which the damned do suffer tasted felt and suffered the true paines or dolours of hell the infernall paines and sorrowes of hell was in the middest of the torments of hell suffered the paine of hell the same paine and punishment with the damned the horrible torments of a damned man the eternall paines for the time the execrable death the second death which is the death of the soule the separation from God felt tasted and endured the eternall death the anguish of hell the torments in hell after death both in his body and soule All which are the very summe and abridgement without adding or agrauating of any one word of the more ample speaches and sentences of the most famous Protestant Doctours and maisters as Luther Melancthon Illyricus Reineccius Lobecius Hutterus Vrsinus Paraeus in Germany of Caluin Beza Daneus in Geneua of Tilenus Piscator Molinaeus Polanus in France of Vorstius Homius in the Low-countries and of Whitaker Perkins and Parkes in England and may be seene at large in the learned Collation of the Right reuerend Bishop D. Smith If I say we adde all these execrable horrible and blasphemous assertions against the eternal Maiesty goodnesse of the sonne of God and compare them with the infallible certainty and assurance which they make euery one of their owne predestination iustification and glorification of which by faith they make themselues so certaine as if Christ had beene present and said they shal be saued so sure as they are sure that there is a God or that Christ is saued which are likewise at large in the same Author faithfully collected If I say we adde all this impiety blasphemy and infidelity which is vented and inuented by this priuate spirit and both practised preached and printed by the chief professors of the same and so diuulged to the vew of the whole world to be belieued and professed of all as the word and the pure word of God as the honour and greatest honour of God Iesus Christ I see not what greater hypocrisy dissimulation what deeper blasphemy and abomination can be vttered or by what meanes a readier or broader way to the subuersion of all Christianity and piety and the erection of all Atheisme Barbarisme can be made and prepared And thus much of the absurdities which ensue vpon the priuate spirits doctrine of sole speciall and certaine iustifying faith the consequēt points of doctrine depending vpon it Absurdities which follow vpon the third head that is of Concupiscence being originall sinne SECT IIII. OVT of the third principle or progeny of this priuate spirit and the doctrine hanging vpon it which is that originall sinne which they make to be Concupiscence doth remaine in the regenerate and iust is not remitted or abolished by Baptisme but only not imputed and couered by faith doth corrupt the whole man all his actions internall and externall doth staine with sinne all good works euen the best of the best men doth strike dead all freewill liberty to do well doth strangle all inherent iustice and sanctification doth stope all merit satisfaction and pennance and doth set a stay to all possibility of keeping the cōmandements with such other like now paradoxes ensuing vpon it out of this I say it followes first That the whole Protestant Church and their spouse of Christ which consists only of such elect and regenerat persons as these is if we may so tearme it a kingdome a Citty a temple a house a spouse a body of Christ by which termes the true Church of Christ is stiled consisting of subiects Citizens seruants persons and members who in euery action euery good worke euen in the best worke of the best of them do sinne nothing but sinne and cannot but commit sinne and that mortally all whose thoughts words and deeds are sinnes mortall sins damnable sinnes and they by these sinnes are vncleane polluted vniust and full of malice in the sight of God who are not able to obserue keepe or performe any one much lesse all the commandements of God as impossible and not obliging vpon any condition to saluation who are idolaters blasphemers forswearers breakers of the sabboth adulterers murtherers theeues false witnesses either in externall action or in internall desire in which they must needs breake euery commandement who cannot by any one act once in all their life belieue feare praise or loue God as they ought who haue no inward grace vertue or iustice inherent and infused in their soules but all sinne deformity pollution rebellion and contumacy against God and his commandements which are also the very words of the foresaid Protestants cited by the foresaid authour who are as pointed faces of themselues deformed and only by colours made to shew faire as sepulchers of dead men outwardly whited but within dead bodies As wolues couered with the woll of sheep but inwardly rauenous As foolish virgins who haue no oyle in their owne lampes but thinke that others oyle shall suffice them As bodies stemed and stinking with corruption of rottenesse leprosy and ordure and only couered with faire cloathes made of the silke of Christs iustice Such are all elect iust regenerate and holy Protestants of such consists their congregations Church and with such is filled their kingdome of heauen by such are Catholiks condemned and persecuted heere in England Secondly it followes that any faythfull iust and regenerate Protestant may in respect of any pitt of damnation as well commit theft murder adultery periury idolatry sacriledge incest and all enormous vices as exercise himselfe in abstinence continency iustice almes-deeds or as read the Bible heare a sermon receaue the Communion say his prayers belieue loue or prayse God and the like For as both the one and the other proceed from originall sinne are infected thereby with the staine of sinnes and that mortall deseruing eternall damnation so are neither the one nor the other kind imputed to him for sinnes nor are punished with damnation as sinnes As both the one and the other are damnable in the reprobate and he for both shall be punished in hell so neither the one nor the other are imputed to the elect nor he for either can be hindred from heauē As in both the elect and reprobate workes are not distinguished by the obiect but by the person being all mortall sinnes in themselues so in the reprobate all are mortall in the elect all veniall all pardoned none imputed none punished And as the good workes in the elect do not merit any reward of glory nor satisfy for any punishment of sinne so the bad workes in the same elect shall not receaue any infliction of punishment neither depriue him of any benefit of iustification both therefore the good the bad are in themselues great sinnes as proceeding from concupiscence which is sinne and as violating the law but both are by fayth not imputed both by the iustice of Christ couered
of the same heere on earth In which we honour him belieuing that as man he is the head of men of the Church and of the visible monarchy of the Church which he established for euer and that euery knee ought to bow downe and adore him as the Sauior of it and that he hath dominion ouer all by his death and resurrection and did also leaue a visible Vicegerent after him by whom we should be gouerned visibly as by himselfe inuisibly Fourthly from his authority to make lawes and iudge vs they derogat and dishonour him in that they take from him al power to make any lawes or giue any precepts of true faith morall life or good manners for our instruction direction deny him as a iudge to haue exercised any iudgment vpon the liuing and faithfull In which we giue him the honour to haue beene our law maker our iudge and to haue made a new law of grace abrogating the old of Moyses and in it to haue prescribed vnto vs obedience to his precepts of faith and good life Fiftly From his Sanctity they derogatiue much and dishonour him greatly in that they call him truly and properly a sinner a great sinner and the greatest sinner of all sinners who sinned in discurtesy to his mother in inconsideration in his actions in forgetfulnesse of his function in staggering betweene praising and blaspheming God betweene hope and despaire and in renouncing his saluation for which he was execrable to God cursed with the damned being in all these properly a sinner and not only by the imputation of our sinnes to him as in their opinion euen man is iust by imputation of his iustice to him and so as truly sinfull as euer any man was iust All which we abhorre as blasphemy belieuing that he suffered paines and payed therby the price of our redemption but was innocent impolluted immaculate incontaminat and segregated from all sinners and sinfull actions bearing the punishment of our sinne in his body but being free from all imputation of the guilt of sinne in his soule Sixtly From his redemption of mankind they derogate and dishonour him 1. In that they deny the vertue of his death passion and precious blood to haue been any full satisfaction or redemption of mankind but only the inâ—ernal paines and suffering in his soule to haue been accepted as sufficient 2. In that they deny the vniuersality and fulnesse of his redemption to haue been offered for all men affirming him to haue dyed only for the elect and to haue offered or left no meanes of redemption for the wicked and reprobat 3. In that they deny the effect and efficacy of the same to haue extended to the abolishing and washing away of sinne to the inward sanctification of the soule by any inward and inherent grace and iustice which should enable it to keep the commandments of God and to auoid mortal offence against God In all which we honour him and his redemption in that 1. We belieue and professe that his pretious bloud shed vpon the crosse and his death and passion offered vp to God was a full price a perfect redemption from sinne 2. That the same was a full price satisfaction and redemption for all the sinnes of all persons in all the world 3. That the same purchased of his part for all sinners not only are imputatiue but also an inherent and reall iustification by grace which doth wash away the deformity of sinne cure the infirmity of the soule and giue strength to the keeping of Gods commandements and to the auoiding of sinne and so the meriting of a reward at Gods handes Seauenthly from his merit and satisfaction they derogate and dishonour him in that they deny him to haue by it satisfyed the iustice of God for any one sinne or to haue merited to himselfe his owne exaltation to glory or to our workes either any satisfaction for sinne or any merit of reward by his grace In all which we honour the same belieuing that he fully in iustice satisfyed and offered to God a sufficient price for our sinnes that he merited for himselfe his owne body the glory of his Resurrection and to vs not only for our sinnes a full price and satisfaction but also for our good works a vertue by grace both to satisfy in some sort for sinne and to merit a reward of more grace present and glory to come Eightly about his corporall death and passion they shamefully derogate and dishonour him in that they affirme he suffered both in body and soule the paines torments of Hell the death of the soule the separation of the soule from God the same infernall and eternall paines which the very Diuells and damned do suffer for the tyme and which in rigour are due to sinne and all sinners which except he had suffered he had not satisfyed for vs nor sufficiently redeemed vs. In all which we doe so honour his life and death that we attribute to euery action and passion of his euen to the least drop of his bloud that worth and valew arysing of the dignity of his diuine person that it was sufficient to haue satisfyed for an infinit world of sinnes and that the paines he suffered were only in the sensible and inferiour part of the soule and body but did not touch the superiour part of his soule that they were voluntarily sustained and offerred vp to God for vs and accepted by God for vs as being of more dignity then the offence of all our sinnes was of indignity whereby he neither suffered nor needed to suffer nor could in the dignity of his person suffer any paines ot hell but by the paines of the Crosse though by the tendernes of his coplexion more painefull to him then to any other did pay a sufficient price make a full attonement offer a perfect satisfaction and performe the part of a complete Redeemer and Sauiour for all mankind and the sinnes of all men Ninthly in the certainty of his saluation they blasphemously derogate from him and dishonour him more then themselues in that they affirme euery one of themselues to be infallibly certaine of his saluation and more certaine by his speciall faith of it then by his generall faith of the B. Trinity or incarnation of Christ and yet that our B. Sauiour was fearfull doubtfull wauering and vncertaine of his saluation did strugle with the horrour of death feared to be absorpt vp of eternall death was tormented with the anxiety of Gods wrath and indignation and that more then any man euer was or could be in which his horrour and desolation consists the summe of their consolation as their owne words more fully before related do expresse In all which we do so far honour him that we affirme and belieue that the painâ—s he suffered he willingly offered vp to God for vs that he was sure and secure that God his father did alwayes
in soule and that not to the lowest Hell but only to the graue or buriall and so Act. 2. Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell they change soule into carkasse and hell into graue translating it Thou shalt not leaue my carkasse in the graue as Beza and Bucer 5. By those who admit his descension to haue beene in soule but yet suffering the very paines of hell and of the damned either after his death in hell as Luther Gerlachius and some other mentioned by Beza or before his death in the garden and vpon the Crosse as Caluin VVillet and others before cited 6. By those who question this article as suspected to haue beene intruded into the Creed after it was made as Caluin All which opinions as they either deny any Limbus Patrum to haue euer beene or any reall torments of hell as yet to be or as they affirme Christ to haue descended only in vertue and merit not in body or soule or only in body to the graue or in soule to suffer the paines of hell either after death in hel or before death vpon the Crosse and in the garden are all contrary to this part of this article in which is affirmed Christs descending into hell that is in soule to Limbus to free the Fathers and Patriarches there and to carry them with him into heauen Secondly his Resurrection from the dead in the same article is oppugned 1. By those who according to Beza deny all resurrection as yet of Christs body more then of other mens 2. By the Vbiquitarians who affirme his body to haue had immensity and therby to haue beene euery where in all places euer after his Incarnation 3. By Caluin Beza and other who deny his Resurrection with the guift of subtility or penetration and affirme that his body could not pierce through the stone of the sepulcher or enter the doors to his Disciples without either the remouing or altering of the nature of the dores and stone by resoluing them into some liquid matter 4. By Caluin and others who deny the rysing againe of his bloud that was shed vpon the Crosse thereby the resurrection of his whole and entire body All which as they deny either any resurrection at all or the complete Resurrection of Christs body or the resurrection of the same with subtilty or penetration do euery one oppugne this article of Christs resurrection from the dead in such due sense as it ought to be belieued Seauenthly in the seauenth article attributed to S. Bartholomew is oppugned both the ascending of Christ to heauen and his sitting at the right hand of God the Father by power and dignity equall to him in person and excelling all creatures in his humane nature 1. By the Vbiquitarians who by the all-presence of Christs body in euery place take from it all possibility of ascending to a new place 2. By Caluin who by giuing to Christ a power not equall with God but Vicary or deputary to him and an honour not the same but only second in degree to Christ after God the Father by denying al situatiō either of sitting or standing of Christs body in heauen doth oppose both his Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God 3. By the same