righteousness of works no man shall be saved, but only by the righteousness of faith:" saith Bede; and therefore "nom man should believe that either his freedom of will, or his merits, are sufficient to bring him unto bliss; but understand that he can be saved by the grace of God only." The same author, writing upon those words of David, "He" shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation :" expoundeth the blessing to be this: "that" for the present time he shall merit (or work) well, and for the future shall be rewarded well; and that, not by merits, but by grace only."

us.

To the same purpose Elias Cretensis, the interpreter of Gregory Nazianzen, writeth thus: "By mercy we ought to understand that reward, which God doth repay unto For we as servants do owe virtue, that the best things and such as are grateful we should pay and offer unto God as a certain debt: considering that we have nothing, which we have not received from him; and God on the other side, as our Lord and Master, hath pity on us, and doth bestow rather than repay unto us." "This therefore is true humility," saith Anastasius Sinaita or

m Instruit videlicet, ut nemo vel libertatem arbitrii, vel merita sua sufficere sibi ad beatitudinem credat; sed sola gratia Dei se, salvari posse intelligat. Beda, in Psal. 31.

n Psalm 24. ver. 5.

• Accipiet benedictionem, id est, multiplicationem a Domino; hanc scilicet; ut in præsenti bene promereatur, et in futuro bene remuneretur. Et hoc non ex meritis, sed ex gratia sola. Id. in Psal. 23.

P Debemus per misericordiam intelligere mercedem illam, quam nobis Deus rependit. Nos enim tanquam servi, virtutem debemus, ut optima quæque Deo et grata tanquam debitum quoddam exsolvamus ac offeramus: quippe quum nihil habeamus, quod non ab ipso acceperimus. Deus autem velut Dominus et Herus noster miseretur, nobisque potius donat, quam rependit. Elias in Nazianz. orat. habit. in elect. Eulalii.

4 Οὐκοῦν ταπεινοφροσύνη ἀληθής ἐστι, τὸ πράττειν τὰ ἀγαθὰ, λογίζεσθαι δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἀκάθαρτον καὶ ἀνάξιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ μόνην τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ σωθῆναι νομίζοντα· ὅσα γὰρ ἀγαθὰ ἐὰν ποιήσωμεν, οὐκ ἀπολογούμεθα τῷ Θεῷ ὑπὲρ μόνου αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ ἀναπνεομένου ὅταν γὰρ καὶ πάντα, ὅσα ἔχομεν, προσενέγκωμεν αὐτῷ, οὐ χρεωστεῖ ἡμῖν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἐστι τὰ σύμπαντα· οὐδεὶς δὲ τὰ ἴδια λαμβάνων, χρεω στεῖ μισθὸν δοῦναι τοῖς προσφέρουσιν αὐτῷ αὐτά. Anastas. quaest. 135.

Nicænus, "to do good works, but to account one's self unclean and unworthy of God's favour, thinking to be saved by his goodness alone. For whatsoever good things we do, we answer not God for the very air alone which we do breath. And when we have offered unto him all the things that we have, he doth not owe us any reward; for all things are his: and none receiving the things that are his own, is bound to give a reward unto them that bring the same unto him." In the book set out by the authority of Charles the Great against images; "the ark of the covenant is said to signify our Lord and Saviour, in whom alone we have the covenant of peace with the Father. Over which the propitiatory is said to be placed: because above the commandments either of the Law, or of the Gospel, which are founded in him, the mercy of the said Mediator taketh place; by which, not by the works of the Law which we have done, neither willing, nor running, but by his having mercy upon us, we are saved." So Ambrosius Ansbertus, expounding that place, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." In this, saith he, "do we give glory to him, when we do confess, that by no precedent merits of our good deeds, but by his mercy only, we have attained unto so great a dignity." And Rabanus in his commentaries upon the Lamentations of Jeremy: "Lest they should say: Our fathers were accepted for their merit, and therefore they obtained such great things

Arca fœderis secundum quosdam Dominum et Salvatorem nostrum, in quo solo fœdus pacis apud patrem habemus, designat, &c. Cui propitiatorium superponitur, quia scilicet legalibus sive evangelicis præceptis, quæ in eo fundata sunt, supereminet misericordia ejusdem mediatoris; per quam non ex operibus legis quæ fecimus nos, neque volentes, neque currentes, sed ejus miseratione salvamur. Opus Carolin. de imaginib. lib. 1. cap. 15.

r Revel. chap. 19. ver. 7.

