of the Sentences confuted this matter For I know yâ— he in his 3. booke teacheth yâ— our hope leneth not only vnto yâ— mercy of God but also vnto our merites And therefore saith he to hope without merites is no hope but a presumption Thys sentence is not to be receaued For it addeth vnto hope a condition when as fayth without any condition apprehendeth that which is to be hoped for out of the word of God Farther when a these or any other wicked man is sodenly conuerted vnto God hath he not hope Vndoubtedly he hath for if he dispaired of saluation he would not fly vnto Christ And how can any man say that such a hope leneth to any merites when as he hath alwayes before liued wickedly But as we haue before sayd these men thinke they haue here a trimme place of refuge if they answere that thys hope of a man namely conuerted vnto Christ dependeth of merites not in dede past but to come newely that he hopeth he shal obteyne the rewardes of felicity when he hath done workes which he trusteth to doo But here they committe a double fault first bycause if he which is conuerted vnto Christ doo hope that by merites he shall haue eternal life he hath no true hope for he resisteth the true fayth For it apprehendeth the chiefe felicity offred frely Secondly vnawares they auouch that yâ— which hath not as yet his being is the cause of yâ— vertue which in acte and very dede they confesse to be in the minde of the repentaÌ„t And if they meane that he hopeth for felicitie when he hath liued well but yet in such sort that he hath no confidence that he caÌ„ by committing of sinne attaine Workes ar not the cause of hope vnto it then speake they no other thing then we do But so are not workes the cause of hope but light betwene it and the laste end as certayne meanes and first beginnings of felicity that men forasmuch as they hope that eternall blessednes shal be geuen vnto them freelye shoulde also hope that God if they liue wyll freely also geue vnto them good workes For the holy scripture teacheth â—arre otherwise then do these men For Dauid when he sayd If thou Lord shalt loke streightly vnto iniquities who shall be able to abide it And when he saw that the sinnes wherewith our workes are contaminated auocate vs from hope added The cause of our hope My soul hath hoped in his word And by the word he vnderstandeth the promise of which promise he rendreth a cause Bycause with the Lorde is mercye and with hym is plentifull redemption These are the true and proper causes of our hope The promise of God and his aboundant mercy The same Dauid in an other place sayth Why art thou sad o my soule and why dost thou trouble me Hope in God for I will still confesse vnto hym Here some obiect that we ar not iustified by fayth only for Paul sayth that we are saued by hope But these men ought to haue considered that the Apostle in this place entreateth not of Iustification For touching We are saued by hope but we are not iustified by it it he before wrote that by fayth the spirite we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death and adopted into sonnes and heyres and made the fellow heyres of Christ But here he speaketh of the perfect redemption which is still to be wayted for This we also confesse to be holdeÌ„ by hope when yet notwithstanding we haue alredy by fayth obteyned iustification and remission of sinnes Farther I haue oftentimes admonished that when the scripture semeth to attribute iustification ether vnto hope or vnto charity or vnto our woorkes those places are so to be vnderstanded that iustification is there taught not by the causes but by the effectes And we ought to vnderstand that whatsoeuer is The consideration of iustification is sometymes declared by the causes and sometimes by the effectes attributed vnto works the same is wholy done by reason of fayth which is annexed vnto them Wherefore as in a wall we haue a consideration vnto the fouÌ„dation and in the fruites of trées to the roote so whatsoeuer semeth at the first sight to be ascribed vnto works is to be assigned vnto faith as vnto the mother of all good workes Which thinge Augustine hath in many places excellentlye taught Others to proue that hope depeÌ„deth of our workes cite that which Paul before sayd Tribulation worketh patience patience worketh experience and experience hope Here say they it is playne that of patience springeth hope I heare in dede the wordes of Paul but I doo not by them acknowledge that patience is the cause of hope For first it is playne inough to him that will consider it that Paul in thys connexion compareth not causes with effectes For who will say that tribulation is the cause of patience For it bringeth many to desperation and to horrible blasphemies But those thinges which Paul knitteth together in this chayne are instruments by which the holy ghost vseth to stir vp in vs these vertues But graunt that there be some consideratioÌ„ of cause betwene these things yet should it not thereof follow that patience is the cause of hope but contrariwise Patience springeth of hope that hope is the cause of patience For no man with a quiet mind patiently suffereth any thing vnles by that patience he hope to attayne vnto some thing Vndoubtedly Martirs are by hope confirmed in theyr tormentes patiently to beare them And the marchant if he had not a hope to gayn would kepe himselfe at home nether would he wander about the world And the shipmaster vnles he hoped that he could ariue at the porte would not lose out into the depe nether striue agaynst the windes and waues I confesse in dede that here is somewhat encreased by patience For when we se that vnto vs is geuen of Christ for hys Hope is somewhat encreased by patience sake with a quiet minde to suffer many thinges we more and more haue confidence that those thinges also which are remayning and which we wayte for shall one day be geuen vs. But to beleue that hope wholy dependeth of patience I can not be perswaded For as we haue before sayd by hope rather we come vnto patience And in very dede the holy ghost is the author and cause of these vertues And he goeth orderly to worke of one to produce an other Agaynst this certainty which we sayd dependeth of yâ— promise of God Pighius vseth trifling reasons that the promises are generall nether is in them mencion made either of me or of thee and therefore there is still remayning a doubt when we must discend to the application of these promises Thys man semeth to me to make the promises of God to hange in the ayre when as he will haue them to be so Euery faithfull man knoweth that the promises ar properly
large prosecute the same and chiefely by thys reason for that aduersities helpe forward our saluation And when he had seuerally declared that we are holpen by hope and by the intercessioÌ„ of the spirite and had before taught that all creatures grone with vs now he pronounceth vniuersally that all thinges woorke vnto vs vnto good He sayth not that God prouideth that we should not be vexed with aduersities but teacheth that the nature of them is after a sort inuerted as which of themselues are able to engender nothing else but our destruction but now contrariwise they bring vnto vs commodity saluatioÌ„ But this thing doo they not of theyr owne force but by the election and predestination of God Nether is it to be meruayled at if we attribute vnto God so greate a force For we see that phisitions somtimes doo the like For they oftentimes expell out of yâ— A similitude bodies of men venome or poyson by venemous medicines hemlock although otherwise it be present poyson yet being tempered by that art it is so farre of from hurting that it also expelleth poysen So afflictions in godly men fight not against them but rather fighte againste the remnants of sinne And by these wordes of the Apostle we may inferre of the contrary that vnto those whiche An argument taken from the contrary Examples either loue not or hate God all thinges turne to theyr destruction which thyng we know came to passe in Iudas in others For wheÌ„ he began to hate Christ no good occasions or quickening wordes of the Gosple or power to worke miracles could any thing profite him The Iewes also when they were led about thorough the wildernes and were adorned of God with excellent and manifold giftes yet oftentimes became worse and worse Ambrose thus knitteth together thys sentence with that which went before Although we be enfected with great ignoraunce so that ether we aske those thinges which are not to be asked or els we out of time aske those thinges whiche are to be asked yet oughte not that therefore to be a let vnto vs when as by the benefite of the spirite thorough the mercy of God al thinges worke vnto vs vnto good Howbeit this is to be noted that the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is worketh together may be taken in the singular nomber and be referred vnto the spirite namelye that the spirite worketh and conuerteth all thinges to good to those which loue God And so this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is All shal be the accusatiue case But the receaued sence is more playne it is a phrase of speach much vsed of the Attike writers to ioyne vnto nownes newter being in the plurall nomber a verbe of the third person singular Augustine Vnto the elect sins also are profitable De correptione gratia so largly taketh this senteÌ„ce the he doubted not to write that vnto holy men sinnes also are profitable Which saying indede although I will not deny but to be true yet wil I not easely graunt that it agréeth with the sentence of Paul For both those thinges which are alredy spoken and whiche shall afterward be spoken pertayne to calamities and afflictions But the same Augustine else where more diligently weighing this place vnderstandeth by The sentence of Paul is to be referred vnto calamities and afflictions Why the burthens of Christians are said to be lighte Paul entrâ—ateth not here of of pleasantnes but of commodity How aduersities profite the godly The contrary endeuor of the Deuill it the whole burtheÌ„ of grieues and tribulatioÌ„s which he sayth is by this meanes made the lighter for that we loue God For he which loueth any man from the hart so for his sake beareth calamities that he is nothing grieued at them Iacob for Rachel serued 14. yeares and that so long space by reason of his loue semed but short And this is it that Christ sayth that his burtheÌ„ is light and his yoke pleasant not that those thinges which the Christians both do and suffer are not hard and difficile but bicause by reason of the loue which they beare vnto God all thinges be they neuer so hard shal be pleasant vnto theÌ„ But Paul here entreateth not of that kinde of good thinge which is light and pleasant but which is profitable vnto the godly vnto saluation And if thou demaund how aduersities are profitable vnto the godly I answere bycause God by theÌ„ auocateth his froÌ„ the delightes and pleasures of thys world and from themselues For such are we thorough the fault of nature and naturall corruption that we can not with out some hurt of ours be driuen vnto those things which are in very dede good On the contrary part the deuil laboureth as much as lieth in him by tribulations and aduersities to draw vs from God which thing he oftentimes bringeth to passe in the vngodly but in the elect the prouidence of God ouercommeth hys malicious purpose Farther by these afflictions calamities sin which perpetually froÌ„ our birth cleaueth fast vnto vs is dayly more more diminished The Apostle saith that this commeth to passe vnto them that loue God for that they are first loued of God For Iohn testifieth that we preuent not the loue of God God in louing preueÌ„teth vs. for no man can loue him vnles he be first loued of him It may peraduenture seme wonderfull why Paul sayd Vnto them that loue and not rather vnto theÌ„ that beleue especially when as at other times he attributeth iustification vnto fayth But this is to be knowen that in this place is not entreated of iustification For he writeth of the suffring of aduersities The cause whereof if thou wilt serch from the bottome then must thou go vnto grace and vnto the holy ghost Of grace and the holy ghost streight way springeth fayth by whiche after we haue embrased the goodnes and promises of God without any delaye springe hope and charitye Wherefore Paul tooke that thinge which is in aduersities next ioyned vnto fortitude For streight way so sone as we loue God for hys Loue is not the chiefest cause that maketh vs paciently to fuâ—â—er aduersities but the â—iest cause Charity distinguisheth the true faith from the false The connexion of faith and charity The most holiest men haue but a slender loue towardes God Why vnto loue can not be ascribed iustification Difference betwene the godly the vngodly sake we patiently beare all aduersities Wherefore he declared not the chiefe and principall cause but the niest And to the ende we should not stay there he streight way adioyned the roote and fouÌ„taine of that good thing For he saith Vnto those which are called according to purpose Farther he therefore maketh mencion of loue to put a difference betwene true faith and a fayned counterfeate and dead faith which is no faith at all For some boast of faith which bere no loue at all vnto God
who do not only deceiue others but also chiefly thēselues That is the true faith which Paul describeth to the Galath which worketh through loue For alwaies of true fayth springeth charity For it is not possible the the true and chiefe good thing being certainly known should not be beloued and earnestly desired He that séeth not the connexion and order of these vertues séeth nothyng for so straightly are they knit together that euen as of true faith of necessity followeth charity so againe on the other side he which wanteth faith must of necessity abhorre God and hate him so far is it of that he can loue him But this is not to be passed ouer the euen the most holiest men so long as they liue here haue a very slender loue towardes God For oftentimes they be drawen backeward by lustes of the flesh and that is the cause why iustification can not be ascribed vnto it For if we should leane vnto our loue forasmuch as it is very weak we should continually stagger But God will haue his promise to be firme and sure But thou wilt obiect that our faith also is weake I graunt it is so and therfore we leane not vnto faith as it is a worke but we haue an eye vnto the mercy of God his promise which by faith we embrace and so our iustification hangeth not of the worke of faith but of his obiect Howbeit in this infirmity of our loue towardes God thys thing haue the godly which the vngodly haue not that as soone as they haue fallen they straightway run vnto God They are sory they repent by y◠meanes prefer Christ only before all thinges so that for his sake they offer themselues to suffer all maner of thinges But the vngodly alwayes sticke in the mire they returne not earnestly vnto God but become euery day worse worse When Paul writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is we know he meaneth not a slight or slēder knowledge but a firme certaine and sound knowledge For none that is a Christian ought to be in doubt of the last ende of his state The state of the godly is to the better but the state of the vngodly is to destruction We after a sort are as players in a commedie where in although the beginning middle part be troublesome yet it is with a ioyfull pleasaunt ende concluded But the vngodly are as players in a Tragedy which although at the beginning it seme godly and gorgious yet hath it an horrible and lamentable ende This diuersity noted Abraham in the Gospell for vnto the A testimony of Abraham riche man burning in the flames of fire he sayd Remember that thou in thy lyfe tyme receyuedst good thynges but Lazarus euill Wherefore it is no meruayle if thinges do now go otherwise Which are called accordyng to purpose These wordes declare who they be which loue God And he bringeth a reason why vnto them all things turne vnto good for that it is mete and conuenient that all things do seruice vnto the counsell predestination and election of God that whomsoeuer he hath decréed to saue All thinges ought to be seruisable vnto the counsell of predestination him must all creatures whatsoeuer they be of necessity helpe He vseth this word purpose which at other times also in this matter he oftē vseth For in the next chapter he saith That the election mought abyde according to the purpose of God And vnto the Ephe. the 1. chap. Which hath predestinated vs accordyng to purpose and grace by the force wherof he worketh all thynges accordyng to the councell of hys wyll And in the latter to Tim. the first chap. Which hath called vs wyth hys holy calling not according to our works but according to purpose and grace And by these words he semeth to note Two manner of callinges Here is vnderstand a mighty and constant calling a certain distinction of callings For the one is outward which is by the holy scriptures sermons the other inward wherby the mind is moued by y◠instinct of God which in wardcalling also is not of one sort For there is one during but for a time an other of efficacy and abiding The Apostle whē he saith accordyng to purpose defineth callyng and contracteth it to that strong and constant impulsion Chrisostome in this place thinketh that this worde purpose is not to be referred vnto God but vnto the will and counsell of them which are called that the Apostle should not séeme to attribute so much vnto the election of God The Iewes saith he and Ethnikes whē they An error of Chrisostom hard these things made a stirre and demaunded what should let but that they also might be saued Chrisostome séemeth as often as he entreated of the election or predestination of God to haue bene somewhat afeard lest some occasion should be geuen vnto Whereof Chrisostom was afeard men to liue idly and wickedly or to lay the faulte of their wicked actes vpō God although he sometimes goeth plainly inough to worke ascribeth all our good thinges whatsoeuer they be vnto the grace of God And this place he thus goeth about to extenuate as though God in dede calleth and electeth men but yet those only which either already haue or hereafter shall haue a purpose and will to obey but herein he excedingly erreth in that he denieth that this is the purpose of God For the wordes which follow plainly teach that this is wholy to be referred vnto Purpose in this place ought to be referred vnto God predestination For it followeth Whome he foreknew those also hath he predestinated And in the next chapiter it is written According to election that the purpose of God should abide By which wordes we sée y◠predestination dependeth not of our wil but of the purpose Predestination depēdeth not of our wil but of the purpose of God of God Which selfe thing is declared vnto the Ephe. where it is written That we are predestinate accordynge to purpose by the force whereof God woorketh all things accordyng to his counsell and wyll In which place it cannot be denied but that he vnderstādeth the purpose of God and much lesse can that be denied in the first chap. vnto Tim. where it is thus written God hath called vs wyth hys holy calling not by our workes but by his purpose and by grace Which selfe thing Paul teacheth in the first chap. vnto the Ephe. For he sayth That we are predestinate into the adoption of the sonnes of God accordyng to his good pleasure And Christ saith I geue thankes vnto thee O holy father for that thou hast hidden these thynges from the wyse and hast reueled them to infantes because it hath so pleased thee And Paul vseth this word purpose to declare a certaintie for that the thinges which God by his prouidence hath decréed are stable and firme But his minde is to proue that men ought not to
this place of Zachary it may be expounded two manner of wayes First that those are the wordes of the law commaunding yet by theÌ„ cannot be proued yâ— a man can be conuerted vnles God conuert him For What are the inward motions in iustification of it Augustine thus writeth Lord geue that which thou coÌ„maundest and commaund what thou wilt An other exposition is this in iustification are two inward motions of which the one pertayneth vnto reason which as we haue said hath nede not onely to be taught but also to be persuaded and to be drawen into the sentence of the holy ghost the other motion pertaineth vnto the wil that it may be bowed to receiue al those things which the holy ghost promiseth and offreth And this is the faith by which we are iustified and wherby our sinnes are forgeueÌ„ vs. But forasmuch as these things are done secretly in the inward partes of the mind the Prophet speaketh not of them but rather spake of those things which follow For man after he is once iustified beginneth to be conuerted vnto good works Wherfore he which before liued dissolutely and wickedly now behaueth himselfe wel and orderly and being renewed with grace and the spirite worketh together with the power of God Of this conuersion the Prophet speaketh when he sayth Be ye conuerted vnto me And God promiseth to heape them vp with great benefites which is signified by this And I will be conuerted vnto you For before when he withdrew from them his benefites and afflicted them with captiuities and other miseries he seemed to be turned away from them Wherfore the Prophet spake not of the inwarde iustification but of the outward conuersion vnto good workes But Ieremy when he said Conuert vs Lord and we shall be conuerted had a respect vnto those inward motioÌ„s of the mind which we haue now described But our men of Trent when they thus say although they faine that they differ from the Pelagians yet in very deede they can neuer proue it They say that they deny not grace but in very deede they put that grace which the Pelagians would neuer haue denied But let vs see what degrees and what preparations these men appoynt â—o iustification First say they a man which is to be iustified being called stirred vp by the grace Degrees of iustification appointed by the Synode of Trent of God beginneth to beleue those things which are written in the holy scriptures then is he smitten with the feare of the sinnes which he hath committed afterwarde loking vnto the mercy of God he beginneth to haue a good hope this hope being conceiued he loueth God out of which loue springeth in him a certaine detestation of sinnes and a purpose to liue wel lastly he receiueth baptisme or the sacrament of repentaunce and herein say they consisteth iustification For all other things which went before were only preparations But these men see not that we ought farre otherwise to iudge of baptisme For the holy scriptures teache that Abraham was first iustified by faith in vncircumcision and then he receiued circumcision as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a seale of righteousnesse already receiued This selfe same consideration according to the Analogy is to be kept in baptisme For our baptisme answereth vnto the circumcision of the elders When these men put that fayth the feare of God hope charitie The degrees of Trent before brought are coÌ„futed What causes of iustication they of Trent assigne detestation of sinne and a new purpose of liuing vprightly are only certaine preparations vnto iustification they decree that a man may be perfecte before he be iustified Then they adde the causes of our iustification and beginne at the finall cause and that say they is the glory of God and our saluation The efficient cause they say is GOD himselfe of his mercye The meritorious cause as they call it they put to be Christ Iesus by his death on the crosse and the sheading of his bloud â–ª And hitherto in dede all is wel The formall cause they say is the iustice of God not that iustice whereby he himself is iust but that which he communicateth vnto vs wherby we truely bothe are counted iust and also are so in deede By which wordes they vnderstand the renewing of a man now regenerate and his new forming by grace and the holy ghost And that these things are done in a man already iustified we deny not but that iustification consisteth therein we can not graunt For Paule affirmeth Wherin iustification properly consisteth â–ª it to consist herein that our sinnes are forgiuen vs and that they are no more imputed vnto vs. And to confirme this he citeth a testimony out of Dauid Blessed are they vvhose iniquities are forgiuen and that testimony also out of Genesis Abraham beleued God and it vvas counted vnto him for righteousnesse And to the end he would expresse the thing more plainly he oftentimes in that selfe same place vseth this word Imputacion And therefore say we that in Iustificatâ—oÌ„ cannot consist in that righteousnes which cleaueth in â—â— vs. that righteousnesse and instauration wherby we are reformed of God can not consist iustification for that it through our corruption is imperfect neither can we with it staÌ„d before the iudgement seat of Christ Farther they say that this righteousnesse wherby they will haue vs to be iustified is distributed vnto euery man by the holy ghost as it pleaseth him which saying in deede may be suffred For the holy ghost is the disposer in the distribution of the giftes of God But they goe on farther and say According to the measure of the preparation but this can by no meanes be borne with all For we haue before shewed out of the fathers and chiefly out of the holy scriptures that all those things which are done before iustification are sinnes so farre is it of that they can merite and prepare vnto iustification Farther these men teache that iustification being once had men ought neuer to be thereof assured and certaine but ought to be doubtfull and carefull And when we obiect that this is to derogate yâ— truth of the promises of God and the dignitie of grace they deny that to be true For they say that they doubt not of the promises of God but when they looke vpon their owne indispositions as they call it then at the length they begin of necessitie to doubt Vndoubtedly this is not to be meruailed at for if a man haue a regarde to his owne vnworthinesse he shall not only doubt of the promises of God but also shall be most assured that he can not be iustified But the holy scriptures teache farre otherwise For they set forthe vnto vs the example of Abraham how that he contrary to hope beleued in hope and that he when now A man being iustified doubteth not of his iustification he was in a maner a hundreth yeares of age had no
the vncircumcision For we say that fayth was imputed vnto Abraham vnto righteousnes How was it then imputed when he was Circumcised or vncircumcised not when he was circumcised but wheÌ„ he was vncircumcised Afterward he receiued the signe of circumcision the seale of the righteousnes of fayth which he had when he was vncircumcised that he should be the father of all them that beleue not beyng circumcised that righteousnes mighte be imputed vnto them also And the father of circumcision not vnto them onely which are of the circumcision but to them also that walke in the steppes of the fayth of our father Abraham which he had when he was vncircumcised Came this blessednes then vpon the Circumcision or vpon the vncircumcision The Latine interpretation hath this worde Manet that is abideth added to this sentence which is not in the Greke bookes Neither doth yâ— verbe which the Latines haue much agrée with the phrase which is by the accusatiue case and by the Greke preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rather as Theophilactus admonisheth we must vnderstand this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth lighteth it or beloÌ„geth it or some such lyke thinge Neither do I disalow the coniecture of Erasmus who thinketh that insteade of this verbe Manet was first written Manat whiche signifieth to come or to spread abrode And thus muche as touching the woordes But this is the meanyng A man might thinke that although Dauid made no mention of workes when he set forth the blessednes of those whose sinnes are forgeuen yet because he himselfe was both circumcised also vsed sacrifices he thoughte that this forgeuenes of sinnes is obteined by these things although he expressed them not And for that cause Paul taketh againe the example of Abraham which he at the first vsed And so returneth Why Paul returneth againe to Abraham to the ground and beginning of circumcision and considereth the very time wherin Abraham receiued it and proueth that long time before he was circumcised he was both iustified and also pronounced the father of many nations that is of all them which beleue Wherof it followeth that we without ceremonies and other workes shall by faith be counted iust and be admitted into the people of God and placed among the meÌ„bers of Christ This argument may thus be made more The forme of the Argument The order of the causes and the effectes in the iustificaâ—ion of Abraham Of what greate waight is the diligent marking of the scriptures Circumcision was had in greate estimation euident That which yet was not coulde not bring righteousnes vnto Abraham But when Abraham was pronounced iustified circumcision was not yet Wherefore it could not iustifie Abraham Let vs in this maner set the order betwene the causes and the effectes First God did set forth vnto Abraham his promises Secondly followed faith And thirdly iustification Lastly came obedience which caused him to circumcise himselfe and to do many other excellent good workes We may not peruert this order that by obedience and circumcision whiche are the last effects we should bring forth iustification which went before Againe in thys place yâ— Apostle teacheth vs with how great study and diligence the Scriptures are to be red and the times and moments in stories are throughly to be considered He entreateth of circumcision bicause all that controuersie sprang first by reason of ceremonies and bicause also they had circumcision in no lesse estimation theÌ„ we now haue baptisme For they counted it for a noble worke and an excellent worship pyng of God Wherfore we may inferre or conclude that if we be not iustified with that kind of workes wherin consisted the worshipping of God vndoubtedly much lesse shall we be iustified by other workes For these are counted more excellent more acceptable vnto God then are other workes For we say that faith was imputed vnto Abraham vnto righteousnes These wordes serue wonderfully to depresse the pride and hautines of the Iewes which continually cried that righteousnes could by no meanes stand without circumcision But Paul contrariwise affirmeth that it was in Abraham before he was circumcised For Abraham was as yet vncircumcised when he was pronounced iustified Wherfore it is no meruaile if many mo of the vncircumcised then of the Iewes were saued after the comming of Christ Here it semeth that there are set before our eyes two fathers the one of the vncircumcised the other of circumcision And if we more depely consider the matter we shall see that the father of the vncircumcised is set in the first place For Abraham was not yet circumcised when he was of God counted iust What theÌ„ is there remayning for the Iewes that they should so aduance themselues aboue the GeÌ„tles Nothing vndoubtedly but the signe And eueÌ„ as Abraham is not the father of the vncircumcised for yâ— cause only bicause they haue vncircumcision but bicause of faith so also is he not the father of the circumcised bicause they are circumcised but bicause they beleue By these things it is manifest Circumcision and vncircumcisioÌ„ are conditions comming by chaunce that both circumcisioÌ„ also vncircumcision are conditions coÌ„ming by chance and of theÌ„selues helpe nothing to the obteinment of iustification Very aptly doth the Apostle bring in these two men Dauid and Abraham Of which the one that is Dauid being now circumcised bare testimony of iustification And Abraham being not yet circumcised obteined neuertheles iustification Wherfore it sufficiently appeareth that Circumcision is not a meane necessarily required to obtain righteousnes And he receaued the signe of circumcision He receaued I say circumcision which was a signe The seale of the righteousnes of fayth This is a preuention for they which heard these thinges mought thus haue thought with themselues If Abraham were iustified before circumcision then was circumcisioÌ„ superfluous vnto this obiection Paule answereth saying that circumcision was not vayne or vnprofitable for it was the seale of the righteousnes of fayth In this sentence Paule Circumcision was not a thing geuen in vain hath two woordes namely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a signe and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a seale which woordes althoughe they be of very nighe affinitie the one to the other yet ar they not both of one the selfe same significatioÌ„ For this woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a sign is more general then his word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is a seale An image is a signe but it can not be a seale But we vse to put seales vnto such things as we wyll haue with greate fidelity kept and remayne vnuiolated And therefore are letters sealed letters patentes of princes are confirmed with seales yâ— no man should doubt of the authority or truth of theÌ„ So God deliuereth vnto vs sacramentes Sacramentes are not onely signes but sealinges What circumcision signifyed what it sealed as seales of his promises Wherfore circumcision signified two
