A refutation of sundry reprehensions, cauils, and false sleightes, by which M. Whitaker laboureth to deface the late English translation, and Catholike annotations of the new Testament, and the booke of Discouery of heretical corruptions. By William Rainolds, student of diuinitie in the English Colledge at Rhemes

CHAP. VI. Hovv vnreasonably M. VV. behaueth him self, in reprouing and approuing the auncient fathers, for their doctrine touching good vvorkes. (Book 6)

NOw come I to the third part, that is, your accusatiō of the fathers, wherein also M. Martine noteth you of con∣tradiction to your self. for with what reason could you call them most holy, sanctissimos, when in the self same place you defaced them as most iniurious to the bloud & passion or Christ. you an∣swere,* 1.1 smoothing so much as you may the matter, and say, that they erred a litle, (and yet within fiue lines before, you

say,* 1.2 they erred greuously and diminished not a litle the force of Christes death & passion) and there error proceded rather of lacke of vvitte, then of malice. and though vve graunt that herein they erred a litle, yet in respect of yours, their errors seeme ether light, or none at all. Here of you conclude that vvel you might cal them most holy,* 1.3 al∣though they erred once, or vvere not so vvise as they might haue bene. This is that, which in the beginninge I tolde you, that you speake doubtfully, and stammer, & fal∣ter in your tale, & know not wel what to say. for to let passe that in one page you make it a greuous error,* 1.4 and in the next, ether none at all,* 1.5 or a verie light one, compare your cruel and bloudie wordes, whereof riseth M. Martins re∣profe, with this second modification, & then let euery man iudge, what a mise∣rable defender you are. you say there,* 1.6 that the fathers thought by their external vvorkes of penance, to pay the paines due for sinnes, and to satisfie Gods iustice, and to pro∣cure to thē selues assured impunitie, remissiō, & iustice. that thereby they derogated,* 1.7 not a litle from Christes death, attributed to much to their ovvne inuentions, and finallie de∣praued repentance. Here you say, it vvas a litle error, a smale ouersight, they slipt a litle,* 1.8

and that they vvere not vvithstanding, most holymen. You a Christian M.W. & dare thus to write? you a refuter of errors, & make this a light one? had you any part ether of the spirite of S. Paule, S. Cipriā, S. Austine, or such Saintes of the Catho∣like Church, or some zeale and sense of your owne Gospel and religion, how could this euer haue slipt out of your penne? to cal them most holy, who by your doctrine, were as far from al true holynes, as euer was Scribe or Pharisee. to cal thē most holy, who had not in them the first stepp or degree where holines beginneth. for, whereas to holines, first of al and principally is required faith in the death and passion of Christ, then, zeale and feruour in good woorkes, to cal a man holy without the first, is to commend for strenght and valor, a man that hath neuer a sound ioynt, or to praise for eloquence such a one, whose tongue is cutt out of his head.

* 1.9In the number of Christians, & pro∣fessors of Christianity, there haue bene from the beginning many, that haue li∣ued very hard & seuere lyues, that haue bestowed their goods amōge the poore, that after many labours, and trauails, & rare workes of extraordinarie zeale,

haue at lenght suffered death for the tes∣timony of Christ. And this oftentimes chaūced in the primitiue Church, with∣in the tyme of the first persecutions be∣fore Constantinus Magnus.* 1.10 yet if such men liued and died schismatikes, that is not beleeuing rightly in the church, did euer any true Christian holde them for good & holie? If I spake vvith the tongue of men and angels, saith the Apostle,* 1.11 and knevv al mysteries, and could moue mountai∣nes, if I bestovved al my goods vpon the poore, and my bodie to the fier, for the testimonie of Christ, yet wanting the charitie of my brethren,* 1.12 being without ecclesiasti∣call vnitie, it profiteth me nothing. wherevpon S. Ciprian:* 1.13 They cānot dvvell vvith God, that be not in vnitie vvith the Church.* 1.14 though they burne amidst the flames & being deliuered to the fier or cast to vvild beastes, so yeld their lyues, yet that shal not be to them a crovvne of faith, but a punysh∣ment of infidelitie. such a one may be slaine, he can not be crovvned. he professeth him self such a Christiā, as the deuil many times pre∣tendeth him self to be Christ. For (as S. Au∣stine saith) vvhosoeuer is separated from this Catholike Church, though he thinke him self to liue verie commendablie, yet by reason of this only offence, that he is deuided from

the vnitie of Christ, (in his Catholike Churche) he shal not haue life (eternal) but the vvrath of God remaineth vpon him.

