Euerie Church saie Ierome and Ferus hath this power which was promised to Peter in her bishops and priests and not the Church of Rome or Peters successours onely as now the Patrons of the Church of Rome teach But wherefore were they then promised specially to Peter if he alone receiued them not Ierome answers For a mystery not for any superioritie to signifie that there should be but one faith one Church from which vnitie whosoeuer did swarne should not be partaker of this remissioÌ„ Agréeing herein with Cyprian who plainly affirmes that the other Apostles were the same that Peter was Cypr. de simp praelat endewed with the same power and authorititie but to him alone this was spoken to declare the vnitie of the Church In this waightie matter if authoritie be sought for here is the authoritie of the scriptures one place expounded by another here is the consent of the ancient Fathers and euen of Ferus a friend of the Roman Church and yet in this so euident a matter of truth forced to ioine hands with these I would to God all other fauourers of the Romane Church would do the like and would not séeke by indirect meanes and fraudulent dealings to peruert and obscure the truth as is most manifest that they do euen in this very matter For whereas Ferus in his copie printed at Paris and published by Philippus Agricola the Emperours Chaplaine and dedicated to him and therefore no doubt being the verie true copie of the Originall alleaging that place of Iohn for the explication of Mathew saith that it cannot be found in any place else where thâ—s promise was performed And the ordinarie Glosse citing this place of Ierome for the explication of that plâ—ce of Iohâ— the copie printed at Rome after Aâ—no Dom. 157◠〈◊〉 out both that place of Iohn and of Ierome belike they thinke that the promise was not performed then as Ferus most euidently affirmes it was or else Ieromes exposition pleaseth them not And yet they would make the world beléeue that both Fathers and the Scriptures are on their side and do make for them If this be true whie should they then purge out as some lothsome thing this saying of the scripture and this exposition of Ierome for so they say in their copie printed at Rome Commentaries of Ferus at Rome perused and purged Do they vse to purge such things out By this we may learne what account they make of the scriptures and Fathers But this their corrupt dealing is not only in this place but followes verie often after in this matter of Peters prerogatiue as shall appeare It followes thus after in Ferus in the true originall Neither can they simply at their owne pleasure and will remit sinnes or retaine them but by certaine meanes Let vs seeke therefore what they be And truly in Matthew and Marke they are most manifestly expressed for so we read in Matthew Go teach all nations baptize them and in Mark Go you into the whole world and whose sins you remit they are remitted vnto theÌ„ He that beleeueth and shall be baptized c. Behold these are the meanes by which the Ecclesiasticall power of forgiuing sinnes is executed that is to say the preaching of the Gospell and administration of sacraments neither do I find anie other thing else giuen to the Apostles by which they may execute their power then these two things Here are the meanes Ferus plainly set downe by which this ecclesiasticall power promised to Peter and giuen to him with the rest of the Apostles is executed that is the preaching of the Gospell and the administration of the sacraments And in these two the bishop of Rome hath no more authoritie then anie other bishops or pastors of anie other church So that Ferus still kéepes his former iudgement that he cannot find but that which Ierome also auoucheth that euery church hath in her bishops and priests that which was promised to Peter and that this power is executed no otherwaies then by preaching and administration of the sacraments Then plainely by Ferus iudgement he cannot find that the bishop of Rome hath any power left him to execute this ecclesiasticall authoritie granted to Peter and to other bishops in making of pardons the which is a principall meanes by which he executeth this autthoritie Ferus can find but two means in the scripture by which this power is executed the preaching of the Gospell and the administration of the Sacraments The making of Pardons is a meane deuised to enrich the Pope not found in the scriptures Nay if this be true he makes in effect the Pope to be Antichrist for if the power of the true keies consist in preaching the gospell and in the administration of the sacraments then the Pope himselfe which neuer vseth anie of these but is altogether occupied in other matters as in making of pardons in confirming and