thinges both that euill lusts should be cut of out of the minde and also that the children of Israell should be seperated from other nations Farther it was the seale of the will and promise of God which was offred vnto Abraham concerning righteousnes the remissiō of sinnes thorough Christ and the league with God and a greate many mo such like good things This promise I say was sealed with the signe of circumcision And besides these significations of the sacraments ar two other cōmodityes not to be cōtemned For the things which ar so marked Sacramentes also are notes whereby we are knowen to pertaine vnto God as vnto our owner and Lord. By these notes also is shewed how muche God maketh of vs. are therby appoynted to be theyrs who are their owners as in horses oxen other suche like thinges the markes and notes which ar burnte in them declare vnto whome they pertayne So the Sacraments when they are receaued do beare witnes that we belong vnto God Farther such outward notes declare of what value and estimation the thinge that is sealed ought to be counted as it is manifest in coynes of gold and also in horses For the best and excellent horses are marked with one marke and dull Iades with an other marke Farthermore the sacramentes which God hath commended vnto vs declare how much God setteth by vs For the notes and markes of circumcision and of other sacramentes are as it were admonishers of the will and promises of God For forasmuch as we are weake neyther do we easely beleue the promises of God it was nedefull that his good will towardes vs shoulde not only be signified by wordes but also shoulde be sealed by thinges which might be offred to our senses Wherefore Augustine very aptly sayth that the Sacramentes are visible wordes And Chrisostome vpon this place writeth that circumcision preached righteousnes Wherefore God would that we should both haue his wordes in the holy scriptures which should be set forth vnto vs whilest the misteryes were in doing and also that vnto them should outwardly be added visible notes that we might the more firmely resist if at any tyme the minde should beginne to doubt By these thinges it is manifest how they are deceaued which thinke that by the power of the action or as they vse to speake by the worke wrought The worke wrought is excluded the sacramentes bring saluation Vndoubtedly euen as the wordes of the scripture nothing profit without fayth so also nothing profit the sacramentes vnles fayth be present Nether is that opinion to be allowed whereof Augustine in his booke De ciuitate dei maketh mēcion namely that they can not be damned They are deceaued which thinke that no man after he hath once receaued the sacraments can be damned In this place abone all other is is expressed the nature of Sacramentes Sacraments are not onely markes notes which haue once receaued the sacramēts of Christ I thinke there is scarse any place in the holy scriptures wherein is so briefely and so expressedly set forth the nature of the sacramentes as in these wordes of Paule wherein circumcision is called a seale And to the ende we should vnderstand that it is not the seale of euery thinge there is added of righteousnes that is of the forgeuenes of sinnes which pertayneth vnto the will of God Lastly he addeth of fayth to geue vs to vnderstand what maner of thinge that is whereby we may take hold of that righteousnes And that is fayth Wherefore euery man may see how much they are deceaued whiche thinke the sacramentes to be but onlye markes and notes of religion whereby men may knowe one an other For so should they attribute no more vnto sacramentes then vnto garments or coulors whereby familyes and sectes are descerned one from an other Nether is this sufficiente whiche others say which thinke that in sacramentes are shewed forth the signes only and professions of those thinges and actions which are required of vs which are initiated into Christ so that circumcision they make to signifye the mortifying of wicked affection and baptisme to signifie that we must stoutely and with a valiant courage suffer losses iniuries aduersities What is the chiefest and principallest thing in the Sacramentes Graeca Scolia Three significations of circumcision because in it is signified that we are crucified and buried together with Christ And that the supper of the Lord is only a signe of Christian beneuolēce of duties of mutuall charity We deny not but that all these thinges are in the sacramentes But the hed and summe of theyr signification we say consisteth herein that they seale vnto vs the giftes and promises of God which he offreth vnto vs to be taken holde of by fayth The Greeke Scholies haue in this place most expressedly put that Circumcision was for three causes geuen that it should be a signe of fayth and of righteousnes that it should seperate the kyndred of Abraham from other nations and that it should be a note and manifest token of a pure and vndefiled conuersacion This place most manifestly declareth y◠which Augustine writeth to Bonifacius namely that Sacramēts haue the names of those thinges which they signifie And that thing he proueth by many stmilitudes amongest which he maketh mencion also of the Eucharist bicause Circumcision because it was the signe of the couenant therefore it had the name of the thinge It is Paul which teacheth that sacraments do signify seale things promised That we call sacramentes are signes we say it out of the holy scriptures Sacramentes not after iustification vnprofitably receaued Sacramentes stirre not vp faith but the holy ghost stirreth it vp A similitude Our righteousnes hath much vncleanes mingled with it The resurrection shal be a perfect regeneration we call it the body of Christ when as it is only the sacrament thereof And wee also teache that the bread in the holy misteryes is therfore the body of Christ bycause it is the signe thereof These things some cānot abide But they ought to remember that in the boke of Genesis Circumcision is called the couenaunt of the Lord which is nothing ells then the promise of righteousnes and of the forgeuenes of sinnes throughe Christ And this couenaunt the Lord commaunded that the Iewes shoulde carye aboute with them in theyr fleshe That thing Paule now expoundeth namely that it was the signe of that righteousnes and couenaunt Wherefore it manifestly appeareth that this kind of interpretatiōs which we vse was brought in by the Apostle and that to follow those interpretations is nothing els then to follow the steps of the Apostles If thou demaūd that for as much as we haue remissiō of sinnes haue by fayth obteined righteousnes what commodity then bringe the sacramentes vnto vs we answere very much for that they offer themselues before our eyes and so doo admonish vs. For our fayth is stirred vp not
as it hath not autority out of the holy scripturei it is by the self same easines cōtēned wherby it is proued We sée therfore by the testimony of Ierome that the interpretations of doubtfull places are not admitted vnles they be brought out of the scriptures and by them confirmed And if we will ouercome the difficulty of the Scriptures we must be familiarly conuersant in them day and night And let vs remember this which the Apostle now here mencioneth that they were not written for their sakes onely of whom is there entreated but also for our sakes But in that this worde Onely is added declareth that they were written for their sakes also For Gods pleasure is that we should thinke wel of his elect which self thing also turneth to our cōmoditie for whē we thinke well of thē we are stirred vp to imitate them This is moreouer here hence gathered that so often as we shall establish any doctrine or declare any commaundement of God it shal then be An argument taken of examples is very apt We are made equal with Abraham as tooching iustification aptly done when we bring proues of them by examples For in harde and doubtfull places proues taken of examples bring great perspicuitie For in them both the minde and the sences are ioyned together Farther there is no small comforte conteined in this place when we sée that we are made equall with the Patriarche Abraham as touching iustification For although he were adorned with a greate many giftes which we want yet that we should by faith be adopted to be the children of God it is no lesse geuen vnto vs then vnto him And although our fayth be the instrument whereby we receiue righteousnes and the promise offred vnto vs of God For vnto them that are of full age by that instrument onely is righteousnes geuen yet Christ hath so much estemed it that he hathe spoken of it no otherwise Christ speaketh of faith as the cause of iustification A firme argument for the certainety of saluation then if it were properly the cause of iustification For he sayth Thy faith hath made thee safe And seynge it is saide that faith shall be imputed vnto vs vnto righteousnes as it was in tymes past imputed vnto Abraham we haue a moste firme argument of the certeintie of saluation For as Abraham behaued himselfe towardes the promise of God as touching that he should haue issue so must we behaue our selues towardes the promise of the remission of sinnes But he was certaine neither doubted he wherfore we also ought to be certaine of the saluation promised vnto vs and by no meanes to doubt therof This reason let vs hold fast and not suffer it to slip from vs. But seyng Abraham had many singuler things neither ought we to imitate him in all thinges how doth Paul with any strength gather that this pointe of fayth should haue place that as it came vnto him so also shal it come vnto vs For if we should take armour and beyng priuate men make warre shall it happen vnto vs as it did to Abraham And to lye with our handmaidens shall it be excused in vs as the fellowship which Abraham had with Agar is excused in hym And shall it be lawfull for euery man to sacrifice his own sonne because he was redy to offer vp his This doubt may thus be answered that there Argumētes taken of examples how they be of force Two maner of callinges generall and singuler How callinges are to be discerned A fruiteful consideration of singular callings In singuler callings also of the Saintes at many thinges to be imitated is one callyng which is vniuersall and an other singuler and when we reade the actes of the saints we must take hede that we rashly confound them not For those things which pertaine vnto the general calling we must imitate but those things which pertain to the singuler calling are rather to be reuerēced thē imitated And if thou aske by what meanes these things are to be discerned the difference is not hard For whatsoeuer thinges thou séest that they did accordyng to the prescript of the commaundementes of God those thinges haue relation vnto the general state of the faithful But where any thing is committed that thou séest agréeth not with the law of God the same wholy is in them priuate and singuler Which yet is not red wtout fruite For there we sée how God sometimes by a wonderful maner gouerneth his as one not addicted to one maner of sauing those whom he hath elected Farther always in this kinde of actions if thou come to the roofe and ground thou shalt finde many things which thou mayst imitate Abraham was willyng to sacrifice his sonne Although the same be not lawfull for thée to do yet do thou that which is lawfull for thee Abraham preferred the commaundement of God before the lyfe of his onely sonne so also oughtest thou to preferre the will of God before all naturall consanguinitie Farther he hid al this whole matter from his wife for that he saw she should haue bene a let wherby he should not haue bene able to execute the commaundementes of God so muste we also do that we remoue awaye all lettes from good purposes Finally although he knew that he had in Isaac receiued the promise of an infinite posteritie and saw that his vntimely death was repugnant vnto the promises of God yet ceased he not of from that which he had begonne but permitted the successe of the promise vnto the prouidence of God so also let not vs by humaine reasonings resist the commaundements of God All these thinges beyng thus well weighed shall easely call vs from our infirmitie to shew our selues obedient vnto God VVhich beleue in him that raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead vvho was deliuered for our sinnes and is risen againe for our iustification Here is set forth a The sum of the Gospell briefe and redy summe of the Gospell for in the death of Christe are vnderstād al the misteries of Christ which went before it as his Natiuity preaching labors inteaching accusatiōs cōdēnatiō crosse burial And his resurrectiō frō the dead setteth forth vnto vs al these things which followed it as his restitution to life that eternal last glory chief felicity finally al those things which pertain therunto The Apostle very aptly in this place maketh mencion of our lord Iesus Christ for that he is the mediator and arbiter betwen God and mē And seing he hath hitherto spoken of fayth which is the instrumēt wherby we are iustified it serueth very well to the purpose that he should also make mencion of Christe for he is the obiect of our fayth as by whome God would communicate vnto vs his righteousnes Nether could we haue bene otherwise certified of the will of God except Christ himself had enstructed vs therof For Iohn sayth No man hath sene God at any
These things we now hold by hope â—nto which hope are not repugnaunt gronings and sighinges yea rather they very Two thinges included in hope much agrée with it For hope includeth two thinges namely the absence of the thing which is desired and the assured wayting for the same Wherfore for that the good thing which we desire is differred is not present we are vexed in mind Sorrow ioy follow hope neither can we be but greued But forasmuch as this waityng for that God will performe his promises is sure and certaine we reioyce and are glad And therfore the scriptures euery where set forth the reioycinges and ioyes of the saintes The absence of the thing waited for Paul declareth by the nature of hope For he saith that the hope which is sene is not hope Which words are to be expounded by the figure Metonymia For hope is put for the thing hoped for And Pauls meaning is Hope is put for the thinge hoped for nothing els but yâ— hope is not touching those things which are sene Those thinges he saith are sene which are present which we may both haue fruicion of and also delight our selues in That which is sene saith he is not hope For that hope is of that thing which is not sene Neither bringeth he any other reason then the coÌ„mon sence of all men For how can a man saith he hope for that which he hath Afterward he declareth the waiting for which we said is contained in hope But if we hope for that we see not we do with patience waite for it By these wordes Paul declareth yâ— vnto hope pertaineth that we with a valiaunt and quiet minde waite for the promises of God although they be absent and long differred And therfore is required hope lest we should fal into dispayre by reason the The good thing which we hope for is hard and difficult Hope is not touching that thinge which is vnpossible good thing which we hope for is difficult and hard Hope erecteth the minde that it should not geue place either to aduersities or to differring of the thing hoped for It behoueth also that yâ— thing which we hope for be not so hard or difficill to thinke that we can by no meanes obteyne it otherwise we should cease from hoping For there is no wise man will labour for things impossible Wherfore when we behold that eternall felicitie is promised vnto vs these two thinges straight way come in to our minde that it is a thing infinitely distant from our strengths and yet may be obteined of such as beleue But the power of attaining vnto it dependeth neyther of our merites nor of our workes but only of the mercy of God and merite of Christ Here heÌ„ce is the certainty of our hope to be sought for which could be none The certainty of hope should be nothing at all iâ— felicitie should depend of merites at all if eternall felicity should be attained vnto by our merites or workes By this certaine and assured expectation our mindes are in aduersities and temptations confirmed For vnto souldiours is set forth the victory which being a goodly thinge and very muche delightinge their mindes causeth them to haue a regard vnto two thinges First that it is a thing hard and to be attayned vnto by great labours and daungers Secondly that it is not only possible for them to attaine vnto it but also that they are certaine therof and so being full of good hope they couragiously fight and obtayne yâ— victory Out of these proprieties which Paul in this place attributeth vnto hope we may gather the definitioÌ„ therof Hope therfore Definition of hope is a faculty or power breathed into vs by the holy ghost wherby we with a valiant and patient minde wayte for that the saluation which is now begun in vs and is receiued by faith may one day be made perfect in vs. And that hope is geuen by the holy ghost hereby it plainly appeareth for that it can not be gotten by any humane reason For we wayt for those good things which farre passe our nature That it engendreth in vs a patient waiting for Paul declareth in these words But if we hope for that we see not we do with patience waite for it That we haue eueÌ„ now receiued some part of yâ— saluation which we hope for hath bene before declared For Paul saith that we ar now adopted to be the sonnes of God are made his heires and the fellow heires of Christ And the epistle vnto the Hebrues teacheth that now are begonne in vs those good thinges which by faith we waite for for theyr faith is described to be the substaunce of thynges that are hoped Hope and charity follow faith for For hope hath no other foundacion to leane vnto but faith wherof it springeth For such is the nature of these thrée principall vertues faith hope and charity that the one euer followeth the other For first by faith we know the eternall good thing which is promised of God Vnto this promise faith geueth a firme assent and therof in our mindes springeth hope For for that we beleue that God is true and will performe that which he hath promised we patiently waite vntil the promise be rendred although we know that in the meane tyme we must suffer The order of the production of the three vertues These vertues haue theyr being togâ—ther at one and the selfe same time One of these vertues produceth not an other as the cause but the holy ghost is the author of them things most hard long enduring But for that we sée yâ— at the length shall be rendred vnto vs so great good things we are kindled with a great desire of them which thing pertaineth vnto charity this is the order of the production of these vertues in this sort the one goeth before the other although in very dede they haue their being all at one time and together But we ought not to thinke that fayth is the efficient cause of hope or that of those two springeth charity For the spirit of Christ is the only author of all these vertues he stirreth them vp in our mindes in such sort as we haue now declared But how the propriety of hope is not to make ashamed and how it hath certaintye inseperably ioyned with it we haue before taught in the 5. chapiter when we expounded this place Hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is powred abroade into our hartes Now let vs sée why Paul vnto hope addeth the helpe of the holy ghost In my iudgement he doth it therefore for that faith and hope embrace that good thing which is as yet farre absent neither can be attayned by the senses nor comprehended by reason But euils and calamities and corrupt affectes wherewith we are vexed are alwayes present and light vnder some one sence Wherefore that their rage should not ouerwhelme the power of
inculcate then shoulde not boastinge be excluded for euery righteous man mought say of himselfe I haue obtained grace because wheÌ„ it was offred I receiued it I haue beleued God making promise vnto me for that I gaue mine assent I haue obteined Christ because wheÌ„ he came I receaued him But Paul crieth out that our boasting is excluded not in déede by the law of workes but by the lawe of fayth and of grace Neither can the aduersaries That modicum is some kinde of of worke Workes at vniuersally excluded froÌ„ the cause of iustificatioÌ„ The sentence of Paul is to be takeÌ„ simply and not by way of comparison deny but that that modicum which they labour so ernestly to establish is some kinde of worke But Paul so excluded not woorkes from iustification that he lefte vnto them the second place vnto faith but he vtterly and vniuersally excluded theÌ„ as touchyng the power to iustifie For he sayd not onely that we are iustified frely but added without workes Wherefore whereas they say that the senteÌ„ce of Paul is not to be vnderstanded simply but by way of comparison it is vntrue and vain But the scriptures saye they in other places speake so For it is written in the Psalm Vnles the Lord buyld the house they labour in vayne which buyld it And Paul to the Corrinthians sayth Neither he which plaÌ„teth is any thing nor he which watreth but God which geueth the encrease It is certaine say they that these thinges are to be expounded by way of comparison For in very déede both he which buildeth and which planteth and whiche watreth doth somewhat But that whatsoeuer it be forasmuch as it is but little if it be compared vnto the worke of God therefore it is sayd to be nothing and they are sayd to labour in vaine As touching the firste place we say that Dauid speaketh of ciuill works touching which we graunt that men in them take greate paynes and woorke somewhat Howbeit they labour in What is to be thought of ciuill enterprises vaine vnles God vouchsafe to fauor theyr enterprises Let Cesar AlexaÌ„der or Cato take what paynes they will either in the kingdome or in the Publike wealth and yet shall all thinges come to no purpose vnles God geue the successe In the other place Paul entreateth of the holye ministerye of the churche Neyther will I graunte this vnto the aduersaries that the Ecclesiasticall ministerye is eyther a thing small or suche as maye be called nothing For it is a thinge honorable and The holy ministery is both a thing great also nothing with most weighty wordes commended of the holy scriptures Wherefore as touching the office it is not nothing but touchinge the geuinge of spirituall life it is as Paul sayth vtterlye nothing For of it selfe it can not geue that spirituall life neyther perfect nor vnperfect The minister of the church in déede setteth forth the worde of God and the sacramentes but cannot reach to the coÌ„municating of that heauenly life Wherefore Paul spake truly and properly neither néeded he that figure A figure vsed in one place is not alwayes vsed in an other place of comparison whiche these men imagine Moreouer graunte that the scripture in other places vseth these kindes of speaches shoulde it straight way follow that therefore this sentence is so to be taken especially séeing it hath bene by most firme argumentes proued that it is in verye déede neither of him that willeth nor of hym that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy And therefore our election or predestination consisteth not of our works but fréely and of the mercy of God But still notwithstanding they are ouercome by reasons they cauill and say that they deny not but that we are elected of God fréelye but yet that causeth not but that some respecte may be had to woorkes foreséene For so they saye that we say with Paul That eternall life is grace when yet notwithstandyng we confesse that God rendreth vnto euery man accordyng to hys woorkes And if God can haue a respecte vnto woorkes when yet he geueth eternall lyfe fréely what shoulde let hym that he can not fréelye predestinate a man although he haue a respect also vnto workes foresene Hereunto we answer that eternall life is indede geuen Good workes oftentimes go before eternal life but can not preuent predestination Predestination is the efficient cause of good works and not eternall lyfe Predestination and reprobation are oftentimes with ouâ— works freely which yet followeth good workes not as merites but as necessary degrees by which they which are of full age come vnto it And this order the scripture it selfe putteth But that any our workes go before predestination the scriptures in no place haue tought vs yea rather contrariwyse Paul sayth to yâ— Ephesians Hereunto are we predestinated that we shoulde be holye and immaculate And vnto Timothe he sayth that he had obteyned mercy that he moughte be faithfull Why then seke these men to preuent order and especially seyng that theyr own similytude serueth not For eternall life followeth good workes and is not the efficient cause of them but predestination is the cause of good works Farther thys respect to good workes in predestination can not as we haue sayde take place in all men For many are predestinated vnto eternall lyfe and many are appoynted to eternall destruction which neuer should haue any workes at all as it is manifest in infantes Wherfore this is firme and vnmoueable that as touching election and infusion of the spirite there is nothing at all in vs whereby God shoulde be moued to bestowe these thinges vpon vs. For in predestination vocation and iustification there goeth before in vs nothing that is good but good works go before glorificatioÌ„ The reasoÌ„ therof is for that we straight way dye not so sone as we are iustified wherefore it behoueth that that space Why good workes in them that are of age â—o before eternall life of tyme which is betwene haue workes whereby may be declared our fayth and righteousnes which we haue by yâ— electioÌ„ of God obtayned By will Paul vnderstandeth the endeuor of the mynde and by course or running all holy workes vniuersally which metaphore is much vsed in the holy scriptures For Paul in an other place writeth of himselfe I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course And vnto the Corrinthyans So ranne ye that ye maye winne the price And vnto the Galathyans Ye runne well who letted you Out of thys sentence two thynges we ought to gather first that our saluation or election is not of hym that wylleth nor of hym that runneth that is not of our merites but of the mercy of God onely as God sayth in the 9 chapter of Deutronomy Say not for my righteousnes hath the Lorde brought me into thys lande Secondly that it is not of the willer to will nor of the runner to runne but these
imitate to approue the glory of God so often as occasion serueth with all our harte to wishe it and with a willing and glade assent to affirme and ratify it Of Iustification BVt now to make an end of the long disputation which we haue had it shall not be amisse more fully to entreate of Iustification which is the The questiō put forth scope and end of all that which Paul hath hitherto spoken of And in this sort let the question be put forth Whether men be iustified by workes or by fayth But first of all it shall be good to pease and discusse the woordes of the question proposed and let vs beginne with this woord Iustification The signification of this worde to iustifie This verbe Tsada with the Hebrues in the first coniugation signifieth to be iust But if it be transferred vnto the third coniugation it signifieth to transferre righteousnes into an other and to make iust for this is the nature of the forme of those verbes which they call Hiphil Euen as Amad signifieth to stand so Heamid signifieth to appoint that is to make an other thing to stand Wherfore Hitsadik in the Hebrue signifieth to iustifie that is to make one iust which thinge God is said two maner of wayes to iustifie when it is done of God is done of him two maner of wayes For sometymes he doth in very deede bring forth righteousnes in men First when with his holy spirite he frameth them agayne wholy reneweth them in restoring the strengths of their mindes and deliuering the powers of man from a great part of his naturall corruption and this is the first righteousnes which sticketh and cleaueth to our mindes by the benefite of God thorough Christ Then when he hath so restored and made them new agayne he geueth good and holy workes by the vse and frequency of which workes is engendred in our minds a quality or as they call it an habite whereby we are made prone to lyue honestly and holyly And we deny not but this kind of righteousnes is in the harts of the regenerate But sometimes God iustifieth in absoluing vs from sinnes and ascribing and imputing vnto vs righteousnes And then this woord Hitsadik is a woord taken of the lawe whiche pertayneth to iudgements as also this word Hirsehig ▪ which signifieth to declare one to be wicked and hurtfull And to iustifie is by iudgement words testimony and affirmation to count one for iust And forasmuch as there are two significations of this word to iustifie namely eyther in deede or in accompt and estimation And God is the author of either of them whether of these two shal we followe We now in treate of the latter forme of iustification in the disputation proposed Forsothe the latter and that for because the renouation inspired by the spirite of God and our righteousnes as touching the habite gotten by good workes are whilest we lyue here so vnperfect and mayned that if iudgement should be geuen by them we were neuer able to stand before the iudgement seate of God Besides that Paul disputing of this matter after he had brought forth the authority of Dauid and a testimony of the history of Abraham in Genesis vseth this word of imputing and by the proper signification thereof he reasoneth touching this present cause or question And this I suppose to be sufficient as touching the declaration of the first word namely of Iustification Now let vs entreate of fayth A man with the Hebrues in the first coniugation signifieth to be firme which self same verbe in the third coniugation which as I What this worde faith signifieth haue sayd is called Hiphil signifieth to geue constancy and assurednes to any promise or thing Wherefore the Latines say Fidem homini aut verbis tribuere which is in Englishe to geue fayth vnto a man or vnto words and it signifieth as much as if a man should say to beleue Wherefore this Hebrue verbe Heemin signifieth none other thing then to suppose or thinke a thing to be firme constant and sure And as touching God he which beleueth not him maketh him a lyar For Iohn sayth in his first Epistle the 5. chapiter He which beleueth not God maketh him a lyar Which thing how greauous a sinne it is let euery man consider with himself Contrariwise he which beleueth God adorneth him with glory and honour For in this Epistle to the Romanes it is written of Abraham that he staggered not thorough doubting in hauing consideration to his own body being now almost dead or to the wombe of Sara being past child bearing but gaue the glory vnto God being strong in fayth and fully persuaded that he was able to performe whatsoeuer he would Wherefore there semeth to be a certayne Analogye or proportion betwene this verbe to beleue and to iustifie as we in this place take it for as to iustifie An analogy or proportiō betwene to beleue and to iustify A double certainty of faith is by iudgement and estimation to ascribe righteousnes to a man and not to make him to be in very deede iust so to beleue is not in very deede to make the words and promises of any man sure and firme but to thinke and setle with our selfes that so they are But this acte of beleuing whereof we now intreate hath two maner of firmenes and certaynety First of the things namely of the words and promises of God which abide much more firmely then heauen and earth Secondly as touching the persuasion which forasmuch as it is wrought by the power of God is also most firme and most certayne and of an assured persuasion that is that it is neuer naked but alwayes draweth with it many and sundry motions An assured persuasiō is not naked ▪ it draweth with it also other motions of the mynde of the mind For experience and dayly vse teacheth that in things ciuile a man being well and fully persuaded of pleasaunt promises is filled with confidence reioyseth sheweth a mery contenaunce is glad and pleasaunt and cleaueth vnto hym that made the promise so that he doth by all meanes allowe him But contrariwise when he beleueth not the persuasion he laugheth at it neglecteth and contemneth it or waxeth cold and bendeth the browe wherefore it can neuer be that he which beleueth in very deede can want such affections whiche are accustomed to followe a full and stronge persuasion And therfore those that are the pure professors of the Gospell do iustly affirme that to beleue hath a very greate coniunction with action or withe the motion of confidence hope and such like affections But most of all with a sincere and firme affiance which it alwayes draweth with it Whereby it commeth to passe that in the holy Scriptures promises are made Vnto true faith is ioyned an assured confidence Promises are in the scriptures geuen both vnto saith also to cōfidence Why in the olde Testamēt is
