An antidote agaynst poperie: most necessarie for all in this back-slyding age. Wherein 1. The trueth is confirmed, by authoritie of scriptures, witnessing of antiquitie, and confession of the popish partie. 2. Popish scripturall arguments are answered, by the exposition both of father and of their own doctours / by William Guild.

1. Authoritie of Scripture.

[ .1] ROM. 3.24. Beeing justi∣fied freelie by His grace, through the redemption that is in IESƲS CHRIST.

Vpon which wordes sayeth Car∣dinall Cajetane, it is clearlie heere explayned, That the righteous∣nesse of GOD, which justifieth a sinner, is not of workes, but of the miere favour of GOD, whereby (sayeth Ferus) hee carrieth good-will towardes vs for CHRIST'S sake: Favor enim DEI primum est quo salvamur. For the fa∣vour of GOD, is the first thing whereby wee are saved, (sayeth hee) Therefore also sayeth Estius, That which followeth. (BY HIS GRACE) is exegeticallie added.

As if hee would say, FREELIE; that is, BY HIS GRACE. For the meaning is, that sinners are justi∣fied without anie merite of their owne, by the onlie free favour or good-will of GOD, (sayeth hee) And yet who-so-ever will say, That that grace where-by wee are justified, is the onelie favour of GOD, let him bee ac∣cursed (sayeth the Councell of Trent.

2. COR. 5.21. For Hee [ 2] hath made Him to bee sinne for vs; who knew no sinne, that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of GOD in Him. (so also PHILIP. 3.9.) But Hee was made sinne for vs by imputation, ISAI 53.6. Therefore so are wee made righteous.

Wherevpon sayeth Augustine, Hee then was made sinne, that we might bee made righteousnesse: not ours, but of GOD; not in vs inherent, but in Himselfe, even as

Hee did show Himselfe in the simi∣litude of sinfull flesh, wherei•• Hee was crucified, to bee sinne▪ not His owne, but ours; not it Himselfe, but which was in vs Therefore also sayeth Theophylact This thing doeth the righteous∣nesse of GOD designe, whe•…•… freelie anie is made righteous, and when in him no spotte at all i•…•… found: (which no man dare say o•…•… his owne inherent righteousnesse, And therefore, (sayeth Theophy¦lact) the Apostle sayeth not, That wee might bee made righteous, but the righteousnesse of GOD signifying the hudge greatnesse o•…•… His favour.

Wherefore also, (sayeth Car∣dinall Cajetane) the righteous∣nesse of GOD in CHRIST, is CHRIST'S merite, sufficient to sa∣tisfie for vs, and to justifie vs, which is called, [of GOD, because it is His, who is GOD personallie, and because it is be∣fore GOD'S Tribunall true righ∣teousnesse; to put difference there∣by

betweene it and our righteous∣nesse, which before GOD'S Tri∣bunall is as a menstruous cloath. Therefore when CHRIST'S me∣rite is cōmunicated to vs, then we are made the Righteousnesse of GOD in CHRIST; because wee are made righteous, not by our owne righteousnesse, but by the righteousnesse of GOD in CHRIST communicated to vs: for wee are justified before GOD, by his me∣rite and satisfaction.

3. ROM. 3.28. Therefore wee conclude, that a man is justified by fayth, without the workes of the Law.

Where, first, by the law Augu∣stine showeth the morall law to bee vnderstood, where-of the A∣postle sayeth after, I had not knowne sinne, but by the law. And so lyke∣wyse doeth Aquinas on this place, Next, hee intendeth not, (sayeth Cajetane) to exclude the workes of the law from execution, or per∣formance of them, but from justi∣fication;

that is, (sayeth hee) from the power of justifying a man ab∣solutelie: which is as much to say, from anie vertue of procuring re∣mission of sinnes: for of such a ju∣stification is the Apostles speach heere, (sayth Cajetane) Where∣fore also sayeth Augustine of such workes, Sequuntur justificatum, non praecedunt justificandum: that is, They follow in the person that is justi∣fied, but they goe not before to procure him to bee justified. Whence wee see, that workes which follow af∣ter fayth, doe no more justifie, than workes which goe before fayth, by this reason. These workes which follow justification, can not bee the cause of justification, (as leaues and fruit make not the tre••) but the workes of fayth follow ju∣stification: therefore they can not bee the cause of Iustification.

[ 4] PHILIP. 3.9. And may bee found in Him, not having my owne righteousnesse which is

of the Law, but that which is through the fayth of CHRIST, the righteousnesse which is of GOD by fayth.

Where the Apostle speaketh in this Chapter of a threefolde righ∣teousnesse: the first is that in Iu∣daisme, according to which hee sayeth, verse 6, that hee was blamelesse. The second is that wherein the regenerate exercise themselues, by obedience to Gods Law: and this hee calleth his owne righteousnesse, because in∣herent in him; and where-of hee speaketh in the present tyme, I account all lesse and dung, verse 8. As of the first hee spake in the pre∣terit, because before his conver∣sion, verse 7. And the third righ∣teousnesse, is that which hee cal∣leth Through the fayth of CHRIST: quyting so his owne inherent and present righteousnesse that on this last imputed to him by GOD, and applyed by fayth, hee may onlie relye.

