it So having God favourable we shall have all his friends both Angels and Spirits so too And in another place thus Away with Celsus his counsel that we must pray to Angels for we must pray to him alone who is God over all and we must pray to the Word of God his only Son We must intreat him that he as high-Priest would present our prayers unto his God and our God Consonant to these besides a number more is St. Ambrose A miserable excuse says he have they that think to go to God by these viz. Angels as men go to a Prince by an Officer Men go to a King by Officers because he is but a man c. But to procure the favour of God from whom is nothing hid we need to no spokesman but a devout soul. Behold here a three-fold Cord so firmly twisted by the hands of three eminent Doctors as the strongest Arm no nor the united forces of the Romish Synagogue can untye or break asunder It 's true that in the times of Persecution some men were so exemplary for their active Zeal and passive Fortitude in the cause of God and their memory was so precious to their surviving Friends Scholars and Auditors as they conceived it heightned their Devotions to pray and perform their religious services near their Monuments which sometimes they did yet addressed them only to God And in their commemoratory Orations such as now we have divers on the Anniversary days of the dissolutions of certain extraordinary persons especially in our Universities recorded their praises in expressions whereby the Martyr was vocatus but not invocatus where the Lord being pleased to give a gratious answer to their prayers and to honour that Christian Profession which those Worthies had maintained unto the death Men began afterwards to conceive that it was at their suit and mediation those things were effected and that therefore they were themselves to be prayed unto The former part of which conjecture we need not much oppose but with Origen We do think That all those Fathers who are departed this life before us do fight with us and assist us with their prayers And yet with the same Origen hold fast the Truth in opposition to the latter part thus All Prayers and Supplications Intercessions and Thanksgivings are to be sent up to God the Lord of all by the high-Priest who is above all being the living Word and God For to call upon Angels we do not comprehend the knowledge of them which is above the reach of man is not agreeable to Reason And if by supposition it were granted that the knowledge of them might be comprehended that very knowledge declaring their Nature and the charge over which every one of them is set would not permit us to pray unto them or any other but God Now for those strange Apparitions and Cures said to be made at the places of their Sepulture or otherwhere whether it was so and so or how it was I am content with St. Augustin knowing the way of God in permitting such Events to be inscrutable and the wisdom of man in making application thereof to be often meer foolishness they should remain the Objects of my Admiration rather than the Subjects of my Scrutinie and I hold them in some sort able especially in the eyes of young Believers to confirm a point which is consonant to the Word of God but no proofs of any thing without or against it Deut. 13. And here it will be no unseasonable enquiry How it can be lawful for any sort or Calling of men to vaunt themselves at all times impowered to command unclean spirits Or by Exorcisms at their own arbitrement to pretend to order them A device whereof the Factors of Rome do at this day make great advantage and insinuate strangely into the minds of unstable people We know the arm of the Lord is not shortned nor infeebled from what it was We acknowledge that he may and sometimes does exert his own Almighty Power in a wondrous manner We are not ignorant That in the Apostles days there were many extraordinary gifts of which that of doing Miracles for the better settling of the infant Church was one nor that their is a certain miraculous Faith which pitching only upon the Power of God as it's Object may be where there is neither truth of Piety nor Principles But withal We have observed that our Saviour has told us how at the last day some should come before him and allege They had cast out devils in his name whom yet he would not own Matth. 7. 22. Revel 13. 14. We cannot forget that we are fairly warned of him whose coming was to be in great deceiveableness of Signs and lying Wonders 2 Thess. 2. 