An Antilogy, Section 1
THE ANSWERE TO THE FIRST SECTION OF the Apological Epistle. Sect. 1. The frailtie and pronenes of man to sinne after the fall of Adam.
WE see here verified the saying of S. Paul, That false Apostles are deceitfull workers, and transforme themselues into the Apostles of Christ, 2. Cor. 11.14. and as Sathan doth transforme himselfe into an Angel of light; so his ministers can transforme themselues, as though they were the ministers of righteousnes: so playeth this cunning epistler,Heretical cunning to vtter some truth, to make way for error. who deuoting himselfe in this Libell to the seruice of Sathan, in defacing the truth, and disgracing the true Church of Christ which professeth it; yet maketh a colourable entrance and plausible beginning, setting in the forefront of this beadrole of lies, an euident, knowne and confessed truth of the fall of Adam, and the generall corruption and deprauation of nature from thence issuing. But as Hierome saith, Venenum sub melle latet: Ad Damas.There lieth poyson hid vnderunder hony; and as Ambrose, Quia sub nomine suo culturam suadere non potest, In Coloss. 2.sub alterius nomine suam conatur implere voluntatem, Because Sathan cannot perswade his religion vnderunder his owne name, by another colour he worketh his will: So doth this Sophister vnderunder this cloake of vttering some trueth, seeke to shrowde and hide an heape of lies and vntruths that follow; and seeketh to winne credit and insinuate himself by speaking the truth, that he may be beleeued when hee telleth a lie: So well hath he learned Democritus lesson,foreign that it behooueth a man either to be good, or to dissemble.
In this first section I finde some contradictions betweene this popish champion, and other writers of that side; I note also some errors.
Contrad. 1. He affirmeth, that by Adams fall humane nature is left to it selfe naked and disabled among so many enemies. Herein he speaketh truly, yet otherwise, then some of his fellowes: for Bellarmine saith, that man is of freewill now, Tom. 3. lib. 4. de grat. & libr. arb. c. 7. ar. 6.si fuit ante lapsum, if he were before his fall. He thinketh that man hath freewill in good things as well since his fall as before. He also affirmeth, that mans freewill, with the helpe of grace and without it, Difference about freewill.if it be not vrged by some tentation, Suis viribus bonum aliquod morale ita perficere, &c. by it owne power can make perfect some morall good thing that no sinne therein be admitted. Lib. 5. de grat. cap. 4. in fine.If mans will can bring foorth of it selfe, without the helpe of grace, a vertuous and good action without sinne, as Bellarmine saith; then is not mans nature left naked and disabled, as our countrieman here saith: these speeches agree not.
Contrad. 2. Touching sinne and iniquitie (he saith) no spirituall law promulged by Adam, Contradiction among the Papists.Noe, Lot, Iob, Moses, could weede it out: p. 3. and Christ Iesus, &c. that had beene both able and worthie to hauehave washed away, not only the malice and venome of sinne, &c. yet it pleased the diuine wisedome to leaue them as a penitentiall memoriall of our former demerite, &c. p. 4. Here the Apologist affirmeth, that sinne by no law is weeded out, no not by the law of Grace vnderunder Christ, but that the venome and malice of sinne still remaineth. Wherein he thwarteth the Rhemish Doctors, who teach, that good men keepe all Gods commandements, Luk. 1. sect. 6. and that the commaundement of louing God with all our heart may be kept and fulfilled, as farre as is requisite in this life, Luk. 10. sect. 5. They seeme also to be of opinion, that some in this life may be so iust, that they neede no repentance: for they vnderstand that place Luk. 15. ver. 7. of iust men in deede, not of those, which are so in their owne iudgement, such as the Pharisies were: if some men neede no repentance, then it followeth they hauehave no sin: for where sinne is, repentance is needfull: and if all the commaundements are kept of good men, then none are transgressed; and where no transgression of the law is, there is no sinne: for foreign, sinne, is foreign, transgression of the law, 1. Ioh. 3.4.
But their euasion here will be this, that though eueryevery sinne be a transgression of the law, yet è conuerso, the contrarie is not true, that eueryevery transgression of the law is sin: and though the Apostle say, eueryevery iniquitie is sin, 1. Ioh. 5. vers. 17. yet there the Greeke word is not foreign, as before, but foreign, by which he meaneth mans actuall and proper transgression, Rhemist. annot. 1. Ioh. 3. v. 4.
