so they call it peradventure hath no intention to receive it or is not rightly disposed or putteth some blocke in the way Therefore the Minister saith hee signifieth nothing else by those words but that hee as much as in him lyeth conferreth the sacrament of reconciliation or absolution which in a man rightly disposed hath vertue to forgive all his sinnes Now that Contrition is at all times necessarily required for obtayning remission of sinnes and iustification is a matter determined by the Fathers of Trent But marke yet the mysterie They equivocate with us in the terme of Contrition and make a distinction thereof into perfect and imperfect The former of these is Contrition properly the latter they call Attrition which howsoever in it selfe it be not true Contrition yet when the Priest with his power of forgiving sinnes interposeth himselfe in the businesse they tell us that attrition by vertue of the keyes is made contrition that is to say that a sorrow arising from a servile feare of punishment and such a fruitlesse repentance as the reprobate may carry with them to hell by vertue of the Priests absolution is made so fruitfull that it shall serve the turne for obteyning forgivenesse of sinnes as if it had beene that godly sorrow which worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of By which spirituall coosenage many poore soules are most miserably deluded while they perswade themselves that upon the receipt of the Priests acquittance upon this carnall sorrow of theirs all skores are cleered untill that day and then beginning upon a new reckoning they sinne and confesse confesse and sinne afresh and tread this round so long till they put off all thought of saving repentance and so the blinde following the blinde both at last fall into the pit Evill and wicked carnall naturall and divellish men saith S. Augustin imagine those things to be given unto them by their seducers which are onely the gifts of God whether sacraments or any other spirituall workes concerning their present salvation But such as are thus seduced may doe well to listen a little to this grave admonition of S. Cyprian Let no man deceive let no man beguile himselfe it is the Lord alone that can shew mercy He alone can grant pardon to the sinnes committed against him who did himselfe beare our sinnes who suffered griefe for us whom God did deliver for our sinnes Man cannot be greater then God neyther can the servant by his indulgence remit or pardon that which by haynous trespasse is committed against the Lord lest to him that is fallen this yet be added as a further crime if hee be ignorant of that which is said Cursed is the man that putteth his trust in man Whereupon S. Augustin sticketh not to say that good ministers doe consider that they are but ministers they would not be held for Iudges they abhorre that any trust should be put in them and that the power of remitting and retayning sinnes is committed unto the Church to be dispensed therein not according to the arbitrement of man but according to the arbitrement of God Whereas our adversaries lay the foundation of their Babel upon another ground that Christ hath appointed Priests to be Iudges upon earth with such power that none falling into sinne after Baptisme may be reconciled without their sentence and hath put the authoritie of binding and loosing of forgiving and retayning the sinnes of men in their arbitrement Whether the Ministers of the Gospell may be accounted Iudges in some sort we wil not much contend for we dislike neyther that saying of S. Hierome that having the keyes of the kingdome of heaven they judge after a sort before the day of judgement nor that other of S. Gregory that the Apostles such as succeed them in the governement of the Church obtaine a principalitie of judgement from above that they may in Gods stead retayne the sinnes of some and release the sinnes of others All the question is in what sort they doe judge and whether the validitie of their judgement doe depend upon the truth of the conversion of the penitent wherein if our Romanists would stand to the iudgement of S. Hierome or S. Gregory one of whom they make a Cardinall and the other a Pope of their owne Church the controversie betwixt us would quickly be at an end For S. Hierome expounding that speech of our Saviour touching the keyes of the kingdome of heaven in the sixteenth of S. Matthew The Bishops and Priests saith he not understanding this place assume to themselves somewhat of the Pharisees arrogancie as imagining that they may either condemne the innocent or absolve the guiltie vvhereas it is not the sentence of the Priests but the life of the parties that is inquired of vvith God In the booke of Leviticus vvee reade of the Lepers vvhere they are commanded to shew themselves to the Priests and if they shall have the leprosie that then they shall be made uncleane by the Priest not