doctrine and chargeth it to be vnreasonable and absurd and so vnholy therefore not the doctrine of the true Church and of the right faith professed therein For the proofe whereof he giueth instance in fiue points And first he beginneth with iustification by faith and against the truth thereof maketh this weake and childish Sophisme If faith saith he iustifieth and assureth the faithful of his iustification then either it findeth him iust before he beleeueth or maketh him iust after he beleeueth But this division is insufficient and should be made in this maner If faith iustifieth either it is before or when or after it is giuen But faith iustifieth both when and after it is given and doth never find any man iust before he hath obtained a right faith And so the Apostle teacheth Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated saith the Apostle them be called viz. effectually by giuing to them a true faith and whom he called them he iustified viz. at that present instant of time For saith doth presently ingraff the beleeuer into Christ so giueth him present interest in his sufferings and righteousnesse and there by doth presently iustifie him Wherefore in this first instance reason faileth in this sophisticall confuter and not in the doctrine which he would confute His secoÌ„d instance is this If faith giueth assurance of the pardon of sinne then it suffereth him not to say that petition of the Lords Prayer forgiue vs our sinnes seeing it is an absurd thing to pray for that whereof he hath good assurance that he hath it already But God giueth forgiuenesse of sinnes but to such as in their dayly prayers make confession of them vnto him and faithfully pray for the forgiuenesse of them I said saith David Ps 32. 6. I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the iniquitie of my sin Therefore shall every one that is godly make his prayer vn to thee in the time when thou maist be found That is seeing God is sound of all them that seeke him in truth granteth mercy and pardon of sinne to all that humbly and faithfully seeke for pardon in Christ Therefore every one that is godly will in his daily prayers sue seeke for the forgiuenesse of his sinnes in Christ that so he may obtaine the assurance thereof What Had not that man assurance of the pardon of his sinnes to whoÌ„ Christ said man thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Luk. 5. 20. And did this man absurdly if he said the Lords praier Had not the Apostles themselues assurance of the pardon of their owne sinnes which were to preach and to proclaime the pardon of all sinnes to all beleeuers And did they cease to pray yea to pray after that manner as Christ commanded them to pray forgiue vs our sinnes Matt. 9. 9. What doth the holy father the Pope who in his plenary pardons and indulgences or all his Friers and Priests who in the sacrament of penance giue assurance of the pardon of all sinnes to such as confesse theÌ„ are contrite and sorrowfull for them doe they I say forbid the saying of the Lords prayer and the asking therein of the pardon of their sinnes Surely the holy Father himselfe and all the principall persons of his Church are absurd men or else it is no absurditie to assure the faithfull of the full forgiuenes of all their sins and yet to will them to pray daily for the same The Cardinals third instance is the Anabaptists hold faith to be an assurance of Gods loue who yet can haue no assurance thereof therefore saith is not the assurance of Gods loue As if heretikes and reprobates might not hold some right opinions in matters of faith But the Anabaptists say that they themselues haue an assurance of Gods loue and are accepted of him And what of that Did not the Laodiceans say that they were rich and increased with goods and wanted nothing Ap. 3. 17. And yet it was nothing so So some mad men will say that they are Lords of such and such Mannours vea Soveraignes of such and such kingdomes and yet they may be strake beggars Now the Anabaptists as all other heretikes are after a sort mad men and baue lost a sound mind and therefore they may thinke that they haue faith and the assurance of Gods loue when they haue it not indeed The evidences wherein divers men doe seeke for the assurance of Gods loue are diverse The Pharises had such an high conceit of their owne workes that they did thinke themselues iust thereby and accepted with God as being such in their owne proud opinions as did demerit no lesse at Gods hand So many that haue intended the vâ—â—er overthrowe of Prince and people hauing receaued absolution from their Priests and a pardon from the Pope haue iudged themselues to haue had all their sinnes pardoned and themselues greatly beloued of God So the Anabaptists deeming and