Zanch. Miscellan 1. par p. 214 seqq Calv. Insti l. 3. c. 13. §. 3. who in their Trent Councell Session 6. boldly affirme that a man cannot hereof bee certaine in this life but ought alwayes to doubt of it and they adde that there can bee no greater sinne before God then that a miserable sinner should assure himselfe of Gods fauour yea and further they adde that whosoeuer shall holde that opinion ought to bee accursed To this their abominable errour we oppose most plaine places of holy Writt Rom. 8 vers 15. Yee haue not receiued the spirit of bondage but that spirit of Adoption by which wee crie Abba Father which spirit beareth witnes to our spirit that wee are the Sonnes of God This is a very horrible impiety that wee will not receiue the testimony of the Spirit but doubt of the truth certainty therof 1 Iohn 5.10 Hee that beleeueth in the Son of God hath the Testimonie in himselfe And surely if God would haue had vs to haue doubted Hoe dixit Deus hoc promisit si parum est hoc iurauit Aug. hee would neuer haue sworne that hee would bee mercifull to vs. But now he hath sworne thus much very euidently EZech. 33.11 As I liue saith the Lord that is as truely as I am and liue I will not the death of a sinner but that hee liue Also Iohn 5.24 Verely verely J say vnto you whosoeuer beleeueth in the Son hath eternall life And Woe bee to thee then saith Saint Austin if thou beleeue not God when he sweares to thee But the Papistes obiect Obiect Tria considero in quibus tota spes mea consistit Charitatem adoptionis veritatem promissionis Potestatem redditionis c. Bern. They that are weak are subiect to falling and they cannot bee sure of the grace of God Answ Who so are weake they may easily fall I limit the proposition thus vnlesse there bee one that is mightier who vpholdeth them Now God it is that holdes vs vp and that helpeth our infirmities And therefore certaine wee may be of the forgiuenesse of sinnes and of the grace of God not by any thing in our owne nature indeed which is weake but by the helpe and assistance of the holy Ghost making vs strong according to those sayings of holy Writ Psal 37.24 Though the righteous fall he shall not bee cast off because the Lord putteth vnder his hand Iohn 10.28 I wil giue vnto my sheepe eternall life neither shall they perish for euer neither shall any one take them out of my hand my Father which hath giuen mee them is greater then all that is hee can supply their wants readily and vphold them mightily Rom. 8.38 I am perswaded that neither life nor death neither things present nor things to come shall bee able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Again they obiect that place Obiect 1 Cor. 10.12 Hee that standeth let him take heed that he fall not I answer Solut. That the Apostle there speaketh of hypocrites which doe perswade themselues falsly that they stand and further he speakes also of the weaknesse of men touching which wee cannot be enough admonished to the end that wee may thinke saluation not to lie in our owne strength but in the grace of God only Obiection They vrge also that place Eccles 9.1 A man knoweth not whether hee is worthy loue or hatred Solut. Whereto I answere First that this is a fallacie not beeing limitted wee ought then thus to limit it A man knoweth not of himselfe but hee may know it The fathers speake against a vaine presumptioÌ„ not a godly assurance God reuealing it vnto him and the holy Spirit witnessing it Secondly a man knoweth not by those humane causes by the euent of Fortune and the chances and changes of these outward things And therein the Text it selfe is a mouth to expound it selfe for there it is said that a man by externall changes such as are riches pouertie health sicknesse honour contempt that a man cannot by these things nor any other externall estate iudge and certainely know whether hee bee in the fauour of God or be hated by him And therefore that their Argument is not sound which argue thus as many doe I am rich Ergo I am the sonne of God or I am poore Ergo God doth hate me This iudgement then whether wee bee in the fauour of God or not wee must take from Gods Word Sithence therefore it is certaine that a faithfull soule may bee assured of the fauour of God and the forgiuenesse of sinnes and may bee made partaker of the peace of Conscience as it is said Ro. 5.1 Being iustified by faith we haue peace thence another thing doth necessarily follow De perseuerantia Zanch. Miscellan 1. part p. 91. seqq iteÌ„ pag. 347. to wit That a man when hee is once receiued into the fauour of God and hath obtained remission of his sinnes that hee I say cannot fall away from the Grace of God nor lose his Faith nor be obnoxious vnto eternall daâ—nation For because we ought not to doubt of the grace of God therefore neither can wee fall away from the grace of God for if we could fall away from it then wee might doubt of it but we being once receiued into the grace and fauour of God that wee cannot altogether loose that grace of God the Scripture witnesserh Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to those which are in Christ Iesus if no condemnation then perpetuall fauour if no condemnation then also no time is wherin they may slide from the grace of God fall into condemnation