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A19551
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A sermon of sanctification preached on the Act Sunday at Oxford, Iulie 12, 1607. By Richard Crakanthorp Doctor of Diuinity.
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Crakanthorpe, Richard, 1567-1624.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 5982; ESTC S109018
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32,903
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41
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so the word doth there rather signifie then the soule seeing good works doe not animate or giue life to faith but as an effect doth follow it as S. Austen truely declares as without breath then the body both is and thereby is knowen of all to bee but a dead body so that faith which breatheth not foorth in good works both is in it selfe is thereby also euidently discerned and knowen of all to be a dead faith which can neither saue nor as the Apostle teacheth iustifie a man in the sight of God for a true and iustifying or as S. Austen calles it an Euangelicall faith doth euer worke by charitie Galath 5. And of it S. Austen saith Iustificatus per fidem quomodo potest nisi iustè operari Hee that by faith is iustified cannot but worke the actions of iustice And more plainely in the 23. chap. of the booke before alledged Inseparabilis est bona vita a fide imo verò ca ipsa est bona vita A good life is neuer seuered from faith yea rather faith is a good life it selfe It is a memorable story which Ruffinus sets downe in his 2. booke and 6. chap. of one Moses an holy man in the primitiue church who being to be ordained a Bishop refused to haue Lucius a wicked persecutor to lay his hands or giue consecration vnto him At which Lucius disdaining and supposing hee had taken some exception to his faith If you be ignorant said he or misinformed of my faith I will recite and relate my beliefe vnto you You need not said Moses recite your faith vnto me I know it wel enough so many seruants of God that you haue condemned to the mines and minerals so many bishops presbyters deacons that you haue banished so many Christians that you haue deliuered some to the fire and others to the fury of wilde beasts these doe report and make knowne your faith vnto me Nunquid verior potest esse fides quae auribus capitur quà m quae oculis peruidetur I wil rather beleeue mine owne eies and your actions concerning your faith then your bare words and profession To which purpose S. Austen saith in his 3. tract vpon the epistle of S. Iohn Non attendamus ad linguam sed ad facta Let vs not looke to a mans words but to his works he that in works denies Christ he is an antichrist Opera loquuntur verba requirimus His works doe speake what he is we need not seeke to his words I might heere iustly and would the time haue permitted I would more at large haue refelled that most shamelesse slander which they haue deuised against vs that wee prohibite and contemne good works as Bellarmine was not ashamed to publish in his booke called Iudic. de lib. concor and 7. lie that wee account men free from doing of them or obseruing the law of God as he again without al truth hath affirmed in his 4. booke of Iustif 1. chap. Yea further that we teach Licere quod lubet that a man may liue as he list as Dominicus Soto reporteth in the Preface of his booke De natura grat which he offred to the Councel of Trent For answer whereunto though we doe most truely teach both out of the Apostle that we are not iustified by the works of the law but by faith out of S. Hilarie that â—ides sola iustificat faith onely doth iustifie and out of S. Austen that Fides sola mundat out of S. Ambrose that a wicked man is iustified before God Persidem solam by faith onely and out of S. Ierome that God doth iustifie a wicked man per sidem solam by faith onely and out of Origen Dicit sufficere solius fidei iustificationem the Apostle teacheth that iustification by faith onely is sufficient which hee by diuers examples at large declares in those who as he saith fide sola iustificati sunt were iustified by faith onely out of S. Chrysostome Why bringest thou other things Quasi fides sola iustificare non sufficiat as if faith onely could not iustifie thee why dost thou put thy necke into voluntary bondage vnder the yoke of the law that is a sure argument of distrust and want of faith and to omit many others out of S. Basil that this is full reioiceiâ—g when a man knowes himselfe to be void of iustice sola autem sia in Christum iustificatum But by faith onely to bee iustified though this we constantly and truely teach for which doctrine of sola â—ides which they call heresie we with all these holy men are condemned this day yet are we so farre from despising and much more from forbidding good workes as they vniustly slander vs that we euery where professe and teach of them with S. Bernard that they are via regni non causa regnandi the way that wee must walke to â—eauen though not the price to purchase heauen that they are necessarie necessitate praesentiae though not necessitate efficientiâ— necessary to be in those that are iustified and shal be saued though neither to concurre to the act and worke of their iustification nor to the merit and woorth of their saluation Yea and euen in â—he very article of that publike confession which Bellarmine there handleth and in vaine striues to confute it is expresly affirmed Docent nostri quòd necesse â—it bona opera facere we teach that it is necessary for Gods children to doe good works and to walke in them A very pregnant coniecture that the Iesuit could not without some checke of conscience so willingly and wittingly oppugne an euident and knowne trueth With which short and vndeniable answer contenting my selfe at this time and for a further refutation of that slander referring euery man to all our writings and sermons wherein we doe both more earnestly perswade vnto and more truely magnifie prize good works then doe any of their sworne professors to the triple crowne of Antichrist For conclusion of this whole point I exhort and beseech you all so to liue in sanctitie and abound in the fruits of faith that by our good workes we may stoppe the mouths if it be possible of those that so maliciously speake euil of vs as of euill doers and that the trueth of our faith may be beâ—ter witnessed by our workes then by our words and by our godly conuersation rather then by a verball profession Take heede yee be not â—ike those whom the Apostle condemnes They professe they know God but in their workes they denie him Hast thou faith Shew it saith S. Iames by thy works Let ours saith the Apostle learne to shew foorth good works that they bee not vnfruitfull and with our Sauiour I conclude Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heauen And this be
