what hinders but that we also, in like manner, in regeneration may obtain the reward of righteousness, not for our own obedience, but for his? The one sinned, and by his wickedness ruined all men; the other obeyed, and by his righteousness saves all. You say, It is true, if so be we lead our life well according to the imitation and example of him. And where then is the agreement of similitude between Christ and Adam, if the one destroyed us in our being born, as you yourself confess, but Christ cannot save us in our regeneration, except imitation be joined ? And where now is the grace of imputation, and the imputation of faith unto righteousness, so oft repeated in the Scriptures, taught by the apostles, testified by the most ancient fathers, received and delivered by the church? Shall it be sufficient cause to inflict death upon thy body, that thou wast propagated from Adam, and shall it not have cause enough for the justification of thy soul, that thou art born again in Christ? What say you! Do none die, but they that sin after the example of Adam? Are none saved but those that by a due imitation attain unto the most holy virtues of Christ?

23. The objection of Osorio is answered, where the imitation of Christ is discoursed of at large.

What is more solid for advice, or more seasonable for the time, than that which you so much enlarge upon; that every man, according to his power, should propose unto himself Christ the chief example of all virtue, and master of life, for imitation and resemblance; that having rooted out the filth and relics of the old nature, he may drive away very far from him all taints of impurity, with a resolved and magnanimous spirit: and, as you say, "because, we cannot be in the middle between the two, therefore it remains, that having forsaken the party of the body, we should so fight under the banner of Christ our prince, we should so subdue the body itself, by the power of his saving cross; all rebellion of the body should so be overcome in us, that this unbridled lust, which maintains everlasting enmity against God, may at length yield to his command; and that we may not lessen any endeavour or labour, howsoever great, in this most holy observance of justice, and imitation of Christ."

Would that your rhetoric, thus holy and eloquent, might make a suitable harmony concerning the imitation of Christ,

in the ears of the Roman bishops and cardinals; that, seriously rejecting the luxury and superfluity of this life, their vain glory, their needless vanities and trifles, they may at length cease to be conformed to the wicked fashions of this world and that laying aside all haughtiness and pride of life, they may submit themselves to the humility of Christ; and laying down popish cruelty and tyranny, learn to become meek, of Christ, that most perfect pattern of meekness. Learn, saith he, of me, because I am meek and lowly of spirit. I do not require that those Roman priests should wash the feet of the poor according to the example of Christ, but that they should not embrue their cruel hands in the blood of their brethren. Neither do I require that they should give water to refresh the disciples of Christ, but that they should not heap up flames and fagots to burn their bodies, nor lay snares for them, nor devise to intrap them privily, design their ruin and destruction, furnish darts and weapons to slay them for whom Christ was sacrificed, and by whom they themselves were never hurt.

If example should be taken from Christ, what doth the divine Father and Creator commend more unto us? what else doth his whole life breathe but mutual charity, both towards friends, and also towards enemies? Who, not only doth not break the shaken and bruised reed, but upon the cross prays for his very crucifiers.

Therefore we have an example singularly excellent, which we may imitate. We have also together with an example, a commendation by the mouth of the apostle, by whom charity is called the bond of perfection. Moreover, there is not wanting the preaching of divines, who in their books, in their exercises, in their sermons, do attribute so much to charity, that they call it the form, the perfection, and the very life of faith, without which there is no other virtue, that can be helpful to salvation. There is no need here, in many words, to declare what little agreement there is between the doctrine of those great extollers of charity, and the practice of their lives; seeing there are so many proofs before our eyes, so many ten thousands of men slain do witness it, and so great abundance of Christian blood shed; there is so great outrage of persecution everywhere; there is nothing safe from slaughter, fury, tumult, snares, contentions, dangers, articles of inquisition, bonds, and imprisonments. And the fathers of the Roman court exer

cise cruelty. First, they make laws written with_blood, which afterwards they commit to political monarchs to be promulgated, and to the other officers to be executed by law. On the sudden, citizens of good repute, and learned ministers, are violently haled to examinations, and afterwards to death; if any man dare but open his mouth against the manifest abuses of errors, they spare neither age, nor sex, nor condition. Thus, forsooth, those perfect Roman catholic nobles imitate the charity of Christ! so they follow his divine life, so they resemble his death, so they show forth his meekness, so they bear the image of the divine Father, so they wholly, and more than wholly, form and fashion themselves from the imitation of the earthly father, to the example of the heavenly!

