Godlie and fruitfull Treatise of Faith and workes Wherein is confuted a certaine opinion of merit by workes which an aduersary to the Gospell of Christ Iesu held in the conference had in the Tower of London Math. 7. ver 21. Not euerie one that saith vnto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth my Fathers will which is in heauen Iohn 6. verse 40 And this is the will of him that sent me that uery one that seeth the Sonne and beleeueth on him may haue euerlasting life and I will raise him at the last day LONDON Printed for Gregory Seton and are to be sold at his shop vnder Aldersgate 1583. To the Right honorable and his very good Lord Ambrose Earle of Warwicke Baron Lisley maister of her Maiesties ordenance knight of the most honorable or der of the Garter and one of her highnes priuy Councell H. D. wisheth all prosperitie in this life with increase of honour and in the life to come eternall felicitie in the heauenly hierarchie by Iesus Christ. AT what time Right honorable I had finished these my slender labours containing such holesome doctrine I trust as may semeneces sary for the time Certein of good iudgement hauing per used the same made some perswasion to suffer the impression thereof which at the firste considering my own weakenes the slender handling of so weightie a matter the pretence in the beginning for my priuate exercise I disassented to their desire But being somewhat pressed to do some good to the Church how litle soeuer and to cast forth some publike stone to the repairing of the building leauing the successe to almightye God I was in the ende contented to yeeld and imboldened to commit this litle treatise to the printe The first and onely occasion of the writing wherof was an argument which an aduersary of the truth held in the cōferēce had in the Tower of London the force whereof seemed to me so weake as that I thought my simple skill might easely confute the same wherefore committing that argument to memory I applied my endeuour to the confutation therof And although arte the eloquent order forme of the learned herin be wanting yet I doubt not but done according to the truth Yet iudge I this my labour litle worth and smally or nothing able to preuaile against the cauils and slaunders of the aduersary vnlesse your honorable L. were patrone thereof to whom I do dedicate both my good hart and worke also not as to teach your L. ought contained in this treatise whose honor aboundes both in Zeale and knowledge of this doctrine but by your authoritie to get it the more fauourable intertainement with others when they shall behold this simple discourse shrowded vnder the protection of your honorable good L. Thus being bold in all humilitie to prostrate this litle booke before your honour obseruing the examples of others in like oblations for the better defence thereof I pray to the Lord Iesus long to preserue you in much honour and felicitie Amen Your honors most humble to commaund H. D. To the vnlearned Papists VNto you I write yee vnlearned Papists whom the Pope and his Prelates haue so blinded and dulled your sences that you haue eares and heare not eyes and see not a hart and yet cannot vnderstand the trueth nor finde the waie of your saluation For blind ignorance who among you is called the mother of deuotion though most vntruely hath so lulled you a sleepe in popish dreames that you can neither heare see nor vnderstand the word of life but hath shut vp the same from you so as you cannot learne Christ truly nor obey your Prince faithfullie but doth nussell you vp in old wiues fables and legions of lies as they thinke most meetest for your study fearing that if they shuld suffer you to read the word of truth the blinde way which they haue ledde you in all this while would bee by you so espied as their great hypocrisie and false doctrine could no longer lie hid but would be knowne to their great shame and vtter condemnation The Lord hath opened the eies of a number of his people which haue bene led in the waie of your blindnesse and the Lord in mercie may also open your eies and wil if you will not too obstinatlie withstande his offered grace The Lord calleth you if you wil hear him He bids you search the scriptures for therin you shal find life and wisedome which is Christ. But your Antichrist forbiddeth you to reade them because he would haue you still blind and know no other Christ as a leader to heauen but him Forsake not him that is life to followe him that leadeth to death whose doctrine draweth to dispaire taking awaie al confidence by the merites of Christ and leaueth you in perpetuall blindnesse and confidence of your workes And therfore awake out of these Popish dreames flie from that whore of Rome