c. If any shall say that it is necessarie for euery man to the obtaining of remission of sinnes to beleeue certainly and without doubt of their owne infirmitie and indisposition that their sins be forgiuen them be he accursed But more plainly and pregnantly doe the Doctors of Louaine lay downe this doctrine of doubting Fides qua quis firmiter credit certò statuit per Christum sibi remissa esse peccata seque possessurum vitam aeternam nullum habet in Scripturis testimonium imo eisdem aduersatur that is The faith whereby a man doth firmely beleeue and is certainly assured that his sinnes by Christ be forgiuen him and that he shall possesse eternall life hath no testimonie in the Scripture yea is contrarie vnto them Hereupon I conclude by this writers owne reason that the Papists in maintaining this doctrine of doubting teach infidelitie But whereas these Louainian Doctors say that this doctrine of the certaintie of forgiuenes of our sinnes by Christ and of our possession of eternall life is not testified in the Scriptures but contrarie to them how false this is I referre it to be tried by these places here following They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion which cannot be moued but remaineth for euer Being iustified by faith we haue peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom also through faith we haue had this accesse vnto his grace wherein wee stand and reioyce vnder the hope of the glorie of God Ye haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare againe but ye haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The same spirit beareth witnes with our spirit that we are the children of God Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is Christ that iustifieth Who shall condemne c. Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perill or sword c. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come neither height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. It is God which stablisheth vs with you in Christ and hath annointed vs who hath also sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of the spirit in our hearts In whom also ye haue trusted after that ye heard the word of truth euen the Gospell of your saluation wherein also after ye beleeued ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance c. Let vs therefore goe with confidence or boldnes vnto the throne of grace that wee may receiue mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of neede So God willing more abundantly to shew vnto the heires of promise the stablenes of his counsell bound himself by an oth that by two immutable things wherein it is impossible that God should lie we might haue strong consolation which haue our refuge to lay hold vpon that hope that is set before vs which hope we haue as an ancre of the soule both sure and stedfast and it entreth into that which is within the vaile c. Let vs draw neere with a true hart in assuraÌ„ce of faith our hearts being pure from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water let vs keepe the profession of our hope without wauering for he is faithfull that promised Therfore by faith that by grace the promise might be sure to all the seede And he not weake in the faith considered not his owne bodie which was now dead being almost an hundred yeeres old neither the deadnes of Saraes wombe neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in the faith and gaue glorie to God being fully assured that he which had promised was able to doe it and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnes Hereunto I will adde to the confuting of this doctrine of doubting two or three sayings of the Fathers Chrysostome saith Spes humana subinde intercidit sperantem pudore afficit Nostra verò eiusmodi non est sed firma immobilis perdurat c. that is The hope that is had in man sundrie times falleth away and shameth him that hopeth but our hope is not such but abideth firme and vnmoueable Augustine saith Gaudium ergo nostrum fratres nondum est inâ—e sed iam in spe Spes autem nostra tam certa est quasi iam res perfecta sit 1. Our ioy O brethreÌ„ is not as yet in possession but in hope And our hope is so certaine as though the thing were alreadie done Bernard saith Ergo aut dixi fides ambiguum non habet aut si habet fides non est sed opinio Faith hath no doubting or if it haue it is not faith but an opinion Hereby the indifferent reader may see both how false this desperate doctrine of doubting is against the which Ambrosus Catherinus an Archbishop a great doer in the Councell of Trent did earnestly write and also that the Papists by this principle of their doctrine teach infidelitie And withall let him consider whether is a more true godly and comfortable doctrine to beleeue by faith our saluation or to be vncertaine and to doubt therof as they teach But now let vs see how S. Paul exhorteth vs as this man saith to doubt of our saluation He saith Cum timore tremore salutem vestram operamini which is thus translated With feare and trembling worke your saluation This text was alleadged by hearesay and not by sight For this worthie writer who so highly thinketh of himselfe and so greatly disdaineth others quoteth in the margent 1. Cor. 2. whereas it is not in that chapter nor in all that Epistle but it is Philip. 