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.

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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.
Author
Fisher, John, 1569-1641.
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[Saint-Omer :: English College Press] Permissu superiorum,
M.DC.XXVI. [1626]
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Subject terms
White, Francis, 1564?-1638. -- Replie to Jesuit Fishers answere to certain questions propounded by King James.
Catholic Church -- Apologetic works.
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http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A00793.0001.001
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"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A00793.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2024.

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Worke, with reference vnto the Treasure of the Church. §. 5.

BVT I suppose these testimonies are vn∣to your Maiesty well knowne, & ther∣fore in this proposed difficulty, supposing the satisfaction for sinne to be possible, you mooue this doubt; Whether the penitents can so fully satisfy for themselues, as their satisfactions may superabound and be re∣ferred into the treasure of the Church? To satisfy this doubt, three propositions are to be proued.

The first, that good works of Saints that are penall and afflictiue doe not only merit heauen, but also satisfy for sinne. This is proued. Giuing of Almes for the loue of Christ, is meritorious; witnes our Sauiour himselfe, who to the Iust, in the reward of their Almes, will giue the Kingdome pre∣pared from the beginning of the world. [Matth. 23.] And it is also satisfactory for sinne, witnesse Daniel, who gaue this coū∣sell

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vnto the Babylonian King, (a) 1.1 Re∣deeme thy sinnes with Almes-deeds, and thine iniquityes with mercyes, vnto the poore. And Saint Chrysostome (b) 1.2 who saith, There is no sinne, which giuing of Almes cannot can∣cell. And Saint Cyprian: (c) 1.3 Eleemosynis, atque operibus iustis delictorum flamma sopi∣tur.

Prayer is likwise meritorious with God; our Sauiour exhorteth euery man to pray secretly in his Closet, promising that, (d) 1.4 Thy Father, who seeth what is done in secret, will reward thee. It is also satisfactory for sinne. Saint Augustine (e) 1.5 sayth: The dayly prayer

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of the faythfull doth satisfy for their quo∣tidian, & light offences, without which none can leade this life.

To fast, is meritorious, when it proceeds from a pure hart, to which our Sauiour in the 6. of Saint Matthew, promised recom∣pence: and that it is penall and satisfactory for Corporall penaltyes, the fact of the Niniuites (f) 1.6 sheweth aboundantly; so that the same workes of the Iust as pious, doe merit, and shall haue in heauen a plentifull reward; as penall doe satisfy and obtayne full remission of the temporall penaltyes remayning to be suffered for sinne. In confirmation whereof, memorable is the saying of Saint Cyprian (g) 1.7 of feruent pen∣nance & punition of the body: Qui sic Do satisfecrit &c. non solùm Dei veniam merbi∣tur, sed Coronam.

The second Proposition. Many Saints endured more penaltyes and afflictions in this life, then were necessary for the re∣compensing of the temporall paines due to their sinnes. The Blessed Virgin (h) 1.8 neuer committed actuall sinne; witnesse S. Am∣brose (i) 1.9 tearming her, ab omni integram la∣be peccati; and S. Augustine saying (k) 1.10, Plus gratiae ei collatum est, ad vincendum ex om∣ni parte peccatum: Yet she endured many af∣flictions, her many Iourneyes, specially her banishment into Aegypt, her standing at the foote of the Crosse when the sword of sorrow pierced through her hart, besides

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her many voluntary Fastings, and Pray∣ings, and other penitentiall workes which were dayly practised in the course of her most holy life. Saint Iohn the Baptist (l) 1.11, what a pure and immaculate course of life held he from his Infancy, in the wilder∣nes? Neuer committed any great sinns, yea scarse so much as light sinnes, as the Fa∣thers (m) 1.12 teach, gathering their opinion of this his sanctiiy from the Scripture: and yet extremely penitentiall was he in his continuall praying, fasting, lying on the ground, enduring cold, wind & weather, his wearing continually a rough hayre-cloath, whereof Saint Paulinus writes (n) 1.13:

Vestis erat curui setis compacta Cameli, Contra Luxuriam molles duraret vt artus, Arceret{que} graues compuncto corpore somnos.
What a mighty masse of superabounding (o) 1.14 Satisfactions were gathered from the life of this Saint alone?

