easy to wipe it off with S. Pauls argument as any of those vaine words that were advanced in his time For if for those thinges the wrath of God cometh upon Gentiles that are darknesse much more upon them who being become light have a share in the works of darknesse if S. Pauls argument be good And whatsoever induces a man to beleeve otherwise belonges to those vaine words which S. Paul forbids them to be deceived with The prophesy of Ezekiel must needes have a roome here which in order to induce the backsliding Israelites to repentance protests that God judgeth the righteous that turneth from his righteousnesse and the sinner that turneth from his sinne not according to the righteousnesse or to the sinne from which but according to that to which they turne Ezek. XVIII 5 For to say that the Prophet of God speaking in Gods name of the esteeme and reward which God hath for righteous and unrighteous speakes onely of that which seemes righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse to the world or which an hypocrite cousens himselfe to thinke such is such an open scorne to Gods word as cannot be maintained but by taking righteousnesse to signify unrighteousnesse and turning for not turning but continuing in that wickednesse which was at the heart when he professed otherwise Which is nothing else but to demand of us to renounce our senses and the reason common to all men together with the signification of these wordes whereby God deales with us in the same sense as we among our selves to make good a prejudice so prejudiciall to Christianity And what shall we doe with those examples and instances of holy men recorded in holy Scripture to have fallen from Gods grace into his displeasure beginning with our first parents Adam and Eve whom no man doubteth to have beene created in the state of Gods grace that will not have theire fall redound upon Gods account For if it be said that this is a difference between the Covenant of workes first set on foote with our first parents in Paradise and the Covenant of grace tenderd by our Lord Christ It is said indeed but it cannot be maintained without destroying all that hath been premised of the Covenant of Grace and the condition of the same Which though it take place under the Covenant of workes which is supposed forfeite to restore mankind to the hope of a heavenly reward upon conditions proportionable to theire present weaknesse hath notwithstanding appeared to be tendred to their free choice as containing conditions by transgressing whereof they forfeite as much as Adam could doe The examples of Saul and Solomon and David and S. Peter have in them indeed some difference one from another but is there any of them that imports not the state of damnation after the state of grace S. Peter it is plaine forfeits the condition of professing Christ whom he that denieth if our Lord say true in the Gospell Luke XII 8. 9. shall himselfe be denied at the generall judgment and can we imagine his teares to have been shedde without sense of this forfeite Wherefore whatsoever seedes of grace remained in him to move him to repentance as soone as he was become sensible of his estate it is manifest that he had lost the state of grace which he laboureth to recover by repentance I will not examine how much longer David lay in his sinnes then S. Peter before the Prophet Nathan brought him to the sense of them It is enough that he prayes so for pardon as no man could doe for that which he thought he had afâ—ore He prayes also for the restoring of Gods Spirit to him againe Psal LI. 10. 11. 12. Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thine holy Spirit from me O give me the comfort of thine helpe againe and stablish me with thy free Spirit For that which he prayes God not to take away he acknowleges to be forfeite So that it is but of reason that he further desires that it be restored him rather then continued Some thinke they avoide this by understanding onely the Spirit of Prophesy to be his desire not wanting the Spirit of regeneration whereby he desires it Which in the case of David no way takes place without offering violence to the words And I have sufficiently advised that by the helpe of Gods Spirit granted out of that grace which preventeth the Covenant of grace and that state of grace which dependeth upon the undertaking of it a man is inabled to desire the gift of Gods Spirit to dwell in him according to that which the Covenant of Grace promiseth As for Saul and Solomon both of them indowed with Gods Spirit the one of them must not be understood ever to have been in the state of grace the other to have ever fallen from it For it is alleged that Balaam and Caiaphas prophesied and our Lord shall say to those that had prophesied and cast out devils and done miracles in his Name I never knew you Mat. VIII 22. 23. But S. Paules words would be considered concerning his Apostles office 2 Cor. III. 4. 5. 6. This confidence we have towards God through Christ Not because we are sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves but our sufficience is of God who hath made us able ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit For if the grace of an Apostle suppose not the grace of a Christian how hath S. Paul confidence to God in the grace of an Apostle given him by God which a Christian obtaineth through Christ Certainly no man spares to argue from these words that we are not able of our selves to think any thing towards the discharge of a Christian mans office as taking it for granted that a good Apostle supposes a good Christian And what an inconvenience were it to grant that God imployes men that are not good upon his messages to mankind giving them the oporation of the Holy Ghost to demonstrate that he sendes them which is sufficient credit for all that they deliver as in his name unlesse we will imagine it no inconvenience that God gives testimony to those whom he would not have to be beleeved As for Balaam it is manifest that he was imployed by unclean Spirits to maintaine men in theire Idolatries by foretelling things to come by their means And that Gods appearing to him to hinder him from cursing his people was upon the same account as Arnobius saith that Magicians did use to find the virtue of Spirits opposite to those unclean Spirits whome they imployed not suffering them to bring to effect those misehevious intentions for which they set them on work And by this means it was that Balaam not being imployed by God is forced to declare that will of God which he would have made voide As for Caiaphas it is not to be imagined that he had any
having received the promises but having seen them afarre of and being perswaded and having saluted them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims upon earth for they who say such things declare that they seek a country And had they been mindfull of that which they were come out from they might have had time to turn back But now they desire a better that is an heavenly Whereupon God is not ashamed to be called their God For he had prepared them a City And againe 39 40. These all being witnessed by faith received not the promises God having provided some better thing for us that they might not be perfected without us Where it is plaine that they according to the Apostle expected the kingdom of heaven by virtue of that promise which is now manifested and tendered and made good by the Gospell whereof our Saviour saith John VIII 98. Your father Abraham leaped to see my day and saw it and rejoyced And againe Mat. XIII 17. Verily I say unto you that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things ye see and have not seen them and to hear the things ye hear and have not hard them CHAP. IX Of the Faith and Justification of Abraham and the Patriarkes according to the Apostles Of the Prophets and righteous men under the Law Abraham and Rahab the harlot justified by workes if justified by Faith The promises of the Gospel depend upon works which the Gospell injoyneth The Tradition of the Church HAving thus shewed that the interest of Christianity and the grounds whereupon it is to be maintained against the Jewes require this answer to be returned to the objection it remaines that I shew how the apostles disputations upon this point do signify the same Of Abraham then and of the Patriarches thus we read Heb. XI 8 10. By faith Abraham obeyed the calling to go forth unto the place he was to receive for inheritance and went forth not knowing whither he went By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as none of his own dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob heirs with him of the same promise For he expected a City having foundations the architect and builder whereof is God Is it not manifest here that both parts of the comparison are wrapped up in the same words which cannot be unfolded but by saying That as Abraham in confidence of Gods promise to give his posterity the land of Canaan left his country to live a stranger in it So while he was so doing he lived a pilgrim in this world out of the faith that he had conceived out of Gods promises that he should thereby obtaine the world to come And is not this the profession of Christians which the Apostle in the words alledged even now declareth to be signified by the pilgrimages of the Patriarchs And is not this a just account why they cannot be said to have attained the promises by the law but by faith Therefore that which followeth immediately of Sarah must needs be understood to the same purpose By faith Sarah also her self received force to give seed and bare beside the time of her age because she thought him faithfull that had promised Therefore of one and him mortified were born as the stars of heaven for multitude and as the sand that is by the sea shore innumerable For S. Paul declareth Gal. III. 16. IV. 22 Rom. IX 7 8 9. that the seed promised Abraham in which all the nations of the earth shall be blessed is Christ and the Church of true Spirituall Israelites that should impart the promise of everlasting life to all nations And this promise you saw even now that Abraham and the Patriarchs expected Sarah therefore being imbarked in Abrahams pilgrimage as by the same faith with him she brought forth all Israel according to the flesh so must it needs be understood that she was accepted of God as righteous in consideration of that faith wherewith she traveled to the world to come Neither can it be imagined that S. Pauls dispute of the righteousnesse of Abraham by faith can be understood upon any other ground or to any other effect then this What then shall we say that Abraham our father got according to the flesh saith he Rom. IV. 1-5 For if Abraham was justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not towards God For what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse But to him that worketh the reward is not reckoned according to grace but according to debt But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the wicked his faith is imputed for righteousnesse The question what Abraham found according to the flesh can signifie nothing but what got he by the Law which is called the flesh in opposition to the Gospel included in it which is called the Spirit Did he come by his righteousnesse through the Law or not For had Abraham been justified by works that should need none of that grace which the Gospel tendreth for remission of sinnes well might he glory of his own righteousnesse and not otherwise For he that acknowledges to stand in need of pardon and grace cannot stand upon his own righteousnesse Now Abraham cannot so glory towards God because the Scripture saith that his faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse which signifies Gods grace in accepting of it to his account not his claime as of debt Whereupon the Apostle inferreth immediately the testimony of David writing under the Law in these words As David also pronounceth the man blessed to whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works Blessed are they whose iniquities are remitted and whose sinnes are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne What can be more manifest to shew that the Apostle intends no more then that the Fathers pretended not to be justified by those workes which claimed no benefit of that Grace which the Gospel publisheth Especially the consequence of Davids words being this Psal XXXII 2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne and in whose spirit there is no guile For the Prophet David including the spirituall righteousnesse of the heart in the quality of him to whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without works the Apostle must be thought to include it in the Faith of him to whom the Lord imputeth it for righteousnesse Now when S. Paul observeth in Moses that Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Upon the promise of that posterity which he expected not Gen. XV. 6. It cannot be said that Abraham had not this faith afore Or that it was not imputed to him for righteousnesse till now Because the Apostle to the Hebrews hath said expresly that he had the same faith and to the like effect ever since he left his country to travail after Gods promises And certainly it was but an act of the same Faith to walk after the rest of those
