by one that is iustified must needs presuppose the partie before to be iustified N. B. O. O. O. O. O. I. D. What mum Master Baxtar Hath Sigalion now instantly sealed vp your lips that you cannot or are you suddenly become a professed Pythagorean that you may not speake For me thinkes you that haue beene so vocall and wastfull of your breath in so many impertinent and friuolous excursions should not now bee so sparing and niggardly of a word or twaine vpon so necessary a point But the truth is the argument is vnanswerable and inuincible and therefore you held it better to say nothing and slily to passe it ouer then to marre all by saying nothing to the purpose Which course if you had also vsed in the rest of this disputation you should haue saued this scribling labor and I had receiued virgin paper from you And so as Galba in the iudgement of all might haue beene thought worthy of the empire if hee had not beene Emperor Tacit. 1. Hist you also in the opinion of some might haue beene counted able to write if you had not written But now that after so much loudnesse and clamourousnesse you are become so dumbe and silent it argues that though ability faile yet will should not haue beene wanting vnlesse the euidence of truth had perforce made vp your mouth And so construeing your silence to bee in this point no lesse then plaine yeelding I passe on to the next argument Treatise 4. Arg. In conditionall Promises there can bee no Assurance of the thing promised before the performance of the condition v. g. This is a conditionall Promise in the couenant of works Doe this and thou shalt liue Life is promised but on condition of Doing and therefore vntill wee haue performed the condition wee may not looke that God should bee reciprocall and giue vs Life Now in the Couenant of Grace Iustification is promised but vpon condition of Faith so saith the Scripture Belieue and thy sins shall be forgiuen thee Therefore the condition of Belieuing must first bee performed before wee can assure our selues our sins are forgiuen If so then Faith going before and Assurance following after Assurance connot bee Iustifying Faith N. B. I deny your Minor and say there may bee an Assurance of Saluation in some measure before there can bee the performance of Faith actuall in the highest measure Therefore your Minor is vtterly false For Faith in his true defined state is a firme Assurance and Perswasion and a firme Assurance and Perswasion is Faith and both the Greeke and Hebrew words signifieth Faith before cited doe declare Yea this Assurance is giuen vnto vs together with the hearing of the Word of God Habitualiter and will shew it selfe Actualiter in due time and therefore sometime is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometime is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first in the beginning the next in the Lords due time and this can neuer be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but secundùm magis or minùs shall externas vel internas exerere vires shew forth his forces either within man or without I. D. To make all plaine my argument reduced into the right forme standeth thus That which goeth before iustification is not that which followes after iustification But Faith goeth before iustification and Assurance followes after Ergo Faith is not Assurance The Minor of this Syllogisme is that which you deny affirming it to be vtterly false and you confirme it to bee so by this reason There may bee Assurance of Saluation in some measure before there can be Performance of Faith Actuall in the highest measure Ergo Faith goeth not before Assurance nor doth Assurance follow after Faith The Antecedent of which Enthymeme I grant for as much as there may bee Assurance in this life but not the performance of Faith actuall in the highest measure wee here Belieuing only in part as the Apostle saith But if hereupon it follow Therefore Faith goeth not before Assurance it will also follow Faith goeth not before Charity or good works because Charity and good works may be in some measure before Faith actuall bee in the highest measure or thus The elder Sonne is not borne before the yonger because the yonger may waxe as tall as a Pygmee before the elder bee growne to the stature of a Giant Which Consequences if they be absurd and ridiculous as absurd and ridiculous is it to inferre that Faith cannot bee before Assurance because Assurance may bee in some measure before Faith bee in the highest measure Nay farre better doth it follow from hence against your selfe that Faith is not Assurance nor Assurance Faith For if as you expresly say Assurance may bee in a lower measure when Faith is in a higher how can they possibly differing so in degrees but bee differing things For although it be true that more and lesse doe not diuersify the kind yet is it as true that the same indiuiduall quality cannot at the same time bee both intended and remitted no more then the same string in a Lute can at once bee strained vp and let downe and yeeld at the same time both a base and