Answer to Book by Romish Priests, Doctrine 17
XVII. That the Actions and Paſſions of the Saints, do ſerve for nothing to the Church.
Anſwer.
A Moſt wicked Slander; for we look upon what they did and ſuffered, as glorious Teſtimonies to the Truth they believed and preached, as ſtrong incitements to us to follow their Examples, and as eminent Inſtances of the Power of God's Grace in them; for which we bleſs and praiſe him, and thankfully commemorate them.
But all this ſerves for nothing to the Church, that is, to the Church of Rome; unleſs men believe there is a Treaſury which contains all the ſuperfluous Satisfactions of the Saints, who ſuffered more than they were bound to endure. Of which vaſt Revenue that Church having poſſeſſed it ſelf, it ſerves to bring abundance of Money into their Coffers; which muſt be paid by thoſe who deſire to be relieved out of theſe ſuperabundant Satisfactions of the Saints, by having them applied to them, for the ſupply of their defects. This is the meaning of this very man, it appears, by the Scriptures he quotes for their belief.
I. Col. 24.The firſt is, I. Col. 24. which ſpeaks of the Perſecutions St. Paul endured, in Preaching the Goſpel to the Coloſſians; which tho grievous to him, was ſo beneficial to them, that he rejoiced in his Sufferings, and reſolved to endure more for the confirmation of their Faith, and for the edification of the Church of Chriſt. This he calls, filling up what was behind of the afflictions of Chriſt: Becauſe Chriſt began to teſtifie to the Truth, by ſhedding of his Blood, and thence is called the Faithful Witneſs: But it remained ſtill, that the Apoſtles ſhould give their Teſtimony by the like Sufferings, becauſe the Goſpel was to be carried to the Gentile World; which could not be effected without their enduring ſuch hardſhips, as Chriſt had endured in Preaching to the Jews. Thus Theodoret expounds, That which was behind, or which remained of the Affliction of Chriſt. But here is not a word of Satisfaction; no, not by Chriſt's Sufferings, which were of ſuch value, that there was nothing of this nature left to be done by others. This, better Men than this, of their own Church, ingenuouſly confeſs. Particularly, Juſtinianus, a Jeſuit, whoſe words are theſe upon this very place, He ſaith he filled up what was wanting of the Paſſion of Chriſt, not to merit indeed, or make Satisfaction (for what can be wanting to that which is Infinite?) but as to the Power and Efficacy of bringing Men to the Faith; that his Myſtical Body, which is the Church, may be perfected, &c. For he ſignifies in the latter end of the Verſe, That he ſuffered for the enlarging or propagating of the Church, to confirm and eſtabliſh its faith, that he might provoke others to his imitation.
I could add many more, to ſhew the Folly of this Man; who ſaith, From hence Ground hath always been taken for Indulgences. A notorious falſhood; not always, for Indulgences are late things; not by all Men in their Church, ſince it uſed them. For Eſtius in his Notes upon this place, abſolutely diſclaims it, and ſaith, Tho ſome Divines hence argue that the Paſſions of the Saints are profitable for the remiſſion of ſins, which is called Indulgence; yet he doth not think this to be ſolidly enough concluded from this place.
Which I have been the longer about, becauſe they are wont to make a great noiſe with it. The next place they curtail'd heretofore in this manner;Philip. II. 30. He was nigh unto Death, not regarding his Life, to ſupply your lack (leaving out what follows, of ſervice towards me) which made it ſound ſomething like, as if their lack of Goodneſs had been ſupplied by his Merits, or rather Satisfaction: for Merit will do no ſervice in this caſe. But Biſhop Montague bang'd them ſo terribly for this foul play, that now they have printed it right; tho, alas! nothing to the purpoſe. And therefore this Man doth not venture to ſay ſo much as one word upon this Text; but barely recites the words, and leaves the Reader to make what he can of them. And all that Menochius, a truly Learned Expoſitor of their own, could make of them, is this, That St. Paul being in Priſon, Epaphroditus performs him thoſe good Offices, which the Philippians ſhould have done, had they not been abſent: But he ſo much neglected himſelf, while he was wholly intent upon ſerving the Apoſtle, that he fell dangerouſly ſick, and lay for a time without hope of Life.
