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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06512	A methodicall preface prefixed before the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes very necessary and profitable for the better vnderstandyng of it / made by the right reuerend father and faythfull seruant of Christ Iesus, Martin Luther ; nowe newly translated out of Latin into English, by W.W. ...	Luther, Martin, 1483-1546.; W. W.	1594 (1594)	STC 16985; ESTC S1353	22,201	55

is liuely and not idle Wherefore fayth is such an effectuall lyuely quicke and myghty operation in our harte that it cannot be idle but must needes breake out and shew it selfe by good workes Neyther dooth he that hath this Fayth care greatly whether good workes be commaūded or no. For though there were no lawe at all yet by this lyuely impulsion working in his hart he is of his owne accorde forced and caryed to worke true and godly Christiā workes He that dooth not his good workes of such a lyuely affection of the hart is wholy in vnbeleefe and a straunger and aliant from the fayth as many of those be which in schooles dispute and iangle much of Fayth and good workes not knowing what they speake or what they holde and affirme A true definition of faith Fayth therefore is a constant trust and a sure confidence of the mercy of God towards vs which is liuely and worketh myghtely in our harts whereby we committe our selues wholy to God casting all our care vpon hym leaning and trusting assuredly to this fayth we are not afrayde to dye a thousand tymes For this so bolde an assurance of the mercy and fauour of God dooth make our hartes merry glad and lyght doth also erect rayse and euen rauish vs with most sweete motions and affections towardes God yea and dooth so embolden the harte of the true beleeuer that trusting to haue God on his side he is not afrayde to oppose hymselfe alone agayust all creatures But it is the Spirite of God which geueth vs this heroicall harte and stout stomacke through fayth which working effectually in our hartes dooth incyte and inflame vs to doo good Now we haue thys chearefull towardnes and forwardnes to the ende that wee myght be moste prompt and ready willingly and of our owne accorde to doo tolerate and suffer all things whereby we may be obedient to so gentle and fauorable a father who through Christe hath inryched vs with so great abūdance of his graces It can not possibly be but that in whom soeuer this efficacy and lyfe of fayth is it should dayly worke A liuely comparison fructifye and geue increase to God Euen as it is vnpossible that a fyre being kindled flaming should not geue lyght and cast foorth brightnes wherefore watch thou and take heede that thou doo not beleeue eyther thyne owne vayne songes and soimdes of fayth Fancyes thyne owne fonlish imaginations or the vayne trifling stuffe of Sophisters Blynd papistes For these Sophisters haue neyther wyt nor wysdome They are belly beastes borne onely to those feastes of schooles But pray thou vnto God who commaundeth by his worde that lyght should shine out of darkenes that hee would shyne bryghtly in thyne hart and that be would create a true Fayth in thee otherwyse thou shalt neuer beleeue truely though for the space of a thousand yeares thou diddest labour and study about such cogitations and imaginations either of a faith heretofore gotten Righteousnes or hereafter to be sought for This fayth now is that true iustice whiche the Apostle calleth the iustice and righteousnes of God that is which onely is of force auaylable and can stand before God bycause it is the meregyft of God And this fayth dooth transforme the whole man and makes hym such an one that according to that common definition of ciuill iustice he is ready to geue and render to euery one that which is due vnto hym For seeing by that fayth we are instified and indued with the loue of the lawe of God then surely we so magnifying God and the lawe doo geue that glory vnto God which is due vnto hym Also seeing by that fayth we doo beleeue firmely that we are iustified freely and reconciled vnto God through Christ who euery where is ready to saue vs then by course we serue for our neighbor so agayne render and attribute to euery man that which is his This ryghteousnes of the hart we can not obtayne by any indeuour of our own free will or by our own strength merits For as no man can see that lyuely operation that is fayth of our harts but onely God so no man can repell from hymselfe that wickednes and incredulitie of the hart but onely by grace and the Spirit of God so farre we are from being able to deliuer our selues