may be vowed vnto God but virginity is more acceptable to God then mariage therefore it may be vowed He nameth an exception to the first proposition if we be able to performe it and saith that it is before confuted but his confutation commeth too short and it still standeth good that continency is a thing whereof we cannot promise the ability to our selues and therfore cannot make any lawfull vow thereof But letting that passe let vs examine the proofes of his minor proposition that virginity is more acceptable to God then mariage He bringeth first the words of S. Paul b 1. Cor. 7.38 He that ioineth his virgin in mariage doth well but he that ioineth her not doth better and concerning the widow c Ver. 40. she shall be more blessed if she so abide in my iudgment We heare the words but yet we see not any proofe therein of that which M. Bishop would proue by them We know that liberty is better and more blessed then bondage and yet liberty is not more acceptable to God then bondage or the free-man then the bondman d Act. 20.35 It is a more blessed thing as our Sauiour saith to giue then to receiue and yet it followeth not that he that giueth is more acceptable to God or more blessed with God then he that receiueth S. Paul himselfe giueth vs to vnderstand in what respects he meaneth better and more blessed First when he saith e Ver. 26. It is good for the present necessity that mariage be forborne by them that can forbeare f Hieron cont Heluid sub fineÌ„ Quae est ista necessitas Vae praegnantibus lactentibus in die illa Jdeò sylua succressit vt postea recidatur Ideò ager seritur vt metatur Iam plenus est orbis terra nos non capit Quotidie bella nos secant morbi subtrahunt naufragia absorbent c. What is this necessitie saith Hierome Woe saith he to them that be with child and to them that giue sucke in that day Therfore the wood groweth that it may afterwards be cut downe Therefore is the field sowed that it may afterwards be reaped The world is full the earth containeth vs not warres are still hewing vs downe diseases take vs away shipwrackes swallow vs vp He giueth hereby to vnderstand that the Apostle meaneth this necessitie of the troubles that are incident to the faithfull by persecutions other temporal calamities the bearing wherof is so much the more easie by how much the lesse a man is distressed and distracted with care of wife children hath therby no hinderance but that either by life or by death he may freely do that that shall be according to God Againe to signifie his meaning the Apostle further saith g Ver. 28. The maried shall haue tribulation in the flesh but I spare you h Ver. 32. I would haue you to be without care The vnmaried careth for the things of the Lord how he may please the Lord but the maried careth for the things of the world how he may please his wife i Ver. 35. I speake for your commoditie that ye may cleaue to the Lord without separation By all which words the Apostle importeth that there are many cares and distractions incident to mariage whereby a man is holden to the respect of the things of this life and of the world that he cannot so wholy addict himselfe to God From these distractions single life if a man will so vse it is more free and giueth a man full liberty of applying himselfe entirely to those things wherin consisteth the seeking of the kingdome of heauen Thus therefore single life is better and more blessed because there is in it greater oportunity of following those good things wherein consisteth the attainment of eternall blisse Thus the father doth better that continueth his daughter being so willing vnmarried because he leaueth her at full liberty to bestow her self to the Lords vse Thus the widow is more blessed if she so abide because she is more free to serue the Lord. But M. Bishop telleth vs that twelue hundred yeares ago S. Austine of set purpose confuted this error and specially in his Treatise de Virginitate whence he nameth sundry chapters 13. 23. 24 25. Where it appeareth that M. Bishop neither vnderstandeth what we say nor what it is that S. Austin confuteth S. Austines speech his against the k Aug. de sanct Virgiuit cap. 13. Qui putant continentiae bonum non esse necessarium propter regnum coeloruÌ„ sed propter praesens seculum quod scilicet ceniugid terrenis curis pluribus atque arctioribus distenduntur qua molestia virgines continentes carent who thinke that the benefite of continencie is not needfull for the kingdome of heauen but onely for this present world because mariage is distracted with many earthly and troublesome cares the incumbrance whereof virgins and continent persons do auoide in a word as afterwards he expresseth it that l Ibid. cap. 24. Praesenti vitae vâ—le esse non futurae it is profitable for this life not for the life to come Now when we say that single life where the gift of continency is is more helpfull and yeeldeth greater oportunity to the seruice of God do we make it profitable for this life only and not for the life to come Hath the seruice of God a reference onely to this world and do we follow Châ—ist onely for a benefit in this life Indeed we should be far wide if we thought that the end to which the Apostle driueth shold be an idie voluptuous life but we determin that the preferment of continency single life so coÌ„cerneth this present life as that it specially respecteth eternal life We recken not of the preferment thereof in respect of this life but all the account that we make of it is in respect of the life to come knowing that by how much the more industriously and incessantly we apply our selues to the worke of God so much the greater reward of glorie we shall haue with him not by reason of anie merite or desert but by the heauenly disposition of that voluntarie grace and mercy which hath promised that m 1. Cor. 15.58 our labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord because n Cap. 3.8 euery man shall haue his wages according to his worke S. Austin therefore in confuting them that say that the benefite of continencie is onely for this life saith nothing against vs. He accouÌ„teth him no Christian saith M. Bishop that doth contradict Christ promising the kingdom of heauen to Eunuches Though those be no words of Austin yet we will aske him for what Christ doth promise them the kingdome of heauen Doth he promise it to them for being Eunuches Surely then many should come to the kingdome of heauen who neuer had anie beliefe thereof It is not then their being Eunuches that Christ respecteth but
THE SECOND PART OF THE DEFENCE OF THE REFORMED CATHOLICKE VVherein the Religion established in our Church of England for the points here handled is apparently iustified by authoritie of Scripture and testimonie of the auncient Church against the vaine cauillations collected by Doctor Bishop Seminary Priest as out of other Popish writers so specially out of Bellarmine and published vnder the name of The marrow and pith of many large volumes for the oppugning thereof By ROBERT ABBOT Doctor of Diuinitie Tertul. de praescript aduer haeret Haereses de quorundam infirmitatibus habent quod valent nihil valentes si in benè valentem fidem incurrant ANCHORA SPEI LONDINI Impensis Georg. Bishop 1607. TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTIE MONARCH MY MOST DREAD and Soueraigne Lord IAMES by the grace of God King of great Britaine France and Ireland Defender of the faith MOST puissant and renowmed King albeit my qualitie and gifts are of meaner sort and worth then that I should thereupon presume thus often to solicite your Maiesties acceptation of my foretimely and vndigested fruits yet sith this businesse was by your Maiesties appointment first commaunded and one part thereof is alreadie become sacred vnto you the remainder could not in dutie be recommended to anie other then to the same most benigne and fosterous aspect of your Royall Grace In the former part I haue indeuored to cleare those mists and clouds which Doctor Bishops maleuolent breath out of the foggie vapours of their Romish filthie lakes had blowne amongst vs in his Epistle Dedicatorie to your Highnesse whereinto he had contriued in a generalitie very many malicious and blind cauils whereby he would perswade your Maiestie that the Religion by your lawes established is not consonant to the auncient and first approued truth In this latter part I haue laboured the examination and confutation of his whole booke wherein as he hath taken vpon him more particularly to oppugne the doctrine of our Church in diuers and sundrie points which are questioned betwixt vs so I haue studied according to the talent which God hath giuen me to make it plainly appeare in the same points that the cause which he maintaineth hath very slender and weake support that his fortifications of defence are but earth and clay and his offensiue weapons but as strawes and rushes and that he had more care to write a booke then conscience to weigh the force and truth of that he wrote Which that it may not be imputed to any inhabilitie of his but to the badnesse of the cause it selfe he himselfe professeth that he giueth to his Reader therein a Preface to the Reader the marrow and pith of many large volumes hauing indeede transcribed the greatest part thereof out of Bellarmines disputations who is now become their common oracle and the chiefe fountaine whereat they all draw Which may well be wondered at in Doctor Bishop that he being a secular Priest and with the rest lately caried with that importunate furie against the Iesuites and hauing bene in that cause a principall vndertaker aboue the rest should notwithstanding now be content to grace them so farre as to furnish himselfe out of their armourie to fight against vs. But it hath well enough appeared that their quarell was but to serue a turne wherein failing of their purpose albeit they haue discouered the Iesuites to be so wholly composed of fraud and villanie as should iustly cause all men to shunne and detest them yet they haue yeilded to be gathered with them againe to the feathering of one wing and though haply they be no otherwise tied together but like b Iudg. 15.4 Samsons foxes taile to taile their rancor inwardly continuing such as that they can hardly one with good countenāce behold the other yet they agree together to carrie fire betwixt them to burne and consume the heritage of the Lord. Which fire notwithstanding we hope by the mercie of God through your Maiesties religious and godly care shall be but as the fire of gun-powder against the wind returning vpon the faces of them by whom it was kindled For although the endeuours of these malignant spirits seeme apparently to tend to the detriment and danger of the Church of Christ yet that God who in the beginning c 2. Cor. 4.6 commanded the light to shine out of darknesse and when he had made all things very good and nothing but good yet gaue way to sinne and euill that thereout he might draw some further good the same God euen now turneth to the good of many that which they intend for euill it coming hereby to passe that the Scriptures are more diligently searched the truth more instantly preached and defended the Pastors of the Lords flocke occasioned more carefully to stand vpon their watch the desires of many people inkindled to find certaine resolution of the things which are so greatly questioned and though some fal away who being but d Tertull. de praescr Auolent quantum volent paleae leuis fidei c. chaffe of light beleefe haue but wanted winde to blow them out of the floore yet many more by the displaying and laying open of the trecheries and deceits of such impostors are confirmed in the faith and do learne the more deeply to detest the mystery of iniquitie whilest they see the poysoned and deadly fruites that grow out of that ground Which since they haue bene growne to so full and perfect ripenesse could not but haue their time to fall and the fall thereof hauing bene hitherto so happily begunne we hope shall vnder your Maiesties gouernement much more prosperously succeed and that God wil go forward to shake off e Deut. 32 32 33. the bitter and cruell grapes of the vine of Sodome that men may no longer gather thereof to their owne destruction In the meane time your Maiesty hath seene and must expect yet further to see f Apoc. 12.7 the dragon and his angels fighting against Michael and his Angels and g ver 15. out of his mouth as it were out of a brimstone lake casting out malice slander as flouds of water to drowne the woman and her seed and so much the more enraged because he conceiueth in likelihood h ver 12. that he hath but a short time and that the day is at hand which the Lord hath promised which shal i Iere. 51.6.11 bring vpon Babel the vengeance of the Lord the vengeance of his temple The Lord make good his word the Lord hasten his work that we may see it that that k Apoc. 17.4 purple harlot first founded in bloud and paricide and hauing since by an vnquenchable thirsting after bloud made her self the slaughter house l Ibid. 18.24 of the Saints and Martyrs of Christ may of her owne children drinke bloud her belly ful that m ver 20. the heauens may reioyce and the holy Apostles Prophets seeing the iudgement of God vpon her
casting her with violence into the sea neuer to rise againe And you most noble King in whom God hath turned the period of time which threatned alteration and danger to our state gouernment to the further strength and establishment thereof and hath lifted your throne far aboue the thrones of your royall Progenitors and hath made you in a manner the ballance of the Christian world consider that it is vndoubtedly for some great work that in his prouidence he hath so disposed it and thereto apply those singular ornaments and endowments of the mind wherein you excell all that haue bene before you God hath made your Highnes able to espie and discerne the conicatching deuices of those bastard Catholik seducers we assure our selues that in your self in your royall posteritie it shall be found to the great aduancement of the faith and kingdome of Iesus Christ Wherein that our hope may not be frustrate we most humbly beseech almighty God to put into your Maiesties heart not to be too secure of them who account it a martyrdome to die for the murthering of Christian Princes and in the shedding of your sacred bloud would think themselues to haue gained the one half of their desires content perhaps by instructions for a while to temporize and to make shew of meaning no harme till the memory of their late villany being somewhat ouerblowne they may be the lesse suspected but hauing already giuen to vnderstand what your Maiestie shall looke for at their hands if oportunitie should second their designes The Lord auert and turne that iudgement from vs and n 1. Sam. 25.29 bind your Maiesties soule in the bundle of life with the Lord your God that your eies may long behold that noble Impe of grace the branch of our hope together with the other branches of your royall line growing before the Lord to the further dismay and terror of your enemies and the greater securitie and assurance of the church of Christ As for the seruice which according to your Maiesties commandement I haue here performed albeit it be far from that perfection which the weight of the cause requireth yet I doubt not but it is sufficient to shew on whether part the truth is to be found and to iustifie the proceedings of your Maiesty against the cauillations of wilfull men desperatly shutting their owne eyes that the light of the Gospel may not shine vnto them Whatsoeuer it is it most humbly craueth your Maiesties acceptance and royall protection and fauour whereto with all loyall duty I recommend it and your Highnesse selfe to the protection of the most high God whose cause it is that is defended thereby Your Maiesties most humble and dutifull subiect ROB. ABBOT TO THE CHRISTIAN READER GEntle Reader thou wilt I hope impute it in some part to the condition of the time that I giue thee this answer not altogether so well featured and shaped as thou haply wouldst desire it Though it be a fruite that may seeme to haue bene long in growing yet as the case standeth with me the length of time hath but serued to bring it to his greatnesse and therefore howsoeuer it commeth forth with defiance to the aduersaries yet I confesse it seemeth to me not so throughly digested and seasoned as I would haue wished it to content thee In this defence of Gods truth the things that are specially to be respected against the importunitie and aduantage of our aduersaries are strength and expedition I haue had care as the matter would permit to satisfie thee in both these respects and let my care herein obtaine pardon of thee if I seeme vnto thee to faile in some complements otherwise If thou thinke this my answer needlesse because another man hath already taken paines therein thou must remember that no mans priuate preuention could yeeld me dispensation to be free from doing that which publike authoritie required of me I doubt not but in the reading of either it shal appeare vnto thee what spirit it is wherewith these Romish factors are led in their opposition against vs and that it is not truth and sauing of soules whereto they bend themselues but onely the vpholding of their faction whether by truth or falshood by right or wrong it skilleth not so that that may be performed That thou mayst the better see and iudge of all I haue inserted the whole text of Doctor Bishops booke altogether condemning that falshood and guile which he hath vsed towards M. Perkins and they al vse in their pretence and shew of answering our books in that they neuer set downe the copie of that to which they answer Which policy serueth them to blind the Reader and to gaine libertie to themselues to conceale and dissemble what they list to peruert to vilifie to falsifie and by absurd imputations to calumniate without being controlled As our fidelitie and good conscience of the cause which we handle manifestly appeareth in that we neuer forbeare to publish our aduersaries bookes to the world when we haue adioyned an answer to them so their guilt and guile is manifest by the contrary for that they feare to put forth our bookes with their answers as doubting least the bookes being at hand should bewray and shew the vnsufficiencie of the answers As for Master Perkins booke being loth too much to increase the greatnesse of the volume I haue forborne to put it in the rather for that the substance thereof for the most part may appeare by that that Master Bishop hath set downe and where he faulteth I haue taken occasion in my answer to declare if not the words yet the summe and effect of it the booke it selfe also being easily had by any that is desirous more exactly to compare them The authors conceit for the forme and maner of that work was greatly to be approued and whereas it hath had the liking of very many for the briefe and plaine deliuery of our controuersiall grounds they shall see now that it was not without cause that they caried so good opiniō of it inasmuch as the malice of an enemie out of their many large volumes can find so little matter of waight and substance to say against it I doubt not but it had bene well that in some places he had giuen it some better strength but it is to be considered that as the midwife iudgeth better of the birth then the mother that trauelleth with it and in gaming the stander by sometimes seeth more then he that playeth so it is in writing of bookes that the Reader and examiner seeth sometimes a defect where the busied and intangled minde of the writer obserued none and therefore of welwillers and men indifferent it is to be expected that that which it somewhat vnperfectly deliuered in one place be no impeachment of that which is sufficiently fenced and fortified in another Thou shalt finde it gentle Reader to haue bene so written as that Maister Bishop is faine to vse
