They shall bee accounted iust they shall be reputed iust So he Thus we see though St. Augustine following the etymologie of the word take iustificare to iustifie or make iust yet hee meaneth nothing else but the accounting or reputing iust and not the infusing of grace whereby to be made iust And Bernard also saith Adde huc vt credas quod per ipsum tibi peccata donantur Hoc est testimonium quod perhibet in corde nostro Spiritus sanctus dicens Dimissa sunt tibi peccata Sic enim arbitratur Apostolus Gratis iustificari hominem per fidem Adde to this that thou beleeue that by him thy sinnes are forgiuen thee This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost beareth in our heart saying Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee For so the Apostle concludeth That a man is iustified freely by faith But let vs heare from the holy Ghosts own mouth in the Scriptures he will leade vs into all truth To iustifie in Scripture is vsually taken in a iudiciall sense as beeing properly a iudiciall word iustification beeing opposed to condemnation The Hebrewes haue one word which signifies to iustifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is still applyed to such a iustification as a man stands vpon in a iudiciall tryall As Genesis 44. 16. Mah nits tadhac how shall wee iustifie our selues said Iudah to his brother Ioseph in regard of the cup found in Beniamins sacke which seemed now to be brought to aiudiciall Tryall So 2. Sam. 15. 4. Absolon wisheth hee were Iudge of the Land that hee might doe euery man iustice or iustifie him Reade also for this purpose Deut. 25. 1. Psal. 51. 4. 1 Kings 8. 32. Pro. 17. 15. Esay 5. 23. 43. 26. Matth. 12. 37. 1. Cor. 4. 4. and many other places in Scripture to this purpose doe plainely shew how this word Iustifie is properly taken namely to acquit or cleere to pronounce or declare one iust by the sentence of the Iudge This sense of iustification the Church of Rome cannot endure they smother or at least smooth it ouer by slight of hand as a matter of no moment Whereas indeede there is nothing that will more directly leade vs to the true vnderstanding of the nature of iustification than the consideration of this word taken in a iudiciall sense wherein the holy Ghost doth vse it namely to acquit and absolue a man and pronounce him iust by sentence of iudgement This sheweth that the point of iustification of a sinner is not so light a matter as Papists and profane persons would make it No it is a Case to be tried at the barre of Gods iudgement-seate in whose sight shall no man liuing bee iustified Holy Iob while hee pleaded with his opposite friends hee wanted not matter for his iustification but when once the Lord God summons him out of the whirle-winde before his throne and bids him girde vp his loynes like a man Iob stands not now vpon his vprightnesse but confesseth I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand vpon my mouth c. Iob 40. 4. and 42. 5. I haue heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee Wherefore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes Yea hee had said before Chap. 9. 15. Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer but I would make supplication to my Iudge for God is a righteous and seuere iudge and who may stand in his sight when he is angry when hee sits to iudge For the heauens are not cleane in his sight how much more abominable and filthie is man which drinketh iniquitie like water Iob 15. 16. If therefore our iustification be such as must proceede from Gods iudgement seate and must be sentenced by Gods owne mouth it neerely concernes euery Mothers Sonne to bee well aduised vpon what ground we stand what euidence wee can bring to cleare ourselues to satisfie our vnpartiall Consciences to stop the mouth of the accusing Diuell and to abide the fierietriall of that Iudge who is euen a consuming fire and will condemne euen the least sinne to the pit of hell But that wee may not mistake the true acception of iustification we are to consider iustification in a two-fold relation or respect either as it hath relation to God or to man before whom also we are said to be iustified but in a different yea opposite respect whereof we shall haue occasion to speake hereafter Here wee speake of Iustification in the first relation Now this iustification of a sinner in the sight of God whereof wee speake proceedeth from a iudiciall tryall In this sense it is vsed by the holy Ghost Rom. 8. 33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that iustifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe c. This iustification the Lord Iesus doth oppose to condemnation Iohn 5. 24. where speaking of iudgement vers 22. he inferreth Verily Verily I say vnto you Hee that heareth my word and beleeueth on him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death vnto life And like as Iesus Christ was condemned by a iudiciall proceeding Pilate giuing sentence though according to such euidence as was most vntrue in it selfe so all those for whom Christ was thus iudicially condemned shall be iudicially iustified and acquitted But this wil appear more clearly in setting down the formall cause of our iustification To speake to the capacity of the simple By formall cause is meant that which giues a being to iustification as forma dat esse the forme of a thing giues being vnto it That therefore which makes a man perfectly iust is called the formall cause of his iustification Now the Pontificians would hence conclude That inherent qualities must be the formall cause of iustification alledging the authority of Philosophers who say That the formall cause is the thing or quality which is in the subiect as the soule of man is in the body And therefore they exclude the righteousnesse of Christ whereby he is formally iust from being the formall cause of our iustification because say they Christs righteousnesse is in himselfe not in vs. But no maruaile if these Pontificians doe wrest the Maximes of Philosophers from their natiue sense when they dare so familiarly force the Scriptures themselues The Philosophers speake of a physicall formality but the holy Scriptures speake of the iustification of a sinner in the sight of God the forme whereof is relatiue and not physically inherent in vs. But be it so that the formall cause must alwayes be in the subiect to which it giues a being the formall cause then of iustification must be inherent Wherein must it bee inherent In vs No but in iustification which is the subiect of this inherent formall cause For if inherent grace bee the formall cause of iustification then
by way of relation iustification is the subiect of inherent grace For wee speake here of the formall cause of iustification not of the formall cause of man as if hee were the subiect wherein iustification is a quality inherent But to answer their mis-applyed philosophicall diuinity The forme of a thing is not alwayes a quality inherent as in the subiect where it is but sometimes it is onely adherent and extrinsicall by way of relation As that I am the sonne of such a man the formall cause hereof is not inherent in me but it is originally and relatiuely from my father that begate mee giuing a being to my sonship respectiuely to him So a man set at liberty by the fauour and meanes of another the very forme of his freedome was the others act in freeing of him not inhering in him that is freed but rather adhering vnto him Yea the Pontificians themselues confesse and Vega for one that the formall cause of mans redemption is a thing extrinsicall to wit the oblation of Christ on the Crosse and that the free fauour of God for the merit of Christ is the formall cause of remission of sinnes If therefore the forme of our redemption and remission of sinnes is not within vs but without vs why not as well the forme of our iustification the cause whereof is Christs redemption and the effect of it remission of sinnes In a word it is not with a forme as with an accident the being of an accident is the in-being of it Not so of a forme where being or modus essendi consists not necessarily in the inhering in the subiect whose formall cause it is but it may as well be extrinsicall by conferring a vertue and power whereby the Causatum receiueth the formality of its being But to leaue Philosophy and return to Diuinity it is yet in question whether the matter of this iustification be within vs or rather without vs. The Romane-Catholicke faith teacheth that it is within vs but the Catholicke faith concludeth that the formall cause of our iustification is without vs not within vs. This is that Catholicke doctrine which the Scriptures teach when they ascribe our iustification to faith apprehending that which is without vs where by apprehending is not meant a bare vnderstanding or knowing as Soto in the name of his Romane-Catholickes would haue it but it is also a laying hold vpon and applying of the thing beleeued We haue shewed afore how the Pontificians take the word Imputation namely for a participation of Christs righteousnesse so farre forth as thereby some other righteousnesse being merited is infused into vs and inherent in vs. But the true Catholickes hold otherwise that imputation is of a thing without vs being apprehended and applied by faith So that the thing imputed is that which is by faith apprehended As it is said of Abraham that hee beleeued God and his faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse Rom. 4. 3. Now the obiect of Abrahams faith was God yea God promising in regard of which obiect Abrahams faith is imputed to him for righteousnesse Not the act of Abrahams faith being but an instrument but the obiect of it is imputed As we may say we are iustified by the act of faith relatiuely to the obiect Christ not for the act of it Abraham beleeued God and his faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse But how is this sufficient to iustifie a man to beleeue God or the promise of God that it should be said to be imputed to man for righteousnesse I answer To beleeue Gods promise is to haue an eye of faith vpon Christ who is the substance of all Gods promises and in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen 2. Cor. 1. 20. So that God in Christ is the obiect of faith imputed to the beleeuer for righteousnesse But here an obiection crosseth my way cast in by the aduersary of the truth Vega who saith Dixi c. I said that this faith of the Mediator is that to which for the most part and chiefely the Scriptures doe attribute our iustification yet we beleeue also saith he that faith taken generally as it relieth vpon diuine truth may also iustifie a man Nor are wee in that errour wherein some are to thinke that the onely faith of iustification promised or of saluation in Christ doth iustifie vs or is imputed vnto vs for righteousnesse For saith he Noahs faith of the future deluge as Paul witnesseth was imputed to him for righteousnesse and he was appointed the heire of righteousnesse which is by faith in that he beleeued God fore-telling the floud and a hundred yeares before it came began to build the Arke for the safety of his house And to Abraham also as the history of Genâ—sis plainely teacheth it was imputed for righteousnesse because hee beleeued that his posterity should bee multiplied as the starres of heauen So that hence hee concludes that not onely to faith in Gods promises in Christ is righteousnesse imputed but to faith in generall beleeuing Gods truth such as is not in the compasse of Gods promises in Christ but either speculatiue precepts or morall doctrines or other Propheticall predictions or historicall relations So that by the Pontifician doctrine other faith besides that in Gods promises in Christ may be imputed to a man for righteousnesse As Noahs faith in building the Arke against the floud and Abrahams faith in beleeuing Gods promise concerning the multiplication of his seed I answer that no faith is or can bee imputed to a man for righteousnesse but that which hath respect vnto Christ and the promises of God in him But Noahs faith in preparing the Arke to saue himselfe and his family from the floud was imputed to him for righteousnesse True this confirmeth the Catholicke doctrine of the imputation of faith as it lookes vpon Christ for what was the Arke but a Sacramentall type of Christ as Augustine saith Christus figuratus est in Noe in illa Arca orbis terrarum Quare enim in Arca inclusa sunt omnia animaliae nisi vt significarentur omnes gentes Christ is figured in Noe and in that Arke of the whole world for why in that Arke were included all creatures but that all Nations should be signified by them And there hee applies that promise to Abraham Gen. 22. 18. In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed And for Abrahams faith in Gods promise what seed of Abraham was this in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed Was it not Christ Yes Christ so saith Augustine in the forenamed place Christus in ea prophetia occultus erat in quo benedicuntur omnes gentes Christ saith he was hid in that prophesie in whom all the Nations are blessed But the Apostle or rather the holy Ghost by the Apostle is the best interpreter of that prophecie Gal. 3. 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the
here may be fitly moued Quest. Whether the obedience of the whole Law of God wrought by Christ for vs is auaileable as to redeeme vs from the punishment of sinne so to purchase vnto vs eternall life in heauen The reason of the question is because not the Law if it had beene for euer perfectly fulfilled by Adam had any promise of that eternall life and immediate vision in heauen but only of this life Heauen is not within the Couenant of workes Answ. True it is that the fulfilling of the Law in it selfe simply considered hath no proportion with that endlesse life aboue For the first Adam was of the earth earthly and all his happinesse promised vpon the condition of keeping the Law for ought is reuealed or can be demonstrated was terrestriall But now forasmuch as the Law is fulfilled by Christ this obedience reacheth to a higher reward because there is a higher promise made than that of the first Adam Because Christ the second Adam is the Lord from heauen the Eternal whose Kingdom is not of this world but of a better a heauenly whose house is not made with hands So that his obedience to the Law in regard of his person becomes a rich and inestimable purchase of that better Kingdome for vs. For as is the heauenly such are they that are heauenly to wit the generation of God in and by Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 48. 49. 50. vide Iohn 3. 13. No man ascendeth vp to heauen but he c. Thus haue we proued out of the holy Scriptures how the formall cause of iustification or that which giues a perfect being to our iustification making vs perfectly iust in the sight of God is the imputation of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs and that euen of his whole righteousnesse actiue in his life and passiue in his death And that the formall cause of our iustification is not within vs but without vs not inherent but by imputation may easily appeare from the maine difference betweene the first Couenant and the second The first Couenant was that which was made with Adam in Paradise Doe this and liue the second that made with man after his fal Beleeue and liue So the first Couenant was of workes the second of faith the first of an inherent righteousnesse of our owne the second of a righteousnesse without vs not our owne simply but by relation namely made ours to wit Christs righteousnesse who of God is made vnto vs righteousnesse called in Scriptures the righteousnesse which is of faith Not to obserue and know this difference well is the ready way to leade men into all errour of this mysterie of God The Apostle doth notably set downe this difference between the first and second Couenant as termes infinitely opposite and admitting of no reconciliation Rom. 10. 3. when hee saith that the Iewes being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse haue not submitted themselues to the vnrighteousnesse of God For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth For Moses describeth the righteousnesse which is of the Law that the man which doth those things shall liue by them But the righteousnesse which is of Faith is to confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and to beleeue in thy heart that God raised him from the dead and thou shalt be saued Also Rom. 11. 6. If it be by grace it is no more of workes otherwise grace is no more grace but if it bee of workes then it is no more grace otherwise worke is no more worke Also Rom. 4. the Apostle setting downe this same opposition betweene the Couenant of workes and of faith saith on this wise v. 2. c. If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to glory but not before God For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse Euen as Dauid also describeth the blessednesse of the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne What clearer Testimonies Yea this did God himselfe teach vs not obscurely by his own act Gen. 3. For when Adam had forfeited the first Couenant which was of workes made with him in Paradise before his fall and after his fall had made with him another Couenant to wit of faith in Christ the promised seede of the woman What doth God thereupon Hee shuts man out of Paradise and from the Tree of life lest putting forth his hand hee should take of it and liue for euer What is meant hereby Paradise was not only the place but also did signifie the happy condition of Adams blessednesse which he was to enioy in his innocencie the Tree of life was a sacrament and symbol of life appointed as a speciall meanes to preserue man from dying or decaying in his naturall strength so long as he continued in his obedience But by disobedience hee forfeited the Couenant brake the condition lost his former happinesse and was depriued of the meanes of that life wherein hee should haue liued for euer vpon earth Now God shutting him out from the earthly Paradise the place of earthly blisse and from the Tree of life the sacrament and symbol of immortalitie and hauing shewed vnto him another Tree of life in the middest of the Paradise of God to wit Iesus Christ who is very God and eternall life which whosoeuer by reaching out the hand of Faith eateth of shall liue for euer God I say doth hereby plainely teach vs that in attaining to the heauenly Paradise by the Tree of life Iesus Christ wee must not haue any more to doe with the things pertaining to the first Couenant now altogether forfeited and from which Adam and his posteritie is for euer banished neuer to returne or intermeddle there any more Gen. 3 22. 23. 24. Therefore to teach and beleeue the doctrine of an inherent righteousnesse whereby to attaine eternall life is euen as it were in despite of God and of his holy Angels the Cherubims keeping the way of the Tree of life to reuiue the old Couenant of workes againe and with the hand of the body to wit good workes reach out to take of the tree of life This is a Babylonish confounding of the two Couenants which stand vpon such irreconcileable termes of difference Is there no more difference betweene Do this and liue and Beleeue and liue betweene mans owne righteousnesse and Gods righteousnesse the establishing of the one being the abolishing of the other Nor is it to purpose that these Babylonians alledge that they ascribe their inherent righteousnesse to God as the author of it and by whom
them as an Idoll Onely Christ is that sacred and mysticall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that fish in whom is found our tribute-money to satisfie the Maiesty of God This money must bee stamped no where but in Gods owne Mint as the pure siluer Oare of it is no where found but in Gods owne Mynes the holy Scriptures no other Image or Superscription must be vpon it but that of Iesus Christ and none may tender or offer it vp to God but onely Christ. 1. Tim. 2. 6. There is one God and one Mediator betweene God and man the man Christ Iesus who gaue himselfe a ransome for all This pure ransome more pure more precious than gold will endure no mixture no allay of any other mettals much lesse of any drosse But inherent righteousnesse in vs though dipped in Christs bloud as hauing receiued a tincture from it as they say if wee offer it to God for currant payment hee will easily perceiue it counterfeit coine of our owne mynting of our owne inuenting no better than Alcumy little siluer but much drosse in it euen the drosse of humane inuention and corruption which if it bee brought to Gods touch turnes colour if put in the Skale of the Sanctuary is found too light if cast into the Test of Gods fiery iustice it is blown all away in smoke As Esay saith Thy siluer is become drosse thy wine mixt with water And as Ieremy saith Reprobate siluer shall men call them because the Lord hath reiected them Our inherent righteousnesse call it Christs merits or what you will is at the best but as Piscis in arido The fish while it is in the sea liueth moueth is full of strength and agility but vpon the dry land it straight loseth all his vigour motion and life it selfe and quickly putrefieth euen so the merits and righteousnesse of Christ being in him as in their proper element are most liuely and vigorous strong and auaileable to satisfie Gods iustice and to plunge all our sinnes into the deepe bottome of the bottomlesse deepe of his mercies by that sweete smelling sacrifice of himselfe once offered but take any part of these merits of Christ out of him and put them into our dry and parched sandy soules and they become of no life of no validity to make the least satisfaction for the least sinnes yea in this respect they stinke in the nostrils of God Our soules are but broken Cisternes to contain this pure water of life God could neuer yet finde any thing in vs in vs I say but onely faith whereby to iustifie vs and this faith not as a worke of ours iustifying vs but as an instrument applying Christ by whom in whom and for whom wee are iustified If God iustifie vs for righteousnesse inherent or dwelling in vs then God should bee said to iustifie the godly but the Scripture saith otherwise That God iustifieth the vngodly Rom. 4. 5. Now to him that worketh not but beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse where faith being opposed to working cannot be said to iustifie as it is a work A notable testimony to proue that our iustification is not from within vs but from without vs not in vs but on vs not of him that worketh but of him that beleeueth in him that iustifieth Whom the godly Nay but the vngodly As Augustine saith Tu Domine benedicis iustum sed eum prius iustificaa impium Thou Lord doest blesse the iust but first he being vngodly thou iustifiest him As if hee had said Being first vngodly thou diddest iustifie him and then being iust thou Lord doest blesse him How then comes this forraine righteousnesse vpon an vngodly man The Apostle sheweth His faith is counted for righteousnesse How His faith layes hold on Christ who is the Lord our righteousnesse being made vnto vs of God wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption that according as it is written He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. But will the Pontifician say Doe you call the graces of Christ in vs counterfeit coyne drosse reprobate siluer c. Yes if ye reckon it for pay to satisfie Gods iustice withall in this sense in vs it is meere counterfeit drosse reprobate siluer coyned in the Mint of Satans forgeries It is but as the Sunne-beame vpon a dung-hill raysing vp a stinking vapour in stead of a sweete odour in Gods nostrils But the graces of God in vs flowing from our head Christ Iesus in whom wee are first iustified by faith are the matter of our sanctification and the consequent fruits and effects of our iustification Thus they are a Well of liuing waters springing vp in vs vnto eternall life Thus they are a garden of spices yea of costly Spicknard yeelding a fragrant smell while the Sunne of righteousnesse shines vpon them Thus are they more pure and precious than gold yea than much fine gold Thus are they so many precious stones to paue our way that leades to the Kingdome of Heauen Yea thus so many peerelesse Pearles which adorne our Crowne of grace here and shall much more gloriously imbellish and beautifie our Crowne of glory hereafter Thus all our good works and words and thoughts are precious euen in Gods sight through Christ. They will stand before his mercy seate but they dare not stand before the Tribunall of his strict and seuere iustice They dare come before God as a proofe of our faith and obedience but not as a price of our sinne and disobedience And at the best cause we haue to pray Gods mercy for them but in no case to pay his iustice with them Now there be many reasons why inherent righteousnesse is no formall cause of our iustification in the sight of God First because it is a meere humane inuention It hath no warrant in Gods Word and consequently no warrant at all Will the Pontificians herein as they are willing in other things stand to the iudgement of their father Aristotle Hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All things are better determined according to the Law than according to mans will for it is no sure rule Tertullian said of an errour of Hermogenes about the creation of the world of a pre-existent matter Scriptum esse doceat Hermogenis officina Si non est scriptum timeat Let the shop of Hermogenes shew this to be written If it be not written let him feare Now iustification is a fundamentall doctrine that cannot stand but vpon the Sciptures Iustification is by faith and faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God The word is neare thee euen in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach for with the heart man beleeueth to righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made to saluation Let Pontificians feare to frame such a iustification as they finde not in the Scriptures Secondly because inherent righteousnesse doth not only
