thou beleeuest in Christ And againe Fidelis propterea vocaris quoniam credis Deo ab eo creditam ipse iustitiam habes sanctitatem munditiam animae in filium adoptionem regnum coelorum Thou art therefore called faithfull because both thou beleeuest God and hast from him granted vnto thee righteousnesse sanctity purity of soule adoption of a sonne and the kingdome of heauen Seeing therefore by the Doctrine of Scriptures and Fathers faith and saluation cannot bee separated mee thinkes the Councell of Trent had done more politickly if with the losse of charity they had suffered faith quite to be lost too rather than retaining it to be damned with it Further for as much as the Pontificians admit of no other faith to Iustification but an historicall faith wee easily grant that which they so much desire That their faith doth not iustifie them at all but may be in them though they go to hell for it as themselues do teach Whereas the faith of beleeuers which beleeue in Christ hath the property to saue not suffer any to perish For Christ saith if we may beleeue Christ rather than the Popes infallibility in the Councel of Trent Whosoeuer beleeueth on the Sonne of man or the Sonne of God shall not perish but hath eternall life And v. 18 He that beleeueth on him is not condemned Yes saith the Councell of Trent he that is a beleeuer may bee condemned though still hee continue a Beleeuer Lastly sith for all this that their Faith cannot iustifie nor saue them yet notwithstanding they wil haue this to be a true Faith though a dead faith I et vs yeelde them this also that the Romane faith is a true dead Faith or a true Faith of the Diuels and damned Else what true Faith is it Gregory once Bishop of Rome saith Vera fides est quae in hoc quod verbis dicit moribus non contradicit That is true faith which in that it professeth in words it contradicteth not in maners And a little after Fidei nostrae veritatem in vitae nostrae consideratione debemus agnoscere tâ—nc enim veraciter fideles sumus si quod verbis promittimus operibus complemus We ought to acknowledge the truth of our Faith in the consideration of our life for then are we truly faithful if that which we promise in words we performe in deeds And St. Ambrose saith Nunquam fides vera turbatur True faith is neuer troubled How is then the Pontifician faith a true faith albeit a dead faith seeing according to Gregory what it professeth in words it contradicteth in deeds and according to Ambrose it is not free from trouble being ouer-whelmed with horrour of Conscience yea St. Hierome saith Cum dilectio proâ—ul abfuerit fides pariter abscedit When charity is away there faith also is gone with it To summe vp all in a word that hath beene said of this point the Notes of difference betweene the true Catholick sauing Faith and the Romane-Catholicke faith are these and such like 1. The true Catholicke iustifying Faith bringeth euery one that hath it vnto saluation and such shall neuer perish Iohn 3. 16. 18. and 1. Pet. 1. 9. The end of sauing Faith is the saluation of our soule But the Romish faith doth not by their owne confession bring euery one of them that hath it vnto saluation Therefore the Romane Catholicke faith is not the true Catholicke iustifying Faith Secondly the true Catholicke sauing Faith is a free gift of Gods grace giuen for Christs sake as Phil 1. 29 Ephes. 2 8. But the Romish faith is no free gift of Gods grace as being in the very Diuels which faith also the Councell of Trent separateth from grace Concil Trid. Sess. 6. cap. 15. saying that grace may bee lost though not faith Therefore the Romish faith is not the true Catholicke sauing faith Whereupon Bellarmine as the mouth of all Pontificians saith Fides infusa non perit gratia recedente vt Catholici omnes fatentur Infused faith perisheth not when grace is gone as all Catholickes confesse So that Pontifician faith is no grace with them and no maruaile then if iustifying faith be in no grace with them also But how is their faith infused This may seeme to make faith a gift of God Let Bellarmine himself resolue it he saith That all men may beleeue if they will when the Euangell is preached and so the Pontifician faith is of them disclaimed to be a speciall gift of Gods sauing grace Thirdly The true Catholicke sauing faith is a confidence in the promises of God in Christ it being the foundation of things hoped for in Christ the speciall obiect of it Heb. 11. 1. But the Romish faith beeing no other in its owne nature but that which is common with the very Diuels by their owne confession is altogether without hope hauing no respect to things hoped for no more than the Diuels for all their faith haue Therefore the Romish faith is none of the true sauing iustifying faith There bee many other differences which follow in this Treatise In stead of adding more to this place it shall suffice to conclude this Chapter with the definition of sauing and iustifying faith which may fitly bee thus defined Iustifying faith is a speciall free gift of God his grace whereby a sinner beleeuing in or into Christ being thus vnited vnto him is made partaker of all Christs merits and righteousnesse and is by the same faith certainly and infallibly perswaded that all his sins are remitted and himselfe in Christ perfectly iustified in Gods sight this faith also as a liuing roote containing in it all other graces as hope loue patience humility c. For the proofe of each part of this definition we neede not here stand vpon as referring both to the foregoing and ensuing Chapters where they are amply proued Now that I call iustifying Faith a gift of God I note the efficient cause of it to be God whereby it is also distinguished from the faith of Diuels which cannot bee called the gift of God Secondly that I call it a free gift of Gods grace as Phil. 1. 29. this excludes all precedent workes in man as merits of congruity or of any preuious repentance making a man acceptable to receiue Faith in Christ which jumps with the merit of congruity Thirdly that I call it a speciall gift I exclude all reprobates from hauing any communion with this Faith it is specially and peculiarly and solely giuen to the Saints Iude 3. speciall also in regard of the nature of it being a gift of grace flowing from Gods special loue in Christ vnto his elect Saints Fourthly whereby a sinner c. I note that whoso hath this Faith is empty of all inherent righteousnesse of his own he must be a sinner the generall subiect wherein Faith dwelleth Fiftly by beleeuing in or into Christ I note the proper act of iustifying Faith differencing
it be called faith but when a man hath certainty concerning those things which are not seene more than concerning those things which are seene For because those things which are yet in hope are reputed as yet without substance or subsistence and faith giueth vnto them their substance not that it addes any thing vnto them but it selfe is the substance or subsistence of them For the purpose the resurrection is not yet fulfilled not yet present or subsistent but faith makes it to subsist in our soule this is it which the Apostle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or substance So Chrysostome Yea this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it importeth a subsisting signifieth also animum praesentem a confidence or full assurance of the mind And it is sometimes vsed in authors for a fastening or a close ioyning together as a ioynt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fast iuncture And such is faith which ioyneth the obiect the subiect together making the things hoped for to be as it were in our present possession It is also the euidence of things not seene presenting them visibly and sensibly before vs like a most cleare perspectiue glasse which presents and attracts as it were the most remote obiect nearer to the eye for the clearer view of it Thus Abraham and those other Saints of the Old Testament saw these inuisible things afarre off with the eye of Faith Heb. 11. 13. and were perswaded of them and imbraced them as the Apostle excellently declareth Thus if sauing and iustifying Faith bee the substance the subsistence the assurance the confidence the coherence of things hoped for if the euidence the argument and demonstration of things not seene prepared for such as loue God reuealed to vs by the Spirit how then is not this Faith most sure certain of iustification eternall saluation This is further confirmed by sundry other authorities of holy Scripture as Ephes. 3. 12. In quo habemus fiduciam accessum in confidentia per fidem ipsius as the vulgar Latine renders it well that is In whom to wit Christ we haue boldnesse and accesse with confidence through the faith of him Now what boldnesse or confidence can a man haue without assurance and certainty And Heb. 3. 6. Christus tanquam Filius in domo sua quae domus sumus nos si fiduciam gloriam spei vsque ad finem firmam retineamus Christ as a Sonne ouer his owne house which house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the reioycing of the hope firme vnto the end Now the strength of a house doth mainly stand vpon the firmenesse of the foundation And the Apostle as wee haue heard cals Faith the foundation of things hoped for And Heb. 4. 16. Adeamus ergo cum fiducia ad Thronum gratiae vt misericordiam c. Let vs therefore come with boldnesse vnto the Throne of grace that we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to help in time of neede And Heb. 10. 19. Habentes itaque fratres fiduciam c. Hauing therefore brethren boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the bloud of Iesus c. accedamus cum vero corde in plenitudine fidei c. let vs draw neare with a true heart In full assurance of Faith hauing our hearts sprinkled from an euill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let vs hold fast the professioe of our Faith without wauering for he is faithfull that promised c. And 1. Ioh. 5. 13. 14. Haec scribo vobis c. These things I write vnto you that beleeue on the Name of the Sonne of God That yee may know that ye haue eternall life c. Et haec est fiducia quam habemus ad eum And this is the confidence that wee haue in him c. Thus we see what glorious Elogies or Prayses the holy Ghost giueth to sauing Faith the proper effects whereof are assurance truth confidence boldnesse which the vulgar Latine so often translateth Fiducia a word much enuied by the Councell of Trent and extreamely inueighed against yea and shamelessly iniured by Vega who taking vpon him to interpret the meaning and to measure out the latitude of Fiducia doth pitifully mangle and mince it saying that it hath some certaine agreement with Faith but so as it is distinct from certainty and that it is a kinde of motion of the appetite and that it may be in deadly sinners trusting that they are iustified when they are not and that it is a probable perswasion of obtaining our desire and that this probable perswasion of obtaining the mercy of God is a most fit meanes to the obtaining of Faith So that in the conclusion this Fiducia is by Vega preferred to be set in the ranke of preparatory graces sauing that I doe not see how Fiducia can be a meanes to beget Faith seeing he puts Faith also among his preparatiues and also in another place saith That Theologicall Faith is the beginning of Iustification which Faith may be in those that sleepe and want the vse of reason and Fiducia is onely an act or a consequent passion issuing from it O miserable perplexities How doe these Pontificians torment their wits in making infinite doublings to make men lose the right path like the Lapwing which wearieth her selfe partly with her owne plaining voice and partly with her deuious and extrauagant fluttering about farre enough from the marke yet so as if shee were still about it and all to deceiue and diuert the Fowler from comming neare her nest But the Doctrine of the certainty of sauing Faith is further confirmed by the holy Ghost As Ioh. 3. 33. The Lord saith Hee that hath receiued his testimony hath set to his seale that God is true What seale is this but the seale of Faith So the Lord applies it vers 36. Hee that beleeueth on the Sonne hath euerlasting life And St. Iohn ioynes them both together setting the seale of Faith to the testimony 1. Iohn 5. 9 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is the testimony of God which he hath testified of his Sonne Hee that beleeueth on the Sonne of God hath the testimony in himselfe Faith then is the seale of Gods testimony and what greater certainty or assurance can be than in a seale Also Matth. 9. 2. Confide fili c. Sonne be of good comfort or be confident as the originall word signifieth thy sinnes be forgiuen thee So vers 22. Confide filia c. Daughter bee confident thy Faith hath saued thee So that the confidence of sauing Faith in the remission of sinnes is not onely in the masculine sexe Sonne be confident but euen in the female and weaker sexe Daughter be confident thy Faith hath saued thee goe in peace This certainty of Faith is also confirmed by a comparison taken from building Christ Iesus is the Rocke whereon euery beleeuer as a house is built This building is so strong as no flouds of
Nay let vs decide it betweene vs by the rule of Gods word Either make the tree good and the fruit good or else the tree euill and the fruit euill saith Christ. An euill tree cannot bring forth good fruit contra Now a man before his effectuall conuersion before he be in Christ is an euill tree and therefore cannot bring forth any fruit of true grace or vertue But if a man begin once to bring forth such fruits shew me if you can any reason why such a man is not already a true Conuert For ought you know hauing these signes and symptomes of true conuersion he is a true Conuert Nay that he is without question a true Conuert I proue by two reasons First because till a man be a true Conuert he cannot be truely humble he cannot truely renounce himselfe his sins confesse his vnworthinesse feele the hardnesse of his heart to complaine of it and the like Secondly because all these things are common and proper to the regenerate man Both these together I proue thus 1. No dead man can performe the workes of a liuing man but these forementioned be the workes of a liuing man therefore no dead man therefore no man before his conuersion can performe such workes But you will say these things are not so the workes of a man conuerted but that also as morall workes they may be performed of a morall or naturall man before his conuersion To which I answer that all these things are not of a morall but of a spirituall nature are the proper gifts of the spirit of grace which no naturall man hath till he become spirituall which is by conuersion when hee receiueth spirituall life God giues grace to the humble but first he giues grace to be humble God giueth more grace saith St. Iames and what followeth He giues grace to the humble that is more grace to him whom first he hath made humble by grace This humility comes only from Christ to those that are in Christ. True humility St. Augustines compares to the water of life and of grace which floweth from the inward fountaine of the pure veine of truth This is the water of confession of sinnes this the water of humiliation of the heart this the water of sauing life of him that casts downe himselfe that presumes nothing of himselfe that proudly attributes nothing to his owne power This water is in no Forreiners bookes not in the Epicures not in the Stoickes not in the Manichees not in the Platonicks Wheresoeuer other precepts of manners and discipline are found yet this humility is not found The way of this humility flowes from no where else it comes from Christ c. So Augustine This Humility is the Herbe-grace and growes no where but in the garden of grace euen the heart of the true Conuert It growes not in the whole field of nature though neuer so well tilled with the doctrine of Philosophy And for hardnesse of heart it is in euery impenitent man but when once it comes to be felt and to be mourned for this is the proper effect of a man renued by grace whose not onely vnderstanding is inlightened to see but his will and affections touched with a godly sense and feeling of his spirituall miseries which a dead man cannot doe Now till a man be in Christ by faith he is a dead man Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drink his bloud that is Except ye beleeue in the son of man ye haue no life in you Ioh. 6. 53. And saith the Apostle Now I liue yet not I but Christ liueth in mee and in that I now liue I liue by the faith of the sonne of God c. Gal. 2. 20. Now a dead man knowes not that he is dead but when he is restored to life he then knowes that he was dead So a man till hee be in Christ that is truely conuerted he is dead and knowes it not much lesse can bewaile or so much as see and feele his spirituall death but being in Christ and so made aliue he knowes then that he was a dead man and feeling some reliques of spirituall mortality in him as corruption of sinne hardnesse of heart and the like he is truely humbled for it he heartily bewailes and confesseth it and prayeth against it which humility which bewayling and confessing of his spirituall misery is no lesse an infallible signe of a man restored from spirituall death to spirituall life by Christ than the seuen times neezing of the widowes son was a true token of his restitution from death to life againe But as the clause comes in but obiter so let it suffice to haue touched it by the way And this I haue said I am sure will stand good till any shall be able to proue That a man doth spiritually liue before he be in Christ before he be a true Conuert CHAP. IV. The Romish Doctrine of the Iustification of a sinner what it is and wherein it consisteth NOw after all this adoe about preparation to iustification which the more they magnifie the further off they are from attaining vnto it what is that iustification which the Romish Church stands vpon Let vs see if it bee worth all that labour and merit whereby they must come by it The foolish Virgins while they went to bestow their paines and cost to prepare oyle for their empty Lampes to meete the Bridegroome lost all their paines and expence for when they came Heauen gate was shut against them The Romish Virgins for such they would bee accounted wanting oyle in their Lampes to wit the pure oyle-oliffe of grace distilling from the true Oliffe Tree Iesus Christ while they goe about to prepare artificiall oyle made by humane inuention they may iustly feare to find the gate of righteousnesse and mercie barred vp against them If they proue not rather like the men of Sodome who pressing vpon righteous Lot to surprise euen his Angel-guests were strucke with blindnesse that they could not finde the right doore where they would haue entred So these seeking to enter the gate of the righteous as if they would surprise Heauen the lodging of Angels by a strange and new inuented violence it will proue a matter of high admiration if euer by their new way of preparation choaked with so many mists of foggie errours and blinde inuentions they hit vpon the gate of iustification and so come promiscuously to ioyne themselues to the sacred society of righteous Angels But now let their iustification speake and iustifie it selfe The Councell of Trent in the seuenth Chapter saith thus Hanc dispositionem seu praeparationem iustificatio ipsa consequitur quae non est sola peccatorum remissio sed sanctificatio renouatio interioris hominis per voluntariam susceptionem gratiae donorum Vnde homo ex iniusto fit iustus ex inimico amicus ve sit haeres secundum