is fallen from Grace by sinne after Baptisme for remission of sinne Because he supposeth aforehand that the satisfaction of Christs bloud consisteth in obtaining such termes at Gods hands that the condition being obtained a man should become qualified for remission of sinnes On the other side the Gospell importing a promise of remission of sinne in consideration of the sufferings of Christ to them that turn by true repentance to that new life which it prescribeth It cannot be denied that those workes wherein the reality of true repentance consisteth are properly satisfaction for sinne as for that respective sinne for which they satisfie by virtue of that promise which God by the Gospel declareth in consideration of Christs Crosse For if the Civilian say true that to satisfie is no more then to fulfill a mans desire God by his Gospel requiring nothing else to be performed by us that is by any Christian that is overtaken in the state of sinne but to turne from sinne of necessity it followes that God is satisfied with our repentance which otherwise he would not accept of for payment at our hands though the satisfaction of Christ is the consideration that makes it acceptable The mistake seemes to lye in this that men take any kind of displeasure for sinne to be that repentance which qualifieth a man for remission of sinne presuming that faith alone justifieth and that the grace which the Gospel tendereth would come to too short an account if at every instance a man might not have recourse to the bloud of Christ for assurance of remission of sinnes Whereas I have showed that in all estates at any instant a Christian hath assurance of remission of sinne to be had upon condition that he see himself qualified for it But that absolute assurance of remission of sinne actually had and obtained is not to be had by the Gospel but upon performing the condition which it requireth unlesse we would make Christ the minister of sinne as Saint Paul speakes by saying that he came to discover a way by which standing in the love of sinne and injoying the pleasure of it we may assure our selves of pardon for it For it can in no reason be imagined that he who hath wilfully committed sinne can instantly come to such a resolution of mind as may reasonably be thought effectuall to move him never to do the like any more Will any body that is capable to consider what a change it is for a man to undertake Christianity being by the preaching of it become convict of that sinne which it pretendeth to cure will any man say that it is possible for such a one at the instant that he is first informed of a thing concerning him so much to resolve to take the course overcoming all difficulties which all the custome of sinne can create As for him who having made profession of Christianity is notwithstanding overtaken with one of those grosse sinnes that expresse a formal contrdiction to his profession so made can he be assured of a firme resolution to stand to all that his Christianity requireth for the future who sees himself so shamefully cast from a resolution solemnly professed and perhaps grounded in him by so many yeares practice as he hath been a Christian This is the reason why repentance is not to be measured by a wish that a man had not sinned which those that are not past remorse necessarily have because they must needs wish themselves at peace with God nor by a desire of forgivenesse because they must needs wish themselves what the Gospel promiseth nor by being sory for the punishment which they have incurred for that is not out of love to God but to themselves nor by being onely sory for having offended God for who would not wish that he could injoy both the love of God and the pleasure of his sinne In fine no disposition can qualify a man a convert or penitent but that which produceth a change in his actions And that disposition not being produced but by frequenting such actions of humiliation as may settle the impression of it upon a mans Spirit those actions by which this disposition is wrought are justly counted satisfaction to God because they fulfill that which he desireth of a sinner to qualify him for remission of sinnes One material difficulty there is that may be objected against all this from the Scriptures especially of the Gospells and those manifold invitations whereby our Lord wooeth those which are weary of sin to come to him for their cure For in very deed the Parable of the prodigall representeth God so desirous to be reconciled that there is no roome left for conditions limiting the pardon which is granted before it can be demanded upon a bare desire expressed by returning home And the Psalme of David seems to signifie the same when he saith I said I will confesse my transgression to the Lord and thou forgavest the wickednesse of my sin Psalm XXXIV 5. Which may be so understood as if David onely having purposed to make confession of his sin God prevented him with pardon before he did it But to say truth this is more then the words can beare because it is said just afore I made knowne my sins to thee and my iniquities I concealed not So as Davids sin was not pardoned before he confessed it but having confessed it upon a grounded resolution so to doe and that after so much trouble of mind for his sin as the premises of the Psalme expresse As for the expressions of our Lord in the Gospell having showed that it tendreth high promises but upon conditions proportoinable considering the present weakenesse of our nature there is no reason in the world to inferr that those who have forfeited the promises by failing of that which they undertake may as easily promise themselves reconcilement with God by repentance as they are freely invited to be reconciled by Baptisme For that which is done in the state of ignorance is easily passed by upon condition of amendment But where breach of amity may be reproached especially tendred by God of meere Grace and upon his own charge as it were of Christs Crosse to persume of reconcilement upon meere acknowledgement of a transgression were to tread under foot so great Grace And therefore that which hath been produced out of the Apostles writings soundeth to an other tune S. John saith in deed If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to remit our sins and to clense us from all unrighteousnesse If we say wee have not sinned we make him a lyer and his word is not in us Iohn I. 8 9 10. For it appeareth by the premises that his word concludeth even Christians to be sinners For S. Iohn goeth forward and saith My little children these things I write to you that you sin not And if any man sin we have an
Of the Prophets and righteous men under the Law Abraham and Rahab the harlot justified by Workes if justified by Faith The promises of the Gospel depend upon works which the Gospel injoyneth The Tradition of the Church 52 CHAP. X. What Pelagius questioneth concerning the Grace of Christ what Socinus further of the state of Christ before his birth The opposition between the first and second Adam in S. Paul evidenceth original sinne Concupisence in the unregenerate and the inability of the Law to subdue it evict the same The second birth by the holy Ghost evidenceth that the first birth propagateth sin 66 CHAP. XI The old Testament chargeth all men as well as the wicked to be sinful from the wombe David complaineth of himself as born in sin no lesse then the Wise man of the children of the Gentiles How Leviticall Laws argue the same And temporal death under the Old Testament The book of Wisdome and the Greek Bible 76 CHAP. XII The Heresie of Simon Magus the beginning of the Gnosticks That they were in being during the Apostles time Where and when the Heresie of Cerintâ—us prevailed and that they were Gnosticks The beginning of the Encratites under the Apostles It is evident that one God in Trinity was then glorified among the Christians by the Fulnesse of the Godhead which they introduced in stead of it 80 CHAP. XIII The Word was at the beginning of all things The apparition of the old Testament Prefaces to the Incarnation of Christ Ambassadors are not honoured with the honour due to their Masters The word of God that was afterwards incarnate was in those Angels that spoke in Gods Name No Angel honoured as God under the New Testament The Word was with God at the beginning of all things as after his return 89 CHAP. XIV The Name of God not ascribed to Christ for the like reason as to creatures The reasons why the Socinians worship Christ as God do confute their limitations Christ not God by virtue of his rising again He is the Great God with S. Paul the true God with S. John the onely Lord with S. Jude Other Scriptures Of the form of God and of a servant in S. Paul 94 CHAP. XV. Not onely the Church but the World was made by Christ The Word was made flesh in opposition to the Spirit How the Prophets how Christians by receiving the Word of God are possessed by his Spirit How the title of Sonne of God importeth the Godhead How Christ is the brightnesse and Image of God 100 CHAP. XVI The testimonies of Christs Godhead in the Old Testament are first understood of the figures of Christ Of the Wisdome of God in Solomon and elsewhere Of the writings of the Jewes as well before as after Christ 112 CHAP. XVII Answer to those texts of Scripture that seem to abate the true Godhead in Christ Of that creature whereof Christ is the first-born and that which the Wisdome of God made That this beliefe is the originall Tradition of the Church What means this dispute furnisheth us with against the Arians That it is reason to submit to revelation concerning the nature of God The use of reason is no way renounced by holding this Faith 116 CHAP. XVIII The necessity of the grace of Christ is the evidence of Original sinne How the exaltation of our Lord depends upon his humiliation and the grace of Christ upon that All the work of Christianity is ascribed to the grace of Christ Gods predestination manifesteth the same 133 CHAP. XIX Evidences of the same in the Old Testament Of Gods help in getting the Land of Promise and renewing the Covenant And that for Christs sake That Christianity cannot stand without acknowledging the grace of Christ The Tradition of the Church In the Baptism of Infants In the Prayers of the Church In the decrees against Pelagius and other records of the Church 140 CHAP. XX. Wherein Original sinne consisteth What opinions are on foot That it is not Adams sinne imputed to his posterity Whether man were at the first created to a supernatural end or not An estate of meer nature but innocent possible Original sinne is concupisence How Baptism voids it Concerning the late novelty in the Church of England about Original sinne 151 CHAP. XXI The opinion that makes the Predestination of mans will by God the sourse of his freedom And wherein Jansenius differs from it Of necessity upon suppositiou and absolute The necessity of the Will following the last dictate of the understanding is onely upon supposition As also that which Gods foresight creates The difference between indifferent and undetermined 163 CHAP. XXII The Gospel findeth man free from necessity though not from bondage Of the Antecedent and consequent Will of God Praedetermination is not the root but the rooting up of Freedom and Christianity Against the opinion of Jansenius 170 CHAP. XXIII A man is able to do things truly honest under Originall sinne But not to make God the end of all his doing How all the actions of the Gentiles are sinnes They are accountable onely for the Law of nature How all men have or have not Grace sufficient to save 181 CHAP. XXIV Though God determineth not the will immediately yet he determineth the effect thereof by the means of his providence presenting the object so as he foresees it will chuse The cases of Pharoah of Solomon of Ahab and of the Jews that crucified Christ Of Gods foreknowledge of future conditionalls that come not to passe The ground of foreknowledge of future contingencies Difficult objections answered 189 CHAP. XXV The grounds of the difference between sufficient and effectual How naturall occasions conduce to supernatural actions The insufficience of â—ansenius his doctrine Of sufficient grace under the Law of Moses and Nature 202 CHAP. XXVI Predestination to grace absolute to glory respective Purpose of denying effectuall Grace absolute of punishing respective The end to which God predestinates is not the end for which he predestinates Grace the reward of the right use of Grace How much of the question the Gospel dètermines not That our indeavours are ingaged no lâ—sse then if predestination were not it determineth Of the Tradition of the Church and of Semipelagians Predestinatians and Arminians 212 CHAP. XXVII The question concerning the satisfaction of Christ with Socinus The reason why Sacrifices are figures of Christ common to all sacrifices Why and what Sacrifices the Fathers had what the Law added Of our ransom by the price of Christs propitiatory Sacrifice 233 CHAP. XXVIII Christ took away our sinne by bearing the punishment of it The Prophesie of Esay LIII We are reconciled to God by the Gospel inconsidâ—cation of Christs obedience The reconcilement of Jews and Gentiles Men and Angels consequent to the saâ—e Of purging and expiating sinne by Christ and making propitiation for it Of Christs dying for us 238 CHAP. XXIX The grant of Grace in consideration of Christ supposes satisfaction made by him for sinne Neither
