be no assurance by faith of our owne Saluation vnlesse we beleeue it with the like infallible Certainty as we do the truth of the word of God 5. W. BISHOP The thâ—rd reason for the Catholikes is that we are bidden to pray daily for the remission of our sinnes But that were needlesse Math. 6. if we were before assured both of pardon and Saluation M. Perkins answereth First that we pray daily for the remission of new sinnes committed that day Be it so What needs that if we were before assured of pardon Marrie saith he because our assurance was but weake and small our prayer is to increase our assurance Good Sir do you not see how you ouerthrow your selfe If your assurance be but weake and small it is not the assurance of faith which is as great and as strong as the truth of God We giue God thanks for those gifts which we haue receaued at his bountifull hands and desire him to increase or continue them if they may be lost But to pray to God to giue vs those things we are assured of by faith is as fond and friuolous as to pray him to make Christ our Lord to be his Sonne or that there may be life euerlasting to his Saints in heauen of which they are in full and assured possession And so these three Arguments by M. Perkins propounded here for vs are very substantiall and sufficient to assure euery good Christian that he may well hope for Saluation doing his dutie but may not without great presumption assure him by faith of it R. ABBOT The comfort of the faithfull mans praier is the same assurance that Dauid had a Psal 4.3 When I call vpon the Lord he will heare me it being a promise of God to his people b 50.15 Call vpon me and I will heare thee in which sort our Sauiour Christ giueth vs incouragement to pray saying c Iohn 14.13 Whatsoeuer ye aske in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Sonne Therefore S. Iohn saith d 1. Iohn 5.14 This is the assurance that we haue of him that whatsoeuer we aske according to his will he heareth vs and if we know that he heareth vs we know that we haue the petitions that we aske of him Being therefore bidden to pray for the forgiuenesse of sinnes and hauing the promise of God e Ierem. 31.34 I will be mercifull vnto them and their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more we beleeue and by faith stand assured that when we do pray to haue our sinnes forgiuen vs God heareth vs and giueth vs pardon and forgiuenesse thereof We do not then teach at randon the assurance of the forgiuenesse of sinnes but in such tenure and forme as we are directed by the word of God according to which S. Austine saith of himselfe f August cont Iulian. Pelag. lib 6. ca. 5. Qua gratia liberor vt scio ne intrem in tentationeÌ„ c. atque vt exaudiar cum confortâ—hat meis dicens Dimitte nobis c. By the grace of God I am freed I know that I enter not into temptation and that I am heard saying with my fellowes Forgiue vs our trespasses g Psa 32.6 For this therefore that is h August in Psal 31. Pro hac pro ipsa venia peccatorum for forgiuenesse of sinnes shall euery one that is godly saith Dauid make his praier vnto thee in a time when thou maiest be found so being assured that in the great water flouds they shall not come nigh him Our faith then assureth vs not of forgiuenesse of sinnes without praier but that God forgiueth vs when we pray so that his obiection being framed to our doctrine aright is as if he should say Seeing faith assureth vs of forgiuenesse of sinnes when we craue it of him by praier what need we pray Which was one of Wrights drunken reasons whereby he would haue laied an absurditie vpon our Church being himselfe an absurd blind-asinus and not vnderstanding what we say But to make the matter more plaine it is to be noted that in three respects we continue daily to aske of God forgiuenesse of sinnes of which M. Perkins hath noted two First as S. Austine saith i August de vera fals paenit ca. 5. Quia quotidimana est offensio oportet vt sit quotidiana etiam remissio because we daily commit offence we haue need daily to craue pardon But what needs that saith M. Bishop if we were before assured of pardon I haue answered him that our assurance before hand and alwaies is that our praier obtaineth it at Gods hands Therefore we pray and by faith do rest assured that vndoubtedly we haue that for which we pray Secondly we pray for forgiuenesse not for that we haue no assurance thereof but for that we desire greater assurance and more comfortable feeling of it that as forgiuenesse with God is full and perfect so the same may accordingly be sealed in our hearts Our faith being weake giueth but weake assurance and therefore we begge of God that our hearts may be enlarged that k Bernard in Annunciat ser 1. supra sect 3. the testimonie of the spirit may more freely sound vnto vs Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Now here saith M. Bishop Good Sir do you not see how you ouerthrow your selfe And why so Forsooth if your assurance be but weake and small it is not the assurance of faith which is as great and strong as the truth of God But good Sir we haue alreadie shewed you that therein you tell vs a sencelesse and vnlikely tale The truth of God is alwaies alike not subiect to alteration neuer increased or diminished but our faith is greater and lesse somtimes hath a full and sometimes a wane and to vs the truth of God is according to our faith and according to our apprehension feeling of it Wherein we are variable and diuerse euen after the manner of Peters faith of whom S. Austine saith l August de verb. Dom. ser 13 Illum vidite Petrum qui tunc erat figura vestra modo fidit modo titubat modò immortaleÌ„ confitetur modoÌ„ timet ne moriatur Peter was the patterne of vs all sometimes he beleeueth sometimes he wauereth one while he confesseth Christ to be immortall another while he is afraid least Christ should die The poore distressed man saith in the Gospell m Mar. 9. Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe n August de verb. Dom. ser 36. Credo inquit ergò est fides Sed adiuua incredulitatem meam ergo non est plena fides He saith I beleeue therefore there is faith saith Austine helpe my vnbeleefe saith he therefore there is not yet full and perfect faith If there be true faith and yet with faith a remainder of vnbeleefe then the assurance of faith cannot be said to be as great and strong as the truth
bapt cont Donatist lib. 6. ca. 1. CharactereÌ„ dominicuÌ„ multi lupâ— lupis insigunt qui videntur quideâ— intus esse veruntamen ad â—llâ—m ouem quae etiam ex mulâ—â—â—na est non pertinere morum suoruâ—a fructibus â—â—â—â—ncuntur many woolues in sheeps clothing lying in wait to make a spoile Now we are to distinguish them that truly are in Christ from them that are not so Of them that truly are in Christ in present state of iustification our speech here is that they can neuer wholly be cut off the rest we know are cut off from that l Luc. 8.18 which they seemed to haue but indeed had not which if they had had indeed as they seemed to haue m Mat. 13.12 they should haue had more giuen that they might haue abundance and not be cut off from that they had It is therefore nothing against vs which M. Bishop alledgeth that fruitlesse branches which indeed are not in Christ though they will seeme to be are cut off from seeming any longer to be that which in truth they neuer were Euery one that truly is a branch in Christ bringeth forth fruit in him euery branch that bringeth forth fruit the Father purgeth that it may bring forth more fruit Euery one therfore that is truly a branch in Christ as euery true beleeuer is shall continue a branch in him for euer that it may be verified which the Prophet saith n 〈◊〉 92. â—3 Such as be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God They shal stil bring forth fruit eueÌ„ in age shal be fat and flourishing By this the answer is plaine to the other place If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and shall wither and be cast into the fire For hereby is imported what befalleth to them who carying semblance to be in Christ beare no fruit in him who because they are not truly that which they seeme to be therefore abide not in that which they seeme and either by death or by other occasion become o August epist 39 Separantur multi ab ecclesia sed cùm moruntur qui tamen â—ùm viuunt per sacrameâ—toruÌ„ commionem vâ—â—tansque Catholicae vâ—â—â—â—r ecclesia coâ—â—lati corporally separated from the Church to which they before but onely seemed to be coupled It is true then that if a man abide not in Christ though for the time he seeme to be in Christ he is cast forth and perisheth but it followeth not therefore that any man that faithfully beleeueth in Christ and therefore truly is in Christ doth not abide in him Nay our Sauiour himselfe teacheth vs the contrary when he saith p Io n. 6.56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud abideth in me and I in him For what is it to eate the flesh of Christ and to drinke his bloud but q August in Ioan. tract 25 6 to beleeue in Christ r De doct Câ—rist l b 3 cap. 16. Figâ—ra est praecipiâ—â—s paâ—liom Domini esse communicandum suâ—â—itur atque vitatèr recodendum in memâ—ria quòd caro eius pro nobis crucifixa vubierata sit to be partakers of his passion and with comfort and vse to lay vp in our minds that his flesh was crucified and wounded for vs Euery one then that truly beleeueth in Christ eateth his flesh drinketh his bloud and therefore abideth in Christ and Christ in him No man therefore that truly beleeueth in Christ is euer cut off or cast forth to wither or to be throwne into the fire Now to an indifferent Reader I might alledge and it easily appeareth by the vse of that terme of abiding that by abiding in Christ is meant our very being in Christ which is therefore so expressed because no man is in Christ truly and indeed but the same abideth in him for euer So that the meaning of Christes words shall be If any man be not truly ingrafted into me as the true vine to grow vpon me and to bring forth fruit by me he is cast forth as a dead and vnprofitable braunch shall come to nought But it booteth not to alledge this to a wrangler who whatsoeuer appeare otherwhere will not here vnderstand it otherwise then to serue his owne turne Against him therefore the other solution is plaine that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ the same abideth in him and therefore shall neuer be cut off so that yet he is farre enough from any demonstration to proue any who are truly members of Christ are wholly and for euer cut off from him Let vs see whether the rest will affoord him any better demonstration Are we not by faith saith he made members of Christ by our aduersaries own confession Yes M. Bishop but yet not by euery kind of faith for S. Iames saith Å¿ Iam. 2.19 The deuils beleeue and yet they are not thereby the members of Christ We are made the members of Christ only by true and liuely faith whereby Christ dwelleth in our hearts of which it is that the Apostle saith t Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Iesus You wil not say M. Bishop that by euery faith a man is spiritually made a meÌ„ber of Christ because you say that there is faith without charity and you dare not say that without charity a man may be a member of Christ Which being so how vainly doth he alledge that u Mat. 13.20 our Sauiour saith in the parable of the sower concerning them that receiue the word in stonie ground that with ioy they receiue the word but haue no root and for a time beleeue and in time of temptation reuolt For though it be said that they beleeue yet it followeth not that they beleeue with that faith whereby they should become the members of Christ For Herod in that sort beleeued the word preached by Iohn Baptist x Mat. 6.20 whom he reuerenced as a lust and holy man and heard him gladly and did many things accordingly and yet he was not therefore a member of Christ By conuiction of conscience men oft times receiue the word cannot but beleeue and acknowledge the truth thereof when yet they embrace it not with affection of loue and therefore haue not that y Gal. 5.6 faith which worketh by loue which onely is true faith And how can he perswade vs that true members of Christ are by Christ himselfe compared to the stony ground We are perswaded that onely the good ground are the true members of Christ as for the rest they are z August in Ioan. tract 3. Infra sect 10. as bad humors in the body as S. Austine saith but members they are not And how should there be true faith in them of whom Christ saith They haue no root Can true faith grow where there is no root for it to grow vpon Nay S. Austine telleth vs
your Saluation with feare and trembling There be aboue an hundred such texts in holy writ wherein the Holy Ghost exhorteth vs to stand in feare of our Saluation out of which I thus frame my argument No man must stand in feare of that of which he is by faith assured But the faithfull must stand in feare of their Saluation Ergo they be not assured of it by faith The Minor or second proposition is plainly proued by these places cited before the Maior is manifest there is no feare in faith he that feareth whether the thing be assured or no cannot giue a certaine assent thereunto Dubius in fide infidelis est Put the case in another article to make it more euident He that feareth whether there be a God or no do we esteeme that he beleeueth in God So he that feareth whether Iesus Christ be God is he a Christian hath he a true faith You must needs answer no. So he that feareth whether he shall be saued or no can haue no faith of his Saluation R. ABBOT The place of S. Iohn doth fully ouerthrow that which M. Bishop laboureth to build inuincibly prouing that reuolters and renegates wholy falling away from Christ were neuer of the faithfull though for the time outwardly they held profession with them For if they had bene of vs saith he they would haue continued with vs therein implying this rule that they that once are of the faithfull do certainly continue with them so as that they neuer wholie and finally depart from them For as falling starres were neuer starres indeed though they seemed to be starres so apostataes and backsliders were neuer faithfull indeed though they seemed so to be But here Maister Bishop answereth If they went out from vs they were before with vs. Be it so but yet as the glosse saith a Thom. Aquin. in Ioan. ca. 2. ex glossa Erant de ecclesia numero non merito sacramentorum perceptione non charitatis communione by tale and account not by woorth by participation of sacraments not by fellowship of loue This place then proueth that men may depart from the profession of the faith of Christ but it confirmeth not his assertion that the faith of any doth euer faile that is truly faithfull in the profession of the faith of Christ And therefore it is but one of his iuglers tricks to make his Reader beleeue that the place confirmeth his assertion when in truth it doth directly contradict it If those reuolters had had true faith Saint Iohn would not haue said They were not of vs for he is of the faithfull whosoeuer is indued with true faith But saith he S. Iohns meaning is that such were not of the number of the elect and this is S. Austines exposition And we acknowledge S. Austines exposition to be true b August de bono perseuâ—â—â—a 8. Non erant ex eis quia noÌ„ erant secundum propositum vocant non erant in Chr sto electi ante constitutioneÌ„â—undi non erant in eo sort in consecuti non erant praedestinauit secundum proposituÌ„ eius qui vniuersa operatur They were not of them because they were not called according to purpose because they were not elect in Christ before the foundations of the world because they had not obtained any lot or portion in him because they were not praedestinate according to the purpose of him who worketh all things But because they were not such therefore they were neuer truly faithfull For if they were not called by purpose then did they neuer truly beleeue because c Jdem de praed sanct cap 16. Qua vocatione sit credens by that calling it is that a man doth beleeue Now d Jâ—â— p. 17. Quos praedestinauit ipsos vocauit illa scilicet vocatione secundum propositum Non ergo alios sed quos praedestinauit ipsos vocauit nec alios sed quos ita vocauit ipsos iustificauit nec alios sed quos praedestinauit vocauit iustificauit ipsos giereficauit c. by this calling God calleth no other but whom he hath praedestinate therefore onely the predestinate do beleeue And no other doth God iustifie but whom he hath called with that calling therefore onely the elect are partakers of iustification and if only the elect be iustified then all that are iustified do certainly perseuer because the elect do neuer fall away Now if backsliding reprobates were neuer partakers of iustification then were they neuer of the body of the faithfull howsoeuer in outward appearance they seemed to be And this the same S. Austine very notably confirmeth when he saith of reprobates e Cont. Iulian. Pelag. lib. 5 cap. 3. Jstorum neminem adducit ad poenitentiam salubrem spiritualem qua homo in Christo reconciliatur Deo siue illis ampliorem patientiam quà m electis siue non imparem praebeat None of these doth God bring to spirituall and healthfull repentance whereby man in Christ is reconciled vnto God whether he yeeld them patience for longer or shorter time And as he excludeth them from true repentance so doth he also from forgiuenesse of sinnes saying that f Cont. aduersar seg prophet lib. 2 ca. 11. Qui noÌ„ omnium sicut iste au sedeorum quos ante praesâ—â—on praedestinauit delicta dimittit God forgiueth the sinnes not of all but of them whom before he foreknew and predestinated Origen yet goeth further and saith that g Origen cont Cels lib. 7. Conceditur cognitio Dei duntaxat his qui ad hoc praedestinati sunt vt cognito Dei dignè viuant the knowledge of God meaning the true and effectuall knowledge of God is graunted onely vnto them who are hereto predestinate that knowing God they may liue worthy of him Now if reprobates neuer haue any true knowledge of God if they be secluded from repentance faith iustification forgiuenesse of sinnes then these things are proper onely to the elect which do certainly perseuer and our assertion is true that where there is true repentance faith iustification knowledge of God there infallibly followeth perseuerance to the end Saint Iohn therefore when he saith They were not of vs as he meaneth that they were not of the elect so he meaneth that they neuer were of the number of true beleeuers neuer true members of Christ or of the spirituall body of the Church which if they had bene he concludeth for vs that they should haue so continued and not in that sort haue vtterly fallen away Therefore doth Saint Austine expound the words of them h August de corrept grat ca. 9. Filij Dei propter susâ—eptaÌ„ vel temporaliter gratiaÌ„ dicuntur a nobis nec sunt tamen Deo who for grace temporally receiued are of vs called the children of God but yet are not so to God affirming plainly that with God they are not children though we call them so because they seeme no
