You may upon the same account cast reproaches in like manner upon Hierom, Augustin, and Bernard, and other most approved Writers of the Primitive Times: Whom you must either by necessary consequence absolve with Luther, or not condemn Luther without them: Seeing there is none of all these, that thought this Title of Honour should be attributed to any man, but Christ only, that he should be wholly ⟨p. 202⟩without all stain of sin. No, but 1Luther, say you, pleads that all mortal men, though confirmed in Faith, are yet in a state of sinning, and that sin is lively also in the Saints. even so long as they live by Faith; and also he professes that the same do sin in every good work. And what hath any man said or done so rightly, but it may be depraved by relating it wrong, especially when calumny makes the Interpretation. That which Luther asserts concerning the sins of the Saints, if the words be suitably weighed with the state of the Question, there is no offence in it. As if it be asked, whether the works of the Regenerate should be called good in this Life, or sins: Luther denies not that the pious deeds of the Regenerate are good; but affirms this very thing, That they are good in the sight of God, and pleasing to him, which comes not 2to pass upon the account of the work it self, but upon the account of Faith and a Mediator, for whose sake the pious endeavours of his own are pleasing to God, and their begun obedience, though it is otherways of its own nature imperfect. Therefore this is not the Controversy, whether the Regenerate by the help of the Grace of God can do any thing in this Life piously and commendably. Neither is this the Controversy, whether the absolute ⟨p. 203⟩Grace of God in the Regenerate is able to perform this, that their work should be free of all sin. But whether the Grace of God in this flesh, furnishes any of the Regenerate with so great a power of perfecting 3Righteousness, that any work of his is so complete and perfect, if it be examined according to the Rule of the Divine Law, that it needs no Pardon nor Mediator. But if it needs Mercy, then it is necessarily joined with pollution and sin, so that now the Praise belongs to the Mediator, and not to Man; to Imputation, not to Action; to Grace, not to Merit; to Faith, not to Works; that God accepts of the Works of the Regenerate and most holy men.
You may upon the same account cast reproaches in like manner upon Hierom, Augustin, and Bernard, and other most approved Writers of the Primitive Times: Whom you must either by necessary consequence absolve with Luther, or not condemn Luther without them: Seeing there is none of all these, that thought this Title of Honour should be attributed to any man, but Christ only, that he should be wholly ⟨p. 202⟩without all stain of sin. No, but 1Luther, say you, pleads that all mortal men, though confirmed in Faith, are yet in a state of sinning, and that sin is lively also in the Saints. even so long as they live by Faith; and also he profeses that the same do sin in every good work. And what hath any man said or done so rightly, but it may be depraved by relating it wrong, especially when calummy makes the Interpretation. That which Luther asserts concerning the sins of the Saints, if the words be suitably weighed with the state of the Question, there is no offence in it. As if it be asked, whether the works of the Regenerate should be called good in this Life, or sins: Luther denies not that the pious deeds of the Regenerate are good; but affirms this very thing, That they are good in the sight of God, and pleasing to him, which comes not 2to pass upon the account of the work it self, but upon the account of Faith and a Mediatour, for whose sake the pious endeavours of his own are pleasing to God, and their begun obedience, though it is otherways of its own nature imperfect. Therefore this is not the Controversie, whether the Regenerate by the help of the Grace of God can do any thing in this Life piously and commendably. Neither is this the Controversie, whether the absolute ⟨p. 203⟩Grace of God in the Regenerate is able to perform this, that their work should be free of all sin. But whether the Grace of God in this flesh, furnishes any of the Regenerate with so great a power of perfecting 3Righteousnns, that any work of his is so compleat and perfect, if it be examined according to the Rule of the Divine Law, that it needs no Pardon nor Mediatour. But if it needs Mercy, then it is necessarily joyned with pollution and sin, so that now the Praise belongs to the Mediatour, and not to Man; to Imputation, not to Action; to Grace, not to Merit; to Faith, not to Works; that God accepts of the Works of the Regenerate and most holy men.
- 1Osor. de Just. lib. 2. p. 35. 36.Osor. de Iust. lib. 2. p. 35. 36.
- 2How the works of the Regenerate are good and how they are sins. Aug. in primo quinqua. Psal. 31. Believe in him that justifies the ungodly, that your good works may be good, for I should not call them good as long as they come not from a good Root, wherein consists the state of the Controversy.How the works of the Regenerate are good and how they are sins. Aug. in primo quinqua. Psal. 31. Believe in him that justifies the ungodly, that your good works may be good, for I should not call them good as long as they come not from a good Root, wherein consists the state of the Controversie.
- 3Aug. de Civiate, lib. 19. cap. 17. Our righteousness it self is so great in this life, that it consists more in the remission of sins, than in the perfection of Virtues. Hieron. in Ezek. lib. 14. cap. 46. It is evident that every man, though he had come to perfection, needs the Mercy of God, &c. Aug. Epistola 31. ad Hieron. Charity whereby we love that which ought to be loved. This is more in some, and less in others, and in others none at all; but the fullest that cannot now be increased as long as a man lives here is in no mau; but as long as it can be increased, that which is less thau it ought to be is faulty, &c. Idem in Psal. 142. No man hath at any time done a good work with as much Charity as he could and ought.Aug. de Civiate, lib. 19. cap. 17. Our righteousness it self is so great in this life, that it consists more in the remission of sins, than in the perfection of Vertues. Hieron. in Ezek. lib. 14. cap. 46. It is evident that every man, though he had come to perfection, needs the Mercy of God, &c. Aug. Epistola 31. ad Hieron. Charity whereby we love that which ought to be loved. This is more in some, and less in others, and in others none at all; but the fullest that cannot now be increased as long as a man lives here is in no mau; but as long as it can be increased, that which is less thau it ought to be is faulty, &c. Idem in Psal. 142. No man hath at any time done a good work with as much Charity as he could and ought.
