of God And he gave them that liberty will you call that a hearing of Prayer Then say That hearing of Prayer is not an Act of Grace but of Vengeance for a liberty of doing mischief doth of it self tend to nothing but to the increase of damnation He that seriously considers Prayer to be an elevation of the soul to God will not easily allow it to be an engagement of the soul to the Devil 3. As for Gods hearing the good desires of naturall men that is also in my weak apprehension another exception against this generall Rule God heareth not sinners rather then an exposition of it So far am I from thinking that Aquinas intended to expound this rule by turning it into a question and much further was I from saying That he made a sufficient exposition of it For I must look upon all naturall men as God looks upon them that is as sinners so saith the Text most expresly God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand that did seek God Every one of them is gone back they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one Psalm 53. 2 3. which is alledged by Saint Paul as a proof that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin Rom. 3. 9 10 11 12. That is They are all under sin as they are in themselves or as naturall men And therefore as such that is As naturall men or as sinners God heareth them not Hitherto I think the generall Rule is not expounded but excepted and though naturall men may in some respects have good desires yet as such I do not see how they can have good prayers Good desires may be from nature but good prayers are only from grace 4. You may take to your self what liberty you please in some other opinions but scarce in this because it may easily be made destructive of true Christianity For every Christian Divine is bound not only to believe but also to profess That none can properly be said to Pray but only a Christian. And that no Christians prayers whatsoever he be are heard by vertue of his own but only by vertue of Christs intercession The Catholick Church having taught us the belief of both these doctrines by her constant obsecration in all her prayers Through Jesus Christ our Lord And the Holy Ghost having taught it his For no man can say that Jesus is the Lord much less our Lord but by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. 3. And he must not only say Our Lord but also Our Father that will truly pray that is he must draw near to God in the acknowledgement of Christs Communion and through the Faith of Christs intercession Our Father which art in heaven teacheth us both these Truths In that we call God Father we profess that we pray through his eternall Sons intercession for till he reconciled us we were enemies not children In that we call him Our Father we profess that we pray in his eternall Sons Communion who did graciously teach us to call him Ours because he had made him so Nor can any man say to God Our Father who knows not Christ nor any man that knows Christ truly say it but in that Communion whereof Christ is the Head If nature doth teach men to pray in faith of Christs intercession and in the acknowledgement of Christs Communion saying Through Jesus Christ our Lord then without doubt God may hear the Prayers which proceed from naturall men But if nature doth so indeed then am not I so much bound as I think and willingly acknowledge to Christ and his Church for teaching me to pray so And I had rather disown that is not embrace any mans opinion then disown the least part of my obligation to Christs Catholick Church which doth by me as Saint Paul did by the Galathians travaileth in birth of me till Christ be formed in me that I may offer to God such Prayers as proceed not from my nature but from his Grace and that not through my self but through Jesus Christ our Lord. And much more am I bound not to disown my obligation to my blessed Saviour by whose Grace I am enabled to pray and for whose sake God doth hear my Prayers In the merit of whose unspotted righteousness I offer and present my impure person in the righteousness of whose all-sufficient intercession I offer and present my imperfect prayers before the throne of the heavenly Grace as often as with my heart and not only with my lips I say unto my God Our Father which art in heaven For though men may number their prayers by their repetitions and by their beads yet surely God numbereth them by their sighs and by their grâ—…ans And it were to be wished that all men did likewise so number them having such an heavenly attention in their prayers as to be with Christ and such an heavenly affection as to be in Christ since it is requisite they should have their hearts in and with him in praying whose mediation they desire to have with their Prayers CAP. II. Of Priests Marriage 1. POpe Siricius blamed for speaking dishonourably of marriage and some Papists after him 2. To say that Priests marriage hath been forbidden by the Apostles or the Catholick Church is to accuse both of approving the doctrine of Devils 3. Christ allows of Priests marriage 4. The Popes of Rome did not attempt to forbid it till Siricius his daies 5. The Apostles neither taught nor decreed against it 6 For Priests to marry is not contrary to the Churches precept 7. Nine Popes of Rome the sons of married Bishops Priests and Deacons some in Europe some in Africa some in Asia shew that marriage was lawfull for all those orders of Clergy men in the Catholick Church till near nine hundred years after Christ. That the Prohibition thereof in the Church of Rome was not till the year 1074. by Pope Gregory the seventh 8. The second Canon of the second Council of Carthage rightly interpreted forbids Priests only the use of their marriage at some special feasts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being rendred secundum priora propria statuta speaks for the truth of the Greek Copies before the Latine The Pope in need of a Provinciall Councill to support his Decree 9. Abrahams being married a good instance for Priests marriage who need look for no better then his righteousness 10. God saying of all It is better to marry then to burn the Church may not gainsay it of Priests 11. The Trullane Fathers blame the Romanists aboout Priests Marriage yet their Canons confirmed by Pope Adrian who in this thwarts Siricius 12. Saint Paul allowed marriage to prevent the danger and not only the guilt of fornication The Church bound to follow his doctrine 13. Saint Pauls thorn in the flesh his poenall afflictions not his sinfull motions or his tribulations not his temptations in the flesh 14. Marriage better allowed
have not strained this Canon in my interpretations I assure you they are not mine but your own Authors The first is Gratians Par. 1. Dist. 28. c. 15. Si quis discernit Presbyterum conjugatum tanquam occasione â—…ptiarum quod offerre non debeat ab ejus oblatione ideo se abstinet Anathema sit The latter is the new Glossators upon Gratian in the edition authorized by Greg. 13. Si quis secernat se à Presbytero qui uxorem duxit tanquam non oporteat illo liturgiam peragente de oblatione percipere Anathema sit And he tells us That Dionysius exiguus had in effect so interpreted it before him 7. And this one single Canon might I alledge not only as the Jugement and Decree of the Catholick Church from the Code of her Canons but also as the Judgement of your own particular Roman Church from Dionysius and as the Decree of the same Church from Gratian But that both the antient Judgement and Decree of your Church are more clearly proved by the practice of it For in your very Church of Rome have heretofore been no less then nine Popes which were the sons of married Priests and Deacons whereas if Priests and Deacons marriage had been forbid by the Apostles or by the Catholick Church I might say They were the sins of Priests not sons and you might say They were very unfit Popes because very unfit successors for Saint Peter but more unfit Vicars for his master But so saith Gratian Par. 1. Dist. 56. cap. 2. Osius Papa fuit filius Stephani subdiaconi Bonifacius Papa fuit filius Jucundi Presbyteri Felix Papa filius Felicis Presbyteri de titulo Fasciolae Agapetus Papa filius Gordiani Presbyteri Theodorus Papa filius Theodori Episcopi de civitate Hierosolymâ Silverius Papa filius Silverii Episcopi Romae Deus dedit Papa filius Stephani subdiaconi Felix etiam tertius natione Romanus ex Patre Felice Presbytero fuit Item Gelasius natione Afer ex Episcopo Valerio natus est Item Agapetus natione Romanus ex Patre Gordiano Presbytero originem duxit complures etiam alii inveniuntur qui de sacerdotibus nati Apostolicae sedi praefuerunt See here are nine Popes named which were all the sons of married Clergy-men and yet Gratian concludes this Chapter saying These were not All divers more might be found if he had a mind to look after them yet these are enough to prove the practice of the Church of Rome for having married Priests till the year of our Lord 158 when Anastasius flourished who writ the lives of the Popes saith Bellarm. de script Eccles. with this emphatical asseveration Ut notum est denying Damasus cited by Gratian to have been the author of of that Book as well he might For Damasus lived in the year 367. So that very few of these men not above three at most had been Popes before his time for it is evident That Agapetus who is reckoned fourth in this Catalogue lived in the time of Justinian that is above 500. years after Christ For by his couragious answer he kept Justinian from embracing Eutychianism saying He thought he 〈◊〉 come to a Christian Emperour but he had found a Pagan persecutor the reason was The Emperour had laboured to perswade him to be an Eutychian And that Silverius who was this Agapetus his next successor may by the way be added to Gratians list for he was the son of Hormisdae not of Silverius Bishop of Rome I have no mind nor leisure to make any special enquiry after the rest and I need not For if you will consider this testimony seriously you will find in this one Catalogue not only Priests and Bishops of Rome to have been Fathers of Popes which is enough to prove the marriage of Priests allowed in that particular Church but also Theodorus Bishop of Hierusalem in Asia and Valerius Bishop of Hippo in Africa to have been Fathers of two of your antient Popes which is enough to prove the marriage of Priests then allowed in the Catholick Church that is to say not only in Europe but also in Asia and in Africa But I do intreate you to take special notice of Valerius Bishop of Hippo for he alone may very well make you misdoubt if not the truth yet the authority of your own alledged Canon since it is incredible that such a married Bishop should live at Hippo at the very same time in which such a Canon was made at Carthage against Priests marriages and neither confute the Canon having such a Learned Priest under him as Saint Augustine nor be confuted by it having so many enemies about him as the Donatists but however in that so many Fathers of your own Church have been the sons of married Priests it will be discretion in some of your Zealots hereafter to bestow better language upon the children of married Priests for fear they be constrained to reproach not only many of their own Popes but even the whole Church of Christ For so far doth your own Gratian justifie this Truth as to assure us That the marriage of Priests was lawful at that time in every Countrey over all the Christian world Dist. 56. c. 13. Quum ergo ex sacerdotibus natiin summos Pontifices supra leguntur esse promoti non sunt intelligendi de fornicatione sed de legitimis conjugiis nati quae sacerdotibus ante Prohibitionem Ubique licita erant in orientali Ecclesia usque hodie eis licere probatur When as therefore the sons of Priests as we we read before viz. cap. 2. which I alledged have been promoted to be Popes we may not think they were born to those Priests in fornication but in lawfull marriage for it was lawfull everywhere that is in all the Christian world for Priests to marry before the Prohibition and in the Eastern Church it is at this day proved to be lawfull So we see that the Clergy both of Eastern and Western Church did plainly shew by their Practice That the marriage of Priests was not prohibited by the Apostles or the Catholick Church and therefore generally used their liberty till some after-prohibition denyed the same to the Clergy of the Western Church And the new Glossator himself who confidently saith that Gratian was mistaken as to the Latine Church sheweth little reason for his own confidence because no pretence or proof for the others mistake till this Decree of Siricius which was not made till almost 400. and not generally ratified or received in his own Diocess till above a 1000. years after Christ For so Baronius himself hath recorded that in the year 1074. this Decree of prohibiting Priests marriage was forced upon the Bishops of Italy Germany and France by Pope Gregory the seventh after they had unanimously gainsayed and most earnestly deprecated and opposed it v. Bar. An. 1074. nu 37 38 39. Now if this Decree were not generally received in the Latine Church till then though it were made
