furnished vnto all good workes Loe it is so profitable to all these seruices that thereby it perfects a Diuine much more an ordiarie Christian That which is so profitable as to cause perfection is abundantly sufficient and must needs haue full perfection in it selfe That which can perfit the teacher is sufficient for the learner The Scriptures can perfit the man of God both for his calling in the instruction of others and for his owne glorie Thou hast knowne the Scriptures from a childe saith Saint Paul to his Timothy which are able not profitable only to make thee wise vnto saluation through faith which is in Christ Iesus It is the charge therefore of the Apostle not to bee wise aboue that which is written The same with wise Salonons The whole word of God is pure Adde thou not vnto his words lest he reproue thee and thou be found a lier Loe hee saith not Oppose not his words but Adde not to them Euen addition detracts from the maiestie of that Word For the Law of the Lord is perfect conuerting the soule the testimonie of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The statutes of the Lord are right reioycing the heart the Commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes As for those Traditions which they doe thus lift vp to an vniust competition with the written Word our Sauiour hath before hand humbled them into the dust In vaine doe they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandements of men Making this a sufficient cause of abhorring both the persons and the seruices of those Iewes that they thrust humane Traditions into Gods chaire and respected them equally with the institutions of God Cardinall Bellarmine would shift it off with a distinction of Traditions These were such saith hee quas acceperant à recentioribus c. as they had receiued from some later hands whereof some were vaine some others pernicious not such as they receiued from Moses and the Prophets And the Authors of these reiected Traditions hee cites from Epiphanius to be R. Akiba R. Iuda and the Asamoneans from Hierome to bee Sammai Hillel Akiba But this is to cast mists before the eyes of the simple For who sees not that our Sauiours challenge is generall to Traditions thus aduanced not to these or those Traditions And where he speakes of some later hands he had forgotten that our Sauiour vpon the mount tells him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That these faulted Traditions were of old And that he may not cast these vpon his Sammai and Hiliel let him remember that our Sauiour cites this out of Esay though with some more cleernesse of expression who farre ouerlooked the times of those pretended Fathers of mis-traditions That I may not say how much it would trouble him to shew any dogmaticall Traditions that were deriued from Moses and the Prophets in parallel whereof let them be able to deduce any Euangelicall Tradition from the Apostles and we are ready to imbrace it with all obseruance Shortly it is cleere that our Sauiour neuer meant to compare one Tradition with another as approuing some reiecting others but with indignation complaines that Traditions were obtruded to Gods people in a corriualitie with the written word which is the verie point now questioned SECT III. Traditions against reason EVen the verie light of reason showes vs that as there is a God so that he is a most wise most iust God needs therefore must it follow that if this most iust and wise God will giue a Word whereby to reueale himselfe and his wil to mankinde it must bee a perfect Word for as his wisdome knowes what is fit for his creature to know of himselfe so his iustice will require nothing of the creature but what hee hath enabled him to know and doe Now then since hee requires vs to know him to obey him it must needs follow that hee hath left vs so exquisite a rule of this knowledge and obedience as cannot admit of any defect or any supplement This rule can bee no other then his written Word therefore written that it might be preserued entire for this purpose to the last date of time As for orall Traditions what certaintie can there be in them What foundation of truth can be layd vpon the breath of man How doe wee see the reports varie of those things which our eyes haue seene done How doe they multiply in their passage and either grow or dye vpon hazards Lastly we thinke him not an honest man whose tongue goes against his owne hand How hainous an imputation then doe they cast vpon the God of truth which plead Traditions deriued from him contrarie to his written Word Such apparently are the worship of Images the mutilation of the Sacrament Purgatorie Indulgences and the rest which haue passed our agitation Since therefore the authoritie of Romish Traditions is besides noueltie erroneous against Scripture and reason we haue iustly abandoned it and are thereupon vniustly condemned As for those other dangerous and important innouations concerning Scriptures their Canon inlarged their faultie version made authenticall their fountaines