thou shalt find in it the marrow and pith of many large volumes contracted and drawne into a narrow roome And reade it ouer as it becometh a good Christian with a desire to find out and to follow the truth because it concerneth thy eternall saluation and then iudge without partialitie whether Religion hath better grounds in Gods word more euident testimony from the purest antiquitie and is more conformable vnto all godlinesse good life and vpright dealing the infallible marks of the best Religion and spedily embrace that Before I end this short preface I must intreate thy patience to beare with the faults in printing which are too too many but not so much to be blamed if it be courteously considered that it was printed farre from the Author with a Dutch composer and ouer seene by an vnskilfull Corrector the greatest of them shall be amended in the end of the booke Before the printing of this part was finished I heard that M. Perkins was dead I am sorte that it commeth forth too late to do him any good Yet his worke liuing to poyson others a preseruatiue against it is neuer the lesse necessary R. ABBOT IF you had respected the glorie of God M. Bishop it should haue appeared by your respect to yeeld soueraigne honour and authoritie to the word of God God is in heauen and we are vpon the earth we haue no knowledge of him no acquaintance or dealing with him but by his word Therein we seeke him and find him therein he speaketh vnto vs and thereout we learne to speake to him If we haue the word of God God is present with vs if we be without the word of God God himselfe is absent from vs. Therefore by our honour and obedience to the word of God it must appeare that we truly and sincerely intend and seeke for the glorie of God Hereby it appeareth that you M. Bishop in this your booke haue not fought for the glorie of God but rather to glorifie a Extrauag Ioan 12. Cū inter in glossa Credere dominum Deum nostrum Papam sic non potuisse statuere c. haereticum censeretur your Lord God the Pope as your Glosse of the Canon law most blasphemously hath stiled him You haue in this worke of yours vsed all maner of vntruth and falshood to vphold and iustifie his wicked proceedings against the word of God Whatsoeuer God hath taught vs whatsoeuer Christ and his Apostles haue deliuered all is nothing if your Lord God the Pope and your master Bellarmine his proctor generall do say the contrary Howsoeuer simply and plainly they speake yet they meane not as they speake if the Pope and Bellarmine will tell you another meaning As for your talent we take it to be greater in your owne opinion and the opinion of your fellowes then it is indeed But whatsoeuer it is you haue abused it to the wrong of him that gaue it not to edification but to destruction not to fortifie any in the faith but to nourish and harden them that depend vpon you in error and misbeleefe not to leade any into the right way but to intice men to b Prou. 2.15 crooked wayes and leud paths which c Ch. 7.27 go downe to the chambers of death and the end whereof is confusion and shame not to withdraw men from fancies but to draw them to other fancies from fancies in conuersation to fancies in religion that so being fed wholy with fancies they may perish in the end for want of true food And indeed men that wander in fancies are the subiect for your malice and trechery to work vpon Many that liue in the oportunitie of the knowledge of Christ yet neglect and despise the same The light shineth into their eyes and they regard it not God offereth himselfe vnto them and they say in their hearts We haue no delight nor pleasure in thee Therefore being emptie and voide of truth they lie open to be filled with error and lies and hauing vnthankfully withholden themselues from God God by iust iudgement giueth them ouer to the hands of impostors and deceiuers that it may be verified which the Apostle saith d 2. Thess 2 1◠Because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued therefore God shall send them strong delusion that they may beleeue lies that they may be damned which beleeued not the truth but tooke pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Your friend of good intelligence and iudgement that thought it very expedient that you should take in hand the confutation of M. Perkins booke spake thereof haply as Caiphas did of the death of Christ meaning it one way which was to fall out another way I doubt not but it will fall out to haue bene very expedient which you haue done because you giue hereby occasion of discouering your false doctrine and of iustifying the truth of Christ which M. Perkins was carefull to maintaine I doubt not but many by this occasion will take knowledge of your corrupt and trecherous dealing your patching and shifting your cosening and deluding of men and will discerne the weaknesse and absurdity of that bad cause which with glorious and goodly words you labour so highly to aduance As for your commendation of M. Perkins booke it is but the imitation of some vaine-glorious captains who to grace their owne victories do set out to the vttermost the aduersaries power and prowesse thinking their glory to be the greater by how much the greater men shall conceiue the might and valour of them to haue bene whom they haue ouercome You dreamed of a victorie here and you thought it to be much for your commendation that your aduersary should be deemed of as great strength as any is to be found amongst vs. But we would haue you to vnderstand that the Church of England neuer tooke M. Perkins booke to be a warriour in complete harnesse or a chalenger for the field but onely as a captaine training his souldiers at home where he wanteth much of that munition and defence wherewith he should endure the brunt of battell He wrote it very schollerlike indeed for an introduction onely to the true vnderstanding and iudgement of the controuersies betwixt vs and you but knew well that it wanted much that might haue bene added to giue it ful and perfect strength You haue taken hereof some aduantage as you conceiue and yet how pitifully are you distressed many times both to vphold that which he obiecteth for you and to answer that which he alledgeth for vs. Now if for the compiling of his booke he bestirred himselfe as the Bee going into other mens gardens for the gathering of hony into his hiue yet he made no Rabbines of them to take any thing for hony because it grew in the garden of such or such a man but vsed carefull and aduised consideration of that which he wrote esteeming the weight of his arguments and of his answers that he might
performed vnto God the transgressing whereof to be a sinne against God not onely mediatly by not yeelding subiection to the Law-giuer but immediatly in the very thing it selfe which it hath done or left vndone It is the prerogatiue of God onely to tie the conscience in this sort and whosoeuer else taketh vpon him thus to do he is an vsurper against God And thus doth the Pope bind mens consciences he maketh his lawes matters of religion and of the worship of God and will haue men beleeue that in the very doing of the things which he commandeth they immediatly please God merit at the hands of God make satisfaction to him for their sinnes and purchase eternall life On the other side that in the trespasse thereof not onely in respect of disobedience to the higher powers but for the very not doing of the things themselues there is sinne against God a breach and wound of conscience and the guilt of euerlasting death This is one speciall matter for which we iustly detest that Romish idol and do chalenge him not onely for sitting in the Temple of God by vsurping an outward superioritie in the visible state of the Church but also for y 2. Thes 2.4 sitting as God in the temple of God by chalenging to himselfe and possessing in such sort as hath beene sayd the consciences of men in which God onely ought to raigne As for Princes and temporall gouernours if they keepe them within their bounds they make no lawes in that kind for causes seeming good vnto them they require outward conformity and obedience to their lawes for conscience sake of the authority committed vnto them of God but they leaue the conscience free from any inward opinion or perswasion of the things themselues wherein they require to be obeyed Here therefore a man is outwardly bound and seruant to the law but inwardly he still continueth free to God being perswaded that the doing or not doing of such or such a thing in and for it selfe maketh him to God neither the better nor the worse and therefore the thing in it selfe being either way indifferent to God he yeeldeth himselfe in the outward man vpon conscience of giuing obedience to the power seruiceable and comformable to the law And this is that Christian libertie which the Scripture teacheth which is not as some men would haue it a licentious immunity in outward things to do euery man what we list but a freedome of the heart from any seruile opinion of any thing that we do The doctrine whereof Luther very excellently propounded in two paradoxes as they seemed to them that vnderstood them not as touching conuersation in outward things that z Luther de libert Christiana a Christian man is free from all men a Lord and subiect to no man And again that a Christian man is a diligent seruant and vassall to all men and subiect to all Inwardly in conscience he is free and bound to nothing but saith a 1. Cor 10.23 All things are lawfull for me Outwardly in conuersation he is bound to that that is expedient and serueth for edification whereby he may yeeld obedience to gouernours loue to neighbours instruction to the ignorant strengthening to the weake comfort to the strong good example to them that are without auoiding all scandall whereby he should cause the libertie whereof he is inwardly perswaded to be blasphemed and slandered Now therefore Princes in their lawes are to be obeyed vpon conscience of their authoritie being from God but this hindereth not but that the Pope is iustly accused for thrusting Christ out of his place by requiring obedience vpon conscience of the things themselues which he commandeth As for the opening and shutting of heauen we doubt not but that the Pope if he be the minister of Christ may chalenge the office and function thereof according to the tenor of the commission wherewith Christ hath left it to his Church But he not contented with that authoritie which Christ hath left indifferently to the ministery of the Church immediatly from Christ himselfe deriued in common to the whole body of the Church vsurpeth vnto himselfe a singularity in this behalfe making himselfe in Christs steed the head from whence the power of binding and loosing is deriued to all the rest and in that respect at his owne pleasure reseruing to himselfe a prerogatiue of speciall cases and causes which are most for his aduantage wherein no man may meddle but himselfe It is true that the master by appointing afterward ouer his houshold or a porter at his gates doth not diuest himselfe of his supreme authoritie but sith it is the peculiar honour of the Lord to giue that power and to determine the offices and places of his seruants surely he who being left but afterward of a house will lift vp himselfe to be a Lieutenant generall of a Realme and of a porter will make himselfe a Potentate and take vpon him to be euen as the Lord himself he is to be taken for no other but a traytor to his Lord and therefore is by his fellow seruants to be resisted in his course This is the Popes case He had the keyes of heauen committed vnto him in common with his fellow seruants to euery man for his part and portion of the Lords house and to the great disturbance and disorder of the house he hath chalenged vnto himselfe the soueraigntie and Lordship of the whole He hath made himselfe master of the Church and all the rest seruants vnto him By this extrauagant and exorbitant power he handleth all things as he list and abuseth the keyes to shut them out of heauen so farre as he can who in the behalfe of their maister do seeke to hinder his wicked and vngodly proceedings What then shall we adiudge him but a traytor to his Lord and maister Iesus Christ vsurping that which is proper to Christ alone In a word M. Bishop must vnderstand that though the Popedome were drowned in Tiber and Babylon were cast as a milstone into the sea yet Christ needeth not to be maister and man to but without the Pope hath seruants enough to attend him in his seruice W. BISHOP Come we now to the second It is that we make Christ an Idoll for albeit we call him a Sauiour yet in vs in that he giues his grace to vs that by our merits we may be our owne sauiours c. I maruell in whom he should be a sauiour if not in vs What is he the Sauiour of Angels or of any other creatures I hope not but the mischiefe is that he giues grace to vs that thereby we may merit and so become our owne sauiors This is a phrase vnheard off among Catholikes that any man is his owne sauiour neither doth it follow of that position that good workes are meritorious but well that we apply vnto vs the saluation which is in Christ Iesus by good wo kes as the Protestants auouch they do
words are not to be vnderstood of that that is not but of that that is and therefore not of Hierusalem which neither is nor shall be as hath bene sayd but of Rome which is and shall bee vntill God bring vpon it the destruction which he hath pronounced For that we are not properly there to vnderstand the place where Christ was crucified beside that we conceiue it by the course of the whole booke k Hieron de 5. quaest Marcellae Omnis ille liber spiritualitèr intelligendus est which as Hierome saith is spiritually to be vnderstood the place it selfe plainely directeth vs thereto The great citie saith S. Iohn which spiritually is called Sodome and Egypt where our Lord also was crucified It is spiritually called Sodome and Egypt and it is spiritually the place where our Lord was crucified Now the citie where our Lord was corporally crucified being vtterly perished there is no other great city to which we haue any reason in speciall maner to referre it spiritually but onely the city of Rome l Rhem. Testam Annot. Apoc. 17. 18. By authoritie of the Romane Empire as the Rhemists rightly acknowledge Christ himselfe was put to death and by the same Romish authoritie the members of Christ were put to death both in Rome it selfe and throughout the whole world The members of Christ are spiritually Christ he reckoneth and accounteth them as himselfe Of the members of his mysticall body he saith m Math. 25.40 In as much as ye haue done it to one of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it vnto me n Acts 9.4 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me o Origen in Ierem hom 11. Per singulis martyres Iesus coÌ„demnatur Si coâ—emnatur Christianus 〈◊〉 tantiâ—â— quod Christianus est Christus est qu. condemnatur In euery of the martyrs Iesus is condemned If a Christian be condemned onely for that hee is a Christian it is Christ that is condemned Therefore those things that are done to the faithfull for the name and faith of Christ are termed p Phil. 3.10 Christs sufferings q 2. Cor. â— 10 the death of the Lord Iesus r Heb. 13.13 the reproach of Christ Å¿ Gal. 6.17 the markes of the Lord Iesus therein they are sayd t Ibid. 2.19 to be crucified with Christ Seeing then the bloud of the martyrs hath bene shed so abundantly in the streetes of Rome it selfe and by authoritie from Rome the like bloud hath bene shed and spilt in the streetes of all other cities and places throughout the world which because they were vnder the dominion of the citie of Rome may well bee called the streetes of Rome therefore Rome aboue all other is the place whereof it may be truly sayd that it is the great citie where spiritually our Lord was crucified and in the streetes whereof the Lords witnesses were slaine And that Christ was crucified at Rome M. Bishop must not deny because he must not deny that which Ambrose reporteth concerning Peters being crucified at Rome He telleth that u Ambros lib. 5. epist 32. in Orat. cont Auxent when the Pagan infidels sought for Peter to put him to death the faithfull requested him that for a while he should go aside and should reserue himselfe to instruct and strengthen the people of Christ Whereupon at night he was going out and seeing Christ to meete him in the gate and to be entring into the citie he saith vnto him Lord whither goest thou x Respondit Christâ— venio Romam uerum crucifiga Intellexit ergò Petrus quod iterum Christus erat crucifegendus in seruulo c. Christ answered I come to Rome to be crucified againe Peter then vnderstood that Christ was in his seruant to be crucified againe Therefore he went backe of his owne accord and when the Christians demaunded the matter he gaue them this answer and being streight wayes taken he glorified the Lord Iesus Sith then that in the crucifying of Peter Christ was crucified and Peter was crucified at Rome it cannot be denied but that Christ also was crucified at Rome and therefore that Rome is rightly called the citie where our Lord was crucified As for that that hee saith that the two witnesses there spoken of are Enoch and Elias it is a meere fable and hath no probabilitie or likelihood of truth Some curious heads finding mention of two witnesses must needs vse their wits to deuise to what two particular men they might apply that name Arethas saith y Areth. in Apo 11. Extraditione praeâ—â—â— Christi inuariabilitèr in ecclesia receptum est Enoch venturum esse cum â—lia Thesbite that it was constantly receiued that they should be Enoch and Elias But Victorinus who was farre more ancient then Arethas telleth vs otherwise z Victorin in Apoc. 11 apud sixt senens B blioth lib. 6. annot 34â— Multiputant vnum ex hic testibus esse EliaÌ„ alterum aut Elizeum aut Moseâ— sed vtrique mortui sunt Jeremiae autem mors non inuenitur quia omnes veteres nostri tradiderunt illuÌ„ esse Ieremiam Many thinke they did but thinke that one of these witnesses is Elias the other either Elizeus or Moses but they are both dead Marry the death of Ieremy is not found for all our ancients haue deliuered that that other is Ieremie Yet a Hilar. in Mat. can 20 Mosen Eliam duos prophetas intelligimus praeuementes aduentum Antichristi c. Hilary thinketh that he that shall come with Elias shall be Moses and no other Such vncertaintie is there in mens presumptions when they will determine of that which God hath said only by their conceipts Very probable it is that it is an allusion to that b Iohn 8.17 that is written in the law as our Sauior saith that the witnesse of two is true God therby giuing to vnderstand that notwithstanding the furie of the beast the crueltie of persecutors tyrants yet he will neuer want two witnesses that is sufficient for the iustifying of his truth We may otherwise though to the same effect refer it to the c Zach. 4.3.12 two oliue branches spokeÌ„ of by the prophet Zachary which did drop oyle into the lampe that was to burne and giue light before the Lord as to signifie that God would prouide alwayes to haue some by whom he would preserue the light of the Church and no lesse vphold it then by the two oliue branches that is the kingdome and the priesthood he did amongst the people of the Iewes S. Austin in his Homilies vpon the Apocalypse if at least he were the author of them expoundeth d August in Apoc. hom 8. Beda in Apo. 11. the two witnesses to be the two testaments whom Beda also followeth therein and that we may know the vanitie of that tale of Enoch and Elias he saith that e August ibid. Excluditur omnis suspicio quorundam qui putant
Archbishops got their places by Simonie and abused them to luxurie and all excesse He complaineth that d Iutâ—stiâ—a insinabilu est plaga ecclesia c. A turpi vita à turpi questu à turpi commercio à negatio denique perambulante in tenebris the plague of the Church was inward and incurable and that by filthie life by filthie lucre by filthie companie and by the matter that walketh in the darke that is by Simonie He concludeth thus e Superest vt tam de medio siat daemonium meridianum ad seducendos siqui in Christo residus sunt adhuc permanentes in simplicitate sua Ipse est Antichristus qui se non solùm diem sed etiam meridiem mentiâ—tur It remaineth that the noone-walking diuell be brought forth to seduce if there be any in Christ yet continuing in their simplicitie The same is Antichrist who shal counterfeit himselfe to benot onely day but noone day and shall be exalted aboue all that is called God c. Againe hauing vpon another occasion afterwards entred into the like discourse of the strange declination of the state of the Church he endeth in like sort f In Psal Qui habitat ser 6. superest vt reueletur homo peccati c. It remaineth that the man of sinne be reuealed the son of perdition c. He saw not that the Pope was Antichrist yet he saw that the Church was then by the gouernment of the Pope as a horse sadled and bridled and fully furnished for Antichrist to get vp and ride vpon Yea and it appeareth by that that M. Perkins secondly citeth that he did not thinke S. Peters chaire to be vncapable of Antichrist in that he saith g Idem epist 125. Bestia illa de Apocalypsi cui datum est os loquutus blasphemias bellum gererecum sinctu Petri sedem occupat tanquam leo paratus ad praedam The beast spoken of in the Reuelation to which is giuen a mouth speaking blasphemies and to make warre with the Saints possesseth the chaire of Peter as a Lion readie to the prey He spake this indeed of the Antipope but yet it appeareth that he saw the time then fitting for the kingdome of Antichrist and that Antichrist might be likely to sit in Peters chaire and therfore was not farre from seeing and deeming that the Pope was Antichrist But what he saw not others had seene before that time when h Auent Annal. lib 5. Plerique tum Hildebrandum pro contione Antichristum esse praedicant titulo Christi inquibat Antichristi negotium agitat In Babylonia in templo dei sedeâ— Super omne id quod col tur extollitur quasi deus sit se errare noÌ„ posse gloriatur c. Quicquid dixerit legem Dei putat c. many in their Sermons as Auentinus saith did publikely deliuer that Hildebrand was Antichrist that vnder the title of Christ he did the businesse of Antichrist He sitteth in Babylon said they in the temple of God he is exalted aboue all that is worshipped as if he were very God he boasteth that he cannot erre whatsoeuer he saith he taketh it to be the law of God The same Auentinus mentioneth that i Ibid. Plerique omnes boni aperti iusti ingenui simplices tum imperium Antichristi coepisse quòd ea quae Christus seruator noster tot annos antè nobis cantauit euenisse eo tempore cernebant memoriae literarum prodidere almost all good and plaine men that dealt iustly ingenuously and simply did then deliuer in writing that the kingdome of Antichrist was then begun for that they saw that those things were then come to passe which Christ our Sauiour had spoken of so many yeares before Long after that he bringeth in Eberhard the Archbishop of Iunauia of whom I spake before saying k Idem lib. 7. Sub Pont. maximi titulo pastoris pelle lupum saeuissimum nisi caeci sumus sentimus HildebraÌ„dus ante annos centum et septuaginta primus specie religionis Antichristi imperij jundamenta iecit c. Flamines illi Babyloniae soli regnare cupiunt ferreparem non possunt c. Qui seruus seruorum est dominus dominoruÌ„ perinde acsi deus foret esse cupit c. Ingentia loquitur quasi vera Deus esset c. Vnder the title of the highest bishop the garment of a shepheard we perceiue if we be not blind a most cruell wolfe Hildebrand saith he a hundred and seuenty yeares ago did first vnder shew of religion lay the foundation of the Empire of Antichrist c. Those Priests of Babylon desire to raigne alone they can indure no equall He that is the seruant of seruants coueteth to be Lord of Lords euen as though he were God He speaketh great words as though he were God euen that wicked man whom they are wont to call Antichrist in whose forehead a name of blasphemie is written I am God I cannot erre Thus l Matthew of Paris sheweth how Robert Grosthead bishop of Lincolne in the time of king Henry the third being extremely afflicted and grieued to see the desolation and confusion of the Church by the practises of the Bishop of Rome a little before his death called some of his Cleargie to him and by argument and reason informed them that the Pope was Antichrist for that he was m a destroyer of soules for that he by his n Non obstante violated and ouerturned all the constitutions of the holy Fathers for that he multiplied o mischiefes and inconueniences in the Church c. I omit many other that might be brought particularly acknowledging and testifying this point but by these it may appeare that both before the time of S. Bernard and after it was a thing amongst good men coÌ„monly beleeued and spoken that the Pope was Antichrist Yea M. Perkins well obserueth that the reason whereby S. Bernard proued Anacletus the Antipope to be Antichrist proueth all the Popes since to haue bene Antichrists because they haue not bene elected according to that forme whereby he then iustified Innocentius to be the true bishop of Rome that is with consent of the Emperor the Princes of Christendome and the whole Cleargie being since chosen by the Cardinals onely And this he further confirmeth by a decree of Pope Nicholas the second for the election of the Pope that it shall be with the liking of the p Dist 33. In nomine saluo seÌ„per honore reuerentia Imperae toris ista siant Emperour and performed by q Electio Romani Pontificis in potestate Cardinalium Episcoporum sit ita vt siquis Apostolicae sedi sinc praemissae concordi canonica electione eorum ac deinde sequentium ordinum religioseruÌ„ Clericorum Laicorum consensu inthroni zatur non Papa vel Apostolicus sed Apostataeus habeatur the Cardinall Bishops but with the consent of the rest of the Cleargie and Laitie and