who hath made you drunken with the cuppe of hir fornication Imbrace Christ Iesus the onlie Sauiour and onelie rest vpon him for your saluation Doe as much good as you can and fulfill the lawe to the vttermost of your power that God maie be glorified therby but repose no trust of saluation nor merite therein Leaue that onelie to Christ vnto whom it doth apperteine for he onlie hath obteined it by shedding his moste precious bloud without the helpe of our woorkes For if those woorkes might saue vs thē Christ died in vaine for what need is there of his death when our works maie saue vs. But forasmuch as this is most vntrue and that there was nothing in the world whatsoeuer that was able to redeeme the soule of man the commandement of God being once broken by Adam but Christ. Therefore the most precious bodie of Christ was made the alone and onelie sacrifice for to redeeme vs. Wherefore staie no longer forsake all vaine helpes from the Pope and flie to Christ onelie and there rest yee And so farewell H. D. 〈◊〉 the Christian Reader a preface premonitorie I Nede not good Christian Reader to stand vpon either the commendation of the Author of this booke or the worke it selfe for Vino vendibili hadera suspensa nihil est opus both the one and the other such is the exellencie of them both may fusticiently commend themselues Onely this I am to request at thy hands good Reader that what faultes or escapes soeuer thou shalt meete withall in this booke as there be some I beseech thee impute them not to the negligence of the Author who is greatly agreeued at them but to the ouersight of the printer through whom they were cōmitted Wherefore gentle Reader I beseech thee read this booke being I assure thee a learned worke cum iuditio not praeiuditio with the spirite of modesty not of contumacie knowing that as the Apostle saith charitie couereth the multitude of faultes enuieth no man speaketh ill of no man but
plaine woordes of Christ how he ouerthroweth all the workes of man as meritorious to deserue anye thankes from God He sayth playnelye to all the world aswell as to his Apostles When you haue done all those things which are commaunded you yet say you are vnprofitable seruants and deserue nothing for that which we do is but our bounden duetie being bound to do the commaundement of God vpon paine of damnation As if a maister commaund his seruant to do a thinge and the seruant doeth not that which he is commanded to doe doeth not the mayster lay him on with stripes Then must the doing of his maisters commandement be not onely for obedience due according to the duety of a seruant towards his master but also to saue him from many stripes which hee should deserue according to the saying of our Sauiour Christ He that knoweth his masters will and doeth it not shal be beaten with many stripes Now not that the seruant in doing his masters commaÌ„dement should therfore deserue to haue his masters inheritance as the Papists do maintein that by their good works they merite the kingdome of heauen And so standeth it with vs towardes God yea much more for no earthly master coulde euer doe for his seruants that our master Christ hath done for vs and therefore though we doe all that euer we are able to doe to the vttermost of our power yet are we still vnprofitable seruants and deserue nothing at the handes of God And behold the wisdome of the lord what person he hath chosen by whome to make this similitude touching this matter A ploughman a seruant plowing or seruing his cattle which kinde of people of all men in the world best deserue their hire and yet vnprofitable seruants deserue nothing For the Lord saith Doth he thank that seruant because he did that which was commanded vnto him I trowe not Here is a question demaunded by the Lord whether thanks be to be geuen to a seruant that doth his masters commandement the Lord making the answere himself said I trowe not Then is it thus much to say if a temporal master is not to geue thaÌ„ks vnto his seruant for doing his commandement much lesse our Lord and God vnto whome no temporal master is to be compared is to geeue thankes to any person that is bound to do his commandement But if there be no thankes to be geuen by god to man for doing his com maundement which man in duetie is bound to doe then is it cleere that man doeth not merite heauen by his good workes nor deserueth thankes for the same And thus hath the Lord him selfe ouerthrown the popish error of meriting heauen by workes done after grace And now for finall conclusion if to much obstinate wilfulnes do not remaine within the brestes of the aduersaries that if the Lord haue not vtterly cast them of as reprobates it is not possible but that these wordes so