him to them he gaue power to be the sonnes of God namely to them that beleeue in his name In these wordes to beleeue in Christ and to receiue Christ are put for one and the same thing Now to receiue Christ is to apprehend and apply him with all his benefits vnto our selues as he is offered in the promises of the Gospell For in the sixt chapter following first of all he sets forth himselfe not onely as a Redeemer generally but also as the bread of life and the water of life secondly he sets forth his best hearers as eaters of his body and drinkers of his blood and thirdly he intends to prooue this conclusion that to eate his bodie and to drinke his blood and to beleeue in him are all one Now then if Christ be as foode and if to eate and drinke the body and blood of Christ be to beleeue in him then must there be a proportion betweene eating and beleeuing Looke then as there can be no eating without taking or receiuing of meate so no beleeuing in Christ without a spirituall receiuing and apprehending of him And as the bodie hath his hand mouth stomack whereby it taketh receiueth and digesteth meate for the nourishment of euery part so likewise in the soule there is a faith which is both hand mouth and stomacke to apprehend receiue and apply Christ and all his merits for the nourishment of the soule And Paul saith yet more plainely that through faith we receiue the promise of the spirit Nowe as the propertie of apprehending and applying of Christ belongeth to faith so it agreeth not to hope loue confidence of any other gift or grace of God But first by faith we must apprehend Christ and apply him to our selues before we can haue any hope or confidence in him And this applying seems not to be don by any affectiō of the wil but by a supernatural act of the mind which is to acknowledge set downe and beleeue that remission of sinnes and life euerlasting by the merit of Christ belong to vs particularly To this which I haue said agreeth Augustine Tract 25. on Ioh. why preparest thou teeth belly BELEEVE AND THOV HAST EATEN and Tract 50. How shall I reach my hand into heauen that I may hold him sitting there Send vp thy faith and thou laiest hold on him And Bernard saith homil in Cant. 76. Where he is thou canst not come now yet goe to followe him and seeke him beleeue and thou hast found him for TO BELEEVE IS TO FINDE Chrysost. on Mark Homil. 10. Let vs beleeue and we see Iesus present before vs. Ambr. on Luke lib. 6. cap. 8. By faith Christ is touched by faith Christ is seene Tertul. de resurrect carnis he must be chewed by vnderstanding and be digested by faith Reason II. Whatsoeuer the holy Ghost testifieth vnto vs that we may yea that we must certenly by faith beleeue but the holy Ghost doth particularly testifie vnto vs our adoption the remission of our sinnes and the saluation of our soules and therefore we may and must particularly and certenly by faith beleeue the same The first part of this reason is true and cannot be denyed of any The second part is prooued thus Saint Paul saith Rom. 8. 15. We haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare but the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba father adding further that the same spirit beareth witnes with our spirits that we are the children of God Where the Apostle maketh two witnesses of our adoption the spirit of God and our spirits that is the conscience sanctified by the holy Ghost The Papists to elude this reason alleadge that the spirit of God doth indeede witnes of our adoption by some comfortable feelings of Gods loue and fauour beeing such as are weake and oftentimes deceitfull But by their leaues the testimony of the Spirit is more then a bare sense or feeling of Gods grace for it is called the pledge and earnest of Gods spirit in our hearts 2. Cor. 1. 21. and therefore it is fit to take away all occasion of doubting of our saluation as in a bargaine the earnest is giuen betweene the parties to put all out of questistion Bernara saith that the testimony of the spirit is a most sure testimony Epist. 