dreaming their owne fancies to bee the immediate revelations of the spirit of God may happely presume hereof that they are right deare vnto God and such as may bee fully perswaded of his loue But the faithfull to whom God by his word and sacraments doth so reveale his covenant of mercy in Christ Iesus that thereby they are effectually called and brought vnto God to trust in this his vnspeakable goodnesse and to place their chiefe happinesse therein and to loue God for the same aboue all things whatsoever here by are rightly assured that they are in Gods loue and are effectually called to the estate of grace to obtaine salvation in Christ Iesus Wherefore albeit the assurance of the Anabaptists and of all other of the like ranke may be false and vaine for that it is built vpon a sandy false ground yet the assurance of the faithfull is most firme and certaine for that it is founded vpon a rocke Fourthly Bellarmine chargeth Luther with an absurd position for that he avoucheth that children being baptised may haue faith Why doth not our Saviour himselfe testifie that some at the first houre of the day of their life are called to worke in the Lords vineyard Mat. 20. 1. and therefore indued with a sanctified faith which worketh by loue And doth not the Scripture also in plaine words and not in parables teach that some are sanctified froÌ„ their mothers womb and therefore not only indued with an holy faith but also with all other graces of sanctification Ier. 1. 5. Why doth not Bellarmine himselfe thinke that infants descending from faithfull parents being baptised and dying before they come to yeares of discreation are Gods children and heires of his kingdome Now how are they Gods children vnlesse they are reformed to his image in righteousnesse and true holinesse there fore indued with a true faith which is a principall part of true holinesse and the very root whereout all other graces sprout and growe Wherefore it is no absurdity to thinke that children may be
THE REASONABLENESSE OF WISE AND holy truth and the absurditie of foolish and wicked Errour ECCL 7. 27. I haue compassed about both I and mine heart to knowe and to enquire and to search wisdome and reason and to knowe the wickednesse of folly and the foolishnesse of madnesse MATTH 11. 19. But wisdome is iustified of all her children AC OX AT OXFORD Printed by Iohn Lichfield and William Wrench Printers to the famous Vniversitie 161â— TO THE RIGHT REVErend Father in God ARTHVR Lord Bishop of BATH and WELLES Vice chancellour of the Vniversitie of Oxford and Warden of New Colledge IOHN TERRY wisheth all increase of that Glory and Vertue wherevnto you are called by our most glorious holy Lord. 2. Pet. 1. 2. MY duety bindeth me right Reuerend and my very Good Lord to offer vp to God for you the sacrifices of thankesgiuing and prayer Some of the Heathen offred sacrifice to the sunne rising for benefits to come and other to the Sunne setting for such as were already receaued VVherefore it being a great shame for a Christian to be out gone in any good dutie by an Heathen I cannot but offer vp to our most blessed Sauiour Christ the true Sonne of righteousnesse the sacrifice of thanksgiuing first for causing such a bright starre as your Lordship is to appeare aboue our Horizon in the west and secondly for causing you to set with leauing much good to that Colledge whereof my selfe was once a member And how can I also but offer vp prayer to God first that the fresh memorie of your renowned learning and religious life may instill such a sweet influence of celestiall grace into the hearts of all the members of that societie that they may bee effectually stirred vp to walke in your waies and to devote themselues by your example to the publike good as secondly I am to beseech him that walketh in the midst of the seauen golden Candlesticks and holdeth the starres in his right hand that he would hold vphold you long to his owne glory and to the edification and comfort of his people among whom hee hath now placed you to hold out the word of life And thus commending you to God the Father of light and to the word of his grace the most worthie instrument thereof with all humble thanks vnto your Lordship for your louing acceptance of this small paper present I rest Your Lordships in all Christian loue and dutie JOHN TERRY IOHN 17. 17. Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth THis Chapter containeth a most divine and heavenly prayer of our most blessed Saviour Christ wherein hee requesteth of his Father that hee would by the gracious word of his Gospell make more and more manifest the glorious worke of mans redemption For that hereby he and his father should be most glorified and all such as his father had giuen him should be made partakers of life everlasting For this is everlasting life saith he to know thee the only true God and whom thou hast sent videlicet to accomplish the worke of the redemption of all the elect Iesus Christ For the cleere doctrine of the Gospell laying open the glorious worke of mans redemption doth make manifest the light of Gods countenance shining in Christ and doth giue vnto all that are truely lightned therewith the holy eie of sauing faith whereby they assuredly apprehending and most certainely beleeuing the vnspeakable loue of God towards them that do cleaue vnto Christ and are made one with him and by him haue communion and fellowship with God and so are made partakers of life everlasting And verily the true sauing faith wrought by the Gospell is nothing else but such a sure and certaine knowledge of Gods vnspeakable loue in Christ as is accompanied with all manner of holy and heavenly graces And therefore as v. 8. our Saviour testifieth that he had given his Fathers words to them which he had giuen vnto him and they had receaued them and had surely knowne that hee came from the Father had beleeued that the Father had sent him so in this verse hee prayeth to his Father that the would sanctifie them with the truth that was contained in the same word In the which petition of our Saviour Christ we are to obserue these two points first the thing that our Saviour requesteth at his Fathers hands that hee would bestow vpon all those that he had giuen him which is Sanctification Secondly the meanes whereby it is wrought which is the truth of his owne word Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth Now the sanctification that our Saviour here prayeth for is not maymed wanting any essential part but totall and whole even such a sanctification as doth sanctifie the minde with sauing knowledge faith the will and the affections with all other graces and gifts of the holy Ghost and so doth sanctifie the whole man Neither is this whole and total sanctification bestowed onely vpon some principall persons in the Church of Christ but even vpon the meanest also As the Apostle testifieth 2. Cor. 3. 18. Wee all saith he behold as in a mirrour the glory of God with open face there is the subiection action obiect clerenesse of faith and are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord there is the inseparable effect of sauing and sanctifying faith one and the same in substance though not in circumstance in all the faithfull And verily how can it otherwise bee but that all such as by faith are engraffed into Christ Rom. 11. 17. should immediatly be made good trees so consequently be enabled to beare good fruit Mat. 7.17 How can it otherwise be but that all such as by the linely word of God Heb. 4. 12. are quickned to a liuing faith Gal. 2. 20 should shew themselues to be aliue to God Rom. 6. 11. by the exercise of al holy and godly works For nature is never idle much lesse grace Gal. 5. 6. and therefore as the body without the operatiue spirit is dead so faith without workes is dead also Iac. 3 26. And therefore the same Apostle in the same chapter willeth Natura est nunquam otiosa all such as lay claime to a true faith to make proofe thereof by their good workes after the example of Abraham the father of the faithfull For after that he had shewed himselfe readie at the commandment of God to offer vp in sacrifice his most deare sonne Isaac then he made it manifest that he so firmely apprehended by an assured faith the incomprehensible loue of God in Christ Eph. 3. 19. towards himselfe that he preserred it before his most intire loue towards his own most deare sonne and then was the Scripture fulfilled Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnes Wherefore it was not without cause that S. Peter writing to such as had obtained like pretious faith with himselfe willeth them to
may gather mud then in the Dulcius ex ipso fente bibuntur aquâ— most pure fountaine it selfe Hence spring errors saith S. Cyprian while men repaire not to the originall veritie nor the head is sought after nor the doctrine of our heavenly master is observed Cyp. de simpl praelat Sccondly to come to the doctrines of the Church of Rome concerning the Sacraments Is it not absurd that the bare pronouncing of a few words should consecrate a Sacrament and that a Sacrament should giue grace by the worke wrought albeit the words themselues bee not vnderstood nor the vses and ends for the which Sacraments were ordained Tell mee saith S. Chrysostome O thou foolish or absurd Priest doth the vertue of the word of God consist in the forme of the letters or in the vnderstanding of the sense Chrys hom 43. in Mat. Verily the Apostle teacheth that the word of God profiteth not vnlesse it be mingled with faith in them that heare it Heb. 4. 