moved to be more favorable unto him by his great repentance he doth not onely absolue him from from the sin and from the Excommunication but having enjoyned him a most severe publicke pennance which was to have lasted for a great time before the paines due to his enormious offence would have been fully cancelled he notwithstanding out of the plenitude of his Apostolicall power gratiously pardons the remnant of his pennance Now this pardon would have been no favour nor grace unles at the same time he had pardoned the remnant of the paine still due according to divine Iustice Therefore he declares expressely that he doth it in the power of Christ so he sayth 2. Cor. 2. v. 10. To whom you forgive any thing I forgive allso in the person of Christ that is by Christs commission I give this pardon Christ ratifying the pardon or Indulgence which I give to one so well disposed as I see this delinquent to be 7. And hēce comes in a fourth proof Io. 20. v. 23. Receive the Holy Ghost whose sins you shall remitt they are forgiven and whose sins you shall retaine the are retained Behold power in the Church not only to forgive the remnant of the paine due to the sins forgiven which is all that is done by Indulgences but allso behold a power to forgive the very sin it selfe and consequently to take quite away the very eternity of paine which before was due to the sin See Point 16. Whence you cannot wonder to see power of taking away only temporall paine due to sin when such conditions be fulfilled as wee did expresse here n. 2. THE XXVII POINT That faith alone doth not Iustifie 1. THis is a point point blank against the very prime Point of Protestant Religion as theyr grand Reformers call it who define this faith to be an assured confidence that theyr sins are forgiven them wholy by Christs Passion And yet in all Scripture they will not find one single text to prove that ever yet any one single man was justified by this speciall faith as they call it I say by this speciall Faith which breeds in them an assured confidence that theyr sins in particular are pardoned them for Christs sake Wee aske only for one such Text And yet though the beliefe of this the Protestant beliefe be chiefly grounded in this Point they have not so much as one simple cleere Text so groundles is theyr very ground Look upon the Faith of Abraham who is called the Father of all that believe and see what Faith was counted to him for his righteousnes Rom. 4.3 and you shall find that verse taken out Gen. 15. v. 6. where when God had told him he would multiply his seed like the starres Abraham believed God and he counted it to him for righteousnes Why so For his believing promptly that which God had revealed in a matter so hard to his understanding as is expresly sayd Rom. 4.21.22 Hence I argue thus Here is no mention of his assured confidence that his sins were forgiven him by Christs Passion but here is mention of Iustifying Faith or of Faith counted or imputed to man for righteousnes therefore Iustifying Faith is no such matter as this speciall Faith or confidence How this Faith of Abraham came to Iustify S. Iames tels us that it was by being a Faith effective of good works For he so firmely believed what God had said that he feared not to see that saying made null and voyd though he should offer upon the Altar that very Sonne of his upon whom by name all Gods faire promises seemed grounded For was not Abraham our Father justifyed by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar Iam. 2.21 2. Wee say then that Faith alone doth not justify but that Faith working by Charity compleats Iustification Luke 7.47 Many sins are forgiven her because shee loved much So Matth. 22. v. 11. Hee that was called to the marriage Feast and came to it and entred in and sat down could not do this but by faith entring the Church yet because he was not attired in a wedding garment of Charity he was cast out and for his sake it was sayd Many are called but few are chosen 3. S. Paul allso inculcates this 1. Cor. 13.2 If I should have all Faith so that I should move mountaines and have no Charity I am nothing Note the word all Faith Again v. 13. The greater of these three is Charity And again Col. 3.14 But above all things have Charity which is the bond of perfection For Matth. 