meant to import by humane actions As touching the first caueat giuen to the third conclusion that in humane actions mans will is weake and his vnderstanding dimme c. he noteth that this caueat is no caueat of the Protestants but taken out of S. Thomas of Aquines He was desirous it seemeth to haue it thought that he had looked into Thomas Aquinas but he was willing withall to shew that he did not well vnderstand what he read there for he that looketh into a Thomas Aqui. 1 2. q. 109. art 4. 8. the places which he quoteth shall easily see that there was little cause for him to say that that is a caueat taken out of Thomas Aquinas there being nothing directly tending to the matter of the caueat expressed by M. Perkins But the Protestants might wel learne that caueat out of their owne experience and if we had not obserued it of our selues we could haue learned it of Philosophers and Poets Historians to say nothing of eccelesiasticall Writers so that we need not to seeke to Thomas Aquinas to borrow it from him But what is that to the purpose seeing we professe our selues well content legere Margaritas ea coeno to gather Pearles euen out the dirt and from M. Bishop himself to take knowledge of any thing worthy our learning if any thing worthy our learning had bin writteÌ„ by him M. Perkins saith that in humane or moral actions with Austin he vnderstandeth the wil of man only wounded or half dead M. Bishop saith he should haue quoted the place the place to which M. Perkins alludeth I take it to be Hypognost lib. 3. where Austine saith that man was wounded and halfe dead b August Hypognost lib. 3 Rectè dictus est sentiuiuus habebat enim vitaleÌ„ motum id est liberum arbitrium â—uburatum morum scilicet ornamentis bono posâ—iâ—litatis liberi arbitrij perditâ— quod ei solum ad vitam aeternam quam perd derat redâ— 8 non sufficiebat because his Free will had still vitall motion but he was wounded in the ornaments of morall actions and lost the benefite of the possibilitie of Free will to returne vnto euerlasting life To the other caueat that the will of man is vnder the will of God and therefore to be ordered by it M. Bishop saith Who knowes not this As if men in deliuering precepts and rules of any kind of learning did not set downe euen triuiall and common things because howsoeuer they be common yet they be necessarie to make a perfect worke and alwaies necessarie for learners when the whole workes are needlesse to them that are alreadie learned And why might not M. Perkins bring in this caueat in a writing against the Papists as well as Hierome did against the Pelagians c Hieron adu Pelag. lib. 2. Vt scramus non ex nobis sed ex Dei cunctâ— pendere iudicio veniam inquit c. Qui enim dicit veniaÌ„ ad vos ostendit se velle mostrat cupere promittit aduentum sed vt cautiùs haec lo quâ—tur infert si Dominus voluerit Si quis enim putat si quid nosse necdum nouit sicut 〈◊〉 Jeoportet That we may know saith he that all things depend not vpon vs but vpon the discretion and will of God the Apostle saith I will come vnto you speedily if the Lord will When he saith I will come vnto you he sheweth his good wil he declareth his desire he promiseth his coming But yet to speake with a caueat he saith If the Lord will For if any man thinke he knoweth any thing he knoweth not yet as he ought to know Yea and S. Austine also thought this point worth the noting against the same Pelagians that d August de grat lib â—bit cap. 20. Scriptura intendit non solù̄ bonus â—ominum voluntates c virumâ—tiam quae conseruant seculiore â—turamita esse in Dei potestate vt eas quo voluerit quando voluerit faciaâ— inclinarâ— c. the wils of men not onely for spirituall and eternall life but as they concerne the preseruing of the creature of the world are in the power of God so as that he causeth them to incline whither he will and when he will either for benefite to some or for punishment to othersome And he thought it not vnfit to exemplifie this matter out of the e Ibid. cap. 20 21 bookes of Iosuah of the Kings and Chronicles how God ordereth the wils of men for the constituting of earthly kingdomes and maketh profitable vse and application thereof that it should be absurd f De Praedest sanct cap. 20. Cogitate quale sit vt credamus ad constituenda regna terrena hominum voluntates operari Deum ad capessendum regnum câ—elorum homines operari voluntates suas to think that God frameth the wils of men for the setling of earthly kingdomes and that men frame their owne wils for the obtaining of the kingdome of heauen And will M. Bishop now turne off Austine and Hierome as he doth M. Perkins with Who knowes not this But his notes yet are but to whet his wit when he is well awaked out of his sleepe haply we shall haue some wiser stuffe W. BISHOP M. P. 4. Conclusion The third kind of actions are spirituall more nearely and these be twofold good or bad In sinnes we ioyne with the Papist and teach that in sinnes man hath freedome of will Some perhaps will say that we sinne necessarily because he that sinneth cannot but sin and that Free wil and necessitie cannot stand together Indeed the necessitie of compulsion and Free will cannot stand together but there is another kind of necessitie or rather infallibilitie which may stand with Free will for some things may be done necessarily and also freely Annot. The example of a close prisoner is not to the purpose for it puts necessitie in one thing and libertie in another The solution is that necessarily must be taken for certainely not that a man is at any time compelled to sinne but his weaknesse and the craft of the diuell are such that he is very often ouerreached by the diuell and induced to sinne but with free consent of his owne will R. ABBOT The comparison of a prison vsed by M. Perkins is most pregnant and fit A man walketh vp and down in close prison and freely moueth and stirreth himselfe yet he hath no power to get out of prison but for ought he can do for himselfe is necessarily there Euen so man is free in sinne and freely willeth whatsoeuer he willeth thereto but sinne is his prison and he cannot free himselfe therefrom nay because the will it selfe is imprisoned he hath no will to be free and therefore of necessitie remaineth still a prisoner to sinne till God do change his will to make him free But M. Bishop disliketh the comparison because it puts necessitie in one thing and libertie in
of God yea the vntruth hereof is so palpable and grosse and contrarie to the common experience of all beleeuers as that we may iustly maruell at the wilfull absurditie of this man in the assertion of it The third reason of our praying continually for forgiuenesse of sinnes is for the obtaining of the fruit effect thereof For so long as we o 2. Cor. 5.7 walke by faith and not by sight we stil pray for the sight of that as touching which we haue now but the comfort of faith and hope We beleeue that we are redeemed both in body and soule yet still we p Rom. 8.23 sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies q August in Psal 37. Gaude te redemptum sed non duÌ„ re spe securu esto Ece nim si no gemueris in spe noÌ„peruentes adrem Ioy that thou art redeemed saith Austine but not yet in reall effect in hope or as touching hope be without all doubt If thou shalt not now grone in hope thou shalt not attaine to the reall effect Thus then by praier we sigh and grone for our redemption who yet by faith beleeue that already we are redeemed So therefore albeit we beleeue that God hath forgiuen vs our sinnes yet still we pray for forgiuenesse of sinnes that that may appeare to vs which we now beleeue The Prophet Dauid giueth vs to vnderstand that r Psal 32.1 forgiuenesse of sinnes is blisse and happinesse and therefore a freedome from all misery and sorow We still liue in misery and sorow and seeme wholly strangers to all title of blisfull state Therefore being still in case as if our sinnes were not forgiuen vs we still pray for forgiuenesse of sinnes that as we haue heard so we may see and by effects may discerne and enioy the same forgiuenesse But here M. Bishop telleth vs that to pray to God to giue vs those things we are assured of by faith is as fond and friuolous as to pray him to make Christ our Lord to be his sonne or that there may be life euerlasting to his Saints in heauen of which they are in full and assured possession Which is so fond and friuolous a speech as that well we may perswade our selues that it neuer came from any wise man For matters of faith are of diuers sorts Some are already fully acted and done and those we onely beleeue we do not pray for them as the creation of the world the birth and death and resurrection of Christ and other such like Other some are beleeued as designed and pronounced by God but not yet fully acted and effected to vs which we so beleeue as that still we pray for them till they be effected praier being nothing else but Å¿ August de verb. Dom. ser 36. Ostendit fideÌ„ fontem â—sse orationuâ—â—eâ— posse â—re ruâ—uÌ„ vb caput aquae siccatur the streame or riuer of faith an issue of the desire of that which ioyfully we beleeue A notable example whereof we see in Dauid who when God had sent Nathan to him to certifie him that he would stablish the kingdome for euer in his house posterity albeit he beleeued ioyfully accepted the tidings hereof yet forbeareth not therfore to pray that it might be so t 2. Sam. 7.25 Now therefore saith he confirme for euer the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy seruant and his house and do as thou hast sayd For thou O Lord of hosts hast reuealed vnto thy seruant saying I will build thee an house therefore hath thy seruant bene bold to pray this prayer vnto thee Therefore now let it please thee to blesse the house of thy seruant that it may continue for euer before thee for thou O Lord God hast spoken it Where we plainely see him praying vnto God that that might be whereof he was assured by faith vpon the promise of God that so it should be and not onely so but did therefore pray because God had reuealed vnto him that it should be so And do we not thinke that Dauid beleeued the word spoken to him from God by the same Prophet when he had admonished him of his grieuous trespasse and he repented u 2. Sam. 12.13 The Lord hath taken away thy sinne and yet afterwards he prayeth x Psal 51.1 Haue mercy vpon me O God after thy great goodnesse according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences Our Sauiour Christ beleeued that his y Ioh. 10 28. sheepe shall neuer perish and therefore that the Father would keepe them and none should take them out of his hands and yet he prayeth z Cap. 17.11 Holy Father keepe them in thy name euen them whom thou hast giuen me He was assured by faith that God would deliuer him from death a Psal 16.10 that he would not leaue his soule in hell nor suffer his holy one to see corruption yet b Heb. 5 7. in the dayes of his flesh did offer vp supplications with strong crying and teares to him that was able to saue him from death and was also heard in that which he feared He was assured by faith that God would glorifie him yet he prayeth c Ioh. 17.5 Now glorifie me O Father with thine owne selfe The Apostle S. Paul was assured by faith that d 2. Tim. 4.18 the Lord would deliuer him from euery euill worke and preserue him vnto his heauenly kingdome yet he ceased not to pray Leade vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill We beleeue by faith and are assured that Christs kingdome shall come yet we daily pray Let thy kingdome come Thus therefore albeit by faith in the promise of God we now rest assured of the remission of sinnes yet because it is not yet reuealed we still pray Forgiue vs our trespasses that we may enioy by realitie and possession what we beleeue we alreadie haue in Gods affection Now albeit these three arguments hitherto be idle and vaine conceits yet for conclusion he commendeth them for substantiall and sufficient to assure euerie good Christian that he well may hope for Saluation doing his duty but may not without great presumption assure him of it by faith But it hath bene alreadie shewed that doing of dutie can yeeld vs neither faith nor hope truely so called because we come so short of the doing of it Therefore Hierome rightly saith that e Hieron in Esa lib. 17. cap. 64. Si consideremuâ— merita nostra desperanduÌ„ est if we consider our owne merites we must needs desfaire But God would haue f August in Psal 88. Non secundum merita nostra sed secunduÌ„ illâ—us mi sericordiam firma est promissio the promise to be sure not according to our merites but according to his mercie He would haue it to depend vpon his promise and his oath g Heb. 6.18 that by two immutable things wherein it
that faith it selfe is a Idem in Psal 31. Laudo fructum boni operis sed in fide agnos coradicem the root whence all good fruit doth grow and how then can they be said to haue true faith of whom it is truly said that they haue no root To be short these are said to beleeue but for a time but of them that truly beleeue it is said b Rom. 9.33 Whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not be confounded and therefore their faith shall neuer faile The next place is lewdly falsified by him alledging that some hauing faith and a good conscience expelling good conscience haue made shipwrack of their faith whereas S. Paul saith not that they had faith and a good conscience but instructeth Timothie for the fighting of a good fight to c 1. Tim. 1.19 haue faith and a good conscience which good conscience some saith he reiecting haue made shipwrack concerning the faith of whom are Hymeneus and Alexander Where by faith as Oecumenius obserueth he meaneth d Oecumen in 1. Tim. 1 Fidem dicit quae est circa dogmata conscientiam vero quae circa conuersationem est Quam inquit conscientiam quae est de rectè viuendo repellentes non nulli Vbi enim quis reprobè vixerit etiam circa fidem nan-fragium facit Siquidem ne terrore futurorum crucientur suo ammo persuadere nuuntur mendacia esse quaecunque apud nos de resurrectione ac iudicio dicuntur a faith or beleefe concerning doctrine and vnderstandeth conscience as touching conuersation which conscience of good life saith he they reiecting made shipwrack of faith For when a man liueth wickedly he maketh shipwrack concerning faith For men that they may not be troubled with the terrour of things to come labour to perswade their owne minds that those things are lies which with vs are spoken concerning the resurrection and iudgement to come S. Pauls words then import that they had professed the faith that is the doctrine of faith the doctrine which in Christianity we beleeue and professe but they held not e 1. Tim. 3.9 the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience they liued lewdly and wickedly in the profession of the faith their consciences were fraught with the guilt of following their owne vngodly lusts and therefore they renounced the faith the doctrine of God that they might not thereby find any crosse or check in their damnable and wicked courses What is this to that true faith whereby we beleeue in Christ to iustification and righteousnesse whereby we repose the trust and confidence of our Saluation in him and do truly call vpon the name of the Lord That they had not this faith it is plaine because S. Paul saith plainly that they reiected a good conscience for a f 1. Tim. 4 1. good conscience is alwaies an inseparable companion of an vnfained faith The greater is the impudency of this brabler who saith as out of the Apostle that they had a good conscience whereas the words of the Apostle are directly contrary to that he saith The other two places are of the same sort g 1. Tim. 1.5 some in the last daies shall reuolt from the faith and h Cap. 6.10 some for couetousnesse haue erred from the faith meaning by faith the doctrine of the Church as where it is said i Act. 6.7 some of the Priests were obedient to the faith and againe k Gal. 1.22 He preacheth the faith which before he destroied and againe l Tit. 1.13 Rebuke them sharply that they may be found in the faith and therefore in the former of those two places he opposeth to faith m 1. Tim. 4.1 the doctrines of deuils that so faith may be knowne to signifie the doctrine which is of God That reuolt thē is frō the faith of publike preaching which wicked men make shew to receiue only by hypocriticall fained faith not frō faith of priuate conscience wherby only true beleeuers make vse of the faith of publike preaching to their owne cōfort and Saluation which is therefore called n Tit. 1.2 the faith of Gods elect because it is found in none but only the elect Thus therefore his places serue not his purpose let vs see now the examples which he alledgeth First he bringeth Saul who he saith at his election was so good a mā as that there was no better then he in Israel and yet became a reprobate But his translation is false for by the very circumstance of the place it is manifest that the holy Ghost there describeth the goodlinesse of Sauls person not the goodnesse of his condition Our translation readeth according to the truth of the text that o 1. Sam. 9.2 he was a goodly young man and a faire so that among the children of Israel there was none goodlier then he from the shoulders vpward he was higher then any of the people Which last words do plainly shew whereto the rest are to be referred So Pagnine translateth it and sheweth that the Hebrew writers do so take it neither doth there appeare any thing whereby we may conceiue spiritually any goodnesse in him at all being from the first crosse and thwart to the commandement of the Lord. The second example is of Solomon of whom he saith that it is probable that he also was a reprobate But that is not probable nay it is altogether vnprobable that so notable a figure of Christ p 2. Sam. 19.24 whom the Lord loued in token thereof gaue him a name q Ver. 25. Iedidiah that is beloued of the Lord of whom in figure of Christ he said r 2. Chro 22.10 I will be his Father and he shall be my Sonne whom it appeareth in the Canticles he acquainted so inwardly with the riches and secrets of his grace that he I say should after be vtterly reprobate and cast away For although God suffered him very greeuously to fall that by the distraction of that kingdome thereby occasioned it might appeare that the kingdome promised was not accomplished in him yet it is more thē probable by that that we read in his book of Ecclesiastes or the Preacher that he wrote that booke as a monument and token of his conuersion and repentance wherein he tooke vpon him the person of a s Eccles 1.12 Preacher for redresse of that which he had offended in the person of a King Further he citeth to his purpose the examples of Iudas the traitour and Simon Magus of whom Saint Luke saith that he beleeued Where we may wonder at his notable impudencie or rather impietie that he maketh Iudas and Simon Magus once members of Iesus Christ Of Iudas our Sauiour Christ saith when he was at the best that t Iohn 6.70 he was a deuill and S. Iohn out of the experience of his whole conuersation that u Cap. 12 6. he was a theefe thereby shewing that it neuer was with any true