from sinnes by our owne power Therefore though workes doo seeme to show gallantly and gloriously yet notwithstanding whatsoeuer is not of fayth is hipocrisie and sinne Now as concerning flesh and spirit which often are vsed in this Epistle you must not take flesh to be after the common manner the desires and lustes of the flesh onely neyther must you cal the spirit onely those things whiche are doone spiritually in the inwarde corners of the hart 6 fleshe what ●t is For the Apostle Saynt Paule as also Christ hymselfe in the .iii. Ch. of Iohn doo call flesh whatsoeuer is borne of the fleshe that is the whole man bodye and soule al mans reason wholy with all his cheefest and best powers Bycause that all these things doo sauour of nothing but fleshe and seeke after nothing but fleshly things Wherfore thou shalt eall all those workes flesh which seeme to be good and make a beautiful show of holy workes and yet are doone without the grace and working of the holy Spirit of God in the hart Which thing is playne and euident by the .v. Chapter to the Galathians where Paule reckeneth and counteth heresies sects amongst the fruites of the flesh And in the .viii. Chapter to the Romanes he sayth that the law is made weake by reason of the flesh which thing ought to be ment not onely of the vnchaste lustes of the flesh but also of the whole masse of corruption and wickednes yea breisly and cheifly of incredulitie or vnbeleefe Incredulitie the ground all sines which is the most secret and cheife sinne of all Contrarywise 7 Spirite what it is thou shalt call the Spirit those spirituall things euen those externall works which proceede from a spiritual man or from a hart innouated and made newe by the holy spirit That washing of the feete which Christ did to his Disciples though it was an outward worke yet it was spirituall Peters fishing to which he returned being now iustified in the spirit was also spirituall Therefore that is fleshe whatsoeuer a man dooth seeking and sauoring onely carnal and fleshly things And that is Spirit whatsoeuer is doone within or without wherewith a man exercising fayth and Charitie dooth seeke spirituall things Vnles we take these wordes in this sense we shall neyther vnderstand this Epistle of S. Paul nor any other bookes of the diuine Scriptures Therefore whether it be Ierome or Augustine or Ambrose or Origen breifly what writers soeuer they be that vse these wordes otherwise let not the authoritie of men moue thee any thing at al but rather flee from

¶ A Methodicall Preface prefixed before the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes very necessary and profitable for the better vnderstandyng of it Made by the right reuerend Father and faythfull seruaunt of Christ Iesus Martin Luther nowe newly translated out of Latin into English by W.W. student Can there any good thyng come out of Nazareth Come and see Iohn 1.46 Imprinted at London for Thomas Woodcocke dwellyng in Paules Churchyard at the Signe of the blacke Beare To the English Christian Reader W. W. wisheth grace mercy and peace with a true and liuely knowledge of our onely Lorde and omnisufficient Saueour and Redeemer Christ Iesus I Doo offer and present vnto thee gentle Reader here published in Print this litle treatise Aristotle say●… that a good thyng the more comm●… it is made the better it is first written by that famous and godly learned Doctor in Christes Schoole Martin Luther in the Germane or Duche tongue for his owne Countreymen afterwards translated into Latine by a learned man named Iustus Ionas that it might be common to moe then it was before now also though plainly yet faithfully turned into Englishe for the benefite and commoditie of this our Israell by one most studiously carefull The vse of this Preface and zelously desirous of thy profite This excellent Preface wyll leade thee as a Lanterne of light to the better vnderstanding of that most precious most fruitfull and profitable Epistle of S. Paul to the Romanes which when thou canst well and wisely vnderstand first it wyll make thee ready armed well furnished and instructed to withstand and answeare all the popish Romanistes Cods greatest aduersaries and enemies to his Gospell who stoutly mainteyne and defend that mans woorkes doo merite and deserue saluation and so present vs iust and righteous before God Secondly it wyll teache thee a Christian life and conuersation namely howe thou oughtest to bring foorth the woorthy fruites of Fayth which alone doth iustifie vs before God because it is as it were the hand wherby we apprehend and take hold fast of the merits of Christes blessed Passion to be ours