the Lord Jesus The ancient Fathers also give testimony to this truth Hilarie hath these very words Fides sola iustificat i. e. Faith alone doth iustifie Austine in effect sayes the same when hee saith Our righteousnesse in this life is so great that it consists rather in forgivenesse of sinnes then in perfection of vertues And so when hee saith Woe even to the landable life of men if thou O Lord laying aside mercy shall enter into the examination of it To this purpose also is that which hee saith upon those words of David Enter not into judgement with thy servant O Lord c. How right soever saith hee I thinke my selfe thou bringest forth a rule out of thy treasure and triest me by it and I am found crooked Thus also Bernard Lord saith he I will make mention of thy righteousnesse onely for it also is mine seeing that thou of God art made unto me righteousnesse Must I feare lest this one righteousnesse will not suffice us both No it is not a short cloake that cannot cover two And againe It is sufficient for mee unto all righteousnesse to have him onely propitious against whom onely I have sinned Not to sinne is Gods righteousnesse mans righteousnesse is Gods indulgence Thus then in the point of justification wee have both Scriptures and Fathers yea and divers Papists also concurring with us As for the two places of Scripture alledged by the Marquesse the former viz. that 1 Corin. 13. 2. speaketh not of justifying Faith but of a Faith of working miracles as is cleare by the words themselves being fully cited which run thus Though I have all faith so that I could remove mountaines and have not charity I am nothing Oecumenius upon the place notes that by Faith there is not meant that Faith which is common to all Believers but a Faith peculiar to such as had the gift of working miracles And though Estius a learned Romanist in his Commentary upon the place seeke to draw it another way yet commenting upon 1 Cor. 12. 9. hee saith that the Greeke Expositors doe rightly understand it of that Faith which is spoken of Chap. 13. If I have all Faith c. that is of the Faith of signes and miracles as they call it which Faith hee saith is not properly a sanctifying grace but onely such a grace as is given for the benefit of others The other place viz. Jam. 2. 24. doth seeme to make against us but indeed it doth not For S. Iames saying that a man is justified by Workes and not by Faith onely meanes onely thus as Cajetan himselfe doth expound it that we are not justified by a barren Faith but by a Faith which is fruitfull in good Workes This appeares to be his meaning by his whole discourse from vers 14. to the end of the Chapter wherein hee bends himselfe against those who presume of such a faith as is without workes and more specially it may appeare by the verses immediately preceding wherein hee saith that Abraham was justified by workes when hee offered up Isaac and that Faith wrought with his workes and by workes was Faith made perfect and the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousnesse Now this clearly shewes that Abraham was justified by Faith and not by workes onely his workes did shew that his Faith was a true justifying Faith indeed and not as it is in many that pretend and professe Faith a vaine shew of Faith and a meere shadow of it For that which S. Iames citeth Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousnesse was as appeares by the story in the booke of Genesis long before that Abraham offered up Isaac and by those very words Saint Paul proveth Rom. 4. that wee are justified by Faith and not by Workes Therefore when S. Iames saith that by Abrahams offering up of Isaac that Scripture was fulfilled the meaning is that thereby it did appeare that it was truly said of Abraham that hee believed God and it was counted unto him For righteousnesse his readinesse in that worke to obey God did demonstrate that hee believed God indeed and that his faith was of a right stampe Thus also is it said that by workes faith was made perfect viz. even as the Lord said unto Paul My strength is made perfect in weakenesse 2 Cor. 12. 9. that is Gods strength doth exercise it selfe and shew how great it is in mans weaknesse So Abrahams workes did shew how great his faith was in this sense his workes did make his faith perfect not that they did adde any thing unto it no more then mans weaknesse doth adde unto Gods strength This opinion of yours saith the Marquesse S. Aug. de fide oper cap. 14. saith was an old heresie in the Apostles time and in the Preface of his comment upon the 32. Psal he calles it the right way to hell and damnation See Origan 5. to the Rom. S. Hilar. chap. 7. in Mat. S. Ambr. 4. ad Heb. Answ Austine de fid oper c. 14. speakes nothing against our Opinion but something for it That which hee speaketh by way of reproofe is against those who so thinke that Faith alone will suffice as that they heede not to doe good workes nor to order their life and conversation aright But this is nothing to us who are farre from holding such a Faith as that sufficient But in the same place Austine hath this for our purpose that when the Apostle saith that a Man is justified by Faith without the Workes of the Law hee did not intend that the Workes of Righteousnesse should be contemned but that every one should know that hee may be justified by faith though the workes of the Law did not goe before For saith hee they follow a man being justified they doe not goe before a man being to be justified If as this Father affirmeth a man must first be justified before hee can doe good workes then good workes are no cause of justification but an effect of it For the other place of Austine which the Marquesse alledgeth there is none such that I can finde viz. no preface of his comment upon Psal 32. but in the comment it selfe I finde this which makes for us Doest thou not heare the Apostle The just shall live by Faith Thy faith is thy righteousnesse What Origen saith on Rom. 5. having not his workes now at hand I cannot tell but I see what Bellarmine cites out of him on Rom. 4. and perhaps so it should have been in the Marquesse his writing However there is no doubt but Bellarmine would have made use of it if there had been any thing more for his purpose on Rom. 5. Now on Rom. 4. Origen saith that whose believe Christ but doe not put off the old man with his deeds their faith cannot be imputed unto them for righteousnesse This wee doe
believed crederem for credidissem the Gospel except the authority of the Church did move or had moved comoveret for commovisset me to it 364 365 c. The Contents of the Second Part of the Rejoynder 1 OF the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England Page 1 2 2 Of Luthers Doctrine 3 to 20 3 Zuinglius vindicated from that which by the way is charged upon him 19 4 Of Calvines Doctrine 20 to 35 5 Of Zuinglius his Doctrine 35 to 40 6 Of Melancthons Doctrine 40 41 42. 7 Of Andreas Musculus his Doctrine 42. and in the addition 8 Of the divisons that are among Protestants 42 9 Of that Unity which is among them of the Church of Rome 42 to 46 10 Of Crimes charged upon Protestants and the testimonies alledged for proof of them 46 11 Of Luthers conference with the Devil 46 47 48 12 Whether Zuinglius were an Authour of war and a disturber of peace c. 48 49 13 Beza cleared of a foul aspersion cast upon him 49 50 14 Of Luthers writing against King Henry 8. 50 51 15 Of the people of the reformed Churches whether they be so vitious and corrupt as they are censured 51 52 16 A vindication of Calvin in respect of vild aspersions cast upon him 53 54 17 Mantuans testimony concerning Rome and the corrupt estate of it 54 55 18 Whether the Doctrine of the Church of Rome be the the same still that it was at first 55 19 Of Prayers for the Dead 55 56 57 20 Of Lent-Fast 57 58 21 Of mingling Water with Wine in the Lords Supper 58 59 60 22 Of diverse ceremonies which the Church of Rome useth in Baptisme 60 61 23 Of the necessity of Infants Baptisme and whether they may be saved without it 61 62 63 24 Of the several Ecclesiastical Orders which they have in the Church of Rome 63 64 65 25 Of the Pope and his supremacy 65 66 67 26 Of service in an unknown tongue 67 68 69 27 Of Festivals 69 70 28 Of Reliques 70 71 29 Of Pictures and Images 71 to 77 30 Of the signe of the Crosse 77 31 Of Luther Husse and Wickliffe holding some errours and so others that oppose the Church of Rome 78 32 That some before Berengarius as namely Bertram did professedly impugne that reall presence of Christ in the Sacrament which they of the Church of Rome maintain 79 80 CERTAMEN RELI GIOSUM OR A CONFERENCE BETWEEN The late King of England and the late Lord Marquesse of Worcester concerning Religion at His Majesties being at Ragland-Castle 1646. Marquesse SIr I hope if they catch us in the act it will not be deemed in me an act of so high conspiracy in regard that I enter the lists leaning upon a Doctor of your own Church To whom the King replyed as merrily My Lord I know not whether I should have a better opinion of your Lordship for the Doctors sake