the benefits of God looke how farre thou treadest the foote of thy faith so farre thou shalt possesse For as Cyprian saith m Cypr. lib. 2. ep 6. Dat credentibus tantū quantum se credit capere qui sumit God giueth to them that beleeue so much as he that receiueth beleeueth himselfe to receiue He doth therefore vndoubtedly perseuere in faith and prayer who praying for perseuerance beleeueth that he shall receiue the same And this is further confirmed by the words of Saint Iohn n 1. Ioh. 5.14.15 This is the assurance that we haue in him that if we aske anie thing according to his will he heareth vs and if we know that he heareth vs whatsoeuer we aske we know that we haue the petitions that we haue desired of him To which M. Bishop answereth But where doe we find that it is Gods will to assure euerie man at the first entrance into his seruice of eternall Saluation Where the limitation that he vseth at the first entrance into his seruice before also deliuered is but an idle tricke of his vagating wit For the question is not of assurance at the first entrance into Gods seruice but whether first or last there be any assurance at all For he denieth whether in the entrance or in the continuance that God by faith doth giue any man assurance of his owne Saluation Or if that be not his meaning but that though not at the first entrance yet afterwards God doth by faith giue that assurance let him tell vs and we shall be glad that he hath so farre foorth forsaken the doctrine of his Romish mistresse But because that is his meaning he must acknowledge his absurd folly in makings a shew of exception in words where he intended none As for vs we say indeed that God euen at the verie first entrance into his seruice offereth vs this assurance For euen at the very first entrance he saith as he did to the iaylor o Act. 16.31 Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saued and from the beginning our faith as it is greater or lesse so either strongly or weakely apprehendeth and embraceth this assurance And in this assurance we labour and endeuour to grow and to go on p Rom 1.17 from faith to faith from q Psal 84.7 strength to strength till we learne to stand as it were vpon the battlements of heauen and to set the world at defiance saying r Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ c. But that answer of his is otherwise also a ridiculous and vaine shift Where do we find that it is Gods will to assure euerie man of eternall Saluation Marrie speaking of them that beleeue euen in the verie place alledged M. Bishop if you dissemble it not By other places we are taught to pray for forgiuenesse of sinnes for Saluation for eternall life and you denie not but that we are thus to pray according to the will of God By this place we haue assurance and are taught to knovv that we haue the petitions that vve desire of him and therefore that according to our prayer we haue forgiuenesse of sinnes we haue Saluation and euerlasting life Speake strictly to the point M. Bishop let vs haue no shifting of words We haue assurance to knovv that vve haue vvhat vve aske of him according to his vvill It is according to his will that we aske of him forgiuenesse of sinnes and eternall life We haue therefore assurance and are to know that we haue forgiuenesse of sinnes and life eternall M. Bishop is dumbe and to this hath nothing more to say but goeth forward to aske the question Is it not sufficient to make him an assured promise of it vpon his faithfull seruice and good behauiour towards him I answere him No it is not sufficient For God made that promise by the former couenant ſ Gal. 3.12 He that doth these things shall liue in them and it auailed not t Heb. 8.9 for they continued not in my couenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord. Therefore God made another couenant and promise not like the former not conditionall vpon faithfull seruice and good behauior but absolute and without exception the performance whereof should depend wholy and onely vpon his mercie so that he would not expect as of vs but did vndertake to giue vs to worke in vs whatsoeuer faithfull seruice and good behauiour should be necessarie thereunto Therefore he saith u Vers 10. I vvill put my lawes in their minds and in their hearts vvill I vvrite them and I vvill be their God and they shall be my people they shall all know me for I will be mercifull vnto their vnrighteousnesse and I will remember their sinnes and their iniquities no more So that although comparing the one part of the worke of our Saluation with another the latter is vsually tied to a condition of the former and God accordingly proceed in the execution thereof yet if we entirely consider the whole it issueth absolutely out of the purpose and promise of God who intending the end disposeth and worketh himselfe whatsoeuer belongeth to the accomplishment and attainment of the end Inasmuch therefore as true faith expecteth all of God and on Gods part M. Bishop confesseth we are most assured it must follow that by true faith we stand assured of Saluation because God is neuer wanting to do that that appertaineth vnto him 19. W. BISHOP The fourth reason is Whatsoeuer God commaundeth that a man must and can performe But God commandeth vs to beleeue our Saluation ergo we must beleeue it The proposition is true yet commonly denied by all Protestants for God commands vs to keepe his commaundements and they hold that to be impossible but to the assumption That God commaunds vs to beleeue our Saluation is proued saith M. Perkins by these words Repent and beleeue the Gospell Spectatum admissi risum teneatis amici Where is it written in that Gospell beleeue your owne particular Saluation shew vs once but one cleare text for it and we will beleeue it I do beleeue in Christ and hope to be saued through his mercie and merits but know well that vnlesse I keepe his words I am by him likened to a foole Math. 7. that built his house vpon the sands He commaunds me to watch and pray Math. 26. least I fall into temptation and elsewhere Math. 25. warneth me to prepare oyle to keepe my lampe burning against his comming or else I am most certaine to be shut out with the foolish Virgins An hundred such admonitions find we in holy Scriptures to shake vs out of this securitie of our Saluation and to make vs vigilant to preuent all temptations of the enemie and diligent to traine our selues in godly exercises of all vertue R. ABBOT The proposition saith he is true and yet
know not whether you haue any foundation to build vpon or any matter to build with you know not if you haue builded any thing whether the same be likely to stand or fall and what is this else but to be a foole As for vs we know that we must keepe his words that he commandeth vs to watch and pray to prepare oile to keepe our lamps burning and such like but these admonitions serue not to shake our faith but rather instruct and sharpen it They do not propound conditions for vs to performe to make vp the worke of God in vs but aduertisements and instructions what those lawes are whereof God hath said p Ierem. 31.33 I will put my lawes in their hearts q Ezech 36.27 and cause them to keepe my statutes faith being hereby moued to begge of God r August de spir lit ca. 13. Lege operaÌ„ dicit Deus fac quod iubeo lege fidei dicitur Deo Da quod iubes Ideo enim iubet lex vt admoneat quid faciat fides to giue what he commandeth and assured that he will to the end performe what he hath promised and seeing in his visitations and corrections his fatherly prouidence and care to effect the same whilest thereby he awaketh vs out of our security and causeth vs to make vse of the admonitions of holy Scripture to fight against the diuell and sinne and to exercise our selues in all godlinesse and vertue 20. W. BISHOP The fift and last reason is this The Papists teach assurance of hope Rom. 5. euen hence it followeth that he may be infallibly assured for the property of a true and liuely hope is neuer to make a man ashamed Answer Hope indeed of heauen makes a man most couragiously beare out all stormes of persecution and not to be ashamed of Christes Crosse but to professe his faith most boldly before the bloudy tyrants of the world our hearts being by charitie fortified and made inuincible And this is that which the Apostle teacheth in that place and saith before Ver. 2. that the faithfull glory in the hope of the sonnes of God and do not vaunt themselues of the Certaintie of their Saluation This Certaintie of hope is great in those that haue long liued vertuously specially when they haue also endured manifold losses much disgrace great wrongs and iniuries for Christes sake for he that cannot faile of his word hath promised to requite all such with an hundred fold But what is this to the Certaintie of faith which the Protestants will haue euerie man to be endued with at his first entrance into the seruice of God when as Saint Paul insinuateth Heb 6. that godly men partakers of the holie Ghost yea after they haue tasted the good word of God and the power of the world to come that is haue receiued besides faith great fauours of Gods spirit and felt as it were the ioyes of heauen haue after all this so fallen from God that there was small hope of their recouerie R. ABBOT This last reason taken from the doctrine of the Papists concerning hope I do not hold to haue bene fitly applied against them For with them as there is not that faith so neither is there that hope which the Scripture teacheth neither can they be said to teach assurance of hope who professedly deliuer that a man must alwaies stand in feare and doubt of that that he should hope for and that he hath no more but onely a probable opinion of any thing in himselfe whereof to conceiue hope Therefore the Councell of Trent saith that a Concil Trident. Sess 6. cap. 9. Sicut nemo pius de Dei miserecordia c. dubitare debet sic quilibet dum seipsum suamque propriam infirmitatem indispositionera respicit de sua gratiae formidare ac timere potest as no man may doubt of the mercie of God and of the merit of Christ so euery man whilest he considereth his owne infirmitie and vndisposednesse hath to stand in feare of his owne being in grace So Andradius affirmeth that their b Andrad Orthod explicat lib 6. sub finem Ita certa est spes vt semper cum metu dubitatione coniuncta sit copulata hope is alwaies ioined and coupled with feare and doubt not onely meaning that it is so but also that it ought so to be accordingly as Maister Bishop hath before deliuered though vntruly c Sect. 10. that there are aboue an hundred texts in holy writ whereby to proue that the faithfull must stand in feare of their owne Saluation The Certaintie of hope therefore that Maister Bishop nameth by occasion that it was named to him is nothing else indeed but meere vncertaintie it being a thing sencelesse to reckon a Certaintie where a man is bound to stand in feare So that their hope is but a conceit of selfe-seeming probability whereby they imagine that haply â— may be 〈◊〉 them but yet doubt least it be otherwise in 〈…〉 â—en vulgarly men talke of hope where they hau◠〈…〉 for that they hope But the hope which the Scâ—◠〈…〉 of is another matter importing a patient and 〈…〉 of that that we beleeue we shall receiue 〈…〉 the promises of God concerning forgiuenesse 〈…〉 â—â—â—erning our blisse and happinesse to come It 〈…〉 God vndoubtedly will make good whatsoeuer he 〈…〉 â—sed but as yet we see not the effect and performaâ—â—â—â—ereof Hope therefore expecteth and waiteth looking 〈◊〉 the Lord to reueale his righteousnesse and to make the truth 〈◊〉 his word and promise fully to appeare and in this expectation is content with patience to beare the crosse and to endure the afflictions and troubles that are incident to the faith and profession of the name of Christ Thus saith Chrysostome that d Chrysost hom de fide spe charit Quiâ—quid fides credendo acquirit hoc spes sustinendo praesumit what faith getteth in beleeuing that hope presumeth of in enduring and suffering This hope therefore is not vncertaine and doubtfull but by the direction of faith fully resolueth of the accomplishment of that that it hopeth for It is not as Hilarie well noteth e Hilar. in Psa 64. Spem oporiet non ex mani esse praesâ—mptam ne magâ— sâ—t incerrâ—ruÌ„ praesumptio quam expectatio cognitorum a presuming of things vncertaine but an expectation of things knowne vnto vs. For that cause is it that Saint Paul saith that f Rom. 5.5 hope maketh not ashamed Which Maister Bishop not vnderstanding expoundeth as if the Apostle had said that it maketh a man not to be ashamed of the crosse of Christ but Saint Paul respected a further matter to signifie the infallible assurance and Certaintie of hope that it neuer putteth a man to shame it neuer giueth him occasion to be ashamed as hauing hoped for that whereof in the end he is deceiued g August in Psal 36. conc 2. Confunditur
queÌ„ fallit spes qui dicit quod sperabant non inueni He is ashamed saith Austine that faileth of his hope Who is put to shame but he that saith I haue not found that that I hoped for h Theodo in Rom cap. 5. They that hope saith Theodoret and are deceiued of their hope doe blush and are ashamed thereof Therefore saith Saint Austine i August in Psal 37. Certi samus de spe non est enim inceria spes nostra vt de illa dubitâ—mus We are certaine of our hope for our hope is not vncertaine that we should doubt thereof Yea so are we certaine thereof as that Saint Paul saith k Rom. 5.2 We reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God as being no lesse assured thereof then if we were alreadie in possession of it as l Sect. 15. ex Chrysâ—st in Rom hom 9. before I shewed that Chrysostome expoundeth that place farre otherwise then here Maister Bishop doth Which m Heb. 3.6 confidence and reioycing of hope groweth from that which the holy Ghost termeth n Cap. 10.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 full assurance of faith whereby setting aside the respect of our owne impeachments of our selues we beleeue with Abraham o Rom. 4.18 vnder hope euen against hope resting vpon his promise who hath taken vpon him to be p 1. Pet. 2.25 the shepheard and Bishop of our soules and q Ephe. 3.20 is able to do exceeding abundantly aboue all that we aske or thinke according to the power that worketh in vs. Whereby as he hath alreadie wrought in vs the like great worke as r Cap. 1.20 he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead in that he hath Å¿ Cap. 2.5 raised vs vp being dead in trespasses and sinnes vnto the life of God so we rest t Phil. 1.6 perswaded that hauing begun this good worke in vs he will performe it good vntill the day of Iesus Christ u Bernard in Cant. ser 68. NoÌ„ est quòd iam quaeras quibus meritis speremus bona praesertiâ—â— cùm audias apud prophetam Non propter vos c. Neither is it for any man to aske saith Bernard vpon what merits we hope for this good seeing we heare by the Prophet x Ezech. 36.22 Not for your sakes but for mine owne sake will I do it saith the Lord. Now Maister Bishop admitting after his fashion an vncertaine Certaintie of hope demandeth What is this to the Certaintie of faith which the Protestants will haue euery man to be endued with at his first entrance into the seruice of God Where againe we see how pretily Maister Bishop can busie himselfe with a fether These termes of first entrance into the seruice of God are but the playing of his braine he would faine seeme to say something thereby when indeed he saith nothing For not onely at first entrance but in the whole continuance of the seruice of God he leaueth a man as a ship in a storme and hanging betwixt heauen and hell howsoeuer not doubting but that God for his part holdeth him fast to draw him to heauen yet still affrighted least himselfe should loose his hold and fall into hell nay not knowing whether he haue any hold of God or God of him because he cannot certainly know whether he haue any hope or charitie or repentance or praier which being seated in the darke corners of the will cannot otherwise then probably be discerned But as touching his question what is Certaintie of hope to Certaintie of faith I answer him that being truly vnderstood it maketh much to the prouing of it For hope goeth not beyond faith because as I haue said hope is but the patient waiting for that which faith beleeueth we shall haue What faith doth not assure vs we shall haue we cannot by hope expect and looke for There can therefore be no Certaintie of hope but it must presuppose a Certaintie of faith assuring vs of obtaining what we must hope for But saith Maister Bishop Saint Paul insinuateth that godly men partakers of the holie Ghost and hauing tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come yet after all this haue fallen awâ—y from God But I answer him that he saith more of them then Saint Paul did for he calleth them not godly men though haply for the time they seemed to be so Men may be partakers of the temporarie gifts of the holie Ghost and may tast of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come as Iudas did while he was yet an Apostle of whom notwithstanding in the middest of these gifts our Sauiour said that y Iohn 6.70 he was a diuell The like is to be said of them who shall say at that day z Math. 7.22 Lord haue not we prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out diuels and done many miracles who yet in the meane while as our Sauiour signifieth haue bene workers of iniquitie And what lesse can we say of Balaam who in the spirit saw so much concerning the state and hope of the people of God as made him enamoured thereon and to cry out a Numb 23.10 Let my soule die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like vnto his b Ver. 21. he seeth no iniquitie in Iacob neither doth he see any transgression in Israel c Cap. 24.5 how goodly are thy tents O Iacob and thy habitations O Israel who notwithstanding bewraied himselfe to haue a wicked heart bewitched with couetousnesse willing for mony to haue cursed the people whom the Lord directed him to blesse Men may haue great gifts and much reuelation and knowledge of the way of truth and be touched farre with the conceipt of that they know who yet are void of true faith and regeneration of the heart and therefore in the end because d Mat. 13.21 they haue no roote doe certainly fall and slide away Whose fall because they neuer truly stood though they seemed so to doe is not to impeach or weaken the assurance of them to whom God hath giuen by true faith to stand indeede As for that which Maister Bishop saith of such that they haue receiued faith and great fauours of the spirit c. it is but his owne commentarie and we accordingly regard it He affirmeth of their faith that which the Apostle affirmeth not and though they receiued some fauours of the spirit yet they neuer found the fauour to receiue him as e Ephes 1.14 an earnest vnto them of the heauenly inheritance or by him to be f Cap. 4 30. sealed vnto the day of redemption which if they had they should neuer being once sealed haue bene vnsealed againe because in this respect g Rom. 11.29 the gifts and calling of God are without repentance and neuer subiect to any change CHAPTER 4. OF IVSTIFICATION 1. W. BISHOP
third reason is taken from the imperfection of our knowledge for it cannot be but our faith our loue our repentance our sanctification must be vnperfect so long as we haue but vnperfect knowledge to direct vs in all these things M. Bishops answer to this consisteth of two parts the one whereof is an acknowledgement against himselfe the other an assertion of apparent and manifest vntruth I would to God saith he our workes were answerable to our knowledge then would they be much more perfect then they be He confesseth then that our workes are not perfect according to that that we do know and if they be vnperfect to that knowledge that we haue and our knowledge come farre short of that concerneth vs by the lawe then must our workes be very farre from perfection and we farre from being truly said to fulfill the law But M. Bishop according to his skill denieth in the second part of his answer that our knowledge is vnperfect expresly contrarie to that which the Apostle saith f 1. Cor 13.9.12 We know in part we prophecie in part we see through a glasse darkely We find it and know it that there are many ignorances and errors in the best g August de spir lit ca. 36. In multis offendimus omnes duÌ„ putamus Deo quem diligimus plâ—eâ—re vel non displicere quod facimus postea cùm didicerimus quòd non placeat poenitendo deprecamur vt ignoscat We all saith S. Austine offend in many things whilest we thinke that that which we do either pleaseth God or doth not displease him when as afterwards we learne that it is not pleasing vnto him and do repent thereof h Idem soliloq cap. 1. Quisquic cognoscit te amat te plusquaÌ„ se relinquit se venit ad te vt gaudeat de te Hinc est Domine quòd non tantùm diligo quantum debeo quia non plenè cognosco te Quia parùm cognosco parum diligo quia parum te diligo parum gaudeo in te He that knoweth thee saith he in another place loueth thee more then himselfe and leaueth himselfe to come vnto thee that he may reioyce in thee Hence is it Lord that I loue thee not so much as I ought to do because I do not fully know thee because I know thee but a little I loue thee but a little and therefore do but a little reioyce in thee There is no man in this life that knoweth himselfe but knoweth well that he hath cause to pray still with the Prophet Dauid i Psal 119.12 Teach me thy statutes k Ver. 33. teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes l Ver. 73. giue me vnderstanding that I may learne thy commandements m Ver. 127. grant me vnderstanding that I may know thy testimonies If so great a Prophet were still to be taught were still to learne were still begging of God the vnderstanding and knowledge of his commandements how vaine a man is M. Bishop to make it so possible a matter for a man being yet couered in part with the veile of flesh to attaine to the full and perfect knowledge of the lawe Of this argument he saith that it is impeâ—tinent but giueth no reason why he so saith Saint Austine against the assertion of perfection in this life n August de spir lit cap. 36. produceth imperfection of knowledge as an impediment thereof and Hierome saith o Hier. ad Pela lib 1. Nullus sanctorum in isto corpusâ—ulo cunctas potest habere virtutes quia ex parte cognoscimus c. that no man in this body can haue all vertues because we know but in part and prophecie but in part and if imperfection of knowledge do hinder vertue and the perfect fulfilling of the law how doth he make it an argument impertinent to say Our knowledge is yet vnperfect therefore we are yet vnperfect to the fulfilling of the law But we must pardoÌ„ his vnperfect knowledge which if it had bin according to his will vndoubtedly we should haue seene some more skill in his answers then now we do M. Perkins fourth and last reason is taken from that that before hath bin said that the regenerate man in this life is still partly flesh and not wholly spirituall and therefore his best workes sauor partly of the flesh Not so saith M. Bishop if we mortifie the deedes of the flesh by the spirit But I answer him Yes euen so because though by the spirit we mortifie the deedes of the flesh yet we do not thereby put off the flesh nor so subdue it but that it p Gal. 5.17 lusteth against the spirit so as that we cannot do the things that we would and therefore cannot fulfill the law Now if we attaine not to that that we would our will also being yet vnperfect so that we will not so perfectly as we should how farre must we needes thinke our selues to be from that integritie and vprightnesse which we shold performe according to the perfect rule of righteousnesse that is laid before vs in the law But of this further when we come to the point as touching the perfection and purity of our workes 39. W. BISHOP But these trifling arguments belong rather vnto the next question I will helpe M. Perkins to some better that the matter may be more throughly examined Act. 1.15 Why go ye about to put a yoke vpon the Disciples necks which neither we nor our Fathers were able to beare these words were spoken of the lawe of Moyses therefore we were not able to fulfill it I answer first that that law could not be fulfilled by the onely helpe of the same law without the further ayde of Gods grace Secondly that it was so burdensome and cumberous by reason of the multitude of their sacrifices sacraments and ceremonies that it could hardly be kept with the helpe of ordinary grace and in that sence it is said to be such a yoke as we were not able to beare Because things very hard to be done Ios 11. 3. Reg. 14. Act. 13. 4. Reg. 23. Luk. 1. are now and then called impossible Now that Iosue Dauid Iosias Zachary Elizabeth and many others did fulfill all the law is recorded in holy Scripture wherefore it is most manifest that it might be kept R. ABBOT A more trifler then M. Bishop I thinke is seldome to be found If M. Perkins arguments were as trifling as he hath giuen them answers he might haue done well to haue spared his labor bestowed in the writing of that booke Before he haue giuen any one good answer to the reasons onely by the way alledged by M. Perkins he taketh vpon him to bring other of his owne indeed out of our books that he may shew himselfe as wise in answering the one as he hath done alreadie in the other We are wont to alledge the words of S. Peter that a Act.
