Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	believe_v	faith_n	justify_v	18,143	5	8.5818	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12482	An answer to Thomas Bels late challeng named by him The dovvnfal of popery wherin al his arguments are answered, his manifold vntruths, slaunders, ignorance, contradictions, and corruption of Scripture, & Fathers discouered and disproued: with one table of the articles and chapter, and an other of the more markable things conteyned in this booke. VVhat controuersies be here handled is declared in the next page. By S.R.	Smith, Richard, 1566-1655.	1605 (1605)	STC 22809; ESTC S110779	275,199	548

imputed to vs which S. Austin saith he meant S. Augustin lib. 1. retract c. 19. tom 1. when he wrote Then are al the commaundements reputed as done vvhen vvhatsoeuer is not done is forgiuen 9. But this is easily refuted For S. Iohn spake in respect of vs assisted by Gods grace when he said This is the law of God that we keepe his commaundements and his commaundements are not heauie He saith not Christ but we must keepe Gods commaundements to animate vs thereto he addeth that they are not heauy vz. to vs. And cap 2. v. 2. he giueth vs a signe to try if wee know God vz. if we keepe his commaundements Bel either keepeth Gods commaundements or knovveth not God and v. 3. affirmeth that who keepeth not his cōmaundements knoweth not God wherfore either Bel keepeth the cōmandements or he knoweth not God Likewise Christ meant his yoake was sweete and his burthen light to vs. For immediatly before he Cap. 11. v. 29. said Take vp my yoake vpon you learne c. and you shal finde rest to your soules For my yoake is sweet and burthen light To whom meaneth he it is light but to vs whom he biddeth take it vp and whom he promiseth shal finde rest by it or what reason had it bene for Christ to exhorte vs to take vp his yoake and tel vs we should finde rest by it because it is sweet to himselfe As for S. Austin he said our defectuous keeping S. Augustin sup to 1. is counted a ful keeping when the defect is pardoned which is a farre different thing from saying That Christs keeping is counted our keeping And he meaneth that our keeping is defectuous because we keepe not the commaundements ad vnum apicem as he saith to the last ioat or title But through venial sinnes haue need to say Forgiue vs our trespasses which venial trespasses being pardoned we are accounted to doe al Gods commaundements 10. An other answer Bel putteth in the pag. 152. margent and in latine That Christ meaneth not of the yoake and burthen of the law when he calleth it sweet and easy but of the Ghospel That Christ meant of the law of the Ghospel I graunt with S. Hierom S. Hierom. dialog 2. contr Pelag and is proued out of these wordes my yoake my burthen But what is this to the purpose Is Bel become a libertine thincking as his father Luther did that the tenne commaundements Luther belong not to Christians or that the Ghospel commaundeth only faith Did Math. 5. v. 19. Christ come to dissolue the law of nature and to exempt vs from al law but of belieuing in him If Bel be of this minde let him vtter it plainly and say Christ came not to fulfil the law but to dissolue it that his Rom. 3. v. 31. faith establisheth not the law but destroieth it Or if he thinke that the law of the ghospel Besides the precepts of faith includeth at least the law of nature let him confesse that the tenne commaundements and al that God bindeth vs vnto is not only possible but easy and sweet vz. to such as Psalm 118. v. 32. Omnia facilia sunt charitati cui vni Christi sarcina leuis est Aug. donat grat c. 69. to 7. see the place S. Iohn loue God as was Dauid when he said I haue runne the way of thy cōmaundements when thou didst dilate my hart And hovv sweet are thy speeches to my iawes aboue hony to my mouth The law of thie mouth is good to mee aboue thowsands of golde and siluer For as S Iohn saith 1. c. 5. v. 3. this is the loue of God that wee keepe his commaundements If Bel say that it is impossible to loue God as we ought to doe This is reproued because he loueth God as he should doe who loueth him withal his hart al his Deuter. 6. v. 5. soule and power But Iosue so loued God of whome it is written 4. Reg. 23. That he 4. Reg. 23. returned in al his harte in al his soule and al his strength Likewise Dauid sought God Dauid in al his hart Psalm 118. and followed him in al his harte 3. Reg. 14. And God hath vers 8. some seruants that walke before him in al their hart with whome he keepeth his couenant and mercy 2. Paralip 6. v. 14. And Deuter. 