plainely set down and written with the pen of the holy Ghost by the hand of the holy Apostles and saintes of God and here incerted must needes perce their flinty hartes and mollifie the same which if grace be allotted vnto theÌ„ wherby they may haue fleshie hartes and yeelding spirites to Gods truth It can not be possible for them to hold out against this truth but will yeeld them selues vnto Christ acknowledging him to be the only sufficient sauiour of all the elect without any helpe of man And so reposing their whole trust and confidence onely in Christ and casting off their good works as not meritorious and thinke that if they could fulfill the lawe in greater perfection then the best that liueth is able to doe that yet they should do no more but that which in dutie they ought and are bound to do No doubt but as the Lord is altogither mercifull so will he in mercy receiue them and bring them into his fold euen vpon his shoulders as he did the strayed sheepe and imbrace them as hee did the forlorne sonne if they can departe from their errors and imbrace this truth which leadeth to eternall life And for that the Lord God hath made prayer a meanes to obtaine any thing that shall be asked of him by faith and according to his will And also for that prayer may be made for such as we know not but may yet stande in the state of grace whereby the Lord maye drawe them to him selfe And for that also manye numbers of papistes haue willinglye departed from their popish religion and turned to the gospell of Christ Iesus And hoping that a great number of them by prayer and by reading the word of God and such good bookes as be agreeable to the word of god may be brought to the acknowledg ing of their errors to fall froÌ„ the same I pray and desire al Christians to pray to the eternall almighty God for their good conuersion and reformation and that they may haue the spirite of GOD to guide them into the way of trueth that they may cast off their heresies and vaine popish opinions either of merit by works or whatsoeuer els not agreeable to the word of God and so to cleaue to Christ Iesus our only Aduocate Mediator Intercessor Sauiour and Light of eternall life Vnto whome with God the father and the holy ghost be all honor praise and thanks for euer and euer Amen Rom. 5 12. 18. 1 Cor. 15 22. Rom 5 19 Ro. 6 23 2. Cor. 5 21. 1. Pet. 2 24. Esai 53. Mat. 8 17 Rom. 8. 29. Mat. 25. vers 12. Galat. 4 4. Esai 53 9â—… 1. Pet. 2 23. 1. Pet. 2 24. Esai 53. 5. Ioan 17 4. 17 30. Luk. 24 26 27. Ioh. 17 4. Esa. 25 8. Cor. 15 54. Osee. 13 14 Ephe. 1 4. R. 9. 11. Ro. 11 29. Sam. 15 29 Ioh. 17 12. Nom. 23 19. Cor. 1 7 10 13 Thes. 5 24. Ephe. 4. 1. Ephe. 1 4. Ioh. 3 16. Luk. 17 10. Heb. 11 6. Esai 64 6. Luk. 23 42. Luk. 10 28 3 â—… Pet. 2 â—… 1. â—…oh 13 15 Ephe. 5 1. 4 Gen. 1 26. 27. Mat. 4 9 August contra AdamantuÌ„ Cap. 12 5 Mat. 3 17. Mat. 5 16. Phil. 2 1â—… Cor. 3 2. epist. 2 5. Phil. 2 12. Deu. 7 13. 14 Aug. conf li. ca. 13. Greg. cap. 9 of Iob. Barnar in festo om sanct ser. 1. Mat. 9 20. Mar. 5 25. Mat. 9 22. Phil. 2. 13. Ioh. 1. 29. 36 Esa. 53. 7. Act. 8. 32. Esa. 53. 9 1. Pe. 2 22 Esay 53 6. 2. Cor. 5 21 Luk. 12 32. Esay 53 7â—… Rom. 3 2â—… Psal. 14. 〈◊〉 53. ver 2 〈◊〉 Rom. 3 10 â—…1 12. Gal. 3. 10. 11 12. Deut. 27 2â—… Abac. 2 4. Rom. 1 17 Heb. 10 3â—… Le. 18 5. Eze. 20. 11 Rom. 10. 5â—… Rom. 3 12. Rom. 3 20â—… Rom. 3 10 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. Rom. 3 19. Iâ—… v. 2 10. Rom. 3 27. Rom. 3. 31. 1. Pet. 2 22. Rom. 2 13. Luk. 10 18. Iam. 2 10. Deut. 27 26. Iam. 2 21. 22. Answere to the obiectioÌ„ Ia. 1 26. 27 Iam. 1 27. Iam. 1 17. Rom. 3 20. Rom. 2 6. Rom. 2 13. Iam. 1 22. 23. Answere Ro. 2 17. Rom. 3 10 12. 13. 14. Rom. 4. 2. 3. 4. 5 Gen. 15. 6 Gal. 3. 6 Iam. 2. 23 Obiection Rom. 6. 2. Answere 2. Tim. 4. 14 Rom. 2. 7 Rom. 3. 2â—… Rom. 8. 21. 22 Act. 13. 38. â—…9 Rom. 8. 3â—… Rom. 9. 11 Aug. can 1 â—…m 1. 17 â—…ph 1. 4. 5 Rom. 9 16. Rom. 9 31. 32. 33. Esai 28 8. 14. 16. 1. Pet. 2 6. Gal. 2 15. 16. 21. Iob. 25 4. Gal. 5 4. 5. Tit. 3 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Tim. 2 1. 9. Ephe. 2 9. 10 Phil. 3 8 9. Phil. 3 7. Phil. 3 8. Rom. 7. 24 Gal. 3 19. 〈◊〉 22. 23. â—…4 Luke 17. ver 7. 8. 9. 10. Luk. 12 47
