Reply Against Gilbert Brown, Section 22
Maiſter Gilbert Browne.
12 We hauehave other works that are called works of Supererogation, whilk are workes of greater perfection, and are not ſet downe to vsus as the commands of God (without the whilk we cannot be ſaued) but as diuine counſels adioyned thereto, they augment our glorie and rewarde in heauen: whilk is alſo the doctrine of Chriſt and his Apoſtles. Matth 1… 21. Mar. 10 21Chriſt ſaide to the young man, If thou will be perfite, goe ſelf the things thou haſt, and giuegive vntounto the poore and thou ſhall hauehave treaſure in heauen, and come fo…low mee ſo wee finde that wilfull pouertie, is a w…k of ſupererogation. 1 Cor. 7 34 38Sik like Saint Paule ſayes, and the woman vnmarried and the Virgine thinks on the things that pertaines to our Lorde that ſhe maybe holy both in body and ſpirite: and afterward Therefore both he that ioynes his Virgine in matrimonie does well, and he that ioynes not, does better. Therefore Virginitie is a work of ſupererogation: for albeit Matrimonie be good yet the vther is better, & this was a counſel that Saint Paule gaue and no command. 1. Cor. 7 40 1. Cor. 9 14.15.23 1. Cor. 9.17.18.1… Luc. 10.35Sik like Paul wrought an work of ſupererogation when he preached the Euangell gratis, where he might hauehave taken iuſtlie for his labours. Chriſt our ſauiour ſpeakes of the ſame workes in the parable of the Samaritane, where he promiſed to the oiſtlar to recompenſe him what euer he did ſupererogat vponupon the wounded man, more nor the two pennies. And Dauid the Prophete did ſupererogate, Pſal. 118.62.164when he did riſe in the night to giuegive God louing, & ſeuen times in the day, and ſo forth.
Maiſter Iohn Welſche his Reply.
As though your former doctrine had not iniuried the merites of the ſonne of God, and his free grace enough, with the whilk (if the Apoſtle be true) your merites of works cannot ſtand. For the Apoſtle ſayes, Rom. 11.6(ſpeiking of our ſaluation) If it be of grace, then is it no more by workes, otherwiſe grace were no more grace: and if it were of works, then were it no more of grace, otherwiſe workes were no more works; you yet eik this damnable and blaſphemous doctrine to all the reſt. And certainlie ſuppoſe ye will not let it fall to the ground, that your doctrine is the doctrine of the Dragon, and that your Kirk is that myſticall Babylon, that mother of whoredomes, full of names of blaſphemie: yet this your blaſphemous doctrine ſufficiently declares what you are. For I appeale your conſcience, Maiſter Gilbert, if ye hauehave any vn-blotted out yet with the ſmoak of the bottomleſſe pit, and the conſcience of al men who euer felt the power of ſinne in them, & the free grace of God renewing them: whether this doctrine of yours be blaſphemous or not: That not only you may fulfill the Lawe, and doe all the dutie whilk God hes commanded you, and thereby merite eternall lyfe: but alſo you may do more nor God hes commanded, whilk ye cal works of greater perfectiō, nor the Lawe of God requyres of vsus, by the doing of the whilk, you ſay, you merite a greater degree of glorie in the kingdome of heauen, and as a)In his preface before de mona chis. lib. 2.Bellarmine ſayes, That your religious Monkes liues a ſtraiter, and more high kinde of life, then either the Lawe of God or man hes preſcryued. And that a man b)lib. 2. c. 13 &c. 6. Ergo ſi addam alterum gradum amoris amphus quam teneor. according to the ordor of ſarum.may louelove God with a greater and more perfite louelove, nor is commanded him in the Lawe: yea, that a man may louelove God with a greater louelove, nor he is bound to louelove him: and that theſe workes are not onelyonly meritorious of eternal lyfe, and of a ſingular glory in heauen, but alſo are profitable to ſatisfie for our ſinnes: and that men may communicate of the aboundance of theſe their merites vntounto others. And therefore, they hauehave in their ſeruice bookes this forme of prayer often, That by the merites of the Saints they may obtain grace and by the blood of Thomas (Archbiſhop of Canterbury) they may aſcend to heauen. Reuel. c. 13.All whilk whether they be not words of blaſphemy, and the doctrine of the Dragon, I appeale your conſcience before God in the great day, and the conſciences of all men, as though it were not blaſphemie ynough to ſay, that men may merite eternall life, and a greater degree of glorie in that life to themſelues by their works: but alſo to communicate vntounto others of the aboundance of their works and ſo not onelie to be ſauiours of themſelues, but of others alſo. And here (reader) I am compelled to ſpeake this to thee ſuppoſe thou beleeue not that they hauehave written and will maintaine ſo horrible blaſphemies I