or a worse opinion of the Doctor for your Lordships sake for though you leane much upon his arme yet he may lean more upon your judgment Marq. Sir it conduceth a little to the purpose we have in hand to be a little serious in the thing you speak of your Majesty knows the grounds of my acquaintance with the Doctor and my obligation to him which difference in opinion shall never mitigate in point of affection but I protest unto you I could never gain the least ground of him yet in perswading him from his principles King It may be your Lordship hopes to meet with a weaker Disputant of me Marq. Not so and if it please your Majesty but I think thus That if it should please God to make me so happy an instrument of his Churches good as to be a means to incline your royall heart to imbrace the truth I beleeve that he and thousands such as he would be soon brought to follow your Majesty in the right way who are so constant followers of your steps whilst you are in a wrong path the Oaths which they have taken the relation which their Hierarchy have to the Crown which must be no longer so but whilst the government of the Church and soules stand as a reserve to the regiment of lives and fortunes the preferment which they expect from your Majesty and the enjoyment of those preferments which they have already which they must no longer enjoy then whilst they are or seem to be of your opinion causeth them to smother their own knowledge whilst their mouths are stopt with interest whereas if the strong Tide of your Majesties opinion were but once turn'd all the ships in the river would soon turn head Hereupon the Marquesse fell abruptly from his subject and asked the King Sir I pray tell me what is it that you want The King smiled a little at his sudden breaking off and making such preposterous haste to aske that question answered King My Lord I want an Army can you help me to one Marq. Yes that I can and to such a one as should your Majesty commit your self to their fidelity you should be a Conquerour fight as often as you please King My Lord such an Army would do the businesse I pray let me have it Marq. What if your Majesty would not confide in it when it should be presented unto you King My Lord I would fain see it and as fain confide in that of which I had reason to be confident Marq. Take Gedeons three hundred men and let the rest be gone King Your Lordship speaks mystically will it please you to be plain a little Marq. Come I see I must come nearer to you Sir it is thus God expected a work to be done by your hands but you have not answered his expectation nor his mercy towards you when your enemies had more Cities and Garrisons then you had private families to take your part when they had more Cannons then you had Muskets when the people crouded to heap treasures against you whilst your Majesties friends were fain here and there to make a gathering for you when they had Navies at Sea whilst your Majesty had not so much as a Boat upon the River whilst the oddes in number against you was like a full crop against a gleaning then God wrought his miracle in making your gleaning bigger then their vintage he put the power into your hand and made you able to declare your self a true man to God and gratefull to your friends but like the man whom the Prophet makes mention of who bestowed great cost and paines upon his vincyard and at last it brought forth nothing but wilde grapes so when God had done all these things for You and expected that You should have given his Church some respit to their oppressions I heard say You made vows that if God blest You but that day with Victory You would not leave a Catholike in Your Army for which I feare the Lord is so angry with You that I am
to the substance not only in the bread and wine of the Eucharist or in the hearts of the faithfull but also in all Creatures in fire water or in the rope and halter wherewith desperate persons hang themselves He averreth that the Ten Commandments belong not unto us for God did not lead us but the Jewes forth of Aegypt That faith except it be without even the least good works doth not justifie and is no faith Whereof you may see him condemned and cited by That we are equall in dignity and honour with Saint Paul Saint Peter or the blessed Virgin Mary or all the Saints That all the holinesse which they have used in fasting and prayer enduring labours chastising their bodies austerity and hardnesse of life may be daily performed by a hog or a dog That in absence of a Priest a woman or a boy or any Christian may absolve That they onely communicate worthily who have confused and erroneous consciences That a Priest especially in the new Testament is not made but borne not consecrated but created That the Sacrament were true though it were administred by the Devil See him baited for it by two of his fellow Protestants That among Christians no man can or ought to be a Magistrate but each one is to other equally subject and that among Christian men none is superiour save one and only Christ That the husband in case the wife refuse his bed may say unto her if thou wilt not another will if the Mistresse will not let the maid come That the Magistrates duty is to put such a wife to death and that if that the Magistrate omit to doe so the husband may imagine that his wife is stolne away by theeves and slaine and consider how to marry another That the adulterer may flie into another Country and if he cannot contain marry againe That Polygamy is no more abrogated then the rest of Moses Law and that it is free as being neither commanded nor forbidden That it is no more in his power to be without a woman then it is in his power to be no man and that it is more necessary then to eat drink purge or blow his nose I will give you the latine of another opinion of his because they are his owne words but not any of my english shall be accessary to the transportation of such a blast into my native language Perinde faciunt qui continenter vivere instituunt acsi qui excrementa vel lotium contra naturae impetum retinere velit Luther saith How can man prepare himselfe to good seeing it is not in his power to make his waies evill for God worketh the wicked work in the wicked But I pray you where have you this or any of all this in Scripture nay what Scripture have you for it that Scripture should be no Scripture as hitherto he hath made a great part of it and Zwingl almost all the rest denying all Pauls Epist to be sacred Zwing tom 2. fol. 10. What Councel what Fathers what primitive or sequent Church Usque ad ever taught or approved such doctrine as this and how are we cryed out upon for errors notwithstanding we have all for our Justification and yet this is the man that boasted that Christ was first published by him and by all of you that he was the first reformer this is he who calls himselfe a more excellent Doctor then all those who are in the papacy This is he who thus brags of himselfe viz. Dr. Martin Luther will have it so a Papist and an Asse are directly the same so is my will such is my command my will is my reason This is he that tells you I will have you to know that I will not hereafter vouchsafe you the honour as that I will suffer either you or the very Angels of heaven to judge of my doctrine c. Nor will I have my doctrine judged by any no not by the Angels themselves for I being certaine thereof will by it be judge both of you and the Angels And lastly this is he that gave the alarme to all Christendome of the errors idolatries superstitions and prophanenesse of the Church of Rome but what Scriptures have you for it that you should not belive the Scriptures what Fathers have you that you should not believe the Church what custome have you that you should not believe the Fathers rather then any private interpretation the promised holy Ghost alwaies ruling in the Church rather then the presumed private Spirit in any particular man The Church of Geneva NOw for the Church of Geneva Calvin comming after him is not contented to stop himselfe at Luthers bounds but he goes further and detracts not onely from the Scripture but from Christ and God himselfe For first He maintaines that three essences doe arise out of the holy Trinity That the Sonne hath his substance distinct from the Father and that he is a distinct God from the Father He teacheth that the Father can neither wholly nor by parts communicate his nature to Christ but must withall be deprived thereof himselfe He denies that the Sonne is begotten of the Fathers substance and essence affirming that he is God of himselfe not God of God He saies that that dream of the absolute power of God which the Schoolmen have brought in is execrable blasphemy He saith that where it is said that the Father is greater then I it hath been restrained to the humane nature of Christ but I doe not doubt to extend it to him as God and man He severeth the person of the Mediator from Christs divine person maintaining with Nestorius two persons in Christ the one humane and the other divine That Christs soule was subject to ignorance and that this was the onely difference betwixt us and him that our infirmities are of necessity and this was voluntary That it is evident that ignorance was common to Christ with the Angels And particulariseth wherein viz. that he knew not the day of Judgement Nor that the Fig-tree was barren which he cursed till he came near it He is not afraid to censure certaine words of Christ to be but a weak confutation of what he sought to refute And saies Christ seems here not to reason solidly He tells us that this similitude of Christ seemes to be harsh and farre fetch'd and a little after the similitude of sitting doth not hang together Where Christ inferred All things therefore whatsoever you will c. Calvin giveth it this glosse It is a superfluous or vaine illation This Metaphor of Christ is somewhat harsh He saith insomuch as Christ should promise from God a reward to fasting it was an improper speech He writeth of a saying of Christ that it seemes to be spoken improperly and absurdly in French
