hee and the rest of the Apostles preached and therefore he saith If wee or an Angell preach otherwise then that which wee haue preached And what worde hee preached I haue proued before not any traditions but the written word If it be true which Irenaeus and Nicephorus doe write that what the Apostles preached at first was afterward by the will of God set downe in the scriptures it must be acknowledged that they preached no traditions seeing we can finde no traditions penned by thē in their Epistles And though they had bene traditious when they were preached yet they ceased to be traditions when once they were written by them Againe the Fathers restraine the words of the Apostle to the scriptures as if he were accursed that would preach any thing not cōtained in them Augustine is most plaine therein Whether concerning Christ or concerning his Church or any other thing that pertaineth to our faith or life I will not say if wee for we are not to be compared to him who saide if wee but euen as he going forward added If an Angell from heauen shall preach vnto you besides that which ye haue receiued in the scriptures of the lawe and the Gospell let him be accursed Basill likewise teacheth that hearers who be skilfull in the scriptures ought to examine those things which bee deliuered of their teachers And to receiue those things which be agreeable to the scriptures and to reiect those that be not And produceth this testimonie of the Apostle to proue it which had bene an impertinent proofe if the Apostle had spoken as well of a word not written as of a word written The Cardinall mentioneth both these testimonies and would auoyd them by saying that they doe not of purpose expound this place but doe proue by this place that it is not lawfull to auouch any thing contrary to the scriptures Yet cānot he deny but that they doe alleadge this place of the Apostle And I hope he will not say but that they doe deliuer the true sense of it and doe alleadge it according to the true meaning of the Apostle Doth the Cardinall thinke that such learned fathers would giue one sense of it when purposely they expound it and another sense when they alleadged it to prooue a point which they haue in hād This were to wrest the scripture to make it serue their present turne I hope he will not so iudge of such reuerend men And to say that they onely proue thence that it is not lawful to auouch any thing contrary to scripture is to alter and inuert their words Doth not Augustine say praeterquam quod accepistis besides that which you haue receiued but of that afterward And if by that place they proue that nothing must be taught contrary to the scriptures then must they not hold with the Cardinall that the Apostle speaketh of each word as well written as not written but onely of the written word And so the Cardinall maketh them to confute him Chrysostome purposely expounding the place saith Paul preferreth the scriptures before angels comming from heauē As also that Paul doth not say if they preach contrary things or if they subuert the whole Gospell but if they preach but euen a little beside the Gespell which ye haue receiued let them be accursed Thomas Aquinas their Angelicall Doctor professedly expoūding that place doth write that nothing is to be preached but that which is conteyned in the Gospells and in the Epistles and in the holy scripture implicitely or expresly Will they say that their Traditions are conteyned in the scriptures either expresly or by way of implication or consequent thenare they not vnwritten verities as they tearme them A second answere of the Cardinall is this that the Apostle by Praeter vnderstood Contra. And therefore did not forbid new doctrines and precepts which were besides those that were deliuered but onely doctrines and precepts contrarie to the former Yet will not this serue his turne For in matters of faith and religion proeter and contra are both alike Whatsoeuer is taught as necessarie to saluation if it be besides the scripture must be condemned as well as that which is contrarie to the Scriptures The reason is because the Scriptures conteyne all thinges which Ministers are to teach as necessary to saluation And therefore Paul told Timothie that they were able to make him wise vnto saluation And were profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse Two of which respect mens mindes what they are to know and beleeeue as the trueth and what they are to reiect as errors Two of them respect their maners what sinnes they are to auoyde what duties they are to performe Is there any things needfull to bee taught the people but these things And because the Cardinall answereth that the Scriptures are profitable for all these things but not sufficient Consider the wordes of the Apostle following where hee declareth the end of this profitablenes namely that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect to all good works By the man of God he meaneth the Minister of the Gospell That tytle had he in his former Epistle giuen vnto Timothie And Lyra saith the man of God was one ordeyned to the diuine office such a one as Timothie was If then the Scripture being profitable for those foure vses will thereby make a Minister of the Gospell absolute and perfect for each good worke belonging vnto him he is not to teach any things ouer and besides the Scripture Theophylact thus writeth on the former place Hee doth not inferre if they onely preach contrary things but if they preach that which is beside that which we haue preached that is if they shall adde any thing that is but a very little more they are subiect to the curse And indeed it may seeme strange that the Papists are so earnest to haue vnwrittē traditions as wel preached as written truthes seeing the things written