the godly can will to sin because by a voluntary receiving of Grace they are endued with so pure Charity and Innocency that being polluted with no spot of unrighteousness they are not only accounted clean and undefiled by imputation and the remission of sins but are in reality righteous and unblameable by the true possession and exercise of Vertue But where will they find those righteous men that dare profess themselves free from all guilt of sin As I may speak it of all the other Apostles so here I would ask them particularly of Iohn whom they quote whether they think that he himself should be reckoned in the Catalogue of the righteous who are not tainted with the least spot of sin Let us then hear the Apostle confessing of himself If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us Now then if so great a Disciple of Christ and one so dearly beloved of him durst not plead a total and perfect freedom from sin nor could do so without a Lye dare those Tridentine Seducers attribute that unto themselves and do they suppose that the World can be so blinded by them that it doth not easily take notice of and detest their manifest Lyes Deceits and Impostures and so great an impudence in Lying and Deceiving Pious Reader what Testimonies of greater Authority dost thou look for That which the Tridentines affirm the Apostle denies If they say true the Canonical Truth is a Lye But if it be blasphemy to entertain such a thought must not they of Trent be Lyars What need is there to prove it I will express it in a word The Testimony of Scripture the Consent of Nature the Experience of all Ages the Iudgment of the Learned the Sayings of the Antient Fathers the Examples of all the Saints the general Opinion of all good men the guilty Conscience of evil doers the constant Prayers of the Church her Complaints and Tears the Rebellion of the Flesh the wicked Imaginations arising in the Heart the Deceit of Errours the Groans of troubled Spirits the Disturbances incident to a Mortal Life and Death it self common to all men Moreover the constant Confessions of the Papists and their often repeated Absolutions what is the meaning of these so many and weighty Arguments What is it that they declare but that the Righteousness attainable in this Life is either none at all or such as Augustin describes that consists more in the remission of sins than in the perfection of Vertues And lest any should flatter himself with hopes of perfection in this Life let us hear what the same Augustin commenting upon Iohn infers Let not sin reign in your mortal body He says not let it not be but let it not reign For as long as you live of necessity sin must be in your Members Yet let the dominion be taken from it let not that be done which it commands c. And again writing to Macedonius Who of us is without sin And presently again repeating the same But who in this Life is without some sin But him we call good whose goodness prevails and him we call best who sins least Therefore those whom the Lord himself calls good by reason of the participation of Divine Grace he calls the same also evil because oftheir infirmities until our whole man be thoroughly purged from all corruption by passing into that Life in which we shall sin no more c. Thus said Augustin Where then is that real infusion of Vertues as they call it where are these new Qualities and that Inherent Righteousness that hath no need of remission of sins for what need is there of remission there where there is nothing to be forgiven For what sin can remain there where the perfect purification as they speak of Body and Soul from all pollution of sin makes us holy and partakers of the Divine Nature Briefly that I may comprehend the matter in a few words lest this discourse should grow into too great a bulk I suppose I have sufficiently by what I have discoursed at large cleared these things following First what is the nature of true Faith which causeth Righteousness what is its proper Object from whence it receives power to justifie which we have proved by the Scriptures to proceed wholly from its object that is the person of him only in whom we believe Now because Faith only embraces the person of Christ therefore it is that Faith only upon the account of its Object and not for the sake of our Vertues justifies the sinners and ungodly What sinners are justified by Christ. BUT here there is another thing to be enquired into to wit who are these sinners to whom this Iustification belongs In which the difference must of necessity be observed For as it is not every Faith or act of believing that procures Iustification but that only which eyes the Mediatour So this very Faith doth not belong to all sinners promiscuously Though all men are sinners by nature and in many things we offend all yet all are not sinners alike They that have no sense of their sins no trouble in their Conscience nor shame for the Abominations they have committed but run on headlong and without fear into all wickedness though they prosess Christ and Faith in him with their mouth yet their heart is void of him neither doth this empty profession yield them any benefit Of which sort of men Christ Preaches in the Gospel Not every one that saith to me Lord Lord but he that doth the Will of my Father c. After the same manner the whole Epistle of Iames treats of these and such like men whom he denies to be justified by this counterfeit and hypocritical Faith But on the contrary those that sincerely repent and mourn for their sins and abhorring their own Wickedness return to Christ with all their Hearts and receive him by Faith these only are 〈◊〉 whom Faith alone Iustifies without Works according to that well known saying of Paul And by this means it will not be difficult to reconcile both the Apostles Paul and Iames to one another For as Iames a Servant of Iesus Christ cannot deny but Faith when it is found in a Penitent and Humbled sinner justifies him freely without Works and before all good Works So on the other side neither doth Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ approve of that Faith which works not by love nor admits abominable wretches of profligate lives to have any fellowship with Christ. Which things being granted what can the Papists say against this Assertion concerning justifying Faith Or what valuble Author can they produce in defence of their Erroneus Doctrine Now if to justifie from sins is nothing else but to absolve from sins as we have demonstrated out of the Apostle Is there any that can absolveus but Christ only Or how should he absolve unless he be received Or after what
which new qualities being received for the Merit of Christ now man himself by that inherent Righteousness as their words express it merits a greater and fuller righteousness reconciliation and adoption and at length Life Eternal Moreover they proceed so far that they assert there is no Righteousness at all but that which is peculiar to every man and they so define it that in all the nature of Righteousness there is no place at all for faith and there appears not so much as any mention thereof For thus they define it the righteousness of God which is revealed in the Gospel is a vertue in God which distributes to every one according to their deserving Alphonsus adds Evangelical righteousness is an equal proportion of merits to rewards I beseech you Pious Reader those that profess such vile and absurd things will any man suppose that they have been exercised with serious meditation at any time in the holy Scriptures or that they have not rather bestowed their whole age and wits in Heathenish and Aristotelian trifles But now it will not 〈◊〉 amiss to take notice with what props of reason they confirm these their opinions Against the Iesuits and their Topick Arguments whereby they confirm Inherent Righteousness out of Aristotle WHAT say they have you not at any time read that form of reasoning in Aristotle He is righteous therefore he is endued with righteousness Such a man is learned therefore he hath learning We have read it Say they in the Topicks of Aristotle That is true indeed But have ye not also at any time read in the Epistles of Paul these forms of speaking Christ is our Righteousness We are made the righteousness of God by him faith is imputed unto righteousness the Iust shall live by faith What then Shall we believe Aristotle more than Paul We believe Fishermen Saith Ambrose not Logicians And should we translate our Faith which we owe to God with faithful Abraham unto men that are Sophisters But now lest those Iesuits should say that they are not answered let us look more nearly into the force of their argument and pierce them through with their own Dart. They deny that ever this external attribution was heard of since the World was that a thing should receive a name extrinsically from qualities that can be within so that they should be accounted righteous before God not by inherent qualities but the righteousness of another to wit Christs which is applyed to us by Faith c. And indeed this Reason taken out of Aristotle might perhaps be of some force if they had omitted these words before God But now seeing there is a twosold and divers righteousness the one which is called the righteousness of the Law the other which is called the righteousness of Faith and seeing the judgments of God and the judgments of men do differ they do foolishly and ridiculously argue from humane things to divine from the righteousness of the Law to the righteousness of Faith for men are not justified in the sight of God upon the same account that they are esteemed righteous before men Yea oft-times it happens otherways that those whom this World does most cry up and judges just by their inherent qualities God condemns the same men chiefly of unrighteousness out of those very same qualities and so on the contrary part This may easily appear evident by the Example of the Pharisee and the Publican either of which if they were to be valued according to the inherent merits of their life what cause was there I beseech you why the Publican should go home more righteous than the Pharisee Even as with a like diversity the Scripture sometimes names them dead whom humane Philosophy would judge to be alive and in perfect health Suffer ye Saith he the dead to bury their dead But pray how dead who unless they were alive they could not bury their dead What shall we then say that the Scripture lyes in calling them dead which were alive Or does that Iesuitical Rule rather lye which judges those alive by reason of their inherent qualities whom the Scripture calls dead How shall these things so contrary to one another agree together But that it is one thing to live to be dead and to be righteous before God and another thing before Men. The Books of Holy Scripture are full of such Examples and they have been often heard of and seen by Men and yet after all these things those pleasant Gymnosophists deny that this external attribution was ever heard of since the World was that a thing should receive a name extrinsecally from qualities whose nature is to be within Is it so indeed that this was not heard of since the beginning of the World what do I hear have ye not then good men read these words of the Apostle in the Holy Scriptures of God By the disobedience of one man many were made sinners and again by the obedience of one man many shall be made Righteous I pray you what is the meaning of these words by the disobedience of one many are sinners Again by the obedience of one many are righteous Does this attribution seem internal to you or rather external was that rebellion peculiar to Adam or was it ours If it was ours how was it ours but by external imputation What when you hear these words of the Apostle He made Christ to become sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God through him c. Did either of us receive from qualities that can be said to be within he that he was made sin or we that we are called and made righteousness through him Moreover what is that when the Publican in the Gospel is said to have gone to his house justified rather than the Pharisee what was the cause why the one went away justified and the other went away unjustified I think it came not so to pass by a habit of inherent righteousness but upon this account rather because the Publican confessed his own unrighteousness therefore of wicked he is made righteous the other because he seemed righteous to himself through a false opinion of his own righteousness was manifested to be unrighteous according to the testimony of Holy Scripture The Righteous Man no sooner speaks than he accuses himself and in another place confess thy sins that thou mayest be justified therefore that aying of Augustine seems worthy of Praise this is the true way to perfection if every man acknowledge in truth and confess in humility his own impersection And Bernard spake no less to the purpose who bids us consider the Pharisee praying he was no Robber said he nor unjust nor an Adulterer nor careless of Fastings nor unmindful of the poor nor unthankful to God what then was wanting This one thing was wanting that he took no care to know what was wanting to him but made the most of his own merit and therefore returned