deposing kings vseth counterfeit keyes in the house of Iesus Christ vseth not the true keies and therefore himselfe is a counterfeit seruant Luke 11.23 and euen Antichrist himselfe For our sauiour hath said Hee that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad But our Sauiour Christ when he was on earth here gathered his shéepe togther by preaching as is most apparant in the Gospell Therefore the Pope which doth not by this meanes gather with him scattereth abroad and is not a faithfull shepheard but an hireling not a â—atherer but a scatterer not a fauourer but a destroyer of Christs flocke This doctrine of Ferus is manifest and truly grounded on the scriptures But now let vs sée how the Popes Patrones haue corrupted and peruerted it Ferus as I haue before cited him hath thus plainlie declared his iudgement in the copie printed at Paris but in his copie printed at Rome thus there they haue peruerted his doctrine When as they count simply or at their owne pleasures or at their owne willes forgiue or retaine sinnes but by certaine meanes let vs search them out and they truly in Matthew and Marke are most manifestly expressed for so we read in Matthew Go teach all nations and baptize them And in Marke Goe into the whole world he that beleeueth and is baptized c Behold these are the meanes by which the Ecclesiasticall power of forgiuing of sinnes is executed that is to say the sacraments which if he receiue now the kingdome of heauen is opened vnto him now his sinnes are forgiuen him Neither find I any other thing giuen to the Apostles by which they ought to execute their power and authoritie Thus saith the Romane copie where they leaue out the principall meanes of executing this power that is preach ng the Gospell to confirme no doubt and maintaine their dumbe Pope and his Clergie and whereas Ferus can find nothing but these two they leaue out the preaching of the Gospell and these words then these two and
papist cites out of Eusebius Clemens that that Cephas which Paul reprehended in the 2. of the Galathians was not Peter the Apostle but another one of the 72. Disciples who was also called Cephas as he proueth out of Dorotheus and Hippolytus And he séemes to be himselfe of the same opinion for sayth he After the comming of the holy ghost vpon the Apostles it is not likely that the pillar of the Church shold haue fallen into so great a fault and haue erred in so great a matter of faith that is concerning the abrogation of the legall ceremonies To whom Christ committed his Church and appointed him generall pastour and teacher and maister of the faithfull and left him his Vicar vpon earth c. And againe It was not meete that the high Bishop and Prince of the Apostles should bee reproued of Paul so publiquely and sharply But this his smoake manifestly obscureth the truth for what is the drift of Paul in that place by the iudgement of other learned papists themselues but that he conferred the gospell with the Apostles not that he should learne any thinge of them whom he witnesseth to haue added nothing vnto him but lest they should not haue allowed it of whom onely he receiued the ministerie of gathering of almes And he shewes himselfe in somuch not inferiour to the Apostles that he feared not to reproue Peter their prince as it were compelling the gentiles to Iudaisme And after he shewes that we are Iustified by saith and not by the Lawe Gal. 2.16 This is Gagneus opinion in his argument of the second chap. to the Gal. So that if Paul conferred not his gospell with Peter the rest if he rebuked not Peter euen to the face as he there writes neither his owne authoritie nor the authoritie of his gospell which he preached amongst the GalathiaÌ„s had béene of such great authoritie Gal. 2.1 as hee there goeth about to proue vnto them And againe he writes that he went to Ierusalem where the Apostles abode and he reckons vp by name those that were chiefe amongst the Apostles Iames Cephas and Iohn and if Iames and Iohn were the Apostles he conferred with so also was Peter no doubt the Apostle he after reproued nay hee calleth Peter also Cephas by both his names lest hee should seeme to forget the priuiledge giuen him of our sauiour Nay hee called them pillars and is it likely that any of the 72 disciples should be called by that honorable name Nay he addeth that they gaue him right hands of fellowshippe now what great matter had it béen if any of the 72 disciples had made Paul equall with them And hee addeth after no doubt of the same Peter and not of any other that when as hee was come to Antioch hee withstood him to his face We may note here that the Papists are so blinded with the loue of their Pope that they will not sticke to discredite S. Paul and