promises made Hee saith not and to seeds as of many but as of one And to thy seed which is Christ. And this was that promise of God which Abraham beleeuing his faith was counted to him for righteousnesse as it is there in the sixt verse euen as Abraham beleeued God and it was accounted to him for righteousnesse Therefore Vega's diuinitie hath very much failed him in propounding these two examples of Noah and Abraham to proue the iustification of his generall Faith whereas we plainely see both these Patriarches faith had speciall and principall reference and respect to Christ Iesus And therefore their faith was reckoned to them for righteousnesse For the other examples which Vega there addeth in generall out of the eleuenth to the Hebrewes they are all of the same nature and all confirme this infallible and vndeniable truth That the promises of God in Christ and Christ alone with all his righteousnesse is the obiect of that Faith which is reckoned to Abraham to Noah and to euery beleeuer for righteousnesse Here then comes in the true formall cause of our iustification namely Christ himselfe with all his righteousnesse which being apprehended by faith it is imputed vnto vs for righteousnesse This is it that giues a true being to iustification Iustification therefore consists in the imputation of Christ and his righteousnesse comprehending also all the promises of God in him apprehended by faith Now concerning this Catholicke doctrine of imputation of Christs righteousnesse by faith the Scriptures are very pregnant in the proofe of it This Gospell hath testimonie before the Law in the Law and in the Prophets and is confirmed by Christ and his Apostles Before the Law to omit other examples wee haue two famous ones that of Noah and Abraham of whom wee spake euen now who are layd downe for exemplary patterns yea and liuely types to all beleeuers Noah before the floud and Abraham after the floud and before the Law which St. Paul doth especially note to put a difference betweene faith and the workes of the Law in the point of iustification In the Law also we haue two principall types liuely shadowing this doctrine of imputation The first we finde in Leuiticus 1. 4. And hee shall put his hand vpon the head of his burnt-offering and it shall bee accepted for him to make attonement for him The burnt offering was a figure of Christ sacrificed for vs vpon the crosse the man that brings this burnt-offering is a type of euery true beleeuer and the hand which hee putteth on the head of the sacrifice is faith laying hold on Christ and as it were owning him for our proper sacrifice which God accepteth to bee an attonement for vs a sacrifice of a sweet sauour vnto the Lord. The Apostle applies this sacrifice with the fruits of it to Christ Rom. 5. 11. Wee reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom we haue receiued the attonement Also Ephes. 5. 2. Walke in loue as Christ also hath loued vs and giuen himselfe for vs an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweete smelling sauour Christ is then this burnt-offering our attonement with God and an offering of a sweete sauour vnto the Lord. Now the instrument or hand whereby Christ is apprehended and applyed to euery true Beleeuer is Faith It was the hand of Faith which the diseased woman in the Gospell touched Christ her Sauiour with and fetched vertue out of him To whom the Lord said Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole goe in peace This the Apostle doth also liuely set out Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to wit Iesus Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the Remission of sinnes that are past through the forbearance of God to declare at this time his righteousnesse that hee might be iust and a iustifier of him that beleeueth in Iesus How fully doth the Apostle parallel and compare this truth with that type A second type of our righteousnesse or iustification by imputation of Christ vnto the beleeuer in the time of the Law is set downe Num. 21. 8. 9. The Lord said vnto Moses make thee a fiery serpent and set it vpon a pole and it shall come to passe that euery one that is bitten when he looketh vpon it shall liue and Moses did so and the serpent-bitten-man looked and liued The brazen Serpent was a type of Christ the serpent-bitten-man is euery sinner whom that old serpent hath already stung with sinne as he did our first Parents The looking on the brazen serpent so lifted vp vpon a pole is the faith of the beleeuer beholding Christ lifted vp vpon his Crosse. This Christ Iesus himselfe applyeth Ioh. 3. 14. 15. As Moses lifted vp the Serpent in the wildernesse euen so must the sonne of man be lifted vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life A most sweet collation of the truth with the type shewing that as faith is the hand of the soule laying hold vpon the bloudy sacrifice of Christ for our atonement with God so faith is also the eye of the soule so to looke vpon Christ crucified as to bee thereby cured of all the deadly wounds of sin and so to liue eternally The Prophets also are full of testimonies to confirme this doctrine of iustification by imputation Esa 53. 4. Surely hee hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes yet we did esteeme him stricken smitten of God and afflicted as if hee had beene a malefactor But he was wounded for our transgressions hee was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes are wee healed All wee like sheepe haue gone astray we haue turned euery one to his owne way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of vs all And vers 8. he was cut off out of the land of the liuing for the transgression of my people was he stricken Though he had done no violence neither was any deceipt in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to griefe when thou shalt make his soule an offering for sinnes he shall see his seede c. Here wee see most liuely set downe a mutuall imputation of our iniquities vnto Christ and of his merits vnto vs. And then the Prophet vers 11. sheweth by what meane or instrument this righteousnesse of Christs obedience is imputed to vs By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie many for hee shall beare their iniquities By his knowledge or by the knowledge of himselfe that is by faith in him knowing and acknowledging seeing and beholding him with the eye of faith to bee that Lambe of God before the shearer taking away our sinnes for hee hath borne our iniquities The Prophet Ieremy also doth set this downe most sweetly by a reciprocall or mutuall relation betweene Christ and his Church calling Christ
here may be fitly moued Quest. Whether the obedience of the whole Law of God wrought by Christ for vs is auaileable as to redeeme vs from the punishment of sinne so to purchase vnto vs eternall life in heauen The reason of the question is because not the Law if it had beene for euer perfectly fulfilled by Adam had any promise of that eternall life and immediate vision in heauen but only of this life Heauen is not within the Couenant of workes Answ. True it is that the fulfilling of the Law in it selfe simply considered hath no proportion with that endlesse life aboue For the first Adam was of the earth earthly and all his happinesse promised vpon the condition of keeping the Law for ought is reuealed or can be demonstrated was terrestriall But now forasmuch as the Law is fulfilled by Christ this obedience reacheth to a higher reward because there is a higher promise made than that of the first Adam Because Christ the second Adam is the Lord from heauen the Eternal whose Kingdom is not of this world but of a better a heauenly whose house is not made with hands So that his obedience to the Law in regard of his person becomes a rich and inestimable purchase of that better Kingdome for vs. For as is the heauenly such are they that are heauenly to wit the generation of God in and by Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 48. 49. 50. vide Iohn 3. 13. No man ascendeth vp to heauen but he c. Thus haue we proued out of the holy Scriptures how the formall cause of iustification or that which giues a perfect being to our iustification making vs perfectly iust in the sight of God is the imputation of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs and that euen of his whole righteousnesse actiue in his life and passiue in his death And that the formall cause of our iustification is not within vs but without vs not inherent but by imputation may easily appeare from the maine difference betweene the first Couenant and the second The first Couenant was that which was made with Adam in Paradise Doe this and liue the second that made with man after his fal Beleeue and liue So the first Couenant was of workes the second of faith the first of an inherent righteousnesse of our owne the second of a righteousnesse without vs not our owne simply but by relation namely made ours to wit Christs righteousnesse who of God is made vnto vs righteousnesse called in Scriptures the righteousnesse which is of faith Not to obserue and know this difference well is the ready way to leade men into all errour of this mysterie of God The Apostle doth notably set downe this difference between the first and second Couenant as termes infinitely opposite and admitting of no reconciliation Rom. 10. 3. when hee saith that the Iewes being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse haue not submitted themselues to the vnrighteousnesse of God For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth For Moses describeth the righteousnesse which is of the Law that the man which doth those things shall liue by them But the righteousnesse which is of Faith is to confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and to beleeue in thy heart that God raised him from the dead and thou shalt be saued Also Rom. 11. 6. If it be by grace it is no more of workes otherwise grace is no more grace but if it bee of workes then it is no more grace otherwise worke is no more worke Also Rom. 4. the Apostle setting downe this same opposition betweene the Couenant of workes and of faith saith on this wise v. 2. c. If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to glory but not before God For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse Euen as Dauid also describeth the blessednesse of the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne What clearer Testimonies Yea this did God himselfe teach vs not obscurely by his own act Gen. 3. For when Adam had forfeited the first Couenant which was of workes made with him in Paradise before his fall and after his fall had made with him another Couenant to wit of faith in Christ the promised seede of the woman What doth God thereupon Hee shuts man out of Paradise and from the Tree of life lest putting forth his hand hee should take of it and liue for euer What is meant hereby Paradise was not only the place but also did signifie the happy condition of Adams blessednesse which he was to enioy in his innocencie the Tree of life was a sacrament and symbol of life appointed as a speciall meanes to preserue man from dying or decaying in his naturall strength so long as he continued in his obedience But by disobedience hee forfeited the Couenant brake the condition lost his former happinesse and was depriued of the meanes of that life wherein hee should haue liued for euer vpon earth Now God shutting him out from the earthly Paradise the place of earthly blisse and from the Tree of life the sacrament and symbol of immortalitie and hauing shewed vnto him another Tree of life in the middest of the Paradise of God to wit Iesus Christ who is very God and eternall life which whosoeuer by reaching out the hand of Faith eateth of shall liue for euer God I say doth hereby plainely teach vs that in attaining to the heauenly Paradise by the Tree of life Iesus Christ wee must not haue any more to doe with the things pertaining to the first Couenant now altogether forfeited and from which Adam and his posteritie is for euer banished neuer to returne or intermeddle there any more Gen. 3 22. 23. 24. Therefore to teach and beleeue the doctrine of an inherent righteousnesse whereby to attaine eternall life is euen as it were in despite of God and of his holy Angels the Cherubims keeping the way of the Tree of life to reuiue the old Couenant of workes againe and with the hand of the body to wit good workes reach out to take of the tree of life This is a Babylonish confounding of the two Couenants which stand vpon such irreconcileable termes of difference Is there no more difference betweene Do this and liue and Beleeue and liue betweene mans owne righteousnesse and Gods righteousnesse the establishing of the one being the abolishing of the other Nor is it to purpose that these Babylonians alledge that they ascribe their inherent righteousnesse to God as the author of it and by whom
we shewed at large before Now I call these ordinary conditionall means not simply absolute as Christ is because although by the meanes of these to wit the Word and Sacraments men are ordinarily brought vnto saluation in Christ namely those who come to be made capable of the ordinary means yet in case any of the elect cannot come to the vse of the ordinary meanes as Infants dying before Baptisme and many Children dying before they come to heare the Word of God and so actually in regard of the ordinary meanes to beleeue God being an absolute and free agent that can worke aboue meanes and without meanes aboue all that we can thinke as saith the Apostle is not so bound to the ordinary conditionall meanes but that hee can and doth without them saue all those that belong to the Couenant of grace elected in Iesus Christ the onely absolute meanes Againe I call the Word and Sacraments conditionall meanes because though they bee not so absolute so to tye God as if he could not saue vs without them yet they be so conditionall as we may not looke to be saued but by them if God doe giue vs opportunity to vse them and make vs capable of them For God did no lesse ordaine these ordinary meanes whereby wee should come ordinarily to receiue Christ than he did ordaine Christ himselfe the onely absolute meanes whereby we must be saued Hence it is that St. Augustine according to his manner saith excellently Tunc voluisse hominibus apparere Christum apud eos praedicari doctrinam suam quando sciebat vbi sciebat esse qui in eum fuerant credituri quod posset sic dici Quando sciebat vbi sciebat esse qui electi fuerant in ipso ante mundi constitutionem Then was Christ willing to haue himselfe made manifest vnto men and his doctrine to be preached among them when he knew and where he knew there were such as should beleeue in him which may be thus explained When he knew and where he knew those were who had been elected in him before the foundation of the world So that Christ hath appeared his Gospell is preached principally for no other end but to manifest Gods glory in the sauing of his elect So it is an infallible marke wheresoeuer God sends the meanes of saluation in the preaching of his Word there is some of his elect to be called and saued Hence it is that the holy Ghost giueth speciall direction and commission to preach in such and such places onely for the time namely where his elect were Thus was Philip commanded to goe preach to the Eunuch Acts 8. So Peter to Cornelius Acts 10. The Apostles are inhibited to preach the Word in Asia for the time was not yet come Acts 16. 6. They were restrained also by the same Spirit of God from preaching in Bithynia vers 7. So that this was a signe that as yet God had no people ready for his Word in those places As the Lord himselfe renders the reason why he will haue Paul to continue in Corinth and to preach the Word boldly against all opposition For saith the Lord I haue much people in this City and I am with thee to preserue thee from all enemies Acts 18. 10. So Christ was not sent but to the lost Sheepe of the house of Israel to those whom his Father had giuen him out of the world for who were they that beleeued but so many as were ordained to eternall life Acts 13. 48. Againe as Gods wisedome did ordaine these ordinary and conditionall meanes whereby his elect should be made effectually partakers of Christ in whom they are elected So in the last place by the grace of Christ in the vse of these meanes wee are sanctified and made conformable to Christ to walke in him euen as he hath walked in all holy obedience For as God in Christ did elect and ordaine vs to the end which is to be saued so also he hath ordained vs to all the meanes tending to this end which means are in no sort to bee seuered from Gods eternall purpose in sauing vs for as he did before all time appoint vs vnto saluation in his Sonne so before all time he did appoint the manner and meanes and way wherein we must walke vnto the end of our saluation as it is said in the definition Euen vnto the end that is till wee come to the end of our Christian race to receiue the end of our faith the saluation of our soules This end is that very thing to which we are ordained and elected in Christ. As by grace we are elected vnto grace so also to perseuere in grace vnto glory For the foundation of God stands sure and hath the seale The Lord knoweth who are his Now hath God laid a foundation and shall not he finish No he is the wise builder Whom he loueth he loueth to the end As it is said of Christ Hauing loued his owne that is from euerlasting he loued them vnto the end that is to euerlasting For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance It is not possible for the elect to be deceiued that is seduced from Christ Matth. 24. 24. Doth any fall away and apostatize from the truth It is not from the grace of Christ that they fall for they neuer had it but they fall away from that temporary profession of faith and conuersation wherein for a time they continued So St. Iohn speaking of Apostataes and reuolted Antichristians saith They went out from vs but they were not of vs for had they beene of vs they would no doubt haue continued with vs but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of vs. Whereupon Augustine saith Neâ— nos moueat quod Filijs suis quibusdam Deus non dat istam perseuerantiam Sunt enim quidam qui Filij Dei propter susceptam vel temporaliter gratiam dicuntur a nobis nec sunt tamen Deo De quibus Iohannes Ex nobis exiâ—runt sed non er ant ex nobis Non er ant ex numero Filiorum quando eraâ—t in fide Filiorum Non enim perit Filius promissionis sed Filius perditionis Euerunt isti ex multitudine vocatorum non-ex paucitate electorum Nor let it moue vs saith hee that God doth not giue this perseuerance to some of his Sonnes For there are some who because of a temporary grace receiued are called of vs the Sonnes of God and yet with God they are not so Of whom Iohn speaketh They went out from vs but they were not of vs. They were not of the number of Sonnes no not when they were in the faith of Sonnes For the Sonne of promise perisheth not but the Sonne of perdition Those were of the multitude of the called not of the small number of the elect But here it may be obiected that St. Augustine confesseth that those that fell
