God and therefore are not vnder the curse So that which seemed to Saint Paul absurd to be denied is now denied by these absurd and blind Pharisies Furthermore Saint Paul saith That which was impossible to the law in as much as it was made weake because of the flesh God sending his owne sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh and for sinne hath condemned sinne in the flesh Doth not S. Paul here shew that whereas wee could not be saued by the law God hath sent his sonne in the flesh to saue vs And he declareth why wee could not be saued by the law because the weakenes of our sinfull flesh is not able to yeeld that perfect righteousnes which the law of God requireth the which if we could doe wee should liue thereby For God saith which if a man do he shall liue in them And that euen they that are regenerate with Gods spirit doe not perfectly fulfill the law and keepe Gods commaundements it is most euident by Saint Pauls confession of himselfe I am carnall sold vnder sinne I allow not that which I doe for that I would I doe not but what I hate that I doe It is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me But I finde no meanes to performe that which is good For I doe not the good thing which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I I finde that when I would doe good euill is present with me I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde leading me captiue to the law of sinne which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death If S. Paul that elect vessell of God which was taken vp into the third heauen and into paradise and heard words which cannot be spoken did not fulfill the law and fully without transgression keep Gods commandements who but a blind hypocrite and proud Pharisie will arrogate to himselfe the same Bernard saith well Aut te ergo si audes praefer Apostolo nempe ipsius ista vox est aut fatere cum illo te quoque vitijs non carere that is Either if thou darest preferre thy selfe before the Apostle whose saying this is or els confesse with him that thou also art not void of vices I will adde hereunto a few testimonies out of the auncient Fathers to prooue that none in this life is assisted so fully with Gods grace that he perfectly fulfilleth the law and keepeth Gods commaundements without any transgression or breach of them Iustinus Martyr saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And that none hath exactly done all things you your selues dare not denie but there be which haue kept the things commaunded some more and some lesse then others S. Hierome saith Facilia dicis esse Dei mandata tamen nullum proferre potes qui vniuersa compleuerit Responde mihi facilia sunt an difficilia Si facilia profer quis ea impleuerit Thou saist Gods commaundements be easie and yet thou canst not bring forth any that hath fulfilled all Answere me be they easie or hard If they be easie shew any that hath fulfilled them Again Haec hominibus sola perfectio si imperfectos se esse nouerint that is This is the onely perfection of men to acknowledge themselues to be imperfect Againe Tunc ergo iusti sumus quando nos esse peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex Dei consistit misericordia that is Then wee be iust when wee confesse our selues to be sinners and our iustice consisteth not in our owne merits but in Gods mercie Saint Augustine saith Ipsa iustitia nostra tanta est in hac vita vt petius peccatorum remissione constet quam perfectione virtuium that is Our iustice is so great in this life that it consisteth rather in the remission of our sinnes then in the perfection of our vertues And againe Omnia mandata facta deput antur quando quicquid non fit ignoscitur that is All the commaundements are then reputed to be done when whatsoeuer is not done is pardoned Againe Gratia Dei tribuit in hac vita studium praecepta seruandi eadem si quid etiam in illis praeceptis minus seruatur ignoscit that is The grace of God doth giue in this life a desire to keepe his commaundements and the same grace if any thing in them be not obserued forgiueth it The like I might alleage out of many other places of his workes As De natura gratia cap. 36. Contra Iulianum lib. 4. cap. 3. De libero Arbitrio cap. 16. and such others but for shortnes sake I omit them Chrysostome saith Neque enim alios licet in lege iustificari nisi eum qui cuncta adimpleuerit Id verò nemini dum possibile factum est that is None can be iustified by the law but he that hath fulfilled all And that hath beene as yet possible to no man Bernard saith Quomodo ergo iubenda fuit quae implenda nullo modo erat c. How was the law to be commaunded which can by no meanes be fulfilled or if thou rather thinke that the commaundement was giuen for the ruling of our affections I will not hereupon striue so that thou also doe yeeld vnto me that in this life it neither can or euer could be fulfilled of any man For who dare arrogate that to himselfe which Paul himselfe confesseth that he had not comprehended Neither was the commaunder ignorant that the weight of the commandement exceeded mans strength but he iudged it to be profitable that thereby they might be put in mind of their owne insufficiencie and so might know that they ought according to their power labour to the end of righteousnes Therefore by commaunding things impossible he made men not transgressors but humble that euery mouth might be stopped and all the world made subiect vnto God because that by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified before him for wee receiuing the commaundement and feeling our owne want will crie vnto heauen and God will haue mercie vpon vs. Again Quantumlibet in hoc corpore manens profeceris erras vitia si putas emortuae non magis suppressa velis nolis intra fines tuos habitat Iebusaeus subiugari potest sed non exterminari scio inquit quod non habitat in me bonum that is How much soeuer thou doest profit whilest thou abidest in this bodie thou art deceiued if thou thinke vices to be dead in thee and not rather suppressed whether thou wilt or no the Iebusite will dwell within thy coasts he may be subdued but not vtterly banished I know saith Paul that no goodnes dwelleth in me This
righteousnes by whose stripes we are healed The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne clenseth vs from all sinne Hee hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood and made vs Kings and Priests vnto God his father As these places attribute our iustification and saluation onely to Iesus Christ and his merits so others doe detract and take the same from our workes and deseruings To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnes If it be of grace it is no more of workes or else were grace no more grace but if it be of workes it is no more grace or else were worke no more worke By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues It is the gift of God not of workes least any man should glorie Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his purspose and grace c. Not by the workes of righteousnes which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs. Although this which I haue said may seeme sufficient to answere this article yet I will say something to this syllogisme To the Maior or first proposition I answere that with men wages is giuen for workes but with God whose thoughts are not as our thoughts nor waies as our waies it is otherwaies Man may do labour and seruice to man which may merit and deserue by equitie and iustice wages and reward For that there may be a proportion betweene the seruice and reward and also a benefit and commoditie commeth to him to whom the seruice is done As in this example here alleaged the Lord Deputie or some other may doe some such singular seruice in Ireland that if her Maiestie should bestow vpon him 1000. pound a yeere he might in some proportion deserue it and her Maiestie may receiue double benefit by it But can wee doe any workes that can either merit and deserue the kingdome of God or bring any benefit vnto God Dauid saith My weldoing extendeth not to thee And as S. Paul saith that all the afflictions of this present life are not worthie of the glorie that shall be shewed vnto vs so may I say that all our imperfect and stained workes are not worthie of the kingdome of God which we haue not deserued but Iesus Christ by his death and passion hath purchased for vs. Can a bond seruant by any seruices looke to deserue an earthly kingdome and can we which are bond seruants to God in respect both of creation and of redemption looke to deserue the kingdome of God Christ our Sauiour saith Doth he thanke that seruant because hee did that which was commaunded vnto him I trow not So likewise ye when ye haue done all things which are commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruants we haue done that which was our dutie to doe If he that hath done all things which were commaunded must confesse himselfe to be an vnprofitable seruant how much more must wee confesse our selues to be vnprofitable seruants who haue both omitted many things commaunded and committed many great and grieuous sinnes prohibited So saith Hierome Si inutilis est qui fecit omnia quid de illo dicendum est qui explere non potuit .i. If hee be vnprofitable that hath done all what is to be said of him that could not fulfill all Therefore wee are not to trust in our owne merits but in Gods mercie which importeth our miserie and not worthines But for the proofe of your Minor you alleage the saying of our Sauiour Christ Call the labourers and giue them their wages I graunt that God doth giue to them that labour in his vineyard a reward which is called wages because it followeth pietie and good workes as outward wages followeth labour But that this heauenly wages is not deserued by our workes as that other is by our labour it euidently appeareth by that parable where they that had wrought but one houre receiued as much as they did which had borne the burden and heate of the day Which sheweth that this reward came of grace and not of merit and so S. Ambrose doth expound it Non labori praemium soluens sed diuitias bonitatis suae in eos quos sine operibus eligit effundens vt etiam hij qui in multo labore sudarunt nec amplius quam nouissimi acceperunt intelligant donum se gratiae non operum accepisse mercedem i. Not paying a reward vnto our labour but powring foorth the riches of his goodnes vpō them whom he hath chosen without works that they also which in great labour haue toyled and haue receiued no more then the last may know that they haue receiued a gift of grace and not a wages of workes To your other places Apocal. 20. 12. and 1. Cor. 3. 8. I say with S. Paul that God will reward euery man according to his workes but not for the merite and desert of their workes To them that continuing in well doing seeke glorie honour and immortalitie hee will giue euerlasting life and vnto them that are contentious and disobey the truth and obey vnrighteousnesse shall be indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish vpon the soule of euery man that doth euill But you will say why is not euerlasting life the wages of good workes as euerlasting death is of euill workes and sinnes I answere that our euill workes be simply euill and being transgressions of Gods righteous law offend his infinit maiestie prouoke his infinit wrath and deserue infinit paine and punishment But our workes are not simply and perfectly good but be imperfect and are stained with the corruption of our finfull nature as I haue before declared and therefore cannot satisfie Gods infinit iustice nor pacifie his infinit anger nor deserue his infinit glorie but rather require Gods great mercie as hath been shewed And therefore Saint Paul in the sixt to the Romanes hauing said that the wages of sinne is death doth not say which had been most meete to haue been said if this pharisaicall doctrine were true the wages of good workes is eternall life but hee saith the gift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord as also Oecumenius doth wel obserue You confidently affirme that the Protestants who are enemies to merits shall neuer attaine to the kingdome of Heauen which is purchased by good workes and merits Where first I would aduise you to take heede that you be not brethren to those old heretikes called Hieraclitae to whom Saint Augustine doth ascribe this as an heresie that they denied infants to appertaine to the kingdome of Heauen because they had no merits His words bee these Hieraclitae ad regnum coelorum non pertinere paruulos dicunt quia non sunt eis vlla merita certaminis quo vitia superentur i. The Hieraclites say that infants
your selues to be of them whom Christ came not to call who saith I am not come to call the righteous that is to say them that be puffed vp with a vaine and false perswasion of their owne righteousnesse but sinners to repentance And that they whom you disdaine and despise as Publicanes and harlots goe not before you into the kingdome of God We take vpon vs the person of the Publican in acknowledging our owne vilenes and vnworthines and in respect thereof are abashed to lift vp our eyes to heauen but flee in all our workes to Gods mercie and are content that you with the Pharisce glory of your owne workes merits and righteousnes Salomon saith as I haue before alleaged There is a generation that are pure in their owne conceite and yet are not washed from their filthines Now briefly to answere your syllogisme I reason thus No good workes are to be auoyded but fasting prayer and almes deedes being commanded of God and proceeding from faithfull hearts are by our doctrine good works Ergo they are not to be auoyded but diligently in the feare of God to be vsed of vs but the corruptions of our sinfull nature which creepe into them are to be auoided and resisted and we are to pray vnto God in mercy to pardon them And so we may be assured that as in mercy through Christ he hath accepted of vs so he will in like mercie accept our workes as pure and perfit in Christ Iesus Now I will retort your reason vpon your owne head in this sort Euery man is bound vpon paine of eternall damnation to auoide all sinne but fasting praying and almes deedes as they be vsed by Papists to make satisfaction to God for their sinnes and to merite and purchase heauen be sinnes Ergo fasting prayer and almes deedes done in such sort are to be auoided The Minor or second proposition I proue thus He that attributeth that to his workes which is proper and peculiar to Iesus Christ sinneth grieuously but to make satisfaction for our sinnes appertaineth onely to Iesus Christ Ergo he that attributeth the same to his workes grieuously sinneth But I shall haue occasion hereafter more largely to handle this matter therefore now I omit it and so I will also the quotations of Luther Caluine and Melanchthon set in the margent for that they deliuer no other doctrine but that which I haue before declared the which I nothing doubt but it is so sound that it will indure and abide this mans hammer The Pamphlet The Protestants either haue no faith at all or ly most damnably in denying that a man assisted by Gods grace can keepe the commaundements 3. Article WHosoeuer knoweth God keepeth his commaundements But all true Protestants know God Ergo all true Protestants keepe his commaundements The Maior is expresse Scripture qui dicit se nosse deum mandata eius non custodit mendax est in eo veritas non est He that saith he knoweth God and keepeth not his commaundements is a lyer and truth is not in him The Minor no Protestant doubteth of for this knowledge of God is nothing else but a liuely faith wherewith all zealous Protestants as they say are indewed Hence from manifestly it followeth that either the most zealous Protestants lacke a liuely faith and so are Infidels or if they haue a liuely faith and deny that they keepe or can keepe Gods commaundements they are damnable lyars if they chuse the first they are Pagans Heretikes or Iewes if they take the second they are damnable seducers and impostors in religion and consequently their faith is false Answere THis syllogisme according to Saint Iohns meaning is wholy true The Apostles purpose is to shew that the knowledge of God in the faithfull