are more cettaine more excellent and necessary and require a long time to bee all taught and learned They are more certaine because all men are more certainely assured that the Scriptures the doctrines conteyned in them bee the word of God then that vnwritten traditions be his worde Bellarmine confesseth that nothing is better knowne nothing more certaine then the sacred Scriptures which bee conteyned in the writings of the Prophets Apostles that he must needes be most foolish who denyeth that they are to be beleeued And produceth 5. inuincible and infallible proofes that they are the very word of God Whē he commeth to speake of traditions he alleadgeth no such proofes but onely goeth about to prooue by 4. places of Scripture which haue bene long agoe answered that there are some traditions though neyther he nor any of his fellowes can tell what they are nor can make a perfit Catalogue of them so vncertain are
thistles Experience may verifie this Looke into those places and Parishes where the worde is neuer taught or to those persons who will not heare though they might and you shall find nothing among them but Atheisme Popery and prophanenesse Yet in those places where it is taught and heard wee may finde the frutes of holinesse and righteousnesse If not among all yet among many The consideration whereof should mooue the Ministers of the Gospell to bee instant in season and out of season as Paul exhorteth them The lesse they preach the lesse shall they profite the people The more seede they cast into the furrowes of the peoples hearts the greater plenty of fruit may they expect We should follow Salomons aduise who sayth In the morning sow thy seede and in the euening let not thy hand rest for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that or whether both shall bee alike good What shall wee answere to the Lord our Maister and owner of the fielde if through our negligence in sowing his fielde of the Church yeelde him not such store of fruit as otherwise it might haue done And you people should likewise apply this to your selues and learne from hence to heare often If you contemne the word will not suffer your hearts to bee sowne with the seede of it you shall bring forth no good fruit but remaine as a barren Heath Doe you not remember what the Apostle saith That the ground which beareth thornes and bryars is reprooued and is neere vnto cursing whose ende is to bee burned Fearefull is their case who are such ground yet no better can they bee who refuse to heare As you are content to haue your fieldes sowne yeerely that so you may reape a croppe at Haruest So must you bee content to haue your hearts cōtinually sowne with this heauenlie seede that so you may be fruitfull in all grace and godlines though your fields be sowne but once a yeare yet must your hearts be sowne continually because you should yeeld and beare fruit continually As we are content to bestowe our paines in sowing this seede continually though it be as toylesome a labour as you finde in your seede-time so be ye willing and readie to receiue this seede into the furrowes of your hearts continually that so you may from time to time abound in fruit for Gods glory and your owne comfort But whose word is it that is this spirituall seede It is not the word of Angell or of man but the word of God This seede did Christ sowe and none else And therefore he said My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me As my Father hath taught me so I speake This seede did the Apostles sow none else For when Christ sent them abroad he bad them teach all Nations to obserue all things which he had commanded them All those thinges must be taught yet nothing else And lest they should forget what those things were hee promised to send the Holy Ghost who should bring all thinges to their remembrance which he had told them who should lead them into all trueth Because as hee sayd hee shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall he speake And so carefull were the Apostles to sow this seede onely as they did confidently protest that they receiued of the Lord that which they deliuered to their hearers And if they or an Angell from heauen or any man preach otherwise then they had receiued let him be accursed And no other seed must we sow if we will make the people fruitfull Christ and his Ministers sow none but good seede in his field If bad seede as Tares or Cockle be sowne it is done by the enuious man the Diuell and his instruments As there be doctrines of God so there bee doctrines of Diuels namely errors and heresies those be as tares among wheate and doe greatly hinder the fruitfulnesse of the good seede There be also doctrines of men as the inuentions of their owne heads vnwritten verities Decrees of Popes Canons of Counsels traditions of the Church which wanting the warrant of Gods word are but as chaffe to the wheate and beeing taught in the Church will yeeld no more fruit then chaffe that is sowne in a field Vnder the Lawe God woulde not permit the Iewes to sow the same field with mingled seede And shall we thinke that now vnder the Gospell he will permitte vs to teach for doctrines mens traditions to mingle trueth with error and his diuine Oracles with humane inuentions Wee therefore that bee sowers must see that our seed be good As the Husband-man against seed-time will not onely prouide good seede but will also winnow it fanne it and try it that so he may neither sow chaffe nor light corne nor darnell but pure graine which is like to fructifie So wee before wee come to the Pulpit must try and examine our doctrine that it bee sound and that we deliuer nothing but that which will edifie the hearers And because Non omnis fert omnia tellus Each grounde will not beare each kinde of graine Wee must like