Perfection As for what our Saviour says to the Rich Man Mat. 19. 21. If thou wilt be perfect go and sell all that thou hast and give to the Poor and thou shalt have Treasure in Heaven and come and follow me The Perfection which our Saviour there speaks of is Christianity it self which is a necessary Qualification for the entring into the Kingdom of Heaven Vers 23 24 25. and is therefore Matter of Command and not of Counsel and obligeth every Man to perform the hardest Tasks and to part with any thing here at Christ's Command Here was an explicit Command to this rich Man to part with his Estate to sell all and give to the Poor which therefore he ought to have done at Christ's Command if he would be saved And there was an an explicit Command to the Apostles to leave their Nets i. e. their whole Estates and Employments and to follow Christ But there is no such explicit Command any where generally given to oblige all Christians and therefore is not their Duty But we can no otherwise now judg of our Saviour's Command and consequently of our own Duty in this respect than by the call of his Providence the Necessities of others and a prudent consideration of all Circumstances by weighing of which we are to judg how we may honour God best with our Substance The Monkish Vow of Poverty then instead of being a Christian Perfection is a meer groundless and superstitious Invention And is indeed a mere pretence and hypocrisy For though they cast away their private Possessions they have very great Estates in common and live in fulness of Luxury upon the common Treasure which they are sure will not fail And is not this do you think a great piece of Perfection and Self-denial to live in the fulness of all Things from the common Stock CHAP. XVI That the Monks do well to vow a blind Obedience to their Superiors Concil Trid. Sess 25. cap. 1. Bellarm. de Monach. lib. 2. cap. 21. AGainst that which is written 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a Price be not ye therefore the Servants of Men. But is not this plainly to make themselves Servants of Men to submit themselves so as to obey them in all things without reserve Rom. 6. 16. Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey And can there be a greater Servitude than to obey any one with a blind obedience 1 Cor. 11. 1. Be ye followers of me as I also am of Christ Note that the Apostles themselves would not be followed but in those Things only wherein they are the Followers of Christ who is the true Model of Perfection Christ alone is â—o be obeyed unreservedly Matth. 17. 5. Hear him But as for Men we must not give up our Faith or Practice absolutely to be ruled or swayed by any Man. Matth. 23. 8. Call no Man your Father upon Earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven Neither be ye called Masters for one is your Master even Christ Note therefore that when it is said Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you It must be meant only in such things as are agreeable or not contradictory to the Word of God though they be troublesome or grievous to the Flesh but not in any thing that is contrary to it There are no Rules or Laws which are universally obligatory to Christians but the Laws of Christ and no others but as consistent with them And of this Consistency all Men must judg for themselves before they obey But Acts 4. 19. Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto Men more than unto God judg ye Thus they ought to speak to their Superiors and not do every thing they command without examining it Which by the sad experience of the Christian World hath been the cause of many Mischiefs in these latter Ages whilst some have blindly and unreservedly submitted themselves to the Commands of their Superiors and upon no pretence whatsoever are to withdraw their Obedience Of Satisfactions Indulgences Purgatory and praying for the Dead CHAP. XVII That Men are obliged partly to satisfy the Justice of God for their Sins themselves Christ having not by his Satisfaction fully answered all Council of Trent Sess 14. cap. 8. Can. 12 13. FOR the understanding of which it must be considered that they distinguish of Sins that some are Mortal and some are Venial And of the â—â—nishment due to them that to Mortal Sins both an Eternal and Temporal punishment is due but to Venial Sins only a Temporal Now they say that Christ hath satisfied for the eternal punishment due to Mortal Sins which all that are in a State of Grace are delivered from But for the temporal Punishment which belongs to Venial Sins and which remains as belonging to Mortal Sins besides the eternal Punishment they say that Men are obliged to satisfy themselves by Penitential Works or 〈…〉 here or in Purgatory And that these Works and Sufferings are true and proper Satisfactions and Compensations to the Justice of God. And Christ hath no otherwise satisfied for Venial Sins or for the temporal Punishment belonging to Mortal Sins than by his Merits obtaining that they may satisfy This we think is derogatory from the compleatness and fulness of our Saviour's Satisfaction and that free and full Remission of Sin which upon our Repentance and Faith we obtain upon the account of his alone Satisfaction For Isa 53. 4 5. Surely he hath born our Griefs and carried our Sorrows he was wounded for our Transgresgressions and was bruised for our Iniquities the chastisement of our Peace was upon him and with his Stripes are we healed which is granted to be meant of Christ And the Apostle referring to it says 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who himself bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree by whose Stripes ye were healed It is spoken indefinitely without exception of his bearing our Sins and the Punishments due to them And the Effect of it is our Healing and the obtaining Peace with God. But how are we healed or have Peace with him if there be so many Wounds and Punishments for us to undergo still by way of Satisfaction which is the effect of unsatisfied vindictive Justice 1 John 1. 7. If we walk in the Light even as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin. Mark not only some but all and consequently from all the Punishment by way of Satisfaction For this is meant of those Sins that are committed by Men that are in a state of Grace and that walk in the Light. And such if any are those Sins which they call Venial to which the Temporal Punishment is due But the Blood of Christ cleanseth from these and consequently hath satisfied for the temporal Punishment too as well as the Eternal or else how