treble sound In the residue of this Section you shew your selfe to bee one of those idle Oratours of whom Quintilian speaketh Inst Orat. l. 11. who neuer regard where the point or issue of the Question lieth so they may besides the cause either from the persons or out of some common place find occasion of declaiming Lib. 6. Epig. 19. Such as was Postumus the Aduocate in Martiall who being entertained to plead the cause of one who had three Goats stolen from him by his neighbour left the proofe of this and fell a discoursing of the battell of Cannae of the Mithridatike and Carthaginian wars and other such impertinent matters But neuer was there any offended more notoriously in this kind then you all those speeches are nothing els but extrauagances and by-matters For I pray you how doth it concerne my argument to talke of the origination of Faith in Greeke and Hebrew how Assurance is giuen how it shewes it selfe of Oligopistie Plerophorie and Apostasie of the intention and remission of it and finally of the inward and outward forces thereof Surely De arte Poët as much as a Cypres-tree concernes a table of shipwrack as Horace speaketh And therefore giue mee leaue to plucke you by the eare and to say vnto you as did the poore Client vnto his Lawyer aboue named Now I pray thee Postume say some thing at length touching my three Goats N. B. Where it pleaseth you to make remission of sinnes a Promise vpon a Condition I tell you with all the Church of God in all ages it is rather an encouragement to belieue assuredly in Christ as if hee should say Thy sinnes bee forgiuen thee therefore bee of good comfort that both the former and latter to wit forgiuenesse of sinnes and Beliefe might bee ascribed to
haue better exprest it For my part I cannot guesse what it should bee nor will I trouble my braine in seeking it Happily your selfe know not what you would And thus haue I though breefly yet fully answered all your reasons It now remaineth that either you produce sounder arguments then yet you haue giuen vs or adde more vigor and strength vnto these or because I feare you can do neither that considering the weaknes of those reeds whereon you haue hitherto leaned hence forward you trust them no more It can bee no disgrace vnto you to bee ouercome of Truth neither is it leuity or inconstancy vpon sight of your errour to change both your opinion and practice Take therefore vnto you Christian seuerity and ingenuously reuoke what you haue held or done amisse so shall you giue glorie vnto God and God shall honour you in the sight of all his Saints But if notwithstanding all that hath beene said you meane still to persist in your error and will not bee persuaded although you be perswaded I feare lest after straining at these gnats you fall to swallowing downe of Camels and proceed from dislike of a few indifferent ceremonies vnto flat schisme and separation which God forbid for his mercies sake Amen See T de ora HOW S. PAVL AND S. IAMES ARE TO BEE reconciled in the matter of IVSTIFICATION YOV demand how Saint Paul teaching Iustification by Faith onely without the Works of the Law Ro. 5.20.28 Gal. 2.16 Iam. 2.24 and Saint Iames affirming that of Works a man is iustified and not of Faith only may bee reconciled I will endeuour to giue you the best satisfaction I can in a few Propositions 1 Scripture being the Word of God who is truth and whose promises are not yea and nay 2. Cor. 1.17.18.19.20 but yea and Amen although sometime there may seeme contrariety in it yet reall difference and repugnancy there can bee none truth euer agreeing and neuer contradicting it selfe 2 Paul therefore and Iames being inspired by the same spirit must needs conspire in the same truth although the one exclude Works from Faith in the matter of Iustification the other include Works together with Faith 3 The readiest way to reconcile this seeming contradiction is to obserue carefully the Occasions whereupon they were moued to deliuer these doctrines and to distinguish the Equiuocation and diuers vse of these two words Iustification and Faith For if there bee the same meaning in both and no ambiguity in either of these tearmes it cannot bee auoided but they must of necessity crosse one the other 4 Saint Pauls occasion was this Hee saw with what eagernesse contention certaine Iewes maintained Act. 15.1 that vnlesse the law of Moses were kept and obserued together with the Gospell there could bee no Iustification and that thereby mans Works were either substituted in the roome of or yoked together with Faith to the great preiudice of Gods free Grace Ro. 2.24 And therefore against these he proues by the testimony of the Law the Prophets that we are Iustified by Faith in Christ freely without the works of the Law 5 Hereupon some there were who like spiders sucking venome out of the wholsomest flowers so interpreted this comfortable doctrine as if it skilled not whether they practized good works and led a godly vertuous life so as they did belieue And against this sort of men the Apostle Saint Iames thought it