hauing his first iustification may afterward by grace make himself more iust Therefore they hold these two things I. That good workes are meritorious causes of the second iustification which they tearme Actuall II. that good workes are means to increase the first iustificatiō which they call Habituall Now let vs see how farreforth we must ioyne with them in this point Our consent therefore stands in three conclusions I. That good workes done by them that are iustified doe please God and are approoued of him and therefore haue a reward II. Good workes are necessarie to saluation two waies first not as causes thereof either conseruant adiuvant or procreant but onely as consequents of faith in that they are inseperable companions and fruits of that faith which is indeede necessarie to saluation Secondly they are necessarie as markes in a way and as the way it selfe directing vs vnto eternall life III. We hold and beleeue that the righteous man is in some sort iustified by works for so the holy Ghost speaketh plainely and truly Iam. 2. 21. that Abraham vvas iustified by works Thus farre we ioyne with them and the very difference is this They say we are iustified by works as by causes thereof we say that we are iustified by workes as by signes fruits of our iustification before God and no otherwise and in this sense must the place of S. Iames be vnderstoode that Abraham was iustified that is declared and made manifest to be iust indeede by his obedience and that euen before God Nowe that our doctrine is the truth it will appeare by reasons on both parts Our reasons I. Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the vvorkes of the lavv Some answer that ceremoniall works be excluded here some that morall workes some works going before faith But let them deuise what they can for themselues the truth is that Paul excludeth all works whatsoeuer as by the very text will appeare For v. 24. he saith We are iustified FREELY by his grace that is by the meere gift of God giuing vs to vnderstand that a sinner in his iustification is meerely passiue that is doing nothing on his part whereby God should accept him to life euerlasting and v. 27. he saith iustification by faith excludeth all boasting and therefore all kinde of workes are thereby excluded and specially such as are most of all the matter of boasting that is good workes For if a sinner after that he is iustified by the merit of Christ were iustified more by his owne workes then might he haue some matter of boasting in himselfe And that we may not doubt of Pauls meaning consider and read Eph. 2. 8 9. By grace saith he you are saued through faith that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of vvorks least any man should boast himselfe Here Paul excludes all and euery worke and directly workes of grace themselues as appeares by the reason following For vve are his workemanship CREATED in Christ Iesus VNTO GOOD VVORKS VVHICH GOD HATH ORDAINED that vve should vvalke in them Nowe let the Papists tell me what be the workes which God hath prepared for men to walke in and to which they are regenerate vnles they be the most excellent works of grace and let them marke how Paul excludes them wholly from the worke of iustification and saluation II. Gal. 5. 3. If ye be circūcised ye are bound to the vvhole lavv and ye are abolished from Christ. Here Paul disputeth against such men as would be saued partly by Christ and partly by the workes of the lawe hence I reason thus If a man will be iustified by workes he is bound to fulfill the whole law according to the rigour thereof that is Pauls ground I now assume no man can fulfill the lawe according to the rigour thereof for the liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stained with sinne and therefore they are taught euery daie to say on this manner forgiue vs our debts Againe our knowledge is imperfect and therefore our faith repentance and sanctification is answerable And lastly the regenerate man is partly flesh and partly spirit and therfore his best works are partly frō the flesh in part onely spirituall Thus then for any man to be bound to the rigour of the whole law is as much as if he were bound to his owne damnation III. Election to saluation is of grace without workes therefore the iustification of a sinner is of grace alone without works For it is a certen rule that the cause of a cause is the cause of a thing caused Now grace without workes is the cause of election which election is the cause of our iustification and therefore grace without workes is the cause of our iustification IIII. A man must first be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke for the person must first please God before his workes can please him But the person of a sinner cannot please God till he be perfectly iustified and therefore till he be iustified he can not doe so much as one good worke And thus good works cannot be any meritorious causes of iustification after which they are both for time and order of nature In a word whereas they make two distinct iustifications we acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification yet so as iustificatiō is onely one standing in remission of sinnes and Gods acceptation of vs to life euerlasting by Christ and this iustification hath no degrees but is perfect at the very first Obiections of Papists Psal. 7. 