taken for the same and are all but several Expressions of Justification And the imputing of Righteousness without Works sure is not the infusion of Righteousness which is expressed by Works And the covering or not imputing of Sin is not the abolishing of it Rom. 8. 33. Who then shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth Where Justification is opposed to Accusation and Condemnation And from hence it is plain that it is a judicial Act of God towards us discharging and acquitting Believers for Christ's sake from what they are accused of and condemned by the Law. And it is an Expression taken from Judicial Proceedings at a Court where the Judg does not infuse new Qualities into one at the Bar but acquits and discharges him from the Guilt of which he was accused and the Punishment due to it As the word is also used Prov. 17. 15. He that justifieth the Wicked and condemneth the Just even they both are an abomination to the Lord. Where his Fault is that he acquits the Wicked who ought to be condemned But if he could turn his Heart and make him Just sure that would be no abomination And indeed this sense of the word Justify and Remit is the usual sense of all the World and to understand it otherwise of induing a Man with good Qualities is against the common usage of all Mankind And certainly it ought to be interpreted and taken in such its usual sense then in those places that directly treat of Justification and where all the Circumstances do concur to such a signification Though there should be some particular place elsewhere where it may be singularly interpreted in another manner where the Circumstances of the place do require it Now the result of all is That Faith or a believing reception of and submission to Christ and his Laws is prerequired in us as the condition upon which Justification and Remission of Sin is promised in the Covenant of Grace upon the account of Christ's Sacrifice So that this is presupposed to Justification in order of Nature But the whole of Remission and Justification is the free Act of God's Grace acquitting the true Believer of this Sin and Punishment due to it upon the account of the meritorious Satisfaction made by Christ Jesus and accepting of him as righteous and dealing with him accordingly though he has a great deal of Sin and has not a perfect Righteousness of his own to deserve it His Acquitment and Acceptation is not a natural Consequent of his having Grace inherent in him as if that were properly his Justification but it is by virtue of the Promise made in the Covenant of Grace with respect to and upon the account of the Satisfaction made by Christ Jesus So that the free Grace of God and the Sacrifice of Christ have an hand both in the procuring of Grace for us and the acceptation of it also when that is done CHAP. XXI That for the obtaining of the Remission of all Mortal Sins a particular Confession of them to a Priest which they call Auricular Confession with all the Circumstances which do either increase or diminish the Sin as far as can be called to mind at least an intention of making such a Confession is absolutely necessary Concil Trident. Sess 14. cap. 4 5. Can. 6 7. Catech. Rom. Par. 2. de Poeniten N. 38. THis they say is absolutely necessary to be either in Act or Desire So that Contrition which is the same with Repentance that is a sorrow for Sin past and a purpose of forsaking it for the time to come though perfected also with Charity is not enough to obtain Remission without this But yet imperfect Contrition or Attrition which arises meerly from the fear of Hell with Confession to a Priest and his Absolution will do it without perfect Contrition or true Repentance for the Sin. But this is a meer humane Invention tending to raise the Grandeur of the Priests to acquaint them with all Mens Secrets and to cherish their Covetousness and Ambition by the Gain that they make hereby of their Absolutions and Indulgences and tending likewise to cherish carnal Security in those that confess to them considering that Pardon of Sin may be had at so easy a rate with Confession and to trouble the Consciences of those that have no mind to it as if without it their Sin were unpardonable though they have true Contrition or Repentance for their Sin. And it is manifestly against all those Texts that require Contrition or Repentance in order to Pardon and not Attrition only and that make such Contrition a sufficient Qualification for Pardon without this Auricular Confession As Against Isa 1. 16 17. Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your Doings from before mine Eyes cease to do evil learn to do well And then vers 18. Though your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be like Crimson they shall be as Wool. And Chap. 55. 7. Let the Wicked forsake his Way and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon So Ezek. 18. 30. Repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions so Iniquity shall not be your ruin Vers 31. Cast away all your Transgressions and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die Vers 32. Turn your selves and live ye From all which observe That Repentance and turning from Sin in Heart and Life is absolutely required in order to the Pardon of it and that a promise of Forgiveness is made to this without requiring Confession to a Priest to be joined with it For Psal 51. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and a contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise This indeed is acceptable to God accompanied or followed with a real forsaking of Sin and nothing less than this David thus confessing his Sin to God obtained pardon Psal 32. 5. If less will serve or more be required there must be a new Institution for it in the New Testament But now see Act. 3. 19. Repent and be converted that your Sins may be blotted out But Luke 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall all perish And our Saviour therefore appointed Luk. 24. 47. That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be preach'd in his Name among all Nations So that it is true Repentance which is the condition of Pardon in the New Covenant but Confession of Sin to a Priest is no where required For as for Mat. 3. 6. where it is said that many were baptized of John in Jordan confessing their Sins And Acts 19. 18. That many that believed came and confessed and shewed their Deeds It was their own voluntary Act arising from the heart of Zeal and was done publickly before all Not secretly whispered in the Ears