22. v. 40. On these two Commandements of Charity dependeth the whole Law and the Prophets Yet again Gal. 5.6 Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Charity or love Behold that very Faith which our very doctrine requires that is Faith working by Charity which allso before he called Faith observing the Commandements of God 1. Cor. 7.19 Where it is sayd Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandements of God Again Gal. 6.15 Neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor incircumcision but a new Creature formed by Charity according to Gods commandements Again Eph 1 4. He hath chosen us before the constitution of the world that wee should be Holy and without blame before him in love or Charity Note how that which makes us Holy and without blame before him is Charity Again Eph. 3 17. Christ dwels by Faith in the hart rooted in Charity Again Hebr. 5.9 He became the author of eternall saluation to all that obey him He was not made the author of this saluation to any but such as did obey him For as is sayd 1. Io. 1.7 If we walke in the light Lex Lux the blood of Iesus Christ clenseth us from all sin Where read you that it doth so if wee walke not in the light or do not obey him 4. Note that besides other Texts I have cited here eight out of S. Paul because our adversaries chiefly ground themselves in those his words Rom. 3.28 A man is justifyed by Faith without the works of the Law Where his meaning only is that neither the works of the written Law done by the Iew nor the works of the Law of nature done by the Gentil before either of them believe in Christ can without Faith in Christ justify any one For neither Iew nor Gentil is justifyed by any one of those works but they are justifyed by that Faith which he told you in the former Texts to worke by Charity and to be a Faith observing the commandments of God making us a new creature rooted in Charity and obeying him Thus S. Paul is explicated by S. Aug. upon this place Yea he is explicated by S. Iames in many places of his second chapter as v. 14. Though a man sayth he hath Faith and have not works can Faith save him Note here first that S. Iames supposeth this may happen that a man may
have Faith but not works and that in this case his Faith will not save him which is that which S. Paul allso sayd before If I have all Faith but have not Charity I am nothing S. Iames goes on v. 21. Abraham was he not justifyed by works offering Isaac Seest thou not how Faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect If this Faith had justifyed before any works proceeded from it it had been perfected before any such works Yet it is sayd that by works this Faith was made perfect Whence followeth v. 24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justifyed and not by Faith only This then is our demonstration if Faith justifyeth alone it justifyeth without works but S. Iames sayth it doth not justify without works therefore it doth not justify alone For by works and not by Faith alone a man is justifyed What more cleer THE XXVIII POINT VVhether our Iustification be any thing inherent in us 1. OVr adversaries doctrine is that wee are only just because God is pleased to repute us so in regard of Christs Iustice imputed to us and thus he doth only cover our sins these sins still remaining in vs but God doth now impute them to us because wee having once layd hold of Christs Iustice by the hands of Faith this Iustice is made ours and by Christs merits wee shall undoubtly be saved Our doctrine opposite in all points shall be point after point proved out of Scripture 2. First then wee say our Iustice is a quality truly inherent in us Ezech. 36.26 A new hart allso I will give you and a new spirit I will put with in you And cause you to walke in my statutes And ye shall keep my Iudgements and do them I need speak no cleerer So Rom. 5.5 The Charity of God is powerd forth in our harts by the Holy Ghost which is given us by the infusion of this Charity into us in us is framed the new creature Gal. 6.15 And this new inward man is sayd Col. 3.12 to be put on by us by such vertues as are inherent As by the bowels of mercies kindnes humblenes of mind meeknes And v. 14. Above all these by Charity which is the bond of perfection Behold the parts of this inward new man of which again he sayth Eph 4.23 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holynesse which be qualities most inherent And Eph. 1.4 He hath chosen us before the foundation of the world that wee should be Holy without blame in his sight in Charity which Charity is an inward quality 3. Secondly wee say that by this quality wee are not only reputed just but wee are just verily and really And because wee verily are so wee truly are to be reputed so wee being Holy before him in Charity Eph. 1.4 For as was sayd in the former Texts wee have in us a new hart a new spirit by Charity powred forth in our very harts transforming us inwardly into new creatures and new men being truly renewed in spirit Whence 1. Io. 3. Wee are not only called the Sons of God v. 1. But now wee are the sons of God v. 2. So when you read that Abrahams Fai h working by Charity was imputed to him to righteousnes and he was called the friend of God Iames 2.23 You shall note that he therefore was reputed just and therefore called the friend of God because truly he was just and was truly Gods friend having Faith quickned by Charity in him So Luke 1.6 of Zachary and Elizabeth