The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White.

Paragraph. 2. Wherein T. W. P. chargeth D. White with corrupting the Rhemists concerning the merit of workes.

T. W. P. NOw I will come to M. Whites deprauatiōs, &c. And to begin with one, which as it containeth in it selfe many foule and strange corruptions, so the iniury thereby offered, is not to one, but to many; and those, for their learning and vertue, men of worthiest memory, to wit, the English Doctors of Rhemes.

Answer. The Authors of the Rhemish translation and notes of the new Testament, were Gregory Martin, Bri∣stow, and Cardinall Allenb: who are therefore extolled for vertue and learning by you, because they were corrum∣pendae veritatis artificesc, artisans of your-owne mystery, &c.

T.W. If we beleeue M. White, the Rhemists affirme, that our workes of their very nature deserue eternall life, the re∣ward whereof, is a thing equally and iustly answering to the time and weight of the worke, rather then a free gift: so that God should be vniust if he gaue it not. But this brazen faced Minister, in alledging their words, hath committed a double corruption: First, in omitting the word grace, the true words being, Works proceeding of grace, merit heauen. Second∣ly, by inserting in stead of the word grace, the word nature, the which was not so much as dreamed of by the Rhemists, or by

any Catholike author. Yea to defend, that workes of their owne nature do merit, were to renew the Pelagian heresie.

Answer. 1. D. White at the place obiecteda, nameth not the Rhemists within his text: neither produceth he any one literall sentence of his authors, placed in the mar∣gent: but collecteth into a summe the doctrine of Andra∣diusb (whom he citeth as well as the Rhemists) and of o∣ther Pontificians: as appeareth by the words prefixed to his quotation, You heare what is commonly said.

2. He imposeth vpon no Papists, that they maintaine, good works of nature, or proceeding from nature, do me∣rit; but that, good workes of grace, do of their very na∣ture, merit, &c.

It is the heresie of Pelagius (as you say) that morall a∣ctions of naturall and vnregenerate persons do merit [in condignitie,] yet many of your Doctors say, they merit in congruitiec. But that good workes of regenerate per∣sons, of their very nature, and as they be such, are meri∣torious, is maintained by Andradius, by the Rhemists, and many other pontificians.

The Rhemists say:c The value of our workes ariseth from the grace of adoption, which maketh that those actions, which of their nature be not meritorious in themselues, are worthy of heauen.

Vasques the Iesuite saith,d Workes of their inbred digni∣tie deserue, &c. and ex natura operis sic factie, by the nature of the worke thus wrought. (Where you haue the very forme of speech vsed by my brother.) And Suarez:f They haue an intrinsecall preportion with the reward.

Vasques affirmeth, that it is the tenet of the best learned in the Popish schoole, that workes of grace are meritorious of their very nature and intrinsecall existence, without any new imputation of Christs merit, or addition and supply of Gods promise, besides their first production. And for con∣firmation hereof, he produceth Thomas, Caietan, and sundry other authorsg.

Forasmuch therefore, as D. White imposeth vpon you no other tenet, concerning the merit of workes, but that which is embraced by your greatest Doctors: it was rude and vnciuill for T.W. to reproch him with the foule termes of brazen faced Minister, &c.

T.W. M. White chargeth the Rhemists with holding that the reward of workes is a thing equally and iustly answe∣ring the time and weight of his trauels and workes, rather then a free gift. I find most of these words, but many of them in seueral lines, and vttered vpon seuerall occasions, all which to ioyne and chaine together in one continued line or sentence, and thereby to make the author speake contrary to himselfe, is a thing easie to performe, but the performance is wicked, shame∣lesse, execrable, &c.

Answer. Is it wicked and shamelesse, from two pre∣mises verbally found in the Rhemists, to collect a right conclusion, and to deliuer the same as their doctrine?

The Rhemists haue two propositions, from whence the assertion and conclusion wherwith my brother char∣geth them, is inferred. As I thus declare.

The Rhemists affirme, The reward of good works is such a reward, as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Greeke, and merces in Latine importh.

But 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Greeke, and merces in Latine (as the same Rhemists sayi) is a very stipend, hire and wages, such as Paul speaketh of 1. Tim. 5.18. saying, The labourer is worthy

of his hire: a thing equally and iustly answering the time and weight of his worke, rather then a free gift.

Therefore the Rhemists hold, as D. White chargeth them, that the reward of good workes is a thing equally and iustly answering the time and weight of the worke, rather then a free gift.