miracles but of their owne saluation which they had common with others For that very cause would hee haue his Disciples reioyce for which thou also reioycest Omnium fidelium qui diligunt Christum qui ambulant viam eius humiliter quam ipse docuit humilis nomina scripta sunt in Coelo Cuiusuis contemptibilis in Ecclesia qui credit in Christum diligit Christum amat pacem Christi nomen scriptum est in Coelo cuiusâ—ibet quem contemnis c. The names of all the faithfull which loue Christ which humbly walke in his way which his humble selfe prescribed are written in Heauen The name of euery contemptible one in the Church which beleeueth in Christ and loueth Christ and loueth the peace of Christ is written in Heauen euen of euery one whom thou contemnest And what comparison between such a one and the Apostles who did so great miracles And yet the Apostles are checked because they reioyced in a priuate good and are charged to reioyce of that whereof euen that contemptible one reioyceth So Saint Augustine So that the Apostles reioycing that their names were written in Heauen was not peculiar to them but common to euery true beleeuer the most contemptible whereof is no lesse commanded to reioyce that his name is written in Heauen than the Apostles themselues were If therefore all the faithfull must reioyce that their names are written in Heauen then they must needes certainly know not coniecturally suppose or vainely presume that they are of the number of Gods Elect. For else to reioyce of that where of they haue no certaine knowledge were but the flash of a false ioy But Christ bids vs reioyce truely and really All therefore whose names are written in Heauen know it to bee so sith they are bid to reioyce of it And if this knowledge come not but by reuelation yet it is no speciall reuelation to some few beleeuers onely but it is giuen to all true beleeuers in common Yea all the elect euen euery true beleeuer knoweth this by his Faith and the fruits of it as Hope and Loue c. This the Apostle sheweth 2. Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selues whether yee be in the Faith prooue your owne selues Know yee not your owne selues how that Iesus Christ is in you except yee be Reprobates A most emphaticall speech Examine What your selues Wherein Whether yee be in the Faith yea Prooue your owne selues herein And let this be the proofe of your Faith to know your selues to be in Christ and Christ to be in you For this is proper to the elect of God yea to all the elect in Christ to know themselues to be of that number euen by the proofe and testimonie of their Faith Which knowledge hee who neuer hath is a Reprobate by the Apostles Sentence For if Christ be in you then are you of the number of Gods elect and Christ dwelleth in vs by Faith and by Faith wee know that Christ dwelleth in vs by which wee know that wee are not Reprobates And if wee know wee are no Reprobates then wee know certainely that wee are of Gods elect Hereupon Saint Augustine sayth Fides quae per dilectionem operatur si est in vobis iam pertinetis ad praedestinatos vocatos iustificatos ergo crescat in vobis Faith which worketh by loue if it be in you you doe now belong to the number of the Predestinate of the Called of the Iustified therefore let Faith grow in you Saint Iohn also sheweth this excellently saying Hee that beleeueth in the Sonne of God hath the witnesse in himselfe So that our Faith in Christ is our infallible witnesse that wee are Christs and Christ is ours and so consequently that wee are predestinate and elect in Christ. For if any man doubt of this Record of Faith what it is and wherein it consisteth the same Apostle makes it yet more euident Verse 11. saying And this is the Record that God hath giuen to vs eternall life and this life is in his Sonne And can wee haue this Witnesse this Record of Faith in ourselues and not thereby certainely know that wee are of the number of Gods elect when wee thus finde the infallible proofe and effect of it in vs Eternall life is the infallible effect of our election But by Faith wee know that wee haue eternall life For this is the Record euen our Faith Yea this infallible knowledge is that which the Apostle doth purposely write to informe vs of For Verse 13. he sayth These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue in the Name of the Sonne of God To what end That yee may know What That yee may know not that yee may haue some probable coniecture but that yee may know What that yee haue eternall life Not onely that yee shall haue it but that yee alreadie haue it than which nothing is more sure and certaine and that yee may beleeue on the Name of the Sonne of God And this is the confidence that wee haue in him c. Now hath euery true Beleeuer eternall Life And doth hee know this by Faith And doth hee not then know that hee is of the number of Gods elect Let all Pontifician Sophistry heere stoppe the Mouth of Contradiction Let it submit to the inuincible and cleare Truth of God Thus hauing declared the infallible certaintie of Saluation sealed vnto vs by a liuely iustifying Faith which makes a man so perswaded of his Election and Predestination as that it makes him to reioyce that his name is written in Heauen it followeth now in the next place to shew the certaintie of Faith as touching our perseuerance vnto the end Now our perseuerance in Grace is a necessarie consequent effect of our Election and Predestination in Christ vnto Glory So that being sure wee are of the number of Gods Elect wee are also sure that wee shall also continue and perseuere in Grace vnto the end whereunto wee are elected As Augustine sayth Quis in aeternam vitam potuit ordinari nisi perseuerantiae dono Who could be ordained to eternall Life without the gift of Perseuerance So that for a man to know hee is written in the Booke of Life of Gods Election is consequently to know that hee shall perseuere vnto the end Doe wee know that God loues vs in Christ Then doe we also know that vnto the end hee loueth vs. Wee know that he that hath begun the good worke of Grace in vs will also performe it vnto the end Wee know with the Apostle that nothing shall separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. The Pontificians would faine restraine the Apostles perswasion and extend it no farther than to himselfe as a speciall reuelation of the certaintie of his owne saluation But hee sayth expressely Nothing shall separate Vâ— hee sayth not Mee alone but Vs. As hee plainely expresseth elsewhere saying Wee know that if our Earthly House
can reach vnto I enuie it not But at the best when all is done is it euer the neerer to grace or iustification If nature haue any faculty at all this way surely it is to be found in those men that most excell in the gifts of nature as in the Philosophers the learned the disputers of the world Wherefore then doe not these receiue the Gospell with all readinesse and freedome of will Nay are they not rather the further off from Christ by how much nature seemes more excellent and perfect in them Saint Paul makes a challenge 1. Cor. 1. 20. Where is the wise Where is the Scribe Where is the disputer of this world Hath not God made the wisedome of this world foolishnesse and vers 21. he concludeth flatly that seeing the world by wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue And vers 26. Not many wise men after the flesh are called c. And our Sauiour Mat. 11. 25. I thanke thee O Father Lord of heauen and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding and hast reuealed them vnto babes And therefore hence we may conclude That the more our nature presumeth of its owne perfection any way in disposing it selfe to grace the more blinde it is and further off from grace though the Councell of Trent accurseth those that shall condemne natures disposing of it selfe to grace Can. 7. Nay bring me an Angell in his pure naturals innocent as Adam in his first creation his will most free vntainted vncaptiued yet what relation is there betweene him and the word incarnate This is a high and hidden mysterie which neither Adam in his purest naturals no nor Angell but by speciall reuelation Ephes. 3. 10. could by their naturall knowledge attaine vnto As the Lord said to Peter Flesh and bloud hath not reuealed this vnto thee What free-will then can there be in vs by nature towards that thing which our naturall vnderstanding is altogether ignorant of The naturall man receiueth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned Now that which the vnderstanding apprehends not the will desires not Ignoti nulla cupido Thomas Aquinas saith well and truly Hoc est ex institutione diuinae prouidentiae vt nihil agat vltra suam virtutem Vita autem aeterna est quoddam bonum excedens proportionem naturae creatae quia etiam excedit cognitionem desiderium eius secundum illud 1. Cor. 2. 9. Oculus non vidit c. This is of the appointment of Gods prouidence that nothing should worke beyond its proper vertue But eternall life is a certaine good exceeding the proportion of created nature because it also exceedeth the knowledge and desire of it according to that 1. Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither haue entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that loue him for God hath reuealed them vnto vs by his spirit c. And so Thomas concludeth that not euen Adam in his perfection could merit eternall life without a supernaturall grace And the same Aquinas Ea quae sunt fidei excedunt rationem humanam those things which are of faith exceede humane reason And a little after Homo assentiendo his quae sunt fidei eleuatur supra naturam suam c. A man by assenting to those things which are of faith is eleuated aboue his nature therefore it is necessary that faith be infused into him by a supernaturall gift of God Yea say the Pontificians We ascribe the first motion of free-will to the worke of a preuenting grace But by their owne confession this work of grace is no other but to moue stirre vp as it were to awaken the will Indeede if the Trent-Fathers would not hypocritically halt in this point but speake ingenuously and plainly and say That God by his spirit through the preaching of the word doth illuminate the blinde vnderstanding of the naturall man as he did the heart of Lydia to see the mysterie of Christ and so the will is inflamed to desire and long after saluation then wee and all Catholicke beleeuers would in this point giue them the right hand of fellowship This is indeede the right and true preparation vnto the grace of iustification if not rather the true grace it selfe already begun in our hearts For this is life eternall that they know thee to bee the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Christ Iesus And as the Prophet Esay speaketh By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie maâ—ie for he shall beare their iniquities which implyeth that holy knowledge and illumination is the first worke of grace and iustification knowledge there being taken for sauing faith faith being that to the soule which the eye is to the bodie as the Lord applyeth it Iohn 3. 14. 15. Or if these Romane-Catholicke Doctors would but vse the same language that the ancient Fathers of the Church haue vsed concerning free-will they should herein shew themselues honest men Saint Augustine confesseth plainly that man by abusing his free-will hath lost both himselfe and it And by this reckoning more is required than a bare mouing helping or stirring vp of the will as if it were onely lame when it is quite lost That therefore in the Prophet must here take place I will take from them their stonie heart and giue them a heart of flesh The heart in mans conuersion must be new made and moulded againe But they will obiect that free-will by mans fall is not altogether lost according to that of St. Augustine Peccate Adâ— liberum arbitrium de hominum natura perisse non dicimus Wee doe not say saith hee that by the sinne of Adam mans nature is depriued of free-will or that free-will is perished But note what St. Augustine there addeth Sed ad peccandum valere in hominibus subditis Diabolo ad bene autem pieque viuendum non valere nisi ipsa voluntas hominis Dei gratia fuerit liberata ad omne bonum actionis sermonis cogitationis adiuta But wee say saith he that free-will in men subiect to Satan preuaileth to the committing of sinne but to good and godly liuing it is of no force vnlesse mans will be freed by Gods grace and assisted vnto euery good worke and word and thought And in his book de gratia libero arbitrio ca. 17. he saith He worketh first that we may will who when we do wil doth perfect vs by cooperating that therfore we may wil he works without vs but whe we are willing seruile that we may perform he cooperates with vs. And c. 16. vpon Phil. 2. Deus est qui operatur in vobis c. Certum est nos facere cum
They shall bee accounted iust they shall be reputed iust So he Thus we see though St. Augustine following the etymologie of the word take iustificare to iustifie or make iust yet hee meaneth nothing else but the accounting or reputing iust and not the infusing of grace whereby to be made iust And Bernard also saith Adde huc vt credas quod per ipsum tibi peccata donantur Hoc est testimonium quod perhibet in corde nostro Spiritus sanctus dicens Dimissa sunt tibi peccata Sic enim arbitratur Apostolus Gratis iustificari hominem per fidem Adde to this that thou beleeue that by him thy sinnes are forgiuen thee This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost beareth in our heart saying Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee For so the Apostle concludeth That a man is iustified freely by faith But let vs heare from the holy Ghosts own mouth in the Scriptures he will leade vs into all truth To iustifie in Scripture is vsually taken in a iudiciall sense as beeing properly a iudiciall word iustification beeing opposed to condemnation The Hebrewes haue one word which signifies to iustifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is still applyed to such a iustification as a man stands vpon in a iudiciall tryall As Genesis 44. 16. Mah nits tadhac how shall wee iustifie our selues said Iudah to his brother Ioseph in regard of the cup found in Beniamins sacke which seemed now to be brought to aiudiciall Tryall So 2. Sam. 15. 4. Absolon wisheth hee were Iudge of the Land that hee might doe euery man iustice or iustifie him Reade also for this purpose Deut. 25. 1. Psal. 51. 4. 1 Kings 8. 32. Pro. 17. 15. Esay 5. 23. 43. 26. Matth. 12. 37. 1. Cor. 4. 4. and many other places in Scripture to this purpose doe plainely shew how this word Iustifie is properly taken namely to acquit or cleere to pronounce or declare one iust by the sentence of the Iudge This sense of iustification the Church of Rome cannot endure they smother or at least smooth it ouer by slight of hand as a matter of no moment Whereas indeede there is nothing that will more directly leade vs to the true vnderstanding of the nature of iustification than the consideration of this word taken in a iudiciall sense wherein the holy Ghost doth vse it namely to acquit and absolue a man and pronounce him iust by sentence of iudgement This sheweth that the point of iustification of a sinner is not so light a matter as Papists and profane persons would make it No it is a Case to be tried at the barre of Gods iudgement-seate in whose sight shall no man liuing bee iustified Holy Iob while hee pleaded with his opposite friends hee wanted not matter for his iustification but when once the Lord God summons him out of the whirle-winde before his throne and bids him girde vp his loynes like a man Iob stands not now vpon his vprightnesse but confesseth I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand vpon my mouth c. Iob 40. 4. and 42. 5. I haue heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee Wherefore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes Yea hee had said before Chap. 9. 15. Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer but I would make supplication to my Iudge for God is a righteous and seuere iudge and who may stand in his sight when he is angry when hee sits to iudge For the heauens are not cleane in his sight how much more abominable and filthie is man which drinketh iniquitie like water Iob 15. 16. If therefore our iustification be such as must proceede from Gods iudgement seate and must be sentenced by Gods owne mouth it neerely concernes euery Mothers Sonne to bee well aduised vpon what ground we stand what euidence wee can bring to cleare ourselues to satisfie our vnpartiall Consciences to stop the mouth of the accusing Diuell and to abide the fierietriall of that Iudge who is euen a consuming fire and will condemne euen the least sinne to the pit of hell But that wee may not mistake the true acception of iustification we are to consider iustification in a two-fold relation or respect either as it hath relation to God or to man before whom also we are said to be iustified but in a different yea opposite respect whereof we shall haue occasion to speake hereafter Here wee speake of Iustification in the first relation Now this iustification of a sinner in the sight of God whereof wee speake proceedeth from a iudiciall tryall In this sense it is vsed by the holy Ghost Rom. 8. 33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that iustifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe c. This iustification the Lord Iesus doth oppose to condemnation Iohn 5. 24. where speaking of iudgement vers 22. he inferreth Verily Verily I say vnto you Hee that heareth my word and beleeueth on him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death vnto life And like as Iesus Christ was condemned by a iudiciall proceeding Pilate giuing sentence though according to such euidence as was most vntrue in it selfe so all those for whom Christ was thus iudicially condemned shall be iudicially iustified and acquitted But this wil appear more clearly in setting down the formall cause of our iustification To speake to the capacity of the simple By formall cause is meant that which giues a being to iustification as forma dat esse the forme of a thing giues being vnto it That therefore which makes a man perfectly iust is called the formall cause of his iustification Now the Pontificians would hence conclude That inherent qualities must be the formall cause of iustification alledging the authority of Philosophers who say That the formall cause is the thing or quality which is in the subiect as the soule of man is in the body And therefore they exclude the righteousnesse of Christ whereby he is formally iust from being the formall cause of our iustification because say they Christs righteousnesse is in himselfe not in vs. But no maruaile if these Pontificians doe wrest the Maximes of Philosophers from their natiue sense when they dare so familiarly force the Scriptures themselues The Philosophers speake of a physicall formality but the holy Scriptures speake of the iustification of a sinner in the sight of God the forme whereof is relatiue and not physically inherent in vs. But be it so that the formall cause must alwayes be in the subiect to which it giues a being the formall cause then of iustification must be inherent Wherein must it bee inherent In vs No but in iustification which is the subiect of this inherent formall cause For if inherent grace bee the formall cause of iustification then
