Error rejected by them Dr. Heylins Introduction to his Cyp. Angl. p. 36. S. 37. p. 31. Montagues Gag p. 163 164 186. Appeal p. 213 214. be certain of their eternâ—â— salvation but may totally anâ— finally fall away from the actâ— and habits of saving-grace before they dye and be eternally damned THis I renounce In which there are two notable points 〈◊〉 Popery 1. That truly regenerated persons cannot be certain of their eterâ—â— salvation which Bellarmine for Papists affirms Dr. Ames for Protestants denies Vid. Dr. Ames his Bellarmin Enervat T. 4. l. 6. de justificatione c. 2 3 4. p. 152 153 154. 1. The Church of England saith thus That the faith that doâ—â— justifie us is a sure trust and confidence in the mercies of God 〈◊〉 be saved from everlasting damnation by Christ and an aâ—â—ureâ—â— faith and trust in Christ ubi supra p. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which necessariâ—â— implies that truly regenerated persons who have this sure trust aâ—â— Homil. of Salvation of mankind p. 20. Homil of Christs Death p. 187. assured faith and confidence of their justification may be certain of their everlasting salvation 2. 'T is contrary also to the 6th Article of the Articles of Lâ—â—beth which is this A man truly believing or endued with justifying faith is certain by or with fâ—ll assurance of faith of the remissâ—â— of his sins and of everlasting salvation by Christ 3. 'T is contrary to the 37th Article of Religion of Irelanâ— A true believer may be certain by the assurance of faith of thâ— forgiveness of his sins and of his everlasting salvation 4. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the Synod of Dort c. 5. of perseverance Articles 9 10. Of this perseverance of the elect unto salvation and the perseverance of true believers in the faith the faithful themselves may be and are ascertained according to the measure of their faith by which they assuredly believe that they are and shall for ever continue true and lively members of the Church and that they have remission of their sins and everlasting life and therefore this certainty is not from any special Revelation made beside or without the word but from faith in Gods promises which he hath most plentifully revealed in his word for our comfort from the testimony of the holy Spirit bearing witness with our Spirit that we are the Sons of God and heirs Rom. 8. 16. Lastly From a serious and holy care of keeping a good conscience and endeavour of good works And if Gods chosen in this world should want this solid comfoâ—â—u of obtaining the victory and this infallible pledg and earnest of eternal glory they were surely of all men most miserable See also Article the 11th 5. 'T is contrary to the experience of many of Gods dear Children of Robert Glover who had assurance of Gods love in Christ in the pardon of his sins and of eternal life when he came in the sight of the place where he was to be burned for Christs sake He is come he is come said he to his friend that comforted him John Carles another holy Martyr answered Dr. Martin plainly thus That God hath predestinated me to eternal life in Jesus Christ I am most certain and even so am I sure that his holy Spirit wherewith I am sealed will so preserve me from all heresies and evil opinions that I shall dye in none at all Fox Acts and Monuments in one Volume p 1813. 1st 2d Col. 6. 'T is contrary to canonical Scriptures as Job 14. 17. But ye know him that is the Spirit for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you And v. 20. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you Rom. 8. 15 16. But ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and if children then heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ And v. 35 38 39. of the same Chapter Who shall separate us from the love of Christ For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor hight nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God whicâ— is in Christ Jesus our Lord 1 Cor. 2. 12. Now we have received not 〈◊〉 spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know thâ— things that are freely given to us of God 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selvâ— whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Ephes 3. 12. In whom 〈◊〉 have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him 2 Tim. 4 7 〈◊〉 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnes 1 John 3. 2â—â— But we know that when we shall appear we shall he like him and we 〈◊〉 that he was manifested to take away our sins and v. 14. of the saâ—â— Chapter We know that we have passed from death to life because 〈◊〉 love the brethren and v. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God beâ—â— he laid down his life for us which he explicates in 1 John 4. 16. 〈◊〉 we have known and believed the love 〈◊〉 God hath tâ— us 1 John 5. 〈◊〉 He that believeth in the Son of God 〈◊〉 tâ—e witness in himself and 〈◊〉 v. 13. of that Chapter These things have I written unto you that beliâ—â— on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal 〈◊〉 and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God 2 Pet. 1. 10. 〈◊〉 thren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if 〈◊〉 these things ye shall never fall To pass by many other places of Sâ—â—cred Scripture which might be produced to prove this comfortâ—â— truth That truly regenerated persons may in this life be certain of 〈◊〉 eternal salvation These I have produced may if well observed and applied be sâ—â— ficient to make it good and evident A certainty of hope Papists grâ—â— but they deny a certainty of faith To which I answer 1. That if they understand by hope that which doth arise from 〈◊〉 ceitâ—ul conjectures and discourses of human reason they grant no mâ—â— to true believers in Christ than they grant to hypocrites for sâ—â— a hope may be in them 2. But if by hope they mean a true Theological infused grace whiâ—â— is the daughter of faith then they grant that which they seem to dâ—â— for the Apostle doth teach That tâ—â— that have this hope have the sâ—â— certainty with faith as Bishop * Deter 3. p. 18. Nos hac spâ— jam servatos esse Dâ—â— â—ant argueth from Rom. 8. 24. â—or we are saved by hope and this
due season they through grace obey the calling they be justified freely they be made Sons of God by adoption they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good works and at length by Gods mercy they attain to everlasting felicity As the godly consideration of Predestination and our election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant and unspeakable comfort to godly persons and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the works of the flesh and their earthly members and drawing up their minds to high and heavenly things as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal salvation to be injoyed through Christ as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God Now this is very true and excellently good and comfortable Doctrine in which are many truths against the Church of Rome and heâ— followers very remarkable As 1. That Gods decree of Election or Predestination unto eternal life is immutable and not changeable as Papists and Arminians hold very erroneously for 't is called Gods everlasting purpose whereby 〈◊〉 hath constantly decreed by his counsel The decrees of God are in Godâ— and whatsoever is in God is God and God is immutable Mal. 3. 6. I am tâ—â— Decretum Dei est ipsissima Dei voluntas Wol. Chr. Theol. l. 1. c. 3. p. 20. Et quicquid est in Deo est ipse Deus Decreta Dei secundum esse absolutum sunt ipse Deus Maccovius Redivivus Theol. Polem c. 6 p. 6. c. 7 p. 63. Lord I change not Jam. 1. 17 With Gâ—â— there is no variableness nor shadow of turning Rom. 11. 29. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance Gods loâ—â— to his elect in Christ is unchangeable Isa 54. 8. With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Jer. 31. 3. The Lord hath appeareâ— of old unto me saying Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jer. 32. 40. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will 〈◊〉 turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearâ—â— that they shall not depart from me John 13. 1. Jesus loved his own which were in the world to the end John 10 28 29. Christ sâ—ith of his sheep thus I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither sâ—â— any man pluck them out of my hands My Father which gave them me 〈◊〉 greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand I and my Father are one John 17. 9 20. Christ hath prayed for them not only that their faith fail not as he prayed for Peter Luk. 22. 32 but that they may be delivered from the evil of the world v. 15. and that they may be one and that they may be with him v. 21 24. Rom. 8. 35 36 38 39. Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ See for this also the 3d Article of Lambeth declared as I shewed before to be the Doctrine of the Church of England which is this There 〈◊〉 predestinated a certain number of the predestinate which can neither bâ— augmented nor diminished See also the 13th Article of the Religion of the Church of Ireland which is this By the same eternal counsel God hath predestinated some unto life and reprobated some unto * Which is the first Article of Lambeth death of both which there is a certain number known only to God which can neither be increased noâ— diminished See also the Synod of Dort c. 1. of Predestination Can. 7. Election is the UNCHANGEABLE What Election is purpose of God by which before the foundations of the world according to the most free pleasure of his will and of his meer grace out of all mankind fallen through their own default from their first integrity into sin and destruction he hath chosen in Christ unto salvation a set-number of certain men neither better nor more worthy than others but lying in the common misery with others which Christ also from all eternity he appointed the Mediator and head of all the elect and foundation of salvation and so he decreed to give them to him to be saved and by his Word and Spirit effectually to call and draw them to a communion with him that is to give them a true faith in him to justifie sanctifie and finally glorifie them being mightily kept in the communion of his Son to the demonstration of his mercy and praise of the riches of his glorious grace as it is written Ephes 1. 4 5 6. Rom. 8. 30. Canon 11 12. of the same Chapter As God himself is most wise unchangeable omniscient and omnipotent so the Election made by him can neither be interrupted nor changed revoked or disannulled the elect cast away nor their number diminished Of this their eternal and immutable election unto salvation the elect in their time although by several degrees and in a different measure are assured and that not by searching curiously into the depths and secrets of God but by observing in themselves with spiritual joy and holy pleasure the infallible fruits of Election signed out unto us in Gods word such as are a true faith in Christ a filial fear of God grief for our sins hungring and thirsting after righteousness And the Synod rejects the error of those who teach That not all election unto salvation is unchangeable but that some which are elected notwithstanding Gods decree may perish and for ever do perish by which gross error they both make God mutable and overthrow the comfort of the godly concerning the certainty of their salvation and contradict the holy Scriptures teaching Matth. 24. 24. That the â—lect cannot be seduced John 6. 39 That Christ doth not lose those which â—â—e given to him of his Father Rom. 8 30 That God whom he hath preâ—estinated called justified them he doth also glorifie 2. That Gods decree of predestination to eternal life was made by â—â—m before the foundations of the world were laid as may be seen also in the first Article of Lambeth-Articles which is this God froâ— eternity hath predestinated certain men unto life and certain men hâ—â— he reprobated And also in the 13th Article of Ireland which coâ—tains the same Doctrine in the same words that our 17th Artiâ—â— doth and also in the Synod of Dort c. 1. Canon 7. before fâ—â— recited and Canon 8. they say That this Election is not maniâ—oâ—â— but one and the same of all which are to be saved both under â—â— Old and New Testament because the Scripture speaks but of 〈◊〉 only good pleasure purpose and counsel of the Will of God 〈◊〉 which he hath chosen us from eternity both unto grace and gloâ—â— both unto salvation and the way of salvation which he hath prâ—â— pared that we should walk therein and according to this Doctrine is
are willing to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord which necessarily implies that they did believe that as soon as ever their souls were gone out of their earthly homes they should be present with the Lord in heaven for of that they say we are confident And. 10. Of this opinion and belief was St. Pauls as you may see in Phil. 1. 21 23. For to me to live is Christ and to die is * Mori lucrum quaesi dicat mors est lucrum heatitudinis mortem ergo non timeo quia si occidar moriar vitam aeternam lucrabor inevolabo praesensque sistar ac fruar Christo So Chrisostom Anselm Theophilact Oecumenius Thomas Aquinas in locum gain How could his death begain to him if he must not go immediately to Heaven but to Purgatory there first to suffer hellish punishments for his sins Yet if I live in the flesh this is the fruit of my labour yet what I shall chuse I wot not for I am in a strait between two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Here you see the Apostle Paul desired to depart out of the Tabernacle of his body and why that he might be with Christ he believed that as soon as his soul was departed out of his body she would presently be and remain with Christ but where not in the Popes Purgatory for there Christ was not but in heaven there he believed he was whom the heavens must receive till the restitution of all things Act. 3. 19. He believed that his soul would presently be with Christ in Heaven and therefore he saith that death temporal would be better for him than temporal life Certainly had St. Paul believed that after his soul had ended her work in his body here she should be carried into the Popes Purgatory and there be punished for his sins for a time it may be till the day of judgment he would have easily resolved himself that it had been better for him as well as for the Philippians to abide in the flesh and not to die I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ is as if he had said thus I am now bound q. d. Jam alligatus sum corpori si hoc vinculo solvar ero cum Christo illique astringar Cor. a lapide in locum to my body but if I were loosed from this bond I should be with Christ and bound to him saith Cor. a lapide Hence note saith he that souls altogether pure do presently when they leave the body not sleep but are with Christ in heaven and eternal life and therefore the Apostle desired to be dissolved and dye that he might be with Christ but if he ought to expect after death the day of judgment that then at length he might enjoy Christ he had in vain desired to be dissolved rather than live because then after his dissolution and death he should be absent from Christ as much as if he had remained in this life much more he there speaks out of Chrysostome Theophilact Oecumenius and Cyprian to the same purpose 'T is observable that he saith that souls that are altogether pure pass presently out of their bodies into Heaven and this he saith is the opinion of Turrian and of Suarezius and that St. John Apoc. 14. 