in Math cap. 3. can fullfill the law of GOD yea can doe superarrogant workes I should say workes of Supererogation aboue them that the law requireth Ergo the Papists bee proud Hypocrites and Phraisees The Pamphlet The most poynts wherein the Protestants dissent from the Catholikes tend to loosenes of life and carnall liberty 4. Article THis article may bee proued by a generall induction in all such matters as now the Protestants call in question First say that a man hath not free will to doe good but all goodnesse proceedeth so from grace that it lyeth not in his power neither to haue it nor resist it but of necessitie it must haue effect To what other end tendeth this senceles doctrine and fatall fancie but to make men negligent in disposing and preparing their soules to receiue Gods grace and rouse it vp and put it in execution after they haue it making man not much vnlike a sicke asse who neither can dispose nor prepare himselfe to seeke for his medicine but of necessitie must expect till his maister thrusteth it into his throate neither after hee hath drunke it can cause it cure his disease but carelesly letteth it worke as it will Secondly they defend that men be iustified by faith alone the which Solifidian position ouerthroweth flatly true repeâ—tance sorrow for sins mortification of passions al other virtues which tend to perfect reconciliation of the soule with God causing men onely to procure a certaine false fantastical apprehension of Christs death passioÌ„ the which faith although they erroniously auerre cannot be seuered from charity vertues good works yet both experience teacheth that it may for also few or none haue faith because few or none of them haue these works and the Scriptures plainely proue that all faith yea and the most noble faith which hath force to remoue Mountaines may be without charitie Thirdly they assure vs that faith once had can neuer be lost the which vain security openeth the gap to al libertine sensuâ—lity for if a man bee certain that he hath true faith if it bee impossible he should lose it if he be secured that by it alone he shal be saued why may he not wallow in al licentious pleasures in this life neuer doubt of glory in the other could euer Epicurus haue fouÌ„d a better ground to plant his Epicurisme could euer Heliogabalus haue better patronised his seÌ„suality could Bacchus or Venus euer haue forged better reasons to enlarge their dominion Fourthly they say a man cannot keep all the commaundements for what other cause I pray you but thereby to make men negligent in keeping of them to pretend an excuse of impossibilite whensoeuer they transgresse them Fiftly why deny they the Sacrament of penance but to make men careles how they liue and neuer regard the auoiding of sinnes as though they were neuer to render an account of theÌ„ to hinder that shame blushing which men conceiue in discouering their sins the which are most excellent meanes to deter them from sinning another time to shuffle vp restitution satisfaction of iniuries committed against our neighbours to draw men from remorse of conscience by burying their sins in eternal obliuion the sores whereof confession rubbeth causeth remembrance Sixtly why exclude they the true real body of Christ from the blessed Sacrament of the altar but for that they perceiue how by the presence thereof they were deterred from sinne and wickednes for they knew well that sinfull liâ—es consorted not with those sacred misteries and therefore they rather resolued to banish Christ from the Sacrament then sinnes from their soules Finally for what other cause haue they coined a new negatiue religion wholy standing vpon negation of sacraments ceremonies rites lawes customes other principal points of the catholike Church but for fasting to bring in feastâ—g for praying playing for deuotion â—issolutioÌ„ for religious fâ—are of God vain securitie for zeale and mortification a nuâ—ber of vaine verbal sermons and to conclude for a positiue working a flat deniall almost of all points of faith and religion Answere COncerning this article I will first answere these cauils which this cauiller obiecteth to the slaundering of our doctrine as tending to loosenesse of life and carnall libertie Secondly I will shew to what loosenesse and wickednesse of life the doctrine of the Church of Rome tendeth and what fruits or rather weeds of wickednes it hath brought forth euen in Popes their clergie and namely in Rome that holy Citie where that holy Father resideth and wherevpon he especially breatheth and blesseth He beginneth with free will wherein he neither setteth downe truly our doctrine nor the state of the controuersie which is a vsuall custome with his companions to peruert and alter the state of the question as Doctor Whitakers sheweth yâ— Bellarmine vseth to do I wil Epist dedica in contr 1. therefore lay downe our doctrine truly as we teach concerning this matter wee beleeue that although in worldly matters concerning this life man haue wit reason and vnderstanding to know and will for the choise of good and euill iust and vniust yet in spirituall matters pertayning to eternall life and the worship of God wee beleeue that mans reason is so darkened wil be so corrupted that he can neither truly know loue nor couet much lesse do performe those things which bee agreeable to Gods will and acceptable vnto his Maiestie vntill God in his elect and chosen people doe by his holy spirit regenerate them by lightning their blinde reason and forming their wicked wils This we proue by these places of Scripture here following The Lord saw that the wickednes Genes 6. 