2. 12. But the fault hereof will be laid vpon the Printer Yet that the Printer should so much erre and set 1. Cor. 2. for Philip. 2. it is not likely And that this error is not of the Printer but of this mans fine memorie it may hereby appeare y t it is not in the vulgar editioÌ„ which they both do and are bound to follow cum timore but cum metu Hereby the reader may see with what care these men alleage the Scriptures not looking vpon the words nor considering the simple sense and meaning but snatching at the words and wresting them contrarie to the purpose and meaning of the Apostle Whose intent is not to teach the Philippians that they be saued by their workes which is contrarie to his doctrine in many other places but to disswade them from carelesse securitie and to exhort them to walke in good workes and to runne on the race of their life in the feare of God vntil they
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 well 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 in carnation then these to determine controuersies and abolish heresies Generall Councels they had not before Constantines time which therefore your fellow Papist Fighius counteth to haue been an inuention of his but your great Rabbin Rob. Bellarmine therein controlleth him and saith it is false So well these men be setled in vnitie of beleefe And to your great Master 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 owne 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 vnitie of faith which we want You say that Christ willed vs to heare his Church if we 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 Councel and that euery man against whom his brother trespasseth must goe to the Pope and his Councel to make his complaint These be 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 Master Bellarmine hath taught you who writeth vs Sed hîc in genere dicimus iudicem veri sensus Scripturae omnium controuersiarum esse ecclesiam id est Pontificem cum concilio in quo omnes Catholici conueniunt that is 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 Councel 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 he shall giue you another Comforter that he may abide with you for euer euen the spirit of truth whom 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 wil grant that this promise of Christ belongeth to them In the meane time wee will follow Chrysostomes good counsell Si videris aliquem Euangelica repetentem profecto spiritum sanctum habet Venidt enins spiritus sanctus vt recordari vos faciat eorum quae docui Si quis igitur corum qui dicuntur habere spiritum sanctum dicat aliquid a scipso non ex Euangeliji non crodite meam doctrinam sequimini that is 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 and not out of the Gospels beleeue him not but follow my doctrine Whereas you say that you beleeue certainly 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 Councels cannot erre or deliuer false doctrine is most false absurd as by many both reasons and examples might be prooued But for shortnes sake I will touch but a few examples The councell of foure hundred Priests of Israel erred and Santan was a false spirit in the mouth of them all to the destruction of Achab that cursed king of Israel The councell of the Priests of Iuda erred in cōdemning 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. 7. 3. 1. Cor. 7. 39. the words of the Councell be these Presbyterum conuiuio secundarum nuptiarum interesse non debere maxime cum praecipiatur secundis nuptijs poenitentiam tribuere that is A priest ought not to be present at the feast of second mariages especially because he is commanded to appoint penance to second mariages This Councell although it were prouinciall was confirmed by Pope Leo the fourth as appeareth by Gratian and the Papists hold that prouinciall councels confirmed by the Pope cannot erre The Councell of Ariminum wherein were assembled aboue foure hundred Bishops horribly erred in maintaining the blasphemous doctrine of Arius The like did the Councels of Millaine Seleucia and of Tyrus The second Councell of Ephesus erred and maintained the false doctrine of Eutyches These Councels the Papists confesse to haue erred and why because they were not allowed and confirmed by the Bishop of Rome A simple and shamelesse shift as though the Bishop of Rome had in those daies power either to call or confirme Councels any more then the other Patriarks had In that second Councel of Nice most vnlike vnto the first not only the wicked worshipping of Images was allowed and the Scriptures for the confirmation thereof most shamefully abused and detorted as appeareth by the said corrupt councell and Caluin and Mart. Chemnicius haue largely shewed but also in the same was decreed that the Angels haue bodies and that the soule of man is corporall and therefore they may bee