necessary to oppose himselfe 6 So that Saint Iames doth not dispute against Saint Paul but for the right meaning of S. Paul against those that depraued and wrested his doctrine to a wrong sence Paul so defending Iustification by Faith without Works as hee denies not the necessary practice of them but only denies the power of Iustification vnto them Iames so establishing good Works not as giuing them force to make a man acceptable and iust in the sight of Gods iustice but onely disabling that Faith from hauing any power to Iustify vs which is not accompanied with them 7 And thus Saint Augustin vnderstandeth it When De fide oper l. 1. c. 14. saith he the Apostle saith that a man is iustified by Faith without the Works of the Law hee meaneth not that Faith being receiued and professed the works of Iustice should bee contemned but that euery one should know that he may be iustified by Faith although the works of the law goe not before For they follow him that is iustified but goe not before him that is to bee iustified And againe 83. quaest q. 16. When as Paul speakes of the good works of Abraham which accompanied his Faith it is manifest that by the example of Abraham he doth not so teach that a man is iustified by Faith without works that if hee doe belieue it concernes him not to worke well but to to this end rather that no man should thinke that by the merit of his former good Works he hath attained the gift of iustification which is by Faith 8 As the consideration of the different occasions which moued these two Apostles to speake so differently doth in part cleere this question so will it yet bee more euident if wee know the seuerall acceptions and vses of these words Iustification and Faith and in what sence either Apostle vnderstands them 9 Iustification vsually in the Scripture phrase signifieth not to make iust by infusing the quality of Iustice into the soule 2. King 15.4 Deut. 25.1 Psal 81.3 Prov. 17.15 Mat. 12.37 Ro. 8.33.34 but to pronounce and declare to be iust being indeed a Law-terme and drawne from ciuill Courts of iudicature and is opposed to Condemnation And this is so cleere that Tolet a Iesuite confesseth it most frequently so to signify in Scripture Pineda Vega and Salmeron three great Papists acknowledge it in this sence to be vsed by S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans where hee disputeth purposely of Iustification 10 Now there is a double tribunall where wee are to bee iudged one is Gods the other Mans and therefore God is sayd to Iustify and Man also God when he acquits a sinner from his sinnes for the merit of his Son Christ Man when seeing our good works which are the fruites and testimonies of our grace with God out of the iudgement of Charity hee accounts vs the Sonnes of God Of the former Saint Paul speakes of the latter S. Iames. S. Paul enquireth how wee are made lust before God namely by Faith S. James how it may appeare vnto men that wee are Iust namely by Works Faith is the principle of Existence by which we are Iust Works of Knowledge by which we are knowne to be Iust Iac. 2.10 In id cap. 11 That Saint Iames vnderstandeth such a Declaratiue Iustification is plaine by that he saith Shew mee thy Faith by thy Works And Thomas of Aquin affirmeth that Workes following Faith are not said to Iustify as Iustification is an infusion of
the many excellent and heauenly graces wherewith the spirit of God beautifieth and enricheth the hearts of his Elect there is no one of more either necessity vnto saluation or importance for comfort and consolation then that of Iustifying Faith For as by the first Act of this faith our Iustification before God our peace with God our incorporation into the mysticall body of Christ Iesus our conuersion vnto God are first wrought and effected so by the consequent continued Acts of the same Fayth are wee being fallen dayly renewed and from both totall and finall falling away safely preserued and maintained This cōsidered me-thinkes no time can be better employed nor no paines more profitably taken then in the quest and enquiry of the true nature and definition of Iustifying Fayth And although I cannot deny but hee may haue fayth who cannot like a Logician define it and may haue the benefit of Iustification by it who cannot distinguinsh the nature of it yet this withall I boldly auerre that the ignorance hereof or a confused and indistinct apprehension of it disableth vs both from giuing and taking direct and euident comfort from it whereas a cleare and distinct knowledge thereof is able to satisfie and replenish with comfort any distressed or afflicted conscience For this cause haue I vndertaken so briefly and perspicuously as I can to set downe my opinion of the definition of Fayth perswading my selfe I doe not endeauouring at leastwise not to swarue from the wholesome doctrine of Christ and Gods word From the writings and doctrine of most learned and worthy Diuines peraduenture it doth and indeed it doth vary to whom although as farre farre inferior I owe all respect reuerence yet