of God whereby he accounteth and esteemeth that righteousnes which is in Christ as the righteousnes of that sinner which beleeueth in him By Christs righteousnes we are to vnderstand two thinges first his sufferings specially in his death and passion secondly his obedience in fulfilling the lawe both which goe together for Christ in suffering obeyed and obeying suffered And the very shedding of his bloud to which our saluation is ascribed must not onely be considered as it is passiue that is a suffering but also as it is actiue that is an obedience in which he shewed his exceeding loue both to his father and vs and thus fulfilled the lawe for vs. 3. Rule That iustification is from Gods mercies and grace procured onely by the merite of Christ 4. Rule That man is iustified by faith alone because faith is that alone instrument created in the hart by the Holy Ghost whereby a sinner laieth holde of Christs righteousnes and applies the same to him selfe There is neither hope nor loue nor any other grace of God within man that can doe this but faith alone now of the Doctrine of the Roman Church Because M. PERKINS settes not downe well the Catholikes opinion I will helpe him out both with the preparation and justification it selfe and that taken out of the Councel of Trent Where the very wordes concerning preparation are these Sess 6. c. 6. Men are prepared and disposed to this iustice when being stirred vp and helped by Gods grace they conceiuing faith by hearing are freely moued towardes God beleeuing those thinges to be true which God doth reueale and promise â—â—â—â—ely that he of his grace doth iustifie a sinner through the redemption that is in CHRIST IESVS And when knowledging them selues to be sinners through the feare of Gods iudgementes they turne them selues to consider the mercie of God are lifted vp into hope trusting that God will be mercifull vnto them for Christs sake and beginning to loue him as the fountayne of all iustice are there by moued with hatred and detestation of all sinnes Finally they determine to receiue baptisme to beginne a new life and to keepe all Christs commaundements After this disposition or preparation followeth Iustification and for that euery thing is best knowne by the causes of it all the causes of Iustification are deliuered by the Councell in the next Chapter which briefly are these The finall cause of the Iustification of a sinner is the glorie of God the glory of Christ and mans owne iustification the efficient is God the meritorious CHRIST IESVS Passions the instrumentall is the Sacrament of Baptisme the onlie formall cause is inherent iustice that is Faith Hope and Charity with the other giftes of the Holy Ghost powred into a mans soule at that instant of iustification Of the iustification by faith and the second iustification shall be spoken in their places So that we agree in this point that iustification commeth of the free grace of God through his infinite mercies and the merits of our Sauiours Passion and that all sinnes when a man is justified be pardoned him The point of difference is this that the Protestants hold that Christs Passion and obedience imputed vnto vs becommeth our righteousnes for the wordes of justice and justification they seldome vse and not any righteousnes which is in our selues The Catholikes affirme that those vertues powred into our soules speaking of the formall cause of iustification is our iustice and that through that a man is iustified in Gods sight and accepted to life euerlasting Although as you haue seene before we hold that God of his meere mercie through the merits of CHRIST IESVS our Sauiour hath freely bestowed that iustice on vs. Note that M. PERKINS comes to short in his second rule when he attributeth the merits of Christs suffringes to obedience whereas obedience if it had beene without charity would haue merited nothing at Gods handes And whereas M. PERKINS doth say that therein we raze the foundation that is as he interpreteth it in his preface we make Christ a Pseudochrist we auerre that herein we doe much more magnifie Christ then they doe for they take Christs merits to be so meane that they doe but euen serue the turne to deface sinne and make men worthie of the joyes of heauen Nay it doth not serue the turne but only that God doth not impute sinne vnto vs. We contrarywise doe so highly esteeme of our Sauiours inestimable merits that we hold them wel able to purchase at Gods handes a farre inferiour justice and such merits as mortall men are capable of and to them doe giue such force and value that they make a man just before God and worthy of the Kingdome of heauen as shall be proued Againe they doe great iniury to Gods goodnes