by the confession of all cannot properly but onely figuratively be Christs Flesh Bellarmine objects that the Hereticks spoken of by Ignatius denyed Christ to have true flesh holding that he was but seemingly borne crucified and raised againe And therefore hee saith they did not deny the Eucharist to signifie the flesh of Christ but onely to be the Flesh of Christ lest they should be forced to admit that Christ had true flesh But say I how could those Hereticks yeeld that Eucharist doth signifie the flesh of Christ and yet deny that Christ hath flesh For a thing must needs first be before there can be truly any signification of it Men saith Bellarmine may paint bodies which indeed are not But who will say that these Pictures are representations of bodies and not meere Pictures And this is all that Bellarmine could make out of Ignatius The next Father is Iustine Martyr who saith that the Bread in the Sacrament is not common Bread nor the Cup a common Cup. We say the same they are not common being sanctified and set apart for a holy use But doth this prove any transubstantiation our adversaries hold no substantiall change of the water in Baptisme and yet they will not say that it is common water I am sure it is farre more justly to be accounted Holy than that which they use to call Holy Water Iustine also saith That we are taught that the food in the Eucharist by which being changed our flesh and bloud is nourished is the flesh and bloud of that Iesus that was incarnate But this was so far from proving Transubstantiation that indeed it overthrowes it For in saying that we are nourished by the food the Bread and the Wine in the Sacrament he saith in effect that the substance of that food that Bread and Wine doth still remaine for otherwise how should we be nourished by it Christs Body and Bloud are not for our corporall nourishment of which Iustine speaketh neither can the bare Species or shewes of Bread and Wine afford any such nourishment But saith Bellarmine Iustine writing an Apology for Christians and their Religion was a prevaricatour and made the Christian Faith most odious by expressing himself so as he did whereas he might have avoided all superstition if he had believed that Christ is not so in the Sacrament as that the Bread is substantially changed and turned into his Body I answer that Iustines expressions are agreeable to our Saviours 1. This is my Body and therefore no more apt to render the Faith of Christians odious than the other Neither was it much to be feared that the Heathens to whom he wrote his Apology should not be able to understand the Figure whereby the signe is called that which it signifieth there was no need as Bellarmine scoffingly speakes that for the understanding of this Figure they should be conversant in the School of the Calvinists The next Father cited by the Marquesse is Cyprian who speaking of some that in time of Persecution denyed the Faith and yet presumed to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to let them see the hainousnesse of their presumption he first alledged some places of Scripture as Levit. 7. 19 20. and 1 Cor. 10. 21. and 11. 27. And then he addes All these things being despised and contemned violence is offered to Christs Body and Bloud and they now sinne against the Lord more by their hands and mouth then they did before when that they denyed him But what is there in all this to shew Cyprian held any such presence of Christ in the Sacrament as they of the Romish Church maintaine Yes saith Bellarmine for the Marquesse onely points at places but cites no words much lesse drawes any argument from them Cyprian did certainly beleeve Christ to be so in the Sacrament or else he would never have so aggravated the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament as to make it a greater sinne than to deny Christ before a persecutor But this reason is over-weak For first Cyprian being very Rhetoricall might a little hyperbolize in his expression And 2. without any Hyperbole at all the words may be made good and yet no Transubstantiation nor any corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament be supposed For the sin of denying Christ under Persecution might be and most probably was of infirmity and the sinne of receiving the Sacrament unworthily might be of presumption and so more hainous in that respect than the other In the same place Cyprian also relates some miraculous punishments which were inflicted on some that unworthily received the Sacrament and hence also Bellarmine infers that Christ is corporally present in the Sacrament for that we doe not read he sayes of any such miracles shewed upon those who have unworthily medled with other Signes I answer yes we doe we read of Nadab and Abihu slain with fire from Heaven for offering Incense with strange Fire Levit. 10. and yet that Incense and the Altar on which it was offered were but Types and Figures So the Arke was but a Signe of Gods Presence and yet many thousands of the Bethshemites were destroyed for looking into it 1 Sam. 6. 4. so also was Uzza for presuming to touch it 2 Sam. 6. Next to Cyprian the Marquesse cites Ambrose Lib. 4. de Sacram. but no Chapter is cited by him Bellarmine cites Chap. 3 4 and 5. Now all that Ambrose saith chap. 3. as looking that way is but this That the Sacraments of Christians are more Divine then those of the Iewes Which we grant not in respect of the thing signified For Iesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same for ever Heb. 13. the same Christ was signified by the Jewish Sacraments as by ours but in respect of the manner of signifying Christ being more clearly signified by our Sacraments than he was by those which the Jewes had See 2 Cor. 3. 12. c. But chap. 4. Ambrose hath something that may seem to make more against us viz. That before Consecration it is Bread but when Consecration commeth then of Bread it is made the Flesh of Christ To this I answer that these words doe not inferre any Transubstantiation By Consecration of Bread is made Christs Flesh but Sacramentally not Substantially Figuratively not Properly And that Ambrose in those words did intend no substantiall change of the Bread appears by his owne words in the same Chapter If saith he there was such force in the speech of the Lord Iesus that things should begin to be that were not how much more operative is it that those things should be which were and should withall be changed into another thing Therefore in the judgement of Ambrose the Bread and Wine in the Sacrament are what they were viz. in respect of substance yet by vertue of Christs institution are changed viz. in respect of signification Bellarmine to evade this testimony first sayes that Lanfrancus in
the Roman Church have gone further in their censure of Chrysostome as Alvarez relates viz. that he held that election whereby we first accept those things that are good and resolve to doe them is before the grace of God and that then grace doth follow after whereby we are helped and God doth co-operate with us To this pur-pose I finde Tolet a Jesuite first and afterwards a Cardinall cited by Chamier though I have not his Booke now at hand to peruse And this may suffice for answer to Chrysostome yea and to those other two Fathers also that follow viz. Irenaeus and Cyrill the latter of these being by name and both of them implicitly excepted against by some of the Romanists themselves as appeares by what is cited in the margent as also by the reasons alledged by Alvarez and Iansenius why Chrysostome did exceede at least in his expressions viz. because he was so earnest against the Manichees and others and knew nothing of the contrary errour of the Pelagians which reasons might transport the other Fathers also It is true saith Alvarez that S. Chrysostome and other Fathers that wrote before the Heresie of Pelagius was risen up did speake little of the grace of Christ and much for the confirming of the liberty of the will against the heresie of the Manichees He addes that Austine also in his writings against the Pelagians did observe this and hee cites