and that not onely in respecte of the ceremoniall Lawe which Maister Stapleton supposeth but rather in regard of the Law of deeds Lib. 6. cap. 6 For their ceremonies were neither so many in number nor in obseruation so harde and how troublesome soeuer they were to the priesthod notwithstāding generally to the people were they both very few very easie to speak of But yet becaus by the ceremonies as namely the circumcision if they trusted therin they were become debtors of the whole Law therefore was the Law an insupportable yoke and whereby possibly came no perfection in consideration whereof S. Peter preacheth in the Actes that by grace in Iesus Christ through beleefe saluation is attained The hande of fauour reacheth it furth the hand of faith receaueth it offred and the spirite of adoption reposeth it in the hartes of beleuers and sealeth it fast vp in the assurance of a certaine hope against the day of euerlasting redemption Herein we leane not to a broken reede neither feeke we for moisture Iob. 6.20 as they that went to Tema and Scheba in the wildernes where the waters were dried vp we look not to trie balme out of the hard flint For worldly promotion commeth neither from the West nor from the East much lesse eternall saluation Onely by grace we beleeue to be saued and neither in parte The meaning of these words saith alone doth saue expoūded neither in whole by any thing else And this is our meaning when we saie Faith alone doth saue and iustifie that is we are wholely saued and solely iustified by God alone in whom we beleeue and neither by the preparations of nature nor by the libertie of will or else by the worthynes of any deedes as parts causes of our iustification our whole repose is onely in the mercie of the father that gaue vs his sonne and in the merit of the sonne that laid down his life to saue vs then when we were his enemies much more no doubt now saueth he vs when we are his frindes Phil. 1.29 by faith in him and that not for the dignity of faith For the merite of saluation resteth still in him the Sauiour and not in vs the persons saued And faith it selfe although it be no cause of procuring but a meane of receauing saluation yet is it also the gift of God who knoweth onely as Augustine speaketh how to giue to and not to take of his creatures and therfore we trust in him and onely in him And this is the doctrine of faith of al the faithfull of all ages of all places that it is onely faith that receaueth saluatiō that is in effect that God alone only he doth all as the sole cause of sauing the faithfull that they may beleeue stedfastly in him in him alone A while in these latter dayes corrupt times when the ruines of true doctrine were gretest with bold faces a sort of ignorāt vnreaden scriblers bore the world in hād that Solafides only faith was a mōster neuer born nor heard of til Luther forged it first Since being compeld to lay aside a litle their schoole brablers to take in hand the ancient fathers and old doctors wherunto they were skilfully directed by the learned of this last age their outcries that those wordes only faith in good record can not be found are well slaked At length euen M. Stapleton him selfe can cite redily Stapl. lib. 8. cap. 35. Hylary Origen Chrisostō Basile Austine others and he quoteth places in plaine pregnāt words as clear as cristall that onely faith doth iustifie But now when he hath foūd the words which were first found to his handes Rhem. not Iam. 2.24 both he out of him our M. of Rhemes reioine that the fathers neuer wrot thē in sensu Protestantum in the sence meaning that the Protestants take thē as if belike they were very like our Papists that somtime speake well and meane il not only of the Prince the laws in the common wealth but also of Christ of his grace of the scripture in the Church of God But cōcerning the point of this matter Only faith doth iustify So say we as sayd the fathers before vs many yeares ago their wordes be the same with ours and why not their sence First forsooth in saying that only faith doth iustifie is meant that the Lawe cannot iustifie without faith Doth then the Lawe iustifie with faith and faith togeather with the Lawe and doe the fathers meane so truely children woulde be more thē ashamed of such contradictions you let not most falsly to father vpon those good men fathers of reuerend and godly memory For if faith doe iustifie alone as say they saie trulie then doubtles without the law doth it iustifie or if not without the law or if the law with it then not alone For whosoeuer doth any thing alone he doth it without the helpe of any other Wherfore faith iustifying alone doth it without the law or any thing else except perchaunce alone signify not alone which may be true in Rhemes Doway verely we that tarie at home rome not abroad neuer harde the like interpretatiō in any of our scholes Again only faith they say excludeth the works of natur as the vertues of the Gētiles in case of necessity wher time wāteth onely faith is sufficient nether are externall works required as of the theef on the cros Farther onely faith is opposed either to the misbeleef of heretiks or vnto the vnbe lefe of infidels likewise is it set vp against the pride of