Chap. 2. Of the sufficiencie of the Scripture 232. Chap. 3. Of the originall text of Scripture of the certainty and truth of the originals and of the authority of the vulgar translation 238. Chap. 4. Of the translating of the Scripture into vulgar languages and of the necessitie of hauing the publique liturgie and prayers of the Church in a tongue vnderstood ibid. Chap. 5. Of the three supposed different estates of meere nature grace and sinne the difference betweene a man in the state of pure and meere nature and in the state of sinne and of originall sinne 250. Chap. 6. Of the blessed virgins conception 264. Chap. 7. Of the punishment of originall sin and of Limbus puerorum 270. Chap. 8. Of the remission of originall sinne and of concupiscence remaining in the regenerate 272. Chap. 9. Of the distinction of veniall and mortall sinne 277. Chap. 10. Of free will 279. Chap. 11. Of iustification 290. Chap. 12. Of merit 324. Chap. 13. Of workes of supererogation and Counsels of perfection 331. Chap. 14. Of Election and Reprobation depending on the foresight of something in the parties elected or reiected ibid. Chap. 15. Of the seauen Sacraments 332. Chap. 16. Of the being of one body in many places at the same time ibid. Chap. 17. Of transubstantiation 333. Chap. 18. Touching orall Manducation 334. Chap. 19. Of the reall sacrificing of Christs body on the Altar as a propitiatory sacrifice for the quicke and dead 335. Chap. 20. Of remission of sinnes after this life ibid. Chap. 21. Of Purgatory 336. Chap. 22. Of the Saints hearing of our prayers 337. Chap. 23. Of the superstition and idolatrie committed formerly in the worshipping of Images 338. Chap. 24. Of Absolution ibid. Chap. 25. Of Indulgences and Pardons 339. Chap. 26. Of the infallibility of the Popes iudgment 340. Chap. 27. Of the power of the Pope in disposing the affaires of Princes and their states ibid. The fourth Booke is of the Priuiledges of the Church CHAP. 1. OF the diuerse kindes of the priuiledges of the Church and of the different acceptions of the name of the Church 343. Chap. 2. Of the different degrees of infallibility found in the Church 344. Chap. 3. Of the meaning of certaine speaches of Caluine touching the erring of the Church 345. Chap. 4. Of their reasons who thinke the present Church free from all error in matters of faith 346. Chap. 5. Of the promises made vnto the Church how it is secured from errour of the different degrees of the obedience wee owe vnto it 348. Chap. 6. Of the Churches office of teaching and witnessing the truth and of their errour who thinke the authority of the Church is the rule of our faith and that shee may make new articles of faith 350. Chap. 7. Of the manifold errors of Papists touching the last resolution of our faith and the refutation of the same 351. Chap. 8. Of the last resolution of true faith and whereupon it stayeth it selfe 355. Chap. 9. Of the meaning of those words of Augustine that he would not beleeue the Gospell if the authority of the Church did not moue him 358. Chap. 10. Of the Papists preferring the Churches authority before the Scripture ibid. Chap. 11. Of the refutation of their errour who preferre the authority of the Church before the Scripture 359. Chap. 12. Of their errour who thinke the Church may make new articles of faith 361. Chap. 13. Of the Churches authority to iudge of the differences that arise touching matters of faith 362. Chap. 14. Of the rule of the Churches iudgment 364. Chap. 15. Of the Challenge of Papists against the rule of Scripture charging it with obscurity and imperfection 365. Chap. 16. Of the interpretation of Scripture and to whom it pertaineth 366. Chap. 17. Of the interpretation of the Fathers and how farre wee are bound to admit it 368. Chap. 18. Of the diuerse senses of Scripture 369. Chap. 19. Of the rules we are to follow and the helpes wee are to trust to in interpreting the Scriptures 372. Chap. 20. Of the supposed imperfection of Scriptures and the supply of Traditions 373. Chap. 21. Of the rules whereby true Traditions may be knowne from counterfeit 378. Chap. 22. Of the difference of bookes Canonicall and Apocryphall ibid. Chap. 23. Of the Canonicall and Apocryphall bookes of Scripture 379. Chap. 24. Of the vncertainty and contrariety found amongst Papists touching books Canonicall and Apocryphall now controuersed 382. Chap. 25. Of the diuerse editions of the Scripture and in what tongue it was originally written 385. Chap. 26. Of the Translations of the old Testament out of Hebrew into Greeke 387. Chap. 27. Of the Latin translations and of the authority of the vulgar Latine 388. Chap. 28. Of the trueth of the Hebrew Text of Scripture 390. Chap. 29 Of the supposed corruptions of the Greeke text of Scripture ibid. Chap. 30. Of the power of the Church in making Lawes 393. Chap. 31. Of the bounds within which the the power of the Church in making lawes is contained and whether shee may make lawes concerning the worship of God 394. Chap. 32. Of the nature of Lawes and how they binde 397. Chap. 33. Of the nature of Conscience and how the conscience is bound ibid. Chap. 34. Of their reasons who thinke that humane Lawes do binde the Conscience 399. The fifth booke is concerning the diuers degrees orders and callings of those men to whom the gouernment of the Church is committed CHAP. 1. OF the Primitiue and first Church of God in the house of Adam the Father of all the liuing and the gouernement of same 409. Chap. 2. Of the dignity of the first borne amongst the sonnes of Adam and their Kingly and Priestly direction of the rest 410. Chap. 3. Of the diuision of the preeminences of the first borne amongst the sonnes of Iacob when they came out of Aegypt and the Church of God became Nationall 411. Chap. 4. Of the separation of Aaron and his sonnes from the rest of the sonnes of Leui to serue in the Priests office and of the head or chiefe of that company 412. Chap. 5. Of the Priests of the second ranke or order 413. Chap. 6. Of the Leuites 414. Chap. 7. Of the sects and factions in religion found amongst the Iewes in latter times ibid. Chap. 8. Of Prophets and Nazarites 416. Chap. 9. Of Assemblies vpon extraordinary occasions 417. Chap. 10. Of the set Courts amongst the Iewes their authority and continuance 418. Chap. 11. Of the manifestation of God in the flesh the causes thereof and the reason why the second Person in the Trinity rather tooke flesh then either of the other 423. Chap. 12. Of the manner of the vnion that is between the Person of the Sonne of God and our nature in Christ and the similitudes brought to expresse the same 429. Chap. 13. Of the communication of the properties of eyther nature in Christ consequent vpon the vnion of them in his Person
earnestly to thirst after these waters when hee sayth Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnes but the vngodly having tasted of the wine of mundane joy and temporall riches hate dislike and put from them this water and therefore the Lord sayth well of them by the Prophet Esay 8. Because this people haue refused the waters of Siloe that runne softly and without noyse and haue taken rather Rasin and the sonne of Romelia I will bring upon them the mighty waters of of the floud Siloe is interpreted sent and it signifieth the doctrine of the diuine Law sent vnto vs by Christ the Apostles and other faithfull ones which doctrine the Pastors of the Church are bound vnder the paine of damnation to know and teach whereupon Isidore saith de summo bono lib. 3. c. 46. The Priests shall bee damned for the iniquity of the people if either they neglect to teach them being ignorant or to reproue them when they offend the Lord hauing said by the Prophet I haue set thee as a watch-man ouer the house of Israel and if thou shalt not tell the wicked of his wickednes that hee forsake his euill way he shall dye in his iniquitie but I will require his bloud at thy hand Notwithstanding all this many of the moderne Priests cast from them this learning and say we will none of it because it is not de pane lucrando that is it serueth not to bring in gaine and profite and giue themselues to the study of humane lawes which are not so necessary for the sauing of soules as the law of God because as Odo saith here vpon the Gospell sermone 39. If Christ had knowne that we might more easily attaine saluation by the Lawes of Iustinian he would surely haue taught them vs with his own mouth and haue let that alone which he taught vs and deliuered vnto vs et in quâ continetur implicitè vel explicitè omnis scientia ad salutem necessario requisita and in which is contained expressely or implicitely all knowledge necessarily required to saluation according to that of S. Augustine 2. de doctrinâ Christianâ in fine Whatsoeuer a man learneth without and beside the holy Scripture if it be hurtfull it is there condemned if it bee profitable it may there be found But many Church-men leaue this learning and take vnto them Rasin and the sonne of Romelia Rasin signifieth a picture and Romelia high and mighty thunder so that by Rasin and the sonne of Romelia wee may vnderstand painted and glorious wordes and that wordy thunder of humane lawes which kindes of learning many Ecclesiastical persons assume that they may be by such profession exalted in the courts of great Lords and for this cause as the Prophet addeth the Lord shall bring vpon them the mighty and great waters of the floud that is infernall punishments so saith Odo Hitherto hee hath alleadged the words of Grosthead and Odo In another place he saith concerning them that so contemne the word of God that the Lord complaineth of such by the Prophet Ierem. 2. saying My people hath done two euils they haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing water and haue digged to themselues broken cisterns to which as Gulielmus Parisiensis saith the decree or canon law may fitly be compared which is a broken cisterne that cannot hold water which though it haue water to day shall haue none to morrow because it shall bee abrogated whereas touching the Law of God it is otherwise and therefore the Psalmist saith thy righteousnesse O Lord is an euerlasting righteousnesse and thy law is trueth Yet is the holy Scripture much contemned by the profession of the Canonists so that the knowledge of holy Scripture and profession of Divinity may say to an ill Advocate or Lawyer as Sara said to Abraham in the 16 of Genesis Thou dealest ill with me I gaue thee my handmaid into thy bosome who seeing that she had conceiued despised me for as Gulielmus Parisiensis saith de vitiis part 4. cap. 6. The profession of Canonists contemneth the profession of Divines and science of holy Scripture because they are not so gainefull as it is When Ismael and Isaack played together Ismael mocked Isaack so that Sarâ—… was forced to intreate Abraham to cast out the bondwoman and her sonne So happily it were behoofefull and profitable for the Church that this Science in a great part should be cast out because it not only contemneth the diuine Science and Law of God but blasphemeth it and in so doing contemneth and blaspheameth God himselfe who is the lawgiuer Here wee haue the opinion of three worthy men touching the sufficiencie of the Scripture and the dangers confusions and horrible euils that followed vppon the multiplying of humane inuentions Many more might be alleadged to the same purpose but these may suffice to let us know what the doctrine of the Church was in the dayes of our Fathers for they deliuer not their priuate conceipts but tel vs what all good and iudicious men conceiued of these things in their times But some men will say wee find often mention of traditions in the writers of former ages soe that it seemeth they did not thinke the Scriptures to containe all things necessary to saluation For the clearing of this doubt wee must obserue that by the name of tradition sometimes all the doctrine of Christ and his blessed Apostles is meant that was first deliuered by liuely voice and afterwards written Sometimes the deliuering of the diuine and canonicall bookes from hand to hand as receiued from the Apostles is named a tradition Sometimes the summe of Christian religion contained in the Apostles creed which the Church receiueth as a rule of her faith is named a tradition but euery one of those articles is found in the Scripture as Waldensis rightly noteth though not together nor in the same forme so that this colection may rightly be named a tradition as hauing beene deliuered from hand to hand in this forme for the direction of the Churches children and yet the Scriptures be sufficient Sometimes by the name of traditions the Fathers vnderstand certaine rites and auncient obseruations And that the Apostles delivered some things in this kind by word and liuely voyce that they wrote not wee easily grant but which they were it can hardly now be knowne as Waldensis rightly noteth But this proueth not the insufficiencie of the Scripture for none of those Fathers speake of points of doctrine that are to be belieued without and besides the Scripture or that cannot be proued from thence though sometimes in a generall sort they name all those points of religion traditions that are not found expressely and in precise tearmes in Scripture and yet may necessarily be deduced from things there expressed Lastly by the name of tradition is vnderstood the sense and meaning of the Scripture receiued from the Apostles and deliuered from hand to hand together with the bookes There are
without partiality and Iudge betweene vs as God shall direct thee THE FIRST PART Contayning a discouery of the vanitie of such silly exceptions as haue beene taken against the former foure Bookes by one Theophilus Higgons §. 1. THE first exception Master Higgons is pleased to take against me is that in all my foure Bookes I haue not graced any Father with the glorious title of Saint his words are these I am bold to intreat D Feildes leaue to honour Augustine with the name of Saint howsoeuer hee hath not once vouchsafed in his foure Books to grace him or any Father with this glorious title It is strange that such a novice as he is should dare to begin in so scornfull a manner with so shamelesse an vntruth as if hee had been anold practitioner in the faculty of lying but his desire it seemeth was to giue as good proofe at first as possibly hee might of the good seruice hee is like to do if his new Masters wil be pleased to make vse of him imploy him as they do others For otherwise he could not but know he might easily be convinced of a lye for I haue giuen the title of Saint to Augustine that worthy and renowned Father more then once twice or thrice I call Leo blessed Leo so giue him a title aequivalent to that of Saint more often found in the writings of the Ancient If happily it offend him that euery time I name any Father I giue him not the title of Saint let him take the paines to peruse the writings of Alexander of Hales Tho. Aquinas Scotus Durandus Waldensis Sixtus Senensis and other of that sort I doubt not but hee will soone perceiue his folly cease to be angry with me any longer vnlesse he be resolued to condemne them also This surely is a childish and a bad beginning and may make vs justly feare he will performe little in that which followeth §. 2. THat which he hath in the next place that D Humphrey and I admit try all by the Fathers is true but to no purpose for he and his consorts know right well that the Fathers make nothing for them and therefore they are soone weary of this course of tryall as often as they are brought to it as it appeared by Hardinges writing against Bishoppe Iewell For whereas the challenge was made by that worthie Bishoppe to try the matter of difference betweene the Romanists and vs not onely by discourse of reason or testimonies of Scripture wherein all the world knâ—…w our Adversaries to be too weake but by authorities of the Auncient wherein they were thought to haue more strength And whereas to that purpose hee brought out against them all the renowned Fathers and Bishoppes that lined in auncient times the decrees of Councels then holden and the report of Historians Harding could finde none to speake for him but Martialis Abdias Amphilochius such branded counterfeits nor no other proofes of his cause but the fayned Epistles of the auncient Popes and shamelesse forgeries vnder the honourable names of holy Fathers with other-like base stuffe The thing that offendeth Master Higgons in Doctor Humphrey is that he saith the Romanistes are like Thrasilaus who in a madde humour tooke all the shippes in the Atticke hauen to bee his owne though he possessed not one vessell or rather maketh the degree of their phrensie greater because they see and yet seeing dissemble that they are destitute of all defence from the Fathers Which saying of the worthy and renowned Doctor is most true and shall bee defended against a farre better man then Theophilus Higgons though childishly hee charge him with Notable and vast vntruth in this behalfe Neither shall hee nor any of his great Masters euer proue that I haue vntruely alleadged the cause why Luther Zuinglius and other at the first seemed to decline the tryall by the Fathers for the true cause was indeede as I haue alleadged the feare of the corruptions of the Fathers workes and writings and not any imagination that the Fathers generally from the beginning were in errour which is so barbarous a conceit that it cannot enter into the heart of any reasonable man Neither was it any folly in them as this wise man is pleased to censure the matter to decline the tryall by the Fathers in those times after barbarisme superstition and tyrannie had so long prevayled and almost layd waste all learning religion and liberty of the Church seeing Vincentius Lyrinensis prescribeth that after Heresies haue long preuailed growne inueterate wee shoulde flie to the Scriptures alone SECT 3. IN the third place he saith Hee was desirous to vnderstand why amongst other particulars I should esteeme it a folly and inconstancy in the Romanistes to say that Purgatory is holden by Tradition and yet proued by Scripture Which argueth that the man is either very weake in vnderstanding or else maketh himselfe more simple then indeed he is For hauing shewed that the name of Tradition sometime signifieth euery part of Christian Doctrine deliuered from one to another either by liuely voyce only or by writing sometimes such partes there of onely as were not written by them to whom they were first deliuered and that our Aduersaries so vnderstand the word in the controuersies betweene them and vs. I note it as a contradiction amongst Papistes that some of them say Purgatory is holden by Tradition in that latter sence other that it is proued by Scripture as likewise that some of them alledge for proofe of vnwritten Traditions the article of the consubstantiality of the Sonne of God with the Father and the proceeding of the holy Ghost from them both and others constantly affirme that those Articles may bee proued out of Scripture Now if to bee written and not to bee written to be holden by vnwritten Tradition or Tradition opposite to writing and to bee proued out of Scripture bee not contradictory in Master Higgons his apprehension it is no great matter of what side he be § 4. IN the Fourth place he saith I accept the rule of Saint Augustine that whatsoeuer is frequented by the vniuersall Church and was not instituted by Councels but was alwayes holden that is beleeued most rightly to be an Apostolicall tradition And that liberally I adde that whatsoeuer all or the most famous and renowned in all ages or at the least is diuers ages haue constantly deliuered as receiued from them that went before them no man doubting or contradicting it may be thought to be an Apostolical tradition Whence hee thinketh hee may conclude ineuitably by my allowance that prayer for the dead may bee thought to be an Apostolicall tradition many famous and renowned Fathers in diuers ages mentioning prayer for the dead and none disliking or reprouing it For answere whereunto I say that prayer for the resurrection publike acquittall in the day of Iudgement and perfit consummation and blisse of them that
