not plainly say what it is meer civil worship he cannot mean for the reasons before given a meer negative reverence which is readily yielded is due he cannot mean neither for he pleads for a positive reverence expressed by bowing * Incurvation is by consent of Nations an appropriate sign of religious worship in a Temple saith Dr. H. More in his Mystery of Iniquity c. 11. p. 36. see more in him hereafter quoted Art 14. of this Book the body to the Altar it must therefore be a religious reverence which how it doth come far short of divine worship I do not yet see his Grace doth not tell us how to distinguish his reverence from divine worship I think that A. B. Laud's and his parties distinction between divine positive bodily worship and outward bodily positive reverence expressed by incurvation or bowing of the body to the holy Altar for it 's divine excellency is not much unlike that which the Papists make between their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they give outward divine worship to their Images but they call it only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reverence And do not A. B. Laud Dr. Heylin and others of his party give the same divine bodily reverence bowing the body to the holy Altar as such that they give God but they will not have it called divine worship but only reverence Which distinction saith Bishop Jewel is much like that of the Physicians wife who said Pepper is cold in working but hot in operation for their distinction is not in difference of matter but only words Cicero saith to one Bonum esse negas praepositum esse dicis Thou wilt not have worldly wealth called bonum but only praepositum dost thou thereby any thing abate avarice even so we say Mr. Harding ye will not have adoration of Images called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Sir do ye by this any thing abate Idolatry So Bishop Jewel in his Reply to Harding Art 14. D. 12. p. 381 382. there ye may find Harding using almost the same words for reverence to his Images that our men use for reverence to their Altars It 's clear it is not a meer civil nor meer negative reverence that is by Papists and some of our men given to the holy and high Altar and it is as positive and as much external reverence as is given to God himself or would be given to Christ himself if he were corporally present on the Table and it is the same for substance that Idolaters give to their Altars Images and Idols and it is divine adoration when we bow the body upon some divine cause as Mr. Perkins saith in his Idolatry of the last times p. 824. Now yielding obeisance or outward reverence to or towards the Altar is done upon a divine cause viz. Gods special presence and therefore 't is called by them Gods Throne Gods chair of State and Gods mercy-seat And the same Mr. Perkins in the same Treatise p. 828. saith That Images themselves Reliques of Christ and Saints holy things as Temples Altars and such like are made Idols when they are adored and worshipped with religious worship for when we bow to them it is more than civil worship And p. 830. of the same Treatise he saith That if we will keep our selves from Idols we must take heed of keeping of Idols thas is Images that have been abused to Idolatry and are in likelihood still to be abused especially if they stand in publick places The commandment of God is to destroy the Idols of the heathen their altars and their high places Exod. 34. 13. Now 't is acknowledged by A.
B. Laud and his party That in the time of our first reforming this Church * Canon 7th made Anno 1640. from the gross superstition of the Papists it was carefully provided that all means should be used to root out of the minds of people both the inclination thereto and the memory thereof especially of the Idolatry committed in the Mass for which cause ell Popish altars were demolished Now I pray is it an effectual means to do these two things to set up altars of wood in their places or tables of wood altarwise as the Laudensians would have and bow to or towards them as Papists did and do is this according to Gods Commandment But before I go further to prevent mistakes I say that 't is one thing for men to kneel or bow before or towards a place meerly as a place and another thing to bow or kneel towards or to a place or thing purposely and upon a religious reason or respect for some religious excellency or holiness that is in it or conceived to be in it more than in another place or thing To kneel or bow towards or before a place or thing the former way is necessary or unavoidable as to the action it cannot be done without it for a man cannot kneel or bow but some place or thing will be before him as is to be seen in prayer in the Church or field or private house but as to the person kneeling or bowing 't is accidental and besides his intention he kneels not he bows not purposely before or towards his feat the Pultpit Pew East or West North or South out of any religious respect to the seat or place or because he thinks there is more religious excellency or holiness in it or because God is more present there or that way than in another place or thing or way but only because his seat or Pew is so placed that he cannot conveniently stand or kneel otherwise so well as that way Now in this or this way there is no Idolatry or superstition to bow towards or before the Communion-Table or East in time of Religious worship But now your bowing once or twice or three times at your entrance into the Church and so often when you come in sight of the holy Altar and three times when you come near it and three times when ye go out of or pass through the Church or Chancel or by the holy Altar and this too when the Sacrament is not administred is not casual accidental or necessary but purposed and intended in a religious respect to that place or thing not simply as towards a place but as to an holy place yea more holy than other places because you conceive Christ to be most specially prosent there and upon religious reasons which are not found to be in it by any institution of God which renders your worship superstitious making it an image or means of worship against the second Commandment Ye make it a relative object and motive of worship as Papists do their Images and Crucifixes and the Cross Papists say they give no religious respect unto the Tree or Cross whereon Christ was crucified or to the Garments he wore or Manger in which he lay or Spear that was thrust into his side as materially considered in themselves but only quantum ad rationem contactus * Aquin. 3a parte q. 25. a. 4. c. And Bellarmine saith that Imago non est capax honor is propter se sed relative ad prototypum Dr. Ames Bell. Ener l. 6. c. 5. p. 261. membrorum Christi in relation to and by reason of their touching the members of Christ and then it will follow that Judas his lips ought to be worshipped and so saith Shelford in his Sermon p. 19. and so saith A. B. Laud in his Star-Chamber Speech p. 47. for he saith There 't is hoc est corpus meum and a greater reverence no doubt is due to the body than to the word of our Lord and so in relation answerably to the Throne where his body is usually present than to the seat whence his word useth to be proclaimed And the Table or holy Altar hath some part of your divine worship imparted to it making it an object mediate though not ultimate of your worship and a motive to excite your worship from some conceived excellency in it though but relative as Papists make their * A. B. Laud by statute made the Dean and Prebends of Canterbury to swear that at their coming in and going out of the Choire and all approaches to the Altar they would by bowing towards it make due reverence to Almighty God as Dr. Heylin saith Cyp. Angl. l 4. p. 291 292. where 't is in the Margent thus Summa reverentia adorare Deum versus Altare Images and are judged by your Divines to be therefore Idolatrous You say saith a reverend Divine that you worship God before or towards the holy Altar yet without doâ—bâ— some part of your worship sticks to the Altar transiently and relatively 1. Transiently as making the Altar the objecâ— of your worship mediately though noâ— ultimately 2. Relatively as a motivâ— to excite your worship for its more holiness than in any other part of the Church or Church-houshold-stuff aâ— Dr. Duncomb speaks in his Cambridâ— Determination Sure we are Papists are more than suspected even charged with Idolatry by Protestant Divines for bowing before or towards Images aâ— ours do before or towards the holy Table For A. B. Laud's statute above though they do not directly and ultimately worship the Altar yet they do worship God not only before or towards the Altar of their own devising but through and by the Altar as much as Papists do by and through an Image and I may add as much as the Israelites did worship God by or through the Golden Calf they make it a mediate object and a relative motive of theâ—â— worship and so a devised medium of worship contrary to the second Commandment I cannot see how they can acquit themselves oâ— Altar-worship but they must also acquit Papists of Image-worship I have proved already that Christs body is not corporally presenâ— in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper it must therefore be said that his body is there Sacramentally significatively Sacramentum * Bishop Jewel's Def of Apol c. 1. d. 3 p. 316. vocatur corpus Christi id est significaâ— corpus Christi that is the Sacrament is called Christs body that is it signifies Christs body But to this I answer then that the Sacramental presence of Christs body on the holy Altar is no sufficient reason to prove that the said holy table or altar whereon some times the Sacrament of his body is set or consecrated as Dr. Pocklington speaks is therefore to be adored or religiously reverenced or bowed corporally unto For 1. The Sacrament of the Lords-Supper or signs of Christs body and blood are not God but are the good
