being his owne and not the Texts onely wee may upon request allow this place and the next of Christs prayer for unity Iohn 17 to intend unity of affections and yet hee will bee short of his unity in all points of Doctrine And it is wel known that if this were meant the present Romists themselves have not that unity neither those who farre excelled them the ancient Martyrs and Fathers And farre more guilty are they against the prayer of Christ in maintaining division of affections towards Patriarchall Sees and many eminent parts of the catholick Church for the Pope is like Ismael his sword against every man that will not submit to his universall Supremacy And according to this dividing Spirit of the Papacie is it this Authors businesse in this worke to make a division in the Church for false proving is making even where there is an unity for is not this his employment in this Chapter and more hereafter in taking away the distinction of points fundamentall to set Christians by the eares and one to damne another for differing in every little point of doctrine For thus hee saith even soone after his former places of unity and hee would faine have Saint Matthew and Saint Mark to say so with him Whosoever should faile of beleeving any one point of Christian doctrine should be as sure of condemnation as if he had beleeved but any one or none A Foundation laid of Babel it selfe even of division and hatred in the Church of God A Position to which I cannot bee silent for Sions sake nor for my brethren and companions sake whom this Position hath often slaine with death temporall and adjudged to death eternall For let it look as smooth as it will doe you breake up the bowels of it and you shall finde it full of bloud division and damnation This even this is it which hath wrought those fearefull Massacres Treasons Excommunications Fires whereof many horrid spectacles in the second Chapter have been presented And how should it bee otherwise but that it should produce such hellish effects when it teacheth Christians for every failing in the beleefe of any one point of Christian that is in their language Romish or Popish doctrine to accompt other Christians in the state of damnation and to hate them more then heathens So that if the Pope say that the Worship of Images Prayer in an unknown tongue without understanding Rats eating the body of Christ and such other errors bee points of Christian doctrine the man that beleeves them not though hee beleeve in Christ yea all other points but one of these hath forfeited his salvation and is fallen into the odious state of a combustible heretick and of a damnable person But this Author might have beene put in minde of more mercy by one of his allegations for though Christ in the place of Matthew by him alledged willeth that all Nations bee taught to observe whatsoever hee hath commanded yet his owne fellow Romists allow that the breach of some of Christs Commands are not damnable I might alledge a Command of Christ in the Lords Supper Drinke yee all of this which as concerning the lay people they have turned into Drinke yee none of this But I will passe to other Commands such as those are which command the keeping of the morall Law Matth. 5.17.28.48 and forbid every idle thought but the breach of these Commands by inordinate thoughts or small deviations the Romists can make not mortall and damnable but veniall How comes it then that they will allow us no veniall errors and failings in small points of doctrine but any one point of Christian that is in his sense Popish doctrine not beleeved is damnably mortall Is there not in this a great piece of Popish leaven even of the wicked mystery that sinnes against Gods Commands of morall obedience may bee veniall but against the Popes Commands in the least point of doctrine are altogether mortall And doth not the reason appeare to bee this That in the breach of a morall Law as that of coveting our neighbours goods God is offended but the Pope is not hurt but by not beleeving any one point which the Pope delivers for Christian doctrine his Inâ—rrability fals to the ground and so his Supremacy And it were better according to the policie of this wicked Mystery that all the world were burned or damned or set at division then that the Papacie should fall But thus doth the Pope set himselfe above God by valuing offences against himselfe of a more damnable nature then sinnes against God But well it is withall that they shew hereby that God is yet farre more mercifull then the Pope for God they say makes little sins veniall whereas the Pope makes little errors against Popish doctrine deadly and damnable But the truth is to those that are in Christ Jesus God doth make veniall both errors in lesser points of faith which grow by ignorance blindenesse or weaknesse of faith aswell as lesser errors in life by infirmity and weaknesse Christs bloud is a propitiation for all our sinnes aswell sins in the understanding as in the will And to those who attaine to that measure of faith which knits them to Christ Jesus Christ Jesus by his bloud will make other ignorances and unbeliefes in those points of doctrine to which they cannot attain veniall and pardonable and surely our Author is hardly driven to get a shew of proof from Scripture of this doctrine of division and damnation The place of Matthew could not serve for there was only a command to the Apostles to teach all Nations to observe all Christs Commands But we have seene above out of Romists that the breach of some of Christs Commands is not damnable but veniall wherefore another place must be forced to confesse it Accordingly that of Saint Marke is set on the rack but this place speakes not of not beleeving all and every point of doctrine delivered and decreed by the Pope and his adherents but the maine scope of the place is a casting of damnation upon men for the great point of not beleeving in Christ for in the Gospel this is an usuall sense of the word beleeving especially when it stands upon life and death And it seemes this Author can bring no plain place of Scripture to prove that he who beleeves not every small point of doctrine decided by the Pope shall bee damned for if he could these places had not been so unmercifully racked toward it But thus still behold a going on of the Mystery of iniquity Unity unto salvation is urged thereby to make division unto damnation Words are taken from Christ the Head therewith to tear his body into pieces But hereof wee may make this use That when a Papist preacheth to Protestants of unity then let them expect beware of division SECT IIII. The place taken out of the 18. of Matth. is cleared which the Cavalier had perverted to the
