things that concerne saluation they beeing made ours by Gods free gift among which is Christ his righteousnes By it therfore as beeing a thing of our owne wee may be iustified before God and accepted to life euerlasting II. Obiect If a sinner be iustified by Christ his righteousnes then euery beleeuer shall be as righteous as Christ and that can not be Ans. The proposition is false for Christ his righteousnes is not applied to vs according as it is in Christ neither according to the same measure nor the same manner For his obedience in fulfilling the law is aboue Adams righteousnes yea aboue the righteousnes of all Angels For they were all but creatures and their obedience the obedience of creatures but Christ his obedience is the obedience or righteousnes of God so tearmed Rom. 1. 17 18. 2. Cor. 5. 21. not onely because God accepted of it but because it was in that person which is very God When Christ obeied God obeied and when he suffered God suffered not because the godhead suffered or performed any obedience but because the person which according to one nature is God performed obedience and suffered And by this meanes his righteousnes is of infinite value price merit and efficacie Hence also it commeth to passe that this obedience of Christ serueth not onely for the iustifying of some one person as Adams did but of all and euery one of the elect yea it is sufficient to iustifie many thousand worldes Now to come to the point this righteousnes that is in Christ in this largenes and measure is pertaining to vs in a more narow skantling because it is onely receiued by faith so farforth as it serueth to iustifie any particular beleeuer But they vrge the reason further saying If Christ his righteousnes be the righteousnes of euery beleeuer then euery man should be a Sauiour which is absurd Ans. I answer as before and yet more plainly thus Christ his righteousnes is imputed to the person of this or that man not as it is the price of redemption for all mankind but as it is the price of redemption for one particular man as for example Christ his righteousnes is imputed to Peter not as it is the price of redemption for all but as it is the price of redemption for Peter And therefore Christ his righteousnes is not applied to any one sinner in that largenesse and measure in which it is in the person of Christ but onely so farforth as it serueth to satisfie the law for the said sinner to make his person accepted of God as righteous and no further III. Obiect If we be made righteous by Christ his righteousnes truly then Christ is a sinner truly by our sinnes but Christ is not indeed a sinner by our sinnes Ans. We may with reuerence to his maiestie in good manner say that Christ was a sinner and that truly not by any infusion of sinne into his most holy person but because our sinnes were laid on him thus saith the holy Ghost he which knew no sinne was made sinne for vs and he was counted with sinners Isa 53. 13. yet so as euen then in himselfe he was without blot yea more holy then all men and angels On this manner said Chrysostome 2. Cor. 3. God permitted Christ to be condemned as a sinner Againe He made the iust one to be A SINNER that he might make sinners iust IV. Obiect If a man be made righteous by imputation then God iudgeth sinners to be righteous but God iudgeth no sinner to be righteous for it is abhomination to the Lord. Ans. When God iustifieth a sinner by Christ his righteousnes at the same time he ceaseth in regard of guiltines to be a sinner to whom god imputeth righteousnes them he sanctifieth at the very same instant by his holy Spirit giuing also vnto originall corruption his deadly wound V. Obiect That which Adam neuer lost was neuer giuen by Christ but he neuer lost imputed righteousnes therefore it was neuer giuen vnto him Ans. The proposition is not true for sauing faith that was neuer lost by Adam is giuen to vs in Christ and Adam neuer had this priuiledge that after the first grace should follow the second and thereupon beeing left to himselfe he fell from God and yet this mercie is vouchsafed to all beleeuers that after their first conuersion God will still confirme thē with new grace and by this meanes they perseuere vnto the ende And whereas they say that Adam had not imputed righteousnes I answer that he had the same for substance though not for the manner of applying by imputation VI. Obiect Iustification is eternall but the imputation of Christ his righteousnesse is not eternall for it ceaseth in the end of this life therefore it is not that which iustifieth a sinner Ansvv. The imputation of Christs righteousnes is euerlasting for he that is esteemed righteous in this life by Christ his righteousnes is accepted as righteous for euer and the remission of sinnes graunted in this life is for euer continued And though sanctification be perfect in the worlde to come yet shal it not iustifie for we must conceiue it no otherwise after this life but as a fruit springing from the imputed righteousnes of Christ without which it could not be And a good child will not cast away the first garment because his father giues him a second And what if inward righteousnes be perfect in the ende of this life shall we therefore make it the matter of our iustification God forbid For the righteousnes whereby sinners are iustified must be had in the time of this life before the pangs of death II. Difference about the manner of iustification All both Papists and Protestants agree that a sinner is iustified by faith This agreement is onely in word and the difference betweene vs is great indeede And it may be reduced to these three heads First the Papist saying that a man is iustified by faith vnderstandeth a generall or a Catholike faith whereby a man beleeueth the arcicles of religion to be true But we hold that the faith which iustifieth is a particular faith whereby we apply to our selues the promises of righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ. And that our opinion is the truth I haue proued before but I will adde a reason or twaine I. Reason The faith whereby we liue is that faith whereby we are iustified but the faith whereby we liue spiritually is a particular faith whereby we apply Christ vnto our selues as Paul saith Gal. 2. 20 I liue that is spiritually by the faith of the sonne of God which faith he sheweth to be a particular faith in Christ in the very words following who hath LOVED ME and giuen himselfe FOR ME particularly and in this manner of beleeuing Paul was and is an example to all that are to be saued 1. Tim. 1. 16. and Phil. 3. 15. II. Reason That which we are to aske of God
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.