and being now reconciled to God as it cannot be destitute of the favour of God so being stirred up by his holy breathings begins now to be a Law to it self whereby it fears God and according to its power honours him with due Reverence cleaves unto him with all its might refers its actions and counsels to him calls on him by prayers adheres to him in adversity celebrates his benefits with a thankful remembrance lays its hope and confidence and its whole self upon him and also for his sake loves and cherishes all the Brethren And as there is no Man that denies these Offices of necessary Obedience performed by the help of the Spirit of God are fruits of a well-instructed Faith So there is no controversie between us and you in that matter especially seeing you your self also together with us confess That these are not works of the Law but of Faith and that they should not be referred so much to the Law as to the holy Spirit and Faith relying upon his help as you say But the greatest difference that is between us consists in this that whereas we assert That the Obedience of Man born again by the Divine Power is but begun and imperfect in this mortal infirm state You on the contrary dream of I know not what perfection of obedience in works the Spirit of God so working in us that whosoever is qualified therewith needs nothing that belongs to compleat perfection of righteousness for all your debate about this matter seems to drive at this as being concluded with this one Syllogism Argument Ma. Whosoever walk in the Precepts of the Lord and perform them should be called perfect who can easily live without sin Mi. All the Faithful according to the promise of God walk in his precepts and perform them because God promises nothing but what he can and will perform Concl. Therefore according to the promise of God nothing hinders but Believers may be perfect here who are capacitated to live without sin That I may answer the Argument it is a Sophistical Argument from secundum quid to simpliciter because in the Major those are called perfect who walk in the Precepts of the Lord and frame their life according to them it is true in them who simply and perfectly perform all those things which are commanded in the Law according to that perfection which is requisite According to which Rule if the major be understood that which is assumed in the minor must be upon this account deny'd For though God hath promised to his Saints that the Assisting grace of his Spirit shall not be wanting which may help forward pious attempts in his Elect and stir up their endeavours after more holy obedience but where hath he at any time promised or on whom hath he bestowed that happiness in walking which turns no where to the right hand nor to the left which stumbles not through the whole life which in all kind of vertues by a constant perseverance so conforms the course of life to compleat innocency that it never fails in any thing The Adversaries use for the defence of their own cause to catch at the words that were just now cited out of Ierem. chap. 31. and Ezek. chap. 26. I will cause you to walk in my Precepts and keep my Iudgments c. And then out of Deut. chap. 30. I will Circumcise saith the Lord the fore-skin of your heart that ye may love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul. I know indeed that in these words there is a glorious promise contained of the gift of the Holy Ghost and the restoring of new obedience but because there is a twofold perfection and a twofold righteousness according to Hierom. one which is suited to the vertues of God another which is agreeable to our frailty And again seeing according to the Authority of Augustine there is a twofold kind of Obedience one that is seen in this Life being but begun and imperfect Another that is perfect which is compleated in the life to come It is not difficult to discern in what sense the perfection of Renovation should be understood in the Scriptures To wit not simply and absolutely but according to the measure and capacity of this Life Therefore Augustine says well that a Man is sometimes called perfect because he hath profited in a great degree And the same again But whereas Men are called Saints sometimes and perfect in the Scriptures I say to this that it is a certain manner of perfection whereby Holy Men acknowledge their own imperfection They are also called perfect who in any respect imitate the perfection of the Heavenly Father who rains on the Iust and Unjust c. And again the same Augustine writing to Boniface The Vertue saith he which is now in a Righteous Man is called perfect upon this account because it belongs to his perfection both to acknowledge in Truth and confess in Humility his own Imperfection Moreover Hierom not much differing from him answered wittily To whom when that place of St. Paul was objected Whosoever of us are perfect we understand this To this Hierom says What then do we understand yea what ought we to understand that we who are perfect should acknowledge our selves to be unperfect and that they have not yet comprehended nor yet attained unto perfection This is saith he the Wisdom of Man to know himself to be imperfect and that I may so speak the perfection of all Righteous Men in the Flesh is imperfect c. And afterwards again in the same Book Therefore we are Righteous then when we confess our selves to be Sinners For our Righteousness consists not of our own merit but of the mercy of God as the Scripture says The Righteous Man is an accuser of himself in the beginning of his Speech And again to Ctesiphon This is Mens only perfection saith he if they know themselves to be imperfect c. Moreover the Adversaries set upon us with another Argument also which they produce out of the words of Deut. 30. To defend the perfection of their own Righteousness after this manner Ma. In these two commands thou shalt love thy God with all thy Soul and thy Neighbour as thy self is contained the summ of all perfection Mi. They that are regenerate can love God with all their Heart and all their Soul and their Neighbours as themselves according to the promise of God Deut. 30. Concl. Hence then it follows that the Regenerate by the help of the Spirit of God can fulfil all Righteousness by the Works of the Law This reasoning as it differs not much from the former so there is implied in it a certain kind of fallacy not unlike it Which of what sort it is if I may with your allowance Osorius I will declare For there lurks under the words of Scripture not rightly understood a fallacy or venom wholly Pelagian But
what manner of consequence is this Because habitual influences of Works which make us acceptable to God proceed no otherways but from cooperating Grace Therefore Faith without inherent Righteousness doth not justifie neither doth Salvation consist of any other thing but good Works But because there is a twofold sort of Works one of those which go before Faith another of those which follow Faith I would know of which of those rwo parts they understand it If of the preoedent they will not deny those to be Sins For that which is not of Faith is of Sin But if they understand it of Works subsequent to Faith they will say that those are either perfect or imperfect If perfect and of such a sort that they answer the things commanded in the Law not only according to the substance but also according to the manner of doing To what purpose then is that daily saying of the Church made mention of Forgive us our debts Or what will they answer to Augustine who evidently confutes what they maintain On the contrary if they are Imperfect Languid and Lame upon what account will they make us acceptable to God the Iudge which are of themselves defective and besprinkled with faults and spots and need another Grace by the commendation whereof they may be pleasing to God What if that infinite and Eternal purity for the most part in the Levitical Sacrifices did not endure whatever seemed any way defective or deformed or defiled with the least pollu on and which was not exquisitely entire and blameless in all respects if so great integrity of all parts was required in the Levites and Priests that it was not lawful to suffer any one to enter into the holy place of the Sanctuary who was wounded in any member of his body or deformed in any part or had a Wen Do you think that you can endure the presence of the most holy God with that half-torn and ragged Imperfection Wherefore seeing it must needs be perfect and unblameable upon all accounts which by Iustification indemnifies and frees us from all sin before the dreadful Tribunal of most perfect Righteousness surely no man can believe that it consists in our works but only in the works of the Son of God not those which his habitual grace works in us but those which he himself hath both graciously undertaken to do for us and also having undertaken them hath performed them to the full What Benesits come to us from Christ and what should be chiefly regarded in these Benefits NOW this is it in which chiefly the unspeakable amplitude of Divine Grace towards us doth evidently shine forth that God the Almighty Governour and Creatour of the World according to his fingular Mercy wherewith he hath loved the World having given his Son sent him to us and so sent him that he for us hath fulfilled all Righteousness for there was no need that he should fulfil it for himself and if he hath fulfilled it for us what hinders now but that may be ours which was done for us or to what purpose should he do that for us which he knew was necessary to be done by our selves for our Salvation But what if according to the saying of Thomas Whatsoever things we can do by Friends we our selves are said to be able to do it in some respect How much better then may we our selves be supposed both