T. W. But giue this libertie, of omitting, and inserting, and coupling, to the Atheist, which your selfe M. White haue assumed, and you shall find strange positions maintained by him. For example, the Psalmist speaking of your selfe, and o∣ther such like, saith: The foole hath said in his heart, there is no God. Now kindly allow him to blot out the word foole, as you more then foolishly did the word grace, and to insert the word wise man, as you according to the wisedome of the world, did the word nature, and then obserue how easily he will proue from the Scriptures, that there is no God. But thus knowingly and deliberatly to corrupt, to the dishonour of your owne, and Catholicke religion, is to me an argument most con∣uincing, that you are one of those fooles, who said in his heart, there is no God.

Answ. A Philosopher obserueth, that euery thing which is weake, vseth to be clamorousk. And thus it fa∣reth with you. Otherwise, what hath your aduersarie done, to cause such a gust of folly to come from you? The abuse committed, is onely your owne, who subtilly haue peruerted that which D. White rightly conceiued. And therefore as the Ecchol returnes backe to the place from whence it came: so these bolts (Psal. 11.2.) which you haue shot, to wit, the foole hath said, &c. must returne a∣gaine to your owne quiuer, or rest in your bosome, vntill you can find a more iust occasion to vent them.

Notes

• D. Wh. Way to the Church, Di∣gress. 35. n. 6.
• b

  Posseuin se∣lect. biblioth. l. 2. c. 12.
• c

  Cyprian. de vnit. Eccles.
• a

  Pag. 238.
• b

  Andrad. orth. expl. lib 6. Rhem. annot. 1 Cor. 3. v. 18. & ••. b. 6 v. 10.
• c

  Scot. ••. d. ••8 q. v•••••• Durand. 2. d. ••8 q. 6. Adriā Quolib 7. q 4. ••••es. d 17. q. v∣nic ar. 2 concl. 4. Genebr com P•• 67. v. 13 C••ietan opu •• to. 3 tr 11 c 1. 9 nisi ex qua da cong••uit••te, qua congrauit homini recte v∣tenti libero at∣bi rio, in ijs quae Dersunt, Deum largiri, &c. Vega pro cōcil. l. 5. c. 15. Caietan 10. 3. opusc. tr. 11. c 9. Vis Spiritus sancti habitantis i•• homine, non est impar ad ac∣quirendam vitā aeternam & ad efficiendū quod operibus cius in nobis debeatur vita aete••••a.
• c

  Scot. ••. d. ••8 q. v•••••• Durand. 2. d. ••8 q. 6. Adriā Quolib 7. q 4. ••••es. d 17. q. v∣nic ar. 2 concl. 4. Genebr com P•• 67. v. 13 C••ietan opu •• to. 3 tr 11 c 1. 9 nisi ex qua da cong••uit••te, qua congrauit homini recte v∣tenti libero at∣bi rio, in ijs quae Dersunt, Deum largiri, &c. Vega pro cōcil. l. 5. c. 15. Caietan 10. 3. opusc. tr. 11. c 9. Vis Spiritus sancti habitantis i•• homine, non est impar ad ac∣quirendam vitā aeternam & ad efficiendū quod operibus cius in nobis debeatur vita aete••••a.
• d

  Vas. q. 1. 2. part. 2. disp. 214. ca. 4. Opera iustorum ex sola ingenita dignitate, meritoria sunt. Ib. ca. 6. n. 39 Ex natura sua, hoc ipso quod facta sunt, ab homine iusto ex auxilio gratiae Dei, esse condigna vita aeterna.
• e

  Ib. disp. 222. ca. 3.
• f

  Suar. 3. Thom. p. 1. disp. 41. §. 3.
• Rhem annot. Rom. 8. vers. 18.
• g

  Th. Aqu. 1.2. q. 114. at. 3. Caietan. ib. Conrad ib. Fra. Romeus de lib. & necess. o∣perum. verit. 22. Richard 2. d. 27. ar. 3. ad. 9. Drie∣do de red. gen. hum. tr. 2. ca 2. p. 3. at 3 prop. 6. Lindan. panopl. Euang l. 3. c 20. Clictou. unpr. ar. Luth. ca. 3. Iodoc. Tiletan. apol. concil. Trid. tit. de bon. oper. sup. ca. 11. sess. 6. q. 4.
• h

  Rhem. annot. 1. Cor. 3. n 2. & Math. 5. n. 2.
• i

  Rhem. 1. Cor. 3.8. & Heb. 6 10 & Math. 5.2. & Reuel 22.4. & 2. Tim. 4.4.
• k

  Seneca l. 1. de ira. Inualidum omne natura est querulum.
• l

  Basil. ser. in iracund. Con∣uicium simile est eccho in so∣litudine, quod reuertitur ad conuiciatorem.