seene him and talked with him they professed that they beleeved not for her saying any longer for themselues had heard him speake and did know that hee was the Saviour of the world indeed So men at the first beginne to beleeue moued so to doe by the authority of the Church but rest not in it but in the infallible assurance of diuine trueth Vpon the mistaking of this saying of S. Augustine and an erroneous conceit that our faith stayeth wholly vpon the authority and testimony of the Church hath growne that opinion that the authority of the Church is greater than the authority of the Scriptures CHAP. 10. Of the Papistes preferring the Churches authority before the Scripture TOuching which odious comparison I find some shew of difference amongst the Papistes but none indeede Some affirme that the authorities of the Church and of the Scripture being in divers kindes may in diverse sorts and respects either of them be sayd to be greater then the other to wit the one in nature of an euidence the other of a Iudge and that therefore the comparing of them in authority is vnfit and superfluous Others say that the Church is greater then Scriptures The Rhemists seeme to be of the first sort seeking to conceale that which indeede they thinke because they would not incurre the dislike and ill opinion of men naturally abhorring from so odious a comparison Yet in the same place they doe make the comparison and preferre the Church before the Scriptures 1. In respect of antiquity in that it was before them 2. In excellencie of nature in that the Church is the spouse of Christ the Temple of God the proper subject of God and his graces for which the Scriptures were and not the Church for the Scriptures 3. In power of judging of doubts and controversies the Church hauing judiciall power the Scripture not being capable of it 4. In euidence the definition of the Church being more cleare and evident then those of the Scriptures Stapleton sayth the comparison may be made and the Church preferred before the Scriptures foure wayes 1. So as if the Church might define contrary to the Scriptures as shee may contrary to the writings of particular men how great soeuer In this sense they of the Church of Rome make not the comparison neither doe we charge them with any such thing though Stapleton be pleased to say so of vs. 2. So as the Church may define though not contrary to yet beside the Scripture or written Word of God This comparison is not made properly touching the preheminence of one aboue another in authority but the extent of one beyond the other as Stapleton rightly noteth In this sense the Romanists make the Church greater in authority than the Scriptures that is the extent of the Churches authority larger than of the Scriptures to bring in their traditions but this wee deny and will in due place improue their errour herein Thirdly in the obedience they both challenge of vs where they all say that we are bound with as great affection of piety to obey and submit our selues vnto the determinations of the Church as of the Scriptures both being infallible of diuine and heauenly authority against which no man may resist and that it is a matter of faith so to thinke Yea some of them as Stapleton in the same place are not ashamed to say that wee are bound with greater certaintie of faith to subscribe vnto the determinations of the Church than of the Scriptures and that it is the authority of the Church that maketh vs accept embrace and beleeue the Scriptures Fourthly in the nature of the things themselues in which respect they preferre the Church before the Scriptures as being in it selfe more excellent then the Scriptures as the subject by which the spirit worketh is more excellent then the thing hee worketh by it CHAP. 11. Of the refutation of their errour who preferre the authority of the Church before the Scripture THat wee may the better discerne what is to bee resolued touching these two latter comparisons betweene the Church and the Scriptures wee must remember that which I haue before noted touching them both For first the name of the Church sometimes comprehendeth onely the beleeuers that now presently are liuing in the world Sometimes not onely these but all them also that haue beene since the Apostles times Sometimes all that are and haue beene since Christ appeared in the flesh If the comparison bee made betweene the Church consisting onely of the faithfull that now are and the Scripture wee absolutely deny the equality of their authority and say it is impiety to thinke that both may challenge an equall degree of obedience and faith to bee yeelded to them for it cannot bee proued that the Church thus taken is free from errour nay themselues with one consent confesse that generall Councels representing this Church may erre though not in matters of substance which they purposely meete to determine yet in other passages and in the reasons and motiues leading to such determinations and consequently the whole Church may erre in the same things the one in their opinion being no more infallible than the other Yea some of them feare not to pronounce that Popes and generall Councells may erre damnably and that the Church itselfe may erre in matters not fundamentall though without pertinacy as Picus in his theoremes and Waldensis who freeth only the vniuersall Church consisting of the faithfull that are and haue beene from errour and not the present Church as I shewed before We are so farre then from preferring the Church thus taken as Stapleton in the place aboue mentioned professeth he taketh it in authority before the Scripture that we thinke it impiety to imagine it to be equall That the authority of the Church maketh vs to beleeue with an humane and acquisite faith we deny not but that it maketh vs to beleeue with a diuine faith we deny as before If the comparison be made between the Church consisting of all the faithfull that haue bin since besides the Apostles writers of the holy Scriptures though we think the Church thus taken to be free from any error yet dare we not make it equall to the Scripture For that the Scripture is infallibly true as inspired immediatly frō the spirit of truth securing the writers of it from errour The Church not in respect of the condition of the men of whom it consisteth or the manner of the guiding of the spirit each particular man being subject vnto errour but in respect of the generality and vniversality of it in euery part whereof in every time no errour could possibly be found And for that whatsoeuer is vniuersally deliuered by it is thereby prooued to be from the Apostles of whose faith wee are secure Thus then the whole Church thus taken is subiect to the Scripture in all her parts and hath her infallibility from it and therefore in her
concurreth with grace not as precedent vnto it but as following after it and as a handmaide attending on it is most false For hee approoueth the saying of Augustine but reproueth the Master of sentences for misseunderstanding and misseapplying it That which followeth that Caluine dissenteth from Augustine in the matter of iustification is of the same nature For he saith only that though nothing be to bee disliked in the matter it selfe deliuered by Augustine for that it is plaine that acknowledging the imperfection of inherent iustice and thinking it our greatest perfection to know our owne imperfections and seeke remission of our sinfull defects he cannot but acknowledg the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to be that in confidence whereof we stand in the sight of God yet his manner of deliuering this article is not so full perfect and exact as wee are forced to require in these times against the errours of the Romanists For that when hee speaketh of grace hee seemeth for the most part to vnderstand nothing else thereby but that sanctification whereby the holy spirit of God changeth vs to become newe creatures seldome mentioning the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ. That which Bellarmine chargeth Caluin with in the next place argueth his intollerable impudencie Caluin sayth hee doth thinke that the sonne of God is subiect to the father in respect of his Deitie which because all the Fathers deny he pronounceth they all erred and that their errour cannot be excused Let the Reader peruse the place and he shall finde that Calvin saith no such thing but the cleane contrary Indeed Hugo de S. Victore in his questions on the 1 Epist. to the Corinth 15. saith that CHRIST is subject to his Father according to his divine nature and sheweth that many haue beene of that opinion But Caluin saith no such thing neither doth hee charge the Fathers with any errour touching the distinction of the Natures of God and Man in Christ or the vnity of his Person but saith onely that some of them applying those things distinctly to one of the natures of Christ which are applyable to the whole Person of the Mediatour entangle themselues in some doubts which otherwise might easily be cleared which will easily appeare by that place of Hugo before mentioned The kingdome saith Hugo which Christ shall deliuer to his Father so become subject vnto him either was giuen vnto him in that he was God and then he cannot resigne it nor become subject to his Father because in that respect he is equal vnto him whence we say equalis Patri secundùm diuinitatem minor Patre secundum humanitatem Or in that he was man and that seemeth not conceiuable For the nature of man is not capable of that infinite power that is implyed in the Kingdome which God gaue his Sonne He answereth that he may be said to be subject to his Father in that he is God because though he haue the same essence with him yet he hath receiued it from him How aptly this may be said I will not now examine but how in this sense he may be said to giue vp his kingdome to his Father is yet more hard to conceiue Ambrose saith he may be said to giue it vp not by reall resigning of that he had but by bringing vs to his Father and shewing vs that Fountaine whence he receiued it and all that fulnesse whereof we are partakers These are doubts which Calvin saith that the Fathers doe not cleare attributing the Kingdome of Christ vnto him distinctly in respect of this or that nature But he affirming that the Kingdome of Christ doth not agree vnto him distinctly or seuerally in respect of this or that nature but to the whole person considered in both natures easily expresseth himselfe For saith he God gaue to his Sonne by eternall generation the same essence he had in himselfe and with it the same power and kingdome and this he shall neuer resigne Secondly he gaue to the nature of man not by formall transfusion but in the Person of his Sonne which in the admirable worke of the Incarnation he bestowed on it to support and sustaine it all that power he had originally in himselfe and eternally gaue his Sonne so that the Sonne of God after the taking of our nature into the vnity of his person administreth not his Kingdome without the vnion knowledge assent and cooperation of the nature of man which he shall continue to doe while wee neede mediation and till he haue brought vs to his Fathers presence and to the cleare view and sight of his Majestie Then shall hee cease to rule in this sort any more his humane nature shall not neede to bee interposed any longer but he shall appeare in the glory of his Godhead then shall he be subject to his Father in the nature of man in more speciall sort then now he is because though now he be inferiour vnto God in that he is man and so subject to him yet that nature of man intermeddleth with the administration of the Kingdome in such sort as then it shall cease to doe though it shall neuer lose that power and kingdome which in the Person of the Son of God it is honoured with CHAP. 16. Of Limbus patrum concupiscence and satisfaction touching which Caluine is falsely charged to confesse that hee dissenteth from the Fathers THe next imputation is touching Limbus patrum supposed to be a place below in the earth neere hell if not a part of hell which Caluin pronounceth to bee but a fable though it haue great authours and patrons as if this were so strange a thing that a fable and meere fancie should finde approbation among some of the Fathers The opinion of the Millenaries I suppose Bellarmine thinketh but a meere fancie yet had it great and reuerend patrons If hee say that all the Fathers did hold the opinion of Limbus and that Caluin opposeth himselfe against them all hee is cleerely refuted by Augustine who doubted of it Besides that their popish Limbus supposed to haue beene a receptacle for the soules of the Patriarches but only till the death and resurrection of Christ as being then emptied by him is a meere priuate conceite of their owne wanting the testimonies of the most auncient Fathers For Tertullian Irenaeus and others did thinke the soules of all men to bee holden in hell till the last day And if it were resolued that there was such a Limbus as they fancie yet their Schoolemen are not agreed of the place neither dare they affirme that it was below in the earth though they seeme most inclineable to that opinion The next false reporte that Bellarmine maketh of Caluin is that he opposeth himselfe against all Antiquitie in the question whether concupiscence in the regenerate be sinne or not This hee endeauoureth to make good in this sorte Calvin saith he professeth that Augustine hath truely and
faithfully gathered the opinions of all the Fathers and that his iudgement is their iudgment but he opposeth himself against Augustine therefore against all the Fathers This assumption we deny For Calvin no way dissenteth from Augustine but saith onely it may seeme that there should be some little difference betweene Augustine and vs For that wee affirme concupiscence in the regenerate to be sinne but he is fearefull to call it sinne vnlesse it be consented vnto naming it rather an euill sickenesse infirmity or the like But else-where taking away this doubt he saith that Augustine feareth not sometimes to call it sinne whereby the consent and agreement betweene Augustine and Caluin appeareth It were easie to shew that not onely Augustine but the Fathers generally were of the same opinion that we are of and that the popish opinion is a most dangerous and damnable errour if this were a fit place to enter into the exacte handling of that question But let vs see the rest of his objections Caluin saith he in the matter of satisfaction chargeth all the Fathers with errour This is as true as the rest For Caluin doth not say they erred in this matter of satisfaction for he sheweth plainely they were far from the absurditie of the Popish conceipt but he saith disiunctiuely only that either they erred or at least vsed some phrases and formes of speech that may seeme hard and neede a good and fauourable construction rather than to be wrested to a worse sense then they were vttered in as the manner of the Popish Sophisters is to deale with the writings of the Fathers For the clearing of this matter we must obserue that in sinne there are two things the sinfulnesse the punishment which for it the iustice of God inflicteth Both these are taken away by Christ but in a different sort The sinfulnes by the operatiō working infusion of grace the punishmēt by the imputatiō of Christs sufferings who suffering that he deserued not freeth vs frō that wee were deservedly to haue suffered From one of these wee cannot bee freede vnlesse also wee bee freede from the other and in what degree wee are delivered from the one wee are discharged from the other if wee be freed onely from the dominion of sinne we are onely discharged from the condemnation of eternall death if from all sinnefullnesse wee are discharged from all touch of any puuishment But the Romanists do teach touching sinnes committed after Baptisme that God contenteth not himselfe with the most perfect abolishing and extinguishment of all sinnefullnesse by working of Diuine grace the satisfaction of Christs sufferings but that he doth require that we suffer the extremity of that wee haue deserued onely some little mitigation procured by the bloudshead of Christ and the eternity excepted from which our ceasing from sin doth free vs the punishment of sin being eternall because sinne is eternall Hence it commeth that they teach that if wee will not suffer and endure the extremity of punishment wee haue deserued wee must make some other recompence to Gods iustice for it This is a blasphemous assertion and contrary to the doctrine of all the Fathers who know and teach as wee do that the iustice of God and his wrath against sinne is satisfied in Christ that this satisfaction is imputed to vs not continuing in but ceasing from sinne that according to the degree of our ceasing from sinne this satisfaction is diversly imputed So that if wee cease from sinne onely so that it hath no more dominion over vs it is imputed in such sort as it dischargeth vs only from condemnation but if wee wholy cease from sinne it is so imputed vnto vs as that it freeth vs from all punishment whatsoeuer So that if there were found in any of vs a perfect leauing forsaking of sinne GODS iustice would lay no punishment vppon vs. But the Romanistes thinke it might and would for precedent sinne though now wholly forsaken and quite abolished It is true indeede that the Fathers sometimes vsed the name of satisfaction in their writings but to another purpose than the Romanists doe They knew that euils are cured by contraries and therefore in the curing of sinfull soules they prescribe that which Caluine also doth that men hauing offended in yeelding too much to their owne desires pleasures delights and profits should for the freeing of themselues from the euill of sinne deny something to them selues which otherwise they might lawfully enioy which if they do not they shall in the punishments which God will bring vpon them tast the bitternesse of that that seemed sweete vnto them in sinne This exercise of repentant mortification the Fathers called satisfaction not as if the iustice of God were not satisfied in Christ or wee were tied yea though wee should wholly forsake sinne yet to satisfie for that is past by suffering so much as our sinnes haue deserued or else to doe some painefull thing equiualent to such sufferings which is the popish errour But because wee must doe that in this kind of repentant mortification which may be sufficient for the finding out of the depth of that wound which sinne hath made in the soule for remouing the causes of it the extinguishment of that remaineth of it the taking away the occasions and the preuenting of the reentrance of it againe This if wee do wee shall preuent the hand of GOD which otherwise would smite vs not to be satisfied in the course of his Iustice which at our hands cannot bee looked for and which is aboundantly satisfied in Christ and would not touch vs for any thing past if by perfect forsaking of sinne wee were fully ioyned vnto him but to driue vs by bitter sorrow to purge out that sinfullnesse and those remainders which our precedent sinnes left behind them in respect whereof wee are not yet fully ioyned to Christ. These remainders of sinne if wee dislike cast off and forsake and iudge and condemne our selues as the Apostle speaketh wee shall not bee iudged of the Lord for them This happie course of preventing the hand of God turning away his punishments by bitter and afflictiue recounting of our sinnes the Fathers call Satisfaction Some sayings of the Fathers it may bee there are which are hard and must with a favourable constructiō be reduced to the sense we haue expressed and that is all that Calvin saith for which how justly he is blamed let the Reader judge CHAP. 17. Of Prayer for the dead and Merite THe next calumniation is concerning prayer for the dead Let the Reader obserue what it is that Bellarmine is to proue and he shall find that he doth nothing but trifle For he is to proue that Calvin confesseth that more then a thousand three hundred yeares since the Popish doctrine and custome of prayer for the dead did prevaile and was generally receiued in the whole Church of God throughout the world This if hee will