wise and carefull Husband-men sow that seed which is fittest for our ground and deliuer such doctrines as are most fitting for the capacitie and present condition of the Auditorie that will yeeld the best encrease And you Christian people as you must take heede how you heare so also take heede what you heare It is the word of God not the word of the Diuell It is the word of Christ not the word of Antichrist that must make you fruitfull As you haue great care that your ground be sowne with sound and cleane seede so be carefull that your soules bee instructed with sound and wholsome doctrine Beleeue not euerie spirit but try the spirits whether they bee of God Despise not Prophesying but try all things and hold that which is good With the Noble-men of Berea search the Scriptures daylie whether those thinges bee so which are taught you What you finde contrary thereto that reiect as tares what is not warranted thereby blowe away as chaffe what is proued thereby that receiue as good seede into the furrowes of your heartes I know the Popish Seminaries will not suffer you to trye their seede you must trust them and take it vpon theyr word but we allowe and require you to trye ours If two men offer you Seede to sowe your ground and the one bid you trye it and view it well the other tell you of it but keeps it in his sacke you must not viewe it whether dealing would you like better whether seede would you receiue If theyr seede were good if they taught Gods worde they would not refuse tryall Vers. 12. And they that are beside the way are they that heare IN the former verse you haue heard the exposition of the seede Now see the exposition of the ground
preferment in the world As appeareth in those who sought out Christ and followed him from place to place not so much for the miracles which they had seene and doctrine which they had heard as for the loaues whereof they had eaten and wherwith they were filled There be others saith Bernard who deserue knowledge that they may sell it for money for honour and this is filthy lucre There be other two ends whercat some doe aime for some desire knowledge that they may edifie others and this is charitie some desire knowledge that themselues may be edified and this is wisedome And these are to be allowed but all other ends are to be condemned Those that professe Christ for worldly profit are not Christians but marchants of Christ as Ignatius tearmeth them And will professe his Gospell no longer then it may stand with worldly profit As may be seene in Demas who for a time was such a professour of the faith that S. Paul reckoned him in the Cathologue of the Saints which saluted the Colossians Yet Paul afterward thus wrote of him Demas hath forsaken me and hath embraced this present world As an house will fall if the foundation be remoued and fire will goe out of it selfe if fewell be withdrawne so these mens faith will faile if the Gospell bring no gaine but losse And seeing those temporizing professours haue these causes propounded to themselues in hearing and receiuing the word in beleeuing and professing it with ioy their faith cannot be sincere for nothing is sincerely done vnles it be done for Gods glory And if it be not sincere it cannot be sound and firme And both waies it differs from iustifying faith for as it doth all things of sinceritie for God himselfe for Christ himselfe for the spirituall and heauenly benefites of Christ as farre as humane infirmitie will permit so is it firme and constant being built on such grounds as will not shrinke Do not therefore content your selues with this temporary faith but seeke for â—hat which will abide for euer as well in persecution as in peace as well in time of tentation as out of tentation for if your faith faile Sathan will preuaile against you your hope is gone you loose the fauour of God and the saluation of your owne soules you must be faithfull vnto death if you will receiue the Crowne of life Did not Christ commend Mary for choosing the good part which should neuer be taken away from her Imitate her in your choyse of faith The one will faile you when you stand in most neede of it As in the time of tentation in the time of affliction and at the houre of death But the other will abide with you to comfort and strengthen you at all seasons and against all the enemies of your saluation If once you get it whether you liue long or die soone whether you be assaulted with many suggestions or be free from tentation whether you passe away your daies in peace or vnder the crosse you shal be able at your last end to say to the great comfort of your soules with the Apostle I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith henceforth is laid vp for me the crowne of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous iudge shall giue vnto me 〈◊〉 that day 4. The fourth and last propertie of these hearers is their reuolting which is here set forth by the time or occasion as also by the manner of it First by the time and occasion that is the time of tentation There is a double tentation that doth befall men the one is spirituall and inward the other is corporall and outward The spirituall and inward tentation is from the diuell And therefore he is often called the tempter and is said to tempt vs. And his suggestions and practises against vs are called tentations The corporall and outward tentation is from men who doe afflict vs who doe hurt and persecute vs. And so all outward crosses corporall afflictions and bloody persecutioÌ„s are called tentations that is trialls because they try what men are whether dissembling hypocrites or sincere Christians whether their faith be fained or vnfained wauering or stedfast little or great And of this tentation must this place be vnderstood for in Mathew and Marke