Heresiography, Description of sect 19
Of the Papists.
A Question may be asked, why I ranke the Papists among the late Hereticks. To which I answer, that there is a great difference between the ancient Papists, and the moderne, since their Trent Conventicle; and therefore I rank them with the former Sectaries; their doctrines being many of them new. In describing of then Errors, I purpose to shew their differences from the Protestants, which are set down at large in Master Perkins Reformed Catholike.
1. Concerning Free-will;1. Concerning Free-will. the dissent is in the cause of the freedome of mans will in spirituall things, and especially in the first conversion of a sinner. The Papists say, that mans will worketh with Gods grace in the first Conversion of a sinner by it selfe: we say that mans will worketh with Gods grace in the first Conversion, yet not of it selfe, but by grace, 1 Cor. 2. 14.
2. Concerning Originall sinne;2. Original sin. the difference between them and us standeth not in the abolishment of it, but in the manner and measure of the abolishment of it. They affirme Originall sinne to be so farre taken away after Baptisme, that it ceaseth to be sinne properly, and is nothing else but a defect, and want, making the heart ready to conceive sinne: we teach, although it be taken away in the Regenerace in sundry respect: yet it doth remaine in them, not as a want or defect, but as sin, and that properly, as St. Paul affirmeth, Rom. 7. 17.
3. Of the certainty of salvation,3. Certainty of salvation. we hold that a man may bee certaine of his salvation in this life. They also hold the same. The difference is, they hold the certainty to be by hope, and we by faith, Iohn 1. 12.
The fourth poynt is of the justification of a sinner.
1. Concerning the matter of our justification.4. Of …ustification. They grant that i… justification sin is pardoned by the merits of Christ, and that none can be j…stified without remission of sin.
2. That the righteousnesse whereby man is justified commeth from Christ, and from him alone.
3. The most learned of them say, that the merit of Christs death is imputed to every sinner that doth beleeve for his satisfaction before God.
We say that the satisfaction made by Christs death and obedience is imputed to us, and becommeth our righteousnes. They say it is our satisfaction, and not our righteousnesse.
The second difference is about the manner of our justification; we both agree that a sinner is justified by Faith: The difference is, the Papists understand a generall faith; whereby a man beleeveth the Articles of Religion to be true. Wee hold the faith which justifieth to be a particuler faith; wherby we apply to our selves the promises of righteousnes & life everlasting by Christ.
2. The Papists say, that a man is justified by faith, yet not by faith alone, but also by other vertues, as hope, love, &c.
3. They say that we are justified by works; as causes we say we are justified by works, as by signes and fruits of our justification before God.
Fiftly, touching merit we agree,5. Merit. that merits are so far necessary, that no man can be saved without them.
2. That Christ is the root and fountaine of all merit.
The Papists place merits within a man, making two sorts of them, viz. The merits of persons, which is to bee found in Infants dying after Baptisme: and the merit of works, which they teach to be meritorious two wayes: First, by Covenant, because God hath made a promise to reward them. Secondly, because Christ hath meritted that our works should merit: we renounce all merit, and rest onelyonly upon the merits of Christ.
The sixth poynt of Satisfaction.
1. We hold a civill satisfaction,6. Satisfaction. & a recompence for injuries.
2. We hold also a Canonical, whereby having given offence to the Church, or any part thereof, a man doth make an open testimony of repentance.
3. We hold that Christ hath made satisfaction for our sins, and the punishment of them both eternall and temporall. They hold▪ that Christ by his death hath made satisfaction for all the sinnes of men, and for the eternall punishment of them all, yet so as they themselves must satisfie for the temporall punishment of them either on earth or in Purgatory, which we deny.
The seventh poynt of Traditions.
The Papists teach, that besides the written word, there bee certaine unwritten Traditions,7. Traditio…s. which must be believed as profitable and necessary to salvation. We hold the Scriptures to be most perfect, containing in them all things necessary to salvation.
The eighth part concerning Vowes.
We say lawfull Vowes may be props and stays of Gods worship,8. Of Vowes. but not the worship it selfe. They hold Vowes of things not commanded to be part of the worship of God: as Continency, Poverty, Regular obedience, which are against Christian liberty.
The ninth poynt for Images.9. Images. We acknowledge the Civill use of Images, but we deny any religious worship of them.
The tenth is the Reall presence.10. Reall presence. We deny not the presence it selfe; and although we hold a reall presence of Christs body and bloud in the Sacrament: yet we doe not take it to be locall, bodily or substantiall but spirituall and mysticall to the signes by Sacramental rela…ion, & to the Communicants by faith alone.
The eleventh is the Sacrifice of the Lords Supper, which they call the Masse.11. The Masse. We acknowledge the Lords Supper to be a Sacrifice.