wisedome and justice in their justification for they teach that inward justice or sanctification is not necessary to justification Yea their Ring-leader Luther saith That the iustified can by no sinnes whatsoeuer except he refuse to beleeue lose their saluation Wherein first they make their righteous man Like as our Sauiour speaketh to sepulchers whited on the out side with an imputed justice but within full of iniquity and disorder Then the wisdome of GOD must either not discouer this masse of iniquity or his goodnesse abide it or his justice either wipe it away or punish it But say they he seeth it well enough but couereth it with the mantle of Christs righteousnesse Why can any thing be hid from his sight it is madnesse to thinke it And why doth he not for Christes sake deface it and wipe it cleane away and adorne with his grace that soule whome he for his sonnes sake loueth and make it worthy of his loue and kingdome What is it because Christ hath not deserued it So to say were to derogate from the infinite value of his merits Or is it for that God cannot make such justice in a pure man as may be worthy of his loue and his kingdome And this were to deny Gods power in a matter that can be donne as we confesse that such vertue was in our first father Adam in state of innocencie And M. PERKINS seemes to graunt Pag. 77. That man in this life at his last gaspe may haue such righteousnesse If then we had no other reason for vs but that our justification doth more exalt the power and goodnes of God more magnifie the value of Christs merits and bringeth greater dignity vnto men our doctrine were much better to be liked then our aduersaries who cannot alleage one expresse sentence either out of holy Scriptures or auncient Fathers teaching the imputation of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs to be our justification as shall be seene in the reasons following and doe much abase both Christs merits and Gods power wisdome and goodnesse Now to their reasons M. PERKINS first reason is this That which must be our righteousnesse before God must satisfie the iustice of
foundation maketh not Christ a Pseudochrist as you say here or else you teach your disciples very pernitiously to hold the same necessary heades of Religion with it But to leaue to you the reconciliation of these places let vs examine briefly how you confirme your paradox that the Church of Rome maketh Christ a false Christ which you goe about to proue by foure instances The first is because the seruant of his seruants may chaunge and adde to his commaundements hauing so great power that he may open and shut heauen to whome he will and binde the very conscience with his owne lawes and consequently be partaker of the spiritual kingdome of Christ Here are diuerse reasons hudled vp in one but all of litle moment for all these seuerall faculties which the Pope enioyeth being receiued by the free gift of Christ and to be employed in his seruice onlie and to his honour and glorie are so farre off from making Christ a Pseudochrist that they doe highly recommēd his most singuler bounty towardes his followers without any derogation to his owne diuine prerogatiues The particulars shal be more particularly answered in their places hereafter Now I say in a word that Christs Vicar cannot change any one of Gods cōmaundements nor adde any contrarie vnto them but may well enact establish some other conformable vnto them which doe bind in cōscience for that power is granted of God to euery soueraigne gouernour Rom. 13. as witnesseth S. Paul saying Let euery soule be subiect to higher powers And that as it is in the 5. verse following of necessity not only for wrath but also for conscience sake So that to attribute power vnto one that is vnder CHRIST to binde our consciences is not to make CHRIST a Pseudochrist but to glorifie him much acknowledging the power which it hath pleased him to giue vnto men In like manner what an absurde illation is that from the power to open and shut heauen gates which all both Catholikes and Protestants confesse to haue beene giuen to Saint Peter and the rest of the Apostles to inferre that CHRIST is made a Pseudochrist as who should say the master spoyled himselfe of his supreame authority by appoynting a stewarde ouer his housholde or a porter at this gates he must be both Master and Man to belike And thus much of the first instance 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 meruaile in whome he should be a sauiour if not in vs What is he the Sauiour of Angels or of anie other creatures I hope not but the mischief is that he giues grace to vs that there by we may merite and so become our owne Sauiours This is a phrase vnheard