107. Reason III. That which we must pray for by Gods commandement that we must beleeue but euery man is to pray for the pardon of his owne sinnes and for life euerlasting of this there is no question therefore he is bound to beleeue the same The proposition is most of all doubtfull but it is proued thus In euery petition there must be two things a desire of the things we aske and a particular faith whereby we beleeue that the thing we aske shall be giuen vnto vs. So Christ saith Whatsoeuer ye desire when you pray beleeue that you shall haue it and it shall be giuen vnto you And Saint Iohn further noteth out this particular faith calling it our assurance that God will giue vnto vs. whatsoeuer vve aske according to his vvill And hence it is that in euery petition there must be two grounds a commandement to warrant vs in making a petition and a promise to assure vs of the accomplishment thereof And vpon both these followes necessarily an application of the things we aske to our selues Reason IIII. Whatsoeuer God commandeth in the Gospell that a man must and can performe but God in the Gospel commandeth vs to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinnes and life euerlasting and therefore we must beleeue thus much and may be assured thereof This proposition is plaine by the distinction of the commandements of the lawe and of the Gospel The commādements of the lawe shewe vs what we must doe but minister no power to performe the thing to be done but the doctrine commandements of the Gospel doe otherwise and therefore they are called spirit and life god with the commandement giuing grace that the thing prescribed may be don Now this is a commandement of the gospel to beleeue remission of sinnes for it was the substance of Christs ministerie repent and beleeue the Gospel And that is not generally to beleeue that Christ is a Sauiour and that the promises made in him are true for so the deuills beleeue with trembling but it is particularly to beleeue that Christ is my Sauiour and that the promises of saluation in Christ belong in speciall to me as Saint Iohn saith This is his commandement that we beleeue in the name of Iesus Christ now to beleeue in Christ is to put confidence in him which none can doe vnlesse he be first assured of his loue and fauour And therefore in as much as we are inioyned to put our confidence in Christ we are also inioyned to beleeue our reconciliation with him which standeth in the remission of our sinnes and our acceptation to life euerlasting Reason V. Whereas the Papists teach
that a man may be assured of his saluation by hope euen hence it followes that he may be vnfallibly assured thereof For the propertie of true and liuely hope is neuer to make a man ashamed Rom. 5. 5. And true hope followeth faith and euer presupposeth certenty of faith neither can any man truly hope for his saluation vnlesse by faith he be certenly assured thereof in some measure The popish doctors take exception to these reasons on this manner First they say it cannot be proued that a man is as certen of his saluation by faith as he is of the articles of the creed I answ First they proue thus much that we ought to be as certē of the one as of the other For looke what commandement we haue to beleeue the articles of our faith the like we haue inioyning vs to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinns as I haue proued Secondly these arguments prooue it to be the nature of essentiall propertie of faith as certenlie to assure man of his saluation as it doth assure him of the articles which he beleeueth And howesoeuer commonly men doe not beleeue their saluation as vnfallible as they doe their articles of faith yet some speciall men doe hauing Gods word applyed by the spirit as a sure ground of their faith whereby they beleeue their owne saluation as they haue it for a ground of the articles of their faith Thus certenly was Abraham assured of his owne saluation as also the Prophets and Apostles the martyrs of God in all ages wherevpon without doubting they haue bin content to lay downe their liues for the name of Christ in whome they were assured to receiue eternall happines And there is no question but there be many nowe that by long and often experience of Gods mercy and by the inward certificate of the ho◠Ghost haue attained to a full assurance of their saluation II. Exception Howesoeuer a man may be assured of his present estate yet no man is certē of his perseuerance vnto the end Ans. It is otherwise for in the sixt petition lead vs not into temptation we praie that God would not suffer vs to be wholly ouercome of the deuill in any temptation and to this petition we haue a promise answerable 1. Cor. 10. That God with the temptation will giue an issue and therefore howsoeuer the deuill may buffit molest and wound the seruants of God yet shall he neuer be able to ouercome them Againe he that is once a member of Christ can neuer be wholly cut off And if any by sinne were wholly seuered from Christ for a time in his recouery he is to be baptised the second time for baptisme is the sacrament of initiation or ingrafting into Christ. By this reason we should as often be baptised as we fall into any sinn which is absurd Againe S. Iohn saith 1. Ioh. 2. 