ought not to be idle but effectuall and fruitfull in godlinesse and holy obedience working a care and conscience in them to keepe Gods holy commaundements by diligent endeuouring both to auoyd all wickednesse which he forbiddeth and to yeelde that holy obedience which he requireth The which they that doe not but liue prophanely wallowing in wickednesse and committing vngodlinesse with greedinesse and yet make a profession of the knowledge of God as too many do their profession and knowledge is in vaine For as Saint Iames saith if any seeme religious and refraineth not his tongue but deceiueth his owne hart that mans religion is in vaine So if any seeme to haue the knowledge of God and liueth loosely and wickedly hauing no care to frame his life to the obedience of Gods commandements his religion profession and knowledge is in vaine For not euery one that saith vnto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth my fathers will which is in heauen But your meaning is that by keeping of Gods commandements is vnderstood an absolute and perfit fulfilling of them in yeelding without any transgression at all that full and perfect righteousnes which God commaundeth The which neuer did any man yeeld but only the man Iesus Christ who neuer did sinne and in whose mouth was neuer guile This your doctrine of the perfect fulfilling of Gods law in this life is false and you in maintaining of it shew your selues to be blind and proud Pharisies not knowing either the perfect righteousnes of God nor the corruption of our nature against the which I reason thus Whosoeuer sinneth transgresseth and breaketh Gods law and commaundements but all men doe sinne therefore all men transgresse and breake Gods lawes and commaundements The first proposition is manifest for S. Iohn saith Sinne is the transgression of the law The second proposition cannot with any face be denied Salomon saith There is no man that sinneth not Saint Paul saith All haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God Saint Iames saith In many things we sinne all Saint Iohn saith If we say that we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. Moreouer S. Paul saith As many as are of the workes of the law are vnder the curse for it is written Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doc them Where Saint Paul doth reason after this sort Whosoeuer doth not continue to doe all that is written in the booke of the law are vnder the curse but there is none that continueth to doe all that is written in the booke of the law Ergo there is none but is vnder the curse The first proposition Saint Paul proueth by a place of the law Deut. 27. The second Saint Paul taketh as a thing graunted and not to be denied that there is no man which continueth to doe all that is written in the booke of the law to doe it the which if it be not graunted Saint Paules argument is nothing worth for it might be said that some doe fulfill the law of
was Bernards iudgement concerning our keeping of Gods commandements and fulfilling of the law Ferus also a late Frier but yet a man of better iudgement in many matters then many others were or be hereof writeth thus Per Christum implenda erat omnis iustitia per quem solum lex poterat impleri nam maledicta erat natura humana legemque implere non potuit iuxta illud neque nos neque patres onus hoc portare potuimus that is All righteousnes was to be fulfilled by Christ by whom onely the law could be fulfilled For mans nature was accursed and could not fulfill the law according to that saying neither we nor our Fathers were able to beare this burden Againe the same Ferus saith Si nemo potest gloriari se á peccato immunem nec quisquam gloriari potest se legem seruasse cum peccatum nihil aliud sit quà m transgressio legis that is If no man can glorie that hee is free from sinne neither can any man glorie that he hath fulfilled the law seeing that sinne is nothing else but the transgression of the law Hence from it followeth that zealous Protestants want neither a liuely faith in Gods mercies nor true obedience to Gods commaundements although they vnfainedly confesse their manifold imperfections and sinnes by which they bee farre from perfectly fulfilling the law of God And now pro coronide I will requite you with another Syllogisme They that thinke they can fulfill the law of God be proud Hypocrits and Pharisees but the Papists thinke that they can fulfill the law of God yea can doe superarrogant workes I should say workes of Supererogation aboue them that the law requireth Ergo the Papists be proud Hypocrites and Pharisees The Pamphlet The most points wherein the Protestants dissent from the Catholikes tend to loosenes of life and carnall libertie 4. Article His article may be proued by a generall induction in all such matters as now the Protestants call in question First say they that man hath not free will to doe good but all goodnesse proceedeth so from grace that it lyeth not in his power neither to haue it nor resist it but of necessitie it must haue effect To what other ende tendeth this senceles doctrine and fatall fancie but to make men negligent in disposing and preparing their soules to receiue Gods grace and to rouse it vp and put it in execution after they haue it making man not much vnlike a sicke asse who neither can dispose nor prepare himselfe to seeke for his medicine but of necessitis must expect till his master thrusteth it into his throate neither after hee hath drunke it can cause it cure his disease but carelesly letteth it worke as it will Secondly they defend that men be iustified by faith alone the which solifidian portion ouerthroweth flatly true repentance sorrow for sinnes mortification of passions and all other vertues which tend to perfect reconciliation of the soule with God causing men only to procure a certaine false fantastical apprehension of Christs death and passion the which faith although they erroniously auerre cannot be seuered from charitis vertues and good workes yet both experience teacheth that it may for also few or none haue faith because few or none of them haue these workes and the Scriptures plainely proue that all faith yea and the most noble faith which hath force to remoue mountaines may be without charitie Thirdly they assure vs that faith once had can neuer be lost the which vaine securitie openeth the gap to all libertine sensualitie for if a man be certaine that he hath true faith if it be impossible he should lose it if he be secured that by it alone he shall be saued why may be not wallow in all licencious pleasures in this life and neuer doubt of glorie in the other could euer Epicurus haue found a better ground to plant his Epicurisme could euer Heliogabalus haue better patronized his sensualitie could Bacchus or Venus euer haue forged better reasons to enlarge their dominion Fourthly they say a man cannot keepe all the commaundements for what other cause I pray you but thereby to make men negligent in keeping of them to pretend an excuse of impossibilitie whensoeuer they transgresse them Fiftly why deny they the Sacrament of penance but to make men careles how they liue and neuer regard the auoyding of sinnes as though they were neuer to render an account of them to hinder that shame and blushing which men conceiue in discouering their sinnes the which are most excellent meanes to deter them from sinning another time to shuffle vp restitution and satisfaction of iniuries committed against our neighbours to draw men from remorse of conscience by burying their sinnes in eternall obliuion the sores whereof confession rubbeth and causeth Sixtly why exclude they the true and reall body of Christ from the blessed Sacrament of the altar but for that they perceiued how by the presence thereof they were deterred from sinne and wickednes for they knew well that sinfull liues consorted not with those sacred mysteries and therefore they rather resolued to banish Christ from the Sacrament then sinnes from their soules Finally for what other cause haue they ioyned a new negatiue religion wholy standing vpon negation of Sacraments ceremonies rites lawes customes and other practicall points of the catholike Church but for fasting to bring in feasting for praying playing for deuotion dissolution for religious feare of God vaine securitie for zeale and mortification a number of vaine verball sermons and to conclude for a positiue working a flat deniall almost of all points of faith and religion Answere COncerning this article I will first answere these cauils which this cauiller obiecteth to the slaundering of our doctrine as tending to loosenes of life and carnall libertie Secondly I will shew to what loosenes and wickednes of life the doctrine of the Church of Rome tendeth and what fruites or rather weeds of wickednes it hath brought fourth euen in Popes their clergie and namely in Rome that holy Citie where that holy Father resideth and whereupon he especially breatheth and blesseth He beginneth with free will wherein he neither setteth downe truely our doctrine nor the state of the controuersie which is a vsuall customewith his companions to peruert and alter the state of the question as Doctor Whitakers sheweth that Bellarmine vseth to do I wil therefore lay downe our doctrine truely as we teach concerning this matter wee beleeue that although in worldly matters concerning this life man haue wit reason and vnderstanding to know and will for the choise of good and euill iust and vniust yet in spirituall matters pertayning to eternall life and the worship of God we beleeue that mans reason is so darkened and will so corrupted that he can neither truely know loue nor couet much lesse doe and performe those things which be agreeable to Gods will and acceptable vnto his Maiestie vntill God
AN APOLOGIE FOR RELIGION Or AN ANSWERE TO AN VNLEARNED and slanderous Pamphlet intituled Certaine Articles or forcible Reasons discouering the palpable absurdities and most notorious errors of the Protestants religion pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. By EDVVARD BVLKLEY Doctor of Diuinitie Prouerb 14. 15. The foolish will beleeue euery thing but the prudent will consider his waies Lamenta 3. 40. Let vs search and trie our waies and turne againe vnto the Lord. Chrysost in Genes Hom. 5. Quocirca diuinae Scripturae vestigia sequamur neque seramus eos qui temerè quiduis blaterant i. Let vs follow the steps of the holy Scripture and not endure or abide them that rashly babble euery thing AT LONDON Printed by Felix Kingston for Arthur Iohnson and are to be sold at his shop in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Flower de-luce and Crowne 1602. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR THOMAS EGERTON KNIGHT LORD Keeper of the great Seale of England Chamberlaine of the Countie Palatine of Chester and one of her Maiesties most honourable priuie Councell grace and peace be multiplied WHen I consider Right Honourable the estate of England in these our daies I cannot better compare it then with the estate of the kingdome of Iudah vnder K. Iosias expressed shortly yet effectually by Sophonie the Prophet who liued and preached in that time For as then God gaue to that people that worthy and godly King who zealously rooted out Idolatrie and planted Gods true worship agreeable to his law so God in great mercy hath giuen vs our most gracious Queene Elizabeth by whose godly meanes Idolatrie hath been abolished Gods true religion and seruice restored his holy word truly and sincerely preached and peace and tranquilitie among vs long maintained And as in those daies vnder King Iosias notwithstanding that godly and zealous reformation there was great wickednes among the people as the said Sophonias sheweth For there were then which worshipped vpon the rouffes of their houses the host of heauen and which worshipped and sware by the true and onely God Iehoua and by Malcham their Idoll and such as were turned backe from after the true God and sought him not nor inquired after him and that did weare strange apparell and others that filled their masters houses with robberie and deceite and such as were frozen in their dregges and said in their hearts the Lord will neither doe good nor euill And Ierusalem was then a filthie and spoyling citie which heard not Gods voyce receiued not instruction trusted not in the Lord and drew not neere vnto her God c. Euen so how these sinnes abound at this time in this land I thinke there are but few but doe see and none that truly feareth God but doth lament To omit other sinnes here mentioned as then there were which worshipped Iehoua the onely true God and Malcham their Idoll euen so there be now not a few which to please the Prince and State pretend outwardly to like of religion established and yet inwardly in their hearts fauour Idolatrie and wicked worshippings repugnant to the same And as then many were turned backe from after God and sought him not nor inquired after him euen so now there are many which be reuolted from Gods holy worship agreeable to his word and vtterly forsake the holy assemblies where Gods word is truly preached the Sacraments are according to Christs institution rightly ministred and Gods holy name faithfully called vpon These with Lots wife looke backe vnto Sodome and are with the Israelites in heart turned backe into Egypt desiring rather to eate onions and garlike there then to feed vpon the heauenly Manna of Gods blessed word Of these thus turned backe from seeking after God they be most dangerous which being deceiued themselues endeuour by all meanes both by speaking and writing to seduce and deceiue others Such be the Seminarie Priests and Iesuites who although they be at this present time at leastwise in outward apparance at deadly fewd among themselues writing most bitterly one against another yet they all agree in resisting Gods truth seducing the simple and in labouring most earnestly to set vp againe their Dagon of the Masse fallen downe before the Arke of Christs Gospell To this end they write lewd lying and slaunderous Pamphlets wherein they traduce the truth and faithfull fauourers thereof deceiue the ignorant and confirme in error their ouer affectioned fauourers who without triall or examination ouer rashly receiue and ouer lightly beleeue whatsoeuer is broached by them Of these lying Libels there came one to my hands a yeere past and more pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. wherein is boldly affirmed but faintly proued that we haue no faith nor religion that of vs both the learned and ignorant of the Greeke and Latine tongues be Infidels that wee know not what wee beleeue that we are bound in conscience both neuer to aske forgiuenes of our sinnes and also to auoide all good workes that wee make God the author of sinne and worse then the diuell These and such other shameles assertions and false slaunders when I read it came into my heart that Master Thomas Wright with whose spirit I had been acquainted was the venter of this ware In which opinion I was afterward confirmed for that both some of his fauourers could not denie it and in a written copie therof taken in a search in Shropshire and sent vnto me these two letters T.W. were set in the end of it This lewd Libell although in respect of the matter voide both of truth and learning deformed rather to be despised then earnestly answered yet because the author of it thinketh so highly of himself and so basely and contemptuously of vs giuing out in certaine written conferences which he hath dispersed abroad in this land and some faithfull men haue seene that wee be vnlearned and so giuen to worldly affaires that we bestow no time or but little in studie I although the meanest and vnmeetest of many was moued to write this answere thereby to confute these calumnies to cleere the truth to confirme the faithfull and if by Gods gracious blessing it might be to reclaime and reforme the ignorant and seduced Whereof I haue the lesse hope for that as they imitate those wicked Israelites which refused to hearken turned away their shoulder stopped their eares that they might not heare and made their hearts as an Adamant stone least they should heare the law and the words which the Lord of hosts sent in his spirit by his Prophets So they doe fully follow the peruerse Pagans which most obstinately refused to reade godlie bookes written by Christians as that ancient eloquent Christian Lactantius in these eloquent words declareth Non est apud me dubium Constantine Imperator Maxime quin hoc opus nostrum quo singularis ille rerum conditor huius immensi operis rector asseritur si quis attigerit ex