Matris misceâ—e volo cum sanguine Natâ— Ave salus 〈◊〉 sâ—culâ— Arbor 〈◊〉 Item In Cruce Christi ponimus spem salutis Cantat enim Ecclâ—â—â—â— O Câ—uâ— aâ—e spes uâ—ica c. Aquia 3. â—â—ast 25. Art 4. 2 Chro. 29.5 Reynolds and Harts conference Chap. 2. dist 2. a It were good that the Cavalier would answer his own great Masters Driedo Castro and Vasquez who say that a Law-maker cannot at his pleasure by his command make a sinne veniall or mortall Materiae quae praecipitur gravitas utilitas tantae considerationis est ut non pendeat ex voluntate Legislatoris ad mortalem aut venialem culpam obligare posito semel praecepto sed ex ipsa majore gravitate levitate respectu finis cujus gratia praecipitur culpa venialis aut mortalis judicanda sit Vasquez â—â— 12. Disp. 158. cap. 4. And it seemes it is not for the Popes honour to command points of small importance For Thomas Aquinas saith of the Pope Ad quem majores difficiliores Ecclesiae quaestiones referunâ—ur 22. quaest 1. A. 10. So it seemes this Eagle should not take Flies But the Councell of Ephesus Decrevit sancta haec Synodus alteram sidem Nemini licere proferre aut scribere aut componere praeter â—am quae deâ—inita fuit à sanctis Patribus apud Nicaeam urbem in Spiritu sancto congregatis And Aâ—hanasius gives a reason for it Nam fides quae mihi à Patribus secundùm sacras Scripturas Confessionibus confirmata est satis mihi idonea â—â—ticaxque videbatur ad omnem impâ—â—tatem emovendam piâ—tatem ejus quae in Christo est fidei 〈…〉 Aâ—hanas ad Epict. epist. Corinth Videte detractores videte canes c. a Superstitionis impietatâ—m nomine Religionis intitulant In operimentum turpitudinis continentiae se insigniere voto Hi adeo aut bestiales sunt ut non advertant qualiter omni immunditiae laxat habenas qui nuptias damnat aut certè ita pleni nequitiâ diabolicâ malignitate absorpti ut advertentes dissimulent laetentur in perditione hominum Tolle de Ecclesia honorabile Connubium thorum immaculatum nonne reples eam concubina iis incestuosis seminifluis mollibus masculorum concubitoribus omni denique genere immundorum Elige ergo utrumlibet aut salâ—aâ—i universa haec MONSTRA hominum aut numerum salvandorum ad continentium redigi paucitatem Bernard in Cant. serm 66. Revel 6.9 10. Revel 19.1 2. Rom. 14.23 Eccles. 7.1 Psal. 112.6 Page 35 a Tu quid Christo universalis sanctae Ecclesiae capiti in extremi judiciidicturus es examine qui cuncta ejus membra tibimet conaris universalis appellatione supponere Quis rogo in hoc tam perverso vocabulo nisi ille ad incitandum proponitur qui dispectis AngeloruÌ„ legionibus secum socialiter constitutis ad culmen conatus est singularitatis erumpere ut nulli subesse solus omnibus praeesse videretur Greg. Mag. lib. 4. Epist. 38. b Ego autem fidenter dico quia quisquis se universalem Sacerdotem vocat vel vocari desiderat in elatione sua Antichristum praecurrit quia superbiendo sâ— caeteris praeponit Iâ— lib. 6. Epist. 30. Mauritio Augusto a Iohn Tankerill a Batchelour of Divinity defended that the Pope Vicar of Christ is Monarch of the Church and may deprive Kings Princes who disobey his commandments of their Kingdomes States and Dignities For which hee being condemned to recant by the French the Court of Rome spake of the French men as of lost sheepe who denyed the Authority given by Christ to Saint Peter Hist. Trent lib. 5. And yet Optatus saith Cùm super Imperatorem non sit nisi solus Dâ—us qui fecit Imperatorem Dixisti Ego sum Deus Ideâ— quia quam vis non sit usus hâc voce tamen aut facit aut passus est quòd defectum hujus vocis impleret Extulit corsuum ut nullum hominem sibi comparandum arbitraretur tumore mentis suae altior sibi visus est esse quia quicquid est supra homines jam quasi Deus est lib. 3. b Hist. Trent lib. 1. Rom. 10.14 17. It is likely the Pope himselfe was of a contrary opinion to the Cavalier and doubted that uniformity would bring to uniâ—y and therefore forbad his Disciples this uniformity a It seems Ministers had need to looke carefully to their carriage especially since notice is given of a book written by Papists of the lives of divers with their names and actions Can. 3. Can. â— Ephes. 4. a Sub persecutore Floro Châ—istiani Idolâ—â—um cogâ—banâ—uâ— ad Tâ—â—pla Sub Mâ—caâ—io 〈◊〉 Donatâ—lae compellebantur ad Basilâ—cam Sub Horo dâ—â—ebâ—tur ut nâ—gaâ—etur Christus Idola â—ogarentuâ— contra sub Macario commonebantur omnes ut Deus unus pariter in Ecclesia ab omnibus coleretuâ— Optat. lib. 3. Aliorum autem Impâ—â—atorum justitiam lâ—gâ—sque quae vehâ—mâ—nte adversus 〈◊〉 lâ—â—ae sunt qui ignorat In quibus una Generalis adversâ—â— omnes qui Châ—istianâ—s sâ— dâ—ci volunt Ecclesiae Catholicae non communicant sâ—d in suiâ— separatim câ—nventiculis congregantur id continet ut vel ordinatoâ— Cleâ—ici vel ipse ordinatus deniâ— libris auri mulctâ—tuâ— Locus verò ipse quâ— impia separatio congregatur redigatur in Fâ—â—cum 〈◊〉 â—ontra Parmâ—â— lib. 1. b Ecclesia paulatim progressa est â—mâ—ia remâ—dia expeâ—ta primò solum excommuniâ—abat deinde addidic Pâ—CUNIARIAM mulâ—tam Bâ—llar de 〈◊〉 cap. 21. c Tu id sentis de certitudine tollente omnem dubietatem ac si diviniâ—ùs nobis esset certò propositum id esse revelatum à Deo Ego verò credo Cathâ—lici omnes auscultantes SANCTUM DECRETUM id aâ—negamus Dom. Soâ—o Apolog d Castro libro 3. contra haereses verbo Baptismus haeres 9. sententiam Cajetani ut haereticam damnare videtur Suarez m. 3. T. 3. disp 27. sect 3. e Quod convocandi Concilii intentio satis sincera non fuit Romanae avaritiae artificiosa provisio patefecit Multi enim evocati quibus iter cundi ad Concilium difficile vel intolerabile videbatur interventu pecuntae turpius exactae quam praestitae relaxari meruerunt Neubridg lib. 3. cap. 2. Quando hactenus aurum Roma refudit Bernard de consider lib. 3. f At nuntius ille Rufi priusquam abeam tecum secretiùs agam Mansit ergo ibi per dies plurimos munera quibus ea cordî esse animadvertebat dispertiâ—ndo pâ—llicendo Deductus ergo à sententia Romanus Pontifex est Ladmer lib. 2. Nec mirum nam omnes satisfactiones quae poenitentibus imponuntur à Confessore juxta Ecclesiae Romanae statuta possunt commutari in pecuniarias Texeda Hispanus C 5. Execution of Iustice pag. 16 17. a Scripturis iisdem confirmat quibus probat D. Cypr. de exhort Mart. cap. 5. Quod sic Idololatriae indignetur Deus ut praeceperit
