Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 1 · Part 4
Hesk.The fourth Chapter conteineth certeine hard places of the Epistles.
Fulke.M. Heskins taketh great paines in those Chapters, to proue that which no man doubteth of, that there be some hard and darke places in the Scriptures, and yet it followeth not, but that the Scriptures are a light vntounto our steppes, & a lanterne vntounto our feete, & the worde of the Lord giueth wisedome vntounto the simple. But let vsus follow him whether he leadeth vsus. In the Epistle to the Romanes be mo obscure, then plaine places, yea, the matter of iustification how hard it is, the controuersies thereupon risen may suffise to declare. Such is M. Heskins diuinitie, that he counteth al scripture obscure, that cā not easily be wrested to maintein poperie. Otherwise ther is nothing more clere then the doctrin of iustification: though the Owles & Battes of our time, either can not, or will not see it. But it is no easie matter to reconcile the saying of S. Paul Rom. 3. We conclude that a man is iustified by faith, without the workes of the lawe, & that which Iames saith: Iac. 2. what auayleth it my brethren, if a man say he hauehave faith, if he hauehave no workes, can faith saue him? And after he concludeth: euen so faith if it hauehave no workes it is dead in it selfe. It is an easie matter to reconcile these places to him that can put a differēce between him that hath faith in deede, & him that onelyonly saith he hath it: betweene a true liuely faith, & a false & dead faith: finally, between the cause of iustification that goeth before, & the effectes therof that followe after.
In the same Epistle Cap. 10. concerning the reiection of the Iewes & calling of the Gentiles, there are many places that trouble M. Heskins, as that out of Esay, for calling of the Gentiles. I am found of them that sought me not, &c. But against Israel, &c. yet afterward he asketh if God hauehave forsaken his people, & aunswereth: God forbid, & such like. The matter is not so hard as it seemeth to him, but who so doth read the text attentiuely, may see the difference betweene a perticuler reiectiō of many, & an vniuersal reiection of all, a temporal reiection of most, & the finall reiection of al. The former is true, the latter is false.
The matter of predestination no man denyeth, but it is a great secreat, yet so much as the spirite of God hath reuealed of it, for our comfort, is not so hard, but it may be easily vnderstood. And as for that contrarietie which he seemeth to finde, betweene these two texts, Rom. 9. It is neither in him that willeth, nor in him that ru…neth, but in God that hath merciemercy: & that other Rom. 7. To will is present with me, but I finde no meanes to performe that which is good, is so absurd, that I thinke it would not enter into the head of any vnlearned man, to make a doubt, whether the will which is in a regenerate man by the grace of Gods election, was the cause of his election before the world was made.
A like difficultie he findeth betweene these places: God will hauehave all men to be saued and … to the knowledge of the trueth ▪ 1. Tim. 2. and that Rom. 9. Who can resist his will. And againe: Many are called, fewe are chosen. If master Heskins would vnderstande like a man, and no… like a childe, the verie wordes following would teache him, that in the first sentence, by all men, are meant all forces of men, as well Kings and Princes, as inferior subiectes.