his words to this purpose Yea hee shewes that Austine in his Retractations was faine to answer in like manner for himself when as the Pelagians did make use of his former writings against the Manichees thereby to maintaine their opinion concerning the power of Free-will in opposition to the necessity and efficacy of Gods Grace Thus likewise Iansenius saith that after the Pelagian heresie was risen then Austine spake more exactly and more expresly of the Grace of God The Jesuit Maldonate doth tell us that Ammonius and Cyrill Theophylact and Euthymius so expound that No man commeth unto me except the Father draw him that they come too nigh the error of Pelagius viz. that all are not drawn because all are not worthy as if saith he before a man be drawn by grace unto grace hee could deserve grace which is to be worthy to be drawn But though Irenaeus and Cyrill be liable to these exceptions yet I see nothing in the places cited by the Marquesse wherein they make against us Irenaeus saith thus If it were not in us to doe these things or not to do them why did the Apostle and before him the Lord himself counsell us to doe some things and to abstaine from other things Here Irenaeus indeed sheweth that it is in us to doe or not to doe but hee doth not say that it is in nobis ex nobis in us of our selves by the power of our Free-will to doe things truly good He addes immediately that man from the beginning is free as God after whose likenesse hee was made is free Now this doth rather make against our adversaries then for them for it shewes that the freedome of mans will doth not consist in this that hee is free either to doe good or to doe evill seeing that God is not free in that manner hee being onely free to doe good but altogether uncapable of doing evill So man being determined by grace to that which is good yet is free because not constrained nor forced against his will in the doing of it and so on the other side hee is free in doing evill though of himselfe without grace he can doe nothing but evill As for the other Fathers viz. Cyrill that which hee saith in the place alledged is this wee cannot according to the doctrine of the Church and of the truth by any meanes deny the free power of man wich is called Free-will This is nothing against us who doe not as hath beene shewed before simply deny Free-will but onely so as our adversaries of the Church of Rome doe maintaine it To that which is in controversie betwixt us and our adversaries Cyrill here saith nothing and therefore his testimony is not to the purpose And so much for Free-will In the next place we hold it possible saith the Marquesse to keepe the Commandements you say it is impossible Wee have Scripture for it Luke 1. 6. And they were both righteous before God walking in all the Commandements and Ordinances of the Lord blamelesse And 1 Joh. 5. 3. His Commandements are not grievous For keeping the Commandements we hold not that it is simply impossible but that according to that measure of grace which God doth ordinarily bestow upon men here in this life it is not possible to keep them viz. so as not to be guilty of the breach of them If a man could fully and perfectly keep the Commandements then he should be without sin for sinne is nothing else but a transgression of the Law as Saint Iohn defines it 1 Iohn 3. 4. But the Scripture shewes that no man in this life is so perfect as to be without sinne There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not saith Solomon Eccles 7. 20. If we say that we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us saith Saint Iohn 1 John 1. 8. In many things we offend all saith Saint Iames Iam. 3. 2. And Christ hath taught all to pray for forgivenesse of sinnes Mat. 6. 12. which supposeth that all even the best that live upon earth have need of it that they are guilty of sinnes and so consequently come short of the full and perfect keeping of Gods Commandements Bellarmine thinks to elude these places by saying That we cannot indeed live without Veniall sinnes but that Veniall sinnes are not sinnes simply but onely imperfectly and in some respect and that they are not against the Law but only besides it But first Veniall sinnes are against the Law as being transgressions of it for else they are no sinnes at all that being the very nature of sinne to be a transgression of the Law 1 Iohn 3. 4. 2. There are no sins so veniall but that without the mercy of God in Christ they are damnable It being written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to doe them Gal. 3. 10. And thirdly no man living upon earth is free from such sinnes as that he is able to stand if God shall enter into judgement with him If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who shall stand Psal 130. 3. Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy fight shall no man living be justified Psal 143. 2. The Fathers here are on our side Hierome having cited that of our Saviour Out of the hearts of men proceed evill thoughts adulteries fornications murders thefts covetousnesse c. addes Let him come forth that can testifie that these
things are not in his heart and I will confesse that full and perfect righteousnesse may be in this mortall body Who is there saith Leo so free from fault that there is not in him that which either justice may condemne or mercy may pardon In no thing to sinne is proper unto God saith Ambrose He means that no man in this life can attain unto that perfection for so he addes presently after He that bears about him flesh a mortall body is subject unto sinne Thus also Austine Who is there saith he in this life so clean but that he hath need to be made yet more and more clean And again The Church saith he in this life is so cleansed not that they that are justified have no mainders of sinne in them but that they have not any spot of criminall offence nor any wrinkle of falshood Accordingly speaks Gregory In this life saith hee many are without criminall offences but none can bee without sinne And presently after hee sayes that these sinnes which none can be without doe pollute the soule though they doe not destroy it Bernard interprets that of Saint Iohn He that is born of God sinneth not 1 Iohn 3. 9. thus He sinneth not that is he doth not continue in sinne Or thus He sinneth not that is it is as much as if he did not sinne because sinne is not imputed unto him And elsewhere he expressely yeeldeth that Gods Commandements are more then any can fully and perfectly observe The Commander saith he was not ignorant that the command did exceede mens strength but he iudged it profitable that they should be admonished of their insufficiency and that they should know to what perfection of righteousnesse they ought to endeavour as they are able Therefore by commanding things impossible he did not make men prevaricatours but humble that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be subject unto God because by the workes of the Law shall no flesh be justified before him For receiving the Commanment and feeling a defect wee shall cry towards Heaven and God will have mercy on us and we shall know in that day that not by the workes of righteousnesse that we have done but according to his mercy he hath saved us Thus also some of the Church of Rome that have written since Luthers time have acknowledged that none in this life are free from sinne nor able to abide the judgement of God by their own righteousnesse which is in effect to acknowledge that none doe perfectly keepe Gods Commandements Thus Ferus speaking of such as are justified saith that they have indeed yet many sinnes but no condemnation because they are reputed clean for their faith in Christ And againe No man saith hee how holy soever is free from sin so long as hee lives in this World Therefore all have need to be purged daily So also Genebrard Seeing saith hee that none is perfectly righteous before God the fear of his just and pure judgement ought to affright all That is his comment upon the words of David Enter not into judgement with thy servant O Lord c. Psal 143. 2. Now for those two places of Scripture which the Marquesse alledgeth they come farre short of proving that possibility of keeping Gods Commandements which wee deny As for that Luk. 1. 6. it shewes indeed that Zacharias and Elizabeth had respect unto all Gods Commandements as all ought to have Psal 119. 6. but it doth not shew that they did perfectly keepe all Gods Commandements Hierome long agoe answered the Pelagians objecting these very persons and others spoken of in Scripture as righteous that they are called righteous not that they were without fault but because they were for most part vertuous And I marvell how any can alledge the example of Zacharias as one that did perfectly keep the Commandements though I know Bellarmine to this purpose doth alledge it when as in that very Chapter viz. Luk. 1. is related how hee sinned in not believing the message which by an Angell God sent unto him and how hee was punished and became dumbe a long time for it The other place viz. 1 Ioh. 5. 