⚫ In eo autem damus illi gloriam, quo nullis præcedentibus bonorum actuum meritis, sed sola nos ejus misericordia, ad tantam dignitatem pervenisse fateaAmbros. Ansbert. lib. 8. in Apocalyps. cap. 19.

mur.

Ne dicerent: Patres nostri suo merito placuerunt, ideo tanta sunt a Domino consecuti: intulit non meritis datum, sed quia ita sit Deo placitum, cujus est gratuitum omne quod præstat. Raban. in Jerem. lib. 18. cap. 2.

at the hands of the Lord: he adjoineth, that this was not given to their merits, but because it so pleased God, whose free gift is whatsoever he bestoweth." Haymo, writing upon those words, " For" thy servant David's sake refuse not the face of thine anointed," saith that, "For thy servant David's sake," is as much to say as: "For the merit of Christ himself:" and from thence collecteth this doctrine: "that none ought to presume of his own merits, but expect all his salvation from the merits of Christ." So in another place: "When" we perform our repentance," saith he, "let us know that we can give nothing that is worthy for the appeasing of God; but that only in the blood of that immaculate and singular Lamb we can be saved." And again, "Eternal life is rendered to none by debt, but given by free mercy." "It' is of necessity that believers should be saved only by the faith of Christ:" saith Smaragdus the abbot. "By2 grace, not by merits, are we saved of God:" saith the author of the commentaries upon St. Mark, falsely attributed to St. Hierome.

That this doctrine was by God's great mercy preserved in the church the next five hundred years also, as well as in those middle times, appeareth most evidently by those instructions and consolations, which were prescribed to be used unto such as were ready to depart out of this life. This form of preparing men for their death, was com

u Psalm 132. ver. 10.

▾ Propter David servum tuum, id est, propter meritum ipsius Christi, et hic datur plane intelligi, nullum de meritis suis debere præsumere; sed omnem salvationem ex Christi meritis expectare. Haymo in Psal. 131.

w Sed et nos agentes pœnitentiam, sciamus nihil nos dignum dare posse ad placandum Deum; sed solummodo in sanguine immaculati et singularis Agni nos posse salvari. Id. in Micheæ, cap. 6.

x Vita æterna nulli per debitum redditur; sed per gratuitam misericordiam datur. Id. homil. in Dominic. Septuagesimæ.

y Necesse est sola fide Christi salvari credentes. Smaragd. in Galat. cap. 3. Gratia, non meritis, salvati sumus a Deo. Commentar. in Marc. cap. 14. inter ψευδεπίγραφα Hieronym.

a Formula illa infirmos jam animam agentes interrogandi, in bibliothecis passim obvia; quæ et separatim Anselmo Cantuariensi inscribitur, et operi epistolarum inserta reperitur. Georg. Cassand. in appendic. ad opusc. Jo. Roffens. de fiducia et misericordia Dei.

