by offering his sonne Isaac and Rahab by her entertaining and delivering of the Espies but no man can bee justified before God by his works who is guilty of any sinne For if Paul who was not conscious to himselfe of any sinne was not thereby justified how can he that is guilty of any or rather many sinnes be justified For whosoever is justified before God is blessed but cursed is every one that continueth not in all the things which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them § IV. But if it shall evidently appeare that none of the workes of the faithfull are purely and perfectly good how farre then are the Papists from proving justification by workes And this I will prove by divers arguments which I will also maintaine against the cavils of the Papists And first out of Esa. 64. 6. We are all as an uncleane person or thing all our righteousnesses are as a menstruous cloth Where the Church doth freely confesse her selfe and all her members to bee uncleane and all their righteousnesses that is all their most righteous workes to bee as polluted clouts which though it be a most pregnant testimony wherein wee have just cause to triumph yet Bellarmine saith it is impertinent and that for three reasons First because without doubt the Prophet speaketh not of just men but of notorious sinners for whose sinnes the City of Ierusalem and people of the Iewes was to be delivered into the hands of the King of Babylon And that the prophet speaketh in the person of such wicked men he endeavoureth also to prove by three arguments First because he a little before had said because thou art angry and wee have sinned that is as Cyrill expoundeth it because thou art angry thou hast forsaken us But neither is God angry with the just neither doth hee forsake them I answere no lesse confidently but upon better grounds that without doubt the prophet speaketh in the person of the Church and namely of the faithfull who living after the desolation of Ierusalem in the captivity of Babylon should bewaile their owne sinnes and of the whole people of the Iewes which had drawne upon them those fearefull judgements For these words are part of that prayer of the Church of the Iewes which from the seventh verse of the 63. chapter is continued to the end of the 64. And in token of this continuation the latter part of the last verse of the former chapter in the hebrew is the beginning of this chapter in the Greeke Latine and other translations Now in the former chapter the same persons which here confesse their sinnes after they had magnified Gods mercies towards them verse 7. c. doe say unto God verse 16. doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel know us not thou O Lord art our Father and our Redeemer And in this chapter as they bewaile in this verse their sinnefulnesse with aggravation so they desire the Lord whom they call their Father not to remember their iniquities because they are his people verse 8. 9. professing their hope of salvation verse 5. which is not the manner of notorious and impenitent sinners but of those that are penitent and faithfull And further that which Esay here foretelleth is accordingly performed First by Daniel chap. 9. from the fourth verse to the twentieth who in like manner in the name and behalfe of the desolate Church of the Iewes prayeth unto God confessing his owne sinnes and of the people of Israel as he speaketh verse 20. Secondly by the Church in captivity which send the like prayer written by Baruch to the priest and people who then were at Ierusalem Baruch 1. from the 15. verse of the first chapter to the end of the third § V. This then is the confession of the Church which according to Tertullians rule is to bee extended unto the faithfull in all times and so it is understood by Origen who saith that no man may glory of his owne righteousnesse seeing here it is said that all our righteousnesse is as the cloth of a menstruous woman by Hierome wee shall bee saved onely by thy mercie who of our selves are uncleane And what righteousnesse soever wee seeme to have is compared to a cloth of a menstruous woman By Augustine all our righteousnesse compared with divine justice is accounted like the cloth of a menstruous woman as the Prophet Esay saith c. and again whatsoever an uncleane person toucheth shall bee uncleane but all wee are as the cloth of a menstruous woman comming from a corrupt masse and uncleane we beare in our foreheads the spot of our uncleannesse which wee cannot conceale at least from thee who seest all things By Bernard in divers places First for our humble righteousnesse if wee have any is perhaps right but not pure unlesse peradventure wee beleeve our selves to be better than our forefathers who no lesse truely than humbly said all our righteousnesse is like the cloth of a menstruous woman for how can there be pure justice where as yet fault cannot bee wanting And againe what can all our righteousnesse bee before God shall it not according to the Prophet be reputed as the cloth of a menstruous woman and all our righteousnesse if it bee straitly judged will it not be found unjust and defective What then will become of our sinnes seeing our righteousnesse cannot answere for it selfe wherefore crying earnestly with the Prophet Enter not into judgement with thy servant O Lord let us in all humility have recourse to mercie which alone can save our soules Thirdly if I shall bee just I will not lift up my head for all my righteousnesses before him are as the cloth of a menstruous woman Fourthly it is perfect and secure glorying when wee feare all our workes as blessed Iob testifieth of himselfe and when wee acknowledge with the prophet Esay that all our righteousnesses are to bee reputed no other than the cloth of a menstruous woman Fifthly surely if all our righteousnesses being viewed at the light of truth shall bee found like a menstruous cloth what then shall our unrighteousnesses bee found to bee And to the like purpose I might alleage Dionys. Carthus in Psal. 142. Gerson tom 3. de Consolat lib. 4. pros 1. tom 4. tr de sign Cajetan in 2 Cor. 5. 21. Iacob Clict in Canonem apud Cassandrum consult art 6. Stella in Luk. 17. Ferus in Matth. lib. 3. cap. â—…0 Andreas Vega opusc de justif qu. 1. propos 4. Adrianus de Traject afterwards Pope in quartum sentent Quasi pannus menstruatâ—… sunt omnes justitiae nostrae jugiter igitur super pannum bonae vitae quem justitiae operibus teximus stillamus saniem diversorum criminum all our righteousnesses are like the cloath of a menstruous woman wherefore continually upon the cloth of a good life which we