for by no condemnation is excluded both all the kinds thereof and all occasions of falling thereinto Hitherto appertaineth that place Ipse ergo eos facit perseuerare in bono qui facit bonos qui autem cadunt pereunt in Praedestinaâ—orum numero non fuerunt August which before wee haue cited Iohn 10.28 My sheepe none shall take out of my hand which is all one as if hee had said My sheep shal neuer be taken out of my hand Which must be diligeÌ„tly noted against the Papists who affirme that a man after that he is taken into the fauor of God may fall again out of his fauour euen as if he had neuer been in fauor but may haue of a mercifull God an vncompassionate and irreconcileable God euen as when one falls out of the fauour of the King in stead of a gentle and kinde master hee hath now an angry and cruell Lord. Obiect But here they obiect that place in the 51. Psalme where Dauid after that horrible sinne of his was committed prayeth Restore vnto mee the ioy of my saluation vers 12. therefore say they hee had lost the fauour of God Solue I answer that the Papists doe not halfe well enough looke into the text for it is not said Restore vnto me my spirit
too So did their children their childrens children as did their fathers so doe they vnto this day It was but a Pagans argument to Theodosius the Emperour Seruanda est tot seculis fides nostra Ex Ambros Epist lib. 5. Epist 30. sequendi sunt maiores nostri qui secuti sunt foeliciter suos And the Emperours Letter to the States of Germany assembled at Wormes against Luther sounds and runnes in the same tenour Fox Martyrol pag. 851 col 2. Our predecessors were obedient to the Romish Church and therefore we cannot without great infamy and stainâ— of honour degenerate from the examples of our elders but will maintaine the ancient Faith and giue ayd to the See of Rome But heere first of all wee desire no better aduocate for our selues then Gratian I wil set down his owne words Si consuetudinem fortassis opponas Distiâ—ct 8. cap. â— duertendum quod Dominus dicit egosum via veritus Non dixit egosum consuetudo sed veritas Etcerâ—â— vt beati Câ—priani vtamur fanteÌ„tia qualibâ—t consuetuâ—do quantâ—â—is vetusta quantumuis vulgata veritati omnino est postponenda vsus qui veritati contrarius est abolendus Secondly M. Caluins note on the fourth of Iohns Euangell and the 20. vers Ioh. Caluin in Euangel Ioh. is here worth the noting Verae pietatis desertoribus solenne est vt patrociniu sibi ex PatruÌ„ exemplis quarant It is a very ordinary thing with Sectaries and Apostates from Religion to vrge for their doings their fathers examples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 7.51 Oh yee Apostaticall generation which doe as much as in you â—es to resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers haue done so will you doe too But your time blinde obedience well befits Mast Scots hylomythie pa. 40 Such earth bread doltish dull and sluggish wits But ayery Spirits acquainted with the light Will not bee led by custome from the right No loue no friends no predecessor shal Peruert their iudgements they examine all This is the practise of some in France obserued out of Caluin by Reg. on the artic of Religion Art 21. Your Fathers haue stepped awry in some points of doctrine and you hauing once entred their by pathes will needs runne into the desert of errour Your Fathers liuing in the stinking ayre of Popery could not choose but bee tainted with some infection of Heresie What then Dare you say they died in their pollution Did God reueale vnto you the time the houre of their conuersion Do you not know that God might haue his secret working performed vpon them euen at the very last gaspe Doe you not acknowledge that God can saue such as are not pertinatious in their Heresies euen Jnter pontem fontem When there is no sensible hope When their foule is at the pits brink hee can call it backe againe that the pit shall not shut its mouth vpon it I haue often greatly wondred saith M. D. Luther how that in all the time of that tyrannizing Sect of the sonne of perdition Luther in epist ad Galat. ca. 2. tom 5. operum fol. 311 for so many hundreths of yeares together the Church should subsist in the midst of such gret darkenes and in the throng of so many errours Afterward I conceiued that there were certaine called of God by the Word of his Gospell and Baptisme who walked in the simplicitie and humilitie of their heart thinking the Monkes onely and such as were anointed of Bishops to be holy men and Religious but themselues to be profane and irreligious and in no wise to bee compared with the other Whereupon finding themselues emptie of all good workes and meritâ— which they might oppose to the displeasure and rigour of Gods Iustice they clung close to the passion and death of Christ and in that simplicitie were saued Neither was this the case of simple ones onely but euen of their deepe Doctors 1 Ioh â— 19 their holy Hermits their sanctified Monkes of whome I may truly say That howsoeuer they liu'd among them yet were they not oâ— them Which assertion though it might haue beene doubteâ— of all their life time their habits and cooles manner of liuing colouring it out to the world that they were Papists yet the point of death approaching