workes of fasting praying and almes giuing therfore the workes themselues be deadly sinnes Our doctrine is first that these workes and such other Psal 109. 7. being done by vnfaithfull hypocrites and wicked men be turned into sinne as Dauid saith for they be so corrupted and defiled with their infidelitie and wickednes that they be but splendida peccata glittering sinnes before God as Saint Augustine termeth them For euen as most pure water flowing through a filthie sinke or priuie is made foule filthy and stinking euen so these workes prayer fasting c. which bee good workes commanded of God flowing from their faithlesse and wicked hearts and bodies be so defiled that they be but filthy sinnes in in the sight of God Pro. 15. 8. Salomon saith the sarcifice of the wicked is abhomination to the Lord but the prayer of the righteous is acceptable to Esa 1. 13. him God saith by the Prophet Esay Bring no moe oblations in vaine incense is an abhomination vnto me I cannot suffer your new Moones nor Sabboths nor solemne dayes it is iniquitie nor solemne assemblies My soule hateth your â—bid 66. 3. new Moones and your appointed feasts c. He that killeth a bullocke is as if he slew a man hee that sacrificeth a sheepe as if he cut off a dogges necke c. These sayings shew that euen the sacrifices commanded in the law of God were wicked abhominable wheÌ„ they were offered of wicked and prophane persons voyd of true faith and repentance So it is in the Prophet Haggai Thus saith the Lord of Hostes Aske now the Priestes concerning the law If one Hagg. 2. 12. beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirt doe touch the bread or the pottage or the wine or ale or any meate shall it bee holy And the Priestes answered and sayd no. Then sayd Haggai if a polluted person touch any of these thinges shall it bee vncleane And the Priestes answered and sayd it shall bee vncleane Then answered Haggai and said so is this people and so is this nation before me saith the Lord. and so are all the workes of their handes and that which they offer here is vncleane Agreeable to this is that which Tit. 1. 15. Saint Paul saith vnto the pure are all things pure but vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled Christ our Math. 7. 16. 12. 33. Sauiour saith Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles and a corrupt tree bringeth forth euill fruit Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne and without faith it is impossible Rom. 14. 23. Heb. 11 6. to please God Hereof we conclude that euen those workes which God hath commaunded and commended to vs in his word beeing done by the vngodly and reprobate be so corrupted by their infidelitie and wickednes that they bee not acceptable but rather abhominable before God So saith saint Augustine Sine qua fide quae videntur August lib. 3 ad Bonnifac cap. 5. Ambros de vo cat gentium lib. 1. cap. page 6. bona opera in peccata vertuntur without faith those workes which seeme to bee good are turned into sinne Saint Ambrose saith Sine cultu veri dei etiam quod virtus videtur esse peccatum est nec placere vllus deo sine deo potest without the worshippe of the true GOD euen that which seemeth to be virtue is sinne neither can any please God without God Anselme saith Omnis vita infidelium Anselme in Rom cap. 14. peccatum est nihil bonum sine summo bono i. The whole life of the vnfaithfull is sinne and there is nothing good without the chiefest good which is God By this the Christian reader may sufficiently see how false the doctrine of the Papists and namely of our fine and delicate Iesuites who teach as their proctor Andradius one of that coate blusheth not to auouch that all actions of those Explicat orthodox lib. 3. pag. 277. pag. 279. â—ulla culpa coâ—aminata pag. â—80 which bee vâ—yde of the true knowledge of GOD bee not sinne yea that they may doe workes defiled with no fault but worthy of great praise and that we are not to thinke that all the workes of them which be voyd of faith do so displease God that they bee crimes worthy eternall punishments Let the Godly reader compare these sayings of this Iebusite with those alleadged before out of the Scriptures and ancient Fathers and discerne which is more sound and agreeable not to the blind reason of man but to the wil of God reueiled in his word Secondly concerning the workes of the regenerate that belong to Gods election and mercy we say that although they bee done with imperfection and not so fully with their whole soule heart and minde as they should be but carry the touch of mans corruption and are not able to abide the strict and streight iudgement of God yet because they proceed from hearts purified by Act â—5 faith sanctified in some measure with Gods holy spirit they please God and the imperfections of them being pardoned in Iesus Christ they be accepted for pure and holy Math. 7. 