13. speaks of souls perfectly just Now this I say is their shift to put off all our Protestant Divines have alledged from sacred Scripture against their Purgatory for they hold that those that are cast into Purgatory are not perfectly purged but must be purged perfectly by suffering temporal punishment and thereby making penal satisfaction to the justice of God of the fondness of which hereafter but I 'le close with them and assume Position 2. That the souls of those persons that are justified by faith is Christ's blood are perfectly purged from their sins if not immediately before yet at the moment of their death and that therefore by their own concessions and affirmations they go not into the Popes Purgatory but to Heaven as I have proved before and for the clearing of this know that not only their Angelical Doctor as Papists call Thoâ—â— Aquinas but our own Divines hold that there are three effects of sin 1. Reatus the guilt 2. Macula the spot or stain 3. Paâ—â— the punishment of it Now 1. The guilt worthiness or desert of sin which obligeth the sinner to the sustaining of just punishment for his sin is washed away in our justification by the perfect satisfaction and merits of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as the Church of England abundantly testifieth in her books of Articles Homilies and Common-Prayer and the Canonical Scriptures plainly declare as in John 1. 29. Beâ—â— the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world 1 John 1. 7. 〈◊〉 the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 John 2. 12. If 〈◊〉 man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation that is the propitiator for our sins who doâ—â— make atonement expiate satisfie and purge away the guilt of oâ—â— sins and make peace and pacifie his wrath and make him propitiâ—â— merciful favourable and good unto us and 1 Tim. 2. 6. He gâ—â— himself a ransome for all Himself God-man a ransome for all Hâ—â— 9. 14 15. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God and lest the adversary shoâ—â— say that he did not perfectly purge away all sin read Heb. 10. 〈◊〉 and by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified 〈◊〉 Apoc. 1. 5. 't is said of Christ that he washed us in his own blood 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And upon this account doth the Apostle declare and infer Therefore there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus God in our justification imputeth * 2 Cor. 5. 19. not our sins unto us and consequently not our guilt but he imputeth the righteousness of our Saviour Jesus Christ unto us and doth repute us just as though we had no sin and consequently no guilt upon us but Papists do acknowledg by Christ Jesus a freedom from sin according to the guilt of sin but they deny it according to the punishment of which hereafter 2. Macula the spot stain or filth of sin which deprives the soul of its spiritual beauty which it should have and is made vile Mat. 15. 11. Apoc. 21. 11. is taken away by sanctification 1 Cor. 3. 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified Eph. 5. 26 27 That he might sanctisie and cleanse it i. e. His Church with the
washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish So T it 3. 5 6. Cant. 4. 7. Christ Church is all fair there is no spot in her and I might say to Papists that they hold that venial sins do * Veniale peccatum non causat maculam in anima Th. Aquin. 12 ae q. 89. a. 1. B. Medin in 12 ae q. 88. a. 1. p. 1209. not make a spot in the soul and therefore that there is no need of casting it into Purgatory to purge them from them but I say though this sanctification be imperfect in this life yet 't is perfected at the hour or instant of death Heb. 12. 23. But ye are come to the spirits of just men made perfect that is ye are come to the company of just mens souls in heaven that are made perfect in grace Hence we may easily and certainly conclude 1. That the godly souls of justified men when they depart out of their bodies do live with God and the blessed Saints in heaven because otherwise they cannot be taken into fellowship with them and that therefore they live not in the Popes Purgatory 2. That the souls of justified men are perfect in heaven all their imperfections infirmities and corruptions with which they were troubled while they were in their bodies are perfectly done away and they are made perfect in grace 1 Cor. 13. 10. But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away v. 11. Now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face now I know in part but then shall I know as I am known 'T is true we have our sins here while we are in the body of corruption that lets us in doing good and disposeth Mores animae sequutur temperamentum corporis us to do evil and makes us wretched as St. Paul complains Rom. 7. But as soon as we put off this body of death as some think Paul called it the old man and all its lusts and affections are put off too perfectly and we are in our souls made perfect not only sincere and as perfect is opposed to hypocrisie as now but we are perfect as perfect is opposed to that which is imperfect there shall remain no sinful imperfections in our souls but we are as the holy Angels of God and do Gods Will as they do perfectly without any the least sin whatsoever and this Doctrine not only sound Protestants but Papists themselves do hold too for they say That the day of the Saints death is their birth-day for in that say they they are Cornelius a Lapide in Apoc. 14. 13. new-born and enter into everlasting life yea wise King Solomon saith That the day of ones death is better than the day of ones birth that is to true believers in Christ 't is not to them a vindictive punishment but a passage from this life in sin and misery to a life better in Heaven sinless and blessed and to me that which is said in our Liturgy in the order of burial is a good confirmation which is you know thus Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take to himself the soul of our dear brother here departed which is true though not of all yet of all Gods elect in Christ and we cannot in reason conceive that God their loving Father who hath elected them in Christ his Son who hath suffered for them and which suffering he hath accepted as full satisfaction for them will in Christs presence who is ever with his Father and at his right hand making intercession for them bid them be gone or send them to the Popes Purgatory there to suffer hellish torments till the day of judgment and we cannot conceive that Christ himself would do it To all this I might urge an argument ad homines which may convince them though not us and say that Papists must hold if not this truth with us too yet more that Saints even in this life are perfect else their justification by their own habitual righteousness and their meriting eternal life by their own good works and their perfectly fulfilling the law will fall to the ground if there remain some sins in the souls of persons that are justified before God which must be purged away by suffering temporal punishments in their Purgatory then certainly neither was their inward habitual righteousness perfect and so could not justifie them before God but needed a justification and pardon it self and so their justification of their persons before God is overthrown by this their covetous Doctrine of Purgatory nor was their outward actual righteousness or good works meritorious of eternal life but rather for the sin in them deserved eternal death If believers in this life can both for matter and manner in their own persons keep and fulfill the whole Moral Law as they plead they can then this their casting off their souls into Purgatory to be purged from some venial sins committed in their life-time here in the body which were not sufficiently purged here as they say must needs fall to the ground and therefore they must deny their forementioned Doctrines of Justification Merits and fulfilling the Law or renounce this of Purgatory which overthrows them for this Dilemma will push them with one horn or both if they say that their inherent righteousness is perfect then they destroy their pretended foundation for their Purgatory then there will be no sins remaining to be purged in Purgatory if they say that their inherent righteousness is imperfect then I say they destroy their justification before God by their own inherent righteousness for imperfect righteousness cannot justifie them in the sight of God but will stand in need of a perfect righteousness to procure a pardon for and cover its imperfectness if they affirm that imperfect righteousness will justifie mens persons before God then they plainly deny Christ and say in effect whatsoever they pretend to the contrary that there was no need of his coming into the world and doing and suffering what he did for 't is yielded that men by the light of nature the study of Moral Philosophy and good education and observation have attained to great measures of Moral Justice which yet neither justifies them before God as our 13th Article undeniably proves of which I spake before nor saves them as our 18th Article plainly John 3. 3. Acts 15. 24 28. Rom. 3. 10 20 28. Gal. 3. 16. Gal. 5. 18. Col. 2. 16 20. Ephes 2. 8 9. Apoc. 20. 10. Apoc. 21. 8. Acts 4. 12. John 3. 16. Mark 16. 16. John 14. 6. Hebr. 11. 6. shews the title of which is this Of obtaining salvation only by the Name of Jesus Christ The Article it self is this They also are to be had accursed that presume to say That every man
so much holiness for as the Gospel teacheth us the spirit of Jesus is a good spirit an holy spirit a sweet spirit a lowly spirit a merciful spirit full of charity and love full of forgiveness and pity not rendering evil for evil extremity for extremity but over coming evil with good and remitting all offence even from the heart According to which rule if any man live uprightly of him it may be safely pronounced that he hath the Holy Ghost within him if not then 't is a plain token that he doth usurp the name of the Holy Ghost in vain Ye shall judg them by their fruits which if they be wicked and naught then 't is impossible that the tree of whom they proceed should be good Such were all the Popes and Prelates of Rome for the most part as doth well appear by the story of their * See Dr. Prideaux his Introduction to History from p. 77. to p. 155. there you 'l read of Usurping Nimrods Luxurious Sodomites Aegyptian Magicians devouring Abaddons incurable Babylonians Bishops of Rome Lives and therefore they are worthily accounted among the number of false Prophets and false Christs which deceived the world a long while The Lord of heaven and earth defend us from their tyranny and pride that they never enter into his Vineyard again to the disturbance of his silly poor flock but that they may be utterly confounded and put to flight in all parts of the world And be of his great mercy so work◠in all mens hearts by the mighty power of the Holy Ghost that the comfortable Gospel of his Son Christ may be truly preached truly received and truly followed in all places to the beating down of sin death †By K. Edward the sixth and Q. Elizabeth's Injunctions all Deans Archdeacons Parsons Vicars and Ecclesiastical persons were to the best of their skill to declare against the Bishop of Rome's pretended and usurped power and jurisdiction two times at least every year openly Art 1. but have not some of them really neglected it been ready to declare four times in the year for the Bishop of Rome's traditions inventions and dumb Ceremonies and that the Pope of Rome is not Antichrist the Pope the Devil and all the Kingdom of Antichrist that like scattered and dispersed sheep being at length gathered into one fold we may in the end rest togetogether in the bosom of Abraham Isaac and Jacob there to be partakers of eternal life through the merit and death of Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen Obj. But it may be objected by some that all this that is here in this Homily said against the Bishop of Rome and his Adherents may be said of some other Churches or at least against some other Bishops and their Adherents as have rejected the Bishop of Rome's authority as Mr. Mede observes that the Greek Churches have who imbrace the beasts impieties but refuse to be subject to him Ans To this I answer thus 1. with Mr. Mede and Dr. More that there may be little Babylons but Rome is Babylon the great they may be sister or daughter-harlots but Rome is the mother of harlots They may be little Misses but she is the great Whore other Churches may be corrupt in Doctrines of Faith and the Sacraments and the exercise of the Keys but none so corrupt as Rome is 2. If any Churches have retained too much of the Popes Doctrine Discipline Ceremonies Practises let them come out of Babylon that they partake not of her sins and receive not of her plagues Apoc. 18. 4. have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them 2. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Ireland which Church in her 80th Article of Religion saith thus The Bishop of Rome is so far from being the supream head of the universal Church of Christ that his works and doctrine do plainly discover him to be that man of sin foretold in the holy Scriptures whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and abolish with the brightness of his coming 3. 'T is contrary to the Confession of Faith by the Church and Kingdom of Scotland and sworn to by King James and the Subjects of Scotland which saith thus But especially we detest and refuse the usurped authority of that Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God upon the Church the civil Magistrate and consciences of men The whole Confession is very considerable and imitable to be seen in the latter end of the Harmony of Confessions 4. Not to mention what other Churches hold of the Pope of Rome's being the Antichrist yet because Dr. Heylin finds so much fault with the 80th Article of Cypr. Angl. lib 4. p. 269. 273. Ireland and pleads so much for Romish erroneous Doctrines as taught by our first Reformers and Martyrs but most falsely as I have shewed in some points before I shall give their sense of this point as I find their sayings set forth by Mr. Fox in his Book of Martyrs in one Volume Walter Mantell in his Apology prayeth thus I beseech the living God which hath received me to his mercy and brought to pass that I die stedfast and undefiled in his truth at utter defiance and detestation of all Papistical and Antichristian Doctrine I beseech him to keep and defend all his chosen for his names sake from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome that Antichrist p. 1398. Q. Mary March 2. 1554. Bishop Hooper of whom Dr. Heylin boasts much to little purpose in his Letter of Consolation sent to certain godly brethren taken in Bow-Church-yard in Prayer and laid in the Counter in Breadstreet saith thus I have been sorry to perceive the malice and wickedness of men to be so cruel devilish and tyrannical to persecute the people of God for serving of God saying and hearing of the holy Psalms and the word of eternal life These cruel doings do declare that the Papists Church is more bloody and tyrannical than ever was the sword of the Ethnicks and Gentiles When I heard of your taking and what ye were doing wherefore and by whom ye were taken I remembred how the Christians in the Primitive Church were used by the cruelty of Be-like there are some Christned Heathens unchristned heathens in the time of Trajan the Emperour about 77 Christians of old looked upon and accused as Traytors and movers of sedition for serving the true God truly so now by Papists and such like years after Christs ascension into heaven and how the Christians were persecuted very sore as though they had been Traytors and movers of sedition whereupon the gentle Emperour Trajan required to know the true cause of Christians trouble A great learned man called Plinius wrote unto him and said it was because the Christians said certain Psalms before day unto one called Christ whom they worshipped for God When Trajan the Emperour understood it was nothing but Conscience and