semblance of name as a man tearmeth a hand of stone for in like sort is a dead hand for all parts of the bodie are defined by their office and facultie Therefore when they lye dead they are not the same but retaine onely the shew and shadow of the name The argument therefore must be turned against himselfe that as the dead body is not a true naturall bodie but onely by equiuocation is so called euen so a dead faith is no true faith but onely by equiuocation for some semblance to men it carieth the shew and shadow of the name of faith Yet he will not so giue ouer but as hauing set the stocke vpon it he will winne it in this period or else he will loose all Indeed he is like a sheepe tangled in the briars the more he struggleth and striueth the faster he tyeth himself He saith that faith charity haue seueral seats in the soule faith in the vnderstanding and charity in the will But that is not so for as hath bene before said true and vnfained faith which the Scripture commendeth for iustification is a mixt action of the vnderstanding and will Yea the Apostle expresly placeth faith in the heart which is the seate of the affections l Rom. 10.10 With the heart saith he man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse If thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeue in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued No maruell that M. Bishop cannot tell what true faith is who knoweth no other faith but onely a faith of the head consisting in speculatiue fancies and imaginations of the braines and descending no lower then the tongue whereas the Apostle speaketh of a faith of the heart a feeling faith which by feeling gathereth to it the affection and will which is not onely an act of knowledge and vnderstanding as M. Bishop dreameth but implieth an affecting desiring embracing seeking of that which it beleeueth a ioying and reuiuing of it selfe therein So I alledged before out of Oecumenius that the faith whereof Saint Paul speaketh is not a bare assent as is the faith of diuels and M. Bishops Catholike faith but m Oecumen in lac cap. 2 Consecutionem ex affectu procedentē hath some further consequence arising from the affection Againe they haue distinct obiects saith he faith respecting the truth of God and charitie the goodnesse of God Indeed the truth of God is the obiect of our faith but what is the matter of that truth but the promise of God concerning his goodnesse towards vs n Psal 27.13 I should vtterly haue fainted saith Dauid but that I beleeue verily to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing o Ferus in Mat. ca. 8. Fides quam Scriptura commendat nihil aliud est quà m fidere gratuita Dei miserecordia The faith saith Ferus which the Scripture cōmendeth is nothing els but to trust to the free mercie of God So then the goodnesse mercy of God is properly and truly the obiect of our faith Yea and how should the goodnesse of God be the obiect of our charitie but by being first the obiect of our faith For therefore do we loue the goodnesse of God or loue God for his goodnesse towards vs because first we beleeue the same neither can we so loue but by beleeuing For charitie consisting simply in affection apprehendeth nothing in God of it selfe but receiueth all from faith which is it as Chrysostome noteth p Chryso in Rom. hom 8. Conuenientem de Deo opinionē accipit whereby we conceiue a due and conuenient opinion concerning God Loue is not a reciprocall action the passage thereof is meerely from him that loueth to the thing that is loued Thus therefore it is in our loue to God but what we conceiue backe againe of him towards vs it is by faith and not by loue Yea M. Bishop himselfe verifieth this in that he saith We cannot loue him of whom we neuer heard For what is all our hearing but onely by beleeuing that which we heare First therefore we heare of Gods goodnesse his mercy his truth c. and by beleeuing that which we heare our affections are drawne vnto him First therfore all these are the obiects of our faith and consequently become the obiects of our loue His next difference is a meere begging of the question We say that faith though it do not presuppose charitie as a thing precedent yet alwayes supposeth and inferreth it as an immediate and necessary consequent For faith receiueth Christ q Ephes 3.17 to dwell in our hearts who commeth not but accompanied with grace and with the fruites of the spirit which alwayes grow and increase according to the increase and growth of faith Great faith hath feruent loue weaker faith hath weaker loue but alwayes hath a measure of loue answerable to it selfe Now by this that hath bene said it appeareth how vntruly M. Bishop saith for his last difference that charitie doth not naturally flow out of faith whereas indeed common sence in diuinitie doth instruct him that the original thereof is from thence and onely from thence For if we cannot loue God but by hearing beleeuing him to be that that he is then it is faith which setting God before vs such a one as he is wise mighty iust merciful louing and gracious vnto vs enamoreth our hearts and breedeth in vs affections correspondent to his grace neither is there any spark of loue but what ariseth from this ground Yea M. Bishop himselfe confesseth so much but that his wits are so besotted with his minion of Rome that he knoweth not what he saith Charitie saith he doth not naturally flow out of faith but by due consideration of the goodnesse of God and of his benefites and loue towards vs. Which is as much as if he should say it doth not naturally flow out of faith but doth naturally flow out of faith For whence is this consideration of Gods goodnes c. but from faith Do we consider these things any otherwise but as by faith we first apprehend and beleeue the same It is faith as hath bene said which affecteth and seasoneth the hart with the sweet tast and feeling of those considerations and thereby allureth and draweth vs to love him of whom we haue receiued so great loue And for want of faith it is that it cometh to passe which M. Bishop to make vp his sentence impertinently complaineth of that few men enter into these good and deuout considerations yea he and his by oppugning and destroying true faith do helpe to draw men backe from considering of these things Now all that hitherto he hath sayd he telleth vs is according to the truth whereas indeede there is not a word true as hath appeared and if it had beene true yet he had gained nothing thereby because it followeth not that those things which are deuided in facultie and
apparently false that y Tertul. contra Marc. lib. 4. Ascendit ad consultandos Apostolos ne fortè secunduÌ„ illos non credidisset non secundum illos euangelizaret Paul went to Hierusalem to consult with the Apostles lest haply he had not beleeued as they did or did not preach the Gospell as they did As though it were likely that the Apostle would haue continued his preaching for 17. years not knowing whether he preached right or wrong As though he knew not that which he preached to be the truth hauing receiued it as before is shewed by the reuelation of Iesus Christ That which Ierome saith must be esteemed according to the humor wherein he wrote it which was in great choler and stomacke towards S. Austin for disliking his opinion as touching Peters dissimulation mentioned in the chapter wherof we here speake His words are that z Hieron apud August Epi. 11. Ostendens se non habuisse securitateÌ„ Euangelij praedicandi nisi Petri illorum qui cum illo eraÌ„t fuisset sententia roboratum Paul had not had securitie of preaching the Gospell had it not bene confirmed by the sentence of Peter and those that were with him As though he had preached 17. yeares as before was said without warrant of preaching As though he expected confirmation now froÌ„ Peter or those that were with him who so long before had had confirmatioÌ„ froÌ„ Christ himselfe As though he became an Apostle by warrant of Peter those that were with him who in the beginning of his Epistle writeth himselfe a Gal. 1.1 Paul an Apostle not of men nor by man but by Iesus Christ with many other words before mentioned disclaiming the receiuing of any authority froÌ„ men Ieromes heat made him forget that which is before cited out of his exposition vpoÌ„ that Epistle that confereÌ„ce importeth equality therfore that the Apostle shewing that he went to confer with the rest of the Apostles importeth that he receiued of theÌ„ no warrant of authority but only by coÌ„sent As for that which is quoted out of S. Austine it maketh nothing to M. Bishops purpose b August cont Faust lib. 28. ca. 4 Si non inueniret in carne Apostolos quibus coÌ„muâ—icando cuÌ„ quibus EuangeliuÌ„ conferendo eiusdeÌ„ societatis esse appareres ecclesia illi omnino no crederet Sed cùm cognouisset eum hoc annuntiantem quod etiam illâ— annuntiabant et in eorum comunione atque vnitate viuentem accedentibus etiam per eum talibus signis qualia illi operabantur ita eam Domino coÌ„mendante â—â—ruit authoritateÌ„ vt verba illius hodie sic audiantur in ecclesia tanquam in illo Christus sicut ipse verissimè dixit lâ—cutus audiatur If there had bene no Apostles liuing that Paul in communicating with them and conferring with them of the Gospell might appeare to be of the same societie the Church would not haue beleeued him But when they knew him preaching the same which they preached and liuing in their vnity and fellowship doing also the same miracles which they did God thus commending it he obtained authority that his words are now heard in the Church as if Christ were heard speaking in him as he himselfe most truly saith In which words he attributeth to the rest of the Apostles the giuing of a testimonie that he was of the same societie and fellowship with them but importeth nothing at all of any their iudiciall power or superiority ouer him The occasion of the words will shew the purport of them Manicheus the heretike wrote an Epistle as the Apostle of Christ contrarying those things which were written by the true Apostles The Manichees vrged this Epistle as the true story of Christ alledging that the Gospels were corrupted and not true S. Austine questioneth how the Church should take him for an Apostle or admit that for truth which he wrote concerning Christ when as he liued not in the time of the Apostles nor was knowne to be one of them by hauing communion and fellowship with them For euen Paul saith he if he had liued after their times and had not bene knowne to haue society and company with them and by his preaching miracles together with them had not bene commended to the Church by God the Church could not haue taken him for an Apostle of Christ nor beleeued him vpon his owne word This is all that is said and nothing intended that the rest of the Apostles should giue him warrant as Iudges but only as witnesses testifie him to be one of them But now admit that they were as Iudges were to giue commission warrant to S. Paul what is it that M. Bishop would proue thereby Forsooth that there were some of authority for iudgement and deciding the controuersies of the Church Be it so but why doth he take paines for that which we do not denie Yea but it is that Peter may be knowne to be the Iudge Be it so that Peter amongst the rest was one yea a chiefe man amongst them because S. Paul saith that c Gal. 2.9 Iames and Peter and Iohn seemed to be pillars that is speciall and chiefe men amongst the Apostles Yea but that is not enough but Peter must be the high soueraigne Iudge and the rest only assistants helpers to him But that is apparently false because in that iudgment of which S. Paul speaketh Iames sate as the chiefe and accordingly pronounced the definitiue sentence d Chrysost in Act. hom 33. Iacobus fert non resilit illi erat principatus concreduus to him saith Chrysostome the principality or chiefty was committed Yet let vs yeeld so much that Peter was the highest Iudge in this assembly what of that Marry forsooth the Pope succeedeth in Peters place he must therefore be the one high supreme Iudge ouer all Churches This is the issue that M. Bishop driueth at but for his life cannot tell how to conueigh the Pope into S. Peters place This conclusion Bellarmine maketh out of three places that are here alledged quoting them only as M. Bishop doth froÌ„ him but citing no words saying of them that they e Bellar. de verbo Dei lib. 3. cap. 5. Disertè affirmaÌ„t EcclesiaÌ„ noÌ„ fuisse Paulo credituraÌ„ nisi Euangelium eius à Peâ—â—o confirmatuÌ„ fuisset Ergo Petrâ— erat tunc proinde successâ—ris eius nunc de doctrina fidei expresly affirme that the Church would not haue beleeued Paul had not his Gospell bene confirmed by S. Peter Therefore it belonged to Peter then and now to his successour to iudge of the doctrine of faith Where we see him to be outright a Iesuite that is a man of a brazen face a wicked conscience for that he knew well that two of these do not mention Peter but speake generally of the Apostles the third which is Hierome nameth not Peter alone as
thou shalt find in it the marrow and pith of many large volumes contracted and drawne into a narrow roome And reade it ouer as it becometh a good Christian with a desire to find out and to follow the truth because it concerneth thy eternall saluation and then iudge without partialitie whether Religion hath better grounds in Gods word more euident testimony from the purest antiquitie and is more conformable vnto all godlinesse good life and vpright dealing the infallible marks of the best Religion and spedily embrace that Before I end this short preface I must intreate thy patience to beare with the faults in printing which are too too many but not so much to be blamed if it be courteously considered that it was printed farre from the Author with a Dutch composer and ouer seene by an vnskilfull Corrector the greatest of them shall be amended in the end of the booke Before the printing of this part was finished I heard that M. Perkins was dead I am sorte that it commeth forth too late to do him any good Yet his worke liuing to poyson others a preseruatiue against it is neuer the lesse necessary R. ABBOT IF you had respected the glorie of God M. Bishop it should haue appeared by your respect to yeeld soueraigne honour and authoritie to the word of God God is in heauen and we are vpon the earth we haue no knowledge of him no acquaintance or dealing with him but by his word Therein we seeke him and find him therein he speaketh vnto vs and thereout we learne to speake to him If we haue the word of God God is present with vs if we be without the word of God God himselfe is absent from vs. Therefore by our honour and obedience to the word of God it must appeare that we truly and sincerely intend and seeke for the glorie of God Hereby it appeareth that you M. Bishop in this your booke haue not fought for the glorie of God but rather to glorifie a Extrauag Ioan 12. Cū inter in glossa Credere dominum Deum nostrum Papam sic non potuisse statuere c. haereticum censeretur your Lord God the Pope as your Glosse of the Canon law most blasphemously hath stiled him You haue in this worke of yours vsed all maner of vntruth and falshood to vphold and iustifie his wicked proceedings against the word of God Whatsoeuer God hath taught vs whatsoeuer Christ and his Apostles haue deliuered all is nothing if your Lord God the Pope and your master Bellarmine his proctor generall do say the contrary Howsoeuer simply and plainly they speake yet they meane not as they speake if the Pope and Bellarmine will tell you another meaning As for your talent we take it to be greater in your owne opinion and the opinion of your fellowes then it is indeed But whatsoeuer it is you haue abused it to the wrong of him that gaue it not to edification but to destruction not to fortifie any in the faith but to nourish and harden them that depend vpon you in error and misbeleefe not to leade any into the right way but to intice men to b Prou. 2.15 crooked wayes and leud paths which c Ch. 7.27 go downe to the chambers of death and the end whereof is confusion and shame not to withdraw men from fancies but to draw them to other fancies from fancies in conuersation to fancies in religion that so being fed wholy with fancies they may perish in the end for want of true food And indeed men that wander in fancies are the subiect for your malice and trechery to work vpon Many that liue in the oportunitie of the knowledge of Christ yet neglect and despise the same The light shineth into their eyes and they regard it not God offereth himselfe vnto them and they say in their hearts We haue no delight nor pleasure in thee Therefore being emptie and voide of truth they lie open to be filled with error and lies and hauing vnthankfully withholden themselues from God God by iust iudgement giueth them ouer to the hands of impostors and deceiuers that it may be verified which the Apostle saith d 2. Thess 2 1◠Because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued therefore God shall send them strong delusion that they may beleeue lies that they may be damned which beleeued not the truth but tooke pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Your friend of good intelligence and iudgement that thought it very expedient that you should take in hand the confutation of M. Perkins booke spake thereof haply as Caiphas did of the death of Christ meaning it one way which was to fall out another way I doubt not but it will fall out to haue bene very expedient which you haue done because you giue hereby occasion of discouering your false doctrine and of iustifying the truth of Christ which M. Perkins was carefull to maintaine I doubt not but many by this occasion will take knowledge of your corrupt and trecherous dealing your patching and shifting your cosening and deluding of men and will discerne the weaknesse and absurdity of that bad cause which with glorious and goodly words you labour so highly to aduance As for your commendation of M. Perkins booke it is but the imitation of some vaine-glorious captains who to grace their owne victories do set out to the vttermost the aduersaries power and prowesse thinking their glory to be the greater by how much the greater men shall conceiue the might and valour of them to haue bene whom they haue ouercome You dreamed of a victorie here and you thought it to be much for your commendation that your aduersary should be deemed of as great strength as any is to be found amongst vs. But we would haue you to vnderstand that the Church of England neuer tooke M. Perkins booke to be a warriour in complete harnesse or a chalenger for the field but onely as a captaine training his souldiers at home where he wanteth much of that munition and defence wherewith he should endure the brunt of battell He wrote it very schollerlike indeed for an introduction onely to the true vnderstanding and iudgement of the controuersies betwixt vs and you but knew well that it wanted much that might haue bene added to giue it ful and perfect strength You haue taken hereof some aduantage as you conceiue and yet how pitifully are you distressed many times both to vphold that which he obiecteth for you and to answer that which he alledgeth for vs. Now if for the compiling of his booke he bestirred himselfe as the Bee going into other mens gardens for the gathering of hony into his hiue yet he made no Rabbines of them to take any thing for hony because it grew in the garden of such or such a man but vsed carefull and aduised consideration of that which he wrote esteeming the weight of his arguments and of his answers that he might