faithful to her Bridegroom As for our parts we are fully perswaded that the Holy Ghost may speak as good Sense and as intelligibly in the Scriptures as any of them in their Writings or as the Church can in hers and that it was his Design to do so And therefore we doubt not but it is done plainly and fully in all Points necessary to Salvation and also as to the Controversies between the Church of Rome and us that enough may be plainly gathered from them And where there is any obscurity either it is in lesser Matters or in prophetick Visions or only ariseth by accident by reason of the distance of time wherein the Holy Scriptures were written the variety and change of Customs the difference of Dialects or Forms of Speech or some such other Causes which are incident to all ancient Writings and especially of the Eastern Countries And either it may be cleared up by the same means which we may use as well as they or else it must for what I know remain so yet to us both for the exercise of our farther industry It is the Scripture then that we build our Faith upon and guide our selves by though we do not refuse any help to the understanding of it And we are not afraid that our common People should read it but do exhort them to it For we do not desire to retain any Doctrines or Works of Darkness and therefore we are very willing that all should be brought to the Light. It is the Scripture that we love and whilst we love the Scripture we do declare it that we cannot be very fond of Rome A plain simple view of Scripture is sufficient to keep us out of the ways of Romish Delusion And such a view is presented to the Reader in this little Treatise in a Method fitted to the most vulgar Capacity Let us but stick to the Scripture or written Word which the Church of Rome is really most dreadfully afraid of and then we are out of danger The Scripture we know from whence it is but as for their Traditions many of them we know not whence they are They pretend they come from the Apostles but we have nothing else but only their own word for it For we cannot perceive the Apostolical Image and Superscription upon them Nor would they then ever contradict the Apostolical Writings as we are well assured they do many of them Tradition indeed alone doth but open a Gap to whatsoever bold and confident Men may obtrude that have subtilty enough to set off a Thing a little plausibly But let us hold fast the written Word and we shall not fear to be intangled with those new Doctrines which are the obtrusions of crafty and ambitious Men to make an advantage by which the face of Christianity comes to be quite marred and all Religion comes to be indangered And read but this little Treatise then and compare Doctrine and Text and then see who is in the right the Church of Rome or We For see if their Doctrine and the Holy Text be not at variance the one with the other And if so the Church of Rome must excuse us if we leave their Doctrine and follow the Text. Beware of false Prophets which come to you in Sheeps Cloathing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves ye shall know them by their Fruits Do not believe every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God. If the Blind lead the Blind they will both fall into the Ditch Heresies will arise in the Church and the Devil will sometimes transform himself into an Angel of Light to deceive whom he can deceive Therefore see with your own Eyes and beg the holy Anointing to teach you A Table of the Popish Errors refuted in this Treatise Of the Holy Scripture and Traditions Chap. I. THat all saving Truth is not contained in the Holy Scriptures but partly in them and partly in unwritten Traditions pag. 1 II. That the Scripture is obscure 12 III. That it is not for the Common People to read the Scripture 15 Of the Church IV. That the State of the Church is always visible 20 V. That Multitude is a Mark of the Church 25 VI. That temporal Happiness is a Mark of the Church 29 VII That Miracles are a Mark of the Church 32 VIII That St. Peter was Head of the Church under Christ and the Pope is so as his Successor 36 IX That the Pope hath power over Kings and can absolve Subjects from their Allegiance and that Ecclesiastical Persons are exempted from the Secular Jurisdiction 44 X. That the Church of Rome is Infallible and the Judg of Controversies to whose Judgment all are bound up 49 Of Prayer and Worship XI That Prayers and Divine Service is to be celebrated every where in Latin in a Language unknown to the People 61 XII That it is good and Profitable to pray to Saints and Angels 65 XIII That Images and Relicks are to be venerated or worshipped 81 XIV That the Clergy may not Marry 91 XV. That the Vow of Poverty is laudable and that Mendicant Friars are in a State of Perfection 94 XVI That the Vow of Blind Obedience is laudable 98 Of Satisfactions Indulgences Purgatory and Praying for the Dead XVII That Persons are obliged partly to satisfy the Justice of God for their Sins themselves Christ having not satisfied for all the Punishment due to them 100 XVIII That some Persons may satisfy over and above what is needful for themselves and that their satisfactions may serve for others being put into the Treasury of the Church to be dispenc'd by Indulgences 108 XIX That there is a Purgatory after this Life for the expiation of the Sins of those that are not sufficiently purged here and that the Souls there detained may be help'd by the Masses and good Works and Prayers of the Living 115 Of Justification and Pardon of Sin. XX. That Justification consists in the infusion of Grace 123 XXI That for the obtaining of Pardon of Sin Auricular Confession to the Priest is necessary 128 Of the Merit of Good Works and Works of Supererrogation XXII That good Works are truely and properly meritorious of Eternal Life 123 XXIII That Men may do Works of Supererrogation above what the Law requires and may have superabounding Merits more than themselves need which may be profitable to others 139 Of Baptism XXIV That Baptism is absolutely necessary to Salvation so that those who die without it are liable to condemnation 143 Of the Lord's Supper XXV That after Consecration there remains no more of Bread and Wine in the Sacrament but that it is transubstantiated into the very Body and Blood of Christ 149 XXVI That in the Sacrifice performed in the Mass the self-same Christ is contained and offered that offered himself in the Cross and that this Sacrifice is truely propitiatory for the Sins of Quick and Dead 159 XXVII That the Host is to be worshipped with Divine Worship 166
