Books: Leviathan

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But from the Power to Teach onely, hee inferreth also a Coercive
Power in the Pope, over Kings. The Pastor (saith he) must give
his flock convenient food: Therefore the Pope may, and ought to
compell Kings to doe their duty. Out of which it followeth,
that the Pope, as Pastor of Christian men, is King of Kings:
which all Christian Kings ought indeed either to Confesse,
or else they ought to take upon themselves the Supreme Pastorall Charge,
every one in his own Dominion.

His sixth, and last Argument, is from Examples. To which I answer,
first, that Examples prove nothing; Secondly, that the Examples
he alledgeth make not so much as a probability of Right.
The fact of Jehoiada, in Killing Athaliah (2 Kings 11.) was either by the
Authority of King Joash, or it was a horrible Crime in the High Priest,
which (ever after the election of King Saul) was a mere Subject.
The fact of St. Ambrose, in Excommunicating Theodosius the Emperour,
(if it were true hee did so,) was a Capitall Crime. And for the Popes,
Gregory 1. Greg. 2. Zachary, and Leo 3. their Judgments are void,
as given in their own Cause; and the Acts done by them conformably
to this Doctrine, are the greatest Crimes (especially that of Zachary)
that are incident to Humane Nature. And thus much of Power
Ecclesiasticall; wherein I had been more briefe, forbearing
to examine these Arguments of Bellarmine, if they had been his,
as a Private man, and not as the Champion of the Papacy, against all
other Christian Princes, and States.

CHAPTER XLIII

OF WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR A MANS RECEPTION INTO THE KINGDOME OF HEAVEN.

The Difficulty Of Obeying
God And Man Both At Once,
The most frequent praetext of Sedition, and Civill Warre, in Christian
Common-wealths hath a long time proceeded from a difficulty, not yet
sufficiently resolved, of obeying at once, both God, and Man,
then when their Commandements are one contrary to the other.
It is manifest enough, that when a man receiveth two contrary
Commands, and knows that one of them is Gods, he ought to obey that,
and not the other, though it be the command even of his lawfull
Soveraign (whether a Monarch, or a Soveraign Assembly,) or the
command of his Father. The difficulty therefore consisteth in this,
that men when they are commanded in the name of God, know not in
divers Cases, whether the command be from God, or whether he that
commandeth, doe but abuse Gods name for some private ends of his own.
For as there ware in the Church of the Jews, many false Prophets,
that sought reputation with the people, by feigned Dreams, and Visions;
so there have been in all times in the Church of Christ, false Teachers,
that seek reputation with the people, by phantasticall and false
Doctrines; and by such reputation (as is the nature of Ambition,)
to govern them for their private benefit.

Is None To Them That Distinguish Between What Is,
And What Is Not Necessary To Salvation
But this difficulty of obeying both God, and the Civill Soveraign
on earth, to those that can distinguish between what is Necessary,
and what is not Necessary for their Reception into the Kingdome of God,
is of no moment. For if the command of the Civill Soveraign bee such,
as that it may be obeyed, without the forfeiture of life Eternall;
not to obey it is unjust; and the precept of the Apostle takes place;
"Servants obey your Masters in all things;" and, "Children obey your
Parents in all things;" and the precept of our Saviour, "The Scribes
and Pharisees sit in Moses Chaire, All therefore they shall say,
that observe, and doe." But if the command be such, as cannot be obeyed,
without being damned to Eternall Death, then it were madnesse to obey it,
and the Counsell of our Saviour takes place, (Mat. 10. 28.)
"Fear not those that kill the body, but cannot kill the soule.)
All men therefore that would avoid, both the punishments that are
to be in this world inflicted, for disobedience to their earthly
Soveraign, and those that shall be inflicted in the world to come
for disobedience to God, have need be taught to distinguish well
between what is, and what is not Necessary to Eternall Salvation.

All That Is Necessary To Salvation
Is Contained In Faith And Obedience
All that is NECESSARY to Salvation, is contained in two Vertues,
Faith in Christ, and Obedience to Laws. The latter of these,
if it were perfect, were enough to us. But because wee are all
guilty of disobedience to Gods Law, not onely originally in Adam,
but also actually by our own transgressions, there is required
at our hands now, not onely Obedience for the rest of our time,
but also a Remission of sins for the time past; which Remission
is the reward of our Faith in Christ. That nothing else is
Necessarily required to Salvation, is manifest from this,
that the Kingdome of Heaven, is shut to none but to Sinners;
that is to say, to the disobedient, or transgressors of the Law;
nor to them, in case they Repent, and Beleeve all the Articles
of Christian Faith, Necessary to Salvation.