patience and patience experience and experience hope neuer to be ashamed whilest by this meanes the loue of God as touching the assurance thereof towards vs is more and more shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vnto vs. This haue I set downe the more largely good Christian Reader for thy sake that thou maiest vnderstand hereby what manner of certaintie and assurance it is that we defend that thou maiest know that it is the property of true faith to giue this assurance and that our assurance is the greater by how much our faith is greater and the weaknesse of our assurance the weaknesse of our faith that so thou maiest see what it is whereunto thou art to striue reioycing in that that thou hast attained vnto already and for that that is behind praying as the Apostles did f Luk. 67.5 Lord increase our faith not being discoÌ„forted at the feeling of thine imperfection because it is the coÌ„mon frailty of Gods children and faith that it may be strong must haue time and occasion to grow and haply seemeth weake to thee when it is strong to God but alwayes resoluing that those sparkles of true light which God hath kindled in thee shall neuer be quenched and thy little graine of faith euen g Mat. 17.20 Mar. 11.23 little as a graine of mustard-seed shall yet be strong enough to cast all mountaines into the sea that shall rise vp to diuide betwixt God and thee As for M. Bishop it is no maruell if being an enemy of faith he be vnacquainted with the secret of faith the ioy of the faithfull being h Cant. 4.12 Bernard Epist 10â— Eli fons signatus cui alienus non communicat sol iustitiae qui timentibus Deum tantùm oritur c. as a garden inclosed and a spring and fountaine shut and sealed vp to be priuate to themselues i Psal â—8 9 a gracious raine which God hath put apart for the refreshing of his owne inheritance What maruell is it if he know not that k Reuel 2 17. new name which no man knoweth but he that receiueth it because the l Iohn 14.17 world knoweth not nor receiueth that COMFORTER the spirit of truth by which it is written yet grudgeth at the sheepe of Christ that they should feede in pastures which they know not or should be sayd to know that which they cannot conceiue or vnderstand And this is the cause that he talketh so rudely and absurdly of the hope of saluation in all this discourse ouerthrowing the whole doctrine of the Gospell crossing the whole vse of faith and of the word of God and speaking no otherwise of this question then a Philosopher or Iew or Pharisee would do as hereafter we shall see In the meane time to go forward with his briefe notes he telleth vs in the fift conclusion of consent that onely in the sence there expressed the first conclusion is true that is that onely by extraordinarie reuelation a man may be certaine of his saluation which being the maine point of the controuersie I referre to the processe of this discourse At the sixt conclusion he noteth that the sixt and second are all one but the tautologie was in his head not in M. Perkins writing For the second conclusion serueth to note the efficient and materiall causes of saluation whereupon our affiance resteth which is the mercy of God in Christ but the sixt serueth to note the manner of our apprehending thereof To the third conclusion of dissent he noteth that it is false namely that our confidence in Christ commeth from certaine and ordinarie faith But we say that it is true and now he and I must ioyne vpon that issue 2. W. BISHOP Here M. Perkins contrary to his custome giueth the first place to our reasons which he calleth obiections and endeuoureth to supplant them and afterward planteth his owne About the order I will not contend seeing he acknowledgeth in the beginning that he obserueth none but set downe things as they came into his head Otherwise he would haue handled Iustification before Saluation But following his method let vs come to the matter The first Argument for the Catholike party is this 1. Obiect Where is no word of God there is no faith for these two are Relatiues But there is no word of God saying Cornelius beleeue thou Peter beleeue thou that thou shalt be saued therfore there is no such ordinarie faith for a man to beleeue his owne particular saluation M. Perkins answer Although there be no word of God to assure vs of our particular saluation yet is there another thing as good which counteruailes the word of God to wit the Minister of God applying the generall promises of saluation vnto this and that man Which when he doth the man must beleeue the Minister as he would beleeue Christ himselfe and so assure himselfe by faith of his Saluation Reply Good Sir seeing euery man is a lyar may both deceiue and be deceiued and the Minister telling may erre how doth either the Minister know that the man to whom he speaketh is of the number of the elect or the man be certaine that the Minister mistaketh not when he assureth him of his Saluation To affirme as you do that the Minister is to be beleeued aswell as if it were Christ himselfe is plaine blasphemie equalling a blind and lying creature vnto the wisedome and truth of God If you could shew out of Gods word that euery Minister hath such a commission from Christ then had you answered the argument directly which required but one warrant of Gods word but to say that the assurance of an ordinarie Ministers word counteruailes Gods word I cannot see what it wanteth of making a pelting Minister Gods mate On the other side to auerre that the Minister knowes who is predestinate as it must be granted he doth if you will not haue him to lie when he saith to Peter thou art one of the elect is to make him of Gods priuie Councell without any warrant for it in Gods word Yea S. Paul not obscurely signifying the contrarie in these words 2. Tim. 2.19 The sure foundation of God standeth hauing this seale our Lord knoweth who be his and none else except he reueale it vnto them M. Perkins then flieth from the assurance of the Minister and leaues him to speake at randon as the blind man casts his club and attributeth all this assurance vnto the partie himselfe who hearing in Gods word Seeke ye my face in his heart answereth Lord I wil seeke thy face And then hearing God say Thou art my people saith again The Lord is my God And then lo without al doubt he hath assurance of his Saluation Would ye not thinke that this were rather some seely old Womans dreame then a discourse of a learned Man How know you honest man that those words of God spoken by the Prophet 2000. yeares past to the
shalt be saued This whether spoken publikly or priuatly the conscience of the hearer apprehendeth this he beleeueth and therein beleeueth not the minister but the word of Christ and because he beleeueth in Iesus Christ and by the word of Christ beleeueth that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall be saued therefore he beleeueth concerning himselfe that he shall be saued Thus much is implied though not expressed in M. Perkins answer now let vs heare what M. Bishop saith to the contrarie and there we shall heare not one wise word Good Sir saith he seeing euery man is a lyer as M. Bishop namely for example and may both deceiue and be deceiued and the minister telling may erre how doth he know that the man to whom he speaketh is of the number of the elect I answer him Good Sir M. Perkins no where telleth you that the minister taketh vpon him to know that the man to whom he speaketh is of the number of the elect but doth onely assure him that if he beleeue in Christ he shall be saued and therein the minister knoweth and the man to whom he speaketh knoweth that be mistaketh not when vnder this condition he assureth him of saluation because he assureth him not vpon any deceiueable word or warrant of his owne but vpon the vndeceiueable word and warrant of Christ that n Rom. 9.33 whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not be confounded He goeth on To affirme as you do that the Minister is to be beleeued as well as if it were Christ himselfe is plaine blasphemie I answer him againe To talke as you do you know not what is the part of a brabling Sophister not of a learned diuine For M. Perkins doth not affirme that the minister is to be beleeued as well as Christ himselfe but that the word of the Gospell preached by the minister is to be beleeued as if Christ himselfe did here personally speake because it is the word of Christ himselfe who when he saith whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued doth therein say Cornelius beleeue and thou shalt be saued Peter beleeue and thou shalt he saued or if he meane not so cannot truly say whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued And for this he hath the warrant of Gods word and commission from Christ because being for Christ a minister of the Gospell his office is to preach the Gospell and it is the word of the Gospell that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall haue euerlasting life Therefore this is not to say that the ministers word counteruailes Gods word or to make euery pelting minister Gods mate as the paltry shaueling prateth but it is to challenge assent and credit to the word of God to the Gospell of Christ vpon which onely and not vpon the minister the faithfull beleeuer doth rely himselfe But to quit M. Bishop with a question we will aske him Good Sir may Iohn a Stile beleeue that you haue authorie from Christ to giue him absolution of all his sinnes You will vndoubtedly tell him Yes that he must so in any case But Iohn a Stile asketh againe I pray Sir where doth Christ speake of you or of me For I do not find in the Gospell that euer Christ made mention of either of vs. M. Bishop will tell him that Christ said to the Apostles to all Priests their successors o Iohn 20.23 Whose soeuer sinnes ye remit they are remitted and because he is a Priest therefore this authoritie belongeth to him So then because Christ hath sayd to all Priests whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted though he sayd it to farre other purpose then M. Bishop practiseth it therefore Iohn a Stile must beleeue that M. Bishop hath authoritie from Christ to absolue him from all his sinnes Now will not M. Bishop be so fauourable to vs as that from a generall we may inferre a particular as well as he Surely if when Christ sayd Whose sinne sye remit they are remitted he spake in effect of M. Bishop and Iohn a Stile we see no reason why we should not be permitted the like construction that when Christ saith Whosoeuer beleeueth in me shall not perish but haue euerlasting life he saith and by the minister may be reported to say in effect to this man or that man Beleeue thou in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt haue eternal life This matter need not so many words but that we haue to do with impudent wranglers who being blinded with malice are as farre from common discretion as they are from truth Whereupon it is that in the next words he cauilleth againe as if M. Perkins had sayd that the minister knowes who is predestinate or did say to Peter for example Thou art one of the elect whereas he hath not a letter or syllable to giue any shew hereof but onely expresseth a conditionall assurance by the word of the Gospell to this man or that man or whomsoeuer that if he repent and beleeue the Gospell he shall be saued the minister not taking vpon him to know that any man truly repenteth or beleeueth which God onely can know but leauing the man to apprehend the promise vpon conscience of his owne repentance and faith in Christ Therefore all this idle talke of M. Bishops is but for want of matter as his alledging of the words of the Apostle to proue that whereof there is no question made that the Lord onely knoweth who are his and none else but only as it is reuealed from him He goeth on and telleth vs that M. Perkins flieth from the assurance of the minister and leaues him to speake at randon as the blind man casts his club Bur M. Perkins flieth from nothing that he had before sayd but still leaueth the word of Christ onely preached by the minister in Christs name to be the onely assurance for the faithfull to build vpon Neither doth the minister speake at randon but certainly and definitely he affirmeth by the same word to him that repenteth and beleeueth that he shall be saued though he know not who it is that shall repent or beleeue and so be saued and therefore in that respect if M. Bishop will needs haue it so speakes at randon euen as the blind man casts his club not knowing whom he shall strike as the fisherman casts his net not knowing what fish he shall catch no otherwise then the Apostles did at whose preaching some beleeued other some blasphemed and beleeued not according to that which S. Austin saith p August de praedest sanct cap. 6. Many heare the word of truth some of them beleeue it some contradict and speake against it So therfore the minister as touching the effect of preaching speaketh vncertatnly not knowing where the seed shall grow but yet certainly deliuering that wheresoeuer it shall bring forth the fruit of faith it shall also bring forth eternall life Which assurance he giueth by the word of Christ and the faith of the hearer thence apprehendeth and thereof concludeth assurance
Christ we be to follow Paul then by our faith we are to beleeue of our selues as he beleeued of himselfe and what he wrote in that behalfe we are to take it as written for our learning not as a matter particular and peculiar to himselfe The other place is most notable where Paul first propoundeth it as f 1. Tim. 1.15 a true saying and worthie by all meanes to be receiued that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners He addeth Of whom I am chiefe that is of which sinners whom Christ would saue I was a chiefe I was the formost man g August in Psal 70 Primus non tempore sed malignitate not in time but in badnesse as S. Austine expoundeth it Notwithstanding for this cause I was receiued to mercy saith he that Iesus Christ should shew on me being the chiefe all long suffering to the ensample of them that should in time to come beleeue in him vnto eternall life Now how doth the place import that Paul should be an ensample to them that beleeue in Christ but that all that beleeue in Christ may learne in him not to be dismaied at the greatnesse and grieuousnesse of their sinnes whereof they haue seene the like in him but with him to receiue that true saying that Christ came into the world to saue sinners and therefore resolue that he would saue them as he had saued him that they should not feare to say euen as he could say Christ hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me h August de Temp ser 49. Talem se peccatoreÌ„ consitetur fuisse vt omnis peccator propterea de se non despereâ— quia Paulus meruit indulgentiaÌ„ He confesseth himselfe such a sinner saith Austine as that therefore no sinner may despaire of himselfe because Paul obtained pardon It was not therefore the vnskilfulnesse of a sectarie but true diuinitie that made Maister Perkins to make that vse and application of the Apostles words but it was M. Bishops absurdity to say that the place importeth only that Paul was made an example of patience without expressing how or what patience he meaneth there being no patience there spoken of but the patience of Christ bearing with men long in great and fearefull sinnes and yet at length of his owne mercy calling them to be partakers of his saluation 16. W. BISHOP M. Perkins 2. Reason That which we must aske of God in praier that we must beleeue shall be giuen vs but in prayer we must aske the merits of Christes righteousnesse to our selues ergo Answer Of the Maior much hath bene said before here I admit it all due circumstances of prayer being obserued and denie that we must pray that our Sauiour Christ Iesus merits may be made ours in particular for that were greatly to abase them but good Christians pray that through the infinite value of those his merits our sinnes may be forgiuen and a iustice proportionable vnto our capacitie may be powred into our soules whereby we may lead a vertuous life and make a blessed end But it is goodly to behold how M. Perkins proueth that we must pray that Christs righteousnesse may be made our particular iustice because saith he We are taught in the Pater noster to pray in this manner forgiue vs our debts and to this we must say Amen which is as much to say as our petition is graunted I thinke the poore mans wits were gone a pilgrimage when he wrote thus Good Sir cannot our sinnes or debts be forgiuen without we apply Christes righteousnesse to vs in particular we say yes Do not then so simply begge that which is in question nor take that for giuen which will neuer be graunted But a word with you by the way Your righteous man must ouer-skip that petition of the Pater noster forgiue vs our debts for he is well assured that his debts be alreadie pardoned For at the very first instant that he had faith he had Christes righteousnesse applied to him and thereby assurance both of the pardon of sinnes and of life euerlasting Wherefore he cannot without infidelity distrust of his former iustificaâ—ion or pray for remission of his debts but following the famous example of that formall Pharise in liew of demaunding pardon Luc. 18. may wel say O God I giue thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men extortioners vniust aduouterers as also these Papists Fearing the remission of my sinnes or the certaintie of my saluation but am well assured thereof and of Christes owne righteousnesse to and so forth But to go on with M. Perkins discourse Here we must note that the Church of Rome cutteth off one principall duty of faith for in faith saith M. Perkins are two things first knowledge reuealed in the word touching the meanes of saluation Secondly an applying of things knowne vnto our selues which some call affiance the first they acknowledge So then by M. Perkins owne confession Catholikes haue true knowledge of the meanes of saluation then he and his fellowes erre miserable The second which is the substance and principall they deny Answer Catholikes teach men also to haue a firme hope and a great confidence of obtaining saluation through the mercy of God and merits of Christes Passion so they performe their duty towards God and their neighbour or else die with true repentance But for a man at his first conuersion to assure himselfe by faith of Christes righteousnesse and life euerlasting without condition of doing those things he ought to do that we Catholikes affirme to be not any gift of faith but the haynous crime of presumption which is a sinne against the holy Ghost not pardonable neither in this life nor in the world to come See S. Tho. 22. q. 21. art 1. R. ABBOT The Maior proposition he graunteth yet with this limitation all due circumstances of praier being obserued But his circumstances as he intendeth them are but a Labyrinth to intricate and perplexe the consciences of men and to bereaue them of all ioy and comfort of their praiers We beleeue that a Psal 145 18. God is nigh vnto all them that call vpon him in truth We know that many are the weakenesses and imperfections of our praiers many our distractions in that deuotion but yet we beleeue that God respecting the truth and not the measure of our hearts pardoneth the same for Christes sake who is our high Priest b Exod. 28.38 to beare the iniquitie of our holy offerings to make them acceptable before the Lord. To the Minor proposition he answereth that we must not pray that Christes merits may be made ours in particular for that were greatly to abase them As though the Prophet Dauid did abase God in making him his in particular saying c Psal 18.2 The Lord is my rocke and my fortresse my God and my strength my shield the horne of my saluation and my refuge with infinite other speeches of