19. They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. Where he taketh it for granted that such as be once in Christ shall neuer wholly be seuered or fall from him Though our communion with Christ may be lessened yet the vnion the bond of coniunction is neuer dissolued III. Exception They say we are indeede to beleeue our saluation on gods part but we must needs doubt in regard of our selues because the promises of remission of sinnes are giuen vpon condition of mans faith and repentance Now we cannot say they be assured that we haue true faith and repentance because we may lie in secret sinnes and so want that indeede which we suppose our selues to haue Ansvv. I say againe he that doth truly repent and beleeue doth by Gods grace know that he doth repent beleeue for els Paul would neuer haue said Proove your selues whither you be in the faith or not and the same Apostle saith 2. Cor. 12. We haue not receiued the spirit of the world but the spirit vvhich is of God that we might KNOVV THE THINGS VVHICH ARE GIVEN OF GOD which things are not onely life euerlasting but iustification sanctification and such like And as for secret sinnes they cannot make our repentance voide for he that truly repenteth of his knowne sinnes repenteth also of such as be vnknowne and receiueth the pardon of them all God requireth not an expresse or speciall repentance of vnknowne sinnes but accepts it as sufficient if we repent of them generally as Dauid saith Psal. 19. Who knowes the errours of this life forgiue me my secret sinnes And whereas they adde that faith and repentance must be sufficient I answer that the sufficiencie of our faith and repentance standes in the truth and not in the measure or perfection therof and the truth of both where they are is certenly discerned Reason VI. The iudgement of the auncient Church August Of an euill seruant thou art made a good childe therefore PRESVME not of thine ovvne doing but of the grace of Christ it is not arrogācy BVT FAITH to acknowledge what thou hast receiued is not pride but deuotion And Let no man aske an other man but returne to his owne heart if he finde charitie there he HATH SECVRITIE for his passage from life to death Hilar. on Math. 5. The kingdome of heauen vvhich our Lord professed to be in himselfe his vvillis that it must be hoped for VVITHOVT ANY DOVBTFVLNES OF VNCERTEN VVIL Otherwise there is no iustification by faith if faith it selfe be MADE DOVBTFVLL Bernard epist. 107. Who is the iust man but he that beeing loued of God loues him againe vvhich comes not to passe but by the SPIRIT REVEALING BY FAITH the eternall PVRPOSE OF GOD of his SALVATION to come Which reuelation is nothing els but the infusion of spirituall grace by which when the deedes of the flesh are mortified the man is prepared to the kingdome of heauen Togither receiuing in one spirit that whereby he MAY PRESVME that he is loued and also loue againe To conclude the Papists haue no great cause to dissent from vs in this point For they teach and professe that they doe by a speciall faith beleeue their owne saluation certenly and vnfallibly in respect of God that promiseth Now the thing which hindereth them is their owne indisposition and vnworthines as they say which keepes them from beeing certen otherwise then in a likely hope But this hindrance is easily remooued if men will iudge indifferently For first of all in regard of our selues and our disposition we cannot be certen at all but must despaire of saluation euen to the very death We cannot be sufficiently disposed so long as we liue in this world but must alwaies say with Iacob I am lesse then all thy mercies Gen. 32. and with Dauid Enter not into iudgement vvith thy seruant O Lord for none liuing shall be iustified in thy sight and with the Centurion Lord I am not worthie that thou shouldest come vnder my roofe Matth.
is concerning Originall sinne after baptisme that is how farforth it remaineth after baptisme A point to be well considered because hereupon depend many points of poperie I. Our consent I. Conclus They say naturall corruption after baptisme is abolished and so say we but let vs see how farre it is abolished In originall sinne are three things I. the punishment which is the first and second death II. Guiltines which is the binding vp of the creature vnto punishment III. the fault or the offending of God vnder which I comprehend our Guiltines in Adams first offence as also the Corruption of the heart which is a naturall inclination pronesse to any thing that is euill or against the law of God For the first we say that after baptisme in the regenerate the punishment of originall sinne is taken away There is no condemnation saith the Apostle to them that be in Christ Iesus Rom. 8. 