as at length it comes to iust nothing Not vnlike to Cyrus King of Persia who in his expedition towards and against Babylon being to passe ouer the riuer Gyndes which afforded him no Ford to passe but by shipping one of his holy white steeds proudly assaying to swimme ouer and so being drowned hee thereupon in reuenge of his holy horse vpon that goodly riuer threatned he would so diminish and diuide this riuer as women should easily wade ouer it and not vp to their knees So hee set his numerous Army aworke for a whole yeare to diuide the riuer into three hundred and threescore branches and so being as good as his word passed on the next summer to conquer Babylon So deale the Pontificians with sauing Faith which being as a goodly riuer able to carry the fairest ships of richest fraight bound for the holy Land onely because it will not suffer their proud inherent holinesse by the vertue of its owne strength to passe ouer they doe so cut and mince it as they make it common such is their common Faith for all passengers tagge and ragge to passe through vpon their owne legs Now let vs see which of these branches of Faith Vega in the name of the Councell of Trent and Church of Rome layes speciall hand on whether on the actuall or habituall acquired or infused formed or vnformed Vega shuts out all other Faith from the meaning of the Apostle in all those places where he attributes iustification vnto Faith but onely the actuall Faith All habituall Faith whether acquired or infused he peremptorily excludeth maugre all those that say the contrary of what authority soeuer Now what this actuall Faith is we haue heard by Vega himselfe that it is a credulity or perswasion firme and certaine but vneuident Note here how this Babylonish builder contradicts and confounds himselfe in one breath If this Faith of his be a firme and certain perswasion how is it vneuident and if vneuident how is it a firme or certaine perswasion Indeed this Vneuident helpâ—s ad It is like the picture of Venus drawne by Apelles who being not able to delineate and beautifie her face to the life drawes an artificiall shadow of a vaile or curtaine ouer it But what might bee the meaning of this word Ineuident Surely I finde not Vega very free to explaine himselfe in this point Onely in one place he seemeth to vnderstand by it such an assent or faith as we giue meerly for the authority of him that speaketh And so it may very well be said to be ineuident not onely in regard of any particular perswasion of good towards a mans selfe from him that speaketh but also of the particular truth to be beleeued This ineuident Faith is not vnlike the Iesuiticall blinde obedience when only the authority of the commander is respected not the equitie of what is commanded But the most commodious property of Vega's ineuidence is to leaue it as we finde it ineuident For the maine drift of the Pontificians is to fould vp Faith in a cloud that no man should know it And therefore Vega to dazell our eyes would haue vs beleeue that the Apostle Paul where hee speakes of iustifying Faith meanes not eyther Faith vnformed or Faith formed in particular but Faith in generall O miserable selfe-blinding Cardinall would you also cast a myst before the Apostles eyes that hee should not see what he said was euer impudencie and folly so yoaked together But what 's the reason that Vega will not pitch vpon one certaine and distinct Faith specially meant by the Apostle The reason is not hard to giue For if Vega should say that the Apostle meant Faith vnformed then the expresse words of the Apostle would euidently confute him where he commendeth Faith working by loue And againe if Vega should confesse that the Apostle elsewhere meant that Faith which worketh by loue then it must needes follow that Faith doth truly iustifie and not barely dispose a man to iustification as Vega would haue it But Vega hath another pretty euasion for this For he saith Aliudest c. It is one thing to say that those places of Scripture wherein our iustification is attributed to faith are to be vnderstood of Faith formed and another that they are to be vnderstood of Faith which worketh by loue For although saith he others take these two for one kinde of Faith yet we thinke these two to be most distinct and by no meanes to be confounded together Prius enim est c. For Faith working by loue goes before Faith formed by charity because saith he for this end it workes by loue that it may obtaine the holy Ghost and by it charity wherewith it may be formed O admirable subtilty surpassing all Philosophy all Diuinitie How doth Faith worke by loue before it haue charity Or what is that loue the Apostle speaketh of but charity Or is the Apostles Faith working by loue a Faith vnformed O Vega let me say that to thee truly which Agrippa falsly applyed to Paul