us and vers 21. to make us the righteousnesse of God in Christ as he was made sinne for us Act. 26. 18. that by faith we may have remission of sinnes and inheritance that is that we may bee heires of the heavenly inheritance among them that are sanctified Ioh. 3. 18. He that beleeveth in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not condemned that is as Paul speaketh Act. 13. 39. is justified but hee that beleeveth not him is condemned already That which Paul affirmeth Rom. 3. 21 22. now without the Law is manifested the righteousnesse of God being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets even the righteousnesse of God which is by the faith of Iesus Christ unto all and upon all that beleeâ—…e Saint Peter more plainely expresseth Act. 10. 43. unto him all the Prophets beare witnesse that every one which beleeveth in him receiveth remission of sinnes through his name § VIII Because the whole processe of the justification of a sinner is judiciall Rom. 8. 33 34. For the sinner summoning himselfe before the judgement seat of God as every one must doe that would bee justified his owne conscience being rightly informed by the paedagogie of the Law accuseth him the devill pleadeth against him the Law convicteth him and maketh him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subject to the sentence of condemnation if God should judge him according to his Law But the sinner being instructed in the Gospell and the holy Ghost having opened his heart to beleeve appealeth from the sentence of the Law to the promise of the Gospell and from the tribunall of justice to the throne of Grace humbly intreating the Lord for Christs sake to pardon his sinnes and to accept of the merits and obedience of Christ as a full satisfaction for them Our Saviour sitting at the right hand of his Father maketh intercession and as an advocate pleadeth for him that forasmuch as he himselfe hath paid the debt and satisfied Gods justice for the beleeving sinner therefore the Lord not onely in mercy but also in justice is to remit his sinne and to accept of him in Christ. The Lord as a gracious and righteous judge imputing to the beleever the merits and righteousnesse of Christ absolveth him from his sinnes and accepteth of him as righteous in Christ that is to say justifieth him The beleeving sinner being thus justified in the Court of heaven is not at the first justified in the Court of his owne conscience that is to say is not yet perswaded and assured of his justification untill the holy Ghost by the ministery of the Gospell pronouncing remission of sinnes and justification to every one that beleeveth teacheth him to apply the promises of the Gospell unto himselfe which he sealeth unto him by the Sacraments The beleever being thus perswaded and in some measure assured of his justification giveth diligence by practising the duties of repentance and sanctification to confirme and increase that assurance more and more unto the end of his life labouring by all good meanes to make sure his election his vocation and his justification and so proceedeth from faith to faith The beleever having thus beene justified in this life both in the court of heaven and in the court of his owne conscience after this life namely at the day of judgement when our Saviour will judge of mens faiths according to the evidence of their works shall be justified that is pronounced happy and blessed These three degrees of Gods most gracious proceeding with the faithfull I have set downe not that there are so many degrees of justification so properly called For the first degree onely is that justification whereof wee treat which admitteth no degrees The other are degrees of the declaration thereof the former privately to the conscience of the faithfull the other publikely to the whole world CAP. III. The allegations of the Papists concerning the word justification the two first significations thereof assigned by Bellarmine § I. HAving thus explained the true sense and meaning of these words which in the holy Scriptures are used to signifie justification let us now examine the allegations of the Papists concerning the same Bellarmine therefore saith that the word justification meaning the Latine word is used foure wayes in the holy Scriptures meaning the vulgar Latine edition when as indeed neither the Latine edition it selfe nor the Latine word is in this question further to bee respected than as it is a true translation of the Hebrew in the Old Testament and of the Greeke in the New First saith he it is taken for the Law which teacheth righteousnesse and so is used Psal. 119. 8. I will keepe thy justifications and vers 12. teach me thy justifications c. This Bellarmine barely expoundeth without any further enforcing but Gregory Martin and our Rhemists urge it as a principall argument that the precepts of the Law are therefore called justifications because the observation of them doth justifie us and therefore exclaime against us that in our translations wee in stead of justifications doe read statutes or ordinances As though in translating the holy Scriptures we did professe to translate the Latine edition and not the Original Text. Now the word which in the old Testament is by the vulgar Latine interpreted justificationes and by the 72. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Chuqqim which when it is used alone signifieth undefinitely any of the precepts statutes or commandements of God but being used with other words of the like signification from which it is distinguish'd signifieth the statutes and ordinances of the Ceremoniall Law insomuch that the vulgar Latine in many places even where the Greek hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendreth Ceremonias a as I shewed before which though the Latines sometimes call justificationes yet by the confession of the Papists themselves do not justifie And the like is to be said of Luk. 1. 6. where Zachary and Elizabeth are said to have walked in all the Commandements and justifications of the Lord where the Greeke word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the translation of Chuqqim and signifieth the statutes of the ceremoniall Law as being distinguished from the Commandements of the morall Law but of the Greeke word I have spoken sufficiently before Chap. 2. § 5. If therefore the force of the Latine word justificationes bee urged I answer that the observation of the morall Law can justifie no man that is a sinner and much lesse the observation of the ceremoniall And the conclusion which they inferre from the force of the word that the precepts of the Law are called justifications because by the observation of them men are justified is directly contrary to that of the Apostle that by the workes of the Law no man living is or can be justified § II. But if they bee justifications whose are they For so they argue If good workes say they bee the