to be able to do and also to have done those things which a Friend is not only able to do for us but hath also done for us and this is that grace chiefly which every where the Evangelical Writings sound sorth unto us unto which all our both consolation salvation should be referred which Paul the Apostle having received from Christ did propagate it with so continued labour among the Gentiles and taught it with so great fervour of spirit and made it evident with so many Signs and Miracles and also confirmed it with so many Scriptures and most sure Testimonies Wherefore those Papists are the more worthy to be abhorred as being Enemies to Antiquity and Enemies to Paul who seem to be busied about nothing else but to abolish the Gospel of Christ and to overturn the Foundations of the Doctrine of the Apostles that have been long since very well laid by our first Fathers and to sow another Gospel in the minds of Christians For what else doth all their Doctrine drive at who disputing about Grace Faith and Righteousness do so handle the matter by their Philosophical Principles that he who observes their Collections Distinctions Corollaries and Opinions will perceive that they do not teach as Christians out of the Gospel out of Christ out of Paul but that the Antient Philosophers of the old Academy or the Thalmudists of the Law of Moses are again risen up and alive except that this only difference is between them and the Antient Philosophers that these do palliate with the name of Grace and Faith in words at least in some manner but in reality as touching the signification of the word Grace or the force of the word Faith they seem to be so very blind as if they had read Paul little or at least had not at all understood him I do not rail at the men themselves whom I rather account worthy of pity but it is not at all convenient to endure the Errours of men because they cast no small blot upon Religion and are injurious to Christ and do violence to Paul overthrow the simplicity of the Christian Faith moreover they adulterate all the sincerity of Evangelical Doctrine with their Niceties and after a certain manner subdue it unto humane Philosophy Which that it may appear the more evidently to the Minds and Eyes of beholders let it not be tedious to you to hearken a while first what Divine Truth and then what Humane Opinions teach us But because there are two things chiefly in which the whole sum both of our Salvation and Religion is contained Grace and Faith of which the one belongs to God towards men the other agrees to men towards God It very much concerns Christians that their Minds be very well instructed in both And Grace indeed is discerned in those good things that are given to us and promised by God Faith is exercised in those Offices which are chiefly due from us to God and are greatly requisite Therefore that we may rightly apprehend the nature of Grace we must see what and how great those gifts are which the bounty of God hath partly bestowed upon us and partly promised Concerning which thing it remains that we should examine what the Scriblers of Popish Divinity do hold Now what they teach about this matter is for the most part to this purpose They place the end of humane Life in blessedness and the School-Divines dispute about this very blessedness just after such a manner as the Philosophers of old did of their chiefest good unto
enough of it self alone to merit Salvation And now what then if those are added doth then at length full and perfect Righteousness arise from these together partly from the blood of Christ and partly from renovation by new qualities which may reconcile us being justified unto God For thus Andradius with his fellow Tridentines divides Iustification which Paul attributes simply to Faith into two parts of which he affirms that the one consists in the remission of sins and the other in the obedience of the Law O the Pest of Sophistical Divinity and intolerable deceits for by this distinction it will come to pass that Christ is not the only Saviour nor a compleat one but the Spirit that bestows these qualities for if the only formal cause of our Iustification consists in nothing but only the renovation of the inner man by a willing receiving of grace and gifts what shall now remain that may be attributed to Christ the Saviour and his blood but that he should only give a Dye to our merits which being so Dyed may bring us directly into Heaven But if it be so that the Death of Christ alone doth not fully compleat our Redemption to what purpose or what way did he say it was finished when his passion was finished Or how are all things in Heaven and in Earth reconciled by the blood of his Cross as Paul witnesseth Moreover the same Paul in many places and in all his Epistles places the price and Redemption in no other thing but only in the Blood and Cross of the Son of God In whom saith he we have Redemption through his blood But how shall we say that all things are reconciled by blood if Charity and the other gifts of Renovation and Merits are the things which make us acceptable to God and claim unto themselves the greatest part of our Reconciliation What is this else but to thrust Christ down not only from his Office but also from the Throne of his glory with a gigantick fury Concerning the Reward and Merits of good Works VVHat then Are there no Merits then say they of the Righteous Is there no reward by way of Merit left in Heaven which Christ promises to be so plentiful in the Scriptures What will all that provision of inherent Righteousness avail us nothing towards Life Will so many labours and store of most Holy Works profit nothing wherewith we being Cloathed by the Holy Spirit are advanced daily more and more towards the fulness of Righteousness Augustin will answer to these things and first of Merits If you ask saith he whether there are no Merits of the Righteous There are indeed because they are Righteous but there were no Merits that they might be Righteous For they were made Righteous when they were justified c. Therefore they were not made Righteous by Merits if we believe Augustin but Merits proceed from the Iust By which you may understand that a Person is not valued by the Dignity of his Works or his Grace but that the Diginity of Merits receives its value from the Iustified Person Wherefore seeing Men are not made Righteous by Merits as Augustin witnesseth but Merits receive their Virtue and Dignity from the Iustified it easily appears from hence what should be judged of reward by way of Merit For if after the like manner it be asked whether there is no reward of the Saints in Heaven that which Augustin answers concerning the Merits of the Righteous the same do I also acknowledge concerning the reward of the Saints that the Saints want not a reward and that a large one in the Heavens For they who are Holy a Reward shall be appointed for them not for the Works themselves because they are Holy but because they that work are Holy For not Heaven but a reward in Heaven is given not to Holy Works but to the Workers But if any proceed to ask whence they are Holy I return to Augustin That they are Holy from thence whence they are also made Iust not by Works but by the Faith of the Workers As for Example if any Heathen or Pharisee who is a stranger to the Faith of Christ should do this same thing that a Christian does though he should do also greater things yet the Works would not please God And why should his Works displease Or why should the Works of a Christian please unless it were for Faith And that is it which Prophetical verity in old time foretold should come to pass that the Iust should live by Faith he says not that the Faithful should live by Righteousness By which you see that this Life whereby we live by the Faith of the Son of God is not rendered unto the Merits of Works but consists of Faith and Grace for grace and the gift of God is Etrenal Life If grace where is reward If a gift where then is Merit But what shall be said in the mean while unto Testimonies that are frequent in the Scriptures which oft-times propose great Rewards to Pious Works First it is to be considered by the very Name of Obedience Debt and Duty are implyed Now the Obedience we owe can properly deserve no grace What Man at any time commanding a hired Servant to do his Duty bestows grace or praise upon him for that which he owed upon the account of Obedience or therefore doth assign unto him any portion of his Inheritance What does the Lord himself answer to such Servants in the Gospel Say ye we are unprofitable Servants we have done that which was our duty to do c. Now then wherefore are those things called by the Name of reward which God renders unto our good Deeds I will tell you God proposes rewards verily so he does but the same God proposes Dangers and Combats The most excellent Master of the Wrestlings sees what and how great storms of Temptations must be undergone how many labours must be endured how many difficulties lye before them He sees through how many Casualties and Dangers the strait way to the Kingdom must be undertaken by them who are planted in Christ And therefore that they may not faint in their minds but proceed with the greater courage in their undertaken Warfare rewards are shewed to them as certain prizes and recompenses of Victory to stir up their minds whereby the most Gracious Father may mitigate the crosses of his own Servants and comfort them in their Sufferings with proposing hope of Rewards And hence is that frequent mention of Reward and Recompenses in the Scriptures Not that those things which the Saints suffer in this life are worthy of rewards For the sufferings of this time are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed in us But because it so seemed good to the Clemency of God to esteem those Merits of ours which are none as if they were Merits indeed and to Crown them as if they were very great