1. For the second that is the guiltines we further condescende and say that is also taken away in them that are borne anew for considering there is no condemnation to them there is nothing to binde them to punishment Yet this caueat must be remembred namely that the guiltines is remooued from the person regenerate not from the sinne in the person but of this more afterward Thirdly the guilt in AdaÌ„s first offence is pardoned And touching the corruption of the heart I auouch two things I. That that very power or strength wherby it raigneth in man is taken away in the regenerate II. That this corruption is abolished as also the fault of euery actuall sinne past so farre forth as it is the fault and sinne of the man in whome it is Indeede it remaines till death and it is sinne considered in it selfe so long as it remaines but it is not imputed vnto the person and in that respect is as though it were not it beeing pardoned II. The dissent or difference Thus farre we consent with the Church of Rome now the difference betweene vs stands not in the abolishment but in the manner and the measure of the abolishment of this sinne Papists teach that Original sinne is so farre forth taken away after baptisme that it ceaseth to be a sinne properly and is nothing els but a want defect and weaknes making the heart fit and readie to conceiue sinne much like tinder which though it be no fire of it selfe yet is it very apt and fit to conceiue fire And they of the church of Rome denie it to be sinne properly that they might vpholde some grosse opinions of theirs namely That a man in this life may fulfill the law of God and doe good workes voide of sinne that he may stande righteous at the barre of Gods iudgement by them But we teach otherwise that though originall sinne be taken away in the regenerate and that in sundrie respects yet doth it remaine in them after baptisme not onely as a want and weaknesse but as a sinne and that properly as may by these reasons be prooued Reason I. Rom. 7. 17. Paul saith directly It is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me that is originall sinne The Papists answer againe that it is so called improperly because it commeth of sinne and also is an occasion of sinne to be done But by the circumstances of the text it is sinne properly for in the words following Saint Paul saith that this sinne dwelling in him made him to doe the euill which he hated And v. 24. he crieth out O wretched man that I am vvho shall deliver me from this bodie of death whence I reason thus That which once was sinne properly and still remaining in man maketh him to sinne and intangleth him in the punishment of sinne and makes him miserable that is sinne properly But originall sinne doth all these Ergo. Reason II. Infants baptised and regenerate die the bodily death before they come to the yeares of discretion therefore originall sinne in them is sinne properly or else they should not die hauing no cause of death in them for death is the wages of sinne as the Apostle saith Rom. 6. 23. and Rom. 5. 12. Death entred into the world by sinne As for actuall sinne they haue none if they die presently after they are borne before they come to any vse either of reason or affection Reason III. That which lusteth against the spirit and by lusting tempteth and in tempting intiseth and draweth the heart to sinne is for nature sinne it selfe but concupiscence in the regenerate lusteth against the spirit Gal. 5. 17. and tempteth as I haue saide Iam. 1. 14. God tempteth no man but euery man is tempted when he is drawne avvay by his owne concupiscence and is intised then when lust conceiueth it bringeth forth sinne And therefore it is sinne properly such as the fruit is such is the tree August Concupiscence against vvhich the spirit lusteth IS SINNâ— because in it there is disobedience against the rule of the minde and it is the punishment of sinne because it befalls man for the merits of his disobedience and it is the cause of sinne Reason V. The iudgement of the auncient Church August epist. 29. Charitie in some is more in some lesse in some none the highest degree of all which cannot be increased is in none as long as man liues vpon earth And as long as it may be increased THAT VVHICH IS LESSE THEN IT SHOVLD BE IS IN FAVLT by which fault it is that there is no iust man vpon earth that doth good and sinneth not by which fault none liuing shalbe iustified in the sight of God for which fault if we say we haue no sinne there is no truth in vs for which also though vve profit neuer so much it is necessarie for vs to say forgiue vs our debts though al our words deedes and thoughts be alreadie forgiuen in baptisme Indeede August in sundrie places seemes to denie concupiscence to be sinne after baptisme but his meaning is that concupiscence in the regenerate is not the sinne of the person