are we cleansed from these if we are not cleansed from the temporal Punishment due to them when they say there is no other Punishment due to these but Temporal So Vers 9. If we confess our Sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness Where the same universal Terms are used all Vnrighteousness without exception 1 John 2. 1 2. Iâ— any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but also for the Sins of the whole World. The Propitiation for Sin for all Sin is wholly ascribed to Christ But how is he a Propitiation if Vindictive Justice still makes its Demands and we must still satisfy in part our selves John 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the World. If it is he that doth it all then no part of Satisfaction will be demanded of us So Heb. 1. 3. He by himself purged our Sins Not we at all by our own Sufferings So Heb. 9. 26. Once hath be appeared in the end of the World to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself And Heb. 10. 14. By one Offering he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Where Sin is put away and compleatly expiated and Sinners perfectly reconciled what is there more to be done to satisfy This is done by the one Offering and Sacrifice of Christ there is no Sacrifice or Offering then â—or us to make Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us Are the Punishments of Purgatory or those temporal Ones here spoken of threatned by the Law or no If not then they are not due If they were Christ hath taken them off as they are a Curse that is as they are vindictive or satisfactory Punishments for he hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law. Rev. 1. 5. Who hath loved us and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood to him be Glory for ever and ever If is not the Blood of Martyrdom or the Sufferings of any of the Saints that washeth them from their Sins but the Blood of Christ all the Glory of it belongs to him But the Romish Doctrine implies that 't is but part of our Sins and part of the Punishments that he delivereth us from This certainly lessens the Love of Christ and the Glory due to him For they must needs grant that he had loved us more and had been a more perfect Saviour if he had delivered us from all But we find also that full Remission and Pardon is granted unto us now through Christ And what is Remission of Sin but Remission of the Punishment due to Sin so that none is to be undergone by the Sinner by way of Satisfaction and consequently Remission of all Sin of all such Punishment Now this is the Covenant of which Christ is the Mediator Heb. 8. 12. I will be merciful to their Vnrighteousnesses and their Sins and their Iniquities will I remember no more But how can it be said that God remembers their Sins no more when he still exacts Satisfaction The Apostle says Heb. 10. vers 17 18. That where remission of these is there is no more Offering for Sin. All being done sufficiently by the once Offering of Christ Thus Col. 2. 13. He hath quickned you together with him having forgiven you all Trespasses Not some only or only in some part or respect But how are all Trespasses forgiven if still there is some Satisfaction to be made Isa 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick Cloud thy Transgressions and as a Cloud thy Sins But it seems by the Romish Doctrine they are not quite blotted out Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit But is not that a sort of Condemnation to be adjudged to make Satisfaction for Sin by undergoing so many Punishments either here or in Purgatory What is Purgatory but a Temporary Hell But Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing any thing at all to the charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth Who shall condemn It is Christ that died The Death of Christ answers all and God will not demand any thing of the Sinner Ephes 4. 32. Be ye kind one to another forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you God's forgiving us our Trespasses is made a Rule to us to forgive our Brethren Now we are to forgive our Brethren all Trespasses and so doth God then forgive us Mat. 18. 32. I forgave thee all that Debt because thou desiredst me And this forgiveness of God is all free to us for Christ's sake Psal 32. 5. I said I will confess my Transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the Iniquity of my Sin. He doth not pretend he had satisfied for his Sin by his Sufferings mentioned Vers 4. but speaks of it as meer and free forgiveness only upon his Confession and Repentance Free Forgiveness and Satisfaction are inconsistent 1 John 1. 7. God is so there indeed to be faithful and just to forgive us our Sins but that is not upon our satisfying for them but only upon our confessing and forsaking them And none will say that to confess and forsake them is to give a Recompence and Satisfaction And therefore the Faithfulness and Justice of God there must be understood with respect to his own Promise and not to the Sinner's own Satisfaction Besides to teach that Men may satisfy for some Sins themselves as all Venial Sins is to require that which is impossible to be done there being no Sins truly Venial or not deserving Eternal Death and seclusion from the Presence of God in their own Nature though all Sins are Venial upon Repentance and in respect of the Event only through Christ's Mediation So that to encourage Men to look for the doing away of such Sins by their own Satisfactions is to bolster them up in Pride and Self-confidence and at last to deceive them For we can never by our Satisfactions exhaust the demerit of any of our Sins For Rom. 6. 23. The Wages of Sin is Death the Apostle speaks it without exception So Ezek. 18. 20. The Soul that sins shall die That 's the desert of Sin. So again Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them He who commits the least Sin meriteth the Curse For Jam. 2. 10. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offendeth in one Point is guilty of all by Interpretation the Authority of the Law-giver being violated in that one as well as in all Mat. 12. 36. I say unto you That every idle Wâ—rd that Men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment For by thy Words thou shalt
