the many excellent and heauenly graces wherewith the spirit of God beautifieth and enricheth the hearts of his Elect there is no one of more either necessity vnto saluation or importance for comfort and consolation then that of Iustifying Faith For as by the first Act of this faith our Iustification before God our peace with God our incorporation into the mysticall body of Christ Iesus our conuersion vnto God are first wrought and effected so by the consequent continued Acts of the same Fayth are wee being fallen dayly renewed and from both totall and finall falling away safely preserued and maintained This cōsidered me-thinkes no time can be better employed nor no paines more profitably taken then in the quest and enquiry of the true nature and definition of Iustifying Fayth And although I cannot deny but hee may haue fayth who cannot like a Logician define it and may haue the benefit of Iustification by it who cannot distinguinsh the nature of it yet this withall I boldly auerre that the ignorance hereof or a confused and indistinct apprehension of it disableth vs both from giuing and taking direct and euident comfort from it whereas a cleare and distinct knowledge thereof is able to satisfie and replenish with comfort any distressed or afflicted conscience For this cause haue I vndertaken so briefly and perspicuously as I can to set downe my opinion of the definition of Fayth perswading my selfe I doe not endeauouring at leastwise not to swarue from the wholesome doctrine of Christ and Gods word From the writings and doctrine of most learned and worthy Diuines peraduenture it doth and indeed it doth vary to whom although as farre farre inferior I owe all respect reuerence yet being Gods freeman I cannot endure to bee mans bond-man and sweare to all they say One Paphnutius sometime in the matter of Priests marriage preuailed against a whole Counsell of most learned and godly Bishops Socrat. l. 1. c. 8. and young Elihu may speake more oportunely pertinently then they that are much his Ancients Therefore as Nisus sayth in Virgill Neque hac nostris spectentur ab annis Aeneid l. 9. looke not how greene or how gray his head be that speaketh but let the touch of truth try all and what by it shall appeare to be base and counterfait refuse and reiect that which shall be found true and sound approue and embrace And that preiudice too strongly possesse thee not take my protestation that I neuer haue entertained this opinion rashly and inconsiderately but vpon mature aduise and deliberation nor broach it vpon a preposterous humour of nouelty or ambition to build vp mine owne credit existimation by the ruine and disparagement of so great Diuines for this were Subulâ leonem excipere to encounter a Lion with a bodkin as it is in the Prouerbe but vpon a sincere affection and desire to minister solid and found consolation to despayring and perplexed minds which as after shall appeare vpon this foundation may most firmely be raised And now trusting what I say shall be weighed in the ballance not of preiudice but vpright iudgement I leaue to preface any farther and come directly to the purprose Because I purpose not to raise my building very high I meane not to lay my foundation very deepe therefore neither will I play the Phylologer in shewing the diuers vses and acceptations of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Fides id est Faith or quote Ciceros Fiat quod dictum est or St. Augustines Fac quod dicis Offic. l. 1. to doe as a man sayes for the notation of Faith neither will I play the Phylosopher in discoursing of Physicall or Morall or Ciuill Faith wherein it were easie to wast much oile and paper nor lastly will I speake of that Theologicall Faith called Miraculous either in Agent or Patient which I take to bee none other then a diuine instinct for the working of a Miracle For albeit they who at the last day shall say Lord in thy name haue we not cast out Diuels may seeme to haue trusted in Miraculous Faith for Iustification Mat. 7.22.23 and acknowledgement of Christ yet notwithstanding neuer any controuersie about it hath exercised the Church of God To deferre your expectations therefore no farther three Faiths there seeme to be which lay claime and title to the priuiledge of justification giue me leaue to distinguish and denominate them according to their Obiects neither be offended if I handle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and giue new termes to old matters The first is Fides Historiae Historicall Faith which is an Assent of the mind vnto the truth of Gods word and specially the Gospell And this Faith whether it be according to the distinction of the Scoolemen Acquisite gotten by much hearing and experience without illumination or infused and reuealed by the spirit of illumination it hath no interest in the matter of Iustification For besides that it is absurd that so generall a Knowledge should iustify Acquisit Faith the Diuels haue according to that of St Iames Iam. 2. 19. The Diuels beleeue tremble Infused faith the Reprobates may haue as Balaam Iudas Magus Now the Scripture is plaine that justifying faith is propper and peculiar vnto the Elect and therefore Historicall faith cannot justifie The second is Fides Promissionum Faith of promises which is a Perswasion or Assurance that the promises of God made in Christ to wit Iustification Remission of sinnes Adoption Regeneration and finally Election it selfe and eternall Saluation doe particularly pertaine to me and are mine Now this although I deny not but in Scripture it is called faith and that euery Saint of God both may and ought to haue this particular perswasion and Assurance yet this I confidently deny that this perswasion is that which justifies a man before God and my reasons are these 1. If this were justifying Faith then whosoeuer liues and dyes without this particular Assurance he cannot be saued Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God But a man may be saued without it I instance in those our Brethren of Germanie who hold that faith may finally and totally fall away and consequently that there can be no certainty of Saluation whom yet the Church of God calleth and counteth brethren and it were vncharitable to censure of them otherwise Therefore or at leastwise probably Faith is not an Assurance 2. That which is in time after Iustifying Faith cannot be that faith This is vndeniable But this particular knowledge is in time after faith This I proue out of 1. Ioh. 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 Behold Beleeuing goes before and Knowledge comes after as for that which followeth in the same verse and that yee may beleeue I interpret it of Perseuerance growth in Faith Howsoeuer beleeuing Knowing are distinguished and
vs see what you reioyne hereunto First you say I beg the matter in Question What matter that Historicall Faith is a generall knowledge but neither is that the matter now in Question neither doe I any way beg it For in this Syllogisme the Question is whether Historicall Faith doe iustify of your Question there appeares nor palme nor footstep which yet in the former section against your negatiue I haue proued to bee most true That which you adde if it bee not senselesse is contrary both to your selfe and vnto reason For saying that Historicall Faith is proper and speciall vnto the Elect in the beginning of their iustifying Faith you plainely distinguish it from iustifying Faith which is contrary to what you haue elsewhere said If you still confound them and make Historicall Faith the beginning of Iustifying Faith it is as if you should say the beginning of iustifying Faith is speciall and peculiar vnto the Elect in the beginning of their iustifying Faith which is altogether witlesse and senselesse Lastly to say that Historicall Faith which before was Generall and common as soone as it is conioyned with application and Resting on Christ becomes speciall and peculiar is vtterly void of reason For as Grace superadded vnto Nature in the Elect makes not Nature speciall and peculiar vnto them but that still it remaines common vnto all men so also Historicall Faith by accession of Iustifying Faith or Affiance changeth not its nature and becomes Speciall but as it was euermore continues Generall Generall I say both Obiectiuely as stretching it selfe vnto all supernaturall reuealed verities and Subiectiuely not being appropriated vnto the Elect onely but commonly incident vnto others also Secondly you deny the Minor telling mee plainely that it is ridiculous yea blasphemous to say that Diuels haue Faith or that euer Balaam Iudas or Magus had Faith If I should now temper my inke with some sharper ingredient and in the zeale of my affection say vnto you as the Angell sometime said vnto Satan Iude 9. The Lord rebuke thee it were no more then here you iustly deserue For it is not holy and learned men alone which yet were too impudent but euen the spirit of Wisdome and truth himselfe whom I tremble to speake it you charge with ridiculousnes and blasphemie For doth not the Holy Ghost by Saint Iames in expresse tearmes say The Diuels belieue and tremble and by Saint Luke Then Simon himselfe also belieued Iam. 2.19 Act. 8.13 and did not Balaam prophecying of Christ and Iudas preaching Christ assent vnto those truths wherewith they were illuminated And what Orthodoxe Diuine is there ancient or moderne who falling vpon this question doth not acknowledge that Diuels and Reprobates doe Historically belieue De vnico Bapt. cont Petil. c. 10. Saint Augustine is bold and compareth the Faith of Diuels confessing Christ Wee know thee who thou art euen the Sonne of God with that memorable confession of Peter Thou art the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God This confession saith hee was fruitfull vnto Peter but pernicious vnto the Diuels yet in both not false but true not to bee denied but acknowledged not to bee detested but approued And a little after hauing vouched that of Saint Iames the Diuels belieue and tremble and compared therewith the Faith of those who belieue the truth of God but liue wickedly Behold saith hee Wee haue found out of the Church not onely certaine men but Diuels also confessing the same Faith of one God yet both confirmed by the Apostles rather then denied Of the same iudgement are our latter writers That Faith is attributed to Simon Magus Inst lib. 3. ca. 2. §. 