ineffabili potestate operatur Deus in cordibus hominum non solùm veras reuelationes sed etiam bonas voluntates that God by a wonderfull and ineffable power which must needs be more then any perswasion doth worke in mens mindes not onely true Reuelations which is wrought vpon the reason but good affections and desires which is wrought immediately vpon the will The very same doth he againe teach in his 107. epist. where purposely he refutes Vitalis for saying that to consent to Gods calling or his Gospell was not any speciall gift of God but an act flowing from the freedome of our will when our vnderstanding is enlightned by the doctrine of God As also in his booke de spir lit 34. chap. where hauing declared how God vseth these perswasions vnto vs whether externall in his word preached or internall in the eares of our hearts which in the Scripture are fitly termed the vocation and calling or the knocking of God at our hearts he truely saith that to consent or dissent is an act indeed of our will but this that we doe consent is the gift and worke of God in our hearts which worke he elsewhere more especially declares to consist not onely in setting those obiects before our minde or will but praebendo voluntati vâ—res efficacissimas in giuing most effectuall strength vnto the will to affect and to desire the same and making a man not onely to see the trueth but to loue it also which ariseth at he saith not from the freedome of our will but from the spirit of God which is giuen vnto vs. And afterwards hee moues as he well termes it a profound but a verie notable question to this purpose how it comes to passe that when God vseth the same or the like perswasions and suggestions to two meÌ„ vni ita suadeatur vt persuadeatur the one is effectually perswaded not the other did mans conuersion depend on mans owne will he might most easily haue answered this question because the one by the freedome of his will assented vnto Gods motions and the other by the like freedome of his will dissented there from or else because to the one the perswasions and suggestions were congruous and fitting and not vnto the other But S. Austen knowing right well that it might iustly no doubt would againe be replied what should worke the congruitie of the ones will vnto Gods perswasions and not of the other which he saw could be referred to no other cause but onely to the grace of God giuen to the one and not giuen to the other therefore he tels vs that hee can giue no other answer to that question but that of the Apostle O altitudo O the depth of Gods iudgements who of his mercy giues his grace and thereby makes the one willing to turne to God and so hee is effectually perswaded and in his iustice withholdes that grace from the other and so he remains stil vnwilling vnperswaded In which answer as being most sufficient S. Austen so fully rests himselfe that he addes this conclusion If any desire a better answer quaerat doctiores let him seeke to those that are more learned but take heed he finde not those that are more presumptuous Thus we see that there is a further working of Gods grace on our wils besides that illumination perswasion which is wrought on our vnderstanding for though it be most true which both Philosophers and the Schoolemen teach that the will doth euer follow the last iudgement and conclusion of our practike reason yet because which is most specially to be obserued in this point euen this last iudgement of our reason is subiect to the power arbitrement of our will that so hauing had a most pregnant and fit reason and conclusion proposed vnto it yet of it owne freedome and libertie by a certaine conniuence may auert and turne it selfe from that and â—â—â—nd or looke onely at another though farre woorse and weaker conclusion and bâ— this attendance make this to be the last determinaâ—ion of reason therefore lost our will which of it selfe is euer most ready to turne away from God and from all his perswasionâ— bee they neuer so forcible should at the time or instant of our conuâ—â—â—â—on vse this her liberty in turning away fâ—om them God who hath the heaâ—â—s of all men in his owne hand and who hath as S. â—â—â—ten at large and excellentlently sheâ—eth 〈◊〉 more power ouer mans willâ— than 〈◊〉 himselfe by his deuine and sâ—crâ—t but as S. Austen cals it most omnipotent power and 〈◊〉 operation of grace doth both staâ— and hold our wil that it auert not from his motions and so bends and incline 〈◊〉 and by it owne wâ—â—lingnâ—sse as S. Austen saith and therefore without all foâ—ce and violence doth euen draw it to yeeld her consent vnto his perswasions as to the last and as they are indeed the best iudgement and determination of our practicke reason Which worke of Gods grace is so effectuall in mens hearts that as S. Austen in his booke de praedest sanct 8. chap. truely saith a nullo duro corâ—â— reâ—â—â—uâ—tur it is neuer reiected of any though most obdurate and inflexible heart or will for this grace doth euen 〈…〉 the heart and makes it willâ—ng to embrace affect and will that whereunto God perswadeth But leauing these obscure though indeed most needfull subtiâ—â—â—es of leaâ—â—â—ng vnto thosâ— in this place whose wits and stâ—dâ—es are more conuersant and exercised therein then ouâ—s whose endeuours are â—â—ploâ—ed vnto most plaine and vulgar perswasions I rather desire bâ—â—â—fly to answer and if I can to wipe away that one doubt and obiection which as it is most popâ—lâ—r and plausâ—â—le so is it euer most obuious in this cause whâ—ch is that 〈◊〉 we haue not liberty and free will to turne vnto God and godlinesse then all precepts exhortations admonitions and reproofes may seeme to bee in vaine for what folly were it say they to exhort or command vs to doe that which is not in our power oâ— libeâ—tie to performe as if a man should exhort one to runne which were fast inclosed in a pit or prison out of which he had no power nor free liberty to come foorth For answer whereunto I first say the same that S. Austen doth in his booke de grat lib. arbitr 16. chap. where setting downe this very obiection of the Pelagians magnum aliquid Pelagiâ—m se scâ—re putâ—nt quan lo dicunt non iuberet deuâ— quod â—ciret non posse ab homine fieri God would neuer said they command that which he knew man could not performe S Austen answers them that therefore God commands somwhat which man cannot doe that man may learne to seeke of God ability to doe it Fides enim impetrat quod lex imperat for faith obtaines in prayer what God commands in his law as hee there and elsewhere declares For which cause S.