being Gods freeman I cannot endure to bee mans bond-man and sweare to all they say One Paphnutius sometime in the matter of Priests marriage preuailed against a whole Counsell of most learned and godly Bishops Socrat. l. 1. c. 8. and young Elihu may speake more oportunely pertinently then they that are much his Ancients Therefore as Nisus sayth in Virgill Neque hac nostris spectentur ab annis Aeneid l. 9. looke not how greene or how gray his head be that speaketh but let the touch of truth try all and what by it shall appeare to be base and counterfait refuse and reiect that which shall be found true and sound approue and embrace And that preiudice too strongly possesse thee not take my protestation that I neuer haue entertained this opinion rashly and inconsiderately but vpon mature aduise and deliberation nor broach it vpon a preposterous humour of nouelty or ambition to build vp mine owne credit existimation by the ruine and disparagement of so great Diuines for this were Subulâ leonem excipere to encounter a Lion with a bodkin as it is in the Prouerbe but vpon a sincere affection and desire to minister solid and found consolation to despayring and perplexed minds which as after shall appeare vpon this foundation may most firmely be raised And now trusting what I say shall be weighed in the ballance not of preiudice but vpright iudgement I leaue to preface any farther and come directly to the purprose Because I purpose not to raise my building very high I meane not to lay my foundation very deepe therefore neither will I play the Phylologer in shewing the diuers vses and acceptations of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Fides id est Faith or quote Ciceros Fiat quod dictum est or St. Augustines Fac quod dicis Offic. l. 1. to doe as a man sayes for the notation of Faith neither will I play the Phylosopher in discoursing of Physicall or Morall or Ciuill Faith wherein it were easie to wast much oile and paper nor lastly will I speake of that Theologicall Faith called Miraculous either in Agent or Patient which I take to bee none other then a diuine instinct for the working of a Miracle For albeit they who at the last day shall say Lord in thy name haue we not cast out Diuels may seeme to haue trusted in Miraculous Faith for Iustification Mat. 7.22.23 and acknowledgement of Christ yet notwithstanding neuer any controuersie about it hath exercised the Church of God To deferre your expectations therefore no farther three Faiths there seeme to be which lay claime and title to the priuiledge of justification giue me leaue to distinguish and denominate them according to their Obiects neither be offended if I handle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and giue new termes to old matters The first is Fides Historiae Historicall Faith which is an Assent of the mind vnto the truth of Gods word and specially the Gospell And this Faith whether it be according to the distinction of the Scoolemen Acquisite gotten by much hearing and experience without illumination or infused and reuealed by the spirit of illumination it hath no interest in the matter of Iustification For besides that it is absurd that so generall a Knowledge should iustify Acquisit Faith the Diuels haue according to that of St Iames Iam. 2. 19. The Diuels beleeue tremble Infused faith the Reprobates may haue as Balaam Iudas Magus Now the Scripture is plaine that justifying faith is propper and peculiar vnto the Elect and therefore Historicall faith cannot justifie The second is Fides Promissionum Faith of promises which is a Perswasion or Assurance that the promises of God made in Christ to wit Iustification Remission of sinnes Adoption Regeneration and finally Election it selfe and eternall Saluation doe particularly pertaine to me and are mine Now this although I deny not but in Scripture it is called faith and that euery Saint of God both may and ought to haue this particular perswasion and Assurance yet this I confidently deny that this perswasion is that which justifies a man before God and my reasons are these 1. If this were justifying Faith then whosoeuer liues and dyes without this particular Assurance he cannot be saued Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God But a man may be saued without it I instance in those our Brethren of Germanie who hold that faith may finally and totally fall away and consequently that there can be no certainty of Saluation whom yet the Church of God calleth and counteth brethren and it were vncharitable to censure of them otherwise Therefore or at leastwise probably Faith is not an Assurance 2. That which is in time after Iustifying Faith cannot be that faith This is vndeniable But this particular knowledge is in time after faith This I proue out of 1. Ioh. 5.13 These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life Behold Beleeuing goes before and Knowledge comes after as for that which followeth in the same verse and that yee may beleeue I interpret it of Perseuerance growth in Faith Howsoeuer beleeuing Knowing are distinguished and