of Godfry Goodman Bishop of Gloucester was accused of it in Court and Convocation and declared and professed it by his last Will and Testament as Dr. Heylin shews in his Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p. 416. 'T is said of Dr. Theodore Price Bishop of that though he lived like an Atheist yet he died like a Papist Prin ' s Epistle to K. Châ—r I before his Quench-coal p. 42. England be so absolutely directly and cordially Papists that it is all that 1500 l. per Ann can do to keep them from confessing it This and much more may be seen in Dr. Heylin's Cypr. Angl. l. 4. p 392 408. Doth not A. B. Laud p. 36. of his commended Relation of his Conference with Fisher say thus The Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion And doth not Dean Potter iâ— Charity mistaken p 62 say thus That the most necessary and fundamental Truths which constitute a Church are on both sides unquestioned by fundamental points of faith we understand these prime and capital Doctrines of Religion which * But what are those a Bishop and a people or a Pope and the multitude of Professors of Christianity as Bishop Sparrow intimates in his Rationale upon the Common-prayer Book p. 89. Bishops Curates and people committed to their charge make up a Church make up the holy Catholick Church But did not the Church of England before A. B. Laud altered the Prayer for the Fifth of November say That Papists Religion is Rebellion and A. B. Laud held that Bishops are essential to the being of a Church as Heylin shews in his Cypr. Anglic. l. 1. p. 54. l. 4. p. 400 401. their faith is faction Which cannot be said of Protestants Religion or Faith truly without great slander though Dr. Heylin as they say most wickedly standers all the first restorers of the Reformed Religion with it Doth not the Church of Rome hold such points of faith as do destroy the foundation and those not only questioned but denied by real Protestants Doth not the Church of Rome hold this Doctrine as a point of faith for denying or not believing of which they have put many thousands of Protestants to death viz. That the body and blood together with the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly really and substantially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that there is made a turning of the whole substance of the bread into his body and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood which turning the Catholick Church as they falsly call themselves doth call Transubstantiation If this be denied see the 18th Article of their Religion set down in the 14th Article of this Book And doth not our Vide Bull Pii 4 bound up with the Council of Trent super forma juramenti professionis sidei Church of England hold the truth in this point against the Church of Rome that this their Doctrine is false and doth destroy the humane Nature of Christ and consequently destroy all the Articles of our Creed which concern Jesus Christs humane nature and consequently our Salvation And is not this a fundamental point of faith that true believers persons are justified before God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them and applied by faith alone Is it not the main drift of the Apostle to prove and settle the Romans and Galatians in this truth That believers persons are not justified before God by their own good works even of that Law of which câ—meth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledg of sin Yea doth not the Apostle say that if he shall teach justification of our persons before God by our own good works he should frustrate the grace of God that is overthrow the Gosâ—el of Jesus Christ for if righteousness come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2. 21. And could these great Grandees who imposed and took subscription to the Book of Homilies upon and from others be ignorant of what the Church of England holds therein especially this Whosoever denieth this Doctrine THAT FAITH ALONE JUSTIFIETH is not to be accounted a Christian man nor a setter forth of Gods glory but for an adversary to Christ and his Gospel and for a setter forth of mans vain glory that 't were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own works take away and purge his own sin and justifie himself Homily of Salvation of Mankind p. 16 17. Now because some of our English conforming Divines have by their Preachings and Writings said that most of these ensuing false Doctrines I Heylin in his Introduction to his Cypr. Angl. p. 36. S. 36. have renounced all which the Church of Rome holdeth and maintaineth are the Doctrines of the Church of England and thereby induced many persons to believe and allow them I have to prevent the growing mischief of this grand deceit and to vindicate the Church of England from these calumnies and to inform the ignorant and inconsiderate that have subscribed assented and consented to the Articles of Religion and Homilies of the Church of England but never throughly read and considered them spent as much of my time with my pen as could be spared from my fork and rake this Harvest whiles many great Conformists to the Ceremonies and Government enjoy their Plurality of Benefices besides their great dignities but labour not in the Word and Doctrine much less preach or write against these gross Popish Doctrines but rather preach or print them to the great dishonour of God especially of Jesus Christ the increase of Popery and Atheism and the great grief of those godly Christians that are Protestants indeed and in truth as well as in profession Antichrist professeth the Creed as well as these men yet by his superinduced Doctrines and practices he overtbrows it So these men of long Name may profess subscribe and assent to the Doctrine of the Church of England and yet by superinduced Doctrines contradict and destroy it for they give not an internal assent to it as was observed before out of Mr. Fowler ' s Free Discourse p. 305. And whether those men do not play the Hypocrites lâ—t the world judg The Pope of Rome in divâ—ding Rome unto 25 Priests the fatal squarâ—-root of the number of the Beast 666 laid the foundation of his Iâ—olatrous and tyrannous Kingdom long before his Supremacy was perfected yea claimed He arose out of the earth as grass by little and little insensibly so possibly may a Pontifex Maximus with such a number of such Priests in time â—o elsewhere especially if rulers and ruled are willing to be ridden by them Of all Beasts tâ—e two horned Beast is the most dangerous to be ridden by next that which is most like him as
imputed to believers for Justification but that Mediatory righteousness of Christ whereby he suffered for our breach of Gods most righteous Law which deserves Gods curse Gal. 3. 13. and actively fulfilled the whole Moral Law of God for us which we were bound to do Levit. 18. 5. Gal. 3. 13. Gal. 4. 4 5. Mat. 3. 15. If a Creditor cast his debtor into prison for non-payment of such a sum of money as he owed him till he be payed the money or otherwise satisfied for his debt upon his sureties or friends coming to him and paying him all the money and he taking accepting and allowing of it as full and perfect satisfaction to him for the debt doth impute it or reckon it or put it upon his account and consequently to him as though it were paid and made by his debtor in person himself and doth therefore in manifestation thereof deliver up his bond or cross his Book and release him out of prison So 't is here Gods accepting taking and allowing of our Saviour Jesus Christs our sureties active and passive obedience for us as though actually and personally performed by us as full and perfect satisfaction to his Justice and thereupon we applying it by Faith pardoning our sins delivering of us from the curse of the Law formally punishments and eternal death doth thereby impute his obedience or righteousness to us that by Faith in Christ do make application of it to our selves Now the Minor is the express Doctrine of the Church of England and Ireland Homily for Salvation p. 13 14 15 16 17. And this Justification or righteousness which we so receive of Gods mercy and Christs merits imbraced by faith is taken * Mr. Fowler himself makes Justification and acceptance with God all one Free Disc p. 134. accepted and allowed by God for our full and perfect justification And again Homily for Good-Friday T. 2. p. 175. Neither was it possible for us to be loosed of this debt of our own ability it pleased him that is Christ our Surety to be the payer thereof and to discharge us quit his paying our debt meritoriously discharging us quit necessarily implys that God did accept of the merits of his death and doings for us And Ibi. p. 177. Christ was obedient to his Father even to the death and this he did for us all that believe in him And such favour did he purchase for us of his heavenly Father by his death that for the merit thereof if we be true Christians indeed and not in word only we be now fully in Gods grace again and clearly discharged from our sins those expressions that Christ did purchase for us Gods favour and clearly discharged us from our sins manifest it to all the world that God did accept and take and allow as full satisfaction of what Christ did for us Again Ibi. p. 187 188. Christ by his own oblation and once offering himself upon the Cross hath taken away our sins and restored us again into Gods favour so fully and perfectly that no other sacrifice for sin shall hereafter be requisite or needful in all the world And in the 34th Article of Religion of the Church of Ireland they say thus We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jâ—sus Christ applied by Faith and not for our own works or merits And this righteousness which we so receive of Gods mercy and Christs merits imbraced by Faith is taken accepted and allowed of God for our perfect and full Justification And in 35th Article they say thus And whereas all the world was not able of themselves to pay any part towards their ransome it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite mercy without any desert of ours to provide for us the most precious merits of his own Son whereby our ransome might be fully paid the Law fulfilled and his Justice fully satisfied So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly believe in him He for them paid their ransome by his death he for them fulfilled the Law in his life that now in him and by him every true Christian may be called a fulfiller of the Law for as much as that which our infirmity was not able to effect Christs justice hath performed And this Doctrine viz. that Christ hath for us made a full and perfect satisfaction to Gods Justice is the express Doctrine of the Church of England in her Order of the Communion which saith there That Jesus Christ did suffer death upon the Cross for our Redemption and that he made there by his own oblation of himself once offered 〈◊〉 full perfect and sufficient sacrifice oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world And Homâ—ly of Christs Nativity T. 2. p. 169. Christ made perfect satisfaction by his death for the sins of all people And that God doth take accept and allow it as full and perfect satisfaction for the sins of all his elect people is most evident by the holy Apostles Creed which the Church of England also believeth as well as by the holy Doctrine of the Canonical Scriptures which hold that Jesus Christ did not only die and was buried and was for a time held under the power of death and the grave which was as his imprisonment but that he was raised again for our Justification which declared that God was fully satisfied with what he had done and suffered else he would not have let him out of Prison Rom. 4. 25. And that he ascended up into heaven and there sitteth at the right hand of God and that from thence he shall come to iudg both quick and dead Rom. 8. 34. Heb. 1. 3. And God hath declared that in him he is well pleased Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 17. 5. And that we are compleat in him Col. 2. 18. And that we are justified in and by him Rom. 3. 24. And that we have peace with God through him Rom. 5. 1 2. And that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. And that he saves his people from their sins to the uttermost Mat. 1. 21. Heb. 5. 25. Of which you may see much more hereafter in the 13th particular concerning Purgatory To pass by many more arguments 4 Sacred Scripture doth evidently hold it forth unto all that will not wilfully shut their eyes or that are not judicially blinded 1. Jer. 23. 6. This is the name whereby Christ shall be called that is by all Gods people the Lord our righteousness * See Bishop Andrews his Sermon in locum All Gods people shall profess that they have their righteousness from Christ which is in effect the same with Isa 45. 25. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory All the spiritual seed of Israel that is all Gods Elect shall be justified that is shall obtain remission of their sins and right to everlasting life by virtue of the Son
* This is an old Pelagian Error as St. Aug. shewed l. 2. de Predest Sanct. c. 18. Alvarez de Auxil Div. Gracâ—â— Disp 1. p. 12. n. 16. Faith repentance good works and perseverance were the true causes moving God to elect them to eternal Salvation THis I renounce Because 1. 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England Homily of Christs Death and Passion T. 2. p. 2. p. 186. Christs death was caused by mans sin and Gods mercy proccedeed from Gods free love to mankind without any merit or desert on our part And a little before in the same Homily p. 1â—â— Our acts and deeds are full of imperfectness and infirmities and therefore nothing worthy of themselves to stir God to any favour And therefore I conclude that it proceeded not from mans foreseen good-will or Gods foresight that he would use his will well as believe in Christ and persevere in well-doing c. but from Gods own good will to him 2. 'T is contrary to Sacred Scripture for the holy Scriptures do every where where they treat of this Election ascribe it to Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Purpose good-will or free-grace as Ephes 1. 4. 5. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundations of the world That we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to 〈◊〉 good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace where he hath made us accepted in the beloved Where 't is clear that we are â—â—cted to holiness and not for our holiness of which Faith is a chief paâ—â— So verse the ninth of the same Chapter Having made known unto the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath pâ—â—posed in himself So v. 11. Being predestinated according to the purpose him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will So 2 Tim. 1â—â— Not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began So Rom. 9. 1â—â— 16. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compâ—â— on on whom I will have compassion So then it is not of him that willeth 〈◊〉 of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy So Rom. 9. 11 12 1â— For the children being not yet born neither having done any good or 〈◊〉 that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works 〈◊〉 of him that calleth It was said to her The elder shall serve the youngâ—â— as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated So Rom 8 〈◊〉 30. For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conforme◠〈◊〉 the image of his Son that he might be the first-born among many brethâ—â— mark it they were predestinated that they might be conformed to the image of Christ not because he foresaw they would be so themselves Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorifiâ—â— From whence I reason thus 1. If mens foreseen Faith good works and perseverance thereiâ— did move God to elect them to Salvation then their Election was nâ—â— of mercy and free grace but of justice seeing he did but chuse thâ—â— to glory because he saw they were worthy and so their Electiâ—â— was not of Gods free grace but of mans desert 2. If God elected men to eternal life because he did foresee thâ—â— would believe and do good works c. then Election was of him thâ—â— willeth and of him that runneth and not of him that sheweth mercy which is directly contrary to the express word of God 3. If Elect on was for foreseen Faith and good works then it follows that the object of Election was not fallen man and so miserable and an object of mercy as all our most sound Divines do commonly hold and which opinion the Popish Arminian party approâ—â— of more than they do of the Superalapsarian way but man restored 〈◊〉 grace and justified which all sound Divines deny 4. The effect of Election was not cannot be the moving cause of Election But Faith and good works are the effects of Election and therefore they were not they cannot be the moving cause of Gods electing men to Salvation The Major is undensable because the cause is before the effect and the effect is after the cause The Minor is clear by express Scripture Act. 13. 