in his elect and chosen people doe by his holy spirit regenerate them by lightning their blind reason and reforming their wicked wils This we proue by these places of Scripture here following The Lord saw that the wickednes of man was great vpon the earth and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were euill continually And that the imagination of mans heart is euill from his youth Flesh and bloud hath not reueiled it vnto thee but my Father which is in Heauen That light shined in the darkenes and the darkenes comprehended it not Which are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh but of God Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit A man can receiue nothing except it be giuen him from Heauen No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Therefore I said vnto you that no man can come vnto me except it be giuen vnto him of my Father Without me ye can doe nothing The wisdome of the flesh is death The wisedome of the flesh is enmitie against God The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned What hast thou that thou hast not receiued No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost By the grace of God I am that I am Not that we are sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues but our sufficiencie is of God It is God that worketh in you both the will and the deede euen of his good will and pleasure The God of peace make you perfit in all good workes to doe his will working in you that which is pleasant in his sight through Iesus Christ our Lord. Whosoeuer committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne If the sonne shall make you free ye shall be free indeede By these sayings let the Christian reader consider of what value and force our wit and will is in heauenly matters vntill the one bee lightened and the other reformed by Gods grace and spirit Hereunto I will adde a few places of the ancient Fathers Saint Augustine saith Quid boni operari potest perditus nisi quantum fuerit perditione liberatus Nunquid libero voluntatis arbitrio hoc absit Nam libero arbitrio male vtens homo se perdidit ipsum Sicut enim qui se occidit c. that is What good can he that is lost doe but in as much as he is deliuered from perdition Can he be restored by his free will God forbid For man vsing ill his free will lost both himselfe and it also For as one killing himselfe doth kill himselfe whilest he liueth but hauing killed himselfe doth not liue nor can raise and restore himselfe being dead so when man sinned by his free will sinne hauing gotten victorie his free will was lost Againe Quid tantum de naturae possibilitate praesumis vulnerata sauciata vexata perdita est vera confessione non falsa defensione opus habet Gratia ergo dei non qua instituatur sed qua restituatur quaeratur that is What dost thou presume so much of the power of nature it is wounded maymed vexed and lost it hath neede of a true confession not of a false defence Therefore the grace of God not whereby the will is ordained but whereby it is restored is to be sought Many such other sayings he hath in his workes against the Pelagians which I omit But this man saith that man may dispose and prepare his soule to receiue Gods grace and this he proueth not by Scripture but I will not say Assedly by the similitude of a sicke Asse that cannot dispose nor prepare himselfe to seeke for his medicine By this diuinitie men preuent Gods grace and it doth not preuent them men first seeke God and not God them For answere whereof I would aske this man whether it be not with all the of spring of Adam as it was with Adam himselfe after his fall Now whether did Adam seeke God first or God him the Scripture saith that God called vpon Adam and that he was so farre from seeking God that he and his wife hid themselues from the presence of the Lord God So that if God in mercie had not sought them and called vpon them it seemeth that they had neuer sought nor called vpon God And euen so it is with all his posteritie as our Sauiour sheweth by the lost sheepe whom the Shepheard seeketh and bringeth home the sheepe nothing disposing nor preparing it selfe to seeke to the Shepheard or to returne to the fould So God saith I was found of them that sought me not Did Peter repent vntill Christ had looked on him and the Cock had crowed What disposition and preparation was in Paul to seeke the grace of Christ Therefore I may truly say that as Lazarus prepared himself being dead in graue to be raised vp by Iesus Christ so doe men dead in sinne dispose and prepare themselues to receiue the medicine of Gods grace Saint Paul saith God which is rich in mercie through his great loue wherewith he loued vs euen when we were dead by sinnes hath quickned vs together in Christ by whose grace ye are saued To this doctrine the auncient Fathers beare witnes Saint Augustine saith Vt totum Deo detur qui hominis voluntatem bonam praeparat adiuuādam adiuuat praeparatam that is All is to be giuen to God who both prepareth the good will of man to be helped and helpeth it being prepared Againe Nolentem praeuenit vt velit volentem subsequitur ne frustra velit that is God preuenteth him that