10. saith Caluin We vnderstand not with some that hee fained in words a Faith which was not in his heart but thinke rather that being ouercome by the Maiesty of the Gospell hee did in a sort belieue and acknowledge Christ to be the Author of Life and Saluation Simon saith Beza In Act. 8.13 On the Creed Ans to Rhem. T. in Iam. 2.6 belieued with Historicall Faith Historicall Faith saith Perkins is in the Diuell and his Angels Such a Faith saith Fulke as is in Diuels namely an acknowledging that there is one God and so likewise of all the rest of the Articles of Faith to bee true without trust or confidence in God Finally the whole Church of Auspurg Whereas Saint Iames saith Harm Confess the Diuels belieue and tremble hee speaketh of an Historicall Faith Now this Faith doth not iustifie for the Diuels and the wicked are cunning in the History Which last words I would wish you to note and obserue For if Historicall Faith bee no other then an assent of the Mind vnto the truth of Gods Word then Diuels and Reprobates so assenting yea being cunning in the Story must needs haue Historicall Faith Adde hereunto that if they doe not so much as Historically belieue then the sinnes which they commit against the Gospell are onely sinnes of ignorance and not against knowledge neither can they offend of malice or fall into that vnpardonable sinne which is against the Holy Ghost Mat. 12.32 Neither lastly can any bee said to haue made shipwracke of Faith which yet the Scripture saith some haue done 1 Tim. 1.19 vnlesse perhaps you will say a man may make shipwracke of that which hee neuer had So that now if I haue spoken ridiculously and blasphemously as you say you see what Schoolemasters haue deceiued me and vpon what reasons I haue been drawne into this folly and impiety or rather the world sees what folly it is in you thus against all reason to impute blasphemy and ridiculousnesse vnto the truth of God and the most glorious preachers and defenders thereof Yet Caluin you say telleth mee it is ridiculous to say that Diuels haue Faith and it is plaine that this whole disputation Iam. 2. is not about Faith But is it possible that Caluin should striue against the torrent of so maine authority or like the Philosopher of whom Aristotle speaketh forget his owne voice and vnsay that which he had formerly said Certainly if you wil giue him leaue to bee the interpreter of his owne meaning you shall find hee doth not For when hee denieth that Diuels haue Faith and that Saint Iames there disputeth of Faith hee vnderstandeth not Faith indefinitely but particularly iustifying Faith This is euident by his annotation on the twentieth verse In Iam. 2.20 Here saith hee is no disputation of the cause of Iustification whereby what other can hee meane then Iustifying Faith And when hee saith the dispute is not about Faith hee addeth forthwith but of a vulgar knowledge which conioyneth a man to God no more then the sight of the Sunne lifts him to Heauen Now what is that Faith which vnites vs vnto God but onely Iustifying Faith and what is this vulgar knowledge other then Historicall Faith by which the eye of the mind sees diuine truth
number of those wherein because wee all know many things but in part wee may vary in iudgement and yet the foundation of orthodoxall Faith stand safe But you take it I meane de adultis and as I haue said you doe not mistake mee and therefore you deny my Minor which when you say I proue by an instance and six reasons it seemes you passed ouer my reasons perfunctorily and without attention or cared not to let drop of your pen at aduenture whatsoeuer came next to head For I proue the Minor by one instance onely and the arguments following are no more but fiue and conclude not the Minor but the maine Question to wit that Assurance doth not iustify The instance is this Treatise I instance in those our Brethren of Germany who hold that Faith may totally and finally fall away and consequently that there can bee no certainty of Saluation whom yet the Church of God calleth and counteth Brethren and it were vncharitable to censure of them otherwise Therefore or at leastwise probable Faith is not an Assurance N. B. Whatsoeuer our Brethren of Germany hold is true but they hold that a man may be saued without this Faith Therefore this position is true O hominis acumen argumentum lepidum What mood and figure I pray you was this Syllogisme borne in But proue your Maior for we haue learned Christ otherwise then to tie our Faith vnto the opinions of any one particular Church Yea this argument sauoureth mightily of Popery which I thought you had beene as far from as I know you are in this point from Christs verity and Christian vnity For why I pray you might I reason thus as you doe to proue that works doe iustify a man before God and merit eternall life The Church of Rome holdeth so Ergo the Position is true Ob. But you will say they are no Brethren A. I answer they bee the Church of God if wee belieue M. Caluin and M. Bunny citing this place Antichrist sitteth in the temple of God Ep. Tract of Pacif But hee sitteth at Rome Therefore Rome is the temple of God But I pray you let vs not bee bound to defend the errors of our Brethren neither too hasty to discouer them And that this opinion is an error let the whole course of the Scripture declare Darij Darij Whosoeuer liueth byaboue4 Faithaboue5 liuethaboue3 foraboue1 eueraboue2 But the Saints of God liue for euer Therefore they liue by Faith for euer All the gifts of God be without repentance Faith is the gift of God Therefore without repentance That which continueth vnto the end and is made perfect cannot finally fall alway Perficiet vsque ad finem bonum Phil. 2. Fides est opus Dei Ioh. 6. Ambr. 2. Cor. 6. Aug. in Ioh. Tract 106. col 513. But Faith continueth vnto the end and is made perfect Therefore it cannot finally fall away See what the Fathers say Neque fides vera est si non sit perpetua sed possit deficere Neither is Faith true Faith except it bee perpetuall and cannot fall away Credere verè est credere inconcussè firmè stabiliter fortiter To belieue truly is to belieue without wauering firmely stedfastly and strongly I. D. There is a little triobolar pamphlet commonly called Baxters Logicke the Authour whereof I thinke you esteeme as skilfull in that Art as euer was Zeno or Aristotle himselfe Though I could neuer find in my heart to loose an houre or twaine in perusing it yet I perswade my selfe no man can better resolue you in what mood and figure this Syllogisme was borne But if not satisfied herewith you will needs know my opinion also thus I thinke without all figure it was borne in a peeuish mood For it is farre from my thought and purpose to maintaine that Whatsoeuer our Brethren of Germany hold is true or that Faith once infused can either finally or totally fall away and if you were not either desperately impudent or brutishly ignorant you would not so haue forced my words and obtruded such vnreasonable reasons vpon mee For thus I argue Our Brethren of Germany may bee saued yet they haue not this Assurance Ergo some that haue not this Assurance may bee saued The Maior is grounded vpon the iudgement of Charity and the censure of Gods Church calling and counting them Brethren Such is the iudgement of Beza Sadeel Iewel Epist 2. ad Dudith Posnan Assert conf in notà vnitatis In Apol. and Defence of Apol. De Eccles q. 5. c. 8. In thesi 5. On the Creed Whitaker Reinolds Perkins and whosoeuer is borne within the temperate zone of Christian loue and not vnder the burning region of intemperate zeale or frozen climate of vncharitablenesse The Minor is thus proued because they hold that Faith may finally and totally fall away For whether this Position bee true or false is not materiall in this place onely if they hold so as questionlesse they doe then can they not bee assured which is my Assumption For to bee certaine of Saluation and in possibility of damnation are incompatible and cannot stand together These things being so to what end take you so much paines to shew that it is not alwayes true which some one Church holdeth troubling the Reader with your needlesse Obs and Sols and why doe you alledge so many Scriptures to proue that Faith cannot faile a truth I neuer doubted of For herein you doe but plow the Sea-shore and let flie at Sempronius when it was Titius that strake you Neither is it a matter of any hardnesse or difficulty to refell the most of your arguments if I would spend time and oyle about it for like a bungling work-man you haue marred a good cause with ill handling For example to giue you a little tast of your weaknes this way that wee are not to tie our Faith vnto the opinions of any particular Church you proue because the contrary sauoureth mightily of Popery And yet Popery teacheth not that a particular Church cannot erre nay doth not define that the particular Church of Rome cannot erre but only alloweth that priuiledge vnto the Catholicke or Vniuersall Church Againe to proue that Faith cannot finally or totally fall away thus you reason Whosoeuer liueth for euer liueth by Faith But the Saints of God liue for euer Therefore they liue by Faith for euer May I not now in requitall of your scoffing exclamation crie out O hominem obtusum argumentum stupidum For first you conclude that the Saints liue by Faith which is not the point in question Secondly you haue one tearme in the Conclusion not found in the premisses namely liue by Faith for euer and so your Syllogisme is a meere Paralogisme Lastly if to perfect vp the Syllogisme you vnderstand the Maior Proposition thus Whosoeuer liueth for euer liueth by Faith for euer then doe I flatly deny it for they that liue for euer liue onely in this life by Faith