48. And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Where 't is evident that their believing is an effect or fruit of Gods ordaining them to eternal life So Ephes 1. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundations of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him And Rom. 8. 29 30. Whom he did foreknow that is eternally elect he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son Where conformity to the image of Christ is an effect of Predestination not a cause moving God to elect us and by conformity cannot be meant only of conformity to Christ in suffering afflictions or bearing the Cross as Arminians would falsely expound the place for so many of Gods elect Infants and others would be excluded out of the number of Gods Elect. For many of them pass out of this world without suffering of the Cross as Christ did and live here in this world in wealth and peace and honour And the next following words gainsay that gloss That he might be the first-born among many brethren Now Christ was not only the first-born among many brethren in regard of suffering affliction but also and chiefly in respect of holiness and happiness We his Elect-brethren are predestihated to be conformed to him in righteousness and holiness here and glory and happiness hereafter and consequently that we might believe and do good works and persevere therein For these are part of our inherent righteousness or conformity to Christ our elder Brother He was called properly the first-born for his superexcellent grace and in that our conformity to him here was predestinated from all eternity and also our Glorification with him in Heaven hereafter as the next words explain the former Whom he did predestinate them he also called justified and glorified Vocation Justification and Glorification are the things we are to be conformed to the Image of Christ And here may be observed that Vocation and Justification and Glorification whiâ—h include or presuppose Faith in Christ and good works and perseverance are fruits of Election and not causes 5. If our Election was of foreseen Faith and good works thâ—â— Gods electing of us was in order of nature after and the fruit 〈◊〉 our electing of God and so we should be said to chuse him 〈◊〉 love him first which is directly contrary to Canonical Scripturâ— Joh. 15. 16. Ye
Barjona for flesh and blood hath 〈◊〉 revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven 2 Cor. 3. 5 〈◊〉 that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves 〈◊〉 our sufficiency is of God Joh. 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing 〈◊〉 Christ Phil. 2. 13. It is God that worketh in you both to will and to 〈◊〉 his good pleasure Ephes 2. 8. For by grace ye are saved through faâ—â—â— and that grace or that faith is not of your selves It is the gift of 〈◊〉 And so is repentance the gift of God Act. 5. 31. Act. 11. 18. 2 〈◊〉 2. 25. If God will give them repentanceâ— to the acknowledgement of 〈◊〉 truth 3. Because 't is contrary to the Doctrine of the Reformed Protestant Churches As 1. To the eighth Article of Lambeth which as you hearâ— before was declared to be the Doctrine of the Church of England The eighth Article of Lambeth is this No man can come to Christ unlesâ—â— it be given to him and unless the Father shall draw him nor are all men 〈◊〉 drawn by the Father that they come to the Son 2. To the 32 Article of Religion of Ireland None can come 〈◊〉 Christ unless it be given unto him and unless the Father draw him 〈◊〉 all men are not so drawn by the Father that they may come unto the Soâ—â— neither is there such a sufficient measure of grace vouchsafed unto eveâ— man whereby he is enabled to come unto * The nature of man through the transgression of our first parents hath lost free-will and retaineth not now any shadow thereof saving an inclination to â—ill those only excepted whom of his grace he hath sanctified and purged from their Original leprosie King James his Declaration against Vorstius p. 368. of his Works everlasting life This Confession includes the 8th and 7th Articles of Lambeth 3. To the latter Confession of Helvetia which saith thus Therefore man not as yet regenerate hath no free will to good no strength to perform that which is good In regeneration the understanding is illuminated by the Holy Ghost that it may understand both mysteries and will of God and the will it self is not only changed by the Spirit but is also endued with faculties that of its own accord it may both will and do good Harmony of Confessions Sec. 4. c. 9. p. 62 63. and the like may be there seen in the former Confession of Helvetia p. 65. art 9. See the Confession of Bohemia For that will of man which before was free is now so corrupted troubled and weakned that now from henceforth of it self and without the grace of God it cannot chuse judg or wish nay it hath no desire nor inclination much less any ability to chuse that good wherewith God is pleased Harmony of Confessions Sect. 4. p. 68. The Confession of the French Church is much to the same effect there to be seen p. 70. and there in the same Section is the Confession of Belgia full and clear to the same purpose with notable proofs out of Scripture against mans natural power to convert himself to God as John 3. 27. John 6. 44. Rom. 8. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Phil. 2. 13. John 15. 5. And p. 74. of the same Section is the Confession of Auspurg to the same purpose And p. 75. they say thus We condemn the Pelagians and all such as they are who teach that by the only powers of * This is directly contrary to Dr. Patricks Doctrine before recited in the Margent nature without the holy Spirit we may love God above all and fulfill the Law of God as touching the substance of our actions The Confession of the Church of Saxony is to the same effect there to be seen p. 77. That man by his natural strength is not able to free himself from sin and eternal death but this freedom and conversion of man to God and this spiritual newness is wrought by the Son of God quickning us by his Holy Spirit In the same Section p. 82 83. the Church of Wirtemberg saith thus And whereas some affirm that so much integrity of mind was left to man after his fall that by his natural strength and good works he is able to convert and prepare himself to faith and the invocating of God it is flatly contrary to the Apostolicâ— Doctrine and the true consent of the Catholick Church Rom. 5 By one mans trespass evil was derived unto all men unto condemnation Ephes 2. When ye were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in times paâ—â— ye walked according to the course of this world and after the Prince c and we were by nature the children of wrath as well as others he saith Dead in sins and the children of wrath that is strangers from thâ— grace of God But as a man being corporally dead is not able by his oâ—â— strength to trepare or convert himself to receive corporal life so be which is so spiritually dead is not able by his own power to câ—â—vert himself to receive spiritual life The Synod of Dort c. 〈◊〉 Article 3. say thus All men are conceived in sin and born 〈◊〉 children of wrath untoward to all good tending to salvation forward to evil dead in sins slaves of sin and neither will nor 〈◊〉 without the grace of the Holy Ghost regenerating them 〈◊〉 streight their own crooked nature no not so much as dispose theâ— selves to the amending of it And Article 4. they say thus Bâ—â— so far short is he from being enabled by this imbred light to coâ— to the saving knowledg of God and to convert himself unto hiâ— that he doth not make right use thereof in natural things and â—vil affairs nay that which it is he many ways defileth it all 〈◊〉 withholdeth it in unrighteousness and by so doing becomâ—â— inexcusable before God Who in the 4th error rejected reject thâ— error of those that teach That an unregenerated man is not properly nor totally dead in sins nor destitute of all strength tendâ—â— to all spiritual good but that he is able to hunger and thirst aftâ—â— righteousness or everlasting life and to offer the sacrifice of 〈◊〉 humble and contrite heart even such as is acceptable unto God For these assertions march against the direct testimonies of Scripture Ephes 2. 1 5. Ye were dead in trespasses and sins Gen. 6. 5. 8. 11. Every imagination of the thought of mans heart is only evil continally Moreover the hungring and thirsting for deliverance out of misery 〈◊〉 for life-eternal as also the offering to God the sacrifice of a broken â—â—eâ—â— is proper to the regenerate and such as are called blessed Psal 51. 1â— Matth. 5. 6. That the efficacious grace of God in mans effectual calling or conversion doth not depend upon the aptitude or co-operâ—tion of the will of man but is from the supernatural work of Goâ—â— which the holy Scripture calls the drawing of the Father to the
The Confession of Bohemia or Waldenses A second kind of sin is Original sin naturally ingendred in us and hereditary wherein we are all conceived and born into this world Behold saith David I was born in iniquity and in sin did my Mother conceive me and Paul We are by nature the children of wrath Let the force of this hereditary destruction be acknowledged and judged of by the guilt and fault by our proneness and declination by our evil nature and by the punishment which is laid upon it 3. The French Church saith thus We believe that all the off-spring of Adam is infected with this contagion which we call Original sin that is a stain spreading it self by propagation and not by imitation only as the Pelagians thought all whose Errors * One of his Errors was that Original sin is not truly and properly a sin but a punishment we detest and we believe that this stain is indeed sin because it maketh all and every man not so much those little ones excepted which as yet lye hid in their Mothers wombs guilty of eternal death before God we affirm also that this stain even after baptism is in nature sin 4. The Confession of Belgia which is this We believe that through the disobedience of Adam the sin which is called Original hath been spread and poured into all mankind Now Original sin is a corruption of the whole nature and an hereditary evil wherewith even the very infants in their Mothers wombs are polluted the which also as a most noysome root doth branch out most abundantly all kind of sin in man and is so filthy and abominable in the sight of God that it alone is sufficient to the condemnation of all mankind neither are we to believe that this sin is by baptism utterly extinguished or plucked up by the roots seeing that out of it as out of a corrupt fountain continual floods and rivers of iniquity do daily spring and flow 5. The Confession of Auspurg saith thus And this Original blot is sin indeed condemning and bringing eternal death even now upon all that are not born by baptism and the Holy Ghost 6. The Confession of Saxony Art 2. treats largely of Original sin Where she approves the Doctrine delivered to us by the first Fathers Prophets and Apostles and the Apostles Scholars even unto Augustin and after his time and condemns the Doctrine of Pelagius and all those who have scattered in the Church like doting follies to those of the Pelagians and they 〈◊〉 like not the usual definition given of original sin viz. Originalâ—â— is a want of Original justice which ought to be in us and afâ—â—â—ward they say That these wants and this whole corruptioâ—â— sin and not only a punishment of sin Harmony of Confessions 〈◊〉 4. p. 76 77. 7. To this may be added the Confession of the Châ—â— of Ireland which Article 24th is the same with the Churchâ—â— Englands 8. The Confession of the Church of Scotland may 〈◊〉 seen in the Confession of Faith made by the late learned and 〈◊〉 thodox Assembly of Divines c. 6. Articles 5 6. This corrupâ—â— of nature during this life doth remain in those that are regâ—â— rated and although it be through Christ pardoned and moâ—â— yet both it self and all the motions thereof are truly and prâ—â— sin every sin both original and actual being a transgression oâ—â— righteous Law of God and contrary thereunto doth in its 〈◊〉 nature bring guilt upon the sinner whereby he is bound oveâ—â— the wrath of God and curse of the Law and so made subjecâ—â— death with all miseries spiritual temporal and eternal Now if these Churches Confessions suffice not to prove orâ—â— sin to be properly a sin give me leave I pray humbly to offer 〈◊〉 further Confirmation and Explication these things that followâ—â— 1. That Original sin is either Imputed or Inherent 1. Original sin imputed is the inobedience of Adam in whose 〈◊〉 all meer men were and sinned is imputed to all his posterity 〈◊〉 they in their own persons had acttually violated the Law of Goâ—â— eating the forbidden fruit Rom. 5. 12. Wherefore as by one 〈◊〉 entred into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men 〈◊〉 that all have sinned that is in that one man in Adam legally◠〈◊〉 they stood under his Covenant naturally as they bear his Imaâ—â— as they were in his loins as two Nations are said to be in the 〈◊〉 of Rebeccah Gen. 25. 23. and Levi to have paid tithes in the 〈◊〉 of Abraham to Melchisedeck Heb. 7. 9 10. the slavish estate of thâ—â— parents is imputed to their children The natural man thoughâ—â— may think himself frâ—e yet is sold under sin Rom. 7. 14. as reâ—â— lion of great persons against their King not only hurts their own persons but stains their blood and is imputed to their posterity so is Adams first sin imputed to us who were in his loins and are natural ordinary partakers of his nature and Rom. 5. 13. 't is said that sin was imputed for until the law that is of Moses sin was in the world but sin is not imputed where there is no law that is where there is no law broken 2. Original sin inherent is hereditary corruption naturally propagated Vide Homily of the Nativity of Christ T. 2. p 167â— supra unto us from the fall of our first parents making us guilty of temporal and eternal punishments whereby we are utterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to every thing that is good and wholly inclined to all that which is evil from which do proceed all our actual sins whereby every meer man is so corrupted in his understanding that he doth not cannot know any thing sufficiently concerning meerly divine things belonging to his eternal salvation without the special grace of God Matth. 16. 17 18. Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in Heaven 1 Cor. 2. 14. For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can be know them because they are spiritually discerned and this is called sometimes blindnesâ— Ephes 4. 18. Vanity and carnal-mindedness in the mind and understanding Ephes 4. 17. Rom. 8. 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be hardness in the conscience who being past feeling Ephes In Adamo nos omnes rei facti fuimus quia nos omnes fuimus quod ille imus erâ—t unde naturae corruptae ad nos quâ—â—nor emanarunt vulneraâ— ignorantia in intellectu malicia in voluntate infirmatas in iraâ—â—ibill rebellio in concutiscihâ—â— appetitu Aquin 12 ae q. 84. Ex Beda saith learned Bishop Pridiaux fascic controversiaâ—â— c 3 de peccato q. 5. p. â—2â— 4. 19. Pravity or perversaess in the will which is commonly called concupiscence in the appetite and this is formally a turning or