creatures of God and therefore are not corporally to be adored or religiously worshipped or reverenced For not only Dr. * Omâ—â—s cultus religiosus Deo debetur Bell. Enter T. 2. l. 6. c. 5. p. 263. Ames but also A. B. †A. B. Usher Sum of Ch. Relig. upon 2d Com. p. 229. Vsher informs us That all religious worship and reverence is to be given to God alone and not imparted to those things which are not God at all And Bishop * Ser. upon 1 Cor. 11. 23. p. 50. Jewel saith that adoration belongs only to God but is given to the Sacrament without any warrant from Gods word Christ that best knew what ought to be done therein when he ordained and delivered the Sacrament appointed not that any man should fall down to it or worship it St. Paul that took the Sacrament at Christs hands and as he had taken it delivered it to the Corinthians yet never willed adoration * Nor kneeling at receiving it or godly honour to be given to it The old Doctors St. Cyprian Chrysostom Ambrose Jerome Augustine and others that received the Sacrament at the Apostles hands and as it may be thought continued the same in such sort as they had received it never made mention in any of their Books of adoring or worshipping of the Sacrament It is a very new device and as is well known came but lately into the Cburch about 400 years past Honorius being then Bishop of Rome commanded the Sacrament to be lifted up and the people reverently to bow down to it If the Sacrament for which you say the Altar or Table is to be reverenced be not adorable or religiously to be reverenced then certainly the Altar or Table is not religiously to be bowed to as you do but the Sacrament I have proved above is not religiously to be adored worshipped or reverenced Ergo the Table or Altar is not so religiously to be adored worshipped or reverenced 2. If the holy Table set Altarwise be therefore religiously to be reverenced because Christs body and blood is thereon Sacramentally corporally I have proved above he is not thereon then I say 1. That the Font should be so reverenced adored and bowed to because therein his body and blood is Sacramentally present too as Bishop * Bishop Jewel's Reply to Harding art 5. d. 10. p. 21. Jewel shews out of St. Augustine and others No man may doubt saith Augustine but that every faithful creature is then made partaker of Christs body and blood when in Baptism he is made the member of Christ And if A B. Laud's reason be good the * Star-Chamber Speech p 47. and so in relation to the Throne where his body is usually present Font is more to be reverenced than the holy Table because Christ is more usually present there than on the Table for the Sacrament oâ— Baptism is there more often administred than the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is on the Table and is for any thing I see as holy as the Table yea more holy by his reason 2. If the Archbishops reason in the Margen be good then should we much more bodily bow to or do reverence to the Pulpit for there Christs body and blood is mostly Quando * St. Jerome in Psal â—47 audimus Sermonem Domini caro Christi sanguis ejâ—â— in auribus nostris funditur that is when we heaâ—â— the word of God the flesh and the blood of Christ iâ— poured into our ears saith St. Jerome upon Psalm 147. quoted by Bishop Jewel in his Reply to Harding Art 12. D. 5. p. 337. and St. * Quest 1. Interrogo p. 7. Augustine saith Interrogo vos c. I demand of you this question my brethren answeâ— me Whether think you is †He means in dignity greater the body of Chrisâ— meaning thereby the Sacrament saith Bishop Jewel or the word of Christ if ye will answer truly this must we say that the word of God is no leâ—â— than the body of Christ Which is directly contrary to A. B. Laud's assertion and reason of it And St. Jerome upon Psal 147. saith Ego corpâ—â— Basilius saith Christ called his flesh and blood the whole mystical Doctrine of his Gospel which he published in his dispensation in the flesh Epist ad Caesarienses quoted by Bishop Jewel Reply to Harding a. 14. d. 8. p. 375. Credere in eum est manducare panem vivum August Tract 26. in Johan Jesu Evangelium puto quamvis quol Christus dicit qui non manducat mean carnem c. possit intelligi de mysterioâ— tamen verius corpus Christi sanguis ejâ—â— sermo scripturarum est Joh. 6. 53. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of God and drink his blood ye have no life in you That is except ye spiritually feed on Christ by faith which may be done as well in hearing and receiving the worâ— preached as in receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper administred ye have no spiritual life in you That is I take the body of Jesâ—â— to be the Gospel Although these words of Christ he that eateth not my flesh c may be taken of the Sacrament yet in truer sense thâ— word of the Scripture is the body of Christ And * In Exod. Hom. 13. Origen saith Quod si corpus Christi utâ— inimitantâ cautela quomodo putatis minoris esse periculi verbum Dei neglexisse quam corpus ejus If ye take such heed in keeping the Sacrament which is called his body how can ye think there is less danger in neglecting the word of God than there is in neglecting the Sacrament which is called his body If saith Bishop Jewel the Sacrament were in deed and really the body of Christ and so our very Lord and God thus to compare it with the creature and to make it inferiour unto the same as St. Augustine St. Jerome Origen and other godly Fathers do it were great blasphemy This also is directly contrary to A. B. Laud's Doctrine these things and many more Quotations ye may see in Bishop Jewel's Reply to Harding Art 21. D. 10. p. 451 452. Besides the bread and wine are consecrated by the word of God and prayer and therefore cannot be more eminent than the word of God The less is blessed of the better Heb. 7. 7. 3. If the Altar or holy Table be to be bowed to more than the Pulpit because 't is Christs Throne his Mercy-seat and Chair of State then it will follow that the Pulpit is as adorable or to be bowed to as much as if not more than the holy Table For 1. the Pulpit is called the Tribunal of the Church 2. Though I find not in any ancient orthodox Author that the Communion-table is called a Throne either of God or man Cyprian l. 4. Epist 5. quoted by Dr. Pocklington Altare Christianum c. 8. p. 44. yet I find in * Athanas in Epist
Ibi. p. 160 161 〈◊〉 163. Cap. 1. 〈◊〉 2. That we are justified by faith sensu proprio that is the act of â—â—lieving in that Tò credere is imputed for righteousness being accepteâ— God and accounted unto us for that whole righteousness of the Law whâ—â—â— we were bound to perform so that our very faith is that righteousness 〈◊〉 which we are justified in the sight of God Non quidem merito suo 〈◊〉 propter gratuitam acceptilationem Dei This is the error of the Arâ—â—nians with whom the Papists agree which they received from Faustâ—â— Socinus that unhappy Heretick in his blasphemous Book de Christo Sâ—â—vatore and Michael Servetus in his second Book de Lege Evangeliâ—â— Which Errors are confuted by Calvin in his Opuscula and ibid. by 〈◊〉 Pemble Sec. 2. c. 2. p. 164 c. 3. A sinner is not justified by faith alone but also by other vertues 〈◊〉 graces as Hope love repentance fear of God c. and this is the opâ—nion of the Papists which whether it be not the Doctrine the scopâ—â— and main drift of our Latitudinarian Divines in their Books let tâ—â— impartial and judicious Reader truly judg which he confutes 〈◊〉 Sec. 2. c. 3. p. 167 c. and which is most opposed and confuted by 〈◊〉 sound Doctrine of the Church of England as may be easily seen 〈◊〉 what I have before alledged out of it Now that true Believers in Christ are justified that is declared 〈◊〉 accounted righteous before God acquitted from their debt the Cuâ—â— of the Law which by their sins they have deserved at Gods hands by and for the merits of Christs * Christs righteousness is not only his inherent holiness as Mr. Fowler falsely suggests in his Free Discourse pag. 128. passive and active obedience to the will of God his Father which is called Christs righteousness imputed to them I prove thus by arguments taken clearly from the Doctrine of the Church of England and Gods word 1. They that believe in Christ that is that their persons are justified before God are justified either by their own habitual or actual inherent righteousness or by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them but they are not justified before God by their own habitual or actual inherent righteousness therefore they are justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them The sequel of the Major is undeniable because there is no other thing by or for which they are justified that is absolved from the curse of the Law and declared not guilty but accounted innocent and righteous The Minor I have proved already by the Doctrine of the Church of England the sentence and confession of the Reformed Churches abroad and our own learned Divines at home and by the authority of Canonical Scripture The sum of which is this 1. Because we are freely justified by Faith not as an act habit or work but as an instrument apprehending and applying the righteousness of Christ and not by the deeds of the Law Rom. 3. 20 24 28. Gal. 2. 16. 