THE Aunswer of Iohn Gough Preacher To Maister Fecknams Obiections against his Sermon lately preached in the Tower of London 15. Ianurie 1570. ¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Awdeley dwellyng in little Britaine stréete without Aldersgate 1570. ¶ TO THE RIGHT worshipfull Mayster Pellam the Quenes Maiesties Lieftenaunt of her highnes Ordinaunce of the Tower Iohn Gough Preacher of the word of God sendeth greeting in our Lord God euerlasting Amen BECAVSE ryght woorshipfull at your earnest request and godly desire I preached the 15. of Ianuarie last passed a sermon in the Tower of London in the presence of Doctour Watson sometime bishop of Lyncolne and Maister Fecknam sometime also Abbot of Westminster wyth others Sithens the which my Sermon the sayd M. Fecknam hath seemed by writing to condemne certaine articles contained in my Doctrine at that present and there by me taught That is to say where I affirmed that it was impossible to keepe the law of God he hath taken vpon him to affirme the contrarie vz. That it is possible and that it lyeth in mans power to obserue and keepe them Secondly where I taught that we be iustified by faith onely he denieth the same and therewyth teacheth iustification by workes Thirdly where I denied the inuocation of Saintes he affirmeth the cōtrary And fourthly and lastly where as I affirmed that all sinnes are deadly he teacheth the contrary Aduouching that there be some veniall sinnes therefore concludeth that all are not deadly All which his assertions he semeth very clarklye to ground and maintaine by the autoritie of the word of God and consent of the Fathers Which thing he hath in such maner and wyth such goodly glosing wordes blased and set forth that at the first shew he seemeth vtterly to beate me downe to the ground and maketh that my doctrine in the eyes of the simple and of such whose consciences are not as yet setled in true religion to appeare false and vnsound and therefore of no credite nor to be receaued I therfore thought it my boūden dutie to stand in the defence of my doctrine being sound and perfect and according to the sacred and holy Scriptures And bringyng M. Fecknams obiections to the bright shinyng Sunne of God his most holy woord hys gay cloked colours might be detected and made apparant to the eyes of all men and thereby the counterfeited mistes of his Assertions driuen away the true and wholesome doctrine of myne might be made the more manifest And therefore haue taken vpon me at this present to answer the same wherein I haue vsed this order First I haue aunswered euery article of the foure particularly and restored the Scriptures to their right sence which M. Fecknam for the maintenaunce of his errors hath very corruptly wrested That done I proue my doctrine true both by the Scriptures and Fathers so sufficiently that I am perswaded that all colours of caueling is remoued or taken away to all such as seeke the truth and onely seeke the same for the better setling of their consciences rather then for vayneglory or estimacion of men Hauing therefore now finished this my aunswer and defence of my doctrine aforesayd thought it good to dedicate the same to your worship that you with the rest of Gods Children may be the better setled and grounded in this most wholsome and sound doctrine of God his glorious Gospell And the other whose eyes are not yet opened God may in his great mercies hereby remoue the mistes of the false and corrupt doctrine of the Papistes from the same That they may yet now at length see how they haue bene seduced and deceiued and receiue the truth now also offered them to their euerlasting comfort Whych obtayned I haue my desire and shall in that respect thinke my labours herein well bestowed which I pray God for his sonne Iesus Christes sake may redounde to hys glory and profit of hys Church Amen Which thing as I haue well ment so I hope your worship wyll take in good part Whom I pray God so to behold with his most fauorable coūtenaunce that as he hath begonne in you and that in hys free mercies this his good worke and opened your hart to beleue his truth and your eyes to see the same perfect it in you vnto the end That you may dayly grow from grace to grace from fayth to fayth and from vertue to vertue vntyll you become a perfecte man in Iesus Christ to hys glory and honour and to your euerlasting comfort AMEN Yours to commaund in the Lord Iohn Gough Preacher c. ⧠The aunswer of Iohn Gough Preacher to M. Fecknams Obiections I Haue M. Fecknam red your cauelyng Obiections to certayne poyntes of religion by me touched and taught in my Sermon in the Tower of London in your presence with others Wherin as you haue corruptly wrested the Scriptures in your Assertions to the maintenaunce of your heresies So haue you also with like subteltie wrested my wordes of purpose leauing out such my reasons or arguments as vtterly made against you and reciting them maymedly you will séeme to triumphe before you haue obtayned the victorie And although the articles M Fecknam which you haue taken vpon you to inuey against and as it were piked out from the rest of my Sermon be already so