9 10. and therefore think such unfit to be the Over-rulers of our Faith especially where in the things they would perswade us unto they have not a probable at least concurrence of the written Word We cannot understand how those Pretenders by vertue of any calling whereto it is always affixed appropriate to themselves the gift of doing such Miracles in the Truth thereof unless they will lay their claim to All and see if they can perswade the world they have the gift of speaking with strange Tongues too To Enervate all Arguments drawn from their practices in this there needs no other convincement than the frequent Discoveries of most gross Forgeries Of this sort to give in one for instance omitting many that are of unquestionable Record was that accidentally made by Bishop Morton in his journey towards London when he found the Boy of Bilson had been long trained up by the Popish Priests and become a fit subject for those Impostors to shew feats upon But if we should say Satan himself may submissively comply with their Designs that go about to introduce a belief in others suitable to the interests of his own Kingdom Who could either question his forwardness to act in or Gods Justice in permitting such a fraud upon those Revel 13. 14. who neglecting the wells of Salvation whence flows the Water of Life have merited to see strong Delusions That they may believe a lye 2 Thess. 2. 10 11. One known to my self altered his Religion upon no better ground than because going in company with a Papist and a friend of his thought to be possest the suppos'd Demoniack imbraced him and would not come near the Papist Both St. Augustine puts us in mind that men are sometimes led into great errours by deceiptful Dreams and that it is just they should suffer such things And St. Chrysostome giveth a good Admonition that little heed should be given to the Devil's sayings in a Case of the same Nature with this we have been in hand withal These are his words What is it then that the Devils do say I am the Soul of such a Monk Surely for this I will not believe it because the Devil
THE PRETENSIONS OF THE Triple Crown EXAMINED IN Thrice Three Familiar Letters Upon so many Controverted Points which require more than a single Consideration Written some years ago By Sir Christopher Wyvill Baronet With certain later Reflections on the same Subjects LONDON Printed by E. T. and R. H. for Matthias Walker under St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-street 1672. To all my near RELATIONS AND Esteemed ACQUAINTANCE OF THE Romish Persvvasion THose that have the Fancie or the Fate to come under the Press have for most part the Wit in their Dedications to cull out such persons whose Inclinations they know are well set towards the subject matter of the Book and who are they hope willing to afford it their Patronage By this Address I have deprived my self of those Advantages Instead of Favour which I cannot antecedently expect I request only that you will not bring Prejudice and in the room of Protection I court you but for fair Perusal I know not whether any of you may be convinc'd or no yet at the least I am desirous as never affecting Fire-side or Table-disputes of this Nature to let you see upon what Grounds my Judgment leads me to stand off from you in those Principles which administer sad occasions of Contention to all the Christian World and wherein only you can at any time be disagreeable unto him who is Yours with sincere and real Love to serve you Christopher Wyvill TO THE READERS In General FInding all those little Sophisms which laid hold on me when I was a Child or thought as a Childe new-vampt for the seduction of the growing Generation I am not unwilling nay methinks I am in a manner obliged to communicate what Antidotes I found most effectual What is offered here is I hope fully consonant to the true Standard of the Reformation and genuine Sence of our English Church If the Antinomian in his impetuous flights from Rome have run quite out from any habitable Zone If the rigid Anabaptists or Quakers have in their heady and heedless Course brought back the Quintessence of Popery by a side-wind into the Body of their Belief If the Socinian or his younger Brother have warpt aside from once establish'd Truths I have not a word to say for them nor will I add more to you save Farewell Part I. YOU have now spent a Lustre and an half or thereabout in that Adventurous Calling which hath let you see the Wonders of the Deep and acquainted you with the Admirably various Dispositions and Customs of several People and Places It has been a Joy to my self with many others of your Friends and Well-wishers to hear that in your Imployments abroad you have gone through much both with Reputation and Success Of late a Rumour for I would not willingly think it any more hath arrived here as if you should have made Shipwrack of your Religion and not past Scylla and Charybdis in safety without drinking in or