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A04700 The refutation of the byshop of Winchesters derke declaratio[n] of his false articles, once before confuted by George Ioye Be not deceiued by this bysshops false bokes. Heare novve the tother parte, and iudge truely of the trueth. For the veritie vvyll haue the victorye. Joye, George, d. 1553. 1546 (1546) STC 14828.5; ESTC S107947 135,831 402

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against y e kinges vtter foo the pope whiles you w t mouth pē fight sore for y e pope stand vpō his part in his defēce against vs his enemies whiche haue and shal be the fall of him whom ye sweat so sore to sustain and set vp ye knowe that his and youre iustificacion .xl. yeres agoo stode vp on merits satisfactions by works vpon his penaunce absolucions and receiuing of his inuented sacramentes and euen vpon his false faith antichristen religion and yet it standeth vpon the same feble foundaciō as your selfe may see it in this youre defence of him and his iustificacion declaring your selfe stifly to stande vpon the popes parte whiche sith it be so greate an offence against your prince I meruel it is not espied ne loked vpō It shuld be quickely espied in me or in any other thus openly by bokes as ye do for the popis defence to wryte ayenst the popis enimies and to succoure the pope his false doctryne in all that ye may to retaine him or to brynge him the easilier in again at your day so sore lōged for For what els is the pope to be still in englond then his faith his doctrine al his religion there to be mainteined stil depelier autorized fermilier roted then euer it was before For this iustificacion which ye so strongly defend is y e principal foūdation stone of y e rome chirch which so long as it stil remaineth in englōd colour it couer it as ye can the romish foxe is not put out of his hole And he y t mainteneth this his chefe erth castell couert he muste nedes be y e foxes frend Whē d. Butte herd frier forest ī saīg his cōfiteor for his absolution for he had once recāted was comē to ideo p̄cor added ideo beatam Mariam et beatissimum ac sanctissimum patrem franciscum orare pro me By my trowth quod he and this fryer proue not a false herlet let me brent for him and in dede it proued euen so For he fill to his vomit ayen and was brent with the idole of wales And if ye will not turne but still affirme the same popishe iustificaciō y t hathe ben taught these .xl. yeres of the popis disciples and of his apostles standinge still in his faith and defendinge his religion truste you whoso will ye come not into my crede When ye make answer to the bokis agenst your vnaduysed vowes and to the croppe eared foxe handle them craftilier wryte more circumspectely for bewrayinge your selfe Ye bid me go bake fro my bakwared iustificacion c. But I tell you by gods grace I wil neuer go bake from chrstis rightwysmakinge by faith onely in him to the popis and yours antichristen absolucion as ye do openly and so declare yourselfe by your own hand writinge And if I do not ye say I must place your studiouse worke of your lerninge to beleue with y e work of baptisme c. before iustificacion To this ye be answerd oft before except ye take the studiose worke of y e lerninge of your beleif for the spellinge and redinge that childrē lerne ere thei cane their credo which as I haue proued it enioied their iustificacion before their baptisme and lerne their beleif aftirward But take it for the lerninge of y e beleif in Iesu Christe to haue dyed for our sinnes printed in our hertis so be all thus taught of god blessed as hathe the psal Blessed is he whom thou teacheste O lorde out of thy lawe So that god by his spirit in teachinge geueth faith into Chryst and his scoler in lerninge receiueth it at y e same tyme and is belessed in teachinge taught in his blessed iustificacion by the same lerninge And as for the baptisede with water God biddeth and teacheth vs to prepare them before bothe by the lawe and gospell taught them by the lawe to shewe them thir sinnes and by the gospell to conceiue faith into christ for their remission and thus the faithful regenered first of the spirit be often asked whether thei beleue the articles of our faithe recited and if thei saye credo c. then must thei be baptized and not afore aftir your arswarde popis iustificacion plantinge your herbes withe y e rotes vpwarde God iustifyed noman without the gifitis of faith and loue this ye gaunt Ioye Yea and put in hope to Which when man receiuethe he reciueth by them iustificacion No sir not by them but by faith only he receiueth it saith the scripture Ye wold fayne I perceiue by your by worde By them tomble them in both togither as the causes of iustificacion But therfore I denye your by worde By them as by siche causes for only faith hath that office and strength sufficient and is the Cause formall or instrumentall by which only man is iustifyed I wyll disclose your iuglinge By thē in a playne example Albeit a man hathe bothe eyes eares and nose all togither in their places in one head as be faith hope and loue togither in one soul yet it folowth not but is a grosse absurditie to say the man seeth by them or heareth by them but as he seethe and heareth but by one onely sence so is he iustifyed but by one onely gift geuen him for the same office cause For as we geue to euery sence hir distincte seuerall accion so attribute we to euery distincte gifte of faith hope and loue hir proper seuerall operacion distinct accion Faithis proper acion is to iustifye in apprehendinge y e promsed remissiō in christ hope by expectaciō waiteth for the saluacion conceiued knowne and beleued before by faith ▪ Charite loueth the thinge knowne before by faith and waited for by hope Now go to and say on When man receiueth faith and loue he receiueth by them iustificacion wherin I call mans deserte and meryte Ioy you so call it but not the scripture so calleth it onely the vsinge of the benefits offred of faith and loue Lorde what a confuse perplexe blyndnes is there in these latet wordes wherin I cal mans deserte and merits in vsinge c. wherin ye saye In which wherin mean ye In faith or in loue or the receiuinge by them iustificacion or in the iustification it selfe Me thinke ye wolde the man to merit in the receiuinge by them iustyfycacyon but as no man receiueth by them but onelye by faithe iustificacion so can no man merit by or in suche a false receiuing your receite by them is false and vngodly as I haue proued it ergo the meritinge therin is as false and vayne here wold ye buyld your merits vpō a false grounde and cleue them to the vsinge of crystes benefitis as before but that false foundacion withe the reste of your popish tymbringe ye se I haue clerely ouerthrone and subuerted it I meruel ye haue so sone forgoten yourself saying
impugne so blyndlye this verite of faith onely iustifieng for ye neuer knewe what this faith is It is neither your acquisite ne your formed ne vnformed faith nether your assentynge historik faythe neither your explicite ne implicite faith neither your fained ne deade faith neither the diuellis faith nor yet your firste faythe of all that we ioyne with the exclusyue onely but it is the lyuely iustifienge faithe euen the ferme assiewred knowledge of gods beneuolence towarde vs whiche grounded vppon the veritie of the free promyse in Christ is both reueled to oure myndes and presented into our hertis by the holy gost And therefore are these wordes Iustitia iustificatio and iustificari often tymes ioyned to faithe onely and neuer to Charitie ne to workes to iustifye before God Paule vsynge in expresse wordes these exclusiues Absque operibus and sine operibus legis gratis nisi c. That is frelye withoute the workes of the lawe And where the Iewe as nowe do you for his iustifycatyon obiecteth his workes Paule telleth hym playnelye Thy gloriacyon in thy workes is excluded by by the auctoritie of faith And to exclude all other accions and merits of workes he addeth Gratis per gratiam per fidem that is frely thorowe faith And Christe biddeth him beleue onely and thou shalte haue thy desier Also Paule expresseth it with this exclusiue nisi affirminge we knowe it man not to be iustified of the workes of the lawe but by faith which lyke speache Christe vseth by the same exclusiue nisi to proue only God to be good sainge Nemo bonus nisi unus Nempe deus There is none good but one that is god as muche to saye as christe him selfe expresseth it there is none good nisi solus deus but only god For the same power hath nisi to exclude in negatiue propositions as haue Solum tantum in affirmatiues They trouble the people with a fyne distinction of offices sayeng that in iustificacion of man it is the onelye office of fayth to iustyfye And charite and hope there waytyng without office whiles the man be iustified Here ye playe sir Thomas Moris parte whyche when he was suborned of you the spiritualtie to wryte agaynst the truthe and coulde not solute the scriptures ne argumentes layde agaynste hym then he skoffed and iested them out Better learned men then you call the actes of fayth and charite offices ne a more proper terme can there be geuen them if ye lyst to se what officium is and wherof it commeth mary I meane not of suche offices as ye constitute among your officers as butlers cokes c. And here because the truth of God and youre lyes be at so deadly a discorde you hauynge no truthe for your cause to be defended ye putte to this shameles lye of me that I shuld write Charitie and hope there to waite withoute office whiles the man be iustified whiche nether I ne any els but suche as ye be didde euer saye it But I say it yet againe to you this which ye shal neuer iustly auoid ne confute That it is the office acte propertie or nature call it as ye lyste of faith onely to apprehende the free promised forgeuenes in christis moste preciouse innocent bloud Nether is hope idle For it is the constant expectacion of those things conceiued by faith oute of the worde of god which hope shameth vs not Nether is loue there idle but is the frute of faithe euen the good affecte toward god and beneficence toward our neighbour to fulfil the works of mercy For the gifts of the holy gost breke not forth into workes in the same instant thei be sowen into y e soul of man but receiue their nourishment and encreace and be nolesse idle then is the good erthe and the grane sowen lapped therin all that tyme before the grane spiereth apere aboue y e grounde The holy goost as he geueth no idle but frutefull giftes at their dewe tune so suffereth he not his giftes to lye idle in his good soyle althoughe ye haue litle grace to consider see it but rather to blaspheme him and his gifts with youre skoffinge idle waiting hauyng rather respecte to your idle wayting seruauntes in your skornefull allusion Thoughe your self slepe or winke and se not at al times yet maye ye not saye in suche tymes that God hath geuen you idle eyes And for that your superciliouse morositie is so of●ended with the terme office of fayth what difference I praye you put ye betwixt these two sainges The eye onely seeth and it is ●he onely office therof to see neyther is there any man so brutyshe as in this speache It is the onely office expressinge the cause formal of faith to iustifie to exclude god the cause efficiente out of his office For onely as Paule teacheth excludeth the workis of the lawe not god from the acte of iustificacion as ye cauill to seke euasions verely if ye were of god ye wold neuer impugne so manifest verities with siche trifflinge skoffes and cauillacions ne trouble and hynder chrystes chirch to seduce them with these your fonde and false bokis But ye stande a litle to highe in your own conceight beware ye fall not Dominus videt et iudicat Que stat caueat ne cadat he y t stond let him beware he falleth not And so onely is nowe shifted from faith to thoficie of faith And these be thei that accuse other men of darknes Nowe herken good reader wether this be so derke a shift Onely y e eare heareth and it is the onely office of the eare to heare this bishop wolde haue it the office of charite also to iustifie and I to exclude charite frō y t office tell him that it is the onely office of faith and not of any other gift to iustifye haue constantly confirmed it by scriptures But the scripture telleth me that who so loueth not remaineth in death And therfore if the state of a iustified man be lyfe in Christe which is godly loue hath as well hir office in iustification to geue lyfe as faith hath hir office to be in knowelege the most certaine grounde and foundacion of it and hope hir office to be placed and establyshed vpon them bothe I denye your longe bablynge vaine and darke argument which is this breifely in fewe wordes The office here be ye compelled to vse this terme office of charite is to geue life ergo charitie iustifieth A lyke argument the office of charitie is to be pacient ergo charitie iustifieth But what and if I denye your antecedence and proue it by scripture that faith and not loue is the lyfe of the iustified Abacuc ii The iust man liueth in his faith For faith hath not this epithete ut uiua dicatur that is to be called lyuely except there were lyfe in hir wherof the iust lyueth Abacuc ii Also Paul sayth
