a time which a man putting away soone after makes shipwrack concerning faith that is either concerning the doctrine of faith by maintaining errors as both Bertius and the Appealer haue done or concerning the act of a temporary faith by ceasing to beleeue and professe the faith Thirdly it is to be noted that the Apostle saith not losing but putting away a good conscience which words may be most properly meant of such who hold faith and notwithstanding put away a good conscience that is gladly embrace the promise of the Gospell and remission of their sinnes by faith but reiect the condition vpon end for which grace is offered Tit. 2. 12. To deny vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and to liue soberly righteously and godly in this present world such are all carnall Gospellers who beleeue well but liue not accordingly Fourthly the phrase making shipwracke doth not import the vtter losse of faith for many things that fall out of the ship by wrack are recouered again and saued and therefore Tertullian in his book de Poenitentiâ elegantly calleth repentance Tabulam post naufragium A board or broken peece of the ship on which after ship wracke a man may as they did Act. 27. 44. Escape safe to land Plerique naufragio liberati exinde repudium naui mari dicunt Dei beneficium salutem suam scil memoriâ periculi honorant Most men that haue escaped in shipwrack renounce both ship and sea and by remembrance of their former danger more highly prize Gods benefit and their saluation Lastly this Obiection may be retorted against the Aduersary thus If those who are here said to make shipwracke of faith are not to be thought to haue fallen away finally from grace and saluation but rather the contrary then this place maketh nothing for the finall Apostasie of true beleeuers But those who are here said to make shipwracke of faith are not to be thought to haue fallen away finally from grace and saluation but rather the contrary Therefore this place maketh nothing for the finall Apostasie of true beleeuers The first Proposition is euident the Assumption is thus confirmed Those who were deliuered to Satan by the Apostle for their amendment and that their spirit might be saued in the day of the Lord Iesus are not to be thought to haue fallen finally from grace and saluation But those who are here said to make shipwracke of faith to wit Hymeneus and Alexander were deliuered to Satan by the Apostle for their amendment 1 Tim. 1. 20. and that their spirit might be saued in the day of the Lord Iesus 1 Cor. 5. 5. Therefore those who are here said to make shipwracke of faith are not to bee thought to haue fallen finally from grace and saluation ARMINIANS BERTIVS pag. 25. Apostasie is proued by this phrase of Scripture to fall away from grace Galath 5. 4. Whosoeuer of you are iustified by the Law yee are fallen b from grace Bertius pag. 29. 2 Pet. 2. 20. For if after they haue escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ they are again c intangled therein and ouercome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning For it had beene better for them not to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse than after they haue knowne it to turne from the holy commandement giuen vnto them But it is hapned vnto them according to the true prouerbe The dogge is turned to his owne vomit againe and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Bert. pag. 12. To Saints irrecouerable destructiō is threatned Heb. 6. 4. It is impossible for those who were once inlightned and haue tasted of the heauenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost haue tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they d fall away to renue them againe vnto repentance seeing they crucifie to themselues the Sonne of God afresh and put him to an open shame APPEALER APPEALE pag. 160. Galat. 5. 4. Saint Paul spake not vpon supposition of impossibilitie yee are abolished from Christ whosoeuer are iustified by the Law yee are fallen from b grace Ibidem pag. 160. 161. Nor in point of onely Heresie wa◠faith by them lost but also of good liuing and conuersation 2 Pet. 2. 20. where those that had escaped the filthinesse of the world therefore washed and made cleane through the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ therefore iustified truly by saith are yet c intangled againe therein and ouercome Therefore lapsed from faith as is expressed vers 21 and 22. ensuing Ibid. pag. 164. Beside if faith had cannot be lost the dog cannot be said to returne vnto his vomit nor the swine to wallowing in the mire Idem pag. 161. I adde but one of them Heb. 6. 4. It is impossible that they which were once enlightned and haue tasted of the heauenly gift and were made partakers of the holy Ghost and haue tasted of the good word of God and of the power of the world to come if these were not iustified they know not who were if these had no faith where was it to be found if they d fall away should be renued againe by repentance seeing they crucifie againe the Sonne of God vnto themselues and make a mocke of him b To the place Galath 5. 