the dispensing out of these superabounding Merits and Satisfactions to others is a vain thing For this is to pretend to give that that is not than which what can be more vain And consequently to sell about these Indulgences for Mony and thereby to give People hope of Pardon of their Sins is both to cheat and deceive their Souls and pick their Pockets by pretending to sell to them that that is not But suppose there were such a Treasury why must the Pope be the Dispenser Why should it not be supposed that that is left in the hands of Christ Jesus alone who is only able to discern who are fit to have benefit thereby and who hath the Key of David who openeth and no Man shutteth and who shutteth and no Man openeth Rev. 3. 7. But whatsoever Satisfactious or Merits even of Christ himself any Person hath share in Surely these are not to be sold by Mony nor hath any one an application thereof made to him by such a Traffick but upon his Faith and Repentance alone which Christ alone and not Man can judg of the sincerity of and accordingly apply the Benefits of his Redemption Indulgences of Canonical Penance in the Church upon the humiliation and submission of the Penitents are allowed But Indulgences to dispense an imaginary Treasury of imaginary Satisfactions and there to be bought by Mony or some very slight Performances are a bold and unaccountable rashness and presumption CHAP. XIX That there is a Purgatory or place of Torment after this Life for the expiation of the Sins of good Men that are not sufficiently purged here And that the Souls there detained are help'd by the Masses Prayers Alms and other good Works of the Living Council of Trent Sess 6. Can. 30. Sess 25. Decret de Purgat THE Foundation upon which this Doctrine of Purgatory is built is That there is a Debt of Temporal Punishment remaining to be paid even by those that are absolved and in a state of Grace tho the Eternal Punishment be forgiven And that every Man therefore must undergo these Temporal Pains in proportion to his Sins Christ having not at all satisfied for them And if this be not done in this Life that then it must be done in the next in Purgatory before a Man can have entrance into Heaven Now this having been refuted before and it having been proved that Christ hath satisfied fully for all our Sins and that we have compleat and perfect Remission of Sin through the free Grace of God upon the account alone of Christ's meritorious Satisfaction and so that there is no proper Satisfaction to be made by us for Sin at all the Foundation upon which Purgatory is built is taken away And all those Texts serve to the refuting of it which are before produc'd to prove the compleatness of our Saviour's Satisfaction and of the free Remission of our Sins upon it But yet if it were admitted that there were a reserve of some proper Satisfactory Punishments which God may think fit to inflict upon some Men in some Cases here yet unless it could be proved that this were a perpetual Ordinance and perpetually observed by God it would not signify any thing to the purpose of what is intended And yet if this were admitted likewise that it were perpetually so here yet what is this to prove a Purgatory hereafter For who can tell but for such Punishments as are to be undergone it may be all done here unless God reveals to us to the contrary But there being neither one nor other of these things proved but the contrary rather appearing we cannot otherwise think of Purgatory but that 't is a fond Thing vainly invented Moreover 't is directly contrary to all those Texts of Scripture that assert the Happiness and Rest of the Saints after this Life As Isa 57. 1 2. The Righteous is taken away from the Evil to come He shall enter into Peace they shall rest in their Beds Is this to be taken away from the Evil to come to be put into a condition where they must undergo heavier Is that to enter into Peace and to be at Rest to be burning in Fire seven times hotter than ours and which differs from that in Hell in nothing but in respect of duration Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the Dead that die in the Lord from henceforth that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them that is their good Works in the gracious Reward that is given them not their Sins and Punishments Now all the Faithful that die die in the Lord Rom. 14. 5. So that they all rest from their Labours But to be tormented in burning Fire sure that is not to rest from their Labours but to be put to worse In the Book of Wisdom which the Church of Rome holds for Canonical and therefore cannot deny its Testimony Chap. 3. 1. it is said The Souls of the Righteous are in the Hand of God and there shall no torment touch them What can be more express John 5. 24. Our saviour says Verily verily I say unto you That he who heareth my Word and believeth on him that sent me hath eternal Life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from Death to Life Note that it is not said That he who believeth in Jesus Christ shall pass from Death unto Torment but he that shall pass from Death to Life that is a blessed Life for the other would be to pass from Death to Death at least for a while Therefore 2 Cor. 5. 1. We know saith the Apostle that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a Building of God an House not made with Hands eternal in the Heavens It is not Purgatory then or a Place of Torment that the Saints remove into when they remove from their Bodies And therefore saith he vers 2. In this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our House which is from Heaven But if Death were followed with Torment so horrible as those are represented to be which are in Purgatory there would be reason rather for one to be affrighted at it and to fly from it than to desire it with so much ardour and earnestness and to wish to continue in this present state of Life still for fear of the worst Yet again vers 6 7 8. Whilst we are at home in the Body we are absent from the Lord and are willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. Implying that that would be presently upon the leaving the Body Now our Lord sure is in Heaven and not in Purgatory Therefore so shall the Saints be also when they die Hence saith the Apostle Phil. 1. 21. To me to live is Christ and to die is Gain But according to the Romish Church to die is a damage to us The fear of Purgatory may make the best Men fearful of dying But vers 23. I am in a