that the Priests should make them leprous and uncleane but that they should take notice who was a leper and who was not and should discerne who was cleane and who uncleane Therefore as there the Priest doth make the leper cleane or uncleane so here the Bishop or Priest doth binde or loose not binde the innocent or loose the guiltie but when according to his office hee heareth the variety of sinnes hee knoweth who is to be bound and who to be loosed Thus farre S. Hierome S. Gregory likewise in the very same place from whence the Romanists fetch that former sentence doth thus declare in what maner that principalitie of iudgement which he spake of should be exercised being therin also followed step by step by the Fathers of the Councell of Aquisgran The causes ought to bee weighed and then the power of binding and loosing exercised It is to be seene what the fault is and what the repentance is that hath followed after the fault that such as almightie God doth visite with the grace of compunction those the sentence of the Pastor may absolve For the absolution of the Prelate is then true when it followeth the arbitrement of the eternall Iudge And this doe they illustrate by that which we reade in the Gospell of the raysing of Lazarus Ioh. 11.44 that Christ did first of all give life to him that was dead by himselfe and then commanded others to loose him and let him goe Behold say they the disciples doe loose him being now alive whom their Master had raysed up being dead For if the disciples had loosed Lazarus being dead they should have discovered a stinche more then a vertue By which consideration vvee may see that by our Pastorall authoritie vvee ought to loose those vvhom vvee know that our Authour and Lord hath revived vvith his quickning grace The same application also doe wee finde made not onely
inlighten the whole celestiall world Rejoyce because the whole hoaste of heaven obeyeth me reverenceth and honoureth me Rejoyce because my Sonne is alwayes obedient unto me and my will and all my prayers he alwaies heareth or as others doe relate it The will of the blessed Trinitie and mine is one and the same and whatsoever doth please me the whole Trinitie with unspeakeable favour doth give consent unto Rejoyce because God doth alwayes at my pleasure reward my servitors in this world and in the world to come Rejoyce because I fit next to the holy Trinitie and am cloathed with my bodie glorified Rejoyce because I am certaine and sure that these my joyes shall alwayes stand and never be finished or â—ayle And whosoever by rejoycing with these spirituall joyes shall woâ—ship me in this world at the time of the depâ—rture of his soule out of the bodie he shall obtaine my presence and I will deliver his soule from the malignant enemies and present it in the sight of my Sonne that it may possesse joyes with me They tell us that manie many whoores for example that would not sinne on Saturday for the reverence of the Virgin whatsoever they did on the Lords day seeme to have the blessed Virgin in greater veneration than Christ her sonne moved thereunto out of simplicitie more than out of knowledge Yet that the Sonne of God doth beare with the simplicitie of these men and women because he is not ignorant that the honour of the mother doth redound to the childe Prov. 17.6 They argue further that if a Cardinall have this priviledge that if he put his cap upon the head of one that is ledd unto justice he is freed therby then by an argument drawn from the stronger the cloake of the blessed Virgin is able to deliver us froÌ„ all evil her mercy being so large that if she should see any man who did devoutly make her Crowne that is to say repeate the Rosarie or Chaplet of prayers made for her worship to be drawn unto punishmeÌ„t in the midst of a thousand Divels she would presently rescue him not permit that any one should have an evil end who did study revereÌ„tly to make her Crown They add moreover that for every of these Crownes a man shal obtaine 273758. dayes of Indulgence and that Pope Sixtus the fourth granted an indulgence of twelve thousand years for every time that a man in the state of grace should repeat this short orizon or salutation of the Virgin which by manie is inserted into her Crowne Hayle most holy Mary the mother of God the Queene of heaven the gate of Paradise the Ladie of the world Thou art a singular and pure virgin thou didst conceive Christ without sinne thou didst beare the creator and saviour of the world in whom I doe not doubt Deliver me from all evill and pray for my sinnes Amen In the Crowne composed by Bonaventure this is one of the orizons that is prescribed to be sayd O. Empresse and our most kinde Ladie by the authoritie of a mother command thy most beloved Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ that he would vouchsafe to lift up our mindes from the love of earthly things unto