revealed from heaven upon all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men that hold the truth in unrighteousnesse For the preaching of the Gospel is that revelation which here he meanes And by S. Augustine de Catechizandi Rudibus we understand that by the order of the Church there was no instruction in Christianity without conviction of the judgement to come as that which obligeth to have recourse to Baptisme for the avoiding of it But when God condescends to tender to those whom he holds liable to his justice terms of reconcilement plainly he comes down from his Throne of judgement to deale with his obnoxious creatures upon equall terms or rather terms of disadvantage supposing what no Christian can deny that the Gospel tenders terms of our advantage Nay he is content to go before and to declare himself tied before hand if we accept expecting our choice whether we will be bound by accepting or not which is a difference between the Law and the Gospel not unworthy to be observed For the Covenant of the Law was struck once for all with all those whome it concerned to wit the whole people of Israel at once their posterity being by birth subject to it But when the Gospel is preached the Covenant of Grace is tendered indeed but not inacted till some man consent to become a Christian and therefore God first binds himself to stand to the termes which he tenders expecting whether man will accept them or not And though it be called the Covenant of Grace while it is but tendered yet it is not a Covenant till it be inacted between God and every one that is baptized Seeing then that no justification of sinners takes effect but by virtue of the Covenant of Grace and that the act of Gods meer Grace inacts and gives force to that Covenant manifest it must needs be that justification imports the act of God admitting him for righteous who setting aside that Covenant could not challenge so to be held and dealt with But if justification import this act of God shall it not therefore imply shall it not suppose some condition qualifying him for it For what challenge can he whom the Gospel overtaketh in sinne pretend for reward by it being engaged by Gods law to the utmost of his power otherwise shall a mans conversion from sinne past to righteousnesse to come challenge both the cancelling of his debts and a reward beyond all proportion of that which he is able to do being obliged to do it But shall that Gospel which pretends to retrive righteousnesse into the world allow the reward of righteousnesse without any consideration of it How then shall it oblige man to righteousnesse being a law that derogates from any law of God that went afore it allowing all the promises it tenders without any consideration of righteousnesse For I will not here stand to dispute whether the Covenant of Grace be a law or not because every contract is a law to the parties and this being between God and man and supposing the transgression of Gods Originall law necessarily abates the extent and force of it But I will demand what is or what can be the righteousnesse of a sinner but repentance Which as it is part of righteousnesse so farre as it is understood to be conversion from all sinne so as it is understood to be the conversion of sinners to Christianity is all righteousness because all sinners are called to Christianity Only with this difference that repentance is the way to that end which is righteousnesse Repentance in fieri righteousnesse in facto esse according to the terms of the Schoole And is it not righteousnesse for a sinner to desire to purpose to resolve to be righteous for the time to come Or can he that is truly qualified a sinner be any other way truly qualified righteous Therefore that resolution of righteousnesse which he that sincerely undetakes Christianity must needs put on the first part whereof is the profession of God by Christ the author and rewarder of it This I say is that which qualifies a Christian for the promises of the Gospel but alwayes by virtue of Gods free act in tendring the Covenant of Grace not by any obligation which his creature can prevent him with And this is manifestly S. Pauls sense in Rom. IV. 3 11 22 23 24. where he alleges Moses that Abrahams faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse and David pronouncing him blessed unto whom God imputeth no sinne To shew that the Gospel declareth Christians to be justified by faith no otherwise then the Fathers understood men to become Righteous by Gods grace accepting that which nothing could oblige him to accept for righteousnesse For no man is so wilfully blinde as to imagine that the Apostle speakes here of our Lord Christ the object not of the act of faith whose words are That Faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse and blessed is he to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne And sinne as I take it stands not in opposition to the object of faith And when the Scripture saith Psal CVI. 30 31. Then stood up Phineas and exercised judgement and so the Plague ceased And this was imputed to him for righteousnesse among all posterities for evermore It is manifest that doing vengeance upon malefactors is accounted a righteous thing for Phineas to do though by Gods command yet without processe of law And 1 Mac. 11. 52. Was not Abraham found faithfull in temptation and it was counted to him for righteousnesse And shall not faith be said to be imputed to him for righteousnesse in the same sense as we see evidently induring temptation is imputed to him and doing vengeance to Phineas for righteousnesse That is to say that the act of faith not the object of it which act what it is and wherein it consists I suppose is decided by the premises is imputed to Abraham and his Spirituall seed for righteousnesse I have said nothing all this while concerning that opinion which makes that faith which alone justifieth to consist in believing that a man is justified or predestinate to life in consideration only of Christs obedience imputed to him And truely having said so much why it cannot consist in having trust and confidence in God through Christ I do not think I need say much more to it First whether or no a Christian can have the assurance of faith that he is for the present justified or that he is from everlasting predestinate to life is a thing that I intend not here either to grant or to deny Nothing hindring me supposing for the present but not granting that such assurance may be had upon that supposition to dispute that he is not justified by having that assurance but that by being justified he obtaines it For were it not the strangest thing in the world that any knowledge should produce the object of it which it supposeth Can any reason allow the effect to produce the cause or any thing
promises whereby it should please God further to declare the purpose for which he brought him from home That faith therefore which was imputed for righteousnesse to Abraham not as the Jewes challenge righteousnesse by doing the Law but as Christians expect it by remission of sinnes includes in it an ingagement of travailing that way that God points out to the land of promise upon the account whereof that faith which was imputed to the Patriarchs for righteousnesse proceedeth Now when S. Paul proceedeth further to argue that this imputation of Abrahams faith to righteousnesse came to passe while he was yet uncircumcised and no way subject to the law and that by virtue of Gods promise which proceeded upon consideration of this righteousnesse and not of the law the title of his inheritance stood which promise he argueth further Gal. IV. 18 19. that the Law coming four hundred and thirty yeares after could nothing derogate from I challenge all the world to say how all this inferrs any more But that the righteousnesse of Abraham comes not by virtue of the Law by doing whereof the Jewes pretend righteousnesse but by Gods free promise whereby Christians expect remission of sinnes To the same effect therefore S. Paul concludes Rom. IV. 23 24. But it was not written because of him alone that it was imputed to him but because of us who believe in him that raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead to whom it is to be imputed For the example of Abrahams faith in the promise of God to give him such a posterity by Sarah and that it was imputed to him for that righteousnesse whereby he became qualified for the promises upon which he left his country is written for the instruction of Christians upon this account Because so sure as we believe that the New Testament was intended by the Old so certaine we are that the faith whereby we undertake to follow God and the way to the world to come which he by Christ points us out qualifies us for the same But he that will have S. Paul upon these reasons to inferre that Christians are justified by believing that they are predestinate or by trusting in God not supposing that trust grounded upon that obligation which our Baptisme professeth in plain terms he makes S. Paul use arguments that do not conclude For if Abraham cannot bragge of his righteousnesse before God because of Gods account not of debt If David count happiness not to stand upon any title of purchase but by remission of sins If faith were reckoned to Abraham for righteousnesse before he was circumcised If the inheritance were due by virtue of Gods promise Then that righteousness which intitles Christians to the world to come stands by virtue of the Gospel which publisheth remission of sins to all whom it overtakes in unrighteousnesse and by Gods grace in acceping their undertaking of Christianity and living according to it as qualifying them for everlasting life not by doing the law without having recourse to that meanes which the Gospel tendereth for remission of sinnes and right to the world to come But it is in vaine to inferre from any of those assumptions Therefore Christians are justified by that faith in which no obligation of bearing Christs crosse or any consideration thereof is included With this which hath been said of that faith whereby Abraham was justified let us compare that which follows of the faith of Moses Heb. XI 24 25 26. By faith Moses growing great refused to be called Pharaohs daughters sonne chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time counting the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt Because he looked upon the reward to be rendred The faith by which Moses was justified consists in this that he renounced his quality in the Court of Egypt that he might have a share in the promises made to Gods people And this the Apostle justly calls undertaking the reproach of Christ because it was the same thing in effect to the people of God then as now is the bearing of Christs crosse which Christians at their Baptisme professe and because the promises which the Fathers looked after are fulfilled in Christ as I shewed afore And herewith let us compare the faith of Enoch Heb. XI 5 6. By faith Enoch was translated not to see death and was not found because God had translated him for before his translation he is witnessed to have pleased God But without faith it is impossible to please God For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he rewardeth those that seek him Well may we conclude from hence that Enoch was not justified by the Law nor by the works of it but by that perswation upon which he sought God as Christians by obliging themselves so to do not by that faith which includeth not nor supposeth any resolution and obligation so to do Compare now herewith the conclusion of the whole dispute concerning the righteous men and Prophets under the Law Heb. XI 32. 37. And what shall I say more For the time will saile me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Sampson and Jephtah and David and Samuel and the Prophets Who by faith conquered kingdomes wrought righteousnesse obtained promises stopped the mouthes of Lions quenched the force of fire escaped the edge of the sword recovered of weaknesse became strong in war put to flight armies of strangers women received their dead raised to life againe others were tortured to death not expecting deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection others had triall of mockings and scourgings and besides of bonds and imprisonment were stoned sawne asunder tempted died slain by the sword went about in sheeps and goats skins in want afflicted distressed wandring in deserts and mountaines and caves and holes of the earth Will this conclude that all these were justified by that faith which neither includeth nor presupposeth a resolution and obligation to righteousnesse who out of the hope of Gods promises to his people acted against the enemies thereof or suffered for righteousnesse the same things in that state of Gods people which Christians now suffer and do for the profession of Christs Crosse into which they are baptized In fine the whole dispute of the Apostle here and of S. Paul in so many of his Epistles concerning faith and the righteousnesse that Christians have by it is the same with that which the Fathers of the Church maintained against the Jews that Christianity is more ancient then Judaisme That as the Fathers before the Law obtained not that right which both Christians and Jews allow them to the promises of the world to come by the works of the Law So the Prophets and righteous men under the Law had not that hope by doing it but by the assurance which under the dispensation of the Law they had conceived as of reason they ought that God would not faile