wonder not: for I ſpeak the truth to thee in my conſcience I lye not, I could not hauehave bene induced my ſelf to hauehave beleeued that euer they durſt hauehave profeſſed ſik damnable and deuiliſh doctrine and I had not red it my ſelf in their owne bookes, yea I durſt not hauehave bene ſo confident as to hauehave ſet it downe here vponupon the report of anie, except I had red it my ſelfe. But if the blinde lead the blinde both will fall into the pit together. The Lord deliuer his owne from ſik damnable doctrine whilk of neceſſitie muſte bring damnation vppon the beleeuers and profeſſors of it. To anſwer you then, firſt if we be not able to performe all the duties whilk God requires of vsus in his law, then we are not able to doe workes of ſupererogation whilk is more then our duty, commanded in the law, as ye ſay. But the firſt I hauehave prooued before: therefore the ſecond is true. Secondlie, if the Lawe of God be perfite, and preſcriues more then we are able to doe, Pſal. 1….then there is no works of ſupererogation: this you will not deny. But Dauid ſayes, The Lawe of God is perfite, and our inabilitie to performe it, I hauehave prooued before: therefore there is no works of ſupererogation. Thirdlie, what an abſurd and blaſphemous thing is this to ſay, that God hes not commanded to vsus the workes of greateſt perfection, (for Maiſter Gilbert calles theſe, workes of greater perfection) and ſo ſik workes wherein he is moſte glorified: but hes left them in our owne choiſe to doe, or not to do, as though the Lord had not commanded vsus to glorifie him in the greateſt perfection, nor yet we were bound to doe the ſame? Fourthlie, if there be any ſik works of ſupererogation whilk are of greater perfection nor the Law commands: then it ſhould followe, that the vowe of continency, wilfull pouertie, and monaſticall obedience to their ſuperiours, ſhould be works of greater perfection, and ſo pleaſe God more, then the louelove of God with all the hart, with al the ſoule, with all the ſtrength, with all the minde, Matth. 22.… Marc. 12.29.30with all the thought: (for the former are your works of ſupererogation, and the laſt is commanded in the Lawe) but this is abſurd: therefore there is no ſik works. Fifthlie, this was only proper to the ſonne of God to fulfill the Law of God perfitelie, and to doe more then the Lawe required: to wit, to die for vsus who were his enemies: this doctrine therefore of yours ſpoiles him of this his glorie. Laſt of all, if none can merite eternall life through their workes at all: then none can augment their glorie and rewarde in heauen by their workes of ſupererogation. But the firſt I hauehave proued before: therfore the other muſt followe. And marke this (reader) how farre God hes blinded their mindes: for they deride, & they mock at that imputation of the righteouſneſſe & merites of Chriſt, Bellarm. lib. 2. de iuſtiſ. cap. 2. & Conſil. Trid. can. 10 & Bellarm. lib 2. pag. 12…and they pronounce them accurſed that ſo thinkes: but yet they teach that the works of ſupererogation whilk men does may be communicate to others. As for the firſt place whilk ye quote Matth. 19. If thou wilt be perfite, &c. I anſwered to it before, in my anſwere to the ſecond point of your doctrine: to the whilk I referre the reader. And ſo your wilfull pouertie hes no ground heir. For if this man did not perfitely fulfill the Lawe, then was he not able to doe more then the law required of him: but the firſt is true as I proued before in the ſecond point of your doctrine, and as the circumſtances of the text teſtifies it, for he went away ſad, and he put his truſt in his riches: and ſo it was not onlie difficile, but impoſsible for him to enter in the kingdome of God, as our Sauiour ſaieth, whilk had not beene true of him, if he had fulfilled the Lawe. And this was a ſpeciall command to this man, to diſcouer his hypocriſie. And all Chriſtians is bound alſo out of the louelove of their heart to Chriſt, to be content to forſake all that they hauehave before we renounce him, or his worde, when he ſo requireth of vsus. And if wilfull pouertie be ſik a worke of perfection as ye thinke, Pro. 30.8wherefore then would the Prophet hauehave praied, GiueGive me neither pouertie nor riches, but feede mee with foode conuenient. And if this be the worke of greateſt perfection, what is the cauſe that your Abbots, Popes, Biſhops, & Cardinals (for who ſhould be perfite if not theſe?) will not ſell al their reuenues whilk they hauehave, wherein they ſurmoūt the princes of the world, and ſo augment their glory in heauen, and be perfite? But ſhall others beleeue and obey this doctrine of yours, when the greateſt Patrons of it, beleeues and obeyes it not? O hypocrites who will beleue you!