hauing his first iustification may afterward by grace make himself more iust Therefore they hold these two things I. That good workes are meritorious causes of the second iustification which they tearme Actuall II. that good workes are means to increase the first iustificatiō which they call Habituall Now let vs see how farreforth we must ioyne with them in this point Our consent therefore stands in three conclusions I. That good workes done by them that are iustified doe please God and are approoued of him and therefore haue a reward II. Good workes are necessarie to saluation two waies first not as causes thereof either conseruant adiuvant or procreant but onely as consequents of faith in that they are inseperable companions and fruits of that faith which is indeede necessarie to saluation Secondly they are necessarie as markes in a way and as the way it selfe directing vs vnto eternall life III. We hold and beleeue that the righteous man is in some sort iustified by works for so the holy Ghost speaketh plainely and truly Iam. 2. 21. that Abraham vvas iustified by works Thus farre we ioyne with them and the very difference is this They say we are iustified by works as by causes thereof we say that we are iustified by workes as by signes fruits of our iustification before God and no otherwise and in this sense must the place of S. Iames be vnderstoode that Abraham was iustified that is declared and made manifest to be iust indeede by his obedience and that euen before God Nowe that our doctrine is the truth it will appeare by reasons on both parts Our reasons I. Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the vvorkes of the lavv Some answer that ceremoniall works be excluded here some that morall workes some works going before faith But let them deuise what they can for themselues the truth is that Paul excludeth all works whatsoeuer as by the very text will appeare For v. 24. he saith We are iustified FREELY by his grace that is by the meere gift of God giuing vs to vnderstand that a sinner in his iustification is meerely passiue that is doing nothing on his part whereby God should accept him to life euerlasting and v. 27. he saith iustification by faith excludeth all boasting and therefore all kinde of workes are thereby excluded and specially such as are most of all the matter of boasting that is good workes For if a sinner after that he is iustified by the merit of Christ were iustified more by his owne workes then might he haue some matter of boasting in himselfe And that we may not doubt of Pauls meaning consider and read Eph. 2. 8 9. By grace saith he you are saued through faith that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of vvorks least any man should boast himselfe Here Paul excludes all and euery worke and directly workes of grace themselues as appeares by the reason following For vve are his workemanship CREATED in Christ Iesus VNTO GOOD VVORKS VVHICH GOD HATH ORDAINED that vve should vvalke in them Nowe let the Papists tell me what be the workes which God hath prepared for men to walke in and to which they are regenerate vnles they be the most excellent works of grace and let them marke how Paul excludes them wholly from the worke of iustification and saluation II. Gal. 5. 3. If ye be circūcised ye are bound to the vvhole lavv and ye are abolished from Christ. Here Paul disputeth against such men as would be saued partly by Christ and partly by the workes of the lawe hence I reason thus If a man will be iustified by workes he is bound to fulfill the whole law according to the rigour thereof that is Pauls ground I now assume no man can fulfill the lawe according to the rigour thereof for the liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stained with sinne and therefore they are taught euery daie to say on this manner forgiue vs our debts Againe our knowledge is imperfect and therefore our faith repentance and sanctification is answerable And lastly the regenerate man is partly flesh and partly spirit and therfore his best works are partly frō the flesh in part onely spirituall Thus then for any man to be bound to the rigour of the whole law is as much as if he were bound to his owne damnation III. Election to saluation is of grace without workes therefore the iustification of a sinner is of grace alone without works For it is a certen rule that the cause of a cause is the cause of a thing caused Now grace without workes is the cause of election which election is the cause of our iustification and therefore grace without workes is the cause of our iustification IIII. A man must first be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke for the person must first please God before his workes can please him But the person of a sinner cannot please God till he be perfectly iustified and therefore till he be iustified he can not doe so much as one good worke And thus good works cannot be any meritorious causes of iustification after which they are both for time and order of nature In a word whereas they make two distinct iustifications we acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification yet so as iustificatiō is onely one standing in remission of sinnes and Gods acceptation of vs to life euerlasting by Christ and this iustification hath no degrees but is perfect at the very first Obiections of Papists Psal. 7. 