therefore are not one 3. That which in nature comes after Iustification cannot be Iustifying faith This appeares because Faith is the Efficient instrumentall cause of Iustification and euery Efficient by the rule of Logick is in nature before the Effect But this knowledge or Assurance is in nature after iustificatiō This I proue thus the truth of a proposition is alwayes in nature before the knowledge of the truth for Propositions are not therefore true because knowne so but they are first true and then knowne so Therefore this Proposition I know I am iustified spoken by on that is iustified must needs presuppose the partie before to be iustified Therefore this knowledge of Iustification in nature following Iustification it cannot be Iustifying faith 4. In conditionall promises there can be no Assurance of the thing promised before the performance of the condition V. G. This is a conditionall promise in the couenant of workes doe this and thou shalt liue life is promised but on condition of doing and therefore vntill we haue performed the condition we cannot nor may not looke that God should be reciprocall and giue vs life So in the couenant of grace iustification is promised but vpon condition of faith so sayth the Scripture beleeue and thy sinnes shall be forgiuen thee And therefore the condition of beleeuing must first be performed before we can assure our selues our sins are forgiuen If so then faith going before and Assurance following after Assurance cannot be justifying faith 5 That from whence followeth a blasphemous absurdity cannot be a truth for from truth nought but truth can be concluded But from this that faith is an Assurance such an absurdity doth follow What is that That God commands a man to know an vntruth to assure himselfe of that which neuer shall be For God being truth cannot command falshood to be taken for truth Nether tell me here for who art thou that disputest with God for this is a ruled case in diuinity God cānot doe things which imply contradiction and therefore not make vntruth to be truth or knowledge error Now that this absurdity followes from hence thus I demonstrate it God commands the Reprobate to beleeue For Ioh. 18.8.9 for vnbeleefe the world shall bee condemned but no condemnation but for breach of a commandement 1 Ioh. 3.4 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sinne is the transgression of the law and therefore they are commanded to beleeue I aske you then what it is to beleeue you will say to know to assure Therefore God commands the Reprobates to know and bee assured But this is a blasphemous absurdity therefore is your opinion absurd which infers it 6. That which the wicked may haue cannot be iustifying faith for it is Fides Electorum the faith of the Elect. But the wicked may haue this perswasion yea and many haue beene most confidently perswaded that they are in the fauour of God You will say it is no true perswasion but I say if forme make truth they are as formally and therefore as truly perswaded of it as the godly And therefore if the godly are therefore and for this cause iustified because cause they are strongly perswaded that they are iustified then why should not the wicked likewise be iustified by his strong perswasion But in truth these kind of speeches are vnreasonable and senselesse and so the opinion cannot be reasonable These sixe reasons shall suffice for the present although many more might be added only from hence I gather this Corollary that if iustifying Faith be not a Knowledge or Assurance much lesse is it a full knowledge or full Assurance Nay though we should graunt it to be a knowledge yet is it against Logick to define it by the perfection of knowledg For as there is a strong tree so there is a brused reed as there is a burning lamp so there is smoking flaxe as there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Faith come to full age and maturity so there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Faith in the nonage and minority So therefore to define it were to exclude the weake Faith and to make the Definition narrower and of lesse latitude then the definite Besides it is a most discomfortable doctrine vnto a troubled mind and leads the directest way to desperation for so the palsie hand of Faith should not receiue Christ And were not this to quench fire with oile and to adde Aloes to wormwood and might not hee that thus comforteth be counted one of Iobs miserable comforters Ob. The godly are said to know and to be perswaded yea the Prophet saith Io. 3.14 Ioh. 17.3 Esa 53.11 Heb. 11.1 By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie many and Faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Subsistence and Euidence Ans First I graunt the godly may and ought to know but the question is not of their duty but what it is which iustifies them 2 Secondly to know and so likewise the Verbs of Sence in the Hebrew tongue vsually signifieth not onely an act of the Minde or outward Sence but of the Will and affection also So in the