Vega thou art besides thy selfe too much learning maketh thee madde For I am sure Vega cannot answer for himselfe as Paul did I am not madde but speake the words of truth and sobriety For Vega's wordes are meere contradictions senslesse and corrupt vnsauory salt Such is his sophisticate Sophistry and frothy wit that it may bee said to him as the Prophet saith to Babylon Thy wisedome and thy knowledge it hath peruerted thee or as the Vulgar hath it Hath deceiuea thee I know their shift is to say There is a loue in man vpon the first grace disposing him to iustification wherby he beginnes to loue God aboue all things And is not this loue the highest degree of charity that can bee If this loue be not charity it is meere vanitie But to sum vp the totall of that which Rome teacheth concerning faith in Iustification as we find it either expressed or implyed in the Councell of Trent illustrated by her most pregnant Interpreters First they allow or acknowledge but one kinde of Faith in the Scriptures common to good and bad Secondly that this is the Catholicke Faith of the Church the obiect whereof is the whole word of God written and vnwritten Thirdly that this Faith is a meere Historicall Faith which may be in the very Diuels and damned Fourthly that this Faith is formed by charity which while it hath it is a liuing faith but losing it it is dead and vnfruitfull Fiftly that this Faith euen without charity dead and fruitlesse as it is yet is sufficient to make a man a Christian and a Beleeuer Sixtly though they admit of no other Faith to Iustification yet that this Faith doth not iustifie by their owne confession but may be in a man that is not iustified Seuenthly that a man hauing this Faith whereby he is made a Christian and a beleeuer yet for all that hee may goe to Hell Lastly notwithstanding all
Tower of Babell as we touched before It is the troubled Sea where Romes Peter-men finde the best fishing As the Iewes said of Christ â—f we let him thus alone all the world will goe after him and the Romanes will come and take away our kingdome so the Romane Pontificians may say If we should allow of certainty of Faith all the people would forsake vs and wee should lose our Kingdome What would become then of the merchandise of soules of Purgatory-Masses and Dirges and Trentals so rich a trade in Romes Court if the People might purchase saluation by faith yea and rest assured of it without any dependance of humane inuentions But let vs examine the former limitations of Pontifician certainty apart First they admit only of a generall certainty but no particular And reason good for as wee said their Faith is onely generall And this their certainty they place in the vnderstanding as they do also their faith The obiect of this certainty is the generall truth of Gods Word So that this is such a certainty as the very Diuels and damned may haue for they beleeue and tremble Why but because they are certainly perswaded of the truth of Gods Word And as the Pontifician faith is common with the wicked so also their certainty which is the fruite of such faith Secondly in that they say that certainty may bee true or false according to the disposition of him in whom it is this is absurd For how can a thing be certaine yet false vnlesse it be certainly false or a false certainety Certainety and falshood are incompatible and meerely opposite Indeede it is one thing to bee certaine another to seeme certaine which seeming certainty is nothing else but opinion Thirdly that they deny certainty of faith in iustification but by speciall reuelation this agreeth with their maine doctrine of faith which indeed hath no other certainty in it than such as is in the reprobate and whereas they restraine their speciall reuelation to some few this shewes the iniquity of Pontificians in making a Monopoly of Gods grace and indeede a meere nullity of sauing Faith Fourthly their probable coniectures of their iustification are altogether abhorrent from the nature of Faith in Christ and meere illusions Such probabilities are impossibilities of saluation But it is a good reason for the Pontificians why they should deny certainty of Faith if the best certainty be onely coniecturall probability Fiftly say they only spirituall men liuing in the state of perfection as deuout St. Anthony may haue a certainety of saluation built vpon his good life This is another strong reason why Pontificians exclude certainty of Faith of saluation seeing it is rather grounded vpon good workes To these they adde two other reasons why no man can be certaine of his iustification because say they no man by the euidence of faith can bee certaine of his predestination For indeede if a man cannot by faith be certaine of his predestination he cannot bee certaine of his iustification The reason is good Lastly say