A replie to Iesuit Fishers answere to certain questions propou[n]ded by his most gratious Matie: King Iames By Francis White D: of Div· deane of Carlile, chaplaine to his Matie. Hereunto is annexed, a conference of the right: R:B: of St Dauids wth the same Iesuit*

ANSWER.

TO the constitution of Popes Pardons, three things are re∣quired by the Papals, and reiected by vs. First, Superflu∣ous and redundant satisfactions of Saints a. Secondly, A vast Treasurie in the Church militant, to receiue and con∣taine [ D] the same b. Thirdly, An eminent authoritie and power in the Popes c and Prelates of the Roman Church, to commu∣nicate and applie the same to the liuing and defunct d. Prote∣stants denie that any member of this Doctrine is Catholicke and Orthodoxall; or that the holy Apostles, or Primitiue Church maintained the same, by teaching, or practise. We af∣firme also, That the said Doctrine is nouell, and deuised by Ro∣man Prelates for filthie lucre e.

The Aduersarie notwithstanding, laboureth to vnderprop [ A] the tottering wall of Papall 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and Indulgences, First, by distinction of Merits and Satisfactions; Secondly, by explica∣tion of his Romish Tenet, touching Satisfactions; Thirdly, by deliuering the maine grounds of the Doctrine of Satisfa∣ctions, and Pardons.

His first Proposition is, The merits of Saints are reserued and laid vp in the memorie of God, and not in the Treasurie of the Church a. And on the contrarie, the redundant satisfacti∣ons of Saints are laid vp in the Treasurie of the Church.

But this assertion is voluntarie, deliuered onely, and not [ B] prooued. And if Saints haue superabundant Satisfactions, then they haue also superabundant Merits b, as appeareth in Christ, who is their samplar: and if their Satisfactions are communi∣cable, why shall not their merits be communicated to other persons c? and if this, why may not the Church applie and communicate the one as well as the other? Poperie is a myste∣rie, Apoc. 17.5. And the Canonists say of the Pope, Stat pro ratione voluntas d, his absolute will stands for a reason: Et po∣test aliquid de nihilo facere, he is able to make something of no∣thing: otherwise, there is the same reason for communication [ C] of Merits, and for Satisfactions; for in Christ Iesus both were communicated alike, & Christ is the Samplar, or Archtype, ac∣cording to which, the Doctrine of saintly Merit and Satisfa∣faction (if there were in truth any such) must be proportioned.

Notes

• a

  Nugnus. Ad∣dit. in. 3. pa. Tho. q. 25. ar. 1. dif. 2. Fides est ità vt 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sit haere∣sis 〈◊〉〈◊〉, esse thesaurum In Ec∣clesia, constans ex satisfactiomb su∣perabundantibus Christi Domini, & fides est ità vt oppofitum sit er∣roneum, hunc the∣saurum etiam cō∣stare ex satisfactionibus Sanctorum.
• b

  Id. Ibid. Thesaurum dici metaphoricè, &c. ad Sgnificandum [ E] cumulum & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 meritorum Christi & Sanctorum, in quantum constat ex satisfactionibus Christi & Sanctorum, quae bona modo in terris non habent Dominum, quià nulli sunt applicata in particulari.
• c

  Antonin. sum. Mor. p. 1. tit. 10. cap. 1. Claues istius thesauri, ad ipsum erogandum 〈◊〉〈◊〉 habet Papa.
• d

  Ibid. Possunt autem valere indulgentiae, secundum Thomam & Richardum in 4. nen solum viuis, sed etiàm existentibus in purgatorio.
• e

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in 3. Tho. q. 25. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1. dif. 1. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mihi vide∣tur melius esse ex genere secundum se, illas (pecunias) conferre ad lucrandas indulgentias, &c. pa. 447.
• a

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. sum. lib. 4. d. Relax. per Claues. Ecclesia non solum mere∣tur remissionē cul∣pae alicui, sed etiā remissionē poenae.
• b

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. An∣nal. tom. 14. anno 1300. n. 4. Dictorū 〈◊〉〈◊〉 (Pe∣tri & Pauli) meri∣tis, omnes animae in purgatorio, non 〈◊〉〈◊〉 à poenis fu∣issent liberatae, sed aeternam quoquè gloriā consecutae.
• c

  Zerula. d. In∣dulg li. 1. ca. 18. q. 6. An viuus satis∣faciat, vel impe∣tret, vel meretur per viam iustitiae, &c. Resp. Dico se∣cundò quod etiam per viam iustitiae 2. Tim. 4. Et sicut viuus pro viuo potest mereri & satisfacere per viam iustitiae, sic etiàm pro defunctis, &c.
• d

  Vid. Iacob. d. Graph. Decis. Aur. p. 1. li. 1. ca. 31. nu. 3.