man would much more will God performe his Word and Couenant although the seale be not set thereunto But if it may bee had there is Necessitas praecepti a necessity laid by Gods commandement vpon all those that are Filij praecepti the Sonnes of the commandement Those Sonnes all men are when they are grown to be Adulti and therefore if then they neglect to be baptized they deserue for their contempt to bee cut off and to bee eternally condemned But Infants while such are none of these Sonnes as being both vncapable of the precept and vnable to offer themselues vnto the Sacrament whence followeth that the commandement taketh hold onely of the Parents and those that haue the care of them So that although the Child dying vnbaptized may bee free from danger yet those that neglect to present him vnto Baptisme shall bee damned for breach of Gods commandement Leâ— Parents therefore by all meanes bee carefull to performe this duty and if by reason of weakenesse or some other impediment it cannot bee done publickely rather then left vndone let it bee done priuatly Wise men and amongst the rest M. Caluin would haue it so yea the Church of England requireth it prescribing a forme of Priuate Baptisme in case of necessity and commanding that what is priuatly done be by the Minister publickely made knowne in the Congregation An order heretofore too much neglected God grant henceforward it may be better obserued Finally and lastly seeing euery one that is Adultus must of necessity haue a Faith of his owne first it is the duty of Parents by all meanes to worke Faith in their Children when they are capable thereof that as they haue beene instruments to traduce Originall sinne vnto them to their perdition so they may againe repaire in them the image of God to their eternall saluation Secondly let euery one looke to himselfe and see that hee haue Faith for it is in vaine to trust to the Faith of another The righteousnesse of Christ indeed is a cloke large enough to couer the sinnes of all men but the Faith of another man is little enough for himselfe I cannot couer my nakednesse with it They were but foolish virgins that said Giue vs of your oile for our lamps are out and fitly were they answered by the wise virgins Wee feare there will not bee enough for vs and you but goe yee rather to them that sell and buy for your selues Let Papists blaspheme and say they can supererogate and more then satisfy for their sinnes and that one man may for a price buy out of the Popes treasury the Surplus of another mans merits yet am I sure the oile of another mans lampe will not serue my turne nor procure mee fauour to enter with the bridegroome God grant me therefore wisdome euen while it is called to day to get mee oile in my owne lampe NOT CONSENT OF FATHERS BVT SCRIPTVRE THE GROVND OF FAITH Written by the occasion of a conference had with Mr. Bayly by the late Reuerend and Learned Diuine Master Iohn Downe Bachelour of Diuinity and sometimes Fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge OXFORD Printed by IOHN LICHFIELD for EDWARD FORREST Anno Domini M.DC.XXXV NOT CONSENT OF FATHERS BVT SCRIPTVRE THE GROVND OF FAITH LOVING and Reuerend M. Bayly I acknowledge my selfe much endebted vnto you both for my kind entertainment and the peaceable Conference I had with you Would you but vouchsafe to visit my poore Cottage I should readily endeauour to satisfy some part of the debt if not with like entertainment yet with equall welcome The residue I know not how better to discharge then by pursuing my first intention that is by labouring to reduce you backe into the bosome of that Church out of which with such danger to your soule scandall to the brethren and vnkindnesse to her you haue withdrawne your selfe And to this end might I haue obtained from you in writing as at our parting I entreated what those speciall Motiues were which had wrought in you this sudden change I would haue strained my selfe by writing also to haue giuen them the best satisfaction But seeing for reasons best knowne to your selfe and into which I list not further to inquire you held it not fit as then to yeeld so farre vnto mee I haue thought good for the present to reflect vpon some passages of our Conference specially that ground whereon you then stood so much and vpon which you plainely professed that you would aduenture your Faith It may please you therefore to remember that being demaunded a reason of your departure you pretended that in reading the ancient Fathers you had met with sundry Bugbeares which so scared and affrighted you that vnlesse you would resist the light of Conscience and hazard your eternall saluation you could not chuse but bee swayed by them Whereunto it being replied that happily those Bugbeares were but Scarcrowes and that you should haue taken a safer and surer course if you had resolued your Faith into Scriptures nothing being sufficient to beare vp so weighty a peece but onely diuine testimony your answer was that vpon Scripture you relyed howbeit because it is obscure and subiect to manifold constructions vpon Scripture vnderstood according to the interpretation and doctrine of the Fathers nothing doubting but that as long as you held the Faith of them whom wee verily belieue to bee saued your selfe could neuer perish through misbeliefe In which answer howsoeuer in word you seeme to attribute some force and vertue to the Scriptures yet in truth you doe but cancell them and make them of none effect For if the Scriptures lie rather in the Sense then in the Letter and the Sense by reason of the darknesse and ambiguity of them bee not to bee found in themselues but elsewhere out of them in the writings of the Fathers it followeth clearely that in your account Paul and Peter and Iames and Iohn and the other Pen-men of holy writ are no better then Cyphers vnlesse Cyrill and Ambrose and Hierome and Augustin and the rest of that ranke as digit numbers vouchsafe to adde some value and signification vnto them So that now by your fauor this must bee my taske briefly and plainely to demonstrate that hauing remoued your Faith from the authority of Scripture vpon the exposition of the Fathers you haue built quite beside the rocke and layd your foundation vpon the sand But take this protestation first that wee neither disesteeme nor despise the Fathers as by Priests and Iesuites wee are ordinarily slandered but contrarywise with all duty wee rise vp to their gray haires and reuerence their venerable antiquity Withall wee acknowledge that they were in their times excellent ornaments and lights of the Church endued not onely with singular knowledge in the mystery of Faith but also with admirable sanctity and vprightnesse of life Whereby in all their combats and bickerins with Hereticks they maintained the truth of God so wisely and couragiously
Duraeus Con. Whitel◠p. 140. The Fathers are not counted Fathers when they either write or teach of their owne and what they haue not receiued from the Church p. 1. pa. 75. And Dominicus Bannes The more part of Doctors if some few bee against them make no infallible argument in matters of Faith De iurisd p. 4. Dr Marta also The common opinion of Doctors is not to bee regarded when another contrary opinion fauoureth the power of the keyes and the iurisdiction of the Church De vorb Dei l. 3. c. 10. Likewise Bellarmine The Fathers expound the Scriptures not as Iudges but as Doctors now not to this but that authority is required And De conc In expounding the Scripture the Catholike Church doth not alway and in all things follow the Fathers The writings of the Fathers are no rules and haue no authority to bind vs. In Rom. 14. Finally Tom teltroth Cornelius Mus To speake freely I would yeeld more credence to one chiefe Bishop in those things which concerne the mysteries of Faith then a thousand Augustins Hieromes or Gregories And thus as a right learned writer saith Reinol Conf. c. 2. d. 2. you vse the Fathers as Marchants are wont to vse their counters Sometime they stand with you for pence sometime for pounds as they bee next and readiest at hand to make vp your accounts So that I cannot but maruell how you dare to make that the ground of your Faith which the learnedst of your side so ordinarily reiect as an vnsure foundation to build vpon Shall I tell you M. Bayly you haue been fouly gulled and beguiled by your new Masters For notwithstanding all this faire pretence of Fathers yet in the end not Consent of Fathers but the authority of the present Church must bee your surest anchorhold So saith Gregory de Valentia a man well seene in the Romish mysteries Tom. in Thom. 3. d. 1. q. 1. p. 7. §. 3. De Sacram. l. 2. c. 25. Neither the holy Scripture nor yet tradition alone if yee separate from it the present authority in the Church is that infallible authority and mistresse of Faith So Bellarmine also The firmity of all ancient Councels and Doctrines depends vpon the authority of the present Church And this reason they render because without the authority of the present Church yee can neuer haue infallible certainty either of Scripture or Councels or Traditions which they bee or what is the true meaning of them So that now you must of force remoue your Faith from the ancient Fathers and rest it vpon the present Church But what are you now more safe then you were before Neuer a whit vnlesse you may further bee resolued what is the present Church For it is taken three seuerall wayes by you and is either the Church essentiall consisting of all Catholicks whatsoeuer Prier in Luth. tom 1. fund ◠or Representatiue of Bishops in a Coūcell or Virtuall the Pope who is head of the Church Now which of these three must you pitch vpon The first So say some But the most part of this Church is the Vulgar who are not comprehensiue of those matters which are controuerted neither is it possible for you to gather the voices of such a diuided and dispersed body Others therefore direct you to the second But what to a Councell with the Pope or without the Pope For here is such confusion of tongues and part taking of each side that I feare you will hardly find any rest for the sole of your foote this way Howbeit if the most voices of the new cut now adayes may sway it not a Councell without the Pope but the Pope whether with a Councell or without it it mattereth not much Tom. 3. p. 24. must bee the iudge and ground of Faith In this question saith Gregory de Valentia by the Church wee meant the Roman Bishops in whom resides the full authority of the Church when hee pleases to determine matters of Faith whether hee doe it with a Councell or without And Greiser Def. Bellarm. 