it was accompted to him for righteousnesse Abraham was iustified by fayth 430. yeares before Moyses gaue the law Therefore fayth iustifieth not the law That thyng onely iustifieth by which the holy Ghost is geuen The holy Ghost is geuen by fayth and not by the law Therfore fayth iustifieth and not the law The first reason is proued by experience The Galatiās receiued the holy Ghost by preaching of the Gospell and so consequently by fayth The examples in the Actes of the Apostles of Cornelius and many others and also the example of the Centurion proue the same Fayth onely iustifieth Read. Rom. 1. 3. 4. and 9. chap. Sola fides Onely fayth was very well knowen and vsed of auncient Fathers long a goe and the vse of the same hath bene in the Church since the tyme of the Apostles By onely fayth fréely without workes without the law The tyme fléeth away therefore I will onely cote the authours and the places Origen in his exposition vpon the Romanes chap. 3. hath Sola fides fayth onely S. Basill a mā of incomparable vertue and learnyng hath Sola fides in his booke de Humilitate Athanasius vpō the iij. chap. to the Romanes hath Sola fides The eloquēt famous Doctour Chrisost vpon the Ephesians the second chapter Serm. 5. Sola fides And in his Sermon of fayth and the law Sola fides S. Ambrose vpon the iij. iiij x. xi chap. to the Romanes Sola fides S. Hierome vpon the foure and v. to the Romanes Sola fides Eusebius Lib. 3. cap. 27. Sola fides To conclude S. August albeit not in expresse termes as the other yet in effect hath it asmuch After discourse of the merites of Christ of fayth in Christ and of the miserable nakednesse of man excellently he thus concludeth His igitur consyderatis pertractatisque pro viribus quas Dominus donare dignatur colligimus non iustificari hominem praeceptis bonae vitae sed fide in Iesu Christo hoc est non lege operum sed lege fidei non litera sed spiritu non factorum meritis sed gratuita gratia These thinges considered debated accordyng to the abilitie whiche God hath graciously geuen me I conclude that man is not iustified by the preceptes rules of good life but by faith in Christ Iesus That is not by the law of workes but by the law of fayth not by the letter but by the spirite not by merites and déedes but by free and meere grace The aduersarie obiecteth thus It is impietie or wickednesse to add any thyng to the holy Scripture for that it is written Non addes aliquid neque minues Thou shalt not add any thing nor diminish S. Paul sayth if an angell frō heauen preach any otherwise let him be accursed And Irenaeus geneth good counsaile De Deo est vtendum verbis Dei When we speake of God we ought to vse the wordes of god Sola fide By fayth onely is not to be read in holy scripture any where not in Paul him self out of whose 3. chap. of his Epistle to the Romanes it is alledged Therfore to vse exclusiuely Iustificamur sola fide We are iustified by fayth onely is impietie and Luther hath depraued and corrupted S. Paule I aunswere it is a false kind of argumēt settyng downe that thyng for the cause whiche is not the cause in déede Albeit the word Sola written with iiij letters be not extant in S. Paule yet notwithstandyng wordes equiualent are there extāt declaryng the same thyng much more effectually plainly As for example Iustificamur gratis we are iustified fréely Ipsius gratia by his grace Absque operibus without workes Dei donū est It is the gift of God per fidem By fayth When S. Paule excludeth all maner workes what els leaueth he but fayth alone They teach maintaine Purgatory Therfore they breake the net This word Purgatory is not in the Bible but the purgation and remissiō of our sinnes is made by the aboūdant mercy of god Luc. 1. Mar. 2. Onely by Christ So sayth S. Iohn The bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God purgeth vs and maketh vs cleane frō all our sinnes So sayth S. Mat. 1. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Act. 13. Ephes 1. Hebr. 1. 9. 10. Apoc. 1. c. Swéete is that saying of S. Cyp. Sanguis tuus Domine non quaerit vltionem sanguis tuus lauat crimina peccata condonat Thy bloud O Lorde séeketh no reuēge thy bloud washeth our sinnes pardonneth our trespasses The East Church of God whiche sometyme was as great famous as the Church of the Weast notwithstāding they beleued in God his Christ knew there was both Hell Heauē yet of Purgatory they had no skil In the late Councell begun at Ferrar by Pope Eugenius and cōtinued and ended at Florence An. 1439. Purgatorye was concluded and not before in any auncient Coūcell Notwithstāding the enemies of the crosse of Christ pretēd that the same is of very great antiquity Not much vnlyke are they to the olde Arcades whoe sayd in cōmendation of their Antiquitye that they were a day or two elder then the Moone It came from Virgill and Plato and other Heathen writers If a man aske them where it is Some of them say in Ireland The Purgatory of Patrick into the which they say they had once a key and a valiant champion named noble Nicholas boldly and valiantly aduētured in and there did sée wonders Some of them say it is in Scicilie in the burning hill Aetna And some of thē say it is in the Ilād Thile which is also called Iseland Syr Thomas Moore sayd held for certaintie that in all Purgatory there is no water no not one drop and that he would proue out of Zachar. 