Caluin and others who deny all Ascension through the heauens by way of penetration and admit it only by diuision and by cutting off the heauens 4. By those who yield the Patriarches a priority and deny Christ the primacy of tyme in ascending to heauē All which as they either affirme an euery where presence of Christs body or a difference of honour between◠Christ as God and God the Father or as they deny either any penetration of Christs body through the heauens or any priority of his ascending before other soules are all opposite to the manner of Christs ascension and sitting at the right hand of God in glory Eightly in the eight article attributed to S. Matthew is oppugned the Cōming of Christ to iudge the quicke and the dead by their generall doctrine that God is authour and worker of all sinnes that the Commandements of God are impossible that man hath no freewill that there is no reward for good deedes that all sinnes be mortall and damnable For these supposed no way is left to discusse rightly the differēce of sinnes to punish iustly mens sinnes or to reward duly their good deeds Ninthly In the ninth article attributed to S. Iames the lesser is oppugned the beliefe of the holy Ghost and of the Catholicke Church both which S. Augustine makes one article Of the holy Ghost in that some as hath been shewed make it only the vertue not the substance of God others expung it out of their Letanies Others as the Geneuians deny the adoration of it Others as before do make it the authour worker of all sinne the sauiour of all sects who by a perswasion they cōceiue of it do euery one assure themselues of saluation which authority reason and experience conuince to be false Of the holy Catholicke Church in that some reiect the name Catholicke as vaine and change it into Christian others leaue it wholy out of the Creed as superfluous and all of them do generally affirme the Church for many ages to haue beene latent inuisible erroneous adulterous and antichristian without either head to gouerne it or authority to end any controuersies and to conserue vnity or to punish offenders in it and without any sanctity in the professours of it whom they make all to be sinners and that in all sinnes generally and in great sins mortally then how can such a Church be truely holy vniuersall and infallible in deciding the beliefe of articles determination of controuersies Tenthly In the tenth article attributed to S. Simon is oppugned the Communion of Saints and forgiuenesse of sinnes The communion of saints is oppugned 1. The communion of saints in earth one with another by denying all meanes of vnity in faith vnder one head and Iudge 2. The communion of saints in earth with the soules in purgatory by denying all prayer for the dead 3. The communion of Saints in earth with the Saints in heauen by denying all honour or praying by vs vnto them and all knowledge and praying by them either for vs in earth or others in purgatory The remission of sinnes is oppugned by denying al power of priesthood in Gods church to pronounce any sentence of absolution all vertue in Sacraments to haue any operation as instruments in the remitting of sinne all infusion of grace to blot out and wash away all vncleannesse and deformity of any sinne either originall or actuall which according to them are neuer remitted or taken away but only couered and not imputed Eleuenthly In the eleauenth article attributed to S. Iudas Thaddaeus is oppugned the resurrection of the body by all who before oppugned the resurrection of Christs body and
heare him alwayes loue him alwayes assist him alwayes comfort him that no feare doubt wauering or perturbation did or could euer enter into his will or vnderstanding yea that all that time of his passion his soule had the perfect vision and fruition of God and only his sensible partes endured those paines and torments of the crosse Tenthly As for his descending into hell they derogate from it and dishonour him in that they affirme he descended either only to the graue in body or also to the lower hell in soule to suffer the paines of it either before his death on the crosse or after it in hell but not to haue freed the Patriarchs from Limbus by the presence of his soule there We honour it in belieuing that he descended in soule further then to the graue to which he only descended in body but not so far as to suffer the paines of hell in soule but only to the Limbus patrum where he gaue the Patriarches there detained present liberty fruition of eternall hapinesse afterwards carried them with him to the place of glory and so triumphed ouer hell led aptiuity Ccaptiue Eleuenthly From his resurrection and ascension they derogate and dishonour him both by denying him the subtility or penetration of his body wherby he was able to passe through either the stone of the sepulcher at his resurrection or the dores of the house at his entrance to his disciples or the hardnesse of the heauens at his ascension all which they wil haue either dissolued or opened or diuided We honour attribut more dignity to the same belieuing that by the gift of subtility or penetratioÌ„ his body did pierce passe through the stone the dores and the heauens at his resurrection and ascension as it did also his Mothers wombe at his natiuity with out any diuision dissolution or detriment to the nature of either the one or the other in which also he shewed his subtility and consequently his impassibility or immortality Twefthly From his adoration and inuocation by vs as he is now in heauen they derogate and dishonour him in affirming that as man he is not to be adored or inuocated by vs. We honour him as man so far that we bow downe at the name of Iesus praying to him with the blind man the Cananean saying Sonne of Dauid haue mercy on vs And fall down with the Sages the womeÌ„ adore him In al which and many more as they by their priuate spirit the doctrine of it do derogate take from Christ his honour his power his goodnesse his beatitude his knowledge his sanctity his certainty of saluation his adoration and the vertue and power of his passion redemption resurrection ascension so do we in our Catholike doctrine attribute to same due honour and dignity so both in our doctrine practise giue more honour praise power and glory to God and to Iesus Christ then they do either in doctrine or practise Thirdly For the Saints and blessed soules in heauen they dishonour them and take from them 1. Their state of beatitude affirming as Luther and Caluin do that they yet sleepe and neither know what we do nor yet enioy any present glory and beatitude till the day of Iudgment 2. Their perfection of Sanctity in affirming as Caluin doth both of Angels and Saints that their obedience is imperfect that their iustice is defectiue and doth not satisfy God that their works require pardon and that in them is folly vanity and frailty 3. Their power of doing miracles by the gift of God which Beza Piscator Vrsinus and Perkins â—hould to be a vertue proper only to God not communicated to any creature man or Saint 4. Their difference and degree or honour affirming that all are equall in glory beatitude and reward and that no lawrels or crownes of accidentall beatitude are due to Martyrs Confessours or Virgins 5. Their respect and esteeme with God denying that God doth either apply in any sort their merits to vs or doth help and respect vs for their prayers 6. Their knowledge of vs and our affaires on earth denying that they heare vnderstand or know vs or any thing we do heere on earth 7. Their charity towardes vs affirming they neither at our intercessious sollicite or pray to God for vs nor offer vp any petitions and miseries of ours to God 8. Their honour and inuocation by vs denying it to be lawfull to worship them to honour theÌ„ to inuocate them or so much as saith Luther to imitate and follow their example 9. The custody and â—uition of Angels ouer vs and their hierarchies and orders in heauen denying or at least doubting of the custody of our Angell guardian the difference of al Hierarchies and orders among Angels In al which we and our doctrine on the contrary do attribute to them perfect and present beatitude in their soules complete obedience in their performing the will of God vpright Sanctity in all their actions extraordinary power in working miracles notable difference of degrees of glory eminent knowledge in vnderstanding our prayers excellent charity in making intercession for vs and due honour and veneration in giuing them adoration inuocation and imitation befitting both the Saints for their prayers for vs and the Angels for their custody of vs. Fourthly For the word of God they abuse it take 1. From iâ— one first and principall part of it to wit all the vnwritten word or which is diuine vnwritten tradition 2. From the written word they chop and cut off from the old Testament fourteene peeces or partes and some of them from the new Testament seauen whole bookes from the Canon of scripture 3. For the translation of scripture they reiect the ancient and follow euery nation euery congregation and euery person a new translation which best pleases them therby leaue no certainty of the verity of any 4. For the sense of scripture they contemne that which the spirit of God did inspire to the ancient Fathers Councels Church and follow that which euery mans priuate spirit suggests and therby follow not the meaning of the spirit of God but that of their owne spirit 5. For their faith grounded vpon scripture they belieue only those points which their spirit finds in that part translation and sense which they chose and therby make an vncertaine imperfect mained kind of faith and religion 6. For their Iudge and meanes to try which is scripture and which is true sense of it they admit not any infallible Iudgment either of Church or of CouÌ„cels or of Pastours but leaue to euery man to choose himself what he will belieue to iudge and follow whom he pleases in his beliefe wherby they can haue neither any vnity in faith not any certainty of scripture of scripture sense We in our doctrine do admit for the word of
necessity of grace against Iulian the Pelagian he speaketh of the Fathers in this manner These Fathers I haue cyted no more least it should be too tedious to read them yet such as are not so light that you may scorne to weigh thē yea so great that you may groane vnder the burthen of them These are they whose so great consent ought to moue you and who are not a conspiracy as you call them of ill tongued men but who flourished in the Catholike Church are sound in doctrine and armed with spirituall weapons who fought stoutly against heretickes and haue passed ouer their labours and slept in the bosome of peace VVho hauing liued holily and ouercome the errours of their tyme and departed gloriously out of this world before you came into it These though they were not then present when this Controuersie began and is now on foot so could not by word of mouth giue a definitiue sentence yet when they wrote and sayd these thinges they were then such as had not any either friendship or falling out with you or vs. They were angry neither at you nor vs had compassion of neither What they found in the Church they kept what they learned they teached what they receaued from their Fathers they deliuered to their children You and we did not plead before these Iudges and yet they decyded our cause neither you nor we were knowne to them and yet we do produce their verdict for vs against you we did not about this matter contend with you and yet they pronounce vs victors That which they belieue we belieue what they teach we teach what they preach we preach yield to them and yield to vs consent with them and consent with vs if you will not by them be a friend to vs yet be not for vs an enemy to them which yet you must be if you remaine in this errour therfore leaue it and leane to them Can Pelagius and Celestius Luther and Caluin so farre preuaile with you that for them you dare forsake so many and so great ancient Doctours and defenders of the Catholike fayth ouer all the world Hath tyme made such a confusion of great and small matters Is darkenes so become light and light darkenes that Pelagius Celestius Iulianus c. do see and Hilary Gregory Nazianzen Ambrose c. are blind VVere it not better to yield to them who are better and stronger and to maister your owne presumption then to insist vpon your owne animosity and conceit which you desire should preuaile because it is your owne VVere it not better to yield to these Christian Doctours or rather to Christ in them and to restore your selfe to them from whome you are departed How gratefull would these be to you if you did belieue the Catholike fayth and how terrible must they needes be against you when you oppugne the same Catholike Fayth which they sucked from the teat which they eate with their meate which for milke and meate they gaue to little ones and great ones which they plainely and stoutly defended against their enemies euen you not then borne By such planters waterers builders Pastours nurses the Holy Church increased therefore stood amazed at the prophane termes of your nouelty and as the head of a serpent abhorred troad vnder foot bruised and kickt away your new opinions which did lurke and crawle to deceaue the virginity of the Catholike Church and corrupt the chastity of it which it hath in Christ as did the Serpent seduce Eue. The Fayth of these is to be defended against you as is the Ghospell against wicked and professed enemies of Christ euen that Catholike and Christian fayth which as it was first deliuered in Scriptures so by these Fathers it hath beene hitherto kept and defended and shall by Gods grace euer be kept and defended Thus S. Augustine against the Pelagians their new doctrine for the Fathers and thus we against the Protestantes and their priuate spirit and new doctrine for the same And this may suffice for the testimonies of Fathers THE PRIVATE SPIRITS INTERPRETATION OF HOLY SCRIPTVRE Deciding of Controuersies and iudging of matters of Fayth Confuted by Reasons drawne from the difficulty of discerning of Spirits CHAP. IIII. Of the diuersity of Spirits SECT I. IN the former Chapters we haue confuted the Protestāt priuate spirit by authorityes of holy Scripture and by testimonies of ancient Fathers it remaines that we doe the like by euidence of reason and in this Chapter by reasons drawne frō the difficulty of discerning of spirits of which if the priuate spirit be not able to discerne and iudge which be good or bad which true or false much lesse is it able to discerne iudge the motions and effects of them that is which Scripture the sense of it is true or false which fayth and doctrine is good or bad For the better vnderstanding of which difficulty of discerning of Spirits we may note first how many sortes of varieties and distinctions of spirits there be 1. According to the nature and property of spirits S. Gregory distinguishes them thus Some are without mixture of body some with mixture Spirits without mixture are either increate as God the Father a spirit God the Sonne a spirit God the Holy Ghost a spirit all one God al one spirit good without quality great without quantity euery where without place alwayes without tyme doing all without action mouing al without motion containing all and contained in nothing and present in all by his essence power and presence and yet aboue all or els create which are either happy in glory as the Angells in heauen which are as administring spirits for vs or els damned in hell as the Diuels who as roaring Lyons seeke to deuoure vs both which doe differ either in specie or kind or at the least in degrees of power and greatnes some being in the highest some in the midle some in the lowest Hierarchy euery Hierarchy hauing his order and euery order his particuler Angels and Diuels belonging to it Spirits mixt with bodies flesh are either such as are mixed with flesh and dye with it as the sensuall soule of birds and beastes or such as are mixt with flesh but dye not with it as the reasonable soule of man which is a meane betweene Angells to whome he is inferiour and beastes to whome he is superiour communicating with the one in the immortality of soule with the other in mortality of flesh 2. According to their estate and condition these spirits are some good as God Angels Saints others bad as Diuels men wicked aliue or damned in hell others indifferēt as the natural spirit of man and sensuall of beastes some are blessed in heauen as Angells and Saints others damned in hell as Diuels and the damned soules others in the way and out of danger as