sufficiently and learnedly answered by such as I vnfainedly acknowledge my selfe not worthy in respect of vertue and learning to carrye their bookes after them Whereby you myghte bee well remoued from these your heresies if you would rede them and in reading geue place to the truth which you onely ought to séeke and not your own estimation Yet least you should thinke I were not able to defend my doctrine which you séeme so to impugne with Doctor vpon Doctor and with certain wrested scriptures preposterously vnderstanded I shall God willing with so few wordes as I may and as my litle leysure from waightier studies shall permit and suffer me aunswer the same Wishing that God in his mercies will so open your vnderstanding that with humblenes of hart you may simply séeke IESVS CHRIST and the profit of his Church Amen ¶ M. Fecknams first Article 1 That it is not impossible to keepe God hys commaundement Which I did affirme to be impossible Your scriptures you alledge are these that follow whereof the first is Christ in Matthew 11. where he saith Tollite iugum meū super vos c. Take vp my yoke vpō you c. Wherin you triumphe ouer my poore lump of leade at your pleasure But if you weyed the text with a litle more déeper consideration you should sée that you are fowly deceiued For in that Christ calleth it Iugum meum my yoke he maketh a differēce betwene his doctrine and the law and that in respect of the straightnes of the law and of the easines of his doctrine and of that he requireth of his Children and Scholers But howe heauy a lumpe the law is S. Peter
apud Deum Remittere enim peccata non potuit vt de peccatoribus faceret iustos sed ad hoc data est vt terrori esset prouocaÌ„s homines ad bonam vitam irreuerentes puniens Ideoque noÌ„ est data lex que possit viuificare sed condemnare The same in English. And the law had righteousnes but for a tyme â–ª Not because it could iustifie before the Lord For it could not so forgeue sinnes that of Sinners it could make them iust But to this end it was geuen that it might be a terror prouoking men vnto good life punishing the disobedient or vnreuerent persons Therefore is not a law geuen which can geue lyfe but condemne Also S. Augustine saith Dominus iustam legem iniustis hominibus dedit ad demonstranda peccata eorum non auferanda Non enim aufert peccatum nisi gratia fidei c. i. The Lord hath geuen a iust law to vniust men to make manifest their sinnes and not to take them away For it taketh not away sinnes but by grace of fayth c. The said S. August de spiritu lit ca. 19. saith Lex ergo data est vt gratia quereretur gratia data est vt lex impleretur That is The law therefore was geuen that grace might be sought Grace was geuen that the law might be fulfilled And who is this Gratia grace M. Eecknam but Christ Againe the said Augustine writing vpon the .118 Psalme saith Noli ergo superbire noli de tuo que nulla est virtute presumere intelliges quare sit a bono Deo bona lex data que tamen viuificare non possit Ad hoc enim data est vt te de magno paruulum faceret vt te ad faciendam legem vires de tuo non habere monstraret ac sic inops indignus egenus ad gratiam confugeres clamares Miserere mei Domine quoniam infirmus sum That is Be not therefore proude do not presume of thine own power which in deede is none and thou shalt vnderstand wherefore a good lawe was geuen by a good God which neuerthelesse cannot geue life For to this purpose was it geuen that of great it might make thee little that it myght shew vnto thee that thou haste no strength of thy selfe to do the law And so being needy vnworthy and poore mightest flee vnto grace and cry Haue mercy on me O God for I am weake S. Bernard also in Epist. omniuÌ„ sanct ser. j. saith Beati qui esuriuÌ„t sitiunt iustitiam quoniam ipsi saturabuntur Sed quid potest esse omnis iustitia nostra coram Deo NoÌ„ne iuxta prophetam velut pannus menstruate reputabitur si districte iudicetur iniusta inuenietur omnis iustitia nostra minus habens Quid ergo de peccatis erit quando ne ipsa quidem pro se poterit respondere iustitia propterea obnixe cum Propheta clamantes Non intres in iudicium c. Tota humilitate ad misericordiaÌ„ recurramus que sola potest saluare animas nostras That is Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousnes for they shall be satisfied But what can all our righteousnes be before God Shall it not according to the saying of the Prophet be counted as a most filthie and defiled cloth And if all our righteousnes be straightly iudged it shall be found vniust and hauing lesse force What therfore shall become of our sinnes where as not euen our righteousnes it selfe shall be able to aunswer for it selfe Therefore with all our might crying out with the Prophet as lowd as we can Enter not into iudgement c. with all humblenes let vs runne to the throne of mercy whych onely is able to saue our soules I wyll therefore conclude with S. Augustine thus Quoniam ab ipso per ipsum in ipso sunt omnia Ergo non ei aliquid dedimus tenemus debitorem Vnde debitorem Quia promissor est Non dicimus Deo Domine redde ê™ accepisti sed redde quod promisisti That is Because from him and by him