is not willing that he may be willing and he followeth him that is willing that he may not will in vaine Now if this our doctrine concerning the will of man be the truth of God confirmed both by the word of God and by the testimonies of the most learned Fathers then without blasphemie it cannot be said to tend vnto loosenes of life or carnall libertie it teacheth vs both true humilitie in acknowledging our owne miserie and wants and to attribute all to Gods grace and mercie and to arrogate nothing to our selues and doth it tend to carnall libertie and careles securitie We are both to exhort others and also to stirre vp our selues to feare and serue God in holines of life And yet we must acknowledge that God worketh those things in vs whereto he exhorteth vs. And therefore the same spirit that saith Turne vnto me with all your hearts saith also Turne vs O Lord and we shall be turned He that saith Make you a new heart and a new
spirit for why will ye dye O house of Israel saith also I will put a new spirit within their bowels and I will take the stonie heart out of their bodies and will giue them an heart of flesh And againe Create in me a cleane heart O Lord and renew aright spirit within me The same spirit that saith Wash you make you cleane saith also Purge me with Hyssope and I shall be cleane Wash me and I shall be whiter then Snow And againe I will power cleane water vpon you and a new spirit will I put within you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your filthines and from all your Idols will I cleanse you The same spirit that saith Be ye holy for I am holy saith also the God of peace make you holy And so we must come to that saying of Saint Augustine Da quod iubes iube quod vis Giue vs O Lord that which thou commaundest vs and then commaund vs what thou wilt And therefore they reason like doltish Asses which inferre vpon the exhortations to grace and godlines which be in the Scriptures that there is a power and abilitie in vs to performe those things whereunto God in his word exhorteth vs. Exhortations be Gods instruments and meanes which he vseth to worke his heauenly graces in vs. I would here end this matter but that I must tell you that you write improperly and falsely in charging vs that we say all goodnes proceedeth so farre from grace that it lieth not in mans power neither to haue it nor to refuse it but of necessitie it must haue effect Improperly you write in putting hauing Gods grace in steede of obtaining and getting it We say it is in man to haue it when God doth giue it without which gift it is not in mans power to get it But it is in man to resist it For the grace of God offereth saluation to all but it is resisted and reiected of many in that their hard and stony hearts will not admit it The grace of God is offered to men when his word is preached and they be called to repentance but it is with many and namely you as Zacharie saith They refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their eares that they should not heare Yea they made their hearts as an Adamant stone least they should heare the Law and words which the Lord of hosts sent in his spirit by the ministerie of the former Prophets I know no man that denieth but such men doe resist the grace of God which yet is receiued of them that are written in the booke of life whose wils it reformeth and of euill wils maketh good wils willing and couering those things which be acceptable in Gods sight Finally I thought good for the better satisfying of the reader in this matter to let him vnderstand that wheras Erasmus a man as all men must needs confesse of great learning was had in ielousie of the Papists as too much leaning to Luther and his doctrine he was at the last prouoked and set on by them to write against him who chusing this matter of free will and writing in defence thereof yet afterward he retracted and reuoked his former opinion and writing and was not abashed to confesse the truth as appeareth by these his words Verum vt ingenuè dicam perdidimus liberum arbitrium illic mihi aliud dictabat animus aliud scribebat calamus that is But simply to speake my minde We haue lost our free will in that matter my minde did indite to me one thing and my hand did write another I come now to the second doctrine of ours which you vntruely charge and falsely slander to tend to loosenes of life and carnall libertie that men be iustified by faith alone which you scornefully call a solifidian portion and falsely say but doe not proue that it flatly ouerthroweth true repentance sorrow for sinnes mortification of passions and all other vertues which tend to the perfect reconciliation of the soule with God c. Where first I would exhort you if the same might any thing preuaile with you to take heed that by scorning in this manner at Gods truth you shew not your selfe to be one of them that sit in the seate of the scornefull Salomon saith that iudgements are prepared for the scorners and stripes for the backe of fooles Secondly as this doctrine which you deride is true godly and comfortable confirmed by the word of God and ancient