10. 1. p. 1450. b. when wee affirme the Church to bee iudge of all controuersies of Faith by the Church wee vnderstand the B. of Rome who for the time being gouernes the ship of the militant Church And Albertin I say that besides the first verity there is an infallible rule liuing and endued with reason such as is the Church and this rule liuing and endued with reason is the chiefe B. of Rome So that Tom. 1. dis 44. Sect. 1. the Popes determination is the truth saith Suares and were it contrary to the sayings of all the Saints yet were it to bee preferred afore them nay if an Angell from Heauen were opposed against him the Popes determination were to bee preferred By all which you see that as you haue once already remoued your Faith from the ancient Fathers to your Mother the present Church so must you bee faine now againe to remoue it from your mother the present Church vnto your holy Father the present Pope But besides that it is altogether vnprobable that the Spirit of Truth should bee chained vnto the chaire of those men who many of them haue beene monsters rather then men and not only Heretiks but very Atheists and Infidels I would willingly learne why the Pope is so seldome in the humour to decide controuersies Why haue wee not from him an exact Commentary on the Bible that wee need no longer stand in doubt of the meaning thereof And why doth hee not stint the deadly fo-hood that now is on foot betweene the Iesuites and Dominicans But suppose hee bee both able and ready to resolue what must I trauell from England so farre as Rome for resolution and when I am arriued before him hath hee clouen tongues sitting vpon him to speake vnto mee in the language I vnderstand Or if I vnderstand him how am I assured that speaking to mee hee intendeth to teach the whole Church for otherwise hee may erre as Bellarmine shewes Innocent the eighth did De Rom. Pont. l. 4. c. 14. permitting the Norwegians to celebrate the sacrifice of the Masse without wine Shall I tell you a mystery Whatsoeuer your Priests and Iesuits prate either of Fathers or Church or Pope yet to an ordinary man who cannot of himselfe be resolued by them the authority of his Diocesan is sufficient yea and hee merits by belieuing it although what hee teach bee false This perhaps may seeme strange to you L. 3. d. 25. q. v. art 1. yet thus saith Gabriel Biel If a simple and vnlearned man heare his Prelate preach any thing contrary to the Faith thinking that what his Prelate hath so preached is belieued by the Church Instr Sacer. l. 4. c. 3. such a one not only not sinneth but by belieuing that which is false meriteth And Tolet Againe if a Countrey-man belieue his Bishop propounding some hereticall Doctrine about the
not the Faith of the Creed because we question it whether the Apostles were authors of it or no. As if to doubt of the author were to doubt of the truth of the matter or as if all those Ancients reiected the epistle to the Hebrewes for Apocryphall which were not resolued who wrote it whether Paul or Barnabas or Luke or Clemens Secondly how weaklie Popish traditions are supported by the tradition of this Creed For not being the Apostles how can it be a tradition of the Apostles or if it be a tradition of theirs yet is it such a tradition as is written contayned in Scripture and such wee willingly receiue Let them proue the rest of their pretended traditions to be such and we will readily embrace them also But returne wee to our purpose This Creed by whomsoeuer it was made is intituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Symbol the reason whereof we are now to inquire To let passe those barbarous and iocular notations which ignorant Monks haue giuen of it lest relating them I should both spend time defile my paper some deriue it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying as they say a shote or reckoning Ruff. Symb. Aug. ser de tem 115. for that the Apostles meeting together to compile it did each conferre his article as it were his symbole for defraying of this heauenly banket But first the Apostles as we haue declared neuer compiled this Creed Secondly if they compiled it yet as Antonius Nebrisensis saith Quinquag c. 40. it is neither credible nor likely that each of them conferred his particle seeing in those things that are constituted and decreed by many it is not the manner for euery one seuerally to put his word or saying into it but for all iointly to agree vpon the whole Adde hereunto that if it were so men would neuer haue diuided the Creed as they haue done some into seuen articles because of the seuen gifts of the holy ghost very many others into fourteen but onely into twelue according to the number of the Apostles who dictated each of them his article Lastly not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a shote as the learned know neither can it bee shewed to bee otherwise in any Greeke writer Indeed in Latine writers yee shall sometimes find Symbolum so vsed yet that it is found so in any skilfull Criticks impute it to the ignorance of Notaries and by the warrant of the best Manuscripts restore the Feminine Symbola into the roome thereof Others fetch it from Symbolum signifying a Pledge or token and first such a pledge whereby persons espoused bind themselues to bee faithfull and true one vnto another because likewise in our spirituall espousals with Christ as he giues vnto vs his blessed spirit as an earnest of his constant loue to vs so wee returne backe againe the profession of our faith as a firme pledge of our loyalty and subiection to him This reason caries good likelyhood and proportion with it So doth also the next when it signifieth tesseram hospitalem such a token as Cities were wont to giue vnto their friends that shewing it they might find friendly entertainment in confederate townes or such as one friend was wont to giue vnto an other to the like end Which how it fits the amitie and frienship betweene Christ vs who sees not Neuerthelesse I rather thinke it is so called from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it signifieth a watchword For the Primitiue Church seemeth much to haue beene delighted with militare terms I suppose because in Scripture Christians are so often compared vnto souldiers And hence it is that the Church is distinguished into Militant and Triumphant that Heathen are called Pagans in opposition vnto souldiers that the two mysteries of the Church are termed Sacraments a word importing that oath of obedience which souldiers take vnto their Generals In like manner may the Creed be called a Symbole because it is as a watchword by which true Orthodoxe Christians many discerne one from the other Painims Iewes Turks and Hereticks Heerwith agreeth Maximus Taurinensis Symbolum tessera est signaculum quo inter fideles perfidosque secernitur Hom. de trad Symb. the Symbole is a watchword or marke by which Faithfull and Faithles men are discerned And Ambrose De voland Virg. l. 3. Symbolum cordis signaculum est nostrae militiae sacramentum the Symbole is the seale of the heart and the sacrament of our warfare In Symb. And Ruffin Nequa doli surreptio fiat symbola discreta unusquisque dux suis militibus tradit quae Latine vel signa vel indicia nominantur ut si forte occurrerit quis de quo dubitetur interrogatus symbolum prodat si sit hostis an socius lest there should be any surreption or deceit euery captaine deliuereth vnto his Souldiers a distinct watchword that if they meet with any of whom they doubt by demanding the watchward they may discouer whether hee bee a friend or an enimy And this hee accommodateth vnto the present purpose Now seing the Gentiles were wont to giue for their watchword the names of some of their Gods Xenoph paed l. 3. 7. Pausan l. 10. Suet. Calig c. 18. as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Minerua Iupiter and the like what fitter Symbole could Christians haue then their Faith in the holy indiuiduall Trinity And thus much of the title of the Creed proceed wee yet further Besides this Creed there are diuers others verie ancient both Generall of the whole Church such as are those foure famous ones of Nice of Ephesus of Constantinople of Chalcedon and Particular either of seuerall Churches or of priuate men among which that of Athanasius is most renowned All which though in forme of words they vary yet for substance are all one there being Eph. 4.5 as S. Paul saith but vna fides one faith Neither yet was this number of Creeds needles or endles For when heresies began to encrease and preuaile the Church thought it necessary to set forth some short Confessions by which the people as by a touchstone might discerne the gold of Orthodoxe truth from the copper of errors and heresies Saith S. Hilarie Nihil mirum videri debet fratres charissimi quod tam frequenter exponi fides caeptae sint necessitatem hanc furor haereticus imponit you ought not to maruell much beloued brethren that nowadayes Creeds are so frequently set forth the fury of hereticks hath layd this necessity vpon vs. Thus against Arius denying the diuinity of Christ was the Nicene Creed framed against Macedonius and Eudoxius denying the Deity of the holy Ghost and his proceeding from the Father and the Sonne the Constantinopolitane against Nestorius denying the vnion of both natures of Christ in one person the Ephesine against Eutyches confounding both natures and swallowing vp the humane in the diuine that of Chalcedon Thus of late the reformed Churches to quit
