as being both profitable and necessary forts profitable First because by them we may make sure our calling and our election as Peter teacheth they being so many testimonies vnto vs thereof True indeed it is that we were elected without respect of workes and we are called by grace not according to workes we are justified by faith without workes and by grace we are saued through faith and not by workes But if a man would know whether he be elected called justified and shall be saued as we are bound to giue diligence that we may haue a firme knowledge of these things we are not to pry into the secret counsell of God but we are to examine our selues by our fruits for both we and others are to be discerned by our fruits As our Sauiour saith by their fruits you shall know them do men gather grapes of thornes or â—igges of thistels a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit By the fruits therefore of righteousnes we may euidently discerne our selues to be sanctified And none are sanctified but such as first are justified and whosoeuer are justified are effectually called and none are effectually called but such as are elected and none are elected but such as shall be saued To this purpose Iames sheweth that the faith whereby we are justified must be demonstrated by good workes And Iohn affirmeth that by the the loue of our brethren which is all one in effect with righteousnesse we know that we are translated from death vnto life Againe good workes are profitable because they haue the promises both of this life and of that which is to come They are also necessary not as the causes of our justification and saluation as though we were either justified by them or saued for them but as necessary fruits of faith and testimonies of our justification according whereunto the sentence of saluation shall be pronounced for although vnto the act of justification good workes do not concurre as any causes thereof yet in the subject that is the partie justified they concurre as fruits of our faith and consequents of our justification For as breathing is such a fruit or consequent of life as where that is we judge the body to liue where that is not we judge it to be dead so is the exercise of righteousnesse and performance of good workes such a consequent of faith as that where good workes are the faith is liuely where they are not at all the faith is dead They are necessary also in respect of saluation not as the causes thereof but partly as the way for we are his vvorkmanship created vnto good workes which he hath prepared for vs to walke in them and therefore they are fitly sayd to be Vni regum non causa regnandi The way to the kingdome not the cause of reigning and partly as the euidence according vnto which the Lord proceedeth in judgement to the sentence of saluation Come you blessed of my father sayth Christ the judge inherit you the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world For I was an hungrie and you gaue me meat I thirsted and you gaue me drinke c. It is most certaine that Christ our Sauiour by his obedience hath merited and purchased eternall life for all those that beleeue in him according to the maine promise of the Gospell that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall be saued By that righteousnes and obedience of Christ apprehended by faith not by or for any righteousnes inherent in vs or obedience performed by vs are we made sonnes heires of God entituled vnto the kingdome of heauen acquitted from our sinnes and accepted vnto eternall life Notwithstanding seeing all that be in the Church professe themselues to beleeue whereof many deceiue either themselues with an opinion or others with a profession of faith therefore the Lord proceedeth vnto judgement according to the fruits either of faith or infidelity taking for granted that in those who are members of the true visible Church where good workes are there is faith and where are no good workes there is no faith And therefore it behoueth vs as we desire either to haue assurance of our saluation whiles we liue here or to heare the comfortable sentence of saluation pronounced to vs in the day of judgement so to be carefull to demonstrat our faith by good workes And hereby it appeareth against the malicious slaunder of the Papists that although we deny good workes to be meritorious of euerlasting life yet we do not teach men to cast off all care and well doing Now for the auoiding of errour Whereas the workes of righteousnesse are made a proper note of the sons and heires of God we are first to restraine this part of the Lords answer to that subject whereof Dauids question is propounded namely to those who liue in the true visible Church and professe the name and religion of God Of these because there be many hypocrites and vnsound professors among them Dauid desireth to be informed who are the true professors The Lord answereth He that worketh righteousnesse and so by his good workes doth demonstrat his faith There are many workes materially good to be found not onely among heretickes and idolatours as the Papists but also among Turkes and Pagans But we speake not of those that are without for they are not within the compasse either of Dauids question or Gods answer And secondly we are to know