of among Catholiks that anie man is his owne Sauiour neither doth it folowe of that position that good works are meritorious but well that we applie vnto vs the saluation which is in CHRIST IESVS by good works as the Protestants auouch they doe by faith onlie In which sence the Apostle S. Paul sayeth to his deare Disciple Timothe Tim. 4. For this doing thow shalt saue both thy selfe and them that heare thee And this doth no more diminish the glorie of our Soueraigne Sauiours infinit merits then to say that we are saued by faith onlie good works no lesse depending if not more aduancing Christs merits then only faith as shall be prooued hereafter more at large in the question of merits Now that other good mens merits may steede them who want some of their owne may be deduced out of an hundred places of the Scriptures namely out of those where God sayeth that for the sake of one of his true seruants he will shewe mercie vnto thousands as is expressely said in the end of the first commandement In like manner I answere vnto your third instance that for Christ to haue taken away by his blessed Passion the eternall payne due vnto our sinnes to haue left a temporall to be satisfied by vs is not to make himselfe a false Christ but a most louing kinde and withall a most prudent Redeemer Wiping away that by himselfe which passed our forces and reseruing that to vs which by the helpe of his grace we wel may ought to doe not only because it were vnseemely that the parts of the body should be disproportionable to the head but also because it is reasonable as the Apostle holdeth Rom. 8. that we suffer here with Christ before wee raigne with him in his Kingdome In your last instance you say that we make Christ our mediator of intercession to GOD thinking out of your simplicity that therein we much magnifie him sing Osanna vnto him Whereas we hold it for no small disparagement vnto his diuine dignitie to make him our Intercessor that is to pray him to pray for vs who is of himselfe right able to helpe vs in all we can demaund being aswell God as Man And albeit one in thought singling out the humanity of Christ from his diuine nature and person might make it an intercessor for vs Yet that being but a Metaphisical cōceipt to separate the nature from the person since the Arrian heresie which held Christ to be inferior to his Father it hath not beene practised by Catholikes who alwayes pray our Sauiour Christ to haue mercy vpon vs neuer to pray for vs. And consequently make him no mediator of intercession but of redemption And to come to your grieuous complaint that withall his Mother must be Queene of heauen and by right of a mother commaund him there Who can sufficiently meruaile at their vnnaturall grosse pates who take it for a disgrace to the Sonne to aduaunce his owne good Mother or else who wel in his wits considering Christs bounty to strangers and his enemies will not be perswaded that on his best beloued mother he did bestowe his most speciall fauours For hauing taken flesh of her hauing suckt her breasts and receiued his nuriture and education of her in his tender yeares and being aswell followed of her as of any other Is it possible that he should not be as good to her as to others vnto whome he was not at all beholding Againe the verie place of a mother requiring preheminence before all seruants and subjects of what dignitie soeuer doth not the right rule of reason lead vs to thinke that Christ the fountayne of all wisdome replenished the B. Virgin Marie his deare Mother with such grace as should make her fit for that place it lying in his hands and free choise to doe it And therefore is she trulie tearmed of holy and learned Antiquity our Lady and Queene exalted aboue all quyers of Angels That which you impute vnto vs farther that she must in the right of a mother commaund her Sonne is no
Therefore saith he it is put ambiguous and left vncertayne that while men are doubtfull of their saluation they may doe penance more manfully and so may moue God to take compassion on them An other reason of this vncertayntie De cor gra cap 13. yeeldeth Saint Augustine in these wordes In this place of temptation such is our infirmity that assurednes might engender pride To this agreeth S. Gregory saying Lib. 9. moral cap. 17. If we knowe our selues to haue grace we are proude So that to strike downe the pride of our harts and to humble vs and to make vs trauaile more carefully in the workes of mortification God doth not ordinarily assure men at the first of their owne saluation but to cheere vp their hartes on the other side doth put them in great hope of it like to a discreet and good Lord who will not at the first entrance into his seruice