to falling The second Adam was Of heauen heauenly and could not fall The fift cause and end of all his good workes his godlie life and conuersation in this world was to set foorth the glorie of his heauenly father And he so glorified him thereby that his heauenly father from heauen said This is my welbeloued sonne in vvhom I am well pleased c. And that we also which are the elect of God Might haue our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our heauenly Father which is in heauen according to the example of our maister Christ. Now here you may perceiue to what end the godly life and good workes which Christ did in this worlde did tende too which was not to merit saluation for mankind neither was that the pointed price for the same neither could that obteine it But as it is saide the verie price of our saluation was onelie the passion and death of Christ Iesu and not the works of grace And in Gods election before the creation of the worlde the saluation of mankinde was made as sure for them and Christ as sure of his elect whiche hee bought before they were though the price for the same was not then paid but to be paid in the appointed time as a man is sure of a peece of lande that is voide of encombrance which hee buyeth to paie for the same at a daie appointed The bargaine of which lands being set downe vnder hande and seale and all thinges done that ought to be touching the sale sauing payment which is reserued to the appointed daie The land is now the buiers and no man can take it out of his hands and the seller hath no more to do with the landes though yet hee bee not paide for the same neither can the seller haue action against the lande but against the buier And so the lande doth remaine firmely to the buyer still euen from the first concluding of the bargaine Euen so standeth it with the iustice and lawe of God and the mercie and loue of God in Christ for mankinde elect They haue nowe no more action against the elect which were bought by Christ and in time paide for the same then the seller hath against the lande which hee solde and in time was paide for it The elect were Christes from before the beginning after hee had bought them and they could not be taken out of his hands after the bargaine was once set downe and written vnder hande and Seale that is to saie written in the booke of life and sealed with the promised passion and death of Christ Iesu and so remained surely his owne for euer And therefore it is plaine that good woorkes hath no part in the saluation of the chosen children in Christ seeing the same was made sure to them before they were created or had done either good or euill neither could Gods election rest vncerteine vpon woorkes to come as a cause of saluation which are but the fruits of Gods children and of Faith And although good woorkes proceeding from iustifying Faith haue no part in the merit of our saluation yet be they of great vertue and force and haue their crowne For a godlie and a vertuous life in the children of GOD and the good workes which they doe which are the children of God elect in Christ Iesu doe please God and doe staie the wrath of God that the plagues due for sin as war pestilence famine and such like fall not vpon vs as a iust rewarde for our wickednesse And therefore to staie the wrath of God that his heauie hande fall not vpon vs and that the fauour and loue of God may still be bent towardes vs. The children of God by the operation of the holy Ghost who worketh both the will and the worke in all the elect of God because of our selues we are not able to thinke a good thought do make their humble prayers vnto God doe all the good workes that they are able to doe to the glory of God and are made by the holy Spirite of God to hunger thirst after righteousnesse to detest and abhor sinne and thereby doe worke out their saluation That is to say they outwardlye shewe vnto the world by their good life and conuersation that they are the elect of God And they are assured in their owne consciences hauing a feeling of the holy Ghost working in them and by leading a godly Christian life that they are of that number which were chosen and appointed to saluation before the creation of the world And God blesseth that land that peple that obey and worke good in his sight by true faith in Christ geueth his peace plenty of al good thinges vnto them And thus the Lord doth crowne our good works rewardeth the same by these blessings the worldly blessings which god giueth vs are infinitely of greater value and more then al the best works that all the whole world is able to doe or deserue Therfore O miserable man what art thou that darest presume to lay thy defiled workes which euen the very best of them are most impure before the most high iust mighty pure god the iudge of righteousnes to merite thy saluation who setting aside his mercy cānot abide inperfection Augustine cryeth out woe be to the most vpright life of man if God examin the same setting his mercy aside Then when all the best workes that we are able to doe cannot deserue one of the least blessings which God hath daylie doth bestowe vpon vs what shouldest thou meane O miserable man to holde them meritorious to purchase saluation For thy best works thy best