Other branches of doctrine and manners there be in that notable Epistle good store Vse and peruse this prologue and then it willighten thine vnderstanding very much in this weighty matter of our saluatiō in this chiefe and principal poynt of Christian religion This high myterie of our saluation dou●…ed of and de●●…ed by the Papistes to wyt whether we be iustified by the workes of the Law or by the mercy of God only for the mediation of his sonne who was made a slaine sacrifice vpō the Crosse for vs most wretched and miserable sinners After that thou doest fully and perfitly attaine to the true meanyng of it I doubt not but thou wilt by the helpe of Gods holy spirite woorking mightily in thee perseuere and continue faithful vnto the ende in this doctrine of faith taught here by the Apostle Only be strong in the Lord 1. Timoth. 1.19 fight a good fight keeping faith and a good conscience then surely this godly doctrine wyll prepare thy hart in a strong defence that the fierie dartes of the Dyuels Ministers by errours and falshood shal not wounde thee Wherfore gentle Reader vse this Introduction to thy comfort and commoditie Reade and regard it and geue God the glorye who be praysed for euer and euer Amen Farewel in the Lord and pray for me as I dayly doo for thee EPHES. 2. VERS 8. 9. ¶ By grace are yee saued through fayth and that not of your selues For it is the gyfte of God and commeth not of woorkes least any man shoulde boast hym selfe A Methodicall Preface prefixed before the Epistle of S. Paul to the Romanes written by Martin Luther and Englished by W. W. SEing that this Epistle of S. Paul writtē vnto the Romans is the Methode of the whole Scripture and the most absolute Epitome or Abridgement of the new Testamēt that is of the Gospell which verily alone it doth briefly most purely set out vnto vs I account it woorthy not only of all Christians to be knowen from their childhood yea and learned without the booke The excellencie of this Epistle word by word but also being by dayly and continual meditation as it were chewed and concocted euen as wel digested meat to descend and enter into our innermost bowels This Epistle is such a riche treasurie of spirituall wealth and as it were a most plentifull Copiae Cornu that he that readeth it a thousand tymes shall alwayes meete with some new thing not perceyued before In so much that the reading of this Epistle is most profitable of all other because it dooth as it were ascende higher in the doctrine of holy things in the knowledge of Christ in learning the nature of fayth in the knowledge of all spirituall affections yea the more it is handled the greater it groweth more pleasaunt and delightful more precious and plenteous it showeth and seemeth then before Wherfore I thought it labour wel bestowed if accordyng to that measure of grace which I haue receyued of God I might put to my helping hand and by this briefe Preface prepare an enery into it to the end that it might more easily and playnly be read vnderstood of all Chiefely knowing that this Epistle which one alone ought to be accounted the Index and Methode of all the Scriptures hath ben so obscured and darkened by certayn mens foolish Commentaries Gloses and vayne subtilties that very fewe Writers in many ages past haue perceyued the drift scope meaning and intention of the Apostle which notwithstanding of it selfe is most easy and playne First of all we must diligently search out and labour to knowe the nature of woordes and figuratiue speaches which the Apostle vseth And before all thyngs we must learne to know what S. Paule meaneth by these and such lyke woords The Lawe Sinne Grace Marke these woordes Fayth Righteousnesse Fleshe Spirit c. Otherwise though thou reade diligently thou loosest all thy labour This word Lawe 1. ●awe what it 〈◊〉 and how it 〈◊〉 to be vn●erstoode must not here be taken after the vsual maner of the Philosophers or accordyng to common reason namely to be defined a Doctrine which teacheth men what to doo and what to leaue vndone For humane or mans lawes are satisfyed if a man doo the externall and outwarde worke onely though in his hart he doo it vnwillyngly But God seeing he knoweth the hart iudgeth according to the secret and internall motions of the hart Therfore the Law of God requireth the hart affections or intētions therof neyther is it satisfyed by the externall deede dooyng vnles they be done with a chearfull hart willingly and with all thy affection Insomuch as it dooth reproue and rebuke nothing so vehemētly Pharisaicall woorkes as those glorious and fained works that is Hypocrisie Lying and the deceyt of the hart Hereupon