Psalme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 1.6 Mat. 7.13 The Lord knoweth the way of the Righteous and in the Gospell Depart I know you not and elsewhere I will not heare see c. that is God will not so know heare see c. as in fauour to loue or approue And so doe I interprete that of the Prophet Christ being so knowne as to bee embraced and rested vpon by the Will shall iustify many 3 Thirdly that Definition in the eleuenth to the Hebrewes I deny with Peter Martyr and the rest of our Diuines to bee perfect but rather by the Effects to describe it And as for that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Subsistence whereon you seeme to stand take this first that the writers of the new Testament vse words in the same sence that the Seuentie Translators doe Secondly that that which in Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Expectation that the Septuagint turne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in Ruth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ruth 1.12 so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Hebrewes shall not be Subsistence but expectation or desire of things that are hoped for But of this umpliandum censeo I pronounce nothing only I conclude his second Faith not to be Iustifying Faith And because you shall not count me singular or alone in this point read M. Foxe in his booke de Christo gratis iustificante and you shall find him earnest against this opinion The third faith is Fides Persone or Personalis meriti Faith of Person or of Personall merit and of this I make the Obiect to be Christ the Mediator meriting the Act of it Fiducia a Rest or Deuolution the Subiect of it the facultie of the Will and not the Vnderstanding the next End of it Iustification the remote End eternall Saluation And thus I
impudent glossems of your owne But yet when I say a man ought to haue Assurance doe I not therein confesse it to bee so necessary vnto Saluation that a man cannot be saued without it Nothing lesse and God forbid that euery ignorance or doubting of what wee ought to know should presently exclude and barre vs from Saluation for then no flesh possibly could bee saued Although therefore when I say a man may bee assured I confesse a possibility and when I say hee ought to bee assured I acknowledge a dutie yet doth it not follow thereupon that such assurance is of absolute necessity Necessary it may bee vnto the well-being of the Sonne of God but not vnto his Being as if hee could not bee a new creature without it necessary to cheere and solace him in the way to the end but not vnto the end it selfe as if without it hee could not aspire vnto saluation Such absolute necessity of assurance vpon paine of damnation I know none saue onely of those truths which wee call fundamentall among which I suppose your and my iustification and saluation are not to bee reckoned And yet had I said which I deny that Assurance is necessary vnto Saluation what inconuenience is it to say that neuerthelesse it is not necessary vnto iustification For Saluation is the End Iustification a meane or way vnto the End and more things are subordinate vnto the end then vnto the way as vnto Saluation both Faith and workes are necessary but vnto Iustification Faith alone is required And therefore also it is no absurdity to say that two Faiths are requisite vnto Saluation as indeed Faith of Story and Faith of Person are although but one Faith iustify which is Faith of Person And thus much for your plaine-song now let vs heare your descant and diuision vpon it N. B. Martiall Emerepes apud Apophth Chrysippus Dij mentem tibi dent tuam Philaeni God send you your right wits to see these errors and to amend them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ne vities Musicam said one Corrupt not musicke speake not contraries nor nouelties You cannot alwayes saile in the night but at last will bee taken if you were as craftie as a Cuckow Athanas in Symb. as spake Pliny and Aristotle Wee hold in Diuinity but one Faith and not diuers in specie and that euery Christian man is bound to haue it hauing meanes giuen him from God vpon paine of damnation and that no man can ordinarily bee saued without it And therefore doe cast out your cobwebs as following his counsell that said Vasis eijcias quas nectit aranea telas knowing that your speeches endeauour to mingle water and fire together which is impossible to doe Neither are your forces any thing able to deceiue Gods Elect so long time trained vp in his blessed schoole Well may you consume your selfe as one said Comedo meipsum more Polypi Alcaeus apud Athen. l. 7. Catull. Mat. 11. 