a Genes 14. 18. hee brought forth bread and wine and that as Ambrose and Hierome say out of the Hebrew writers b Ambros ad Hebr. cap. 7. Hieron ad Euagr Nec mirum si Melchâ—zedec victori Abraham obuiam processerit in reseâ—â—ion em tam ipsius quam pugnatorum eius panesâ—â—mumque protulerit For the refreshing of him and his souldiers in which meaning c Ioseph Anâ—iq Iudaic. l. 1. â— 11. Milites Iosephus namely Abrahami hospitalitèr habuit nihil â—is ad victum decsse passus doth vnderstand it And if M. Bishop will needes haue it translated by the word of offering as his fellowes are wont greatly to wrangle to that intent yet Ambrose so also applyeth it that d Ambros de Sacram. l. 4. c. 3. Occurrit illi Melâ—lnsedec Sacâ—rdos â—btulit ei paâ—â—e vinii he offered to Abraham bread and wine thereby excluding all necessity of construction of sacrifice to God But if yet we shall perforce take it of offering to God we conceiue of it according to that which Cyprian saith thatâ— e Cyprian l. 2. Ep. 3. Domiâ—uâ— noster Iesus Christus Sacrificium Dâ—o Patri obtulit obtulit hoc idâ—m quod Melchisedec obtulâ—rat id est panem vinii suâ—â— scilicet corpus sanguineÌ„ our Lord Iesus Christ offering a sacrifice to God the Father offered the very same that Melchisedec had offered that is bread and wine euen his owne body and bloud If the sacrifice of Christ and Melchisedecke be the very same and Melchisedecke also offered the body and bloud of Christ as these words import then cannot our sacrifice be a true and real sacrifice of Christs body and bloud because Melchisedecks was not so Christ as yet not hauing taken his body and bloud and therefore must both that and this be vnderstood to be only the mysterie and signification thereof And this interpretation of the sacrifice on both sides Hierome confirmeth when of our Sauiour Christs institution of the Sacrament he saith f Hieron in Mat. 26. Assumit panem ad verum Paschae traÌ„sgreditur Sacramentum vâ— quomodo in praefiguratione eius Melchisedec suÌ„mi Dei Sacerdos panem vinii offerens fecerat ipse quoque veritatem sui corpâ—ris sanguiniâ— repraesentaret Christ taketh bread and goeth to the true Sacrament of the Passeouer that as Melchisedec the Priest of the high God in prefiguring of him offering bread and wine had done so he himselfe also might represent the truth of his body and bloud There is therefore both in the one and in the other not the very truth of the body and bloud of Christ but only a representation of the truth thereof euen as Chrysostome on the one side expresseth when he saith that g Chrys Op. imperfec hom 11 Haec vasa sactificata inquibus non â—st verii coâ—pus Christi sed mysterium corporis eius continetur in the holy vessels is contained not the true body of Christ but the mysterie of his body And vnlesse it be thus it cannot stand which Ambrose concerning this offering of Melchisedec saith that h Ambros de Sacram. l. 4. c. 3. Intellige Sacramenta quâ— accipis anteriâ—ra esse quà m sint Moysi Sacramenta c. the Sacraments which we receiue are more ancient then the Sacraments of Moses for how can that be if our Sacraments be truly and really the body and bloud of Christ which Melchisedecks were not Againe where God by Malachy saith i Mat. 1. 11. In euery place incense shall be offered vnto me and a pure offering whose eyes are so sharpe as that in those words he can discerne the Popish sacrifice of the Masse We reade here of incense and a pure offering but this roome is too little for the building of so large a house their Masse cannot stand within the compasse of this ground And when we consider how the Fathers expound the same Tertullian one where generally of k Tertul. adu ludaeos Desacrisicijs spiritualibus addit dicens In omni loco sacrificia munda offerâ—tur spirituall sacrifices another where of l Idem cont Marc. l. 4. Sacrificium mundum scilicet simplex oratio de conscientia pura sincere prayer out of a pure censcience Hierome of m Hieron in Zacha. c 8. Sacrificium mundum nequaquam in victimis veteris Testamenti sed in sanctuate Euangelica puritatis the sanctity and holinesse of Euangelicall purity Eusebius of n Euseb de demonstrat Euang lib. 1. c 6. Sacrificium quod appellaturpurum facimus per puras actiones pure and godly doings Austin of o Aug. cont lit Petil. l. 2. c. 86. Viuum Sacrificium de quo dictum est Immola Deo sacrificium laudis the liuely sacrifices of praise and thanks-giuing Theodoret of p Theodoret. in Mal. c. 1. Debitum honorem praestabuÌ„t accomodatum cultum adhibebunt the due honour and conuenient worship of God exemplifying the same by the words of Christ q John 4. 23. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth and by the words of the Apostle r 1. Tim. 2. 8. Let men pray euery where lifting vp pure hands without wrath or doubting and Hierome by the words of the Psalme Å¿ Psal 141. 2. Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense and the lifting vp of my hands as an euening sacrifice these things I say considered may we not be thought to be out of our wits if we shall beleeue them that the place must needes be vnderstood of their monstrous sacrifice That Manna was a type of the body of Christ no Christian man doubteth but that it was a type of Christs body as really in the Sacrament no wise man beleeueth and the reason wherby t Answere to M. Perkins Aduertisement sect 56. See the Confutation elsewhere he goeth about to proue it is there declared to be vaine So haue I also u Of Traditions sect 21. formerly shewed that the example of the high Priest amongst the Iewes giueth no manner warrant to the supreme authority of one head ouer the whole Christian Church that the high Priest amongst the Iewes had no such supremacy as they claime to the Pope that reason teacheth such a supremacy to be the manifest and certaine danger of the Church and experience hath found it to be the very ruine and desolation thereof As for their according with the Iewish ceremonies in consecrating of Priests and hallowing of Churches and Altars and Vestments c. it is a slender proofe for the finding of their religion amongst the Iewes because they haue borrowed many ceremonies from the Pagans also and yet they will not say that their religion was amongst the Pagans Their emuâ—aâ—â—on of those ceremonies we iustly cry out against as preposterous and absurd because they being as M. Bishop saith types and figures of the law of
reuelation of it in the Gospell What a foule mistaking is this alas his pouerty of spirit and want of good armour compelleth him to lay hand on any weapons how simple and weake soeuer In the next verse it is plainly shewed that God did grieuously punish all them who liued wickedly notwithstanding they held the right faith for saith S. Paul the Rom. 1. vers 18. wrath of God from heauen is reuealed vpon all impiety and vnrighteousnesse of those men that retaine or hold the truth of God in iniustice Whence it followeth first that men may haue a true faith without good workes for they held the truth of God being themselues wicked Secondly that the same faith would not auaile them ought nor saue them from the iust wrath of God if it were not quickned by good workes R. ABBOT I Am not ignorant that there are many expositions made of those wordes of the Apostle which all or the most part are to be found in the collections of a Oecumen in Rom. 3. Oecumenius and in b Tho. Aquin. in Rom. 1. Lect. 6. Thomas Aquinas his Commentary vpon that place who notwithstanding Aquinas I meane either omitteth that which is most likely and warrantable aboue all the rest or else expresseth it not in such sort as were conuenient M. Bishop telleth vs that the exposition which he hath brought is the most common whereas I am perswaded that as he hath set it downe he can bring no authour of it but himselfe only For although it be true that some construe it to be meant from the faith of the old Testament to the faith of the new yet they apply the same to farre other purpose then he doth Some will haue it that the Apostle would signifie that it is faith that iustifieth and saueth both in the old and new Testament so that the change from the old to the new is but from faith to faith that is in effect no change This Thomas Aquinas expresseth thus c Tho. Aquin. vt supra Ex side in fidem id est ex fide veteris testamenti procedendo in fidem noui testamenti quia ab vtroque homines iustificaÌ„tur saluantur per fidem Christi quia cadem side crediderunt venturâ— qua nos venisse credimus From faith to faith that is from faith of the old Testament proceeding to faith of the new because on both sides men are iustified and saued by the faith of Christ for that by the same faith they beleeued that Christ should come whereby we beleeue that he is come Some other vnderstand it of proceeding from faith whereby we beleeue the Scriptures of the Prophets and old Testament to faith whereby to beleeue the Gospell For d Theodoret. Oecumen in Rom. 3. Ex side in fidem Oportet enim credere Prophetis per illos deduci ad fidem Euangelij wee must beleeue the Prophets saith Theodoret and after him Oecumenius and by them be brought to the faith of the Gospell This I ghâ—sse it was that M. Bishop aimed at but hee peruersly applyeth it to light giuen by the new Testament to the old which was meant by his authours of confirmation giuen by the old Testament to the new This literall sense therefore of his being neither literall nor sense but a blinde conceipt of his owne skonce let vs consider what we may most truly take to be the meaning of that place The Apostle propounding that e Rom. 1. 