not white that hath but a few white haires on him they thought they might say the Church of Rome was the Synagogue of Satan and not a true Church because there is such a multitude of Ignorants Antichristians and Idolaters and so few true worshippers and beleevers But bee it that the Church of Rome being understood in this wide sense wherein it comprehends all that any way looke toward Rome in regard that there was once sowed good corne in it and some of it comes up in some corners of it shal be called a field of corne from that which is most excellent in it surely it concernes Protestants wisely to mannage their unity with it and the division from it When we pursue the unity of charity wee must take heed that we lose not saving verity and when we pursue saving verity we must take heed that we offend not against charity we must so converse with that Church as with a City overcome with the plague we should be very wary of infection in regard of the universall pestilence of it and if we may chuse some places and company that are healthy But from those that live the life of Grace though never so few affection may not be with-drawne but to them belongs both our pity and prayers Yet while we extend our charity to them let us take heede that wee lose not our selves and that our charity doe not swallow up verity and make great sinnes too small nor allow too easie a communion betweene Christ and Beliall nor make salvation larger then the Scripture doth make it For first the Beleevers in the Papacy which make the Papall Church are by their humane faith infected to death except there be a healing of their errour by repentance These are Idolaters for worshipping the Pope and making him their God and rock of their faith Neither will it excuse them that they beleeve what they professe for the more they beleeve by this carnall killing faith the more they are slaine and the deeper they are in damnation Secondly there are worshippers of Images and consecrated bread which are Idolaters in the common and knowne sense of Idolatry And the common sort are exceedingly possessed with this Idolatry and slaine to death with it and I doubt it will bee a difficult matter to save many of the Doctors whom this plague hath infected For though they beleeve this Idolatry which they pofesse to be lawfull yet Idolatry hath beene damnable to many which both thus professed and beleeved it Yea they that beleeve and trust in Idols are the more damnable for thus beleeving Besides many places of Scripture shew that saving grace and the true feare of God doth not commonly dwell especially with dwelling and raigning Idolatry For Grace doth commonly turne out such grosse sinnes when it enters into the soule and accordingly Saint Paul describes the conversion of the Thessalonians to bee a turning from Idols to the living God 1 Thes. 1.9 And so some of the Corinthians were Idolaters but they were washed by regeneration 1. Cor. 6. so that they are not now that which they were before I would have charity to save as many as she might but I know shee cannot save them truly without verity Now the verities of Scriptures seeme to withstand the easie and ordinary salvation of Idolaters and I am sure have made it damnable to many who beleeved it to bee the worship of God and therefore they should be cleered before charity can know that shee hath her desire in true saving of Idolaters And this I propose not to increase damnation which I abhorre in my opposite the Romish Champion but to increase salvation even to save some with compassion by pulling them out of the fire prepared for Idolaters and to save others from falling into it To this end let us behold in the Scripture of truth how Idolatry though professed and beleeved yea though mixt with some knowledge yea seeming feare or service of God hath drawne the wrath of God upon Idolators Israel to whom were anciently given the Promises and newly the Law while Moses was in the Mount made a god of Gold but in that worshiped the God that brought them out of Egypt and proclaimed a feast to him and we finde that presently Gods wrath was ready to wax hot against them to consume them yea though Moses was the meekest man on Earth yet his meeknesse was so incensed against this sinne and these sinners that hee commands every man to slay his Brother Companion and Neighbour And when hee goes to God for a pardon hee doth it not with an extenuation but an aggravation of this sin For hee saith Oh this people have sinned a great sin and have made them gods of Gold He doth not tell God that it is a veniall or not damnable sin or that their breeding in Egypt might excuse them the cause that made them beleeve that which they here act and professe That an oxe which eateth grasse might represent the Deity and bee worshipped for it But laying aside all excuses and extenuations he calls it a great sinne and thinkes that a blotting out of Gods booke belonged to this sinne and therefore hee offers his owne soule to this punishment for their ransome But behold how fatall a sentence God pronounceth on the sinners of this sinne so shewing it to be damnable Him that sinneth will I blot out of my book and it presently followeth In the day wherein I visit will I visit their sinne upon them Againe in a chapter nearly following this Idolatry wherein Moses is earnest with God for a pardon and God seemes to be so farre intreated as to lead them by his Angell to Canaan yet is he still so strange to them that he calls them still not his own people but the people of Moses Thy people and the people amongst whom thou art But withall hee injoynes them to destroy the Altars of Idolaters to breake downe their Images and to worship no other God and let the reason be observed for it is highly observable For the Lord whose name is Iealous is a jealous God Surely this Jealousie of God is not sufficiently considered by those that are over easie favourable to Idolatry They consider not duly the Nature of Jealousie nor the height breadth of a Jealousie of an Almighty God nor that it is so inward and essentiall in God that it is as it were God himselfe For his name saith hee is Iealous Now Iealousie is the rage of a Man and a man saith Salomon thus enraged will not spare in the day of vengeance What then is the jealousie of God but the wrath of God and what is God when hee is angry but a consuming fire And such hee testifies himselfe to be particularly against this sinne Jealousie in a man may passe by many faults in his wife but it will not indure Adultery for Adultery causeth a divorce which