heavenly desires which is sutable unto that versicle which wee reade in the 35. Psalme of his Ladies Psalter Incline the countenance of God upon us compell him to have mercie upon sinners the harshenesse whereof our Romanists have a little qualified in some of their editions reading thus Incline the countenance of thy Sonne upon us compell him by thy praiers to have mercie upon us sinners The psalmes of this Psalter doe all of them begin as Davids doe but with this maine difference that where the Prophet in the one aymeth at the advancement of the honour of our Lord the Fryar in the other applieth all to the magnifying of the power and goodnesse of our Lady So in the first Psalme Blessed is the man quoth Bonaventure that loveth thy name O Virgin Marie thy grace shall comfort his soule in the others following Lady how are they multiplied that trouble me with thy tempest shalt thou persecute and scatter them Ladie suffer me not to be rebuked in the furie of God nor to bee judged in his wrath My Ladie in thee have I put my trust deliver me from mine enemies O Ladie In our Ladie put I my trust for the sweetenesse of the mercie of her name How long wilt thou forget me O Ladie and not deliver me in the day of tribulation Preserve me O Ladie for in thee have I put my trust and imparte unto me the droppes of thy grace I will love thee O Ladie of heaven and earth and I will call upon thy name among the nations The heavens declare thy glorie and the fragrance of thine oyntments is spread among the nations Heare us Ladie in the day of trouble and turne thy mercifull face unto our prayers Vnto thee O Lady have I lifted up my soule in the judgement of God by thy prayers I shall not be ashamed Iudge me Lady for I have departed from mine innocencie but because I will trust in thee I shall not be weakned In thee O Ladie have I put my trust let me never be confounded in thy favour receive me Blessed are they whose hearts doe love thee ô virgin Marie their sinnes by thee shall mercifully be washed away Lady judge those that hurt me and rise up against them and plead my cause Waiting have I waited for thy grace and thou hast done unto me according to the multitude of the mercie of thy name Lady thou art our refuge in all our necessities and the powerfull strength treading downe the enemie Have mercie upon me O Ladie who art called the mother of mercie and according to the bowels of thy mercies cleanse me from all mine iniquities Save me Ladie by thy name and deliver me from mine unrighteousnesse Have mercie upon me O Ladie have mercie upon me because my heart is prepared to search out thy will and in the shadow of thy wings will I rest Let Marie arise and let her enemies be scattered let them all be troaden downe under her feete In thee O Lady have I put my trust let me never be put to confusion deliver me in thy mercie and cause mee to escape Give the King thy judgement O God and thy mercie to the Queene his mother Lady the gentiles are come into the inheritance of God whom thou by thy merits hast confederated unto Christ. Thy mercies O Lady will I sing for ever God is the Lord of revenges but thou the mother of mercie dost bowe him to take pitie O come let us sing unto our Ladie let us make a joyfull noise to Mary our Queene that brings salvation O sing unto our Lady a new song for shee
blessed Virgin is superior to God and God himselfe is subject unto her in respect of the manhood which he assumed from her that howsoever she be subject unto God inasmuch as she is a creature yet is she said to be superior and preferred before him inasmuch as she is his mother Then men were put in minde that by sinning after Baptisme they seemed to contemne and despise the passion of Christ and so that no sinner doth deserve that Christ should any more make intercession for him to the Father without whose intercession none can be delivered eyther from the eternall punishment or the temporall nor from the fault which he hath voluntarily committed And therefore that it was necessary that Christ should constitute his welbeloved Mother a Mediatrix betwixt us and him and so in this our pilgrimage there is no other refuge left unto us in our tribulations and adversities but to have recourse unto the Virgin Mary our mediatrix that she would appease the wrath of her Sonne That as He is ascended into heaven to appeare in the sight of God for men Hebr. 9.24 so Shee ought to ascend thither to appeare in the sight of her Sonne for sinners that so mankinde might have alwayes before the face of God a Helpe like unto Christ for the procuring of his salvation That this Empresse is of so great authoritie in the palace of Heaven that it is lawfull to appeale unto her from any grievance all other intermediall Saints omitted for howsoever according to the Civill law the due meane must be observed in Appeales yet in her the style of the Canon law is observed wherein