vaunting Phariseis also against the fonde busie curiositie of vaine heades In these sences only is only faith meant taken in the fathers Well if this were so what of all this for the first of all these last answers heaped vp together be it agreed vpō that faith alone doth iustifie without natures worke at all For so vpon good occasiō warrāt out of the word of god haue the fathers spokē so you seem to agnize that they haue Wel then be it cōcluded as an euerlasting truth that in the case of iustifying nature hath not to do at all And will you graunt this no not so why not so because as you dream faith alone doth iustify is as much to say as natur doth not iustify without faith but with faith it doth This was the former starting hole where faith alon was faith the law here faith alone is faith nature Verily this is not faith alone but sport alone for Satā but to vs that morn thirst for your saluatiō what a singuler grief is it to cōsider how mē that beare the name of Christians will needes be thus wilfully deceaued dauncing skipping vp downe in the netts of their own deuising thinke no man discerneth The fathers intend by this worde onely faith to exclude both the Law of
Moses and the Law of nature But they conclude all together include the workes of the one and the other within faith Call ye me this excluding then to go on with the rest you say when some of the Fathers by onely faith exclude pride infidelitie heresie and curiositie you may as well say verum est without faith yet notwithstanding conioyne them altogether faith and infidelitie faith and pride faith and heresie faith and curiositie making vp as it were a Daniels image of cōtrarie mettals Dan. 2.33 that can not possibly cleaue or hang together But if excluding be including you may say and conclude what you will and distinguish at pleasure and defend with ease and all is well speciallie if you get but fauourable readers that can and will thinke what soeuer cometh from beyond seas must needes go for good Not withstanding that the simple may see the childish fondnesse and the extreame falsitie of this so absurd dealing I will shew it then in the like reason I would haue a garment made onely of cloath meaning by onely cloath to exclude stitching lacing facing with silk shall the Taylor come stitch lace and face my garment face me out that when I willed it to be made of cloth alone that without cloth forsooth I wold not haue it stitcht laced faced but with cloth I would Verily it had need be a very brode cloth that cā couer ouer al this follie it is so brode and a verie cunning not a Taylor but a Rhetorician or rather a Magician that must perswade me so and so bewitch a man against all sense reason in the world As for the theef that was saued by faith alone without externall workes alleadged by the Fathers that doth verie well proue that faith alone in sauing doeth the deede Ambros in Rom. 3 and not workes For the way to heauen is but single and one the same to all The thiefe was saued and entered Paradise by faith onely therefore also must all so do if they will enter For God will not saue some by him selfe in mercie and saue others by them selues partlie in mercie and partlie by their owne workes If the thiefe had liued longer time he should would haue liued well but his beleeuing was the wing that caried him vp and the key that opened the doore of heauen When time wanteth not onely faith excludeth not either workes or the goodnesse of woorkes in earth but the meritoriouse deseruing by workes with God in heauen and hereby both in heauen and in earth the free mercie and grace of God is beleeued embraced and gloriouslie set foorth by this most excellent confession of onely faith whereby we agnize the gift the free gift of God according to his purpose promis fauour grace and mere mercie In the storie of the Gospell in particular by examples thus much is prooued and where onely faith is named exacted and cōmended euen in bodily cares much more in ghostly causes of the soule where our Sauiour doth not so much respect the teares of some or in others their feare and trembling nor their crying calling after him but their faith and the greatnesse of their faith Mat. 9.22 Luc. 7.50 Mat. 15.28 Luc. 8.50 Thy faith hath made the whole Thy faith hath saued thee O woman great is thy faith I haue not found so great faith in Israell And in the eight of Luke and fifte of Mark. Beleeue onlie Onely marke that And withall marke if you will the Papists doubling answer herunto Rhem. not Mar. 5.36 Onelie beleeue that is either especially or only in cases of bodily diseases What I pray you why say you or and or If onely be not only but especially and principally then say so Or if onely be onely then say so and houer not vp and down like the birde that was sent out of the ark Gen. 8.9 and could not find where to set her foote But in deed neither is onely especially neither is onely onely in bodily sicknesse alone as shall plainelie appear And therfore herein ye haue made vs not onely one lye alone but two lowde lyes and those together without taking breath one vpon an anothers head For as for the first was Christ like your Phisitian that biddeth his pacient be of good cheere and onely haue a good