faith concerning which it is said of Abraham f Gen. 15.6 He beleeued the Lord and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse there followeth alwayes charitie as a necessary and infallible consequent and companion thereof 53. W. BISHOP The Protestants bold asseuerations that they cannot be parted are great but their proofes very slender and scarce worth the disprouing The first He that hath not care of his owne hath denied his faith 1. Tim. 5. therefore faith includeth that good worke of prouiding for our owne Answer That faith there seemes to signifie not that faith whereby we beleeue all things reuealed or the Protestants the certaintie of their saluation but for fidelitie and faithfull performance of that which we haue promised in Baptisme which is to keepe all Gods commandements one of the which is to prouide for our children and for them that we haue charge of so that he who hath no such care ouer his owne charge hath denied his faith that is violated his promise in Baptisme There is also another ordinary answer supposing faith to be taken there for the Christian beliefe to wit that one may deny his faith two wayes either in flat denying any article of faith or by doing some thing that is contrarie to the doctrine of our faith Now he that hath no care of his owne doth not deny any article of his faith but committeth a fact contrary to the doctrine of his faith so that not faith but the doctrine of faith or our promise in Baptisme includeth good workes Ioh â— 2 There are among you that beleeue not for he knew who beleeued and who was to betray him Opposing treason to faith as if he had said faith containeth in it selfe fidelitie This argument is farre fetched and little worth For albeit faith hath not fidelity and loue alwaies necessarily ioyned with it yet falling from faith may well draw after it hatred and treason yea ordinarily wickednesse goeth before falling from the faith and is the cause of it which was Iudas case whom our Sauiour there taxed for he blinded with couetousnesse did not beleeue Christes doctrine of the blessed Sacrament and by incredulitie opened the diuell a high way to his heart to negotiate treason in it â— Ioh 2. 3. They obiect that Who saith he knowes God and doth not keepe his commandements is a lyer Answer He is then a lyer in graine who professing the onely true knowledge of God yet blusheth not to say that it is impossible to keepe his commandements but to the obiection knowing God in that place is taken for louing of God as I know ye not that is I loue you not Our Lord knowes the way of the iust Math 7. 25. Psal 1. Ioh. 14. that is approues it loues it so he that knowes God keepes his commaundements as Christ himselfe testifieth If anie loue me he will keepe my word And he that loueth me not will not keepe my words Lastly they say with S. Paul That the iust man liueth by faith But if faith giue life then it cannot be without charitie Answer That faith in a iust man is not without hope and charity by al which conioyned he liueth and not by faith alone But faith is in a sinful and vniust man without charity who holding fast his former beliefe doth in transgressing Gods commandements breake the bands of charity And so it remaineth most certaine that faith may be and too too often is without the sacred societie of charitie R. ABBOT The Protestants asseuerations are indeed very bold but not vpon slender proofes Their proofes are stronger then that any such silly disputers as M. Bishop is shall be able to disproue them As for his proofes to the contrarie thou hast seene gentle Reader how miserable and poore and beggerly they be See now what choise he maketh of our arguments culling out those that he was best able to deale with and what slender shifts he maketh to auoid them a 1. Tim. 5.8 He that prouideth not for his owne saith S. Paul and namely for them of his houshold he denieth the faith and is worse then an infidell It must follow therefore that there can be no faith where this worke of charitie is wilfully cast off M. Bishop telleth vs that by faith is here meant either fidelitie as touching the performance of that we haue promised in baptisme or else the doctrine of faith But let him expound it as he list of either of them it shall yeeld an illation consequence of that which we affirme For seeing the introduction of iustifying faith is b Mark 1.15 repentance from dead workes iustifying faith must alwayes imply a conscience and care of conforming a mans selfe to the doctrine of the Gospell and to the promise and vowe that he hath made in baptisme of obedience vnto God and therefore where dead workes still raigne it cannot be said that iustifying faith hath there taken anie place Therefore he that shaketh off the yoke of the doctrine of the Gospell and by his conuersation disclaimeth the promise that he made in baptisme plainely sheweth that howsoeuer he professe the faith yet that he hath no true faith abiding in him And this the Apostle teacheth of him who is so inhumane and barbarous as that the commandement of God cannot moue him to prouide for them the care of whom euen infidels by instinct of nature do know and conceiue to belong vnto them But we would gladly vnderstand how M. Bishop diuideth the articles of faith from the doctrine of faith For what do the articles of faith containe but onely the doctrine of faith That then contrary to the doctrine of faith must needs also be contrary to the articles of faith He therfore that by his deeds denieth the doctrine of faith denieth in effect also the articles of his faith howsoeuer with his tongue outwardly to men he make shew to confesse the same M. Bishops answer then taketh not away the strength of this argument but rather addeth further force and strength vnto it But it is plaine by the very words that the Apostle vnderstandeth faith as it is opposed to infidelitie affirming that such though they be c Hieron in 1. Tim. cap. 5. Fideles nomine beleeuers in name as Hierome speaketh yet in deed are not beleeuers Therefore Chrysostome expounding the words by that saying of the same Apostle d Tit. 1.16 They professe that they know God but by their deeds they denie him inferreth e Chrysost in 1. Tim. hom 14. Quomodo hutuâ—nodicredit qui Deum abâ—egauitâ— How doth he beleeue that hath denied God The argument therefore is firme and sure that howsoeuer there may be an outward profession of faith yet indeed there is no faith wheresoeuer there wanteth a correspondence of good workes In the second place it is strange to see how M. Bishop making choise of his aduersaries weapons yet is foyled in his owne choise The argument he saith
constant confession of vs all which M. Bishop seemeth to apprehend as casually or forcedly spoken by M. Perkins that eternall life is a due debt to the righteous and faithfull yet with that exception still which he thinketh M. Perkins added as hauing ouershot himselfe because his ignorance conceiueth not how these two stand together not for any desert of theirs but only for his promise sake as hath bene declared sufficiently b Sect. 17. before in defending the answer to the third obiection But as touching the place here handled he shall find S. Bernard expounding this crowne of iustice in the same sort as we do c Bernard de grâ—t lib. arb Est ergo quam Pâ—ulus expectat corona iustitiae sed iustitiae Dei non suae Iustum est quippe vt reddâ—t quod debet debet auteÌ„ quod pollicitus est Et haec est iustitia de qua praesumit Apostolus promissio Dei It is a crowne of iustice saith he which Paul expecteth but of Gods iustice not his owne For it is iust that God pay what he oweth and he oweth that which he hath promised And this is the iustice of which the Apostle presumeth euen the promise of God Albeit it is true also that mans iustice is crowned that in that respect also it is a crowne of righteousnes who maketh question therof but still it is true that it is not due to mans righteousnesse by merite and desert but is tied to it onely by the promise and grace of God And thus doth the Apostle reckon his good seruice for which the iust Iudge would render a crowne of iustice not as pleading his desert thereof but knowing that God hath promised such reward to such seruice He alledgeth to the contrary the examples of them that were called into the vineyard and of the other that receiued the talents but of them he hath before receiued answer All his error is that he cannot conceiue worke and reward but that it must necessarily imply merite and desert which notwithstanding children can distinguish because great reward by fauour may be giuen when the worke is in no sort to be thought worthy of it As for the place of Austine which he produceth it giueth him no succor We find there worke and reward I haue fought a good fight c. the worke There is layd vp for me a crowne of iustice the reward but we do not finde that the reward is deserued by the worke we do not find that by vertue of merite the iustice of God any way standeth bound vnto him Nay in the same sermon S. Austin saith d Augus lib. 50 homil 14 Da veniam Apostole propria tua non noui nisi mala Cùm ergo Deus coronat merita tua nihil coronat nisi dona sua Pardon me Apostle I know nothing of thine owne but euill therefore when he crowneth thy merits he crowneth nothing but his owne gifts His collection from the place is already answered that by the promise the reward is yeelded to the worke In the other place there is nothing more then in that I haue spoken of and hath full answer by the same exception Onely I will remember M. Bishop that by S. Austins doctrine there can no merite be pleaded on our behalfe because all our good workes come from grace on Gods behalfe so that therefore the crowne is but grace for grace and a latter mercy added as the consequent of a former mercie And this S. Austin noteth concerning this very place of S. Paul here debated e Idem in Psal 102. Reddet mihò Dominus c. Quare Quia bonum certamen certauâ— c. Vnde certasti c. Non ego autem sed gratia Dei mecum Ergo quòd coronarâ—â— illâ—us mesericordia coronaris Nusquam sis superbus semper lauda dominum The Lord will render vnto me a crowne of righteousnes Why because I haue fought a good fight c. But whence hast thou fought a good fight c. Yea not I but the grace of God with me Then it is by his mercie that thou art crowned Be no where proud but alwayes praise the Lord. In a word he saith againe as before we haue seene that f Idem de grat lib. arb cap 7. NoÌ„ coronat Deus merita tua tanquaÌ„ merita tua sed tanquam dona suae God crowneth our merits not as our merits but as his owne gifts and if they go not vnder account of our merits in heauen why are they so earnestly pleaded for as ours here vpon the earth 21. W. BISHOP And that the Reader may vnderstand that not onely S. Augustine doth so confidently teach this doctrine of merites which M. Perkins blushed not to terme the inuention of Satan I will fold vp this question with some testimonies of the most auncient and best Authors S. Ignatius the Apostles auditor saith Epist ad Roman Giue me leaue to become the food of beasts that I may by that meanes merit and win God Iustine a glorious Martyr of the next age hath these words Apolog. 2. ante med speaking in the name of all Christians We think that men who by works haue shewed themselues worthy of the will and counsell of God shal by their merits liue and raigne with him free from all corruption and perturbation S. Irenaeus saith Lib. 4. cont hâ—res cap. 72. We esteeme that crowne to be precious which is gotten by combat and suffering for Gods sake S. Basil All we that walk the way of the Gospel as merchants do Ora in initium prou Lib. de Spir. sancto cap. 24. buy and get the possession of heauenly things by the workes of the commaundements A man is saued by workes of iustice S. Cyprian If the day of our returne shall find vs vnloden swift Serm. de eleemos in fine and running in the race of works our Lord wil not faile to reward our merits He will giue for workes to those that winne in peace a white crowne and for martyrdome in persecution he wil redouble vnto them a purple crowne S. Hilary Can. 5. in Math. The kingdome of heauen is the hire and reward of them that liue well and perfectly Lib 1. de Offic. c. 25. S. Ambrose It is euident that there remaineth after this life either reward for merits or punishment S. Hierome Now after baptisme it appertaineth to our trauels according vnto the diuersitie of vertue to prepare for vs different rewards Ser. 68 in Cant. S. Bernard Prouide that thou haue merits for the want of them is a pernicious pouertie Briefly that this was the vniuersall doctrine of all good Christians aboue a thousand yeares past is declared in the Councell of Arausicane Reward is debt vnto good workes if they be done Câ—â— 18. but grace which was not debt goeth before that they may be done These testimonies of the most auncient and best learned
being was but that it is by Gods perswading vs Gods mouing vs Gods working in vs there being nothing therein to be attributed to our selues Wherby he destroyeth the nature of merit as I haue shewed e Sect. 3. before to that purpose acknowledgeth the vouchsafing fauor and grace of God in receiuing vs to immortalitie and life with him for where merit and desert is there termes of vouchsafing can haue no place Now that which Bellarmine translateth of men shewing themselues worthy of the wil and counsel of God may well be vnderstood according to the phrase of the Apostle instructing vs f Col. 1.10 to walke worthy of the Lord g 1. Thess 2.12 to walke worthy of God who hath called vs vnto his kingdome and glory that is to say as is fit for them to walke who haue receiued so great mercie at the Lords hands to the very same purpose as elsewhere he saith h Phil. 1.27 Let your conuersation be such as becometh the Gospell of Christ. In which sort Iohn Baptist saith i Mat. 3.8 Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance that is such as are fitting and beseeming them that professe to haue repented So then men shew themselues worthy of the will and counsell of God in behauing themselues as is agreeing to them that professe to know the will and counsell of God without any necessitie of merit to be imported thereby The words of Irenaeus are these k Iren. lib. 4. cap. 27. Bonus agonista ad incorruptelae agonem adhortatur nos vt coronemur pretiosam arbitremur coronam videlicet quae per agonem acquiritur sed non vltro coalitaÌ„ Et quaÌ„tò per agonem nobis aduenit tantò est pretiosior QuaÌ„to autem pretiosior tantò eaÌ„ semper diligamus Sed neque similiter diliguntur ea quae vltro adueniunt quà m illa quae cum multa sollicitudine adinueniuntur The good combatant exhorteth vs to the combat of immortalitie that we may be crowned and may thinke the crowne precious as being attained by fight and not of it self accruing vnto vs. And by how much the more it commeth by fight so much the more precious it is and the more precious it is so much the more we may loue it But the things are not in like sort loued which come of their owne accord as those which are attained with much care In all which what is there to M. Bishops purpose He onely sheweth that God hath appointed that not with our ease and idlenesse the crowne of life shall voluntarily come vnto vs but that wee with labour and trauell must striue to come to it that in the attainment of it it may be the more ioyfull and precious vnto vs. What is this other then we also teach who yet cannot find hereby that our labour and trauel doth merit and deserue the crowne of life The case is all one as if a Prince hauing a subiect falne froÌ„ him and gone into a far country should of meere grace fauor send for him to come again by letters patents granting him his pardoÌ„ and assuring him place of honor state vpon his returne home who being to passe through the midst of the enemies of his Prince must vse much fighting and trauel and paines and vndergo many dangers both by sea and land for the atchieuing of this honor WheÌ„ he cometh to his iorneys end he hath no title to pleade for his place but onely the free donation and gift of his Prince By his labor paines he hath gained himself the possession of it he might for the meane time lay it before him as a reward to comfort and encourage himself in the iorney that he was to make but merit he can alledge none no right can he alledge whereby to claime it but only his Princes gift Euen so it is with vs. We were falne from God and he hath called vs to him again and giuen vs the promise of eternall life By much combat and trauell we must attaine to it and yet when we haue done all we can plead no merit we can make no claime but onely by our Princes gift by the free and mercifull promise and bountie of Almightie God And hereby appeareth the answer to the place of Basil that l Basil orat in princip Prouerb Omnes nos qui viam Euangelicam incedimus mercatoreâ— sumus pâ—r opera mandatorum nobis possessionem coelestium comparantes we all who walk the way of the Gospell are merchants getting by the works of the commandements the possession of heauenly things For by the works of the commandements we obtain the possession but not the right and title of heauenly things They are the way wherein we walke to attaine to that which God of his free mercy bestoweth vpon vs. Wherin because we yeeld our labor in the one to receiue the other S. Basil so farre fitly compareth it to a kinde of merchandize or exchange though not intending that in the merite of the one should be the purchase of the other As for the other place it is none of Basils being taken out of a counterfeit addition which m Erasm epist. praefixa libro Basil de Spir. sancto Erasmus well obserued and by good arguments declared to be no part of Basils work n Basil de Spir. sanct cap. 24. Homo saluus fit per iustitiam operum A man saith he is saued by righteousnesse of works But the Scripture saith o Ephes 2.8 Ye are saued by grace through faith not of works least any man should boast r Basil in Psal 43. Vide quomodo sermonem clauserit Post mille virtutes vnde seruari orat Ex misericordia benignitate Whatsoeuer the author might meane in that he saith we are sure that his words accord not with the phrase and stile of the holy Ghost And that the true Basil was farre from that mind appeareth plainly by the note that he giueth vpon the words of the Psalme p Arise O Lord helpe vs and deliuer vs for thy mercies sake q Psal 44.26 Behold saith he how he endeth his speech After a thousand vertues whereby doth he pray to be saued Euen of mercie and goodnesse And vpon another of the Psalmes he saith Å¿ Idem in Psal 23. Retributiones quae putantur propter solam Dei benignitateÌ„ hominibus praestantur Vniuersae siquidem mortalium iustitiae â—e praestita quidem ab ipso bona adaequant nedum futura quae humanam cogitationem transcendunt Rewards as they are thought to be are yeelded vnto vs by the only mercy goodnes of God for all the righteousnesses of men cannot equall the benefits which he hath already bestowed much lesse those that are to come which go beyond all the conceit of man He saw well that the Prophet after thousands of vertues could haue no hold of saluation but only by Gods mercie He saw well that albeit Gods
