Collectanea. Out of St. Gregory the Great, and St. Bernard the devout, against the Papists who adhere to the doctrine of the present Church of Rome, in the most fundamentall points betweene them and vs.

There are no passions nor satisfactions of the Saints, whereby themselues can merit; or that belong to the treasure of the Church, to be communicated by Indulgences to others.

This devout & religious man writing de quadruplici debito of a fourefold debt,* 1.1 which all men are liable vnto, and none able to satisfie; And after speech had, of the loue of Christ to sinfull man, and of the Ioyes of Heauen prepared for man re∣penting, breaking out against all satisfa∣ction, entreth into these words. O si cog∣novisses & in quam multa & quam multis debeas, videres quam nihil sit quod facis, quam nec inter minima numerandum ad comparationem debitorum tuorum.* 1.2 O man (saith hee) if thou diddest know how much, and to whom thou owest, thou wouldest see that that is nothing which thou doest, neither not to bee reckoned a∣mong the very least, in comparison of thy

debts. As there is no proportion, between something and nothing; so hath our life no equality to our Saviours, seeing there is none worthier then his, nor none more wretched then ours. How shall I satisfie, when I am constrained to pay my debt to the vttermost farthing? All therefore that I am, I owe to him, from whom as from a Lord, who made me, I haue all;* 1.3 who doth me good, who ministreth vn∣to mee the influence of the Starres; the temperature of the Aire; the fruitfulnesse of the Earth; and the plentie of Fruit. Let no man thinke that I am carried with so great madnesse as heere to make mentiō of my small mite, much lesse to reckon it. And then concludeth. Quis amplius ergo grunniet dicens; nimium laboramus, nimi∣um ieiunamus, nimium vigilamus, cum nec mille simae imo nec minimae parti, debitorum suorum valeat respondere?* 1.4 Who therefore dare from henceforth complaine and say, wee labour too much, faste too much, watch too much, when hee cannot an∣swere the thousand part, nay not the least part of his debt.

Againe speaking of the tenne Virgins in the Gospell, expounding these words,* 1.5 Giue vs of your oyle, saith, Stulta petitio, vix iustus salvabitur, vix sanctis iustitiae suae oleum sufficit ad salutem, quanto minus & sibi & proximis. A foolish request, the righteous shall scarce be saved,* 1.6 the oyle of their owne righteousnesse hardly suffi∣seth the Saints to salvation, how much lesse themselues & their neighbors. Noc, Daniel, Iob, shall not deliver a sonne or daughter, Ezech. 14.18: but like as the soule, that sinneth, shal die. Ezech. 18.20. Sic anima quae institiam fecerit, sola sal∣vabitur. So that soule that doth righte∣ousnesse, onely shall be saved.

* 1.7Againe, speaking of the first and secōd Adam, saith, Sola nimirum secundi Adae tribulatio purgat, quos contaminavit offen∣sio sola prioris, non quod propria cuiquam sufficere possit satisfactio. Quid enim est omnis poenitentianostra, nisi quod si non co∣patimur, omninò non possumus conreguare. It is the onely suffering of the second A∣dam, that purgeth vs, whom the onely of∣fence of the first Adam did defile. I say not that any mans owne satissaction can

suffice him; for what is all our repen∣tance, but onely* 1.8 that if we suffer not with him, we cannot raigne with him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bern. serm. de quadruplic. officio.
• * 1.2

  O if the case so stand, that we owe more then we are able to performe, how shall it goe with our workes of supererogation?
• * 1.3

  Remember Ia∣cob Genes 32.10. he confesseth that he was not worthy of the least of Gods tempornll mer∣cies: how much lesse are the Saints worthy of eternall.
• * 1.4

  No mans suffe∣rings do abound, or over flow to satisfie for ano∣ther.
• * 1.5

  Bern. Serm. de virginibus. Mat. 25.8.
• * 1.6

  The virgins iū∣stice or righte∣ousnesse, is little enough for the∣selues.
• * 1.7

  De verb. lib. lob. cap. 5. in sex tribulat.
• * 1.8

  In the middest of our repen∣tance or penance wee must hope sor pardon only by the saith of Jesus Christ: yet in weeping for our sinnes, in bearing our crosse, in mortifying our members, in offering our selues a sacrifice to God, we become like vnto Christ in suffering, and so are fitted to raigne with him: but the purging vs from sin, must be reserved to the blood of Christ alone.