have indeed the divine gift of Love and thereby love God as a Father that hath already so merited of them all that they are and have that his merit is to them a most sufficient motive to serve him heartily even with all that might and being which they have received from him Accordingly the man according to Gods owne heart calls upon all mankinde for their service as due to God for making them Come let us kneele and worship before God our Maker Againe the love of God in redeeming us hath deserved all our love and service and accordingly the Apostle rap'd into the third heaven saith The love of Christ constraineth us and why doth it constraine because wee thus judge that if Christ dyed for us wee should live to him Gods merits in creating and redeeming us are strong motives to serve him though wee cannot merit of him though Gods merit is so great that it hath swallowed up all our merits we are therefore to serve him not the lesse but the more the more hee hath deserved beyond our requitall A good Sonne would serve and obey this heavenly Father for that which hee hath done though hee gave him nothing hereafter And surely if there were not such an affection even in humanitie how should thee sonne of a poore father ever doe him service But yet wee doe not stop here because the bounty of our heavenly Father doth not stop but enlargeth it selfe further for though God hath already deserved of us all that we can doe so that all that wee can doe were but our dutie yet hee goes on and promiseth to give rewards even for doing our duty And doth not this reward move us as much being given by free promise as if it were gotten by the workers merit yea much more in a noble worker For such a one will reason thus My heavenly Father freely gives mee infinite rewards even an excessively exceeding weight of glory for small and moment any passions and actions hee gives mee that which hee is not bound to give hee gives that which I can never deserve and shall I not couragiously and affectionately serve him who is so freely gracious and bountifull to mee far beyond my deserts But indeed much rather and that contrary to Romish Divinity out of a right consideration of Gods great rewards and our great unworthinesse wee being if Iacob say true lesse then the least of Gods mercies wee may truely affirme That we can have no courage to good workes if wee will not worke without a true confidence of Merits For if Gods rewards be beyond all merits as it needes must bee since hee himselfe whom all that we have and are cannot merit is our exceeding great reward how should there bee good works raised from the confidence in that merit which is not And though there be an excellency in the grace of the Spirit by which wee worke yet even that grace is a free loane and wee are debters to God for it and how can wee merit of him by growing in debt unto him especially because the money wherewith we should pay those debts is of a baser Alloy by the mixture of our corruption then that which wee received and whereby wee became debtors And wee cannot pay debts much lesse become meriters by paying ten borrowed Talents of pure gold with ten Talents of the metall of Nebuchadnezzars Image Therefore the Saints trust perfectly in the grace of God and not in their merits and from that grace as from a boundlesse and bottomelesse Ocean fetch most sufficient motives of good works While they have grace that enables them to worke and grace that forgives the imperfection of their workes and grace that rewards whatsoever goodnesse is in their workes yea even the will for the deede they are mightily encouraged to continue in good workes knowing that Their labour thus is not in vaine in the Lord. And herein their hearts agree with the heart of him that rewardeth them For his eyes are on them that feare him and trust in his mercie They feare God and by good workes keepe his Commandements but they trust not in the merits of their workes but in Gods mercy And in such God takes delight and loves to behold them and if God love to behold them hee will also bring them to behold him in a beatificall vision SECT II. Wherein are contained these two Tenets 1. That the best workes of Gods children are mixed with some sinne 2. That no man doth or will perfectly fulfill the whole Law And yet contrary to the Cavaliers lame Inferences there are encouragements sufficient to good works and to use our best endeavours toward the fulfilling of the Law BUt that which followeth next requires a patient Reader For if the Articles of the Church of England bee but compared with this Authours words I doubt the Reader will feele some need of patience The Authours words are these And what cause can they assigne why men should abstain from sin when they teach them that the best workes which are performed by the greatest Saints in the world are no better then sinnes and they in their owne nature mortall The Articles words are these Albeit that works which are the fruits of faith and follow after justification cannot put away our sinnes and endure the severity of Gods judgement yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ. And the like approbation of good works by the Church of Scotland and forraine Churches of Protestants is to bee seene in the harmonie of Confessions Wherefore I should offend my Reader to say much against this which appeares so plainely to be a scandall even one of those coales of Iuniper which comes from devouring tongues and I wonder it had not burned the tongue or the conscience of the speaker Briefly wee hold that a good tree made good by Regeneration and ingrafted by faith into Christ Jesus bringeth forth good fruit even this fruit of good works and these works as much as they come from the sappe of the roote of Christ Jesus and partake of his fatnesse so much are they good but as much as they partake of us and our remnant of corruption so much are they faulty This faultinesse hath need of mercy and receiveth it through Christ into whom wee are ingrafted but this being removed by Christ the goodnesse which the worke hath from Christ shall eternally bee rewarded And this reward is a very good motive to good works unto all those who with Moses have an eye of faith where with truely to see the recompence of the reward Hee goes on and askes When they teach men that the Commandements of God are not possibly to bee kept by any man even with the helpe of Divine grace what reason can they have either to exhort men to keepe Gods Commandements or to reprove them for infringing the same The Cavalier is here troubled and troubles us with an old
