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A89922 The Christian and Catholike veritie; or, The reasons and manner of the conversion of Francis de Neville; formerly a Capuchin, preacher, the Popes missionary, and superiour in sundry covents of the same order. A treatise very usefull for all Christians, and especially for such as are popishly affected, or not fully setled in their beliefe; and for the further confirmation of the faithfull. Wherein many secrets of the Romish clergy, heretofore unrevealed, are discovered. Dedicated by the author to the high court of Parliament now assembled, 1642. See the contents at the next page. Neville, Francis de.; England and Wales. Parliament. 1642 (1642) Wing N502; Thomason E144_15; ESTC R11352 153,461 187

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inclination to doe that which I desire not and which questionlesse will be displeasing to many Contenting my selfe to say for the present happy are the peoples and Kingdomes which onely strive to frame their beliefe and discipline according to the words and institution of Christ putting far from them all those humane inventions see themselves out of danger of suffering those convulsions and disorders in their bowels which cause such cruell torments and strange colicks to many Countreys and Cities happie are the Princes and States which shut their gates upon them and stop their eares upon their importunate solicitations and thrice happy all they who will open their eares to consider their misery and use wholsome remedies and resolutions to deliver themselves from that slavish tyranny in which the pollicy of the Pope and the Romish Church doth detaine them But I hope that great Physitian will take order ere long and there is great appearance that shortly he will give some remedie for the disease seemeth at the point of its Crisis CHAP. XXVI Of Justification I Did imagine for a long time as doe many of the Church of Rome at this present that they of the Reformed Churches admitting Justification by faith alone did it to exclude good works from the way of salvation and shew themselves in that to be enemies of charitie and of other vertues I did therefore extreamly condemne them and could in no wise approve of their doctrine but when I came to sound their beliefe and see how they are not onely carefull to practise good workes and vertues and that even much more than they of the Romish Church and that they judged them necessary to salvation and that the faith whereof they speake is not a dead faith as the Papists understand it but a lively faith accompanied with good workes and fruitfull in vertues I acknowledged they wrongfully blamed them in this as in many other things also either maliciously to make them odious to the people or ignorantly for not knowing their doctrine as that they make God the Author of sin and say that Christ hath suffered all the very pangs of hell and the like impertinent calumnies which they never dreamed of and which are very different from their beliefe It is most certaine that the faith whereof Christ hath spoken so much to us and which he desired of those whom he did convert to Christianisme and called to be his followers and of whom he saith Ioh. 6.47 that whosoever shall beleeve in him shall have eternall life it is not that which is defined by the Romish Church to be a simple knowledge or beliefe or a consenting to all that God hath revealed to us for otherwise the Devills should have faith and consequently be saved But true justifying faith is another thing for it is not onely a simple knowledge and beliefe of God and of all that he hath revealed but it is further a firme beliefe in God that is to say a trust in his promises and a sure knowledge of his love towards us as by his holy Word he declareth himselfe to be our Father and Saviour by the merits of Christ Now this faith which worketh by knowledge and relyeth altogether on the promise of God is necessarily fruitfull in good workes for from the knowledge of the love which God beareth towards us doth proceed our love towards him and it is altogether impossible to trust in the promise of God not loue him and make good workes follow thereby also is true faith discerned from a false to wit if it worke by charitie if it he joyned with a serious repentance and bring peace of conscience if it be humble not trusting in its owne merits but upon the promise of God in Christ if it kindle the zeale and love of God in our hearts Such is the faith by which we are justified that is to say absolved before God and made pleasing to him thorough the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and of which it is said Joh. 6.47 Rom. 1.7 Joh. 6.47 He that beleeveth on him hath life eternall and Rom. 1.7 The Just shall live by faith and this faith is not to be found in the Devils nor in the damned as the Church of Rome will have it This being laid downe for the definition of faith it will not be hard to beleeve that we are justified by faith not by works seeing even the Apostle saith it so cleerly that there is no truth so manifestly declared as this and I thinke for my part that he who will not beleeve it must be extreamly blinded or obstinate Reade I pray you the third fourth and fift Chapters to the Romans there you will finde how this doctrine is proved He saith in the third Chap. vers 27. Where is boasting then Rom. 3.27 it is excluded by what Law Of works Nay but by the Law of faith therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law And vers 29. Vers 29. For it is God who shall justifie the Circumcision by faith and the Vncircumcision through faith Ch 4.3 V 23 24. Vers 23. And Chap. 4.3 For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeved God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse And vers 23. Therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now it was not written for his sake alone but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if wee beleeve in him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead And Chap. 5.1 Therefore being justified by faith Rom. 5.1 wee have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ And Gal. 2 16. Gal. 2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Christ even wee have beleeved in Jesus Christ that wee might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law for by the worke of the Law shall no flesh be justified To doubt after all those so cleare passages that saith doth not justifie and that we are not justified by faith but by workes is to be holden for incredulous and voide of sence for my part after I had once considered and knowne the true definition of faith and seriously examined those passages it was impossible to mee to doubt of so cleare a truth True it is if we doe no good but evill workes we cannot be saved yet if we be saved it will not be for our good workes but by the onely goodnesse of God and by faith and confidence in his love and promises I will illustrate it by this example A King adopteth one of his Subjects freely to be heire of his Kingdoms enjoy his Crowne providing he behave himselfe honestly and not otherwise if that man offend the King he maketh himselfe questionlesse unworthy of the heritage and succession and there is no appearance he can possesse it but if he behave himselfe wisely and doe well ought he to