it is called tribulation and persecution for the word Christ foresaw that the hearers and professours of the Gospell should afterward be graciously persecuted he therefore foretold what it should worke in this kind of hearers it would cause them to reuolt For the manner of it it is said in Mathew and Marke they are offended and that by and by and immediately but here they goe away they depart will not stand to it as men of courage but shrinke and fall away And this commeth to passe by reason of their owne hardnes as this parable declareth for as stony grounds mingled with some earth are commonly hotte and will cause the corne cast into them to sprout and come vp very speedily but will not suffer the rootes to goe any reasonable depth into the earth there to be fed with moysture therefore in the dry season of summer the blade of the corne will wither together with the rootes So these men though they haue some good motions and affections in their harts receiue the word with chearefulnes and seeme to be very forward for a time yet in time of persecution all their goodnes will be dried vp they will loose their first loue to the word and fall from their former profession They neuer did cleaue to Christ with their whole hearts and therefore are more easily drawne away Men may fall away from Faith eyther by errour and Heresie or by sinne and wickednesse By errour and heresie as did Hymeneus and Alexander who made ship-wracke of Faith As did Hymencus and Phyletus who erred concerning the Truth Saying that the Resurrection is already past and did destroy the faith of many As did Nicholas whom for his profession was chosen for a Deacon yet afterward became an Arch-hereticke first Founder of the heresies of the Niâ—â—laitanes And as those did of whom Saint Paul prophecyed that in the later times Men shall depart from the Faith and giue heede vnto spirites of Errors and doctrines of Diuels And as those that in former Ages fell from the Truth to the Heresies of Arrius Pelagius Nestorius and other damnable Heretickes And as those that in the dayes of Queene Mary did fall from the truth of the Gospell formerly professed to the Errours and Idolatrie of the Church of Rome Againe men may fall away by sinne and wickednes in their liues as those who put away a good Conscience As those who beginne in the spirite but ende in the flesh As those who turned backe after Satan As those who had escaped from the filthinesse of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST
vnwritten traditions Alfonsus Uiruestus a Popish Bishop and a bitter enemie to Luther acknowledgeth so much For he saith That things may bee contayned in the Scripture eyther formally and expresly or materially being drawne by a necessary collection from the contents And this he saith is called Uirtualis continentia To denie this saith hee is not Christian wisedome but Iewish superstition And then teacheth that wee are as much bound to giue assent to those things that be materially conteyned and drawne thence by a lawfull collection as to those that be formerly and expresly conteyned Bellarmine cannot deny but that Scotus taught there was not any expresse place of Scripture to proue Transubstantiation without the declaration expositioÌ„ of the Church Neither dare the Cardinall reiect that assertion but saith that Transubstantiation belongeth to the Catholicke faith because it is collected out of the diuine Scripture In his iudgement then that is a written truth which is collected from the Scripture as well as that which is expressely set downe in the Scripture If therefore Preachers deliuer no other doctrines in their Sermons if they confute and condemne no other errors if they teach no other duties if they reproue no other sinnes if they minister no other consolations and if they vrge no other exhortations then they haue warrant in the written word of God eyther by expresse testimonies or by necessary collections the word which they preach is the very same in kind in nature and substance with the word written And so there is not one word written and another word preached as the Docter would beare men in hand but one and the same word diuersly vsed So absurd is this his obseruation so voyde of reason so destitute of proofe and so discreâ—ant from the doctrine of his owne Church that it may well be thought that rather malice against vs then any warrant from the text caused him to sâ—t it downe And heere behold how farre malice doth carry your teachers euen to forsake their owne companions and to ouerthrow the coÌ„mon and receiued doctrine of their owne Church that so they may crosse and condemne vs. And to conclude with him he that will regard what he writeth in the latter end of his obseruation may easily perceiue how hee ouerthroweth his owne note obserued in the beginning For he produceth the Apostle Peter as an in different witnes in this case who saith that the Word of God endureth for euer and this is the word which is preached among you whose testimonie doth euidently prooue that the word written and the word preached then by the Apostles and other Ecclesiasticall persons was the very same word For it is apparant by that verse which he alleadged that the word of God which endureth for euer and the word which then was preached were one and the selfe same word Now what was the word that endureth for euer was it not the word written If any will denye this let him reade the former verse in Peter and compare that verse and this with the words of the Prophet Isaiah and hee shall finde it to be the word written by the Prophet So as Peter maketh the word written by the Prophet and preached by the Apostles to be the same Againe this great Docter saith the Word is the Seede because it is vnchangeable in it owne nature and substance