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A08326 An antidote or treatise of thirty controuersies vvith a large discourse of the Church. In which the soueraigne truth of Catholike doctrine, is faythfully deliuered: against the pestiferous writinges of all English sectaryes. And in particuler, against D. Whitaker, D. Fulke, D. Reynolds, D. Bilson, D. Robert Abbot, D. Sparkes, and D. Field, the chiefe vpholders, some of Protestancy, some of puritanisme, some of both. Deuided into three partes. By S.N. Doctour of Diuinity. The first part.; Antidote or soveraigne remedie against the pestiferous writings of all English sectaries S. N. (Sylvester Norris), 1572-1630. 1622 (1622) STC 18658; ESTC S113275 554,179 704

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with him it doth so inded yet imperfectly rawly in part only Answere directly for shame Is that raw imperfect duety such as it fulfilleth the law so far forth as it obligeth vnder sinne or no What say you Are you mute dare you not speake Thē iudgemēt passeth against you that eyther it fulfilleth not the obligation sinne is inuolued in the duety and that so deeply as the dutifull action is of it owne nature according to you a true deuiation breach of the Commandment or it satisfieth the whole bād of the law and so it is cōtaminated with no touch of sinne in respect of that obligatiō It is a pure good vndefiled action it is the full accomplishment of whatsoeuer the law in that kind exacted the only sentence we expect from your mouth Againe though sinne be not implyed in the duty yet the duety in their phantasticall iudgment is stayned with the sinne but euery action which is stayned with sinne is necessarily sinneful Basil serm 2 de Bap●● 7. 8. Chrys or the author vpon the imperfect work of 8. Matthew S Thom. 1. 2. q. 18. art 4 ad ● q 19. art 7. ad 3. whence soeuer the sinne proceedeth as S. Basil S. Chrysostome S. Thomas with all the Schoole-men conformably teach For as that which is endewed with whitenes must needs be white from what cause soeuer the whitenes cōmeth whether from the naturall propriety and conditiō of the thing as in a Swan or from the outward act and industry of man as in a white-limed wall So if the duety we performe be polluted with sinne our dutye is sinfull from whence soeuer the sinne ariseth whether from the inward hart or outward obiect casuall necessity or accidentall condition of man 8. I may weary my selfe in skirmishing so long with such feeble aduersaries and wounding them thus in so many places Therefore I retire inflicting for a farewell this last and deadly stroake in true Syllogisticall Dionys de diuin nom c. 4. par 4. Greg. Niss hom 2. in Cant. orat cated c. 5. Basil bom 9. ●oan Damas l. 2. de fi●e c. 4. Aug. l. 2. de lib arbr c. vlt. l. 12 de ciuit ● 1 3. 7. Fuig de fide ad Peter c. 21. Auselm o. per. de praese praed c. ● manner Euery action euery duety which is deficient and bereaued eyther of due conuersion to God conformity to reason or of such moral rectitude as by precept binding vnder mortall sinne ought to be in it is a mortall crime and true preuarication of the Law But euery action euery duty we acheiue is according to Protestants deficient and bereaued of that conuersion rectitude or conformity as by precept binding vnder mortall sinne ought to be in it Therefore euery action euery duty we accomplish is according to them a deadly cryme a true b●each and preuarication of the law The Maior proposition is the ruled definition of sinne agreed vpon by the best Deuines who either affi me it to be a priuation of good with S. Dionysius Areopagita S. Gregory Nissen S. Basil and S. Iohn Damascene o●an alienation an auersion from the law of God with S. Augustine Fulgen us or a want absence and defect of rectitude with S. Anselme or a desertion a straying from vertue with S. Basil againe Nicetus or lastly a deflection a deuiation from the square of Basil in cōstit Mon. Nicet in orat 40. Nazian q. insanct Baptism ● Thom ● 2. q. 71. art 1. ● ● con Gent. c. 7. reason or supreme rule of all actions with S. Thomas and the whole troupe of his followers 9. The Minor that our duety is deficient bereaued of the good fayling of that rectitude or perfection of vertue which ought to be in it is auowed by our Aduersaryes when they contend that it is not answerable and correspondent to the whole taske or amercement the Law exacteth vnder the fine of sinne or forfeiture of disobedience therefore the forementioned conclusion rightly inferred from these