1 Tim. 3.15 Act. 9. I eat vp my selfe like Polypus but the Church can you not deceiue for your sacke is full of Spiders as Catullus telleth one Nam tui Catulli Plenus sacculus est aranearum The Church is no reed but the pillar of truth and therefore it is hard for you to spurne against it I. D. Vnto this Rapsodie of sentences and prouerbs drawn in like Hercules oxen and tyed together like Samsons foxes so preposterously by the tailes were I a Grammar-schoole-boy againe I would quickly patch you vp an answer in the same kinde But now I affect not an opinion of learning that way desiring as becomes a Diuine rather to bee reall then verball If children either in age or vnderstanding bee pleased with such Pedanterie and delight to see so many babies in your writing I enuie it not so long as the grauer and learneder sort rest contented and satisfied with the substance of my reasons Only vnto that charitable prayer which you make for me out of that deuout Poet Martiall that God would send me my wits againe Lib. 2. Sat. 3. I know not what kinder wish to oppose then that of Horace the deuouter Poet of the two that you which are franticke and bedlem-mad would something beare with those who are but a little discrazed and distempered For indeed you are right twin vnto the Lunaticke gentleman in Horace and as hee euery day visited the theater and there â—ate clapping his hands and keeping a stirreas if he saw some notable Tragedieacted before him whereas the stage all the while was empty so you here make much adoe and tell mee of I know not what absurdities contrarieties and nouelties and yet the ground you lay for them is in my words no where to bee found Wherefore as Sophâ—cles being accused of dotage read before the iudges his Ordipus Coloneus which he had very lately composed Cic. de Senect and then demaunded of them whether it seemed the poem of a dotard or no so because you charge mee as berâ—â— of my right wits and fraught with nothing else but errors and contradictions I appeale vnto the Christian reader praying him to peruse and ponder my treatise and if hee please this Disputation also and then to iudge indifferently betwixt vs whether I bee as this Festus accuseth me mad and beside my selfe or else with Saint Paul Act. 26.24.25 haue spoken the words of truth and sobernes Treatise 1. Arg. If this were iustifying Faith then whosoeuer liues and dies without this particular Assurance cannot bee saued sine Fide c. without Faith it is impossible to please God But a man may bee saued without it Ergo. N. E. I hope you meane de adultis of men that haue meanes giuen them from God to get this Assurance for otherwise I easily agree that God may extraordinarily saue whom it pleaseth him But doubting not of your meaning and denying your Minor you take vpon you to proue it first by an instance and next by six reasons All which let vs see I. D. Epist 57. Taking me to meane de adultis you doe no whit mistake mee for as Augustin saith that Infants know the things of God who know not so much as the things of men if wee should goe about by words to demonstrate I feare mee wee should bee iniurious euen to our very senses endeuouring to perswade that by speech the euidence of whose truth surpasseth all faculty and office of speech Neuerthelesse because it is written without Faith no man can please God and the iust shall liue by his owne faith many learned men haue hereupon conclude that Infants haue a Faith euen of their owne Adacta Colloq Mompelg Resp de Bapt. in so much that Beza though of a different iudgement confesseth this to bee a very solid and firme foundation and soone after addeth that of this matter very learned Diuines yea and the ancient Fathers also differ in opinion for this Question saith he is among the
iustice but as it is an exercise or declaration or perfection of Faith 12 Concerning the word Faith sometimes it signifieth that sanctifying grace of Gods spirit whereby wee beleeue in or on God that is put all our affiance vpon God in Christ for Iustification and Saluation sometimes a naked assent or agreeing to all the truths contained in the Scripture specially such as are Euangelicall That is only of the Elect this the Diuels haue That either hath works following it as in Abraham or is great in child of works ready to trauell and bring forth if God giue time as in the theefe on the crosse This many times is without works and therefore dead and spiritles Of that S. Paul speaketh of this S. Iames. That sole but not solitary iustifies this being solitary iustifies not 13 In a word S. Paul speaks of the cause of Iustification S. Iames of the Effect S. Paul descends from the Cause to the Effect S. Iames ascends from the Effects to the Cause S. Paul resolues how wee may bee iustified S. Iames how wee may bee knowne to bee iustified S. Paul excludes works as being no Cause of Iustification S. Iames requires works as fruites of Iustification S. Paul denies works to go before them that are to bee iustified S. Iames affirmeth that they follow him that is iustified 14 Others distinguish and reconcile them thus Iustification is sometime vnderstood without implying Sanctification sometime as it implyeth also Sanctification with it In the former sence S. Paul taketh it when hee proueth that a man is iustified by Faith without works S. Iames in the latter when he concludeth that a man is iustified by works and not by Faith only And this I suppose to be a very sound interpretation 