A Compend of the Controversies of Religion, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. OF SANCTIFICATION.
§. 1. That there is no man perfectlie ſanctified in this lyfe, or in-abled ſo to liue heere, vvith-out tranſgreſsing God's Commandements.
1. Authoritie of Scripture.
1. KIngs 8.46. If they ſinne againſt thee, (for there is no man that ſinneth not.)
Note then, That Salomon denyeth, that anie man in the world is ſo perfectlie ſanctifyed, but hee ſinneth.
Prov. 20.9. Who can ſay, I hauehave made mine heart cleane, I am pure from ſinne?
A Papiſt will ſay, that ſundrie can ſay this.
Prov. 24.16. For a juſt man falleth ſeaven tymes, and ryſeth againe: but the Wicked ſhall fall into miſchiefe.
Note then, That hee ſhoweth, that the moſt godlie ſinneth oft-tymes; and that this is the difference betweene them and the wicked, not, but that both doe ſinne, but the godlie ryſeth againe by repentance, and the other lye ſtill in ſinne continuallie, while puniſhment or miſchiefe light vponupon him.
Iob 9.20. If I juſtifie my ſelfe, mine owne mouth ſhall condemne mee: if I ſay, I am perfect, it ſhall alſo proue mee perverſe.
Remarke then, If ſuch a commended man as Iob was, was not perfect, who other may ſay, that hee is ſo?
Rom. 7.23. But I ſee another Law in my Members, vvarring againſt the law of my minde, and bringing mee into captivitie to the law of ſinne, which is in my members.
Philip. 3.12. Not as tho I had alreadie attained, either were alreadie perfect.
Note then, If ſuch a rare Sainct as Paul, denyed, that hee was perfect, and complained of his oft ſinning: who is he now, that of him-ſelfe, without blaſphemie, dare affirme the contrarie?
1. Iohn 1.8. If wee ſay then, that wee hauehave no ſinne, wee deceiue our ſelues, and the trueth is not in vsus.
Iam. 3.2. For in manie things wee offend all.
Remarke, How the Apoſtles exclude not them-ſelues, and who then can except him-ſelfe?
Luke 11.4. And forgiue vsus our ſinnes.
Note then, That Chriſt hath taught all God's Children, who call him their Father, to beg daylie forgiueneſſe, as well as daylie bread. And therefore none can exeeme him-ſelfe from daylie ſinning: els it were needleſſe to beg daylie pardon. And this Chriſt hath taught vsus to ſay (ſayth Ierome) non humilitatis mendacio, not thorow humilitie to lie, as the Pelagians expounded it: but thorow the feare of humane frailty, dreading our own conſcience. Hieron. lib. 3. adverſ. Pelagianos.
2. Witneſsing of Antiquitie.
ALl theſe examples I runne over, (ſaith Ierome) to ſhow, that the Law was never yet fulfilled by anie man. lib. 2. contra Pelagianos. For this is the priviledge of Chriſt, and if hee bee without ſinne, (ſayeth hee) and I alſo without ſinne, what is the difference betweene mee and God? Hieron. lib. 3. adv. Pelagianos. Heere-vntounto accordeth like-wiſe Bernard, ſerm. 50. in Cantica.
3. Confeſsion of Partie.
IT is impoſſible (ſayeth Aquinas) to fulfill the whole Law, &c. and never any could keepe yet the Law as it is commanded. Aquin. in 3. Galat. Lect. 4.
§. 2. That no man can doe works of greater perfection, or more, than God hath commanded, which the Papists call workes of ſupererogation. Bellar. l. 2. de Monachis, c. 13.
1. Authoritie of Scripture.
TO convince this prowde errour, it might ſuffice what is formerlie proven, to wit, if no man can obey the verie Law perfectlie, how much leſſe is hee able to obey it, and more? yet let the Canon of Scripture batter this prowde Towre of ambitious Babell.
Iohn 6.38. For I came downe from Heaven, not to doe mine owne vvill, but the vvill of him that ſent mee.
Note then, If the full perfection of Chriſt conſiſted in doing of God's will onlie, what blaſphemous pryde is it, to ſay, That they doe more than God's will? for if it bee his will, then he hath commanded it: and if they doe their owne will, how dare they ſay, That their will is perfecter than the will of God?
Pſal. 103.20. Bleſſe yee the Lord, his Angels, that excell in ſtrength, that doe his commandement, hearkening to the voyce of his Word.
Remarke againe, That the perfection of Angels is placed heere-in, that they doe what by his word the Lord commandeth them. Therefore, what Luciferian pryde is it in man, to ſtretch his perfection further than the Angels?
Pſal. 19.7. The Law of the Lord is perfect.
But if there bee rules of perfection aboue the Law, then it will follow, that the Law is an imperfect rule of holineſſe.
Matth. 22.37. Thou ſhalt louelove the Lord thy God, vvith all thine heart, and vvith all thy ſoule, and vvith all thy mynde.
Now what perfection can poſſiblie bee beyond that, which is commanded? ſeeing all the heart, all the ſoule, and all the mynde is required: and the Law it ſelfe is made heere the modell of all perfection, inward and outward.
Philip. 4.8. Finallie, Brethren, vvhat-ſo-ever thinges are true, vvhat-ſo-ever thinges are honest, vvhat-ſo-ever things are just, what-ſo-ever things are pure, vvhat-ſo-ever things are louelove-worthie, vvhat-ſo-ever things are of good report, if there bee anie vertue, and if there bee anie praiſe, thinke on thoſe things.
Remarke then, That there is nothing that one can doe which is good, but may bee redacted to one of the fore-named properties: and therefore there is no good thing that one can doe, but it is expreſſelie commanded. But indeed it is to be granted, that the popiſh works of Supererogation, are no-where commanded, to wit, to eate the bread of yldeneſſe, and liue an impure ſingle lyfe, in their monkiſh Cloiſters: in reſpect the one is injuſt, and the other impure, and both to bee hated, againſt the fore-named properties.
2. Witneſsing of Antiquitie.
FOr the remiſſion of the ſinnes of their brethren (ſaith Augustine) the blood of no Martyre was ever ſhed, which Chriſt onelie hath done for vsus: not that wee ſhould imitate him there-in, but congratulate for that which hee hath beſtowed on vsus. Aug. tract. 84. in Iohan.
3. Confeſsion of Partie.
BEllarmine ſhoweth, that not onelie ſundrie recent Divines of theirs, but alſo the Divines of Lovane, did teach, that the ſufferings of the Saincts are no ſatiſfactions, but that Chriſt's ſatiſfaction is onlie that vntounto vsus. Bell. lib. 1. de indulg. cap. 4.