And is al this true of men, Christians by profession, beleeuing rightly in eue∣rie other article of faith, & onely erring in a secondarie point, against the visi∣ble church, and is it not much more true, when the error runneth so grossly against the first, and chief, and capital article of Christianitie, and that proper and peculier part, whēce Christianitie hath his name, the death and passion of our sauiour, the verie hart, life, and soule of our religion? can a fault against the bodie, so pollute and contaminate a man, that he becometh with al his supposed holines, an infidell, vvicked, prophane, an enemy of God, and a damnable creature: and can such sacriledge against the head be so light and contemptible, that the offender remaineth notwith∣standing, faithfull, a good Christiā, and most holie?* 1.15 S. Paule in the beginning, when the law of Moyses was not yet quite abolished, nor the gospel so vni∣uersallie and clearlie published, said of the Galatians, who would haue ioyned the law with the gospell: O ye sensles Galatians,* 1.16 vvho hath bevvitched

you not to obey the truth?* 1.17 Beholde I Paule tell you that if you be circumcided, Christ shal profite you nothing, and though an Angel of heauen teach you so, that is,* 1.18 preach you workes, wherebie you should be withdrawen from Christ, anathema be he, that is, the curse of God light vpon him. how thē may a Christi∣an, that ether loueth or feareth Christ, thus extenuate the fathers error, being by M. W. declaration, in substance, the self same, by reason of circumstance, farre more haynous, the light of the gospel spread more larglie, the truth of doctrine more deepely rooted, the law more vndoubtedlie abolished, and euerie part of Christian religion more clearly acknowledged and pro∣fessed. wherefore in this, I take M. Whit. inexcusablie, rather for a Pagane then for a Christian, when he saith, The fathers by their penitentiall vvorkes derogated from Christ, and thrusting them selues into his roome, ascribed to their ovvne inuentions, the satisfying of Gods vvrath, and remission of their sinnes, and yet for al this calleth them sanctissimas, most holy. whereas this being true▪ they were the most impious and detestable men, that euer the sunne saw.

Luther in his booke aduersusfalsò no∣minatum ordinem episcoporum, describing his iustifiing faith, writeth thus, al∣though wickedly, yet agreablie to his owne doctrine, and the common doc∣trine of the protestants.* 1.19 Marke me (saith he) vvhat is Christian faith. Christian faith is to beleeue, that by no vvorkes, but by onlie faith in Christ as thy mediatour, and by mer∣cy in him geuen thee freely, thou art iustified and saued. Gal. 1. so as a man despaire of all his ovvne strength, vvorkes, and endeuours, and depende altogether of an other mans merites, and an other mans iustice. Iudaical faith is to entend to be iustified, to blot out thy sinnes, and be saued by thy ovvne strength and merites. Rom. 10. by this, Christ is cast avvay. To like effect he writeth in his second commentarie vpon the Gala∣tians,* 1.20 expounding these wordes. his qui natura non sunt dii seruiebatis, ye ser∣ued them, vvhich by nature vvere not gods, vpon these words, he maketh this question, and thus solueth it. is it all one in S. Paule, to depart from the promise to the lavv, from faith to vvorkes, and to serue gods, vvhich by nature are not gods? I an∣svvere, vvhosoeuer falleth from the article of iustification, he becommeth ignorant of God, and is an idolater. And therefore it is