to diminish as much as in them lieth his authoritie and the authoritie of the gospell which hee preached to maintaine their Popes authoritie But this their exposition is not onely against the scripture but also against the Fathers Ierome and Augustine hadde soone béen agréede if they had credited any such matter who so earnestly wrote one against the other Aug. epist 9. concerning this reprehension when as Austin sayd Peter erred in deede and Ierome that he dissembled only and that Paul did not iustly reproue him But Ierome in his commentaries vpon the Galathians makes mention of this opinion and reiects it Hanmer in trans Dorothei de 70. discip Nay also in Dorotheus latin copie there is no such Cephas numbred amongst the 72 disciples although in the gréeke such an one is named This diuersitie of copies argues some of Sathans subtilties And here may bee a true and forcible argument drawne against the Popes supremacie If Peter had béen head of the Church hee ought not so publiquely sharply to haue béen reproued of Paul saith Pintus but as Gagneus and Austen and almost all the auncient fathers and truth it selfe doth witnesse Paul did so openly and sharply reproue him therefore he was not head of the Church Ferus how resolute he is in this his opinion concerning the Popes authoritie it is worth the marking howe plainly in other his workes as occasion offers hee shewes his iudgment herein If therefore saith hee wee will haue the Church safe let vs especially pray for the holy ghost for it is he wherein the Church is vnited gouerned spread abroad and preserued He alone is the only tutor gouernour teacher and comforter of all the faithfull To the vnitie of the church as other papists doe hee requires not the vnitie of a ministeriall head to gouerne the church but the vnitie of the holy spirit And after speaking of Peter he writes thus He stood in the midst of his brethren In which word the humilitie of Peter is commended For he did not alone by himselfe puft vp with vaine arrogaÌ„cie dispose the ecclesiasticall affaires according to his owne pleasure but in the midst of his brethren he dispatched all thinges which were to be done For it is not lawfull that the ecclesiasticall affaires and what thinges belong to the whole Church should bee ordered by the pleasures of a fewe but rather that those thinges should be disposed to the glorie of God according to the rules and appointment of the scriptures by the mutuall consent of good men Neither is that fit that any one shall take vpon him any office whatsoeuer For the Apostle sayth Let all things be done decently and according to order Therefore it was necessarie that one of the Apostles should orderly doe those necessarie affaires and therefore Peter stepps forth who had béen euer hitherto both more zelous and more apt and luckie in dispatching businesses Peter alone like the Pope presumptuously dealt not in ecclesiasticall affaires And after speaking of Peter Hee calles them brethren though he were the first in order amongst the Apostles For others are not to be disdained because of our higher estate aboue theÌ„ lastly he begins his oration of the holy scrip uâ—es Neither doth Peter this by mans fancie but by the mouing of the holy scriptures And if the chiefe of the Apostles did this what thinke we that we ought to doe Therefore let ciuill matters be discussed by ciuill iust and equall lawes And those things which are diuine let them be weighed in the ballance of the scriptures For there ought nothing to bee established or decreede in the Church but first of all wee should aske couÌ„sell of the holy scriptures The which thing I would to God had been obserued till now but now that is coÌ„monly put in practise of many So I wil haue it This I command to be done my pleasure is a sufficient warrant Surely Ferus in these words toucheth the Popes peremptorie authoritie And after vpon these wordes Let
ghost teach Peter this lesson Thirdly In ca. Act. 10. Whom God bindes doe thou not loose and whome hee looseth do not thou binde for thou hast not power at thy pleasure to place soules in heauen or hell but according to the worde of God For all soules are mine saith the Lord. Fourthly whome I haue serued let it not grieue thee to serue them also for the disciple is not aboue his maister I haue been a seruant to all do thou so also Fiftly whome I haue not as yet condemned doe not thou iudge rashly or condemne least thou be condemned thy selfe He glaunceth at the Popes authoritie in pardoning and condemning whomsoeuer he pleaseth And he is no changling as in his Commentaries vpon Mathew In ca. Act. 10. so here also he quite writhes the Popes temporall sword out of his hand vpon these words Arise Peter By an excellent