2. Because all our inherent righteousness is imperfect and accompanied with many sins and therefore cannot stand before the judgment-seat of God much less merit or procure our Justification at Gods hands To which I add this further Though God hath ordained us to walk in good works yet the meaning is not by these words to induce us to have any affiance or to put any confidence in our works as by the merit and deserving of them to purchase to our selves or others remission of sins and so consequently everlasting life for that were blasphemy against Gods mercy and great derogation to the blood-sheâ—ding of our Saviour Jesus Christ For it is the free grace and mercy of God by the mediation of the blood of his Son Jesus Christ without merit or descriving on our part that our sins are foâ—given us that we are reconciled and brought again into his favour and are made heirs of his heavenly kingdom T. 2. Hom. of good works part 1. pag. 81. And 't is observable that the Church of England makes Justification to be forgiveness of sins Homily for Salvation p. 13. And Bellarmine himself Lib. 1. de Paenit saith Remissio peccatorum quid est nisi justificatio 2. True Believers in Christ are justified the same way and by the same means that Abraham was but Abraham's person was justified before God not by his own good works but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to him Ergo true Believers in Christ are justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them The Major is the Doctrine of the Church of England as I shewed before and is clear by St. Paul's Doctrine Rom. 4 11 12. As Abraham the Father of the Faithful was justified so shall his faithful sons believers in Christ be justified too that righteousness might be imputed to them also And Rom. 4. 22 23 24. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed 〈◊〉 him that is Abraham but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if 〈◊〉 believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification The Minor also is clear because he was justified by his Faith whereby he believed God in the promised seed that is in Christ Roâ— 4. 3. Abraham believed God that God that spake to him and it 〈◊〉 counted to him for righteousness And I shewed before that his Faith was taken not absolutely but relatively with connotation of the object Christ promised that was counted to him for righteousness So Rom. 4 9. Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness And ver 21. and therefore it that is his Faith in Christ the promised seed was imputed to him for righteousness And our Homily saith Ibi. supra Oâ—â— faith shall be imputed to us as well as it was to Abraham Isaac and Jacob And it necessarily must be so for he was not justified by Faith as 〈◊〉 act or habit or work as I proved before by the Doctrine of the Church of England 3. If God doth accept and allow of Christs active and passive obedience and the merits thereof as full and perfect satisfaction to his Justice for true Believers in Christ then they are justâ—fied before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them but God doth accept and allow of the active and passive obedience of Christ and the merits thereof as full and perfect satisfaction to his Justice for true believers in Christ therefore true believers in Christ are justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them The sequel of the Major is evident because Christs obedience and merits is his righteousness For we say not that Christs essential righteousness which is in him as God the second Person in the Sacred Trinity or that righteousness which he by his Spirit and Word works in believers is
So Dr. Potter in his Charity mistaken p 62. and Dr. Mountague Antig. p. 14. Gag p. 50. To whom I answer 1. That the contrary is hereby evident and well known 2. That though Papists profess the Apostles or Nicene Creeds yet by their erroneous Doctrines they overthrow them as Mr. Thompson in his Arraignment of Antichrist plainly shews the Papists do ART VII That men unregenerate or in tâ—â— state of nature have by theâ—â— Deum offerre gratiam omnibus singulis istam sufficientem reddi efficacem vel inefficacem per voluntatem noluntatem hominis in cujus potestate est illam vel acceptare vel respuere is the false Doctrine of Papists N. B. Totus Pelagianismus huic sententiae includitur saith Maccovius 〈◊〉 Pontif. c. 18. p. 39. Bel. de lib. art c. 3. own free-will power sufficient 〈◊〉 themselves to turn themselves 〈◊〉 God to believe repent and 〈◊〉 good works acceptable to God whâ—â— they will and also finally 〈◊〉 resist the efficacious grace of God in converting an elected sinner to himself THis Position I renounce 1. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrâ—â— of the Church of England Article the 10th The condition 〈◊〉 man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare hâ—â—self by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upâ—â— God Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ preventing us that 〈◊〉 may have a good will and working with us when we have that good 〈◊〉 And Homily of the misery of man part 2. p. 11 12. We have 〈◊〉 goodness help or salvation of our selves but contrariwise sin damnation and deâ—â— Yet Dr. Patrick saith thus All the actions of nature you will grant to be easie for they flow from us with ease and facility Now there is nothing plainer than that the ways of temperance charity and trust in God and such like wherein we are to walk are most conformable to the right frame and constitution of your soul You will move consonantly to your own principles which God hath naturally endued you withall you will but follow the inclination of rational nature and that in its highest improvement Par Pilg. p. 252. What Bishop Jer. Taylor held in favour of that Popish Doctrine see his explanation of Original sin p. 467. What Dr. Heyliâ—â— held see his Introd to his Cyp. Angl p. 36. Sec. 37. p. 33. Sec. 35. everlasting We have in our selves as of our selves nothing whereby we may be delivered from this miserable captivity 〈◊〉 which we have cast our selves We are not of our selves able to think a good thought or work a good deed so that in our selves we can find no hope of Salvation but rather what maketh unto destruction And Homily for Rogation-week T. 2. p. 217. Whatsoever is good proceedeth from God as from the principal fountain and only author And p. 220. it saith what I alledged in the former Article renounced And Part third of the same Homily p. 228. Faith is the first entry of a Christian life without which no man can please God Faith is the gift of God Ephes 2. 8. Charity wherewith we love our brethren is the work of God If after our own fall we repent it is by him that we repent who reacheth forth his merciful hand to raise us up it is he that preventeth our will and disposeth â—s thereunto If after contrition we feel our consciences at peace with God through remission of our sins and so be reconciled to his favour and hope to be his children and inheritors of everlasting life who worketh these great miracles in us our worthiness our deservings and endeavours our wits and vertue nay verily St. Paul will not suffer flesh and clay in such arrogancy and therefore saith all is of God which hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ And there p. 229. 't is said That without the secret inspiration of the Spirit we cannot once so much as speak the name of our Mediator as St. Paul plainly testifieth No man can once name our Lord Jesus Christ but in the Holy Ghost much less should we be able to believe and know these great mysteries that be opened to us by Christ St. Paul saith that no man can know what is of God but by the Spirit of God As for us saith he we have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God for this purpose that in his holy Spirit we might know things that be given us by Christ And Homily of Repentance T. 2. p. 263. This must be verified of all men Without me ye can do nothing Joh 15. And again Yet Dr. Patrick saith thus I am forced to love God by such a strong inclination as hath no cause but nature Par Pilgrim p. 468. of our selves we are not able so much as to think a good thought 2 Cor. 3. And again in another place God worketh in us both the will and the deed And for this cause although Jeremy had said before If thou return O Israel return unto me saith the Lord yet afterward be saith Turn thou me O Lord and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Jer. 4. 1. Jer. 31. 18. And a little before in the same Homily 't is said That we must beware that we do in no wise think in our hearts imagine or believe that we are able to repent aright or turn effectually unto the Lord by our own might and strength And the second Collect for Evening-prayer O God from whom all holy desires all 〈◊〉 counsels anâ— all â—ust works do proceed And Collect for second Sâ—â—day in Lent Almighty God which dost see that we have no power 〈◊〉 our selves to help our selves Collect for 19th Sunday after Triniâ—â— and Collect for Easter-day and Exhortation before Baptism 〈◊〉 he will grant to these children that thing which by nature they caâ—â— have And question after the Commandments in the Church 〈◊〉 techism That thou art not able to do these things of thy self And Veâ—â—cles said after the Lords Prayer O Lord open thou our lips and 〈◊〉 mouth shall shew forth thy praise Which implies that unless God do opâ—â— our mouths we cannot shew forth his praise 2. Because 't is contrary to Sacred Canonical Scripture Rom. 8. 7 〈◊〉 The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law 〈◊〉 God neither indeed can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot pleâ—â— God 1 Cor. 2. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of 〈◊〉 Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he 〈◊〉 them because they are spiritually discerned He wants the Spirit of Gâ—â— to discern them savingly Mat. 16. 16 17. Simon Peter answered 〈◊〉 said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God And Jesus answered 〈◊〉 said unto him blessed art thou Simon