infeafe his seruant in the fee simple of those lands which after vpon his good deserts he meaneth to bestowe on him This is an other kinde of Doctrine then that which M. PER. in his last supply deliuereth to witte That if we regard our owne indisposition we must despaire because we be not worthy of his mercie Not so good Sir Because we knowe that he bestoweth mercy vpon the vnworthie at the first justification of a sinner but will not admitte into the Kingdome of heauen any vnworthy but giues men grace while they liue to worke that they are made worthy of his heauenly Kingdome according to that They shall walke with me in whites Apoc. 3.4 because they are worthie but of this more fully in the chapter of merits The fift reason for our opinion is taken out of M. PER. second exception to witte howsoeuer a man may be assured for his present state yet no man is certaine of his perseuerance to the end And therefore although we might be assured of our Iustification yet can we not be certaine of our Saluation For he only that perseuereth to the end shall be saued M. PERK answere is that prayer doth assure vs to perseuer to the end for God biddes vs pray that we fall not into temptation and promiseth an issue forth 1. Cor. 10. So then the assurance dependes vpon prayer and not vpon our former faith What then if we doe not pray so as we should may not the enemy then not only wound but kill vs to it cannot be denyed and therein as in diuers other workes of pietie many haue bin too too slacke as the pitifull fall of thousands haue taught vs. Oh saith M. PERKINS it cannot be that he which was once a member of Christ can euer after be wholy cut off O shamelesse assertion and contrary to many playne textes and examples of holy Scriptures Doth not our Sauiour say in expresse words That euery branch in me not bearing fruit Ioh. 15. he will take it away And againe If any abide not in me he shall be cast forth as the branch and shall wither and be cast into the fire which doth demonstrate that some which were members of Christ be wholy cut off and that for euer Are we not by faith made members of Christ by our aduersaries owne confession and doth not our blessed Sauiour say Luke 8. expounding the parable of the sower That the seede which fell vpon the rocke doth signifie them who with ioy receiue the word and these saith he haue no roote but for a time they beleeue and in time of temptation reuolt 1. Tim. 1.19 1. Tim. 4. 2. Tim. 6. Doth not Saint Paul in expresse tearmes say That some hauing faith and good conscience expelling good conscience haue made shipwracke of their faith of whome were by name Hymenaeus and Alexander The like That in the the last dayes some shoulde reuolt from the faith Againe That some for couetuousnesse sake had erred from the faith And for example amongst other take Saul the first King of Israell who was at his election as the holy Ghost witnesseth so good a man 1. Reg. 19. that there was no better then he in Israell and yet became reprobate as is in the Scripture signified The like is probable of Salomon 2. Reg. 15. 16. and in the newe Testament of Iudas the traytor and Simon Magus whome S. Luke saith that he also himselfe beleeued and after became an Arch-heretike Act. 8. and so died the like almost may be verefied of all Arch-heretikes who before they fell were of the faithfull But what neede we further proofe of this matter seeing that this is cosen german if not the very same with one of that infamous heretike Iouinians erronious articles Heres 82. Li. 2. cont Iouin condemned and registred by S. Hierome and S. Augustine who held that just men after Baptisme could not sinne and if they did sinne they were indeede washed with water but neuer receiued the spirit of grace his ground was that he which had once receiued the spirit of grace could not sinne after which is just M. PERKINS proposition so that to vpholde an errour he falleth into an olde condemned heresie And which is yet more absurd in the next confirmation he letteth slippe at once a brace of other heresies these be his wordes And if by sinne one were wholy seuered from Christ for a time in his recouery he is to be baptised the second time Where you haue first rebaptizing which is the principall error of the Anabaptists and withall the heresie of the Nouatians who held that if any in persecution denied Christ after baptisme there was no remedie left in Gods Church for their recouerie but must be left to God so saith M. PERKINS for that of rebaptizing he seemes to bring in ex absurdo so that the common saying is verified in him one absurdity being graunted a thowsand followe after But doth he knowe no other meanes then Baptisme to recouer one cut