two premises is vndeniable And wheras some thinke to get away with their loose reply that although the dutyes they performe be in themselues breaches of the law yet those breaches are pardoned Another obiection vnanswe●ed not imputed to the elect these men by seeking to get out lap themselues faster in their owne inextricabe ne●s for no sinne is to be attempted no breach of the law can be lawfully incurred that God may after pardon forgiue the fault that he may not impute the transgression of his law Murder is pardoned Adultery is not imputed in their conceit to the beleeuing Protestant may they therefore be committed because they shal be forgiuen O malicious presumption O presumptuous malice For beare then yee Sectaryes forbeare your duetyes to God your alleagiance to your Prince forbeare your raw and imperfect obseruations of al diuine and human laws or els reuoke your calumnyes abiure your heresies that all vertuous deeds are bespotted with the staynes of vice THE SECOND CHAPTER IN WHICH The same is warranted by the Fathers the obiections answered the vnuoluntary motions of Concupiscence discharged of sinne FOVRE notable thinges are deliuered by the Doctors of the Church to shew the falsity of the former calumniation First they auouch our good Hier. l. ● aduers Pelag Augu. de spir lit c. vlti Greg. l. 2. moral c. 8. works to be free from the spots of defilement S. Hierome S. Augustine S. Gregory and S. Bernard in the places heere quoted in the margent Secōdly they affirme them to iustfy vs before God by true increase and augmentation of inherent iustice to which purpose I haue alleadged many in the controuersy of iustification by workes Thirdly they inculcate that some heroicall Bern. l. de praecep dispens acts are so pure and acceptable to God as they purge clense vs from al dregs from all remaynes of former defaults yea they are so worthy and meritorious as they do not only purchase an increase of grace in this life but a great crowne of glory in the next as Clemens Alexandrinus Tertullian Origen and S. Cyprian affirme of the dignity of Martyrdom whose sentences are set downe in the question of merit Fourthly they teach that not only the workes of some holy men but that they also themselues Hier. l ●3 cont Pela August de pec mer. remis l. 2 c. 6. Ambr. de na gra c. 3. In eodem l. c. 67. Orig. l. 1. in Iob. Cent. 3. c. 4. col 78. Lact. l. 6. cap. 25. Cent. 4. c. 4. col 192. In eodem l. c 25. Theod. q 19. in Gen Cent. 5 c. 10. col 1008. Hier. l. 4. comm in Ezech. Cent. 4. ● 10. col 1249. may befor a tyme innocent and cleane from all impurity We teach that a man may if he will not sinne c. S. Hierome A man may if he will be without
life can euer atcheiue so his vnspeakable mercy degenerateth into tyranny exacting a tribute which we cannot pay condemning vs for a fault which we cannot possibly eschew or he commandeth vs to discharge our dutyes according to our weake and limping manner and then our vttermost endeauours satisfy his law although they be lame and imperfect If not If our best endeauours transgresse his will if they be wanting of the duty we ought to performe and he command that defectuous duty thus he himselfe commandeth a transgression commandeth a sinne and man by doing Gods will is bound to sinne From which M. Abbot cannot Abbo● cap. 4. sect 46. fol. ●88 excuse him by saying It is the duty only he is bound to and not to the sinne For if the duety be vnauoydably linked with the sinful transgression whosoeuer commandeth the duty commandeth the transgression and whosoeuer is obliged to accomplish the one is necessarily obliged to incurre the other Neither is this fallacia accidentis or any sophisticall cauillation as he would bleare the eyes of the simple producing to that effect these two examples against Doctour Abbot ibi Bishop A lame man is bound by law to come to the Church he cannot come to the Church but he must halt therefore he is bound by law to halt M. Bishop is bound to pay a man twenty poundes but he cannot tell the money without soyling his fingers therefore he is bound to soyle his fingers So he writing at randome for i● there were no other pace amongst men nor other meanes to repaire to Church but only by halting all those who were bound by law to go to the Church should be boūd by law to halt to the Church and whosoeuer was willed to go should in this case be willed to halt if I say there were no other gate at all then halting now in the opinion of Protestants there is no meanes of fulfilling the law of God