metaphor saith he the office of the Apostles is described whose office is to rise not to take their ease and to watch take care for their flocke and then to kill not with the materiall sword for that was forbidden Peter but with the sword of the spirite which is the word of God which sword the Apostles are commanded to buye if they sold their coate for it And they kill when they preach the lawe and shew men their sinnes and doe teach that our strēght and righteousnes is nothing yea that wee are nothing but euen damned and miserable sinners And after also hee makes Peter subiect to the Church In ca. 11. Act. Peter saith he an Apostle the first and chiefe of the Apostles is forced to yeeld an account to the Church neither doth hee take this grieuously as a thing not agreeing to his authoritie For hee knewe wel enough that he exercised the office not of a Lord or maister but of a seruant of the Church The Church is the spouse of Christ and she is the Ladie of the house Peter is but a seruant and minister The Church therefore hath authoritie not onely to aske accompt of her seruants but also if they bee not fitte quite to put them away So heretofore it hath been often done in generall councels But nowe wicked Bishoppes will not be reproued nor rulde by the Church as though they were Lordes and not seruantes Therefore by the iust iudgment of God they are despised of all men Ferus agrées here with Austen and the auncient Fathers that the Church rules she is Christs vicegerent shee calles to accompt and deposeth whome it pleaseth her The fathers called this the Colledge of priests and hereof Cyprian called Cornelius Colleague This holy Colledge of priests ruled through the world not anie one prelate as now the Papists teach Euerie one seuerallie euen Peter the Bishop of Rome are but a seruant the Church is the Lady as Ferus termes her They are wicked Bishops sonnes o◠perdition that wil not be ruled by the Church this is Ferus iudgment And againe he writes thus vpon these words In cap. 9. Act. Hee went thorowe euery Citie confirming and stablishing that which the other had taught or adding to that which they had not done sufficiently he caried that scrole imprinted in his heart which Christ last of all commanded Peter saying Feede my sheepe if thou louest me In Peter thou seest the office of B shops that is to visite all according to that saying Heale that which is weake and binde vppe that which is broken c. They which are Bishoppes and doe sleepe and are idle doe not know in what a dangerous estate they are nor doe not thinke that the bloud of all that perish shall be required at their hands Heere hee makes Peter a patterne for all bishops to followe and not a type of the Pope and his successors And after vpon these words Behold three men c Marke saith hee that these wordes spoken to Peter doe belong to all pastours For so it is sayde to euerie one of them Behold men as though hee should saye These sheepe committed to thy charge doe require care and help the sinner succour the weake strength those which go astraie doctrine the vnrulie correctiō those which are tormented through afflictions comforte the whole church now dispersed peace Secondly Arise thou art not a Lord but a seruant this is not a time of ease but of labour hitherto thou hast done nothing through thy negligence the Wolfe hath entred in that is the Diuell For he is a Wolfe howe greatly soeuer he shewe the face of a friend c. Peters lessons Ferus attributes to all pastours And againe In ca. 10. Act. In Peter thou seest expressed what becomes Bishoppes that is to goe vp aloft to fast to praie Thou seest the contrarie in wicked and euill Bishoppes they onely take care of temporall thinges themselues they committe spirituall things to others They liue like Princes not like shepheards they neuer praie they giue themselues to pleasures And after hee writes thus In this Chapter Luke dooth prosecute the historie of Paul and Barnabas pilgrimage and hee names certaine countries which in their preaching they passed through Fer. in Act. ca. 14. that here al men may see how couragiously these two Apostles preached to al men the word of saluatiō to the great shame of those which brag themselues to be the successors of the Apostles whē as they are nothing else but slothfull vnfaithfull seruāts sharply to be reproued of the Lord nay iustly to be condemned No doubt he condemnes here the Popes proud and idle state And after he writes thus of the first generall councell of the authoritie of Iames Iames confirmes the sayings of the three Apostles pronounceth sentence as Bishop of Ierusalem If Peter had been dead of the vniuersall Church he should now haue pronounced sentence and ratified the councell as