they a man cannot be certaine of his iustification that is not certaine of his perseuerance in grace to the end But no man say they can be sure of perseuerance Therefore no man can bee sure of his saluation These two last reasons are inferred vpon the fifteenth and sixteenth Canons of the Councell of Trent Thus haue we in generall as it were in a light velitation or skirmish spent a small volley vpon the Pontifician forces which march against certainety of faith Come wee now to ioyne the maine battaile wherein wee will obserue this order of sight first wee will shew the weakenesse of those arguments they bring for their vncertainety secondly we will make good and fortifie those arguments authorities and reasons wherewith the Catholike truth of the certainty of faith is maintained and confirmed First for the Pontifician reasons and allegations for their vncertainty of faith wee finde sundry of them set downe in the history of the Councell of Trent together with the answers vnto them forced from the Canuase of the opposite parties some holding that the opinion of certainety of grace was an intolerable arrogancy others that that certainty in its kinde was meritorious The first of these were for the most part Dominicans grounding their opinion of vncertainty vpon the authority of Thomas Aquinas Bonauenture and the Schoole-men Also vpon reason saying That God would not make man certain of grace lest swelling with pride and opinion of himselfe he should dispise others as knowing himselfe to bee righteous and others notorious sinners Also that Christians would grow sleepy sloathfull and carelesse of good workes In which respect incertitude of grace was profitable yea meritorious For perturbation or trouble of minde is that which at first afflicts men but to those that haue learned to beare it it becomes at length meritorious Besides they cite places of holy Scripture as out of Salomon That man knowes not whether hee be worthy of hatred or loue out of the Booke of Wisedome That a man must neuer be free from feare of sinne that it is pardoned out of the Apostle That wee must worke out our saluation with feare and trembling and that St. Paul professeth of himselfe that though his conscience did not accuse him yet he was not therfore iustified These reasons and testimonies besides many others saith the History did chiefly Seripandus Vega and Soto alledge and amplifie out of the Fathers On the other side saith the History Catarinus with Marinarus did out of the same Fathers alledge places to the contrary that it might appeare that the Fathers as they saw occasion did attemper their Sermons to the present occasions sometimes to animate the doubtfull and deiected sometimes to represse the presumptuous still submitting themselues to the authority of the Word of God They said to wit Catarinus and Marinarus that as often as Christ is obserued in the Gospell to forgiue sins so often he said Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And that it seemed absurd that Christ would minister to any man occasion of presumption or pride or to depriue all of that which might be matter of profit or merit Also that the Scripture bound vs to giue thankes to God for our iustification which vnlesse we be sure we haue receiued with what face yea with what affection shall we giue thankes Sith it is folly to acknowledge a benefit which thou knowest not whether it bee giuen thee or no. Surely St. Paul doth clearely enough affirme this certainety when he would haue the Corinthians sensible that Christ is in them vnlesse they be reprobates and when he saith that therefore wee haue receiued the spirit of God that by him wee might vnderstand what is giuen vs of God And againe more plainely That the holy spirit doth beare witnesse to our spirit that wee are the Sonnes of God And that it is also a part of great impudency
should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me Now if we obserue the occasion of this saying of Augustine it will easily appeare that hee had no such meaning as to preferre the authority of the Catholicke Church before the authority of the holy Scriptures for then hee should with one breath contradict the whole tenure of all his writings wherein hee still aduanceth the authority of the Scriptures aboue all as irrefragable supreame and subiect to no authority Now the occasion of this speech of Augustine was this Manicheus a grand Heretique writes an Epistle to Augustine wherein he stiles himselfe Manichaeus Apostolus Iesu Christi prouidentia Dei Patris that is Manicheus the Apostle of Iesus Christ by the prouidence of God the Father Whereupon Augustine saith Haec sunt salubria verba de perenni ac viuo fonte These are wholesome words from the eternall liuing fountain But with your good patience saith Augustine if it please you obserue