in respect hereof with sinne against the holy Ghost it is but a scape of his ignorance who as it seemeth vnderstandeth not what is meant thereby What his schoolemen haue written thereof it is nothing to vs but let him learne by Hierome how to vnderstand it out of the text it selfe h Hieron in Maâ— ca. 12. Qui manifestè intell gâ—ns opera Dei cùm de virtute negare noÌ„ possit eadem stimulatus inuidia caluÌ„niatur ChristuÌ„ Deique verbuÌ„ opera Sp sancti diâ—et esse Beelzebub isti non dimittetur neque in praesenti seculo nec iâ— futuro He saith he who vnderstanding manifestly the works of God when he cannot gainesay as touching the power doth yet of enuie calumniate the same and affirmeth Christ and the word of God and the works of the holy Ghost to be of the diuell to him it shall not be forgiuen neither in this world nor in the world to come This is a dreadfull sinne and let M. Bishop take heede the light of God so clearely shining as that it cannot but dazle his eyes that he doe not intangle himselfe in the guilt thereof by wilfull opposition against the truth 17. W. BISHOP Maister Perkins third reason is drawne from the consent of the auncient Church of which for fashion sake to make some shew he often speaketh but can seldome finde any one sentence in them that fits his purpose as you may see in this sentence of Saint Augustine cited by him De verbis Domini serm 7. Augustine saith I demaund now doest thou beleeue in Christ O sinner thou saiest I beleeue what beleeuest thou that all thy sinnes may freely be pardoned by him thou hast that which thou beleeuest See here is neither applying of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs by faith nor so much as beleeuing our sinnes to be pardoned through him but that they may be pardoned by him So there is not one word for M. Perkins But S. Bernard saith plainly That we must beleeue that our sinnes are pardoned vs. But he addeth not by the imputed righteousnes of Christ Againe he addeth conditions on our party which M. Perkins craftily concealeth For S. Bernard graunteth that we may beleeue our sinnes to be forgiuen if the truth of our conuersion meete with the mercy of God preuenting vs for in the same place he hath these words So therefore shall his mercy dwell in our earth that is the grace of God in our soules if mercy and truth meet together if iustice and peace embrace and kisse each other Which is as S. Bernard there expoundeth it if we stirred vp by the grace of God do truly bewaile our sinnes and confesse them and afterward follow holinesse of life and peace All which M. Perkins did wisely cut off because it dashed cleane the vain glosse of the former words His last authority is out of S. Cyprian who exhorteth men passing out of this life not to doubt of Gods promises but to beleeue that we shall come to Christ with ioyfull security Answer S. Cyprian encourageth good Christians dying to haue a full confidence in the promises of Christ and so do all Catholikes and bid them be secure too on that side that Christ will neuer faile of his word and promise but say that the cause of feare lies on our owne infirmities And yet bids them not to doubt as though they were as likely to be condemned as saued but animates them and puts them in the good way of hope by twenty kinds of reason R. ABBOT The drift of Saint Austine in the place alledged is to shew that we are a Aug. de verb. Dom. ser 7. Elegâ— de me praesumetes non de se TotuÌ„ gratiae semper reputa Si de tuo opere prasumis ergo merces tibi redditur non gratia condonatur Si auteÌ„ gratia est gratis daetur to presume of God onely not of our selues and to attribute all that we are towards him wholy to his grace If thou presume of thine owne worke then is it a wages paied not a grace giuen vnto thee But if it be grace then it is freely giuen Hereupon follow the words alledged b Interrogo nunc Credis ô peccator Christo Dicis Credo Quid credis Gratis vniuersa peccatae tibi per ipsuÌ„ posse remitti Habes quod credidisti O gratia gratis data I demaund now O sinner doest thou beleeue Christ Thou saiest I beleeue What doest thou beleeue That all thy sinnes may be pardoned freely by him By which words he would import that the sinner is to beleeue that in Christ onely there is enough to yeeld him forgiuenesse of sinnes and therefore that he is to presume onely vpon him Which if he do Saint Austine telleth him Thou hast that which thou beleeuest and addeth O grace freely giuen Now M. Bishop should here haue told vs what it is that S. Austine telleth the beleeuing sinner that he hath what that grace is that he saith is here freely giuen vnto him For if it be forgiuenesse of sins as indeed it is then the words import that the sinner beleeuing in Christ for the forgiuenesse of sinnes and relying wholy vpon him assuredly hath that for which he beleeueth and therefore is not to doubt thereof And herein he alludeth to that in the Gospell where Christ asketh the blind men c Mat. 9.28 Beleeue ye that I am able to do this to draw froÌ„ them whether they did attribute so much to him as to expect so great a benefit from him When therefore they answered Yea Lord he touched their eies saying According to your faith so be it vnto you So with S. Austine the word may serueth to chalenge a sufficiencie to Iesus Christ and to exclude other meanes of forgiuenesse of sinnes not to question the beliefe of the forgiuenesse thereof which he so resolutely affirmeth to him that beleeueth and can be no otherwise but by the applying of the righteousnesse the merit the satisfaction of Christ because we cannot beleeeue it but only thereby The place of Bernard is very impudently shifted off First by altering the question which is not here by what we beleeue our sinnes to be forgiuen but whether it be the property of a iustifying faith to beleeue particularly the forgiuenesse of a mans own sinnes Now S. Bernard saith that d Bernard in Annunâ—iat ser 1. Jnitium quoddam velut fundamentum fidei for a man to beleeue that he cannot haue forgiuenesse of sinnes but by Gods pardon is but the beginning and foundation of faith Therefore saith he if thou beleeue that thy sinnes cannot be done away but by him to whom onely thou hast sinned thou doest well e Sed adde adhuc vt hoc credas quia per ipsuÌ„ tibi peccata donaÌ„tur Hoc est testimonium quod perhibet in corde nostro Sp. sanctus dicens DimitiuÌ„tur tibi peccata tua Sic enim arbitratur Apostelus gratis
glory of his grace And what of that Marry then hath charitie the principall part therein saith he for the directing of all to the honour and glory of God is the proper office and action of charity But therein he deceiueth himselfe for the Apostle hath expressed it as the very proper office and act of faith y Rom. 4.20 to giue glory vnto God and therefore Moses and Aaron at the waters of strife are said z Num. 20 12. not to haue sanctified the Lord that is to say not to haue giuen him glory because they beleeued him not For a 1. Iohn 5.10 not to beleeue God is to make him a liar which is the reproch and dishonour of God but to beleeue God is to ascribe vnto him truth and power and wisedome and iustice and mercy and whatsoeuer else belongeth vnto him Therefore Arnobius saith that b Arno in Psal 129 Bene facere ad gloriam hominis benè credere ad gloriam Dei pertinet to do well belongeth to the glory of man but to beleeue well concerneth the glory of God c Chrysost ad Rom. hom 8. Qui mandata illius implet obedit ei hic autem qui credit conuenienteÌ„ de eo opinioneÌ„ accipit cumque glorificat atque admiâ—atur nuâ—lo magis quà m operuÌ„ demonstratio Jlla ergò gloriatio eius est qui rectâ— factuÌ„ aliquod praeâ—titeriâ— haec autem Deum ipsum glorificat ac quâ—â—ta est tota ipsius est Gloriatur enim ob hoc quòd magna quaedam de eo concipiat quae ad gloriam eius redundant By works saith Chrysostome we obey God but faith entertaineth a meete opinion concerning God and glorifieth and admireth him much more then the shewing forth of workes Workes commend the doer but faith commendeth God onely and what it is it is wholy his For it reioyceth in this that it conceiueth of him great things which do redound to his glory And whereas our Sauiour in the Gospell teacheth vs that our good works do glorifie God saying Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heauen he saith that it is of faith that our good works do glorifie God d Jbid Ecce hoc fidei esse apparuit Behold saith he it appeareth that this commeth of faith M. Bishops argument therefore maketh against himselfe and proueth that we are iustified rather by faith then by charity because it is faith principally that yeeldeth honour vnto God The last place alledged out of Austine is nothing against vs for although we defend that a man is iustified by faith alone yet we say that both faith hope and charity must concurre to accomplish the perfection of a Christian man whereof anone we shall see further 23 W. BISHOP The third of these trifling reasons is peruersly propounded by M. Perkins thus Faith is neuer alone therefore it doth not iustifie alone That this argument is fondly framed appeareth plainly in that that Catholikes do not deny but affirme that faith may be without charity as it is in all sinfull Catholikes we then forme the reason thus If faith alone be the whole cause of iustification then if both hope and charity were remoued from faith at least by thought and in conceipt faith would neuerthelesse iustifie But faith considered without hope and charity will not iustifie ergo it is not the whole cause of iustification The first proposition cannot be denied of them who know the nature propriety of causes for the entire and totall cause of any thing being as the Philosophers say in act the effect must needs follow and very sense teacheth the simple that if any thing be set to worke and if it do not act that which it is set too then there wanted some thing requisite And consequently that was not the whole cause of that worke Now to the second proposition But their imagined faith cannot apply to themselues Christes righteousnesse without the presence of hope and charity For else he might be iustified without any hope of heauen and without any loue towards God and estimation of his honour which are things most absurd in themselues but yet very well fitting the Protestants iustification which is nothing else but the plaine vice of presumption as hath bene before declared Yet to auoid this inconuenience which is so great M. Perkins graunteth that both hope and charity must needs be present at the iustification but do nothing in it but faith doth all as the head is present to the eie wheÌ„ it seeth yet it is the eie alone that seeth Here is a worthy peece of Philosophy that the eie alone doth see wheras in truth it is but the instrument of seeing the soule being the principall cause of sight as it is of all other actions of life sense reason and it is not to purpose here where we require the presence of the whole cause and not onely of the instrumentall cause And to returne your similitude vpon your selfe as the eie cannot see without the head because it receiueth influence from it before it can see so cannot faith iustifie without charity because it necessarily receiueth spirit of life from it before it can do any thing acceptable in Gods sight R. ABBOT He may indeede very iustly call them trifling reasons if at least trifles may carie the name of reasons As for this reason it is not peruersely propounded by Maister Perkins but in such sort as some of Maister Bishops part haue propounded it vpon supposall of our assertion that faith can neuer be alone But as he propoundeth it himselfe the termes of his argument being declared the answer will be plaine and he shall be found a Sophister onely and no sound disputer It is therefore to be vnderstood that remouing or separating of things one from the other is either reall in the subiect or mentall in the vnderstanding Reall separation of faith and charity we wholy denie so as that true faith can no where be found but it hath charitie infallibly conioyned with it Separation mentall in vnderstanding and consideration is either negatiue or priuatiue Negatiue when in the vnderstanding there is an affirming of one and denying of another and the one is considered as to be without the other which vnderstanding in things that cannot be really and indeed separated in the subiect is false vnderstanding and not to be admitted Separation priuatiue in vnderstanding is wheÌ„ of things that cannot be separated indeed yet a man vnderstandeth the one and omitteth to vnderstand the other considereth the one and considereth not the other Thus though light and heate cannot be separated in the fire yet a man may consider the light and not consider the heate though in the reasonable soule vnderstanding reason memory and will and in the sensitiue part the faculties of seeing hearing smelling c. cannot be remoued or separated one from the other yet a man
Oecumen in Iac. ca. 2. De simplici assensu fideÌ„ dicere solemus c. Rursum coÌ„secutionem ex affectu procedeÌ„tem cum firmo assensu nomine fidei vocamus bare assent of the vnderstanding and there is a faith that implyeth the affection of the heart and will There is a faith whereby m Iohn 3.15 he which beleeueth shall neuer perish and there is a faith whereby some n â—â—k 8.13 beleeue for a time and in time of temptation go away There is a faith which the world o 2. Tim. 2.18 destroyeth and there is p 1. Iohn 5.4 a faith which is our victorie whereby we ouercome the world According to these differences there is q Iam. 2.14 a faith without workes and there is r Gal. 5.6 a faith which worketh by loue We affirme then of the faith of the elect whereby we beleeue in God to which the promise of iustification and eternall life is made that it is a faith which cannot be separated from charity and good workes but wheresoeuer it is there is infallibly ioined with it the loue of God bringing forth Å¿ Phil. 1.11 the fruites of righteousnesse which are by Iesus Christ to the glory and praise of God Now as touching this faith M. Bishops arguments must be vnderstood or else they are nothing against vs and being so vnderstood a man would wonder that a wise man should shew so much folly to bring arguments so impertinent and friuolous as he hath done The first is taken from the words of reprobate hypocrites who t Mat. 7.22 at that day shall say vnto Christ Lord Lord haue we not prophecied in thy name c. to whom he shall professe saying I neuer knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquity They shall say Lord Lord therefore they beleeued in Christ and were perswaded assuredly that they were of the elect the conclusion as well agreeing to the antecedent as a goose feather to a foxes taile It is to be noted that faith is grounded vpon the word of God and the thing which it beleeueth is that that God hath said Thus the Apostle telleth vs that u Rom. 10.17 faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God and therefore calleth the word of God x Ver. 8. the word of faith because that is the obiect and matter of faith Whatsoeuer we conceiue towards God beside the word of God it is opinion imagination presumption but faith it is not Now the word of God denounceth that x Psal 11.6 the soule of the Lord hateth them that loue iniquitie that y Psal 92 9. all the workers of iniquity shall be destroied that Christ shall say to them at the last day Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie If then there be no faith but by the word of God and the word of God denounce destruction to the workers of iniquity how can it be said that the workers of iniquitie haue faith to perswade themselues assuredly that they are of the elect S. Austine saith z Aug. de verb. Dom. ser Qui fidem hâ—bet sine spe dilectione ChristuÌ„ esse credit non in Christum credit He who hath faith without hope and charity beleeueth that Christ is but he beleeueth not in Christ For a Cyprian de simplic praelat Credere se in Christum quomodo dicit qui non facit quod Christus facere praecepit how doth he say that he beleeueth in Christ saith Cyprian who doth not what Christ hath commanded vs to do How then doth M. Bishop say that these beleeue in Christ in whom he confesseth there is no charity no loue to Christ to do those things which he commandeth They of whom Christ speaketh as the words very plainly import are heretikes schismatikes false Apostles false teachers yea and such also as though they preach the truth of Christ yet preach it not truly sincerely but b Phil. 1.15.18 of enuie and strife and vnder a pretence who vnder the name of Christ c Gap 2.21 seeke their owne and not that that is Christs making the word of God to serue them themselues not seruing it vsing the Gospell for their purpose when they haue no true purpose for the Gospel d Psal 50.16.17 taking the testament of Christ in their mouthes but hating to be reformed thereby e Tit. 1.16 professing to know God when by their deeds they deny him To the name of Christ euen in the mouthes of such wicked men God somtimes doth that honour as that miracles are done thereby diuels are cast out great effects are wrought wherin they much glory in respect thereof assume much vnto themselues These in the end not of faith but for feare wheÌ„ they shal see that which they beleeued not that f Phil. 3.19 damnation is their end shall in perplexity of mind cry vnto Christ whoÌ„ before they regarded not and therefore by him now shall be reiected Of such though professing to know God and prophecying in the name of Christ yet the Apostle saith as the vulgar Latine translateth and as the word well beareth that they are g Tit. 1 16. vnbeleeuers yea as Thomas Aquinas expoundeth it h Thom. Aquin. in Tit. 1. lect 4. Non apti ad credendum not fit to beleeue And if they be vnbeleeuers why doth M. Bishop say they haue faith or if they haue faith why doth the Apostle say that they are vnbeleeuers Surely they that beleeue destruction to be the end of the works of iniquity will be carefull to auoid the same Cyprian truly saith i Cyprian de simplic praelat Metueret conscientiae nostra si crederet quia non credit omnino nce metuâ—t si autem crederet caueret Si caueret euaderet Our conscience would be afraid if it did beleeue because it beleeueth not therefore it feareth not If it did beleeue it would take heede and if it did take it should auoide or escape namely the punishments to come whereof he speaketh in that place The cause why men k Heb. 4.2 profit not by the word of God is because it is not mingled with faith in those that heare it Where there is faith men profit by it and it is the l 2. Cor. 2.16 sauour of life vnto life but where faith is wanting it commeth to passe which Ambrose saith m Ambros in 1. Thess ca. 4. TraÌ„seunt hinc in gehennam vt ediscant verum esse quod credere noluerunt They go from hence to hell that there they may learne that that is true which here they would not beleeue Thus it commeth to passe with them of whom M. Bishop here speaketh who either preach their owne deuices vnder the name of Christ or mingle not that with faith in themselues which they preach to be beleeued of other men There is not so much as one word in the text whence he should conclude that
and loue to preferre the seruice of Christ before all the glory of this world Albeit it is not to be omitted that S. Iohn somtime following the Hebrew phrase vseth the terme of beleeuing in Christ abusiuely applying it to them who by the miracles of Christ and his manifest declaration of the truth were conuicted in conscience to acknowledge him to be of God but yet did not at all in their hearts submit themselues vnto him Thus he saith in another place that y Ioh. 2.23 many beleeued in the name of Christ when they saw his miracles which he did to whom yet he did not commit himselfe because he knew what was in them Thus might it be said of some of those chiefe rulers that they beleeued in Christ that is were perswaded in their minds that he spake the truth but yet preferring their credit and reputatiō with men gaue no regard vnto it But that there is another manner of beleeuing in Christ which is that wherof we speake not incident to them who cōtinue wholy possessed with such respects Christ himself sheweth saying z Ioh. 5.44 How can ye beleeue which receiue honor one of another seek not the honor that cometh of God alone They might therfore in some meaning be said to beleeue in Christ when yet they had no true faith which as appeareth by these words cannot be separated from loue and seeking of the honour that cometh of God alone which wheresoeuer it is begun beginneth to looke vnto God and winding by degrees out of all other regards yeeldeth it selfe entirely to follow him Therfore the distinction of faith being obserued which the Scripture it selfe enforceth vpon vs M. Bishop hath yet alledged nothing to proue that true faith and charitie may be diuided or that any man may be said truly to beleeue in whom there is not also loue to righteousnesse and good works 51. W. BISHOP Cap. 2. 5 This place of S. Iames What shall it profit my brethren if any man say that he hath faith but hath not works what shall his faith be able to saue supposeth very plainly that a man may haue faith without good workes that is without charitie but that it shall auaile him nothing Caluin saith that the Apostle speakes of a shadow of faith which is a bare knowledge of the articles of our Creed but not a iustifying faith Without doubt he was litle acquainted with that kind of faith by which Protestants be iustified but he directly speakes of such a faith as Abraham was iustified by saying That that faith did worke with his works and was made perfect by the workes Was this but a shadow of faith But they reply that this faith is likened vnto the faith of the Diuell and therefore cannot be a iustifying faith that followeth not for an excellent good thing may be like vnto a bad in some things as Diuels in nature are not onely like but the very same as Angels be euen so a full Christian faith may be well likened vnto a Diuels faith when it is naked and voyd of good works in two points first in both there is a perfect knowledge of all things reuealed secondly this knowledge shall not stead them any whit but only serue vnto their greater condemnation because that knowing the will of their master they did it not And in this respect S. Iames compareth them together now there are many points wherein these faiths do differ but this one is principall that Christians out of a godly and deuout affection do willingly submit their vnderstanding vnto the rules of faith beleeuing things aboue humane reason yea such as seeme sometimes contrary to it But the diuell against his will beleeues all that God hath reuealed because by his naturall capacitie he knowes that God cannot teach nor testifie any vntruth Againe that faith may be without charitie is proued out of these words of the same 2. chapter Euen as the body without the spirit is dead so also faith without works is dead Hence thus I argue albeit the body be dead without the soule yet it is a true natural body in it selfe euen so faith is perfect in the kind of faith although without charity it auaile not to life euerlasting Lastly in true reason it is manifest that faith may be without charity for they haue seuerall seates in the soule one being in the will and the other in the vnderstanding they haue distinct obiects faith respecting the truth of God and charity the goodnesse of God Neither doth faith necessarily suppose charity as charity doth faith for we cannot loue him of whom we neuer heard Neither yet doth charity naturally flow out of faith but by due consideration of the goodnes of God and of his benefits and loue towards vs into which good and deuout considerations few men do enter in comparison of them who are led into the broad way of iniquity through their inordinate passions This according to the truth and yet more different in the Protestants opinion for faith layes hold on Christs righteousnes receiues that in but charity can receiue nothing in as M. Perkins witnesseth Pa. 85. but giues it selfe forth in all duties of the 1. and 2. Table Now sir if they could not apply vnto themselues Christs righteousnes without fulfilling all duties of the 1. and 2. Table they should neuer apply it to them for they hold it impossible to fulfill all those duties so that this necessary lincking of charity with faith maketh their saluation not only very euill assured but altogether impossible for charity is the fulnesse of the law which they hold impossible Rom. 12. and then if the assurance of their saluation must needs be ioyned with such an impossibility they may assure themselues that by that faith they can neuer come to saluation R. ABBOT That faith may be without charitie and good workes it is true and we doubt not thereof according to the meaning of faith of which S. Iames speaketh which Caluin very iustly and rightly saith is but a shadow of faith For it plainely appeareth by the text that he speaketh of faith as only professed before men as before hath bene alledged Therefore he compareth it a Iam. 2.16 to the good words of him that wisheth wel to the poore man but doth nothing at all for him To this tendeth his question b Ver. 14. What auaileth it though a man say that he hath faith and his other demand c Ver. 18. shew me thy faith The vttermost that he extendeth it to by instance is a meere historicall faith d Ver. 19. Thou beleeuest that there is one God His purpose is to shew that faith if it be truly professed hath a root within from whence spring by obedience the fruites of al good workes and if it giue not foorth it selfe by workes it is no true faith Whereas M. Bishop saith that S. Iames speaketh directly of such a faith as Abraham was iustified
exact of euery man a temporall satisfaction answerable to the fault committed But this cannot be i Hieron in Esa cap. 53 lib. 14. Ne exparte veritas ex parte mendaciū◠eredatur in Christo least as S. Hierome saith in another case it be partly a truth and partly a lye which we beleeue in Christ For then as touching eternall punishment it shall be a truth that Christ is the propitiation for our sinnes but as touching temporall satisfactions it shall be a lye and we shall be said to be the propitiation and attonement for our owne sinnes Which because it is blasphemous and wicked to affirme neither hath the Scripture taught vs any such diuision betwixt Christ and vs therfore we must confesse that in name of satisfaction for reconcilement vnto God we do nothing for our selues but Christ only both temporally and eternally is the satisfaction for our sinnes Christ did not onely beare the infinite wrath of God to acquit vs of eternall punishment but according to the words of the Prophet cited by the Euangelist k Esa 53.4 Math. 8.17 He tooke vpō him our infirmities and beare our sicknesses that is our temporall punishments which what doth it import but that in respect of temporall punishments also Christ is our Redeemer Christ is our satisfaction vnto God And if not so why do we then pray to God to be deliuered from temporall calamities and afflictions for Christes sake Nay see how wickedly this deuice is framed The bloud of Christ serueth not to acquit vs from temporall punishments but the bloud of S. Peter doth and the bloud of Paul and the bloud of the Martyrs these all are helpfull to free vs from temporall satisfactions They pray by one Saint against the toothach by another against the falling sicknesse by another against the plague c. their merits are auaileable in this behalfe but the merit of Christ auaileth nothing And yet they tell vs that the conclusion of all their praiers is Per Christum Dominum nostrum through Christ our Lord. But why do they thus bring in the mediation of Christ if Christ in this respect haue done nothing for vs If Christ haue left the burden of temporall satisfactions to lie wholy vpon vs why do they pray by him and through him to be disburdened thereof This the Church of the faithfull hath alwaies done and in all times The Church of Rome therefore dealeth vnfaithfully to retaine the words of the faithfull and to giue checke to the meaning of them by denying Christ to be our Redeemer from that wrath of God whereby temporall afflictions and punishments are laid vpon vs. As for vs we resolue that as the disobedience of the first Adam brought vpon vs not onely eternall punishments but also temporall so the obedience and merit of the second Adam to answer that in sauing which the other had done in destroying hath made satisfaction to God for both so that the faithfull penitent soule beleeuing receiuing in Christ forgiuenesse of sinnes beleeueth it selfe to be perfectly reconciled vnto God reckoneth not of any further satisfaction to be made vnto him Now M. Bishop acknowledgeth that Christes satisfaction is of infinite value therfore that our satisfactiō is not to supply his But if it be of infinite value why doth he restraine abridge the effect thereof in respect of them to whom the infinite value of it doth belong why doth he make the value therof in respect of the temporall punishments of sin altogether idle of no vse and if it might haue freed vs from doing satisfaction for our selues why doth it not He giueth vs reasons that by the smart therof we may be feared and made carefull to auoid sin that by suffering we may be cōformed as mēbers to Christ our head You say wel M. Bishop but yet we heare nothing here concerning satisfaction We require a reason of the assertion of our satisfactions for that Christ we say hath yeelded a full satisfaction for vs you tell vs of being frighted from sin made cōformable vnto Christ which are things that stand very well without any matter of satisfaction The Scripture teacheth vs these vses of the sufferings of the faithfull but it saith nothing to vs concerning satisfaction But for the better vnderstanding of this whole matter it is to be obserued that the temporal calamities euils of this life are of thēselues and in their own nature the punishments of sin the effects of Gods curse the beames of his euerlasting fury wrath the forerunners of his dreadful iudgment preparations to death death it self the vpshot of all the rest as it were a gulfe swallowing vs vp into feareful darknesse and vtter destruction both of body soule Now Christ being l Iohn 1.29 the lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world in taking away our sins taketh away consequently the effects of sin because the cause being remoued the effects cannot remaine But in sin as hath bene before declared we are to consider both the corruption and the guilt of which the guilt being taken away the corruption may stil remaine and the effects of sinne haue reference to both these Being then reconciled vnto God through Iesus Christ by the not imputing of our sins we see that the temporal afflictions and grieuances of this life are stil continuing lying vpon vs. Hereupon the question is our sins being forgiuen in what nature they continue We say not as satisfactions to the wrath of God in respect of the guilt of sin but as cautions and prouisions of his loue for the destroying of the corruption of it The guilt of sinne is the foundation of satisfaction and where no guilt is there is no satisfaction to be demaunded When therefore forgiuenes hath taken away the guilt there can be no requiring of satisfaction the afflictions thenceforth lying vpon vs are of another nature and to other ends vses then that either we should be said thereby to satisfie God or that God should be said thereby to satisfie himselfe of vs. The vses thereof the Scripture noteth m Rom. 6.6 the destroying of the body of sin n Heb. 12.10 the making of vs partakers of his holinesse o 2. Cor. 4.16 the renewing of the inner man from day to day p Col. 1.12 the making of vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light q 1. Cor. 11.32 We are chastened of the Lord when we are iudged that we should not be cōdemned with the world r Aug. de Trin. lib. 13. cap. 15. Prosunt ista mala quae fideles piè perferunt vel ad emendanda peccata velad exercendam probandamque iustitiam vel ad demōstrandā vitae huius miseriā vt illa vbi erit beatitudo vera atque perpetua desideretur ardenriùs instantiùs inquiratur Vide in Ioan. tract 124. They serue saith Austine
