The Ancient Doctrine of the Church of England, Part 1 · Section 15
Concerning the teſtomonies of Cardinall Bellarmine; Chapter 15. Spectacles, a page 464. uſ que ad 485.
THE teſtimonies alleaged by the Knight out of Cardinall Bellarmine for the Proteſtant faith, in the points of Tranſubſtantiation, private Maſſe, Prayer in an unknowne tongue, Communion in both kindes, the number of Sacraments, the neceſsity of good workes, and juſtification by faith alone, have beene all anſwered in the former Sections, and that which he addeth concerning univerſality and miracles, maketh for the Catholike and againſt the Proteſtant faith.
The Hammer.
THe teſtimony of an adverſary is of great force,Iſid. Poluſ. ep. foreign. eſpecially a learned one, moſt of all one his death-bed, when he looketh every houre to be ſummoned before the Judge of all fleſh: and therefore we have all reaſon to make great dainties of the noble confeſſion of the learnedeſt of all our Romiſh adverſaries in the maine point of faith, wherewith he gave up the ghoſt: Domine me admittas in numerum ſanctorum tuorum, non meriti aſtimator, ſed veniae largitor. Lord admit me into the number of thy Saints, not weighing my merits, but pardoning my offences: this teſtimony and prayer of his, printed in his will, the Knight in this Section backeth with another taken out of his third booke Dejuſtificat. c. 17. Vel habet homo vera merita, vel non habet, &c. Either a man hath true merit, or he hath not; if he hath not, he is dangerouſly deceived, and ſeduceth himſelfe, whileſt he truſteth in falſe merits; for theſe are deceitfull riches, ſaith Saint Bernard, which rob a man of the true: but if he hath true merits, he looſeth nothing by this, that hee regardeth them not, but putteth his whole truſt in Gods merciemercy only. This is not only Forte, but Fulgens telum: to uſe the words of Quintilian, Not onelyonly a ſtrong, but a beautifull, bright, and ſhining weapon: wherwith the Knight giveth his Adverſary ſuch a deadly wound, that hee panteth as it were for life, through all this Section. Much adoe hee hath to ſay any thing, which yet is as good as nothing: to wit, that Bellarmine in his firſt booke De Iustificatione, cap. 1. ſaith, that Hee will indeavour by five principall Arguments, to demonſtrate that a man is not justified by Faith onelyonly. What will the Ieſuit conclude from hence? that the Cardinall contradicteth himſelfe? I grant it, and I take it for a ſingular Argument and Evidence of Truth on our ſide, which inforced this great Cardinall, after hee had ſpent all his ſtrength in juſtifying the Romiſh Tenet concerning juſtification by workes, and the merit therof, in the end to undoe all that he had done, and conclude fully with the Knight, that In regard of the uncertainty of a mans owne justice, and the danger of vaine-glory, it is ſafeſt to renounce all mans merit, and to put our truſt onelyonly in Gods merciemercy. Sufficit ad meritum ſcire, quod non ſufficiant merita. For other paſſages in this chapter, I ſhall paſſe them over with a drie foot, becauſe there is nothing materiall in them ſaid in excuſe of Bellarmine his warping from the Romiſh Religion, which hath not beene diſcuſſed before. As for ſuch Rotten-ſtuffe wherewith hee pieceth it up in his later Paragraphs, namely, five, ſix, ſeven, and eight; fetched from Romiſh Broker-ſhops concerning the name Catholique, and multitude of Profeſſours, and miracles, becauſe none of it ſutes with the title or argument of this Chapter, I will not defile my hands with it: onelyonly I wiſh the Reader to take notice, that the Ieſuit twice in this Chapter convinced by evidence of Truth, yeeldeth the Knight the Bucklers, acknowledging out of Cardinall Bellarmine, That our Doctrine is ſafer than theirs, in two maine points: the one concerning the Sacrament, the other juſtification by Faith onelyonly. For the firſt,Linea 28. Page 465, hee is conſtrained to confeſſe, that though hee holdeth Private Maſſe to be lawfull; yet, that It is a more perfect; and in a certaine ſort more lawfull Maſſe, where there be ſome to communicate with the Prieſt: for then it hath both the ends for which it was ordained. Certainly, that which is more lawfull, is ſafer: our Communion therefore, wherein ſome of neceſſitie communicate with the Prieſt, is ſafer than their Private Maſſe by the Ieſuits owne confeſſion. For the ſecond, I find, page 471. that, though much againſt his will, yet in Terminis, hee concurres with Bellarmine, in acknowledging our Doctrine concerning relying onelyonly on Chriſts merits, and Gods merciemercy for ſalvation, to be ſafeſt: and what elſe doe all Proteſtants contend for in the point of Juſtification by Faith alone; but that all men renounce their owne inherent righteouſneſſe, and truſt onelyonly to Gods merciemercy in Chriſt for Juſtification and Salvation? If at Chriſts dreadfull Tribunall, the ſafeſt Plea are Chriſt his merits applied to us by Faith, I wonder any dare to uſe any other? If there be ſafety, nay moſt ſafety, as the Ieſuit confeſſeth in this point of Proteſtant doctrine, there muſt needs be truth in it; for there can be no ſafetie for the ſoule in a lye.