15 Howsoeuer that Faith alone without the works of the Law in the sence aboue deliuered doth iustifie these ancient Fathers auouch together with us Origen Cyprian Eusebius Caesariensis Hilarie Basil Chrysostome Ambrose Augustin Cyril Primasius Hesychius Gennadius Oecumenius whose direct and expresse words I can at any time produce Nay these late Papists also least it should be thought that none but Protestants hold it the Canons of Collein the authors of the booke offered by Caesar vnto the Protestant Collocutors in the assemblie of Ratisbon Pighius Cassander Stapulensis Peraldus Ferus and others who count themselues as good Catholiks as they that hold otherwise 16 And this only Faith is so sure an anchor of our soules and suchâ— fountaine of true comfort both in life and death that Charles the fift Steuen Gardiner Sir Christopher Blunt and sundrie others durst not at their death trust vnto their works but vnto Faith in Christ only And Cardinal Bellarmin after a long disputation touching the merit of works is faine to conclude that because of the vncertenty of our owne iustice and the danger of vaineglory the Safest course is to repose all our affiance in the only mercy and goodnes of God So that in his iudgement wee Protestants haue chosen the Safest course I for my part will neuer trust my soule vnto them who leauing so safe a course meane to hazard it through a more dangerous way OF THE AVTHORS AND AVTHORITY OF THE CREED AND WHY IT IS CALLED a Symbole THE inscription of the Creed seemes to father it on the holy Apostles calling it the Symbole of the Apostles So doe almost all the Fathers of the fourth age after Christ and downeward affirming that the Apostles hauing receiued the Holy Ghost at Ierusalem and being now ready to disperse themselues into all parts of the world to preach the Gospell thought it good before their parting to compile this Symbole that it might serue as a pledge of their vnity in the Faith and a canon for their doctrine and teaching Yea some of them proceed so farre as particularly to set downe what article was made by what Apostle whereof see Augustin in his hundred and fifteenth Sermon de tempore Now although it bee very hard for mee to sway against the streame of so maine authority yet can I not but doubt thereof Paraphr in Mat. Praef. and confesse with Erasmus I know not who made the Creed especially hauing so great probabilities for demonstrations I dare not call them that it should not bee done by the twelue Apostles For first were it compiled by them is it likely that Saint Luke writing the history of their Acts would haue omitted so principall a matter Sundry other things of farre lesse consequence hee hath carefully recorded but of this so important and weighty a businesse hee makes not so much as one word mention which certainly hee would neuer haue failed to doe had they done so Adde hereunto that not one of the ancient Fathers who liued within the three first Centuries of Christ speake of any such thing in any of their writings and yet they should best know it whose times were neerest vnto the Apostles This deep silence both of Saint Luke and all those ancient Doctors make it vnto mee more then probable that the Apostles neuer composed it Secondly as the silence of these worthies so the very language of the Creed conuinceth it to bee yonger then the Apostles For the word Catholike vsed in the Creed was not knowne in their time Can any man thinke that the Church should then bee called Catholike when it was not Catholike For when they say this Creed was compiled the Church was scarce begunne among the Iewes and the Apostles had no where as yet preached the Gospell among the Gentils But heare the expresse words of Pacianus Bishop of Barcilona Sed sub Apostolis Ad Sympronian Epist 1. inquies nemo Catholicus vocabatur Esto sic fuerit Vel illud indulge cum post Apostolos haereses extitissent diuersisque nominibus columbam Dei atque Reginam lacerare per partes scindere niterentur nonne cognomen suum plebs Apostolica postulabat quo incorrupti populi distingueret vnitatem neintemeratam Dei virginem error aliquorum per membra laceraret In the Apostles times you will say no man was called Catholicke Bee it so Yet by your leaue when after the Apostles heresies were risen vp and by diuersity of names they laboured to rent and teare in peeces the done and queene of God was it not requisite that those which were Apostolike should haue a sirname of their owne whereby the vnity of those that are vncorrupt might bee distinguished and the error of none might rent in peeces the immaculate virgin of God Thus hee Against which if it bee obiected that the Epistles of Iames Peter Iohn and Iude are called Catholicke I answer the Inscriptions and Subscriptions of the Epistles are not Apostolicall but added to them by some other and sometime vntruly Neither is there any reason they should bee so stiled aboue the rest For neither is the doctrine contained in them more Catholicke then of all the other Epistles neither were they written to all the