proue hee affirmeth But he will say that Caluin in the same place doth except against the Fathers Surely he saith hee thinketh they cannot be altogether excused in that they soe much vrged the mysticall sacrificing of Christs body in the Sacrament and thereby made it carry a kinde of shew of a new and newly repeated sacrifice for that by misconstruction of that they meant well others turned the Sacrament into a new offering of the Sonne of God for the quicke and dead The reason doubtlesse that mooued the Fathers so much to vrge that mysticall sacrificing of CHRIST in the blessed Sacrament was for that they liued in the middest of Iewes and Gentiles both whose religion consisted principally in sacrifice the Fathers therefore to shew that Christian Religion is not without sacrifice that of a more excellent nature than theirs were did much vrge that Christ once offered for the sinnes of the World vpon the aulter of his Crosse is dayly in mystery offered slaine and his blood powred out on the holy Table and that this sacrifice of Christ slaine for the sins of the world thus continually represented and liuing in our memories is the sacrifice of Christians If any man shall alleage that these were reasons sufficient to moue the Fathers to speake as they did notwithstanding any occasions of errour that might by ignorant men bee taken Caluine doth not pertinaciously resist for he sayd only what hee thought not peremptorily iudging or condemning those whom so iust and good causes haue made honourable in the Church for ever CHAP. 20 Of the inuocation and adoration of Saints touching which the Century-writers are wrongfully charged to dissent from the Fathers THus then I hope it appeareth that Caluine doth not confesse that the doctrine of the Romanists hath any testimonie or approbation of Antiquity Bellarmine therefore passeth from him to the writers of the Centuries in whom hee hopeth to find something for his purpose but they steade him as little as Caluine did Let vs therefore take a view of that hee sayth Touching free-will iustification merits and the like there is nothing in them but that which hath bin sufficiently I hope cleared in Caluine the things they say being the same Only two things I find imputed to them by Bellarmine and not to Caluine For first they are supposed to acknowledge the Popish invocation of Saints to haue beene in the time of the Fathers and allowed by them Secondly they are charged to blame the Fathers for magnifying too much the excellency of Martyrdome the praises whereof Bellarmin saith they dislike because they will not admit that Martyrdome is a kind of baptisme seruing for the expiation washing away of sin Touching the inuocation of Saints it is euident it was not known in the first ages of the Church nor approoued by the Primitiue Fathers but because it hath mightily preuailed in these later times the superstition and idolatry there in committed hath beene such as cannot be excused therefore for the better answering of Bellarmines cauils and the satisfying of our selues and others let vs consider from what grounds and by what degrees it entred into the Church First there was in the Church from the beginning a true and certaine resolution that the Saints departed do in generall tender respect and wish well vnto their brethren and fellow seruants whom they haue left behind them in the warfare of Christ in this worlde Secondly men grew afterwards to thinke that men departing out of this world carry with them the remembrance of the state of things wherein departing hence they leaue them and that out of their loue which neuer falleth away they do most carefully recommend vnto God the particular necessities of their brethren made knowen vnto them while they liued there Thirdly from hence it came that men entreated their friends yet liuing that if they preuented them and came before them into Christ their maisters ioyfull and happie presence being freed from the daungers miseries and euils of this present life they would not forget to recommend them vnto God that are in them still Fourthly whereas by an auncient custome they did remember the names of the departed at the LORDS table giuing thankes vnto GOD that had made them soe glorious in their life and death through his goodnesse and praying him by their examples to frame them to the like and besides kept the anniuersarie remembrances of the dayes of their death as if they had beene their birth dayes with all tokens of ioy in the orations they made to sett forth the goodnesse of GOD towards them and to propose their example for imitation they did sometimes by way of Apostrophe speake vnto them as if they had beene present and had sense and apprehension of that they spake whereof yet they were doubtfull as appeareth by Gregory Nazianzen Hierome others and not contented thus to commune with them they entreated them if they had any sense or knowledge of things in this world to be remembrancers for them and the Church here below This was a kinde of doubtfull compellation soliciting of them If their state were such as that they could take notice of these things that they would not forget to procure the good of their brethren but was no invocation which is a retyring of our selues in all our needes necessities and distresses with assured hope of helpe to him that wee know can stede vs in what distresse soeuer wee bee Thus then though the Fathers did sometimes when they had particular occasions to remember the Saints and to speake of them by way of Apostrophe turne themselues vnto them and vse wordes of doubtfull compellation praying them if they haue any sense of these inferiour things to bee remembrancers to God for them yet shall our adversaries neuer proue that they did prostrate their bodies bow their knees or make prayers to them in a set course of devotion but this both adoration and invocation of Saints and Angels was directly condemned by them We honour the Saints saith Ierome but doe not worship or adore any creature neither Angels Archangels nor any name that is named in this world or that which is to come The Councell of Laodicea reported by Theodoret directly condemneth this kinde of adoration and invocation not of Saints onely but of Angels also The Popish distinction of Latria and Doulia doth not answere these authorities and testimonies of Antiquity for those erring miscreants mentioned by Paul the Councell of Laodicea Theodoret Epiphanius and others did not thinke the Angels to be God or equall to the Most High neither did they worship them in such sort as to ascribe infinite greatnesse vnto them which the Papists meane by their Latria but they gaue spirituall worship and adoration vnto them in an inferiour and lower degree such as the Papists call Doulia because they thought them to mediate betweene God and mortall men in very high and
of rest till the day of the resurrection Yea it is knowne to all them that haue perused the monuments of Antiquitie that Iraeneus Iustin Martyr Tertullian and sundry others were of opinion that none of the iust are in Heauen till the end and consummation of all things but that they are below in some part of hell or in some hidden inuisible place sequestred from the presence of God till the second comming of the sonne of man Now seeing the inuocation of Saints presupposeth that they pray for vs in particular and particular prayer for vs knowledge of our wants which the presence and sight of God is supposed to afford them if they do not yet enioy the presence of God as many of the Auncient though falsely did thinke wee see not how in their iudgment there should be any safe and fruitfull inuocating of them For the absence from GOD and the not enioying of his sight and presence is the reason alleaged by our adversaries why the Fathers in the time before Christ neither prayed in particular for the Church on earth nor were prayed vnto as being in Lymbus and not in heauen Howsoever it is most certaine if we looke into the auncient practise of the Church that the Saints in their anniuersarie solemnities and holy daies were not prayed vnto but remembred only proposed for imitation rather prayed for then prayed vnto as it appeareth by that Innocentius reporteth that in the Feast of blessed Leo the auncient custome was to pray that the solemnitie of that day and the oblations then offered might bee auaileable to his soule for the encrease and consummation of his glory which since hath beene altered the prayer is now that by his mediation this Festivall solemnity may availe and be to the good of them that obserue and keepe it So that it cannot be shewed by our adversaries that before the auncient Liturgies were abandoned and those brought in by Gregory had gotten into their place there was any invocation of the Saints found in the publique prayers of the Church but when their names were remembred men prayed only to God that he would giue them grace to follow their examples make them partakers of that happinesse which those blessed ones already enjoy And at that time when this alteration began the invocation was not brought into the Liturgie and publique prayers of the Church in direct forme but men prayed still vnto God only though desiring him the rather to respect them for that not only their brethren on earth but they also that are in heauen cease not prostrate before his sacred Majestie to pray for them Neither is there any other forme of prayer found in the Missall but in the sequences and Litanies onely Wherefore to conclude this matter concerning the invocation and adoration of Saints and Angels seeing the Fathers did not in their sette courses of devotion make prayers to the Saints but when they had particular occasions to speake or thinke of them vsed doubtfull compellations desiring them if they had sense of these things to be remembrancers for them vnto God seeing for ought we know the Saints are not particularly acquainted with the state of things here below seeing no degree of spirituall worship is to bee giuen to any creature we invocate them not but pray vnto God onely assuring our selues that if they can heare vs or any way further our suites they will doe it when we pray vnto God as Augustine rightly obserueth We adore them not but rest in the judgment of the same Augustine that the Saints are to be honoured for imitation but not to be adored for Religion that they doe not seeke desire or accept any such honour but will haue vs to worship God onely being glad that we are their fellow-servants in well-doing The Romanists evasion that God is onely to bee adored with that highest kinde of religious worship which is named Latria which yeeldeth to him that is worshipped infinite greatnesse but the Saints may be adored with an inferiour kinde of religious worship named Doulia is directly contrary to Augustine who speaking of Saints Angels saith Honoramus eos charitate non servitute Wee honour them with the honour of loue but not of Doulia or service If they say they haue this distinction frō Austine it is true but he doth not vse it to this purpose to make difference of two sorts of religious or spirituall worship the highest degree whereof should be Latria the lowest Doulia neither doth he anywhere call the honour giuen to Saints Doulia but nameth it the honour of loue and fellowship but he vseh to distinguish religious worship euery degree whereof he calleth Latria from that externall and ciuill worship dutie and seruice that men yeeld to their Princes Masters and Rulers which is fitly named Doulia a seruice but it is servitus corporis non animae a seruice of the body and not of the minde For men notwithstanding this servitude haue their mindes and their thoughts free as being knowne to none nor ouerruled by none but GOD onely But the service of the spirit and minde in the lowest degree that can be imagined is due vnto GOD onely and not to bee giuen to any creature for no creature knoweth the secrets of our hearts no creatute can prescribe lawes touching the inward actions thoughts of the mind not hauing knowledge of them nor power to punish them that should offend It is therefore an impious conceipt of the Papists that the Saints both can and doe know all our inward actions and secret thoughts approuing or reprouing excusing or accusing them and that as presidents of our whole life and conuersation and that therefore they are to bee honoured and worshipped with spirituall service or seruice of the spirit and minde Thus then it is true the Centurie writers report that in the third and fourth age after Christ there were some beginnings of that superstition which afterwards grew to be intolerable in the adoration and inuocation of Saints and Angels but neither they nor wee are so ignorant as to thinke that the inuocation of Saints or the adoration of them preuailed in the Church within the compasse of the first six hundred yeares neither doe they as Bellarmine is pleased to slaunder them taxe that as idolatry in the Romane Church which they find to haue beene the practise of all the Fathers for they finde nothing of the Romish Idolatry in these glorious lights of the Christian world CHAP. 21. Of Martyrdome and the excessiue prayses there◅f found in the Fathers THe next allegation against them is touching Martyrdome which Bellarmine saith they suppose the Fathers did too immoderately and excessiuely magnifie and extoll The reason of this their censure hee thinketh is because they will not admitte it to bee a kinde of Baptisme and to wash away sinne as both the Romanists and the Fathers teach For the better
cleering of this point and the answering of this obiection we must remember that whereas the ordinary and set meanes of saluation is Baptisme so that no man carelessely neglecting or wilfully contemning it can be saued The Fathers notwithstanding doe constantly teach that if men be excluded by ineuitable impossibilitie they may be saued without it and that faith and the inward conuersion of the heart flying vnto GOD in Christ through the gracious instinct and sweete motion of the sanctifying spirit may bee reckoned a kind of Baptisme because thereby they obtaine all that which should haue beene sought in the Baptisme of water And because if an ordinary degree of faith doe sometimes obtaine saluation without the Baptisme of water much more that which maketh men willing to suffer death for CHRIST therefore they affirme that Martyrdome and the constant suffering for Christ is also fitly named Baptisme So that there are three kinds of Baptisme Flaminis Fluminis Sanguinis Of water of the spirit and bloud It appeareth by Bernards Epistle to Hugo de sancto victore of this Argument that there were some in his time who though they thought that Martyrdome doth supply the defecte of Baptisme yet would not grant that faith and the inward conuersion of the heart without such suffering doth so and therefore though they confessed that Martyrs not baptised with the Baptisme of water may be saved yet they denyed that others though repenting beleeuing and conuerting vnto God can possiblie obtaine remission of their sinnes without the sacramentall washing Against these Barnarde reasoneth in this sorte If Martyrdome doe supply the defect of Baptisme it is not poena but fides not the suffering but the faith of the sufferer that makes it bee of so great force Nam absque fide quid est Martyrium nisi poena For were it not for faith what were the passions of Martyrs but bitter and vncomfortable torments onely Shall then that which maketh Martyrdome bee esteemed in steade of Baptisme be so infirme and weake that what it giues to another thing it shall be denyed to haue it selfe The sheading of our blood for Christ is an vndoubted proofe and demonstration of a very great constant and vnmoueable faith but it is not God but men that take notice of faith by these proofes For God doth often see and pronounce the faith of a man dying in peace to be as great as the faith of a Martyr for that though it be not proued by Martyrdome it is ready for Martyrdome and animates him that hath it to suffer any thing if neede should require This which Barnarde hath thus deliuered touching this point is the constant doctrine of the Fathers neither doe wee or the Authours of the Centuries dislike any thing in it but wee condemne the vaine and idle disputes of the Romish Schools touching these three kinds of Baptisme especially in that they teach concerning Martyrdome that it giueth grace ex opere operato so that if a man not iustified nor yet in the state of grace come vnto it and do not ponere obicem hee shall by vertue thereof obtaine grace haue the effects of it wrought in him in such sort as in the Baptisme of water This not onely wee condemne but many amongst themselues affirming that Martyrdome hath no force to worke or procure our good farther then the greatnesse of our faith and loue which is therein tried approued and made manifest doth worke it The Centurie writers reproue not the Fathers for any such errour as the Papists doe maintaine touching the force of Martyrdome but they dislike that the Fathers did vse so many Hyperboles and Rhetoricall amplifications in the praysing of Martyrdome though in a good sense that the Romish Sophisters haue from thence taken occasion of their errour touching the merite satisfaction and expiation of sinnes which they fancie to bee in the blood of Martyrs of which impietie the Fathers neuer thought Thus then it doth not appeare by any thing which Bellarmine hath or can alleadge that wee confesse the faith of the Romanists to bee the auncient profession of the primitiue Christians but rather the contrary is constantly defended by all our Diuines in the places produced by him CHAP. 22. Wherein is examined their proofe of the Antiquitie of their doctrine taken from a false supposall that our doctrine is nothing else but heresie long since condemned LEt vs therefore come to his third part wherein hee vndertaketh to proue that the doctrine of the reformed Churches opposite to the faith and profession of Rome is the same with the old heresies long since condemned by the vniuersall consent of the whole Christian world In this part hee is so shamelesse that I blush at the very thought of that hee so doctorally and grauely deliuereth as if it were truer than trueth it selfe whereas in his conscience he knoweth it to be an vntrueth so grosse and apparant that the diuell himselfe will bee ashamed of it Hee reckoneth twenty seuerall heresies of damned Arch-heretickes euery of which he pronounceth that wee silly men defend and imbrace as the sacred trueth of God Let vs for our better satisfaction and refutation of so vile a slaunder take a view of the particulars Hee placeth in the front the heresie of Simon Magus and his disciples which was that the Angels made the world that the Prophets were inspired from them and deliuered their pleasure not the will and pleasure of the high God and that therefore the things commaunded by them were not in themselues good or to bee respected that God was displeased with their gouernment and would exempt his own from it haue them free to doe what they list for that men are saued by his fauour and not in doing those things which though they were commaunded and imposed as good by Moyses and the Prophets mis-ledde by the Angels yet were not naturally so but by accident onely This he saith is the errour of the Protestants for they thinke God made the world and not the Angels that Moyses and the Prophets spake as they were inspired of him that the things they cōmaunded are just and holy that there is no way of saluation but by hauing that righteousnesse the Law of Moses prescribeth which all they that are saued haue First by imputation of that perfect righteousnesse and obedience to Moses Law which was found in Christ to merit our good secondly by the operation infusion of sanctifying grace from him making them to hate sinne to loue righteousnesse walke in the wayes of Gods commaundements so that sinne hath no more dominion ouer them Surely I thinke if the diuell himselfe fate as Iudge in this case hee could not but condemne the impudencie of this his shamelesse disciple But he addeth Eunomius taught that if a man would embrace his profession he should bee saued though he continued without repentance remorse in all maner of most damnable wickednesse