men do make their last willes withous a solemnitie required thereunto and without a sufficient nomber of witnesses prescribed whiche yet otherwise were necessary such testaments ought to be allowed Now if a maÌ„ would transferre this prerogatiue vnto citesins who for that they haue their abidings in cities haue store of men of vnderstanding he should excéedingly erre For if their testamentes should be so made they are refused neither are they counted firm So we say that the workes of men iustified may please God which thing yet neyther can nor oughte to be graunted vnto them whiche are without faith and without Christ Farther let vs marke the accustomed fond kind of reasoning of the aduersaries whiche the Logicians call A non causa vt câ—usa â–ª that is from that whiche is not the cause as the cause For they alwayes appoint good workes to be the causes A similitude of righteousnes when as in very dede they are the effects of righteousnes not causes For it is as though a man should say the fire is therfore hot because it maketh How this sentence is to be vnderstand â–ª God rendreth to euery man according to his workes hot But it is cleane coÌ„trary for therfore it fore maketh hot because it is hot So also we because we ar iustified therfore do iust thinges and not because we do iuste things therfore we are iustified Somtimes also they make this obiectioÌ„ that God will reÌ„der vnto euery man according to his works Wherfore works say they are yâ— causes of our felicity But here also as theyr woÌ„ted maner is they are very much deceiued For vnles they haue found out some new grammer vnto themselues vndoubtedly this word according signifieth not yâ— cause But Christ say they in yâ— his Iuxta last iudgement séemeth to expresse these thinges as causes wherfore the kingdome of heauen is geuen vnto them For thus will he say I was hungrye and ye fed me I was thursty and ye gaue me drinke But Christ doth not in very déede rehearse these thinges as causes but rather those thinges which wente before Come ye blessed of my father possesse ye the kingdome which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world For the true cause of our felicitie is because we are elected and predestinate of God to yâ— eternal inheritance For they which are in this number are when time serueth adorned with faith whereby being iustified they haue right vnto eternall Why Christ in the iudgement will make mencion of outwarde workes There are two beginninges of thinges life But because this faith is hidden neither can be séene and Christ will haue all men to vnderstand that none but the iust are receiued into the kingdome of heauen therefore reherseth he these outwarde workes that by them it might plainly be perceaued that righteousnes is geuen vnto men by faith For there is no man that can be so ignorant but that he knoweth that there are two grounds of things the one is whereby they are the other whereby they be knowne Againe they obiect out of the first of Samuel Those that honor me I honor those that loue me I loue Here say they the promise is made vnto the worke But if they woulde make a distinction betwene the promises of the Gospel and the promises of the lawe as we haue els where aboundauntly taught they should easly vnderstand that that place is nothing repugnant vnto our sentence For if we coulde of our selues satisfie the commaundement of the law then might it be the cause why the promise should be geuen vnto vs. But forasmuch as no man is able to performe it all men flye vnto Christ and are through faith towardes him iustified Then by a certaine obedience begonne we begin to worke which although it be not exactly done according vnto the rule of the commaundement yet it pleaseth God And he of his mere liberality performeth the promise whiche was adioyned vnto that worke And so those conditions whiche are adioyned vnto the preceptes are not vnprofitable For they that are iustified attayne vnto them Neyther 〈…〉 thâ—se men ashamed to cite these wordes out of the 25. Psalme Looke vpon my labour and my vtility and forgeue me all my sinnes as though our labours or afflictions are the causes of the remission of sinnes But in this place Dauid being in most gréeuous calamities desireth of God to forgeue him his sinnes that if he should be angry for his sinnes the cause of punishmentes might be taken away For here is not entreated of labours which a man taketh vpon him of his owne voluntary will but of punishementes A similitude inflicted by God We sée also that children whilest that they are beaten of their maisters do desire forgeuenes and pardon If thou geue an almes vnto one that is leprous the leprosy can not properly be called the cause of thy compassion or mercy For otherwise all that passed by the leper should do the same But the true cause is the louing affection in thy minde But they say moreouer that in the holy scriptures much is attributed vnto repentaunce Which thing we deny not But we on the other side woulde haue them to vnderstand that repentaunce is the fruite of fayth and that no man can with profite repent hym of hys sinnes A distinction of confession vnles he first beleue They also vainely boast of many things touching confession But touching it we make a distinction For either it is seperated from hope and faith as it was in Iudas which confessed that he had sinned in deliuering the iust bloud and so farre is it of that that confession should bring any profite that it is a preparation also vnto desperation and vnto destruction or els it is ioyned wyth fayth and hope as it was in Dauid and Peter and so is it not the cause but the effect Aâ—riculeâ— confession of iustification for it followeth fayth and goeth not before it The auricular confession also of the Papistes is vtterly supersticious wherfore we vtterly contemne it For they obtrude it as a thing necessary vnto saluation and as a cause why sinnes should be forgeuen which they are neuer able to proue by any testimony of the holy scriptures They violently wrest this also out of the Lordes Forgeue vs our trespasses is expounded prayer Forgeue vs our trespasses as we also forgeue them that trespasse agaynst vs Agayne Forgeue and it shal be forgeuen you Ergo say they the forgeuenes of iniuries is the cause why our sinnes are forgeuen vs. This their reason as the common saying is with the one hand stroketh the head and with the other geueth a blowe For if the forgeuenes of iniuries should as these men would haue it deserue remission of sinnes then that remission were no remission For after thou hast once payd the price â–ª there is nothing that can be forgeuen thee but then hath remission place when the price is
regarde to his body being past getting of children nor to the wombe of Sara being past childbearing and that he staggered not by reason of distrust but was by faith confirmed most certainely persuaded that God was able to performe what so euer he had promised This example teacheth vs that we ought not to haue a regarde vnto those things which either may or seeme to hinder our iustification but our faith ought vtterly to be fixed in the words and promises of God but contrariwise these men will call vs backe to our owne indispositions as they cal them and will haue vs therefore alwayes to be in doubt of our iustification In dede we ought not to dissemble whatsoeuer imperfection or fault is in vs and that for this cause that it may be daily amended and corrected Yet ought we not therefore to be in doubt and wauering touching our iustification and the grace of God Now haue we to proue the second proposition namely that a man is iustified by faith Which thing we entend first to proue by testimonies of the holy A confirmation that we are iustified by faith scriptures Paule in the first chapter of this Epistle thus defineth the Gosple that it is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleueth In these wordes is touched the efficient cause of our iustification namely the power of God and the ende which is our saluation and also the instrument wherby it is receiued namely faith for he addeth vnto euery one that beleueth And this he confirmeth by a testimony of Abacucke the Prophet In which sentence he so much delighted that he vsed it both to the Galathians and also to the Hebrues in the self same sense He addeth moreouer that the wrathe of God was reueled from heauen by reason of the knowledge of the Philosophers which withheld the truthe of God in vnrighteousnesse and which when they knew God glorified him not as God but fell to the worshipping of Idols But contrariwise in the gospell is reuealed the righteousnesse of God namely that righteousnesse whereby men are iustified from faith to faith which phrase of speache we haue in his due place sufficiently expounded in the third chapter Now is the righteousnesse of God saith he made manifest without the law the righteousnesse I say of God by the faith of Iesus Christ in all and vpon all them which beleue in him And a little afterward wherefore being iustified frely by his grace by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whome God hath set forth a propitiator by faith in his bloud Here also is not onlye shewed the grace by which God fréely iustifieth vs but also Christ his deathe is set forthe that it may manifestly appeare that he is the reconciliator and the mediator Wherunto also is added faith wherby we receiue the fruit of his redemption to the shewing forth also of his righteousnesse in this time that he might be iust and iustifying him which is of the faith of Iesus Christ. If men coulde by theyr workes get vnto themselues righteousnesse the righteousnesse of God shoulde not then be so declared But seeing we sée that it is communicated vnto vs by faith without any preparation of workes it must needes seeme vnto vs very great And amongst other things which God requireth of men this is the chiefest that they should not any thing glory of themselues But if iustification should consist of workes men might boast of their owne endeuor and industry But seeing we are freely iustified by faith there is no place left for boasting Wherfore Paule saith Thy boasting is excluded by what law by the law of works No but by the law of faith Wherfore he concludeth after this manner We iudge that man is iustified by faith without works And that we should not think that that proposition is particular he declareth that it is vniuersall â–ª God saith he is he the God of the Iewes only is he not the God of the gentiles also Yea of the Gentiles also For it is one God which iustifieth vncircumcision through faith and circumcision by faith Wherefore euen as there is but one God ouer all men so iustifieth he all men by one and the selfe same way And in the fourth chapter he saith but vnto him which worketh not but beleueth in him which iustifieth the wicked faith is imputed vnto him vnto righteousnesse By this sentence are bothe workes excluded and also faith is set forth by which is imputed righteousnesse vnto men And straight way he addeth of Abraham that he is the father of all them that beleue by vncircumcision that it might also be imputed vnto them and that he is the father of circumcision not only vnto them which are of circumcision but also vnto them which walke in the steps of faith which was in the vncircumcision of Abraham our father Afterward by the nature of the promesse he sheweth that iustification is by faith For he saith by the lawe was not the promesse made vnto Abraham and vnto his seede to be the heire of the worlde but by the righteousnesse of faith for if those which are of the law should be heires then shold faith be abolished and the promesse made voide In these words are two excellent things to be noted The first is that the promesse is free â–ª neither is it ioyned with the condition of workes and therfore seing faith is as a correlatiue referred vnto the promesse it must needes follow that it is such as the promesse is and therefore it hath a respecte vnto the promesse by it selfe and not to the conditions of our vntowardnesse or indisposition as the good holy Fathers of Trent â—eache The second is that if the inheritance and righteousnesse should depend of that condition of works then had there bene no néede of the promesie For meÌ„ might haue sayd why is that fréely promised vnto vs which we can claime vnto our selues by our owne endeuor and labor Or why is it so necessary that we shold beleue when as by our owne workes we can attaine vnto righteousnesse Afterward Paule addeth the finall cause why iustification commeth by fayth By grace sayth he that the promesse might be firme for if by our owne works and preparations we should be iustified the promesse should alwayes be vnstedfast neither could we appoint any certaintie of it Afterwarde he putteth the example of Abraham who as it is before said contrary to hope beleued in hope neither had he a regarde vnto those things which as touching his owne part mought haue bene a let vnto the promesse of God namely his own body being nâ—w as it were dead and an hundreth yeare olde and the age of Sara his wife These things sufficiently declare what maner of faith that was by which vnto Abraham was imputed righteousnesse so that thereby we also may vnderstande the power and nature of faithe which iustifieth Paule also addeth that by suche a faith is muche aduaunced the
woman vnto whome the Lord thus answered thy faith hath made thee safe signifiyng that he for her fayth sake had forgeuen her her sinnes And that the faith of this woman was very feruent she declared by the effectes in that she loued much in that she kissed his féete in that she washed them with her teares and wiped them with her haire In the Gospel of Iohn the .iij. chapter Christ sayd vnto Nicodemus So God loned the world that he gaue his only begotteÌ„ sonne that he which beleueth in him should not pearish but haue eternall life And in the selfe same Chapter Ihon Baptist thus speaketh of Christ He that beleueth in the sonne hath eternall life but he that beleueth not hath not life but the wrath of God abideth ouer him Out of which place we gather not only that we presently entreat of but also this that they are strangers Here is prâ—ued that they which are straungers from Christ can do no good thyng that may please God from Christ and those which beleue not can doe nothing that may please God and therfore they can not merite of congruitie as they call it and as our aduersaries affirme the grace of God And in the .vj. chapter Christ saith This is the will of him which sent me that he which seeth the sonne and beleueth in him hath eternall life And I sayth he will raise him vp in the last day And when as he had before said No man commeth vnto me vnles my father draw him Also He that hath heard of my father and hath learned commeth vnto me afterward he addeth And he which beleueth in me hath eternal life In the .xj. chapter when Christ should raise vp Lazarus he said vnto Martha He which beleueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue and he which liueth and beleueth in me shall not die for euer And in the .xvij. chapter this is eternall life that they acknowledge thee the only true God and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christ But this is to be noted that here he speaketh not of a cold knowledge but of a mighty and strong faith Wherefore if it be eternal life then shal it also be iustificatioÌ„ For as we haue before taught wheÌ„ we expounded this sentence of Abacuk the Prophet The iust maÌ„ shall lyue by fayth Iustification and life are so ioyned together that the one is oftentimes taken for the other And in very déede Iustification is nothing els then eternall life now already begonne in vs. And in the. 20. chapiter Those things saith he are written that ye should beleue that Christ is Iesus and that in beleuing ye should haue eternall life In the Actes of the Apostles the 15. chapiter it is thus written by faith purifying their hearts In which place Peter speaketh of the Gentiles that they should not be compelled vnto the works of the lawe of Moses for Christ had without them geuen vnto them the holy Ghost and had by faith made cleane their hearts from sinnes Paule also in his Oration to king Agrippa said that he was called of Christ to be sent vnto the Gentiles which should by his ministery be illuminated and by faith receiue remission of sinnes and lot amongst the saintes And these testimonies hitherto we haue gathered out of the Newe testament But if I should out of the old testament reherse all that which maketh to this purpose I should then be ouer tedious And if there be any of so obstinate a heart that those things which we haue alredy spoken can not vrge them to confesse the truthe neither should it any thing profite suche men if we should bring many testimonies Wherfore a few shall suffice and besides those testimonies which Paule hathe cited out of the. 15. Chapiter of Genesis Abraham beleued God and it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse out of Abacucke The iuste man shall liue by his faith out of Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeueÌ„ out of Esay Euery one that beleueth in him shall not be confounded and a fewe others suche like besides these testimonies I say I will cite the. 53. chapter of Esay wherein Christ is by most expresse wordes painted forth For there he is sayd to haue taken vpon him our sorowes and to haue borne our infirmities to haue geuen his soule a sacrifice for sinne and many such other things which are so plaine that they can be applied vnto none other but only vnto Christ Iesus our sauioure And it is sayde moreouer and by the knowledge of hym shall my righteous seruaunt iustifye many and he shall beare their iniquities These words teache that Christ iustifieth many namely the elect by the science and knowledge of him which knowledge vndoubtedly is nothing else but a true faith And that he in suche sort iustifieth them that he taketh vpon himselfe and beareth their iniquities And Ieremy in the. 15. chapter wryteth O God haue not thine eyes a regarde vnto faith vndoubtedly they haue As if he should haue said Although thou séest al things and there is nothing pertaining vnto man hidden from thée yet hast thou chiefly a regarde vnto faith as vnto the roote and foundation of all good actions And as touching the oracles of the scriptures this shall suffice Now will I answere vnto such obiections which are commonly brought agaynst this second proposition And we will heginne first with Pigghius because our aduersaries count him for their Achilles or chief champion and thinke that he only by his subtil sharp wit hath persed euen into the inward misteries of the truth And this man vseth this cauillation we are not iustified by that from which this iustification may be seperated For it is not possible that the causes should be pulled away or seperated from their effects But faith is seperated from iustification for many that beleue do notwithstanding liue most filthely so farre is it of Whether iustification may be seperated from faith that they should be iustified But because he thinketh that this may be denied he bringeth a reason to proue that it is not against the nature and definition of faith but that iustification may be seperated from it And he maketh an obiection out of the 13. chapiter of the epistle to the Corrinthyans If I haue all fayth so that I can remoue mountaynes and haue not charity I am nothing By these words he concludeth that faith may be seperated from charity and therefore from all good works He citeth this also out of Mathew many shall come in that day and shall say Lorde in thy name we haue prophesied and haue cast out deuils and haue wrought signes But vnto them shall answere bee made I know you not These signes sayth Pigghius can not be done without fayth wherefore seing that they are shut forth from the kingdome of heauen which yet do these things it is cleare that they were not iustified Wherefore in them faith was seperated from righteousnes But this he
repeteth the selfe same promises fayth But why God would repeate the self same promises it is not hard to see For so weake is our minde that except the wordes of God be repeted and agayne and agayne inculcated it easely starteth backe frō fayth Neyther is iustification only once taken hold of but so often as we truly and mightely assēt vnto the promises of God For forasmuch as we continually slide and fall into sinnes we haue nede euermore that our iustification should be repeated Afterward he maketh a caueling that in the epistle vnto the Hebrewes are many thinges had touching fayth and many wonderfull factes made mencion of which haue bene by it obteyned but yet not one word spoken that iustification is to be ascribed vnto it But this man with an vniust payr of balance weigheth the words of the holy scripture neyther sufficiētly considereth him what those words meane The iust haue by fayth ouercome kingdomes haue wrought righteousnes haue obteyned the promises For these are so to be resolued that from the last effect we must returne vnto the first The last is to ouercome kingdoms the next to worke In the 11. chap. to the Hebrewes saith is said to iustify righteousnes the first is to obteine y◠promises amongst which promises are reckoned blessing life remission of sinnes and such other like which serue to iustification Wherfore that which is first made mencion of sayth apprehendeth by it we are iustified afterward follow good workes therfore it is sayd and they wrought righteousnes lastly by the selfe same fayth we obteyne also temporall good thinges and for that cause it is sayd They haue ouercome kingdome Wherfore Pighius falsely affirmeth that in the Epistle vnto the Hebrues among the effectes of fayth is no mencion made of iustification For although that word be not there read yet is it of necessity and manifestly gathered of those thinges that are there written For neyther are we Arrians as some wickedly belie vs that we will graūt nothing but that which is by playne and expresse wordes read in the holy scriptures For we graunt those thinges also which are by euident and playne arguments gathered out of them But Pighius afterward demaundeth why we take away from workes the power of iustifieng Vnto this we could make answere with one word that we do it bycause the holy ghost in the holy scriptures so teacheth vs namely that men are iustified by fayth without workes But to the end we should not so briefely dispatch it he hath layd a blocke in our way for he answereth vnto him selfe that the cause therof is for y◠our works are imperfect neither satisfie they y◠law of god nether also can they stand sure before the iudgment of God But by this meanes also sayth he we may affirme that iustification is not of sayth for it also is imperfect Faith as it is a worke iustifieth not For there is no man that beleueth so much as he should doo But vnto this we answere as we haue in other places oftētimes answered that fayth as it is a worke iustifieth not For that effect commeth vnto it not by any his owne power but by his obiect For from the death of Christ and promises of God is righteousnes deriued into vs. So a beggar receaueth almes with a leprous weake and sore hand and yet not in that respect that his hand is in suche sorte weake and leprous But thou wilt say why doo not other good workes also by theyr obiect namely by God for whose sake they are done apprehend righteousnes as well as fayth I answere that fayth was to this vse made and iustituted of God For so also in the body of a man although it haue diuers and sondry members yet the hand only taketh hold and receaueth And so is casely dissolued that common paralogisme we are iustified by fayth Fayth is a worke ergo we are iustified for worke sake Here in the conclusion is stuffed in this word For which was not in the premisses and therfore the collection is not good Farther the forme of the reason is ab Accidenti For it is accident or happeneth vnto sayth to be our worke in that it iustifieth vs. Wherfore it is a fallacie or deceite as they call it of the Accident Farther Pighius obiecteth that charitie iustifieth rather then faith for y◠it is the nobler excellenter vertue But this reasō we haue before confuted as ridiculous The nobilitie of the vertue serueth nothing to the power of iustifieng charitie is more nobler thē faith therfore it iustifieth rather thē faith For nobilitie or dignitie serueth nothing to iustification For it is al one as if a man wold thus reason The eyes are more excellenter then the mouth and the hands Ergo meats are to be receiued with the eyes and not with the mouth or the hands Which also we sée happeneth in naturall things that things which follow are of more perfection although they geue not life In the childe conceiued nature ascendeth as it A similitude were by degrées from the power of vegitacion to the power of féeling and from the power of féeling to the power of vnderstanding And yet doth it not therof folow that y◠powers of vnderstanding or of féeling for that they are more noble thā the power of vegitacion doe therefore geue life vnto the childe And that to iustifie It is declared by reasō that faith iustifieth not charitie rather pertaineth vnto faith then vnto charitie besides that the holy scriptures doe teache the same it may also be shewed by good probable reason For the power of knowledge which pertaineth vnto vnderstāding consisteth in perceiuing And therfore they which are taught any thing after they once vnderstand it are accustomed to say Accipio or teneo that is I take it or I holde it For in very déede by knowledge a thing is after a sort receiued into the minde Wherefore it ought not to séeme marueilous if by faith we are sayd to take holde of the promises of God and the merites of Christ But charitie consisteth in pouring out bestowing and communicating our goodes vnto others Which thing ought to follow iustification and not to go before For before that we are regenerated we are euil neither can we vprightly or in suche sort that God should allow it communicate any good thing vnto others Hereunto Pighius addeth that if that faith which iustifieth suffreth not with it hainous sinnes which may trouble the conscience and which may alienate a mā from God it must néedes follow that if a man which beleueth doe chaunce to fall into any greuous wicked crime he is straight way destitute of faith and ceaseth to beleue that there is a God when yet notwithstanding we sée that wicked men doe not only beleue that there is a God but also doe confesse all the articles of the faith This argument at the first sight séemeth to be very
we beleue that god raised vp our Lord Iesus Christ from the dead which was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Is it not here most manifestly said that we ought to beleue that that Iesus Christ whome God raised vp was dead and rose againe that we should be iustified and haue all our sinnes forgiuen vs doubtlesse it is a thing most vncomely for a man that professeth diuinitie so willingly not to sée things that are most manifest Afterward he maketh a cauillation about the perticular fayth wherby we say that euery one that beleueth truly in Christ ought to be most assured with him selfe that his sinnes are forgeuen him He denieth that there is any such faith foūd in the holy scriptures And that therfore this is only our deuise and inuētion Here vndoubtedly I can not hold my selfe but that I must nedes say that Pighius loudely lieth For I would haue him to tell me what did Abraham beleue whē he was iustified but that vnto him should one day be rendred those promises of God For vnto whome is it most likely beleued he that they should be rendred but vnto him selfe The selfe same thing may be sayd of Moses of Dauid and of many other of whome it is most certayne that they beleued that the promises which God made vnto them should perticularly be rendred vnto them And what I besech you mēt Christ when he sayd vnto the man that was sicke of the palsey Sonne thy sins are forgeuen thee And when he sayd vnto the woman Thy fayth hath made thee safe And did not Paul vnto the Galathians thus speake of Christ Who hath loued me and deliuered vp him selfe for me What can be more manifest then these wordes Let Pighius go now make his vaūts that we were the first finders out of this proper and singular fayth and let him cry that euery Christian man ought to beleue that the promises are made only indefinitely that it is not mete that euery one of vs should apply them seuerally vnto him selfe For we ought to beleue of our selues and not of other For we may as touching others be deceaued whether they beleue or no. But touching our selues we may be assured and certayne of it Let euery mā beleue the promises of God indefinitly as touching others for we know not who is predestinate and who is reprobate but none which is faythfull ought in any wise to doubt of him selfe but to beleue that the promise is perticular as touching him selfe by that that he séeth that he truly beleueth Farther when promises are set forth in an vniuersal proposition we may most assuredly of them gather theyr singular propositions And Christ sayth in Iohn This is the will of my father that euery one that seeth the sonne and beleueth in him should haue eternall life Wherfore we thus inferre But I beleue in the sonne of God Ergo I haue now and shall haue that which he hath promised Pighius still goeth one and to the end he would proue that the fayth of euery article and not that fayth only which is referred vnto Christ for the remission of sins iustifieth vseth the example of Noe. For he sayth that he beleued only those thinges which pertayned to the safegard of his house and to the destruction of the world and by that fayth he sayth he was iustified Here sayth he is no mencion made of Christ or of the remission of sinnes But it semeth vnto me that this man hath not very diligently red that which Peter writeth in his 1. Epistle and 3. chapter For Peter sayth when once the long suffering of God abode in the dayes of Noe while the Arke wos preparing wherin few that is eight soules were saued thorough the water vnto the figure wherof Baptisme now agreeing maketh vs also safe whereby not the filth of the fleshe is put away but wherebye it commeth that a good conscience Noe was iustified by fayth in Christ well answereth vnto God That which Peter saw was signified by the Arke and by those thinges which Noe did can we thinke that the patriarch him selfe saw not This vndoubtedly were to much derogation vnto him And if he saw those things which Peter maketh mencion of He beleued not only those thinges which were then done but also those which were looked for to be accomplished by Christ And therfore it is very well written vnto the Hebrues the he was by such a faith made the heyre of righteousnes But Pighius nothing passeth vpon this who so that he may be agaynst vs is nothing at all aferd to fight euen against the Apostles themselues For he is not aferd to affirme that our first father Adam was iustified but yet not with that fayth which we speake of which concerneth the remission of sins thorough Christ For he had no promise as touching that as farre as may be gathered out of the scriptures But doubtles this man is both farre deceiued and also hath forgottē his Fathers whome he would be sene to make so much of Was not the selfe same thing Adam was iustified by faith wherby he beleued the remission of sinnes through Christ sayd vnto Adam which was by God promised vnto Eue his wife that his séede should bruse the hed of the Serpent Christ was that séede he hath so broken the hed and strengths of the deuill that now neither sinne nor death nor hel can any thing hurt his members This place all the fathers in a maner thus interpret But Pighius which yet is les to be borne withall is not afeard to say that iustification is not geuen vnto vs by the promise In which thing doubtles he is manifestly agaynst Paul For he vnto the Galathians thus writeth God gaue vnto Abraham by the promise and there is no doubt but that vnto vs it is geuen after the selfe same maner that it was vnto Abraham But this is to be knowen that Distinction of the promise this woorde promise is taken two manner of wayes eyther for the thing promised and so it is not to be doubted but that we are iustified by the promise that is by Christ and by the forgeuenes of sinnes which is promised vnto them that beleue or ells it is taken for the very words of God in which he thorough Christ promiseth vnto vs remission of sinnes And in this maner also we may be sayd to be iustified by the promise For although the cause of our iustificatiō be the mere will and mercy of God yet is not the same offred or signified vnto vs but by the wordes of the promises and by the sacramentes For these words haue we as sure testimonies of the will of God towards vs. And so fayth want not wherby we apprehend the thinges that are offred we are iustified by the promises Afterward Pighius to the end he would proue that God attributeth more vnto workes then vnto faith citeth a place out of the 22.