to vs all remission vppon this onelye condicion that we beleue in Christ and not vpon your condicion of works as I haue iustly by scriptures hytherto proued it Nether therfore folowth it That then with out any endeuer almen shuld haue it Is not faith an harde condicion think ye Shal euery mā beleue in Christe when he lestethe and haue faith when he wil without the sharp assawtis of hir contrarie enimies as of infidelite desperation sin deuil and dubitacion shal euery man haue it encreased at his idle pleasyre loke vpon Abrahams faith so sore tempted vppon Iob Dauyd and of his that saide lorde I beleue but help my vnbeleif and loke vpon the apostles faith tempted vpō the seas and in other places Faith is a rare and mighty gifte geuen not without the merits and intercession of our sauior Christ. And if euer ye shal fele y e batails of sin death hel the deuil the iugement of god and desperacion preassinge agenst the spirit of faith in you and wrestlinge with your spirit and litle faith to dryue you in to vnbeleif and dubitacion of forgeuenes desperacion whilis ye beholde your sinnes only in the lawe in your own conscience and iugemēt of god your aduersary accusing you not in the death of chryst with a constant and manly saith in him but to be brought into this desperat state to see your self wetingly and willingly of a set malice to haue resisted and thrusted the worde of saluacion from you when it was so benignely offred you to haue closed vp your eyes agenst the light to persecute the gospel to wryte and speke ayenst it to impugne y e trwthe and with your dampnable doctryne to haue seduced so many soulis into hell and with your false enstrucciōs to bringe many into damnable errours and with your cruel vngodly actis and articles to be the autor of somiche innocent bloudshedinge w t infinite moo accusacions ayenste you ye shal fele them to be to laboriouse and hard an endeuer and harder a fre choise of you to assent with your faith to breke thorow and smit of and auoid all these heuye accusacions If this shal be so hard and heuey a batail ayenste the trwe faith loke neuer then that your false faith with your fre choise and assent to it when ye list shal stand sustain and abyde it ye shal fynde it no smal endeuor ne lyght batail to hold faste your faith in Christ if ye hade it as litle as the mustard sede Many an holy man felinge this stryff temptacion haue cryed Lorde geue me faith lorde encreace my faithe Lord strengthen my faith for christis ●ake lord lede me not into this temptaciō If ye had red the psalmes with faith and the story of Iob and trwly vnderstode them ye shulde haue sene how iuste menis faith hath ben tempted tried and ouerthrowen and how thei be first slayne ere thei be quikened in spirit first drouen down into hell ere thei be reduced into heuen first to tast of desperacion damnacion ere they tast of any strong faith and saluacion This is y e souldyers lyfe and Hercules labor by faith to fele remission and saluaciō assiewred vs in oure soulis and not so easye a pleasant passetyme as ye yet dream● in your idle worldly welthines an● sinful securite Trewe faithe is n● idle assent ne acquisite qualite as y● list to haue it with your dremed endeuor But as y e course of y e wynd is not knowne so know ye not yet what faith is as your bok is playnly shewe your ignorance But here I omitte y e accusacion brought ayenst you for not doinge your pastorall office accordinge to godis vocaciō and lyke the successour of any one of the apostles in whiche office if any one of your floke be founde to haue perished for want of the very fode of godis worde purely faithfully and frely not preched of you his bloude shal be required at your hādis Now say on We muste take godes benefit as it is offered and not as we wold haue it ye saye trw For the benefit of our remission and saluacion is euerye wher offred vs in the scripture For our faith into christ and not as ye wolde haue it for the fulfillinge of your condiciōs shewinge your selfe therin to be wiser then god and to inuent a nother and better way as ye beleue to heauen then by Christe as god hath decreed and ordined ye wolde belyke sette god to scole as ye did take vpon you to teache doctour Barnes better lerned then you Ergo by the gift of god I may do wel before I am iustified your handlynge of this my conclusion declareth plaine that ye vnderstande not what ye saye For ye ●ondely improue a conclusion that mighte stande and be true Ioy. yea after your truth with your ●onde paradox of onelye faith iustifieth onlesse in teachīg ye wil so hādle y e mater as Barnes dyd Thaia man is iustified before he beleueth For if beleue goth before iustificacion as a cause dothe theffect then seinge in scripture beleif is called a dede and procedinge from the gift of god must nedes be a good dede it foloweth necessarely ergo I may by gods gift do a good dede before I am iustified A wise argument lo as though to beleue in Christ were the dede of mā not as christ affirmeth it the work of god Ioa. vi saieng This is the work of god y t ye beleue in him whō he hath sent ye shall know that by y e handlyng of your conclusion I vnderstand it better then ye wetesaffe haue iustly confuted it in my former boke as euery reder may se it your self know it if arrogāce malice had not blyndned you to not se faith in christ iustifieng to be y e rote foūtain of al good works and what is not of this faith purifieng the hert to be sin I haue hitherto remoued al your cōdicions as your penance baptism c from the place before iustificacion haue compelled you by scriptures to place them after faith iustifieng And now ye be brought to thꝭ narow shift as to seme to proue beleif to go before iustification which ye say is a good dede ergo But I shal driue you as euery reader shall se it openly from this your last shameles shifte that al mē shal se you to stand naked of al euasions without any mo sterting holes First ye must graunt that faithe into christ is the gift of god now ye speak of beleif and ye set it confusely tantum as y e sophisters say without any thing into which y e acciō work of y e verbe shulde passe And if ye wil haue it stand so absolutely nothing added so is it as good a dede as y e deuil doth y e same For as Iames saith The deuils beleue the turkes and Iewes beleue But speake you like a
of that rocke of faith onely in him wold haue it called a bare foundacion al this your extenuacion of faith to make it youre material shaples faith I tell ye wyl not serue your popishe purpose the almighty power of gods euerlastinge worde preaseth to sore vpon ye for onely faith iustifyinge Ye coud neuer haue cōtended in a more difficile yea impossible argument and mater to proue then not oneli faith to iustifye but charite to be concurrant ye shulde haue red it Hebreus .x. how Paul declareth his mynde and order of these giftis sayīge and affirminge vs to come to our great priste Christ with pure herte in the certaintie and asseweraunce of faithe ourr hertis sprincled and theuil conscience put a waye the body wasshed with pure water we holdinge the confession of hope not waueringe for he is ●aithful which hath promised consider we one another into this en●e that we maye prouoke vs to loue to do good workis where ye see in what place fayth first standeth with hir proper seueral operacion wher hope with hirs and laste of al charite placed with hir workes whiche order of these .iii. giftis the scripture euery where obserueth placinge faith as the foundacion and rote of hope and charite of al other vertews so y t as Paule saithe what soeuer is not of faith is synne And here aftir your longe vain bablinge of faith y e bringeth knowlege and faith that hath not charite as though trwe faithe and knowledge contrarye to Isaye were not all one or were withoute charite and faithe not to geue lyfe but loue to be y e lyfe of y e iuste cōtrary to all the scriptures then ye wold haue youre onely onely ioyned to onely god not to faith As thoughe when the scriptures with y e doctors saye by onelye faith man is iustified thei wolde exclude god the principal cause efficient from our iusti●ication and remission whiche plasphemye to think who is so madde and brutish And to confirme your deuillish drift ye adde stoughtly And this i● the plaine teachinge and agreable with scriptures whiche muste be vnderstanden as one parte be consonante w t another without siche hacking as ye make of it But not one worde of scripture bring ye for your teaching ne agreablenes but lordly ye say Thus we must vnderstand them as though ye had y e same falsly vsurped autoritie ouer y e scripture our faith as hath your ātichristē father of rōe to cōpel cōmaūd vs to beleue to vnderstād what ye list which is y t vsurped powr honor aboue god wherof daniel and Paul speke For when Christ euer referred his doctryne to the lawe and prophetis yet will this blody beaste and hir whelpes compel men to beleue their false doctryne falser faithe for their owne popishe persons vsurped false autorite only God gaue abraham faith where with to beleue in him and charite wher with to loue him And abraham as he beleued in God so he loued him bothe to gither Ioy It is trwe if he coud do bothe at once with one acte Here haue ye condemped your self For fyrst ye saye God gaue Abraham faith to beleue in him And now as touchinge this firste gifte what saith the scripture credidit Abrahā deo et imputatum est ei ad iusticiam Abraham beleued in God and it was imputed him vnto rightwisenes here ye se that same only acte of beleif in God to be rekened to him for his rightwysnes ere loue procedeth to hir proper worke for loue presupposeth the thinge knowne by faithe ere she canne loue it As your selfe saith within .xii. lyues before and that faith brīging knowledge must nedes procede loue and yet blyndely ye forgetting your self harpe still of this your onely vntewned stringe Charitie loueth ergo charitie iustifieth your selfe see it ye say and write it that faith loue being two distincte giftes muste nedes tende into two sondrye and distincte effectes and yet be ye so blynd that ye wolde violently make them concurrant into the one effecte of iustification And ye saye charitie iustifieth which speche of faith as to saye faith iustifieth offendeth your dilicate eares because I speake it As thoughe all lyke speches saue suche as come out of your mouth thorowe malyce and arrogancy yea and that so proudly shuld stinke as saith the psal lxxii vpon you I maruell ye sweat so sore with so many wordes for charitie to iustifye and haue so litle charite your selfe and lesse loue to faith iustifienge whiche is truth And as often as Paule nameth faith not speaking of loue so ofte and oftener speaketh Ioan in his pistles of charitie without mencion of faith If the often speaking of a thinge shulde proue so do Ioan speake as often of synne withoute mencion of faith as doth Paul of faith without mencion of loue I wonder ye shame not thus fondly to reason But shew vs where saith Ioan charitie iustifieth as oft as Paule saith by faithe we be iustified who seeth not by these your vain shiftes and febler weak arguments how falce is your parte when ye can neither by scripture nor reason proue it howe oft saith Paul in one chapter By faith all oure fathers haue deserued the testimonye of rightwisenes Then wolde ye by as f●nde a profe make it appere that charitie iustifieth because christ saith The father drawethe vs to him by faith which to make it somwhat like ye falsely expowne christs words by putting to your owne dreame saing that by loue we be drawne to Christ. But and if ye had red but two lynes forther ye shuld haue sene Christ to haue expowned himself sainge vs to be drawne and to come to him onely by faith thus concludinge Euerye man therfore that hath herd of my father and is lerned of him he cometh to me To hear of y e father the scripture expowneth it to beleue and to haue faith geuen vs of him as christ affirmed it to peter and as Paul declareth it faith to come of hearinge And therfore to hear of god and to be lerned of god and to beleue in him thorow christ be alone Paul calling it auditum fidei that is the hearing of faith or faith had by hearinge And turne to y e pistle to the hebrews and loke whether we come not first to God by faith ere we loue him ye had nede go studie the scripturs yet beter lerne to conferre y e places not thus to allege thē at rouers Ye say a litle before Thei muste be vnderstanden as one parte be cōsonant to the other without hackinge as I make of thē but in so saing ye twich your selfe by the nose Yt here openli chop your hackinge knyfe into your own sower herbes with a false glose hackt into your owne potage For ye neuer obserued the context ne conference of the places which is a token but of a popish lerned
loue not beinge so concurrant into the act of beleif in christ as to say with loue I beleue in christ as well as with faith As to saye in a like speach I am not iustified without my .v. senses and yet do thei not iustifye me ye speke in a lyke fallacie as the man told the boter wyfe y t she made hir boter with her eares It is truth quod she I made it not with out them but hadde them when I made it Your self lo now be ye come to daley with sich idle ridels For no iust argumētes can ye make for your loue to iustifie Ye shulde impugne this sayeng That without faith and beleif in christ iustifienge I cannot loue christ And then let vs see what ye can bringe in for the yonger sister to helpe hir elder in iustificacion or theffect to helpe hir cause to worke ye argue as the creues goeth lyke y e peruerse gardiner of whom speaketh Alexander Macedo turninge the toppes o● your herbes into y e ground and the rotes vpwarde from theffecte to the cause from the toppe to the roote all backewarke and arsewarde But ye now preasse vpon me to shew ye scriptures in this forme of sillables charite iustifieth and yet ye haue no scripture so framed for faith as to saye faith iustifieth No but I haue scriptures to shew ye That christ faide often and to manye Thy faith hath saued y e Paul oftener saith that man by faith is iustified and what differēce is betwixt these two sentences To him that beleueth in him that iustifieth the vngodlye his faith is rekened to hym for rightwisenes faith iustifieth what differenc make ye betwixt these two sentences By faith man is iustified and his faithe iustifieth hym And now shewe me as mich for your charite where ye haue but once this sentence By charite man is iustifyed and I wil graunte it you that charitie iustifieth but as I know ye shall neuer shew it nether in sēce nor sillables so shal I neuer to you graūt it But to aunswer you according to your folyshenes and to stoppe your mouthe who begin to appose me as children were wont eche other in their primers to aske where fynde ye me two deus withoute a meus This miche I say I find in Paul deus iustificat and then in Ioan deus est charitas and so I fynde charitas iustificat And is this all the scripture ye can fynde for loue to iustifye Then I se well ye haue not forgotten all youre boyes plaies nor y●t all youre bragginge sophistrye I am content to be called fole of you so worldly a wise but yet Paule telleth me agen That the folyshnes of this worlde is wisedom before god and the wise of this worlde be very foles before god But at leste wyse ye shulde haue rememberd the wysemans counsel biddīge you Not to answer the fole accordig to his folishnes lest ye be made a fol● your self In good faith I thought not of siche childish fashions and Plays when I saide Where fynde ye that charite iustifyeth but ment it simply and playnly askinge it you to shewe me the place in scripture which perchaunce meself had neuer sene ne hered of before but now ye knit vp your syllogisme thus sayng Deus iustificat deus est charitas ergo charitas iustificat For quicquid predicatur de subiecto predicatur de predicato And so if deus predicatur de iustificare