be a propitiation through Faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnes by forgiuing of the sins that are past which God did suffer to shewe at this time his righteousnes that he might be iust and the iustifier of him that beleeueth on Iesus Heere you see that they which beleeue are freelie iustified by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus He saith freelie if it be freelie thē is it without respect of good woorkes For if good woorkes were the cause of iustification then were it of desert and not freely And S. Paule had not said rightly when hee said You are freely iustified if works should iustifie vs we are freely iustified by Christ Iesus Freely saith he through the redemptiō that is in the same our Christ If freelie through the redemption then not in respect of the workes of the lawe nor by the lawe And S. Paule saith That God is the iustifier of him that beleeueth in Christ Iesus he saith not the lawe is the iustifier And he saith further in the 19. verse of the same Chapter Now we know saith he that what thing soeuer the lawe saith it saith it to them that be vnder the lawe That euerie mouth might bee stopped and that all the world might bee in danger to God But who be those that be vnder the lawe The Phariseicall Iewes and the Papists for they both hold of the lawe But S. Paule telleth you to what end the lawe speaketh vnto you that wil be iustified by the law euen to stop your mouthes that will so vainely brag and boast in a phariseicall maner of the iustifying by the lawe And withall to bring all you lawmongers into Gods danger that will be iustified by the lawe and are not able to performe one title of the law according to the precise rule of God And Saint Iames saith vvhosoeuer shal keepe the whole lawe and yet faile in one point he is guiltie of all Behold if we faile but in one point we offende in all And it is not possible that man can liue in the world no not one but still hee shall offend and breake the lawe in one point or an other or rather in all And yet will these Papistes and Iesuites carrie such a pride in their bosome that they will bee iustified by the workes of the lawe But Saint Paule in the 27. verse of the same third Chapter demaundeth of such boasters saying VVhere is then thy bosting It is excluded By what lawe of workes Nay But by the lawe of Faith Therefore we hold that a man is iustified by Faith without the workes of the lawe Beholde here Saint Paules conclusion howe hee shuts out the workes of the lawe in respect of iustifying and telleth you plainly that without the workes of the lawe a man is iustified by Faith What more plainer matter can bee vttered to mainteine that Faith onely doth iustifie without the works of the law And although Saint Paule doth exclude the workes of the lawe from iustifying Doe wee then saith he destroy the lavv through faith God forbid but vvee rather mainteine the lavve Doth Saint Paule exclude the lawe and mainteine the lawe too How can this agree Forsooth verie well For he excludeth the lawe in respect of man as not being able to performe the same in such sort as the lawe requireth and as the lawe may iustifie him as it iustified Christ who performed it in full perfection so that no one title or letter thereof was left vnperformed by him whereby he was voide of sin And therevpon is he called the innocent and vnspotted lambe of God vvho did no sin but is altogither without sin which argueth the fulfilling of the lawe by Christ to the full satisfying of Gods iustice which none amongst the children of men was euer able to doe which when you doe then you may boast and claime saluation by it But because we cannot therefore it behoued Christ Iesu for the saluation of his elect to die and to doe that for his elect which the lawe could not doe being ther imperfect euen in the verie best of the elect And in that respect Saint Paule excludes the lawe as not beeing able to iustifie because of the imperfection therof in man And Saint Paule also mainteineth the lawe as a most perfect and excellent vertue and of such power as if any man can fulfill it and not offende in anie one point thereof he shall be iustified thereby and shall liue in the same As Saint Luke saith Doe this and liue But Saint Iames telleth you If you faile in one point you offende in all And Moses telleth you If you doe not all that is written in the lawe you are vnder the curse The law cursing vs for not doing it how doth it then iustifie vs It doth not But you cannot tell what the fulfilling of the lawe is you are blind therin and that maketh you to holde your wicked opinion But I wil tell you you Phariseical shauelings you that so much boast of your fulfilling of the law that you haue works not only sufficient for your selues but to spare for others which you term works of supererogation If yet you see your poore beggerly brother I mean not your beggerly Friers your coūterfeit beggers but your pore neighbors lie in the street and take him not into your lodging and vse him as your selfe to laie him in your own bed or in as good as you lie in your selfe and doe not feed him with as good meat drink as you feed your selfe and giue him as good clothing as you weare your selfe you cannot say you loue him as your selfe neither do you loue him as your selfe And how can you thē say you fulfil the lawe And againe who is hee amongst all the children of men from the beginning of the world to this day that in trueth could euer say that hee loued God aboue all but at one time or other the verie best failed therin None no not one Christ excepted And therfore al are vnder the curse of the law thē can you not be iustified thereby So that none can rightly say he is iustified by the works of the law grace being vnder the curse of the lawe because none is able to fulfil the lawe in his perfection according to the precise rule of God and as GOD doeth command it to be done But me thinketh I heare an olde Iesuite one of the purest sort of Papists a Puritan in deed such a precise person for life and good works as heauen gates cannot hold him out the force of his holie workes is such This champion he comes bragging out with bristles vp like a Hedgehog foming at the mouth like a Bore whetting his tuske for the combat and hee will mainteine and proue that the workes of the lawe doth iustifie And that it is so hee will proue it by Saint Iames who in his second Chapter saith
fute in his booke of Predestination of Saints where in his 18. chapter he allead geth saint Paul in the first to the Ephesians to confute them saying He chose vs that we should be holy Not for that wee would be holy But S. Paul in this place is very plain against you scā the words wel he tels you that before the childrē of God had done either good or euil that the pur pose of God might remain according to election Gods wil purpose then is the first chiefest cause of electio reproba tiō the wil purpose of god as touching saluation being once past stands firm for euer There is no shadovv of turning in God And election reprobation resteth not only vpon Iacob Esau but it stretcheth ouer the whol world man womā and childe S. Paul saith as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundations of the vvorld c. and vvho hath predestinated vs c. Here he includes al the elect not Iacob alone And as the good wil purpose of God is the first cause so the free mercie of Cod in Christ Iesus being also a first cause in the second person is the meane an inferior cause of our saluation bicause the wil purpose of god was first in God before election and to cut you off from your opinion that the works of grace to come and past which you say doe merit was and is the cause of election and saluation Saint Paules sword is redy at hād for he saith that the purpose of God might remaine in prede stinating he meaneth according to electi on not by works but by him that calleth And may it be doubted that the workes done by Iacob the elect vessell of God which Saint Paul speaketh of here were not wrought by grace Was elected Iacob without grace when hee did those good workes He was