8. Iudge me according to my righteousnesse Hence they reason thus if Dauid be iudged according to his righteousnes then may he be iustified thereby but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnes and therefore he was iustified thereby Ans. There be two kinds of righteousnes one of the person the other of the cause or action The righteousnes of a mans person is whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall The righteousnes of the action or cause is when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust Now Dauid in this psalme speaketh onely of the righteousnes of the action or innocency of his cause in that he was falsly charged to haue sought the kingdome In like manner it is said of Phineas Psal. 166. 31. that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie was imputed to him for righteousnes not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke but because God accepted of it as a iust worke and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glory II. Obiect The Scripture saith in sundrie places that men are blessed which doe good workes Psal. 119. 1. Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart and walketh in the law of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that endeauoureth to keepe Gods commandements Yet is he not
man is conuerted this worke of God is not done by compulsion but he is conuerted willingly and at the very time when he is conuerted by Gods grace he wils his coÌ„uersion To this ende saide Augustine He vvhich made thee without thee will not saue thee without thee Again that is certen that our wil is required in this that we may do any goodthing wel but we haue it not from our owne povver but God workes to will in vs. For looke at what time God giues grace at the same time he giueth a will to desire will the same grace as for exaÌ„ple when God works faith at the same time he workes also vpon the will causing it to desire faith willingly to receiue the gift of beleeuing God makes of the vnwilling will a willing will because no man can receiue grace vtterly against his will considering will constrained is no will But here we must remember that howsoeuer in respect of time the working of grace by Gods spirit and the willing of it in man goe togither yet in regard of order grace is first wrought and mans will must first of all be acted and mooued by grace then it also acteth willeth and mooueth it selfe And this is the last point of consent betweene vs and the Romane church touching freewill neither may we proceede further with them II. The dissent or difference The point of difference standeth in the cause of the freedome of mans will in spirituall matters which concerne the kingdome of God The Papists say mans will concurreth worketh with gods grace in the first conuersion of a sinner by it selfe and by it owne naturall power and is onely helped by the holy Ghost We say that mans will worketh with grace in the first conuersion yet not of it self but by grace Or thus They say will hath a naturall cooperation we denie it say it hath cooperation onely by grace beeing in it selfe not actiue but passiue willing well onely as it is mooued by grace whereby it must first be acted and mooued before it can act or will And that we may the better conceiue the difference I will vse this comparison The Church of Rome sets forth the estate of a sinner by the condition of a prisoner and so do we marke then the difference It supposeth the said prisoner to lie bound hand and foote with chaines fetters and withall to be sicke and weake yet not wholly dead but liuing in part it supposeth also that being in this case he stirreth not himselfe for any helpe yet hath abilitie and power to stirre Herevpon if the keeper come and take away his bolts and fetters and hold him by the hand and helpe him vp he can and will of himselfe stand and walke and goe out of prison euen so say they is a sinner bound hand and foote with the chaine of his sinnes and yet he is not dead but sicke like to the wounded man in the way betweene Ierico and Ierusalem And therefore doeth he not will and affect that which is good but if the holy Ghost come and doe but vntie his bands and reach him his hand of grace then can he stand of himselfe and will his owne saluation or any thing els that is good We in like manner graunt that a prisoner fitly resembleth a naturall man but yet such a prisoner must he be as is not onely sicke and weake but euen starke dead which cannot stirre though the keeper vntie his boltes and chaines nor heare though he sound a trumpet in his eare and if the said keeper would haue him to mooue stirre he must giue him not onely his hand to help him but euen soule and life also and such a one is euery man by nature not onely chained and fettered in his sinnes but starke dead therein as one that lieth rotting in the graue not hauing any ability or power to mooue or stirre and therefore he cannot so much as desire or doe any thing that is truly good of himselfe but God must first come and put a newe soule into him euen the spirit of grace to quicken and reuiue him and then beeing thus reuiued the will beginneth to will good things at the very same time wheÌ„ god by his spirit first infuseth grace And this is the true difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome in this point of free will III. Our Reasons Now for the confirmation of the doctrine we hold namely that a man willeth not his owne conuersion of him selfe by nature either in whole or in part but by grace wholly and alone these reasons may be vsed The first is taken from the nature and measure of mans corruption which may be distinguished into two parts The first is the want of that originall righteousnes which was in man by creation the secoÌ„d is a prones and inclination to that which is euill and to nothing that is truely good This appeareth Gen. 8. 