in due season and without delay and not alwayes and that the clause concerning the reward of the Lord is not in the Greeke Text then can it not be denied but that Bellarmine endevoured against his owne conscience to father his errour upon the Sonne of Sirach howbeit the reason which he rendreth is Pharisaicall For unto the first justification saith he of sinners not reward but indulgence agreeth as though there were any reward of our righteousnesse which alwayes in this life is impure and imperfect Esai 64. 6. but by indulgence If thou Lord should'st marke what is amisse O Lord who shall stand but with thee there is mercy or indulgence that thou maist be feared Psal. 130. 3 4. To them that love God and keepe his Commandements the Lord sheweth mercy Exod. 20.6 To thee Lord mercie for thou reward'st a man meaning the godly man according to his works Psalm 62. 12. which plainely sheweth that the reward of good workes is to be ascribed to Gods mercy and indulgence and not to our defect for it is great mercy that hee pardoneth the imperfection and iniquity of our good workes greater that he accepteth of them in Christ but greatest that hee graciously rewardeth them and who knoweth not that eternall life it selfe which is the reward that endureth for ever is the free and undeserved gift of God not rendred to our merits but given of his free grace § IV. His second testimony is Iam. 2.24 You see then that a man is justified by workes and not by faith onely Answ. Of this place wee are hereafter to treat more fully Now we are onely to cleare the signification of the word which in this place most evidently signifieth not to bee justified before God or made just but to bee approved or declared just In which sense the Schoolemen themselves doe teach that good workes doe justifie declarativè But here it may be objected that Saint Iames in this place speaketh of that justification whereunto faith concurreth with good workes and good workes with faith But to declare a man to bee justified faith being an inward and hidden grace of the heart hath no use or efficacy but it selfe is to be declared and manifested by workes as it is verse 18. Answ. The Apostle doth not speake of justifying faith it selfe but of the profession thereof or of saith professed onely as appeareth by the fourteenth verse where the question is propounded What doth it profit my brethren if a man shall say hee hath faith and have not workes can that faith which is in profession onely save him Now to the justification of a man before men and declaration of him to bee a man justified before God two things are requisite the profession of the true faith and a godly conversation answerable to that profession For neither good workss declare a man to bee justified if they bee not joyned with the profession of the true faith neither doth the profession of faith justifie a man before men if his faith cannot bee demonstrated by good workes And in this sense it is said that a man is justified that is knowne to bee just by workes and not by faith onely § V. His third testimony is Apoc. 22.11 Qui justus est justificetur adhuc hee that is just let him bee justified still Answ. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place doth not signifie to bee justified but to be just as the word is often used not onely in the translation of the Septuagints but also in the new Testament as I have shewed before as being the translation not of the passive but of tsadaq the verbe neuter in Cal which signifieth not to bee justified but to bee just And this exposition is confirmed first by the words going before He that doth wrong let him doe wrong still hee that is filthy let him bee filthy still and so hee that is just let him bee just still Secondly by the authority of the Complutensis editio of the Kings Bible of Andraeas Caesariensis and of Arethas in Apoc. who instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let him worke righteousnesse of some Latine editions of the vulgar translation which instead of justificetur read justitiam faciat and lastly of Cyprian who rendreth the place thus justus adhuc justiora faciat This place therefore doth not speake of the encrease of our justification before God which cannot bee encreased and much lesse are wee exhorted unto it for as soone as a man is justified hee standeth righteous before God in the most perfect righteousnesse of CHRIST which admitteth no encrease but of perseverance in righteousnesse Moreover the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 still doth not signifie encrease but continuance § VI. And these were Bellarmine his three first significations of the word justification whereof not any one can bee proved out of the word of God Fourthly saith he It is taken for the declaration of justice after a judiciall manner in which sense hee â—…s said to be justified who when he had beene by the accuser made guilty of some iniquity is by the sentence of the Iudge declared iust and absolved And to this purpose hee alleageth not onely Prov. 17. 15. hee that justifieth the wicked and condemneth the just c. And Esay 5. 23. But which are not so pertinent Luk. 7. 35. and Luk. 10. 29. Now saith hee of the foure acceptions of the word our adversaries teach this fourth to be most proper As for the â—…econd and the third which ariseth from the second they say it is improper and not to bee found in any approved Authors But of this matter saith hee wee will discourse Libro 2. Cap. 3. whether wee will follow him In the meane time let it bee observed that the Papists who cannot approve their owne acceptions of the word by any one place of Scripture doe neverthelesse acknowledge that use of the word which we doe maintaine But whereas hee doth insinuate that we doe therefore reject the second and third significations because the word is not so used in approved Authors I answer if hee speake of the Latine word as hee doth that it is not used of the Authors of the Latine tongue at all and in the Latine edition of the Scriptures and from thence in other Ecclesiasticall writers it is used as the translation of the Hebrew and the Greeke and must accordingly bee understood And if of the Greeke that it is not used indeed of the Authors of the Greeke tongue in the Popish sense But that is not the reason why wee reject those senses but because they are not to bee found in the holy Scriptures CAP. V. Bellarmines discourse concerning the signification of the word justification de Iustif. lib. 2. cap. 3. examined § I. BVT let us examine Bellarmines disputation concerning the signification of the word Lib. 2. Cap. 3. where alleaging 〈◊〉 5. 17 18 19. to prove