in whome it is For thus he expoundes himselfe This is not to haue sinne not to be guiltie of sinne And The lavv of sinne in baptisme is remitted and not ENDED And Let not sinne raigne he saith not let not sinne be but let it not raigne For as long as thou liâ—est of necessitie sinne will be in thy members at the least looke it raigne not in thee c. Obiections of Papists The arguments which the Church of Rome alleadgeth to the contrarie are these Obiect I. In baptisme men receiue perfect and absolute pardon of sinne and sinne being pardoned is taken quite away and therefore originall sinne after baptisme ceaseth to be sinne Ans. Sinne is abolished two waies first in regard of imputatioÌ„ to the person secoÌ„dly in regard of existing and beeing For this cause God vouchsafeth to maÌ„ two blessings in baptisme Remission of sinne
onely serueth to supply the absence of the principall whereas Christ is alwaies present with his Church by his word and spirit for where two or three be gathered together in his name he is in the middest among them It may be saide that the ministers in the worke of the ministerie are deputies of Christ I answer that they are no deputies but actiue instruments For in the preaching of the word there be two actions the first is the vttering or propounding of it to the eare the second is the inward operation of the Holy Ghost in the heart which indeede is the principall and belongs to Christ alone the action of speaking in the minister being onely instrumentall Thus likewise the church of God in cutting off any member by excommunication is no more but an instrument performing a ministerie in the name of Christ and that is to testifie and pronounce whome Christ himselfe hath cut off from the kingdome of heauen whome he also will haue for this cause to be seuered from the company of his own people till he repent And so it is in all ecclesiasticall actions Christ hath no deputie but onely instruments the whole intire actioÌ„ being personal in respect of Christ. This one conclusion ouer throwes not onely the Popes supremacy but also many other points of popery Reason II. All the Apostles in regard of power and authoritie were equall for the commission apostolicall both for right and exequution was giuen equally to them all as the very wordes import Math. 28. v. 19. Goe teach all nations baptizing them c. and the promise I will giue to thee the kâ—â—es of the kingdome of heauen is not priuate to Peter but is made in his person to the rest according as his confession was in the name of the rest Thus saith Theophylact. They haue the power of committing binding that receiue the gift of a bishop as Peter And Ambr. saith What is said to Peter is said to the Apostles Therfore Peter had no supremacy ouer the rest of the Apostles in respect of right to the coÌ„mission which they say beloÌ„ged to him onely and the execution thereof to the rest But let all be granted that Peter was in commissioÌ„ aboue the rest for the time of his life yet hence may not any superioritie be gathered for the Bishopps of Rome because the authoritie of the Apostles was personall consequently ceased with them without being conueyed to any other because the Lord did not vouchsafe the like honour to any after them For first of all it was the priuiledge of the Apostles to be called immediatly and to see the Lord Iesus Secondly they had power to giue the gift of the holy ghost by the imposition of handes Thirdly they had such a measure of the assistance of the spirit that in their publike sermons and in writing of the word they could not erre and these things were all denied to those that followed after them And that their authoritie ceased in their persons it stands with reason also because it was giuen in so ample a manner for the founding of the Church of the new Testament which being once founded it was needfull onely that there should be pastours and teachers for the building of it vp vnto the ende of the world Reason III. When the sonnes of Zebedeus sued vnto Christ for the greatest roomes of honour in his kingdome deeming hee should be an earthly king Christ answers them againe ye knovv that the Lords of the Gentiles haue dominion and they that are great exercise authoritie over them but it shall not be so vvith you Bernard applieth these very wordes to Pope Eugenius on this maner It is plaine saith he that here dominion is forbidden the Apostles Goe to then dare if you will to take vpon you ruling an Apostleship or in your Apostleship rule or dominion if you will haue both alike you shall loose both Otherwise you must not thinke your selfe exempted from the number of them of vvhome the Lord complaineth thus they haue raigned but not of me they haue beene and