As for the next work of ſupererogation, Virginitie: it is true that the Virgine and vn-married, who hes the gift of continencie, thinks vponupon the things that appertaines to God: and it is true, that if any hauehave the gift of continency, it is better to be vn-married, then to marrie, eſpeciallie in the times of perſecution. But yet it followes not that it is a work of ſupererogation: for to them who lies the gift, it is a commandement: for he that hes the gift is commanded to vſe it, and in loſing it, he ſinnes. And eueryevery man is bound to glorify God to the vttermoſt of his power, and God is moſt glorified by the ſingle life of theſe, eſpeciallie in the time of perſecution, who hes the gift: and ſo it is not a counſell ſimplie but alſo a command, but to them onlie who hes the gift, & that ſo long onelie as they hauehave the gift. And the Apoſtle ſayes in that ſame place whilk ye quote heir, that he thinks he hes the ſpirite of God alſo, and ſo this iudgement of his was the iudgement of the ſpirite of God, whilk binds and obliſhes al them who hes the gift. But vntounto theſe who hes not the gift, 1. Cor. 7. …. 3. & 9the Scripture hes a plaine command: For the auoyding of fornication let eueryevery man hauehave his owne wife, &c. And if they cannot abſtain, let them marrie, &c. And whereas ye ſay that Virginity is better then Matrimonie: that is not true ſimplie, but only to them who hes the gift. And ſince you ſay it is better, wherefore make ye Matrimonie a Sacrament to giuegive remiſsion of ſins? For ſhall not a Sacrament whilk giues remiſsion of ſinnes be better then an indifferent action, whilk men may doe, or leaue vndone, ſik as ye ſay Virginitie is? As for the Apoſtles example 1. Corinth. 9. in preaching the Goſpel freelie without wages to them: I anſwere: ſuppoſe it was leeſome to him, & all the Miniſters of the Goſpell, to hauehave taken wages, as him ſelf teſtifies and proues in that ſame chapter, from the 4. ver. to the 15. yet it was not expedient to him for the courſe of the Goſpell amongſt them. And men are not only commanded to abſtaine from that whilk is vnleeſome, but alſo from the things whilk are leeſome, if they be not expedient: and ſo he did no more heir then he ſhould hauehave done. 1. Cor. 9.15And therfore he ſayes, It were better for me to die, then that any ſhoulde take my glorie from me, whilk cannot be ſaide of theſe works whilk we are not bound to doe. And he ſayes, Ver. 18That I abuſe not my authoritie in the Goſpell: but this would hauehave bene an abuſe of his liberty with his people: therfore he was bound to doe it. And yet we reade that he ſpoiled other Churches as he ſayes him ſelf, and tooke wages from them. 2. Cor. 11.… Phil. 4And alſo the Kirk of Philippi did communicate vntounto him twiſe.
As for the 10. of Luke, it appeares ye are ſcarce of proofes in quoting this place for your works of ſupererogation: for, will you ſay that the Samaritane was not bound by Gods Lawe to ware more vppon his neighbour in his extremitie, then two penye worth? Hes not the law ſaide, Thou ſhalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelf? And are we not bound to lay downe our life one for another, much more to ware out for him ſik things as may ſerue for the comforte of this life in ſik an extremitie. 1. Ioh 3.16And the Greeke worde foreign is not to ſupererogate (as ye take it) but to ware our further expenſes. So your blindneſſe is groſſe in this. And as for that of Dauid in praiſing God night and day, ſo often, he was ſo farre from … king of himſelfe that hee had done more then the Lawe required of him, that he neuer thought of himſelf that he had fullie obeyed the Lawe. And therefore how often prayes he in that Pſalme, that the Lord would open his eies to vnderſtand the Lawe, and giuegive him grace to performe the ſame. And in other Pſalmes he ſayes, Pſal. 119.12 …7. 1… 27 3… pſal. 40.My ſinnes are m…e then the haires of my head. And if thou marke iniquitie who can ſtand? and therefore this was no worke of ſupererogation. And if you knew Maiſter Gilbert, (but the Lorde hes blinded you) either the perfection of the Lawe of God, or our inabilitie to performe it, or the vnſearchable louelove and kindneſſe of God whilk hes obliſhed vsus to moe duties then euer we are able to do: (for when we hauehave done all whilk is commanded vsus, yet we are but vnprofitable ſeruants:) you would be ſo far from defending theſe your works of ſupererogation, that ye would abhor and deteſt this doctrine.