The Prophets of the old Testamēt, what afflictions did they endure? Which Saint Paul (p) 1.15 gathers togeather in the eleauenth Chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews, be∣ing neuertheles men of most holy life, in∣nocent, and without any grieuous sinnes, (q) 1.16 That the world was vnworthy of them. As also the Apostles, whose labours were in∣tollerable, specially such as Saint Paul re∣cords endured by himselfe, who yet after Baptisme (in which his sinnes were fully and certainly remitted) neuer did grieuou∣sly

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offend God. The labours (r) 1.17 and tor∣ments of Martyrs were extreme, and yet a∣ny the least Martyrdome is sufficient to sa∣tisfy for any great multitude of offences, (s) 1.18 quoad reatum culpae & poenae. Of whose merits the Church in the primitiue times did make most account; to whom after∣wards succeeded another kind of Martyr∣dome, (t) 1.19 Terrore quidem mitius, sed diutur∣nitate molestius, of holy Confessours, speci∣ally of many most holy Eremites.

These manifold afflictions endured by Saints, far aboue measure of the temporall penalty, which after the eternal was graci∣ously remitted did remayne due to their offences, did not perish, nor were forgottē, but were layd vp in the memory of God.

The third Proposition. The treasure of the Church consisteth principally of the superabundāt satisfactions of Christ, who did endure much more then was necessary for the Redemption of man; wherewith are ioyned the satisfactions of Saints. We ioyne the satisfactions of Saints with the satisfactiō of Christ, in the Churches trea∣sure, not because we belieue the bloud of Christ to be insufficient alone, to satisfy for sinnes, nisi velut arescentis & exhausti de∣fectus aliunde suppleatur & sufficiatur: (as mi∣stakingly, not to say calumniously, Cal∣uin [lib. 4. Instit. cap. 9. n. 39.] reporteth of vs.) For Pope Clement the 6. (whome Pro∣testants accuse as the first Authour of this

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Treasure) affirmes euen in his Cōstitution about this matter, that the bloud of Christ is of an infinite price, and euery drop ther∣of sufficient to ctncell the sinnes of the whole world. The reasons of this coniun∣ction are these three.

First, That penall workes of Saints as they are satisfactory, be not without fruit, for being satisfactory, and not hauing the effect of satisfaction in their owne inno∣cent & vndefiled persons, they wilbe with∣out this fruit and effect, except they be ap∣plyed vnto others that are poore and nee∣dy, in whome satisfaction is scant, and the debt of temporall payne abounds.

The second is, The glory of Christ, whose meritts were so powerfull, as to purchase to the church of God, such excel∣lent & admirable Saints, so pure of life, so feruent in pennance, as their satisfactions might suffice to pay the debt of temporall payne due vnto others.

The third reason is, to make men loue the Church and society of Saints, wherby they come to be partakers of the aboundā∣cy of her treasures to pay their grieuous debts. This is that comfortable Article of the Apostles put downe in the Creed to be knowne of euery one: The Communiō of Saints. This is that which made King Dauid exult, saying (a) 1.20: I am partaker with all them that feare thee, & keepe thy Cōmaund∣ments. And in this respect the Apostle ex∣horteth