Fathers so doth it not exclude much lesse ouerthrowe repentance or any other good worke but sheweth the true and right vse of them Saint Paul saith We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law And in the fourth chapter he reasoneth thus from Abraham the father of the faithfull If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce or glory But Abraham hath not wherein to reioyce or glorie before God Ergo Abraham was not iustified by workes And after saith To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse We know that a man is not iustified by the workes of the lawe but by the faith of Iesus Christ euen we haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the lawe because that by the workes of the lawe no flesh shall be iustified This doctrine was neither scorned nor denied by the auncient godly Fathers of some of whom I will set downe a few sayings Origene speaking of the theefe that was hanged with Christ saith Pro hac sola fide ait ei Iesus Amen dico tibi Hodie mecum eris in paradiso that is For this his onely faith Iesus said vnto him Verely I say vnto thee this day shalt thou be with me in paradise And of the woman that had the issue of bloud Ex nullo legis opere sed pro sola fide ait ad tam. Remittuntur tibi peccata that is For no worke of the law but for faith onely he said vnto her Thy sinnes be forgiuen thee Hilarie saith Solafides iustificat that is Only faith doth iustifie Ambrose saith Iustificati sunt gratis quia nihil operantes neque vicem reddentes sola fide iustificati sunt dono Dei that is They are iustified freely because working nothing nor rendring any recompence they are iustified by faith onely through the gift of God The like he writeth in Rom. 4. and 10. and vpon the 1. Cor. 1. Praefat. ad Galat. and vpon chap. 3. Saint Hierome saith Conuertentem impium per solam fidem iustificat Deus non opera bona quae non habuit God doth by faith only iustifie the wicked man conuerting not by good workes which he had not Many such other sayings I might alleage out of Hierome
who was Deane of the Church of Mentz in Germanie in y e time of Charles the 4. about Anno 1370 in these words Recessit lex à sacerdotibus c. 1. The law is departed from Priests iustice from Princes counsell from the Elders faithfulnes from the people loue from parents reuerence from subiects charitie from Prelates religion from Monkes honestie from young man distipline from Clâ—rkes learning from teachers studie from schollers eqeitie from Iudges concord from Citizens feare from seruants fellowship from Countrimen truth from Marchants vertue from Noblemen chastitie from Virgins humilitie from widowes loue from the married and patience from the poore O times O maners most troublesome and miserable times reprobate and wicked maners both of the Clergie and of the people Here by this man others who so much accure our manners these times may see what hath bin the estate of the Church manners both of the Priests people heretofore when Poperie most florished therby may discerne with whom dissolution loosenes of life do most raigne The Pamphlet The Protestants make God the author of sinne the onely cause of sinne that man sinneth not that God is worse then the Diuell 5. Article WHosoeuer defendeth that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth to sinne maketh God the cause of sinne But all Protestants say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth to sinne Ergo. The Protestants make God the cause and author of sinne The Maior I proue for if God perswade or impell men to sinne as for example Iudas to sell Christ Saint Peter to deny Christ the Iewes to crucifie Christ questionles he intended the sacriledge of Iudas the negation of Peter the murder of the Iewes and this much more effectually then Iudas Peter or the Iewes For who can resist his impulsion or who can frustrate his intention Voluntati eius quis resistet Who is able to oppose himselfe against his will yet what man is he that in conscience were not bound to conforme his will vnto the will of God who is the author of all good wills and the first rule and square of all regular wils Iudas Peter and the Iewes if they bad followed the motions of God who could haue blamed them for following him who could not erre in impelling nor sinne in perswading them But some will say that God moued them for a good end videlicet the redemption of man and they intended an ill end to wit Lucre reuenge or some other sinister effect Yet this shift will not salue the sore for euill may not be done that good may follow Non sunt facienda mala vt inde veniant bona For otherwise a man might steale to giue almes be drunke for a meriment commit aduontrie to beget children Moreouer why might not Iudas Peter or the Iewes intend that good end which God intended and yet haue sould denied and crucified Christ conforming their intentions to his they being instruments and he the first moouer Againe it cannot be said but that God indirectly and most effectually intended their sinnes for he that intendeth any effect wherewith another effect is necessarily conioyned consequently