gathered out of thē Farther this also is to be noted euen as we haue already before tought that we affirme not that that fayth whereby we are iustified is in our myndes without good workes although we say that it is it onely which taketh hold of iustification and remission of sinnes So the eye can not be without a head braynes hart liuer other partes of the body and yet the eye onely apprehendeth colour and the light Wherefore they which after this maner reason agaynst vs Fayth as ye say iustifieth But fayth is not alone Ergo Fayth alone iustifieth not do fall into a fowle paralogisme As if a man should thus conclude onely the will willeth But Fallacia composition is diuisionis the wyll is not alone in the mynde Ergo not the wyll alone wylleth Here euen litle childrē may sée the fallace or deceate which they call of composition of diuision And is it not a fowle thing that so great diuines should not sée it But here Smith the light forsoth of diuinity setteth himselfe agaynst vs. He of late cryed out euen till he was hoarse that we falsely affirme that those places of the Of the aduerbe gratis that is freely scripture which testify that we are iustified gratis that is fréely should signifie all one with this to be iustified by fayth onely For this worde gratis is not all one wyth Solum that is onely O dull gramarians that we are which without thys good maister could not vnderstand this aduerbe so much in vse Howbeit thys Grammaticall Aristarchus lest he shoulde séeme wythout some reason to playe the foole It is written sayth he in Genesis that Laban sayde vnto Iacob Forasmuch as thou art my kinsman shalt thou serue me gratis Here sayth he put this word Only and thou shalt sée what an absurd kind of speach it will be And in the booke of Nombers The people sayd that in Egipt they dyd eate fishes gratis And in the Psalme They haue hated me gratis Here sayth he can not be put this aduerbe Only Wherefore we rashly and very weakely conclude that for that in the scriptures a man is sayd to be iustified gratis he is therefore strayght way iustified by fayth only But this sharpe witted man one so wel exercised in y◠concordance of the Bible should haue remēbred that this word Gratis signifieth without a cause or without a reward and price And therefore we rightly say that Iustification consisteth of fayth only bycause it is sayd to be geuen gratis For if workes were required there should be a cause or a reward or a price to the obteynement of righteousnes But forasmuch as Gratis excludeth all these things of y◠word is rightly and truly inferred only fayth And those places which this man hath alledged are not hard to confute For Laban sayth Shalt thou serue me gratis that is without this condition that I should geue the any thing which is only to take and nothing to repay And the Israelites when they sayd that they did eate fishes gratis ment that they did eate them with out any price payd And this They haue hated me gratis is nothing ells then wtout a cause or without any my desert Wherfore if this word Gratis take away price merite forasmuch as Paul sayth that we are iustified gratis we must nedes vnderstand that it is doone without any our price or merite Which doubtles should not be true if works should be required as causes and merites And bicause we once brought a place out of the epistle to the Galathians Of this aduerbe Nisi that is except But when as we knew that man is not iustified by the workes of the Law except it be by the fayth of Iesus Christ and of this particle Except concluded that iustification consisteth of fayth only this man according to his wisedome rageth and sayth that this word Except is not all one with Only For sayth he Ioseph in Genesis sayd vnto his brethern Ye shall not se my face except ye bring your youngest brother Christ sayth he sayth Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man ye shall not haue llfe in you Who sayth he wil say that life is had only by the eating of the Sacramēt wherfore sayth he these thinges can not be expounded by this word Only Yes doubtles but they may For in the booke of Genesis what other thing ment Ioseph then to admonish his brethern that they should vpon this condition only come agayne into his sight namely if they brought theyr youngest brother with them ▪ And Christ in the 6. of Iohn entreated not of the eating of the Sacrament for he had not as yet instituted it wherefore by this word to eate he signifieth to beleue And he sayth that they which are of full age herein only haue life if they eate hys flesh and drinke his bloud that is if they beleue that the sonne of God was deliuefor them for the remission of theyr sinnes And that this is the only way whereby they may be saued But Smith addeth that from Iustification is not to be excluded hope and charitie and other good workes I graunt indede that those are not to be excluded from a man that is iustified Howbeit I doo not attribute vnto them the power of iustifieng For that which Paul saith y◠a man is not iustified by workes should not be true if we should be iustified by any kind of workes For if a man should say that an artificer woorketh not with his fingers and afterward should confesse that he vnto that worke which he doth vsed fingers he were worthy to be laughed at although being conuict he would say that he excepted only the litle finger and the third finger and not the thombe forefinger or middle finger For he which vseth thrée fingers vndoubtedly vseth fingers But why doth this man say that hope and charitie are not excluded Bycause sayth he euen ye your selues will haue vs to be iustified by a liuely fayth which doubtles is not without these We graunt that these vertues are always ioyned with true fayth But yet we doo not in them put any part of our iustification before God In this argument is a Fallacia accidentis fallace or disceate of the Accident For vnto those things which are adioyned is attributed that which is proper vnto that vnto whome they are adioyned As if a mā should say The Sunne is round and high ergo the roundnes and highe of the Sū doo make vs warme What workes then doth Smith exclude from iustification when as he includeth hope and charitie I suppose surely he excludeth outward workes fastinges almes and such like But with what face can he so say or teach when as he appointeth and defendeth workes preparatory But this sharpe witted man thinketh that he hath trimely escaped for that he sayth that these things are not of necessity required vnto iustification but only if they
of a sharpe witte at the last this he fayneth That God is not knowen by fayth onely but also by loue But who euer would so say but this man onely Vndoubtedly by loue we know not but by loue we loue But that which is spoken in the booke of wisedome whiche yet with me is not of so great authority Christ himselfe hath most manifestly testified in the Gospel saying This is eternall life that they know thee the onely true God Although of this saying also of our sauior Winchester hath fained a new deuise I know not what namely that to know God is not properly eternall life although it somewhat helpe forwarde thereunto But forasmuch as neither the Fathers nor Paul nor Christ himselfe can satisfy these men there is no hope that we shall any thing preuayle with our reasons They adde moreouer That the fathers say that onely faith iustifieth that is is the principallest thing whereby we are iustified I confesse indéede that only sometime signifieth principall But this sense can not agrée with Pauls purpose This word Only some tymes signifieth principall For if charity be compared with faith charity is excellenter and better as Paul sayth Wherefore if both of them iustify as these men will haue it then shoulde charity haue the chiefest part and not faith And this also is a great let vnto these men which I haue oftentimes spoken of that Paul so ascribeth iustification vnto faith that he sayth without workes But Augustine say they vnto Simplicianus writeth That by fayth we beginne to be iustified Vnto this we may answere two maner of wayes first that that beginning is such that in very déede it hath the very full and whole iustification So that Augustines meaning is that we are iustified so soone as we haue faith Or if this please them not we will say as the truth is indéede that Augustine ment of the righteousnes which cleaueth in vs. They cite also Ambrose vpoÌ„ the 5. chapiter vnto yâ— Galathians In Christ c. For saith he we haue nede of fayth onely in charity to iustification Behold say they vnto iustification we haue no lesse nede of charity then of fayth But they are far deceaued For by those words Ambrose ment nothing els but to make a distinction betwene true faith and a vaine opinion Therfore he sayth that we haue néede of faith only namely which is ioyned with charity But Ierome vppon the 5. chapiter vnto the Galathians sayth That it is charity onely which maketh cleane the hart What other thing els shall we here aunswere but yâ— this his saying if it be vrged roughly simply is false For it is faith also which purifieth the hartes as it is written in the Actes of the Apostles And Paul to Timothe sayth Charity out of a pure hart good conscience c. By which words it is playne tâ—at the hart must of necessity first be pure before charity can come Wherefore we will interprete that sentence by the effect and as touching our knowledge For then is it most certayne that we are regenerate and haue a cleane hart when we be endued with charity After this maner also â—aue we before expounded this Many sinnes are forgeuen her because she hath loued much And by the selfe same meanes also may that saying of Augustine in his booke de natura Gratia the 38. chapiter be aunswered vnto It is the charity of God saith he by which onely he is iust whosoeuer is iust But this séemeth vnto me best to vnderstand such sayinges of the fathers of that righteousnes which cleueth vnto vs. For that consisteth not onely of fayth but also of all vertues and good workes But because amongst all vertues charity is the principallest therefore the fathers sometimes Why our righteousnes is attributed sometymes vnto charity attribute righteousnes vnto it onely And that which our aduersaries haue most vniustly vsurped to expound this word Only for principall or chiefe may in this place most iustly serue vs. For here we entreat not of that iustificatioÌ„ which is had by imputation but of that which we attayne vnto after regeneration Wherefore in this our proposition we exclude not from a man that is iustified hope charitie and other good woorkes but this only we say that they haue not the power or cause or merite of iustifieng And when we say that a man is iustified by fayth only we say nothing ells vndoubtedly but that a man is iustified only by the mercy of God and by the merite of Christ only which we can not apprehend We must not leaue oâ— from vsyng this worde Only by any other instrument then by fayth only Neither must we geue place vnto our aduersaries not to vse this worde Only though they cry out neuer so much that of it springeth great offence and mens mindes are by this persuasion somwhat weakned in the excercise of vertues For by sound doctrine we may easely remedy these discommodities For we alwayes inculcate that it is not true iustification or true fayth which wanteth the fruites of good life But we se the subtle and craftie deuise of these men For if we should say that a man is simply iustified by fayth leauing out this word Only Sreight way they would adde of theyr own that a maÌ„ indede is iustified by faith but yet is he no les iustified by hope and charity and other good woorkes For this selfe same cause the Catholikes in times past would not permit vnto the Arrians this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of like substance bicause they would A like example streight way haue sayd That the sonne indede by appellation or name is GOD like vnto the father in a maner equall vnto him but yet not of one and the selfe same nature and substance Wherefore they did with tooth and naile defend and kepe still this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of one and the selfe same substance as a word most apt to expresse the truth of that controuersie which they might also by good right doo and chiefely for that they saw that that word was of necessity concluded out of the holy scriptures out of which also is most euidently concluded thys our word Only and is thought of vs a word most mete to confute the errors of those which would haue iustification to come of workes Moreouer Gardiner bishop of winchester counted this our proposition to be absurd and agaynst it amongst other arguments vsed this and it is to me more then wonderfull how much it is estemed of certayne Papists his parasites The righteousnes sayth he that is geuen vs of God wherby we are iustefied pertayneth to all the faculties of the mind or rather to the wholâ— man Ergo we are not iustified by fayth only For that pertayneth only vnto the higher part of the soule Here gentle reader lest thou shouldest be deceaued lieth hidden a double fallace or disceate For first graunt
are committed to a mans charge to be caried are commonly sealed vp that it may the certainlier be knowen that they are all whole and without fraude rendred to theÌ„ which ought to haue theÌ„ which seales if they be vnbroken whole theÌ„ is his fidelity yâ— brought theÌ„ discharged Wherfore Paul by this kind of speachment to signifie his innocency simplicitie vpright dealing touching this mooney For meÌ„ are yâ— willinger redier to bestow theyr goods vpon yâ— poore if they vnderstaÌ„d yâ— they shal Almes is called fruit be administred faythfully He here calleth almes by the name of fruite which he before called a communion or communication and that for many and iust causes First for that after the Gospell is sowed and receaued with a pure and liuely faith straight way is geuen iustification before God Then is it requisite that there followe some fruite both of a pure and perfect life and also loue towardes our neighbours that there may be had some assured signification of our inward righteousnes Moreouer those almes are called friute for that such liberality was fruitefull to those nations which dealt so louingly with the poore saynts Last of all that communion semed to bring to them of Ierusalme some fruite of theyr piety For he which putteth his trust in Christ and professeth him when he is in extreante troubles although he haue a reward in heauen yet here also oftentimes when it semeth good to God he reaâ—eth such fruites Further lest the Romanes should suspect that the time would be very long and vncertayne before Paul would come vnto them therefore when he speaketh these thinges he setteth and appointeth a certayne time So soone sayth he as I haue performed this which I am in hand with I will come vnto you Agayne he maketh meÌ„cion of his iorney into Spaine which although he accomplished not yet ought not Paul therefore to be reproued of an vntruth For this is sufficient to discharge his faith that when he wrâ—t those It is not â— lie except it be done with amind to deceiue letters he purposed the same thing is his mind which he wrote For no mortall man hath the euents of thinges in his owne hand But to the full and perfect nature of a lie as Augustine testifieth is required a will to deceaue And thereof we haue a manifest testimony in the latter to the Corinthians The same thing touching this matter writeth Gelasius in the 22. the 2. question For sayth he so much as his will was then to doo he pronounced that he would in dede performe For I know that when I come I shall come to you with fulnes of the blessing of the Gospell of Christ Chrisostome semeth at the first sight to referre this fullnes of blessing to almes for that Paul many times caled them by that name which Almes are a blessing thing I thinke he did according to the custome of the old scripture wherein a gift or reward is oftentimes called a blessing For Iacob desired Esau to vouchafe to receaue the blessing which he had sent before him And Abigail desired Dauid to receaue the blessing which she brought And Dauid sayd to the elders of Iuda Receaue ye the blessing of the pray of the enemies of the Lord. And so the meaning of this place that Paul hopeth that wheÌ„ he shall come to Rome he shall find layd vp with them a great and plentifull almes for the poore which he here calleth a blessing This sence were apt inough but that this woord of the Gospell is added which is a let thereunto After that Chrisostome had peysed that woord he at the length leneth this way to interpretate blessing for the aboundance of all vertues and good A demonstratiue kinde of speach vsed for a deliberatiue woorkes and they without doubt are a most plentifull blessing of the Gospell namely that they which beleue should shine most brightly with excellent woorks Chrisostome also is of this mind yâ— Paul by a certaine spiritual prudence coÌ„mendeth those things in yâ— Romanes wherunto he chiefly exhorted theÌ„ And this is much vsed amongst yâ— best lerned orators to vse a demoÌ„stratiue kind of spech for a deliberatiue kind But Ambrose expoundeth yâ— aboundance of the blessing of yâ— Gospel to be a confirmation of the dectrine of yâ— Gospel by miracles Origen addeth yâ— this pertaineth to yâ— gift of prophesieng as though Paul should prophesie that he should come to Rome with most excellent gifts This exposition disliketh me not and especially when I consider with my selfe those wordes which were before cited out of the 19. chapiter of the Actes For Luke in that place saith that Paule purposed in spirite to goe to Rome And he might boldly promise vnto himself that he should bring aboundaunce of spirituall giftes who knew assuredly that vnto him was graunted the grace of the Apostleship which he doubted not but that it shold amongst them Wherof coÌ„meth the fruite of preaching be fruitfull And I thinke that no man is ignorant but that the fruit of preaching is sometime muche holpen by the piety of him that preacheth and sometimes by the simple and pure faith of the hearers although in very déede all whole ought to be ascribed to the power force and working of God Also brethren I beseche you for our Lord Iesus Christes sake through the loue of the spirit that ye helpe me in my busines with your prayers to God for me That he wold dâ—liuer me from the vnbeleuers in Iury and that this my ministery which I will doe at Ierusalem may be acceptable to the saintes That I may come to you with ioy by the will of God and may together with you be refreshed The God of peace be with you all Amen I beseche you brethren c. The force of this obsecration or prayer is héereby made plaine for that it is set forth not only through the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ then which there ought to be vnto vs nothing more holy but therewithall The spirit of loue also is mingled the loue of the spirite And this particle throughe the loue of the spirite is all one I thinke as if he had sayd through the spirite of loue For as in Esay is mention made of the spirite of strength of wisedome of fear of counsel c. to geue vs to vnderstande that all the excellent faculties or powers of the minde come from the spirite of God so here is mention made of that gifte of the holy Ghost whose helpe Paul most néeded namely that the Romains should with a feruent loue pray vnto God for him Verely the corrupt affects of our vnclene nature doe so draw and plucke vs one from an other that vnles we be holpen by the bond of the holy Ghost we can not be ioyned together with a true and holy society and if that society want then shall there vtterly be no fruit of mutuall prayer It may
iust desire For we must not coldely desire those thynges whiche we implore of God in our prayers This was Paules care towardes Paule had a care ouer the Churches of God the churches Eyther he went thether hymselfe when néede required or when he could not goo he wrote or sent some that were very deare and nigh vnto hym Hys charity did alwayes burst forth into acts which myght profite hys neighbours He sawe that the saluation of the Romanes was now at hand therefore he would aduaūce it also by his labour And in that he prayeth in his prayers for a prosperous iorney it is nothyng els but to desire to be sent euen as Esay offred hymselfe saying Behold Lord I am redy send me And the same Paule sayd He which desireth a bishoppricke desireth a good worke Furthermore it Holy men desire to be coupled ioyned together is a perpetuall affection of good men to desire to be ioyned together forasmuch as they haue hym to be their God which is euery where in the holy scriptures called the God of vnity peace Moreouer their meetinges together are not without profyte For alwayes there is some increase of the spirite and grace of God and it séemeth that God geueth strength vnto the members of Christ then chiefly when they are ioyned together Which sentence some abuse when they cry that we must geue credite vnto Synodes and counsels as though god can not permitte so holy fathers which haue assembled together to be deceaued The assembly of Byshops vnto Synods why it is not vnprofitable That holy assembly say they of holy men coulde not be had without fruite but they as Paul sayth ought to haue bene such as had serued God in spirite had geuen them selues to aduaunce the gospell of God had powred out prayers wyth most feruent fayth and attempted nothyng of the flesh or of humane affection but suffred all thynges to be done by the will of God But that they performed not these thynges the euent sufficiently declareth For they haue brought in many supersticions and sometymes haue most seuerly decreed things that are apertly against the word of God I wyl not deny but that those which assemble rightly and orderly namely after that maner that I haue now expressed may bring forth farre greater fruites then when they deale seperatly and apart Of thys thyng Chrisostome bringeth a very apt similitude Burning A similitude firebrandes sayth he when they are seperated a sonder do conceaue and retayne within them some heate and light but yet not very much But if they be put all into one place eyther into a chimney or into a fornace they wyll stirre vp both a very greate and also a most feruent flambe In lyke maner must we thinke of holy men being eyther assembled together or seperated a sunder To bestovv among you some spiritual gifte He declareth why he so much desired to come vnto them namely to make them partakers of the giftes of God The Apostle was a vessell filled with deuyne gyfts Wherfore whether soeuer he went he bestowed and destributed them vnto the beleuers But forasmuche as God is both the author and geuer of all spirituall giftes why doth Paule here seme to chalenge or clayme them vnto hymselfe Forsoth bycause he was The work◠of God and of the ministers of the Church is ioyned together a minister of the Church and God hath so much honored the ministerye that he also cōmunicateth euen his own proper worke vnto the ministers For as touchyng theyr functions they are not seperated from God whych is the authour of them but rather are so to be ioyned with him as though one the selfe same woorke proceeded from them both And after thys manner are ministers sayd to forgeue or to retayne sinnes to beget men vnto Christe and to saue them But if thou looke vpon God and the minister a parte eche by hym selfe then heare what Paule sayth I haue planted Apollo hath watred but God hath geuen the increase Also who is hee whyche planteth And who is he whyche watreth And in an other place he sayth that the holye Ghost distributeth his giftes By the ministers of the church the faythful are more strayghtly bound together vnto euery man as it pleaseth him and according to his will But as we haue sayd the ministers must not be seperated from God who by this dignity which he geueth vnto them prouideth chiefely for thys that the faythfull should more streyghtly be bound together in the church For euen as a citye is counted one because men helpe one an other when as some are able to geue counsell other excell in strength and other in handycrafts and industrye so would God haue it to be in the church namely that some should teach and other som be taught some helpe theyr brethren through prayers some dispense the sacraments and other some receaue them to the ende that by these mutuall offices Christians shoulde bee so bounde together that the spirite and grace of God shoulde spreade from one member to an other by ioyntes and cloysures together as it is wrytten vnto the Collossians and vnto the Ephesians All these woords are here set as much conducinge to wynne the hartes of the Romaykes that they should looke for hym chearefullye and wyth greate loue receaue hym when he should come as though therewythall they should receaue some excellente gyfte of the spiryte accordynge to hys promise These thynges serne also to stirre vp theyr mindes to reade hys Epystle For vndoubtedlye he wrote it for no other cause but that that whych by presence of hys body he coulde not performe he myght yet at the least expresse by hys Epistle Whych self thynge is a cause also why we ought in lyke manner wyth exquisite diligence to reade and heare Horrible blasphemies of certaine in our tyme. that whych is here written Neyther must we harken vnto those blasphemers whiche beyng enemies vnto pietie and vnto the true doctrine of iustification and predestination are not ashamed to crye out and say I would to God Paul had neuer writtē this epistle Which saying though they go about to mitigate affirming that they spake it because of these daungerous tymes yet bring they not any sufficient excuse For what is this els but to reprehende the counsels Assemblies together of Christians ought not to be vnprofitable of God and of the holy ghost Further let vs marke that it is not conuenient that assemblyes together of Christians should be vnprofytable and idle as prophake assemblyes are but they ought to haue in them some spirituall commodity And thys Greake word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contayneth in it a vehement signifycation For thereby the Apostle declareth that he will geue nothyng vnto them but that which he had first receaued of God For he sayth he wyll make them pertakers of those giftes which he himselfe had now obtained And in such sort we ought
obiecte vnto vs the Gospell younge menne whyche are studious of the Gospel yea euen theyr own senses and humane reason cryeth agaynst them saying are ye not ashamed of thys new doctrine Are ye so blynde that ye see not that by thys meanes good workes are condemned the worshipping of God perisheth the minstery of the church is troden vnder foote the dignity of priesthode is abiected ecclesiasticall riches are vtterly spoyled what patrones or supporters of learned men shall ye haue hereafter Did your elders which went before you both in thys Mecoenate◠vniuersity and in others being both doctors notable men follow these steps Vnto these men also ought we to aunswere we are not ashamed of the Gospell howsoeuer you speake ill of it If so be they wil say we haue the Gospell yours A collatio◠of the doctrine of the Papistes of the Gospell is a new doctrine Let vs answere them agayne In such sort is that the Gospel which ye haue as that is the Gospell to set forth fayned worshippinges of god casting away and dispising the sincere worshipping described vnto vs of God as it is to worshippe stockes and images as is to obtrude vowes whereby such men are drawen away from matrimony which aboue others haue most neede therof as is to go on pilgrimages vnto Images to worshippe the bones of Saynctes to inuocate the dead and an infinite number of such other like Wherefore ye ought to be ashamed of your doctrine and not we of the Gospell of Christ Let it be diligētly examined what we by the same gospel iudge of the What maner of doctrine ours is honour of god We attribute all thinges vnto hym only we wil in all thinges depend of hym only Farther see what our iudgement is concerning the worshippyng of hym We desire to retayne the same pure and holy as it is delyuered vs in the holy scriptures What do we thinke of good works we vrge them continually and requyre to haue them done of vs so perfectly that we thinke alwayes that something remayneth not perfectly done of vs vnto whiche we should leuel and whereunto we ought to direct all our endeuors What iudge we as concerning the holy ministery we trauayle to haue it to be in great estimation as by which God worketh our saluacion What of Sacraments That they should be kept pure and vndefyled and be reduced vnto that vse whereunto Christ instituted them What iudge we of magistrates that they should be obeyed and that we should be subiecte vnto them in all thinges so that they commaund nothing agaynst the word of God What of poore and miserable men that we should helpe and relieue them What of publike peace and tranquillity That it be kept yea euen with the los of our goods What of sciences and good learning That they should be mayntained and aduaunced Why do ye obiect auncientnes vnto vs There is nothing that we more desire then to haue thynges brought to their olde estate Ye haue brought in new thinges we require againe the estate of the primitiue Church and desire to haue againe the institucions of the Apostles Wherefore there is no cause why we should be ashamed of the gospel of which such as complain do rather lament the losse of theyr commodities then that they can accuse our doctrine And if anye Troubles and discommodities are not to be ascribe◠vnto the Gospel troubles or discommodities happen they are not to be ascribed vnto the doctrine but vnto those which vnder the pretence of Christ and of the gospell doo seeke those thinges which are their owne and not the thinges which are Iesus Christes But now let vs see Paules reason why he is not ashamed of the gospell of Christ Because it is the power of God to saluacion to euery on that beleueth It is the power that is the organe and instrument wherby God sheweth forth hys power to saluation For together with the woord of God and the gospell are instilled grace and the holy ghost and especially remission of sinnes by whiche we are renewed and made safe And yet this knittinge together of mans saluation wyth the gospell is not naturall that is of necessitye so that the gospell The Gospell is not a naturall instrument but at the pleasure of God This diffinicion hath the cause efficient end and instrument of receauinge the Gospel A similitube of the Sacraments The sum of the whol controuersy concerning iustificatiō Why in iustification mencion is made chiefly of the power of god The difference betwene the righteousnes of the law and of the Gospel This phrase of speach to take holde by fayth is not strange nor rare in in the holye scriptures beyng geuen and set forth saluation should streight way follow of necessitye For it is needefull that God doo also inwardly moue the harts of the hearers as in the Actes of the Apostles we reade it was doone vnto the woman that sold silke Wherfore the gospel is to be counted an instrument arbitrary which God vseth according to hys will Many thynke that thys definition is taken of the cause efficient For in it is expressed the power of God whiche maketh vs safe Then is added the fynall cause namely that thys power of God is to saluation neyther is that lest vnspoken of whereby we are made able to take hold of so greate a benefyte and the same is fayth For it is added to euery beleuer For they which come to heare the Gospell and wante fayth receaue nothyng but wordes and the Gospell to them is no Gospell Euen as in the Sacraments they which are without fayth do in deede receaue the simboles or signes but they haue not the fruyte and thing of the sacraments Here is now touched the chief poynt of all the controuersy For in that it is sayd that saluacion cometh of the Gospell vnto euery one that beleueth is sufficientlye declared that we are iustifyed by fayth and not by works nor by our owne strength nor by philosophy nor by ceremonies of the law Neither did he without cause make mencion of the power of God For that before we can be saued our enemyes ought to be vanquished that is the deuill death hell and in especiall sinne Hereby playnly appeareth also the difference betweene the righteousnes of the lawe and the righteousnes of the gospell The righteousnes of the lawe is to do and to worke He that shall do these thinges shall liue in them sayd Moyses as it is alleaged to the Galathyans and shall in this Epistle be afterward intreated of in hys place But contrarywyse the ryghteousnes and saluation of the Gospell is by fayth vnto all thē that beleue For it is fayth which taketh hold of the mercye and promes of God although there haue bene some which durst affirme that this kind of speach to take hold by fayth is straung that is not vsed in the holy scriptures But they are excedingly deceaued It is