Indulgences even absolution from Penance which being set to sale doe plainely crosse Christs charitable doctrine by making it easier for a rich man then a poore man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven But indeed it hath had this charitable consequence that it hath caused many Nations to cast up not single sins only but the man of sinne himselfe But otherwise whereas this Author speakes of this Sacrament to cast up sinne wee must complaine that it hath beene used as a meanes to cast up goodnesse and to cast sinne into a mould even to nourish and strengthen it for Garnet thought it a good covert and hiding place of treason saying that in Confession hee first received the knowledge of the Powder-treason and secondly himselfe would not say that hee did cause his Penitents to cast up this treason but left it in their stomacks wherein it lay with some of them untill death not acknowledged as a sinne Behold right Romish charity plainly proved by the Sacrament of Confession yea this Sacrament hath beene by them uncharitably used as a means not to cast up sin but to cast up righteousnesse for some maine acts and duties of righteousnesse have been put to Penance as great sinnes Sir Thomas Overbury and my selfe met with an Irish Pilgrime in France who taking us as hee said for Catholickes wherein hee was not mistaken if hee had rightly understood the word told us that hee was enjoyned by way of penance to goe on Pilgrimage to Rome and Compostella for serving Queene Elizabeth in her warres against Tyrone See here not a sin cast up but an excellent duty of subjection and loyalty and so the Romish Sacrament of Penance not a proofe of charity but of disloyall uncharitablenesse Hee goes on and sayes that Rome to make her child grow and stand out feeds him from time to time with the precious Body of our blessed Lord in the Sacrament of the Altar But where is Romish charitie in taking away the Bloud of our blessed Lord in the same Sacrament If it be charity to give bread to a childe is it not uncharitable to deny him drinke but the children of Rome are left to cry like Sampson though not heard as Sampson Thou hast given this great deliverance and now shall I die for thirst Christ hath given them a great deliverance and now Rome would kill them with thirst Yet the same Lord in his Passion gives both meat and drink to their soules and therefore hee not onely saith that his flesh is meate indeed but that his bloud is drink indeed and so is hee perfect nourishment and a just refection being both meat and drinke Hee gives no lesse to the true Israel then to the typicall Israel the type of the Church in their Journey to Canaan it is said of them they did eat spirituall meat and drank spirituall drink for they drank of the Rock and that Rock was Christ. But Romish charity or uncharitablenesse takes from the people that drink which Christ gave them and as it were drives the true Israel from the waters that issue from this Rock to refresh them in their walking through the wildernesse to this heavenly Canaan Neither doth it availe any thing to say that there is bloud in the body for bloud out of the body is given us in this Sacrament to quench the otherwise unquenchable and ever-thirsty guilt of sinne Bloud that was shed for us is given to us in this Sacrament as the very words of our Saviour in the Institution of it doe affirme and if Christ say hee gives us bloud that is shed either they must profanely deny the words which our Saviour spake or else they must bee inforced to witnesse that they doe uncharitably and unchristianly deny to us that which our Saviour gave us and indeed bloud that is shed and so powred out of the body is the proper Sacrifice for sinne for without the shedding of bloud there is no remission yea our Saviour himselfe here saith of his bloud given in the Sacrament that it is shed for the remission of sinnes What therefore Christ the fountaine of charity hath shed for us out of his body and so given us being shed for the remission of our sinnes is it not extreme uncharitablenesse in Rome to take the same from us for thereby shee takes from us an excellent means of the remission of our sinnes and so the remission which should come to us by this meanes I could here multiply complaints of Romish uncharitablenesse in the manifold abuses of this Sacrament and among them of their Latine that is barbarous as Saint Paul saith and whispering Consecration It is no Sacrament in the Romish beleefe without the Priests intention and the words that should give some ghesse of his intention are not heard and understood How short then are tâ—e poore people of knowing the Priests intention when they either heare not or understand not the words which might give them at least some hope of his intention But darknesse fits best with a doctrine of darknesse and it is best nourished by that which begat it But their doctrine of worshipping this Sacrament yea even when they know not whether it be a Sacrament yea carrying it about the streets in a solemne procession on a set day of purpose to bee worshipped is a most killing uncharitablenesse if I may say of the Sacrament by their corruption as Saint Paul of the Law by the corruption of nature That which Christ ordained to life is thus found to be unto death The Lord of life appointed this Sacrament to communicate life by it and Popish uncharitablenesse by it gives death to her children But I say the lesse because the truly reverend and learned Bishop of Durham hath so plainely revealed and soundly convinced the Idolatry of the Masse that hee who reads it and after kils his soule by stumbling at this Idol and falling downe before it into hell cannot lay all the fault on Rome but must share uncharitablenesse with her and have part of his owne bloud laid on his owne head It followes If he will bestow himselfe upon the service of Almighty God in a more particular manner by taking Priesthood shee not onely gives him holy Orders but shee doth it by a Sacrament conferring grace I should here have expected that Romish charity should have expressed her selfe in giving Orders and Grace to one that before had the grace and gift of Teaching from on high which that Lord that ascended on high gave unto Pastors for the building of his Church but I heare nothing of this fruit of charity but I heare of a Priesthood which too often is a resemblance of the order of Ieroboam and that the Priesthood is a Sacrament divided into two Powers one to sacrifice and another to absolve but I read not of a third power or commission of teaching to bee given by this Sacrament and so the Priests lips that under