rather being swallowed up of the Italian Delusions I am no affector of scurrilous or foul Language yet if I should enquire of you with what deceitful tincture that Roman Curtizan had washt over her Deformities so as you could become inamoured on her the nature of her Apostasie would perhaps justifie the Term. I shall endeavour in this Address to wipe off the Varnish whereby I know well she allures a great Part of the Prejudiced or Interessed World and discover to you Blemishes of too large a Size to pass for Beauty-spots And whilst I declare unto you what Considerations they were which by God's blessing removed out of my way all those stumbling Blocks that I found cast in it and whereby I was reduced into the right Paths even when my feet had almost slipt I do humbly supplicate the Father of Mercies That it may please him to inable you and all that desire to seek him in Truth to see through the dark Mist which Popery draws before the eyes of its Proselytes stuffing the Phancies even of her Babes and Sucklings in stead of wholsom food drawn from the sincere Milk of God's Word with I know not what Conceits of Romes Infallibilitie Perspicuity Succession Supremacy Perpetuity and the like till she have brought them under a gross and blind Submission to all her Dictates and before they understand things that differ made them ready to swear to all the words of that most Imperious Mistress Thus it was that a Young Lady within my knowledge being in Discourse brought to such a point of Convincement as compelled her Reason to go over into the Tents of her Antagonist at the last clapt her self down upon her Knees made the Sign of the Cross and rejected all as a Temptation But let us remember we are advised to be able to give a reason of the Faith that is in us and take Courage to Examine how sufficient the Foundation is whereupon the Church of Romè would build so vast a Claim to Perpetual Exemption from Error and fix the Pillars of Truth within her Territories only Yet first I think it necessary to desire you not to despise the Animadversions I offer you because they are transmitted from an hand which you know weak and insufficient for the Undertaking There is here little of mine besides what is indeed the only Culpable part the Composure or lying together the Materials being decerped from many Learned and Pious Authours who now most of them rest from their Labours and enjoy that Crown of Righteousness which they strove for in their several Generations That minatory Admonition to the whole Church of the Gentiles and particularly directed to that of Rome wherein the Apostle bids her beware of High-mindedness as if he had foreseen what would be her ruine makes it clear to me That her standing was not assured to her less-conditionally than that of the Temple of Hierusalem whereof it was said 2 Chron. 33. 4. 7. The Lord would dwell for ever in it as in Psal. 132. 14. This is my Rest for ever here will I dwell When did the great Disposer of all things devest himself of that Prerogative whereby he usually punisheth the sins of any Nation by removing his Candlestick from thence Doth not the very appellation of Catholick given to the Gospel Church in opposition to that Administration whereby it was confined within the Pale of the Jews Synagogue strongly intimate That all the Climates of the World are equally Gods Temple What reason I pray to terminate all the Promises at Rome If you will argue as I know those of that Communion do from the words of our Saviour to St. Peter Thou art Peter and upon this Rock c. This Quaere will arise Whether the Promise relate to Peter's preceding words which had newly poynted out the Chief Corner Stone Or whether the Design of it were to fasten an Infallibility of Judgment not only upon Peter but to convey it even to his Heirs and Successors till the end of time It
says it for they do deceive their hearers and therefore Paul silenced them though they spake truth Acts 16. 18. lest taking occasion from thence they might mingle false things again with those truths and get credit And in another place If this once were setled in mens minds that many of those that are departed did come again to us for this cause God has shut up the doors and doth not suffer any of the deceased to return lest he taking occasion from thence should bring in all his own Devices Who can digest such Relations as are made of St. Theclae that she may be yearly seen driving a Fiery Chariot c Such was the pleasantness of Dalisandus Scituation as both she in that and other Saints deceased rejoyced much in the like solitary places That she was after her Death much delighted with Oratory and Poetry rewarding Alipius a Grammarian for aptly answering her in a