Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/503

 Besides these, were brought against him, objected unto him being in prison, which with his answers to the same here likewise follow: of which articles the first is.


 * 'Paul, according unto present justice, was a blasphemer and none of the church, and therewithal was in grace, according unto predestination of life everlasting.' Answer: This proposition is not in the book, but this which followeth. 'Whereby it doth seem probable, that as Paul was both a blasphemer, according to present justice, and therewithal, also, was a faithful child of our holy mother the church, and in grace according to predestination of life everlasting: so Iscariot was both in grace, according unto present justice, and was never of our holy mother the church, according to the predestination of life everlasting, forasmuch as he lacked that predestination. And so Iscariot, albeit he was an apostle, and a bishop of Christ, which is the name of his office, yet was he never any part of the universal church.'

The second article: 'Christ doth more love a predestinate man being sinful, than any reprobate in what grace possible soever he be.' Answer: My words are in the fourth chapter of my book entituled, 'Of the Church:' 'And it is evident that God doth more love any predestinate being sinful, than any reprobate in what grace soever he be for the time; forasmuch as he willeth that the predestinate shall have perpetual blessedness, and the reprobate shall have eternal fire.' Wherefore God partly infinitely loving them both as his creatures, yet he doth more love the predestinate, because he giveth him greater grace, or a greater gift, that is to say, life everlasting, which is greater and more excellent than grace only, according to present justice. And the third article of those articles before, soundeth very near unto this: that the predestinate cannot fall from grace. For they have a certain radical grace rooted in them, although they be deprived of the abundant grace for a time. These things are true in the compound sense.

The third article: 'All the sinful, according to present justice, are not faithful, but do swerve from the true catholic faith, forasmuch as it is impossible that any man can commit any deadly sin but in that point, that he doth swerve from the faith.' Answer: I acknowledge that sentence to be mine, and it appeareth, that if they did think upon the punishment which is to be laid upon sinners, and did fully believe, and had the faith of the divine knowledge and understanding, &c. then, undoubtedly, they would not so offend and sin. This proposition is verified by the saying of the prophet Isaiah, 'Thy rulers are unfaithful, misbelievers, fellows and companions of thieves; they all love bribes and follow after rewards.' Behold, the prophet calleth the rulers of the church 'infidels,' for their offences; for all such as do not keep their faith inviolate unto their principal Lord, are unfaithful servants, and they also are unfaithful children who keep not their obedience, fear, and love unto God, their Father. Item, This proposition is verified by the saying of the apostle, Titus i. 'They do confess that they know God, but by their works they do deny him.' And forasmuch as they who are sinful, do swerve away from the meritorious work of blessedness, therefore they do swerve from the true faith grounded upon charity, forasmuch as faith without works is dead. To this end doth also appertain that which the Lord speaketh [Matt. xxiii.] of the faithful and unfaithful servant.

The fourth article: 'These words of John xxii.: Receive the Holy Ghost; and, Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, &c. and Matthew [xvi. and xviii.], For lack of understanding shall terrify many Christians, and they shall be wonderfully afraid, and others shall be deceived by them, presuming upon the fulness of their power and authority.' Answer: This sentence I do approve and allow, and therefore I say in the same place, that it is first of all to be supposed, that the saying of our Saviour is necessary, as touching the virtue of the word, forasnmch as it is not possible for a priest to bind and loose, except that binding and loosing be in heaven. But, for the lack of the true understanding of those words, many simple Christians shall be made afraid, thinking with themselves,