standing oracle of a written law to which all men at all times might resort to be informed as touching duty and seruice towards God And as in the creation of the world howsoeuer the light were at first sustained and spread abroad by the incoÌ„prehensible power of God yet when he created the Sun he conueighed the whole light of the world into the body thereof so that though the Moone starres should giue light yet they should shine with no other light but what they receiued from the Sun euen so in the constitution of the Church howsoeuer God at first preserued continued the knowledge of his truth by immediate reuelation from himselfe to some chosen men by whose ministerie he would haue the same coÌ„municated to the rest yet when he gaue his word in writing he conueighed into the body of the Scriptures the whole light of his Church so that albeit there should be Pastours and teachers therein to shine as starres to giue light to others yet they should giue no other light but what by the beames of the written law was cast vpon theÌ„ Which beames albeit they shined not then altogether cleare bright many things being lapped vp in obscure dark mysteries rather signified by figuratiue ceremonies then expressed in plain words yet were they not to walk by any other light nor to go without the coÌ„passe of the writteÌ„ word only what was obscure therin God by his Prophets froÌ„ time to time made more more apparent vntill by Iesus Christ in the writings of his Apostles Euangelists he set vp a most full perfect light Now then in M. Perkins meaning it is true that from Adam to Moses the word of God passed from man to man by tradition that is by word onely not by writing and thus as M. Bishop alledgeth good fathers godly maisters taught their childreÌ„ seruants the true worship of God true faith in him But it is true also which he signifieth in the second place that they whoÌ„ God thus raised vp to be teachers instructours of others receiued not the word only by tradition from others but had reuelation confirmation thereof immediatly from God himselfe Therefore there is no argument to be taken hence to giue any colour to Popish tradition nay we may iustly argue that if God would haue had the religion of Christ to be taught in any part without writing he would haue taken the course which he did then by immediate reuelation to continue and preserue the integritie and truth thereof 2. W. BISHOP His 2. Concl. We hold that the Prophets our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles spake and did many things good and true which were not written in the Scriptures but came to vs by Tradition but these were not necessary to be beleeued For one exaÌ„ple he puts that the blessed virgin Mary liued died a virgin but it is necessary to saluation to beleeue this for Helui dius is esteemed by S. Augustine an Heretike for denying it * De haeres ad Quod. hae 84. R. ABBOT It is necessary to saluation to beleeue that our Sauiour was conceiued and borne of a virgin We perswade our selues also according to the common iudgement of the Church that she so continued and died but yet we deny it to be any matter of saluation so to beleeue We say as S. Basil doth that a Basil de human Christi generat Hoc nunc suspicionem generat ne forsan posteaquam puritate sua generationi dominicae per spirituÌ„ sanctuÌ„ administratae seruiuit tum demuÌ„ nuptialia opera viro Maria noÌ„ negauerit Nos verò licet nihil hoc doctrinae pretatis â—ffiâ—eret nam donec dispensabatur Christi generatio necessaria erat virginitas quid verò postea sit factuÌ„ ad mysterij huius doctrinam non anxiè coÌ„â—ungenduÌ„ est vâ—runtameÌ„ c. it should be no whit preiudiciall to the doctrine of faith that the virgin Mary after that she had in her virginity serued for the generation of Christ should performe the office of a wife to her husband Her virginity was necessary till the birth of Christ was accoÌ„plished but what was afterwards done is not too scrupulously to be adioined to the doctrine of this mysterie But yet that no man might to the scandall and offence of deuout persons affirme rashly that she ceased to be a virgin he sheweth that the places of the Gospell which seeme to giue suspition thereof do not euict it but may well be construed otherwise And therefore Heluidius for mouing an vnnecessary question hereof to giue occasion of publike disturbance and for affirming rashly that which he had no warrant sufficiently to proue was iustly condemned reiected by the Church neither can we approue any thâ—t shall do as he did 3. W. BISHOP His 3. Concl. We hold that the Church of God hath power to prescribe ordinances and Traditions touching time place of Gods worship And touching order comlinesse to be vsed in the same mary with these foure caneats First that it prescribe nothing childish or absurd See what a reuerent opinion this man carieth of the Church of God gouerned by his holy spirit that it neuerthelesse may prescribe things both childish and absurd But I must pardon him because he speaketh of his owne Sinagogue which is no part of the true Church Secondly that it be not imposed as any part of Gods worship This is contrary to the conclusion for order and comelinesse to be vsed in Gods worship which the Church can prescribe is some part of the worship Thirdly that it be seuered froÌ„ superstition c. This is needlesse for if it be not absurd which was the first prouiso it is already seuered from superstition The fourth touching multitude may passe these be but meere trifles That is of more importance that he termeth the decree registred in the 15. of the Acts of the Apostles a Tradition whereas before he defined Traditions to be all doctrine deliuered besides the written word Now the Acts of the Apostles is a parcell of the written word as all the world knowes that then which is of record there cannot be termed a Tradition R. ABBOT The cautions set downe by M. Perkins are materiall necessary against the vsurpations of the Church of Rome which hauing forsaken the direction of the spirit of God in the word of God is now led by a 1. Kings 22.23 a lying spirit by b 1. Tim. 4.1 spirits of errour and therefore in her ordinances and traditions swarueth from the grauity and wisedome of the holy Ghost The ceremonies of the Masse are apish and ridiculous toies whereby in that which Christ instituted for a most sacred and reuerend action they make the Priest more like to a iugler or to a vice vpon the stage in his duckings and turnings his kissings crossings his lifting vp and letting downe his putting together the forefinger the
to be accounted of as those are to which Christ hath giuen witnesse by his owne word No otherwise therefore could he conceiue of the booke of Wisedome being of the same kinde and that he did so it plainly appeareth for that of that and the booke of Ecclesiasticus it was that he said that which before I mentioned that the bookes which are not in the canon of the Iewes are not alledged with so great authority against them that say against vs. And that this booke was not receiued in the Church as a booke of diuine authoritie appeareth by the very place which Maister Bishop citeth where it is shewed that Saint Austine citing a testimonie out of the said booke exception was taken against it c Aug. de praeâ—â— sanct cap. 14. Quod à me positum fratres istos ita respuisse dixistis tanquam non de libro canonico adhibituÌ„ For that it was taken out of a booke that was not canonicall S. Austine indeede pleadeth earnestly to gaine credit to it and alledgeth that of long time it had bene accustomed to be read in the Church and men had vsed to cite the testimonie of it as diuine but yet could not expresly say that euer it was reckoned for a Canonicall booke And as for those arguments M. Bishop is deceiued to thinke that they could proue it to be Canonicall because the booke of d Ruffinan exposit symb the Pastour was in like sort read in the Church as Ruffinus beareth witnesse in the place before alledged and yet was not accounted canonicall Scripture and Cyril and Ambrose cite the bookes of Esdras by the name of e Cyril cont Iulian lib. 1. Sic ait Scriptura diuinitùs inspirata c. Ambros de obitu frat Prophetico sermone dicitur c. â—epeto sacro Scriptura solatia tua de bono mort cap. 11 Ait propheta ad angelum c. holy Scripture and inspired of God and Ambrose calleth him by the name of a Prophet whereas Hierome calleth those bookes f Hieron praefat in Esdram Nehem. Nec apocryphorum tertij quarti libri sâ—mnijs delectetur dreames and wisheth no man to be delighted with them They vsed these bookes in their Sermons casually as we do thinking it not materiall to cite them for exhortation to the people howsoeuer they held them not of sufficient authority otherwise Therefore they cited them with condition sometimes g Hieron ad furiam Legunus in Iudith sicut tamen placet volumen recipere if we will receiue such or such a booke as Hierome doth the booke of Iudith and h Origen in Math. tract 30. Si recipitur liber qui dicit quoniaÌ„ sapientia est quae facta est populo columna nubis c. Origen the booke of Wisedome of which we here speake By these things therfore it is plaine enough that though Austin were not willing that authority should in that sort be detracted from any booke that was receiued publikely to be read in the Church yet that he was well able to discerne and so did which bookes were of diuine and infallible authority and which were to be accounted of inferiour and lesser worth iudging thereof in effect no otherwise then we do Now from this M. Bishop goeth to another cauill at that that M. Perkins saith that a man to come to know the Scriptures to be of God must first take and beleeue them so to be He saith that the mans wits were from home in so discoursing but the cause is because his wits serue him not to conceiue that which M. Perkins saith Very well and truly doth Saint Austine obserue that i Aug. in Ioan. tract 29. Jntellectus merces est fidei ergoâ—oli quaerere intelligere vt credas sed â—rede vt intelligas vnderstanding is the reward of faith Seeke not therefore saith he to vnderstand that thou maiest beleeue but first beleeue that thou maiest vnderstand He gathereth it from that which the Disciples say k Iohn 6.69 We beleeue and know that thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God They first beleeue and in beleeuing they learne to know The beliefe of which Maister Perkins speaketh is the beliefe of a learner of whom in matters of other knowledge they are woont to say Oportet discentem credere the learner must beleeue There are in all Arts and Sciences certaine propositions and principles which the learner first accepteth vpon the word of him that teacheth him which notwithstanding afterwards he attaineth so to know as that if he that taught him should say any thing to the contrary he should thinke him beside himselfe and by no meanes yeeld to him as knowing that certainly now which he did at first beleeue Euen so is it in this case a man hauing it wrought out of his owne conscience that there is a God to whom honour and worship and seruice is due and that this God vndoubtedly hath some way reuealed wherein that honour and worship doth consist betaketh himselfe vpon the testimonie of the Church to the reading and hearing of the Scriptures and in the exercise thereof findeth and feeleth that to be true which was testified vnto him and saith l Psal 48.7 Like as we haue heard so haue we seene in the Citie of our God And as the Samaritans being drawn to Christ by the report of the woman after they had seene and heard him say m Iohn 4.42 Now we beleeue not because of thy saying for we haue heard him our selues and know that this is indeede the Messias the Sauiour of the world so this man being first brought to the Scriptures by the report of the Church and thereby beleeuing the same to be of God doth by his owne experience afterwards fully apprehend the truth and certainty of that report yea more then was reported so that he saith n Origen in CaÌ„t. hom 2. Per illos quidem audiui ad te autem veni tibi credidi apud queÌ„ muliò plura viderunt oculi mei quà m annunciabantur mihi By them I heard of thee and I came to thee and haue beleeued thee with whom mine eies haue seene much more then before was told me Therefore he resteth not his faith now vpon the Church but vpon God himselfe so that though the Church should slide backe and denie that which it hath before affirmed yet he standeth secure and chooseth rather to die a thousand times then to forgoe the comfort and hope that he hath conceiued by the Scriptures which were at first deliuered vnto him by the Church Thus Christian people haue beene woont to receiue the Scriptures of the hands of the Church wherein they haue liued without seeking any further approbation and warrant thereof because in the vse of them they haue giuen a sufficient warrant and testimonie of themselues So then we rest not the Scriptures vpon the discerning of priuate spirits as Maister Bishop idlely and vainely
not so it is in like sort ridiculous to alledge that it belongeth to the Church to make the meaning of the Scriptures that the Church is Iudge it must rest in the power therof by expounding the scriptures to determine whether that which it selfe coÌ„mandeth be offence to God or not The Church indeede is Iudge but tied to bounds of law if the Church iudge against the euidence of the law then God himselfe by his owne word is to be the Iudge For what an absurditie shall it be further to require a Iudge where God himselfe hath pronounced a sentence or to enquire after a meaning where the law speaketh as plainely as the Iudge can deuise to speake When the Iudges of the people of the Iewes said z Eâ— 8.12 A confederacie and Esay the Prophet cried out say not A confederacie that is follow not them that leade you to leagues and couenants with idolatrous nations who was to be the Iudge betwixt them Esay saith to the people a Ver 20. To the law and to the testimonie if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Who was to be the Iudge when the Prophet Ieremie said one thing and b Ierem 26 1â— the Priests and Prophets who were the Iudges said another They said c Ver. 15. This man is worthy to die he saith If ye put me to death ye shall bring innocent bloud vpon your selues Who was now to be iudge betwixt them Surely none but d Ver 4. the lawes which God had set before them to which he calleth them e Cap. 11. 3. 4. the couenant which he commaunded their Fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt When our Sauiour Christ stood on the one side and the Iudges namely the high Priests and Scribes and Elders of the people on the other side where was the Iudge f Iohn 5.39 Search the Scriptures saith our Sauiour Christ for they are they that testifie of me We see the highest court of iudgement vnder heauen pronounceth sentence against the Sonne of God God indeed had appointed them for Iudges the righteousnesse of the cause of Christ was not to be discerned but only by the Scriptures Thus it hath bene in the Church of Christ the Donatists on the one side affirmed theÌ„selues to be the Church the Catholike and godly Bishops affirmed the Church to be with them whom did these godly Fathers make the Iudge Optatus speaking of a maine question betwixt them whether he that was already baptized though by an heretike might be baptized againe saith g Optat. contra Parmenian li. 5. Vos dicuis licèt nos dicimus Non liâ—et Jnter licâ—t vestrum non licet nestrum â—â—tant remigrant animae populoruÌ„ Nemo vobis credat nemo nobis omnes contentiosi homines sumus Quaerendi sunt iudices Si Christiani te viraque parte dari nosessâ—nt quia siudijs veritas impeditur Dâ—foris quaerenâ—us est iudixisi Paganus non potesi nosse secreta Christianâ—â— si liâ—â—◠〈◊〉 est Chriâ—tuâ—i baptisâ—atâ— Ergo ni â—â—rrâ—s dâ— hac reâ—ulâ—â—â— poterit reperâ—ri iudiciuÌ„ de 〈◊〉 quareâ—dus est iudex Sed vt quid pâ—â—â—sanus ad coelâ— â—â—â—m habemus hic in EuaÌ„gelio Testamentâ—m â—â—quâ—â— c. Ergo voluntas câ—â—â—vilut in Testamento sic in Euangelio inquiratur You say it is lawful and we say it is not lawfull Betweene your it is lawful and our it is not lawful the peoples soules do wauer Let none beleeue you nor vs we are all contentious men Iudges must be sought for if Christians they cannot be giuen of both sides for truth is hindred by affections A iudge without must be sought for if a Pagan he cannot know the Christian mysteries if a Iew he is an enemy of Christian baptisme No iudgement of this matter can be found on earth but froÌ„ heaueÌ„ But why knock we at heaueÌ„ wheÌ„ here we haue the testameÌ„t of Christ in the Gospell In the Gospell as in his Testament we are to enquire and search what his will is To the like effect Austin speaketh as touching a question betwixt him and the Pelagians whether there be sinne in infants from their birth or not h Aug. de nupt concupis lib. 2. cap. 33. Ista controuersia iudicem quaerit Iudicet ergo Christus cui reâ— mors eius profecerit ipse dicat Hic est inquit sanguis c. Judicet cum illo Apostolus quia in Apostolo ipse loquitur Christus c. This controuersie requireth a iudge let Christ therefore be Iudge let himselfe say what his death serued for This is my bloud saith he which shall be shed for many for remission of sinnes Together with him let the Apostle iudge because Christ himselfe speaketh also in the Apostle Thus they made no doubt to make the Scripture the Iudge or Christ himselfe in the Scripture knowing well that the iudgement of the Church in such cases is no other but only the pronouncing of a sentence already giuen by the highest Iudge To this purpose therefore he requireth of the Donatists the bringing foorth of such things as are euident and plaine because Christ somewhere or other hath plainely spoken whatsoeuer is necessarie for vs to know i Idem de vnit Eccles cap. 5. Hoc praedico atque propono vt quaeque aeperta manifesta deligamus c. This I say before hand and propound that we make choyce of such speeches as are open and manifest We are to set aside such things as are obscurely set downe and wrapped vp in couers of figures and may be interpreted both for our part and for theirs It belongeth to acute men to iudge and discerne who doth more probably interpret those things but we will not in a cause which the people are interested in commit our disputation to such contentions of wit but let the manifest truth cry and shine foorth Reade to vs those things that are as plaine as those are that we reade to you Bring somewhat that needeth not any man to expound it This is the course of Ecclesiastical iudgement by this meanes they are to stoppe the mouths of contentious men and to satisfie the people that are interested in the cause By all this then it appeareth that God hath not left his Church destitute of authoritie of iudgement but hath both appointed Iudges and prescribed them lawes whereby to iudge onely that we remeÌ„ber that k Psal 82.1 he is the Iudge amongst the Iudges and the sentence must be his But now we know what it is that M. Bishop aymeth at for he would faine haue it conceiued that there should be some one to be iudge and that one must be the Pope They name sometimes the Church and somtimes the Councell but the Church is but the cloake-bagge and the Councell the capcase to cary the Pope whither it pleaseth them because neither
