The answere vnto the nine points of controuersy, proposed by our late soueraygne (of famous memory) vnto M. Fisher of the Society of Iesus And the reioynder vnto the reply of D. Francis VVhite minister. With the picture of the sayd minister, or censure of his writings prefixed.

Merit of workes of Supererogation. §. 2.

WHEREFORE to come to works of Supererogation, these workes besides the seauen aforenamed graces, sup∣pose another singular fauor, & stand groū∣ded theron. This fauour is, that God thogh he might, yet doth not rigorously require of his Saints & seruants, that in his seruice they do the vttermost of their forces. He hath prescribed vnto men certayne Lawes & Cōmaundements, which if they keep he is satisfyed, and what they do voluntary beyond these commaunded dutyes, he re∣ceaues as a gracious & spontaneous guift. This diuine benignity is noted by Saint Chrysostome [Homil. 21. in priorem ad Cor.] and excellently declared in these wordes: Ete nim cum benignus sit Dominus, suis praeceptit multum admiscuit mansuctudinis. Potuisset e∣nim, si hoc voluisset, preceptum magis intendere & augere, & dicere: Qui non perpetuò ieiunat puniatur, qui non exercet virginitatem det poe∣nas, qui se non omnibus exuit facultatibus luat vltimum supplicium: sed non hoc f••cit, concedent nobis, vt non solum ex iussu, sed etiam ex libero faciamus arbitrio.

Wherefore the precept, Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God, with all thy hart, with all thy soule, with all thy strength, doth not com∣maund an entyre imployment of all our vttermost forces: Nor that we neuer loue,

nor desire, nor thinke of any thing besides him, nor that all our thoughts and affecti∣ons be wholly, entirely, & perpetually on him. For this were a thing impossible, and God doth not require of vs thinges impos∣sible,

as (b) 1.1 Scriptures and Fathers (c) 1.2 teach. This precept therefore commands a quadruple integrity of diuine loue. The first integrity is in respect of our selues, that we loue God wholly and entyrely, not only with the outside, but with the inside,

euen to the bottome of our soule, that is in a word, Sincerely.

The second integrity is in respect of God, that we loue God according to all his Commaundements, not leauing any vn∣kept; and so to loue God entirely, or with all the hart is the same, as to walke in all his Commaundements.

The third integrity is in regard of the effect of loue, which is to ioyne men in friendship with God, whome we must so loue that there be no breach between God and vs, nor we seperated from him; which we doe so long as we keep his commaun∣dements, without sinning mortally agaynst them.

The fourth integrity is in respect of time, that we loue him entierely, not only for this present life, but also desiring & ho∣ping to see and loue him for eternity. And in this sense (d) 1.3 Saint Augustine, Saint (e) 1.4 Bernard, and other Fathers are to be vn∣derstood, that say in the precept, Diliges De∣um tuum ex toto corde tuo, is conteyned the perfection of the life to come, and a perfe∣ction impossible to be atteyned to in this life, to wit, it is conteyned in the precept, not as a perfection commanded to be pra∣ctised in this life, but as a perfection to be desired and hoped for in the next; so that he that loues God sincerely from the bot∣tome of hart, to the keeping of all his Com∣maundments, perfectly without breach of

friendship betweene him and God, hauing his desires & loue referred with hope vn∣to Eternity, without question he loueth God with all his hart, soule, & strength.* 1.5

Notes

• (b) 1.1

  Ioan 5.3. Mandata eius grauia non sunt.
• (c) 1.2

  Basil. ho. in illud Moy∣sis, attende tibi ipsi. Im∣pium est asserere mandata Spiritus Sancti impossibiliae esse obseruatu.
• (d) 1.3

  Aug. de spiritu & lit. cap. vlt.
• (e) 1.4

  Bernard. serm. 5. in Cantica.
• * 1.5

  What the Minister cauilleth agaynst this truth, is reduced to two heades. Minister pag. 522. First to the definition of workes of supererogation is required, that all which the Diuine law commandes be fullfilled. But if iust men haue sinne, they performe not all the Diuine law doth require. For euery sinne is a transgression of the Diuine law, 1. Iohn. 3.4,