8. Iudge me according to my righteousnesse Hence they reason thus if Dauid be iudged according to his righteousnes then may he be iustified thereby but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnes and therefore he was iustified thereby Ans. There be two kinds of righteousnes one of the person the other of the cause or action The righteousnes of a mans person is whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall The righteousnes of the action or cause is when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust Now Dauid in this psalme speaketh onely of the righteousnes of the action or innocency of his cause in that he was falsly charged to haue sought the kingdome In like manner it is said of Phineas Psal. 166. 31. that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie was imputed to him for righteousnes not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke but because God accepted of it as a iust worke and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glory II. Obiect The Scripture saith in sundrie places that men are blessed which doe good workes Psal. 119. 1. Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart and walketh in the law of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that endeauoureth to keepe Gods commandements Yet is he not
yet is it made ours by imputation For as his righteousnesse is made ours so are his merits depending theron but his righteousnes is made ours by imputation as I haue shewed Hence ariseth an other point namely that as Christs righteousnes is made ours really by imputation to make vs righteous so we by the merit of his righteousnes imputed to vs doe merit and deserue life euerlasting And this is our doctrine In a word the Papist maintaineth the merits of his owne workes but we renounce them all and rest onely on the merit of Christ. And that our doctrine is truth and theirs falshoode I will make manifest by sundrie reasons and then answer their arguments to the contrarie Our reasons The first shall be taken from the properties and conditions that must be in a worke meritorious and they are fowre I. A man must doe it of himselfe and by himselfe for if it be done by another the merite doth not properly belong to the doer II. A man must doe it of his owne freewill and pleasure not of due debt for when we doe that which we are bound to doe we doe no more but our dutie III. The worke must be done to the profit of an other who thereupon must be bound to repay the like IV. The reward and the worke must be in proportion equall for if the reward be more then the worke it is not a reward of desert but a gift of good will Hence followes a notable conclusion That Christs manhoode considered a part from his godhead cannot merit at Gods hand though it be more excellent euery way then all both men and angels For being thus considered it doth nothing of it selfe but by grace receiued from the godhead though it also be without measure Secondly Christs manhoode is a creature and in that regarde bound to doe whatsoeuer it doth Thirdly Christ as man cannot giue any thing to god but that which he receiued from God therfore cannot the manhoode properly by it selfe merit but onely as it is personally vnited vnto the godhead of the Sonne And if this be so then much lesse can any meere man or any angel merit yea it is a madnes to thinke that either our actions or persons should be capable of any merit whereby we might attaine to life eternall Reason II. Exod. 20 8. And SHEVV MERCIE vpon thousands in them that loue me and keepe my commandements Hence I reason thus where reward is giuen vpon mercie there is no merit but rewarde is giuen of mercie to them that fulfill the law therefore no merit What can we any way deserue when our full recompence must be of mercie And this appeares further by Adam if he had stood to this day he could not by his continuall and perfect obedience haue procured a further increase of fauour at Gods hand but should onely haue continued that happie estate in which he was first created Reason III. Scripture directly condemneth merite of workes Rom. 6. 23. The vvages of sinne is death but THE GIFT OF GOD IS eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. The proportion of the argument required that S. Paul should haue said The reward of good workes is eternall life if life euerlasting could be deserued which cannot because it is a free gift Againe Tit. 3. 5. We are saued not by vvorkes of righteousnes which vve haue done but according to his mercie he saued vs. And Ephes. 2. v. 8 10. By grace you are saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of works which God hath prepared that we should walke in them If any workes be crowned it is certen that the sufferings of Martyrs shall be rewarded now of them Paul saith Rom. 8. 