that all works in respect of the matter or the thing done seeme to be good workes are not straightwayes the workes of righteousnesse neither doth he which performeth them alwayes worke righteousnesse For it is not a good and a true worke of righteousnesse indeed vnlesse it proceed from the right fountaine vnlesse it be done in a right maner and to a right end As touching the fountaine it is a good rule of Gregory That the streames of righteousnes towards our brother must be deriued from the fountaine of pietie towards God For we loue not our brother aright vnlesse we loue him in and for the Lord and we cannot loue him in and for the Lord vnlesse we loue the Lord much more and we loue the Lord because we are by faith persuaded that he loueth vs first his loue being shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost and we cannot beleeue in God and Christ our Sauiour vnlesse we know God aright and vnderstand the mysterie of our saluation by Christ. If therefore we be ignorant persons we haue no faith if we be vnfaithfull persons we haue no true loue or feare of God nor any other sanctifying grace If we haue no true loue of God we haue no true loue of our brother For euen as the loue of God seuered from the loue of our neighbour is hypocrisie so is the loue of our neighbor seuered from the loue of God counterfeit The good workes therefore that are done either by an ignorant
the lesse if it be his owne than the greater if it be anothers For although manslaughter be a more grieuous sinne than theft yet it is worse to steale than to be killed Secondly he thatlyeth that he may not be forced to whordome or some other sinne to auoid an vncertaine sin he runneth into a certaine Thirdly neither may they be sayd to commit sinne vpon whom whordome is enforced against their will for they do but receiue wrong whereas the others which enforce them do commit the sin Neither is whordome which is enforced vpon another against their will in respect of the sufferer a corruption but a vexation For the mind remaining vncorrupt the body is not corrupted Who therefore seeth not whether a man ought rather to auoid the permission and suffering of another mans sinne which he cannot hinder or the doing of his owne 4. But what if by my lie I may further the saluation of my brother may I not lye in that case as for exāple of an hereticke to make a true Christian and to reclaime a heathen man from paganisme to Christianitie Neither may we lie in this case as Augustine proueth at large for when as the Priscillianists who were a pernicious sect of heretiks did so cloke their heresie that they could hardly be discouered diuerse professors of the truth faining themselues to be Priscillianists denied the true faith that they might insinuat themselues into the company of the Priscillianists that so they might be discouered and reclaimed to the profession of the truth This fact of theirs Augustine condemneth Neither doubteth he to affirme that the professors of the truth that they might discouer the heretickes did lie more perniciously or at lest more dangerously than the heretickes did lie in couering their heresie from them And againe farre be it from a Christian saith he that he should deny and blaspheme Christ to the end that he might make another man a Christian Et percando quarrat inueniendum quemsi tale doceat perdat inuentum And by casting away himselfe seeke to find another whom being found be shall also if he teach him such doctrine cast away For if this once be granted That it is lawful to lie for thy neighbours good yea for his saluation all faith will be abolished for thou shalt not bee able to say any thing wherein he may not thinke that thou doest lye for his good And that it is not lawfull to lie for the saluation of men hereby it is euident Because we may not lie for Gods cause Iob. 13 For whosoeuer will lye for God he shall be found guilty of false witnesse against God And thus it appeareth that we may lye for no cause 1. And that we may abide firme and resolute in this truth let vs first hold this as a firme principle in Diuinity We may not do cuill that good may come thereof For those that say we may their damnation is just But to lye is to doe euill as hath bene proued therefore we may not lye that good may come thereof Yea but say they actions are to be esteemed according to their end Therefore to lye to a good end is good That is true in things which be in their owne nature indifferent but lying is in it owne nature euill and vnjust 2. We are to consider that we are not to lye for our owne life or safety otherwise Peter had not offended when being in feare of his life he lied saying that he knew not Christ and therefore we are not to lye for the life or safety of another 3. Euery lie is pernicious if not to the neighbour yet to the speaker For euery lie is cōtrary to the vertue of truth and therfore is a lye contrary to the law therfore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sinne or transgression of the law and euery transgression of the law maketh vs subject to the cursse of the law Therefore the lye which in respect of the neighbor is officious in respect of the speaker is pernicious Therefore no lie is lawfull What then will you say is the truth alwayes to be professed 2. That is the other question Whereunto I answer That the truth is neuer to be denied that an vntruth is neuer to be affirmed and yet notwithstanding the truth is not alwayes to be professed For the profession of the truth is sometimes necessary sometimes free and in our owne choice sometimes vnseasonable Necessary when as the consideration of Gods glorie our neighbors good or our owne duty requireth it at our hands As first in causes spirituall when a man is called to an account of his faith and religion for then the Christian Apologie and constant profession of the faith is necessary 1. Pet. 3. 