this yet this Faith is a true iustifying Faith though it bee dead This is the expresse perplext doctrine of the Church of Rome concerning Faith without any equiuocation at all Come wee now to examine the truth of this doctrine CHAP. XII Wherein Romane-Catholicke Doctrine concerning the kinde of iustifying Faith is confuted and the Catholicke Doctrine confirmed also of Faiths obiect and subiect FIrst whereas they allow no Faith in Scripture but one which they ground vpon that of the Apostle Ephes. 4. 5. One Faith it is euident they build vpon a wrong ground That there is but one Faith in the Apostles sense it is true that is but one sauing and iustifying Faith but that this faith is that which the Romane Catholicks only allow of is vtterly false and fabulous And yet they cal this the iustifying faith which Vega describeth thus Fides cui sacrae literae nostram tribuunt iustificationem c. That Faith to which the holy Scriptures attribute our iustification is for the most part and specially the Faith of the only Mediator betweene vs and God or to speake more plainely it is the Faith of Iesus Christ to wit a credulity or perswasion whereby we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue that we may possibly be saued by him alone and also other things which are deliuered eyther by himself or by his Church or by his Apostles which we are to beleeue concerning his life death resurrection glory and dignity and grace Note here the nature of the Pontifician Faith They call it the Faith of the only Mediatour between vs and God This is well said but it is with limitation it is but vt plurimum for the most part Therefore this is not the true Catholicke faith as we shall see anone Then they call this Faith a credulity or perswasion wherby we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue How Certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue This may passe for good Catholike doctrine But what do we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue namely Per eum vnum nos posse saluari That we may possibly be saued by him alone So they place their faith in a possibility of saluation by Christ. But is this all No this faith hath for its full and adaequate obiect as the entire rule of it whatsoeuer is reuealed or deliuered by writing or tradition either by Christ himselfe or by his Church or by his Apostles So that this faith must bee regulated as well by that which the Church saith and what he meaneth by the Church we all know as what Christ and his Apostles haue said as well by traditions Romes vnwritten word as by the written Word of God Nay the Councell of Trent goes farther making the maine rule of faith to be that sense and meaning which the Church alwayes vnderstand of Rome hath or shall set downe concerning all things written and vnwritten And this is the Romane-Catholike faith Now if this faith of theirs bee the iustifying faith how comes it to passe that they that haue this faith are not iustified by it And if men hauing this faith may notwithstanding be damned and carry it with them to hell how is it a iustifying faith But with Romes good will we must not touch vpon particulars Suffice it there is one faith and this is the Catholicke faith of Romane-Catholicke beleeuers There is but one faith say they whether it be formed or vnformed which they take from the Scoria of the Schooles forge For Aquinas saith that faith formed or vnformed is one and the same in kinde and in number as the Logicke terme is Indeede Aquinas might speake his pleasure of faith formed and vnformed as being the first Forger of the forme of faith Whereas if this Scoria be but cast into the Test it will presently fume into the ayre For according to Philosophy Aquinas his profest and pretended proper element a thing without forme is non ens if it be Tohu it is Bohu too Gen. 1. 2. For the forme giues the being to the thing Now the faith of Deuils and of the wicked wanting a forme as Pontificians say is no faith at all But the faith of Deuils is not no faith a faith it is therefore a forme it must haue What forme Indeede as Scaliger saith the formes of things are hard to be found out But euery thing that hath but a name must haue a forme that giues the being Now that the faith of Deuils hath a forme proper vnto it is manifest because it hath a speciall act and motion in beleeuing which springeth from the proper forme of it The act of the Deuils faith is to beleeue that God is and that he is true in his word and iust in his iudgements so as it maketh the Deuill to tremble withall If therefore the Deuils faith hath a speciall forme to giue being vnto it then this forme puts a specificall difference betweene the Deuils faith and the Saints faith For euery thing is differenced in kinde from another by its proper forme As therefore the Saints faith hath a speciall forme to difference it from the faith of Deuils so the Deuils faith hath a proper forme to difference it specifically from the faith of Saints as the beasts soule is by the forme of it differenced from a mans soule And the forme makes the maine difference But this by the way to shew how these Philosophicall Doctors defile their owne nest To proceed That there is but one faith whereby we are saued all Catholike Diuines haue euer taught but that the liuing faith which they call formed and the dead faith which they say is vnformed should be all one faith in kinde this is a mysterie neuer known nor I suppose euer so much as dreamt of by any of the ancient Catholick Doctors of the Church Leo sirnamed the Great who was Bishop of Rome about the yeare of Christ 440. while as yet the faith of that Church was truely Catholike he saith Vna fides iustificat vniuersorum temporum Sanctos ad eandem spem fidelium pertinet quicquid per Mediatorem Dei hominum lesum Christum vel nos confitemur factum vel Patres nostri adorauere faciendum A sentence worthy to be written in golden letters One faith saith he doth iustifie the Saints of all times and it appertaines to the same hope of the faithfull whatsoeuer eyther we confesse already done or our Fathers adored should be done by the Mediator of God and men Iesus Christ. Note here this good old Bishop of Rome acknowledgeth one faith What faith A iustifying faith What A faith common to reprobates No such as iustifieth the Saints What Saints Those of the Popes Canonizing No The Saints of all times such as were long before the new order of Saints instituted by the Pope long after St. Leo. Such Saints as are not mentioned in the Popes Calender namely all those Saints of the old Testament whereof the Popes Rubricke hath none As the same Leo saith Omnes
thou beleeuest in Christ And againe Fidelis propterea vocaris quoniam credis Deo ab eo creditam ipse iustitiam habes sanctitatem munditiam animae in filium adoptionem regnum coelorum Thou art therefore called faithfull because both thou beleeuest God and hast from him granted vnto thee righteousnesse sanctity purity of soule adoption of a sonne and the kingdome of heauen Seeing therefore by the Doctrine of Scriptures and Fathers faith and saluation cannot bee separated mee thinkes the Councell of Trent had done more politickly if with the losse of charity they had suffered faith quite to be lost too rather than retaining it to be damned with it Further for as much as the Pontificians admit of no other faith to Iustification but an historicall faith wee easily grant that which they so much desire That their faith doth not iustifie them at all but may be in them though they go to hell for it as themselues do teach Whereas the faith of beleeuers which beleeue in Christ hath the property to saue not suffer any to perish For Christ saith if we may beleeue Christ rather than the Popes infallibility in the Councel of Trent Whosoeuer beleeueth on the Sonne of man or the Sonne of God shall not perish but hath eternall life And v. 18 He that beleeueth on him is not condemned Yes saith the Councell of Trent he that is a beleeuer may bee condemned though still hee continue a Beleeuer Lastly sith for all this that their Faith cannot iustifie nor saue them yet notwithstanding they wil haue this to be a true Faith though a dead faith I et vs yeelde them this also that the Romane faith is a true dead Faith or a true Faith of the Diuels and damned Else what true Faith is it Gregory once Bishop of Rome saith Vera fides est quae in hoc quod verbis dicit moribus non contradicit That is true faith which in that it professeth in words it contradicteth not in maners And a little after Fidei nostrae veritatem in vitae nostrae consideratione debemus agnoscere tâ—nc enim veraciter fideles sumus si quod verbis promittimus operibus complemus We ought to acknowledge the truth of our Faith in the consideration of our life for then are we truly faithful if that which we promise in words we performe in deeds And St. Ambrose saith Nunquam fides vera turbatur True faith is neuer troubled How is then the Pontifician faith a true faith albeit a dead faith seeing according to Gregory what it professeth in words it contradicteth in deeds and according to Ambrose it is not free from trouble being ouer-whelmed with horrour of Conscience yea St. Hierome saith Cum dilectio proâ—ul abfuerit fides pariter abscedit When charity is away there faith also is gone with it To summe vp all in a word that hath beene said of this point the Notes of difference betweene the true Catholick sauing Faith and the Romane-Catholicke faith are these and such like 1. The true Catholicke iustifying Faith bringeth euery one that hath it vnto saluation and such shall neuer perish Iohn 3. 16. 18. and 1. Pet. 1. 9. The end of sauing Faith is the saluation of our soule But the Romish faith doth not by their owne confession bring euery one of them that hath it vnto saluation Therefore the Romane Catholicke faith is not the true Catholicke iustifying Faith Secondly the true Catholicke sauing Faith is a free gift of Gods grace giuen for Christs sake as Phil 1. 29 Ephes. 2 8. But the Romish faith is no free gift of Gods grace as being in the very Diuels which faith also the Councell of Trent separateth from grace Concil Trid. Sess. 6. cap. 15. saying that grace may bee lost though not faith Therefore the Romish faith is not the true Catholicke sauing faith Whereupon Bellarmine as the mouth of all Pontificians saith Fides infusa non perit gratia recedente vt Catholici omnes fatentur Infused faith perisheth not when grace is gone as all Catholickes confesse So that Pontifician faith is no grace with them and no maruaile then if iustifying faith be in no grace with them also But how is their faith infused This may seeme to make faith a gift of God Let Bellarmine himself resolue it he saith That all men may beleeue if they will when the Euangell is preached and so the Pontifician faith is of them disclaimed to be a speciall gift of Gods sauing grace Thirdly The true Catholicke sauing faith is a confidence in the promises of God in Christ it being the foundation of things hoped for in Christ the speciall obiect of it Heb. 11. 1. But the Romish faith beeing no other in its owne nature but that which is common with the very Diuels by their owne confession is altogether without hope hauing no respect to things hoped for no more than the Diuels for all their faith haue Therefore the Romish faith is none of the true sauing iustifying faith There bee many other differences which follow in this Treatise In stead of adding more to this place it shall suffice to conclude this Chapter with the definition of sauing and iustifying faith which may fitly bee thus defined Iustifying faith is a speciall free gift of God his grace whereby a sinner beleeuing in or into Christ being thus vnited vnto him is made partaker of all Christs merits and righteousnesse and is by the same faith certainly and infallibly perswaded that all his sins are remitted and himselfe in Christ perfectly iustified in Gods sight this faith also as a liuing roote containing in it all other graces as hope loue patience humility c. For the proofe of each part of this definition we neede not here stand vpon as referring both to the foregoing and ensuing Chapters where they are amply proued Now that I call iustifying Faith a gift of God I note the efficient cause of it to be God whereby it is also distinguished from the faith of Diuels which cannot bee called the gift of God Secondly that I call it a free gift of Gods grace as Phil. 1. 29. this excludes all precedent workes in man as merits of congruity or of any preuious repentance making a man acceptable to receiue Faith in Christ which jumps with the merit of congruity Thirdly that I call it a speciall gift I exclude all reprobates from hauing any communion with this Faith it is specially and peculiarly and solely giuen to the Saints Iude 3. speciall also in regard of the nature of it being a gift of grace flowing from Gods special loue in Christ vnto his elect Saints Fourthly whereby a sinner c. I note that whoso hath this Faith is empty of all inherent righteousnesse of his own he must be a sinner the generall subiect wherein Faith dwelleth Fiftly by beleeuing in or into Christ I note the proper act of iustifying Faith differencing
of iustitification by faith not of faith disposing or preparing a man to iustification But of this more hereafter In the third place saith he the name of iustification is further vsed to signifie the absoluing of a guiltie person in iudgement and pronouncing of him to bee quit For which he alleageth Prou. 17. 15. and Deut. 25. 1. But this saith he is not much different from the first acception of the word but rather altogether of neere affinity to it Yet this third signification saith Soto is no where in Paul nor in the Scripture where any mention is made of our iustification by Christ. See this crafty shuffler how hee can packe this close to the first kinde of acception of this word iustification as if it were all one with it or neere a-kinne vnto it and yet he can say of this last that it is not to be found in Paul although he could finde the first to be in Paul at least in his owne strained sense But is not the word Iustifie as it is taken in the last sense to wit to absolue or acquit as it were in iudgement vsed by Paul yea and that also where mention is made of our iustification by Christ What meaneth then that which the Apostle saith Rom. 8. 33. 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that iustifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed or rather that is risen againe who is euen at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for vs. Note the Apostle vseth here the termes of a iudiciall triall Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect who shall accuse them who shall bring in euidence against them It is God that iustifieth And if God the Iudge do iustifie who shall condemne Yea but how shall God iustifie a sinner It is Christ that dyed He dyed for our sinnes Rom 4. 25. or rather which is risen againe And He rose againe for our iustification Rom. 4. 25. c. So you see here is iustifying taken for absoluing in iudgement and it is in Paul and that where mention is made of our iustification by Christ. Therefore Soto bewrayes eyther grosse ignorance in denying or egregious malice in dissembling such a cleare truth And no maruell if he cannot or will not finde iustification vsed for absolution iudiciall in Paul or in the Scripture where mention is made of our iustification by Christ. For indeed iustification in this sense is the condemnation and confusion of Popish iustification as we shall see in the due place Vega also another Champion in this Councell he speakes the same language of Babylon and saith there is a twofold iustification as Doctors meaning the Schoole-men say The first and second The first iustification when a man of vniust is made iust The second when of iust a man becomes more iust The first he defineth thus The first iustification is a certaine supernaturall change whereby a man of vniust is made iust The second thus It is a supernaturall change whereby a man of iust is made more iust And these also are either actiue or passiue actiue in regard of God working this iustification first and second in vs and passiue in regard of man himselfe who is changed from bad to good and from good to better But for the actiue iustification as it is wrought by God and so proues derogatory from mans excellency Vega sleights it as rather obscuring than clearing his definitions But as for the third kinde of iustification which is iudiciall to be pronounced and accounted iust before the Tribunall seate of iustice Vega giues it no better entertainment than his brother Soto saying That the Doctors intermit and let passe this kinde of iustification as impertinent to the purpose And so it is indeede very impertinent to their Pontifician purpose and very incommodious as the wicked complaine that the righteous man is not for their profit sith contrary to their waies Wisd. 2. 12. But for other distinctions of iustification Vega is very liberall in summing them vp together as Iustitia Christiana Mosaica politica oeconomica legalis moralis particularis actualis habitualis acquisita insusa inharens imputata externa interna fidei operum practica theologica pharisaica sincera philosophica supernaturalis and so in infinitum But enough of such blundring distinctions So then the iustification of the Church of Rome is properly to make one iust that was vniust and to make one of iust more iust Yet here it will be worth our noting to obserue the legierdemaine of the Councell of Trent and the Pontificians in their distinction of first and second righteousnesse or iustification For the Scriptures speaking of a twofold iustification one by faith another by workes vpon which ground the ancient Fathers also do distinguish a two-fold righteousnesse one in the sight of God the other in the sight of men the Pontificians also that they may seeme to speake the same language they haue their distinction too of a first and second righteousnesse yet so as destroying the nature of the first iustification by faith whereby we stand iust in Gods sight they so qualifie the matter as either they make nothing at all of their first righteousnesse or they doe altogether confound it with their second righteousnesse inherent and so by their distinguishing they make iustification and sanctification all one But the learned Cardinall Contarenus writing a little before the Councell of Trent and was afterwards one of the Councell in his tract of iustification speaking of these two iustifications saith That by the one to wit the imputation of Christs righteousnesse by faith we are iustified before God by the other which is inherent we are iustified before men But Babylon confounds all together iustification and sanctification In the next place let vs consider how they vnderstand this making iust This iustification saith the Councell consists partly of remission of sinnes partly of the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and partly of sanctification and renouation of the inner man and so of inherent righteousnesse Now here lies the knot of the mysterie to be resolued first it were well if the Chuch of Rome did meane truely and sincerely in naming remission of sins and imputation of Christs righteousnesse in the point of iustification Secondly if at the best they did vnderstand them aright yet to ioyne vnto them inherent righteousnesse of our owne will be found no iust dealing But to allow of no iustification at all saue that which is inherent in vs bewrayes deepe deceit and double hypocrisie in once naming remission of sins and the imputation of Christs righteousnesse which they vtterly shut out from hauing any society with inherent righteousnesse in the worke of iustification as a little before we premonished Now concerning the imputation of Christs righteousness what do they understand by it The Councell it selfe tels vs chap 7. where speaking of the
of a sinner For saith hee Penance is the immediate cause or immediate disposition and as it seemeth sufficient with Gods grace to our iustification yea it perfecteth and consummateth our iustification But Faith is not such a neer disposition to iustification and it remaineth in sinners and our iustification is but as it were initiated by it It is euident therefore that the most potent cause of our iustification is penance and therefore that we are iustified it is to be imputed to it and not to faith So he Nay such is the Pontifician hatred against Faith that Vega Trents Interpreter denyes euen Faith that is formed by grace and charity as they say to bee sufficient to iustification As he saith Quamuis eo ipso quod aliquis per fidem iustificetur fiat fides illius formata tamen non sequitur quod per eam vt formatam acquiratur iustitia Et ideo neque debent loca quae tribuunt iustitiam fidei restringi ad fidem formaetam Although a mans iustification by Faith implyeth that his Faith is formed to wit a true Faith yet it followeth not that by it as it is formed righteousnesse is obtained And therefore neyther those places which attribute righteousnesse to Faith ought to bee restrained to true Faith or Faith that is formed Such a hard conceit haue the Pontificians of Faith formed or vnformed But now forasmuch as the Scriptures doe euery where ascribe so much to faith in the point of iustification how doe they answer the Scriptures in this point Surely Vega according to his rare dexteritite vndertakes that taske too produceth fiue reasons why the Apostle hath done most prudently oftner to attribute iustification to faith than to any other vertue The first is Because faith is the foundation and fountaine the prime cause and roote of our saluation which saith he St. Augustine hath shewed in his Booke of the Predestination of Saints alledging Cornelius for an example whose Prayer and Ames-deeds were done in faith that by them saith Vega he might be brought to the Faith of Christ. Now note here I pray you a notable tricke of legier-demain in this Tridentine Champion who was of one spirit with that Councell For doth he giue these titles to faith calling it with the Councell the fountaine and foundation the roote and originall of our saluation for any good will hee beares faith or that herein he preferres it before other graces Nothing lesse For a little before hee had giuen faith such a blow and that with Aristotles philosophicall fist as that hee hath made this very foundation to stagger againe Plus enim quam omnia c. For saith he this is of more weight than all that are brought for the commendation of faith towards God that we are more straitly vnited to him by our louing of him and by sorrow for offending of him and a purpose to our vtmost endeauour to please him for the time to come then we are vnited by faith Which being the formost in our iustification it comes hindmost and furthest off from perfection according to that axiome in Philosophy Priora generatione posteriora perfectione The first in generation the last in perfection But passe wee to his second reason which is much like the former Because saith he all our workes which concurre to iustification haue their meritorious force from faith and faith from none else besides Thirdly Therefore is our saluation fitly attributed to faith because there is no stronger cause to moue a sinner to those things which on his part are requisite to his iustification Fourthly It was conuenient that the Apostles in their Epistles and Sermons should commonly impute and attribute our iustification vnto faith Indeede Vega's copie hath sanctification haply mis-printed sauing that they confound iustification and sanctification together But why so commonly impute iustification to Faith namely because forsooth the Apostles had to doe with sundry sects and therefore were so to attemper their exhortations as to draw them from their sect to the Christian Faith Nor is it lawfull saith Vega hence to inferre that there are no other things better than those which are more often commended So by this reason we are to vnderstand that the doctrine of iustification by Faith so often commended and preached by the Apostles in their Epistles was not therefore so much and so often pressed and preached as if it were the best doctrine but that other doctrines according to Vega's estimate might be better but as if the Apostles only temporized with those times and persons with whom they had to doe As if it appertained not to all Abrahams seede by promise to whose Faith righteousnesse was imputed nor was it written saith the Apostle for him onely that it was imputed to him but for vs also to whom it shall be imputed if we beleeue on him that raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead Therefore it is by Faith that it might bee by grace to the end the promise might bee sure to all the seede both Iewes and Gentiles which walke in the steps of that Faith of our Father Abraham O Vega be not so impiously iniurious yea sacrilegious to rob vs of the inheritance of our Faith vnder a colour as if iustification by Faith had beene a temporary purchase and merchandize for those Apostolicall times and as if now the intaile were quite cut off from Abrahams race Or if yee Pontificians will bee such malignant enemies to iustifying Faith whereby Abraham and all his seede are and shall bee iustified to the worlds end then confesse your selues to bee quite cut off from being Abrahams seede His fift reason why iustification is most commonly ascribed to faith is because Faith is that only disposition to which among all our workes it might principally bee attributed without perill of our pride and the iniurie and derogation of Gods grace For seeing faith is the gift of God and a kinde of testimony of Gods grace towards vs in as much as it is attributed to our faith it is attributed to the grace and mercy of God and not to our strength that no flesh shall glory in his presence But why then Vega do you teach the doctrine of iustification another way and the onely way to puffe men vp with pride and so to empty them of all grace As Bernard saith Non est quâ— gratia intret vbi iam meritum occupauit Grace findes no way to enter where merit hath already taken vp the roome And againe Deest gratiae quicquid meritis deputas That is detracted from grace whatsoeuer is imputed to merits Dost thou commend the admirable wisedome of God in teaching man to ascribe the iustification of Faith to the mercy and glory of God and yet dost thou adde iustification of thine owne workes to robbe God of his glorie and thy selfe of all grace puffing vp thy selfe with pride in steade thereof But leaue we these puddles of errour and come