oppressed Otherwise it shall bee all one to bee occupied in them as to marke what Liui Aristotle Salust Plutarche and other writers haue left in writing But now without the law is the righteousnes of God made manifest beyng confirmed by the testimony of the law and of the prophetes Here is expressedly put forth the question wherof he will afterward entreat And thereof he putteth two partes Of which the one is that the righteousnes of God is without the law made manifest The other is that it is obtained by the faith of Iesus Christ And Paule affirmeth that this righteousnes of God hath the testimonye both of the law and of the prophets This is it which he proposed at the beginning that by the Gospell is reueled the righteousnes of God from saith to faith And in that he writeth that this manifestation is done without the law he vnderstādeth without helpe of the law being obserued but onely by the hearing of faith Which The righteousnes of God threefold selfe thing he affirmed vnto the Galathians when he said Haue ye receiued the holy ghost by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith The righteousnes of God as I haue in an other place declared is thréefold The first is wherby we are through Christ receiued into fauour and our sinnes are forgeuen vs and the righteousnes of Christ is imputed vnto vs. And the second kind of righteousnes followeth this namely that thorough helpe of the holy ghost our minde is reformed and we all whole are inwardly renewed by grace Thirdly follow holy and godly workes for they which are once come thus far are most zelous and desirous of working well Now then Paule entreateth of the first righteousnes whiche he saith is declared in vs without the law And he calleth it the righteousnes of God because it is gotten thorough his power and goodnes and not thorough our owne workes And if a man do more narowly consider it it is the mercy of God which he bestoweth vpon vs thorough Christ And I haue in an other place admonished that that which the Hebrues call Tsedech and our men haue turned righteousnes signifieth rather goodnes and mercy And therefore to this day the Iewes call almes by that name And Ambrose vpon this place is of the selfe same mynd For he sayth Therefore is Ambrose Why the mercy of God is called righteousnes that called the righteousnes of God which semeth to be the mercy of God because it hath his originall beginning of Gods promise and when that promise is performed it is called the righteousnes of God For therfore is it the righteousnes of God because that is rendered which was promised Also whē he receiueth those which fly vnto him it is called rightousnes For one not to receiue him that flieth vnto him it is iniquity Thus much Ambrose But we must not harken vnto them which in this place do interprete these wordes Without the law for without the ceremonies of the lawe For we haue before shewed that althoughe the question was moued by reason of them yet hath Paule entreated of the lawe generally so that it comprehendeth all the partes of the law They seme not much to ouershoote themselues which by the righteousnes Christ the righteousnes of God of God vnderstande Christ for whatsoeuer pertayneth to iustification that same commeth from him vnto vs when we beleue in hym Betwene the righteousnes of God and ours Paule plainly putteth a difference when he saith in this self same The manifestation of the righteousnes of God happened chiefly in the tyme of the Apostles The order and maner of the preaching of the Apostles Epistle Being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and seeking to establishe theyr owne they are not subiecte vnto the righteousnes of God But that we may the better vnderstand what this manifestation of the rightousnes of God is which then happened chieflye when Paule wrote these thinges it must thus be vnderstanded that we must haue a regarde what manner of preaching the Apostles vsed As farre as we can gather out of the sermons of the Apostles as they are set forth in the Actes of the Apostles First they preached repentaunce setting before mens eyes their sinnes and condemnation wherin men were wrapped then they gathered together the proprieties and conditions of Christ which should heale these euils and that out of the holy scriptures Thirdly they applied the same proprieties and conditions vnto Iesus of Nazareth to allure men vnto his fayth And suche as hearyng these things beleued the same obteyned of God remission of their sinnes Inwardly they were made new and outwardly they liued moste holily resembling the image of God to which mankynde was made With perseuerance they called vppon God communicating together in prayers breakyng of bread all holye workes They stedfastly did put their trust in God as they which were vtterly destitute of all other helpe They nothing regarded worldly riches laying the price of their things and money at the féete of the Apostles They stoutely bare a good testimonye vnto Why the righteousnes of God is said to be made manifest without the law Christ reioycing that they suffred greuous thinges for hys names sake Lastly in this quarell they cherefully shed theyr bloud bestowed theyr life And the world seyng those thinges could not but be moued and acknowledge that a new kynde of righteousnes appeared on the earth And because amongest them were Ethenikes which had no knowledge at all of the law therfore the Apostle sayth Without the law Also many of the Hebrewes were called who although they knew the law yet they nothyng at all regarded it And it was all one as if they had not had the law There came some also which liued very vprightly and were moste zelous in the study of the law as Nathaniell whome Christ pronounced to be a true Israelite in whom there was no guile And these were iustified without the law for that obseruation of the law which they performed was not the cause why they were iustified The lawe in déede may be a helpe vnto iustification because it admonisheth vs and accuseth vs by whiche meanes we are dryuen vnto Christe But for as muche as it hathe not the strengthe to forgeue synnes to geue the The law helpeth vnto iustification but it is not the cause thereof A conciliation holye Ghoste to suggest faythe into the hartes of the hearers therefore Paule saythe righte well That we are iustified wythout the lawe Augustine in hys booke de spiritu litera saith that the Apostle seemeth to speake thynges repugnaunt For he affyrmeth that the righteousnes of God whereof he nowe speaketh had his testimonye of the lawe and the Prophetes and yet be saythe that it was made manifeste without the lawe But he aunswereth that there is here in verye deede no contradiction if a man rightly distinct those thinges which are here spoken For
therefore Paule excludeth the law because it poureth not in grace neither is the cause of iustification although this righteousnes whereof he speaketh hath his testimony of it Wherefore in his first booke and 8. chapt De gratia Christi contra Coelestium Pelagium he sheweth that this sentence is thus to be pronounced namely The righteousnes of A sondry distinction in this sentence God without the law and then to adde seuerally by it selfe is nowe made manifeste So that this particle without the law is referred vnto righteousnes and not vnto these woordes made manifest But this doth not verye well agree with the woordes of Paule although that which he sayth be most true But this is woorthy of notinge that Augustine in the same place sayth that this aduerbe of time now is not so to be taken as thoughe the olde fathers in the lawe of nature and This aduerbe of time Now howe Augustine vnderstandeth it An erroure of the Pelagians in the law of Moses had not saluation by Christ and obteyned not this righteousnes without the law The Pelagians vndoubtedly were of this opinioÌ„ that many had saluation before Moses time by the lawe of nature whiche shined moste brightly in theyr hartes which being afterward obscured the law of Moses succéeded like vnto the Moone because it brought light but not altogether absolute Last of all came Christ whose light shineth as bright as the sunne And so they affirmed that the old fathers wer saued without Christ and without his grace because Christ was not as yet come But they were muche deceaued for that The elders were iustefied not without Christ but by hym they thought that the fayth of a thinge to come serueth not to saluation when as yet we at this day beleue the resurrection of the dead the last iudgement and life eternall which are thinges to come and by this fayth are we holpen So the elders by theyr fayth in Christ to come receaued as much benefite as touching iustification as we now do which are born after his comming For the merites of the crosse of Christ and of his bloude are not thinges duringe but for a time Wherefore Christ sayd of Abraham that he desyred to see his day and saw it and reioysed Farther Paule sayth As in Adam all men dye so in Christ all men are made on lyue And he most plainely writeth vnto Timothe that Christ is the onelye mediator betwene God and men Therefore then also before his comminge into the sleshe he gaue righteousnes without the law vnto men whiche beleued in him And thys woord now which the Apostle here hath is to be referred vnto the manifestatioÌ„ For indeede this righteousnes was before but it lay hiddeÌ„ and very few had it In the olde time righteousnes was by fayth but now it is declared more amply and aâ—ertly Fayth is the instrument wher with righteousnes is comprehended But now is it publikely and openly knowne vnto the whole world And this is it that at the death of Christ the vaile of the Temple did rente and was made open so that those things which before were hidden were now made manifest The Apostle hauing in this place put foorth a question most largely to be entreced of vseth therein great perspicuity And that whiche he purposeth is deuided into two partes For in the one he denieth that by the lawe commeth our righteousnes And in the other he affirmeth that it is geuen vs by the fayth of Iesus Christ Wherefore his meaning is that fayth is the instrument whereby thys righteousnes is appreheÌ„ded And he excludeth the law from which sentence the world excedingly abhorreth for that the world knoweth of none other righteousnes but of that which commeth by good woorkes But men ought to consider The world is offended bycause the Law is excluded froÌ„ iustificatioÌ„ The principles and groundes of good woorkes in men are corrupt Christ is vulgarly thought to be the mosâ— excellent lawgeuer from whence those good woorkes do procéede which they would so fayne haue to iustify They will say from reason and the will But if these twayne be vitiated and corrupted by whom shall they be corrected They haue nothing to say but by God But before he wil correct it it is necessary that he be merciful and pacefied towards vs. But he is not pacefied but by the death bloud of Christe Of which things when we through fayth take hold we are truely said as Paule affyrmeth to be iustified by fayth without the law Commonlye it is thought yâ— that Christ is a lawgeuer which hath by his appointed and decreed thinges of most excellency and most profitable And how excellent the things are which he hath commaunded they gather out of the 5. 6. and 7. chapters of Mathew where is red that not onely murther is prohibited but also wrath and anger against our neighbour And commaundement is there geueÌ„ that he which hath any offence agaynst an other should leue his gift at the altar and go and reconcile himselfe vnto his brother He commaundeth also that we should in the way be at agreemeÌ„t wyth our aduersary Neither forbiddeth he periury onely but also any othe And although in the law be permitted An eye for an eye A tooth for a tooth yet Christ commaundeth that we should not resist euell Also in the law adultery is prohibited but Christ hath also forbidden the lustfull lookinge vpon a womaÌ„ And he restrayned those which would for euery slight cause put away theyr wynes Of these thinges they inferre that Christe in his lawes hath commaunded things more perfect theÌ„ the law of Moses commaunded And that his lawes were more commodious then the lawes of Moses hereby they proue because he abrogated ceremonies which were very hard to be obserued neither could they easely be obserued of all nations We graunt indeede that by the comminge of Christ ceremonies were taken away because the signification of them is nowe fulfilled But that Christe gaue new lawes we vtterly deny He indéede did interprete the law of Moses and reproued the error of the Scribes and of the Pharisies which thought that none but the grosser kind of sinnes were repugnante vnto the law he teacheth yâ— the commaundemeÌ„ts of God ar far otherwise to be vnderstaÌ„ded theÌ„ they ether vnderstood theÌ„ theÌ„selues or expouÌ„ded theÌ„ vnto others Wherfore he left the law as he found it and executed that which belongeth vnto hys office which was to be made an oblation and sacrifice for sinnes and to geue What was the office of Christ remission of sinnes and righteousnes by imputatioÌ„ and the holy ghost and grace Wherfore Iohn Baptist declaring the office of Christ when he shewed hym with hys fynger sayed Behold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world These things make against the Anabaptistes whiche make the Gospel to be nothing but good workes and a most absolute conuersation These men know not
forasmuch as so great a price is payd for our saluation we By the vse of the sacramēts we are put in minde of the benefit receaued The wayght of sinne is to be waighed by the price of our redemption ought not to suffer so great a benefite lightly to slippe out of our memory For the auoyding whereof we are holpen not only by doctrine and the scriptures but also by sacramentes For euen as among the elders the often sacrifices shadowed Christ to come so now the often vse of the misteries bringeth to memory his death and bloud shed for vs. And by this price of redemption may we perceaue the greeuousnes of sinne forasmuch as the waight thereof was so great that it kindled agaynst vs the iust wrath of God and such a wrath as was not rashely conceaued which wrath being an appetite or desire of vengeance by a most iust consideration required a most excellent sacrifice vpon which might be transferred all our sinnes And forasmuch as the same wrath is by no other thing asswaged but by the bloud and death of Christ they are to be coūted most greeuous blasphemers which dare attribute the same either to our workes or to outward rites VVhome God hath set forth a propitiator In that Christ is sayd to be set forth vnto vs by God thereby is shewed that the doctrine of the Gospell is God two maner of wayes setteth forth Christ vnto vs to be beleued The merite of the death of Christ dependeth of the predestination of God no new thing nor inuented by men But in what sort Christ is set forth vnto vs is declared by two principall pointes First because God by reuelation setteth forth vnto vs thinges to be beleued vnto the knowledge whereof by the light of nature we could neuer attayne Secondly in that he causeth vs to haue a pleasure in thinges shewed vnto vs and to geue our assent vnto them and moueth and stirreth vp our mynd inspiring vs with fayth This may also be referred vnto the good pleasure and blessed predestination of God wherehence dependeth the merite of the death of Christ Otherwise God mought by any other thing haue redemed vs and deliuered vs from sinnes Wherefore we must count that by his determination and purpose only haue we receaued that he would vouchsafe to accept the death of Iesus Christ his sonne and by it reconcile vnto him the sayntes Of this purpose and good pleasure is mencion made vnto the Ephes in the first chapiter Where it is thus writtē According to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himselfe euen vnto the dispensation of the fulnes of tymes that he might set vp all thinges perfectly by Christ both the thinges which are in heauen and the thinges which are in earth in whome euen we also are by lot called being predestinate according to his purpose which worketh al things according to the counsell of his wil that we which before hoped in Christ should be to the prayse of his glory in whom also we hope forasmuch as we haue hard the word of truth euē the Gospell of your saluation c. And in an other place oftentymes and in this selfe same epistle is mencion made of the purpose of God Although this reason of the will and A probable reason of the counsel of God counsell of God is not to be contēned yet as I thinke this reason may be assigned that by him it was mete the world should be restored to his olde estate by whome all thinges were created This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here put may signifye these three thinges a propitiator propitiation and propitiatory I rather allow the latter signification because Paule semeth to allude vnto the How Christ is our propitiatory oracle of the olde Testament and couering of the arke which is there called the propitiatory or mercy seate For vpon the arke of the couenaunt there was layd a board or table for the oracle of the arke at whose endes stoode two Cherubins but the midle place was empty out of which were answeres geuen vnto them that asked and God was made fauorable vnto the people and was sayd to dwel there It is playne and manifest and not to be doubted but that all these things may aptly be referred vnto Christ as in whom dwelleth the whole fulnes of the godhed corporally as Paule sayth vnto the Collossians and therehence are most certayne oracles geuen of the will of God as touching our saluation And that by hym God is pacefied and reconciled vnto vs there is no doubt we may also interprete it a propiciator as though that word were put in the maskuline gender that euen as we call Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a sauior so we may call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a pacefier Neyther paraduenture is this farre from the true and proper sence if we vnderstand Christ to be our pacification For Iohn in his epistle the 2. chapiter calleth Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is our pacification where he thus writeth My little children these thynges I write vnto you that ye sinne not But and if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the propitiatiō for our sinnes and not for our sinnes only but also for the sinnes of the whole world But as I haue sayd the first exposition pleaseth me best and that for this cause chiefely because a little afterward is sayd By his bloud For the maner of the high priest of the Hebrues was once euery yeare to sprinkle the propitiatory or mercy seat with bloud when he entred into the place which was called Sancta sanctorū that is the holy of holyes Nether is it without a cause that the Apostle here straightway addeth By faith forasmuch as our aduersaries also do graunt y◠by Christ commeth rightousnes vnto vs but they will not once declare by what meanes we apply the same vnto vs How Christ is sayd of the Papistes to be our redemer and make it ours which thing Paule now plainly expresseth They seme alwaies to tende this way that Christ therfore hath redemed vs because he is to be counted the chiefe and hed of our merites as though as their common phrase of speache is Christ deserued for vs onely the first grace and afterward leaueth vs wholye to our selues But this is to muche niggardly and maliciously to vse the benefite of God Wherefore seing now we vnderstand hym we wil continually oppose vnto the iustice of God the death of Christ as a full satisfaction of our sinnes To declare his righteousnes Hitherto we haue spoken of the efficient cause of iustification which is God and his mercy But those whiche are iustified pertaine to the materiall cause are men of all sortes being guilty of sinnes and destitute The order of iustification of the grace of God The instrumentes also haue bene declared The one
Christ for no other cause so long tyme differred his comming in the flesh but to kepe downe mans proude Pecoks tayle For if he had come straight way at the beginning vnto vs men would easely haue sayd that Why the sonne of god diffeâ—red his comming so long they had not then so great neede of hym that without him they could not be saued wherefore he would that mankinde should so long tyme be oppressed with the seruitude of sinnes and burthen of the lawe vntill they should vnderstand that they had vtterly nede of a redemer But why God so much laboreth to destroy our glory the holy scriptures aboundantly inough declare namely that Why God will haue our glory to be repressed his glory might the more brightly sinne forth Wherefore it is manifest that whatsoeuer glory we claime vnto our selues all that do we robbe from the glory of God Neyther nedeth it any greate exposition what Paule meaneth by the lawe of workes For by that word he vnderstandeth as well the lawe of nature as the lawe of Moses and also mans lawe For that all these lawes do engender glory if a man can vaunt that he can fulfill them VVe conclude therefore that man is iustefied by faith without the vvoorkes of the lavve Those thinges which he before sayd he confirmeth with a briefe conclusion which by a reason thereunto annexed he will afterward proue And where as he sayth Arbitramur that is we think in Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth not to thinke or to suppose but in this place it is to conclude to inferre and certaynly to demonstrate namily of those thinges which before were spoken In which signification it is taken in the 6. chapter when the Apostle sayth So thynke ye also that ye are dead vnto sinne but are alyue to God in Iesus Christ our Lord. Where this word thinke ye is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that which is thereby signified is to haue for certayne And as touching this thyng Ambrose is of our mind and he vnderstandeth these words man is iustified without works of the Gentiles But Chrisostome contrary wyse thinketh that by this word man is ment nature to make the seÌ„tence of the Apostle more ample and large whose iudgement I mislike not for it agreeth as well with the Iewes as with the Gentiles not to attayne vnto sound righteousnes by workes but by fayth Further seing the Apostle so expressedly sayth that man is iustified without the workes of the lawe hâ—reof is inferred that which we before also tought namely that it is fayth only which iustifieth which thing not only Origine vpon this place but also Chrisostome acknowledgeth who fayth that fayth only Faith only iustifieth as OrigeÌ„ and ChrisostoÌ„e vpon thys place confesse is required to obtayne this righteousnes But I heare our aduersaries say that wheÌ„ we reade in the fathers That fayth only iustifieth that word only is to be vnderstanded principally for that it hath in iustification the chiefest partes And they bringe a place or two where this word only so signifieth But vndoubtedly if a maÌ„ weigh Pauls words well they wil not agree with this interpretatioÌ„ For he putteth righteousnes without the works of the law which is not true if works do so follow fayth that with it they bring forth iustification in the elect of God An obiectioÌ„ of the aduersaries Simple men sometimes herein gaue place vnto the papists but when they vnderstood theyr guile they returned againe into the rightway Dangers may be anoyded by an vprighte interpretation The aduersaries cry out that if we teach meÌ„ after this sorte we then open a window vnto sluggishnes and flouthfulnes Vnto which their coloured preteÌ„ces some of our men haue sometimes simply and without guile consented who when they saw that true faith whiche iustifieth hath alwayes ioyned with it good works absteyned in their sermons from that worde Onely But afterward when they vnderstoode the fraude of the aduersaries whiche obtruded this deuise to the ende they might at the length teach the people according to their owne fayned inuentions that men are not onely by faith but also by workes iustified they returned vnto their olde forme of speaking that the people should not be any more deceiued And seyng Paule most warely alwayes eschued flaunders and offences of the hearers so much as he might by the truth of the scriptures and we sée that he most manifestly teacheth those things wherof most plainely followeth That fayth onely iustifieth we ought not to be afeard of such daungers which may easily be auoyded if we aptly adde an vpright interpretation of that which we speake They agayne obiect vnto vs that workes of the law in this place signifie ceremonies Vnto whoÌ„ we aunswer as we haue before already said that the question in dede began about ceremonies but Paule dissolueth it vniuersally and answereth in suche sorte that he concludeth of all kinde of workes Wherfore the reason which he bringeth in in the first place That God is the God not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles hath a respecte vnto ceremonies For the Ethnikes had not receiued the ceremonies of It is proued that here is entreated also of morall workes the Iewes But afterward when he addeth that by faith the lawe is not abolished but rather established he declareth that his exposition is chiefly to be vnderstanded touchyng morall workes which faith abolisheth not but rather confirmeth Which thing we cannot affirme of ceremonies whiche we sée are by Christ and his fayth taken away Farther in that he before sayd that all men haue sinned and were destitute of the glory of God and by that meanes euery mouth is stopped and the whole world made guilty vnto God it sufficiently declareth of what law he speaketh And so doth that also where he sayth that the law sheweth sinne and that also which he citeth out of Dauid No liuing creature shall be iustified in thy sight and many other thynges which afterward in their places we shall sée do sufficiently shew that the wordes of the Apostle comprehend also morall preceptes Wherfore workes are excluded Woorkes ar excluded from the cause of iustification but not froÌ„ the effect therof but they are excluded as from the cause of iustification but not as from the effect And Christe to declare this to be true in Luke sayde When ye haue done all these thinges say ye we are vnprofitable seruantes vnto whom neither is this in deede due to haue thankes geuen vnto vs. But if by workes we should attayne vnto iustification then should we not be vnprofitable in doyng well and vnto vs should be farre greater things due then geuing of thankes God is he the God of the Iewes onely and not of the Gentles also Yes euen of the Gentles also He proueth now his proposition namely that men are iustified without the workes of the law For if righteousnes should depende of them
For what sayth the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to hym for ryghteousnes VVhat shall we say then The summe of those things which are contayned in this 4. Chapter is deuided into these partes The first is that we must be iustifyed after the selfe same manner that Abraham was iustifyed The seconde that our iustifycation commeth by the imputacion of God The third that it cōsisteth The sum of the things that shall be spoken of in this chapter in the remisson of sinnes In the fourth is set foorth the time wherein Abraham was iustifyed and so is declared that he attayned vnto righteousnes before he had put in vre any woorke of the law namely the worke of circumcision Farther he plainely sheweth that righteousnes is therfore had by fayth that the promise of God mighte be firme and sure Moreouer there is set foorth the example of Abraham and that with an amplification declarynge howe that he considered not hys owne infyrmitye neyther those thinges whyche by nature had bene able to hynder that which God had promised him Lastly is shewed y◠these things were not written for his sake only but also for vs which by faith do follow the steps of the self same father Abrahā Chrisostome bringeth in these things which are here spokē after this maner That it might seme peraduenture to It is an honorable thing to be iustified by fayth The Apostle doth very well in vsing an example some not to be very mete glorious that we should by fayth be iustified witohut works But saith he the matter is far otherwise Because partly we may se how excellent a thing this is for Paul calleth that thing righteousnes which we attayne vnto by faith here declareth that God by this means sheweth forth declareth his goodnes righteousnes and partly bycause Abraham so great a Patriarche was after this maner iustified It is not with out a cause that Paule placeth an example before his other arguments For the thinge that is here chefely sought for is that the truth which is layd before vs might be made manifest and playne And this is the proper vse of examples The dignity of Abraham most manifestly to lay a thing before our eyes And although there were greate plenty of examples yet Paul did choose this example of Abraham because he was both a man of God and also one endued with most excellente vertues because the Hebrues continuallye boasted of him as whome they acknowledge and craked to be the father and prince of theyr kindred And of suche force was his authority amōgst them that the place of the blessed was called the bosome of Of how great a value iustification is Abraham Which name Christ would not haue vsed in his Gospell vnlesse it had bene receaued amongst the commō people Neither ought we to meruayle that the Apostle so diligently and exactly bendeth himselfe to dispute of this iustification For it is not a slight thing nor a matter of small weight but the principall ground of our felicitie wherin if a mā be throughly instructed I dare be bold to say that he shall easely put away all abuses And bycause our aduersaries in it as in the first entry do fowly stumble and erre therefore in other partes of religion also are they most filthily deceaued But in this example this is chiefly to be marked that for as much as in it is entreated of Circumsion and Abraham is sayd to haue bene iustified before he receaued it some suppose that hereby they haue a firme argument that Paul excludeth not all woorkes from iustification but onely ceremonies of the law Vnto whom we answere that Paul therefore in especial reasoned touching these ceremonies for that for them the controuersie happened But yet in the discourse of hys reasoning he mingleth many thinges which cause that the question must of necessitie be taken generally which thing we shall in his place note Wherefore we graunt that the argumentes chiefly tende to that end but yet are they so handled that together he concludeth vniuersally of all workes Farther it is to be noted that in the tyme of Abraham and of the old law for as much as these ceremonies were founded vpon the word of God men were bound no lesse to obey them then the other commaundementes And yet the Apostle affirmeth that by that obedience men were not iustified Wherefore we conclude that those selfe same men could not be iustified by the obseruing of the other cōmaundemētes In this place is deiected the dignitie of good works but not vniuersally Wherfore those thinges which are here spoken ought not to be drawen vnto a loosenes of life and to licentiousnes to sinne but rather are to bee applied vnto the scope and meaning of Paul Paul onely entendeth this thing to shewe that in good workes is not set the cause of our iustification Other praises and commendacions he aboundantly geueth vnto them For it is not to bee thought that by hys doctrine he would bring into contempt the most excellent vertues Paule contemneth not the vertues and good works of Abraham The temptacions and victories of Abraham of a man of such estimation For as the Iewes make mention Abraham was very often tempted and yet neuertheles he continually ouercame God called him out of his land and kinred to lyue as a straunger in the land of Chanaan But there he could not lyue by reason of the famine wherefore hee was constrayned to go downe into Egipt where he was tempted the third tyme when Pharao tooke away hys wyfe from him The fourth temptacion hee suffered when he was compelled to depart from Loth for the auoyding of contencions Finally he was tempted when he made warre agaynst so many kinges and agaynst so victorious an host when as he him selfe had with him but a very few The sixt temptacion was when he being now a very old man was commaunded to receiue Circumcision The seuenth when king Abimelech in Gerara agayne tooke away hys wyfe from him The eight when Agar which had conceaued by him was constrained to flee from Sara who afflicted her greuouslye The ninth when he was compelled to send away his sonne Ismael being nowe of good age together with hys mother The tenth when God required of him to sacrifice vnto him hys onely bogotten sonne Isaack With these other such most excellent workes was Abraham adorned which thinges Paule contemneth not but only sheweth that these were not such that they could be opposed and set agaynst the wrath and iudgement of God so that for theyr sakes he should haue God fauorable and mercifull For in this place is not entreated of the righteousnes which is obtayned by workes which is in vs a quality cleaning vnto vs but only of that righteousnes whereby we are iustified before God The reason of the Apostle may thus be knit together We are iustified after The argument of Paule the same maner that
that they should beleue This his interpretation I say if we so vnderstand it as though repentance were not ioyned with the first fayth whereby we are iustified is most absurd For howe can any man being endued with a true fayth whereby he shoulde be iustified A place of Ambrose made plain want repentance so that he shoulde be nothing sory for his euill life past But if Ambrose vnderstand ether that Ecclesiasticall satisfactions are not required or els that that repentance which of necessity followeth fayth ought indede to be had but is not required as a cause of iustification then sayth he well Vndoubtedly this sentence pleased him so well that he also wrote it before as we haue mencioned and also vpon the xi chapter as we shall afterward see The fathers mustâ— be red warâ—lye he repeteth the selfe same Hereby we see how warely we must reade the fathers For they speake many thinges sometymes which if they be not well vnderstand can in no case be allowable Yea and sometymes somethinges escape them which a man can scarsely interprete soundly as that which the selfe same Ambrose writeth vpon this place Wherfore sayth he he setteth forth the blessednes of the tyme wherein Christ was borne as the Lord himselfe sayth Many iust men and prophetes desired to see the thinges which ye see and to heare the thinges which ye heare and haue not heard neyther haue they sene As though euen before the coÌ„ming of Christ also God iustified not his after the selfe same maner that he now iustifieth vs. It is manifest that this diuersity of tyme is vtterly repugnant vnto the meaning of Paul For he sayth that Abraham was iustified by sayth Yea and Dauid also whose testemony this is felt that he was after the same maner iustified And the same Ambrose before wheÌ„ he expouÌ„deth this place But to hym which worketh a reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt thus writeth It is for certayne that vnto him which is subiect vnto the lawe of workes that is vnto the lawe of Moses or vnto the lawe of nature merite is not counted vnto reward to haue glory before God For he is debter to do the lawe for necessity is layde on hym by the law so that will he or nill he he must do the lawe least he be condemned As in an other place he sayth but they which contemne do get vnto theÌ„selues damnation because presently they are guilty But to beleue or not to beleue pertaiueth to the will For a man can not be compelled to a thing which is not manifest but is thereto allured and is thereunto perswaded for it may not be by violeÌ„ce vrged vnto him But this difference betwene the workes which are commaunded by the lawe of nature and the law of Moses and betwene fayth which Ambrose here putteth is nothing at all For by the necessity of the commaundement of God we are no les bound to beleue then we are to do good workes And as to do good works is not violently vrged of men agaynst their willes no more is to beleue also And as vpon the transgression of the lawe of nature or of the lawe of Moses dependeth condemnation so also dependeth it vpon the transgression of fayth Thus we sée what maner of things sometimes we reade in the fathers I will adde also how Chrisostome interpreteth this self same place But to him which worketh a reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Thus he writeth But this thou wilt say is a greater matter Not so vndoubtedly For vnto him that beleueth it is imputed But it should neuer be imputed vnles he himselfe also had brought somewhat with him c. Here he sayth that he which is iustified by fayth bringeth something of himselfe And that is as we before noted in his sayinges fayth And that this is not true he himselfe vpon this place declareth For he sayth that this is the principallest thing that maketh a faythfull man to be notable namely that he is by God endued with so much grace that he is able to shew forth such so great a fayth In this place he affirmeth yâ— faith coÌ„meth not of our selues but of the grace of God So yâ— before he wrote not so soundly when he sayd that we do ether geue or els bring somewhat to be iustified and make God our debter These thinges I therefore rehearse that we should not thinke that the fathers alwayes spake all thinges firmelye and constantly or that out of them we should at all tymes seke the sure exposition The Fathers do not alwaies speake like to themselues By the scriptures ought we to be setled as touching doctrine of the scriptures First we ought out of the very scriptures soundly to define of doctrines Then afterward may the fathers be reade with iudgement But that the scriptures should of necessity be subiect vnto yâ— expositions of theÌ„ it nether can nor ought to be For it were absurd to make subiect the iudgementes of God vnto the iudgementes of men And seing they also are oftentymes obscure and in their expositions diuers and manifold this were to depart froÌ„ the scriptures which are certayne to things vncertayne These things I haue spoken by the way but for our times I hope not vnprofitably Augustine in the preface of his declaration vpon the 31. Psalme writeth Many boast of woorkes and a man shall finde manye Paganes or infidels whiche therefore will not be come Christians because that they suffice theÌ„selues with their vpright life We must of necessity liue well saith he and what shall Christ require of me To liue well I lyue well alredy Wherein then shall Christ be nedefull vnto me I committe no murther nor theft nor rapine I desire not other mennes goodes I am not contaminated with any adultery For let there be founde any thynge in me that is worthy to be reproued and he whiche reproueth me let him make me a Christian This man hath glory but not with God Sée how the ignoraunce of this hidden iustification whiche is not of They which are ignorant of this iustification do abhorre froÌ„ Christian religion That is chiefly called felicity which commeth without labour workes called men backe from Christian religion Wherefore at this day also they that are ignoraunt of it and do iustifie themselues by workes are both farre from Christ and also haue no vnderstanding of the benefite that commeth by him And in this sentence of Dauid let vs this consider also that there is no mention made of good workes whiche thing also this worde blessednes geueth vs to vnderstand For when we attaine to any thing wherein we haue spent great labour we are not for that counted very happy But if we attayne vnto the selfe same thing without labour and in a maner without any our trauaile then are we couÌ„ted happy and blessed Came this blessednes then vpon the circumcision or vpon