to say Deus iustificat and then charitas predicatur de deo deus est charitas the scripture y ● faith deus iustificat saith also charitas iustificat And thus I geue ye wordes for words who deserue none other For els I know y t charitas que de deo predicatur est iucreata and so differeth it a charitate qua iustificamur Mary sir I thanke you with all my harte for thus haue ye soluted your own false argument as the sophisters solute such false sillogismes sainge non tenet syllogismus ubi ter mini non supponunt omnino pro eodem But yet here me thinketh ye haue forgotten youre sophistrye and knowe not whiche is subiectum copula and praedicatum in propositione Ye saye that in thys youre fyrste proposicyon Deus iustificat deus praedicatur de iustificare where ye shewe youre selfe not to knowe whyche is subiectum and praedicatum ne copula For copula nusquam incidit in subiectum uel praedicatum Ye saye deus predicatur loke beter of your maior and how your argument shuld stād in y e third figure if deus were predicatum in y e maior and subiectum in y e minor Ye be so hyghe in diuinite that ye haue forgoten your logik and sophistry But ye saye thei be but wordis for wordis ye geue me In dede wordis be taken for deceights without any trwthe as ye vse youre vayne wordis in all your bokis all verite set a parte But in erneste let these your trifles skoffes passe frō so graue a cause And shew vs in sēce seriously as I haue shewed you of faith iustifyinge albe it not in forme of syllables where it standeth ī scripture Charite iustifiethe For I nowmber not your syllables but I seke out of you the very trwe sence onely from which ye now slip lyke y e slyper ele and the deffe aspe into a nother tale sayinge thus Now where as ye say y t if the forgeuenes of oure sinnes and oure suluacion shulde depende of the condiciō of our workes we shuld neuer be sewer and certain of one iustificacion for al oure workes be vnperfit and foule Thus I aunswere you That what sewernes ye wolde haue I cannot tell but of this am I sewer that god hath thus ordeined that baptisme is necessarye to attaine saluacion and yet all children be not sewer to be baptized And this do scripture tell me assewerdlye that a man must perseuer in good doinge to th ende or els he shall not be saued And that he that standeth in vertu may fal and be cast out In all these your assewranees haue ye not one worde ne mencion of faith into god and Christe nor yet of his most adsewered promised forgeuenes apprehdesd by faith euen the very vndoubted certitude it self Wherby men may see howe faithles vnsewere is your doutfull waueringe popish doctrine which al these your assewerances the turke and iew may haue without faith iustifieng ye say ye cannot tel what sewrance I wold haue wherin ye say not tru For how oft haue I laid before you the assewred promises in Christe holden by faith agenste your waueringe workis And yet I tell ye agen That if the kinges maiestye wolde promyse you before all his nobles another bishopryke nowe perchance voide and therto put his owne seall and wrytinge to confirme his promise wold ye not reken your self sewer therof Miche more then If god y ● verite promise me forgeuenes ī christ
of your saintes merites yea and of Christes merites to wherout by participation for mony he is readye to lash out this your marchaundise of merites and yet in nothinge to vse your wordes diminishing theffecte of christs passiō This is your diffamacion of merite whose good name ye ought to restore by gods worde if ye wil not be sene to stand vpō your father the popes side Of what elles foundacion stode al your abbeis monasteries chauntries yea and youre bisshoprikes to but vpon these your popisshe merites in prayers and mysses for the deade to plucke them out of your fained purgatorye And therfore be thei worthely subuerted Christ so prophecienge of them Euery plantacion which my heuenly father hath not planted shal be vproted Your byshoprikes therefore do but tarye the verifienge of the same Neither I ne anye true christiane knoweth any other merites for sinne then the plenteouse merites of christes passion by his mooste preciouse bloude perfitly perpetually deseruinge for al that beleue in him forgeuenes of their sinnes And am certified by this his almyghtye euerlastinge worde That man is frely iustified by the grace of god thorowe faith in Iesu Christe so that this worde gratis frely excludeth all the merites of any worke of the law frō faithe iustyfyenge but not from the faithfull iustified man If this sayenge be sclaunderouse to meryte so be Hierome and Austen great sclanderers of Meryte whiche constantelye affyrme agaynst the Pelagyans man to haue no merytes If thou wylt sayth Austen be quite voide of grace bost thy merites And god croneth his owne giftes and not thy merites And the scriptures affirme euery where all rewarde celestiall to be geuen vs oute of the free mercye of god for christes sake and not for any of our merites Ye myght haue sene it clearely yf ignoraūce malice had not blyndened you by the so manye mightye argumentes made of Paule ex contētione of these contraries workes and grace merite and free gyfte ryghtewysenesse of the lawe and of faith from vncertaine to certaine from to haue any thinge of grace and of dewtye deserued frō the waueringe infirme vnperfit deades of the lawe to the ferme promise receiued by faith that merites and grace ne faith and workes beynge so contrary in this cause of contēciō can neuer be cōcurrant into one and the same acte of our iustificacion The scripture holly consenteth that all our beste workes of the lawe be sinne filthy therfore not to haue that dignitie to deserue remission of sinnes as I haue sufficientlye proued it in my cōfutatiō of your false articles which ye haue not yet ne cā disproue The lawe is the wyll and mynde of god holy spirituall iuste and good and requireth suche perfit holy and iust workes as be not corrupte ne stained with any carnall affect of man but suche workes were there neuer perfourmed but onelye of him of whome the father testified This is he in whome I am pleased Wherfore man so longe as he is called fleshe can not deserue by doinge the workes of the lawe God promiseth rewardes to the fulfyllers of y e law but because it is impossible for man called fleshe to fulfyll it therefore he sent his sonne Christe to fulfyll it that his fulfyllynge by oure faith apprehended shulde be oures thus made of the father our rightewisenes our holynes wysdome c. And here I write it yet againe that ye laye so heuily to my charge Euen that god commaundeth to man so longe as he is called caro whiche is as longe as he lyueth thinges impossible as Paule and Christe and Austen testifieth saienge Man hath not in his power to be good eather not seynge for hys ignoraunce what maner one he oughte to be or els if he see it yet is he not able to be suche one as he seeth him selfe to oughte to be And therefore sayeth he in many places God cōmaundeth impossible thinges to man that he knowinge his owne imperfection and impossibilite shuld seke helpe of him in whō is all perfection helpe in our nede And all to depresse mans arrogancy and to shewe him to hym selfe to be but a synner so to be saued only by the grace and mercye of god and not for his owne merites not to glorye in our selues Thus is the lawe the vssher of y e scole to take vs forth to christe it sheweth vs our synnes it woundeth vs but healeth not It prouoketh vs by faith to seke helthe in Christe that all the glory myghte be geuē to the grace of god in Christ Which geueth not his glory to any other nether by participation nor by retaliacion And then ye saye playne contrarye to all your owne doctryne in your hole boke thus Christes passion in the sight of god is onl● sufficient sacrifice for the sinne of all the worlde so ful and so perfite as nedeth not any addicion or supplemēt of any mannes desert to the appeacynge of gods iuste wrath against man for synne By this exclusiue onely youre absolute speche it shulde folow that all men without faith shulde be saued yea and without youre condicions to Ye shulde haue added therefore is onely sufficiente sacrifice to the beleuers in him But howe standeth this peece with your so manye good condycyons so full of youre workes to deserue your remyssyon which all ye saye be required to that tainement of oure iustification All your principles argumentes reasōs autorities violently wrested youre collettes versicles with sancte marie omnium sanctorum meritis With sancta maria ora pro nobis sancte Georgi with al your lyke papistry tend to the contrarye that ye haue here sayd For euen your owne praphane vaine voice of your participation maketh christe but halfe a deseruer halfe a satisfier and but a party patched sauiour For what is it els to merite and to satisfye as ye say by participation then to diuide part or halfe to him and part to vs. It behouethe a lyer euer to haue a good memory lest his wordes fight against him self compelled to vtter his lyes with his owne mouthe as your selfe hath here done openly Diuide not gods essenciall indiuisible names from him Halt not thus for shame with Baalis byshoppes into both partes as Ely the prophet forbiddeth you Eyther let christe be an hole entire sufficient sauiour deseruer and satis●ier for synne or elles none at all Diuide not his glorye to your synfull merites and satisfactions Christe is not diuided saithe Paule It was he that al alone trode the wine presse in his bloudye robes none of all the worlde to haue holpē him Isaie .lxiii. Christ onely is our hope only Christe is our lyfe our waye onlye Christ is oure sauiour holly thorowly perfetly abso●utely totally entirely c. If christ be suche one then away with all your meritinges satisfaccions contentacions for sinne awaye with all your condicions
sinnes ▪ which is our iustificacion And yet ye saye before ye neuer went about to proue it ' that workes must iustyfye And yet in so sayeng as workes of penaunce to rekouer grace and remission ye bothe wolde proue it and also make grace no grace ne Christes passion of none effecte For a iuste confutation of this your doctrine I shal therfore proue it clerelye by scriptures that man muste be firste iustified by faith ere either he repent holsomely or be baptized with water And because ye haue diffamed true repentaunce and iuggled so longe with your do penaunce makyng the people beleue they haue done it when they haue done or sayde all their penaunce enioyned them by their goostly fathers ye shall know that repētance is a turninge to the lord god wherby we of y e syncere feare of god humbled aknowledge our synnes and all our hole lyfe we make newe So that the hole lyfe of a penitente faitheful is a perpetual mortificacion of his fleshe and a reuiuinge of the spirit euen the perpetuall custodie of his lyfe fygured in baptizme of water wherin the dopinge buriyng signifieth our mortification our synnes buried in Christe his deathe and the lyfting vp oute of the water teacheth oure arysinge wyth Christ reuiued into a newe lyfe Also the hebrewe worde his and the greke Metanoite in latyne Resipiscite signifye to be turned to a better minde or chaunge your lyfe Which worde Ioan and Chryste vsed sayeng Resipiscite in propinquo enim est regnum coelorum Repēt ye or chaunge youre lyfe or be ye turned in mynde for the forgeuenes of synnes is nigh And Chryste beganne his preaching lykewise sayenge Be ye turned or repente ye and beleue the good tydynges of youre remyssyon They preached not onely saienge repente ye as ye dreame and there stopped but they euermore in all their sermons as did his apostles added the cause why they shuld repent whyche cause implyed and conteined therin the promise of remission of their synnes sayenge for the remission of your synnes is at hande For so much signifieth the gospel the kingdome of heauen in those places Which promise apprehended by faith anon the herers prepared them to repentaūce turninge their myndes conuerted to god whome they before knewe by faythe beleuynge hym for hys mercyes sake in Christe to receyue and to forgeue them For who turnethe hym selfe to God whome he nether knowethe ne beleuethe to be mercyfull to hym ne loueth him before he turneth to hym For they preached fyrste the lawe whereby came the knoweledge of theyr synnes and eft sone the gospell of forgeuenes promysed in Chryste whyche by faythe apprehended then beganne the true repentaunce Also we are often commaunded to repent by these wordes of god spoken of the prophetes Conuertimini ad me salui eritis conuertimini ad me ego conuertat ad vos Be ye turned to me and ye shall be salfe and I shall be turned to you Where ye se that God commaundeth vs nothinge but he biddeth vs aske the same of him as Austē confirmeth and declareth it your selfe alledgynge his wordes sayeng Iube quoduis modo des quod iubeas Ergo we muste aske oure repentaunce and conuersion of god saing Conuerte nos deus salutaris noster and Conuerte me domine ego conuertar Conuert me LORDE and I shall be conuerted If thys prayer be of faythe as it muste nedis be if it be made to the father in christis name so must faith go before the conuersion and the peticion and prayer before the thinge obtayned therebye Agayne when I am promised of god to be saued if I turne to him there my faith first apprehendinge the promise procedeth to the precept in turning to him as doth the seruant beleuinge his masters promised couenant addresse him to his seruice and fulfillinge of his masters cōmaundements althoughe his seruice in folowinge his master be placed befor the cause as your self here after gyueth an example saing he that foloweth me is my seruant placinge theffecte before y e cause in your lxxxviii lefe seconde syde of this your boke in the lxxxix lefe ye saye In this speche I ioyne that is out of al kynde of causes to theffect as to folow me is no cause to be my seruant but rather ensueth of seruice and of the couenant which is the cause why that he folowth me importeth that he was my seruant before he folowed me Euen so do the scripture place theffecte of our conuersion before the cause which is faith first apprehending the promise in this lyke speches Be ye turned to me and I shal be turned to you be ye turned and ye shal be salfe Repēt ye for the remission is nighe And thus lo be ye confounded proued to teache false doctryne to peruerte the scripture by your owne wordis by your onwe exāple And that faith iustifyinge muste nedis go before repentance and our conuersion to god as the scriptur teacheth vs contrary to your popishe papistry But I knowe howe falsely ye iugle with youre do penance in your boke of enstructions saing Resipiscite credite euangelio thus englyshing it sayenge Fyrst be contrite knowledge your synnes and then receiue the gladde tidinges of remission c Because theffecte is placed before y e cause therefore ye wolde make foles beleue theffecte to be before the cause cōtrary to your owne wordes in this your booke in the .lxxxix. lefe and by this placinge ye wold proue penace to be before faith iustifyenge But yf ye hadde redde but .ii. lines before in marke ye shoulde haue learned playnely the preachinge of the gospell that is of y e glad tidinges of y e promised remission of synnes which is y e cause of repentaūce as Io. bap affirmeth it Math. iii. to haue gone before theffecte of repentaunce commaunded But this licenciouse libertye to peruert the holy gospell that ye take to your selfe also by your do penaunce as ye do vpon Peters sayenge to Symon Mago Resipisce igitur ab ista tua malitia Englyshīg ab with fore thus sayenge Do penaunce for this thy malyce when the texte is Turne thy mynde from this thy malyce so fayne wolde ye holde styll your popishe sacramente of do penaunce to merite forgeuenes of synnes The true conuersion to god presupposeth the knoweledge of sinnes which commeth by the preachinge of the lawe It presupposethe also the preching of the gospel wherby commeth faythe and knoweledge of the mercy of god promising forgeuenes in Christ. wherfore ye se it necessarilye that repentaunce and the conuersion vnto god muste folowe faith iustifieng cōceiued by hearing the gospell Also faythe iustyfyenge muste goo before baptisme For Christe bodde his Apostles go forth and teache all nacions ere they baptized them And what thinke ye they taughte them Uerelye euen the lawe and gospell as he had commanded them and then as many as beleued they baptized them