the summe of all wee put on Christ hee becomes wholly ours being made vnto vs of God wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption and all in all Now true it is that this vnion is not only internall inuisible reall and peculiar to Gods elect but also externall visible nominall and common to all Christians So that although all Christians in Common as well Hypocrites and false Professors as the sincere and faithfull may claime a share in this vnion so farre forth as it is externall and visible as beeing wrought by externall and visible instruments the Word and Sacraments wherof all Christians are in common partakers yet onely the Elect and Faithfull are partakers of the internall and true reall vnion with Christ as being wrought by a most powerfull Agent the Spirit of Christ and by a most actiue instrument the Faith of Christ. So that Faith in the hand of Gods spirit is the principall yea and sole immediate instrument and meane to vnite vs vnto Christ euen as the spirit in man is the meane to vnite the body and soule together CHAP. IX Of the other Romane Catholicke euasions to elude and frustrate the euidence of Scriptures concerning sole Faith in Iustification FOrasmuch as the holy Scriptures doe abound with cleare euidences to proue our Iustification by Faith alone in the only imputation of Christs righteousnesse apprehended and applyed by Faith altogether excluding workes from hauing any thing to doe in this worke it stood therefore the Church of Rome vpon to vse all art and wit of men and Angels I meane bad Angels to blunder these Chrystall fountaines by their distinctions and to sophisticate the pure simplicitie of truth with their faire false glosses and farre-fetcht interpretations To beginne with the Epistle to the Romanes where the Apostle in setting down the doctrine of Iustification doth so often attribute Iustification to faith without workes or without the works of the Law opposing faith against works grace against merit the Law of Faith against the Law of workes as being incompatible meanes or instruments to iustification The Pontificians can easily reconcile all by vnderstanding the opposition to bee betweene Faith and eyther those workes of the Law which are ceremoniall or those which are done before a man haue Faith but not of those workes which are done in the state of grace after a man haue receiued faith as is intimated in the eight Chapter of the Sixt Session of the Councell of Trent Wherupon* Vega reckoning vp sundry opnions as of some that take those workes excluded by Paul not only for legall and ceremoniall but morall and naturall of others that say St. Paul spake of workes going before Faith and St. Iames of workes comming after Faith c. At length addes his owne opinion spun like a copweb out of the subtiltie of his owne braine and all vpon the preposition Ex diuersly taken of Paul and Iames as this quaint Franciscan hath obserued For this preposition Ex saith he in Paul signifieth merit and debt but in Iames only co-operation and co-efficiency as where Paul saith that no man is iustified ex operibus by workes hee should meane none is iustified by the merits and due deserts of his owne workes And where Iames saith That a man is iustified ex operibus by workes and not ex fide tantum by faith only he should meane that workes do concurre vnto iustification and not faith alone But wee shall not want a broome to sweep downe this subtile webb But let vs adde first another of his webs which hee also fasteneth vpon his Trent-Fathers namely That Paul speakes of the first iustification from which precedent workes are excluded And Iames of the second Iustification in which subsequent workes are included Now for Vega's first reason and note vpon the preposition Ex it is no lesse really absurd than seemingly subtile For if Paul by saying Neminem ex operibus iustificari None is iustified by workes should meane by the merit or due desert of his workes then consequently by saying hominem ex fide iustificari that a man is iustified by Faith he should meane that man is iustified by the merit and due desert of his Faith which Vega himselfe in the selfe same place denyeth Thus the nimble Spider is wrapped and intangled in his owne webbe And as for the Trent-Fathers conceipt of Pauls first and Iames second Iustification wee shall by and by see the vanitie of it For indeede the iustification which Paul ascribeth to Faith without workes and that which Iames attributeth ioyntly to workes with Faith are so different as they differ not in degrees of first and second but in a most opposite respect as much as Iustification in the sight of God differeth from Iustification in the sight of man As wee shall more plainely shew anon Now for Pauls iustification by faith without workes it is cleare that all workes are excluded without exception not onely legall and ceremoniall and morall done before the state of grace but those also done in the state of grace none are excepted of what nature soeuer Paul shuts all out from iustification for if any be iustified by workes yea by workes of grace then Abraham for Abraham is propounded not onely as a particular beleeuer but as the father and figure of all the faithfull But Abraham was not iustified by workes not by any workes not by his best workes done in the state of grace This the Apostle proues manifestly Rom. 4. 5. To him that worketh not instancing of Abraham but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his Faith is counted for righteousnesse So that Abraham is iustified not by working but by beleeuing To this purpose Gregory surnamed the Great Bishop of Rome vpon the seuen penitentiall Psalmes in the fourth of them to wit Psalme 51. vpon these words Et exultabit lingua mea iustitiam tuam you must pardon the vulgar barbarisme of the Latine the true English is And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse saith Iustitia Dei fides est the righteousnesse of God is faith And hee instanceth Abraham Abraham beleeued God saith he and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Quia iustus ex fide viuit Because the iust doth liue by faith Si ergo iusti vita fides est consequens est eandem fidem esse iustitiam sine qua quisque esse iustus non potest If therefore the iust mans life be faith it followeth that the same faith is that righteousnesse without which no man can be iust Or saith hee the righteousnesse of God is that he will not the death of a sinner For it seems iust with man to reuenge his wrong but it is the righteousnesse of God to pardon the penitent So he As therefore Abraham is iustified so euery sonne of Abraham to wit euery beleeuer is iustified namely by faith and not by workes Now was not beleeuing Abraham a regenerate person Did he not bring forth
many fruits of faith many good workes of charity piety mercy hospitality obedience humility and the like yet none of these come within the account of his iustification in the sight of God For to him that worketh not but beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse Therefore though the Pontificians would neuer so faine foist and croud in by head and shoulders their workes comming after faith whereby they may be iustified yet they are all thrust out by the Apostle as those workers were shut out of Heauen by Christ Mat. 7. 22. 23. except they could either bring the Text within the compasse of their Index expurgatorius as they haue done the glosse and sentences of Fathers in the like kind or proue Abraham an vnregenerate person or force the Apostle to say that though Abraham were not iustified by workes but by faith yet Abraham was iustified first by faith and then by workes Yea but say they although Paul make no mention of Abrahams iustification by workes yet Iames another Apostle saith plainly Was not Abraham our father iustified by works when he had offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar Therefore Abraham was iustified not onely by faith but by works also Therefore to loose this Gordian knot wherein the Pontificians so much triumph wee will vse no other sword not Alexanders but the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God to cut it asunder At the first sight Paul and Iames seeme to be at great oddes the one ascribing iustification to faith without workes the other to faith and workes In both the Pontificians vnderstand one and the same iustification in kinde but to differ only in degree or order as Pauls iustification to be the first and that of Iames the second but both iustifying in the sight of God But we shall finde it far otherwise namely that these two Apostles doe speak of two different iustifications differing not in degree or order but in kinde and quality So that Paul speakes of that iustification whereby a man stands iust in the presence of God which is attributed to faith and not to workes at all and Iames of another iustification namely of a testification of a mans saith declaring a man to be a true beleeuer by good workes which are the proper fruits and effects of sauing and iustifying faith For if Iames should vnderstand by being iustified by faith and workes together such a iustification as makes a man iust in the sight of God then he should directly crosse his fellow-Apostle who shuts out all workes from hauing any thing to doe in our iustification in Gods sight For Paul saith Rom 4. 2. If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to glory but not before God But Iames saith Abraham was iustified by workes therefore this iustification of Abraham by workes was not that iustification which makes a man to reioyce before God to wit the iustification by faith which Paul directly opposeth to iustification by workes Rom. 4. Now that Iames speaketh of iustification by â—orkes and not by faith onely as vnderstanding a testification and demonstration of sound and sauing faith is euident by the whole passage of his second Chapter where the Apostle exhorting to workes of mercy and charity and meeting with false professors that turned the grace of God into wantonnesse professing they had faith but made no conscience of a Christian conuersation to testifie the truth and life of their faith by good workes hereupon he inferreth ver 14. What doth it profit my brethren though a man say hee hath faith and haue no workes can the faith saue him No that faith which is without workes is dead and cannot saue a man Yea such a faith is no better than that of Diuels Well yet thou saist thou hast faith But there is as well a dead faith as a liuing faith a faith common with Diuels as a faith proper to beleeuers a sauing faith as a deceiuing faith Shew mee therefore whether thou hast that liuing sauing faith of true beleeuers or no. It is not enough to say thou hast this faith vnlesse thou canst proue it It is one thing to say it another to haue it Now the proofe of it is by the fruits of it to wit good workes as the tree is knowne by the fruits For the liuing sauing Faith is not an idle but an operatiue working Faith it is a Faith euer working by loue Therefore as the man saith to his Neighbour vers 18. Thou hast Faith and I haue workes shew me thy Faith without thy workes and I will shew thee my faith by my workes In which words the Apostle puts a plaine difference betweene a dead and a liuing faith which yet we are not able to iudge of or to discerne one from another but by good workes and so speakes here of no other iustification by workes but only such as is declaratiue or demonstratiue in the sight of men as it is said here Shew me thy Faith by thy workes So that wee see here how it is the Apostles drift to discouer the true sauing liuing Faith from a false counterfeit and dead faith which notwithstanding vaine professors so much glory of Hereupon the Apostle instanceth the Faith of Abraham and Rahab which was proued to bee a liuing and sauing Faith by the fruits and effects of it Note the Apostles Context seriously and with iudgement In the 20. vers Wilt thou know O vaine man that Faith without workes is dead Was not Abraham our father iustified by workes when hee had offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar Seest thou how Faith wrought with his workes and by workes was Faith made perfect And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse and he was called the friend of God Ye see then how that by workes a man is iustified and not by Faith onely First Faith without workes is dead But Abraham was iustified by Faith But by what Faith Was it a liuing and sauing Faith that Abraham had Yes How doth that appeare By his workes euen by the workes of Faith which gaue testimony to his Faith that it was a liuing sauing and iustifying Faith for by workes his Faith was made perfect not that his workes added any being of perfection to his Faith but by way of demonstration and testimony onely As we haue the like phrase in Matth. 21. 16. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfited praise not that Gods praise and glory receiued any addition of perfection by the mouth of those babes but onely in respect of the promulgation and declaration of his praise So here As also the Apostle inferreth in the next words vers 23. Thus the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse Note here how Iames varieth not one iot from the truth of the Scripture which ascribeth iustification
to Abrahams Faith without workes for hee vseth the very same Scripture which Paul vseth to shew iustification by Faith without workes Yea but he addeth in the next verse Ye see then how that by workes a man is iustified and not by Faith only This conclusion seems to smile vpon the Papists but in truth it derides their folly for we see the Apostle doth no other here but conclude the former premises shewing what is that Faith which is imputed to a man for righteousnesse to wit not a dead and idle Faith but a liuing and working Faith testified by the proper fruits and effects of it good workes So that Abraham being said to be iustified by workes and not by Faith onely it is but to proue his Faith by his workes and that hee was declared to be iustified by Faith through the euidence of his workes whereby hee was declared iust in the sight of men to whom Faith comes to be testified only by good workes The like is to bee vnderstood of Rahabs iustification by workes for it is another instance seruing to the same purpose of the Apostle to distinguish a liuing and sauing Faith from a dead and vnprofitable Faith And this the Apostle concludeth together with the Chapter with a reason drawne from a similitude For saith hee as the body without the Spirit is dead euen so Faith without workes is dead also Note here how the Apostle most aptly concludeth the constant and vniforme current of this Chapter concerning the difference betweene a dead and a lining Faith which are as it were the two hinges of the Chapter As the body without the spirit is dead euen so Faith without workes is dead also The Pontificians vpon this place doe ground their informing of Faith by charity as if Faith were altogether without forme and life vntill charity be infused into it but their collection is most improper and swarueth not onely from the property of the comparison but also from the maine purpose of the Apostle For the Apostle saith As the body without the Spirit is dead he saith not As the body without the soule is dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without spirit or breath for so the word signifieth Now if they would herein as they doe vpon other occasions altogether impertinent consult with Philosophy it would tell them that there are three things concurring to the composition of a liuing man the soule the body and the spirit The soule is that which informeth and giueth life to the body but the spirit by which they say the soule body are vnited is that whereby also the man doth breathe and whereby he is knowne to liue For so long as there is breath in a man wee know him to be aliue when a man lyes in a swoune or trance without any motion to know whether he be dead or no we take a Chrystall glasse or such like to discerne whether hee breathe or no if he breathe not we giue him for dead but if he breathe neuer so little we know hee is yet a liuing man To this purpose doth our Apostle apply this comparison that as we cannot know a man from a dead carkasse but by his spirit or breathing so no more can wee know a liuing Faith from a dead Faith but by good workes which are as it were breathed from it Obiect But will some say The word vsed by St. Iames for spirit may be as well taken for the soule which giues life to the body for so it is often taken in Scripture for the soule as Luke 23. 46. and elsewhere Besides doe not most Interpreters take it generally for the soule Why should wee not then rather take it for the soule and spirit of a man that is within him than only for the breath which proceedeth from him Answ. I answer First as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken sometimes for the soule as well as for the spirit so also it is vsed sometime for breath or winde as our Sauiour alludeth Ioh 3. 8. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken for the praecordia or lungs whence the breath is deriued But the question is how it is to be taken in this place of St Iames. For the true meaning of this word in that place wee must as in the true interpretation of other Scriptures obserue the tenure of the text and context Now the tenure of that whole Chapter of St. Iames is chiefly to discerne true Faith from counterfeit To demonstrate this he instanceth the body of a man Now by what speciall signe is the body of a man known to liue By the spirit saith S. Iames. What spirit the soule or the spirit within a man or his spirit to wit his breath for Spirit may signifie all these By that spirit which doth most liuely plainly shew a man to be aliue that is the breath For when all other signs do faile as speech and motion of any limbe or member in so much as a man is senselesse lyes for dead yet if he breathe it is an euident token that he yet liueth But when he comes once to be as the same Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without this spirit or breath then he is certainly dead Euen so Faith without the breathing of good workes is dead And this agreeth with that he saith there Shew mee thy Faith by thy workes The soule indeede giues the body to liue but it is the breath that shewes the body to liue when the soule cannot Therefore it seemeth to my reason an vndeniable conclusion that Saint Iames speakes there of the breath of the body the most demonstratiue signe of life And deuout Bernard also excellently to this purpose and place of Iames Vt corporis huius vitam ex motu suo dignoscimus ita fidei vitam ex operibus bonis As we discerne the life of this body of ours by the motion of it so also the life of faith by good workes Nor are we ignorant that St Augustine Lib. 83. quaestionum quaest 76. to reconcile these two Apostles saith that Paul speakes of workes done before faith and Iames of workes after faith which opinion and conceit of his although it not onely want but crosse the euidence of Scripture sith Abrahams offering vp his Sonne was a worke of and so after faith and yet did not iustifie him before God as Paul plainely teacheth and where Augustine doth neuer so little swarue from the Scripure we must craue leaue there to leaue him being else followers of him as he is of the Scriptures according to his owne law yet St. Augustine going about to reconcile Iames with Paul saith not there nor any where else in all his writings that good works done after Faith doe iustifie vs in the sight of God but only that they are necessary duties of euery true beleeuer Wee know also that Body in Scripture is often taken for the whole Compositum or the whole man or person consisting of soule and
body as Heb 10. 5. A body hast thou prepared me meaning the whole humanity of Christ. So Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you Brethren by the mercy of God that ye present your bodies a liuing sacrifice c. meaning the whole man the soule as well as the body for the body without the soule is not a liuing but a dead sacrifice So the Apostle here telleth vs that as the body to wit a man without the Spirit or without breathing is dead that is is knowne to be dead Euen so faith without workes is knowne to be a dead faith And so our Apostles conclusion here is a pregnant confirmation of what he had formerly said concerning the proofe and euidence of a sauing and liuing faith which is knowne and distinguished from an idle and dead faith onely by good workes by the working whereof faith is knowne to liue as a man by breathing So then it is cleare that Pauls iustification by faith excluding workes is that whereby wee are iustified truly and really in the sight and account of God and that other iustification which Iames speakes of wherein hee ioyneth workes with faith is onely a declaratiue iustification in the fight and account of men to whom wee manifect the truth of that faith whereby we are iustified in the sight of God by our good workes whereby men take notice that wee are true no counterfeit beleeuers Wee will conclude this place of St. Iames with the interpretation of Aquinas In Epist. Iacobi Cap. 2. Iacobus loquitur de operibus sequentibus fidem quae dicuntur iustificare non secundum quod iustificare dicitur infusio sed secundum quod dicitur iustitiae exercitatio vel ostensio vel consummatio res enim fieri dicitur quando perficitur innotescit Iames saith he speaketh of workes following faith which are said to iustifie not in that sense that iustification is called infusion but in that it is called the exercise or manifestation or perfection of righteousnesse for a thing is said to be done when it is perfected and made manifest In the last place the Pontificians alledge Paul to the Galathians where say they speaking of iustification by faith without the workes of the Law hee meaneth yea and mentioneth the ceremonials of the Law as Circumcision therfore hee doth not thereby exclude from Iustification the workes of grace done in vs and by vs. I answer first their allegation is false for the Apostle thereby the Law or the workes of the Law meaneth not only the ceremonials but the very morals of the Law as Gal. 3. 10. for it is written Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Booke of the Law to doe them All things exclude nothing Secondly he speaketh of the workes of the Law both ceremoniall and morall as they are done euen by the faithfull and regenerate also and not onely by others that euen in that respect they iustifie not in the sight of God To this end the Apostle saith Gal. 3. 11. But that no man is iustified by the Law in the sight of God it is euident for the iust shall liue by faith No man is iustified by the Law therefore not the regenerate not Abraham though hee did workes of the Law for he had the Law already written in the tables of his heart before it came to be written in stone But say they Abraham was iustified through workes True But how iustified In the sight of God No saith our Apostle No man is iustified by the Law in the sight of God In the sight of man he may as St. Iames meaneth but not in the sight of God as St. Paul plainely expresseth both here in the forenamed place to the Romanes Rom 4. 2. If Abraham were iustified by workes hee hath whereof to glory but not before God So that the Scripture in two most euident and pregnant testimonies excludes all iustification by workes yea by any workes in the sight of God and before God that by two witnesses of holy Scripture this word of grace of iustification by Faith excluding all workes whatsoeuer ceremoniall or morall yea euen in the regenerate themselues as was faithfull Abraham the type of all the faithfull might be established against all Popish Sophistrie and doctrines of Diuels Thirdly admit the Apostle meant only legall Ceremonies not morall Duties though the contrary is manifest yet of those Ceremonies Circumcision is nominated by the Apostle for one speciall one Of which he saith Gal. 5. 2. Behold I Paul say vnto you that if ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Circumcision then is vtterly excluded from Iustification and to depend vpon it makes a man a debtor to the whole Law Gal. 5. 3. But will some say for a Christian as these Galathians were to hold the necessity of Circumcision still together with Baptisme makes Christ vnprofitable and himselfe a debtor to the whole Law But did not Circumcision iustifie the Iewes before the vse of Baptisme as Baptisme doth now iustifie comming in the stead of Circumcision Surely much alike For if Baptisme now iustifieth as Pontificians teach ex opere operato then Circumcision once iustified which the same Pontificians deny But if Circumcision did not iustifie the Iewes as the Apostle affirmeth and Papists themselues confesse then Baptisme doth no more iustifie Christians Seeing that Baptisme is the same and no other to vs than Circumcision was to the Iewes though Papists put a great difference betweene them saying that the Sacraments of the New Testament do conferre grace ex opere operato but the Sacraments of the Old not so Wherein as in other doctrines of the mysterie of godlinesse they bewray their grosse ignorance But this by the way But now if circumcision and other ceremonials of the Law of God be excluded from hauing any thing to doe in our iustification in the sight of God by the obseruation of them then what part can Popish Ceremonies beeing not the ordinances of God but the inuentions of men yea most of them the doctrines of Diuels what part I say can these challenge in the worke of Iustification How shall the going a Pilgrimage to such a Shrine or to Rome in their yeare of Iubilee or the obseruation of Canonicall houres for reciting prayers not vnderstood or saying ouer by the Bead row so many Pater-nosters and Aue-Maries before such or such an Image or buriall in a Friars Cowle and a thousand such trumperies and meere mockeries yet all of them very meritorious with that notorious Meretrix of Rome how shall these things come-in for a share in Iustification Lastly wee may obserue how the Apostle as to the Romanes so to the Galathians doth oppose the Law and Faith as Gal. 3. 12. The Law is not of Faith But in what respect doth he oppose them first in respect of their natures the one consisting in working the other in beleeuing as Rom. 4. 5. To him that worketh not