Verse of Homer which seemed to ascribe to her an all-discerning and universal knowledge with the present cure of his desperate sickness Can these be lookt at any otherwise than as the froth of an idle brain writ on purpose to help forward those superstitions whereof the Pope has since made very advantagious uses The Primate of Ireland hath evidenced how clear the first Ages of the Church were herein by what steps the errors received growth and how much and how long the difference was betwixt the former even when declining times and the stupendious height the Romanists now have flown to in these later days When Bonaventure in his Psalter amongst his works printed at Rome Anno 1588. could think it reasonable where David advances the honour of our Lord to turn all by a simple conversion indeed unto the honour of our Lady Out of which I thought to have given you a long bead-rowel but this Letter having out-grown my first purposes I 'l only call out some of the most notorious expressions We will begin with the first Blessed is the man that loveth thy Name O Virgin Mary thy Grace shall comfort his Soul Judge me Lady for I have not departed from mine innocencie but because I will trust in thee I shall not be weakned Blessed are they whose hearts do love thee O Virgin Mary their sins by thee shall be mercifully washed away Have mercy upon me O Lady who art called the Mother of Mercie and according to the Bowels of thy mercie cleanse me from all mine iniquity Lady the Gentiles are come into the Inheritance of God whom thou by thy Merits hast confederated unto Christ. God is the Lord of revenges but thou the Mother of mercie dost bow him to take pitty And what will you say to him that quotes the places in your own Authors which affirm that the blessed Virgin appear'd twice in the place of two Nuns the fruit of whose wantonness would not suffer them to endure the probation 'T is Dr. Du Moulin in his Accomplishment of Prophecies Till you disprove him suffer me to stand amazed at so prodigious a relation If here be not enough to fright away your affection I shall think that Religious love is blinder than we use to term Carnal LETTER V. WHat hath been said as to the Invocation of Saints will necessarily lead us on to make some Enquiries into the lawfulness of the Adoration of Images a Practice which seeing it is every where spoken against in the Old Testament and has not so much as one syllable to countenance it in the New we may justly wonder how it could gain so much ground even as to set a foot on in the Christian Church especially since the ancient Champions and Defenders of the Faith did so strenuously oppose it When Adrian the Emperour had commanded that Temples should be made in all Cities without Images it was presently conceived he did prepare those Temples for Christ as the Primate of Ireland noteth out of AElius Lamprid. in the life of Severus which is an Evidence That it was not the use of Christians in those days to have Images in their Churches And soon after in the time of the great Constantine the voice of a whole Council that of Illiberis in Spain decries them which hath so troubled the Minds of our late Romanists that Melchior Canus sticks not to charge them not only with Imprudence but also with Impiety for making such a Law as this Ambrose in his Epistles to Valentinian tells him and us That God would not have himself worshipped in Stones In another place That the Church knoweth no vain Idaeas nor divers figures of Images but the true Substance of the Trinity What Amphilochius said to this purpose is memorable We have no care to figure by Colours the Visages of the Saints in tables because we have no need of such things c. What Epiphanius did more remarkable take it in his own words I found there viz. in the Church of Anablatha a Veil hanging in the door dyed and painted having the Image as it were of Christ or some Saints for I do not well remember whose Image it was When therefore I saw this that contrary to the authority of the Scriptures the Image of a Man was hanged up in the Church of Christ I cut it and gave counsel to the Keeper of the Place that they should rather wrap or bury some dead man in it And afterwards he entreats the Bishop under whose government that Church was that no such Veils might be suffered That we may not leave Epiphanius alone let us joyn to him Serenus Bishop of Marseiles who brake down the Images in his Church because he found they drew the People to Idolatry and then view the fierce Contentions that arose about this matter Three hundred thirty and eight Prelates at Constantinople solemnly condemning all Image Worship anno 754. And about Thirty three years after something more in Number that