procure vs the possession of heauen yet hee meanes not a solitary and dead faith but such a faith as is a liuing and sauing faith working by loue which hath as well a worke of sanctification in a holy life amongst men as of iustification by a holy beliefe in the sight of God For there is frequent mention of a twofold righteousnesse in the workes of ancient Fathers The one of iustification before God which is the righteousnesse of faith the other of iustification before men which is the righteousnesse of workes This second is via regni the way to the kingdome that other of faith is causâ—â—egnandi the cause of our reigning in this kingdome Saint Paul also disclaimeth all his former Phâ—risaicall life which as touching the Law was vnreprouable calling and accounting it but drosse and dung Nay now after his conuersion hauing walked holily and faithfully in his Apostolicall vocation and Ministery so that he knew nothing by himselfe yet what saith he Although I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not therby iustified but he that iudgeth me is the Lord. And renouncing all his inherent righteousnesse all his desire was to bee found in Christ not hauing his owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith To omit the multitude of testimonies of holy men of God the fathers of the Church from time to time who in their writings doe renounce their own inherent righteousnesse as iustifying them in the sight of God Let vs for conclusion of this point adde a few memorable sayings vttered by dying men such as were of a holy life conuersation now agoing to appear before the dreadfull Tribunall of Gods most strict and vnpartiall iudgment now sealing vp their faith with their last breath Possidonius in his 27. Chapter of the life of Augustine tels a memorable story Augustine saith he told vs that hee heard a most wise and pious answer of Ambrose of blessed memory drawing neare his end which he much praised and commended for when that venerable Father lay vpon his death-bed and was desired of the faithfull standing about his bed with teares that hee would aske of the Lord a longer time of his Pilgrimage here he answered them I haue not so liued as that I am ashamed to continue amongst you nor yet am I affraid to dye because we haue a good Master And herein saith Possidonius our Augustine now aged did admire and praise his words as refined in the fire and weighed in the ballance For therefore is hee to be vnderstood to say Nor doe I feare to dye because wee haue a good Master lest he might be thought to trust and presume too much vpon his most sanctified life But I haue not so liued that I am ashamed to liue among you this he said in regard of that which one man might know of another for knowing the tryall of diuine iustice he said he relyed more vpon the goodnesse of his Lord than vpon his owne merits to whom also he prayed daily in the Lords Prayer Forgiue vs our debts c. Bernard when hee seemed to drawe his last breath being in a trance he thought he was presented before the Tribunall of his Lord And Sathan also stood opposite against him charging him with many wicked accusations And when hee had prosecuted all to the full then the man of God was to pleade for himselfe And being no whit terrified or troubled he said I confesse I am vnworthy nor can I obtaine the Kingdome of Heauen by mine owne merits But my Lord obtaining it by a double right to wit by the inheritance of his Father and by the merit of his passion contenting himselfe with the one hee bestoweth the other vpon mee by whose gift claiming it as mine owne right I am not confounded At this word the enemy went away confounded There is extant an exhortation of Anselme to a dying brother set downe in most sweet words When any brother seemeth to be extremely oppressed it stands both with piety and prudence that he be exercised by a Prelate or some other Priest with these questions and exhortations vnder written And first let him be demanded Brother doest thou reioyce that thou shalt dye in the faith and let him answer I do Confesse that thou hast not liued so wel as thou shouldest I confesse it Doest thou repent of it I doe repent Hast thou a will and purpose to amend if thou shouldst haue time to liue longer Yes Doest thou beleeue that the Lord Iesus Christ the Sonne of God dyed for thee I beleeue it Doest thou beleeue thou canst not bee saued but by his death Yea. Doest thou from thy heart thank him for this I doe Giue therefore while there is life in thee alwayes thankes vnto him and put thy whole trust in this his onely death Commit thy selfe wholly to his death Couer thy whole selfe with this death and wrap thy selfe wholly in it And if the Lord goe about to iudge thee say Lord I put the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betweene me and thy iudgment otherwise I will not contend with thee If he shall say that thou hast deserued damnation say thou I set the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betweene mee and my illdeseruings and assigne me the merit of his most precious passion for my merit which I my selfe should haue had but alas haue not Let him say againe I put the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betweene mee and thy wrath Let him also say three times O Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit And let those that stand about him answer Into thy hands O Lord we commend his spirit And he shall dye secure and shall neuer see death The same Anselme in his meditations as it were setting himselfe before the Tribunall of Gods iudgement whereby he declareth that neither the life of the regenerate nor good workes can stand against diuine iustice but onely Christ the Mediator saith My life doth terrifie mee for my whole life being exactly discussed and sifted doth appeare to me either to be sinne or meere barrennesse And if any fruit appeare therein it is either so counterfeit or imperfect or one way or other corrupt as it cannot but displease God for all of it is either sinnefull and damnable or vnfruitfull and contemptible But why doe I separate or distinguish vnfruitfull from damnable For if it be vnfruitfull it is damnable For euery tree which bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cast into the fire O therefore drie and vnprofitable tree worthy of eternall fire what wilt thou answer in that day when it shall be required of thee euen to a moment how thou hast spent all that time limitted and bestowed on thee to spend thy life in O extremity On the one side sinnes accusing on the other iustice affrighting vnderneath Hels horrible Chaos gaping aboue the
this yet this Faith is a true iustifying Faith though it bee dead This is the expresse perplext doctrine of the Church of Rome concerning Faith without any equiuocation at all Come wee now to examine the truth of this doctrine CHAP. XII Wherein Romane-Catholicke Doctrine concerning the kinde of iustifying Faith is confuted and the Catholicke Doctrine confirmed also of Faiths obiect and subiect FIrst whereas they allow no Faith in Scripture but one which they ground vpon that of the Apostle Ephes. 4. 5. One Faith it is euident they build vpon a wrong ground That there is but one Faith in the Apostles sense it is true that is but one sauing and iustifying Faith but that this faith is that which the Romane Catholicks only allow of is vtterly false and fabulous And yet they cal this the iustifying faith which Vega describeth thus Fides cui sacrae literae nostram tribuunt iustificationem c. That Faith to which the holy Scriptures attribute our iustification is for the most part and specially the Faith of the only Mediator betweene vs and God or to speake more plainely it is the Faith of Iesus Christ to wit a credulity or perswasion whereby we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue that we may possibly be saued by him alone and also other things which are deliuered eyther by himself or by his Church or by his Apostles which we are to beleeue concerning his life death resurrection glory and dignity and grace Note here the nature of the Pontifician Faith They call it the Faith of the only Mediatour between vs and God This is well said but it is with limitation it is but vt plurimum for the most part Therefore this is not the true Catholicke faith as we shall see anone Then they call this Faith a credulity or perswasion wherby we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue How Certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue This may passe for good Catholike doctrine But what do we certainly and vndoubtedly beleeue namely Per eum vnum nos posse saluari That we may possibly be saued by him alone So they place their faith in a possibility of saluation by Christ. But is this all No this faith hath for its full and adaequate obiect as the entire rule of it whatsoeuer is reuealed or deliuered by writing or tradition either by Christ himselfe or by his Church or by his Apostles So that this faith must bee regulated as well by that which the Church saith and what he meaneth by the Church we all know as what Christ and his Apostles haue said as well by traditions Romes vnwritten word as by the written Word of God Nay the Councell of Trent goes farther making the maine rule of faith to be that sense and meaning which the Church alwayes vnderstand of Rome hath or shall set downe concerning all things written and vnwritten And this is the Romane-Catholike faith Now if this faith of theirs bee the iustifying faith how comes it to passe that they that haue this faith are not iustified by it And if men hauing this faith may notwithstanding be damned and carry it with them to hell how is it a iustifying faith But with Romes good will we must not touch vpon particulars Suffice it there is one faith and this is the Catholicke faith of Romane-Catholicke beleeuers There is but one faith say they whether it be formed or vnformed which they take from the Scoria of the Schooles forge For Aquinas saith that faith formed or vnformed is one and the same in kinde and in number as the Logicke terme is Indeede Aquinas might speake his pleasure of faith formed and vnformed as being the first Forger of the forme of faith Whereas if this Scoria be but cast into the Test it will presently fume into the ayre For according to Philosophy Aquinas his profest and pretended proper element a thing without forme is non ens if it be Tohu it is Bohu too Gen. 1. 2. For the forme giues the being to the thing Now the faith of Deuils and of the wicked wanting a forme as Pontificians say is no faith at all But the faith of Deuils is not no faith a faith it is therefore a forme it must haue What forme Indeede as Scaliger saith the formes of things are hard to be found out But euery thing that hath but a name must haue a forme that giues the being Now that the faith of Deuils hath a forme proper vnto it is manifest because it hath a speciall act and motion in beleeuing which springeth from the proper forme of it The act of the Deuils faith is to beleeue that God is and that he is true in his word and iust in his iudgements so as it maketh the Deuill to tremble withall If therefore the Deuils faith hath a speciall forme to giue being vnto it then this forme puts a specificall difference betweene the Deuils faith and the Saints faith For euery thing is differenced in kinde from another by its proper forme As therefore the Saints faith hath a speciall forme to difference it from the faith of Deuils so the Deuils faith hath a proper forme to difference it specifically from the faith of Saints as the beasts soule is by the forme of it differenced from a mans soule And the forme makes the maine difference But this by the way to shew how these Philosophicall Doctors defile their owne nest To proceed That there is but one faith whereby we are saued all Catholike Diuines haue euer taught but that the liuing faith which they call formed and the dead faith which they say is vnformed should be all one faith in kinde this is a mysterie neuer known nor I suppose euer so much as dreamt of by any of the ancient Catholick Doctors of the Church Leo sirnamed the Great who was Bishop of Rome about the yeare of Christ 440. while as yet the faith of that Church was truely Catholike he saith Vna fides iustificat vniuersorum temporum Sanctos ad eandem spem fidelium pertinet quicquid per Mediatorem Dei hominum lesum Christum vel nos confitemur factum vel Patres nostri adorauere faciendum A sentence worthy to be written in golden letters One faith saith he doth iustifie the Saints of all times and it appertaines to the same hope of the faithfull whatsoeuer eyther we confesse already done or our Fathers adored should be done by the Mediator of God and men Iesus Christ. Note here this good old Bishop of Rome acknowledgeth one faith What faith A iustifying faith What A faith common to reprobates No such as iustifieth the Saints What Saints Those of the Popes Canonizing No The Saints of all times such as were long before the new order of Saints instituted by the Pope long after St. Leo. Such Saints as are not mentioned in the Popes Calender namely all those Saints of the old Testament whereof the Popes Rubricke hath none As the same Leo saith Omnes
quae fides Quae per dilectionem operatur Hanc daemones non habent fidem quae per dilectionem operatur sed soli serui Dei soli Sancti Dei soli fide filij Abrahae soli filij dilectionis filij promissionis ideo est charitas dicta Tell me what faith had Peter That which worketh by loue This faith which worketh by loue the Deuils haue not but only Gods seruants only Gods saints onely the sonnes of Abraham by faith onely the sonnes of loue the sonnes of the promise therefore it is called also charity Note here how St. Augustine puts a distinct difference between that kinde of Faith of Gods saints which is neuer separated from charity but alwayes working by loue and that in the Deuils and damned which is not capable of charity no more than the Salamander of heat Discernenda est ergo fides Daemonum à fide Sanctorum Plane discernenda vigilanter diligenter Therfore saith he the faith of the Diuels is to be discerned from the faith of the Saints Yea it is to be heedfully and carefully discerned Yea the whole current of ancient Fathers tunne mainly to proue that sauing and iustifying Faith is a Faith proper to the Elect and Saints of God and meerely distinct in kind and nature from that faith which is common with reprobates and deuils Hence it is that they giue sauing and iustifying Faith such Epithets and Attributes as doe distinguish it from the faith which is in the reprobate and damned As they call it Sancta integra vera viua non reproba fides c. A holy intire true liuing not a reprobate faith Origen saith Certum est quod remissionem peccatorum nullus accipiat nisi detulerit integram probam sanctam fidem per quam mercari possit Arietam cuius natura haec est vt peccata credentis abstergat It is certaine that none can receiue remission of sins vnlesse he bring an entire godly and holy faith where with he may buy the Ramme the nature whereof is this to take away the sins of the beleeuer And againe Si fidem obtuleris tanquam precium hoc est Siclum sanctum Christo velut Ariete immaculato in hostiam dato remissionem accipies peccatorum If thou shalt offer thy faith as a price that is the holy Sicle hauing Christ as an immaculate Ramme offered vp in sacrifice thou shalt receiue remission of sinnes This ancient Doctor of the Church cals faith a price as Peter cals it a precious faith Chrysostome vpon the third Chapter to the Romanes saith What is the Law of Faith To be saued by grace Hee declareth the power of God that not only he saueth but also iustifieth and glorifieth without the helpe of any workes but requiring only faith If therefore God do saue and iustifie and glorifie vs by faith without the helpe of any workes concurring in our iustification then surely wicked and godlesse men so remaining whatsoeuer other faith they may haue they haue nothing to doe with this iustifying Faith by which most properly we are called Fideles Theophylact saith Qui credit in Filium non iudicatur Nunquid si immundam egerit vitam non iudicatur Maximè quidem Non enim verè fideles sunt eiusmodi Hee that beleeueth in the Son is not condemned But if a man leade an impure life is he not condemned Yes doubtlesse For such men are no true beleeuers St. Basil saith What is the property of a Christian Faith working by loue The Faith then of a Christian is not separate from loue for it is alwayes operans working by loue And the same Father addeth What is the property of Faith A ful perswasion without reasoning c. where the same Father sheweth other common properties of faith as it apprehends the truth of Gods Oracles and is true it selfe without adding or detracting Our Sauiours words in the third of Iohn v. 16. are very powerfull God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Whence issueth this conclusion Whosoeuer beleeueth in Iesus Christ shall neuer perish But wicked men by the confession of Pontificians although they beleeue do perish Therefore that faith or beleefe which wicked men haue is not that faith or beleefe in Christ which will not suffer any man to perish St. Augustine to this purpose vpon these words Credo in Deum c. saith Non dicit Credo Deum vel credo Deo quamuis haec necessaria saluti sint Aliud est enim credere illi aliud credere illum aliud credere in illum Credere illi est credere vera esse quae loquitur credere illum credere quia ipse est Deus credere in illum diligere illum Credere vera esse quae loquitur multi malipossunt credere autem ipsum esse Deum Daemones possunt credere vero in Deum soli nouerunt qui diligunt illum qui non solum nomine Christiani sunt sed factis vita quia sine dilectione fides inanis est cum dilectione fides Christiani sine dilectione fides Daemonis I beleeue in God c. He saith not I beleeue that God is or I beleeue God although also these are necessarie to saluation For it is one thing to beleeu him another to beleeue that he is and another to beleeue in him To beleeue him is to beleeue those things are true which he speaketh to beleeue that he is is to beleeue that he is God or that God is to be beleeue in him or into him as the Scottish Dialect or Phrase doth more liuely expresse it is to loue him To beleeue those things to bee true which he speaketh euen many wicked men may doe it and to beleeue that God is euen the Diuels can also doe it but to beleeue in God they only can skill which doe loue him which are Christians not onely in name but also in their deeds and life because faith without loue is vaine with loue the faith of a Christian without loue the faith of Diuels So this holy Father As elsewhere throughout his workes he teacheth this as the Catholike doctrin constantly maintained in the Church of Christ That sauing and iustifying faith is a faith meerely distinct and different in kinde and nature from that faith which is in wicked men and in Diuels cleane contrary to the Romane Catholicke doctrine as the like place we alledged before in the sixt Chapter out of his 29. Tract vpon St. Iohn And it is also vsed by the Glosse vpon Rom. 4. Vega citeth the place by way of obiection but leaues it vnanswered as we haue formerly shewed For indeede it is vnanswerable And therefore but only in that one place and that by way of obiection Vega in all that voluminous Booke of Iustification neuer meddleth with Credere in Christum keeping him close to his Text to wit the Councell of
Gods Word no more than the eye of the body doth shut it selfe from seeing any other thing present before it than that particular obiect to which the radius or beam directly pointeth What need more testimonies yet the ancient Fathers of the Church haue not left vs without witnesse in this point I will vse but one or two for breuity Chrysostome saith This is the propertie of true Faith when as the promise being made not after a manner customary or familiar with men we confidently beleeue the power of the promiser Thou seest how euen before the euent and accomplishment of the â—â—omises Abraham in as much as he beleeued receiueth a sufficient reward For to beleeue the promise of God was imputed to him for righteousnesse Therefore to beleeue Gods promise is both able to make vs iust and shall cause vs to obtaine the promises By Faith we procure righteousnesse and obtain the good promises And the same Father vpon the tenth to the Romanes saith Hoc potissimum peculiare est fidei vt promissa Dei cuncta complectamur This is chiefly peculiar to Faith that we embrace all the promises of God Thus we see this holy man placeth the promises of God in Christ as the prime obiect of iustifying Faith St. Ambrose saith Si exclusa fuerit promissio sine dubio frustratur Fides Abrahae Quod ne audire quidem se patiuntur Iudaei scientes quia promissio ex Fide est Abrahae Quae promissio ex Fide iustificat non per Legem sicut Abraham iustificatus ex Fide est Hi ergo haeredes sunt promissionis Abrahae qui illi succedunt suscipientes Fidem in qua benedictus iustificatus est Abraham Testimonium ergo promissionis Abrahae testamentum appellatur vt post mortem eius Haeredes essent in promissione Filij eius facti per Fidem That is If the promise be excluded without doubt the Faith of Abraham is made voyde which not euen the Iewes themselues endure to heare knowing that the promise is of the Faith of Abraham Which promise doth iustifie by Faith not through the Law as also Abraham is iustified by Faith They therefore are Heires of the promise to Abraham which succeede him by entertaining the Faith wherein Abraham is blessed and iustified Therfore the testimonie of the promise to Abraham is called a Testament that after his death they might bee Heires in the promise beeing made his Sonnes by Faith So Ambrose Thus wee haue the testimonies of two faithfull witnesses testifying this most Catholicke doctrine of Faith not onely of Abraham but consequently of all the faithfull That the promises of God in Christ are the maine obiect of sauing and iustifying Faith And these witnesses shall stand in stead of many Hence it is that Faith in Scripture is called Confidence or Affiance because it embraceth the promise of God in Christ as the proper obiect of it as we touched before In a word those famous ancient Creeds vniuersally receiued in the Church especially the Apostolicall the Nicene and Athanasius his Creede all of them called the obiect of Faith as being the abridgement of the Word of God what do they commend vnto vs as the maine and sole obiect of sauing and iustifying Faith but Iesus Christ his incarnation passion resurrection ascention session at Gods right hand c. together with the fruits we reape from this tree of life as to bee made his liuing members beleeuing the holy Catholicke Church the Communion of Saints the Remission of sinnes the Resurrection of the body and the life euerlasting all the effects and fruits of Gods promises in Christ. But say the Pontificians faith is an act of the vnderstanding as being seated in the intellectuall part of the soule and not in the will and therefore it is but a bare assent to the truth of Gods word in generall and so also of the promises contained therein and no speciall affiance in the goodnesse of God particularly towards a mans selfe And so they make onely the truth of God reuealed as being apprehended and assented vnto by the vnderstanding to be the obiect of faith and not the goodnesse of God contained in his promises as being entertained and embraced by the will But for the clearing of this point we may frist obserue how the Church of Rome as in other points of doctrine so in this maine point of Faith doth most pitifully interfeere For which cause let me here insert a passage in the Prouinciall Councell of Colen celebrated Anno 1536. some nine years before the Councell of Trent which will partly confirme what hath beene formerly said concerning the nature of true Faith and confront this Pontifician obiection now in hand This Prouinciall Synod setteth downe a three-fold kinde of beleeuing following therein St Augustine vpon the Creed Credo in Deum which we haue a little before cited We will set down the very words of the Synod which acknowledgeth Duplicem seu triplicem esse fidei seu credendi rationem Siquidem vna est qua Deum esse ac caetera quae Scriptura commemorat non aliter quam historica quadam fide recitata vera credimus Vnde historica fides appellatur quam nobiscum Daemones communem habent Altera qua Deo credimus quae persuasio constans opinio est qua fidem promissionibus comminationibus diuinis adhibemus quam habent iniusti cum iustis communem Tertia fidei ratio est qua in Deum credimus solis pijs peculiaris quae certissima quaedam fiducia est qua totos nos Deo submittimus totique à gratia misericordia Dei pendemus Haec spem complectitur charitatenâ— indiuiduam comitem habet Prima credendi ratio seu fides illa Historica si solam accipias informis est veluti adhuc mortua Altera verò qua Deo tantum credimus nec dum tamen erga Deum religiosa pietate assicimur manca Sed tertia qua in Deum credimus pioque affectuin eum tendimus ea demum viuida atque integra fides est c. That is There is a two-fold or three-fold sort of faith or beleeuing One is whereby wee beleeue that God is as also other things which the Scripture relates wee beleeue to be true no otherwise than by a kinde of Historicall faith recorded whence it is called an Historicall faith which the Deuils haue in common with vs. The second is whereby wee beleeue God which is a perswasion and constant opinion whereby wee giue credit both to Gods promises and threatnings which faith the wicked haue in common with the righteous The third sort of faith is that whereby wee beleeue in God which is peculiar onely to the godly being a kinde of most certaine confidence or affiance whereby wee wholly submit our selues vnto God and depend wholly vpon the grace and mercy of God This faith doth also comprehend hope and hath in it charity