what I require Non credo istum esse Apostolum Christi quaeso ne succenseatis malediâ—ere incipiatis c. I doe not beleeue that this is an Apostle of Christ I pray you bee not angry and fall a reuiling for you know that I am resolued to beleeue nothing rashly that you say I aske therefore who this Manicheus is you will answer me an Apostle of Christ. I doe not beleeue it Now thou hast nothing what to say or doe for thou didst promise me the knowledge of the truth and now thou constrainest mee to beleeue that which I know not But haply thou wilt reade the Gospell vnto me and out of that thou wilt assay to proue the person of Manicheus Now if thou shouldst finde any man who as yet doth not beleeue the Gospell what wouldst thou doe if he said vnto thee I doe not beleeue it Ego vero Euangelio non crederem nisi c. For I should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me Quibus ergo c. whom then I haue obeyed when they said Beleeue the Gospell why should I not beleeue them saying vnto me Doe not beleeue Manicheus Elige quid velis Choose which thou wilt If thou wilt say Beleeue the Catholickes they admonish mee to giue no credit to you Wherefore giuing credit to them I cannot but not beleeue thee if thou shalt say Doe not beleeue the Catholickes thou goest not the right way to compell me by the Gospell to the faith of Manicheus seeing I beleeued the Gospell it selfe being preached vnto mee by the Catholickes And so forth to this purpose Augustine pursueth his discourse So we see the question is about the truth of Manicheus his title calling himselfe an Apostle of Iesus Christ c. This hee obtrudes and thrusts vpon Augustine to giue credit to it Augustine and that worthily makes question of it Hee would haue him proue it by the Gospell Well But Manicheus foysteth in some counterfeit Gospell wherein he stiles himselfe an Apostle of Iesus Christ a Gospell that was neuer acknowledged for Canonicall Scripture But Manicheus will haue it receiued for Gospell How shall it be tryed Is it therefore Gospel because Manicheus saith it Or doth the Gospell depend vpon the testimony of one man No saith Augustine Pagan-Infidels are brought to receiue and beleeue the Gospell by the preaching of the Catholicke Church which hath from time to time kept the Canon of Scriptures intire without the mixture of counterfeit Gospels By this authority of the Catholicke Church to wit by the preaching of the Gospell by the Church Augustine himselfe when hee was a Manichee was wonne to the faith of the Gospell Hence it is that instancing himselfe for one that as yet beleeued not the Gospell hee saith Ego non crederem Euangelio c. I should not that is I if I were as once I was an vnbeleeuing Manichee I should not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the authority of the Catholicke Church did moue me So that hee makes the comparison betweene the authority of the Catholicke Church and the authority of one man Manicheus The question is Whether Augustine if he were a neutrall beleeuer as yet neyther beleeuing that Gospell which Manicheus bringeth neuer heard of before nor that which the Catholicke Church preacheth and hath euer taught should rather bee induced by the peremptory authority of one sole man to beleeue a new Gospell than by the authenticke authority of the Catholick Church of Christ to beleeue the euerlasting Gospell of Iesus Christ comprehended in both the Testaments and perpetually receiued preserued professed preached and beleeued of the Catholicke Church from all ages In this case Augustine inclines cleaues to the authority of the Catholick Church And what true Catholicke doth not reuerence the authority of the Church of God bringing him to Christ by the preaching of the Gospell as the Samaritan woman brought her neighbour Citizens to Christ But being brought vnto Christ after they had heard him themselues they said to the woman Now we beleeue not because of thy saying for wee haue heard him our selues and know that this is indeede the Christ the Sauiour of the world So euery beleeuer may say I was first induced and as it were led by the hand and voice of the Church to beleeue the Gospell of Christ but after that I haue heard receiued and beleeued Christ himselfe speaking in the Scriptures I now beleeue not for the Church or any mans saying but for the authority of Christ and the Scriptures themselues As Augustine ingeniously saith to Paulina Nolo authoritatem meam sequaris vt c. I would not haue you follow my authority that you should therefore thinke it necessary to beleeue any thing because it is spoken by mee but beleeue eyther the Canonicall Scriptures or the truth that doth inwardly teach and giue testimony thereof For if a truth bee once confirmed by the euident authority of holy Scriptures to wit those which in the Church are called