before yet was it not ratified and confirmed till then for that is an undenyable rule of her own Canonist Leges instituuntur quùm promulgantur firmantur quùm moribus utentium approbantur Grat. Par. 1. Dist. 4. cap. 3. Whence it follows That neither this Decree of Siricius nor any other of the like nature could properly be called a Prohibition till that time when it was first generally received imto Practice and that was not til the year 1074. a longtime sure after the Apostles And this same Truth is attested by Gratian in the first words of his 31. distinction Tempus quoque Quia nondum erat institutum ut sacerdotes continentiam servarent where your new Glossator is very much troubled to prove that Sacerdotâ—…s is put for Subdiaconi Priests for Subdeacons that so he may rather elude then expound the Text It doth therefore neerly concern you as a Trustee of Gods Truth not of any mans mistakes or insolencies and as a member and Minister of Christs Catholick Church to mitigate if not recall those words That the Apostles themselves were the first that taught and decreed that Priests ought to abstain from wives And those other For Priests to marry contrary to the Churches precept Siricius might well say is to be in the flâ—…sh because it is to be in a continuall state of sin and damnation unless you will say That the Apostles taught and decreed that in word which they have contradicted in writing that the whole Church wittingly and willingly sinned against their Decree for above a thousand years together by which means you may chance teach others to say and we now find many Schollars most ready to learn such a wicked lesson That for so long together Christ was without a Catholick and Apostolick Church For my part I dare not be so far an Accuser of my Brethren but sure I will never be brought to be so far an Accuser of my Mother 8. But least it may be thought that Sampsen-like you have smitten us poor Philistines hip and thigh and have carried away our Gates by the vertue and strength of the Council of Carthage I will now look after a Razor that shall very much endanger that lock wherein your great strength lyeth for I have yet only clipped it a little by Valerius his hand and must now labour to cut it off which I shall endeavour to do by cutting the Africane Church from the Catholick and that Council you have alledged from the Africane Church and that Canon you have alledged from the Africane Council I say therefore 1. That the Africane Church was but a particular Church and could not pass the sentence may not have either the repute or the authority of the Catholick Church And for this answer I have your own Cardinals precedent Bellar. lib. 2. de concil cap. 8. 9. Where that objection against the Popes being called Summus Pontifex which is brought from the 26. Canon of the Council of Carthage Ut primae sedis Episcopus non appelletur Princeps sacerdotum aut summus sacerdos aut aliquid hujusmodi sed tantum primae sedis Episcopus is by him thus answered Quùm hoc Concilium nationale fuerit non universae sed tantùm Africanae Ecclesiae leges tulisse potuit Itaque hoc Canone non prohibuit neque potuit prohibere ne Rom. Pontifex diceretur sacerdotum princeps vel summus sacerdos sed tantuÌ„ ne ita appellaretur ullus Metropolitanus Africae This Council being but nationall could not make Canons for the Catholick Church and therefore by this Canon could not prohibit the Bishop of Rome to be called an high Priest but only the Bishops of Africa to be so called Pray shew me a reason why this answer is not as good for the Priests of Europe as for the Bishop of Rome for all the world cannot make one National Church the whole Catholick Church no more then it can make a particular an universal or one corner of the South or West all the world 2. That second Council of Carthage scarce deserves to have the credit and cannot have the authority of the particular Africane Church First because for ought that can be collected out of the acts thereof there were not above seven Bishops present at it no more then were at a Collation with the Donatists v. Bin. Conc. Tom. 1. Col. p. 624. whereas Africa afforded above two hundred Bishops and they were all by their Canons strictly bound to be present at National Synods Secondly because there is a plain and a gross untruth set down in the first words of that Council as it is in the Latine Copy which only befriends your assertion for there it is said Gloriosissimo Imperatore Valentiniano Augusto 4. Theodosio viris clarissimis consulibus i. Whiles Valentinian the Emperour was Consul the fourth time and Theodosius with him these Bishops met at Carthage whereas it is evident by the Archives of Chronologie That Valentinian the Emperour never at all was Consul with Theodosius and it is as clear by the same Archives that when Valentinian the Emperour was Consul the fourth time Neotorius not Theodosius was his partner See Helvicus An. Christ. vul 390. So I shew you plainly we have a false Consul put upon the Council and I have some reason to suspect we have also a false Council put upon the Church For it is clear that this Council was not held in the year 390. when Valentinian was Consul the fourth time because Genedius who speaks first in it and was President of it was not taken by Aurelius to be his Coadjutor at Carthage till after Saint Augustine had been taken by Valerius to be his Coadjutor at Hippo as saith Binius Aurelius factum Valerii Hipponensis imitatus onus Episcopale in Genedium stranstulit And it is asserted by Helvicus That Saint Augustine was made Priest of the Church of Hippo but in the year 391. that is the year after this Consulage And sure he lived some years a Priest of that Church before he was made Bishop thereof perchance so many as to satisfie the custom of the Church but sure so many as to write full thirteen Books as appears by his Retractations lib. 1. cap. 14. notwithstanding his continual Preaching all that time For he was required and authorized by his Bishop to be a Preacher whiles he was yet a Priest which till his daies had not been known in the Africane Church and he preached both privately and publickly against the Donatists Manichaeans and Pelagians saith Possidius and sure the more time he spent in Preaching the less time he had for writing But to let pass collections and conjectures we see Genedius the President of this Council was not a Bishop till after Saint Augustine And Saint Augustine was not so much as a Priest till one year after the date of this Council so it is certain the Council hath a false date and it is possible we may have a false Council
of the Greek he hath unawares granted that the Latine Canons are not of so great certainty and should not be of so great authority as the Greek For one of Two cannot be so certain as One by it self Again profâ—…ssing that secundum priora statuta in the Latine is the better edition of the two Quaedam alia lectio melior habet secundum priora statuta he hath unawares granted it is the worse for that could not have been quaedam alia lectio if the other of propria statuta had not been before it and surely of two various readings the first must needs be the best because that was the Original according to the rules Id verum quod primum Id bonum quod verum Thirdly confessing secundum priora statuta to be the Original in that it was the better for else the Original was falfe and the variation from it was the true reading he hath as unadvisedly taxed the Greeks for mistaken Interpreters Graeci haec verba malè intelligentes vertêrunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For if he mean these for the words ill translated secundum propria statuta the Greeks did not ill translate them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth fairly and fully express those words But if he mean for the words ill translated secundum priora statuta then it is not credible the Greeks intended to translate them for they must have said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they had read secundum priora statuta in the Latine copies and meaned to translate what they had read T is much more probable that the Greeks found secundum propria statuta in the Original Africane Canon which sure was penned in Latine for the Africane Fathers writ in Latine and Valerius Bishop of Hippo in Africa did therefore take Saint Augustine while he was yet but a Priest to officiate for him in the Pulpit contrary to the custom of that Church because himself being a Greek and not expert in the use of the Latine tongue could not Preach so well to the edifying of the Africane people as saith Possidius in the life of Saint Augustine And it is as probable That the Latines did at first read that same Canon secundum propria statuta as did the Greeks till some of later years sc. after the Prohibition of Priests marriage in that Church thinking priora statuta would better serve their turn then propria statuta not only because it took off the specification of time but also because it put on the face of antiquity ventured to shuffle that in for the other For it is evident that Gratian did read that very Canon secundum propria statuta concerning which Binius avoweth secundum priora statuta to be the better reading v. Grat. Dist. 84. cap. 3. But indeed Binius in this assertion is confuted not only by his own Latine interpreter in his own Councils in this very particular Canon upon which he hath passed this unwarrantable sentence but also in Balsamons Councils by Gentianus Hervetus if that marginal note be his upon the 13. Canon of Trullo Legerat interpres Graecus in Canone Carthaginensi secundum propria statuta And if that note be not his we have gotten a new author to confute Binius but we have not lost our old confutation For in the Latine translation which without doubt belongs to Hervetus we see not only that he so read but