10.13 God is faithfull who will not permit you to be tempted above what you are able But now it is most evident that God doth dayly permit us to be tempted beyond our owne power because no power wee have of our selves as of our selves is able or sufficient to resist those temptations which dayly sett upon us Seeing therefore it is cleare Scripture that God will not suffer us to be tempted above what wee are able it hence demonstratively followeth that Gods grace sufficiently enables all men to resist any temptation whatsoever fals upon them This is that which we properly call giving sufficient grace to all men though all will not resist the temptations which they were able to resist Even as he sufficiently by nature enables most mē to lift theyr hād up to theyr head though some for lazynes will not do it Now the grace sufficiently enabling all to resist all kind of temptations is given them through the merits of Christ dying for them THE XXXIV POINT How our good works done in grace and by the helpe of Christs grace be meritorious and merit life everlasting 1. THis is a point in which our adversaries are pleased to be much scandalized because many of theyr teachers have notably belyed us in so much that you shall find few who are not apt to thinke that wee hide our doctrine as ashamed of it Whereas wee do plainly and cleerly tell them that none of our works deserves any heavenly reward as it is the worke and even the very best worke of man done only by our naturall free will But wee all ād every one of us teach that those only good works are meritorious which are done first by a soul dignifyed with Gods grace inherent in her accordingly to the 28. Point and wee say that the value of this action makeing it meritorious proceeds from this grace Secondly wee say no man can do any such meritorious action without the actuall grace of God exciting him therunto Thirdly we say the grace of God must be aiding and assisting him all the time he doth any such meritorious action All this is taught by the Councel of Trent sess 6. c. 14. Wee adde that even to such actions done in this manner God if so he had pleased might have given no reward But he was pleased to promise and to give this heavenly reward out of his free gratious goodnes he being moved by the merits and Passion of Christ from which all the foresaid graces flows to accept for his sake all those works as rewardable the said works by his grace being made worthy to be accepted of so as to be recompensed by that heavēly reward which God hath mercifully promised to them This is our doctrine 2. And in the very beginning of the world God taught this doctrine saying to Cain Gen. 4.7 If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted When Abraham was ready to offer Isaac God by an Angel sayd to him Gen. 22. v. 16. By my own selfe have I sworne sayth the Lord because thou hast done this thing I will blesse thee c Behold a large blessing for doing this thing David allso Psal 18.20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousnesse According to the cleanes of my hands hath he recompensed me And Psal 19. v. 11. That in keeping Gods precepts there is great reward And his Sonne Salomon sayth 1. Kings 8.32 God is justifying the righteous to give him according to his righteousnes And that zelous Prophet speaks thus 2. Chron. 15.7 Be you strong therfore and let not your hands be weak for your worke shall be rewarded 3. How often hath S. Matthew this doctrine First c. 5.12 Be glad and rejoyce for your reward is great in heaven Here the word which both in Greek and Latin is put for Reward doth properly signify the very wages or hire due to the worke Secondly in severall places of the sixth chapter Christ exhorts us to the secret performance both of our Fasts our Almes-deeds and of our Prayers and he tells us that otherwise wee loose our reward But if wee do them in secret thy Father which seeth in secret will repay the Thirdly c. 6. v. 20. Lay up for your selves treasures in heaven Fourthly c. 16.27 He shall reward every man according to his works He sayth not according to his mercy but according to theyr works Fiftly c. 19.27 Wee have left all and followed thee what therefore shall wee have To them thus expecting a reward Christ gives no check but makes them a promise of having upon the account of theyr works a hundred fould in the present and life everlasting in the future life Sixtly c. 25.23 Because thou hast beē faithfull over a few things I shall place the over many things Enter into the joy of our Lord. Note here many things given in heaven because such a man lived faithfully So Seaventhly c. 25. v. 34. Come yee blessed of my Father possesse c. For I was a hungry thirsty c. And you gave me to eate drink c. Note the word For that is For this very cause come possesse the Kingdome So if a Prince taken by his enimies in warre should be rescued by a common souldier whom he presently preferring to be a Colonel should say I make you a Colonel for I was taken and you freed me who can doubt but that these words cleerly affirme the cause of this great reward to be the souldiers great merit So contrarywise where in that Chapter it followeth Gett you away you cursed into fire everlasting For I was a hungry and you did not feed me c. Every one will confesse that the particle For manifestly signifies the Cause My eighth and last text is of S. Matth. c. 10.42 Whosoever shall give to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a Disciple Amen I say unto you he shall not loose his reward Other Texts might be alledged out of other Evangelists as Mark 10. v. 21. Go sell whatsoever thou hast and thou shalt have treasure in heaven And again Io. 5. 29. They that have done good things shall go forth into the Resurrection of life Behold the reward of good works And again Luke 14. 14. For feasting the poore recompence shall be made in the Resurrection 4. But to proceed how often allso doth S. Paul inculcate this doctrine As first 1. Cor. 3.8 Every one shall receive his own reward according to his own labours Secondly 2. Cor. 4.17 For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us an eternal weight of glory Note the word worketh which really signifieth the cause Thirdly 2. Cor. 9.6 He that soweth sparingly sparingly allso shall reap And he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully Note here Almesdeeds made the seed of glory Fourthly there againe v. 10. As it is written he distributed he gave to the poore But with what effect his righteousnes remaineth for ever Fifthly Gal.
