are the children of God; whereas Luther, Calvin, and the rest, make justifying faith to be an assured persuasion that through Christ's merits we are the sons of God. But the treatiser might easily know, if he were disposed, that, according to our opinion', justifying faith hath some acts, as a cause disposing, preparing, and fitting us to the receipt of that gracious favour, whereby God doth justify us; and other as a susceptive cause, receiving, embracing, and enjoying the same. In the former respect, neither they nor I make faith to consist in a persuasion that we are the sons of God; in the latter we both do, and so agree well enough, though the treatiser, it seemeth, could wish it were otherwise.

(A TREATISE, &c. Part II. § 4.)

Wherefore let us go forward, and take a view of that which followeth. The next thing which he hath that concerneth me is, that it may be gathered out of my assertions. in my Third Book of the Church', that I think (as he saith some other also do) that it is no fundamental point of doctrine, but a thing indifferent, to believe, or not to believe, the real, that is, the local presence of Christ's body in the sacrament. But I am well assured there can no such thing be gathered out of any of the places cited by him, unless it be lawful for him to reason a baculo ad angulum, as often as he doth. For in the pages 120 and 121 of his Second Part, because I confess that in the primitive Church the manner of some was to receive the sacrament in the public assembly, and not be partakers of it presently, but to carry it home; that the sacrament was carried by the deacons to the sick; that in places where they communicated every day, there was a reservation of some parts of the sanctified elements, and that the sanctified elements thus reserved in reference to an ensuing receiving of them, were the body of Christ, to wit, in mystery and exhibitive signification; he goeth about to conclude that I must needs confess the real, that is, the local presence of Christ's body in the sacrament; which consequence is

1 [Field, Book III. Chap. XLIV. Vol. 1. p. 351.]

2 [Chap. XXXVIII. Vol. I. p. 315.]

no better than if a man should go about to conclude that this treatiser hath written a good and profitable book, because he hath troubled the world with one, such as it is, full of vain, idle, and empty discourses; whereof if any man make doubt, let him consider but the very next words. For, whereas I confessed Calvin's dislike of the reservation anciently used, and yet said, it cannot be proved that he denied the sacramental elements, consecrated and reserved for a time in reference to an ensuing receiving of them, to be sacramentally the body of Christ; he saith, I labour in vain, because Calvin doth expressly condemn these reservations, which I confessed before; but no way goeth about to make good the consequence which I denied, to wit, that therefore he thought the sanctified elements so reserved not to be sacramentally the body of Christ. For that which he hath, that Calvin, Bucer, Melancthon, and almost all protestants, hold the Eucharist to be no permanent thing, but to be the sacrament only when it is received, hath no more force of proof than the rest of his frivolous discourses; seeing it is most evident that the protestants named by him have no such meaning, that the sanctified elements in the holy Eucharist are no sacrament but precisely in the very receiving of them; for then they should be no sacrament in the hand of the minister, and on the holy table, but only in the hand or mouth of the communicant; but that they are no sacrament but in reference to the use to which they were appointed by Almighty God, as I have shewed at large in the place against which this treatiser quarrelleth.

(A TREATISE, &c. Part II. § 5.)

Let us therefore proceed to see what he hath more to say. In my Fourth Book', writing of the things required for the attaining of the right understanding of the Scripture, I say, "some things are required as making us capable of such understanding, and other as means whereby we attain unto it." Amongst the things required, as making us capable of the right understanding of Scripture, I reckon the illumination of the understanding, and a mind free from the thought of

1 Chap. XIX. [Vol. п. p. 459.]

other things, depending on God as the fountain of illumination, and desirous to find out the truth, with resolution to embrace it, although contrary to the conceits of natural men. The means whereby we attain to the right understanding of holy Scripture I make to be of two sorts, some disposing and preparing only, as often reading, meditating, and praying, some guiding us in the search itself, and these I make to be five. Whereof the first is the knowledge of the rule of faith, and the practice of the saints according to the same. The second, a due consideration what will follow upon our interpretation, agreeing with, or contrary to, the things received amongst Christians. In which consideration the conference of other