1. Because it is a memoriall of Christs Sacrifice upon the Crosse.
2. Because every Communicant doth offer up himselfe body and soule a living and acceptable sacrifice unto God.
3. Because of the Almes given to the poore.
They ma…e the Eucharist to be a reall, externall, or bodily sacfice offered unto God.
… twelfth poynt of Fasting.12. Fasting.
We maintaine three sorts thereof, to wit, a Morall, Civill, and Religious.
The first being Morall, is a practice of Sobriety and Temperance to be used in the whole course of our life.
The second Civill, when upon some particuler and politicke Considerations we abstaine … flesh at certaine seasons of the yeare, to preserve the breed of Cattell, and to maintaine the calling of Fisher-men.
The third, a religious Fast, when the duties of Religion, as the exercise of prayer, and humiliation be used in our Fasts.
We joyne with them in the allowance of the principall ends of Fasting. The first, that thereby the minde may become attentive in the service of God. The second that the rebellion of the …lesh may be subdued. The third is to professe our guiltinesse, and to testifie our humil…ation before God.
Thirdly, we yeeld to them that Fasting is an helpe and furtherance to the worship of God, yea and a good worke also, if it be used in a good manner.
Our distent is in three things. First, they prescribe certaine times of Fastirng, as necessary to be kept. Secondly, they prescribe a difference of mea…, as Whi…me…ts and Fish, &c. onelyonly to be used on their fas…ing dayes, and that for conscience sake. Thirdly, we differ touching the ends of Fasting; for they make abstinence it selfe in a person fitly prepared, to be a part of Gods worship. To conclude, we doe not condemne Fasting, but the abuse of it.
The thirteenth poynt of the state of perfection.13. The state of Perfection.
Our consent is, that all true Beleevers have a state of perfection in this life: and this perfection hath two parts: First is the imputation of Christs perfect obedience: The second part, of a Christian mans obedience is sincerity or righteousnesse.
The difference is, they teach that they cannot onelyonly keep all the Commandements of the Law, and thereby deserve his owne salvation, but goe beyond the Law, and doe works of Super-erogation.
The fourteenth poynt is of the worshipping of Saints and especially of Invocation.14. Worshipping of Saints.
Our consent; The true Saints of God, as the Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs are to be worshipped and honoured three wayes.
First, by keeping a memoriall of them in a godly manner.
Secondly, in giving thanks to God for them, and the benefits that God vouchsafed by them.
Thirdly, they are to be honoured by an imitation of their Faith, Humility, Meeknesse, Repentance, and good vertues, in which they excelled. The difference stands in the manner of worshipping of Saints. The Papists make two degrees of Religious worship; the highest they call Latreia, whereby God is worshipped, and that alone Douleia, whereby the Saints and Angels are worshipped: We also distinguish adoration or worship for it is either Religious, or Civill; Religious worship we give to God alone, Civill worship we give to men. To come to the poynt, we deny that any Civill worship is to be given to the Saints, being absent from us; much lesse any religious worship at all, call they it what they will.
The fifteenth poynt of the Intercession of Saints.15. Intercession of Saints.
We hold that the Saints departed, pray to God by giving thanks to him for their owne redemption, and for the redemption of the whole Church.
Secondly, that they pray generally for the state of the whole Church.
They hold that the Saints in heaven do make intercession to God for particuler men, according to their severall wants, and receiving particuler mens Prayers, they present them unto God: which doctrine we flatly renounce.
The sixteenth poynt of implicite faith,16. Implicite faith.
We hold that there is a kinde of implicite faith, as in the time of a mans first conversion, and in the time of some grievous Temptation. A second kinde of implicite faith is in regard of Apprehension, when as a man cannot say distinctly and certainly. I believe the pardon of my sinnes, but I doe unfainedly desire the pardon of them all, and doe desire to repent. The difference is; The Pillars of the Roman Church, lay downe this ground, that faith in his owne nature is not a knowledge of things to be beleeved, but a reverent assent unto them, whether they be knowne or unknowne: hereupon they build, that if a man know some necessary poynts of Religion, as the doctrine of the God-head, of the Trinity, of Christs Incarnation, and of our Redemption, &c. it is needlesse to know the rest, and it is sufficient to give his consent to the Church, and to beleeve as the Pastors beleeve. This implicite faith we reject: for …aith containeth a knowledge of things to be believed; and nothing is believed that is not knowne.
The seventeenth poynt of Purgatory.17. Purgatory.
They hold it to be a part of Hell, into which an entrance is made onley after this life: which we deny having no warrant for it in Gods word.