not for the Lord had chosen him and therefore hee could not be without grace And Iacob was elected but not by works saith he I praie you marke it well for hee saith not by workes Is the election not by workes Paule By whome then By him that calleth And who is he that calleth Euen God the Father through his mercie in Christ Iesus his sonne Then election wherein saluation is included resteth not in our workes and wil but in God who for Christ his sonnes sake by suffering passion and death for vs hath in his free mercie chosen called and appointed his elect to saluation And then resteth it not in our wil workes wrought by grace For Saint Paule in the same Chapter saith So then is it not in him that vvilleth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie You shall further see how Saint Paule in this Chapter if you please to reade it proceedeth still to mainteine election and reprobation of which he maketh a further discourse frō the sixteenth verse to the one and thirtie and then he saith But Israel which followeth the lawe of righteousnesse coulde not atteine vnto the lawe of righteousnesse Wherefore Because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the workes of the law c. You may see now that our workes can neither atteine righteousnesse nor iustification But Christ onely doeth iustifie vs by Faith without workes For it is written Beholde I put in Syon a stumbling stone and a rocke of offence and whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not bee confounded Againe VVee which are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowe that a man is not iustified by the woorkes of the law but by Faith in Iesus Christ. Euen vvee I saie haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that wee might bee iustified by the Faith of Christ and not by the woorkes of the lawe Because that by the workes of the lawe no flesh shall be iustified I doe not abrogate the grace of God For if righteousnesse be by the lawe then Christ died in vaine But Christ died not in vaine for our sins were the cause of his death therefore righteousnesse is not by the lawe Saint Paule himselfe hath so largelie and so plainlie laide abroad this matter of iustification by Faith without the works of grace that there needeth not any more to be saide of anie other for better vnderstanding of the matter then himselfe in plaine termes hath set downe But this is the malice of Satan in his impes to impungne the truth and by the deuils sophistrie to peruert whatsoeuer hath been set downe by the Saints of God to the glory of Christ Iesus But make what blind distinctions soeuer you wil vpon S. Paules wordes his wordes are plaine inough to ouerthrow your iustification by workes wrought by grace And Saint Paul speaketh plainlie to the whole world Iewe and Gentile of the whole lawe of Moses as well morall as ceremoniall that it iustifieth not before God And it doeth appeare that Bildad in the 25. Chapter of Iobe was of Saint Paules minde That a man cannot be iustified before God his wordes be these And how may a man be iustified vvith God Or hovv can he be cleane that is borne of a vvoman The meening of these wordes may thus be taken that if a man or the best life of man be compared with God it is so base so vile and so vncleane in the sight of God that it is impossible that he should be iustified before God And yet you Papistes will be so pure that by good workes you wil be iustified But will you heare what Saint Paule saith to the Iewes and so cōsequently to you Papists that will be iustified by the lawe hee saith whosoeuer are iustified by the lavv ye are fallen frō grace for vve through the spirit vvait for the hope of righteousnesse through Faith Though the circumcised were the cause that Saint Paule wrote these wordes and telleth them that they are bound to keepe the whole lawe that they were abolished from Christ. Then as in the former wordes plainely appeareth he telleth all iusticiaries That whosoeuer are iustified by the lawe or that will be iustified by the lawe they are fallen frō grace And in what state you stād that are fallen from grace I doubt not but you know euen frō saluatiō And I trust that in this place you will not saie but that Saint Paule speaketh as well of the morall lawe as of the ceremoniall lawe if you will not be too blinde or twoo wilfull And because you shall the better vnderstand that he speaketh here of the morall lawe he saith in the 14. verse of the same Chapter thus For all the lawe is fulfilled in one worde which is this Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe And so going on still vpon the morall lawe telling them that if they bite or deuoure one another they shall be consumed one of another signifying vnto them that if they walke in the spirite they shall not fulfill the lustes of the
God the father whereby we fulfill the lawe And men by grace fulfilling the lawe doe merite their saluation But forasmuch as this grace cannot be geuen vs but by faith in the death merite of Christ Iesus therfore we say that by grace infused into vs by faith in Christ good works are wrought which are not now our works but the workes of grace and those workes merit saluation Who is able to ouerthrowe this Bulwarke buylded vpon so sure a rocke which being so profound is not possible for a man to vndermine the depth nor come neare the toppe thereof being so high But the God of heauen will with the breth of his mouth ouerthrow such wicked blasphemie whereupon by the helpe of whose power thus I aunswere that this is but a subtle cauill and vntruely spoken to say that they be not our works For although that by grace we receiue the holy Spirite of God who by his mighty power mightely stirreth vp our hearts replenished with faith in Christ Iesus to worke such charitable works as are prescribed in Gods booke though yet vnperfectly perfourmed on our parts yet can it not be saide but that they be our works euen as faith is saide to be our faith which wee receiue by grace As for example who will doubte of the woman which was diseased with an issue of bloud twelue yeares hauing a strong faith in Christ Iesus but that she had the same by grace And yet Christ saide vnto her thy Faith hath made thee whole here you see that Christ called it her faith though shee had the same by grace so of works they be our works though they be done by grace But let it be graunted for trueth that by the grace of God we being renouated receiue the holy spirite of God who worketh in vs all good things yea all the good workes that are wrought by man according to the saying of Saint Paul who saith It is God that worketh in you both the wil and the deede euen of his good pleasure And that wee could not haue obteyned grace from GOD the Father but by faith in the death and merite of Christ Iesus so that they are not now to bee called our workes but the workes of grace Let all this that is saide be graunted yet that by fulfilling of the law by the same grace we merite saluation that is vtterly false and repugnant to the word of God For Saint Iohn saith Beholde the Lambe of God which taketh awaie the sinnes of the world The sinnes of the worlde being taken away what followeth then The kingdome of heauen and saluation to them whose sinnes are taken away by the slaine Lambe Christ Iesus But it is not saide Beholde the good workes of grace which take away the sinnes of the worlde but Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde Then it is only Christ that meriteth heauen for vs by taking away our sinnes and not the workes of grace nor our fulfilling of the Law And why is hee called a Lambe because of his innocencie For Saint Peter saith He is a Lambe vndefiled and without spot And because hee was to be sacrificed and slaine as a sheepe to the slaughter He was innocent and as the Prophet saith He did neuer violence nor vnrighteousnes neither hath there beene any deceitfulnesse in his mouth He was without sin deserued not to die but he dyed therfore for something Trueth he died for our sins which were laid vpon him for Esay saith The Lord threw them al vpon him and so made