The Doctrine of King James, Doctrine 9
THE DOCTRINE OF THE Catholicke Church, of the Certaintie of Saluation.
TEmplum Dei &c. That the Temple of God, which is inhabitedIreneus lib. 5. …9 by the spirit of the Father, and that the members of Christ should not be partakers of Saluation, how is it not a most great blasphemy?
Mori est vitalem amittere habilitatem &c. To dye is toId. cap. 10. loose the habilitie of life, &c. But this doth not happen to the soule, for it is the breath of life; neither to the Spirit, for the Spirit is simple, and cannot be dissolued, and is the life of them that receiue him.
Partem aliquam spiritus eius sumimus, &c. We receiueId. cap. 11. a part of his spirit, vntounto the effecting and preparing of incorruption, by degrees accustoming, to receiue and carry God in vsus; which the Apostle also called an earnest, that is, part of that honour which is promised to vsus of God.
Qui credit in filium habet vitam aeternam &c. He that beleeueth elemens Alexa. padag. lib. 1. cap. 6.in the Sonne hath life eternall. If then wee who hauehave beleeued hauehave life eternall, what remaineth beyond the possession of life eternall
Non es, inquit, amplius servus &c, (Hee saith) Thou artIdem Ibid. no more a seruant but a sonne. If a sonne, then also an Heyre through God; What then wanteth to a Sonne, when hee is an Heyre?
Qui credidit in nomine eius &c. Hee that beleeued in hisCiprian de Orat. Dominiea. name, and is made the Sonne of God, from that time must begin, both to giuegive thankes, and to professe himselfe the Sonne of God.
Scriptum est enim, Iustum fide viuere &c. (It is written)Id. de Mort. The Iust shall liue by Faith. If thou art Iust, and liuest by Faith, If thou truly beleeuest in God, why, since-thou art to liue with Christ, and art secure of the Lords promise, dost thou not reioyce, that thou art called (by death) vntounto Christ?
Plus amare compellimur &c. wee are inforced to louelove theId. ibid. more while it is granted to vsus to know what wee shall bee, and to condemne that which wee were.Hilary d… Trini… ▪ lib. 1.
Conscia securitatis suae ocio &c. The soule knowing her owne safety, resteth in quietnesse reioycing in her hopes, so much not fearing death, that shee accounteth it as the way to life eternall.
Chananeaiam ipsa &c. The Chananitish woman, beingIbid in Mat. c. 15 now saued by faith, and CERTAINE of that inward Mystery, and sure of her owne saluation.
Per spiritum sanctum datur &c. By the Holy Spirit it isBasil. de spiritu. cap. 15. giuen, a restoring into Paradise, a returne into the Kingdome of heauen, a recouery of the adoption of sonnes, a confidence of calling God Father, a partaking of eternall glory, and that I may say all at once, to be in the fulnesse of all blessednesse, both of this life, and of those good things which are laid vp for vsus in the life to come; which in the meane time wee do enioy by FAITH, beholding that Glory as in a glasse. For if the EARNEST bee such, how excellent is the Perfection.
Bene ait confido. &c. Hee saith well, I am confident. ForAmbrose Serm. 15. confidence is the strength of our hope, and an authority of hoping. Therefore hope still and no man can make t…ee ashamed of thy expectation. Our expectation is life eternall.
Signauit nos dando spiritum &c, Hee hath sealed vsus,Id. in 2 …or. 1. by giuing his Spirit to vsus for an Earnest, that wee may not doubt of his promises; for if when wee were in the state of death hee gaue vsus his Spirit, it is not to be doubted, but that to vsus being made immortall, hee will adde glory.
Non praeter spem esse debemus, &c. Wee must not beeAngust. in Psal. 1…2. without hope, yea wee may bee bold with great confidence, because if hee be with vsus on earth by charity, wee are also with him in heauen—Hee is below by the compassion of charity, wee are aboue by the hope of charity. For wee are saued by hope? But because our hope is certaine, though saluation be to come, it is so spoken of vsus, as if it were already done.
Tribulatio est enim nostra in presenti seculo, &c. OurId▪ in Psal. 123. suffering is in this life, and our hope in the life to come: and except in the sufferings of this life, the hope of the life to come did comfot vsus, wee should perish. Our ioy brethren, is not yet in performance, but in hope. But our hope is as certaine as if the thing were already done. Diuers other places hauehave beene allready cited out of him of Finall perseuerance. I referre the Reader particularly to his booke. De Bono Perseuerantiae, & de Correptione & gratia. Where among many other sentences approuing the Perseuerrance of the sonnes of God, hee saith (cap. 9.) Nullus eorum: &c. None of them being changed from good into euill doth end his life.
Exempta est a morte anima, &c. That soule is freedProsper in Psal. 114. from death, euen though shee bee compassed with mortall flesh, which of vnbeleeuing is made beleeuing: and besides that perfit eternall rest from all labours, which the death of the Saints precious in the eyes of the Lord doth obtaine, the soule which is deliuered from the death of infidelity hath also her rest in this life; euen that soule which ceaseth from the workes▪ not of righteousnesse, but of iniquity. Such a soule which is now aliue vntounto God, and dead to the world, and is diligently buried in spirituall indeauours, not resting in an idle, but a quiet tranquility, of humility and meek nesse, she accounteth as now possessed, whatsoeuer with an vndoubted hope she patiently expecteth.