off from Christ hath he forgotten that corrupted sentēce of the Prophet wherewith they beginne their common prayer What houre soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne c. With them repentance and with vs the Sacrament of Penance serue a man at any time of his life to be reconciled to Christ But we must answere vnto that of S. Iohn They went out from vs 1. Ioan. 2. but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. I answere If they went out from vs they were before with vs which confirmeth our assertion that men may departe from their faith and Christes profession but such men were not indeede of the number of the elect of which S. Iohn was for then either they would haue continued with them in the Christian faith or else by hartie repentance would haue returned vnto it backe againe which is S. Augustines owne exposition De bono perse c. 8. And these be the Arguments for the
vine-yard and so there was some desart on their part and the seruants were rewarded Mat. 25. because they imployed their talents well and in this very place S. Paul reckoneth vp his good seruices for which the just judge would render him a crowne of justice and therefore the justice is not only in respect of Gods promise And if you will not beleeue me prouing that I say out of the very text rather then M. PERKINS on his bare word let S. Augustine be arbitrator betweene vs who most deepely considereth of euery worde in this sentence Let vs heare saith he the Apostle speaking Li. 50. hom Hom. 4. when he approached neare vnto his passion I haue quoth he fought a good fight I haue accomplished my course I haue kept the faith concerning the rest there is laide vp for me a crowne of iustice which our Lord will render vnto me in that day a iust iudge And not only to meet but to them also that loue his comming He saith that our Lord a iust iudge will render vnto him a crowne he therefore doth owe it and as a iust iudge will pay it For the worke being regarded the rewarde cannot be denyed I haue fought a good fight is a worke I haue accomplished my course is a worke I haue kept the faith is a worke There is laide vp for me a crowne of iustice this is the rewarde So that you see most clearly by this most learned fathers judgement that the reward is due for the worke sake and not onely for the promise of God See him vpon that verse of the Psalme I will sing vnto thee O Lord Psal 100. mercy and iudgement Where he concludes that God in judgement will out of his justice crowne those good workes which he of mercy had giuen grace to doe And that the reader may vnderstand that not onely Saint Augustine doth so confidently teach this doctrine of merittes which M. PERKINS blushed not to tearme the inuention of Satan I will fold vp this question with some testimonies of the most auncient and best Authours Epist ad Roman S. Ignatius the Apostles auditour saith Giue me leaue to become the foode of beastes that I may by that meanes meritte and winne God Apolog. 2. â—ntemed Iustine a glorious Martir of the next age hath these wordes speaking in the name of all Christians We thinke that men who by workes haue shewed them selues worthy of the will and counsaile of God shall by their merittes liue and raigne with him free from all corruption and perturbation Lib. 4. con â—erel c 72. S. Ireneus saith We eesteme that crowne to be pretious which is gotten by combate and suffering for Gods sake Ora in iniâ—ium prou Li de Spir. â—ancto c. 24 S. Basil All we that walke the way of the Gospell as Marchants doe buy gette the possession of heauenly thinges by the workes of the commaundements A man is saued by workes of iustice Serm. de eleemos â—nsine S. Cyprian If the day of our returne shall finde vs vnloaden swift and running in the race of workes our Lord will not faile to reward our merittes He will giue for workes to those that winne in peace a white crowne and for Martirdome in persecution he will redouble vnto them a purple crowne Câ—n. 5. in Mâ—th S. Hilarie The Kingdome of heauen is the hier and reward of them that liue well and perfectly Lib. 1. de offic c. 15. S. Ambrose Is it not euident that there remayneth after this life either reward for merittes or punishment S. Hierome Now after baptisme it appertayneth to our trauails according vnto the diuersity of vertue to prepare for vs different rewardes Serm. 68. â—n Cant. S. Bernard Prouide that thou haue merittes for the want of them is a pernitious pouertie Briefly that this was the vniuersall Doctrine of all good Christians aboue a thousand yeare past is declared in the Councell of Aransicane Reward is debt vnto good workes Can 18. if they be done but grace which was not debt goeth before that they