him to be sinne for vs which knevve no sinne But by imputation were they made his sinnes And our sins being thus taken from vs and laide vpon him death had therby power ouer him which slewe him for our sinnes So that as by imputation Christ was made the only sinner for the elect and therfore dyed so are all the elect by imputatiō made as innocent Christ. And Christ clothing his elect with his innocencie God the Father beholdeth them no more as sinners to damnation but as Christ Iesus because Christ hath washéd cleane away in Gods iudgement all the filth of sinne from vs with his precious bloud which he hath shed vpon the crosse so as the filthy Chanelraker polluted with the filth of the Chanel durt is by the Barber washed cleane that no spot thereof is to bee seene so hath Christ out blessed Barber washed away all our filth the durt of sin in such sort as our heauenly father for his Christes sake beholdeth them no more And Christ once dying for the sinnes of his elect accordinge to the purpose of God in his secreate counsell before the creation of the world which purpose could not be altered but must stand still for euer hath thereby onely merited saluation for vs then is it great blasphemy to maintaine such an heresie which doth cut away the cause of our saluation by the only death and passion of Christ our Sauiour and attributeth the same to me rites and works by grace whereby they haue made the works of the lawe to put Christ cleane out of office in the merite of our saluation and only the workes of the lawe which are wrought by Faith and grace to be the meane to merite the same And Christ by his death and passion but only the cause of grace who in deede is the onely effectuall cause in the merit of our saluation so that the works of the Lawe and Grace haue no parte in the cause therof but only as effects do de clare vs to be the elect of God Saint Luke saith Feare not litle flock for it is your fathers plesure to giue you a king dome To giue you a kingdome see here is the kingdome of heauen giuen vs and that which is giuen cannot be said to bee bought or merited and if it were either bought or merited it cannot be said properly nor rightly to be geuen Then being geuē vs we by the works of the law and grace haue not merited it And so are we not iustified by them before God so the proposition that the workes of grace or the deedes of the law doe merit or iustifie before God is false though they be wrought through faith by the power of the holy Ghost and by grace because it is the proper office of Christ immediatly that is to say without any o ther mean or cause to purchase mans saluation and not the office of the holye Ghost by grace working in man for saluation coulde not bee purchased but by death and the holy Ghost coulde not die but Christ only by taking our flesh was lead as a sheepe to be slaine and made a sacrifice for sinne Therefore Christ is the onely purchaser of our saluation Neither doe the workes of the Law iustifie vs before God nor merite saluation for vs though they bee done after grace receiued But with what face can you O
flesh and that if they be led by the spirite they are not vnder the lawe and so sheweth them what be the works of the flesh as adultery fornication vncleanesse wantonnesse idolatrie witchcraft hatred debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies enuie murthers dronkennes gluttonie and such like And so from these forbidden vices he goeth to the fruites of the spirite which are loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenes goodnes faith meekenesse temperancie against such saieth Paule there is no law Now maister Papist yee hearing al this from Saint Paule dare yee yet say that hee meaneth not the morall lawe when hee saieth By the workes of the lawe no flesh shalbe saued nor iustified in Gods sight but of the ceremoniall lawe And he saith in the third Chapter to Titus yet more plainely thus For we our selues also were in times past vnwise disobedient deceiued seruing the lustes and diuers pleasures liuing in maliciousnes and enuie hatefull and hating one another But when the fulnesse and loue of God our Sauiour towarde man appeared not by the woorkes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie hee saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the renuing of the holie Ghost which he shewed on vs abundantly through Iesus Christ our Sauiour That wee being iustified by his grace should bee made heires according to the hope of eternal life Now you iustified men behold here your downefall your breaknecke such a chokemorsel for you as if S. Paul had written no more but euen this peece of scripture alone it had bene sufficient to haue ouerthrowne your whole castle of comedowne of iustifying by the works of the law grace I beseech you sirs marke these words of Saint Paule how hee termeth them the workes of righteousnesse No doubt but these workes of righteousnesse which Saint Paule writes of here which were done by him others of the godly sort were wrought by grace receiued from God the Father And yet for all that wee are not iustified nor saued by them saith he but according to the free mercie of God he saued vs in Christ Iesus our Sauiour And you cannot denie but these be workes of the morall lawe And let it be that these good works done by S. Paule were the workes of Christ as the aduersarie before hath saide such workes be yet you see he saith Not by these workes of righteousnesse were they saued So that take it howe you will S. Paule cutteth good workes off from iustifying before God and that saluation commeth not thereby but by grace saith S. Paule for by grace saith hee you are saued through Faith that not of your selues It is the gift of God least any man shoulde boast himselfe for wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordeined that wee should walke in them Heere you see the cause of our saluation which is grace through Faith in Christ and not workes Saluation is the free gift of GOD to them that beleeue in Christ Iesus it is not of vs not of our morall works And he stops you from boasting of your selues and doth beate you cleane from the pride of your hearts that you should not once thinke that there coulde be 〈◊〉 good woorkes wrought by you that could merit saluation or iustifie you before God And with all he telleth you that they whiche are electe are Gods workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes of his free mercy and grace and not by nature are wee so created Wee are created vnto good workes which God hath ordeined that we should walke in them as the elect vessels of God not thereby to merit saluation but to signifie vnto the worlde that we be the elect of God who being possest with Faith shew forth the fruits of faith which are our good works to the example of others that they may folow in wel doing And will you here what S. Paule saith of himselfe whose words are these Doubtlesse I think all thinges but losse for the excellēt knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord. For whō I haue coūted al things losse do iudge them to be dung that I might win Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes the righteousnesse of the lawe but that righteousnes which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousnes which is of God through Faith Here he saith that hee might win Christ and bee founde in him that is to saie as one ingrafted in Christ by Faith laying aside his owne righteousnes which is of the law which is all his good workes whereof hee was full in the most perfect sort No Papist in the worlde like him no not the Pope himselfe as pure as they make him Of this righteousnesse woulde not S. Paule presume but laide it aside esteeming it no better then losse yea and all thinges to bee but dung for the excellencie of the knowledge of Christ Iesu his Lord and onely depended vpon the righteousnesse which is through the Faith of Christ. But to cut the Papists off from cauelling vpon this place that S. Paul should meane his righteousnes before grace and not his righteousnes after grace it is most euident plaine