15 Be ready alwayes to giue an answer to euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you For as with the heart we beleeue vnto righteousnesse so with the mouth we confesse vnto saluation He that confesseth me saith Christ before men him will I confesse also before my father which is in heauen But whosoeuer shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my father which is in heauen In causes ciuile as in the place of judgement when as a man is lawfully called as a witnesse to testifie the truth For then as we are forbidden to beare false witnesse so are we commanded to beare witnesse to the truth The profession of the truth is vnseasonable when as there being no necessity of vttering it in respect either of Gods glory our neighbors good or our owne duty it is joyned with our own or our neighbours danger or harme for then the truth may yea must be concealed either in whole or in part It is free and in our owne choice when it is neither necessary nor vnseasonable for then we may either professe it or conceale it And herein as in all other Christs action must be our instruction For whē as he was conuented before the Priests and Pharisies whom he perceiued to offend of prepenced malice he would answer nothing to their demands lest he should seeme to cast holy things before dogs or pearles before swine which would not onely trample the truth vnder their feet but also persecute the professor thereof But before Pontius Pilat he is said to haue witnessed a good confession For not onely he confessed himselfe to be the King of the Iewes but also made this profession For this cause am I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse vnto the truth c. Againe when the Priests questioned with him concerning his doctrine he sendeth them to his hearers For it was against all equity that he should accuse himselfe But when the high Priests adjured him that he should plainely tell whether he was the sonne of God or not then although the profession of the truth were ioyned with manifest danger
a one eate not that is haue no priuat familiaritie with him for although we are not to forsake their company in respect of publicke communion either in the Church for then should we also forsake the assemblies of the Saints as the maner of some is or in the common-wealth for then should we be wanting in our dutie towards our countrie and leaue the managing of matters to the wicked onely yet are we not priuatly to accompanie with them for the reasons aforesaid Againe if it be the propertie of the godly to contemne the wicked then doth he not in any wise flatter the wicked in his sinne For flatterie whether it be for the flatterers profit it is a base sinne or whether it be for the harme of him that is flattered it is a most odious sinne The former kind which more properly are called parasits like dogges doe fawne vpon a man for his meat howsoeuer in the end like Acteons dogs they deuour their maister the latter are like Scorpions which when they fawne vpon a man will sting him with their taile the former are fitly resembled by the Iuie which embraceth the oke to sucke out his moisture the latter like to conycatchers when they flatter their neighbour they spread a net for his steps wherefore the Cinicke Philosopher being demanded of all beasts which was most noysome he answered of wild sauage beasts a tyrant of tame beasts a flatterer Neither was it vnfitly said of another That it is better for a man to fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for crowes do prey vpon the dead but flatterers on the liuing Those then that are giuen to flatterie may easily discerne how farre they are from the behauiour of the godly For as Salomon saith They that forsake the law praise the wicked but they that keepe the law set themselues against them And againe He that sayth to the wicked as flatterers vse to doe thou art righteous him shall the people cursse and the multitude shall abhorre him but to them that in steed of flattering rebuke him shall be pleasure and vpon them shall come the blessing of goodnesse Now followeth the other part of the opposition concerning those that honour God But he honoreth those which feare the Lord. The godly by a Synechdoche he calleth such as feare God For the sanctifying graces which are the seuerall branches of godlinesse as faith loue feare c. they are so linked together as it were in a golden chaine that where any one of them is in truth there the rest be in some measure and for that cause some one of them is sometimes put for all Seeing therefore the feare of God is a principall part of pietie in which sence Psal. 111 it is called caput sapientiae the head or chiefe point of wisdome that is true godlinesse it is no maruel though many times it be put for all religion as Deu. 6. 