though diuers in explication and proueth it out of Basil and Uincentius Lyrenensâ—s who make that agreemeÌ„t betweene the word written and the word preached that they are both one in substance for they preached nothing but what was written yet the word writteÌ„ was made fruitfull by preaching SECT III. BVt to leaue the Doctor and his obseruation It may be some others will acknowledge contrarie to his minde that whosoeuer preacheth nothing but such doctrines as are either expresly taught or necessarily gathered from the scriptures preacheth nothing but the written word And yet will likewise contradict me because they hold that there is another word of God besides the written word Bellarmine saith there is verbuÌ„ Dei scriptuÌ„ verbum Dei non scriptum A word of God written namely the bookes of the old and new Testaments And a word of God not written namely the traditions of the Church which be not written in the scriptures Gregory de Ualentia holdeth it for a most certaine thing that the word of God is not onely conteyned in written letters as it pleaseth him to tearme the scriptures in way of disgrace but is also put in the voyce of the Church and there doth sound Coster the Iesuite speaketh more plainely and peremptorily That the consent of the Catholike Church and the consonant doctrine of all Christians throughout the world is the scripture And in many points excelleth the scriptures which the Apostles haue left vs in parchments And this he maketh the first and chiefest kinde of scripture which now wee haue vnder the Gospell and saith that is a scripture penned with their owne hands The scriptures penned by the Apostles and Euangelists he placeth in the second ranke And addeth that a scripture of the third kind is in the degrees of generall Councells The decrees whereof if a man respect truth if he respect the seale and confirmation of the holy Ghost or the presence of Christ haue the same waight and moment that the holy gospells of God haue And so whereas Bellarmine made but two words of God he maketh three and two of his three are neither of the Cardinalls two Now those who depend on such teachers as these wil hold that albeit the seede be the word of God and Preachers must teach nothing but the word yet they may preach the traditions of the Church and the canons of councells as well as the contents of the written word because these be the word of God as well as the written word Wherevnto I answere that if the Traditions of the Church the word put in the mouth of the Church and the decrees of Councells be eyther expresly taught in the written word or may be warranted thence by iust and lawfull consequence we will acknowledge them to be the word of God But if they be praeter verbum besides the word writteÌ„ hauing neither way any warrant thereby they are not to be preached as the word of God but to be taken as the word of man And if they be contrary to the word written they are so farre from being the word of God as they must rather bee reputed to be the word of the diuell I neede not to stand on the first and last kinde For we acknowledge the first as well as the papists and the papists doe in generall condemne the last as well as we though they iustifie some in particular All the doubt is whether such traditions and canons that bee praeter verbum are to be taught to the people as the true word of God and be the seede
all Gods children but in particular of his owne happines This his assertion doth so gall the Papists that Pamelius said it must be read warily because he knewe that if it were reade in the very sense which the words did beare and the author meant without some corrupt glosse contrary to his meaning it would iustifie our doctrine of faith and make most of the popish crew who haue no confidence of their owne saluation but an assent to the truth of Gods worde to be a company of vnbelieuers The same Father saith That how much Faith we bring thither to receiue so much we draw of Gods ouerflowing grace This is appointed of God saide Ambrose that hee who belieueth in Christ should bee saued without works by faith only receiuing freely the remission of sinnes To the like effect speaketh Hesychius Grace of mercie is both offered and also apprehended by faith alone without workes Augustine maketh Faith the hand whereby euery one must lay holde of Christ now sitting in Heauen Is not that more then a bare assent to thinges reuealed Is not this a speciall Application When the same Father stirred vp his owne soule with these wordes Let my soule say yea let it altogether confidently say Thou art my God who doth say to my soule I am thy saluation c. Did hee not in particular appropriate and apply to himselfe the generall fauours and mercies of God and made him who was God ouer all to be his God in particular And when he sayd Behold we belieue in Christ whom we receiue by faith In receiuing we know what we thinke we receiue a little and are fed in the heart he shewed the nature of faith to be rather an apprehension and application then an assent Chrysostome writing of the promises made to the Patriarches and of the maner how they receiued them saith thus They did by faith alone conceiue a certaine assurance of them seeing them a farre off before foure generations they had such a certain perswasion of them that they did euen salute them as Sea-faring men doe a farre off see the Cities desired which they salute before they enter into them Thou seest that this they receiued is to expect and haue confidence of them If therefore to haue confidence is to receiue We also may receiue them Wherein he declareth the nature of faith not to consist onely in an assent giuen to the truth of things reuealed but a confidence and assurance of the promises of God made to man And that by this