out of my natyue lande from my frendes to wander and trauell in a strange contrye the more is my heuines and sorowe and payne especially in my syknes olde age wherof I may thanke you your popisshe impes persecutinge the gospell and diuisinge your vngodly and vncristen actes inhibicions enstructions condempnacions and articles wherby ye haue yet make many a pore man to smarte Sed dominus meus uideat inquirat et iudicet qui ius reddit ac uindicat omēs qui patiūtur istam iniuriam But the lorde wyll se to and serch it be your iudge whiche geueth true sentence vpon you delyuereth al y t suffer this wrong When I traueled to enstructe doctoure Barnes I declared to him this proposiciō Theffecte of christes passion hath a condicion nether derkely nor confuselye And why ye shulde so call it I see not for both the matter is certaine and the wordes cōmonly vsed and vnderstanden Theffecte of christes passion is the worke therin entended that is to reconcyle man to god to brynge hym to saluacion If your termes of cōdicion effecte had ben so playne as ye saye so had they neded no declaratiō to D. Barnes ne now to me ye know y t christes so plenteouse a passion broughte to man manye ryche and innumerable benefites and effectis as ye cal them And againe your confuse condicion wente greate with infinite condiciōs as your selfe declare hir to containe all the willes and pleasures of god And is it not nowe a confuse derke speache to saye Theffect therof hath a condicion● who knoweth of whiche effecte and of which condicion amōg so manye ye speake Now ye declar● theffecte to be the reconciliacion of man to god and the bringing of him to saluaciō And yet is it not so clerely ne clerkely declared seinge there be so many thinges yet contained in theffecte and betwixt it and mannes saluacion standinge the course of mannes lyfe I wyl therefore helpe you to declare it A reconciliation whiche is an atonemente or a peace makinge presupposeth a discord and inimite betwixte the parties wherof one hath offended the tother The parties at discorde were god and man The thinge that made the discorde was the synne cōmitted by mā againste god his creatore The atouemaker was christe god man by sufferinge his passion for the sinne commytted therby so apeacynge hys fathers wrathe and satisfyenge his iustice that the manne beleuynge in Christ to haue suffred for his sinnes and to haue rysen for his iustifycatyon shall neuer haue hys synnes imputed vnto hym but be cleane remitted and forgeuen And thus we haue your effect of christes passion to be the forgeuenes of oure synnes whiche is oure iustification and absolucyon vpon thys condicion that we beleue in christ Thus doth paul in many places declare it and also the fathers voyce out of heauen vppon Christ made for vs that oblaciō expyatory purging our synnes that we myght be perfitlye made ryghtwyse thorowe hym Now it is playn what is mente by your effecte Euen the remyssyon of our synnes thorow faith in Iesu christe And thus accordynge to the wordes of the scripture will I hence forth cal it and let your straunge termed confuse effecte passe wyth all youre confuse condicions saue onely faith in christ Which cōdicion who so haue it he enioyeth his remyssion and if he hath it not he is dampned had he done all Wynchesters workes contayned in his condicion Then ye saye Barnes and I agreed vpon faith to be one condicion And because he was my scoler I wolde learne him mo condicions then fait● required for mannes forgeuenes of his sinnes euen this where in he openlye inuered against me in his sermone That is to forgeue my neighbour or els I shall not be forgeuen And concluded vpon that he had graunted to me before that the fulfyllynge of this condicion was not the diminucion of the glorye of christes passion Here ye shewe one of your iuglynge castes with doctor Barnes ye say ye wolde lerne hym mo condicions thē faithe and ye brynge in the precepte of the forgeuenes of your neighbour whose fulfyllynge is requyred for the forgeuenes of sinne say you And then ye runne thorowe as it were in washe waye to your conclusion that he had graunted you That the fulfyllynge therof diminisheth not theffecte of christes passion as thoughe the precepte were now fulfylled and you at youre wayes end krowynge vp your triumphe before the victorye But herken a lytle and lette me aske you thys one questiō Whether fayth in Chryst be your fyrst condycion goyng before your precept or no whervpon ye saye doctour Barnes and you fyrste agreed By your own saienge it is the first condiciō Then thus Faith in Christ implieth in it selfe y e ferme assiewred beleif in christ to haue suffered for hir synnes accordynge to gods promyse whych affyrmeth to the same beleuer that as he beleueth accordinge to hys promyse so commeth it to hym Wherefore this man must nedis be iustifyed ere youre second condicion be spoken of And yet ere ye come to your conclusion I muste staye youre hastye iourneye in the fulfilling of this precept of the forgeuenes of youre neyghboure euen as ye wolde be forgeuen youre selfe of god This is an harde precept of the law and is not so sone fulfilled of man as ye weene for It is not in mans power to forgeue his brother with the same affecte as Christe forgeueth vs beinge hys enemyes And therfore hys dyscyples hearinge this to harde a precepte for their free choice as ye terme it in continently prayed hym saing A dau ge nobis fidē encrease our faith teachynge vs fayth to supple the impossibilite of the preceptes that no man can so forgeue without the gift of faythe iustifyenge And therefore I wyll denye it vtterlye to be anye condicion required for the forgeuenes of our synnes tyll I be perfitlye assured you or any other to haue fulfylled it accordinge to the mynde of the lawe geuer and withoute faithe goynge before And the cause why I denye it and exclude it from the acte of iustification is this Paule excludeth all the workes of the lawe from the act of iustification this precepte in your condicion without faith is a worke of the law therfore I admytte it not into the attainemente of the remission of synnes as cause or condicion without whose fulfyllyng hys sinnes be not forgeuen Another cause is I consider this precepte of loue who sekith not hir owne profit but other mennes is geuen to man yet corrupte with his carnall affectes and stayned with a natural loue to him selfe and with hatred to him y t displease hym or hurt him and is his deadly enemye whiche is his neighbour notwithstandinge whom he is commaunded to loue as him selfe to diuyll and diuide this naturall loue from him selfe into hys enemyes bosome hym
iewysh workes before faith If a iewe or a turke shulde come to your scole wolde ye first teache hym your good workes and popish ceremonies before the true beleife into god thorow christ and baptize hym ere he beleue The Iewes and Turkes do such good ciuyle workes before men as ye teache men to be iustified thereby They praye they faste geue almose heare and rede the scriptures pay their dettes bye and sell and make their wares truely and iustely kepe matrimonye whiche they do not withoute the common helpe and grace of god and yet be thei not iustified by them before god but before men after youre iustificacion w tout and before faithe But we which haue professed the christen religion groūded vpon faith in Christ teache the good workes which be the frutes of the spirite of faith and not youre pharisaik rightwisemakynge ne your iewishe iustification For what hath belial with Christ the derkenes to do with the lyght The tree muste be firste good ere it bryngeth forth good frute And so if beleif be required before iustificacion there ariseth then a meruelous perplexite how I shulde worke well y e worke of beleife before I am iustified But as we saye my synnes be forgeven because I beleue so because my synnes were forgeuen I dyd beleue Go to and skoffe and deride God and his holy worde whiles the lorde that sitteth in heauen laugheth you to skorne and shall at last smyte you sodēly with his yerney scepter declaring your arrogante ignoraunce in that ye here affirme the worke of beleife to be mans worke when christe and Paule telleth it you if ye had euer learned so farre That hoc est opus dei non hominis ut credatis c. This is the worke of god and not of man to beleue in him whome god hath sente Neyther for the defence of anye errour as ye falselye reporte vs do we enter into so harde a matter of gods priuey counsell as ye call predestinacion and make it the immediate cause of oure saluacion as your selfe blyndely stomble in to it no occasion geuen you but to declare onely your ignoraunce as ye saye lest any other espienge it in dede shuld iustely preuent you with the same strype For we say w t Paul That god hath chosen vs in christe accordinge to his gracyouse good wyll and pleasure and not for oure merites before to worlde was made But wherefore to do what we lyste as reasoneth the forlorne saiēg If I be predestined to be saued so shall I be saued do I neuer so euel god forbyd but we be predestined saith paul to this ende that we shulde here be faithfull holye and blameles before god by loue which hath predestined vs to be his sonnes by adopcion thorowe Iesus Christe c. that the glorye of his grace shoulde be praised And that we be created of god in crist Iesu to do good workes prepared of god and not of oure selues that we shulde here walke in them ere we obtaine that promised saluacion And that we be after our election and predestinacion called to be regenered of the spirite by faith whiche spirite of faith in Christ certifieth vs of oure eleccion hauynge nowe the pledge and ernest of the spirite euen Christ hym selfe geuen vs testifieng to our spirites y t he hath chosē vs to be his This assewraunce in faith is taught vs euery where in scripture by gods promises sealed both with the interne obsignacion of the spirite of faith and also with the visible seales of his sacramentes testifienge to vs his beneuolence towarde vs in christ both by baptisme and his holy supper And dare you then so arrogātly saye against this holy assiewerd certaintie obsignation of the spirite in the promises of GOD receiued in the mooste certytude of oure faith and be so bolde as to impugne this ferme assewrance and perswasion of y e spirit of fayth to perswade any man as ye do to dubitacion ignorance vnbeleif to doute of gods holy promised eleccion and his predestinacion in chryste wyl ye saye agēst this That y e faitheful be saued by predestinacion and their eleccion in christe whom god hath predestined and chosen they shal be saued for god repenteth him not of his eleccion but it must necessarelye and immutably come so to passe in his elect accordinge to his ferme purposed decre in his euerlasting immutable prouidence so that it lyeth in no mannes hande to resiste his wyll ne to take any of his chosen from hym And therfore whiles we that beleue to be predestined and chosen in christe thus serche and treate the knowledge of oure predestinacion in christe and not in goddes secret counsayle ne in oure selues in Christ I say within the limites of goddes expresse wyll worde there is no such perill therin ne is it so harde a mater as ye make it but ioyouse swete and counfortable to euery faithful humble cristian But if ye leaue y e light and the waye of hys worde and will serche treate and measure it with your owne fond reason and curiositie of your witte as ye here do then be ye worthely caste vp of god into your owne forlorne sence and ignoraunce strayed awaye into labyrinths inextricable into your owne confusion compelled to peruerte and to falsefye the scriptures wresting them to seme to agre and to serue your ignoraunte reason for feare as ye saye of your mere necessitie all thinges to be done dreamed out of your owne feble brayne which cannot in the scriptures see wyth saynt Austen the necessyte in y e wyll of god predestenynge to stande with the free wyl of the predestined to do good And againe with the necessitie of reprobacion in gods wil to stande the libertie into euyl in the reprobated so that his dampnacion be imputed vnto hym selfe for his owne voluntary faulte Nether can ye see howe this necessitie is no compulsion ne constrained necessitie but a voluntary necessitie God wil haue mercye of whom he lyst and harden whom it lyketh him The cause inscrutable of his diuine secrete will is worthely hidden from vs so profounde are his iudgementes that mannes reason cannot attaine to thē and yet will your fonde witte be ready to accuse god of vnrightwisenes oneles he geue you a reason to your mynd and a rekening why sith all things depende of your mere necessitie ▪ and of the secrete godly iuste wyll he shulde dampne any man As thoughe the potter were bounde to geue a rekenynge to his claye wherefore he hath not made all his vessells therof a lyke in honoure And as thoughe gods depe inscrutable iugementes and wyll must be measured with your hyghe witte Oh myserable man that thou art sayth Paule whiche darest replye reason with and incuse thy maker on this maner as thoughe God were bounde to attemper the magnitude of his secrete workes to thy rude capacitie Are his diuine