9. Doctour Fisher sometyme Byshop of Rochester sayd There is in Purgatory great store of water that he would proue by the Prophet Dauid Psal. 65. Albertus sayd The Executioners and Ministers of Purgatory be holy Angels Syr Thomas Moore said out of doubt they be no Angels but very deuils So hādsomely these dreames agree together It serueth wel for their purse purpose and is the most profitable monster that euer was whelped of the Babylonicall strumpet They maintaine frée will Therfore they breake the net This word frée will is not in all the holy Scripture but is inuented by proude men which would set vp their owne righteousnesse and put downe the righteousnesse of Christ The frée will of man is in fallyng and not in rising Christ onely is free we are Liberati gratia but not Liberi natura fréed by grace but not frée by nature and so likewise Iustificati gratia iustified by grace not iust by nature S Paule sayth the flesh lusteth contrary to the spirite and the spirite contrary to the flesh these are contrary one to the other so that ye can not doe what ye would Where
father Origen calleth all them brethren of the Phariseis which séeke to entrap men And Aretius a learned man sayth Diabolicum est quaerere quod carpas quod damnes It is deuilishe to séeke to taunt to carpe to condemne Some folowed him to sée as vaine curious persōs do now a dayes which come to Sermons to see and not to learne Domine volumus a te signū videre Maister we would sée a signe of thee but he aunswered and sayd vnto them this euill and adulterous generation séeketh a signe but there shall no signe be geuen to it saue the signe of the Prophet Ionas Some preasse to heare inuectiues Some to be more ready to contēd and a few alas to few for the loue of Gods holy worde as this company And yet not vnlike but that some of them afterward cried Tolle eū crucifige eū away with him crucifie him Such is the inconstācie of the vnconstant multitude To this tendeth the parable of the séede some fell by the hygh wayes side some vpō stony places some among thornes some fell into good groūd brought forth frute some an hūdred fold some sixtie and some thyrtie folde Thus much for that point By the word of God I vnderstād here the word of the Gospell that is that Iesus is the true Messias the sonne of the woman of whom it is sayd Conteret caput Serpentis he shall breake the Serpentes head and valiantly vanquish the power and puissance of Sathan That sonne of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth shal be blessed The sonne of Dauid which in the house of Iacob shall raigne for euer That sonne to whom it is sayd aske of me I will giue thée the Heathen for thine inheritaunce sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemyes thy foote stole To be short that ladder of Iacob which reacheth to heauen Christ taught sometyme the law sometyme the Gospell Albeit the Sermon of Christ in the v. vj. vij Math. is a true interpretation of the law yet notwithstāding the law is not the thyng for preachyng whereof Christ was sent in to this world For as we read in Esay 61. 1. vers The spirit of the Lord is vpon me for the Lord hath annoynted me and sent me to preach good tidynges vnto the poore Christ came not as a law maker or a law teacher as Moyses came before Hereunto is added that the word of the law doth slea or kill as S. Paule teacheth but the word of Christ giueth life as he testifieth him selfe veryly veryly I say vnto you if a man kéepe my saying hee shall neuer sée death The law is a knowledge knowen by nature as the Apostle witnesseth The Gospel is not knowē by nature but published frō the secret determination of the Godhead by our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ Lex per Mosen data est gratia veritas per Iesum Christū facta est The law was geuen by Moyses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ And our Sauiour saith to his disciples To you it is geuen to know the secretes of the kingdome of god c. And also to Peter he sayth flesh bloud hath not opened that vnto thée but my father which is in heauē Read. 1. Cor. 2. 1. Cor. 4. 2 Cor. 5. Collos 4. 1. Tim. 3. Rom. 16. The law sheweth sinne The Gospell sheweth Christ the Sauiour of the world teachyng that sinnes are forgeuē to all that beleue in him that they are reconciled to god These thynges do the wisemen Prophetes Scribes specially teach which are sent from the sonne of God. The law requireth onely obedience and condēneth the guilty The Gospell giueth remission of sinnes freely in the name of Christ to the penitent relieueth and comforteth the troubled consciences with his sweete promises The promises of the law are conditionall ye shal kéepe my ordinaunces and my iudgementes which if a man do he shall liue in them the promises of the Gospell are certaine and free Come to the waters all ye that be thirsty and ye that haue no money come buy wyne and milke without any money or moneys worthe All haue sinned and haue néede of the glory of God but are iustified fréely by his grace