weave by the works of righteousnesse we drop the filthy matter of divers crimes § VI. But let us briefly examine Bellarmines proofes where to omit Cyrill who understandeth the place contrary to Bellarmines conceipt of the wicked Iewes who after they had crucified Christ persisted in their infidelity his first reason is from the words going before because God is not angry with the just nor forsaketh them but according to our doctrine forsooth hee covereth their sinnes and imputeth them not I answere first that when the children of God doâ—… sinne God is angry as the Prophet here saith behold when wee sinne thou art angry God was angry with Moses Exod. 4. 14. Deut. 1. 37. with Aaron Deut. 9. 20. with David 3 Sam. 11. 27. Psalm 38. 3. 88. 16. with Salomon 1 King 11. 9. with his people Psalm 85. 4 5. Esai 47. 6. with the sheepe of his pasture Psalm 74. 1. with his faithfull servants Esai 12. 1. Secondly that by their sinnes they provoke Gods judgements the fruits of his anger from which they are so farre from being exempted that judgement beginneth at the house of God Thirdly that if they meet not the Lord in his judgments and doe not judge themselves then are they sure to be judged of the Lord For though he doth not hate them nor execute upon them the fruits of his eternall anger yet he is angry with his children when they sin for to sin against him is to offend him and for their sins he doth many times judge and correct them but our comfort is when we are judged we are chastized of the Lord that wee should not be condemned with the world Fourthly that they are patiently to beare the anger of God because they have deserved it Lam. 3. 39. Mic. 7. 9. I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him And as touching Gods forsaking of his Children whereof notwithstanding there is no mention in this place it is certaine that although he doth never utterly or finally forsake his children Psalm 37. 25. 28. Heb. 13. 5. Psal. 89. 33. 2 Cor. 4. 9. yet sometimes they are subject to spirituall and temporall desertions for a time wherein God is said to hide his face from them as it is here said vers 7. see Deut. 31. 17 18. Iob 13. 24. Psalm 22. 1. 88. 14. 2 Chron. 32. 31. Esai 8. 17. 54. 8. Ier. 39. 24. 29. Iud. 6. 13. Psal. 77. 7. Esâ—…i 49. 14. and 62. 4. Howbeit that is verified of them which the Lord professeth to his Church by his Prophet Esai c. 44. 7 8. for a small moment have I forsaken thee but in great mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindenesse will I have mercie on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer § VII His second proofe is from the words following vers 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name nor standeth up to take hold of thee But the just doe call upon God therefore the prophet doth not speake in the person of the just Answ. Ordinarily the godly doe give themselves to prayer though sometimes when they are left unto themselves they doe neglect it But as ordinarily they doe not neglect this duty so when they have neglected it their manner is as in this place to complaine of the neglect thereof For according to this prophecie Daniel and the remnant of Iuda which were in captivity in whom it was fulfilled use the very same complaint in their prayer Dan. 9. 13. Baruch 2. 8. § VIII His third proofe is out of the words themselves where the righteousnesse of them that make this prayer is compared to a menstruous cloth and therefore saith he he speaketh not in the person of the just whose good works in the Scriptures are highly commended Ans. It is not likely that the hypocrits who use to trust in their owne righteousnesse and to boast of it would complaine of the defectivenesse therof But howsoever the godly though weak indevors of the faithfull are graciously accepted of God in Christ and freely rewarded yet the children of God when they are humbled under the hand of God or doe summon and present themselves before the judgement seat of the Lord or in their soules doe exercise judgement according to the testimony of their owne conscience they doe use to judge and condemne themselves and to speake as basely of themselves and of their works as the faithfull doe in this place wee are as an uncleane person that is as a Leper who according to the Law was to cry out I am uncleane I am uncleane Levit 13. 45. and all our best actions are stained with the flesh like a polluted cloth or as Dan. cap. 9. and the remnant of Iuda Baruch c. 1. 2 3. in whom this prophecie was fulfilled who speake most basely of themselves and of their actions Yea the more godly a man is the more sensible he is of his corruption and the more ready with aggravation to confesse it Quanto saith Gregory ad Deum veriùs per bona opera surgimus tanto subtiliùs vitae nostrae sordes agnoscimus by how much more truly wee arise to God by good works by so much the more exquisitely wee acknowledge the pollutions of our life and againe with how great cleanenesse soever holy men doe shine notwithstanding by reason of this body wherein they are which is corrupted they judge themselves abominable and by reason of the filth of concupiscences without which they are not they repute themselves uncleane and to the like purpose Cardinall Cont. Godly men saith he by how much the more they profit in godlinesse by so much the lesse they please themselves Especially when they are summoned or doe summon themselves to appeare before God as every one ought to doe who would be justified either before God or in the Court of his owne Conscience Iob the most holy and righteous in his time when hee stood before God abhorred himselfe repenting in dust and ashes The holy Prophet Esaias when in a vision hee beheld God sitting on a throne attended by the Seraphin proclaiming Holy Holy Holy the Lord God of hosts exclaimeth Woe is me I am undone for I am a man of polluted lips and dwell in the midst of a people of uncleane lippes Esa. 6. 5. The faithfull are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beggars in spirit who acknowledging that there is nothing in them whereby they might hope to bee justified or saved as beggars rely wholly upon the mercies of God and merits of Christ renouncing their own merits and in the question of justification deresting them as polluted clouts as dung as losse and acknowledging themselves in themselves to be wretched sinners for as Herome saith Tunc ergo iusti sumus quando nos peccatores fatemur then are wee just when wee