also that he so understood those words for he there thus interprets them Propriis terminis à consortibus abstineant Let them abstain from wives at proper and peculiar seasons or times that is At the times of their administration as saith Balsamon So that Binius sheweth more his animositie then his ingenuitie in his ensuing words Hac translatione nostri temporis haeretici caelibatum Clericorum impugnant quasi hujus Canonis authoritate Clerici ab uxoribus in ordine tantùm Vicis suae abstinere deberent reliquis verò temporibus iisdem maritali consortio cohabitare liceret For we say no more in this then Balsamon had said four hundred years before us your own Hervetus being his interpreter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vicis suae tempore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eo sc. tempore quo sacrificant Bals. Concil Trul. cap. 13. Nay we say no more in this then the whole Council in Trullo had said 600. years before Balsamon as hath been proved already in most express words yet in truth we have no reason to be angry with Binius for though he hath given us bad language he hath given us a good advantage for having said that secundum priora statuta was the better and therefore the antienter and truer reading of this Canon he hath not only justified our appeal to former Canons concerning this matter but hath also confuted his own new exposition of the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is this secundum proprias regulas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enim non tantùm significat terminum sed etiam regulam ac praeceptum For though we may admit that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie Regula yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would have been an improper translation in Greek for secundum proprias regulas in Latine in which language the Canon was first penned because it would have been equivocal and therefore unexprâ—…ssive and uncertain But it must have been an impossible translation of these Latine words secundum priores regulas for all the world cannot make priores signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no more then priority signifie property And yet he confidently avoweth that secundum priora statuta was the better reading of the two The upshot of all is this whether we look to the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or to the Latine secundum propria statuta for priora was a meer device I will not say a forgerie If we will look upon certainties not upon conjectures the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth import terminum temporis not terminum orationis a determination of time not of law and so likewise the Latine word statutum or the whole Greek Church did not rightly understand their own tongue and the Africane Church did not intend their Canon should be rightly understood wherefore I hope you will pardon this my Descant upon Binius because you see I have done it not to shew my self a Grammarian but a Divine not a bold Critick but an honest Church-man For I have followed that sense of the Africane Canon which I find given it not only by the Greek but also by the Latine Church And therefore this your Canon may not bear that sense which you have given it because it may not contradict all other Canons of the same Africane Church according to the judgement of all Greek and Latine Interpreters And yet this seems to me the best defence you have made for Siricius whereby you have taught us Protestants very ingenuously though very Covertly to believe That a Pope may need
A Christian Vindication OF TRUTH Against ERROUR Concerning these Seven Controversies 1. Of Sinners Prayers 2. Of Priests Marriage 3. Of Purgatory 4. Of the second Commandment and Images 5. Of praying to Saints and Angels 6. Of Justification by Faith 7. Of Christs New Testament or Covenant By Edw. Hide D. D. sometimes Fellow of T. C. in Cambridge and late Rector Resident of Brightwell in Berks. Holding forth the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers Tit. 1. 9. Idcirco doctrinam Catholicam contradicentium obsidet impugnatio ut fides nostra non torpescat otio sed multis exercitationibus elimetur Aug. Serm. 98. de Tempore London Printed by R. White for Richard Davis Bookseller in Oxford 1659. The General Contents of each Chapter CAp. 1. Of Sinners prayers p. 1. 2. Of Priests Marriage p. 13. 3. Of Purgatory p. 69. 4. Of the Second Commandement and against Images p. 129. 5. Of Praying to Saints and Angels p. 245. 6. Of Justification p. 359. 7. Of Christs New Testament or Covenant p. 471. Courteous Reader The pages above-mentioned will shew theâ—… the full Contents of all particulars handled in each Chapter TO THE Christian Reader HE that writes Devotion is like to please all good Christians and is sure to please himself because he walks with God in whose presence is joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore But he that writes Controversie is sure to displease many even all that are either Unchristian as coming short of Religion or Antichristian as going beyond or against it and cannot easily please himself because he walks among briers and thorns which may entangle but must annoy and offend his footing I did little think when I took some few steps in Golgotha to teach my self and prepare others how to dye That I should have met with thorns instead of dead mens skuls though I made a publick impression of those steps in my Christian Legacie for others the more plainly to see and the more easily to follow them But such is the contentiousness of this carping and quarreling age That it turneth even Devotion it self into controversie and no wonder then if it turn controversie into contention and contention into bloodshed Let the Apostle cry never so lowd Foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes And the servant of Christ must not strive 2 Tim. 2. yet this captious world will afford more questions concerning strife then Godliness not considering that the Spirit of God calleth them foolish and unlearned questions though they be invented with never so much wit and maintained with never so great learning And such I think are most of these ensuing questions raised by so many exceptions lately brought against the doctrine and practice of the Church of England by one G. B. neerly devoted to the Church of Rome 1. Of Gods hearing the Prayers of Heathens for what is that to Christians 2. Of Purgatory for what is that to the Christian Faith 3. Of Priests marriage for what is that to the Christian Religion 4. Of worshiping Images for they are both directly against Religion. 5. Of Praying to Saints 6. Of Justification by works for that 's against Faith in Christ. 7. Of Quarrelling about the words of Testament and Covenant for that 's at least vain if not profane or sinful babling As t is meerly upon words so t is vain as t is quarrelling upon those words so it may easily be sinful For he that saith Hold fast the form of sound words 2 Tim. 1. 13. bids us stand upon Propositions which signifie true or false not upon single Terms which are unsignificant as to the Truth whether speculative or practick for there can be neither Faith nor Love in them yet I have endeavoured to make the Answers to these Questions though grounded on such unnecessary exceptions to contain some very necessary and sound Divinity for which purpose I have put them into large Chapters and have assigned to each Chapter large Contents being resolved to answer the Cause for the satisfaction of others rather then the Objection for the vindication ofmy self And I think I had a good occasion and a better reason so to do for though our Brethren most oppress us yet our Adversaries most revile us and therefore every true Son much more Servant of this distressed Church ought to believe and observe his Church now speaking to him in the language of St. Paul Be not thou therefore ashamed of the Testimony of the Lord nor of me his Prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the Power of God 2 Tim. 1. 8. He that is ashamed of his Religion is ashamed of the Testimony of the Lord He that forsakes his Church when she is the Lords Prisoner did hypocritically follow her when she was the Lords free Servant and refusing to partake in the afflictions of the Gospel shews he embraced the Gospel according to the custom of men not according to the Power of God But the Word of God is not bound 2 Tim. 2. 9. These Truths which we profess according to Gods word will alwaies be professed to the worlds end though with less visibility yet not with less constancy and if Protestants shall go from them Papists shall return to them For God that can raise Children out of Stones will never be without witness among his own children and I look upon all Christians at large as his children though only upon good Christians as his dutiful children And if they should hold their peace the very stones would speak crying Hosanna to the Son of David our blessed Saviour ascribing unto him the Truth of our Religion and the honour of our Salvation And we desire no more may obtain no less Let our adversaries shew any one Tenent or Practice wherein we of this Church leave them to be more for the honour of Christ then that which we embrace and we will acknowledge our selves the worser Christians nor be any longer in that particular Protestant against them but detestant of our selves But till they can shew that we beseech them to shew themselves good Christians in not railing and raging against us for being so because we cannot think God hath given any Church Dominion over Religion or his Servant power above his Son yet men of their perswasion then most call to be answered when they least resolve to be satisfied disiring only to hinder Orthodox Ministers from confirming Protestants because they have power by prohibiting their own Proselites the use of their Books to hinder them from converting Papists yet for my part I should not have laid open the corrupt doctrines and practices of Popery had I not been constrained to vindicate Protestancy for I had rather spend my time and zeal about doctrines of Conscience the of Contestation or of Corruption and these for the most part are both
