This notwithstanding there is this difference betweene the sin formally in the Parent and the sinne formally in the Childe viz that though it bee formally really and truely in them both yet is it is in the one after one manner in the other after another manner It is formall sin in the Parent but not so imputed yet in the child before Baptisme it is both formall sin and so imputed So that the difference is not in the thing but in the manner and modification of the thing And this is the true meaning of S. Austen when hee saith Non imputatur in peccatum It is not imputed for sinne As if he had said it is still sin aswell in the Parent as in the Childe or els the Child could not receiue and contract it of his Father in the nature of the thing it selfe Neuerthelesse it is as if it were not in him because of mercy it is not imputed to him for sin Breefely it is sinne in the Parent but not so imputed In the Childe it both is sin and for sin imputed S. R. Neyther indeed can God otherwise not impute sinne but by taking it away For his iudgement is according to truth and therefore if there be sin in vs he must needes impute it to vs and account vs Sinners else hee should not account vs as we are and according to truth T. B. It is time to say with Christs holy Apostle Come Lord Iesus For if the World shall continue and Iesuitisme bee permitted to raigne Foxes may haue holes and Foules of the Ayre Nestes but the Sonne of man hardly where to lay his head For I pray thee gentle Reader doth not our Iesuite who tearmeth himselfe S. R. Saucy Rebell if ye will so interpret it and know Robert Persons for the man take vppon him saucily and arrogantly to appoint bounds and limits to the power of God omnipotent Doth he not say here God cannot and God must Euen where there is no necessity at all First it is most false great blasphemy against the son of God to say that God cannot otherwise not impute sin but by taking it away If this fond assertion were true none could euer bee loued of God in this life seeing all men are full of sinne which God euer hateth as a thing most odious in his sight Who but Iesuites will euer say that they are not Gods enemies in truth if God respect them after theyr deserts Who but Iesuites will refuse to say with the Prophet Enter not into iudgmeÌ„t with thy seruant O Lord for none liuing shall bee iustifyed in thy sight Therefore wisely and most christianly sayth Saint Austen Woe euen to the best liuer on earth if thou O Lord examine his life thy mercy set apart What Must GOD needs impute sinne vvhere hee findes it Then a sharpe Vae vobis will fall vppon our Iesuite vnlesse hee bee holyer then eyther Saint Peter or Saint Paule But Sir Heard you neuer of a King whose Seruant ought him tenne thousand Talentes which hee vvas not able to pay Knovv yee not that the King his Lord imputed not the debt vnto him But yee vvill say the King forgaue it him True it is but how did he forgiue it him Forsooth by not imputing it to him For neyther did hee pay neyther was hee able to pay the debt So then as that King the King of Heauen if yee vvill did impute the tenne thousand Tallentes as payde though they remained vnpaid indeede and esteemed him as no Debtour who had his debt still vnpaide euen so our mercifull God both can deale and doth deale with vs in not imputing our sin to vs though they still remaine in vs. Secondly Gods iudgement is euer according to truth euen when hee imputeth not our sinnes to vs as vvell as vvhen he imputeth them to vs. For as the King knew right vvell that the debt vvas vnpayde iudging rightly that it vvas vnpayde and vvithall accepted of it as if it hadde beene payde not imputing the debt to the debtour euen so our mercyfull GOD and louing Father knovveth right vvell Originall Concupiscence remayneth really and formally in vs rightly iudging that sin to bee in vs and vvithall accepting vs as if vvee were no Sinners not imputing our debts vnto vs. And this hee dooth of his owne free mercy for the merits of his deare Sonne CHRIST IESVS in whom hee is well pleased So then we see heere not onely the Iesuites blasphemy against GOD but also of his fond manner of disputing euery where For euery Childe can tell him that it is one thing to know and iudge that man oweth him Money another