that he meaneth as wel his righteousnesse after grace as that before grace And although these wordes in the 7. vers vz. But the things that were vantage vnto me the same I counted losse for Christes sake May be taken to be spoken of his righteousnesse before grace as the Papists would haue it yet that which foloweth after maketh it manifest plain that he meaneth aswel his righteousnesse after grace as that afore grace For proofe wherof S. Paul saith in the 8. ver folowing Yea doubtles I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knowledge of Christ Iesus my lord Note here that he saith euē in his apostleship whē he was a iust man and a righteous person that he thinketh all thinges but lost c. Hee meaneth not onely that righteousnes before grace but that after grace Note this worde all things for it is worthie the noting and is of great importance for when hee saieth all things it is a generall worde whereby hee excepteth nothing neither his workes done after grace neither his righteousnesse before grace neither anie thing els whatsoeuer he accounts all but losse and of no value for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus his lord We see here that S. Paule maketh no account of any thing but only of the excellent knowledge of Christ Iesus which knowledge of Christ consisteth onely in beleeuing that by his death passiō we are redeemed from euerlasting death to eternal saluation And that there was no hope in S. Paule which hee could finde in himselfe whereby to receiue comfort of himselfe Behold how he complaineth of himselfe accuseth himselfe for that by himselfe he is led captiue vnto the law of sin and so with
without alteration of minde not mutable his knowledge certeine not ignorant of any thing All thinges past and to come are still present before him Neither is it with God as with men to be of one mind to day and of an other mind tomorow but God is still faithfull One and the selfe same from the beginning to the ende I say without alteration from his first decree in his secret counsell Thē all this being thus vndoubtedly true it cannot be saide that man can by himselfe otherwise or by any other meanes merit and worke out his owne saluation then hath beene alreadie wrought through the mercy and loue of God in and by Christ our Sauiour the onely ful worker of the same by suffering his most greeuous passion and death For how can it bee saide in any respect that man by his good workes can merit his owne saluation seeing before he was it was made sure to the elect in God his secrete counsell and decreed to stande firme without alteration being aduisedly purposed by God in Christ Before the foundation of the world So that without all contradiction and doubting all the good workes that hath bene wrought by mankind can not be said to merit their saluation The Iesuites in their last disputation in the Tower held those to be the works of Christ that man woorketh for that Christ worketh them in man and being the workes of Christ that are wrought in man they merit saide hee saluation But this cānot be true For electiō being decreed before euer man was and in that election mans saluation made sure and certeine by that decree through Christ his passion death and for his sake onely for that he would giue his life for the same in the appointed time How then can it bee saide without great absurditie and derogation of the maiestie of Christ Iesu his passion and death That mans good workes can merit or deserue that which many thousand yeares before hee wrought any good workes was made sure and certeine vnto him for and by Christ as is aforesaide Surely it is more then extreame doltishnes once to thinke it As for example A prodigall seruant that had consumed his maisters goods and thereby hee greatly indebted to his maister yet his maister in mercy loue not only forgaue him his debt but made him heire to all his landes Now if after that his maister had thus forgiuen his debt and made him heire to all his lands to the end the seruant should be a faithfull friend to him and loue him with all his hart the seruant would yet say I will so please my maister I will worke and doe so much good in his sight that I wil deserue that hee shall not onely forgiue me the debt which I owe him and the euill life which I led towardes him but also make me heire to all his lands Were not this to bee iudged a verie foolishe speach and the speaker a right paterne of an insolent foole To say he would merit or deserue that which before was made sure to him of meere mercie and loue Wisdome would rather haue exspected this kinde of speach from him my maister hath done much for me he hath not onely forgiuen mee the debt which I ought him and am neuer able to pay it but also he hath made mee heire to all his landes I will therefore by the helpe of God according to my bounden dutie extend my whole indeuour to the vttermost of my power to doe him the best seruice I can all the daies of my life and shall thinke all that I am able to doe to be nothing in respect of that more then fatherly kindnesse which hee hath done for mee This had beene rightly spoken and this must bee our speech which are the elect of God For we were elected before the foundation of the world that we by the working of the holie Ghost should be holie and blamelesse and not elected for that God sawe wee would bee holie and blamelesse to merit our owne saluation for that is contrarie to the meaning of the holy Ghost vttered by Saint Paule in the first to the Ephesians And so Gods election and decree vncerteine which is most certeine if our saluation should rest vpon our owne well or ill doing which cannot be For Gods election being once decreed which as Paule saith was before the foundation of the world it standeth sure for euer and resteth not vpon our well doing yet if wee leade not a godlie Christian life we showe our selues to be damned creatures and not of the number elected in whom the holie spirit of God worketh And here we see that God the father by his mercy and loue is the first efficient cause of our saluatiō The sonne of God the seconde efficient cause The passion and death of Christ Iesu the materiall cause and Faith the instrumentall cause For Faith apprehendeth and so cannot works and thereby we take hold on Christ his passion and death and man beleeuing Christ to be the sonne of God God and man and that hee died for his sinnes he thereby is certeinly assured that he is the elect of God the father bought and redeemed by Christ the meritor redeemer and Sauiour and written in the booke of life before the foundation of the worlde Faith now being the instrument wherewith we take hold on Christ assureth vs that wee are elected And good works proceeding from iustifieng faith declareth to the world that wee be the elect of God and we please God by doing of good workes but we merit not saluation thereby neither hath good workes any part in the merit of our saluation but onely Christ Iesu For when wee haue done all the good that euer wee are able to doe yet are we but vnprofitable seruants And how then can wee merit our owne saluatiō The best works that euer were without Faith pleaseth not GOD For without Faith it is impossible to please God Yea if it had not beene appointed that Christ shuld haue died in the world all the good workes that euer Christ did himself in the world without his death could neuer haue merited heauen for vs which if they could Christ would neuer haue died neither should hee haue needed But if Christes good works besides his death were not able to merite our saluatiō much lesse our good works which are as a stained cloth polluted Therefore only Christ by his passion death and not the woorkes of the lawe and of grace neither doth Faith merit saluatiō because it is the proper office of Christ onelie to merit the same much lesse then our good workes yet if we be voide of good workes and haue not Faith chiefly to beleeue that Christ is the sonne of God God and man and that he died for our sinnes then may wee be sure that as long as we remaine in that state wee be none of those whome God hath elected but are of the reprobate