difference between the Law of all righteousnes and the Law of all unrighteousnes signifieth For upon other terms can no man professe himself a Christian And as great and as reall a change it is that succeeds upon that change between the relation which he that is so changed did hold towards God afore and now holds afterwards as the difference between the heir of Gods wrath and of his kingdome importeth But supposing that change which justifying faith importeth already in being that change which the effect of it in justifying importeth is of necessity meerly morall and consisteth onely in the difference between that remission of sinnes and Gods kingdome which the promise of his grace and the debt of punishment which the sentence of his justice declareth Whether therefore justifying faith be Gods work or not which here I dispute not because here I cannot resolve for the cause of it the effect of it in justifying which here I debate will signify no more then an attribute due by right to him that hath it upon Gods promise importing no change in him but that which it supposeth how much soever it import his salvarion that his relation to God be so changed For I may safely here suppose that which the title of this dispute and the very name of the Covenant of Grace attributed to the Gospel of Christ involveth That Faith justifyeth not by virtue of the work naturally but morally by that will and appointment of God by virtue whereof the Covenant of Grace standeth And this necessarily holds in the sense of the Church when it ascribeth justification to faith alone in opposition to the workes of the Law A necessary consequence whereof is this That the forgivenesse of our sinnes will presuppose and require of us that we forgive others their offenses against us Because we hold the forgivenesse of our sinnes by the title of our Christianity Whereof seeing it is one point that we forgive other men their offenses against us of necessity failing of the condition required on our part we faile of the promise tendered of Gods Therefore the Fathers also as the Scriptures afore attribute remission of sinnes to Charity to almes deeds and to forgiveing of offenses against us Clemens in his Epistle to the Corinthians p. 65. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Happy were we if we did do the commandments of God in the concord of Love that our sinnes might be forgiven us through Love The Apostolicall constitutions VII 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If thou hast give by thine own hands that thou mayest act to the redemption of thy sinnes For by almes and truth sinnes are purged away Lactantius VI. 12. Magna est misericordiae merces cui Deus pollicetur peccata se omnia remissurum Si audieris inquit preces supplicis tui ego audiam tuas Si misertus laborantium fueris ego in tuo labore miserebor Si autem non respexeris nec adjuveris ego animum contra te geram tuisque te legibus judicabo Great are the wages of mercy which God hath promised that he will remit all sinnes If thou hearest saith he the prayers of thy suppliant I also will hear thine If thou takest pitty on them that are in paine I also will take pitty upon thy paine But if thou respect not nor help them I also will carry a mind against thee and judge thee by thine owne Law S. Chrysost Tomo VI. Orat. LXVII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But there is another way of cleansing sinne not inferiour to this not to remember the malice of enemies to containe wrath to remit the sinnes of fellow-servants For so those which we have done against our Lord shall be forgiven us Behold also a second way to purge sinnes For if ye forgive saith he And by and by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But if you will learn a fourth I will name almes For it hath great force and not to be expressed For to Nabucodonosor being arived at all kinde of wickednesse and going over all goodnesse Daniel saith Redeem thy sinnes with almsdeeds and thy transgressions with pittying the poor To the same purpose the same S. Chrysost makes forgiving of injuries giving thanks in affiction mercy in helping our neighbours the cure for sinne as well as humility confession and prayer In 2 ad Corinth Hom. II. Because thereby a Christian retires to his promise in Baptisme expecting remission only from Gods promise in the same So also In Epist ad Rom. Hom. XXV S. Ambrose De poenitentia II. 5. David beatum praedicavit illum cui peccata per Baptismum remittuntur illum cujus peccata operibus teguntur David proclaimes for blessed both him whose sinnes are remitted by Baptisme and him whose sinnes are covered with workes So charity covers many sinnes done after Baptisme Caesarius of Arles Homil. I. Quoties infirmos visitamus in carcerem positos requirimus discordes ad concordiam revocamus indicto in Ecclesia jejunio jejunamus hospitibus pedes abluimus ad vigiliâ—s frequentius convenimus eleemosynam ante ostium praetereuntibus pauperibus damus iniâ—icis nostris quoties petierint indulgemus istis operibus his similibus minuta peccata quotidie redimuntur As oft as we visit the sick seek those that are put in prison reduce those that fall out to agreement fast when a fast is published in the Church wash the feet of strangers assemble more frequently to wakes give almes to the poor that go by the doore pardon our enemies as oft as they demand by these works and like to these small sinnes are every day redeemed S. Austine Libro L. Homil. Hom. L. Cap. VIII Non enim ea dimitti precamur quae jam in Baptismo dimissa sunt nisi dimissa credimus de ipsa fide dubitamus sed utique de quotidianis peccatis hoc dicimus pro quibus etiam sacrificia eleemosynarum jejuniorum ipsarum orationum supplicationum quisque pro suis viribus offerre non cessat For we pray not for the pardon of those which are already pardoned in Baptisme which if we believe not that they are pardoned we call the faith it self in doubt But this forsooth we speak of daily sinnes for which also no man ceaseth to offer according to his power the sacrifices of almes and fasting and even of prayers and supplications S. Gregory In Psalm II. Poenitent Habent enim sancti viri aliquid quod in hac vita operire debeant Quia omnino est impossibile ut in loquutione aut etiam in cogitatione nunquam delinquant Student igitur viri Dei oculorum linguae culpas tegere meritis vita student pondere bonorum operum premere immoderata verborum For holy men have something in this life which they ought to hide Because it is altogether impossible that in speech or at least in thought they should never faile Therefore the men of God study to cover the faults of the eyes and tongue
answer this question then which we are thus secured that it cannot be answered to the prejudice of the Church and the faith thereof It will be worth the while to compare the discourse of our Lord to the company that followed him to Capernaum in the sixth of John with this to Nicodemus For no man can be so unreasonable as to imagine that the Sacrament of the Eucharist was instituted by our Lord at the time of that discourse or by virtue of it of the institution whereof we have so due account in the Gospells before the suffering of our Lord. And yet it would be a strange thing to imagine that all that long discourse of our Lord should have no relation to that Sacrament Especially seeing it is so agreeable to all reason that our Lord should deliver unto his disciples the effect of his Gospel in such terms as suted best with the ceremony of that Sacrament wherewith he intended to establish the same For supposing the eating of the flesh of Christ crucified and the drinking of his blood to be the consideration of his passion tending to a resolution of taking up his Crosse we have in it the summe of Christianity consisting in the bearing of Christs Crosse that is in conforming our selves to his sufferings Report we this to the discourse of our Lord with Nicodemus and it will seem strange to me that any man should marvaile that when the Sacrament of Baptisme was not yet instituted our Lord should propose his Gospel to him upon this ground that no man born of the flesh could attain to the kingdome of God without being born againe of water and the holy Ghost Seeing that whether he understood or not what our Lord meant by water it is enough that the Spirit which reneweth the old birth of the flesh dependeth upon that which it signifies whatsoever it is Whether Nicodemus for the understanding of our Lord betake himselfe to the consideration of the several Baptismes of the law or to the Baptism of John the Baptist or to the Baptisme by which proselytes were made Jews which divers learned men have both declared and alleadged to the clearing of this difficulty to very good purpose certaine it is by the premises that the condition of salvation is the profession of Christianity by baptisme that the gift of the holy Ghost is not promised upon any other terms Therefore the Sacrament of Baptisme being instituted there is no assurance of salvation without it where the precept thereof takes place therefore the first birth of the flesh is liable to originall sinne CHAP. X. The Old Testament chargeth all men as well as the wicked to be sinfull from the wombe David complaineth of himselfe as born in sinne no lesse then the Wise man of the children of the Gentiles How Leviticall Lawes argue the same And temporall death under the Old Testament The book of Wisdome and the Greek Bible BUt it is requisite that we look into the Old Testament to see what arguments of the same will discover themselves there provided that we be advised not to expect the reasons upon which the necessity of the Gospel is grounded clearly expressed there where the Gospel it felf is but intimated Those that will not admit the Faith of the Church without such proofes as themselves require may with the Jewes disbelieve the Gospel if our Lord will not prove it by such miracles as they would have and when and where they would have them done But admitting the truth of Christianity upon such reasons as God hath made effectuall to subdue the world to it it will be consequently necessary that there should be arguments of originall sinne in the Old Testament but darker then those which have been and shall be propounded out of the New Certainly it deserveth much consideration that Moses saith Gen. VI. 5. And the Lord saw that great was the evil of man upon earth and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart onely evil all the day long And againe Gen. VIIâ— 8. Upon smelling Noahs sacrifice God saith to himself I will no more curse the earth for man because the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth For first God declares himselfe as a severe judge to take vengeance upon the sinnes of mankind by the deluge because the world was overflowed with sinne And afterwards either for the same reason because sinne cannot be washed out no not with the waters of a deluge so long as mankind is in being upon the earth or notwithstanding it he declares that he will curse the earth no more for mans sake Here it will be impossible to render a reason of that deluge of sinne which first brought a deluge of waters but could not overcome Gods goodnesse for mankind without a principle common to all mankind Such variety there is in their fansies such contrariety in the inclinations which they produce that it is impossible that they should agree in mischief were they meerly of Gods making And therefore Solomon having premised a hard word for women That seeking account one by one he had found a man of a thousand but a woman of all these he had not found inferreth Eccl. VII 29. Onely this behold I have found that God made man right but they have found out many devises Where I suppose he summoneth all men to inferre that between the uprightnesse in which God made man and the many crooked devises which they have found out to themselves there must something have fallen out to create a common principle to which those many inventions may be imputed But the act of Adam which passed away so soon as it was done had it left nothing behind it could have born the blame of it self alone and of nothing else When God commandeth the Israelites to put a fringe upon the corners of their garments he giveth this reason for it Numb XV. 39. And ye shall see it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them And not look after your hearts and your eyes after which ye commit whoredome Surely when he sets the lusts of their eyes and the imagination of their hearts in opposition to the commandment of God he justifies the words of our Lord Mat. X. 36. taken from the Prophet Mich. VII 6. to be fulfilled in every mans heart A mans enemies are those of his own house And Solomons taunt to the young man Eccles XI 9 Walk in the wayes of thine heart and in the light of thine eyes But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement Gods complaint by the Prophet Ezek. VI. 9. I am broken with their whorish heart which hath departed from me and with their eyes which go a whoring after their Idols Leadeth us for the reason and ground of both to that of the Apostle 1 John II. 16. For whatsoever is in the World the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of