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vs: (b) 1.21 Gratias agamus Deo Patri qui dignos nos fecit in partem sortis Sanctorum in lumine. This is that which the same Apostle writes to the Corinthians 1.8.14. exhorting them to be liberall towards Titus and Luke: For the present let your aboundance (in tempo∣rall goods) supply their want, that also their aboundance (in pious works) may be a supple∣ment vnto your want. This hope, to supply in this kind the spirituall need of Christians by the aboundance of his sufferings, made Saint Paul so much reioyce in them (c) 1.22: I ioye (sayth he) in my sufferings for you, and I make full the things that want of the sufferings of Christ in my flesh, for his body which is the Church. And agayne: (d) 1.23 Cupio impendi & superimpendi pro vobis: Out of which words (e) 1.24 Origen gathers, that S. Paul, as a kind of victime or sacrifice did expiate the sinns of others; not satisfying for the Iniury a∣gaynst God, nor for the eternall punish∣ment due, but for one outward and transi∣tory effect of sinne, to wit, the debt of tem∣porall payne. In this sense also Saint Au∣gustine interpreteth the former words of the Apostle, of suffering in his body the things wanting of the sufferings of Christ: (f) 1.25 Patitur Christus in membris suis, id est, in nobis ipsis ad communem hanc quasi Republicam. Nam quis{que} pro modulo nostro exoluimus quod debemus, & pro posse virium nostrarum quasi canonem passionum inferimus paratoriâ plena∣riâ. Christ suffereth in his members, that is,

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euen in vs, as for a Cōmonwealth: for eue∣ry one of vs payeth his owne debt, accor∣ding to his meane power, & according to his forces puts into the plenary Storehouse a certayne measure of sufferings.

This was the practise of the Primitiue Church, which at the petition of constant Confessours in prison, did relieue the pe∣naltyes that sinners were enioyned to per∣forme, to satisfy not only the discipline of the Church, but also the wrath of God af∣ter the remission of sinne still continuing vnto the infliction of temporall payne, as appeareth by the testimonyes of (g) 1.26 Saint Cyprian. And that this relaxation of tempo∣rall payne was done by applying the aboū∣dant satisfaction of holy Confessours and designed Martyrs vnto the Penitents, that receaued Indulgence at their intercessions, appeares by Tertullian; For he falling from the Church into the errours of Montanus, whereof one was, That for Christians sin∣ning after Baptisme there was no remissi∣on of sinne, refutes the Catholike custome of remitting penaltyes vnto sinners for the merits of Martyrs, speaking thus (h) 1.27: Let it suffice the Martyrs, they haue cancelled & satis∣fied for their own sins. It is ingratitude, or pride for one prodigally to cast abroad vpō others, that which as a great benefit was bestowed vpon him. And speaking vnto the Martyr he sayth: If thou be a sinner, how can the oyle of thy Lampe suffice both for thee, and me? By which here∣ticall

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Impugnation appeares, that the Ca∣tholike doctrine then was, that men might satisfy one for another, and that the aboū∣dant satisfactions of some that suffered ex∣ceedingly as Martyrs, were applyed for the redemption of some others more remisse and negligent,* 1.28 not for eternall, but only temporall Punishment. (*) 1.29

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I shall not need particularly to refell the vulgar obiections agaynst this doctrine, all which proceed vpon mistaking, & im∣pugne what we neuer dreamed off. They proue that Christ only dyed for the world, and redeemed mankind, & not any Saint: who doubts thereof? That we are sancti∣fyed and washed from the stayne of sinne by the bloud of the Lambe, not of any Saint. We confesse it. They bring the testi∣monyes of Saint Leo & of Saint Augustine, that the Saints receaued Crownes of God, gaue not Crownes vnto others, but only Christ: we neuer did, nor will deny it. That only in Christ we dye to sinne, & are ray∣sed agayne soule and body vnto eternall life; we neuer taught the Contrary: For the satisfaction of Saints haue not vertue to redeeme the world, nor to satisfy for the guilt of sinne, nor to take men out of the power of darkenes, nor to iustify soules by infusion of grace, nor to purchase for men Crownes of glory, nor to rayse men from life to death; But only they are auaylable vnto one transitory effect, which men

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might (were they feruent) obtayne by their owne industry, ioyned with diuine grace, to wit, the Remission of temporall payne; which vertue also comes from the meritts of Christ, and his most pretious bloud, in, and by the satisfactions of Saints applyed to worke the aforesayd temporall releasement: from which temporall serui∣tude, the Children of God, may through his gracious assistance, by good works re∣deeme themselues, or by satisfactions of their fellow-Cittyzens & Saints be redee∣med, though this temporary Redemption compared with the redemption of Christ, deserues not that tytle.

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