be the immediate instrument of Gods holy spirit to sanctifie the whole soule and body as the Scripture ascribes the worke of sanctification to faith as the immediate Instrument Acts 26. 18. Sanctified by Faith in me said Christ to his new conuert Apostle The Councell of Trent it selfe confesseth that faith is the roote of other graces Faith say they is the roote of all Iustification placing their iustification in hope and loue c. How then is Faith the roote If it be the roote the roote is not a bare disposition to a tree as they would haue Faith to bee to their iustification A dead roote cannot beare a liuing tree but like roote like tree But a roote naturally produceth and shooteth forth the tree for the life and substance of the tree is originally in the roote and comes from the roote Take away the roote and the tree witherereth for it liues in the roote And the roote giueth life to the tree not the tree to the roote As the Apostle said to the ingraffed Gentile once the Wilde Oliffe Thou bearest not the roote but the roote thee With what reason then can the Pontificians say That charity which is the branch not the roote giues life to the root which is Faith Herein how far themselues differ from senslesse stockes or come short of the vegetable trees I define not Now as the whole tree drawes hislife and nourishment from the roote so all the fruits of holinesse haue their life and nourishment from faith for faith is the roote of them all And as the Apostle saith If the roote be holy so are the branches But Faith the roote of other graces is holy yea most holy as Iude speaketh therfore hope loue and all other graces growing in and from Faith are sanctified by and from Faith for as much as Faith is rooted in Christ from whom it receiues the life as of iustification so of sanctification Hence it is that deuout Bernard saith excellently to this purpose Primum syncera radix sancta fidei in terra humani cordis plantatur cumque fides plenè adulta fuerit velut quaedam magna est Arbor diuersa in se habens poma exquibus reficitur anima plena Deo First the sincere roote of holy Faith is planted in the ground of mans heart and when faith is fully growne vp it becomes as a great Tree hauing in it sundry sorts of Apples wherewith the soule being full of God is refreshed Without Faith saith the Apostle it is impossible to please God But whatsoeuer action proceedeth from Faith therein it pleaseth God By Faith was Abels sacrifice made acceptable to God By Faith Enoch walking with God pleased God And are not all those actions of the Patriarches and Saints of God related in that eleuenth Chapter to the Hebrewes all referred to Faith as the roote from whence they sprang and receiued their life and louelinesse It is Faith that graceth euery action of the iust man for the iust man shall liue by his Faith Whatsoeuer fruite growes not from this roote it is sinne Whatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne is as true in generall of sauing Faith as it is in particular of the Conscience called Faith by the Apostle Rom 14 23. Now the reason of all this that Faith giues life and beeing to euery grace for as much as euery grace is radically in faith is because where faith is Christ is Now Faith is in the heart and consequently Christ dwelleth in the heart by Faith And if in the heart then in euery part and faculty of the soule and body So that as the soule quickneth euery part of the body so Faith quickneth and sanctifieth euery faculty of the soule As St Augustine saith Fides quae credit in Deum vita animae existit per hanc iustus viuit Faith which beleeueth in God is the life of the soule and by this faith the iust man liueth And elsewhere he saith Vnde mors in anima quia non est fides Vnde in corpore quia non est ibi anima Ergo animae tuae anima fides est Whence is death in the soule because faith is not there Whence in the body because the soule is not there Therefore the soule of thy soule is Faith And as the soule is in the body Tota in toto tota in qualibet parte The whole soule is in the whole body and whole in euery part So Fides tota est in toto tota in qualibet parte Whole faith is in the whole heart and whole in euery faculty of the soule Hence the Apostle making himselfe the instance of the life of faith saith I am crucified with Christ. Neuerthelesse I liue yet not I but Christ liueth in me and the life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the Son of God who loued me and gaue himselfe for me Christ therefore is not to be found in that part or faculty of the soule where faith is not If Faith bee not in the will Christ is not there and so in the rest And where Christ is not there is no life no sanctification Our wils therefore our memories our affections our motions and cogitations are dead prophane all out of order if Christ be not and liue not in euery one of them And Christ is not in any of them if Faith be not there Hence it is that Faith is all because as the roote it containes all graces In the vnderstanding it knoweth God in the will it hopeth and loueth God in the memory it thinketh of God with thankefulnesse for his mercies in the affections it feareth God it sorroweth for sinne it patiently suffereth it reioyceth in God in all it serueth God How so From Faith it is that the vnderstanding knoweth God in his Sonne Iesus Christ the knowledge of whom is eternall life And therefore Diuines by knowledge in that place vnderstand Faith And St. Augustine saith Intellectus merces est fidei Ergo noli quaerere intelligere vt credas sed crede vt intelligas Vnderstanding is the reward of Faith Doe not therefore seeke to know that thou mayst beleeue but beleeue that thou mayst vnderstand From Faith it is that the will hopes in God loues God and cleaueth vnto him and so in the rest And therefore St. Augustine placeth Faith in the will saying A Domino praeparatur voluntas hominis vt sit fidei receptaculum The will is prepared of the Lord to be the receptacle of faith And againe Omne quod non est ex fide peccatum est Ac per hoc bona voluntas quae se abstrabit à peccato fidelis est quia iustus ex fide viuit Whatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne And therefore the good will which withdrawes it selfe from sinne is faithfull because the iust man liueth by Faith Hence it is that Bernard saith Credere in Deum est in eum
yet the speciall obiect of it is Christ Iesus the word incarnate and the speciall promises of life made vnto vs of God in him Now by this which hath beene already said we may easily see the sequell and issue of all the rest of those priuiledges and markes that the Pontificians put vpon their Catholick Faith For seeing they admit of no other Faith in kinde than the Historicall we will easily yeeld vnto them that this their Faith may be and is in the very Deuils and Damned We will yeeld them also that their Faith being dead of it selfe and without forme or being and receiuing life forme and being from Charity may also vpon the losse of Charity become as well dead and vnformed againe as before it receiued life from Charity But whereas they say that this Faith dead as it is and being fruitlesse and without Charity yet is sufficient to make a man a Christian and a Beleeuer wee allow them this also thus farre that it may make them such Christians and Beleeuers as to send them to hell amongst the Deuils and Damned their fellow-Beleeuers as their fideles fornicarios adulteros molles musculorum concubitores fures c. their faithfull fornicators adulterers effeminate Sodomites and Catamites theeues and other such their Christian beleeuers whom by Trents owne confession their Faith excludes from the Kingdome of Heauen But this Faith of theirs being no other in kinde but that which is common with the damned to wit of it selfe dead and fruitlesse let them deuise neuer such precious wares to stuffe it withall as Charity Hope and the like to put life into it it will proue no more a liuing Faith than Michals Image with the pillow stuffed with Goates haire laide vnder the head of it proued a liuing man And so consequently it can neuer make a man such a Christian and Beleeuer as to bring him to the possession of Gods Kingdome But are they to be accounted Christians and Beleeuers that goe to Hell Yes surely as good as Romane-Catholickes for such onely they account their Christians and Beleeuers Well let them enioy their priuiledge In the meane time they must know that God hath another kinde of beleeuing Christians For as the Apostle saith As he is not a Iew that is one outwardly nor that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but hee is a Iew that is one within and Circumcision that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God So he is not a Christian that is one outwardly neither is that Baptisme which is outward on the flesh but hee is a Christian that is one inwardly and Baptisme that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God But the Romane-Catholicke Christian beleeuers are they that haue receiued their outward forme of Baptisme and professe themselues members of the Romane-Catholicke Church be they otherwise neuer so damnable in their liues What saith Bernard in his Sermon ad Pastores Neminem vestrum credo esse haereticum omnes creditis c. I beleeue none of you is a hereticke you all beleeue one God in Trinity that Christ suffered and was buried that hee descended and ascended But doth this faith make a man a Catholicke By this faith the very Deuils should bee Catholickes for as St. Iames saith they beleeue and tremble But not that faith which is common with Deuils and men maketh a true Catholick but that only which is common to men with Angelicall spirits What faith is that That which worketh by loue So he Therefore by Bernards doctrine faith voyde of charity which is common with Deuils howsoeuer it may make a Romane-Catholicke and so saith Bernard it may the Deuill as well but a true Catholicke it cannot make St. Augustine also puts a maine difference saying Cum dilectione fides Christiani sine dilectione fides Daemonum the faith of a Christian is ioyned with loue the faith of Deuils is without loue Hee is therefore a Christian that hath such a faith as hath loue ioyned with it and consequently they are no Christians but rather of the number of Deuils as being members of the Deuill whose faith is without loue And the same Austine elsewhere plainly declareth who are the faithfull saying Corpus Christi est Ecclesia non ista aut illa sed toto orbe diffusa Tota autem Ecclesia constans ex omnibus fidelibus quia fideles omnes membra sunt Christi habet illud caput positum in coelestibus quod gubernat corpus suum etsi separatum est à visione sed annectitur charitate Totus Christus caput est corpus eius The body of Christ is the Church not this or that Church but diffused ouer the whole world And the whole Church consisting of all the faithfull in as much as all the faithfull are members of Christ hath that head now set in the heauenly places which gouerneth his body and although it bee separated from vision or sight yet it is knit vnto him by loue For whole Christ is the head and his body So we see St. Augustine confesseth none to bee faithfull but such as are the members of Christ nor any his members but the members of his body the Church nor Christs Church to be any one particular Church as the Romane-Catholicke Church but indeed the Catholicke Church spread ouer the whole world Now if none bee faithfull but such as are the members of Christ of his Church of his body Christ is the Sauiour of his body and not one of his members can perish yea not a haire of their heads shall perish how then are they members of Christ sith Christians sith faithfull that haue no part in that saluation whereof the whole body is partaker But such are members of Christ though not perfectly vnited as Trent saith Chapt. 7. and Vega commends it But St. Augustine knew no such members of Christ. Although by a common appellation or account all Christians as being baptized are called Faithfull in as much as they haue receiued the character of Faith which is Baptisme as Augustine saith yet properly and in a strict sense none are true beleeuers but such as are indued with a true liuing holy iustifying Faith in Christ whereby they are perpetually and inseparably vnited vnto him as liuing members of the same body to reigne with him for euermore So Saint Paul doth exemplifie this in describing a true Iew Hee is not a Iew that is one outward neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Iew that is one within and the Circumcision of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God St. Chrysostome saith Whence art thou made holy Whence art thou called faithfull Is it not therefore because thou art sanctified by the death of Christ Is it not therefore because
euery one that will be saued And therefore the same Origen concludeth Certum est quod remissionem peccatorum nullus accipiat nisi detulerit integram probam sanctam fidem per quam mercari possit Arietem cuius natura hoc est vt peccata credentis abstergat Et hic est Siclus sanctus probata vt diximus syncera fides id est vbi nullus perfidiae dolus nulla hereticae calliditatis peruersitas admiscetur vt synceram fidem offerentes precioso Christi sanguine tanquam immaculatae hostiae diluamur It is certaine that no man can receiue remission of sinnes vnlesse he being an intire approued and holy faith wherewith hee may purchase the Ramme the nature whereof is this to blot out the sinnes of the beleeuer And this is the holy Sicle an approued and sincere faith that is where no perfidious fraud nor peruerse hereticall craft is mingled that offering a sincere faith wee may be cleansed with the precious bloud of Christ as of an immaculate sacrifice Euery man therefore must bring a speciall particular holy sincere faith of his own wherewith as with a holy Sicle he may purchase Christ and which as his hand he must lay hold on Christ which no man else can doe for him His generall implicite faith to beleeue as the Church beleeueth that is to beleeue he knoweth not what will not serue the turne This speciall particular faith in Christ requisite in euery beleeuer in euery one that lookes for saluation is liuely prefigured by the eye as Numb 21. 9. if a Serpent did bite any man when hee beheld the Serpent of brasse hee liued This brasen Serpent was a liuely figure of Christ crucified A man bitten with the Serpent is euery sinner the way for him to be healed is to looke vpon the brasen Serpent lifted vp vpon the pole that is vpon Christ crucified Euery man that was Serpent-bit hee must looke vpon the brasen Serpent with his owne eyes not with any others eyes as Iob said I shall see him with these eyes and none other for mee Christ himselfe applyeth the truth to the type As Moses lifted vp the Serpent in the wildernesse so must the Sonne of man be lifted vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting As therefore none of the stung Israelites were cured but those that looked with their owne eyes vpon the brasen Serpent so none of the Israel of God is healed of the sting of sinne but by his speciall cleare viue Faith as the Chrystall eye of his soule looking vpon Christ crucified As St. Augustine vpon the place applyeth it Interim modò Fratres vt à peccato sanemur Christum crucifixum intuâ—amur Quomodo qui intuebantur illum Serpentem non peribant morsibus Serpentium sic qui intuentur fide mortem Christi sanantur à morsibus peccatorum Now Brethren saith he that wee may be cured of our sinne let vs looke vpon Christ crucified As they which beheld that Serpent did not perish by the bitings of Serpents so they that by Faith behold the death of Christ are healed of the bytings of sinnes As therefore euery one must look with his owne eyes and that not vpon euery obiect but vpon the Serpent and liue so euery sinner must looke with the cleare eyes of his own faith that vpon no other obiect but Christ crucified that so he may liue eternally and be healed of all his infirmities as Dauid saith Psal. 103. If we look into the whole Word of God we shall finde this particular faith of euery beleeuer to haue beene in all the Saints of God The Prophet Abacuc saith of euery iust man The iust man shall liue by his Faith by his owne Faith not by anothers This was Abrahams faith the Father and Figure of all the Faithfull who hearing Gods promise concerning the blessed seed to wit Christ in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed as the Apostle applies it Gal. 3. 16. hee thereupon beleeued How beleeued he not as the Pontificians would haue it by a general faith concerning the truth of that which God had said for it is not said barely Abraham beleeued God but Abraham beleeued in the Lord and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse Gen. 15. 6. And the Apostle saith That Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strong in Faith giuing glory to God Rom. 4. 20. and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse v. 22. But the Pontificians willsay this was a speciall Faith which Abraham had not common to ordinary and common beleeuers No such thing for looke what kind of Faith Abraham had the same kinde though haply not in the same measure and degree haue all true beleeuers This the Apostle plainely resolueth in the next words saying Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for vs also to whom it shall bee imputed if wee beleeue on him that raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead who was deliuered for our offences and was raised againe for our iustification If therefore Abraham had a speciall and particular faith then euery true Beleeuer hath the like faith in him But Abraham had a speciall and particular Faith for first he beleeued in God secondly hee beleeued in God especially concerning the promise the substance whereof was Christ. This Faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse If it had not been Abrahams speciall Faith how had it beene imputed to him for righteousnesse It was Abrahams peculiar proper owne Faith looking with open eyes vpon the promise of God which promise was Christ whose day Abraham though a farre off saw and reioyced which was imputed to him for righteousnesse Thus it is with euery true beleeuer whose owne speciall cleare Chrystall-ey'd Faith beholding and applying Gods promise in Christ is particularly imputed to him for righteousnesse This the Apostle concludes in generall from the example and instance of Abraham and makes it the common case of all true Beleeuers saying Rom 4. 5. To him that worketh not but beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly his Faith is counted for righteousnesse This beeing so cleere a Conclusion what neede we adde further testimonies Christ himselfe said to Thomas when he confessed and said My Lord and my God Thomas because thou hast seene me thou hast beleeued blessed are they that haue not seene and yet haue beleeued Where note two things first Thomas his Faith in applying Christ to himselfe saying My Lord and my God and secondly Christs deduction shewing the same Faith to be in euery true beleeuer the property of which Faith is to apply Christ to himselfe as Thomas did and to say with the voyce of faith confessing Christ in his death and resurrection testified by those scarres in his sacred side My Lord and my God In a word all those Creeds vsed in the Church from all