intendeth it as for example He that intendeth to burne a ship in the midst of the sea intendeth consequently the death of all the men which be in her In like manner if God intended that Iudas should sell Christ vnto which action sinne was necessarily adioyned consequently God intended the sinne as well as the selling The Minor is to too euident For the Protestants deride Gods permission they say that all his actions are energeticall or effectuall they desperately auer that Paules conuersion and Dauids aduoutrie were in like manner the workes of God And as he elected some to glorie before the preuision of workes so he reiected some from glorie before the preuision of sins Here hence I infer that according to the Protestants principles God is most properly the author of sinne because he impelleth most effectually thereunto Next that he is the only author of sinne for that he inforceth men vpon necessitie to sinne and they as instruments follow the motion of their first cause Againe that man sinneth not for where there is necessitie of sinning there is no sinne for sinne is free or no sinne besides how can man sinne in conforming his will with Gods will Finally God is worse then the diuell for that the wickednes of the diuell principally consisteth in moouing perswading and inducing of men to sinne the which by the Protestants confession God performeth more effectually then the diuell because the motions of God are more forcible and lesse resistable then the illusions or suggestions of the diuell Many sinnes moreouer are acted without the temptations of the diuell some of ignorance some of passion but none without the motions of God so that God is worse then the diuell both in causing a greater multitude of sinnes then the diuell and in the forcible manner of causing sinnes which the diuell cannot attaine vnto The which doctrine is as good a ground for Atheisme as euer hell could deuise for were it not much more reasonable to say there were no God at all then to beleeue there were such a God as commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth men to sinne and yet for the same sinnes will torment them with the inexplicable paines of hell Answere THis man sheweth himselfe to be like to the vnrighteous iudge who neither feared God nor reuerenced man or rather like him that is a slaunderer of Gods Saints and a lyar and the father of lies For the Minor or assumption of this syllogisme that all Protestants say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth and impelleth men to sinne is as true as that is that Catholikes in England be wrapped in beares skinnes and cast vnto dogges to be deuoured which was published in Rome by a printed booke and set out in tables confirmed with Pope Gregorie the 13. priuiledge The which as all men know to be a false malitious slaunder to discredit our gracious Queenes mercifull and good gouernment so is this also to defame the teachers of Gods truth For if this man or any of his partners can proue that either all Protestants or any learned Protestant doth say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth and impelleth to sinne then will I yeeld vnto him not onely in this but in all other matters of religion If this cannot be shewed as most certainly it cannot what a shameles man is this to vtter such a grosse and palpable lye as euen a blind man may as it were feele it with his fingers and in what miserable estate be those simple ignorant soules which credit such lying spirits But this is the iust iudgement of God against them that receiue not the loue of the truth that they might be saued to send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lies As touching the matter we beleeue with our hearts and confesse with our mouthes that
quenched but there remained sparkes of Gods spirit which afterwards being stirred vp and blowne by Nathans bellowes kindled and flamed to Gods glorie and Dauids eternall comfort and saluation Shall we thinke that Dauid had lost all loue of God of his law and of man was he cleane depriued of Gods spirit it appeareth by his owne words that he was not Who vpon Nathans preaching and reprouing of his sinne prayed and said Take not thy holy spirit from me Whereupon I reason thus He that was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit had not wholy lost faith and charitie But Dauid was not cleane depriued of Gods spirit therefore he had not wholy lost faith and charitie The first proposition is euident by the words of Dauid the second is manifest For it is absurd to say that the spirit of God should continue in him that hath lost all graces and gifts of the spirit It is with Gods elect and chosen children as it is with fire which in the night is so hid and couered that none appeareth and yet in the morning is stirred vp and is made to burne and to flame and as with a tree which in the winter hath neither fruite nor leafe vpon it yet it hath a sappe fallen into the roote which in the spring springeth and bringeth forth both leafe and fruite So is it with Gods holy Saints they be sometimes so ouertaken and ouercome with temptations