through the redēption that is in Christ Iesus Therfore by fayth is the inheritaūce geuē that it might be by grace The law proposeth preceptes the Gospell hath promises The law is a rule of good workes the Gospell is a doctrine of the person and benefites of the Messias The law denounceth the wrath of God eternall malediction death and damnation to all men for sinne Maledictus omnis qui nō permāserit in omnibus his c Cursed be he that continueth not in all the woordes of this law to do them all the people shall say Amen The Gospell offereth remission of sinnes to all men To giue knowledge of saluation to his people for the remission of their sinnes The law iustifieth none saueth none deliuereth none from sinne but accuseth bewrayeth sinne condemneth all the Gospell of Christ is the power of God to saluation to all that beleue offeryng to all remission of sinnes rightuousnes eternall life To be short the law is to be terribly thundered to the wicked negligent and impenitent the Gospell is sweetely to be sounded to those that acknowledge their sinnes and hartily repent for the same The swéete proclamatiō of Christ teacheth the same Come vnto me all ye that labour sore and are laden and I will ease you c. Of this we haue example in the Prophet Nathan who by a similitude thundered the law agaynst kyng Dauid Dauid repenteth saying I haue sinned against the Lord Nathan pronounceth the Gospell The Lorde hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye The worde of God or doctrine of Christ is called the worde of God that is the doctrine which Christ him selfe reuealed to men Whereof the principall point is frée remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes by fayth in Christ Iesus The efficient cause of this Gospell is the whole Godhead the eternall Father eternall Sonne and eternall holy Ghost The mouyng cause is the excéedyng mercy of God and his passyng loue toward mākynd So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begottē sonne that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perish but haue euerlastyng lyfe The first instrumētall cause is the sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ An other instrumentall cause are the Prophetes Apostles Euangelistes other teachers of the doctrine of the Gospell Therfore the Apostle sayth Let men estéeme vs as the Ministers of Christ and disposers of the secrets of god We together are Gods labourers c. we are messengers for Christ euen as though God did beséech you through vs. The materiall cause is Christ with all his
idle they fall vpon him and kill him But we suffer dranes in euery vocatiō most of all in the holy ministery Then euery man must labour Euery man must laūch Whether into the déepe what to do to make a draught not to deceiue mē not to séeke temporall profite but to edifie to séeke the profit of the church and glory of God. It foloweth in the text and Simō aunswered and sayd vnto him Maister we haue laboured all night and haue taken nothyng neuerthelesse at thy commaundement I will cast forth the net We haue laboured all night and haue not taken so much as one fishe Note here the complaint of Peter which is the complaint of many men and there with all note these wordes at thy commaundement I will cast forth the net and last of all the successe that when they had this done they enclosed a great multitude of fishes c. we haue fished all night and haue taken nothyng Many fish in the night such fish without the commaūdement of God without the presence of God without prayer estéeme more their fishyng then the word of God therfore their fishyng is vnlucky many by inspiratiōs of Sathan are moued and stirred to euill artes to theft murther vsurie and other horrible vices these labour in the night Many preach no man amendeth no man cōmeth out of the denne of sinne into the light of faith What is the cause men labour in the night Peter and his partners laboured all night and tooke nothyng Many with their partners labour all night and take nothyng What is the cause they labour in the night They haue not yet receiued Christ into their shyp they haue not the word of Christ to cast forth the net Doctour Luther no tabely sayth Quod passim premantur tanta miseria homines sola incredulitas in causa est Onely infidelitie or vnbelief is the cause that men are afflicted with so great miserie At thy cōmaundement I will cast forth the net We learne here an example of faithfull obediēce in Peter who was prompt ready to obey the commaūdement of Christ whom he knew not yet to be the sonne of god We know him to be the sonne of God yet we shew no such faythfull obedience how then shal we excuse our selues Simon declareth him selfe accordyng to his name For Simon by interpretation is hearing or obeyng Obedience is an excellent vertue Obedience is better then sacrifice Noah obeyed the word of the Lord and he was preserued from the floud Abraham obeyed the word of the Lord and it was sayd vnto him in thy séede shal all the nations of the earth be blessed Nahaman obeyed Elisaeus and was healed of his leprosie Incomparable was the obedience of Christ Christians obey God subiectes obey your Prince Children obey your parents seruaūtes