The life which I nowe lyue in my fleshe per fidem uiuo filij dei I lyue it by the faithe of the sonne of god And Iohn saith he that remaineth in loue dwelleth in life the cause why Abacuck Paule declareth for that he that remayneth in loue dwelleth in faythe whiche is the lyfe of the iuste So y t to abide in loue declareth the man to continue in the lyfe of faith But I argew thus to you Charite can not loue god onles she first knowe god but by faith iustifienge god is firste knowne ergo faith iustifienge is before charite louinge Wherfore charitie iustifieth not For the thynge muste be firste knowen ere it be beloued Then thus faith iustifienge is before charitie louyng For the man is iustified in the former accion of faith knowyng beleuinge in gods mercye thorowe christe For faith is a lyuelye faith in hir owne proper work of beleif into christ ere she worketh by charite But you wold make charitie egall in accion with faythe in the worke of iustificacion whiche ye shall neuer do with all the popes lawe ne with all his dirtye diuinite ye haue And to proue your popishe parte ye sweate greatly to ioyne life to charitie as though then ye hadde your purpose And in your .lv. lefe folowinge ye saye the scripture geueth lyfe to charitie but ye dare not alledge that scripture as I haue alledged lyfe to be geuen to faith ye wold here by adioyning lyfe in charitie to be concurrant w t faith in iustificacion as I perceiue make faith your materiall shaples dead and an idle faithe till charitie setteth her a worke geuing to fayth hir forme lyfe But this dreame wil not serue you as I haue tolde you before And then ye saye hope muste be placed and establyshed of faith and loue contrary to the hole order and treaty of them thorowout all the scripture as ye se it distinctly orderlye and playnlye in all and in euerye parte and pistle of the Apostles and in the prophetes firste of faithe then of hope and laste of all of loue yf you vnderstande them Then ye prate pertly of your workes before your iustificacion And I tell you Shew me but any one of your good workes before your iustification before god and I shall soone tell you whether it be good or badde yea and that by the true twich stone of godis holy word that lieth not Ioy violently writeth this text of scripture when ye haue done al that I haue cōmaunded you then say you we be vnprofitable seruauntes c and all to diminishe thestimacion of good workes This byshop violentlye wresteth this texte with the monkes exposicion of the chartir howse to serue for his and their merits wherevpon theirs and all other monkish howses were founded and buylded till the gospell ouerthrewe them as it shall shortely subuerte your byshoprykes to as christes owne exposition of the same texte playnelye declareth it Your monkish glose is That be cause god is riche enough and want nothinge ne nedeth our commoditie goodis ne profit by our dedis therfore we muste say we be seruāts vnprofitable to him But christ telleth vs a nother cause sainge Say that ye be seruants vnprofitable be cause ye haue done but your abounden dewty For what thanke hath that seruant because he hath done but y t he is commaunded to do These be Chrystis wordis to destroye your merits and supererogacion workis to merit more then ye nede which ouerplus ye sel to other men for money and londe to be geuē to your bishopriks abbeis therfore ye may be ashamed to render any siche a popishe cause cōtrary to christis owne wordis ye saye god hath no nede of our commodite profit and seruice It is trwthe therfore ye serue him theraftir redier to serue your lustis the deuil the pope the world God cōmādeth vs al creatures to serue hī but aftir you nether to ꝓmoue ne to set forth his glorye name goodnes ne one to profit a nother Christ biddeth vs so to let our lyght shyne before mē that thei seinge our good works might glorifye our father in heuen And what ye do to the lest of myne ye do it to me saith he so that his pleasure profite and commoditie by our seruice consisteth and remaineth yet still in his chirche and his members And as the tolerances persecucions inuries done to his members he rekeneth them done to himself as it is to se collos i. act ix so accepteth he al benefites and workes of mercye and seruice done to his chirche of the pore faithful membres of christ as done and comon to himself as ye se mat xxv For which vtilite and profit done to him in his members he calleth vs contrary to your exposiciō profitable faithful seruants to hī For he nedeth our seruice in his chirche and mēbers and necessarye it is y t all his creatures so serue him sith he hathe therfore created them to celebrate his gloriouse name and geuen them and vs commandement so to do Albeit god is omnisufficiente almightye riche in himself yet standinge the creacion of al things in heuen erth to minister and serue him accordinge to his precepte it is necessary his glory goodnes to be spred celebrated by their seruice God nedeth not our goodes ergo he nedeth not our seruice how folowteh your argument seinge he hath created al things to serue him ye be a riche bishop hauinge of al things enoughe and nede not your seruants goodes yet seing ye haue seruants it is necessary that thei serue you al thoughe ye be able to serue your selfe wherfore I pray ye be as good for gods seruice as for your own for it standeth maketh as miche for his honour to require our seruice as it dothe for youre honour to be serued orels ye wold peruert the vniuersal order of the worlde if kinges and magistrates hauinge seruants shulde haue no nede of their seruice Ye saye god nedeth no seruice of vs. whē he biddeth you therfore to go into his vyneyarde to plough vp mens hartes with his worde therin to be sowen and planted to fede his flock Tushe may ye say god nedeth none of my seruyce by your exposition for he is able enoughe to do it him self my seruice can not profite him and so his seruice and precept forsaken ye maye go into the popes garden there to playe the gardiner plante sowe his popishe rites tradicions deuyllishe doctrine still as ye haue done to poyson the simple soules w t errours and heresies To whome it shal be sayde at laste O euel and vnprofitable seruaunt c. take him awaye and his handes and fete bounden cast him into exterior derkenes where is weping and gnasshinge of tethe Then ye saye Gods seruice is profitable to vs but if ye did beleue your owne saieng ye wold serue him ernestlier then ye do
ye see that thei must come bake and folow faith iustifyinge and not go before it For when Peter affirmeth whom ye alledge for Paule that by fayth hertes be made pure he sheweth it that by no externe visible ne materiall signes or creatures as causes essenciall as by water and suche lyke mens hertes be purified but onely of God thorow faith wher Chrisostom saith A sola fide illa assecuti sunt non operibus vel circumcisione Of onely faith haue they obtained those thinges not for workes or circūcisiō Then ye say By y t sacramē● of your penaunce ye beleue to recouer the state of grace I perceue that althoughe ye be a lawier yet wolde ye seme to be sene in scole mater bringing in dunces and such fryers dead dreames now articled in louayn saienge That the sacramentes of the newe lawe iustifye and confer grace Sed hoc uerum est ubi non interponitur obex But y t is true where there is no lette to barre them out from y t high preuilege The scripture affirmeth Christe euery where to be the dore barre to let them and all other creatures from that priuilege to geue grace and remission of synnes for els he shuld haue dyed in vayne But ye muste aske your doctoure dunce and his fryerly faryne of lovaine by what scriptures he they proue this dreame and then are ye all set a grounde If your sacrament of penaunce shoulde recouer and geue ye grace and your penaunce a weary worke so were grace tediously deserued and then saith Paule grace were no grace Grace is a fre gifte geuen vs for christis merits only here ye do with the scole men tectely withe your rekouer declare your selfe a palliated pelagian Beware of suche doctryne for it is naught and vnkouer it agen with your rekouer For ye kouered this pelagians potte before with your penance as I haue iustely refuted it For and if ye were asked by whiche parte of your popish penance as whether by your confession auriclare or by your contricion or your insufficient satisfaccion or whisperinge absolucion or by any other dede inioyned you ye rekouer this state of grace ye shuld bringe vs forthe but a nakedneste out of your condicion For if ye beleue as ye saye ye do in any of the popis sacraments or in any part of them therby to enioye theffecte of Christis passion hauinge no worde of faith ne promise of christe therin ne worde of institucion of the same to stablish and sustayn your faith ye shall haue but a doutful waue ringe forgeuenes and as fearful and vnquiet a conscience when ye shal be apposed in y e article of death of your gostly aduersaries and assawted with synne desperacion the iugement of god death and hell For your faith in your sacramente of penance not sustayned of gods promise wil then fainte and haue a fall The mooste holy repentant men praid god not to entre into iugement with them accordinge to thir desertis for then shuld noman lyuinge be iustifyed in gods sight And ayen in the psalme If thou lorde shuldst loke narowly vpon our wykednesses Lorde who might abyde it Hitherto haue I proued constantly by scripturs Faith iustifynge to go before baptisme And now what condiciō of yours soeuer cometh aftir baptysme the same must folow iustificacion but your penance folowethe wrapped in clothes as rocked in cradle when y e worlde was yet And euen thē Adam by faith in that promised sead obtained remission and was iustifyed as were all the holy fathers longe before Ioan bap was borne and Ioan bap himself thinke ye not but that he was iustifyed before christ preched ye wold make a meruelouse world brīg vs in a new strange doctryne if there were no remission of synnes tyl christ had preached suffered was he not the lōbe slayne from the begininge If ye loke well of abells oblacion and of the sheepe slayne to kouer adam and Eues nakednes with the skynes ye shal see Christes remission of sinnes longe before Ioan preched penance when Ioan preached sainge Repēt ye and be conuerted to God for the remission of sinnes is nighe and said lo this is the lombe of God that taketh awaye the sinnes of the world and who so beleue in him hath lyfe euerlastinge did he not preche the gospell annexed as the cause to perswade them to repentance yisse trwly thei beleued in Christe ere Ioan baptized them And thus ye may see vpon howe feble a Maxime as ye call it ye a rather a minime ye laid your false grounde to argewe your popish penance to precede remissiō wher fore tell vs plainly be shorte whether ye will teach men to be ius●ifyed by faith only or by workis onely or by faith and workes bothe togither If by faith onely so be we agreed If by workis onely without faith so were the haithen infidelis faithls iewes iustified and Christ dead in vayne and al the scripture ayenst you as Paul proueth it All men to be sinners no not one iuste by the works of y e lawe stoppinge euery mans mouth shewing al y e worldholden gilty obliged to sinne no fleshe by the workis of the lawe to be iustifyed be fore god and in an hundred places moo in the scriptures I shall saith the lorde disclose thy good workes as thou takest them and shew y e that they shal neuer profit the. Also Paule concludeth mightely and manifestly his sermon declaring playnly the lawe impossible to be fulfilled of vs and so to iustifye no man and therfore by onely faithe man to be iustified saing thus wherfore we conclude doing you to wete ye men and brethern that by this mā I say Iesus Christ the remission of synnes is brought vnto you the remis●ion and absolution I tell you from al the sins frō which it was impossible for you to be absolued by the law of Moises By this Iesus christ I tell you euery man y t beleueth is iustified And what so euer is not of faith is sin of faith saith peter purifieng y e hertes wherfore workes alone cannot iustifye Nether faith workes togither as concurrant into the same acte of iustificacion may iustifye For the workes of the lawe by whiche be vnderstanden al the ceremonial iudicial and moral precepts as Paule proueth it and al the old holy doctours especiall Austen called iustitia legis iustitia ex lege and iustitia operum be excluded frō that acte as contrary to the rightwisenes of faith as the scripture setteth them in so manifest opposition and contrarity that as the ryghtwisenes of the lawe was the cause of the reieccion and fall of the Iewes out of gods fauour so was y e rightwisenes of faith the liftyng vp of the gentiles into his grace and fauour as your selfe I thinke vnwares in the expoundinge of Paule in your predestinatiō here in your .xxvii. lefe haue said it against