thing not to impute the debt to him that oweth the same For example sake because sensuall thinges woorke most with sensuall men if Thomas Bell were bound in an Obligation of one thousand poundes vnto S. R. for the payment of one hundered pence vppon the first of Iuly next at vvhich day Thomas Bell should make default of payment and the sayd S. R. should not impute the default and Non paiment vnto the said Thomas Bell as I thinke he would not should not the Obligation be still in force and Thomas Bell still remaine indebted to S. R Should not Thomas Bell stand still in the curtcsâ—e of S. R Might not S. R. commence suite against Thomas Bell for his debt notvvithstanding his forbearaunce in not imputing the breach of day vnto him I cannot tell I am not skillfull in the Lavve but I feare mee Thomas Bell might bee intreated of S. R. as the Fellow-Seruant that ought an hundred pence of whom we haue mention made in the holy Gospell S. R. The second thing which Bell inferreth and biddeth vs marke it vvell is that the tenth Commaundement forbiddeth Originall lust vvithout consent and habituall Concupiscence Did euery man reade more markeable folly First he maketh Originall lust to bee committed which is to make Originall Actuall because what is committed is actuall as commission is action Secondly that habituall and Originall inclination to euill is forbidden by the tenth Commaundement and calleth the contrary most absurd T. B. Doubles Bell will confesse plainely that hee hath not often read more markeable folly indeed then our markable Fryer vttereth in this place who will neuer gaine any thing at T. B. his hands vnlesse it be with his markeable folly and deceitfull dealing He first leaueth out my words in the beginning of the sentence then addeth he his own as if they were mine in the end of the sentence that done he discourseth of them me at his own good pleasure But I answer First that not only actual but also habituall inclination to euill is forbidden in the tenth precept Bellarmine shall be witnesse against Robert Parsons whose words are these Haec dicta sunt ad mentem S. Augustini qui precepto non concupisces intelligit prohiberi aliqua modo matus omnes concupiscentiae
another place thus If thou O Lorde straightly markest iniquities O Lorde who shall abide it But with thee is mercie that thou mayest be feared Againe in another place thus Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified So then as wee haue in one Psalme that Dauid did keepe Gods commaundements so haue wee in many other Texts of holy writ both in the Psalmes and else where that neither himselfe nor any liuing can perfectly keep the same What must we now do One scripture is not contrary to another The spirite of God speaking in Dauid saith in one place That he kept Gods Lawe in another place he saith That neither hee nor any other can keepe his Commaundements How stand these two together This is the resolution and true sence of holy writ Dauid as euery childe of God in like maner is truely saide to keepe Gods Commaundements when he hath an inward feruent desire to do the will of God and chearefully applyeth his heart and all his affections to that end so farre foorth as standeth with mans infirmity and the state in which we liue although he be a greeuons sinner indeed and Trangresse Gods law many waies This I prooue to be so by many arguments first because the sinnes of the faithful are not imputed to them for the merits of Christ Iesus Therefore saith the Apostle Being iustified by faith we are at peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ. Again thus Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lorde will not impute sin By these places it is cleare that Gods children are said to keepe his Commandements not because they keepe them exactly and perfectly but for that the want and defect is not imputed to them This is it that S. Austen saith in these golden words Omnia ergo mandata facta deputantur quando quicquid non sit ignoscitur All the Commandements are then reputed as done when whatsoeuer is not done Is of mercy forgiuen Again the same S. Austen in another place hath these words Beatus vir cui nō imputauit dominus peccatū Hoc prestant viae domini ac per hoc quoniā ex fide iustus viuit ab ista via domini