that they seeme to be as trees without fruite withered and perished yet there remaineth a sappe of Gods spirit and grace in them which afterward riseth and buddeth forth good fruite And therefore to the second proposition of your secoÌ„d Syllogisme I say that although Dauid by those foule and fearefull offences deserued eternall death yet he did not remaine in death and although God hated those sinnes yet hee neuer hated Dauid For whom God loueth he loueth to the end and the giâ—ts and calling of God are without repentance If we loue a man and yet hate some sinne that he committeth might not God who is loue it selfe hate Dauids sinne and yet loue him and keepe some sparkes of his spirit and grace in him and so preserue as the externall life of the body so the internall life of the soule in him So that neither Dauid remained in death neither was his loue no not to Vrias altogether extinguished in him No doubt but he did loue him as his true and faithfull subiect and might loue him as the seruant of God yet in that temptation his owne selfe loue and desire to couer his owne sinne and shame did preuaile against his loue to Vrias and did draw him to doe an act which was no fruite nor effect of loue and charitie and yet did not wholy quench loue in him The Maior of your latter Syllogisme which needeth no proofe you seeke to proue by a false assertion in barely saying According to your manner but not by any place of Scripture prouing that charitie is the life of the â—oule I say that faith is the life of the soule the which I proue by these two sayings of the Scripture The Prophet Habacuk saith The iust shall liue by his faith Saint Paul saith In that I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith in the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Let this man shew two such plaine places of Scripture to proue charitie to be the life of the soule Properly Christ is the life of our soules Saint Paul in the place before alledged saith Christ liued in me And when Christ which is our life shall appeare And our Sauiour himselfe saith I am the way the truth and the life For when wee were dead in sinnes hee hath quickned vs and at he hath restored life vnto vs so hee doth continually nourish and preserue life in vs. But this is attributed to faith because by it Christ dwelleth in vs and we by it be put into the possession of Christ and of all the benefits of his passion Concerning the place of Ezechiel because you doe not vrge it I will not stand vpon it We doubt not but men may and doe fall from God and iust actions vnto wicked and vngodly deedes and may haue a temporall faith and fall away from the grace of God But this we say that true faith in Gods elect which are sealed with the spirit of adoption and to whose spirit Gods spirit doth beare witnes that they are the sonnes of God is neuer wholy lust in them and the same spirit worketh by charitie which in them may bee cooled but neuer cleane quenched But of the losing of faith and of the coniunction thereof with charitie I haue before intreated Now to returne this argument in some sort vpon you whereas the Papists auerre that the Popes faith cannot faile I reason thus He that loseth his charitie may lose his faith the Pope may lose his charitie Ergo the Pope may lose his faith The first proposition I haue proued alreadie and haue shewed that true faith is not separated from charitie but worketh by it And most manifest it is by Saint Iames that the faith which is without charitie and good workes is dead So that if the Pope be without Charitie then hee hath but a dead faith And a dead faith is as much faith as a dead man is a man That the Pope may bee without charitie I thinke they will not deny and if they doe it may be proued by many examples Pope Iohn the twelft or as Platina reckoneth the thirteenth tooke two of his Cardinals and cut off the nose of the one and the hand of the other as witnes Platina Blondus and many others Stephanus the sixt did take the bodie of Formosus his predecessor out of the graue after he was dead put him out of his pontificall habite and put on him a lay mans attire cut off the two fingers of his right hand where with he did consecrate and threw them into Tiber. Pope Sergius the third tooke vp againe the body of the same Formosus did cut off his head as if hee had been a liue and threw the bodie into Tiber as vn worthie of buriall Boniface the seuenth tooke Iohn a Cardinall and put out his eyes Vrban the sixt of seuen of his Cardinals which hee apprehended at Nuceria tooke fiue of them put them in sackes and cast them into the Sea Innocentius the seuenth caused by Lewes his nephew certaine citizens of Rome which sought the restitution of their ancient liberties and the reformation of the Common-wealth decayed by his euill gouernment to be throwne out of windowes and so killed Alexander the sixt caused both the right hand and tongue of Antonius Mancinellus to bee cut out because hee had written an eloquent oration against his wicked and filthie life Many such other pranckes of Popes might bee alleadged which were no more fruites of