the Father but of the World But what is there between God and the world but the old serpent and the leaven which he hath poisoned man with And this is that venim which we read of Psal LVIII 4 5 6. The wicked are estranged from their mothers womb as soon as they are born they go astray and speak lies They have venime like the venime of a serpent like the deaf addar that stoppeth his eare That will not hear the voice of the inchanters that inchant with charmes cunningly For if it be said that all this speakes onely of the wicked which of their own choice have addicted themselves to sinne and that by being bred to it by their Fathers and predecessor and so debauched from their own natural innocence I shall presently appeale to David himself and his confession with which he pretends to grace Psal LI. 7. 8. Behold I was formed in wickednesse and in sin did my mother conceive me But behold thou requirest truth in the intrailes and shalt make me to understand wisdome secretly I know it is said that this is nothing but an hyperbolicall expression of the Prophet whereby he chargeth himselfe with sinne even before he could understand what sinne was and that from the time of his conceiving in the womb were that possible he hath been liable to sinne and so left without mercy And to this purpose is alledged that of the Pharisees to the blind man John IX 34. Thou wast wholly born in sinne and dost thou teach us To argue that among the Jews it was an ordinary expression to aggravate a mans sinne by saying That he was borne in sinne And truly what the Jews of that time might conceive of the coming in of sinne is not alltogether so cleare in regard of the Apostles words to our Lord upon the occasion of the same man when they askt our Lord whether he was born blinde for his owne sinne or for the sinne of his parents John IX 2. Which our Lord answering for neither but for a particular intent of shewing a particular work of God upon him Denies not the common taint of our nature when he affirmes That particualr workes of providence upon particualr persons have particular reasons and ends for which God will have them come to passe But shews that there were severall opinions in vogue at that time through the nation and that there might be a conceit of mens soules sinning in other bodies or before they came into these bodies according to the position of Pythagoras or the conjecture of Origen Though the opinion of Herod concerning John the Baptist that he should be alive againe in our Lord Mat. XIV 2. doth not appeare to proceed from any such presumption as this but from an imagination that dead mens soules might come and live againe in the world whether in the same or other bodies From this opinion then the reproach of the Pharisees to this man that he was born in sinne may well seem to proceed And their error will not prejudice the truth that all men are indeed born in sinne But I observe further that the people of God as they were totally divided from the worship of Idols so from the consequences thereof which Paul in the first of the Romanes sheweth to have been all sorts of uncleanness in the first place and then the rest of those evils which towards the end of the Chapter he qualifies the Gentiles with For it is manifest that uncleannesse which contained no civil in justice was counted but an indifferent thing with all the Gentiles Let him that would be satisfied of this peruse what the Wise man hath said of the seed of the Gentiles which he compareth with the Jews whom they persecuted all along his whole work Wisdom III. 12-IV 1-6 Where it is manifest that he setteth forth the posterity of the Gentiles as defiled with the uncleannesse wherein they were bred and born And this is most certainely the reason why S. Paul saith of Christians married to Gentiles 1 Cor. VII 14. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband Else were your children uncleane but now are they holy To wit that a heathen husband or wife consenting to dwell in wedlock with a Christan is sanctified by a Christian husband or wife by whose meanes he is brought to this ingagement For when S. Paul adviseth the Christian party to continue in wedlock contracted with an Idolater before Christianity he presupposeth that the Gentile shall be willing to forbear the vulgar uncleannesses of the Gentiles for the love of a Christian yokefellow Otherwise it could not be honest nor for the reputation of a Christian among the Gentiles having power of divorcing as both parties had in the Romane Empire to continue in wedlock with him that acknowledged not Christian but onely civil wedlock That is the wife to be tied in regard of the issue but the man free to all uucleannesse which the Romane Lawes no way restrained And therefore their children so farre from being unclean according to the manners of heathen parents that they are holy upon presumption that they shall be bred in the instruction of Christianity by the meanes of that party which was Christian I observe againe that the Prophet David speaking of his wicked enemies the figure of the Jewes whom thereby he designeth aforehand to be the enemies of our Lord and his Church applieth the same expression to them being of the carnall people of God but farre from Jewes according to the spirit which the people of God other whiles use concerning the Gentiles when he saith that they are estranged from the wombe and as soone as they are born go astray and speak lies For it is manifest that he calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal LIX 6 9. which by the title appeares to be written of the Jewes his enemies And so Psal XLII 2. Which word commonly stands in as ill a sense with the Jewes as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gentes Nationes to the Christians not for people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but for Ethnicks or Gentiles that is to say Idolaters And so to this day the Jewes call us Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Gentiles And upon these observations I am induced to believe that the Pharisees and those of the Consistory out of the confidence they had of their own holinesse which they presumed of upon the Curisity which they kept the Law with did judge of those that pretended not to the same as of people once removed from Gentiles and so sinners from their birth by the grossenesse of those manners in which they were bred But when David comes to confesse of himself that he was altogether born in sinne and conceived by his mother in wickednesse It is not possible that any such reason should take place but rather such a one as may make good whatsoever
can be attributed to the spirit of God speaking of Gods own people in the mouth of David And without doubt as Idolatry was the originall of the most gross customes of sinne as appeares by the premises So can there be no greater argument of the corruption of mans nature then the departure of all nations from the worship of one true God to the worship of they knew not what That all nations coming of one blood from one God which at their first apostasy was so well known to them and not able to blot out of their own hearts the conscience of the service they ought him should imagine themselves discharged of that obligation by tendring it to what they pleased saving a small part of mankinde whom he reserved to himselfe by making them acquainted with himself through the familiarity which he used them with if all other arguments of a common principle of corruption in our common nature were lost is enough to make the apostasy of our first forefathers credible which the relation of Moses makes truth Wherefore when David attributes to himselfe by nature that which the people of God attribute to the Gentiles it must needs be understood in regard of a principle common to both which the Grace of God suffereth not to come to effect but preventeth in his people And when he attributeth the same to his malicious enemies Jewes onely by the first birth he warranteth us to say the same of those that are Jewes by the second birth so farre as the birth of both is the same I will not forbear to alledge here the Law of Leviticus that appoints a time of impurity for women that have brought forth as no lesse fit to signifie the evil inclination to which our nature by the fall of Adam is become liable then the ceremonies of the Law are fitly used by God to shadow the truth of the Gospel Not that I make any doubt that this impurity of it self is but legall as the impurity contracted by touching a dead man or a living creature that was unclean or that of the leprosie or by the custome of women or the like Which I am resolved amounts to no more then an incapacity of freely conversing with Gods people or an obligation to a sacrifice which is there called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it purged this incapacity which in regard of that positive Law may be called sinne But this being granted and these Legall incapacities being by the correspondence of the Law with the Gospel to signifie the cause for which men are uncapable of heaven As the leprosie of the body and the touching of a dead man or a living creature that is unclean by the law necessarily signifieth that incapacity which cometh by the custome of sinne So that uncleannesse which ariseth from those things which come from our own bodies seemeth by necessary correspondence to signifie that incapacity of coming to heaven which ariseth from the inward inclination of our nature to wickednesse Neither will I omit to allege the saying of the Prophet David alleging the reason of Gods compassion to his people in their sinnes to be their mortality Psal LXXVIII 40. For he considered that they were but flesh and even as a wind that passeth away and cometh not againe And Psal CIII 14-17 For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are dust The dayes of man are as of grasse as the bud of the field so springeth he For a wind passeth upon it and it is not And the place knoweth it no more But the goodnesse of the Lord is from generation to generation upon them that fear him and his righteousnesse upon childrens children For having shewed that the bodily death to which Adam was sentenced implied in it spritituall death and supposed the same according to S. Paul I may well say that he could not expresse that reason which Christians alledge to God for his compassion upon their infirmities more properly to the time and state of the Law then by alleging the death which our bodies are subject to as an argument of sinne which it is allotted to punish And the antithesis which follows between our short life and the continuance of Gods mercies to his servants of their posterity comes corespondently to set forth the grace of the Gospel though sparingly signified as under the Law And here I must not forget the Wise mans exhortation Wisdome I. 12 Affect not death through the error of your life nor purchase destruction through the workes of your hands For God made not death nor taketh pleasure in the destruction of the living For he made all things to indure And the beginnings of the world were healthful and no deadly poyson among them nor any dominion of hell upon the earth For righteousnesse is immortall But the wicked with their words and works purchased it And thinking it their friend decayed and made a covenant with it because they are worthy to be on the side of it Here it is evident that the speech is of temporall death but so that by it is intimated spirituall death according to that which hath oft been observed and will oft come to be observed that the mystery of Christianity intimated in the old Testament begins more plainly to be discovered in these books then in the canonicall Scriptures And therefore though the purchase of death is attributed to the evil words and works of the wicked yet seeing it hath taken place over all the world contrary to the first institution of God thereby he leaves us to argue the corruption of nature which moveth mankinde to take pleasure in those workes by which death takes place Last of all I will allege not the authority of the Book of Job which is not questionable but the authority of the Greek Translation of it Be the author thereof who may be be the authority thereof what it may be it is manifest how ancient it is and that it came from the people of God while they continued the people of God and hath passed the approbation of the Apostles When therefore it is said that no man is clear of sin no not the infant of one day old upon earth It remaineth manifest that this was the sense of the then people of God As it appeares also by Philo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That to sinne is a property born with all that are born in as much as it is come to birth And divers sayings of the Heathens might be alledged as obscure arguments of that truth which the Gospel is grounded upon But that I conceive the disorders of the world the greatest whereof that can be named is that which I named even now of the worship of Idols are greater and more evidences of the same then any sayings of Writers Which therefore it will not be requisite to heap into this abridgement CHAP. XII The Haeresie of Simon Magus the beginning of the Gnosticks