heer vpon earth but defectuous lame and sinneful therfore whosoeuer is tyed to that sinnefull fufilling 〈◊〉 also tyed and obliged to sin and whosoeuer commandeth it commandeth sinne 3. His second example is more extrauagant for no Caluin in Antido Conc. Trisess ● c. 12 precept of the Decalogue can be obserued The least saith Caluin is a burden more heauy then Aetna No action of keeping can be done without breach yet some money may be counted without soyling of fingers I verily thinke many poore Artizans many studēts also may receaue their rents without much soyling howbeit the ample reuenues of great Lordships may stayne thē somewhat more yet these staynes defilements arise not immediatly from the action of counting or locall motion of the fingers but from the money defilant coyne which is soyled cleanse that and your fingers will be cleane But dare you say in like manner that the impurity of our dueties the spots of our actions are drawn from the things prescribed and commanded by God from his spotted laws defiled constitutions I cannnot iudge you guilty of so wicked a saying 4. Secondly eyther English Protestants hold with Caluin that all and euery commandment is impossible to be kept or some particuler only Not euer one for I Caluin loc citato consulte the consciences of your own Sectaries whether some of your Iudges haue not beene free from murder bearing false witnes against their neighbours whether some of your graue Matrons haue not beene faythfull to their husbands not defiled neyther in thought nor deed with the cryme of adultery whether some Protestants children haue not beene obedient to their parents some Protestants subiects loyall to their Prince I for my part what soeuer the Caluinists libell to the contrary vnfeignedly iudge that diuers among them haue fully obserued at least for a tyme some of these precepts then euery commandment is not impossible for some space to be kept The precept of not coueting may be kept But some perchance be Which are they The two hardest in your opinion are thou shalt not couet and thou shalt loue God withall thy hart c. Of the former it hath beene already proued that it forbiddeth not the vnuoluntary motions but the free consent which we may refrayne as some Protestants no doubt at some tyme or other checke and subdue their desires of adultery of reuenge of coueting their neighbours goods their liues c. For it is an infamy too reproachfull that all their women should be adultresses all their men aged children reuengers of their wrongs spillers of bloud purloyners of the goods of others eyther Protestāts themselues obserue some of the commandmēts in hart or deed as often as any such euill motion ariseth or tentation is suggested vnto them Agayne to affirme the first motions which inuade vs against our will to be breaches of the precept daunteth the courage of Christs valiant souldiers it frustrateth the intent of Gods commaundement For why doth he command vs not to couet but that we may fulfill his will in not coueting Why do we fight against the motions of Concupiscence but that we may not transgresse his law yeilding to them Which suppose it be will we nill we by their assaultes transgressed we striue in vaine to keep of the receaued foyles or preuent the woundes already inflicted This precept then we may keep as often as we bridle our in ordinate suggestions and suppresse the inticements which prouoke vs to euill The Cōmaundment of louing God may be also obserued 5. The other also whereby we are commanded to loue God withal our hartes with al our forces c. may be fulfilled if we vnderstand it aright of the appretiatiue loue of true frendship therein exacted not of intensiue or affectionate loue as the Deuines speake that is we ought to esteeme and prize God for his owne infinite goodnes before all thinges in the world abandon al earthly riches profits and emolumentes when occasion is offered rather then him we ought to make him the only scope and finall end of all our desires yet we are not charged to loue him with all the degrees of intention which may be for that can neuer be shewed nor to loue him with such perfection as to imbrace voluntary pouerty or perpetuall chastity for his sake these are only counsayled not commaunded by the force of that precept neyther are we tied so to settle our hartes vpon him as not to affect any other thing conducible to our estate or profitable for the maintenance of our liues but only not to affect any thinge contrary and repugnant to his seruice which wee may easily do by the help of his grace and wholy thereby discharge our bond in fullfilling that sweet and comfortable Psal 118. v. to v 58. v. 145. v. 68 law as king Dauid discharged it when he testified of himselfe With my whole hart haue I sought after thee I besought thy face with all my hart I haue cried in