4. wee answer First the maine scope and drift of the Apostle is to confute those among the Galathians who went about to ioyne Iudaisme with Christianisme Legall righteousnesse with Euangelicall these the Apostle shewes cannot stand together For the one consisteth in the perfect fulfilling of the Law Rom. 10. 5. the other in forgiuenesse of sinnes Rom. 4. 7. The proper meaning therefore of the words is that whosoeuer seekes for iustification by the Law that is the workes of the Law is fallen from grace that is hath lost his claime by the couenant of grace or is excluded from all hope of obtaining mercy and grace for such a one is become a debtor to the whole Law that is cannot bee iustified to wit by the couenant of workes vnlesse hee fulfill the whole Law which no man is able to doe Secondly Grace is sometime taken for a reward of free gift and so it is opposed to merit sometime it is taken for supernaturall habits infused putting a man in grace and fauour with God or making him gratious and so it is opposed to nature sometime it is taken for the doctrine of free remission of sinnes by Christ or couenant of grace and so it is opposed to the Law or couenant of works and that it is taken in the last sense in this place is euident by the antecedents and consequents and the very opposition to the Law in this fourth verse Gal. 5. Thirdly admit the word Grace were here taken for the grace of regeneration or iustification as the Aduersaries would haue it yet the Text maketh nothing for them
A Second PARALLEL Together with A WRIT OF ERROR SVED AGAINST THE APPEALER 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LONDON Printed for ROBERT MILBOVRNE M.DC.XXVI TO THE CATHOLIQVE Christian Reader Courteous Reader A Few daies since a friend of mine shewed me a Booke intituled a Parallel which I gladly receiued from him and perused it the more readily because I well hoped that some of the Parallel lines would sute to our Meridian But taking an exact view of them and applying them to our Horizon I found they were somewhat short of our Eleuation yet I discouered some thing drawne in those Parallels which I conceiued to be of some vse to wit the Lineal descent of Arminius by the half bloud at least frō Pelagius for if it be confessed that Arminius his pedegree is lineally to be deriued from Pelagius and that Pelagius is the great Apenninus from which the diuided streames of corrupt doctrine flow then vndoubtedly the assertions of Arminius were priùs damnatae quà m natae were condemned by the Catholique Christian Church before they were brought forth by Arminius And we haue the Prescription of the Christian world for more than 1200. yeares against the new encroachments of these Sectaries But me thinks I heare thee ring in mine care the peale of the Poet Ole quid ad te what is this to thee or me or to the matter now on foot It is not Arminius but an Appealer that troubles our Israel Aemilius fecit plectetur Rutilius Aemilius hath done wrong shall Rutilius beare the blame Because Arminius browseth vpon some branches of Pelagianisme a plant which our heauenly Father neuer planted and therefore in time must be rooted out is it reason the Appealer should be muzled or any mans teeth whet against him Verily the Appealer disclaimes all kinred or affinitie with Arminius nay he protesteth he knoweth not the man and if peraduenture some Longinus or skilfull Genealogist may be able to disproue him yet certainly the vulgar reader is not I haue therefore thought it worth the paines to take the line of Pelagius which is already brought downe to Arminius and from Arminius to draw it out euen to the Appealer to the end all that are not forestalled with preiudice may see that both the Appealer and Arminius hold their errors in capite from Pelagius And that at the first the Netherlands and other parts receiued the infection of pestilent doctrine from Britaine by Pelagius and now at last that Britaine hath receiued it from the Netherlands by Arminius Mater me genuit eadem mox gignitur ex me But before I open the leaues of my Tablet representing on the one side the Arminian and on the other the Appealers Demi-Pelagianisme I intreat the Reader emunctae naris to follow the sent of Arminianisme in the Appealers writings by these foure steps 1. His sleight and dilute purgation from the aspersion of Arminianisme 2. His direct and professed defence of the Arminians 3. His casting a blur vpon the Synod of Dort that blasted them 4. His disparaging the Articles of Lambhith which are è diametro opposite to the tenets of Baro then and since Arminius To begin with his Purgation Although in other Criminations it may be an argument of Innocencie not to be moued or any way sensible of them yet in the suspition of heresie no man as saith Saint Hierom ought to be silent Silence in such an accusation is a crying sin Et patientia digna omni impatientiâ and patience it selfe is vnsufferable Euery man is bound to professe his faith and consequently openly to discharge himselfe