monly to be had in all libraries, and particularly was found inserted among the epistles of Anselm archbishop of Canterbury; who was commonly accounted to be the author of it. The substance thereof may be seen (for the copies vary, some being shorter, and some larger than others) in a tractate written by a Cistercian monk, of the Art of dying well (which I have in written hand and have seen also printed in the year MCCCCLXXXVIII. and MDIV.) in the book called, Hortulus animæ, in Cassander's appendix to the book of John Fisher, bishop of Rochester, De fiducia et misericordia Dei; Caspar Ulenbergius his Motives; in the Roman Sacerdotal", in the book entitled, Sacra institutio baptizandi juxta ritum sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ, ex decreto concilii Tridentini restituta, &c. printed at Paris, in the year MDLXXV. and in a like book entitled Ordo baptizandi, cum modo visitandi, printed at Venice the same year; out of which the Spanish inquisitors, as well in their new, as in their old expurgatory index, the one set out by cardinal Quiroga in the year MDLXXXIV. the other by the cardinal of Sandoval and Roxas, in the year MDCXII. command these interrogatories to be blotted out. "Dost thou believe to come to glory, not by thine own merits, but by the virtue and merit of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ?" and, "Dost thou believe that our Lord Jesus Christ did die for our salvation: and that none can be saved by his own merits, or by any other means, but by the merit of his passion?" whereby we may observe how late it is since our Romanists, in this main and most substantial point, which is the very foundation of all our comfort, have most shamefully departed from the faith of their forefathers.

2 Edit. Colon. ann. 1556.

a Caus. 14. pag. 462, 463. edit. Colon. ann. 1583.

Part. 1. tract. 5. cap. 13. fol. 116. edit. Venet. ann. 1585.

C SACERDOS. Credis non propriis meritis, sed passionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi virtute et merito, ad gloriam pervenire? Respondeat infirmus: Credo. SACERDOS. Credis, quod Dominus noster Jesus Christus pro nostra salute mortuus sit et quod ex propriis meritis, vel alio modo nullus possit salvari, nisi in merito passionis ejus? Respondeat infirmus: Credo. Ordo baptizandi, et visi

:

In other copies of this same instruction, which are followed by Cassander, Ulenbergius, and cardinal Hosius himself, the last question propounded to the sick man is this: "Dost thou believe that thou canst not be saved, but by the death of Christ?" Whereunto when he hath made answer affirmatively, he is presently directed to make use thereof, in this manner: "Go to, therefore, as long as thy soul remaineth in thee, place thy whole confidence in this death only; have confidence in no other thing: commit thyself wholly to this death, with this alone cover thyself wholly, intermingle thyself wholly in this death, fasten thyself wholly; wrap thy whole self in this death. And if the Lord God will judge thee, say: Lord, I oppose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ betwixt me and thy judgment: no otherwise do I contend with thee. And if he say unto thee, that thou art a sinner, say: Lord, I put the death of the Lord Jesus Christ betwixt thee and my sins. If he say unto thee, that thou hast deserved damnation, say: Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ betwixt me and my bad merits; and I offer his merit instead of the merit which I ought to have, but yet have not. If he say, that he is angry with thee, say: Lord, I interpose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ betwixt me and thine anger."

tandi, edit. Venet. ann. 1575. fol. 34. et institut. baptizandi, edit. Paris. ann. 1575. fol. 35. a. et sacerdotal. Rom. edit. Venet. ann. 1585. fol. 116. b.

d Sed et Anselmus archiepiscopus Cantuariensis interrogationes quasdam præscripsisse dicitur infirmis in extremis constitutis: inter quas extrema est. Credis te non posse nisi per mortem Christi salvari? Respondet infirmus: Etiam. Tum illi dicitur: Age ergo, dum superest in te anima, in hac sola morte fiduciam tuam constitue; in nulla alia re fiduciam habe: huic morti te totum committe, hac sola te totum contege, totum immisce te in hac morte, totum confige; in hac morte te totum involve. Et si Dominus Deus voluerit te judicare, dic: Domine, mortem Domini nostri Jesu Christi objicio inter me et tuum judicium : aliter tecum non contendo. Et si tibi dixerit, quia peccator es, dic: Domine, mortem Domini Jesu Christi pono inter te et peccata mea. Si dixerit tibi, quod meruisti damnationem, dic: Domine, mortem Domini nostri Jesu Christi obtendo inter me, et mala merita mea; ipsiusque meritum offero pro merito, quod ego debuissem habere nec habeo. Si dixerit, quod tibi est iratus, dic: Domine, mortem Domini nostri Jesu Christi oppono inter me et iram tuam. Hosius in confessione Petricoviens. cap. 73.