Christian Churches throughout the world as well those of the East as of the West doe euer did though they doe not so certainely resolue what their state is that are departed hence what is yet wanting vnto them or wherein or how far forth they may bee benefitted by our prayers but the Romish conceipt of Purgatorie and their praying to deliuer thence none of the Easterne Churches admit neither doe wee This is that which our Aduersaries must finde in the Canon of the Masse if they will say any thing against vs for the proofe of the Romish religion out of the canon Let vs heare therefore what the forme of the prayer for the dead is which is found in the canon of the Masse The words of it are Remember Lord thy servants and thine handmaides N. or N. which are gone before vs with the badge of faith and doe sleepe in the sleepe of peace O Lord wee pray thee to graunt to them and to all that are at rest in Christ a place of refreshing of light and peace That this prayer hath no respect to Purgatorie or to the deliuerance thence it is evident For how doe they sleepe in peace that are tormented in Purgatorie and whose paines are no lesse than those of hell though they bee not eternall Or who is so voyde of sense as to thinke that all that are at rest in Christ are tormented in Purgatorie and that to all these God is entreated in this prayer to graunt a place of refreshing of light peace So that first it is euident that a place of refreshing light and peace is wished to such as are not in Purgatorie For it is wished to all that are at rest in the Lord. But all that are at rest in the Lord are not in Purgatorie whence it will further follow that the Church prayeth for them that shee doth not thinke to bee in Purgatorie and consequently that prayer for the dead proueth not Purgatorie as they would make the world beleeue that it doth And secondly that the Church at that time when this forme of prayer was first composed did not beleeue or thinke that there is any Purgatory For if shee had had any such perswasion shee would not haue forgotten to recommend to God the wofull estate of men so afflicted as they are supposed to bee that are there That this prayer can haue no reference to the state of men in Purgatorie paines it is so cleere that Iohn the 22 who supposed as many of the auncient also did long before him and the Easterne Christians still doe that the soules of the iust are so at rest in Christ that yet they remaine vnder the altar that is vnder the protection and comfort of the humanity of Christ in a state place of happines foretasted but not fully enioyed and that they shall not bee lifted vp aboue to the view of the deitie of Christ as it is in it selfe the vision of God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost till the judgement produceth this prayer for confirmation of his opinion supposing that seeing a place of refreshing peace is here wished to them that are at rest in Christ which cannot in any sense be vnderstood of such as are in purgatory therefore there is some state of men free from paine punishment wherein they are expect the accomplishment of happines To which though Ockam so answere that hee would haue this prayer to haue reference to the estate of distressed soules in Purgatory yet in the end hee sayth it may bee vnderstood of the soules of holy men that are in heaven the meaning of it is that the soules of such men as sleepe in the sleepe of peace hauing resumed their bodies may enter into that place of refreshing light peace that includeth the highest essentiall accidentall degree of eternall peace which they cannot haue till the resurrection And Florus that liued in the time of Carolus Calvus in his exposition of the Masse saith it is most cleare that the soules of perfect iust men so soone as they are loosed from the body are receiued into heauen but this is to bee vnderstood of the soules of Apostles Martyrs and confessours and men of great perfection of life For the soules of certaine just men are not presently admitted into the heavenly kingdome but though they bee in blessed rest yet are stayed in certaine mansions by which their stay and not enjoying presently what they most desire it appeareth they come short of perfect righteousnesse Besides these he thinketh there is a third sort of such as are in Purgatorie Bernard as it appeareth in the place of Ockams dialogues aboue cited maketh three estates of the soule the first in corpore corruptibili the second in requie the third in beatitudine consummatâ the first in the body subject to death corruption the second in rest the third in consummate happinesse The second excludeth all punishment affliction the third all desire of having any higher perfection or attayning any farther good A man of great place worth that hath written not long since feareth not to deliuer his opinion that the soules of the iust are so in rest peace and in heauenly mansions immediatly after their departure hence that yet they come not into the highest heaven place of greatest felicity till the resurrection Which of these opinions the authour of this forme of prayer followed it doth not certainely appeare But sure it is hee thought those who are there commended to God to bee in a state of rest farre from paine torment and so desired the perfecting of whatsoeuer is yet wanting vnto them without any reference to purgatory or the deliuering of any thence From this of prayer for the dead let vs come to the other objection touching the commemoration of the blessed Apostles other Saints holy Martyrs by through whose intercession for whose merits the priest people desireth God to graunt that they may in all things be kept safe strongly defended by the help of diuine protection That the Saints doe pray for vs in genere desiring God to bee mercifull to vs and to doe vnto vs whatsoeuer in any kind he knoweth needfull for our good there is no question made by vs and therefore this prayer wherein the Church desireth God to bee gracious to her to graunt the things shee desireth the rather for that the Saints in heauen also are suppliants for her will not be found to containe any poynt of Romish doctrine disliked by vs. But they will say there is mention made in this prayer of the merits of those holy Apostles Martyrs and the Church desireth God to graunt her petitions for those merits which is contrary to the doctrine of Protestants that deny all merit properly so named and therefore cannot but condemne the opinion of one mans meriting for another For answere herevnto wee must obserue as Cassander
not of sense and that they are subiect to no dolour or greife inward or outward this he saith is the opinion of Thomas Aquinas and some other Schoolemen The third opinion is that they are in a sorte subiect to the punishment of sense that is to greife and dolour which floweth out of the consideration of their great and inestimable losse of eternall happines but because they cannot haue remorse not hauing lost that eternall good by their owne negligence and contempt therefore they are not subiectto that dolour that is properly named the worme that neuer dieth whereof wee reade in the ninth of Marke Their worme dieth not and their fire neuer goeth out There is a fourth opinion which is that of Augustine who sayth Wee must firmely beleeue and no way doubt that not onely men that haue had the vse of reason but infants also dying in the state of originall sinne shall bee punished with the punishment of eternall fire because though they had no sinne of their owne proper action yet they haue drawne to themselues the condemnation of originall sinne by their carnall conception To this opinion Gregorius Ariminensis inclined fearing exceedingly to depart from the doctrine of the Fathers and yet dareth not resolue any thing seeing the moderne doctours went another way And to the same opinion Driedo inclineth likewise Thus then wee see that Pelagianisme was taught in the midst of the Church wherein our Fathers liued and that not by a few but many For was not this the doctrine of many in the Church that there are foure mansions in the other world of men sequestred from God and excluded out of his presence The first ofthem that sustaine the punishment as well of sensible smart as of losse and that for euer which is the condition of them that are condemned to the lowest hell The second of those that are subiect to both these punishments not eternally but for a time onely as are they that are in purgatory The third of them that were subiect onely to the punishment of losse and that but for a time named by them Limbus patrum The fourth of such as are subiect onely to the punishment of losse but yet eternally and this named by them Limbus puerorum nay were there not that placed these in an earthly paradise and was not this Pelagianisme Surely August telleth vs that the Pelagians excluded such as were not made pertakers of Gods grace out of the kingdome of heaven and from the life of God which is the vision of God and yet supposed that they should be for euer in a kind of naturall felicity so that they imagined a third state and place betweene the kingdome of heauen and hell where they are that endure not onely the punishment of losse but of sensible smart also where they are whose worme neuer dieth and whose fire neuer goeth out and this is the opinion of Papists against which Saint Austine mightily opposeth himselfe The vnregenerate is excluded out of the kingdome of heauen where Christ remaineth that is the fountaine of the liuing Giue mee besides this another place where there may bee a perpetuall rest of life the first place the faith of Catholiques by diuine authoritie beleeueth to bee the kingdome of heauen the second Hell where euery apostata and such as are aliens from the faith of Christ shall suffer everlasting punishment but that there is any third place we are altogether ignorant neither shall wee finde in the holy Scripture that there is any such place There is the right hand of him that sitteth to iudge and the left the kingdome and hell life and death the righteous and the wicked On the right hand of the Iudge are the iust and the workers of iniquity on the left There is life to the ioy of glory and death to weeping and gnashing of teeth The just are in the Kingdome of the Father with Christ the vnrighteous in eternall fire prepared for the divell and his Angels By which words of Augustine it is euident that there is no such place to bee admitted as the Papistes imagine their Limbus puerorum to bee neither did the Church wherein our Fathers liued and died beleeue any such thing though many embraced this fancie And therefore Gregorius Ariminensis hauing proued out of Augustine and Gregory that infants that die in the state of originall sinne not remitted shall not onely suffer the punishment of losse but of sense also concludeth in this sort Because I haue not seene this question expressely determined either way by the Church and it seemeth to me a thing to be trembled at to deny the authorities of the Saints and on the contrary side it is not safe to goe against the common opinion and the consent of our great Masters therefore without peremptorie pronouncing for the one side or the other I leaue it free to the Reader to judge of this difference as it seemeth good vnto him CHAP. 8. Of the remission of originall sinne and of concupiscence remaining in the regenerate IN the remission of all sinne there are two things implyed the taking away of the staine or sinfulnesse and the remouing of the punishment that for such sinfulnesse justice would bring vpon the sinner In actuall sinne there are three things considerable First an act or omission of act Secondly an habituall aversion from God and conversion to the creature remaining after the act is past till we repent of such act or omission of act and this is the staine of sinne remaining denominating the doers sinners and making them worthie of punishment And thirdly a designing to punishment after the act is past In remission therefore of actuall sinne there must bee first a ceasing from the act or omission secondly a turning to God and from the creature and thirdly for Christs sake who suffered what we deserued a taking away of the punishment that sin past made vs subject to In originall sinne there are onely two things considerable the staine or sinfulnesse and the designing of them that haue it to punishment The staine of originall sinne consisteth of two parts the one privatiue which is the want of those divine graces that should cause the knowledge loue and feare of God the other positiue and that is an habituall inclination to loue our selues more then God and inordinately to desire whatsoeuer may be pleasing to vs though forbidden and disliked by God and is named concupiscence This sin first defileth the nature and then the person in that it so misinclineth nature as that it hath the person at commaund to be swayed whether it will The remission of this sinne implieth a donation of those graces that maycause the knowledge loue and feare of God a turning of vs from the loue of our selues to the loue of God and forChrists sake a remouing of the punishment we were justly subiect to in that we had such want and inordinate inclination The donation of grace maketh
pollution of originall sin and if perhaps any did sometimes vse any forme or rite it was rather a matter of priuate voluntary deuotion than of necessitie For whereas parents stand bound by the generall law of God and nature with all thankefull acknowledgment to receiue their children as a great and speciall benefit from God this their faith pietie and thankefullnesse joyned with desire of and prayer for their Good prosperous and happy estate was accepted and found fauour with God on the behalfe of their children Whereupon Gregory pronounceth that the faith of the parents was of the same force with them of the old time that the Baptisme of water is with vs. And whereas Augustine sayth it is not likely that the people of God before the institution of Circumcision had noe Sacrament wherewith to present their children to GOD though the Scripture haue not expressed it it is not to bee vnderstood sayth Andradius of any outward ceremonies necessary for the sanctification of those Infants but of any rite offering them to GOD whether mentall onely or outwardly object to the eye and sense That which Andradius addeth that it could not be knowne but by tradition onely that the faith of the parents was in stead of circumcision before circumcision was instituted and after the institution of it to them that might not lawfully or could not possibly be circumcised is frivolous for men knew it concluded it out of the generall and common rules of reason and equity Touching the state of the people of God since the comming of Christ our adversaries make no doubt but they can easily proue that the writings which the Church that now is hath are defectiue and imperfect This they endeauour to proue First because the Scriptures of the New Testament were written vpon particular occasions offered and not of purpose to containe a perfect rule of faith Secondly because they were written by the Apostles and other Apostolique men out of their owne motions and not by commandement from Christ the Sonne of GOD. But vnto both these Arguments alleadged by our Adversaries we answere that they containe matter of very grosse errour For first who seeth not plainly that the Evangelistes writing the historie of Christs life and death Saint Luke in the booke of the Acts of the Apostles describing the comming of the Holy Ghost the admirable gifts of grace powred vpon the Apostles and the Churches established and ordered by them and the blessed Apostle Saint Iohn writing the Revelations which hee saw concerning the future state of things to the end of the world meant to deliuer a perfect summe of Christian doctrine and direction of Christian faith It is true indeed that the Epistles of the Apostles directed to the Christian Churches that then were were occasionally written yet so as by the providence of God all such things as the Church beleeueth not being found in the other parts of Scripture purposely writtē are most clearely at large deliuered in these Epistles Secondly touching the other part of their Argument which they bring to convince the Scripture of imperfection because they that wrote it had no commaundement to write wee thinke it needeth no refutation for the absurditie of it is evident and cleare of it selfe For who knoweth not that the Scriptures are not of any priuate motion but that the holy men of God were moued impelled and carried by the spirit of truth to the performance of this worke doing nothing without the instinct of the Spirit which was vnto them a Commandement The imperfection defect supposed to be foundin the Scripture our adversaries endeavour to supply by addition of traditions The name of Tradition sometimes signifieth euery Christian doctrine deliuered frō one to another either by liuely voyce only or by writing as Exod. 17. Scribe hoc ob monumentum in libro trade in auribus Iosuae Write this for a remembrance in a Booke and deliuer it in the eares of Iosuah Act. 6. 