2. We differ from them touching the meanes of Purgatory, They say that men are purged by suffering the paines of Purgatory, whereby they satisfie for their v…niall sinnes, and for the temporall punishment of their mortall sinnes. We teach the contrary, holding that nothing can free us from the least punishment of the smallest sinne, but the sufferings of Christ, and purge us from the least taint of corruption, saving the bloud of Christ. For Prayer for the dead, which the Author joyneth to this poynt.
We hold Christian Charity is to ex…d it selfe to the Dead and it may sh…w it selfe in their honest buriall, in preservation of their good names, and in relievi…g their poste…y.
We pray further in generall for the faithfull departed, that God would hasten their joyfull Resurrection, and the full accomplishment of their happinesse, both for the body and the soule.
But to pray for particuler men departed, and to pray for deliverance out of Purgatory, we dare not; we think it unlawfull, because we have neither Promise nor Commandement so to doe.
The eighteenth poynt of the Supremacy.18. Supremacy▪
In causes Ecclesiasticall, our consent: First, for the founding of the Primitive Church, the Ministery of the Word was distinguished by degrees, not only of order, but also of power, as Peter was called to the highest degree, Eph▪ 4. 11. Christ ascended up an high, and gave gifts unto men, as some to be Apostles▪ some Prophets, some Evangelists, some Pastors and Doctors. Now howsoever one Apostle be not above another; yet one Apostle is above another, as an Apostle is above an Evangelist; and an Evangelist above Pastors and Teachers. And Peter being an Apostle, was above all Evangelists and Pas…ors, having the highest roome in the Ministery of the New Testament.
Secondly, among the twelve Apostles, Peter had a three-fold priviledge. First; of authority, Cephas, with Iames an… Iohn were called Pillers, Gal. 2. 6. 9. Secondly, of Primacy, being first named; The names of the twelve Apostles are these; the first is Simon called Peter.
Thirdly, of Principality; in regard of the measure of grace in which he excelled, Math. 16. 16.
The difference is, the Papists give to Peter and to the Bishops of Rome his successors, a supremacy under Christ, above all causes and persons: which wee deny; affirming Kings and Princes to bee supreme within their owne Dominions.
The nineteenth of the efficacy of the Sacraments.19. Efficacy of the Sacraments.
Our consents. We teach Sacraments to be signes, to represent Christ with his benefits unto us.
2. Instruments, whereby God offereth and giveth the said benefits unto us.
The difference. First, that Sacraments are Physicall Instrements, having force in them to give grace.
Secondly, that the very action of the Minister dispensing the Sacrament, as it is a worke done, giveth grace, if the party bee prepared. We hold the contrary.
The twentieth poynt of saving Faith.20. Saving faith.
Our consent. 1. They teach the property of faith to believe the whole Word of God, and especially the redemption of mankinde by Christ.
2. They a vouch, that they beleeve and look to be saved by Christ, and by him alone, and by the meere mercy of God in Christ.
3. The most learned of them hold and confesse that the obedien…e of Christ is imputed to them for the satisfaction of the Law, and their reconciliation with God.
4. They avouch that they put their whole trust and confidence in Christ, and in the meere mercy of God for their salvation.
5. They hold that every man must apply the promise of life everlasting by Christ unto himselfe.
Though in coloured termes they seem to agree with us, yet indeed they abolish and deny the substance thereof: namely, the particuler, and certaine application of Christ Crucified, and his benefits to our selves.
The 21. poynt of Repentance.21. Of Repentance.
Our consent. 1. Conclusion; that Repentance is the conversion of a …inner, and that it is passive or active; passive is an action of God, whereby he converteth a man being yet unconver…ed; Active, is an action of man, whereby man being once turned of God, turnes himselfe.
2. Conclusion: That repentance standeth:
In
Confessing of the mouth.
Contition of the heart.
Satisfaction in deed.
3. Conclusion: that in repentance we are to bring forth outward fruits, worthy amendment of life.
We dissent not from the Church of Rome in the Doctrine of Repentance, but in their abusing of it.
1. They place, the beginning of repentance, partly in themselves, and partly in the holy Ghost.
2. They take Repentance or Penance for that publike Discipline that was used against offenders in the open Congregation.
3. They make it a Sacrament.
4. They make it a meritorious cause of Remission of sinne, and everlasting life: and in these poynts (saith my Author) we dissent from the Church of Rome.
In the 22. place he setteth downe some sinnes of the Romish Church,22. The sinnes of the Romish Church▪ viz. Atheisme, Idolatry, and Adultery, in permitting Stewes, and Brothell-houses. I pray God keep us in these distracted times from Atheisme, and Sacriledge, which ensu…th thereupon.
In Master Perkins Reformed Catholike, you may see the confutation of the Popish errors before named at large.