the soules in purgatory or in the way and in danger as the soules of men liuing some are meere intellectuall as God and Angells others more sensuall as beasts others rationable mixed of both as man some alwayes without bodyes as Angels and Diuels others alwayes with bodyes as beastes and birdes others sometymes with body and sometymes without as the soule of man liuing or dead before and after resurrection 3. According to the effect and operation S. Bernard distinguishes six kindes of spirits 1. Diuine of God the spirit is God 2. Angelicall of Angels he hath made spirits his Angells which alwayes worke good 3. Diabolical of the Diuell he sent immissions by euill Angells 4. Carnall of the flesh puffed vp by the sense of the flesh 5. Worldly of the world you haue not receaued the spirit of this world which worke alwayes bad 6. Humane of man the spirit of man which is in man which of all is indifferent and when it is assisted with grace is good when stayned with sinne is bad To which may be added the spirit of truth and of lying the spirit of wisedome and giddines and the spirit of the knowledge of truth and errour of which is spoken before cap. 2. Of which spirits for our purpose these chiefly are to be noted that is the spirit of God of Angells of Diuells and the spirit of the soule of man dead in heauen in hell or in purgatory and of man liuing according to the dictamen either of our naturall reason or of the light of diuine fayth and grace And thus much of the variety and differences of the nature of spirits which are to be discerned Secondly we may note that these seuerall sortes of spirits haue seuerall sortes of operations in man and do seuerall wayes manifest and shew themselues in him and to him for as in the naturall life of man besides the powers vegitatiue and sensitiue by which he liues and moues God and Nature hath prouided certaine more subtile spirits that is the vitall spirits in the hart which passing through the arteries do help to vitall operation as nutrition and augmentation and sensible spirits in the braine which passing through the veines do assist to the sense of feeling touching and the rest so also in the spirituall life of a Christian man besides the permanent guifts of the Holy Ghost and habits of faith hope and charity infused in Baptisme and Pennance togeather with grace God doth communicate also certaine extraordinary helpes and guifts to the soule which as certaine beames of his diuine light and sparkles of his celestiall loue assist and enable it to a higher knowledge of God and good thinges and to a more perfect practise of vertue and perfection and these are diuine illuminations inspirations or visitations and visions which are of two sortes the one meere spirituall and internall the other sensible and externall The first sort of spirituall motions arise immediatly from foure heads 1. From God who illuminating the Vnderstanding with a heauenly light clearely to discerne what is true or false what good or bad inflaming the will with an ardent desire to loue sincerely him and his goodnes and to doe his holy will and commandement and enabling the rest of the faculties with an inuincible fortitude to performe couragiously what is to his greater honour glory doth when or how he pleases and by meanes and in tyme best fitting as prayer meditation reading or such spirituall practises speake instruct and direct the soule by speciall illustrations inspirations and confortations 2. From the good Angell who by good cogitations and motions exciting the dulnesse and drowsinesse conforting the infirmity and weaknes of the soule and conseruing the same from danger of enemies is alwayes ready to assist vs in prayers and good workes and to defend vs from all occasions and temptations 3. FroÌ„ the Spirit of grace which with the light of fayth flame of charity inhabiting in vs doth continually knock at the dore of our heart and in our sleep awakes vs in our sicknesse strengthens vs in our distraction so recollects vs that with alacrity we may proceed in all exercises of piety and with facility ouercome all assaults of our enemy 4. FroÌ„ the Dictamen of reason and light of nature which pricked forward by the synderesis of a good conscience doth as a Preacher continually exhort and moue to a prosecution of good and an auersion from euill and as a Maister doth still direct and instruct vs how to behaue our selues in our combat against the law of sinne and the Angell of Sathan which make continuall opposition against it all which as a vigilant watchman doe still watch at the superiour part of the soule to wit the Memory Will and Vnderstanding eyther by an infused light or by species formed and framed in the phantasie and do inwardly knocke awake admonish and incite our soule to the knowledge of truth the operation of God The other sort of Spirits is sensible and visible by visions and apparitions and these are sometymes Imaginary presenting inwardly to the phantasie and imagination a shew and apparition either of wordes spoken or of persons appearing in their own person or in some other like to theÌ„ or in some figure representing them others sometymes are Visible and corporall seene heard or felt in some corporall body formed and framed of the ayre and assumed moued by a spirit which in them speakes walkes and exercises sensible actions as though it were a true and liuing person both which kindes happened often to the Patriarches and Prophets of old and to many in these later tymes sometims waking sometymes in their sleep and are both of them either by way of Oracles as S. Augustine calles them when some graue person appeares and fortells what is to be done as did Onias and Hieremy to Iudas Machabâ—us or by way of visions when thinges haue the euent indeed as they appeare in shew as happened to S. Peter who saw an Angell wheÌ„ indeed the Angell did free him out of prison or by way of Dreames when apparitions of mysteries are shadowed in figures not vnderstood in sense and signification such as was Pharao his Eares of corne and Nabuchodonozâ—r his Statua All which whether interiour or exteriour though they be properly diuine of God and good Angels of which is frequent mention and examples both in the old and new Testament yet because they are sometymes diabolicall of the Diuell who by suggestions and illusions doth imitate them and sometymes naturall dispositions or diseases of body whose affections and imaginations are not much vnlike to them And because of the later sortes that is visions and apparitions of which is the greatest difficultie examples in scripture and ancient histories for I will forbeare latter tymes are many and authenticall how sometymes God sometymes Angells sometymes Diuells
be discerned but by him that is spirituall and inwardly enlightned Ludouicus Puentes also a maister in spirituall wayes sayth That it seemes often an inspiration of God which is an impulsion of Sathan and it often carryes a shew of spirituall loue which is indeed false and carnall loue And thus it remaines conuinced by reasons drawne from the verity and similitude of spirits by the subtilty and craft of Sathan who so often and many wayes transfigures himselfe into an Angell by the infirmity of mans vnderstanding so vnable to penetrate them and by authority of Scripture and testimony of holy men so experienced in this science that the art of discerning of spirits is most hard and difficult in it selfe and aboue the reach and capacity of euery priuate mans ability Out of all which it doth follow First that visions and apparitions are often tymes doubtfull and dangerous and so rather to be feared whether they be true or false and to what end they do tend then to be desired or esteemed as signes of holynesse and perfection For as the guifts gratis giuen Prophesy Curing of diseases and Dispossessing of Diuells c. are giuen sometymes to persons lesse perfect in vertue if not vicious in life and vnbelieuers for fayth witnesse the prophesyes of the Sybils being Gentils of Christ Of Baalam a sorcerer of the starre of Iacob Of Caiphas most wicked of Christ dying for all Of Saul a reprobate who had the spirit and was among the Prophets All which had the gift of prophesy Witnesse also the sonnes of the Pharisies who cast out Diuels the seauen sonnes of Sceua with the exorcists of the Iewes who dispossessed many of Diuels so also these visions and apparitions are neither so proper to holy men but that often they are communicated to bad and wicked nor yet so certaine that they are alwayes of God or good Angells but that they often proceed from Satan and as the visions of those spirits so also the guift of discerning the same is neyther so proper omni and soli to all and only the good and faythfull but that it is sometymes giuen to them who are lesse holy and more wicked of life Whereupon holy and wise learned men as S. Augustine S. Bonauenture and Gerson aduise and persuade that not only such visions and apparitions are to be feared yea auoided and not desired but also ordinary persons who haue them and make shew or ostentation of them are not to be applauded or admired for them as pious but seuerely to be reprehended suspected as proud and dangerous who are not content to tread the high way and beaten path to perfection but will seeke out new by-wayes and walke in wonders aboue thēselues Also many holy persons who haue beene extraordinarily visited from God with them haue alwayes with that warinesse accepted of them that they did vse great diligence to examine them before they would confide in thē Thus Iacob secretly and diligently considered the visions of Ioseph his sonne related to him Iosue doubted therupon examined the Angell who did appeare to him like an armed man whether he was of their side or of the aduersaries Samuel heard our Lord when he called him in the night Samuel Samuel but did not answere till he rose and went to Heli the high Priest to know what he should do Elias seriously deliberated whether our Lord did appeare in the whirle wind or in the commotion or in the fire or in the soft whispering wind And our B. Lady cogitabat did muse or study that is maturely and long sayth Euthymius consider what kind of salutation that was whether of God or the Diuell And the like did the Bishop of Cyprus at the apparition of S. Barnaby And S. Ambrose at the inuētion of Geruasius and Protasius And other holy Saints in all such like occasions fearing alwayes illusions of Sathan insteed of apparitions of Angells Secondly It doth follow that it is necessary to auoid all these and such like dangers to haue euery one a spirituall directour and Maister on whome as better experienced by practise more illuminated by God in his place functiō he may more securely rely then vpon his owne spirit or iudgment For as the wayes in which men walke are many the right way to heauen not easy to be found as in the way being found there are many either pits to fall in or theeues to robbe and spoile vs as the science we are to learne is very heard and intricate to which our natural wit cannot attaine and the diseases infirmities of our body are many great for which we are vnable to trauell so long and laborious a iourney So haue we need great need of a guide to lead vs in a way so vncertaine and dangerous of a Maister to instruct vs in a trade so hard and vnknowne and of a Phisitian to cure vs of so many infirmities and diseases And as no man hath power to absolue himselfe of his sinnes as no man is made Iudge in his owne cause as no man is permitted to minister phisicke to his owne body so God hath ordained that no man shal be instructer directour of his owne soule nor conductour of himselfe in his way to life but stil depend vpon others to direct and instruct him in the same For thus our Sauiour first himselfe for example would sit hearing and asking among the Doctours as though he were a scholler For this cause he sent his vessel of election S. Paul to be instructed by Ananias and would not immediatly himselfe direct him what to doe For this God would not instruct Moyses in the mountaine himselfe but sent him to Iethro a gentill by him to receaue direction how to gouerne his people For this S. Augustine being old refused not to be instructed by his Companions yet yong And thus we read that some who haue had familiar conuersations with Angels were yet permitted by them to hould some errours in doctrine till they humbled themselues to others and by them were instructed For which it is a generall rule that he who will not be a disciple to another shal be a maister of errour and that he who makes himselfe maister to himself puts himselfe to be scholler to a foole All which if it be true in morall sciences mysteries of faith most true it is in discerning of these spirits in which the difficulty is greater the dāger of errour no lesse 3. To conclude it doth follow that since there is such variety of spirits some good as of God of Angels and of Saints and some bad as of diuels of the damned of the flesh and of the world Sith there be so diuers kinds of motions apparitions of these spirits some intellectuall some imaginary some sensible and visible Sith there are so great difficulties to be resolued about these seuerall
and found and that by industry and reading of the words and text the spirit is to be found Whereupon they make the words of scripture as they are heard or read not only the organ or instrument of faith as much as wee make the Sacrament instrument of grace but also the sole instrument which with diligence read or heard they prescribe as the only meanes to receiue faith and saluation For first as a man consists of body and soule and the body of it selfe being senslesse dead is the inferiour â—â—rt the soule being life and giuing life is the principal part without which he is not man So the Scripture consists of the words or text which is read or heard and is only the body barke or couering of Gods word and of the sense and meaning which is vnderstood belieued and is the life soule and substance of the scripture Now the words as they are written or spoken consisting of letters syllables words are dead without life and common to Gentils Iewes and hereticks with the faithfull yea in the same manner as the law is called a law of sinne so are they by S. Paul said to Kill to be ministration of death Because according to S. August the letter read and not truly vnderstood or not performed is occasion of heresy and sinne some gathering out of it as out of the flower poison of heresy like the spider others hony of faith like the bee The sense and meaning as it is truly vnderstood belieued which is properly the word of God is an effectuall meanes more piercing theÌ„ any two-edged sword an operatiue vertue to saluation but to whome to all that belieue And to whom it is so proper that it is by faith only conceaued and attained and by faith only belieued vnderstood Secondly As the bare letter words and text of scripture without true sense are not the word of God so they do not containe the spirit of God or the holy ghost in them neither is the holy ghost thus inherent resident or to be sought found in the scripture but in the hart and soule of the writers of scripture that is the Prophets or Apostles in whom as it did remaine and dictate to them what they writ so did it reueale and manifest to them the true sense meaning of the same though perhaps not alwayes the whole complete meaning and all senses of the scripture for by reason of the fecundity of senses in Gods word many or al of them were not according to S. Augustine alwayes reuealed to the same Apostles or prophets but some reserued to the authour of it the holy ghost it selfe And as the spirit of God is not inherent or resident in the bare words sillables or text of scripture so the spirit or spiritual true sense of scripture is not to be sought or found only in or out of the bare words and their grammaticall signification but out of the rule of faith expounded according to the Ecclesiasticall and Catholike doctrine of beliefe Not by humane labour and industry of study but by the meane of faith and diuine reuelation For the words are translated into other languages different from that in which they