none of them are the bastard fruits of Romish and carnall errors of merit and satisfaction But a patterne of these works of charity hath been already presented to the world and yet not of all Protestants but of this Kingdome and yet not of the whole Realme but of some part for the whole And that I send not away the Reader altogether empty I will take a part of that part and this part I doubt is not to bee matched by any proportionable part of the Romish Jurisdiction in the same proportion of time Thus he begins Whereas the Professors of the Gospel are generally charged by the Romanists as barren and fruitlesse of good workes I will to stop their slanderous mouthes shew by a particular induction that more charitable works have been performed in the times of the Gospel then they can shew to have beene in the like time of Popery or in twice so much time now going immediately before And because it would require an endlesse labour to make collection of all such works I will give instance onely of three most famous places of this Land which have most abounded in these fruits namely the City of London and the two Universities And then having reckoned and summed up divers gifts hee thus concludes his totall They want not much of a Million But if all other gifts which came not to my knowledge were added the summe would farre exceed a Million In which summe I comprehend not the yeerely collection of 30000. pounds through the Parishes of this Land And I think the time since this computation hath yet beene more fruitfull the summes being very great which have been given for the maintenance of forrain Preachers and exiles repairing of Churches redeeming of captives enlarging and beautifying of Colledges erecting or increasing Libraries amongst which that of Oxford growes to so large and glorious a lustre that doubtlesse it dazels the eyes of Popery to behold it CHAP. IV. Opposed to the Cavaliers second Chapter wherein he labours to excuse the uncharitable censure of Papists in damning Protestants SECT I. The Protestants Religion is declared to be a saving Religion In respect 1. of the Object of faith 2. Of the meanes of beleeving the Word and Sacraments 3. Of the effects of faith charity and repentance WEe are told in this Chapter that when Romists give the sentence of damnation against us they doe it not against us but against our heresie or if you will Protestancy But I answer If Protestancy doe not damne us then Papists doe damne us for as a guiltlesse person whom his owne crime doth not condemn may be truly said to be slaine and condemned by the witnesses which falsely accuse him so Protestants not being condemned by Protestancy are damned by the false witnesses of Rome And indeed if they would suspend their uncharitable censures of damnation untill they had manifestly proved the faith of Protestants to be damnable the Cavalier on this quarrell might have had no need to put on his defensive Armour yea if hee had but considered the whole verse whereof he takes a part therewith to conclude this Chapter hee needed not to have begun it his peece is this Hee that beleeveth not shall bee coâ—demned and that which he left out is this He that beleeveth and is baptized shall bee saved now hereunto I subjoyn But Protestants do beleeve and are baptized and how can it chuse but follow Therefore Protestants shall bee saved And that there may be no quarrell about saving faith Let the Author and Finisher of our faith the Judge of quick and dead bee Judge betweene us Heare the Word of that Word which is God This is the will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Sonne and beleeveth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day And if this Word who is Truth had any need of witnesses it were easie to produce them So that whatsoever distance betweene Christ and a soule this Author doth speake of it is taken away by that justifying faith which uniteth us to Christ and makes us one spirit with him For by faith wee being made his Spouse flesh of his flesh bone of his bone and spirit of his spirit Christ is ours and we are Christs our debts are his his merits are ours for indeed if Christ bee ours all things are ours and among those all things are Christs merits And now being in Christ Jesus let Rome and the present Romists say what they will Saint Paul to the pure and primitive Romans plainely said There is to us no condemnation None can separate whom God hath thus put together no not the gates of Hell though set open in the Papacie and sending sorth Champions against us can separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus Againe for the meanes and furtherance of this uniting and saving faith the advantage is incomparably on our side The ordinary and maine meanes of begetting and increasing this faith is the preaching of the Gospel if wee will beleeve the Spirit of God speaking in the Apostles And let the Pope take a survey of his Dominions and I thinke it will palpably appeare that hee comes farre short of matching this Nation with any proportionable part of his Kingdome in the Gifts Abilities and Numbers of solide and profitable Preachers These gifts then being given by Him that ascended on high for the edifying and saving of his Body wee will make no doubt but that the Harvest is great where the Labourers sent forth with these gifts are so many And withall hereby wee may learne That to obtaine thâ—se gifts from on high by which soules may bee saved and to obtaine salvation by the ministry of those gifts there is no need of being subject to the Popes Supremacy seeing wee have both very plentifull without it But this Champion is still angry because we have not great store of Sacraments and yet he knoweth that his owne Doctors do confesse that a man may bee saved if hee have no more Sacraments then we doe use and acknowledge And indeed if a man in Regeneration whereof Baptisme is a seale doe put off originall sinne with the guilt of it and receive a new life of Grace and by the use of the Lords Supper put off the guilt of actuall sinne and nourish and increase this new life I doubt not but hee may goe safe and sound from strength to strength untill he see God in Sion And therefore the French Bishop Fulbertus said five hundred years past that in three things A right Faith in the Trinity To know the reason of Baptisme And of the Lords Supper the whole summe of Mans salvation did consist As for charity and pennance which the Author would commend to us wee acknowledge that charity is the sap which issueth from the true vine Christ Iesus into those that are ingrafted in him by faith But wee must