life is sin wilt thou haue sin to merit thy saluation what saith Gregory vpō the words of Iob in the 9. chapter whose words be these Man cannot be iustified being com pared to God The holy mā saith Gregorie doth perceiue that all the deseruing of our best works are faulty if they be weied in the righteous ballāce of the iust iudge And can that which is faulty deserue other then damnation if mercy in Christ Iesu go not betwixt therefore is Christ only the merite for vs and not our good works Wil you heare what Barnard saith who making a long discourse as out of a learned fathers booke I gathered of the vnrighteousnes of mans righteousnesse demaunding in the end of what value all our righteousnes may be in the sight of GOD. Shall it not be imputed filt hie like vnto a foule menstruous cloth according to the saying of the Prophet and if strickt narrowe examination be made thereof shall not all our righteousnesse befound vnrighteousness and nothing worth But there is yet another shifte in the Papistes storeboxe which I trowe will strike the matter dead And what is that trowe you Forsooth that by grace we be renouated which grace is geuen vs from
to say with punishmentes according to his deedes that as the deedes be euill and wicked so the punishment to be accordingly And where Saint Paule saieth in the next verse following To them vvhich continuing in wel doing seeke for glorie honor immortality and eternall life Some bookes haue it translated thus that is to say praise honor and immortalitie to thē which continue in good doing and seeke eternall life A sophisticall head may cauill vpon these words of Saint Paule in not taking them as he meaneth but will peruerslye expound them contrary to his meaning inferring that workes by these words should deserue and merite eternall life which Saint Paule meaneth nothing les For if he should in this place mean so then should he not agree with himselfe and also cause contrarietie in the holie Ghost whose penne S. Paul was which were greate blasphemie to mainteyne Saint Paule vseth these wordes not to mainteine that workes as they are done since the fal of Adam are so meritorious as they shoulde deserue theyr rewarde But he rather writeth in this sort to prouoke and stirre vp by the power of the holie Ghost the hearts of Gods children to a godly life that theyr faith thereby may the more appeare to the good example of others God of his free mercie yeelded his trauel to ouerthrow that pernitious sect of the Iewes of iustifying by the works of the law because it was euident to him that if that sect should continue and take place the glory of Christ Ie sus his passion and death should be cleane ouershaddowed and darckned thereby and so made altogether insufficient which is only alone sufficient to merit and purchase saluation for vs. And the ho ly Ghost foreseing that as mischieuous a generation should rise vp whose head should be Antichrist who in like sorte would maintein iustificatiō by the works of the law a deuise of Sathā to put Christ from his glory stirred vp Saint Paule that most notable instrument of GOD who hath so employed his penne and wrote so large a discourse in his Epistles in at the least fiue and twenty chapiters of the saide Epistles mainteyning eyther in plaine wordes or by circumstāces faith to iustifie without the works of the law and that the righteousnesse of god cōmeth by faith not by the works of the law as the mouth of the aduersary cannot but be stopped tberby For proofe after he had said That by the works of the works of the law no flesh should be iustified in Gods sight meaning therby aswel the law written as the law vnwritten bicause wee are not able to perfourme the law which if vve could then vvolde he not haue vvrittē against them that boast of the performing of the lavve as he did but vvould no doubt haue as earnestlie mainteyned Iustification by dooing the Lavve as they As partly you may perceiue by his vvords in that he saith not the hearers of the Lavve but the doers of the lavve shalbe iustified meaning still if they be done in their full perfection so as God can finde no fault by their imperfection So in deede they iustifie els not he procedeth forvvard saith but now is the righteousnesse of God made manifest without the law c. To vvitte the righteousnes of god by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleeue Here be saint Paules words very plaine that the righteousnesse of God is made manifest without the Law hee meaneth here all the whole parts of the law for proofe in this chapter he beginneth first with circumcision then to vnbeleef then to mans vnrighteousnes that proofe is made that Iew and gentil is vnder sin by our sinful actes deedes and then