put the matter out of question when for all their regularities and obseruances as Monkish as euer for all their comport and carriage as superstitious as euer for all their meanes and manner of liuing We do iustly coÌ„clude that many Papists especially our Forefathers laying their whole trust vpoÌ„ Christ and his merits at their last breath may be and oftentimes are saued as Popish as euer could be deuised they will be found to haue dyed true Protestants casting from them all trust and relyance on their owne works and putting their whole trust and affiance in the mercies of God through Christ Iesus Such was that good Hermit Agatho good in name and in truth good Such was that blessed Saint Bernard the best Monke that euer was Both which on their death-beds to haue renounced themselues vtterly His Maieties speach in the Parliam 1605. De Agatho ne vide Luther vbi supra fol. 313. De Bernar in 4 cap. ad Galat. fol. 400. tom 5. and to haue had recourse onely vnto Christ you may reade in that worthy Authour afore cited And I think verily saith Luther that Ierome and Gregory and many other Fathers and Hermites were after the same manner saued And the ground of this his thus reasoning is for that we are not to doubt but that euen in the Old Testament many of the Kings of Israel and other Idolaters likewise were saued for because it pleased God euen in the houre of death to turne their hearts causing them to cast away all their vaine confidence they put in their Idols and to apprehend that promise of God as concerning that seede of Gen. 22.18 AbrahaÌ„ which was to come to wit Christ in whom all the Nations of the world should be blessed Vide in hanc senteÌ„tiam D D. Hakeâ— in his answ to DD. Carier an English Italionated Doctor c. 2. sect 19 p. 127. Potens est dominus miserecordia sua indulgentiam dare Non tamen quia aliquando erratum est ideâ— semper errandum est Cyprian epist 73. v. etiam Directions to know the true Church pag. 83. Non intelligendi viuacitas sed credendi simplicitas tutissimos facit Aug. Apostolus de iudais dicit zelum Dei habent sed non secundum scientiam pares estis omnino exceptis duntaxat illis quicunque in vobis sunt scientes quid verum sit pro animositate sua peruersitatis contra veritatem etiam sibi notissimam dimicantes August Vincent epist 48. Hence proceede our charitable censures of such of your Fathers who liuing in the darkenesse of superstition could not so well see the way to heauen and to reformation in their life time as their meeke hearts could haue wished
Lerinens Mâ—â—â— Dâ—â—â— tam non habit hoe illud quam non haec illa Bern. or these diuerse manners of Gods being doe not multiply the Diuine Essence no more then the diuers degrees of heate or light doe multiply the light or heatâ— so that I speake right when I say there are moe persons in the diuine Essence but it cannot be vttered without blaspheâ—y to say there are in God more Natures or more Gods then one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 NazianzeÌ„ Qui nescis TrinitateÌ„ ito ad Iordanem Mat. 3. Aug. Syst Th p 46 vide etiaÌ„ p. 35. seqq Dicamus tres sed non ad praiudiciaÌ„ vnitatâ— dicamus vnâ—â— sed non ad confussionem Trinitatis Ber. v. Syst Theol p. 49. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Na. Quomodò pluralitas in vnitate sit aut ipsa vnitas in pluralitate scrutari hoc temeritas est credere pietas est nosse vita vita aeterna est Bern. How many persons are there Three the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost which is proued by manifest Testimonies of holy Writ Matth. 28 19. Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the namâ— sc by the Authority and appointment of the Father thâ— Sonne and the Holy Ghost Iob. 15.26 When that Comforte shall come whom I will send tâ— you from the Father euen tâ— Spirit of Truth who proceedeth from the Father he well testifie of me where they are all three plainely named the Father from whom the holy Spirit is sent the Sonne who sendeth and the Holy Ghost who is sent 1. Ioh. 5 7. There bee three which beare record in Heauen the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one in Essence or Nature How proue you that these three persons bee that one God First I must haue it granted that these three persons are distinct because hee that sendeth is distinguished from him that is sent and hee from whom is distinguished from him that is sent Now Iâ—â—c 15. plainely saith that Christ is hee that sendeth the Holy Ghost him that is sent and the Father from whom the Sonne sendeth the holy Ghost Whence I doe necessarily inferre that these three manners of being in God are distinct which being graunted I shall easily prooue this three-fold manner of being or these three Persons in the diuine Essence to be that true God For first as touching the Father the very aduersaries themselues yeeld Christus est Deus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coÌ„tra AriuÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contra Apolinar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contra Nestor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contra Eutych Syst Theol. pag. 52. seqq that he is truely God And touching the Sonne wee haue manifest testimonies of the Scripture Rom. 9.5 Of