What Obedience Is Necessary;
The Obedience required at our hands by God, that accepteth in all
our actions the Will for the Deed, is a serious Endeavour to Obey him;
and is called also by all such names as signifie that Endeavour.
And therefore Obedience, is sometimes called by the names of Charity,
and Love, because they imply a Will to Obey; and our Saviour himself
maketh our Love to God, and to one another, a Fulfilling of the
whole Law: and sometimes by the name of Righteousnesse; for Righteousnesse
is but the will to give to every one his owne, that is to say,
the will to obey the Laws: and sometimes by the name of Repentance;
because to Repent, implyeth a turning away from sinne, which is the same,
with the return of the will to Obedience. Whosoever therefore
unfeignedly desireth to fulfill the Commandements of God, or repenteth
him truely of his transgressions, or that loveth God with all his heart,
and his neighbor as himself, hath all the Obedience Necessary to his
Reception into the Kingdome of God: For if God should require
perfect Innocence, there could no flesh be saved.

And To What Laws
But what Commandements are those that God hath given us? Are all
those Laws which were given to the Jews by the hand of Moses,
the Commandements of God? If they bee, why are not Christians
taught to obey them? If they be not, what others are so, besides
the Law of Nature? For our Saviour Christ hath not given us new Laws,
but Counsell to observe those wee are subject to; that is to say,
the Laws of Nature, and the Laws of our severall Soveraigns:
Nor did he make any new Law to the Jews in his Sermon on the Mount,
but onely expounded the Laws of Moses, to which they were subject before.
The Laws of God therefore are none but the Laws of Nature,
whereof the principall is, that we should not violate our Faith,
that is, a commandement to obey our Civill Soveraigns, which
wee constituted over us, by mutuall pact one with another.
And this Law of God, that commandeth Obedience to the Law Civill,
commandeth by consequence Obedience to all the Precepts of the Bible,
which (as I have proved in the precedent Chapter) is there onely Law,
where the Civill Soveraign hath made it so; and in other places
but Counsell; which a man at his own perill, may without injustice
refuse to obey.

In The Faith Of A Christian,
Who Is The Person Beleeved
Knowing now what is the Obedience Necessary to Salvation, and to whom
it is due; we are to consider next concerning Faith, whom, and why
we beleeve; and what are the Articles, or Points necessarily to be
beleeved by them that shall be saved. And first, for the Person
whom we beleeve, because it is impossible to beleeve any Person,
before we know what he saith, it is necessary he be one that wee
have heard speak. The Person therefore, whom Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses and the Prophets beleeved, was God himself, that spake unto them
supernaturally: And the Person, whom the Apostles and Disciples
that conversed with Christ beleeved, was our Saviour himself.
But of them, to whom neither God the Father, nor our Saviour ever spake,
it cannot be said, that the Person whom they beleeved, was God.
They beleeved the Apostles, and after them the Pastors and Doctors
of the Church, that recommended to their faith the History of the
Old and New Testament: so that the Faith of Christians ever since
our Saviours time, hath had for foundation, first, the reputation
of their Pastors, and afterward, the authority of those that made
the Old and New Testament to be received for the Rule of Faith;
which none could do but Christian Soveraignes; who are therefore the
Supreme Pastors, and the onely Persons, whom Christians now hear speak
from God; except such as God speaketh to, in these days supernaturally.
But because there be many false Prophets "gone out into the world,"
other men are to examine such Spirits (as St. John advised us,
1 Epistle, Chap. 4. ver.1.) "whether they be of God, or not."
And therefore, seeing the Examination of Doctrines belongeth
to the Supreme Pastor, the Person which all they that have no
speciall revelation are to beleeve, is (in every Common-wealth)
the Supreme Pastor, that is to say, the Civill Soveraigne.

The Causes Of Christian Faith
The causes why men beleeve any Christian Doctrine, are various;
For Faith is the gift of God; and he worketh it in each severall man,
by such wayes, as it seemeth good unto himself. The most ordinary
immediate cause of our beleef, concerning any point of Christian
Faith, is, that wee beleeve the Bible to be the Word of God.
But why wee beleeve the Bible to be the Word of God, is much
disputed, as all questions must needs bee, that are not well stated.
For they make not the question to be, "Why we Beleeve it," but
"How wee Know it;" as if Beleeving and Knowing were all one.
And thence while one side ground their Knowledge upon the Infallibility
of the Church, and the other side, on the Testimony of the Private Spirit,
neither side concludeth what it pretends. For how shall a man know
the Infallibility of the Church, but by knowing first the Infallibility
of the Scripture? Or how shall a man know his own Private spirit
to be other than a beleef, grounded upon the Authority, and Arguments
of his Teachers; or upon a Presumption of his own Gifts? Besides, there
is nothing in the Scripture, from which can be inferred the
Infallibility of the Church; much lesse, of any particular Church;
and least of all, the Infallibility of any particular man.