Doctrines of corruption in themselves of contestation in their Champions who contest more about these weeds for they are not so good as Mint or Comin that they might be called Herbs then about the best and choicest Flowers of Paradise As the zeal of Truth hath enlarged my answer to these Exceptions so the Power of Truth I hope will defend it How ever I have certainly done my best concerning these particular controversies between our Church and that of Rome to let the world know That those men are swayed by little Truth and less Conscience who seek to turn the unworthy suppression of the true to the more unworthy advancement of the false Religion And I have been the more Zealous and the more copious for their sakes who may be tottering to the Popish Religion because they have lately been discountenanced and discouraged if not persecuted and opposed in their own And in all these my poor endeavours I have had an eye to my last account That setting aside my infirmities and imperfections I might be able to say with the man which had the Inkhorn by his side Ezech. 9. 11. I have done as thou hast commanded me For I have not wittingly nor willingly deviated either from Gods Word or from Gods Church But have as near as I could followed in my doctrine that rule of the Holy Spirit Prov. 9. 10. Principium sapientiae timor Domini scientia sanctorum Prudentia The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom And the knowledge of the Saints is understanding which I look on as a short but a full summe of all the instructions that belong to a Christian Divine requiring him to Teach nothing else but true Religion towards God and true Communion with his Saints or with his Church And what I have laboured to follow in my doctrine I cannot but follow in my Devotion Beseeching Almighty God to keep me and all good Christians especially his Ministers in the Religion of his Word and in the Communion of his Church And with this prayer I conclude my self Your Brother and Servant in our common Saviour E. H. Errata PAge 5. line 20. r. viventes p. 10. l. 25. r. Her p. 14. l. 6. r. seasons p. 23. l. 20. r. Exemplo p. 25. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 26. l. 2. r. distinction p. 28. l. penult r. 858. p. 52. l. 1. r. Asserit p. 52. l. 25. r. Punishments p. 60. l. 25. r. Philetus p. 62. l. 14. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 66. l. 25. r. censu p. 72. l 8. r. man p. 73. l. antepenult r. Animam p 85. l. 18. r. Assert Purgatory p. 96. l. 6. r. benefit p. 100. l. 20 21. r. what we have not heard p. 102. l. 24. r. To prove either p. 104. l. ult r. inference p. 111. l. 14. r. Contradictions p. 116. l. 14. r. Bachon p. 117. l. 10. r. usually do p. 132. in 4. Exc. l. 6. r. Possibly p. 142. l. 18. r. Souls p. 149. l. ult add perfect p. 178. l. 2â—… r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 183. l. 26. r. But I answer p. 202. l. 5. r. Commoretur p. 218. l. 2. r. Anablatha p. 219 l. 1. r. Knot p. 223 l. 17. r. Tharasius p. 234. l. 17. r. greatest p. 239. l. 19. r. Three p. 242. l. 26 r. Fable p. 250 l. 3. r. Offices p. 234. l. 19. r. praise p. 265. l. 26. r. Subjects p 280. l 24. r. severe p. 283. l. 16. r. himself p. 289. l. 5. 6. dele to him p. 289. l. 18. r. commanded p. 300. l. ult r. that p. 311. l. 3. r. then p. 316. l. 19. r. Being p. 319. l. 25. r. may p. 328. l. ult r. commanded p. 331. l. 23. r. done p. 338. l. antepenult r. Baronii p. 340. l. 10. r. true p. 344. l. 24. 25. r. self p. 351. l. 14. r. At. p. 360. l. antep after shall be justified add concerns rather our condemnation then justification p. 369. l. 6. r. man p. 372. l. 6 r. this p. 372. l. ult r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 373. l. 13. r. greater p. 375. l. 23. r. that p. 386. l. 20. r. sc. by p. 399. l. 3. dele or else p. 404. l. 2. r. or a faith worâ—…ing p. 413. l. 12. r. infinitely p 414. l. 19. r. man p. 421. l. antepen r. men p 437. l. 16. r. Abrahae p. 445. l. 17. r. men p. 454. l. 8. r. or p 467. l. 18. r. Arme. p. 470. l. 11. r. absolve from p. 471. l. 1 r. work p 522. l. antepen r. mistrust p. 525. l ult r. commands CAP. I. Of Sinners Prayers SInning and Praying are not consistent together God heareth not Sinners rejected by Saint Augustine as no true Proposition yet admitted by Aquinas The one taking Sinners for those under the Infection the other for those under the Dominion of sin But it is known to be true by the Principles of Reason much more of Religion and is more fully explained in the Old then in the New Testament 2. God heareth not sinners as sinners but as Penitents is rather an Exception then an Exposition of this Generall Rule for sinners as sinners do not Pray and God heareth the Sin not the Prayer when he heareth in Anger 3. God heareth not the Prayers of naturall men as such for so they are sinners and though they may have good Desires yet not good Prayers 4. That Christians only can Pray and that their prayers are heard only through Christs intercession are Two Doctrines taught by Christ and by his Catholick Church The first Exception PArt 1. chap. 2. sect 1. p. 35. You alledge the saying of the born blind man God heareth not sinners John 9. 31. To which you say Saint Augustine makes rather an Exception then an Exposition He indeed takes exception to the man for the reason you there alledge yet me thinks he gives a full satisfactory exposition of his words I have not his works but I find in Maldonat upon this place these words cited out of his Tract 44. Si Deus peccatores â—…on audiret frustraille Publicanus oculos in terram dimittens pectus suum percutiens diceret Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori I find also in Valentia commenting upon that 16. Article of S. Tho. Aquinas which you approve of Tom. 3. disp 6. qu. 6. punct 6. these words cited out of his Tract 73. Metuendum est ne multa Deus quae possâ—…t non dare propitius detiratus Out of these very words of Saint Augustine Saint Thomas in that Art 16. resolves this question Utrum pâ—…ccatores orando impetrant aliquid à Deo In two concâ—…usions I have only his Compendium by Ludovicus Carbo Concl. 1. Orationem peccatoris ex bono naturae desiderio procedentem Deus audit ex misericordia Ita Aug. docet Publicanus alias frustra orasset Concl. 2. Quando Peccator orando petit aliquid ut peccator
precept when you spake of forbidding Priests to marry for your own Canonist calls the statute which inhibits Priests marriage Statutum Ecclesiae non ita generale Glos. in Decr. par 2. Causa 25. c. 3. Papa non potest contra generale Ecclesiae statutum dispensare sed contra statutum Ecclesiae quod non est ita generale sicut de continentia sacerdotum bene potest dispensare The Pope cannot dispense against a generall statute of the Church but he may against one that is not generall such as is that of Priests continency Pray learn hereafter to speak with your own Doctors or do not require all the world to follow their Doctrine And yet in truth even your own Church the Church of Rome or rather your own Popes the Popes of Rome did not make any such precept till Siricius his daies if you will again believe your own Gloss upon Gratian Par. 1. Dist. 84. cap. 3. descanting upon this very Canon of Carthage which you have urged for there saith the Gloss Dicunt quod olim sacerdotes poteraÌ„t contrahere ante Siricium They say that Priests might lawfully marry before Siricius his daies And again A tempore Siricii vocat Antiquitatem The Canon calleth that Antiquity which was from the time of Siricius 5. And whereas the Canon as it is alledged by him affirmeth that the Apostles taught this doctrine the same Gloss brings fresh fasting spittle to allay this quick-silver and the allay is good enough for the metall saying Apostoli docuerunt exemplo opere admonitione non institutione vel constitutione The Apostles taught it by their example deed or admonition but not by their doctrine or any constitution So far is it from truth in the judgement of your own Canonists which you averr so confidently That the Apostles themselves were the first that taught and decreed that Priests ought to abstain from wives And besides it is clear from the Apostles own writings that they neither taught it nor decreed it Else why did Saint Paul say to Timothy 1 Tim. 3. A Bishop must be blameless the husband of one wife if he were indeed to be blamed for having one And that he â—…ught to have his children in subjection if it were unlawfull for him to have any children Therefore the Apostles taught it not Again why did the same Saint Paul say to the Corinthians concerning this argument pro and con I speak this by permission and not of commandment 1 Cor. 7. 6. if the Apostles had given any command concerning it And v. 7. I would that all men were even as I my self but every man hath his proper gift of God if there had been any Apostolicall decree to force those who succeeded him in his calling to succeed him also in his continency for then sure he would not have wished but have commanded them to be as himself whereas on the contrary he only wisheth them to be as himself who have the Gift enabling them so to be therefore the Apostles decreed it not And the truth of both these was antiently attested by your own Gratians ordinary copies of this very Canon for so saith your new Glossator upon those words Apostoli docuerunt In vulgatis codicibus sequebatur Exempla quod est sublatum In the ordinary copies it was written The Apostles taught it by their Example but I have taken that away The addition of which word Example whether by Gratian himself or by any other being commonly received is a sufficient evidence that even the Church of Rome in those daies did not think that the Apostles had forbid Priests to marry by theâ—…r Doctrine and much less by their Decree 6. From the Apostles let us pass to the Church for you say for Priests to marry is contrary to the Churches precept But you do only say it and will never be able to prove it For the Greek Church in its most pure and flourshing age had a married Clergy insomuch that Gregory Nazianzene was born after his Father had officiated at the holy Altar let his own mouth witness it who brings in his Father thus speaking unto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greg. Naz. in carm de vitâ suâ Which is in plain English Thou hast not yet had thy life so long as I have had my Priesthood I hope you will not affirm that the Father because a Priest was the worse for having such a son when you cannot deny but the whole Christian Church hath ever since been the better for that he had him Again How came the first Council of Nice to be kept from determining for the forced continency of Priests by one single Paphnutius if so be the Apostles had so determined before or the Church had thought fit so to determine it after them Nay it is evident The Catholick Church determined there should be no such determination as appears from the forecited consent of the Nicene Fathers to Paphnutius his advice which is generally attested and approved by the Authors both of the Greek and Latine Church As by Socrates lib. 1. c. 11. Lat. By Gelasius Cycicenus lib. 2. de actis Concil Nic. c. 33. By Nicephorus lib. 8. cap. 19. By Cassiodorus hist. Trip. lib. 2. c. 14. By Gratian Par. 1. Dist. 31. cap. 12. And by Peter Crabbe in actis Concilii Niceni So that if you may have recourse but to one of these you shall little need to go either to Neteoricks or to Epitomists for the story as you did in your first Exception for Saint Augustines answer and in this for Siricius his words And yet I will add to these one more proof and that from the Council of Gangra whose Canons were put into the Code of the Catholick Church so often appealed to by the Fathers at Calcedon and placed together with the Holy Bible in the midâ—…t of their Council Concil Gangr can 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man make a dissention between married and unmarried Priests as if he ought not to take the Communion from the married Priest let him be accursed Now if the Church had made that distinction why should not the people make it But in truth the Church was so far from making it that she shewed it to be against her judgement to make it speaking no less reverently of the offerings of the married then of the unmarried Priests Or you may thus interpret the Canon If any man withdraw himself from a married Priest as if he ought not to communicate whiles such a Priest doth officiate let him be accursed It is plain here in the judgement of the Church for these Gangrensian Canons were admitted into the Code of the Catholick Church which yours of Carthage were not That the married Priests were as fit to serve at the Altar as the unmarried and if they were as fit to serve God why not as fit to serve the People and to content you And to shew you I