5. of man was so great vpon the earth al the imaginations of the thoughts of his hart were euil continually And that the Ibid. cap. 8. 21. Math. 16. 17. imagination of mans heart is euill from his youth Flesh and bloud hath not reueiled it vnto thee but my Father which is in John 1. 5. Verse 1â— Iohn 3. 3. heauen That light shined iâ— the darkenes and the darkenes comprehended it not Which are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh but of God Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdom of God That which is born of the flesh 13 is flesh that which is borne of the spirit is spirit A man can 27 receiue nothing except it be giuen him from heauen No man Chap. 6. 44. 65 can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Therefore I said vnto you that no man can coâ—e vnto me except it be giuen vnto him of my Father without mee ye can do nothing The wisdome of the flesh iâ— death The wisedome Cap. 15. 5. Rom. 8. 6. 1. Cer. â— 14 of the flesh is enmitie against God The natural man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes to him
vs O Lord that which thou commaundest vs and then commaund vs what thou wilt And therefore they reason like doltish Asses which inferre vpon the exhortations to grace and godlines which be in the Scriptures that there is a power and ability in vs to performe those things whereunto God in his word exhorteth vs. Exhortations bee Gods instruments and meanes which he vseth to worke his heauenly graces in vs and they teach vs not what we can doe but what we should doe I would here end this matter but yâ— I must tell you that you write improperly and falsely in charging vs that we say al goodnes proceedeth so far from grace that it lieth not in mans power neither to haue it nor to refuse it but of necessity in must haue effect Improperly you write in putting hauing Gods grace in steed of obtayning getting it we say it is in man to haue it wheÌ„ God doth giue it without which gift it is not in mans power to get it But it is in man to resist it For the grace of God offereth saluatioÌ„ to al but it is resisted Tit. 2 11. reiected of maâ—y in that their hard and stony hearts wil not admit it The grace of God is offered to men when his word is preached and they be called to repentance but it is with many and namely you as Zacharie saith They refused Zachar. 7. 11 As the Papists doe now to hearken pulled away the shoulder and stopped their eares that they should not heare Yea they made their hearts as an Adamant stone least they should heare the Law and words which the Lord of hosts sent in his spirit by the ministery of the former Prophets I know no man that denieth but such men doe resist the grace of God which yet is receiued of them that are written in the booke of life whose wils it reformeth and of euill wils maketh good wils willing and coueting those things which be acceptable in Gods sight Finally I thought good for the better satisfying of the reader in this matter to let him vnderstand that whereas Erasmus a man as all men must needs confesse of great learning was had in iealousie of the Papists as too much leaning to Luther and his doctrine hee was at the last prouoked and set on by them to write against him who chusing this matter of free will and writing in defence thereof yet afterward he retracted and reuoked his former opinion and writing and was not abashed to confesse the truth as appeareth by these his words Verum vt ingenuè â—rasm lib. 19. â—pist ad Ludoâ—â—cum Viâ—em dicam perdidimus liberum arbitrium illic mihi aliud dictabat animus aliud scribebat calamus But simply to speake my minde We haue lost our free will in that matter my minde did indite to me one thing and my hand did write another I come now to the second doctrine of ours which you vntruely charge and falsely slander to tend to loosenesse of life and carnall liberty that men bee iustified by faith alone which you scornefully call a solifidian portion and falsely say but doe not proue that it flatly ouerthroweth true repentance sorrow for sinnes mortification of passions and all other vertues which tend to that perfect reconciliation of the soule with God c. Where first I would exhort you if the same might any thing preuaile with you to take heed that by scorning in this manner at Gods Psalm 1. 1 Prou. 19. 29 truth you shew not your selfe to be one of them that sit in the seate of the scornefull Salomon saith that iudgements are prepared for the scornâ—rs stripes for the backe of fooles Secondly as this doctrine which you deride is true Godly and comfortable confirmed by the word of God ancient Fathers so doth it not exclude much lesse ouerthrow repentance or any other good worke but sheweth the true and right vse of them Saint Paul saith Wee conclude Rom. 5 28 that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law And in the fourth chapter hee reasoneth thus from Abraham the father of the faithfull If Abraham were iustified Rom. 4 2 by workes he hath wherin to reioyce or glory But Abraham hath not wherein to reioyce or glorie before God Ergo AbrahaÌ„ was not iustified by works And after saith To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth Galat. 