21. The frame of mans heart saith the Lord is euill euen from his childhood that is the disposition of the vnderstanding will affections with all that the heart of man deuiseth fâ—rmeth or imagineth is wholly euil And Paul saith Rom. 8. 5. The wisdome of the flesh is ENMITIE against God Which wordes are very significant for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated vvisdome signifieth that the best thoughts the best desires affections and indeauours that be in any naturall man euen those that come most neare to true holines are not onely contrary to God but euen enmitie it selfe And hence I gather that the very heart it selfe that is the will and minde from whence these desires and thoughts doe come are also enmitie vnto God For such as the action is such is the facultie whence it proceedeth such as the fruite is such is the tree such as the branches are such are the rootes By both these places it is euident that in man there is not onely a want absence or deprivation of originall righteousnes but a prones also by nature vnto that which is euill which prones includes in it an inclination not to some fewe but to all and euery sinne the very sinne against the holy Ghost not excepted Hence therefore I reason thus If euery man by nature doe both want originall iustice and be also prone vnto all euill then wanteth he natural free-will to will that which is truly good But euery man by nature wants originall iustice and is also prone vnto all euil Ergo Euery man naturally wants free-will to will that which is good Reason II. 1. Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man PERCEIVETH NOT the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither CAN HE KNOVVE them because they are spiritually discerned In these wordes Saint Paul sets downe these points I that a naturall man doeth not so much as thinke of the things reuealed in the Gospell II. that a man hearing and in minde conceiuing them
be beleeued as profitable and necessarie to saluation And these they say are two fold Apostolicall namely such as were deliuered by the Apostles and not written and Ecclesiasticall which the Church decreeth as occasion is offered We holde that the Scriptures are most perfect containing in them all doctrines needfull to saluation whether they concerne faith or manners and therefore we acknowledge no such traditions beside the written word which shall be necessarie to saluation so as he which beleeueth them not cannot be saued Our reasons Testimonie I. Deutr. 4. 2. Thou shalt not adde to the wordes that I command thee nor take any thing there from therefore the written word is sufficient for all doctrines pertaining to saluation If it be said that this commandement is spoken as well of the vnwritten as of the written word I answere that Moses speaketh of the written word onely for these very words are a certen preface which he set before a long cōmentatie made of the written lawe for this ende to make the people more attentiue obediēt Testimonie II. Isai 8. 20. To the lawe and to the testimonie If they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Here the Prophet teacheth what must be done in cases of difficultie Men must not runne to the wizard or southsaier but to the lawe and testimony and here he commends the written word as sufficient to resolue all doubtes and scruples in conscience whatsoeuer Testimonie III. Iohn 20. 31. These things were written that ye might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ and in beleeuing might haue euerlasting life Here is set downe the full ende of the Gospell and of the whole written word which is to bring men to faith and consequently to saluation and therefore the whole scripture alone is suffient to this ende without traditions If it be said that this place must be vnderstood of Christs miracles onely I answere that miracles without the doctrine of Christ and knowledge of his sufferings can bring no man to life euerlasting therefore the place must be vnderstood of the doctrine of Christ and not of his miracles alone as Paul teacheth Gal. ◠1 8. If we or an Angel from heauen preach vnto you any thing BESIDE THAT which we haue preached let him be accursed And to this effect he blames them that taught but a diuers doctrine to that which he had taught 1. Tim. 1. 3. Testimonie IIII. 2. Tim. 3. 