Finding ſo little relief in theſe places of Scripture, he betakes himſelf to arguing from that Article of our Creed, The Communion of Saints. Which Bellarmine, L. 1. de Indulg. c. 3.from whom he borrows theſe goodly proofs, manages on this manner, We are taught by this Article, that all the Faithful are Members of one another, being a kind of living Body. Now as living Members help one another, ſo the Faithful communicate good things among themſelves; eſpecially when thoſe which are ſuperfluous to the one, are neceſſary or profitable to the other.
This is admirable Catholick Doctrine. The Saints have more than they need, and therefore they communicate it to us, for the ſupply of our wants. But this ſhould have been proved, and not ſuppoſed, that the Saints have more than enough, ſomething to ſpare; and that their Paſſions were Satisfactions, and Superabundant Satisfactions. After which it would ſtill remain a pretty undertaking to prove, that becauſe one Member helps another when it ſuffers any thing; therefore the Sufferings of one Member will Cure another Member; the Pain, for inſtance, of the long Finger will free the little Finger from the pain which it it ſuffers. Thus the Actions and Paſſions of Saints are not imparted to us; as this Man preſumes from the Relation we have one to another; and yet they ſerve for very good purpoſes to the Church, as I have already ſhown.
And one would imagine he diſtruſted this Argument after he had ſet it down, becauſe he runs back again to the Scriptures. A great Company of which he heaps up, to no more purpoſe than if he had quoted ſo many Texts of Ariſtotle. I will give the Reader a taſte of one or two: The firſt is, CXIX. Pſalm 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. Thus the words run expreſly in our Bible. Now let me beſeech the Reader to conſider what Action or Prayer of the Church Triumphant, for the Church Militant or Patient, or for both, he can find contained in this Text, as he ſaith there is in all the Paſſages he quotes. Let him look into the next, and I will be his Bonds man, if he meet with a word of any Action or Prayer of the Church Triumphant; but only mention of many Members, which make up but one Body, 1 Cor. XII. 12. And what Action or Prayer of the Church Triumphant, can one gather out of St. Paul's care for all the Churches, 2 Cor. XI. 28. As for LIII. Iſaiah, the Church always thought it a Prophecy of the Sufferings of Chriſt, and not of the Saints; and ſo the Apoſtles interpret it in many places. If he mean, LIII. Pſalm 9. (as one Edition of his Book hath it) there are not ſo many Verſes in it; and we ſhould be as far to ſeek for any ſenſe, if we ſhould ſee more, and therefore I will look no further.
What the Fathers affirm, he bids us alſo ſee, but doth not tell us; and I cannot truſt him ſo much, as to think it worth my pains to look into the places, to which he points us. St. Auſtin, I am ſure (the firſt he names) is abuſed by him; who hath not a word of this matter in his Second Chapter of his Book, about the Care of the Dead; which is altogether concerning this Queſtion, Whether the Dead ſuffer any thing for want of Burial? Upon the LXI. Pſalm indeed (which he quotes at laſt) he mentions that place of St. Paul, 1 Coloſſ. 24. and diſcourſes how Chriſt ſuffered not only in his own Perſon, but in his Members; every one of which ſuffers what comes to his ſhare; and all of them together fill up what is wanting of the Sufferings of Chriſt. So that none hath Superabundant Sufferings; but he expreſly ſaith, That we every one of us, Pro modulo noſtro, according to our ſmall meaſure, Pay what we owe, (mark that, not more than we are obliged unto, which is the Romiſh Doctrine, but what we are bound unto) and to the utmoſt of our Power we caſt in, as it were, the ſtint or meaſure of Sufferings, which will not be filled up till the end of the World. Which is directly againſt what this Man, and his Church, would have: For they that bring in but their ſhare, and nothing more than they owe, have no redundant Paſſions, out of which flow ſuperfluous Satisfaction.