Canonicall it is without all doubting to be beleeued And in his third booke against Maximinus an Arrian Bishop disputing about the word Homousion Augustine saith Nec ego Nicenum nec tu debeâ— Ariminense c. Neyther ought I to vrge the authority of the Nicene Councell nor you that of Ariminum for neyther am I bound to the authority of this nor you of that but both of vs are bound to the authorities of the Scriptures common witnesses to vs both and vnpartiall to eyther So let thing with thing cause with cause reason with reason contend Such was the Catholicke Doctrine of those times wherein Augustine liued that the authority of the Canonicall Scriptures was aboue all other authority eyther of Bishops or prouinciall Synods or generall Councels In those times the man of sinne had not thus exalted himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped as to vsurpe
very effect of Gods mercy applied sealed to the conscience by a liuely faith no less assured of the pardon of sin than the Niniuites were of the preseruation of their Citie Thus Vega's triumph is like his Country-treaties very plausible and currant will gaine much if but beleeued the cunning conueyances be not discouered And by this successe of Vega in this one authority which he sets down as a master-peece wee may easily sum vp the account of all his other allegations out of the Fathers for this purpose what will they amount to To the Fathers he addes the authority of Schoole-men for vncertainty of grace in his 14. Chapter and so forwards to the 19. Chapter But let him take his Schoole-men we doe not enuie the Councell of Trent their authority as out of whose Channels is gathered the Sinke of Romane-Catholick faith So that while Vega alledgeth his Schoole-men hee is as the Fish in the sea or a Cocke vpon his owne dunghill Herein I will doe as Christ directeth concerning the Pharisees let them alone they are all blinde leaders of the blinde And for Philosophers as Aristotle c. Vega will haue them all of his side and takes it in great snuffe that any aduersaries of Pontifician vncertainty should alledge any Philosopher to be for them As hee saith in his 44. Chapter in answer to those that produce euen Philosophicall reasons to oppugne vncertainty Laterem lauant cum nobis putant aduersari Aristotelem as much to say as in the Prouerbe They but wash the Blackamore when they thinke to haue Aristotle to be our aduersary Well let them take Aristotle the Schoole-Doctors Chapt. 14. Scotus Chapt. 15. famous Schooles Chapt. 16. Diuines Chap. 17. yea the infallible definition of the See Apostolique Chap. 18. when they haue done all what will they gaine but incertainty imbracing as Ixion an empty cloud of feare and perplexity in stead of Iuno the true substance of solid comfort They may be certain of keeping their weak fort of vncertainty vnsurprised the maintaining whereof brings vnto themselues in the end certaine ruine and sudden destruction Let Popish faith bee alwayes vncertaine doubtfull fearefull perplexed wauering with euery winde of errour of terror let it be such sith it will not sith it cannot bee any other than of those that beleeue and tremble as can neuer be perswaded of the remission of sinnes of Gods fauour and mercy in Christ. Seeing they will needs bee vncertaine let them be vncertaine as the Apostle saith Hee that is ignorant let him be ignorant In the meane time as we yeeld to the Pontificians the vncertainty of their faith so let them suffer vs to maintaine the certainty of true and sauing Catholick faith which is such as the gates of Hell shall neuer preuaile against True it is that Vega hath spent at the least 20. Chapters from the 19. to the 39. wherin he moyles in sweate and dust labouring to answer all obiections that his aduersaries bring for the confirmation of certainty of saluation wherein hee dealeth like a cunning theefe who knowing which way the Bloud-Hound will pursue him strawes saw-dust or some such like thing to sully the tract and dead the sent and at least to retarde and fore-slowe the pace of the pursuer while himselfe in the meane time may escape the more easily Or like the female Foxe which being pursued at the heeles with her traine dasheth her vrine into the dogs eyes that vneath they are able to pursue any further Such is Vega's holy water which he sprinckleth in our way thinking thereby to inueagle euen the most sagacious Or else he would put vs to our shifts as the Philistims did the Israelites who hauing taken all their armour and weapons from them would not suffer them the vse of any iron toole but such as they must frame in their Forge and sharpen with their tooles But blessed be God we are long ago freed from the spirituall bondage of these spirituall Philistims we can tell better how to weald our owne weapons and handle them better