advanced it at Nice though to the dissatisfaction of the best part of the Christian World as was demonstrated by the Resolutions of the Council at Franck ford An. 794. In France the Doctors declared as much An. 824. as our English had before done We cannot here sufficiently wonder at the frontless impudence of that double Renegado Mar. Anton. de Dominis aliàs the Bishop of Spalato who would bear the World in hand that the Christian Church even the most ancient the whole and the universal without any opposition or contradiction did with wonderful Consent worship Images By many passages as well as this you may if you please or to speak better and more near the Truth of the Case for it 's a strange slavish Credulity under which the Church of Rome would yoke up her Disciples if you dare easily see they care not with how many Untruths they temper the Lime wherein they mean to catch their deceived Proselytes If yet you will plead for the use of Images as not Worshiping them but God or the
the Word of Truth but some believe others do contradict Therefore these have a will to believe the others have not Who is ignorant of this who would deny it But seeing the Will is to some prepared by the Lord to others not We are to discern what doth proceed from his Mercie and what from his judgement That which Israel did seek saith the Apostle he obtained not but the Election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded Behold Mercy and Judgement Mercie in the Election which hath obtained Righteousness of God but judgement upon the rest that were blinded because they would not did not believe Mercy therefore and Judgement were executed even upon the wills themselves Thus far he But because a verse may take him that has not patience for a long discourse hear Prosper astipulating this Truth That God powerfully leads Man in the first Act of Conversion Non hoc Consilio tantùm hortatúque benigno Suadens atque docens quasi norman legis haberet Gratia sed mutans intus mentem atque reformans Vásque novum ex fracto fingens virtute Creandi Till I considered upon what foundation the Doctrine of Perseverance was built and with how many Cautions it is strongly impaled I was as forward as any to cry out There was by it an open gap made for men to leap out at and beyond the bounds of that fear and trembling with which we are exhorted to work out our Salvation But when I found that there were many Cases wherein a Christian must needs lye down in darkness sorrow and despair too notwithstanding all the sparks of Comfort which can any way arise from the Collision of his own thoughts with his greatest measure of Charity and Obedience or from any support offered from a weaker arm than that of the Almighty And especially when I find so many places in the Word of Truth to countenance it I am almost induced to make a Question whether he that questions the Truth of this Tenent did ever truly know what it means Those that may seem to make against it are either directed to whole Churches which in the future succession of Professors may fall away or do speak of common Illuminations or outward works of Righteousness To say that one may at this instant be truly a member of Christ and dying now received into Glory yet living but a while longer may drop off from that Incorporation and perish for ever hath surely in it something of Derogation from him whose Gifts and Callings are said to be without repentance Rom. 11. 29. Isai. 54. 8. John 15. 16. It 's true if the Spring-head of our Adoption were laid in our Free-will our Assurance could mount no higher than a level proportionable to that but we have this Aqua perennis this Water of Life given us to drink by one who hath annexed thereto a promise Joh. 4. 14. And whoever eateth that Manna which came down from Heaven hath eternal Life and shall be raised up at the last day John 6. 54. Here is both meat and drink prepared and fitted to become the Nutriment of an immortal Soul and in case of accidental wounds or distemper such as wherewith our common Enemy and many inbred Traytors do conspire to infest us the good Samaritan and great Physician able willing and ever at hand near to all such as call upon him can cure our imperfections heal our back-slidings and receive us graciously Why ought we not then to be perswaded that he who hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of his coming Heb. 12. 