Answer to a Popish Pamphlet, Article 7
Artictle. 7.
Papiſt.
The Proteſtants ſhal neuer hauehave life euerlaſting; becauſe they will hauehave no merits, for which euerlaſting life is giuen.
Proteſtant.
Miſerable Proteſtants, if the Pope had giuen that place, and office to this man, which he hath beſtowed vponupon Saint Peter, to make him porter of heauen gates.
Papiſt.
A.Whatſoeuer is giuen as wages, is giuen for works.
But the kingdome of heauen is giuen as wages.
Ergo the kingdome of heauen is giuen for works.
The maior; or firſt propoſition may be declared after this maner. For example, her Maieſty may beſtow 1000. pounds a yeare vponupon ſome ſuter, either gratis, of meere liberality, & ſo it is called a guift, Donum, a grace, or fauor▪ or vponupon conditiō, if he behaue himſelfe manfully in the warres of I…eland▪ & in this caſe the reuenue is called Merces wages, Remuneratio, Stipendium, a reward, or paiment. And although her Maieſty did ſhew him a grace, & fauour, to promiſe ſuch a reward for performing ſuch a work, the which he was boūd vponupon his allegeance otherwiſe to performe; yet once hauing promiſed, and the worke being performed, her Maieſty, is bound vponupon her fidelity, & iuſtice, to pay that, ſhe promiſed.
In like maner, God may giuegive vsus the kingdome of heauen, without any reſpect, or regard of works; as he giueth it to litleAd Rom. 4. v. 5. Children, that are baptiſed, and ſo it is a meere guift, & a pure grace. Or hee may giuegive it, with ſome reſpect vntounto our works, & ſo he giueth it to al them▪ who hauing vſe of diſcretion keepe his commaundements: & for this cauſe, it is called wages, M…rces, a reward; and thus the maior muſt be vnderſtood, to wit, that Whatſoeuer God giueth as wages is giuen for works; and ſuch wages are called merits; vvages then, & merits, hauehave a mutuall relation: for what are wages, but a reward of merits? & what are merits, but a deſert of wages.
The minor is moſt plaine, & inculcated in ſcriptures. Voca B. Apoc 22. verſ. 12. 1. Cor. 3. verſ. 8. Mat. 5. 12. & cap. 6. v…rſ. …. 1. 1. Tim. 5. verſ. 18.operarios, & redde illis mercedem. Call the workemen, & pay them their wages. Ecce ego venio, & merces mea mecū eſt, reddere vnicui que , ſecundū opera ſua; …oe I come, & my wages with me, to giuegive to eueryevery one, according to his workes. Vnusquiſ que propriam mercedem accipiet, ſecundum ſuum laborem. EueryEvery on ſhal receaue proper wages, according to his labour. The like we hauehave in twēty other places of ſcripture; al which infallibly proue, that the kingdō of heauē is giuen as wages, for merits, and conſequently, that Proteſtants, who are enemies to merits, ſhall neuer attaine to the kingdome of heauen, which is purchaſed by good works, and merits and for ſuch men we may well ſay that heauen was neuer made, no more then learning for him, that will neuer ſtudie, nor vertue for him, who deſpiſeth the exerciſe thereof.
Proteſtant.
Any man may ſee with halfe an eye, that the point in queſtion is not concluded in this ſyllogiſme. But this fault is ſo common with this diſputer, that I am weary of noting it. The reaſon ſtands thus, being orderly, & ſhortly concluded.
If the kingdom of heauen be giuen for workes, and the Proteſtants will hauehave no merits, the Proteſtants ſhall neuer hauehave the kingdome of heauen.
But the kingdome of heauen is giuen for workes, and the Proteſtants will hauehave no merits.
Therfore the Proteſtants ſhall neuer hauehave the kingdome of heauen.
See this popiſh ſleight of confounding workes, & merits, as if they were all one. Indeed the ancient Latin writers put meritum, deſert or merit, for opus worke ſomtimes, & mereri, to deſerue, ſometimes for conſequi, to obtaine, or to be vouchſaft a thing. But neither are they all one in truth: and the ſcripture, that ſpeakes much of workes, neuer vtters any word of merit. Therefore the conſequence of this propoſition is little worth. Neither is the aſſumption of this ſyllogiſme any better, as being altogeather falſe. For how can the kingdome of heauen be giuen for works, when as it is an Inheritance, & not a purchaſe. For as many as are redeemed byGal 4. 4 5. Ioa. 1. 12. Rom. 8. 17. Chriſt, receaue the adoption of ſinnes, and all Gods ſonnes are heires, euen fellow heires with Ieſus Chriſt. Now to the heire, the inheritance is due, as deſcending vponupon him, neither can he make purchaſe of that, which already is his owne by law. Hireling indeed worke for wages, & yet many of them c…not iuſtly plead deſert, in claiming their wages. But whatſoeuer their plea be, it is ſtrange diuinitie, & law too, for children to deſerue their owne inheritance. The weakneſſe of this aſſumption is vnderpropt with this reaſon.
Whatſoeuer is giuen as wages, is giuen for workes.
But the kingdome of heauen is giuen as wages.
Ergo; The kingdome of heauen is giuen for workes.
This is your proofe, to the which at the laſt we are come. But you forget your ſelfe much therein. For the queſtion is not of workes, but of deſert by working; ſo that if the concluſion of this ſyllogiſme be granted, the kingdome of heauen is giuen for workes; yet are you farre enough from prouing your article, that euerlaſting life is giuen for merits. Since ſome thing may be due vpō promiſe by couenant, which notwithſtanding is no way deſerued. And this, it ſhould ſeeme you ſaw well enough, and therefore choſe rather to bring a weake ſimilitude, then to make offer of any ſound proofe. You tell vsus a tale, what the Lord may doe, vtterly to no purpoſe. Wherein I note onelyonly theſe two things.