14. The written Law of Moses is called a Tradition Audivimus eum dicentem quoniam Iesus destruet locum istum mutabit traditiones quas tradidit nobis Moses We heard him say that Iesus shall destroy this place and change the traditions which Moses deliuered vnto vs. Sometimes the name of tradition signifieth that which is deliuered by liuely voyce onely and not written That which I receiued of the Lord saith the Apostle that I deliuered vnto you In this question by tradition we vnderstand such parts of Christian doctrine or discipline as were not written by them by whom they were first deliuered For thus our Adversaries vnderstand Traditions which they diuide into divers kindes First in respect of the Authors so making them of three sorts Divine Apostolicall Ecclesiasticall Secondly in respect of the matter they concerne in which respect they make them to be of tvvo sorts for either they cōcerne matters of faith or matters of manners and these latter againe either temporall or perpetuall vniuersall or particular All these in their seuerall kindes they make equall with the wordes precepts and doctrines of Christ the Apostles Pastors of the Church left vnto vs in writing Neither is there any reason why they should not so doe if they could proue any such vnwritten verities For it is not the writing that giueth things their authoritie but the worth credite of him that deliuereth them though but by word and liuely voyce onely The only doubt is whether there be any such vnwritten traditions or not Much contention there hath beene about Traditions some vrging the necessity of them and other rejecting them For the clearing whereof we must obserue that though we reiect the vncertaine and vaine traditions of the Papists yet wee reiect not all For first wee receiue the number and names of the authors of bookes Diuine Canonicall as deliuered by tradition This tradition we admitte for that though the bookes of Scripture haue not their authority from the Approbation of the Church but winne credite of themselues and yeeld sufficient satisfaction to all men of their Diuine truth whence wee judge the Church that receiueth them to bee led by the spirit of God yet the number Authors and integrity of the parts of these bookes wee receiue as deliuered by tradition The second kinde of tradition which wee admitte is that summarie comprehension of the cheefe heads of Christian doctrine contayned in the Creed of the Apostles which was deliuered to the Church as a rule of her faith For though euery part thereof be contayned in the Scripture yet the orderly connexion distinct explication of these principall articles gathered into an Epitome wherein are implyed and whence are inferred all conclusions theologicall is rightly named a tradition The 3d is that forme of Christian doctrine and explication of the seuerall parts thereof which the first Christians receiuing of the same Apostles that deliuered to them the Scriptures commended
mission and the second for the second Secondly who was fitter to be cast out into the Sea to stay the tempest then that Ionas for whose sake it arose Almighty God was displeased for the wrong offred to his Sonne in desiring to be like vnto God and to know all things in such sort as is proper to the onely begotten Sonne of the Father therefore was he the fittest to pacifie all againe Thirdly who was fitter to become the Son of man then he that was by nature the Sonne of God Patrem habuit in coelis Matrem quaesiuit in terris Hee had a Father in heauen he sought onely a mother on earth Who could bee fitter to make vs the Sonnes of God by adoption grace then he that was the Sonne of God by nature who fitter to repaire the Image of God decayed in vs then hee that was the brightnesse of glory and the engrauen forme of his Fathers Person Lastly who was fitter to bee a Mediator then the middle Person who was in a sorte a Mediator in the state of creation and before the fall Wherevpon Hugo de Sancto victore bringeth in Almighty God speaking to the Sonnes of men concerning Christ his Sonne in this sort Nolite putare quòd ipse tantùm sit Mediator in reconciliatione hominum quia per ipsum etiam commendabilis placita fit aspectui meo conditio omnium creaturarum that is thinke not that he is a Mediator onely in the reconciliation of men for by him the condition of all creatures is gratefull vnto me and pleasing in my sight Magni consilii Angelus sayth Hugo nobis mittitur vt qui conditis datus fuit ad gloriam idem perditis veniat ad medelam that is the Angell of the great Counsell is sent vnto vs that hee who was giuen vnto vs when we were made to bee the crowne of our glory and Prince of our excellency might relieue helpe and restore vs when we were lost Yet our aduersaries take I knowe not what exceptions against Caluin for saying that Christ was a Mediator in the state of creation but they should know that there is a Mediator of reconciliation of parties at variance and a Mediator of coniunction of them that are farre asunder and remote one from another and that in this later sort betweene the Father that no way receiueth any thing from another and the creatures that so receiue their being from another that they are made out of nothing hee may rightly be sayd to mediate that receiueth being from another but the same that is in him from whom he receiueth it If any man shall say that the holy Ghost also in this sort commeth betweene him in whom the fulnesse of beeing is originally found and the creatures that are made of nothing as well as the Sonne and that therefore in this sence he also may be said to be a Mediator it is easily answered that the Sonne onely commeth betweene the Father in whom the fulnesse of beeing is originally found the creatures made of nothing as he by whom all things were made the holy Ghost as he in whom all things doe consist and stand and that therefore he hath not the condition of a Mediator being not considered as he by whom all things are bestowed vpon vs but as that gift in which all other things are giuen vnto vs so that the Sonne onely is the Mediator because by him from the Father in the holy Ghost we receiue all that which we haue and enjoy Neither needeth there any Mediator to conjoyne him to vs and vs to him for the medium conjoyneth both the extremes first with it selfe and then within themselues in that it hath something of one of them and something of another in something agreeing with and in something differing from either of the extremes So the Sonne of God agreeth with vs in that hee receiueth the beeing and Essence he hath from another in which respect he is distinguished though not diuided from the Father but in that the nature he receiueth from the Father is not another but the same which the Father hath he is vnlike vnto vs but agreeth with the Father And here we may see the malice and ignorance of them that charge Caluine with heresie for affirming that Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himselfe as if hee denyed the eternall generation of the Sonne of God and were contrary to the decree of the sacred Nicene Councell which defineth that he is Deus de Deo Lumen de Lumine for these men should know that Christ may be sayd to be from another in two sortes either by production of Essence or by communication of Essence the Nicene Councell defined that Christ the Sonne of God who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is consubstantiall with the Father is notwithstanding God of God that is hath his Essence Deitie communicated vnto him by eternall generation from the Father euen the same the Father had originally in himselfe All which Caluine most willingly acknowledgeth to be true and therefore denyeth not but that it may bee truely sayd according to the sacred decree and definition of that worthy Councell that Christ the Sonne of God is God of God and light of light but to imagine as Valentinus Gentilis and other damnable heretickes did that he is from the Father by production of Essence whence it will follow that he hath not the same essence with the Father but another different from it inferior to it and dependant on it is impious and hereticall and in opposition to this impious conceit of these Hereticks and in the sense intended by them Caluine rightly denied Christ to bee God of God For this their conceipt was euer detested by all Catholiques as wicked blasphemous yea so farre are they from approuing any such impiety that no axiome is more common in all their Schooles then that Essentia nec generat nec generatur that is the diuine Essence neither generateth nor is generated and surely howsoeuer Kellison in his Suruey saith the contrary and opposeth his affirmatiue against the negatiue of all the most famous and renowned Schoole-men yet I am perswaded he did so rather out of ignorance then any reason leading him so to doe do thinke it more then improper and hard to say that the diuine Essence doth either generate or is generated Thus then Christ is truly sayd by Caluine to be God of himselfe by way of opposition to that kinde of being from another which is by production of Essence and yet is rightly acknowledged by him with the Nicene Fathers to be from another to wit the Father and to be God of God in that he receiueth the eternall Essence by communication from him This Bellarmine saw and acknowledged to bee true pronouncing that touching this point Calvin erred not in judgment that his opinion is rather an error in forme of words expressing ill that he
vnion the other of vnction or habituall and doe teach that the grace of vnion in respect of the thing giuen which is the personall subsistence of the Sonne of God bestowed on the nature of man formed in Maries wombe whence that which was borne of her was the Sonne of God is infinite howsoeuer the relation of dependance found in the humane nature whereby it is vnited to the person of the Sonne of God is a finite created thing Likewise touching the grace of vnction they teach that it is in a sort infinite also for that howsoeuer it be but a finite and created thing yet in the nature of grace it hath no limitation no bounds no stint but includeth in it selfe whatsoeuer any way pertayneth to grace or commeth within the compasse of it The reason of this illimited donation of grace thus without all stint bestowed on the nature of man in Christ was for that it was giuen vnto it as to the vniuersall cause whence it was to be deriued vnto others Frō the fulnesse of grace in Christ let vs proceed to speake of the perfection of his vertues also Vertue differeth from grace as the beame of light frō light for as light indifferently scattereth it self into the whole aire all those things vpon which it may come but the beame is the same light as it is directed specially to some one place or thing so grace replenisheth filleth perfecteth the whole soule spirit of man but vertue more specially this or that faculty or power of the soule to this or that purpose or effect In respect of both these the soule of Christ was perfect being full of vertue as wel as grace wherevpon the Prophet Esay saith The Spirit of the Lord shall rest vpon the flowre of Ishai the Spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding the Spirit of counsell strength the Spirit of knowledge of the feare of the Lord. Wisedome is in respect of things diuine vnderstanding of the first principles science of conclusions counsell of things to be done feare maketh men decline from that which is ill and strength confirmeth them to ouercome the difficulties wherewith weldoing is beset So that seeing the spirit that is the giuer of all these vertues within the compasse whereof all vertue is confined is promised to rest on our Sauiour Christ we may vndoubtedly resolue that there is no vertue pertayning to man neither including in it imperfection as Faith Hope nor presupposing imperfection in him that hath it as Repentance which presupposeth the penitent to bee a sinner but it was found in Christs humane nature reasonable soule that euen from the very moment of his incarnation How is it then will some man say that the Scripture pronounceth that he increased in the perfections of the mind to wit both in grace wisedome as hee grew in stature of body And here that question is vsually proposed handled whether Christ did truly and indeede profit and growe in knowledge as not knowing all things at the first as he grew in stature of body from weake beginnings or only in the farther manifestation of that knowledge hee had in like degree of perfection from the beginning For the clearing whereof wee must note that there were in Christ two kinds of knowledge the one diuine and increate the other humane and created Touching the first there is no doubt but that being the eternall Wisdome of the Father by whom all things were made hee knew eternally all things that afterwards should come to passe and therefore the Arrians impiously abused those places of Scripture which they brought to proue that Christ grew in knowledge and learned something in processe of time which he knew not before in that they vnderstood them of his diuine knowledge which he had in that he was God and thereby went about to proue that he was not truly and properly God nor consubstantiall with the Father but soe only and in such a sense as that wherein the Apostle sayth There are many Lords and many Gods The later kind of knowlege found in Christ which is humane the Schoolemen diuide into two kinds the one in verbo the other in genere proprio that is the one in the eternall Word wherein he seeth all things the other that whereby he seeth things in themselues for he hath an immediate and cleare vision of the Godhead and in it of all things and hee hath also the knowledge and sight of things in themselues By vertve of the first of these two kinds of humane knowledge the soule of Christ beholding the diuine Essence in it seeth all things in respect of that they are and taketh a perfect view of the Essence and nature of euery thing that is may be or is possible to be as in that sampler according to which God worketh all things but the actuall being of things it cannot know by the vision and sight of Gods Essence but meerely by his voluntary reuelation and manifestation of the same seeing though the Essence of God be naturally a sampler of all things that are or may be according to which all things are wrought yet he produceth things voluntarily and according to the good pleasure of his will not naturally necessarily so that that kind of knowledge which consisteth in the vision of God is more perfect then any other onely maketh men happie because it is in respect of the best and most noble object Yet the other kind of knowledge that maketh vs take a view of things in themselues is more perfect in that it maketh knowne vnto vs the actuall being of things and particular facts which that happie kind of knowledg of things seen in the glasse of the diuine Essence doth not These things thus distinguished it is easie to conceiue how and in what sort Christ grew and increased in grace and wisdome and how hee was full of the same from the moment of his incarnation soe that nothing could bee afterwards added vnto him For concerning his diuine knowledge the perfection of it was such and so infinite from all eternitie that it is impious once to thinke that hee grew and increased in the same Touching the humane knowledge he had of things seene in the eternall word and in the cleare glasse of the diuine Essence it is most probably thought by some of excellent learning that though the soule of Crist had at the first and brought with it into the world a potentiall hability and aptnesse to see all things in God soe soone as it should conuert it selfe to a distinct view of them that yet it did not actually see all things in the Essence of God at once from the beginning but afterwards in processe of time and for the other kind of knowledge and apprehension of things which he had as beholding them in themselues they thinke it was perfect in habit from the first moment of his incarnation but