number and cōdemned sort Faith therefore may bee without good workes and yet saluation to the beleeuer in Christ. The theefe that hanged on the Gibbet on the right hand of Christ at his death hee did no good workes yet he had Faith and that but at the instant before his death And Christ pronounced him his elect saying To day shalt thou bee with mee in Paradise But rarely may Faith be found without good workes though workes done in ciuill charitie may be without Faith For Turkes and Iewes do as many ciuil charitable workes as all the Christians doe and yet are they without faith in Christ and therfore remaine in the state of damnation and their ciuill workes of charitie auaileth them nothing neither can they be saued by them Therfore Faith which apprehendeth Christ doth onely iustifie but so doth not workes for Faith is aboue good workes and good works are but handmaidens to Faith to wait vpon hir but not to merit saluation because of imperfection For the best works that euer were wrought by man besides Christ if they be brought to Gods tutch-stone they shall be found to be drosse and no fine golde Therefore we are to take hold onely on Christ Iesu by Faith and so shall wee stande sure of our saluation without doubting which workes cannot assure vs of And why then should any man hang vpon good workes which cannot assure vs of our saluation or think his owne workes Friers workes Priests workes or workes of supererogation to merit for them whē as the good works of Christ which were most pure and vndefiled could not saue mankind and because they coulde not saue mankinde Christ therefore would die to purchase that which good workes could not Peraduenture some will aske wherefore Christ should worke all his good works which he wrought in the worlde Was it not to merit our saluation and to purchase heauen for his elect I say no. Neither was it the purpose of the eternitie to send downe from heauen into the world the second person in Trinitie to take our mortall flesh and by fulfilling of the law to merit heauen for his elect But the purpose and end of his comming downe to take flesh was to die for the saluation of his chosen children who could not bee saued nor enter into the kingdome of heauen but onely by the bloudie sacrifice and death of that vnspotted and innocent lambe of God Christ Iesus And so heauen which was lost by Adams fall was not merited by fulfilling of the lawe or by doing the good works of grace either by Christ himselfe or by his chosen children You will aske againe to what end then did Christ all that was commanded in the lawe and fulfilled the same most perfectly if thereby hee should not merit heauen for his elect It is to be answered for fiue causes The first cause is to shewe that Christ by fulfilling of the lawe was a iust person had therefore no cause of death in him and that also hee dying suffered his death most wrongfully For Christ liuing iustly in the world without sin and without spot or blemish of sin fulfilling the whole lawe in such sort as neither the iustice of God nor all the deuils in hel coulde laie anie thing to his charge or could finde any one sparke of sin wheron they might take holde thereby to put Christ iustly to death and shewing him selfe thus to be a iust and most righteous person so fulfilling the whole lawe to the vttermost that might be ought not to haue died but to liue in the same according to the word Doe this and liue And therefore he was most wrongfully put to death But most graciously for poore miserable man whose deliuerance from the wrath of God and fiery lake of hell was wrought by the same death who otherwise must haue liued in perpetuall torments Christ his good works in deed was a fulfilling of the lawe in his owne humaine person alone but not for any others neither could mankind thereby be saued And therefore Christ would suffer his passion and death because that neither by his owne nor by others good workes mankinde could be saued which as afore is said if saluation for mankinde might haue come thereby Christ should neuer haue needed to haue died And now ye childrē of God heare the Trump of Christ Iesu sounding in your eares a conquest a conquest victorie victorie A conquest Victorie By whome Ouer whome And for whome Euen by Christ Iesu the most innocent and vnspotted lambe of God sacrificed slain And he it is that triumpheth ouer death hell and all the power of hell and ouer the wrath and iustice of God the Father and ouer the lawe of God so that now the iustice and lawe of God hath vtterly lost their force and Satan with all the power of hell hath lost their interest which they had woon against the elect by Adams fall And that by the most wrongfull putting to death the most innocent and immaculate lambe of GOD Christ Iesu. And for the chosen children in Christ is this most royall and victorious conquest woon Christ hath suffered the paine and we haue reaped the gaine And this hath the death of the blessed sonne of God Christ Iesu done which all the good workes in the world coulde neuer doe The second cause was that all persons should knowe that God had not commanded that which was impossible to be done by man for Christ beeing man did in his owne person fulfill the whole lawe did worke all the good works that the lawe required to be done euen to the vttermost silable of the lawe all was performed by Christ. The third cause was for example that all persons should follow Christ in well doing to liue in the world as hee liued in the world to hate sin as he hated sin to loue vertue as hee loued vertue that thereby our conscience might stand assured of our election that the world might iudge vs by seeing the workes of Faith to proceed from vs to be the elect of God in Christ Iesu and those whome Christ died for The fourth cause was to shewe the difference betwixt the first Adam the second Adam Christ Iesu. The first Adam in his first creation was the perfect image of God For God saide Let vs make man in our image according to our owne likenesse And hee was good in the sight of God hauing free-will to keepe himselfe so if hee would but hee fell by breaking the commandement The second Adam was borne the verie perfect sonne of God hauing also freewil which held and kept himselfe in the obedience of his heauenly father all the daies of his life and kept all the commandements which God had commanded The first could be tempted with an apple or fruite of the tree The second Adam Christ Iesu coulde not be tempted vvith all the kingdomes of the worlde The first Adam was Of earth earthly and subiect
whole lawe as well the morall as the ceremoniall yea and rather the morall law then the ceremonial law Let vs consider of S. Paule in how many places where he of purpose writeth touching this matter of iustificatiō It is to be considered that S. Paule was the Apostle of the Gentiles amongst whome there was no part of the ceremoniall law vsed and then had S. Paule no cause to write in that sort of the ceremoniall law onely but of the morall lawe also Againe mark wherevpon S. Paule doth entreat before he come to those words By the vvorks of the lavve there shall no flesh bee iustified in Gods sight In the second Chapter to the Iewes he saith Beholde thou art called a Ievve and restest in the lavve and makest thy boasts of God or gloriest in God knovvest his vvill allovvest the thinges that are excellent in that thou art instructed by the lavv Then in the 21. 