Faith Comes By Hearing
It is manifest, therefore, that Christian men doe not know,
but onely beleeve the Scripture to be the Word of God; and that
the means of making them beleeve which God is pleased to afford
men ordinarily, is according to the way of Nature, that is to say,
from their Teachers. It is the Doctrine of St. Paul concerning
Christian Faith in generall, (Rom. 10.17.) "Faith cometh by Hearing,"
that is, by Hearing our lawfull Pastors. He saith also (ver. 14,15.
of the same Chapter) "How shall they beleeve in him of whom they
have not heard? and how shall they hear without a Preacher?
and how shall they Preach, except they be sent?" Whereby it is evident,
that the ordinary cause of beleeving that the Scriptures are
the Word of God, is the same with the cause of the beleeving
of all other Articles of our Faith, namely, the Hearing of those
that are by the Law allowed and appointed to Teach us, as our Parents
in their Houses, and our Pastors in the Churches: Which also is made
more manifest by experience. For what other cause can there
bee assigned, why in Christian Common-wealths all men either beleeve,
or at least professe the Scripture to bee the Word of God,
and in other Common-wealths scarce any; but that in Christian
Common-wealths they are taught it from their infancy; and in other
places they are taught otherwise?

But if Teaching be the cause of Faith, why doe not all beleeve?
It is certain therefore that Faith is the gift of God, and hee
giveth it to whom he will. Neverthelesse, because of them
to whom he giveth it, he giveth it by the means of Teachers,
the immediate cause of Faith is Hearing. In a School where
many are taught, and some profit, others profit not, the cause
of learning in them that profit, is the Master; yet it cannot
be thence inferred, that learning is not the gift of God.
All good things proceed from God; yet cannot all that have them,
say they are Inspired; for that implies a gift supernaturall,
and the immediate hand of God; which he that pretends to,
pretends to be a Prophet, and is subject to the examination of the Church.

But whether men Know, or Beleeve, or Grant the Scriptures to be
the Word of God; if out of such places of them, as are without
obscurity, I shall shew what Articles of Faith are necessary,
and onely necessary for Salvation, those men must needs Know,
Beleeve, or Grant the same.

The Onely Necessary Article Of Christian Faith,
The (Unum Necessarium) Onely Article of Faith, which the Scripture
maketh simply Necessary to Salvation, is this, that JESUS IS THE CHRIST.
By the name of Christ, is understood the King, which God had before
promised by the Prophets of the Old Testament, to send into the world,
to reign (over the Jews, and over such of other nations as should
beleeve in him) under himself eternally; and to give them that
eternall life, which was lost by the sin of Adam. Which when I have
proved out of Scripture, I will further shew when, and in what sense
some other Articles may bee also called Necessary.

Proved From The Scope Of The Evangelists:
For Proof that the Beleef of this Article, Jesus Is The Christ,
is all the Faith required to Salvation, my first Argument
shall bee from the Scope of the Evangelists; which was by the
description of the life of our Saviour, to establish that one Article,
Jesus Is The Christ. The summe of St. Matthews Gospell is this,
That Jesus was of the stock of David; Born of a Virgin; which are
the Marks of the true Christ: That the Magi came to worship him
as King of the Jews: That Herod for the same cause sought to kill him:
That John Baptist proclaimed him: That he preached by himselfe,
and his Apostles that he was that King; That he taught the Law,
not as a Scribe, but as a man of Authority: That he cured diseases
by his Word onely, and did many other Miracles, which were foretold
the Christ should doe: That he was saluted King when he entered
into Jerusalem: That he fore-warned them to beware of all others
that should pretend to be Christ: That he was taken, accused,
and put to death, for saying, hee was King: That the cause of
his condemnation written on the Crosse, was JESUS OF NAZARETH,
THE KING OF THE JEWES. All which tend to no other end than this,
that men should beleeve, that Jesus Is The Christ. Such therefore
was the Scope of St. Matthews Gospel. But the Scope of all
the Evangelists (as may appear by reading them) was the same.
Therefore the Scope of the whole Gospell, was the establishing
of that onely Article. And St. John expressely makes it his conclusion,
John 20. 31. "These things are written, that you may know that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