were originally written and haue diuers and various significations and senses as litterall moral allegoricall and anagogicall and are by seuerall expositions drawne to suport diuers seuerall yea contrary faithes and religions Also great labour diligence and study haue beene vsed by many men of great wit learning and knowledge in the expounding seeking out the true sense of scripture who yet haue beene so far from finding it as that they haue inuented many false and heretical meanings and therupon grounded many wicked and damned heresies Out of al which it doth follow that the words of scripture and the diligent and frequent reading or hearing of it are so far from being a necessary meanes of faith much lesse the sole whole meanes to it that faith is a meanes necessary presupposed to the vnderstanding of scripture For if the scripture consist not in the words and letter only but in the sense vnderstanding principally and if the sense depend not vpon the bare words but vpoÌ„ the Ecclesiastical catholicke rule tradition of faith as is proued then must faith be prerequired as a help and meanes to find out the true sense of scripture And they who will read scripture must bring faith with them as a help and meanes to vnderstand the scripture and not ground their faith vpon their reading of scripture which being diligently read though it may serue to coÌ„firme and nourish faith in ones selfe or to illustrate and defend it to others and in both being according to the rule of faith interpreted a light to direct them in the way of piety and to enflame them with the heat of Charity yet it can neither be a first and firme ground to cause and produce first and certaine faith in any for a man must bring faith to belieue it nor a sufficient meanes to resolue all points of faith necessary to saluation as besids other reasons the practise of so many heresies diuided pretended to be grounded all vpon it doth conuince and the experience made for example of three persons Iews Turks or Pagans all ignorant of Christian religion all turned to a bare text of the bible all willed to seeke out and resolue in particular articles formerly or presently controuerted in Christian religion will no doubt by their seuerall contrary resolutions confirme the same And thus much of the rule of faith as a necessary meanes of expounding scripture The second meanes of expounding the holy scriprure is the generall practise or obseruation the publike Custome or tradition of the whole Church in the exercise of any religious seruice or worship or in the practise of any sacrifice sacrament or ceremony in which as the Church it selfe cannot erre so it may be a guide in expounding the scripture to keep others from errour that where the doctrine of the Church is not euident there the practise and obseruation of the same may serue This practise we will proue by the practise of the chiefe Doctours in Gods Church for by this did the ancient Fathers expound many places and conuince many Heretikes By this practise admitting the lapsed to pennaÌ„ce did Epiphanius conuince the Nouatians who reiected them By this practise of saying Glory be to the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost did S. Basil conuince Origen about the deity of the holy Ghost vrging his owne practise with the rest against Origens owne doctrine against the rest By this practise of baptizing in the name of the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost did Theodoret conuince Arius who denyed the equality of the Sonne with the Father By this practise of exorcising breathing vpon Infants in the SacrameÌ„t of Baptisme did
it be contained among the chief articles of the Creed or plainly expressed in scripture 9. So sufficient that it be able to explicate determine all articles and doubtes in religion 10. So complet that it containe virtually be able to resolue plainly all questions and conclusions of Faith which may at any time vpon any occasion arise All which are necessary for such a rule and foundation vpon which so important a matter as faith and religion is grounded And this is the first thing to be obserued for the properties and conditions both of the Iudge and his rule of faith The whole body of the Church cannot be this Iudge SECT II. SECONDLY We may note that this infallible authority to iudge of controuersies of faith is giuen neither to the whole body and congregation of the Church of God as the rigid Lutherans with Brentius do hould nor to the secular Princes and Parlamentes as all the Lutherans at first and the State-Protestants of England do yet defend nor to the lay-people and priuate persons as Caluin and the Caluinists do maintaine nor yet is it residing in the wordes and text or scripture as the ordinary preachers pretend but only is giuen to the Pastours and Prelates of the Church of Christ who are lawfully by authority from Apostolicall succession ordained and Catholickly continue without diuision of heresy or schisme in the same and among them principally to the chiefe head and Pastour the successor of Peter and Bishop of Rome All which concerning euery one shall be briefly proued First therefore although the whole body of the Church collected haue the infallible assistance of the holy Ghost that it cannot erre or be deceaued in faith yet hath it not the same assistance that it may ought to be iudge determiner of faith For as in a naturall body the soule doth informe and giue life to the whole body and euery member of it but doth not discourse and giue vse of reason to the whole or euery part but only to the head so the spirit of God assistes the whole Church with the priuiledge of freedome from errour in faith but doth not likewise giue to it the priuiledg◠of authority to teach and iudge of faith and direct others in the same for which cause God hath giuen a measure of donation diuisions of graces and ministrations and made some not al Apostles Doctours Prophets that some may rule others be ruled some teach and others be taught some be superiours to iudge and direct others be inferiours to be iudged and directed and so an order and subordination a peace and vnity may be obserued and kept in the whole body among the members of Christs Church Whereof see more in the next fourth Section Secular Princes cannot be this Iudge SECT III. THIRDLY That this infallible authority is not in secular Princes or their Assemblies and Parlaments either as particuler members of the Church against Melancthon or as Princes and Superiours among the rest against Brentius so that they can and may lawfully and infallibly iudge of Controuersies make ecclesiasticall lawes giue authority to preach and prescribe a forme of doctrine a manner of seruice and an order of Sacraments and sacrifice though it be largely by many proued against the supremacy of Princes in causes Ecclesiasticall and requires a treatise more large yet in briefe it shall by these reasons be proued First because Kinges and Princes are in the Church of God and spirituall affaires as sheep to be ruled and ordered not as sheepheardes to rule and gouerne they are Lambes to be fed by Peter Sheep of the fold of Christ Members of the Church of God and seruants of the family of Christ Thus did the ancient and holy Fathers freely tell and admonish them and the Christian and good Emperours themselues acknowledged it S. Gregory Nazianzen told Valentinian That the law of Christ did subiect them Emperours to his power and Tribunall and that they were holy sheep of his holy fold S. Ambrose told Theodosius the Great that he was a sonne of the Church and that a good Emperour is within not aboue the Church Theodoret sayes of Constantine the Great that as a louing sonne he did propose busines to the Bishops and Priests as Fathers Constantine himselfe cōfesses that God gaue Priests power to iudge of Emperours witnesse Ruffinus that they were bishops within the Church he without it witnes Eusebius Valentinian the elder confesses that he as a laye man might not interpose himselfe in Church affaires but the Bishops and Priestes had care of such affaires witnes Sozom. And that himselfe was to submit himselfe to them witnes Paulus Diaconus And Theodosius the Great obeyed S. Ambrose his excommunication departed out of the Chancell at his command and cōfessed that thereby he had learned to know what difference there was betweene an Emperour and a Bishop witnes Theodoret and Nicephorus Secondly because the offices of the Bishops and Emperours are diuers and distinct the one of bodyes and goods the other of soules and fayth the one of life and death for offences against the King and common-wealth the other of sinnes and sacraments belonging to Gods lawes mans conscience the one is temporall of the kingdome and common-wealth the other is spirituall of the Church flocke of Christ which the hereticall Emperours forgetting were stoutly and zealously admonished and reprehended by the holy Bishops vnder them for the same As for example Cōstantius the Arian 1. by Hosius of Corduba willing him not to medle with Ecclesiasticall affaires nor to commaund them but to learne of them because to him God had committed the Empire but to them the Church 2. By Leontius of Tripolis because being ruler of military and politicke affaires he should not rule in thinges that belong only to Bishops 3. By S. Hilary of Arles wishing him to writ to Iudges of Prouincies that they should not presume or vsurpe to intermedle with the causes of Clergy men 4. By S. Athanasius of Alexandria that he and such who will be Presidents in ecclesiasticall iudgments who will make the Tribunals of the Court the seales of deciding ecclesiasticall causes themselues Princes and Authours of Church affaires are the abomination of desolation yea euen Antichrist himselfe Valentinian the yonger seduced by his wife was told by S. Ambrose of Milane That he had no Imperiall right in thinges that are diuine for the Court doth belong to the Emperour but the Church to the Priest And being called by the Emperour to reason with Auxentius the Arian he answered That if a conference was to be made of fayth it was to be made by the Priestes as it was vnder Constantine who prescribed no lawes but gaue free iudgement to Priests That it was neuer heard that in a cause of fayth Lay
and the Parlament ordaines all which are against vnity and certainty of al faith and religioÌ„ Lastly it would follow that for 300. years after Christ wheÌ„ the Emperours were pagan and not Christian either pagans must be iudges and deciders of the true sense of scripture and of all controuersies of faith or that there was for that time no iudge of them at al also when Princes become hereticks as Constantius and Valens did or Apostata's as Iulian did that either true Christians should be obliged to obey and follow Pagans Apostata's as iudges and vmpiers of their faith or else that they by falling into heresy or apostacy should loose their regall power and authority and subiects should be freed from their duty and obedience to them None of which our Protestants will admit as being indeed too too absurd The Lay-people cannet be this Iudge SECT IIII. FOVRTHLY that this infallible authority is not in the lay people and priuate persons of the Church is proued 1. Because they want knowledge and vnderstanding to discusse and penetrate either the articles which are belieued or the meanes for which they are to be belieued as being for the most part men simple and vnlearned for which cause they were neuer admitted to any Councels as Arbitrators or Iudges of faith but alwaies directed by their Pastours in their obedience to faith 2. Because they haue no warrant or commission giuen them for this end either expressed in any Scripture or approued by any Tradition or practise of the Church or mentioned by any testimony of Fathers or Councels therfore are not to assume or exercise it till they proue it 3. Because of al sortes they are the most fallible vncertaine and vnconstant in their opinions and practises and therfore are left alwayes to be ruled ordered as the people are in the temporall common-wealth not to rule and gouerne as Magistrates and Iudges 4. Because it would follow that all should be Iudges Pastours to determine none should be subiects to obey or sheepe to be fed that the Church gouernment should be Democraticall of people which of all is the worst that euery maÌ„ should haue a religion of his owne without any vnion with any or subordination to any that the people should preach and minister Sacraments as well as Priests or Prelates should excommunicate censure and punish one another as well as Bishops make decrees for faith and manners as wel as Councels In respect of all which inconueniences and absurdities which are so many testimonies against this authority of the people our Sauiour did speake to the people in parables and without parables he did not speake to them but to the Apostles and Pastours he gaue knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen To the people he spake of things easy and publicke as their sins and vices vertues good life but to the Apostles and that separated from the people of his death resurrection the holy Ghost the day of iudgment and such like mysteries With the people he did conuerse before his death not after his resurrection he manifested not himselfe to all the people but to the Apostles as Pastours and witnesses preordained of God he appeared after his resurrectioÌ„ did eate and drinke with them and commaunded them only not the vulgar sort to preach to the people To the people it is said Obey your Prelats be subiect to them but to the Pastours take heed to the whole flocke wherin the holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops to rule the Church of God To the people it is said suffer the cockle to grow but to the Pastours take away the euil one from among your selues To the people it is said do that which they the Pastours say but to the Pastours He who heareth you heareth me and he that knoweth God heareth vs. By heaâ—ing of them is knowne which is the spirit of truth which of errour Of the people it is said How shall they belieue him whome they haue not heard how shall they heare without a preacher But of the Pastours How shall they preach vnlesse they be sent All which conuince that our Sauiour intended to make the people not Pastours but sheep not rulers but subiects not iudges to commaund but seruants to obey in matters of faith and religion The Scripture cannot be this Iudge SECT V. FIFTLY That the scripture cannot be this iudge to determyne and end al controuersies is proued 1. Because this scripture in respect of vs requires a iudge it selfe to determine and assure vs which is true Canon true originall text true translation true sense the rest as before therefore to vs it cannot be a iudge 2. Because all or the greatest difficulties all or the maynest questions and all oâ— the hoatest contentioÌ„s which haue passed either among Catholike Doctours or betweene Catholicks and Hereticks are about the scripture and the sense of it none of which scripture it selfe could euer yet end and decide without some other iudge and vmpier plainly to pronounce sentence in the cause and immediatly vnder punishment to oblige the parties to belieue and obey the sentence 3. Because the scripture is mute dumbe vnable to speake heare or pronounce sentence and is apt not only to be lost alteted and corrupted as de facto it hath beene but also to be drawne wrested and interpreted to contrary senses and opinions by any sort of interpreters in any cause and question as the lamentable practise of so many hundred of heresies hereticks in all ages doth witnesse 4. Because the scripture in it selfe is neither cleare and euident nor doth euidently and expresly containe and declare all the senses of it selfe all the mysteries of beliefe all the questions of controuersies all doubtes in diuinity many things being both now by Protestants and Catholicks belieued and hauing beene by all faithfull in all ages practised which neither for practise were grouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ only scripture nor for the doctrine of theÌ„ are expressed in any scripture 5. Because many haue beene conuerted to faith without any reading or knowledge of scripture many controuersies haue beene decided without any sentence of scripture many faithfull haue liued in the world and beene directed in their faith before any writing of scripture As for example all in the old Law for 3000. yeares before Moyses all in the new law for a good time after the sending of the holy Ghost dispersion of the Apostles and many nations after Christ for 200. years who witnesse Irenaeus neuer did see nor heare of the bible and many thousands of saints and soules who did neuer see read heare or vnderstand any Scripture at all and yet did liue holily in earth and do raigne gloriously in heauen 6. In the scripture are two things the letter and the sense as the body the soule The letter according to S. Augustine doth kill that