They were both righteous before God whose eyes see what is the most covered walking in all the Commandements and Ordinances of our Lord without blame They therefore were just even before Gods eyes And this true Iustice in the eyes of God is in the same chapter promised to vs by the grace of the Saviour there foretold that wee may serve him in Holynes righteousnes and Iustice before him all our dayes v. 75. Note this Holynes before him which is to be Holy in his sight Hence God to Noë Gen. 7.1 I have seen thy righteousnes before me Hence allso Col. 1.10 That you may walke worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing fructifying in all good works Giving thanks to the Father who hath made us meet to be partakere of the inheritance of the Saints So Apoc. 3.4 Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled theyr garments and they shall walk with me in whites because they be worthy And 1. Io. 3.7 Litle Children let no man deceive you He hath doth righteousnes is righteous even as he is righteous Note those words even as he that is God is righteous For God is righteous not by imputative but true interior Iustice of which inward Iustice Christ sayth Matth. 5.20 I say unto you unles your righteousnes shall exceed thae of Scribes and Pharisees you shall not entee into the Kingdome of heaven For if there be not righteousnes in us exceeding Scribes and Pharisees wee shall be damned and no righteousnes shall be imputed to us For as is sayd Rom. 2.2 Wee are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth It were not verity but falsity to repute him just who in very truth is not just but is still a sinner Hence Prov. 17. v. 15. He that justifyeth the impious and he that condemneth the Iust both are abominable before God Dare you say that God doth that which is abominable He reputes things to be as they truly are in themselves So Rom. 2.9 Wrath and Indignation Tribulation and Anguish upon every soule of man that worketh evill He imputes Iustice to no sinner untill he leaves of to be so by true returning to works of Iustice Those whom he reputes clean truly are clean And you are clean Io. 13.10 4. Thirdly hence wee say that our sins be not only covered but wholy taken away For wee by vertue of Gods inward grace given for Christ are clensed made white and glittering For Christ is the Lambe of God who taketh away the sins of the world Io. 1.29 He doth not only cover them but takes them quite away And so Psal 32.2 when David sayth Blessed is the man to whom the Lord doth not impute iniquity and whose sins are covered It followeth there is no guile in his spirit And because there is no guile therefore no iniquity can be imputed to him Protestants still cite the former words but leave out these latter which words teach us excellently that that which is covered from Gods eyes must not be at all and therefore his sin now not being at all cannot now at all be seen For as the same David tells you Psal 103 v. 12. As farre as the east is distant from the West so farre hath he removed our transgressions from us This expressiō though it may be thought very full yet really our sins forgiven are
which he will find them in his English Bible for you have so many severall traÌ„slations of the English Bible that whilst I oblige my selfe to follow one I shall make sure not to follow the other I conceived the best expedieÌ„t to avoid this difficulty would be to follow alwayes either the very words or the full seÌ„se of that English Bible which is most universally received And in this point I have been so very scrupulous that I continually admonish my Reader if at any one time I chance to put downe any single text differing in sense from the English Bible vvich I have made choice of as the best edition of theyr most received Bible which is that which was set forth at Cambridg 1635. printed by Thomas and Iohn Buck Printers to that Vniversity which Bible King Iames did cause to be set forth out of his deep Iudgment apprehending how convenient it was that out of the Originall sacred tongues there should be a more exact TranslatioÌ„ as is sayd in the Preface of this TranslatioÌ„ dedicated to his Majesty A note to the Catholike Reader LEt the Catholik Reader observe that when we cite the two books of Samuel the texts cited will be fouÌ„d in our two first Books of Kings And when we cite here theyr two Books of Kings the Texts will be found in our Bibles in the two last Books of Kings For our Third is theyr first our fourth theyr second So also with them the Books of Paraâ—ip be called Chronicles the secoÌ„d of Esdras they call Nehemiah In numbring allso the Psalmes they do from the 10 Psalme differ from us counting still one more then we untill they come to Ps 147. which from the 11. verse includes our Psalm 147. And thence we goe forward with the same account A Table of the Pointes contained in this