and in hym are althinges Therefore wee haue not geuen any thing vnto him hold him as a debtor Whence is he our debtor Euen because he hath promised We say not vnto God Lord geue agayne that the hast receiued but geue vnto vs that thou hast promised The law therefore can not absolutely of vs be obserued because God doth not onely require of vs an outward obseruing of the same but also an inward For not onely he is giltie of whoredome that committeth the act but he also that lusteth after an other mans wife Math. 5. He is not onely a murtherer that killeth a man but he also that hateth his brother in his hart 1. Iohn 3. But who can say he lusteth not c Finde him and I will graunt the law is not impossible to be kept of vs. ¶ M. Fecknams second article 2 That the Angels Saintes of heauen may heare our prayers and therefore to be praied vnto For the confirmation hereof you alledge these Scriptures vz. Luke 15. Ita dico vobis gaudium erit coram Angelis Dei super vno peccatore resipiscente c. i. I say vnto you that likewyse there shall be ioye in the presence of the Angels of God ouer one synner that repenteth For the Angels in heauen doe know that synners repent here in earth and therefore doe reioyce For they reioyce not but because they knowe and therefore we ought to pray to them But though Christ saith that they know that sinners do repent yet he sayth not therefore let sinners pray to Angels S. Iohn telleth vs an other lesson Reuela 22. when hee was about to woorship the Angell the same Angell saith Vide ne feceris conseruus enim tuus sum c. i. Se thou doe it not for I am thy fellowe seruaunt c. and so concludeth Deum adora worship God. And your second scripture which you alledge out of Toby 12. where the Angel saith Quando orabas cum lachrimis c. When thou didst pray with teares c. Ego obtuli orationem tuam domino I offered thy prayers vnto the Lord He saith not when thou praiedst to me I did this and that Neither can you proue that either Tobias or any other before Christ praied vnto any of the fathers or Prophetes that died before them But all their praiers were alwaies and at all times directed onely vnto god And as for the new Testament ye are vtterly voyd either of scripture or example And therfore your place alledged serueth to no purpose â–ª to proue the inuocation of Saintes Your places also alledged out of the 2. Reg. 6. of Elias and of Peter in the Actes 5. they then liuing in this world maketh nothing to the purpose to proue that we should pray to them being dead Truly I muche maruayle of thys your waywarde blyndnes herein And as concerning
you call heresie in the first article of your aunswers in theese wordes So taught long before hym meaning me the Maniches and the Valentinians denieng freewill which is the original of that heresy Thus you call wholesome and true doctrine heresie heresie true doctrine And therefore iustly fallen into the cursse of God by the Prophet Esay 5. Wo be to you that call euil good good euil light darknes darknes light I will therefore proue by Gods helpe this your doctrine of fréewil to be manifestly against both the word of God and the doctrine of the catholicke Fathers First Gene. 20. God said to Abimelech the king of Gerare concerning Abrahams wife thus Atque ideo cohibui te quo minus peccares in me nec ê‘misi vt eam tangeres 1. I kept thée also that thou shouldest not syn agaynst me and therefore suffred I thée not to touch her And in the .50 chap. of the same booke Ioseph hath these wordes to his brethren Be not afraid can we resist the wil of God You deuised euil against me but God turned it to good And in Exodus 4. God saith thus Ego indurabo cor illius I wil harden his hart And in the .33 of the same booke he sayth I will shew mercy and will haue compassion on whom it shall please me Also Prouerb 16 Hominis est animaÌ„ preparare domini gubernare linguam A man maye prepare his soule but it is God that gouerneth the tong Moreouer Esay 63. saith Wherefore haste thou led vs out of the way Wherfore hast thou hardened our harts that we should not feare thée Ieremy in his .10 chap. also sayth thus I know O Lord that it is not in maÌ„s power to order his own waies or to rule his own steps or goings And Christ in Math. 16. to Peter saith thus Caro et sanguis non reuelauit tibi sed pater meus qui in coelis est i. Flesh and blood hath not reuealed thys vnto thée but my father which is in heauen Also Iohn 6. Nemo potest ad me venire nisi pater qui misit me traxerit eum i. No man canne come vnto me vnles my father which sent me do draw him And S. Paul. Ro. 7. Quod enim ago non probo non enim ê™ volo hoc facio sed quod odi hoc ago i. I alow not that which I do for what I would that do I not but what I hate that do I. And 2. Cor. 3. NoÌ„ quod idonei simus ex nobis ipsis sed si ad aliquid idonei simus id ex deo est i. Not that we are sufficient as of our selues to thinke any thing but our ablenes is of god Againe he saith Phil. 2. For it is God that woorketh in you both to wil and to do euen of good wil. The Scriptures M. Fecknam are full of these But let vs sée what the Fathers saye hereto And first Chrisostome