52.0 1he Vemonjlration oftheProbleme. !'eniall finne. I AVeniall Gnne which is beGdes Gods Law,and not againll ir, and in his nature bmderh oncly vnro rhc gmlt of temporall punifhrncnt, w'as not knowne a– mong the Fathers for feuen hundred y~arcs afcor Chri!t. Afterwards it got entranceand patronage. The reward,faitllH•imo, In cpi/f. dumimc. 8. pojl Pent<coj/en, of Gnne is death: not of all Gnnes, but oncly of thofc thar are criminall,and whereofJohn faith,It is a finn<l vnrodeath. ·A cally and dlcnrially dtfimgut.lhed, but onely mrdpcttof the drurnell'lercre,whrch impu· terh the onevnro death,and notthe other; and thus hold ethR•ffinfs,lnrtfot,.rticul.32 Luthcri. Thatopinion,faith Bai..,,profdfour of Louame, is notto beereprooued, which fairh,that eucn light finnes,excludingChrifia blood, in theironenature,barrevsfrom hea· : The Fatheriacknowlcdge,thatall finnc properly, and ofitownenaturc, deferueth c– ternall death by the iull iudgernent of God. Thcre is adaily repentance of good &hum· ble bcleeucrs,falthAugu/1.. Cf"fl· Jo8. when knocking our brefis wee fa)', forgiue vs our rrefpalfes,-for we doe notbcgge forgiuenes for thofe which weknow arc forgiuenin bap– tl(me: but for themwhrch(though but finne all,)yetareoften incidentvnrohuman~frail· tie; a11d beeing drawne to a fumme againll: vs, would opprelfe vs as much as another heauy finne: for what dilfercnce is it in lbip· wracke to be funkewith one furrous btllow, or to haue rhe water enter bylittle and lirrle, and ncucr refpect it vntill it fink<the lbrppel And againe,Tr.alt. 1 z..inloan. many lurlc,or fmallllnnesvnregarded, kill the foule. Be· fidcs:expo/it.I.incpift.loan.many light finncs make one heauic one. All finne (faithN •"-i· ••"-'"'• Or41. 3 1. is the death ofthe foule. And who ishe,fairh theauthor A(ctticfJTHm, that dare fay rhis Cinne is lirle, what euer it be1I know nor,faithHicr"'"· epi[foi.J4.how we can call any finnelight, which is done in contempt ofGod. The reproouing fentence of thefeuereludge,faith Bcdc, In Samur/.li· bro prim.cap. Jo. doth not onelycondcmne thofe fires of capitalllinnes, wherein rhe di– uell his workes are manifell ;bur euen all lit• tie ones,and thefe alfo which men may hold llcnder or light. Eucry finnc,faith Gregoric, In E'<-cc.lib.I.hom.:.is heauy, becaufe itwith– holdes the foule from afcending. To vfe i– dlcfpeeches, faithSixtm3. De maii.doa. & opcr.f.dci,or to calla man a foole,feeme fnrall and llender faults :but be adderh :If bee be gurlty of hell rha1 doth but call his brother foole;what fin can then be not deferuing hel, Ileaue the reader to iudge.A.Il fin, faith Gcr· {oH,DtvltaJPirit, /([/, 1. in that it is an offence to God,againll his crernall Law,is in his own nature and indignity, deadly, according to the rigour ofau{lice,and feuering aman from the lifeof glorie. Againe, No olfence is ve– niall in it felfe, but onely through Gods mercy, who.,illnol impute all offences ex· prelly vnto death, wlien as in iuCiicc hce mioht.,fo that it isconcluded)that finne mor– talI:and vc:oaaJl in bec:ing fo,are nor mwnfeuen 1 this bee proeues by many rexrs of Scripture. 3 The Fathers call finneveniall, notbc– caufe it isfo in itfelfe, but becaufeitisin the pcrfon ofrho righteous,vnto whome ia giucn rerniffion offinain Chri!l,throughthegrace of God. In this fenfe Bcdc,commrnt. in a.lohn B . s.fairh :There arc fomefmallfinnes,which cannot rake from the iurt, the merit of their mllrce,nordiminilb it. Sinne,faithCJrii,Carcc.:.io heauy to the retainer,and light to the reie<'ter: and Caffianru,Collat. :z.fatrh,that fuch fins are pardonable vnro the righteous. 4 Alfotharwascallcda vcniallfinwhich had pardon m the cenfurc of the Church: for grcarcr finnes were thought worrhre ex– communication, and for thofe was publrke penance performed;but in thefcligbtcr,tbar is, venial! finnts, it was not fo, and hereupon is veniall fo often oppofcdvnro crimmaiL There arc fomc fim'les grl!at and perntciou:., laithTcrtRUia•,dc pudicit,andothcrfome that we darly runne into; and to which wee arc (o incident,that ifthey were nor pardonablc,no ~ man could bee faued, bur for thefe there is pardon in Chrrll theMediatour.SoA•g•fl· •pifiol. 89.faith, There arefomevices called crimes, and fome,w&tboutwhichnoman Ji. uerh. And C.e{Arilu, Homil. 1. fioneis either capitall,or [mall: Capirall, as murder,facri– lcdgc,&c.AndBcdcmP/•l.3,oppoferh veni· all finnevntocriminall, rakingcriminall for that which the magiCirate punilbcrh. Now thiS that rhe Farhers fpake of finncsafter the manner and refpect ofmen, rhe fchool-mcn haue transferred vnto God, and fo haue fe downe a kmdeof finnewhich needcth nor Chrills blood to purge ir. 5 Thirdly, that is called a veniall finne, which obraineth pardon in rhceuenr &con· D fcquent, though 1t be morrall in it [elfe. So Ambro(e,lib.dc par•d.c.p.4.That fault itpar donable, which a confell1on of finncs dorb follow. Therearefomefinnes (faJtbrheau– thor,dcvcr• & (•If• panit.•p•d Aug.c•p.•8.) that are in rhernfclucsmortall,blltbyrepen– tance arc made vemall. Now(faith Augujl, de Csuir.Dci,I. %1. c. •7-) Cince•·• know nor the mcafure of our vcniaJI iniqUity (though 1t continue in vs)furcly we takegrearcrpaim to profite in good, and bee rr.ore fervent m prayer. And the mortall finne hereunto op· pofed,is the finnc that lcadeth vnto dearh;lo fairhPAciAnltpifl.3,11dSunpront1m:andH1ercm. In Imm. c•pstt :. callerh thofc heautc finnes1 which rlrav· roan to ddirutl•cn, and oppo {t'th J1ghtu fins ther<'ro. So theauthor of rhcj prayero ···'
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