The Protestant Religion Truly State and Justified, Part 16
The Eighteenth accuſed Point.
That no man can do Works of Supererrogation.
Anſ. Supererrogation is a ſuſtian word of your own, by which you may mean what you pleaſe.
1. No man can perform to God, more Duty than he oweth him: It's a Contradiction; Duty is quod debetur.
2. No man can profit God by any thing that he doth.
3. No man, ſave Chriſt, lived wirhout all Sin: And he that ſinneth doth not all his Duty, or keep all Gods Law perfectly. And he that doth not all, doth not all and more.
4. There is no Moral good done by any man, which was not his Duty, and Gods Law commanded not: For Gods Law is perfect, and therefore obligeth to all Moral good: And as Sin is the Tranſgreſſion of the Law, ſo Moral good is the conform Obedience to the Law.
5. God hath not Counſels to Moral action, which are not obliging Laws, and make not our Duty. For to keep them is Moral good, and the Law were imperfect if it obliged not to all ſuch good. If the Counſel oblige ut norma officii, it's a Law: If it oblige not, it's vain.
6. But there are many actions that are neither Commanded, nor Counſelled, nor forbidden: But thoſe are not Moral actions, as being no objects of our Chooſing or Refuſing by Reaſons Conduct. The nictus oculorum, our Breathing, our Pulſe, the Circulation of the Blood, &c. are no Moral acts, Commanded or forbidden, but neceſſitated: Man maketh it no act of deliberation and choice, which Foot he ſhall ſet forward firſt, or juſt how many Steps he ſhall go in a Day; which of two equal Eggs he ſhall Eat, and an hundred ſuch. Theſe are neither Duty nor Sin, Commanded, nor Counſelled, nor forbidden; neither virtuous or vicious.
7. And there are innumerable actions, that are not the Matter of any Common-Law or Counſel, and ſo as ſuch, are neither Sin nor Duty, which yet as Circumſtantiated and Cloathed with Accidents, are to this or that man either Duty or Sin.
This not underſtood, maketh theſe Ignorant Caſuiſts abuſe the words of Chriſt and Paul, about Chaſtity, and Marriage. And becauſe Chriſt ſaith, every man cannot receive this Saying, and Paul, ſhe hath not Sinned: He that Marrieth doth well, and he that doth not, doth better; they gather that there are Moral actions which are not beſt, and yet no Sin.
The true plain ſolution is from the two laſt Conſiderations. 1. God hath made no Law commanding or forbidding Marriage, or Celibate as ſuch, or in Common. To Marry is no Sin, conſidered meerly as Marriage. 2. But God hath made Laws againſt hurtful and injurious Marriages, and to guide men to know, when Marrying is a Duty or a Sin. 3. And if any ones caſe were ſo neutral, as that it could not be diſcerned, whether Marrying were a hurt or benefit, it would be no Moral, eligible or refuſeable action. 4. But to ſome it is a great Duty by accidents, and to ſome a great Sin. Therefore Paul never meant that it was no mans duty, and no mans ſin, but only that ſimply as Marriage it was no mans duty or ſin, or the matter of a commanding or forbidding Law, but only by accident, it may be ſuch to one more than to another.
That this is Pauls meaning, the Papiſts muſt confeſs. For 1. Do not they ſay that the Marriage of Prieſts, Fryars and Nuns are Sin? 2. If any one Marry an Infidel, or utterly unſuitable Perſon, without neceſſity, againſt Parents wills, or one that is impotent, or hath the Pox, or that he cannot maintain, &c.? Is not this a hainous Sin? What elſe ſignifie Gods Law, and mans, againſt unlawful Marriages.
And if one cannot live chaſtly without Marriage, and Parents command it, it is not a Sin to refuſe? The Law ſaith, Let all things be done to Edification, and whether ye Eat or Drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God. And is it only Counſel and no Command, to Marry or not Marry, as it makes to Gods Glory or againſt it? There are few actions of a mans Life, that make ſo much to his hurt, and utter miſery, as unwiſe and unmeet Marrying. And is this on Sin? May they not ſee Pauls meaning then, if they were but willing? It is hard to imagine a caſe in which ſo important an action as Marriage, can be neither Sin nor Duty.
2. But ſometime men uſe the word [Sin,] and [Sinners,] for meer Wickedneſs, and ſuch Sin as is inconſiſtent with a ſtate of Salvation. And we eaſily grant, that all Sins are not ſuch Sins as theſe; But Gods Law is perfect, tho' man be imperfect, and forbiddeth all Sin, even the leaſt.
3. But ſee the Hereſies of Popery? This man here ſaith, [To do that which is Counſelled, is not neceſſary, becauſe one may nevertheleſs be ſaved: But he who omitteth what is commanded, (unleſs he do pennance,) cannot eſcape Eternal pains.]
1. See here what a frivolous Counſeller they make Chriſt, when it's not neceſſary to follow his Counſel.
2. See here how they make Neceſſity to be only of that which a man cannot be ſaved without: When Saul a Perſecutor, and Blaſphemer, an Infidel, Murderer, &c. may be ſaved, if he be truly Convicted: Obedience hath it's Neceſſity, tho' we knew that God would forgive Diſobedience, to the Convicted.
3. See here how they damn themſelves and all mankind, every man living omitteth what is commanded many hundred times, for which he doth not that which they call Pennance. He is a Lyar, that ſaith he hath no Sin, ſpecially of Omiſſion. Gods Law bindeth us all to Believe, to Hope, to deſire Holineſs and Heaven, to love God and our Neighbours, and our Enemies, with a ſtronger degree of Faith, Hope, Deſire, and Love, than we do: Every Prayer, and Meditation is ſinfully defective: Every hour hath ſome omiſſion of improvement: And all this is not remembred, nor all confeſt to a Prieſt, nor all known or obſerved by any Sinner: And ſome omiſſion we are guilty of at our very Death, by gradual defect of Faith, Hope, Patience, Love, Content, and Joy. And muſt all theſe go to Hell?
4. Seeing by Penance they mean not bare Repentance, but making God ſatisfaction by a task, of Penalty laid on them by a Prieſt, ye ſee how they damn themſelves, would be the Maſters of all others Salvation, by their Pennances.
5. But it's like that Purgatory is included by them in Pennances; or elſe no man ſhould go to Purgatory, but all to Hell: For all have many omiſſions of commanded Duty, which they did no Pennance for in this Life.
6. But you ſee of how little value they judge Chriſts Sacrifice and Merit, that pardoneth no omiſſion of a duty without Pennance, and Satisfaction truly.