but must haue washed it aftir hir It is an argument a postetiore wherby the thinge is shewed to him that onelye gazethe vppon the externe workis and not of faith and proued of the euident signes folowinge faith as Christes similitude declareth it by the two detters This is the storye to ioyne the scriptures togither aftir your rule which your self so lowdly obserue Acertain pharisei bode Christ to dyner for no greate loue ye maye be sewer but as you and such lyke nowe a dayes will haue some good simple menne at your table ether so soucke out or to trappe them vnwares or to make a testinge stoke of their godly communicacion if thei speake the truthe so circūspectly y t ye cannot set hold of them And a non as thei wereset commeth in this notable sinner meruel y e holy pharisei stopped not his nose stādīg behind christ w t a boxe of oyntment wepinge at his fete washing them with hir teares runninge downe by hir chekes wyping them with hir heare and often kyssinge them in the anointinge Here was great oddes betwixt so holy a pharisaye and so sinful a woman In so miche that he thought If Christe had ben so holy a prophete as he was takē he shuld haue knowē who how greate a sinner she was that towched him and so aftir the pharisei to haue thruste hir out of the house But here Christ comen to call sinners to repentance and not siche holy phariseis so iuste in their owne conceight so ful of your good condicions of workis y t thei wil be iustifyed by their good workes breke open heuen gatis withe their holy dedis hauinge no nede of Christis merits by his passion putteth forth his similitude tectely comparinge the holy pharisei to the famose sinner present teachinge him and vs that the comon misse women beleuing in Christ and repentant shal go be fore y e holy hipocrits bishops and phariseis for al their holy holy workes into the kingdom of heuen and that he came not to call sich iust hipocrites that wil be iustifyed by your good condicions there own good workes but to declare them to be farther of from forgeuenes and saluacion then the publicans and misse women y t in faith acknowlege themselues sinners whom Christ is comē to cal to repētāce And here is to be noted y t christ by this smilitude of the two detters maketh the pharisaye in his own answere to condempne himself and to iustifye the sinful woman There were two detters saith he one ought fyue hōdred pence the tother .l. And when nether of them was able to paye their dettis where be now your meritis in your condicion to deserue remissiō where be your satisfaccions with your contentacions for your sinnes by partipacion Cum non essent soluendo saith christ when thei were not able to paye to satisfye ne to content ne to deserue then their creditor merciably frely forgaue them both Here ye must note where Christe placeth his forgeuenes whether before or after loue He saith when neither of them was able to paye he forgaue them Ergo not for their loue were thei forgeuen But nowe speake Simon ye pharisei condempne your selfe and your owne false doctrine of workes to iustifye whyche of these two shall moste loue his creditor Mary quod Symon I thinke he to whom is most forgeuen Thou hast iudged ryght lo here it is plain that forgeuenes goth before loue Ergo for hyr loue was she not forgeuen but because she was forgeuen mich therfore she loued mich And here christ inuerteth y e consequence turninge himself to the woman but spekinge to the pharisai sainge Seest thou this woman he saw the woman and hir workes of loue but not hir faith I am comen into thy house and thou haste done none of these tokens of loue to me he hadde geuen christe a dyner but neither of faith nor yet of loue Thou hast not geuen water to my fete she hath wasshed them with the teares of hir eyes c. For which thinge I tell the but the womā he told hir another cause Remittantur peccata eius multa that is lette hir greate and many sinnes be forgeuen as thou iudgest and beleuest because she hathe loued mich And nowe because we shulde see the inuersion of the consequence and the euydent probation to the pharisey more clearly Chryst clerelyer to vs and to her expresseth the remission to go before loue saienge To whome is lyttle forgeuē he lesse loueth whiche importeth To whome is miche forgeuen he most loueth declaringe loue and hir degrees to followe the degrees of forgeuenes procedīg out of the degrees of the rote of faith iustifieng But in conclusion to certify the woman whose faith was known to him and to hir onely and not to y e pharisey that seeth and wondrethe only vpon his own holy works therby to be iustified and by his owne rightwisenes he telleth hir constantly affirming for the peace and tranquillite of hir conscience all dubitacion and doute set a parte sainge Thy faith hath saued y e go thy waye in peace as Paule saith we iustified by faith haue peace c. Here is plain by your owne rule of the conference of scriptures that of faith commeth forgeuenes out of forgeuenes cometh loue folowing faith forgeuenes into y e iust confutacion of al y t ye haue and shal hereaftir bring in for your charite to iustifye So that except ye frame the scriptures better and iustlier for your part ye shal as ye so scornfully and skoffingly tell it me bringe but your croked keyes to cleaue your knotty logges But sith ye will nedes stryue so fondelye and so vnlernedly againste the truth I shall by gods grace to my poore and litle talent by gods helpe defende it And tel if you euē here y t if ye were in very dede so well lerned in the scriptures as ye couet and glorye to be sene in your bokes and shewe youre selfe and as ye make foles to beleue and knewe it in hert descended vnto your self to see your own ignoraunce as with your lippes and painted pen ye faine your self to teach in your predestinacion ye wold neuer moue penne ne open your lyppes thus arrogantly ▪ and so blyndly so boldly ye and blasphemousely agenst the lorde and his annointed For I tell it you constantly that suche hipocritishe phariseis as esteme them selues better for their shininge vnfaithfull workes then be the sinners for their onely lyuely faith into christe do but byd christ and his to diner to trappe them and owe more vnwares then thei be ether able or willing to pay hī As lyke an vnhandsom hatchet to open your lockes make ye of spe saluati sumus that is In hope be we saued To open this locke that ye may see how lytle it maketh for your purpose I shal by y e ioining of y t as goth before and that as
wold gore me thorow with your byforked hornes and thrust me downe quyck into helwith a. M curses excecratiōs And yet here your self saye the same again againe to nothinge afraide of Hieroms curse But he that knoweth our infirmities taketh in good part our imperfection for our sauiour christes sake vpon whom our saluaciou is grounded and neither vppon workes ne faith with your diuision It is impossible for our weke sinfull fleshe perfitlye to fulfyll the law And therfore god sente his sonne to fulfil it for vs y t our faith reaching● to vs his fulfilling might couer ou● transgression with his rightwisene● so to do christ vpon vs. Or els if y● take it absolutely as ye speake it s● were euery mans imperfeccion tak● in good worthe and after you euery man shulde be saued Wherefore to haue spoken perfitely and plainely● after the scriptures ye shulde hau● added for our faith in our sauiour● christ god taketh oure imperfeccio● in good worthe and thus expressed the condicion for christes sake ye say And shal I be so bold to add to mak● all se wer not for your merits ne for the meriting to vse his benefites as ye say Upon whom ye say our saluacion is grounded and nether vppon workes ne faith with my diuisyon Then tell vs after your deuise and diuision howe saluacion in christ is grounded vpon faith with your wel deuised diuision Christ spekinge to Peter without any diuision of saith grounded his chirche vppon plaine faith as ferme as the rocke And Paule sayth one LORDE one faith one baptisme one chirche one christe and one saluacion ye wolde not I se haue me to diuide faith in christ from your condicion of works ne from your first faith of all but ioyne them together as Iermans lippes to be the ground of saluacion But Paule telleth you workes and faith to be so contrarye vnto this effect that thei may not both lye together in the foundacion for when the benygne loue of GOD oure sauiuiour toward vs was declared he saued vs not for oure good workes which we did but of his mercye dyd he saue vs lo he excluded oure good workes called opera que sunt in iustitia Yea saye also ne vpon faith w t my diuision wherof I deceyue the simple peple In good faith when I speake of faithe iustifyinge and faithe sauinge I diuide it not into manye members but saye onelye faith in Christ so make no diuision therof For I speake plainly w t Chryste paul and all the olde lerned doctours excludinge from the acte of instificacion all the works of the law And I place works aftir iustificacion as the frutes of the iustifyed tree declaringe hir obedience loue to God and to his lawe But ye be to busye withe your terme of diuision to make siche diuision contencion brawlinge aboute wordis when ye espye your parte is naught ye goaboute to make sectis and diuison heresies in Christis chirche w t your ●rophane vayne vocables of Diui●ion participacion to merite the vse meritinge to be the vse vse meritinge one dede to deserue another to merite grace learninge to come to beleif Fayth to come to the knowlege of faithe works to vse the giftis a faith firste of al with many mo siche monsirose prophame speches to consound men and to make diuysion heriseis and sectis amonge y ● simple people Thē ye adde saying As though works were at a contencion with faith verely Paul so setteth them a sonder in contencion and contrariete in the acte of iustificacion that he vtterly excludeth workes frō faith in plain and many wordis frō that act to set faith onely to iustifye as maye euerye man se it where he settethe iustitiam legis contrarye and agaynste iustitiam fidei and commonlye vseth his arguments ex contētioneor a loco contrariorum whiche is the moste euident and strongest kynde of argumentacion Also the contrary effectis of faith and workis as I haue often out o● paul declared them shewe them to be so contrary in the cause of iustificion that thei in no wise may be concurrant into y t effecte It is sone sene by your maner of argewinge that ye neuer knewe the stacion or state of the cause of the pistles to the Romans and gala Ne vnderstande ye the arguments of them except of a sette maliciouse porpose whiche God forbyd ye so wilfully so openly and not of ignorance impugne the verite Nether knowe ye Pauls wōt and proper phrases in these wordis lex iustitie iustitia legis iustitia exlege iustitia nostra and agene Iustitia dei iustitia ex fide and lex fidei iustificatio legis iustificatio fidei ne the difference of these contraries ye know not For when ye adde sayinge lyke as the works of Moses lawe were at a contentiō with faithe ye vnderstande not of what works ●f Moyses lawe Paule speakethe ●hen he so oft mencioneth circumci●ion and the workes of the lawe ex●luded from faith nether knowe ye what faith is And some talke of faith wherwith to ap●rehend gods mercy as though faith had ●ādes to take and hold fast and loue none ●nd thei graunt that noman is instified w t out charitie but yet faith properlye thei say apprehendeth the iustificacion wherof how properly thei speke I shal speke hert after at large Ioye and I shall aunswer you as largely We speke of faith truely and reuerently according to gods worde and not after your own vayn imagined material and formal faithes And we saye by faith we set holde of gods merciable fre promises ī christ and our setting hold is beter vnderstanden of the lay man then your apprehens●on And we and our readers know as well ●aith to haue no materia●l handes as faith to haue no fete when Paule saith by faith we come to god And christe biddeth vs all that be burdened come to him If 〈◊〉 li●t of your liberalite to geue to lou● handis fete and winges to to sethold fly to god aftir faith iustifyīg hath enbraced him in Christ and shewed him now knowne by faithe to loue I wil not ageine saye ye cannot tell what condicious Barne ● I spake of Of what condicions soeuer ye spake ye say y t he you agreed of faithe to be one and the first And here ye declare your second cōdicion to be full of Winchesters good workes as your selfe cal them again the which good workes to iustifie I wrote and confuted them and therefore I know of what condicions ye mente as your self now declare them I euer affirmed that we be frely iustified and frely saued And yet god in geuing vs this fredome for christe worketh so in order and so willeth vs to obserue it which I call the condition As for wante therof we shall ether not obtaine this fredome or lese our fredom when we haue obteined it Ye euer affirmed that ye
vtter shame and confusion he tolde his y t the haithen kinges shulde be tikled with these flateringe titles and names of your lordship and your grace and saide to you uos autem non sic But se that you be not so called Thought he not therby to knocke downe your arrogant pryde and to teache you humilite verelye he forsawe and thought euen then vppon your pryde and lordeships to be exalted aboue him selfe But sone findeth the wolfe an occasion to deuoure the innocent lambe for drinking of the swete waters which shulde be comon to them both geuen of god to quench their thirst Here may euery reader see the venome of your kancred hart how gredily ye hunt for occasions to depraue bely and to sclāder me causeles ye say I alledge christes wordes in a sence of my nown imaginacion It is you and such popishe impes as yet defende his antichristen doctrine that wrest so violētly the scripturs to your own damnable deuises For of al sich scriptures Si vis ad vitā ingredi c. Si vis perfectus esse c. and forgeue and ye shal be forgeuen ye gather with pelagiane your fre choice and libertie to do good and to kepe the commaūdements and to set vp your popishe merits and iustificacion of workes all damnable and iniuriouse to christes bloud as very enimies to grace and to god when christ proueth by siche textes man to haue no fre libertie to do good and his commaundementes to be impossible to man and that no man can therfore merite his remission ne saluaciō And euē your own wordes fight against your own exposicions God commandeth vs things impossible to shewe vs to our selues nether to haue free libettie to do good ne to be able to merit oure saluacion that we shuld not glory in our dedis ne reioise ī our worthines but to render all glorye merits and dignitie to him and that we aknowleginge our own infirmite and impossibilitie shuld seke strengthe and power at him and that we shulde by faith enbrace his rightwisnes his holines his merits and satisfacciōs and his fulfillinge of the lawe for owr owne thus to geue all the glory and thankis to him for our remission redempcion saluacion thorow Iesus christ These saings Forgeue and ye shal be forgeuē and siche lyke containe in them bothe a precept and also a promise if ye godly expended them whiche promise assone as faith a●prehendeth she addresseth hirself effectuosly by loue to y e fulfillinge of y e precept ī forgeuinge hir neighbor For ther is nomā y t forgeueth trwly onlesse he beleue first in christ is promise to haue forgeuenes hī self And therfore when christ saithe Forgeue ye shal be forgeuē faith first setteth holde vpon hirowne promised forgeuenes in the later sentence and so of faith procedeth to do the precept your self heraftir can place theffecte before the cause yet tell vs y e cause to go before theffecte And canne ye not as well see and admitte the same order in Christes word is as in your own examples So that the man is not forgeuen because he forgeueth