as at length it comes to iust nothing Not vnlike to Cyrus King of Persia who in his expedition towards and against Babylon being to passe ouer the riuer Gyndes which afforded him no Ford to passe but by shipping one of his holy white steeds proudly assaying to swimme ouer and so being drowned hee thereupon in reuenge of his holy horse vpon that goodly riuer threatned he would so diminish and diuide this riuer as women should easily wade ouer it and not vp to their knees So hee set his numerous Army aworke for a whole yeare to diuide the riuer into three hundred and threescore branches and so being as good as his word passed on the next summer to conquer Babylon So deale the Pontificians with sauing Faith which being as a goodly riuer able to carry the fairest ships of richest fraight bound for the holy Land onely because it will not suffer their proud inherent holinesse by the vertue of its owne strength to passe ouer they doe so cut and mince it as they make it common such is their common Faith for all passengers tagge and ragge to passe through vpon their owne legs Now let vs see which of these branches of Faith Vega in the name of the Councell of Trent and Church of Rome layes speciall hand on whether on the actuall or habituall acquired or infused formed or vnformed Vega shuts out all other Faith from the meaning of the Apostle in all those places where he attributes iustification vnto Faith but onely the actuall Faith All habituall Faith whether acquired or infused he peremptorily excludeth maugre all those that say the contrary of what authority soeuer Now what this actuall Faith is we haue heard by Vega himselfe that it is a credulity or perswasion firme and certaine but vneuident Note here how this Babylonish builder contradicts and confounds himselfe in one breath If this Faith of his be a firme and certain perswasion how is it vneuident and if vneuident how is it a firme or certaine perswasion Indeed this Vneuident helpâ—s ad It is like the picture of Venus drawne by Apelles who being not able to delineate and beautifie her face to the life drawes an artificiall shadow of a vaile or curtaine ouer it But what might bee the meaning of this word Ineuident Surely I finde not Vega very free to explaine himselfe in this point Onely in one place he seemeth to vnderstand by it such an assent or faith as we giue meerly for the authority of him that speaketh And so it may very well be said to be ineuident not onely in regard of any particular perswasion of good towards a mans selfe from him that speaketh but also of the particular truth to be beleeued This ineuident Faith is not vnlike the Iesuiticall blinde obedience when only the authority of the commander is respected not the equitie of what is commanded But the most commodious property of Vega's ineuidence is to leaue it as we finde it ineuident For the maine drift of the Pontificians is to fould vp Faith in a cloud that no man should know it And therefore Vega to dazell our eyes would haue vs beleeue that the Apostle Paul where hee speakes of iustifying Faith meanes not eyther Faith vnformed or Faith formed in particular but Faith in generall O miserable selfe-blinding Cardinall would you also cast a myst before the Apostles eyes that hee should not see what he said was euer impudencie and folly so yoaked together But what 's the reason that Vega will not pitch vpon one certaine and distinct Faith specially meant by the Apostle The reason is not hard to giue For if Vega should say that the Apostle meant Faith vnformed then the expresse words of the Apostle would euidently confute him where he commendeth Faith working by loue And againe if Vega should confesse that the Apostle elsewhere meant that Faith which worketh by loue then it must needes follow that Faith doth truly iustifie and not barely dispose a man to iustification as Vega would haue it But Vega hath another pretty euasion for this For he saith Aliudest c. It is one thing to say that those places of Scripture wherein our iustification is attributed to faith are to be vnderstood of Faith formed and another that they are to be vnderstood of Faith which worketh by loue For although saith he others take these two for one kinde of Faith yet we thinke these two to be most distinct and by no meanes to be confounded together Prius enim est c. For Faith working by loue goes before Faith formed by charity because saith he for this end it workes by loue that it may obtaine the holy Ghost and by it charity wherewith it may be formed O admirable subtilty surpassing all Philosophy all Diuinitie How doth Faith worke by loue before it haue charity Or what is that loue the Apostle speaketh of but charity Or is the Apostles Faith working by loue a Faith vnformed O Vega let me say that to thee truly which Agrippa falsly applyed to Paul Vega thou art besides thy selfe too much learning maketh thee madde For I am sure Vega cannot answer for himselfe as Paul did I am not madde but speake the words of truth and sobriety For Vega's wordes are meere contradictions senslesse and corrupt vnsauory salt Such is his sophisticate Sophistry and frothy wit that it may bee said to him as the Prophet saith to Babylon Thy wisedome and thy knowledge it hath peruerted thee or as the Vulgar hath it Hath deceiuea thee I know their shift is to say There is a loue in man vpon the first grace disposing him to iustification wherby he beginnes to loue God aboue all things And is not this loue the highest degree of charity that can bee If this loue be not charity it is meere vanitie But to sum vp the totall of that which Rome teacheth concerning faith in Iustification as we find it either expressed or implyed in the Councell of Trent illustrated by her most pregnant Interpreters First they allow or acknowledge but one kinde of Faith in the Scriptures common to good and bad Secondly that this is the Catholicke Faith of the Church the obiect whereof is the whole word of God written and vnwritten Thirdly that this Faith is a meere Historicall Faith which may be in the very Diuels and damned Fourthly that this Faith is formed by charity which while it hath it is a liuing faith but losing it it is dead and vnfruitfull Fiftly that this Faith euen without charity dead and fruitlesse as it is yet is sufficient to make a man a Christian and a Beleeuer Sixtly though they admit of no other Faith to Iustification yet that this Faith doth not iustifie by their owne confession but may be in a man that is not iustified Seuenthly that a man hauing this Faith whereby he is made a Christian and a beleeuer yet for all that hee may goe to Hell Lastly notwithstanding all
this diminitiue enough but hee must put small yea perexigua very small vnto it and so leaue a very small not part but diminitiue particle for faith in the promises of God But Romane-Catholikes must bee content with this poore pittance of faith no otherwise beleeuing Gods promises but as other Histories reuealed in the Word as the Councell of Trent teacheth in her sixt Session and sixt Chapter But else she makes no mention at all of beleeuing in the promises of God and by faith applying them to our owne soules No the Church of Rome is of another spirit she wants that can did ingenuity to acknowledge this gracious mysterie of Christ and of the Gospell So that these Pontifician Romane-Catholickes place onely the truth of God and well too if they ioyned not their owne lying traditions as the generall obiect of faith namely as a true History to be beleeued As Soto commenting vpon the forenamed place of the Councell saith Ratio Christianis credendi est summa infallibilisque Det veritas haec autem eadem perlucet in reuelatis omnibus siue ad Historiam pertineant siue ad Promissiones The reason inducing Christians to beleeue is the soueraigne and infallible truth of God and this same shineth in all those things that are reuealed whether they pertaine to the History or to the Promises But how doth he vnderstand the faith of these promises Sanè quas credimus saith hee non solum verè esse factas sed esse firmissima◠quantum ex parte Dei nisi nos reuitamur which promises indeed we beleeue that not only they were truely made but are most firme as touching Gods part vnlesse we resist But as for speciall Faith in beleeuing and applying the promises of God quòd non pertineat that it appertains not to Catholick Faith saith Soto is most easie to demonstrate Fides enim Catholica ex sola diuina assertione vel promissione pendet quod autem quisque aptus sit idoneus promisso beneficio suscipiendo ex humano sensu cooperatione etiam pendet For saith he the Catholick Faith depends vpon Gods onely affirmation or promise but that any man may be apt or fit to receiue the benefit promised doth depend vpon the sense and also the cooperation of man And so he concludes Ergo huius Fides non est Catholica therefore this mans Faith is not Catholicke So that by Romane-Catholicke Doctrine a speciall Faith in the promises of God in Christ is not the Catholicke Faith for by Catholicke Faith they vnderstand a generall Faith such as is the Catholicke Faith of all Romane-Catholickes And hence it is also that they place Faith onely in the vnderstanding as assenting vnto the truth of God in his Word and not in the will in applying and apprehending the goodnesse and grace of God reuealed in the Word Now to cleare the truth in this point The Catholick Faith is so called not in respect of the generality of it as if iustifying Faith were onely a generall Faith or because the generall obiect of it is whatsoeuer is reuealed in the Word as a Historie but because the true Catholicke Faith is the Faith of all the Elect of all times to the end of the world and because this Faith comprehends all Faith in it For the true Catholicke Faith doth both credere Deum beleeue that God is and credere Deo beleeue that whatsoeuer is contained in the holy Word of God written is true and also credere in Deum beleeue in God that is in especiall beleeue the promises of God in Christ reuealed in the Gospell that they are not onely true in respect of God who promiseth but that they doe belong to euery beleeuer in Christ in particular As Saint Iohn saith speaking of the blessed estate of Gods children both here in that they are now the Sonnes of God and hereafter in the perfect vision of God Euery man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe euen as he is pure The Apostle Paul setting forth the nature of iustifying Faith in the example of faithfull Abraham hee bounds it mainely vpon the promise of God in Christ as the speciall obiect of Faith As Rom. 4. 13. The promise that Abraham should be the heire of the world was not to him or to his seede through the Law but through the righteousnesse of Faith for if they which are of the Law bee heires Faith is made voide and the promise made of none effect Therefore it is of Faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seede not to that onely which is of the Law but to that also which is of the Faith of Abraham who is the father of vs all And vers 20. Hee staggered not at the promise of God through vnbeliefe but was strong in Faith giuing glory to God So wee see that the promise of God is the speciall obiect of iustifying Faith And hence it is that all true beleeuers who are the children of Abraham are called the children of the Promise Rom. 9. 8. They which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the seed heires of the Promise Heb. 6. 17. Yea the promises of God in Christ are the very sum of the Gospel as the Apostle declareth very amply in the third Chapter to the Galathians As vers 8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Heathen through faith preached before the Gospell vnto Abraham saying In thee shall all Nations be blessed So we see plainly that the speciall obiect of Faith is the Gospell of God and the Gospel of God is the promise of God in Christ. This was the summe of all Christs preaching The Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeue the Gospell And so Gal. 3. 22. the Apostle sweetly concludeth this heauenly Doctrine The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sin that the promise by faith of Iesus Christ might be giuen to them that beleeue Hence also was the Land of Canaan being a type of the Kingdome of Christ called the Land of Promise and Abraham and his sonnes coheires of the same Promise What Promise For hee loooked for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God Heb. 11. 10. And by faith he waited for this promise vers 9. The Pontificians would faine haue that faith whose prayses are so predicated in that 11. Chapter to the Hebrewes to be vnderstood of their kinde of Catholicke faith to wit a generall historicall faith And they alledge the third Verse and the sixt Verse c. Vers. 3. Through faith wee vnderstand that the worlds were framed by the word of God Hence they conclude their Historicall faith And Vers. 6. He that commeth to God must beleeue that God is c. Hence they inferre that Faith is nothing else but a certaine assent concerning the truth of God in his
Gods Word no more than the eye of the body doth shut it selfe from seeing any other thing present before it than that particular obiect to which the radius or beam directly pointeth What need more testimonies yet the ancient Fathers of the Church haue not left vs without witnesse in this point I will vse but one or two for breuity Chrysostome saith This is the propertie of true Faith when as the promise being made not after a manner customary or familiar with men we confidently beleeue the power of the promiser Thou seest how euen before the euent and accomplishment of the â—â—omises Abraham in as much as he beleeued receiueth a sufficient reward For to beleeue the promise of God was imputed to him for righteousnesse Therefore to beleeue Gods promise is both able to make vs iust and shall cause vs to obtaine the promises By Faith we procure righteousnesse and obtain the good promises And the same Father vpon the tenth to the Romanes saith Hoc potissimum peculiare est fidei vt promissa Dei cuncta complectamur This is chiefly peculiar to Faith that we embrace all the promises of God Thus we see this holy man placeth the promises of God in Christ as the prime obiect of iustifying Faith St. Ambrose saith Si exclusa fuerit promissio sine dubio frustratur Fides Abrahae Quod ne audire quidem se patiuntur Iudaei scientes quia promissio ex Fide est Abrahae Quae promissio ex Fide iustificat non per Legem sicut Abraham iustificatus ex Fide est Hi ergo haeredes sunt promissionis Abrahae qui illi succedunt suscipientes Fidem in qua benedictus iustificatus est Abraham Testimonium ergo promissionis Abrahae testamentum appellatur vt post mortem eius Haeredes essent in promissione Filij eius facti per Fidem That is If the promise be excluded without doubt the Faith of Abraham is made voyde which not euen the Iewes themselues endure to heare knowing that the promise is of the Faith of Abraham Which promise doth iustifie by Faith not through the Law as also Abraham is iustified by Faith They therefore are Heires of the promise to Abraham which succeede him by entertaining the Faith wherein Abraham is blessed and iustified Therfore the testimonie of the promise to Abraham is called a Testament that after his death they might bee Heires in the promise beeing made his Sonnes by Faith So Ambrose Thus wee haue the testimonies of two faithfull witnesses testifying this most Catholicke doctrine of Faith not onely of Abraham but consequently of all the faithfull That the promises of God in Christ are the maine obiect of sauing and iustifying Faith And these witnesses shall stand in stead of many Hence it is that Faith in Scripture is called Confidence or Affiance because it embraceth the promise of God in Christ as the proper obiect of it as we touched before In a word those famous ancient Creeds vniuersally receiued in the Church especially the Apostolicall the Nicene and Athanasius his Creede all of them called the obiect of Faith as being the abridgement of the Word of God what do they commend vnto vs as the maine and sole obiect of sauing and iustifying Faith but Iesus Christ his incarnation passion resurrection ascention session at Gods right hand c. together with the fruits we reape from this tree of life as to bee made his liuing members beleeuing the holy Catholicke Church the Communion of Saints the Remission of sinnes the Resurrection of the body and the life euerlasting all the effects and fruits of Gods promises in Christ. But say the Pontificians faith is an act of the vnderstanding as being seated in the intellectuall part of the soule and not in the will and therefore it is but a bare assent to the truth of Gods word in generall and so also of the promises contained therein and no speciall affiance in the goodnesse of God particularly towards a mans selfe And so they make onely the truth of God reuealed as being apprehended and assented vnto by the vnderstanding to be the obiect of faith and not the goodnesse of God contained in his promises as being entertained and embraced by the will But for the clearing of this point we may frist obserue how the Church of Rome as in other points of doctrine so in this maine point of Faith doth most pitifully interfeere For which cause let me here insert a passage in the Prouinciall Councell of Colen celebrated Anno 1536. some nine years before the Councell of Trent which will partly confirme what hath beene formerly said concerning the nature of true Faith and confront this Pontifician obiection now in hand This Prouinciall Synod setteth downe a three-fold kinde of beleeuing following therein St Augustine vpon the Creed Credo in Deum which we haue a little before cited We will set down the very words of the Synod which acknowledgeth Duplicem seu triplicem esse fidei seu credendi rationem Siquidem vna est qua Deum esse ac caetera quae Scriptura commemorat non aliter quam historica quadam fide recitata vera credimus Vnde historica fides appellatur quam nobiscum Daemones communem habent Altera qua Deo credimus quae persuasio constans opinio est qua fidem promissionibus comminationibus diuinis adhibemus quam habent iniusti cum iustis communem Tertia fidei ratio est qua in Deum credimus solis pijs peculiaris quae certissima quaedam fiducia est qua totos nos Deo submittimus totique à gratia misericordia Dei pendemus Haec spem complectitur charitatenâ— indiuiduam comitem habet Prima credendi ratio seu fides illa Historica si solam accipias informis est veluti adhuc mortua Altera verò qua Deo tantum credimus nec dum tamen erga Deum religiosa pietate assicimur manca Sed tertia qua in Deum credimus pioque affectuin eum tendimus ea demum viuida atque integra fides est c. That is There is a two-fold or three-fold sort of faith or beleeuing One is whereby wee beleeue that God is as also other things which the Scripture relates wee beleeue to be true no otherwise than by a kinde of Historicall faith recorded whence it is called an Historicall faith which the Deuils haue in common with vs. The second is whereby wee beleeue God which is a perswasion and constant opinion whereby wee giue credit both to Gods promises and threatnings which faith the wicked haue in common with the righteous The third sort of faith is that whereby wee beleeue in God which is peculiar onely to the godly being a kinde of most certaine confidence or affiance whereby wee wholly submit our selues vnto God and depend wholly vpon the grace and mercy of God This faith doth also comprehend hope and hath in it charity
illustrate the former point concerning the subiect of Faith and the manner of inherency which it hath in a beleeuer and to cleare the truth of it by Scriptures and by ancient Fathers of the Church The Romane-Catholicke doctrine is no lesse absurd and erroneous in the obiect of sauing Faith than in the subiect of it They run from one extreame to another as the Poet saith Dum vitant stulti vitiae in contraria currunt Fooles from one extremity of folly runne into the contrary But as the true Catholicke doctrine although it exclude no part of Gods Word as the obiect of Faith in generall but yet restraineth the speciall obiect of sauing Faith to Christ and the promises of God in him so though it deny not Faith to haue a place of inherency in the vnderstanding yet it intitleth it not onely to the vnderstanding but to the will to the memory to the affections and all the faculties of the soule as so many Manfions to intertain this noble Queene Faith where she may keepe her Court of residence for her selfe and all her train of Graces that attend her Or wee may compare the seuerall faculties of the soule to so many roomes or chambers in the soule wherein as in a magnificent Palace Faith resideth whose presence as a Prince puts life into euery part whose prerogatiue it is to prescribe to each of her virgin hand-maide Graces their proper taskes her selfe putting her owne hand to euery work acting directing assisting adorning the office of each Grace whereby it is made both acceptable to God and profitable to men The Catholicke Doctrine then concerning the subiect of Faith is That Faith inhereth or resideth not onely in the vnderstanding but also in the will in the memory in the affections and in euery faculty of the soule This is the Doctrine of the holy Scriptures and therefore Catholicke The Scripture saith Corde creditur ad iustitiam With the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse And againe it saith Ephes. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith And againe Acts 8. 37. Philip said to the Eunuch If thou beleeuest with all thy heart And againe Acts 15. 9. Purifying their hearts by faith By these and such like places of Scriptures it is euident that the proper subiect of Faith is the heart of man Now by the heart is meant euery power and faculty of the soule and not onely the vnderstanding as Aquinas vnderstandeth the forenamed place of Acts 15. 9. that by purifying of the heart is meant the illuminating of the vnderstanding but also the will the memory the affections and euery faculty of the soule of man First the Sriptures oftentimes by naming the heart meaneth the vnderstanding As Ephesians 1. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vulgar Latine rendreth it word for word Illuminatos oculis cordis vestri The eyes of your heart being illuminated but our English translation hath it The eyes of your vnderstanding being enlightened thereby giuing the true meaning of the place that by the heart there is meant the vnderstanding So the Lord faith Matth. 13. 15. Ne corde intelligant Lest they vnderstand with their heart In 1. Kings 3. 9. Salomon askes an vnderstanding heart In 2. Cor. 3. 15. the vaile ouer the Iewes heart was a note of their blindnesse and ignorance in the mysterie of Christ. Secondly heart in Scripture is often taken for the will As Acts 7. 39. The Israelites in their hearts turned back into Egypt that is their will was so if they had had power So Acts 11. 23. Barnabas exhorts that with purpose of heart they would cleaue vnto the Lord that is with a ready will and constant resolution So 1. Cor. 7. 37. He that stands firme in his heart hauing power ouer his owne will and hath decreed in his heart Thirdly the heart is taken for the memory Luke 1. 66. All that heard laid vp those things in their hearts that is in their memory So Deut. 4. 9. Take heede to thy selfe lest thou forget the things which thine eyes haue seene and lest they depart from thy heart that is from thy memory And Deut. 11. 18. Ye shall lay vp these my words in your heart c. that is ye shall remember them continually as signes bound vpon your hands and as front-lets betweene your eyes Hence it is that the Latines vse Recordari for to remember or to record implying that remembrance is an act springing from the heart Hence also doth our Sauiour call the heart the treasury Matth. 12. 35. which agreeth with the memory called Thesaurus rerum the Treasury of things Fourthly heart in Scripture is also taken for the affections and passions of the soule Matth. 6. 21. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also that is your affection So Rom. 1. 24. God gaue them vp to their owne hearts lusts And Psal 62. 10. If riches increase set not your heart vpon them Thus all the motions and inclinations and cogitations in man are referred to the heart as the prime fountaine whence they all originally flow So all the vertues intellectuall and morall are said to be in the heart we say A wise heart a good heart a valiant heart an humble heart an honest heart c. And the contrary as wee say A foolish heart a wicked heart a faint heart a proud heart a deceitfull heart c. Of a valiant man we say He hath a Lyons heart and of a coward He hath the heart of a Hare and of a meeke man He hath a Lambes heart As Nabuchadnezzar for his pride had a Beasts heart giuen him that is a bruitish disposition to liue like a Beast as hee did Now the issue of all this is that faith is that same radicall grace wherein the whole life of the Saints of God all holy graces haue their being and existence of holinesse and from whence they grow and flow euen as all the branches from the roote and the streames from the fountaine For as the heart is the fountaine of all the faculties of the soule of the vnderstanding of the will of the memory of the affections motions cogitations c. all which are signified by the heart in Scripture so Faith beeing in the heart as in the proper seate and subiect and being said to purifie the heart it giues vs to know the excellent nature of Faith which is to diffuse its vertue to the purifying and possessing of euery part and faculty of the soule For possessing the heart it possesseth and filleth the whole soule It illuminates and informes the vnderstanding it reformes and conformes the will it confirmes it with hope it inflames it with loue it prompts the memory with holy meditations and remembrances of Gods loue and goodnesse it moderates and tempers all the affections and passions it directs the motions and cogitations of the soule to their right end and scope and in a word the office of this faith is to
be the immediate instrument of Gods holy spirit to sanctifie the whole soule and body as the Scripture ascribes the worke of sanctification to faith as the immediate Instrument Acts 26. 18. Sanctified by Faith in me said Christ to his new conuert Apostle The Councell of Trent it selfe confesseth that faith is the roote of other graces Faith say they is the roote of all Iustification placing their iustification in hope and loue c. How then is Faith the roote If it be the roote the roote is not a bare disposition to a tree as they would haue Faith to bee to their iustification A dead roote cannot beare a liuing tree but like roote like tree But a roote naturally produceth and shooteth forth the tree for the life and substance of the tree is originally in the roote and comes from the roote Take away the roote and the tree witherereth for it liues in the roote And the roote giueth life to the tree not the tree to the roote As the Apostle said to the ingraffed Gentile once the Wilde Oliffe Thou bearest not the roote but the roote thee With what reason then can the Pontificians say That charity which is the branch not the roote giues life to the root which is Faith Herein how far themselues differ from senslesse stockes or come short of the vegetable trees I define not Now as the whole tree drawes hislife and nourishment from the roote so all the fruits of holinesse haue their life and nourishment from faith for faith is the roote of them all And as the Apostle saith If the roote be holy so are the branches But Faith the roote of other graces is holy yea most holy as Iude speaketh therfore hope loue and all other graces growing in and from Faith are sanctified by and from Faith for as much as Faith is rooted in Christ from whom it receiues the life as of iustification so of sanctification Hence it is that deuout Bernard saith excellently to this purpose Primum syncera radix sancta fidei in terra humani cordis plantatur cumque fides plenè adulta fuerit velut quaedam magna est Arbor diuersa in se habens poma exquibus reficitur anima plena Deo First the sincere roote of holy Faith is planted in the ground of mans heart and when faith is fully growne vp it becomes as a great Tree hauing in it sundry sorts of Apples wherewith the soule being full of God is refreshed Without Faith saith the Apostle it is impossible to please God But whatsoeuer action proceedeth from Faith therein it pleaseth God By Faith was Abels sacrifice made acceptable to God By Faith Enoch walking with God pleased God And are not all those actions of the Patriarches and Saints of God related in that eleuenth Chapter to the Hebrewes all referred to Faith as the roote from whence they sprang and receiued their life and louelinesse It is Faith that graceth euery action of the iust man for the iust man shall liue by his Faith Whatsoeuer fruite growes not from this roote it is sinne Whatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne is as true in generall of sauing Faith as it is in particular of the Conscience called Faith by the Apostle Rom 14 23. Now the reason of all this that Faith giues life and beeing to euery grace for as much as euery grace is radically in faith is because where faith is Christ is Now Faith is in the heart and consequently Christ dwelleth in the heart by Faith And if in the heart then in euery part and faculty of the soule and body So that as the soule quickneth euery part of the body so Faith quickneth and sanctifieth euery faculty of the soule As St Augustine saith Fides quae credit in Deum vita animae existit per hanc iustus viuit Faith which beleeueth in God is the life of the soule and by this faith the iust man liueth And elsewhere he saith Vnde mors in anima quia non est fides Vnde in corpore quia non est ibi anima Ergo animae tuae anima fides est Whence is death in the soule because faith is not there Whence in the body because the soule is not there Therefore the soule of thy soule is Faith And as the soule is in the body Tota in toto tota in qualibet parte The whole soule is in the whole body and whole in euery part So Fides tota est in toto tota in qualibet parte Whole faith is in the whole heart and whole in euery faculty of the soule Hence the Apostle making himselfe the instance of the life of faith saith I am crucified with Christ. Neuerthelesse I liue yet not I but Christ liueth in me and the life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the Son of God who loued me and gaue himselfe for me Christ therefore is not to be found in that part or faculty of the soule where faith is not If Faith bee not in the will Christ is not there and so in the rest And where Christ is not there is no life no sanctification Our wils therefore our memories our affections our motions and cogitations are dead prophane all out of order if Christ be not and liue not in euery one of them And Christ is not in any of them if Faith be not there Hence it is that Faith is all because as the roote it containes all graces In the vnderstanding it knoweth God in the will it hopeth and loueth God in the memory it thinketh of God with thankefulnesse for his mercies in the affections it feareth God it sorroweth for sinne it patiently suffereth it reioyceth in God in all it serueth God How so From Faith it is that the vnderstanding knoweth God in his Sonne Iesus Christ the knowledge of whom is eternall life And therefore Diuines by knowledge in that place vnderstand Faith And St. Augustine saith Intellectus merces est fidei Ergo noli quaerere intelligere vt credas sed crede vt intelligas Vnderstanding is the reward of Faith Doe not therefore seeke to know that thou mayst beleeue but beleeue that thou mayst vnderstand From Faith it is that the will hopes in God loues God and cleaueth vnto him and so in the rest And therefore St. Augustine placeth Faith in the will saying A Domino praeparatur voluntas hominis vt sit fidei receptaculum The will is prepared of the Lord to be the receptacle of faith And againe Omne quod non est ex fide peccatum est Ac per hoc bona voluntas quae se abstrabit à peccato fidelis est quia iustus ex fide viuit Whatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne And therefore the good will which withdrawes it selfe from sinne is faithfull because the iust man liueth by Faith Hence it is that Bernard saith Credere in Deum est in eum