16. 1â— 33. Pro. 15. 8. 1. Pet. 2. 5. Heb. 13. 16. Christ saith A good tree bringeth forth good fruite to the pure are all things pure The prayer of the righteous is acceptable to God The faitifull be an holy Priesthoode to offer vp spirituall sacrrfices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ To doe good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased This therfore is a falsely which this man with a brasen brow affirmeth that fasting praying and almes deedes according to our religion be deadly sinnes These workes be commanded of GOD who commaundeth no sinnes We say that the corruption of our nature which is but in part and imperfectly regenerate in this life doth creepe into them and therefore they be not so purely perfectly done of vs as God requireth whereby we acknowledge that euen the best workes we doe had neede of Gods mercy So Saint Augustine saith Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum siremota misericordia discutias eam Wo bee August confes lib. â— cap. 13. to the laudable life of man if thou O God examine it with out mercy Now what reasonable man will reason or imagine vs to reason thus that because we doe good workes not so purely and perfectly as Gods righteousnesse requireth and deserueth that therefore good workes as prayer almes deeds c. be deadly sinnes or are to be auoided of vs. But let vs come to examine the proofe of your Minor or second proposition You say that according to our religion and common exposition of this text of Scripture wee are maâ—e all as vncleane and all our iustices are like a stained Isaia 64. 6. cloth the best workes wee can
terris ipse meruit Idem in confut assert Luther articulo 17. innumeri tamen sunt qui longè grauiores aerumnas pertulerunt quà m ad suorum suffecissent delictorum expiationem Secondly wee make this supposition that although there is none to whome God doth not giue a greater reward in Heauen then hee hath merited and deserued yet there bee many which haue suffered farre more grieuous griefes and punishments then would haue sufficed to the expiation and purging away their sinnes This is their doctrine and is this to beleeue the forgiuenesse 2. Pet. 2. of sinnes or is it not rather to denie the Lord Iesus that hath bought vs For I may say with Saint Paul that Galat. 2. if righteousnesse come by the law or by our satisfaction then Christ died in vaine And with what face can these men accuse vs of denying this article the forgiuenesse of sinnes themselues teaching such blasphemous doctrine so manifestly opposite and contrarie vnto it Againe they denie the forgiuenesse of the punishments due for sinne saying that Christ hath deliuered vs à culpa from the fault or offence but not à poena from the punishment or at leastwise hee hath deliuered vs from eternall punishment but not from temporall which must bee sustained in Pugatorie whereby our sinnes or soules must bee purged and Gods iustice satisfied And yet the Popes pardons masses and dirges may discharge and deliuer from it Wherein first what doe they but extenuate and greatly diminish the vertue and powre of Christs death For if our Sauiour Christ haue not deliuered vs from the punishment due to our sinnes what great good hath hee done vs And if hee haue discharged vs from eternall punishment in hell but not from the temporall in Purgatory then is hee not a full and perfect Sauiour but an halfe Sauiour Haue you the testimonie of all Antiquitie for this doctrine Tertullian saith Exempto scilicet reatu eximiâ—ur poena The guiltinesse of sinne beeing taken away the punishment Tertull. lib. de baptismo is also taken away And Chrysostome saith vbi enim gratia ibi venia vbi verò venia illic nulla erit poena Where grace is there is forgiuenesse and where forgiuenesse Chrysost ad Rom. Homil. 8. is there shall bee no punishment Saint Augustine saith Ablato ergo peccato auferetur poena pecati The sin beeing taken away the punishment of sinne shall also bee taken away By this let it be discerned who they bee that August de vera relig cap. 13 denie that article of the forgiuenesse of sinne Moreouer let the Christian reader consider how they attribute first that to their Purgatory which is proper to the bloud of Christ which as S. Iohn saith clenseth vs from all sinne and secondly more to their Dirges Masses Pardons and such 1. Ioh. 1. paltries then they doe to the death and passion of Iesus Christ For they may deliuer from the paines of Purgatory but Christs death doth not O coelum non sudas ô terra non tremis But now let vs come to your proofe of this your accusation of our denying of this article Your first reason is that wee acknowledge no such effect in the Sacrament of Baptisme c. Wee acknowledge that baptisme is a Sacrament