Chrisost. ser. j. domi aduent Ante peccatuÌ„ liberuÌ„ arbitriuÌ„ habebamus bene operaÌ„di c. Before sinne wee had free will to woorke well but not after For not by our owne power can we escape out of the handes of the Deuyl But like as a shippe when the Sterne or Rother is broken is brought euen whether soeuer the tempest dryueth her So by the Deuill we are led from one sinne to another Neither all that whyle can we do any thing but euen what the deuil will haue vs to do And except that God with the mighty power of his mercy do delyuer vs we shall remayne euen vnto death in the chaynes of sinnes fast bound Hieron Cont. Pelag. lib. j. NoÌ„ liberi arbitrij potestate sed dei clementia coÌ„seruamur Not by the power of freewill but by the mercye of God are wee saued Ibidem Frustra semper oramus si in nostro arbitrio est facere quod volumus i. We alwayes pray in vayne if it be in our owne freewill to do what we will. Idem super verbi Christi Quos dedisti mihi c. Non dixit dedi eis liberi arbitrij potestateÌ„ vt ipsi se suo labore saluarent sed ego custodiui eos ego seruaui c. Iohn 17. He sayth not I haue geuen them power of freewyll that they by their owne laboure should saue them selues But I haue kept them I haue saued them c. August sem de verb. Aposto Verum est magnas arbitrij liberi vires homo accepit c Truth it is man when he was created receaued great power of freewill But by sinnyng hee hath lost it agayne He is fallen into death hee is made weak he was left among theeues halfe dead Bernard de Natu. et gratia cap. 23. Vt in peccatum iret sufficit ei liberum arbitriuÌ„ etc That he fell into sinne freewill is sufficient for hym wherwith he hath defyled himselfe But that he may returne vnto ryghteousnes he hath neede of a Phisition because hee is not sound Hee hath neede of a reuyuer vnto lyfe because he is dead I will ende with S. Augustine writing against Pelagius lib. 3. who sayth Per se ergo homo lapsum facere potuit quia voluit Sed non sicut ê‘ se lapsus est continuo lapsu ê‘ se id est ê‘ propriam voluntatem consurgere valuit nisi manu domini misericordissima quaÌ„ do eius placuit pietati fuisset erectus i. Man therfore of hymselfe could make his fall because he would But yet as he fell of hymselfe so was he not able straight wayes of himselfe that is by hys proper will to ryse from fallyng except by the most mercifull hande of the Lorde when it pleased his heauenly goodnes he had raysed vp Thus you sée your heresie of fréewill M. Fecknam most manifestlye ouerthrowne and in déede you your selues found the very heretickes And it is euident that this our doctrine is not reuiued from the old heresies of the Maniches Eunomius Vigilantius and Iouinian but grounded vpon the sacred word of God according to the saying of Paul Ephes. 2. Iam igitur non estis hospites etc. Now therefore your are not straungers and forryners but Citizens wyth the Sayntes and of the housholde of God are buylt vpon the foundation of the Apostels and Prophetes Iesus Christ hymselfe beyng the head corner stone in whom what soeuer buyldyng is coupled together it groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord. I haue also in this mine Apologie and answer confirmed my doctrine by the fathers not that we build our faith on them but so far credit them as they shall agrée with the sacred scriptures For experience teacheth vs that in many pointes many times we shal find Hierom against Hierom Ambrose against Ambrose Augustine against Augustine c. and therefore no farther to be followed then they with Paul follow Christ. Now M. Fecknam let vs consider who herein is to be beleued you that sayth the lawe is possible to be kept or S. Peter that sayth that neither the forefathers nor we could euer kepe it You that say that Saints are to be prayed to or the Saintes or Angels that vtterly refuse the same You that say that faith doth not onely iustifie or S. Paul that saith that fayth without the woorkes of the law doth iustifie You that say that euery synne which is equiuolent is not mortall or God that saith the soule that sinneth shall die You are fowlye disceiued M. Fecknam if you think that euery word that coÌ„meth from you is an Oracle Nay not so S. Iohn wylleth vs to try the spirites whether they be of God or no. We haue brought your doctrin to the toutch stone of Gods sacred word and it is found copper and not gold And as it is commonly sayd all is not gold that shineth no more is all doctrine true that commeth from men but that onely which being toutched with the toutchstone of Gods woord is sound and perfect Cease therfore to bleare the eyes of the simple and vnlearned wyth your gylted glistering copper and geue place to the truth Seeke rather Iesus Christ and the profit of his church then your owne estimation Prefer the kyngdome of heauen before your vayne glorie and prayse of foolish men Sell not your birthright for a messe of pottage God in his mercies geue you huÌ„ble harts not disdayning to learne and open your eyes to sée his truth and to yeld to the same That you may vnfaynedly séeke Iesus Christ hys onely glory and the profit of his Church AMEN August in prefat Episto ad Galat.