themselues of the vniust imputations of heresie and apostasie wherewith they were charged haue beene forced sundrie times to set forth seuerall Confessions of their Faith all which or most of which are recorded in the harmonie of Confessions Scurrilous therefore is that taunt of Papists who for this cause terme vs Confessionists For what haue we done herein whereunto their slanderous criminations haue not compelled vs what whereof we haue not example from the Primiue Church Nay what whereof we haue not Gods expresse commandement 1 Pet. 3.16 charging vs to bee ready on euery occasion to render an account of the Hope that is in vs But yet among all the ancient Creeds this of the Apostles hath euer beene counted of greatest authority and ought still so to bee counted Among the ancient Creeds I say for the Scripture is peerles and equall authority with it neither may it chalenge vnto it selfe neither did any of the ancient Fathers giue it as aboue wee haue touched For although the substance and matter of the Creed be diuine and perfectly according with the Scripture yet for forme and order of words it is humane whereas the Scripture both for substance and circumstance matter and forme and all is no way humane but wholly and entirely diuine The greater the blasphemie of Rhemish Iesuites auouching this Creed to be the Rule whereby all the writings of the new Testament are to be tried In Ro. 12.6 and approued whereas contrarily the Scripture out of which the Creed is collected is the only Rule by which both it and all other Creeds are to bee examined Howbeit the second place as it is its due so we willingly yeeld vnto it First in regard of the antiquity thereof because of all other it is the eldest Secondly for the perfection and fulnes thereof there being no one article of absolute necessity vnto Saluation which is not either in expresse tearmes or impliedly and in its principles contayned therein Thirdly and lastly because it hath had the vniuersall approbation of all Churches in all times both ancient and moderne The ancient Fathers giue vnto it most honorable and magnificent titles They call it the key of Faith the rule of Faith the foundation of Faith the summe of Faith the forme of Faith the body of Faith the rule of truth the sacrament of humane saluation the mysterie of religion the character of the Church and the like On it they commented rather then on any other Creed vnto it all others were conformed so as they seeme to be but expositions of it Finally it was their manner neuer to admit any that was adultus either to the Sacrament of Baptisme or to the holy Eucharist without making confession of his Faith by rehearsing this Creed In like manner all the reformed Churches with all reuerence and duty receiue it they vse it in their publick Liturgies and expound it in their Catechismes The more malitious is the slander of Gregorie Martin and others Disc of Eng. trans c. 12. who shame not to say that we hold not the Christian Faith of the articles of the Creed Yea saith another of vs they haue no faith nor religion Tho. Wright Att. they are infidels they beleeue not the holy Catholick Church the communion of Saints the remission of sins that Christ is the sonne of God or that he descended into Hell And as if these had not yet said enough Credo Caluiniscq another opening his mouth as wide as Hel affirmeth our Creed to bee this I beleeue in the Diuell the tormentor helmighty corrupter of heauen earth And in not-Iesus-not-Christ the only stepsonne degenerate who was spoiled of his glory by the holy Ghost and borne of Mary no Virgin c. To all which I answer Increpet te Dominus the Lord rebuke thee Satan If they haue called our master Belzebub it can be no disgrace to vs to suffer the same reproch The more incredible things they charge vs withall the lesse are themselues beleeued and the more credit do wee gaine vnto our profession All what is contayned in holy writ in this Creed of the Apostles in that of Nice and Athanasius wee firmely and entirely beleeue Let Hell and Antichrist and all the brood of Papists burst with malice and enuy yet this and no other Faith do wee hold and teach A SHORT CATECHISME QVaest Who placed you here in this World Ans God the maker and Gouernour of all things Q. Wherefore did hee place you here A. To serue and glorify him Q. How will he be serued A. By doing his holy Will and Commandements Q. What Commandments hath hee giuen you A. The ten Commandements of the Morall law Q. Repeat them vnto me A. Heare Israel I am the Lord thy God which c. Q. What duties doth God require of you in this law A. Two to loue God aboue all and my neighbour as my selfe Q. Haue you done this perfectly A. No neither yet can I nor any man els Q. Why can you not A. Because all are conceiued and borne in sinne Q. How commeth that to passe A. By the fall of our first parents Q. Had you obeyed the law what had beene the reward A. Life euerlasting Q. What is the punishment of Disobedience A. Euerlasting death Q. Your case then it seemes is very miserable A. Very miserable vnlesse God bee mercifull in Iesus Christ Q. What is Iesus Christ A. The Eternall Sonne of GOD made Man Q. Wherefore was he made Man A. To die for mans sin and to reconcile him vnto GOD. Q. Are all men reconciled by him A. No but true belieuers onely Q. Who are true Belieuers A. They who by faith accept him for their only Mediatour and Sauiour Q. How is this Faith wrought A. By the preaching of the Gospell Q. What is the summe of the Gospell A. It is contained in the Apostles Creed Q. Repeat the same vnto me A. I Belieue in God the Father Almighty maker c. Q. How may we know that we haue true Faith A. By the fruites thereof Q. What are the fruites of Faith A. New Obedience and Repentance Q. What is new Obedience A. A sincere practice of holynesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of my life Q. Can you doe this perfectly A. No but if I striue vnto perfection God in grace accepteth it Q. But what if you fall into sinne againe A. I am to rise againe by speedy repentance Q. What call you repentance A. A hearty sorrow for sinne with the amendement thereof Q. You say it must bee speedy tell mee wherefore A. Because if I bee preuented by death I perish eternally Q. What is the benefit of Repentance A. Forgiuenesse of sinnes with recouery of Gods fauour Q. You haue told mee how Faith is wrought and how it may bee discerned tell me now how it must be nourished and preserued A. By the vse of the Sacraments and Prayer Q. What is a Sacrament A. A seale of the
credit of my Ministery to wipe away the slanderous aspersions and imputations of I know not what strange opinions and dangerous intentions wrongfullie if not maliciously charged vpon me lest if I dissemble them I bee thought to confesse them or to approue them if I refell them not Thirdly and lastly in regard of others and among the rest those my good friends especially who occasioned the preaching of this doctrine partly to preserue from recidiuation such as by the comfortablenesse thereof were recouered out of great distresse and partly to preuent others from falling into the like perplexitie Although therefore I denie not but that good houres bestowed vpon so bad a subiect might haue beene more profitably employed especially considering that by the violent struggling thereof against the rooke of truth it hath whollie turned it selfe into froth and hath not so much as a drop of cleere reason in it yet notwithstanding for the reasons aforesaid and that it may perfectly appeare how stedfast and vnmoued the rocke stands and how little the stormes and tempests raised against it haue preuailed vpon it I haue thought good to skim away the fome of Sophistrie wrought about it and to discouer the very ground whereon it is setled Which when I shall haue done I doubt not howsoeuer my aduersary with his tong-valiantnes and swelling words may haue made vnexperienced folke belieue that with the breath of his mouth hee is able to driue whole armies of arguments before him yet I shall approue euen to the iudgement of preiudice it selfe that whatsoeuer in this windie wordie Pamphlet he hath vented against me is vainer then vanitie it selfe And thus Christian Reader haue I at length fully acquainted thee with the whole story both of the originall and progresse of this controuersie Now it remaineth ere thou passe thy censure and sentence thereupon that thou be pleased to bestow a little paines in perusing our aduersary writings and what thou findest in them said or gainsaid diligently to examine not by the deceitfull ballance of priuate opinion but by the publicke beame of the Sanctuarie euen the Scriptures of God For mans siluer is mingled with drosse Esa 1.22 and his wine is tempered with water neither hath he receiued such a measure of the Spirit as to know all things or to be exempted from possibility of erring but God is light and in him is no darknesse 1 Ioh. 1.5 and truth is vnto him so necessary and essentiall as it is impossible hee should either deceiue or be deceiued it implying contradiction with his nature And therefore the priuilege of infallibility belonging vnto him alone to him alone belongeth also the prerogatiue of supreme iudicature so that whatsoeuer he saith is simply and absolutely to bee belieued whereas the sayings of men are by his word to be tried and determined This I say not to impeach the credit or estimation of any only I would reserue vnto God the Soueraigne authority due vnto him Which if any presume to arrogate or claime vnto himselfe as indeed the Bishop of Rome doth vnto his chaire as if it were made of Irish timber and might not endure a spider to hang his web thereon hee is vndoubtedly possessed with the Spirit of Antichristian pride and like another Lucifer vsurpeth vpon the throne of God But they that are led by the Spirit of Christ and haue beene reputed the worthiest instruments and ornaments in the Church acknowledging