sinne And it is not hard to sée how fowly they are deceaued which do of Pauls wordes gather these so greate absurdities For in their reasons they take that A false argument of those which gather absurd things out of Paules sayinges which is not the cause for the cause and so fall into a manifest false argument For not to put confidence in the workes of the law or to teach that by the lawe sinne abounded is not a sufficient cause why the lawe of God should either be reiected or els counted vnprofitable And to teach that workes iustifye not is not a cause why we should ceasse of from doing works And to say that more grace abounded when sinne abounded is not to say that our sinnes are the causes of the grace of God For that is agaynst nature that that which is in very déede euill shoulde That which is in very deede euell of it selfe bringeth not foorth good things bring forth good And seing sinnes do alienate vs from God how should they purchase vnto vs grace The disease maketh not the Phisition notable but by occasion It is the art which coÌ„mendeth him and not the disease So sinnes of their own nature do not illustrate the grace of God but his goodnes and mercy wherby he forgeueth sinnes If we wil conclude rightly and without a fals argument let vs thus reason forasmuch as we can not fulfill the law and therfore it can not iustifie vs let vs not cleaue vnto it only Wherfore let vs annexe Christ and his grace How we ought in this place to conclude which if we do we shall receiue much fruit therby Againe seing that workes can not be the cause of iustification let vs not attribute so much vnto wicked men to such as are not yet regenerate to say that they by their own merites can get vnto themselues grace But being regenerate let vs aply our selues to good works as to the fruites of righteousnes And althoughe sinnes are not the causes of the grace of God yet let vs acknowledge that there neded a mighty and an aboundaÌ„t grace to take those sinnes away when as they had so infinitely increased There Paralogismus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is committed also in these arguments a false reason of equiuocation For when Paul sayth where sinne hath abounded there more abounded grace he saith not whersoeuer sinnes haue increased there streight way grace hath more abounded For there are found many most wicked men ouer whelmed with infinite synnes in whom shineth no grace of God at all But this Paul sayth where sinnes haue increased by the law and are now in very dede known and inwardly felte in the mynd there men being made afeard of their misery are after a sort prepared and driuen vnto Christ to implore his ayde â–ª And therby it commeth to passe that grace aboundeth in them which are so touched by the law There is an other fallace or An other fallace as touching the diuersity of time deceipt in this reasoning which coÌ„meth of yâ— diuersitie of tymes For we graunt that God through Christ geueth aboundant grace wherby the sinnes which went before regeneration are blotted out Yet therof ought not to be gathered that sins are againe to be heaped vp to the end grace also should be augmented Wherfore it plainly appeareth that in these false accusations is more then one kynde of false argument Neither was Paul onely accused of this crime that he opened a wyndow to sin but also al those whosoeuer they were that taught Christ ernestly For those false witnesses in yâ— Actes testefied against StepheÌ„ yâ— he ceassed not to speake An example concerninge Stephan We are not onely iustified by faith but we receaue the spirite of Christ wherby we are restored to newnes of life many things against God against yâ— law But Paul to acquite the doctrine of the Gospel froÌ„ such false accusatioÌ„s saith that we are not only iustified by faith but also haue the spirit of Christ whereby we are both stirred vp to a new life and sinne also is weakened in vs. Wherfore wheÌ„ we reade the holy scriptures we ought to ponder them with greate diligence and attentiuenes before by way of reasoning we gather any thing out of them For he which neglecteth the principles or first groundes is easely led into dangerous errors So greate difference is there betwéene those things which Paul concludeth of the things before spoken and those thinges which the vnlerned do gather of them that they are manifestly contrary one to the other They by this doctrine do gather that we must sinne to the ende grace may abound But Paul of the selfe same doctrine gathereth that we must not sinne that grace should abound Which thing he proueth in this chapter principally The aduersaries gathered that we must sinne and Paule that we oughtâ— not to sinne The Apostle proueth bâ—â—wo reasons that we muste sinne no more Why he vseth interrogations They which are dead vnto sinne ought not to liue in it Similitudes by two reasons the first is because we are now deade vnto sinne and are come vnto Christ And this reasoÌ„ he at large handleth in the first part of this chap. The other reason is that we ought to obey him vnto whose seruice we haue addicted our selues Wherefore seing by our conuersion vnto Christ we are made the seruantes of righteousnes we must now serue it and not sinne And this reason contayneth that which remayneth of this chapter Neither is it in vayne that Paul putteth forth his sentence by interrogations For by them he partly expresseth the affection of his indignation how that he toke it very greuously that the doctrine of the Gospell should be diffamed with so absurd suspicions Farther by his interrogations he declareth the security of his conscience For he sheweth that he thought nothing lesse then that which was obiected against him The first reason is this They which are dead vnto sin ought not to perseuer therin But Christians are dead vnto sinne Wherfore they ought not to perseuer in it These things are euidently proued by the contrariety of death and life because no man can at one and the selfe same tyme be both deade and also on lyue For euen as he is a foole which would desire health in such sorte that he would together with it be sick also or which would abyde still in the fire that he might be deliuered from burning so also is he a foole which being deade vnto sinne thinketh that he may neuertheles liue vnto it The selfe same thing teacheth Christ when he sayth that no man can serue two masters And in naturall knowledge it is a common sentence that the generation of one thing is the corruption of an other Wherefore if we be borne agayne to Christ then is it necessary that we should dye vnto sinne Although What it is to dye vnto sinne whilest we liue here this death is
this place also are ouerthrowen workes preparatory For Paul sayth When ye were seruantes of sinne That is not yet regenerate but were still strangers from Christ ye were free vnto righteousnes that is ye were wholy disagreeed from it And if such men haue no fellowship with righteousnes how can they worke good workes which should of congruity merite grace What fruite had ye then in those thinges whereof ye are now ashamed For the ende of those thinges is death But now being freed from sinnes and made seruauntes vnto God ye haue your fruite in holines and the ende euerlastyng lyfe For the stipende of sinne is death but the grace of God is eternall lyfe through Iesus Christ our Lord. What fruit had ye then in those thinges wherof ye are now ashamed He confirmeth his exhortation from the place of honesty and dishonesty Ye ought to An argumente from honesty and filthines abstaine saith he from your old workes for they were vile and filthy vnto you so that if they should now be called to remembraunce ye should be compelled to be ashamed of them Shame is an affection which springeth by reason of some filthines and it may be either a feare or els a griefe for if a man be afraid lest of yâ— What shame is which he doth or which he taketh in hand should happen any dishonesty vnto him he is made ashamed as we sée happeneth in yong men which when they they are ether demaunded or bidden to do any thing they blush because they are afraid lest they should not aunswer aptlye or should not very well be able to do that thyng which they are bidden to do But if an old man or a young man be put in remembraunce of any thing which semeth not to be well done they blush bicause of the sorrow of the dishonesty wherinto they sée themselues to haue incurred And why Why the Ethnikes 〈…〉 to be 〈…〉 of th 〈…〉 â—ast the Romanes ought to be ashamed of those thinges which they had committed before they came vnto Christ there may be two reasons namely the vnpurenes of lyfe or 〈…〉 vnpurenes of religion which they professed that is either filthines or fool 〈…〉 And their former lyfe Paul describeth in his first epistle vnto yâ— Cor. Be not ye 〈…〉 ed saith he neyther fornicators nor worshippers of images nor adulterers nor e 〈…〉 te persons nor abusers of nature nor theues nor couetous personnes nor drunkar◠〈…〉 sed speakers nor raueners shall receaue the inheritaunce of the kingdome of God And thâ—se thyâ—ges were ye sayth he but ye are washed but ye are sanctified And as touching 〈…〉 vncleanes of religion the Ethnike writers aboundantly testifie And Am 〈…〉 vpon this place maketh mencion of the sacred seruices of Cybeles yâ— goddeâ— of Phrygia also of other such like most filthy sacred seruices And Chrisostome saith that this commeth through a singuler benefite of God that meÌ„ are ashamed of the wicked actes which they haue before committed For they were nothyng ashamed of them so long as they were conuersant in them As dronkards and mad folkes are nothyng ashamed so long as they wallow in that offence This place also teacheth Holy men aâ— alweyes gâ—ued and ashamed for the sinnes whâ—ch theâ— haue commâ—tted In our dâ—ou 〈…〉 country grief that be taken away There is in very dâ—ede 〈◊〉 fruite of sin vs that although sinnes before committed are forgeuen yet the shame and griefe for them can not be taken away yea rather godly men can not remember them without detestacion But yâ— shall not be so in our heauenly countrye There in dede the elect shall detest sinnes but the greatnes of the felicity shall swallow vp al féeling of shame griefe For as we rede in yâ— Apocalips God shal wipe away all teares from their eies He séemeth in mockage to call it Fruite especially of those thinges whereof they should be ashamed For in such thinges there is no fruite but rather losse For the ende of them is death WheÌ„ he had demaunded of them what fruit they had there could nothyng els be aunswered but that they had none And he addeth a reason bicause death is the ende of them So Paul because he would yâ— more vehemently moue theÌ„ addeth waight to his speach and to losse he ioyneth shame Some by this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnderstand tribute or tole as though it should haueben sayd Vnto sinne is recompenced nothing els but death But if we will rather Vnto sinne to recompeÌ„sed nothing but death Tâ—o significations of thâ—â— worde end haue that worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie an end the same as the Philosophers also affirme may be taken two maner of wayes First for the last ende or terme and so death may be called the end of lyfe Secondly it may be taken for that for whose cause any thing is takeÌ„ in hand which thyng forasmuch as of necessity it ought to be good cannot agrée with death For there is no man yâ— sinneth with this purpose yâ— therfore he would dye Wherfore in the first signification death is called the ende of sinnes bicause in it is the ende of sinnes But now beyng freed from sinne and made the seruantes of God ye haue your fruite in holines and the ende eternall lyfe In these wordes he finisheth the Antithesis or contrariety and against sinne he setteth God against shame holines Paul speaketh in the passiue signification and against death eternall lyfe Againe also in this place he vseth verbes of the passiue signification sayeng Ye are freed from sinne and made seruauntes vnto God But before he sayd when ye were seruauÌ„tes of sin ye were free vnto righteousnes In these verbes there is no nede of the passiue significatioÌ„ For we are of our selues apte inough to sinne but so are we not to be deliuered from sinnes and to serue God But in that Paul in this reddition or coÌ„parison writeth not that we are made seruants vnto righteousnes but vnto God it is a matter of no greate waight For God is only the cause of our righteousnes Ye haue fruite sayth he namely holynes God the cause of all our righteousnes and the end eternall life Here Chrisostome noteth that by this it appeareth that we possesse not all thinges by hope only but that in very dede there is much geueÌ„ vnto vs And forasmuch as we haue alreadye sayth he attayned vnto iustification our hope is excedingly confirmed for the obteynement of that thinge which is yet behind For the reward of sinne is death but the Grace of God is eternall life thorough Christ Iesus our Lord. In these wordes he closeth vs his exhortation and proueth that the end of filthy workes is death For it sayth he is the reward of sin Which thinge forasmuch as it is well knowen of it selfe he would not stand aboute to proue For rede euery where in yâ— holy scriptures that God
all the whole holy scripture there is not one seÌ„teÌ„ce which is against our doctrine yet they continually obiect vnto vs the example of Cornelius Of cornelius and his workes who being not yet as they thinke regenerate neither beleued in Christ did notwithstanding works which pleased God We indéede confesse that both the almes and prayers of Cornelius pleased God for the Angell affirmed the same but these men adde of their owne that Cornelius when he did these thinges was not yet iustified neither beleued in Christ But they consider not that the scripture in Cornelius beleued beleued before bap 〈…〉 e. If he beleued what needed â—e to be instructed of that place calleth him religious and one that feared God Wherefore Cornelius beleued and beleued in the Messias being instructed in the doctrine of the Iewes But whether Iesus of Nazareth were that Messias or no he knew not certaynly And therefore Peter was sent to instruct him more fully But here to blere our eyes they say that Paul in the 17. of the Actes attributeth vnto them of Athens some piety when yet they were idolatrers For thus he sayth ye men of Athens I shew vnto you that God whoÌ„ ye ignoraÌ„tly worship But eueÌ„ as if a maÌ„ can handsomly draw some one letter is not therefore straight way called a good writer neither he Whether Paul attributed any piety vnto the Athenians being yet idolatrers True piety cannot be ioyned with ignorance which can sing a song or two is therefore straight way to be called a good singing man for these names require consideration and art but it may happen by chance that a man may draw well or sing well once or twise and paraduenture the third time so none is to be counted in very déede and plainly godly which doth a worke or two which hath some shewe of piety And Paul called not the Athenians absolutely godly but added certayne termes which diminish godlines whom ye ignorantly sayth he worship But what piety can that be which is ioyned wyth the ignorance of the true God Moreouer a little before he had called theÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is verye supersticious By these two words he much diminished their piety But Cornelius Luke simply calleth religious and addeth that he fered God How great the dignitye of the feare of God is If he be blessed which feareth God how is he not also iustified A testimony of Cornelius iusti 〈…〉 ation which addition is of so great force that in the booke of Iob a man fearing God is turned of the 70. interpreters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a true and religious man And Dauid saith Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. And if he be blessed which feareth the Lord how is not the same man also iustified But besides these things which after a sorte by the causes proue the iustification of Cornelius we haue an other testimony also of the effectes for that he gaue almes which were acceptable vnto God But we haue already by many reasons proued that no man can do workes acceptable vnto God but he which is iustified and regenerate Farther he distributed these almes vpon the nation of the Iewes that as of them he had bene instructed in the doctrine of pietie so on the other side he would imparte vnto them some of his temporall good thinges For it is méete as Paul sayth vnto the Galathians That he which is enstructed should communicate vnto hym which doth enstruct hym in all good thynges Moreouer that souldiour which was sent vnto Peter declared that he had a good testimony of all the Iewes All which thinges plainly declare that although we read not that he was circumcised yet he so approched vnto the doctrine of the people of God that all men commended his pietie It is written also that he prayed and that diligently And if a man diligently peyse Cornelius prayed at the hour which was appointed for the prayers of the Iewes the whole history he shall finde that he obserued the same houre which the Iewes had appointed them for their common prayers For it saith that at the ix houre he saw an Aungell standing by him which signified vnto him that his prayer was heard But we are taught by the first chapiter of Esay and by the xv chapiter of the Prouerbes and by a great many other places that wycked meÌ„ and sinners ar not heard of God Which yet is to be vnderstand so long as they will be sinners and retaine still a will to sinne Neither maketh that against this sentence which Augustine How God heareth noâ— sinners Why the prayers of wicked ministers are heard writeth against the Donatistes that the prayers of wycked priests are heard of God For the same father addeth That that commeth to passe because of the deuotioÌ„ of the people But Cornelius when he prayed was holpen by hys own fayth and not by the fayth of others that stoode by And Augustine in his epistle to Sixtus saith that God vseth in iustifiyng of a man to geue vnto hym hys spirite whereby he may praye for those thynges which are profitable vnto saluation And seing Cornelius prayed for those things it can not be doubted but that he was iustified Hereunto adde that no maÌ„ can rightly pray vnto God except he haue faith And that we are iustified by faith it is now already sufficiently testified and declared Peter also before he began to preach vnto hym said that he now saw verely that God is not an accepter of persons but he is accepted of hym of what nation so euer he bee whiche worketh ryghteousnesse Which wordes plainly declare that Cornelius was then accepted of God before Peter came vnto him And I maruell that there are some which dare auouch yâ— he had not the faith of Christ when as Christ himselfe in the viij chapiter of Iohn sayth That he knoweth not God which beleueth not in the sonne of God And in the 4. chapter he admonisheth his disciples If ye beleue in God beleue also in me And if ye beleued in Moses ye would also beleue me These thinges assure vs that Cornelius beleued verily in God and therfore also beleued in the Messias to come as he was instructed of the Iewes although he knew not that he was already come and that Iesus of Nazareth whome the Iewes had crucified was the same Messias He had Cornelius had the faiâ—h of the fathers of the old testament An example of Nathaniel that faith wherby the fathers beleued in Christ to come Wherfore seyng they were iustified by that faith why should we take vppon vs to deny the same vnto Cornelius Nathanaell which beleued in the Messias to come and thought not yâ— he was yet com is pronounced of Christ a true Israelite in whom was no guile which two things cannot be applied vnto a maÌ„ not yet iustified But Peter was therfore sent to Cornelius that he
pertakers not only of the death of the Lord but of his resurrectioÌ„ also for forasmuch as Christ was by it raysed vp from the dead as many as are endewed with the same spirite shall likewise be raysed vp from the dead For that cause he exhorteth vs by the spirite to mortefye the deades of the flesh that we may be made pertakers of euerlasting life Thirdly he amplifieth and adorneth this state and condition which by the spirite of Christ we haue obteyned namely that now we are by adoption made the children of God that we are moued by this spirit and made strong against aduersities to suffer all afflictions Which prayses serue not a little to quicken our desire that we should desire to be dayly more aboundantly enriched with this spirite Fourthly he confuteth those which obiected that state to seme miserable and vnhappy in which the faythfull of Christ liue For they are continually excercised with aduersities so that euen they also which haue the first fruites of the spirite are compelled to mourne And he writeth that by this meanes these thinges come to passe for that as yet we haue not obteyned an absolute regeneration nor perfect saluatioÌ„ for we haue it now but only in hope which when time shall serue that is in the end of the worlde shall be made perfect Fiftly he teacheth that notwithstaÌ„ding those euills which doo enclose vs in on euerye side yet our saluation is neuertheles sure for the prouidence â–ª of God whereby we are predestinâ—te to eternall felicity can nether be chaunged nor yet in any poynte fayle And by this prouidence sayth he it commeth to passe that vnto vs which loue God all thinges turne to good and nothing can hurt vs forasmuch as God hath geuen vnto vs his sonne and together with hym all thinges wherefore seing the father iustifieth vs and the sonne maketh intercession for vs there is nothing which can make vs afrayd Lastly he sayth that yâ— loue of God towards vs is so greate that by no creature it can be plucked from vs. Hereby it is manifest of how greate force the spirite of adoption is wherewith we are sealed so long as we wayte for the perfection of our felicity And these thinges serue wonderfully to proue that our iustification consisteth not of workes but of fayth and of the meare and free mercy of God This is the summe of al that which is coÌ„tained in the doctrine of this chap. As touching the first part the Apostle alledgeth that condemnation is now takeÌ„ away which he proueth bycause we are endewed with the spirite of Christe But this deliuery he promiseth vnto those only which are in Christ Wherfore seing it is manifest what his proposition or entent is now let vs se howe these thinges hange together with those which are alredy spoken Toward the end of the former chap Paul cried out twise first when he sayd Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death And by the figure Aposiopesis he expressed not the deliuerer but here he sayth that that deliuerer is the Lawe The law of the spirit and life deliuereth of the spirite and of life Farther in that place with greate affection he sayd I geue thankes vnto God through Iesus Christe our lorde nether declared he wherfore he gaue thankes But nowe he playnly expresseth the cause For he sayth that now there remayneth no condemnation and that we are deliuered from the Thankes are to be geuen for that there remayneth in vs no coÌ„mendation Law of sinne and of death This is it for which he gaue thaÌ„ks Lastly he added how that in minde he serued the law of God but in flesh the law of sinne Now he more playnly expresseth what that is namely to be in Christ and not to walke according to the flesh but according to the spirite Hereby it manifestly appeareth how aptly these thinges are knit together with those which are alredy spoken The Apostle seemeth thus to speake Althoughe sinne and the corruption of nature where wyth the godlye are vexed be as it is alredye sayde styll remayninge in them yet is there no daunger that it shoulde brynge condemnation vnto men regenerate for they are holpen by the spirite of Christe wherewith they are now endewed And euen as before he aboundantly entreated of the violence and tiranny of sinne which it vseth against vs being vnwittinge What thinges auayle to know our selues and vnwilling thereunto so now on the other side he teacheth what the spirite of Christ worketh in the Saintes Wherefore seing not only the holy scriptures but also the Ethnike writers do expressedly commaund that euery man shoulde knowe himselfe peraduenture there is scarse any other place out of whiche the A godly maÌ„ consisteth of two principles same may better be gathered then out of these two chapiters For a godly man consisteth of his owne corrupt and vitiate nature and also of the spirit of Christ because we haue before learned what yâ— corruptioÌ„ of nature that is sinne woorketh in vs and now is declared what benefites of Christ we obtayne by his spirite by this may euery man as touching ether part know himselfe Vndoubtedly wonderfull great is the wisdome of the Apostle who when he wrote of the force of sin expressed it chiefely in his owne person to geue vs to vnderstand that there is no Why Paul chaungeth the persons in these two descriptioÌ„s man so holy which so long eas he liueth here is cleane ridde from sinne But afterward when he entreateth of the helpe of the spirite of Christ he bringeth in the person of other men least any man should thinke with himselfe that not all manner of Christians enioye this excellente helpe of God but onelye certaine principall and excellent men such as were the Apostles After these things which we haue before heard out of the seuenth chapter a man mought haue sayd forasmuch as we are so led away captiue of sinne and that by force and against our willes what hope can there be of our saluation Much saith Paul Forasmuch as now there is no condeÌ„nation to theÌ„ which are in Christ For by the spirite of Christ we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death This reason is taken of the cause efficient whereby is not only proued that which was proposed but also euen the very carnell and inward pithe of our iustification is touched For although men being now iustified are so restored vnto the giftes of God that they begin to liue holily and do accomplishe some certayne obedience begonne of the lawe yet because in the iudgement of God they can not stay vpon them forasmuch as they are vnperfect and are not without fault of necessity it followeth that our iustification should herein consist Wherein consisteth iustificatioÌ„ â–ª namely to haue our sinnes forgeuen vs that is to be deliuered from the guiltines of them And this is it which
that by his spirite the iustification of the law might be fulfilled in the elect Neither did he for any other cause take flesh vpon him but to helpe and succor the infirmity of our flesh Of this purpose and councell of God the Apostle here entreateth By this place it manifestly appeareth how one and the selfe same worke One and the selfe same worke is both sin and vetue as it commeth either from vs or from God as it commeth from men is sinne and as it commeth froÌ„ God is good The Iewes sought nothing els in the death of Christ but to exatiate and fulfill their hatred to reiect the worde of God and to repell and put away the chastisements and corrections of the Lord and also to kepe still their dignities and honors These endes forasmuch as they are very wicked the action also could not but be very wycked But God forasmuch as he had a regard to the setting forth of his goodnes and procured the health of mankinde in that he deliuered his sonne vnto the death accomplished a worke of most singuler charity Wherfore if we will speake properly God if we speake properly ought not to be counted the cause of sin God can not be called the cause of sinne although it cannot be denied but that he is the cause of that thing which in vs is sinne for that which in him is praise worthy and procedeth of vertue is oftentimes by vs defiled for that we our selues ar vncleane In that he saith That which was impossible vnto the law he teacheth both that the law is weake and by the contrary that the spirite and faith are strong But that infirmity of the law appeareth not vnles the weakenes of our frée will be throughly known For therof commeth it that the law is weak because it lighteth vpon a corrupt nature For otherwise the law it selfe so far forth as it is written is nether weake nor strong But man is iudged weak so long as he is left vnder the Law and is not holpen by the spirite of grace This place most strongly An argument of iustification that it is not had by workes proueth that iustification is not of workes and that there are no workes preparatory for works which go before iustification either do agrée with the law of God or els they defect or want of it If they agrée with the law theÌ„ of necessity we must graunt that the law is not weak as that which without the spirit and grace may be performed Paul in this place affirmeth that thing to be vnpossible But if such workes faile of the rule of the law â–ª which can not be denied then must we nedes graunt that they are sinnes But by sinnes no man can be iustified Here also are reproued the Pelagians which tooke vpon them to say and teach that a man by The Pelagians are in this place ouâ—râ—hrown the strengthes of nature is able to fulfill the commaundements of the Law For Paul teacheth contrariwise that the law was so weakened by the flesh that it behoued vs to be deliuered by an other helpe But where as he sayth yâ— the law was weakened by yâ— flesh no man ought therfore falsely to suppose yâ— here is condeÌ„ned yâ— substance of the flesh or nature of yâ— body for these things God created good But by flesh he vnderstaÌ„deth yâ— naughtines corruption which by reason of the fall of AdaÌ„ passed through all mankind Which corruption forasmuch as it is still remayning euen in men regenerate they can not vndoubtedly perfectly and fully accomplish the lawe of God vntill they haue vtterly put of this fleshe And as Chrisostome noteth the lawe of God is not by these wordes condemned but rather commended because it commaundeth right and iust thinges but it can not bring them to the ende Wherefore the comming saith he of Christ was necessary which might minister helpe and succour vnto the lawe for the lawe in dede taught vprightly There are two things which the law cannot performe what ought to be done and what ought to be auoyded But besides this there were two other thinges necessary which the lawe could not geue first that those thinges might be forgeuen which are committed against the commaundements thereof an other is that the strengthes of man might be corroborated whereby to performe the commaundementes of the lawe Without these two thinges whatsoeuer the lawe teacheth touching the doing or eschewing of thinges it can not profite but rather serueth to condemnation For he which knoweth the will of his Lord and doth it not is gréeuouslyer punished then he which knoweth not the will of his Lord. Those commentaryes which are ascribed vnto Ierome do vpon this place expressedly affirme that the Apostle here speaketh not of the lawe of ceremonies for he speaketh here of that lawe whereof is written in the 7. chapter of Mathew The thinges which ye wyll that men should do vnto you the same do ye vnto them of which lawe it is straight way sayde Thys is the lawe and the prophetes Wherefore there is no cause why any man shoulde cauell that that whiche Paul saith It was possible vnto the lawe is not to be referred vnto the morall lawe Three thinges are here enquired for but vnto ceremonyes But there are in this place thrée thinges to be obserued first what moued God to geue his sonne secondly what Christ being geuen vnto vs did for vs. Lastly what fruite we obtayne by his worke As touching the first the Apostle saith that this was the purpose of God when he gaue his sonne that the infirmity of the lawe should not be a let to our saluation For he sawe that it was God gaue his sonne that the infirmity of the law should not be a let to our saluation so weake by reason of the infirmity of our fleshe that by the ministery thereof we could not attaine vnto saluation which he had appointed for vs. Which sentence if our aduersaries would consider they should sée that they can neither maynetaine workes of preparation nor yet iustification by workes vnles paraduenture they thinke that this counsell or purpose of God was not necessary And these men vndoubtedly do as much as lieth in theÌ„ to diminishe the benefite of Christ neither acknowledge they the perfect and full loue of the father towardes vs. Paul saith that the lawe without Christ is weake these men say that before we are made pertakers of Christ we be able to worke good workes and to obey the lawe of God And although Paul here teacheth the impossibility of the lawe yet the fathers haue sometimes accursed such as dare say that God hath commaunded Whether God haue commaunded thinges vnpossible thinges vnpossible Although if a man rightly vnderstand our doctrine he shall easely sée that we teach not that the commaundementes of God are vtterly vnpossible but only as touching those which are strangers from Christ For men now regenerate haue