the Pope doth now But then this one thing verie euidentlie proues that there was no such authoritie acknowledged of Peter seeing that in the first generall councell in his presence Iames pronounceth sentence and as it were confirmes the councell And after Marke that he saith not that thou shalt haue much people but I haue much people in this citie As though he should saie the people is not thine but mine So he sayd to Peter Fer. in Act. cap. 18. Feede not thy sheepe but my sheepe As though he should say they are mine I haue redeemed them with my bloud I loue them I take care of thē therefore thou shalt not rule ouer them at thy pleasure thou shalt plaie the part of a shepheard and not of a Lord. If Peter had Christs authoritie committed to him and were his vicegerent then he had a kinde of Lordship ouer his sheepe But this Ferus denies And writing of Apollo he saies thus Mention of him is made in this place very fitly for he was such a great man the Corinthiās made him equall with Peter and Paul I
testimonies God will haue and what witnesses in his Temple what trées in this his new Paradise and what candles in his house Exod. 25.31 The old Tabernacle had but one Candlesticke in it with seuen braunches to lighten it 2. Pe. 2.5 Heb. 3.5 and the olde world but one Noah to testifie to them the wil of God and the house of Israel but one Moses as a seruant to testifie those things which should be spoken after As our Sauiour also tolde the Iewes Doe not you thinke that I will accuse you to my father Io. 5.45 there is one that accuseth you euen Moses in whom you trust But in the Church of Christ shall be two witnesses The Law and the Gospell Besides this former testimonie of Moses The gospell also shall be preached to all nations for a testimonie Mat. 24 14. Mat. 18.16 saith our Sauiour and then shall the ende come Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall euerie word or matter be confirmed Before his iudgement God will haue his truth firmely ratified to the world And therefore of these two witnesses and of these two testaments of the Law and of the Gospell in our daies in the repairing againe of the Temple which was prophaned and defaced by Antichrist Saint Iohn saith These are two Oliue trees and two Candlestickes standing before the God of the earth Alluding no doubt to Dauid here in the Psalme The word of the Lord is purified to the Lord of the earth and these Oliues and Candlesticks stood before the Lord of the earth As though the word of God and these Oliues and Candlesticks were all one The word of God the two testaments are the Lords two Oliues able not onely to sustaine Psal 104.15 but to chéere and make merie all Gods household seruants They are also the Lords two great lights like the Sunne the Moone which are sufficient also to lighten his whole house in all obscure and dark points of Religion and to shew vs the perfect and readie way to heauen Now let all his faithfull seruants haue an eie only to these De Mirah scrip lib. 1. cap. 6. Let vs marke what authoritie saint Austen himselfe yéelded to the fathers and expositers of the holy scriptures which were before him who speaking of the doores of heauen which were opened and of the fountains of the déepe at Noah his floud writes thus We cannot saith he for the slendernes of our wit and knowledge vnfold the hardnes of this matter with a grounded or ratified opinion that that is truth which we teach notwithstanding we will without anie partiality shew what in these matters the studies of our former masters could finde out in their diuers opinions yeelding no more authoritie to one then to another of whose iudgements and of whose particular choises we giue euerie man leaue to allow or disallow at his pleasure This opinion Saint Austen had of the opinions and iudgements of those which before him expounded the holy scriptures whom he cals Masters he himselfe was bound to none of them nor no more would he haue anie other And so no doubt by this his owne example he hath taught all men what opinion if they will not be wilfull euery one should haue of his writings expositions So that then in the time of popery the shepheards the pastors of congregations in not giuing this meat vnto their flocks in not healing their woundes sores with the leaues of these trees in not preaching the word of God they haue declared themselues not be Christs shepheards Io. 10.10 but to be Antichrists hirelings Nay to make this matter more plaine They haue not only not fed them but torne in peeces their hoofes as Zacharie prophecieth wounding their consciences and weakneng their faithes in teaching that vnlesse they sang masses for them after their deaths their faith in Christ did not profit them And that they were