6.9 Be not weary in well doing why so For in due season wee shall reap if wee faint not Sixthly Eph. 6.8 Knowing that every one what good so ever he shall do that shall he receive of our Lord. Seaventhly he seeks in his Convertites the doing of good works by reason of the reward they shall receive for them So Philip 4.16 Ye sent once and againe to my necessity not because I desire the gift But I desire the fruit that may abound to your account Behold S. Paul desired the encrease of theyr merit Eightly 1. Tim. 6.17 Charge them that are rich that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute Laying up store for themselves a good fundation against the time to come that they may lay hold of an eternall life Ninthly Tim. 2.4.8 There is layed up for me a Crowne of righteousnes which our Lord will render to me in that day a just Iudge and not only to me but c. It is his mercy to promise heaven to our good works it is his mercy to give us that grace which confers all the meritorious value upon these works it is his mercy to excite us by actuall grace to performe such works and to accompany and assist us whilst wee work But it is his Iustice and righteousnes to give that reward which his mercy made these works able to deserve So that now as a just Iudge he rewards our merits though they be his gifts Tenthly Heb. 11.24 Moyses refused to be called the Sonne of Pharao his daughter choosing to be afflicted with the people of God esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures in Aegypt For he had respect unto the recompence of the reward Behold how much Moyses valued the recompence of the reward due to so meritorious an act as that was And Eleventhly Hebr. 10.35 Cast not away your confidence which hath recompense of great reward I might end all these Texts with that of the Apocal. 22.12 My reward is with me to give every one according as his works shall be 5. But I thought fitt to adde that wee Roman Catholicks do so extoll the dignity of good works in regard of that value given them by the grace of Christ merited for us by his Passion that wee say these works thus dignifyed make us worthy of heavenly blisse And this wee prove by Scripture S. Paul Col. 1.12 Who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of Saints And Apoc. 3.4 But thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled theyr garments and the shall walke with me in whites because they are worthy Hence Psal 18.21 The Lord shall reward me after my righteous doings According to the cleanes of my hands shall he recompense me See Point 28. n. 2. 3. 6. Against so many and so cleare Texts our Adversaries chiefly object First that the Scripture Isa 64.6 Wee are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnes are as filthy raggs I answer this is sayd of us and our works done meerly by us as wee are left to our selves borne and growen up in sin and not aided nor clensed and dignified by Gods grace And it is a strange inference of our Adversaries to draw from hence that our best works done in grace and by the helpe of Gods grace be all deadly sinns For so in the Texts cited David could not be rewarded after his righteousnes and according to the cleanes of his hands Neither should there be any of so unfiled garments as to walke in whites because they are worthy again how sayth S Iames c. 2.21 Abraham was he not justifyed by works offering Isaac Seest thou not how faith wrought with his works and byworks was made perfect How so if both his faith and his works were deadly sinns What doth God thus reward deadly sin or could such a sin be a worke justifying Abraham In the Texts n. 6. It is sayd that God will repay us for fasting praying giving almes in secret How is this true if all these works be deadly sins in us Tell me how it is possible by heaping up deadly sinns to do what Christ bids us that is to heap up treasures in heavē The yong man of whom I spook was told that by selling all he should purchase a treasure in heaven How then was this selling all a deadly sin If selling all be a deadly sin then to say If thou will be perfect go and sell all is to say go and do a deadly sin if thou wilt be perfect Is that the one thing that was wanting unto him And thus I might argue out of most of the above cited Texts I am sure Christ sayth Matth. 