confidence beleeuers are saide to receiue the promises And that as they then receiued the promises by that their confidence so also we now by the like confidence are to receiue them Damascen expounding the Apostles description of faith that it is the ground of things hoped for hath these words Faith is an vndoubted and vniudge-able hope as well of those things which are promised vs of God as of obteyning our petitions If then any man may particularly aske the forgiuenes of his owne sinnes and the saluation of his owne soule he may in particular beleeue that his owne sins shall be pardoned his owne soule saued Bernard is plentifull this way thus he saith If thou beleeuest that thy sinnes cannot be blotted out but by him against whom onely thou hast sinned thou doest well but yet adde more that thou also beleeue this that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee by him Is not this a speciall faith Is not this more theÌ„ an assent in generall to things reuealed Is not this the faith so much impugned by our late papists And for a speciall application of Christs merits vnto vs for the pardon of a mans owne sinnes and the saluation of his owne soule he speaketh as plainely But that Caine was not of the members of Christ nor had any thing to do with the merit of Christ that he might presume the same to be his he would haue called that his owne which was Christs as the member doth that which is the heades Thereby teaching that the true beleeuer being a member of Christ doeth call that his owne which is Christs and doth without sinne presume that the merit of Christ is his in particular And therefore in the next words he saith thus of himselfe Whatsoeuer is wanting vnto me from my selfe I boldly take it vnto me out of the bowels of the Lord Iesus because they flow out with mercy Let vs descend to the Popish writers we may finde many of them to iumpe with vs herein Ferus was commended by Sixtus Senensis to be a man excellently learned in the diuine Scriptures whose equall in the office of preaching the Gospell the Catholicke Churches of the Germaines haue not in this our time Yet doeth hee in many places condemne the Popish description of faith and approue ours That is not alwayes faith whith we call faith we call it faith to assent to those things which be deliuered in the diuine histories and which the Church propoundeth to be belieued The Scripture speaketh farre otherwise of Faith For according to the Scriptures faith is nothing else but a consideÌ„ce of Gods mercy promised in Christ. And he bringeth Abrahams example for proofe thereof And of this faith saith hee mention is made in the Gospell where it is sayd Hee that beleeueth in the Sonne of God shall not bee condemned The faith which the Scripture commendeth is no other thing then to trust to the free mercy of God this is the true faith whereby the iust man liueth this alone is it which God requireth of vs. An example of this faith we haue in the Centurion for we do not read that he rehearsed the Articles of faith but that he came to Christ with great trust These wordes make so much for vs that Sixtus Senensis sayd of them that hee seemeth to allude to the error of them who teach that iustifying faith is nothing else but an assurance of Gods mercy forgiâ—ing our sinnes through Christ. And Dominicus Soto tooke vpon him to confute him in that poynt but Michael Medina defended him against Soto And else-where he speaketh as fully for vs To belieue in Christ saith hee is not to know his works for Sathan knoweth this neyther is it to remember or thinke with himselfe that Christ hath suffered and risen againe for euen vngodly men remember these things and thinke of them and yet are made nothing better But it is with certaine sure and stedfast trust to take hold of Christ and all his benefits and to sticke to them with all the heart all the soule and all the strength Pighius in his booke of controuersies dedicated to the Pope Paulus 3. doth teach that although Faith as it is vsually taken by ecclesiasticall writers bee that habite of the minde whereby we do certainly and without any doubting assent to those things which for our saluation are reuealed of God to his Church
is nothing else but to trust to the free mercy of God he addeth further This is the true Faith whereby the iust man liueth But that which iustifieth not and is destitute of good works is tearmed a dead Faith by the Apostle Yea as the body is dead without the spirit so is faith dead without workes But the Rhemists Cardinall Bellarmine Coster the Iesuite and others doe answere that the Apostle doth not compare a dead faith with a dead man but with a dead body And therefore as a dead body is a true body so a dead faith is a true faith But they must knowe that although the Apostle compare a dead faith not to a dead man but to a dead body yet he compareth it to the dead body of a man which is no true humane body indeed because it wanteth the soule which is the forme of it The Philosopher will teach them That when the bodye is dead there is neyther foote nor hand but onely by equiuocation for all the parts of the body are defined by their office and facultie therefore when they lye dead they are not the same but onely retaine the shadow and shew of the name Though a dead body haue the earthly and materiall parts yet it is not the true body of a man nor the same body that it was before seeing it wanteth his forme life and actiuitâ—e operation and motion So a dead faith hath some materiall parts of a true faith as knowledge vnderstanding and assent yet it is not a true faith indeed because it wanteth speciall application which is the soule of faith It wanteth actiuitie charitie and obedience which are the life of it Didimus Alexandrinus did othâ—rwise take the words