heart yet withall a good diet must be kept and potions receiued as thinges more requisite O M. Allen and M. Martin and who euer else had finger in that your late gewgawe translation was there I say not were there other things but was there any one thing not onely more requisite but in equall degree as necessarie as faith Luc. 8.44 For woulde Christ require the lesse and omit the more necessarie or if many things were to be required woulde he say onely beleeue No. when all other helpes fayled then they came to our Sauiour And therefore other helpes being preternecessarie he wel required thē wholy to put their trust in him not that he could not cure yea reuiue without their beleeuing that he could but that dutie would he haue at their hands and only that in such respects Wherefore when this former shift serued not the turne you added though onely fayth be requisite and nothing else yet that concerned the healing of the body not the sauing of the soule Of healing the bodie I graunt but withall of sauing the soule that these words are not spoken is not so easilie proued For Christ Iesus the Sauiour both of bodie soule most principally saueth the most principall part therefore to shew what how alone he worketh specially in recuring their soules diseased with sinne view those miraculous cures done so euidently vpon their bodies Wherfore by conuenient reason it followeth if faith alone be required in thē much rather in the other wherein consisteth the greater cure in vs and whence ariseth the greater glorie to him selfe that cureth Contrarie to this in the example of Mary Magdalen somewhat is brought foorth as who therfore had her sinnes forgiuen Rhem. not Luc. 7.50 because she loued much So that loue also was required not faith alone Consider we the story a litle for our better vnderstāding wherin it is said to her Thy faith hath saued thee go in peace a litle before both of to her Many sinnes are forgiuē because she loued much Our of which I obserue 4. notes remission of sinns peace of cōscience faith embracing saluation due loue ensuing therupō Peace of mind cometh after ward in place to be spoken of The sole mean of receiuing remissiō is faith the only cause of remitting is mercy For otherwise remission were no remissiō And were not faith the only meane but her loue also as the Rhemish note is Christ whē he said Thy faith hath saued the he shold haue said nay thy loue thy faith or thy faith thy loue haue saued thee especially
their faces their eyes serued thē also for directing their feet otherwise so the onely eye of faith or onely faith as the eye of the soul beholdeth Christ of whom the serpent was but a figure therby only in him are we saued yet although in this regard alone it doth the deede yet is it not alone but continually accompanied with godlinesse all good woorks in so much that where we finde not good works it is bootlesse to seeke for faith for faith wil no where lodge or liue without works the mother cannot be without her daughers If you kill the children you kill the parent to So that chase away works faith will not tary after If a man wil say he retaineth her retaineth not her retinew well may he say so but in sooth veritie in steede of a iustifying faith he laieth hold on an vnprofitable deuelish faith a dead faith a verbal faith a shadow of faith a faith which he so calleth yet is not faith at all neither hath it any affinity with the iustifying faith which iustifieth alone yet is not alone as hath bene declared in manie wordes and happilie in mo then was needefull but onely for the simpler sort As there is a double taking of this word faith either true or verball so also is there a diuerse acception of this worde iustifying either for a beleeuing an apprehending the iustice of Christ imputed or for a declaration that we are such persons to the opinion of others by iust liuing which is a iustification before men Of the former meaning Sainct Paul doth argue the later sence S. Iames forceth and standeth most vpon For saith he I am a man and not God that seeth the heart I am but man shew me thy faith c. So that these Apostles Paule and Iames albeit they vse the same tearmes both of faith and iustifying yet because they treating in deede thinges diuerse they can not be sayde to varie when as they speake of sundrie matters and not both speciallie of one and the same thing though seeming so in tearmes For Sainct Paule treateth of one faith S. Iames of an other S. Paul of one iustification Sainct Iames of an other Sainct Paul vpon a certaine doctrine and Sainct Iames vppon a supposition If wee looke to heauen faith onely ascendeth thether or rather grace descendeth vnto faith in true maner of speaking Workes are left below who onely iustifie before men in earth For otherwise men can not tell who is iustified and who not but by workes But as onelie works do iustifie here so no doubt doth onely fayth there in respect of heauen The example of Abraham cleereth all Gen. 15.6 Rom. 4.5 Gal. 3.6 and giueth great light hereunto Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse that is he was iustified before God by faith And then in offring his sonne was he called the friend of God and so iustified called and pronounced