is the externall litterall sense of the words sometimes doth kill cause errour but the spirit that is the true sense which the holy Ghost intended doth quicken auaileth to saluation But that neither the letter nor the spirit can be a competēt iudge of controuersies is proued 7. Not the letter because the letter or the words in the bare literall sense are occasion of errour and heresy for so they were to the Iewes who in reading of Moyses the Law had the veile set ouer their eyes and vnderstood not Christ contained and signified in the Ceremonies of the law And so it hath beene to all Heretickes who forsaking the sense intended by the holy Ghost proposed by the Church and following the letter expounded by their owne spirit haue falsly vnderstood the scripture grosly fallen into errours Thus the letter deceaued Sabellius who expounding that of S. Iohn I and the father am one of vnity of persons not of substance falsly defended in the deity to be not three but only one person which had three names offices or properties of the father the sonne the holy Ghost creating redeeming and sanctifying mankind as the Patripassiās defended the Father to haue suffered on the Crosse as one and the same person with the sonne Thus the letter deceaued the Arrians who expounding that of S. Iohn The father is greater then I of Christ absolutly and completely as whole Christ not as man according to his humanity did thereupon deny Christ to be God equall to the Father Thus it deceaued the Macedonians who expounding that of S. Paul The spirit searcheth all things euen the profoundites of God concluded not as they ought that the spirit pierceth cōprehendeth all things as God but thus that he who searches doubts who doubts is ignorant who is ignorant is not God and so the holy Ghost who searches all is not God Thus it deceaued the Manichees who held the old Testamēt to be cōtrary to the new because for instance the old said that God created all things That God ceased frō labour the seuenth day That Man was created according to the Image of God And the new said the contrary that the Word created all things That God worketh vntill now And that you are of your father the diuell Not conceauing according to the spirit and true sense that God created all things by the word as by an Idaea that God rested from his worke of creation and yet worketh by conseruation that man was created to the Image of God by nature and of the diuell by malice Thus the Pelagians denying originall sinne to haue descended from Adam to vs literally interpreted that of Ezechiel The sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the father not only of sonnes who are not partakers but also of sonnes who are partakers of the iniquity of the father as all are of Adams sinne in whome all sinned and who receaued as head the promise of keeping or losing paradise by precept of for bearing or eating the apple for himselfe and his posterity after him Thus it deceaued others who applying literally that of S. Iohn The flesh profiteth nothing some in the Apostles time to the resurrection of the flesh others of late to the reall presence in the B. Sacrament the one therupon denyed the resurrection of all bodies the other the reall presence of Christs body both vpon one ground not distinguishing the spirituall from the carnall manner of one and the same body By which they might as well inferre that the flesh of Christ by his incarnation and passion profiteth no more then according to them it doth by his resurrection and manducation By which proofe of authority and examples it is apparent that the external letter of scripture cannot be iudge of controuersies That the internall sense of Scripture cannot be iudge is likwise proued because this true sense intended by the holy Ghost is often obscure hard and vncertaine as is certaine and before proued This obscurity breeds controuersies as experience dayly teaches and that these controuersies cannot be ended iudged by scripture-sense is proued 1. Because scripture-sense is the thing in question contention therfore is the thing to be iudged and decided not the iudge who is to giue iudgment and resolue the parties contending in iudgmēt As for example a question is about the sense of those words of the Gospel this is my body of those of the Creed He descended into hell Catholikes vnderstand them as the words import of the reall presence and of the locall descension both of Christs body Protestants expound them of a figuratiue presence by remembrāce of him in the sacrament and of an infernall suffering of hel-paines in his soule vpon the Crosse Now of these senses which is true which false the sense of the words cannot iudge betweene Catholicks and Protestants but some other iudge is necessary to confirme the one and confound the other so to end the controuersy 2. Because many places of scripture are so hard and obscure as the true sense of them cannot be truly discerned but by Church practise and tradition as for example whether those words of S. Mathew Teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy Ghost do proue a necessity of the vocall pronuntiation of these wordes for the forme of baptisme as all Protestants with vs do grant or require no more but a mentall intention it sufficing only to baptize in the name of Iesus as Act. 8.26 doth insinuate Whether those of S. Iohn Except a man be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdome of God inferre a necessity of water for the matter of baptisme as the Lutherans with vs grant and the words import or that the water and the holy Ghost be all one as Caluin expounds Also why the Protestants should not inferre as well a precept and necessity of a sacrament of washing of feet out of those words of our Sauiour And you ought to wash one anothers feet after the example of Christ who did and commanded it as they do out of those of S. Mathew Eat yee drinke yee inferre a necessity of receauing vnder both kinds because our Sauiour did commanded the like Now these and such like require a Iudge to iudge of the sense and reason of them cannot themselues iudge and decide themselues to vs. By which is euident that neither the letter nor the sense of scripture can be a competent iudge of all controuersies of faith and scripture Lastly the same is proued by the analogy of a temporal Iudge in causes ciuill with an Ecclesiasticall Iudge in causes spirituall for as Controuersies aryse in ciuill causes the common-wealth so do they arise also in matters spirituall and
continuance and duration for as it is a priuate spirit in euery one and can continue no longer then the person in whome it is and with whome it begins and ends liues and dyes so it hath no promise of Scripture to endure from age to age from generation to generation from Saboth to Saboth as long as the Sunne and Moone shall endure till the end of the world to the seed and seeds seed for all generations All which are yet promised to holy Church and the spirit of God in it Thirdly it wants immutability and freedome from alteration or change for as we see it changes in euery place tyme and person yea as often as the Moone breeding as S. Hilary sayd of the Arians a monthly yearly fayth and as one of them confesses What to day they hould you know but what to morrow neither you nor they can know in what head of religion do they agree who oppugne the Bishop of Rome if you examine all from the head to the foot you shall almost find nothing affirmed by one which another will not auerre to be wicked the Deuines do dayly differ from themselues coyning a monthly fayth Thus it changes in all doctrines and in opinions of Scripture some affirming this part to be scripture which others deny some inuenting one sense and others a contrary and it so alters from sect to sect from heresy to heresy from Catholike to Lutheran from this to Caluinisme from that to Anabaptisme from thence to Arianisme and so on to Iudaisme Turcisme and Atheisme And as this alteration de facto workes in Protestants so also it hath no promise of constancy that it is a Rocke a pillar a foundation as the Sunne before God as sure as the day and the night that it hath an euerlasting couenant which shall stand for euer and for an eternall glory and not be giuen ouer All which is yet promised to the Church and the spirit of God in it Fourthly it wants Visibility and publike manifestation to vs not only that it is the spirit of God of which before but much more in whom it remaines for as that which is in one cannot manifest it selfe to another so others cannot manifestly know that it is in any one Aske for example the Lutherans who follow Luther and his spirit the Caluinists who follow Caluin and his spirit the Anabaptistes who follow Rotman and his spirit the Aâ—ians who follow Seruetus and his spirit the Libertines who follow Quintinus and his spirit or any Precisian who follow a precise preacher and his spirit how they know that Luther doth enioy this spirit more then Caluin or Caluin more then Rotman or Rotman more then Seruetus or Seruetus more then Quintinus or any one of them more then the Pope and Catholike Church vnder him They can giue no reason more for one then for another shew no cause why they follow one spirit more then another or why they should be persuaded confirmed directed to the fayth of any one more then another This spirit therefore hath not the conspicuity and visibility of being as a tabernacle in the Sunne the Sunne in my light a candle vpon a candlesticke or seauen candlestickes in the Temple a citty vpon a hill a mountaine in the top of mountaines eleuated aboue the little hills that it may be seene and knowne of all the world All which yet are agreable to the Catholike Church and the spirit of God in it Fifthly this spirit wants combination or connexion by which it may combine all faithfull in one bond of Vnity and Concord and so distinguish a true Church from a false a right belieuing Catholike from a deceitfull heretike and a right way to heauen from an erroneous path to perdition It is priuate and particuler in euery man diuerse and contrary in most men It did suggest of old one beliefe for example in Sabellius another in Marcion another in Nestorius another in Apollinaris and Eutiches and it hath suggested of late one in Luther another in Zuinglius a third in Caluin a fourth in Munzer a fifth in Seruetus and aboue 220. in this last age in so many new Maisters and founders of new sects all whose hartes are diuided and like the Aegyptians run togeather against the Aegyptians and by diuision make the kingdome of Christ desolate And yet all of them call this their spirit of the Lord all build their beliefe vpon it all are directed by it in their contrary doctrine and beliefe Aske any one or all of them how they are instructed who they follow by what they are directed all answere by this spirit all appeale to this priuate spirit and yet all want that spirit which keepeth vnity of the spirit in the body of peace which should continue them in one minde in one agreement and iudgement in one hart and soule in one way and path and make them all one as Christ was one in his Father Which spirit notwithstanding resides and dwels in the Catholike Church Sixthly this spirit wants Vniuersality as vnable to resolue all doubts and questions which arise either about Scripture in the obscurity profundity and multiplicity of senses or in the seeming contradictions figuratiue locutions and seuerall interpretations of the wordes the various Texts and reading the many dissonanceâ— of yeares in numbring the different translation of words from the originall or which arise about the mysteries belieued as the vnity of the God-head the Trinity of persons in the Blessed Trinity the person the natures the wills the body the soule of Christ the nature of grace free-will sinne iustification sacraments Church prayer to Saints for the dead Purgatory and thousands such like which this spirit could neuer decide and end either in tymes ancient or of late but with contention it begunne all these differences in contention it proceeded in them and neuer ceased till by contention it consumed it selfe and ended them It cannot sufficiently conuince any one either Pagan or Infidell either Turke or Iew either Heretike or obstinate Person that they are in errour and haue not the spirit of God as well as true Christians It cannot conuert reduce or confirme any to the verity of true fayth who is either ignorant of Fayth or staggering in his fayth or obstinate against faith It can giue no probable reasons of persuasion propose no credible testimonies of inducement deliuer no conuincing arguments of certainty of fayth and doctrine and in effect can shew no grounds sufficient in prudence to persuade any iudicious man to accept as credible the religion of ChristiaÌ„s more then of Iewes Turkes or Pagans therefore it cannot extend it selfe to all Nations enlarge the place of his Tents stretch out the skins of his Tabernacles increase the sea with knowledge sucke the milke of Gentils and be nursed with the
and soule so was Christ to suffer and did suffer not only in body by shedding his bloud which as corporall auailed little but in soule also which for the sinnes of the soule was to suffer the paines due to the soule And as man was to suffer the paines of hell in body in soule so was Christ to suffer and did suffer all the same paines of hell which man should haue suffered and so was presented before the tribunall of God for man as guilty of sinne Feared the iudgment of God against this sinne doubted and feared the sentence of his damnation for this sinne and wauered betweene blessing and cursing of God betweene praysing and blaspheming of God vttered wordes not only of inconsideration and perturbation but euen of desperation and at last suffered all the paines and torments of hell in his soule vpon the Crosse which any damned doth suffer or ought to suffer in his soule for the same sinnes in hell In which 1. They deny the fulnesse and perfection of Christs redemption euen of the elect in that they deny the infinite excesse of dignity and value in euery action and passioÌ„ of Christ as proceeding from his diuine person aboue the malice of sinne 2. They doe derogate from the vertue of Christs bloud shed by his passion of which the Scripture affirmes that he iustified vs in his bloud that he redeemed vs in his bloud washed vs in his bloud pacifyed for vs in his bloud purchased vs with his bloud and made his new testâ—ment in his bloud in that they affirme nothing had beene done if Christ had dyed only a corporall death 3. They do extenuate the merit of Christ in that they auerre that in the iudgmeÌ„t of God there is no place of merit for Christ. 