16. the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth addeth for declaration and proofe thereof that in it or by it the righteousnesse of God is reueiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from faith to faith M. Bishop to obscure and darken the place translateth as his Masters of Rhemes haue giuen him example by faith into faith to which we may wonder how he can deuise to fit the exposition which he himselfe hath set downe But it appeareth by that which I cited out of Thomas Aquinas that the phrase which the Apostle vseth importeth a proceeding and therefore that by the one preposition must be vnderstood terminus à quo the terme of beginning and the other must determine the progression and the end to sound euen as we translate from faith to faith And this is very expresly and clearely iustified by Oecumenius out of the Greeke expositours setting downe the effect of St. Pauls wordes thus f Oecumen in Rom. 3. Ex fide in fidem quia in side incipit in fidem terminari debet It is to beginne in or with faith and in faith to be determined Hereto accord almost all the expositions that are made of that place which cannot fitly be expressed but by that forme of speech from the faith of God promising to the faith of man beleeuing from the faith of the old Testament to the faith of the new from the faith of the Preacher to the faith of the hearer from the faith of one article to the faith of another from faith present to faith to come to all which M. Bishop can as ill fit i Clem. Alexand strom l. 5. sub initio Videtur Apostâ—lus duplicem fidem annunciare potiùs verò vnam annunciat quae augmentum suscâ—pit perfectionem by faith into faith as he can to his owne sense For further manifestation hereof we are to note the like phrase in other places of holy Scripture as where the Prophet Dauid saith g Psal 84. 7. They shall goe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Septuagint translate that is from strength to strength So the Apostle speaketh though by the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in steede of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet to the same effect h 2. Cor. 3. 18. We are changed into the same image 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from glory to glory where the Rhemists translating from glory vnto glory might haue learned to translate here from faith vnto faith but that they were peruersly bent for their owne aduantage to make the Apostles wordes lesse sensible then in themselues they are Now therefore as in these places the holy Ghost noteth by that forme of speech a continuation and increase of strength and glory so in the other he importeth a continuation of faith and a proceeding and growing therein to greater and stronger faith Thus doth Ciemens Alexandrinus construe it saying The Apostle seemeth to speake of a double faith but he speaketh rather of one receiuing increase and perfection k Theophyl in Rom. 1. Neque enim sat est priores fidem hanc excepisse sed erit etiam fidei huius ductu ad persectiorem credulitâ—tem progreâ—iâ—â—dum ad imâ—â—otu◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 firmamentâ—â— quâ—nta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For it is not enough saith Theophylact to receiue this faith at first but by the guiding of this faith we are to goe forward to more perfâ—ct beleefe euen to vnmoueable
for no other but a madde and frantike dreame and yet perforce must vse it because hee knew no better shift therefore he thought good to colour it the best he could by curtolling the wordes alleaged naming only imputation of righteousnesse whereas the Apostle nameth imputation of righteousnesse without workes But let him take the wordes as the Apostle setteth them downe and then giue vs his answere and we shall apparantly see him to be a most impudent man making no conscience of that he saith but studying only to blinde the Reader from seeing that truth which he himselfe knoweth not how with any probable shew to contradict Yet he telleth vs for conclusion that there is only a bare sound of wordes for the Protestants the true substance of the text making wholly for the Papists So then the sound of the wordes by his confession is for vs but inasmuch as the wordes are very plaine and cleare how may we be informed that the true substance and meaning of them is wholly for the Papists when as they containe in shew a flat contradiction to the doctrine of the Papists Wee see here the vse of that caueat which the Rhemists haue giuen to their Reader aduertising him o Rhem. Testam ArgumeÌ„t of the Epistles in generall to assure himselfe that if any thing in Pauls Epistles sound to him contrary to the doctrine of their Catholike Church he faileth of the right sense By this meanes if Saint Paul say it is white yet we must not thinke that he meaneth it to be white if it please their Church to call it blacke And therefore though here he speake of imputation of righteousnesse without works and bring testimony of ancient Scripture for confirmation