so And so was his iustice thoroughly completed and his faith in proofe perfited and allowed of In the former of imputation of righteousnesse Paule and Iames in expresse wordes both agree In the latter they disagree not For Paule speaketh not thereof but onelie Iames who vppon great occasions presseth the necessarie sequeles of a true faith and iustification to ensue before men straight vppon a iustification praecedent beefore God Wherupon as it were word for word and in sence he reasoneth thus If thine offences were pardoned in Christ thie sinnes remitted and Christes righteousnesse imputed that is wearest thou iustified by fayth before God it would follow necessarilie that thy fayth would shewe it selfe and thy deedes without would declare what thou art within and therebie shouldest thou be reputed a iust man and so be iustified before men also But hee that wanteth the necessarie consequences of such a cause maie it not be concluded that hee wanteth the cause it selfe In the Gospell there were that boasted of the line and race of Abraham But the children of Abraham that are in deede his children are a posteritie according to faith and not after the flesh Mat. 3.9 Wherefore saith our Sauiour vnto them If ye were the children of Abraham by fayth ye would do the workes of Abrahā as Abraham did No workers ergo no faithful childrē of his for all their vaunting For though workes made them not his children but faith yet where such works lacked Christ therupon reasoneth the wanting of faith it selfe And it is true both in the nature of the thinges and in the iudgement of the world Yet all this doeth not disproue that faith alone doth iustifie before God nether doth it inferre that workes do otherwise iustifie thē onely before mē by the necessity of due consequēt to insue Works haue their vses though not that vse one key wil not serue for euerie lock They shew our faith to mē they ar no parts of faith to make it vp they are good duties that follow of faith and so they iustifie no otherwise in the eyes of men the behoulders I am ouer long herin Touching the other example of Rahab the harlot what were her works she receiued preserued Iosues messengers therby was she iustified that is so reputed in the cāp This one fact could not make her iust But being iustified no doubt before by beleeuing in God opportunitie seruinge well shee declared what she was in giuinge such entertainement to the Lords seruāts Which storie well sheweth that God hath his where a mā would litle thinke euen in that cursed city Let no man despaire Rahab an inhabitante of wicked Iericho and she sometime an harlot is accepted but see withall she changeth her former life and of an harlot became the hostesse of Gods seruants Wherin I note an harlot was far frō meriting therefore as afterwardes her good workes are recorded so yet is not her former fault omitted both to shew what she obtained first by fauour and pardon of her fault and then in dutie what shee did is spoken of wherby she became knowen to the Lords people and this was her iustification ensuing vpon a beleefe that went in fauour before Wherby it appeared how S. Iames in these examples forced the vse of good workes not to iustifie before God but in seruice dutie and opinion of and to men Greater amplificatiōs may be brought by the skilfull in these cases to this purpose In effect this is all that either the Apostle meaneth or I can say vpon his meaning so much is plainly meant that though in some functions they may be diuersly occupied yet true faith and good workes euer meete togeather and ioyntly rest in the iustified man But maruelous are the aduersaries in their conceits Rhem. not 1. Cor. 13.13 For they imagine a faithfull man to be without all faithfull and good dealing as if they coulde finde vs out great springs without the issue of many waters or much
For both parts maye be mainetayned with like reasons If they meane such a probabilitie to be in Sainct Paule he that defied boeth high and lowe will little passe for such dreaming coniecturals in respect of his knowledge of the marke that he shotte at or of the infallible means to attaine therūto There are probabilities of an other kind absque formidine oppositi prooued and approued without feare and doubting of the contrarie vppon due triall and iuste examination premised If you meane but you are farre from so good a meaning such a probable perswasion you hitte vppon the Apostles meaning who vppon former discourse is certaine and most certaine and vppon the best certainties well perswaded For thus he argueth If God be with vs who can be against vs with vs by his election vocation iustification c. who can be against vs who shall laie to the charge of his chosen who shall condemne who seuer and reckoning manie hard assaults yet against all he is sure that the elect that is the faithfull in all these become more then conquerours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more then conquerours common conquerors whom they haue throughly conquered they are not probably nor halfe a feard of them and then commeth in his perswasion I am perswaded I am certain I am sure I am confident Take which interpretation they wil vpon the proofs premised that neither