After this he repeateth another doubt of Algasia: What Paule meaned to wish him selfe accursed from Christ, for the Iewes, which doubt is increased by an obiection of Hieronyme, that he had sayed before: I am sure that neither death nor life, &c. nor any other creature can separate vsus from the louelove of God. In which saying he seemeth to affirme that he so feruently loued Christ, that nothing could separate him from his louelove, in the other he seemeth for the louelove he bare to the Iewes, to wish that he were sepaerated from Christ, as though he loued the Iewes better then Christ. A short aunswere is best. Although his desire was exceeding vehement, yet it was more for zeale of Gods honour, then for louelove of the Iewes. And although he loued Christ feruently▪ yet the boast he maketh of assurance, was not of that louelove wherewith he loued Christ, but of that louelove wherwith Christ loued him. And yet there is another doubt moued by Algasia vponupon the wordes of Paule Rom. 5. For scarse will any man dye for a righte…us man. But yet for a good man it may be that one dare dye. The obscuritie of which place, hath moued two contrarie heretikes, to take their heresies thereof. Marcion, who made two Gods, a iust GOD of the Lawe, for whome fewe dyed, and a good God of the Gospell, Christ, for whome innumerable Martyre hauehave suffered. Ar…ius contrarywise calleth Christ the iust God vppon the Psalme 71. Lord giuegive thy iudgements to the King, and thy righteousnesse to the Kings sonne. The good God he called father of heauen, of whome Christ saide, none is good but God. These doubtes Master Heskins moueth, but he aunswereth none. The place is not so darke, that eyther such doubt should be made of it, or such farre fetched expositions sought as the heretikes made. For a man may be righteous in some case, for which he is condemned to dye, which is not simply a good man, and for such a one will hardly any man giuegive his life, although peraduenture for a very good man, some woulde venture to dye: But Christ dyed for vsus, being his enemies, iustly condemned, & altogether naught or wicked, which no man would euer do but he. The douts of Algasia are matched with the foure questions of Amandus, of which one was, of that place 1. Cor. 15. He must reigne till he hauehave put all things vnderunder his feete. The last enimie that shalbe subdued is death. For he hath put all things vnderunder his feete. But when he sayeth, all things are put vnderunder him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things vnderunder him. When all things are subdued vnderunder him, then shall the sonne himselfe also be subiect vntounto him that put all things vnderunder him, that God may be all in all▪ The question is, howe the sonne shalbe subiect to the father when he is equall with him. And this doubt is answered by Hillarius lib. 11. de Trin. M. Heskins doth often declare, that he had rather men should be taught by him to doubt, then to be resolued in doubtes, for he vouchsafeth not so much, as to recyte the aunswere of Hillarius, but onelyonly to cyte the place. But the aunswere is easie by the distinction of the two natures in Christ: for he shall neuer be subiect in his diuinitie, but in his humanitie, wherein he is nowe exalted, & reigneth vntill all his enimies be put vnderunder his feete.
Yet another doubt vponupon Coll. 1. Where Paul writeth: Nowe ioye I in my suffrings for you, and fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ in my fleshe for his bodie which is his Church. Here he seemeth to make the passion of Christ insufficient. Not a-whit: for as Christ suffered once in his owne person, for their redemption, so he suffereth daily in his members, for their exercise of patience, & confirmation of faith.
Then the Epistle to the Hebrues hath two sore sentences. Heb. 6. & 10. For it is not possible that they which were once lightened, and hauehave tasted of the heauenly gift, and were made partakers of the holie Ghoste, and hauehave tasted of the good worde of God, and of the power of the world to come, if they fall away, should be renewed againe by repentance, seeing they crucifie againe to them selues the Sonne of God and make a mocke of him. And againe. For if we sinne wilfully after we hauehave receiued the knowledge of the trueth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes, but a fearefull looking for of iudgement, and violent fire which shall deuour the aduersaries. The difficultie of these places resteth in one point, and in a manner in one worde in eche of the sentences. For the Apostle excludeth not from repentance eueryevery one that falleth and sinneth, but him onelyonly which sinneth so wilfully, that he falleth cleane away from Christ. For then there is no repentance nor remission, because he sinneth against the holie Ghost, as did Iudas, Alexander the coppersmith, Iulian the Apostata, & such like.
The contention of Hieronyme & Augustine about Peters dissimulation is the last example of difficultie,Gal. 2. which did not arise of any obscuritie of the place, but of Hieronymes immoderate and ouer great zeale to defend Peter, where the holie Ghost saith plainly, he was worthie to be reprehended. But for as much as these two great doctors, could not agree about the exposition of this place, it doth not so much declare the hardnesse of the Scriptures, as it doth discourage vsus, to finde the certeine exposition of them at all times in the iudgement of the doctours: which both in this place and many other, are not onelyonly diuers, but oftentimes contrarie one to another. The conclusion of the Chapter is not all amisse, wherein he dissuadeth not men from reading the scriptures, but from rashnesse of iudgement, and exhorteth the readers of them to humilitie and modestie, that so the spirite of GOD may rest vppon them, which will leade them into all trueth.