of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes by the death and passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ whereby our faith is confirmed and we assured that as water washeth away the filth of the bodie so all the filth guiltinesse of our sinnes is so purged in the bloud of Christ that wee bee accepted for iust and righteous before God But we do not acknowledge that Baptisme or any other Sacrament doe conferre grace of themselues or haue grace included in them as in a vessell but wee affiame that they bee seales of Gods promises and instruments whereby God worketh in his elect and chosen people those graces which hee hath in his word promised and Iesus Christ hath purchased for them But all that bee outwardly baptized bee not inwardlie clensed as Simon Magus who beeing baptized was yet Act. 8. 23. still in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquitie For the spirit of God worketh by them in whom when and how much it pleaseth him Neither doe wee beleeue that Baptisme serueth onely for the remission of sinnes committed before it as you say here but that the vse and benefit of it pertaineth to our whole life continually to asâ—ure vs and confirme our faith in the forgiuenesse of all our sinnes by Iesus Christ And whereas you say that this our doctrine is contrarie to the expresse word of GOD which calleth this Sacrament the lauer of regeneration for that in it the soule dead by sinne is newly regenerate by grace I answere that Baptisme is so farre from beeing in this place of Saint Paul expressed that it is not mentioned neither necessarily to bee vnderstanded Saint Pauls sweete words bee these When the hountifulnesse and loue of God our Sauiour towards man appeared not by the workes of T it 3. 4. righteousnes which we had done but according to his mercy he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and renewing of the holy Ghost which hee shed on vs aboundantly through Iesus Christ our Sauiour Where is baptisme here mentioned or expressed to the lauer of regeneration Saint Paule doth here attribute this washing whereby wee bee regenerate and renewed to the holie Ghost alluding as it were to the words of God by the Prophet Ezechiel Then will I powre â—xech 36. 25. cleane water vpon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will â— clense you By this cleane water is vnderstood the spirit of God as it is expounded in the two next verses following I confesse that Baptisme is a Sacrament and pledge vnto vs of this washing and clensing of the holie Ghost to whom this washing is to be attributed and not to baptisme as though it were included in it or affixed to it for as I said many be outwardly baptized which be not inwardly clensed but onely the faithfull children of God in whom Gods spirit inwardly worketh that which by the word of God is promised and in baptisme sealed and confirmed And therefore this lauer is the spirit of God by whom we be regenerated and renewed Saint Augustine saith well Ea demum miserabilis August lib. 2 â—le doct Câ—rist cap. 5. est seruitus signa pro rebus accipere supra creaturam corpoream oculum mentis ad hauriendum aeternum lumen leuare non posse This is miserable seruitude to take the signes for the things signified and not to bee able to lift vp the eye of the minde aboue the corporeall creature to receiue eternall light Your second proofe is that we allow not the sacrament of Penance wherein all actuall sinnes committed after Baptisme are cancelled Your Popish penance
infidelity But S. Paul doth exhort vs to doubt of our saluatioÌ„ which we are bound to beleeue by faith according to the Protestants religion ergo S. Paul exhorteth vs to infidelity The Maior is plaine for to doubt of matters in faith is manifest infidelity because whosoeuer doubteth whether God hath reuealed that which indeed be hath reuealed being sufficiently proposed as reuealed vertually doubteth whether God saith truth or lieth The Minor is proued by the testimonie of S. Paul Cum timore tremore salutem vestram operamini with feare and trembling worke your saluation All feare whether it be filiall feare or seruile feare inculdeth doubt the one of sinne the other of punishment Answere AS it is false that wee neither know what wee beleeue nor why wee beleeue as hath beene before sufficientlie shewed so is it no lesse false which is here boldlie affirmed but faintly prooued That wee haue no meanes in our Church to settle vs in vnitie of beleefe to determine controuersies and to abolish Heresies Wee haue the word of GOD which we acknowledge to be the onely touchstone of truth concerning religion and saluation We haue learned and Godly Bishops and Pastors to teach the truth of Gods word to confute both by preaching and writing errors and heresies And we haue Synodes although