Treatise POINT I. That the Scripture alone cannot be a Rule sufficient to direct us in all necessary Controversies Page 1. POINT II. Tradition besides Scripture must direct us in in many necessary Controversies Page 12. POINT III. Of the never failing of the Church which beeing perpetuall can preserve perpetuall Traditions allso of succession of true Pastors and Professors P. 21. POINT IV. Of the universality and vast extent of this perpetuall Church which allso must be the converter of Gentils this no Church differing from the Roman ever was Page 33. POINT V. Of the infallibilitie of the Church and consequently of her fittnes to be judge of Controversies P. 44. POINT VI. That the Roman Church is this infallible Church aÌ„d our Iudge in all points of CoÌ„troversie P. 64. POINT VII That the Chief Pastor of this Church is the successor of S. Peter Page 66. POINT VIII That this our Chiefe Pastour or Pope is not Anti-christ Page 74. POINT IX Of the Sacraments of the Church and of the Ceremonies which the Church useth in administrating these Sacraments as allso in other occasions Page 79. POINT X. Of Baptisme which is the first Sacrament P. 86. POINT XI Of Confirmation Pag. 87. POINT XII Of the Holy Eucharist Page 89. POINT XIII Of Communion under one kind Page 106. POINT XIV Of the Masse and of the Holy Eucharist as it is a Sacrifice Page 109. POINT XV. Of saying Masses and other publike prayers in the Latin tongue Page 119. POINT XVI Of the Sacrament of Pennance or Confession Page 131. POINT XVII Of the Sacrament of Extreame Vnction Page 134. POINT XVIII Of the Sacrament of Holy Order P. 138. POINT XIX Of the Sacrament of Matrimony Page 139. POINT XX. Of the single life of Priests Page 141. POINT XXI Of the single life of such as have vowed Chastity Page 149. POINT XXII Of works of Counsel and supererogation Page 155. POINT XXIII Of voluntary Austerity of life Page 159. POINT XXIV Of satisfactory good workes Page 165. POINT XXV Of Purgatory aÌ„d prayer for the dead P. 173. POINT XXVI Of Indulgences Page 189. POINT XXVII That faith alone doth not Iustifie P. 196. POINT XXVIII Whether Justification be any thing inherent in us Page 200. POINT XXIX Whether our Justification may not be lost Page 205. POINT XXX To Justification it is necessary to keep the Commandments Page 209. POINT XXXI How still wee have free will to do good or evill Page 213. POINT XXXII How this free will is still helped with sufficient grace Page 216. POINT XXXIII This sufficient grace is denyed to none Christ dying even for Reprobates Page 220. POINT XXXIV How our good works done in grace and by the helpe of Christs grace be meritorious and merit life everlasting Page 224. POINT XXXV It is laudable to do good works for reward Page 233. POINT XXXVI Wee laudably worship Angels and Saints Page 235. POINT XXXVII The Angels and Saints can hear our Prayers Page 245. POINT XXXVIII That Saints can and will helpe us and therefore it is laudable to pray to them Page 252. POINT XXXIX That among the Saints it is most laudable to pray to our Lady and of the beads sayd to her honour Page 264. POINT XL. It is laudable to worship the Images of Saints Page 275. POINT XLI It is iaudable to worship the Reliques of Saints Page 289. POINT XLII Some places are more Holy then others wee therefore laudably make Pilgrimages and Processions to such Holy places Page 296. POINT XLIII That wee laudably keepe Feasts in the honour of Saints Page 306. POINT XLIV That we laudably observe Fasts Saints eves and other dayes Page 312. POINT XLV That we laudably in our fasts obstaine from certaine meates Page 317. TO THE PROTESTANT READER I Humbly begg of thee to peruse this Table of the Points here treated and to turn first to that very Point in which thou thinkest wee are less able to give thee satisfaction And according as thou findest what I shall say even in that Point to be more or less satisfactory so judge of the rest But first correct these faults escaped with thy penne and pardon the Printer who was an externe THE FIRST POINT That Scripture alone can not be a Rule sufficient to direct us in all necessary Controversies 1. NO Roman Catholike doth deny the Scripture to be a sufficient Rule to direct us in all controversies if wee take the Scripture rightly interpreted And therefore all those many textes which Protestantes bring to prove the Scripture to be our sole Rule of fayth are very clearely answered by saying that all those Textes speake of the Scripture not taken as the letter sounds for the letter kills 2. Cor. 3.6 but they speake of the Scripture as rightly interpreted And Protestantes cannot but graunt the Scripture rightly interpreted to be a sufficient Rule of fayth But what are wee the nearer For now comes the great Question of Questions who be those that give the right Interpretation to Scripture 2. The very ground of all Religions but the Roman is the Scripture as Interpreted by theyr own selves after they have carefully conferred