great strait betwixt two desiring to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is far better This implies that he did not doubt but it would be so But if there were a Purgatory to pass through first it would be far better to abide longer in the Body For though St. Paul had less Sin than others yet it cannot be denied but he might have some venial Sins And if there must be Punishment undergon by way of satisfaction for these Sins equivalent to the Fire of Hell as that in Purgatory is said to be though he did undergo more Crosses and Afflictions than others yet ye did not undergo those that were equivalent to the Fire of Hell and how could he be sure then but that he also must enter into Purgatory first before he pass into Heaven and then one would think he should have little Heart to desire to be dissolved But he doth not fear any of this And note that the Apostle speaks of the Happiness in the next Life in common in the plural number as belonging to all the Saints and not as a special Priviledg to himself alone So 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Judg shall give me at that day that is the day of his departure out of this Life vers 6. And then mark Not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing Luke 23. 43. Our Saviour said to the believing Thief on the Cross This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise He doth not say when thou shalt have been some Years in Purgatory I will receive thee into Paradise but this day c. Now Paradise is acknowledged to be the Seat of the Blessed not a place of Torment And yet there was no Person that could deserve more to be sent to such a place than the Thief having had no time to do Penance for any of his Sins For if to suffer Death for his Sins was a sufficient Satisfaction then it were best for every Man to desire to suffer such a Death or worse For the pains of the worst of Deaths are much easier it seems than those of Purgatory But is it not indeed very strange that God should forgive Men the Eternal Punishment due to the worst and most mortal Sins for the sake of Christ's Satisfaction and yet exact so severe a Punishment for Sins in their own nature Venial which may be so easily remitted that God should do the greater and yet that he should not do the less When yet it must needs be owned that Christ hath offered a Satisfaction enough for all if it be but applied As for those places that are pretended to prove a Purgatory 1 Cor. 3. 13 15. There we read of Fire indeed and that is all but not one word of Purgatory-Fire It is the Fire of the Day of Judgment is there meant which is eminently in Scripture called the Day and is that indeed which shall be revealed by Fire 2 Thess 1. 7 8. And it is the Works of Men there that shall be burnt that is their false Doctrines which are but Hay and Stubble when the Trial comes But it doth not speak of the burning of their Persons that hold the Foundation who are not to be burnt but saved yet so as by Fire which is only a phrase to express the doing of a thing with great difficulty Zech. 3. 2. see a like phrase Jude 23. As for Mat. 12. 32. it speaketh of the greatest of Sins the Sin against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven and so that Phrase signifies neither in this nor in the World to come that is not at all So Mark 3. 29. it is exprest He hath never forgiveness but is in danger of eternal damnation or that Phrase may signify that that great Sin should not be forgiven in the Times of the Messiah or under the Gospel which is sometimes exprest by the World to come Heb. 2. 5. 6. 5. when the Jews expected that greater Sins should be forgiven than could be expiated by Levitical Sacrifices Or if Sins be said to be forgiven in the World to come what is that but at the Day of Judgment when the actual deliverance of the Just from Punishment and their final acquittal may be not improperly called the full remission of their Sins What is this to Purgatory where Sins are not forgiven but punish'd Mat. 5. 26. They shall not come out thence till they have paid the uttermost Farthing that is never but must abide in Hell for ever Hell is mentioned vers 22 29 30. And divers degrees of Punishments intimated there with allusion to the different degrees inflicted in the Jewish Courts but not one word of Purgatory As for 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. those Spirits there said to be disobedient were not saved at all as it is pretended they shall be out of Purgatory And the Prison that they are said to be in doth not signify Purgatory as if Christ then by his Spirit preach'd to them there But by his Spirit in Noah he preach'd to a disobedient World though his preaching did then no good their Souls being then as it were by Lust and Sin enslaved and imprisoned in their Bodies and are now lying in the Prison of Hell for all this Now then if there be no Purgatory or place of Torment in the next Life for just Men to the end pretended then likewise Prayers or Masses and Alms for them are vain things to the end proposed viz. in order to the deliverance out of it If there be no such thing then these things that have relation to it can be of no use And yet if there were a Purgatory for expiation of Sins and for satisfaction for temporal Punishments due to them how doth it appear that Prayer for those in that State will help them out of it or who can tell but that they must continue there if they be there till the Day of Judgment As for the supererrogating meritorious Works of the Living and their availableness to deliver their dead Friends out of Purgatory it is after proved likewise that there are no such Works But yet if they were how should they be available to get them out of it when the superabundant Merits and Satisfactions of Christ were not available to prevent their going in If others Satisfactions and Merits might be of use to them in Purgatory one would think Christ's should have kept them out But if Christ's Satisfactions could not help them but they must satisfy for themselves how should the Saints good Works upon Earth help them This is the great Doctrine with the Appendages of it that brings in so great Wealth to Rome and therefore no wonder it is so stifly retained though among all the Directions that are given about Prayer up and down the Scripture there is not any where the least intimation of any direction for praying for the Dead or of
