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.

Obseruation 1. Touching Workes: wherein is contained the Protestants faith concerning the reward and effects of the same.

1. We beleeue and maintaine, that good workes are necessarie to saluationa 1.1. 1. Ioh. 1.6.7. Rom. 8.13. Math. 5.20. & Math. 6.21. Euen as walking in the way, is a ne∣cessarie action and meanes to bring a traueller to the end of his iourney, Ephes. 5.10. And this is the constant do∣ctrine

of holy Scripture, and ofb 1.2 all the Catholicke Church.

2. Good workes haue many excellent effects and vses in sundry passages of our saluation; whereof these are principall:

First, they are part of the matter, actions and fruites of repentance, Ezech. 18.21. 1. Cor. 5.7. Ephes. 4.22.24. and they disposec 1.3 and qualifie our persons, that we may receiue and enioy the benefite of remission of sinnes, 1. Ioh. 1.7.

Secondly, they are the matter of our obedience, Rom. 6.13. and thankfulnesse, Psal. 118.19. and of our loue to∣wards God, Ioh. 14.21. the meanes whereby we glorifie God and edifie others, and prouoke them to vertue, 1. Pet. 2.12. Heb. 10.24.d 1.4

Thirdly, they are signes of our election, iustification, and redemption, 2. Pet. 1.10. 1. Ioh. 3.24. Ioh. 8.39. sup∣porters of our faith and confidence in Christ, 1. Ioh. 3.19.e 1.5 helpes and furtherances to our prayers, Act. 10.4. Esa. 58.9. yea certaine inferiour aduocatesf 1.6 and intercessors to God for mercie and forgiuenesse; and for the release or mitigation of temporall punishment, and for many spi∣rituall and worldly benefites, 1. Ioh. 3.22. Pro. 16.6. Dan. 4.24. And euen as foule and enormous sins crie to God for vengeāce, Gen. 18.20. so vertues supplicate for mercy and deliuerance, Esa. 65.24. In the old law, besides propi∣tiatorie sacrifices, there were sacrificia impetrātiag 1.7, Iob 42 8. Ezr. 6.10. in the roome whereof succeed spiritual sacri∣fices

of Christians, consisting of pious and charitable deeds, Heb. 13.6. Reuel. 1.6. Rom. 12.1. 1. Pet. 2.9. and these haue the effect and vse of impetration, Ioh. 9.31. 2 Ioh. 3.22.

Fourthly, iust persons endued with vertue, are the ob∣iect of Gods loue and friendship, Ioh. 14.21. 2. Chron. 20.7. and he dwelleth with such, 2. Cor. 6.16. 1. Cor. 3.17. blessing and protecting them, Gen. 22.16.17. and as Isaac smelling the sweet sauour of Iacobs raiment, began to pronounce a blessing vpō him, Gen. 27.27. so the Lord is rich in mercie and blessings towards those, in whom is found the sauor of grace and vertue, Psal. 84.11.

Fiftly, although we ascribe the whole vertue of pur∣ging sinne,* 1.8 in the article of iustification, to the bloud of Christ onely, 1. Ioh. 1.7. Apoc. 1.5. yet in the doctrine of sanctification, we ascribe power of cleansing and purging sinne to vertue and good workes, according to the maner following: S. Iames saith, Cleanse your hands you sinners, ch. 4.8. and S. Iohn, Euery one that hath this hope, purifieth himselfe, 1. Ioh. 3.3. and Esay, Wash you, make you cleane, Esa 1.16. and Solomon, There is a generation that are pure in their owne eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthynes, Prou. 30.12.

And the maner hereof is, that whereas there be foure sorts and meanes of purging sinne: first, by the way of redemption and remission, this is done by Christ onely. Secondly, by immediate application of Christ in our iu∣stification; and this is peculiar to faith aloneb 1.9, Ioh. 3.4 15. Thirdly, by infusing the grace of regeneration and habite of sanctification; this is the worke of the holy Ghost as the principall cause, and of the word and sacraments as the instrumentall, Ioh. 15.3. Eph. 5.26. Ioh. 3.3. Fourthly,

there is a purging and cleansing of sin necessarie to salua∣uation, which standeth in the mortifying and repressing of concupiscence, and subiecting of the powers to the re∣giment of grace; and also in renouncing and expelling of sinne by the contrary actions of vertue, Col. 3.5.12. Workes of light, expell the deeds of darknesse, and the liuely actions of vertue purifie the soule, according to the Apostle, 1. Pet. 1.22. You haue purified your soules in obey∣ing the truth. Prou. 16.6.c 1.10

Sixthly, we teach, that the Lord of his bountie and goodnesse rewardeth all the workes and good deeds of iust persons with rewards spirituall and temporall, 1. Tim. 4.8. and that in rewarding, he obserueth a proportion according to the number and measure of good workes,d 1.11 2. Cor. 9.6. Math. 19.28.29. Dan 12.3. But this reward is not an hire and stipend properly so called, Rom. 6.23. but a reward of bountie or liberalitie, such as a father after his promise, bestoweth vpon his sonne, for performing that dutie which he is otherwise bound vnto, and is onely beneficiall to himselfe.f 1.12