of the age of the fulnes of Christ that we alwayes wauer not like children Farther this place teacheth that we are not only predestinate vnto eternall life but also vnto good workes in thys life namely that we should be like vnto Christ For Paul playnly writeth to the Ephesians that we are created in Christ in good workes which God hath prepared that we should walke Wordes of the vngodly abusing predestination We are not onely predestinate to blessednes but also to an holy life Predestination to good woorkes pertaineth not to all which shal be saued in them Wherfore they are fowly deceaued out of theyr wittes which are not ashamed to vtter these blasphemous wordes If I be predestinate I shal be saued howsoeuer I liue for these miserable men se not that we are predestinate not only vnto eternall felicity but also to behaue our selues purely and holily in thys life For predestination pertayneth both to the end and also to those things by which we come vnto the end Which thing yet I would not haue so to be vnderstand as though without these meanes no man is predestinate vnto eternall life For the infantes of the godly which dye in that age and are saued are doubtles predestinate vnto eternall life when as yet notwithstanding by reasō of age they coulde not attayne to good workes But this we ought to hold that the giftes of God are not geuen by chaunce but vpon good sure cōsideration Wherefore sithen good workes are certaine giftes of the goodnes of God they happen not without predestination Wherefore predestination pertayneth as well to the good thinges of thys life as also to eternall life This sayth Paul is done of God to the honor of Christ That he might be the first borne amongst many brethern So good is the almighty and most louing God that hauing a sonne and such a sonne in whome was well pleased yet he would adopt vnto him selfe many other sonnes out of The goodnes of God in adopting vs. our kind amongest whome Christ should be the first borne Alwayes the prerogatiue of the first borne was great both before the Law as it is manifest in the Patriarches and also afterward vnder the law The first borne had two parts of the inheritaunce and succeded the father in the administration of the famely The prerogatiue of the first borne God aboue all thinges loueth order wherefore forasmuch as his will was that the famelyes of men shoulde be gouerned orderlye he appoynted a father to be as it were a Lawfull Lord of all thinges pertayning to the household Who if peraduenture he should dye or fall sicke or thorough age be weake his wil was that the gouerment of the famely shoulde come vnto the eldeste sonne Nether ought that to moue vs that Aristotle in his Ethikes teacheth that brethern exercise amongest them selues a politicall gouernment and that amongest them is a certayne forme of a cōmon welth For he vnderstādeth these things whilest the father yet liueth and gouerneth his famely himselfe For so long brethern are amongest themselues all of like power Or peraduenture the Grecians attributed not so much vnto theyr first borne as did the Hebrues which at thys day also we see is not done in many places howbeit it is sufficiēt in one word to note that the first borne ought to be preferred before the rest of the brethern not to exercise tiranny agaynst thē but to gouern to admonish to helpe to sustayn and to succor them All which thinges Christ hath so performed for his brethern Christ hath performed towardes vs the part of a first begotten brother Christ according to his diuine nature is the onelye begotten that for theyr sakes he suffred death and therefore as Paul sayth vnto the Colossians He is the chiefe amongest all his brethern But in that he is sayd to be our first begotten brother that commeth by the dispensation of the nature which he tooke vpon him for otherwise as touchinge hys diuine nature he is the onelye begotten We are therefore called hys brethern bycause we are coapted by grace And thys byrthryght of Christe shall then at the length be notable and honorable when we beinge wholye renued shall be made pertakers of hys glorye Wherefore it is our duetye both to geue thankes vnto God and also excedingly to reioyce with our selues that we haue gotten such and so great a brother and as touching that which is remayning to deliuer our selues wholy vnto him to be ordred and instructed And sithen we know that he is set forth vnto vs as an image whereunto we ought to conforme our selues we ought alwayes to haue him before our eyes as the rule and example of our life VVhome he predestinateth those also hath he called whome he called those also hath he iustified whome he iustified those also hath he glorified In this In this chayne is nuer a link of woorkes or merites The principles of the church chaine is neuer a linke of workes or of merites For here we sée that all thinges are done freely and of the mere mercy of God For who hath geuen vnto hym first and it shal be rendred vnto him agayne All thinges are of hym by hym and in hym as Paul saith Here are we taught what are the principles of the Church the grounds of the people of God The Church is a fellowship not gathered together by humane reason but assembled by the foreknowledge predestination calling of God So they haue a respect not to any successiōs of nature or prerogations or conditions of places for they are distributed only by the iudgement and good will of God After calling straight way followeth iustification Betwene which forasmuch as nothing can be set but only faith therefore by it we are worthely sayd to be iustified not that it is the cause of our iustification but for that it is an instrument whereby we apprehend the calling exhibited Causes of iustification vnto vs by the promises But the proper causes of iustification are these which Paul here assigneth namely foreknowledge predestination and vocation And herein consisteth our iustification to haue our sinnes forgeuen vs and to be reconciled vnto God But good works holy life the renuing of strengths Holy life good workes pertain to glorification and the giftes of the holy ghost do afterward follow and pertaine to glorification whereunto also pertayne those thinges which we waite for to be geuen vs in an other life Augustine noteth not all those which by any way are called but only those which are called according to the purpose of God and according to predestination wyth a calling I say mighty and strong whereby they are vtterly changed Otherwise many are called but few are chosen Hath glorified He speaketh in the time past both for that a great part of that glory is alredy geuen vs and also for that we by hope holde that which is remayning which before God is
reprobate are condemned because of their sinnes Sinnes foresene are noâ— the cause why a man is reprobate And yet we ought not hereby to inferre that sinnes foreséene are the cause why any man is reprobate For they cause not that GOD purposeth that he will not haue mercye Howbeit they are the cause of damnation whiche followeth in the last time but not of reprobation which was from eternally The laste ende of reprobation is the declaration of the mightye iustice of God as Paul hath taughte namely that these vessels are prepared vnto wrath because God woulde shew in them his power And God aunswereth of Pharao Euen vnto this end haue I raysed thee vp that I might shew in thee my power The farthest ende is damnation whiche as it is iust so also is it allowed of God But the niest ende are sinnes For God coÌ„maunded that the people should be made blinde that they should not vnderstand that they should not heare Lest peraduenture saith he they should be conuerted and I should heale them For sins although as they are sins they are by God in his lawes condemned yet as they are iuste punishmentes they are by him imposed for the wicked desertes of the vngodly But we muste not stay in these néerer endes We must go farther that we may at the length come to that ende which Paul hath set foorth namely that the iustice of God should be declared And thus muche hitherto as touching the first article Now let vs come to the second wherein is to be sought the cause of predestination Of the cause of predestination Forasmuch as predestination is the purpose or will of God and the same wil is the first cause of all thinges which is one and the selfe same with the substance of God it is not possible that there should be any cause thereof Howbeit we do not Of the will of God may sometimes be geuen a reason but neuer any cause especially an efficient cause We cannot geue any reasonâ— of the 〈◊〉 of God â–ª but those which the holâ— scriptures haue set forth vnto vs. Predestination may haue a final cause The material cause is after a sorte found in predestination The â—nd is considered two maner of wayes therfore deny but that sometimes may be shewed some reasons of the wil of God which although they may be called reasons yet ought they not to be called causes especially efficient causes But that in the scriptures are sometimes assigned reasons of the will of God may by many places be gathered The Lord sayth that he therefore did leade aboute the children of Israell throughe the deserte rather then through shorter passages through which he could haue lead them that they should not sodenlye méete with theyr enemies Adam also was placed in Paradise to husband it and to kéepe it And God testifieth that he woulde not as yet expell the Cananites out of the land of Chanaan because they had not yet as filled yâ— measure of their sinnes Howbeit althoughe as we haue sayde the scripture vse sometimes to bring reasons of the wil of God yet no maÌ„ ought to take vpon him to râ—der a certain reason of it but that which he hath gathered out of the scriptures For so as we are dull of vnderstanding we should easely vsurpe our owne dreames in stede of true reasons But that there are finall causes of the predestination of God we deny not For they are expressedly put of Paul and especially when he citeth yâ— of Pharaoâ—euen o this end haue I stirred thee vp that I mighte shewe in thee my power and of the elect he sayth that God would in them shew forth hys glorye The materiall cause also may after a sorte be assigned For men which are predestinate and those thinges which God hath decreed by predestination to geue vnto the elect as are these vocation iustification and glorification may be called the matter about which predestination is occupied This moreouer is to be noted that the end may sometimes be taken as it is of vs in minde and desire conceaued and then it hath the consideration of an efficient cause for being so conceaued in the minde it forceth men to worke Sometimes also it is taken as it is in the thinges and as we attayne vnto it after our laboures And then properly it is called the end bycause the worke is then finished and we are at quiet as now hauing obteyned the end of our purpose But we therefore put this distinction It may be both true false that we are predestinate by workes that if at any time we should be asked whether God do predestinate men for workes or no we should not rashly eyther by affirming or by beniinge geue hasty sentence For the ambiguity is in this word for how it is to be vnderstand For if good workes be taken as they are in very dede are wrought bycause God predestinateth vs to this end that we should liue vprightly as we rede in the Epistle vnto the Ephesians namely that we are elected to be holye and immaculate and that God hath prepared good workes that we shoulde walke in them as touching this sentence or meaning the proposition is to be affirmed But if that worde for he referred vnto the efficient cause as thoughe the good workes which God foresaw we should do are as certayne merites and causes which should moue God to predestinate vs this sence is by no meanes to One effect of predestination may be the cause of an other effect but they cannot be causes of the purpose of God be admitted It is possible indede that the effectes of predestination may so be compared together that one may be the cause of the other But they can not be causes of the purpose of God For vocation which is the effect of predestination is the cause that we are iustified Iustification also is the cause of good works and good workes although they be not causes yet are they meanes by which God â–ª 〈…〉 ngeth vs vnto eternall life Howbeit none of all these is the cause or the meane why we are choseÌ„ of God as contrariwise sins indede are yâ— causes why we are damned but yet not why we are reprobate of God For if they should Iâ— sinnes were the causes of reprobation no man should be elected The purpose of God not to haue mercy is as free as the purpose to haue mercy Why good workes foresene are not the causes of predestination A place out of the first epistle to Timothie be the cause of reprobation no man could be elected For the condition estate of all men is a like For we are all borne in sinne And when at any time Augustine sayth that men are iustly reprobate for theyr sins he vnderstandeth together with reprobation the last effect thereof namely damnation But we may not so speake if by reprobation we vnderstand the purpose of God not to haue mercy For that purpose is no lesse
is reduced all those things which follow in this chap. he shall sée that the Apostle draweth those thinges which he teacheth of predestination to these principall pointes namely vnto power For he saith Hath not the potter power Vnto purpose or good pleasure for vnto the Ephesians he vseth both words Vnto will for he saith He hath mercy on whome he will and whome he will he hardeneth Vnto mercy or loue for he saith It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy Also Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated Seing Paul what cause soeuer he eyther here or in any other place geueth of predestination reduceth them to these fower principall pointes can we doubt of his meaning or shall we take vpon vs to geue sentence otherwise But as touching works he speaketh not so much as one worde wheresoeuer he entreateth of this matter but onely to exclude them Farther consider this that there is nothing more against the scope and meaning of Paul then to put workes foreséene to be the causes of predestination IustificatioÌ„ should come by workes if election should depende of workes forsene For by that meanes woorkes shoulde be the causes of iustification But that doctrine the Apostle hath in this Epistle by all manner of meanes oppugned And I hereby proue this reason to be firme because the Apostle maketh predestination to be the cause of vocation and vocation the cause of iustification Wherefore if workes be causes of predestination they shall also be causes of iustification For this is a firme rule among the Logicians whatsoeuer is the cause of any cause is also the cause of the effect Farther no man can deny but that good workes procéede of predestination For we are sayd to be predestinate that we shoulde be holye and blameles And God by predestination hath prepared good woorkes in whiche we should walke And Paul himselfe confesseth that he obteined mercy to be faithful Good workes are the effectes of predestination Against the good vse of of free wil. Wherfore if workes be the effectes of predestination howe can we then say that they are the causes thereof and chiefly those kinde of causes which are called efficient causes For that vse of frée will is nothing worth which they so often boast of as though we haue it of our selues and not of the mercye of God For Paul sayth that it is God which worketh in vs both to will and to performe And God in Ezechiell sayth I will take away from them theyr stony hart and wil geue vnto them a fleshy hart We can not saith Paul thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues And if we had in our selues that good vse which they speake of what shoulde let but that we mighte glory thereof Vndoubtedly the Lord sayth No man commeth vnto me vnles my father draw him And Ierome against the Pelagians excelleÌ„tly wel writeth that those which are sayd to be drawen are by that woord signified to haue bene before withstanding He which is drawen was before vnwillyng resisting and vnwilling but afterward God so worketh that he chaungeth them This selfe same thing also doth the nature of grace proue For Paul sayth That the remnantes might be saued according to the election of grace yâ— is according to gracious or frée electioÌ„ For so is the genetiue case after yâ— Hebrue phrase to be resolued Farther in the definition of predestinatioÌ„ in yâ— first place we haue put this word purpose which seing it signifieth nothing els as we haue declared out of the Epistle vnto the Ephe. but the good pleasure of God thereby it euidentlye appeareth that from no other where must we séeke the cause of predestinatioÌ„ More Workes caÌ„not be the causes of our calling ouer workes can not be the causes of our vocation and much les of our predestination for predestination goeth before vocation And that woorkes are not the causes of vocation is declared by the Epistle vnto Timothy God hath called vs sayth Paul with his holy calling not by our works but according to his purpose and the grace which we haue in Christ before the times of the world Hereby it most manifestly appeareth that works are not the causes of our calling Yea neither also are works the causes of our saluation whiche yet were farre more likely for by good woorkes If we should be predestinate by workes thâ— exclamatioÌ„ of Paul were to no purpose God bringeth vs to felicity But Paul to Titus sayth that God hath saued vs not by the workes of righteousnes but according to his mercy Farther what néeded Paul after this disputation to cry out O the depth of the riches of the wisedom knowledge of God how vnsearcheable are his iudgementes and how vnaccessable are his waies For if he would haue followed these mens opinion he might with one poore word haue dispatched the whole matter and haue sayd that some are predestinate and other some reiected because of the works which God foresaw should be in both of them Those men Augustine in mockage called sharpe witted men which so trimly and so easly saw those things which Paul could not sée But say they the Apostle in thys place assoileth not the questioÌ„ But it is absurd so to say especially seing yâ— he broght it in of purpose the solucioÌ„ therof serued very much vnto yâ— which he had in hand And how in Gods name can he seme not to haue assoyled the question when he The question is assoyled when it is reduced to the highest cause reduced that euen vnto the highest cause namely vnto the will of God And therewithall sheweth that we ought not to go any farther when God had appointed limities at the fote of the mounte Sina if any man had gone beyond those limites he was by the law punished Wherefore let these men beware with what boldnes they presume to go further then Paul would they should But they say that the Apostle here rebuketh the impudent Be it so But yet is this rebuking a most true solution of the question For Paul by this reprehension prohibiteth vs not to enquire any thing beyond the mercy and will of God If these men meane such a solution which may satisfye humane reason I will How the questioÌ„ may be said to be assâ—yled not to be assoyled easely graunt that the question is not in such sorte assoyled But if they seke yâ— solution which fayth ought to embrace and to reste therein they are blind if they se not the solution But let vs se what moued these men to say that workes foresene are the causes of predestination Vndoubtedly that was nothing ells but to satisfy humane iudgement which thing yet they haue not attayned vnto For they haue The aduersaries satisfie not humane reason nothing to answere touching an infante which being grafted into Christ dieth in his infancy For if they will haue him to
more excellency then the effect especially in that it is such a cause wherfore if workes be the causes of predestinatiō they are also more worthy of more excellency Our works cannot be of more worthines then predestination That which is constant certaine dependeth not of that which is vncertain vnconstant then predestination Moreouer predestinatiō is sure cōstāt infallible How thē shall we appoint y◠it depēdeth of y◠works of frée will which are vncertaine vncōstant may be bowed hither thither if a mā cōsider thē perticulaly For men are a like prone vnto this or y◠kinde of sinne as occasions are offred For otherwise if we will speake generally by reason of the sinne of the firste parentes frée will before regeneration can do nothing els but sinne Wherefore according to the sentence of these men it must néedes follow that the predestination of God which is certaine dependeth of the workes of men which are not onely vncertaine but also are sinnes Neither can they say that they mean of those works which follow regeneration For those as we haue taught spring of Grace and of predestination Neither do these men consider that they to satisfye humane reason We must not so defēd ou◠liberty that we spoile God of his libertie and to auoutch I know not what liberty in men spoyle God of his due power liberty in electing which power and liberty yet the Apostle setteth forth and saith that God hath no les right ouer men then hath the potter ouer the vessels whiche he maketh But after these mens sentence God can not elect but him only whom he knoweth shal behaue himselfe wel neither can he reiect any man but whom he séeth shal be euill But this is to go about to bring God into an order and to make him subiect vnto the lawes of our reason As for Erasmus he in vaine speaketh against this reason For he sayth that it is not absurde to take away from God that power which he himselfe will not haue attributed vnto him namelye to do any thing vniustly For we say that Paul hath in vaine yea rather falsly set foorth this We must geue vnto God that liberty whiche the scripture geueth vnto him liberty of God if he neither haue it nor will that it should be attributed vnto him But how Paul hath proued this libertye in God that place whiche we haue cited most manifestly declareth They also to no purpose obiect vnto vs the iustice of God for here is entreated onely of his mercy Neither can they deny but y◠they by this their sentence do rob God of a greate deale of his loue and good will towardes men For the holy scripture when it would commend vnto vs the fatherly loue of God affirmeth that he gaue his sonne and that vnto the death and that then when we were yet sinners enemies and children of wrath But these men will haue no man to be predestinated which hath not good woorkes foreséene in the minde of God And so euerye man may say with himselfe If I be predestinated the cause thereof dependeth of my selfe But an other which féeleth truely in his harte that he is fréely elected of Loue towards God is kindled of the true feling of predestination God for Christes sake when as he of himselfe was all maner of wayes vnworthy of so greate loue will without all doubt be wonderfullye inflamed to loue God againe It is also profitable vnto vs that our saluation shoulde not depende of our works For we oftentimes wauer and in liuing vprightly are not very constant Doubtles if we should put confidence in our owne workes we should vtterly dispayre But if we beleue that our saluation abideth in God fixed and assured for Christes sake we cannot but be of good comfort Farther if predestination shoulde come vnto vs by our woorkes foreséene the beginning of our saluation should be of our selues against which sentence the scriptures euery where cry out For that were to raise vp an idoll in our selues Moreouer the iustice of God shoulde then The consideration of the election of God ▪ and of the election of man is diuers haue néede of the externe rule of our workes But Christ sayth Ye haue not elected me but I haue elected you Neither is that consideration in God which is in men when they beginne to loue a man or to picke out a frende For men are moued by some excellente giftes wherewith they sée a man adorned But God can finde nothing good in vs which first proceedeth not from him And Ciprian saith as Augustine oftentimes citeth him that we therefore can not glory for that we haue nothinge that is our owne and therefore Augustine concludeth that we oughte not to parte stakes betwene God and vs to geue one parte to him and to kéepe an other vnto Vnto God is all whole to be ascribed our selues touching the obteinement of saluation for all whole is without doubte to be ascribed vnto him The Apostle when he writeth of predestination hath alwaies this ende before him to confirme our confidence and especially in afflictiōs out of which he saith that God will deliuer vs. But if the purpose of God shoulde be referred vnto our workes as vnto causes thereof then could we by no meanes conceaue any such confidence For we oftentimes fall and the righteousnes of our If predestinatiō shold depend of workes i◠woulde make vs not to hope but to dispayre workes is so sclender that it cannot stand before the iudgement seate of God And that the Apostle for this cause chiefly made mencion of predestination we maye vnderstand by the. 8. chapter of this Epistle For when he described the effectes of iustification amongst other things he saith that we by it haue obteined the adoption of sonnes and that we are moued by the spirit of God as the sonnes of God and therfore with a valiant minde we suffer aduersities and for that cause euery creature groneth and earnestly desireth to be at the length deliuered And the spirite it self also maketh intercession for vs. And at the last addeth That vnto them that loue God all thinges worke to good And who they be y◠loue God he straightway declareth Which are called saith he according to purpose These seketh Paul to make secure that they shoulde not thinke that they are hindred when they are excercised with aduersities for that they are foreknowne predestinated called and iustified And that he had a respect vnto this security those thinges declare whiche In which wordes of Paul the aduersaries a◠deceiued follow If God be on our side who shal be against vs Who shall accuse against the elect of God First by this methode is gathered that the aduersaries much erre supposinge that by this place they may inferre that predestination commeth of workes foreséene For Paul before that gradation wrote these wordes To them that loue God all
is due throughe the worthines of the good worke but because it followeth good workes by a disposition and order instituted of God And after good workes followeth the reward of felicity and after euill the rewarde of eternall death althoughe hell fire be in verye déede due to the desertes of sinnes Grace saith he is not grace For that it is turned into a recompense due to workes And worke should not be worke if that which is geuen and rendred vnto works should be counted to be geuen by grace for it is the nature of worke to claime the ende of duetye and not fréelye Some cauell that we are not saued and iustified by the workes which we our selues haue done but if they be the workes of God which are done in vs by them we are iustified herebye entendinge that by the receiuing of the sacramentes is conferred grace as the terme it but they are farre deceaued For no man in receiuinge the sacramentes receaueth any grace but that which he receiued by faith When as we receaue the sacramentes as sealinges The sacramentes do not thorow the worke wrought coÌ„ferre grace Wherunto the receauing of the sacraments â—s an helpe of grace and of the giftes already obteyned neither is any thing gotten by them by vertue and strength of the worke wrought as they vse to speake For he which receaueth the sacramentes commeth either worthely or vnworthely if vnworthely he thereby getteth nothing but hurt and losse if worthely then bringeth he a liuely faith wherby he receaueth grace represented by the wordes of God and the sacramentes The woorke it selfe is an helpe whereby faith being somewhat weake is thorough the holy ghost stirred vp and forasmuch as there is celebrated the memory of the Lord and his name is called vpon therfore many good things are obtained and by those obsignations and seales the mindes of the beleuers are confirmed but that the worke it selfe conferreth grace we can in no wise graunt They say also that workes which follow iustification forasmuche as they are not An other â—â—â—llatioâ— ours but come of grace do merite many thinges But althoughe that the grace of God do helpe vs in doing good workes and the thinges which we do are therefore acceptable vnto God and that he will reward those workes yet notwithstanding therein is neither duety nor merite as we haue tought but onely an order and a certaine consequence by the institution and goodnes of God And in summe according to Pauls doctrine where mencion is of grace there muste woorkes néedes be banished as touching that they should be causes eyther of saluation or of iustification And although the proposition which is now proued do pertaine as well vnto the Gentils as vnto the Iewes yet notwithstanding therein are chiefly reproued the Iewes who peraduenture would easely haue graunted that the Gentils grafted into Christ were saued by grace when as before they had liued wickedly and in ydolatry But they which were Israelites and were as they boasted obseruers of the lawe craked that saluation came vnto them throughe the merite of workes Which opinion as it was erronious and iniurious vnto Christ so is it euery where confuted by the Apostle What then Israell hath not obtained that he sought but election hath obteined it and the rest haue bene made blinde According as it is written God hath geuen vnto them the spirite of pricking that when they see they shoulde not see and when they heare they should not heare vnto this day And Dauid saith let theyr table be made a snare and a net and a stomblinge blocke euen for a recompense vnto them Let theyr eyes be darkened that they see not and bow downe theyr backe alwayes What then Israel hath not obteyned that he sought but the election hath obteyned it He concludeth his argument thus that not all the Iewes are The Iues sought not rightly saued but those onely whome God foreknew the elect I meane If they sought how found they not because they sought not rightely They sought a Messias which in glory and pompe should raigne ouer the whole world which should enriche them and subdue all nations vnto their Empire They sought their owne aduauntages namely to be féede with bread at Christs hand They sought to worshippe Messias and God otherwise then was prescribed in the holy scriptures They sought Christ to kill him as it is written in Iohn the 7. chapiter Yet a litle while I am with you and I go vnto my Father ye shall seeke me and shall not finde me Wherfore seing that they sought not rightly it is no meruaile if they found not Wherfore Christ also when he sayth Seke ye shall finde aske and ye shal receaue knocke and it shal be opened vnto you we must adde thereunto this aduerbe rightly namely that we aske rightly that we seke rightly that we knock rightly otherwise we shall do all in vayne The Iewes sought saluation preposterously when as they sought to get it by workes That they sought saluatioÌ„ it is not to be doubted when as Paul attributeth vnto them zele although he take away from them vpright iudgement and true knowledge They applied them selues to sacrifices and ceremonies for no other cause but by them to be saued But forasmuch as that was not to seke a right they attayned not to their purpose Chrisostome truly saith that they therfore were frustrated for that they stroue agaynst them selues For in seeking of saluation they repelled it being offred vnto them frealy by Christ but to seke a thing â–ª and to reiect it when it is offred is manifestly for a maÌ„ to resist that which he purposeth Election sayth he hath obteined it Here he toucheth the true cause yea The chiefest cause of saluation and the chiefest and the assured cause of saluation otherwise they which are saued had by nature nothing of more excellency or woorthines then those which perish Election according to the Hebrue phrase signifieth the elect as circumcision doth What election is after the Hebrew phrase the circumcised And Israel is called the sanctification of God for that it was sanctified by him They are also called Gods possession for that he possesseth them And this kind of speache not a litle furthereth the purpose of Paul for he ment to drawe vs agayne to the consideration of the very cause that we might with the more attentiuenes consider of it But the rest are made blind Here he deuideth Israell into two partes into â—srael is deuided into two partes the elect I say and into the reprobate And affirmeth that the promises are accomplished in the elect which were indefinitly set forth vnto all men Wherefore this proposition is to be proued that the rest which are not comprehended vnder election are by God made blind the cause of which blinding if a man enquire some aunsweres wickednes or sinne But thereby is not the question dissolued What is the efficient cause of excecation
can not certainly iudge neither is the knowledge The Gentles before they are called are without thereof necessary to saluation Let vs consider also that when Paul sayth that the fulnes of the Gentles shall enter in he thereby noteth that before the preaching of the Gospell the Gentles were without for as much as they should afterwarde enter in Neither spake Christ any otherwise wheÌ„ he sayth that they which were in the high wayes and streates should be compelled to enter in Ambrose expounding these wordes saith That then shal be wyped away from the eyes of the Iewes their blindnes that they may beleue In which wordes he declareth that so long as this execation abideth they can not beleue And he addeth That God prohibiting from their hartes the spirit of pricking which worketh in them blindnes may render vnto theÌ„ Ambroseâ— minde touching free will the fre choyce of the will In this sentence he manifestly declareth what he thought of frée will namely as touching those thinges which pertayne vnto iustification and vnto regeneration Whatsoeuer he writeth of it in other places here he most truly affirmeth that straungers from Christ want liberty of will which then is restored vnto them when they are illuminated As it is written Out of Sion shall the deliuerer come and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob This profe which he bringeth out of the sayinges of the Prophets hath in the conclusion necessity only by supposition and not absolutely The strength of the argument herein consisteth for that deliuery was by couenant promised vnto Israell But with yâ— Gentles there was neuer before Christs tyme any leage or couenant publiquely made There was in déede a Before the gospell was preached there was no league made with the GeÌ„tles promise of their calling For it was sayd vnto AbrahaÌ„ In thy sede shal all Gentles be blessed but in very déede there was no couenaunt publiquely made with the Gentiles Neither can this deliuery be vnderstanded as touching any perticular persons when as it is promised vnto Sion and vnto Iacob by which names not any singular persons are signified but the whole people This testimony as touching the greater part thereof is taken out of the 59. chap. of Esay and part of Ieremy and especially out of the 31. chapiter towardes the end Origen Ambrose affirme that it is taken out of Esay And Ambrose peculiarly seemeth to saye that the conuersion of certayne of the Iewes perticularly which happened dayly was a certaine experiment of the will of God as touching the restitution of that nacion Howbeit that which Esay speaketh in the 59. chapiter is not in all pointes as touching the wordes in such sort as the Apostle now alleadgeth them For he after this maner followeth the 70. interpreters who not as touching the sence but only as touching the wordes In Hebrew it is Vba lesion goel vleschabe pescha beiaacob vehum iehouah that is There shall come a redemer saith the Lord vnto Sion and vnto those in Iacob which shal repent them from their iniquities And then is added And this is my couenaunt with them sayth the Lord my spirite thâ—t is vpon thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy sede nor out of the mouth of the sede of thy sede Whereas in the Hebrew it is sayd Vnto Sion shall come the redemer the Seuenty as Ierome writeth haue turned it out of Sion whome Paul also followed And it wel known that Christ was borne of the Iewes who are ment by the name of Sion and the word of the Lord and preaching of the Gospell therehence had his beginning although the Greke edition which we vse hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for Sions sake whereby it is manifest that this which we haue either is not the translation of the 70. or els it is in many places corrupted And Ierome addeth that this word Noal according to the nature of the Hebrew signifieth to be nighe so that is The Greke translation which we vse is ether not the traÌ„slatioÌ„ of the 70. or els it is corrupted Faith whiche iustifieth hath repentaunce annexed with it all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth nigh namely vnto whome the inheritance of the kinsman that is dead commeth Wherefore the sence of the Hebrew words is that vnto Sion shall come a nigh deliuerer Moreouer that which is written both of the 70. and of Paul And he shall turne away the vngodlynes from Iacob is in the Hebrew Lishbe which they paraduenture tooke as though it were written Leschob peschaa but this maketh no disagréeing as touching the sence For they which are deliuered by faith from their sinnes haue alwayes repentaunce annexed and ioyned with their faith not as a condition which should be the cause of remission for this should be a condition of the law and vnprofitable when as no man is able to performe it but an euangelicall condition as which followeth the forgeuenes of sins or iustification at least by nature is acceptable vnto God for whatsoeuer waÌ„teth therof by reasoÌ„ of our infirmity is holpeÌ„ by the merits of Christ And this is my testament with theÌ„ That which followeth in Esay touching the spirite and word of God excellently setteth forth vnto vs the couenaunt or leage of Fod For first are the wordes of the promise which also shall alwayes remaine amongest the faythfull which yet should be vnprofitable vnles therto were added the spirite whereby the hartes of the hearers are moued to beleue VVhen I shall take away theyr sinnes This part is not read in Esay wherfore it may be taken as a compendious interpretation of those thinges which the Prophet before spake of the couenaunt for where the spirite is the wordes of God are spoken when we embrace them by fayth streight way foloweth forgeuenes of sinnes and for that the prophet expressed not the effect Paul thought he would manifestly set it forth Otherwise it is gathered out of the 31. chap. of Ieremy where when mencion had bene made of the new couenant the first being abrogated it is sayd I will be mercifull vnto theyr iniquity and I will no more remember theyr sinne And that whiche Esaye speaketh of Sion and of Iacob and Ieremye also of the house of Iudah and of Ierusalem can not be taken of Paul allegoricallye as thoughe in these woordes is signifyed the number of the faythfull These wordes are to be vnderstanded properly of the Israelites An argument wherby is proued that the Messias is God Only God forgeueth sinnes of what people so euer it be For as we sayde Paules meaninge is peculiarly to commende the Iewes and to put away the discord which was sprong in the Church betwene the Ethnikes and the Iewes And in yâ— it is sayd that the Iewes should by the Messias be deliuered from theyr sinnes it is a sure