illa alienat miquitas quae est infidelit as In hac antē via domini id est in fide pia quisquis ambulat aut peccatum non operatur aut si quid à deuiante committitur propter viam non imputatur tanquam non fuerit operatus accipitur Blessed is the man to whome the Lord hath not imputed sinne This the wayes of our Lord performe and by reason heereof because the iust man liueth by faith that iniquity estraungeth from this way which is infidelity For in this way of the Lord that is in a godly faith whosoeuer walketh he either sinneth not or if any thing be done amisse it is not imputed by reason of the way and is so taken as if he had not done it Thus writeth this holy father vppon that very Psalme out of which our Iesuite hath borrowed certaine Textes which as S. Austen sheweth plainely are altogether applyed contrary to the Prophets meaning and to the truth of the matter in hād For therfore as we see by S. Austens Testimony is not only the Prophet Dauid but also al the children of God thoght to keep Gods commandements because they aplying thēselues chearfully with hart voyce and all their power to keepe them the defect and want is not imputed to them Briefely by Gods grace not of our selues we keep his Commandements though not in such perfection as his Iustice requireth yet in such measure as he of his mercy in Christ accepteth Secondly because the sonne of God hath truly appeased the wrath of God by once offering vppon the Altar of the Crosse a perfect sufficient and absolute satisfaction for the sinnes of all the faithfull and elect people of God and as a Creditor hauing receiued the iust and full paiment of that which was due vnto him though by the hands of another yet in behalfe of him who was the debtor cannot with Iustice require the same at the Debtors hands no more can GOD almighty who is not onely iust but iustice it selfe in the abstract iustly require satissaction of his elect for their sinnes for whose transgressions he hath receiued a most perfect absolute and consummate satisfaction and attonement for euer at the handes of his deare Sonne In whom he is euer well pleased This is it that one of the Elders said to Saint Iohn These are they which came out of great tribulation and haue vvashed their long Robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lamb. Thirdly to acknowledge our sinnes and to confesse our selues to bee grieuous Sinners and not to trust in our owne righteousnesse which is none at all indeed but in the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ who as the Apostle teacheth vs Is our Wisedome our Righteousnesse our Sanctification and our Redemption is in the scripture to be righteous to keep Gods commandements Therfore saith S. Iohn That if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. But if we knowledge our sinnes he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sins and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse Loe to confesse our sinnes and to acknowledge our selues to be Sinners is to be righteous in Gods sight and to keepe his Commaundementes This Saint Hierome confirmeth in these Golden wordes Tunc ergo iusti sumus quando nos peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex dei consistit misericordia Then therefore are wee iust when wee confesse our selues Sinners and our righteousnesse consisteth not in our owne merite but in Gods mercy Thus writeth this holy and learned Father shewing most euidently to all that haue eyes to see it that we may both be breakers and Keepers of Gods Commaundementes at once both Sinners and Righteous at one and the same time though not in one the same respect Sinners in respect of our selues and our corrupt Nature Righteous in the sight and iudgment of God who of his great mercy pardoneth all penitent Sinners and for Christs merits doth not impute their sins vnto them S. R. I omit Moyses Aaron Samuell Dauid Iosue Zacharie Elizabeth and the Apostles who are said to haue kept Gods Law and some of them in all their hart only Saint Paule I cannot omit because Bell graunteth that he was most free and innocent from Actuall sin therefore surely he kept Gods Law perfectly T. B. I answere First 〈◊〉 all these holy men were in their life time sinners and Transgressors of Gods holy Lawes which I could easily prooue by many Texes of holy Writ if I deemed it needfull so to doe this onely shall suffice