2. He is the finisher as well as the Author of our Faith and in his power onely it is that we found our confidence of being kept unto Salvation Since we are often call'd upon to examine our selves whether we are in the Faith and may know the things that are freely given us of God I cannot but wonder at those men who hold it either impossible without an extraordinary Revelation or unnecessary to discover whether a man be at any time himself in God's favour or no. Indeed the fulness of perswasion is more commended than commanded It is not absolutely necessary to the very being of a Christian but it is of great importance to his well-being It 's not an absolute Precept but a gracious privilege without it a Christian may dye well but without it he cannot dye so comfortably Neither if he seek it right can he be too covetous of it What if some vain persons by a preposterous haste never staying to take in truly those Principles whereof the Ladder is framed that should help them to ascend will yet pretend to have reach'd the top of this excellent knowledge which is too hard for the most yea scarce atteined by any but after long experiences of the ways of God if such will needs perish in because they are no better than players with these flames Shall for this the Doctrine of the Saints perseverance be thought criminal without which I cannot see how in certain cases and exigencies any Balm can be found that 's likely to heal a wounded Conscience Every one that has been present at the pressing of this Point might hear the Preacher say In seeking after the Grace of Assurance you must not begin where God begins but where God ends you must not begin at the root to find the branch but by the branch and fruit to descry the root you must not at first dash eye Gods Decree in Predestination but through Regeneration take view of and judge your interest The truth is He that will not believe until he reads Gods Decree in Heaven must never look for any assurance of Heaven here nor fruition of it hereafter It 's more possible for the Sun to co-habit with undissolved Ice than for true Faith to lodge in an heart hardned to sin Every right Believer applies Christ to himself and himself to Christ the Promises to himself and himself to the Condition of those Promises If thy hearing of free-Justification by Christ Rom. 3. 24. of Gods good pleasure to give thee a Kingdom and of his promise to keep thee by his power through Faith unto Salvation 2 Thess. 2. 13. make thee not to stand in awe and not sin because his Mercy is great thou hast not yet either part or share in any of them But if upon good and infallible grounds thou hast arrived at the blessed knowledge that God in Christ is at peace with thee yet take heed of slipping into sin or growing careless of duty lest he hide the light of his Countenance withdraw from thee the Testimony of his Spirit that main part of thine evidence and leave thee to roar day and night for the very disquietness of thy Soul till thou becomest like a Pelican in the Wilderness or an Owl in the Desert If such a Night of Desertion come if a dark cloud be quite drawn over thy
Rome who neither know the Truth nor can endure to be taught it If this be the case and I were to chuse a Religion I do seriously think I might close in with any now upon the face of the earth that does not in plain Terms deny the Lord who bought us less timorously than with Rome I am somewhat confident and do hold it for a great Truth which I speak neither timorously nor temerariously That the Arrian Heresie and the Turkish Arms which pull'd all other things where they came down lifted up the Pope by accident and Divine Permission into his Chair For the Eastern Prelates and men of Eminency being under persecutions at home had a safe retreit into the West And therefore made that Patriarch their Asylum In order to which or by way of gratitude for benefits received they often made the frame of their addressive Epistles to consist of complemental Elogies these being no more than what the kindness and hospitality wherewith they had been entertained did seem to deserve were yet due only to the Persons then sitting at the Stern nor farther intended But afterwards cunningly made use of and represented to the Credulous World for the Popes Advantage One Observation more and I have done The Church of Rome or at least her darling Sons the Jesuites will have the Pomise of Christ That the holy Spirit shall lead his People into all Truth to be suspended unto that very Moment wherein their Bishop shall assent to the Results of a Council and the performance to depend on this Contingency amongst a many more whether he will at all confirm them or no Then at last they judge them infallible when the Pope either present or absent signifies his pleasure so to declare them Well! But Liberius as above hinted himself confirmed the Arrian Conclusions of the Council at Sermium And the Pope had his Deputies at Basil and Constance those Decrees were confirmed by the Apostolick Letters of Eugenius Yet I suppose few