30. v. 6. God promiseth to circumcise the Iewes harts that they might loue him in al their harts and al their soule And thus much for proofe out of scripture now let vs goe to the Fathers CHAP. II. The possibility of keeping Gods commaundements proued out of Fathers and reason MANY holy Fathers I might alleadge for this verity but I wil content my selfe with two only whome Bel obiecteth against him selfe and vndertaketh to answer S. Hierom. See S. Hierom in cap. 5. Mathei S. Hierom dialog 1. contr Pelag. we confesse saith he God hath giuen possible commaundements lest he should be author of iniustce Beholde our conclusion both affirmed and proued And Dialog 2. I say a man may be without vice which in greeke is called cacia but not anamartyton that is without sinne which is as much as if he had said He can be without mortal but not without venial sinne Againe God hath not commaunded impossible things but hath ascended vp to such height of patience as for their great difficulty he may seeme to haue commaunded almost impossible things Againe we curse their blasphemie who saie That God hath commaunded to man any impossible thing This Bel alleadgeth out of his 3. fourth booke pag. 153. against Pelagians whereas he wrote but one epistle and three bookes or Dialogues against Pelagians But it is in his epistle to Damasus de exposit fidei And therein S. pag. 149. S. Austin See S. Austin in Psal 56. tom 8. vvhere he saith the Apostles did that charity then the vvhich none can be greater Hierom curseth this blasphemy of Bel God hath giuen vs those commaundements which we can not possibly keepe Likewise S. Austin ser 61. de temp God could not commaund any impossible thinge because he is iust The same he repeateth lib. de natur grat cap. 69. and lib. 2 de pen. mer. remiss and in psal 56. I can not doubt saith he that God hath neither commaunded any impossible thinge to man nor that any thinge is impossible to God to helpe wherby it may be ●one which he commaundeth 2. For auoiding these authorities Bel deuiseth three shiftes First that Gods commaundements were possible to vs before Adams fal Secondly that they were possible to Christ whose keeping them is accounted ours Thirdly that euen to vs they are now possible to be kept imperfectly though not perfectly which is saith he the doctrine of Aquinas yet seeing that S. Thom. 2. 2. quaest 44. art 6. vntruth none of these shiftes would serue he falleth to proue that we may be

of al the learned men and Bishops of al Nations or els remaine desperate condemned before God and man As the Apostles say they though assisted by God yet thought it necessary to cal a Councel for decyding a controuersy rysen in their daies I omit three other points touched here by Bel. That the general pag. 128. Councels is aboue the Pope can and hath deposed him because he neither proueth them nor they concerne any matter of Catholique faith And are lardgely and learnedly handled of Bellarmin lib. 2. de concil And thus much of Bels seauenth article Be myndful therefore Bel from whence thou art fallen and doe Apocalip penance Apoc. 2. THE EIGHT AND LAST ARTICLE OF KEEPING GODS COMMANDEMENTS CHAP. I. The possibility of keeping Gods commandements explicated and proued out of Scripture GODS children can by his grace keepe his cōmandements This Bel absolutly denyeth pag. 143. 148. 149. and 152. though in the very beginning of this article he were a shamed to deny it plainly but admitteth it saith he in a godly sence and in some sort and only denyeth it in a Popish sence But this godly sence is so vngodly and the sort so sory as he is ashamed to vtter it For as S. Hierom writeth of the S. Hieron epist ad Cresiphontem Iren. lib. 1. cap. 35. Pelagians to haue discouered the opinions of Protestants is to haue ouercome them the blasphemy is manifest at the first yet may we gather his meaning by that he saith pag. 149. That God hath giuen vs those commandements which we can not possibly keep and pag. 144. that euery breach of them is of it nature deadly The mistery therefore of his counsel is that Gods children can not possiblie euen with his grace keepe his commandements but that they must needs oftentymes breake them deadly This kinde of keeping Gods commandements he tearmeth imperfect and vnexact keeping But indeed it is no keeping at al nor a point of Gods children but of the diuels and a true breaking of them For how are they Gods children if they loue him not how loue they him if they damnably offend If you loue me saith Christ Ioh. 14. S. Ioh. v. 15. keepe my commaundements how can they keepe them if they damnably and deadly breake them can true keeping and true breaking stand together 2. God commaunded his precepts to be kept not so sillily as Bel would so as they be oftentimes deadly broken but as Dauid saith Nimis Sphodra Psal 118. v. 8. God saith Psalm S. Austin vpon that place conc 4. hath very S. Austin much commaunded his precepts to be very much kept And according to S. Iames who offendeth S. Iames 2. v. 10. in one is guilty of al. Wherfore deadly breaking of one of Gods lawes can no more stand with keeping them then thefte or murder can stande with keeping the Princes lawes Nor they who oftentimes deadly breake Gods lawes be his children whilest they doe so more then theeues and murderers be good subiects And as for the Luther sermon de natiu B. Mariae maketh al Christians as holy as the mother of God Popish sence it is not as Bel falslie imposeth that we can keepe Gods commaundements so perfectly as we be free from sinne For so as S. Iohn saith we should deceaue our selues and as Bel confesseth we doe daily acknowledge our sinnes but so Bel p. 150. as we be free from deadly sinne which destroieth The Apostles vvere cleane and yet had need to haue their feete vvashed Ioh. 13. ver 10. 11. S. Hierom. dialog 2. cont Pelag. S. Gregor 21. moral c. 9. S. Augustin hom 19. de temp to 10. lib. 1. contr duas epist Pelag. c. 14. to 7. enchirid c. 69. charity the end of the law and keepe the commaundements in al great though not in smal matters For as S. Hierom saith we may be without cacia though not sina amartia or as S. Austin and S. Gregory gather out of S. Paul sine crimine though not sine peccato that is without great sinne though not without smal sinne without mortal though not without venial And to keepe Gods commaundements in this sort is substantially to keepe them because we breake not the end of them which is charity and yet not perfectly exactly as who stealeth but trifles keepeth the Princes lawes though not perfectly but if he steale great matters he is said no more to keepe 1. Timoth. 1. 7. 5. but to breake them And in this sence doe Catholiques defend the foresaid cōclusion which though I might proue many waies yet wil I content my selfe with such proofes as Bel vndertaketh to answer and in that order as he propoundeth them 3. First therfore I proue it because a young man tolde Christ he had kept al the Math. 19. v. 20. commaundements from his youth Bel answereth that S. Hierom saith he lyed and S. Austin Bel p. 150. thinketh he spake more prowdly then truly S. Augustin epist 89. neuertheles more probable it is that he spake truly because not only our Sauiour did not rebuke him as likely it is he would haue done if he had tolde him a lye but as S. Marcke testifieth beheld him loued him Marc. 10. v. 21. and said one thing is wanting to thee goe sel whatsoeuer thou hast and giue it to the poore and come and follow mee If the mans speeche had bene a lye it would not haue prouoked Christs loue but his offence and if he had broken Gods commaundements Christ would haue aduertised him whome he loued rather of keeping the things which he commaunded then which he counselled as is the giuing al we haue to the poore Wherfore S. Chrisostome hom 64. in Math. S. Chrysost saith this man was no dissembler And S. Hierom. dialog 2. contra Pelag. affirmeth S. Hierom. that Christ loued him because he said he had done al omnia fecisse se dicit quamobrem amatur à Domino he said that he had done al things wherfore he was also loued of our lorde which euidently conuinceth that his speeche was true for Christ could not loue him for a lye Neither wil Bel I hope maruel that we expound S. Mathew rather by S. Marcke then by S. Hierome and S. Austin especially seeing S. Hierome alrered his opinion ad S. Austin spake but doubtfully saying I thinke Neuertheles because some fathers haue thought that the mans speeche was not true Catholiques rely not vpon this argument 4. Secondly S. Paule saith For not the Rom. 2. v. 13. hearers of the law are iust with God but the Doers of the law shal be iustified Ergo there are some Doers of the law and it is possible to be done Bel answereth that the pag. 151. Apostle spake not absolutly but vpon supposal of a thinge which saith he is impossible that there were doers of the law for such saith Bel should be iustified by

their worke though they could not glory in them But that S. Paule spake absolutly and not vpon any impossible supposal is euident First because in the first part of the sentence he spake absolutly of hearers and not vpon any impossible supposal when he said they are not iust Ergo in the second parte he spake so of Doers when he said they shal be iustified Wherfore as wel may Bel say there are no hearers as no doers of the law Secondly because in the next verse before he vers 12. had said absolutly VVhosoeuer haue sinned in the lavv shal be iudged by the lavv Which he proueth saying For not the hearers c. Wherfore as the proposition which he proued is absolute and vpon no impossible supposal so is that by which he proueth it And in vers 14. the verse next after he bringeth a proofe that the Doers of the law shal be iustified though they heard it not because Gentils who haue no lavv naturally that is without See S. Austin lib. 4 contra Iulian. cap. 3. tom 7. instruction of the law Doe those things which are of the lavv Behould the Apostle auouching that Gentils doe the law by their example prouing the Doers thereof to be iustified 5. And soe frequent it is in scripture to Psalm affirme that there are Doers and keepers of Gods lawes as it is auouched more then twenty times in one Psalme 118. I wil keepe thy iustifications v. 8. I haue sought thee in my whole hart v. 10. I haue cleaued to thie testimonies Lorde v. 31. I haue runne the