the Pope is appealed unto any intermediall whatsoever omitted That she is a Chancellour in the Court of heaven and giveth letters of mercy onely in this present life but for the soules that depart from hence unto some letters of pure graâ—e unto others of simple justice and unto some mixt of justice and grace For some say they were much devoted unto her and unto them shee giveth letters of pure grace whereby shee commandeth glory to be given them without any paine of Purgatorie Others were miserable sinners and not devoted to her and unto them she giveth letters of simple justice whereby shee commandeth that condigne punishment be taken of them Others were lukewarme and remisse in devotion and unto them she giveth letters of justice and grace together whereby shee commandeth that both favour be done unto them and yet some paine of Purgatorie bee inflicted upon them for their negligence and sluggishnesse And these things they say are signified in Queene Esther who wrote letters that the Iewes should be saved and the enemies should be killed and to the poore small giftes should be given Yea further also where King Assuerus did profer unto the said Esther even the halfe of his Kingdome Esth 5.3 thereby they say was signified that God bestowed halfe of his kingdome upon the blessed Virgin that having Iustice and Mercie as the chiefest goods of his Kingdome he retayned Iustice unto himselfe and granted mercie unto her therefore that if a man do finde himselfe aggrieved in the court of Gods justice he may appeale to the court of mercie of his mother shee being that throne of grace whereof the Apostle speaketh Hebr. 4.16 Let us goe boldly unto the throne of grace that we may receive mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of neede They tell us that it is for the ornament of an earthly kingdome that it should have both a King a Queene and therefore when any King hath not a wife his subjects often doe request him to take one Hereupon they say that the eternall King and omnipotent Emperor minding to adorne the kingdome of heaven above did frame this blessed Virgin to the end he might make her the Ladie and Empresse of his kingdome and empyre that the prophecie of David might be verified saying unto her in the Psalme Vpon thy right hand did stand the Queene in clothing of gold That she is an Empresse because she is the spouse of the eternall Emperor of whoÌ„ it is said Ioh. 3.29 He that hath the bride is the bridegrome and that when God did deliver unto her the empyre of the world and all the things contayned therein he sayd unto her that which wee reade in the first of the Aeneids His ego nec metas rerum nec tempora pono Imperium sine sine dedi That shee is the Empresse also of heaven and earth because she did beare the heavenly Emperour and therefore that shee can aske of him what she will and obtaine it that this was figured in the historie of the Kings where the mother of Salomon said unto him I desire one petition of thee doe not confounde my face for then should hee confound her face if he did denie that which she requested and that if in respect of her maternall jurisdicton she hath command of her Sonne vvho was subject unto her as vve reade Luke 2.51 then much more hath she command over all the creatures that are subject to her Sonne That this mightie God did as farre as he might make his Mother partner of his divine majestie and power giving unto her of old the soveraignetie both of celestiall things and mortall ordering at her pleasure as the patronage of men did require the earth the seas heaven and nature at her liking and by her bestowing upon mortall men his divine treasures and heavenly gifts So as all might understand that whatsoever doth flowe into the earth from that eternall and glorious fountayne of good things doth flowe by MARIE That she is constituted over every creature and whosoever boweth his knee unto Iesus doth fall downe also and supplicate unto his mother so that the glory of the Sonne may be judged not so much to be common with the Mother as to be the verie same That so great is her glorie that she exceedeth the nature of Angels and Men joyned together as farre in glorie as the circumference of the firmament exceedeth his center in magnitude when shee understandeth her selfe in her Sonne to be as his other selfe clothed with the Deitie That she being the mother of God doth assume unto her selfe oâ— the omnipotencie of her Sonne upon which she leaneth as much as shee pleaseth and that shee doth come before the golden altar of humane reconciliation not intreating onely but commanding a Mistresse not a mayde They tell us that the blessed Virgin her selfe appeared once unto Thomas Becket used this speech unto him Rejoyce and be glad and bee joyfull with mee because my glorie doth excell the dignitie and joy of all the Saints all the blessed spirits I alone have greater glorie than all the Angels and Saints together Rejoyce because that as the Sunne doth inlighten the day and the world so my brightnesse doth