to seeke of that vse which M. Bishop maketh of it that this anger of ours against our selues is a price of satisfaction for the appeasing of Gods anger To this being the very point he saith neuer a word he telleth vs of reuenge but he prooueth not that this reuenge is a matter of satisfaction We say that to this reuenge of true and faithfull repentance God graunteth remission of sinnes but we say he graunteth it because we seeke it not in the merit of our reuenge but onely in the bloud of Iesus Christ 15 W. BISHOP Lastly saith M. Perkins They make three works of satisfaction Prayer Fasting and Almes-deedes For the first it is meere foolishnesse to think that a man by prayer can satisfie for his sins it is all one as if you had said that a begger by asking an almes can deserue the almes or a debtor by requesting his creditor to pardon his debt should thereby pay his debt That Prayer doth appease Gods iustice and obtaine pardon God himselfe is witnesse Psal 49. saying Call vpon me in the day of tribulation and I will deliuer thee Prayer cannot be made without faith in Gods power and hope in his goodnesse and therefore must needes be pleasing in Gods sight by prayer we humble our selues before God and acknowledge his â—mnipotencie and our infirmity By prayer we lament with bitter teares our owne ingratitude folly and wickednes and bewaile the grieuousnes of our sinnes such prayer made King Dauid as his Psalmes do testifie water his couch with teares making them his foode day and night and by them he satisfied for his former offences So did a farre greater sinner then he â— Paral. 33. King Manasses who falling into tribulation prayed vnto the Lord his God and did great penance before the God of his fathers and prayed and intreated earnestly and God heard his prayers brought him back againe to Ierusalem into his Kingdome Now to M. Perkins Similes A begger doth not deserue his almes because he makes not this former kind of prayer but the short sleight one of the Protestants from the lips outward The like we say of a debter whose creditor being a needy man will not be paid without mony but God who needs none of our goods highly esteemeth of an humble contrite heart grieued much for hauing sinned in the sight of God and humbly suing vnto him for pardon Math. 18. To such a one he said Did I not forgiue thee all thy debt because thou besoughtest me R. ABBOT Maister Bishops arguments are like the foxes whelpes neuer a one better then other and all starke naught It is strange to see what shuffling and shifting he vseth to make some good shew of a bad cause The question is whether prayer be a worke of satisfaction that is a worke of that woorth and price as that by the merit thereof we make God a iust and sufficient recompence for the offence that we haue done For the proofe hereof he alledgeth the sentence of the Psalme a Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the time of trouble and I wil heare thee So then his reason is this God hath promised to heare vs when we pray vnto him therefore prayer is a worke of satisfaction As much as if he should say the prince promiseth a traitour vpon his submission and intreatie to giue him his pardon therefore his submission and intreaty is a sufficient recompence for his treason We may see how maruellously the Romane religion sharpeneth mens eye-sight that they can see mans satisfaction there where God onely signifieth his owne merciful disposition Yea but God doth thereby witnesse that prayer doth appease Gods iustice and obtaine pardon Yea but what need a pardon when the sin is already pardoned for prayer is made a worke of satisfaction after the forgiuenesse of the sinne as I haue shewed before A very ridiculous deuice that God first remitteth the trespasse and we afterwards for a punishment and to make God amends and satisfaction must say Forgiue vs our trespasses Therefore when he speaketh of obtaining pardon he doth but seeke by words of truth to colour absurd dotages of falshood and error The vse of prayer is indeed not to make satisfaction but to craue pardon It appeaseth Gods iustice by the intreating of his mercie whilest we beseech him to heare vs not for our prayers sake but for Christs sake not by the merit of our satisfaction but by vertue of his intercession not for the works sake which we do but for his truths sake for that he hath promised so to do to them that call vpon him By our prayer we request him to forgiue vs that is not to vrge vs to satisfaction and is it not an absurd fancy to affirme prayer it selfe to be a satisfaction And what do men in this case but mocke and dally with God in asking him forgiuenesse when in the meane time they thinke to make him a full and iust requitall of his wrongs so that there shall be nothing to be forgiuen For what remaineth to be forgiuen where there is yeelded a sufficient recompence for the offence done M. Bishop goeth on and telleth vs that prayer cannot be made without faith It is true by faith it is that our prayer obtaineth all things at Gods hand But of faith it is true which S. Ambrose saith that b Ambros de Poenitent lib. 2. cap. 8. Tanquam ex syngrapha fides impetrat noÌ„ tanquam ex debito it obtaineth as by deed of gift not by way of debt It looketh not to our satisfaction but to the promise of God through the mediation of Iesus Christ Further he alledgeth idlely and impertinently that prayer is pleasing vnto God that by it we humble our selues before him acknowledging his omnipotencie and our owne infirmitie that thereby we lament and bewaile the grieuousnesse of our sinnes He mentioneth king Dauid watering his couch with teares and making them his food day and night Manasses greatly humbling himself as the text saith not doing great penance as he translateth intreating the Lord so as that the Lord heard him c. Now all these things are according to the Prouerbe Pro rastris ligones we cal for rakes and he sends vs mattocks we demand one thing and he answereth another We say that prayer is pleasing to God we confesse all these vses and effects thereof but what is all this to the proouing of satisfaction how doth hee make it appeare that that which Dauid and Manasses did they did it with opinion or purpose to make satisfaction for their sinnes I would aske him here with what face he could thus set himselfe to delude his Reader with empty shadowes and shewes of vaine discourse but that I see his whole booke in a manner is made of such delusions But here to shew the absurdity of this assertion of theirs that prayer is a matter of satisfaction M. Perkins had said that it is
quoniam poenitentiae Dei clementia Deique pietas iuncta est confide I haue spent all my life in sinne and if I repent dost thou thinke I shall be saued Yea verily saith he But how shall I be certaine of that or what perswasion can induce me to thinke so I take assurance hereof from the mercie of the Lord not from thy repentance For thy only repentance auaileth not to wash away so great filth of sin If there be thy only repentance thou art iustly to be afraid but because Gods mercy coÌ„passion is ioyned with repentance therefore be of good cheare Here is nothing attributed to repentance for it selfe but onely to the mercy of God vouchsafing to yeeld fauour and forgiuenesse to the repentant Therefore do they hang the whole fruit of repentance vpon faith for x Aug. de vera falsa poenâ—t cap. 2. Fides fundamentum est poeniteâ—tiae c. Poenitentia itaque quae ex fide non procedit vtilis non est saith saith S. Austin is the foundation of repentance and the repentance which proceedeth not from faith is vnprofitable y Ambros de poenit lib. 1. ca. 8 Ergo agendaÌ„ poeâ—â—tâ—nâ—am tribuendâ—m veniam credere nos conuenit vt veniam tamen taÌ„quam ex fide speremuâ— non tanquam ex debito We are so to beleeue saith Ambrose both the doing of penance and the yeelding of pardon as that notwithstanding we hope for pardon as by faith and not as of debt Here is then no popish opinion of penance and satisfaction expecting remission by way of debt and duty as a thing deserued but in the middest of our repentance or penance we are taught to hope for pardon onely by the faith of Iesus Christ Therfore S. Bernard saith that z Bernard de verb. lib. Iob. In sex tribulat Sola nimâ—ruÌ„ secundi Adae tribulatio purgat quos contaminauit offensio sola prioris non quod propriae cuiquaÌ„ sufficere possit satisfactio Quid est enim omnis poeniteÌ„tia nostra nisi quod si non compatimur omninò non possumus conregnare it is the onely suffering of the second Adam that purgeth vs whom the only offence of the first Adam did defile I say not saith he alluding to that which before he hath said concerning repentance and mortification that any mans owne satisfaction can suffice him for what is all our repentance but onely that if we suffer not with him we cannot raigne with him By our repentance then which he expresseth before in weeping for our sinnes in bearing our crosse in mortifying our members in offering our selues a sacrifice to God herby he saith we become like vnto Christ in suffering and so are fitted to raigne with him but yet the purging of vs from sinne he denyeth to these things and reserueth it to Christ alone For we may aske as Ambrose doth a Ambros in Psal 118. Ser. 20 Quibus laboribus quibâ—s iniurijs possumus nostra leuare peccata By what paines or by what sufferings or bearing of wrongs can we abate or ease our sinnes By which question he plainely declareth that they did not hold the paines and sufferings of repentance or penance to be properly any purgation or satisfaction to take away sinnes And this appeareth by Saint Austine when he saith b Aug. in Psal 129 Quae propitiatio ista nisi sacrificium Et quod est sacrificium nisi quod pro nobis oblatuÌ„ est Sanguis innocens fusus deleuit omnia peccata nocentium What propitiation is there but sacrifice what sacrifice but that which was offered to vs The innocent bloud being shed hath blotted out all the sinnes of offendours To which purpose elsewhere he saith that c Jdem contra aduers Leg Proph. lib. 1. cap. 18. Singulari solo vero sacrificio pro nobis Christi sanguis effusus est for the singular and onely true sacrifice the bloud of Christ was shed for vs. But most religiously and Christianly is that spoken which hee saith yet in another place d Idem contrae 2. Epist Pelag. lib. 3. cap. 5. Omnium piorum sub hoc onere corruptibilis carnis in huius vitae infirmitate gementium spes vna est quòd aduocatuÌ„ habemus c. It is the one onely hope of all the godly groning vnder this burthen of corruptible flesh and in the infirmitie of this life that we haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the propitiation for our sinnes If there be no propitiation that is no satisfaction but only sacrifice no sacrifice but the bloudshed of the Son of God if our only hope with God be this that we haue with him Christ for our aduocate attonement for our sins if by al our paines and sufferings we cannot ease our selues as touching our sinnes but onely the suffering of the second Adam be the purgation thereof if amidst all our penances we are to hope for pardon by faith that is by fauour and not by debt not trusting to any merit of our repentance but to the mercy of God and referring all the fruite thereof to Iesus Christ then farewell Popish satisfaction the Fathers that speake of satisfaction say nothing for that satisfaction but at Rome this brat was borne and we must leaue it to be buried there The Fathers haue spoken of redeeming our sinnes purging our sinnes washing our sinnes blotting out our sinnes by prayers by almes-deeds by fasting by good workes but amidst this improprietie of words they haue retained as we see a faithfull acknowledgement of the true Christian faith Albeit why do I speake of improprietie of words as in them when we our selues vpon occasion forbeare not to speake as they haue spoken For which of vs is there that maketh question to say It is a satisfaction to God when a sinner turneth from his euill way repent thee of thy sinnes amend thy wicked life humble thy selfe before God aske mercy and forgiuenesse and God is satisfied Redeeme thy former crueltie with mercie thine oppressions with almes-deeds and let the Mammon of iniquitie serue thee for the sauing of thy soule Wash away the filth of thine vncleanenesse with bitter teares and with fasting and mourning blot out that guilt which the delights and pleasures of sinne haue written against thee Thou hast hitherto bene retchlesse towards God make him recompence hereafter both in thine owne deuotion and care and in seeking the recouerie of other men Thus we speake and who doth not thus speake both in this kind and in other sort also when yet we impute not to those things which we commend any vertue of cleansing or washing of vs from our sins but onely intend to note the affections and dispositions which are the fruites and testimonies of that true faith and repentance wherby we seeke the washing away of out sinnes onely in the bloud of Iesus Christ And if we sometimes doubt not thus
that are far spred and are growne old are not to be set vpon in this sort because by long tract and continuance of time they haue had great oportunitie to steale the truth And therefore as touching all prophane heresies and schismes that are growne old we are in no sort to do otherwise but either to conuince them if need be by onely authoritie of Scripture or else to auoyde them being aunciently conuicted and condemned by generall Councell of Catholike Bishops Where we see that Vincentius affirmeth directly contrary to that that M. Bishop reporteth of him that heresies are not alwayes to be dealt with by those rules that he hath before set downe yea that heresies that haue continued long and haue bene farre spread are no otherwise to be conuicted but by onely authoritie of Scripture And thereof he giueth reason for that they haue had time and oportunitie to falsifie the rules of faith and to corrupt the bookes and writings of the auncient Fathers which heretikes alwaies labour to do so that the doctrine of faith cannot safely be ieoparded vpon their consent Now whatsoeuer M. Bishop and his fellowes dreame of this booke this rule doth so fit vs as if Vincentius had purposely studied to instruct vs in what sort we ought to deale against them and to iustifie the course that we haue vsed in that behalfe Antichrist hath set vp his kingdome aloft in the Church and the whoore of Babylon hath sitten like a Queene for many ages past She hath fulfilled that that was prophesied of her that h Apoc. 14.8 she should make all nations to drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornications i Chap. 17.2 The Kings of the earth haue committed fornication with her and the inhabitants of the earth haue bene drunke with the wine of her fornications She hath had k Gregor lib. 4. epist. 38 Rex superbiae propè est quod dici nefas est sacordotum est praeparatus exercitus c. an armie of Priests according to the saying of Gregorie an armie of Monkes and Friers of Schoolemen and Canonists who haue bin her agents and factors for the vttering of her merchandize and the vpholding of her state They haue vsed their endeuour to the vttermost for the corrupting l Erasm Epist ad Warram Archiepis Caniuar apud Hieron of the auncient monuments of the Church They haue made away many of the writings of the Fathers they haue falsified those that remaine they haue foisted in bastards and counterfeits vnder their names Most lewdly and shamefully m Ludou Viues de caus corrupt art Adscripta sunt Origeni Cypriavo Hieronymo Augustino quae ipsis nunquam ne per quiâ—tem quidem in mentem venerant indigna non solùm tantia ingenijs atque illa eruditione sed etiam seruis corâ— siquos Scythas habuerunt aut Seres they haue fathered vpon Origen Hierom Cyprian Austin the rest such things as they neuer dreamed of vnworthy not only of their conceit and learning but euen of their slaues if they had any that were Scythians and Barbarians By the names of such renowmed authors they haue sought to gaine credite to deuices of their owne such as the auncient Church was neuer acquainted with Now therefore Vincentius his rule standeth good on our part that inasmch as they haue had so long time and oportunitie to steale away the truth and to falsifie the Fathers writings therefore we are to conuict them by authoritie of Scripture onely knowing it to be true which Chrysostome saith that n Chrysost oper imperf in Math. hom 49. Ex quâ— heresis obtinuit Ecclesias nulla probatio potest esse verae Christianitatis neque refugium potest esse Christianorum aliud volentium cognoscere fidei veritatem nisi Scripturae diuine c Nullo modo cognoscitur volentibus cognoscere quae sit vera Ecclesia Christi nisi tantummodo per Scripturas c. Sciens Dominus tantam confusionem rerum in nouissimis diebus esse futuram ideo mandat vt Christiani volentes firmitatem accipere fidei verae ad nullam rem fugiant nisi ad Scripturas Alioqui si ad alia respexerint scandalizabuntur peribunt non intelligentes qua sit vera Ecclesia per hoc incident in abhominationem desolationis qua stabit in sanctis Ecclesiae locis since heresies haue gotten foote in the Church there is no proofe of true Christianitie nor other refuge for Christians desirous to know the truth of faith but onely the Scriptures of God no way for them that are desirous to know which is the true Church of Christ but onely by the Scriptures Our Lord saith he knowing that there should be so great confusion of things in the last dayes doth therefore wil that Christians desirous to receiue assurance of true faith should flie to nothing but onely to the Scriptures Otherwise if they looke to any thing else they shall stumble and perish not vnderstanding which is the true Church and thereby shall light vpon the abhomination of desolation which shall stand in the holy places of the Church Now therfore we haue done nothing but that that in the course of Christianitie is iust and right to call the triall of the controuersies and questions of religion to the authoritie of the Scriptures onely and to teach men therein onely to repose the certaintie and assurance of their faith Albeit by the singular prouidence of almightie God it hath come to passe that in antiquitie as we haue the same remaining vnto vs there is yet light sufficient to discouer the apostasies abhominations of the Church of Rome to iustifie the truth of God against their falshood and lies and to make it appeare that we do rightly and truly apply the Scriptures to the reproouing and conuincing thereof as through this whole worke is most plainly and cleerly to be seene And this is so much the more manifest for that they themselues haue bene forced to complaine that they are faine o Index Expur in castig BertraÌ„ CuÌ„ in Catholicis veteribus alijs plurimos feramus errores extenuemus ex cusemus excogitato commento persaepe negemus et commodumijs sensuÌ„ affingamus dum opponuntur in disputationibus aut in conflictionibus cum aduersarijs c. to beare with very many errors as they call them in the old Catholike writers and to extenuate them to excuse them by some deuised shift to denie them and to set some conuenient meaning on them when they are opposed in disputations or in conflicts with their aduersaries In many questions we shew the antiquitie the vniuersalitie the vniforme consent and agreement of the auncient church for vs and against them and it is strange to see what poore and miserable shifts yea what impudent and shamelesse deuices they are driuen to and yet cannot auaile to suppresse the light thereof In a word it is plainly found that they haue no cause to bragge of