exclude the necessity of a distinct Faith in Christ but also put a maine difference between iustification and saluation For a Pontifician may be iustified and yet not saued Vega addes his reason for saith hee although Christ bound all men to beleeue the Gospell when he commanded his Apostles that they should preach it throughout the whole world pronounced them damned that beleeued not yet seeing there may be an inuincible ignorance of the Gospell that is eyther for want of the meanes or by reason of a wicked and peruerse disposition as they say this shall be no impediment in this respect why they may not be both iustified and saued which shall obserue other naturall precepts Thus the Councell of Trent with her Pontificians deale with Faith and Iustification as Cheaters who when they play with Nouices doe so shuffle and packe the Cardes that they make the game sure on their owne side and all to cheate the other of his money So the Pontificians cheate their simple people of their siluer and soules too by shuffling the particular sauing faith in Christ with such sleight of hand in the whole pack of generall faith that they are sure neuer to rise sauers Well come wee now to shew the vanity of this generall faith by setting against it the speciall particular faith which Gods Word teacheth and requireth of euery one that is truly iustified and so consequently perfectly saued We haue spoken before sufficiently of the proper and speciall obiect of sauing faith to wit Iesus Christ the summe of the Gospell and the substance of all Gods promises Therefore we will now confine our speech to the specialty and particularity of sauing faith in respect of the common subiect of it to wit euery beleeuer in particular It is the Catholicke Doctrine of the holy Scriptures that euery beleeuer must haue a speciall particular proper faith of his owne yea a cleare explicite and vnfolded faith in Christ that hee is not onely the Redeemer of mankinde in generall nor onely that we may be saued by him but that euery one in particular doe beleeue Christ is his Redeemer and Sauiour This is the speciall property of sauing faith particularly to apply Christ with all Gods promises in him to my soule and thy soule The Scriptures are very pregnant for the proofe of this point both in the Law in the Prophets and in the New Testament In the Law this particular faith is shadowed vnto vs by three remarkable types one of the hand another of the eyes and the third of the Sicle of the Sanctuary To which also we may adde the particular sacrifice which euery man was to bring for his owne sinne We will begin with the last In the Law euery man was to bring a particular sacrifice for his particular sinne Leuit. 4. 27. 28. If any of the common people sinne c. not onely the Priest as vers 3. nor onely the Congregation vers 13. but if any one of the common people sinne c. then hee shall bring What an offering in generall no hee shall bring his offering as a Kidde without blemish for his sinne which hee hath sinned Now this offering without blemish what was it but a liuely type of Christ as of the Lambe without spot as Peter speaketh who was offered vp and sacrifised for euery sinner beleeuing in particular For the further confirmation of this point in the second place euery man bringing his particular offering for his particular sinne was to lay his hand vpon his offering as Leuit. 4. 29. Thus the Priest must doe also vers 4. thus the whole Congregation must doe vers 15. All must lay their hands vpon their sacrifice Now what is meant by the hand but a particular faith in euery beleeuer apprehending and applying Christ to the taking away and purging of his sinne This we touched before in the point of imputation where wee shewed that the hand thus layed vpon the sacrifice was a figure of faith Origen applies the laying on of the hand to the imposing of our sinnes vpon Christ the true sacrifice Hence it was that together with the imposition of the hand the sinnes of the offendors were confessed ouer the sacrifice and put vpon the head thereof Leuit. 16. 21. So that this imposition of the hand as it did figure the laying of our sinnes vpon Christ whereby he became sinne for vs by imputation bearing them vpon him So also it was a reciprocall signification of the imputation and application of Christs righteousnesse to euery beleeuer whereby wee become the righteousnesse of God in him the hand of faith comming betweene laying our sinne vpon Christ our sacrifice and receiuing his righteousnesse vnto vs. Among the Hebrew Doctors Maimony saith of this imposition of the hand or hands that deafe men fooles children seruants weomen the blinde and the stranger might not impose their hand vpon the sacrifice Now wee know that the deafe fooles and children are voyde of actuall faith seruants weomen blinde and strangers might be in a mysterie debarred and excluded for seruants were types of the seruants of sinne weomen wee know were denyed the vse of Circumcision they were not reckoned in the number of those sixe hundred thousand that came out of Egypt who were all men of warre types of Christs Souldiers who must be of a Masculine vertue And Abraham the Father of the faithfull is said in Scripture to beget sonnes but not daughters Abraham non genuit filias saith Origen But this was in a mysterie only as Melchisedechs birth and death are not mentioned in Scripture and that in a mystery The blinde were of the nature of the deafe and the strangers argued those that were aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Couenants of promise as the Apostle speaketh Not that I meane these were denyed to haue any part in Gods Couenant but in a mystery and type onely as we haue said Also the same Rabbi saith that this imposition of the hand must be done by a mans self not by another as the iust man shall liue by his faith not by anothers faith Abac. 2. 4. It must bee done with all a mans might as Philip said to the Eunuch If thou beleeuest with all thy heart And immediately vpon the imposition the sacrifice was slaine figuring our faith in Christs bloud Rom 3. 25. Origen compares faith to the figure of the holy Sicle Leuit. 3. Siclo sancto comparandus nobis est Christus qui peccata nostra dissoluat Siclus sanctus fidei nostrae formam tenet We must with the Sicle of the Sanctuary purchase vnto vs Christ who may take away our sinnes The holy Sicle is the figure of our faith for saith hee if thou shalt offer faith as a price Christ as it were the immaculate Ramme being giuen to be sacrificed thou shalt receiue remission of sinnes Now this particular faith in Christ is absolutely necessary for
the Popes yoake with his sophisticate Traditions Now the pure gold and siluer of Gods word must goe no longer for currant vnlesse it be stamped in the Popes owne Mynt and subiect also to be abased or inhansed at his pleasure Now the waters of life are of no force vnlesse distilled through the Popes Limbeck nor those riuers of Paradise medicinable if they flow not from the sacred Minerals of the Romish Mountaines Thus in effect the Romish Amazon cuts off the right pap of Scripture which yeelds the sincere milke reseruing only the left to suckle her Paplings withall as that Lupa did Romes founder Romulus or at least the right Pap is so patched to that stepmothers breast as it yeelds no other milke but such as relisheth of the corrupt complexion of the Popes infallibility Thus the first Rubbe is remoued the Scriptures which are made cock-sure for the Pope 2 For Luther they could easily hisse him out for an arch heretick and blast and brand with Anathema those euident truths by him deliuered So that hard it was to iudge whether fared worse Luther for the truths sake or the truth for Luthers 3 For the consent of ancient Fathers the most they stand vpon is S. Augustine who indeed writ more of this diuine mysterie than all the rest put together But the Councell could easily euade him saying as Catarinus about Predestination that S. Aug. his opinion therin was nouel neuer heard of before his time or that S. Aug. was drawn to speake many things awry through heat of disputation against the Pelagians or as Vega Non necesse est c It is not necessary to beleeue all S. Aug. his arguments to be demonstratiue or altogether to stand in force Thus all the Fathers corne though growing from the field of Scriptures proues but chaffe comming once to be sifted in the mysticall if not Satanicall fanne of this actiue Councell 4. 5. For the dissenting Schoolemen and those Dominicans and Franciscans in this Councell whereof Vega and Soto were the two Standard-bearers and bore a great sway therein it behooued the Councell to keepe good quarter with them and to vse all their witts eyther to reconcile them or with some pretty equiuocations to please all parties For this purpose Marcellus Priest intituled of the holy Crosse President of the Councell Cardinall and Apostolicall Legate à latere whose wits were as versatilous as his titles magnificent and various after much sweat spent in chopping and changing peecing and payring after an hundred Congregations wherein these matters were canuased Pro Con at length licked the Decrees and Canons to that forme that each side was pleased and Marcellus applauded on all hands when each Sect might from the same Delphick Oracle pick out his owne meaning Thus came these Trent Decrees to be like a curious Picture which euery one in the Roome imagineth to looke directly vpon him Or like an indented Table-Picture vpon a Wall wherein the one side of the Roome may behold the face of a man the other of a woman and they in the midst of an Owle Thus Soto and Vega who in the time of this Session writ each a Volume of this Subiect though in some smaller points different in their opinions which they grounded vpon the Decrees and dedicated to the Councell were both well pleased yet no otherwise reconciled but as Herod and Pilate Brethren in euill to crucifie Christ. The writing of which two Champions of Trent I haue mostly all along this Treatise confuted Thus as S. Ambrose saith Fucum faciunt qui non audent explicare quod sentiunt censoriè They do but iuggle that dare not set downe in plaine termes what they captiously conceiue And as Hierome against the Pelagian Hereticks Sola haec haeresis quae publicè erubescit loqui quod scripto docere non metuit This only is heresie which blusheth to speake that publickly that it feares not to teach secretly But as there hee saith Ecclesiae victoria est vos apertè dicere quod sentitis sententias vestras prodidisse superasse est It is the Churches victory for you to speake plainly as you think to detect your opinions is to confute them But we haue assayed to pull off Romes vizard and to make the Whore naked Her figge-leaue-righteousnesse will not salue her sinne or hide her shame Only I cannot but lament to see many of my brethren the sonnes of my mother in show to stand vp to plead for Baal Is it the symptome of this our age wherein there is so much learning and so little sound knowledge in the Mysterie of Christ or wherein the Spirit of the world is so predominant that men are so transported with an vnnaturall zeale and loue to Babylon But Wisedome is iustified of her children And now I begin to conceiue the reason why the Iesuites pennes are of late so silent surely because they see ours so poynant in one anothers sides while our Mother-Church bleeds for it But those that be the true Ministers of Christ will say with S. Paul Wee cannot speake any thing against the truth but for the truth Now I could heartily wish that my brethren of the Ministry would imploy the greater part of their paines in preaching and pressing this maine Doctrine of Iustification It would be a maine Bulwarke to batter Babels Tower whereby she would scale heauen with her merits And for Antichrist I wonder to see such a deepe silence of him Doth the Councell of Laterans Decree dare vs not to mention Antichrists comming Otherwise to presse Iesuites with the point of Antichrist would easily stop their mouthes while they would put vs to show the vninterrupted lineall pedigree of the Professors of our Religion from the Apostles all along downeward to Luther Alas this is but a poore shift to gaine time and to cause vs to put vp our weapons against them We can easily descry the pearles of our Religion strawed all along in the bottome of those muddy streames of Popery We can discouer the starres which haue giuen light in all ages of the Church notwithstanding all Romes mysts labouring to eclipse them And although iniury of time had consumed with fire our particular euidences yet we finde them registred in the Court-rowles of Scripture which no fire nor moth shall consume But not to detaine you too long in the Porch of this larger edifice know Christian Reader that this poore Worke hath lien by me licensed for the Presse a pretty space It was borrowed from the interrupted succisiue houres of my Court-attendance If it displease many I passe not so much if it may profite some and therein shall I prayse God This is the fruit of all my labour I seeke no reward so I may shun reproofe What can be said in opposition to this truth or any other by me deliuered in speciall against the Synagogue of Rome I shall be ready to maintaine if occasion require in ampler maner if I may
imputation of sin whereas that sauing faith whereof St. Augustine speaketh is that which doth actually not dispose vnto but possesse a man of the state of grace which is the verie state of iustification as we shall see in the due place hereafter Therefore Popish preparation vnto iustification is nothing else but meere Pelagianisme both Pelagians and Pontificians ioyntly holding that all workes done without or before iustification are no sins CHAP. III. The Catholicke faith touching preparation to iustification THe Romish faith concerning such preparatorie workes to iustification the Catholicke faith of Christs Church doth renounce and disclaime as hereticall and antichristian for these reasons First because the holy Scriptures teach no such thing but the cleane contrarie The Scriptures teach no merit of Congruitie they teach not that free will being stirred vp and helped by I wot not what first grace a man is thereby disposed to receiue iustification but the flat contrary Ioh. 1. 12. As many as receiue Christ and such are they as beleeue in him are made the Sonnes of God But doth not this grace come by some disposition in mans nature as by his free will assisted and so cooperating with the grace of God for the attaining of iustification No such thing For verse 13 Christ teacheth that those Sonnes of God are borne not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Where note a direct opposition betweene Gods grace and mans will in the worke of Regeneration or Iustification mans will being by a negatiue vtterly excluded from any copartnership with God Not of the will of man but of God So Titus 3. 5. Not by workes of righteousnesse which we haue done but according to his mercie he saued vs c. Where all humane workes going before Iustification all merits of congruitie are excluded from disposing a man to receiue iustification for not by the workes of righteousnesse which wee haue done but according to his mercie bee saueth vs. And Rom. 4. 5. To him that worketh not but beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly his Faith is counted for righteousnesse Note God iustifieth the vngodly therefore not the righteous not the meritorious by Congruitie vnlesse vngodlinesse and sinne can merit iustification at Gods hand as St. Augustine said of Adams sinne Foelix culpa quae talem meruit Redemptorem It was a happie sinne that merited such a Redeemer Whereas besides some places of Scripture which they peruert to their purpose they obiect the examples of the Eunuch Acts 8. and of Cornelius Acts 10. by which they would proue their workes of Congruitie as Vega alledgeth them Vega may remember what he said in another place before where hee produceth St. Augustines authoritie to proue that these two were true beleeuers before the Apostles came and preached vnto them which also Vega himselfe subscribeth vnto confessing that these two had grace and faith before sauing onely the difference is in the acception of grace and faith wherein the Pontifician egregiously equiuocateth the true nature whereof wee shall hereafter discouer But say that neither the Eunuch nor Cornelius before they were instructed by the Apostles had the grace of iustification doth it therefore follow that those workes of theirs did by Congruity merit iustification at Gods hands or that they were thereby prepared to iustification Why did not then Esau's teares merit the blessing ex congruo or why did not Ahab's repentance merit by Congruity not onely a repriuall of punishment but an absolute pardon of his sinne for they did quantum in se fuit as much as in them lay Or else according to Romes doctrine God must be vniust or at least wanting in his natiue goodnesse For further cleering of this point come we to the ancient Fathers to whom also this doctrine of merit of Congruity and of Condignity was altogether vnknowne This Vega himselfe is forced to confesse where making this obiection Why did the Fathers saith hee no where vse this distinction of merit of Congruity and Condignity to which he answereth If all things which neuer were in vse among the Fathers are to be condemned we shall be forced to condemne many things which all Catholickes now receiue And the Philosopher should haue said in vaine Scientiaes fieri per additamenta that Sciences are brought to passe by addition But he addeth Neither are we to grant that this distinction of merit of Congruity and Condignity was altogether vnknowne to the Fathers They acknowledged the things although they vsed not the termes saith Vega seeing they diuersly vsed the word of Merit as either strictly or largely whereof we shall speake more largely hereafter In the meane time let vs see what workes of preparation the ancient Fathers taught or inioyned as necessarie to dispose a man to iustification by way of merit taken in the largest sense as Vega at least would haue it But before we come to set downe the ancient doctrine of the Church concerning this point I must premonish the Reader seriously to note this one thing in the Fathers That when they speake of grace and faith whereby a man is iustified they meane nothing else but sauing grace and iustifying faith not now preparing a man vnto but actually placing and possessing him in the state of iustification and saluation They meane nothing lesse than any such first grace preparatory and euen common to wicked men which neuer come to partake of the second grace as the Romanists doe teach The Fathers admit of no such meane betweene sauing grace and faith and betweene sauing faith and iustification betweene any first second grace as differing in kinde but vnderstand one sauing effectuall grace Indeede St. Augustine speaketh of a first and second grace but by the first he meaneth that of iustification by the second that of sanctification differing no more but as the roote and the branch the tree and the fruit Or St. Augustine acknowledgeth no other first grace but that which is giuen to the elect in this life saying Coronat in nobis Deus dona misericordiae suae sed si in ea gratia quam primam accepimus perseueranter ambulemus God crowneth the gifts of his mercie in vs but if in that first grace which we haue receiued we walke with perseuerance Ambrose saith He that dare preach that the grace of God is giuen according to mens merits preacheth against the Catholike faith Therefore this doctrine of merit of congruity was no Catholicke doctrine in Saint Ambrose his dayes nor doth he meane any other grace but that of iustification All the preparation this holy man alloweth is where he saith Duce Deo venitur ad Deum by God leading vs we come vnto God And St. Chrysostome So soone as a man beleeues hee is iustified And St. Augustine Praedestinatio est praeparatio gratiae Predestination is the preparation to grace to wit of iustification And
it is infused into them Adam in his purest naturals could say no lesse but that all his inherent righteousnesse was the gift of God for what had he that he had not receiued Therefore the maine point of difference betweene the righteousnesse of the first Couenant and of the second is in this That the one was inherent and within a man the other imputed and without a man Otherwise what reall difference can bee imagined to be betweene them the difference chiefly consisting in a direct opposition Nor will they difference these two Couenants of righteousnesse in regard of nature and grace lest they should offend their Thomas Aquinas who alloweth to the first Adam originall righteousnesse consisting as hee saith in a supernaturall grace or that which they call Gratia gratum faciens the chief grace of all Aqu. 1. q. 95. 1. q. 100 ibid. Although Aquinas in so saying plainely sheweth his ignorance in the difference betweene the first and second Adam For that grace which he saith was giuen to Adam was neuer giuen till Iesus Christ was reuealed who was the onely fountaine of this grace Iohn 1. 17. Now let vs see what iudgement the ancient Fathers of the Church are of in this point Wherein when wee come to Fathers the Pontificians cast vp their caps in triumph as if the field were theirs Hence it is that the Trent Fathers had such a hard conceit of the very word Imputation that they desired it should be quite cashiered and cancelled as a word neuer vsed of the ancient Fathers although as the Historie there saith that the termes of communication participation diffusion deriuation application computation coniunction are familiar enough with them Others were of opinion that seeing the thing it selfe was euident enough there needed no quarrell about the word especially seeing by this word the same is precisely meant that is expressed in other words And though Imputation be not found vsed of all the Fathers nor so frequently yet of some it is namely of Bernard in his 109. Epistle Vega also did affirme That that word though it be not found in the Scriptures yet that it is a very proper Latine word and that the righteousnes of Christ may most truly be said to be imputed to mankind for merit and satisfaction and alwaies to be imputed to all that are iustified satisfying for their own sins but to be imputed to them as if it were their owne hee approued not Whereunto when it was obiected what St. Thomas was wont to say That the passion of Christ for the remission of sinnes was so communicated to him that is baptized as if himselfe had vndergone it or had suffered death there was sharpe and long contention about his words The Master of the Eremites was of opinion that in the Sacrament of Baptisme Christs righteousnesse was imputed because in all and euery respect it is communicated but not in Penance wherein our satisfaction also is required Soto confessed that the terme of Imputation was very popular and plausible as which seemeth at the first blush to ascribe all to Christ yet in regard of those consequences which the Lutherans draw thence he alwaies had it in suspition as we touched before Of which sort are That the onely imputation of Christs righteousnesse is sufficient and no inherent required that Sacraments conferre no grace that together with the sinne the whole punishment was so abolished that there was no place left for satisfaction that all the faithfull were equals in grace righteousnesse and glory whence was collected that execrable blasphemy that all were equally iust with the blessed Virgin Which words saith the History made that word so edious to the mindes of the hearers that they were most propense and bent to damne it for hereticall notwithstanding strong reasons were alledged to the contrary These altercations and bickerings amongst the Diuines flowed chiefely from the immoderate affection of each to that Sect to which hee had addicted himselfe Thus the History But come wee to the Fathers among whom though wee finde not the word Imputation precisely yet the thing it imports we finde expressely according to the opinion of some in the Councell mentioned but now saying That seeing the thing it selfe was cleare enough there needed no quarrell about the words especially seeing by this word the same is precisely meant that is expressed in other words And by the way Andreas Vega triumpheth greatly that among all the Fathers hee cannot finde the word Imputation as neither in the Scriptures that Christs righteousnesse is imputed to vs vnto righteousnesse although he confesse the word Imputation to be there vsed as faith imputed for righteousnesse and sinne not imputed And saith hee the ancient Doctors of the Church before Bernard were contented for this purpose to vse the words of communication of participation application copulation coniunction but neuer the word Imputation as that Christs righteousnesse were so imputed to vs as if it were made ours But those Authors and authorities which he alledgeth doe speake very significantly to the purpose to confirme this doctrine of imputation As first St. Augustine Communicatio passionum Christi virtus tua erit The communication of the sufferings of Christ is thy vertue And to passe by others Thomas Aquinas saith Omni baptizato communicatur passio Christi in remissionem ac si ipse passus mortuus esset The passion of Christ is communicated to euery one baptized for remission of sins as if he himself had suffered dyed And againe as the same Vega alledgeth him Poena passionis Christi communicatur baptizato in quantum fit membrum Christi ac si ipse poenam illam sustinuisset The punishment of the passion of Christ is communicated to him that is baptized in as much as he is made a member of Christ as if he himselfe had sustained the same punishment And yet saith Vega neither there nor elsewhere to my remembrance doth hee say that the punishments of the passion of Christ are imputed to vs as if they were our owne And perhaps saith hee it came to passe by the instinct and prouidence of the holy Ghost that the Ancients neuer in this case vsed the word Imputation lest the Heretickes might seeme to haue taken from them the hint and occasion of their errours So Vega. Or rather do not Pontificians euen wilfully make it an occasion of confirming themselues in this their heresie while they will rather beleeue what they finde men haue precisely said than cleaue to that which God himselfe in his Word hath so expressely defined as neither Rome is named in Scripture for the Whore of Babylon nor the Pope for the man of sinne But in the meane time let any indifferent man iudge what more could haue beene expressed by the word Imputation than they haue done by the word Communication whom Vega hath quoted to shew how thereby the righteousnesse of Christ is made wholly ours his sufferings our sufferings as if