pretended to be corrupted their mis-pleaded obscuritie their restraint from the Laitie we haue already largely displaid them in another place CHAP. XVII The newnesse of the vniuersall Head-ship of the Bishop of Rome THose transcendent Titles of Head-ship and Vniuersalitie which are challenged to the Bishop and Sea of Rome are knowne to bee the vpstart brood of noted ambition Simple and holy Antiquitie was too modest either to require or tolerate them Who knowes not the profession of that holy Martyr in the Councell of Carthage Neque enim c. There is none of vs that makes himselfe a Bishop of Bishops or by a tyrannous feare compels his Vnderlings to a necessitie of obedience But perhaps at Rome it was otherwise Heare then with what zeale their owne Pope Gregorie the Great inueighs against the arrogance of Iohn Bishop of Constantinople for giuing way to this proud stile His Epistles are extant in all hands so cleare and conuictiue as no art of Sophistrie can elude them wherein hee calls this title affected by the said Iohn and Cyriacus after him a new name a wicked profane insolent name the generall plague of the Church a corruption of the Faith against Canons against the Apostle Peter against God himselfe as if he could neuer haue branded it enough And least any man should cauill that this stile is only cryed downe in the Bishops of Constantinople which yet might bee iustly claymed by the Bishops of Rome Gregorie himselfe meetes with this thought and answers beforehand Nunquam pium virum c. that neuer any godly man neuer any of his Predecessors vsed those Titles and more then so that whosoeuer shall vse this proud stile hee is the very fore-runner of Antichrist If in a fore-sight of this vsurpation Gregorie should haue beene hired to haue spoken
power to make a fundamental point of faith It may explane or declare it cannot create Articles Thirdly Only an errour against a point of faith is Heresie Fourthly Those points wherein wee differ from the Romanists are they which only the Church of Rome hath made fundamentall and of Faith Fiftly The reformed therefore being by that Church illegally condemned for those points are not heretickes Hee is properly an Hereticke saith Hosius who being conuicted in his owne iudgement doth of his owne accord cast himselfe out of the Church For vs we are neither conuicted in our owne iudgement nor in the lawfull iudgement of others We haue not willingly cast our selues out of the Church but howeuer wee are said to be violently eiected by the vndue sentence of malice hold our selues close to the bosome of the true Spouse of Christ neuer to bee remoued As farre therefore from Heresie as Charitie is from our Censures Only wee stand conuicted by the doome of good Pope Boniface or Syluester Prierius Quicunque non c. Whosoeuer doth not relie himselfe vpon the Doctrine of the Romane Church and of the Bishop of Rome as the infallible rule of faith from which euen the Scripture it selfe receiues her force he is an Hereticke Whence followes that the Church of Rome condemning and eiecting those for Heretickes which are not is the authour of this wofull breach in the Church of God I shall therefore I hope abundantly satisfie all wise and indifferent Readers if I shall show that those points which wee refuse and oppose are no other then such as by the confessions of ingenuous authors of the Romane part haue beene besides their inward falsity manifest vpstarts lately obtruded vpon the Church such as our ancient Progenitours in many hundreds of successions either knew not or receiued not into their beliefe and yet both liued and dyed worthy Christians Surely it was but a iust speech of Saint Bernard and that which might become the mouth of any Pope or Councell Ego si peregrinum c. If I shall offer to bring in any strange opinion it is my sinne It was the wise Ordinance of the Thurians as Diodorus Siculus reports that he who would bring in any new Law amongst them to the preiudice of the old should come with an halter about his necke into the assembly and there either make good his proiect or die For howeuer in humane Constitutions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the later orders are stronger then the former yet in Diuinity Primum verum The first is true as Tertullians rule is The old way is the good way according to the Prophet Heere wee hold vs and because we dare not make more Articles then our Creedes nor more sinnes then our Ten Commandements we are indignely cast out Let vs therefore addresse our selues roundly to our promised taske and make good the noueltie and vnreasonablenesse of those points we haue reiected Out of too many Controuersies disputed betwixt vs we select only some principall and out of infinite varieties of euidence some few irrefragable testimonies CHAP. V. The newnesse of the Article of Iustification by inherent righteousnesse TO begin with Iustification The Tridentine Fathers in their seauen moneths debating of this point haue so cunningly set their words that the