al one vvhether he returne to the lavv, or to the vvorshipping of idols. al is one, vvhe∣ther he be a monke, a Turke, a Ievv, or Ana∣baptist. for this article once taken avvay, there remaineth nothing, but mere error, hipocrisie, impietie, idolatrie, although in shevv there appeare excellent truth, vvor∣ship of God, holines &c. Yea speaking ex∣presly of the auncient fathers, and in re∣spect of this special matter, he most wickedly, but most plainly, adiudgeth them to hell fier, for their wicked faith in this verie cause. I speake not (saith he) against the papistes for their life, but for their faith, because they vvil not come to God by only faith, but by faith and vvorkes, and therfore if the fathers those old papistes liued now, I would speake vnto thē as I do to these new papistes.* 1.21 thus stand his wordes. Si illa facies veteris papatus, &c. if that face and forme of old papistrie stoode novv, if that discipline vvere obserued novv vvith so much seueritie & rigour,* 1.22 as the he∣remites, as Hierome, Austine, Gregorie, Ber∣nard, Fraūcis, Dominike, & many others ob∣serued it, litle perhaps should I profite by my doctrine of faith, against that (state of papis∣trie.) yet neuertheles after the example of Paule inueighing against the false Apostles, in apparance most holy and good men, I ought

to fight against such Iustice vvorkers of the papisticall Kingdome,* 1.23 and say: though you liue a chast life, and vvearie your bodies vvith much exercise, yea though ye vvalke in the humilitie and religion of Angels, yet are ye bondmen of the lavv, of sinne, and the deuill, ye are to be cast out of the house, because you seeke for iustice and saluatiō, by your vvorkes, and not by Christ. Thus Luther. and this being the general doc∣trine of the Protestantes, in al their trea∣tises of iustification, and M. W. preten∣ding to be of the number, supposing the fault to be true which he layeth to the fathers, if he folowed the iudgment of S. Paule, S. Ciprian, S. Augustine, & al Catholike Christiās, he must needes accompt them aduersaries of Christ, pro¦phane and wicked, & cast out eternally from the face of God: if he folowed the vniuersal sway of his owne doc∣trine,* 1.24 teaching only faith, and iustifi∣cation thereby, he could not but with Luther hold them for impious, hipocrites, bondm••n of sinne and the deuil, idolaters, vvithout knovvledge of God, as il as any monke, Turke, Ievv, or Anabaptist. And cer¦tainly no monke (except perhaps some Apostataes, as Luther him self, Bucer, P. Martir, or such founders of this new

Gospel) liuing in his order, thought e∣uer so ethnicallie of Christes passion, as by M.W. iudgment S. Ciprian and those fathers did. And therefore I see not how he so excusing the fathers in this point, and calling it a light error, or none at al, cā him self be excused from plaine Atheisme, whether he be arraygned be∣fore his lawful Iudges, S. Paule, S. Ci∣prian, S. Austine, and their successours Catholike Bishoppes,* 1.25 or before Lu∣ther that Apostata, vvhom he honoreth for his father, & the rest of that cōfraternitie. except perhappes he wil pleade in his defence, that he knew not this, which is so cōmonly knowen to al, and so to quitte him self of so foule impietie, wil condemne him self of notorious igno∣rance. But howsoeuer he shift the mat∣ter, M. Martins charge standeth vndis∣charged, that, to say, that the fathers tooke from Christ, & ascribed to them selues the office of his mediatorship, sa∣tisfaction and remission of sinnes, and iustice before God, and yet to cal them most holie,* 1.26 is as plaine a cōtradictiō, as to say, such a man seeth most sharply, yet both his eyes are out of his head. he geueth con∣saile excellēt wel in any cōtrouersie of law, mary his head for al that, is a mile

of from his shoulders.

And yet, to mende the matter, pre∣sently and fast vpon the former, talking of the same thinge, he stumbleth in to an other contradiction as grosse as the other. For labouring to make our faul∣tes more odious, and to seuer vs as far as may be from the fathers, thus he writeth.* 1.27 the fathers vvrite sometimes, that it is our part to do satisfactiō vnto God, that God is pacified vvith our satisfactiō, that thereby vve promerite him, and redeeme our sinnes: vvhich albeit they are not verie conuenient∣ly spoken,* 1.28 yet by these, they vvould haue no other thinge vnderstood or signified, thē that pardon of sinnes and Gods grace, vvas to be requested and craued of vs, vsinge also those external actions of penance, teares, fastes, vvatchinges, almes: vvhich thing may ap∣peare by Ciprian alone, in many places. most euidētly in his 55. epistle, in his booke against Demetrian, and in his sermon de lapsis. what sense you deuise and frame to your self,* 1.29 I know not, nether skilleth it greatly. but surely the discourse of S. Ciprian, and his words, be as much against you, as possibly may be deuised: and especi∣ally in the places by you quoted. to geue the reader a tast of your sinceritie, thus he there writeth. By satisfaction and