2. that is vnlesse it be so deliuered that the hearers minds may be instructed and edified thereby and so faith may be either begotten or at least strengthned in them And so doth S. Austine teach both concerning the word and the Sacraments also From whence commeth this power saith hee that water doth touch the body cleanse the soule but by meanes of the word and that not because it is vttered but because it is beleeued For in the word the vanishing sound is one thing and the remaining power another This is the word of faith which we preach Aug. in Ioh. hom 80. And againe The faith of the Sacraments doe iustifie not Fides Sacraâ—â—torum iustisicat non sacraments the Sacraments themselues And therefore saith hee in the Sacraments wee must not regard what they are but what they signifie Aug. cont Max. l. 3. cap. 22. For as in the Iewish sacrifices so in these our Christians Sacraments God doth not require the worke wrought but the reasons and ends for the which it is wrought Tertull. l. 3. cont Marc. Secondly it is not absurd that a Sacrament which of the very worke wrought as they say giveth grace should hinder grace giuen in another sacrameÌ„t as they affirme of marriage and of their holy orders As if one grace could disgrace another or one instrument Subordinata 〈◊〉 pugnant ordained to giue grace could resist the efficacie and power of another Thirdly was not their ancient order of baptising of Bels an absurd disorder As if Christ had shed his blood for the purging of the sinnes of Bells had ordained baptisme to giue to them his heavenly grace But to leaue baptisme and to come to the Lords supper what a Chaos of absurdities doe they bring in about the same First whereas the Scripture in plaine words avoucheth that our blessed Saviour at the first institution thereof tooke bread and wine in their essence and substance to make them the mysticall signes of his body and bloud they say that he transubstantiated them into the very substance of his body blood left their accidences only to be the outward signes in the sacrament Whereas Sacraments if they had not acertaine resemblance with the things whereof they are Sacraments they could not be sacraments at all and beare the name of the things themselues which Exijsdem nutrimuâ— sumuâ— Arist ex ijsdem nascimur pascimur Bern. Accidens non transit à sâ—biecto in subiectum Accidentis esse est inesse they resemble Aug. ad Bonif. ep 23. Now what resemblance can there bee betweene the accidents of bread and wine and the true and reall body and bloud of Christ Can these accidents nourish our bodies that they may resemble the nourishment of our soules by the body and bloud of Christ And is it not absurd that these accidents being separated from their subiects must not onely retaine their being but also subsist by themselues Surely it were fit that these mens bodies were fed with accidents which feed mens soules with such absurd fancies Now concerning Christs body blood which is the inward grace in this sacrament how many absurdities also doe they avouch First they will haue the very same body and blood daily to bee made of the substance of bread and wine through the pronunciation of fiue words by the mouth of a Priest which was but once made of the substance of the Virgin Mary by the operation of the holy Ghost Secondly they will haue it still here in earth which is ascended vp into heaven Yea they will haue it here to bee daily eaten with our bodily mouthes which is not onely an absurd and an inhumane impietie in the iudgement of S. Austine de doct christ l. 3. c. 10. but hath been an occasion to Insidels to condemne Christians for the wickedst monsters that were in all the whole world for that they were not ashamed to say that they daily devoured their Lord and God Thirdly they teach that the body of Christ which is a true naturall body is in their masse vncircumscribed without any dimensions and the same in heauen circumscribed and hauing dimensions Lastly they teach that Christs body here is not limited in space or place but that it is so in heaveÌ„ and therefore is in heauen a true body but not here in earth For as Austine saith take away from a body space or place and it shall be no where or in no place and if it bee no where it is not at all But all these absurdities they thinke they may cure with this salue for that all these things are and may bee still done by the miraculous hand and power of God But Austine refuseth this plaister as not fit for this sore For as hee teacheth Sacraments may haue honour as being religious but they doe not worke astonishment as being miraculous For they are such meanes as God hath appointed to confirme the faith of such as already beleeue and