essence and in his Word reuealed and in his promises in generall onely But if there were no other place of Scripture to set forth the full nature of true sauing and iustifying Faith this one Chapter were aboundantly sufficient For the Apostle sets forth this Faith in this Chapter in his full proportion and lineaments in all the properties of it As first that this Faith beleeueth the truth of Gods essence as he hath reuealed himselfe in his Word vers 6. and not onely as God is in himselfe of absolute Being but that hee is that God who giues a Being as to all creatures in generall so in especiall to all his promises made in Christ to his Elect. For which cause when God sent Moses to be the Minister of his peoples deliuerance wherein Gods promise to Abraham and to his seed came to be accomplished he bad Moses tell the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I AM hath sent me vnto you Exod. 3. 14. Which name of God doth not onely signifie his essence in himselfe considered but how he giues here by a being to his Euangelicall promises to bring them all to passe in due time This is his name for euer as God himselfe professeth vers 15. Thus the Lord is said to make himselfe knowne to the children of Israel in that their actuall deliuerance out of Egypt so long before promised to Abraham by his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehouah which comes of the roote of the former name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a name of his essence In which name Iehouah God saith he was not known to Abraham as Exod. 6. 3. Not but that Abraham by faith knew God in this name that he was true in all his promises but he was said not to know God by this name because he did not experimentally see the accomplishment of his promise And thus to beleeue that God is is not only a bare historicall or naturall faith that there is a God which is in the very Deuils but it is a true Euangelicall faith beleeuing Gods truth in his promises which is such a faith whereby God is pleased as the Apostle saith there in the same verse But a bare historicall faith cannot please God for then the Deuils faith might The Apostle amplifieth this prouing that this faith beleeueth the truth of God in all those things contained in his Word whether they be matters of story as vers 3. or of the promises of God as vers 6. or of the threatnings of God vers 7. c. But principally he doth by many famous examples set forth the noble properties of this faith in applying the speciall promises of God vnto it in which Chapter the word Promise is expresly mentioned no lesse than sixt sundry times but closely flowes that aboundantly through all the veines of the Chapter So faith beleeues that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seeke him vers 6. By faith Abel offered his more excellent sacrifice How by faith for his sacrifice was a type of the true sacrifice Christ Iesus the promised seede Gen. 3. 15. By faith Enoch was translated Was not this by faith of that better life promised in Christ By Faith Noah warned of God prepared the Arke to the sauing of himselfe and house Was it not by Faith in the promise of God By Faith Abraham being called went out c. Was it not by Faith in Gods promise For hee was the heire of the promise and looked for a City c. v. 10. By Faith superannated Sarah conceiued for she iudged him faithfull that had promised v. 11. All these embraced the promises v. 13. 14. c. By Faith Abraham after he had receiued the promises offered vp his only Sonne v. 17. What was it but the promise of God whereupon by Faith Isaac blessed his Sonnes v. 20. and Iacob his v. 21. How came Ioseph at his death to mention Israels deliuerance out of Egypt and as if himselfe also euen after he was dead had a share in that deliuerance giue a charge concerning his bones but by Faith in Gods promise now approaching Why did Moses reiect the honours pleasures and treasures of Egypt preferring the reproach of Christ before them all and choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God but that by Faith hee had a respect to the recompence of reward the promise of God And so of their passing through the Red-Sea and of Rahabs red threed c. stil their Faith was pitched vpon Gods promise But Pontificians must haue leaue to discouer their grosse ignorance in the mystery of Faith and so to erre not knowing the Scriptures beeing iust with God to send them the spirit of giddinesse lest they should come to know that most precious truth which they so willingly and maliciously oppugne Is the promise of God in Christ therefore such a little â—tomus such a perexigua particula such a small mote in the eye of Faith Nay rather the promise of the Gospell doth challenge the chiefe respect to be cast vpon it by the eye of Faith as the most glorious and beautifull obiect it can finde in all the Scriptures Christ the promised seede the fairest of ten thousand is therefore called the Word of God as being the summe of both the Testaments as being the mercy-seate vpon whom the two Cherubims did sixe their constant eyes He was the desire of Patriarches Prophets and Kings Abraham with the eye of Faith saw his day and reioyced it gaue him full contentation yea the sufferings of Christ and the glory that followed and the preaching of the Gospell all comprehending and setting forth Gods precious promises were such as the very Angels desired to look into And St. Augustine saith Certum propriumque fidei Catholicae fundamentum Christus est The sure and proper foundation of Catholicke faith is Christ. Who shall then forbid Faith to fasten its eye vpon this louely obiect or to build vpon this sure proper foundation True it is that Faith denyes no part of holy Scripture of what nature soeuer the due respect and credit It giues free assent to the whole Word of God it subscribes to the truth of euery least tittle contained therein credendo Deo by beleeuing God but that which Faith doth chiefly appropriate and apply to it selfe is the promise of God in Christ credendo in Deum by beleeuing in God Euen as the eye casting a direct ray or beam vpon the obiect which it chiefly aymeth at doth so look vpon it as though it seeme to see nothing else but that onely obiect yet it seeth all things besides round about it in a more generall view so Faith the eye of the soule although it cast the direct beam of beleef vpon the obiect it most affecteth to wit Christ the Sauiour in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen to the glory of God the Father yet withall it doth not restraine its generall influence of beleefe from any part of
Tower of Babell as we touched before It is the troubled Sea where Romes Peter-men finde the best fishing As the Iewes said of Christ â—f we let him thus alone all the world will goe after him and the Romanes will come and take away our kingdome so the Romane Pontificians may say If we should allow of certainty of Faith all the people would forsake vs and wee should lose our Kingdome What would become then of the merchandise of soules of Purgatory-Masses and Dirges and Trentals so rich a trade in Romes Court if the People might purchase saluation by faith yea and rest assured of it without any dependance of humane inuentions But let vs examine the former limitations of Pontifician certainty apart First they admit only of a generall certainty but no particular And reason good for as wee said their Faith is onely generall And this their certainty they place in the vnderstanding as they do also their faith The obiect of this certainty is the generall truth of Gods Word So that this is such a certainty as the very Diuels and damned may haue for they beleeue and tremble Why but because they are certainly perswaded of the truth of Gods Word And as the Pontifician faith is common with the wicked so also their certainty which is the fruite of such faith Secondly in that they say that certainty may bee true or false according to the disposition of him in whom it is this is absurd For how can a thing be certaine yet false vnlesse it be certainly false or a false certainety Certainety and falshood are incompatible and meerely opposite Indeede it is one thing to bee certaine another to seeme certaine which seeming certainty is nothing else but opinion Thirdly that they deny certainty of faith in iustification but by speciall reuelation this agreeth with their maine doctrine of faith which indeed hath no other certainty in it than such as is in the reprobate and whereas they restraine their speciall reuelation to some few this shewes the iniquity of Pontificians in making a Monopoly of Gods grace and indeede a meere nullity of sauing Faith Fourthly their probable coniectures of their iustification are altogether abhorrent from the nature of Faith in Christ and meere illusions Such probabilities are impossibilities of saluation But it is a good reason for the Pontificians why they should deny certainty of Faith if the best certainty be onely coniecturall probability Fiftly say they only spirituall men liuing in the state of perfection as deuout St. Anthony may haue a certainety of saluation built vpon his good life This is another strong reason why Pontificians exclude certainty of Faith of saluation seeing it is rather grounded vpon good workes To these they adde two other reasons why no man can be certaine of his iustification because say they no man by the euidence of faith can bee certaine of his predestination For indeede if a man cannot by faith be certaine of his predestination he cannot bee certaine of his iustification The reason is good Lastly say they a man cannot be certaine of his iustification that is not certaine of his perseuerance in grace to the end But no man say they can be sure of perseuerance Therefore no man can bee sure of his saluation These two last reasons are inferred vpon the fifteenth and sixteenth Canons of the Councell of Trent Thus haue we in generall as it were in a light velitation or skirmish spent a small volley vpon the Pontifician forces which march against certainety of faith Come wee now to ioyne the maine battaile wherein wee will obserue this order of sight first wee will shew the weakenesse of those arguments they bring for their vncertainety secondly we will make good and fortifie those arguments authorities and reasons wherewith the Catholike truth of the certainty of faith is maintained and confirmed First for the Pontifician reasons and allegations for their vncertainty of faith wee finde sundry of them set downe in the history of the Councell of Trent together with the answers vnto them forced from the Canuase of the opposite parties some holding that the opinion of certainety of grace was an intolerable arrogancy others that that certainty in its kinde was meritorious The first of these were for the most part Dominicans grounding their opinion of vncertainty vpon the authority of Thomas Aquinas Bonauenture and the Schoole-men Also vpon reason saying That God would not make man certain of grace lest swelling with pride and opinion of himselfe he should dispise others as knowing himselfe to bee righteous and others notorious sinners Also that Christians would grow sleepy sloathfull and carelesse of good workes In which respect incertitude of grace was profitable yea meritorious For perturbation or trouble of minde is that which at first afflicts men but to those that haue learned to beare it it becomes at length meritorious Besides they cite places of holy Scripture as out of Salomon That man knowes not whether hee be worthy of hatred or loue out of the Booke of Wisedome That a man must neuer be free from feare of sinne that it is pardoned out of the Apostle That wee must worke out our saluation with feare and trembling and that St. Paul professeth of himselfe that though his conscience did not accuse him yet he was not therfore iustified These reasons and testimonies besides many others saith the History did chiefly Seripandus Vega and Soto alledge and amplifie out of the Fathers On the other side saith the History Catarinus with Marinarus did out of the same Fathers alledge places to the contrary that it might appeare that the Fathers as they saw occasion did attemper their Sermons to the present occasions sometimes to animate the doubtfull and deiected sometimes to represse the presumptuous still submitting themselues to the authority of the Word of God They said to wit Catarinus and Marinarus that as often as Christ is obserued in the Gospell to forgiue sins so often he said Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And that it seemed absurd that Christ would minister to any man occasion of presumption or pride or to depriue all of that which might be matter of profit or merit Also that the Scripture bound vs to giue thankes to God for our iustification which vnlesse we be sure we haue receiued with what face yea with what affection shall we giue thankes Sith it is folly to acknowledge a benefit which thou knowest not whether it bee giuen thee or no. Surely St. Paul doth clearely enough affirme this certainety when he would haue the Corinthians sensible that Christ is in them vnlesse they be reprobates and when he saith that therefore wee haue receiued the spirit of God that by him wee might vnderstand what is giuen vs of God And againe more plainely That the holy spirit doth beare witnesse to our spirit that wee are the Sonnes of God And that it is also a part of great impudency
And what certainty can there bee in the Scriptures if they must depend vpon the authority of the Church for their certainetie And what certainty can there be in the Church if this Church be no other than the Church of Rome And what certainety can there bee in the Church of Rome when it wholly depends vpon the only breast of a sinfull man vpon whose infallibilitie notwithstanding the whole Pontifician Church cannot finde no not the least footing for any Certainty of Saluation to stand vpon But to remoue this heape of Rubbish although for multiplicity of Controuersie it be growne to a mighty Mountain which may seeme to exceede the strength and labour of Hercules himselfe to remoue yet I trust with one small graine of Faith to ouerturne this Mountaine into the Sea For first whether was the Word of God or the Church more ancient Was not Gods Word For by the voyce thereof was the Church first called Where was the Church when the Gospell began first to be reuealed Gen. 3. 15. As yet the whole world in Adam and Eue lay buried in Apostacy and now totus mundus in maligno positus the whole world lay in wickednesse till this Word of the Gospell of the promised and blessed seede of the woman made a separation and did constitute a Church So that the first ground and foundation of the Church is the Word of God as it was also of the first frame of the Creation Hereupon the Apostle saith That the Church is built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord. The foundation of the Apostles and Prophets is the Old and New Testament whereof Christ Iesus is the chiefe corner stone Away with the blasphemy of the Councell of Lateran that calleth the Pope Leo the tenth the corner stone and the Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda and many such blasphemous titles which are proper and peculiar only to the person of Christ. But that eyther the Church or the Pope of Rome had any such authority and power ouer the Scriptures it was neuer known in those purer times of the Church when the sweet and salutiferous streames of the waters of life were not as yet poysoned and imbittered with that Luciferian wormewood starre that fell from heauen It was in those primitiue and virgine times the Catholicke Doctrine of the Church That the Church was to be ruled by the Scriptures and not the Scriptures by the Church much lesse by any one man St Augustine saith De Catholica Ecclesia id credant homines quod Diuinae Scripturae dicunt non quod linguae humanae maledicunt Let men beleeue that concerning the Catholicke Church which the Diuine Scriptures doe say and not which mens tongues doe mis-say By which place we see that the Catholicke Church is to bee estimated according to that which the Scriptures testifie of it Therefore not contrary And in his Booke of the vnity of the Church Ecclesiam suam demonstrent c. Let the Donatists shew mee their Church not in the tales and rumours of the Affricans not in the Synods of their Bishops not in the learning of their disputants not in their deceitfull signes and prodigies for wee are fore-warned and fore-armed against such things by the word of the Lord but in the prescript of the Law in the predictions of the Prophets in the songs of the Psalmes in the Shepheards owne voyce in the preachings and labours of the Euangelists to wit in all the Canonicall authorities of the holy Bookes Nor so saith hee as that they collect and quote such places as are obscurely or ambiguously or figuratiuely spoken which euery man interprets at his pleasure according to his owne sense For such places cannot be truly vnderstood and expounded vnlesse first those which are most plainely deliuered bee by a firme Faith entertained Note here the Catholicke doctrine of those times teaching that the authority and sense of the Scriptures depended not vpon the Church but the authority of the Church vpon the Scriptures and the Scriptures were to bee interpreted by themselues to wit the more obscure places by the more plaine as he speaketh often elsewhere in his Bookes De doctrina Christiana I will adde one place in steed of many Quis autem nesciat c. Who can bee ignorant saith hee that the holy Canonicall Scripture as well of the Old as of the New Testament is contained within its owne fixed limits and that it is so preferred before all the latter writings of Bishops as that it may not bee disputed or doubted off whether it bee true or false whatsoeuer is found written in it and for the writings of Bishops which eyther haue beene or are written after the establishment of the Canon of Scriptures they haue beene subiect to the wiser iudgements and grauer authorities of some more skilfull and learned Bishops and might bee censured by Councels if ought therein swarued from the truth and those very Councels themselues which are prouinciall doe without scruple submit to the authority of plenary Councels assembled from the vniuersall Christian world of those plenary generall Councels oftentimes the former are corrected by the latter when by some better experiment of things that which was shut is opened and that which was hid is made known without any swelling of sacrilegious pride without any strouting of arrogancy without any contention of bleake enuie with holy humility with Catholicke peace with Christian charity So that Bishops are corrigible by prouinciall Councels these by generall Councels and these also by some latter Councels as being all subiect to imperfection But the holy Scriptures come vnder the ferula of no Bishop or Councell to bee censured Nay as Augustine saith Titubabit fides si diuinarum Scripturarum vacillat authoritas Faith will stagger and stumble if the authority of the diuine Scriptures doe wauer And hee taxeth the Manicheans of this impiety and sacriledge that they went about quite to take away the authority of the Scriptures approuing any thing not because they found it written in that supreame authority but because their fancy tooke a liking to it therefore they approued the Scriptures And so their priuate sense must giue authority to the Scriptures which they frame to their owne fancy and not the Scriptures giue authority to their Doctrines What difference then is there betweene the Pontificians and the Manicheans in this maine point But the Pontificians of old obiect vnto vs one speciall authority out of St. Augustine to ouerthrow all that hee hath said for the supreame authority of the Scriptures aboue the Church His words are which they obiect and wherein they greatly triumph to proue the authority of the Church aboue the Scriptures Ego Euangelio non crederem nisi me Catholicae Ecclesiae commouerâ—t authoritas that is I
should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me Now if we obserue the occasion of this saying of Augustine it will easily appeare that hee had no such meaning as to preferre the authority of the Catholicke Church before the authority of the holy Scriptures for then hee should with one breath contradict the whole tenure of all his writings wherein hee still aduanceth the authority of the Scriptures aboue all as irrefragable supreame and subiect to no authority Now the occasion of this speech of Augustine was this Manicheus a grand Heretique writes an Epistle to Augustine wherein he stiles himselfe Manichaeus Apostolus Iesu Christi prouidentia Dei Patris that is Manicheus the Apostle of Iesus Christ by the prouidence of God the Father Whereupon Augustine saith Haec sunt salubria verba de perenni ac viuo fonte These are wholesome words from the eternall liuing fountain But with your good patience saith Augustine if it please you obserue what I require Non credo istum esse Apostolum Christi quaeso ne succenseatis malediâ—ere incipiatis c. I doe not beleeue that this is an Apostle of Christ I pray you bee not angry and fall a reuiling for you know that I am resolued to beleeue nothing rashly that you say I aske therefore who this Manicheus is you will answer me an Apostle of Christ. I doe not beleeue it Now thou hast nothing what to say or doe for thou didst promise me the knowledge of the truth and now thou constrainest mee to beleeue that which I know not But haply thou wilt reade the Gospell vnto me and out of that thou wilt assay to proue the person of Manicheus Now if thou shouldst finde any man who as yet doth not beleeue the Gospell what wouldst thou doe if he said vnto thee I doe not beleeue it Ego vero Euangelio non crederem nisi c. For I should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me Quibus ergo c. whom then I haue obeyed when they said Beleeue the Gospell why should I not beleeue them saying vnto me Doe not beleeue Manicheus Elige quid velis Choose which thou wilt If thou wilt say Beleeue the Catholickes they admonish mee to giue no credit to you Wherefore giuing credit to them I cannot but not beleeue thee if thou shalt say Doe not beleeue the Catholickes thou goest not the right way to compell me by the Gospell to the faith of Manicheus seeing I beleeued the Gospell it selfe being preached vnto mee by the Catholickes And so forth to this purpose Augustine pursueth his discourse So we see the question is about the truth of Manicheus his title calling himselfe an Apostle of Iesus Christ c. This hee obtrudes and thrusts vpon Augustine to giue credit to it Augustine and that worthily makes question of it Hee would haue him proue it by the Gospell Well But Manicheus foysteth in some counterfeit Gospell wherein he stiles himselfe an Apostle of Iesus Christ a Gospell that was neuer acknowledged for Canonicall Scripture But Manicheus will haue it receiued for Gospell How shall it be tryed Is it therefore Gospel because Manicheus saith it Or doth the Gospell depend vpon the testimony of one man No saith Augustine Pagan-Infidels are brought to receiue and beleeue the Gospell by the preaching of the Catholicke Church which hath from time to time kept the Canon of Scriptures intire without the mixture of counterfeit Gospels By this authority of the Catholicke Church to wit by the preaching of the Gospell by the Church Augustine himselfe when hee was a Manichee was wonne to the faith of the Gospell Hence it is that instancing himselfe for one that as yet beleeued not the Gospell hee saith Ego non crederem Euangelio c. I should not that is I if I were as once I was an vnbeleeuing Manichee I should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me So that hee makes the comparison betweene the authority of the Catholicke Church and the authority of one man Manicheus The question is Whether Augustine if he were a neutrall beleeuer as yet neyther beleeuing that Gospell which Manicheus bringeth neuer heard of before nor that which the Catholicke Church preacheth and hath euer taught should rather bee induced by the peremptory authority of one sole man to beleeue a new Gospell than by the authenticke authority of the Catholick Church of Christ to beleeue the euerlasting Gospell of Iesus Christ comprehended in both the Testaments and perpetually receiued preserued professed preached and beleeued of the Catholicke Church from all ages In this case Augustine inclines cleaues to the authority of the Catholick Church And what true Catholicke doth not reuerence the authority of the Church of God bringing him to Christ by the preaching of the Gospell as the Samaritan woman brought her neighbour Citizens to Christ But being brought vnto Christ after they had heard him themselues they said to the woman Now we beleeue not because of thy saying for wee haue heard him our selues and know that this is indeede the Christ the Sauiour of the world So euery beleeuer may say I was first induced and as it were led by the hand and voice of the Church to beleeue the Gospell of Christ but after that I haue heard receiued and beleeued Christ himselfe speaking in the Scriptures I now beleeue not for the Church or any mans saying but for the authority of Christ and the Scriptures themselues As Augustine ingeniously saith to Paulina Nolo authoritatem meam sequaris vt c. I would not haue you follow my authority that you should therefore thinke it necessary to beleeue any thing because it is spoken by mee but beleeue eyther the Canonicall Scriptures or the truth that doth inwardly teach and giue testimony thereof For if a truth bee once confirmed by the euident authority of holy Scriptures to wit those which in the Church are called Canonicall it is without all doubting to be beleeued And in his third booke against Maximinus an Arrian Bishop disputing about the word Homousion Augustine saith Nec ego Nicenum nec tu debeâ— Ariminense c. Neyther ought I to vrge the authority of the Nicene Councell nor you that of Ariminum for neyther am I bound to the authority of this nor you of that but both of vs are bound to the authorities of the Scriptures common witnesses to vs both and vnpartiall to eyther So let thing with thing cause with cause reason with reason contend Such was the Catholicke Doctrine of those times wherein Augustine liued that the authority of the Canonicall Scriptures was aboue all other authority eyther of Bishops or prouinciall Synods or generall Councels In those times the man of sinne had not thus exalted himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped as to vsurpe