his pleasure by graunting him a Plenary Indulgence But if our doctrine be truly understood we all require more for gaining pardon even of the least part of the paine still due to our very least sins then Protestants require to the full forgivenes of all the greatest sins that are or can be takē all togeather with all the paine which can be due unto them which is a point exceedingly to be noted it being apparently true 2. For the first thing which we require to gain any part even of the least Indulgence is to have true faith producing true repentance for our sin This alone with Protestants suffices to remit the guilt of all sins whatsoever and all paines due to all sins of which any man can be guilty Doth it do so with us No it is farre from it We say that after this first he must make a true entire Confession Secondly He must moreover stand obliged to make perfect restitution of any thing to which hs is bound Thirdly he stands obliged to performe the Pennance enjoyned him Fourthly if this pennance fall short of satisfying the divine Iustice for the paines yet due to the sins forgiven the sinner stands still obliged to satisfie the divine Iustice by other penall works Now all that we say is that this paine may be pardoned him by Indulgences though not by Indulgences graunted meerly at the Popes pleasure but by Indulgences graunted by him upon sufficient causes which causes he must carefully examine And after the graunt of Indulgences upon due causes you must not thinke any thing is done untill we on our parts have done what is required What is that It is that after such humble Repentance and after such an entire Confession and restitution as I sayd we performe the things expressed in the Graunt of the Indulgence And when all is done the most that we obtaine is to have pardon due to such sins the guilt of which is allready forgiven by our repentance and Confession But the Protestants teach that Faith alone quite frees men for ever of all theyr sins and of all the paine that was due for theyr sins though never so many or so great for after this faith God imputes theyr sins no longer to them 3. Before I prove that the Pope hath power by Indulgences graunted upon just cause to pardon such as duely performe what is enjoyned I further note that the Blood of Christ was of that infinite value that the shedding of one droppe thereof was able to satisfie divine Iustice for all the sins of the world yea of a million of worlds and able to satisfie also for all the paine that could be due for all those sins Wherefore seeing Christ did not shed his blood for us by dropps but by showers hence it followeth evidently that the satisfactions of Christ alone be in a most high degree superaboundant Tell me now is the most precious treasure of all this superaboundancy of satisfactions in order to cancell the paine due to our sins so wholy lost that even the liveing members of Christs body can receive no benefit by this superaboundancy God forbid They be not treasures wrapped up in a napkin Wherefore there must be a power on earth to dispense this rich treasure but yet to dispense it so as becoms a prudent dispenser of the mysteries of God Now who is the highest and chiefest in this dignity of dispensing but he whome we have proved to be the head and chief Pastour of Christs Church to whome it was sayd To thee I will give the Keyes of the Kingdome of heaven Matth. 16. v. 19. Feede my sheepe Io 21. v 15. See the seventh Point 4. That such Indulgences as here described may be graunted I prove first because to give thus the Keyes of the Kingdome of heaven to S. Peter and to his successours as is there proved is to give power of removing any barr that may shutt us out of heaven whether this barr be the sin it selfe which excludes us eternally if not removed or whether it be the guilt of paine for our sins forgiven which excludeth us onely untill such time as due satisfaction is made for that paine Satisfaction may be made for this paine either by our selves performing sufficiently for this effect such satisfactory workes as we spake of Point 9. and 24. Or which may be performed for us by others For as I may pay my debts by my selfe so I may pay them by a friend 5. And the proofe of this is a second proofe of Indulgences out of Col. 1.24 I Paul who now rejoyce in suffering for you and doe accomplish those things which want of the Passion of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the Church Of which Text see what I sayd Point 24. n. 6. whence appeares that notwithstanding the fullnes and superabondance of Christs Passion in it selfe yet in order to our being made compleatly partakers of severall fruits thereof something may be and often is wanting on our part What is this It is the adjoyning of those satisfactory workes