From The Sermons Of The Apostles:
My second Argument is taken from the Subject of the Sermons
of the Apostles, both whilest our Saviour lived on earth,
and after his Ascension. The Apostles in our Saviours time
were sent, Luke 9.2. to Preach the Kingdome of God: For neither there,
nor Mat. 10.7. giveth he any Commission to them, other than this,
"As ye go, Preach, saying, the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand;" that is,
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the King which was to come.
That their Preaching also after his ascension was the same, is manifest
out of Acts 17.6. "They drew (saith St. Luke) Jason and certain
Brethren unto the Rulers of the City, crying, These that have turned
the world upside down are come hither also, whom Jason hath received.
And these all do contrary to the Decrees of Caesar, saying, that there
is another King, one Jesus:" And out of the 2.&3. verses of the
same Chapter, where it is said, that St. Paul "as his manner was,
went in unto them; and three Sabbath dayes reasoned with them out
of the Scriptures; opening and alledging, that Christ must needs
have suffered, and risen againe from the dead, and that this Jesus
(whom he preached) is Christ."

From The Easinesse Of The Doctrine:
The third Argument is, from those places of Scripture, by which
all the Faith required to Salvation is declared to be Easie.
For if an inward assent of the mind to all the Doctrines concerning
Christian Faith now taught, (whereof the greatest part are disputed,)
were necessary to Salvation, there would be nothing in the world so hard,
as to be a Christian. The Thief upon the Crosse though repenting,
could not have been saved for saying, "Lord remember me when thou
commest into thy Kingdome;" by which he testified no beleefe of any
other Article, but this, That Jesus Was The King. Nor could it bee
said (as it is Mat. 11. 30.) that "Christs yoke is Easy, and his
burthen Light:" Nor that "Little Children beleeve in him," as it is
Matth. 18.6. Nor could St. Paul have said (1 Cor. 1. 21.) "It pleased
God by the Foolishnesse of preaching, to save them that beleeve:"
Nor could St. Paul himself have been saved, much lesse have been
so great a Doctor of the Church so suddenly, that never perhaps
thought of Transsubstantiation, nor Purgatory, nor many other
Articles now obtruded.

From Formall And Cleer Texts
The fourth Argument is taken from places expresse, and such as
receive no controversie of Interpretation; as first, John 5. 39.
"Search the Scriptures, for in them yee thinke yee have eternall life;
and they are they that testifie of mee." Our Saviour here speaketh
of the Scriptures onely of the Old Testament; for the Jews
at that time could not search the Scriptures of the New Testament,
which were not written. But the Old Testament hath nothing of Christ,
but the Markes by which men might know him when hee came; as that
he should descend from David, be born at Bethlehem, and of a Virgin;
doe great Miracles, and the like. Therefore to beleeve that
this Jesus was He, was sufficient to eternall life: but more
than sufficient is not Necessary; and consequently no other
Article is required. Again, (John 11. 26.) "Whosoever liveth
and beleeveth in mee, shall not die eternally," Therefore to beleeve
in Christ, is faith sufficient to eternall life; and consequently
no more faith than that is Necessary, But to beleeve in Jesus,
and to beleeve that Jesus is the Christ, is all one, as appeareth
in the verses immediately following. For when our Saviour (verse 26.)
had said to Martha, "Beleevest thou this?" she answereth (verse 27.)
"Yea Lord, I beleeve that thou art the Christ, the Son of God,
which should come into the world;" Therefore this Article alone
is faith sufficient to life eternall; and more than sufficient
is not Necessary. Thirdly, John 20. 31. "These things are written
that yee might beleeve, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that beleeving yee might have life through his name."
There, to beleeve that Jesus Is The Christ, is faith sufficient
to the obtaining of life; and therefore no other Article is Necessary.
Fourthly, 1 John 4. 2. "Every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh, is of God." And 1 Joh. 5. 1. "whosoever
beleeveth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God." And verse 5.
"Who is hee that overcommeth the world, but he that beleeveth
that Jesus is the Son of God?" Fiftly, Act. 8. ver. 36, 37.
"See (saith the Eunuch) here is water, what doth hinder me
to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou beleevest with all
thy heart thou mayst. And hee answered and said, I beleeve that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' Therefore this Article beleeved,
Jesus Is The Christ, is sufficient to Baptisme, that is to say,
to our Reception into the Kingdome of God, and by consequence,
onely Necessary. And generally in all places where our Saviour
saith to any man, "Thy faith hath saved thee," the cause he saith it,
is some Confession, which directly, or by consequence, implyeth a beleef,
that Jesus Is The Christ.