at this day it is receiued in all the Churches of the world without contradiction though there be some question touching the meaning of it Bellarmine reckoneth three opinions of Protestants differently vnderstanding the same whereof the first is that to descēd into hell is to be vtterly annihilated brought to nothing the second that it is to suffer the paines of hell and the third that it is nothing else but his buriall Of these three opinions imputed by Bellarmine to the Protestants the first is nothing but his owne fancy neuer dreamed of by any Protestant For who euer professing himselfe a Christian thought that to goe downe into hell is to be vtterly extinct and to be no more But saith he Brentius bringeth in Christ speaking in this sort I will descend into hell I will feele the paines of hell seeme vtterly to perish therefore he is of that opinion whatsoeuer others are A strange thing it is that men of learning iudgement should so forget themselues as this Cardinall often doth saying hee knoweth not what For doth he vtterly cease to be that feeleth the paines of Hell or doe not the wicked perish is not their estate in holy Scripture described to be euerlasting perdition hee knoweth right well it is yet I thinke dareth not from thence inferre that they are vtterly extinct and haue no more beeing if he doe we will not feare to brand him with the marke of impiety and intollerable ignorance for the wicked are said vtterly to perish not by losing all being but all good desirable happy being If Brentius escape his hands hee hath good hope to conuince Caluine of this errour and so still to lay vpon vs the heauy imputation of so damnable impiety Caluine hath written a Booke called Psychopanychia the drift whereof is to proue that the soules spirits of men sleepe not after death but liue either in paine or rest out of this booke the Cardinall presumeth that he shall bee able to proue that the soules spirits of wicked men are vtterly extinct and haue no more beeing An ill chosen booke in my opinion for such a purpose the whole drift thereof being to demonstrate the contrary of that hee vndertaketh to proue out of it Yet let vs see how he goeth about to conuince the Author of this booke of that errour which throughout the same he laboureth to confute His first demonstration is this Caluine proueth at large in that booke that the wicked doe liue for euer though in paine torment therefore he thinketh that to goe downe into hell is to be vtterly extinct and to haue no more beeing Astrange illation such as perhaps will not satisfie all therefore let vs heare another for he hath store of proofes Caluine in the same booke laboureth to proue that the Spirits of iust men are not extinguished but that they liue remaine for euer because that Christs soule was not extinguished in his death but remained still liued after death That Christs soule was not extinguished in his death he strongly demonstrateth because it was so commended into the handes of his Father that it could not perish so as the wicked doe who are swallowed vp of hell destruction and yet still remaine and liue for euer If this demonstration satisfie vs not what will Christs soule was so kept by GOD the Father to whom it was commended that it could not perish at all no not so as the wicked doe who yet are not extinct but liue for euer in bitter sense of woe misery much lesse be extinct vtterly cease to be therefore Christs descension into hell was an vtter extinction These must be the Cardinals proofes if hee will bring any out of that booke to conuince Caluine of that errour wherewith he chargeth him But he knoweth right well that neither these nor any other that he doth or can produce out of the same conclude any such thing as he intendeth and therefore let the Reader know that the Cardinall neuer perswaded himselfe that either Brentius or Caluine or any other Protestant was of that opinion with which he chargeth them but that he sought onely to abuse his Reader and therefore that which in vile hypocrisy he saith of Caluine Brentius that they bring in Atheisme by these their impious damnable assertions may be verified of himselfe and other his consorts who by their shamelesse lying hellish slaundering wrong both God and men and bring all Religion into horrible contempt Wherefore leauing these Hellish Diuellish slaunderers to Gods most righteous and fearefull Iudgements touching the descending of Christ into hell it is true that Saint Augustine saith None but an Infidell will deny it for it is one of the Articles of our Christian Faith But how we are to vnderstand this his descending it is not so certaine Wherevpon wee shall finde that there are presently three opinions in the Church concerning the same For some vnderstand by the name of Hell the place of dead bodies and the dominion of death holding soule body asunder turning the body forsaken of the soule into rottennesse corruption These do so interprete this Article as that they vnderstand nothing else by Christs descending into Hell but his going downe into the chambers of death and his three dayes continuance in the places of darknesse vnder the dominion thereof Others vnderstand by the name of Hell the paines of Hell and thinke that Christs descending into Hell was nothing else but the suffering of hellish pains in his Soule in the time of his Agonie in the Garden and in the houre of his death vpon the Crosse. A third sort there are that vnderstand by the name of Hell into which in this Article Christ is said to haue descended the receptacles and places appointed for the soules of men after this life sequestred from the presence of God and not admitted into Heauen These places the Romanists imagine to be foure Of which the first is the Hell of the damned wherein wicked Cast-awayes impenitent sinners are punished not onely with the losse of the sight of God but with sense also of smart miserie that for euer The second is by them named Limbus puerorum where Infants dying vnbaptized and in the state of originall sin are supposed to be holden for euer exiled from the presence of God his holy ones yet without all sensible smart or paine The third they imagine is Purgatory where they thinke the soules of good but yet imperfect men are punished till they haue satisfied the wrath of God for sins committed in the time of their life but not sufficiently repented of nor satisfied for while they liued The fourth place imagined by thē is Limbus patrum wherein the soules of Abraham Isaack and Iacob and all the just were holden till the comming of Christ and kept from the sight and presence of God yet without all sensible
Ambrose vpon Luke that the words of Almighty God which we read in Hieremie are to be vnderstood of a temporall kingdome and the words of the Angell of a spirituall and eternall kingdome That Christ was not a temporall King by right of election hee proueth by that of Christ himselfe when he saith O man who hath made me a judge or a diuider among you And by that of S. Iohn where he saith that When Christ knew they meant to come take him make him a King he fled againe himselfe alone into a mountaine So that he neither was chosen nor would haue accepted of any such choise That by right of conquest and victory hee was not a temporall King it appeareth in that his warre was not with mortall Kings to depriue them of their kingdomes but with the prince of darkenesse according to that of the Apostle To this purpose did the Sonne of God appeare that he might dissolue the workes of the Diuell And that againe Now is the Prince of this world cast out And that of Saint Paule who speaking of Christ sayth That spoyling principalities and powers hee made a shew of them openly triumphing ouer them in himselfe So that his warrefare was not by carnall weapons to get himselfe an earthly kingdome but by spirituall weapons mightie through God to get a spirituall kingdome that hee might reigne in the hearts of men by faith and grace where Sathan reigned before by infidelity disobedience and sinne Lastly that he was no temporall king by any speciall gift of God his Father it is euident out of his owne words when he saith My kingdome is not hence For as the Fathers note vpon these words Christ meant by so saying to put Pilate out of doubt that he affected no temporall kingdome And therefore the sence of his words must needes be this I am a King but not in such sort as Caesar and Herod My kingdome is not of this world that is The supports of it are not things of this world it doth not consist in honour riches and power of this world This thing the Cardinall farther proueth to be true because he came to minister and not to be ministred vnto to be judged and not to judge and by his whole course of conuersation shewed the same neuer taking vpon him to do any kingly act For whereas hee cast out the buyers and sellers out of the Temple it rather pertained to the Priestes office then the kings according to that which wee read in the old Testament that the Priest draue the king himselfe out of the Temple when disorderly he presumed to do things not pertaining to him and yet he did it not by any Priestly or kingly authority but after the manner of Prophets by a kind of diuine zeale like that wherewith Phinchees was moued to kill the adulterer and adulteresse and Elias to slay the Prophets of Baal This most true opinion of the Cardinall that Christ was no temporall king is farther confirmed in that such a kind of kingdome had not beene necessary Nay it had beene an hinderance to the worke he had in hand which was to perswade to the contempt of glorie honour riches pleasures and all such other earthly things wherewith the Kings of the earth abound and by suffering death to ouercome him that had the power of death and to reconcile the world vnto God And besides in that all the places where any mention is made of the kingdome of Christ are necessarily vnderstood of a spirituall and eternall kingdome So in the Psalme I am apointed of him a King to preach his commandement And againe in the booke of Daniel In their dayes shall God raise vp a kingdome which shall not be destroyed for euer And of his kingdome there shall be no end Whereas the kingdomes of men continue but for a time and therefore if Christ had beene a King in such sort while he was vpon the earth as men are he had ceased to be so when hee left the earth And then it could not haue beene true that of his kingdome there should be none end Nay seeing the kingdome of the Iewes was possessed by the Romanes at or immediately after the time of the departure of Christ out of the world and afterwards by the Saracens and Turkes how could that of Daniel haue beene fulfilled that his kingdome shall not be giuen to another people if his kingdome had beene like the kingdomes of men So it is true that Christ came into the world to be a king and that GOD gaue him the seate of Dauid his father But this kingdome was diuine spirituall eternall and proper vnto him in that hee was the Sonne of God and in that he was God and Man But a temporall kingdome such as the sonnes of men haue he had not And heereupon Saint Augustine bringeth in Christ speaking in this sort Audite Iudaej Gentes audi circumcisio audi praeputium audite omnia regnae terrena non impedio dominationem vestram in hoc mundo c. that is Heare O Iewes and Gentiles heare circumcision and vncircumcision heare all ye kingdomes of the earth I hinder not your dominion and rule in this world because my kingdome is not of this world Feare not therefore with that most vaine and causelesse feare wherewith Herod feared and slew so many innocent babes being cruell rather out of feare then anger and so forward shewing that the Kingdome of Christ is meerely spirituall and such as no way prejudiceth the kingdomes of men Which the Glosse confirmeth noting that Christ while hee was yet to liue longer in this world when the multitudes came to make him a King refused it but that when hee was ready to suffer he no way reproued but willingly accepted the hymnes of them that receiued him in triumphant manner and welcommed him to Hierusalem honouring him as a King because hee was a King not hauing a temporall and earthly kingdome but an heauenly Whereunto Leo agreeth shewing that Herod when hee heard a Prince was borne to the Iewes feared a successour but that his feare was vaine and causelesse saying O caeca stultae aemulationis impietas quae perturbandum putas divinum tuo furore consilium Dominus mundi temporale non quaerit regnumqui praestat aeternum that is Oblinde impietie of foolish emulation which thinkest to trouble and hinder the Counsels of God by thy furie The Lord of the World who giueth an eternall Kingdome came not into the World to seeke a temporall kingdome And Fulgentius accordeth with him saying The golde which the Sages offered to Christ shewed him to bee a King but not such a King as will haue his Image and superscription in the coyne but such an one as seeketh his image in the sonnes of men Whence it followeth he was no temporall or mundane King seeing they haue their images and superscriptions in their
The eight was holdenat Constantinople about the difference betweene Ignatius and Photius and called by Basilius the Emperour as appeareth by the Appendix to the Acts of that councell collected out of diuerse Authors by Surius and extant in the second part of the third Tome of Councels set out by Binnius So that wee see all the Eight Generall Councels were called by the Emperours and not by the Popes which thing is so cleare and euident that our Adversaries dare not deny it but seeke to avoyde the evidence of the truth against which they dare not directly oppose themselues by all the shifts they can devise for first they say that though it be not so proper to the Pope to call Councels but that others may doe it ifhee assent vnto it or approue it yet that without his Mandate Assent or Approbation of such indiction and calling no councell is lawfull Secondly they say that the Emperours called councels by the authority of the Pope and thirdly that happily they presumed aboue that was fit forthem to doe Wherefore let vs see how they proue that they say That the right of calling Councels belongeth to the Pope and not to the Emperor and consequently that the Emperour may call none without his assent Bellarmine endeauoureth to proue in this sort They that meete in councels must bee gathered together in the name of Christ to be gathered in the name of Christ is to be gathered by him that hath authority from Christ and none hath authority from Christ to call together the Pastors of the church but the Pope onely therefore none but the Pope may call councels To this argument wee answere that indeed they must meet in the name of Christ who assemble in councels but that to meete in Christs name importeth not in the promise made by Christ a gathering together of them that meete by his authority And that the Cardinall can neuer proue that the Pope and hee onely is authorized to call together the Pastours of the churches That to bee gathered together in Christs Name importeth not to bee called together by publike authority as Bellarmine vntruely affirmeth it is evident by his owne confession in that hee acknowledgeth that the gathering together in Christs Name to which hee hath promised to joyne his owne presence may bee verified of many or few Bishops or Laymen priuate or publike persons about priuate or publike affaires whereas priuate men meeting about priuate businesses are not gathered together by any one hauing authority to commaund them but by voluntary agreement among themselues and therefore Andradius telleth vs that both by the circumstance of Christs speech and the commentaries of the holy Fathers it is euident that his wordes agree to euery meeting of such men as beeing joyned together in Faith and charity aske any thing of GOD and particularly produceth Chrysostome expounding Christs wordes as Calvine doth whom Bellarmine taxeth to wit that they are saide to bee gathered together in Christs Name whom neither respect of private gaine induceth nor the ambitious desire of honour inviteth nor the prickes ofhatred and envy incite driue forward whom the inflamed loue of peace the feruent affections of Christian charity impell and not the spirit of contention in one word they who meete to seeke out by force of diuine grace with common and heartiest longing desires sought and obtained what especially pleaseth Christ and what is true For they that come together to set forward and aduance their owne priuate designes and to serue their owne contentious dispositions and to deceiue miserable men with the glorious name of a Councell are by no meanes to be thought to come together in Christs name nor to hold Ecclesiasticall assemblies but such as are most pestilent and hurtfull of which sort they were which were holden heretofore in the time of Constantine and Constantius at Tyrus Ierusalem Antioch Sirmium and Seleucia and infinite other conuenticles of Heretiques to which that most aptly agreeth which Leo the Pope pronounceth of the second Councell of Ephesus to wit that while priuate causes were promoted and set forward vnder pretence of religion that was brought to passe by the impiety of a few that wounded the whole Church But sayth Bellarmine this note of meeting in the feare of God with desire of finding out the truth and doing good discerneth not lawfull Councels from other seeing all that meete in Councels pretend that they come together out of a desire of the common good and not for priuate respects and that therefore this is not to meete in Christs name which is strangely sayd of him as if lawfull Councels rightly proceeding in their deliberations might not bee discerned from other by any thing that other may pretend or as if this his silly argument might sway against the circūstances of Christs words and the Commentaries of the holy Fathers Wherefore passing from this first exception against his Argument wee secondly answere vnto it that Christ did not giue the power of calling Generall Councels to the Pope alone as hee alleageth and in what sort Christ committed his Church to Peter to be gouerned by him as likewise in what sence it is that Leo sayth Though there be many Pastours yet Peter ruleth them all we haue largely declared already So that from hence nothing can bee concluded to proue that Christ gaue the power and right of calling Generall Councels to the Pope alone And thirdly we say that though it be true that Christ did not leaue his Church to be gouerned by Tiberius Caesar an Infidell so continuing or to his successors like vnto him in Infidelity yet hee that promised to giue Kings to be nursing Fathers and Queenes to be nursing mothers vnto his Church left it to bee gouerned by those nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers which he meant in succeeding times to raise vp for the good comfort and peace of his faithfull people after that their faith patience and long suffering more precious then gold should bee sufficiently tryed in the fire of tribulation Wherefore let vs passe to the Cardinalls second argument which is noe better then the first For neither hath the Pope power either Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall to inforce all Bishops to bee present at such assemblies as hee shall appoint neither did the Emperours informer time want meanes to inforce all to come when they called for them And touching the present state of things wee are not so foolish as to thinke the right of calling generall Councels to rest in the Emperour hauing so little command as now hee hath but wee place it in the concurrence of Christian Princes without which no lawfull Generall Councell can euer bee had His third reason taken from the proportion of Metropolitanes and Patriarches calling Prouinciall and Patriarchicall Synodes holdeth not as I haue shewed before Neither that which seemeth of all other to bee strongest taken from the ancient
