An Antidote Against Popery, Appendix · Chapter 6
CHAPT. VI. Of SANCTIFICATION, And of our abilitie to keepe GOD'S Law: which the Romanistes would proue, by these Textes following.
LVKE 1.6. And Zacharie and Elizabeth were both righteous before GOD, walking in all the Commandementes, and Ordinances of the LORD, without blame.
Aunswere. This was the olde Pelagian Objection, which they called The impenetrable Buckler, Hieron. l. 1. cont. Pelag. Idem ad Ctesiphontem,as witnesseth S. Ierome, and wherevnto hee replyeth thus; First, they are called Righteous, as manie others are called Righteous in holie Scripture, (sayeth hee) as Iob, Iehosaphat, and Iosias: not that they wanted all fault; but they are commended, because that for the most part, they were vertuous. For Zacharias himselfe was punished with dumbnesse, (sayeth hee) and Iob, by his owne speach, was rebuked, and Iehosaphat and Iosias, are reported to hauehave done thinges, which g…eatlie displ…ased the LORD: where-of the one gaue helpe to the wicked,Hieron. l. 2. contra Pelagianos f. 94. see also Iustin Martyr, q. 141. saying the same of these two. Aug. de prefect. justitiae ratio 17. Aug. de peccator, meritis & remiss. l. 2. c. 13. Carthusian in Luke 1.6. and was rebuked by the Prophet; and the other, agaynst the LORD'S Commandement, by the mouth of Ieremie, went out agaynst Necho, King of Aegypt, and was killed.
Next, where it is sayde, that Zacharie and Elizabeth walked in all the Commandementes of the LORD, without blame; that is, without such grosse wickednesse, which the Grecians call foreign, (sayeth hee) but without Sinne, which they call foreign, I denye that anie man can bee: for that is competent onelie to GOD, (sayeth hee) and which in this lyfe is spoken onelie of the onelie Sonne of GOD (sayeth Augustine.) It is so farre from trueth, then, (sayeth the same Father) that because of these wordes, wee should belieue that Zacharie and Elizabeth had perfect …igh…eousnesse, without anie sinne, that wee thinke, that the Apostle himselfe was not perfect, according to the perfection of that Rule.
Their owne Carthusian also, and with him their late Stella, expoundeth this place, That these were righteous; that is, (sayeth hee) according to that measure which is agreeable to humane condition, heere. But that this their righteousnesse, had no mixture of sinne, there is none so righteous in this mortall flesh (sayeth hee.)
MATTH. 5.48. Bee yee perfect, as my Father in Heaven is perfect. To the performance whereof, wee see some of the Saynctes hauehave attayned, (say they) as Paull witnesseth, PHILIP. 3.15.
Answere. To this olde Pelagian, and n…w …opish Argument, S. Ierome …nswereth, thus; That in the Scriptures there are two sortes of perfection mentioned: the first,Hieron. l. 1. cont. Pelag. f. 89. absolute, or complete, (or, as wee say, actu, & gradu;) the second, which agreeth (sayeth hee) with our fragilitie heere, according to that of the PSALME; There is no flesh that shall bee justified in Thy sight: (which is in Voluntate & conatu,) as hee showeth at large. And this is it (sayeth hee) whereof the Scripture heere speaketh.
In lyke-manner,Aug. de peccator meritis & …emiss. l. 2. c. 15. (sayeth Augustine) this is not to bee vnderstood, that anie man can therefore bee without sinne; but hee may bee called perfect, not because hee hath no farther to attayne vntounto, but because for the most part hee hath attayned, or greatlie profited; therefore hee is thought worthie so to bee called,
Lyke-wyse, (sayeth the Iesuit Maldonat) CHRIST propoundeth vntounto vsus here a ma…ke to ayme at, to …he which Hee knoweth that we can not attayne, that we may endevoure to come as neare as wee may: and (as sayeth their Carthusian), as the exigence and possibilitie of this frayle lyfe admitteth.
MATTH. 11.30. My yoke is easie, and My burden light.
Answere. S. IEROME answereth thus to this olde Pelagian Objection;Hieron. l. 2. adv. Pelag. f. 94. It is certayne, (sayeth hee) that the Preceptes of the Gospell are light, in comparison of the Iewish Superstition: but that they are called light, because they may bee easilie fulfilled, beholde the Apostle, and all the faythfull, (sayeth hee) professe the contrarie, that they can not performe that which they would.
Chrysostome also, and their owne Arboreus showeth, that this is in comparison of sinne, which depresseth the soule, why they are called a light yoke; because these Precepts call vsus to an obedience, which is true freedome, in respect of the former heavie servitude; and is supported by powerfull grace, with sweete promises, and a glorious expectation.
Carthusian lyke-wyse telleth vsus, that they are so of their owne nature; and therefore (sayeth Lyra) if anie man say that they are grievous, let him blame his owne infirmitie, or corruption.
MATTH. 22.37. Wee are commanded to louelove GOD, and our Neyghbour: which wee may and must doe, by His grace, if wee bee His. Now, hee that loveth GOD, Iohn 14.23keepeth His Commaundements, (sayeth our SAVIOUR) and hee that loveth his Neyghbour, Rom. 13.8.fulfilleth the Law (sayeth the Apostle.)
ANSWERE. Hee that loveth GOD, keepeth His Commaundementes, wee grant; and hee that loveth his Neyghbour, fulfilleth the Law, after that manner, as the fore-named Ierome and Augustine showe, and according to that measure (as their owne fore-cited Carthusian and Stella expresse,) to wit, which is agreeable to humane condition heere, and which GOD in CHRIST mercifullie accepteth of His owne children: otherwise, a man is not able fullie to keepe that Commaundements, (sayeth Lombard) in this mortall lyfe,In 3 dist. 2. cit. F. but in part: not in whole, because wee louelove but in part, as wee know but in part: and our perfection is onelie in the lyfe to come. And then hee objecteth, saying, But why is a Perfection then commanded vntounto vsus heere, seeing no man hath it in this lyfe? To which hee answereth, saying, Because wee can not runne a right, if wee knowe not to what Butte wee should runne. And (as Bernard sayeth) that seeing our imperfection,In vigil. natal. Dom. serm. 2. and that wee can not fulfill what wee ought, wee may flee vntounto merciemercy,
1. IOHN 3.9. Who-so-ever is borne of GOD, committeth not Sinne. Therefore such a one may keepe GOD'S Law, seeing the committing of sinne, is the onlie transgressing of the Law,
Answere. Aug. in Gal. 5.AVGVSTINE answereth heerevnto, saying, It is one thing, not to commit sinne, and another thing, not to hauehave sinne: for hee is sayde, not to commit sinne, (sayeth hee) in whome sinne reygneth not. Hee committeth not sinne, then; that is, hee obeyeth not rhe concupiscence there-of.Bern. Serm. 1. de septua gesima.
Bernard also sayeth, Hee sinneth not; that is, (sayeth hee) hee persevereth not in sinne, because that Heavenlie Birth, which can not fayle, conserveth him so, that hee can not perish.
Cardinall Cajetane also sayeth, That this signifieth to vsus, that a member of CHRIST, as one is a member of CHRIST, sinneth not:Bel. de amis. gra…et statis pocc. l. 1. c. 6, or as Bellarmine sayeth, As hee is a childe of GOD, and is partlie spirit, hee sinneth not: but in respect hee is partlie flesh also, and the sonne of Adam, because of his infirmitie, as yet not whollie abrogated, hee sometymes falleth. And so lyke-wyse sayeth SALMERON also on this Text.