obey your maisters wiues obey your husbandes Simon did cast forth the net but how at the cōmaūdemēt of Christ This is a profitable doctrine Whatsoeuer ye doe in word or déede doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus giuyng thankes to the Father by him Euery man ought to launch out his net in the name of Iesus Christ The Prince the Preacher the Magistrat the Housholder the Artificer the Plowmā c. For Christ saith with out me ye can doe nothyng Except the Lord build the house their labour is but lost that build it Except the Lord kéepe the Citie the watchman waketh but in vaine Read the whole Psalme By the onely frée goodnesse gift of God is the house and houshold mainteined the Citie defended meat ministred children obtained Without the word of Christ in runnyng it helpeth not to be swift in battaile it helpeth not to be strōg in féedyng the flocke it helpeth not to be wise to Riches it helpeth not to be a mā of much vnderstandyng to be had in fauour it helpeth not to be cunnyng Without the word of Christ my fishyng my plantyng my wateryng and all my labour is nothyng worth Gregory sayth well Nisi intus sit qui doceat incassum lingua docentis laborat Except he be within that teacheth the toung of the teacher laboureth in vaine Xerxes that great kyng of Persia which inuaded Grece with seuen hundreth thousand of his owne people and iij. hūdred thousand straūge souldiours was vanquished by a fewe Greekes Why he launched not he inuaded not in the name of Christ The Isralites in the name of God passed safely through the red sea At the commaundement of God they compassed Iericho seuen tymes and all thynges fell out vnto thē most prosperously Samson in the name of God made heapes of his deadly enemies with the iawe of an Asse with the iawe of an Asse he slew a thousand men Dauid sayd to proude Goliath who defied the host of Israell Thou commest to me with a sword a speare and a shield but I come to thée in the name of the Lord of hostes the God of the host of Israell whō thou hast railed on By this name and omnipotēt word as Chrisostome noteth the stone was directed to the forehead of Goliath into the which it did sinke and he fell grouelyng to the earth And so the armed was slayne by the vnarmed the Giant by a Dwarf and the skilfull in martial affaires by one that could no skil but of kéepyng shéepe The cause was for that he had his helpe from aboue through the trust whereof he strake the blasphemer ▪ into the forehead In the same name oftentymes a poore mā groweth to great wealth and in fauour with God and man. Whosoeuer therefore purposeth to haue good successe in his affaires must of necessitie launche out with Simon into the déepe and that in the name of Christ he must become Simon a hearer and a Disciple Of necessitie he must heare read learne meditate the word of God according to the commaundemēt first séeke the kyngdome of God and his righteousnes c. He must receiue Christ into his shyp that is most faythfully and humblely pray him to blesse his labours That is the way to thriue in this world and in the world to come There are many launchers especially now a dayes which launch out into the déepe not in the name of Christ but in the name of Sathā they make draughtes deuilish draughtes by vsurie by periuries by cosenyng by lying theft murther flattering couetousnes and such like vilanie Is this the way to thriue Many obiect why the indeuours of godly men often tymes haue ill successe and the indeuours of the wicked haue good successe God hath appointed this ordinaunce that all thynges to the godly should prosper and come to good effect and to the euill should decay come to euill effect But Sathan troubleth this ordinaunce as it is sayd The Serpent shall byte his héele that is Sathan shall afflict Christ his mēbers with all maner of miseries incident to man notwithstādyng
God vseth a pollicie against Sathā maketh that which séemeth a curse a blessing that which séemeth a blessing to be a curse Ioseph obeyed his fathers commaundement and went vnto his brethren and his brethrē by the instinct motion of Sathan sold him but God turned this into blessing So we read of Dauid so of the Apostles of many other whose curses haue bene turned into blessinges This is the condition and state of men in this world Generally good men lyue in aduersitie and wicked men in prosperitie I say generally For it commeth sometymes to passe that good men lyue in prosperitie and wicked men in aduersitie But this seldome falleth out and among a hūdred good men scarse one or two lyue prosperously in this world The generall sentence therfore stādeth firme and infallible good men are plagued with aduersitie euill men florishe in prosperitie accordyng to the Prouerbe Quo peior eo fortunatior the worser man the better lucke Christ playnly sheweth this condition and estate of mens affaires in the exāple of Diues and Lazarus You sée often tymes the most wicked me most fortunate and the most godly most miserable But Respice finem marke the end and fret not thy selfe because of the vngodly neither be thou enuious agaynst the euill doers For they shal be cut down like the grasse and be withered euen as the gréene herbe Put