reason of its pride and contumacy neither can it be by reason of its pravity and perversness The flesh saith Diodate is not only incapable to submit to Gods will through weakness but also through â—â—tural repugnancy To which may be added Rom. 7. 14. For 〈◊〉 know that the law is spiritual and the law is spiritual because it binds not only all the humane creatures intents and purposes but his whole force and power and all the thoughts and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oâ— his heart to an holy inward obedience as well as to an outward compleat conformity to the will of God whicâ— if he did as he ought to perform he should be spiritual too aâ—â— free from death but I am sold under sin contrary to and averâ—â— from the law St. Paul after he was regenerated was like other men in part carnal through the proclivity of his nature to commit those sins which according to his regenerate part he hated and would not so our sound and learned Divines expound the place and urge the following verses to prove that concupiscence is properly a siâ— and in the regenerate after baptism 2. Concupiscence is properly sin because 't is forbidden in the law of God Rom. 7. 7. I had not known sin but by the law for I had not known lust the sudden motions of mind unlawful desires and affections which arise in the soul and have not the consent of the will as our Orthodox Divines expound the word that is to be sin except the law had said thou shalt not covet Where 't is clear that concupiscence is called sin and that 't is forbidden in the law of which before To which may be added the 9th Article of our Church of England which saith thus Yet the Apostle doth confess that concupiscence and lust hath of it self the nature of sin and the Article saith that 't is a FAULT and corruption of the nature of every man Bishop Jeremy Taylor himself confesseth that 't is in the Latin Copies called vitium naturae which I think in Morals is Englished vice in Theologicals sin and if virtutes Ethicorum sint splendida peccata sure their vices are proprie-dicta peccata which yet the Bishop with the Jesiâ—â—â— denies 3. Concupiscence is contrary to the Law of God because we are commanded to put it off Ephes 4. 22 23 24. That ye put of concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in rigâ—teousness and true holiness Where original sin is called the old man as 't is in * Calvin Pareus Peter Martyr Diodate Willet Dr. Featley Wilson in locum and Bishop Reynolds of the sinfulness of sin p. 139. Rom. 6. 6. that is the body of sin not nature but our corrupt nature which we have contracted from our old Father Adam as all our learned and sound Divines expound the places and the phrase 4. That 't is properly sin I reason thus that which rendreth persons obnoxious to the wrath of God is sin properly but original sin rendreth persons obnoxious to the wrath of God ergo original sin is properly sin the major is undeniable because nothing that is not properly sin doth render us obnoxious to Gods wrath God is angry with nothing but sin or for sin the proper object of a Christians hatred should be sin and 't is of God's as being only contrary to his nature and law Gal. 3. 10 the minor may abundantly be proved by plain Scripture Rom. 5. 12. As by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned and Rom. 6. 23. For the wages of sin is death by which in regard the Apostle speaks absolutely without any limitation he meaneth death in general of what kind soever temporal and eternal Gal. 3. 10. 1 Thes 1. 10. Rom. 5. 18. And because Bishop Taylor * Explanat of original sin p. 469 470. denies it of death eternal I pray read what the Church of England saith of it in her Homilies of Christ's Nativity T. 2. p. 167. and Homily of Christs Death T. 2. part 2. p. 181. and 184. set down before in the beginning of this Article * Man was justly condemned therefore condemned to everlasting death p. 103. and Ephes 2. 3. We are by nature the children of wrath We are not so by pure nature then we must needs be so by corrupt nature and that is original sin inherent in us Children of wrath are subjects of sin and through desert of sin subject to wrath that is the wrath of God which he hath threatned against sinners for sin death and damnation and temporal judgments Ephes 5. 6. Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience only children of disobedience are children of wrath where there is no sin or disobedience there God hath no wrath and our 9th Article of Religion saith plainly that this original sin in every person born in this world deserveth Gods wrath and damnation and so our Church * Questions of Baptism Catechism saith For being by nature born in sin and the children of wrath and it cannot be understood of lust with consent of will for that Paul brought up at the feet of Gamaliel without doubt knew to be sin and that also is actual sin and not original of which the Article treateth 2. Because infants conceived and brought forth in sin who never committed any actual sin in their own persons have died as you may see in Davids child 2 Sam. 12. 18. and experience daily shews it and Rom. 5. 14. proves it Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression that is actually committed any sin in their own persons over them that is over infants who sinned not actually or by imitation but only by an inherent corruption of nature in them so our Reverend Divines A. B. Vsher and Bishop Prideaux Archbishop Ushers Sum of Christian Religion p. 143. Bishop Prideaux bis Fascic controver c. 3. q. 3. p. 113. Pareus in locum and many more of our sound Divines as well as the ancient Fathers expound the place and in the order of our burial 't is said that by Adâ—â— all die 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. Obj. But it will or may be objected that infants sinned in Adam in whose loins they were and that they are punished with death 〈◊〉 for their own inherent corruption of nature that is in them but for the sin of Adam in whose loins they were imputed to them Answ To this I answer 1. That neither Bellarmine nor Papists nor Bishop Taylor nor any compleat Conformist in the Church of Englanâ— can well object this for they hold Concil Trid. 5. Sec. 5. Can. Bel. de Sacrament baptismi c.
Ceremonies Protestants answer As if the inspiration of God did not make God the author of the fact as well as the command expressed in his word Otherwise it were lawful for the Papists to conclude by the same reason that they have authority to institute new Sacrifices and Sacraments Bellarmine replies and saith That the Congregation made a new Feast Esth 9. 1. Mac. 4. Protestants answer That the first was political the second was to be disallowed Bellarmine saith the Apostles instituted a new Ceremony Act. 15. Protestants answer That there was no new ceremony instituted but a respect to scandal in tollerating an old ceremony Bellarmine saith the Church may institute some things and ceremonies are not repugnant to the Gospel neither hath the Lord forbidden that we should add no ceremonies for the more commodious and profitable administration of the Sacraments Protestants answer 1. The Church cannot appoint any new thing by her own authority 2 Carnal ceremonies void of the Spirit as all humane ceremonies are are repugnant Hildersham proves from Job 4. 23. that humane Ceremonies are forbidden in the Gospel in loc Bishop Andrews in Command 2. p. 263 or 255. Dr. Reynolds Conference with Hart c. 8. d. 4. p. 565. John Launder Thomas Iveson John Denly Martyrs professed that they believed that the Ceremonies used here in Q. Maries days were naught vain superfluous superstitious which they sealed with their blood Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1593 1594 1595 1598. to the perfection of the New Testament 3. Humane ceremonies can make â—o more to the commodious and profitable administration of Christs Sacraments as they were administred by Christ and his Apostles than the decrees of faith made by men do make more commodiously to illustrate the faith revealed by Christ What shall we think that certain new men have a better insight and know better what ceremonies are to be used in Baptism than the holy Apostles and Christ himself So of the Supper too Bellarmine saith That ceremonies iustituted by the Church cannot be omitted without sin yea not without scandal Protestants answer There cannot be instituted Religious ceremonies by the Church without sin and therefore they may be omitted without sin and ought to be omitted 4. That we cannot fully and perfectly perform all that the Law of God requireth for Christ saith plainly That when we have done all we can do we are unprofitable servants Which shews that we cannot perfectly keep the Law for if we could we should be profitable servants getting thereby much glory to God and everlasting life to our selves Do this and thou shalt live And the Homily of the Death of Christ T. 2. part 2. p â—82 saith Our acts and deeds be full of imperfectness and infirmity and therefore nothing worthy of themselves to stir God to any favour much less to challenge that glory that is due to Christs acts and merits And again in the same Page it saith thus of Adam after his fall He could not keep the Law neither if Adam and his posterity had been able to satisfie and fulfill the Law perfectly in loving God above all things and their neighbours as themselves then should they have easily quenched the Lords wrath and escaped the horrible sentence of eternal death For 't is written Do this and thou shalt live that is fulfil my Commandments keep thy self upright and perfect in them according to my will then thou shalt live and not die But such was the frailty of mankind after his fall such was his weakness that he could not walk uprightly in Gods Commandments though he would never so fain but daily and hourly fell from his bounden duty offending the Lord his God divers ways to the great increase of his condemnation all are gone astray Our frailty is such that we can never of our selves fulfil the Law according to that the Law requireth And our 15th Article of Doctrine saith thus That all we the rest that is besides Christ although baptized and born again in Christ yet offend in many things and if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Yea the Popes Doctrine viz. That meer men since Adams fall can in this life perfectly fulfil Gods whole Moral Law is not only contrary to Sacred Scripture the Doctrine of the Church of England in her Homilieâ— and Articles but also her Book of Common Prayers As to the Lords-Prayer wherein Christ taught his holy Apostles and all Gods children to say every day Forgive us our trespasses To our commoâ— general Confession We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts We have offended against thy holy Laws We have left undone those things we ought to have done and we have done those things we ought not to have done And 't is contrary to the prayer after every Commandment for pardon of sin committed against it Lord have mercy upon us Yea the Litany might be brought against Papists in this point And Prov. 7. 20. Rom. 7. 15. 17 18 20 23 24 1 Joh. 1. 8 9 10. and contrary also to the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches to be seen in the Harmony of Confession Sect. 4. and the 43 Article of Religion of the Church of Ireland and the fourth Article of the 16th Chapter of the Confession of Faith of Scotland Yea the gates of Hell I believe will never be able to overthrow that Faith in that Confession made by that Assembly Heâ—â— what Shelford Serm. p. 121 127 136 139 147. and White Bishop of Eli on the Sabbath p. 157. say for mans ability to fulfil the Law against the Doctrine of the Church of England and what Shelford saith for works of Supererogation Serm. p. 184. may be seen in Laudensium Autocatacrisis p 70 71. And what Bishop Forbes saith in his Book de Justificatione may be seen in the Supplement thereunto p. 300. And what Dr. Patrick saith may be seen in his Parable of the Pilgrim p. 324. who there saith thus 'T is true we are not tyed to that which we cannot do but yet the flesh will sometimes juggle and complain of impotence when there is nothing hinders it but sloth This is Bellarmines argument de observatione Legis c. 7. si praecepta c. if the precepts are impossible then they oblige none To this argument Dr. Ames gives this answer Dr. Ames his Bellar. Enervatus T. 3. c. 7. p. 191. 1. That this argument doth not prove that the Law is more possible to be kepâ— by believers than by unbelievers by the just than by the unjust 2. That the obligation to keep the Law is not taken away by the impossibility that flows from our fault To which I shall say but thus that the words imply as they may well be taken one or both of these errors 1. That men now are not bound to keep the Moral Law of God Or 2. That 't
to the 35th Article of Religion of Ireland Although this justification be free unto us yet it cometh not so freely unto us that there is no ransom paid therefore at all God shewed his great mercy in delivering us from our former captivity without requiring of any ransom to be paid or amends to be made on our parts which thing by us had been unpossible to be done And whereas all the world was not able of themselves to pay any part towards their ransom it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite mercy without any desert of ours to provide for us the most precious merits of his own Son whereby our ransom might be fully paid the law fulfilled and his justice fully satisfied so that now Christ is the righteousness of all theâ— that believe in him He for them paid their ransom by his death He for them fulfilled the law in his life That now in him and by him every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the law for as much as that which our infirmity was not able to effect Christ's justice hath performed and thus the justice and mercy of God do embrace each other the grace of God not shutting out the justice of God in the matter of our justification but onâ—y shutting the justice of man that is to say the justice of our oâ—â— works from being any cause of deserving our justification 3. 'T is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of Scotland to be seen in the Confession of faith made by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster c. 16. Article 5. We cannot by our best works merit paâ—don of sin or eternal life at the hand of God by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come and the infinite distance that is between us and God whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfie for the debt of our former sins but when we have done all we can we have done but oâ—â— duty and are unprofitable servants and because as they are good they proceed from his Spirit and as they are wrought by us they are defiled 〈◊〉 mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of Gods judgment Behold here is the Doctrine of the three Churches in his Majesties three Kingdoms against this Popish Autichristian Doctrine of Merits But 4. 'T is contrary to sacred Scripture That the good works of regenerated men do not merit eternal salvation at Gods hands â—prove 1. Because eternal life is the gift of God Rom. 6. 23. That whicâ— is given to us is not merited by us but eternal life is given to us therefore eternal life is not merited by us 2. Because we are not saved by our own good works but by the mercy of God T it 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done 〈◊〉 according to his mercy he saved us therefore our good works do not merit eternal salvation 3. Because the Apostle saith that we are saved by grace Eph 2. 8 9. where by grace is meant the favour or mercy of God in him aâ—◠〈◊〉 by works which we have done or do and the reason is given lest 〈◊〉 man should boast which we might do as that we have saved our selvâ—â— and God hath not saved us if our own good works within us or doâ—â— by us as our Homily speaks did merit eternal salvation 5. The good works of regenerated men do not ex condigno men eternal life at Gods hands because they want the proper conditions of proper merit for that which is properly merit ex condigno or is properly meritorious hath or ought to have these Conditions Cond 1. That it be perfectly good but the good works of regenerated men are imperfect This I have proved before out of our book of Homilies Articles of Ireland and Confession of Scotland and sacred Scripture Homil. of Christs death t. 2. part 2. p. 182. alledged Article 6th Article the 10 and this 12th of this See also Psal 143. 