Minus dicit plus significat vult enim quod non solum in futuro sed etiam hic punitur tale peccatum He speaks little but he signifies much for his meaning is That such a sin is punished not only in the next world but also in this 10. Your late Jesuites tell us of a remission of the sin with a reservation of the punishment but your old Divines take remitting for not punishing without which in truth it cannot be remission For God doth not afford us a less forgiveness then he doth require us to afford one another and that is so to forgive the sin as not once to think of punishing or of revenging it For indeed to forgive sin is nothing else in its own nature but not to reserve it to be punished and because God punished our Saviour for our sins it is said He made him sin for us 2 Cor. 5. 21. For so Christ took our sin upon him that is to say not our Guilt but our Punishment and he took it upon himself that he might not leave it upon us For he was wounded for our transgressions Isa. 53. 5. He was bruised for our iniquities that is He was punished that we might be acquitted The chastisement of our peace was upon him that is His chastisement was our Peace and with his stripes we are healed And blessed be God we are so for sure it is we could never be healed with our own stripes it is his wounds work our cure and not our own yet I will not follow Scotus who to confute them that denyed contingency did say It is pitty but such men should be under torments till they should confess it were possible for them not to be tormented I will not say in like manner It is pitty but they who deny our souls to be healed with our Saviours stripes should themselves be beaten with many stripes till they should confess that their own stripes could not heal them for then I know they would be under the lash for ever But I must say That it were just with God to put them under such a confutation For they are under a gross denyal not of a Metaphysical but of a Theological Truth and that of such a Truth as hath joyned Gods Mercy and Justice both together in mans salvation and therefore such a Truth as may not be denyed without great uncharitableness to man and greater unthankfulness to God I think few of those men who now most stand upon this new Divinity of remission in the next world to be obtained by our own stripes and others suffrages because it brings them so good a market would be willing at their deaths to venture their souls upon it for fear it should bring them as bad a remedy And I cannot but wonder at your Cardinal who hath said concerning this Text Hinc colligunt Sancti Patres quaedam peccata remitti in futuro seculo per orationes suffragia Ecclesiae Bellar. lib. 1. de Purg. cap. 4. Hence the holy Fathers do gather that some sins are forgiven in the next world by the prayers and the suff ages of the Church for he could not say this if Saint Thomas said true without putting Saint Augustine and Saint Chrysostom out of the Catalogue of the Fathers 11. I know our Country-man Backet was swayed by Saint Augustine to conclude for Purgatory but I fear either he mis-applyed or mis-understood Saint Augustine or Saint Augustine mis-understood himself For Saint Augustine hath most dogmatically determined against it lib. 13. de Civit. Dei cap. 8. In requie sunt animae piorum à corpore separatae Impiorum autem poenas luunt donec istarum ad aeternam vitam illarum vero ad aeternam mortem corpora reviviscant The souls of the righteous are in rest of the unrighteous in torment after they are separated from the flesh till the bodies of the one shall be raised again to eternal life the bodies of the other to eternal death 12. But he that will not teach Fancy instead of Faith must take God for the Author and Gods Church for the Pillar and ground of that Truth which he teacheth else he may chance rove in uncertainties to the worlds end especially if he shall take Metaphorical allusions for dogmatical conclusions and florid declâ—…mations for solid determinations as Divines now usually are on all sides in their citations out of â—…he Fathers upon any argument making some of them speak against their own doctrine to speak for new devices and in effect to write contradictions rather then not write for the great Diana of these clamorous Ephesians Therefore I will not here examine the citations of the Fathers for surely A Christian Divine is bound to teach no other Faith for Christian then such as hath been manifestly declared in the Word of Christ and generally and constantly professed by the Catholick Church of Christ And your Cardinal finds not so muth as the word Purgatory in all the Scriptures nor in any one general Council till the fourth of Laterane under nnocent the third above twelve hundred years after Christ which was as far from being Oecumenical as Rome is from being all the Christian world and if it had been so yet hath only furnished us with Consultations not with Canons or Constitutions your own Platina being my witness who saith thus in the life of Innocent the third Venere multa in consultationem nec decerni tamen quicquam apertè potuit Many things were debated but nothing was openly decreed in this Council and I hope you will not say that they passed their decrees in private or by any underhand dealing An observation that may weaken some of your other Tenents no less then Purgatory which you obtrude upon the consciences of men as established by the Canons of this Council which in truth made no Canons at all if your own Platina be worth belief 13. Next I meet with your Cardinals Reasons whereof some do rather put then prove this new Article of Faith contrary to Aquinas who allows not of Ratio ponens but only of Ratio probans radicem fidei par 1. qu. 32. art 1. ad 2. arguing not so much from the authority of Gods Word as against it As particularly that reason lib. 1. cap. 11. Intelligibile non est quomodo verbum ociosum ex naturâ suâ dignum sit perpetuo odio Dei maneat igitur quaedam esse peccata venialia solâ temporaâ—…i poenâ digna No man can understand how an idle word is in its own nature worthy of Gods eternal hatred therefore let it stand for a Truth that some sins are venial and only worthy of temporal punishment A strange way of arguing for a Divine who should not exercise his Readers curiosity but establish his conscience Christ saith That for every idle word men shall give account in the day of Judgement to make men repent before hand even of their least sins that judging themselves they may not be
shall we say He more willeth our punishment then our salvation 16. But if any will hereafter thus abuse the Word of God let him know he must likewise abuse the Prayers of his Church that so the sight of the one may bring him to the greater detestation of the other Wherefore let him say Domine non secundum peccata nostra facias nobis 1. non secundum mortalia sed facias nobis secundum venialia peccata O Lord deal not with us after our sins that is deal not with us after our mortal sins but deal with us after our venial sins Neque secundum iniquitates nostras retribuas nobis 1. non in inferno sed in Purgatorio Neither reward us after our iniquites That is reward us not after our iniquities in Hell by eternal torments but reward as after our iniquities in Purgatory by temporal punishment And if he think these too direful deprecations for his Hope let him think those other too direful interpretations for his Faith which would make repentance so take away his mortal as to leave behind his venial sins or would so take out Hell as to leâ—… in Purgatory for his bounden satisfaction For our parts we will do Gods Woâ—… and Gods Church more right then to fiâ—… such Doctrines upon his Word or such Prayers upon his Church And since thâ—… thoughts of our hearts are reputeâ—… among our venial sins we will say Thaâ—… both God and his Church have taught uâ—… how to get those thoughts purged froâ—… our souls whiles we live and not expectâ—… their purgation after our death even by heartily praying in this manner Cleansâ—… the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiratioâ—… of thy holy Spirit not by the operation of an imaginary or unholy fire which if it come not from Hell is but imaginary if it come from Hell is but unholy that wâ—… may perfectly love thee and worthily magnâ—…fie thy holy name This we can pray in faith for our heavenly Father will give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11. 13. And that holy Spirit will purifie our heart by faith Acts 15. 8 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide purgans corda eorum Purging their hearts by Faith This is aâ—… the Purging of sin mentioned in the Scriptures even a Purgatory by Faith not by Fire And this is all the soul needs for if we may by vertue of this Purging Spirit or Purifying Faith either in our life or at our death perfectly love God we may doubtless after our death presently enjoy him since then as our faith is to be turned into Vision and our hope into Comprehension so our Charity is to be turned into Fruition our love of Christ into the enjoyment of him we cannot enjoy him where he is not but where he is that is not in a place far from Heaven if at least it be a place at all but in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for us 17. And we had rather trust to his intercession to keep us from Purgatory then to others intercessions to deliver us from it For we are sure their intercessions are nothing worth but by vertue of his intercession and we are not sure that he doth intercede for souls in Purgatory for we cannot believe that he doth pray to God that a fire we know not whence should purge those souls which himself that came down from heaven could not purge For whatsoever fond Christians may fancy yet sure Christ himself will not so undervalue his own most precious blood and his own most holy Spirit as to pray that fire may cleanse those souls which his Spirit and blood have not cleansed And were it possible that such prayers could be made for souls in Purgatory as Christ would please to intercede withal yet since it cannot be known how long it is fit for souls to be in Purgatory no living man can use such prayers in faith of Christs intercession to go along with him to the throne of Grace But as he may pray for them without Christs intercession if they be there so he must pray for them without it when they shall be gone from thence For God hath not let us men on earth know the time of their deliverance no more then he hath taught us the belief of their captivity And now by this time I hope you understand what is my aim in making this answer though you say you did not in making that objection and will not perswade men hereafter to go to Purgatory that you may pray for them when it is so undenyable a Truth that if they be there they can have no benefit by your Prayers CAP. IV. Of the second Commandment and against Images 1. PApists not to be called Catholicks but false Catholicks saith their own Cassander 2. Confession and Absolution in the Church of Rome both faulty 3. The Church of England not defective in the practice of Penance neither for Confession nor for Contrition 4. The Church of Rome defective in her Confessional Interrogatories and consequently in her Penance for the sins against the second Commandement 5. No Catholick Divinity either in making the second no Commandment or in making no sin of Ignorance against it for All the Decalogue is as necessary to salvation as all the Creed 6. An errour in fact against a Commandement in the Decalogue infers an errour in faith against its corresponding Article in the Creed 7. Saint Augustine made bold with the place and order but not with the power or substance of the second Commandement He writ much against Images especially those of the blessed Trinity which you now maintain and worship to the great danger of making the scoffers of this age Antitrinitarians as by denying or concealing the second Commandement you have made them Antinomians 8. All Catholick Divines after Saint Augustine have not reckoned the first and second Commandements but as One indeed very few or none at all till Peter Lombard and might not so reckon them because it is against essential and accidential Catholicism 9. Good Church-men did neither joyn the first and second Commandements together as did the School nor divide the Tenth into two Commandements the absurdities of that division 10. T is easie for Christians well instructed in the first to sin out of ignorance against the second Commandement 11. Christ is not to be worshipped by A Picture because he is the true God 12. The Religious worshipping of Saints and Angels gross Idolatry For all the elicite Acts of Religion belong only to God who alone is the object of the first as Neighbour is the object of the second Table And t is against the order of Justice to confound the offices of God and Neighbour and consequentlâ—… the greatest breach of Christian Communion which is founded upon Justice 13. The Honour of Religion due by the first Table is unproportionable to any creature and cannot be given to any but against true Faith Hope and Charity