imperfect Out of this discourse of this holy and learned Father I obserue these worthy documents First that all men euen the best liuers vpon earth haue committed not a few but many sins Secondly that wee neuer read of any man who neuer had done any sin Thirdly that it is not possible for any man to lead his life without sin Fourthly that no man can be saued by his free will holy life but by the mercy of God Fiftly that no man fulfilleth the Law nor keepeth the Commaundements contained therein This is a point of great consequence it would be remembred Sixtly that though all men bee Sinners in respect of themselues yet are the faithfull iust in respect of Gods mercy who imputeth not their sins vnto them Seuenthly that man is thē iustified when he acknowledgeth himselfe to be a Sinner and then perfect when he acknowledgeth his own imperfection This is a most excellent and golden Lesson For here we see how Sinners are iust and perfect in Gods sight Marke well gentle Reader None saith Saint Hierom can fulfill the law none can keepe the Commaundementes none can liue without sinne and yet the greater Sinner the more iust man if hee with the lowly Publican doe humbly confesse his sinnes For as Saint Hierome telleth vs to acknovvledge our imperfection is our perfection before GOD and to confesse our selues sinners is our iustification before him in Christ Iesus Away then with all Popish inherent iustification away with al Popish falsly supposed satisfaction away with all Popish Condigne merits away with all Popish supererogations S. R. Saint Iohn saith This is the loue of GOD that we keepe his Commaundements and his Commaundements are not heauy He saith not Christ but We must keep Gods Commandements and to animate vs thereto he addeth that they are not heauy Viz to vs. T. B. This is answered already where I prooued out of Saint Austen that all the Commaundements are then reputed done when whatsoeuer is not done is Of mercy forgiuen Neuerthelesse it shall not be amisse to adde Saint Hieroms censure to the latter member for explication sake These are his wordes Vis audire facilitatem preceptorum dei Ausculta quod dicitur quam arcta via Angusta est quae ducit ad vitam pauci sunt qui inveniunt eam Non dixit quigradiuntur per eam hoc n. difficillimum est sed qui inveniunt eam Pauci n. inveniunt multò pauciores ingrediuntur per eam Sequitur hac dico iterum iterumque ac per singulaingeram vt erubescas ad sententiam tuam facilia esse dei mandata Wilt thou heare how easie Gods Commandements are Hearken what is saide Strait and narrowe is the way which leadeth vnto life and few they are that finde it He said not which go by it for that is a very hard thing but which find it for few doe finde it and farre fewer enter in by it These things I say and will vrge them againe and againe seuerally that thou maist bee ashamed to say that Gods commaundements are easie Thus writeth this holy and most learned Father Out of whose doctrine I note thus much First that the way to heauen that is to say Gods commaundements is very straight and narrow not wide and long or casie Secondly that it is so straight and so narrow that few find it and fewer enter in by it Thirdly that this way of Gods commandements is so very hard that in S. Hieroms opinion and iudgement he may be ashamed that saith it is easie Our Iesuite therfore may be ashamed of his Doctrine and twice ashamed to make S. Hierom a Patron of the same S. R. If Bell say that it is impossible to loue God as wee ought to doe this is reproued because hee loueth God as he should do who loueth him With all his heart all his soule and all his power But Iosue so loued God of whom it is written that hee returned in all his heart in all his soule and all his strength Likewise Dauid sought God in all his heart and followed him in all his hart And God hath some seruants that walk before him in all their hart with whom he keepeth his couenant and mercy and God promiseth to circumcise the Iewes harts that they might loue him in al their hearts and all their soule T. B. Bell saith so and that truely and is already proued in this discourse and more at lage in the Downfall Now to your particulars