thereof yet he must not be taken to meane that there is any such or any other but the imputation of the righteousnesse of workes because there is no other approued by the Roman Church Well may we thinke the iudgement of God to be fearefull vpon them who are so blinde as to be led with such fopperies and grosse deceipts CHAP. X. That eternall life is meerely and wholly the gift of God and cannot be purchased by merit or desert ANSWERE TO THE EPISTLE PAul teacheth that eternall life is the gift of God through Iesus Christ c. to Hee telleth vs againe and againe c. W. BISHOP IN the same place you had a large solution of this obiection but he that hath made a couenant with hell will not looke vpon that which might helpe him to heauen We teach with the Apostle and with his faithfull interpreter Saint Augustine That eternall life is the gift of God both originally because we must receiue grace by the free gift of God before we can doe any thing that doth deserue the ioyes of heauen and also principally the whole vertue and value of our merits doe proceede of the dignity of Gods grace in vs which doth eleuate and giue such worth to our workes that they thereby deserue life euerlasting Notwithstanding if we take not hold on Gods grace when it is freely offered vs and doe not concurre with it to the effecting of good workes we shall neuer be saued and this our working with the grace of God deserues heauen both which are prouedly this sentence of the same Apostle God will render to euery man according to Rom. 2. vers 6. 7. 8. his workes to them truly that according to patience in good workes seeke glory and honour and incorruption life eternall to them that are of contention and that obey not the truth but giue credit to iniquity wrath and indignation where you may see in expresse termes eternall life to be rendered and repaid for good workes to such men as diligently seeke to doe them and to others who refuse to obey the truth and rather choose to beleeue lies and to liue wickedly eternall death and damnation R. ABBOT WHether M. Bishop or I may bee thought more likely to flatter himselfe in an opinion of hauing made a couenant with hell I leaue it to be esteemed by the whole processe of this worke and the God of heauen shall make it one day more fully to appeare Against his solution of the obiection here propounded he knoweth well that I a Of Merits sect 8. haue returned a replication which sheweth the same to be infirme and vaine and seeing he can fortifie it no further the bare repeating of it is no other but womanish and idle talking The Apostle telleth vs that b Rom. 6. 23. eternall life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free grace or gift of God through Iâ—su Christ our Lord. We teach saith M. Bishop that eternall life is the gift of God originally and principally Thus by his shifting termes of originally and principally he limiteth the Apostles wordes and deludeth a maine Theoreme and Canon of Christian faith leauing it to be vnderstood that though eternall life be originally and principally the gift of God yet totally and absolutely it is not so Which iâ— it be true it must necessarily follow that as the Apostle saith truly that eternall life is the gift of God because in part it iâ— so so a man may truly say against the Apostle that eternall life is not the free gift of God because in part and in some sort it is not so And if no man may dare in this wise to gainsay the Apostle then wee must acknowledge that which Origen saith that c Origen in Rom. 4. Stipendia inquit peccati mors Et non addidâ—â— similitèr vt dicâ— et stâ—pendia aâ—â—â— iustitiae vita aterna sed ait Gratia autem Deâ— vâ—â—a aetâ—rna vt stâ—pend â—m quod vtique debiâ—o mercedi similé est retributionem poenâ— esse docâ—â—â—t mortis vâ—tam verâ— aternam soli gratiae consignareâ— the Apostle hauing said that the stipend of sinne is death did not adde in the like sort that the stipend of righteousnesse is eternall life but eternall life is the grace of God that he might teach that the retribution of punishment and death is a stipend which is like to a debt or wages but might assigne life eternall to grace only And thus the Apostle himselfe teacheth vs to conceiue when he saith d Rom. 11. 6. If it be of grace then it is not of workes otherwise grace is no grace For e August coÌ„t Pelag. Celest lib. 2. c 24. Gratia Dei non eriâ— gratâ—â— vllâ— modo nisigratâ—ita fuerâ—t omni modo grace saith Austin shall not be grace in any respect except it be free in euery respect f Idem Epist 120. c. 19. Haec est gratia quae gratis datur non meritâ—s operantis sed miseratione donantis That is grace saith he which is freely giuen not for the merits of the worker but by the mercy of the giuer Thus Hierome saith g Hieron Epist ad Demâ—trâ—ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non opâ—ruâ— retributio sed donamis est