any use that it would be Which it is very strange that it should be omitted among so many Instructions that are given about Prayer if it were to have been done As for 2 Maccab. 12. 39 c. where he saith Mony was sent to Jerusalem that Sacrifices might be offered for the Slain and 't is recommended as an holy Cogitation to pray for the Dead Those Men that died died in the Sin of Achan and therefore were liable to eternal Punishment And so there could be no ground to suppose even according to Popish Principles that they were in Purgatory but in Hell. And if it proves the benefit of Sacrifice and Prayer for the deliverance of dead Sinners it must be out of Hell it self and not out of Purgatory Judas's Offering was a Sin-offering for the sake of the Living that the whole Assembly might not suffer for the Sin of the Dead as they once did in the Case of Achan Josh 7. And Prayers were offered up to God to the same end to avert his Anger from them But Jason the Writer of the History or his Epitomizer being a Platonick Jew and having his Head fill'd with some Platonick Notions ignorantly applies all this as done for the Slain But he commends Self-murder too and praiseth Razias for killing himself 2 Mac. 14. 42. So that we have no great reason to rely much upon the Judgment of this Author Of Justification and Pardon of Sin. CHAP. XX. That Justification is by Charity or Righteousness which is infused and inherent in us Conc. Trent Sess 6. cap. 7. Bellarm. de Justificat lib. 1. FOR the understanding of this it must be considered that the Romish Doctors distinguish Justification into the first and second The first in which a Man is made Just by the infusion of the habit of Charity The second is his co-operating with the Grace received by which he merits and attains to a greater increase of Righteousness But both these are inherent in him so that Justification with him is the same with Regeneration and Sanctification and all is wrought in them in the use and by virtue of the Sacraments But besides this they speak of and seem to include Remission of Sins in Justification by which they mean both the removing of the Fault and the guilt of Sin. But the remission of the Fault is nothing else but the abolishing of Sin by the aforesaid infused Grace whereby it is destroyed and ceases in its being And then the guilt of Sin which is its desert of and obligation to Punishment is remitted of course by natural and necessary Consequence For Sin being abolish'd where there is no Sin there can be no Desert or Punishment and so no Obligation to it So that Sin being abolish'd the Guilt is taken away but it is no otherwise taken away than by taking away the being of Sin but it follows that by a necessary result So that according to-them Justification or Remission of Sin is not an Act of God's Grace absolving the believing and penitent Sinner from Guilt and graciously imputing his Faith to him for Righteousness and so accepting him as Righteous and dealing with him accordingly though his Righteousness be imperfect and do not deserve it meerly of his own free Grace upon the account of the satisfactory or meritorious Sacrifice of Christ Jesus offered up to him But the taking away the Punishment of Sin is a thing arising by a natural Consequence from the abolishing of Sin and so is necessarily due upon the infusion of Grace and is really no distinct Act from it And so the free Grace of God and Redemption of Christ has no other hand in the Justification and Remission of a Sinâ—â—r than as procuring and giving Grace to the Siâ—ner for abolishing of Sin and making him inherently just and then the rest is due and follows of course Against that which is written Acts 13. 38 39. Be it known unto you therefore Men and Brethren that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of Sins And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses Where that which is the Forgiveness of Sins in the first place in the second is expressed by Justification So that Justification and Forgiveness are the same thing and are consequent to Faith which is the condition of it and so is to go before And this Forgiveness now under the Gospel-Law or Covenant is of such Sins of which by the Sacrifices of the Law of Moses there was no remission So that Gospel-forgiveness or Justification is the acquitting of the Sinner from his Sin upon the account of the Sacrifice of Christ So Rom. 3. 24 25 26. Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of Sins that are past that he might be just and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Where Justification and Remission of Sins are also taken for the same and the one is but explicatory of the other And it is an Act of God's Grace not infusing of Grace but forgiving of Sins past upon the account of Christ's Propitiatory Sacrifice to all those that believe in him though they be not innocent or sinless nor have any thing of Merit or Vertue in themselves towards the purchasing of this Remission And vers 28. Therefore we conclude that a Man is justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law. And being without the Deeds of the Law it cannot be supposed to consist in Sanctification which is expressed by such Deeds But the meaning of it therefore is That Faith and sincere Obedience to the Gospel of Christ is so accepted by God upon the account of Christ's Sacrifice that though it be not a perfect Righteousness the true Believer shall be freely discharged and acquitted of all his Sin by God's pardoning-Grace without having a perfect legal Righteousness in himself to deserve it Rom. 4. 3. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for Righteousness And vers 5. To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the Vngodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness And vers 22. It was imputed to him for Righteousness Where Justification is not the infusion of Faith or Righteousness but it is the Acceptation of the Believer's Faith through meer Grace as if it were a perfect Righteousness though it be not and though a Believer has not in himself a perfect innocence or blamelessness Vers 6 7 8. Even as David describeth the blessedness of the Man to whom the Lord imputeth Righteousness without Works saying Blessed are they whose Iniquities are forgiven and whose Sins are covered Blessed is the Man to whom the Lord will not impute Sin. Where the imputing of Righteousness and the not imputing of Sin and the forgiving of Iniquities and covering of Sins are all