is * This is Pelagius his Doctrine as may be seen in Alvarez de Auxil gratiae l. 1. disp 1. p. 4. n. 2. possible for men in the state of corruption to keep the whole Moral Law of God Both which are very gross Errors but the former of these I should suppose he doth not hold Because 1. He complains against Nonconformists though causelesly and very falsely for Antinomianism 2. He presseth obedience to the Law and good works so much as that he saith that those that have confidence in Gods mercy through Christ must come down again from the top of the tree and begin at the bottom in obedience to all Gods Commandments And this must go before we can actually receive his pardon and absolution according to that of the Apostle Tit. 3. 5 6 7. where it is visible saith he that his mercy cannot save us unless we become new creatures and that this must go before the justification we expect by the grace of God In his licensed Parable of the Pilgrim 〈◊〉 502 511 〈◊〉 But yet if he hold it I shall say no more than what Gods Word expresly and in terminis saith Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every 〈◊〉 that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them Either Gods word is false or his Doctrine But the second which is this ' That 't is possible for men in the state of corruption exactly and perfectly to fulfill the whole Moral Law of God Papists that they may establish their Justification of mens persons before God by their own inherent righteousness or good works do affirm that believers * Bellar. de observatione Legis T. 4. l. 6. c. 7. can by the help of Gods grace and the spirit of love infused into them at their Justification perfectly fulfill the whole Moral Law of God And this seems to be the Doctors insinuation To which our Divines do answer that 't is true the Law of God is Evangelically kept or fulfilled by true believers in Christ Jesus whose perfect righteousness and obedience is imputed to them and thereby their sincere obedience though very imperfect as referred to the Law is accepted of God as perfect But the Law is not legally kept by exact and perfect doing for matter and manner all the works thereof by any justified or regenerated person in this life since Christ ascended up into Heaven And this I have proved by the Doctrine of the Church of England and may be further proved even by those portions of Sacred Writings which she appoints to be said before the Common-prayers begin or the Exhortation thereto Enter not into judgment with thy servants O Lord for no flesh is righteous in thy sight Psal 143. 2. And if we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Joh. 1. â—8 The Church of England as I have shewed teacheth that the works of unjustified men are sins Art 13. And that the most holy and righteous * Davenant Deter 10. pag. 50. works of regenerate persons have some sin in them Art 15. and their graces are but imperfect They know but in part 1 Cor. 13. 9. and they believe but in part Mark 9. 24. Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief And our frailty is such that we can never fulfil the Law according to the perfection that the Law requireth Plenissima charitas est in nemine August Epist 29. Homily for Good Friday T. 2. p. 182. and p. 177. and there is original sin in the regenerate Article the ninth And that concupiscence * Bishop Prideaux Fascic Controvers l. 3. de peccato q. 5. p. 123. in the regenerate is properly sin Article the ninth That God made man in the state of innocency upright and able to fulfil the whole Law of God That 't is now since his fall in his corrupt estate though in part renewed impossible ordinarily for him to fulfil the Law is not the fault of the Law which is holy and just and good but of man who hath by his own default disabled himself that it much magnifies and commends the free grace of God in that he doth for Christs sake accept of true believers imperfect performances as if they were exactly conformed to the perfect Law of God which yet they are not Adam Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob David Solomon Hezekiah Josiah Jonah Job Peter and Paul sinned David sinned after his person was justified Psal 51. and so did Peter by denying of Christ Luk. 22. 57 58 60. and by his unseasonable and scandalous using the Ceremonies of the Law or Judaizing Gal. 2. 11 12 13 14. And St. Paul himself feels and complains Rom. 7. 20 21 24. of siâ— that did dwell in him of a law in his members that did draw him to do that which he would not and hinder him from doing that which he would do and of a body of death And Gal. 3. 17. That the flesh lusteth against the Spirit These few failings of Dr. Patrick and Mr. Fowler and Doctor Jeremy Taylor c. may not only serve to put in the other scale against the many little pretended ones the Debater objects against Mr. W. B. and Mr. T. W. and others but also prove That some great Conformists to the Discipline of the Church of England are the greatest Nonconformists to the Doctrine thereof and those tollerated if not protected and promoted while Nonformists to the Discipline but stout defenders of the Doctrine of Faith and Sacraments thereof are rejected and silenced ART XI That unregenerated persons own good works do make thâ—â— meet to receive grace from God or as the School-Author say deserve grace of congruity THis I renounce because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England but before I prove it for the better understanding of this error and the truth know 1. That grace in Sacred Scripture signifies two things 1. The favour of God or of man in himself and so 't is taken and used in the Old and New Testament As Gen. 6. 8. And Noah foâ—â—â— grace in the eyes of God Gen. 18. 3. Gen. 39. 21. Ezra 9. 8. Esth 2. 1â— So the Virgin Mary found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grace with God Rom. 3. 24. Beng justified freely by his grace that is by the free favour or love mercy or goodness that is in God manifested to us in Christ Rom. 11 5 Election of Grace Ephes 2 8. By grace ye are saved Sometimes it signifies 2. The gift of grace that is that gracious habit of grace that is inâ—erent in us as Rom. 11. 29. 2 Cor. 8. 7. See that ye abound in thâ—â— grace also Ephes 3. 7. The gift of grace Ephes 4. 7. Vnto every oâ—â— of vs is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Col. 3 16. Singing with grace in your hearts Heb. 12. 28 Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence
of God But there is not in them an active power or ability to regenerate themselves Ob. But God calls upon unregenerated men to cast away their sins and to make them a new heart and a new spirit and turn your selves Ezek. 18. 31 32. Now say they if they cannot do these things and if he alone can do them how can he in reason call upon them to do them Ans To this I answer thus 1. That praecepta ostendunt non quâ—â— possumus sed quid debemus Precepts do shew not what we can do but what we ought to do Or they shew what by grace we can do but not by our selves saith the learned Fasciculus controversiarum c. 3. q. 4. p. 122. Bishop Prideaux 2. That God doth do some things and yet exhort and command men to do them God worketh in men to will and to do and yet he exhorts them to will and to do to love him and to keep his Commandments Our Saviour commands us to believe in him Joh. 14. 〈◊〉 And yet he saith That no man can come to him except the Father which sent him do draw him Joh. 6. 44. And you know that Faith is the giâ—â— of God Ephes 2. 8. So here turn ye shews what we ought to do 〈◊〉 what we can do We had once in Adam a power to do what he commands he doth call upon us for doing of it though now we cannot do it without his special help and grace 3. Consider what thâ—â— Church of England saith in her Homily of Repentance T. 2. p. 263. 〈◊〉 must be verified of all men Without me ye can do nothing And again of our selves we are unable so much as to think a good thought and again it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do And for this cause pray mark this although Jeremy had before said Jer. 4. 1. If thou return O Israel return unto me saith the Lord yet afterward he saith Jer. 31. 18. Turn thou me O Lord and I shall be turned Which plainly shews that they could not turn themselves to the Lord but the Lord himself must turn them or else they would never return or be turned And the next words of the Homily are St. Ambrose doth plainly affirm that the turning of the heart unto God is of God But to return to my proof of the point That a man in the state of corruption cannot without the special grace of God turn and prepare himself to grace 2. Because a man by nature is not capable of those things which are spiritual but they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them 1 Cor. 2. 14. 3. Because the wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8. 7. 4. Because an unconverted man is unfit to think any thing that is spiritually good 2 Cor. 3. 5. Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our idoniety or fitness is of God The very thoughts the imaginations of unconverted men are only evil and that continually Gen. 6. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God and therefore not fit to prepare and dispose men to grace 5. Because before his conversion he is an evil tree now au evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit Mat. 7. 18. He is an Ethiopian accustomed to do evil Jer. 13. 23. which cannot change his skin 2. They ground this their false Doctrine of merit of congruity upon auother error which they suppose and teach viz. That God â—oth dispense his grace according to the preparations and dispositions of men that are to receive it as was shewed before But God saith otherwise Rom. 11. 15. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion Mark it he doth not say I will have mercy on them who by doing first that which is in them are by themselves disposed to the receiving of saving grace by the merit of congruity but he saith on the contrary in the next words It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy That is on whom he pleaseth Which place Peter Martyr understands thus That neither Election is in respect of any thing in man and that â—e hath no power to will of himself but that 't is of God himself who sheweth mercy on whom he will and 〈◊〉 he will he hardneth St. * De Predestinatione c. 14. Defendimus contra novum Pelagianorum errorem gratiam Dei non secundum merita nostra dari sed gratis dari cui datur quia neque volentis neque currentis sed miserentis est Dei justo autem judicio non dari cui non datur quia non est iniquitas apud Deum Augustine sâ—â— We defend against the new error of 〈◊〉 Pelagians that the grace of God iâ— giâ—â— not according to our merits but that 〈◊〉 given freely to whom 't is given Beâ—â— 't is not of him that willeth nor of 〈◊〉 that runneth that is as I humbly coâ—ceive of him that inwardly willeth 〈◊〉 outwardly endeavoureth that it's nâ—â— for any thing in man that he hath done but of God that sheweth mercy Aâ—â— that by a just judgment it is not giveâ— to him to whom 't is not given For there is none iniquity with God And that of the Apostle Ephes 1. 