whom namely the Israelites are the fathers of whom Christ came as concerning the flesh who is God aboue all blessed for euer If aboue all therefore about those who by reason of their excellent gifts are called Gods That the holy spirit is God these Sentences of Scripture plainely proue Acts 5.3 Peter saith to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thy heart that thou shouldest lye against the holy Ghost And presently he addeth vers 4. Thou hast not lyed vnto men but vnto God Therefore the holy Ghost is God Another place is 1 Cor. 2.10 The Spirit searcheth all things euen the profound things of God And the verse following For who knoweth the things c. Whence wee may thus reâ—son whosoeuer knoweth the secrets the profound secrets of God or which is all one whosoeuer is omniscient is God but the Holy Ghost is Omniscient Ergo The Maior is euident the Minor is exprâ—sly in the Text. Secondly whatsoeuer is in God is God but the Holy Ghost is in God Ergo. The Proposition is of certaine truth for that God who is a most simple Essence void of all difference and composition cannot consist of any thing which is not God The assumption is in the Text v. 11. where it is said As the reasonable soul is in man that is of the essence of man so the holy Spirit is in God Hitherto may tha testimony 1 Cor. 3.16 be referred â— August Enchirid. cap. â—6 Know yee not that yee are the Temple of God and that the holy spirit dwelleth in you where the latter words doe expound the former for it is all one as if the Apostle had said Know yee not that yee are the Temple of God seeing that the Holy Ghost dwelleth in you who is God But if the Aduersaries say that the spirit is nothing else saue the effects and gifts of God they are most manifestly confuted and confounded by the words of the Scripture 1 Cor. 12.4.5.6 There are diuersities of gifts but the same spirit there are diuersities of ministrations but the same Lord c. And verse 11. All these gifts worketh that one and selfe same spirit distributing c. Whence ariseth this argument He that distributeth a gift is not himselfe that gift that is distributed but the Holy Ghost is the distributer of all those gifts Ergo. The Proposition is cleare enough The Assumption is plaine in the Text where it is said that the spirit worketh and distributeth al those gifts Another argument out of the same text may bee this Hee that is endued with a will hee cannot be a bare vertue or accident but is a substance subsisting by it selfe but the Holy Ghost c. Ergo. The Maior is cleare for whosoeuer willeth he vnderstandeth and whosoeuer willeth and vnderstandeth hee must bee a substance by it selfe subsisting The Minor is clearely set downe in the text where it is said The Spirit distributeth to euery one as he will Fuit principium essendi DEVS sequiter cognoscendi principium VERBVM DEI non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verbum Christi Syst Th p. 167. Qui ScripturaÌ„ ignorat ChristuÌ„ ignorat Hieronym de Scriptura Zanch. Confess pag. 482. item in illud Pauli 2 Tim. 3.14 tom 8. p. 319 seqq I haue heard the doctrine concerning God tell mee now besides what the holy Scripture is It is that testimony and witnesse which God hath giuen to Mankind as touching his owne nature and will and as touching those thinges which appertaine to the saluation of man How is the holy Scripture diuided Three manner of waies first by reason of the Time wherein it was reuealed secondly by reason of that Authority it hath in proouing thirdly by reason of the Matter which it handleth How is the Scripture diuided in respect of the time wherin it was reuealed Into the Old and New Testament The Old Testament therefore is that part of the Scripture which God reuealed to the first of Man-kind people of the Iewes which liued vntill the Ministery of Christ which hee reuealed I say by the Prophets as by his Scribes and Notaries But the New Testament is called that part of the Scripture which God hath reuealed to Man-kind after the birth
not our priuate troubles and afflictions For these bee the conditions of an Aduocate or Mediatour first that our Mediatour bee nominated and commended vnto vs vpon good and sufficient warrant of Gods Word Secondly that that same intercessour be perfectly righteous and holy Thirdly that hee also know the groanings and afflictions of him for whom hee meanes to mediate none of all which agreeth vnto the Saints For the Saints are neither appointed vnto vs by God to be our intercessours neither haue we any command in holy Scripture that we are to make the Saints Mediatours for vs or to call on them Nay rather quite contrary precepts hereunto which wee haue before cited Againe wee finde not through the whole volume of of Gods booke any one example of any Saint that hath prayed vnto a Saint and entreated him to play the Mediatour for him Neither does the second condition agree to them for that they are not altogether pure before God that they may mediate for others but they themselues rather haue need of a Mediatour as it is said Iob 15.15 Yea in his Saints bee found vncleannesse Thirdly the Saints are ignorāt of our afflictiōs affections how can they therfore interceed for vs if they wot not what we aske for God alone challengeth this