Mr. Hooker was also accused by Mr. Travers, for that he in one of his Sermons had declared, “That he doubted not but that God was merciful to many of our forefathers living in Popish superstition, for as much as they sinned ignorantly;” and Mr. Hooker in his Answer professeth it to be his judgment, and declares his reasons for this charitable opinion to be as followeth.

But first, he states the question about Justification and Works, and how the foundation of Faith without works is overthrown; and then he proceeds to discover that way which natural men and some others have mistaken to be the way, by which they hope to attain true and everlasting happiness:  and having discovered the mistaken, he proceeds to direct to that true way, by which, and no other, everlasting life and blessedness is attainable.  And these two ways he demonstrates thus;—­they be his own words that follow:—­“That, the way of Nature; this, the way of Grace; the end of that way, Salvation merited, pre-supposing the righteousness of men’s works; their righteousness, a natural ability to do them; that ability, the goodness of God, which created them in such perfection.  But the end of this way, Salvation bestowed upon men as a gift:  pre-supposing not their righteousness, but the forgiveness of their unrighteousness, Justification; their justification, not their natural ability to do good, but their hearty sorrow for not doing, and unfeigned belief in Him, for whose sake not-doers are accepted, which is their Vocation; their vocation, the election of God, taking them out of the number of lost children:  their Election, a Mediator in whom to be elected; this mediation, inexplicable mercy:  this mercy, supposing their misery for whom He 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, Haereticus 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?