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work_n charity_n faith_n justification_n 4,801 5 9.5998 5 false
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A19220 The Catholike moderator: or A moderate examination of the doctrine of the Protestants Prouing against the too rigid Catholikes of these times, and against the arguments especially, of that booke called, The answer to the Catholike apologie, that we, who are members of the Catholike, apostolike, & Roman Church, ought not to condeme the Protestants for heretikes, vntill further proofe be made. First written in French by a Catholike gentleman, and now faithfully translated. See the occasion of the name of Huguenots, after the translaters epistle.; Examen pacifique de la doctrine des Huguenots. English Constable, Henry, 1562-1613.; W. W., fl. 1623. 1623 (1623) STC 5636.2; ESTC S109401 62,312 88

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which the Catholikes call Inherent or Secondarie Righteousnesse But they say that they dare not build vpon it but onely vpon that Righteousnesse which being inherent in Christ is by Faith imputed to them Seeing then that this Righteousnesse of Christ is by generall consent acknowledged to bee most perfect though there may perhaps bee thought to be some errour in the Huguenots doctrine yet no danger can come of it Like as when a man laies hold on a strong bough he may very well be deceiued in fearing another may be too weake yet without doubt he cannot fall so long as he embraces that which cannot breake Next followes the Instrument by which we imbrace this Righteousnesse and that is Faith about the nature whereof the Huguenots seeme to him to hold another error For that They deny saies he that Grace may bee lost without the losse of Faith Which is but a meere cauill of his vpon the double signification of the word Faith For if we affirme That Faith is nothing else but to beleeue that God is so and so and that he hath done such and such things and to be briefe that all the Christian doctrine is most true the Huguenots will say with Saint Iames That the deuills also beleeue as much and that the deuills haue Faith though without Grace So that the Huguenots mistake is nothing but in the word for that they teach That the Faith of that man which is deuoid of Grace and Charitie merits not the honourable title of a Iustifying Faith and that such a Faith as this is but the Instrument onely by which we are iustified which is euer accompanied with Grace and followed by good Workes We affirme likewise That a Faith without Charitie is a Faith without Forme wherefore since the Forme is it which giues the Being to the thing it must needs follow That a perfect Faith can haue no Being without Charitie which Tenet is consented vnto both by the Huguenots and the Catholikes themselues onely we differ in termes the Huguenots calling Faith without Charity an Historicall or dead Faith and we a Faith without Forme O my God what a pittie it is to behold the simplicitie of our Christian Faith thus puzled about these quiddities There remaines now the Effects of our Iustification Good Workes By which euen we Catholikes say That a man is not made Iust but that being iustified before he increases in Righteousnesse That is of a Iust man hee becomes more Iust and being regenerate in the state of Grace He may as our Aduersarie saies fulfill the Law in such a sort that he may by it truly and properly merit eternall life But as for the fulfilling of the Law seeing the Huguenots doe their best to performe it although they may be thought to erre in confessing they cannot doe it yet hath our Sauiour himselfe promised free pardon for it in the Parable of the Sonne who refused to doe his Fathers will and yet did it To returne then to Merits by Workes the more accurate sort of Catholikes peremptorily deny that they are at all meritorious vnlesse they be dyed in the blood of Christ. And I assure my selfe that not one amongst ten thousand Catholikes vnderstands sufficiently the meaning of this phrase Workes dyed in the blood of Christ but simply and without other addition they will say That they are in good hope to merit heauen by their Workes So that we see there be three seuerall opinions touching this question The first is of the vulgar Catholikes who are more in number a thousand times and who simply affirme That they are indeed able to merit eternall life by their Good Workes The second is of the Huguenots who absolutely deny That Good Workes doe merit at all only say they God out of his pure Grace for the Loue of his Sonne grants them a recompence The third is the opinion of the Iesuites and the learned Catholikes who deny that any kinde of Workes doe of themselues merit but such onely as I said as are dyed in the blood of Chr●st Which opinion accords much better with the Huguenots doctrine then that of the vulgar Catholikes for a thing dyed is not altered in substance as Copper though gilded yet continues Copper still the tincture and the gilding making the thing onely fairer to the eye And so is it with our Workes which being by nature corrupt remaine corrupt still though dyed in the blood of Christ howbeit that the tincture and gilding makes them more pleasing vnto God and for the loue which hee beares to Christs blood to bee rewarded And if peraduenture they make conscience of vsing the word Merit let vs hearken to S. Bernard A man cannot saith he merit eternall life by any good works whatsoeuer And yet I trow that S. Bernard was in this no Huguenot For I well know that a Iesuite with some neat distinction can make him speake like a Catholike whatsoeuer his meaning was Let vs then but doe the Huguenots the like courtesie and make the same distinction in the interpretation of their Tenent as we would doe in the explication of S. Bernards and in this point they will proue as good Catholikes as S. Bernard or our selues The fourth point is Prayer to wit whether we ought to inuoke the Saints or not The difference betwixt vs lies in two points First whether we ought to direct our prayers vnto them the second whether they pray for vs. For the first this I say That the Catholikes themselues make two extremities to wit in the not inuoking them as the Huguenots doe and in honouring them too much which is to say in attributing to them that honour which is due only vnto God which the Schoolemen call Latria which whosoeuer does they themselues hold him for an Idolater Now the poore people which vnderstand not the Greeke nor what Latria meanes nor comprehends any other mediocritie than to adore right downe or not to adore at all goes to it bonafide and with as much deuotion adore our Lady and the other Saints as they doe God himselfe in such fashion as that very hardly euen in the iudgement of Catholikes can the Catholikes themselues herein auoid Idolatry As for the other extremitie those Catholikes that maintaine Inuocation of Saints teach only thus much That it is lawfull to inuoke them and not vnlawfull not to inuoke them So that there can come no great danger of it in following the Catholikes doctrine if true nor in following the Huguenots though erroneous The Huguenots say furthermore that we ought to honour them which we may very well doe without inuoking them As a Subiect may well honour his Soueraigne being absent though he neuer presented any petition to him in all his life As for the second point to wit whether they pray for vs or not I affirme that there be Huguenots that will confesse that they doe neither doth Caluin himselfe deny it only he saith that he troubles