16 17. The vvhole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be absolute beeing made perfect vnto euery good vvorke In these words be cōtained two arguments to proue the sufficiencie of Scripture without vnwritten verities The first that which is profitable to these foure vses namely to teach all necessarie truth to confute all errours to correct faults in manners and to instruct in righteousnes that is to informe all men in all good duties that is sufficient to saluation But Scripture serueth for all these vses and therefore it is sufficient and vnwritten traditions are superfluous The secōd that which can make the man of God that is Prophets and Apostles and the ministers of the word perfect in all the duties of their callings that same word is sufficient to make all other men perfect in all good workes But Gods word is able to make the man of God perfect Therefore it is sufficient to prescribe the true and perfect way to eternall life without the helpe of vnwritten traditions V. The iudgement of the Church Tertull saith Take from heretickes the opinions vvhich they maintaine vvith the heathen that they may defende their questions by SCRIPTVRE ALONE and they cannot stande Againe We neede no curiositie after Christ Iesus nor inquisition after the Gospell When we beleeue it we desire to BELEEVE NOTHING BESIDE for this we first beleeue that there is NOTHING MORE which we may beleeue Hierome on Matth. 23. writing of an opinion that Iohn Baptist was killed because hee foretold the comming of Christ saith thus This because it hath not authoritie from Scriptures may as easily be contemned as approoued In which wordes there is a conclusion with a minor and the maior is to be supplied by the rules of logick thus That which hath not authoritie from Scriptures may as easily be contemned as approoued but this opinion is so therefore Beholde a notable argument against all vnwritten traditions Augustine booke 2. c. 9. de doct Christ. In those things which are plainely set downe in Scripture are found ALL THOSE POINTES VVHICH CONTAINE FAITH AND MANNERS of liuing well Vicentius Lirinen saith the Canon of the Scripture is perfect and fully sufficient to it selfe FOR AL THINGS Beside these testimonies other reasons there be that serue to prooue this point I. The practise of Christ his Apostles who for the confirmation of the doctrine which they taught vsed alwaies the testimony of Scripture neither can it be prooued that they euer confirmed any doctrine by tradition Act. 26. 22. I continue vnto this day witnessing both to small and great saying NONE OTHER THINGS THEN THOSE which the Prophets and Moses did say should come And by this we are giuen to vnderstand that we must alwaies haue recourse to the written word as being sufficient to instruct vs in mattes of saluation II. If the beleeuing of vnwritten traditions were necessarie to saluation then we must as well beleeue the writings of the auncient Fathers as well as the writings of the Apostles because Apostolicall traditions are not else where to be found but in their bookes And we may not beleeue their sayings as the word of God because they oftē erre being subiect to errour and for this cause their authoritie when they speake of traditions may be suspected and we may not alwaies beleeue them vpon their word Obiections for Traditions First they alleadge 2. Thess. 2. 15. where the Apostle biddes that Church keepe the ordinances which he taught them either by worde or letter Hence they gather that beside the written worde there be vnwritten traditions that are indeede necessarie to be kept and obeied Ans. It is very likely that this Epistle to the Thessalonians was the first that euer Paul writ to any Church though in order it haue not the first place and therefore at the time when this Epistle was penned it might well fall out that some things needefull to saluation were deliuered by word of mouth not being as yet written by any Apostle Yet the same things were afterward set downe in writing either in the second epistle or in the epistles of Paul Obiect II. That Scripture is Scripture is a point to be beleeued but that is a tradition vnwritten and therefore one tradition there is not written that we are to beleeue Answ. That the bookes of the old and new Testament are Scripture it is to
bodie without which a bodie can not be 4 In the Creede we confesse that Christ is ascended into heauen and there after his ascension sits at the right hand of his Father and that according to his manhoode Hence I conclude that Christs bodie is not really and locally in the Sacrament and in euerie Host which the priest consecrateth This argument was good when Vigilius against Eutyches said WheÌ„ it the flesh was on earth it was not in heauen and because it is now in heauen it is not on earth and he addes afterward that this is the Catholike faith confession And it was good when Fulgentiâ—s saide According to his humane substance he was absent from earth when he vvas in heauen and he left the earth vvhen he ascended into heauen And The same in seperable Christ according to his whole manhood LEAVING THE EARTH locally ascended into heauen and sits at the right hand and according to the same whole manhoode he is to come to iudgement And it was good when Cyril said No man doubts but that when he ascended into heauen though he be alwaies present by the power of his spirit HE VVAS ABSENT IN RESPECT OF THE PRESENCE Oâ— HIS FLESH And it was good when Augustine said According to the flesh which the Word assumed he ascended into heauen HE IS NOT HERE there he sits at the right hand of the father and he is here according to the