I haue not knowne them Reason IV. Eph. 4. mention is made of gifts which Christ gaue to his Church after his ascension whereby some were Apostles some prophets some Euangelists some pastours and teachers Now if there had beene an office in which men as deputies of Christ should haue gouerned the whole Church to the ende of the world the calling might here haue beene named fitly with a gift thereto pertaining and Paul no doubt would not here haue concealed it where he mentioneth callings of lesser importance Reason V. The Popes supremacie was iudged by sentences of Scripture and condemned long before it was manifest in the world the spirit of prophesie foreseeing and foretelling the state of things to come 2. Thess. 2. v. 3 4. The man of sinne which is that Antichrist shall exalt himselfe aboue all that is called God c. Now this whole chapter with all the circumstances thereof most fitly agrees to the sea of Rome and the Head thereof and the thing which then staied the reuealing of the man of sinne vers 6. is of most expounded to be the Romane Emperour I will alleadge one testimonie in the roome of many Chrysostome saith on this place As long as the Empire shall be had in awe no man shall straitly submit himselfe to Antichrist but after that the Empire shall be dissolued Antichrist shall invade the state of the Empire standing voide and shall labour to pul vnto himselfe the Empire both of man and God And this we finde now in experience to be true for the See of Rome neuer flourished till the Empire decaied and the seat thereof was remooued from the citie of Rome Againe Rev. 13. mention is made of two beasts one comming out of the sea whome the Papists confesse to be the heathenish Romane Emperour the second coÌ„ming out of the earth which doth all that the first beast could doe before him and this fitly agreeth to the Popes of Rome who doe and haue done all things that the Emperour did or could doe and that in his vety sight Reason VI. The iudgement of the auncient Church Cyprian saith Doubtlesse the same were the rest of the Apostles that Peter was indued vvith EQVAL fellowshippe both of honour and of POVVER but a beginning is made of vnitie that the Church may appeare to be one Gregorie saith If one be called vniversall Bishop the vniversall Church GOETH TO DECAY And chap. 144. I say boldly that whosoeuer calleth or desireth to call himselfe vniuersall priest in his pride is a FORERVNNER OF ANTICHRIST And Beholde in the preface of the Epistle which ye directed vnto me you caused to be set a PROVVD TITLE calling me vniversall Pope Bernard Consider that thou art not a lord of Bishops but one of them Churches are MAIMED in that the Romane Bishop draweth all povver to himselfe Again Gregorie himselfe being
of Christ and drinke his bloode not onely in mysterie but in knovvledge of holy Scripture Now vpon this it followes that seeing the worke done in the word preached conferres not grace neither doth the work don in the sacramēt confer any grace Reason II. Math. 3. II. I baptize you with water to repentance but he that commeth after me is stronger then I he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Hence it is manifest that grace in the sacrament proceedes not from any action in the sacrament for Iohn though he doe not disioyne himselfe and his action from Christ and the action of his spirit yet doth he distinguish them plainely in number persons and effect To this purpose Paul who had saide of the Galatians that he traueled of them beget them by the Gospel saith of himselfe that he is not any thing not onely as he was a man but as he was a faithfull Apostle thereby excluding the whole Euangelicall ministerie whereof the sacrament is a part from the least part of diuine operation or efficacie in conferring of grace Reason III. The blessed Angels nay the very flesh of the sonne of God hath not any quickning vertue from it selfe but all this efficacie or vertue is in and from the godhead of the sonne who by meanes of the flesh apprehended by faith deriueth heauenly and spirituall life from himselfe to the members Nowe if there be no efficacie in the flesh of Christ but by reason of the hypotasticall vnion howe shall bodily actions about bodily elements conferre grace immediatly Reason IV. Paul Rom. 4. standes much vpon this to proue that iustification by saith is not conferred by the sacraments And from the circumstance of time he gathereth that Abraham was first iustified and then afterward receiue circumcision the signe and seale of this righteousnes Now we knowe that the generall condition of all sacraments is one and the same and that baptisme succeeded circumcision And what can be more plaine then the example of Cornelius Act. 10. who