be in the vine before wee can draw this sap from him And if wee be in him then as Saint Paul told us before wee are even at the same instant those to whom there is no condemnation And penitence for I hope that is the best pennance also is the fruit of this union and of the new life which wee receive by it For Regeneration makes a Well of water in the soule which springeth up to eternall life Now the nature of a Well is by an ever springing purity to purge and cast out the filth that is cast into it And thus doth the Well of Grace in our soules cast out the filth of actuall sins by repentance And indeede to both these doth our Church call us in our preparations to the Lords Supper so that in regard of the care of our Church and her Remembrancers wee have no need of Popish admonitions towards charity and repentance and in regard of the Lords Supper which is Christs remembrance of these duties to us wee have no need of more Popish Sacraments And now if there were cause I could say much more of the sufficiency of our faith for wee beleeve that which Canisius the Jesuite saith is the summe of things to be beleeved the Creed of the Apostles And if there were yet need of a larger faith Let us heare King James of ever glorious memory what he saith of his Protestant faith I am such a Catholique Christian as beleeveth the three Creeds I reverence and admit the foure first generall Councells as Catholique and Orthodox Briefly wee have so full and saving a faith in Jesus Christ and his Gospell that except the Pope bring us another Jesus and another Gospell wee neede not to heare him and if hee bring another Jesus and another Gospell then hee is accursed SECT II. The presumption of Papists in condemning this saving faith whereas the Cavalier denyes that they hold Protestants to be in the case of those who sinne against the Holy Ghost it is shewed by a fearfull example that denying the Doctrine of the Protestants hath been taken for the sin against the holy Ghost ANd now being justified by God in Jesus Christ through a saving faith who shall condemne us Certainely the faith which saveth us will not condemne us Therefore if Romists condemne us when wee have this saving faith they are to bee condemned for unjust condemning us They must have that judgement wherewith they have judged others and so they have not so much condemned us as themselves They draw the woe and curse upon themselves which is denounced against those that call good evill and take the righteousnesse of the righteous from him And thus doing they are far from taking the place of Almighty God in judging his servants which this man saith som of ours do lay against them as a charge For indeed to speak more rightly they might say that herein Romists take the place of the Accuser of the Brethren They put themselves into the place of that Father of untruth and uncharitablenesse that falsely accused Job as an Hypocrite and assayed to provoke God and Men against the Children of God Yet doth not the Divell nor his instruments falsly accuse and terrifie the faithfull without an especiall craft For hee is a cunning Fowler and a Fowler when hee hath spread his net before some cleft of a Rock where birds rest in safety he assayes by noyses out-cries and terrors to fright them out of their safety that so they may come into his net So the Divell when he seeth soules safely resting by faith in the Rock Christ Iesus hee assayeth to fright them out of their safety by the out-cries and terrors of damnation And the Romists joyne with them in these terrible noyses so to fright Protestants from their Rock of safety into their net of errors superstitions idolatries and especially that large Net of Idolatry the Popes Deity and Supremacy But as the onely safety of the bird is not to feare these out-cries neither by feare of a false danger to runne into a true one so it is the safety of Protestants not to feare these noyses nor for the feare of a false damnation to runne into a true one Let them keepe close to their Rock of safety Christ Iesus and from this safety they may assuredly expect salvation But contrarily the false Accusers and affrighters and casters of damnation shall be truely in danger of the same damnation which they have falsely laid on the heires of salvation This Author speakes yet further of a charge laid by us on Romists That they say Protestancy is as the sinne against the Holy Ghost I thinke the meaning of this charge is onely to this purpose That Romists in saying that unrepented Protestancie doth damne men doe make it in effect as mortall as the impenitent sinne against the Holy Ghost But for every way of charging them for their uncharitable censure I doe not undertake for it may suffice mee any way to shew that this censure is uncharitable Yet seeing wee are fallen into the mention of comparing Protestancy to the sin against the Holy Ghost let us behold in a patterne how neerely falling from Protestancie hath been taken for the sin against the Holy Ghost F. Spira a learned Lawyer dwelling neere Padua having embraced the true Religion with great zeale and making open profession of the same was complained of to the Popes Legate which when hee understood and saw the danger after hee had long deliberated and consulted what was best to bee done hee resolved at last to goe to the Legate accordingly he went to him to Venice craved pardon and promised future obedience The Legate for an example to others commanded him after his returne to make an open recantation which accordingly hee performed But having done this against his conscience to maintaine himselfe and his charge being returned to his house hee could not rest an houre no not a minute nor feele any ease of his continuall anguish And even from that night hee was so terrified and had such horror of his actions as hee held himselfe for lost For as he himselfe did confesse hee saw plainely before his eyes all the torments of hell and the damned and in his soule did heare the fearfull sentence being drawn before the Judgment seat of Iesus Christ. Hee was carried to Padua where famous and excellent Physicians did visit him and gave him Physicke with singular affection but they soone found that he was little sick in body but grievously in minde Nothing came out of his mouth that was lightly or foolishly spoken or that might discover any raving in him They asked him if hee thought his sinne to bee so foule that it could not be pardoned through the bounty and infinite mercie of God His answer was That hee had sinned against the Holy Ghost which was so great a sinne as it is called a sinne unto death