King Iosias whom our Iesuite falsly nameth Iosue returned to God in al his hart al his soul and al his strength Which is nothing else indeede but that hereturned to God with a sincere heart and vnfainedly not Hypocritically Not that he was pure and free from sin no part of his hart or soul defiled with corruption which our Iesuite might haue perceiued to be implyed in the word Returne For from what did he returne saue only from sinne If he had euer beene with God in all his heart all his soule and all his strength then doubtlesse could he not haue returned to him For hee that is euer with one cannot be truly saide to returne to him But the scripture decideth the Controuersie when it telleth vs that Iosias hearkened not vnto the wordes of Mecho king of Aegipt which were of the mouth of God but came to fight in the valley of Megiddo where hee was slaine for his paines K. Dauid likewise saith our Iesuite sought God in all his hart which must needs be vnderstood as I said of K. Iosias For he was both an adulterer a murderer thogh also the child of God This is already proued plainly cōfirmeth the doctrin which I defend The same may be saide of king Ezechias who was a great sinner and yet is saide to haue serued God with all his heart and to haue kept his commaundements The same answere serueth to the rest that God hath those that wil serue him with their whole heart that is vnfainedly and chearefully For as wee haue heard already out of the scriptures None liuing is without sinne Againe The faithfull are saide to keepe Gods Commandements and to serue him with all their heart Because to such as serue God vnfainedly and chearefully whatsoeuer is left vndone is of mercy pardoned and forgiuen It is the flat doctrine both of S. Austen and of S. Hierom as I haue already proued And heere I may not forget to put our Iesuite in mind that concerning the circumcising of the Iewish hearts it may please him to read the verses following for there shall he find his sillie obiection fully answered euen in the text it selfe These are the words Return thou therefore and obey the voyce of the Lord and doe all his Commaundements which I commaund thee this day Loe the Iewes whose hearts God promiseth to
demerite eternall torment in hell fire Secondly that their Sacrament of Pennance doeth not conferre Grace Ex opere operato neyther are their most great faults therein forgiuen seeing after their auricular confession and absolution receiued of their ghostly Fathers they still stande in such feare of remission of their most great faults that they must needs confesse the same daily in time of Popish Masse To which two Corollaries I caÌ„not but adde this delicate Post-past for his holines viz That the supposed certainty of the operation of Popish sacraments is as vncertaine as the wind For though all Papists of all sorts be bound to beleeue that Popish absolution ministred by a Popish priest after Popish auricular confession doth vndoubtedly purge them from all their sins though neuer so many neuer so great yet after such confession and such absolution receiued from the Priestes mouth they are bound by Popish lawe and Doctrine immediately to confesse their most greeuous â—aults in time of Popish Masse Whereupon followeth of necessity that Popish late start-vp Religion is able to bring all Papists headlong into desperation S. R. If you loue mee saith Christ keepe my Commaundements but how can we keepe them if they damnably deadly breake them Can true keeping thinkes Bell and true breaking stand together T. B. True keeping and true breaking in diuers respects both may and do well stand together For as the faithful in respect of their sinnes inherent in them doe breake Gods Commaundements and are in state of damnation so in respect of Christs merits imputed to them of mercy they are iust and keepe Gods commaundements perfectly For as the disobedience of Adam made all men sinners so the obedience of Christ made all the faithfull holy and iust This is it that S. Iohn saith He that is borne of God sinneth not which is not meant that he sinne not indeed but as wee liaue heard out of S. Austen and Abbot Bernard That his sinnes be pardoned and not imputed to him Hitherto we haue seene and viewed our Iesuites Diuinity now a word or two