not generall yet prouinciall wherein controuersies may be decided and Heresies condemned as heretofore the truth hath beene maintained and Heresies confuted and confounded in some prouinciall Councels as that called Gangrense and some other Africane Councels as wel as they haue beene in some generall I would faine know of you what other and better meanes the Church of God had for the space of three hundred yeeres after Christs incarnation then these to determine controuersies and abolish Heresies Generall Councels they had not before Constantines time which Pigh 6. de eccle Hierarch cap. â— Bellarm. tom 1 contro 4. lib. 2 cap. 13. Aeâ—cas Siluius epist 28. pag. 802. therefore your fellow Papist Pighius counteth to haue beene an inuention of his but your great Rabbin Rob. Bellarmine therein controlleth him and saith it is false So well these men bee setled in vnitie of beleefe And to your great Maister of Rome whom you now would make the Oracle of the world there was before that time but small respect and regard had as your own Pope Pius 2. in these words confesseth Ante Concilium Nicenum sibi quisque viuebat ad Romanam Ecclesiam paruus habebatur respectus i. Before the Councel of Nice euery one liued to himselfe and there was small regard had to the Church of Rome Shew vs therefore what meanes the Churches of God then had for maintenance of vnity of faith which we want You say that Christ willed vs to heare his Church if we Matth. 18. 17. Bellar. contro 1. lib. 3. cap. 5 would not be accounted for Ethnicks and Publicanes The which place your said Rob. Bellarmine Reader full wisely alleageth to proue the Pope and his Councel to be the supreme Iudge of controuersies As though our Sauiour Christ there spake of deciding of controuersies in doctrine or of expounding the Scriptures or by the Church meant the Pope and his councell and that euery man against whom his brother trespasseth must goe to the Pope and his councell to make his complaint These bee vanities and follies which nullo impellente ruunt and neede no confutation You further alleage out of Ioh. 14. 17. that Christ promised vnto the church the assistance of the holy Ghost where by the church you meane the Pope and his councell as your Maister Bellarmine hath taught you who writeth thus Sed hic in genere dicimus iudiceÌ„ veri sensus Idem ibid. ca. â— Scripturae omnium controuersiarum esse ecclesiam id est Pontificem cum concilio in quo omnes Catholici conueniunt Wee generally say that the church is the iudge of the true sense of the Scripture and of all controuersies that is to say The Pope with the councell wherein all Catholikes doe assemble or rather dissemble together But our Sauiour Christ made this promise to his disciples saying I will pray the Father and hee shall giue you another Ioh 14 16 17 comforter that hee may abide with you for euer euen the spirit of truth whome the world cannot receiue because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you This promise pertaineth not to all the successors of the Apostles but to all them that truly feare God and beleeue and obey the holy doctrine which Christ deliuered to his Disciples and which they preached the which when you shall soundly proue that your Popes councels do then we will grant that this promise of Christ belongeth to them In the meane time wee will follow Chrysostomes good counsell Si videris aliquem Euangelica Chrysost Hom. dâ— Sâ—ncâ—o adorando spiritu repetentem profecto spiritum sanctum habet Veniet enim spiritus sanctus vt recordari vos faciat eorum quae docui Si quis igitur eorum qui dicuntur habere spiritum sanctum dicat aliquid à seipso non ex Euangelijs non credité meam doctrinam sequimini If thou see any man speaking out of the Gospell surely he hath the holy Ghost For the holy Ghost shal come to put you in remembrance of those things which I haue taught you If therefore any of them which are said to haue the holy Ghost doe speake any thing of himselfe not out of the Gospell beleeue him not but follow my doctrine Whereas you say that you beleeue certainely that the church cannot erre that the generall councels cannot deliuer false doctrine c. I answere that you foolishly begge that which is in question For as wee acknowledge councels assembled of Godlie learned and modest men which simply seeke the glorie of God and the profit of his Church are good meanes to suppresse errors and heresies and to abolish abuses and enormities so to affirme that generall Councells cannot erre or deliuer false doctrine is most false absurd as by many both reasons and examples might bee proued But for shortnes sake I will touch but a few examples The councell of foure hundred Priests of Israel erred and Satan was a false spirit in the â—outh of them all to the 1. King 22. 6. 8 22. Matth 26. 3. 65. 66. Act. 4. 5. 18. destruction of Achab that cursed king of Israel The councell of the Priests of Iuda erred in coÌ„demning Iesus Christ to death The councell of the high Priest and other Priests Rulers Elders and Scribes erred in forbidding Christs disciples to speake or teach in the name of Iesus The councel of Neocaesarea erred in iudging hardly falsly of second marriages which Gods word alloweth Rom Concil Neoca sar Can. 7. 7. 3. 1. Cor. 7. 39. the words of the councell be these