18. The sufferings of this life are NOT VVORTHY of the glorie to come Where then is the value dignitie of other works To this purpose ` Ambr. saith The iust man though he be tormented in the brasen bull is still iust because he iustifieth God and saith he suffereth LESSE THEN HIS SINNES DESERVE Reason IV. Whosoeuer will merit must fulfill the whole law but none can keepe the whole law For if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues 1. Ioh. 1. And he that sinnes against one commandement is guiltie of the whole law And what can he merit that is guiltie of the breach of the whole law Reason V. We are taught to pray on this manner Giue vs this day our daily bread Wherein we acknowledge euery morsel of bread to be the meere gift of God without desert and therefore must we much more acknowledge life eternall to be euery way the gift of God It must needes therefore be a satanicall insolencie for any man to imagine that he can by his workes merit eternall life who cannot merit bread Reason VI. Consent of the auncient Church Bernard Those which we call our merits are the way to the kingdome and not THE CAVSE OF RAIGNING August Manuali cap. 22. All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit my MERIT IS THE PASSION OF THE LORD I shall not be voide of merits so long as Gods mercies are not wanting Basil. on psal 114. Eternall rest is reserued for them which haue striuen lavvfully in this life not FOR THE MERITS of their doings but vpon the grace of the most bountifull God in which they trusted August on ps 120. He crowneth thee because he crowneth his owne gifts not thy merits And psal 142. Lord thou wilt quicken me in thy iustice not in mine not because I haue deserued it but because thou hast compassion Obiections of Papists Obiect I. In sundrie places of Scripture promise of reward is made to them that beleeue and doe good workes therefore our works doe merit for a reward and merit be relatiues Ans. Reward is twofold of debt and of mercie Life euerlasting is not a reward of debt but of mercie giuen of the good will of God without any thing done of man Secondly the kingdome of heauen is properly an inheritance giuen of a father to a child and therefore it is called a reward not properly but by a figure or by resemblance For as a workeman hauing ended his labour receiueth his wages so after men haue lead their liues finished their course in keeping faith and good conscience as dutifull children God giueth them eternall life And herupon it is tearmed a reward Thirdly if I should graunt that life euerlasting is a deserued reward it is not for our works but for Christs merit imputed to vs causing vs thereby to merit and thus the relation stands directly betweene the Reward and Christs Merit applied vnto vs. Obiect II. Christ by his death merited that our works should merit life euerlasting Answ. That is false all we finde in Scripture is that Christ by his merit procured pardon of sinne imputation of righteousnes and life euerlasting and it is no where saide in the word of
foundation to the very bottom And that it may the better appeare that we auouch the truth first I will confirme our doctrine by scripture and secondly confute the reasōs which they bring for themselues III. Our reasons Reason I. Heb. 9. v. 15. and 26 and cap. 10. v. 10. The holy ghost saith Christ offered himselfe but once Therefore not often and thus there can be no reall or bodily offering of his bodie and blood in the sacrament of his supper the text is plaine The Papists answer thus The sacrifice of Christ say they is one for substāce yet in regard of the manner of offering it is either bloodie or vnbloodie and the holy ghost speakes onely of the bloodie sacrifice of Christ which was indeede offered but once Ans. But the author of this epistle takes it for graunted that the sacrifice of Christ is onely one and that bloodie sacrifice For he saith Heb. 9. v. 25. Christ did not offer himselfe often as the high priests did v. 26. For thē he must haue oftē suffered since the foundatiō of the world but now in the end he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe and v. 22. VVITHOVT SHEDDING OF BLOOD is NO remission of sinne By these wordes it is plaine that the scripture neuer knewe the two fold maner of sacrificing of Christ. And euery distinction in Diuinitie not founded in the written worde is but a forgerie of mans braine And if this distinction be good how shall the reason of the Apostle stand He did not offer himselfe but once because he suffered but once Reason II. The Romish Church holdes that the sacrifice in the Lordes Supper is all one for substance with the sacrifice which he offered on the crosse if that be so then the sacrifice in the Eucharist must either be a cōtinuance of that sacrifice which was begun on the crosse or els an iteration or repetition of it Now let them choose of these twaine which they wil if they say it is a continuance of the sacrifice on the crosse Christ being but the beginner and the Priest the finisher thereof they make it imperfect for to continue a thing till it be accomplished is to bring perfection vnto it but Christs sacrifice on the crosse was then fully perfected as by his owne testimony appeares when he said consummatum est it is finished Againe if they say it is a repetition of Christs sacrifice thus also they make it imperfect for that is the reason which the holy ghost vseth to prooue that the sacrifices of the old testamēt were imperfect because they were repeated Reason III. A reall and outward sacrifice in a sacrament is against the nature of a sacrament and especially the supper of the Lord for one end thereof is to keepe in memory the sacrifice of