As if this Assurance and full Perswasion which we maintain did rely on any Dignity of ours and did not wholly depend upon the certainty of the promise of God I come to their other Calumny no less absurd whereby they most unjustly slander us as if we referred the whole cause of our Iustification to nothing else but only an opinionative assurance so that to obtain the Remission of sins we taught that no other thing is necessary but that every Man should by a special faith be perswaded in his own mind that his sins are forgiven him which is most false as there is almost nothing true in the Books of Hosius For though we confess this to be most sure that nothing is more sure than our Iustification by Christ yet if the cause be enquired for which properly justifies us from our sins we answer It is faith not whereby we believe that we are Iustified as Hosius chatters but whereby we believe in Christ the Son of God who only is a propitiation for our sin Concerning the Word Iustification what it signifies in the Scriptures Whether it consists of Remission of Sins only or not And by what ways and means Iustification is obtained NOW ye Papists ye have our Opinion of Iustifying Faith and the true Nature thereof explained unto you what its power is and what its object Moreover ye understand how this Faith is distinguished from Hope and Assurance And wherein the true and next cause of Iustification is taken up whereof if ye enquire for the Internal cause it is faith only whereby we belleve in Christ If ye enquire for the External Matter thereof it is Christ only whom we embrace by Faith But because ye do by no means allow thereof that we should be Iustified by Faith only that we may confute your Calumnies in this matter or amend your errour I see there remain two things to be unfolded by me and to be considered by you First What the Scripture properly understands by the word Iustification And then Who and what manner of persons they are who are Iustified by Faith As touching Iustification they of Trent deny that it consists only in the Remission of sins unless there is joyned therewith a voluntary receiving of grace and some other things go before by which as preparatories Men are disposed to receive Iustification But Pious Reader If you have not yet heard what this Preparatory Disposition is and by what degrees it arises and into what order it is digested by these Men it is worth while to take notice of it For Men are disposed unto Righteousness whilst being helped by the preventing grace of Divine Vocation without any Merits of Works going before they receive Faith by hearing Now what this Faith is it hath been shewed above for according to the opinion of the Papists it is a firm assent unto those things that are revealed and discovered by God And yet they plead that a Man is not presently Iustified by this naked assent or faith But it behoves that other Dispositions be added by Divine grace whereby men are prepared for Iustification Faith Fear Hope Love Repentance Hatred and Detestation of Sin Love of Righteousness Prayer and the like so that indeed the beginning of Iustification is the free calling of God Whence Faith comes by hearing Whereby Men believe those things to be true that are revealed by God Whether they be such things as belong to the free mercy of God towards sinners through the Redemption which is in Christ Iesus Or whether they be such things as belong to the fear of Divine Iustice from which Faith by consideration of the Divine Iudgment fear ariseth whereby Men are terrified to their advantage that they may forsake and detest their sins And afterwards from the same faith through consideration of free Mercy purchased fo penitent sinners by Christ assurance proceeds whereby they are perswaded that God will be gracious to them for Christ's sake And thus by this consideration of so great goodness they begin to call upon God as the Fountain of all Righteousness and to love him and to cast away sin and to endeavour after newness of life and to keep the Commandments And by this means we obtain a perfect disposition or preparation to Righteousness whereby we are commanded to prepare our Hearts to the Lord. And afterwards Iustification follows this preparation which is not only the Remission of sins but also Sanctification and Renovation of the inner Man by a voluntary accepting of grace and gifts whence a Man of unjust is made just and of an Enemy a Friend that he may be an Heir according to the hope of Eternal Life c. But now from what part of the Apostolick or Prophetick Scripture have they taken this Doctrine From none neither is there need of any The Tridentine Oracle is sufficient for Scripture Amongst the Doctors Canisius endeavours a valiant defence of this Decree but he gains nothing at all For tho' we acknowledge with Augustin and the Doctors that which cannot be deny'd that we are Debtors to the grace of God for all we receive both for those things which belong to the forgiveness of sins and also those things which belong to new Obedience Yet what makes this for the matter we are now treating of For the Subject matter at present is not what the efficacious power of Divine grace performs in us without which Augustin justly pleads against the Pelagians that all our strength is wholly ineffectual but what that is which justifies a wicked Man before God What that 〈◊〉 wherein this our Iustification whereof I speak consists in the Remission of sins only or in the possession of Vertues Moreover what that is which is properly signified in the Scriptures by the word Iustification Though in this also the Adversaries are not very well agreed with one another but in this one thing they are wonderfully agreed to oppose Saint Paul with all their might First they of Trent as I have said do thus divide their opinion that they make two parts of Iustification The one in Remission which they attribute to Faith The other in new Obedience and Works meritorious of increase as they speak by which the Righteouness of Faith is perfected of which opinion Tilet an is the Author Again there are Others who are so far from explaining what is signified by the word Iustification that referring all to the Righteousness of Works they think that Iustification is not worthy to be mentioned in Books Of whom and the chief amongst many is this Osorius of ours Thomas Aquinas discoursing of many things about Iustification as also about many other things seems to have described it after this manner To wit according to the nature of Motion which is made in Man from one contrary to another So that it is a kind of Transmutation from a State of unrighteousness to a State of Righteousness And he explains the
you may say That is true indeed and therefore this proves that Faith only doth not justifie I answer and also request the Adversaries that laying aside the desire of vain jangling they would examine the matter according to Scripture and right Reason Though the manifest Testimony of the Apostle Paul and the Examples of the Saints make it an undoubted Truth that only Faith in Christ the Son of God hath the power of justifying without Works Yet it cannot open this power upon all but only those in whom a fitness is found for receiving the displayings of Divine Grace Of the Repentance of those that are Iustified by Faith BUT None are found more fit than those that seem to themselves most unworthy and none less fit than those that are most highly conceited of their own worthiness Seeing we are all Sinners by Nature nothing can be more reasonable than that we should acknowledge the filthiness of our own abominations and cast our selves down at the Feet of Almighty God And there is nothing that God more requires than this Whose Nature or rather Mercy is such that he delights not in any thing more than in a humble Heart and a broken Spirit as the Psalmist declares He saveth such as are of a contrite Spirit And in the Prophet Isaiah God testifies of himself that he is the high and lofty one that inhabiteth Eternity and dwells in the high and Holy place and also with him that is humble and of a contrite Spirit to comfort the humble Spirit and to revive the Heart of the contrite ones And for that cause he calls aloud in the Gospel and offers his kind invitations chiefly to such as labour and are heavy laden that they may come unto him and be eased What is coming to Christ but believing What is it to be eased or refreshed but to be justified Though indeed he calls all and despises none that come to him Yet so it comes to pass for the most part that none come to Christ as they ought unless they be pressed and burdened under the sense of their Sin and Misery And again that Heavenly Physician is seldom sent unto any others but such As the Prophet bears witness who making a particular description of those to whom Christ was to be sent he sets before us the meek the broken in Heart the Captives the Prisoners the Mourners in Sion them that are walking in Darkness and sitting in the shadow of Death c. And the Psalmist speaks much to the same purpose Ps. 107. describing the Mercy of God on this manner He filleth the hungry Soul with goodness and such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of Death being bound in Affliction and Iron Though he being sent by the Father is given to all yet he is not entertained by all with the like Affection The Lord himself shews the cause thereof For what need have the whole of the Physician Therefore as a skilful Physician doth not Administer his Medicines but when sickness requires it so Faith cleanses none but those whom Repentance also amends neither doth the Gospel heal any but those whom first the Law hath slain and Conscience hath wounded And as that is most true which we Preach by the Authority of Paul the Apostle that Men are justified by Faith only without Works so on the other side it is false which the adversaries assert that by this Doctrine of Faith it comes to pass that all care of good Works is cast off and the reins are let loose to all manner of wickedness Howbeit if they speak of such impenitent persons as go on resolutely in their Sins we acknowledge that such as they are not justified by Faith and yet we assert that this is no way prejudicial to the cause that we plead But if they speak of such as join Repentance with Evangelical Faith and therefore stand in need of consolation if they deny that those are justified by the Faith of Christ only they discover themselves to be utter Enemies of the Gospel and adversaries to Christ. And again if they assert that such penitent believers become worse by this Doctrine they do therein err exceedingly and lye abominably Wherefore that the Mouth of Malice and Slander may be stopped I admonish these professours of Divinity who condem 〈◊〉 this Doctrine of Paul as Heretical that they would take our proposition not by halves but whole and join the legitimate predicate of the proposition with the subject that when Faith is said to justifie they should reckon that is not enough unless they understand aright whom this Faith justifies To wit none of those that continue stubborn and impenitent in their wicked courses but only such as acknowledge their Sins with grief of Heart and being weary of their former abominations fly to Christ by Faith for resuge But here they take another occasion to cavil 〈◊〉 For if Faith justifies none but them that repent then as they say Faith only doth not justifie but together with Faith a Godly Sorrow and Mourning for Sin Iustifie also I Answer It is true indeed that Faith is joyned with Repentance in him that is justified from his Sins And yet Repentance is no cause of Iustification As those that are afficted with a painful Disease Their pain makes them desirous of a cure but yet there is no healing vertue in this desire So Faith and Conversion are joyntly united in the person that is justified But as touching the cause of Iustifying Repentance indeed prepares a Soul for the reception of Iustification but the cause of justifying lyes altogether in Faith and not at all in Repentance For the just Iudge doth not absolve him who hath violated his Iustice because he is grieved upon that account but because he believes in Christ who hath satisfied Iustice and for whose sake Pardon is promised to such as Repent for in him are all the springs of our Iustification But lest this Discourse should grow too Ample for if every thing were treated of particularly it might be enlarged beyond all bounds Let us come close to the Adversary and Fight Hand to Hand that in a Summary Representation it may the more easily appear to the Reader with what Arguments they defend themselves what Arguments they defend themselves what Scriptures they quote what force and what fallacy is in their Arguments THE Third Book A Confutation of the Arguments Whereby the Adversaries defend their Inherent Righteousness against the Righteousness of Faith An Argument taken out of St. Iames. No Dead thing Iustifies All Faith without Works is Dead Therefore No Faith Iustifies without Works Answer First the manner of arguing is captious and transgresses the right Laws of Logick For the terms therein exceed the due number For there is a redundancy in the conclusion by this addition without Works For this should have been the conclusion Therefore no Faith that is without Works justifies And that may be well granted