damned if they brake one of the least of their ceremonies and traditions Is not this quite to teare in péeces the verie hoofes and clawes of the poore sillie lambes whereby they began now to go and to lay hold on Christ Secondly this same Author saith That now one hauing gotten such a faithfull and holy confessor let him account of him euen as of God himselfe and reueale to him boldly all his secret sins and all the secrets of his heart And is not this plainly to say that the Pope is Antichrist He shall sit in the Church shewing himselfe as God saith saint Paul And doth not he here confesse the same What is it else to be God Psal 7.9 Ier. 11.20.20.12 Reu. 2.23 but to search the harts and raines as the scriptures often teach This thing they attribute to God onely And yet the Pope and his cleargie arrogate it to themselues And is not this to sit in the Church as God Saint Paul writes to the ministers of the Church of Corinth that they should iudge nothing before the time 1. Cor. 3.5 vntill the Lord come who shall lighten things that are hidde in darknesse and make the counsels and secrets of the hearts manifest 1. Ti. 5.24 and then shall euerie man haue praise of God And to Timothie Some mens sinnes are open before hand and goe before vnto iudgement but some mens follow after But the papists by this their doctrine contrarie to saint Pauls doctrine in both these places doe make their confessors to take vpon them that knowledge of secrets which belongs to God and that no sinnes are to be reserued vnto the daie of iudgement Their confessors if men will not be damned as they teach must knowe them before This author here himselfe confesseth that to know the secrets of the heart belongs onely to God And that therefore euerie one is to account of his confessor euen as of God himselfe And is not this plainly to affirme that the Pope shall sit in the Church as God Let vs neuer looke that anie other shall euer come into the Church and challenge or take vpon him more of the diuine Authoritie then this And therefore let vs acknowledge that this prophecie of saint Paul is alreadie fulfilled in him And that the Pope and his cleargie sit now in the Church of God 17. Of Purgatorie Psa 40.1 FIrst concerning Purgatorie that vehement and comfortable Sermon which God commaundes Esay and in him all ministers to preach to his Church is as it were a double cannon to beat downe the paper wals of Purgatorie Comfort comfort my people saith the Lord your God speake to the heart of Ierusalem and crie vnto her that her warfare is now at an end and that her iniquitie now hath obtained pardon For she hath receiued at the Lords hands double for all her sinnes This is a sermon of comfort and this must be preached to the heart of Ierusalem and of all Gods Church and cried out in their eares that their warfare now
written A father of many Nations haue I ordained thee Roman 4.16 euen before God whome he beleeued who quickneth the dead and calleth the things which be not as though they were which Abraham beleeued against hope vnder hope that he should be the father of manie Nations according to that which was spoken to him So shall thy seed be And he not weake in faith considered not his owne bodie which was now dead being almost an hundreth yeare old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in faith and gaue glorie to God being fully assured that he that had promised was able to doe it And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now it is not written for him onely that it was imputed to him for righteousnesse but also for vs to whom it shall be imputed for righteousnesse which beleeue in him which raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead who was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Saint Paul here the Doctour of the Gentiles teacheth all Christians by the example of their father Abraham contrarie to the doctrine of the Vniuersitie of Collen that they must not consider their owne frailtie and weakenesse for who then shoulde not despaire but the promise and mercie of God Abraham considered not that now hee and Sarah his Wife were as good as dead to child-bearing and begetting but the word and promise of God which euen quickens things that be dead calles things which are not as though they were and euen so must all Abrahams Children and all true Christians not consider their owne frailtie and weakenesse for if they respect their owne deseruings euen the best of them all they are like their Father Abraham euen dead in their sinnes and farre off from obtaining the Kingdome of God yet beleeuing the promise of God assuredlie and not respecting this their owne frailtie and weakenesse but euen nowe with a liuelie faith whensoeuer it