via duceret aut reduceret ad te Ideâ—que euÌ„ essemuâ— insirmi ad inueniendam liquida ratione veritateÌ„ obhoc nobis opâ—s esset authoritate sanctaâ—uÌ„ literarum â—am credere caeperam nullo modo te fuisse tributuruÌ„ tam excellentum illi Scripturâ—e per omnetiâ—m terras authoritatem nisi per ipsam tibi credi per ipsam te quaerivoluisses I alwaies beleeued saith he that thou art and that thou hast care of vs albeit I knew not what to think of thy being or which way should leade me or bring me againe to thee Therefore when I was too weake by apparent reason to find out the truth and for this purpose needed the authority of the holy Scriptures I began now to beleeue that by no means thou wouldest giue that excellency of authority to those scriptures euen throughout the whole earth but that thou wouldest haue vs therby to beleeue thee and thereby to seeke thee This place sheweth the true effect of that other speech and it is great impudency and impiety in M. Bishop and his fellowes to force vpon S. Austine that protestation which they do by their false construction 23 W. BISHOP This matter is so large that it requireth a whole question but being penned vp within the compasse of one obiection I will not dwell any longer in it but here fold vp this whole question of Traditions in the authorities of the auncient Fathers out of whom because I haue in answering M. Perkins and else-where as occasion serued cited already many sentences I will here be briefe S. Ignatius the Apostles Scholler doth exhort all Christians * Euseb li. 3.36 To sticke fast vnto the Traditions of the Apostles some of which he committed to writing Polycarpus by the authority of the Apostles words which he had receiued from their owne mouthes confirmed the faithfull in truth and ouerthrew the heretikes * Ibid. li. 5. c. 20. S. Irenaeus who imprinted in his heart Apostolicall traditions receiued from Polycarp saith If there should be a controuersie about any meane question ought we not to runne vnto the most auncient Churches in the which the Apostles had conuersed and from them take that which is cleare perspicuous to define the present question For what if the Apostles had not written any thing at all must we not haue followed the order of Traditions which they deliuered to them to whom they deliuered the Churches Origen teacheth that the Church receiued from the Apostles by Tradition to baptize Infants * Rom. 6. Athanasius saith * Lib. de decreâ— Niceni conc We haue proued this sentence to haue bene deliuered from hand to hand by Fathers to Fathers but ye O new Iewes and sonnes of Caiphas what auncestors can ye shew of your opinion S. Basil hath these words * De Spir. Sanct. cap. 27. We haue the doctrine that is kept and preached in the Church partly written and part we haue receiued by Tradition of the Apostles in mysterie both which be of the same force to godlinesse and no man opposeth against these who hath at the least but meane experience of the Lawes of the Church See Gregory Nazianz. Orat. 1. in Iulian. R. ABBOT M. Bishop is here as he was before like the melancholike merchant of Athens who reioyced at the sight of euery ship that came in perswading himselfe that it was his ship He cannot light any where vpon the name of traditions but he presently imagineth that it is meant of their Popish vnwritten traditions And here in the first place to colour this he translateth the words of Eusebius amisse by changing the singular number into the plurall a Euseb hist lib. 3. cap. 32. Vt Apostolorum traditioni indivulsè adhaerent admonebat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He warned them saith Eusebius concerning Ignatius that they should cleaue stedfastly to the tradition of the Apostles He saith not traditions as to note sundry doctrines left vnwritten as M. Bishop would haue it but tradition as entirely generally to signifie the doctrine deliuered by the Apostles Therefore he must necessarily be vnderstood of the doctrine of the Apostles which is written but there is no necessity of vnderstanding any more This tradition that is the doctrine deliuered by the Apostles Eusebius saith that Ignatius did testifie by writing and what he testified we should see by those writings if we had them now in such sort as he left them euen no other doctrine but what the Apostles before had left in writing But those Epistles haue bene diuersly in hucksters hands being growne to greater number then Eusebius and Hierome heard of in their times containing many things now which they had not then and many then which they haue not now Ignatius now is made to say that b Ignat. epist 5. ad Phil. p. Siquâ— dominico die reiunauerâ—t aut sabbato praeter vnum sabbatuÌ„ is est Christi interfector if any man fast vpon the Lords day or vpon the Saterday he is a murtherer of Christ whereas S. Austine confesseth that c Aug. epist 86. Quibus diebus â—â—unare eporteat vel quibus non oporteat nullo Domini vel Apostolorum praecepto inuenio definitum he found it not defined by any precept of Christ or his Apostles what daies we are to fast and what not and Hierome as we haue heard before confesseth that Paul and others with him did fast vpon the Lords day He is now made to say that d Ignat. ibid. Siquâ— eum Iudaeis pascha peregeris festi eorum Symbola susceperit is particeps est socius eoruÌ„ qui Dominum occiderunt Apostolos eius if any man obserue Easter with the Iewes or shall beare the marks of their festiuall day he is a companion and partaker with theÌ„ who killed Christ and his Apostles whereas it is manifest by the ecclesiastical history that e Euseb hist lib. 5 cap 23. Polycarpus the Bishop of Smyrna at that time kept Easter in that sort refused to yeeld to Anicetus Bishop of Rome to do otherwise therefore that there was no such obseruation to which Ignatius should adioine any such censure as here is Againe Hierome citeth this sentence out of Ignatius that f Hieron cont Pelug lib. 3. Ignatius vir Apostolicus martyr scribit audacter Elegit Dominus Apostolos qui super omnes homines erant peccatores Christ chose Apostles who were sinners aboue all men which now is not found in those Epistles that we haue Therfore sith we haue his writings no otherwise but maimed and corrupted it is hard from them now to gather any certaintie at all and those some traditions which M. Bishop speaketh of are but meere forgeries conueyed into them by the Popes agents albeit the former of those traditions which I haue mentioned maketh them also murtherers of Christ because they fast vpon the Saterday or else they must denie that these
with another that M. Perkins saith that Baptisme and the Lords Supper are the two onely parts of Gods worship amongst the Protestants whereas M. Perkins saith no other but thus We haue onely two ceremonies to be obserued by commandement which are Baptisme and the Lords Supper It is one thing to say onely two ceremonies another thing to say two onely parts of Gods worship But let M. Bishop remember what the gaines of a lyer is that a man knoweth not how to beleeue him when he speaketh truth 7. W. BISHOP But it would wearie a willing man to traile after all M. Perkins his impertinent errors Let vs then at length come vnto the principall point in controuersie Catholikes saith he maintaine such vowes to be made as are not agreeable to the rules afore-named The first is that of Continencie wherby a man promiseth to God to keepe chastitie in a single life that is out of the state of wedlocke This kind of vow is flat against the word of God as he saith which he proueth first out of S. Paule If they cannot containe then let them marrie True if they haue not vowed chastitie before as the common Christians of Corinth to whom Saint Paule there speaketh had not For such * 1. Cor 7. if they cannot liue otherwise chastly it is better they marrie then be burned that is defiled with incontinencie But to them who had vowed chastitie before S. Paule writeth in another style That if they but desire to marrie they incurre damnation * 1. Tim. 5. because they haue made frustrate broken their former faith and promise made vnto God of their chastitie So that this first text is a furlong wide at the least from the marke R. ABBOT It would wearie a man thus to traile after an impudent and wrangling Sophister who doubteth not as we see so apparently and wilfully to lye and neither vnderstandeth what M. Perkins saith nor what himselfe should say We must come nowe to the principall point in controuersie as he termeth it let vs see how well he carieth himselfe in the debating of it M. Perkins allegation is that the Papists maintaine such vowes as are not agreeable to the rules before mentioned which are necessarie to be obserued in lawfull vowes The first of these is their vow of Continencie whereby a man promiseth to God to keepe chastitie alwayes in single life that is out of the state of wedlocke Against this vow he alledgeth first the words of S. Paule a 1. Cor. 7.9 If they cannot containe let them marrie for saith he it is better to marrie then to burne This is the commaundement of almightie God to all to whom the gift of continencie is not giuen that they betake themselues to mariage as to a safe port and harbor where they may be free from being tossed and turmoiled with the waues and stormes of incontinencie and raging lust that so with quiet mind pure consciēce they may serue God and without interruption call faithfully vpon him Now what hath M. Bishop learned out of his many large volumes for answer to this The holy Ghost saith let thē marrie True saith he if they haue not vowed chastity before as the cōmon Christians of Corinth to whō S. Paul there speaketh had not Where whē he cōstrueth the Apostles words of cōmō Christiās he putteth me in mind of the Maniches who wold by no meanes allowe of marriage in their Elects their speciall and choise men but as for their auditours that is the common sort b August cont Faust lib. 30. c. 6. Multos vestres auditores in hoc obedire nolentes vel non valentes salua amicitia toleratis they were content to beare with them if either they would not or could not liue vnmaried Thus would he make vs beleeue that the Apostle spake but of the common sort but meant not anie thing of the rest that were more speciall men when as the Apostle professeth himselfe to write c 1. Cor. 1.2 to all that call vpon the name of our Lord Iesus Christ and in the beginning of that Chapter whence this allegation is taken sayeth d Cap. 7.2 for the auoyding of fornication let euerie man haue his owne wife and euery woman her owne husband and saith it to them e Vers 1. that had written vnto him in the name of the Church who vndoubtedly were not of the common sort But the exception which he vseth is the verie same as whereby the Scribes and Pharisees of old deluded the commaundement of God as our Sauiour mentioneth in the Gospell and made it of no effect by their tradition God said f Exod. 20.12 Honour thy father and thy mother True said they except he haue vowed or sworne the contrarie Amongst sundrie wicked othes amongest the Iewes whereby they vowed the committing of leud and damnable acts and then hasted to the doing thereof that they might not be forsworne this as Philo the Iewe testifieth was one that g Philo de legib special Iureiurando suam inhumanitatem confirmant dum negant se hunc aut illum adiuturos vllo beneficio quoad vixerit they would not helpe or do good to such a one so long as they liued Amongst manie other formes or fashions of swearing Iosephus giueth vs to vnderstand that one specially was h Ioseph contra Apion li. 1. Iusiurandum quod Corban appellatur c. Apud nullos autem inuenitur hoc iuramentū nisi apud Judaeos solos quod interpretatur ex Hebraica lingua Donum Dei Corban which is as much as to say By the gift Concerning which manner of oth it is that our Sauiour Christ reprooueth their absurd superstition where he bringeth them in saying i Mat. 23.18 Whosoeuer sweareth by the altar it is nothing but he that sweareth * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the offering or the gift that is vpon it he is a debtour that is as Hierome saith k Hieron ibid. Hoc studiosissimè repetebant that they most earnestly required to be kept So then if by anie occasion the sonne had said to his father l Matth. 15.5 Mark 7.11 Corban that is by the gift if thou haue anie profite by me vnderstanding after their maner then let God destroy me or such and such euill befall me he was hereby tied as they taught that he should yeeld no succour or reliefe to the necessitie of his father Whatsoeuer God had commanded it skilled not he had now bound himself must stand to it not to do that that God had required of him let his father beg or starue or do what he would or could for himself but of him he must haue nothing The verie like is the tradition of the Pharisees of the Romish synagogue who when God hath said If they cannot containe let them marrie answereth Be it so if they haue not vowed the contrarie but if they haue vowed single life whether they
men And they verily who are worshipped are dead but they bring in their images to be worshipped which neuer were aliue the mind going a whoring from the true and only God euen as a common strumpet absurdly desiring variety of carnall coÌ„pany is past being content with the lawfull mariage of one man Hereby appeareth the falshood of that which Epiphanius the deacon in the place here cited by M. Bishop saith as touching this Epiphanius the Bishop that in his booke against heresies he set downe none as touching images when as expresly he coÌ„demneth in those heretiks the making of the image of the virgin Mary as I haue said and offering to it as their manner was to offer to it a cake whence they had that name of Collyridians giuen to them And hereby may be conceiued what account we are to make of M.B. third reason that in the same Councell other two places were brought as it were out of Epiphanius works which were found to be none of his Where M. Bishop turneth one place into two and the same one more likely to be forged by him that mentioneth it if it were forged then by any man else The words are cited as out of an Epistle of Epiphanius to Theodosius the Emperour in the end wherof he saith these words were b Synod Nicen 2 Act. 6 Epiphan resp tom 5. Saepe cum comministris meis de ablatione imaginuÌ„ egi sed ab iijs noÌ„ receptus sum neque vel in pauciâ— vocem meam audire sustinuerunt I haue often dealt with my fellow Ministers for the taking away of images but I haue not bene accepted of them neither would they suffer that in some few words I should speake vnto theÌ„ These words or rather the whole Epistle Epiphanius the deacon affirmeth not to haue bene written by the other Epiphanius but alledgeth nothing to proue it so Only like a wily Sophister he reckoneth vp of the Bishops that liued in the time of Epiphanius diuerse chiefe men as Basil Gregory Nazianzene Gregory Nyssene Chrysostome Ambrose Amphilochius and Cyril so carying the matter as if these were the men with whom Epiphanius had dealt and hereupon inferring that if these so worthy men would not yeeld to him for the taking away of images theÌ„ there should be no reason now to take them away whereas he had no reason at all whereupon to imagine that these or any of these should be the men whom Epiphanius meant Now beside that Epistle he importeth that some other writings there were alledged of Epiphanius directed against Images which that being the readiest way to put them off he without any proofe at all affirmeth to be counterfeit but seeing we haue found him false as touching those workes which he confesseth to haue bene written by Epiphanius we can giue him no credit for the deniall of the rest Whatsoeuer they were we see they haue taken course to make theÌ„ away and indeed what hath lien in them they haue laboured to suppresse whatsoeuer most clearely did make against them and in place thereof to fâ—ist in bastards and counterfeits such as are fit to serue their turne but are altogether vnworthy of them whose names they are forced to beare The last reason of Epiphanius his scholers erecting an image to him and setting it in the Church of what waight it is may be esteemed by that that hath bene said It resteth only vpon the credit of Epiphanius the DeacoÌ„ that is little in this case Epipha the Bishop of Cyprus liued 400 years before this Epiph. the deacoÌ„ that is before the time of that 2. Nicen Councell If they wold haue bin beleeued as touching a matter foure hundred yeares before they should haue brought meete proofe and testimonie thereof which sith they did not wee cannot hold it for truth inasmuch as otherwise wee finde them so many waies culpable of vntruth But whereas Maister Bishop saith that those Schollers of Epiphanius would neuer haue done so if he had taught the same to be against the Scripture it is his bare presumption not any necessary conclusion because though Moses had taught the children of Israel from God that they should make no Idols or worship them yet when he was but a little gone from them they made them yea Aaron himselfe made for them a golden Calfe As touching the other sentence of Epiphanius cited by Maister Perkins out of the Councel of Constantinople it is this i Synod Constantinop apud NiceÌ„ 2. Act. 6 Estote memores dilecti filij ne in ecclesiaÌ„ imagines inferatis neque in sanctorum caemeterijs eas statuatu sed perpetuò circuÌ„ferte Deum in cordibus vestris Quinetiam neque in domo coÌ„mmuni tolerentur Neque enim fas est Christianum per â—culos suspensuÌ„ teneri sed per occupationeÌ„ meÌ„tis Be mindfull beloued sonnes not to bring Images into the Church neither to set them in the Churchyards but alwaies carie God about in your hearts Yea let them not be suffered in the ordinarie house for it is not fit for a Christian man to be holden by the eies but by the occupation of the minde M. Bishop answereth that Images must be suffered in all places that we may the better carie God in our hearts being by sight thereof put in minde of him But how vaine this answer is hereby appeareth for that wee finde in the Scriptures that the setting vp of such Idols is propounded to be the k Deut. 4.23.25 forgetting of Gods couenant and the corrupting of our selues but finde it no where commended in the Scripture to be a meanes of remembring him He hath set before vs the heauen and earth as a glasse wherein we may behold l Rom. 1.20 his power and Godhead and thereby be moued to make enquirie after him He hath giuen vs his word to answer vs what is needefull when we enquire of him He hath appointed the Sacraments for seales of that grace and mercy that hee hath reuealed in his word He setteth the spectacles of his prouidence and mercie and iudgement continually before our eies By these meanes he hath taught vs to be put in minde of him and to learne to carie him in our hearts but to be put in minde of him by an Image it is onelie a vaine and friuolous pretence of Idolaters and no direction or instruction of the holy Ghost It is enough for vs that the people of God who were to remember God as well as wee yet neuer found it lawfull to set vp an Idoll to remember him thereby 11. W. BISHOP Now I come vnto a third point which M. Perkins maketh the second of our difference that images may be not onely made and set in churches but also worshipped M. Perkins holds the contrary and his principall ground is the second commandement which containes saith he two parts The first forbids the making of images to resemble God the second the worshipping of them or God in