Tim. 4. Heb. 6. I shall answere in their due place Unto this Testimony Bellarmine might have added another out of the same Sermon It is necessary first of all to beleeve that thou canst not have remission of sinnes but by the indulgence of God then that thou canst have no good worke unlesse he also give it lastly that by no good workes thou canst merit that is obtaine eternall life unlesse it also be freely given thee nisi gratis detur illa § VII The other three places are these First Totum hominis meritum est si totam spem suam ponat in eo qui totum hominem salvum facit Secondly Proinde meritum meum miseratio Domini Thirdly Fateor non sum dignus ego I confesse I am not worthy neither can I by mine owne merits obtaine the Kingdome of heaven But my Lord possessing it by a double right the inheritance of his Father and the merit of his passion contenting him selfe with the one hee giveth mee the other To these three together Bellarmine frameth two mis-shapen answeres First that Bernards meaning was that our merits are not of our selves but from Gods mercy and that hee would prove out of his 68. Sermon on the Canticles Merita habere cures habita data noveris And therefore say I his meaning was that our good workes doe not merit For being his free gifts they make us indebted to God as he teacheth and not him to us But indeed Bernard doth not speake of our workes or merits either as from us or as in us but of the mercy of God in pardoning our sinnes for the merit of his Sonne And therefore whiles God aboundeth with mercies in Christ he saith hee cannot want merits For mans justice is Gods indulgence and therefore blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne O solus verè beatus cuinon imputavit Dominus peecatum omnes enim peccaverunt sufficit mihi ad omnem justitiam solum habere propitium cui soli peccavi Omne quod mihi ipse non imputare decreverit sic est quasi non fuerit Nâ—…npeccare Dei justitia est hominis justitia indulgentia Dei His second answere is conjecturall that perhaps Bernard out of humility and perhaps not was ignorant of his merits and out of the uncertainty of his owne grace did not trust in his merits but in the mercie of God alone Reply He knew that he had no merits but Gods mercies in Christ because he was not ignorant that he had many sins which notwithstanding he was confident in the mercies of God and merits of Christ. Neither was he so uncertaine of such inherent righteousnesse in himselfe as whereby he might hope to be justified and saved as hee was certaine of the contrary As for his allegation out of the 68. serm in Cantic It is evident thâ—… Bernard by merits understandeth nothing but good workes and not merits properly so called as appeareth by that before alleaged ex serm 1. de annunciat and out of the same 68. serm in cantic Non est quod jam quaeras quibus meritis speremus bona presertim cum andias apud Prophetam Non propter vos sed propter me ego faciam dicit Dominus which is no lesse than to deny merits and in one of the places by Bellarmine cited Meum proinde meritum miseratio Domini Non planè sum meriti inops quandiu ille miserationum non fuerit quòd si misericordiae Dei multae multâ—…s nihilominusâ—… ego in meritis sum But that famous Testimony of his I may not omit though I have mentioned it before in the end of his booke Degratia l. arbitr where he distinguishing the gifts of God into merita and praemia and therefore speaking of merits as proceeding from grace hee saith those things which wee call our merits that is to say good workes spei quaedam sunt seminaria charitatis incentiva occulta praedestinationis indicia suturae faelicitatis prâ—…sagia viâ—… regni non causâ—… regnandi they are certaine seminaries of hope motives of Charity tokens of secret predistination presages of future felicity the way of the kingdome not the cause of reigning and therefore no meritorious cause of salvation § VIII And these were all the Testimonies which Bellarmine taketh notice of as alleaged by us out of the Fathers But I have not so done with them For as in the question of justification by faith alone I produced a multitude of Testimonies to proveâ—… the consent of the ancient Church with us So in this place that good workes are not truely meritorious of eternall life I doe prove not onely by all those Testimonies for if we be not justified by them wee are not saved for them but also by a new supply of Testimonies which by divers learned men have been collected but chiefly by our most learned Primate whereof I will recite so many as his adversary hath meddled with that I may briefly and as it were in transcursu vindicate them from his cavils Of these the first is Origen I can hardly perswade my selfe that there can be any worke which may of duty or debt require the remuneration of God Seeing even that that we are able to doe to thinke or to speake wee doe it by his gift and bounty What debt then shall there be of his whose grace hath gone before from whence I reason thus To no gifts of his God is a debtour or oweth reward as due All our good workes are his gifts therefore to none of our good workes is God a debtour or oweth reward as due Wherof the reason being because they are the gifts of God proceeding from his grace which precedeth our good workes hee is proved to bee ridiculum caput who answereth that Origen speaketh of such workes as are done by the sole power of mans free will without grace § IX Hilarie writing upon the parable of the Workemen Matth. 20. having said that the Gentiles who upon the preaching of the Gospell were to bee saved by the justification of faith were meant by those who being called at the eleventh houre were the first that in the evening received the gift of the wages appointed for the labour of the whole day he addeth these words Merces quidem ex dono nulla est quia debetur ex opere sed gratuitam Deus omnibus ex fidei justificatione donavit Wages indeed by gift there is none because by the worke it is due but to all by the justification of faith God hath given the same free Whence I argue No wages is of free gift Why because it is due to the worke Eternall life is of free gift which God giveth to all that beleeve by the justification of faith Therefore eternall life is not wages Mat. Yea but Hilarie elsewhere saith that the kingdome of God is the wages of such as live well Answ. It is merces indeed non