holy Writ to be the Standard of truth and the only vnmoued Principle into which all Questions of Faith are finally to bee resolued boldly exact the writings of other men thereunto and meekely submit their owne to be censured thereby Let one S. Augustin speake for all The disputations of men saith he Epist 111. ad Fortunatian how Catholicke or laudable soeuer we ought not to esteeme as Canonicall Scripture as if it were not lawfull sauing the honor due vnto them to disallow or reiect any thing in their writings if happily wee find ought in them swaruing from truth Such am I in the writings of other men and so would I haue others to vnderstand in mee Now therefore to draw to a conclusion seeing to thy vpright censure and arbitrement I referre my selfe and the rule by which thou art to proceed if thou wilt pronounce righteously is as we haue shewed not the opinion of man but the oracle of God I must entreate thee that laying aside all respect of persons thou suffer not thy selfe to bee swayed either with the multitude or greatnes of those that are contrary minded but conferring cause with cause and counterpoising reason against reason thou giue thy iudgement of them as the weight of Diuine euidence shall incline thee For otherwise if like a partiall Festus willing to doe the Iewes a pleasure Act. 25.9 thou demand of me Whither I will goe vp to Ierusalem and there bee iudged of these things before thee I must roundly and peremptorily answer thee with S. Paul V. 10.11 I stand at Caesars barre where I ought to be iudged to the Iewes I haue done no wrong neither may any man deliuer me vnto them I appeale vnto Caesar But if with the same Festus better aduised by his Counsell V. 12. thou say vnto me as hee did vnto Paul Hast thou appealed vnto Caesar Vnto Caesar shalt thou goe then looke what definitiue sentence soeuer thou shalt giue according to Caesars law I meane the sacred Scriptures I shall as becommeth a subiect of the Kingdome humbly submit my selfe vnto it and without further prouocation or appeale quietly and peaceably rest in it In the meane season I conclude with that holy and deuout prayer of Fulgentius beseeching the God of all truth De Praedest to Mon. l. 1. that by his preuenting and pursuing mercy whatsoeuer truths we know which sauingly are to bee knowne he would teach vs in those which already we know to be true hee would keepe vs wherein as men we faile and are deceiued he would correct vs in what truths we doubt of hee would confirme vs and from false and pernicious errors he would deliuer vs Eph. 4.13 that so at length wee may all meet as the Apostle speaketh in the vnity of Faith and knowledge of the Son of God vnto a perfect man euen to the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Amen A TREATISE OF THE TRVE NATVRE AND DEFINITION of justifying faith IF it be true which Tertullian sayth that euen in the very smallest matters regard is to bee had of Truth surely in those weighty profound mysteries of Religion wherein errour doth so much hazard soule and saluation nothing ought more carefully to be respected then the search and finding out of Truth For as the same Father sayth Apol. aduer Gen. c. 46. Although Philosophers Player-like affect the truth as being ambitious of glory yet Christians studiously follow it as being carefull of their Saluation Now among
Saints with your niceties and falsities any longer for thus you reason No historicall Faith hath any interest in the matter of Iustification But firmely to belieue the truth of Gods Word and specially the Gospell is historicall Faith Therefore firmely to belieue the truth of Gods Word and specially the Gospell hath no interest in the matter of Iustification Good Sir I deny your Maior which you thus endeuour to proue ab absurdo enumeratione partium No generall knowledge shall haue any stroke in the matter of Iustification All historicall Faith is a generall knowledge Therefore no historicall Faith hath any interest in the matter of iustification Proue your Minor which I denie telling you moreouer that firmely to consent to the truth of Gods Word in genere and the Gospell in Specie is not a Generall knowledge but a Speciall knowledge and therefore I argue Such a speciall knowledge of the Gospell is the beginning of Faith Iustifying Mat. 13.11 Ioh. 17.3 Mat. 16.17 But firmely to consent to the truth of Gods Word and the Gospell is such a speciall knowledge ex confesso Therfore firmely to consent to the truth of Gods Word and especially the Gospell is the beginning of Iustifying Faith I. D. If you were as farre from hood-winking your owne eyes as I am from blearing the eies of others you might easily perceiue that now I deale against our common aduersaries the Papists and ouerthrow the iustification of their Historicall Faith by the chiefest arguments which Protestants vse But you after the manner of those Gladiators called Andabatae nor see nor care whom or what you strike and so mildly affected are you towards mee that so you may make some probable shew of endammaging or disaduantaging mee you reck not though through my sides you reach and wound the best Diuines of our Church yea and the common truth which wee all maintaine Neither doe I vse such circumguagues nor wiredraw my arguments into such a length as you beare vs in hand but hauing nakedly and plainely defined what Historicall Faith is I proue by two reasons that Faith so defined doth not iustifie the first whereof is this because it is absurd that so generall a Knowledge should iustifie So that your Ferio Syllogisme deserues a Ferula and vtterly to bee cashed as being no creature of mine but an idle figment of your owne and the next in Celarent for so you forme it although indeed it bee also in Ferio the Minor proposition and Conclusion notwithstanding your generall notes being but particular enuntiations is the onely Syllogisme intended by mee and including my first argument The Maior whereof it seemes you grant saying nothing vnto it and the Minor only you deny which I cannot but wonder at seeing both the Minor and Conclusion are vniuersally vouched by all the Diuines of our side The Conclusion is that Historicall Faith iustifies not So saith Hyperius De fide Hom. iustificandi There is a certaine Historicall Faith whereby those things which are propounded in holy writ are simply beleeued but yet is not applyed vnto Christ and the matter of our Saluation Loco de Fide The Minor is that Historicall Faith is a generall Knowledge So sayth Kemnitius There is a certaine generall Faith which vsually is tearmed Historicall and againe Historicall Faith is a generall assent holding in generall that the promise of the Gospell is true And M. Perkins Ser. caus c. 36. A generall Faith whereby they giue assent vnto the Gospell Neither doe I know any one of our Diuines that either in the Conclusion or the Minor doth gainsay them So that by the iudgement of these men both consenting to Gods Word in generall and to the Gospell in speciall is not a Speciall but Generall Knowledge and if the Speciality of the Gospell being but a part of the whole Scripture did specify Faith it would follow thereupon that there are as many Speciall Faiths as there are seuerall Articles of the Creed which were vnreasonable to imagine For that Faith which assenteth vnto the Gospell is no other then that which assenteth vnto the rest of holy Scripture and although it may principally respect that part of diuine truth yet doth it not only respect it nor is limited thereunto as vnto the proper adequate obiect thereof but vniuersally extendeth it selfe vnto all supernaturall reuealed verities whatsoeuer As for that Faith which our Diuines call Speciall is to be vnderstood of Faith of Promises wherby the Saints apply and appropriate them vnto themselues particularly and indiuidually assuring themselues of their present iustification and future saluation And the ignorance hereof as I ween is the cause why you turne generall into speciall and write of this matter so wildly and confusedly This notwithstanding very peremptorily you pronounce that Historiall Faith is a speciall Knowledge and thereupon Syllogistically inferre that it is the Beginning of Iustifying Faith to what end I wot not well vnlesse it bee to proue that it doth iustify because as you conclude it is the beginning of that Faith But whatsoeuer your intent bee your argument I answer by distinguishing of the word Beginning For if you vnderstand thereby a Pre-requisite or Preparatiue vnto iustifying Faith you doe but fight with a shadow for in that sence I grant the Conclusion neither doth such a beginning of Iustifying Faith iustify If you meane thereby that it is Iustifying Faith inchoat and in a remisser degree then I deny your Maior and say that such a knowledge call it as you please generall or speciall is not the beginning of iustifying Faith If it were then Diuels and Reprobates hauing it should haue iustifying Faith which Gods Word attributes vnto the Elect onely Tit. 1.1 And if it bee true that Faith of person is the consummation of Iustifying Faith as in the former section you say it cannot bee that such a knowledge should bee the Beginning thereof vnlesse you will say that Accidents may passe from one Subiect to another which is against all Philosophy For Historicall Faith is in the Vnderstanding and Faith of Person is in the Will and therefore Faith of Story beginning in the Mind can haue no subsistence elsewhere and iustifying Faith being perfected in the Will cannot bee begunne in any other Subiect The passages quoted in the margent though you should rack them till they rent asunder yet will they not confesse what you alledge them for For how I pray you hang these things together To you it is giuen to know the mysteries of the Kingdome of heauen This is life euerlasting to know thee Flesh and Bloud hath not reuealed this vnto thee but my Father Ergo Such a knowledge is iustifying Faith begun This is too violent astraining of Scripture and as Volusian speaketh is not a sucking of milke but drawing of bloud from the dugs of the Church Ep. 1. ad Nic. 1. As for the Minor I haue already sufficiently demonstrated the falshood thereof only