hath done marveilous things O give thankes unto the Lord for he is good give thankes unto his mother for her mercie endureth for ever Lady despise not my prayse and vouchsafe to accept this Psalter vvhich is dedicated unto thee The Lord sayd unto our Lady sit thou my mother at my right hand They that trust in thee O mother of God shall not feare from the face of the enemie Except our Lady build the house of our heart the building thereof will not continue Blessed are all they who feare our Ladie and blessed are all they who know to doe thy will and thy good pleasure Out of the deepe have I cried unto thee O Ladie Ladie heare my voice Ladie remember David and all that call upon thy name O give thankes unto the Lord because he is good because by his most sweete mother the virgin Mary is his mercie given Blessed be thou O Ladie which teachest thy servants to warre and strengthenest them against the enemie and so the last Psalme is begun with Prayse our Ladie in her Saints prayse her in her vertues and miracles and ended accordingly with Omnis spiritus laudet Dominam nostram Let everie spirit or everie thing that hath breath prayse our Ladie To this we may adioyne the Psalter of the salutations of the Virgin framed by Iohn Peckham archbishop of Canterburie which is not yet printed His preface he beginneth thus Mente concipio laudes perscribere Sanctae Virginis quae nos à carcere Solvit per filium genus in genere Miri vivificans effectus opere and endeth with a prayer to the blessed Virgin that shee would release the sinnes of all those for whom hee prayed and cause both his owne name and theirs to be written in the booke of life Nec non omnibus relaxes crimina Pro quibus supplicans fundo precamina Nostrumque pariter horum nomina Conscribi facias in vitae paginâ Then followeth his first Psalme wherein he prayeth that she would make us to meditate often Gods Law and afterwards to be made blessed in the glorie of Gods kingdome Ave Virgo virginum parens absque pari Sine viri semine digna foecundari Fac nos legem Domini crebró meditari Et in regni gloriâ beatificari His other 149. Psalmes which are fraught with the same kinde of stuffe I passe over But Bernardinus de Senis his boldnesse may not be forgotten who thinketh that God will give him leave to maintaine that the Virgin Marie did more unto him or at least as much as he himselfe did unto all mankinde and that wee may say for our comfort forsooth that in respect of the blessed Virgin whom God himselfe did make notwithstanding God after a sort is more bound unto us than wee are unto him With which absurd and wretched speculation Bernardinus de Busti after him was so well pleased that hee dareth to revive againe this most odious comparison and propose it a fresh in this saucy maner But O most gratefull Virgin didst not thou something to God Didst not thou make him any recompence Truely if it be Lawfull to speake it thou in some respect didst greater things to God than God himselfe did to thee and to all mankinde I will therefore speake that which thou out of thy humilitie hast past in silence For thou onely didst sing He that is mightie hath done to me great things but I doe sing and say that thou hast done greater things to him that is mightie Neyther is that vision much better which the same author reciteth as shewed to S. Francis or as others would have it to his companion Fryar Lion touching the two ladders that reached from earth unto heaven the one redd upon which Christ leaned from whence many fell backward could not ascend the other white upon which the holy Virgin leaned the helpe whereof such as used were by her received with a cheerefull countenance and so with facilitie ascended into heaven Neyther yet that sentence which came first from Anselme and was after him used by Ludolphus Saxo the Carthusian and Chrysostomus à Visitatione the Cistercian Monke that more present reliefe is sometimes found by commemorating the name of Mary then by calling upon the name of our Lord Iesus her onely Sonne which one of our Iesuites is so farre from being ashamed to defend that he dareth to extend it further to the mediation of other Saints also telling us very peremptorily that as our Lord Iesus worketh greater miracles by his Saints then by himself Iohn 14.12 so often he sheweth the force of their intercession more then of his owne All which I doe lay downe thus largely not because I take any delight in rehearsing those things which deserve rather to be buried in everlasting oblivion but first that the world may take notice what kinde of monster is nourished in the Papacie under that strange name of Hyperdulia the bare discoverie whereof I am perswaded will prevaile as much with a minde that is touched with anie zeale of Gods honour as