And such reward is free: first, because the Lord hath freely, without any desert of man, prepared it. Secondly, because himselfe by grace, as the principall efficient, pro∣duceth in men the vertues which he rewardethg 1.13. Third∣ly, the worke being produced, he addeth further worth and value to it, by a new imputation of Christ his merits, Heb. 13.15. 1. Pet. 2.5. Reu. 8.3. Rom. 8.34. Heb. 9.24. Fourthly, he detaineth not the reward promised because of the imperfection and blemish of our good deeds, but

freely forgiueth our wants, and beholdeth onely the goodnesse of the vertue, without the defect. Fiftly, in the act of rewarding, God conferreth more then we are able to expect or desire: and when the reward is actually con∣ferred, it exceedeth the outward promise, 1. Cor. 2.9. and the hope and expectation of the receiuer, Eph. 3.20.h 1.14 Lastly, the iustice of God in rewarding, is rather called iustice, by an improper forme of speaking, that by this name the hope of the iust may be confirmed, then be∣cause it partakes the definition and forme of distributiue and commutatiue iustice, according to the rules of mo∣rall Philosophie, or according to any other proper kind of ciuill or humane iustice.i 1.15

Notes

• a 1.1

  Apologia Ec∣clesiae Anglica∣nae testatur, bo∣na opera neces∣saria esse Chri∣stiano ad salu∣tem. Rainold. apol. thes. pa. 263. Whitak. de Eccles. fol. 301. Pet. Matt. com. Rom. 2. Beza quaest. part. 1. Piscat. anal. Math. 25.
• b 1.2

  Aug. de spir. & lit c. 14. Hieron, ad Celan. ep. 14. Ambros. com. Tit. 2. Gaud. Brixian. ad Gen. de vil. iniq Leo de Epiphan. serm. 2. Clem. Al Strom. l. 5. Greg. Naz orat. 40. Theod Ex∣od. quaest. 63. Cyprian. ep. 14.
• c 1.3

  Bez. annot. Math. 5. v. 20. & quaest. part. 1. opusc. pa. ••69. & cont. Illiric. demonstr. Exi∣stimandum est, praeparari, dis∣poni, & aperiri corda nostra, &c. Chem. ex∣am. p. 1. pa. 171. 172.
• d 1.4

  Chrys. hom. 18. in Rom. Aug. 50. hom. h••••.
• e 1.5

  Chrys. in Math hom. 16.
• f 1.6

  Cypr. de op. & eleemos. De∣precationes so∣lae, parum apud Deum valent, nisi factorum & operum ac∣cessione farciantur. Aug. cont. 2. ep. Pelag. l. 4. c. 7. Eleemosynis & orationibus impetrantibus. Fulg ep. 2. de stat. vid. vt agnoscamus bona opera, LOCVM ORATIONIS HABERE apud Deum. Chrysost. in Genes. hom. 5. Hilar. in Math. can. 4. Charitas, &c. Errorum nostrorum ambitiosa ad Deum; patrona est.
• g 1.7

  Pined. com. Iob. 1.5.
• * 1.8

  Aug. ••nchir. c. 7••.
• b 1.9

  Tol. com. Rom 3 an 17. ••des immedia∣tius & distincti¦us, in eum fer∣••u•• enius virtute iustif••••mur, si∣cut a pectus ae∣ne•• serpentis Vega de iustif. ••8 c 1. Adam Sasboth com Esa. 1.
• c 1.10

  Altisiodo••. sum l 4 tr. 6. ca 4. Hesich. in Leuit. li 4. c. 14. Haec opera ne∣cessaria habet, quae virtutibus & actionis stu∣dio valeant de∣lere peccatum. Cornel ad apid. com. Rom. 12. vers. 1. n. 85. Est moruficat. viua quaedam mors: facit enim mori concupiscentia•• carnis, dum eas truncat per vi∣uos continen∣tiae, abstinentiae, & poenitentiae actus.
• d 1.11

  Fulg de fid. ad Petr c. 3. Hieron in Esa. c. 24. l 8 Tertul. Scorp. c. 6. Chrys hom de praem. san∣ctor. Bernard. ser 9. qui habi∣tat. Beza quaest p. 1.
• f 1.12

  Disp. Ra••isb. c 2. Velut si li∣beralis benig•• nusq́ue herus, &c Propositis praemijs liberalibus inuitet, &c vnum illud respiciens vt bonos faciat, &c Basil. in Psal. 114. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• g 1.13

  Caietan. opusc. to. 3 tr. 11. c 6. Om∣nis bona operatio voluntaria hominis debetur Deo, & quanto potioribus & pluribus bonis ope∣ribus pollet homo tanto plus Deo debet, quia ipse Deus operatur in nobis velle & perficere.
• h 1.14

  Caietan opus. to. 3. tr. 11. ca.
• i 1.15

  Aug. de temp. serm. 40. Chrys. 2. Cor. hom. 23. Deus, hoc in mercedem im∣putat, non quod iuste nobis de∣beat, sed quod misericors est & pius. An∣selm. prosolog. c. 10. Iustus es, O Deus, non quia nobis reddis debitum, sed quia facis quod decet te summe bonum. Cling. loc. com. l. 1. ca. 14. Quia finito ad finitum nulla est proportio, sed om∣nia opera nostra sunt finita, gratia autem, iustificatio & vita aeterna quid infinitum: ergo nihil debet Deus operibus nostris, semper gratis dat, &c.