Aquinas his exposition of them which was for praying to Saints He falls into this absurdity to say that at that time this Invocation was both in the custome and in the faith of the Church Tum in consuetudine tum in fide fuisse receptam which though Bellarmine be zealous to affirm concerning the Invocation of Angels yet he is not so hardy as to affirm concerning the Invocation of Saints A Tenent that creates their contradictions cannot invite our assent may not have our belief And the rather because Hieronymus Osorius a Bishop but not a Jesuit of their own Religion if at least the Religion of Jesuits may be called the same with the Religion of the Bishops in the Church of Rome in his Paraphrase upon Job gives us a quite contrary exposition of these words saying Denuntia quaeso alicui praestanti viro testimonium animadverte an sit aliquis qui tecum sentiat Ad quem enim ex Sanctis hominibus adibis qui tuae sententiae suffragari audeat Declare now to some excellent men your testimony and observe if there be any that hath the same thoughts with you For unto whom amongst all the Holy men can you go that will dare to be of your opinion This man was trained up in the Invocation of Saints as well as Bellarmine yet could not see how to ground it upon this Text For he expounds it not of Saints in Heaven but of Saints on Earth as Abenezra had expounded it before him Ex cujus ore sanctorum qui in terrâ sunt talia unquam audisti 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Saints which are on earth out of whose mouth among all the Saints which are on the Earth did you ever hear such things But we may very well grant the words are rather to be understood of Holy Angels then of Holy men because he had spoken of the Angels a little before yet even so Bellarmines inference will not be made good that it was then the custome to call upon the Holy Angels for their Patronage tunc fuisse consuetudinem invocandi patrocinium Sanctorum Angelorum For the context will then require this sense as it is delivered by the most judicious and learned Mercerus Voca Angelorum aliquem eum inclama an vero eorum vel minimus tibi respondebit te suo sermone alloquio dignabitur Nullum sanè reperies Vides quantum à Deo distes quum ne Angeli quidem longè Deo inferiores te sint allocuturi si ad eos clames ob distantiam quae inter te est illos Call any one of the Angels and cry unto him and see if the meanest of them will answer thee or vouchsafe thee one word of discourse Thou will find none Thou seest then how far thou art distant from God when not so much as his Angels who are so far below him will answer thee if thou call to them because of the distance which is betwixt them and thee This is most probably the meaning of the words from the context for Eliphaz had a little before debased the excellencies of the Angels in regard of God and now comes to debase the excellencies of men in regard of the Angels all the scope and intent of his discourse tending to shew the emptiness and vanity of the Creature that so he might make Job humble himself before his Creator as hath been shewed a little before sc. Paragraph 3. 4 5 6. out of your own Pineda 11. But we must take to us the whole Armour of God that we may be able to withstand the assaults of men so furiously assaulting us and so watchfully besetting us To the Law and to the Testimony if others speak not according to that word 't is because there is no light no truth in them I ask then Doth this Invocation of Saints agree with the analogie of Faith in the Apostles Creed or with the analogie of righteousness in Moses his Decalogue I trow not For the one teacheth me to believe in one God the other not to call upon him in whom I have not believed and cannot believe And 't is clear that Invocation of Saints is against the whole current of devotions derived to us by the Spirit of God through the channel either of the Old or of the New Testament For there is scarce any prayer in either which our Saviour Christ who hath taught it us doth not pray with us for if he do not 't is in vain for us to pray since God heareth not our prayers but for his Intercession And therefore the Invocations that are used in the Psalms a peculiar Book of Prayers and Praises made by Gods own Holy Spirit for the use of his Church and constantly used by it in all ages are generally first spoken in the Person of Christ as appears in that he applied to himself very many of them as my God my God why hast thou for saken me Psal. 22. 1. and Into thy hands I commit my spirit Psal. 31. 6. and being first spoken in the Person of Christ are the more strongly recommended to all good Christians as composed by his Spirit sanctified by his lips and impowered and strengthned by his Intercession For Christus realis and Christus mysticus Christ personally and Christ mystically considered do constitute but one Communion of Saints He is the Head they are his Body and therefore they must pray in sin for in Schisme if they pray not to him as their Head for that is not to pray in Christs Communion as also in vain because in sin if they pray without their Head for that is not to pray in Christs Intercession Wherefore it being an undoubted truth that Christ was made obedient to the whole Law for man it necessarily follows that praying to Saints cannot be a duty of the Law but we must say That Christ the eternal Son of God prayd to Saints that is the Creator to the Creature And if it be not a duty of the Law how can it be command in the Prophets since they are but expounders not enlargers of the Law How in this Prophet Job whose book was penned in Hebrew by the Law-giver himself and only in Arabick by Job as saith your own Bellarmine de Script Eccl. cap. de Job because it is the judgement of the Catholick Church that Moses was the first Ecclesiastical Writer or the first Amanuensis and penneman of the Holy Ghost which by the way is another argument to prove that Bellarmine did not could not believe this Text of Holy Job was to be interpreted as a command Ad aliquem Sanctorū respice Look to one of the Saints but as a question or expostulation Ad quem sanctorum respicies To which of the Saints wilt thou look for without doubt so great a Scholar could not believe That Moses did bid us to do that in Job which he did forbid us to do in Exodus For the Commandement which saith Thou shall have no other Gods
but me doth likewise say Thou shall invocate no other but me because invocation is the most proper and the most publick acknowledgement and worship of God For Invocation is required by the first though it is regulated by the third commandement That enjoyns the object and internal affection this only enjoyns the manner and the external expression Therefore Call upon me in the day of trouble Psal. 50. 15. belonging to the affirmative Call not upon any besides me doth belong to the negative precept in the first Commandement since these two are contraries and contraria sunt sub eodem genere posita contraries must be ranked or reckoned under one and the same Head For in vain doth your Cardinal seek to excuse bad words in prayers from the good sense or meaning of him that prays non agitur de verbis sed de sensu verborum Bell. l. 1. de sanct Beat. c. 17. because as a right intention in our prayers is required by the first so also a right expression in our prayers is required by the third Commandement God requirlng us no less to honour his Name by right words and professions in the One then to honour his Nature by right intentions and affections in the other For as we may not honour God with our lips whiles our hearts are far from him So neither may we dishonour him with our lips whiles our hearts are near him For as the one makes us Hypocritical so the other makes us blasphemous worshippers As the one is directly against the internal so the other is directly against the external Act of Religion as the one is against the morality of the first so the other is against the morality of the third Commandement But of this I have spoken elsewhere of purpose to justifie the Religion established and professed amongst us for which so many Orthodox Divines have lately lost their livelyhoods by Protestants and pray they may not come to lose their lives by Papists because I was there bound to shew the irreligion that I found not only in Faction which hath no Liturgie but also in superstition which hath corrupt Liturgie Justif. of the Church of England cap. 3. sec. 3. there you might have seen more work made for you upon the grounds of conscience then you have here made for me only upon the grounds of contention Thither if you please you may go for more of this argument but before you go take this Question along with you not Where was this your Religion of praying to Saints before Luther but where is it now For it is not in any of Gods Commandements concerning Religion nay 't is plainly against them all 'T is against the first in having a false Object and false internal acts of Religion against the second in having a false external act or manner of Religion by way of adoration against the third in having a false external act or manner of Religion by way of invocation or of Praise and Profession As it is not according to Gods Commandements so it cannot be Piety or Religion as 't is against Gods Commandements so 't is moreover impiety and irreligion Therefore boast not any longer of the general profession and practice of this or any other corrupt part of your Religion which you cannot justifie in its substance For 't is a miserable Religion which is to be found only in its exercise according to the purport of the fourth and not also in its substance according to the purport of the three first Commandements A Religion in its Name not in its Nature in its solemnity not in its purity in its followers not in it self That is in one word A Religion not of Gods but of mans making 12. To such a Religion belongs â—…hat Prayer Maria mater gratiae mater misericordiae Tu nos ab hoste protege horâ mortis suscipe which yet your Cardinal boldly imputeth to the universal Church sic loquitur ecclesia universa lib. 1. de Sanct. Beat. cap. 19. though its language speak only the Church of Rome and its rythme speaks only the late and corrupt ages of that Church and its irreligion doth in truth speak no Church For that is no Church whereof Christ is not the Head And he is not the Head of that Church which prayeth to such as he did not pray And he did never pray to his Mother but only to his Father teaching us o say Our Father not Our Mother whâ—…ch art in Heaven We cannot say the words of this Prayer in his Communion we cannot obtain the blessing oâ—… it by his intercession therefore if we wâ—…l â—…e his Church we must put this prayer oâ—… of our meutâ—…es because we dare not put it into His We have no pattern 〈◊〉 sâ—…ch prayers in all the Book of God and 〈◊〉 we can find better Patterns then God hath given we are bound to â—…ollow those of his giving or we shall leave his 〈◊〉 â—…oly Communion and lose his Soâ—…s blessed â—…ntercession in our prayers â—…or as we are sure the eternal Son of God hath â—…ot taught us thus to pray so we may be assured he will not he cannot 〈◊〉 us in this Prayer Esto mihi in Deum Protectorem Psal. 31. 