which in that Point we have at large shewed Christ to expect at our hands And untill such workes be performed either by us in person or for us in the person of some other we still stand lyable to the paine due to our sins forgiven Now that an other may offer such workes for us is made evident by the text we cited out of S. Paul affirming that he rejoyced in doeing this deed of charity which consisted in suffering that is in doeing a worke most satisfactory for them and by it to make up or to accomplish in his flesh that which was yet behind or as yet wanted of the Passion of Christ that is what was wanting not on Christs part but on the part o his body which is the Church Now as S. Paul as then confirmed in grace had few sins and many sufferings which he could well spare and give away to pay his brothers debt so had S. Iohn Baptist so had our Lady so the Apostles so the Holy Martyrs and many others But above all Christs sufferings alone had an inexhaustable superaboundance which sufferings although Christ by his ordinary course of providence doth not applie to the full cleansing of our sins and of the paine due to our sins unlesse we doe what is required on our part yet he hath left power to his Vicar on earth upon just causes and with due circumspection to impart by way of speciall favour or Indulgence those superabundant satisfactions of Christ and his Saints unto us that by this superabondancy our wants may be supplied if we duely dispose our selves by his grace to be partakers of that great favour 6. A third proofe of Indulgences out of Scripture is to shew S. Paul exercising in the person of Christ this speciall favour or Indulgence towards the incestous Corinthian Whome in his first Epistle to the Corinthians he had given over to Satan by Excommunication But afterwards
in your eares this day Learn them and keep and do them And then in the sixth verse he begins to tell all the ten Commandements which God would have them learn and keep and do But God will exact of no man to keep and do that whieh is impossible ergo this by his grace is possible I will give my Law in theyr bowells And in theyr heart I will write it Ier. 31.33 The law of God is in his heart none of his steps shall stide Psal 37.31 And Rom. 8.4 God sending his Son c. That the Iustification of the Law might be fullfilled in us All these Texts prove that by Gods grace wee my fullfill his Law And therefore as S. Leo excellently sayth Serm. 16. de Passione Iustè Deus instat praecepto qui praecurrit auxilio God justly presseth upon us the doing of that to performance of which he offereth us his grace 2. And because some Protestants say that the Commandement of loving God with all our hart and soule is the Commandement impossible to us all in this life I will shew this to be flatly against Scripture For of David 1. Kings 14.8 it is sayd He kept my Commandements and followed me in all his hart So of Iosias 2. Kings 23.25 He returned to our Lord with all his hart and with all his soule and with all his might What more is commanded any were With my whole hart have I sought thee Psal 119.10 He who hath commanded us to do this hath promised grace enabling us to perform his command Deut. 30.6 Our Lord thy God will circumcise thy hart and the hart of thy seed to love our Lord thy God with all thy hart and with all thy soule And v. 11. This Commandement that I command thee this day is not farre of It is not in heaven where Protestants say it shall only be fullfilied that thou mayst say which of us is able to ascend to heaven to bring it to us that wee may hear it and do it as God required in the first Text neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us that wee may heare it and do it But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it do it I say by the helpe of my grace making this possible even in the old Law So Psalm 119.55 I have keept thy Law 3. And this grace makes this really done and performed farre more in the new Testamēt God saying Ezech. 36.26 I will geve you a new hart and will put within you a new spirit and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my Iudgements and do them And c. 37. v. 24. They shall walk in my judgements and observe my statutes and do them This then can be done Likewise this was done by Zacharie and Elizabeth Luke 1.6 They were both righteous before God walking in all his Commandements and ordinances of our Lord blameles or without blame Allso Matth. 