Ans. 1. Your Latine text translateth both these Greek words, iniquitie, shewing thereby, that in effect they signifie the same thing:The Latine text refused. so that eueryevery iniquitie or transgression of the law is sinne. And let it here be noted, that they refuse in this place their owne Latine text.
2. That foreign, iniustice, is all one with foreign, iniquitie, or transgression of the law, it may bee prooued by S. Paul, Rom. 7.12. where he saith, the commandement is iust, foreign, whatsoeuer then is against the law is vniust: if eueryevery keeping of the law be a point of iustice, eueryevery breach of the law is a point of iniustice.
3. Where the Apostle defineth sinne to be a transgression of the law, and according to the rule of schooles, definitio & definitum, the definition and thing defined are conuertible, it followeth that eueryevery transgression of the law is sinne. And if it should be doubted whether the Apostle doe here set downe a definition of sinne, both Augustine and Ambrose doe follow the same definition: the first defineth sinne to be, Omne dictum, factum vel concupitum contra legem Dei: Sinne is eueryevery word, worke, or thought against the law of God. Ambrose saith, Quid est peccatum, nisi diuinae legis praeuaricatio? What is sinne, but the preuarication of the diuine law? ex citation. Pet. Lombard. lib. 2. distinct. 35. a.
Contrad. 3. He calleth sinne and other infirmities remaining,Difference about naturall corruption and infirmities. the penitentiall memoriall of our first demerite, p. 4. The Rhemists affirme, that the motions of the flesh in a iust man doe not any whit defile the operations of the spirit, but often make them more meritorious for the continuall combat, that he hath with them, Rom. chap. 7. sect. 10. If they be the occasion of greater merite, how are they a penitentiall memoriall? they are rather to be reioyced in, then repented for, as occasioning and furthering meritorious works. Thus well doth this regular Frier, and those seculars of Rhemes agree in their doctrine. As he runneth into contradictions, so hee lasheth foorth at the first into diuers errors.
Err. 1. He seemeth to thinke that originall sinne was onelyonly deriued from Adam in these words: The transgression of the first law-breaker was so venemous a seede to bring foorth wickednes, pag. 3. Whereas it is certaine that originall sinne taketh beginning from the transgression of both our first parents Adam and Eue: for as the Apostle saith, The woman was in the transgression, 1. Tim. 2. vers. 14. therefore the man onelyonly transgressed not, and so consequently was not the author onelyonly of sinne and transgression to his posteritie.Original sinne deriued both from Adam and Eue. Thus Ambrose witnesseth, Adam & Eua primi illi vt generis, ita erroris parentes: Adam and Eua the first parents, as of our generation, so of our error, in Luc. 13. And whereas it is said, By one man sinne entred into the world, Rom. 5.12. that is so spoken, because man is the principall in the carnall generation, as Origen saith: Non enim ex muliere posteritas, sed ex viro nominatur; non enim est vir ex muliere, sed mulier ex viro: For the posteritie is not named of the woman, but of the man: for the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man, Origen. lib. 5. in epist. ad Roman.
Pag. 4. lin. 8.Err. 2. The least drop of his immaculate and vnualuable blood, or the meanest of his so many infinitely meritorious operations, All Christs suffrings needfull for mans redemption.had been both able and worthie to hauehave washed away, &c.
We graunt, that in respect of Gods omnipotent power lesse might hauehave sufficed, then Christ for vsus suffered; but in regard of Gods iustice, God could not otherwise hauehave bin fully satisfied, if Christ had not both in his bodie and soule the whole punishment due vntounto vsus sustained: as the Apostle saith, It became him &c. to make perfect the prince of our saluation through affliction, Hebr. 2.10. And againe, the same Apostle testifieth, that both Christ himselfe was perfited, foreign, by those things which he suffered, Hebr. 5.9. and by his one oblation foreign, hath perfited those that are sanctified, Hebr. 10.14. So then, vnlesse Christ had died, the worke of our redemption had not beene perfited: for in his death and not before he sayd, foreign, it is finished or consummate, Iohn 19.30. Then as Origen sayth, Quod ad potentiam Dei omnia possibilia, quod ad iustitiam Dei possibilia solum quae iusta sunt, In respect of Gods power all things are possible, in regard of his iustice those things onelyonly are possible, which are iust. In Math. Tract. 35. So in respect of Gods absolute power Christ might hauehave suffered lesse, but his iustice considered, it became him to suffer all he did: simplie then to affirme, that the least drop had bene sufficient, is erroneous, for then all his other passions and operations had bene superfluous.