3.10 Every tree that brings not forth good fruit his hewen down and cast into the fire If the fruit of no tree be good then every tree must be burned S. Iames 1.26 Of the doer of the work sayth This man shall be blessed in his deed And S. Paul Phil. 4.18 calls the almes sent to him an odour of a sweet smel a Sacrifice acceptable well pleasing to God These almesdeeds then were not filthy raggs 7. Secondly they object out of Luk 17.10 When you have done all that you are commanded say wee are unprofitable servants I answer this is true that by all wee do or can do even by Gods grace wee are servants unprofitable to God For all wee do or can do profits him nothing But wee are servants profitable to our selves For heaping up treasure in heaven and making friends of Mammon to receive us into the eternall Tabernacles are things very profitable unto us as allso to be good and faithfull servants and therfore to be placed over much and enter into the joy of our Lord. S Paul sayd 1. Cor. 13.3 If I should distribute all my goods to be meat to the poore and have not Charity it doth profit me nothing Ergò with Charity it profits me much Yea though faithfull servants be thus unprofitable to God yet in regard of the service they do him he sayth Io. 15. v. 14. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you a thing of no small profit and honour Again is it not think you any profit to have a hundred fold here in this world and life everlasting in the next for leaving what they had for his like Is it no profit to us to say truly with S. Paul Col. 1 12. He hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints and to walke with him in whites because wee are worthy Apoc 3.4 Had he no profit by overcoming to whome it was sayd He that shall overcome and keepe my works untill the end I will give him in heaven power over the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of Iron Apoc. 2.26 Hee that shall overcome I will give to sitt with me in my throne Apoc. 3.21 Do wee not then by overcoming profit our selves in a high
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
better not to vow then after a vow not to performe the thing promised For this is a sin as hath been proved by the former unanswerable Text. 3. As for the particular vow of Chastity we have our Saviours owne words Matth. 19.12 And there be Eunuchs who have made themselves Eunuchs for the Kingdome of heaven Those geld themselves for the Kingdome of heaven who vow Chastity sayth S. Aug. de Virg. c. 27. For by vow they make themselves as it were impotent for marriage And the doing this for the Kingdome of heaven is a cleare proofe that this state doth much further towards obteyning heaven Again both voluntary Poverty and Chastity are particularly rewarded by our Lord. Luc. 18.29 There is no man who hath left either house parents or wyfe for the Kingdome of God Note still how Chastity furthers towards the Kingdome of God who shall not receave manifold more at this present time and in the world to come lyfe everlasting Here I find a reward for leaving a wyfe shew me a reward for marrying one 4. S. Paul is most cleare 1. Cor. 7.25 As concerning Virgins a command of our Lord I have not yet I give my judgement or counsel can you give better counsel or judgement which is Art thou loosed from a wyfe seeke not a wyfe Why so It follows v. 32. He that is without a wyfe is carefull of the things that pertaine to our Lord how he may please God Note still how Chastity conduces to the gaining heaven But he thas is with a wyfe is carefull of the things that pertaine to the world The Virgin thinketh of things that pertaine to our Lord that she may be Holy both in body and spirit But she that is married thinketh of things that pertaine to the world And v. 38. He that joyneth not his Virgin in Matrimony doth better And v. 40. But she is happier if she so abide after my judgment 5. Againe 1. Tim. 5.9 Lett a widdow be chosen which hath beene the wyfe of one husband Here he speaks of the choise of such widdows as then were deputed to the service of the Church in assisting to prepare weomen Cathecumens to Baptisme as allso to serve the sick to administer to the poore especially of theyr owne sex And this they did living under the charge of the Deacons whence they were called Diaconissae S. Paul here sayth he would have none chosen or taken to this kind of state who had been marryed more then to one man Neither doth he permitt them after they have once undertaken this state to marry again That hence you may see evidently how farre he was from permitting Priests to marry again after the state of Priesthood undertaken Heare his discourse c. 5. n. 11. Younger widdows avoyde in this choyce for when they have begun to wax wanton again that is well fedd by Church goods offered to Christ as those widdows were they will marry having damnation because they have cast of theyr first saith Behold here theyr marriage and theyr damnation joyned together and the reason given why they have incurred Kryma damnation or judgment to theyr condemnation to witt because they have cast of theyr first faith This first faith is theyr vow of keeping perpetuall widdowhood according to all Fathers Greeke and Latin who ever did write upon this place sayth the Rhemish Testament here citing allso S. Aug. who together with two hundred and five-tenne Fathers in the fourth Councell of Carthage speaketh thus If any widdows have vowed themselves to God and left theyr laicall habit and under the testimony of the Bishop or