thou thy trust in the Lord and be doyng good dwell in the land and verely thou shalt be fed Delight thou in the Lord and he will giue thée thy harts desire Laūch thou into the déepe and let downe thy not in the name of the Lord to make a draught alwayes remembryng the heauēly saying of the Prophet Dauid Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our god So much for this part And whē they had this done they inclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net brake Here we learne the cause of prosperous suceesse and blessing of the Lord which is if at his commaundement we cast downe our nettes Here Christ by a wonderfull miracle proueth his Godhead The circumstaunces declare the miracle to be wonderfull the labour of all the night lost the breaking of the net the sinkyng of the shyp the callyng of partners out of the other shyp the astomeng and great admiration of Peter and others the sudaine forsakyng of all their goodes obedience shewed to the word of Christ The like miracle we haue in Iohn 21. The vse of this wōderfull miracle is that Christ is that Messias that lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world That Christ not onely is Lord of the land but also of the sea and all that therein is In an other place touching tribute Christ sent Peter to the sea saying go thou to the sea and cast an hooke and take vp the fish that first cōmeth vp and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a péece of xx pence that take and giue it vnto them for me and thée If Christ be Lord of the sea and all thynges therin thou whiche by fayth art made a member of Christ hast no cause to feare the surges waues and daungers of the sea feare not that which is subiect to Christ thy head must of necessitie be subiect to his members What signifieth the breaking of the net who breake the nette how the nette is broken why the nette is broken these thinges are to be obserued Touching the first The kingdome of heauē is lyke to a net which was cast into the sea and gathered of all kinde of fishes which when it was full the fishers drew to land and sate downe and gathered the good into vessels but cast the bad away So shal it be at the end of the world The angels shall come forth and seuer the bad frō among the iust and shall cast them into a furnace of fyre there shall be wailing gnashing of téeth The net is broken when the concord of fayth in the Church is broken and men falle into wicked heresies and errours They breake the nette which fishe in the night wanting the light of holye scripture and blinded with the darcknes of errours and ignoraunce Euil men which breake the vnitie of of the Church and fall into sectes schismes doe also breake the nette which obey not but cōtemne the calling of god These are euill fishes which are not taken or els breake the nette that is they fall frō grace frō fayth and lose the spirite of god All that were conuerted stode not in the nette of fayth and vertue for many went forth and mightely brake the nette peruerting fayth vertues and Sacramēts Such fishes belong to the kitchen of Sathā Arrius went forth brake the nette began a most pestilent schisme because he could not obtayne the Bishoprick of Alexandria Whose steps many doe follow Sabellius cōtinued not in the nette but went forth and brake the nette So did Fotinus Manicheus and other innumerable Of such S. Io. speaketh saying they went out from vs but they were not of vs For if they had bin of vs they would no doubt haue continued with vs but that it might appeare that they are not all of vs Of such also speaketh S. Paule Now the spirite speaketh euidently that in the latter tymes some shall depart from the fayth geuing heede vnto spirites of errours and doctrines of deuils c. False Apostles brake the net in the Primitiue Church as Luke writeth Then rose vp certayne of the sect of the Pharisies which did beleue saying it was needeful to Circūcise them and to commaund to kéepe the law of Moyses To these breakers of the net S. Paule sayth Christ is become but vayne to you as many of you as are iustified by the law are fallen from grace Of this companye were Himenaeus Samosatenus Alexander and many other heretickes Since the Primitiue Church continually swarmes of heretickes haue broken this nette Wheresoeuer God doth build his Temple there by and by Sathan adioyneth his chappell At this day because the light of the Gospell shyneth clearely legions of heretickes as Anabaptistes Schismatickes Libertines Arrians Atheistes Romish Catholickes the Familie of Loue and others breake the nette of the Gospell Wo be vnto the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea For the Deuill is come downe vnto you which hath great wrath because he knoweth he hath but a short tyme Touchyng the Familie of Loue I say this the deuill transformeth him selfe into an Angell of light Therefore it is no great maruaile that this familie beyng in déede a familie of Sathan should transforme them selues into a familie of light a familie of loue God is light God is loue Chrisost sayth Haeretici omnia habent in similitudine Heretiques haue all thynges in resemblance or likenesse This familie is not a familie of true loue