not to convert vnbeleeuers for the which end miracles are ordained 1. Cor. 14 22. And verily if these workes were miraculous they should be such as might be first apprehended by sense that from thence they might enter into the conscience But these which they call miraculous works are not apprehended by sense as sense it selfe doth testifie sufficiently Thirdly concerning prayer First is it not absurd that publike prayers vnto which a publike assent should be giuen by the people should be made in a tongue not vnderstood of the people For For as the Apostle saith VVhen thou blessest with the spirit viz. in a tongue vnknowne how shall he that occupieth the roome of the vnlearned say amen at thy giuing of thankes seeing hee knoweth not what thou saist 1. Cor. 14. 16. Secondly is it not absurd that private prayers should bee commanded to bee made in a tongue vnknowne to him that maketh them and therefore cannot vnderstand for what he himselfe prayeth For should any one present a
supplication to a Prince and not vnderstand what is contained in his supplication much lesse should he doe it to the king of kings vnlesse he looke to be reâ—ected as a foolish and an absurd companion yea as a frantike mad man Thirdly is it not absurd to pray to Saints for such blessings as cannot be giuen but by God alone seeing it is all one as if one should seeke for that of a subiect which is only in the hands of a king to giue Fourthly were it not absurd when thou hast the kings eldest and dearest sonne to be thy mediator to his father to request some meane persons of the court to be thy mediators also as if the mediation of such a person were not sufficient So is it farre more absurd to ioine the Saints to the Sonne of God in the worâ—e of mediation whereas his intercession with the father is 10000000000 times more respected of God then is the intercession of all Angells and Saints Lastly is it not absurd to make the Saints mediators to Christ when be himselfe calleth thee promiseth to heare and helpe thee also whensoever thou by thy selfe shalt come vnto him in faithfull and humble prayer Mat. 11. 28. For hee loueth his faithfull servants better then any creature can loue him and therefore they ought to come rather to him then to any other I come with more comfort said an ancient autor to my Iesus then to any of the Saints For this cannot be the saying of S. Austine because he renounceth Dulcius ad meum Iesum accedo quam ad queÌ„vis sanctorum all other mediators but Christ and saith more over that if S. Iohn himselfe should take vpon him to bee our Mediator he should shew himselfe thereby to be a very Antechrist Aug. cont ep Parm. l. 2. c. 8. Last of all concerning faith they teach most absurdly of all other For where as our commoÌ„ Creed containing the summ of our Christian faith teacheth vs to beleeue in God that is to be fully perswaded that God is our God and louing father in Christ and hath taken vs for his adopted children even all and every one of vs vnto whome he hath giuen a true faith how can this faith taught in our common Creed stand with that of the church of Rome which commandeth vs still to stand in doubt of Gods loue Why is not Gods loue towards his faithfull and obedient children greater then is the loue of any earthly father to his And would not an earthly Father who hath declared his great loue toward his louing child in giuing him the best education that hee can and the greatest portion the largest inheritance take it very vnkindly at his childs hand if for all this he should make but the least doubt of his so entire and tender affection and loue Now our heauenly father giueth to all that are adopted sonnes by faith in Christ a farre better education greater portion and larger inheritance then all earthly parents can giue and that to this end to testifie vnto them the vnsearchable riches of his goodnesse towards them and to giue them full assurance of his vnspeakable loue And yet shall they be commanded still to make doubt thereof yea whereas all professions in the whole world bee they heathenish Iewish Haereticall or schismaticall doe make solemne protestation that they will giue assurance albeit vpon most false and deceauable grounds to their Disciples and followers that if they will rightly embrace their rules and put in practise their commandements they shall thereby be brought neare vnto God haue assurance of his favour and loue And shall our christian profession which only delivereth the true grounds of our reconciliation and peace with God and of his good will and loue towards the faithfull even by the testimonies of a multitude of heavenly Angels Luk. 2. 