all other arguments and authorities whatsoever secondly that such unstable soules as looke backe unto Sodome and have a lust to returne unto Egypt againe may be advised to looke a little into this sinke and consider with themselves whether the steame that ariseth from thence be not so noysome that it is not to be indured by one that hath any sense left in him of pierie and thirdly that such as be established in the present truth may be thankefull to God for this great mercie vouchsafed unto them and mak◠this still one part of their prayers From all Romish Dulîa and Hyperdulîa good Lord deliver us OF IMAGES WIth prayer to Saints our Challenger joyneth the use of holy Images which what it hath beene and still is in the Church of Rome seeing hee hath not beene pleased to declare unto us in particular I hope he will give us leave to learne from others It is the doctrine then of the Romane Church that the Images of Christ and the Saints should with pious Religion be worshipped by Christians saith Zacharias Boverius the Spanish fryar in his late Consultation directed to our most noble Prince Charles the Hope of the Church of England and the future felicitie of the World as even this Balaam himself doth style him The representations of God and of Christ and of Angels and of Saints are not onely painted that they may be shewed as the Cherubims were of old in the Temple but that they may be adored as the frequent use of the Church doth testifie saith Cardinall Cajetan So Thomas Arundell archbishop of Canterbury in his Provinciall Councell helde at Oxford in the yeare 1408. established this Constitution following * From henceforth let it be taught commonly and preached by all that the Crosse and the Image of the Crucifixe and
Christ. Thirdly That Gods promise is annexed indeed to the workes of just men yet it belongeth no way to the reason of the merit but commeth rather to the workes which are alreadie not worthy only but also meritorious Unto all which hee addeth afterwards this Corollary Seeing the works of a just man doe condignely merit eternall life as an equall recompence and reward there is no need that any other condigne merit such as is the merit of Christ should come betweene that eternall life might be rendred unto them Yea the merit of every just man hath somewhat peculiar in respect of the just man himselfe which the merit of Christ hath not namely to make the man himselfe just and worthie of eternall life that hee may worthily obtaine the same But the merit of Christ although it be most worthie to obtaine glory of God for us yet it hath not this efficacy and vertue to make us formally just and worthy of eternall life but men by vertue derived from him attaine this effect in themselves And so we never request of God by the merits of Christ that the reward of eternall life may be given to our worthy and meritorious workes but that by Christ grace may be given unto us whereby we may be enabled worthily to merit this reward In a word Our merits saith hee have this force in us that they make us formally worthy of eternall life the merits of Christ doe not make us worthy formally but Christ is worthy in regard of them to impetrate unto us whatsoever he requesteth for us Thus doth Vasquez the Iesuite discover unto us to the full the mysterie of this iniquitie with whom for the better information of the English Reader wee joine our Rhemists who deliver this as their Catholike doctrine that all good workes done by Gods grace after the first justification be truly and properly meritorious and fully worthy of everlasting life and that thereupon heaven is the due and just stipend crowne or recompence which God by his justice oweth to the person so working by his grace For he rendreth or repayeth heaven say they as a just Iudge and not only as a mercifull giver and the crowne which he payeth is not only of mercy or favour or grace but also of justice And againe that mans workes done by Christs grace doe condignely or worthily deserve eternall joy so as works can be none other but the value desert price worth and merit of the same Whereupon they put us in minde that the word Reward which in our English tongue may signifie a voluntarie or bountifull gift doth not here so well expresse the nature of the Latine word Merces or the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are rather the very stipend that the hired work-man or journey-man covenanteth to have of him whose worke he-doth and is a thing equally and justly answering to the time and weight of his travels and workes rather than a free gift This is that doctrine of merits which from our very hearts we detest and abhorre as utterly repugnant to the truth of God and the common sense of all true-hearted Christians The lesson which our Saviour taught his disciples is farre different from this Luk. 17.10 When ye have done all those