justificati jâ—…sti non in se sed in illo All that are justified by Christ are just not in themselves but in him And thereunto adde the testimonies before cited out of Hierome Augustine Sâ—…dulius and Anselmus who all have taught that wee when wee are justified are made righteous not in our selves but in Christ. Againe Augustine teacheth that our justice in this life doth stand rather in the remission of sinnes than in perfection of vertues That is as I understand him that our chiefe righteousnesse in this life is that of justification and not of sanctification for that is perfect and so is not this by that we are justified before God and intitled unto heaven so are we not by this Here Bellarmine would seeme to acknowledge that remission of sinne concurreth to justification but his constant and perpetuall doctrine is that justification consisteth wholly in the infusion of righteousnesse expelling sinne in so much that remission of sinne and infusion of righteousnesse are not two actions but one c. which assertion supposed how could Augustine say that our righteoufnesse is such in this life that it consisteth rather in the forgivenesse of sinne than in the perfection of vertues seeing vertue infused is the force of justification and expelleth sinne and is all in all and if that assertion of the utter deletion of sin when it is remitted were true most vaine were that boasting of Ambrose who saith gloriabor non quia vacuus peccati sum sed quia mihi remissa sunt peccata Maximus Taurinensis when God doth remit sinne indulgentia facit innocentem by his indulgence he maketh the party innocent 8. Among the latter Writers I will give the first place to Bernard who saith death by the death of Christ is put to flight Christi nobis justitia imputatur and the righteousnesse of Christ is imputed to us 2. What could man doe of himselfe to recover his righteousnâ—…sse once lost being the servant of sinne and the bondman of the devill Assignata est ei proinde aliena justitia qui caruit suâ therefore â—…nother mans righteousnesse was assigned unto him who wanted his owne 3. One dyed sor all ut viz. satisfactiounius omnibus imputetur that the satisfaction of one might be imputed to all 3. If he shall say thy father Adam made thee guilty I will answere that my brother hath redeemed meâ—… Why not righteousnesse from another seeing guilt is from another 5. Hee will not condemne the just who had mercy on a sinner I may call my selfe just sed illius justitiâ but by his righteousnesse and what is that Christ the end of the Law unto righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth Finally who of God the Father was made righteousnesse unto us Is not that therefore my righteousnesse which was made righteousnesse unto me 6. Lord I will mention thy righteousnesse onely for that is mine also for thou of God was made righteousnesse to mee should I feare that it being but one should not suffice us both It is not a short cloake which is not able according to the Prophet to cover two Thy righteousnesse is an everlasting righteousnesse What is longer than Eternity Thy eternall and large righteousnesse it will cover largely both thee and me And in me truely it covereth a mulâ—…itude of sinnes but in thee Lord what doth it cover but the treasures of piety and riches of bounty which testimony doth plainely prove against Bellarmine that Bernard by Christs righteousnesse which he saith is made ours doth not meane that righteousnâ—…sse which is inheâ—…ent in us but that which is out of us in Christ And the same is evidently proved by those testimonies before alleaged that we are made the righteousnesse of God in Christ not ours but his not in our selves but in him even as Christ was made sinne not his but ours not in himselfe but in us 9. Cardinall Contarenus in a treatise of justification which he wrote Anno. 1541. testifieth that God with his Spirit giveth Christ unto us and doth freely of his mercie make all Christs righteousnesse to bee ours and imputeth it to us who put on Christ. That by faith wee doe attaine to a double righteousnesse the one inherent in us by which we begin to bee just and are made partakers of the divine nature and have charity diffused in our hearts the other not inherent but given unto us with Christ. I meane saith hee the righteousnesse of Christ and all his merits both which are in time given together Now saith he forasmuch as I have said that by faith we attaine to a twofold righteousnesse the one inherent in us viz. charity or that grace by which we are made partakers of the divine nature the other being the righteousnesse of Christ given and imputed to us because wee are ingrafted into Christ and have put on Christ It remaineth we should inquire on whether of them we ought to rely and to thinke our selves justified before God that is to beheld or esteemed holy and just I meane by such a righteousnesse which may beseeme Gods children and satisfie the eyes of God Ego prorsus existimo I doe utterly thinke that it may be godlily and Christianly said that we ought to rely I say to rely as upon a sure thing which doth assuredly sustaine us on the righteousnesse of Christ given unto us and not on that holinesse and grace which is inherent in us For this our righteousnesse is but begun and unperfect which cannot safegard us but that in many things we offend and daily doe offend and have need to pray daily that our debts may be forgiven us wherefore in the sight of God wee cannot for this justice be accounted just and good as it would become the sonnes of God to be good and holy But the righteousnesse of Christ which is given unto us is truâ—… and perfect justice which is altogether pleasing in the eyes of God in which there is nothing which may offend God or which doth not highly please him upon this therefore being certaine and sure we are to rely and for it alone to beleeve that we are justified that is to bee held and pronounced just This is that pretious treasure of Christians who so findeth selleth all he hath that he may buy it This is that precious pearle which who findeth leaveth all that he may have it The Apostle Paul saith I esteemed all other things losse that I might gaine Christ not having mine owne righteousnesse but that which is by the faith of Christ And a little after he saith that the more holy any men are so much the more they understand themselves to stand in need of Christ and his righteousnesse vouchsafed to them and therefore forsaking themselves rest upon Christ alone c. Albertus Pighius having shewed that all men are sinners and subject to the Curse from thence inferreth