commeth to those verses before rehearsed so that it is plaine hee meaneth the whole lawe moral and ceremonial written and vnwritten And he geueth you to witte what righteousnes he meaneth euen the righteousnes of god by the faith of Iesus Christ which righteousnes consisteth in Gods promise which he performeth to all those that beleue in Christ Iesus And what is the promise It is saluation vnto all that beleue in Christ Iesus as in the actes of the Apostles it is said Be it knowen vnto you therfore men and brethren that through this man is preached vnto you the forgeuenes of sins and from all things from which you could not be in stified by the law of Moises by him euerie one that beleueth is iustified Here is the promise It is not said euery one that beleueth doth good workes but euery one that beleueth For the imperfectiō of mans works except Christes workes be such as that they are not once to bee named in the cause of iustificatiō thogh at sometime they be set down to iustifie to maintaine the excellēcy of the law in the perfection therof when it is fulfilled according to the precise wil of God which I say againe neuer man was able to do but only Christ who iustifieth all beleeuers from all thinges which the lawe of Moyses could not And thus you see the law of Moses cleane cut off frō iustifiing And S. Paul saith For that that was im possible to the law in asmuch as it vvas vveak because of the flesh God sending his own sonn in similitude of sinful flesh for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousnes of the law might be ful filled in vs which make not after the flesh but after the spirit Here is laide before vs the weaknesse of the lawe not that it is weake in it selfe for the lawe is of greate force both to cōdemn to iustifie for as many as offend the law it condemneth to the pit of hel if mercy in Christ go not be twixt And it is of great force to iustify if it be not in any point broken which if it be then is it weake impossible to iusti fie and because the case stode so that man could not be iustified by the lawe being weak in man therfore God in mercy sent down his son in similitude of sinful flesh to do that for mankinde which was impossible for man by the law to do Again that you may vnderstand that saint Paule meaneth not only the ceremoniall lawe when he saith the works of the lawe iustifie not but the moral law also not only the scriptures afore alleadged doth proue it but these that follow doe also manifest the same In the 9. chap. he saith For ere the children were borne when they had neither done good nor euil that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by reason of workes but by him that calleth c. Here is Gods election before birth before the childrē had done either good or euil But you will say that God did elect Iacob because hee saw before that Iacob woulde be good The Pelagian in deed is of your minde whose opinion Saint Augustine did con
fute in his booke of Predestination of Saints where in his 18. chapter he allead geth saint Paul in the first to the Ephesians to confute them saying He chose vs that we should be holy Not for that wee would be holy But S. Paul in this place is very plain against you scā the words wel he tels you that before the childrē of God had done either good or euil that the pur pose of God might remain according to election Gods wil purpose then is the first chiefest cause of electio reproba tiō the wil purpose of god as touching saluation being once past stands firm for euer There is no shadovv of turning in God And election reprobation resteth not only vpon Iacob Esau but it stretcheth ouer the whol world man womā and childe S. Paul saith as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundations of the vvorld c. and vvho hath predestinated vs c. Here he includes al the elect not Iacob alone And as the good wil purpose of God is the first cause so the free mercie of Cod in Christ Iesus being also a first cause in the second person is the meane an inferior cause of our saluation bicause the wil purpose of god was first in God before election and to cut you off from your opinion that the works of grace to come and past which you say doe merit was and is the cause of election and saluation Saint Paules sword is redy at hād for he saith that the purpose of God might remaine in prede stinating he meaneth according to electi on not by works but by him that calleth And may it be doubted that the workes done by Iacob the elect vessell of God which Saint Paul speaketh of here were not wrought by grace Was elected Iacob without grace when hee did those good workes He was not for the Lord had chosen him and therefore hee could not be without grace And Iacob was