iust mourning our sinnes are redeemed, and our vvoundes by teares are cleansed. our lord is to be prayed vnto, our lord is to be pacified by our satisfaction. let euerie man confesse his sinnes, vvhile his confession may be admit∣ted, vvhile satisfaction and pardon geuen by the priestes, is acceptable before God. let our soule prostrate her self before god, and satisfie him by sorovvfulnes. let vs pacify gods vvrath and indignation, by fasting, lamentation, & mourning, as he him self hath vvarned vs. The prophete Daniel by fasting endeuoured to deserue gods fauour, and the like haue done al humble, vvel-meaning, and innocent men. Thinkest thou that God is so easely pacified, vvhom vvickedly thou hast denied? Thou must pray and intreate him earnestlie, thou must spend the day in mourning, the night in vvatching & lamentations. prostrate on the ground in ashes and hearecloth, thou must imploy thy self vpon iust vvorkes,* 1.30 by vvhich sinnes are purged, thovv must geue much almes by vvhich soules are deliuered from death. In this sort, the faith florished in the Apostles tyme. in this sort the first faithful Christians kept Christes cōmaundemētes. & to be short (for a great part of that treatise de lapsis runneth after this maner) thus he en∣deth the same. he that thus shal do satis∣faction to God &c. being heard and holpen

of God, shal not only deserue pardō of him, but also a crovvne in heauen. Thus S. Ciprian. which how it should most clearly make against satisfaction and workes satisfac∣torie, M.W. knoweth belike, for I, glad∣ly professe my self therein to vnderstād nothing.

* 1.31But graunt we the conclusion. let S. Ciprian speake & meane as you would haue him. looke a litle backe, & consi∣der how palpably you contradicte your self. for if it be most euident that S. Ciprian meante vvel, though he spake not so conueni∣ently, if he vnderstoode nothing els, but that vve ought to request pardon for our sinnes at Gods hand, and craue his grace, vsing vvithal these externall actions of penance, fasting, vvatching,* 1.32 almes, why sayd you imme∣diatly before, that Ciprian vvith the other fathers, corrupted the doctrine of penance? why sayd you, that they greuously erred, & somevvhat diminished the force of the death and bloud of Christ, by vvhich only our sinnes are expiated?* 1.33 how is it not a sensible lye, when you say, that by their penitentiall vvorkes, they derogated not a litle frō Chris∣tes death, & attributed to much to their ovvne inuentions? when you haue quitted thē of that superstitious opinion of merite & satisfaction, which commonly you ob∣iect

to them, how can the actions seeme any way reproueable to any mā, except he be worse then Epicurus or Diago∣ras? do these holie actions being done with a good minde and intent, such as you now graunt to the fathers, corrupt the doctrine of repentance? doth fasting in it self, derogate from Christes death? doth watching detract from his passiō? do almesdedes diminish the vertue & force of his bloud? Who euer heard such stuffe?* 1.34 now doubtles I thinke ye wrote this in a dreame. or if ye wrote it wa∣kinge, and aduisedly, then are you pro∣ceeded from a common Protestant, and a Puritane, & become a Familiane, or mere Libertine, though I can easely be indu∣ced to beleeue, that this is the end, and so wil proue, of your commō solifidian iustification, that for a man to bewaile his sinnes, to watch, to fast, to pray, to geue almes, shal be deemed papistical, and derogatorie to Christ, and therefore in al respectes quite abandoned.