to the nature of Originall sin that God might have made man from the beginning with concupiscence For Originall sinne must of necessity be that evil which we are born with in consideration of Adams sinne And therefore whatsoever we might have been born with seeing that actually and de facto we are born with concupiscence in consideration of Adams sinne who otherwise should have been born with that uprightnesse in which he was made Originall sinne must needs be that which we are now born with though supposing that we had been originally made with it it had not been Originall sinne For the absurdity of this consequence tends to shew that the supposition of meer nature is impossible and presses not me which believe it so to be And now to that novelty in the doctrine of the Church of England that hath caused so much offense because allowing some points of it not to prejudice the common â—aith it is requisite that I freely distinguish my self from that which I allow not I say briefly That if that excellent doctor and those who finde themselves offended at his doctrine will give me leave to interpret one point to distinguish one term of his opinion I shall heartily wish that the offense thereof may cease It is in that he saith that concupiscence was before the fall though much increased by it And I would have it said that all the inclinations of the sensuall appetite were before the fall but the disorder of them seeking satisfaction without rule or measure by it The word Concupiscence being capable of both significations For it is manifest that Adam as we do consisted of flesh and Spirit taking flesh for the substance not the perverse inclination of the flesh and Spirit for the substance of his own not the grace of Gods Spirit of soul and body of a spirituall and carnal substance The appetite of the principal part tending to that which is excellent by nature but the baser part having an appetite proper to the nature of it whereof reason from which all order rule and measure proceeds is no ingredient But it is necessary to say that God who requires the sensual appetite to be subject to the principal part of the soul as the reason to God had provided such an estate for such a creature wherein it might be in the power of reason to give order rule and measure to the motions of the sensuall appetite Otherwise the mortifying of concupiscence being the work of Christianity it will necessarily follow that the coming of Christ was to furnish that grace by which Christians may mortify that which God had created which our common faith admitteth not And therefore it is no otherwise to be admitted that concupiscence is increased by the fall of Adam then as that may be said to be increased which being moderate afore is since become immoderate For seeing that concupiscence being once free of the command of reason and the rule and measure which it might have from thence can have no other bounds then those which in this estate it acknowledgeth which is to be utterly boundlesse so farre as it is consistent with it self and as the satisfaction of severall passions appears not incompetible there is no reason why it should be ascribed to the fall once granting it to be the condition of Gods creature Which without the fall must needs have profited to that horrible confusion in humane affaires the contrariety whereof to the excellence of mans nature reason discerns and therefore religion reasonably introduces the fall to give a reason for it If the supposition of pure nature would indure that man though created liable to concupiscence by virtue of some contrary indowment might be preserved from the effect of it And that the effect of Adams fall were to make that frustrate and void I should not think that supposition any way prejudicial to the Christian Faith But in regard that the supposition admitteth no such indowment because it must be a gift of grace which would destroy the supposition of meer nature therefore it is denyed that God supposing that integrity in Adam which the Christian faith requireth could create him in this state of meer nature If this Doctor had said or could have said That concupiscence being a naturall consequence of mans composition was prevented of coming to act and effect by eating the fruit of the tree of life ordained to that purpose That the leaves thereof were in this regard healing to the nations And that the grace of Christ was dispensed by that meanes in that estate as now by the Sacrament of the Eucharist I might say this were a novelty among divines but I could not say that it were destructive to the Faith But if the coming of Christ be not to repaire the fall of the first Adam I cannot see how the Faith is secure As for the term of sin when he denieth that this concupiscence can be properly sin which is neither the act of sin nor any propensity created by custome of sinning but bred in our nature whereof there is no other instance but it self I confesse when the question comes to the signification of words and the property of it which may alwaies be endlesse because the question is only whether my sense shall give Law to your language or your sense to mine which it is not necessary to insist upon when the faith is secured on both sides I count it alwaies hard to charge an error in the substance of Faith Now whether we say this concupiscence is sin or not the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ his coming and the end of it remains alwaies the same and so the necessity of his grace is settled upon the right bottome And truly if we recollect the language which is used by the Greek Fathers and those that lived before Pelagius comparing it with that which hath been used since S. Austine we shall not find the term of Originall sin so frequent as the ground of it For not only death and the sorrows that bring it but even the inclination of our nature to actuall sin is by them ascribed to the fall who use not the terme of Originall sin As every one that peruseth but the termes of those passages of the Fathers which this Doctor hath produced may easily perceive Upon these terms Clemens Alexandrinus is no interruption to the Tradition of Originall sin in that difficult place Strom. III. that made Vossius say he understood it not He speaks against those that condemned Marriage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let them test us where the Child that is borne committed whoredome or how it fell under the curse of Adam that had done nothing It remains as it seems that they say that the Generation is evill not onely of the body bâ—t of the Soul for which the body is And when David saith I was conceived in sins and in iniquities did my Mother lust with me like a Prophet he calls Eve his Mother But
would not I agree with the Law that it is good But it is not I that do it but sinne that dwelleth in me And this law in his members warring against the Law of his mind he sayes lead him captive to the Law of sin in his members so that he cries out Miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Whereunto is added the authority of S. Augustine pressing this exhortation so hard that it serves for an aspersion of Pelagius his heresy for a man not to allow it Though S. Augustine is not alone in it Methodius against Origen in Epiphanius writing against his heresy S. Gregory Nazianzene and others perhaps among the Fathers follow the same sense But the aspersion is too abusive For I have showed that the Tradition of the Church declared by the records of the Fathers extendeth not to the exposition of particular Scriptures but to give bounds within which the Scriptures are to be understood Wherefore had S. Augustine and his party truly expounded this Scripture yet ought it not to be a mark of Plagianisme to maintaine another exposition without supposing any part of Pelagius his heresie But if they consider further that S. Augustine acknowledges no more then the motions of concupiscence which are alive in the regenerate to divert the rigor of their intentions from the course of Christianity not the committing of any sinne that layeth wast a good conscience to be consistent with the state of grace they will have little joy of S. Augustines exposition of this place For what is that to the murther and adulteries of David to the apostrasy of S. Peter to the Idolatries of Solomon Or what consequence is it because concupiscence is alive in Christians that are at peace with God untill death that therefore David S. Peter and Solomon were at peace with God before they had washed away those sinnes by repentance Wherefore I must utterly discharge S. Augustine and those of his sense of having said any thing prejudiciall to Christianity by expounding S. Paul according to it The question that remaineth will be how S. Paul can call himselfe carnall and sold under sinne how he can say I like not that which I doe For I doe not what I would but what I hate And to will is present with me but how to doe that which is good I find not And I find a Law by which when I would doe well evill is at hand to me And that this Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind leades mee captive to the Law of sinne that is in my members And wretched man that I am who will deliver me from the body of this death The question I say will be how all this can be said of him of whome it followes Rom. VIII 1 2 5-8 There is therefore now no damnation for those in Christ Jesus that walke not after the flesh but after the spirit For the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death For they that are according to the flesh mind the thinges of the flesh They that are according to the Spirit the things of the spirit For the sense of the flesh is death but the sense of the spirit life and peace Because the sense of the flesh is enemy to God for it is not nor can be subject to the Law of God Neither can they that are in the flesh please God For if these things cannot be said of the same man at the same time it remains that though we allow S. Augustine and those of his sense that a Christian falls continually into sinne and by continuall offices of Christianity comes cleare of it yet when he willfully runnes into that sin which he cannot but know that it cannot stand with his Christianity he cannot be of that number for whom S. Paul sayes there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus that walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit And therefore for the true meaning of the Scripture in hand it will be requisite to have recourse to that figure of speach whereby S. Paul himselfe declareth that he speakes that of himselfe which he would have understood of others meerely for the a voiding of offense 1 Cor. IV. 6. So is it no mervaile if to make those that were zealous of the Law beleeve that they could not be saved but by Christianity he whom they took for an Apostle show it in his owne case before he was a Christian saying Is the Law sinne Nay I had not knowne sinne but by the Law Rom. VII 7 I have showed you how Grotius hath understood him to speak of himselfe in the person of an Israelite comparing himselfe considered as having received the Law and under the Law with himselfe before he received it If any man think this consideration to farre fetched for S. Paul to propose to those zealous of the Law that he writes to He may understand him to speake in the person of one of them to whome the Gospell had been proposed and thereby conviction of the spirituall sense of the Law which therefore the concupiscence which we are borne with cannot but make great difficulty to imbrace according to the premises For seing the Scribes and Pharises having received the Tradition of the world to come in opposition to the Sadduces had prevailed with the body of that people to believe that the outward observation of the law according to the letter was the means to bring them to the rewards of it It is no mervaile if S. Paul in the person of one so reduced say I had not known concupiscence had I not found the Law to say Thou shalt not covet For he that understood not the Law of God to prohibit the inward motions of concupiscence till by the preaching of Christianity he learned that to be the intent of the precept may very well say that he knew not concupiscence but by the Law so preached By that same reason might he say as it followeth Without the Law sinne is dead But I was once alive without the Law To wit when he thought himself in the way to life under the doctrine of the Pharisees But when the commandment came to be declared to him in that sense which the salvation tendred by the Gospel requireth it s no marvaile if sinne that was in him and concupiscence of it revived and he was discovered to be dead in sinne as not yeelding to the cure of it But that the commandment which was given for life became unto his death because sinne taking occasion by it deceived and slew him All this takes place in that Pharisee who being perswaded by the Pharisees that by not contriving to take away his neighbors wife and goods he stood qualifyed for the world to come now coming to know by the preaching of the Gospell the restraint of inward concupiscence is commanded by it found himself by meanes of the