answereth that the threats of the Iudge are terrible but his vnspeakable mercy exceedeth all and is of opinion that Christ when he went downe to hell deliuered such as had liued honestly though without the knowledge of God preaching vnto them and perswading them to beleeue in him which he saith is not to contradict the Prophet but to shew that God is ouercome of his mercie as hee was in the case of the inhabitants of Niniue Ezechias and Achab to whom that was threatned which yet mercy staide that it should not be executed This mercy hee thinketh shall prevaile and ouercome till the time of retribution come and the time of negotiation be past so that till the day of Iudgment we may help them that are in hell but that afterwards there shall be no place left for the relieuing of any there or the deliuering of any thence The same Damascene teacheth that all men when they depart hence are weighed in the ballance and that if their well-doings and vertues in the right skale waigh downe the other they shall bee brought into a place of refreshing that if the skales be equall mercy carryeth it if the euill doings in the left skale bee too heauy mercy supplyeth that which is wanting to the waight of the right skale yea that though their euill doings doe much exceed their vertues when they are waighed yet the exceeding goodnesse and mercy of GOD shall sway the matter for their good and pronounceth that in whomsoeuer any conscience of good at any time appeared GOD will stirre vp the hearts of men to pray for them that they may be deliuered and that none shall perish euerlastingly but such as liued so vilely that no man sendeth a good wish after them when they are gone Hereupon he bringeth forth sundry examples of men deliuered out of the hell of the damned by the prayers of the liuing for first he saith that all the East and West know that Gregory the Great prayed for Traian an Infidel and a persecutor of Christians in the time wherein hee liued almost fiue hundred yeares after his death mooued so to doe by the consideration of some vertues that were in him and receiued this comfortable answere from God I haue heard thy prayers and doe pardon Traian but see heereafter thou offer no more sacrifice vnto me for any godlesse vnbeleeuing and prophane person Secondly hee reporteth that Tecla the Protomartyr by the prayers which shee powred forth to God while shee liued deliuered Falconilla out of hell who was a worshipper of Idols and averse from Christian religion as long as she liued Another Tale he telleth of a dissolute man continuing in a wicked course of life euen till his end who appeared to a good Father after his death in flaming fire first vp to the necke afterwards vpon the prayers that were made for him vp to the girdle onely so finding ease and deliuerance out of his torments This opinion was very preuailing in Augustines time and therefore with all modesty he opposeth himselfe against it sheweth himselfe willing to yeeld as much to them that were so minded as possibly hee might and saith if they would onely haue the paines of the damned to bee mitigated or wholy suspended till the day of iudgment and acknowledge them to be eternall hee would not greatly striue with them Vppon this conceipt of the mitigation or suspension of the paines of such as are in hell many in former times made prayers for the damned in hell Damascene reporteth out of the sacred history of Palladius to Lausus that Macharius the Great praying oftentimes for the dead and carefully seeking to know whether his prayers did helpe or profit them any thing or not a certaine drie skull of a dead man who had beene an Idolater which by chance lay in the way by the commandement of God brake forth into the liuely voyce of a man saying O Macharius when thou offerest vp thy prayers for the dead wee for the time finde some ease Praepositi◅us Presbyter of the Church of Leoden was of opinion that prayers for the damned may bee multiplied in such sort that in processe of time they may be freed from all paine and punishment though not perpetually as Origen thought yet till the time of the general resurrectiō at what time their bodies resumed they shall be cast into euerlasting punishments without all hope of any refreshing or comfort Gilbertus Pictauiensis supposed that there is something continually taken away from the paines of the damned by the prayers and oblations of the faithfull without any consumption of them or vtter taking of them away as infinite proportionable parts may be taken from a Line without consuming of it though it selfe be finite Gulielmus Antisiodorensis thinketh that prayers be auaileable and helpefull to the damned not to diminish or interrupt rheir torments but to strengthen the sufferers that so the burden that lieth on them may be borne by them with the lesse paine as if a man giue meate to him that is ready to faint vnder his burthen or wine that cheereth his heart hee maketh him the better able to beare it though he no whit diminish the weight of it Thus we see there is no such mutuall dependance and connexion of Purgatory and prayer for the dead as Theophilus Higgons childishly imagineth and that many prayed for the dead that neuer dreamed of Purgatory some praying only for the resurrection publike acquitall and perfect consummation of the dead and respectiuely to their passage hence and entrance into the other world for the remission of their sinnes and their escaping of hell and euerlasting destruction other out of an erroneous conceipt for the deliuerance of men dead in mortall sinne out of the hell of the damned or for mitigation of their paines or at least the suspension of them for a time as Damascene and sundry others before mentioned and therefore the poore nouice is to be put in minde that hee grossely abuseth himselfe and others when soe sadly he citeth Saint Iohn Damascen for proofe of the deliuerance of men out of purgatory that speaketh no word of any such thing but of the deliuerance out of hell or the mitigation of the paines of them that be there which hee should not do that talketh of nothing but falsehood notable vntruethes and collusion in our writers especially seeing Bellarmines grace telleth him that the author of the booke vnder the name of Damascen writeth so absurdly that we may assure our selues Damascen was not the author of i◅ Hauing thus out of the writings of the Fathers deliuered the sense and purpose of the auncient Church in praying for the dead it is strange that this shamelesse companion should charge mee with collusion there being no part of that I haue said that he or any other can except against nor any thing concealed by me that is foūd in the Auncient touching this
prayers and may be releeued by them that therefore there is a third place wherein they are to be temporally afflicted For all this may be in the passage hence and entrance into the other world the prayers of the liuing accompanying them and God purging out that which is impure and remitting that which offendeth him in this middle sort of men euen in that first entrance into the state of the other world And surely Augustine himselfe in his owne prayer for Monicha his mother neuer speaketh one word of releasing her out of paine or punishment but prayeth God not to enter into iudgment with her to suffer none to diuide her from him and take her out of his protection to keepe her that neither the lyon nor dragon by force or subtilty interpose himselfe for that shee will not plead that shee hath not trespassed lest shee should be conuinced and the accuser should preuaile against her and gette her to himselfe but that her trespasses are remitted to her by Christ so shewing that hee made his prayer for her respectiuely to the state shee was in in her passage and while she stood to be judged and because this might seeme to bee already past and the things hee asked performed when he prayed hee sayth he thinketh God hath already done that he prayeth for but beseecheth him to accept his voluntary deuotions Two places there are found in Augustines workes where he seemeth peremptorily to affirme that there is a penall state and purging fire after this life the first is in his one and twentieth booke De ciuitate Dei where he sayth When the dead shall rise againe there shall some bee found to whom after they haue suffered punishments mercy shall be shewed that they be not cast into eternall fire But the words as Viues noteth vpon the same place are not found in some auncient manuscripts nor in that printed at Friburge The other place is in his second booke De Genesi against the Manichees The words are these Hee who happily shall not till his field but shall suffer it to be ouer-growne with thornes and briars hath in this life the curse of his life in all his workes and after this life hee shall haue either the fire of Purgation or eternall punishment which wordes beeing spoken of them that till not their fielde that suffer it to bee ouer-growne with thornes and bryers whose whole life is accursed in all they doe and not of such good men to whom some imperfection cleaueth are vttered according to that opinion then preuayling of deliuerance out of hell which Augustine in that place would not stand to discusse but else-where refuteth at large So that the thinges t◅ are found in Augustine clearely resolued on are onely these First that some sinnes are remitted after this life which wee graunt vnderstanding that remission to bee in the first enterance into the other world Secondly that they are onely the lesser sinnes that are thus remitted after this life and not those more grieuous wherein men dye without repentance for these exclude from the Kingdome of Heauen Thirdly that prayers do helpe men dying in those lesser sinnes Which likewise we acknowledge to be true if such prayers be conceaued and vnderstood as made respectiuely to the enterance into the other world Fourthly that there is no deliuerance of men dying in the state of mortall sinne out of hell and that noe prayers can benefit them in this behalfe In all these pointes his resolution is full and cleare but whether the paines of men damned in hell may be eased mitigated or suspended for a time by the prayers of the liuing he professeth hee will not striue so that the wrath of God be acknowledged to remaine eternally vppon them Neither is this contradictory to that which he hath else-where that the prayers of the liuing are no helpes of such as are damned but onely comforts of the liuing For hee meaneth that they are no helpes able to free and deliuer them out of that state of punishment wherein they are but whether they may some way ease them or not hee will not much contend and therefore hee sayth that whom praiers profit either they profit them for full remission as they doe men dying in the lesser sinnes or that their damnation may bee the more tolerable and easie The Papists applying these latter words of more tollerable damnation to the state of soules in their supposed Purgatory is absurd for they cānot in any proper sense be said to be dāned These things being thus distinguished wee see there is nothing found in Augustine for confirmation of the Popish error touching Purgatory that no testimonies of Augustine could seale vp M. Higgons his heart in this idle conceit of Purgatory as vntruly he sayth they did that wee no way oppose our selues against the vniuersall resolution and practice of the whole Church which to do Augustine pronounceth insolent madnesse that we no way contradict this worthy Father reporting to vs the doctrine and tradition of the Church and consequently that Higgons ridiculously and idlely asketh whether Augustine or I know better the sense and iudgment of Anti◅uity thereupon childishly making a comparison betweene him and me for I make no question but he knew the sense of Antiquity right well neither do I dissent from him in any thing that he constantly deliuereth and for the comparison confesse my selfe vnworthy to be named the same day but whereas hee saith hee found sincetity in him vnfaithfulnes in me I defie the faithles Apostata challenge him or any of the proudest of his consorts to tell me truely wherein I haue shewed the least vnfaithfulnesse It seemeth he measureth other men by himselfe and his companions but we are not like them making marchandize of the word of GOD. After these idle discourses he passeth from me to that reverend renowned and worthy Divine Doctor Humfrey in his time the light and ornament of the Vniuersitie that bred him whom such a silly novice as M. Theophilus durst not haue looked in the face while hee liued But it is easier to insult vpon a dead lyon then a liuing dog that maketh him barke against him but such was his great reading variety of learning in all kindes profound science and mature judgement as made him so highly esteemed at home and abroad by all that knew how to judge of things aright that the scornefull speeches of this Renegado concerning his Rhetoricall flourishes will neuer be able to diminish or lessen the good opinion that most deseruedly all wise and good men holde of him Yet let vs see what it is that this graue censurer reprehendeth in D. Humfrey surely hee knoweth not what himselfe D. Humfrey speaking of the ancient commemoration or commendation of the dead saith We retaine it in our Colledges which is most true but hee hath spied as he supposeth three differences for first as he saith the
touching the condition of such as dyed in an imperfect state of grace contrary to any thing holden by vs at this day These premisses considered and euery of these things being confessed by Master Higgons or proued abundantly by Mee it seemeth the poore man is beside himselfe and that his discontentments haue made him madde For otherwise what should moue him like a madde man to crye out in such sort as hee doth That I haue disabled my booke and ouerthrowne the Protestanticall Church that Papistes may triumph in the victory which their chiefest enemies haue wrought in their behalfe and ioyfully applaud the excellencie of their cause which enforceth her greatest aduersaries to prostitute themselues to such base and dishonest courses Let the base Runnagate looke to himselfe and his conscience will tell him that his courses haue beene base dishonest perfidious vnnaturall that I say not monstrous but our cause is such as shall euer be able to vpholde it selfe against all opposers without any such shifting devices as they of the adverse faction are forced to vse for the staying of that from falling for a little while that must fall and come to nothing in despight of all that Diuels or diuellish men by lying slaundering murdering and all hellish practises can doe to sustaine it §. 8. THus haue I breefely runne thorough his two bookes answered whatsoeuer concerneth my selfe in the same and so might passe presently to his Appendix but that towards the end of the 2d part ofhis second booke he once againe wrongeth that renowned Diuine Dr Humphrey in such sort as is not to be endured For he chargeth him with vnfaithfulnesse in his relations digressions from the matter a generall imbecillity of his whole discourse obscuritie vncertainty notorious deprauing of Saint Augustine and other vnfaithfull practises against the same Father and sayth the detection of his falshood ministred the first occasion of his chaunge If Master Higgons were not better knowne then trusted some man happily would bee mooued to thinke that some very grosse and vnexcusable ouer-sights are found in Doctour Humphrey against whom hee so clamorously inveigheth but seeing all the world taketh notice what manner of man hee is by that description of him which is found in a letter of a worthy Knight lately written to him another of his own father written to the same Knight I think there is no man of any sence that will regard his words any more then the braying of an Asse or the bellowing of an Oxe when he lacketh fodder yet to make it appeare that he hath calumniated and wronged a worthy person without all cause or shew of cause I will breefely set downe the summe of D. Humphrey his discourse Whereas Campian obiecteth to vs that we haue begged certaine fragments of opinions from Aerius and others condemned as heretickes first hee answereth that we haue not receiued our faith from Heretickes but from the Apostles and their successours Secondly he sayth that we condemne all the hereticall positions of Aerius yet admit whatsoeuer he held rightly and agreably to the holy Scripture in which saying Maister Higgons telleth vs the Papists will concurre with him Thirdly he alloweth a commemoration of the Saints and holy ones departed and consequently disliketh Aerius for condemning the same Fourthly hee condemneth that abuse in praying for the dead which Aerius condemned Fifthly he sayth the commemoration of the departed is not commanded in Scripture but holden by custome of the Church Sixtly that if wee dye not in a true and liuely faith all the prayers in the world cannot helpe vs contrary to the error of those men who thought that not onely a suspension or mitigation but a totall release of the punishments of men dying in mortall sinnes may be procured which error Augustine refuteth by the euidence of the words of the Apostle that vnlesse we here sowe vnto the spirit we cannot reape immortality And againe that we must all stand before the Tribunall seate of Christ that euery one may receiue according to the thinges hee did in this body whether good or ill Whence hee sayth is inferred that vnlesse men depart hence in state of grace all the world cannot releeue them afterwardes These being the principall and most materiall partes and circumstances of D. Humphrey his discourse touching Aerius let vs see what are the exceptions that Maister Higgons take against him The first is that he sayth there is no Scripture for that prayer for the dead that was ancienily vsed in the Church and that Augustine seemeth to confesse as much which hee goeth about to improue because Augustine alleageth the booke of Machabees for the practise of praying for the dead But for answere here-vnto 1. wee say that D. Humphrey denyeth that there is any precept requiring vs to pray for the dead found in Scripture speaketh nothing of exāples And therefore the allegation of the book of Machabees is impertinent 2. that the praier of Iudas Machabaeus mentioned in that booke was not for the reliefe of the dead but for the remission or not imputing of their sins to the liuing least God should haue smitten them for the trespasse committed by those wicked ones that displeased God and perished in their sin though the author of that book make another construction of it 3. that the booke of Machabees is not Canonical and though Augustine seeme to incline to an opinion that it is yet hee is not resolued that it is so yea some are of opinion that he thought it Canonicall only in respect of the Canon of manners and not of faith but Mr Higgons will proue that in the iudgement of Augustine prayer for the dead is plainely expressed or sufficiently deduced from the Scriptures of the new Testament in that S. Augustine hauing alleadged the bookes of Machabees to proue that prayer was made for the dead sayth if this were no where read in the old Scriptures the authority of the Church were greatly to be regarded which shineth in this custome which is a very silly inferēce For neither doth it follow that if it be not in the old it must be in the new neither would Augustine haue presently vrged the authority of the Church vpon the supposition of not finding it in the old Scriptures but the bookes of the new Testament if hee had thought it to be found in the new seeing he seeketh first and principally to proue it by Scripture His second exception is that Augustine vrgeth the custome of the Vniuersall Church for the commendation of the dead and pronounceth that without intollerable insolency and madnesse this authority cannot be reiected whence he inferreth that both these must ineuitably fall vppon D. Humphrey and his Church but the poore fellow that chargeth other men with madnesse if hee were in his right wittes might easily haue found that Doctor Humphrey doth not condemne the commemoration and commendation of the dead for he saith