sayth before he adore it That body sayth S. Chrysostome we adore on the Altar which the Sages did in the Cribbe All impregnable proofes of our Reall Presence as pregnant reproofes of M. Bilsons forgery Yet some thing he must say because he will not yield And to S. Augustine he answereth That he taketh adoring for eating because eating is belieuing As if S. Augustine had foolishly said No man eateth before he eateth or belieueth before he belieueth A like miserable shift is he faine to vse to auoid S. Ambrose S. Chrysostome and S. Gregory Nazianzen as all may see who haue leasure to peruse them 20. I will not heere offend my Reader with the filth of Caluins Sutclif● and Sparks reuiling quil who defame vs Calu. l. 4. instit c. 17 Sutclife in his Suruey cap. 8. Sparks in his answer to M. Iohn Albins p. 219. 220. Sap. ● v. ●1 with the Antichristian heresy of the Valentinians Manichies Eutychians and Marcionits as though we denyed with them the solidity and other properties of Christs naturall body which all men know to be a most shameles calumny Awake then awake you beguiled soules and vncharme your harts of these dangerous enchantments you that are bewitched with the tounges and pens not of one venemous Sparke but of many vile Calūniators Awake I beseech you in the behalfe of God and your owne eternall good Remember the words of King Salomon The mouth which rageth with lyes killeth the soule It ruineth the soule of the detractor and soules of those that listen vnto him Remember that these slanderous speaches chase you from the table of God from the food of Angels feast of heauen They depriue you of your daintyest repast of your cheifest banquet of the pledge of your saluation of Ioan. 6. v. 53. the medicine of immortality of the tree of life of which our Sauiour sayth Vnlesse you eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud you shall haue no life in you THE FOVRTH CONTROVERSY WHEREIN ●s vpholden the Sacrifice of the Masse against D. Bilson D. Reynolds and D. Sparkes CHAP. I. IT is a foule yet common fault of our Aduersaries when they espie the names and words of holy Write to bewray their errours they cauill as in the precedent Chapter about the sēse meaning and construction of them when the meaning and thing questioned is playne and vnauoidable they contend at least for the precise words tearmes and names themselues as for the name Purgatory the name Transubstantiation c. and M. Bilson in this present Controuersy striueth much for the Bils 4. pa● pag. 70● name Sacrifice demanding Where it is expressed by the Apostle in playne words others for the name Masse To whom we reply as S. Augustine did to Pascen●ius the Arrian Nothing Aug. ●p 174. is more contentious then to quarell about the name when the thing it selfe is apparantly knowne We grant that as the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was first defined by the Councell of Nice against Arrius the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Coūcell of Ephesus against Nestorius so the name Sacrifice the name Masse hath byn frequently vsed by the ancient Fathers The Scripture indeed mentioneth not the wordss but the sense and meaning of them it fully conteineth Yea Christian Religion necessarily requireth some externall Sacrifice our duty to God exacteth it the very instinct of nature teacheth it against all which our aduersaries make warre when they labour to impugne this holy mystery 2. If we suruey forraine Countries and search the customes of all ages past we can neuer find any nation so barbarous any people at all as Plato noteth so rude and Plato de leg dial ●0 sauage who with vowes victimes and outward Sacrifices haue not acknowledged the soueraignty of some God or other For which Plutarch aduersus Colo● cause Plutarch sayth If you passe ouer all the world you may find Citties without wales Characters Kings c. without Riches Coyne Schooles and Theaters but a towne without Temples and Gods to whom Sacrifices are offered you shall neuer find Neyther could this continued practise and generall agrement Tul. l. 1. Tuscu q. of all nations which Tully calleth The voyce of nature proceed from any other fountaine then the secret worke and