3. only shews that the Children of God do willingly and chearfully obey the will of God not that they doe fully and perfectly obey it I have rejoyced in the way of thy testimonies saith David Psal 119. 14. I will delight my selfe in thy statutes v. 1. 6. The Law of thy mouth is better unto me then thousands of gold and silver v. 72. How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter then hony to my mouth v. 103. More to be desired are they then gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also then Hony and the Hony combe Psal 19. 10. yet presently hee addes who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from secret faults vers 12. And elsewhere hee complaines saying Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to looke up they are more then the haires of my head Psal 40. 12. And againe Iniquities prevaile against me Psal 65. 3. And as before noted hee cryes out Enter not into judgement with thy servant c. Psal 143. 2. The History of his life recorded in Scriptures evidently shewes that though Gods Commandements were as little grievous unto him as to any yet hee came short of a full and perfect observance of them The Marquesse addes The Fathers are for us Orig. Hom. 9. in Ios S. Cyrill lib. 4. contra Iulian. S. Hil. in Psal 1 18. S. Hieron lib. 3. contra Pelag. S. Basil But I have shewed already what little cause our adversaries have in this point to boast of the Fathers and that both Hierome whom the Marquesse here citeth and also diverse others assert the same that wee doe To those before mentioned I may adde another of these here alledged against us viz. Hilarie who in Psal 118. saith that none living is without sinne onely one viz. Christ did no sinne neither was guile found in his mouth Therefore when as Hilarie saith upon those words Psalme 119. 96. thy Commandement is exceeding broad that it is no hard matter if will be present to obey Gods Commandement hee speakes of such an obedience not which is every way compleat and perfect for then it should be easie to live without sinne but which God will accept as hee will that which is sincere though it be imperfect Otherwise even upon those very words Hilarie sheweth that man cannot perfectly obey Gods Commanments saying that they are so broad that they infinitely exceede the shallownesse of mans knowledge If mans knowledge cannot reach to the full extent of Gods Commandements much lesse can his practice doe it So that which Hierome saith though it may seeme to be against us yet indeed it is not God saith he hath commanded things possible So the Pelagian objected hee answers this none
doubts of Hee grants it but how No otherwise for any thing I can see then as wee doe grant it viz. that God if he please can give such a measure of grace unto men as to inable them perfectly to doe all that is commanded But Hierome immediately after shewes that none either doth or ever did so and that therefore all are guilty before God and stand in neede of his mercy If saith hee thou canst shew any that hath fulfilled all things required then thou canst shew one that doth not needs Gods merey shew that this hath been or that it now is So when Cyrill saith that even that precept Thou shalt not covet may be fulfilled by grace hee doth not oppose us nor wee him For wee doubt not but God is able to give grace whereby to fulfill it but wee deny that any onely Christ excepted ever had such grace as whereby to fulfill it Basil is cited at large no place being noted where he saith any thing about this point onely in Bellarmine I finde that upon those words Take heed to thy selfe hee saith that it is a wicked thing to say that the precepts of the Spirit are impossible Which wee yeeld so farre forth as any have the Spirit they may performe them but none have the Spirit in such full measure as to be able fully to performe whatsoever is commanded Origen in the place cited compares them to Women who say that they cannot keepe Gods Commandements Which must be understood of keeping them so as to have respect unto them and to study and indeavour to keepe them For otherwise if we speake of an exact and perfect keeping of the Commandements both men and women even the best upon Earth are farre from it For the flesh lusteth against the spirit saith the Apostle and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot do the things that you would Gal. 5. 17. Wee hold saith the Marquesse faith cannot justifie without workes Yee say good workes are not absolutely necessary unto salvation Wee have Scripture for what wee say 1 Cor. 13. 2. Though I have all Faith and have no Charity I am nothing And James 2. 24. By Workes a Man is justified and not by Faith onely Answ Protestants in opposition to them of the Church of Rome hold that Faith alone doth justifie and that Workes doe not concurre with Faith unto justification Yet withall they hold that Faith which doth justifie is not alone without workes Bellarmine confesseth that Calvin hath these very words It is Faith alone that doth justifie but yet Faith which doth justifie is not alone As the heate of the Sun alone is that which doth heate the Earth yet heate is not alone in the Sun but there is light also joyned with it And hee addes that Melancthon Brentius Chemnitius and other Protestants teach the same thing Therefore by Bellarmines owne confession Protestants are no enemies unto good workes Neither are they any whit injurious unto them in excluding them from having a share in justification as the Romanists are injurious unto Faith in making workes copartners with it in that respect We conclude saith S. Paul That a Man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law Rom. 3. 28. And in the next Chapter the Apostle proves by the example of Abraham that justification is by Faith without Workes For what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousnesse Rom. 4. 3. He confirmes it also by the words of David Even as David also describes the blessednesse of the man to whom God imputeth righteousnesse without Workes saying blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven c. Rom. 4. 6 7 8. Mens workes are imperfect and so is all that righteousnesse of man that is inherent in him as hath been shewed before and therefore by his own workes and his own righteousnesse can none be justified By the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified Rom. 3. 20. Bellarmine would have the Apostle when hee excludes Workes from justification onely to understand such workes as are done by the meere knowledge of the Law without grace But this cannot be his meaning For 1. when David cried out Enter not into judgement with thy servant O Lord for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Psal 143. 2. hee shewes that workes whatsoever they be are unable to justifie a man in the sight of God For it were most absurd and irrationall to imagine that David then doth onely deprecate Gods entring into judgement with him in respect of the Works which hee did without the assistance of Gods grace 2. The Apostle proves that justification is by Faith without Workes by that of David Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne Rom. 4. 6 7 8. Now the best man that is upon Earth hath need of this that his iniquities may be forgiven his sinnes covered and his transgressions not imputed unto him seeing there is no man as I have shewed before but iniquities sinnes and transgressions are found in him Therefore though a man be regenerate and sanctified yet his workes are not such as that he can be justified by them 3. The Apostle Gal. 3. 10. proves that none can be justified by the deeds of the Law because it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law to doe them Now no man though indued with grace and that in great measure doth continue in all things that the Law requireth as hath also been shewed before Therefore Workes as well with grace as without grace are unable to justifie But when our adversaries speake of justification they equivocate making it indeed the same with sanctification Dureus the Jesuite calles this new Divinity to say that by grace infused into us wee get newnesse of life and sanctification but yet are not thereby justified And hee askes what Scripture doth teach us to distinguish justification from sanctification Truly I thinke that these two viz justification and sanctification are sufficiently distinguished 1 Cor. 6. 11. But you are washed but you are sanctified but you are justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus and by the Spirit of our God There the Apostle shews that they were washed viz. both from the staine of sinne by sanctification which was wrought in them by the Spirit of God infusing grace into them and also from the guilt of sinne by justification which they obtained by faith in the Lord Jesus Besides the Scripture opposeth justification to condemnation and sheweth that to justifie is as much as to absolve and acquit from guilt to account and pronounce righteous Prov. 17. 15. He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are an abomination to the Lord.
