vouchsafed to die, and make Himself a Mediator."

And he also declareth, "There is no meritorious cause for our
Justification, but Christ: no effectual, but his mercy;" and says
also, "We deny the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we abuse, disannul
and annihilate the benefit of his passion, if by a proud imagination
we believe we can merit everlasting life, or can be worthy of it."
This belief, he declareth, is to destroy the very essence of our
Justification; and he makes all opinions that border upon this to
be very dangerous. "Yet nevertheless,"--and for this he was
accused,--"considering how many virtuous and just men, how many Saints
and Martyrs have had their dangerous opinions amongst which this was
one, that they hoped to make God some part of amends, by voluntary
punishments which they laid upon themselves: because by this, or the
like erroneous opinions, which do by consequence overthrow the merits
of Christ, shall man be so bold as to write on their graves, 'Such men
are damned; there is for them no Salvation?' St. Austin says, _Errare
possum, Hæreticus esse nolo_. And except we put a difference betwixt
them that err ignorantly, and them that obstinately persist in it, how
is it possible that any man should hope to be saved? Give me a Pope
or Cardinal, whom great afflictions have made to know himself, whose
heart God hath touched with true sorrow for all his sins, and filled
with a love of Christ and his Gospel; whose eyes are willingly open
to see the truth, and his mouth ready to renounce all error,--this one
opinion of merit excepted, which he thinketh God will require at his
hands;--and because he wanteth, trembleth, and is discouraged, and
yet can say, Lord, cleanse me from all my secret sins! shall I think,
because of this, or a like error, such men touch not so much as the
hem of Christ's garment? If they do, wherefore should I doubt, but
that virtue may proceed from Christ to save them? No, I will not be