Rhemes against Rome: or, The remoouing of the gagg of the new Gospell, and rightly placing it in the mouthes of the Romists, by the Rhemists in their English translation of the Scriptures. Which counter-gagg is heere fitted by the industrious hand of Richard Bernard ...

Scriptures obiected answered.

Matth. 5. 25. Whosoeuer is angry with his brother without cause, is in danger of Iudgement: And whosoeuer shall say vnto his Bro∣ther, Racha, shall be in danger of Councill: and whosoeuer shall say, Thou Foole, shall be guilty of Hell-fire.

Answ. This place proueth not any sinnes to be veniall, and not mortall in their owne nature. For first, this should be against the scope of Christs speech, in confuting the Pharises mis-vn∣derstanding the Law, and here in particular, the sixt comman∣dement. They stucke to the Letter; Christ here extendeth the breach of this Law, to thoughts, and words; so making a man by causelesse anger, and railing words, to be before God guiltie of murder. Is this then to make sinne veniall? or are not rather those, which they conceit to bee veniall, by Christ here made mortall, if to be guilty of bloud before God, be mortall? Se∣condly, here is no difference made of sinnes in their nature; but onely here is shewed the degrees of sinning, and that one of∣fence is greater then another. For faine would I know of them, how they can distinguish these in nature, that anger and calling one Racha, should be veniall; and to call one Foole, to bee mor∣tall? Thirdly, the punishments here expressed, distinguish not the nature of the sinnes, but shew the degrees of punish∣ments, according as men sinne. For as God in mercy will re∣ward mens well-doings with degrees of glory; so in iustice will he in hell, the damned with degrees of punishment, Matth. 10. 15. Fourthly, whereas our Aduersaries make Iudgement, and Councill, temporall punishments for veniall sinnes, and hell fire for mortall sinnes, taking aduantage by the translation of the word Gehenna:

First, it is cleere, that punishments doe not alter the nature of sinnes; but being duely executed, doe shew onely the de∣grees of sinne, to be greater, or lesser, and so are they according∣ly punished. Secondly, Papists themselues hold vnaduised an∣ger, and words euen tending to blasphemie, comming of sud∣den and vnaduised anger, as the word Racha, and Foole doe here, to be veniall sinnes. Therefore they erre in distinguishing the sinnes thus into veniall; and mortall, which they themselues account to be veniall. Thirdly, the punishments here mentio∣ned, are such as either concerne the ciuill Magistrate, to inflict temporally here; or such meant, as God will inflict eternally in another world; but these are not punishable by the Magistrate in these cases: for we finde not in Scripture any Law of Moses,

for Magistrates to call men into iudgement for vnaduised an∣ger; or to a Councill, or to burne men for calling one Racha, or Foole, proceeding no further. Therefore the punishments are meant, such as God will inflict eternally in the life to come. If so, then I answer: Fourthly, that Iudgement, Councill, and hell fire, are the degrees of Gods punishment vpon the wicked in hell. Fifthly and lastly, whereas by the translation, hell fire is giuen to the third, and not to the other two, they would by the other vnderstand onely temporall punishments, and by this, e∣ternall; they are greatly deceiued, or would deceiue, or do both. First, for that these kinds of sinnes here expressed, will not admit this distinction, there being no such great difference betweene the sinnes, as that the former should deserue but onely tempo∣ral punishments in this world, or (as they dreame) in Purgatory, and the other eternall in hell. Secondly, because the words in all the punishments, are first to be conceiued and taken, accor∣ding to the proceeding after the accustomed forme of ciuill iudgements among the Iewes: for some punishment was in∣flicted, according to the sentence of the lowest Court, here vn∣derstood by iudgement, like to our petty Sessions; Some, ac∣cording to the sentence of a higher Court, their Sanhedrin consisting of three and twenty Elders, like to our Quarter Ses∣sions; and some, according to the sentence of the highest Court, the great Councill at Ierusalem consisting of seuentie Elders, like to our great Assizes, whose sentence was inflicted vpon the presumptuous and greatest offendors, Deut. 17. 12. worthy of the place named Gehenna, which was also called To∣pheth, in the valley of the children of Hinnom, in the Suburbs of Ierusalem, where Idolaters made their children to passe thorow the fire, to the Idol Molech, 2. King. 23. 10. 2. Chron. 28. 3. Ier. 7. 31, 32. which places Iosias defiled with filth, in detestation thereof, and became to be for such execrable Idolatry, most ac∣cursed, and so detestable, as that for such as were worthy the greatest torments, Topheth was said to bee prepared, Esai. 30. 33. Whereupon it came to be at length taken for Hell fire, the place of the damned, as here, in Matth. 5. 29, 30. and 10. 28. and 18. 9. and 23. 25, 33. Iam. 3. 6. but here first taken pro∣perly,