Romanists will grant these were infallible And I think we may continue our Opinion upon good ground That the Roman Bishop's Vote is but a sandy Foundation to build our Faith upon I shall last of all request you not to refuse your joyning with me in those Words of our and I think too of your Liturgy That Almighty God will Grant All who Confess his holy Name may agree in the Truth of his holy Word and Zion become a quiet Habitation FINIS To the most Reverend the right Reverend Prelates and all the Learned Clergie in this Kingdom THat I have without a word of command presum'd to engage in this war-fare requires I confess a submiss Apologie but since I go upon that general Precept which bids us be ready to give a reason of our faith and it is as importunately demanded now as if never any thing had been done by your worthy Predecessors for the Protestant Cause I will not despair of Pardon There may be need I fear not onely of the Chariots and Horse-men but of the Infantry too amongst whom he desires but to trail a Pike who is Your just Adorer and humble servant Christopher Wyvill FINIS Rom. 11. 20. Mr. Reynolds upon the 110. Psal. Morney Lord du Plessys The saine du Plessys Lib. 2. de Trinitate Lib. sexto Gregory on the 5. Penitent Psal. Vid. the Primate of Ireland's Answer to a Jesuit's Challenge In Sacriloquio quando in singulari numero fundamentum dicitur Nullus alius nisi Christus designatur Greg. lib. 28. in Cap. Josuae 6. Gal. 2. 7. The Jews and such as were Circumcised Vide Bunting his Itinerarie in the Travels of St. Peter Jesuites and their followers * Europe for more than 40. years was almost equally divided in their judgments as well as in cruel hatred one part against the other about the Right of Clement and Urbane 6. to the Infallible Chair The Authors of France painted to the life pag. 16. * For if ordinary Priests could do such things what submissions could be thought enough towards the supreme Bishop as Men were then learning to call him Ep. fol. 885. Fol. 859. A further strange Instance of this I shall hereafter give you Doctor Chalanours Unde Zir. in a The Primate of Ireland lib. citato has their names Chalanours Credo Eccles. pag. 215. Primate of Ireland as before Strongly disputed every way as may be seen in Bellarmine de Concil Eccles Milit. Yet he boldly resolves all by the Determinations of Trent Eugenius was deposed by a General Council and it was declared impossible for those to be saved that held him Pope Yet he continued in by force and from him is the so much vaunted of Succession Baxter's Winding sheet pag. 10. Sundry General Councils obtruded Arianism upon the World and Liberius Bishop of Rome confirmed it Davenant de Judice Normâ Fidei cap. 21. fol. 125. The calling of Councils formerly was the right of the Emperour undeniably now usurped by the Pope That he had no such universal Dominion may strongly be proved out of Sir Roger Twisden's Vindication of the Church of England cap. 2. By the Abbot of Bangor's Reply to Augustin the Monk who demanded their obedience Gelasius the Pope said The Sacrament without the Cup is a grand Sacrilege but half Communion What means the present bussle in France betwixt the Jansenists and Jesuits about Efficacious grace and the next power Bernard of Clareval de Grat. liber Arbitr Theodoret in Sophon cap. 3. Say not this means Natural works only for the contrary is evident Hom. Paschal 4. Annot. upon 2 Tim. 4 8. Upon 1 Cor. 3. 8. * With them it is nothing else but an Ability to perform in our own persons after we have received to believe the Word of God such obedience to the Law as for that we become righteous and deserve by equal Compensation the Kingdom of Heaven Mr. Allen. Justifying Faith is When a man does practically believe the two great Doctrines of Justification and Sanctification Paul the Apostle in the terms of toward God Repentance and Faith toward Christ clearly points out this Office of Faith Acts 20. 21. It 's strange how those that hold a Treasury of Saints Merits can term our Doctrine of Imputation an empty Speculation For Is there a Communion of the Members one with another and not with the Head Bearing by Imputation and no otherwise the Iniquities of us all Finis Legis Christus omni Credenti Bernard ad Innoc. 190. Davenant de Justitia habituali fol. 373. Davenant ut supra cap. 28. How insincerely the the Rhemists do render this place see in Dr. Fulk De Justifie lib. 5. cap. 17. The Arguments are good against all Works Upon Ezech. 18. 20. Progeny of Cathol c. lib. 2. cap. 21. pag. 86. Lib. 2. de Monach. cap. 13. Rom. 8. 4. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Bernard de Verb. Esa. Serm. 4. In his Com. Disp. 214. cited by the Primate of Ireland ut