for the absolute possibility of fulfilling the Law but rather against it For those who are not at all times so willing as they ought to be to fulfill the Law they cannot allwaies fulfill it But no man is at all times so willing as he ought to be to fullfill the Law Augustine averreth Nâ—…minem esse qui tantum velit 〈◊〉 res exigit therfore no man is able allwaies to fulfill it For although perhaps he could if hee would which as even now I said is not generally true of the regenerate themselves yet whiles hee will not hee cannot For the will of obeying is the chiefe part of obedience The meaning therfore of those Fathers is that the impossibility of the Law is not to be ascribed to the Law as if it were not possible but to the will of man who will not obey it § XXII Now that the Fathers who deny the Law to be impossible doe not meane that it is absolutely possible to be perfectly fulfilled appeareth by these reasons First because they yeelded so farre to the objection of the Pelagians as not to deny it to be possible to the unregenerate as I noted before Secondly because they held that all men are sinners and that no man in this mortall life can live without sinne and consequently without transgressing the Law Now it is manifest that hee who transgresseth thâ—… Law doth not fulfill it But when we thus argue Bellarmine saith we confound two questions which ought not to be confounded whether the Commandements may be kept and whether a man may live without sinne which questions are so different that to the former â—…gustine allwayes answered affirmatively to which purpose â—…ee citeth Dâ—… peccat merit remiss lib. 2. cap. 3. 6. De Nâ—…tur gratia c. 69. De gratia lib. arbitr c. 16. in Psal. 56. And to the latter negatively to which purpose hee quoteth Lib. de Natur. gratia cap. 34. De spiritu litera cap. ult contr 2. Epistolas Pelag. c. 14. Epist. 89. 95. and the whole booke de perfectione justitiâ—… Aâ—…sw This say I is a plaine evidence that Augustine when hee saith which wee also say that a man may keepe the Commandements meaneth not the perfect fulfilling of the Law For if the question be propounded concerning the perfect fulfilling of the Law it is the same in effect with the other For hee that perfectly fulfilleth the Law doth undoubtedly live without â—…nne and hee that doth not live without sinne doth not perfectly fulfill the Law Wherefore the affirmation of the one question understood of perfect fulfilling and the Negation of the other doth imply a contradiction Thirdly Because the fathers explane their meaning when they say that the Law is possible and that a man may keepe the commandements not in respect of the perfect fulfilling but partly in respect of the sinceâ—…e study and upright endevour to performe and partly in respect of Gods mercie in Christ pardoning what is wanting in their obedience So saith Augustine hîc studium pracepta servandi gratia Dei tribuit quâ—… si quid etiam in eis prâ—…ceptis minus servâ—…tur ignoscit Here the grace of God bestoweth the study of keeping the precepts which also if any thing in those precepts be not kept it pardoneth which I cited before all the commandements are reputed to be done when whatsoever is not done is pardoned And elsewhere hee saith that our righteousâ—…esse in this life doth consist rather in remission of sins than in perfection of virtues For as touching perfection he saith Vâ—…rtutem quae nuâ—… est in homine justo perfectam hactenus nominare ut ad ejus perfectionem pertineat etiam ipsius imperfectionis in veritate agnitio in humilitate confessio that the virtue which now is in a just man is â—…o farre forth called perfect that to the perfection thereof appertaineth both the acknowledgment of the imperfection there of in truth and the confâ—…ssion of it in humilily § XXIII But heâ—…e Bellarmine holdeth a strange paraâ—…oxe That although a man cannot live without sin yet he may perfectly fulfill the Law of God The absurdity whereof hee hopeth to salve with the distinction of sinnes into veniall and mortall because veniall sinnes without which none are in this life doe not hinder the fulfilling of the Law But this distinction will not serve his turne unlesse hee can prove that veniall sinnes are no sinnes For if they be sinnes they are transgressions of the Law And if they be transgâ—…essions of the Law as undoubtedly thâ—…y are or else they be no sinnes then hee that cannot live witâ—…out them cannot live without transgression of the Law and hee thâ—…t cannot live without transgression of the Law cannot perfectly fulfill it I will not enter into the full discussing of this question at this time because it is another controversy onely for the clearing of the point in hand I doe avouch according to the Sâ—…riptures that the wages of sinne or stipend Rom. 6. 23. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the just recompence of reward Heb. 2. 2. is death and that the least sinne according to the sentence of the Law if it be a sinne maketh a man subjâ—…ct to the curse of God Gal. 3. 10. And that as every sinne deserveth death and therefore in it self is mortall so every sinne is punishâ—…d with death either with the death of the party who hath no part in Christ to whom all sinnes are mortall or with the death of Christ as the sinnes of those who are his members to whom their sinnes which in their owne nature are mortall become veniall as being allready punished in Christ and the justice of God satisfied for them by the satisfaction given by Christ whose bloud doth cleanse us from all our sinnes both great and small none being so small but that it is of sufficient weight to presse down the sinner to hell being of infinit guilt committed against infinite justice deserving infinite punishment for which the justice of God cannot be satisfyed but by a propitiation of infinite value Thus therefore I reason That sinnâ—… which is punished with the death of Christ is in it selfe mortall all and every even â—…he least sinne of the faithfull is punished with the death of Christ therfore all and every even the least sinne of the faithfull is in it selfe mortall But Bellarmine hath a conceipt that veniall sinnes are not simply siâ—…nes nor against the Law but besides it I answere First that which is besides the Law is an aberration from it and a declination from it â—…ither to the right hand or to the left and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is absolutely forbidden Secondly to doe that which is besides the Law is not to doe that which is commanded but hee that doth not the thing commanded that doth not all that doth not continue in doing all is subject to the