antiquity do vnanimously and with one ioynt consent confirme this Catholicke truth of that speciall explicit cleere particular Faith in Christ required in euery true beleeuer For first of all they do all say I beleeue in God c. not We beleeue So the Apostles Creed the Nicene Creede saith I beleeue in one God c. not We beleeue Athanasius his Creede saith Whosoeuer will be saued before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholicke Faith c. that is Euery man in particular must beleeue And this particular Faith is required not only in regard of euery beleeuer but also in regard of the speciall obiect of Faith which is no confused or vniuersall I wot not what obiect but a speciall obiect to wit the sauing knowledge of God in Christ and the promise of life in him Looke vpon all the Creeds which the Fathers call the obiect of Faith as containing the summe of that which we are to beleeue to our saluation and doe they not mainely present to our Faith Iesus Christ and him crucified Nor this onely in generall that Christ is the redeemer of the world but the specialties of this redemption are set downe to teach vs That not a generall implicit faith will serue the turne but it must bee a particular explicit faith comprehending all those particulars in the Creede declared at large in the Word of God Thus the foundation of Popish vncertainty of Faith being remoued to wit a certaine vncertaine implicit general faith the building it selfe threatneth immediate ruine CHAP. XIV Of the vncertainety of Romane-Catholicke Faith THe Councell of Trent being in generall an enemie to the certainety of Faith which giueth a true beleeuer an assurance of his saluation and withall considering how euident both Scriptures and Fathers were in this point so strongly propugned and maintained by Luther and thirdly the Councell it selfe in the canuase of this point while it was in consultation or rather in contention being diuided into contrary parties and sides some holding for certainety as Catarinus and others for vncertainety as Vega and others as the History of the same Councell doth notably discouer Therefore it became the politicke spirit of the Councell to vse all cautelous circumspection in the definite concluding of this point contriuing it vnder such vmbratilous and sub-obscure termes as that they might seeme neither grossely to oppose the open truth nor yet displease that party of the Councell that seemed to encline to the truths side nor yet leaue Luther vncondemned for defending the truth nor yet betray their owne cause which was to aduance the vncertainty of Romane-Catholicke Faith Vncertainety being the very hint which gaue occasion to the Serpent boldly to insult and so to ouerthrow mankinde For when Eue said lest yee dye the Serpent finding her staggering takes the aduantage strikes her with a down-right blow to the ground Yee shall not dye at all But let vs see the mystery of Trents iniquitie in their wily winding vp this bottomlesse bottome of their implicite Faith in the vncertaintie of it In the ninth Chapter of the sixt Session they haue these words Quamuis necessarium sit credere neque remitts neque remissa vnquam fuisse peccata nisi gratis diuinae misericordia propter Christum nemini tamen fiduciam certitudinem remissionis peccatorum suorum iactanti in ea sola quiâ—scenti peccata dimitti vel dimissa esse dicendum est cum apud Haereticos Schismaticos possit esse imo nostra tempestate sit magna contra Ecclesiam Catholicam contentione praedicetur vana haec ab omni pietate remota fiducia Sed neque illud asserendum est oportere eos qui verè iustificati sunt absque vlla omnino dubitatione apud semetipsos statuere se esse iustificatos neminemque à peccatis absolui nisi eum qui certò credat se absolutum iustificatum esse atque hac sola fide absolutionem iustificationem perfici quasi qui hoc non credidit de Dei promissis deque mortis resurrectionis Christi efficacia dubitet Nam sicut nemo pius de Dei misericordia de Christi merito de Sacramentorum virtute efficacia dubitare debet sic quilibet dum seipsum suamque propriam infirmitatem indispositionem respicit de sua gratia formidare timere potest Cum nullus scire valeat certitudine fidei cui non potest subesse falsum se gratiam Dei esse consequutum Thus farre the whole ninth Chapter That is Although it be necessary to beleeue that sins neyther are nor euer were remitted but freely by diuine mercy for Christ yet no man boasting of confidence and certainty of the remission of his sinnes and therewith wholly resting ought to say that his sinnes are or haue been remitted seeing this vain confidence voide of all piety both may be amongst Heretickes and Schismatickes yea and is now in these our dayes and is preached with great contention against the Catholicke Church But neither is that to be affirmed that they who are truely iustified ought without any doubting at all to conclude with themselues that they are iustified and that none is absolued and iustified from sins but he that certainly beleeueth that he is absolued and iustified and that in this sole faith absolution and iustification consisteth as if a man not beleeuing this should doubt of the promises of God and of the efficacy of Christs death and resurrection For as no godly man ought to doubt of the mercy of God of the merit of Christ and of the power and efficacy of the Sacraments so euery man while hee looketh vpon himselfe and his owne proper infimity and indisposition may be affraid and fearfull of his owne grace seeing no man can know by the certainty of faith wherein there may not lye some error that he hath obtained the grace of God Now I desire the Christian indicious Reader to obserue the sundry passages and as it were the seuerall threads of this Copwebbe First like the painted Whoore she sets afaire face or preface vpon the matter as attributing remission of sinnes to Gods mercy for Christ which euery one must necessarily beleeue she could say no lesse though in the vp-shot of the matter she would haue men to beleeue nothing lesse but in the next place shee comes with a by-blow and condemnes the confidence and assurance of faith vnder the termes of boasting And therefore prefixeth this title before the Chapter Contra inanem Haereticorum fiduciam Against the vaine confidence of Heretickes A notable packe of cunning well beseeming the mysterie of iniquity They doe not goe bluntly to worke to beate downe-right that confidence and certaine assurance which is in a true iustifying faith but slily they wound it as Ioab did Abâ—er vnder the fift ribbe as being in none but him that vainely boasteth and braggeth of the assurance of his iustification Indeede
dubium quin latinè possimus dicere apud Haereticos nostrae tempestatis non esse suae gratiae opinionem sed certitudinem Nor do we doubt but that we may say in plaine termes that the Heritiques of our time haue not an opinion of their grace or iustification but a certainety Note here iudicious Reader that the Pontificians doe allow of a certaine vncertaine particular certainety of Faith namely such as may bee eyther true or false They might better haue said iust nothing sauing that they cautelously put this clause by way of preuention that if a particular certainty of Faith bee neuer so manifestly proued yet it may proue at hap-hazzard eyther true or false And this Vega would demonstrate by a distinction saying There is a two-fold certainty Per se or Quoad nos Eyther a certainty in regard of the truth it selfe beleeued or in respect of our apprehension which may be deceiued according to the Councels own Text. In a word in his fift Chapter following hee sets downe foure limitations of certainety that are extra controuersiam without all controuersie allowed of the Pontificians First that euery man may haue a knowledge of his iustification by diuine reuelation and that this hath been truly reuealed to some holy men although but to few and them Gods greatest familiars as the blessed Virgin and the Apostles Secondly it is certaine that all righteous men may by some certaine signes and probable arguments or tokens and coniectures attaine to a probable notice and opinion or as they call it a coniecturall certitude of their iustification Thirdly saith he it is certaine that no mortall man without diuine reuelation can attaine in this life to the certainety of euidence of his iustification Fourthly it is also certaine that no man can without diuine reuelation certainely know anothers iustification vnlesse haply when he shall haue baptized a childe To these limitations wee may here adde the substance of that which Vega sets downe in the 46. Chapter of the same booke the title whereof is Possunt viri spirituales certitudinem assequi de sua gratia Spirituall men may attaine a certainty of their grace and iustification By spirituall men he vnderstandeth those that liue in a state of perfection as they terme it Yet this certainety is so rarely found among such as after much adoe and wauering this way and that way Vega being vncertaine what to thinke of this certainety at length hee is resolued vpon the point and giues vs a rare instance of Saint Anthony whose birth of faithull and religious Parents whose Christian and holy education whose firme faith in beleeuing all which the Church of Rome beleeueth whose care not to offend but to please God in all things whose voluntary pouerty whose inoffensiue and innocent life full of charity whose humility whose dayly comming to Masse and frequent Shrifts whose watchings and fastings and other infinit deuotions induced Vega to thinke that this certainty of saluation may haply bee found in some spirituall men But hee must bee a St. Anthony at the least who is possest with this certainety So few receiue this gift as Christ said of continency No not Martyrs themselues saith Vega Chapter 43. His words are Neque adduci possum vt credam aliquem Martyrem aut habuisse aut habere potuisse certitudinem de sua iustificatione c. Nor can I bee induced to beleeue saith hee that any Martyr eyther had or could haue the certainety of iustification vnlesse God reuealed it vnto him as also their perseuerance and crowne of blessednesse layd vp for them that so they might the more cheerefully and couragiously persist in their confession With these limitations doe the Pontificians confine their allowance of the certainty of Iustification First it is only generall not speciall or particular Secondly if particular there be any they say it may be true or false Thirdly this speciall certainty is giuen to none but by speciall reuelation and that to some speciall choyce persons as the blessed Virgin and the Apostles Fourthly iust men may haue some coniectural signes and probable opinions of their iustification Fifthly if any had this speciall certainty then certainly St. Anthony a priueledge which not euen the holy and faithfull Martyrs are capable off without speciall reuelation saith Vega. His reason is because euen Heretickes may be Martyrs and constantly dye for Christ. This is the state of Pontifician doctrine about certainety and vncertainety of faith in iustification Against which we oppose the truth of Catholick doctrine concerning the certainety of Faith First to their first limitation we oppose That the certainty of Faith is not generall but particular and speciall Secondly to the second that this certainty cannot be false but alwayes infallibly true and that not onely in regard of the truth of Gods word in generall which certainty may be in dogmaticall and historicall Faith but also of Gods speciall promises in Christ which it is the property of sauing faith certainely to apply and appropriate to the beleeuer that vndoubtedly they belong to him in particular Thirdly to the third that neyther this certainety is simply and only a speciall diuine reuelation nor peculiar onely to a few but it is the proper vertue of sauing and iustifying Faith and is in euery true beleeuer in whom true sauing faith is found Fourthly to the fourth that this certainety in euery man iustified is no coniecturall matter gathered by probable signes but a certaine cleare firme euidence of Faith Fiftly to the fift As for St. Anthony much might his priueledge be as hauing the Patronage of Pigs Cattel which the Priests do solemnly on St. Anthonies day blesse in his name and so they are free from all diseases and disasters all the yeare after and therefore the Pigges Masters or Dames are very Hogs if they requite not the Priests paines with the best Pigge But for all St. Anthonies workes of deuotion if they had beene of a far higher and holier nature they make but little for this euidence of certainety but rather the contrary For the more a man confides in his good workes the more vnsettled he is in the certainety of iustification And for Martyrs I meane Christs Martyrs if they haue not this certainty then none euer had it As for Heretickes they cannot dye for Christ while they dye in the quarrell of their Heresie Thus we haue the state of the question on both sides As for Veg's fourth allegation in his fifth Chapter forementioned That no man can certainely know but by speciall reuelation whether another man be iustified or no this is impertinent to the present purpose and so we leaue it extra controuersiam But display wee our forces now in the open field and try we our cause by the dint of truth First that the Pontificians should so stiffly stand for their vncertainty of Faith they haue great reason in regard it is the strongest supporter vncertaine as it is of the
Tower of Babell as we touched before It is the troubled Sea where Romes Peter-men finde the best fishing As the Iewes said of Christ â—f we let him thus alone all the world will goe after him and the Romanes will come and take away our kingdome so the Romane Pontificians may say If we should allow of certainty of Faith all the people would forsake vs and wee should lose our Kingdome What would become then of the merchandise of soules of Purgatory-Masses and Dirges and Trentals so rich a trade in Romes Court if the People might purchase saluation by faith yea and rest assured of it without any dependance of humane inuentions But let vs examine the former limitations of Pontifician certainty apart First they admit only of a generall certainty but no particular And reason good for as wee said their Faith is onely generall And this their certainty they place in the vnderstanding as they do also their faith The obiect of this certainty is the generall truth of Gods Word So that this is such a certainty as the very Diuels and damned may haue for they beleeue and tremble Why but because they are certainly perswaded of the truth of Gods Word And as the Pontifician faith is common with the wicked so also their certainty which is the fruite of such faith Secondly in that they say that certainty may bee true or false according to the disposition of him in whom it is this is absurd For how can a thing be certaine yet false vnlesse it be certainly false or a false certainety Certainety and falshood are incompatible and meerely opposite Indeede it is one thing to bee certaine another to seeme certaine which seeming certainty is nothing else but opinion Thirdly that they deny certainty of faith in iustification but by speciall reuelation this agreeth with their maine doctrine of faith which indeed hath no other certainty in it than such as is in the reprobate and whereas they restraine their speciall reuelation to some few this shewes the iniquity of Pontificians in making a Monopoly of Gods grace and indeede a meere nullity of sauing Faith Fourthly their probable coniectures of their iustification are altogether abhorrent from the nature of Faith in Christ and meere illusions Such probabilities are impossibilities of saluation But it is a good reason for the Pontificians why they should deny certainty of Faith if the best certainty be onely coniecturall probability Fiftly say they only spirituall men liuing in the state of perfection as deuout St. Anthony may haue a certainety of saluation built vpon his good life This is another strong reason why Pontificians exclude certainty of Faith of saluation seeing it is rather grounded vpon good workes To these they adde two other reasons why no man can be certaine of his iustification because say they no man by the euidence of faith can bee certaine of his predestination For indeede if a man cannot by faith be certaine of his predestination he cannot bee certaine of his iustification The reason is good Lastly say they a man cannot be certaine of his iustification that is not certaine of his perseuerance in grace to the end But no man say they can be sure of perseuerance Therefore no man can bee sure of his saluation These two last reasons are inferred vpon the fifteenth and sixteenth Canons of the Councell of Trent Thus haue we in generall as it were in a light velitation or skirmish spent a small volley vpon the Pontifician forces which march against certainety of faith Come wee now to ioyne the maine battaile wherein wee will obserue this order of sight first wee will shew the weakenesse of those arguments they bring for their vncertainety secondly we will make good and fortifie those arguments authorities and reasons wherewith the Catholike truth of the certainty of faith is maintained and confirmed First for the Pontifician reasons and allegations for their vncertainty of faith wee finde sundry of them set downe in the history of the Councell of Trent together with the answers vnto them forced from the Canuase of the opposite parties some holding that the opinion of certainety of grace was an intolerable arrogancy others that that certainty in its kinde was meritorious The first of these were for the most part Dominicans grounding their opinion of vncertainty vpon the authority of Thomas Aquinas Bonauenture and the Schoole-men Also vpon reason saying That God would not make man certain of grace lest swelling with pride and opinion of himselfe he should dispise others as knowing himselfe to bee righteous and others notorious sinners Also that Christians would grow sleepy sloathfull and carelesse of good workes In which respect incertitude of grace was profitable yea meritorious For perturbation or trouble of minde is that which at first afflicts men but to those that haue learned to beare it it becomes at length meritorious Besides they cite places of holy Scripture as out of Salomon That man knowes not whether hee be worthy of hatred or loue out of the Booke of Wisedome That a man must neuer be free from feare of sinne that it is pardoned out of the Apostle That wee must worke out our saluation with feare and trembling and that St. Paul professeth of himselfe that though his conscience did not accuse him yet he was not therfore iustified These reasons and testimonies besides many others saith the History did chiefly Seripandus Vega and Soto alledge and amplifie out of the Fathers On the other side saith the History Catarinus with Marinarus did out of the same Fathers alledge places to the contrary that it might appeare that the Fathers as they saw occasion did attemper their Sermons to the present occasions sometimes to animate the doubtfull and deiected sometimes to represse the presumptuous still submitting themselues to the authority of the Word of God They said to wit Catarinus and Marinarus that as often as Christ is obserued in the Gospell to forgiue sins so often he said Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And that it seemed absurd that Christ would minister to any man occasion of presumption or pride or to depriue all of that which might be matter of profit or merit Also that the Scripture bound vs to giue thankes to God for our iustification which vnlesse we be sure we haue receiued with what face yea with what affection shall we giue thankes Sith it is folly to acknowledge a benefit which thou knowest not whether it bee giuen thee or no. Surely St. Paul doth clearely enough affirme this certainety when he would haue the Corinthians sensible that Christ is in them vnlesse they be reprobates and when he saith that therefore wee haue receiued the spirit of God that by him wee might vnderstand what is giuen vs of God And againe more plainely That the holy spirit doth beare witnesse to our spirit that wee are the Sonnes of God And that it is also a part of great impudency