22. and 23. verse he saith Thou that preachest a man shoulde not steale Doest thou steale Thou that saist a man should not commit adultery doest thou commit adultery c. Thou that gloriest in the lavv breakest thou the lavv Is not this ment trowe you of the morall lawe And so proceeding to the 3. Chap. where he proueth that al are sinners both Iewes Gentils And that there is none righteous none that doth good Their threates an open sepulclre c. VVhose mouth is full of cursing bitternes c. Now when he had thus laide abroad the wicked estate of man and breach of the moral law and seeing a man not able to fulfill the law in that sort as he may bee iustified therby before God Therfore saith Saint Paul in the same chapter By the works of the law shal no flesh be iustified in Gods fight Forby the law commeth the knowledge of sin which lawe must needes bee the morall lawe the law of the x-commandements For that is it that bringeth the knoledge of sinne And moreouer the ceremonial law was cleane taken away by Christ and was no more a law among the christian Iewes after Christes death and ther fore there was no cause why Saint Paule writing against iustification by workes should write as meaning only of the ceremonial law but of the moral law also And therefore master Papist you must yeelde your selfe conuicted and ouerwen in mainteyning that S. Paule doth meane onely the ceremoniall Law and not the morall Lawe Againe to your iustification by the workes of the lawe which S. Iames and Saint Paul speak of this is to bee vnderstoode that Saint Iames doeth meane iustification before men and it must nedes be so taken or els he must be flat against S. Paul who hath a number of places for this one place of S. Iames as before is set down and hereafter shall be if God permitte And if it should bee so that the writer of that epistle that beareth the name of saint Iames shoulde meane as the Papists take it that in plaine meaning workes done by the children of men doe iustifie before god yet I must rather preferre Saint Paule writing in so many places to the contrarie before that one place of Saint Iames and the rather because none doubtes of S. Paules epistles but to be his owne but the learned haue doubted of this Epistle which beareth the name of S. Iames whe ther S. Iames were the author writer therof or not but let it be S. Iames epistle yet he doth not say Ye see then that of works a man is iustified before God He leaueth out before God so that the meaning is then to be takē that good works may iustifie before men but not before God because of imperfection For there is iustification before God iustificatiō before men And the iustification before men is that which S. Iames meaneth Again S. Iames saith was not Abrahā our father iustified through works when he offred his sonne vpon the altar This iusti fication must nedes be taken to be before men and not before god and that it must be so taken let vs see what S. Paul saith of the said Abrahā For if Abrahā saith he wer iustified by works thē hath he wherin to boast or to reioice but not before God For what saith the scripture Abrahā be leued god it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse To him that worketh is the reward not reckned of grace but of duetie To him that worketh not but beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is coūted for righteousnes he saith if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to boast or to reioyce and so he hath if he were iustified by workes But yet with God good working Abraham could not boast in his good workes for though Abraham were one of the best among the children of men yet how he had beene able to haue stoode in tryall with God if his workes should haue beene wayed in the righteous ballance of Gods iustice without Christ no question but Abraham must haue fallen to the grounde And who will doubt but that Abraham in offering of his sonne whome hee so entirely loued to bee a sacrifice and to kill him who was begotten in their old age when they were past all hope to haue children and being his onely sonne and he to be the killer of him him selfe must needes haue inwarde conflictes passions combats and grieues in which sinne no doubt appeared before God inough to haue condemned him if God without mercy would narrowly haue looked vnto him And therefore to shew that Abraham was not iustified by workes Saint Paule saith if Abraham were iustified by workes which word if importeth a plaine negatiue in this place that Abraham was not iustified by his works and therfore that it might bee knowen that Abraham could not be iustified by his works before God but was to bee made righteous by faith he saith For what saith the scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse But Saint Paul saith that God will rewarde euery man according to his works And therefore wil you say good works merite rewarde But Saint Paul vseth not these words here to teach that works doe merite rewarde And though God doth rewarde of his free mercy yet is it not of duetie or by desert when he rewardeth For he teacheth that Abraham could not be iustified by his works before God Then much les any man els which is not of his perfection The hipocriticall Iewes againste whō S. Paul wrote those words woulde take vpon them to iudge others of those vices which they themselues did cōmit which caused saint Paul to write against them those threatening words that God would rewarde them according to their deedes The like phrase praierwise thogh in the other place threatning wise hee vseth in his praier to the Lord against Alexander the Coppersmith and saieth The Lord rewarde him according to his deedes that is
to say with punishmentes according to his deedes that as the deedes be euill and wicked so the punishment to be accordingly And where Saint Paule saieth in the next verse following To them vvhich continuing in wel doing seeke for glorie honor immortality and eternall life Some bookes haue it translated thus that is to say praise honor and immortalitie to thē which continue in good doing and seeke eternall life A sophisticall head may cauill vpon these words of Saint Paule in not taking them as he meaneth but will peruerslye expound them contrary to his meaning inferring that workes by these words should deserue and merite eternall life which Saint Paule meaneth nothing les For if he should in this place mean so then should he not agree with himselfe and also cause contrarietie in the holie Ghost whose penne S. Paul was which were greate blasphemie to mainteyne Saint Paule vseth these wordes not to mainteine that workes as they are done since the fal of Adam are so meritorious as they shoulde deserue theyr rewarde But he rather writeth in this sort to prouoke and stirre vp by the power of the holie Ghost the hearts of Gods children to a godly life that theyr faith thereby may the more appeare to the good example of others God of his free mercie yeelded his trauel to ouerthrow that pernitious sect of the Iewes of iustifying by the works of the law because it was euident to him that if that sect should continue and take place the glory of Christ Ie sus his passion and death should be cleane ouershaddowed and darckned thereby and so made altogether insufficient which is only alone sufficient to merit and purchase saluation for vs. And the ho ly Ghost foreseing that as mischieuous a generation should rise vp whose head should be Antichrist who in like sorte would maintein iustificatiō by the works of the law a deuise of Sathā to put Christ from his glory stirred vp Saint Paule that most notable instrument of GOD who hath so employed his penne and wrote so large a discourse in his Epistles in at the least fiue and twenty chapiters of the saide Epistles mainteyning eyther in plaine wordes or by circumstāces faith to iustifie without the works of the law and that the righteousnesse of god cōmeth by faith not by the works of the law as the mouth of the aduersary cannot but be stopped tberby For proofe after he had said That by the works of the works of the law no flesh should be iustified in Gods sight meaning therby aswel the law written as the law vnwritten bicause wee are not able to perfourme the law which if vve could then vvolde he not haue vvrittē against them that boast of the performing of the lavve as he did but vvould no doubt haue as earnestlie mainteyned Iustification by dooing the Lavve as they As partly you may perceiue by his vvords in that he saith not the hearers of the Lavve but the doers of the lavve shalbe iustified meaning still if they be done in their full perfection so as God can finde no fault by their imperfection So in deede they iustifie els not he procedeth forvvard saith but now is the