would neuer marrie and of the blessed Virgin Saint Mary who * Aug cap. 44. de virg Bed 1. Luc. vowed perpetuall virginitie and of the glorious Apostles who as S. Hierome witnesseth * Clem. Alex lib. 3. Strom. lib. 1. contra Iouin In Apol. 2. ad Aut. Tertul. apol 2. cap. 9. were in part Virgins and all after their following of Christ abstained from the company of their wiues And of the best Christians in the purest antiquitie who as Iustinus one of the auncientest Greeke Authors among Christians and Tertullian his peere among the Latines do testifie * did liue perpetuall virgins Out of these examples we frame this argument Our Captaines and ring-leaders who knew well which was the best way and whose examples we are to follow as neare as we can vowing Virginitie we must needes esteeme that state for more perfect specially when as the single man careth onely how to please God and to be holy in body and mind as the Apostle writes when as the married are choaked with cares of this world And vnlesse a man had made a league with hell or were as blind as a beetle how can he euer perswade himselfe that to wallow in fleshly pleasure and satisfying of the beastly appetites is as gratefull to God as to conquer and subdue them by Fasting and Prayer Finally if Saint Paule giue counsell to the married to containe during the time of Prayer * 1. Cor. 7. Priests and religious that must alwaies be in a readinesse to minister the Sacraments and to thinke vpon such things as belong vnto our Lord are therefore vpon a great consideration bound to perpetuall chastitie R. ABBOT To the first of these instances Clemens Alexandrinus answered long since when by heretickes it was vsed as M. Bishop now vseth it against mariage a Clem. Alexan. Strom lib. 3. Dicunt gloriosi isti iactatores se Dominum imitari qui neque vxoreÌ„ duxit c. NesciuÌ„t causam cur Dominus vxoreÌ„ non duxerit Primum quidem sponsam habuit EcclesiaÌ„ Deindâ— verò nec homo erat communis vt opus haberet etiam adiutore aliquo secundum carnem Neque erat ei necesse procreare filios qui manet in aeternuÌ„ natus est solus Dei filius These glorious braggers saith he concerning those heretickes tell vs that they follow the Lord who maried no wife nor possessed any thing in the world He answereth They know not the cause why Christ married not First he was to haue the Church to be his proper spouse Secondly he was no common man that he should need a helper according to the flesh Againe it was not needfull for him to beget children who abideth himselfe for euer and is borne the onely Sonne of God If M. Bishops wits had not greatly failed him he would not haue brought the name of our Sauior Christ into this questioÌ„ We know that the incarnation of the Son of God was a matter of diuine dispensation and directed to speciall and certaine ends vses and the mariage of a wife came not within any compasse thereof Yet he would honour mariage by vouchsafing to be borne in married estate by chusing his Apostles almost all married men by being present at a mariage and gracing the same with a speciall miracle by affirming the coniunction of mariage to be of God and the bond thereof to be inuiolable His second instance is of the Virgin Mary who he saith vowed perpetuall virginity but that is false neither is there any ground or any probabilitie that she did so He alledgeth S. Austin for proofe therof but S. Austins name is not sufficient vnlesse we haue somewhat else to build vpon The Angell declared vnto Mary that Christ should be borne of her she asketh b Luk. 1.34 How shall this be seeing I knew not a man This he saith imported that she had vowed virginity c Aug. de sanct Virg. cap 4. Non quaesisset promissum sibi filium quomodo foemina paritura esset si concubitura nupsisset because she would not haue asked how she being a woman shold bring foorth a sonne being promised vnto her if she had intended by mariage to haue company with Ioseph But S. Austin here preiudicateth himselfe in that he acknowledgeth that d Ibid. Hoc IsraelitaruÌ„ mores adhuc recusabaÌ„t the manner or custome of the Iewes did not then beare this vow which being true how should we thinke that she should before hand grow into the opinion or conceipt of such a vow Againe how improbable is it that hauing vowed virginity she would betroth her selfe in mariage when as amongst that people it was accounted a matter of so great reproch to faithfull women to die without issue which she knew not then should in virginitie befall her Moreouer how vnlikely is it that hauing vowed virginitie she would put her selfe vnder e 1. Cor. 7.4 the power of a husband vnlesse it could be proued which caÌ„not that Ioseph had vowed continency as wel as she Surely it cannot be doubted but that in sooth and simplicity at the first they intended their mariage according to the vsual manner of other faithfull and godly persons As for the reason that S. Austine giueth it is vnsufficient because there might be cause of asking that question without any intedement of such a vow Thereof let M. Bishop be informed by S. Ambrose who maketh this the cause f Ambr. in Luc. 1. Aâ—cipe inquit signum tibi E ce virgâ—tâ— vtâ—s c. Legerat hoc M riaâ—dco credidit suturum sed quâ— modo siâ—ret ante noâ— legerat Non enim quemaedmodum fiâ—ret velianto Prophetae fuerat reuelâ—um The Prophet saith Take vnto thee a signe Behold a virgin shall conceiue and shall bring foorth a child This Mary had read and therefore she beleeued that it should come to passe but how it should be she had not read For to so great a Prophet it was not reueiled how it should be Mary then knew wel that she was not to conceiue him of whom the Angell spake by the knowledge of man and therfore asketh how it should be otherwise seeing it should not be that way but as touching vowing virginitie there is nothing here meant M. Bishops third example is of the Apostles of which he saith part were virgins but knowing well that that part was a very small part for there are none of them said to haue bene virgins but onely Paul and Iohn And yet concerning Paul albeit some say that he was neuer maried as I alledged before out of Ambrose yet some of the more auncient affirme that he was maried as namely we haue seene Ignatius g Sect. 13. before reckoning him amongst maried men So doth also Clemens Alexandrinus say that h Clem Alexan. Sirom lib. 3. Paulus certè non veretur in quadain Epistâ—la suam appellare coniugem quam non circumserebat quòd no magno eiopus esset
ministerio Paul is not abashed in one of his Epistles to speake to his wife which he did not lead about with him because he needed not much to be ministred vnto The words which he meaneth are to the Philippians i Phil. 4.3 I beseech thee faithfull yoke-fellow helpe those women which laboured with me in the Gospell It is true that in respect of that power that he had of himselfe for containing he saith k 1 Cor. 7.7 I would that all men were euen as I my selfe am but these authors as we see haue holden that for no necessary proofe but that Paul might be married also as the rest were Yea but all of them saith M. Bishop after their following of Christ abstained from the company of their wiues But that is more then Master Bishop can proue yea Clemens Alexandrinus against those Heretickes before mentioned condemning mariage asketh thus l Clem. Alex. vt supra An etiam Apostolos reprobaÌ„i Petrusenim Philippus filioâ— procrearuÌ„t Philiopus autem filias quoque suas viris tradidit Do they also reiect the Apostles For Peter and Philip begat children and Philip bestowed his daughters to husbands And this of Peter is confirmed by the legend of the Romane Church which amongst many notable lyes counterfeit stories lighted no doubt vpon some truth The Legend recordeth that Peter had a daughter named from his owne name giuen him in his Apostleship Petronella which in the time of the persecution by Domitian the Emperour was much desired by Flaccus a noble man and thereby appeareth to haue bene then but young whereas if she were not born after the time that Peter was an Apostle she must needes be aboue threescore yeares old it being no lesse from the time that Peter was called to the time of that persecution And to giue the more likelihood hereof we find it certaine that Peter led his wife with him from place to place where he preached as did also other of the Apostles whereof the Apostle S. Paul speaketh manifestly m 1. Cor. 9.5 Haue we not power to leade about a sister being a wife as well as the rest of the Apostles and as the brethren of the Lord and Cephas M. Bishop will say he meant it not of wiues but of other deuout women as though it were not more likely that the Apostles hauing wiues should lead about their owne wiues rather then strange women Yea and the words of the Apostle conuict it so to be vnderstood who would not be absurd in speech to say a sister being a woman and therefore must needs be taken to say a sister being a wife therfore they that take it otherwise are faine to falsifie misplace the Apostles words as the vulgar Latin doth And whereas they are wont to say that those deuout women shold go about with the Apostles to minister vnto theÌ„ of their substance as some did to our Sauior Christ it cannot be the meaning of the Apostle here because he speaketh here of a power whereby he might burden the Church with himself and his but the going about of such women with theÌ„ had bene the disburdening of the Church Yea such women should haue bin said to haue followed them not to be led about by theÌ„ neither would the Apostle haue spoken singly as of one because it could not but haue caused suspitioÌ„ obloquy to go one with one saue only with their owne wiues And thus Clemens Alexandrinus in the place before cited vnderstaÌ„deth it of the Apostles wiues sheweth the cause why the Apostles tooke theÌ„ with them n Clem. Strom. lib 3 Ministraturae apud mulieres quae â—â—mos custoâ—tebant per quas etiam in gynaecaeum alsque reprehensione malauè suspitione ingredi posset doctrina Domini to minister to women which kept the houses that by them the doctrine of the Lord without reproofe or euill suspition might enter into the closets of women This was the speciall cause of their leading theÌ„ about in that respect Clement saith that o Jbid. Non vt vxores sed vt soreres circumducebant they led them not as wiues but as sisters not in regard that they were wiues onely but for that they were also sisters in the faith of Christ in the hope of the Gospell and thereby meet for that vse which was the thing properly intended in the leading of them But hereby he sheweth that certaine it is that the Apostles led their wiues about with theÌ„ so namely the Apostle S. Peter of whom he hath before said as we haue heard that he also begat children and when afterward his wife was put to death for the faith of Christ he was there present as the same Clement also testifieth in another place did p Idem Sirom lib. 7. Cum vides sei vxorem suâ—a duci ad mortem c. exhortanis consolando proprio nomine eam compellans dixit Heus tu memento Domini Tale erat beatorum matrimonium vsque adamicissâ—ma perfecta affectio Vide Euseb hist lib â— cap. 27. exhort and comfort her and calling to her said O wife remember the Lord Iesus Such saith he was the mariage of such blessed persons and their perfect affection euen to the greatest amitie Now last of all M. Bishop for example nameth the best Christians in the purest antiquitie liuing perpetuall virgins he citeth for it Iustin Martyr and Tertullian when he taketh it indeed from the fantastical dream of his owne idle head Of the best Christians neither of them saith a word onely they say that some did liue virgins and vnmarried amongst theÌ„ to shew how far they were from the fornications incests which were vsually practised amongst the Pagans Iustin hauing said that by the doctrine of Christ he that looketh vpon a womaÌ„ to lust after her hath committed adulterie with her in his heart that not onely the committing of adulterie but also the will and desire thereof maketh a man reiected of him inferreth these words q Iust Apol. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surely many with vs both men and women of threescore or seuenty yeares who from their childhood haue learned the doctrine of Christ do continue vncorrupt and I glory that in all sorts of our men I can shew such The Translator to vncorrupt hath added coelibes vnmaried but there is no reason by the words of Iustin to vnderstaÌ„d any thing else but that they kept themselues vncorrupt froÌ„ fornication vncleannes which it was hard to find that any amongst the Pagans to such yeares had done But yet of that I will not contend onely I say that taking the words of vnmaried persons here is nothing said that either they were the best or better theÌ„ any other No more is there in the words of Tertullian who taxing the fornications incestuous filthines of the Pagans saith r Tertul. Apolo cap. 8. cap. 9. Nos ab
Bishop affirming that the faithfull man knoweth himselfe worthie to be hated and yet by faith confidently presumeth that he is beloued of God As yet therefore we haue no proofe that the faithfull man ought to stand in feare of his owne Saluation 12. W. BISHOP Another plaine testimonie is taken out of S. Paul where he sheweth that it is not in vs to iudge of our owne iustice 1. Cor. 4. but we must leaue to God the iudgement of it these be the words I am not guiltie in conscience of any thing but I am not iustified herein but he that iudgeth me is our Lord therefore iudge not before the time vntill our Lord do come who also will lighten the hidden things of darknes and will manifest the counsell of the heart and then the praise shall be to euery man of God So that before Gods iudgement by S. Pauls testimonie men may not assure themselues of their own iustice much lesse of their Saluation Serm. 5. in Psa 118. De constitut monas cap 2. how innocent soeuer they find themselues in their own consciences See vpon this place S. Ambrose S. Basil Theodoret on this place who all agree that men may haue secret faults which God only seeth and therefore they must liue in feare and alwayes pray to be deliuered from them For the rest let S. Augustines testimonie whom our aduersaries acknowledge to be the most diligent and faithfull register of all antiquitie be sufficient This most iudicious and holy Father thus defineth this matter As long as we liue here we our selues cannot iudge of our selues I do not say what we shall be to morrow De verb. Domini serm 35. De ciuit Dei lib. 11. cap. 12. but what we are to day And yet more directly Albeit holy men are certaine of the reward of their perseuerance yet of their owne perseuerance they are found vncertaine For what man can know that he shall perseuer and hold on in the action and increase of iustice vntil the end vnles by some reuelation he be assured of it from him who of his iust but secret iudgement doth not informe all men of this matter but deceiueth none So no iust man is assured of his Saluation by his ordinarie faith by extraordinarie reuelation some man may be assured the rest are not Which is iust the Catholike sentence And because S. Bernard is by our aduersaries cited for them in this point Serm. 1. de Soptuag take his testimonie in as precise tearmes as any Catholike at this time speaketh Thus he writeth Who can say I am one of the elect I am one of the predestinate to life I am one of the number of the children Who I say can thus say the Scripture crying out against him A man knoweth nor Eccles 9. whether he be worthie of loue or hatred Therfore we haue no certaintie but the confidence of hope doth comfort vs that we be not vexed at all with the perplexitie of this doubt The word of God according to S. Bernard crieth out against all them that certainly assure themselues of their Saluation whereon then do they build their faith that beleeue it R. ABBOT The summe of his argument in this place is that we are vncertaine of our owne righteousnesse and therefore can haue no certaintie of our owne Saluation To proue the vncertaintie of our righteousnesse he alledgeth the words of the Apostle a Cor. 4.4 Of this place see further the fourth Section of the next question concerning Iustification I am not guiltie to my selfe in any thing yet am I not therein iustified Where it is worth the noting that whereas the Apostle saith by expresse negatiue I am not iustified thereby he maketh as if the Apostle had meant I cannot tel whether I be iustified or not It may be I am iust it may be I am not iust If I be my iustice shall merit heauen if I be not I know not what may haply become of me But the Apostle neuer made any such doubt he well knew that the cleerenesse of his conscience was not it that could yeeld him iustification before God He knew it to be true which S. Austin saith that b August de peccat mer. remiss lib 2. cap. 19 Quantum ad integerronam regulam veritatis eius pertinet non iustifibabitur c. according to the most entire rule of Gods truth no man liuing shall be found iust in the sight of God and therefore professeth that c Phil. 3.8 he accounteth all things but losse for the excellent knowledge of Christ Iesus our Lord for whom saith he I haue counted all things losse and do iudge them to be doung that I might winne Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is by the law but the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Christ euen the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Here is then a renouncing of his owne righteousnesse and an acknowledgement of iustification and righteousnesse onely by faith in Christ A notable fruit of which faith it was so to walke as that he could say I am not guiltie to my selfe in any thing in which sort he speaketh elsewhere d 2. Cor. 1.12 This is our reioycing euen the testimonie of our conscience that in simplicitie and godly purenesse not by carnall wisedome but by the grace of God we haue had our conuersation in the world Of which testimonie of conscience S. Iohn saith e 1. Iohn 3.19.21 If our heart condemne vs not but that we are of the truth then haue we boldnesse towards God and shall before him assure our hearts Whereby we are taught that to walke with a good conscience in the faith of Christ ministreth great boldnesse and assurance towards God and therefore that the Apostle in the place cited protesting the innocency of his conscience was farre from professing to stand in doubt of his owne Saluation yea and were not M. Bishop a man of an iron face he would not attribute to the Apostle any such doubt For the true vnderstanding of the place we are to obserue as appeareth by the processe of this epistle that there were diuisions and part-takings amongst the Corinthians some magnifying one of their teachers and some another and they willingly accepting the applause and praises of their followers and each thinking highly of himselfe aboue the rest Now the Apostle vnder his owne name and the names of Apollo and Cephas instructeth those teachers against this vain affectation of human applause he wisheth them to be content to be reckoned each with other the ministers of Christ and therein to haue a care to deale faithfully towards him whose stewards they are endeuoring to their vttermost to please the Lord not thinking the better of themselues for that men magnifie them aboue others because men know thē not nor can duly esteeme of them Nay how should other iudge of vs when we cannot sufficiently