ac debeant si fideliter laboraro volueriut adimplere Here also we believe according to the Catholick faith that all that are baptized having received grace by baptisme may and ought to fulfill those things which belong to their salvation if they will faithfully labour it Which is no more then to say That they have sufficient grace to preserve them from falling away Or from falling into those sinnes which forfeit the state of Grace Though I easily yeild this possibility is rather naturall than morall And that considering the many opportunities and provocations even to those sinnes which the occasions of the world present the inclinations of Concupiscence with it is in the judgement of discretion impossible that a man should not forfeit the state of grace though absolutely there is nothing to inforce that it must necessarily come to passe And truly the Prophet Davids prayer To be cleansed from secret sinnes but to be preserved from presumptuous sinnes Psal XIX 12 13. showes difference enough between the kindes But the obtaining of this prayer not to fall into any presumptuous sinne depends upon that diligent watch which even the regenerate may neglect to keep over themselves Now for him that shall have committed this forfeit though the promise of the holy Ghost and the habituall assistance thereof is thereby voide yet the knowledge of Christianity that is the obligation and matter of it and that facility of living the life of a Christian which custome leaves behind it remaining the actuall assistance of the H. Ghost which alwaies accompanieth the preaching of the Gospel cannot be wanting where so great effects of it are extant to procure the recovery of him that is fallen away Whether they shall take effect or no it is in the justice and mercy of that Providence which onely maketh them effectual The wisdome of God which shall laugh at the calamities and mock when the feares of them come that refuse when it calls and regard not when it stretcheth out hands Prov. I. 22 representeth the condition of those that forfeit the Promise exceedingly terrible in that they are fallen under Gods meer mercy though it be granted that they want not sufficient helps to restore them till they be come to the end of their race But in very deed the hardest of this point is to give account how this holds under the old Law how any man could be saved by fullfilling that Law which the Gospel declars to be taken away because no man could be saved by fulfilling it To which my answer must be according to the supposition premised concerning a twofold sense of Moses Law that is to say a twofold Law of God under the Old Testament that it is no marvaile if the civile happinesse of Gods ancient people which the Law of Moses in the litteral sense tendred for the reward of it were to be obtained by worshipping the onely true God and that civile conversation according to it which that people of their naturall freedome were able to performe True it is indeed which S. Peter saies Acts XV. 10. that â—â—ither they nor their Fathers were able to bear the burthen of Moses Law And that for that reason which not onely Origen but divers others of the ancient Fathers have alledged against the Jewes that there went so many scruples to the precise observation of it as it was not possible for any people in the world to overcome For there being such variety of cases incident to the observation of such variety of precepts as no man could further be secured in that he proceeded according to the will of God then as the determination of those whom God by the law of Deut. XVII 8-12 XVI 18. had referred it to might secure him And that alwaies new cases must needs prevent new determinations of necessity the precise observation of Moses law even outwardly and in the literal sense was in ordinary discretion thing impossible Which is effectuall indeed to convince the Jewes that God never was so in love with their Law as to accept them for precisely keeping of it even in the world to come But provided it for an outward and civile discipline to countenance the inward godlinesse and righteousnesse of the heart till he should think fit openly to inact it for the condition of the world to come In the the meane time having tendered the Law for a condition by which they might hold the land of promise it is manifest that the obtaining of it depended not upon that precise observation of all scruples which the nature of the subject rendred in humane reason impossible But that in case they worshipped God alone and observed the precepts of the Law with that dilligence which a reasonable and honest man would use in that case the promise must become due Whereby the law in this sense is a fit figure to represent both the impossibibility of Gods originall Law and the gentlenesse of that dispensation thereof which the Gospel importeth As for the inward and mysticall sense of Moses Law it is manifest that the countenance which the Law gave true righteousnesse by inforcing the worship of the onely true God together with so many acts of righteousnesse among men and temperance chastity and sobriety with temporall penalties With the faith of the world to come and the doctrine of spirituall righteousnesse of it self acceptable to God received from the Fathers and maintained by the Prophets and their disciples in all ages maintained alwayes a stocke of such men as God accepted of even to the reward of the world to come In whose condition notwithstanding we must observe a kind of limitation or exception to the temporall promises of the Law not onely at such time as the people fell away from God to the worship of Idols but in regard of hypocriticall Governors who pretending zeal to Gods lawes of sacrifices and ceremonies and the promises of God due to them in that regard under that colour took advantage sufficiently to abuse and oppresse his poor people For when these cases fell out the Prophets whose office it was to reprove such things in Gods name and their disciples and followers must needs fall under great persecution at these mens hands So that their right in the land of Promise turning to a sorry account of happiness for them who of all men were the most severe observers of Gods Law of necessity the temporal promises thereof were supplied and made good to them by the hope of the world to come Which as Origen wisely and ingeniously observes if a man well consider he shall find that flaw in the promises of the Old Testament to be as a chink or breach in a wall through which we may discern the light of the Gospel beyond it For if the matter be rightly considered it will appear that these hypocriticall Governours of Gods ancient people which thought the promises of the Law for ever entailed upon themselves and their successors upon the observing of
to be a Christian that teaches that wickednesse which a Jew dare not maintaine Though it be just with God to suffer them that presume of the assistance of Gods Spirit in understanding the Scriptures before they be principled in Christianity which the gift of Gods Spirit to Christians presupposeth to be led unto such wicked imaginations by reading the Scriptures as he suffered those that setting up their Idols in their hearts and putting the stumbling block of their iniquities before their faces came to seek direction from God to be seduced by the Prophets by whom they should come to inquire as the Propheâ— threatneth Ezek. XIV 8 10. As for the fact of David and Husâ—ai in ruining of Absalom 2 Sam. XV. 32-37 XVI 16-19 XVII 5-14 there is the lesse difficulty in it because we are not obliged to maintaine the actions of the Fathers to be without sinne and the Spirit of God doth no where commend it Which also holds in those officious lies wherewith Rebecca and the Midwives of the Israâ—lites and Rahab the harlot seduced Isaak and the King of Egypt and the Rulers of Jericho to the good of Gods people Gen. XXVII Exod. I. 15-21 Jos II. 4 5. because whatsoever were the successe which God blessed them with yet as S. Augustine observes it s no where said that God blessed them for lying but for that love to his people which though joyned with their own weaknesse he then rewarded Though he that well considers the nature of these acts comparing them with these sayings and doings of David and Jeremy of Elias Elizaus and Samson which I have showed the spirit of God alloweth will without doubt find cause to believe that the reason why their acts which were joyned with such infirmities were blessed by God at that time is to be drawn from that measure of knowledge which the meanes allowed by God at that time afforded and the obligation which God required at their hands proportionable to the same From the premises we may proceed to resolve that endlesse dispute concerning the intent of our Lords Sermon in the Mount whether it was to take away those â—alse glosses which the Scribes and Pharisees had put upon the Law of Moses importing that nothing but the overt act of murder adulteries and the like stood prohibited by it or to inlarge it unto a further extent of forbidding the first motions of concupiscence in regard of that further light which the Gospel bringeth For I have showed that the most difficult passage of all which saith Thou shalt love thy neighbour and â—ate thine enemy Mat. V. 43. is according to the practise of the law in David Jeremy Elias and Elizeus which is without question the best interpreter of the law and the extent of it How much more if you translate it as questionlesse the Hebrew will allow us to translate it thou shalt love thine neighbour but mayest hate thine enâ—my For it is manifest that when the fourth Commandment saith Six dayes shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do the meaning is no more but this Six â—ayes thou mayest labour to wit as for this commandment So that this clause is nothing else but the consequence of that limitation which the law puts to the precept of loving a mans neighbour as himself understanding his neighbour to be onely an Israelite and teaching to pursue Idolaters with all manner of hatred Now when our Saviour saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his meaning is plain enough Ye have heard that it was said to them of old that is to the Fathers at the giving of the law not ye have heard it said by your Predecessors to wit the Scribes and Pharisees who about some hundred years beforâ— had begun to glosse the law with their Traditions Mat. V. 21 27 33 38 43. The subject matter in all the rest besides that which I have spoken of being alwaies the expresse letter of Moses law no Tradition of the Elders Yet it is not my intent to say that our Lords intent is not to clear the true meaning of the law from the false glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees For I acknwledge a false glosse of theirs upon Moses law which it is the intent not onely of the Sermon in the mount but of all the New Testament to clear I say the Scribes and Pharisees taking advantage of the truth of the world to come which they thought to be covenanted for and not onely intimated as the truth is by Moses law did inferre the reward thereof to be due to the outward and carnall observation of it And this is that false glosse of theirs which as every where else so here especially our Lord cleareth when he saith Vnlesse your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven Mat. V. 20. But this he doth by clearly inacting that conversation which the Gospel requireth whereof the Fathers of the Old law had onely expressed the rudiments and principles out of that light which the law joyned with the tradition of the Fathers and the doctrine of the Prophets had supplied Though so well accepted by God at that time that he failed not to grant his holy Spirit to them who had attained that measure of righteousnesse And therefore we are to conclude that during the Lâ—w there was a sincerity of righteousnesse consisting in the observation of the precepts thereof not out of any temporall respect or hope of this world but out of the sense of Gods will who searcheth the heart and judgeth the thoughts thereof according to which the Prophets of old and their disciples as Zachary and Elizabeth in the New Testament Luke I. 6. are to be counted perfect and intire in righteousnesse Comparing them forsooth with the Scribes and Pharisees and all their sect who in all ages of that people as I have showed standing so much upon the precise observation of the positive precepts thereof for their own power and advantage grossely failed in all performance where the sincerity of the heart became requâ—site But that when our Saviour saith Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect Mat. V. 48. It is manifest from the premises that he requireth of Christians that charity towards God and all men for Gods sake or to speak in those terms which I take to be more generall that respect to the will of God and his glory and service in all our doings which he did not covenant for with his ancient people Which point before I conclude that we may the better understand wherein I make this perfection of Christians to consist it will be requisite to resolve whether or no Christians can do more then the law of God requires and whether there are these offices which the law of God commands not but the Gospel onely commends as matters of counsel to those that aime at perfection among Christians not matters of necessity for all
Advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins And when David who had the spirit of God upon the same termes as Christians have it excepting that which hath been excepted prayeth Psalm XIX 13 14. Who understandeth his errours Clense me from hidden sins Keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins that they beare not rule over me Then shall I be upright and cleane from great transgressions He showeth sufficiently the difference between veniall and mortall sins as to Christians which in case of invincible ignorance and meere supprize comes to no sin as to Christians But he showeth also that Christians neglecting themselves may come to fall into sins of persumption which he prayeth against For the rest the same S. Iohn incouraging Christians to pray for the sins of Christians with this limitation as I surppose if by their advice they appear to be reduced to take the cours which may procure pardon at Gods hands acknowledgeth further that there is a sin unto death I say not that yee pray for it saith he 1. John V. 16. 17. And the Apostle to the Hebrews VI. 4 5 6. speaketh of some sin which he acknowledgeth not that it can be admitted to penance for the obtaining of forgivenesse which he protesteth again Ebr. X. 26 -31 XII 16 17. It is commonly thought indeed that to deny the true faith against that light which God hath kindled in a mans conscience is hereby declared to be a sin that repentance cannot cure Or rather that God hereby declareth that he will never grant in repentance And truly that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which our Lord saith shall never he pardoned neither in this world nor in the world to come Mat. XII 31 32. Mark III. 28 29. Luke XII 10. manifestly consisteth in attributing the works which the holy Ghost did to convert men to Christ to the devill being convinced that our Lord came from God by the workes he did for that purpose Just as Saint Steven reproaches the Jewes for resisting the holy Ghost as their Fathers had done Acts VII 51. And that there is no cure for this sin it is manifest because it consisteth in rejecting the cure And apostasy from Christianity which is manifestly the sinne which the Apostle to the Hebrews intendeth differeth from it but as the obligation to Christianity once received differeth from that Christianity which being proposed with conviction a man is bound to receive But otherwise not onely the Church but the Novatians themselves supposed that those who had denied the Faith might recover pardon of God by repentance Nor can it become visible to the Church what is that conviction which whoso transgresseth becomes unpardonable because God hath excluded him from repentance In the meane time how difficult the Primitive Church accounted it to attaine pardon of such sinnes appeares by the excluding of the Montanists and Novatians first then by the long Penance prescribed Apostates Murtherers and Adulterers least the admitting of them to Penance might seem to warrant their pardon upon too light repentance Saint Paul admits the incestuous person at Corinth whether to Penance or to Communion with the Church But upon what termes Least the offender should be swallowed up with extream sorrow and least Satan should advantage himself against them should he refuse it And because having written out of great anguish of heart with teares for them who presumed to bear him out in it he had found them moved with sorrow according to God to repentance with all satisfaction and desire of peace with the Apostle 2 Cor. II. 1-8 VII 7-11 For we understand by Saint Paul 1 Cor. V. 2. 2 Cor. XII 21. that even the Church themselves when they shut a sinner out of the Church did make demonstration of sorrow for his case And therefore himself much more was put to mourning and to professe by his outward habit that he thought his sinne incurable without sorrow answerable to it And when Saint Paul commands the Collossians III. 5. Mortify your members that are upon earth fornication uncleannesse passion evill desire and covetousnesse which is idolatry For which the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience It is manifest that he placeth the mortifying of these vices in the afflicting and humbling of our earthly members wherein the lusts of them reside Therefore he serves his own body no otherwise but striving for the prize of Christians like one of their Greekish Champions that would not beat the aire he beates his own body black and blew to bring it under servitude Least having preached to others himself should become reprobate 1 Cor. IX 26 27. And certainly if Christianity require this discipline over Saint Pauls body least he should fall into sinne it will require very great severity of them that are fallen into sinne to be exercised upon their bodies the lusts whereof they have satisfied by those sinnes to regain the favour and appease the wrath of God and to settle that hatred of sinne and that love of goodnesse in the heart which the preventing of sinne for the future necessarily requireth The practice of the Old Testament sufficiently signifieth the same Though David in the Psalme that I mentioned afore seem to make the pardon of his sin a thing easily obtained at Gods hands as it is indeed a thing easily obtained supposing the disposition which David desired it with but not that disposition a thing easily obtained yet you shall find the same David elsewhere wetting his bed and watring his couch with his teares so that his beauty is gone with mourning his flesh dried up for want of fatnesse and his bones cleave to his flesh for the voice of his mourning Indeed he alwayes expresseth his affliction to be the subject of his mourning But alwayes acknowledging his sins to be the cause of those afflictions which he therefore takes the course to remove by taking this course for his sinnes The Prophet Esay I. 15 16. thus calleth the Jewes to appease Gods wrath Wash ye make ye clean remove the evil of your workes from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do good seek righteousnesse Sure this was never intended to be done by the meer thought of doing it But the Prophet Joel having threatned a plague what doth he prescribe for the cure And now saith the Lord return to me with all your heart with fasting weeping and mourning and rent your hearts and not your garments and turn to the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull long-suffering great in mercy and repenteth him of evill Blow the trumpet in Sion sanctify a fast invite the assembly gather the people sanctify a Congregation make the old and young and the sucking infants meet let the bridegroom come forth of his chamber and the bride of her closet let the Priests the ministers of the Lord weep between the Porch and the Altar and say Spare Lord thy people and
to the answer to the Jesuits challenge in Ireland CHAP. IX Penance is not required to redeem tho debt of temporall punishment when the sinne is pardoned What assurance of forgivenesse the law of auricular Confession as it is used in the Church of Rome procureth Of injoyning Penance after absolution performed Setting aside abuses the Law is agreeable to Gods Of the order taken by the Church of England ANd now it is time to inferre from the premises the judgement that we are to make of the law of secret confession and Penance in the Church of Rome premising in the first place that which is evident supposing the premises that the works of Penance which they call Satisfactions because they will have them to make satisfaction for the debt of temporall punishment remaining when the guilt and stain of sinne is abolished were never required by the Church but according to the word of God to render the conversion of the Penitent so sincere and resolute as may qualifie him for pardon and Gods grace It is not necessary for this purpose that I undertake here to show that God pardoning sinne cannot or ever doth reserve a debt of temporall punishment to be inflicted in consideration of it It is manifest to any man that is neither acted by passion nor by faction that the death which God inflicted on Davids child gotten in adultery and the other judgements which the Prophet pronounces against him 1 Sam. XII 10-11 were punishments inflicted in consideration of those sinnes which the nature and kind of them answers expresly for murther that the sword shall not depart from his house for adultery that his wives should be defiled before the Sun Therefore when the Prophet sayes to him The Lord hath set aside thine iniquity thou shalt not die It will be requisite to take notice that though his sinne is pardoned speaking absolutely because his life his spared which was forfeit by Gods Law though into no mans hands but Gods yet this pardon extended not to extinguish the sentence pronounced nor yet that which he proceedeth further to pronounce concerning the childs death Whither you will say that in such a case sinne is remitted because absolutely the man is restored to Gods grace or not remitted because as to the punishments allotted he suffers by Gods vindicative justice is a controversie about words which I will not spend words to determine This cannot be denied that neither Gods originall justice nor any covenant of his with man hinders him so to proceed But what is this to the intent of Penance imposed by the Church which I have evidenced both by the Scriptures and the originall practice of the whole Church to have pretended the abolishing of the guilt and stain of sinne Indeed it is not to be denied that there is something more in that Penance which the Church imposeth For he that exacts the same revenge upon himself at his own discretion and conscience which the Church by the Canons thereof should exact pretends onelp to satisfie his own discretion and conscience that God is satisfied with his repentance And there lies the danger of satisfying a mans self with a palliative cure instead of a sound one whereas he that does it upon the sentence of the Church pretends to satisfie the Church that God is satisfied with it and to assure himself of his cure But when this satisfaction to the Church presupposes satisfaction ro God at least a presumption thereof whither onely legall or also reasonable well may I without this exception make this the pretense of Ecclesiasticall Penance Neither had there been any cause to question the doctrine and practice of the Catholick Church concerning the satisfaction of Penance had not the Church of Rome suffered it to be taught for I should do them wrong to say that they have injoyned it to be taught that it tendeth to recompense the debt of temporal punishment remaining when the sinne is remitted For though under the Gospel also God may decree temporal punishment upon that sin which afterwards comes to be remitted repentance yet he who is restored to the state of Gods grace to whom all things cooperate to good as S. Paul saith Rom. VIII 28. though he suffer temporall punishment for his sin by Gods justice yet by Gods grace to which he is restored it is converted into the means of salvation and of bringing to pass Gods everlasting purpose of it Before I go further I must call you to mind that which I said of the change of attrition into contrition how it may be allowed by the covenant of Grace and how it intimateth an abusive opinion that the change which qualifieth a man for the promises which the Gospel tendreth taketh effect in consideration of the intrinsecall worth of it and not onely of Gods promise which you have seen to be false This dispute was a long time canvased in the Schools without any reference to the remission of sinne by the Keyes of the Church But the difficulty being started that Confession not made in charity that is out of the love of God above all things may satisfie the positive precept but cannot avail to the remission of sin Some sought a salve for this sore in the form of Absolution which then proceeded partly as a Prayer partly as a definitive sentence For they thought the Prayer obtained that Grace which might be a due ground for the sentence But when the opinion prevailed that the form ought to be indicative it remained to say how Confession and Absolution should render him contrite that comes onely attrite Thomas Aquinas to say how the Keys of the Church may be understood to attain the production of Grace imagined the immediate effect of them to be a certain ornament of the soul fitting it for Grace by virtue whereof that Grace which a man gets not by Penance when he is not contrite quickens in him when he becomes contrite As he that is baptized without that resolution which obtaineth the promises becomes estated in them when it is rectified And this opinion had vogue among his followers till the last age afore this when finding it more proper to raise then to resolve questions it was laid aside by Cardinall Caâ—etane first then by the rest of his followers In the mean time the dispute of the change of attrition into contrition remained most maintaining contrition to be necessary before absolution till the Council of Trent upon the decree whereof Sess XIV cap. VI. Melchior Canus first maintained sorrow conceived upon meet fear of punishment with the Keys to qualifie for pardon of sinne Whose opinion is now grown so ordinary that those who hardly satisfie themselves in giving warning of the harm their own doctrine may do go down the stream notwithstanding in yielding to an opinion that hath so great vogue I do not intend hereby to say that that the Council of Trent hath decreed this opinion and obliged all to maintain it The terms which