of deuotion as Doctor Cole at Westminster said and who to this day haue not published the whole Bible in the English tongue for the instructing inlightning of Gods people although they writ eighteene yeares past that they had long before that time translated it and yet to this day they haue wanted meanes to publish it They haue had meanes since that time to print and publish D. Stapletons great booke de Principijs doctrinalibus and many such others on the like sort but they can or will find no meanes to publish the blessed Bible and booke of God for it serueth not so well for the defence of their doctrine and doings as the others doe But to conclude this matter I also doe both pray with the Prophet Dauid and say Open our eyes that we may see the wonders of thy law and with Saint Paule The Lord giue vs vnderstanding in all things that the eyes of our vnderstanding being lightned we may know what the hope is of Gods calling and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in the Saints c. and also exhort this man and his fellowes to take heede they be not of the number of them of whom our Sauiour Christ said If ye were blind ye should haue no sinne but now ye say we see therefore your sinne remaineth The Pamphlet The copie of a Letter written by a Catholike to a worshipfull Protestant Gentleman his speciall friend concerning certaine reasons why the Protestants Religion is false and absurd LOued and relouing friend I haue receiued your courteous letter wherein you greatly wonder that I wondred so much in our last discourse that any man in England endued with a good iudgement conioyned with a religious conscience could either accept or affect the Protestants new coyned Gospell You request me to set downe briefely such reasons as induced me thereunto the which suite I could not deny for both religion and affection vrged me to satisfie so iust a desire For I must confesse I loue you as a man and as an honest ciuill Gentleman and most gladly I would haue occasion to loue you as a Catholike Gentleman for it is great pitie that such a multitude of detestable errors and heynous heresies should lodge in so rarely qualified a soule I haue penned them after an vnaccustomed manner following the fashion of schooles in most of them after a syllogisticall method to the intent that if you should shew them vnto your Ministers which swarme about you they might not haue such free scope and libertie to range abroad with their idle discourses as they vse to take veiling their confused conceits with a multitude of affected phrases thereby more easely to deceiue the simple and loathe the learned Wherefore I beseech you if any such itching spirit shall attempt an answere to intreate him to performe it briefly orderly and seriously This I request for that I perceiue that Protestants cannot answere with breuitie because their Religion lacketh both certaintie and perspicuitie And extreame hard or impossible it is to replie without perplexitie where there is no truth nor veritie And therefore I request you as you loue me to will them to consider well before they answere ill and not to replie with rashnes least they retract with deliberation to their vtter shame and confusion And that you may perceiue how my wonder rather deserued approbation then admiration and for that order is a fauorite of memorie I thought good to reduce all my reasons into two heads wit and will knowledge and affection faith and good life because the nature of heresie hath euer been such as did not only inueagle the wit with errors but also seduce the will with occasions of inordmate affections I say the that no excellent goodwit linked with a religious conscience can accept nor affect the Protestants new coyned Gospell for good wits and iudgements assisted with Gods grace may easily conceiue the truth yea by the force of their very naturall faculties they may iudge credibly of the truth once proposed and without great difficultie discorne the absurdities of an vntrue religion Vertuous and well inclined affections which are the base of quiet secure and religious consciences abhor and detest such principles as either dishonor God abase mans nature occasion sinne fauor iniquitie or any sort diminish deuotion or pietie And therefore all the insequent articles shall stand vpon these two foundations to wit that the Protestants religion debarreth the wit from right vnderstanding the true faith and the will from following of any vertue or godlinesse Answere YOu wonder that any man in England endued with a good iudgement conioyned with a religious conscience can either accept or affect the Protestants new coined gospell But why do you not shew what is the new coined gospell which the Protestants preach and professe The Gospell is the good and ioyfull message of our saluation through Gods mercies purchased vnto vs by Iesus Christ This Gospell God preached to Adam that Iesus Christ the seed of the woman should breake the serpents head This he renued to Abraham saying in thy seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed This Gospell was preached by all the Prophets who beare witnes vnto Christ that through his name all that beléeue in him shall receiue forgiuenes of sinnes Now if you can prooue that we preach or maintaine any other gospell then this then you may well call it a new coined gospell if otherwise take heed you do not belch out blasphemie in calling this old and true gospell of Iesus Christ a new coined gospell And let the Christian reader which tendereth his owne saluation well consider who they be that coine a new false and counterfeit gospell Do not they which teach vs to ascend into heauen by the bloud of Thomas Becket coine a new and false gospell Tuper Thomae sanguinem c. which they englished in Queene Maries dayes thus By the bloud of Thomas which he for thee did spend make vs Christ to come whither Thomas did ascend Againe Iesu bone per Thomae merit unt nostra nobis dimitte debita O good Iesus for the merits of Thomas Becket forgiue vs our sinnes Do not they which teach vs to seeke to be deliuered from the fire of hell by the merits and prayers of Saint Nicholas mainetaine a new coined gospell Thus they prayed Quaesimus vt eius meritis precibas à gehennae incendijs liberemur Graunt we beseech thee that by his merits and prayers we may be deliuered from the fire of hell Do not they which say and beleeue of an Agnus dei that is to say a peece of waxe and balme consecrated by the Pope Tollit omne malignum peccatum frangit vt Christi sanguis angit It taketh away all euill it breaketh and strangleth sinne as doth the bloud of Christ do not they I say coine a new false and blasphemous Gospell Yes
vsuall amongst you and your fellowes in such sort to abuse the word of God The words of Saint Iohn be these Iohn to the seuen Churches which are in Asia Grace be with you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seuen spirits which are before his throne and from Iesus Christ c. What meaneth this man to alledge this for inuocation of Saints will he by these seuen spirits vnderstand the Saints either he knoweth little or he cannot be ignorant that this is expounded of the holy Ghost who although he be in person one yet by the communication of his vertue and demonstration of his diuine workes in those seuen Churches doth so perfectly shew himselfe as though there were so many spirits euery one working in his peculiar Church Ambrose set out by Doctor Tunstall Bishop of Duresme writeth vpon these words thus Hic tota trinitas demonstratur that is heere the whole Trinitie is shewed and a little after Per septem autem spiritus spiritus sanctus eò quod sit septiformis intelligitur that is By the seuen spirits the holy Ghost is vnderstoode because he worketh seuen manner of wayes And hard it were or rather absurd to pray for grace and peace from Saints and that before Iesus Christ But vpon this I will not stand onely the reader may consider how barren this cause is which hath no plainer proofes and driueth this man to such priuate and false exposition of Gods word Now whereas you say that by prayer you glorifie the Saints in heauen I say that by prayer we doe glorifie God Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me But that by prayer we should glorifie Saints I doe not finde in all the holy Scriptures If this man can why doth he not shew it I finde that God will not giue his glorie to any other and that the Saints with Dauid say Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glorie for thy louing mercie and thy truths sake And that the Angell would not be worshiped or glorified but said vnto Iohn worship God As touching the Saints mediation when Iesus Christ shall cease to be our mediator and to sit at the right hand of God to make intercession for vs then we will seeke to your mediation of Saints In the meane time take you heede that in attributing that to the Saints which is proper and peculiar to the sonne of God yea which he hath bought with his bloud you doe not deny the Lord which hath bought vs and that you doe not horribly dishonor those Saints and make Idols of them Furthermore you say that we deny the communion of the Church militant and the soules in purgatorie c. Whereunto I answer y t when you shal plainely and pithily proue this your fayned fire of purgatorie which the Greeke Church alwayes hath denyed then we wil yeeld vnto you and graunt our selues to be to blame in not helping these seely soules with dirges masses c. out of the paines of this forged fire You quote in your margent for proofe thereof 1. Cor. 3. v. 15. 15. v. 29. Alas poore purgatorie that hath no better proofes The words of S. Paul in the first place be these If a mans worke burne he shall lose but he shall be saued himselfe neuerthelesse yet as it were by fire Here is mention of fire and therfore it must needs be the fire of purgatorie for such is the great iudgement of these worthie writers that if they reade in the Scriptures or Fathers this word fire it is none other but the fire of purgatorie if sacrifice it is the sacrifice of the Masse if confessiō it can be nothing but auricular confession to the priest if tradition it is vnwrittē verities or vanities But touching these places of S. Paul because the author of this Pamphlet doth not alledge them but barely quote them I will but briefely touch them To the first I say that S. Paul there speaketh not of all men but onely of teachers and preachers which be builders of Gods house and Church which euen Bellarmine confesseth Secondly he speaketh not of all their workes but onely of their doctrine whereby they build the Church of God Thirdly he speaketh not of the purging of workes or persons but of the probation of doctrines Fourthly the works are said to be proued and not the persons Lastly if this place should be vnderstood of purgatorie then euery man should bee throwne into it for it is said the fire shall try euery mans worke of what sort it is but this is contrarie to the doctrine of the papists who will not haue all men come into purgatorie These things plainly shew that this place cannot be vnderstoode of purgatorie Saint Augustine in many places doth vnderstand it of the afflictions and troubles sustained in this life and not of the paines of Purgatorie after this life Enchir. ad Laurentium cap. 68. de ciuit Dei lib. 21 cap. 26. de side operibus cap. 16. in Psal 80. But S. Paul speaketh of triall of doctrine shewing that as the fire trieth mettals so the light of Gods truth trieth doctrines and as gold and siluer abide in the fire and hay and stubble be consumed so true sound and holy doctrines abide the light and triall of Gods word when either vntrue doctrines or vaine speculations perish and be consumed So doth S. Ambrose expound it Mala doctrina in igne omnibus apparebit nunc enim quosdam fallit that is Euill doctrine shall appeare vnto all in the fire for now it deceiueth some Againe Mala enim adultera doctrina idcirco in ligno foeno stipula significata est vt ostenderetur ignis esse esca that is Euill and counterfeit doctrine is therfore signified by wood hay and stubble that it might be shewed that it is but meate to be consumed of fire And againe Ignis ergo hic Christi sermo est bonus ignis c. This fire is the word of Christ and it is a good fire which warmeth but burneth not but onely sinnes By this fire that gold of the Apostle laid vpon the good foundation is tried By this fire that siluer of manners or workes is proued By this fire those pretious stones are lightened but the hay and stubble is consumed Therefore this fire clenseth the soule and consumeth error Hitherto S. Ambrose whereby we may see y t neither S. Augustine nor S. Ambrose expound this place of Purgatorie much lesse the Greeke Fathers who neuer acknowledged it Therfore to expoūd it of Purgatorie as the Papists do whether it be not a priuate false exposition let y e godly reader vprightly iudge The words of the other place here quoted are these Else what shall they doe which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why
himselfe and not God of God So that he receiueth not his diuinitie from his father I answere that if we consider of Christ absolutely in respect of the essence he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himselfe to whom all things doe agree which are spoken of the diuine essence by it selfe but if we consider of him in respect of his person he is not of himselfe but sonne of the father yet coëternall and coëssentiall So saith Saint Augustine Christus ad se deus dicitur ad patrem filius dicitur that is Christ in respect of himselfe is called God and in respect of the Father is called sonne Saint Basil saith that it was an vndoubted principle of diuinitie in all ages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The godhead to be begotten neither of it himselfe nor of any other but to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnbegotten And that Christ is God of himselfe I proue it thus He that is Iehoua is God of himselfe Christ is Iehoua ergo Christ is God of himselfe The first proposition cannot be denyed for God is called Iehoua because he hath his being of himselfe and all others haue their being of him And that Christ is Iehoua I thinke you will not deny and if you doe it may easily be proued For he that appeared to Esaias the Prophet cap. 6. and is there called Iehoua vers 3. is said of Saint Iohn to be Christ in these words These things said Esaias when he saw his glory and spake of him That which Esaias cap. 18. 13. 14. speaketh of Iehoua Saint Paul Rom. 9. 