11. God worketh all things according to tâ—e counsel of his own will is very considerable and to our purpose And besides all these things it will follow from this erroneous Pelagiâ—â— Doctrine that some men before saving-grace received from Gods Spirit may by their own endeavours difference themselves from others which have not performed such endeavours as they have which is contrary to the Apostles Doctrine in 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who maketh thee 〈◊〉 differ and what hast thou that thou didst not receive the sense of which is as our Church declareth in the Contents of that Chapter That we have nothing but what we have râ—ceived For every one of these men may answer and say that the preparations and disposition gotten by 〈◊〉 own endeavours have differenced me for I have had an endeavour â—o good which I have not received from the fulness of Christ the Mediator but from the fountain of nature or from my own free-will yet remaining in me but this is abominably false and contraâ—y to the Doctrine taught by St. Paul and St. Ambrose St. Augustine aâ—â— all the Reformed Churches I named before Lastly I deny this error That a man unregenerated can dispose â—â—elf to true real regeneration or that 〈◊〉 A. B. Vsher in his Sum of Christ Religion pag. 338. saith That unregenerate men do no good works which he there proves man unregenerate can do such works 〈◊〉 so please God as to move
are willing to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord which necessarily implies that they did believe that as soon as ever their souls were gone out of their earthly homes they should be present with the Lord in heaven for of that they say we are confident And. 10. Of this opinion and belief was St. Pauls as you may see in Phil. 1. 21 23. For to me to live is Christ and to die is * Mori lucrum quaesi dicat mors est lucrum heatitudinis mortem ergo non timeo quia si occidar moriar vitam aeternam lucrabor inevolabo praesensque sistar ac fruar Christo So Chrisostom Anselm Theophilact Oecumenius Thomas Aquinas in locum gain How could his death begain to him if he must not go immediately to Heaven but to Purgatory there first to suffer hellish punishments for his sins Yet if I live in the flesh this is the fruit of my labour yet what I shall chuse I wot not for I am in a strait between two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Here you see the Apostle Paul desired to depart out of the Tabernacle of his body and why that he might be with Christ he believed that as soon as his soul was departed out of his body she would presently be and remain with Christ but where not in the Popes Purgatory for there Christ was not but in heaven there he believed he was whom the heavens must receive till the restitution of all things Act. 3. 19. He believed that his soul would presently be with Christ in Heaven and therefore he saith that death temporal would be better for him than temporal life Certainly had St. Paul believed that after his soul had ended her work in his body here she should be carried into the Popes Purgatory and there be punished for his sins for a time it may be till the day of judgment he would have easily resolved himself that it had been better for him as well as for the Philippians to abide in the flesh and not to die I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ is as if he had said thus I am now bound q. d. Jam alligatus sum corpori si hoc vinculo solvar ero cum Christo illique astringar Cor. a lapide in locum to my body but if I were loosed from this bond I should be with Christ and bound to him saith Cor. a lapide Hence note saith he that souls altogether pure do presently when they leave the body not sleep but are with Christ in heaven and eternal life and therefore the Apostle desired to be dissolved and dye that he might be with Christ but if he ought to expect after death the day of judgment that then at length he might enjoy Christ he had in vain desired to be dissolved rather than live because then after his dissolution and death he should be absent from Christ as much as if he had remained in this life much more he there speaks out of Chrysostome Theophilact Oecumenius and Cyprian to the same purpose 'T is observable that he saith that souls that are altogether pure pass presently out of their bodies into Heaven and this he saith is the opinion of Turrian and of Suarezius and that St. John Apoc. 14. 13. speaks of souls perfectly just Now this I say is their shift to put off all our Protestant Divines have alledged from sacred Scripture against their Purgatory for they hold that those that are cast into Purgatory are not perfectly purged but must be purged perfectly by suffering temporal punishment and thereby making penal satisfaction to the justice of God of the fondness of which hereafter but I 'le close with them and assume Position 2. That the souls of those persons that are justified by faith is Christ's blood are perfectly purged from their sins if not immediately before yet at the moment of their death and that therefore by their own concessions and affirmations they go not into the Popes Purgatory but to Heaven as I have proved before and for the clearing of this know that not only their Angelical Doctor as Papists call Thoâ—â— Aquinas but our own Divines hold that there are three effects of sin 1. Reatus the guilt 2. Macula the spot or stain 3. Paâ—â— the punishment of it Now 1. The guilt worthiness or desert of sin which obligeth the sinner to the sustaining of just punishment for his sin is washed away in our justification by the perfect satisfaction and merits of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as the Church of England abundantly testifieth in her books of Articles Homilies and Common-Prayer and the Canonical Scriptures plainly declare as in John 1. 29. Beâ—â— the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world 1 John 1. 7. 〈◊〉 the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 John 2. 12. If 〈◊〉 man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation that is the propitiator for our sins who doâ—â— make atonement expiate satisfie and purge away the guilt of oâ—â— sins and make peace and pacifie his wrath and make him propitiâ—â— merciful favourable and good unto us and 1 Tim. 2. 6. He gâ—â— himself a ransome for all Himself God-man a ransome for all Hâ—â— 9. 14 15. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God and lest the adversary shoâ—â— say that he did not perfectly purge away all sin read Heb. 10. 〈◊〉 and by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified 〈◊〉 Apoc. 1. 5. 't is said of Christ that he washed us in his own blood 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And upon this account doth the Apostle declare and infer Therefore there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus God in our justification imputeth * 2 Cor. 5. 19. not our sins unto us and consequently not our guilt but he imputeth the righteousness of our Saviour Jesus Christ unto us and doth repute us just as though we had no sin and consequently no guilt upon us but Papists do acknowledg by Christ Jesus a freedom from sin according to the guilt of sin but they deny it according to the punishment of which hereafter 2. Macula the spot stain or filth of sin which deprives the soul of its spiritual beauty which it should have and is made vile Mat. 15. 11. Apoc. 21. 11. is taken away by sanctification 1 Cor. 3. 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified Eph. 5. 26 27 That he might sanctisie and cleanse it i. e. His Church with the
more over their fellow-Presbyters or shepherds of the flock but commanded to give good example to their flock expecting not a triple Crown here on earth that perisheth but a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away which Christ the only chief Shepherd will give at the great day of Judgment to all his holy humble diligent and faithful Pastors And thus was the Church governed in the Primitive times communi conciâ—io Presbyterorum by the common Jerom. in Tit. 〈◊〉 1. Jerom. ad Evagrium council of the Presbyters as St. Jerome told the Pope himself and this Council was not such a pickt Council of Princely Cardinals of his own creatures and sworn vassals as the Popes is which hath only a shew of the ancient Government of the Church but is indeed a wicked combination against it a meer device to uphold his Usurpation tyranny power pride and Lordly dominion over the Princes of the world and the Churches and Church-officers of Jesus Christ But it was a common Council of fellow-Presbyters of the same Church chosen by the Church in which Council for necessary order sake was by common consent toâ— chosen for that time one Presbyter that was the most worthy grave aâ—â— able man to be president or if you will Speaker of that Council for tâ—â—â— time who had only a precedency of order but no more a superiority of jurisdiction over the Colledg of Presbyters than the Speaker of the House of Commons hath over the rest of his fellow-commoners in Parliament assembled here in England 2. That the Pope of Rome is not St. Peter ' s Successor either in his Apostleship for that was extraordinary and died with him or Bishoprick For Peter the Apostle was not properly a Bishop neither could he be as the word Bishop is now commonly taken with us For he was an Apostle of the whole Church and so could not be tyed to the Church of Antioch or Rome as Papists would make the world believe he was He that makes Peter the Apostle a Bishop brings him oâ—â— of the Parlor into the kitchin as