errour which they would establish might seeme to be either hid or shifted Yet at the last they so far declare themselues as to determine that the only formall cause of our Iustification is Gods Iustice not by which he himselfe is Iust but by which he makes vs iust wherewith being endowed by him wee are renewed in the spirit of our mindes and are not only reputed but are made truly iust receiuing euery man his owne measure of Iustice which the Holy Ghost diuides to him according to each mans predisposition of himselfe and cooperation And withall they denounce a flat Anathema to all those who shall dare to say that wee are formally iustified by Christs righteousnesse or by the sole imputation of that righteousnesse or by the sole remission of our sinnes and not by our inherent Grace diffused in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Which termes they haue so craftily laid together as if they would cast an aspersion vpon their aduersaries of separating the necessitie of sanctification from the pretended Iustification by faith wherein all our words and writings will abundantly cleare vs before God and men That there is an inherent iustice in vs is no lesse certaine then that it is wrought in vs by the Holy Ghost For God doth not iustifie the wicked man as such but of wicked makes him good not by meere acceptation but by a reall change whiles hee iustifies him whom hee sanctifies These two acts of Mercie are inseparable But this Iustice being wrought in vs by the holy Spirit according to the modell of our weake receit and not according to the full power of the infinite agent is not so perfect as that it can beare vs out before the Tribunall of God It must bee onely vnder the garment of our elder Brother that wee dare come in for a blessing His righteousnesse made ours by faith is that whereby wee are iustified in the sight of God This doctrine is that which is blasted with a Tridentine curse Heare now the historie of this doctrine of Iustification related by their Andrew Vega de Iustif l. 7. c. 24. Magna fuit c. Some ages since saith hee there was a great concertation amongst Diuines what should bee the formall cause of our Iustification some thought it to be no created iustice infused into man but only the fauour and mercifull acceptation of God In which opinion the Master of Sentences is thought by some to haue beene Others whose opinion is more common and probable held it to bee some created qualitie informing the soules of the iust This opinion was allowed in the Councell of Vienna And the Schoole-doctors after the Master of Sentences deliuered this not as probable only but as certaine Afterwards when some defended the opposite part to be more probable it seemed good to the holy Synode of Trent thus to determine it So as till the late Councell of Trent by the confession of Vega himselfe this opinion was maintayned as probable only not as of faith Yea I adde by his leaue the contrary was till then most currant It is not the Logick of this point we striue for It is not the Grammer it is the Diuinitie What is that whereby wee stand acquitted before the righteous Iudge whether our inherent Iustice or Christs imputed Iustice apprehended by faith The Diuines of Trent are for the former all Antiquity with vs for the latter A iust Volume would scarce contayne the pregnant Testimonies of the Fathers to this purpose Saint Chrysostome tels vs it is the wonder of Gods mercie that hee who hath sinned confesseth is pardoâ— secured and suddenly appâ—â—st Iust
the faithfull except Martyrs in some blinde receptacles whether in the Center of the earth or elsewhere where they might in candida expectare diem Iudicij as Tertullian hath it foure seuerall times And Stapleton himselfe sticks not to name diuers of them thus fouly mistaken Others of the Fathers haue let fall speeches directly bent against this Inuocation Non opus est patronis c. There is no need of any Aduocates to God saith Saint Chrysostome and most plainly elsewhere Homines si quando c. If wee haue any suit to men saith he wee must fee the porters and treat with iesters and parasites and goe many times a long way about In God there is no such matter he is exorable without any of our Mediatours without mony without cost he grants our petitions It is enough to cry for thee with thine heart alone to powre out thy teares and presently thou hast won him to mercie Thus hee And those of the Ancients that seeme to speake for it lay grounds that ouerthrow it Howsoeuer it be all holy Antiquitie would haue both blushed and spit at those formes of Inuocation which the late Clients of Rome haue broached to the world If perhaps they spake to the Saints tanquam deprecatores vel potius comprecatores as Spalatensis yeelds mouing them to bee competitioners with vs to the throne of grace not properly but improperly as Altisiodore construes it how would they haue digested that blasphemous Psalter of our Ladie imputed to Bonauenture and those stiles of meere Deification which are giuen to her