life did well deserue that commendation Moreouer where S. R. pag. 208. saith that Caluin Whitaker Perkins and I do say all good workes are sinne this is as true as is that lving sclaunder of Duraeus the Iesuite who shameth not to say that wee affirme all workes to bee nothing Duraeus contr VVhitakerum fol. 13. 14. els but inquinamenta et sordes et veram iniquitatem apud deum pollutions filthe very iniquity before God The which is most false for wee teach and beleeue that the workes of the faithfull and regenerate bee good and acceptable vnto God for although they bee so infected and stained with sinne which is in vs and hangeth on vs that they cannot of themselues abide Gods strict and seuere examination but had need of mercy yet in that they proceed from faithfull hearts and sanctified in some measure with Gods spirit and are couered with the robe of Christes righteousnesse they are accepted of God as pure and perfect as I haue in my answere to the second article concerning good life and piety before declared the which I desire the Christian reader to reade and examine and not ouer lightly to beleeue this Lying-sclanderer who thought it the wisest way not to set downe our sayings but to quote the places which he is well assured his affectionate fauorers will neuer examine nor reade what wee shall write in our defence so strongly haue they charmed them and by a strong delusion bewitched them And this shall suffice for answere to S. R. in that which concerneth me The rest Maister Bell hath answered but I know not whether it be printed IOB 6. 24. Teach me and I will hold my tongue and cause me to vnderstand wherein I haue erred ISAIA 41. 21. Stand to your cause saith the Lord bring forth your strong reasons saith the King of Iacob Faults escaped in the Printing p. is for page l. for line and r. for read P. 16. l. 10 r. reuealed p. 23. l 25. r. vp to the Church p. 32. l. 14. r. appoint vnto p. 45 l. 2. r. or the Remish p. 48. The addition in the first line beginning with these words VVhereas yousay c. is misplaced and should haue been inserted in the second line aboue after these words to discredit I must intreate thee gentle reader to pardon this ouer-sight p. 54. l. 5. r. mediation ibid. l. 13. r. eternall predestination p. 56. l. 7. r. to be God p. 56. l. 16. r absurdum p. 57. l. 33. r. repelleth p. 58. l. 18. for new r. true p. 59 l. 29. r. punished for and in the end of the next line put out for p. 61 l. 6 for mysticall r ministeriall ibid. l. 24. put out of p. 72. l. 12 for of r. for p. 73. l. 14. r. Deum p. 84. l. 23. r. affirme p. 84 l. 11. r. to be the lauer p. 87. l 7. r. of sinne p. 88. l. 16. r. of it selfe p. 96 l. 1 r. Crosse and l. 8. r that God doeth p. 105 l. 11. r. such as is p. 106. in the 19. 20. lines these words first second are misplaced p. 100. 25 r. in that ouer obstinately they did p. 1â— â—â—8 for that r. they â— 18. l. 7 r. 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 159. 19 for he r. ye p. 120 l. 26. for poest r. doest p. 127. l. 1. r. we are made ibid l. 25 for affect r. effect p. 129 l. 6. for ale r. oyle ibid. the last line r. Iesuites is who p. 133 l. 18 for boubt r. doubt p. 135 l. 17 r. I say ibid. l. 24 for giuen r. giuing p. 139 l. 6 r. keeping p. 141 l. 29 r. our vertues p. 144 l. 3 r. first they say ibid l 24 r or else few or none p 149 l 8 blot out these words and so attribute all to Gods grace and mercy for they be twise p. 152 l 12 r solam p 153. l 18 r merciful p 154 l 1. r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 159 l 6 r this sacred p 169 l 9 r tend vvhich some ibid. l 26 r tot indulgentiae p 175 l 30 r munnatis p 233 l 20 r his owne bloud p 240 l 31 r Region p 246 l 36 r superstition p 247 l 38 r for Q question p 248 l 3 put out first ibid l 20 put out Beside ibid l 38 r for that in Tertullians time the Bishop of Rome fauoured his haeresies as both Tertullian and Beatuâ— Rhenanus a papist do affirme p 254. l 28 r they do p 255 l 36 r for error author p 256 l 8 r Henry ibid l 13 r these p 259 l. 10 r parcite ibi dem l 25 r said p 262 I 16 r. combasâ—â— p. 263 l 36 r. race p 264 l 10 r fuit p 266 l 14 r Sacrae ibid l 15 Jani ibid l 24 r promsit ibid l 28 r censuâ— ibid. r partos p 267. l 3 r. verum ibid l 13 r quaeque ibid l 21 r aâ—teâ— ibid l 22 r. quam ibid l 30 for Mons r Mayne