nostra Sed absit vt putemus in fide vel spe nostra aliquid vt is putat dubia aestimatione pendulum non magis solum quod in ea est certa ac solida veritate submixum oraculis miraculis diuinitus persuasum stabilitum consecratum partu Virginis sanguine Redemptoris gloria resurgentis Testimonia ista credibilia facta sunt nimis Si quò minùs ipse postremò Spiritus reddit testimonium spiritui nostro quod filij Deo sumus that is Abailard hath defined faith to bee an opinion as if it were lawfull for euery one to speake and determine of faith as they lifted or as if the mysteries of our faith depended vpon vncertainty in wandring and wilde opinions and did not rather subsist in a most certaine verity For if faith bee wauering is not our hope also vaine But far be it that wee should thinke that there is any thing in our faith or hope wauing as he thinketh in a doubtfull opinion and not rather the onely thing that is in it is supported with the certaine and solid truth perswaded by oracles and miracles from God established and consecrated by the birth of the Virgin by the bloud of the Redeemer and by the glory of him that rose againe These testimonies are most credible If they were not sufficient the Spirit himselfe in the last place doth giue testimony to our spirit that we are the Sons of God Quomodo ergo fidem quis audet dicere aestimationem nisi qui Spiritum istum nondum accepti quiue Euangelium aut ignoret aut fabulam putet Scio cui credidi certus sum clamat Apostolus tu mihi subsibilas fides est aestimatio How then dare any man call faith an opinion but he that hath not as yet receiued that Spirit or who knoweth not the Gospell or reputes it a fable I know whom I haue beleeued and am certaine cryeth the Apostle and doest thou whisper faith is an opinion So Bernard So that in Bernards time who liued betweene foure and fiue hundred yeares agoe the darknesse of Egypt had not as yet so ouer-spread the earth but that some light shined in the land of Goshen to giue light to Gods people Nor had the deluge of Apostacy breaking forth from the great deepe of the mysterie of iniquity and falling down in Cataracts from the top of that Skye-threatning seuen-hild Citie sitting vpon many waters so ouer-flowed the firme ground of Christian faith but that the Doue of Gods Elect might finde some place to pitch the foote of the certainty of saluation vpon There be also sundry other accessory testimonies to establish euery true beleeuer in the certainty of his saluation as the holy Scriptures wherein is set downe the truth of Gods promises The Scriptures are strong and euident testimonies of God and therefore called the Two Testaments of God Search the Scriptures saith Christ for in them yee finde euerlasting life and they are they which testifie of me And Iohn 20. 31. These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ the Sonne of God and that beleeuing yee might haue life through his Name St. Augustine vpon the words of the Psalme God is faithfull in his words c. saith Noluit sibi credi dicenti sed voluit teneri Scripturam sanctam c. God would not haue his bare saying to be beleeued so much as he would haue the holy Scripture to be firmely holden euen as if you should say to a man when you promise him any thing Thou doest not beleeue me behold I giue thee my writing for it for seeing one generation goeth another commeth the Scripture of God ought to remaine as a certaine hand-writing of God which all passengers reading may hold fast the way of his promise c. And Bernard saith vpon these words Matth. 8. Speake but the word onely c. Bonum est si dicantur verba sed nihilominus bonum est si scribantur verba c. It is good if the words bee spoken but yet it is good also if the words be written For the word flyeth away irrcuocable vnlesse it be committed to writing Scriptura c. The Scripture makes the word both stable and visible St. Ambrose saith Sermo plurimus Scripturarum animam confirmat quodam spiritalis gratiae colorat vapore The plentifull speech of the Scriptures doth confirme the soule and as it were colour it with a certaine vapour of spirituall grace And vpon the Epistle to the Romanes Chapt. 1. vers 2. In the holy Scriptures Hoc ad cumulum c. This hee added to the heape of his true protestations that hee might cause the greater faith in the beleeuers And Theophilact vpon Luke 16. They haue Moses and the Prophets c. saith Nothing is so profitable as the diligent searching of the Scriptures for by searching of the dead the Deuill may deceiue vs but those which soberly search the Scriptures nothing can deceiue them for they are the lanthorne and light whereby the theefe is discouered and taken tardy So that the holy Scriptures are a strong foundation to build the certainty of Faith vpon So the holy Sacraments which are the seales of Gods Testaments they are all the seales of our faith Rom. 4. 11. A point that hath much puzzled and perplexed the Pontificians for as much as both the ancient Fathers are full of testimonies to this purpose and the Pontificians themselues doe ascribe so much to the efficacy of the Sacraments as conferring grace ex opere operato as they terme it whereupon might seeme to follow a necessity of certainty of grace in all those that are partakers of them But such is their inueterate enmity against this certainty that rather than they will shew the least fauour towards it they are content to diminish a little from the power and efficacy which they ascribe to their Sacraments But first for the Fathers Vega very stoutly and as he would seeme ingeniously professeth to act the aduersaries that is the Protestants part in alledging their proofes for the certainty of faith sealed by the Sacraments both out of the Scriptures and out of the Fathers But whatsoeuer the proofes and authorities be Vega very wittily as his manner is reduceth all their answers to these three heads First Admit saith he that those things required to the worthy receiuing of the Sacraments be certaine and fixed yet no man can be certaine that he hath omitted nothing requisite thereunto for there might be remaining in him some errour or inuincible ignorance before the receiuing of the Sacrament and so in regard of his indisposition he is vncertaine of any grace receiued or ratified by the receiuing of the Sacrament And so Vega makes a mans iustification to depend vpon the worthinesse or vnworthinesse of his owne disposition or preparation in comming to the Sacrament whereof say they as none can be certaine
perseuerance the Doctors of the Church vse many exhortations to men to perseuere whose testimonies to this purpose Vega heapeth vp in great number therefore the Doctors of the Church doe all consent that a man that is predestinate to life may fall away from grace It is Vega's owne collection for else saith he why doe these Doctors vse so many exhortations to men to striue to continue in the faith not to be secure vntill the end for this is the summe of all his testimonies that he alledgeth In the prosecution of all which I cannot better compare Vega one of Trents chiefe Questers than to a Spaniell which taking his scope in a large field trauersing vp and downe in and out to find game puts vp many a Foule but still the more he prosecutes them the faster and farther they flye from him So dealeth Vega. Hee takes the whole Church a large field to quest in he startles many a Doctor and Father foolishly thinking in his owne sent to make them his owne but in the vpshot they flye the farther from him As here The Fathers exhort men to constancy and perseuerance in the grace of God not to bee negligent and carelesse not to be carnally secure but so to runne as they may obtaine True and such exhortations are most godly and necessary for they are speciall meanes and motiues to stirre vs vp to attaine that end of our faith the saluation of our soules to which we were predestinate and preordained of God For as God hath appointed vs to the end so he hath appointed vs also to the meanes as Ephes. 2. 10. For wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them Exhortations therefore and pious admonitions are very necessary as speciall meanes to draw vs on along to our wished end as a stiffe gale of winde filling the sailes of our deuoutest affections vntill wee arriue at our appointed port And whereas Vega would peruersly conclude hence that because we must take heede least we fall as the Councell of Trent alledgeth out of the Apostle therefore the predestinate to life may and doe fall away hence rather we may conclude the contrary that seeing God hath predestinated vs to the end which is our full and finall saluation and hath chalkt vs out the way and meanes by which we come to reach and attaine to this end as to walke carefully and heedfully fearing to displease God sollicitous to serue God to take heede of carnall security and all false and groundlesse confidence therefore continuing on in this path obseruing these meanes tending vnto the end we doe hence gather to our selues stronger assurance euery day that we shall at length most certainly attaine to the end of our most Christian race and so obtaine the Crowne of life For as St. Peter exhorting the faithfull to diligence and perseuerance in holy duties as meanes leading to the end saith If yee doe these things ye shall neuer fall for by this meanes an entrance is made vnto you aboundantly into the euerlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. What Did St. Peter meane that the faithfull should be doubtfull or vncertaine of their saluation or were they so much nearer to falling away from grace because hee warnes them so much to be carefull to keep their way and to continue in the meanes No the contrary for by this meanes an entrance was administred aboundantly into the Kingdome of Gods glory And this is the vnanimous scope of all the testimonies of those Doctors and Fathers of the Church which Vega so multiplyeth going about to corrupt so many witnesses to giue in euidence for the instability and slipperinesse of his Pontifician grace Now for his eight Chapter which he spends about answering some places in St. Iohns Epistle seeming as he saith to make for the Heretickes as Iouinian c. we will speake of it in a fitter place by and by when we come to confirme the Catholicke truth and in the meane time leaue Vega dazeling his owne eyes by his ouer-daring of the glorious Sunne and scorching his owne wings in fluttering about the bright flame of Gods Word which for all his huffing at it he shall neuer be able to put out But hee goes on to proue that no man can know his owne predestination and perseuerance but by diuine reuelation In his 10. Chapter he brings Salomons saying and such like Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes as though the feare of God were an enemy to Christian assurance in this kinde sith it confirmes it much more the holy feare of God being a certaine fruit and effect of predestination leading to perseuerance as both we haue and shall further make good Hee alledgeth also against the certainty of perseuerance that of Salomon Pro. 27. 1. Boast not thy selfe of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Here the Pontifician still is like himselfe bewraying his malice against the truth as if certainty of grace were a boasting Nothing lesse For while we entertaine certainty we exclude and vtterly abandon boasting and presumption certainty and presumption being incompatible yea contrary one to the other and cannot possibly cohabit and dwell together in one heart For there is nothing more vaine than boasting nothing more vncertaine than presumption besides Salomon there speakes of to morrow as our Sauiour Matth. 6. 34. and as St. Iames Chapt. 4. Vers. 13. 14. that men should not be eyther ouer anxious and sollicitous or ouer presumptuous of to morrow about their worldly affaires Whereas thou knowest not saith Iames what shall be on the morrow for what is your life you may as a vapour vanish away before to morrow So that in these things that are in regard of vs contingent a man can haue no certainty But saluation stands not vpon any tickle termes of contingency as wee shall see anon And whereas Vega alledgeth Bernard as denying the certainty of election and predestination because saith Bernard the Scripture is against it which saith Man knoweth neither loue nor hatred by all that is before them although we be not absolutely bound to beleeue any mans authority in alledging the Scriptures when it is plaine hee mis-vnderstandeth or at least mis-applyeth the place as Bernard vnder correction doth here sith it is plaine and euident as wee shewed before that the Preacher speaketh of these outward things as prosperity and aduersity which are no certaine markes of Gods fauour or displeasure as being common to all men promiscuously as well the righteous as the wicked yet we are not so straight-laced as not to embrace euen Bernard himselfe in this point For if the certainty of saluation rested vpon mans testimony wee might as soone relye vpon Bernards authority as another But where Bernard speakes properly and iudiciously in applying the Scriptures none is more cleare than hee in this matter So that in the very same
qui veritatem potest capere falsitate capiatur Aut enim sic praedestinatio praedicanda est quemadmodum eam sancta Scriptura euidenter loquitur vt in praedestinatis sine poenitentia sint dona vocatio Dei aut gratiam Dei secundum nostra dari merita consitendum quod sapiunt Pelagiani that is Is not the truth rather to be spoken that he which can receiue it may receiue it than to be concealed that not onely neyther can receiue it but also he that is more intelligent may be made worse The enemy of grace is instant and vrgeth by all meanes that it might be beleeued it is giuen vnto vs according to our merits and so grace should now bee no more grace And yet wee will not speake that which by the testimony of the Scripture we may speake for we feare forsooth lest if we speake he be offended that cannot receiue the truth and we doe not feare lest while we are silent he which is able to receiue the truth may be deceiued by errour For eyther is predestination so to bee preached as the holy Scripture doth euidently declare it that in those that be predestinate the gifts and calling of God may bee without repentance or else we must confesse that the grace of God is giuen according to our merits which is the opinion of the Pelagians And againe in the same booke Chapt. 21. Nimiae contentionis est praedestinationi contradicere vel de praedestinatione dubitare It is too much peruersuesse to contradict predestination or to call it into question Yet Saint Augustine denies not but that wisedome and discretion is to be vsed in the preaching of it For saith he it is not so bee preached to the ignorant multitude as that the preaching of it may seeme worthy of reproofe For dolosi vel imperiti medici est etiam vtile medicamentum sic allegare vt aut non prosit aut obsit It is the property of a deceiptfull or an vnskilfull Physitian so to apply euen a wholesome plaster as that either it doe no good or else hurt Which was the prouident wisedome of his sacred Maiesty our gracious Soueraigne in his late iniunction to Ministers not to debarre them from the free and lawfull yea the most vsefull and comfortable preaching of that diuine Doctrine of predestination as occasion serued but rather to giue direction at least to younger Diuines lest through want of mature iudgement in the manner of opening that mysterie and applying of it they might haply put a stumbling blocke before the iniudicious and ignorant hearer For otherwise his excellent Maiesty doth himselfe beare royall record to this diuine Doctrine in his learned Paraphase of the Reuelation the 20. Chapter in the latter end in these words The booke of life was opened to the effect that all those whose names were written in it to wit predestinated and elected for saluation before all beginnings might there be selected for eternall glory Now haue not wee in these times the same iust cause of speaking this truth in regard of those Pelagianizing enemies of the grace of God the Pontificians and their complices as Augustine had against the Pelagians both of them contending to ouerthrow the truth of predestination being the ground of the free grace of God in sauing mankinde and to establish mans merits and righteousnesse as the motiue cause of the grace of God Therefore in this so important a cause hauing to deale with so many importunate aduersaries of this fundamentall truth we must not be meale-mouthed lest we come to verifie that of our selues which Gregory once said of some Nonnulli dum veritatis Discipuli esse humiliter negligunt Magistri errorum fiunt Many while out of a kind of humility they neglect to be the Disciples of the truth they become the Masters of errors Come we then in the feare of God to free our selues of the enuie of his great glory in setting down this great mysterie wherein the glory of Gods rich grace doth most clearly shine and shew it selfe Predestination then is an vnchangeable act of Gods good pleasure and will whereby he hath from all eternity of his free grace elected out of the corrupt masse of mankinde fallen in Adam a certaine number of men whom hee hath purposed effectually to bring to eternall saluation by the only absolute meanes and merits of Iesus Christ and by other conditionall and subordinate meanes appointed by him for the receiuing and applying of Christ and walking in him euen vnto the end leauing the rest of men in their originall corruption to their further and finall condemnation The Scripture makes good euery part of this definition First for the subiect of it which is predestination the word is there often vsed which signifieth a fore-determining or appointing or preordaining of a thing But about the name or the thing there is no great question made The very aduersaries are forced to confesse it at least in part Now for the Predicate of the definition it is an act or decree called sometimes in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods Councell as Ephes. 1. 11. sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods Purpose as Rom. 8. 28. sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 1. Pet. 1. 2. which is such a fore-knowledge as is not onely a bare prescience but a Praescitum an established or decreed fore-knowledge as the Latines call a decree of the people Plebiscitum and also the decree or iudgement of a cause Cognitio or tryall or knowledge So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or praecognitio or fore-knowledge of God is his witting and willing act or decree The Apostle therefore in the forenamed place Rom. 8. doth ioyne the purpose of God and his fore-knowledge together as one and the same thing vers 28. 29. For wee know that all things cooperate or worke together for good to them that loue God being the called according to his purpose and hee addes For whom he fore-knew those hee also predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Sonne So that to predestinate to a conformity vnto Christ is an act of Gods fore-knowledge or fore-decree conducing vnto or producing the end to the which God decreed or purposed Which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fore-knowledge or fore-decree of God is very emphaticall and significant containing in it as wee said before not a bare prescience much lesse that this fore-knowledge in God was led or moued by the euent of those things which he saw would come to passe in the creature according to which euent he should predestinate men to saluation or damnation because he fore-saw they would be such such as the Pontificians whosoeuer symbolize with them in this matter possessed or tainted with the spirit of the Pelagians of which Augustine speaketh but this fore-knowledge in God here hauing speciall and sole reference to the Elect in Christ it importeth a knowledge not of apprehension onely but of loue and approbation as God
riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards vs through Christ Iesus What greater loue what greater grace what richer mercy than for God to cast his eye of fauour vpon vs euen when we were dead in sinnes As the Apostle saith also Rom. 5. 8. God commendeth his loue towards vs in that while we were yet sinners when we were enemies Christ dyed for vs. And in the vulgar Latine set forth by the Diuines of Louain printed at Antwerpe 1584. in the fourth to the Romanes Verse 5. wee finde these words in the Text Ei verò qui non operatur credenti autem in eum qui iustificat impium reputatur fides eius ad iustitiam secundum propositum gratiae Dei Now to him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is reckoned for righteousness according to the purpose of the grace of God Now these last words are not in our vulgar translations nor in most Greeke Copies but the Louain Doctors haue noted in the margent that they are found in some Manuscripts and Greeke Copies And it were to be wished that they had added no worse than this into that their translation for it is but that which is the generall Doctrine of the Gospell of Christ. For the preaching of the Gospel what is it but a beame of this grace of God shining vpon sinners as Tit. 2. 11. The grace of God that bringeth saluation hath appeared vnto all men And the Gospel is the Gospel of the grace of God Act. 20. 24. And the Word of God is the word of his grace vers 32. And Acts 14. 3. Yea we finde the very same words in the Apostle 2. Tim. 1. 9. Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but marke according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs in Christ Iesus before the world began but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Sauiour Iesus Christ c. So that the ground of our saluation by Iesus Christ is the meere grace of God by this grace we are saued by this grace we come to inherit eternall life for eternall life is of the grace of God it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free gift of his grace And wee are heires of the grace of life 1. Pet. 3. 7. The Apostle Paul was so in loue with this grace that all his Epistles are perfumed throughout as it were with this precious oyntment Hee nameth it not so little as a hundreth times The salutation of each Epistle hath grace in it yea the Apostle sets it as his marke at the end of euery Epistle and would haue all his Epistles knowne by that marke to bee his As hee saith 2. Thes. 3. 17. 18. The salutation of Paul with mine owne hand which is the token in euery Epistle so I write The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ bee with you all So that besides other probable arguments I finding this marke at the end of the Epistle to the Hebrewes I conclude it to bee Pauls Epistle No one Apostle ends his Epistle with the prayer and wishing of grace but onely Paul Indeede the Reuelation endeth so The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen Thus Gods gracious eternall purpose in electing to saluation such as in his speciall fauour hee was pleased to foreknow being the prime and originall cause whereon depends the whole frame of our effectuall saluation it teacheth vs a maine difference between the first Couenant and the second The first Couenant was made with the first Adam in Paradise which indeed did meerly depend vpon mans will to keep it or to break it Doe this and thou shalt liue This was that first Couenant which Man failing to keep so forfeiting his estate God now makes a second Couenant in the second Adam which he will not as he did in the first hazzard vpon mans will or ability in the keeping of it Gods wisdome well weighing that if Adam in his perfection so easily and quickly brake the first Couenant though hee had both will and power to keepe it how much more man now corrupt and weake would neuer bee able to keepe the second Couenant And therefore to make sure worke God takes a contrary course in the second Couenant which that it may for euer stand firme and immutable hee hath established it vpon the sure foundation of his owne good pleasure and will wherein is no shadow of change Well the conclusion is Gods free grace and fauour is the ground of our election it is the foundation whereon depends our whole saluation wee are elected wee are saued all by grace according to his purpose and grace This grace of God the Pontifician Church cannot away withall as being an enemy to all their Doctrine And therfore the Councell of Trent hath excluded yea and condemned the grace of God as the sole efficient cause of saluation for Ses. 6. Can. 11. the words be Si quis dixerit c. gratiam qua iustificamur esse tantum fauorem Dei anathema sit that is If any shall say that the grace whereby we are iustified is onely the fauour of God let him be Anathema or accursed If Romes Curse were of force then wofull were the case of St. Paul that doth so often mightily magnifie the grace of God in our iustification yea the only grace and fauour of God excluding workes as not hauing the least share with Gods grace therein Nay the whole Word of God which is the Word of his grace and the Gospell of his grace must fall vnder Romes Curse Howsoeuer the equiuocating Romanists would foyst and shuffle in their workes by the name of grace by which indeed they destroy and ouerthrow the grace of God Obiect But say some It is sufficient that wee grant that Gods grace doth manifest it selfe in prouiding for vs and offering vnto vs meanes whereby we may be saued without which meanes because we cannot be saued therefore we are said to be saued by the grace of God Answ. Is that sufficient O enemies of the grace of God and of your owne saluation Will you so limit Gods grace Will ye so eclipse the glory of his grace as to confine it within such narrow bounds Indeede great and infinitely great was Gods loue in so louing the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting But did his gift depend vpon mans acceptance that it might be effectuall if man would otherwise not Then as Esay saith Who hath beleeued our report Had not then this great loue of God beene vtterly lost Had not this gift beene such as no man would receiue it For what saith the Scripture All haue sinned and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 come short of the glory of God The naturall man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perceiueth not receiueth not this gift it is farre aboue out of his