without any disadvantage to our Cause For suppose we grant that Faith is Dead which is not moved with a desire of doing good Works according to the saying of St. Iames yet it doth not therefore follow from hence that no Faith Iustifies without Works From which two things do follow worthy of consideration First That no Faith justifies that is not lively And next though it abounds in good Works and never is without them yet it only without Works Iustifies This will appear evident by the Example of St. Paul Who though he was not conscious to himself of any Wickedness yet he durst not affirm himself to be thereby Iustified I think nothing hinders but the whole Argument may be yielded unto if so be the terms are rightly placed The Adversaries gather out of the Apostle Iames that Faith is dead which is without Works and herein we do not much oppose them But what follows from hence Therefore as they say dead Faith without Works doth not justifie And I deny it not But what Conclusion flows from this manner of Arguing Therefore only Faith doth not justiste Why so If no Faith but that which is lively justifies and if it receives Life only from Works then this is the consequence that Faith justifies only upon the account of good Works I Answer First though we grant it is true that the Faith which justifies us in the sight of God is lively and always joyned with a Godly Life Yet that this Faith justifies and reconciles us no other ways but upon the account of good Works is most false For this is not a good consequence from the premises Because Faith is not alone in the Life of the Believer therefore Faith is not alone in the Office of justifying Or because the Faith that justifies is not a dead but a lively Faith therefore it doth not justifie alone without Works For herein is a fallacy of the Consequence But you may object Whence then is Faith said to be lively and not Dead but from Works Which if it be so of necessity it must draw all its Life and Vertue from Works Nay the matter is quite contrary For though in the sight of Men Faith is not discerned to be Lively and Vigorous but by Works yet Faith receives not Life from Works but rather Works from Faith As Fruits draw their Life and Sap from the Root of the Tree but not the Root from them Iust so external actions proceed from Faith as the Root which if they be good they evidence the Root to be sound and lively and this is all they do but they communicate no Life thereunto And this Life and Vertue of Faith is not one but Twofold And it acteth partly in Heaven and partly in Earth If you ask what it doth amongst Men upon Earth It does good to its Neighbour working by Love But before God in Heaven it justifies the Ungodly not by Love but by the Son of God whom it only lays hold of Therefore those Men seem not to have got a clear insight into the Vertue and Nature of the Grace of Faith that suppose the whole Life thereof to consist in Love as if Faith of it self could do nothing but as it receives Vertue and Efficacy from Charity Indeed both may seem to be true in the External Actions of Human Life in which Faith lyes like a dead thing unless it be enlivened by Charity to the exercise of good Works And hereunto belongs that saying of Paul whereby he so much commends Faith working by Love understanding such Works as Faith working by Love brings forth to the view of a Human Eye Yet with God Faith hath a far different operation for it only without any reliance upon Works or assistance of Charity but trusting to the naked promise of God and the dignity of the Mediatour climbs up to Heaven and gets access into the presence of God where it does great and wonderful things combating with the Iudgment to come fighting against the terrours of Death Satan and Hell pleads the cause of a Sinner obtains his pardon absolves and justifies him from the accusations of a guilty Conscience takes away all Iniquity reconciles God to the Sinner appeases his wrath subdues the power of Death and the Devil and procures Peace yea and Paradise it self with theThief that had led a wicked Life and yet at Death was justified by Faith in the Redeemer Who would desire more or greater things And now so many and great things being done by Faith let us enquire After what manner it does them Not as it lives and works by Love but as it lives only by Christ and relies on the promise for the Life of Faith which lives before God is not Charity but Christ not receiving Life from Charity but communicating life unto it and justifying Works that they may be acceptable to God which would otherways be abominable Unto the truth of this we have a sufficient Testimony given us by Paul When he says my Life is Christ and again the Life that I now live in the Flesh I live not by the Love but by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me And elsewhere speaking of himself he says That he was not conscious to himself of any VVickedness and yet he denies that he is thereby Iustified as the same Apostle discoursing about the works of Abraham though they were never so Eminent for Holiness yet he saw nothing in them which that Great Patriarch might make a matter of Glorying before God Hereunto may be added the Arguments of others that have been strangely wrested out of Scriptures There are six Reasons principally which they pretend the Evangelists furnish them with against the Righteousness of Faith First they draw an Argument from these words of Christ Come ye blessed of my Father to the Kingdom prepared for you For I was an hungred and ye gave me Meat Argument Da. That which is the cause of blessedness is also the cause of Iustification Whom he hath Iustified them he hath also Glorified c. Rom. 8. Ri. Works of Mercy are the cause of blessedness for I was an hungred and ye gave c. Mat. 25. I. Therefore Works of Mercy are the cause of Iustification Answer I deny the Minor For Works of Mercy as they are considered in themselves are not the cause of Iustification or blessedness but rather effects and furits of Iustification for they are no otherways pleasing to God but as they are performed by persons in a justified state and it is by the Faith of Christ that they become acceptable For unless Faith go before and justifie the person of him that worketh his works are not at all regarded by God because they do not satisfie the Law of God being tainted with the corruption of depraved Nature and come far short of that perfection which Divine Iustice requires Wherefore if we will Reason aright about
in so many dangers and compassed about with so many troubles and snares yet it continues firm notwithstanding all this opposition in spite of the very Gates of Hell Wherefore is it thus Is it for its own merits or should we account the Grace and Power of Christ to be the only procuring cause thereof and no strength nor merit of ours Now it is evident to every reasonable man that the same thing which is the cause of Preservation is also the cause of Salvation to the Church which consists not in our Works but only in the Faith of Christ and his free Bounty An Argument out of St. Iames. Not the hearers of the Law but the doers shall be justified Not the hearer of the Law but the doer shall be blessed Iames 1. Mat. He that heareth my words and doth them c. Therefore not Faith only but Deeds do justifie I answer The Argument may be granted if the Minor be rightly added with the Inference which we shall set down here that the Argument may appear in its perfect form He is righteous that by deeds fulfils the Law No man by deeds fulfils the Law in this life Therefore no man is justified by deeds in this life The Minor is evident by the Authority of the same Apostle Iames Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and offend in one thing is guilty of all There is none in the Land of the Living but fails in some thing Iames 2. Yea there is no man that offends not in many things Therefore no man in this life fulfils the Law of God no not Iames himself Let us now consider the words of Christ that are cited out of the Gospel He that heareth my words and doeth them c. Who doth not clearly apprehend the mind of Christ in these words for it is manifest that his design was to rebuke the counterfeit pretences of Hypocrites and thereby to stir up the minds of his own Disciples to the power of Godliness and sincerity in their profession which he doth in more than one place and not without weighty reasons For as nothing is more detestable so nothing is more usual than for false Hypocrites to be covered with a Vizard of Holiness who having no experimental knowledge of the things which they profess nor drawn unto God by Effectual Calling nor taught by his Spirit being ignorant of God and strangers to the practice of Holiness do make a great shew amongst all men outwardly pretending to that which they are not indeed but would seem to be who take little or no care at all to be any way instrumental for the Glory of God But their chief endeavours are to encrease their gain and satisfie their ambitious desires that they may be great in this World and get applause and renown amongst men Such a frame of spirit is in most Hypocrites But the great searcher of hearts who looks into every dark corner of the Soul and discerns all the most hidden imaginations is not unacquainted with their Hypocrisie and there is nothing more abominable unto him Therefore our Lord in giving Instructions of Piety to his Disciples strictly commands that such as take upon them the profession of Faith in his Name should not only make shew of it in words or account it enough to encline their Ears to his Doctrine but also practise it in their Lives and endeavour as much as in them lies to walk suitable to their profession By what I have said it may evidently appear that these words do not express the way how we are justified but they only declare what manner of men they ought to be who are Iustified and have obtained a right to the Heavenly Inheritance by Faith and free Grace Another Argument The Foolish Virgins were shut out of Heaven not because they wanted Faith but because they neglected taking Oyl in their Vessels Mat. 25. The same appears in the slothful Servant Therefore The Kingdom of Heaven is due to good Works and not to Faith Answer The Consequence must be denied For this is the true consequence thereof Therefore Men are justly shut out of Heaven for Evil deeds and Impiety For though a slothful and lazy Servant ought to be shut out of the House yet it doth not therefore follow that the Inheritance must needs be due to him that faithfully and diligently performs his duty The Kingdom of Heaven is given to faith not to duties by way of gift not by way of bargain not for merits but freely And though faith in the mean while is not idle but diligently exercises it self in the ways of Holiness yet the possession of this great benefit should not therefore be attributed unto Works suppose an adopted Son in managing well his Father's Goods shews himself a faithful Steward in his Father's House is not his Father's Inheritance bestowed upon him of free gift notwithstanding all this care and industry Moreover that is not true which is denied in the Antecedent that the foolish Virgins were not shut out for want of Faith For had they had true Faith they would not have wanted provision of Oyl For Faith that is lively cannot be slothful Therefore in Scripture these Epithets are given to Faith 1. That it is true and not feigned 2. It is sure and not wavering 3. One and not diverse 4. Lively and not dead 5. Great 6. Fervent and not luke warm 7. Laborious and not Idle 8. Strong 9. Couragious and not fearful 10. Stable and not unconstant Another Objection taken out of Iohn 5. They that have done good shall come forth unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation and again Rom. 2. Every Man shall be rewarded according to his Works The Argument of the Adversaries taken out of Ioh. 5. Rom. 2. Therefore the Salvation or Destruction of Men depend on their Works and not Faith only If any Man desires to see this Argument in a Syllogistical term he may take it thus There is no Iustification without Works where there is a reward given according to Works The Iudgment of God rewards according to VVorks Therefore there is no Iustification in the Iudgment of God without VVorks Answer As there is nothing more sure than the Words of Peter in which he affirms that Christ is appointed Iudge of the Living and the Dead so also that is a truth which is asserted by Paul That we must all appear before his Iudgment Seat who will render to every Man according to that which he hath done whether Good or Evil. Therefore you say Not Faith but Works do justifie which are the procuring cause either of Salvation or Destruction But this is not the consequence of the Words of the Apostle nor the sense of that Scripture But if we Reason according to the mind of the Holy Ghost in these places of Scripture we must rather draw