instinct of God All people as Xenophon obserueth could neuer meete by common consent to agree Xenoph. de dict fact Socrat 4. in this point or if they did meete could they impart their minds or being of diuers languages vnderstand one another We must needs therfore conclude with him in the like case that it floweth from the cheife cause and authour Aug. epist 49 ad Deo gra quaest 3. of nature And with S. Augustine That this is not to be blamed in the rites of Pagans that they builded Temples ordined Priests offered Sacrifice but that these were exhibited to Idols and Diuels that was to be condemned Wherfore except our Auersaries after such plenty of grace will wholy extinguish in vs the liuely sparks and fruits of nature we cānot but allow some outward oblation in honour of God 3. Againe the act it selfe of Sacrificing in which by the change and * Note that the body of Christ is consumed according to his sacramentall manner of beeing which sufficeth the nature of an vnbloudy Sacrifice Aug. l. 10 de ciuit Dei cap. 4. consumption of some sensible Host by a lawfull Minister with solemne rite consecrated to God we make protestation of our dependancy seruice and submission vnto him the supreme and soueraigne gouernour and moderatour of all things is so proper and peculiar to the highest Maiesty that whereas the Religious worship of adoration prayer kneeling lifting vp hands haue byn often challenged and attributed to men to Amon Assuerus Nabuchodonozor and the like Yet the diuine worship of Sacrifice as S. Augustine witnesseth No man liuing euen presumed to say it was due to any but only to the true or supposed God So that to despoile him with M. Reynolds of this externall homage soly principally allotted vnto him is to robbe him of his especiall right dignity and preheminency it is to make vs Christians who aboue all nations are most obliged vnto our Lord aboue all others by denying him his chiefest honour to remaine most vngratefull 4. Moreouer euery Religion euery law and gouernment of Gods Church is so inwardly linked with some outward forme of Priesthood with some visible manner of Gen. 4. v. 4. 8. 20. 14. 18. Exod. 12. Num. 28. Leuit. 4. Cyp. de coena Dom. Bils 4 par pag. 699. Reyn. c. 8. diuis 4. Sacrifice as they can neyther stand flourish or perseuere without them In the law of Nature there were the Sacrifices of Abel Noe Melchisedech c. In the law written diuers prescribed by Almighty God In the law of grace what Sacrifice grant you by which it standeth in which it consisteth by
in their power by Gods helpe to Basil Orat in illud Attende tibi Chrys ho. 8 de poenio Aug. tom 7. denat grat c. 6● Hier. ep ad Damas de expos Symboli keep them Therefore to quit the soueraigne goodnes from this merciles cruelty the Fathers vniformely define That it is a wicked thing to teach the Precepts of the spirit cannot be obserued S. Basil Accuse not God he hath not commanded things impossible S. Chrysostome We stedfastly beleeue God to be iust good not able to command things impossible hence we are admonished what we ought to do in things easy what to aske in things hard and difficile S. Augustine S. Hierome accurseth their blasphemy who teach any impossible things to be imposed by God vnto man Which argument hath beene handled heertofore in the Cōtrouersy of Free will where the Aduersaryes cauils theretunto are reiected The like impiety it were in God to cooperate with vs in such speciall manner to affoard his heauenly grace his supernaturall ayde to the keeping of his Commandments if we transgresse and sinne in keeping of them For as our August de pec mer. remis l. 2. c. 5. great Doctour S. Augustine teacheth To commit sin we are not ayded of God but to do good things or wholly fullfill the precept of iustice we cannot vnles we be ayded by God Marke heere that by the ayde of God we may not in part but wholy fullfill the precept and that in fullfilling it we do not sinne because thereunto we could not be holpen by God To which my aduersaries cannot shape their worne-out and thrid-bare reply That our obseruation our loue of God Abb cap. 4. sect 44. for example is no sinne but a good deed by acceptation For as I haue often answered God cannot accept that for good which is in it selfe naught and sinnefull but it is good in the Abbot ibid. sol 579. originall of grace from whence it proceedeth Explane your selfe a little better whether you meane it is perfectly or imperfectly good Graunt perfectly and you go on our side yield only imperfectly and you stand