VeR. 30.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 307
ments upon Christian liberty; to receive the decrees of one church, and that so erroneous and imposing, without examination or leave of complaint.
3. That which grieveth, and did grieve, and cause this withdrawing, is both papal infallibility and freedom from error. That any church which is made up of fallible men should arrogate this to themselves (especially the Eoman, which of all churches that ever Christ had upon earth is most corrupt), that they should flisten this infallibility to the papal chair, which is the fountain of those corru[)tions, this they look upon as a great contradiction, not only to faith, but to sense ; and as hard a condition as if I were bound, when 1 saw a man sick of the plague, and the swelling and tokens of death upon him, yet to say he is immortal, nay, that that part wherein the disease is seated is immortal. This was the burden that was imposed upon the people of God, that they should yield to this.
Secondly, Come to their heresy in doctrine. To rake in this filth would take up more time than will comport with your patience. It is almost everywhere corrupt ; the only sound part in the whole frame is the doctrine of the Trinity, which yet the schoolmen have entangled Avith many nice and unprofitable disputes, which render their glorious and blessed mystery less venerable. We must do them right also in this, that they grant the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction, and that he not only died for our good, but in our stead, and bore our punishment ; they grant the truth of it, but deny the sufficiency of it : so mightily weaken, if not destroy it, while they think it must be pieced up by the sacrifice of the mass, human satisfaction, by the merit of works, purga- tory, and indulgences. But in all other points of religion, how corrupt are they ! That which most offends the reformed churches is their equalling traditions with the scripture ; 3-ea, their decrying and taxing the scriptures as obscure, insuflicient, and as a nose of wax, pliable to several purposes ; their mangling the doctrine of justification, which we own to consist in the imputation of Christ's righteousness received by faith ; and they plead in the works of righteousness which we have done ; and so, if the apostle may be judge, ' make void the grace of God,' Gal. ii. 21. And then the merit of works, not expecting the reward of them from God's mercy, which becometh Christian humility ; but from the condignity of the work itself, which bewrayeth their Pharisaical pride. We say that sins are remitted by God alone, exer- cising his mercy in Christ through the gospel, towards those that believe and repent. But the Papists say, pardon may be had by virtue of indulgences, if a man give such a price, do this or that, say so many cive marias and 'paternosters, though far enough from true faith and repentance. The one savours of the gospel, the other of the tyranny of the Pope of Piome, that hath set himself in the place of God, and substituted his laws instead of the law of Christ. So their portentous doctrine of transubstantiation, that a priest should make his maker, and a people eat their God. I could represent the difference of both churches, both in excess and defect. In excess, what they believe over and above the Christian faith. The true church believes, with the scriptures, and with the primitive churches, that there is but one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be religiously invocated and worship-
308 SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. [SeR. XXXII.
ped. They plead the creature, angels and saints, are to be both reli- giously invocated and worshipped. The scripture shows that there is but one surety and mediator between God and man, he that was both God and man, Jesus Christ. They say that the saints are mediators of intercession with God, by whose merits and prayers we obtain the grace and audience of our supplications. The scripture saith that Christ's propitiatory sacrifice ofiered on the cross is sufficient for the plenary remission of all our sins. They say the sacrifice of the mass, which tlie priest under the species of bread and wine substantially, that is, by consecration into the body and blood of Christ, offered to God, that this is available for the remission of sins both of quick and dead. That the remission of sins obtained by Christ, and offered in the gospel to the penitent believer, is bestowed and applied by faith, this is the opinion of the scripture. They say remission of sins is obtained and applied by their own satisfactions and papal indulgences. That true repentance consists in confession of sin with grief, and desire of the grace of Christ, with a serious purpose of newness of life, this is the doctrine of the scripture. They think that to the essence of true repentance there is required auricular confession, penal satisfactions, and the absolvance of the priest, without which true faith profitetli nothing to salvation. Again, the scripture teacheth this doctrine, that the ordinances confer grace by virtue only of God's promises, and the sacraments are signs and seals of the covenant of grace to them that believe. And they would teacli us that they deserve and confer grace from the work wrought. The scripture teacheth that good works are such as are done in obedience to God and conformity to his law, and are completed in love to God and our neighbour. They teach us that there are works of supererogation, which neither the law nor the gospel requireth of us ; and that the chief of these are monastical vows, several orders and rules of monks and friars. The scripture teacheth us that God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is only to be worshipped, both with natural and instituted worship, in spirit and in truth ; and they teach both the making and worshipping of an image, and that the images of saints are to be worshipped. The scripture teacheth that there is but one holy apostolical catholic church, joined together in one faith and one Spirit, whose head, husband, and foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ, out of which church there is no salvation ; and they teacli us the Church of Eome is the centre, the right mother of all churches, under one head, the Pope, infallible and supreme judge of all truth ; and out of communion of this church there is nothing but heresy, schism, and everlasting condemnation. Instead of that lively faith by which we are justified by Christ, they cry up a dead assent. Instead of sound knowledge, they cry up an implicit faith, believing as the church believes. Instead of affiance, they cry up wavering, conjectural uncertainty.