things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our dutie to doe And if he be unprofitable saith S. Hierome who hath done all what is to be said of him who could not fulfill them So likewise the Romanes themselves might remember that they were taught by S. Paul at the beginning that there is no proportion of condignitie to be found betwixt not the actions only but the passions also of the Saints and the reward that is reserved for us in the world to come For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us saith he Rom. 8.18 and Bernard thereupon Concerning the life eternall we know that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory no not if one man did sustaine them all For the merits of men are not such that for them eternall life should be due of right or God should doe any iniurie if he did not give it For to let passe that all merits are Gods gifts and in that respect a man is for them made a debter to God more than God to man what are all merits in comparison of so great a glory and S. Ambrose long before him All those things which we suffer are too little and unworthy fot the paines whereof there should be rendred unto us so great reward of good things to come as shall be revealed in us when being reformed according to the image of God we shall merit or obtaine to see his glory face to face Where for the better understanding of the meaning of the Fathers in this point we may further observe that merits in their writings doe ordinarily signifie nothing but workes as in the alleaged place of Bernard and to merit simply to procure or to attaine without any relation at all to the dignitie either of the person or the worke as in the last words of Ambrose is plainly to be seene And therefore as Tacitus writes of Agricola that by his vertues he merited that is to say incurred the anger of Caius Caesar so S. Augustine saith that he and his fellowes for their good doings at the hands of the Donatists in stead of thanks merited that is incurred the flames of hatred On the other side the same Father affirmeth that S. Paul for his persecutions and blasphemies merited that is found the grace to be named a vessell of election having reference to that in 1 Timoth. 1.13 Who was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and injurious but I obtained mercy where in stead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the vulgar Latine translateth Misericordiam consecutus sum S. Cyprian readeth Misericordiam merui I merited mercy Whereunto we may adde that saying which is found also among the workes of S. Augustine that no sinner should despaire of himselfe seeing Paul hath merited pardon and that of Gregory Paul when he went about to extinguish the name of our Redeemer upon earth merited to heare his words from heaven as also that other straine of his concerning the sin of Adam which is sung in the Church of Rome at the blessing of the Taper O happy sinne that merited that is found the favour to have such and so great a Redeemer Howsoever therefore the ancient Doctors may seeme unto those that are not well acquainted with their language to speake of merits as the Romanists doe yet have they nothing common with them but the bare word in the thing it selfe they differ as much from them every way as our Church doth
knocke therefore dearely beloved as much as we can because we cannot as much as we ought the future blisse may be acquired but estimated it cannot be Albeit thou hadst good deeds equall in number to the starres saith Agapetus the Deacon to the Emperour Iustinian yet shalt thou never goe beyond the goodnesse of God For whatsoever any man shall bring unto God he doth but offer unto him his owne things out of his owne store and as one cannot outstrip his own shadow in the Sunne which preventeth him alwaies although he make never so much speed so neither can men by their good doings outstrip the unmatchable bountie of God All the righteousnesse of man saith Gregory is convicted to bee unrighteousnesse if it be strictly judged It needeth therefore prayer after righteousnesse that that which being sifted might faile by the meere pitie of the Iudge might stand for good Let him therefore say Although I had any righteous thing I would not answer but I would make supplication to my Iudge Iob 9.15 as if he should more plainly confesse and say Albeit I did grow up unto the worke of vertue I should be enabled unto life not by merits but by pardon But you will say If this blisse of the Saints be mercie and is not obtained by merits how shall that stand which is written And thou shalt render unto every one according to his workes If it be rendred according to workes how shall it be accounted mercie But it is one thing to render according to workes and another thing to render for the works themselves For when it is said According to works the qualitie it selfe of the worke is understood that whose workes appeare