19.20 The yong man sayth to him Christ all these have I keept from my youth and Mark 10. v. 20. All these things have I observed from my youth And Iesus beholding him loved him which he would not have done if he had been a lyer in what he sayd This yong man then was not a lyer But he that sayth he knoweth God and keepeth not his Commandements he is a lyer and the truth is not in him 1. Io. 2.4 For as it is sayd there Hereby wee do know that wee know him if wee keep his Commandements Again Io. 17.6 And they have keep thy word And yet further 1. Io. 3.22 Whatsoever wee shall aske wee shall receive of him because wee keep his Commandements and do those things which are pleasing in his sight Again Apoc. 14.12 Here are they that keep the Commandements of God It is the saying of Christ himself If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandements Matth. 19.17 Mark 10.20 Luke 10.28 and Io. 14.15 If you love mee keep my commandements And v. 21. He that hath my Commandements and Keeps them he it is that loveth mee They may therefore be keept Yea Christ himself Matth. 11.30 My yoke is easy and my burden is light For 1. Io. 5.3 This is the love of God that wee keep his Commandements And his Commandemēts are not grievous Note allso that all the ensuing Texts which prove keeping of the Commandements in those who are of age to be necessary to our Iustification do prove allso that they are possible to be kept For no impossible thing can be necessary to our saluation 4. Secondly then I say to all who have the use of reason keeping of the commandements is necessary to saluation and consequently to justification This is taught in a number of Texts which I cited Point 27. to prove that faith alone doth not justify but chiefly requires Charity And S. Iohn sayth 1. Io. 5.3 This is the love of God that wee keep his Commandements And Matth. 22. v 40. On those two Commandements of Christ hang all the Law and Prophets Our Iustification therefore cannot but depend upon those two Commandements 5. Hence S. Paul 1. Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the observation of the Commandement of God So that if this be nothing or a thing impossible all comes to be nothing Again what wee cited in the 27. Point n. 4. evidently proves works to be necessary to saluation But no works are more necessary then those that are commanded these therefore are chiefly necessary to justification THE XXXI POINT How still wee have free will to do good or evill 1. WE are fouly slandered by those who make us to teach that it is in our power to do that which is able to advance us towards heaven as if wee sayd this without adding or at least understanding that this is in our power only by the help of God first moving and exciting us and then lending us his helping hand even all the while that wee art doing any worke which can advance us towards heaven By this helpe wee say our free will is still enabled to do good or avoyd evill and that by this helpe it is in our power allso either to omit our dutie or to do it a sufficiency of this grace being still affoarded us according to that 2. Cor. 12.9 My grace is sufficient for thee Hence 2. Tim. 2.21 If a man purge himselfe he shall be a vessel into honour By vertue of this grace it is in our power to approach to God Iam. 4.8 Draw nigh to God and he will drave nigh to you Clense your hands ye sinners and purify your hart Wee may allso by the free will wee have to resist this grace harden our hearts 2. Hence Pharao his obduration is ascribed often to his free will Exod. 8.15 And Pharao seing this he hardned his hart And 1. Samuel 6.6 Why do
degree THE XXXV POINT It is laudable to doo good works for reward 1. AS Charity towards our neighbour is a most commendable vertue so charity towards our selves cannot be but most commendable Wherefore seeing these good works do profit us so very much as wee have seen in the last point and last number I cannot possibly vnderstand that Paradox of our Adversaries saying they do ill who do well out of a desire to gain heaven True it is a man may do well out of a more commendable motive that is to honour and please God But because something is better then doing good for hope of reward the doing good out of that hope doth not cease to be good You say faith alone is so good that it doth justify a man and yet Scripture tells you that of these three Faith Hope and Charity the greater and better of these is Charity 1. Cor. 13.13 Faith is very good and commendable Whence appeares that nothing ceases to be good because an other act is better 2. The Scriptures cited in the last point evidently exhort us in our sufferings to be glad and rejoyce because our reward is great in heaven and to do our good works in secret not to loose our reward but to heap up to our selves treasure in heaven and to sell all to purchase treasure there and in doing good works not to fail for in due time wee shall reap not failing May wee not sow in hope of harvest Did not S. Paul seek the fruit abounding on this account to those who had sent to his use Did he not bid us not to loose our confidence because it hath a great reward Hebr. 10.35 And not to sow sparingly that wee may reap plentifully 2. Cor. 9.6 Did not Christ himselfe say make friends of the Mammon of iniquity Luk 16.9 To what end this To the