way of thie commaundements v. 32. I wil keepe thy law in my whole hart v. 34. I wil keepe thy law alwaies v. 44. I haue not declined from thy law v. 51. I haue kept thy law v. 55. I haue not forgotten thy law v. 61. I am partaker of al that keepe thy commaundements v. 63. I haue not forsaken thy commaundements v. 87. I wil keepe the testimonies of thy mouth v. 88. I haue forbidden my feete from euel way that I may keepe thy words v. 101. I haue not declined from thy iudgements v. 102. I haue sworne and determined to keepe the iudgements of thy iustice v. 106. I haue not erred from thy commaundements v. 110. Deliuer mee because I haue not forgotten thy lavv v. 153. I haue not declined from thy testimonies v. 157. My soule hath kept thy testimonies v. 167. I haue kept thy commaundements and testimonies v. 168. Seeke thy seruant for I haue not forgotten thy commaundements v. 176. What now is it to say that there are no doers of Gods law and it is impossible to keepe his commaundements but to sett his mouth against heauen Psalm 72. and to giue God the lye Psalm 98. 3. Reg. 14. Act. 13. Iosue 11. v. 15. I omit Moyses Aaron Samuel Dauid Iosue Zacharie Elizabeth and the Apostles who are said to haue kept Gods law and some of them in al their hart Only S. Paule Luc. 1. Ioh 17. v. 6. Contradict 19. I can not omit because Bel artic 4. pag. 48. graunteth that he was most free and innocent from actual sinne therefore surely he kept Gods law perfectly for if he brake it he sinned actually 6. Thirdly Christ said if thou wilt enter Math. 19. v. 17. into life keepe the commaundements but entring into life is possible Ergo keeping the commaundements Bel answereth that Christ shewed not here how one may attaine to eternal life but how perfectly they who looke to be iustified by good works must keepe the commaundements For Christ saith he being asked what good a man Gods vvorde shamefully vvr●sted should doe to attaine eternal life ansvvered If thou wilt haue eternal life by doing good works then must thou keepe the commaundemēts but this is impossible saith Bel. Here is most shameful abuse of Gods worde and this sheweth Bel to haue a seared conscience For neither 1. Timoth. 4. v. 3. in the mans question nor in Christs answer is there any worde about what perfection of keeping Gods commaundements is requisit to come to heauen by this way or that way vz. by beleeuing or by working or by both But only about the meane in general to come to heauen what that was which the man supposing to bee good asked what good he should doe to come thither which question of his is common either to faith or works or both for al include doing good And our Sauiour answered him If thou wilt enter not this way nor that way but absolutly into life keepe the commaundements As Dauid demaunding Psalm 14. v. 1. 2. absolutly who shal dwel in Gods tabernacle answereth him selfe He that walketh vvithout spot and vvorketh iustice And as him selfe otherwere absolutly saith Math. 7. v. 21. Not euery one that said Lord Lorde shal enter into the Kingdome of heauen but be that doth the vvil of my father And surely if this man asking simply and of a desier to learne as Caluin Caluin graunteth had asked the way to heauen by an impossible meane as Bel imagineth Christ the author of truth and who loued him as S. Marke saith would rather haue Marc. 10. bidden him giue ouer that impossible way and taught him the true then how he should proceede in his erronious and impossible way 7. And though the man had asked Christ particularly how he should come to heauen by good works whence hath Bel that his meanes to come to heauen is impossible wil not Christ say in his last sentence Come you blessed of my father possesse the Kingdome prouided for you from the constitution of the world because I was Hungrie and you gaue mee to eat c. Math. S. Math. 25. v. 34. 35. as wel as he wil say Goe you from mee you cursed into euerlasting fyer c. because I was Hungry and you gaue mee not to eate v. 41. Are not good workes accounted the meanes and cause of comming to heauen as the want of them the meane and cause of going to hel Yea doth not Bel say artic 5. pag. 73. that good vvorkes are so necessary to attaine eternal life as Contradict 20. the vsual ordinary and vndoubted meanes marke the worde by vvhich God decreed from eternity freely for his ovvne name sake to bring his elect to saluation And that vvithout them none haue bene are or shal be saued How are they now become an impossible meane to come to heauen how did the man enquire of an impossible way to heauen by good workes what neede this challenger any aduersary who thus ouerthroweth him selfe 8. Fourthlie I proue the conclusion because Math. 11. v. 30. 1. Ioh. 5. v. 3. Christ saith my yoake is svveete and my burthen light And S. Ihon saith his commaundements are not heauy Ergo they are possible Bel answereth that these wordes are meant Bel p. 152. not in respect of vs but of Christ whose keeping the commaundements is