good his reward way be glorious For unto that blessed life wherein wee are to live with God and by God no labour can be equalled no workes compared seeing the Apostle saith The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us By the righteousnesse of works no man shall be saved but only by the righteousnesse of faith saith Bede and therefore no man should beleeve that either his freedome of will or his merits are sufficient to bring him unto blisse but understand that he can be saved by the grace of God only The same Author writing upon those words of David Psalm 24.5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of his salvation expoundeth the blessing to be this that for the present time he shall merit or worke well and for the future shall be rewarded well and that not by merits but by grace only To the same purpose Elias Cretensis the interpreter of Gregory Nazianzen writeth thus By mercy we ought to understand that reward which God doth repay unto us For wee as servants doe owe vertue that the best things and such as are gratefull wee should pay and offer unto God as a certaine debt considering that wee haue nothing which we have not received from him and God on the other side as our Lord and Master hath pitie on us and doth bestow rather than repay unto us This therefore is true humilitie saith Anastasius Sinaita or Nicaenus to doe good workes but to account ones selfe uncleane and unworthy of Gods favour thinking to be saved by his goodnesse alone For whatsoever good things we doe wee answer not God for the very aire alone which we doe breathe And when we have offered unto him all the things that we have he doth not owe us any reward for all things are his and none receiving the things that are his owne is bound to give a reward unto them that bring the same unto him In the booke set out by the authoritie of Charles the Great against Images the Arke of the Covenant is said to signifie our Lord and Saviour in whom alone we have the Covenant of peace with the Father Over which the Propitiatory is said to be placed because aboue the Commandements either of the Law or of the Gospell which are founded in him the mercy of the said Mediator taketh place by which not by the workes of the Law which we have done neither willing nor running but by his having mercy upon us we are saved So Ambrosius Ansbertus expounding that place Rev. 19.7 Let us be glad and rejoyce and give glory to him for the mariage of the Lambe is come and his wife hath made her selfe readie In this saith he doe we give glory to him when we doe confesse that by no precedent merits of our good deeds but by his mercie only we have attained unto so great a dignitie And Rabanus in his Commentaries upon the Lament of Ieremie Lest they should say Our Fathers were accepted for their merit and therefore they obtained such great things at the hand of the Lord he adjoyneth that this was not given to their merits but because it so pleased God whose free gift is whatsoever he bestoweth Haymo writing upon those words Psalm 132.10 For thy servant Davids sake refuse not the face of thine Anointed saith that For thy servant Davids sake is as much to say as For the merit of Christ himselfe and froâ— thence collecteth this doctrine that none ought to presume of his owne merits but expect all his salvation from the merits of Christ. So in another place When we performe our repentance saith he let us know that we can give nothing that is worthy for the aâ—peasing of God but that only in the bloud of that immaculate and singular Lambe we can be saved And againe Eternall life is rendred to none by debt but given by free mercie It is of necessitie that beleevers should be saved only by the faith of Christ saith Smaragdus the Abbot By grace not by merits are we saved of God saith the Author of the Commentaries upon S. Marke falsely attributed to S. Hierome That this doctrine was by Gods great mercie preserved in the Church the next 500. yeares also as well as in those middle times appeareth most evidently by those Instructions and Consolations which were prescribed to be used unto such as were readie to depart out of this life This forme of preparing men for their death was commonly to be had in all Libraries and particularly was found inserted among the Epistles of Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury who was commonly accounted to bee the Author of it The substance thereof may be seene for the copies varie some being shorter and some larger than others in a Tractate written by a Cistercian Monke of the Art of dying well which I have in written hand and have seene also printed in the yeere 1483. and 1504. in the booke called Hortulus animae in Cassanders Appendix to the booke of Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochester de fiduciâ misericordiâ Dei edit Colon. An. 1556. Caspar Vlenbergius his Motives caus 14. pag.