from all imputation especially of heresie which is so foule a crime that the water of penitent teares alone hath not bin thought enough to wash it away Scelus hoc exuritur igne it hath bin vsually burnt out with fire It leaueth such a spot in the conscience that S. Cyprian conceiueth The blood of Martyrdome cannot fetch it out Macula haec nec sanguine eluitur Now whether Pelagianisme be heresie I thinke it is a question without question vnlesse we will take vpon vs to censure the censures of the ancient Church and most eminent Doctors thereof S. Austin in his booke de bono Perseuerantiae is not content to call it perniciosissimus error c. 17. but c. 21. he calls it twise Pelagiana haeresis And that Arminianisme is Pelagianisme either in whole or in part I take the Parallel till I see it not slightly glanced at but substantially refuted to be an ocular demōstratiō But if this be yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a point not yet gained yet that Arminianisme wherewith the Appealer is charged not only by two Presbyters of his owne ranke but a reuerend Prelate his Diocesan is formally heresie Appello Caesarem I appeale to that Caesar whom he first appealed vnto King IAMES of blessed memorie who in his declaration against Vorstius hath these words concerning Arminius He was the first in our age that infected Leyden with heresie And concerning Bertius he writeth thus Bertius a scholler of Arminius at this present remaining in your towne of Leyden hath not onely presumed to publish of late a blasphemous booke of the apostasie of Saints but hath besides bin so impudent as to send the other day a copie thereof as a goodly present to our Archbishop of Canterbury together with a Letter wherein he is not ashamed as also in his booke to lye so grosly as to auow that his heresies contained in the said booke are agreeable with the Religion and profession of the Church of England To cleare then himselfe from the foule spot of this heresie what course doth the Appealer take Doth he call God and his Angels to witnesse that he renounceth from his heart all Arminius his vnwarrantable and dangerous assertions Doth he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fairely and openly make this or the like protestation Arminius teacheth none but respectiue Predestination I am for absolute Vniuersall grace and redemption is an Article of Arminius faith It is none of mine The cooperation of mans freewill with grace in the first conuersion and the power it hath to hinder and frustrate the worke of regenerating grace is current doctrine with Arminius But I take it for a leaden Leyden error Arminius maintaineth a totall and finall falling away from the grace of Iustification I detest and abhominate that assertion and will haue no Confarreation with the apostate defender of such Apostasie This had beene indeed to vnclaspe the right hands of fellowship with Arminius and if he had euer walkt in his path to shake the dust from his feet but in stead hereof the Appealer casts dust in the Readers eyes by making a deepe protestation idque in verbo Sacerdotis of not reading any word in Arminius I protest saith he before God and his Angels the time is yet to come that euer I read word in Arminius Before I read this Protestation I confesse that my selfe
is pag. 141. transformed in mind renewed in soule regenerate by grace Discord Church of England HOmil of Saluation page 13. Because all men be sinners and breakers of Gods law therefore can no man by his owne acts words and deeds seeme they neuer so good bee iustified But of necessity euery man is constrained to seeke for another righteousnesse or iustification to bee receiued at Gods owne hands that is to say forgiuenesse of sins And this iustificatiō or righteousnes which wee so receiue of Gods mercy and Christs merits is accepted and allowed of God for our full and perfect iustification The faith in Christ which is within vs doth not iustifie vs for that were to account our selues to bee iustified by some act or virtue which is within our selues Art 11. Of the iustification of man We are accounted righteous before God onely by the merit of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ by faith not our owne workes Note in this maine point of Iustification That the Appealer differeth from the Church of England and consenteth to the Church of Rome in three remarkable particulars 1 In the signification of the word To iustifie which the Appealer and the Church of Rome take for making a man righteous The Church of England and the Protestants generally for accounting declaring or pronouncing a man righteous 2 The Church of England maketh Iustification to consist onely in forgiuenesse of sinnes The Appealer and Church of Rome not onely in forgiuenesse of sins but partly in it and partly in sanctifying graces infused 3 The Church of England teacheth That wee are not iustified by inherent righteousnesse or by any vertue within vs. The church of Rome and the Appealer hold That we are iustified by sanctifying and regenerating graces