priuiledge to himselfe to be the searcher of the heart and the discouerer of the thoughts and groanings of men Yea but say the Papists the Saints as the friends of God haue all our groanings and prayers disclosed vnto them in the glasse of the Trinitie Note Si quando homines exorare oportet ianitorib prius occurrere oportet c. In Deo nihil tale ad quem confugies ad Abrahamum non te audiet Ille solus precandus exorandus qui scriptam in te damnationem delere potest incendium restinguere Chrysostom Whereto I answer first that if the Saints come to the knowledge of our groanings by God what need is there that first wee should call on the Saints and to what end is it to haue any such Mediators with God sithence he to whom they mediate knoweth better what is wanting to vs then the Mediators themselues For it should seeme to bee a preposterous course to vse any intercessour vnto a King if the King knew the party for whome the Mediatour would interceede Solent tamen pudorē passi miser◠vti excusatione per istos posse iri ad Deū sicut per comites peruenitur ad regē age nunquid tam demōs c. Vide Amb. in 1 ca. epist ad Rom. better then the Mediatour himselfe And how absurde should it be if the intercessour should say Tell me I pray you O my King what this felloW askes for whom I am to mediate Secondly I say that the Scripture hath broken that prospectiue glasse all to shiuers Esay 63.15.16 Heare from heauen thy holy dwelling place for thou art our Father Abraham heareth vs not and Israel is ignorant of vs but thou art our Father thy name is from euerlasting Where it is plainely affirmed that Abraham and Israel which long agoe were dead and whose soules rested with God in the Heauens did not in any glasse behold and know the groanings and afflictions of the Church militant on earth And indeed that the Saints departed are not priuie to our affaires done vpon the earth nor know any thing in specialtie what happeneth among the liuing that place in the second of Kings Cha 22.20 witnesseth where God saith vnto Iosiah a most religious holy King I will gather thee vnto thy Fathers that thine eyes may not see all the euills which I will bring vpon this place Esay 57.1 The iust and the righteous are taken away from the sight of the euill that in his yeares hee may not behold the calamities which are to be sent vpon the Land for wretched impiety Ec. 9 4 the dead know nothing any more to wit of those things which are done vpon the earth Hence therefore is it rightly inferred that the Saints cannot bee Mediators And indeed wee haue no neede of them to be our intercessours first because God knoweth our afflictions better then they yea better then the Angels secondly because God is more merciful then any Saint and more desirous that wee should liue then any Saint can be Ideo ad regem per tribunos aut comites itur quia homo vtique est rex nescit quib debeat rempub credere Ad Deum autem quē vtique nihil latet c. Vid Am. vbi supra in 1. cap ad Rom. Now that we doe vse the intercession of some Noble man or great man vnto Kings which is their most plausible argument it is for the great defect and weakenesse that is in man for that Princes are not acquainted with all mens grieuances secondly because Princes are more affected vnto one man then vnto another but no such respect of persons is there with God as it is said Acts 10.34 the Papists bring vs in a distinction betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seruice and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adoration and say that the one to wit Seruice is due to Saints the other that is Adoration is due to God Against which distinction Calu. Instit l. 1. cap. 12. §. 2. you may reade a most cleare disputation in the exposition of Vrsins Catechisme pag. 739. where it is proued by holy Scripture that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both the one and the other agrees vnto God and neither of them both vnto Saints Only this one thing I will not let passe that the Papists themselues breake downe the pale of their owne distinction which I proue by this reason All those thinges which Dauid in the Psalmes giues vnto God hee giues them all by the way of adoration but all those very things which Dauid giues vnto God are attributed vnto the Virgin Mary in Bonauentures Psalter Ergo. The other errour of the Papists is about the worshipping of Images and so also of that worship which they make vnto the Reliques of the Saints And first of all the Papists hold that those prayers which are made in or at certaine set Chappels and Churches and before the Images of the Saints are of greater efficacie and greater worth then those which are in other places powred forth before God quite against the holy Word of God Ioh. 4.21.23 The time shall come when the true worshippers shall neither be at Jerusalem nor in this mountaine but in spirit and truth worship the Father Matt. 6.6 Christ bids vs go into our chāber and there the doores being shut to powre out our prayers 1. Tim. 2.8 The Apostle willeth men to pray in euery place lifting vp pure hands Now against reliques and Images let that place bee well obserued Esay 42.8 My glory wil I not giue vnto another nor mine honor vnto the grauen Images Calv. Insti l. 1. c. 11. §. 9 But we