10. be said Eccles. 12 to be the whole dutie of man which must teach vs that those which haue no feare of God haue no religion in them Now he is said to feare God who being truly persuaded both of the infinit power of God as also of his fatherly loue towards him in Christ aboue all things feareth to offend God that is he is afraid of nothing so much as to displease God whom he acknowâ—â—dgeth to be a gracious and mercifull father to him in Christ. And whereas by sinne God is displeased therefore he feareth more to sinne by sinne to offend God than to displease all men than to be depriued of all his goods friends and commodities of this life yea of life it selfe Wherefore he that feareth God departeth from euill yea the feare of the Lord is to hate euill and is therefore said to be a wel-spring of life to auoid the snares of death Those therefore that feare the Lord the Scripture doubteth not to call blessed as Prou. 28 Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes And Psal. 112. 128 Blessed is the man yea blessed is euerie one that feareth the Lord. Now the child of God being rightly informed out of the Scriptures concerning the estate and condition of the godly he reuerenceth and honoureth those that feare the Lord. And why First because he knoweth that howsoeuer they are contemned and dispised in the world as the scum of the world and ofscouring of all things notwithstanding they are happie and blessed and that they are in the world as gold among the durt Secondly he loueth and reuerenceth the godly because he knoweth that God honoreth those that honor him and that according to the Latine phrase he doth beare them in his eyes insomuch that whosoeuer hurteth them they seeme to hurt as it were the apple of his eye Thirdly because he vnderstandeth that those which feare God are the sonnes and heires of God the brethren and fellow heires with Christ the temples of the holy Ghost yea fellow members with themselues of that bodie whereof Christ Iesus is the head and therefore whosoeuer loueth and honoreth them in them loueth and honoreth Christ. Hereby it appeareth that vertue and true godlinesse make men true noble and honorable as contrariwise sin and vngodlinesse make men base and contemptible and therfore all that are louers of vertue and pietie they cannot but honor those who are vertuous and godly And as this agreeth to all the godly to loue reuerence and honour those that feare God and to performe all good offices of brotherly loue towards them so it agreeth to them alone For the world that is the vniuersall companie of those who are not citisens of heauen loueth only those who are of the world As for the rest who are not of the world but are chosen out of the world for that verie cause the world doth hate them as our Sauiour Christ doth testifie Seeing therefore this dutie of honoring the godly is proper and peculiar to the children of God it is not vnworthily made a note of the citizens of heauen For Iohn also in his Epistle wherein he setteth downe diuerse notes whereby men may discerne themselues to be the children of God he reckoneth this as one of the principall We know saith he that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren And so Obadiah that he might approue himselfe to Elias as one that feared God he alleadgeth that fauour and honour which he had vouchsafed to the Prophets and seruants of God in the time of Iezabels persecution Neither is there any more certaine way to testifie our loue towards God than by louing and honoring the children of God For our goodnesse cannot reach vnto God and therefore is to bee extended towards his Saints vpon earth Neither can it be that we should loue our brother aright vnlesse we loue God much more And therefore if we loue our brethren as we
lawful and good to lend to the rich with a iust increase as to giue or lend freely to the poore and that the like opposit blessing of plenteousnesse equally belongeth to both As if Salomon had also said he that giueth to the poore freely and cheerefully and lendeth to the rich to increase himselfe shall vndoubtedly attaine to great riches Thus you see how a partiall and prejudicat mind seeketh rather to draw the Scriptures to it selfe than to conforme it selfe to the Scriptures This prouerbiall sentence is diuersly expounded the most of them that I haue seene expound the latter clause as a punishment of the former As if this were the sence and meaning of this prouerbe That he which seeketh to enrich himselfe by oppressing the needie shall contrarie to his expectation either by bribes giuen to magistrats that he may escape the punishments which by the lawes belong vnto him or else by forfeiture of his goods into great mens hands fall into pouertie Others obserue here to be noted two practises of worldly men which they read copulatiuely that is to take from the poore and to giue to the rich both of them in their intent and purpose referred to the enriching of themselues but by the just prouidence of God so disposed that in the euent they tend to their impouerishment As if Salomon had said He that taketh from the poore to enrich himselfe and giueth to the