principalities nor powers and therefore not a sort of vncertaine Papisticall distinctions can remoue from the eternal loue of God in Christ the lord But were our saluation no more certaine then are their answers then were their answers somewhat and our saluation verie vncertaine As for the old obiection out of the book of the Preacher Eccl. 9.2 it hath bene aunswered and washed cleane out longe ago In deede Maister Stapleton hath latelye done the part of a diligent Papist Lib. 9. cap. 8 that seeketh all meanes to deceaue him selfe and sauing that hee wanteth the oyle of truth he hath set a fewe fresh colours theron then euer yet I could set eye on in anie other as I well remember facing vs out that Salomon first putteth it downe generallie that there is no certaintie and that al things are vncertain that man knoweth not whether he bee in case of loue or hatred And wheras we shewe out of the text that it is ment that there is no certaintie touching the euent of our affaires he telleth vs that that is a seconde sayinge and a particuler confirmation and no restraint of the former generall vnto such casualtyes as maye beefall a man either in this life or in the kinde of his death Againe where wee euidentlye proue that a man maye assure him selfe of the hatred of God who hateth sinners if he be a sinner And therefore where Salomon sayeth a man knoweth not whether he be hated or no he respecteth necessarilie not the sence and touch of an inwarde conscience either of the loue of God if he be faythfull or of his hatred if he be sinnefull and faythlesse Maister Stapleton sayeth the certaynetie of loue and hatred are not a like and therefore that there is mention made of hatred because when a mā beginneth to questio whether he be to be beleeued straight waie in that verie moment he misdeemeth whether he be not worthy of hatred also Vnto all this I aunswer brieflie But in the meane season well we perceiue that as the wiseman sayth a dead flie maie marre the good smell of the sweete ointment so a cursed gloze may corrupt the fairest text But I answer and aske are all thinges detained in an vncertainty he that sayth all seemeth verily to excepte nothing and nether can any thing be exempted which is subiect to that all which he meaneth that saith al. But that al things should be vncertaine with euer either in sence or in faith whereof Chrysostom saith though sense may be deceaued Orat. 9. in 10. c. Heb. yet can not faith is farre from Solomons thoughtes in this place So that he maketh no absolute generall saying and then afterwarde commeth in with a particular matter of externall euentes he proueth a generall vncertaintie thereof and in that kinde and yeldeth the cause why which must needes be as large as the effects and the cause of like compasse with the effects eo quod because all thinges fall out alike to the iust and vniust to the good and to the bad c. And verely this is onely the wise mans intent to shewe the vanitie of mortal euents vnder the sun therwithal to teach mē not to decide by the outward face of things concerning Gods fauor For had he meāt to speake generally without exception of any thing or specially to exclude the assurāce of faith a particular allegation of the euēts of afflictiōs or the like had bene but a colde cōclusiō or a slender proof Wherfore M. Stapl. if you will argue an vncertainetie of faith which we denie and disproue the certainety thereof which we affirme you must shewe an vncertaintie to be in God the promiser or in the holy Ghost the confirmer or in the like groundes whereupon we build and not dispute of common euents which fall out indifferently to the one and the other either good or bad and sometimes in heauier sort as it may seeme to the godly thē to the wicked man For among the good the best or among the best the very best or among the bad the better and the lesse bad may be in the same case outwardly as may be the worst Whereof onely Solomon treateth and not in generall against al knowledg For if he meane that nothing cā be known how knew he that he knew nothing But we know of Solomōs know ledge the scriptures speake much that of M. Stapletons vncertainty in knowledge and no assurance in faith they are altogeather silent and speake nothing at all no more then they do of that which he telleth vs verie impertinentlie to the text in Solomon that when a man examineth his state whether he be in the loue of God immediatly euer the doubt of hatred commeth alwayes to minde What fraile flesh will doe is not our question What faith ought to do is that which we cōtend for But if flesh doubt yet must faith resolue all doubt Thy flesh will suggest bring into thy memorie thy many sinnes but incōtinētly thy faith must recorde the mercies of God that are more in number greater in value and most certaine to this vse to pardon and remit sinnes The worlde doth storme the flesh oppresse the Diuell ly in waite yet the Christian which is foūded on the rock which is Christ cā not fall Bernard saith well Ego fidenter quod ex me mihi deest Bern. Serm. 61. super Cant. vsurpo mihi ex visceribus Domini Looke what is wanting of my self vnto myselfe with confidence I vsurpe that vnto my selfe out of the bowels of the Lorde An