Firſt, that if all you aske be graunted, it helpes you nothing: for what if euerlaſting life be giuen for workes? how often muſt you be told, that working and deſeruing are not all one? We deny not, that God will reward eueryevery leaſt good worke of any of his children; but we cannot graunt, that eyther the reward he will giuegive, is euerlaſting life, or that any workes of his children deſerue that reward, which he will giuegive. I doubt not (which is the ſecond thing I note in his ſimilitude) but you Papiſts your ſelues would thinke it extreame preſumption, for any ſubiect to claime, as of merit, that 1000. pound a yeare, which was promiſed by the Prince, for good ſeruice in Ireland: eſpecially if it may be truely obiected againſt ſuch claime, that though ſome fewe actions hauehave bene valiantly performed in part; yet both in the beſt there hath beene defect, and for one thing well done, twentie hauehave beene left vndone. How then ſhall any man proudly vaunt of merit, that knowes what Gods law requires, and what his owne deſerts are? It is the infinite goodneſſe of God our father in Ieſus Chriſt, that he doth accept of our vnperfect obedience, & crowne it with glory, for all the imperfections thereof.
But euerlaſting life (ſaith he) is called wages, and giuen as wages.
As if we denied, that good workes ſhall receaue reward, and need eueryevery foote put you in minde of the difference of workes, and merites. But indeed euerlaſting life, or the kingdome of heauen is neuer, I thinke, called wages in Scripture. There is a reward promiſed by God, viz. an increaſe of glory, which ſhalbe imparted to the faithfull, proportionably to the meaſure of grace, and vſe thereof in this life, according to workes. But the kingdome of heauen is an inheritance, belonging to all the faithfull, as members of Ieſus Chriſt their head, whoſe firſt, and properly it is. This I proued a little before, and therefore will now onelyonly ſet it out more plainely by a ſimilitude, or likeneſſe.
The ſonne and heire of a King hath intereſt in the kingdome, by right of inheritance, the Kings mo…eables may eyther, in his life time by guift, or by legacie, after his deceaſe be diſpoſed of to whom he pleaſe. The King to incite his ſonne to valure, and louelove of vertue, promiſeth him that he will giuegive him ſome ſpeciall reward, for eueryevery valiant exploit, or attempt, with true martiall diſcretion, and reſolution. This reward is to be raiſed out of his moueables, giuen indeed for workes, but not to be claimed vponupon deſert, in regard of ſome iuſt exception, which the King his father may take againſt all ſuch his enterpriſes, and atchiuements. Such is our eſtate, in matters of euerlaſting life, by reſting vponupon Ieſus Chriſt to be ſaued by him, we become members of his myſticall body, ſonnes of God his father, and ours by him, heires of euerlaſting life, which is his inheritance, and ours as members of him. God our Father hath made promiſe to vsus being now ſonnes, and heires, and hauing thereby intereſt in his kingdome, of reward of all things, that we ſhall valourouſly atchieue, or reſolutely vndertake, for the glorifying of his name, according to his will. This promiſe conueyes not to vsus any title to the kingdome (for that is ours already, euen in poſſeſſion by Chriſt) but incourageth1. Cor. 15. 58. vsus to Chriſtian obedience, to be ſtedfaſt, vnmoueable, aboundant alwayes in the worke of the Lord, for as much as we know, that our labour is not in vaine in the Lord. And yet this is not our onelyonly, or greateſt motiue to good workes: For that ariſeth from our Child-like affection to ſo kind, and bountifull a father. Which if the Papiſts hauehave not, let them not therfore deny, that there is any ſuch thing: like the mole, that will not beleeue, that any beaſt can ſee, becauſe ſhe her ſelfe is blind. What if they, like hirelings, will doe nothing but for wages? The ſonnes of God in this life, take as great pleaſure in their preſent obedience, as in their future reward: which notwithſtanding they moſt aſſuredly looke for, according to his promiſe, that can not faile, euer God our Father; To whome with the ſonne, and Holy Ghoſt bee all obedience, thanks, and glory, from this time for euer, and euer Amen.
A Concluſion vntounto his moſt ſpeciall friend, Maiſter F. T.
THus (my deare friend) I hauehave ſett downe thoſe reaſons, which induced me to receaue the Catholick faith, and for which I continue therein. Conſider, I pray you, whether they be not ſo ſubſtantiall, and waightie, as any wiſe man might accept, and allow of, or at leaſt might cauſe a reaſonable doubt of religion ariſe in his minde, concerning the Protestants faith, for if theſe bee true, as queſtionleſſe they are moſt true, what man of iudgment, will hazard his ſoule vponupon a religion, peſtered with ſo many notorious abſurdities and palpable errors: Eternall damnation is a matter of no ſmall moment: when the ſoule is once plunged into thoſe flames, it is paſt recouery: farre he …eapes, and ill he lights, that iumpeth into hell; and queſtionles, without true faith, you ſhall neuer come to Heauen. Ʋrge your Miniſters therefore to ſatiſfie your conſcience, in anſwering theſe articles. Will them to reply with maturitie, and cauſe them anſwere diſtinctly, and as they thinke in their conſciences: For I feare they will rather do it for a forme, to ſeeme to ſay ſome thing, then they wilbe iudged ignorant by ſilence, in ſaying nothing. And with this I rest at your deuotion, expecting what your newe Euangeliſts can anſwere to theſe iuſt accuſations, of their erroneous religion. From my chamber in Antwerpe this firſt of March, your louing freind H. T.
FINIS.
As much of this poſt-ſcript, as hath any need of anſwere is touched in my Preface. I will therefore looſe no more time in examining ſuch diſcourſes.