4. They do impose vpon our B. Sauiour horrible impiety blasphemy in that they auouch him to haue doubted feared and wauered in his saluation to haue beene ready to curse and blaspheme and to haue despaired and suffered all the torments of the damned in hell In all which as they impose this horrible blasphemy vpon our B. Sauiour Iesus and make him more sinnefull and vncertaine of his saluation then they are of theirs so they do most impiously derogate from the vertue of his death and passion and from the perfection of his redeÌ„ption and in the effect thereof euen in those elect who according to them he only by his death saued redeemed Secondly because to be a perfect and full Redeemer of the elect is requisite that he redeeme them from the seruitude and misery into which by sinne they fell which was the seruitude and misery 1. Of sinne into which being depriued of grace they of themselues cannot but fall and of themselues cannot ryse again you are seruants of sinne 2. Of Sathan to whome by sinne they are made captiue and cannot of themselues resist his will 3. Of sensuality and the law in the members repugning to the law of the mind which of themselues they cannot maister 4. Of the law of workes which of themselues they cannot performe but by it remaine vnder the curse 5. Of hell which for their owne demerit is due to them we haue made a couenant with hell But by this doctrine of sole fayth that Christ did not redeem euen the elect from any of these captiuityes and miseries especially of sinne Sathan sensuality and law of workes nor yet from Hell is proued Not from the seruitude of sin because the best man in his best workes according to Caluin and Luther cannot but sinne as before and because the iust hath no inherent grace or iustice to sanctify him from sinne but only imputatiue couering his sinne and making him seeme and shew iust Not from the seruitude of Sathan because he wants Free-will to resist him and so cannot but yield to his instigation and because he still remaines in sinne both originall and actuall and so by sinne remaines SathaÌ„s slaue Not from the concupiscence because it still remaynes in him infects euery action proceeding from him and because according to Caluin not to haue concupiscence is impossible and according to Luther to haue a VVoman is as necessary for a man as to eate drinke sleep or as to be a man Not froÌ„ the seruitude of the law because the performance of the law and the doing of good workes is impossible and because maÌ„ though iust remaines still guilty of the disobedience of the law Not from the misery of hell because while a man remaines a worker of sinne a seruer of concupiscence a transgressour of the law and a slaue of Sathan as according to the former confessed doctrine euen the iust and elect do he cannot but be subiect to hell and hell be due vnto him therefore if Christ redeeme not euen the elect and iust from the seruitude either of sinne Sathan sensuality the law or hell as by this their doctrine he doth not he cannot be a perfect and complete Redeemer euen of those elect whom only say they he came to redeeme Thirdly that this doctrine makes Christ a bad PhisitiaÌ„ worse Chirurgeon of soules to cure them of their sinnes is proued Because he infuses neither grace into our soares to cure them nor giues strength to our infirmityes to enable vs nor extinguishes the poyson of originall sinne which still infects our actions but only couers our soares and wounds with a faire cloake of his owne iustice presents vs thus couered before God as iust and imputes no sinnes vnto vs though inwardly indeed we remaine vniust and wicked in soule in hart and in all cogitations wordes or actions What doth Christ therfore Surely no more then a Chirurgeon who finding a man wounded and his woundes festered and infecting the rest of the body should only couer the same with a faire cloath produce and shew him to the people thus couered and for this cure accountes both the man safe and sound and also himselfe a perfect Chirurgeon or Phisitian worthy of honour and reward for his paines Such a Phisitian or Chirurgeon according to them is our Sauiour and such a cure doth he worke vpon all his elect whome he cures and redeemes no beter for he cures not by grace infused either the ignorance of the vnderstanding or the malice of the will or the concupiscence of the affections or the infirmity of the exteriour faculties but only couers and hides them with the cloake of his iustice and so imputes them for no sinnes and accounts the persons iust which is all the cure that our Phisitian Christ workes on vs in their new doctrine Fourthly that this doctrine makes Christ either no law-giuer at all contrary to the Prophets who call him a Law-giuer and to his disciple S. Iohn who sayes he gaue a new commandement or els such a law-giuer as makes lawes which are neither iust vpright nor
where the one is there the other must be 2. That Melchisedech was a Priest and his sacrifice was in bread and wine 3. That Christ is compared to Melchisedech not only in his kingly authority as King of iustice and peace as Melchisedech was nor only in his genealogy as being without Father as man and without mother as God or without predecessor before him or successor after him in the office of redeemer as Melchisedech is said to be without Father mother but also in priestly function concealed on purpose by S. Paul for the incapacity of the Iews as a thing of which he hath a speech great and inexplicable to vtter and in his priestly sacrifice by offering bread wine as Melchisedech did and that not for one time but for euer Sith I say all this is euident it followes 1. That Christ is a priest not according to Aaron in offering bloud but according to Melchisedech in offering bread and wine and that not once by himselfe but for euer by his Apostles and Priests to whom he gaue commission to offer the same sacrifice which himselfe had done 2. It followes that to verify Christs being priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech there must be a succession of priests and sacrifice in Gods Church to offer the same sacrifice for euer so to make his priesthood continue for euer But by this former Protestant doctrine is excluded all sacrifice for sinne all priesthood to offer sacrifice and all holy orders to consecrat priests and so this perpetuall priesthood and sacrifice of Christ according to Melchisedech is reiected First in Christ himselfe and his owne person whome they deny to haue offered any sacrifice at his last supper Secondly in his Priests and deputies to whome they deny all authority of Priesthood and all power to offer sacrifice and so admit no sacrifice at all according to the order of Melchisedech either by Christ or his Church and why Because only Fayth doth iustify satisfy and apply the merit of Christ only Fayth doth couer all sinnes by the apprehension of the iustice of Christ only Fayth doth assure all that they are iust shall continue and that they need no other worke Sacrament or sacrifice to make or keep them iust but only Fayth and so this Fayth destroyes all sacrifice therby the Priesthood of Christ Lastly that this doctrine bereaues Christ of his knowledge both beatificall by which from the first instance of his conception he did clearely see God and also infused and that not out of thinges naturall and by accidents infused which by nature and industry may be obtained but also of thinges supernaturall and per se infused of things which are by fayth reuealed to vs such as are the mysteries we belieue and the secrets of harts all which by ancient Deuines is admitted to haue beene in Christ from the first instant of his conception That I say they depriue Christ of all this excellency and knowledge and make him ignorant and more ignorant then Adam who was created as in perfection of stature and strength of body so also in perfection of all philosophicall and theologicall knowledge in soule by which he gaue names to all beasts and more ignorant then Salomon who was the wisest of men before or after him is proued Because they affirme that he assumed our ignorance that he was ignorant like other children was instructed as boyes are increased in knowledge not only experimentall but also habituall as others do learned and profited in artes and sciences humane and diuine as children do that he was iignorant of the place of Lazarus his burâ—all of the Iewes fayth who offered the man sicke of the palsy of the Figge-tree both of what kind it was and what fruit it bore and of the day of iudgment not only to reueale it to others but to know it himselfe that he made farre-fetcht-similitudes and needlesse illations nothing to purpose wrested the wordes and sense of the Prophets weakly confuted his aduersaries failed in memory and made prayers and petitions vnaduised and not premeditated forced with the vehemency of sorrow in the garden all which are by Caluin imputed to him But if Christ was thus ignorant and blind in his vnderstanding then might he be deceaued in his iudgement and so deceaue others and faile in truth of that he sayd or reuealed in Scripture then may the scripture be false his fayth and doctrine be false all Christians be lead into errour and blindnes then may he be infirme in his operations and sinfull also in his actions For if the vnderstanding which is the light to lighten and the guide to direct the other faculties of the soule may be blind ignorant inconsiderate and erroneous then may the will which doth follow the light and direction of the vnderstanding and wils nothing but that the vnderstanding knowes also faile in the election of good and so will that is ill and commit sinne and so may Christ who is the Way the Truth and the Life fall into errour falshood and sinne and so erre deceaue and commit sinne To all which if we adde the detestable and blasphemous assertions boldly auerred by prime Protestants Luther Caluin and their fellowes against Christ to wit that God made him a sinner vniust guilty and hatefull to himselfe that he was culpable a sinner true and most truly a sinner as other men a sinner most great most vile and obnoxius to the anger of God that he carried himselfe vncurteously and not like a sonne to his mother that he made a prayer vnpremeditated a vow abrupte inconsiderate contrary to his vocation to be corrected retracted and renounced that he renounced his office of mediatour was forgetfull of our saluation and the charge committed to him that he confessed his effeminate nicenesse esteemed himselfe not to be sent of God did wauer betweene praising and blaspheming of God did stagger among the waues of tentations vttered words of desperation was ouercome with desperatioÌ„ did renounce his saluation knew God was angry at him that he stood in need of Baptisme was cursed and execrable as commonly the damned are that he suffered the horrour of a conscience feeling Gods eternall wrath did feare and highly despaire in his soule in the same manner aâ— the damned did wauer betweene hell and life struggle with the horrour of eternall paines had an horrour of eternall punishment was tormented with the feare of horrible damnation was horribly afraid of the profound abisse of death was in feare to be absorpt by death was stroken with the horrour of the diuine malediction was tortured with anxiety as if he had God his enemy feared his saluation was perswaded that he was vndonne and was striken with the horrour of Gods iudgment more then euer any man was or could be in which his horrour consisted the summe of our consolation that he suffered the same paines of hell
God a mediatour and priest and both to pray and to be obedient to the father and distinguish in him a person of God distinct from the person of a mediatour and therby with Nestorius make him to haue two persons All which if it be true that is if the sonne or second person as God be not cōsubstantiall with the father if he be not God of God if he be passible the vicar and second after the father if he be a mediatour and priest obedient to the father if he haue two persons then is he not God coequall and coeternall and the same in substance with the father nor one only sonne of God but two persons And so this third article Iesus Christ his only sonne our Lord is oppugned Fourthly In the fourth article attributed to S. Andrew is oppugned the humanity of Christ and virginity of his mother VVho was conceiued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary 1. By the Vbiquitarians who make the humanity to haue omnipotency immensity all the properties of the deity so to do all to be all where and in all places which is proper to a diuine not humane nature 2. By the Anabaptists and others who make Christ to haue passed through the body of his mother as water doth through a conduct and not to haue taken flesh of her womb 3. By Molineus Bucer Beza Willet and others who affirme our B. Lady to haue suffered detriment of her virginity in the birth of our B. Sauiour and so make Christ not to be borne of a virgin which this article affirmes Fiftly In the fifth article attributed to S. Philip is oppugned the vertue of the death and passion of Christ Who suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried And that many wayes 1. In that the vertue of his passiō is not according to them generall for al sinners and wicked persons but particuler only for a few elect that is for some certaine Protestāts of some one sect who only are the faithful among them leauing all the rest destitut of any vertue from it or of any vocation or iustification by meanes of it 2. In that those elect it cures not from sinne but only couers their sinne remits not sinne but only imputes it not washes not away the guilt or offence of sin but only frees them from the punishment due to it and enables not a man to resist sinne but permits him in euery action to sinne strengthens him not to keep any one commandement but leaues him so that he must needes breake all 3. In that it giues to the soule of mā neither any life of grace by which it raises him from spirituall death to life nor any inherent iustice by which it makes him iust before God cleane from any sinne or solid in any perfection of vertue piety and good life nor any vertue by which it enables him to do any good worke to satisfy for any offence or to merit any reward of glory or increase of grace nor any inward vnction by which it adopts him to be and to be called the sonne of God or to be inheritour of the kingdome of heauen 4. It had in Christ as it was endured and offered by him no dignity from his diuine person which did giue an infinit valew and worth to euery action it had no vertue or validity to satisfy Gods iustice for any sin to pay a price sufficient equiualent for any sinne it could not by all the paines and torments which Christ suffered in body euen to the sheding of the last droppe of his bloud auaile any thing for mans redemption except he had suffered in soule also It could not redeeme man from any sinne except Christ besides had suffered all the paines due to sinne euen the same torments of Hell which any damned doth suffer for sin It so far ouercame Christ that it made him troubled inconsiderate abrupt effeminate doubtfull of Gods fauour and forgetfull of his office of a Redeemer It made him wauering staggering desperate renouncing his saluation It tormented him with horrour of conscience with anxiety of mind with sense of Gods wrath and with feeling of the sorrowes paines and torments of eternall death and hell All which as it is their doctrine of the death and passion of Christ in their owne particuler wordes before cyted so it derogates from the vertue of Christs bloud diminish◠the dignity of his passion and is dishonourable sacrilegious and blasphemous to his person and in all oppugnes this article of Christs suffering vnder Pontius Pilate All which is contrary in our Catholike doctrine as shal afterward be shewed which attributes to the vertue and passion of Christ that dignity validity and vertue that euery action any passion the least drop of his bloud was sufficient superaboundant to haue pacified Gods wrath satisfyed his iustice paid the price of sinne redeemed from sinne hell all the world and infinit worlds more and that it did de facto merit for all men inward grace to wash away remit the guilt of sinne to giue life and beauty to the soule to adopt it to the title of the sonne of God that it did giue strength to man to resist sinne before it be committed and satisfy for it in some sort after it be committed to keep Gods Commandmēts to merit a reward at Gods handes Of which doctrine whether doth giue more honour vertue to the death passion of Christ his suffering vnder Pontius Pilate for vs let the indifferent Reader be Iudge Sixthly in the sixth article attributed to S. Thomas is oppugned both the descension of Christ into hell his Resurrection from the dead He descended into hell and the third day rose againe from the dead And first his reall descending in soule to Limbus Patrum to free the Fathers there and make them blessed or which is propable to the place of the damned also not to suffer but to confound the Diuell shew his Maiesty is oppugned 1. By those who deny that any Limbus Patrum was euer at all and affirme that the soules of the dead Patriarches were locally in heauen though not beatifically blessed by the sight of God before Christ as Caluin Beza 2. By those who deny that as yet there is any locall place of hell at all or any reall fire and torments of the damned there as Luther Bucer Brentius Lobecius Perkins VVillet Caluin the Deuines of k Heidelberge 3. By those who deny his descension to haue been either in body or soule substantially but only in vertue and effect meritoriously in that he merited the freedome both of the Patriarches before him and of vs after him from the paines of hell as Bullinger Zuinglius the Diuines of VVittemberge and others 4. By those who affirme his descension to Hell to haue beene only in body not