debita sed gratuita not wages but a free reward For so in this very place he calleth it first donum mercedis the gift of reward secondly gratuitum free thirdly in the words next following gratuitam mercedem a free reward and lastly hee saith that the gift of grace doth give the reward of the Law well and blamelessely kept to them that beleeve by faith being of the last made the first that is saved For the first which were made last who murmured at this free reward were of the many that were called but not of the few which are chosen Absurd therefore is his answere who saith that Hillarie saith no more but that faith and justification by faith is the free gift of God but that there is not a word to signifie that heaven is not the wages of good workes which notwithstanding is the thing to bee concluded from hence So that according to this wife exposition by the wages which according to the parable is in the evening given to the labourers is faith or justification by faith meant and not eternall life which is the end of our faith and the reward of all our labours which according to the judgement of all Writers even Bellarmine himselfe is signified by the day-penny given to them who of the last were made first For the day-penny was both the mercenary wages contracted for by those who were first and the free reward which the bounty of the Master of the vineyard bestowed freely on the last who were made first that is saved § X. Ambrose after hee had said Hîc quidem luctamur sed alibi coronamur Here we wrestle but elsewhere we are crowned lest he should seeme to arrogate unto himselfe as if by his wrestling hee deserved the crowne addeth by way of prevention I spake not of my selfe alone but of all men in generall Nam unde mihi tantum meriti cui indulgentia pro corona est for whence should I have so great merit to whom indulgence is for a crowne Hence I reason thus to whom Gods indulgence or mercie in pardoning their sinnes is their crowne they cannot plead their merits But to Ambrose and to all good men indulgence is their crowne therefore they cannot plead their merits Wherefore this was not more humbly than truely spoken of Ambrose And elsewhere which of us can subsist without mercie quid possumus dignum praemiis facere coelestibus what can wee doe worthy the heavenly rewards by what merit of man is it granted that this corruptible flesh should put on incorruption the sufferings of this time are unworthy to the glory that is to come Therefore the forme of heavenly decrees doth proceed with men not according to our merits but according to Gods mercie To this a frivolous answere is given that Ambrose speaketh of merits as contradistinguished from Gods mercie when Ambrose speaketh of himselfe and of all the faithfull who are endued with grace who notwithstanding are not able to doe or suffer any thing worthy of the future glory § XI Basil on those wordes Psalm 33. 18. the eye of the Lord is upon them that hope in his mercy hee saith that he doth hope in his mercie who not trusting in his owne good deeds nor looking to bee justified by workes hath the hope of salvation onely in the mercies of God To this an impudent answere is given that they are said to hope in Gods mercie who hope that their good workes proceeding from the grace of God are by his mercie made meritorious of eternall life For which they have have no ground either in Scriptures or Fathers praeter impudentiam asseverandi And surely if this had beene Basils meaning he should have set downe the description of a proud justitiarie rather than of an humble Christian such as he intended to describe For speaking of those words who hope in his mercie he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the Psalmist setteth forth the humility of them that serve the Lord how doe they hope on his mercies for hee that doth not trust to his owne good deeds nor expecteth to bee justified by workes but hath his onely hope of salvation in the mercies of God but he that trusteth that by the grace of God his workes are made meritorious hee doth with the Pharisee trust in his workes as proceeding from grace For the Pharisee though he acknowledged his righteousnesse to come from God and therefore thanketh him for it yet he is noted to have trusted in himselfe The mercie of God in which the faithfull hope is his mercie in forgiving their sinnes not in making their good workes meritorious as appeareth by the words immediately following for saith Basil when he shall call that saying to minde Behold the Lord and his reward to render to every man according to his worke and shall consider his owne evill deeds he is indeed afraid of punishment and through feare subjecteth himselfe to those things which are threatned but that hee may not be swallowed up of sorrow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he conceiveth good hope looking to the mercies of God and his love to mankinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the hope which he conceiveth is this that his soule shall be delivered from death But though they cannot answer this place yet they will clavum clavo petere and requite us with another out of Basil which shall be answerâ—…d in his due place In the meane time I adde two other Testimonies out of Basil for writing on those words of the Psalme And redeeme us for thy mercies sake See saith he how hee concludeth his speech After a thousand virtues whence doth hee pray to be saved By Gods mercie and bounty 3. And againe in Psal. 23. 5. where David having descrybed the just and upright man who shall bee saved saith this man shall receive the blessing from God and mercy from God his Saviour Here saith Basil he sheweth the fruit of good deedes and very fitly did he conjoyne blessing and mercy For the rewards which men doe thinke of are granted to men onely for Gods bounty sake For all the righteousnesses of men doe not equall so much as the gifts already granted much lesse those which are to come which doe exceed the thought of man § XII Hierome Pro nihilo salvos facies eos haud dublum quin 〈◊〉 qui â—…on prâ—…prio meritâ—… sed Dei salvantur clementia for nothing thou shalt save them no doubt he meaneth the just who are not saved by their owne merit but by the mercy of God 2. Againe Animadverte quod beatam se dicat Maria Mater Domini non 〈◊〉 merito atque virtute sed Dei in se habitantis clementia Observe that the blessed Virgin calleth her selfe blessed not by her owne merit or virtue but by the clemency of God dwelling in her 3. And againe Tunc justi sumus then we are just when wee confesse