in our owne hands than according to the direction and limitation of these vsurpers and taking our owne weapons into our own hands wee shall the better defend the truth against all those oppositions which Vega with all his Pontifician power makes against it And when we haue spoken then as Iob said Mock on But fearing lest I haue tyred the Reader by leading him through the many windings of Pontifician Vncertainties which like an ignis fatuus may easily diuert the Traueller from his plaine path by leading him through inuious and wilde Wasts let vs here pawse and breathe a little and so pursue our purpose in an entire discourse by it selfe wherin also we must looke for sundry skirmishes and assaults which the aduersary will not let to make vpon our very Trenches CHAP. XV. Of the Certaintie of true sauing iustifying Catholicke Faith LEauing the Vncertainty of Saluation to the Pontificians as their vncertainty of Faith in regard of their incertainty in their grace incertainty in their baptisme incertainty in their Sacraments incertainty in their absolution incertainty in their Masse incertainty in their Priests disposition incertainty in their penance and conuersion incertainty in their contrition incertainty in their satisfaction and merits incertainty in their Monastical life incertainty in their Saints incertainty in their charity incertainty in their righteousnesse incertainty in their holy Ghost inhabiting in them incertainty in their in ucation incertainty in their laying downe their life for Christ their incertainety in purgatory while they acknowledge none other certainty but a morall coniecturall certainety which at the best is doubtfull and deceitfull all which not only Soto and Vega but also Bellarmine in his Bookes of iustification iustifying all that eyther the Councell of Trent or her Commentators Vega and Soto or Andradius and others their fellowes haue writ concerning this point yea and much more but that I would not goe out of my Text and prefixed bounds of the Councels proper Commentaries haue amply set down Come we now to encounter this Romane Catholique vncertainty with the Catholique doctrine of the certainty of Faith But before we can come to lay a firme foundation of this certainty of Faith which Pontificians call nothing else but a vaine hereticall presumption wee must digge vp and remoue one maine heape of Rubbish and Sand which the Pontificians haue put to choke vp the hauen of true rest and to vndermine all certainty of Faith and whereon they haue cobbled vp their tottering Tower of vncertainty for the maine ground of their vncertainty is the authority of the Church on which must depend the verity and certainty of the Scriptures themselues Which being so what maruaile is it if they vtterly renounce all Certainety of Faith and of Saluation For what certainty of Faith can there bee if the holy Scriptures the obiect and ground of Faith be not certaine
perseuerance the Doctors of the Church vse many exhortations to men to perseuere whose testimonies to this purpose Vega heapeth vp in great number therefore the Doctors of the Church doe all consent that a man that is predestinate to life may fall away from grace It is Vega's owne collection for else saith he why doe these Doctors vse so many exhortations to men to striue to continue in the faith not to be secure vntill the end for this is the summe of all his testimonies that he alledgeth In the prosecution of all which I cannot better compare Vega one of Trents chiefe Questers than to a Spaniell which taking his scope in a large field trauersing vp and downe in and out to find game puts vp many a Foule but still the more he prosecutes them the faster and farther they flye from him So dealeth Vega. Hee takes the whole Church a large field to quest in he startles many a Doctor and Father foolishly thinking in his owne sent to make them his owne but in the vpshot they flye the farther from him As here The Fathers exhort men to constancy and perseuerance in the grace of God not to bee negligent and carelesse not to be carnally secure but so to runne as they may obtaine True and such exhortations are most godly and necessary for they are speciall meanes and motiues to stirre vs vp to attaine that end of our faith the saluation of our soules to which we were predestinate and preordained of God For as God hath appointed vs to the end so he hath appointed vs also to the meanes as Ephes. 2. 