may be done These testimonies of the most auncient and best learned Christians may suffice to batter the brasen forehead of them that affirme the Doctrine of merittes to be a Satannicall inuention and to settle al them that haue care of their saluation in the most pure doctrine of the Catholike Church CHAPTER 6. OF SATISFACTION MASTER PERKINS Acknowledgeth first ciuill Satisfaction Pag. 117 that is a recompence for iniuries or damages any way donne to our neighbour such as the good Publican Zacheus practised who restored fourfold the thinges gotten by extorsion and deceite This is Luc. 19. wittily acknowledged by him but litle exercised among ProtestaÌ„ts for where the Sacrament of Confession is wanting there men vse very seldome to recompence so much as onefold for their extorsion bribes vsury and other crafty ouer-reaching of their neighbours But of this kinde of Satisfaction which we commonly call restitution we are not here to treate nor of that publicke penance Which for notorious crimes is done openly but of such priuate penance which is either enjoyned by the confessor or voluntarily vndertaken by the penitent or else sent by Gods visitation to purge vs from that temporall payne which for sinnes past and pardoned we are to endure either in this life or in purgatorie if we die before we haue fully satisfied here M. PERKINS in his third conclusion decreeth very solemnely That no man can be saued vnlesse he made a perfect satisfaction vnto the iustice of God for all his sinnes Yet in the explication of the difference betweene vs defineth as peremptorily that no man is to satisfie for any one of all his sinnes or for any temporall payne due to them Which be flat contradictory propositions and therefore the one of them must needes be false But such odde broken rubbish doth he commonly cast into the ground worke of his questions and thereupon raiseth the tottering building of his newe doctrine and lets not like a blinde man to make an out cry that in this matter the Papists erre in the very foundation and life of religion Which in his first argument he goes about to proue thus Imperfect satisfaction is no satisfaction at all But the Papists make Christs satisfaction imperfect in that they doe thereunto adde a supply of humane satisfaction ergo they make it no satisfaction at all Answere This is a substantiall argument to raise the cry vpon which hath both propositions false The first is childish for he that satisfieth for halfe his debts or for any part of them makes some satisfaction which satisfaction is vnperfect and yet cannot be called no satisfaction at all as euery child may see His second is as vntrue but mans satisfaction is not to supply the want of Christs satisfaction but to apply it to vs as Master PERKINS saith his faith doth to them and to fulfill
day of tribulation Psal 49. and I will deliuer thee Prayer cannot be made without faith in Gods power hope in his goodnes and therefore must needes be pleasing in Gods sight by prayer we humble our selues before God and acknowledge his omnipotency and our infirmity By prayer we lament with bitter teares our owne ingratitude folly and wickednes and bewayle the grieuousnes of our sinnes such prayer made King Dauid as his Psalmes doe testefie 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 King Manasses who falling into tribulition 2. Paral. 33. prayed vnto the Lord his God and did great penance before the God of his fathers and prayed and entreated earnestly and God heard his prayers and brought him backe againe to Ierusalem into his Kingdome Now to M. PERKINS Similes A begger doth not deserue his almes because he makes not this former kinde of prayer but the short sleight one of the Protestants from the lippes outward The like we say of a debter whose creditor being a needie man will not be paid without mony but God who needes none of our goodes highly esteemeth of an humble and contrite hart grieued much for hauing sinned in the sight of God and humbly suing vnto him for pardon To such a one he said Math. 18. Did I not forgiue thee all thy debt because thou besoughtest me Secondly saith M. PERKINS Fasting is a thing indifferent of the same nature with eating and drinking no more conferring to the Kingdome of heauen then eating and drinking doth What an Epicurian and fleshlie Doctrine is this Why then did the Niniuites fast put on sack-cloath and lie on the ground all which bodely afflictions are reduced to fasting rather then eate and drinke and presume of Gods mercy if the one had beene as acceptable to God as the other Why is S. Iohn Baptist commended for his rough garments and thinne diet if chearishing the flesh please God as well as punishing of it