2. Enter not into judgment with thy servant O Lord â—â—r in thy sight shall no flesh be justified Rom. 3. 20. Gal. 2. 16. Psal 130. 3. If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand Gal. 5. 17. * Isa 64. 6. The stains of our righteousness are no less than menstruous Dr. Slater in 2 Thes 2. 11. p. 167. And upon this account our good works are not meritorious ratione pacti or ratione operis for the Covenant of works Do this and thou shalt live requires perfect obedience without any imperfection which if we perform not eternal life is not due unto us ratione pacti by vertue of the Covenant of Works and if you come in and plead the Covenant of Grace Believe and thou shalt be saved you deny the condignity of your works and come over to us for Gods free grace given unto us for we are not justified and saved for our good works worthiness but for Christs sake in whom he hath elected us unto eternal life 2. Cond That it be not due or debt but our good works are due debts which we owe to God Luk. 17. 10. When ye shall have done all these things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do We may merit of men when we do them some notable piece of work which we were not bound to do but we can do no good work to or for God but that which we are bound to do therefore we cannot merit by doing good works which are but our duty Adam while he was in the fâ—ate of innocency could not by his perfectly good works have merited ex condigno eternal life at Gods hands by reason of the dignity of his works because his works were due from him to God as I shewed before in the Article of Original sin Cond 3. That they be only ours but our good works as they are good are not properly * Homily for Rogation-Week t. 2. p. 297 220. alledged before Article 7. p. â—1 ours but are the free gifts of God and works of God in us 2 Cor. 3. 5. Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think â—â—t thing as of our selves but our suâ—ficiency is of God Joh. 15. 5. Without me saith Christ ye can do nothing that is nothing that is spiritually and truly good and acceptable to God and Phil. 2. 13. it is God that worketh in you to will and to do that which is good of his good pleasure See more in Homily of Repentance t. 2. p. 263. alledged before Article 7th Cond 4. That it profit him of whom we merit but our good works do not profit God Job 22. 2. Can a man be profitable unto God Psal 16. 2. Our goodness extendeth not to thee Rom. 11. 35. Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompenced to him again Luk. 17. 10. When you have done all you are commanded
we read thus And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours The word here most observable is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which saith Cornelius a Lapide and Pâ—reus saith that all Copies except Montanus's doth end the full sense of the former sentence Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab hoc tempore from this very time that is from this instant of time that they dye they are blessed as learned Mr. Leigh in his Criticks expounds the word and assures me in his Notes upon the place that Dr. Reynolds and Gerard do so interpret it and so doth Scriveliâ—â— too and the Latines interpret it * Amodo id est ex nunc deinceps in aternum puta a tempore mortis illico requiefcunt requiescent in omne aenum Cor. a Lapide 〈◊〉 amolâ—â— which we English henceforth that is from this time forward that is from the time of their death and so forward for ever are they blessed that die in the Lord. Pareus upon the place saith That this is a true and charitable opinion that those that die in the Lord do from the point or instant of their 〈◊〉 become and continue to be blessed And 't is observable that they are said to be blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 morientes dying or qui moriuntur who 〈◊〉 die in the Lord in the present tense not in the future who shall diâ—â— hereafter though they shall be blessed too which shews that 〈◊〉 soon as ever they are dead they begin to be blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preseâ—â— and perfectly as some expound the word and henceforth even for eâ—â— though before their death they are in some sort as St. Paul was partly carnal as well as spiritual yet their souls depart not so 〈◊〉 are if not immediately before yet in the instant of their departure from their bodies through faith purged by the blood and spirit of Jesus Christ from all their sins and so their spiritual uncleanness being perfectly done away they are fitted for and received into that City into which nothing that defileth shall enter And this may be proved further 5. From Joh. 5. 24. Verily I say unto you he that believeth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life So Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth on the son hath everlasting life he hath it not only in the price and promise and expectation but also in the * inchoation and first Vrsin Catechis p. 2. q. 58. p. 414. Dr. Reynolds in 1 John 5. 12. p. 430. He that hath the Son hath life 1. In pretio 2. In permisso 3. In primitiis fruits he hath the beginnings of it here in this life in the kingdom of grace and he shall have it in more full and compleat possession of it as soon as he departs out of this life habenti dabitur to him that hath shall be given to him that hath true saving grace shall be given more grace not only quoad sufficientiam here but quoad gloriam hereafter Cornelius a Lapide a great Jesuit and Father in the Church of Rome assures me that the Church he means the Church of Rome calls the days of Saints death dies natales their birth-days and that hac de causa for this reason because the same days they are new-born into a blessed and glorious life and upon this account saith he doth the Church solemnize their birth-days not those in which they are born with sin into a temporal life but those in which by a temporal death they pass to an eternal life And 6. This may be further confirmed by that of the wise man the Preacher King Solomon Eccles 12. 7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the Spirit to God who gave it then that is when a man dies his body which was made at first of the dust of the earth returns to the earth its first material principle and the soul that was immediately made by God of a spiritual substance returns to God the Father of Spirits for judgment either of absolution or condemnation which is more particularly and privately passed upon every Heb. 9. 27. mans soul immediately after its separation from the body that is saith the learned Bishop Reynolds in his Notes upon the place commonly called the Assemblys-notes Vt stet judicio ante Deum that it may appear before his tribunal to be judged and certainly as the body goes into the dust so certainly the soul returneth unto God to be judged Now the bodies go immediately to the dust to the earth so the souls immediately to God Hence saith he the godly are translated into Paradise in Abrahams bosom into the condition of just men made perfect Luke 16. 22. Luke 23. 43. The wicked into the prison of disobedient spirits reserved there in Hell unto the judgment of the great day Luke 16. 23. 1 Pet. 2. 19. As the souls of wicked men when they die go immediately from God into Hell so do the souls of godly men go immediately to God into Heaven and consonant to this is that of our Saviour John 5. 24 before alledged He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into judgment that is into the judgment of condemnation as our translation according to the sense hath it and John 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life it notes a present and indeseasable interest and possession in heaven 7. Very agreeable to this is that devout and believing confident prayer of St. Stephen at his death Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Upon which this is the Assembly-note as 't is commonly called That this is the true comfort of the elect that they are assured that Christ Jesus who died for them in their dissolutions receiveth their souls into his safe and blessed custody to live with him who is the life and God of the living And 8. This is confirmed also by 1 Pet. 4. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator 9. To these testimonies may be superadded 2 Cor. 5. 4. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habemus we have in the present tense a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens and that the souls of all believers enter into this heavenly house as soon as they depart out of their earthly tabernacles may be further proved from the 6th and 8th verses of that Chapter where 't is said thus That while we are a home in the body we are absent from the Lord and that we
shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law and the light of nature for holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ whereby men must be saved so I might argue from their meritorious works but I forbear To all which I shall add what I have found in Dr. Field of the Church Appendix part 1. l. 2. p. 772. since I wrote that before of Saints being perfectly cleansed from all sin at the moment of their death He saith thus speaking of one Higgins in the 20th Chapter of that Appendix I produce the judgment and resolution of Scotus Durandus and Alexander of Ales That all sinfulness is utterly abolished in the very moment of dissolution and that there is no remission of any sin in respect of the fault and stain after death The words of these Authors I set down at large the words of Alexander of Ales the first of the School-men called the irrefragable Doctor are these Final grace taketh away all sinfulness out of the soul because when the soul parteth from the body all proneness to ill and all perturbations which were found in it by reason of the conjunction with the flesh do cease the powers thereof are quieted and perfectly subjected to grace and by the means all venial sins are removed so that no venial sin is remitted after this life but in that instant wherein grace may be said to be final grace it hath full dominion and absolute command and expelleth all sin Whereupon he addeth That whereas the Master of the Sentences and some others do say that some venial sins are remitted after this life some answer that they speak of a full remission both in respect of the fault and stain and the punishment also but that others more narrowly and piercingly looking into the thing do say that they are to be understood to say Sins are remitted after this life because it being the same moment or instant that doth continuate the time of life and that after life they are remitted in the very â—â—ment of dissolution grace more fully infusing and pouring it self into the soul at that time than before to the utter abolishing of all sin all her impediments formerly hindring her working now ceasing * Death unto the godly is the utter abolishing of sin and perfection of mortification saith A. B. Vsher Sum of Christian Religion p. 545. Thus you see that not only our learned Protestant Divines but also Alexander of Ales the first School-man called the irrefragâ—â— Doctor Scotus the subtile Doctor 〈◊〉 Durand the Master of the Ceremonies as the Papists themselves esteem and call them were of this judgment That the souls of men dying in the state of grace at the momeâ— of death are purged and cleansed perfectly from all the fault and stain of 〈◊〉 sin and then it will follow that they are freed from the third effeâ—â— of sin too and that is 3. Poena punishment which is an evil inflicted upon the sinner himself or his surety for sin For 1. if the guilt of sin be perfectly taken away as indeed it is in our Justification and the stain of sin be also perfectly taken away in the moment of our death and sin be wholly abolishhd then the punishment of sin must needs be taken away too Of this judgment was St. Bernard When all the sin shall be wholly Bernard in Psal qui habitat Ser. 10. taken out of the way no effect of it shall remain that the cause being altogether removed the effect shall be no more and you know 't is a rule in reasoning Sublata causa tollitur effectus the cause being taken away the effect ceaseth Sin then being perfectly destroyed when death parteth the soul from the body all its effects guilt filth and punishment must consequently be destroyed too and that all sin is taken away in the moment of the dissolution of the soul and body I have sufficiently proved and therefore the punishment is taken away too Pray hear what God himself saith to this point in Ezek. 18. 22. When the wicked man shall turn from all his sins that he hath committed all his transgressions that he hath committed shall not be mentioned unto him Now if God hath so far forgiven their sins as that he will not remember them then certainly he will not punish them for them in another world with hellish torments if God punish truly penitent men for their sins in this world and that to come too he cannot be said not to remember them but to remember them as we say with a witness if he forgives and forgets all their sins then undoubtedly he forgives and forgets their venial sins too if he forgive their mortal sins their sins of enmity against God which make God displeased with the sinner as Aquinas and his followers speak then it will follow by an undeniable consequence that he forgives and forgets their venial sins their lesser sins which are not * Peccatum veniale non est contra legem quia venialiter peccans non facit quod lex prohibet nec praetermittit quod lex per praeceptum obligit sed facit praeter legem quia non observat modum rationis quem lex intendit Aquin. 12 ae q. 88. a. 1. 〈◊〉 Medin in 12 〈◊〉 q. 89. a. 1. p. 1209. against the law but only besides the law and which though they displease God yet they do not make the sinner displeasing to God and that they do only obnubilate but do not obtenebrate grace as †Bel. t. 4. l. 2. De peccato venialâ— c. 1. Medina teacheth and those sins which Mr. Chillingworth in his dangerous book saith are so small as that he durst not ask God pardoâ— for them and which * B. Medin in 12 〈◊〉 q. 88. a. 1. p. 1199. Bellarmine saith are ex natura ratione probati in their own nature and kind of sin venial that is not repugnant to the love of God and 〈◊〉 neighbours that do not render as unworthy of the friendship of God and guiâ—â—â— of eternal death and that are so small as that it were unjust to punish theâ— with eternal death that they do not exclude out of heaven but that God himself is bound by law that he hath made to give to his friends the kingdom of 〈◊〉 notwithstanding their venial sins of which although they dâ— repent yet are presently remitted ex natura status quum anima emigrat e corpore from the nature of the state when the soul departs out of the body as Papists teach how these sins I say should need to be purged away from believers souls the friends of God whose sins God hath covenanted to pardon by such temporal punishments in Purgatory as are the same for nature with those the Devil inflicts upon the damned in hell and yet that their mortal sins as Davids adultery and murder Peter's