of his great charity and there an end S. R. What sir are these speeches S. Chrisostoms cited by your selse What neede a Sermon What neede a Preacher Surely then your preaching is needlesse and consequently the fifty pound pension giuen to you for it may bee well spared T. B. Behold heere our Iesuites charity He tooke in hand to aunswere the Downefall of Popery but hauing broken his back with the fal therof taking to hart that he was put at a Non-plus as not able to defend the Pope Popery he deuised with himselfe how hee might bee auenged of me and so took occasion to quarrell at my pensioÌ„ A rare Metamorphosis doubtles a digression of meer foolery to what end it were wisedome to diuine The question in hande was of the Popes souer aignety Of Religion Of Faith Of Saluation All which things though of great consequence being set apart our Iesuite as one forgetfull of the text beginneth sodainly to preach against my pension telling his Reader with all grauity that it may be well spared It may seeme our Iesuite would haue a begging Fryer and so to spend my time in seeking my dinner But as it pleased most Noble Queene Elizabeth of famous memory of her Royall bounty to bestow the fifty pound pension on me and as it hath hitherto well pleased his most excellent Maiesty to continue the same for mine honest maintainance so I hope that notwithstanding all the Iesuites pratling I would say preaching I shall still enioy the same Soli Deo vni trino honor Glorìa FINIS GEntle Reader by reason of the Authors absence and mis-vnderstanding the Copy in the 49. page these two lines are thus rightly to be corrected Ex conclusione posita probationibus quae à patre à Castro affirmantur colligitur cautè legendum esse Caietanum dicentem c. Ephe. 4. 5 The Chuâ—â— of England defendeth old Româ— religion The late Râ—â—mish faith the new reâ—â—â—â—â—on 〈◊〉 this point wâ—ll 〈◊〉 Par. 19. Reg. 18. Par. 29. 30 1. 34. Reg. 2. 4. 8. â—ee defend 〈◊〉 old RomaÌ„â—â—ligion â—n Dom 1498. 〈…〉 〈…〉 annot in 〈…〉 de potest 〈…〉 â—onc 〈◊〉 4. p. 139 〈◊〉 Iohns esie conâ—nned with sound of â—â—â—â—pets Adrianus Lyr. in 16. 〈◊〉 Mat. The Pope with child 1. Tim. 2. 12. Seauen Pop witnesses 〈◊〉 pope Iohn was a woâ—â— Behold Poâ— Iohn the vi gin 〈◊〉 Dom â—07 〈◊〉 is now 〈◊〉 indeleble Character most bruâ—â— cruelty â—â—uclerus Bishops must sweare to be true to the Pope Our holy Iesuite must needs haue a fore-runner The truth 〈◊〉 preuaile in time and Poâ—â—pery wholly ouerthrowne Genâ— 27 41 See my Anathomy of Popish tyranny Hest 7 10. August epist 48 Tom 2 3 Cap quicunque de haeret lib 6 Relect 4 de potest papae conc propos 16 caus 17 q 4 cap neâ—ini Rom 10 2 Marke well this word Late Victor de potest papae conc rel 4. pag. 151 Polid. Virg. lib. 4. cap. 9 pag. 39 Roffensis art 37. adu Luth. pag. 11 Couar Tom. 1 part 2. cap. 7 par 4. â— 14. in medio In the first Article Page 4 Page 7 Page 55 Page 75 Page 26 Page 17 Sigebert An. 1088. Sigebert iâ— Chron. An. 1088. See my Anathomy Page 5 Page 6 dist 22. can omner Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 In my Anathomy in the Caueat to the Reader and libr. 2. cap. 4. cap. 9. â—â—pist to the King Page 27 Page 28 Page 30 dist 40. cap. si papa Gers. de pot eccle cons. 12. part 3. Hugo Cardin. ps 50. See my profes in the downe-fall of popery Gâ—rs de potest eccles consid 12. part 3 Page 33 3. Reg 2 vers 35 27 3 Reg. 4 4 Cap. 2 35 Num. 27 17 2 Reg. 2 27 vbi supra verse 35. 3 Reg. 2 v. 27. v. 35. Page 38 Rom 14 23 1 cor 10 31 Page 37 See the secoÌ„d chapt for this point Page 37 2 Sam. 15 5. 6 Page 42 In my Motiues Page 44 Page 47 Page 49 The first step Page 49 The 2. step Page 51 Marke 3 24 Pag 52 In the downfall pag 3. Page 54 The 3. step Page 52 Platina in vita Bened. secund Iâ— vita Pelagii 2 Platini in vita Siluerii Pag 53 The 4. step The 5. step Page 57 Page 57. An. 756. Nautle gen 27. pag. 678 The 6. step Page 64 Sigebert in Chron. An. 801. Bellarm. tom 1. col 831 The 7 step Phil. Berg. pag. 277 Auton 3. partit 22. cap. 5 §. 13 Page 70 Prou. 8 15 16. Rom. 13 1 The 8. step Note this point well Bonifac. 8 In extr dist 22 can omnes lib 7. epist â— Sigebert An. 1088. fol. 117. K Chron. An 1088 Anton 3 partit 22 cap 5 §. 8. In summam pag. 152 Page 78. Page 78 The first lye The 2. lye The 3. lye The 4. lye