Math. 6. Christ saith expressely That if we fast in secret his heauenly Father will repay vs openly Will he reward eating and drinking so liberally but of fasting we shall haue a whole Chapter hereafter Therefore briefly I here conclude that this Doctrine tendeth to the establishment of the Kingdome of Atheists and Epicures whose sweete speech is Let vs eate and let vs drinke for after death there is no pleasure True for such Belly-gods and their followers Lastly he saith that Almesdeedes cannot be workes of satisfaction for sinnes For when we giue them as we ought we doe but our dutie and we may aswell say that a man by paying one debt may discharge an other as to say by doeing his dutie he may satisfie Gods justice for the punishment or his sinnes A man might suppose that this man were pretely well seene in Carolo Buffone that thus ruffleth in graue matters with his simple Similes That Almesdeedes redeeme our sinnes purge vs from them and make all thinges cleane vnto vs hath beene already proued out of holy Scriptures I will joyne thereunto this one testimonie of that worthy Martir S. Cyprian Serm. de opere cleemos Our frailty could not tell what to doe vnlesse the goodnes of God by teaching vs the workes of iustice and mercy had shewed vs a certayne way of preseruing our saluation which is that with Almesdeedes we might wash cleane away the filth of sinnes which we had contracted after Baptisme The holy Ghost speaketh in the Scripture and saith Sinnes are purged by almesdeedes and faith Now to M. PERKINS Simile We deny that a man is bound to giue all the almes that he can We are bound to giue that which we may well spare when there is great want But almes which is a part of satisfaction is not giuen out of our superfluity but spared from our necessary vses And is many times bestowed when there is no such great neede vpon building Schooles Colledges Hospitals and Chappels And this may serue to answere M. PERKINS Similes against these three workes of satisfaction If any man desire to knowe why we make speciall rekoning of these three workes it is principally for two causes First we being to satisfie must performe it with such thinges as be our owne which be of three sortes either they belong to our soule or to our body or to our externall goodes the goodes of our minde we offer to God by prayer by fasting and other reasonable bodely discipline we exhibite vnto him A liuing hoaste holy and pleasing God Rom. 12.1 By Almesdeedes we make him an agreeable present of our goodes Secondly all sinne as S. Iohn teacheth 1. Epis 2. may be reduced to three principall heades The concupiscence of the flesh that is Leachery which is cooled by fasting and such like afflicting of the body Concupiscence of the eyes Couetousnes which is purged and chased away by almesdeedes And pride of life which is suppressed by humble prayer and often meditation of our owne miseries But now to knitte vp this question Let vs heare briefly what the best learned and purest antiquity hath taught of this satisfaction done by man and because M. PERKINS beganne with Tertullian omitting his auncients Let vs first heare what he saith of it in his booke of penance How foolish is it saith he not to fulfill our penance and yet to expect pardon of our sinnes this is not to tender the price and yet to put out a hand for the reward for God hath decreede to set the pardon at this price he proposeth impunity to be redeemed with this recompence of penance His equall in standing and better in learning Origen thus discourseth See our good Lord tempering mercy with seuerity Hom. 3. in lib. iudic and weighing the measure of the punishment in a iust and mercifull balance he deliuereth not vp a sinner for euer But looke how long time thou knowest thy selfe to haue offended so long doe thou humble thy selfe to God and satisfie him in the confession of penance That glorious Martir and most learned Arch-Bishop S. Cyprian is wonderfull vehement against them that would not haue seuere penance done by such as fell in persecution saying That such indiscreet men labour tooth and nayle that satisfaction be not done to God highly offended against them And saith further That he who withdraweth our brethren from these workes of satisfaction doth miserably deceiue them causing them that might doe true penance and satisfie God their mercifull Father with their prayer and workes to perish daylie Lib. 1. Ep. Li 3. Ep. 14 Orat. in illa verba attende tibi And to be more and more seduced to their further damnation S. Basil saith Looke to thy selfe that according to the proportion of thy fault thou maist hence also borrow some helpe of recouering thy health Is it a great and grieuous offence it