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Chapter 107

How the deformity of sin, is so wicked a thing; as that no force, or law of Nature, or of Scripture, were sufficient to abolish it; but only jesus Christ; in virtue of whom sin was ever taken away, and grace was given.

THIS deformity of sin, is so hardly, or indeed so impossibly to be taken away, by the force of any creature; that all of them together, are not able, to beautify any one deformed soul. Our Lord declareth this by the Prophet1 Hieremy saying, If thou shalt be washed with salpetre, and with abundance of soap, yet art thou defiled in my presence. The meaning whereof is, That for the taking away of sin; neither the salpetre, or the reprehensions, of the Prophets; nor the rigorous punishments of the old law; nor yet the fair speeches and promises which God did make, at that time, were sufficient. Men were defiled then, in the midst, both of their punishments, and of their comforts; of threatenings, and of promises; For no man was justified, in the sight of God, as S. Paul2 saith, by the works of the old law; and therefore the soul could not have such beauty in it, as to make it desirable by Almighty God; because there was a want of justification, which is the cause of beauty in a soul.

Now if, in that law, and in those sacrifices, which were given by God himself, beauty could be imparted to the soul; it is evident, that it must less have been, in the law of Nature; for as much as that, had not so great remedies against sin; and in particular it had no written law. But3 the beauty, which then inhabited the souls of men, (as well under the law of Nature, as that other, which was written) was obtained, by the shedding of the blood, of that precious lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord: who (as S. John4 doth teach us) was slain from the beginning of the world. For although he died upon the cross, in the latter days thereof (for so the Apostles, do call the time, of the coming of Christ) yet is he said, to have been slain from the beginning of the world, because, even from that time, did5 his death begin to obtain pardon, and grace, for them, who grew to have it. So taking that up (as a man would say) upon trust; which he would after pay, upon the cross. For God ordained, that as there was one Father, who was the head and fountain of sin, and death, to all such as were to descend from him, in an ordinary course; so in like manner, there should be one, by whom all such, as desired, might be free, both from that mischief, wherein the other had placed them; and from those others also, which they should bring upon themselves.

So saith Saint6 Paul, That as by the inobedience of one, many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one, many should be made just. And7 as the obedience, which Jesus Christ performed to his Father, even to the death, yea and the death of the Cross, doth not only make men just, by a kind of resemblance, but by giving of true justice; so the hurt that Adam did us, was not by giving us an example only of sin, but by making us, through his sin, true sinners. And so, that which8 S. Peter said, That there is no other name under heaven, than that of Jesus Christ, wherein we may think of being saved, is not only to be understood, from the time that God became incarnate, but from the beginning of the world, as hath been said. Since they, who, at any time, have been in grace with God, were so, by the merits of this our Lord, by9 means of faith & penance.

And although, by the circumcision of Children, Grace were given, whereby they became just, and their original sin was pardoned; yet was it not, the circumcision alone which gave the grace (for that precious gift, was reserved for the Sacraments of the new law) but10 it was, A protestation of Faith, in the Messiah, who was afterwards to come; which protestation, was to be made unto him, then. And when, after, being grown in years, they came to lose their grace, by any mortal sin; they offered up some such beast, as God commanded; the blood whereof, was to be shed in the Temple. Not, to the end, that it might justify, (for that, it had no power to do) but that the sinner, might protest the Faith which he had, in that Lord, who was to come. And by this saith, and by that inward sorrow, for his sins, which God inspired; he was made partaker of that precious blood of Christ, which for the pardon of sins, was to be shed.

Not11 only, was there a remedy, in the written law, against sin, by faith and internal penance (as we have said), but also in the law of nature, although it were not then required, that their faith in our Lord, should be so explicit. But so also were there, such exterior protestations of their Faith as our Lord (who would have all men saved) did inspire. To the end, that although the nations were diverse, and their12 external rites were different; yet the Saviour and Mediator, between God and man, as13 S. Paul affirmeth, might be but one.

Footnotes

  1. Hier. 2. ↩

  2. Gal. 3. ↩

  3. No soul was ever purged for sin, but by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus. ↩

  4. Apoc. 13. ↩

  5. How the blood of our Lord them did work before it was shed. ↩

  6. Rom 5. ↩

  7. Let the Protestant note this truth, without passion. ↩

  8. Act. 4. ↩

  9. faith, & penance, are the means of applying the merits of Christ our Lord, to a soul. ↩

  10. What that was which gave grace in the old law. ↩

  11. The same blood of our Lord, was the remedy also of sin, under the law of Nature. ↩

  12. In several places, several external rites may be used, by the members of the same Church, so that the Church allow the same; as we see it is in Milan, and many other places; but the doctrine, must be every where alike. ↩

    1. Tim. 2.
    ↩

Chapter 109 of 115