saved by his owne inherent righteousnesse because though he be otherwise never so righteous yet still there is some sinne in him which hee knoweth not of according to that of the Apostle which Ambrose there citeth I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby justified 1 Cor. 4. 4. The Apostle denieth that hee was justified by that righteousnesse that was in him though hee had the testimony of a good conscience to rejoyce in 2 Cor. 1. 12. yet was hee neverthelesse assured that hee was justified and should be saved through faith in Christ Jesus as hath been proved before from Rom. 8. 33. c. and from other places This was all that Ambrose meant as appeares by his words immediately going before those objected The Apostle hee saith Explaines Davids meaning saying I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby justified He knew that he was a man and did take heed to himselfe as he could that he might not sin after his Baptisme therefore he knew nothing by himselfe but because he was a man he confessed himselfe a sinner knowing that Iesus alone is the true light who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth that he alone is justified i. e. perfectly just in himselfe who was truly without all sin That which Basil whose words I find in Bellarmine though otherwise I have him not to peruse saith is directly to the same purpose and imports no more then that of Ambrose We doe not understand saith he many things wherein we sin Therefore the Apostle saith I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby justified that is I sin in many things and am not aware of it For Hierome hee is too loosely cited both by the Marquesse and before him by Bellarmine there being eleven long Chapters in that booke which is mentioned but in which of them he saith any thing against us they doe not tell us However the words objected are these There are righteous men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked and there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the worke of the righteous This is said viz. Eccles 8. 14. because certaine judgement belongs only unto God These words by search I finde in Hierome but it plainly appeares that his scope onely is to prove against the Pelagians that no man in this life is so righteous as to be without sinne which is not against us in this controversie but for us in another as hath beene shewed before A little after those words Hierome saith thus What mortall man is not taken with some errour And that the righteous shall scarcely be saved 1 Pet. 4. 18. because in some things or rather indeed in all things he stands in needs of Gods mercy In the former Chapter Hierome brings in that of S. Paul I know nothing by my selfe c. and saith that though the Apostle were not conscious to himselfe of sinne yet hee did not justifie himselfe because hee had read Psal 19. 13. who can understand his his faults Thus then his testimony makes indeed against the perfection of a mans own righteousnesse but not against his assurance of salvation which may well stand without the other Chrysostome in the place cited comments upon that Ioh. 21. 17. Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time lovest thou me and hee saith that Peter feared lest now hee thought himselfe to love Christ when hee did not as before he was deceived in thinking himselfe stout and constant when it proved otherwise But 1. Though Chrysostome so take the words of Peter as if he might then be mistaken in that opinion which hee had of himselfe yet it does not follow that therefore hee should hold that a man cannot be assured that hee hath saving grace in him 2. Austine gives another and a better reason why Peter was grieved that Christ did aske him that question the third time viz. because thereby Christ as he thought seemed not to believe him not that hee suspected his owne heart but hee feared that Christ did suspect him because he did aske him the same question thrice over Maldonate the Jesuite cites Theodorus Heracleotes as also thus expounding it and saying that therefore Peter answered Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love Thee as if hee should have said Thou that knowest all things canst not but know that it is true that I say and therefore why doest thou aske mee so often as if thou didst not believe me This Exposition Maldonate doth prefer before the other of Chrysostome which he also mentioneth and saith that Peter saying Lord thou knowest did speak so not so much out of modesty as to confirme that which hee had said viz. that he loved Christ by Christs own testimony Austine in Psal 40. hath nothing that I can see to the purpose I suppose it should be in Psalme 41. from whence Bellarmine doth produce this I know that the righteousnesse of God doth remaine whether my righteousnesse may remaine I know not For the Apostle doth make me to feare saying Let him that thinketh he standeth take heede lest he fall 1 Cor. 10. 12. I acknowledge these words of Austine but that which followes immediately shewes the meaning of them Therefore saith hee because I have no strength or stability in my selfe neither have I hope of my selfe my soule is troubled toward my selfe Wouldest thou not have it troubled Doe not abide in thy selfe but say unto thee O Lord have I lift up my soule Psal 25. 1. Heare this more plainly Doe not hope of thy selfe but of thy God For if thou doest hope of thy selfe thy soule will be troubled towards thee because it hath not yet found whereby it may be secure of thee Therefore because my soule is troubled towards me what remaines but humility that the soule doe not presume of it selfe Thus it clearly appeares that Austine spake not against assurance of salvation but onely against selfe confidence and presumption The last Father alledged is Bernard who saith This doth adde to the heape of care and to the weight of feare that when as it 's necessary to looke both to mine own and my Neighbours conscience neither of them is sufficiently knowne unto me Both are an unsearchable depth both are night unto me But Bernard onely meanes that it 's very hard for a man to know his owne heart because of the deceitfulnesse of it not but that by the Spirit of God a man may know it so farre forth as to be assured of the truth of Grace in him which hath beene proved before by Bernards testimony in diverse places So elsewhere hee saith indeed Who can say I am of the Elect I am of those that are predestinate unto life I am of the number of Gods children who I say can say these things the Scripture saying on the contrary Man knowes not whether
have seene that in the judgement of Athanasius hee would not then surely neither was it such an Angell of whom he himselfe did seeke to be blessed And Hierome upon the words of Hosea saith plainly that this angell is God None of the Fathers are here alledged against us but onely Austine whom I have shewed to testifie abundantly for us That which hee saith in the place quoted is that Iob seemeth to desire the angels to intreat for him or else some of the Saints But Pineda a Jesuite doth not like this Exposition but calles it allegoricall and expoundes it as it ought to be expounded of those friends of Iob that disputed with him If our adversaries shall reply that though Austine did not rightly expound the words of Iob yet however hee shewed it to be his opinion that the angells might be prayed unto I answer first Austine here maketh as well against them as against us For he speakes as much of Iobs praying unto Saints as unto angells now our adversaries hold as I shall shew more hereafter that in those times before Christs comming the Saints were not to be prayed unto Again Austine doth not say that Iob did pray either to Saints or angels but that hee desired yea onely that hee seemeth to have desired that they might pray for him Thirdly for one place wherein Austine speaketh obscurely and doubtfully for praying to angels wee have many plaine and evident testimonies of his against it as before I have shewed Lastly Austine himselfe hath taught us to believe neither him nor any other further then they accord with the Scriptures but that we may saving the reverence that is due unto them dissent from them when as they dissent from the truth Thus he saith he did in respect of the writings of others and so he would have others to doe in respect of his writings From the Angels the Marquess passeth to the Saints deceased saying We hold that the Saints deceased know what passeth here on Earth you say they know not we have Scripture for it Luke 16. 29. where Abraham knew that there were Moses and the Prophets bookes here on Earth which he himselfe had never seene when he was alive The Fathers say as much Euseb Ser. de Ann. S. Hiero. in Epit. Paulae S. Max. Ser. de Agnete Answ That the Saints deceased doe not know the particular affaires of men here on Earth the Scripture doth teach us Iob. 14. 21. His sonnes come to honour and he knoweth it not and they are brought low but he perceiveth it not of them There Iob speakes indefinitely of a man departed out of this life whether he be Saint or no Saint and sheweth that he doth not so much as understand the estate of such as had most neare relation unto him and how then shall we perswade our selves that hee doth understand the estate of others And from those words Isai 63. 