impudent glossems of your owne But yet when I say a man ought to haue Assurance doe I not therein confesse it to bee so necessary vnto Saluation that a man cannot be saued without it Nothing lesse and God forbid that euery ignorance or doubting of what wee ought to know should presently exclude and barre vs from Saluation for then no flesh possibly could bee saued Although therefore when I say a man may bee assured I confesse a possibility and when I say hee ought to bee assured I acknowledge a dutie yet doth it not follow thereupon that such assurance is of absolute necessity Necessary it may bee vnto the well-being of the Sonne of God but not vnto his Being as if hee could not bee a new creature without it necessary to cheere and solace him in the way to the end but not vnto the end it selfe as if without it hee could not aspire vnto saluation Such absolute necessity of assurance vpon paine of damnation I know none saue onely of those truths which wee call fundamentall among which I suppose your and my iustification and saluation are not to bee reckoned And yet had I said which I deny that Assurance is necessary vnto Saluation what inconuenience is it to say that neuerthelesse it is not necessary vnto iustification For Saluation is the End Iustification a meane or way vnto the End and more things are subordinate vnto the end then vnto the way as vnto Saluation both Faith and workes are necessary but vnto Iustification Faith alone is required And therefore also it is no absurdity to say that two Faiths are requisite vnto Saluation as indeed Faith of Story and Faith of Person are although but one Faith iustify which is Faith of Person And thus much for your plaine-song now let vs heare your descant and diuision vpon it N. B. Martiall Emerepes apud Apophth Chrysippus Dij mentem tibi dent tuam Philaeni God send you your right wits to see these errors and to amend them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ne vities Musicam said one Corrupt not musicke speake not contraries nor nouelties You cannot alwayes saile in the night but at last will bee taken if you were as craftie as a Cuckow Athanas in Symb. as spake Pliny and Aristotle Wee hold in Diuinity but one Faith and not diuers in specie and that euery Christian man is bound to haue it hauing meanes giuen him from God vpon paine of damnation and that no man can ordinarily bee saued without it And therefore doe cast out your cobwebs as following his counsell that said Vasis eijcias quas nectit aranea telas knowing that your speeches endeauour to mingle water and fire together which is impossible to doe Neither are your forces any thing able to deceiue Gods Elect so long time trained vp in his blessed schoole Well may you consume your selfe as one said Comedo meipsum more Polypi Alcaeus apud Athen. l. 7. Catull. Mat. 11. 1 Tim. 3.15 Act. 9. I eat vp my selfe like Polypus but the Church can you not deceiue for your sacke is full of Spiders as Catullus telleth one Nam tui Catulli Plenus sacculus est aranearum The Church is no reed but the pillar of truth and therefore it is hard for you to spurne against it I. D. Vnto this Rapsodie of sentences and prouerbs drawn in like Hercules oxen and tyed together like Samsons foxes so preposterously by the tailes were I a Grammar-schoole-boy againe I would quickly patch you vp an answer in the same kinde But now I affect not an opinion of learning that way desiring as becomes a Diuine rather to bee reall then verball If children either in age or vnderstanding bee pleased with such Pedanterie and delight to see so many babies in your writing I enuie it not so long as the grauer and learneder sort rest contented and satisfied with the substance of my reasons Only vnto that charitable prayer which you make for me out of that deuout Poet Martiall that God would send me my wits againe Lib. 2. Sat. 3. I know not what kinder wish to oppose then that of Horace the deuouter Poet of the two that you which are franticke and bedlem-mad would something beare with those who are but a little discrazed and distempered For indeed you are right twin vnto the Lunaticke gentleman in Horace and as hee euery day visited the theater and there â—ate clapping his hands and keeping a stirreas if he saw some notable Tragedieacted before him whereas the stage all the while was empty so you here make much adoe and tell mee of I know not what absurdities contrarieties and nouelties and yet the ground you lay for them is in my words no where to bee found Wherefore as Sophâ—cles being accused of dotage read before the iudges his Ordipus Coloneus which he had very lately composed Cic. de Senect and then demaunded of them whether it seemed the poem of a dotard or no so because you charge mee as berâ—â— of my right wits and fraught with nothing else but errors and contradictions I appeale vnto the Christian reader praying him to peruse and ponder my treatise and if hee please this Disputation also and then to iudge indifferently betwixt vs whether I bee as this Festus accuseth me mad and beside my selfe or else with Saint Paul Act. 26.24.25 haue spoken the words of truth and sobernes Treatise 1. Arg. If this were iustifying Faith then whosoeuer liues and dies without this particular Assurance cannot bee saued sine Fide c. without Faith it is impossible to please God But a man may bee saued without it Ergo. N. E. I hope you meane de adultis of men that haue meanes giuen them from God to get this Assurance for otherwise I easily agree that God may extraordinarily saue whom it pleaseth him But doubting not of your meaning and denying your Minor you take vpon you to proue it first by an instance and next by six reasons All which let vs see I. D. Epist 57. Taking me to meane de adultis you doe no whit mistake mee for as Augustin saith that Infants know the things of God who know not so much as the things of men if wee should goe about by words to demonstrate I feare mee wee should bee iniurious euen to our very senses endeuouring to perswade that by speech the euidence of whose truth surpasseth all faculty and office of speech Neuerthelesse because it is written without Faith no man can please God and the iust shall liue by his owne faith many learned men haue hereupon conclude that Infants haue a Faith euen of their owne Adacta Colloq Mompelg Resp de Bapt. in so much that Beza though of a different iudgement confesseth this to bee a very solid and firme foundation and soone after addeth that of this matter very learned Diuines yea and the ancient Fathers also differ in opinion for this Question saith he is among the
Chrysostome Hierome Basil others but expresly affirmeth that the Friers are they who haue corrupted the Fathers Not so expresly Ludouicus vines In Ciuit. Dei l. 22. c. 8. yet couertly hee insinuates as much In this chapter of Augustin saith he many things are added by those who with their polluted hands haue defiled the writings of great Authors Euen of late Pamelius although eight other written copies failed him yet bashed not vpon the sole authority of one blind Cambron copie to insert into Cyprian de vnitate Ecclesiae these words He that forsaketh the chaire of Peter on which the Church is founded doth hee hope himselfe to be in the Church Which glosseme notwithstanding it bee not to bee found nor in Alopecius his print nor in that of Heruagius or Langlier or Crinitus or Gryphius or Manutius or any other Part. 1. p. 89. no not in any other written copie as our learned Bilson sheweth yet because it seemeth to make much for the authority of the See of Rome it must of necessity bee clapt into the text Whereas contrarily if all the Copies of the Imperfect worke vpon Mathew haue in them these words In which not the true Body of Christ but the Sacrament of his Body is contained because it maketh strongly against Transubstantiation it must needs bee inforced for so it pleaseth Bellarmins grace by some Scholler of Berengarius De Euchar. l. 2. c. 22. And as the Fathers haue been not a little wronged by way of addition so I feare mee they haue receiued much iniury also by way of Subtraction Ep. dedic Yee haue taken order saith Sixtus Senensis vnto Pope Pius the fift that all the works of Catholicke writers and specially the ancient Fathers should bee purged and corrected In Cyprians works printed at Rome by Manutius the letter of Firmilianus B. of Caesaria is left out Why but because hee is in somewhat quicke against Steuen B. of Rome In regard whereof saith Pamelius it had beene more wisdome if it neuer had beene set out The works of Ambrose also set foorth by Frelonius at Lions were before the printing of them razed by two Friers This Fr. Iunius saw with his eyes and the Corrector of the presse complayned of it professing hee would buy any other print rather then that You must needs bee very deafe for all the world rings of it if you haue not heard of the late order taken amongst you for the purging of books at the next reprinting of them namely that whatsoeuer is to be found whether in the Epistle Dedicatory or Preface or Margent or Tables or Annotations or in the Text of the worke it selfe any way seeming to make either against them or for vs be wholy cut off and left our in the next edition Then which I thinke there was neuer a more base and beggerly shift vsed Neither doth it argue other then the badnesse of your cause and the distrust you haue of it for truth and a good cause would much disdaine to bee supported by so vniust and dishonest meanes Yet is this policy now a principall pillar of your Religion and hath of late yeeres beene carefully executed Witnesse those Expurgatorie Indices which giue direction to the Ouerseers of this businesse what is to bee altered which to be added and what to bee defalked and spunged out of which fiue are published to the world one printed in Flanders a second in Spayne a third in Portugal a fourth