33. expoundeth of Christ The Angel that appeared to Moses in the bush is called Iehoua but Christ who is called the Angel of the couenant and the Angel of the great counsell was that Angel ergo Christ is Iâ—houa And so consequently is God of himselfe And therefore Epiphanius whom I trust you will not terme a Puritane calleth Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himselfe The Fathers of the Nicene councell in calling Christ God of God did thereby signifie that he is coëssentiall and of the same substance with the Father and not as you falsely affirme that he receiued his diuinitie of his Father which is in effect to make Christ no God For it is proper to God to be of himselfe The deitie is the diuine essence which is one and singular and the same wholy in the Father in the sonne and in the holy Ghost And so we acknowledge a Trinitie of persons and a vnitie of essence that is one only God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Saint Basil c. it is manifest that the names of Father and sonne doe not signifie the essence but the proprieties of the persons So Damascene saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The deitie signifieth the nature or essence the word Father the person And the essence is wholy in the Father wholy in the sonne and wholy in the holy Ghost as euen your great Master of the sentences Peter Lumbard confesseth so that the Father is God of himselfe the Sonne God of himselfe the holy Ghost God of himselfe and yet not three Gods but one true and immortall God And therefore with Athanasius wee worship a vnitie in Trinitie and Trinitie in vnitie The fift article which you say those whom you disdainfully call Puritaines doe deny is the descension of Christ into Hell Can you shew and name any such puritanes which omit this article either in rehearsing it or in expounding it as you haue done the second commaundement of God I am sure you cannot Why doe you then say that they deny it forsooth because they receiue not your exposition of it to wit that Christ descended in soule to Hell and was there as long as his body was in the graue and there harrowed Hell and deliuered thence the patriarkes and all iust men there houlden in bondage vnto his death as your Rhemists write And doe all that receiue not this exposition deny this article Then did your owne Doctor Durand deny this article who held and published in writing that Christs soule did not in respect of the substance and essence thereof but by effect efficacy and operation descend into Hell Then did Iohn Picus that learned Earle of Mirandula and Cardinall Caietane whom the Pope sent into Germanie to suppresse Luther deny this article who concurre and agree with Durand yea I might say that then either Saint Cyprian or Ruffin denyed this article who expoundeth it of Christs buriall But you say that these nameles Puritans defend that Christ suffered the paines of Hell vpon the crosse whereby they blaspheme most horribly that sacred humanitie as if Christ had despaired of his saluation as if God had hated him and he had hated God c. I answere that this doctrine of Christs suffering the paines of Hell vpon the crosse is not so desperate as your collections thereof are false and blasphemous What desperatnes or absurditie is this that Christ our Sauior not in respect of himselfe but in that he became our suretie and tooke vpon him our debts and bare our sinnes in his bodie vpon the wood as Saint Peter saith did beare and indure in his humanitie the wrath of God and the paines and torments which our sinnes had deserued to deliuer vs from the wrath of God which we by our sinnes had prouoked and from the said paines and torments which we had merited We are not to thinke that Christ did suffer onely an externall and corpoÌ„ral death for then he had shewed greater weakenes then many meere natural men haue done who with great courage and cheerefulnesse haue gone vnto death but Christ our Sauiour was in such an Agonie that his sweate was like drops of bloud trickling downe to the ground so that an Angel appeared from heauen comforting him He cryed and said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Whereby it doth euidently appeare that he suffered not onely an outward death of the body but did in his soule wrastle with the paines of Hell and beare the burden of Gods wrath dewe to our sinnes to deliuer vs from the same and to purchase the loue and mercie of God vnto vs. And when the prophet saith of him He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrowes he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was laid vpoÌ„ him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheepe haue gone astray we haue turned euery one to his owne way and the Lord hath laid vpon him the iniquitie of vs all Did not our Sauiour Christ heerein suffer the punishment which was due to our sinnes Saint Paul saith that Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law being made a curse for vs for it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on the tree yet Iesus Christ
come to attaine that faluation which God hath promised and Iesus Christ for vs hath purchased Saint Paul to the Ephesians doth as it were to the explication of this place make-declaration both of the true doctrine of saluation and of the way whereby wee are to walke vnto it By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of works least any man should boast himselfe For we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them Thus good workes and holy obedience of life which cannot be ioyned with carelesse securitie but doe flow from the feare of God are not causes to merit and deserue saluation which Iesus Christ by his blood shedding hath purchased for vs but alwaies to walke vnto it without the which wee shall neuer see God as the Apostle saith The Pamphlet Articles concerning good life and pietie The Protestants are bound in conscience neuer to aske God forgiuenes of their sinnes WHosoeuer is assured by faith that his sins are forgiuen him sinneth most grieuously in asking God pardon for them but all true Protestants are assured by faith that their sinnes are forgiuen them Ergo. All true Protestants sinne grieuously in asking pardon of God for them The Maior is euident for who but an Infidel or a mad man would demaund of God the creation of the world which he is assured by faith that God hath alreadie created or Christs incarnation which alreadie is performed or the institution of Sacraments which alreadie is effected In like manner who but an Infidel or a mad man will demaund pardon of his sins which he beleeueth alreadie by faith that God hath forgiuen for it is a signe that he doubteth of that which he is bound by faith to beleeue which doubting faith is infidelitie Moreouer what soeuer we demaund that wee hope to obtaine but no man hopeth to obtaine that he alreadie possesseth as no man will demaund of God his owne soule or bodie because alreadie he possesseth them The Minor is vndoubted because this is that liuely faith whereby the Protestants are iustified by this they apprehend Christ by this they applie his merits and passion vnto them and without this no man can attaine vnto saluation Hereupon I will inferre that no Protestant can with a safe conscience say the Lords Prayer because he cannot pray as he ought without true faith and call God his father and if he haue true faith he cannot without note of infidelitie vtter this petition Forgiue vs our sinnes for that most assuredly he beleeueth and protesteth in the first ingresse of that prayer that he is the Son of God and consequently beleeueth by faith that his sins are forgiuen him Answere TO the first proposition of this subtill syllogisme I answere that the assurance by faith which Gods elect haue of the forgiuenes of their sinnes doth well stand with the asking of forgiuenes of them For we are to aske forgiuenes of our sinnes because God doth commaund it and require it of vs. Moreouer it is our dutie to aske forgiuenes of them for otherwise wee cannot be assured by faith that they be forgiuen vs for by asking pardon of them we doe make confession of them and doe acknowledge our owne guiltines the which if we should refuse to doe we can haue no assurance of the remission of them For Salomon saith He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth them and forsaketh them shall haue mercie And S. Iohn saith If wee confesse our sinnes God is faithful and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clouse vs from all vnrighteousnes Moreouer wee aske forgiuenes of our sinnes to confirme our faith and to increase the assurance we haue of the forgiuenes of them and that we may more and more haue the feeling of the forgiuenes of them increased in our hearts For we doe not meane that any man hath any such firme assurance of faith but that the same is mixed with weaknes and many times shaken with temptations against the which wee must striue and pray and say both with him in the Gospell Lord I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleefe and with the Apostles Lord increase our faith Our faith is but as a graine of Mustard seede which must grow and increase Saint Paul saith that by the Gospell the righteousnes of God is reueiled from faith to faith Vpon which words Clement Alexandrinus writeth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle seemeth to declare a double faith but rather one faith which receiueth increase and perfection And therefore in praying for the forgiuenes of sinnes wee pray that our faith of the forginenes of them may be more and more confirmed and our assurance thereof increased in vs. Lastly seeing wee daily sinne both in doing that which God forbiddeth and omitting that which he commandeth why ought wee not daily to aske forgiuenes of them And in praying for the remission of our sinnes we desire all those things which be effects and fruites thereof as Sanctification and eternall life c. And yet wee must pray in a true perswasion of faith of Gods mercie towards vs to the forgiuenes of our sinnes not onely past but also future and to come And so our praying for the forgiuenes of them is a crauing of the continuance of Gods mercie to the continuall pardoning of them which we continually commit Now whereas hee saith the Maior is euident and none but an Infidell or mad man would demaund of God the creation of the world which hee is assured by faith that God hath alreadie created c. I answere that none that is well in his wits would make such a foolish and absurd comparison as is betweene the asking of God the creation of the world the incarnation of Christ c. and the remission of our sinnes For those are neither commaunded nor at all to be asked and will this man say that forgiuenes of sinnes is not at all of any to be prayed for Of those things we neede not further to be confirmed but of the forgiuenes of our sinnes our faith had neede to be strengthened and the feeling thereof in our consciences to be increased Moreouer as I said before for as much as we daily sin and offend God wee ought daily to craue Gods mercie in pardoning our sinnes What likenes hath prayer for the creation of the world or for the incarnation of Christ c. herewith And whereas this man thinketh it so absurd a thing to pray to God to forgiue vs our sinnes because wee beleeue the forgiuenes of them I would aske of him whether S. Paul praying both in the beginning and in the end of his Epistles for Gods grace to the faithfull did not assuredly beleeue that they were euen then and before those his prayers indued with Gods grace No doubt but hee did beleeue that they
were indued with it for els he would not haue acknowledged the effectuall faith the diligent loue and patient hope of the Thessalonians and that they were elected of God Which gifts of Gods spirit could not be in them without the grace of God Now by this mans diuinitie what a madnesse was it for him to pray for grace vnto them whom hee did beleeue to bee endued with Gods grace alreadie And where as Saint Iohn saith These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue in the name of the sonne of God that yee may know that yee haue eternall life and that ye may beleeue in the name of the sonne of God By this mans deepe doctrine it might seeme madnesse for Saint Iohn to write vnto them that did beleeue in the name of the sonne of God that they should beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God But it seemed not so to S. Iohn who writeth to them that as they had blessedly begunne to beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God so they might still continue grow and increase in the same faith Moreouer also I would aske of this man and his fellowes whether they praying do beleeue the forgiuenes of their sins if they doe not then are they Infidels and deny the article of the creede I beleeue the forgiuenes of sinnes which before he falsely obiected to vs. If they doe beleeue the forgiuenes of their sinnes why doe they then by this mans doctrine pray for it If he say that he beleeueth that there is in generalitie a forgiuenes of sinnes but particularly he is not assured by faith of the forgiuenes of his owne sinnes then what doth his faith differ from the Diuels faith who beleeueth and trembleth as Saint Iames saith and what is this his doubting but as he himselfe here saith flat infidelitie And no meruaile though these men feele in their harts no assurance of faith for that they ground it not vpon the vnmoueable rocke of Gods promise but vpon the vnsure sand of their owne workes and satisfactions by the which indeede neither can their faith be assured nor their consciences quieted The which false doctrine while they beleeue I would know how they can aske forgiuenes of their sinnes for whosoeuer maketh satisfaction to God for them needeth not to aske forgiuenes of them But the Papists maintaine that they make full satisfaction to God for them as I haue before shewed therefore I may much more iustly say then he doth here that it is madnes to aske forgiuenes of them For what man not being mad owinge a summe of money and paying it will desire the same to be forgiuen him Concerning your scoffing in the proofe of your Minor or second proposition we indeede beleeue that we are iustified by faith without the workes of the law and that Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith and that by this hand of a true and vnfained faith in Iesus Christ we apply the plaister of his precious bloud shed for our sinnes to cure all the sorances and sores of our soules And take you heede that you trusting in your owne workes and merits in your Masses agnus deis holy water pardons and manifold other such paltries fall not into the ditch of damnation And this shall suffice for this article which is so absurd that it deserueth not so much The Pamphlet The Protestants are bound in conscience to auoyde all good workes 2. Article EVery man is bound vpon paine of eternall damnation to auoyde all deadly sinnes But fasting praying almes deedes and all good workes according to the Protestants religion are deadly sinnes Ergo according to the Protestants religion all men are bound vpon paine of eternall damnation to auoyde fasting praying almes deedes and all good workes The Maior is manifest for the wages of deadly sinne is death Stipendium peccatimors The Minor is euident for according to the Protestants religion and common exposition of this text of Scripture Factisumus vt immundi omnes nos tanquam pannus menstruatae omnes iustitiae nostrae We are made all as vncleane and all our iustices are as stayned cloth That is to say the best workes we can doe are infected with deadly sinne and consequently deserue eternall damnation and therefore to be auoyded Answere AS Hannibal said of Phormio that he had heard many doting fooles but he neuer heard any that so much doted as did Phormio so may I say that I haue heard and read many foolish disputers but any that did so foolishly disoute and reason as this man doth I neuer heard nor read For what man in his wits will reason thus that because the corruptions of men doe creepe into these workes of fasting praying and almes giuing therefore the workes themselues bee deadly sinnes Our doctrine is first that these workes and such other being done by vnfaithfull hypocrites and wicked men be turned into sinne as Dauid saith for they be so corrupted and defiled with their infidelitie and wickednes that they be but splendida peccata that is glittering sinnes before God as Saint Augustine tearmeth them For euen as most pure water flowing through a filthie sinke or priuie is made foule filthie and stinking euen so these workes prayer fasting c. which be good workes commaunded of God flowing from their faithles and wicked hearts and bodies be so defiled that they be but filthie sinnes in the sight of God Salomon saith the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable to him God saith by the Prophet Esay Bring no moe oblations in vaine incense is an abomination vnto me I cannot suffer your new moones nor Sabboths nor solemne dayes it is iniquitie nor solemne assemblies My soule hateth your new moones your appoynted feasts c. He that killeth a bullocke is as if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a sheepe as if he cut off a dogges necke c. These sayings shew that euen the sacrifices commaunded in the law of God were wicked and abominable when they were offered of wicked and prophane persons voyde of true faith and repentance So it is in the prophet Haggai Thus saith the Lord of Hostes Aske now the priests concerning the law If one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirt doe touch the bread or the pottage or the wine or ale or any meate shall it be holy And the priests answered and said no. Then said Haggai if a polluted person touch any of these things shall it be vncleane and the priests answered and said it shall be vncleane Then answered Haggai and said so is this people and so is this nation before me saith the Lord and so are all the workes of their hands and that which they offer here is vncleane Agreeable to this is that which Saint Paul saith Vnto the pure are all things pure but vnto them