can do them no hurt in the Iudgment which are already done away and pardoned before the Iudgment by Faith and Repentance And besides this if they did any thing well and worthy of praise they receive an everlasting Reward not for the merit of the Work but according to free Imputation whereby God in his Infinite Mercy sets such a value on the works of them that believe in his Name though they are vile and contemptible in themselves that he rewards them with the recompence of the promised Inheritance not for any merit of theirs but according as he hath promised it freely in his Son Now there being a twofold manner of Divine Iudgment as we have shewed out of Augustine one belonging to the Iustice of condemnation and another to the Mercy of Separation According to this diversity of Iudgment we must distinguish between those that are to be called before this Tribunal of the great Iudge for all of us must be called and presented before it but the distinction between those that shall appear must be observed For though we are all sinners by Nature and in the practice of our Lives yet we are not all sinners after the same manner There are some whose sins are already forgiven by Faith and the free Grace of God and there is no doubt but the Mercy of Separation will deliver such from the Iudgment of Condemnation because there is nothing that can be justly alledged against them For who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that justifies who is he that condemns Or how can they in Righteousness be called to Iudgment for these things that were pardoned by the Iudge himself before they were brought under the Tryal of Iudgment For the offence being taken away the offender is not liable to Iudgment Wherefore no Sentence of Condemnation should affright those that are in Christ Iesus What Law can hold them guilty that are not under the Law but under Grace And again there are others that having passed their days in all manner of wickedness and abominations at their departure out of this Life carry with them a guilty self-condemning Conscience unto Iudgment Of which sort of Monsters this World hath been very fruitful Such as Epicurus Diagoras Lucian Sardanapalus vain glorious Boasters implacable Persecuters and Murderers of the Saints and such like Who though they may flatter themselves in this Life as if they were safe and out of danger yet they will find to their sorrow that there is a Iudge before whom they must unavoidably appear and give a strict account of all the actions of their Lives Therefore as touching the Iudgment of the Evil and the Good as I deny not that it is certainly true the Lord will judge the Living and the Dead in Righteousness and Equity So if they understand it of the Iudgment of Condemnation I answer as the Lawyers use to say The Exception limits the Rule For though this Iudgment is to be general yet if it be taken for the condemnatory Iudgment the general Rule is of force excepting those things that should be excepted But what this Exception is and to whom it belongs it appears evident enough by the distinction of separation mentioned by Christ in several places He that hears my Word and believes in him that sent me shall not come into condemnation but shall pass from death to life And again where the Lord fore-telling the time of his coming to Iudgment says thus When these things begin to come to pass look up and lift up your heads And presently gives the reason thereof for your Redemption draweth near Wherefore did it please him to make mention of Redemption to his Disciples without naming of Iudgment Certainly it was because as Paul speaks There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus as on the contrary there is no Redemption to those who live without the Faith of Christ in slavery to this World and the Flesh. And elsewhere the Lord when he turned himself to his Disciples and could promise them nothing that was more glorious and magnificent he said unto them Ye also shall sit upon Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel Moreover Paul writing to the Corintbians says Know ye not that the Saints shall judge the World And yet breathing forth something more glorious he exalts Saints above the highest pitch of worldly dignity adding further Know ye not that we shall judge the Angels If the Saints shall be judges how should they be judged in this Court of Iudicature in which they have something to do but nothing to fear Whether the Iudgment of God is terrible to the Saints THerefore let Canisius produce what he can answer unto these Scriptures for it is his Opinion that all men should be possessed with fear of Iudgment These are his words Not only Sinners but also Saints themselves are oft-times affrighted at the fore-thoughts of Iudgement Thus the Iesuit speaks in his own Dialect But let us hear what Scripture-proofs he brings to maintain his Assertion Hence saith he David feared and with great fervency breathed forth this Petition Lord enter not into Iudgment with thy Servant In like manner Iob feared though he was innocent What shall I do said he when God ariseth to judge and when he visiteth What shall I answer For destruction from the Almighty was a terrour to me and because of his greatness I could not endure I was afraid of all my sorrows for I knew thou wouldest not hold me innocent c. To this Objection I answer in short Who knows not that in us and our Works there is nothing whereof we ought not to be greatly afraid So David and Iob and all the Saints the more they call to mind the actions and practice of their Lives the more they are surprized with the fear of Divine Iudgment and repose the less confidence in themselves But this doth not at all abate our rejoycing in Christ Iesus so that relying upon the never failing Promise of God and being assured of the remission of our sins we strive against this fear as much as we can Howbeit we cannot be so perfectly rid of this fear which is placed in our Nature but that it will sometimes return and cause trouble to the most eminent Saints But that which sometimes happens through infirmity is one thing and that which always becomes the Saints to do is another So David and Iob before the return of spiritual comfort were in terrour but after God had restored unto them the joy of his Salvation all fear vanished away Canisius in saying the Saints should be possessed with the fear of Iudgment does what in him lies to root out all the assurance of Faith out of the minds of the godly and to make the Promise of God and our fiducial relyance on him utterly void and of none effect Does Christ encourage us to lift up our
for Mercy and cast himself wholly upon Christ what would the Apostle Iames say in such a case Will not Faith only without Works justifie such a man as this The penitent Malefactor is an evident proof of the truth of this who had no other thing but Faith only to commend him to Christ and so to be admitted into Paradise Like unto which there are many Examples daily of them that die on Gibbets so that the Iudgments of God are very wonderful who hath mercy on whom he will have mercy But now let us return to what we were saying of Abraham If we look upon his Faith what was more sincere If we consider his Works what was more glorious and wonderful Therefore upon both accounts he was certainly an admirable man Now let us compare his Faith with his Works And because it is evident that he was justified before God let us enquire whether he was justified by Faith 〈◊〉 Works because he could not be justified upon both accounts as the Apostle witnesseth If it is of Faith then it is not of Works but if it is of Works then it is not of Faith What shall we say then to these things let the Scripture answer Abraham believed God when he promised and it was accounted to him for Righteousness And the same Abraham obeyed God when he commanded and why doth not the Scripture in like manner add That this was imputed to him for Righteousness Let us hear what the Apostle answers The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Gentiles by Faith he first told the glad tydings to Abraham and what glad tydings was this That he and his Seed should be Heirs of the World A great Promise indeed But how did he obtain this Promise by Faith or by Works There is an answer ready made to our hand by the Apostle The Promise came not by the Law to Abraham or to his Seed that he should be Heir of the World but by the Righteousness of Faith Why so Paul why not by the Law and why by the Righteousness of Faith That he might be the Father of all the faithful who walking in the footsteps of the Faith which was in the Uncircumcision of our Father Abraham shall have Faith in like manner imputed unto them But here St. Iames is represented as fighting with all his might against this Doctrine For the Adversaries say thus Did not the Apostle Iames assert with great Authority That Abraham was justified by Works and will ye deny it God forbid that any man should undervalue the Authority of that holy Apostle And yet I suppose St. Iames would not have us to disbelieve the Scripture which teaches us far otherways attributing the Iustification of Abraham not to Works but to Faith For Abraham believed God and we read it was imputed unto him for Righteousness But God hath not said in his Word concerning Abraham's going to sacrifice his Son That it was imputed to him for Righteousness Or let us grant the assertion of St. Iames That Abraham was justified by Works But where and how was he thus justified before God St. Iames says not so Then it is before men And Paul himself denies not that So that there is no real disagreement between Paul and Iames. But this doth not satisfie some Sophisters who account it is not enough that the holy Patriarch is justified by Works before men as Paul teaches unless he be also thereby justified before God For though