as ye arsewardly imagen but because he beleueth God to forgeue him therfore is y e beleuer both forgeuen himself of that faith he forgeueth his brother Ye shuld therfore acordinge to your owne example doctrine hereaftir of him y t folowth you to be your seruant haue cōsidered lerned y t your forgeuenes of your neghbour is the effecte declaringe you to be forgeuē of god y e forgeuenes wherby god forgeueth you to be y e cause of your forgeuenes of youre neighbour thus y e effect to be placed before y e cause Sich inuersiōs of cōsequēces in arguīg fro y e effect to y e cause called argumētes a posteriore y e comē speach y e scriptur o●tē vseth As to say y ● flowers be sprōgē forth spred y e trees waxe grene ergo it is sōmer And yet is somer y e cause of this effect theffect placed before y e cause And christ told the phariseye Hir sines be forgeuē hir because she loueth mich But ī declaring y e very cause w t theffect he expresseth hir forgeuenes of god to be y e cause of hir loue saīg To whō is mich forgeuē thei be boūd mich to loue euē thus declareth it christ ī his parable mat ● teachīg vs god first to forgeue vs y e greter detts to thītēt y t we seīg hī self mercifull in forgeuing vs shuld be moued y ● more gladly to forgeue our brethern y e lesse dettes So that his former forgeuenes of vs is y e cause mouīg vs to forgeue other saīg Behoueth it not y e therfore to haue pite cōpassiō of thy felow seruāt seing y t I am so redy to forgeue y ● yea I had forgeuē y e before as y u knowst it therfore y u oughtest lykewyse to haue forgeuē hī where it is plaine our forgeuenes of god to be y e cause which shuld moue excite vs gladly likewise to forgeue our neighbour y t y e forgeuenes of our neighbour is placed first as theffect befor y e cause as it is there ī other placs īferred saīg Forgeue it shal be forgeuen you your own exāple of your seruant folowing you hereaftir brought in of you cōfoūdeth your self if malice had not so blīdned you for your malice god so worthely to haue hardened your hart against y e truth y t in redīg his word ye nether vnderstande it truely ne with feare reuerence enbrace it but abuse it into your owne dāpnacion into the destruccion of many other soules If one shuld cōe to you sekinge youre seruice and you couenant w t him sayinge Folowe or waite vpon me and thou shalt haue .xl. s. yerely Is not this comon couenant consented ther vpō y e cause why he serueth you And yet is theffecte here in your owne wordis placed before the cause of his seruice for except the mā had beleued your promise and trusted to your wordis he wolde neuir haue done ye seruice And euen so ī this and lyke speches Forgeue and thou shalt be forgeuē we first by faith in gods promise apprehend our own promised forgeuenes of god which causeth vs to forgeue our brothern For excepte ye obserue this order ye shall fynde it but a faint fayned forgeuenes I wil not saye agenst it but that ye may be a good lawyer and a ciceroniane rethricion bold eloquent in doggish eloquence to perswade blasphemies and lies by crafty colours to turne whight into blak and to make foles beleue y e krow is whyght lest ye lese your estimaciō But as for any good godly lerninge or trwe vnderstandinge of the holy scriptures I know there is but litle or none in all your bablinge bokis Had ye counseld bu● with S. Austen vpon siche texts Si
doctor And as for me I haue not ne desyre I any other waye as euery reader may see it to confute your falsely alledged falselyer expowned autorites then by the circumstance conference of y ● context by lyke places nether can I ne will I vse any other weapen to confute your false bokis And as for the speche of onely faith iustifieth the scripture hath it not And yet hath it ben spoken by some lerned men to exclude the workes of moses lawe Albeit the scrpture hath it not in the same syllables yet it hath the very self same sence as I shall so manifestly shewe it and proue it that ye shall not be able to auoyde it For christ saith as it is written bothe in Luke and Marke Only beleue and thy doughter is safe nothinge els requiring of the man for the restoring of his daughter but faith onely into him In a nother place he sayde If thou canst beleue I can helpe the all thinges be possible to him that cā beleue here is nothing els required then faithe of the man for driuinge out that euil spirite of his sonne In all other his saluacions and helpe hearing and grauntinge their peticions christ required onely their saith into him as all the story of the gospell testifieth Now commeth Paul as the most faithfull treater and expouner of the lawe and gospel whiche diuideth the hole scriptures and the ministracion of the preachers apostles of christ into y e preaching of y e law and of the gospel And here he proueth the state and cōdiciō of euery man ether to be vnder the lawe or vnder the grace of the gospell wherof he deduceth two maner of rightwysmakinge or rightwysenesses one rightwysnes of the lawe and the tother of the faithe of the gospell excluding with expres wordis mightely and clerely the rightwisnes of the lawe from the iustificacion by faithe as one contrary to the tother affirminge constantly and often That we be siewer and certain man to not be iustifyed by y e workis of the lawe which iustificacion he euery where calleth the rightwisnes of the lawe but by faith And we conclude man to be iustifyed by faith without the workes of the lawe And clerely to exclude al the workis rightwysnes of the lawe that the onely rightwisnes of faith might stand clerely in sight he saith men be iustified frely thorow grace by faith Now ye see That ther be but two thingis in controuersy one contrary to the tother to iustifye that is to saye the workis of the lawe the gifit of faithe But Paul constantly excludeth y e works of the lawe and admitteth and affirmeth onely faith to iustifye For nothing els then faith is annexed and ioyned to this iustificacion wherfore it is must nedis folowe only faith to iustifye in the iustificacion of fayth Also man is not iustified by any thīg els then by faith ergo only faith iustifieth man seeth not with any sence els then only with his eyes ergo his eyes onelye see What beast is so brutishe as to denye or cauill agenst these so plaine speaches Of these Paules argumentes christes wordes all the olde holy doctours gathered this ferme conclusiō Only faith iustifieth which you ne anye els can iustly impugne ye haue hitherto therfore shet out al your shaftes at a wronge marke which yet could not see ne euer hit the truth ne vnderstād what Paule meaneth by the contrary position of these his wont words Iustitia fidei iustitia legis iustitia ex fide iustitia ex lege iustitia pro pria iustitia dei w t such like phrases often he saith by faithe man is iustified but neuer by charite ne in any place of the scripture is it writē And yet you of a set proposed malice conceiued agenste the veritie contende thus arrogantly to impugne y e truth and all to shew your wily witte and high lerning in perswading blasphemies to foles leste ye shulde lese the false opinion and vaine estemacion whiche the vnlerned haue conceiued vpon you ye saye some learned men haue so spoken it as onely faith iustifieth And be ye so highly learned in your own conseit y t ye be ashamed or let scorne to speke y e same but thus arrogantly vnlearnedly to impugne such learned mens sainges ye saye they sayd it to exclude Moses lawe And I tel ye that Paul also therfore said it euē to exclude Moses law frō the act of iustificacion And why wil not you say the same also with the same lerned men to exclude the same lawe of Moses ar ye so wyse as to varye and agen say these lerned mē what other law wold ye exclude then moses lawe Be not the .x. preceptis conteined in Moyses lawe which I haue constantly proued by the scriptures bothe here and in my former boke that Paule and Peter vnderstode and proued it playnly euen by the workis of the lawe the .x. commandements whiche ye call the moralls to be excluded from faith in the acte of iustificacion as in nowyse to to be concurrant into that effecte Which ye cannot auoid ne solute w t all the learninge ye haue And for the texte ye bringe in of Paule Neque circumcisio c. maketh directelye againste you as I haue playnely declared it afore And he that hathe not charitie is nothinge And why because he hath not faythe into Christe which is the lyfe of the iuste and rote of charitie Then this is your argument He that hath charitie is somewhat ergo charitie iustifieth your argument is naught Nether yet this God makethe his promise to them y e loue as well as to thē that beleue ergo charitie iustifiethe this is naught also A lyke argumēt God maketh his promise to him that worketh writeth honoureth his parentes is paciente ergo workes writinge c. iustifye these argumentes be worthei the wisedom of him whō god hath blyndned and made folish his wisedom snarled in his owne wily craftines Ioan sayeth he that loueth not god knoweth not god And why because he hath not faithe into christe whereby he shulde know god the father in christ So that without loue I cannot frutefully beleue no not the beleue of knowelege c. ergo loue iustifieth Loue is not the cause of beleif in christ but the beleif into christ is the cause of loue ye must I tel you leaue your iugglynge cast with your truncate absolute beleue and lyke a christen beleuer put to christe in your beleif or elles the deuyll and the turke beleue without loue with the beleife of your knowledge with an historike faith ye say ye cānot beleue frutefully w tout loue I beleue ye wel y t nother w t your loue ne without it cā ye beleue in christ But I and all other faithfull to whome god geueth his gifte of faith in Iesu christ we cā beleue in him
operati siue iustitie baptismi after your scole men that is the sacrament or seall of the rightwisenes of workes or of the rightwisnes of baptism with water and man thereby to be iustified as ye dreame and so Christ in vaine to haue dyed Besydes this it is the fygure of our perpetuall mortificacion and repentance as I haue o●ten declared the vse therof before And as touchinge the imperfeccion of faith and charitie in man as ye saye Albeit our faith I saye be as litle as the mustarde sead and as imperfit as was his that saide lorde I beleue but yet helpe my vnbeleif yet god accepteth it for our iustificatiō for christes sake bidding vs daylye to praye for thencreace therof Then ye saye all our workes be imperfitte ' It is truthe that ye saye And in so sayeng ye haue condempned al your own doctrine of merits satisfacciōs and condicions of workes to deserue remission For no imperfitte workes may deserue perfit remission ne make perfit satis●acciō as ye well know it And for this cause of our imperfeccion indignitie impossibilite by workes to merit our remission saluaciō god hath taken it out of our handes and from our workes layd it vpon christ as ye se in the prophete Isaye him by his perfit fulfilling of the law by his so perfit workes to merit to satisfye fully and perfitlye and so to obtaine vs y e remission and saluation for our faith into him And thus is he made of his father ours for vs our iustificacion our rightwisnes redēptiō our holines our wisdom our satisfacciō our implecion of y e law whiche all we by faith receiue as our owne for that he is geuen to vs holy with al his that he ether dyd or suffred in his blessed innocent body and soul. And euen these be our elder brothers clothes done vpon vs by faith so swetely sauouring which so delite and please our celestial father as did Iacobs elder brothers fragrant vestures sauor in his father Isaac his nose that he gaue him his brothers blessing as shal our father for y e same doing on by faith not for your participatiō of our elder brother christe his swete clothes of his rightwisnes merits c. For who so euer be baptized of the spirite by regeneration of faith they haue done christ thus vpō them And thus w t Iacob be we made Israelites And thus be we all made y e sonnes of god for that we haue beleued in Iesu christ saith Paul not as ye say for y t ye haue done youre good works ful●illed your cōdiciō Thus ye se how Paul Ioā Peter christ speke of y e baptism of y e spirite not of y e visible baptism of water to geue remissiō saluacion ye geue imper●eccion to our works to faith to loue it is truth But yet muste ye cōsider y t thimperfecciō in our works so minisheth takethe so awaye the goodnes dignite or worthines of thē that thei may not be called good ne meritoriouse But faith Isaye ● being imperfit as litle as the mustersede or as weke as his y t said help lord my vnbeleif yea or so matched in perel with temptacion w t feare dubitaciō as was peters faith so boldly leaping into y e sea to mete his maister christe when the sourges arose agenst him so highe that with his litle weake faith he began to sinke yet as litle as it was it was y e good gift of god saued hī for christes sake frō drowninge For it is our perpetuall byshop and onely intercessour in heuen that continually prayeth as he dyd for Peter his felowes lest our faith faile vs euen in the middes of the stormye tempestiouse floudes of the troublous sea of this world For the giftes calling of god be sich as it cannot repent him of them in hys chosen Then ye say Iob sayd I feared al my workes in which faith ye say may be comprehended But it appereth that ye vnderstand not Iobs wordes for he neuer feared his faith but his works only which were euil imperfit And the ebrw or chaldie worde signifieth erumnas and labores meos omnes that is to saye I feared al my miserable workes and laboriouse miseries which he called his own euil workes for it foloweth sciens quod nō parceres delinquenti knowing that thou woldst not spare the trespasser So that here ye see how that ye manakle and rende oute by patches the textes for youre wicked purpose not consideringe what gothe before ne foloweth nor yet what the wordes properly signifye If ye coulde comprehende faithe in Iobs works so wolde ye make faith no gift of god ne beleif gods worke but Iobs worke so feared of him self And all the scriptures agre w t Iob so speaking of his owne workes only and not of faith For manye holye men fearing y e same desired god not to enter into iugement w t them ne to iuge them after their workes Then ye take in hand to describe the sinfull nature of man as borne out of Adam and Eue sayeng that the powers of our soule properly receiue faith and loue and vpon the occasion of the worlde and the flesh suggestion of the deuil be redy to rebellion c. In whiche saienge ye speke not truelye of mā in his corrupt nature as borne out of Adam conceiued in synne roted in his soule called altogether in scripture flesh the olde man the body of sinne and deathe inimitie agēst God naturallye the childe of wrath a contynuall rebellyon agaynste gods spirit For occasion or no occasion geuen sich one is he before he be regenered as god painteth him saienge after the hebrewe verite Euery imaginacion of mannes harte is onlye euyll is sayth the texte and not prone or redye as ye terme it yea and that at all times euen from hys youthe withoute the spirite of God regeneringe hym he is brydeles runnynge into the free felde of all carnall lustes Of the power of this corrupt mans nature ye speake as by his fre choise to receiue faith with loue c. Uerilye this man hathe no suche a Pelagianes power of hym selfe to receiue faithe no more then hadde ADAM him selfe power to come to God when he fled from his voice in paradise so ferefullye with shame sekinge where to hyde him frō his presence There is no sich proper power properly as ye terme it in mā to receiue faith or any grace except that naturall proper powr be properly taken a waye and pourged with the spirit of libertie by faithe purifyeng the herte so makinge in him a newe hert prepared to receiue faith makinge a new and free powr from his naturall bondage to synne So that your fre choice to receiue grace may not here be placed withe pelagians errour enimie to grace to set vp your fre choice bonde libertie to syn For