over his deceipt unto his Reader For we doe not say That men have not so much as free will being moved by effectuall grace But That they have not so little as free will For wee hold that the will being moved effectually by grace is more then free will for it is free will fortified actuated and animated by grace So his Reader is deceived by him if he be perswaded by these words that wee doe not allow men actuated by grace so much as free will for we allow them more And indeed wee allow them much more then Romists and they quarrell with us because wee allow them so much Yet the more power and efficacy we allow grace in the will the lesse efficacy hath the Cavaliers objection but the more encouragement have men to good works For the more God helpeth the will the more couragiously may the will go on to working and the more may exhortation call for good works Indeed if God did not worke in us to will and to do but left man to stand only on the motion of his own will exhortations might have but a cold encouragement standing meerly at the mercy of the creature for successe and effect But when God gives what he commands then may exhortations call for the performance of Gods commands As for humane justice in punishing hee may know that our opinion doth not oppose but approve it For even your own Vega in the Councell of Trent acknowledgeth That Protestants affirme a liberty in Philosophicall justice and in externall workes of the Law But of free will I may here say the lesse because I have spoken somewhat of it before and elsewhere is more largely unfolded the truth of the point and the consent of our Church SECT IIII. That the Idolatry and bloud which springs from the Religion of Rome should deterre men from consorting with her BUt here I may give this returne to the Romists Upon the love of God and man depends the whole Law And in the love of God a principall place is given to the worship of God in spirit and truth And in the love of man a chiefe place is given to the preservation of his life Idolatry and murder being contrary to these are maine breaches of this royall Law of love Now Rome permitting the doctrines and practice of idolatry and murder the maine breaches of the Law of God with what face can she require the keeping of other lawes and lesser duties that gives such encouragement to the breach of these greater ones Tertullian proves idolatry alone to be a breach of every Commandement and besides it will not bee hard to prove that Rome jointly with idolatry gives encouragement to the breach of every Commandement but I especially fasten on these two whose eminent guilt is haunted with the continuall out-cry of the Prophets and at length avenged with heavie judgements by the Judge of the whole earth And indeed commonly these sins are twins the same evil spirit first working by idolatry as it were a not being of God in the faith and worship of man and then provoking man to destroy the Image of that God whom he hath formerly abolished But most fearfull sinnes they are and their hideousnesse may be seen in the horrid face of the judgements which have beene the counterparts and representations of them He that would behold painted unto the life the lamentable countenance of these judgements let him with an heart of life and sense read over the Lamentations of Ieremy And he that will see Idols and bloud to have been the maine meritorious causes of these judgements let him reade the words both of other Prophets and the same Ieremy But if for these Jerusalem hath been judged what shall become of Rome For Rome is the mother of spirituall fornications and in her is found the bloud of all that are slaine on earth The power of Rome crucified the Lord Jesus it slew millions of the Martyrs of Iesus under the heathen Emperours it hath added to these millions the multitudes of those who have been slaine under the beast with hornes of a Lamb. And how loud is the cry of all this bloud being united in one voice Wherefore let my counsell be acceptable to you I speake to the children of Rome that they may be saved Heare the voice of Gods Spirit Come out of her my people before God heare the voyce of this bloud and then ye be partakers of her judgements For she that is drunk with the bloud of the Saints shall vomit it up againe and her owne bloud with it shee shall fall and never rise againe for the word of God hath spoken it Wherefore do not joyn with that idolatrous company of Mourners which shall lament for her when they shall see the smoake of her burning but bee found among the heavenly company of Rejoycers which sing Alleluia Salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our God For true righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication hath avenged the bloud of his servants at her hand And thus the Man of sinne and all the enemies of Christ being made his foote-stoole wee will hope that the kingdome of grace shall bee speedily changed into the kingdome of glory And for the hastening of that glory wee will pray for the speedy subduing of these enemies For this glory being come wee shall by the King of glory and peace bee translated into that peace where we shall be free from the vexations of enmity There shall be no controversies emulations factions and schismes for Religion but without controversie the great mystery of godlinesse shall appear unto us in a perfect discovery light glory Yea there the Church shall be made capable of seeing the highest glory and in this sight shee shall be glorified The Father and Fountaine of glory shall shine into her and in his light she shall see light and by his light shee shall be light And hee that filleth her with light shall also fill her with joy for the light of Gods countenance is the joy of the soule and yet with it will hee powre into the soule the new wine of the kingdome the oyle of gladnesse issuing from his Spirit which shall make up the joyes of a consummate marriage and fill the Spouse with extasies and overflowings of joy unspeakable and glorious And thus tasting how sweet the Lord is in the joies of a most fruitive union these joyes shall enflame her loves and her loves shall kindle her joyes shee shall taste and see God who is the chiefe object of her love shee shall rejoice in seeing and tasting him whom she loveth and shee must needs fervently love him in whom shee findes and feeles such exceeding joy Thus shall shee run in a circle of Love and Joy and this circle of Love and Joy shall bee for all eternity for the