10. For wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them Exhortations therefore and pious admonitions are very necessary as speciall meanes to draw vs on along to our wished end as a stiffe gale of winde filling the sailes of our deuoutest affections vntill wee arriue at our appointed port And whereas Vega would peruersly conclude hence that because we must take heede least we fall as the Councell of Trent alledgeth out of the Apostle therefore the predestinate to life may and doe fall away hence rather we may conclude the contrary that seeing God hath predestinated vs to the end which is our full and finall saluation and hath chalkt vs out the way and meanes by which we come to reach and attaine to this end as to walke carefully and heedfully fearing to displease God sollicitous to serue God to take heede of carnall security and all false and groundlesse confidence therefore continuing on in this path obseruing these meanes tending vnto the end we doe hence gather to our selues stronger assurance euery day that we shall at length most certainly attaine to the end of our most Christian race and so obtaine the Crowne of life For as St. Peter exhorting the faithfull to diligence and perseuerance in holy duties as meanes leading to the end saith If yee doe these things ye shall neuer fall for by this meanes an entrance is made vnto you aboundantly into the euerlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. What Did St. Peter meane that the faithfull should be doubtfull or vncertaine of their saluation or were they so much nearer to falling away from grace because hee warnes them so much to be carefull to keep their way and to continue in the meanes No the contrary for by this meanes an entrance was administred aboundantly into the Kingdome of Gods glory And this is the vnanimous scope of all the testimonies of those Doctors and Fathers of the Church which Vega so multiplyeth going about to corrupt so many witnesses to giue in euidence for the instability and slipperinesse of his Pontifician grace Now for his eight Chapter which he spends about answering some places in St. Iohns Epistle seeming as he saith to make for the Heretickes as Iouinian c. we will speake of it in a fitter place by and by when we come to confirme the Catholicke truth and in the meane time leaue Vega dazeling his owne eyes by his ouer-daring of the glorious Sunne and scorching his owne wings in fluttering about the bright flame of Gods Word which for all his huffing at it he shall neuer be able to put out But hee goes on to proue that no man can know his owne predestination and perseuerance but by diuine reuelation In his 10. Chapter he brings Salomons saying and such like Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes as though the feare of God were an enemy to Christian assurance in this kinde sith it confirmes it much more the holy feare of God being a certaine fruit and effect of predestination leading to perseuerance as both we haue and shall further make good Hee alledgeth also against the certainty of perseuerance that of Salomon Pro. 27. 1. Boast not thy selfe of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Here the Pontifician still is like himselfe bewraying his malice against the truth as if certainty of grace were a boasting Nothing lesse For while we entertaine certainty we exclude and vtterly abandon boasting and presumption certainty and presumption being incompatible yea contrary one to the other and cannot possibly cohabit and dwell together in one heart For there is nothing more vaine than boasting nothing more vncertaine than presumption besides Salomon there speakes of to morrow as our Sauiour Matth. 6. 34. and as St. Iames Chapt. 4. Vers. 13. 14. that men should not be eyther ouer anxious and sollicitous or ouer presumptuous of to morrow about their worldly affaires Whereas thou knowest not saith Iames what shall be on the morrow for what is your life you may as a vapour vanish away before to morrow So that in these things that are in regard of vs contingent a man can haue no certainty But saluation stands not vpon any tickle termes of contingency as wee shall see anon And whereas Vega alledgeth Bernard as denying the certainty of election and predestination because saith Bernard the Scripture is against it which saith Man knoweth neither loue nor hatred by all that is before them although we be not absolutely bound to beleeue any mans authority in alledging the Scriptures when it is plaine hee mis-vnderstandeth or at least mis-applyeth the place as Bernard vnder correction doth here sith it is plaine and euident as wee shewed before that the Preacher speaketh of these outward things as prosperity and aduersity which are no certaine markes of Gods fauour or displeasure as being common to all men promiscuously as well the righteous as the wicked yet we are not so straight-laced as not to embrace euen Bernard himselfe in this point For if the certainty of saluation rested vpon mans testimony wee might as soone relye vpon Bernards authority as another But where Bernard speakes properly and iudiciously in applying the Scriptures none is more cleare than hee in this matter So that in the very same