end that they may receive you into the eternal Tabernacles But what can be more cleer then that which I there cited out of Heb. 11.24 Moyses denyed himself to be the sō of Pharao his daughter chusing to be afflicted with the people of God esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasure of Aegyptians For he looked to the reward or according to your Bibles for the regard or respect he had to the reward No lesse cleer David Psalm 118. vers 112. I have inclined my hart to do thy Iustifications for ever for reward And for this reward he inclined his hart to do them sayth S. Augustin in this place reading it as wee do And so as wee tead it it is so faithfully translated by the Septuaginta out of the Hebrew and so your Translatours might have translated it if they had pleased but they willfully choose another sense though they so much professe to follow the Septuaginta THE XXXVI POINT VVee laudably worship Angels and Saints 1. FOr the ground of this question I lay this fundation out of Scripture that as the Angels are in heaven so the soules of the Saints go directly from hence to heaven without they have some few offēces to cleere in Purgatory Our soules sleep not untill Doomesday Christ sayd to the good theife This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise And therefore S. Paul desired to be dissolved that he might be with Christ And again 2. Cor. 5.8 Wee are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with our Lord Therefore wee may come to be present with our Lord even whilst our soules are absent from our body Neither do our English Protestants deny this 2. This supposed our doctrine is that great reverence and worship is due to the Angels and Saints with God Secondly that they can hear our prayers Thirdly that they can and will helpe us and therfore it is laudable to pray to them and that this doth not derogate from Christs honour Fourthly that among the Saints it is most laudable to pray to our Lady And here wee shall speak of the Beads sayd to her honour Fiftly wee laudably worship Images of Christ and his Saints Sixtly that wee laudably worship theyr Reliques and inshrine them richly and place them as honorably as wee can Sevently that some places are more holy then others sanctifyed by the presence of those Reliques or by speciall graces given there And for this reason wee laudably make processions and pilgrimages to these places with all devotion Eightly that wee laudably keep Feasts or Holy Dayes as allso fasts in the honour of Christ and his Saints Lastly in these our fasts wee laudably abstaine from certaine meates All and every one of these nine things shall have theyr particular proofes in so many severall Points next following in the order here designed 3. And first for the worship of Angels or Saints note that the very selfe same outward worship yea and Adoration it selfe may outwardly be given either as a civil reverence to persons of respect and great eminency or it may be given to them out of a religious respect in regard of the great Sanctity and heavenly dignity in such a person or lastly given in regard of Divine perfection and infinite worth When this respect is given thus outwardly there passeth inwardly an act in our understanding apprehending the exellcency which wee honour to be either human as in civil honour or to be an excellency of singular though limited heavenly eminency as in the worship of Saints which wee call Dulia or lastly wee judge that there is a devine and infinite excellency in that person as it happens in the worship of God only which wee call Latria An other act passeth in our will answerable to that which was in our understanding by which wee have a will to make this outward worship or adoration to be either a civil honour only such as is due to men of highest human dignity or to make it a Religious worship though farre from devine such as is given to persons of eminent Sanctity or endowed with great heavenly gifts or lastly wee intend to make it an act of devine worship as when wee do it to God Whence it is evident that by doing of the outward act it cannot be knowne whether the honour wee do be meerly civil or Religious or Devine 4. With only civil adoration Abraham rose up and adored the people of the land Gen. 23.7 Iacob coming into the presence of his elder Brother Esay Gen. 33. v. 4. Going forward adored prostrate to the ground seaven times And v. 7. Lia with her Children adored in like manner and last Ioseph and Rachel adored And Gen. 43 v. 27. Iosephs Brethren offered him presents holding them in theyr hands and they adored prostrate to the ground And again Gen. 50. v. 18 And Iosephs Brethren came to him and adoring prostrate on the ground All these Texts are thus read in the Rhemish Testament But the Protestant Bible refusing to put the word Adore put either bowing down or falling down on theyr face Wee do no