at the stay you were before perhaps you imagine that it springeth perfect from the fountaine of grace and after receaueth a blemish from the weaknes of flesh You imagine amisse for the same indiuiduall morall act which once is enriched with the dowry of perfection cānot be after impouerished with any basenes of vice Or is it partly good as it is wrought by grace and partly euill as it runneth through the conduct of depraued nature No such matter the thing contradicteth it selfe as hath beene often signifyed neither is nature the conduct or pipe but true cause of the act in which there is not any part good assignable to grace distinct from that which is ascribed to man but the entiere action perfect or lesse perfect is wholy assigned to mans freewill wholy thereunto ayded by grace as the characters which the scholler frameth by the Maisters guiding of his hand are not seuerally drawne fayrely by one and rudely by the other but the same fayre or deformed rude or well fashioned are wholy from both Which forceth M. Abbot from that incongruous shift We Abbot cap. 4. sect 44. fol. 579. by our corruption do disgrace that which proceedeth holy and pure from God In like manner he is ferretted out of his other berry-hole That the action is good in the will and endeauour of Abbot ibid. the person by whom it is done For the will is weake the endeauour mean the person cloathed with human corruption who if he may will and endeauour that which is good then some good may proceed from a fleshly man perfect and entiere free from all spot and blemish or els the will and intendment is no better then the worke and VVhitak in his answere to the 8. reason of M. Camp VVhitah l. 8. aduers Duraum Abbot cap. 4. sect 44. fol. 578 this assignement of goodnes which you make to the will is a meere shew or treachery to cloake the badnes of your cause 2. Lastly you say although you place it not in order last that the duty we obserue is in substance good Well I am contented with this but see you recant not for heere I haue that the substance at least of louing God the substance of euery obseruation of the law which we achieue is perfect and entiere able to satisfy the will of God able to make vs acceptable vnto him Yes say they If he fauourably looke vpon it and impute not the fault but if he Abbot c. 4. sect 47. fol. 596. should strictly narrowly deale with vs he should haue iust cause of reiecting vs in the doing thereof Forbeare these ifs ands and come to the point Is the substance of the action done entierely good in it selfe or no abstracting from the fauour or dislike of God whose indulgence or seuerity VVhitak in his answere to the 8. reason of M. Campiā being extrinsecall doth not make the substance of the worke better or worse It is not so good as it may endure the try all of the precise and perfect rule of righteousnes truth This is not the question but whether it may stand with satisfaction of his law It cannot stand with it in such full complete and absolute manner as that nothing at all may be added thereunto Neither is that the thing demanded who euer dealt with such slippery companions Must I still put you to the torture to draw out the truth My question is whether the substance of the act satisfyeth the obligation of the law Let vs heere what you say to this They answere as heertofore It is short of that which the law requireth it cannot be such VVhitak in his answere to the 8. reason of M. C●mplan and lib. 8. aduer Duraeū Abbot cap. 4. fol. 60● as it ought to be as long as the flesh lusteth against the spirit there can be no such entiere good in vs. Alwayes a man doth lesse then he ought to do I thought you would flinch from your word but I pursue you also flying The act then of louing God is substantially short of that the law requireth substantially lesse then it ought to be and not only lesse of that which ought to be by perswasion or counsaile but by precept binding to more vnder payne of morall sinne therefore the substance of this lesser act is not morally good but mortally defectuous substantially faulty a deadly sinne and true transgression of the law to which God cooperating must needs cooperate in particuler manner to the accomplishment of sinne Protestants are bound to surcease from louing praying or endeauouring to performe those mortall crimes and bound to performe them because God commandeth them as I further demonstrate by this dilemma Either God commandeth the complete perfect fullfilling of his law which Protestants teach no man in this