within vs whereby wee are transformed in minde and renewed in soule By renewing grace inherent in vs wee are sanctified but not iustified the confounding of Sanctification with Iustification as the Appealer and Papists doe is an errour of dangerous consequence as the learned well know Of Merit of Workes Harmony Church of Rome COunc. of Trent Sess. 6. can 32. If any man say That the good workes of a man iustified doe not truly merit increase of grace and eternall life let him be accursed Bellar. de iustifi lib. 5. c. 16. The workes of iust men proceeding frō charity are meritorious of eternall life ex condigno this is the common opinion of Diuines and it is most true Vasques in 1a. 2ae q. 114. disput 214. The good workes of iust men without any couenāt or acceptation are worthy of the reward of eternall life and haue an equall value of worth to the obtaining of eternall life Vasques disput 222. The workes of a righteous man doe merit eternall life as an equall reward or wages they make A man iust and worthy eternall life that hee may of desert obtaine the same Appealer APpeal pag. 233. The wicked goe to enduring of torments euerlasting the good goe to enioying of happinesse without end thus is their estate diuersified to their deseruing Answer to Gagg pag. 153. Merit of congruity is not commonly meant as scarce vouchsafed the name of merit Good workes are therefore said to bee meritorious are so vnderstood to be ex condigno which that a worke may so be these conditions are required that it bee morally good freely wrought by man in this life in the state of grace and friendship with God which hath annexed Gods promise of reward all which conditions I cannot conceiue that any protestant doth deny to good workes Discord Church of Engl. HOmily of Saluation 2. part page 17. Though I haue faith hope and charity repentance and doe neuer so many good workes yet wee must renounce the merit of all our said virtues and good deeds which wee either haue done shall doe or can doe as things that bee farre too weake and insufficient to deserue the remission of our sinnes Artic. 11. Wee are accoūted righteous before God onely for the merit of our Lord Sauior Iesus Christ by faith and not for our own works or deseruings Homil. of good workes To haue affiance in our workes as by merit of them to purchase to our selues remission of sinnes and eternall life is blasphemy Obserue reader that the Appealer ignorantly or fraudulently omitteth the proper conditions requisite to a meritorious act which are especially these 1 That the worke be properly our and not his of whom we pretend to merit 2 That it be opus indebitum a worke to which otherwise we are not bound 3 That it be some way profitable and beneficiall to him from whom wee expect our reward 4 That it haue some proportion and correspondence of congruity at least if not of condignitie to the reward expected All which conditions Protestants deny to bee found in our good works And therupon disclaime all merit These conditions the Appealer pretermitteth and from foure common conditions requisite to a good worke in generall he concludeth loosely and weakly That the Papists and wee agree in the doctrine of merit ex condigno of condignitie In his Appeale Chap. 11. by the advice as it seemes of the Approuer of his booke hee disclaimeth merit of condignity which in his former booke he seemed to approue But he saith little or nothing which may not well stand with merit of congruity Indeed hee lasheth Vasques for that wherein he differeth from other Papists but he retracteth not any where that his owne sentence namely The eternall state of men is diuersified to their deseruings Wherein hee crosseth the 11 Article and the words of S. Paul Rom. 6. The wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternall life Of Euangelicall Counsels or Workes of supererogation Harmony Church of Rome BEl de Monach. lib. 2. cap 7. An Euangelicall Counsell of Perfection is called a good worke not inioyned vs by Christ but shewed vnto vs not commanded but commended onely Ibid. cap. 8. It is the opinion of all Catholiques that there are many Euangelicall Counsels viz. of things aduised or counselled vnto but not prescribed nor commanded Appealer ANswer to the Gagg p. 103. What is meant by workes of Supererogation we may collect out of the texts of Scripture cited viz. That man in the state of grace and assisted by Gods grace may doe somethings counselled and not commanded I know no doctrine of our English Church against Euangelical counsels Appeale page 214. I doe beleeue there are and euer were Euangelicall counsels Discord Church of Engl. ARticle 14. Voluntary works besides ouer and aboue Gods Commandements w th they call workes of supererogation cānot be taught with our arrogancy and impiety for by them men doe declare that they doe not onely render vnto God as much as they are bound to doe but that they doe more for his sake then of bounden duty is required whereas Christ saith plainly When yee haue done all that are commanded vnto you say wee are vnprofitable