man should say y◠we take our argumēt only of the which happeneth thorough the slouthfulnes of men when as the disputacion is of that which may be done if mē would put to theyr good will for many are not iustified by theyr good workes when as yet they might be iustified by them if they The 〈◊〉 would hereunto we answere with the Apostle in the 8. chapiter who sayth For that which the law could not performe in as much as it was weake bycause of the fleshe that performed God by his owne sonne being sent vnder the similitude of flesh subiect vnto sinne and by sinne condemned sinne through flesh This place admonisheth vs that the iustice of God which is commaunded in the commaundementes could not be performed by the helpe of the law by reason of the vice and infirmity of the flesh and for that cause was Christ sent of the father to performe that whiche The 20. could not be accomplished of vs. The same thing also teacheth he a litle after for when he had sayd that the lust of the flesh is death he addeth moreouer That it is enmity agaynst God for it is not subiect vnto the law of God neither indede can be Wherefore whatsoeuer we do by our naturall strengths which is called flesh the same resisteth God for our corrupted nature can not be subdued vnder the law of God And forasmuch as it is so thē can we not be iustified by y◠dedes therof In the same chapiter also we read Vnto those that loue God all thinges worke to The 21. good vnto those I say which are called of purpose In which wordes the Apostle touched the beginning and chiefe poynte of all our goodnesse namely the purpose of God whiche is so the cause of our saluation that all our other goodnes dependeth thereof but it is not moued by any of our goodnesse But the very causes of mans felicity are afterward orderly and distinctly described amonge which there is no mencion at all of our good workes Those which he knew before he also predestinated and whome he hath predestinated those hath he also called And whome he hath called them also hath he iustified and whome he hath iustified them also will he glorify This chayne is lincked together with all the meanes and helpes by which God bringeth vs to saluation But seing there is no mencion made of the workes of the law and of merites it sufficiently appeareth that by them we are not iustified Farther when it is sayd Who shall accuse against the elect of God The 22. It is God which iustifieth who shall condemne It is Christ which dyed yea which also is risen agayn which also sitteth at the right hand of God which also maketh intercessiō for vs If by the iudgment of God we should be iustified by workes it had bene sufficient to haue sayd the elect shal be accused in dayne forasmuch as they haue good merites and seing by theyr vertuous and holy workes they shall obtayne absolution He sayth not so But saith he it is God which iustifieth And it mought haue bene answered No man shall condemne the elect when as theyr workes ar such that they deserue both absolutiō and a reward But he maketh no such answere but sayth It is Christ which dyed c. Why then should we take vpon vs to mingle our woorkes therewithall when as the scripture willeth vs in no case so to doo Now come we to the ninth chapiter wherein is entreated of the prouidence of God which directeth and ordreth all thinges not for any other cause vndoubtedly but that we should thinke that the nature of it and of iustification is all one for either of them is geuē fréely and not of works For the Apostle writeth that of two brethern which were not yet borne and when they had done neither good nor The 23. euill to the end the election of God shoulde abide according to purpose not of workes but of the caller it was sayd The elder shall serue the yonger as it is written Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated Here as we se are workes most manifestly excluded Also vnto Moses it was answered I will shew mercy to whomsoeuer I shew mercy The 24. and will haue compassion on whomesoeuer I haue compassion These wordes also declare y◠the forgeuenes of sinnes the meanes whereby men are receaued into fauor depend not of theyr workes but of y◠mere merciful beneuolēce of God And y◠same thing also do the wordes following declare It is not of him that willeth The 25. nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy Againe He hath mercy on whō he will and whome he will he hardeneth But if iustification might be gotten by our will or by workes then should it be both of him that willeth and of him that runneth neither should they be conuerted on whome God hath compassion but they which should chiefely haue compassion vpon themselues neither also should God harden any man when as all men might promptly easely and at their pleasure by good workes be reconciled vnto God and also be iustified But it is farre otherwise for they which put their confidence in workes do to farre erre from the true righteousnes whereof we now speake Toward the end of the 9. chapiter the Apostle sayth Israell which followed the lawe of righteousnes attayned not to the law of The 26. righteousnes And why euen because they sought it not by fayth but as it were by the workes of the lawe And if the works of the lawe were a let vnto the Iewes for the obtainment of iustification what should we then hope for thereby This selfe The 27. same thing the Apostle although in other wordes declareth in the 10. chapiter They being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and goyng about to establishe their own righteousnes are not subiect vnto the righteousnes of God These wordes signify nothing els but that they fal from the righteousnes of God which attribute to much to their owne righteousnes namely to workes And so great is the contrariety betwene grace and workes that the effect which procedeth from the one can not The 28. procéede from the other For Paul sayth There is a remnaunt left according to the election of grace If it be of grace then is it not now of workes for then grace is no more grace and if it be of workes then is it not of grace For this is the property of grace to be geuen fréely and of a mere liberality but the property of a worke is that the reward should be geuen of duty and euen by very right Lastly what shal we say The 29. when the Apostle crieth out Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdome and knowledge of God Vndoubtedly Paul by this affection declareth that it is a thing most hard to be knowen whether God deale iustly which predestinateth whome he will and
put But Pighius sayth farther that God requireth these woorkes that he may◠fréelye impute vnto vs iustification Whosoeuer is but euen slenderlye exercised in the holye Scriptures shall easelye sée that thys man is euen directlye repugnaunt vnto Paul For he in the Epistle to the Romaines sayth Vnto hym whych worketh not a reward is imputed accordyng to grace But Pighius sayth vnto him which worketh God imputeth righteousnes fréely But to impute fréely and not to impute fréely euery childe may sée that they are contradictories But mark gentle Reader this reason of two members These workes which he speaketh of either profite vnto iustification or else profite not If they profite not why calleth he them preparations For amongst causes are reckened also causes preparatory But if he will say that they profite are in very déede causes preparatories with what mouthe can he affirme that he plucketh away nothing from the honoure of Christ but appoynteth him to be the whole and absolute cause of our iustificatiō But peraduenture this two membred argument a man will turne vpon vs touching those works which follow iustification For he wil say either they are profitable to obtaine saluation or they are not profitable If they be not profitable Wherunto good works profite after iustificatiō why are they required and why are their promises setforth vnto thē But if they be why doe we not allowe merite to be in them I answer that suche workes are profitable vnto men regenerate for that they liuing vprightly and orderly are renewed and made more perfect But that is nothing else but a certaine inchoation and as it were a participation of eternall life Farther it hath séemed good vnto God by suche meanes or rather by suche spaces to bring men vnto eternal felicitie But we can not cal these workes merites For Paul expressedly teacheth that the stipend of sinne is death but eternall life is grace But that which is giuen fréely vtterly excludeth merite And in the meane time we ought to remember that That which is geuē frely excludeth merite there is a great difference as we haue oftentimes taught betwene their works which are as yet straungers from Christ and from God and their workes which are now by grace grafted into Christ and made his members Afterward also he goeth about to confute that which we say that a man is iustified by that faith which hath a respecte vnto the promises of Christ and of the remission of sinnes as though we holde that faith is the proper correlatiue of such promises For he saith that faith hath equally a respect vnto all the thinges which are set forth in the holy scriptures Yea saith he he doth vnto God a thing no les acceptable which beleueth that he created the world or beleueth the thre persons of the diuinitie or the resurrection to come then he which beleueth that Christe was giuen to be our mediator and that by him is to be obtained the remission of sinnes For that faith is of no lesse worthinesse then the other And if we be iustified by faith he contendeth that that faith no lesse pertaineth to the other articles then to the remission of sinnes by Christ And this he thinketh may be proued by that which Paul wryteth in the. 4. chapiter vnto the Romaines And not for him only were these things written but also for vs vnto whome it shal be imputed so that we beleue in him which hath raised vp Christ from the dead Beholde saith he that faith is imputed vnto vs vnto righteousnesse whereby we beleue that God raised vp Christ from the dead and not that faith whereby we beleue that sinnes are forgiuen vs by Christ First here we confesse that our faith assēteth vnto all the things which are contained in the holy scriptures But forasmuche as amongste them there is but onely one principall and excellent truthe vnto which all the other truthes are directed namely that Christ the sonne of God suffred for vs that by him we might receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes what meruail is it if our faith haue a respect vnto this one thing chiefly For this our assumpt Paul proueth For he saith that Christ is the end of the law Wherfore séeing he is the end of al the scriptures he is also the summe and principall obiecte of our faith although otherwise Christ is the principal obiect of our faith by our faith we also embrase all other thinges which are contained in the holy scriptures And whereas he addeth that the faith which is of the other articles is no lesse acceptable vnto God then this faith which concerneth Christ and the remission of sinnes we may first say that that is not true if a man rightly way the dignitie of the action of faith For the dignitie of faith as also the dignitie of other suche like kindes of powers is measured by the obiects For as those obiects differ one from an other in excellency and dignitie so the assētings of faith ought according The dignity of faith is mesured by the obiect to the same to be counted inferior or of more excellency Séeing therefore God would in suche sort haue his sonne to die and that men should be by him reconciled that for this he hath instituted all the other things to be beleued which are set forth in the holy scriptures we can not put any doubt but that this pleased him much more then the other For that the other are directed vnto this as vnto their end And this is a common rule amongst the Logicians Euery thyng is such a thyng by reason of an other wherfore that other thyng shall much more be such Wherfore this actiō of faith wherby we assēt vnto this most noble truth ought to excell al other actiōs of faith whatsoeuer they be And so it is not by a thing like acceptable vnto God whither a man beleue this or that If we should vse this answere I know Pighius were neuer able to confute it but we say moreouer that he in vain contendeth about the greater or lesse dignitie of faith as touching this or that article For we are not iustified by the dignitie of faith For it is in euery mā weak◠and féeble But we therefore say that we are iustified by faith bicause by it as by We are not iustified by the dignity of fayth an instrument vnto this ende giuen vnto vs and by God appointed we apply Christ vnto vs and take holde of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Wherefore the worthinesse or vnworthinesse therof is to no purpose considered But that which he bringeth out of the. 4. Chapiter of the Romaines he bringeth cut of and maimed For if a man read the ful and perfect sentence he shal easely sée that plaine mention is there made of the death of Christ and of the remission of sinnes which by it we haue obtained For Paul saith that vnto vs it shall be imputed as it was vnto Abraham if
false doctrine But this man vndoubtedly is so farre besides him selfe that he sayth that this was lawfull for the Fathers to do For in his booke de votis which not many yeares ago he set abrode he sayth that Augustine in his booke de Bono viduitatis whereas he writeth that their matrimonies which had vowed a vow of virginity or of sole life are true mariages not adulteries wrote the same for no other end but to perswade Iuliana the widow vnto whome he wrote the booke that mariages in generall are not euill And so in Gods name he confesseth that Augustine setteth forth one false doctrine to ouerthrow an other false doctrine And with the like wisedōe in the same booke he fayneth that Clemens Alexandrinus wrote that Paul had a wife which he thinketh to be most false only to proue that mariage is good and honorable And if it be lawfull so to mingle true thinges with false and to confound all thinges when then shall we beleue the Fathers What thing can at any time be certaine vnto vs but that we may be deceaued by them Farther he fayneth that Paul excluded from iustification only workes of the law But this we haue before aboundantly confuted and haue taught that the reasons of Paul are generall Yea the Fathers saw euen this also For Augustine in many places affirmeth that Paul entreateth not only of ceremoniall works but also of morall works But bycause the authority of Augustine is I can not tell by what meanes suspected vnto our aduersaries Ierome also was of the opinion that not only ceremoniall works are to be excluded from iustification let vs se what Ierome sayth He vnto Clesiphon agaynst the Pelagians vpon these wordes By the workes of the law no flesh shal be iustified thus writeth By cause thou thinkest this to be spokē of the law of Moses only and not of all the commaundements which are conteyned vnder this one name law the selfe same Apostle sayth I consent vnto the law of God There are others also of the Fathers which teach the same but I now ouerpasse them Let it suffice to shew that this other fayned inuētion of Smith is vaine and trifling Thirdly he sayth that they ment to exclude workes as he calleth them penal namely those woorkes I suppose which men repentant doo but to shew how rediculous this is also shall nede no long declaration For first such workes were required of men not that by them they should be iustified before God but only to approue themselues vnto the Church namely lest they should by a fayned and dissēbled repentance seke to be reconciled Farther it is not very likely that Paul spake of any such workes For they were not at that time in vse In dede Ambrose when he excludeth woorkes frō iustification hath hereunto once or twise a respect But we ought not so much to consider what one or two of the Fathers say but what agréeth with the holy scriptures Smith addeth moreouer that it is certayne that God requireth much more of vs then fayth For in Marke it is thus written Repent ye and beleue Here sayth he vnto fayth is adioyned repentāce And in an other place He that beleueth and is Baptised shal be saued He addeth also that in the epistle to the Ephesians the Church is sayd to be sanctified with the lauacre of water in the word And that Peter in his 3. chap. of his first epistle sayth That Baptisme hath made vs safe Ierome also thus writeth vpon the first chapiter of Esay The lauacre of regeneration only remitteth sinnes Behold sayth he iustification and remission of sinnes is ascribed not only vnto fayth but also vnto the sacraments As touching the first we graunt that Christ requireth more of vs then faith For who doubteth but that he will haue men that are iustified to liue vprightly and to exercise them selues in God requireth more of men then faith all kindes of vertues otherwise they shall not come vnto eternall saluation But these are fruites of fayth and effectes of iustification and not causes But as touching the sacramēts we haue many times taught how iustification is to be attributed vnto them For they are in the same respect vnto it as is the preaching of the Gospel and the promise concerning Christ which is offred vnto vs vnto saluation And very oftentimes in the Scriptures that which belongeth vnto the thing is ascribed vnto the Sacrament or signe And bicause Baptisme promiseth remission of sinnes by Christ and signifieth it and sealeth it in them which are washed therfore Ierome of all other sacraments attributeth this vnto it only Wherefore the wordes of the Fathers ought nothing to moue vs when as they thus write That fayth alone is not sufficient vnto saluation For they vnderstand that of eternall saluation vnto which we come not except some fruite follow our fayth But of theyr sayings we ought not to gather the a man is not iustified by faith only And though at any time those selfe same fathers seme to referre theyr wordes vnto iustification yet are they to be vnderstand that theyr meaning was to expresse the nature of the true and iustifieng fayth For it in very dede is neuer alone but hath euer hope and charitie and other good workes as companions Sometimes also by iustification they vnderstand the righteousnes which cleaueth vnto vs of which it is moste certayne that it consisteth not of fayth only They thinke also that this maketh agaynst vs for that Paul writeth vnto the Romanes By hope ye are made safe Neyse The righteousnes which cleaueth vnto vs consisteth not of faith only they that hope is there taken for the last regeneration which we hope we shall one day obteyne in our countrey For the Apostle a litle before spake of it And vndoubtedly we possesse that saluation onely in hope not as yet in very déede If there be any paraduenture whō this most iust and most true solution wil not satisfy let him follow the interpretation of Origen For he vppon that place sayth that hope is there put for faith which is no rare thing in the holy scriptures But they haue found out yet an other fond deuise whereby as much as lieth in them they goo about to lenifie this worde Only which is so often vsed of the Fathers namely that fayth only hath the beginning and as it were the first degrée of iustification which afterward is made perfect and full when other good workes come vnto it But how vayne this is Paul himselfe sufficiently teacheth For he doth not onely say that we are iustified by faith onely but also he addeth without workes Farther this also maketh against these men which is written in in the 15. chapter of wisdome To know is full righteousnes In which place it is a sport to sée how our Smith writeth himselfe First he dareth not deny the sentēce for he counteth that booke for canonicall but as he is
that none can by good conscience denye tribute vnto Princes if it be required Nether ought Pope Bonifacius in any wise to haue taken vpon him to make that vnreasonable and outragious decrée It is already concluded of Paul that all owe subiection and obedience to publike powers Neither ought the godly sayth Chrysostome to take it in ill part to be subiect to magestrates although they themselues are the children of God and appoynted to the kingdome of heauen For theyr glory is not in the state of this life They wayt vntill Christ appeare in whome as yet is hidden theyr life But in yâ— meane time they ought not to count it a thing greuous if they rise vppe if they vncouer the head if they geue the vpper hande if they obey Magestrates Here is nothing vnméete or vncomely Yea rather what so euer is done of them accordynge to the prescript of the worde of God is full of all comelinesse and worthinesse Owe nothing to any man but this to loue one an other Paul will haue vs so perfectly and fully to render to euery man that which we owe vnto him that we should cease to be any more in debt Howbeit there is one certain thing which Charity is alwaâ—s tâ—e for that the cause of that det always remaineth can neuer be fully payd namely the debt of loue and charity For although thou both hast and dost loue thy neighbour yet notwistanding art thou still bound to loue him For there alwayes remayneth a cause why thou oughtest to loue him namely God whose image he is He made him he gaue him to thée to be thy neighbour he hath commaunded that thou shouldest loue him as thy selfe For he that loueth an other hath fulfilled the law Some referre this to that part of the law only which is here spoken of True it is that the discourse of thys treatise is of that part of the law which pertayneth to our neighbour So that the sence should be he which loueth an other hath fullfilled yâ— who le law as touching Our neyghbour is not rightly loued vnâ—es God be loued in him We haue God in our neighboure after a sort visible We must not hereby affirm that we can pâ—eforme the law the secoÌ„d table But I se no let but that we may simply vnderstaÌ„d yâ— who le law For we can not loue our neighbour well vnles we loue God in him For these are so knit together as the cause and the effect and therefore they can not be seperated the one from the other For the loue of our neighbour is a testimony of that loue wherwith we loue God If we loue not God being in a neighbour after a sort visible and present how do we boast that we loue him in himselfe whiche is not séene of vs but is of some thought to be very farre of from vs I would not that our aduersaries should here triumph as though Paul should say that we performe and fullfill the law Paul indede affirmeth that the law is fullfilled of him which loueth his neighbour but yet of such a one which in such sort loueth as the law coÌ„maundeth But this is no man able to performe For this thou shalt not committe adultery thou shalt not kill The proofe is hereof taken for that all those preceptes are summarily comprehended in that which is sayd Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe And this commaundement as Chrisostome here noteth is sayd of Christ to be like that great commaundemeÌ„t Thou shalt loue thy Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule and with all thy strengths For seing that we ought to loue our neighbours as our selues there waÌ„teth litle but that we ought to loue him as we loue God For we omitte nothing Why the commaundement of hanoring the parents is ouer hipped which may serue to our owne commodity or saluation He made no mencion of the loue towards our pareÌ„ts eyther bycause that precept as the Hebrews thinke pertayneth to the first table or ells for that he would not reckon vp all all the coÌ„maundements For therfore he added And if there be any other commaundement Or ells for that he had alredy before sufficiently spoken of the obedience due to magestrates in which order are parentes also to be placed Loue woorketh not euill to his neighbour This is easely gathered of that which haue bene spoken For in these commaundemeÌ„ts are prohibited all things whatsoeuer may offeÌ„ded our brother Wherfore Paul aptly added that such is the force of loue that it suffreth not any man to hurt his neighbour And that considering the season that it is nowe time that we should arise from slepe for now is our saluation nerer then when we beleued The night is past and the day is at hand let vs therefore cast away the woorkes of darkenes and let vs put on the armour of light So that we may walke honestly as in the day not in glottonie and dronckenes neyther in chambring and waÌ„tonnes nor in strife and enuieng But put ye on the Lorde Iesus Christe and take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lustes of it And that considering the season that it is now time that we shold arise from slepe After that Paul had now geuen many rules touching the dewties of loue and of an holy life lest paradueÌ„ture they should slippe out of our minds he thought it good to vrge them by an argument taken of time The summe is at this present all these thinges are diligently and with an earnest endeuor to be sene vnto for that oportunity serueth excedingly thereunto For so signifieth the Greke woorde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Paul vseth All this whole talke is metaphoricall â–ª For he maketh mencion of slepe of night of day of arising from slepe and of darkenes Waking Aristotle calleth a liberty of yâ— sences to execute theyr functioÌ„s contrariwise slepe is a bond of the sences Which commeth by the euaporation of the noorishements to the hed The meaning is this That before the fayth of Christ was reaceaued What waking is What â—â—â—pe is that is before regeneration men were conuersant in great darkenes of ignoraÌ„ce and therefore as it had bene men on sleepe they were hindred from all good works which mought be gratefull and acceptable to God But now after fayth and the grace of regeneration the bright knowledge of God hath shined forth as it were the day and therfore the strengths both of the soule and of the body are new after a sort losed and made frée to performe the woorkes of righteousnes Wherefore it is not mete that men should at this time be idle and senceles And therefore euery one ought to be awaked vp to execute the will of God seing that he séeth that he walketh in the light and in the day Paul vsed this selfe same forme of speach in yâ— first epistle to the Thes in the last chap. All ye sayth he are the children of
is cleane for that theyr mind and conscience is defiled Here wese yâ— those things which otherwise were vnclene are by fayth the woord made cleane And contrariwise yâ— which of his own nature is cleane is by a corrupt opinioÌ„ and by departing froÌ„ the worde of God made vncleane What meruaâ—le is it then if we say that when the worde and faith is added the bread in the Eucharist The nature of charity and the water in Baptisme are no more common and vulgare elementes But if thy brother be greued for the meate now waâ—kest not thou according to charity Here he declareth that that which of his owne nature is not common or vncleane is yet notwithstanding sometymes for some other cause prohibited namely as we haue sayd for charity sake For the nature thereof is to stirre vs vp diligently to prouide for all those thinges which we knowe shall profite our brother They greuously sinne against this commaundemeÌ„t which wil not forbeare from those thinges by which they know the consciences of their weake brethren are offended and afflicted In mans body if any member peradueÌ„ture be ill at ease it is handled gently and diligently sene vnto of the other members So ought we to helpe our weake brethreÌ„ as much as lieth in vs and to ease them of their paine and griefe Let no man thinke that the consent of religion is a thing light or of small valew For in such cases we se that the weake ar greued wheÌ„ they se others to doo otherwise then they iudge ought to be doone But coÌ„trariwise the godly reioyce when they se others consent with them both in fayth and in maners Destroy not him vvirh thy meate for vvhome Christ dâ—ed For what other thing ells is this but openly to resist the counsell of Christ He hath redemed him wilt thou destroy him He hath shed his life soule bloud for thy brother CaÌ„st not thou for his sake absteyne from a poore pece of meate He being the chiefe creator author of all thinges did this And doost thou being but a woorme yea and lesse theÌ„ a woorme thinke skorne to doo this He died for thée when thou wast hatefull and his enemy and canst not thou suffer so trifeling a thing for the brother sake Ambrose very godly sayth that by this place we may know of how greate valew the saluation of our brother is This I thinke he therefore spake for that the nature of iustice requireth that the price of a thing be after a sort made equall with the thing it selfe The price of a thing is after a sort made equall with the thing it self VVherefore cause not your commodity to be obnoxious to euil speakings Ye must in no case suffer sayth he the excellent giftes of God to be euill spoken of thorough your default But Christian liberty and the doctrine of the Gospell and fayth are no vulgare or common giftes of God Why then doo we cause them to be euill spoken of for our sakes when as rather they ought by all maner of meanes to be commended and with most high prayses to be set forth By euil speakings I vnderstand not the euill speakings of euery kind of meÌ„ but of the weake brethern which forasmuch as they detest thy liberty thorough thy default are made contumelious agaynst GOD which gaue it vnto thée But that man goeth rightly orderly to woorke which séeth vnto that his woorkes be approued and yâ— especially by the iudgement of the godly brethren that the glory of God may be celebrated that others may haue an example of holynes to follow We may here also vnderstand the euil speakings of those which ar without For they when they sée christians to contend amongest them selues about friuolous matters beginne to haue our religion in contempt Therof came it that Paule sayd for your sakes the name of God is euil spoken of amongst the Gentles For the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke These stroÌ„ger sort thought that in defeÌ„ding their liberty they did very much increase the kyngdom of God thought also yâ— if they dyd otherwyse they should betray it Paul thus answereth vnto theÌ„ yâ— this is not the force this is not the right this is not the fruit of the kingdoÌ„ of heauen that we should either eate or drinke whatsoeuer we list For the effectes thereof are of much more excellency Which effectes Paul straight way mencioneth namely righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy ghost Chrisostome thus expoundeth these wordes The kingdom of God is not meate and drinke these things bring thee not to the kingdome of heauen but righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy ghost make thee partaker thereof With which exposition Ambrose also agréeth If by righteousnes peace and ioy they vnderstand Christ which is made vnto vs all those thinges I wil not be agaynst theÌ„ But if they put theÌ„ as causes of our felicity their interpretation is vtterly wide from the marke They had not spoken amisse if they Meat anâ— drinke are not the principall thinges for which we should contend had sayd that meat and drinke are not those thinges whereby is confirmed and spred abroad the kingdome of God and therefore we must not contend about them as tertayne chiefe and principall points Therefore Paul saith in the 8. chapiter of the first to the Corrinthians Meate commendeth vs not vnto God For neither if we eate not shall we want neither if we eate shall we abound One Vrbicus as Augustine writeth in his 86. epistle very vnlearnedly abused these wordes to proue that we ought to fast on the Saturday Because the kingdome of God sayth he is not meate and drinke Augustine answereth If the matter be so then vpon the Sondayes and at other times when we fast not we pertayne not to the kingdome of God Chrisostome sayth that by this sentence of the Apostle eyther part is admonished For it is profitable for ech part to vnderstand wherein consisteth the kingdome of God Which thing thoughe I graunt to be somewhat likely yet doo I not iudge it to be of necessity For he still continueth in dealing with the stronger sort and sayth destroy not the woorke of God for meate sake Righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy ghost â–ª The kingdome of God consisteth not in outward thinges For forasmuch as it is a thing spirituall it must nedes also consist of thinges spirituall which though they be many in nomber yet here are reckened vp only the excellenter spirituall thinges By righteousnes he vnderstandeth both yâ— righteousnes wherby we are iustified out of which springeth Righteousnes of two sortes true peace And therefore Paul before sayd We being iustified by fayth haue peace And also that righteousnes which after regeneration springeth forth of fayth as a fruit therof which righteousnes also is the mother of peace For it disturboth not neither worketh any thing wherby our neighbors may iustly be angry or be