Dr. Raynolds speaks of St. James the Apostle in his Conference with Hart. He that makes the King of England a Justice of Peace or the Lord Chief Justice of England a Justice of Peace but of one County Diocess City or Parish or Town unkings the King and Unlord-chief-justiceth the other Peter had no superiority of authority over the rest of his fellow-Apostles Peter was not the Rock upon which Christ promised to build his Church but that Confession that Peter made in the name of Christs Disciples Thou art Christ the Son of the living God And Peter had the same Commission from Christ and no other that the other Apostles had and they had the same that he had Peter was no more Bishop of Rome than S. Paul was Nay it can never be proved by Sacred Scripture that Peter the Apostle was at Rome at any time but that he was elsewhere above twenty years may be proved by Sacred Scripture and very probably that he was not at Rome when we cannot certainly prove him elsewhere in this or that particular place Obj. Papists out of Eusebius say thus That when Peter had laid the foundation Hart in Conference with Dr. Raynolds c. 6. D. 3. P. 257. of the Church at Antioch where be saâ—e Bishop seven years he went to Rome and preaching the Gospel there twenty-five years continued Bishop of that City Ans To this I answer thus 1. That though Eusebius was a â—â—arned man yet he was a meer man and not infallibly guided in his History and works as the Prophets and Apostles were 2. Eusebius is reproved by Pope Gelasius in a Council of seventy Bishops as false in his History which reproof is proved to be just by Canus viz. For his reporting of Christs Epistle to Agbarus and his avouching many things by Clemens Alexandrinus whereas the fable of the one and the works of the other are reproved by the Council And moreover he writeth in the same Chronicle That Sennacherib who besieged Jerusalem and Salmanassar who took Samaria were one and the same man which Saint * Com. in Isa 36. Jerom hath shewed to be contrary to holy Scripture as Dr. †Confer c. 6. d. 3. p. 258. Reynolds answers Hart. And he saith further That such another oversight is this of Peter ' s being seven years Bishop of the Church of Antioch and 25 years after that Bishop of the Church of Rome and he gives those probable reasons that others do give to prove That Peter was never at Rome He proves the first part of the story to be false and contrary to Sacred Scripture thus Peter by this account should have gone to Antioch about the 4th year after Christs death and there abode seven years even till the second * So Cornel. a Lapide Chron. Actuum Apostolorum pag. 3. year of Claudius the Emperor in †Cornel. a Lapide saith he went to Rome the third of Claudius in his Preface to the first Epistle of Peter which he went to Rome But the holy Scripture sheweth that Paul who was not presently converted after Christs death after three years found Peter at Jerusalem Gal. 1. 18. He went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days And Peter after that abode within the coasts of Jury first at Lydda Act. 9. 38. then at Joppa where he tarried many days Act. 9. 43. then at Caesaria Act. 10. 48. then at Jerusalem Act. 11. 2 where Herod Agrippa cast him into prison in the second or * Cornelius a Lapide saith 't was in the third year of Claudius Chron. Act. Apostolor p. 3. the very time that he removed as he saith from his seven years sitting Bishop at Antioch to Rome and wrote his first Epistle Preface to the 1. Epistle of Peter Vid. Lightf Harmony p. 92. third year of Claudius as it is likely for he died in the fourth when the Church of Antioch was both †plainted and wâ—tered by others and not by Peter viz. by Barnabas and Paul and were called Christians before ever Peter câ—â— there And therefore the first branch of Eusebius his report that Peter having founded the Church of Antioch and that he sate there Bishop seven years in the second year of Claudius is flatly contrary to Scripture And Onuphrius in his Annotations upoâ— Platina in Vitam B. Petri Apostoli saith It is most clear and surely known by the Acts of the Apostles and Paul ' s Epistle to the Galatianâ— that for nine years after Christs death Peter never went out of Jury till the second year of the reign of Claudius and therefore he could not sit seven years Bishop at Antioch before he went to Rome Thus the former part of Eusebius his story being proved false why may not the latter part viz. that Peter after this sate twenty-five years Bishop of Rome be also false To which I
the History if it may be so called for the Text saith that 't was acted and therefore pen'd after the captivity yea after the return of the Jews to Jerusalem as is clear in chap. 4. 3. and chap. 5. 19. and then there was no true Nabucodonosor King of the Assyrians as may be gathered from the Books of Daniel Ezra and Nehemiah And 't is therefore thought to be but a * Bishop Prideaux Fascic controvers c. 1. q. 2. p. 16. fiction or meer Romance and was intended to procure favour from the Roman Emperour or his Deputy in the Jews Country for the distressed Jews which was the drift of Achiors good speech and counsel or else to work their ruin by some such crafty and deceitful and bloody woman as Judith was and by such wicked practises as she is said to use as may be gathered from Chap. 8. 35. in chap. 9th 2. Judith prayeth unto God and therein commends the deceitful and cruel fact of Simeon Gen. 34. which God the Holy Ghost by righteous Jacob condemns Gen. 49. 5. And also prayeth God to prosper her feigned tales and lies Give into my hand the power that I have conceived smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with the Prince and the Prince with the servant break down their stateliness by the hand of a woman and make my speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe who purposed evil things against thy Covenant Chap. 12. 3 4 9 10 13. And chap. 10. 12 13. she tells two or three lyes to compass her design And she said I am a woman of the Hebrews and am fled from them for they shall be consumed There is one lye at least And I am come to Holophernes the chief captain of your army to declare words of truth There 's another lye And I will shew him a way whereby he shall win all the Hill-country without losing the body or life of any man There 's another lye And in chap. 11. there are many more lyes yea a most abominable series of treachery swearing flattering aequivocating and dissembling and all covered with the fair pretence of Religion to the great dishonour of God and the scandal of Religion the opening of the mouths of the wicked to blaspheme and speak evil of God Religion and good men I pray read the words and seriously consider them and then judg whether they do not tend more to the destruction than the edification of the ignorant hearers and readers and teach more evil than good manners vers 5. Then Judith said unto Olophernes receive the words of thy servant and suffer thine handmaid to speak in thy presence and I will declare no lye unto thee this night v. 6. And if thou wilt follow the words of thine handmaid God will bring the thing perfectly to pass by thee and my Lord shall not fail of his purposes v. 7. As Nebucodonosor King of all the earth liveth and as his power liveth who hath sent thee for the upholding of every living thing for not only men shall serve him by thee but also the beasts of the field and the cattel and the fowls of the air shall live by thy power under Nebucodonosor and all his house v. 8. For we have heard of thy wisdom and thy policies and it is reported in all the earth that thou only art excellent in all the Kingdom and mighty in knowledg and wonderful in feats of war v. 9. Now as concerning the matter which * Chap. 5. 18 1â—â— Achior did speak in thy counsel we have heard his words for the men of Bethulia saved him and he declared unto them all the words that he had spoken v. 10. Therefore O Lord and Governour reject not his word but lay it up in thine heart for it is true for our Nation shall not be punished neither can the sword prevail against them except they sin against their God v. 11. And now that my Lord be not defeated and frustrate of his purpose even death is now fallen upon them and their sin hath * It meets not overtakes them if this be true overtaken them wherewith they will provoke their God to anger whensoever they shall do that which is not fit to be done 12. For their victuals fail them and all their water is scant they have determined to lay hands upon their cattel and purposed to consume all those things that God hath forbidden them to eat by his Laws v. 13. And are resolved to spend the first fruits of the corn and the tenths of the wine and oyl which they had sanctified and reserved for the Priests that serve in Jerusalem before the face of our God the which things it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to †Did not David and his men eat the shew-bread and did he sin in so doing did not our Saviour justifie them in eating of it in that extremity Mat. 12. 3 4. and were not these besieged Bethulians in as great extremity as David and his men were Which place plainly shews that a rigorous observation of Ceremonies must give place to necessity saith Diodate upon the place touch with their hands v. 14. For they have sent some to Jerusalem because also they that dwell there have done the like to bring them a license from the Senate 15. Now when they shall bring them word they will forthwith do it and they shall be given thee to be destroyed the same day But now comes the double iniquity 16. Wherefore I thine handmaid knowing all this aâ—â— fled from their presence and God hath sent me to work * Had King James who discovered the Papists Powder-treason heard her he would have examined her a little and found out her dissimulation Had any Nonconformists uttered such words in any of their works Mr. Debater would no doubt have cried out Treason treason c. and yet to the reading of this he gives assent and consent for instruction of people in manners Art 6. B. Prideaux Fasc cont c. 1. q. 2. p. 16. things with thee whereat all the earth shall be astonished and whosoever shall hear it 17. For thy servant is religious and serveth the God of heaven day and night Now therefore my Lord I will remain with thee and thy servant will go out by night into the valley and I will pray unto God and he will tell me when they have committed their sins v. 18. And I will come and shew it unto thee then thou shalt go forth with all thine army and there shall be none of them that shall resist thee v. 19. And I will lead thee through the midst of Judea until thou come before Jerusalem and I will set thy throne in the midst thereof and thou shalt drive them as sheep that have no shepherd and a dog shall not so much as open his mouth at thee for these things were told me according to my foreknowledg and they were declared unto me