nedes be receiued by faith onely For our iustificacion were promised in vayne if we our selues might deserue it by works For not by the works of the lawe saith Paul cometh the promise to Abraham or to his seade him to be the ayer of the world but by the rightwysenes of faith For if they that wyl be iustified by the workes of the law be therefore made the heyres so is faythe and beleife in vayne and the promise voyde and frustrate For the lawe worketh wrathe and where as is no lawe there is no transgression Wherefore out of faith is y e heretage geuen as out of grace that the promyse shuld be the more ferme sewer vnto all the seade not to it onelye that is oute of the lawe as be the Iewes but also to it that is oute of the faythe of Abraham euen to the gentyles whyche Abraham is the father of vs all yf we resemble him in lyke fayth Into this playne peese when this bysshoppe hadde broughte hym selfe so wrapped and masshed as it were in a nette so accombred that he coulde in no wyse wynde oute hym selfe then beginneth he to mocke to rayle and to ieste vppon Paules wordes with Ideo ex fide saye you and these wordes hath the scripture saye you ut firma sit promissio saye you And ye saduces tell vs phariseis we wolde oppresse the trueth The promyse of God is all saye you And ye Saduces wolde extolle the strengthe of the trueth Ioye It is Paule the vessell of God that saythe all these wordes and not we And why shulde not we Christianes extol gods trueth and defende it agaynste you popishe Pelagians and with the scriptures confirme it agaynste you Antichristes Be ye angrye that we extoll honour and prayse trewe faythe ioyned to gods promyses agaynste you rancke phariseis peruerse popyshe pelagians Be ye not contente that we take gods parte to defende his honoure and magnifye his glorye agaynste your deuyllyshe doctrine oh antichristen papistes And nowe ye wyl percase bring in Melancthons correlatiues of faith and promise And that y e cause why we be iustifyed by charite saith he is because the promise cannot be receyued but by faith It is not Melanch that sayth the promyse of god in christ is not receiued but by faith onely It is Paul it is Christ that say it For what auaileth a promise and no man beleue it Be not faith and gods promises correlatiues in the faithfull beleuers to whom god maketh his promises Cā ye separate the faith of the iuste from gods promises or his promises frō their faith Can ye confute Melan. doctrine in so teaching ye scorne his lerning and iest vpō his doctrine of all the learned men this daye whiche write in Germany And why verely because with their pennes and by goddes worde they haue geuen your gostly father of rome his deadly heade wounde ye may mocke Melanchton and scornefullye skof and ieste of the lerned Germaines as ye do but confute their doctrine iustly ye cannot ne attaine to their knowledge and learninge ne come nighe their cleare iudgement But it is the propertye of all arrogante papistes to contempne and mocke them whose bokes they be not able to beare after them And thus they reason Seing our saluacion dependeth vpon gods promise and a promyse cannot he apprehended but by faith onely we must nedes saye onely faith iustifieth And to make the matter playne they bringe in a similitude If one man promyse another xx.li how can he to whō the promyse is made apprehende the promyse but onely by beleuynge him that promyseth And this is the newe scole of germany where sophistrye is not banysshed but hath a newe garmente and is clothed with pretence of simplicite For in this teachinge is a maruelous apperaunce of plainnes and thorowly cōsidered it containeth a mere deceyte And note well reader that thou maiest perceaue this iuglynge sophistrye where it deceaueth the. It is not denied but onely faith apprehendeth the promyse therin is no controuersy If ye this graunt what deceitful sophistrye what iuglinge call ye it man to apprehende gods promise by his faith only God promiseth me remission in christes death affirminge him to be iustified and to haue lyfe eternall that beleueth in hym and by faith apprehendeth this promyse of god Call ye this iuglynge sophistry and mere deceite to beleue gods promyse Here lo reader maist thou see whother this popish byshop is caried of his arrogante affectes so blasphemousely to raile of onely faythe apprehending gods true promises He graunteth him selfe onely faithe to apprehende gods promise and yet he impugneth onely faith to iustifye to make god false of his promise as though Christe neuer sayde As thou beleuest so come it to the. Now let vs see how ye can wynde your selfe oute of the bryars But marke well this when god iustifieth man god ministreth mercy to vs whiche was the thinge god promised to geue vs as zachary ꝓphecied God to geue him selfe to vs who ●s all mercy whervpon is grounded our saluacion In this prophecy of zachary it is playne that God of his merciable goodnes and not of any mannes desertes had made a promise to Abrahā and to our fathers to sende vs that blessed seade Christe oure sauyoure which promise who so beleued had remission of their synnes Of mercye was the promyse made and the thing promised was remyssion of synnes in Christ. And who so beleued the promyse was iustified wherefore onelye faith iustifieth now what can ye iugle or discant vpon this Sing on a goddes name Wherin we must considre distinctly and apart the promise of god and the thinge promised which is mercy I thought as mich ye wold iugle w t mercy which in zachary is taken as euery mā may se by the conference of the text for the fre merciable fauour goodnes wherof without any merits of man god was moued thorough Christe to promyse and now ye wold make it the thinge promysed wyth whiche alteringe yet am I concente yf ye take mercye as the scripture oft taketh it in other places for the forgeuenes of sinnes in christe to the beleuers But yet go to procede ī your wycked porpose tyll ye haue haltred your selfe againe As ●n their example for I dare make no newe when one frende promiseth another x● li. the promyse is the bonde the thinge promysed is the xx.li In whiche example though I graunt that I apprehende my frendes promyse with beleuing hym yet I apprehende not that is contayned in my frendes promise with beleuinge hym For I apprehend that with my handes if it be paid me And so althoughe we apprehende gods promyse with our bele●f yet the e●hibiciō of the mercy of god whiche is the thinge comprehended in goddes promyse we apprehende that with al sich partes of vs of bodye and soule as be conforted and healed by that mercy Be not here ioly
your selfe where ye set thē with Paule to be so contrary causes y t it is impossible for these two rightwisnesses to be concurrant into this one effect of iustificatiō iustificaciō of faith workes be so contrary that whereas is y e one y e other must nedes auoyde and geue place as Paule in contencion comparinge them togither estemed his own rightwisnes of the lawe as donge and dirte in respecte of the rightwysnes of faith before God and said that our rightwisnes which cometh of the lawe was the fall of the iews because thei goinge about to seke to stablish their own rightwisnes therfore were thei not subiect to y e rightwisens of god Agen sithe your doctryne is noman to be sewer certain of his forgeuenes by your text not wel vnderstanden nescit homo an dignus sit odio uelamore And our best workes as Isay saith be so sinful and spotted and therfore not to quiete and certifye our consciences and agene faith to be the ferme certitude that excludeth al dubitacion and vncertainte seing now that faith and workes be of so contrary effectes it must nedis be impossible these two inconsistents repugnātes to sich an effect to may go together into one the same effect and accion of our iustificacion And by this means of your merits yf ye coulde ye wold make Christ no hole intiere perfit sauiour contrarye to your sainge before Now if your condicion so ful of your good workes be in any of the .iiii. kinde of causes to serue your effect put it in formallye like a philosopher I shal by gods worde displace it But I can neuer thinke it that ye beleue your owne doctrine of workes to iustifye for if ye did sewrely ye wolde worke beter workes then ye do For what els do ye then wryte and striue against the gospoll yea ye worke your brother Cains worke slaieng your brothern for the truth ye preson ye persecute ye burne ye banish ye condempne al good bokes professours of gods word to set vp your own antichristē articles dāpnable popish doctrine Thē ye say The scripture requiret of a christē mā y t he be baptized wherby to be incorporated into christ it is true For noman wil baptize him tyll he hear his belif and know him to professe faithfully the Christē religion For the onely vtwarde baptisme maketh not a christian be fore God as ye se it in Iudas and Simon mago For a very christian must be first by his regeneracion of the spirit of faith incorpored into christ ere he by baptisme of water be incorpored into the congregacion for y e visible incorporacion auayleth not Saith austen without thinuisible incorporacion and sanctificaciō by faith At last ye bringe in this texte Baptizetur vnusquisque in remissionē peccatorum whiche as I remember is the frist scripture I haue herde ye allege yet for your false doctryne ye brought in a colet and a versicle out of your porteus to proue your parte besydis your participacion in dede And yet in this text ye make so great haste into remissionem peccatorum to be conioyned to baptizetur that ye leaue out .v. wordis and euen the chefe mater betwixt your first worde the last For the text is Resipiscite baptizetur vnusquisque vestrum sub nomine Iesu Christi in remissionem c. Repente ye let euery one of you be baptized in the name of Iesu Christe into the remission of sinnes Nowe ye know that noman wil be baptized and ther by professe the name of Iesu Christ but he first beleue knowe what is Iesu christ and his name which is the anoynted sauiour which who so beleueth him sichone to be to him he is iustifyed by that same faith onely in Christe Iesu to be his sauiour But I will not gretly steke with you for this litle ouerskippe ye speke of a good rule in your boke How y e scriptures albeit thei seme contrary yet is the● but one veritie and al one trwe word which muste be gathered out by the conference of y e places notinge what gothe before and what folowth which your own lesson if ye had ther diligently obserued ye had sene this text to haue made iustly against you For note first what went before preached of Peter in that longe sermone and ye shall see that he preached to them bothe the lawe shewinge them their sinnes in putting to deth the innocent blod christe author of lyfe quitinge a murtherer and also y e gospell of remission and saluacion in Iesu Christe as it standeth in euerye place of that sermon and playne it is that these men beleued that sermon whilis it was in preachinge as many as were predestined vnto lyfe wherefore thei were iustified first by their faith ere thei were baptized And to confirme this lette vs see what foloweth and conserre all together When Peter had all done his exhortation the texte saith Qui ergo libenter acceperunt sermonem eius baptizatisunt And thē All that hadde gladly receiued his sermon were baptized gladly to receiue his sermon what els is it then to beleue his sermō which receiuing by beleif ye see went before their baptisme But yet wherfore saith the text into the remission of sinnes verely Baptisme is the visible sygne of the former regeneration of y e spirit by faith and testificacion to the congregacyon that the baptized hathe hys synnes forgeuen hym and therefore to certifie the Churche that he is a member of them and hathe receiued signaclum iustitie fidei that is the seall and obsygnacyon of the ryghtewysenes of faith to be incorporated into them to pray to heare the worde in their societe is it added in remissionem peccatorum that thei nowe doute not of remissyon of hys synnes And therfore it foloweth immediatly Et accesserunt in die illo And there were commen into that cōgregaciō ī that daye aboute thre thousand soulis For before thei were thus certifyed of their religion and faith and remission of their sinnes by that externe seall testimoneall of baptisme with water they were not receiued into the chirche of the faithful So that to be baptized into the name of Iesu Christe into the remission of sinnes be fore the hole congregacion is by baptisme as by the visible sygne openly our professiō into christes religion to be declared and testifyed to the chirche and that we be conseigned with the seall and testimonye of the rightwysmakyng and remissyon by faithe A lyke phrase is vsed where it is writen Ioan preached repentaunce into the remission of sinnes he saithe not preached repentaunce as for or by the whiche dede they deserued or shuld deserue remission but that therby openly sene and knowen the congregacion shuld be certifyed as by a ferme and infallible testimony such repentant persōs to haue their forgeuenes not for their doinge penaunce as the papist teach for that false