any exhortation to take hold of grace or any admonition to take heede of falling As 1. Cor. 10. 12. Let him that thinketh hee standeth take heede lest hee fall And Rom. 11. the Iewes fall is propounded to the called Gentiles as an example of admonition vers 20. Because of vnbeliefe they were broken off and thou standest by faith Bee not high minded but feare And to omit many other they alledge one maine place out of Ezech. 18. where God threateneth That if the righteous forsake his righteousnesse and commit iniquity in the iniquity that hee hath committed he shall dye and his former righteousnesse shall be remembred no more From these and such like places the aduersaries would conclude That a man may fall totally and finally from grace or at least they would waue the matter and leaue it indifferent sith say they we find such opposition in the Scripture about this point Nay say they we can bring as many places that make against certainty of election and perseuerance in grace as can be brought for it So that the aduersaries I neede name none but the Pontificians for all that hold of their wicked Doctrine though they seeme to abhorre the name of Pontificians yet indeede they are one with them the aduersaries I say are hereupon very peremptory and insolent because not vnderstanding the Scriptures but peruerting them to their owne destruction they thinke they are as fast and full on their side as against them Hereupon at the leastwise they would I say waue the matter and make it indifferent whether side a man choose So that by hooke or by crooke they would bring in a new Diuinity as Copernicus and his followers a new Philosophy who making demonstration that the earth may as well moue round about in 24. houres as the heauens therefore his disciples conclusion must be that not the heauens but the earth moueth about once in 24. houres The motion whereof hath caused this brain-sicke giddinesse in these new Philosophicall Heretickes or Hereticall Philosophers But the grounds of Diuinity in this point in hand are farre more demonstratiue and certaine than that of Copernicus his Philosophy For he can finde no certaine demonstration of the heauens motion but that he can stoppe with his versatilous wit no more then my braine earthy as it is can be moued to beleeue his earths motion But these Nouel-Diuines must needes confesse that the Doctrine of Gods election effectuall vocation of the Elect and their perseuerance in grace is very clearly set down in the Scriptures Which being so while they would oppose other places of Scriptures against it what doe they else but goe about to make God a lyar that with him should be Yea and Nay For if the Scripture be contradictory in the matter of saluation then it should be no better than a lye and so God the author of the Scripture a lyar But let God be true and euery man a lyar Yea let the Scriptures be true vniforme consonant and like themselues and all such wresters and peruerters of the truth lyars But they cannot bring any one sentence of Scripture to contradict this truth of the certainty of Gods election The Scripture saith The foundation of God stands sure and hath the seale The Lord knoweth who are his but where can the aduersaries bring one place of Scripture contradictory which saith The foundation of God is vncertaine without seale The Lord knoweth not who are his The Scriptures saith of Apostates They went out from vs but they were not of vs for had they been of vs they had continued with vs but where saith it the contrary that Apostates were once the true Children of God sealed vp in Gods foundation and knowne of God to be his and that they were once really of the number of Gods Elect The Scripture saith It is impossible to deceiue the Elect and to seduce them from Christ. The Scripture saith He that is borne of God sinneth not neyther can he sinne because he is borne of God that is he cannot sinne vnto death namely by sinne fall away from God finally Where saith it That he that is borne of God doth sinne vnto death and so falleth totally and finally from God Indeede if as Archimedes that famous Mathematician and Engineer who was so confident of his Art that he durst say he would remoue this whole terrestriall Globe if he had but a Ground or Base to fasten his Engine vpon although the Base must needes be farre bigger than the Moueable So they if they could finde such a solid ground in Scripture seruing their owne opinion and preponderating the eternall vnmoueable truth of Gods election as thereupon they could pitch their artificiall Engine much might be that these rare Engineers might Giant-like be able to reere Mount Pelion vpon Mount Ossa and so climbe to the top of Olympus while by their faith as a graine of scelerata Sinapis they command the vnmoueable mountaine of Truth if the foundation of it did not stand the more sure to bee cast into the floating sea of their fleeting imagination But say they the Scripture speaketh doubtfully in many places as in those fore-alledged and other To which all I answer in one word that none of those fore-alledged places doe crosse or contradict the truth of God Nay contrary they are all as meanes to bring the purpose of God to its small period and effect For Be not high minded but feare Let him that thinketh he standeth take heede lest he fall Worke out your saluation with feare and trembling If ye doe these things ye shall neuer fall If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered If the righteous forsake his righteousness and commit iniquity and if there be any other Scriptures of this nature eyther exhortatory or admonitory besides that they are excellent restrictiues to all sorts of men in generall God extending his restraining grace euen to wicked men they are all necessary precepts and soueraigne preseruatiues and antidotes especially to the elect of God to preserue them from falling These places do not imply that Gods elect may fall away but they serue as meanes to preuent them that they doe not fall Now God hath as I said not only ordained the end but all means tending thereunto Of which meanes those many exhortations and admonitions in Scripture are a speciall part To this purpose Augustine speaketh excellently Tene quod habes ne alius accipiat Coronam tuam Quod autem etiam perseueraturis Sanctis sic ista dicuntur quasi eos perseueraturos habeatur incertum non aliter hoc audire debent quibus expedit non altum sapere sed timere Hinc Apostolis dicebatur si manseritis in me dicente illo qui illos vtique sciebat esse mansuros Et per Prophetam si volueritis audieritis me cum sciret ipse in quibus operaretur velle Et similia multa dicuntur propter
made with hands but eternall in the heauens there to sing Haleluiahs of praise to God for euermore I will conclude this with S. August first for the confirmation of this Catholike truth Non solum ergo praedicatione praedestinationis ab hoc opere nempe sanctificationis non impeditur electus verum ab hoc adiuuatur vt cum gloriatur in Domino glorietur Therefore by the preaching of predestination the elect is not onely not hindered from this worke to wit of sanctification but also is helped hereunto that when he glorieth he may glorie in the Lord. And againe for confutation of Pelagian and Pontifician I had almost said also Arminian falshood who say all with one voyce Si non vultis obedientiam ad quam nos accenditis in nostro corde frigescere nolite nobis istam Dei gratiam praedicare quam Deum dare fatemur quam et nos vt faciamus hortamini If say the Pelagians ye will not haue that obedience to which you inflame vs to frieze in our hearts do not preach vnto vs that grace of God which we confesse God is the giuer of and which you exhort vs to doe Augustine thus concludeth against such Ego autem nolo exaggerare meis verbis sed illis potius cogitandum relinquo vt videant quale sit quod sibi persuaserunt praedicatione praedestinationis audientibus plus desperationis quam exhortationis afferri hoc est enim dicere tunc de sua salute hominem desperare quando spem suam non in seipso sed in Deo didicerit ponere cum propheta clamet Maledictus omnis qui spem ponit in homine Now I will not exaggerate the matter with my words saith he but I rather leaue it to them to consider that they may see what that is which they haue perswaded themselues that by the preaching of predestination the hearers are possessed rather with desperation then with exhortation for this is all one as to say that then a man despaireth of his saluation when he hath learned to put his hope not in himselfe but in God whereas the Prophet proclaymeth Cursed is euery one that putteth his hope in man Therefore saith he Miror homines infirmitati suae se malle committere quam firmitati promissionis Dei I wonder that men had rather commit themselues to their owne infirmitie than to the certaintie of Gods promise But who be they that receiue not this Gospell of God The Apostle resolueth it 2. Cor. 4. 3. If our Gospell bee hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the mindes of them that beleeue not lest the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine vnto them And who are they that peruert the Scriptures to their owne destruction but as St. Peter saith the vnlearned and the vnstable such as are vnlearned in the mysterie of Christ and vnstable in the faith of Christ. And euen that fore cited place of Ezech. 18. which these men hold as the Cittadell and strongest Fort where they haue planted all their munition is besides many other sufficient to argue their iudgement of too great leuity For what righteousnesse I pray you is that which the Prophet there speakes of Is it that righteousnesse whereby wee are iustified in Gods sight Nothing lesse For that righteousnesse is properly the state of grace Nay it is plain that the righteousnes there mentioned is only a morall externall righteousnesse such as we finde in Gen. 18. 26. What if there be fifty righteous in Sodome that is so many morall men that were not tainted with the crying sinnes of that City Was there any other grace to bee expected among the Sodomites than onely a restraining grace which yet not ten in the whole City were found to haue And that the Lord speakes of morall righteousnesse here reade the 5. 6. 7. 8. and 9. Verses of the same Chapter of Ezechiel But it is there said That a man shall liue in that righteousnesse and shall not dye True But how liue Is it not spoken in regard of temporall death and temporall iudgements threatened in the former Chapter to which also the Prouerbe in the 18. Chapter hath reference which Prouerbe also gaue occasion to this whole Chapter Where the Lord shewing himselfe to be an vpright and vnpartiall God both iust and mercifull concludes with an exhortation to repentance and conuersion which is the proper vse and vp-shot as wee said before of all such places of Scripture But to conclude hence that because it is said here If the righteous forsake his righteousnesse that therefore Gods elect may fall finally from grace What is it else but to conclude That all that are called righteous in the Scriptures are the elect of God and so consequently that the very Elect may fall finally from grace and also that those righteous mentioned Matth. 9 13. whom Christ came not to call if they perseuere in that their Pharisaicall righteousnesse shall not dye but therein liue eternally But for as much as these Pontifician Pelagians or call them what you will how soeuer their Doctrine goe as yet vailed as wanting fit opportunity to venditate it self publickly vpon the Stage although it begin to vent it selfe already not in obscure corners but in the Scorners Chaire as hauing no small Patrons and Aduocates to plead its cause if the season serued yet because this Canker begins to spread it selfe yea euen in the purest Church of Christ nay ceazing vpon the very eyes themselues so that in time wee may feare lest as Laban they obtrude vpon vs bleare-eyed Leah in stead of cleare-eyed beautifull Rachel not wanting plausible reason to make it good how contrary to faith soeuer as Laban did saying it was not the manner of the Countrey Let these for the better commendation of their politicke Doctrine giue vs some taste and proofe of the goodnesse of it It seemeth they haue much to say for themselues but if their Doctrine be built vpon such firme ground of policy and wisdome as seeing Gods wisdome is no longer able to do it to make men more carefull of liuing well let these great Reformers of the world giue vs a precedent in the reformation of their owne house No doubt these men are of a most refined stampe sublimated to the very quintessence of humane purity and perfection of vertue Well audiamus bellum puerum as Cato said Let vs heare nay let vs see these faire Lamia's Indeede deformed Lamia being finely flowted by the Orator for his prating could answer for himselfe Vultum mihi fingere non potui ingenium potui I could not frame vnto my selfe a faire feature but wit I could Then said Cato Audiamus disertum Let vs heare the witty youth But these men haue been able to frame vnto themselues both beauty and wit wit to inuent and compose a new plat-forme of vertue
authority ouer the sacred Scriptures whose authority is venerable as Augustine saith Omnia quae proferuntur à sanctis Scripturis plena veneratione suscipere debemus All things whatsoeuer are deliuered out of the holy Scriptures wee ought to entertaine with all reuerence As Tertullian saith Adoro Scripturaeplenitudinem I adore the fulnesse of the Scriptures But what need we further testimonies to vindicate this Catholick truth that the authority of holy Scriptures was euer aboue the Church yet we will only adde a testimony or two that in the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word may be established In St. Chrysostomes workes the vncertaine author but allowed of all euen of the Pontificians themselues vpon the 24. Chapter of St. Matthew vpon these words Then when yee shall see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place let them which are in Iudea flee to the mountaines saith thus that is When ye shall see wicked heresie which is the Army of Antichrist standing in the holy places of the Church then they which are in Iudea let them flye to the Mountaines that is they which are in Christianity let them betake themselues to the Scriptures For as a true Iew is a Christian as the Apostle saith Hee is not a Iew that is one outward but hee that is one inward So the true Iudea is Christianity whose name doth signifie Confession And the Mountaines are the Scriptures of the Apostles and Prophets as it is said of the Church her foundation is vpon the holy Mountaines And why at this time doth hee command all Christians to betake themselues to the Scriptures Because at this time since Heresie hath inuaded the Churches there can be no triall of true Christianity nor other refuge for Christians which desire to know the truth of faith but the holy Scriptures For formerly it was knowne many wayes which was the Church of Christ and which was Gentilisme but now those which would know which is the true Church of Christ cannot know it by any other meanes but by the Scriptures Why Because all those things which are proper to Christ in the truth the same also heresies haue in a figure or similitude they haue likewise Churches they haue likewise the Diuine Scriptures themselues likewise Bishops and other Orders of Clerkes likewise Baptisme likewise the Eucharist and all other things and in a word Christ himselfe Therefore if any would known which is the true Church of Christ how can he in the confusion of so great a similitude discerne it but only by the Scriptures And many other things to this purpose doth the same author there set downe sending vs to the Scriptures as the only touch-stone to try the true Church from the false counterfeit Antichristian Church If therefore the true Church of Christ be known onely by the Scriptures then surely the Scriptures depend not vpon the authority of the Church But that must needes bee the Antichristian Church that challengeth and vsurpeth an absolute power ouer the Scriptures which for their authority and sense must be beholden to the Church to wit the Church of Rome to wit the Pope And the same Authour in the 44. Homily vpon the 23. of Matthew faith Hereticall Priests does shut the gates of truth to wit the holy Scriptures for they know that if the truth should once bee made manifest then their Church is to be forsaken and themselues must come downe from their sacerdotall dignity to a popular basenesse and neither themselues doe enter into the truth of the Scriptures because of their auarice nor suffer others to enter by reason of ignorance But in a point so cleare and not once called into question among the Fathers of former ages but onely by a sort of Heretiques as the Arrians and Manichees and the like still the authority of the Scriptures was preferred aboue all till of late dayes the Church of Rome hauing called from the dead the old hereticall vsurpation hath cryed downe this authoritie of the Scriptures We shall not need to produce more authorities out of the Fathers to vindicate the Scriptures authority aboue the Church or any man whatsoeuer Let vs conclude the controuersie onely with one question The Church of Rome challengeth authoritie ouer the Scriptures I would faine know who gaue her this authoritie For whatsoeuer authority the Church of Rome hath if shee haue it not from the Scriptures of what worth is her authority And if she haue her authority from the Scriptures how comes shee to challenge authority ouer that from whom shee receiueth her authority vnlesse the Church of Rome deale with the Scriptures in the case of authorities as she hath dealt with the Emperours in the case of supremacy For the Bishop of Rome first receiued his supremacy ouer other Bishops from the Emperour hauing it confirmed by that vsurping Parricide Phocas This supremacy not long after grew to that height as that it ouer-topt the imperiall Soueraignety it selfe and so the Pope began to vsurpe authority ouer the Emperour of whom hee receiued his supreame authority Thus he dealeth with the Scriptures For the Pope cannot but confesse that what authority hee hath is grounded vpon the Scriptures else his authority is of no value yet notwithstanding the Pope is not ashamed to auouch that now the authority of the Scriptures doth wholly depend vpon him But if the Popes authority bee such as it hath no ground nor foundation in the Scriptures then he must proue it to bee some diuine Numen falling vnto him immediately from Heauen like the image that came downe from Iupiter so adored of those Ephesians whose Goddesse Diana was so famous Nor euer was that image nor that great Goddesse Diana more adored of the Ephesian world than this imaginary vnlimited transcendent power of the Pope ouer Scriptures and all adored of the Pontifician world But say some Angell from heauen brought him this power in a boxe Vnlesse this power haue vtterly taken away all power and Authoritie yea and truth from the Scriptures it cannot escape Pauls Anathema which Augustine applyeth and wherwith we will shut vp this point Siue de Christo c. Whether it be of Christ or of his Church or of any thing whatsoeuer pertaining to our faith and life I will not say Wee for wee are not to be compared to him that said Although that wee but as he addeth there If an Angel from heauen shall preach vnto you besides that which you haue receiued in the Legall and Euangelicall Scriptures let him bee accursed Now what can be of greater moment concerning faith and life than the Popes authority ouer the Scriptures which being not found in the Scriptures it is together with the Pope and all his worshippers branded with Anathema Which leauing to the Pontificians let vs now come to pitch the certainty of saluation vpon the vnmoueable Rocke of the holy Scriptures Now for the Catholicke doctrine of the certainty of
iustification we affirme against all Pontificians That this certainty is no probable coniecture no generall hope no plausible opinion no deceiueable perswasion no vaine and hereticall presumption no speciall reuelation no peculiar donation to this or that Saint but that this certainety is the natiue and inbred propertie of a true iustifying Faith a perswasion that cannot be deceiued common to euery true beleeuer though after a different degree and measure in some greater in some lesser in some stronger in some weaker according to the measure of Faith and the mixture and allay of humane frailty fighting one against another in euery regenerate man as lacob and Esau in the same wombe shaken with temptations not subdued sustaining long fight but euer at length victorious and when at the weakest yet it is certaine beeeuing though with vnbeliefe against hope beleeuing in hope aboue hope vnder hope For the confirmation of this truth we call the two Testaments to witnesse The Hebrewes haue three speciall words whereby they expresse the nature of true iustifying Faith as touching the certainety of it One is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Emun which signifieth Faith the roote where of is Aman which signifieth to nourish to which Dauid alludes Psal. 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and doe good so shalt thou dwell in the Land 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thou shalt be sed by Faith word for word as Tremelius renders it And in the sixt of Iohns Gospell the Lord ioyneth beleeuing on him and feeding on him together as both one◠As St. Augustine saith Crede manducasti Belecue and thou hast eaten Now this word which the Hebrewes vse for faith signifieth also truth or that which is firme stable or settled And what can bee more firme or certaine than truth The Prophet Esay hath a very elegant exposition of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if ye beleeue not ye shall not be established To beleeue and to bee established both comming of the same roote in the originall Hence also comes the word Amen vsed in all languages which is a note of beleeuing and assenting to the truth and as it were sealing it vnto vs. And the Apostle vseth it for a note of certainty 2 Cor. 1. 20. For all the promises of God in Christ are Yea and in him Amen c. that is Most true and certaine Faith therefore is no doubtfull coniecture or wauering hope but a most certaine beleefe firme as truth it selfe Another word vsed by the Hebrewes for Faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betach which signifieth trust security confidence and affiance This word is vsed by Esay notably to set forth the confidence and securitie of Gods Saints as Esay 32. 17 where speaking of the full reuelation of the Gospell in the comming of Christ in the flesh hee saith Then the worke of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and assurance or securitie for euer as the vulgar Latine renders it Note here that the effect of the righteousnesse of Gods Saints is assurance and security in beleeuing The third word vsed in the Old Testament for beleeuing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chassah which signifieth so to beleeue trust or confide in God as to make him our sure sanctuary and resting place vnder whose protection the Beleeuer is safe and secure as the Chicken vnder the wing of the Hen as we reade this word vsed in Ruth 2. 12. they are the words of Boaz to Ruth The Lord recompence thy worke and a full reward be giuen thee of the Lord God of Israel vnder whose wings thou art come to trust And Dauid vseth the same word in the same phrase of speech Psal. 36. 7. How excellent is thy louing kindnesse O God! therefore the childen of men put their trust vnder the shadow of thy wings As the Lord vseth the same comparison to the vnbelceuing Iewes How often would I haue gathered you together as the Hen gathereth her Chickens vnder her wings and yee would not Thus we see the true nature of Faith as it is expressed by significant words in the Old Testament all of them setting forth the certainty and assurance of Faith in God So that the certainty which beleeuers haue of their iustification is not by any extraordinary reuelation bestowed vpon this or that Saint in particular but it is of the very essence nature of iustifying Faith it selfe and therefore in whomsoeuer this faith is there also is the certainty of Faith securely reposing it self in the bosome of Gods mercy and vnder the wings of his holy protection Come we to the new Testament where let vs begin with that excellent description which the Apostle makes of sauing and iustifying faith peculiar to the Saints of God of whom he setteth downe an ample Catalogue in the 11. Chapter to the Hebrewes Faith saith he vers 1. is the substance of things hoped for and the euidence of things not seene The Greeke Text is very emphaticall and significant First therefore to acquit this faith from being that which the Pontificians would haue to be to wit a meere Historicall faith common with Reprobates and Deuils the Apostle shewes the obiect of it to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things hoped for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things not seene such as the Apostle meaneth 1. Cor. 2. 9. the things which the eye hath not seene which God hath prepared for them that loue him which fall not within the reach of that faith that is common to the wicked who are altogether hopelesse and loue not the Lord Iesus Christ. Therefore the faith here described by the Apostle is the faith of Gods elect alone who onely haue the hope of eternall life Secondly this faith is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the substance as also the vulgar Latine hath it or subsistence of things hoped for that is Faith makes those things that are hoped for to be so sure and certaine as if they were already in our possession Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as an vnder-proppe or basis supporting and sustaining vs with constant patience in the assured expectation of those things hoped for as yet vnseene So that it signifieth a most stedfast vnmoueablenesse of faith As 1 Cor. 15. 58. It is called also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an euidence demonstration or argument as the vulgar Latine of things not seene Now what is more sure and certaine than an euidence or plaine demonstration Whereupon St. Chrysostome vpon these words saith O what an admirable word he vseth saying the argument of things not seene for an argument or demonstration is in things most manifest Therefore faith is a vision of things not appearing and it brings vs to the same certainty to the which wee are brought by things which are seene So that neyther about the obiect of things which are seene can it bee called credulity or incredulity nor againe can