before Peter came vnto him had the commendation of the feare of God and was indued with the spirite of prayer and afterward when Peter by preaching opened more fully the way of the Lord he the rest receiued the holy Ghost And after all this they were baptized Now if they receiued the holy Ghost before baptisme then they receiued remission of sinnes and were iustified before baptisme V. Reason The iudgement of the church Basil. If there be any grace in the water it is not from the nature of the vvater but from THE PRESENCE OF THE SRIRITE Hierome saith Man giues vvater but God giues the holy Ghost Augustine saide Water toucheth the bodie and washeth the heart but he shews his meaning elsewhere There is one vvater saith he of the Sacrament an other of the Spirit the water of the sacrament is visible the water of the Spirit invisible That vvasheth the body AND SIGNIFIETH what is done in the soule By this the soule is purged and sealed Obiect Remission of sinnes regeneration and saluation is ascribed to the sacrament of baptisme Act. 22. 21. Eph. 5. Gal. 3. 27. Tit. 2. Ans. Saluation and remission of sinnes is ascribed to baptisme and the Lords supper as to the word which is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue and that as they are instruments of the holy Ghost to signifie seale and exhibit to the beleeuing minde the foresaid benefits but indeede the proper instrument whereby saluation is apprehēded is faith and sacraments are but proppes of faith furthering saluation two waies first because by their signification they helpe to nourish and preserue faith secondly because they seale grace and saluation to vs yea God giues grace and saluation when we vse them wel so be it we beleeue the word of promise made to the sacrament whereof also they are seales And thus we keepe the middle way neither giuing too much nor too little to the sacraments The XX. point Of sauing faith or the way to life Our consent Conclus I. They teach it to be the propertie of faith to beleeue the whole word of God and especially the redemption of mankind by Christ. Conclus II. They auouch that they beleeue and looke to be saued by Christ and by CHRIST ALONE and by the MEERE MERCY of God in Christ. Conclus III. Thirdly the most learned among thē hold and confesse that the obedience of Christ is imputed vnto them for the satisfaction of the lawe and for their reconciliation with God Conclus IV. They auouch that they put their whole trust and confidence in Christ and in the meere mercy of God for their saluation Conclus V. Lastly they hold that euery man must apply the promise of life euerlasting by Christ vnto himselfe and this they graunte we are bound to doe And in these fiue points doe they and we agree at least in shewe of wordes By the auouching of these 5. Conclusions Papists may easily escape the hands of many magistrats And vnles the mysterie of popish doctrine be well known any common man may easily be deceiued and take such for good protestants that are but popish priests To this ende therefore that we may the better discerne their guile I will shewe wherein they faile in each of their conclusions and wherein they differ from vs. The difference Touching the first conclusion they beleeue indeede all the written word of God and more then all for they also beleeue the bookes Apocriphal which antiquitie for many hundred yeares hath excluded from the canō yea they beleeue vnwrittē traditiōs receiued as they say from Councils the writings of the Fathers and the determinations of the Church making them also of equall credit with the written worde of God giuen by inspiration of the spirit Nowe we for our partes dispise not the Apocripha as namely the bookes of the Macchabees Ecclesiasticus and the rest but we reuerence them in all conuenient manner preferring them before any other bookes of men in that they haue bin approued by an vniuersall consent of the Church yet we thinke them not meete to be receiued into the Canon of holy scripture and therefore not to be beleeued but as they are consenting with the written word And for this our doing we haue direction from Athanasius Origen Hierome and the Councel of Laodicea As for vnwritten Traditions they come not within the compasse of our faith neither can they because they come vnto vs by the hāds of men that may deceiue and be deceiued And we hold and beleeue that the right Canon of the books of the old and new Testament containes in it sufficient direction for the Church of God to life euerlasting both for faith an manners Here then is the point of difference that they make the obiect of faith larger then it should be or can be and we keepe our selues to the written word beleeuing nothing to saluation out of