2 16 the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse Wee know that a man is not iustified by the workes of the lawe but by the faith of Iesus Christ euen wee haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that wee might bee iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the lawe because that by the workes of the lawe no flesh shall bee iustified This doctrine was neither scorned nor denied by the auncient Godly Fathers of some of whome I will set downe a few sayings Origene speaking of the theefe that was hanged with Origen in 3. ad Rom. Christ saith Pro hac sola fide ait ei Iesus Amen dico tibi Hodie mecum eris in paradiso For this his onely faith Iesus said vnto him Verely I say vnto thee this day shalt thou be with me in paradise And of the woman that had the issue of bloud Ex nullo legis opere sed pro sola fide â—â— Ibidem ad eam Remittuntur tibi pecâ—ata For no worke of the law but for faith onely he said vnto her Thy sinnes be forgiuen thee Hâ—larie saith Solafides iustificat Onely faith Hilar. in Math. Caâ— 8. Can 21. Ambrosâ—n Rom. 3. doth iustifie Ambrose saith iustificati sunt gratis quia nihil operantes neque vicem reddentes sola fide iustificati sunt donâ— Dei They are iustified freely because working nothing nor rendring any recompence they are iustified by faith onely through the gift of â—od The like he writeth in Rom. 4. and 10. and vpon the 1. Cor. 1. Praefat. ad Galat. and vpon chap. 3. Saint Hierome saith Conuerteâ—tem Hier. in Rom. cap. 4. impium per solum fidem iustificat Deus non opera bona quae non habuit God doth by faith only iustifie the wicked man conuerting not by good workes which hee had not Many such other sayings I might alleage out of Hierome Augustinus in Psal 67. but I leaue them Saint Augustine saith Sine bonorum operum meritis per fidem iustificatur impius The wicked man is iustified by faith without the merites of good workes In Psal 88. Againe Quia sola fides in Christum mundat c. Because onely faith in Christe doth make cleane they that doe not beleeue in Christ bee voyd of cleanesse He hath also Eâ—chir ad Laurent cap. 117. often this fine saying Fides impetrat quod lex imperat Faith obtaineth that which the law commaundeth that is to say the law commandeth a righteousnesse of workes faith obtaineth
discerne the absurdities of an vntrue religion Vertuous and well inclined affections which are the base of quiet secure and religious consciences abhor and detest such principles as either dishonor God abase mans nature occasion sinne fauor iniquity or any sort diminish deuotion or piety And therefore all the insequent articles shall stand vpon these two foundations to wit that the Protestants religion debarreth the wit from right vnderstanding the true faith and the will from following of any vertue or godlinesse Answere YOu wonder that any man in England endued with a good iudgement conioyned with a religious conscience can either accept or affect the Protestants new coyned gospell But why doe you not shew what is the new coyned gospell which the Protestants preach and professe The Gospell is the good and ioyfull message of our saluation through Gods mercies purchased vnto vs by Iesus Christ This Gospell God preached to Adam that Iesus Christ the seed of the woman should breake the Serpents Genes 3. 16. head This he renued to Abraham saying In thy seed shall all the nations of the world bee blessed This Gospell was Genes 22. 18. preached by all the Prophets who beare witnesse vnto Christ that through his name all that beleeue in him shall Act. 10. 43. reciue forgiuenesse of sinnes Now if you can prooue that wee preach or maintaine any other gospell then this then you may well call it a new coyned gospell if otherwise take heed you doe not belch out blasphemie in calling this old and true gospell of Iesus Christ a new coyned gospell And let the Christian reader which tendereth his owne saluation well consider who they be that coine a new false and counterfeit gospell Doe not they which teach vs to ascend into heauen by the bloud of Thomas Becket coyne a In the Popish Primer printed 1557. new and false gospell Tu per Thomae sanguinem c. which they Englished in Queene Maries dayes thus By the bloud of Thomas which hee for thee did spend make vs Christ to come whither Thomas did ascend Againe Iesu bone per Thomae merita nostra nobis dimitte debita O good Iesus for the merits of Thomas Becket forgiue vs our sinnes Doe not they which teach vs to seeke to bee deliuered from the fire of hell by the merits and prayers of Saint Nicholas maintaine a new coyned gospell Thus they prayed Quesimus vt eius meritis precibus à gehennae incendiis In the same Primer liberemur Grant wee beseech thee that by his merites and prayers wee may bee deliuered from the fire of hell Do not they which say and beleeue of an Agnus dei that is to say a peece of waxe and balme consecrated by the Pope Tollit omne malignum peccatum frangit vt Lib. 1. Caeremo titul 7. pag 91. Christi sanguis angit It taketh away all euill it breaketh and strangleth sinne as doth the bloud of Christ doe not they I say coine a new false and blasphemous Gospell Yes surely for to attribute remission of sinnes or any part of saluation to the merits of any other but onely of Iesus Christ crucified is to coine a new and false gospell for it is not that gospell of God which hee promised afore by his Rom. 1. 