Christ. Nowe euery remembrance must be of a thing absent past and done and if Christ be daily and really sacrificed the sacrament is no fit memoriall of his sacrifice Againe the principall ende for which the sacrament was ordained is that God might giue we receiue Christ with his benefits and therfore to giue and take to eate drink are here the principal actiōs Now in a reall sacrifice God doth not giue Christ the priest receiue him of God but contrariwise he giues offers Christ vnto God and God receiues some thing of vs. To helpe the matter they say that this sacrifice serues not properly to make any satisfaction to God but rather to apply vnto vs the satisfaction of Christ beeing already made But this answere still maketh against the nature of a sacrament in which God giues Christ vnto vs whereas in a sacrifice God receiues from man and man giues something to god a sacrifice therefore is no fit meanes to apply any thing vnto vs that is giuen of God Reason IV. Heb. 7. 24. 25. The Holy Ghost makes a difference betweene Christ the high priest of the newe testament and all Leuiticall priests in this that they were many one succeeding another but he is onely one hauing an eternall priesthood which cannot passe from him to any other Nowe if this difference be good then Christ alone in his owne very person must be the priest of the new testament and no other with or vnder him otherwise in the new testament their should be more priests in number then in the old If they say that the whole action remaines in the person of Christ and that the priest is but an instrument vnder him as they say I say againe it is false because the whole oblatiō is acted or done by the priest himselfe and he which doth all is more then a bare instrument Reason V. If the priest doe offer to God Christs reall bodie and blood for the pardon of our sinnes then man is become a mediatour betweene God and Christ. Now the Church of Rome saith that the priest in his masse is a priest properly and his sacrifice a reall sacrifice differing onely in the manner of offering from the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse and in the very Canon of the masse they insinuate thus much when they request God to accept their giftes and offerings namely Christ himselfe offered as he did the sacrifices of Abel and Noe. Now it is absurd to thinke that any creature should be a mediatour betweene Christ and God Therefore Christ cannot possibly be offered by any creature vnto God Reason VI. The iudgement of the auncient Church A certaine Counsell held at Toledo in Spaine reprooueth the Ministers that they offered sacrifice often the same day without the holy communion The wordes of the Canon are these Relation is made vnto vs that certaine priests doe not so many times receiue the grace of the holy communion as they offer sacrifices in one daie but in one day if they offer many sacrifices to God in ALL THE OBLATIONS THEY SVSPEND THEMSELVES FROM THE COMMVNION Here marke that the sacrifices in auncient Masses were nothing else but formes of diuine seruice because none did communicate no not the priest himselfe And in an other Counsell the name of the Masse is put onely for a forme of prayer It hath pleased vs that praiers supplications Masses which shall be alowed in the Councel be vsed And in this sense it is taken when speach is vsed of the making or compounding of Masses for the sacrifice propitiatorie of the bodie blood of Christ admits no composition Abbat Paschasius saith because we sinn daily Christ is sacrificed for vs MYSTICALLY and his Passion is giuen in mysterie These his words are against the reall sacrifice but yet he expounds himselfe more plainly cap. 10. The blood is drunke IN MYSTERIE SPIRITVALLY and it is all SPIRITVAL which we eate and c. 12. The priest distributes to euery one not as much as the outward sight giueth but as much as FAITH RECEIVETH c. 13. The FVL similitude is outwardly and the immaculate flesh
least he partakes in the sinnes and punishments thereof Indeede to goe vpon ambassage to any place or to trauell for this ende that we may performe the necessarie duties for our speciall or generall callings is not vnlawfull but to trauell out of the precincts of the church onely for pleasures sake and to see strange fashions hath no warrant And hence it is that many men which goe forth in good order well minded come home with crased consciences The best traueler of all is he that liuing at home or abroad can goe out of himselfe and depart from his own sinnes corruptions by true repentance FINIS An advertisment to all fauourers of the Roman religion shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the Catechisme GReat is the number of them that embrace the religion of the present church of Rome being deceiued by the glorious titles of Vniuersalitie Antiquity Successiō And no doubt though sōe be wilfully blinded yet many deuoted this way neuer saw any other truth Nowe of them and the rest I desire this fauour that they will but way and ponder with themselues this one thing which I will nowe offer to their considerations and that is That the Romane religion nowe stablished by the councell of Trent is in the principall points thereof against the very grounds of the Catechisme that haue beene agreed vpon euer since the daies of the Apostles by all Churches These groundes are fowre the first is the Apostles Creede the second is the decalogue or ten cōmandements the third is the forme of praier called the Lords praier the fourth is the Institutiō of the two Sacramēts baptisme and the Lords supper 1. Cor. 11. 