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For in these things wee may bee vncertaine and so be deceiued but faith cannot bee deceiued And here wee are ledde by sense but in matter of faith wee are ledde by the spirit And vpon the Epistle to the Romanes Ch. 4. where the Apostle saith vers 21. Being certainly perswaded c. Chrysostome saith Obserue that he saith not simply He beleeued but He was certainely perswaded For such a thing is faith that it is more manifest and cleare than those demonstrations which are deduced from reason and doth more perswade than they For he that is perswaded by reasons may be induced by other reasons to wauer in his iudgement but he that is settled vpon faith hath now long agoe carefully guarded and guirt about his hearing as it were with a Rampart or strong Wall round about lest hee should be infected with peruerse speeches And a little after It is the property of a weake pusillanimous and wretched minde not firmely to beleeue If therefore at any time it happen that any doe flout vs for our certainty and confidence in beleeuing let vs againe obiect vnto them incredulity as to those that are wretched pusillanimous foolish and weake and which haue no better vnderstanding than the very Asses For as to beleeue is the point of a magnanimous and noble minde so to bee incredulous and wauering is a signe of a most foolish minde light and abased euen to the bruitishnesse of the vnreasonable Beasts Therefore saith hee leauing these let vs imitate the Patriarch Abraham and glorifie God as he also gaue glory to God And what is it that he saith giuing glory to God Hee considered Gods righteousnesse and his neuer sufficiently comprehended vertue and power and so conceiuing in his minde a thought worthy and beseeming such a person hee got a most certaine perswasion of the promises So he Thus wee see this holy man disclaimes all hesitation or doubting in faith he propounds the patterne of Abraham whose faith was most certaine whom we are to follow in the same steps as the Apostle saith Rom. 4. 12. for the promise is made sure to all the seede to all those that are of the faith of Abraham vers 16. He that wants this certainty of faith doth not truly beleeue as Chrysostome saith he vnderstandeth no more than a beast than the very Asses hee is of a base and pusillanimous spirit he denieth to giue glory to God which as Chrysostome saith is the most excellent property of a Christian mans life Let the Pontificians and among them Vega with his Councell of Trent looke to their credit in this point least as men without vnderstanding they be found like to the beasts that perish St. Basil saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what is the property of faith an vndoubting assurance or full confidence voide of distrust The same Sain Basil also in another place saith That faith beyond all reasons of Sciences and Arts doth draw the soule to a consent yea and that faith relyeth not vpon Geometricall or necessary demonstrations but is iufused into the soule by the operations of the holy Ghost And againe Faith is an vndoubted assent to those things which are heard in a certaine perswasion of the truth of those things which are preached by the grace of God which Abraham shewed saith hee hauing testimony that hee doubted not through distrust but was strong in the faith giuing glory to God and being certainly perswaded that he which had promised was able also to performe Tertullian afore him saith Fides integra secura est de salute sound and intire Faith is secure of saluation But shall wee neede to bring candles to shew vs the light of the Sunne The Sunne-shine of the Scriptures hath so clearly manifested the truth of the certainty of faith that the ancient Doctors of the Church borrowing their light from that Sunne are as so many Starres witnessing the same truth So as not so much as a cloud of doubtfulnesse is to be seene in them as touching this point howsoeuer the Pontificians dazzled with the bright beames of truth would also cast a myst before faiths eyes and would perswade vs that where the Fathers speak of the certainty of faith they meane some morall or experimentall certainty distinctions which their simple hearted spirits neuer dreamed of in this kinde and where the Fathers speake of our manifold infirmities and weaknesses that are in our nature and of those doubts and feares that arise from our carnall corruption the Pontificians would perswade vs that they meane of the doubts and feares that are in faith So witty are the Pontificians in their selfe-deceiuings Now besides this natiue certainty of sauing faith in euery beleeuer there be many other accruing and concurring helps seruing to seale vp this infallible certainty of faith with all fulnesse of assurance As first the infallible testimony of the Spirit of truth witnessing to our spirits to the spirit of faith that we are the Sonnes of God Rom. 8. 16. And Gal. 4. 6. Because yee are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father And Ephes. 1. 13. In whom also yee trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospell of your saluation in whom also after that yee beleeued yee were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance vntill the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory This place is very pregnant and worthy our best attention The holy Ghost is called the seale wherewith wee are sealed and the earnest of our inheritance Now a seale and earnest are Symboles of assurance But marke this seale and earnest is giuen vs after that we haue beleeued So that here is the seale of the Spirit annexed to the seale and certainty of our faith ad corroborandum titulum as the Lawyers speake to strengthen our title That as the Apostle saith by two immutable things wee might haue strong consolation who haue fled for refuge to lay hold vpon the hope set before vs which hope wee haue as an anchor of the soule both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vaile whither the fore-runner is for vs entred euen Iesus made an High Priest for euer after the Order of Melchisedech So 1. Ioh. 4. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in vs because he hath giuen vs of his Spirit Faith then being certaine and confirmed also by the seale of Gods Spirit what more certaine Hence it is that Bernard writing to Pope Innocent against Abailardus saith Abailardus fidem definiebat aestimationem quâ—si cuique in ea sentire loqui quae libeat liceat aut pendeant ab incerto in vagis ac varijs opinionibus nostrae fidei Sacramenta non magis certa veritate subsistant Nonne si fluctuat fides inanis est spes
nostra Sed absit vt putemus in fide vel spe nostra aliquid vt is putat dubia aestimatione pendulum non magis solum quod in ea est certa ac solida veritate submixum oraculis miraculis diuinitus persuasum stabilitum consecratum partu Virginis sanguine Redemptoris gloria resurgentis Testimonia ista credibilia facta sunt nimis Si quò minùs ipse postremò Spiritus reddit testimonium spiritui nostro quod filij Deo sumus that is Abailard hath defined faith to bee an opinion as if it were lawfull for euery one to speake and determine of faith as they lifted or as if the mysteries of our faith depended vpon vncertainty in wandring and wilde opinions and did not rather subsist in a most certaine verity For if faith bee wauering is not our hope also vaine But far be it that wee should thinke that there is any thing in our faith or hope wauing as he thinketh in a doubtfull opinion and not rather the onely thing that is in it is supported with the certaine and solid truth perswaded by oracles and miracles from God established and consecrated by the birth of the Virgin by the bloud of the Redeemer and by the glory of him that rose againe These testimonies are most credible If they were not sufficient the Spirit himselfe in the last place doth giue testimony to our spirit that we are the Sons of God Quomodo ergo fidem quis audet dicere aestimationem nisi qui Spiritum istum nondum accepti quiue Euangelium aut ignoret aut fabulam putet Scio cui credidi certus sum clamat Apostolus tu mihi subsibilas fides est aestimatio How then dare any man call faith an opinion but he that hath not as yet receiued that Spirit or who knoweth not the Gospell or reputes it a fable I know whom I haue beleeued and am certaine cryeth the Apostle and doest thou whisper faith is an opinion So Bernard So that in Bernards time who liued betweene foure and fiue hundred yeares agoe the darknesse of Egypt had not as yet so ouer-spread the earth but that some light shined in the land of Goshen to giue light to Gods people Nor had the deluge of Apostacy breaking forth from the great deepe of the mysterie of iniquity and falling down in Cataracts from the top of that Skye-threatning seuen-hild Citie sitting vpon many waters so ouer-flowed the firme ground of Christian faith but that the Doue of Gods Elect might finde some place to pitch the foote of the certainty of saluation vpon There be also sundry other accessory testimonies to establish euery true beleeuer in the certainty of his saluation as the holy Scriptures wherein is set downe the truth of Gods promises The Scriptures are strong and euident testimonies of God and therefore called the Two Testaments of God Search the Scriptures saith Christ for in them yee finde euerlasting life and they are they which testifie of me And Iohn 20. 31. These things are written that yee might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ the Sonne of God and that beleeuing yee might haue life through his Name St. Augustine vpon the words of the Psalme God is faithfull in his words c. saith Noluit sibi credi dicenti sed voluit teneri Scripturam sanctam c. God would not haue his bare saying to be beleeued so much as he would haue the holy Scripture to be firmely holden euen as if you should say to a man when you promise him any thing Thou doest not beleeue me behold I giue thee my writing for it for seeing one generation goeth another commeth the Scripture of God ought to remaine as a certaine hand-writing of God which all passengers reading may hold fast the way of his promise c. And Bernard saith vpon these words Matth. 8. Speake but the word onely c. Bonum est si dicantur verba sed nihilominus bonum est si scribantur verba c. It is good if the words bee spoken but yet it is good also if the words be written For the word flyeth away irrcuocable vnlesse it be committed to writing Scriptura c. The Scripture makes the word both stable and visible St. Ambrose saith Sermo plurimus Scripturarum animam confirmat quodam spiritalis gratiae colorat vapore The plentifull speech of the Scriptures doth confirme the soule and as it were colour it with a certaine vapour of spirituall grace And vpon the Epistle to the Romanes Chapt. 1. vers 2. In the holy Scriptures Hoc ad cumulum c. This hee added to the heape of his true protestations that hee might cause the greater faith in the beleeuers And Theophilact vpon Luke 16. They haue Moses and the Prophets c. saith Nothing is so profitable as the diligent searching of the Scriptures for by searching of the dead the Deuill may deceiue vs but those which soberly search the Scriptures nothing can deceiue them for they are the lanthorne and light whereby the theefe is discouered and taken tardy So that the holy Scriptures are a strong foundation to build the certainty of Faith vpon So the holy Sacraments which are the seales of Gods Testaments they are all the seales of our faith Rom. 4. 11. A point that hath much puzzled and perplexed the Pontificians for as much as both the ancient Fathers are full of testimonies to this purpose and the Pontificians themselues doe ascribe so much to the efficacy of the Sacraments as conferring grace ex opere operato as they terme it whereupon might seeme to follow a necessity of certainty of grace in all those that are partakers of them But such is their inueterate enmity against this certainty that rather than they will shew the least fauour towards it they are content to diminish a little from the power and efficacy which they ascribe to their Sacraments But first for the Fathers Vega very stoutly and as he would seeme ingeniously professeth to act the aduersaries that is the Protestants part in alledging their proofes for the certainty of faith sealed by the Sacraments both out of the Scriptures and out of the Fathers But whatsoeuer the proofes and authorities be Vega very wittily as his manner is reduceth all their answers to these three heads First Admit saith he that those things required to the worthy receiuing of the Sacraments be certaine and fixed yet no man can be certaine that he hath omitted nothing requisite thereunto for there might be remaining in him some errour or inuincible ignorance before the receiuing of the Sacrament and so in regard of his indisposition he is vncertaine of any grace receiued or ratified by the receiuing of the Sacrament And so Vega makes a mans iustification to depend vpon the worthinesse or vnworthinesse of his owne disposition or preparation in comming to the Sacrament whereof say they as none can be certaine
perseuerance the Doctors of the Church vse many exhortations to men to perseuere whose testimonies to this purpose Vega heapeth vp in great number therefore the Doctors of the Church doe all consent that a man that is predestinate to life may fall away from grace It is Vega's owne collection for else saith he why doe these Doctors vse so many exhortations to men to striue to continue in the faith not to be secure vntill the end for this is the summe of all his testimonies that he alledgeth In the prosecution of all which I cannot better compare Vega one of Trents chiefe Questers than to a Spaniell which taking his scope in a large field trauersing vp and downe in and out to find game puts vp many a Foule but still the more he prosecutes them the faster and farther they flye from him So dealeth Vega. Hee takes the whole Church a large field to quest in he startles many a Doctor and Father foolishly thinking in his owne sent to make them his owne but in the vpshot they flye the farther from him As here The Fathers exhort men to constancy and perseuerance in the grace of God not to bee negligent and carelesse not to be carnally secure but so to runne as they may obtaine True and such exhortations are most godly and necessary for they are speciall meanes and motiues to stirre vs vp to attaine that end of our faith the saluation of our soules to which we were predestinate and preordained of God For as God hath appointed vs to the end so he hath appointed vs also to the meanes as Ephes. 2. 10. For wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them Exhortations therefore and pious admonitions are very necessary as speciall meanes to draw vs on along to our wished end as a stiffe gale of winde filling the sailes of our deuoutest affections vntill wee arriue at our appointed port And whereas Vega would peruersly conclude hence that because we must take heede least we fall as the Councell of Trent alledgeth out of the Apostle therefore the predestinate to life may and doe fall away hence rather we may conclude the contrary that seeing God hath predestinated vs to the end which is our full and finall saluation and hath chalkt vs out the way and meanes by which we come to reach and attaine to this end as to walke carefully and heedfully fearing to displease God sollicitous to serue God to take heede of carnall security and all false and groundlesse confidence therefore continuing on in this path obseruing these meanes tending vnto the end we doe hence gather to our selues stronger assurance euery day that we shall at length most certainly attaine to the end of our most Christian race and so obtaine the Crowne of life For as St. Peter exhorting the faithfull to diligence and perseuerance in holy duties as meanes leading to the end saith If yee doe these things ye shall neuer fall for by this meanes an entrance is made vnto you aboundantly into the euerlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. What Did St. Peter meane that the faithfull should be doubtfull or vncertaine of their saluation or were they so much nearer to falling away from grace because hee warnes them so much to be carefull to keep their way and to continue in the meanes No the contrary for by this meanes an entrance was administred aboundantly into the Kingdome of Gods glory And this is the vnanimous scope of all the testimonies of those Doctors and Fathers of the Church which Vega so multiplyeth going about to corrupt so many witnesses to giue in euidence for the instability and slipperinesse of his Pontifician grace Now for his eight Chapter which he spends about answering some places in St. Iohns Epistle seeming as he saith to make for the Heretickes as Iouinian c. we will speake of it in a fitter place by and by when we come to confirme the Catholicke truth and in the meane time leaue Vega dazeling his owne eyes by his ouer-daring of the glorious Sunne and scorching his owne wings in fluttering about the bright flame of Gods Word which for all his huffing at it he shall neuer be able to put out But hee goes on to proue that no man can know his owne predestination and perseuerance but by diuine reuelation In his 10. Chapter he brings Salomons saying and such like Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes as though the feare of God were an enemy to Christian assurance in this kinde sith it confirmes it much more the holy feare of God being a certaine fruit and effect of predestination leading to perseuerance as both we haue and shall further make good Hee alledgeth also against the certainty of perseuerance that of Salomon Pro. 27. 1. Boast not thy selfe of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Here the Pontifician still is like himselfe bewraying his malice against the truth as if certainty of grace were a boasting Nothing lesse For while we entertaine certainty we exclude and vtterly abandon boasting and presumption certainty and presumption being incompatible yea contrary one to the other and cannot possibly cohabit and dwell together in one heart For there is nothing more vaine than boasting nothing more vncertaine than presumption besides Salomon there speakes of to morrow as our Sauiour Matth. 6. 34. and as St. Iames Chapt. 4. Vers. 13. 14. that men should not be eyther ouer anxious and sollicitous or ouer presumptuous of to morrow about their worldly affaires Whereas thou knowest not saith Iames what shall be on the morrow for what is your life you may as a vapour vanish away before to morrow So that in these things that are in regard of vs contingent a man can haue no certainty But saluation stands not vpon any tickle termes of contingency as wee shall see anon And whereas Vega alledgeth Bernard as denying the certainty of election and predestination because saith Bernard the Scripture is against it which saith Man knoweth neither loue nor hatred by all that is before them although we be not absolutely bound to beleeue any mans authority in alledging the Scriptures when it is plaine hee mis-vnderstandeth or at least mis-applyeth the place as Bernard vnder correction doth here sith it is plaine and euident as wee shewed before that the Preacher speaketh of these outward things as prosperity and aduersity which are no certaine markes of Gods fauour or displeasure as being common to all men promiscuously as well the righteous as the wicked yet we are not so straight-laced as not to embrace euen Bernard himselfe in this point For if the certainty of saluation rested vpon mans testimony wee might as soone relye vpon Bernards authority as another But where Bernard speakes properly and iudiciously in applying the Scriptures none is more cleare than hee in this matter So that in the very same
riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards vs through Christ Iesus What greater loue what greater grace what richer mercy than for God to cast his eye of fauour vpon vs euen when we were dead in sinnes As the Apostle saith also Rom. 5. 8. God commendeth his loue towards vs in that while we were yet sinners when we were enemies Christ dyed for vs. And in the vulgar Latine set forth by the Diuines of Louain printed at Antwerpe 1584. in the fourth to the Romanes Verse 5. wee finde these words in the Text Ei verò qui non operatur credenti autem in eum qui iustificat impium reputatur fides eius ad iustitiam secundum propositum gratiae Dei Now to him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is reckoned for righteousness according to the purpose of the grace of God Now these last words are not in our vulgar translations nor in most Greeke Copies but the Louain Doctors haue noted in the margent that they are found in some Manuscripts and Greeke Copies And it were to be wished that they had added no worse than this into that their translation for it is but that which is the generall Doctrine of the Gospell of Christ. For the preaching of the Gospel what is it but a beame of this grace of God shining vpon sinners as Tit. 2. 11. The grace of God that bringeth saluation hath appeared vnto all men And the Gospel is the Gospel of the grace of God Act. 20. 24. And the Word of God is the word of his grace vers 32. And Acts 14. 3. Yea we finde the very same words in the Apostle 2. Tim. 1. 9. Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but marke according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs in Christ Iesus before the world began but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Sauiour Iesus Christ c. So that the ground of our saluation by Iesus Christ is the meere grace of God by this grace we are saued by this grace we come to inherit eternall life for eternall life is of the grace of God it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the free gift of his grace And wee are heires of the grace of life 1. Pet. 3. 7. The Apostle Paul was so in loue with this grace that all his Epistles are perfumed throughout as it were with this precious oyntment Hee nameth it not so little as a hundreth times The salutation of each Epistle hath grace in it yea the Apostle sets it as his marke at the end of euery Epistle and would haue all his Epistles knowne by that marke to bee his As hee saith 2. Thes. 3. 17. 18. The salutation of Paul with mine owne hand which is the token in euery Epistle so I write The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ bee with you all So that besides other probable arguments I finding this marke at the end of the Epistle to the Hebrewes I conclude it to bee Pauls Epistle No one Apostle ends his Epistle with the prayer and wishing of grace but onely Paul Indeede the Reuelation endeth so The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen Thus Gods gracious eternall purpose in electing to saluation such as in his speciall fauour hee was pleased to foreknow being the prime and originall cause whereon depends the whole frame of our effectuall saluation it teacheth vs a maine difference between the first Couenant and the second The first Couenant was made with the first Adam in Paradise which indeed did meerly depend vpon mans will to keep it or to break it Doe this and thou shalt liue This was that first Couenant which Man failing to keep so forfeiting his estate God now makes a second Couenant in the second Adam which he will not as he did in the first hazzard vpon mans will or ability in the keeping of it Gods wisdome well weighing that if Adam in his perfection so easily and quickly brake the first Couenant though hee had both will and power to keepe it how much more man now corrupt and weake would neuer bee able to keepe the second Couenant And therefore to make sure worke God takes a contrary course in the second Couenant which that it may for euer stand firme and immutable hee hath established it vpon the sure foundation of his owne good pleasure and will wherein is no shadow of change Well the conclusion is Gods free grace and fauour is the ground of our election it is the foundation whereon depends our whole saluation wee are elected wee are saued all by grace according to his purpose and grace This grace of God the Pontifician Church cannot away withall as being an enemy to all their Doctrine And therfore the Councell of Trent hath excluded yea and condemned the grace of God as the sole efficient cause of saluation for Ses. 6. Can. 11. the words be Si quis dixerit c. gratiam qua iustificamur esse tantum fauorem Dei anathema sit that is If any shall say that the grace whereby we are iustified is onely the fauour of God let him be Anathema or accursed If Romes Curse were of force then wofull were the case of St. Paul that doth so often mightily magnifie the grace of God in our iustification yea the only grace and fauour of God excluding workes as not hauing the least share with Gods grace therein Nay the whole Word of God which is the Word of his grace and the Gospell of his grace must fall vnder Romes Curse Howsoeuer the equiuocating Romanists would foyst and shuffle in their workes by the name of grace by which indeed they destroy and ouerthrow the grace of God Obiect But say some It is sufficient that wee grant that Gods grace doth manifest it selfe in prouiding for vs and offering vnto vs meanes whereby we may be saued without which meanes because we cannot be saued therefore we are said to be saued by the grace of God Answ. Is that sufficient O enemies of the grace of God and of your owne saluation Will you so limit Gods grace Will ye so eclipse the glory of his grace as to confine it within such narrow bounds Indeede great and infinitely great was Gods loue in so louing the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting But did his gift depend vpon mans acceptance that it might be effectuall if man would otherwise not Then as Esay saith Who hath beleeued our report Had not then this great loue of God beene vtterly lost Had not this gift beene such as no man would receiue it For what saith the Scripture All haue sinned and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 come short of the glory of God The naturall man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perceiueth not receiueth not this gift it is farre aboue out of his
velint fateri praedestinatos esse qui per Dei gratiam fiant obedientes atque permaneant iam tamen fateantur quod eorum praeueniat voluntatem quibus datur hâ—c gratia Now these men saith hee with whom wee haue to deale are so much remote from the Hereticall peruersnesse of the Pelagians that although they will not be brought to confesse that they which by the grace of God are made obedient and remaine so are predestinated yet notwithstanding they confesse that this grace preuents the will of those to whom it is giuen But how Augustine discouers their deceit Ideo vitque ne gratis dari credatur gratia sicut veritas loquitur sed potius secundum praecedentis merita voluntatis sicut contra veritatem Pelagianus error obloquitur This must be so forsooth lest grace should be thought to be giuen gratis as the truth speaketh but rather according to the merits of mans precedent will as the Pelagian errour gain-saieth the truth So that in the conclusion the Pelagians and Pontificians with their confederates conspire in the maine not onely to diminish but euen to demolish the glory of God The second precious thing which thou wouldest destroy is the saluation of the elect Thou to make a reprobate by thy carnall reason to become at the best a formall hypocrite puffed vp with the swelling pride of his selfe-righteousnesse wouldst destroy that gracious purpose of God in sauing impotent man which purpose of God is the onely cause of the effectuall sauing of men For take away this purpose of God and no man should be saued And not onely Gods purpose to saue some whom he will doth in time effectually bring them vnto the state of grace in Christ but also is so farre from making them carelesse as it makes them the more carefull to continue in the state of grace Yea not only so but God doth endowe all his with a care and minde and will and power to continue in his fauour and grace And to this end all things worke together cooperate for good to them that loue God to them that are called according to his purpose Hath God giuen me the grace of faith to beleeue in his Sonne Iesus Christ whereby I come now to know what I knew not before namely that I am of the number of Gods elect preordained to saluation before the foundation of the world Am I hereupon carelesse how I liue because I haue receiued the euidence of Gods fauour towards mee in Christ Nay now I begin to be more carefull than euer before that I may also attaine to the end of my saluation And I am so much the more encouraged hereunto not onely because I am ordained of God vnto it but because now the Spirit of Christ dwelleth in me strengthening incouraging comforting confirming mee more and more in the obedience of faith and sealing me vp vnto the day of Redemption I know that God hath appointed to saue me but not without meanes He hath made the meanes easie vnto me and he hath giuen mee both a minde power to obserue the conditions where I through carnall infirmity still dwelling in me faile yet still the means is in my way which is to be renewed by repentance humiliation and obedience I cannot now euer be resolued that because I know I am one of Gods elect therefore I will sinne and liue as I list but because I am one of Gods elect redeemed by Iesus Christ therefore my whole resolution is continually to set forth the prayses of him that hath called mee out of darknesse into his maruellous light St. Iohn was of another minde than these men where 1. Ioh. 3. speaking of our knowledge and assurance of our blessed estate in and through and with Christ he addeth vers 3. He that hath this hope purgeth himselfe euen as hee is pure So that the more certaine our faith and hope is of eternall life the more carefull it makes vs of fitting and preparing ourselues thereunto For he that hath this hope purgeth himselfe Tell me a Prince being borne heire apparant to a Kingdome because he is assured that none can preuent him of his right is he therefore carelesse of his course of life running riot and playing the young Prodigall and not rather disposeth himselfe or at least is carefully brought vp vnder Tutors and Gouernours for that end that by learning obedience in his youth and nonage he may know the better how to Command when he comes to weald the Scepter Now the Child of God by his new birth is borne heire apparant to the kingdome of glorie therefore while he is in his minoritie in the Principalitie of grace and because now he hath many infallible arguments to assure him of the Kingdome is he either himselfe so carelesse or is his heauenly Father so improuident as not euery way to furnish him with those graces beseeming such a Prince whereby he may in time be throughly furnished and accounted worthy to sit with Christ in his Throne Because old Symeon had a reuelation by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ Did he therefore as knowing God to be true in his promise neglect his ordinary meate and other meanes for the sustentation and preseruation of his life because he was to liue certainely vntill he should see the Lord 's Christ Because King Ezechias had a gracious promise from God that he should recouer of his pestilent disease and within three dayes be able to goe vp vnto the house of the Lord and moreouer that he had fifteene yeeres added of God vnto his dayes was Ezechias therefore carelesse of vsing the meanes for his recouery which the Lord had prescribed and so for the prolonging of his life which the Lord had promised Did he not according to Gods direction take and apply the lumpe of dry Figgs to the plague-sore and so recouered so that within three dayes he went vp vnto the house of the Lord to offer the Sacrifice of praise So the elect of God being now effectually called to the state of grace they haue a promise from God that they shall neuer see death that spirituall death which Christ speaks of till they see the Lord 's Christ face to face and know him by beatificall vision euen as they are knowne are they therefore carelesse of the spirirituall food of their soules the Word and Sacraments whereby they are preserued till they come to the fruition of this beatificall vision And being desperately sicke of the pestilence of sinne and hauing health promised and remedy prouided are they therefore so carelesse as not to put forth the hand of faith to apply Christ that lumpe of figgs that cluster of grapes that balme of Gilead to their pestilential sore that recouering perfect health thereby they may after three dayes be raised vp and be able vpon the feet of their holiest affections to ascend vnto the house of the Lord not
a new way to Heauen and beauty to expresse this vertue and to demonstrate this way with the very hand of their owne immaculate exemplary life Let them therefore come forth vpon the Stage and act before vs but a Scene of their Christian life Wee are willing to be Spectators of this rare spectacle and will be as beneuolous to giue them a Plaudite if they deserue it as by their fame and claime we are erected to a high expectation of their performance for we expect to see them act the parts not as common Actors and Comedians act others good parts vpon the Stage whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Hypocrites haue their names as Gregory saith Haereticorum hypocrisis decoros ipsos hominibus ostendit The hypocrysie of Heretickes makes them appeare beautifull vnto men wee expect I say to see them act the parts not of the ordinary ranke of morallmen but as they professe to goe before others in learning and wit so let them goe before all men in sanctity of life and conuersation which if they doe not their owne Doctrine shall turne to their greater condemnation For seeing they attribute so much to their naturall abilities if they make it not good in their owne practice God will say vnto them Out of thine owne mouth will I condemne thee thou euill seruant Hast thou so much power to doe good and dost it not If the Lord condemne that feare at the best which is taught towards him by the precepts of men how shall hee confound those that for all their humane politicke precepts come infinitely short of the feare of God in their liues But if not only defect of the true feare of God be found in them but excesse of all corruption doe beare sway in their lusts if they be extreame proud couetous ambitious malicious contemners of the true seruants of God if back-biters selfe-louers louers of pleasures more than louers of God hauing a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof what reward shall they haue for all their new deuices and quaint doctrines What honour with God What credit with men What comfort in themselues but horrour of conscience What else can bee expected of such as haue lost or neuer had the true faith Can a bad tree bring forth good fruit saith Christ Gregory compareth such to brazen Pipes Sonum bene loquendi habent sed sensum bene viuendi non habent They haue the sound of saying well but they haue not the sense of liuing well But take their workes at the best yet seeing they flowe not from the holy roote of sound faith they are but as many flowers whose colour is beautifull but their sauour banefull Such do stincke odious in the pure nostrils of God yea they are abominable to the Church of God As the same Gregory saith Quia nonnunquam haeretici quanto magis in perfidiae errorem dilabuntur tanto ampliùs in exteriori sese operatione custodiunt ita vt agere prae caeteris magna videantur sancta vniuersalis Ecclesia cuncta eorum opera despicit quae ex authoritate fidei non prodire perpendit Because sometimes hereticks the more they sinke into the errour of perfidiousnesse so much the more warily doe they keepe themselues in their exteriour operation so that they may seeme in comparison of others to doe great things the holy vniuersall Church doth despise all their workes which it considereth not to proceede from the authority of faith Now hauing spoken of the nature of Predestination according to the expresse tenure of the holy Scriptures come wee to set downe the certainty of Catholicke and true iustifying Faith in regard of the certainty of predestination vnto grace and of perseuerance therein vnto glory The Pontificians alledge and obiect That we cannot be certaine of our saluation but depend alwayes doubtfull because say they we cannot know who is predestinate and who shall perseuere in grace without speciall reuelation Now true it is that no beleeuer can know whether another be predestinate or shall perseuere but by speciall reuelation Samuel came to know King Saul to be a reprobate by speciall reuelation Ananias came to know persecuting Saul to bee an elect vessell by speciall reuelation So Paul came to know that Clement and other his fellow-labourers had their names written in the Booke of life Againe no man how wicked soeuer can know or conclude with himselfe that he is a reprobate but eyther by diuine reuelation as Saul came to know this by Samuel from God or else by the effects of finall impenitency and desperation such as commit the sinne of the Holy Ghost especially But that euery true beleeuer may and doth come to know himselfe to be of the number of Gods elect and predestinate vnto life and that not onely by extraordinary reuelation from the Spirit of God but by the illumination of iustifying Faith and consequently is hereby assured of his perseuerance in grace vnto glory is a Doctrine most euident in the holy Scriptures Two generall points therefore come here to be handled First that euery true beleeuer in Christ may and doth certainly know that hee is one of the number of Gods Elect. Secondly that euery true beleeuer may and doth know certainly that he shall perseuere in grace vnto glory For the first of these Euery true beleeuer in Christ may and doth certainly know that hee is one of the number of Gods Elect. And this hee knoweth first by Faith The Faith of Gods Elect is as a chrystall perspectiue glasse though which euery true beleeuer clearely seeth himselfe enrolled in the Booke of life Reioyce in this saith Christ that your names are written in Heauen Now how can any man reioyce of that whereof hee is vncertaine and doubtfull and which he knoweth not So that for the Elect to reioyce that their names are written in Heauen in the Booke of life must needes imply a certaine knowledge that we are of the number of those whose names are written in the Booke of life as also some in the Trent-Councell iudiciously alledged from this very place But the aduersaries obiect that this was spoken in especiall to the elect Disciples to whom Christ gaue a speciall reuelation of their election I answer with Augustine vpon these very words of the Gospell of Christ In this reioyce that your names are written in Heauen Nullus fidelis habet spem si nomen eius non est scriptum in coelo No faithfull man hath any hope if his name bee not written in Heauen So that Augustine applyeth this speech of Christ to all the faithfull As hee there saith Non eos voluit gaudere ex eo quod proprium habebant sed ex eo quod cum caeteris salutem tenebant Inde voluit gaudere Apostolos vnde gaudes tu Christ would not haue his Disciples to reioyce of that which they had proper to themselues namely of casting out Deuils and of doing