of a Priest nor was it exacted or required as a Matter of necessary Obligation And as for what St. James says Chap. 5. 16. Confess your Faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed Note that he directs to this only in case of bodily Sickness accompanied with an afflicted or distressed Conscience in order to the obtaining the more fervent Prayers of those who are made privy to their Case for their relief and help from God but he does not appoint it for an universal standing Rule for all Men and of absolute obligation upon them in all Cases for the obtaining of Remission of Sin by a Priestly Absolution And note that when our Saviour says John 20. 23. Whose soever Sins ye remit they are remitted and whose soever Sins ye retain they are retained It can only be meant of such Sins as might happen to come to their knowledg and in such Cases wherein they might be able to make a right and sure Judgment of Mens Repentance of or pertinacy in Sin which the Apostles were sometimes enabled to do by special Revelation and then they had an extraordinary Power given them by the Holy Ghost to inflict extraordinary Punishments upon Men and to take them off again as they saw cause upon Mens Repentance Acts 5. 3 4. 13. 11. 1 Cor. 5. 5. 2 Cor. 2. 6 7. But the most that any Priest now can do who is not invested with those extraordinary Gifts is to pronounce Men absolved from the Guilt of their Sin upon condition of their Repentance or condemned for their not coming up to it And here is no Institution of Confession to be necessarily made to a Priest nor the least intimation given that the Sins of Men cannot be otherwise remitted if so be they perform the condition of a sincere Repentance in themselves There is no trace or track of it in our Saviour's dealing with Sinners though he had to do with very great ones Nor yet in the Apostles And St. Peter himself when he sinned we hear of him only that he went out and wept bitterly by that Sign expressing the real Contrition and sincere Repentance of his Heart but we read not a word of his going to a Priest to make Confession In case of publick Scandal indeed given to the Church a publick Confession is very needful and was always the Discipline of the Ancient Church And in case of perplexity of Conscience for the disburdening of that and as an help to Repentance a private Confession of the Sinner and opening his Case to some Spiritual Guide is also very useful But that a particular private Confession of all Mortal Sin with all its Circumstances to a Priest is of perpetual and necessary obligation to all in order to the obtaining pardon of Sin can no where be proved And therefore is an horrid Imposition and intolerable Tyranny upon Mens Consciences and is to change the Terms of Salvation from what God himself has appointed and to make that both easier and harder than he has made it either as it is said that Confession is enough with bare Attrition or that it must be added over and above to true Repentance it self And note that the priestly Absolution when it is given is not Authoritative and Judicial For so to absolve Sinners and forgive Sins belongs only to God Mark 2. 7. Isa 43. 25. who is the only Lawgiver Jam. 2. 12. or to Jesus Christ who hath the Key of David who openeth and none shutteth Rev. 3 7. who alone hath the supreme independent and absolute Power and Authority to do all things in the Church And whereas he hath likewise given unto the Pastors of the Church the Key of the Kingdom of Heaven they then open Heaven when they declare the Grace of God to repenting Sinners they shut Heaven when they declare the Judgment of God to impenitent Sinners But if they be ignorant or wicked let them pardon the Impenitent and excommunicate the Good that which they do on Earth is not ratified in Heaven The Authority they have to pardon Sin or to absolve the Sinner being only ministerial declarative and conditional upon the profession and supposition of the Sinner's Faith and Repentance Of the Merits of Good Works and Works of Supererrogation CHAP. XXII That the Good Works of Justified Persons are truly and properly Meritorious and fully worthy of Eternal Life Council of Trent Sess 6. chap. 16. Can. 32. THese Good Works are said by them indeed to be done by the Grace of God and Merit of Christ But then it is the good Works themselves that are truly meritorious of Eternal Life And the Grace of God and Merit of Christ have only a remote or mediate Influence towards the procuring Eternal Life viz. by giving us Grace to enable us to act And that being done the Acts or Works themselves which justified Persons perform do truly and properly deserve Eternal Life Contrary to Rom. 6. 23. The Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. He said The Wages of Sin is Death Sin deserves Death But he doth not say by way of opposition the Wages of Righteousness is Eternal Life but the Gift of God is eternal Life To teach us that Eternal Life is a free Gift to us and not merited by the Righteousness and good Works of any For free Gift and Merit cannot stand together So Luke 12. 32. Fear not little Flock it is your Father's good Pleasure to give you a Kingdom The Kingdom of Heaven is represented as a Gift and that as flowing from the Father's good Pleasure and therefore not from their merit So again John 10. 28. My Sheep hear my Voice and follow me and I give unto them Eternal Life This is given to Men upon their hearing and following of Christ It is not their following of him doth deserve it Ephes 2. 8 9. By Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God. Both Faith and Salvation it self which is the End of Faith is all of Grace and Gift not of Works lest any Man should boast So Tit. 3. 4 5. After that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward Man appeared not by Works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost that being justified by his Grace we should be made Heirs according to the Hope of Eternal Life Regeneration is of Grace and Justification is of Grace and free and we have the hope of Eternal Life as Heirs partaking of the Adoption which is free and not as Mercenaries by Work and Merit And the whole of our Salvation from first to last is of meer Mercy Thus Exod. 20. 6. Shewing Mercy to thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments Those that love God and render the most obedience to the Commands of God have yet need of his Mercy