4. will not agree with this Tu nos ab hoste protegeâ—… In maÌ„us tuas coÌ„mendo spirituÌ„ meuÌ„ will not agree with this Et horâ mortis suscipe why should I leave the Communion of Gods eternal Son either in not saying the one or in saying the other For I may no more now venter to have Religion then I may hereafter hope to have a salvation out of his Communion And though it be more like a Heathen then a Christian to say If it be a question of words and of names and of your Law Acts 18. 15. for words are to be regulated in the exercise of Religion according to Gods Law by vertue of the third Commandement no less then thoughts by vertue of the first Gestures by vertue of the second and Deeds by vertue of the fourth yet is that saying very unfitly applyed in the defence of this Prayer For this is as formal an Invocation of the Blessed Virgin as if she were God Calling her the Mother of Grace and Mercy and praying her to protect us in our life and to receâ—…ve us at our death And who can say more then this to God putting but Father instead of Mother who can ask more then this of God This is in effect to say Mater de coels Dea instead of Pater de coelis Deus miserere nobis miseris peccatoribus O blessed Mother of God instead of O God the Father of Heaven have mercy upon us miserable sinners And we ought to say Libera nos Domine Good Lord deliver us not so much in regard of any other evil and mischief as in regard of such Letanies Therefore this Invocation of the Mother of God is faulty in Objecto cultus in modo colendi both in the object
of worship and in the manner of worshipping Iâ—… the object of worship for the Mother of God is not God there 's the breach of the first Commandement In the manner of worshipping for she is called upon with such titles and for such blessings as if she were God there 's the breach of the third Commandement Add to these the manner of Adoration which also generally accompanieth this Invocation and you will see in it likewise the breach of the second Commandement and so cannot but shew your selves strangely Religious in breaking at once all the three Commandements that concern the substance of Religion Here is a false worship materially or extrinsecally in gesture and words and a false worship formally or intrinsecally in a Religious affection to the creature which is due only to the Creator So that you see I did not aggravate bâ—…t diminish the defects of your penance when I said your Confessional Interrogatories were defective as to one for I might have said they were defective as to three Commandements And will you still boast of your uncontroled and uninterrupted exercise of this corrupt Religion Do you think that Gods Church can outweigh Gods Word in the ballance of the Sanctuary or will you avow that for the practice of Gods Church which is disavowed by the Precept of Gods Word Say then you believe the Communion of sinners instead of the Communion of Saints For that is sin which is directly against Gods Law and to communicate in sin belongs to the Communion of sinners not to the Communion of Saints Therefore pray let the Lords Psalter which was composed by the Spirit of God and not the Ladies Psalter which was impiously devised by the phansies of men be accounted the general rule and square of Devotions for Gods Church And when the Spirit of God hath said Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous and give thanks for a rememberance of his holiness Psal. 97. 12. setting forth 1º the Communion of Saints O ye Righteous 2º the Religion of Saints wherein they Communicate Rejoyce in the Lord and give thanks for a remembrance of his holiness where we have the object of their Religion the Lord and the internal act thereof Rejoyce and the external act thereof Give thanks and the end or intention of both for a remembrance of his hâ—…liness Do not you perswâ—…de the world that his Church truly so called hath taught the people to say Rejoyce in the Lady O ye Righteous and give thanks for a remembrance of her holiness for that were to say that the Church hath both corrupted the Religion and forsaken the Communion of Saints which is little better then to set up the Devils Chappel instead of Gods Church For these abominable kind of prayers are most unconscioâ—…able because to the abuse of Christian Religion and most uncharitable because to the breach of Christian Communion and 't is for the Devils Chappel not for Gods Church to be guilty of unconscionableness and of uncharitableness 13. Therefore let the men not the Church bear the blame of such corrupt invocations For the Church of Israel did continue and fulfill Joshua's Protestation Aâ—… for me and my house we will serve the Lord Josh. 24. 15. when the men of Israel did for sake it and served Baal and God owns those for his Church which had served him alone saying I have reserved to my self seven thousand men who have not boâ—…ed the knee to Baal Rom. 11. 4. They who had bowed the knee to Baal were not Gâ—…ds reserve they were of the men they were not of the Church of Israel God himself accounting those only for his Church who in that general defection and apostacy had reserved themselves for him and consequently who had in their hearts a secret detestation of the false worship then generally followed if not in their mouthes an open Protestation against it They were all of them either private or publick Protestants privately or publickly protesting against that Religion which served not the Lord and they had no worse a Precedent then Iâ—…shua the very type of Christ the author and finisher of our faith for that their Protestation If the true Religion did constitute Gods Church then why not now though the false made a 〈◊〉 greater noise and shew then the truâ—… the Prophets of God being driven into caves whiles the Prophets of the groves did eat at Iezabels table For an agreement in falsity and irreligion though never so great both shews and makes rather a conspiracy oâ—… sinners then a Communion of Saints Therefore since this Invocation is indeed 〈◊〉 Religion it must â—…ds be 〈◊〉 aâ—…ributed to the true Church of God for â—…hat is constituted and established by the true Religion and is no more a true Church from its falsities then the Moon is a true Moon from its spots or a man is a true man from his Diseases And the Church of Rome is not a true Church from the false Invocation of Saints or any other acts of false worship but from the true Invocation of God and other such acts of true worship which are still maintained professed and practised in that Church And we Protestants justly say That your Religion is the same with our Religion but our Religion is not the same with your susperstition As far as as you pray to God we pray with you at least in vote and desire As far as you pray to Saints we can only pray for you we dare not pray with you And though we may all justly be destroyed for our manifold and grievous offences particularly for serving our selves of God more then serving him in the prosecution of our reformation yet in this respect we may be sure God will never want a Protestant Church because he will never want a true Church If all the world should turn Papists Papists themselves should in this turn Protestants if not openly yet secretly Protesting against the worship which is against the Law of God and forsaking it either explicitly by a new obedience or at least implicitly by an earnest Repentance This kind of Protestantism hath hitherto preserved a true Church in the midst of Poperie and will preserve it to the worlds end if that should continue so long For he that is able out of stones to raise up children unto Abraham is both able and willing out of Papists to raise up children unto himself Dutiful children such as will obey their Fathers commands and therefore will not embrace such a practice of Religion as breaks no less then three of the chiefest of his Commandements or will repent that they have embraced it 14. Therefore we dare not say with your Trent Catechist That the Catholick Church alwaies invocated Saints and worshipped their Reliques Invocationem Sanctorum sanctorumque cinerum cultum quem semper Catholica Ecclesia adhibuit huic legi non repugnare cap. 3. because we cannot but say that such Invocation is repugnant not only to the first and second which
their Apostle I will instance in St. Paul who was not a whit behind the chiefest Apostles 2 Cor. 11. 5. though you now attribute all to Saint Peter we read that certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse saying That they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul Act. 23. 12. This banding against an Apostle was fighting against God in the judgement of a Jew Act. 15. 39. how much more should it be in the judgement of Christians For we cannot but look upon St. Paul in this case as upon Godâ—… Trustee both for the Christian Religion and for the Christian Communion anâ—… accordingly invested with authority froâ—… God for the discharge of that Trust an doubt not but He looked upon himself aâ—… one that ought to be more zealous foâ—… Christs Religion and for Christs Communion than for his own Authority And so doubtless ought the Priest-hoodâ—… all Churches after him and why not all in your Church For the Churches fouâ—…dation or being is much more excelleâ—… and glorious in regard of her Religioâ—… and of her Communion then in regardâ—… her Authority 15. This I fear comes neerer your 〈◊〉 then I am willing to urge it sure I am comes very neer my position That formaliâ—… vocation of Saints such as is now coâ—…monly used in your Devotions being pâ—…vately used is against the three first Coâ—…mandements which concern the Religioâ—… and being publickly used is against 〈◊〉 fourth Commandement which conceâ—… the Communion of Gods Church aâ—… therefore in vain do you pretend in sin do you imploy the Authority of your Church to uphold either the private or the publicke use of it And this difference I cannot but observe betwixt your Trent Catechist and your Rome dogmatist The one goes to prove that Invocation of Saints is not against the Commandement because it is according to the use of the Church The other goes to prove that t is not according to the use of the Church because it is against the Commandement For so Bellarmine proves that the Saints are not to be invocated as the Authors of any blessing appertaining either to grace or glory but only as the impetrators or procurers of it and his two proofs are one from the Command of the Holy Scriptures probatur primo ex Scriptura The other from the Custome of the Church Secundo probatur ex usu Ecclesiae Bell. l. 1. de Sanct. beat cap. 17. though to make good his second proof He maintains this Unlogical and Untheological position That t is no matter for the words so as it be the sense of our Prayers which is Unlogical because it is against the very nature and institution of speech and Untheological because it is against that very Commandement which ordereth our Speech in our Prayers and therefore ordereth our Prayers only as they are Vocal and may be spoken not as they are Mental and may be thought and that is the third Commandement whereby God hath set a watch only before the doores of our Lips not of our Hearts He had ordered our Hearts in the first Commandement and ordereth our mouths only in the third when he saith Thou shalt not take the Name of thy Lord thy God in vain And in this respect the Psalmist prayeth Accept I beseech thee the free-wil offering 〈◊〉 my mouth O Lord Psal. 119. 