23. That I may in some order manifest this which I say I will beginne with the Symbole or Creed And first of all it must be considered that some of the principall doctrines beleeued in the Church of Rome are that the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the vicar of Christ the head of the Catholike church that there is a fire of purgatorie after this life that images of God and Saints are to be placed in Churches and worshipped that praier is to be made to Saints departed and their intercession to be required that there is a propitiatory sacrifice daily offered in the masse for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead These points are of that moment that without them the Roman religion cannot stand in the councel of Trent the curse Anathema is pronounced vpō all such as deny these or any of them And yet marke the Apostles creede which hath bin thought to containe all necessarie points in religion to be beleeued and hath therefore beene called the Kay and rule of faith this creed I say hath not any of these points nor the Expositions made thereof by the ancient fathers nor any other creed or confession of faith made by any councell or Church for the space of many hundred yeares This a plaine proofe to any indifferent man that these be new articles of faith neuer known in the Apostolike Church and that the fathers and Councells could not finde any such articles of faith in the bookes of the olde and new Testement Answere is made that all these points of doctrine are beleeued vnder the articles I beleeue the Catholike Church the meaning whereof they will haue to be this I beleeue all things which the catholike Church holdeth and teacheth to be beleeued If this be as they say we must needes beleeue in the Church that is put our confidence in the Church for the manifestation and the certentie of all doctrines necessarie to saluation and thus the eternall truth of God the Creator shall depend on the determination of the creature and the written word of God in this respect is made vnsufficient as though it had not plainely reuealed all points of doctrine pertaining to saluation And the ancient Churches haue bin farre ouerseene that did not propounde the former points to be beleeued as articles of faith but left them to these latter times 2. In this Creede to beleeue in God and to beleeue the church are distinguished To be leeue in is pertaining to the Creatour to beleeue to the creature as Ruffinus hath noted when he saith that by this proposition in the Creatour is distinguished from the creature and things pertaining to God from things pertaining to men And Augustine saith It must be knowne that we must beleeue the Church NOT BELEEVE IN THE CHVRCH because the church is not God but the house of God Hence it followes that we must not beleeue in the Saints nor put our confidence in our workes as the learned Papists teach Therefore Eusebius saith We ought of right to beleeue Peter and Paul but to beleeue in Peter Paul that is to giue to the seruants the houour of the Lord we ought not And Cyprian saith He doth not beleeue in God which doth not place in him alone the trust of his whole felicitie 3. The article conceiued by the holy ghost is ouerturned by the transubstantiation of bread and wine in the masse into the body and blood of Christ. For here we are taught to confesse the true and perpetuall incarnation of Christ beginning in his conception and neuer ending afterward and we acknowledge the truth of his manhoode and that his bodie hath the essentiall properties of a true bodie standing of flesh and bone hauing quantitie figure dimensions namely length breadth thicknes hauing part out of part as head out of feet and feet out of head beeing also circumscribed visible touchable in a word it hath all things in it which by order of creation belong to a bodie It will be said that the body of Christ may remaine a true bodie and yet be altered in respect of some qualities as namely circumscription But I say againe that locall circumscription can no way be seuered from a bodie it remaining a bodie For to be circumscribed in place is an essentiall propertie of euery quantitie and quantitie is the common essence of euerie bodie And therefore a bodie in respect of his quantitie must needes be circumscribed in one place This was the iudgement of Leo when he saide The bodie of Christ is by no meanes out of the truth of our bodie And Augustine when he saide ONELY God in Christ so comes that he doth not depart so returnes that he doth not leaue vs but man according to bodie is in place and goes out of the same place and when he shall come vnto an other place HE IS NOT IN THAT PLACE VVHENCE HE COMES To helpe the matter they vse to distinguish thus Christs bodie in respect of the whole essence thereof may be in many places but not in respect of the whole quantitie whereby it is onely in one place But as I haue saide they speake contraries for quantitie by all learning is the essence of a