that are defiled and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled Christ our Sauiour saith Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles and a corrupt tree bringeth forth euill fruite Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne and without faith it is impossible to please God Here of we conclude that euen those workes which God hath commaunded and commended to vs in his word being done by the vngodly and reprobate be so corrupted by their infidelitie and wickednes that they bee not acceptable but rather abominable before God So saith Saint Augustine Sine qua fide quae videntur bona opera in peccata vertuntur that is Without faith those workes which seeme to be good are turned into sinne Saint Ambrose saith Sine cultu veri dei etiam quod virtus videtur esse peccatum est nec placere vllus deo sine deo potest that is Without the worship of the true God euen that which seemeth to be vertue is sinne neither can any please God without God Anselme saith Omnis vita infidelium peccatum est nihil bonum sine summo bono i. The whole life of the vnfaithfull is sinne and there is nothing good without the chiefest good which is God By this the Christian reader may sufficiently see how false the doctrine of the Papists and namely of our fine and delicate Iesuites is who teach as their proctor Andradius one of that coate blusheth not to auouch that all actions of those which bee voyde of the true knowledge of God bee not sinne yea that they may doe workes defiled with no fault but worthie of great praise and that we are not to thinke that all the workes of them which be voyd of faith do so displease God that they be crimes worthie eternall punishments Let the godly reader compare these sayings of this Iebusite with those alledged before out of the Scriptures and ancient Fathers and discerne which is more sound and agreeable not to the blinde reason of man but to the will of God reueiled in his word Secondly concerning the workes of there generate that belong to Gods election and mercie we say that although they be done with imperfection and not so fully with their whole soule hart and minde as they should be but carrie the touch of mans corruption and are not able to abide the strict streight iudgement of God yet because they proceede from harts purified by faith and sanctified in some measure with Gods holy spirit they please God and the imperfections of them being pardoned in Iesus Christ they bee accepted for pure and holy Christ saith A good tree bringeth forth good fruite to the pure are all things pure The prayer of the righteous is alwayes acceptable to God The faithfull be an holy priesthoode to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ To doe good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased This therefore is a falsely which this man with a brasen brow affirmeth that fasting praying and almes deedes according to our religion be deadly sinnes These workes be commaunded of God who commaundeth no sinnes We say that the corruption of our nature which is but in part and imperfectly regenerate in this life doth creepe into them and therefore they be not so purely perfectly done of vs as God requireth whereby we acknowledge that euen the best workes we doe had neede of Gods mercie So Saint Augustine saith Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum si remota misericordia discutias eam that is Wo be to the laudable life of man if thou O God examine it without mercie Now what reasonable man will reason or imagine vs to reason thus that because we doe good workes not so purely and perfectly as Gods righteousnesse requireth and deserueth that therefore good workes as prayer almes deedes c. be deadly sinnes or are to be auoyded of vs. But let vs come to examine the proofe of your Minor or second proposition You say that according to our religion and common exposition of this text of Scripture we are made all as vncleane and all our iustices are like a stained cloth the best workes we can doe are infected with deadly sinne and deserue eternall damnation and therefore to be auoided We indeed expound this place not only of wicked hypocrites but also of the regenerate and faithfull and say that all our owne righteousnesse of works is so stained with the corruption of our sinfull nature that it is not able to stand before Gods iudgement seate nor abide his seuere triall and examination For when wee haue done all those things which are commaunded vs we must say that we are vnprofitable seruants And if thou O Lord streightly markest iniquities O Lord who shall stand and therfore we must pray and say Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shal none that liueth be iustified And with Daniel we say O Lord vnto vs appertaineth open shame to our Kings to our Princes to our Fathers because we haue sinned against thee yet compassion and forgiuenes is in the Lord our God Whereupon we acknowledge that our Iustice and righteousnesse consisteth not in the perfection of our vertues but in the forgiuenes of our sinnes Bernard thus expoundeth and applieth the place of Esay Nostra si qua est humilis iustitia recta for sitan sed non pura nisi forte meliores nos esse credimus quà m patres nostros qui non minus veraciter quà m humiliter aiebant omnes iustitiae nostrae tanquam pannus menstruatae mulieris Quomodo enim pura iustitia vbi adhuc non potest culpa deesse i. Our humble or base iustice if it be any is peraduenture right but not pure vnles we beleeue our selues to be better than our Fathers who no lesse truly then humbly said all our righteousnesse is as the cloth of a menstruous woman for how can righteousnesse be pure where sinne as yet wanteth not And againe Sed quid potest esse omnis iustitia nostra coram Deo Nonne iuxta Prophetam velut pannus menstruata reputabitur si districtè iudicetur iniusta inuenietur omnis iustitia nostra i. What can all our iustice be before God Shall it not according to the Prophet be reputed like the cloth of a menstruous woman and if it be streightly iudged all our iustice shall be found to be vniust How you expound this place I know not belike you satisfying Gods iustice so fully with your owne pure workes that he can aske no more of you as I alleaged before out of Bishop Fisher thinke that this place is not to be vnderstood of you and your iustice which is pure and perfit but of the iustice of Lutherans Caluinists and such other prophane persons Wherein take you heede that you shew not
in his elect and chosen people doe by his holy spirit regenerate them by lightning their blind reason and reforming their wicked wils This we proue by these places of Scripture here following The Lord saw that the wickednes of man was great vpon the earth and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were euill continually And that the imagination of mans heart is euill from his youth Flesh and bloud hath not reueiled it vnto thee but my Father which is in Heauen That light shined in the darkenes and the darkenes comprehended it not Which are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh but of God Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit A man can receiue nothing except it be giuen him from Heauen No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Therefore I said vnto you that no man can come vnto me except it be giuen vnto him of my Father Without me ye can doe nothing The wisdome of the flesh is death The wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned What hast thou that thou hast not receiued No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost By the grace of God I am that I am Not that we are sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues but our sufficiencie is of God It is God that worketh in you both the will and the deede euen of his good will and pleasure The God of peace make you perfit in all good workes to doe his will working in you that which is pleasant in his sight through Iesus Christ our Lord. Whosoeuer committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne If the sonne shall make you free ye shall be free indeede By these sayings let the Christian reader consider of what value and force our wit and will is in heauenly matters vntill the one bee lightened and the other reformed by Gods grace and spirit Hereunto I will adde a few places of the ancient Fathers Saint Augustine saith Quid boni operari potest perditus nisi quantum fuerit perditione liberatus Nunquid libero voluntatis arbitrio hoc absit Nam libero arbitrio male vtens homo se perdidit ipsum Sicut enim qui se occidit c. that is What good can he that is lost doe but in as much as he is deliuered from perdition Can he be restored by his free will God forbid For man vsing ill his free will lost both himselfe and it also For as one killing himselfe doth kill himselfe whilest he liueth but hauing killed himselfe doth not liue nor can raise and restore himselfe being dead so when man sinned by his free will sinne hauing gotten victorie his free will was lost Againe Quid tantum de naturae possibilitate praesumis vulnerata sauciata vexata perdita est vera confessione non falsa defensione opus habet Gratia ergo dei non qua instituatur sed qua restituatur quaeratur that is What dost thou presume so much of the power of nature it is wounded maymed vexed and lost it hath neede of a true confession not of a false defence Therefore the grace of God not whereby the will is ordained but whereby it is restored is to be sought Many such other sayings he hath in his workes against the Pelagians which I omit But this man saith that man may dispose and prepare his soule to receiue Gods grace and this he proueth not by Scripture but I will not say Assedly by the similitude of a sicke Asse that cannot dispose nor prepare himselfe to seeke for his medicine By this diuinitie men preuent Gods grace and it doth not preuent them men first seeke God and not God them For answere whereof I would aske this man whether it be not with all the of spring of Adam as it was with Adam himselfe after his fall Now whether did Adam seeke God first or God him the Scripture saith that God called vpon Adam and that he was so farre from seeking God that he and his wife hid themselues from the presence of the Lord God So that if God in mercie had not sought them and called vpon them it seemeth that they had neuer sought nor called vpon God And euen so it is with all his posteritie as our Sauiour sheweth by the lost sheepe whom the Shepheard seeketh and bringeth home the sheepe nothing disposing nor preparing it selfe to seeke to the Shepheard or to returne to the fould So God saith I was found of them that sought me not Did Peter repent vntill Christ had looked on him and the Cock had crowed What disposition and preparation was in Paul to seeke the grace of Christ Therefore I may truly say that as Lazarus prepared himself being dead in graue to be raised vp by Iesus Christ so doe men dead in sinne dispose and prepare themselues to receiue the medicine of Gods grace Saint Paul saith God which is rich in mercie through his great loue wherewith he loued vs euen when we were dead by sinnes hath quickned vs together in Christ by whose grace ye are saued To this doctrine the auncient Fathers beare witnes Saint Augustine saith Vt totum Deo detur qui hominis voluntatem bonam praeparat adiuuādam adiuuat praeparatam that is All is to be giuen to God who both prepareth the good will of man to be helped and helpeth it being prepared Againe Nolentem praeuenit vt velit volentem subsequitur ne frustra velit that is God preuenteth him that is not willing that he may be willing and he followeth him that is willing that he may not will in vaine Now if this our doctrine concerning the will of man be the truth of God confirmed both by the word of God and by the testimonies of the most learned Fathers then without blasphemie it cannot be said to tend vnto loosenes of life or carnall libertie it teacheth vs both true humilitie in acknowledging our owne miserie and wants and to attribute all to Gods grace and mercie and to arrogate nothing to our selues and doth it tend to carnall libertie and careles securitie We are both to exhort others and also to stirre vp our selues to feare and serue God in holines of life And yet we must acknowledge that God worketh those things in vs whereto he exhorteth vs. And therefore the same spirit that saith Turne vnto me with all your hearts saith also Turne vs O Lord and we shall be turned He that saith Make you a new heart and a new
Hereof S. Paul speaketh Refuse the younger widowes for when they haue begun to waxe wanton against Christ they will marrie hauing damnation because they haue broken the first faith The which is to be vnderstood of the first profession of faith in Baptisme and not of the latter vow of single life as the Papists falsely and foolishly expound it From this faith all they doe fall which turne either on the right hand to false doctrine or on the left hand to wicked life Many other waies faith is taken but this question is of that true liuely and iustifying faith which is the faith of Gods elect whereby Christ dwelleth in their hearts and they receiue nourishment and life from him This faith may be couered by temptations and falles as fire in the night with ashes but neuer vtterly extinguished For they in whom this true faith is are like a tree planted by the riuers of waters that will bring forth her fruite in due season whose leafe shall not fade And they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion which cannot bee moued but remaineth for euer They that by this faith are built vpō the rocki Iesus Christ hell gates shall neuer ouercome them Christ saith He that beleeueth in the Sonne of God hath euerlasting life He that heareth my word beleeueth in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life He that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst Saint Paul saith Wherein after ye beleeued ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance for the redemption of that libertie purchased vnto the praise of his glorie These places sufficiently shew that that faith which is common to all Gods elect and proper onely to the elect can neuer perish nor be vtterly lost in them And this true comfortable doctrine bringeth no vaine securitie nor openeth the gap to any libertine sensualitie For they that by this faith haue tasted how sweete the Lord is cannot but loue and feare God and greatly delight in his commaundements And that faith which swimmeth in mens lips but is not printed in their hearts nor shineth by godlines and good workes in their liues is a dead faith and is no more that true faith whereby we liue vnto God then a dead man is a man To conclude this matter although we distinguish betweene iustification and sanctification yet we acknowledge that they be inseparable and the one doth necessarily follow the other For whosoeuer are iustified by Gods grace and mercie through faith in Christ Iesus be also sanctified with Gods holy spirit to abhorre that which is euill and to cleaue to that which is good and to serue God in true holines and righteousnes all the daies of their life And therefore we teach that they which without repentance persist in sinne wallow in wickednes and commit vngodlines with greedines haue no faith nor haue any assurance of the remission of their sins but may be assured that the wrath of God hangeth ouer them and if they doe not truly repent and bring foorth fruites worthie amendement of life will fearefully fall vpon them So that you might haue spared your vaine and foolish exclamations concerning Epicures