Church have appeared in Religious weede and afterwards go any more to secular marriage according to the Apostles sentence they shall be damned because they were so bold as to make voide the faith or promise of Chastity which they vowed to our Lord. And as S. Augustin sayth Heresi 82. Iovinian the Heretike was the first who induced vowed Virgins to marry And l. 3. Retr c. 22. for this his new doctrine he calls him a monster 6. Lett vs go on with S. Paul v. 14.15 I will therefore the younger to marry such as be fraile t◠give no occasion to the adversaries to speake evell for some are allready turned aside after Satan Whence it is evident that breach of vows is damnable even in these yonger widdows who by reason of that breach are sayd to have turned aside or gone after Satan thus making theyr first faith voide 7. I end with that prayse given to Virgins Apoc. 14.4 These are they which follow the Lamb whethersoever he goeth THE XXII POINT Of works of Counsel and supererogation 1. PRotestants deny all works of supererogation that is works which we of our owne selves superadde to our boundē duty and consequently they will have no good worke to be only counseled unto vs but they say we are commanded to do all the good we can Against this errour be allmost all the texts in the former point and particularly the Text I there cited n. 1. out of the Booke of Numbers and what I cited n. 4. out of S. Paul flatly saying Concerning Virgins a commaund of our Lord I have not but Counsel I give And againe art thou loose from a wyfe seeke not a wyfe Is this a commaund Woe then to Ministers marrying when they were free men If it be no commaund what can it be but a Counsel And again He that ioyneth not his Virgin in Matrimony doth better to witt by doing something which you dare not say he is commaunded but which S. Paul once before tould you shee was only counseled And he tells you allso once more that it is only a Counsel More happy sayth he shall shee be if shee remaine so according to my judgment or Counsel Is thine better To the proofe of this point make all those manyfold Texts which in the next point we shall bring to prove how commendable voluntary austerityes be for none of those austerityes be by any precept commaunded but only commended to us and so they be not of precept but of Counsel superadded to what we are commaunded and therefore they be works of supererogation See all those Texts for they be most convincing 2. In the Law of nature I find Iacob freely without being commaunded vowing to build a Church Gen. 28. v. 20. And he vowed a vow saying if God shall keepe me in the way and I shall be returned prosperously to my Fathers house this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be Gods house Which he being safely returned did fullfill c. 35. v. 6. Iacob came to Luza surnamed Bethel and he built there an Altar and called that place the house of God 3. In the Law of Moyses God himselfe giveth a Rule Num. 6.2 To man and woeman who shall separate themselve to vow a vow to separate themselves to our Lord. For those I say who shall separate or consecrate themselves which manner of speach sheweth that
which we call austerity of life such as that of Iudith was both great and voluntary as allso that of Rechabites or Sonns of Ionadab how great and voluntary was the austerity of Holy David though a King His knees were weake through fasting Psal 109.24 I am weary with my groaning All the night make I my bed to swimme I water my couch with my teares Psal 6. v. 6. By reason of the voice of my groaning my boanes have cleaved to my skin Ps 102. v. 5. I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drinke with weeping v. 9. His prayers allso farre exceeded any commaund given him Psal 119. 148. Mine eyes have prevented the nights watches that I might meditate thy word I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried And v. 62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to thee And v. 97. Thy Law is my Meditation all day And 164. Seven times a day I do prayse the. Daniel c. 9.3 of himselfe sayth I did put my face to my Lord God to beseech and pray him in fastings sackcloath and ashes And Nehemiah 9. v. 1. The Children of Israël came together in fasting and sackclaths and earth upon them What the Ninivites did is wel knowne Of Iacob as wealthy as he was the Scripture tells us how sleeping on the ground he used a stone for his pillow and so was favored with that heavenly vision Gen. 28.11 so all Israël is sayd Ioël 2.12 Turne ye to me with all your heart with fasting with weeping and with mourning 5. Now in the new Testament Christs doctrine would have made the great sinners of Tyre and Sidon do pennance in sackloath and ashes Matth. 