righteousnesse of God made manifest without the law c. To vvitte the righteousnes of god by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleeue Here be saint Paules words very plaine that the righteousnesse of God is made manifest without the Law hee meaneth here all the whole parts of the law for proofe in this chapter he beginneth first with circumcision then to vnbeleef then to mans vnrighteousnes that proofe is made that Iew and gentil is vnder sin by our sinful actes deedes and then commeth to those verses before rehearsed so that it is plaine hee meaneth the whole lawe moral and ceremonial written and vnwritten And he geueth you to witte what righteousnes he meaneth euen the righteousnes of god by the faith of Iesus Christ which righteousnes consisteth in Gods promise which he performeth to all those that beleue in Christ Iesus And what is the promise It is saluation vnto all that beleue in Christ Iesus as in the actes of the Apostles it is said Be it knowen vnto you therfore men and brethren that through this man is preached vnto you the forgeuenes of sins and from all things from which you could not be in stified by the law of Moises by him euerie one that beleueth is iustified Here is the promise It is not said euery one that beleueth doth good workes but euery one that beleueth For the imperfectiō of mans works except Christes workes be such as that they are not once to bee named in the cause of iustificatiō thogh at sometime they be set down to iustifie to maintaine the excellēcy of the law in the perfection therof when it is fulfilled according to the precise wil of God which I say againe neuer man was able to do but only Christ who iustifieth all beleeuers from all thinges which the lawe of Moyses could not And thus you see the law of Moses cleane cut off frō iustifiing And S. Paul saith For that that was im possible to the law in asmuch as it vvas vveak because of the flesh God sending his own sonn in similitude of sinful flesh for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousnes of the law might be ful filled in vs which make not after the flesh but after the spirit Here is laide before vs the weaknesse of the lawe not that it is weake in it selfe for the lawe is of greate force both to cōdemn to iustifie for as many as offend the law it condemneth to the pit of hel if mercy in Christ go not be twixt And it is of great force to iustify if it be not in any point broken which if it be then is it weake impossible to iusti fie and because the case stode so that man could not be iustified by the lawe being weak in man therfore God in mercy sent down his son in similitude of sinful flesh to do that for mankinde which was impossible for man by the law to do Again that you may vnderstand that saint Paule meaneth not only the ceremoniall lawe when he saith the works of the lawe iustifie not but the moral law also not only the scriptures afore alleadged doth proue it but these that follow doe also manifest the same In the 9. chap. he saith For ere the children were borne when they had neither done good nor euil that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by reason of workes but by him that calleth c. Here is Gods election before birth before the childrē had done either good or euil But you will say that God did elect Iacob because hee saw before that Iacob woulde be good The Pelagian in deed is of your minde whose opinion Saint Augustine did con
an outcry and with a pittifull lamentation saith O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death Where is now Saint Paules righteousnes wherein he is to repose as the Papist say his hope of merit by his righteous works He crieth out on it accounting and iudging all things as afore to bee but dung in respect of the excellent knovvledge of Christ. Thus you see S. Paul beholdeth nothing but Christ onely and laieth all his righteousnesse aside hauing no hope at all therby to merit heauen Then if S. Pauls righteousnes bee laide aside as not meritorious to purchase heauē vvhat shal become of al your popish righteousnes but euē be laid aside as S. Paule hath laid his nay rather cōmit it to the dunghill as not vvorthie to bee compared vvith S. Pauls righteousnesse But methinks I heare one demand a question the same that vvas demanded in the 3. to the Gala. vvhich is this VVherefore thē serueth the lawe if whē we haue done the works of the law we shall not merit by them nor be iustified by thē S. Paule maketh the answer It was added saith he because of the transgressions till the seede came vnto the which the promise was made c. Is the law thē against the promise of God God forbid for if there had ben a lawe giuen which could haue giuen life surely righteousnes shuld haue bin by the law But the scripture hath concluded al vnder sin that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to all that beleeue but before Faith came wee were kept vnder the law and shut vp vnto the faith which should afterward bee reuealed wherfore the lawe was a schoolemaister to bring vs to Christ that wee might be made righteous by Faith Now heere you see wherfore the law serueth it is as a glasse for vs wherin to behold our sins for our sins were the cause that the lawe was added And the lawe shewing vs our sinnes we finding no helpe therby but damnation because no man can fulfil the law in such sort as it can giue life Therfore it teacheth vs like a good schoolmaster to whō we shall resort for life pointing vs as with a finger vnto Christ Iesu. For the scripture hath cōcluded all vnder sin man all his works no hope in our selues nor in our workes but to runne to Gods promise by Faith in Christ Iesus And this is our last refuge and the verie vpshot of our game wherby the kingdō of heauen saluation is woon for euer And to make an end of this little worke I will ioine 3. verses of Te Deum which the Papists sing daily in their Churches but in the lattin tongue so as neither the singers nor the hearers can vnderstād the same But blessed bee our God that hath planted amongst vs such teachers who hath giuen vnto vs which are vnlearned the same in our naturall tongue so as we may vnderstand the same to our comfort and find therin that you Papists do teach vs false doctrine when you teach vs that by the workes of grace saluation is merited wherby you make Christ no redeemer nor Sauiour but the meanes whereby we receiue grace and by which grace we doe good workes by which works saie you but falsly wee merit saluation But you shall heare vvhat Te deum teacheth you to say to Christ thus it teacheth VVhen thou tookest vpon thee to deliuer man thou diddest not abhor the virgins wombe when thou haddest ouercome the sharpnesse of death thou didst open the kingdome of heauen to all beleeuers we therfore praie thee helpe thy seruants whome thou hast redeemed with thy most precious bloud In the 1. verse of the three vvee say to Christ Whē thou tookest vpon thee to deliuer man c. So that Christ tooke vpon him to deliuer man from the iustice of God from death hell and damnation before he vvas cōceiued in the vvombe of the blessed virgine and before any of you Papists vvere created vvhich vvill bee iustified by your works And deliuered you from the pain of hell if any of you bee deliuered before you did anie good vvorkes And it is not to be saide that he vvoulde deliuer those vvhome he knevve not he knevv them vvhom he vvould deliuer that before the creation of the vvorld And vnto this I am sure you agree but the difference is in this as aforesaide that you Papistes will say that Christ tooke vpon him to deliuer man because hee knew before that they would doe good works to merite to bee deliuered from perpetuall death to eternall life But we by Saint Paul doe maintaine the contrarie as before is sufficiently proued But if it were as you say then should it haue bin said thus When thou with the helpe of our good workes tookest vpon thee to deliuer man c. But it is not so said but when thou tookest vpon thee to deliuer man c. And therfore Christ alone toke vpon him the deliuerance of man without mans works but if the workes