the pure Word of God as they do in Ecclesiasticus 25. which is appointed to be read only to the 13 verse And in Ecclâ—s 30. which is to be read only to 18th verse And Ecclâ—s 46. which is to be read only to v. 20. where the 20th verse which saith That Samuel prophesied after his death and shewed the King his death and lift up his voice from the earth to prophesie to blot out the wickedness of the people is omitted because as I suppose the ancient Fathers have judged it to be contrary to the pure Word of God and if upon that account that be left out 't is thought that upon the same account Chap. 48. should be cut off at v. 13. or that left out which saith that nothing as the old Translation and as Junius hath it ulla res or as the last hath it No word could overcome Elizeus and that after his death his body prophesied For every Book of the Apocrypha hath falshoods in Doctrine or History as the learned †Sum of Christ Relig. p. 14. 15. A. B. Vsher saith and shews in many particulars in every Book where 't is observed by him and Jerome and Bishop * Fascic controv c. 1. q. 2. p. 14. Prideaux that Philo the Jew who lived since Christ is judged the Author of the Book of Wisdom though he would make the world believe that †See the Title and c. 9. the old Translation Solomon was the Author of it Now I pray give me leave to propose to the godly wife some few passages I have glanced upon in reading that Book whether they are agreeable to Gods pure Word 1. Whether that be true and agreeable to Sacred Scripture That God made not death Wisd 1. 13. seeing it is said Gen. 2. 17. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die And Heb. 9. 27. It is appointed unto all men once to die and after that to judgment Pray who but God hath appointed it and whether God may not as well be said to make death as darkness Gen. 1. Exod. 10. 21 22. Josh 24. 7. Psal 104. 20. Thou makest darkness 2. Whether there be no poyson of destruction in any of Gods creatures as 't is said there is not Wisd 1. 14. seeing Adders Asps Serpents Toads Spiders c. have poyson in them as is evident Deut. 34. 24 33. Job 20. 16. Psal 58. 4. Psal 140. 3. Rom. 3. 13. And was not King John poysoned to death 3. Whether that be a true and a good expression and agreeable to Gods pure Word which is in Wisd 2. 2. For we are born at all adventures in the Latin 't is thus Casu nati sumus i. e. We are born by chance Seeing the expression sounds very ill among Christians who deny chance and ascribe all events to Gods Providence the Scriptures indited by the infallible Magic Phis l. 1. c. 3. p. 57. Spirit of God being the rule alone for Doctrine and manners to them saying That a sparrow doth not fall to the ground without the Providence of God and that our hairs are numbred Mat. 10. 29 30. And that God begat us and formed us Deut. 32. 18. Isa 44. 2. And Job telle us that God brought him out of the womb Job 10. 18. Now I hope you will not say that God doth cause any thing by chance or at all peradventure because all things are ordered and come to pass according to the counsel of God Act. 2. 23. Act. 4. 28. and the †Sum of Christian Relig. p. 109 110. Reverend and learned A. B. Vsher whom we Christians should credit more than Philo the Jew saith expresly That nothing cometh to pass by meer hap or chance but as God in his eternal knowledg and just will hath decreed before should come no pass And that of wise Solomon Prov. 16. 33. is very remarkable The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. 2. The words are not true quoad nos homines but sound very ill in the School of Philosophy as well as of Divinity for Philosophers tell us That chance is a cause by accident of those things which are undertaken without election or counsel and an effect by accident is that which doth happen besides the intention of the agent And they make this difference between Fortune and Chance That fortune is ascribed to those things that are endued with reason and will as when a man digs a Well and finds a treasure finding the treasure an effect they say iâ— by accident and is by them ascribed to Fortune And Chance they say is a cause of the events which do happen about things that are destitute of will and reason as when a glass falls from a table upon the ground yet is not broken this they say is an effect by accident and is by them ascribed to Chance But now we have reason and will when we are born and our parents also who are the chief agents in our birth have reason and will and do act in our births not only as natural agents but also as rational creatures and are causes by themselves of our births for they do effect Causae per se our births by their own faculty that is by nature or counsel and they do not effect our births by accident by a strange faculty that is besides the propension of nature or purpose of mind neither do we our selves in our births so act for we have a natural inclination when our Months are finished to be born and our Parents have the like natural propension to bring us forth and therefore we cannot be truly said to be born by chance or at all adventure or by fortune and if so then our births should be effects by accident that is happen besides the intention and expectation of the agent which cannot be for our birth is intended and expected 3. Besides too I do not remember the word applied to all among us but only to bastards who indeed in our common discourse are said to come or to be born by chance but untruly too as is shewed above But this sense would sound very ill among us if applied to all persons how to make a true and good sense of the words I know not 4. Whether that be an universal truth and agreeable to Gods word in Wisd 3. 12 13. to be read October 14. speaking of the ungodly that despise wisdom thus Their wives are foolish and their children wicked and their off-spring cursed Was not Abigail the wife of churlish drunken ingrateful Nabal a wise and chaste woman who by her prudence pacified incensed David and saved her husbands and servants lives and restrained him from shedding innocent blood And was Jonathan the Son of Saul a wicked man and cursed was King Hezekiah the Son of wicked King Ahaz a wicked and cursed child Is it not directly contrary to Gods pure Word which shews that Ahaz was a
wicked man and that Hezekiah was an eminently godly man and King as may be seen 2 King 16. 20. 2 King 18. 2 Chron. 〈◊〉 ult 2 Chron. 29. 2 Chron. 30. 2 Chron. 31. 20. And was Abijah the Son of wicked Jeroboam who made Israel to sin a wicked child and curseâ— off-spring Doth not the Lord say of him thus That all Israel 〈◊〉 mourn for him for he only shall come to the grave because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam 1 King 14. 13. Doth it not hence follow that none of the wives of wicked men are wise and none of their children shall be saved â—nd it will not shift it off by saying that the words are only indefinite and sound no more but this that some wicked mens wiveâ— are foolish that is light and wanton and that some of wicked mens children are wicked and cursed for so it may be said of truly godly mens wives and children as we may see in Davids and Solomons and then what punishment or discouragement is this more to the ungodly than to the godly and therefore that is not the sense and was not the meaning of the Author but the former which is false and not agreeable to Gods pure word of truth 5. Whether that in Wisd 3. 16 17 18 19 verses be agreeable to the pure word of God which is As for the children of adulterers they shall not come to their perfection and the seed of an unrighteous bed shall be rooted out for though they live long yet shall they be nothing regarded and their last age shall be without honour or if they die quickly they have no hope neither comfort in the day of trial For horrible is the end of the unrighteous generation Now I pray are these things universally true of Bastards or not that they are not so 〈◊〉 A. B. Vsher saith of this see his cruel sentence against Bastards Sum. of Ch. Relig. pag. 16. consider 1. That Jephthah was a bastard Judg. 11. 1 2. and yet he came to his perfection and though he was cast out so as he did not inherit his fathers land yet he lived long and he was regarded and his last age was with honour for he was a valiant vertuous and victorious man and was chosen first by the Gileadites to be General of all their forces and afterward he was chosen Judg of all Israel and he ruled Israel six years ond he had hope and comfort in the day of tryal for he is reckoned by the Apostle amongst those believing worthies of whom he saith that the world was not worthy of them Heb. 11. 32 38. he was endued with the spirit of prudence and fortitude yea and was a truly godly man as appears by his prudent and just dealing with the Ammonites and his conscientious keeping of his rash vow though 't was so much against his own interest and disadvantageous to his only child And his death was not more horrible than other mens the Scripture speaks no evil of his death as it doth of several wicked mens Sauls Ahabs Achitophels Jehorams Jezabels and Judas's and others but only that he died after he had judged Israel six years and that he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead his own country 2. 