11. v. 21. He sayth to all He that will come after me lett him take up his crosse Great and voluntary was the austerity of S. Iohn Baptist He shall be great before our Lord. Wine and sicer or strong drink he shall not drinke Luc. 1.15 The Child grew and waxed in spirit and was in the desert untill the day of of his Manifestation or shewing in Israël v. 80. That is from his childhoode untill he was above 30. yeares old He was cloathed with Camels haire and a girdle of skinne about his Ioynes and he did eate locusts and wilde honie Mark 1. v. 6. And he did eate so sparingly that of him Christ sayth Iohn came neither eating nor drinking Matth. 11.18 Of his Disciples often fasting we reade Matth. 9. v. 14. And they were instructed by him of whome Christ sayd amongst the Children of woemen there hath not risen a greater then Iohn Baptist Christ allso promised there that his Disciples should do as Iohns did that is fast often when the Bridgrome should be taken from them 6. They did but what S. Paul taught 2. Cor. 6. v. 4. In all things approving our selves as the Ministers of God in much patience in tribulations in necessityes in distresses in strypes in prisons in seditions To these which all perhaps were not voluptary he exhorts us voluntarily to adde In labours in watchings in fasting in purenesse or Chastity For as we shall be partakers of his sufferings so shall we be of his consolation 2. Cor. 1.7 Mortify your members which be upon earth Col. 3.5 But before I passe hence I must observe what is sayd of Holy Anne Luk. 2. v. 37. Shee was a widdow untill eighty and fowre yeares living even untill that age shee departed not from the Temple by fasting and prayers serving God night and day Behold by what exercises God is served Who commaunded her this The desyre of serving God more perfectly 7. Heare S. Paul of himselfe 1. Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection least perhaps whilst I preach to others my selfe may become a cast away or reprobate Who commaunded him Desire of securing his saluation Again Col. 1.24 I Paul who now rejoyce in suffering for you and do accomplish or fill up that which is behind or those things which want of the affliction of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the Church Behold an other reason which was to suffer thereby to satisfy for the sinns of others of which text more when we shall speake of satisfactory good works in the next point n. 6. 8. S. Timothey Disciple to S. Paul having great weaknes of stomack and frequent infirmities in the midst of so great labours did notwithstandin so continually drinke water at all his meales that S. Paul thought it necessary to write to him thus 1. Tim. 5.23 Drinke not yet water but use a litle wine for thy stomack ād thy oftē infirmityes So that you see that before he did not so much as drinke a litle wine though it were the common drinke of that countrey and though he were so weakned by sicknesse and labour Thus voluntarily absteyning from wine so good a creature of God Who commaunded him this abstinence Love of Perfection THE XXIV POINT Of satisfactory good workes 1. THese voluntary austerities of which we spoake in the former point and all such painfull and laborious good workes when they are performed in state of grace are held by vs Catholicks to have a great satisfactory vertue by which the paine due to our sin is forgiven and is more or lesse cancelled as the works are more or lesse perfect For wee teach that after the sin it selfe is forgiven by our true repentance and humble Confession there yet remaines the guilt of temporall paine to which that sin makes us still lyable as I shall prove in the next point which if you please you may reade before this Protestants thinke they much magnify the Passion of our Saviour by saying that by vertue of that alone all sinns and all paine due to all sinns are quite forgiven But first I aske them if nothing else be required on our parts They are forced to confesse something else required for they are constrained to acknowledge First that we must be baptized Secondly that we must lay hould of the Passion of Christ by the hand of Faith Thirdly that besids this faith wee must have true repentance Fourthly they must needs say that allso you must have a will to receave the Body and Blood of Christ Vnlesse you eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not have life in you Io. 6.53 Fiftly they must needs allso say that either the observation of the commaundements is necessary as we shall shew point 36 or at least a good will and serious endeavour to keepe them He was made to all that obey him the cause of eternall saluation Hebr. 5.9 So that obeying him is required on our parts to have him be effectually to us the cause of eternall salvation 2. By this discourse it is evident that though the Passion of Christ in it selfe be of a sufficient worth and value to satisfy for all the sinns of the world yea of a million of worlds and allso for all the paine that
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
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