denial of his Lord and Master Paul's persecuting of the Saints and which do as they confess cause a spot or sâ—â—iâ— in the soul and are contrary to the Law of God and do render the â—â—â—er displeasing to God and deserve eternal death as Aquinas and Meâ—â— ubi supra do plainly teach should escape the same penal Purgation in Purgatory is to me very strange improbable and inconsistent Doctrine as well as contrary to sacred Scripture which saith of God thus Jer. 31. 34. I will remember their sin no more that is punish them no more and of them 1 Rom 8 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus if no condemnation theâ— surely no hellish punishments 2 Apoc. 14. 13. That they rest frâ—â— their labours and if from their bodily labours as Papists yield they do then much more from spiritual labours else it had been no comfort for them to die seeing their death would but free them froâ— corporal pains which could last at most but for the short time of their lives here but would transmit their souls into spiritual helliâ—â— pains which will last till the great day of judgment except the Pope of Romes good will can be procured to let them out somewhat sooner as the Popes Doctors teach 3 That Rom. 5. 1. being justified by faith they have peace with God but to have peace wiâ—â— God and to suffer the torments of hell inflicted by the Devil fâ—â— some hundreds it may be thousands of years are altogether inconsistent And this is an approved truth though mans sin do deserve temporal and eternal punishments yet the offence being remitted the punishment is remitted also which is excellently well proved by Dr. Davenant and that their Remissa culpa remittitur poena Dr. Davenant 〈◊〉 â—33 p. 149. sins are forgiven in this life absolutely perfectly and fully even when they believe in Jesus Christ and therefore the holy Scripture speaks of justification and remission of sins in the present tensâ— and time past Rom. 4. 2 5 7 9 16 22. Rom. 5. 1. Rom. 8. 1. Gal. 2. 16. Here believers in Christ are forgiven all their sins and there are all punishments due to their sins forgiven also Now that the punishment due to the offence or offender by Gods Law is forgiven when the offence is forgiven I prove thus 1. Because punishment properly so taken and called is inflicted only for sin Punishment is an evil inflicted upon the sinner or his surety for sin The sin which Poena est malum peccatori propter peccatum inflictum Ames Med. l. 1. a. 12. p. 55. deserves it being taken away it must necessarily be taken away too 2. Because to remit the sin is not to impute it any more to punishment that is not to punish it What man will or can say that a Magistrate hath perfectly pardoned a murderer and yet hang him up for the murder It implies a contradiction to say that God hath forgiven true believers in Christ all their sins and yet to say he punisheth them for them to be satisfied for breach of his Law 3. To say that God hath forgiven true believers all their sins and yet punish them for them with temporal punishment properly so called in Purgatory for the satisfying of his justice is undeniably to ascribe injustice to God who is justice it self seeing this way they teach that God doth punish the soul that hath no sin only because it formerly had sin which he hath for Christ's sake fully forgiven 〈◊〉 â—nd besides too here would be another piece of injustice most blasphemously fixed upon God if he should forgive all sins to the sinner for Christs sake who hath made full satisfaction to him for the believing sinners sins and yet punish the sinner to exact for one offence a double satisfaction one from Christ the surety and another from the poor sinner Would it not be decried as a grievous piece of injustice for a creditor to exact of the surety that is bound for 100 l. in a penal Bond of 200 l. the 200 l. and receive it and release the surety and yet afterward sue the Bond upon the principal for non-payment of his 100 l. at the time conditioned Yet this piece of injustice Papists do in effect by their Doctrine of the souls of believers in Christ suffering in Purgatory temporal penal satisfactions that is punishments to satisfie Gods Justice for breach of his Law after he had taken full satisfaction from Christ his Son and their surety and so exact and receive full satisfaction the whole Bond of him and then afterward exact of them satisfaction in part too fasten upon God who is Justice it self for he hath punished his own Son who voluntarily and by his Fathers consent became their surety He laid on him the iniquity of us all Isa 53. 6. that is the punishment of all our sins Read vers 5. He was woundeâ— for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisemeâ—â— of our peace was upon him and with his stripes are we healed though he had no sin of his own he had done no violence neither was deceit in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him yea to put him to death v. 9 10. And he did bear our sins that is the punishment of our sins is his own body on the tree that is on the cross Isa 53. 11 12. 1 Pet. 2. 24. and this he did not for himself for he had no sin 1 Pet. 2. 22. but for us and in our sâ—ead 1 Pet. 2. 21 24. Yet notwithstanding all this Papists by this their Doctrine of Purgatory that believers souls for whom Christ hath suffered the punishment paid the bond of 200 l. 〈◊〉 so fully satisfied the debt yet that God hath sued the bond again upon the 〈◊〉 believers soul and will make that make him satisfaction too in part at least though I say he was fully satisfied before by his Son and her surety Jesus Christ the righteous as appears by his letting him out of prison when he had him fast in the grave at his resurrection by which he openly declared that he was fully satisfied Rom. 4. ult Who was delivereâ— that is to death for our offences and was raised again for our jusâ—iâ—â—cation to assure us that he hath satisfied for us pacified his Fatheâ—â— wrath with us for our sins and procured his favour for us and his gracious acceptation of us charge God with this great injustice And to prevent the Papists objection that Moses David aâ—â— others after their sins were forgiven were punished with tempâ—â— punishments I say that they were not punished with Gods vindiâ—â— justice for their sins but that they were chastised in love and mercy to humble them for sin past and prevent sin for the future in theâ—â— others afflictions that believers suffer in this life are not properly â—â—nishments but castigations and though they may be materially tâ—â— same that punishments inflicted
upon unbelievers are yet they are not formally such for we must know that the formal reason of pâ—nishment properly and strictly so called is always to be fetched frâ—â— the final cause for the pain which is inflicted of God as a revenging or punishing Judg with that intention that it shall satisfie his Justice hath the true and proper or formal reason or nature of punishment and this kind of pain we deny to be inflicted upon Moses David or any other true believers after remission of their sins but what pain is inflâ—cted of the same God as a provident Father with this intention that he may further the salvation of his children obtains the nature of a * Aquin. 12 ae q. 87. a. 7. medicine not of punishment and this kind of pain we grant is by our most wise and loving Father imposed upon true penitents in this life after their sin is pardoned but Papists devised punishments are for satisfaction not for correction True believers in Christ do in this life undergo poenam correctivam corrective pain but not poenam satisfactoriam satisfactory pain here in this life or in Purgatory 1. Ad demonstrationem debitae miseriae 2. Ad emendationem labilis vitae 3. Ad excitationem necessariae patientiae dixit Augustinus in Joh. Tract 124. Potest quantum adjici quod Christus docet Joh. 93. Manifestatio operum Dei Tilen Syntag p 2. c. 65. de Purgatorio Thes 15. p. 956. or any where else they suffer not pain to satisfie Gods justice but for the demonstration of deserved misery the â—â—endment of a sinful life the exercise â—f necessary patience and the manifestation of Gods power as the word poena pain or punishment is taken in a large sense so paternal castigation of the godly for their sins such as Davids was affliction for the trial of their faith patience and constancy such as Jobs was and Martyrdom for the testimony of saving truth are by some of our Divines called punishments but not in that sense that punishment properly so called is taken which only is called penal satisfaâ—â—ion and that is punishment inflicted upon the sinner or his surety for sin to satisfie Divine Justice which is either temporal for duration but everlasting and infinite for virtue and value by reason of the transcendent dignity of the person suffering equivalent to the everlasting in time and such was the penal satisfaction which Christ suffered for the sins of his elect or everlasting in duration which is begun in this life and continued for ever after this life in the world to come and such is that which impenitent reprobates suffer Reprobates are bound by the Law of God to perform for themselves this penal satisfaction and therefore they do begin it in this life and after this life continue it in hell to all eternity because they can never fully satisfie Mat. 25. 41. But this penal satisfaction is not required to be made in part or in whole of true believers in Christ because Jesus Christ their surety hath satisfied for them to all eternity 3. Because this Popish Doctrine that the souls of believers in Purgatory suffer punishment to satisfie for their sins not sufficiently purged away in this life is a very dishonourable and destructive Doctrine to the full and perfect satisfaction of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ therefore I lay down this plain Position Position 3. That the satisfaction our Saviour Jesus Christ hath made for all the sins of true believers in him is a full sufficient and perfect satisfaction But Papists Doctrine of Purgatory-satisfactions saith virtually interpretatively and in effect 1. That it was not an universal satisfaction for all the sins of all true believers in Christ which is contrary to express canonical Scripture Tit. 2. 14. Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity 1 Joh. 1. 7. And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness s if he cleanse us from all iniquity from all sin from all unrighteousness then certainly from venial sins 2. Christs active obedience and sufferings were not a sufficient satisfaction to the Justice of God for the breach of his Law by true believers in him which is directly contrary 1. to the Doctrine of the Church of England in her order of Communion which saith there That Jesus Christ did suffer death upon the cross for our redemption and that he made there by his own oblation * Homil. of Christs death T. 2. part 2. p. 187 188. So Homil. of the worthy receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper T. 2. part 1. p. 200. of himself once offered a fâ—â— perfect and sufficient sacrifice obâ—â— and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world and Homily of Christs Nativity T. 2. p. 169. Christ made perfect satisfaction by his death for the sins of all people and Homily for Good-Friday T. 2. p. 175. concerning the death of Christ it saith That it was impossible for us to be loosed from this debt by our own ability it pleased 〈◊〉 therefore to be the payer thereof and to discharge us quit and p. 177. of the same Homily it saith thus Such favour did Christ purchase 〈◊〉 us by his death of his heavenly Father that for the merit thereof 〈◊〉 we be true Christians in deed and not in word only we be now fully in Gods grace again and clearly discharged from our sin 2. 'T is contrary to Canonical Scripture which saith that Christ hath made a full and perfect satisfaction to God for all the sins of all believers in him 1. Because the Scripture saith that he paid the price that was due to God from us For 1. he not only perfectly fulfilled the Law for them he was made under the Law Gal. 4. 4. And he fulfilled all righteousness Mat. 3. 15. And he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it Mat. 5. 17. And that he did not for himself but for believers is evident Gal. 4. 3 4 5. Phil. 2. 6 7 8. And the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers for righteousness Phil. 3. 9. 2. But he suffered for true believers in him great sorrow in his soul Mat. 26. 37 38. Grievous torments in his body Mat. 27. 46. Luk. 22. 44. Joh. 20. For he was crucified and died Mat. 27. 35. Phil. 2. 8. Mark 15. 24 37. He was buried and remained under the power of death for some part of three days but without corruption he suffered poenas infernales hellish torments eternal in essence as Maccovius will have it equivalent to hell-torments by reason of the worthiness of his person into which our humane nature that suffered was taken that what he suffered in his humane nature is attributed to and taken to be the suffering of his person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Religion he caused by his Commandments every where that no man should be persecuted for serving of God He a Gentile and heathen man would not have such as were of a contrary Religion punished for serving of God but the Pope and his Church hath cast you into prison being taken even doing the work of God and one of the excellentest works that is required of Christian men that is The Pope and his Church worse than heathens against Christs Church while ye were in prayer and not in such wicked and superstitious prayers as the Papists use but in the same prayer that Christ taught you and in his name only ye give God thanks for that ye have received and for his sake ye asked for such things as ye wâ—nt O glad may ye be that ever ye were born to be apprehended while ye were so vertuously occupied Blessed be they that suffer for righteousness sake c. And a little-after he saith thus You may perceive by your imprisonment that your adversaries weapons against you be nothing but flesh blood and tyranny For if they were able they would maintain their WICKED RELIGION by Gods word but for lack of that they would violently compel such as they cannot by holy Scripture perswade because the holy word of God and all Christs doings be contrary unto them Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1412. John Rogers Martyr Divinity-Reader at Pauls called the Church of Rome the Antichristian Church Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1416. And in the same page in answer to Bishop Gardners question Whether he believed in the Sacrament to be the very body and blood of our Saviour Christ that was born of the Virgin Mary and hanged on the Cross really and substantially He said thus Even as the most part of your Doctrine in other points is false and the defence thereof only by force and cruelty so in this matter I think it to be as false as the rest For I cannot understand really * Yet our men hold that Christs body is really and substantially in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper Else they basely equivocate Vid. Dr. Laurence Court-Sermon p. 18 Bishop Mountague in his Appeal p. 289. Heylin in his History of Presbytery p. 2. Yea not only Dr. Kellet Pocklington but A. B. Laud himself say that for the presence of Christs body in that Sacrament the Altar it self as well as the Elements must be adored as I have shewed before in Article the second and substantially to signifie otherwise than corporally but corporally Christ is only in heaven and so cannot be corporally also in your Sacrament And in the next Colume of the same Page he positively affirmeth Bishop Gardners Catholick Church as he called the Church of Rome is the Antichristian false Church And in page 1417 he saith That the Church of Rome is the Church of Antichrist And in pag. 1419 of the same Book he saith thus If God look not mercifully upon England the seeds of utter destruction are sown in it already by these hypocritical Tyrants and Antichristian Prelates Popish Papists and double Traytors to their natural Country Mr. Laurence Sanders in his Answer to Dr. Weston's Question viz. Who was of your Church thirty years past said thus Such quoth I. as that Romish Antichrist and his rabble have reputed and condemned as Hereticks Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1422. And after his Examination standing among the Officers and seeing a great multitude He warned them of that which by their falling from Christ to Antichrist they did deserve and therefore exhorted them by repentance to rise again and to embrace Christ with strong faith to confess him to the end in the defyance of Antichrist sin death and the Devil so should