14. yet be counter commanded herein that by that Church which vaunteth her selfe to bee the only pillar and rocke of faith Vndoubtedly as that person is no chast wife nor true mother that willeth the children still to stand in doubt of the kindnesse of their carefull and louing father so the church of Rome hereby shew eth her selfe neither to bee the chast spouse of Christ nor the naturall mother of the faithfull but the whore of Babylon the mother of all abominations in that shee commandeth the faithfull which are the children of God still to stand in doubt of the loue of God their heauenly father Wherefore to conclude as on the one side we are to pray vnto God our heavenly father that he would still deliuer vs from the wicked doctrines of evill and vnreasonable Papists because they be not the doctrines of faith and truth so we are on the other side still to pray vnto him that he would cause the doctrine of the Gospell to be published more and more that he would giue it a full current and cause it to be glorified throughout the whole earth And let vs also pray that the Lord our God by the ministerie of one Haggei or other would lay open the ends and vses of such gentle corrections which of late yeares our land hath bin visited withal againe and againe stirre vp the spirits of our Zorobabels and Ioshuahs to haue a care first to build the temple of the Lord before the care of building of their own houses And that our wise Solomon would not only haue a care first to build the temple of God before the building of his owne pallace but also haue a greater care for the one then for the other that so of him it might be truely said Behold a greater then Solomon is here Yea that God would more and more settle in the heart of our David King Iames this serious meditation which so throughly possessed the soule of king David Behold I dwel in an house of Cedar trees and the arke of the Lord in divers places of my kingdome dwelleth vnder curtaines by the want of skilfull builders to build it a Temple that so not only our Nathans may say vnto our King Goe doe all that is in thine heart for God is with thee but also his God may say vnto him hast thou such a care to build an house vnto me Behold in lue there of thine house shall bee established and thy kingdome before thee for ever even thy throne shall be established for ever 2. Sam 7. 16. even so oh faithfull Amen say Amen and confirme this thine owne decree that it may be as the decrees of the Medes and Persians that cannot bee altered And say againe and againe of our King Iames and his kingdomes as thou didst once of David his Sion I haue chosen great Brittaine and loued to dwel in it saying This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I haue a delight therein I will blesse her victuals with increase satisfie her poore with bread I will cloth her Priests with health and her Saints shall reioice and sing Here will I make the horne of Iames to flourish I haue ordained a lanthorne for mine annointed And as for his enimies I will cloath them with shame but vpon his head shall the crowne flourish Ps 132. And let every faithfull Britaine crie out to his companion in faith country saying O pray for the peace of London they shall prosper that loue thee Peace be within thy wals and plentie within thy pallaces For my bretheren and companions sake I will wish thee now prosperitie yea because of the house of the Lord our God I will seeke to doe thee good Ps 122. Lastly to conclude let every faithfull soule wheresoever after this or the like maner commend his owne soule and salvation into the hands of his redeemer Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit which is thy due for why thou hast redeemed it O Lord my God most true Send out thy light that is thy truth and lead me with thy grace which may conduct mee to thine hill and to thy dwelling place One thing of thee I doe require that thou wilt not deny for which I pray and will desire till thou to me apply That I within his holy place my life throughout may dwell to see the beauty of thy face and view thy Temple well The greater sort craue worldly goods and riches doe imbrace but Lord grant mee thy countenance thy favour and thy grace For thou thereby shalt make mine heart more ioyfull and more glad then they that of their corne and wine full great increase haue had In peace therefore lye downe will I taking my rest sleepe for thou only wilt me O Lord alone in safetie keepe The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the fellowship of the holy Ghost bee with vs all Amen Yea thou that art God to be blessed for ever so in grace vouchsafe to be with vs that thou blesse the continuall ministerie of thine holy word and heavenly Angels to our continuall sanctification and preservation in this life and to our full and finall glorification in the life to come Amen FINIS