by many who now a dayes euen in England admit a resurrection in a like body but not in the same body which was before Twelthly In the twelth article attributed S. Matthias is oppugned the life euerlasting 1. By Luther who one while affirmes that the soule is made by propagatiō ex traduce not by creation and that the immortality of it is a popish fiction out of the dunghill of the Popes decrees anotherwhile that the soules of the iust of many damned do sleepe senselesse vntill the day of iudgment and that dogges sheep oxen and fishes shal be in heauen for our recreation 2. By Caluin who affirmes that the soules of the blessed remaine sleeping in the porch are not as yet entred into the kingdome of glory that faith is remaining in heauen that it is foolish temerarious to enquire where the soules of the iust are and whether as yet they be in glory or not All which many such like opinions of theirs as they are the inuention of this priuate spirit and are both absurd wicked or blasphemous so are they all plaine contrary to the Apostles Creed and do directly oppugne the articles of it And thus much of this priuate spirits doctrine as it oppugneth the articles of the Creed and in them all faith and beliefe Of absurdities against Prayer and the Pater noster SECT VII SVBDIV. 1. In generall making all Prayer needlesse or hopelesse SECONDLY This doctrine oppugneth the petitions of the Pater noster and all manner of prayer and deuotion to God for which we may note that as by faith we come to know God and his reuealed verities so by this hope we are animated to attaine to the fruition of God all that is good for vs. An effect of this hope is prayer by which we are emboldened in hope to obteine to speake to God and aske of him what we stand in need of Prayer therfore as it is according to S. Augustine an eleuating of the mind and a sacrifice to God a reliefe to man a terrour to Sathan a safegard to the soule a comfort to the Angells the perfect glory the certaine hope and incorrupted preseruer of all religion As it is an incense moūting vp to heauen a messenger we sēd to God where our selues cannot yet come a ladder by which we climbe to the throne of God and God descends to our vale of misery a hand which we reach to heauen which God returnes filled with benedictiōs to vs againe so it is not only a speciall vertue commended vnto vs by Christ who wils vs to pray and to pray often yea without intermission but also a chiefe practise the particulars wherof Christ himselfe did deliuer to vs both for the matter what and the māner how we should pray and make our petition This he did in the Pater Noster and the seauen petitions of it which being a compendium of all we are to aske as the Creed is of all we are to belieue we make in it besides the preparatory preface which teaches vs to haue confidence in God in that he is to vs not only a maister but a Father charity to our brethrē in that he is our Father and we all brethren his children by creation and adoption and a Reuerence both to Gods Maiesty as residing in heauen and also to his Saints and seruants in whom specially as in the heauens he dwels and reignes by grace as S. Augustine expounds it besides I say this preface or preparation we make seauen petitions of seauen seuerall things vnto God in which we desire blessings at Gods hands either positiue of good things to be obtained or preseruatiue from euill things to be auoided The positiue blessings we craue are either spirituall or corporall the spirituall are 1. the sanctification of Gods name in the first petition that is either true knowledge of him or right honour to him or constant perseuerance in him 2. The coming of his kingdome in the second that is the dilatation of his Church on earth the increase of his grace in our harts the obteining of his glory in heauen 3. The obedience to his will in earth as it is in heauen in the third that is as Gods will is done by Angells so it may be done by man as it is done by the iust so it may by sinners as it is wrought in the spirit so it may be in the flesh The corporall blessings we craue are our dayly bread in the fourth that is either temporall food for the body or doctrinall for knowledge of the vnderstanding or sacramentall of the Eucharist and whatsoeuer is conuenient for both soule body these are the four first petitions of positiue blessings The preseruatiue blessings are from euils from which we desire to be freed those either euils past as sin forgiue vs our trespasses in the fifth against God our neighbours or ourselus by commissiō or omission by thought word or deed or euils present lead vs not into tēptation in the sixt that is permit vs not to fall into any occasion or danger of sin by concupiscence of the flesh vanity of the world and malice of the Diuell Or euils to come deliuer vs from euill in the seauenth that is from all paine due to sinne originall or actuall by affliction in this life or by torments in the next life either in Purgatory or in hell and from whatsoeuer may hinder vs from God and all goodnes in this or the next life In which are summarily contained all the thinges pertaining to the honour of God or necessary for our body or soules in this life or the next It remaines to shew that the former positions of the Protestants do make all these petitions needlesse or fruitlesse needlesse as of thinges certaine which need to be asked fruitlesse as of thinges impossible which cannot be obtained which is shewed two wayes first in generall of all prayer secondly in particuler of these petitions In generall thus 1. That prayer is needlesse which prayes for that which is certaine cannot faile vs as either already past or assuredly possest or to come as for example that Christ should be borne or crucifyed which is past or that I should be a man or an English man which I am sure I am or that to morrow the Sunne should ryse or that men should rise at the day of iudgment which they are sure to do Againe that prayer is fruitles which prayes for that which is impossible to be had as for a mother to pray that she were a Maid and Virgin againe or for that an old man to pray that he were young againe and might neuer dye both which are impossible though not both equally But according to the Protestant grounds such are generally all their prayers for if they pray for remission of sins for the fauour of God for perseuerance in Fayth or for the glory of heauen their
detractiue in euery one And on the contrary how we and our doctrine do honour attribut to the same God and Christ all worthy and due respect of veneration honour in all which as it is affirmatiue in it selfe so it is honourable to God and agreable to reason in all and euery particular point and opinion in controuersy First therfore for God they dishonour and derogate 1. From the blessed Trinity in that as before some of them do deny the distinction of the three persons some the vnity of one nature some the consubstantiality of the Sonne with the Father some the deity of the Sonne from the Father as God of God some the deity of the holy Ghost as God some the prayer Holy Trinity one God haue mercy vpoÌ„ vs. We with the ancient Church acknowledge three persons and one God the second person God of God and consubstantiall with the father and the third person of the holy Ghost proceeding froÌ„ both the father the sonne in them one holy Trinity three persons and one God 2. They and their spirit derogate from the mercy of God in that according to them he is cruell and tyrannicall in that he will not haue all saued will not giue sufficient meanes to all to be saued hath willed appointed and ordained millions of soules to be damned and to sinne that for it he may damne them and accordingly torment theÌ„ for that sinne which he himselfe willed ordained wrought and compelled them vnto We and our Catholicke Church attribute honour to him and his mercy in that according to vs he would haue all saued giues to all sufficient meanes to be saued creates and ordaines all to be saued wils not the death and damnation of any nor doth damne any but those who for their owne fault and sinne by themselues willingly committed against him his good will and goodnesse do deserue 3. They their spirit do derogate from Gods goodnesse in that according to them he who is good al good yet is not pleased pacifyed worshipped or delighted with good works but doth will ordaine commande compell and necessitate bad works and so is the authour of all euill and all euill works in men and doth esteeme impute that which is wicked and sinfull in men for no sinne in them but accounts that which is bad good him that is wicked iust We our Catholik doctrine do attribute due honour to the same goodnesse of God in that according to it God hates detests forbids and punishes all sinne and sinfull actions conuerts sanctifies purifies and make cleane pure and iust all sinners by his grace duely disposing themselues so reputes them as they are become truely iust in that God is delighted pleased pacified and honoured by good workes which he doth will command and reward in man who according to his will by his grace workes them 4. They their priuate spirit derogates from his iustice in that according to their doctrine he is short of iustice in rewarding none who deserue well and do him seruice exceâ—ds all iustice in that he ordaines men to an eternall and intollerable paine who haue deserued none 2. In that he punisheth them for that which he himselfe not only willed and commanded theÌ„ to do but also wrought and effected in them 3. In that he creats and dignifies them with his gifts graces for that end that he may himselfe cruelly torture and torment them and that in hell for no other end but to shew his power iustice ouer them 4. In that he laies precepts vpon them which are impossible for them to performe and commands them to abstaine from that which himselfe forces them to do and wils them to practise that which he giues not power freedome or sufficient meanes to practise We and our Catholicke doctrine do honour and giue due respect to his Iustice 1. In that according to vs he rewards all who deserue well and punisheth none but those who deserue ill 2. In that he punisheth all for their owne fault which they themselues committed and none for that which himselfe willed 3. In that he created all to be saued and gaue them meanes sufficient to be saued in which he shewed his mercy and punisheth with hell those who would not vse those meanes in which he shewed his Iustice 4. In that he gaue precepts and made lawes easy gaue meanes to performe them sufficient punisheth only those who willingly breake them 5. They and their priuate spirit derogate from his omnipotency in that according to their doctrine he is not able to place one body in two places in the B. Sacrament nor two bodies in one place in his natiuity resurrection and ascension nor to draw a Cable rope or camell through a needles eye nor by his absolut power to worke any more theÌ„ already he hath wrought We and our Catholicke doctrine do attribut to his omnipotency that he is able to do all the former and what more he pleases to do which is not either wicked and so is against his goodnesse or not contradictory and so implies in it selfe an impossibility to be done And in these do the Protestants their spirit by their doctrine derogate from God and his Deity from his goodnesse his mercy his Iustice and his omnipotency and impute to him wickednesse cruelty iniustice and impotency In all which we in our doctrine do the contrary Secondly for Christ our blessed Sauiour they their doctrin of the priuate spirit do dishonour him derogate 1. From his felicity beatitude in this life denying him to be viator and comprehensor that is enduring the paine and miseries of mortall men in his body and enioying the felicity and blessednesse of glorious Saints in his soule In which we do honour him belieuing that from the first instant of his coÌ„ception his soule had in his body the same blessednesse as now it enioyes in heauen by the perfect vision fruition of God though by dispensation for our redemption the same did not redound to the glory of his body till after his resurrection 2. From his knowledge they derogate and dishonour him in making him ignorant and defectiue of knowledge in many things and as a scholler to haue profited in his booke and learning of sciences and trades as other children do In which we giue him the honour to haue had all the treasures of knowledge and wisedome to haue vnderstood all the perfection of all sciences and artes and to haue perfectly conceiued all things past present or to come by a diuine infused knowledge from the first instant of his conception in his mothers wombe Thirdly From his primacy and supremacy ouer his Church they derogate and dishonour him in that they deny him as a man sensible and visible to haue beene the head foundation of his Church and to haue had any perpetual visible monarchy
for the faithfull dying before Christ and Purgatory for faithful dying without full satisfaction 2. The locall place and the materiall fier and the reall suffering of the present paines of hell by the soules of the damned and withall that it is a worke good though not the best to auoid sinne for feare of hell In all which we extoll the iustice of God mixt with mercy in punishing al sorts according to their deserts and deterre men from liberty of sinne for feare of punishment in hell And thus we haue in this second part confuted this priuat spirit which in the former part we proued to be the sole and whole ground of the Protestant faith and saluation 1. By authorities of holy Scripture 2. By testimony of auncient Fathers 3. By reasons drawne from the difficulty of discerning spirits 4. By reasons drawne from a right interpreter of Holy Scripture 5. By reasons drawne from an infallible iudge of controuersies of fayth 6. By reasons drawne from the nature and certainty of fayth 7. By Circular absurdities to which this spirit leadeth 8. By Doctrinall absurdities which follow vpon it and the doctrine of it against Fayth and the Creed against Hope and the Pater noster and against good life morall vertues the ten Commandements and all laws of God Church or CoÌ„mon-wealth In which also we haue made plaine how this their doctrine grouÌ„ded vpon this their priuate spirit doth derogate from God and the Blessed Trinity whome it makes the authour of all sinne a sinner lyer dissembler and tyrant the only sinner and a greater sinner then either the Diuell or man doth derogate from Iesus Christ and his birth life passion and resurrection whome it dishonours in making him neither PhisitiaÌ„ Lawyer Iudge Priest or perfect Redeemer or Sauiour but one ignorant impotent sinnefull and damned doth derogate from the Church of God triumphant in heauen which it dishonours in taking from it knowledge charity in Saints and Angels and honour and reuerence to them and from the Church militant on earth which it dishonours in taking from it all authority visibility vniuersality perpetuity or extancy and being vpon earth so many ages How it derogates from fayth which it dishonours in taking from it all groundes whereon it is to be builded all meanes wherby it is to be attained and in making it contradictory rash presumptuous sinnefull and preiudicious to all Hope and Charity How it derogates from man whome it disables depriues of all Free-will of all inherent grace of all good life and workes of all possibility to obey Gods Commandements to abstaine from sinne to merit any reward How it derogates from all morall vertues and good life from which by many principles it doth withdraw withall doth draw to all vice and wickednesse doth giue the reines to all Epicurean liberty and loosenesse In all which the spirit of our Catholike Church and the doctrine of it is shewed to be contrary and to giue duâ— honour to God to Christ to his Saints Angels Church to Fayth Sacraments and the rest And to be a meanes to