'T is against the express Text of Scripture and scope of the Spirit of God in Ezek. 18. 4 8 17 20. which saith That it shall be no more said that the parents have eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edg For the soul that sinneth it shall die The children shall not be punished for the fathers fault 3. Adulterers and Adulteresses that were infamous by their own fault have had hope and have been saved as we may see in K. David and Rahab and therefore sure Bastards that are not infamous through their own default but only as such through the sin of their Parents may have hope and may through Gods mercy upon their repentance for their own sins and faith in Christ be saved too eternally 4. If this of Philo were universally true then no man could ordinarily be fully perswaded and sure of his Salvation which is a Doctrine that may bring true born children into an uncomfortable condition and make them almost without hope and bring them to a terrible end 5. Pharez the son of Judah begotten adulterously upon â—is Daughter-in-law Tam. r was a bastard Ceâ— 38 and yet was no 〈◊〉 miserable person as the Author of the Book of Wisdom describes a bastard to be For he was a hopeful yea a blessed man God so blessed Pharez that among the Posterity of Judah it was said in craving a blessing on a family Let thy house be like the house of Pharez whom Tamar bare unto Judah Ruth 4. 12. Yea he was honoured with being one of our Lord and Saviour Christs Progenitors according to his humane nature as ye may see by comparing Ruth 4. 18 19 20 21 22. 1 Chron. 2. 4 5. Mat. 1. 3. Luk. 3 33. 6. Whether that in Wisd 8. 19 20. said to be spoken of Solomon as the The ninth Chapter is called Solomon's Prayer in the old Translation words preceding and succeeding shew be agreeable to Gods pure word viz. For I was a witty child and had a good spirit yea rather being good I came into a body undefiled and do not rather savour of much base pride and be not directly contrary to true Solomon's Doctrine Prov. 27. 2 Let another man praise thee and not thy own mouth a stranger and not thine own lips and do not smell very rankly of the * Upon this account Bishop Prideaux condemns this Book Fascic controv c. 1. q. 2. p. 14. Pythagoreans and the Pharisees error who held That the souls of good men when they die go not immediately to heaven and there remain but into the bodies of other good men as †De Bello Judaico l. 2. c. 7. Josephus relates of the Pharisees Yea and do not virtually deny original sin for he saith that he had a good spirit which I take to be meant of his soul for 't is in the Latin Bonam animam fortitus eram and that he was good i. e. of a good soul and that he came into a body undefiled i. e. with sin what else is or can be the meaning For I am of their opinion that hold that the first sin of Adam our common father was and is imputed to all us his posterity descending from him by ordinary generation and that we naturally want that original righteousness which was in Adam and that we are prone to sin which proneness to sin is propagated to us by or with the seed of our Parents Of which to discourse here would take up too much time and paper but this I do but hint I intend the Pharisees error which I conceive is not agreeable to the pure Word of God in Zach. 12. 1.
afterward when A B. Vsher drew up the Articles of Ireland to which all the Clergy there in Convocation assembled yielded assented and subscribed as was shewed before And the reason why he yielded not to them at the Conference at Hampton-Court was because he did not understand what they were Conference Ibid. p. 40. 2. He wished that the Doctrine of Predestination might be very tenderly handled and with great discretion lest on the one side Gods Omnipotence might be called in question by impeaching the Doctrine of his eternal Predestination or on the other a desperate presumption might he arreared by inferring the necessary certainty of standing and persisting in grace Conf. p. 30. 3. He saith That Predestination and Election dependeth not upon any qualities actions or works of man which be mutable but upon Gods eternal and immutable decree and purpose Conf. p. 43. 4. This I suppose was one great reason why learned King James called Arminius his Scholars Atheistical Hereticks in his Declaration against Vorstius Because 1. Their conditional and incompleat Election of singular persons and not peremptory until at the last they do persevere doth by necessary consequence deny Gods nature For let it be granted as they distinguish and say That Gods eternal Decree of Election of particular persons be not absolute but only conditional if they do believe and not peremptory and compleat till they do believe and persevere in believing and to the hour of death and that this their faith and perseverance doth depend upon mans Free-will which is very corrupt uncertain and changeable and which they say may and doth determine it self always as it pleaseth and may finally resist Gods will and offers of Grace then it will follow that Gods knowledg is very confused and uncertain that he doth not distinctly and certainly know whether this or that man will or shall believe in Christ and persevere in holiness and that therefore he doth but conditionally elect him to eternal Salvation viz. if he do believe in Christ and persevere and not peremptorily until he see him do so and then it will follow that God is not omniscient and that there is a separable accident in God and that God is compounded of subject and accident and not a perfect and simple essence and so not God which is contrary to Sacred Scripture Job 6. 64. But there are some of you that believe not for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him And 2 Tim. 2. 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his Which two places of Scripture do plainly shew that the Lord doth distinctly and certainly know who are elected and who are reprobated and who would believe in Christ and who would not believe in him and this too from the beginning And their Doctrine of resistibility viz. that the will of Gods elect can finally resist Gods will denies consequentially Gods Omnipotence and makes man stronger than God which is contrary to that of our Saviour Joh. 10. 29 30. My Father which gave them me is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand I and my Father are one And so they run directly against King James his words which they have brought out of the Conference at Hampton-Court before mentioned where he willed That the Doctrine of Predestination should be handled tenderly lest Gods Omnipotence should be called in question 3. Their Doctrine of Gods incomplete and revocable decree of Election makes God mutable which is contrary to Mal. 3. 6. I the Lord change not Jam. 1. 17. With God there is no variableness nor shadow of turning To this may be added that which the industrious and judicious Author of the Book intituled the * C. 7. S. 6. p 210 211. Practical Divinity of the Papists tells us that Papists have too much of forcery and inchantment in their Sacramentals and such like things as in Consecrated water Salt Oyl Bread Waxen-tapers branches of Trees Roses Bells Medals and Agnus Dei's To such things as these they ascribe marvelous and supernatural effects a virtue to save and sanctifie fouls to blot out sins to expel Devils to cure diseases to secure Women in travel to preserve from burning and drowning Pope * De Consecrat D. 3. C. aqua Alexander in the Decrees which they ascribe to him asserts that water mixed with salt and consecrated doth sanctifie the people purifie the unclean break the snares of the Devil and bring health to body and soul The form of exorcising salt which we have in their authorized Books tells us it is exorcised that it may be to all that take it both health to body and soul The exorcised water is to take away all the power of the Devil and root him out Pope Vrban the fifth lib. 1. de Ceremoniis cap. ult tells us that an Agnus Dei drives away Lightning and all malignancy delivers pregnant Women destroys the force of fire secures from drowning and which is more destroys sin even as the blood of Christ doth Bellarmine * De cultu Sanctor l. 3. c. 7. p. 1594. saith they are of power for blotting out venial sins for the chasing away Devils for the curing of Diseases Others †Tribuitur Thom Cajetan Soto in Suarez T. 3. Disp 15. S. 4. ascribe to them a power to excite gracious motions even ex opere operato Now it is acknowledged that the natural power of these things cannot reach such effects and that there is no virtue in or of themselves to produce them no more than there is in such things by which Magicians and Conjurers work their strange seats Nor hath the Lord instituted them or any where promised to impower them for such purposes no more than he hath promised to make the charm of any sorcerer effectual for marvelous operations Bellarmine * Ibid. ubi supra confesseth that such things have their force not by any promise of God expressed And Suarez †Ib. p. 187. saith the effect thereof is not founded in any special promise of God because as he had said it doth not appear there is any such promise And they confess there is a tacit Invocation of the Devil in using things for effects to which they have no power natural or Divine There is such an Invocation of the Devil saith Cajetan * Sum. verbo Divinatio when one useth any thing or word as having power for an effect for which it appears not to have any virtue either natural or Divine And so Silvester †Sum. verbo supersâ—â—cio after Aquinas if the things made use of for such effects appear to have no power to produce them it follows that they are not used for this purpose as causes but as signs or Sacramentals and consequently they belong to some compact with the Devil And this even the Jesuits will acknowledg Thus Cardinal