2. Prophets in the holy scriptures which is concerning his sonne Iesus Christ our Lord c. To conclude this point I say woe woe vnto them that accept or affect any new coined gospell Script Brita Centur. 4. p. 308. How your Friers went about aboue 300. yeares past to bring in a new coyned gospell which they called the euerlasting gospell and said that it excelled as much the Gospel of Christ as the Sunne in brightnesse excelleth the Moone and the kirnell the shell Maister Bale out of the Bookes of that execellent man William de Sancto amore who in those dayes did withstand their diuelish deuises did largely declare And whereas you wonder that men indued with iudgment and a religious conscience could affect or accept the gospel that we preach which you falsely call a new coined gospell we may well wonder that any man that hath any sparke of knowledge or conscience should beleeue these foresaid false gospels Wee may also wonder that men indued with reasonable soules and senses being the handy worke of God should bow downe and worship a stone and stock which hath neither soule nor life hath eyes and seeth not eares and heareth not c. and is the workemanship of mans Psal 115. 135. hands especially being so plainely and expresly forbidden in Gods commandements infinit places of the scriptures We may wonder that any man should be so mad as to worship and thinke that which he doth eate to be his God and maker which is so absurd that euen Tully not without Cicero de Natura dâ—orum lib. 2. reason could say sed ecquem tam amentem esse put as qui illud quo vescitur deum credat esse Doest thou thinke any man so mad as to beleeue that to be his God which he doth eate yet into this madnesse by a spirituall phrensie be these men fallen Wee also may wonder that they should beleeue such false fables and lying miracles as abound in poperie as for example to cast the dung of their abhominations vpon their faces That Images did speake did sweate did roll their eyes did bleed that the head of a dog being cut off from the body by theeues which vpon Saint Katherines day came to rob a Priest who was a deuoute Inter sermones discipuli Serm. de S. Katherin worshipper of her did still barke That the Virgin Mary did for many yeares in a Nunnery keepe the keyes and supply the place of one Beatrix whilest shee went away and played the whore These and many such absurd fables were preached published printed and beleeued as may appeare by Sermones discipuli Antoninus the Archbishop of In promptu discipuli Florence stories Mariale Summa praedicantia the festiuall Vitas patrum and that monstrous booke the Legend written by Iacobus de Voragine Archbishop of Genua Which Supplementum Chronicorum Bergomens li. 13. fol. 205. yet was in so great reputation with them that it was published in print in the English tongue when the holy Bible was suppressed and had this title set before it The golden Legend for as gold excelleth all other mettals so this booke excelleth all other bookes to the which title that worthy and right worshipfull Knight Sir Andrew Corbet of blessed memory did adde these words In lying and so of a false blasphemous title made it a most true title Yea I haue a booke in English in Folio translated out of French and printed in London in King Henry the eights daies Anno 1521. intituled The flower of the Commandements fully fraighted with such sottish and worse then old wiues fables which yet in those daies were preached
the righteousnes of Christ which onely is able to hide and discharge all our vnrighteousnesse This doctrine which this disdainfull man so much disdaineth is acknowledged of the Greeke Fathers Basil saith This is perfect and sound glorying in God when a man doth not boast himselfe for his owne righteousnes Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pag. â—â—â— but knoweth himselfe to bee voyd of true righteousnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And is iustified by onely faith in Christ Chrysostome saith Nobis pro cunctis sola Chrysost in Math Hom. 12. Idem de prodâ—tione Iudae fides sufficiat Onely faith is sufficient to vs for all other thinges Againe Illud vnum asseueraueâ—im quód sola fides per se salvum fecerit This I may affirme that only faith by it selfe saueth Againe Rursus illi dicebant qui sola fide nititur execrabilis est hic contrà demonstrat qui sola Idem in Galat. cap. 3 fide nititur eum benedictum esse They said hee that leaneth onely to faith is accursed but Paul on the contrarie part sheweth that hee that leaneth to faith onely is blessed Many such other places out of the Latine and Greeke Fathers I might produce but I omit them I hope hee will not say that these Fathers which deliuered this doctrine of solifidian faith as he disdainfully termeth it did ouerthrow repentance mortification and all other vertues Nay this true faith which neither falsely nor fantistically but truly and effectually apprehendeth Christs death and passion and applieth the same as a most soueraigne salue to cure all the sores of our soules is that which giueth life to repentance mortification and all other verâ—â—es For as faith without workes is dead as S. Iames saith so workes Iames 2. 