Err. 3. All sexes and ages, men, women, Pag. 4. lin. 22.children (except some one or few excepted by a speciall writing of diuine exemption) little or much, originallie, or actuallie, hauehave beene defiled, P. 4. I pray you, where finde you this speciall writing of exemption, whereby more then one (which is Christ) were euer freed from sinne? I am sure no such writing of priuiledge can be found in the scriptures. Your meaning is, that the Virgin Mary was freed from all sinne both originall and actuall: but the scripture concludeth all men vnderunder sinne, 1. King. 8.46.Christ only exempted from sinne. There is no man that sinneth not. And Origene sayth, Solus Christus sine macula est, qui peccatum non fecit &c. Only Christ is without spot, which did no sinne &c. Hom. 1. in Leuitic.The Virgin Mary not priuiledged from sinne. Mary confesseth her selfe to hauehave neede of a Sauiour, Luk. 1.47. My spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour: But Christ saueth vsus from our sinnes, Matth. 1.21. then Mary had sinne, from the which she was saued. So Ambrose sayth, Non mirum si Dominus redempturus mundum diuinam operationem suam inchoauit à matre, vt per quam salus ab omnib. parabatur, eadem prima fructum salutis hauriret ex pignore: No maruell if the Lord, being to redeeme the world, did begin his heauenlie worke in his Mother, that by whome saluation was prepared for all, she first should draw saluation from her pledge, Ambr. lib. 2. in 1. cap. Luc.
Thus the Epistler with contradictions and errors beginneth his plea for the Pope-catholike religion: if he make such a beginning, what is the end like to be? Sca… rus in Seneca was wont to say,De clamat. lib. 9. It was as great a vertue, scire desinere, quam scire dicere, to know where to end, as to know how to speake. But I may say to this Orator, that it is as great a vertue scire incipere, quam scire desinere, to know how to begin, as to know how to end: if he trip thus in the beginning of his race, and thus enterfeare at the first setting forth, he is like to stumble and fall before he come to the end. Seneca, with whose sentence he closeth vp the first section, sayth, Nemo tam timidus est vt malit semper pendere, quam semel cadere: No man is so timorous, that he had rather alwaies hang, then fall downe at once: Epist. 22. And it had bene much better for him to hauehave as a restie iade fallen downe flat at the first and giuen ouer, then as a tyred hackney to go on as he doth, continuallie tripping and stumbling. May we not say vntounto him, as Hierome of Ruffinus: Persuadeas homini ne vescentium dentib. edentulus inuideat, & oculos caprarum talpa contemnat, Perswade the man that being toothlesse, he enuie not those that hauehave teeth; and being as blinde as a mole, despise not those that are goate-eyed: Hieron. Magno. Such counsell had bene good for this Romish Rabbin, not to find fault with other mens sight being blind himselfe, nor to reproue them of error, being so erroneous himselfe. Dionysius aduice had not bene amisse for him: foreign, either say somewhat better then silence, or else keepe silence.
Yet one thing more I hauehave to say to this Apologicall champion, before I leaue this section, that I maruell that he being, as I vnderstand, of the Ignatian order, which holdeth skorne to learne any thing at the secular Priests hands, should borrow this whole section (the first twentie lines onelyonly excepted) word for word, with very little alteration from the preface to the booke, intituled, A Dialogue betwixt a secular Priest and a lay Gentleman, which was made by W.W. a secular Masse-Priest as it should seeme, against the ambitious practises of the Iudasites: Or if he be ashamed to acknowledge a secular Popish Priest to be his good Master, then it is like they both stole it from some other author, which is most like. And then I may say vntounto him as Archidamas to Periander, That being a good Phisitian, made euill fauoured verses, foreign;what mooued thee, to desire of a good Phisitian to be counted an euill Poet? So I say to him, that he was much ouerseene of a reasonable good translator, to take vponupon him to be a bad author, thrusting that simplie vnderunder his name as his owne, which he might with more honestie confesse to hauehave beene borrowed. Hierome could hauehave taught him otherwise: Ego, qui plus conscientiae meae, quam nomini defero, furari tamen titulum eius, qui operis fundamentum iecit & construendi adificij materiam praebuit, rectum non puto: I, which yeeld more to my conscience then credite, thought it not right to steale the title from him, that first laid the foundation of the worke, and prouided the stuffe for the building, Perorat. epist. Origen. ad Roman.