he was first justified by Faith as they say yet nothing hinders but that afterwards he might be yet more justified by Works and this they call a second Iustification But Reason shews that to be an utter impossibility for it implies a manifest contradiction for it is a contradiction not to be justified by Works and again to be justified by Works And seeing one of those is denied by the Apostle How can they maintain and plead for the other But hereunto may be added another Reason If there is a twofold Iustification one by Faith and another by Works it would follow that there is a twofold manner of Iustifying But there is one and the same manner of Iustifying as there is one God as hath been proved out of Ambrose Therefore it appears that there is not a twofold Iustification A third Reason is this seeing Iustification consists of the Remission of Sins and God forgives no Man his Sins to whom he doth not perfectly forgive them Therefore it follows that the Iustification of those that are justified is compleat and perfect and cannot be made more perfect than it is already Now in the next place let them prepare to answer this Argument of Paul Whosoever is justified by Works hath whereof he may Glory before God Rom. 4. Abraham hath not any thing whereof he may Glory before God Therefore Abraham is not justified by Works before God By these things which we have quoted out of Paul and other sacred writings I suppose it appears evident enough what we should judge of the Works of Abraham Which though they were excellent and worthy to be admired before men yet they found no place for glorying before God according to the Testimony and Interpretation of the Apostle We need not be at any great trouble to find out the cause thereof Tiletan and other Iesuits produce a cause thereof out of Augustin Because the Works of Abraham were not of the Law but of Faith not of the Flesh but of Grace which because they were not done by the Power of Free-will only but in the Faith and expectation of Christ therefore all Praise and Glory was due to Christ and none to them which Invention of theirs though it savours more of Wit than Solidity yet though we grant all this to them there is no inconvenience in it seeing both of us acknowledge with Paul that the Patriarch Abraham found neither matter of glorying nor Iustification before God by Works and therefore that he had no cause of glorying because he was not justified by Works for otherways if he had been justified by Works he should have had wherein to Glory as the Apostle Paul speaks But now he hath not any thing wherein he may Glory before God therefore he was not justified by Works And thus hitherto we have treated of the Arguments of the Adversaries as much as may suffice not only to discover but also confute their Sophistical Wiles and captious Deceits who fight with so great eagerness for their inherent Righteousness against the Testimony of the Holy Scripture and the Sacred Gospel of Iesus Christ and the bright shining Light of Grace yea and against their own Salvation It remains in the next place that we should hear what those Men on the other side answer and oppose to the Arguments and most approved Reasons manag'd not only by us but by St. Paul and with what Cavillings and fraudulent Devices they darken and baffle the clear meaning of the
God through the Redemption which is in Christ Iesus whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood Is not this evident in the writings of Paul c. And yet Vega not being contented with this Gospel nor deterred by the Curse which the Apostle denounced hath arrived at so great an impudence that he takes upon him to contradict what the Apostle hath confirmed with so great Authority The Apostle says freely without Works but he says freely but not without Works but how is it freely if not without Works Paul says the Righteousness of God by the Faith of Iesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe But what says Vega and Hosius the enemy of Paul This universal Term all saith he is not here by the Apostle applied to every one of the kind but to every kind of every one So that the meaning is this Righteousness is communicated to them that believe whether they are Iews or Gentiles Thus said Vega. O Saint Paul What Ignorance was this in thee or unskilfulness of Speech Thou mightst learn of Vega to speak more curiously and to polish thy Stile according to the elegancy of the Roman Court after this manner The Righteousness of God by the Faith of Iesus Christ unto all and not only all but also unto every one and upon every one present and to come that believe so that thereby you might comprehend not only the kinds of every one but also every species of the kinds and every individual of the Species But that I may answer seriously to the vain-glorious Spaniard It was your Duty O Vega to correct your Spirit of Errour by the divinely inspired Words of Paul and not to pride your self in such vain and empty Notions For who sees not the clear and perspicuous simplicity of this Speech of Paul whereby he proclaims a common Interest in Eternal Life and Righteousness not only to Iews and Gentiles in the general but to every one of them in particular whether they be Iews or Gentiles that believe in Christ Unless the Apostle had together with the universal Term set down the proper Mark of Distinction that is the peculiar Condition of attaining to Righteousness you might have some colour of Reason for what you pretend As for Example when the Scripture speaks thus They shall be all taught of God God would have all Men to be saved and come to the Knowledge of the Truth in such a Case a Man may interpret the universal Term. As Augustine did in such a manner as you speak of To wit that it is not every one of all but some particular Persons of all kind of Men and Nations that attain unto the Knowledge of the Truth but the Case is otherways in this Expression of Paul where the Apostle together with the universal Term adds also a peculiar and proper mark of Distinction So that he doth not only make the Righteousness of God common to all in the general but also expresly sets down a certain manner whereby all do attain unto it and to whom it peculiarly belongs in these Words By the Faith of Iesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe Whence of necessity it follows that every Mans Righteousness consists in his believing in Christ by Faith unfeigned and embracing of him according to the saying of the Prophet The just shall live by Faith But let us again hear what the Prating Sophister hath to say for himself But whereas saith he the Iust shall live by Faith and God is said to justifie Man by Faith it doth not therefore follow by consequence that Works are not necessary for it is one thing to live by Faith and another thing to live by Faith only One thing to be justified by Faith and another thing to be justified by Faith only and if these Words Faith only are sometimes found in the Books of Catholick Doctors by the Word only good Works are not excluded but all other Sects and Ways to Salvation except Faith only and the Christian Religion Thus said Vega. To whom that I may answer First whereas he inferrs that good Works are not necessary because the Iust live by Faith he may as reasonably gather Thistles from the Vine for this is no good consequence The Iust shall live by Faith therefore Works are not necessary Which we also with Paul do notwithstanding account to be necessary And in the next place whereas he says that it is one thing to be justified by Faith and another thing to be justified by Faith only Though we grant this to be true yet I see no great difference between these two Expressions To be justified by Faith without Works and to be justified by Faith only Thirdly Whereas he Cavils about the Word Only what it excludes and what it excludes not in the Books of the Catholicks we do not trouble our selves much about that but this is manifest in the Writings of Paul that Works themselves though otherways they are very excellent and also necessary upon other accounts yet in this free Gift of Evangelical Iustification they are excluded without all Controversie Though that also is an untruth which he asserts of the Books of the Catholicks For Basil that I may produce one of them instead of a great many expresses the same in manifest Words taking away from every Man all occasion of glorying in his own Righteousness and testifies that each one of us is justified by Faith in Christ only And therefore he presently produces the Example of Paul to confirm the same and Paul Glories saith he in the Contempt of his own Righteousness I may also add the VVords of the same Basil upon the 32. Psalm where giving a Description of a perfect Man he says he is such a one as puts no trust in his own good deeds but hath his whole hope and reliance on the Mercy of God alone I think it is not amiss to joyn unto Basil his intimate Friend Nazianzen who assents and subscribes to the words of Basil on this manner Faith only is our Righteousness But let us proceed unto the remaining Testimonies of Paul For as I have said before Vega with his Associates heaps together eight Assertions for Iustifying Faith out of Paul But the other five Assertions of the Apostle together with the Answers of the Adversaries do follow in this order 3 Assertion Rom. 4. If Abraham was justified by the Works of the Law he hath whereof to glory but not before God For what says the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for Righteousness To him that worketh the Reward is not reckoned according to Grace but according to Debt But to him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifies the ungodly Faith is imputed unto him for Righteousness As David also declareth the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth Righteousness without Works And likewise Rom. 11. If it is