Neque vsus que eo solum &c. Neither is the grace of Christ…irill Alex. Comment. in Esa. l…. 3. the Sauiour of vsus all onelyonly so farre extended toward vsus, but in good hope, the possession of the Kingdome of heauen lasting and eternall life, and the absence of all euill, which vseth to affect with griefe, are likewise added. For it is written of the Saiuts. euerlasting ioy is vponupon their heads.
Probi viri, cùm mundū possideant cor, &c. Good men, hauing a pure heart, became the receptacles of the comforter, asId. in Ioan. lib. 9. cap. 44. it is possible to men, in this life; and they do know that they shall enioy great and wonderfull rewards. For they shall bee sanctified of the spirit and they shall be made partakers of all good things and the basenesse of bondage being cast off, they shall be adorned with the dignity of adoption of the sons of God, which Paul sheweth, saying: Because yee are sonnes, God hath sent the spirit of his son crying, Abba, Father.
Non accepistis spiritum seruitutis &c. You hauehave not receiued the spirit of bondage &c. For hee cannot bee a iust man in the sight of God, who serueth him not for louelove, but for feare. Which place I alledge, because the fallers from Grace, by teaching this falling from Grace, do teach men a Doctrine, by which men must bee continually in seruile feare, and to this very end they abusiuely alledge, Bee not high minded, but feare, and, Worke out your▪ saluation with feare and trembling.
In Scriptura sacra aliquando &c. In the holy Scripture,Id. in Iob. lib. 16. cap. 2. sometimes the gift of the Holy ghost is called an Earnest, because thereby our soule is strengthned vntounto the Certainty of inward hope. Well therefore it is said by Paul, Who hath giuen vsus the Earnest of his Spirit; For to this end hauehave wee receiued this Earnest, that wee may hold a Certainty of that promise which is made vntounto vsus.
Mandatum Dei si timore fit poenoe &c. If the commandementAnselme in Rom. 8. of God be done, by the feare of punishment, and not by the louelove of righteousnesse, it is slauishly done, and therefore not done. For that fruite is not good, which doth not proceede from the roote of louelove, &c. Wee hauehave receiued the Spirit of Adoption, whereby wee call God our Father: For the veryspirit of God himselfe, giueth witnesse to our spirit, that is, hee makes our spirit to know and vnderstand, that wee are the sonnes of God▪
Habes, homo, huius arcani Indice… spiritum &c. O man,Bernard. Ep. 107 thou hast the iustifiing Spirit for a Teacher of this secret, & in the same witnessing to thy spirit, that thou also art the Sonne of God. Take knowledge of the counsell of God in thy Iustification, &c. For the present Iustification of thee, is both a reuelation of Gods counsell, and a certaine preparation vntounto future glory.
Aliquis non potest, &c. A man cannot hauehave that friendshipAquinus 1. 2. quest. 65. art. 5. with God, which is called Charity, except hee hauehave a Faith by Which he beleeueth that there is such a Society and Familiarity of Man with God, and do hope that himselfe pertaines to this Society, Now how certaine and infallible this hope is, let himselfe also speake. Hope goethId. 2. secudae q. 18. art. 4. on to her end by way of Certainty, as partaking Certainty from Faith, which is in the knowing Faculty. Bradwarden proues Perseuerance, to be a free gift of God unto man, and therefore not of man to himselfe by GodsBradwarden. de de causa Dei. lib. 2. cap. 14. Grace, which first position is the very ground of infallible Perseuerance, and the latter of falling away: and hee inferres. Propter haec huiusmodi que mo…iua, &c. For these and the like motiues, it seemes more probable to mee▪ and more agreeable to reason, and Catholicke Doctrine, that Perseuerance is not giuen to merits, but is freely giuen of God, according to his free Grace, free Praedestination, and free Purpose, as the first working grace that iustifieth a sinner. Non peccat videlicet ad mortem; &c. Hee doth not sinne,F…rus in 1. Ioa. 5 vntounto death, but this hee hath not of himselfl, but from this, that hee is regenerated into a Sonne of God, by Faith and Baptisme: for this regeneration doth preserue him. For by Faith hee is made the Sonne of God, by Faith he is clensed from sinne, by Faith hee is preserued in the obtained righteousnesse, by Faith hee ouercomes the world, the flesh, and the Deuill, and by Faith hee riseth againe after falling, and therefore Satan cannot touch him. Hee may indeede dare to tempt the godly; So likewise hee durst to tempt Christ; Yea sometimes hee driues iust men vntounto a fall, as wee see Dauid and Peter: But FINALLY, as in Christ hee could hauehave nothing, so neither can hee preuaile ouer the Saints. For none can take Christs sheepe out of his handes. Wherefore going to his Passion, hee recommended all those that beleeued in him vntounto his Father.
A heartie desire for the conversion of those that hold the finall a version and falling of the Saints.
AS themselues hold that they may depart from fundamentall Truths, vntounto fundamentall Errours, so I wish that they may also depart from fundamentall errors, whereof this seemes to be one. That Christ Iesus the Sonne of God is not that Rocke, which preserueth the Church that is built on him, that the gates of Hell cannot praeuaile against Her.