iudge of our selues who in our greatest innocencie as seemeth vs yet cannot iustifie our selues to God and when to our selues we are guiltie of nothing yet with him are found guilty many waies because he seeth in as that that we see not in our selues and espieth iniquities and defaults where we by our sight can descry none so that to his sight haply they are found superiours to vs whom we thinke to be our inferiors they are approued for the better whō mens iudgements take to be the worse therfore reiecting the vainglorious cōmendations of partially affected men we are to refer our selues wholy to the iudgement of the Lord. And thus are those words expoūded by those very authors whō M. Bishop citeth not that men may haue secret faults which perhaps may hinder their being iust but that the best haue secret faults at least by reason whereof in themselues they are not iust Thus Ambrose taketh it f Ambros in Psal 118. ser 5. Delicti conscius sibi non erat sed quia homo erat peccatorem se fatebatur scieus vnum esse Iesum lumen verum qui peccatum non fecit c. ipsum solii iustificari qui verè alienus esset à lapsu The Apostle was not to himselfe guiltie of default but because he was a man he confessed himselfe a sinner knowing that Iesus onely is the true light who did no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth and that he onely is found iust who was indeed free from falling The words of Theodoret are not so plaine but Basil euidently maketh the Apostle to say g Basil in Constit monast cap. 2. Hoc est multa pecco quae non intelligo vnde propheta dixit Delicta quis intelliget c. Licet multa peccamus plura tamē dilectorum nostrorum ignoramus I offend in many things which I know not as it is writtē who knoweth how oft he offendeth For although we sinne many wayes yet we do not know or we are not ware of many of our sinnes The Apostles words then import not a doubt but an absolute deniall of his being iust euen by the testimonie of M. Bishops owne records And this shall further appeare in the next question vpon further examination of the same words M. Bishop therefore must change his antecedent proposition and not say We are vncertaine of our owne iustice or righteousnesse but rather We are certaine and sure that in our selues we are not iust And if hereof he will conclude that we must therefore doubt of our owne Saluation we must tell him that his argument holdeth not Indeed if our Saluation were to stand vpon our owne righteousnesse we were not onely to doubt but wholy to despaire of our owne Saluation because by inherent iustice as shall be shewed no man shall be iustified in Gods sight Euen in our greatest perfection when we looke vnto our selues and our owne righteousnesse we are subiect to that amased distraction which the Apostle describeth euen to say h Rom. 10.6 Who shall ascend into heauen as if Christ were not ascended to make way for vs and Who shall descend into the deepe as if Christ had not died to deliuer vs from thence we can neuer satisfie our selues how either to escape the one or to attaine the other Therefore we according to the promise of the Gospell rest the assurance of Saluation vpon faith in Christ fully beleeuing that his merit is our righteousnesse and that by the vertue thereof we are accepted vnto eternall life Which sith M. Bishop knew well inough it was but an idle vagarie of his to alledge this so impertinently for an argument against vs. Now as touching the testimonies that he further alledgeth the first of them is nothing to the matter in hand to say nothing that he quoteth it from a place where it is not found where it is found is not Austins though it be in an homily amongst his The author of those words speaketh to the same purpose as the Apostle did to disswade from taking delight in the praises and commendations of men because they cannot know what commendation should be due vnto vs. Yea saith he i Aug. homil 35. Quamdus viuimus hic de nobisipsis nosipsi iudicare non possumus non dico quod eras erimus sed quod hodie simus Quantè minus delemus moueri iudicijs alienis quà m de conscientia nostra quae nobis perhibet testimonium Nam gloria nostra debet esse conscientia nostra So long as we liue here we our selues cannot iudge of our selues I say not what we shall be to morrow but what we are to day how much lesse then should we be moued with other mens iudgements then with our owne conscience which giueth testimonie vnto vs for our conscience should be our glorie We are not then vpon other mens opinions of vs to swell in opinion of our selues we do not for the present sufficiently conceiue our owne imperfections and defaults which with God may detract from vs much of that which men attribute vnto vs we know not whether God may suffer vs to fall as he doth many times his dearest children to staine that commendation and vaine glorie that we take too great pleasure in but all this hindereth nothing but that faith is assured by the word of God that God will neuer suffer it so to faile or vs so to fall as to fall vtterly away from him The other place of Austin speaketh indefinitely of all who k Aug de ciuit Dei lib. 11. cap. 12. Quos videmus iustè ac prè cum spe futurae immortalitatis hanc vitā ducere c. Licet de suae perseuerantiae praemio certi sūt de ipsa tamē perseuerantia sua reperiuntur incerti c. to our sight liue iustly and godlily with hope of future immortalitie who though they be all sure that there is a reward of perseuerance yet are not all sure to perseuere because all are not indeed the same that to our sight they seeme to be Onely they are assured thereof as he saith l Quis sciat c nisi aliqua reuelatione ab illo fiat certus qui de hac re iusto latentique iudicio nō omnes instruit sed neminem fallit whom God assureth by reuelation from him who doth reueale it by faith through the spirit in our vocation and iustification as we haue heard before out of S. Bernards words The same S. Austin saith to his hearers m De ver Apos ser 16. Fidei quae per dilectionem operatur si est in vobis iam pertinetis ad praedestinatos vocatos iustificatos If there be in you faith which worketh by loue euen now ye belong to them that are predestinated called iustified Now sith the faithful by S. Austins iudgement do belong to thē that are predestinated called iustified it followeth by S. Austins iudgement that they
whose meanes we are not reconciled vnto God to beleeue in the Sauiour which came to seeke and to saue that which is lost to beleeue in him that saith without me ye can do nothing This is the faith whereby we are saued and whereby all the faithfull haue bene saued from the beginning of the world To which purpose S. Austin againe saith h August de nat grat cap. 44 â—a fides iustes sanauit antiquos quae sanat et nos id est mediatoris Dei hominum hominis Iesu Câ—risti fides sanguinis eius fides crucis eius fides mortis resurrectionis â—ius The same faith saued the righteous of old that now saueth vs that is the faith of the man Iesus Christ the Mediator betwixt God and men the faith of his bloud the faith of his crosse the faith of his death and resurrection Thus by faith Abel in his lambe beheld i 1. Ioh. 1.29 the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world and thereby his sacrifice was accepted and in that respect is Christ called k Apoc. 13.8 the lambe that was slaine from the beginning of the world But here M. Bishop vndertaketh to tell vs and therefore let vs heare of him according to the depth of his diuinitie what kind of faith that was which all they had who are sayd in Scriptures to be iustified by their faith And first he beginneth with Noe of whom it is sayd that l Heb. 11.7 he was made heire of the righteousnesse which is by faith But what faith was that He beleeued saith he that God according to his word and iustice would drowne the world and made an Arke to saue himselfe and his familie as God commanded him And what in the drowning of the world and making of an arke to saue himselfe did Noe consider nothing but the drowning of the world and the making of an arke to saue himselfe S. Austin calleth the Arke m Aug. cont Faust Manich. lib. 19 cap. 12. Sacramentum arcae in qua Noe domus à diluuio liberata est the sacrament of the Arke and in a sacrament or mysterie did the faith of Noe see no more but onely what his eyes did see n Chrysost in 1. Cor. hom 7. Mysterium appellatur quoniam non id quod credimus inituemur sed quòd alia videmus alia credimus In sacraments as Chrysostome saith we do not see that which we beleeue but we see one thing and beleeue another Noe then in the Arke did beleeue that which he did not see which what it was S. Peter giueth vs to vnderstand when he maketh our baptisme the thing that o 1. Pet. 3.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answereth the type and figure of the Arke which saith he saueth vs by the resurrection of Iesus Christ The Arke then was to him a figure and seale of the same whereof Baptisme is a figure and seale to vs p Rom. 4.11 a seale of the righteousnesse of faith of q Cap. 3.22 the righteousnesse of God by the faith of Iesus Christ to all and vpon all that do beleeue His deliuerance temporally was a figure of that spirituall saluation which both he and we haue by the washing away and forgiuenesse of our sinnes by the bloud and death and resurrection of Iesus Christ and in the beleefe hereof was it that he was made heire of the righteousnesse of faith In the second place Abraham is brought forth whose faith M. Bishop construeth to be no more but this that he beleeued that old and barren persons might haue children if God sayd the word and that whatsoeuer God promised he was able to performe Where if he had looked into the Apostles words with the eyes of a doctor of diuinitie he would haue found the seed there spoken of to be r Gal. 3.16 Christ as the same Apostle elsewhere expoundeth it Christ in person as the head and all the faithfull gathered as members into one bodie with him Å¿ August in Psal 58. Totus Christus caput corpus post Christus est toâ—um corpus Christi the head and the bodie making one whole Christ as S. Austin speaketh God promised vnto Abraham a seed wherein t Genes 15.2 all the nations of the earth should be blessed Herein God would make him u Rom. 4.13 the heire of the world and x Vers 16.17 a father of many nations not to that seed onely which is of the law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham that we may know that a spirituall seed is here to be vnderstood which should become the children of Abraham by y Vers 12. walking in the steppes of the faith of our father Abraham and so should be made partakers of the blessing with him The performance of all this promise of blessing to Abraham and all the nations of the earth stood vpon his hauing of a sonne which God had promised vnto him The barrennes of Sara the old age both of Abraham and her might seeme to denie all hope of hauing a sonne But yet Abraham rested secure in the affiance of the power of God not doubting but that God was able and would giue him a sonne of whom Christ should come to be vnto him that blessing that God had promised This was the thing that Abrahams faith respected and to which the Apostle referreth it speaking of a promise that was to be sure not to Abraham only z Vers 16. but to all the seed both of beleeuing Iewes and Gentiles who are also called a Heb. 6.17 heires of the promise to the performance whereof to shew vnto them the stablenesse of his counsell God bound himselfe by an oath that by two immutable things wherein it was vnpossible that God should lie his promise and his oath we might haue strong consolation which haue our refuge to hold fast the hope that is set before vs. Of what that old and barren persons may haue children if God say the word O base and abiect conceipt of so diuine and heauenly a matter Nay but of the blessing which as the Apostle noteth before God did sweare vnto Abraham and vnto that seed which he would multiplie vnto him by faith to be blessed together with him Thirdly he alledgeth the faith of the Centurion of which our Sauiour testifieth that b Mat. 8.10 he had not found so great faith in Israel And what was that faith Marrie saith he that he could with a word cure his seruant absent Say the word only quoth he and my seruant shall be healed But did he only beleeue that by saying the word Christ could cure his seruant Surely he beleeued somewhat else that made him to beleeue that he beleeued somewhat else that made him to say Lord I am not worthie that thou shouldest enter vnder my roofe c August de verb. Dom ser 6. Neque hoâ—â—ret â—um 〈…〉 He would
not thus haue sayd with so great faith and humilitie saith S. Austin but that he did alreadie beare Christ in his heaâ—â— Wâ— doubt not but he had conceiued of Christ that he was the Sonne 〈◊〉 God the Sauiour of the world and with this faith came vnto 〈◊〉 The profession of his faith is here mentioned according to the present occasion It followeth not that because the act of faith is no further expressed here therefore there was nothing further in his faith for his iustification towards God Yea we hope M. Bishop will not say that he could be iustified without beleeuing the remission of sinnes by the bloud of Iesus Christ which yet is not expressed here and therefore what doth he but absurdly and childishly to bring vs this example to shew what is meant by iustifying faith In the other places as touching beleeuing that d Mat. 16 16. Ioh. 20.32 Iesus is Christ the Sonne of God the question is what is meant by beleeuing that Iesus is Christ If no more but an act of vnderstanding barely to assent vnto it then the diuels professe as much e Mar. 1.24 O Iesus of Nazaret I know thee who thou art euen the holy one of God But that we may not make that beleefe a matter common to the diuell we must vnderstand it to be a compounded action not of the vnderstanding onely but of the heart of the will and affections as appeareth by the third place which to this purpose he citeth f Rom. 10.9 If thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeue with thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued for with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse c. So to the Eunuch desiring to be baptized Philip saith g Act. 8.37 If thou beleeue with all thine heart thou mayest I beleeue saith he that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God Beleefe therefore in these speeches importeth such a beleefe as whereby Christ is to our heart that which we beleeue him to be whereby we beleeue to our owne vse and comfort that which we beleeue It is such a faith as desireth seeketh embraceth holdeth ioyeth in that which it beleeueth because therein it seeth and apprehendeth peace whereby we so beleeue that Iesus is Christ as that according to that we beleeue him to be we beleeue in him and put our trust and confidence in him This is implied in the words that Iesus is Christ that is the promised Messias and Sauiour in whom is promised vnto vs and in whom we looke to find blessing peace immortalitie and euerlasting life Notably to this purpose S. Austin saith h August in Psal 130. Hoc est credere in Christum diligere Christum non quomodo daemones creâ—ebant sed non diligebaÌ„t Christum ideo quamuis crederent dicebant Quid nobis tibi est fili Dei Nos autem sic credamus vt in ipsum credamus diligentes eum non dicamus Quid nebis tibi est sed potius diâ—amus Ad te pertinemus tu redimisti nos Omnes qui sic credunt tanquaÌ„ lapides sunt viui de quibus templuÌ„ Dei ad fiâ—aâ—um est tanquam ligna imputribilia quibus arâ—a illa compacta est quae in diluuâ—o merge non potuit This is to beleeue in Christ euen to loue Christ not as the diuels beleeued and loued not and therefore albeit they beleeued yet said What haue we to do with thee thou sonne of God But let vs so beleeue as that we beleeue in him louing him and let vs not say What haue we to do with thee but rather let vs say We belong to thee thou hast redeemed vs. All that thus beleeue are as liuely stones of which the temple of God is builded and as those neuer putrifying plankes and timber whereof the Arke was compacted that could not be drowned in the flood Such a faith must M. Bishop confesse to be meant in the places by him alledged that with Austin he may make a difference betwixt the faith of true Christians and the faith of diuels By this the answer is plaine to the last place which mentioneth only the subiect and matter of the Gospell but of the manner of beleeuing expresseth nothing Only in that it is said that Christ died for our sinnes there is implied a particular application of that which by the Gospell we beleeue as where the same Apostle saith i Rom. 4.25 He was deliuered to death for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification which we cannot be sayd truly to beleeue vnlesse we beleeue our selues to be redeemed and iustified from our sinnes by the death and resurrection of Iesus Christ Now then we deny not but that the beleefe expressed in the articles of the Creed is that iustifying faith by which we must be saued yet not according to that historicall meaning which M. Bishop maketh of them but according to that true meaning of beleeuing in God which the Scripture teacheth whereby a man can truly say I beleeue in God which M. Bishop cannot tell whether he can say or not and therefore we are sure that he cannot say But though he cannot say it yet let him not repine at vs that can and if he list not to haue any part in that faith whereby he should apply to himselfe the righteousnesse and merit of Christ to the assurance of the forgiuenesse of sinnes and euerlasting life let him leaue it vnto vs and we will ioy therein and make it indeed the corner stone of our religion because thereby Iesus Christ is our foundation and corner stone of whom we presume all things towards God who can presume nothing of our selues But at his conclusion of this point I could not but smile where mentioning this faith layed as the corner stone of our religion which the sycophant as the Popes parrot to speake what he teacheth him termeth irreligion he inferreth this being so what morall or modest conuersation what humilitie and deuotion can they build vpon it It made me call to mind the morall and modest conuersation of their Popes the humilitie and deuotion of the most of their Cardinals and Bishops the sweet and cleanly life of their Votaries both religious and secular and by them to consider what good fruits M. Bishops faith hath brought forth amongst them It made me remember a storie that I haue heard out of Boccace of a conuerted Iew of whom he that conuerted him would by no meanes heare that he should go to Rome fearing that the sight of the behauiour that he should see there would make him renounce Christianitie againe It made me thinke of the nobles of the Sultan of Babylon who seeing enormous behauiours so to abound at Rome refused to become Christians saying k Mâ—t. Parisan Henrico 2. Quia Romae tot scaturiunt enormitates dicebant Quomodo ex vno fonte aequa dulcis salsa poterit emanare Vbi