of S. Iames then these papists doe for thus he writeth It is to be marked that seeing faith is dead without good workes it is now no faith at all for a dead man is not a man at all Their owne friend Ferus is as peremptorie against them and for vs. Faith without charitie saith he hath indeed the tytle of faith but if thou wilt not speake obscurely of that matter it is not in that sort faith as a body without a soule is a man as a candle put out is light or as a tree cut downe is a tree What kind of light is that which doth not shine and giue light what kinde of fire is that which is not kindled what kinde of man is that which neyther seeth nor heareth nor feeleth nor moueth What kinde of tree is that which hath neyther rootes nor boughes nor bringeth forth fruite Such a kinde of faith is that which is without charitie namely a dead Faith as Iames nameth it How then can any man iustly say that these two are both one and the same faith Lastly they differ in their effects because the one procureth the saluation of our soules namely that liuely and speciall faith which worketh by loue for of that it is sayde Whosoeuer beleeueth in the Sonne hath euerlasting life And by grace wee are saued through faith and not of our selues But the other the Historical faith destitute of works cannot saue any man so teacheth the Apostle And that all those places cannot bee vnderstood of one the same faith all writers giue euidence Augustine said not that faith of the Diuels who beleeue and tremble and confesse Iesus to bee the Sonne of God is that foundation which suffereth none to perish but that faith which the Apostle saith worketh by loue Now what he took to be the faith of the Diuels I haue before shewed Credunt Deum credunt Deo they haue an historicall faith to beleeue all things to be true which hee hath reuealed Non credunt in Deum they put no confidence in him so want a speciall iustifying faith that should saue them So Bernard writeth He that beleeueth in God shall not be confounded And therevpon inferreth that the Diuels though they beleeue God yet they doe not beleeue in God in whom whosoeuer beleeueth shall not be confounded because they doe not put their hope in him Now who that hath any vnderstanding in Religion will say that the faith which is able to saue a mans soule and the faith which is not able to saue a mans soule are both one in kind in nature and substance And that those who are tormented in hell can truely say that while they were on earth they had the very same faith which brought the Saintes to the Kingdome of heauen By that which hath bene spoken touching this point you may vnderstand what a kinde of faith is taught by the greatest Doctors in the Romish church what is the best faith which they require of the people euen an hystoricall faith to giue assent to the truth of things reuealed Which faith as hath bene prooued may be in wicked men in Reprobates in men out of the state of grace in men that shall goe to hell Yea such a faith as is found in the very diuels of Hell What saluation can be obtained in that Church whose preachers teach no better faith Who would be ledde by such guydes I knowe that they would make a difference betwixt the faith of their right Catholickes and the faith of diuels because the one hath Charitie alwayes accompanying it the other wanteth Charity But they might consider that according to their doctrine this maketh no essentiall but a meere accidentall difference Seeing they teach that the same assent to the truth of things reuealed is in some with charitie and in others without charitie it euideÌ„tly appeareth that according to their doctrine Charitie is not a proper immediate necessary and essentiall propertie of it but meerely accidentall Indeed wee hold that Charitie is a proper necessary effect of a iustifying faith so as faith is no sooner wrought in the heart of any but forthwith hee is endued with loue He cannot but loue him in whom he belieueth and of whose loue and fauour he is perswaded And therefore charitie though it do not make yet it may declare the essentiall difference and the nature of this faith But seeing it is no such necessary effect of their assenting faith it can neyther make nor declare any essentiall difference of it And therefore he who wanteth charitie may haue the same faith in substance that hee hath who is endued with Charitie Bellarmine going about to proue that true faith meaning theyr assenting faith may bee separated from loue draweth one Argument from the proper reason nature of them both If they cannot be seuered saith he 46 It is eyther because the one is of the reason or being of the other or that the one doth necessarily arise from the other Not the first because Faith charitie are not one vertue but two And besides that haue diuers subiectes actes and obiectes For faith is in the vnderstanstanding Charitie in the will Faith belieueth
say with the Apostle It is not I but the grace of God which is with me and by his grace I am that I am The more lowly thou art the better are thy fruites The more and the better graines that an eare of corne hath in it the lower it will bowe downeward but the fewer and the worse graines it hath the higher and straighter will it stand vp Euen so the more good fruites for number and the sounder for qualitie that any man hath the more lowly and humble will he be The prouder he is and the more he insulteth ouer others the fewer worse be his gifts and fruits Therfore be lowly and humble not Arrogating to thy selfe but ascribing to God the glory of all thy fruites Not disdayning any for the small measure of their fuits but honoring them for their good beginning and praying to God that they may abound more and more And this I pray for you all as the Apostle did for the Phlippians