repaired in his resurrection For they were not without this faith before that he was the Sonne of God but when it came to passe which he foretold that faith which when he spake vnto them was little and small and when he died in a manner none both reuiued and increased It was faith that made h Mat. 14.28 Peter vpoÌ„ Christes word to step into the sea to go to Christ vpoÌ„ the waters beleeuing that he should be safe but yet he beleeued it not infallibly the faintnesse of his faith made him begin to sink so that being vehemently afraid he cried out vnto Christ for help saying Maister saue me Therfore our Sauiour saith to him i Ver. 31. O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt In which sort when another time the disciples were afraid by reason of a tempest vpon the sea awaked him being asleepe saying vnto him k Cap. 8.25 Maister saue vs we perish he answered theÌ„ Why are ye fearefull O ye of little faith in both these places shewing that little faith such as now the faith of the Apostles theÌ„selues was doth not make a man so infallibly to beleeue as that he is thereby wholly voided of feare and doubt yet sheweth it selfe to be true faith in that the same feare doubt maketh him alwaies to runne to Christ as expecting succour and strength in him Such is the faith whereby the common sort of faithfull men do beleeue their owne particular Saluation truly and effectually to the comfort of their soules yet not so fully and infallibly as to be altogether freed from feare and doubt For it is to be obserued which was intimated before that matters of faith concerning our owne Saluation do consist partly in principles deliuered by the word of God and partly in conclusions thence deriued to our selues Now albeit faith sometimes do wauer stagger as touching the very principles themselues and immediate words of God yet because the truth Certaintie thereof is more easily and better conceiued they are for the most part more familiarly readily beleeued But the conclusions because of themselues they are vnknowne and haue their light only from the principles are not so firmly apprehended as the principles themselues whilest doubts haply may be cast least there be any errour committed in the application vse thereof It is a principle deliuered for assurance of Saluation l Act. 16.31 Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Christ thou shalt be saued Hereupon the faithful man inferreth to himself I beleeue in the Lord Iesus Christ therfore I shal be saued In this either coÌ„fusely or expresly inferred he coÌ„forteth himselfe reioyceth in God in hope hereof cheerefully serueth God calleth vpoÌ„ his name in patience expecteth the reuealing of his Saluation And yet sometimes it falleth out that he questioneth his faith and not seeing such effects thereof as he supposeth there ought to be maketh doubt least haply he be deceiued and though the principle be true by which he first beleeued yet is ielous least he haue misapplied it to himselfe Thus sometimes by other temptations true faith is assaulted and greatly shaken so that he that greatly reioyced in the Saluation of the Lord by hastie cogitations is ouertaken and brought to say as Dauid in that case did m Psal 31.22 I am cast out of the sight of thine cies This was the manner of the Apostles faith at first and this manner of faith and assurance do we teach and do teach men to pray with the Apostles n Luk. 17.5 Lord increase our faith that from weaknesse of faith and slender assurance we may grow to strength of faith and full assurance as the Apostles did In the meane while therefore it is false and contrary to the word of God which M. Bishop saith that the faithfull haue not by faith assurance of Saluation vnlesse they beleeue it to be as infallible as the word of God it selfe Now for conclusion he confesseth that some either by reuelation from God or by long exercise of vertuous life haue a great Certaintie of Saluation but that he saith doth rather belong to a well grounded hope then to an ordinarie faith But we answer him that there is no well grounded hope but that which is grounded vpon ordinarie faith and beleefe of that that is hoped for For hope is the proper effect of ordinary faith and nothing else as we shal see hereafter but a patient expectation of that that we beleeue shall be and if we do not beleeue that it shal be we cannot be said to hope for it in that sence wherein the Scripture teacheth hope Of ordinarie faith it is that the Apostle saith o Rom. 5.1 Being iustified by faith we haue peace towards God through Iesus Christ our Lord by whom we haue accesse through faith vnto this grace wherein we stand and reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God thereby shewing that to reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God is the effect of an ordinarie faith whereby we are assured of peace with God Of ordinarie faith S. Iohn speaketh where he saith p 1. Iohn 5.13 These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life By ordinary faith therefore the faithfull are not vncertainly to hope but assuredly to know that they haue eternall life But it is here to be obserued that Maister Bishop affirmeth not onely of that Certaintie that is gotten by long exercise of vertuous life but also of that that s by reuelation from God that it rather belongeth to hope then to ordinarie faith writing he wist not what himselfe because if he be asked the question he will not deny but that whatsoeuer God hath reuealed is to be beleeued by ordinary faith because he saith afterwards that it is the Catholike faith that is ordinary â—aith to beleeue all that to be true which God hath reuealed Howsoeuer the reuelation be extraordinarie as we know he intendeth it yet it is ordinarie faith by which a man beleeueth such extraordinarie reuelation so as that neither that assurance that is had by this extraordinarie reuelation is altogether free from feares and doubts shaking sometimes the confidence of that which a man hath receiued immediatly from the oracle of Gods owne mouth or by speciall messengers directed from God for certificate in that behalfe Which is to be seene in the examples of Abraham and Isaac and Dauid and others to whom God hath giuen speciall promise of his protection and fauour and yet vpon occasions they haue bewraied great infirmitie in the apprehension thereof And if this befall to faith in those things that are extraordinarily reuealed much more we may assure our selues that it befalleth there where we haue no other but ordinary reuelation by the written word of God Therefore on euery side M. Bishops assertion is false that there can
owne mouth will I iudge thee thou euill seruant Thou hast despised my mercie Thou hast defined that euery one that doth not merite life must fall into the state of death Thy sentence shall stand good against thy selfe thou art farre off from meriting life and therefore thy iust portion shall be euerlasting death Let him learne in time to feare this doome and leaue off by this wilfull oppugning of the faith and doctrine of Christ to rebell against God 2. W. BISHOP With this Catholike doctrine M. Perkins would be thought to agree in two points First That merits are necessary to saluation Secondly That Christ is the roote and fountaine of all merit But soone after like vnto a shrewd cow ouerthrowes with his heele the good milke he had giuen before renouncing all merits in euery man sauing onely in the person of Christ whose prerogatiue saith he it is to be the person alone in whom God is wel pleased Then he addeth that they good Protestants by Christs merits really imputed to them do merite life euerlasting Euen as by his righteousnesse imputed vnto them they are iustified and made righteous To which I answer that we most willingly confesse our blessed Sauiours merits to be infinite and of such diuine efficacie that he hath not onely merited at his Fathers hands both pardon for all faults and grace to do all good workes but also that his true seruants workes should be meritorious of life euerlasting As for the reall imputation of his merit to vs we esteeme as a fained imagination composed of contrarieties For if it be really in vs why do they call it imputed and if it be ours only by Gods imputation then is it not in vs really Further to say that he onely is the person in whom God is well pleased is to giue the lye vnto many plaine texts of holy Scriptures Iac 2. Eccles 45. Act. 13. Ioh. 16. Rom. 1. Abraham was called the friend of God therefore God was well pleased in him Moyses was his beloued Dauid was a man according vnto his owne heart God loued Christs Disciples because they loued him Briefly all the Christians at Rome were truly called of S. Paule the beloued of God And therefore although God be best pleased in our Sauiour and for his sake is pleased in all others yet is he not onely pleased in him but in all his faithfull seruants Now to that which he saith that they haue no other merit then Christs imputed to them as they haue no other righteousnesse but by imputation I take it to be true and therefore they do very ingeniously and iustly renounce all kind of merits in their stained and defiled workes But let them tremble at that which thereupon necessarily followeth It is that as they haue no righteousnesse or merit of heauen but onely by a supposed imputation so they must looke for no heauen but by imputation for God as a most vpright iudge will in the end repay euery man according to his woorth wherefore not finding any reall worthinesse in Protestants but onely in conceipt his reward shall be giuen them answerably in conceipt onely which is euidently gathered out of S. Augustine Lib. 1. de mori Eccles cap. 25. where he saith That the reward cannot go before the merit nor be giuen to a man before he be worthy of it for saith he what were more iniust then that and what is more iust then God Where he concludeth that we must not be so hardie as once to demaund much lesse so impudent as to assure our selues of that crowne before we haue deserued it Seeing then that the Protestants by this their proctor renounce al such merit and desert they must needes also renounce their part of heauen and not presume so much as once to demaund it according vnto S. Augustines sentence vntill they haue first renounced their erronious opinions R. ABBOT M. Perkins hath indeed giuen good milke as M. Bishop saith euen a 1. Pet. 2.2 the syncere milke of the word which he had drawne from b August in Ioan. Epist trac 3. Est mater Ecclesia vbera eius du◠Testamenta Scripturari 〈◊〉 narū the brests of the Church the old and the new Testament the writings of the Apostles and Prophets which are c Ephes 2.20 the foundations whereupon the house of God is built He plaid not the shrewd cow to ouerthrow it when he had giuen it but what he gaue M. Bishop seeketh to corrupt by blending and mingling with it not the leauen onely but the very poison of humane traditions He renounceth and so do we all merit but what is in the person of Iesus Christ for vs and thereby onely do we lay hold of eternall life acknowledging that not for any thing that we do but onely d Mat. 3.17 in him the Father is well pleased towards vs and accepteth vs to be his children and heires of his kingdome Whereas in his pleasance he tearmeth vs good Protestants I must tell him as before that if the Protestants do not exceede the goodnesse of them who will be taken to be the very best amongst the Papistes without question they are very bad and I doubt not but he himselfe will acquit the Protestants from being so bad as he and his fellowes haue told vs that their good maisters the Iesuites be But for answer he saith that Christ did merit for his not onely pardon of all faults and grace to do all good workes but also that their workes should be meritorious of life euerlasting A strange speech and such as the Apostles and Primitiue Church were not acquainted with Forsooth Christ did not merit eternall life for vs but he merited for vs grace that so we might merit eternall life for our selues Now M. Bishop hath taught vs before that grace is nothing but as Free will adioyneth it selfe vnto it and so the conclusion is that the grace of God doth not saue man but man by the helpe of grace doth saue himselfe Thus the matter resteth vpon vs Christ offereth vs grace we may receiue it if we will and when we haue it we may if we will thereby deserue eternal life otherwise we go without it But the Scripture teacheth vs farre otherwise that e 1. Ioh. 5.10.11 the record that God hath witnessed of his Sonne is this that God hath giuen vs eternall life and this life is in his Sonne Here is no record that God hath giuen vs grace to deserue eternall life but that he hath giuen vs eternall life nor that this life is in our merits but that this life is in his Sonne so as that f Ioh 3.36 he that beleeueth in the Sonne hath euerlasting life and g 1. Ioh. 5.13 they that beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God are to know that they haue eternall life God by the beginning giuing them certificate and assurance of the end The reall imputation of Christs merits to vs is
no fained imagination but a cleare truth as hath bene before shewed The contrarietie and opposition that he conceiueth therin is his owne fond dreame no doctrine of ours We do not say that Christes merits are really in vs neither did Master Perkins giue him any word whereof to imagine it but onely that by imputation they are made really ours because they were vndertaken and done for vs euen as Christ the doer thereof is become really ours euen h Ierem. 23 6. the Lord our righteousnesse Whereas he saith that to say that Christ onely is the person in whome God is well pleased is to giue the lye to many texts of Scripture which testifie that God hath bene pleased towards Abraham Moses c. we suppose he doth not well vnderstand himselfe It is said of many that God was pleased with them or they pleased God but the question is in whome for whose sake by whose mediation God was well pleased towards them and that was onely in Christ onely for Christs sake accordingly as the Apostle Saint Paule saith of all the elect i Eph. 1.6 He hath made vs accepted in his beloued and Saint Peter that our k 1. Pet. 2.5 spirituall sacrifices are acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. And this prerogatiue the voyce of the Father giueth him from heauen l Mat. 3.17 This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased namely towards Abraham Isaac Iacob Moses Dauid and all towards whom he is well pleased Which seeing it was the plaine meaning of M. Perkins and M. Bishop acknowledgeth it to be true that Christ is he for whose sake God is pleased in all others what is it but childish and idle cauilling to make a question there where by his owne confession none is to be made Now where we say that we haue no righteousnesse to iustifie vs before God but only the righteousnesse of Christ nor any merit whereby to presume of heauen but onely the merit of Christ all our owne works being blemished and stained with sinne he biddeth vs tremble at that which thereupon necessarily followeth And what is that Marry that as we haue no righteousnesse but by imputation so we must looke for no heauen but by imputation But why should we not thinke that the merit of Christs obedience and righteousnesse is of sufficient value and estimation to purchase for vs the kingdome of heauen and euerlasting glorie Is it sufficient to purchase grace for vs to merit heauen for our selues and is it not sufficient it selfe to merit heauen for vs And if we haue no merit of our owne what should hinder but that we may say with Saint Bernard m Bernard in Cant. Ser. 61. Ego fidenter quicquid ex me mihi deest vsurpo mihi ex visceribus Domini quoniam misericordia effluunt c. Meritum proinde meum miserationes Domini Non planè sum maritiinops quamdiuille miserationum non fuerit Quòd si misericordiae Domini multa multus nihilo minus ego in meritis sum Whatsoeuer is wanting to me of my selfe I boldly take it vnto me out of the bowels of the Lord for they flow out with mercy My merit is the Lords mercy I am not poore in merit so long as he is not poore in mercy and if he be rich in mercie then am I also rich in merits Yea Bellarmine M. Bishops maister after that he hath swet and trauelled mightily to auouch the righteousnesse and merit of workes in the end being quite spent is content to retire into our port and draweth to this conclusion that n Bellar. de iust lib. 5. cap. 7. Propter incertitudinē propriae iustitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola Dei misericordia benig nitate reponere because of the vncertaintie of our owne righteousnesse and the perill of vaine glory the safest way is to repose our whole trust in the onely mercy and goodnesse of God Now if there be no saluation no heauen without merits and a man haue no merits of his owne by what merits shall the mercy of God saue him but onely by the imputation of the merits of Christ And will M. Bishop say of him that as he hath no merits but by imputation so he shall haue no heauen but by imputation Shall this be all the comfort of that which Bellarmine commendeth for the safest course to flie to the sole and onely mercie and goodnesse of God Yea saith M. Bishop for God as a most vpright iudge will in the end repay euery man according to his woorth What and do you M. Bishop expect that God in the end should repay heauen to you according to your woorth Go foole go leaue off this talke of merit and woorth learne to know God learne to know thy selfe learne to say with Chrysostome o Chrysost in Coloss hom 2. Nemo talem vitae conuersatio nem ostendit vt regno dignus esse possit sed totum donum est ipsius D◠No man sheweth such conuersation of life as that he may be worthy of the kingdome but it is wholy the gift of God Was not p Mar. 1.7 Iohn Baptist worthie to loose the latchet of Christs shoe and dost thou thinke to be worthie to raigne with Christ But I leaue him here to be whipped with his own rod his owne conscience wil one day sting him sufficiently with the remembrance of these assertions As for the Protestants let him take no care for their worthinesse We beleeue that there is for vs in Christ a reall worthinesse for which we shall receiue a reall heauen But let him take heed lest whilest he feedeth himselfe with a conceipt of woorth where there is none he be deluded with a conceipt of heauen in his end and indeed find none nor euer attain to that which is prepared for them that maintaine the truth of the Scripture and glorie of God to their owne comfort But of worthinesse there will be further occasion to speake hereafter As for the place of Austine which he alledgeth as good to stand for him it was written by him when he was newly conuerted from the heresie of the Manichees in such words and phrases as seeme plausible to humane vnderstanding and iudgement which comparing one man with another expresseth to it selfe the difference by termes of worthie and vnworthie deseruing and hot deseruing howsoeuer to the sight and iudgement of God woorth desert are farre from all The purpose of S. Austine in that place is to shew the ordinarie course that God taketh that he will first haue vs to trauell in his seruice before we receiue the reward thereof as the Apostle declareth in saying q 2. Tim. 2.6 The husbandman must labour before he receiue the fruites But that S. Austine in maturitie and ripenesse of iudgement was very farre from M. Bishops fancie of merit may sufficiently appeare by one sentence of his where he saith