as the other two are before, and then applyed vnto Gods inflicting punishment: as if it had been said, As you Iewes here in your countrey doe make difference of offences, and so haue differing degrees of punishing with death, according to your seuerall Courts: So after this life, God accordingly in Hell hath degrees of punishment, for differing sinnes, which here men doe commit. Thus standeth the similitude: Else it were absurd, as Papists make it to be, partly of temporall, and partly of eter∣nall punishment: for as there bee three degrees of sinne; bad, worse, and worst of all; and three degrees of punishment with death, by hanging, stoning, and burning, first, by iudgement, which is great: then by Councill, which is greater; and lastly, by highest Court, as with Gehenna, the greatest of all: so is it with God in punishing the wicked, with seuerall degrees of punishments after death.

Matth. 23. 24. Blinde guides that straine at a Gnat, and swal∣low a Cammell. Here is sinne compared, one to a Gnat, and an∣other to a Cammell: so in Luk. 6. 41. one to a moate, and an∣other to a beame.

Answ. The places shew that all sinnes are not equall, but some farre greater then other-some; which we beleeue & teach. But they proue not, that therefore some onely deserue eternall death; and the other only temporall and not eternall. For all sin, bee it as a Gnat, or a moate, deserues in it owne nature death eternall, as well as the sinne which is as a Cammell, or as a Beame, as before is proued.

Luk. 12. 59. Thou shalt not goe out thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. This mite is veniall sinne, say they.

Answ. 1. The place is allegorically interpreted; and there∣fore from the bare words is no sound proofe. Secondly, the ab∣surditie, and falshood of such an exposition, is before confuted out of Matth. 5. 25, 26. where it is alledged for Purgatorie, in which place onely veniall sinnes are payed for, compared to farthings, and mites. But what is this last mite a mite of? Is it of a summe which consists all of mites? or else of other moneys, and of greater summes? To affirme it a summe of all mites, were but an idle dreame: and, if it consists of greater summes,

then is the party cast into prison for these also. Then the Alle∣gorie vrged to maintaine Purgatorie, makes it a place to satis∣fie both for mortall and veniall sinnes, which our Aduersaries deny.

1. Cor. 3. 12. Where, by Wood, Hay, and Stubble, are meant veniall sinnes.

Answ. 1. It hath beene alledged before for Purgatorie, and there answered at full. But here yet further I answer: Secondly, that the Apostle speaketh here of vnwholsome, and vnprofita∣ble Doctrines. And are these veniall sinnes? Is errour in Do∣ctrine, not a sinne in its owne nature? Is it not worthy of death, to mis-lead by impure preaching, and to breed errours in mens minds? He is cursed with Amen, that makes the blind goe out of their way.

Iam. 7. 14. Euery one is tempted of his owne concupiscence, drawne, and enticed: then when lust hath conceiued, it bringeth forth sinne; and sinne when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Where they make some motions, no sinnes; some sinnes, but not dead∣ly; and other-some, deadly.

Answ. Here is no distinction of sinnes in their natures; but a genealogie of sinne, from the mother concupiscence, and the deserued reward thereof in the end, which is death. Here is no veniall sinne. For first, death is due to the mother, lust; which lust is sinne, Rom. 7. and worthy of death, Rom. 5. Secondly, he speakes here of sinne singularly, the fruit of lust, conceiued, brought forth, and ripened; as of one and the same sinne grow∣ing to the full height, and not of diuers kinds of sinnes, diffe∣ring in nature. Thirdly, when Iames saith, that lust brings forth sinne, it is not by calling the fruit thereof sinne, to cleere lust from being sinne: for Saint Paul calleth it sinne, Rom. 7. and what is it that naturally brings forth sinne, that in it selfe is not sinne? but it is to distinguish naturall corruption, from actuall transgression. Fourthly, death is put in the last place for sinne consummate, and not that lust is not worthy of death, nor the sinne which floweth thence; but to shew whereto our owne corrupt nature drawne and entised, will at length bring vs by sinning euen vnto death, if it bee not mortified. And therefore

this text is nothing for the proofe of their vntrue distinction of veniall, and mortall sinnes.

Prou. 24. 16. A iust man falleth seuentimes, and riseth vp againe. Ergo, Men may commit sinnes veniall, and yet re∣maine iust.

Answ. Here is no proofe, that these falls or sinnes are not mortall in themselues. For that a iust man sinning, remaineth iust, is not from the nature of the sinnes, which he doth fall into: but from the state of adoption, and Gods mercy which giueth him grace to repent (which is here to bee vnderstood by his ri∣sing againe) God accepting of him in Christ, through whom he is accounted iust, and in whom all his sinnes are veniall.

Notes

• Deut. 27. 18.