rich that from them he may receiue greater benefits which commonly is the end of gifts giuen to great men shall by the just judgement of God come to pouertie or as one vnderstandeth this prouerbe He that oppresseth the poore to enrich himself also who giueth to the rich small things that he may receiue from him greater matters and that he may do it oppresseth the poore in the meane while that he may haue to giue to the rich hee shall surely come to pouertie But suppose the holy Ghost did here match these two as equall sinnes to take from the poore and to giue to the rich yet the latter is not generally to bee vnderstood either as a sinne in it selfe as though it were simply vnlawfull to giue any thing to the rich or as great a sinne as to lend vpon vsurie to the poore but with limitation to such things as are giuen to the rich being vnjustly taken or vncharitably withheld from the poore Howsoeuer it is the holy ghost doth not speake here of lending at all and therefore those two collections from hence are absurd and impudent either that lending freely to the rich is as great a sinne as lending vpon vsurie to the poore or that lending vpon vsurie to the rich is as good a thing in his kind as lending freely to the poore Which wicked and shamelesse assertions of this patron of vsurie I wish may bee an admonition both to others that haue taken vpon them the defence of the same cause that through the partialitie of their affections they runne not into the like extremities and also to vsurers that they relie not much vpon such patrons nor hazard their saluation vpon their credit who are now growne to this passe as to call vertue vice and vice vertue Would a man thinke it credible that a Christian man hauing knowledge and learning joyned with a profession of the truth should euer conceiue and much lesse commit to writing That to lend freely to the rich is as great a fault as to lend vpon vsurie to the poore and to lend vpon vsurie to the rich as lawfull and good a thing as to lend freely to the poore O tempora â—o mores in which it is a sinne not to be an vsurer and a vertue not to be liberall friendly courteous or ciuile In which religion is made to countenance vsurie for a vertue and to condemne liberalitie and humanitie for a vice Fourthly they alledge Ier. 15. 10. I neither lent vpon vsurie neither haue they lent me vpon vsurie Whence they gather that lending vpon vsurie is of the same nature with borrowing vpon vsurie and both of them are there mentioned as indifferent things I answer that the Prophet speaketh not of lending vpon vsurie or borrowing vpon vsurie though some translations so read but of lending vpon securitie or with purpose to exact that which is lent And this signification better fitteth the purpose of the Prophet which is to shew the contentious disposition of the people who contended with him when he had giuen them not onely no cause as he had done if hee had bene an vsurer but none occasion of cursed contention for he had forborne all worldly though otherwise lawfull contracts from whence many times contentions arise among men as if he had said I did neither meddle nor make with them in worldly affaires neither bought nor sold neither borrowed nor lent and yet they contend Or if the Prophet had spoken of vsurie in this place it would serue rather for the condemnation of borrowing vpon vsurie which in manie cases is vnlawfull than for justification of lending vpon vsurie which in no case is lawfull the Prophet disclaiming the one as well as the other as causes or at the lest as occasions of contention And these with some few other before confuted are all their allegations out of the old Testament Let vs come to the new for as some of them say It is not to be omitted that the Apostles of Christ in their sundry catalogues of sinnes do neuer once make mention of vsurie which is an argument that it is lawfull especially seeing in the Romane empire vnder which they liued it was commonly exercised euen vnto twelue in the hundred as also among the Iewes to whom Iames Peter and Iohn did write I answer first although it be not forbidden by name in the new Testament yet that proueth it not to bee lawfull An argument drawne from the testimonie of some one part of the Scripture negatiuely doth not hold it is sufficient that it is forbidden in the old Testament and namely in the morall law of God which is common and perpetuall And farre be it from vs to thinke that Christ in his Gospell alloweth any sinne which is forbidden in the morall law as I haue prooued vsurie to be Againe there are many other sinnes forbidden in the morall law which are not once mètioned in the new Testament For to seeke no further biting and griping vsurie is condemned in the morall law and is a thing in the confession of all simply and vtterly vnlawfull and yet thereof is no mention made in all the new Testament and therefore if this argument be good no vsurie at all be it neuer so immoderat or excessiue is vnlawfull Secondly I answer that vsurie is forbidden and condemned in the new Testament not indeed expresly and by name neither is that needfull for many things are contained in the Scriptures which are not expresly mentioned in the Scriptures There be I doubt not some sinnes condemned in the morall