  Answere. The law of God bindeth men to performe the workes thereof, so farre as they are necessary vnto Sa∣luation, vnto which the obseruance of the law is ordayned, If thou wilt enter into life, keepe the commandments, Math. 19.17. Hence veniall sinne is not properly a∣gaynst the law of God, but against the decency and perfection of rea∣son, the law of God supposed, and his goodnes towards man. The place you cite, as Saint Iohns, Euery sinne is a transgression of the diuine law, is by you falsifyed, as I haue shewed in the Censure, Sect. 4. §. 9. though also that text speake of mortall sinne, not of veniall. The testimony of S. Ber∣nard serm. 2. de Vig. Nat. by you cited p. 522. affirming that God cōmands his law to be kept exceedingly, that when we cannot doe it, finding our imperfection, we may flye to his mercy, is vnderstood of veniall sinner,

  

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  which, no man can totally auoyd, which sinnes though they be not di∣rectly against the Diuine law, nor properly agaynst any law, yet they are agaynst the decency of reason the Diuine law supposed as hath been said. Hence it followes, that the cōmitting of veniall sinnes doth not hinder, but we may do works of supererogation; not works of supererogation in rigour of iustice, but through Gods merciful indulgēce in not exacting of vs so much as he might. Suppose a slaue being bound to worke 8. houres a day, worke only seauen: If his master forgiue him this fault, without any new obligation, but that henceforward he worke 8. houres a day, this slaue if he worke afterward 10. houres a day, doth he not a worke of supererogation? Yes certaynly, though a worke of supererogatiō groun∣ded on his maisters benignity. In this manner, seeing God forgiueth his Children their dayly faults vpon their dayly crauing perdon, without putting new obligations vpon them, more then that they keepe still his law, if they doe workes more then his law exacts, they truly do workes of supererogation.

  Minister pag. 526. No man though he giue all to the poore &c. can exceed the highest and strictest measure of Charity and obedience in this life. For the Euangeli∣call law commandeth vs to be perfect, as our heauenly father is perfect, Matth. 5.48. and to loue, as Christ loued vs, Rom. 5.7.8. and through the obligation of gratitude we owe vnto God, according to S. Bernard, Omne quod sumus, omne quod possumus, Answere. The Euangelicall law doth not require that we should be perfect as God is in equality, but only in similitude, that as he loueth his enemyes and doth them good turnes, that we likewise loue our E∣nemyes and doe them the good turnes we are bound to doe by his law, which the Children of God by Diuine grace may do, and more also. Nor are we bound to haue charity equal vnto our Sauiours, but only like vnto his, to wit, that as he loued vs so as he dyed for vs, that we likewise dye for our brethren, when need requires, which many Saynts haue done and dayly do practise. By the band of gratitude we owe vnto God all that we are, and all that we can, so fare as it is required by his law, and no further. We are bound by gratitude also in pr••paratione animi, to be ready to doe more then his law doth exact, when he shall by speciall precept lay that obligation vpon vs.

  Hence it is manifest, that the band of gratitude doth not hinder the possibility of doing works of supererogation, as may be declared by this example. Suppose the King pardon a gentleman condemned of treason and remit vnto him the forfeyture of his lands and goods, whereby he

  

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  oweth all he is, and hath to the King in Gratitude. Suppose also that the King exacting a Subsidy of his subiects, require no more of this gentle∣man then he takes of another of his quality; Verily this subiect is bound to giue no more then another; and if he giue an hundred pound more thē any other, it is a gratuity, a worke of supererogation, which he might haue omitted without any iust offence or ingratitude, yet a gratuity grounded on the Kings manifold gracious liberalityes, towardes him. Such is our case with God. He doth not exact of vs by the title of gratitude so much as he might, by which his goodnes we are inabled to offer gratuityes vnto him, which we might without offence or ingratitude not haue offered▪ By the light of this annotation the mist of the Ministers Cauills is dissol∣ued, wherewith he would obscure the consent of Fathers about workes of superogation set downe in the next Paragraffe.