Heliogabalus Bacchus and Venus which are more honoured in Rome as hereafter I will shew then allowed of vs. For of whom did Mantuan the Italian Carmelite Frier an 100. yeeres past write this but of your Popes and his fauourers Neglecto superum cultu spretoque tonantis imperio Baccho indulgent Venerique ministrant that is Neglecting the worship of God they serue Bacchus and Venus Concerning the fourth point of doctrine of keeping Gods commaundements I haue spoken sufficiently before Onely now I say that our doctrine tendeth hereunto to shew vs our miserie by transgressing of them that wee may thereby bee moued to hunger for Gods mercie in Christ and although we cannot perfectly fulfill them for in many things wee sinne all yet wee ought according to the measure of Gods grace giuen to vs haue a care and conscience to walke in them and to frame our liues to the obedience of them Whereas fiftly you charge vs that wee deny the Sacrament of Penance thereby to make men careles how they liue I answer that although we deny your penance to be a Sacrament because it hath no outward visible signe and reiect your clancular confession your absurd absolution and your superstitious or rather blasphemous satisfaction thereby to answere Gods iustice and discharge your sins yet we truly teach y e doctrine of repentance as it is deliuered vnto vs in the word of God We teach men to come to the knowledge of their sins by y e law of God which is the glasse to shew vs our spots and the first step to repentance then to lament their sinnes whereby they haue offended their gracious God and mercifull father to confesse their sinnes with remorse of conscience both to God and men whom they haue offended and especially wee call vpon men for amendement of life in bringing forth fruits worthie of repentance without the which there is no repentance One part of which amendement is satisfaction to our brethren for iniuries committed and restitution of goods vnlawfully and vngodly gotten As touching our iniuries against God we plead not our owne satisfaction but craue Gods mercie in Christ Iesus who is our only satisfaction and by whom only we seeke to haue remission of them Whereas you say that your confession rubbeth the sores of sinne and causeth remembrance of them I say that this more truly and effectually is wrought by the preaching of Gods word whereby sinne is more shewed and the wrath and iudgements of God against sinne are more threatned and thereby the conscience more pricked and wounded then by your confession So Dauid was brought to repentance for his foule sinnes of adulterie and murther by Nathans preaching and thundring Gods iudgements against him and not by his secret confessing So the people hauing heard Peter preach the word of God were pricked in their hearts and said vnto Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe This is Gods holy ordinance the other a plant which God hath neuer planted but an inuention of man as euen your own Canonists against your Schoolemen do confesse And what wickednes hath come of it the ecclesiasticall historie partly sheweth and God who seeth al secrets knoweth To your sixt accusation I answer that we exclude and banish our Sauiour Christ neither from the Sacrament of his supper nor from the hearts of the faithfull but acknowledge that as by faith he dwelleth in the one so by the same he is receiued of the godly in the other Your false and grosse doctrine of Transsubstantiation which the Greeke Church neuer beleeued and the Latine Church lately defined as
infected with the like filthie impostumes The citie meaning Rome is wholy become a Stewes Many such other complaints he hath which I omit Palingenius another Italian Poet and Papist saith Atque rogant quidnam Romana ageretur in vrbe Cuncti luxuriae atque gulae furtisque dolisque Certatim incumbunt nosterque est sexus vterque i. They aske what is done in the citie of Rome All are wholy giuen to riot to gluttonie to theft to deceit and to Sodomitrie Andrew Boord Doctor of Phisicke and a popish Priest writeth thus of Rome And shortly to conclude I did neuer see no vertue nor goodnes in Rome but in Bishop Adrians daies which would haue reformed diuers encrmities and for his good will and pretence he was poysoned within three quarters of a yeere after hee did come to Rome c. Againe And now to conclude whosoeuer hath been in Rome and hath seene their vsuage there except grace doe worke aboue nature hee shall neuer bee good man after c. Catherina Senensis that holy woman whom Pius 2. canonized for a Saint because she was his countrie woman talking with Pope Gregorie the 11. complained as Antoninus the Archbishop of Florence writeth that in the Court of Rome where should be a delicate paradise of vertues she found a stinke of hellish vices And of the same Court Aeneas Siluius himselfe a Pope writeth thus Nihil est quod absque argento Romana curia dedat Nam ipsae manus impositiones spiritus sancti dona venduntur Nec peccatoruÌ„ venia uisi nummatis impenditur that is The Court of Rome graunteth nothing without money for euen imposition of hands and the gifts of the holie Ghost are sold Forgiuenes of sinnes is not graunted but to them that haue money Againe Quid est Romana curia his qui summam tenent nisi turpissimum pelagus ventis vndique durissimis tempestatibus agitatum Auaritiae ibi atque inuidiae procella vix quenquam intactum praeterit that is What is the Court of Rome in them that be the chief but a most filthie sea on euery side tossed with winds and strong tempests The storme of couetousnesse and enuie doth there scarsely leaue any one vntouched And because this man complaineth so much of our dissolution and loosenes of life I will adde hereunto a few complaints of some Papists of the great and generall dissolution loosenes and prophanenes of life of former ages when Poperie most florished The same Aeneas Siluius who liued aboue eight score yeeres past writeth vs Vsque adeo apud homines nostri seculi diuina humana perierunt that is So greatly both diuine and humane things bee perished with men of our age Againe Quid magis Barbarum quà m rapto viuere omnem aequitatem omnemque religionem proculcare quem Italicum morem esse videmus that is What is more barbarous then to liue by robberie and to tread vnder feete all equitie and religion which wee see to be the manner of Italy Againe Quod cum singulari moestitia referimus statuum omnium sexuum omnium religionem fidem vrbanos mores in populo Christiano adeo à iustitiae tramite declinasse quod diuinam non cessant irritare prouocare vindictam that is The religion faith and ciuill manners of all estates and sexes which with great griefe I declare is so declined from iustice that they cease not to prouoke the vengeance of God Againe Nulla inter nos concordia nulla obedientia est neque spirituali neque temporali paremus capiti Iacet spreta religio iustitiae nullus honos sides pene incognita that is There is neither concord nor obedience Wee obey neither the spirituall nor temporall head Religion lieth despised righteousnesse not honoured faith is in a manner vnknowne Platina who was the Popes Secretarie and liued at the same time in many places greatly complaineth of the horrible corruption of life both in the Priests and people in those daies Quanta sit auaritia sacerdotum c. How great couetousnes of Priests and especially of those that be in thiefest authoritie how great leacherie how great ambition and pompe how great pride and idlenes how great ignorance both of themselues of Christian doctrine how little religion and the same rather fained then true how corrupt manners to bee detested in prophane and secular men I neede not declare when they themselues doe do openly sinne aâ— though they sought praise thereby beleeue me the Turkeâ— more cruell enemie of Christianitie then Diocleâ—ian or Maximinian will come I would I might be a false Prophet and euen now knocketh at the gates of Italie The like complaints hee hath in many other places in Dionysio 1. in Bonifacio 5. in Stephan 3. in Gregorio 4. c. Petrus de Aliaco a Cardinall of Rome in his treatise concerning the reformation of the Church exhibited to the Councell of Constance Anno 1415. hath these words Adhibendae esset correctio circamores ecclesiasticorum qutiam nimis proâ—â— dolor sunt corrupti ira gula luxuria pompa prodigautate otio alijs generibus quod cedit in graue laicorum seandalum that is A reformation were to be had about the manners of Ecclesiasticall persons who now which is greatly to bedamented be so much corrupted by anger gluttonie riot or vncleannes by pompe prodigalitie idlenes and other kinds of vices which redoundeth to the great scandall and offence of lay men That noble and learned Earle of Mirandula in his Oration to Pope Leo the tenth and the Councell of Laterane concerning the reformation of manners hath these words Apud plaerosque religionis nostrae primores ad quorum exemplum componi atque formari plebs ignara debuisset aut nullus aut certe exiguus Dei cultus nulla bene viuendi ratio atque institutio nullus pudor nulla modestia iustitia vel in odium vet in gratiam declinauit pietas in superstitionem pene procubuit palamque omnibus in hominum ordinibus peccatur sic vt saepenumero virtus probis viris vitio vertatur vitia loco virtutum honorari solèant c. that is With most of the chiefe of our religion to whose example the ignorant people should conforme their liues there is either no worship of God or surely very little no manner nor order of good life no shamefastnes no modestie iustice is turned either into hatred or into fauour godlines in a manner into superstition All forts of men doe so openly sinne that oftentimes vertue is made a reproch in good men and vices be honoured in place of vertues c. The learned reader may there reade of other horrible sinnes that then raigned which I am ashamed to vtter If I should set downe many other complaints of the horrible and vniuersall wickednesse that raigned in Poperie I should be too tedious I will end it with the complaint of one Bredenbachius
who was Deane of the Church of Mentz in Germanie in y e time of Charles the 4. about Anno 1370 in these words Recessit lex à sacerdotibus c. 1. The law is departed from Priests iustice from Princes counsell from the Elders faithfulnes from the people loue from parents reuerence from subiects charitie from Prelates religion from Monkes honestie from young man distipline from Clâ—rkes learning from teachers studie from schollers eqeitie from Iudges concord from Citizens feare from seruants fellowship from Countrimen truth from Marchants vertue from Noblemen chastitie from Virgins humilitie from widowes loue from the married and patience from the poore O times O maners most troublesome and miserable times reprobate and wicked maners both of the Clergie and of the people Here by this man others who so much accure our manners these times may see what hath bin the estate of the Church manners both of the Priests people heretofore when Poperie most florished therby may discerne with whom dissolution loosenes of life do most raigne The Pamphlet The Protestants make God the author of sinne the onely cause of sinne that man sinneth not that God is worse then the Diuell 5. Article WHosoeuer defendeth that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth to sinne maketh God the cause of sinne But all Protestants say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth to sinne Ergo. The Protestants make God the cause and author of sinne The Maior I proue for if God perswade or impell men to sinne as for example Iudas to sell Christ Saint Peter to deny Christ the Iewes to crucifie Christ questionles he intended the sacriledge of Iudas the negation of Peter the murder of the Iewes and this much more effectually then Iudas Peter or the Iewes For who can resist his impulsion or who can frustrate his intention Voluntati eius quis resistet Who is able to oppose himselfe against his will yet what man is he that in conscience were not bound to conforme his will vnto the will of God who is the author of all good wills and the first rule and square of all regular wils Iudas Peter and the Iewes if they bad followed the motions of God who could haue blamed them for following him who could not erre in impelling nor sinne in perswading them But some will say that God moued them for a good end videlicet the redemption of man and they intended an ill end to wit Lucre reuenge or some other sinister effect Yet this shift will not salue the sore for euill may not be done that good may follow Non sunt facienda mala vt inde veniant bona For otherwise a man might steale to giue almes be drunke for a meriment commit aduontrie to beget children Moreouer why might not Iudas Peter or the Iewes intend that good end which God intended and yet haue sould denied and crucified Christ conforming their intentions to his they being instruments and he the first moouer Againe it cannot be said but that God indirectly and most effectually intended their sinnes for he that intendeth any effect wherewith another effect is necessarily conioyned consequently intendeth it as for example He that intendeth to burne a ship in the midst of the sea intendeth consequently the death of all the men which be in her In like manner if God intended that Iudas should sell Christ vnto which action sinne was necessarily adioyned consequently God intended the sinne as well as the selling The Minor is to too euident For the Protestants deride Gods permission they say that all his actions are energeticall or effectuall they desperately auer that Paules conuersion and Dauids aduoutrie were in like manner the workes of God And as he elected some to glorie before the preuision of workes so he reiected some from glorie before the preuision of sins Here hence I infer that according to the Protestants principles God is most properly the author of sinne because he impelleth most effectually thereunto Next that he is the only author of sinne for that he inforceth men vpon necessitie to sinne and they as instruments follow the motion of their first cause Againe that man sinneth not for where there is necessitie of sinning there is no sinne for sinne is free or no sinne besides how can man sinne in conforming his will with Gods will Finally God is worse then the diuell for that the wickednes of the diuell principally consisteth in moouing perswading and inducing of men to sinne the which by the Protestants confession God performeth more effectually then the diuell because the motions of God are more forcible and lesse resistable then the illusions or suggestions of the diuell Many sinnes moreouer are acted without the temptations of the diuell some of ignorance some of passion but none without the motions of God so that God is worse then the diuell both in causing a greater multitude of sinnes then the diuell and in the forcible manner of causing sinnes which the diuell cannot attaine vnto The which doctrine is as good a ground for Atheisme as euer hell could deuise for were it not much more reasonable to say there were no God at all then to beleeue there were such a God as commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth men to sinne and yet for the same sinnes will torment them with the inexplicable paines of hell Answere THis man sheweth himselfe to be like to the vnrighteous iudge who neither feared God nor reuerenced man or rather like him that is a slaunderer of Gods Saints and a lyar and the father of lies For the Minor or assumption of this syllogisme that all Protestants say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth and impelleth men to sinne is as true as that is that Catholikes in England be wrapped in beares skinnes and cast vnto dogges to be deuoured which was published in Rome by a printed booke and set out in tables confirmed with Pope Gregorie the 13. priuiledge The which as all men know to be a false malitious slaunder to discredit our gracious Queenes mercifull and good gouernment so is this also to defame the teachers of Gods truth For if this man or any of his partners can proue that either all Protestants or any learned Protestant doth say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth and impelleth to sinne then will I yeeld vnto him not onely in this but in all other matters of religion If this cannot be shewed as most certainly it cannot what a shameles man is this to vtter such a grosse and palpable lye as euen a blind man may as it were feele it with his fingers and in what miserable estate be those simple ignorant soules which credit such lying spirits But this is the iust iudgement of God against them that receiue not the loue of the truth that they might be saued to send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lies As touching the matter we beleeue with our hearts and confesse with our mouthes that