10. Here is then very much in the Judgement of your own Cardinal though you say Here is nothing against Praying to Saintâ—… and Angels confirmed in grace and glory For to let pass that their bless in Heaven doth not make them God for Neighbour we may not pray to them for any blessing that tends either to Grace or Glory and all good Prayers are for blessings that do tend to one of these And t is a poor shift to talk of sense not oâ—… words when the question is only oâ—… words and to say you mean the Saintâ—… but as Procurers when you speak to then as Authors of the blessings you pray for For He that hath bid his Church daily to pray And lead us not into temptation hath above all forbid his Church daily to lead his people committed to her charge into Temptation by their very Prayers Therefore in vain did some of your Zelots seek to corrupt the Hebrew Text in Montanus his interlineary Bible of 1572. putting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though by Gods special providence the Press strangly miscarried for it is printed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all that edition which word is a meer Tragelaphus in the Hebrew That since you were not contented with Gods Text you should be ashamed of your own And this discovery we owe to your own L. Bâ—…ogensis in his notations upon Genesis where he saith Gu. Fabritius Pici Mirandulani Principis autoritate nixus in Hebraicis illis Bibliis Regio operi adjunctis quibus Latina interpretatio inter contextus lineas inserta est excudi curavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quanquam errore positum sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I say in vain did some of your Zelots seek to corrupt the Hebrew Text putting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 3. 15. Ipsa for Ipse to make good your Vulgar Translation Ipsa conteret caput Tuum For if it had been said See shall bruise thy head yet you had not found a sufficient warrant to Invocate the blessed Virgin because you cannot possibly bring Her into the first Table of the Decalogue to make Her a God or the Object of Religion Let my Prayer be set forth in thy sight as the Incense saith the Prophet Psal. 141. 2. Prayer is the Incense of the Soul and must be set forth only in his sight who seeth the secret recesses and sighs of the heart When the Jews went to burn incense and to serve other Gods whom they knew not where Note Burning incense is put for serving of God the Lord said to them O do not this abominable thing which I hate Jer. 44. 3 4. And doth he not still say the same to Christians is it less hateful now then it was then for any man to perform vâ—…ws or to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven may not God as justly swear against us if we do so as he did against them That his Name shall be no more named in our mouths v. 26. Are not all but himself as well to us as to them Gods whom we know not Is not this intruding into those things which we have not seen Col. 2. 18. Surely none but God alone is to be known or seen throughout the whole Bible in all the precepts and precedents of Religious worship Therefore Invocation being an elicite and proper act of Religion cannot be applied to any that is not the proper object of Religion The Jews might as well have offered their corporal Sacrifice to Abraham as the Christians can offer this spiritual Sacrifice to
imputativè tantum suum Christus sanctificavit populum Arg. 10. True righteousnesse not Imputative and If Christ sanctified his people not truly but Imputatively whereby He supposes Imputative to be not True Then say that St. Paul did forsake a True for a false righteousness because he forsooke an inherent righteousnesse for an imputative But take heed that in saying so you do not only injuriously callumniate St. Paul chosing to be justified by an Imaginary righteousness but also impiously blaspheme your Saviour by supposing all that he did and suffered for sinners to be made theirs only by Imagination And consequently That Justification is but matter of phansie not of reality which the holy Scripture ascribes only to Imputed righteousnesse For the Text doth plainly say Abraham believed God and it was counted or imputed to him for righteousness Rom. 4. 3. And again v. 5. His Faith is counted for righteousnesse anâ—… v. 6. David describeth the blessednesse of the man unto whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without works and again v. 22. It was imputed to him for righteousnesse He that shall consider these Texts and say Imputed righteousnesse is a meer fiction will scarce be able to wash his hands from charging the Holy Ghost with teaching a Fiction and may easily keep the Holy Ghost from washing his heart from the guilt of that charge Pereâ—…ius durst not so thwart the Text cap. 4. ad Rom. disp 2. but saith of Abraham as St. Paul had taught him That though he was just and holy yet his faith not his holinesse was imputed to him for righteousnesse Abraham licet is justus jam esset sanctus propter fidem tamen non propter opera Justitia dicitur esse imputata What a vast difference is here betwixt Two men not only of the same Church I mean of Rome but also of the same order I mean of Jesuits Bellarmine being a zealous Disputant strives to bring the Holy Ghost to his Position Pererius being a judicious Commentator strives to bring his exposition to the Holy Ghost For doubtlesse he had observed the Hebrew words Gen. 15. 6. to which St. Paul here related to be these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Imputavit illud ei in justitiam And he that is the Lord imputed it to him for righteousnesse So the Jewish Doctor Solemon Jarchi who best understood his own dialect glosseth those words He that is â—…oly and blessed imputed it tâ—… Abraham for purity and Justice or righteousnesse because of the Faith through which he had believed him If Abraham were made just by imputed righteousnesse then so also are the sons of Abraham therefore said the Prophet Look untâ—… Abraham your Father Isa. 51. 2. exhorting all the sons of Abraham after the pattern of their Father to trust in Christ as saith our Church in the contents nay as saith Gods holy Spirit in the Text Foâ—… St. Paul argueth from Abrahams Justification to ours That as he was not so we cannot be justified by inherent but by imputed righteousnesse For God is alwaies like himself not one to Abraham another to us therefore as He justified Abraham so He justifieth us And Aquinas gives a demonstrative reason for it saying Tota Ecclesia quae est mysticum corpus Christi computatur quasi una persona cum suo capite quod est Christus 3. par q. 41. art 1. c. The whole Church which is the mystical body of Christ is computed but as one person with its Head which is Christ Abraham the Father of the faithful and all his children are members of one and the same mystical body therefore they have all but one and the same righteousnesse whereby to be justified And Christ is the Head of that mysticall body therefore they all have His righteousness imputed to them for their Justification To set up another righteousness for this is to set up another Head and to set up another Head is to destroy the Body The righteousnesse of the Head is communicated and may be imputed to all the members of his Body because Head and Body make but one Person But the righteousnesse of one member is not communicable and may not be imputed to another member because all the members make several persons forasmuch as the Body whereof they are members is not natural but mystical so we have in the judgment of Aquinas great reason to believe the imputed righteousnesse of Christ but none at all to believe the imputed righteousnesse of the Saints For the Head hath but the members have not a communicable righteousnesse For though the Head and all the members make but one Person mystical yet the members make several distinct persons naturall and several distinct persons as they have their subsistencies so they have their properties and operations both alike incommunicable Each member hath its own righteousness not possibly to be communicated to another because it is confined to its own subject and therefore not truly imputed to another because it is not communicated This is a kind of imputed righteousness which is a meer figment or a fiction but 't is a righteousnesse both taught and imputed by man not by God even in the superfluous or superabunant righteousness of the Saints put into the treasure of the Church if we may believe your Authors to be communicated to those that want merits or satisfaction of their own either merits of their own working or satisfaction of their own making This imputed rightousnesse of man is in truth a meer fiction both in regard of the imputation and in regard of the righteousnesse First In regard of the imputation for it is againg the nature of Justice that one mans righteousness should be imputed for the satisfaction of another mans unrighteousnesse without his consent that is to be satisfied but God hath nowhere declared much less promised his consent to receive such satisfaction So that the imputing one mans righteousnesse to another must needs be vain because God may be thought not to accept it nay more it must needs be sinfull because man may be thought to prescribe if not to extort Gods acceptance And if there be vanity and sin in the imputation we must say there is fiction in it for having its very being in Vanity and sin it cannot have a real but a meer imaginary or fictitious being Secondly This imputed righteousness of men is a meer fiction in regard of the righteousnesse it self For it supposeth the righteousness of the creature to make condigne satisfaction to the Justice of the Creator which is impossible because the one is finite the other is infinite Nay yet farther to heighthen this impossibility at least in our conception though not in truth it supposeth the righteousness of the creature not only to satisfie for its own but also for anothers unrighteousnes whereas it is the opinion of some of the best Scholemen even of Bernard Scotus and Gabriel if we may believe Vasques That no creature can have a righteousnesse adequate