GAL. 3.11. But that no [ 5] man is justified by the Law in the fight of GOD, is evident: for the just shall liue by fayth. See also 1. COR. 4.4.

Wherevpon, (sayeth Aquinas) it is to bee sayde, that heere the Apostle speaketh of all workes, as well Morall as Ceremoniall: For workes are not the cause why anie man is justified before GOD, but they are rather executions, and manifestations of his justification, (sayeth hee.) Now, such workes as are manifestations, that one is justified by Fayth, are surelie the workes of Fayth: therefore, even such workes are excluded, by the Apostle, from beeing the cause of the justification of anie before GOD, contrarie to the Councell of Trent.

ROM. 4.3. For what sayeth [ 6] the Scripture? Abraham belie∣ved GOD, and it was reputed vnto him for righteousnesse.

Vpon which wordes, sayeth Cajetane) altho then a man should never so much exercise himselfe, as is sayde, in good workes, Morall or Ceremoniall, (and none can bee good, but those that are of fayth:) yet hee can never by these attayne to the remission of sinnes, (sayeth hee.) And there∣fore it is subjoyned, Abraham be∣lieved, and it was reputed vnto him for righteousnesse. Where-vpon also sayeth Aquinas, It is to bee consi∣dered, that this righteousnesse written of by the Apostle, and reputed by GOD to bee so, Abra∣ham expressed not in anie outward worke, but in the inward fayth of his heart, which GOD onlie beholdeth.

ROM. 5.19. For as by one [ 7] man's disobedience manie were made sinners, so by the obedience of one, manie shall be made righ∣teous. But by one man's disobe∣dience manie were made sinners

by imputation as Bellarmine gran∣teth, l. 5. de amissa gra. c. 17. Therefore by imputation manie are made righteous thorow the obedience of one in lyke-manner.

Where-vpon sayeth Cajetane, Hee not onlie setteth downe the sort of Adam's sinne, but also ex∣playneth, the manner how that sin is imputed to others: and thereaf∣ter, by saying, wee are made sin∣ners, hee manifesteth, that with∣out our owne workes wee are made so by the disobedience of Adam; and so, that manie are made righteous in lyke-manner by the obedience of CHRIST, without their owne workes, as appeareth in Baptisme, (sayeth hee.)

Whence wee reason thus: in this Text there is mention of the disobedience of one Adam, which was common to manie; and so common, that there-by manie were made sinners. So lykewyse there is mention of the obedience of One, to wit, CHRIST, which

was cōmon in like-manner to ma∣nie, and so common, that there∣by manie are made righteous. But this disobedience of Adam was in him personallie, and inherent: and yet (sayeth Bellarmine) it is communicated to vs by genera∣tion, after that manner whereby that can be communicated which is transient; to wit, by imputation. (All these are Bellarmin's words.) Therefore, (ex antithesi) it will follow, that this obedience of CHRIST'S, which was in him personallie and inherent, is com∣municated lyke-wyse to vs by that conjunction which wee haue with CHRIST through regeneration, after that manner also where-by that can bee communicated which is transient, to wit, by imputation.

LVKE 18.14. I tell you, [ 8] that this man went downe to his house justified, rather than the other: for hee that exalteth him∣selfe, shall bee abased; and hee

that humbleth himselfe, shall bee exalted.

But hee that exalteth himselfe, is he who lyke the Pharisee relyeth on his owne inherent righteous∣nesse, to bee justified thereby be∣fore GOD, (as the Romanistes doe) and the humbling of ones selfe, lyke the Publicane, is hee who humblie acknowledging his owne vnrighteousnesse, relyeth onlie on GOD'S mercie for par∣don, as the Orthodox Christians are taught. Therefore the one, according to CHRIST'S wordes, may expect with the Pharisee aba∣sing, and rejection, and the other with the Publicane, exaltation to GOD'S favour, and to goe home justified.

Notes

• Ferus in Rō. 3.24.
• Can. 11.
• Aug. Enchi¦rid. ••. 41.
• So al∣so Chry¦sost. in 2. Cor. hō. 11 he said not, righ∣teous, but righ∣teous∣nesse, & the righ∣teous∣nes of God: for that is the righte¦ousnes of God whē it is not of works for there must not the least spot be found

  By Grace then weare justi∣fied, wher∣by all sinne is alto¦gether de∣stroyd
• Aug. de Spi¦ritu & li∣tera, cap. 9.
• Aug. de fide & ope¦ribus. c. 14.
• Rom. 5.19.
• De a∣miss. gra. l. 5. ca. 17.