Yea your self proue this by as sound an argument,* 1.35 as any you haue to proue the Pope, Antichrist. for thus you dis∣pute in your academical oration, Anno 1582. Quid Christo integrum relinquunt? s•• est Christus noster sacerdos, et sunt huius

sacer dotii duae partes. altera, vt sese pro nobis in vnicum perpetuúmque sacrificium offerat, altera, vt preces pro nobis faciat, quid est quod pontificii Christum quotidie offerūe &c. vvhat leaue the papistes entier to Christ? if Christ be our priest, and of this priesthode there are tvvo partes, one, that for vs he offer him self an only and perpetual sacrifice, the other, that he pray for vs, vvhy then do the papistes offer Christ daylie? by which pro∣found demonstration, as you make vs Antichristes for hearing or saing masse, so you make your self (if you be a mi∣nister) and your fellow-ministers, as very Antichristes, for preaching ser∣mons, or saing Communion. for in them, I thinke you do not always rayle at the Pope and Catholikes, but some∣times pray, though to smale purpose. Thē, whereas there be tvvo partes of Chri¦stes priesthode, to sacrifice, & pray, they that pray, be iniurious to his priesthode, and robbe Christ of that which by your di∣uinitie is proper to his person and of∣fice of mediation. and so if we be Anti∣christes for doing the first, needes must you and your comministers be Anti∣christes for doing the second. and in deede, one is as true as the other. To auoid which mischeefe, what way is

there, but ether to allow both, and so to returne to the Church (which to do our Lord send you grace) or with sacri∣fice, to abandon prayer also, and all o∣ther workes of charitie, which without question (as I haue said) is the meaning and extreame scope of that paradox, we are iustified by onlie faith, that is by onlie fansie and imagination. for that being so, what neede or vse is there of fasting, prayer, and such superfluous & vnnecessarie works, iniurious to Christ and derogatorie to his priesthode, and without which, you are most assured of eternal life, by the omnipotēt power of your only faith.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pag. 7. a litle.
• * 1.2

  greuously
• * 1.3

  pag. 9.
• * 1.4

  pag. 7.
• * 1.5

  pag. 8. & 9.
• * 1.6

  Discou. pag. 205.
• * 1.7

  not a litle
• * 1.8

  a litle
• * 1.9

  No good workes, no martirdome profiteth a∣ny man to saluatiō, out of the Cath. church.
• * 1.10

  Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 15. Niceph. li. 4. cap. 23.
• * 1.11

  1. Cor. 13.
• * 1.12

  1 Ioan. 3. & 4
• * 1.13

  Ciprian. de vnit. Eccles.
• * 1.14

  Examine by this certain & sure rule the martyr∣doms & mar¦tyrologes of Lutherās Zwinglians Anabaptis∣tes &c. sette forth by M. Fox, Crispin Hamstedius and others. Aug. epi. 252
• * 1.15

  The fowle grossnes of that error, with which M.W. char∣geth the aū∣ciēt fathers.
• * 1.16

  Galat. 3.
• * 1.17

  Ibi. ca. 5. v. 2.
• * 1.18

  Gal. 1. v. 8.
• * 1.19

  Luth. To. 2. fol. 322.
• * 1.20

  Luth. To. 5. in Gal. ca. 4. fol. 382.
• * 1.21

  Ibid. ca. 4. fol. 400.
• * 1.22

  S. Hierom. S Gregorie & S. Austin old papistes by Luthers ver¦dit.
• * 1.23

  Iustitia••ios papistici re∣••ni.
• * 1.24

  The aunciēt fathers cal∣led by Lu∣ther, Iues, idolaters, bondmen of sinne & the deuil, for their doc∣trine of workes a∣gainst only fayth.
• * 1.25

  Cōtra Cam∣pian. pa. 198
• * 1.26

  An euident contradic∣tion.
• * 1.27

  Ibid. pag. 8.
• * 1.28

  Note this interpreta∣tion.
• * 1.29

  S. Ciprians wordes tou∣ching wor∣kes of pe∣nance, & the merite ther∣of, in the pla¦ces noted by M. W. Epist. 55. et sermon. de lapsis.
• * 1.30

  the doctrine of the Chri∣stians in the Apostles tymes, & of the Cathol. Church in our tyme is al one con∣cerninge workes of penance.
• * 1.31

  A manifest and grosse contradic∣tion.
• * 1.32

  pag 7.
• * 1.33

  Straung and wonderfull diuinitie.
• * 1.34

  Liberti∣nisme. the end of iusti∣fication by only fayth.
• * 1.35

  Whit. in. li. contra San∣der. pa. 297.