places of Scripture is necessary. The third, the consideration of the circumstances of the places interpreted, the occasion of the words, the things going before, and following after. The fourth, the knowledge of all those histories, arts, and sciences, which may help us. The fifth, the knowledge of the original tongues, and the phrases and idiotisms of the same. In all these passages, as I think, there is nothing that the devil himself dareth gainsay; yet as if I had uttered some strange paradoxes, and things never heard of before, the treatiser saith, my doctrine is "commonly singular1," insomuch that he professeth he "thinketh he may very well in some sort liken the platform, or order and faith of a Church set down in my books of that argument, to Sir Thomas More's Utopia, and that there neither is, nor ever was, any such Church in the world as I describe;" and thereupon maketh show as if he would confute every word that I have in the place cited by him. Verily I think it will not be safe for me to write or say that there is a God, that God made heaven and earth, or that he sent his Son into the world; for he impugneth things as clear as any of these, as that an illumination of the mind is necessary to the understanding of the Scripture inspired of God, and the things contained in it; seeing the natural man perceiveth not the things of God, which are spiritually discerned; whereas yet we shall find that he can say nothing against the necessity of such divine illumination for the understanding of the Scripture, but he might say as much against the necessity of the light of natural reason for the understanding of things naturally discernible. For he 1 Pag. 149.

might ask, as now he doth touching this illumination, how a man knoweth he hath reason, or the use of reason, and is not mad or drunk, seeing such men as are so distempered think they have the use of reason as well as any other; and one kind of answer will serve for both these doubts. For as men know they have reason by the discerning of such things as are not discernible by the senses or sensitive faculties which are organical, so faithful and believing men, that have their minds enlightened, know they have received such a new illumination, in that they discern things which before by the dim sight of nature they could not, and as men that are sober and in their right wits do certainly know they are so, though such as are mad or drunk think they are when they are not, and so deceive themselves. So men that have true illumination of grace may certainly know they have it, though some frantic and brain-sick men think they have it when they have it not. The weakness of this assault it seemeth the treatiser did perceive, and therefore he assaileth us another way, and undertaketh to prove that it is not necessary a man should be spiritual before he understandeth the Scriptures, because then it would be consequent that our faith could not be builded upon Scripture, as we think it is. But I doubt he will have as bad success as before. For as there must be a natural light of reason shining in men before anything naturally discernible can evidently appear unto them to be that it is; and yet the persuasion men have touching the being of such things, buildeth itself upon such evidence; so likewise there must be a light of grace shining in the understanding of men before they can understand the Scripture, and yet the persuasion they have of the truth of divine things may and doth build itself upon the Scriptures, understood through such light.

Wherefore let us see what he hath yet more to say. Whereas besides an illumination, I require in him that will understand the Scriptures, a mind free from the thought of other things, depending upon God as the fountain of illumination, and desirous of truth with resolution to embrace it, though contrary to the conceit of natural men; besides his former exception already answered, he addeth these words: "I dislike these words, desirous of truth, with resolution to embrace it.'" The like whereunto I protest I never read, 1 [Pag. 151.]

nor heard to come from any man. For is it possible there should any such man be found that should dislike it in us, that we require in him that will understand the Scripture, a mind desirous of truth, with resolution to embrace it? Surely it is, for we have met with such an one; but he hath taken order by concealing his name, that no man shall make him blush by looking on him. This doubtless is one of the sons of Belial that have cast off the yoke, that neither fear God, nor reverence men. But what reason doth he give of his dislike? These words, he saith, seem to pretend a kind of doubting or staggering which must not be allowed, especially in such men as are spiritual. As if a spiritual man might doubt of nothing, nor be ignorant of nothing; whereas yet all men know St Augustine, St Hierome, and other holy fathers, who as we think were spiritual, doubted of the meaning of sundry passages of holy Scriptures, and left many questions unresolved. If happily he say, men may not doubt of matters of faith, and that therefore they must not be said to have minds desirous of truth, with resolution to embrace it; it will be answered, that no man professing himself to be a Christian ought to doubt of such things as all Christians are bound expressly to believe; yet are there many matters of faith, that is, such as must be believed at least implicitè, that faithful men may doubt of and inquire after. Yea, at first when a man beginneth to believe, he doubteth of all points of faith, and must be settled in the same by the Scriptures interpreted unto him, the divine illumination of grace making him understand them.

Thirdly, whereas I reckon the knowledge of the rule of faith, and the practice of the saints according to the same, amongst the means which are necessary for the understanding of the Scripture, and define that rule; first, to be the summary comprehension of such principal articles of divine knowlege as are contained in the Creed of the Apostles, and are the principles whence all other things are derived; secondly, all such things as all Christians are bound to believe expressly, and which have been ever constantly believed by all such as have not been noted for singularity and novelty: he saith, "most men will dislike my doctrine'," and pronounceth this rule to be very uncertain2; and yet presently 1 Pag. 151.

2 Ibid.