that your loue may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement that yee may discerne things that differ that yee may be pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ filled with the fruites of righteousnes which are by IESUS CHRIST vnto the glorie and prayse of GOD. The Lorde graunt you all these things for his mercies sake in his beloued Sonne Amen A POSTSCRIPT to the Papists in Lancashire I Am not ignorant how hasty and rash manie of you bee in condemning all things spoken and written against the Doctrine of your moderne Priestes If you vouchsafe to reade our wrytings you commonly giue no more fauourable Censure of them then Iulian the Emperour gaue of the Ancient Fathers bookes who thus said of them I read I vnderstood I condemned And we might iustly answere you as Basil and other Learned Byshops answered him Thou hast read but not vnderstod For if thou hadst vnderstood thou wouldst not haue condemned Some of you are like those men whereof the Apostle Iude spake who condemne those things which they knowe not Others of you knowe and vnderstand more yet reiect all things as erronious and Hereticall which you knowe to be contradictorie to the positions of your popish priests Yea many of you be such vnequall iudges that although you cānot but approue almost all points in the booke yet if there bee but one only thing which you distaste you presently condemne all the rest for it And take it to bee as a leafe of Coloquyntis which marreth a whole messe of pottage and as a deade Flye that spoyleth a whole boxe of Oyntment In regard whereof I may iustly feare your sharpe and bitter censures of these my Sermons nowe put foorth to open sight I can expect no more indifferencie and fauour at your hands thē others my betters haue formerly found Notwithstāding as often hereto fore I haue laboured by many meanes to giue you satisfaction in your Doubtes and demaundes both by priuate Conference with diuers of the Layitie by seuerall Answeres made to the wrytings of the learned on your side and also by open disputations with your priests as some of you cannot denie if you would testifie truth So would I now giue you full contentment if any reasonable thing will content you for all such exceptions which I thinke you wil take against these Sermons Whereas the learned on your side doe charge vs that in our sermons and writings we interpret the Scriptures according to our owne fancies and priuate conceits and not according to the vniforme sense giuen by the Fathers and the common exposition of the Church and thervpon would perswade you not to heare or reade or belieue any thing which we proue by the scriptures I will make it apparant that in those points of cōtroucrsie touched in these sermons and confirmed by seuerall texts of scripture I haue the consent of the ancient Fathers and also of many of your owne late wryters Cardinall Bellarmine acknowledgeth that before the Pelagian heresie arose the Fathers did not exactly handle the questionof Praedestination by grace but onely when occasion was offered did briefly set down their opinions And that Chrysost did not plainly preach preuēting grace because at that time they were not risen vp which denyed it As if the Fathers did speake and write plainely fully of those poynts onely which were controuerted and impugned in those dayes Now is it certaine that few of those poyntes which I mentioned were called into question in their dayes There were many controuersies de eo quod creditur non de eo quo creditur as the M. of Sentences out of Augustine distinguisheth of the things to bee beleeued or of the obiect of faith yet not of the habite of faith or of the gift or qualitie whereby we beleeue And therefore the trueth is not to be gain-sayed though we could not produce very pregnant and plentifull testimonies out of their writings touching the nature and kindes of faith Notwithstanding they haue not left themselues without witnes in that they do vpon occasions declare their iudgements therein which serue to confirme the trueth on our side These testimonies of theirs and the testimonies of your owne Doctors I did forbeare to recite in the Pulpit or write in the copie of the Sermons that so I might auoyde tediousnes Yet hauing diligently perused them and hoping that they would be of force with some that duly consider them I thought good to set them apart by themselues and to adde them as a postscript after all SECT II. WHereas I taught that the word of God is the spirituall seede which must bee sowne in our hearts to make vs fruitfull in all good workes And that Preachers ought to teach and people ought to heare and receiue nothing but the word and did limit the word to the word written I know it crosieth the doctrine of some in your Church and therefore may perhaps be misliked by you First your countrey-man Doctor Stapleton writing a Postill for the instruction of Popish Preachers could not finde in all this Parable any poynt to be obserued against vs but onely this that the word is the seed And will haue not the word written but the word preached to be the seede Yea he maketh two words of God the one Now what is preaching but expounding of Scripture and deliuering the true sense of it As appeareth by the practise of Ezra and the Leuites who reade the Lawe of God distinctly and then gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand what was read Those then who in their Sermons deliuer the true sense of the word written according to those seuerall kindes of expositions must needes deliuer the word of GOD euen the selfe-same word that is written Againe not onely the things expresly set downe in the Scriptures but likewise such things as by sound and necessarie consequence bee collected thence are taken for written truthes and not