of grace merite saluation thē no doubt but the works of grace doe set open the king dome of heauen to all good workers by grace and then what neede haue wee of Christ But because this is false therfore wee say to Christ in the seconde verse when thou hadst ouercome the sharpnes of death Thou not thou and the workes of grace but thou diddest set open the kingdome of heauen to whom I praye you to whom to all good workers by grace no but to all beleeuers that beleue in the passion and death of Christ Iesus In the third verse we pray our blessed sauiour to helpe his seruantes whō what that hath merited heauen by the workes of grace surely that is forgotten No no but those whom thou haste redeemed with thy precious bloud here is not with thy precious bloud and the workes of grace but with thy precious bloud alone without the workes of grace And to confirme all this most true and vnreprouable doctrine of iustification by faith onely in the passion and death of our sauiour Christ Iesus And to stop the mouthes of all the aduersaries of Gods truth from caueling any more against the same Let vs heare the words of the Lord Iesus himselfe which he spake vnto his Apostles saying VVho is yet also of you hauing a seruant plowing or feeding cattell would say vnto him by and by when he were come from the field goe and sit downe at the table and would not rather say to him dresse wherewith I may sup gird thy selfe and serue me til I haue eaten and dronken afterward eate thou drinke thou Doth he thanke that seruant because he did that which was commaunded vnto him I trow not So likewise ye when ye haue done all those things which are commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruants we haue done that which was our duety to doe Note here the most
Papistes and Iesuites mainteine that the works of the lawe doe iustifie vs before God and merite saluation when there is no good workes wrought by the children of men frō Adam to the last person created that were of force to iustify before God if he wey our works wrought by grace in the ballance of his righteous iudgement what saith Dauid The Lord looked down from heauen vpon the children of men to see if there were any that would vnderstand seeke God all are gone out of the way they are all corrupt there is none that doth good no not one Here you see the sentence vpon all flesh there is none that doth good c. Saint Paul hath the like saying which he repeteth out of the same 14. and 53. Psalme There is none righteous saith he no not one there is none that vnderstandeth there is none that seeke after God they are all gone out of the vvaye They are all become vnprofitable there is not one that doeth good no not one The Prophet and the Apostle you see are of one minde and speaking by one spirite affirmeth no goodnesse to be in the children of men not one good and none that doth good And yet these Papistes wil maintaine that the children of men bee iustified by the workes of the Lawe and grace which is cleane contrary to the word of God and to them that are the mouth of God speaking by the holy Ghost The holy Prophet and the blessed Apostle say that none doeth good the Papistes and the Iesuites geue them the lie and teach cleane contrarie For say they our priests friers monkes Iesuits such like do not only work so much good as wil serue their own turne to bring thēto heauē but haue also works of supererrogation to help others out of purgatory to heauen But by your leaue sir it must cost your purse first for no peny no pater noster with thē But O you foolish papists who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the trueth Before we proceed further let it be vnderstode that in the popish church be ii sorts of works The first sort is such as both we they do allow to be good works being wrought by faith els they are not good neither please God For vvithout Faith it is impossible to please God and they be those our sauiour Christ speketh of in the gospel when he saith For I was hungry and ye gaue me meat c. That is to say when you saw your poore brother hungry you gaue him meat thirsty you gaue him drink a stranger you toke him in naked you clothed him sick you visited him in prison you came to him these indeed be good works which true Christians doe delight in and they please God But the second sort of works the papistes tearme them also good workes but in deede they be the deuils works as erecting of idols and images offering to idols and images going on pilgrimage maintaining of lightes before Images geuing ornamēts iuels to deck images crouching and kneeling to the cros and to images geuing money to pray for the soules departed mainteining of idle mas priests friers monkes nuns Iesuites and such like geuing money for pardons and to be released out of purgatorie to geeue money for popish ornaments to sing and say masse with to geue yerely pentiōs to such as sing say masse for soules departed saying Aue Marias on our beades by number trusting in holy bread and holie water cristning of bels and other infinite matters beside too long to stande vpon But of these no more because they are not worthie to beare the name of good worke but the deuils workes But for the first sort of good works before rehersed which are conteined in the second table of the law of Moises which yet standeth in force and is called the moral law which consisteth in manners teaching vs to loue our neighbors as our selues to doe good to them Let it bee examined what is to be gathered out of the worde of God touching the same the works therof such as think to be iustified by those workes of the lawe wrought by grace Saint Paul saith As many as are of the works of the law are vnder the curse for it is writtē cursed is euery mā that cō tinueth not in al things which are writtē in the booke of the law to do thē that no man is iustified by the law in the sight of god it is euidēt For the iust shall liue by faith the law is not of faith but the mā that shall do those things shall liue in thē Here you see Saint Paules sentence against all you papists that will hang vpon the good works or the deedes of the lawe wrought by grace You see by his wordes that you are vnder the curse as many as be of the workes of the Law if you doe them not in their perfection but that you or any els of the children of men be not able to doe that which the law commandeth it is euident For saint Paul saith it is euident that no man is iustified by the law in Gods sight therfore none of the children of men do fulfill the law which if they did then they should liue by the law then not doing the law they must die by the lawe if they will stand to the law But the iust shall liue by faith to wit the iust by imputatiō for no man is iust in the sight of God al are wic ked and al are gone out of the way al are become vnprofitable there is none that doeth good no not one Here we see what we are and in what state wee stande before the Lorde not able of our selues to doe the workes of the Lawe and yet will those aduersaries to Gods trueth say that they doe merite their saluation by fulfilling of the Lawe which is cleane contrarye to that which is said by the Apostle who againe saith in the third to the Romans That by the workes of the lawe there shall no flesh be iustified in Gods sight The holie Ghost foreseeing that this generation of vipers should start vp to deface the glorie of Christ in the saluation of mankind by mainteining this grosse error of iustification by the workes of the lawe hath plentifully set down in Gods booke most excellent matter words of great force to ouerthrowe this deuilish opinion In the same third Chapter after that the Apostle had laide abroad the wicked state of man complaining That there is none righteous no not one and that the righteousnes of God commeth by Faith in Christ Iesus without the lawe vnto all and vpon all that beleeue And so lapping vs vp altogither in one bundle saith There is no difference For all haue sinned and haue need of the glorie of God but are iustified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus whome God hath set foorth to