by grace then it is not of works and if it is of works then it is not of grace 4 Assertion Rom. 10. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and believest with thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation For the Scripture saith Whoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed There is no difference between Iew and Greek For every one that calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved 5 Assertion Acts 13. Be it known unto you Brethren that through this Man remission of sins is preached unto you that through him every one that believes may be justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses 6 Assertion Acts 10. To him all the Prophets bear witness That all that believe in him do receive through his name remission of sins 7 Assertion 1 Cor. 3. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is already laid that is Christ Iesus But if any man build upon this foundation Gold or Silver c. If any man's work is burnt he shall suffer damage but himself shall be saved yet so as through fire c. 8 Assertion The eight Argument is gathered from many Examples of those who were justified by Faith only and admitted unto Baptism As three thousand of those that believed at the Preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost were baptized Acts 2. and the Eunuch whom Philip baptized Acts 2. The Iaylor and his family whom Paul baptized Acts 16. c. By which Examples it may be rationally proved that the Apostles judged Faith to be sufficient to qualifie a man for the receiving of Baptism and therefore also for receiving of Iustification By these proofs of Scripture this Doctrine is sufficiently confirmed which attributes the Iustification of the ungodly not to Works joyned with Faith but to Faith simply without Works But because I am not now dealing with men of moderate Principles but with cunning Sophisters let us for a while bring the Apostle out of the Church into the School that he may fight hand to hand against them with their own weapons and confute them with their own Arguments The Righteousness of the Law or of Works and the Righteousness of Faith are so contrary to one another that they cannot consist together but the one of necessity makes void the other But we look for Righteousness by Faith Therefore not by the Righteousness of Works Again If according to Grace then it is not according to Debt But according to Grace it is imputed to us for Righteousness Therefore not according to Debt Again That whereunto blessedness is ascribed to the same also is ascribed Iustification Our blessedness is attributed unto the remission of sins Therefore our Iustification also is attributed to the same Another Argument If Works are necessary to Salvation then Salvation would not consist in the belief of the heart and the confession of the mouth But our Salvation consists in confessing the Lord Iesus with the mouth and believing in him with the heart Therefore Works are not necessary unto Salvation Another If Works had been conducible to justifie Abraham before God then he should have had cause of glorying before God Rom. 4. But Abraham had nothing wherein he could glory before God Therefore Works do not avail to Iustification Another By the Law of Moses no man can be justified All Doctrine of Works belongs to the Law of Moses Therefore no Salvation comes by any Doctrine of our Morals or Works Another Whosoever builds upon Christ the Foundation Gold or Hay or Stubble shall be saved either without fire or through fire Therefore Faith only without Works procures Salvation An Induction from Examples The Scriptures tell us of many that were justified and baptized without making any mention of Works On the day of Pentecost three thousand were baptized Acts 2. The Eunuch was baptized by Philip Acts 8. The Iaylor with his family Acts 16. The sinful woman whom faith saved Luke 7. The prodigal Son Luke 18. The Thief on the right hand Luke 23. The Publican Luke 18. And a multitude of others obtained Salvation without any condition of Works Therefore only Faith in Christ justifies the humble and broken hearted sinner Unto these things so very evident and clear what do the Adversaries object with what subtilties and distinctions do they defend their Popish Errour of Inherent Righteousness Be pleased to hearken though what they say is fitter for laughter and derision than instruction And first as touching the distinction that Paul makes between him that worketh and him that worketh not between Mercenary works and Iustification imputed without Works between Debt and Grace between the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith let us observe how those Sophisters cloud and darken it with their vain janglings For whereas the Apostle argues on this manner from the Rule of contraries If it is of grace then it is not of works but if it be of works then it is not of grace c. If the Inheritance is by the Law then it is not of the Promise c. And again distinguishing between the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of the Gospel he so divides the one from the other that difference appears evident Of the Righteousness that comes by the Law saith the Apostle the Law it self speaks on this manner He that doth these things shall live in them But what saith he of the Righteousness that is of Faith If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and believe with thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved What is more evident than this distinction what words are more perspicuous But what is there that can be so well conceived in the mind or expressed in words but it may be wrested by the wrong Interpretations of such men as take delight to set themselves in opposition against the Truth for thus they speak Are not pious works the gifts of God Doth not Charity shed abroad in the hearts of the Saints by the Holy Ghost inflame the minds of Believers and provoke them to all things that are honest and agreeable to the Will of God Which Works of Charity when God crowns and rewards them in us they are not so much our works as his gifts for they are not our works or performed by any strength of our own but they are the works of God which we perform by his help and they should be wholly attributed to his Grace Whence also they oft-times are called in the Scriptures by the name of Divine Grace As Paul also bearing witness of himself says By the grace of God I am what I am for this grace of working not being attained unto by
Osor. lib. 5. The Papists err from the scope of the Question Osor. lib. 3. p. 68 69. Osor. lib. 4. nu 103 104. Tit. 3. Hosius Osor. lib. 4. Nu. 104. Ex Hosio confut lib. 5. pag. 451. Hosius ibid. Ex Hosio lib. 5. Nu. 452. Andra. lib. 6. pa. ibi Orthod Explic. An Answer to the Adversaries The Roman Church is a Pseudocatholick Enemies of Faith and Grace under the Vizard of Religion Osor. lib. 6. p. 151. A pseudosyllogism An Answer to the Argument Pardoning Grace or Grace of Remission Rom. 9. 6 4. Coloss. 1. Rom. 3. Renewing Grace Grace is divided into Two parts The Syllogism is redundant with four Termini Aparalogism in the second figure concluding affirmatively A twofold sort of Works Rom. 14. Aug. of Nature and Grace The reparation of the Grace of Christ though it is begun in respect of the mind it is not yet perfected in respect of the Flesh Which shall be in the Countrey where Man shall not only be able to persevere but shall not be able to Sin An Argument from like Comparison Levit. 22. Deut. 15. Christ fulfilled all the Law not for himself but for us if for us then we also fulfil it by him Tho. 12. 109. pag. 259. The Roman Catholicks falsly so called obtrude another Gospel upon us The sum of all our Salvation and Religion is chiefly discerned in two things Faith and Renovation by Grace Grace Faith Wherein Beatitude consists according to the Shcolastick Doctors Divines disputing about the chief good Pelagians Adversaries of Grace Augustine a defender of Grace against the Pelagians The Papists Semipelagians Wherein the Papists agree with the Pelagians How Thomas Aquin. and the Thomists define grace Tho. 129. 109. Art 6. That the will may be prepared to work well and to enjoy God there is required an habitual gift of Grace which is the principle of a meritorious work Guillerm in sentent lib. 2. qu. 26. Art 1. a common definition among the Schoolmen Albert. in sentent lib. 2. dist 26. Art 2. Grace is a habit in the essence of the Soul which according to infused Vertues make perfect for act makes the possessor good A vulgar and usual defini-nition of Grace in the Schools The Schoolmen disagree with one another in the manner of Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Osor. lib. 5. p. 26. Dost thou deny Grace to be a Vertue what then is Grace if it is not a Veatue Thomas against Osorius Faith excluded from Iustification by the Thomists Thom. 12. q. 109. Art 5. why the holy Spitit is given Thom. 12. qu. 114. Art 4. The motion of humane mind to the fruition of divine good is a proper act of Charity by which all acts of other Vertues are appointed for this end according to which other Vertues are commanded by chariey and therefore the merit of Eternal Life belongs chiefly to charity c. Censura Gololoniens fol. 148 149. christ by his Death hath merited this that Believers are endued with charity and other Vertues which qualities being now received by the Merit of christ man himself by Inherent Righteousuess merits a greater Righteousness Reconciliation and at length Life Eternal c. And fol. 170 Faith is only the preparatory Cause and way to Iustification that afterwards we may by another thing be righteous before God not by Faith apprehending Christ c. Iustification is divided into two parts Iacob Pava Orthod Exp. 6. p. 470. Then the Spirit is communicated when at the coming of Righteousness we are made righteous when all our sins being extinguished we are renewed by charity spread abroad in our hearts by the Spirit which Charity because it informs the mind with the Love of the Divine Law is called Righteousness Of how large an extent the fruit of the Lord's passion is Ephes Christ only by his Personal Office is a Saviour and the Holy Spirit by his Office is a Helper and Comforter of them that are saved Answers Aug. Epist. 65. Righteousness receives not its vertue from Merits but Merits receive vertue from the Iustified The Dignity of 〈◊〉 is valued by the Person of the believer not the Person by the Deeds How the Reward of the Saints is appointed in the Scriptures Heaven is not a reward to the Saints but in the Heavens Ro. 6. An Objection concerning the rewards proposed Answer That which is due upon the account of Obedience deserves no grace Lu. 17. Ro. 8. August praefatione in Psal 31. Grace is often signified in the Scripture under the name of reward Whatsoever we are or shall be we are in debt to the Grace of God sor it A wonderful and secret operation of the Grace of God is shewed by Examples Trident. Concil Sess. 6. Can. 11. Free Will Isa. 53. 1 Cor. 9. 2 Tim. 2. The promise is not therefore made because we run But we do therefore run because the promise is made 1 Cor. 15. 2 Tim. 4. Difference between Gift and Merit Rom. 6. Ephes. 2. Council of Trent Sess. 6. Canon 11. The Tridentines deny that we are justified by favour only Glossa ordinaria in cap. 6. ad Rom. The ridiculouscomment of the Glosse of theSchoolmen Tho. Aqui. lib. 2. sent dist 26. q. 6. Glos. 9. Ro. 6. Orbelius lib. 2. Sent. dist 2. Bonaventure Alex. Halensis Salvation is promised to them that Work not for the sake of the Works themselves Rom. 11. In what thing chiefly the Efficacy of Divine Grace appears Examples of Divine Grace are produced out of the Scriptures AdamGen 3. Abraham Gen. 12. Isaac Gen. 27. Ioseph Gen. 65. The Israelites delivered fromthe Bondage of Pharaoh Exod. 12. The Law was promulgatedbyGod after the deliverance of the People The Land of promise the Victory of the People of Israel Deut. 9. 1 Cor. 7. The Land of promise is a Type of the promised Kingdom Thomas Aquinas with the ordinary Gloss. The Hebrews recover their Health by looking on the Serpent Ionas a Type of Christ saving the lives of his own by his Death The Pious Works of Believers are impured for Merits not according to Righteousriess but according to Grace Osor. de Iust. lib. 6. p. 150. Legal promimises Evangelical promises Romans 2. Imputation twofold 2 Cor. 5. Romans 4. Psalm 32. Andrad lib. 6. Orthod Explic. pag. 477. 454. Tiletanus in Apolog contra 〈◊〉 p. 226. By the Law it is reckoned that he did a thing who does it by another There is frequent mention of Imputation in Paul's Writings Faith without Works imputed for Righteousness Wherefore Worksare separated from Iustification Tho. Aquin. 〈◊〉 109. Ro. 7. Ro. 8. Wisd. 9. Deut. 27. Galat. 3. The manifold signification of Faith Errour and disturbauce among Divines proceeds chiefly from the wrong defining and misunderstanding of Faith Osorius Hosius Luther is falssy traduced Osor. li. 2. pa. 32. There is always joined with Faith a confidence of good hope Confidence and hope accompanies justifying Faith but doth not it self justifie It is requisite to see