and the diuision of all offices of pietie to mankinde betwixt the mother and the Sonne How had their eares glowed to heare Christus orauit Franciscus exoranit Christ praied Francis preuailed How would they haue brooked that which Ludouicus Viues freely confesses Multi Christiani c· Many Christians worship diuos diuaâ—que the Saints of both sexes no otherwise then God himselfe Or that which Spalatensis professes to haue obserued that the ignorant multitude are carried with more entire religious affection to the blessed Virgin or some other Saint then to Christ their Sauiour These foule superstitions are not more hainous then new and such as wherein we haue iustly abhorred to take part with the practices of them SECT II. Inuocation of Saints against Scripture AS for the better side of this mis-opinion euen thus much colour of Antiquitie were cause enough to suspend our censures according to that wise and moderate resolution of learned Zanchius were it not that the Scriptures are so flatly opposite vnto it as that we may iustly wonder at that wisdome which hath prouided Antidotes for a disease that of many hundred yeares after should haue no being in the World The ground of this Inuocation of Saints is their notice of our earthly condition and speciall Deuotions And behold thou preuaylest euer against man and he passeth thou changest his countenance and sendest him away His sonnes come to honour and hee knowes it not and they are brought low and he perceiueth it not saith Iob. The dead know nothing at all saith wise Salomon Also their loue and their hatred and their enuie is now perished neither haue they any more a portion for euer in any thing that is done vnder the Sunne No portion in any thing therefore not in our miseries not in our allocutions If we haue a portion in them for their loue and Prayers in common for the Church they haue no portion in our particularities whether of want or complaint Abraham our Father is ignorant of vs saith Esay and Israel acknowledges vs not Loe the Father of the faithful aboue knowes not his own children till they come into his bosome and hee that giues them their names is to them as strangers Wherefore should good Iosiah bee gathered to his Fathers as Hulda tels him but that his eyes might not see all the euill which should come vpon Ierusalem Wee cannot haue a better Commenter then Saint Augustine If saith hee the soules of the dead could be present at the affaires of the liuing c. Surely my good Mother would no night forsake me whom whiles she liued shee followed both by Land and Sea Farre be it from mee to thinke that an happier life hath made her cruell c. But certainly that which the holy Psalmist tels vs is true My Father and my Mother haue forsaken me but the Lord tooke me vp If therefore our Parents haue left vs how are they present or doe interesse themselues in our cares or businesses And if our Parents do not who else among the dead know what wee doe or what wee suffer Esay the Prophet saith Thou art our Father for Abraham is ignorant of vs and Israel know vs not If so great Patriarkes were ignorant what became of that people which came from their loynes and which vpon their beliefe was promised to descend from their stocke how shall the dead haue ought to doe either in the knowledge or aide of the affaires or actions of their dearest Suruiuers How doe we say that God prouides mercifully for them who die before the euils come if euen after their death they are sensible of the calamities of humane life c. How is it then that God promised to good King Iosiah for a great blessing that hee should die before hand that he might not see the euils which hee threatned to that place and people Thus that diuine Father With whom agrees Saint Ierome Nec enim possumus c. Neither can we saith hee when this life shall once be dissolued either enioy our owne labours or know what shall bee done in the World afterwards But could the Saints of Heauen know our actions yet our hearts they cannot This is the peculiar skill of their Maker Thou art the searcher of the hearts and reines O righteous God God only knowes abscondita animi the hidden secrets of the soule Now the heart is the seat of our Prayers The lips doe but vent them to the eares of men Moses said nothing when God said Let me alone Moses O therefore thou that hearest the Prayers to thee shall all flesh come Salomons argument is irrefragable Heare thou in Heauen thy dwelling place and doe and giue to euery man according to his wayes whose heart thou knowest For thou euen thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men He only should be implored that can heare hee only can heare the Prayer that knowes the heart Yet could they know our secretest desires It is an honour that God challengeth as proper to himselfe to bee inuoked in our Prayers Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me There is one God and one Mediator betwixt God and man the man Iesus Christ. One and no more not only of redemption but of intercession also for