16. Abraham is ignorant of us and Israel knoweth us not Austine doth inferre that the Dead are not acquainted with the affaires of the Living If not our parents saith hee what other dead persons know what we doe or suffer If so great Patriarkes Abraham and Jacob knew not how it fared with those that did descend from them how doe the dead intermeddle in knowing and helping the affaires of those that are alive For my part I thinke that place of Esay not so pertinent to the purpose but that the meaning of it is that the people of Israel were so degenerate that Abraham and Israel if they knew what manner of persons they were would not own them not acknowledge them for their posterity yet however Austine sheweth what his Opinion was concerning those that are deceased viz. that they are ignorant of the things that are done here which is evident enough by those words of Iob before cited Bellarmine sayes that Gregory upon the place doth answer that naturally the dead know not how it fares with the liking but that yet the Saints being glorified doe see in God all things quae nimirum ad ipsos pertinent viz. which doe belong unto them But Gregory upon those words of Iob saith thus As they that are alive know not where the soules of the dead are so they that are dead know not how they live that are after them Indeed hee addes presently after This yet is not to be thought of the holy soules because they that see the brightnesse of Almighty God are by no meanes to be thought ignorant of any thing besides Therefore he understands Iob as speaking onely of such dead persons as are unholy whereas indeed Iobs words are indefinite and indifferently to be understood of all that are dead except by speciall Revelation any thing done here below be made known unto them Thou destroyest the hope of man v. 19. viz. his hope of continuing here in this life Thou changest his countenance and sendest him away v. 20. This holdes in respect of all and then followes His sonnes come to honour and hee knoweth it not c. v. 21. So that the coherence of the words shews that they are meant generally of all that are deceased And that which Gregory saith of the Saints that seeing God in him they see all things Bellarmine himselfe it seemes did thinke too lavish and therefore he limits it to all things which concerne them or belong unto them Which limitation doth indeed mar his market for how doth it appeare that it belongs unto the Saints departed to understand particular occurrences here below and namely all the prayers that any shall make unto them which is the scope that they of the Church of Rome aime at when they speake of the Saints knowing things here on Earth but of that more God willing hereafter But for the Saints knowing our affaires it was it seemes in the time of Lombard above 1100 years after Christ a point not much believed For Lombard moving the question saith onely this It is not incredible that the soules of the Saints enjoying the vision of God doe understand humane and earthly affaires so far as concernes their joy and our helpe Hee doth not say that this is certaine but onely that it is not incredible And Bellarmine himselfe relating foure severall opinions about the manner how the Saints know things here upon Earth of two of them viz. that they know them by the relation of Angels or by being after a sort every where present hee saith plainly that neither of them doth satisfie and gives convincing Reasons for it And for the other two opinions viz. that the Saints from the beginning of their blessednesse doe in God see all things that any way appertaine unto them Or that God doth then reveale things unto the Saints when any at any time doe pray unto them hee likes not the latter of these because hee saith If the Saints did neede a new revelation upon every occasion the Church would
to which the Marquesse doth next leade us We hold saith hee Purgatory fire where satisfaction shall be made for sinnes after death you deny it We have Scripture for it 1 Cor. 3. 13 15. The fire shall try every mans worke of what sort it is if any mans worke shall be burnt hee shall suffer losse but hee himselfe shall be saved yet so as by fire S. Aug. so interprets this place upon Psal 37. also S. Ambrose upon 1 Cor. 3. and ser 20. in Psal 118. S. Hier. l. 2. c. 13. advers Ioan. S. Greg. l. 4. dial c. 39. Origen Hom. 6. in cap. 15. Exod. If there be any such place as Purgatory it doth much more concerne us then Limbus Patrum which they hold to have been made void and of no use long agoe but this they pretend to continue still and to be of as much force as ever it was But we finde nothing in Scripture to prove any such place or any such fire as that of Purgatory wherein they that have not fully satisfied for their sinnes in this life must lie and frie untill they have made full satisfaction and then be taken out and conveyed to Heaven For thereore they call the place Purgatory and the fire Purgatory fire because they say in that place by that fire the Soules are purged which were not fully purged in this life that being so purged they may have entrance into Heaven But how doth this agree with the Scripture That tells us that the Blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all sinne 1 Ioh. 1. 7. And that if any man sinne wee have an advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sinnes 1 Ioh. 2. 1 2. It is onely Christ who by his blood doth satisfie for our sinnes and so purge us from them we cannot doe it by any thing which we either doe or suffer in this life much lesse is it to be done by us hereafter when we are dead God doth indeed afflict his children here in this World thereby to purge them By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sinne Isai 27. 9. But this affliction is onely castigatory not satisfactory When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the World 1 Cor. 11. 32. After this life is ended there remaines no more affliction for the godly for any thing that we can finde in Scripture Wee know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God a house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens Therefore we are alwayes confident knowing that whiles wee are at home in the body wee are absent from the Lord. For we walke by Faith and not by sight We are confident I say willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Cor. 5. 1 6 7 8. The Apostle speakes there not peculiarly of himselfe or such eminent ones as he was but generally of all Believers as appeares by those words For we walke by faith and not by sight which is as true of every believer as it was of Paul Now if the faithfull when they depart out of this Tabernacle the body goe to their house prepared for them in Heaven and are present with the Lord and enjoy the sight of him then surely there is no such thing as Purgatory to keepe them I know not how long absent from God in paine and torment And so the Scripture tells us that they that die in the Lord are blessed and rest from their labours Revel 14. 13. But how are they blessed and how doe they rest from their labours if yet after they are dead they must endure Purgatory the paines whereof they say are most grievous and such as that no paines here in this life are to be compared with them Yea some hold that the least paine in Purgatory is greater then the greatest paine that is in this life And whereas Dominicus à Soto thought that none did continue in Purgatory above ten years Bellarmine confutes this by the custome of their Church praying for those that were known to be dead a hundred or two hundred yeares before Which argues that as they suppose soules may continue so long in Purgatory Yea he cites Bede who lived about 900 years agoe telling of one to whom was shewed the paines of Purgatory and it was told him that all the Soules in Purgatory should be delivered and saved in the day of judgement c. whence he infers that according to Bede some now dead yea that were dead many hundred years agoe must abide in Purgatory untill the day of judgement And will any call such blessed will any say that such rest from their labours In a word the Scripture tels us but of two places appointed for such as depart out of this life the one a place of comfort and the other a place of torment and withall it tells us that betwixt these two places there is such a great gulfe fixed that they that are in the one cannot passe unto the other Luke 16. 25 26. Neither doe wee want the testimonies of the antient Fathers for the asserting of this truth which we maintaine Cyprian saith that though the godly and the wicked fare alike here yet when this life is ended then their estates doe much differ We are contained saith hee for a while both good and bad in one house whatsoever doth happen within the house we suffer alike untill this temporall life being ended we are divided to the habitations either of eternall death or of immortality Hee makes no third place distinct from those of immortality and of everlasting death neither doth hee make any stay after the end of this life but that such as escape the habitation of endlesse death doe immediately passe to the habitation of immortality So the same Father againe The Kingdome now is very neare at hand c. now after earthly things follow heavenly after small things great after fading things eternall What place is there here for anxiety and carefulnesse who can now be fearfull and sad but he that hath neither hope nor faith For it is for him to feare death who is not willing to goe to Christ and it is for him to be unwilling to goe to Christ who doth not believe that he beginnes to reigne with Christ For it is written that the just doth live by faith If thou beest just if thou doest live by faith if thou doest indeed believe in God why being to be with Christ and being sure of the Lords promise doest thou not embrace this that thou art called unto Christ and reioyce that thou art freed from the Devill Thus in a time of mortality did Cyprian comfort and encourage Christians against the feare of death But how will all this consist with Purgatory How is the Kingdome of
God so nigh at hand how doe things heavenly and eternall succeede things earthly and fading if after this life the soules of Christians may continue many hundred years perhaps in the flames of Purgatory before they can get to Heaven Might not this well make every one to feare death and to tremble at the approach of it Might not a Christian at his Death well cry out with the Heathen Emperour O poore Soule whither art thou now going But Cyprian goes on and citing that of Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy salvation he addes that then the servants of God have peace then they have free and calme quietnesse when being taken out of the tempests of this world we arrive at the haven of eternall rest and security when as this death being past we come to immortality And so againe God doth promise immortality and eternity unto thee when thou goest out of the world and doest thou doubt This is not at all to know God this is to offend Christ the Lord and Master of believers with the sinne of unbeliefe this is to be in the Church the house of Faith and yet to have no Faith How profitable it is to goe out of the World Christ himselfe the Master of our salvation and welfare doth shew who when his Disciples were sorrowfull because he said he was to leave them said If you had loved me you would rejoyce because I goe to the Father Joh. 14. 