From That It Is The Foundation Of All Other Articles
The last Argument is from the places, where this Article is made the
Foundation of Faith: For he that holdeth the Foundation shall bee saved.
Which places are first, Mat. 24.23. "If any man shall say unto you,
Loe, here is Christ, or there, beleeve it not, for there shall
arise false Christs, and false Prophets, and shall shew great
signes and wonders, &c." Here wee see, this Article Jesus Is
The Christ, must bee held, though hee that shall teach the contrary
should doe great miracles. The second place is Gal. 1. 8.
"Though we, or an Angell from Heaven preach any other Gospell unto you,
than that wee have preached unto you, let him bee accursed."
But the Gospell which Paul, and the other Apostles, preached,
was onely this Article, that Jesus Is The Christ; Therefore for
the Beleef of this Article, we are to reject the Authority of
an Angell from heaven; much more of any mortall man, if he
teach the contrary. This is therefore the Fundamentall Article
of Christian Faith. A third place is, 1 Joh. 4.1. "Beloved,
beleeve not every spirit. Hereby yee shall know the Spirit of God;
every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh,
is of God." By which it is evident, that this Article, is the measure,
and rule, by which to estimate, and examine all other Articles;
and is therefore onely Fundamentall. A fourth is, Matt. 16.18.
where after St. Peter had professed this Article, saying to our Saviour,
"Thou art Christ the Son of the living God," Our Saviour answered,
"Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church:"
from whence I inferre, that this Article is that, on which all other
Doctrines of the Church are built, as on their Foundation.
A fift is (1 Cor. 3. ver. 11, 12, &c.) "Other Foundation can no man lay,
than that which is laid, Jesus is the Christ. Now if any man build
upon this Foundation, Gold, Silver, pretious Stones, Wood, Hay, Stubble;
Every mans work shall be made manifest; For the Day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every
mans work, of what sort it is. If any mans work abide, which he
hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward: If any mans work
shall bee burnt, he shall suffer losse; but he himself shall be saved,
yet so as by fire." Which words, being partly plain and easie
to understand, and partly allegoricall and difficult; out of that
which is plain, may be inferred, that Pastors that teach this Foundation,
that Jesus Is The Christ, though they draw from it false consequences,
(which all men are sometimes subject to,) they may neverthelesse
bee saved; much more that they may bee saved, who being no Pastors,
but Hearers, beleeve that which is by their lawfull Pastors taught them.
Therefore the beleef of this Article is sufficient; and by consequence
there is no other Article of Faith Necessarily required to Salvation.

Now for the part which is Allegoricall, as "That the fire shall try
every mans work," and that "They shall be saved, but so as by fire,"
or "through fire," (for the originall is dia puros,) it maketh nothing
against this conclusion which I have drawn from the other words,
that are plain. Neverthelesse, because upon this place there hath
been an argument taken, to prove the fire of Purgatory, I will also
here offer you my conjecture concerning the meaning of this triall
of Doctrines, and saving of men as by Fire. The Apostle here seemeth
to allude to the words of the Prophet Zachary, Ch. 13. 8,9. who
speaking of the Restauration of the Kingdome of God, saith thus,
"Two parts therein shall be cut off, and die, but the third
shall be left therein; and I will bring the third part through the Fire,
and will refine them as Silver is refined, and will try them as
Gold is tryed; they shall call on the name of the Lord, and I
will hear them." The day of Judgment, is the day of the Restauration
of the Kingdome of God; and at that day it is, that St. Peter tells us
(2 Pet. 3. v.7, 10, 12.) shall be the Conflagration of the world,
wherein the wicked shall perish; but the remnant which God will save,
shall passe through that Fire, unhurt, and be therein (as Silver and
Gold are refined by the fire from their drosse) tryed, and refined
from their Idolatry, and be made to call upon the name of the true God.
Alluding whereto St. Paul here saith, that The Day (that is,
the Day of Judgment, the Great Day of our Saviours comming to restore
the Kingdome of God in Israel) shall try every mans doctrine,
by Judging, which are Gold, Silver, Pretious Stones, Wood, Hay, Stubble;
And then they that have built false Consequences on the true Foundation,
shall see their Doctrines condemned; neverthelesse they themselves
shall be saved, and passe unhurt through this universall Fire,
and live eternally, to call upon the name of the true and onely God.
In which sense there is nothing that accordeth not with the rest
of Holy Scripture, or any glimpse of the fire of Purgatory.