presence of his maiestie And He went as he was man and he aboad as he vvas God he went by that whereby he was in one place he aboad by that whereby he was euery where 5 Again in that we beleeue the Catholike church it follows that the Catholike church is inuisible because things seene are not beleeued And the answer commonly vsed that we beleeue the holines of the Church will not serue the turne For the words are plain and in them we make confession that we beleeue not onely the holines of the church but also the church it selfe 6 Lastly the articles Remission of sinnes Resurrection of the bodie and Life euerlasting containe a confession of speciall faith For the meaning of them is thus much I beleeue the remission of mine owne sinnes and the resurrection of mine owne bodie to life euerlasting and that by the iudgement of learned Antiquity Augustine saith If thou also beleeue that thou shalt rise againe and ascend into heauen because thou art sure of so great a patrone thou art certen of so great a gift And Make not Christ lesse who brings thee to the kingdome of heauen for remission of sinnes Without this faith if any come to baptisme he shuts the gate of mercie against himselfe And Whosoeuer faithfully beleeueth and holdes this profession of his faith in vvhich all his sinnes are forgiuen him let him prepare his will to the wil of God and not feare his passage by death And The whole Sacrament of baptisme stands in this that we beleeue the resurrection of the bodie and remission of sinnes to be giuen vs of God And He gaue these kaies to the Church that whosoeuer in his Church should not beleeue his sinnes to be forgiuen they should not be forgiuen vnto him and whosoeuer beleeued and turned from them abiding in the lap of the said Church at length shalbe healed by faith and amendment of life And That vvhich thou hast heard to be fulfilled in the glorious resurrection of Christ beleeue that the very same shall be fulfilled in thee in the last iudgement and the resurrection of thy flesh shall restore thee for all eternitie For vnlesse thou shalt beleeue that thou art to be repaired by death thou canst not come to the reward of life eternall And in auncient time the article of the resurrection hath beene rehearsed on this manner The resurrection of THIS FLESH and the last applied vnto it TO EVERLASTING LIFE Hence then two maine opinions of the church of Rome are quite ouerthrowne one that we cannot by special faith be certen of the remission of our sinnes and the saluation of our soules the other that a man truly iustified may fall away and be damned Now this cannot be if the practise of the auncient Church be good which hath taught vs to beleeue euerlasting life ioyntly without remission of sinnes To come vnto the decalogue first of all it is a rule in expounding the seuerall commandements that where any vice is forbidden there the contrarie vertue is commaunded and all vertues of the same kind with all their causes occasions furtherances This rule is graunted of all and hence it followes that counsells of perfection if they haue in them any furtherance of vertue are inioyned in and by the law and therefore prescribe no state of perfection beyond the scope of the law Secondly the commandement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. hath two seuerall parts The first forbiddes the making of carued or grauen images the second forbids the adoration of them Now the first part is notably expounded by Moses Deutr. 4. 16. Take good heede vnto your selves that ye corrupt not your selves and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure in the likenesse of male or female Marke the reason of this prohibition in the same place for saith he ye savv no image in the day the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb. and v. 15. Ye heard the voice of the vvordes but savv no similitude saue a voyce Now the reason beeing vnderstood of the image of God himselfe the prohibition must needes be so vnderstood Againe there is no question that God directs his commaundement against a sinne in speculation but against some common and wicked practise of the Iewes and that was to represent God himselfe in likenesses and bodily formes Esai 40. 18. And that was also the practise of the Gentiles that were farre more grosse in this kinde then the Iewes Rom. 1. 23. This then is plaine to any indifferent man that the first part of the commandement forbids the making of grauen images or likenesses of the true Iehova thus the Romane Catechisme vnderstands the wordes As for the second part it must be vnderstoode according to the meaning of the first and therefore it forbids vs to bowe downe to any image of God Hence then it followes that to worship God or Saints in or at images to worship images with religious worship is abhominable idolatrie And common reason might teach vs thus much For they that adore and worship the true God in images doe bind the presence of God his operation grace and his hearing of vs to certen things places signes to which he hath not bounde himselfe either by commaundement or promise and that is otherwise to worship God and to seeke for his blessings then he hath commanded himselfe to be worshipped or promised to heare vs. Vpon this ground is plainely ouerthrowne the excuse which they make that