Your godly and eloquent exhortations about putting on and imitating Christ, I am so far from slighting, that I desire they may remain most firmly fixed in the minds of men; for as nothing appears in the most holy manners of Christ, which is not very worthy of imitation, so no part of duty seems more agreeable to every Christian, than that all of us should endeavour, with all our might, to resemble the image proposed unto us; especially seeing Paul so gravely, and that in more places than one, calls us hereunto, who, making a comparison of both fathers, Adam, and Christ, declares what we received of both. By man, saith he, came death, and by man came the resurrection from the dead, 1 Cor. xv. And presently after, proceeding on that matter, The first man was of the earth earthly, the second Man is the Lord from heaven. And afterwards, concluding with words to the same purpose, and exhorting us to imitate the example of his obedience, he subjoins, As we have borne, saith he, the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly. And the apostle Peter, not differing much from Paul, proposes Christ for an example of all long suffering; For, saith he, Christ also suffered for us, giving us an example, that ye should follow his footsteps, who did no sin, who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered he threatened not, but committed all judgment to his Father, &c.

Therefore, that you contend so earnestly with the blessed apostles for following the footsteps of Christ, herein we do very willingly both hear you, and assent unto you. But, that you place all the dignity of our salvation in this; that

you refer all the promises of God to this one head, as if there was no cause of salvation, but that which is placed only in precepts and instructions of life, herein your discourse seems to pass far beyond the bounds of sound and apostolic doctrine.

For though it is a thing of very great concernment, that we should frame all the endeavours and offices of life to the imitation of him, yet salvation is not therefore promised, because our actions agree to this rule of righteousness; neither is the title of righteousness given us because we live virtuously, but because he was made righteousness for us: for we do not become just before God by imitation, but by regeneration. As of old, not through our fault but Adam's; not by imitation, but by birth and propagation, the pollution of his sin was imputed to us unto condemnation; so by virtue of the second Adam, not by any power of our own, by being born again, not by imitating, is righteousness imputed to us unto the justification of life. Neither doth it therefore follow, that the examples of Christ are not proposed to us for imitation.

It is one thing to reason from causes to effects, another thing to reason from effects to causes. What if the cause is inquired into that makes us righteous before God? Paul will answer, that Christ is the external cause, who was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God through him; but the internal is our faith in Christ; which is imputed to them that believe, for right

eousness.

But if you ask what are the effects of this cause, who knows not that they are the fruits of pious works, and this very imitation of Christ, which you so greatly, yea, and so deservedly, cry up and extol? For who can rightly call himself a Christian, as you say very well, who doth not apply his mind as much as he can, to separate himself from all society of the earthly father, and frame and conform himself wholly to the example of the heavenly? This may be granted to be very true, as indeed it is. For, I do not disallow of that which you do rightly assume, but confute that which you would falsely gather from hence. For thus you conclude, "That the whole magazine of our salvation is placed in this, that by our pious labour and industry, we should purchase the kingdom of God for ourselves. That they who affirm faith only is sufficient for salvation, are mad, and singularly serviceable to the old

serpent; and that every action we undertake, is wholly unprofitable, if faith only is sufficient."* What do you else, but by an unskilful huddle of things, and without order in disputing, turn causes into effects, and again effects into causes?

Chrysostom saith, "As soon as a man believes, he is presently also justified." Which if it be true, then that is false which you assert. For you affirm, "that the obtaining of salvation consists wholly in this, that we should transform ourselves entirely into the similitude of Christ.”

And again you say, "There is no other way of salvation

established for us, but that which is contained in the law of God." And the same you affirmed elsewhere, having openly asserted, "That ascent into heaven is given to the merits of the greatest virtues, and that the mansions of the eternal kingdom are given justly and deservedly to holy and pure men. For so," say you, "it comes to pass that the immortal kingdom is due by the best right to just men; not only as a recompense and reward, but also as a lawful inheritance, being founded upon the wisdom and bounty of the Father."+

All which things seem at a distance to have some show of truth, if they are referred to the state of our first innocency. But now, in this wounded and destroyed nature, they have no place at all, but that they may wholly preclude us from all passages into the eternal mansions of the kingdom. The everlasting reward of righteousness indeed is due by best right to pure and holy men, as you say, and those that observe the law unblameably. But likewise the eternal punishments of hell are due to those that do not perform the royal law according to the Scriptures, James ii. What would you do in this case? What good can your philosophy do here? It is true that the Lord said to the rich pharisee, If you will enter into life, keep the commands, Matt. xix. But do you then perform what he was commanded to do? Do you sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and follow Christ naked? But if you do it not, what else can you look for, but to perish together with him? But now the goodness of God hath found out another way to consult our infirmity, who hath not only put upon us the beauty of rightousness, but whole Christ, so that you may not only, being naked, follow Christ, but * De Just. lib. vii. p. 186.

+ Osor. de Just. lib. vii. ix. p. 232. vi. p. 148.