assaulteth them ouercomming it they must all assure themselues of the kingdome of God as Abraham did of his sonne Isaac And this is faith and this is to be the true sonne of Abraham and without this faith no man can bee saued Wée must not consider our owne infirmities naie that wée are euen of our selues dead through our sinnes as the Vniuersitie of Collen teacheth but wee must onelie respect the grace mercie and promise of God as Abraham our forefather did and by this strengthened ouercome the other which as an enemie is opposed and set against faith to wrestle with it and to assault it The Vniuersitie of Collen in this their doctrine doe gainesay the Prophet Dauid whome they alleadge for their witnesse Psalm 125.1 The iust man sayeth Dauid is like mount Sion which on no side can bee moued Hée is firme on euerie side hee trusting on the mercie of God is not mooued as they teach with the consideration of his owne frailtie Againe let vs consider howe the Vniuersitie of Collen and Master Bellarmine do disagree in this great point of saluation Bellarmine whereas saint Iohn saith Lib. 1. de Iustificat cap. 11. These things haue I written vnto you which beleeue on the name of the sonne of God that you may knowe that you haue eternall life answereth that S. Iohn saith truly they which beleeue as they ought haue euerlasting life The meaning therefore saith he of the Apostle is conditionall for hee writes to those which beleeue that they may know that they haue eternall life if so be they beleeue indeed as they ought to beleeue that is if they haue faith which worketh by loue This is master Bellarmines iudgement But the vniuersity of Collen writes thus Dialog 4. contra Monhem Who euer hath taught thus of faith that the saluation of euery particular man should bee obtained by it or haue relation to it For faith is of all things most assured which neither can be deceiued nor deceiue But the iustification of euery priuate man say they is very vncertaine much more their eternall saluation how therefore can faith bee had of such vncertaine things This is the censure of the Vniuersitie of Collen whereas both Saint Iohn and master Bellarmine auouch that they which beleeue aright know that they haue eternall life so that by the censure of the Vniuersitie of Collen wee must not beleeue assuredlie wee must not knowe that wee shall be saued wee must onelie hope that wee shall bee saued And they saie againe That the certainty of hope is not such that any man trusting thereunto should not doubt for so long as we hope say they we are vncertaine as the very Etymologie of the name of hope doeth teach vs. Thus wée maie plainelie see howe they will haue vs doubt still of our saluation which doubting is both contrarie to faith and also to knowledge which Saint Iohn the Apostle teacheth But to returne againe to M. Bellarmines former answere his meaning is thereby though hee dissent from the vniuersitie to prooue that no man shall bee assured or know that hee shall bee saued For hee saieth a little before that euen by our confession faith is necessary to the forgiuenes of sinnes But saieth he out of what word of God do they learne that they haue such a faith as is required to get and obtaine remission of sinnes This is one of his mistes whereby hee would haue euerie one doubt whether hee hath faith or no and so doubt whether hee should bee saued or no. But this doctrine is contrarie to Saint Paul who thus writes to the Church of Corinth 2. Cor. 13.5 Trie your selues sayeth hee and search your selues whether you bee in faith or no. Doe you not know your selues that Iesus Christ is in you vnlesse you bee reprobates All Christians must knowe that Iesus Christ is in them that they are by faith engrafted into him or else they are reprobates By master Bellarmines doctrine all Christians are reprobates For no Christian sayeth hee knowes whether he hath such a faith as obtaineth remission of his sinnes and then it must néedes followe that no Christian knowes that Iesus Christ dwelleth in him which all shoulde knowe and so all are reprobates by his doctrine 1. Pet. 1. Peter the Apostle writes his Catholique Epistle in generall to all Christians and hee sayeth that they haue gotten like precious faith to the Apostles And shall they not know then that they haue obtained such a faith as is required to the forgiuenesse of sinnes The Papistes imagine God to bee a respecter of persons and that to the Apostles hee gaue a great faith and that they might bee sure of their saluation but to none else hee gaue the like faith and that all others ought to doubt but Saint Peter here plainlie teacheth that euen those to whome he wrote had obtained euen as precious a faith as he And shall not we iudge so