elected but not by works saith he I praie you marke it well for hee saith not by workes Is the election not by workes Paule By whome then By him that calleth And who is he that calleth Euen God the Father through his mercie in Christ Iesus his sonne Then election wherein saluation is included resteth not in our workes and wil but in God who for Christ his sonnes sake by suffering passion and death for vs hath in his free mercie chosen called and appointed his elect to saluation And then resteth it not in our wil workes wrought by grace For Saint Paule in the same Chapter saith So then is it not in him that vvilleth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie You shall further see how Saint Paule in this Chapter if you please to reade it proceedeth still to mainteine election and reprobation of which he maketh a further discourse frō the sixteenth verse to the one and thirtie and then he saith But Israel which followeth the lawe of righteousnesse coulde not atteine vnto the lawe of righteousnesse Wherefore Because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the workes of the law c. You may see now that our workes can neither atteine righteousnesse nor iustification But Christ onely doeth iustifie vs by Faith without workes For it is written Beholde I put in Syon a stumbling stone and a rocke of offence and whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not bee confounded Againe VVee which are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowe that a man is not iustified by the woorkes of the law but by Faith in Iesus Christ. Euen vvee I saie haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that wee might bee iustified by the Faith of Christ and not by the woorkes of the lawe Because that by the workes of the lawe no flesh shall be iustified I doe not abrogate the grace of God For if righteousnesse be by the lawe then Christ died in vaine But Christ died not in vaine for our sins were the cause of his death therefore righteousnesse is not by the lawe Saint Paule himselfe hath so largelie and so plainlie laide abroad this matter of iustification by Faith without the works of grace that there needeth not any more to be saide of anie other for better vnderstanding of the matter then himselfe in plaine termes hath set downe But this is the malice of Satan in his impes to impungne the truth and by the deuils sophistrie to peruert whatsoeuer hath been set downe by the Saints of God to the glory of Christ Iesus But make what blind distinctions soeuer you wil vpon S. Paules wordes his wordes are plaine inough to ouerthrow your iustification by workes wrought by grace And Saint Paul speaketh plainlie to the whole world Iewe and Gentile of the whole lawe of Moses as well morall as ceremoniall that it iustifieth not before God And it doeth appeare that Bildad in the 25. Chapter of Iobe was of Saint Paules minde That a man cannot be iustified before God his wordes be these And how may a man be iustified vvith God Or hovv can he be cleane that is borne of a vvoman The meening of these wordes may thus be taken that if a man or the best life of man be compared with God it is so base so vile and so vncleane in the sight of God that it is impossible that he should be iustified before God And yet you Papistes will be so pure that by good workes you wil be iustified But will you heare what Saint Paule saith to the Iewes and so cōsequently to you Papists that will be iustified by the lawe hee saith whosoeuer are iustified by the lavv ye are fallen frō grace for vve through the spirit vvait for the hope of righteousnesse through Faith Though the circumcised were the cause that Saint Paule wrote these wordes and telleth them that they are bound to keepe the whole lawe that they were abolished from Christ. Then as in the former wordes plainely appeareth he telleth all iusticiaries That whosoeuer are iustified by the lawe or that will be iustified by the lawe they are fallen frō grace And in what state you stād that are fallen from grace I doubt not but you know euen frō saluatiō And I trust that in this place you will not saie but that Saint Paule speaketh as well of the morall lawe as of the ceremoniall lawe if you will not be too blinde or twoo wilfull And because you shall the better vnderstand that he speaketh here of the morall lawe he saith in the 14. verse of the same Chapter thus For all the lawe is fulfilled in one worde which is this Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe And so going on still vpon the morall lawe telling them that if they bite or deuoure one another they shall be consumed one of another signifying vnto them that if they walke in the spirite they shall not fulfill the lustes of the