God tempteth no man to euill and sinne but euery man is tempted when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence and is intised and that euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the Father of lightes with whom is no variablenes neither shadow of turning Whereby Saint Iames meaneth that God is in such sort good and so the giuer and author of good things that there is no change or alteration with him and therefore is the giuer of all good gifts and graces and neuer of any euill And we say with the Prophet Dauid Thou art not a God that loueth or willeth wickednes neither shall euill dwell with thee And with Saint Iohn God is light and in him is no darkenes And as there is no darkenes that is to say ignorance and wickednes in God so is he not the author thereof neither doth he commaund perswade vrge or impell vnto it Fulgentius saith Iniquit as igitur quia in Deo non est vtique ex Deo non est that is Because iniquitie is not in God therefore it is not of God These blasphemies we deny and desie neither doe Caluine or Beza in the places by him quoted or any where else affirme them What is it then that they say They say that there is nothing done by any neither vniuersally nor particularly but by the ordinance of God no not those things excepted which be euill and to be detested not in as much as they be ordained of God who is alwaies good and iust but in as much as they be done by the diuell and other wicked instruments So that we say that the power and prouidence of God who maketh the light to shine out of darkenesse doth so cooperate and worke with the euill actions of wicked men and doth so direct them to the execution of his holy ordinance and iust iudgements that the same as they be done and directed by God be pure and holy and as they be committed of man be wicked and abominable Iosephs brethren did wickedly and of malice sell him into Aegypt for a slaue yet Ioseph saith God sent me before you to preserue your posteritie in this land and to saue you by a great deliuerance Now then you sent not me hither but God who hath made me a father vnto Pharaoh And againe When ye thought euill against me God disposed it to good Here God did neither commaund perswade nor impell Iosephs brethren to sell and send him into Aegypt yet his omnipotent hand was in that action to turne it vnto good So when the Chaldeans and Sabeans tooke away Iobs Oxen and Camels and slew his Seruants they were vrged and impelled thereunto by the diuell yet Iob saith God hath giuen and God hath taken blessed be the name of God To this spoiling of Iobs goods God did not commaund perswade vrge or impell the Chaldeans and Sabeans yet the same was not done without his prouidence and ordinance who turned the same to his glorie in prouing and purging Iob in the furnace of affliction in making him a paterne of patience to all posteritie and in teaching men thereby not to iudge of men by outward afflictions and aduersities whereunto both the faithfull and wicked he subiect So in the examples here set downe the diuell put into the heart of Iudas to betray Christ and impelled the Iewes to crucifie him yet he was deliuered to them by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God to doe whatsoeuer the hand and counsell of God had determined before to heldone Thus these things which were done against the will of God were not done as Saint Augustine saith beside or without the will of God that is they were done against the commaundement and will of God reuealed in his word yet not without the eternall purpose counsell and decree of God And the same being most wickedlie committed by man God turned and directed them to the endlesse praise of his mercie and the eternall saluation of his elect So Saint Augustine saith Cum ergo pater tradiderit filium suum ipse Christus Corpus suum Iudas Dominum suum cur in hac traditione Deus est pius homo reus nisi in re vna quam fecerunt causa non vna est ob quam fecerunt that is Whereas both the Father gaue his sonne and Christ gaue his owne bodie and Iudas gaue or betrayed Christ why in this giuing is God holy and man guiltie but that in one thing which they did there was not one and the same cause wherefore they did it This is not to doe euill that good may come of it for all actions as they are of God are good and righteous For if a good tree cannot bring forth euill fruite as our Sauiour Christ saith how much lesse can God who is the author of all goodnes and euen goodnes it selfe bring forth euill actions Neither doth God directly or effectually intend the sins of men nor their danation but his own glorie which shineth not onely in the manifestation of his mercie towards the faithfull and godly but also in the declaration of his iustice against the wicked and reprobate The similitude of intending the burning of a shippe and consequently the death of them that be in it will not here hold For God as I haue said before doth intend neither the sinne nor perdition of man but his owne glorie and the execution of his iust iudgements Your owne Angelicall Doctor Thomas Aquinas to the like similitude of drowning a ship answereth thus Ad tertium dicendum quod subuer sio nauis attributur nautae vt causae ex eo quod non agit quod requiritur ad salutem nauis sed Deus non deficit ab agendo quodest necessarium ad salutem inde non est simile i. To the third wee say that the drowning of a ship is attributed to the Marriner as the cause there of because he doth not that which is requisite for the safetie of the ship but God faileth not from doing that which is necessarie vnto saluation whereupon this is not like So in burning a ship malice in man is the cause thereof but there is no malice in God neither doth he desire the death of him that dieth but the execution of his iustice Yet it is true which Augustine saith Deus operatur in cord bus hominum ad inclinandas voluntates eorum quocunque vult siue ad bona pro sua misericordia siue ad mala pro ipsorum meritis iudicio vtique aliquando aperto aliquando occulto semper autem iusto i. God worketh in the hearts of men to incline their wils to whatsoeuer he will either to good things by his mercie or to euill for their deserts by his iudgment which sometime is open and sometime secret but alwaies iust And which Fulgentius saith Deus licet auctor non sit
malarum cogitationum ordinator est tamen malarum voluntatum de malo opere cuiuslibet mali non desinit ipse botum operari 1. Although God be not the author of euill cogitations yet is hee the orderer of euill wils and of the euill worke of euery euill man he ceaseth not to worke a good worke Therefore these wonderfull workes of God whose iudgements are vnsearchable and waies past finding out are not curiously to be discussed but reuerently to be adored For O man what art thou that pleadest against God In the probation of his minor he first vntruly according to his custome saith that wee deride Gods permission the which is false for we neither deride no deny Gods permission God said to Abimelech I kept thee also that thou shouldest not sinne against me Non permisi te vt tangeres eam therefore I haue not permitted thee to touch her Againe God permitted him not to hurt me But we say first that God permitteth not sinne inuitus against his will but of his will for els he were not omnipotent Secondly that he doth not onely permit sinnes but also by his infinite wisedome and almightie power draweth good out of them and directeth them to his glorie So S. Augustine saith Hoc quippe ipso quod contra Dei voluntatem fecerunt de ipsis facta est voluntas eius c. In that thing which they haue done against the will of God the will of God is done in them Therefore the workes of the Lord are great and are to be sought out of them that loue them So that by a wonderfull and vnspeakeable manner that is not done without his will which is done against his will because it could not be done vnlesse he did permit it nec vtique nolens sinit sed volens neither doth he permit it against his will but with his will Neither would he being good permit euill to be done vnlesse hee being omnipotent could also of euill doe good S. Hierome saith Dicā quicquam sine te fieri ô Domine Deus te nolente tantum posse impium Hoc sentire blasphemum est Quum itaque tu sis vniuersitatis rector Dominus tu necesse est facias quod sine te fieri non potest i. Shall I say that any thing is done without thee O Lord God and that the wicked can doe so much thou being vnwilling To thinke this is blasphemous Seeing therefore thou art the ruler and Lord of the world thou must needs doe that which cannot be done without thee Wee say indeede that Gods workes be energeticall and effectuall not onely in the faithfull but also in the wicked and reprobate whose hearts he hardeneth and eyes blindeth whom he giueth vp to a reprobate minde and to whom hee sendeth a strong delusion to beleeue lies These be Gods iust iudgements wherby he punisheth the wicked who yet are not impelled or coacted of God to these sinnes but willingly harden their owne hearts by the deceit of sinne shut their eyes that they may not see giue vp their members seruants to vncleannes and iniquitie and delight in delusions and in beleeuing lies as Papists now doe We doe not desperatly auerre but you doe falsely and impudently affirme that we teach that Pauls conuersion and Dauids adulterie were in like manner the workes of God This shamelesse saying you haue picked out of Campians reasons out of which you haue like a goodly Rapsodist gleaned a great part of this lying Libel but you cannot shew it in the writing of any Protestant This is calumniari non ratiocinare to slaunder and not rightly to reason But you know your friends and fauourers will beleeue you though it be neuer so false And you haue learned that lesson Audacter calumniare semper aliquid adhaeret We say that Pauls conuersion was a worke of Gods mercie agreeable to his will reuealed in his word Dauids sinne of adulterie was a work which he hateth and repugnant to his said will God wrought mightily in Paul by his holy spirit in conuerting his heart in drawing him out of darknes and in making him of a persecuter a preacher of his Gospell and a minister of his mercie God did not so work at that time in Dauid but left him to himselfe to be tempted drawne away and ouercome of his owne corrupt concupilcence yet wee say that God did draw good out of that sinne of Dauid in making him a patterne of true repentance and example of Gods mercie in forgiuing his sinnes and thereby teaching vs to walke warily and flee carnall securitie For if so excellent a man that was according to Gods heart did so fouly and fearefully fall what may fall vnto vs if we walke not circumspectly and pray not feruently to God to vphold vs with his hand and to guide vs with his holy spirit Touching Gods permission you write as though you neither did know what we teach nor regard what your selfe doe write Doe we teach that God elected some to glorie before the preuision of workes and reiected some from glorie before the preuision of sinnes You shall find this false assertion in our bookes when you finde the former shameles slaunder We do not teach that God elected any to glorie before he did foresee their workes For from euerlasting he to whom all things be present did foresee both the good workes of his elect and the wicked workes of the reprobate But this we say that the foundation and cause of Gods election and reprobation is not his prescience and foreseeing of the good workes of the one and the wicked workes of the other but his owne purpose will and pleasure and that good workes be not causes of Gods election but fruits and effects of it Saint Paul saith Before the Children were borne and when they had neither done good nor euill that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by workes but by him that calleth It was said to her The elder shall serue the younger At it is written I haue loued Iacob and haue hated Esau Againe As he hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue Who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will in whom also we are chosen when we were predestinate according to the purpose of him which worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will Againe God hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen to vs through Christ Iesus before the world was Where we may see that the foundation and cause of Gods election is his owne will pleasure and purpose and not the foreseeing of our workes Saint Augustine saith Quod si futuros
eorum mores dicitur diuinum discreuisse iudicium profectò illud euacuabitur quod praemisit Apostolus dicens c. i. But if it be said that the iudgement of God did discerne the manners of Esau and Iac̄ob which afterward would be then surely that which the Apostle said before shall be made frustrate and in vaine Not of workes but by him that calleth it was said The elder shall serue the younger For he saith not by the workes past but hauing said generally Not by workes he would thereby haue vnderstoode workes both past and to come workes past which were none to come which as yet were not Iacob was predestinate a vessell vnto honour because not by workes but by him that calleth it was said The elder shall serue the younger Againe Nam quid est quod ait Apostolus sicut elegit nos in ipso c. i. For what is that which the Apostle saith As he hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world The which if it be therefore said because God did foresee that they would afterward beleeue and not that he would make them to beleeue against this foreseeing the sonne speaketh saying You haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you A little after he saith Elegit ergo Deus fideles sed vt sint non quia iam erant i. God hath chosen the faithfull that they might be not because they now were Againe Vt essemus sancti immaculati Non ergo quia futuri eramus sed vt essemus i. That we might be holy and without blame therefore not because we should be but that we might be Againe Quos elegit c. i. Whom hee hath chosen before the foundation of the world by the election of grace not of workes either past or present or to come for then grace were no grace Thus Saint Augustine sheweth that Gods election is not his prescience and foreseeing of workes to come but his owne grace good pleasure and purpose Now I come to your illations which vpon these false assertions you falsely inferre To the first I answere that God impelleth no man to sinne and therefore God is not the author of sinne Secondly God inforceth not men vpon necessitie to sinne but they sinne willingly and by the instigation of the diuell who worketh in the children of disobedience therefore God is not the author of sinne In your third inference where you say that sinne is free or no sinne belike you hold with Pighius and some other Papists that originall sinne is no sinne for it is not free for vs to be without it And whereas you aske how man can sinne in conforming his will with Gods will I answere that they that sinne doe not conforme their will to Gods will but doe disobey it and oppose themselues vnto it This is the will of God saith Saint Paul your sanctification and that ye should abstaine from fornication Finally for as much as you can neuer shew that it is the Protestants confession that God moueth perswadeth and induceth men to sinne therefore you make a false and blasphemous collection for the which the Lord rebuke thee Satan Lastly whereas you thus charge vs to hold that God is the author of sinne I would desire you to shew where we doe write more hardly of this matter then Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochester hath written hereof whose words be these Neutrum sane potest sine Deo nec ad bonum se parare neque malum opus facere Neque enim adulter absque generali fluxu Dei potest adulterandi facinus committere sed neque postquam ipsum admisit sine speciali auxilio Dei conari valebit vt resurgat i. Man can doe neither without God neither prepare himselfe to good nor doe that which is euill For the adulterer can neither commit adulterie without the generall influence of God nor after he hath committed it can hee endeuour to rise without the speciall helpe of God And againe Nam quantum ad substant iam actus etiam operibus malis cooperatur Deus Neque tamen recte quisquam Deo peccatum imput abit quia tametsi cooperetur Deus ad substantiam actus non tamen ipsam deficientiam operatur sed hoc agit sola voluntas i. As touching the substance of the acte euen God doth cooperate or worke with euill workes yet may not any man rightly impute sinne vnto God for although God doth cooperate to the substance of the deede yet he doth not worke the defect of the deede but onely mans will doth that Either shew where we haue written more hardly hereof or else condemne this Bishop and Martyr for the Popes cause with vs. I trust you will not say that hee taught Atheisme which is so rife in Rome as I haue before shewed c. The Pamphlet That faith once had may be lost 6. Article WHosoeuer leeseth his charitie leeseth his faith But Dauid when he killed Vrias lost his charitie Ergo Dauid when he killed Vrias lost his faith The Maior is a principle vndoubted of in the schooles of Protestants for they peremptorily affirme that true faith such as was in Dauid one of Gods elected can no more be seuered from charitie then heate from fire or light from the sunne and therefore if Dauid killing Vrias lost his charitie no doubt but therewithall he lost his faith The Minor I proue for whosoeuer remaineth in death is without charitie but Dauid when he killed Vrias remained in death Ergo Dauid when he killed Vrias was without charitie If he was without that which once he had no doubt but then he lost it for he was depriued thereof for his sinne The Maior proposition of this last Syllogisme thus I proue for charitie is the life of the soule and it is as impossible for a man to haue charitie and remaine in death as it is impossible to be dead in body and yet indued with a resonable soule The Minor cannot be denied to wit that Dauid by killing Vrias remained in death for it is the expresse word of God Qui non diligit manet in morte He that loueth not his neighbour remaineth in death but certaine it is that Dauid loued not Vrias when he killed him Ergo likewise certaine it is that Dauid remained in death The same position might easily be proued out of the eighteenth chapter of Ezech. vers twentie foure Si autem aucrterit se iustus a iustitia sua c. Answere I Deny the Minor or second proposition that Dauid in procuring Vrias to be killed lost his charitie For although in this cōbat betweene the spirit and the flesh in Dauid the spirit retired and the flesh preuailed the new man was foyled and the old man ouercame yet was not the spirit vtterly extinguished nor the new man cleane killed In deede Dauids faith fainted his charitie was cooled and his other gifts and graces couered yet not cleane
quenched but there remained sparkes of Gods spirit which afterwards being stirred vp and blowne by Nathans bellowes kindled and flamed to Gods glorie and Dauids eternall comfort and saluation Shall we thinke that Dauid had lost all loue of God of his law and of man was he cleane depriued of Gods spirit it appeareth by his owne words that he was not Who vpon Nathans preaching and reprouing of his sinne prayed and said Take not thy holy spirit from me Whereupon I reason thus He that was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit had not wholy lost faith and charitie But Dauid was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit therefore he had not wholy lost faith and charitie The first proposition is euident by the words of Dauid the second is manifest For it is absurd to say that the spirit of God should continue in him that hath lost all graces and gifts of the spirit It is with Gods elect and chosen children as it is with fire which in the night is so hid and couered that none appeareth and yet in the morning is stirred vp and is made to burne and to flame and as with a tree which in the winter hath neither fruite nor leafe vpon it yet it hath a sappe fallen into the roote which in the spring springeth and bringeth forth both leafe and fruite So is it with Gods holy Saints they be sometimes so ouertaken and ouercome with temptations that they seeme to be as trees without fruite withered and perished yet there remaineth a sappe of Gods spirit and grace in them which afterward riseth and buddeth forth good fruite And therefore to the second proposition of your secoÌ„d Syllogisme I say that although Dauid by those foule and fearefull offences deserued eternall death yet he did not remaine in death and although God hated those sinnes yet hee neuer hated Dauid For whom God loueth he loueth to the end and the giâ—ts and calling of God are without repentance If we loue a man and yet hate some sinne that he committeth might not God who is loue it selfe hate Dauids sinne and yet loue him and keepe some sparkes of his spirit and grace in him and so preserue as the externall life of the body so the internall life of the soule in him So that neither Dauid remained in death neither was his loue no not to Vrias altogether extinguished in him No doubt but he did loue him as his true and faithfull subiect and might loue him as the seruant of God yet in that temptation his owne selfe loue and desire to couer his owne sinne and shame did preuaile against his loue to Vrias and did draw him to doe an act which was no fruite nor effect of loue and charitie and yet did not wholy quench loue in him The Maior of your latter Syllogisme which needeth no proofe you seeke to proue by a false assertion in barely saying According to your manner but not by any place of Scripture prouing that charitie is the life of the â—oule I say that faith is the life of the soule the which I proue by these two sayings of the Scripture The Prophet Habacuk saith The iust shall liue by his faith Saint Paul saith In that I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith in the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Let this man shew two such plaine places of Scripture to proue charitie to be the life of the soule Properly Christ is the life of our soules Saint Paul in the place before alledged saith Christ liued in me And when Christ which is our life shall appeare And our Sauiour himselfe saith I am the way the truth and the life For when wee were dead in sinnes hee hath quickned vs and at he hath restored life vnto vs so hee doth continually nourish and preserue life in vs. But this is attributed to faith because by it Christ dwelleth in vs and we by it be put into the possession of Christ and of all the benefits of his passion Concerning the place of Ezechiel because you doe not vrge it I will not stand vpon it We doubt not but men may and doe fall from God and iust actions vnto wicked and vngodly deedes and may haue a temporall faith and fall away from the grace of God But this we say that true faith in Gods elect which are sealed with the spirit of adoption and to whose spirit Gods spirit doth beare witnes that they are the sonnes of God is neuer wholy lust in them and the same spirit worketh by charitie which in them may bee cooled but neuer cleane quenched But of the losing of faith and of the coniunction thereof with charitie I haue before intreated Now to returne this argument in some sort vpon you whereas the Papists auerre that the Popes faith cannot faile I reason thus He that loseth his charitie may lose his faith the Pope may lose his charitie Ergo the Pope may lose his faith The first proposition I haue proued alreadie and haue shewed that true faith is not separated from charitie but worketh by it And most manifest it is by Saint Iames that the faith which is without charitie and good workes is dead So that if the Pope be without Charitie then hee hath but a dead faith And a dead faith is as much faith as a dead man is a man That the Pope may bee without charitie I thinke they will not deny and if they doe it may be proued by many examples Pope Iohn the twelft or as Platina reckoneth the thirteenth tooke two of his Cardinals and cut off the nose of the one and the hand of the other as witnes Platina Blondus and many others Stephanus the sixt did take the bodie of Formosus his predecessor out of the graue after he was dead put him out of his pontificall habite and put on him a lay mans attire cut off the two fingers of his right hand where with he did consecrate and threw them into Tiber. Pope Sergius the third tooke vp againe the body of the same Formosus did cut off his head as if hee had been a liue and threw the bodie into Tiber as vn worthie of buriall Boniface the seuenth tooke Iohn a Cardinall and put out his eyes Vrban the sixt of seuen of his Cardinals which hee apprehended at Nuceria tooke fiue of them put them in sackes and cast them into the Sea Innocentius the seuenth caused by Lewes his nephew certaine citizens of Rome which sought the restitution of their ancient liberties and the reformation of the Common-wealth decayed by his euill gouernment to be throwne out of windowes and so killed Alexander the sixt caused both the right hand and tongue of Antonius Mancinellus to bee cut out because hee had written an eloquent oration against his wicked and filthie life Many such other pranckes of Popes might bee alleadged which were no more fruites of
charity then was Dauids procuring of Vrias death by the sword of the Ammonites But notwithstanding these and such other tragicall and tyrannicall acts these Popes faith neuer failed For they neuer had any but a false and dead faith such a faith as the Diuell hath The Pamphlet The Protestants shall neuer haue life euerlasting because they will haue no merits for which euerlasting life is giuen 7. Article WHatsoeuer is giuen as wages is giuen for workes But the kingdome of Heauen is giuen as wages Ergo the kingdome of Heauen is giuen for workes The Maior or first proposition may bee declared after this manner for example her maiestie may bestow 1000. pounds by yeare vpon some suiter either gratis of meere liberalitie and so it is called a gift donum a grace or fauour or vpon condition if he behaue himselfe manfully in the warres of Ireland and in this case the reuennew is called merces wages Remuneratio stipendium a reward or paiment and although her maiestie did shew him a grace and fauour to promise such a reward for performing such a worke the which he was bound vpon his allegiance otherwise to performe yet once hauing promised and the worke being performed her maiestie is bound vpon her fidelitie and iustice to pay that she promised In like manner God may giue vs the kingdome of Heauen without any respect or regard of workes as he giueth it to little children which are baptised and so it is a meere gift and a pure grace Or he may giue it with some respect vnto our workes and so he giueth it to all them who hauing vse of discretion keepe his commaundements and for this cause it is called wages merces a reward and thus the Maior must be vnderstoode to wit that whatsoeuer God giueth as wages is giuen for workes and such wages are called merits Wages then and merits haue a mutuall relation for what are wages but a reward of merits and what are merits but a desert of wages The Minor is most plaine and inculcated in Scriptures Voca operarios redde illis mercedem Call the workmen and pay them their wages Ecce venio merces mea mecum est reddere vnicuique secundum opera sua Loc I come and my wages with me to giue to euery one according to his workes Vnusquisque propriam mercedem accipiet secundum suum laborem Euery one shall receiue proper wages according to his labour The like we haue in twentie other places of Scripture all which infallibly proue that the kingdome of heauen is giuen as wages for merits and consequently that Protestants who are enemies to merits shall neuer attaine to the kingdome of heauen which is purchased by good workes and merits And for such men we may well say that heauen was neuer made no more then learning for him that will neuer studie nor vertue for him who despiseth the exercise thereof Answere A euerlasting life is not in your bestowing so we want not merites to obtaine it to wit Gods mercies and Christs sufferings for vs with the which wee content our selues and nothing doubt but they be sufficient to discharge vs of damnation and to bring vs to saluation Of these merits sweetly saith Bernard Meum proinde meritum miseratio Domini c. My merit is Gods mercie I am not cleane voide of merite as long as he is not voide of mercies And if the mercies of the Lord be much I am much in merits What though I be guiltie to my selfe of many sinnes Surely where sinne hath abounded grace also hath superabounded And if the mercies of the Lord be from euerlasting to euerlasting I will also from euerlasting sing the mercies of the Lord. Shall I sing my owne iustice O Lord I will remember thy iustice onely for that is mine also in that thou art of God made iustice to me So Augustine saith Meritis suis nihil tribuunt sancti totum non nisi misericordiae tuae tribuunt ô Deus i. The Saints attribute nothing to their own merits they attribute all O God onely to thy mercie Hierome saith Tunc ergo iusti sumus quando nos peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex Det consistit misericordia i. Then are wee iust when wee acknowledge our selues to be sinners and our iustice or righteousnes consisteth not in our merits but in Gods mercie S. Basil saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. Eternall rest or life is propounded to them that striue lawfully in this life not rendred according to the merite or desert of workes but according to the grace of the magnificēt God bestowed vpon them that trust in him But these counterfeit Catholicks not content therewith nor thinking the same sufficient will put vnto them the merits of Saints departed and of men liuing and their owne workes and satisfactions thereby fully to effect that which Gods mercies and Christs merits are not able perfectly to performe This their doctrine appeareth both by their prayers in their Masse-bookes and Porteises and also by the forme of a Monkes absolution in these words Meritum passionis Domini nostri Iesu Christi bonta Maria semper Virginis omnium sanctorum Meritum ordinis grauamen religionis c. i. The merite of the passion of our Lord Iesus Christ and of blessed Mary alwaies a Virgine and of all Saints The merite of thy order the heauines of thy religion the humilitie of thy confession the contrition of thy heart the good workes that thou hast done and shalt doe for the loue of our Lord Iesus Christ be vnto thee for the forgiuenes of thy sinnes to the increase of merite and grace and to the reward of eternall life Thus these men by their doctrine make Iesus Christ not a full perfect and sufficient Sauiour and so infringe the saying of S. Peter There is not saluation in any other for among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby wee must be saued What is this but to deny the Lord that hath bought vs as Peter also saith Whether this doctrine be agreeable to the word of God let the Christian reader by these places discerne and iudge Christ came to giue his life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a raunsome for many He is that lambe of God which taketh away the sinne of the world In him we haue redemption through his blood that is the forgiuenes of sins He hath made peace by the blood of his crosse and hath reconciled vs in the bodie of his flesh through death We are not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold from our vaine conuersation receiued by the traditions of the Fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot He himselfe bare our sinnes in his bodie on the tree that wee being dead to sinne should liue in