in Naples a fift in Rome What others there be lurking in secret and not yet come to light I know not Witnesse also the writings of Cardinall Cajetan Polydor Virgil Andreas Masius Feras Ludouicus Vines Erasmus Beatus Rhenanus and innumerable others which haue already passed this Purgatory and are not set forth pitifully mangled and dismembred But to leaue this suppose the Fathers haue not been so shamefully entreated as I haue shewed yet would I pray you to answer mee these two questions the first whether you bee assured of this consent by your own reading or else belieue it vpon the report of others the second if you haue read them all your owne selfe whether you haue read them in a translation or in their owne originall language To the first of these two questions I presume you neither can nor will answer that you haue read them all your selfe for I know you neither haue them all nor haue you had sufficient either time or strength to peruse them all vnlesse happily your body bee made of yron and you haue reached vnto the yeares of Methuselah What then will you trust the allegations of other men Take heed what you doe for so you may soone bee deceiued For example Doct. Princ. l. 6. c. 14. Stapleton to proue that Paul was the Apostle of the Gentiles but Peter both of Iewes and Gentiles In Gal. alledgeth these words of Ambrose Hee nameth Peter alone and compareth him to himselfe because hee had receiued the Primacy to build the Church that himselfe likewise is chosen to haue the Primacy of building the Churches of the Gentiles yet so that Peter preached vnto the Gentiles also Here your Doctor stops and Iohn Hart taking it vp vpon trust vrgeth it against Reynolds as a strong testimony whereas Ambrose if yee curtall not his words saith cleane otherwise thus yet so that Peter also preached to the Gentiles if it were needfull and Paul to the Iewes Many mo such falsifications might I easily produce out of your writers but let vs rather heare how themselues censure one another Antony Augustin Archbishop of Tarracon desiring in a booke written to that purpose that Gratian might bee purged De emend Grat. l. 1. dial 1. saith His faults are so many that they cannot bee reckoned in one day For hee alledgeth false Authors ascribing words to Gregory Ambrose Augustin no where to bee found in them and produceth true Authors but so as oft times he bringeth in contrary sentences Cumel saith that the testimony of Hierome is by Molina Disp Var. to 3. p. 126. Pag. 124. Suares and others fraudulently cited and that Suares alledging Chrysostome cuts off that which immediatly goes before and followes after Defens p. 324. because hee saw Chrysostome fauoured not his opinion at all It is no rare thing saith Iohannes Marsilius for his illustrious Lordship meaning Bellarmine to cite Authors for an opinion whereas they affirme the plaine contrary Pag. 289. And againe It grieueth mee to see things imputed vnto holy Fathers the contrary whereof they affirme Ib. p. 357. Finally saith the foresayd Marsilius touching Cardinall Baronius I haue heard that as hee hath taken a liberty to mend the Fathers Canons and Historians so he will correct the Councels after his manner and for 〈◊〉 â—â—ne purpose and to assume vnto himselfe a licence 〈◊〉 which God forbid And thus you see euen by your owne men how dangerous it is to trust them in their allegations As
Entire Faith by which the whole sauing truth is belieued and professed And this againe either in Vnity or in Schisme in Vnity with other Churches of God or in Schisme with Separation from them Now all these and eueryone of them are of the Christian Church for they are neither Gentiles nor Iewes nor Turks being by the calling of grace brought to the profession of the Christian Religion But yet among them there is exceeding great difference for they that hold the entire truth of Christ are of that Christian Church which is called Oxthodoxall they that hold it in part onely are of that Christian Church which is Hereticall They that entirely hold the truth in Vnity with other Churches of God are of that Christian Orthodoxall Church which is Catholicke they that hold the same whole truth in Separation from them are of that Christian Orthodoxall Church which is Schismaticall And such is the Church of Brownists to which you haue adioyned your selfe But they who hold the whole truth of Christ not onely in Vnity but also in Sincerity being truly iustified by Faith and Sanctified in the lauour of Regeneration they I say are of that Christian Orthodoxall Catholicke Church which is Inuisible and knowne only vnto God For although both the persons and profession of those that are thus called be visible and may by outward sense bee discerned whereby in the eye of Charity they are to bee counted Gods elect people yet the inward truth and sincerity of the heart is to vs inuisible and seene of none but onely him who trieth the heart and raines and so alone knoweth who are his These distinctions thus promised I come at length to answer your Syllogisme and demand of you which of these Callings it is that you meane If the last whereby wee haue receiued entirely to belieue the whole truth of Christ and that not onely in Vnity but also in Sincerity and with a sanctified heart then I deny the Maior for it is not the Visible but the Inuisible Church alone that cōsists of such members Neither can such a Visible Church bee found vpon the face of the earth for here corne and cockle chaffe and wheat Saints and hypochrits are mingled together neither can you affirme other of that Church whereunto now you associate your selfe If you meane any other of the Callings aboue mentioned or all of them besides this last then I deny your Minor For here in England wee are a company of people to whom not onely grace hath beene offered but who also haue receiued grace to belieue the truth of Christ and therefore are not Infidels but of the Church of Christ Againe we haue receiued to belieue the whole truth and therefore are an Oxthodoxall not an Hereticall Church Lastly wee hold the whole truth of God in Unity with other Churches and amongst vs there are thousands also who professe the same with sincere and sanctified hearts and therefore wee are not a Schismaticall as you are but a true Catholicke Church This Minor thus denied you goe not about to strengthen with so much as one argument and yet hither should you haue bent all your forces About the Maior you bestow a little more paines endeuouring to fortify it with sixe reasons which although they bee to little purpose yet to giue you the more satisfaction let vs briefly examine them And first that which is in order first 1. Cor. 12.27 Exod. 19.5.6 1. Cor. 14.33 1. Tim. 3.15 Mat. 13.24.31 Psal 46.4.5.80.1 1. Pet. 2.5.9 Rev. 1.11.12.13.20 1. Because a true visible Church is the body of Christ a Kingdome of Priests a Church of Saints the houshold of God the Kingdome of heauen the Citie of God the sheep of the Lord a chosen generation a golden Candlestick c. These titles properly belong vnto the inuisible Church consisting of those who are effectually called by sauing grace And when they are said affirmed of any visible Church you must vnderstand that the denomination is in regard of the better part thereof namely those Saints who haue receiued the spirit of adoption the earnest penny of their euerlasting inheritance not that no euill men are mixed with them In Corinth and Galatia as there were many holy and faithfull seruants of God so were there many lewd and vngodly men also for it is well knowen that they were much pestered both with error in doctrine and corruption in manners And yet the Apostle S. Paul neuer sticketh at it to acknowledge them visible Churches which I am sure he would not haue done had he thought that the mixture of bad and good in the same society did nullify a Church Nay rather if he had beene of your humour he would haue aduized a separation 1. How should it els haue Christ for the Prophet Priest Heb. 3.1.2.3 5 6.9 12.28 Mat. 28.18.19.20 Ps 110.1.4.1 Pet. 2.4.5.25 Act. 2.41.47 Eph. 1.22.23.2.19.22 King thereof or how should men know where to ioine and become members of the body of Christ with assurance to haue him their head c. It is the Inuisible Church the Church of the first borne as S. Paul calleth it whose names are enrolled in heauen Heb. 12.23 vnto which Christ properly and vniuocally is a Prophet Priest and King For he is a Head in such manner vnto those only who are knit together with him in the same mysticall body by the vnity of the same spirit and to whom hee communicateth from himselfe the sweet influence of life sense motion euen grace for grace Ioh. 1.16 as S. Iohn speaketh Is he not then a Head also of the visible Church yes as it is a Church it is a Church equiuocally and so is Christ the Head thereof For hypocrits and wicked men mingled with the good are not members of Christ as Ambrose saith but of the diuell and therefore Christ properly is not their Head Head and Body being Correlatiues Who are Elected and by true Iustifying Faith are ingrafted into Christs body you may charitably iudge but cannot certenly know for God only knoweth who are his Neuertheles where you see a Society of men professing entirely and in vnity the truth of Christ ioine your selfe vnto them knowing that they are a Christian orthodoxall Catholick Church And assure your selfe that there are among them sundry who are the deare Saints of God and professe the truth in sincerity and vprightnes of heart also which if you shall do together with them you need not doubt but you shall haue Christ to be your head Mat. 28.18.19.20 2. Cor. 6.17.18 Lev. 26.11.12 Ps 46.4.5 Es 59.20.21 Ez. 37.27.28 48.35 3. How should it els haue assurance of the promises seales of Gods Couenant presence and blessing to belong and appertaine vnto them The promises of Christ are proclaimed in such mixed companies vnto all on condition of faith repentance though actually performed vnto those only who actually haue performed the condition by repenting and