they retain the Lords favour and blessing p. 1424. And in his Letter to his Wife and others of the Faithful he saith thus And although I am not May not many Nonconformists say almost the same now God now preacheth to their people and to the whole Kingdom by their silence and suffering so among you as I have been to preach to you out of the Pulpit yet doth God now preach unto you by me by this my imprisonment and captivity which now I suffer among them for Christs Gospel sake bidding them to beware of the Romish Antichristian Religion and Kingdom requiring and charging them to abide in the truth of Christ which is shortly to be sealed with the blood of their Pastors c. p. 1427. Bishop Hooper told Bishop Gardner That forasmuch as the Pope taught Doctrine altogether contrary to the Doctrine of Christ he was not worthy to be accounted as a member of Christs Church much less to be Head thereof Ibi. p. 1433. And in his Speech to the Sheriff of Gloucester he said thus I come not hither as one enforced to die for it is well known I might have had my life with worldly gain but as one willing to offer and give my life for the truth rather than to consent to the wicked and Papistical Religion of the Bishop of Rome received and set forth by the Magistrates of England to Gods high dishonour and displeasure Ibid. p. 1436. And in his Letter to Mrs. Anne Wartop he calls the Church of Rome the Synagogue of Antichrist that beareth the name of Jerusalem Ibid. p. 144â— Dr. Rowland Taylor Martyr in his Answer to his Friends that exhorted him to flie to save his life said thus What Christian man would not gladly die against the Pope and his Adherents I know that the Papacy is the Kingdom of Antichrist altogether full of lyes and falshood Fox Book of Martyrs p. 1446. And in his Answer to Bishop Gardner who exhorted him now to rise with them and receive mercy offered c. he said thus That so to rise should be the greatest fall that ever I could receive for I should so fall from my dear Saviour to Antichrist Ibid. p. 1447. And in a Letter to a Friend touching the causes of his death he saith thus That he did affirm the Pope to be Antichrist and Popery to be Antichristianity Ibid. p. 1449. Col. 2. And in his Answer to Bishop Bonner when he came to the Prison to degrade him wishing him and his fellows to turn to his Mother he said to him I would you and your fellows would turn to Christ as for me I will not turn to Antichrist Ibid. p. 1451. 1 Col. And in his Letter to his Wife he saith The Popish Mass as it is now is but one of Antichrists youngest Daughters in the which the Thomas Wats said to the 11th Article that he believed that the Bishop of Rome is a mortal enemy to Christ and his Church Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1512. Devil is rather present and received than our Saviour the second Person in Trinity God and man Ibid. p. 1455. Col. 1. Mr. Hawkes in Answer to this Question of Bishop Bonner Did you ever drink any deadly poyson saith thus The
acteth against and contrary to them By which saith he they do declare themselves to be none of the Church of Christ but rather of the Synagogue of Satan Yea he there tells his Wife That he called them with good conscience as Christ called their forefathers the children of the Devil and that as their father the Devil is a lyar and murtherer so their Kingdom and Church as they call it standeth by lying and murdering therefore my dear Wife have no fellowship with them Ibid. Bishop Ridley in his Letter in Captivity calls the Church of Rome the Strumpet of Babylon and the Pope of Rome Antichrist Fox his Book of Martyrs p. 1626. col 1. And in his Answer at his Examination to Bishop White he saith He cannot but confess with St. Gregory a Bishop of Rome also that the Bishop of that place is the very true Antichrist whereof St. John speaketh by the name of the Whore of Babylon And I say saith he with the said St. Gregory that he that maketh himself a Bishop of all the world is worse than Antichrist Ibid. p. 1650. col 2. And in his Communication with Dr. Brooks Bishop of Gloucester when he degraded him exhorting him to recant and submit to the Church of Rome he saith thus You know my mind concerning the usurped authority of the Romish Antichrist Ibid. p. 1659. col 2. And a little after when he would Bishop Ridley though when he was in his Pontificalibus he contended too much for the Surplice c. yet when he came to die he refused it and abominated it put on him the Surplice c. he inveighed against the Romish Bishop and all that foolish apparel calling him Antichrist and the apparel foolish and abominable Ibid. In his Farewell Letter to all his Friends he calls the Bishop of Rome the Babylonical Beast and the then Bishops of England thieves of Samaria Sabei Caldei These robbers have rushed out of their dens and have robbed the Church of England of all the aforesaid holy treasure of God they have carried it away they have overthrown it and instead of Gods holy word the true and right administration of Christs holy Sacraments as of Baptism and the other they mix their Ministry with mens fantasies and many wicked and â—â—godly traditions Ibid. p. 1674. And these Bishops he calls the Soldiers of Antichrist Ibid. p. 1675. col 1. And in his Letter to the Lords Temporal he saith thus I wonder my Lords what hath bewitched you that ye are so suddenly fallen from Christ unto Antichrist from Christs Gospel unto mens traditions from the Lord that bought you to the Bishop now of Rome I warn you of your peril be not deceived except ye will be found willingly consenters unto your own death For if ye think thus we are Lay-men this is a matter of Religion we follow as we are taught and led if our teachers and governours teach us and lead us amiss the fault is in them they shall bear the blame My Lords 't is true I grant you that both the false teacher and the corrupt governour shall be punished for the death of their subjects whom they have falsely taught and corruptly lead yea and their blood shall be required at their hands But yet neverthelss shall that subject die the death himself also that is he shall also be damned for his own sin For if the blind lead the blind Christ saith not the leader only but both shall fall into the ditch Shall the Synagogue and the Senate of the Jews trow ye which forsook Christ and consented to his death therefore be excused because Annas and Caiphas with the Scribes and Pharisees and their Clergy did teach them amiss yea and also Pilate their Consenters and doers are both guilty saith Bishop Ridley Ibid. p. 1675. governour and the Emperours Lieutenant by his tyranny did without cause put to death Forsooth no my Lords no. For notwithstanding that corrupt Doctrine or Pilates washing of his hands neither of both shall excuse either that Synagogue and Seigniory or Pilate but at the Lords hand for the effusion of that innocent blood on the latter day shall drink of the deadly whip * Bishop Gardners six Articles called the Whip with six strings I â—elieve he alluded to Ye are witty and understand what I mean Therefore I will pass from this to tell you that ye are fallen from Christ to his adversary the Bishop of Rome pag. 1667. And immediately after he tells them That he doth not in calling the Bishop of Rome Christs adversary or Antichrist rage or raile but speak the words of truth and sobriety And shews That that Church while it continued in the Apostles Doctrine was Apostolick and those that sate in that See might be called Apostolici but since that See hath degenerated from the trace of Truth and true Religion which it received of the Apostles at the beginning and hath preached another Gospel hath set up another Religion hath exercised another power and hath taken upon it to order and rule the Church of Christ by other strange Laws and Canons and rulers than ever it received of the Apostles the Apostles of Christ which thing it doth at this day and hath continued so doing alas alas of too too long a time since the time I say that the state and condition of that See hath thus been changed in truth it ought of duty and of right to have the names changed both of the See and of the Sitter therein As that See then for that true trade of Religion and Doctrine of Christs Apostles justly and truly was called Apostolick so as truly and justly for the contrariety of Religion and * Is this not directly contrary to A B. Laud's Doctrine in his Relation wherein pag. â—â—6 he saith That the Church of Rome and Protestants set not up a different Religion diversity of Doctrine from Christs and his Apostles that See and the Bishop thereof at this day both ought to be called and are indeed Antichristian The See is the seat of Satan and the Bishop of the same that maintaineth the abominations thereof is Antichrist himself indeed And for this cause this See at this day is the same which St. John calleth in his Revelation Babylon or the Whore of Babylon and spiritual Sodoma and Egyptus the mother of fornications and of the abomination upon the earth and with this Whore do spiritually meddle and lye with her and commit most stinking and abominable adultery before God all those Kings and Princes yea all Nations of the earth which do CONSENT TO HER ABOMINATIONS and use or practise the same Ibid. p. 1668. And in his Lamentation for the change of Religion in England he saith thus The head under Satan of all mischief is Antichrist and his brood and the same is he which is the Babylonical Beast Ibid. p. 1671. col 2. And in p. 1673 he calls King Edward the sixth that innocent that
afterward when A B. Vsher drew up the Articles of Ireland to which all the Clergy there in Convocation assembled yielded assented and subscribed as was shewed before And the reason why he yielded not to them at the Conference at Hampton-Court was because he did not understand what they were Conference Ibid. p. 40. 2. He wished that the Doctrine of Predestination might be very tenderly handled and with great discretion lest on the one side Gods Omnipotence might be called in question by impeaching the Doctrine of his eternal Predestination or on the other a desperate presumption might he arreared by inferring the necessary certainty of standing and persisting in grace Conf. p. 30. 3. He saith That Predestination and Election dependeth not upon any qualities actions or works of man which be mutable but upon Gods eternal and immutable decree and purpose Conf. p. 43. 4. This I suppose was one great reason why learned King James called Arminius his Scholars Atheistical Hereticks in his Declaration against Vorstius Because 1. Their conditional and incompleat Election of singular persons and not peremptory until at the last they do persevere doth by necessary consequence deny Gods nature For let it be granted as they distinguish and say That Gods eternal Decree of Election of particular persons be not absolute but only conditional if they do believe and not peremptory and compleat till they do believe and persevere in believing and to the hour of death and that this their faith and perseverance doth depend upon mans Free-will which is very corrupt uncertain and changeable and which they say may and doth determine it self always as it pleaseth and may finally resist Gods will and offers of Grace then it will follow that Gods knowledg is very confused and uncertain that he doth not distinctly and certainly know whether this or that man will or shall believe in Christ and persevere in holiness and that therefore he doth but conditionally elect him to eternal Salvation viz. if he do believe in Christ and persevere and not peremptorily until he see him do so and then it will follow that God is not omniscient and that there is a separable accident in God and that God is compounded of subject and accident and not a perfect and simple essence and so not God which is contrary to Sacred Scripture Job 6. 64. But there are some of you that believe not for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him And 2 Tim. 2. 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his Which two places of Scripture do plainly shew that the Lord doth distinctly and certainly know who are elected and who are reprobated and who would believe in Christ and who would not believe in him and this too from the beginning And their Doctrine of resistibility viz. that the will of Gods elect can finally resist Gods will denies consequentially Gods Omnipotence and makes man stronger than God which is contrary to that of our Saviour Joh. 10. 29 30. My Father which gave them me is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand I and my Father are one And so they run directly against King James his words which they have brought out of the Conference at Hampton-Court before mentioned where he willed That the Doctrine of Predestination should be handled tenderly lest Gods Omnipotence should be called in question 3. Their Doctrine of Gods incomplete and revocable decree of Election makes God mutable which is contrary to Mal. 3. 6. I the Lord change not Jam. 1. 17. With God there is no variableness nor shadow of turning To this may be added that which the industrious and judicious Author of the Book intituled the * C. 7. S. 6. p 210 211. Practical Divinity of the Papists tells us that Papists have too much of forcery and inchantment in their Sacramentals and such like things as in Consecrated water Salt Oyl Bread Waxen-tapers branches of Trees Roses Bells Medals and Agnus Dei's To such things as these they ascribe marvelous and supernatural effects a virtue to save and sanctifie fouls to blot out sins to expel Devils to cure diseases to secure Women in travel to preserve from burning and drowning Pope * De Consecrat D. 3. C. aqua Alexander in the Decrees which they ascribe to him asserts that water mixed with salt and consecrated doth sanctifie the people purifie the unclean break the snares of the Devil and bring health to body and soul The form of exorcising salt which we have in their authorized Books tells us it is exorcised that it may be to all that take it both health to body and soul The exorcised water is to take away all the power of the Devil and root him out Pope Vrban the fifth lib. 1. de Ceremoniis cap. ult tells us that an Agnus Dei drives away Lightning and all malignancy delivers pregnant Women destroys the force of fire secures from drowning and which is more destroys sin even as the blood of Christ doth Bellarmine * De cultu Sanctor l. 3. c. 7. p. 1594. saith they are of power for blotting out venial sins for the chasing away Devils for the curing of Diseases Others †Tribuitur Thom Cajetan Soto in Suarez T. 3. Disp 15. S. 4. ascribe to them a power to excite gracious motions even ex opere operato Now it is acknowledged that the natural power of these things cannot reach such effects and that there is no virtue in or of themselves to produce them no more than there is in such things by which Magicians and Conjurers work their strange seats Nor hath the Lord instituted them or any where promised to impower them for such purposes no more than he hath promised to make the charm of any sorcerer effectual for marvelous operations Bellarmine * Ibid. ubi supra confesseth that such things have their force not by any promise of God expressed And Suarez †Ib. p. 187. saith the effect thereof is not founded in any special promise of God because as he had said it doth not appear there is any such promise And they confess there is a tacit Invocation of the Devil in using things for effects to which they have no power natural or Divine There is such an Invocation of the Devil saith Cajetan * Sum. verbo Divinatio when one useth any thing or word as having power for an effect for which it appears not to have any virtue either natural or Divine And so Silvester †Sum. verbo supersâ—â—cio after Aquinas if the things made use of for such effects appear to have no power to produce them it follows that they are not used for this purpose as causes but as signs or Sacramentals and consequently they belong to some compact with the Devil And this even the Jesuits will acknowledg Thus Cardinal