encourage all Christians to the practise of all vertue and perfection and to auoid all sinne and wickednes All this we haue carefully painefully laboured to performe in this second Part of the treatise of that pri-Spirit THE PROTESTANTS OBIECTIONS and proofes taken out of Scripture for the defence of their priuate Spirits authority to inrerpret Scripture and iudge of Controuersies proposed and answered CHAP. X. Of certaine obseruations profitable for the solution of Obiections SECT 1. HITHERTO we haue battered that I hope sufficiently the maine fabricke of this imaginary edifice of the Protestant priuate spirit It remaines only for this second Part that we raze demolish the foundation vpon which this their conceit of their priuate spirits authority is built and erected that is that we solue the reasons or rather obiections taken out of holy Scripture vpon which they ground their conceit for which we may note that as our Catholike doctrine doth not deny either the being or permanency of the Spirit of God in euery faythfull both person and Doctour for all faythfull by the spirit of God haue faith or the effect and operation of the same in assisting theÌ„ in the finding out of the true sense of holy scripture for neither are the faithful prohibited from all reading nor the learned debarred from all interpreting of holy scripture so there is a great difference betweene the effect and operation of this spirit in the Protestant and Catholicke as well simple as learned as both do chalenge it and rely vpon it For as for better illustration we may obserue in a naturall body and the spirit or soule of man in which comparison we imitate S. Paul the soule or spirit doth giue information or operation to the whole body and euery part thereof yet so that euery member hath not euery operation all members haue not one action but the head one as to iudge the handes another as to worke the feet another as to walke and the mouth is to receaue the belly to containe the stomake to disgest the meat and so it is proper to the eye to see to the eare to heare and to neither to discourse and reason which belongs only to the braine so in the spirituall body of the Church and the faythfull members of it the spirit of God doth assist all and euery one in particuler as well the meanest as the greatest as well the most simple as the most learned VVho are many but one body in Christ yet so that as euery member is different one from another so the operation of euery one is different and not the same but as some are Lay some Ecclesiasticall persons some secular some Religious some simple some learned some common people some Pastours and Prelates so to euery one of vs is giuen grace according to the measure of the donation of Christ according to the measure of fayth and to euery one for his profit that hauing all gifts according to the grace which is giuen to vs euery one may remaine in the vocation in which he is called wherupon all are not Prophets all are not Doctours all are not Euangelists All are not Iudges of faith and interpreters of holy Scripture though all haue the spirit but God diuiding to euery one as he will giues to some the spirit to heare and obey to others to direct and command to some the spirit to labour and worke by practicall offices to others to contemplate and study by speculatiue functions yet to all so and in that manner that as euery member hath need of another for the eye cannot say to the hand I stand in no need of thy helpe so euery one member hath his gift and the vse and operation of it for the benefite of the whole body with dâ—pendance and subordination to the whole and
sometymes Soules out of Limbo Paradise Purgatory Hell Heauen haue appeared therefore I will first produce some examples of euery one and then shew what difficulty there is in discerning one of them frō another 1. For apparitions of God we haue examples how he appeared to Adam in Paradise to Noe in the Arke to Abraham in Haram in Mābre in the mountaine to Moyses in the fiery bush in Aegipt in the mountaine and in the Tabernacle and to Agar in the desert to Samuel in the Temple and to all the Prophets and many of the Patriarches in all which it is sayd Our Lord spake our Lord appeared which he did in the shape now of a man as to Adam now of three men to Abrahā now of a Wrestlar to Iacob now of a fire to Moyses now of a Cherubim to Ezechiel now of a Thorne to Isaias now of an old man in a white Vestement to Daniel though it be more probable that not God in person but an Angel representing God did appeare 2. For apparitions of Angells we haue exāples expresly of them how they appeared to Lot to forewarne him of the destruction of Sodome to Iacob to encourage him against Esau to the Israelites to direct them through the desert to Gedeon to make him Captaine against Madian to Tobie to accompany him in his iourney to Elias to send him to reprehend Ochozias to Dauid punishing and killing the people to Zachary and to the Virgin Mary reuealing secret mysteries to thē Which apparitions if we respect the place were made either in the garden as to our Sauiour or in the fieldes as to Iacob or in the desert as to Agar or in the house as to Gedeon or in the fornace as to the three Childrē or in the Temple as to Zachary or in prison as to Peter or at the Sepulcher as to Mary Magdalene If the state of persons they were made to our Sauiour himselfe to Christians as S. Peter to Iewes as Ioseph and the Patriarches to Gentils as Heliodorus and the three Kinges to men as Zachary to Women as the Maries to old persons as Abraham and Sara to young as Daniel to good persons as Lot and bad as the Sodomites Also some before Christ some after Christ some in Christs tyme some in the law of Nature some of grace so that in all tymes and at all places to all sorts of persons these reuelations of Angells haue bin made Thirdly for apparitions of Diuells wherof some are sayd to be Pythonici or South-sayers some Paredrij or Familiars some Catabolici or possessors and tormentors of men some Oniropompi or dreame makers we read of their visible apparitions to omit their imaginary how they haue appeared often and in many shapes sometymes of Beastes as of a serpent to Euah and Leonard of Corbie of a Dogge following them to Simon Magus and Cornelius Agrippa of a Horse to an Earle of Mascon of a Cocke to S. Pachomius of a Crow to S. Romualdus of a Foxe to S. Hilarion of a Dragon to S. Margaret and to Gonzales of Castile of Lions Buls Beares and Wolues to S. Anthony of a Dog to S. Dunstan ordinarily of a Cat to Witches and of Wolues to terrify of Bees and flyes to trouble distract men Sometimes of men or women and to Apelles like a beautifull woman as to our Sauiour Christ like a Venerable mā in his tentation to Saul in some opinion as Samuel by the Pythonise to S. Martin as a King with a Diademe to a Boy in S. Gregory as a blacke More to S. Robert the Abbot as a frisled Ruffin to S. Maximus as a Mariner with a ship to Euagrius as a Cleargy man to Macarius as a reaper of corne and an Apothecary to Nathanael as a Carrier whiping his horse In all which he alwayes appeared in some deformity as either in a body blacke pale durty stinking or terrible or with a face foule blacke and deformed or with a nose hooked a mouth wide eyes hollow or fiery feet club or clouen toes like clawes or some great deformity of body as is obserued God not otherwise permitting it the better to discouer him sometymes in the night to men eyther waking as to Luther when he taught him to abrogate the Masse or sleeping as to Zuinglius in what colour he knew not when he taught him to expound the wordes of the Sacrament figuratiuely and to Oecolampadius when he kild him in his bed sometymes in the day as to Carolostadius when in the pulpit he stood by him sometymes he appeared in shape of Saints Angels and Christ and God himselfe of which see examples afterwardes sometymes of Incubi and Succubi lying with men or women and by art getting of children sometyms of Centaur's Scylla's Chimera's Gorgons Cerberus Harpyes and other monsters terrifying mē sometymes seeking adoration to be worshipped as Gods which they require of Witches sometimes shewing a seruiceable obedience as when to Magiciās they eyther at certaine wordes of Magicke or at certaine constellations of starres or vpon certaine dayes of the weeke as Friday at night they ryse vp appeare and disclose thinges secret as treasures or foretell thinges to come as the euents of batels or the like All which in what shape they please to whō God permits the Diuells performe Fourthly for apparitions of soules out of Limbo before Christ we haue the examples of Moyses from Limbo and Elias from Paradise to our Sauiour and the three Apostles in the transfiguration of Onias the high Priest and Hieremy the Prophet to Iudas Machabeus and the people of Samuel the Prophet according to S. Augustine and others to Saul the King telling him sayth Ecclesiasticus the end of his life and exalting his voice out of the earth in prophesy or as it is in the Greeke after he had slept or was dead prophesying Fifthly for apparitions of soules out of Purgatory we haue ancient exampls of Paschasius a Deacon seene by Germanus Capuanus in the Bath of Angulanus of Iustus freed by 30. Masses of his brother Copiosus of another helping a Priest at the Bathes and helped out of Purgatory by his Masses al three cyted by S. Gregory the Great and of the sisters of S. Malachias and S. Thomas of Aquine both appearing relating themselues freed by their Brothers masses With many other of later tymes too long to be set downe Sixthly for apparitions of the Damned in hell to omit the apparitions of Infidels such as are related of Romulus to Proclus exhorting the Romās to worship the Gods of Homer to Appion the Grāmarian telling him his owne Country and friends of Achilles to Apolonius of
loue of God is required to wit an intensiue loue with all the force of our soule and an only loue which admits no kind of loue of any thing else as is possible only in the next life not factible in this life therefore by this faith is excluded all hope of reward for good works all necessity of prayer for obteining the Kingdome of heauen all vse of saying the Lords prayer for remission of sinnes all fruit of penance or satisfaction for the punishment of sinne all possibility of doing good liuing well and louing of God aboue all things and withall is included a necessity of breaking Gods Commandements of sinning mortally offending in all actions euen in the best actions of the best men as Caluin expresly affirmes and yet withall this infallible assurance of the Kingdome of heauen is by this faith obteined and confirmed Who will therfore or needs according to these principles to pray to fast to do pennance to forbeare sinne to bridle his concupiscence to do good works to loue God and liue piously since all are needlesse fruitlesse or impossible by this doctrine Surely whosoeuer doth either preach this doctrine of good life works pennance and charity as many moderate ministers do or do practise in their life and conuersation the same as many well intending Protestants do they cannot do it either out of the principles and grounds of their religion which we see require no such thing as all opposit to it but either out of the engrafted light of natural reason which doth teach it or out of the good inclination of their natural disposition which doth moue them to it or out of the principles or morall vertues which morall Philosophers haue layd for it or out of the doctrine or example imitation or others whoÌ„ they see practise it and for the practise to deserue a laudable comendation and worthy esteeme among men by it Seauenthdly that this speciall only faith doth derogate from the vertue and perfection of the incarnation and passion of our B. Sauiour Iesus Christ is proued thus that faith which makes our blessed Sauiour neither generall Redeemer of all nor so much as to be their sufficient Redeemer and which makes him neither lawgiuer nor â—dge nor phisitian nor true sauiour of mankind and also doth make him ignorant impotent vniust sinfull desperate and damned doth derogate from the vertue of the incarnation passion resurrection and ascension of Christ but this only and speciall faith and the assurance of iustification by it doth all this ergo And first that it makes Christ no generall Redeemer of all mankind is proued 1. Because it takes away from him the vniuersality of his redemption and the extension of his charity to all men For though Christ shed not his blood for the Angels neither was a Redeemer of them whose fall was not generall of all Angells either in indiuiduo or in specie as was mans who wholy fell and sinned especially in Adam and whose sinne was more voluntary and very pardonable in that their vnderstanding was greater and their teÌ„ptation lesser then was mans whome the Diuell seduced whose sinne was not voluntary in their owne person but in Adam their first father yet least Christ should either seeme impotent that he could not or vnmercifull that he would not shew his mercy to any estate wholy either of Angells or of men it did beseeme and befit the property of his power and goodnesse that it should shew and extend it selfe to the whole race of mankind at the least and that he should offer vp his bloud sufficiently for the redemption of all and chiefly as he did of those who sinned not actually and willingly but by the sinne and in the will of another as all by originall sinne did in Adam And as it was conuenient so it is testified of him That he gaue himselfe a redemption for all that he is a propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours only but also for the whole world that he would haue all saued and come to the knowledge of the truth that he is the Lambe of God which takes away the sinnes of the world and whome God gaue his sonne for the world Which word world includes rather the wicked and reprobate then the elect and iust But this his generall redemption and dying for all men is by this special Fayth quite ouerthrowne in that the defenders of it affirme that Christ dyed only for the elect not the reprobate that this fayth is giuen only to the elect not to the wicked which infers that Christ was either weake and vnable and the value of his passion insufficient to recompence the debt of all mens sinne and that the malice of the sinne was more great in all men then the vertue of God was powerfull in Christ or that Christ was more cruell in rigour of his iustice to condemne the greatest part of the world for sinne then he was mercifull in the tender bowels of his compassion to offer vp his paines and passion for the redemption of al from sinne Secondly That speciall faith makes Christ no perfect redeemer of any no not of those elect and iust for whome according to them he was borne and suffered is proued by these 3. reasons 1. Because they belieue not that Christ who as man did suffer did also as God ordaine himselfe thus to suffer nor that Christ who as man did offer his sufferings to God iustly offended and required satisfaction in iustice equiualent to the offence did also as God accept of this suffering for the redemption of mans offence though performed by a person who was without offence nor that Christ as maÌ„ did vndergo all paines and torments which the malice of Sathan and man could inflict for the more copious redemption of man to shew therby the goodnes of God the greatnes of sinne and the ingratitude of man whereas any one action or any one drop of bloud had beene of more worth in dignity and goodnes then all the sinnes of all men were of value in malice and basenes did also as God giue such a dignity worth and value to these sufferings that the least or any one of them as proceeding from the person of God was a price sufficient to haue redeemed all the sinnes of all men and of as many worlde 's besides as are men if so many had beene because I say they will not belieue this worth and value in the workes and sufferings of Christ God and Man to be so much infinitly greater then all the grauity of all sins of all men as the goodnes of one God is infinitly greater theÌ„ the malice of all men therefore they require in the Passion of Christ the selfe same paines and an equall degree in the same paines of Christs suffering for men which was due should haue beene inflicted vpon man Therefore say they as man was to suffer in body