Answer to Assertions of Fecknam, Front matter of L.T.s answer to Fecknam
Here ensueth the answere to these Assertions and Obiections of M. Fecknam.
Made by L.T.
¶ An Answer to certeine Assertions and Obiections of M. Fecknam sometime Abbot of Westminster, which he made of late against a godly Sermon of M. Iohn Goughs, preched in the Toure the .xv. of Ianuarie. 1570.
Fecknam.
1 That it is not impossible to kepe Gods commandements.
S. Peter. Act. xv. vers x. and .xj. Now therefore, why tempt ye God, to lay a yoke on the disciples neckes, which neither our fathers, nor we were able to beare? But we beleue through th… …ace of the Lord Iesus Chryst to be saued, …en as they do.
S. Paule. Rom. viij. vers. iij. For (that that was impossible to the law, in as much as it was weake, because of the flesh) God sending his owne sonne, in the similitude of sinfull flesh, and for sinne, condemned sinne in the flesh.
Fecknam.
2 That the holy Angels and Saincts of heauen may heare our prayers.
Salomon. Ecclesiastes .ix. vers. v. and .vj. For the lyuing know that they shal die, but the dead know nothing at al, neither hauehave they any more a rewarde: for their remembrance is forgotten. Also their louelove and their hatred: and their enuie is nowe perished, and they hauehave no more portion for euer, in all that is done vnderunder the sunne.
Fecknam.
3 That onelyonly fayth doth not iustifie.
S. Paule. Rom. iij. vers. xxviij. and .xxx. Therefore we conclude that a man is iustified by faythe without the workes of the law. For it is one God who shall iustifie circumcision of faith, and vncircumcision through faith.
Fecknam.
4 That eueryevery sin is not mortall.
S. Iohn. j. Ep. iij. vers. iiij. Whosoeuer committeth sinne, transgresseth also the law: for sin is the trāsgression of the law.
S. Paule. Rom. vj. vers. xxiij. For the wages of sinne is death▪ but the gift of God is eternall lyfe through Iesus Christ our Lord.
To the right worshipfull, Sir Frauncis Iobson Knight, Liuetenaunt of the Tour, Sir Henry Neuel knight, and M. Pellam Lieuetenaunt of the Ordinaunce.
THere was deliuered vntounto me vponupon the .4. of March .1570. by a frend of mine, a little pamflet written by M. Fecknam somtime Abbot of Westminster, which he exhibited vntounto your worshippes, vppon demaund by you made of his liking of a godly Sermon preached by M. Goughe in the Toure the .15. of Ianuarie .1570. Which when I had red ouer, I maruayled not a little bothe at the weakenesse of hys cauilling Obiections, he vseth against suche godly poincts of Doctrine, as he laboreth, by forsing of Scriptures and Doctors to his purpose, to ouerthrow: and also at his boldnesse in offering the same vntounto you. For I thought vntill I had perused it, that in so little a treatise, so great ignorance of Scriptures, of Doctors, of the common Arte of Logicke, which boyes after one or two yeares being in the vniuersities, are not ignoraunt in, could not hauehave ben foūd in him, who carieth so great a name and countenaunce of learning: Or at the least if his ignorance had bene such, as by this I vnderstand it in dede to be, that he coulde by politique silence hauehave concealed it, and not by wryting to your worshippes, (men I doubte not but of perfecte knowledge and sound iudgement in al poynts of true religion) reuealed both it and the weakenesse of their common cause, which so fain he would support. How be it for this latter, in his Preamble he pretendeth some cause, as the auoyding with your worships, the opinion of obstinacie, self wilfulnesse, want of iust matter to mislike in the foresayd Sermon. &c and this in deede is but a bare pretence. For the bitternesse of his stile, and smothe scoffes, which he vseth too oftē in so short a discourse vponupon .iiij. point…, sheweth, he rather by these cauils sought to rid his stomake of a litle choler, than any thing else: or to abuse and seduce your worships as men altogether ignorant in these questions. But yet I will thinke the best, as ye rule of charitie teacheth me, and conceiue hope of his conuersion, for which also I pray with my whole harte. And in case he blame me as not iudging rightly of this his writing, being therunto requested by you: let him waigh wel his owne & last words in his preface vntounto you, & say plainly whether a simple & plain meaning may be gathered of them: they be these. More seking to satisfie your request and demaūd, than to minister any occasiō of further argument. What meaneth he hereby? Is he rather moued with satisfying your request thā the cause it self he standeth in, which he wold make appeare to the world to be the truth? Or if the truth of his .iiij. assertions did more moue him, than your requestes, why feareth he least by his wryting, occasion of further argument touching these questions be ministred?
If he know that he hath héere by good argument mainteyned a good cause, then is there no cause why he should feare further debating, but he ought like a good minister and teacher, stand and offer him self ready prepared to the defence thereof, yea though it were with daunger and losse of his lyfe. But yf he bée guiltie in his owne conscience of the naughtinesse of the cause and his owne weake proues, why doth he so much abuse your worships with a shew of confutation of the truth? What iust causes and true occasions hauehave lead him to reprehend so godly points of doctrine, taught by M. Gough, I referre to the iudgement of any indifferent and learned Reader. I hauehave vsed as much breuitie as I could, in aunswering his arguments, that the reading therof might not bée tediouse to you. And last of all I thought good in mine own behalfe, (lest some might thinke amisse of me for mainteyning the quarrell, made agaynst an other man, as one desirous of contention, vayne glorie. &c.) to proteste vntounto your worshippes, that the earnest request of my very friend, who knew me to hauehave a little spare time and M. Gough too be otherwise more profitably occupied, forced me to say somwhat in way of an aunswere to M. Fecknam: that I speake nothing of the truth of the common cause of religiō, which of it self ought to moue any man zelous in Gods religion, to take pen in hand agaynst any that shall séeke to impugn the same. Thus much I thought good to let you vnderstand of the occasion of my dealing herein, and partly also for a péece of an aunswere to such talke, as M. Fecknam in his preface directeth, specially too your worships. The Lord Iesus confirme you in all truth daily encreasing his knowledge and all other good giftes in you, Amen.