26 Cyril in exposit Symbol Nâ—â—â—n tom 1. Concil pag. 543 Chry in 1 ad Timot Hom. 5. without faith are dead as Cyril and Chrysostome say And we truly auerre that this true faith in Gods merifull promises by the which Christ doth dwel in our hearts cannot be seuered from charitie vertues and good workes as hee falsely affirmeth but faintly and foolishly prooueth that it may His first reason is taken from experience because few or none of vs haue faith for that few or none of vs haue these workes How many or few of vs haue faith and good workes you are no competent iudge for to determine And therefore wee appeale from your affectionate and erronious iudgement to the true and iust iudgement of God I doubt not but before I haue ended this article to proue that we be not so void of good workes and so ful of abhominable wickednesse as your Popes and spitefull spiritualty hath beene Your second proofe you will draw out of the Scripture that all faith yea and the most noble faith which hath 1. Cor. 13. force to remoue mountaines may be without charitie I answere that Saint Paul speaketh not there of the faith of Tit. â—â—1 Math. 7. Gods elect but of that which is a gift to worke miracles which may bee in wicked reprobates such as Iudas was and so doth Oecumenius the Greeke Scholiast expound it in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecumen in 1. Cor. 13 He speaketh not of the common and Catholike faith of the faithfull but of a certaine gift of faith â—or there was a certaine kinde of gift which by an equiuocation was called faith So that S. Paul as hee had before compared charity with the gift of tongues and with the gift of prophesying so here he compareth it with the gift of doing miracles And as those gifts may be in the wicked seuered from charity so also may this Some writers also in the former chapter where S. Paul saith To another is giuen â— Cor. 12. 9. faith by the same spirit do expound it of the particular faith of doing miracles As Theophilactus Non fides dâ—gmatum Theophilact in 1. Cor. 12 sed miraculorum quae montes transfert He speaketh not of faith of doctrine but of miracles which mooueth mountaines And therefore S. Paul meaneth that if the whole faith which is in doers of miracles were in him separated from charitie as it may bee hee were nothing But that faith by which Christ dwelleth in the hearts of his elect neither is nor can be separated from charitie but Gâ—lath 5. 6. worketh by it And therefore S. Paul in his gratulations in the beginning of his Epistles doth alwaies ioyne them togither as being such graces of Gods spirit which be neuer separated asunder Hearing of the faith which ye haue in Ephes 1. 15. Coloss 14. 1. Thess 1 3 2. Thess 1 3 Philem. 1 5. â—ebr 12 the Lord Iesus and loue towards all the Saints To conclude this point that this doctrine doth not tend to loosenes of life we teach that they which doe not follow peace and holinesse shall neuer see God and that good workes are the waies wherein wee must walke to the kingdome of God and eternall life to the which they that doe not walke in them shall neuer come For without the holy Citie shall bee dogs and enchaunters and whoremongers and murtherers Apocal. 22. 15 idolaters and whosoeuer loueth or maketh lies And although good fruites make not the tree good yet they be necessarie effects of a good tree so euery tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be out downe and cast into the fire Mâ—th 3 10. The third doctrine of ours which you vntruely charge to tend to loosenes of life is That faith once had can neuer be lost the which vaine securitie you say openeth the gap to all libertine sensualitie and hereat you make great exclamations Here I will first cleere the doctrine and afterward answere your vaine cauillations and needlesse exclamations Faith is diuers waies taken in the holie Scriptures First it is taken for the doctrine of faith or the Gospell which we beleeue as By whom wee haue receâ—ued Rom. 1 5 grace and Apostleship to the obedience of faith aâ—ong al Gentiles that is that all nations might obey the Gospell Also to the Galathians This onely would I know oâ— you Receiued Galat. 3 2. ye the spirit by the workes of the law or by the hearing of fâ—â—th that is by hearing the Gospell preached So wee call the Christian faith and the Apostolicall faith In this sense faith being taken for the doctrine of the Gospell we confesse that many may know it make profession of it and historically beleeue it and yet afterwards may fall from it as Iudas and many in Asia did Secondly it is taken for 2. Tim. 1. 15. that promise which wee make in Baptisme whereby wee binde our selues to professe true religion to beleeue in God in whose name we be baptized Hereof S. Paul speaketh Refuse the yonger widowes for when they haue begun to waxe wanton against Christ they will â—arrie hauing â—amnation 1.