28. teaching us that we should rather rejoyce then be sorry when they depart out of the world whom we love who are dear unto us Thus also Hierome writing to Paula to comfort her concerning the Death of her Daughter Blaesilla saith Let the dead be lamented but such an one whom the place of torment doth receive whom Hell doth devoure for whose punishment the everlasting fire doth burne We whose departure a troupe of Angels doth accompany whom Christ doth come to meet are more grieved or as some reade gravemur let us be more grieved if we abide longer in this Tabernacle of death because so long as we abide here we are as pilgrimes absent from the Lord. Let that desire possesse us woe is me that my pilgrimage is prolonged c. Austine plainly saith that the Catholike faith by Divine authority doth believe the first place to be the Kingdome of Heaven the second to be Hell where every apostate or such us are aliens from the faith of Christ doe suffer everlasting punishments a third place we are altogether ignorant of yea we finde in the holy Scriptures that there is no such place Bellarmine answers that Austine there speakes of those places which are everlasting Which indeed is true for he speakes of Heaven and of Hell the place of torment which are everlasting places for those to abide in that are in them But withall hee saith that there is no third place viz. for those that depart out of this life Besides how can the Romanists yeeld that there is no everlasting place besides Heaven and Hell viz. Gehenna which is the word that Austine useth the Hell of the damned when as they hold a Limbus infantium an everlasting place for Infants to abide in that die without Baptisme which place they make to be distinct both from Heaven and from the place of torment For there they say such children as die unbaptized suffer the punishment of losse whereby the place differs from Heaven but not the punishment of sense whereby it differs from the Hell of the damned But Bellarmine proves that Austine or whosoever was the Authour of the booke called Hypognosticon did not deny that there is a third place to abide in for a time after this life because the Catholike faith doth teach that besides Heaven and Hell there was before Christs death Abrahams bosome where the soules of the holy Fathers did abide I answer that Abrahams bosome was any such Limbus Patrum as the Romanists imagine was no part of Austines Creede as I have shewed before out of Austines undoubted writings And therefore Erasmus though Bellarmine unjustly carpe at him for it might well write Purgatory in the margent over against those words a third place we are altogether ignorant of signifying that Purgatory is a third place of which the Catholike faith is ignorant But what neede is there to alledge particular Fathers when as the Bishop of Rochester who was beheaded in the reigne of Henry the Eighth for maintaining the Popes supremacy in his booke against Luther as hee is cited by Polydore Vergill who was an agent here in England for the Pope in the time of Henry 8. when as I say that Authour confesseth that Purgatory is never or very seldome mentioned by the antient writers and that the Grecians to this day doe not believe that there is any such thing as Purgatory Now for the place of Scripture which the Marquesse saith they have for Purgatory viz. 1 Cor. 3. 13 15. First it is to be observed that whereas Bellarmine doth alledge diverse other places besides this for proofe of Purgatory the Marquesse waves all the other and mentiones onely this conceiving it as it seemes more plaine and pregnant then the rest Yet 2. Bellarmine tells us and bids us marke it that this is one of the most obscure places of all the Scripture though withall hee saith it is one of the most usefull places because from thence they have as hee supposeth a foundation both for Purgatory and for veniall sinnes But as hath beene observed before out of Austine the Scripture is cleare in those things which concerne faith and therefore we must not build pointes of faith upon obscure places Now so obscure is this place viz. 1 Cor. 3. 13 15. that Bellarmine spendes a long Chapter meerely in the explication of it And yet when all is done nothing can be made of it for Purgatory For Bellarmine confutes those that thinke Purgatory to be meant by the fire mentioned v. 13. The fire shall try every mans worke of what sort it is and he proves that the fire there mentioned is the fire of Gods severe and just judgement which is not a purging and afflicting but a proving and examining fire So that Bellarmine doth take away one halfe of the Marquesses quotation and indeed the whole quotation For though Bellarmine would have those words v. 15. he himselfe shall be saved yet so as by fire to be understood of Purgatory yet who seeth not that it is absurd to take the word fire otherwise there then v. 13. And therefore Estius upon the place saith that it is evident that one and the same fire is meant in both Verses Which fire hee will have to be that which shall burne up the World at the last day So also Bellarmine notes some to understand it as some of the tribulations of this life and some
of judgement commeth then our adversaries hold that Purgatory ceaseth Bellarmine notes this as an errour in Origen that hee extends the time of Purgatory beyond the Resurrection So much therefore for Ambrose After him is cited Hierome lib. 2. cap. 13. advers Joan. I suppose it is meant of Iohn Bishop of Jerusalem to whom Epiphanius wrote an Epistle admonishing him to beware of the errour of Origen which it seemes hee suspected him to be guilty of this Epistle being written by Ephiphanius in Geeke Hierome translated into Latine and so it is inserted among the Epistles of Hierome being the 60 Epistle Then Hierome himselfe wrote a long Epistle which is the 61. to Pammachius about the errours of this Iohn of Jerusalem which Epistle is divided into 16 Chapters And after that another about the same subject to Theophilus which containes but three Chapters Therefore the Marquesse here must meane the Epistle to Pammachius which yet Chapt. 13. hath nothing at all about Purgatory Bellarmine cites nothing out of Hierome against Iohn of Jerusalem but something out of him against the Pelagians viz. this If Origen say that no reasonable creatures shall be destroyed and give repentance to the Devill what is that to us who say that the Devill and his Angels and all the wicked and ungodly do perish for ever and that Christians if they be prevented in sin shall be saved after punishment Here indeed Hierome seemes to make some Christians after this life to suffer punishment and yet to be saved But if hee doe speake of punishment to be endured after this life which is not cleare and certaine though I confesse it is probable by those words if they be prevented in sin yet he seemes withall to have held that some even after the day of judgement shall be punished yet so as to be saved which Bellarmine as I have shewed noted as an errour in Origen and therefore Hierome in this as it seemes following Origen doth dissent as well from Romanists as from Protestants Now that Hierome was of that opinion may appeare by that which hee saith a little before in the same Chapter That which thou puttest in the Chapter following saith he to his adversary that the unjust and sinners shall not be spared in the day of judgement but shall be burnt with everlasting fire who can endure that thou shouldest interdict Gods mercy and before the day of judgement Iudge of the Iudges sentence For thou sayest that it is written in Psal 103. Let the sinners faile from the Earth and the unjust that they be no more He doth not say that they shall be burnt with everlasting fire but that they faile from the Earth and oease to be unjust For it is one thing for them to cease from sin and from iniquity and another thing for them to perish for ever and to be burnt with everlasting fire Hierome seemes not to be so cleare in the other words for this that some are punished after this life and yet saved as hee is in these words for this that some shall be punished after the day of judgement so as thereby to cease from sinne and iniquity to be purged from it but not so as to perish for ever and to be burnt with everlasting fire Our adversaries therefore so farre as I can see must relinquish Hieromes testimony who either saith nothing at all for them or more then they would have After Hierome is cited Gregory lib. 4. dial cap. 39. It is true Gregory there saith that for some light faults we are to believe that there is a Purgatory fire before the last judgement But marke 1. Gregory there immediately before cites many places of Scripture as Ioh. 12. 35. Isai 49. 8. with 2 Cor. 6. 2. Eccles 9. 10. by which places hee saith it is certaine that such as every one is when he goeth out of this World such shall he be when he comes to Iudgement See then if these places of Scripture be not more cleare against Purgatory then that which hee after alledgeth is for it He alledgeth that Mat. 12. where it is said that hee that sinneth against the holy Ghost shall not forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come From whence he gathers that some sinnes are forgiven in this World and some in the World to come But 1. how will this stand with that which he said before For if some sinnes not forgiven in this world may be forgiven in the world to come how shall every one be found at the last judgement such as hee is when he dieth 2. The collection from that place of Matthew is not good For those words neither in this World nor in the World to come import neither more nor lesse then never as S. Marke expresseth it He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgivenesse Mark 3. 29. Theophylact expounds it thus he shall not be forgiven neither in this World nor in the World to come that is hee shall be punished both in this World and in the World to come And so also as Iansenius confesseth it is expounded by Chrysostome Some observe that neither in this World nor in the World to come is a Hebraisme for never Bellarmine saith that this is false but hee was not so conversant in the Jewish writings as to be fit to give sentence in this case Drusius who was better skill'd in that kinde citeth the Scholiast upon Ben Sira saying thus They that are of an intemperate tongue cannot be cured neither in this World nor in the World to come Besides Iansenius saith that this Conduplication neither in this World nor c. doth signifie that as this sinne shall not be forgiven in this World because of the enormity of it so much lesse shall it be forgiven in the World to come which is not a time of Grace as this present World is If it be not a time of grace how then can sinnes be pardoned in that World which here were not pardoned We grant that sinnes may be said to be forgiven in the World to come yet onely such sinnes as are forgiven in this World the forgivenesse of which sinnes shall be declared and made manifest in the day of judgement Bellarmine himselfe saith that every one is examined and receiveth his sentence when hee dieth and then some begin to be punished and some to be rewarded and yet neverthelesse these things are said to be done in the last Iudgement because then they shall be done most manifestly before all the World to the greater honour of the godly and the greater shame of the wicked Even so though sinnes are forgiven in this World or not at all yet they are said to be forgiven in the World to come because in the last judgement it shall be made manifest to all the World that they are forgiven 3. Gregory grants a Purgatory after this life onely for some small