Who would not thinke that there were some grosse ouersights committed by Mee in these passages vppon such an outcrie Wherefore lette vs consider the seuerall parts of this his exception against Mee First hee sayth the Bishoppe of Constantinople was not preferred before the other two Patriarches of Alexandria and Antioch and set in degree of honour next vnto the Bishop of Rome in the first Councell of Constantinople as I haue sayd and that I say vntruly when I say hee was Let vs therefore heare the wordes of the Canon it selfe and then let the Reader iudge betweene vs. The words of the third Canon of that Councell are these Constantinopolitanus Episcopus obtineat praecipuum honorem ac dignitatem secundum ac post Episcopum Romanum ideo quòd Constantinopolis noua Roma est that is Let the Bishop of Constantinople haue the chiefest honour and dignity after the Bishoppe of Rome because Constantinople is new Rome If the words of the Canon suffice not to iustifie my assertion let vs heare the Treatiser himselfe in the same page hee citeth these words of the Bishoppes assembled in the Councell of Chalcedon in their Synodall Epistle to Leo Bishoppe of Rome Wee haue confirmed the rule of the hundred and fifty holy Fathers which were gathered together at Constantinople vnder Theodosius of happie memory which commaunded that the See of Constantinople which is ordained the second and to haue second honour after your most holy and Apostolique See c. Is not here as much sayd as I haue written Did not the holy Fathers assembled at Constantinople decree that the Bishoppe of Constantinople shall bee preferred before the Bishoppes of Alexandria and Antioch and set in degree of honour next vnto the Bishoppe of Rome and doe not the Fathers in the Councell of Chalcedon say they decreed soe Haue all these holy Fathers committed notorious vntrueths to the Print and view of the world It is well the Treatiser concealed his name for otherwise hee must haue heard further from Mee But happily I mis-reported the Councell of Chalcedon when I sayd that in that Councell the Bishoppe of Constantinople was made equall with the Bishoppe of Rome and to haue equall rights priuiledges and prerogatiues because hee was Bishoppe of new Rome as the other of old Let vs therefore heare the words of the Bishoppes assembled in that Councell The Fathers say the Bishops of that Councell did rightly giue preeminences and priuiledges to the Throne of old Rome because that â—…ittie was Lady and mistresse of the world and the hundred and fifty Bishops most deeâ—…ely beloued of God moued with the same respect gaue equall preeminences and priuiledges to the most holy throne of New Rome thinking it reasonable that that Cittie honoured with the inperiall seate and Senate and enioying equall preeminences and priuiledges with the elder Princely city should bee made great as the other in ecclesiasticall affaires being second after it Out of this decree Nilus in his booke of the Primacie of the Pope obserueth first that in the iudgement of these holy Bishoppes the Pope hath the primacie from the Fathers and not from the Apostles Secondly that he hath it in respect of the greatnesse of his Citty beeing the seate of the Empire and not by reason of his succeding Peter which vtterly ouerthroweth the Papacie And therefore this good man after all this outery raised against Mee as if I had mis-reported the Councell is forced to deny the authority of the Canon as not beeing confirmed by the Bishoppe of Rome See then how hee demeaneth himselfe First hee vrgeth that the Bishoppe of new Rome or Constantinople could not haue equall priuiledges with the Bishoppe of old Rome because hee was to bee second and next after him where-unto Nilus answereth that if that reason did hold the Bishoppe of Alexandria could not bee equall to the Bishoppe of Constantinople in power and authority nor the Bishoppe of Antioch vnto him one of these beeing after another in order and honour and thence concludeth that if the Bishop of Antioch might bee equall to the Bishoppe of Alexandria and the Bishoppe of Alexandria to the Bishoppe of Constantinople notwithstanding the placing of one of them in order and honour before another the Bishoppe of Constantinople might bee equall to the Bishoppe of Rome though he were the second and next after him Soe that that which this Treatiser alleageth that by the confession of these Fathers the Bishoppe of Rome had alwaies the Primacy is to no purpose seeing the Primacie hee had was but of order and honour which may bee yeelded to one amongst them that are equall in power in which sense the Bishoppes assembled in the Councell of Chalcedon in their relation to Pope Leo call him their head Secondly hee confesseth it may be gathered out of some Greeke copies of this Councell hee might haue sayd out of all copies Greeke and Latine that by this Canon the Bishop of new Rome or Constantinople was soe made second after the Bishop of old Rome that equall priuiledges were giuen vnto him But addeth that they were onely concerning iurisdiction to ordaine certaine Metropolitans of the East Church as the Bishoppe of Rome had the like in the West which euasion serueth not the turne For the Bishops in this Councell supposing that the reason why the Fathers gaue the preeminence to the Bishoppe of Rome was the greatnesse of the Citty doe the â—…pon giue him the like preheminences Soe that they meant to make him equall generally and not in some particular thinges onely Besides if they did equall him in iurisdiction and in the ordination and confirmation of Metropolitans it will follow that they equalled him simply and absolutely For in the power of Order there canne bee noe inequalitie betweene him and any other Bishoppe Thirdly hee sayth That the Canon of this Councellis of no authority and the like he must say of the Canons of the first Councell of Constantinople and that in Trulto and so beare downe all that standeth in his way as Binnius and other of his fellowes do who feare not to charge these holy Fathers and Bishops with lying falshood But how doth he proue that this Canon is of no authority Surely the onely reason he bringeth is because the Legates of the Bishop of Rome resisted against it and the Bishop himselfe neuer confirmed it which is of litle force For we know that notwithstanding the long continued resistance of the Romane Bishops yet in the end they were forced to giue way to this constitution So that after the time of Iustinian the Emperour who confirmed the same they neuer made any word about it any more The words of Iustinians confirmation are these Wee ordaine according to the decrees of the holy Councels that the most holy Bishop of olde Rome shall be the first of all Bishops And the most blessed Bishop of Constantinople which is new Rome shall haue the second place after
in that they offend him and this is proper to God in that he onely hath power not to punish that hath power to punish and the Ministers of the Church concurre hereunto no otherwise but onely by bringing men by force of the Word and Sacraments into such an estate wherein God finding them will not punish them The second kinde of absolution is the freeing of men from the censures of suspension excommunication penitentiall corrections and such punishments as the Church may inflict and in this kinde the Church may properly bee saide to absolue The third kinde of absolution is the comfortable assuring of men vpon the vnderstanding of their estate that they shall escape Gods fearefull punishments In these two later sorts the Ministers of the Church haue power to absolue and personall absolution in either of these senses is rightly said to be an Apostolicall and godly ordinance but it is a written ordinance and not an vnwritten tradition which is the thing that this man should proue There is another kinde of absolution imagined by the Papists which is a Sacramentall act giuing grace ex opere operato to the remission of sinnes which is not an Apostolicall ordinance but an invention of their owne whereof I haue spoken elsewhere Touching the ministration of baptisme by priuate persons in the time of necessity it is not said to bee an vnwritten tradition by the Bishoppe of Winchester and therefore it is not to this purpose no more then that Bishoppes are saide to bee Diuinae ordinationis seeing the distinct degrees of Bishops and Presbyters are proued out of the Scripture That confirmation is an Apostolicall tradition wee confesse but it is a written tradition both in respect of the first practise of it by the Apostles who laid their hands on such as were baptized by others from which authority the custome of imposing hands doth come as Hierome testifieth as also in respect of the necessity of the continuance of it in that the Apostle to the Hebrewes reckoneth the imposition of hands together with the doctrine of baptismes amongst the foundations of Christian religion We doubt not therefore but it is a fitting thing that the Bishop should confirme by imposition of hands those that are baptized by others but it is rather for the honour of Priest-hood then the necessity of any law as Hierome testifieth for that otherwise they were in a wofull case who in places farre remote die before the Bishop can come to them if none could receiue the spirit of God but by the imposition of his hands It is therefore a sacramentall complement not to be neglected but not a Sacrament But this good man will proue it to be a Sacrament First because as hee saith it is so ioyned by vs with baptisme And secondly because it hath both a visible signe and grace by the communion-booke reviued It seemeth hee was neuer any good disputer he bringeth so many weake silly arguments and yet vrgeth them as if they were vnanswerable Surely these reasons will be found too weake to proue confirmation a Sacrament if they fall into the hands of any one that will take the paines to examine them For first if hee meane that it is joyned by vs with baptisme as a Sacrament hee is greatly deceiued seeing wee joyne it only as a Sacramentall complement And secondly though it haue an outward signe and inuisible grace yet the signe is not so much a signe of that grace which the Bishop imposing hands by his prayer obtayneth for the confirmation of the parties he layeth his hands vpon as a signe of limitation or restraint specifying and setting out the partie on whom hee desireth God to powre his confirming grace and therefore it hath not the nature of a Sacrament wherein there must be a visible signe of that grace that is conferred Secondly because though the Bishop ouershadowing the party by the imposition of his hands doe in a sort expresse resemble the hand of God stretched forth for the protecting assisting and safe keeping of the party which is an inuisible grace yet it followeth not that it is a Sacrament for the fiery and clouen tongues were a visible signe of that gracious gift of the spirit which the Apostles receiued in the day of Pentecost enabling them with all fiery zeale to publish the mysteries of Gods kingdome in all the seuerall languages of the world yet were they no Sacraments as Bellarmine noteth because the grace whereof these fiery tongues were a signe was not giuen by force of this signe as a set meane appointed by almighty God So in like sort the imposition of hands is a signe of protecting assisting and safe keeping grace not giuen or obtayned by the due vse of this signe as in Sacraments but to be obtained by the prayers of the Bishop and Church of God That which he hath out of Basil is to little purpose for I hope he thinketh not the doctrine of the Trinity to be holden by bare and onely tradition without the warrant of the written word or God And if Saint Basil reckon the forme of wordes wherein we professe our faith in the blessed Trinity to bee a tradition it proueth nothing against vs seeing the thing so professed is contayned in Scripture That the ordaining of Bishops in Diocesses to rule their churches and Metropolitanes in prouinces to call and moderate Synodes was an Apostolicall tradition we make no question but we deny it to be an vnwritten tradition For whereas in the Acts Paul sendeth for the Presbyters of Ephesus to Miletum in the Reuelation it appeareth by the Epistles of the Spirit of God directed to the seauen churches of Asia that amongst many Presbyters feeding the flocke of Christ in Ephesus there was one chiefe who had a kinde of eminent power who is named the Angell of the Church and who is commended or reproued for all thinges done well or ill within the limits and bounds of the same That the Bishop of Winchester saith the Article of Christs descending into hell and the Creede wherein it is contayned is an Apostolicall tradition deliuered to the Church by the direction and agreement of the Apostles is nothing but that we all say Neither is the Popish conceit touching vnwritten Articles of religion thereby confirmed for howsoeuer the Creede of the Apostles may be said to be a tradition in respect of the orderly collection of the principall heades of Christian faith into a briefe summe and Epitome which are scattered here and there in Scripture yet no Article of this Creed is beleeued or receiued by bare and onely tradition but they are all proued out of Scripture as that worthy and learned Bishop doth most excellently confirme and proue the Article of Christs descending into hell out of the same After these particular instances this authour groweth to a generall conclusion and asketh why we may not say with the Councell of Florence cited by
saith Cassander 3 sorts of traditions for some concerne the doctrine of faith others rites and ceremonies and a third sort things done They that concerne rites and ceremonies are variable according to the different circumstances of times they that are historicall are for the most part vncertaine and are not necessarie to saluation they that are dogmaticall are certaine and perpetuall but by dogmaticall traditions wee vnderstand not any diuine verity not written or any point of doctrine not contained in the Scripture but such points of doctrine as though they are not found in precise termes in holy scripture yet are deduced from the same rightly vnderstood and interpreted as the Apostles did vnderstand and expound them to their hearers and they to such as came after them So that this tradition is nothing else but the explication and interpretation of the Scripture and therefore it may be sayd not vnfitly Scripturam esse implicatam quandam obsignatam traditionem traditionem vero esse Scripturam explicatam resignatam that the Scripture is a kind of tradition inuolued and sealed vp and that tradition is Scripture vnfolded explained and opened This is that which Vincentius Lyrinensis long since deliuered to wit that the Scripture is sufficient and containeth all things necessary to be known of a Christian man for the attaining of saluation but that for the auoiding of the manifold turnings of heretickes peruerting the same to their owne perdition wee must carefully looke to the tradition of the Church deliuering vnto vs the true sense and meaning of it By this which hath beene sayd it appeareth that the Church wherein our Fathers liued and died was in this poynt touching the sufficiencie of the Scripture an orthodoxe and true Protestant Church as it was in the former touching the canon of the Scripture CHAP. 3. Of the originall text of Scripture of the certainety and trueth of the originalls and of the authoritie of the vulgar translation I haue discoursed at large in my fourth booke and the 27. 28. chapters of the same and made it appeare that the principall and best learned divines at since Luthers time taught no otherwise touching these poynts then wee now doe so that I need not insist vpon the proofe hereof CHAP. 4. Of the translating of the Scripture into vulgar languages and of the necessity of hauing the publique liturgie and prayers of the Church in a tongue vnderstood TOuching the translating of the Scriptures it is evident that both aunciently and of late time they haue beene translated into the severall languages of almost all the countries and kingdomes of the whole world where euer Christianity prevailed There is extant a translation of the old new testament in the Armenian tongue which the Armenians now vse put forth as they suppose by Chrysostome of this George the patriarch of Alexandria maketh mention in the life of Chrysostome reporting that when by the Emperours decree hee was sent in banishment into Armenia and stayed at Cucusum hee brought the inhabitants of that region to the faith of Christ and caused the Psalmes of David together with the holy gospells and other histories of the old Testament to bee translated into the Armenian tongue that so the people of that countrey might the sooner and more easily attaine the knowledge of holy Scripture And Theodoret testifieth that the holy Scriptures were translated into the Armenian tongue before his time though hee name not the authour The Slavonians affirme that they haue the Scriptures in their vulgar tongue turned by Saint Hierome and Hierome himselfe in his epistle to Sophronius seemeth to some learned men to intimate so much But yet there is another translation also of the Scriptures into the Slavonian tongue later then that of Hieromes as Scaliger hath obserued written in the Servian character vsed in Rascia Bosina Bulgaria Moldavia Russia Moscovia and other nations of the Slavonian language that celebrate their liturgies after the Greeke ceremonie of which later Methodius the companion of Cyrill is reported to haue beene the authour The former imputed to Hierome is written in the Dalmatian character and is vsed amongst the Liburnians and Dalmatians Istrians Moravians Silesians Bohemians Polonians c. Vulphilas the Goth of whom Socrates maketh mention in his ecclesiasticall historie who liued in the yeare 370 first found out the Gothicke alphabet and first of all deliuered to the Gothes all the diuine Scriptures translated by him out of Greeke into the Gothicke tongue and catholiquely expounded them striving much against the Arrians yet in the end as Theodoret reporteth he declined to the part of Valens the Arrian Emperour moued so to doe by the threates and promises of Eudoxus the Arrian Neither were the Scriptures translated onely into these languages but into the languages of many other nations as Chrysostome and Hierome affirme and in particular into the Aegyptian Persian Indian Scythian and Sarmatian tongues and into the languages of all other nations that receiued the Christian faith as Theodoret telleth vs. As likewise in the times following we read of the like translations of the Scripture into sundry languages of such Nations as were afterwards converted to the Faith or whose languages after altered So Iohn Archbishop of Sivill about the yeare 717 translated it into the Arabique which then was the vulgar speech of that part of Spaine And Beda about the same time some part of it into the Saxon or English Methodius about the yeare 860 into the Slavonique Iacobus de Voragine Archbishop of Genua about the yeare 1290 translated the whole diuine Scripture into the Italian tongue and so did Bruciolus in our age About 200 yeares since the whole Bible was translated into French in the time of Charles the 5th and as the Rhemists tell vs in their preface before the New Testament by them translated into English since Luthers time diuerse learned Catholiques haue published the Bible in the seuerall Languages of almost all the principall provinces of the Latine Church so that the Papists themselues doe not simply condemne the translating of the Scripture into the vulgar tongues But there are some amongst them as Stapleton telleth vs who out of zeale rather then knowledge doe thinke the Lay people should bee wholly restrained from reading the Scriptures in vulgar tongues others more moderate and discreete then these as they would bee thought are of opinion that all are not to bee restrained nor all permitted to reade them but some certaine onely And therefore the Rhemists tell vs that order was taken by the Deputies of the Councell of Trent in this behalfe and confirmed by supreame authority that the holy Scriptures though truely and Catholiquely translated into vulgar tongues yet may not be indifferently readde of all men nor of any other then such as haue expresse licence thereunto by their lawfull ordinaries with good